A/N: This chapter is dedicated to the dear anavihs who says she likes fireworks ;)
You guys are the best. Thanks for the review:
RuriGil: I'm sorry you feel so. Victoire isn't as daft as she seems but she is very, very stubborn and prideful, like most teenagers.
anavihs: Vic didn't like it very much either. Maybe she'll find a use for that hex later on. ;)
DreamyCappuccino: What a flood of reviews. :D You're now in the majority of opinion.
Katriinaa: I love you for picking up on that, and no its still not who you think.
Cpickers: Thank you and I'll try.
The letter, Victoire found, contained much of the same thing as the last with few new embellishments, stuff like 'an esteemed member insisted that you be given a chance to reconsider' and 'your merits have been listed quite extensively' and, Thomas' favourite, 'we offer you an additional 300 Galleons for your services'. Victoire noticed that even amongst all the flattery and pretty words they still hadn't found space to elaborate on their core mandates however since the general consensus in her compartment was that she should seriously consider their offer she'd reluctantly agreed to think about it thoroughly before replying. Mark especially had been most eager that she view the offer for what it really was, a splendid opportunity. In truth she'd barely touched it since then, she hadn't had a chance to.
Dominique, having decided some great secret was being kept from her simply would not leave her alone and had taken to trailing her every waking step. Between her sister, lamenting a certain metamorphmagus' existence and the stress of Christmas day Victoire had little time enough to breathe freely let alone think about answering a stuffy letter. And only Christmas had any real promise of ending soon.
"Vic-Vicky focus here," Dominique said snapping imperious fingers under Victoire's nose. Her sister was infuriating at the best of times but at such an early hour her perky attitude and worse her perfect hair made Victoire feel like leaping at her. It was far too early in the morning for this but since it had only been last night that Dom had caught her trying to smuggle one more read through of her letter, and been furiously refused the same option, Victoire had no hope that her sister would relent, even for the excuse of insomnia.
"Hmm what were we talking about?" Victoire asked.
"Finally the Inferius shows some awareness," Louis said snarkily pushing past her rudely to scrounge some toast.
"And they say I'm not a morning person," Victoire muttered tugging her pyjama top further down. Really the fact that she hadn't even had time to change before Dominique came barging into her room so unceremoniously was a good indication of just how early it was.
"Urgh," muttered Louis eyeing her pyjama top in disgust, "do you have to wear that shirt?" Victoire looked down at the comfortable T-shirt she wore as an almost too short nightgown, and smiled, it was one of her favourites. Every Christmas despite the cold she pulled it out and greeted the faded picture of a Hippogriff in a Santa's hat like an old friend. Despite it being worn through and old enough that the original colour was indiscernible (the going guess was white) his crooked, gap toothed grin never failed to cheer her up. Unlike some friends he was there year after year.
"What you don't like it?" she asked pulling at the edge of the T-shirt cheerfully.
"No, it looks like the Hippogriff's in pain," Louis said, "Besides its indecent," he eyes her bare legs in distaste.
"Grow up and deal with it," Victoire said sweetly.
"Can we get back to the point here," Dominique said in exasperation.
"What point?" Victoire snapped, Louis' charming morning mood catching.
"You telling me who wrote you that letter," Dominique ground out. Perky as she was still susceptible to early morning needling.
"I'll do nothing of the sort," Victoire said scattering yoghurt on her muesli.
"It was Brian wasn't it?" Dom persisted. Victoire rolled her eyes, "Teddy? No his friend Thomas? Certainly not Pretrev," Dom paused dramatically giving Victoire a severe look, "I hope it's not that blundering Quidditch oaf Saunders?" Their father wandered in then saving Dominique from a nasty hex to make antlers sprout from her perfect hair. Bill Weasley assumed a long-suffering expression as his eyes feel on his three teenage children.
"Victoire," he moaned, "I thought I asked you to change into something a little more decent." Victoire shrugged and stretched her arms over her head with a lazy yawn feeling the satisfying crack of tired muscles. Unbidden her shirt hitched slightly higher on her legs.
"I put on some pyjama shorts," she said though since you couldn't see them they probably weren't much consolation.
"Ewww does that mean you didn't have them on earlier," Louis cried backing out of the kitchen in disgust. Victoire poked her tongue out at him.
