" My funny Valentine, sweet comic Valentine
You make me smile with my heart
Your looks are laughable, unphotographable
Yet, you're my favorite work of art"
-Frank Sinatra
Vic woke up feeling very weird this Valentine's Day. She had ten million things to do and about 6 hours to do them. There were her daily checks on her family members, she needed to owl Lily's birthday gift to Potter Manor, help with the decorations for the Valentines Day Ball, find to time to at least say hello to Teddy, and collect the ballots for the Prince and Princess of the Ball. She wasn't even the Head Girl, but she felt like she had the weight of the school on her shoulders. And on top of all that, she and Teddy hadn't had much time to talk since Christmas break ended. As annoying as that was, she didn't have time to dwell on the past. She put the finishing touches on her make-up and headed out to check on her cousins. Usually they didn't need anything, but she always wanted to make sure. First she came to Molly who, not-surprisingly, was still sleeping. If not for Molly's uncanny ability to interrupt people's personal moments, Vic would have left her cousin sleeping but as this was not the case-
"Up and at 'em Molly Olivia. You're wasting sunshine." She said as she ripped the covers off of the curvy brunette.
"Mummy no, I told you 10 more minutes." The girl groaned enticing a giggle from the blonde,
"Get up! It's Valentine's Day." At those words the girl popped up looking around wildly. "Ha! I knew that would work you sick little love bird. You know the routine, how's everything going? Do you need anything?" she asked.
"I need 10 more minutes of sleep." She repeated as usual, causing Vic to roll her eyes.
"Fine. But you know I'm here if you ever need me."
"Yes. Ta ta now." She snapped back. Geez, so rude. Just as she was about to leave the cranky girl alone, Vic noticed a blue flower taped onto the girl's four-poster. Vic studied the flower carefully, having a strange feeling that it was for her, but brushed it off figuring it was just one of Molly's gifts for the day. She made her way to Roxy's room next, which conveniently was right under Molly's. She peeked in, just in case, and smiled when she saw her cousin in bed buried under a mountain of cards, chocolates, flowers, balloons, and other Valentiney nostalgia.
"Roxy love, wake up!" she said gently. The girl, who was a much calmer sleeper than Molly, simply propped herself up on her elbows, furrowing her eyebrows as she heard a box of chocolates hit the floor.
"What in the bloody-" Roxy started before hopping out of the bed. "What is all this?"
"I guess they're your Valentines. Do you have a secret admirer you haven't told me about?"
"Pfft. If they admire me so much they wouldn't be trying to fatten me up with all of these sweets. Can you help me do…something with it?" she asked hopefully. Vic grinned at her cousin's humbleness and watched as the gifts, with the swish of her wand, sorted themselves accordingly and floated into a neat pile on top of her trunk. There was a pile for cards, stuffed animals, sweets and flowers, where Vic noticed a blue flower identical to the one she'd seen earlier in Molly's room. "Merlin, what would anyone do without you?"
"Uh…I'm sure they'd get on. So what are you going to do with all of it?"
"No idea." The girl huffed. "Maybe I'll secretly send some of the more generic stuff to the people who haven't gotten anything today. I definitely know the feeling."
"That's so nice of you. Are you sure you're a Weasley brat? I don't think it's in our blood to be that selfless." She joked.
"Maybe it is, I mean look at you."
"Yeha yeah. Well good luck, let me know if you need help." She said as she turned for the door.
"Of course. See you Vic!" Next room was Dom, and Vic could only imagine the kind of mood her little sister was in on such a holiday as this one. She took a deep breath before barging in, scanning the room briefly for any more random blue flowers. Much to her surprise, the room was empty, save for her sister who was sitting up in the bed with her blonde hair in a neat French braid. She was looking back and forth between two cards helplessly.
"Dom!" she asked, causing the younger girl to snap her head up quickly and tuck her hand under her covers. "What are you hiding?"
"Nothing. What are you doing here so early?" she inquired civilly
"I've got loads to do today, so I had to get an early start on my check-ins."
"Oh, well everything's good here. Thanks for the help on that Charms essay."
"No problem. Is everything ok Dom? You're scaring me with the whole 'normal' act." She joked, making her sister smile for the first time that day.
"I'm great, just a little tired is all. I'll probably go back to sleep for a few hours."
