A/N: Hey Ya'll! I know it's been like 3 years since I did this, or really anything. My life got hectic really fast. I've been off and on writing this story, and I've had this chapter and the next 2 done for quite a while, but I've never published them before. Part of it was the lack of readership that came with this story, much like my others, that I had stopped. Desperate is an entirely different story. Much of my ideas for that story I know don't even remember nor do I think I have the patience for it, unfortunately. It was a very in depth and time consuming fic to write. This one, while in depth, is easier for me to write and I've found it to be rather enjoyable. I can't promise constant updates, especially if it's not getting very much attention, but I'm at least going to try.

December 24, 2021

Victorie was nothing if not skilled at the art of hiding things. She hid her sister's toys when they were younger, she hid the types of food that she hated so her Mum wouldn't be able to cook them. She used to take and hide Teddy's clothes as a prank so he'd have to walk back from the Prefect's bathroom to the Hufflepuff common room in nothing but a towel.

And she had to admit, she was doing a pretty good job hiding that she was almost 5 months pregnant.

Some credit was due to the dress she was wearing, it definitely was helping but it took some work on her part, too. She was caring very heavy, and she was already starting to look big. She was starting to think it was more than one baby growing inside her.

Only she and Teddy knew at this point, they hadn't told anyone else. They knew that her family was already skeptical that they got engaged only 2 months after having been back together, they were slightly afraid to think of what they would say when they found out they were having a baby too.

"They're going to murder you," Victorie whispered.

Teddy chuckled. "They're not going to murder me."

"Well they're at least going to cause bodily harm or something," she protested quietly. "My father is a curse breaker. Do you know what you have to know to get rid of curses? Curses themselves! He knows curses that will make that thing in your pants disappear."

Teddy laughed again and wrapped an arm securely around her shoulders. "Everything will be fine," he promised. "Everyone will understand."

"Will they though? Will they understand?"

"Will who understand what?"

Victorie's head snapped around to find her Uncle Charlie sauntering towards them with a glass in his hand and his eyebrows raised. Several of her family members were following behind them, laughing and talking about some or other. She reckoned they were having a good time tonight.

And she was going to ruin it. Great.

"Nothing," she said quickly, grabbing a water from the table.

"Wow way to be discreet," Teddy muttered into her ear.

She glared at him as the rest of her family started gathering around.

Victorie looked around for her sister. She knew how excited Dominique was for this night, she got this gorgeous dress and she was finally getting to spend some time with him, something that was few and far between for the two of them. When she and him weren't working, she noticed that he had been spending a lot of time at home. He told her that his parents had dragonpox, and without any other family members it was mainly up to him to take care of them. Vic didn't know why, but she suspected there was something more. She felt bad for Dominique for thinking Henry was hiding something from her, but she couldn't shake the feeling.

Despite that though, she couldn't be more proud of herself. Henry and Dom seemed to be perfect for each other, and well it was all because of her. He seemed to fit well in the family, Grandma really liked him. Everyone did, actually, except for her Uncle Harry. She couldn't figure out why he looked so angry at him at the family dinner a few weeks ago.

Victoire's hopes for her sisters big night fell, however, when she saw Dominique come in with James. She could see her sister putting on a brave face while holding onto her cousins arm. She was disappointed, Victoire could tell, but she wasn't about to sulk about it either. Spotting their family grouped up, Dominique and James strode over.

"Hello family," James said, his trademark smirk on his face.

"Dominique, where's Mr. Jaw-Line?" Uncle George asked.

Dominique sighed, rolling her eyes.

"Yeah shouldn't Muscles be here by now?" Uncle Charlie finished, earning a laugh from Victorie's father.

"You know those pet names are so wonderful, but he has a name," she said, crossing her arms. Victorie laughed. Dominique managed to look like Grandma and Mum at the same time.

"We know, but it's so fun to make fun of the man who makes everyone else in the room feel inadequate," George said smirking. "Well except for us Weasley's, we're pretty solid."

Dominique rolled her eyes again. "He had to apparate home early, something with his parents."

"That's a shame, Henry McPerfect was going to be my entertainment for tonight," Uncle Ron said from behind Hermione, wrapping his arms around her midsection and planting a kiss on her head. "I was going to spend all my time teasing him about you."

"Was it going to be attack Henry day for everyone?" Dominique huffed.

All of her uncles looked at each other, then chorused, "Yes."

Dominique rolled her eyes and James laughed from beside her, before his eyes caught something else in the room. Victorie turned to see Ronnie Corner, the girl her brother and James both fell in love with. Well James fell in love with her, Louis caught her to spite James and then proceeded to cheat on her. Multiple times.

Victorie remembered how hard it was to tell the girl she thought would marry her brother that he was unfaithful. It was sad, really. She loved Ronnie like a sister.

"He's… He's what?" Ronnie whispered, flabbergasted. She looked up at Victorie and Roxanne, completely confused.

"We're so sorry, Ronnie. Honestly." Roxanne's voice was soft, she, despite growing up in a joke shop, was always the more grounded one of the Weasley girls. "We only just found out, James told us-"

"Wait James knew?" She said, something flashing in her eyes. Anger, maybe?

"Yeah, he did, I think he just didn't want to be the one to tell you-" Victorie tried, but as quickly as though words came out of her mouth, Ronnie shot up from the coffee shop table and was down the street.

She looked over at James and found him staring. Anyone looking at him, looking at her, could tell he was deep. His face glowed and a slight smile played on his lips. He made his way slowly across the hall and leaned up against a wall, apparently settling on staring at her.

"Lost James, have we?" Ron mused.

Victorie gave her uncle a dangerous look. "Don't even start with him, Uncle Ron. He deserves a break."

"Yeah before Corner gets over here and rips him a new one by the looks of it." Charlie nodded to where Ronnie, graceful as ever, was stalking over to him with a slightly murderous look in her eyes. She stopped in front of James, said something sharply and James staggered back for second.

"Look away guys, it might not be pretty." Fred walked up, wincing. "It was nice having a best friend while it lasted."

After a moment of silence, Teddy pressed a kiss to Victorie's forehead and whispered, "I want to tell them…"

Almost immediately her father whipped around and gave them a look. "Tell us what?"

"Dad-"

She looked up at Teddy's face. She conceded, she knew she needed to tell them, they'd find out sooner or later. Dom said Grandma would notice eventually, and she better tell them before that happened. She looked at Teddy one more time for encouragement then took a deep breath.

"I'm pregnant. We're pregnant."