"One day of the year without fighting is all I ask?" her father said looking heavenward, "Is that really too difficult a Christmas miracle?" Her mother floated in then as usual shaming Victoire, even more so then Dominique, with her effortless beauty.
"Merry Chreeztmas everybody," she said brightly bending to kiss Victoire's father in a cloud of silver blond hair. Dominique chose to make her exit then rolling her blue eyes as she went. Victoire didn't exactly blame her, for people of their age her parents could still act disgustingly in love. Her mother broke the kiss smiling and went to pick strawberries from the bush she'd coaxed into growing on their windowsill. Her father went back to his paper.
"If no-one minds I'm going to the Burrow early when I'm done here," Victoire told her family, chewing through strawberry strewn muesli quickly.
"Any particular reason?" her Father asked absently.
To escape your other daughter's interrogation, smash something where it won't be noticed and maybe get some dating advice from your baby sister, "Just to help out," Victoire said. Her father nodded eyes glued to the morning paper so fixedly that the toast he raised to his mouth missed and landed marmalade down in his lap.
Victoire was disinclined to believe her Uncle's when they spun tales of her father in his wild days her mother waved her wand brusquely and the mess vanished.
"That eez a lovely thought Vic-twah," she said, "Just make sure you change before you go."
"Of course Maman, I'll go do it now," Victoire said sliding off her stool and pecking her mother on the cheek. Her Dad definitely caught that part of the conversation.
"Why do I bother?" her Father said throwing up his hands in frustration. Victoire giggled and pressed the mug of coffee she'd been preparing him into his hand.
"Because you love us," she said kissing his scarred cheek sweetly.
"Well then," he said, melting easily. He never could never hold anger as well as the rest of his family, "Make sure you let your Grandmother know we'll be there in a couple of hours."
"Sure thing," Victoire said and skipped lightly to her bedroom anticipating a restful morning with her little cousins and grandparents.
Of course none of her plans ever went so well. She found when she arrived, skidding wildly out of the fireplace, that she wasn't the first one with the same idea. Teddy was in the sitting room amusing his younger god-siblings by distorting his features into animal snouts. He looked up mouth pursed into a bill as she shook green soot off her blue dress.
"Don't you think you're a bit old for that, Duck-face?" she snapped. He immediately sat up ramrod straight features instantly switching to normal Teddy's thin severe mouth. Of course she'd expected Teddy, practically adopted Potter child as he was, to be there for Christmas at the Burrow but not until there was a crushing mass of relatives for her to hide in. The fact that he always seemed to outsmart her made her irritable.
"Vicky!" Lily screeched throwing herself across the sitting room and clamping her small arms around Victoire's legs, "Vicky! Vicky! Vicky!" jumping up and down, almost sending them both toppling back into the fireplace, "Teddy was a bat, and a dog, and a donkey."
"Yes Teddy certainly was an ass," Victoire said thinly glaring at him. Gently he set Albus aside and rose to his feet.
"Victoire," he said steadily, the one word heavy with meaning. Victoire had spent the better part of the last week mentally preparing for the battle she knew they'd inevitably end up having but if he thought they were going to have it here and now, on Christmas, in her Grandparents' house he was very wrong.
Victoire cut him off before he could start, "Hey little firecracker," she said hefting Lily onto one hip, "where's your Mum?" Lily pointed and Victoire smiled, "Show me the way." Lily grabbed a tuft of strawberry blonde hair in both hands and steered her like a horse. Albus seized Teddy's hand as he moved to follow.
"You promised you'd do your Snape impression," Albus whined. Really the poor kid was perversely fascinated with that man. She supposed anyone would be fascinated by their namesakes, and admittedly Albus' were interesting ones to have but personally Victoire thought he was taking it a bit too far.
Her Aunt wasn't in the kitchen when Victoire, now piggybacking a squirming Lily, entered but her Uncle Harry was. Even famous war heroes were press-ganged into Christmas chores in this household
"Oh hello Vicky, I didn't know you were coming early," her Uncle said elbow deep in a sudsy sink, "the rest of the family here too? Gin will have a fit. She was counting on having at least a few more hours to prepare." Lily was reluctant to climb off Victoire's back at first but disappeared fast enough when Albus' peal of laughter echoed around them.