"Alright, that sounds good. Have you gotten any Valentine's?"
"Shockingly, yes. Well sort of. I don't know, here." She said as she shoved the two cards into Vic's hand.
"I thought about you today, and I liked the feeling so much that I put it on my list of things to do tomorrow." Vic read. "Your friend, C. Is this from Carter?"
"Yep. Next one's worse." Vic looked at the second card. It was much more intricate than the first, and was charmed to sparkle and read it aloud.
"A friend is one who knows you and loves you just the same. Happy Valentine's Day. Sincerely, Sebastian." Vic didn't quite understand what the issue here was. "These are lovely."
"Yeah, but...they're both so...friendly." She said in a tone that sounded a lot more like herself. Vic laughed at her sister.
"Well what's wrong with that? They are your friends aren't they?"
"I just thought... well hoped...ugh. It's hard to explain Vic."
"You were hoping one would be a little less friendly than the others maybe?"
"I guess." then she sighed, throwing both cards on the ground. "I've decided I don't care. This is a stupid holiday for stupid people to get worked up about."
"If it makes you feel any better I didn't get any. Not even a single chocolate frog from the usual drooling firsties." She joked, although it was really sinking in that she had gotten absolutely nothing.
"Teddy probably threatened them with death if they even considered getting you something."
"What makes you say that?" Vic asked panicking. Had Teddy told someone about them? "Why would Teddy do something like that?"
"Because you're his girlfriend and he's very possessive-which, if I may add, could be a sign of a very clingy man."
"But me and Teddy…we aren't…he and I…we umm…"
"You two are terrible at being secretive. You might want to work on that if you don't want Bill to find out. Now out you go, I want to sleep."
"Who else knows?" Vic asked worriedly.
"Just me for now, but don't think I wouldn't use the information against you if necessary." She said with a devilish smirk before disappearing under her covers. Vic sighed in frustration as she retreated from her sister's room. That girl better keep her mouth shut if she knew what was good for her. She had no problem telling her Father about her relationship with Teddy but it was going to be all about timing if she wanted him to accept it.
As she turned to close Dom's door, she stepped on something slippery. Vic gasped loudly at the sight of the flower that had definitely not been there before she went in the room. She was going to ignore the third flower and go check on Fred and James when she noticed tons of light blue roses had been placed on all of the stairs and was leading to the common room. Not sure of what to expect she pulled out her wand as she descended the long staircase. When she got to the bottom step her eyes lit up as she noticed that the entire common room was completely covered in blue roses, except for a path leading to the big arm chair in the Weasley section. She carefully followed the path until she reached the arm chair that had one more Rose and an envelope addressed to her.
She opened the note slowly-
Roses are red, Violets are blue, there are loads of other things that are blue too
Your eyes, for one, so sweet and pure; dazzling all that see them for sure
The ocean as well, so vast and wide, I'd swim across to be by your side
But even the sky, so inviting and clear, has nothing on your beauty my dear.
So make me the luckiest man of all and be my date to the Valentine's Day Ball.
Vic honestly had no idea how to respond to this note. Sure, she was flattered that someone had done all of this for her, but she had a boyfriend (secret or not). Something didn't feel right about going along with this, but whoever had done it went out of their way to make this for her, and Vic was never one to hurt people's feelings. She fumbled through the envelope for any clue of where to meet this person or who he was but all she got was a tiny note that read 'You'll know me when you see me'. Brilliant. This was going to be a very interesting day.
Roxy was truly grateful for the natural beauty she had, but that just wasn't going to do for the ball tonight. She would be one of very few third years attending, and she wanted to look as good, if not better, than the older girls there. She had tried using make-up and all of the other things her mother had sent her, but she looked more like a clown than a sophisticated woman. She would ask Vic for help, but she'd been running around like a chicken with her head cut off getting everything together for the ball. If she had any other options she would more than likely not be sitting on Molly's bed being fussed over.
"This is eyeliner; it is your absolute best friend. Just put it on right above your lash line until you have it all covered." She added while practically poking her in the eye with the stuff. "Just a few more steps and we'll be done, but don't take your hair down until right before you leave."
"Goodness, I don't see how you can do this every day. You must wake up at like 7 in the morning to get finished with it all." Roxy commented.
