Shades of Denial

7 | In Which They Play Romeo and Juliet

June 22, 2017

Tap...tap tap...tap

Victoire stirred slightly from her sleep and opened her groggy eyes, wondering why Défaite was outside. But she spotted the bird in her cage and was incredibly confused. She shrugged it off and laid back on her pillows, almost succumbing to the fanciful lures of sleep when the noise came back.

Tap tap tap...tap...tap...tap tap

She turned over on her side and watched the window, waiting for the noises again. She gasped when she saw small rocks hitting the glass of her window. Growling softly to herself, Victoire threw her covers off and opened her window.

"What exactly do you – oh!" she stopped herself when she saw Teddy standing below by the beach.

"Ello Toire," he greeted, grinning crookedly.

She blushed and tried smoothing her hair and wrapping her arms around herself at the same time, which didn't work out.

"What are you doing, Ted?" she asked. "It's past midnight!"

He pouted. "I just wanted to see you."

She rolled her eyes. "And that couldn't wait until morning?"

"Of course not!" he exclaimed. "I had to come here and tell you how beautiful you are."

She blushed again. "I look like a mess."

"You're beautiful no matter what."

Their eyes met, and despite the distance between them they felt as close as could be. It was too dark to see his hair or eye color, but she could tell he was being sincere.

"Thank you, Ted," she said softly.

Teddy didn't respond. Instead, he leaned over and pulled his broomstick out of the bushes. She gasped with delight and he mounted the broom, quickly rising up to her window.

"Let's go out," he said.

"I…I can't," she whispered.

He frowned. "Why not?"

"What if somebody sees us? What if my parents find out?"

"I'll have you back before dawn," he promised. "And besides, who in their right mind would be up at this hour?"

She gave him a wry look. "My thoughts exactly."

He grinned and reached his hand out to her. She was about to take it when the light in the window next to hers flicked on.

"My parents!" she hissed.

Teddy's eyes widened and he zoomed around to the other side of the house. She darted back into her bed and pulled the covers up, pretending she was asleep. The door to her room creaked open and a figure walked in. She could tell by the soft, delicate footsteps that it was her mother.

"Le froid!" her mother exclaimed quietly, then moved over to the window and shut it.

Fleur made her way over to Victoire's bed, and Victoire tried to relax her facial muscles. Fleur smoothed some of Victoire's out of her face.

"Mon doux bébé," she whispered softly. "Je t'aime."

Fleur left the room quietly, and Victoire smiled slightly at her mother's affection. Then, after a moment, she quietly crept over to her window and opened it.

"Teddy?" she called quietly.

He came around the side of the house and smiled at her.

"Rain check?" he asked.

She nodded. "Are you coming to the Midsummer Party at the Burrow?"

"Wouldn't miss it for the world," he replied.

Victoire smiled and leaned forward. They kissed quickly and sweetly, and then he was off into the night.

HPHPHP

"Morning, Dom," Bill said.

Victoire looked up from that day's Daily Prophet and saw her younger sister entering the kitchen. Dominique was only fourteen (going on fifteen), and yet was taller than Victoire. Dominique had inherited their mother's tall, willowy figure. Dom had gorgeous, wavy red-gold hair and pale blue eyes. Where Dom was thin and tall, Victoire was curvy and short. They were both beautiful, but in different ways.

"Morning," she said quietly, taking a seat next to her sister at the dining table.

Dominique and Victoire contrasted not only by looks, but also in personalities. Victoire was a bold Gryffindor through and through. Dominique was pensive and quiet, preferring to keep to herself and her small group of fellow Ravenclaws.

"Est-Louis dort encore?" Fleur asked, asking if Louis was asleep.

"Oui," she replied.

Dominique was also the only one of her siblings who had bothered to learn French. As such, she and Fleur were very close.

Fleur rolled her eyes and went upstairs to wake up her only son.

"Did you sleep well?" Bill asked.

Dominique shrugged. "I did. Except I woke up in the middle of the night."

"Why?"

"I thought I heard voices."

Victoire froze, and she could feel her sister's gaze burning holes in her side. She choked down a bite of toast and shoved her plate away.

"How strange, Dom. Maybe it was just a dream," she said, and then scurried upstairs to the bewilderment of her parents.

Bill gave Dom a confused look. She simply shrugged.

I used Google Translate for Fleur's French, so I'm sorry if it's not right =)

Reviews are sweeter than Honeyduke's candy (hint hint) ;)

~Kicon