Author's note: I don't own Harry Potter, no matter how much I wish I did. I hope you enjoy this fanfic that is mostly about Teddy, but does involve more than them. I've been dying to write this, so here it goes. This song is by Jo Dee Messina. We have gone up in rating!
Chapter 11: Bye, Bye
It was a beautiful summer day in August. Birds were singing, bees were humming, and Victoire was dancing around her room. She was a prefect! She had wanted to be ever since Teddy told her he had gotten the badge. She may not be able to do it with Teddy (he was no longer a prefect), but it would still be great.
"Vic! Teddy's here!" Dominique called from the bottom of the stairs. Victoire squealed. She'd be able to tell Teddy the great news! She dropped the pillow she'd been dancing with and flung open her door. She hurtled down the stairs and right into Teddy's arms. He was taller, she realized, and he had brown hair. She looked up at him.
"What happened to your hair?" she asked. Teddy shrugged.
"I got bored with the blue. Don't you like it? It's my natural color." He spun around for her. His hair wasn't too bad. It was sandy-colored…much more exciting than brown. She reached up and touched a strand.
"I do, actually. It's very…you." Victoire finally answered. Teddy grinned.
"And do I look more mature?" he joked.
"I suppose so." Victoire answered.
"Oh, I should, after all, the Head boy should look rather smart, shouldn't he?" Teddy responded. Victoire's jaw dropped. Then she squealed yet again and flung her arms around Teddy's neck.
"You're Head Boy? This is great! You'll never believe…"
"That you were made prefect?" Teddy finished. Victoire let go and looked up at Teddy pouting.
"You knew? Who told you?" she asked.
"Er…no one, you just did." Teddy smirked. Victoire glared and smacked him.
"You prat, I hate it when you do that!" she shouted.
"Stop being so gullible and I'll stop." Teddy laughed. "But this means we get to spend some quality time together…something we haven't done since we were kids."
Victoire smiled. He was right…and she was looking forward to it because she had been missing him. Carol was great and all, but she wasn't Teddy.
"It's a date then," she jested heading for the kitchen. Teddy laughed and shook his head. This year was going to be a blast.
"You're killing me here." Max said as he put his things away in the dorm. "First prefect, now this? I mean, couldn't you have just gotten the Quidditch Captain badge and stopped there?"
"I guess not, McGonagall seems to have wanted to keep me busy. Funny how I still got a million detentions, but never missed a match? Or gotten lower than an O on any homework assignment? She should have just given up." Teddy said flinging himself onto his bed.
"Look at it this way; I heard he gets to spend some quality time with Victoire." Simon teased. Teddy rolled his eyes. Simon had gotten it into his head that Teddy and Victoire would make the perfect couple.
"Yea, we do and I get to spend some time with my girlfriend too. You know, Cassandra, remember her?" Teddy emphasized. Simon just shook his head.
"I don't know why you're going out with her, she's so drab." He said.
"She is not…she's just not Victoire, that's the problem." Max said. "Cassandra's nice once you get to know her."
"You talk about Vic an awful lot. Are you sure you don't have a crush on her?" Teddy questioned slyly. Simon blushed.
"No I do not. I just think she's much better suited for you." He said. "Besides, I like someone else."
"Do tell," Kevin said eagerly. Simon blushed more.
"Anita Symmes." He mumbled. Only Teddy heard and he snorted. Kevin and Max looked confused.
"You understood that?" Kevin asked.
"You must have supersonic hearing." Max said. Teddy turned a faint pink.
"To be honest, I have no idea. I can do all kinds of strange things."
"You mean other than morph your features?" Simon asked.
"Yes, I can hear ten times better than anyone else, I can see better than most and I can smell like a hundred times better than anyone else. In fact, there's this odd smell that hangs around all the older students, but I can't figure out what it is."
"You mean like B.O.?" Kevin snickered.
"No, like…sugar. Pure sugar, yet each person smells slightly different. It's hard to explain."
"Sugar?" Max snorted. "We smell like sugar?"
Teddy blushed. "It's not funny. I'm the only one who can smell it and it's really overpowering. Sometimes it makes me feel sick there's so much of it."
"Have you talked to Harry?" Simon asked.
"No, do you think I should?" Teddy bit his lip. Harry was the last person he really wanted to talk to. They had had a row before Teddy had left. He had told Harry that he was worthless simply because he told Teddy that he wasn't ready to know something…everything…about his father.
"Any other odd senses?" Kevin inquired. Teddy hesitated. The last one was quite strange. He didn't know if he felt comfortable in telling them.
"You guys know I have a dog right?" he began.
"Yeah, Georgie or something?" Kevin said. Teddy nodded.
"I spend a lot of time with her, but I began to realize that I seemed to be able to…communicate with her better than my own grandmother. I started being able to understand her barks; what was hungry, what was scared, what was 'I want to play'. I thought it was just my dog, but when I came here and I could hear the wolves in the woods howling…I knew exactly what they were saying to each other. 'I'm lost, come find me.' 'Mother, I'm hungry, feed me!' It was scary."
His friends were staring at him. Kevin's jaw was in danger of falling off. Simon came to his senses first, as usual.
"You can speak to dogs?" he asked.
"I can understand them." Teddy said.
"Try this," Simon said and he let out a series of barks. Teddy answered almost immediately, almost without thinking.
"You're hungry again? We just had dinner!" he exclaimed. Max gasped in awe and Kevin may actually have dislocated his jaw it had fallen so far. Simon looked impressed.
"Yes, I am hungry and I know we just had dinner and you just understood a bunch of barks." Teddy looked perplexed.
"But I didn't hear you bark, all I heard was your voice." He said. Simon nodded.
"I bet if you tried, you could not only understand the canine family, but also be able to speak to them. Did either of your parents speak Canine?" Simon asked. Teddy shook his head.
"Grandparents possibly?" Again, Teddy shook his head. "Hmm, very odd, it's genetic; I looked it up. It's like Parseltongue, you have to inherit it."
"Harry could speak Parseltongue and he didn't get it genetically." Teddy pointed out.
"No, Voldemort just blasted some of his powers into him…or something like that." Max said.
"Maybe someone used a spell on you?" Kevin offered. Teddy looked unconvinced.
"I doubt it, someone would have told me." He said. Or would they? Harry had hidden a lot from him and so had his grandmother.