"Actually I get up at 5, but when I used to straighten my hair everyday it was 4." Molly said blushing, obviously not comfortable telling Roxy this information.
"Well it's no wonder you sleep like the dead, you wake-up at the ass crack of dawn just to do your make-up." Roxy said shocked. "I don't even know why you straightened your hair anyway; I'd kill for your curls."
"Are you kidding me? I'd punch a baby for your hair; you're delusional."
"The grass is always greener I suppose. Anyway, did you owl Lily for her birthday?" Roxy asked trying to get off of the subject of appearance. "She's ten now, that's pretty scary."
"How could I forget? She's been sending reminders since Christmas."
"She's adorable."
"If by adorable you mean a menace to society then yeah, sure. You don't even know what she and Lucy have put me through."
"Oh come off it, they are 10 year old little girls." Roxy replied.
"I'm telling you; you don't see it because you don't see them as much, but they're going to tear Hogwarts apart. Just watch." She said dramatically, making Roxy laugh. "All done. Goyle is going to piss himself when he sees you." Roxy took a look in the mirror and smiled at the reflection. This is what you should look like for a ball.
"Goyle and I are just friends, I don't know if I can make that any clearer. And thanks a ton Molly; I'll owe you forever for this." Rox said as she made her way to the door.
"I'm just glad that someone came to me for something and I could actually help. You look gorgeous, now hurry up and get dressed!" Molly yelled as she literally threw Roxy's dress at her. She rid herself of her sweats and t-shirt, and unzipped the garment bag slowly. There was no telling what her mom had sent her for tonight; she just knew that her mom was ecstatic that Roxy had been asked to go. When she finally looked at the dress she gasped at how beautiful it was. It was a one-shoulder, silver, floor length gown with ruffles covering the neckline. The bodice had tiny pleats that turned into more ruffles that cascaded to the bottom of the gown. It was the single most amazing piece of fashion Roxy had ever seen in her life, and she put it on slowly a carefully, making sure to not mess anything up. Once she was zipped in she slowly removed the rollers from her hair and shook out her long, bouncy curls before gathering it into a messy side ponytail like Molly had told her to. "You. Look. Amazing!" Molly squealed.
"Really? You look beautiful Mo, that dress is so you." Roxy said. Molly's dress was royal blue, strapless chiffon gown that had a beaded waistline. It stopped right above the knees in the front and had a floor length hem in the back. Her curly hair had been pulled back into a bun at the nape of her neck and she wore a tiny tiara. "Are we ready then?"
"Absolutely. I can't wait to see the look on the boys' faces." She said as she linked arms with her cousin and led her out of the dormitory. The two girls descended the staircase at a dramatically slow pace (set by Molly) and Molly cleared her throat when they reached the bottom. Chase and Grayson looked up from what had to have been an awkward moment and stood to greet their dates. "So, what do you think?"
"Molly, you look beautiful." Chase whispered, as if it was some kind of secret. The two began snogging passionately, completely forgetting about the other two in the Common Room. Roxy turned to Grayson and made a gagging noise, mocking the two love birds.
"You know, I was thinking for a second that my date had been replaced by some older, mature woman, and then you go and do that." Goyle joked. "Good evening Roxy."
"Good evening to you too Grayson. Ready to go?" she asked
"Actually I'm not so sure any more. I'd rather not endure all the death glares for having the prettiest date at the ball."
"You're a Slytherin aren't you? Just glare back. Now let's go!" she ordered, pulling her date out of the portrait hole. They walked in unusual silence all of the way to the corridor that led to the ball. "Want to race to the Great Hall?" she asked.
"I don't think that would be appropriate, plus you know you'd win."
"Sheesh Goyle, I was kidding. You need to loosen up, this is supposed to be fun!" she said, trying to lift whatever mood her friend was in. "What's wrong?" Instead of answering her, Goyle lifted up her chin and kissed her sweetly on the lips. They stayed like that for all of 10 seconds before he pulled back with a strange expression on his face.
"Damn it, I'm sorry. I can't do this." He said while shaking his head.
"Do what?"
