Chapter 10: June 2015
Before long, exam time had descended upon the students of Hogwarts school. As usual, it was a stressful time, and Victoire simply couldn't wait until they were over. For two weeks, Victoire and her friends slaved away, studying like mad so that they would pass all their finals. By the time the two weeks were over, Victoire was exhausted and just wanted to lie around in the sun until the Hogwarts Express came to take them home.
"This summer's going to be great!" Kara exclaimed one afternoon as the three girls sat by the lake. "My mom signed me up to be a day camp counsellor at a local Muggle day camp. She thinks it'll really help me in Muggle Studies, plus I'll be able to make some money."
"That sounds awful," Brianna declared. "You're going to spend your summer wiping kids' noses and dealing with them wetting their pants and complaining about nonsense that doesn't even matter."
"But kids are so cute," Kara disagreed.
"Do you know what age group you're going to be working with?" Victoire wondered.
"The little ones," Kara declared. "Ages five and six I think."
"That's the worst age!" Brianna exclaimed. "At least if they were eight they might have a bit of sense. Eight year olds can read."
"Maybe Muggle children learn to read at an earlier age?" Kara suggested.
"I don't think so," Victoire shook her head. "Professor Carbourough would have mentioned that when we studied children's culture in class last year."
Kara shrugged. "Well it doesn't really matter either way," she decided.
"What about you Brianna?" Victoire asked, turning the focus to her other friend. "What are you doing this summer?"
"Who knows?" Brianna replied breezily. "My parents were talking about going on a trip, but they haven't said where yet. I'm hoping either Paris or Rome."
"Oh, Paris is beautiful, you should definitely go there," Victoire urged her.
"You've been to Paris?" Kara cried in surprise.
"Yeah, my grandmother lives in Paris," Victoire replied with a frown. "You knew that."
"Oh right," Kara nodded. "I guess I never put two and two together."
"What about you Victoire?" Brianna asked. "I suppose you and Teddy are going to spend the summer glued at the hip?"
"Well we…" Victoire paused. What were her and Teddy's plans for the summer? They'd never discussed what they were going to do, or whether they were going to make plans to meet up at all. Victoire still wasn't sure what she was telling her parents when she saw them, or even if she was telling them anything. "I'm not sure," she admitted.
"You should definitely work that out before we leave on Sunday morning," Brianna said.
"Yeah," Victoire agreed distantly. "Yeah I should…"
VvVvVvVvVvV
Victoire found Teddy in the library, working on what appeared to be Ancient Runes.
"Is that homework?" Victoire demanded immediately. "You know classes are over, right?"
"I know," Teddy nodded. "But I can't afford to get rusty. N.E.W.T.s are coming up in less than a year and I need to be ready for them."
"So you're studying for your N.E.W.T.s in June?" Victoire said, raising her eyebrows.
"Well it's not so much studying as… getting ahead on my summer work," Teddy shrugged.
"Oh my gosh," Victoire said, shaking her head in mock disbelief. "I'm dating a nerd."
Teddy laughed, dropping his quill and dragging Victoire's chair closer to his so he could kiss her. "But you love me anyway," he smiled.
"Yeah," Victoire said, pulling back. "I'm starting to think that was a mistake."
Teddy rolled his eyes. "You're not fooling me," he insisted. "We both know you're as much a nerd as I am."
"I am not!" Victoire cried.
"Is that right?" Teddy asked. "How'd you do on your exams?"
"I don't know," Victoire shrugged. "I haven't gotten them yet."
"You know they're ready, right?" Teddy asked. "Professor Longbottom's been handing them out all day."
"That was fast!" Victoire exclaimed.
"I guess," Teddy shrugged, not really having an opinion on the subject.
"Well I'll go pick up my results later," Victoire declared. "I actually had something I wanted to talk to you about."
"So there was a reason for you rudely interrupting my Ancient Runes homework," Teddy cried.
"You're hilarious," Victoire said, rolling her eyes. "But this is serious."
"Okay," Teddy said, immediately sitting up straighter at the tone of Victoire's voice and giving her his full attention. "What's up?"
"Well, it's just that… well we're going to be leaving Hogwarts soon," Victoire began.
