A/N: I'm ashamed that I've been on ffn for over a year and have only just written a TeddyVictoire fic. *shakes head* But here it is and I hope you all enjoy it :D

Thank you so much to Lizzie (TheNextFolchart) for being an amazing beta!

Word count: 2,360

Written for the QLFC Semi Finals [Harpies Beater 2: respite - overwrite - "It's better to be unhappy alone than unhappy with someone." ― Marilyn Monroe]

Finding His Place

The stars had never shone brighter.

The moon was a gleaming halo against the endless inky backdrop that was the sky, and the night had truly never looked more beautiful.

Victoire drew back from the eyepiece of the telescope, her eyes tired from such extensive studying. She rubbed them to focus, and was surprised to feel the dampness of tears there. She hadn't even realised she'd been crying.

Victoire sighed to herself, and began rummaging through her schoolbag, which was practically fit to burst with equipment and textbooks. After a while she successfully retrieved a tissue. It was already slightly crumped from a previous use, but Victoire conceded that it would have to do.

Swivelling on her stool, she turned her attention back to the night sky (minus the telescope) and dabbed at her eyes absently. Her Astronomy essay lay forgotten at her feet; the view in front of her was too captivating for Victoire to look away from. She lost herself in a trance, barely noticing the faint sound of footsteps ascending the stairs behind her.

Teddy Lupin stopped in his tracks when he reached the top of the Astronomy Tower, a small smile playing upon his lips. He didn't think he'd ever get used to the way his heart sped up whenever he looked at Victoire, even if it was just the back of her head. Her hair fell loosely around her waist, illuminated by the moonlight in such a way that the tones of silver it naturally carried were more pronounced than ever. The sight was beautiful - enchanting almost - and oddly calming.

Teddy couldn't understand exactly what it was about Victoire, but even before they'd started dating she'd had the ability to overwrite any of his negative thoughts or feelings. Standing behind her now, he felt the stress he'd been carrying with him all day begin to evaporate.

On this day in particular, Victoire was the only person Teddy wanted to be with.

"Happy birthday, beautiful," he whispered in her ear, having successfully traversed the room without stumbling or tripping over his own feet.

"Oh!" Victoire gasped, jumping at Teddy's uncharacteristically stealthy arrival. She snapped out of her reverie and looked up at him, her 'o'-shaped mouth instantly changing into a wide smile. "Hi," she said. "And thank you."

Teddy just smiled as he leaned in to kiss Victoire's cheek and wrap her in a hug. She rose to her feet and returned his embrace tightly, silently thanking him again: this time, for not making a big song-and-dance about her turning a year older.

Ever since she started at Hogwarts, she'd come to learn the true significance of May the Second. It was always a quiet day around the castle; the mood was often sombre and afternoon classes were cancelled. It was a day of remembrance, and Victoire hated the idea of being the centre of attention for such an occasion. She always made a habit of celebrating properly on the closest weekend with her friends, but she had always seen Teddy on her actual birthday.

"You're welcome," Teddy murmured against Victoire's neck. The warmth of his breath tickled her skin, sending a shiver all the way down her spine and into her toes.

Unbeknownst to Victoire, Teddy's words were a response to her unspoken words of thanks: he knew very well how she felt about her birthday, and therefore knew what she was thinking. Hell, he just knew Victoire very well in general. At least… he hoped he did. Teddy didn't much want to peruse the notion that he'd acquired a sudden aptitude for Divination as an explanation for his instinctive display of telepathy just now.

Then again, Teddy didn't think he'd be able to think about that even if he tried, given his sudden awareness of the steady beating of Victoire's heart against his chest. Teddy's cheeks grew warm as he wondered if she could feel his heart too, suddenly conscious of how fast it was beating.

"I'm so happy you're here." Victoire pulled back then, dropping an inch or two in height as she came down off her tiptoes.

"Me too, Vic." Teddy said a little breathlessly; his heart felt like it was about to jump out of his throat. Looking into Victoire's shining blue eyes, he was a little surprised at how true those words actually were. After all, there was a time when he hadn't wanted to see anybody at all.