"This! Being with you, being with anyone that's not… " he said trailing off. Roxy was utterly and completely lost. She didn't know he was trying to 'be with her' in the first place. She knew he would joke about her being pretty and they had gotten really close, but a tiny part of her had always thought he was- "Roxy, I have to tell you this because you're the only friend I have, and I can't hold it in any longer. It's literally kinlling me to keep it in. I'm…well I think, no I know it. I'm…gay." He spit out before blushing and letting out a huge sigh. "But you can't tell anyone until, well don't. I'll deal with that when the time is right." For some reason Roxy wasn't as shocked as she should have been. She felt bad for him. Not that he was gay, because that changed nothing about the person he was, but the fact that he'd had no one to tell was heart-breaking. Her family was always so open and honest about everything; you could literally tell any one of them anything if you really wanted, but seeing as Goyle came from a strict Slytherin household, it could be very dangerous if he said anything to them.
"Ok." Was all she said before grabbing his hand and walking to one of the empty tables in the ballroom, ignoring the gasps and stares coming from the older students.
"That's it? We're still going to be friends?" he asked.
"Yes, that's it. And personally I'm offended that you thought I would stop being your friend because of that. Your secret is safe with me, but if you ever want to talk about it I'm here. Now are you going to bloody dance with me, or not?" she asked with a smile.
"It would be my pleasure, love." he responded as he led her onto the dance floor. Although Roxy was the only one he had told, she could tell that just by letting it off of his chest he was able to open up. It was almost like he had been freed from the front he'd put on for so many years, and was slowly letting the real him shine through. They were having such a good time that Roxy didn't even notice when the dance floor began to settle down and everyone stared at something behind her. She turned around and was immediately drawn to a tall guy who looked like he was searching for someone. He was wearing expensive looking dress robes and holding a blue rose. That matched the color of hair.
"Teddy!"
So far, Valentine's Day had not been going according to his plan. James and Fred had done a great job of leaving Vic the trail of flowers and making sure she got his note, but Teddy had gotten held up with an exam, and apparated to Hogwarts about an hour and a half after the ball started. He had planned to get there before it started and surprise Vic, but this would just have to do. He was standing amidst hundreds of students, who were gawking and being dramatic at the sight of him like they used to last year. He could care less about them though; all other thoughts vanished when he saw Victoire sitting alone at one of the tables facing a window. He walked over to her slowly, mentally bracing himself for her anger. Because knowing Vic she would be angry that he had made her wait so long, rather than happy to see him. He placed a hand on her shoulder and couldn't help but chuckle when she jumped at the touch.
"Teddy?" she asked softly, before looking down at the flower in his hand. "You?"
"Happy Valentine's Day Tori."
"Don't you 'Tori' me Teddy Remus Lupin, do you have any idea how long I've been waiting you bloody prat? I thought someone had played a prank on me!" she said with an adorable pout on her face. He walked forward attempting to kiss her passionately and woo her like in the muggle films but thought better against it when she raised an eyebrow at him challengingly.
"I'm sorry Vic, my plan was to get here as soon as the Ball started but I got held up by an exam." He confessed. Just as he thought that softened her a bit; school work always came first. "Are you going to stay mad at me forever? Because I have ways of begging for your forgiveness and I'm not afraid to use them." She walked past him, leaving Teddy confused for a few seconds before she turned back to him with a smirk on her face.
"Are we going to dance? I mean, this is a ball." She said playfully. He ran to her and picked her up before planting a huge kiss on her perfect lips. This woman was going to be the death of him, but if death was delivered by her he'd be ok with that. "I'm so happy to see you!" she said turning back into the sweet Vic that only Lupin's, Weasley's and Potter knew wasn't there all of the time.
"You really know how to keep a guy on his toes, love." He said as they swayed to the music.
"I have no idea what you mean darling." She said feigning innocence, " So, how's your Valentine's Day been?"
"Well I woke up to a howler from the lovely Lily Potter this morning because she thought I forgot her birthday, even though it technically wasn't her birthday yet in the States. After that I got to class where we had an exam that I somehow managed to completely forget about. That monstrosity lasted for two hours, then I had to run to my flat and get ready quickly yet still look dazzlingly good. After that I came here to you, which has completely made my day." He said.
"Wow, you've done a lot. Wait, how'd you get in the castle? You can't apparate in or out of Hogwarts." She asked.
"That, my dear, is a secret. So how are the kiddies doing?"