"No just me," Victoire assured him skirting carefully around a knife happily dicing vegetables, "I thought I'd come early and see if there wasn't something useful I could do."
"In that case be prepared for tears of joy," he joked with a smile, "I think she's on the fourth floor, something about a nest of doxies spreading. Your grandparents aren't as young as they used to be and can't catch all these things." From the way he said it Victoire thought he'd probably heard a lot about it this morning already. Victoire dithered, she'd been hoping to have a quiet word with Aunt Ginny but now that she was here she realised there was something Uncle Harry could help her with.
"Actually Uncle Harry I was wondering..." she said sidling up to him. He drew his wand and waved it but the plates only rattled feebly in response. Her Uncle sighed, he may have been the youngest wizard to ever become an Auror but her Uncle Harry was utterly hopeless when it came to everyday household spells.
"Can I ask some advice?" Victoire said taking out her own wand and flicking it expertly. Her Uncle shot her a look caught between gratefulness and warning.
"I'll give you some for free," he said as she sat on the kitchen top to avoid the cutlery now flying around their heads, "No magic outside of school or a poor Auror Uncle might be forced to report you."
"Ha-hah," Victoire said dryly knowing he'd never do anything of the sort, "It's about business partnerships."
"Hmm," Harry said absently his head buried in the cupboard as he put the already clean plates away.
"One type in particular," she said carefully drawing patterns on the bench top with a finger lazily. Her Uncle's head popped out and regarded her suspiciously.
"One type in particular," he repeated thoughtfully, "Victoire you're only fifteen it's far too early for you to be thinking about business enterprises. Has someone been trying to co-coerce you into working for them? I can have a word with them if you want." Teddy wasn't the only one who could be overly protective of her. Victoire kicked her legs against the cupboard idly as if her interest was just casual.
"Oh nothing like that," she said. Her Uncle's eyes narrowed but he ducked his head back into the cupboard. "Some organisations have expressed a... wish of me perhaps working with them in the future," she said carefully, "Say I thinking about considering it how would I go about finding out which ones were decent sorts? You know theoretically."
Plates crashed inside the cupboard, "I'd start by telling them who your Uncles are and see if they stick around," her Uncle said wincing, desperately trying to stop kitchenware from tumbling out.
"If they didn't know that already I'd have to wonder why they were asking me in the first place," Victoire shot back.
"That's true," he said absently.
"Uncle Harry!" Victoire exclaimed exasperated. Her Uncle slowly, cautiously withdrew his hands from the cupboard sighing with relief when nothing toppled over. He swept back his fringe and turned vivid green eyes on Victoire.
"Theoretically?" he asked and Victoire nodded, "Well if it was me I'd go straight to the source," her Uncle said climbing to his feet and washing his hands in the sink, "You can't always trust what other people and even some publications tell you about organisations. Always remember everyone has a bias," he continued shaking off a lurid purple tea towel that swarmed over to him, over eager to dry his hands. Victoire knew that he was speaking from experience, "If you want to find out what a group is really about its best to see it with your own two eyes. The only opinion you can always trust is your own Vicky, and trusted Uncles of course," he looked at her slyly, "If you told me who they were I'd be able to give you my opinion of them."
"Nice try," Victoire laughed.
"Victoire I'm not sure I'm comfortable with strangers contacting you with business propositions," he said seriously, "and I don't think your parents would be either. What does Teddy think of all this?"
Victoire's expression soured but she was saved from answering that particular question by, what sounded like, rapid cannon-fire erupting from the first sitting room fireplace. Something rather large fell with a deafening crash and accompanying peals of delight.
"That would be George," Harry said flinching as a violent pink Catherine wheel careened past close enough that the tips of his dishevelled hair caught alight. Victoire's dress caught on the edge of a cupboard handle in her haste to scramble of the counter. Her wand was already in hand.
"Excuse me for a second, there's something I've been meaning to have a word with my dear Uncle George about." She was halfway to the door when her Uncle's rough voice stopped her.
"Victoire," Harry said warningly. She looked back at him lashes fluttering innocently, "I mean it about the no magic." Victoire raised her hands and mimed cleaning kitchenware pointedly.
"Are you sassing me?" her Uncle said eyebrow rising in amusement.
"Oh not at all," Victoire said her smile far too sweet, "I just think you need to remember who'll be watching your children tonight when you and the other Uncles are getting drunk."