"You need to tell Harry, as I assume you haven't." Simon said seriously. Teddy nodded. Christmas wasn't going to be fun.
"I don't know how you can stand this, it's so eerie." Victoire whispered as she and Teddy patrolled. Teddy laughed.
"Why are you whispering?"
"Why aren't you?
"Very clever,"
"Teddy, can I ask for some advice?" Victoire asked tentatively.
"Yes, you know you can." Teddy said.
"I was asked out today." She said quietly.
"Is it that bad?" Teddy asked.
Well, no, but you asked me if I liked Cassandra before you asked her out and I wanted to make sure you liked Michael Wood." Victoire said quickly. Teddy's face immediately darkened.
"Michael Wood? No, I can't say I like him very much. I'm glad you chose to consult me before you went ahead and said yes." he said. But Victoire looked slightly guilty.
"Well, actually, I did agree to be his girlfriend…"
"You did what?!" Teddy burst out. Victoire flinched. "Vic, haven't you heard about him? The things that he's done?"
"Yes, but he was so sincere when he asked me out that there was no way he was going to play me. No, Teddy!" She shouted before Teddy could interrupt. "I realize he's been known as kind of a sex addict, but he hasn't made one suggestion to me that that's what he wants, so drop it." She stalked off. Teddy watched her leave, stunned. Victoire was going out with Michael Wood. Giselle too had gone out with him, but when he'd asked her to have it with him, she dumped him flat.
Teddy didn't know what to do. It wasn't that he didn't like Michael, but he had a reputation to try and date more than one girl at time too. Michael was like a Sirius Black wannabe. Teddy walked down the corridor in a distracted mood. He hadn't cared when Giselle had agreed to date Michael…he assumed she would figure it out soon enough. Plus, Giselle wasn't the type to cry over a broken relationship.
But was Victoire? In every one of their fights, Victoire hadn't been the one to shed tears. It was always Teddy. He was the one who fell apart when he discovered his first crush wasn't interested in him…not Victoire. In fact, her first crush had been Kevin, but when he had found out and had told her he wasn't interested, Victoire shrugged her shoulders and moved on.
So why was Teddy suddenly worried about her? She could take care of herself; she'd proven that on countless occasions. Teddy was protective, yes, but he had never felt so truly…no. It couldn't be…it just couldn't. He would know, wouldn't he? Teddy stopped in the middle of the corridor as realization came crashing down on him.
"Where have you been?" Max demanded as Teddy rushed into the common room.
"I need to talk to you alone…in private." Teddy said urgently. Simon and Kevin looked up from their Astronomy essays. Max nodded.
"Okay," he got up, put his Arithmancy essay in his bag and followed Teddy out of the common room to a random classroom. Max remained silent while Teddy paced back and forth. He didn't know what Max would say. He stopped. He opened his mouth but no sound came out. He did this several times before Max said something.
"Spit it out, Teddy. What's wrong?"
"Please don't laugh." Teddy begged.
"Why would I?" Max said.
"Simon would think I was a hypocrite and he wouldn't let us all forget how damn right he was." Teddy said through gritted teeth. Max stared for a moment.
"I don't understand." he said finally.
"I think I like-"
"Victoire!" Victoire turned around and smiled. Michael was shoving his way through the hall toward her. When he'd finally managed to make it through the crowd, he kissed her cheek.
"Hey, what's up?" Victoire asked as Michael took her hand and they walked to the Potions classroom.
"Not much, I had to tell Adam off for making a smack about my cousin Andrea, but my morning's been pretty dull. You?"
"Oh, I had to tell Carol once again that Teddy wasn't going to ask her out and I have to rewrite my Divination paper because it wasn't stated correctly or something and I had a fight with Teddy last night…"
"Wait, you had a fight with Teddy? I thought you two were like attached at the hip." Michael said. Victoire sighed.
"He doesn't want me going out with you." She said sadly. Michael squeezed her hand.
"No, I didn't think he would. He probably believes the rumors that circulate around me. You know how vindictive some girls can be. A few of my ex's were just a bit too touchy about me breaking up with them. I hate to say your cousin was one of them."
"Giselle? I didn't think she was vindictive. She went out with Teddy for a couple weeks last year and they're still on speaking terms."
"Yeah, well, that's because it's hard to stay mad at Teddy. Even I can't be mad at him…he's too nice a guy, to be honest. Giselle won't have anything to do with me because I refused to sleep with her." Michael said. Victoire froze.
"Giselle asked you to what?"
"That's where the whole rumor that I was some sex addict came from, Giselle was mad that I wouldn't. I can't say I'm a virgin, because that would be a lie. At the time I really thought that I was in love, and then the girl ditched me and moved to Cincinnati Ohio or something like that. She said she didn't love me enough to keep a long distance relationship going."
"That's horrible, I had no idea…is Giselle…?" Victoire couldn't even voice her suspicion.
"No, I don't think so; you'd have to ask her yourself. I dumped her before I could find out. Here's your class. I'll see you at lunch." He kissed her cheek again and waved good bye as he went back the way they'd come.
Victoire walked into Potions and found her seat toward the back next to Carol. Carol watched her unpack her things with concern.
"What's up? You look upset." She whispered as Slughorn began to lecture.
"Michael told me that Giselle wanted him to…to have sex, and that he dumped her because he didn't want to do it. Did you think Giselle would do that?" Victoire whispered back. Carol frowned. She didn't like Michael.
"I thought Giselle had broken up with him." She said.
"So did I, but Michael…"
"…is a compulsive liar. I heard him tell Professor Harvey that he didn't have his homework because he had been helping Andrea study, but in reality he was playing Exploding Snap. Vic," Carol said in exasperation. "Michael is just trying to butter you up! He asked you out because every guy envies having you. You're the prettiest girl in school. He just wants you to be comfortable before BAM! He's got you pinned in a closet with his pants around his ankles."
"Carol you have too vivid an imagination for me. Michael would never do that. He hasn't even properly kissed me yet." Victoire said.
"He's sucking up." Carol hissed.
"He's being a gentleman." Victoire argued. Carol rolled her eyes.
"Nothing will change your mind, will it?" she asked.
"Unless I catch Michael with another snogging her senseless, no you won't." Victoire said taking notes. Carol sighed. Her friend was so stubborn.
