It was the first day of my last year at Hogwarts, and as much as I wanted to leave it, I was sad about it. I loved the magic to it, and I loved being around my family at all times. And of course, I loved studying Transfiguration, which was why I was going to be a teaching assistant for Professor Cuffins. He was getting old, and next year would be his last, which was why he was going to be training me to take over. The best part, my boyfriend of over a year, Teddy Lupin, was the most supportive about this. My father wanted me to work at the bank, and my mother told me I could do well there. When I told them I wanted to teach, they kind of freaked out.
Grand dad was totally for it, and so was Molly, and so I just had to get them to convince Mum and Dad to let me do what I want in life. But I had to force that out of my mind, since Teddy was about to wish me goodbye. I loved Teddy, and he made me happy. I remembered how we got together, and how the Christmas Ball of my fifth year played a large part. It was when I realized I was a horrible person to him, and that I strung him along so bad that he thought that I liked him in return.
"Vic…I love you. And I will miss you."
"I love you too Teddy."
"I will come visit you when you have Hogsmeade weekends, and write you."
"And I will be there when you come. And when you write me, don't worry about a reply."
"I don't know how I got so lucky that you would want me."
"Only as lucky as I am that you would forgive me."
Teddy smiled, his hair turning into the famous shade of pink everyone associated him with. That or turquoise blue.
"What are you thinking, Teddy?"
"I have something I want to give you."
"What is it?"
"Don't freak out." He got onto the ground, kneeling on one knee. "This isn't an engagement ring. It's a promise. I promise to love you, and cherish you, and to always be there for you. And when the time is right, I will replace this with an engagement ring. So Victoire, will you say yes?"
"Of course I will. I love you so much."
"I love you too."
The train gave its last whistle, and I grabbed her smallest bag, gave Teddy a peck on the cheek, and ran to catch the train before it left me behind. This would be my last time riding to Hogwarts with any students, and there was no way that I was going to miss out on this opportunity. I walked to my normal carriage, the one that all the Weasley children had claimed all those years ago when it was just Teddy and me. And on my way there, I ran into Rose and Albus. They were looking for a place to sit, because they didn't know where to go, so I brought them with me to the carriage.
"There will always be a place for you in the Weasley carriage. Never worry about that."
"Thanks Victoire," said Rose.
"Thank you Victoire," said Albus. "I was wondering if I could ask you something. Away from all the others."
"Of course." I walked with him into an empty carriage where he could ask me his question without his eavesdropping cousins and brother. "Now, what's up?"
"I am worried I might be in Slytherin, and that people might make me an outcast. Because I would be Harry Potter's son, in Voldemort's house. What did people say about you when you were sorted there?"
"Oh, Albus. You can't worry about what people think of you. Yes, you are Harry Potter's son. But you're more than just that. You're a charming, smart, and funny kid. And if you are in Slytherin, then that's who you are. You would still be a Potter, but you would just be in a different house. Everyone has every house buried deep in them, but what house you get sorted into is a more dominant quality. You have ambition, and you are cunning when you help pull a prank. You are determined and clever. There is nothing in the traits of Slytherin that says evil."
"So if I am a Slytherin, the family won't shun me?"
"They won't. And if you do get sorted here, then you will have me to help you in the house."
"Thanks Victoire."
"Anything else?"
"Not that I can think of."
The first years came into the hall, with Albus and Rose in the middle. Albus gave me a smile, and I gave him a thumbs up. Soon, he was sorted, and he landed in Slytherin, where he sat next to me at the table. "Welcome to Slytherin, Albus."
"Thank you Victoire."
As soon as the sorting finished, we dug in. And before we knew it, we were digging into our food on May 2nd. It was a good day and a bad day. It was a good day, in the sense that it was my birthday, and I was turning eighteen. But it was a bad day, in the sense that it was the anniversary of the final battle of the Wizarding world, and of the deaths of so many amazing people I would have loved to have met.
So while I was standing in the crowd, listening to the speeches, I was feeling Teddy's hand in mine. I knew I was ready to be engaged to him, as he was patient with me, and was willing to wait until I was ready to marry. I looked up and saw his face. He looked down at me, his eyebrows risen. I mouthed to him, 'Want to get married?'
His face lightened when he got what I was trying to say, and I smiled when I saw happiness. He hadn't answered, so I rose my eyebrows, asking him again. But still no answer. I withdrew my hand from his, tears threatening to spill from my eyes. Dominique saw this and immediately squeezed my hand, and I squeezed back until the service was over.
"I'll be in there in just a few." She walked in and I turned to face Teddy. "So…you didn't give me an answer Teddy."
"I gave you my answer on September first. I want to marry you. I just want to be the one to ask. I have a ring picked out and everything. I just want to be the one to ask you."
"Why can't you just ask right now?"
"Because I want it to special. Not in an arguing setting."
"But what if the time is never right for you to propose Teddy? Will you just put the proposal aside and make me wait for one?"
"Of course I will ask you to marry me. I was going to do it on an ordinary day. To make it special and memorable. After you graduate from high school."
Victoire looked down. She knew he had sense, but she just wanted to be engaged right then.
"Promise me that you will."
"Of course I will. Now let's go celebrate your birthday."
"Let me just run to my dorm, and get changed from this black."
"Okay. I will be in the Great Hall."
I walked down to my dorm room to get changed, remembering that this was supposed to be the best day for me, despite the fact that it was the memorial anniversary thing. But today was the worst day for me. About thirty minutes after I had gone down, Albus came into my room. I had been there for him, and this was one time I needed him.
"Teddy sent me do—what's wrong Vic?"
"I don't—I don't think—Teddy wants to marry me."
"That's impossible. You know he wants to."
"But he hasn't proposed yet. And he said he wants to do it on his time, but what if that never happens?"