"Is that a threat?" Harry said, "I'll have you remember missy that I am a world famous Auror. I defeated the most powerful dark lord ever before you were even born," he said wagging a menacing finger at her. Victoire struggled and failed to keep a straight face.
"You can't scare me," she said, "I've seen you play horsey."
"Oh yeah," he cried jumping at her fingers wriggling threateningly. Victoire shrieked racing around the table, she'd forgotten just how fast Uncle Harry could be.
Thankfully for her Aunt Ginny chose just that moment to interrupt them, her muttering voice suddenly audible as she came down the stairs, "How many times do we have to tell him not to travel with fireworks in the floo-network? You'd almost think he was the youngest," then she yelled, "Harry have you finished the kitchen? The sooner you're done the sooner I can come through and redo it." Harry put a finger to his lips and winked.
"You're off the hook if you let me have this one," he whispered. Victoire shrugged and he smiled, "Its all right sweetheart the kitchen is spotless." There was a moment of silence before Aunt Ginny walked into the room looking wonderfully pretty and completely sceptical. She surveyed the indeed spotless room startled. Uncle Harry's chest swelled proudly not noticing the humouring smile on his wife's face.
"Thank you Victoire," Ginny said as her Uncle's shoulders sagged, "It's good to know that there'll be some decent help around this morning."
"But…" he stuttered feebly. Ginny gave a tinkling laugh and patted her husband on the cheek comfortingly.
"It's okay darling I love you anyway," she said rising on tiptoes to peck her husband on the lips. Victoire smiled as her Uncle sighed in resignation.
"Well I suppose that's compensation enough," Harry said with a sheepish grin staring down at his wife. Ginny looked up adoringly at her husband and Victoire deciding to give them some privacy left the room and went in search of her dear old Uncle George.
To say that the Weasley family Christmas was an experience would be like saying a hippogriff was simply a grumpy horse, there was always something going down and it was all usually quite loud. Uncle George's typically weren't the only fireworks of the day. Victoire was trying her utmost not to be the one who started off the show, avoiding Teddy as best she could which given the amount of things going on and work needing to be done shouldn't have been too difficult. However she'd underestimated Teddy's determination yet again. It didn't help that her family seemed to have collectively agreed to make today as trying as possible.
Uncle George, ears still ringing from her Grandmother's boxing and tirade, mercifully didn't attempt to pin her under any Mistletoe but that didn't stop some of Victoire's other relatives from trying the same thing. In no time at all the whole Weasley family, down to the last cousin, could be found in the Burrow somewhere and far too many seemed intent on getting her under the wily plant. Roxanne in particular seemed to be out to prove something constantly getting under Victoire's feet in an attempt to trip her under Mistletoe. Even Aunt Audrey tried to sneakily nudge her under a particular sprig as they all sat down for present time, thankfully Victoire moved aside at the last minute and her Aunt got her own daughter Lucy instead.
Then of course came the presents themselves. No-one could ever accuse the Weasleys of not having a sense of humour or of not doing things their own way. The presents under the giant Weasley tree were all wrapped in newspaper and magazine clippings rather than traditional wrapping paper and the recipient was simply who the article was about.
Funny and frugal it was a tradition started unexpectedly by her Uncle Charlie who'd found a particularly amusing article one year about George charming his then girlfriend Angelina with the gift of bludger repelling underwear, valuable when you played on a professional team, and decided it would make great wrapping paper. Her Uncle still maintained that such underwear did not exist but Aunt Angelina always hid a secretive smile when the subject came up.
It had taken less than a year for the rest of the family to adopt the custom. There were usually few to be found about the younger Weasley's and far too many specifically about Aunt Hermione and Uncle Harry. Apparently people were reluctant even seventeen years later to give up entirely the idea that her Aunt and Uncle didn't have something going on. Uncle Ron typically used those articles for kindling.
Victoire had gotten a few interesting ones herself over the years. This year she got among presents that included new WWW Wonder Witch products and seven packs of Drooble's Best Blowing Gum, four standard magazine fashion fodder pages, an article on how best to achieve her own glowing mane, a newspaper clipping claiming she was part banshee and liked to lure men to their deaths (she made a paper plane of that one and aimed it at Louis' eye), a lovely feature on how she'd grown over the years (complete with mortifying baby pictures) and one very troubling double page spread about her love life. It seemed news of her relationship had finally leaked.
