Hey ! I know it's been a while, I've been really busy and I had kind of a writer's block. But I'm back now with this new chapter. Please let me know what you think.
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" Teddy " a soft voice he knew belong to Victoire woke him up.
Teddy opened his eyes slowly and took in his surroundings. He was still in the medical wing, safely tucked in a bed with Victoire seating on the edge of it. Her face was blank, devoid of any feelings, an expression Teddy had seen way too many times since September. He knew she used that neutral mask to hide her emotions, especially when she was angry or mad at something.
"Teddy, focus" Victoire said in a hushed voice.
"What time is it?" he asked, his full attention going back to Victoire.
"It's just past 7 in the morning, I came as soon as the medical wing opened," she explained.
"And you came to see me first? I'm flattered," Teddy couldn't help but reply, his comment full of sarcasm.
"Lucas is still sleeping," Victoire stated matter-of-factly.
"So was I." Teddy continued.
He wasn't particularly happy right now, having suffered from his burns all night, most of them still hurting. He knew it wasn't Victoire's fault but he still felt too rough to be agreeable, even to his best friend.
Victoire sighed before getting up from the bed.
"I wanted to talk to you first," she said, a little frustration in her voice. "Now, Teddy, tell me what happened or Merlin help me, I will kick both of your asses once you're fully healed,"
Her eyes and face had hardened, showing Teddy just how furious she was.
"I want you to tell me everything and be sure to tell me the truth because I will ask Lucas the exact same thing and your two versions better match," she continued, with a bossy and serious tone.
"All right, all right," Teddy exclaimed "Merlin, Victoire! I was just asking for a little empathy here,"
The witch lifted an eyebrow, considering her friend.
He told her everything that went on the previous day on the Quidditch pitch, only lightly insisting on the fact that Lucas was the one who had started everything by throwing the first punch and the first curse. At the end of the story, Victoire only gave out another sigh and crossed her arms over her chest.
"What am I supposed to do now," she muttered, more to herself than to Teddy.
In truth, she knew that there was only one option left for her if Teddy's story was true. It didn't mean she liked it.
"Okay," she finally said "This is really the stupidest thing you've ever done, you should have called Jason right away instead of fighting back," she lectured Teddy, her voice gentler than before.
"Is that concern I hear in your voice?" he asked ironically.
Victoire pinched her lips and brushed her hands against Teddy's cheek in a tender gesture.
"You know it is," she said, simply. "I'll come back later, but now I have to talk to Lucas,"
The grim expression Teddy saw on Victoire face as she said that last sentence and walked toward the only other occupied bed at the other end of the medical wing, made a feeling of hope and happiness bloom in Teddy's stomach. Obviously, this fight between him and Griffith had put Lover boy in a difficult position with Victoire. He knew his friend, and she had the look of someone getting ready for a serious argument. Maybe, just maybe, Teddy could benefit from this fight after all.
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"Lucas, wake up," Victoire murmured gently, trying to wake her boyfriend as nicely as possible.
At least her quick conversation with Teddy had helped her understand that waking people up too roughly at that time in the morning wasn't a good way to start a conversation.
She shook his arm lightly, trying to avoid the places she knew he had been injured. Lucas stirred after a few minutes, opening his eyes to find Victoire looking at him with a constricted face.
She had dropped the mask she had been wearing with Teddy, thinking that maybe seeing how the situation was affecting her would make things easier with Lucas.
"Hey, Vic," he said, still half asleep.
Victoire asked him the exact same questions she had asked Teddy, how everything happened the day before. Surprisingly enough, his version was almost the same as Teddy's, he recognised having started the fight and casting the first curse. At least, neither of them had lied to her, Victoire thought, relieved.
"Why did you do that Lucas?" she finally asked.
Lucas was taken aback by her question, even though it seemed like a very obvious one to Victoire.
"I told you Victoire, I can't deal with the two of you being friend anymore," Lucas said, his voice rising "After that argument we had, when I asked you to pick one of us, I was still so angry at Lupin, so frustrated, but most of all, so afraid that you would leave me … that I … I had no other option than to take out my anger on him," he explained without an ounce of regret in his voice.
"You really thought that starting a fight with Teddy would solve anything? Make me choose you?" she demanded, stunned by his answer.
A torrent of emotions was fighting inside Victoire, mostly anger but also pity, sadness, and total incomprehension.
"I don't know Victoire! I thought that maybe I could make Teddy leave you alone for good, and then you would only have to choose me!" Lucas spat, showing her how mad he was too.
"I thought I told you, Luke, I wasn't going to choose, I didn't want to," she said "But now you've made the choice for me,"
Lucas let out a sour laugh.
"Oh, I see, now I'm the one who made the choice, now I'm the bad guy …. Why not say you just didn't want to take any responsibility? Because let me tell you Victoire, in life, you can't just have everything you want, sometimes you have to make tough choices," Lucas said angrily "But no, not Victoire Weasley! No, She is above all that and what She wants, She gets!"
Victoire slapped Lucas, just managing to contain the flame that wanted to erupt from her hands due to the anger that was rising inside her and that was starting to take control.