"It will. You know he loves you. If he didn't want to marry you, he wouldn't have given you the promise ring."
"What's taking him so long though?"
"You know all those romance novels you read?"
"Yes…"
"You know how the guy always proposes when the girl least expects it? And the way he makes the girl feel special? No matter when it is?"
It suddenly dawned on me. "You think I should just forget about the argument? So I can be surprised when it happens?"
"And we have a winner. Now get dressed."
"You're great Albus."
"You are too. You just need to believe it."
Albus left the room, and I went to my closet to pick out a dress that I would wear. I picked a short orange dress, which I changed into a long dress. The bottom of it was a flowy style and the top was a one shouldered dress, with a flower on the strap. I pulled my hair up into a bun, making it look beautiful and a little bit loose. It was a great look. As soon as I walked out of the door, I found Teddy there in a suit, ready to take me out. I looked at him, wondering where we were going.
I took his arm and we walked to Hogsmeade, towards the Three Broomsticks. The new landlady, Parvati Thomas, knew us all, and she was gracious enough to let us have the party there. She had also changed it a bit. It used to be a bit dingy, from what I had heard, and she had turned it into something more modern. It was the perfect place to have it. I caught Albus' eyes, and smiled at him. I was glad that he was there, since he was the cousin I was closest to now. Teddy whistled, and the room fell silent. I walked over to his side and he sat me down on a chair. He remained standing.
"Well, this morning, you almost ruined this moment right now. Victoire, I remember when we were children, and we were the only ones of us. We became best friends, and when I was a seventh year, I thought I would never become more than just a best friend. Well, I was wrong. These past two years have been the best for me, and I want to continue to get to know you for the rest of my life." I saw him get down on his knee and I smiled. "So Victoire Apolline Weasley, will you make me the happiest man alive not just today, but every day, for the rest of my life?"
"Yes, of course." He stood up just as I went down and our heads hit each other. But instead of crying, we started laughing hysterically. But we stood up at the same time and shared a kiss, which was soon interrupted by Gran. She started weeping just as she hugged me, pulling Teddy into the hug.
Mum came up right after her, and she hugged me tightly. She knew I loved Teddy, and was totally supportive of this. "I always knew you and Teddy would end up together in the end." Everyone came up to me after them, asking to see my ring, and I showed it to them. It was a diamond and emerald, as the emerald was my birthstone.
Graduation came and went. It was a big thing, but I wasn't paying attention to it. I had a wedding to plan, and I was excited for it. I had just picked the dress out. It was a strapless sweetheart dress with a bit of a slimming skirt to the dress until the mid thigh where it flared out a little until the floor. There was a short train, and there would be no veil. It was a good thing that the wedding was next week, because I needed the wedding to be over, and for the marriage to start.
All the stress of the wedding made me tired, so I fell asleep just to get some rest. And that night, it fell I slept until the wedding day.
"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always preserves. There are times when we are timid and shy about expressing the love we feel. For fear of embarrassing the other person, or ourselves, we hesitate to say the actual words "I love you." So we try to communicate the idea in other words.
We say 'take care' or 'don't drive too fast' or 'be good.' But really, these are just other ways of saying 'I love you,' 'you are important to me,' 'I care what happens to you. We are sometimes very strange people. The only thing we want to say, and the one thing that we should say, is the one thing we don't say. And yet, because the feeling is so real, and the need to say it is so strong, we are driven to use other words and signs to say what we really mean. And many times the meaning never gets communicated at all and the other person is left feeling unloved and unwanted.
Therefore, we have to listen for love in the words that people are saying to us. Sometimes the explicit words are necessary, but more often, the manner of saying things is even more important. A joyous insult carries more affection and love within the sentiments which are expressed insincerely. An impulsive hug says I love you even though the words might be saying a very different thing. Any expression of a person's concern for another says I love you. Sometimes the expression is clumsy, sometimes even cruel. Sometimes we must look and listen very intently for the love that contains. But it is often there, beneath the surface. A mother may nag her son constantly about his grades or cleaning his room. The son may hear only the nagging, but if he listens carefully, he will hear the love underneath the nagging. His mother wants him to do well, to be successful. Her concern and love for her son unfortunately emerge in her nagging. But it is love all the same. A daughter comes home way past her curfew, and her father confronts her with angry words. The daughter may hear only the anger, but if she listen carefully, she will hear the love under the anger. "I was worried about you," the father is saying. "Because I care about you and I love you. You are important to me."
We say I love you in many ways - with birthday gifts, and little notes, with smiles and sometimes with tears. Sometimes we show our love by just keeping quiet and not saying a word, at other times by speaking out, even brusquely. We show our love sometimes by impulsiveness. Many times we have to show our love by forgiving someone who has not listened to the love we have tried to express. The problem in listening for love is that we don't always understand the language of love which the other person is using.
A girl may use tears or emotions to say what she wants to say, and her boyfriend may not understand her because he expects her to be talking his language. Thus, we have to force ourselves to really listen for love.
The problem with our world is that people rarely listen to each other. They hear the words, but they don't listen to the actions that accompany the words or the expression on the face.
Or people listen only for rejection or misunderstanding. They do not see the love that is there just beneath the surface, even if the words are angry. We have to listen for love in those around us. If we listen intently we will discover that we are a lot more loved than we realize. Listen for love and we will find that the world is a very loving place, after all."
Do you, Teddy Remus Lupin, take Victoire Apolline Weasley to be your lawfully wedded wife?"
"I do."
"And do you, Victoire Apolline Weasley to be lawfully wedded husband?"
"I do."
"Then by the power vested in me, I now pronounce you man and wife. You may now kiss the bride."
Teddy didn't wait a second before he pulled me to him for a kiss, which I returned. And I was the happiest I could ever be.