Chapter Two
Victoire Lupin pranced to the door of her Godric's Hollow home to greet her husband, Edward. She spread her arms wide and embraced him. He ran his fingers through her silky white-blond hair.
"Teddy! How did it go? Are you alright?" she asked him lovingly.
"I'm fine, Vic. The Daily Prophet article was a severe distortion. I got what I needed," he told her, hanging up his coat and casting a stain-removal charm with his wand.
"Bloody Firewhisky, it's a bitch to remove," he said. Victoire noticed the anxiety on his face.
"What's wrong?" she questioned, leading him to the couch. She served him his favourite beverage, a warm butterbeer, as he informed her of the potential danger to come. He let the creamy, buttery drink trickle down his throat for a moment, warming him up.
"If it does happen, I'm going to war. I don't want you to," he admitted. "I want you to stay with your parents. They would be devastated if you died."
"I would be devastated if you died! I love you, I have ever since we were young!" she protested. "If I have to die so soon, I want to die like your parents," she said quietly. She placed her hand in his and kissed him on the cheek. "I'm staying with you."
Evening passed and morning came. Edward and Victoire visited Diagon Alley, a famous wizard shopping center. Charles was to come over on the 29th, his birthday, and Edward wanted to surprise him. The two of them were overcome with nostalgia as they strolled by their favourite childhood shops. There were shiny broomsticks in the windows, bubbling potions in the apothecary, smooth robes for any occasion, and plenty of magical creatures for sale. Edward gazed into Flourish and Blotts, examining a book on the shelf about Transfiguration. Victoire gasped in admiration of a pocket-sized household dragon.
"It's so adoooorable Teddy! Dragons were never allowed as pets when we were children!" The violet-scaled dragon let out a soft, high-pitched roar, flying around a little girl's head. Edward laughed in agreement - the dragon really did look like a great pet. They continued to follow the brick path, and they eventually came to a store they both recognised. A large, mechanical head topped the building, complete with the ginger hair typical of the Weasley family from which Victoire's father came.
"Here we are," Edward exclaimed. "Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes," he read the sign aloud. Charles had become a grown man, but he never grew out of his favourite joke shop on the planet. Victoire opened the purple door of the store, and as the two of them entered, they were instantly engulfed by the noises inside. Colourful fluffy balls with smiling faces bounced towards them, letting out squeals and giggles. Bowls of sweets lined tables at the front. A little apple with a menacing set of jaws snarled at Edward as he made his way to the Crazy Quills.
"How may I help you?" Edward spun around, and there was Ron Weasley, a close friend of his godfather.
"Hello, Ron! I'd like ten of those quills that turn into birds. Oh - and a couple of shocking quills too," Edward added. Victoire ran upstairs and back, adding a bag of Mischievous Dumbledore's to the list. They were doll-sized, animated figures dressed like the famous wizard Albus Dumbledore, and they were very fond of pulling pranks on people.
"That'll be forty galleons," Ron told them. "Any more plans for the day?"
"We'll have to go and get Charles some drinks and a new broom," Victoire replied.
"Oh, Charles, of course! Is it just the three of you? You'll should come over for a game of quidditch! What do you say, two on two?" he challenged.
"Challenge accepted, old man, but make it a full game - you'll need the kids to keep you safe!" Edward teased. Ron shoved him.
"I'll get you for that," Ron warned.
Edward and Victoire left the joke shop, and then went to Quality Quidditch Supplies to purchase Charles the brand-new Nimbus Platinum broom. It was carved from black wood, finely polished, and finished with silver lettering and footing. Young Quidditch enthusiasts around the store almost drooled as the broom was lowered from a glass shelf and gently handed to Edward. Edward paid to have it delivered via the Floo-network, and watched it vanish into green flames. With that, the couple left the shop.
"Let's go to Hogsmeade!" Victoire suggested outside the store, hugging her husband tightly and begging him with her eyes. "Pleeease? I haven't been since my Hogwarts years! We could get Charles some things there!"
"Of course, Vic," Edward told her. Together they apparated to Hogsmeade, a small village near Hogwarts. An echoing noise like thunder announced their arrival. They gasped as they met cold winter air. The witches and wizards in the village liked to conjure magical snow there. All the shops in Hogsmeade were old, wooden, and creaky, but that was the way they liked it. Edward and Victoire went to Honeydukes, the sweet shop, and bought Charles some Bertie Bott's Every Flavored Beans.
"Oh yes, I remember these. When they say every flavour, they mean it," Victoire exclaimed. Edward recalled eating a bean that tasted like the bottom of an old shoe.
"I think he would like some chocolate frogs, too. We enjoyed trying to catch them as kids, and trading the cards afterwards," he told her.
They bought Charles some sweets from Honeydukes and some butterbeer from The Three Broomsticks, and decided to explore the village quietly. Every now and then they would bring up a happy memory from their childhood, but Edward was feeling nervous. He loved Victoire, he really did, and he was quite sure there was a war on the way. He had heard Vincent Andersson on the radio, and attended his visit to the Ministry.
"The man wants the muggles wiped out," he said aloud, mindlessly.
"What was that Teddy?" Victoire asked, surprised.
"Oh, nothing love," Edward replied, putting an arm around his wife to keep her warm.