After class had ended, Carol dashed off because she couldn't stand to see Victoire with Michael. Victoire sighed and took Michael's hand and they went to lunch.
"None of your friend's like me do they?" he asked at the Gryffindor table. They were sitting relatively by themselves. Teddy and his gang switched tables every day. Today was a Ravenclaw day. Currently, he was laughing at some lame joke Kai had told. Carol was at the opposite end of the Gryffindor table eating with Giselle and Nakita. She didn't look once in Victoire's direction. About six seats away, Dominique sat with her third year friends discussing the latest Ministry blunder. Uncle Harry's department was losing members left and right as more and more of them let former Death eater escape.
Victoire sighed. "No, I don't think they do. Too many of them listen to teenage gossip."
Michael placed a hand over hers. "Don't worry; they'll warm up to me. It's not like I would do something to hurt you. I like you too much." Victoire smiled. He was really very sweet. Why couldn't anyone else see that?
"Hey, Giselle!" Victoire and the rest of the Great Hall turned around. Max was standing beside the Ravenclaw table, a smirk on his face. Giselle glared.
"What, Peterson?" she asked haughtily.
"I have a little bit of news for you. My family is going to Australia to visit my cousin Sean for his graduation from the Healer program there so I'm spending Christmas with the Weasleys!"
Giselle's jaw dropped in horror and her fork clattered to her plate. The Hall was quiet except for a few sniggers here and there. Giselle looked at Teddy.
"Please tell me he's lying, Teddy." She begged. Teddy smiled broadly and shook his head. Giselle looked like someone had thrown a pie in her face. Victoire smiled to herself. She was the only one who knew that deep down Giselle actually liked Max…a lot.
"Giselle doesn't look pleased." Michael snickered as said girl walked passed them whispering furiously to Carol and Nakita.
"Oh, inside she's jumping for joy." Victoire said finishing her sandwich.
"I'm sure." Michael said not really paying attention. Victoire was used to this. He spaced off about random things all the time.
"Nargle's got you." She told him.
"Huh?" he asked.
"Never mind, Aunt Luna told me." Victoire said. "I've got choir practice, so I'll see you later." She kissed Michael's cheek and walked off.
Teddy waited until Victoire was out of sight before he got up. Max whispered "Good luck" as he approached Michael. Michael raised an eyebrow as Teddy sat across from him.
"Hello, your friend is quite amusing. I don't think I've ever seen Giselle that embarrassed since he tried to ask her out in the middle of the match last year." he said. Teddy ignored him.
"Listen, Victoire means a lot to me and if you hurt her I swear I will make your life a living hell, understand?" he said. Michael stared.
"Those are some harsh words my friend." he finally said.
"I just want to make sure you get the message." Teddy said.
"Loud and clear," Michael replied. The two stared heatedly before Teddy nodded and left. Max, Simon, Kevin and Violet hurried to follow him.
"So, did he get the message?" Max asked once they'd caught up to Teddy outside.
"'Loud and clear' he said." Teddy replied plopping down under their beech tree.
"You can't let her stay with him; you have to convince her to break it off." Simon said. He had admitted the year previously that he did have some feelings for Victoire and he used it to his advantage. He would tease her constantly about it even while he told Teddy over and over to ask her out. He knew she was out of his league, but he was still worried about her. He had started to see her as kind of the little sister he'd never had.
"I can't, once Vic's set her mind on something, you can't change it. She's got the Weasley stubbornness." Teddy fumed.
"You'll have to prove it to her then." Kevin said.
"But how? As far as we know, Michael is only dating Vic and he hasn't slept with anyone in at least a year. We have no proof he's up to anything." Teddy said sourly.
"You'll just have to keep an eye on him and catch him when he least expects it." Kevin said.
"I know, but that's harder than it sounds. I have Quidditch practice and Head Boy duties and he has Gobstones Club." Teddy muttered.
"Aren't you both in the Slug Club?" Violet piped up from Kai's lap. The two had started dating the previous year.
"Yes…yes, that's it! If I can convince Slughorn to have a few more Slug Club parties, then I'll have a better eye on him since he usually studies anywhere but the common room. It's perfect." Teddy said excitedly. Max shook his head, hiding his smirk. Poor Teddy, he had no idea how obvious he made his feelings known.
"I'll help since I'm in there too." Violet said, missing Max's knowing grin.
"Cool, let's go find Slughorn and find out when the next one is." Teddy said bounding up and across the grounds to the castle. Violet shrugged and followed. The others turned to Max.
"Someone is jealous, aren't they?" Kai asked. Max nodded.
"He wears his heart on his sleeve that one." Simon said shaking his head.
"Wait until Cassandra finds out." Kevin said quietly. The four friends fell silent. None of them wanted to say it, but they all knew it would break Cassandra's heart if Teddy dumped her for another girl.
"So you told me in all of your letters that you had a million things to tell me." Harry said as he and Teddy walked down Grimmauld Street. Teddy nodded.
"I've noticed recently that a lot of odd things happen around me that I can't understand." he said. "I can do things other people can't—and I don't mean morphing. I can hear far better than any of my friends, see things no one else can see, smell things no one else can smell. I can even speak a different language that I never even knew existed."
Harry listened carefully. He led Teddy to a bench by the brown park. They both sat before Harry spoke. "What can you see?" Harry asked.
"Everything you can, but farther. I can see the end of Grimmauld Street. I bet you can't, can you?" Harry shook his head.
"No I can't."
"I can also see in the dark, that's why I don't trip and kill myself when I go to the bathroom at night." Teddy added. Harry looked mildly interested.
"Really, is that why I could never sneak up on you in the dark?" he asked.
"No, I could hear you. I can hear all sorts of things. That dog whistle you gave me for Georgie? I can't use it, I can hear it too and it hurts like hell."
"Teddy, don't curse." Harry said. "So, you can hear dog whistles." He mused.
"And I can understand Georgie…the way that you used to be able understand snakes." Teddy added tentatively. Harry turned in his seat to face his godson. He looked like he wanted to say something very badly.
"Interesting, I never thought of that." He murmured.
"Thought of what? Did you know I could speak to dogs?" Teddy asked eagerly. "Could my father?"
Harry looked torn. "I have no idea. I never thought to ask him. I can guarantee it wasn't your mother though."
