Year 4: Listen To Your Heart

Chapter 35: January 2015

The night before she was scheduled to return to Hogwarts, Victoire couldn't sleep. After the big family dinner at the Burrow, Victoire hadn't seen Teddy at all. He'd been busy visiting with Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny, and also celebrating Christmas with his grandmother. Now that she was going to be seeing him again, she was both excited and nervous.

Thoughts swirled around in Victoire's head. What would people say? What would Kara and Brianna say? How would she act around Teddy now? Were they really together at all, or would Teddy have changed his mind? Victoire didn't know what she would do if Teddy had changed his mind.

Victoire got very little sleep that night with the result being that when her mother knocked on her door to indicate that it was time to get up, Victoire was exhausted. She had to get up though, and so she did, showering quickly and then getting dressed.

Soon, they were at King's Cross station, and before she knew it, Victoire was on the train, walking away from her sister as she searched for Kara and Brianna. Since Teddy was a prefect, she knew he had to meet with the perfects in the front carriage before doing anything else, and she figured he would come and find her afterwards if he wanted to.

"Hey!" Victoire greeted her friends when she found Kara and Brianna in a compartment near the front of the train.

"Victoire, good, you're here," Brianna said, ushering Victoire into the compartment and shutting the door behind her. "Kara's being no help."

"No help with what?" Victoire frowned as she levitated her trunk onto the luggage rack with those of her friends.

"Figuring out who I should date next," Brianna said, sitting down. Victoire did the same.

"What do you mean figuring out?" Victoire asked.

"Well now that I'm single, I can go out with whomever I want," Brianna said. "But I can't decide who to ask out first. Obviously not Adrian, because he's Cameron's best friend and also he's friends with Caitlin so no."

"Are you sure this is the healthiest way to move on?" Victoire asked skeptically.

"Don't go sounding like Kara now," Brianna groaned. "This is what I'm doing, so either help me or find another compartment."

Victoire sighed. Though she didn't think jumping right back into dating was what Brianna needed right now, she still wanted to be supportive. "Alright, well Nathaniel's out too," she said.

"Obviously," Brianna huffed. "I wouldn't date your ex."

"Oh," Victoire said in surprise. "Well thanks, but that's not why I said it. He's dating Raina now; didn't I tell you?"

"Hmm, you might've," Brianna said, furrowing her brow. "Well, either way, I'm thinking I should try venturing outside of Gryffindor… maybe Ravenclaw?"

"What about Derek Nelson?" Victoire suggested.

"Nah, he studies too much," Brianna shook her head. "I was thinking more along the lines of… Stewart Gray."

"He's decent I guess," Victoire agreed.

"Decent?" Brianna gaped. "That's all you have to say?"

Victoire shrugged. "I mean go ahead and ask him out if that's what you want," she said.

"I think I will," Brianna said, leaning back in her seat with a smile. "Thanks Victoire."

Though she wasn't entirely sure how much help she had been, Victoire accepted the thanks. As the train started moving, Victoire found herself glancing out the door window into the hall in the hopes of seeing Teddy, even though she knew he would probably be in the prefect's carriage for a while still.

"Exploding snap?" Kara suggested eventually.

"Sure," Victoire agreed. Though a moving train wasn't the best place to play, the game was always fun.

Kara produced her deck – though Teddy had given Victoire a deck for her thirteenth birthday, she preferred to let Kara use her deck when the girls played altogether. She didn't want her deck getting worn too soon.

"We should think about getting an advanced players' deck," Brianna commented. "You know, the ones with the extra cards?"

"That would be fun," Kara agreed. "I think I can even just buy the extra cards and add them to this deck. I'll send an owl-order for them when we get to the castle."

The girls played for a good part of the morning, but after a while got tired of the game and decided to pack up. As Kara was collecting the cards, a knock sounded at the door and Victoire immediately looked up, hopeful that it would be Teddy. It was. With a smile on his face, he slid the door open.

"Care for a fourth player?" he asked.

"We were just packing up actually," Victoire replied. "But you're more than welcome to join us."

"I'd love to," Teddy said, stepping inside and shutting the door behind him.