Until Victoire's early years at Hogwarts, May the Second was Teddy Lupin's annual 'avoid-all-humans-like-Dragonpox' day. The only person he'd ever consider contacting was his godfather - arguably the only person who understood how it felt to grow up without his parents.

Teddy used to wander the castle grounds, eventually winding up at the Astronomy Tower or in some secluded spot by the lake where it was unlikely he'd be disturbed. While most students spent their afternoon off in Hogsmeade, catching up with homework or sleeping, Teddy would sit in his chosen place until night fell, completely lost in his thoughts. It amazed him even to this day how he could spend so much time thinking about two people he didn't even know, but that's what he did.

When it came to the anniversary of the Battle of Hogwarts, Teddy had firmly believed that it was much better that he be unhappy alone than unhappy with someone else. Although he had some great friends at school, none of them could offer him more than empty words of sympathy. It was on this day when Teddy felt that he didn't truly belong. He was a pariah of sorts.

Lonely.

Lost.

He had never expected anybody to be able to soothe the painful ache in his heart, or even put a genuine smile on his face, whenever this day rolled around, but he'd certainly been proven wrong in his fourth year at Hogwarts.

He'd been skimming stones across the surface of the lake, absently watching the rippling reflections of the stars in the inky water, when he heard the sound of footsteps. Looking up, he saw a girl with blonde hair walking towards him. Her face was masked in the shadows, so he didn't recognise her immediately. Teddy instinctively drew his knees up to his chest and bowed his head; in an attempt to seem as unapproachable as possible.

The girl's head had also been bowed when he saw her, so Teddy had hoped she'd pass him by. His heart sank a little when he heard a female voice a minute or so later.

"Teddy?"

Feeling quite reluctant to engage in conversation, Teddy looked up wearily. His fringe had fallen in front of his eyes, but he recognised the girl immediately.

"Hey Vicky," he said in a hoarse voice. His tone was neutral – stoic even – but Teddy surprised even himself by the playful intention and weak smile he greeted her with.

Victoire rolled her eyes, swinging her bag on her shoulder and lightly hitting his back with it. "I hate it when you call me that."

"I know," Teddy, responded, a slight smirk of amusement tugging at the corner of his mouth.

Victoire laughed, and Teddy turned his attention to the sky, which was peppered with twinkling stars. His smile faded, leaving Victoire to watch his glassy eyes slowly begin to glaze over. Even later, Teddy didn't understand why she decided to sit down beside him instead of walking away and leaving him alone to brood.

He opened his mouth to ask her to leave, but instead, Teddy found himself turning to the blonde girl and saying, "I really miss them, Vic."

Victoire's eyebrows knitted, and her lips parted in concern that Teddy would not have accepted from anyone else. He wiped his eyes on his sleeve, shocked that he had actually opened up to someone. Usually so guarded around the subject of his parents, Teddy found that the words continued to spill out of his mouth. "Sounds silly, doesn't it – missing people I've never even met?"

Victoire regarded him steadily for a while. "You shouldn't be here on your own when you're upset."

"And you shouldn't be sat here with mopey old me on your birthday." Teddy smiled weakly at her, the tears in his eyes shimmering in the moonlight.

"Teddy…" Victoire gazed at him sadly, at a loss of what she could possibly say to comfort him.

The older boy just regarded her with glazed over eyes. "Go on and celebrate, Vic. I'll be fine."

Victoire shook her head. "I don't really like my birthday being today," she said. "If you really want me to leave I'll probably just go up to my dorm and finish my Potions essay or something."

"You can't be on your own on your birthday," Teddy said.

"And you can't be on your own when you're upset," Victoire countered with an arch of an eyebrow.

Teddy chuckled softly. "I don't suppose I can argue with that," he said. "Especially coming from the newly teenage birthday girl," he added, bumping Victoire with his shoulder.

"No you can't," Victoire teased, folding her arms. "So there." she stuck out her tongue.

