A/N: That first chapter was just the prologue, so I'm sorry if it was a bit confusing. Anyways, here's Chapter 1 which will (hopefully) be much longer. Enjoy!
Chapter One: To Make a Realization
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Two weeks. It's been two weeks since the party and two weeks since I woke up in the wrong dormitory.
-- (flashback)
I wake up with a strong arm wrapped around my waist. The room smells strongly of cologne. I glance to my right and see a mess of brown hair. Slowly, I pull the arm off me and sit up. I'm in a bed, and the curtains are pulled closed, so I slowly pull them back and peer out into the room.
Holy shit. I'm in the boys' dormitory. Quickly, before anyone sees me, I yank the curtains shut again. I feel sticky and realize I'm naked, which can't be good.
Then, everything hits me like a ton of bricks. Once again, I glance to my right, and notice that the guy next to me is, well, also naked. But I don't know who it is.
I sigh, and wrap the sheet around me before gently shaking him. He mumbles something incoherent, and turns onto his side. I get a good look of his face then and scream, because I'm staring right at Teddy Lupin. And I just had sex with him.
-- (end flashback)
Teddy has been my best friend since forever. I obviously never thought I would have sex with him, but irony has a way of sneaking up on you when you least expect it.
I shake my head. I have got to stop thinking about that night. When he woke up to my incessant screaming that morning we both stared at each other, slowly comprehending what had happened. We made a silent agreement not to talk about it, and to pretend it hadn't happened; after all, we were both drunk beyond reasoning.
Of course, this is kind of hard to do when all I can think about is how I'm four freakin' days late for my period.
I'm not really sure what to do. I mean half of me thinks 'I'm pregnant' while the other half thinks 'Tons of girls have been four or more days late for their period and not have been pregnant.'
Of course, I doubt any of those girls had SEX WITH TEDDY LUPIN TWO WEEKS AGO!
I mean, what am I supposed to? Ignore the fact that I missed my period? Pretend nothing happened? Pray that my period show up???
I think I'll settle on the latter.
God, no, I can't. I need to know – I need a test. Except for I don't know have the potion you need for a test – and I can't just walk into Hogsmeade and buy the potion. That would be a big no-no.
Then, an idea hit me. Thinking fast, I grab a piece of parchment and quill, and start to write a letter to the only person that I know won't freak out on me – Aunt Ginny.
--
Dear Aunt Ginny,
HELP ME. I THINK I'M PREGNANT -
--
I stab the parchment furiously, then throw the letter in the garbage before grabbing another paper.
--
Dearest Aunt Ginny,
Two weeks ago I might have been at this party in the room of requirement. I might have drank too much. I might have had sex with TEDDY LUPIN -
--
Another wasted piece of parchment.
--
Aunt Ginny,
Please help me. I made a really big mistake, and I'm not sure if it's fixable.
Two weeks ago, I went to a party and drank some – okay, a lot – of firewhiskey. I'm pretty sure you know what happens after that. I woke up in the wrong dormitory. I really screwed up.
But here's the problem – my period is four days late, and I'm really scared. I didn't know who else to write to. Please don't hate me.
I was wondering if, at all possible, you could send me a pregnancy potion? I know it's much to ask, but I really need your help.
Please don't tell anyone, especially not Mum and Dad.
Love, Victoire
--
Finally satisfied, I run out of the dormitory to send my letter before I can change my mind. As my luck would have it, I run straight into Teddy on my way out of the portrait hole.
He helps steady me. "Vic," he greets, not meeting my eyes.
"Hullo Teddy," I say, shifting uncomfortably, "I've got to get down to the, um, owelry to, um, send a letter." I start to walk away, but he grabs my arm. I don't look at him, though.
"Can we talk?" he asks, his voice soft.
"We're talking now," I point out.
"I mean," he clears his throat, "Talk about what happened? Meet me at the Astronomy Tower tonight at 11 o'clock."
"That's after curfew," I say, trying to squirm out of it.
"I know," he says, before disappearing through the portrait hole.
I sigh again, and make my way over to the owelry. On the way, I'm joined by Lana. Brilliant.
"Hey Vicky," she says skipping up to me, "You've been so quiet lately. It's not like you." Yes, it is 'like me.' Just not the me everyone knows – not the 'me' that I act out everyday.
"Just been ... busy, with school and stuff," I reply. Liar.
She raises an eyebrow questioningly. "Really? That doesn't sound like you – did something happen at the party?" Not at the party, but after the party the party something happened. Oh yes, after the party something definitely happened.
"No," I lie again. "I'm fine."
She nods, understanding that I don't walk to talk about this stuff. "So," she begins, changing the subject, "Where are you off to?"
"The owelry," I reply.
"Cool, me too." I don't answer, and we walk the rest of the way in silence, taking the steps up to the owelry slowly, one at a time.
We get to the top, and I quickly tie the letter I wrote to my small gray owl, Selena. Then, I watch her fly out the window until she is a tiny speck in the distance. I really do hope I get a reply soon.
Lana clears her throat, and I turn around. "Walk with me down to dinner?" she asks, and I nod.
We walk back down the steps slowly, light conversation flowing between the two of us. "I heard James Wood likes you," she blurts out.
I shrug. "I'm not really looking for a boyfriend right now," I say.
I see her deflate somewhat. Lana loves to talk about boyfriends and boys. She loves to gossip about other people's boyfriend and boys, and she loves to set her friends (i.e. me) up on dates with boy. "Oh," she says, "Okay. I was just letting you know."