"Do you think my hearing and sight is from dad too?" Teddy asked. Harry nodded slowly.
"Unless it's part of a Metamorphmagus power, which I doubt." Harry said thoughtfully.
"What about my nose? I can smell things others can't too. Like this sweet smell around school that smells like a million different kinds of sugar. Some I find ok, others downright disgusting. Do you know what it is?" He was really excited now. He was finally getting answers. Harry bit his lip, hiding a smile.
"What?" Teddy asked worried.
"Teddy, you're seventeen now, so you should be able to figure it out when I say you're smelling pheromones, right?" Harry asked. Teddy looked mortified.
"I can smell what?"
"Pheromones, the hormone that attracts-"
"I know what pheromones are, Harry. I thought only animals could smell them though." Teddy cut across his godfather.
"Generally that is the case." Harry said. He looked away from Teddy, staring at the empty street ahead of him. "I suppose you ought to know why you have such superb senses and such." He said quietly.
"It would be helpful." Teddy said. He was finally going to get the answers to the questions he'd been asking his whole life.
"Do you remember what your Boggart was?" Harry asked.
"Er…I'd rather not say." Teddy said thinking about how Victoire breaking his heart had been the last Boggart he had faced. Harry noticed him blush.
"It was a werewolf the last time I saw it. I hopped in front of you and it turned into a Dementor and I locked it back up, remember?" Teddy nodded. He had forgotten that. "I did it because that was the last thing I wanted you to be afraid of."
"Why? I don't know any werewolves." Teddy said.
"No, but I do." Harry said. "And he was one of my friends when I was a kid. He was also one of my dad's friends from school."
Teddy looked steadily at Harry. Was he telling Teddy that…?
"You're father was a werewolf." Harry announced. Teddy just stared. He felt strange. He had been living a lie. His grandmother had told him that he was perfectly normal…except for his morphing abilities. In reality, he was half werewolf…half an animal.
"Why didn't you tell me before?" he whispered.
"You're grandmother wouldn't let me. She didn't want you to know at all, but I told her you'd have to know eventually, so she agreed that I could tell you when I felt you were ready." Harry said.
"Did…did he ever hurt anyone?" Teddy asked. He had to know.
"No, not intentionally. He hurt Sirius pretty bad back in my third year, but Sirius was protecting me, Ron, and Hermione. He scared the snot out of Snape when they were in school, but other than that, he was never near anyone to hurt them."
"But, if he was a werewolf, why aren't I?" Teddy asked. He was relieved his father had never seriously hurt anyone. He wasn't sure he'd be able to handle that.
"Werewolves are made, not born. That's the only explanation we could find." Harry said. Teddy nodded. His mind was reeling. He wasn't all human. The goblin had been right, he was a half-breed.
"Teddy, your father was one of the nicest, bravest people I knew. He was so terribly shy because he was afraid of how people would react to his condition. All he ever wanted was friends and a family and a place to fit in. He never wanted to be a monster. Fenrir Greyback chose that for him. He didn't deserve all the pain he went through. You have no idea how hurt he was when he not only lost James, but Sirius too. It was a good thing your mother was there or he might have become what he didn't want to be. She kept him sane." Harry explained. Teddy didn't say anything. He was overwhelmed. Had his mother known what he was?
"Did Mum know? That Dad was…?
"A werewolf? Yes, and she told him over and over again she didn't care. I'll never forget her outburst right after Dumbledore died. She was furious at Remus. Fleur had just declared that she loved Bill even if a werewolf had disfigured him. Tonks told Remus it was no different between them. Remus believed otherwise, but he was only trying to protect her. He loved her too much to want to risk anything. He gave in after that though."
"That's why Nanna doesn't like Dad, isn't it?" Teddy asked sadly.
"Partly, the other part is that she did go to school with him for a year." Harry said.
"She did? She never told me that…I mean I knew Dad was older than Mum, but…isn't that a lot older?"
"She was his trophy wife, but he deserved her. She couldn't have been with a better man, nor he with a better woman." Harry said giving Teddy a one-armed squeeze. Teddy finally smiled.
"Thanks for telling me. It means a lot." He said.
"No problem, we better head back though, Ginny will be furious if we're late for dinner." Harry said standing up. He kept his arm over Teddy's shoulder as the two laughed and joked all the way back to Number Twelve.
"So, you're half-werewolf?" Victoire asked. Teddy nodded. They were in their secret grove by the Burrow. The flowers that usually covered the meadow were gone, replaced by a light snow. The two were sitting by the frozen creek bundled in their cloaks.
"That's so…strange." Victoire said pulling at the frozen weeds along the bank.
"I think it explains so much about me. I didn't tell Harry, but at the full moon, my skin itches like mad. Nanna knows; she gives me a potion that stops it. It's like there's something under my skin wanting to come up, like fur…and I can't sleep. I spend all night on the computer." Teddy said staring at his feet.
"Really? I knew you couldn't sleep, remember, we became friends when I told you that Papa couldn't sleep either." Victoire reminded him.
"Oh, I forgot about that." Teddy said in realization. Victoire giggled.
"I didn't know about your skin though, does it ever itch so bad it hurts?" she asked.
"Sometimes, it depends if I scratch or not and how soon I remember to take the potion." Teddy answered.
"Wow, I wish I had known sooner." Victoire said.
"Trust me; it wasn't something I wanted to shout to the world." Teddy said.
"I know, but it would have made me feel better." Victoire said in understanding.
"Vic?"
"Hmm?"
Teddy's courage failed him so he asked a different question.
"Are you excited for tomorrow?"
"Oh, yes, I can't wait to see what hideous gift you've given me this year." Victoire joked. They always gave each other hand-made gifts for Christmas. Teddy wasn't very good with his hands, but Victoire's were gorgeous. While she got haphazardly carved griffins and over-stuffed teddy bears, he got beautiful fleece pillows and decorated picture frames.
"Ha ha, very funny. Actually, I think I did a pretty good job this time. Even Nanna thinks so." Teddy said matter-of-fact.
"She's your grandmother; she's supposed to lie to you." Victoire teased. Teddy acted offended.
"My grandmother wouldn't lie about this!" he said in mock dignity.
"She's lied before, hasn't she?" Victoire whispered. Teddy frowned. Victoire had never voiced her thoughts about his grandmother before.
"You don't like Nanna, do you?" he asked her.