Under a charming snapshot of her looking delightedly up at Teddy as he whispered in her ear way back at the start of the year in Diagon Alley was the title Victoire Weasley Forgoes Harry Potter's Godson. If that hadn't been embarrassing enough just underneath in tiny lettering it went on to say:
'Rumours abound that Victoire Weasley, wizarding world's darling, related to some of this world's most famous wizards has finally gotten her first boyfriend, dashing, young, quidditch captain Markel Saunders. But what does this mean for our favourite little metamorphmagus, Teddy Lupin, Harry Potter's own godson who has long since been assumed her beau find out in Aurora Gables' new feature pg. 4.
Victoire crushed the offensive article into a tiny ball promising retribution on Miss Aurora Gables, and her blasted peacock quill. Really the only mercy was that the rest of her family seemed to have missed it too.
"Bad?" Aunt Hermione asked producing a quill of her own and a scrap of parchment. Her Aunt kept an exhaustive record of journalists that took the concept of free speech a bit too far.
Forcing a calm breath Victoire replied, "Not at all." Uncle George cackled earning him paper ball to the temple and a fierce warning glare. It wasn't hard to see who'd found that particular story. Her Uncle, as she'd known he would, retaliated with his own missile and soon the room was a snowstorm of paper projectiles. Victoire definitely saw a transfigured paper pirate ship soar overhead before her Grandmother marched into the room announcing dinner. Her grandmother may have been of an advanced age but she still cooked better than any house-elf.
Victoire pausing to nudge the incriminating article into the fire that roared in the grate was too slow in the scrum that followed and found when she finally made it to the long table in the garden that the only seat remaining was directly across from Teddy. Dominique on the left of the space looked up at her wickedly.
"Problem?" she asked sweetly.
Their mother well practised at recognising the stirrings of a fight snapped, "Dominique, Victoire not now. Is there a problem with your seat Victoire because we're all waiting on you?" Victoire, muttering darkly, took the seat grudgingly making sure her elbow 'slipped' as she squeezed in.
"Not at all," Victoire said again, waiting till everyone had turned away to manoeuvre a jar of enchanted blue fire between herself and Teddy. The way he was tracking her every move was starting to grate on her nerves, as the effort of holding it all in seemed to be grating on him.
Mountains of roast pork and steaming vegetables appeared on their plates then distracting them for some time, though Victoire was aware of Teddy staring at her moodily throughout the meal. It only took for the second course, warm pumpkin pie and cool apple cider, for Dominique to start meddling. Under the cover of exploding wizard crackers her sister leaned forward and said loudly enough that even Uncle Percy on Victoire's right looked up, "So Teddy what do you say is going on between Saunders and our Vicky?" Teddy looked to Victoire for cues but she turned resolutely away, asking Uncle Charlie on Teddy's left to pull a firecracker with her. She half hoped it would drown out the entire conversation, but of course she had no such luck.
"I'm sure I don't know," Teddy said thickly. Deciding for once it seemed to not provoke Victoire's ire further.
"Don't be tiresome of course you do," Dominique said sweeping his unsatisfactory answer aside, "What I really want to know is what you think about it?" Teddy was silent for so long that Victoire couldn't help peeking at him again. He was staring Dominique down unwaveringly, some silent argument just visible in the heated looks passing between them.
"I think Victoire needs someone more on her level of intelligence, someone we know won't be cowed by her temper, someone who can keep up with her mentally," Dominique said with a fixed smile, "Don't you agree Teddy?"
Teddy crossed his arms and regarded Dominique archly, "Vicky already knows my opinion on this matter and she doesn't want nor need me to repeat it?" Dominique's smile slipped and Victoire thought she heard a dull thud under the table like her booted foot had too. To his credit Teddy didn't wince but he did jerk enough that Victoire noticed.
"Don't you agree Teddy?" Dominique repeated voice clipped. For some unknown reason Victoire's sister seemed to think she was helping Teddy. Victoire thought Teddy had the right of it though, she really didn't want to hear his opinion on it again, especially now that Dominique's furious snarl was beginning to attract attention. Dominique must have made to kick him in the shin again because there was suddenly a loud, distinctly female squeal from the direction of their feet.