Lucas' angry face didn't waver, as if he hadn't noticed he had just been hit.
"I don't know what's wrong with you Lucas. You've turned into an obnoxious and possessive guy, trying to control me, decide who my friends are, getting jealous all the time," she said, sternly "When you gave me that ultimatum you made your first mistake, and now you've made the second and last one,"
When what Victoire said finally sank into Lucas' head, he looked alarmed and try to catch her hand.
"Victoire, wait, I didn't mean …"
"It's over Lucas. We can't be together anymore, it's not working for any of us," she cut him.
Her anger was receding, leaving more space to sadness and pity inside her and making her realise that it was time to leave. She knew Lucas wouldn't want her pity. She left without saying goodbye, dispelling the silencing charm she had cast, feeling Lucas' eyes on her.
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Teddy was discharged from the hospital wing two days later, just in time to attend another one of Jason's Quidditch practice. Of course, he wasn't expected to play again just yet, but hopefully, he would be back to his full potential on time for the big final game.
He had received a number of visits while he had been in the medical wing, mainly his Hufflepuff friends, but also Freya and other students from different houses. Only Victoire hadn't come back to see him after that first time. She hadn't come to see Lucas either, which comforted Teddy immensely.
Teddy reached the Quidditch pitch quickly enough and was greeted by his whole team.
"Good to have you back mate,"
"Glad someone finally put Griffith in his place,"
"Good job Lupin!"
He had heard all of those congratulations before in the medical wing. Like every other rumour in Hogwarts, the story of his fight with Lucas had spread like wildfire. And even though there hadn't really been a winner, everyone, or at least Teddy's friends seemed to think that Teddy had definitively had the upper hand.
"It's nice to see you up and about Teddy!" Jason greeted him with a pat on the back.
"You don't say," Teddy replied just as happily "I feel like I have been in that medical wing for way longer than two days,"
"Two days were more than enough, it already put us behind for the training program I had planned,"
Teddy threw his friend a disbelieving look.
"I mean, …, I'm glad you're okay now," Jason backtracked, passing a hand through his hair, uncomfortably.
"Don't worry, I know what winning this Cup means to you. I promise I'll do my best," the blue-haired wizard said truthfully.
Since their first year at Hogwarts, Jason had been obsessed with Quidditch. Teddy knew how much he wanted to win and that if they did indeed bring back the Cup, he had a serious shot at becoming a professional player.
"I'm so glad to hear that mate, I thought you would only have Victoire on your mind now that she's finally free again," Jason breathed out, relaxing immediately.
"What do you mean, now that she's free again?" Teddy's head snapped in his friend's direction, eyes alert.
Jason gulped, once again uncomfortable. He had learned during the year that Victoire was a sensitive subject and since talking about feelings and emotions wasn't one of his strong points to begin with, he usually made a point to avoid this particular topic.
"Yeah, I mean, since she broke up with Griffith and all …" he continued.
"She broke up with him? When?" Teddy asked, his heart and head going crazy.
Jason glanced at some of the other players who were not so discreetly listening to their conversation, hoping that one of them would come and help him.
It was Georgina Macmillan, a sixth year and one of the chasers who came to his rescue.
"Weasley broke up with Griffith the morning right after your fight," she said. She sounded delighted by the news and only shrugged when Teddy cast her a circumspect look.
"Apparently they had a huge argument right in the middle of the medical wing and they haven't spoken since," she continued, still smiling.
"I was in there too and I didn't hear anything," Teddy commented.
He didn't ask why Georgina was so happy about the supposed break up, it was well known that she, like many other girls had a crush on the Slytherin.
"One of them must have cast a silencing charm or something," she guessed.
The story seemed a bit too farfetched for Teddy, but it could explain why Victoire hadn't gone to see Lucas again.
"Have you heard anything from Victoire?" Jason asked.
"No, she hasn't told me anything," Teddy answered, hiding his deception as best as he could and hoping that his hair wouldn't betray him.
He didn't mind showing Jason how he really felt about this news, but Georgina and the rest of the team was another story.
"I'm surprised you two aren't together yet. Everyone has been waiting for the two of you to finally start dating," Georgina continued. She looked at Teddy knowingly before finally walking away to get her broom ready for the training session.
Jason followed the chaser with his eyes and a bewildered expression.
"It never stops to amaze me how this girl always knows all the rumours and secrets this school has,"
"How she ended up in Hufflepuff and not Slytherin is a mystery," Teddy agreed.
He watched his friend collect the various balls and waited for Jason to look at him again.
When the Quidditch captain's eyes crossed his, he let out a defeated sigh. Teddy was looking at him with a silent plea in his eyes.
"Alright, go," Jason said, only slightly exasperated "You can't use your broom today anyway,"
Teddy didn't wait any longer and started walking the way he had come, up the hill and toward the castle's entrance.
He had to talk to Victoire, had to talk to her right now. If what Georgina had said was true, and it usually was with her, it meant they could finally be together.
He started by looking for her in the Great Hall and the library but she was nowhere to be found. He ran past most of the corridors, going through every open classroom and secret hideout. He even tried to enter the Room for requirement, without success. After one hour, he decided to go back to his common room and try to find Nathan instead. If the Hufflepuff didn't know where Victoire was, he would know where Teddy might find Freya and that would be a first step.