"She's so…weird. I can't explain it." Victoire said apologetically.
"She had a rough childhood. She grew up believing one thing and then Grandpa came along and totally changed her perspective. Sometimes I think she reverts back to her childhood thoughts because they're easier to handle than the ones Grandpa taught her." Teddy hoped he'd explained his grandmother well enough. Even he didn't know what to do with her half of the time.
"I know, and I know you're trying to explain her the best way you can, but I still think she's wack. Maybe it's the generational gap." She said thoughtfully. There was a pause. Suddenly, both burst out laughing.
"So, if I had been a werewolf, would you still be my friend?" Teddy asked when they'd calmed down. Victoire looked him in the eyes. She had never realized that they were brown. They're not brown she thought. They're like chocolate.
"Of course, nothing could change that. My parents knew yours, didn't they? They wouldn't stop me, they'd encourage it." she said. Teddy smiled, so she did.
"That's good; I wouldn't want to have to find another dork to be my best friend." Teddy said. Victoire smacked him on the arm.
"What about Max?" she asked.
"What about him?" Teddy asked.
"Isn't he your best friend too?"
"I suppose, but he could never replace you."
Victoire smiled to herself. She liked that she was irreplaceable. It made her feel important; Teddy needed her more than Max, more than anyone except possibly his grandmother and Harry.
"What do you suppose would have happened if we'd never become friends? If we had just kept fighting?" she asked.
"We probably would have needed to be separated before we killed each other." Teddy joked.
"Teddy, I'm not joking, I really want to know." Victoire looked back at him. He stared at her.
"Well, we wouldn't be here now. We wouldn't have all those amazing homemade gifts we've given each other over the years. I wouldn't have told you everything I've ever told you, and vice versa. We'd be…incomplete I guess. Not that we would even know." he said seriously. Victoire brought her knees up under chin.
"I'm glad we didn't choose to keep fighting. I like the way are now." She murmured. Teddy slid up next to her and put an arm around her shoulder. She leaned her head against his chest. He tried not to think about how they seem to fit together comfortably. He shouldn't be thinking like that at all.
"Me too," he murmured. "Me too,"
"Where could they have gone?" Giselle asked. She and Max were trudging through the snow in search of Teddy and Victoire.
"Do they do this often?" Max asked clutching his cloak to his body. The wind was blowing something fierce.
"All the time, you'd think that they were sneaking away to snog in private." Giselle spat.
"Why are you yelling at me? I just asked a simple question." Max said testily. Giselle stopped.
"You're right, I'm sorry. I'm just angry that every time those two disappear I have to go find them...and I never can!" She pulled her cloak tighter to herself. Max just watched her. She had no idea how she transfixed him. Her soft red hair rolling down her shoulders, her creamy skin covered in sweet sun kisses, her blue eyes as bright as the sky in mid-summer, her slender build, her silky voice, everything. Even the way she glared at him or told him off for flirting.
"What are you staring at?" she snapped. Max blinked. He blushed.
"Oh, er, nothing, let's keep going. They're bound to be around here somewhere." He turned around and continued in the direction they had been headed.
"You were staring at me again, weren't you?" Giselle said. Max turned around. She hadn't moved. He sighed.
"Yes, now can we keep moving? It's freezing."
"No, I can't believe you! Why can't you just leave me be and pick another girl? You could have any girl you want! You're popular!" Giselle shouted. Max trudged back to her.
"You want to know why I won't ask some other girl? Because I love you. Everything about you; they way the sun shines on your hair, they way you walk, the way you speak, even the way you yell at me. You're just too stubborn to see it."
Giselle gaped at him in shock. Whatever it was she had been hoping to resolve, she had not expected this.
"Max…" she didn't know what to say.
"Giselle, I get it, you hate me. I haven't been trying to win you over anymore. It's not worth the trouble. You don't care. I'll move on. I'll find somebody who'll actually love me back." He turned around and continued to search for the missing teens.
"That was not what I was going to say." Giselle said quietly. Max froze.
"Then what were you going to say?" he asked through clenched teeth.
"That I've never known someone to be so sincere about me. It was sweetest thing I'd ever heard. I'm sorry I've been so cruel to you. You never deserved it." Giselle said softly. Max turned around. Tears were glistening on her cheeks. His heart twisted. He didn't mean to make her cry.
"Giselle, don't cry. I shouldn't have said that. It was insensitive." he said walking back over to her. She wiped her eyes on her cloak.
"I've been so stupid!" she stormed suddenly, tears leaking out of her eyes.
"No, I have. I've been trying to force you to like me when I knew it was hopeless."
"You didn't have to force me." Giselle cut across his rant. Max looked at her.
"What do you mean?" he asked. A small bubble of hope had grown in his heart. Could she possibly like him back?
"I didn't want to admit that you did charm me a bit. You were sweet even if you were a bit immature. I didn't want to admit you'd broken through my defenses." She said wiping more tears away. Max felt light. She did, she liked him back. He came close to her and cupped her cheek with a gloved hand to make her look him in the eye.
"You don't have to be ashamed of how you feel. Do you know how long it took me to admit to Teddy that I liked you? He had to corner me. He found it amusing at first, but when he realized I was serious, he tried to help me." He told her.
"Teddy tried to help?" Giselle asked. Max nodded. She closed her eyes.
"Now I know I was an idiot." She muttered.
"You're not an idiot. Teddy told me about his dad's friend, James Potter. He was in the same situation as us. Lily Evans wouldn't go out with him either, but he eventually won her over. And Harry doesn't seem brain damaged." he joked. He was rewarded with a watery smile from Giselle. He couldn't hold back. He leaned in slowly and gently kissed her cold lips. She didn't stop him. His arms slid around her waist and her arms went around his neck. He didn't know how long they were like that but a wolf whistle and some giggles caused Giselle to end the kiss and look behind him. She blushed crimson. Max turned around. Teddy and Victoire were standing by the bushes laughing and whistling at them.
"Tom, when will your crew be ready to infiltrate the Ministry?" the woman in black asked. She was lounging on an apple red daybed with silk sheets and lace curtains. A young man with dark hair was leaning against her cherry dresser. He smiled. He was very handsome.
"They'll be ready in maybe another year. I'm still short a few people. My right hand, for one." He said sweetly. The woman sat up.
