Chapter 3

Author's Note: Hi! I'm up with the next chapter-I'm pretty proud I've kept up with it weekly! I hope you enjoy, and please feel free to tell me what you love or hate in a review :)

I whipped around.

"Dad-" I started. The man was in his pajamas and looked like he had been sleeping, yet he managed to still somehow look livid.

"Where the hell have you two been?" he demanded.

I glanced at Victoire nervously. "Erm, we went for a fly." Hey, that was truthful!

But Dad didn't think so. He narrowed his eyes at me. "You just 'went for a fly'? At 2:15 in the morning? With all this eye black on your eyes?"

Oops. I turned to the sink and started to rub off the makeup, when Victoire piped up. "Uncle Harry, please don't be mad at Teddy. It was my idea to sneak off to the Hearthead concert in the first place, not his. He didn't even want to!"

I glared at Victoire. "That's not true! Don't listen to her, Dad,"

"I don't particularly care whose idea it was." He crossed his arms. "Tell me, Teddy, were you allowed to go to this concert?"

"No sir." I stared at my feet.

"Vic, were you?"

"No, Uncle Harry," she admitted, tucking her hair back behind her ear and looking shamefully to the floor.

"Then that seems to be the problem. My sixteen-year-old son and fifteen-year-old niece somehow think it is perfectly acceptable to disobey their parents and, what, fly off to London?"

"Yeah, we flew."

He blew a sharp breath out of his nose. "That is incredibly dangerous. Anything could have happened. You could have been seen-"

"We wouldn't have been seen, Dad, we used a Disillusionment Charm!"

He rolled his eyes. "Am I supposed to congratulate you for illegally using underage magic?"

"Well, no..."

"Then I don't want to hear it, young man. You know better than to do something so blatantly dangerous." He paused, concern suddenly washing over his face. "Vic, what happened to your arm, dear?"

She looked at me, biting her lip. "Oh, er, I fell," she lied.

But my dad paid no attention as he inspected the injury. "It looks like someone had a hold of your arm." He looked up at Vic suspiciously then over to me, where I was leaning on the counter and guiltily dropping my head. "Ted, what happened to Victoire's arm?"

I glanced up, and Vic gave me a small nod. I understood the message. No more lies. "We were headed back up to get my broom, when this homeless muggle man started bothering us. Er, we tried to get away, but he grabbed Vic's arm really hard."

My dad's eyes widened as he started applying a bruise cream to her upper arm. "What? How did you get away?"

"Teddy punched him and we ran."

I blushed and looked down.

My dad shook his head as he grabbed another salve. "Vic, honey, I'm so glad you managed to get away safely. But Teddy shouldn't have had to do that in the first place. This is exactly why your mum and I did not allow you to go, Teddy! You went anyway and something seriously dangerous happened to Victoire, your best friend," Dad lectured, now bandaging Vic's arm up carefully.

I rubbed my eyes. "Dad, I'm sorry," I insisted, voice breaking. "We would have come straight home after the concert if we would've known any of this would happen."

Patting Vic's healed arm, he stood up and turned to me, regaining his earlier stance. "Are you telling me you didn't come straight home after the concert?"

"Uh," I looked at Victoire frantically. Did I just drag us into even hotter water? "Yes sir, we did, um, I just meant we should have come home faster."

My excuse was weak and I knew it. Dad rounded on Victoire for a better answer.

She rubbed on her hurt arm, glimpsing at me apologetically. "Well, we weren't ready to go home quite yet, so we looked at a few shops in London. That's all!"

My dad sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I've heard enough for tonight. Vic, I'm going to Floo you home so I can properly explain this whole disaster to Bill and Fleur."

Vic visibly winced at the thought of her parents hearing about the escapade. No doubt she would be in just as much trouble as I was, and that was saying something. With a look at her outfit, I remembered what a perfectionist Aunt Fleur was and how much she would disapprove of her daughter's choice of clothes. However, seemingly to avoid any trouble, she walked with her head bowed to wait for my dad by the living room chimney. I looked at him expectantly, trying to convey with my eyes how incredibly bad I felt for causing this whole mess.