Victoire grinned widely, all her fears from the previous night seeming foolish now that Teddy was here and smiling down at her the way he was. Victoire's heart did a little flutter as Teddy sat down next to her – not too close, but closer than he would have before.

"So how were your holidays?" Teddy asked, directing his question at Kara and Brianna.

"Alright," Kara shrugged. "A little boring, but that's normal."

"Yeah," Brianna agreed. "Though my sister did at one point attempt to set the kitchen on fire making pancakes for breakfast one morning, so that was rather interesting."

Victoire dragged her eyes away from looking at Teddy and looked across the compartment at her friends.

"Savannah in the kitchen?" she asked in surprise.

Brianna rolled her eyes. "I know," she said. "She's a menace."

The girls laughed.

"Is Savannah bad at cooking?" Teddy asked, not getting the joke.

Brianna nodded. "Worse than bad. And it's not just cooking either. Anything involving a recipe. She's Professor Abbott-Longbottom's worst nightmare."

Teddy chuckled at that and Victoire yawned involuntarily.

"Sorry," she said embarrassedly, covering her mouth. "I didn't sleep well last night. Or at all really."

"Do you want to take a nap?" Teddy offered.

Victoire considered. She hated to spend her first afternoon with Teddy in weeks sleeping the day away, but on the other hand, she really was exhausted.

"You wouldn't mind?" Victoire asked sheepishly.

"Not at all," Teddy said.

Victoire nodded. "Yeah I might sleep just a little then," she agreed. "But don't let me sleep all afternoon. Wake me in an hour or two."

"Sure," Teddy nodded.

Victoire leaned against the window and curled her feet up under her on the seat. Then she closed her eyes and listened to the sounds of her friends as they continued sharing holiday stories. As soon as she closed her eyes, Victoire could feel herself getting more and more tired, but she couldn't get comfortable enough to fall asleep. The window was cold, and the wall of the train was hard, and the seat wasn't big enough to allow her room to stretch out without kicking Teddy out, which was the last thing she wanted. She shifted uncomfortably a few times as she tried to find the optimal position, but it just wasn't working.

"Hey," Teddy said suddenly, gently placing a hand on her shoulder. "Come on, lean on me."

Obediently, Victoire shifted in her seat so that she was leaning in the opposite direction and she rested her head on Teddy's shoulder, wrapping herself around his right arm. Teddy was so much more comfortable than the window that she could feel herself drifting straight to sleep. Just as she was losing consciousness, she felt Teddy's other arm wrap around her shoulders like a blanket and she vaguely thought that no bed had ever been so comfortable

VvVvVvVvVvV

Victoire awoke a few hours later, feeling groggy and disoriented.

"What time is it?" she asked, disentangling herself from Teddy.

"Practically four," Teddy admitted.

"You let me sleep for three hours?" Victoire cried accusingly. "I thought I told you to wake me?"

"You clearly needed the sleep," Teddy pointed out. Right then, Victoire's stomach rumbled loudly. "Here, I bought you a sandwich," he added, producing a ham and cheese sandwich wrapped in plastic.

"Thanks," Victoire said, realizing how hungry she was and grabbing it from him, consuming it in seconds.

"I was telling Brianna earlier that I think this healthy food trolley idea is really ingenious," Teddy added, taking the leftover plastic from Victoire and shoving it in his pocket.

"Really?" Victoire said in surprise.

"Sure," Teddy nodded. "I mean, sweets are fun, but not really filling. And we're on the train practically six hours, so we need something better to eat than sugar quills and chocolate frogs."

"I suppose," Victoire agreed, not being in much a position to disagree after the way she'd devoured the sandwich.

VvVvVvVvVvV

As dinnertime neared, the Hogwarts Express pulled into Hogsmeade station and Victoire and her friends prepared to head up to the castle.

"Aren't you coming with us?" Victoire asked when Teddy hung back.

"Actually, as a sixth year prefect, I have to make sure everybody's off the train before I can leave," Teddy confessed. "But I'll definitely find you later."

"Oh, okay," Victoire said, disappointed that they had to part ways, but recognizing that Teddy's prefect duties were important. "Should I save you a seat at the feast?"