"That wretched woman with the bad hair day? Can't you do it without her?" the woman asked. She was not fond of the other woman, she wanted Tom for herself and she knew the other did too.
"I could, but it wouldn't be as affective." Tom explained calmly. That's what she liked about Tom. He was always so calm. He never lost his temper. She stood and approached him.
"I'll see what I can do, for now, work with what I've given you. It takes a lot of energy to do the kind of magic I do." She whispered into his ear. Tom smirked.
"Whatever you my lady. I'll see you at supper." He bowed and kissed her long, pale fingers. "Good day," he said getting ready to leave.
"Oh, Tom," the woman said sweetly. Tom stopped and turned to face her.
"Yes," he asked.
"I expect you to be early tonight." Tom smiled.
"I'll keep that in mind."
"And no alcohol before, it takes the edge off."
"Of course, good day,"
The door swung shut behind him. The smile slid off her face. She did not want to bring that whore here. Yes, she was the top in torturing and getting information, but even so, she herself had power to do that, so why did Tom need the little tramp?
He's up to something a voice in the back of her mind told her.
No he's not; you made him who he is today. You know exactly what he's doing. She told herself.
But do you? He spends an awful lot of time with Morgan and you know she doesn't want to be here. The voice said.
Nonsense, you've got Morgan on strings. She won't do anything when her son is on the line she argued. She shook her head. She was being ridiculous. Tom was on her side. He wanted the same things she did. She had planted those ideas in his head years ago.
But he's descended from a traitor the voice reminded her.
A traitor I created she concluded lying back on her bed and opening a bag a Chili Cheese Fritos. Her plans were going her way. Soon England would be hers like it should have been centuries ago.
School seemed to be dragging since the second semester had begun. Teddy was taking a practice N.E.W.T. in Arithmancy…or he had been before he'd finished. Now he was sitting with his head on his hand, staring out the window and drooling slightly. The test had been easy, so Teddy had finished it quickly. Everyone else seemed to be struggling, including Max.
Max and Giselle were the talk of the school. No one had expected her to give in. Professor Longbottom had even congratulated him before Herbology back in January. Professor McGonagall had even seemed to notice their get together. Teddy realized she must be seeing the Potters all over again. All they needed was a kid and a pair of rings.
The bell rang and Teddy jumped. He had been daydreaming about Victoire again. He guiltily put his things away and followed Max out the door. He had caught himself staring at her at inopportune moments during the day, waking in the middle of the night after some very vivid and inappropriate dreams and even daydreaming while on dates with Cassandra.
"That was insane! How am I going to pass the real N.E.W.T's?!" Max exclaimed. Teddy didn't respond. He was too caught up in the fact that once again he was daydreaming about the wrong girl. "Teddy, are you even listening to me?" Max asked.
"Why would he do that, he's thinking about me, aren't you love?" Cassandra slid her arm through Teddy's and kissed his cheek.
"Huh? Oh, hey Cassi. Were you saying something Max?" he asked. Max sighed dramatically and left the couple.
"Someone's stressed." Cassandra said watching Max parade off. She turned back to Teddy. "Is something wrong, Baby?" she asked. "You look a little ill."
"I'm fine, just a bit tired. I had a late night. Victoire and I caught some cupboard hoarders and we were up later than we wanted to be." Teddy responded. The two started down to the Great Hall.
"You spend an awful lot of time with her." Cassandra commented.
"Friends usually spend a lot of time together." Teddy pointed out.
"Yes, but usually with their, well, same sex friends." Cassandra said tentatively. Teddy glanced at her.
"I spend a lot of time with Violet and Giselle and you don't say anything about them."
"Violet's dating Kai…and Giselle is Max's girlfriend, isn't she?"
"She's only been with him since Christmas and I've hung out with her long before I even knew him. I even dated her before you. Besides, Victoire is with Michael." Teddy was feeling slightly annoyed. They'd had this conversation before.
"I know I'm being silly. I guess it's just because she's so attractive. I hear everybody saying how they'd love to be her boyfriend. I guess I'm just worried you're like the rest." Cassandra said. Teddy felt extremely guilty. He had to stop thinking about Victoire. Maybe after he graduated and moved into his own place he'd get over this ridiculous crush. He wouldn't be seeing her as often, maybe that'll help.
"Yeah, maybe, I'm not like everyone else though, she's just my friend." Teddy assured her, while reassuring himself. He was just her friend that was all. Just her friend.
They entered the Great Hall and headed for the Gryffindor table. As they walked to their friends, they passed Victoire and Michael laughing at some joke that Victoire had told. Teddy felt a monster in his chest stir and growl. He looked away and smiled as he saw Kai peck Violet on the cheek. They had been together the longest and they truly looked happy. Teddy secretly wished he had found that with Cassandra, but she just wasn't what he was looking for. Teddy sat down and thought about that thought. He had never been sure of that before, yet he felt so sure of it now. Cassandra was nice and all, pretty too, but she didn't know Teddy they way Kai and Violet knew each other. She never shared any secrets with him or insisted that he remembered her birthday or anything a serious couple would do.
"Hey, how about we go eat outside? It's really crowded." Teddy whispered in Cassandra's ear.
"Sure," Cassandra said cheerfully. The two grabbed some food, wrapped it in some napkins and stood up.
"Where are you off too?" Simon asked.
"Outside, it's kind of crowded today." Teddy said. Simon looked confused but didn't argue as the two left. Teddy led Cassandra to the beech tree he normally hung out under. He loved this beech tree because Harry had told him that his father and the other Marauders used to hang out underneath it too. Not to mention Harry and his gang.
"You want to talk, I can tell." Cassandra said once they'd settled down. Teddy knew she would know, she always seemed to know when he wanted to talk.
"Yeah, I did. I wanted to talk about…us." he said. Cassandra put her sandwich down.
"What about us?"
"Are we good? I mean, are we really giving this relationship one hundred percent?" Teddy asked.
"I don't understand." Cassandra said. Teddy looked across the lake.
"Why don't you expect me to remember your birthday or take you on a certain number of dates or walk you to class?" he asked.
"I didn't want to force you to do something you didn't want to do. I didn't realize it bothered you." Cassandra said. Teddy's heart plummeted.
"Oh, so it isn't that you're growing uninterested?" he said. Cassandra actually laughed.
