Third and final chapter tomorrow. Happy holidays, please leave a review. All feedback appreciated :)

TWO

Victoire leapt up from the sofa to steady Teddy, a reflex action from years of hanging out with him. She had spared him many an accident in their Hogwarts years, without her he would have been well acquainted with the Giant Squid. She sometimes wondered if her quick reflexes were a result of the werewolf blood in her. Either way, she was glad of them, they made her quite a formidable Seeker. Teddy, while uncoordinated on the ground, was a surprisingly good Quidditch player. Victoire had hopes of playing professionally, like Aunt Ginny, even though these plans made Fleur purse her lips, as she barely held back a rant about the dangers of the sport and how it wasn't a suitable activity for a young lady.

Victoire snapped back into the moment, and snatched her hands back. She had been holding Teddy's arms for a bit too long. She gathered herself, and looked up into his face. He as beaming down at her, and she couldn't but smile back. His charm always had been infectious. He pulled her into a big hug.

'Hey Vicky, happy Christmas!'

His arms were warm and familiar, and she gratefully sank into his hug. It was comforting (and Merlin, how had she never noticed how good he smelled?) but something niggled. It annoyed her that he was acting like they were still the best of friends, like he hadn't been ignoring her for months. She would bring it up later, but she was reluctant to disturb this cosy moment. It felt so right being in his arms, and it was so nice to be close to him again. She really had missed him. When Teddy let her go (the hug had lasted longer than normal, but it still felt far too short) she tried to control her face. She wanted to beam and beam and beam but she fought to keep her smile at an appropriate size. Harry clapped Teddy on the shoulder, and Teddy broke eye contact with Victoire to enthusiastically embrace his godfather. Victoire had always loved how openly affectionate Teddy was, and how much he cared for Uncle Harry. He had spoken to her about how much Harry meant to him, how Harry had always cared for him and guided him. She had been touched to hear how important Harry's role in his life had been, but now she resented it. Harry pulled Teddy aside for a chat, and she was left standing by the fireplace on her own. Teddy shot her a rueful smile (at least, that was how she read it) but Harry remained oblivious. At first she hovered, tugging at her skirt and chewing on her lip. She soon felt too uncomfortable and drifted out of the room. She steeled herself and headed for the kitchen to see if she could help out.

As she had expected, the kitchen was a hive of activity. Molly was red faced, her hair frizzing every which way as she directed her helpers. Pots were bubbling, enchanted knives chopped mounds of vegetables and Uncle George was sneakily using magic to transport the plates to the dining room. If Molly caught him there would be hell to pay. As soon as Victoire opened her mouth to offer assistance she was directed over to help Aunt Hermione sort out napkins, glasses and cutlery. After her disaster with the potatoes last year Hermione had been banned from any cooking duties at Christmas. Hermione gave Victoire a small, tight smile. Clearly the kitchen was as stressful as it was every year. Victoire suspected that Molly thrived on the madness. She loved having so many people to spoil, having her family gathered together for Christmas. It was good to see so many of the family pitching in to help, amazing as Molly was it was a lot of work for one woman.

'Guess who!' Warm hands covered Victoire's eyes as she was folding napkins into star shapes (if napkins were all Hermione was allowed to control they were going to be the best damn napkins The Burrow had ever seen). A smile spread across Victoire's face.

'Could it possibly be Teddy Lupin?'

'I suppose it could.' He took his hands away, leaning his chin on her shoulder. 'Whatcha doin'?'

'Working' she replied, shrugging him off.

'Working hard' Hermione chipped in, as she examined Victoire's napkins, making sure they were up to scratch.

She was reluctant to chat to Teddy now. She knew she would have to confront him about what was going on between them, but her newfound feelings for him would make this tricky. She wished she knew where she stood with him, this uncertainty was so awful. But for now, avoidance.

'These napkins won't fold themselves.'

Unfortunately, Teddy took this as an invitation to join them. Victoire swore inside her head. This had not been the plan. Hermione didn't trust Teddy's folding skills, so she had him counting knives and forks, and setting the table. Teddy rolled his eyes at Victoire, who couldn't help but smile back. She didn't blame Aunt Hermione for her perfectionism, she knew Fleur was being smug about her own superior role in the kitchen. Hermione had even enchanted the napkins so that the wings would flutter and they would unfold themselves. It was a very impressive spell, and Victoire made a mental note to ask Hermione how it was done.

At dinner, Victoire found she was seated beside Teddy. Of course she was. After all, they had always been inseparable. Uncle Harry gave her a thumbs up. Clearly he thought this would give them the perfect chance to catch up. Victoire smiled back weakly. This was the exact opposite of what she needed. They couldn't talk properly here, with so many people around. The family were notoriously nosy, there would be no quiet words at this table. She couldn't stand the thought of pretending throughout this meal that they were best buddies or worse, Teddy blatantly showing his lack of interest in her. She was feeling pretty gloomy as she sat down beside Teddy, but she perked up a bit when Uncle Percy waving some college leaflets at her. Sitting here really wasn't so bad after all. Teddy saw her grimace as she waved back at Percy.

'Oh no, are you Uncle Percy's new project?'

'He has been an absolute nightmare, you wouldn't believe it.'

'Who do you think he was hassling last year, Vicky?'

'I don't remember him sending you weekly packages of brochures, and letters full of 'advice'.'

Teddy gave a low whistle. 'Percy has upped his game, you poor thing.'

'Well, at least he actually writes to me.' The sharp words were out before she could stop them. She looked straight at Teddy, letting him see how hurt she was. He looked quite shocked at her directness, this wasn't like her.

'I really am sorry Vic, things have just been so busy – '

'Too busy for your best friend? Okay then.' Victoire's voice was choked with emotion, and she looked away to gather herself. Fleur gave her a stern look. Clearly their little argument hadn't gone unnoticed.

'That's not it, you don't –'

Victoire cut him off again. 'This isn't the place' she hissed 'Now tell me about your fancy new job or something before my mother freaks out.'

Teddy gave her a stern look and Victoire found it hard to tear herself away from his warm brown eyes. While he regularly changed his hair colour, his eyes tended to stay the same. His hair had been turquoise during his final year at Hogwarts, now it was auburn. It really suited him, but she missed the more vibrant colour. He seemed a bit less himself, or something. It was like his job had changed him. She guessed that was normal, after all final year had changed her too, but she missed knowing Teddy inside out like she used to. After the weirdly intense look he started telling her about his job, and the odd looks from other family members ceased. The meal was, as ever, amazing. They were absolutely stuffed (and Molly was still insisting on giving them more food) and everyone looked totally content. Despite her discomfort, Victoire was glad to have her family around her, to hear her parents laughing, to see Molly hugging her children. They got up from the table, everyone waving Molly off and insisting they would clear the table. Molly reluctantly moved into the sitting room with the children and the clear up began. With his mother out of the room, George used a number of cleaning spells to speed things up. Victoire spotted a piece of paper at her place, and recognised Teddy's writing immediately.

'Back garden in 15 minutes. We need to talk.'