"Ow!" They all jumped.
"Rosie!" Uncle Ron bellowed from the other end of the table. Rose's brown haired head popped up between Victoire and Dominique's chairs grumpily.
"What?"
"Rose Weasley what are you doing crawling around everyone's feet?" Aunt Hermione said perplexedly.
"It was Albus' idea," Rose said crossly pale hand rubbing the egg forming on her crown.
"Was not," Albus said appearing between his mother and Aunt Angelina, earning himself a gentle cuff on the shoulder.
"Was too," Rose snapped, "You were the one who wanted to catch the mice from the crackers so we could use them for your experiment." Albus' only reply was to poke out his tongue. Victoire drew the poor child into her lap.
"Poor Rosie," she said pushing back Rose's fringe and peering at the bump sympathetically, "That looks like it hurts."
"Vicky," Uncle Ron said impatiently, "don't coddle her, she's supposed to be in trouble. It's her own fault for crawling around down there anyway," Victoire and Rose sitting in her lap turned matching puppy dog eyes on her Uncle piteously. Someone giggled, "Oh fine," her Uncle said, "Rosie you're not in trouble but no more scrounging around under there." Rose nodded once sharply then let her aching head fall back on Victoire's shoulder with a moan.
"Thanks," she said. Victoire stroked her favourite cousin's hair soothingly.
"No, thank you," Victoire whispered, "That's the second time this year you've saved me from unpleasant conversations." Rose regarded Victoire then Teddy inquiringly. Victoire nodded to her silent question with a laugh, Rose really was a most precocious child.
"Want to share a custard tart?" Victoire asked as the desert course floated out of the kitchen and settled in front of them. In answer Rose swung her legs round to the front, her bushy mane hiding Teddy completely and thankfully from view, and tucked in. The rest of the meal went by in relative peace. Neither Dominique nor Teddy tried to resume the conversation with Rose sitting between them chattering away about all she'd learned from her books this year. In fact the biggest occurrence was Albus sneaking up behind them and pulling apart a wizarding cracker with a heart stopping CRACK!
Victoire blinded by blue smoke definitely felt something small and furry scurry down her arm before she was distracted by someone jamming something on her head. When the smoke cleared Victoire found she had gained a round green wizard's cap and lost Rose, who no longer in her lap, was chasing after Albus furiously. Victoire pushed the small cap with its bursting silver stars out of her eyes and watched in amusement as her cousins wove through the near empty chairs of the table.
She sat bolt upright. Though she hadn't noticed her family leave the table she was certainly noticing their absence now. For without Rose to distract her Victoire could clearly see the situation she'd let herself get into.
Aunt Angelina and Victoire's mother were helping her Grandparents in the kitchen, Aunts Hermione and Lily were putting the younger kids to bed and Freddie and James having escaped their mothers were off in the darkness causing some mischief. The Uncles, except for Charlie who was telling Aunt Audrey earnestly about the playful nature of dragons, had disappeared into a corner of the garden entirely. Dominique and Molly had moved some seats away so they could plot in relative secrecy which meant Victoire only had one companion left...Teddy.
Immediately, as realisation hit her, she made to rise but Teddy, who'd only been waiting for her full attention pounced, reaching across the table and catching her hand, "Wait Vic please, don't just ignore me?"
Victoire not nearly ready to forgive him and make peace shot him a decidedly cool look, "I thought this was what you wanted Teddy. I mean only a few days ago you were doing the same to me."
"That was petty of me, but I really need to talk to you now," he insisted dragging on her hand and keeping her seated.
"You had your chance to talk to me," Victoire said coolly trying to shake off his clinging grip, "it's not my fault you chose to play a stupid game of Show and Tell instead." When he answered his voice was very low.
"That had nothing to do with you." Victoire tilted her head sideways.
"Really? So you picked someone that Mark has history with by accident?" she said patronisingly. Teddy held her eyes firmly.
"I hadn't meant for either of you to see it."
"Ah yes, that's why you had the blinds wide open," she said sarcastically. His hand tightened around hers as if he knew she was seconds away from stalking off.
"I didn't realise they were." Victoire leaned in close too so they were almost touching noses across the table.
"Did you or didn't you pick Stephanie to get back at Mark?" she hissed. He stayed damningly silent. Victoire pushed her chair back so forcefully that it nearly toppled over, "I can't believe you'd stoop this low Teddy."