"Goodness no! Oh Teddy, I didn't realize you were worried about that! You're the most interesting person I know!" She took his hand and squeezed it. "Don't worry, I'm not about to leave you." She kissed him sweetly on the lips. Teddy kissed her back. He was boiling in the cauldron now.
"Teddy, you can't keep lying to her." Max said in exasperation that night when the two were alone.
"I know, but I can't tell her the truth either, that's what she's worried about!" Teddy flopped down on top of his bed only to be bounced onto the floor. Max laughed.
"Smooth," he chortled. Teddy sat up and brushed the dust of his tongue and clothes. "She's made you an even bigger klutz."
Teddy sighed and sat on his bed. He stretched out on it and stared at the ceiling of his four poster. "I know, and it's driving me nuts. I need to find a way to forget her."
"Maybe you just need to ignore her for a while." Max suggested.
"I can't do that; she'd think I was mad at her." Teddy grumbled.
"Teddy, we have duty." Teddy opened an eye and saw Lacy.
"Oh, okay, I'll see you later Max." Teddy said getting up and following Lacy out of the dorm.
"We'll pick this up later! And I mean sometime in April! Not next month!" Max called after him. Teddy smiled. Good old Max.
"What was that about?" Lacy asked once they had climbed out of the portrait hole. Teddy shrugged.
"Guy talk." he said vaguely.
"I didn't know there was such a thing." Lacy giggled.
"Oh, believe me; guys can talk just as much as girls when they want to." Teddy said.
"Who knew?" Lacy giggled. Teddy smiled. Lacy was much easier to talk to than he'd thought previously. He had been worried at who would be made Head Girl, and he was glad it was another Gryffindor, though he kind of wished it had been Violet.
Teddy stopped. He heard giggling. Lacy had never questioned how he could hear such faint laughter, but she was impressed. Teddy walked over to an extra classroom and shoved the door open. His jaw dropped. It was Simon.
"Teddy!" he exclaimed. He backed away from the girl he'd been snogging. It was Anita Symmes.
"Oh, um, hi. Teddy." she said embarrassed. "I'll just be going." She picked up her bag and hurried past Teddy and Lacy.
"I'll just keep patrolling." Lacy said tactfully. Teddy walked into the classroom, his eyes never leaving Simon.
"I didn't know you had it in you." Teddy said after a long silence. "Sneaking around the castle to snog Anita? Wow, you mustn't have wanted anyone to find out, huh?"
"You won't tell anyone will you? Violet would flip and I don't think I could stand to have the guys laugh at me. They don't even know I fancy her." Simon said in a worried voice.
"I won't tell, you know I won't" Teddy assured his friend. Simon looked relieved.
"I'm not going to get in trouble, am I?" Simon asked. "For being out after hours?"
"I don't know why you should; we already broke the record, didn't we?" Teddy said with a smirk. "You get a warning this time."
"Thanks mate, and yes, we went about fifty over the record." Simon said as he dashed off. Teddy just shook his head. Simon had never struck him as the secretive type, but after tonight, Teddy wasn't sure what to think of him.
He left the classroom and continued to patrol. Lacy was nowhere to be seen. She was very good about the whole "privacy" thing. He was about to go around the corner when he heard voices. Familiar voices. Teddy poked his head around the corner and saw two figures standing very close to each other.
"Have you ditched her yet?" asked a girl's voice. It sounded like…Cassandra. Teddy leaned closer. That two timing…
"No, but I will, I promise. I just don't know how to do it yet." Teddy's blood ran cold. The second voice belonged to none other than Michael Wood. He was planning on ditching Victoire for Cassandra. She had lied to him. Cassandra was planning on breaking up with…in fact she was cheating on him and Michael was cheating on Victoire. Teddy had never felt so angry in his life. He came around the corner.
"So the truth finally comes out. I thought you weren't going to leave me, Cassandra. Or did I not satisfy you? Hoping Michael will get in your pants?" Teddy asked angrily. Cassandra and Michael jumped. Michael glared.
"It's none of your business, Lupin." Michael spat.
"Yes it is. First of all, that's my girlfriend you're groping. Second, I told you last year that if you hurt Victoire you'd have to answer to me. Do you honestly think she won't care that you're cheating on her?"
"He's not; he hasn't done anything with me." Cassandra defended.
"He's out here with you. In the real world, that's cheating. The fact that he's going to dump his girlfriend for another girl he just talks to? He wouldn't need to ditch her for that. I don't believe you." Teddy growled. Cassandra looked frightened. Teddy's hair must have been going wild. He hadn't told her he was a Metamorphmagus.
"Leave her be, she has nothing to do with this!" Michael spat.
"Nothing? She's everything! You're giving up a sweet innocent young woman for a whore! A whore I was dumb enough to date!" Teddy shouted. Cassandra glared.
"I am not a whore." She said.
"That's not what I see." Teddy said. Cassandra backed off looking hurt. Michael stepped forward.
"So what if I'm planning to ditch her, I didn't say I would be doing it while you were still here. Let her think I worship the ground she walks on. She's such a gullible twit that she believes anything I tell her. I was only dating her because she was drop dead gorgeous. It was a status pleasure." Teddy's blood was boiling. Forgetting about his wand, he launched himself at Michael and punched him full in the face. Cassandra screamed. Blood spurted from Michael's broken nose. Teddy felt someone pull him off Michael. It was Kai.
"Teddy, we need to get out of here." he said dragging him away from the bleeding Michael and the sobbing Cassandral. Kai led him to the Room of Requirement and the two slipped inside. Violet was in there. She sprung off the couch she'd been sitting on.
"Teddy! Are you okay? We heard shouting…" Teddy threw Kai off him and he stalked over to a bookcase and kicked it. How could Michael have said such things? What the hell did he think he'd get from Victoire? Status only lasted at school. There must have been something else, something Victoire had that he wanted. It wasn't money, that's for sure. Only George was filthy rich. What was it?
And as for Cassandra…well, they were through. Teddy couldn't believe her. He had been sucked in to her game. Simon had been right…again. Cassandra wasn't for him. She had never been good for him. He was much to good for. Why didn't he ever listen to Simon when it came to relationships? He obviously knew what he was talking about.
"Teddy?" Violet asked tentatively touching his arm.
"I'm sorry, Vi, I didn't mean to frighten you." Teddy apologized.