My dad walked over to me and rubbed a hand over my hair. "I want you to change out of those ridiculously leather Muggle clothes and go straight to bed, son. We are far from finished discussing this and will continue it in the morning, but right now I'm too upset and disappointed to talk about your poor decisions."

My stomach churned. Upset, I could handle, but disappointed? The thought of disappointing my dad made my whole body stir with guilt. I only wanted to do my best for him.

"I'm sorry, Dad." I said, trying to hide the sob that came with it. I needed to man up, but it was hard.

He sighed and pulled me into a warm hug. "It'll be alright, Teddy." I felt his hand run soothingly up and down over my back. "I'm just glad both of you made it home safely."

"Me too," I agreed, leaning further into his strong arms.

I felt Dad sigh, his whole body moving with the effort. He pulled away for a moment, tilting my chin up to meet his eyes and looking at me sternly. "Something like this cannot happen again, son. I love you far too much to allow something terrible to happen to you."

I nodded. "I know you do. I love you, too."

He pulled me back in and I felt his warm chuckle. "We'll be seeing how much you love me after our serious conversation about this disobedience tomorrow."

I scowled and pushed away. "I swear I learned my lesson, Dad. I don't ever wanna have to go through this again. So there's really no point in punishing me!"

He rolled his eyes. Yeah, I figured it was a lost cause. "Bed, young man."

"I'm telling you Dad, we really don't need to revisit this tomorrow!"

He scoffed. "Perhaps I should buy you a new broom as a reward, instead?"

"I think that's a grand idea."

"I think you need to get to bed before I charm you up there myself."

I frowned. "I guess I'll get going, then."

Dad ruffled my hair. "Good choice."

I was laying under my Gryffindor bed spread, unable to shut my mind off from the predicament I was in. My dad had come in to bid me goodnight nearly an hour ago, making the time almost 3:30 in the morning now.

Sleep was virtually impossible when Victoire was consuming my every thought. She and I had truly the best time together tonight- well, minus getting caught and lectured into a million pieces. But before then, it was an exhilarating adventure. She was so daring and somehow managed to challenge me to do crazier things than even I could think of. We were always smart about what whatever we were doing, but being with each other always made it so much more fun.

If I really did act on the fact I thought I liked her, it could potentially screw up so many of the biggest parts of my life. It was probable she wouldn't like me back- it's not like she ever did anything that showed she possibly reciprocated the feeling, anyway. That could ruin our best friendship. Our friend group could also become a lot weirder and more complicated, and I really didn't want to mess that up, either.

The worst thing any sort of relationship between us could effect would be our family. Even though we weren't blood, we were raised as cousins in the Weasley clan. What if things miraculously did work out, but our family didn't approve? So many things could go wrong, and I loved my family more than anything in this world. I couldn't mess that up.

I sighed and flipped over to a comfier spot on my pillow, when I decided- I couldn't act on my little crush. I had more important things to put over a relationship, and I'd rather preserve those than mess up my friendship with Victoire.

"Teddy!" a little voice squealed as a small weight jumped on me. I groaned and covered my pillow over my head. It was quickly snatched away by little fingers, and the giggle of my little sister in my ear.

"Lily I'm sleepingggg," I groaned. Her ruby red hair was spilling all over my face as she crawled into the covers next to me.

"No you're not! Daddy said I hadda wake you up to watch cartoons!" Lily giggled, shaking my shoulder.

"Well, how come Dad can't?"

"He said he's sleeping in for as long as possible and you get to entertain us."

Damn. It was tough being the eldest.

I peeped open my eye at the clock. 7:30 in the morning. This had to be the man's idea of a twisted way to get back at me for being out all hours of the night. "Give me five more minutes, princess Lil," I muttered, hoping her special nickname would earn me bonus points.