"Some days they're the sweetest people on the planet. Then other days…well, they don't call us Weasley brats for nothing." She said as she shook her head. "Molly and Chase are all over each other all of the time. It's like he's attached to her by the lips or something. Roxy's growing up, James is a maniac, Fred's a sweetheart and Dom is... well, she's behaving. She's actually the least of my worries."
"Behaving? Wow. I never thought I'd say this, but I kind of miss the little psycho's." Teddy confessed, earning him a smack on the head from his girlfriend. "What was that for?"
"My kids are not psycho's. A bit much to handle? Yes. But they aren't psychotic." She reprimanded.
"Gosh, I've missed you."
"Ladies and Gentleman," the Head Girl said over the noise of the hall, "please settle down so we can announce this year's Valentine's Prince and Princess."
"I kind of want to win Valentine's Princess, but I have a feeling it'll be Molly or that whore of a Slytherin Agatha Nott."
"Aw Vic, you really think I have a chance against Ag the Hag?" Molly said interrupting their dance with a blushing Chase Finnegan beside her. "And why didn't you tell me Teddy was coming? Was it a surprise? Teddy, why didn't you tell me you were surprising Vic?"
"Because you talk too much. Nice to see you again Chase." He said as he patted him on the back.
"Oh shush, they're about to announce the winners." Molly snapped at the group.
"This year's Valentine's Day Prince is…Lex Alvarez." The crowd burst into a round of cheers and yells as Lex, Hogwarts' resident bad boy ran up to the stage and took his crown from McGonagall. "And joining him as Princess is…Roxanne Weasley." Teddy watched as all eyes went to a beautiful girl in a long silvery dress and it took him a while to put it all together.
"That is Roxy?" he asked.
Molly watched as her cousin stood in the middle of the floor, clearly embarrassed by all of the sudden attention. Most of the boys in the room looked like they'd seen the sun for the first time while their dates stared daggers at Roxy. This was just too dramatic for her taste, obviously if she won a lot of them had voted for her. Damn hypocrites.
"Woohoooo! Yeah Roxy!" Molly cheered, making Teddy, Vic and Chase join in as well. Eventually the students snapped out of their stupors and gave Roxy the applause she deserved. Even though Molly had really wanted to win, she thought it was way cooler for a third year to wipe out all of the older competition. She was ready for the surprise that Chase had told her about earlier, and frankly she was over the whole 'school dance' thing. "So Chase, are you ready to go?"
"Do you really want to go or do you just want to get your surprise?" he asked. He knew her very well.
"Both." She answered as she grabbed his hand. "Bye Vic! And Teddy, it wouldn't kill you to write."
"Same goes for you, and watch your hands Finnegan." He yelled. Chase immediately raised his hand higher toward her waist and Molly stuck out her tongue when Teddy started laughing. It was clear where James got his overprotective nature from. The two of them walked down the halls of Hogwarts, passing about a million couples that had ducked behind statues and broom closets.
"Where are you taking me?" she asked
"Some place really special. Come on." He quickened their pace so that they were practically skipping through the corridors. She knows it seems cliché, but there was honestly no other place or person she'd rather be with right now. Sometimes Molly couldn't help but wonder if all of it was too good to be true. As far as Hogwarts relationships went, theirs was pretty perfect. Other than the fact that Chase treated her like a child sometimes and cared a little too much about Quidditch, he was everything she could have asked for in a boyfriend. He was patient, attentive, romantic, and he always knew just how to calm her down when she was having a crazy moment. He brought out the best in her and she liked to think she brought out the best of him too. Since they had started dating he had met new people, gotten over his shyness, and loosened up a bit. They needed each other in a way that only the two of them could understand, and nothing would get in the way of that. "Alright, we're here."
"And where exactly is here?" she asked as she looked around the dark room. He pulled out his wand and muttered a spell, quickly illuminating the area. When the room was dimly lit, Molly could see that they were in a deserted classroom and he had made a picnic for the two of them. There was a basket and everything. "Chase, this was so sweet of you to do. Thank you."
"It was my pleasure. Shall we have a seat?" The two of them sat down on the pillows and Molly waited silently as he pulled out two plates and put a treacle tart on one and a ring box on the other. She looked at him with a confused expression as she grabbed the box and examined it closely. "Happy Valentine's Day Molly." He said as he opened the box. Inside was a small diamond ring that had two small rubies on it.