"I'd love that," Teddy smiled.

At that moment, Victoire desperately wanted to kiss Teddy, but her friends were standing right there, and she had yet to tell them about the change in her and Teddy's relationship. She settled for returning the smile and then turned to follow her friends off the train.

"So how long has that been going on?" Brianna asked almost immediately once they were out of earshot of Teddy.

"What do you mean?" Victoire frowned.

"She means, how long have you and Teddy been together?" Kara clarified.

"I – You – I don't – What?" Victoire spluttered.

"Oh come on," Brianna rolled her eyes. "It was so obvious. The way you were looking at him. The way he was looking at you. Something must have happened."

Victoire tried to hide her smile but failed. "Christmas Eve," she admitted. "We kissed in the attic."

"In the attic?" Brianna cried. "You seriously couldn't have chosen a better place?"

"It just sort of happened," Victoire shrugged, either unable or unwilling to let Brianna make her feel bad about it.

"What were you even doing in the attic anyway?" Brianna demanded.

"Playing hide and seek," Victoire replied. "It's a family tradition," she added when she could see Brianna opening her mouth to make another snide comment.

"That's so cute," Kara said instead, eliciting a genuine smile from Victoire.

"Anyway," Victoire said. "Today's the first time I've seen him since."

"And you're going up to the school with us?" Brianna said in surprise.

Victoire frowned. "Well yeah," she said, unsure why Brianna was so shocked. "Teddy's doing prefect stuff."

"That doesn't mean you can't join him," Brianna pointed out.

Victoire paused. Now that the idea was out there, she very much wanted to double back and take a carriage up to the school with Teddy. But she also didn't want to be one of those girls who ditched her friends for her boyfriend… if that was even what Teddy was.

"That's okay," Victoire shook her head. "He can find me at the feast."

"Oh go on Victoire," Kara assured her. "We'll be fine. We'll have plenty of time to catch up in the dorm later."

"Are you sure?" Victoire asked, biting her lip.

"Of course," Kara said.

"We'll save both of you seats," Brianna added.

Victoire didn't wait a second longer. Turning around, she hurried back up onto the train and headed in the direction of the compartment they'd all been sitting in, hoping that Teddy was still there.

The train was basically empty, which made it easy for Victoire to run up the hallways to the front of the train. When she didn't cross paths with Teddy going that way, she turned around and started running towards the back of the train. When she reached the fourth compartment, she caught sight of the back of his head and cried out, "Teddy!"

He turned around in surprise. "Victoire?" he asked.

"Brianna and Kara said they'd save both of us seats at the feast," Victoire said by way of explanation.

Teddy walked towards her and then took her hand. "I was hoping you'd come back," he said.

"Well I did," Victoire replied, leaning towards him, desperate for another kiss.

Just then, Beverly Longman arrived from the back end of the train. "The back is all clear," she reported as Teddy and Victoire sprung apart.

"So is the front," Teddy reported back. "It's just the three of us left."

"What's she doing here?" Beverly asked, gesturing to Victoire.

"I accidentally locked myself in one of the compartments," Victoire invented. "Teddy got me out."

"Well let's go then," Beverly said. "We don't want to be late to the feast."

Victoire and Teddy followed Beverly off the train and up to where the carriages were. Unfortunately, there was only one carriage left, meaning that Teddy, Victoire, and Beverly all had to ride up to the castle together.

"How exactly did you manage to lock yourself in a compartment?" Beverly asked as they settled in, Victoire and Teddy on one side facing Beverly on the other.

"It was supposed to be a joke," Victoire shrugged. "A friend of mine actually did the spell, but something went wrong and we couldn't get it back open again."

"And she just left you there?" Beverly questioned.

"She said she was going to find someone to help," Victoire replied. "Then Teddy showed up."

"Lucky you," Beverly muttered.

Victoire frowned. "Well not really," she said. "I mean, if Teddy hadn't of shown up, someone would have. The prefects always make sure the train is empty before it goes back to King's Cross."

"I suppose you're right," Beverly agreed reluctantly.

