I'm so sorry for the delay! Please don't hate me! I love all of the reviews and am going to work on responding to each one individually from here on out. I loved writing this chapter, getting into Victoire's head is so much fun (though I have to admit, she and I share a good amount in common!) Enjoy!
Getting Closer, Kind Of
My dormitory was not exactly a pleasant place to be. There was a level of tension that emanated off of Daniella and I whenever we were in the room at the same time, so I spent even less time there than usual over the following week. When I wasn't in class or studying in the library, I hung out with Dom or, increasingly more often, Teddy and his friends in the common room. There was a cluster of couches and oversized chairs that the seventh years hung out around, but Shannon and I knew we were always welcome. It was fun; we would play rounds of exploding snap or just talk about the most random and hysterical things. Julianne and Nathan would always sit next to each other and sneak looks at each other when they thought the rest of us weren't looking. We always saw, but never pointed it out to them.
"They weren't that bad!" Lyle defended himself. Adam and Nathan had been teasing him about the glasses Lyle used to wear in their first year, apparently they were square shaped and far too big for his face. "And Teddy had blue hair!"
"Woah, no hating on the blue!" Teddy laughed, changing his hair to the turquoise shade it had been for most of his life. "One hater of my abilities is enough for the group." He looked pointedly at me and I rolled my eyes.
"Believe me Lupin, that's the least of the things I hate about you."
"Let's hear the list then!" Adam said eagerly. He loved stirring the pot, especially when it came to Teddy and I bickering.
"Bad idea, we'll be here all night." Nathan laughed and leaned back into his couch, sending another not-so-secret look to Julianne.
"He's right Adam," I said smugly. "The list, which would start with the fact that he seems to own no other shirts than Muggle band ones, would be quite lengthy." Teddy raised one eyebrow.
"And in an obvious move, Victoire goes for the fashion sense jab," he said, his voice holding an air of sarcasm. "Sorry we can't all have a head the right shape for obnoxious bows." He motioned to the gray bow that was currently wrapped around the bottom of my plait, which was off to the side of my head.
"You certainly don't mind nicking them." I countered. It was true, he stole another one from my head the other day. I was going to either have to break into his room and find them or owl my mum for some more. Or maybe I could owl Aunt Ginny and tell her what Teddy was doing. She could totally punish him. Teddy chuckled and leaned back in the chair, shaking his head. This means I won, right?
We moved on to another subject and continued to laugh and talk for the rest of the night. The fire started to flicker out, signaling it was time for bed and everyone started to groggily get up from their seats. I, however, stayed sitting in the chair.
"Coming Vic?" Shannon asked me but I lightly shook my head.
"I'm not too tired yet, I'll be up soon though." I gave her a smile letting her know I was okay and would be fine and she nodded and followed the rest of the crew upstairs. I took a deep breath and smiled; sometimes my favorite thing to do was to sit by the fire in the empty common room and just relax. This week could have been worse with the rumors and whispers that followed me, but it still wasn't enjoyable. I heard someone come back down the stairs and turned, seeing Teddy come in and walk over.
"Forgot something," he picked up his sweater from where he was sitting by the fire. He stopped and looked at me and I couldn't quite read his expression. "Erm…" he was struggling for words and I would have found it amusing if it wasn't so out of character. "Are you…this week. You okay?" He asked.
"I'm fine." I answered and it was (for the most part) true. "It's easier when you have nights like this."
"I get by with a little help from my friends," Teddy smiled. I knew he was quoting a song but I couldn't place it and apparently he read my mind. "The Beatles, muggle band that basically revolutionized rock and roll." He said and he sat down on the couch opposite me.
"Why do you listen to muggle music?" The question slipped out of my mouth before I really had a chance to think about it. I mean it was a good question to ask; as far as I could remember Teddy was always listening to muggle music and wearing the shirts, but it's not like he grew up muggle born or friends with any muggle children.
"One day when I was around ten years old," he started and I found myself intently listening. "I was bored and was rummaging around in my Gran's attic. I found this one chest that looked old and like it hadn't been touched in…well ten years." He said the last part with a bit of an attitude and I had a sinking feeling I knew why. "I opened it and it was a record player and quite the collection of old records of muggle bands. And I picked up the first one and took the record out," he had a sweet but sad smile on his face. "And out of it fell an old piece of parchment and it said," he stopped for a minute and bit his bottom lip, as if remembering. "It said 'Merry Christmas Moony! Lils told where to find this for you but of course she wouldn't let me go alone. See you soon, Prongs.'" He stopped and stared into the fire. His expression was resigned and I felt a surge of hatred to whatever Death Eaters had killed his parents.
"What album was it?" I asked, looking for a way to bring him back to conversation. The truth was I just couldn't stand watching him with that expression, the one of finality and of knowing that he'll never get to see his parents.
"It was this Pink Floyd, 'Another Brick in the Wall' and so I listened to it. And then I loved it. So I took the others records to my room and I've never really looked back. I used to beg Harry to take me to record shops in London and would spend all of my pocket money on them." Teddy grinned and I was grateful for the change in expression. "And then before I left for Hogwarts before my third year, Harry bought me my own record player to take back and forth. That way I could listen any time I wanted."
"And provide music for the parties," I smiled and he nodded. We sat in silence for a minute, but it was comfortable and I was intrigued by the fact that I was actually enjoying his company.
"So who's the lucky bloke that gets to take you to the spring ball?" Teddy asked and I looked at him in surprise. "I was at breakfast the other day," he said and it started to make more sense. At breakfast Dominique and I had both received parcels from our mother and inside each was a stunning gown for the ball. The two of us excitedly ran to Gryffindor tower to put the dresses out of harms way and be able to admire them without the worry of someone getting their greasy bacon hands on them.
