Chapter Two - Flying By
Victoire was a tall, skinny eleven year old with a knobby set of knees and too many freckles. She was by no means a confident sort of person. When surrounded by strangers, she preferred not to speak, or else to hang by her parents, or else watch over her siblings. It was not that she was shy—when engaged with, she would make every effort to be sociable. She was just a highly introverted person. Naturally, this meant that starting school that year was anticipated with much trepidation. There was a likely chance that Victoire would not make friends.
The girl in question was not as concerned over this as much as her parents were. The trip to Diagon Alley had inspired a sense of enthusiasm for Hogwarts. The paper shopping bags were scattered around her room, an audience to her excitement. She took out her new wand despite being forbidden to perform magic and spent an hour pretending to cast all sorts of spells, waving it around and making up words.
That year, when the first of September arrived, the date knocked upon her bedroom door and stirred her from her sleep. She woke up feeling like Christmas and her Birthday had arrived simultaneously.
Nerves only began to bubble in her stomach once she and her parents arrived at King's Cross Station. She was dressed in long, khaki shorts and an unflatteringly big T-Shirt but her new school robes were tucked into her backpack, ready to be changed into. Her father pushed her trunk along. Her mother carried the small cage with her new cat inside. She had not been sure whether a cat would be an appropriate pet, but had found the creature amusing. He spent most of his time chasing his tail, never being able to catch it. In an ironic mood, Bill called him Sisyphus and the name had stuck.
They arrived at the barricade between platforms nine and ten. Victoire stared at the solid brick wall.
"Well, go on," Bill Weasley said. "Just walk straight at it."
She nodded, swallowing hard before squaring her bony shoulders. She looked around, but the muggles moseying past hardly glanced in their direction. She refocused on the wall. With a slight running start, she slipped straight through the barricade onto the platform beyond.
The platform was busy with people. A large sign hung over her head, announcing that she was on Platform 9 ¾. The long, burgundy train was waiting like a sleeping beast, puffing out steam as it snored. Children of all ages weaved through the crowd to hug old friends. Just as Victoire was taking the entire scene in, her parents appeared behind her.
Being the eldest child—not only in her immediate family but also counting her extended cousins—Victoire had no one to greet. She hung near her mother and father as they pushed their way towards the front of the platform.
"Ah, there iz 'Arry!" Fleur said, pointing towards the man in question. With her free hand, she guided her daughter through the crowd.
Harry shook hands with the witch he was speaking to before he turned to greet Fleur and Bill. He smiled warmly as he closed the few remaining steps between them. With familiar arms, he embraced them both.
"Where's Teddy?" Bill asked.
Harry looked around, his eyes darting over the heads of the milling students. "He ran off to say hello to his friends." He turned his eyes kindly towards Victoire. "Are you excited to start?"
She nodded mutely.
"Don't be nervous. You'll make friends right away."
She nodded again, clutching her mother's hand more tightly.
"This is typical of Teddy," Harry said with a sigh, his green eyes returning to the crowd. "He always just disa—there!"
It wasn't too difficult to spot a blue haired boy.
His godfather waved him over. Teddy said a parting word to the boy beside him before weaving through the maze of bodies to meet Harry. He greeted the family friends with a cheeky grin. "Aw, Vic's starting this year!"
Her smile was more of a grimace. Although he was two years older, she was the same height as him.
"Listen," Harry said, kneeling down in front of his godson. "Victoire doesn't know anyone so you've got to look out for her."
"Yeah, yeah," Teddy shrugged flippantly. "Of course I will."
Victoire was mortified that she had become some sort of burden. Her face was burning. She shook her head quickly, as if to dismiss what Harry had said. "It's fine, he doesn't have to—"
"No, Teddy's older, it's his responsibility. Don't just ditch her on the train. Got it?" Harry interjected, not taking his eyes off Teddy.
"Yes. Merlin, give me a break." The surly teenager took several steps back. "Can I go talk to my friends now?"
Harry rolled his eyes and nodded graciously. Teddy sent a sneaky smile to Victoire before running off. The adults watched him go. Harry laughed. "More trouble than he's worth," he said affectionately.
Victoire was given some last, reassuring words from her parents before the whistle was blown and everyone began to surge towards the train. Hugs were exchanged. Promises were made to write each day. She clutched her trunk tightly in one hand, and her cat's cage in the other. She felt like a gargoyle, weighed down with all of her luggage. Every step closer to the Hogwarts Express felt heavier than the last. When she was on-board, she looked around in spite of herself, hoping to see a familiar face. Teddy had already disappeared and was nowhere in sight. She entered the nearest compartment and pulled her bags inside. The final whistle was blown. She surged towards the window, spotting her parents in the rabble. As the train began to pull away on exactly eleven o'clock, she waved at her mum and dad with tears in her eyes. She watched them disappear around the corner.
Only a few minutes later did the compartment door slide open. A girl walked in with a birdcage under her arm. She was also a First Year, easily identified by the tell-tale forlorn expression. "Can I sit with you?" she asked.
"Of course," Victoire said.
Her name was Krishnaa, and her barn owl was called Garuda. It was enormous, with a ghostly white face and black, button eyes. It sat as still as a statue in its cage, adding to its unnerving appearance. Victoire decided to leave Sisyphus tucked behind her backpack.
They began to talk, and as most eleven year olds do, they bonded over simple things. They had the same favourite colour (orange) and the same preference in television shows. Krishnaa was a half-blood witch, so her understanding of the Muggle world was even better than Victoire's. Feeling generous with her new friend, she bought her some Pumpkin Pasties from the Honeydukes trolley and they shared them together. Victoire began to pray they would be Sorted into the same house.