Thankfully, the ride to the castle wasn't long, and soon they were touching down on the grounds just outside the Entrance Hall.

They all clambered out of the carriage and watched it take off again across the grounds.

"Are you guys coming?" Beverly asked, when neither Teddy nor Victoire made a move to follow her into the castle.

"In a minute," Teddy assured her. "I'm just going to make sure there's no students lingering out here. But you go in, I won't be long."

"And her?" Beverly asked, gesturing to Victoire. "I can escort her inside."

"That won't be necessary," Teddy said. "I'll make sure she gets to the feast."

Beverly rolled her eyes. "Whatever," she said, climbing the stairs and disappearing into the Entrance Hall.

As soon as she was gone, Teddy turned towards Victoire again.

"Sorry about that," he said.

"It's alright," Victoire said. "Was it weird that I made that story up?"

"Nah," Teddy assured her. "I get it. You didn't want to start a whole thing with my ex."

"Yeah," Victoire agreed. "It just didn't seem like the time to… you know."

"Announce that you were my girlfriend?" Teddy asked.

"So that is what I am?" Victoire asked, heart soaring when she heard him say the words.

"Oh I hope so," Teddy said, reaching out and placing his hands on her shoulders. "Do you want to be?"

"Definitely," Victoire said, leaning forward so that she was millimeters away from Teddy's lips.

She paused, just for a second, to receive confirmation from Teddy before going any farther. Clearly she didn't need it though, because before she could pose the question, he'd closed the gap and he was kissing her.

It was even better than Victoire had remembered. No memory could ever do justice to the real thing, the feel of his lips on hers and his hands on her face, in her hair. She sighed and kissed him back, only pulling back when she remembered where they were.

"We should get to the feast before someone comes looking for us," she said reluctantly.

"You're right," Teddy agreed. "It wouldn't be good for me, a prefect, to be caught breaking the rules anyway."

"This is breaking the rules?" Victoire questioned.

Teddy shrugged. "I guess it's a bit of a grey area," he admitted, kissing her quickly once more before taking a step back. "Come on."

Together, they entered the school, hurried into the Great Hall and joined Kara and Brianna at the Gryffindor table just in time for Headmaster Slinkhard's opening remarks.

VvVvVvVvVvV

After dinner, Victoire and her friends headed up to Gryffindor Tower where Teddy announced that he had to go out on rounds with Beverly that night.

"Really?" Victoire said, disappointed. "On our first day back? And does it have to be with her?"

"I don't make the schedule," Teddy apologized. "But yeah, most prefects have to round on the first night of term, because a lot of students tend to try to sneak out."

Victoire sighed. "Alright, well I guess I'll see you in the morning then," she said.

"Absolutely," Teddy nodded, bidding them all goodbye before joining Beverly for rounds.

Eagerly, Kara and Brianna ushered Victoire up the stairs to the dorm before demanding that she tell them everything.

"There's not much else to tell," Victoire admitted. "I already told you everything."

"There's got to be more to it than that," Brianna insisted. "How many times has he kissed you?"

Victoire hesitated. "Like, how many kisses exactly, or on how many occasions?"

"The first one," Brianna decided.

Victoire blushed furiously. "I guess I'm not really sure," she confessed.

"How are you not sure?" Kara wondered.

"Well I wasn't exactly keeping count," Victoire said, staring uncomfortably at the ground.

"That many?" Kara gasped.

"Well he is a sixth year," Brianna pointed out.

"That has nothing to do with it," Victoire insisted. "He hasn't done anything that I haven't wanted him to do."

"Just be careful Victoire," Kara urged her.

"Oh come on," Victoire insisted. "This is Teddy we're talking about. Not some random guy. He's not going to push me to do anything I'm not ready for."

"Okay," Kara allowed. "I hope you're right."

As Victoire attempted to fall asleep that night, she found that she had almost as many thoughts swirling in her head as the previous night. Kara and Brianna's comments played over and over in her mind, and Victoire started to wonder if maybe the age difference was going to be a problem. She hadn't thought so at first, but Kara had made some good points.

Confused and unsure, Victoire forced herself to get some rest, hoping that things would be clearer in the morning.