Enter for the Quidditch League Competition - Round 8 - Puddlemere United - Chaser 2
Prompt: Write about someone who depends heavily on family and/or friends.
Optional prompts used: 1. (color) baby blue; 5. (dialogue) "Everything in my life has led to this moment."; 14. (emotion) disappointment
Word count: 1,553
Warnings: EWE - Epilogue? What Epilogue?; Fred Weasley Lives
Feeling blue
"Have you decided what you're going to do?" Ava asked her best friend. "School starts in three months, and although it seems like a long time, you have to decide before mid-July."
"I honestly don't know," Victoire said and sighed, throwing herself on her bed. "This shouldn't be so difficult."
Victoire Weasley knew that she was lucky; she had a great family that supported her decisions, and her cousin was also her best friend. Ava was only one month younger than her, which meant that they would be together at Hogwarts… if Victoire decided to go.
Being Fleur Weasley's — née Delacour — daughter meant that Victoire had an open invitation to attend Beauxbatons if she so wished. Ever since she was a baby, everyone assumed that she was going to Hogwarts like every Weasley before her, but now that the date was close, she wasn't sure anymore.
"You know that everyone will support you no matter what, Torie. We just want you to be happy," Ava said, coming to lie down near her.
Victoire thought that it was easier for Ava; she was going to be a legacy at Hogwarts. Being the daughter of Fred and Hermione, everyone knew that Ava was going to be a Gryffindor, and everything would be perfect for her. Victoire tried not to be envious of her cousin, but it was difficult sometimes.
Victoire had never been away from her family, and she knew she relied on them for everything in her life, but sometimes, she wondered if it would be better for her to start doing things all by herself. It didn't mean that she wanted to go to Beauxbatons and be all by herself, but she wondered if that was what she needed to do.
"Have you ever thought about going to any other place that isn't Hogwarts?" Victoire asked, seeming to pull Ava out of her thoughts, if the look that her cousin sent her way was any indication. "I know that Uncle Fred and Aunt Mia went to school there, but I never asked you this..."
Ava always thought before answering, and that was why Victoire asked her. She always knew that Ava wasn't going to say something just to make her feel better, and instead, she would answer only after she really thought about it.
"I never thought about studying in any other place that wasn't Hogwarts, but it's not for the reasons that you're thinking," Ava said, looking at Victoire with a smile on her face.
"I wasn't thinking of anything!" Victoire was quick to reassure her, but Ava just giggled. "You're awful, you know that?"
"That's why you love me," Ava retorted, smirking at her. "Do you want to know why I've always known I was going to Hogwarts?"
Victoire nodded, wanting to understand why her cousin was so certain about that.
Ava took a deep breath "It's not just because my parents went there, alongside all of our family. It's not even because it's the place where they fought for a better future for us," she explained. "My parents took me on a visit to Hogwarts when I was three years old when Headmistress McGonagall wanted Mum to teach there. Dad showed me the castle, and I knew in my heart that it was the place where I belonged and where I wanted to go."
Victoire looked at her cousin, who had a small smile on her face, and she finally understood. Ava didn't talk much about how it was having her mum working at Hogwarts as a teacher, and Victoire had always thought that this was the reason why Ava wanted to go there, but hearing her explain why Ava chose Hogwarts, it made sense to Victoire… but at the same time, it didn't help Victoire in making a decision.
Victoire smiled at Ava. "Thanks for explaining it to me. I think I needed to hear that." She still had a decision to make, but at least, now she had another perspective. She just hoped that she wouldn't disappoint her mother if she chose something different.
"I'm here for you, Toire, you're my partner in crime after all." Ava hugged Victoire and left her room, leaving her to brood in peace.
Victoire was standing just outside her mother's bedroom, watching her lost in thoughts with a smile on her face. Her mother was running her hands over her old uniform. Victoire loved her mother's baby-blue dress more than any of her other items of clothing, and more often than not, she had asked her mother if she could wear it to feel like she was a Beauxbatons's girl.
"I can feel your stare, ma chérie," Fleur said, without taking her eyes off her old uniform, and Victoire giggled. "Why don't you come here and talk to me?"
Victoire entered her mother's room and sat on the bed by her side, looking at the uniform and wondering how it would feel to use that uniform to go to classes. She thought about the places her mother frequented while at school… Victoire was trying very hard not to disappoint her mother or her father with her decision.
"You've always liked my old uniform. Are you excited at the prospect of getting your own?" Fleur asked, but Victoire couldn't put in words what was on her mind. "What's wrong, mon petit coeur? Talk to me."
Victoire sighed, and looking at her mother, finally decided to say what was on her mind. "I still don't know where I want to study… Everything in my life has led to this moment. And I still don't have a clue what to do."
"I don't think I follow, Toire," Fleur said. Tears pricked Victoire's eyes when she heard her mother calling her by her nickname. "What's on your mind right now?"
"You and I always talked about how awesome it would be when I went to study in the same place that you studied, while Dad is always mentioning how amazing Hogwarts is and how everyone in the family is going to study there, but I don't want to let you down if I choose to go there," Victoire said in a hurry, trying to say everything she wanted before letting her tears fall.
"Oh, mon ange, how long have you been feeling like this?" Fleur asked, hugging Victoire, who threw her arms around her mother. "You know that you can tell us anything."
"I know. I think I was just feeling guilty. Every time that I thought about going to Hogwarts instead of Beauxbatons, I feel like you would be disappointed," Victoire managed to say between sobs, trying to convey what she was feeling. "All I wanted was to make you proud of me, maman."
"Victoire, I want you to listen to what I'm going to say to you because it's something you need to hear before you make a decision, all right?" Fleur said, cupping Victoire's face in her hand. "You would never disappoint me if you choose what your heart desires, but you'll disappoint me if you let other people's happiness dictate the way you live your life."
Victoire let her mother's words enter her head and heart, and she looked at her mother, who was smiling at her.
"I know I always said how I would love it if you go to Beauxbatons and wear the baby-blue uniform, but I want you to be happy, ma chérie. If you're happier going to Hogwarts alongside Ava, then I'll be happy for you; if you want to go to Beauxbatons, I'll be happy the same… It all depends on what you want to do.
"You're the one who's going to live at the school for the next seven years, so the ultimate choice needs to be yours," Fleur said, hugging Victoire once more. "Do you understand me?"
"Yes, maman. Thank you for this." Victoire hugged her mother tightly, thanking every deity that she knew that her mother could calm her with just a few words. And now, she knew what she was going to do.
September 1st came faster for the Weasley family, who weren't ready to send their babies to Hogwarts, not that they called them like that — except Molly, who still couldn't believe the fact that her babies had babies.
"I like what you did to your hair," Ava said to Victoire, looking at the blue streaks in her strawberry blond hair. "But why blue?"
"Baby-blue," Victoire corrected her, smiling brightly. "I may be going to Hogwarts, but I still wanted to have something of Beauxbatons with me, so why not in my hair?" She shrugged, smiling at her mother, who was beaming at her. "And if I end up in Ravenclaw, I think I'll fit right in."
"Aunt Luna would be delighted," Hermione said, coming near her daughter and niece. "Why don't you two go get your trunks before we leave?"
"Of course, Aunt Mia," Victoire replied, dragging Ava with her, running to get her trunk.
In the end, it wasn't a difficult choice for Victorie. After her talk with her mother, she knew that no matter where she studied, she would always have her family by her side, supporting her in everything that she did. And right now, she couldn't think of anywhere else she wanted to be.