"Oh my god, it's gorgeous! Wait, are you proposing?" she asked in a panicked voice.
"No, it's a promise ring."
"Well what are you promising? To marry me?"
"No." he said with a small laugh. "Don't panic love, it's not an engagement ring, and I'm not asking you to marry me. I just want you to know that as cheesy as it sounds, you're it for me. I know you always say you need me, and don't know what you would be without me; but it's not like that for me. I know exactly what I would be without you and that's absolutely nothing. This ring is my promise to you, that I will love you and only you until the day I leave the earth." He slid the ring onto her finger and Molly couldn't help squeal at the beautiful piece of jewelry. There was no doubt his mother had picked it out; she had great taste.
"Thanks Chase, I love you too. This has been like the best Valentine's Day I've ever had." She responded gratefully.
"The best? Even though you didn't win Princess?" he asked.
"Oh please. When they have an award for a queen, then I'll be worried. Plus Rox deserved it; she looked amazing tonight." Molly had to admit that she had a hand in Roxy's make-over, so technically she had kind of won too.
"She looked nice, but you looked stunning." He said before kissing her passionately. In no time they were tangled up in each other and Molly had let her body take control of her actions rather than her brain. She mentally kicked herself as she tried to politely lead them back to a more PG position. It wasn't that she didn't want to go "there" with him, but she was way too young for any of that stuff. She could barely even say the word sex without giggling, which had to be some kind of sign that she wasn't ready. Molly loved Chase, but she knew sex with him this early would be a very bad idea. Even though he was sixteen and some of the girls in his year were sexually active, she was only fourteen and that would do serious damage to her reputation. Not to mention the fact that her mom would kill her, then once her dad found out why his wife had killed their daughter he would find a way to bring her back to life and kill her again. All of these thoughts were a serious mood killer, so Molly pulled away from Chase swiftly.
"My, would you look at the time?" she asked breathlessly. She gathered up her shoes and made her way to the door before Chase could even register what had happened. "Goodnight, thanks for the-"
"Wait, where are you going?" Chase asked. "Did I do something wrong?"
"No, of course not. Tonight was perfect, I just needed to, well I guess I'm just…I don't know, I'm removing myself from temptation."
"Temptation?"
"Yes, temptation. You, Chase Finnegan, are very tempting- with your speeches, and gifts, and abs, and accent and all that." She confessed.
"And you're not?" he asked playfully. "You, Molly Olivia Weasley, are sinfully tempting."
"Well I assure you I'm not doing it on purpose." She said before running up to him and placing one last kiss on his lips. "Goodnight." And with that, she ran out of the room before he could say or do anything else. She ran down the corridors, thankful that she wasn't too unfamiliar with this area of the castle. As she was turning a corner she ran into someone tall and…shirtless? She removed her face from the boy's abdomen and blushed deeply when she realized who it was.
"Hasn't anyone told you not to run in the halls?" Carson teased.
"You scared the shite out of me Carson, why don't you have a shirt on?"
"Not that it's any of your business, but Elaina McLaggen has it. Why do you look so disheveled, and who were you running from?" he asked.
"I just left Chase." She answered simply, restraining herself from looking at his tan, lean body that she was certain hadn't been like that before.
"Permanently I hope. Trouble in paradise?"
"No. It's just…hot." She instantly resented that statement as the word hot made her look at his glorious six pack. He noticed the shift in her focus and smirked slightly at her discomfort.
"Tell me about it. Well I should be getting to my room now." He said as he walked towards her. He grabbed her cheek and placed a gentle kiss there before leaning in towards her ear. "Happy Valentine's Day." He whispered so softly that she thought she imagined it. All she could do was watch in silence as he quickly walked away from her. She couldn't help but laugh a little at the circumstances, considering why she'd left Chase to begin with. It reminded her of something her Aunt Ginny used to say: Lead me not into temptation; I can find the way myself.
A/N: It's been such a long time since I updated last, so I made this chapter extra long for you guys! Hope it makes up for how m.i.a. I've been. It's been a busy month, but I'm back! So I hope you guys liked the chapter :-)
-Jazz