"Vicky..." he said pleadingly. Victoire planted both hands firmly on the table and gave him the full force of her glare.
"Don't Vicky me Lupin," she said, "It was cute when you were six and accidentally ate my favourite crayon but it's not going to work now." He bristled, hair standing on end just as if he were a real werewolf cub.
"Since when did you start calling me Lupin?"
"Since you started being such a prat," Vicky said but Teddy had his own answer.
"Since you started hanging out with Saunders," he corrected. Victoire's eyes narrowed, chin tilting up mulishly. He'd just been waiting to say all this she could tell. Well she didn't care how long he'd been holding in this lecture she wasn't going to him the gratification of having it, not here.
"I'm not doing this with you Lupin. Not now," Victoire hissed glancing round at her scattered relatives significantly, already they'd begun to draw more attention than just her sister and Molly. The Uncle's tucked away in a dark corner of the garden with a couple of dusty bottles were shinning dull wand light their way. She spun on her heel fully intending to make a dramatic exit, she would have made it too if Aunt Audrey hadn't chosen just that minute to notice her.
"Victoire," she said warmly turning away from her conversation with Charlie, "little Vicky. You've gotten so grown up. How come we haven't heard any of your adventures from this year? I'm sure you and Teddy have been getting into all sorts of trouble," her Aunt said guilelessly as Victoire made to pass. Victoire burdened with the hard drummed lesson of manners was unable to pass her Aunt without answering.
"Not at all," Victoire said tightly for the third time that night. The woman who had produced the unfailingly, calm, composed Molly could be forgiven for being unable to read the tension in the air. Her Uncle George could not.
"Our little Vicky's just being modest," Uncle George's voice said floating up from behind the rhododendrons where with the help of Louis he was setting out fireworks for his annual family display, "she's been having all sorts of fun at Hogwart's haven't you, Vixen," he said bating not just her but also Teddy who had come up behind her determinedly. Victoire vowed to find whoever the little sneak at Hogwarts was and string them from the Astronomy tower.
"Guess Saunders got the publicity he wanted then," Teddy muttered. Victoire flexed her shoulder muscles armouring herself against the insult.
"Sore loser just doesn't suit you Lupin," she said calmly not even looking at him. Aunt Audrey on the other hand was staring hard between the two of them warily.
"Me! What have I lost?" Teddy said wildly, unable to weather her indifference, "You're the one who's thrown away all sense of decency," he accused. Victoire dragged nails down her face in despair, why did they have to do this now. She didn't see her Aunt start to back away.
"Would you just stop?" Victoire cried turning on him.
"Why should I?" Teddy threatened.
"And here come the fireworks," she heard Molly mutter sinking lower in her seat and pulling the vulture stuffed hat on her head over her eyes uneasily, she hated confrontation.
Dominique sat up straighter, "Early?" she asked and then spotted the two of them, "Oh goody the pre-show entertainment," she said shamelessly settling down to watch.
"Because you're really pushing the limits of our friendship now," she snapped, "It's not like you're in such a great moral position yourself to be pointing fingers at me. That whole performance with Stephanie on the train definitely showed a distinct lack of control."
"That was different," Teddy growled.
"Of course it was," Victoire agreed, "I didn't do it for public display."
"Snap," Freddie cackled.
"Oho-ho-ho," George said, "Are you going to take that lying down Ted?" Victoire flashed him a look as pointed as daggers, she wasn't finished.
"You're not going to treat me like a naughty little child Teddy. I've done nothing wrong," she said emphasising the last two words with sharp pokes to his chest. He loomed over her fiercely. The uneasy truce she'd forced for the sake of Christmas was unravelling fast. She could see it in the way his eyes were suddenly flashing.
"You think so," he growled, "because my opinion differs.
"Merlin you are such a hypocrite," Victoire yelled.
"Ahh," said Uncle George as if he'd only belatedly realised the nest of vipers he'd prodded, "geez kids keep it down," he said looking anxiously towards the house and the womenfolk, "come on guys calm down." He was making desperate shushing motions but the two of them were far past that point.