"Sure," Teddy replied. "That's why it's called summer."
"Would you listen to me?" Victoire pleaded.
"Sorry," Teddy apologized, shaking his head. "Okay, I'm listening."
"Right," Victoire nodded. "Well we're going to be going home in a few days and I guess I was just wondering… you know, what you wanted to do about that."
Teddy frowned. "Well I'm thinking we'll take the train to King's Cross, and then our families will pick us up for the summer, and then when the summer's over, they'll bring us back and we'll take the train back here again."
"I meant about us," Victoire clarified. "We never talked about what we're going to do about the summer."
"Oh," Teddy said, understanding where Victoire was going with this. "Well we can definitely write each other. And we can meet up at Diagon Alley or wherever sometimes. It won't be so bad, and we'll be back here in two months."
"I want to tell my parents," Victoire said suddenly. As soon as she'd said it, she frowned at herself in disbelief. She'd had no intention of saying anything of the sort and had no idea where it had come from.
"You do?" Teddy asked.
"I – I don't know," Victoire hesitated. She thought about it for a minute and then came to a decision. "Yes. Yes, I want to tell them."
"Okay," Teddy agreed readily. "What brought this on?"
"I guess I just…" Victoire searched herself for the answer. "I didn't want to tell anyone; I guess because I didn't know where this was going. Whether it was temporary or a fling or whatever. Because if we told everyone and then we broke up, it would be really uncomfortable afterwards. More than if we kept it to ourselves. But now… I mean I love you. This isn't just a temporary thing for me. It's real. And it's not going to feel properly real unless maman and papa know."
"Victoire, I want you to know… this was never a fling for me," Teddy said. "I love you, and as far as I'm concerned, that's not going to change."
"Yeah," Victoire smiled, leaning in for a kiss. "I know."
VvVvVvVvVvV
"Victoire," Professor Longbottom greeted Victoire later that day when she went to retrieve her exam results. She'd intended to bring Kara and Brianna with her, but they hadn't been by the lake when she'd returned and she didn't want to go all the way up to the seventh floor only to have to come down again. They could come down later without her. "I'm glad to see you."
"I just wanted to pick up my exam results," Victoire said, stepping into the room.
"Yes of course, I have them right here," Professor Longbottom said, shuffling through a pile of papers and then producing the parchment containing Victoire's grades. "Victoire, while you're here, I'd like to talk to you about your Herbology grade."
"Okay," Victoire said with a frown. Herbology had always been one of her best subjects. She'd gotten an O in the subject the past three years in a row. "Is something wrong?"
"I'm afraid so," Professor Longbottom said grimly. "Why don't you take a look at your report?"
With a sinking feeling, Victoire opened up her exam results and slowly began to read. Astronomy: A, Care of Magical Creatures: A, Charms: A, Defence Against the Dark Arts: A, Herbology: A, History of Magic: A, Muggle Studies: E, Potions: E, Transfiguration: A. It certainly wasn't as good a report as she was used to getting, but at least she'd passed everything.
"I got an A," she said, reading out her Herbology mark.
"Yes," Professor Longbottom agreed. "Which is a far cry from three consecutive Outstandings."
Victoire shrugged, unconcerned. "Fourth year is a lot harder than third year," she told him. "I had a lot to deal with."
"Victoire, as your teacher, I have to disagree," Professor Longbottom said. "I don't think you got an A because the work was too difficult, I think you got an A because you didn't put in the work."
Victoire frowned. "I put in the work," she claimed.
Professor Longbottom picked up a sheet of paper off his desk and held it out to her. It was a list of the names of all the students in her year with a number next to the name. Next to Caitlin's name was the number 80. Next to Raina's, the number 92. Next to Kara's was the number 84, and next to Brianna's was the number 67. Victoire skipped down the list to her own name, which was at the bottom just above Lia Weston (73). Next to her name, was a big black 54, one of the lowest on the page.
"What is this?" she asked.
"This lists the number of days throughout the plant-growing project that you and your classmates visited your plants," Professor Longbottom revealed. "What I find especially troubling is that you visited your plant every day in the beginning, and yet towards the end of the project visited it so rarely that it shrivelled and died."