As expected, Nathan was seated in one of the sofas next to the fire in the Hufflepuff common room, busy reading some books that Teddy should have probably read too. Teddy crossed the room in powerful strides, catching his friend's attention almost immediately.
"Teddy! Aren't you supposed to be at practice?" Nathan asked, brow furrowed.
"I needed to talk to Victoire," Teddy said very simply.
He didn't need to add anything else, if the rumour was true, Nathan would know why he was looking for her. Indeed, his expression got somber at the mention of Victoire and he sat a little straighter in his chair.
"I'm not sure it's such a good idea, Ted," he replied calmly "Victoire needs some time alone right now,"
"So it is true? And you didn't think to mention it when you came to see me yesterday?"
"What would it have changed? You were glued to your hospital bed and Victoire wouldn't have talked to you anyway," Nathan sighed, massaging his temple with his hand.
It was obvious this whole situation put him in a delicate place. He was friends with both Victoire and Teddy, but he was also dating one of Lucas' best friend. Siding with someone now, or even helping Teddy could have dire repercussions for him.
"She doesn't want to talk to me?" Teddy asked, pausing in his pacing "What did she tell you exactly?"
"She didn't tell me anything, okay? It's just common sense, that just because she broke up with Lucas, it doesn't mean she's ready to jump back into a relationship with you,"
Teddy's heart crumpled after that last sentence, all his hopes dying fast.
"She is trying to sort everything out now, and Freya is helping her. I suggest we both leave them alone while they do that," Nathan continued, his voice one of wisdom.
Teddy let himself fall on the sofa next to his friend, defeated.
"You're right. I don't know what I was thinking, she probably didn't break up because of me. But I would still like to see her, ask her how she's doing or if I can do anything to help,"
He sounded so sincere and so lost at the same time that Nathan took pity on him and awkwardly draped his arms around Teddy's shoulder, pulling him into a hug.
"I know what she means to you. Don't worry, she'll let you know when she's ready to talk," he said soothingly.
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"So, …, when do you think you'll start hanging with the boys again?" Freya asked carefully.
"Which ones?" Victoire replied, not even lifting her gaze from the book she was reading.
She and Freya had spent almost all their afternoon in the room for requirement, revising for exams and most importantly talking about Victoire's decision to break up with Lucas. It hadn't been easy for Freya to accept her decisions but after explaining her reasons in details, Victoire had managed to convince her friend it was the wisest thing to do.
"Let's start with Nathan, Teddy, and Jason," Freya said, in an almost methodical way "Then we'll discuss Lucas, Jared, Finn, and Perseus,"
Victoire looked up from her book for a second, considering Freya.
"You're being serious?" she asked the Slytherin.
Freya grunted, leaning back in her chair.
"I guess not in the near future then," she answered her own question.
After just another minute of silence, Freya opened her mouth again but closed it just as fast and Victoire cast her a quick glance.
"I know I said I was done talking about it, but I still can't believe what you told me about Lucas," she finally blurted "This angry and jealous behaviour, it's not him, and I've known him for 6 years now, I've seen him with his ex's and he has never been the jealous type,"
Freya looked expectantly at Victoire.
"I know, I didn't know he was like that before either," the Ravenclaw said "But I told you what happened and how he reacted,"
His sudden anger and possessiveness had always surprised Victoire since Lucas was such a poised person generally. But for some reasons, he lost it every time with her, especially when she was also in a foul mood, making it all the more difficult to calm things down.
Victoire froze, going through her last thought. Especially when she was in a bad mood.
"Oh God," she said, catching Freya's undivided attention.
Victoire turned toward the other witch and grabbed her hand, panic in her eyes and voice.
"It's my fault! It's because of me that Lucas has been acting so erratically!" she said, shocked by her revelation.
She had been projecting her own emotion once again, just like she had during Easter. Only this time it had affected Lucas and in a more brutal way than it had her family.
No wonder had they arguments been heated and more and more frequent. Lucas had been on the receiving end of all her burst of anger, bad mood and problems. And since they had started to date, Lucas had probably absorbed a life worth of negative emotions, since she had been so angry at Teddy back then. Because of that, Lucas had been crazily jealous, which only annoyed Victoire even more. It was a vicious circle and they had been caught in the middle of it.
She explained her theory to a dumfounded Freya and the other witch quickly agreed with her that this theory was in fact very probable.
"But I don't get why Lucas was the only one that was affected by your emotions, why didn't I feel the effect as well?" Freya asked.
"You're my best friend and we do spend a lot of time together … " Victoire thought out loud "My guess is as good as yours but I think that maybe physical contact worsened the impact on Lucas,"
"You're probably right," the black haired witch agreed "Victoire you have to fix this," she added, worry in her voice.
Victoire nodded.
"I'll write my grandmother and ask her about it. I also need to talk with Lucas, I at least owe him an apology and some explications, even if this doesn't change my decision about the two of us," she tried to sound confident, but she was sure her best friend could see how this new "power" scared her. If she couldn't control it, she was basically saying goodbye to any relationship.