We reach the Great Hall and walk in, sitting down with all of our 'friends.' They are the crowd of people who were at the party; the crowd of people who everyone aspires to be. But everyone who aspires to be in this crowd don't know what it's like; they don't know the cruel truth. I've learned long ago that popularity doesn't matter; it's just a game, and you can get hurt, very badly. I've seen firsthand very nice girls have their reputation trashed all because someone in the group doesn't like them.
Somehow, I find myself in the center of this group, trapped, and unable to get out.
I'm listening, just listening to all the chatter going around. I respond to questions with one-word answers. I just can't stop thinking about the party and what happened after. I can't stop thinking about how I'm going to be talking with Teddy later.
I glance down towards the end of the table where Teddy is sitting with a few of his friends. He looks quieter than usual. I watch as one of his friends says something and his hair changes deep red to match the blush that comes onto his cheeks. I suppress a giggle. He turns and catches my eye, and I quickly look down at my plate, shoving a spoonful of peas into my mouth; anything to distract myself.
Tonight is certainly going to be a very long night.
--
Time doesn't move fast enough; it never does. I lie under my covers, pretending to be asleep. I can hear the other sixth-year Gryffindor girls quiet breaths echoing through the room.
Finally, after what seems like forever, it's 10:55, and I can leave. I quietly get out of bed, and creep out of the girls' dormitory, wondering how I'm going to get up to the Astronomy Tower without anyone noticing.
Once I make it down to the common room, I feel a tap on my shoulder. I jump in surprise and look behind me; no one is there. I'm about to start walking towards the portrait hole when a voice speaks up.
"Vic," and I instantly recognize it as Teddy's voice, "Take a few steps back," he says, and I realize he's under the invisibility cloak that Harry let him borrow.
I oblige, stepping back, and soon I feel the cool material of the cloak as it falls over my body. I'm standing mere millimeters away from Teddy, almost touching him.
He checks to make sure we're completely covered, and then we head out.
The walk is, obviously, silent. We can't make noise, because then someone might hear us, and we'd be caught. I decide that I won't mention anything about my possible pregnancy to Teddy until I know any kind of details. Heck, I might not even tell him at all, even when I do know details. He has NEWTs and whatnot to deal with; he probably doesn't even want to hear about the pregnancy of his best friend, even if he is the father.
I sigh inwardly. I don't even know if I'm pregnant yet. For all I know, I could not even be pregnant.
My train of thought is interrupted as we reach the astronomy tower and Teddy pulls the invisibility cloak off of us. He brushes his shaggy brown hair out of his eyes, and we both sit, not looking at each other, but at our feet.
"So," he starts awkwardly, but doesn't say anything else.
"So," I respond, "Here we are. At the Astronomy Tower," I sneak a glance at him, "To talk."
"Yea," he says, "To talk." He takes in a deep breath, then begins. "Two weeks ago we did something stupid. Really stupid."
I nod. "Really stupid, right."
"We made a mistake," he continues, "I mean, we didn't do it on purpose. I don't know about you, but I didn't know what we were doing; I was completely wasted – " he starts rambling, so I cut him off.
"It's okay, Teddy," I say, "I understand. I was drunk too; I didn't know what we were doing either."
"Right," he nods, "Sorry." He clears his throat. "Now that we've, um, established that part of things ..." he trails off, then sighs. "Look, Victoire, I don't want things to be awkward between us."
"Me either," I say quietly.
"But I'm not sure if I can just forget about the, um, incident. I mean, I tried to, but it's hard."
"I know, I feel the same," I say.
"I thought maybe talking about it would help, but I don't know what to say." He shakes his head, and I finally dare to look him in the eye. We're silent, staring into each others' eyes, not saying anything. My breath catches in my throat, but I don't break eye contact.
"Talking about it will help," I say, brushing a piece of my strawberry-blond hair behind my ear. "What do you want to do about it?" I ask, my voice barely a whisper.
He doesn't break eye contact. "I – I guess I want to do this," he says, and then he leans in. Before I know what's happening, he reaches up his hand cups my chin. Then, he slowly presses his lips against mine. It's not rushed and heated, but long and sweet. His lips are soft, and I feel a spark of electricity shoot through me.
He pulls back, leaving me breathless.
"I – I've wanted to do that for a long time," he says, his hair changing color to pink, which usually happens when he gets embarrassed.
"I don't know what to say," I answer. The truth is, his kiss sent shivers up my spine – good shivers. Right now, more than anything, I want to be in his arms. I want him to hold me.
But something is itching inside of me. I don't know if this is a good idea.
"Say that you liked it," he says, "Tell me you liked it as much as I did. Tell me you felt something."
"I – " I'm at lost for what to say. My head spins. I feel dizzy. "I – " My breathing gets ragged.
"Victoire?" Teddy asks, "Are you okay?"
"I – " I start again.
"Victoire!" He grabs my arm to stop me from falling back. "Can you hear me?"
I nod my head slowly – it's starting to clear. His touch is magical. "Did you mean what you said?" I ask, "Please tell me you meant it."
"Vic, of course I meant it. The truth is that I've liked you since 5th year – or, at least, that's when I realized it. I probably started liking you when we were little, and we spent all of our time together. Vic, almost all of my best memories include you."
I stare into his eyes – a mixture of hazel and green; they're beautiful. "That means a lot to me," I say.
"You mean a lot to me," he says.
I smile at him. "I think we should get to bed," I say.
"You're probably right," he answers, grinning from ear to ear.
--
A/N: There was Chapter One. Did you like it? Please leave a review!
Love, Paige