About halfway through the train trip, just as the two girls were growing comfortable, the compartment door slid open and a boy stuck his head in. He was older than the girls, with brown hair and a button nose. He looked at them both for a moment. "Are you Victoire Weasley?" he asked.
Stunned, Victoire only nodded. The boy shoved his head back into the corridor. "Teddy, I found her!" he yelled.
A moment later Teddy joined them. "Hey," he said, leaning against the doorframe, all skinny legs and bent elbows . "I came to check on you."
"You don't have to," she replied.
"Who's this?" Teddy asked.
"Krishnaa," Victoire supplied, as if that should be obvious. "Who's that?" she added.
"This here is Digby Mullins, my right hand man."
Digby Mullins smiled, showing off a row of crooked teeth. "And this here is Teddy Lupin, my left hand man."
"Naturally," Victoire said.
"Well, we were just checking on you," Teddy said. "I suppose I'll see you later."
"Okay," Victoire said.
Teddy nodded at Krishnaa and left. Digby Mullins slammed the door shut.
Krishnaa turned to stare at Victoire with wide, brown eyes. "Who was that?" She asked.
She was obliged to give a small summary of who Teddy Lupin was. It took her about twenty minutes, including all of the follow up questions she was asked in the aftermath.
"He seemed really cool," Krishnaa concluded.
Victoire shrugged, not feeling particularly inclined towards Teddy at that current time. It was clear he saw her as an embarrassment or a burden. In any case, that was how she felt when his name was mentioned.
When they arrived at the Hogsmeade train station, the First Years were shepherded into a group by the colossal Rubeus Hagrid. Each finger was enormous, the size of a large sausage. He stood over the band of small children, holding a lantern that lit up his grey beard. "Firs'-years! Firs'-years over here!" He roared, using his free hand to wave students towards him.
When he saw Victoire, lugging her trunk, his face burst into a rosy grin. "There yeh are! Vic'orie Weasley!"
Krishnaa gaped at her new friend. "Do you know everyone?"
Victoire shrugged. She had never met Rubeus Hagrid before, although she recognised him immediately from the stories she had heard about him. Once they had all assembled, he began to lead them away. Along with the other First Years, Krishnaa and Victoire walked down a shady path until they arrived at a small fleet of boats. They were moored on the shore of a quiet, still lake. Someone exclaimed that they could see a giant squid, pointing out to where a definite splash had just occurred. Some nervous, others thrilled, the young students split into small groups and found their way into the vessels. Seamlessly, they left the dock, floating eerily over the glassy black lake.
Victoire swallowed her nerves down.
It took the young girl only a matter of weeks to settle into Gryffindor. She had no trouble getting along with the other girls in her dormitory, as she was mild-mannered and quiet. Fortuitously, Krishnaa had also been sorted in the same House, and so she felt no need to make any other friends. She became so well acquainted with Gryffindor that the ghost of Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington knew her by name and stopped to chat to her each morning. Occasionally, she would have tea down at Hagrid's hut, and he would tell her stories. She wrote to her parents every week, giving them long details about everything from the food to her classmates to what she had picked up from the syllabus. She had very little issue adjusting to life at Hogwarts, and found it almost strange to remember the trepidation at the train station before departing.
The highlight, by far, was the flying classes. Her year group assembled on the lawn by the Forbidden Forest. A row of broomsticks sat inanimate and horizontal between each student. Lifeless things. Victoire was itching to touch hers.
She was a naturally athletic girl, despite her insubstantial frame, and nothing appealed to her more than getting on her broom.
Several formalities had to be abided by first. The rules were laid out. The theory was discussed. Then they were told how to raise their broom and mount it correctly.
Over the course of the next few weeks, the students were given more freedom to trial out their flying abilities. It was hardly a surprise to Victoire that she so effortlessly excelled at flying, although everyone else seemed stunned. People cheered her as she glided off the ground, circling above like a bird of prey. Those who didn't know her well began to ask their neighbours for her name. They played games like Stichstock to practice their balance and flying coordination and whenever Victoire was in the position of guardian, she was impossible to beat.
The news spread quickly.
Soon, all of Gryffindor knew about her flying skills. Elinor Wood was ecstatic, informing the Quidditch team that Victoire Weasley would be ready for competition by the following year. As the months progressed, her popularity soared.
She became an object of infatuation. She had a dry sense of humour and an unassuming attitude. She was hardly aware of the affect she had on people, which only seemed to make her more interesting. In her Second Year, she made the Quidditch Team without having to exert herself impressing the Captain. From then on, everyone wanted to be friends with Victoire Weasley (or at least call themselves an acquaintance). It did not help that as she got older, she grew more beautiful. She exited her awkward stage with an unprecedented grace. No one could resist her natural charm.
Teddy was perhaps one of the few people immune to it. He never failed to tell people that her true talent was not Quidditch but gnome catching. "Isn't that right, stupid?" he would ask affectionately. Victoire would roll her eyes, hiding a smile.
Their friendship resumed, although the nature of it had shifted. Teddy looked out for her like an older brother, saving her a seat at Quidditch games where Gryffindor wasn't competing, or else helping her with homework. The time they spent together was often in passing, but it was still much more genuine than it had been in her First Year. Whenever they were together, he would boast to anyone in the vicinity that he and Victoire had always been friends. Perhaps it was cupboard love, but she wasn't one to complain.
No one adored Victoire more than Teddy. She was very blind to it. Perhaps he was, too. Anyone more experienced in these matters would have noticed the crush. Unrequited teenage affection surfaced in the usual ways. He would punch her in passing, or else throw paper planes with sticking charms on them. And then there was the ever-present request—"Can I get a kiss?"
She told him she would prefer to snog a Dementor. He grinned back, smitten.
Still, this was puppy love and it only lasted a few more months. Like every hair colour he had ever tried, Teddy soon grew tired of it.