"What the bloody hell were you doing to Michael?" Kai asked angrily. Violet backed away. She looked scared.
"He's cheating on Victoire with Cassandra, you know, my bloody girlfriend." Teddy said bitterly. "He was running his mouth off about Vic so I hit him."
Kai didn't look happy about what Teddy said. Violet looked shocked.
"What did he say?" Violet asked.
"He told me she was a twit and that she would believe any damn thing she was told. She's not stupid. He told me that she was just a status thing. I think he was lying. I think there was another reason he wanted to date her, I just don't know what."
"She is related to the Golden Trio." Violet said.
"Naw, his dad knows Harry, they went to school together." Teddy said.
"Maybe he just wants to piss you off." Kai said. Teddy and Violet looked at him.
"Why would he want to do that?" Teddy asked. "I've never done anything to him until just now."
"Maybe he thinks Giselle dumped him for you and he thought going out with your best friend was payback." Kai said. Teddy had never thought of that. He and Giselle had started going out shortly after she'd ditched Michael. Not that they had lasted long either.
"Maybe," Teddy said.
"We should head back; we don't want to get caught." Violet said. Teddy came out of his thoughts.
"What are you doing in here, anyway?" he asked.
"Studying, I'm pathetic at Charms." Kai said picking up his bag and stuffing his notes back in it. "We just got a bit distracted by your Muggle fighting display."
Teddy blushed. He hadn't meant to screw up their study session; he knew Kai really did need the help.
"I'll make it up to you. I'll give you a make-up tutorial or something." He said.
"Only if you don't get detention or something on the day we plan it." Kai said taking Violet's hand and leaving the room. Teddy sighed and followed. He needed to find Victoire. He ran as fast as he could to the portrait of the Fat Lady.
"Pine Scent!" Teddy gasped.
"Correct," the Fat Lady said swinging open. He dashed inside. It was still relatively full in the common room. He searched for Victoire's blonde head. He found her by the fire talking with Michael. He glared. A hand touched his arm. He whipped around. It was Carol.
"I wouldn't go over there. He's telling her horrid things about you and when I left she seemed to be buying it." She said sadly. "I can't believe her. It makes me sick."
Teddy felt cold. Victoire knew him better than that. She couldn't possibly believe anything that bastard said about him, could she?
She's such a gullible twit that she believes anything I tell her. Teddy wasn't going to let Michael lie to his best friend. She meant too much to him. He shoved his way past Carol who called after him, but he ignored her. He charged right up to Michael and Victoire.
"Don't believe a word this sorry excuse for cow dung has to say to you!" Teddy said when he reached them.
"Teddy, that's a horrible thing to say!" Victoire shouted.
"The truth hurts." Teddy stated. Victoire's jaw dropped. The common room was growing quiet as people realized a fight was about to break out.
"What do you want, Lupin? Going to break my nose again?" Michael shouted. Whispers broke out all over the common room but Teddy ignored him.
"If it gets the message across, then yes, I will." Teddy told him. Victoire gasped, as did several other people.
"Teddy, stop this! I don't know what's gotten into you…"
"I caught this pig here telling Cassandra when he was planning on breaking up with you! It sounded like he'd been seeing her behind our backs for weeks!" Teddy exclaimed. Victoire looked torn. She looked at Michael.
"Is this true?" she asked.
"Of course not, I only met with her tonight to tell her I was not going to go out with her and that it was the last time I was going to tell her. I told her she was Teddy's girlfriend and it she didn't like that to take it up with him." Michael said. Teddy gaped at him. How could he blatantly lie to her in front of him?
"Yeah, to hell with the truth, let's just give her the biggest damn lie you could think up!" Teddy shouted.
'Teddy, stop! He's never lied to me before, why would start now?" Victoire said reasonably.
"Because he's never told you the truth! He was using you!" Teddy shouted.
"Why would he be using me? There's no reason! You're being silly!"
"Vic, he's playing you for a sap! He knows how gullible you are!" Teddy stopped. He shouldn't have said that. Victoire looked appalled.
"Is that what you think Teddy? That I'm gullible? When have I ever fallen for any of your stupid stunts? Or believed those ridiculous stories you tell my cousins? I thought you knew me better than that."
"I know you're not gullible! I know how strong you are. I know you a hundred…no a thousand times better than this moron ever will!" Teddy said desperately.
"No, I don't think you do. You don't seem to think I can take care of myself in a relationship, or that I could make my own friends, or pass my classes or anything! You've been breathing down my neck ever since I got here!" Victoire exclaimed.
"I have not; you told me your first year that you thought I wasn't paying enough attention to you! That I was even ignoring you!"
"I was young and afraid of the new environment and you were familiar to me! I needed some sort of anchor!" Victoire shouted.
"Oh, so I'm too much now? Should I have continued 'ignoring,'" he put his fingers up and mimicked quotation marks "you so that you could 'breathe?'"
"No, but you could back off. I know how to take care of myself."
"I'm not sure you do! If you did you'd realize that I'm not the only one who despises your boyfriend. When was the last time you actually hung out with Carol? I always see her with Giselle and Nakita. Ever wonder why Simon doesn't flirt with you anymore? He doesn't like your taste in men and decided to go for someone with more brains!" he couldn't stop himself. Every angry thought he'd had since he'd seen Michael with Cassandra was pouring out of him. Victoire looked close to tears.
"You're just too stubborn to see that everyone who cares about you has left you! I'm the only one who's stuck it out and I'm not even sure I want to anymore! You've just shoved me aside over and over again!" he shouted.
"It's none of your business! You're not my father!"
"No, but you're like my little sister and I don't want-"
"I am not your sister and I don't want to be!" Victoire interrupted. "I hate how you always assume I want you to be a part of my family! I don't! You're just the orphan my uncle took in, nothing more so quit trying to butt in!"
The room went dead silent. Teddy felt like Victoire had just thrust a knife into his heart. She didn't want him in her family? She hated that he tried to fit in? You're just the orphan my uncle took in, nothing more.
"Fine," Teddy heard himself say. "I won't bother from now on. It'll be like you never knew me. You won't ever have to deal with me again." He yanked off his watch and threw it on the floor where it shattered before he left the common room. Before he left, Teddy saw the smirk on Michael's face and he knew that Kai was right.
I actually cried while I wrote this…that's a first.