"So I got an A because I didn't visit my plant enough?" Victoire surmised. "That doesn't seem fair."
"You got an A because you got lazy," Professor Longbottom clarified. "The plant growing project was most of your grade for the second term and I'm sorry to say you failed that portion of the class. Your exam wasn't much better. If it weren't for your work in the first term, we'd probably be having a conversation about summer school right about now."
"But I'm good at Herbology," Victoire protested.
"You do have a natural talent for it," Professor Longbottom agreed. "But that doesn't mean you don't still have to work at it. If you try to sail by with what you think you already know, you're not going to make it through your O.W.L. Which would be a shame, because you have a lot of potential. If you put in the work, I think you could have a real future in Herbology."
Victoire shuffled uncomfortably. "So… am I in trouble or anything?"
"No," Professor Longbottom sighed, seemingly disappointed. "Technically you did pass the class, so I can't force you to go to summer school. I would highly suggest that you spend the summer studying the things we covered in the second terms though, if you want to do well next year."
"Sure," Victoire said, more to get out of there than because she was really going to do it. "Yeah, I'll do better, I promise."
"I hope so," Professor Longbottom sighed.
Victoire walked over to the door and paused when Professor Longbottom coughed.
"Oh, and Victoire?" he asked as she was leaving. "Don't let having a boyfriend distract you from your studies."
Victoire felt her face go beet red. "Of course not, Professor," she said before taking off at a run down the hallway. Only once she had rounded the corner did she slow to a walk. How humiliating! To have her Professor call her out on something like that. Besides, Teddy had nothing to do with Victoire's A in Herbology. If anything, he forced her to study more, because he was always studying. Professor Longbottom just didn't understand. She was fifteen years old, she had a life. She wasn't going to dedicate her every waking moment to studying Herbology, it just wasn't natural. And she had passed…
Shoving her exam results into the bottom of her bag, Victoire hurried up to the common room to find her friends. There had been a promise of a game of exploding snap before dinner, and she was eager to play.
VvVvVvVvVvV
"So you're sure you want to tell them?" Teddy asked Victoire Sunday morning at breakfast. They would be boarding the train home later that day, and once they arrived at King's Cross, it would be Victoire's last chance to change her mind.
"I'm sure," Victoire nodded. "But just them. No Aunts or Uncles, and especially not Grandmother or Grandfather Weasley. Let's just see how it goes with them first."
"And you still want to do it today?" Teddy confirmed.
"Yes," Victoire replied. "I don't want to be awkwardly waiting for the right time. And I want you to be there. If we wait, it could come out at the wrong time when you're not there."
"Alright," Teddy said.
"You cleared it with your grandmother, right?" Victoire confirmed. "That you're coming home with us?"
"I did," Teddy agreed. "She won't be expecting me until after dinner at the earliest. Hopefully your parents will let me stick around that long."
"I'm sure they will," Victoire smiled. "They'll be happy, once they get over the initial shock."
Victoire took a bite of toast, millions of thoughts running through her head.
"Hey Teddy?" she asked.
"Hmm?" he replied, his mouth full.
"What about your grandmother?" she asked.
"What about her?" Teddy wondered.
"Well, I mean I don't want to make you tell her if you aren't ready, but when were you thinking of telling her?" Victoire asked.
"Oh," Teddy said uncomfortably, avoiding eye contact. "Right… about that… she kind of already knows."
"You told her without me?" Victoire cried in outrage.
"I didn't tell her, she just knew," Teddy replied. "I think all the Professors know."
Victoire thought back to her conversation with her Head of House. "Yeah," she agreed. "Professor Longbottom seemed to know."
"Well anyway, she made a comment about it at dinner the other night," Teddy shrugged. "She seemed fine about it."
"Okay," Victoire shrugged. "So she knows. That's one person we don't have to tell." She took another bite of bread, feeling strangely disappointed. She'd been looking forward to properly meeting Professor Tonks as Teddy's girlfriend, rather than as a student.
"Maybe you could come to dinner sometime soon," Teddy suggested, sensing Victoire's mood. "I know my grandmother would love to get to know you."
"Really?" Victoire asked skeptically. "You're not just saying that because you think I want you to?"