For some reason, that made Teddy laugh - really laugh, which was an incredible feeling having felt so low all day. And all things considered, he thought being with Victoire on her birthday would be good for him; it was something positive to focus on.

So there they stayed, sat by the lake, talking about anything and everything. Although he'd been reluctant to let her stay at first, Teddy quickly realised that being with Victoire provided some respite from his dejection. He hadn't felt anything negative at all since she made him laugh. Of course thoughts of his parents were still there in the back of his mind, but with Victoire around, that gut-wrenching pain in his heart was nothing more than a memory.

"Teddy?" Victoire frowned.

Teddy blinked to focus back on the present day, and realised he'd been blankly staring at her for quite some time.

"Vic…" He began his umpteenth attempt to tell her how he felt - how grateful he was for having her by his side that first May the Second, and every May the Second since - but as usual, the words evaded him. His voice trailed away when he looked at the witch in front of him. "… Have you been crying?" he asked, mirroring her expression and tucking a long blonde strand of hair behind Victoire's ear.

She immediately shook back into place, making Teddy smile. "No," she answered abruptly, blushing when Teddy sceptically arched an eyebrow at her. "I mean… maybe," she looked at the floor and rolled the crumpled tissue in her fist.

Teddy followed her gaze downwards. He squinted when something on the floor caught his eye. "Have you been doing Astronomy homework on your birthday?" he asked, eyeing Victoire's essay.

"You say that like you didn't do the exact same thing a few months ago, Edward Lupin." Victoire met his gaze again, her eyes twinkling with humour. "I didn't really plan to, but looking up at the stars… it just reminded me I needed to finish it, I guess."

Teddy said nothing; Victoire's words guided his eyes to the shining orbs in the sky. "They're really bright tonight," he commented. "Don't you think?"

"I've heard a lot of people saying that today," Victoire said, resting her head on his shoulder. "At first I thought it was some figure of speech – because of what today is and everything – but then I came up here and saw how bright they really are…" Her voice trailed away as fresh tears welled up in her eyes. Victoire paused as she discreetly used her hidden tissue to wipe them away. "… It just made me wonder if it's not a coincidence. It's like they – all the people who died in the war - are looking down on us."

Saying it out loud sounded terribly cheesy, and Victoire couldn't help but cringe a little.

Teddy focused on the two brightest stars he could see, and he immediately thought of his parents. "Yeah," he sniffed. "I think you're right."

Victoire snuggled her head tighter into him, and Teddy wrapped his arms around her while they looked at the stars together.

With a shock, Teddy realised that he no longer felt lost.

He breathed in the scent of her soft hair, his heart beating rapidly against his ribcage as he slowly came to terms with this discovery and the implications behind it. For so many years he'd been struggling to voice his feelings or express his gratitude to her, but now it all seemed so easy, and he didn't know why he hadn't seen it before.

"I love you, Victoire."

The words were whispered so softly out loud but as he said them, the storm clouds in his head cleared, and everything fell into place.

Teddy had been talking to himself more than to Victoire - and very quietly at that. He hoped to pluck up the courage to confess his love to her one day, but in that moment those words had been intended for his ears alone.

Perhaps this was why he was so taken aback to hear what Victoire said next:

"I love you, Teddy."

Like Teddy's had been, her voice was only a small whisper, as if she was thinking aloud to herself. Teddy had no idea if she had actually heard him or if this was just a strange coincidence. Whatever the case, it certainly didn't change how happy Teddy felt hearing Victoire say those words, whether she'd intended him to hear or not.

Still looking at the two brightest stars in the sky, Teddy felt a tear run down his cheek. It was not one of sadness, bereavement or loneliness, but one of utter elation that he'd finally found his place in the world. This place was no fixed point that could be plotted on a map; it was wherever Victoire was.

Holding her in his arms now, Teddy felt at home. He knew that his was where he belonged.

This was where he should be.

A/N: Thank you so much for reading, everyone :D Comments are always appreciated!