"Me, I'm the hypocrite?" Teddy exclaimed and she nodded, "You're the hypocrite Victoire you go around preaching about waiting for the right guy but the first chance you get you find a secluded corner…"
"Don't Teddy," Victoire threatened with a nervous glance at her father.
"…and snog the brains out of the biggest womanising git that Hogwarts has to offer," Teddy spat disgusted. Her dad choked on his swig of firewhiskey.
"No Teddy that would be you," Victoire hissed back as James whooped and was silenced instantly by his father's glare, "What the hell is your problem?"
"He was all over you," Teddy snapped as if that justified everything. Molly thumped Victoire's father on the back anxiously as he made a strangled noise.
"Exactly where I wanted him, not that it's any of your bloody business," she hissed back aware that their screaming had caught the attention of the whole household; she could see the little ones hanging out of an upstairs window dangerously. That muscle in Teddy's jaw jumped. She lowered her voice, "When did it become a crime to kiss your boyfriend anyway?" He looked for the entire world as if she had literally stunned him and it was very satisfying.
"You're dating Saunders?" he said weakly.
"No you're not," her dad said furiously, stalking over to them.
"Dad not now," Victoire said.
"We will discuss this now," he said with authority. Victoire turned on her father then.
"Dad I will discuss this with you later when I am good and ready and I will take whatever punishment you doll out without complaint but right now I'm busy so," she waved a hand already feeling terrible, "just back off." Her father's mouth popped closed and he dropped meekly into a chair by Uncle George, who patted him on the back a tad too enthusiastically. Victoire knew she'd really be in for it later, especially when her mother got hold of her.
"You're dating Saunders?" Teddy repeated slowly as if giving her a chance to change her mind.
"What the hell did you think I was doing? Is your opinion of me really so low that you'd think I'd go around kissing anyone like that if I wasn't dating them? I at least have some decorum." Teddy's anger seemed to have abruptly vanished because the barb didn't even scratch him.
"Please tell me you're kidding, Vicky," he said expression very grim, it was only more fuel for her blazing temper.
"WHAT is your problem Lupin?" she snapped, she'd never been angrier at him before, "Are you jealous that someone else might share in my attention for once? Is that what this petty feud with Markel is about? Because I can't think of any other reason you'd act like this," he flinched like she'd struck a raw nerve, "WHY do you find it so hard to believe that someone like him could actually like me?"
"Because he doesn't like you," Teddy exploded, "He likes your body which you seemed more than happy to give him." Victoire gasped the sound echoed by a dozen voices around her. Everyone looked shocked, including Teddy, that he had ventured that far. Shame already chased regret across his face but it was too late the tenuous restraint on her temper had snapped and there was no pulling it back.
Someone uttered a dull, "Uh-oh."
"How dare you, you rat-faced, pig headed, right royal arse!" she spat stalking towards him, an avenging goddess with wand in hand. He grabbed her wrist tightly as it swung towards him a hex already on her tongue. The tip of her wand was throwing off sparks that just grazed his chin but he stared her down his expression more serious then she'd ever seen his eyes a swirling mass of changing colours.
"You know it's the truth," he said voice rueful but also resolute. She opened her mouth to utter the hex only to have her wand fly out of her hand. The look she shot Uncle Harry as he caught her wand was lethal.
"Victoire stop," her father commanded. This time she didn't even bother with her wand pulling back her arm and slapping Teddy, hard enough that he rocked back on his heels.
"Stay away from me Lupin or so help me Merlin I will not be held responsible for the consequences." No-one stopped her dramatic exit this time, her heels cracking furiously against the kitchen steps as she thumped up them and slammed the kitchen door behind her so hard that the entire first floor rattled.
She stood on the other side of the door for quite a few minutes just breathing heavily trying to take control of her emotions aware that her relatives, not outside, were clustered in the doorway, the younger ones staring at her warily. If she looked like her birdlike Veela ancestors then she didn't care.
It was just bad timing that found Professor Longbottom and his wife Hannah stepping out of the dusty fireplace and into the strained silence at just that moment. They looked around in understandable confusion; the Burrow was never this quiet.
"Is this a bad time?" Hannah asked, rosy cheeks crinkling in concern, and as so often happens with strong emotions that was enough to flip a switch and turn the tide. Victoire threw her arms around Hannah's neck crying stormily.
"Oh dear," Hannah said to sitting room audience, "I guess the fireworks started without us."