"Well a little," Teddy admitted. "But I do know she'd love to have you over. And just because she figured it out doesn't mean you two shouldn't properly meet."
"Okay," Victoire smiled. "I like that idea."
"Great," Teddy smiled. He took a bite of his own toast. "I'm really looking forward to it," he added.
VvVvVvVvVvV
Soon, everyone had boarded the train and they were pulling out of Hogsmeade station. Teddy had to go to a special prefect's meeting where the new Head Boy and Girl were going to be announced, leaving Victoire, Kara, Brianna, and Billy to find a compartment together.
"So Billy," Victoire said as they all settled in. "Got any plans this summer?"
"I'm just going to hang out with my girlfriend," Billy said.
"You have a girlfriend?" Brianna asked in surprise.
"Course," Billy frowned. "I talk about her all the time."
When Brianna didn't show any hint of recognition, Billy turned to Kara an Victoire, but neither of them could recall Billy ever mentioning a girlfriend before.
"Oh come on!" Billy cried. "Kayla! We've been dating since March!"
"Doesn't ring a bell," Kara said.
"Kayla Thompson?" Billy practically pleaded with them to remember.
Victoire shrugged. "Sorry Billy," she said. "I'm pretty sure you've never mentioned her."
"You've seen me with her!" Billy exclaimed in frustration.
Victoire exchanged a look with her friends. "Well this is awkward," she muttered.
Just then, the door opened and Teddy burst into the compartment.
"Guess who's the new Hogwarts Head Boy?" he exclaimed.
"Really?" Victoire cried, jumping up and admiring the new Head Boy badge pinned to his robes where his prefect one used to be. "Congratulations!" She lunged forward to give him a hug.
"Yeah," Teddy replied, shutting the door and taking a seat between Victoire and Kara. "I didn't think I was going to get it either. I was sure they'd pick Elijah Horne from Hufflepuff for Head Boy."
"Who got Head Girl?" Kara wondered.
"Marina Mitchell," Teddy replied.
"From Ravenclaw?" Billy asked. "She's such a bore."
"Yeah, but she'll make a great Head Girl," Teddy pointed out.
"I'm just glad it wasn't Beverly Longman," Victoire muttered gratefully.
"Even if it was, you know you'd have nothing to worry about, right?" Teddy assured her.
"Yeah I know," Victoire sighed. "I just really don't like her."
"I know," Teddy responded, kissing Victoire on the forehead. "So what's been going on in here?"
"Well apparently, nobody knew I was dating Kayla," Billy exclaimed.
"Kayla Thompson?" Teddy asked. "You guys are dating?"
"Does nobody pay attention to my life?" Billy exclaimed.
VvVvVvVvVvV
When the Hogwarts Express pulled into King's Cross station, the five Gryffindors grabbed their luggage and disembarked onto the platform. After saying a quick goodbye to Kara, Brianna, and Billy, Victoire and Teddy made their way to where Victoire's parents were waiting.
"Victoire!" Fleur exclaimed upon seeing her. "It is so good to see you."
"Welcome home sweetheart," Bill added, as both her parents gave her a big hug. Bill turned to Teddy. "Nice to see you again Teddy. Is your grandmother picking you up today? I'd like to say hello."
"Actually papa," Victoire hesitated. "I was hoping Teddy could join us for ice cream this afternoon, and maybe stay for dinner?"
"Well sure," Bill agreed readily. "That sounds grand. We can head to Diagon Alley as soon as we find your sister."
"Yes, where is Dominique?" Fleur wondered, looking out over the crowd of students and families. "Ah, there she is, I see her."
As Dominique slowly made her way towards the family, Victoire felt Teddy's hand reach out to hers and she grasped it back, taking a small step closer to him.
"Here we go," he said as Bill and Fleur hugged Dominique and Louis started dragging them all towards the barrier, impatient for ice cream.
"Here we go," Victoire nodded, the two of them following her family out into the world and toward the moment of truth.
Thanks for reading! Hope you liked the story.
Reviews are much appreciated.
For more in the House of the Brave series, please visit my profile page. More stories coming soon.
Next up in Victoire's story: Head Over Heels