"I haven't been asked yet," I told him. It was technically true. I didn't count the second year that blurted out something that sounded like 'takemetotheball?' and then turned bright red and ran. Poor little guy.
"Really?" Teddy raised his eyebrows. "What about that Vipre kid in Slytherin?"
"Reid?" I asked, shocked that one, Teddy knew his name and two, Teddy knew he was a friend of mine. "He and I are just friends." I said with a shrug of my shoulders. What the hell did Teddy care anyway?
"Surrrrre." Teddy answered sarcastically.
"Just because you don't have the emotional capacity to be friends with a girl." I retorted and he raised one eyebrow. "What?" That was my move and I was sick of him using it on me.
"You don't count then?" I made a face. My gut instinct was to tell him that of course I didn't count, but then I thought for a minute and realized that maybe he was right. When exactly we became friends, I wasn't sure (it most certainly was not when I woke up next to him and proceeded to throw up). But we had.
"Well...we're mortal enemies first." I said with a smirk and he cracked a sideways grin. I never noticed, but his teeth are really straight. I mean I guess he can control them with his whole metamorphgus thing. But still. When he grins like that…he doesn't look bad.
I mean, no worse than usual.
"So how are we going to do your hair?" I asked Dominique. It was a Sunday afternoon and she and I decided to celebrate the late march weather and go for a walk around the grounds. We had about an hour to kill before we were meeting Louis and our other cousins for tea at Hagrid's. Once a month we all got together and usually tricked Hagrid into telling us stories about the mischief our parents had gotten up to in Hogwarts. It was nice, though we were all Gryffindors (Uncle Ron wouldn't let us go anywhere else) the five of us never really got together often. Teddy was always invited but he rarely came until this year when James got to school. I supposed Teddy felt he had to protect James and be a 'role model'. Honestly, James would be better off having the giant squid as a role model.
"Can you style it the way you did for Grandad's retirement party last year?" She asked and I brightened at the thought, it took ages but it was one of my best creations. "I think it will go with the dress, yeah?" I thought about Dom's dress; it was a silk material in a rich midnight blue color. The gown was form fitting and halter style at the top and the back dipped just low enough to be classy, yet stunning.
"Definitely. It will be easier because I can actually use my wand to do your curls, not that bloody thing Aunt Hermione gave me." For my grandfather's retirement party I had curled all of Dom's normally straight hair and swept it off to one side, leaving a few ringlets framing her face.
"Perfect. How are you doing yours?" Truth was, I had about ten different ideas and was having a difficult time narrowing it down. My dress was black and strapless and is hugged my body tight until it hit my knees, when it flared out into a mermaid style bottom.
For as over bearing, bossy and judgmental as she was, my mother sure knew how to dress the two of us.
"I don't know, I was thinking maybe—is that James?" I asked suddenly, pointing at someone flying around the Quidditch pitch. I recognized him by the bright red Weasley sweater he had gotten last Christmas, knowing that it had a broomstick on the front. I also recognized him by the fact that he was a phenomenal flyer, even at a young age. Not only had he hit the Quidditch genetic lottery, James had always grown up with many relatives who were all to ready to play with him at any hour of the day.
"I wonder whose broom he took," Dominique mused. "I mean, first years aren't allowed, right?" I didn't think about that, but she was right. James was devastated that he couldn't bring a broom to Hogwarts and that the house team did not have any openings this year, so he couldn't even pull an Uncle Harry and start in his first year.
"I have a feeling James somehow got past that rule." I watched him and shook my head. James was hands down my most mischievous cousin. In his first few months at school he had served more detentions that Dom, Louis and I combined. We watched him for a few minutes before he swooped down, landing gracefully and, upon seeing us, raised his eyebrows in surprise.
"What are you two doing here?"
"We could ask you the same question." Dominique looked pointedly at him and James looked sheepish. "Is that your broom?"
"Nope." He answered, and showed them. The broom was a Comet and I knew James had gotten a new edition o f the Firebolt for his tenth birthday. But that broom looked vaguely familiar…
"James Potter, did you take Nathan Hammel's broom?" I asked, my jaw dropping.
"I didn't take it!" James threw his hands up in surrender. "We have a deal worked out!"
"A deal?" I asked, half laughing and half sighing. "What are you talking about." James shifted from one foot to the other.
"Well…see…Nathan knows that I miss flying and it's killing me not to have my broom here. And he knows what that's like so he lends me his on Sundays." James finished the sentence with a smile, but he wasn't getting past me.
"And what do you have to do in return?" I rolled my eyes.
"Pull a few pranks here and there. Nothing I don't do already." James supplied but I narrowed my eyes at him. He was definitely leaving something out. "Alright, fine! I'm just supposed to target guys that flirt with Julianne! He gives me a list when I return his broom and I go after the guys that week. They never suspect me, son of Harry Potter and little first year so it usually works out!"
"Are you serious!" I was laughing, trust Nathan to do something so idiotic and basically employ James to take out anyone interested in Julianne. Dominque rolled her eyes and James shrugged light-heartedly. When I looked at James, I had to smile. I remembered when he was born, I remembered babysitting him and Albus and Lily when they were younger. I couldn't believe he was at Hogwarts already. I suddenly felt a lot older than sixteen.
"Race you to Hagrid's!" He said and the three of us took off running in the directions of the hut. And then, for a few minutes, I felt like we were young kids again and at the Burrow and I didn't feel so old anymore.