She only laughed, and with freakish strength for a six-year-old girl, grabbed my hand and pulled me off the bed. I thunked onto the hard floor. "C'mon Teddy, I need you to help me with the TV!"

"Lils, I'm sleepy."

"Daddy said, Bubba!"

I unwrapped myself from the blanket and tried giving her an exasperated Ginny Weasley-esque look, but it automatically failed when she countered with the famous puppy dog eyes.

"Please?" Lily begged.

I couldn't say no. "Fine. Only for you, Princess Lily!"

Despite my exhaustion, I swooped her up as she giggled. My baby sister was adorable, the youngest of all the cousins and had just about everybody wrapped around her little finger. Especially my dad and I. Suckers, I know.

I carried her on my back all the way down the stairs and switched on her favorite Muggle cartoon and announced I would get out bowls of cereal. A proper way to spend a Sunday morning.

After grabbing two bowls of Lil's favorite, Lucky Charms, we plopped on the couch. Lily snuggled up in my lap and we devoured our cereal as we cracked up to the adventures of Tom and Jerry on the screen.

Before I knew it, Jamie and Al had paraded down the stairs, too.

"Hey, we wanna watch!"

They piled up on the couch next to me and Lily, who was enthralled by the shenanigans of cat and mouse. After around two episodes and poking and prodding from my favorite little siblings, my mum woke up.

"Aw, look at all my babies getting along so well!" she said, smiling in the entrance to the living room.

I grinned. "Don't let the façade fool you. Jamie has been running around like a madman all morning."

As if for proof, James was bouncing on the couch laughingly. "Hey, Teddy! Brother's honor- you can't tell mum when I break a rule!" I grabbed him and started tickling.

Mum laughed and walked over to us all, kissing each of our heads. "Thanks for getting up with the littles, Ted."

Albus frowned. "I'm not little, Mummy."

She ruffled his hair playfully. "Oh right, I keep forgetting how big you are. Force of habit."

"Really, Mum, you should be thanking Lil for getting me up. She was the one who dragged me out of bed. Quite literally, I might add." I poked Lily in the side and was met with a squeal.

"Daddy told me to wake you up, silly head!"

I laughed and then turned back to my mother. "Your husband forced Lily to wake me up early in the name of sleeping in."

She rolled her eyes as she set a kettle on the stove. "Your father certainly had fair reason to do so, from what I hear."

I popped Lily off my lap and strode into the kitchen. "I still should be allowed to sleep!"

"Someone who stays out until 2 in the morning does not necessarily get the privilege of sleeping in," she said stonily.

I slouched. "Dad already told you about last night?"

"Your father and I tell each other everything. You know that, sweetie."

"You people are crazy," I muttered under my breath.

Mum somehow heard and swatted the back of my head, playfully. "Crazy was what your little stunt was last night,"

Albus was now walking into the kitchen, rubbing his eyes. He was a lot gentler and calmer than Jamie, thus making him take the longest to fully wake up in the morning. "What happened last night?"

I crossed my arms. "Nothing."

Jamie quickly followed Al in. "Teddy snuck out and went to a concert. Then him and Victoire came back and Dad yelled at 'em!"

"Huh? How'd you know that?" I sputtered. James was too good at knowing what was happening all around the house. He was sneaky and going to be excellent for making mischief at Hogwarts one day, but I didn't particularly love his stealth trait when he constantly used it for invading my privacy.

"You were supposed to be in bed at that time, not eavesdropping, little mister," Mum chastised.

Jamie shrugged innocently. "Teddy wasn't in bed either."

"And Teddy's in quite a lot of trouble for that, isn't he?" countered my dad, who had just woken up and walked into the kitchen, pouring a mug of coffee. "Good morning, love." he murmured to my mother, who responded promptly by leaning in for a long kiss.

I turned to my brothers and feigned gagging, our parents had never been shy in showing their affection for each other. Al and Jamie covered their mouths to hide laughter.

"You boys won't be laughing so much when you find a pretty girl," said Mum, arm around my father.

Albus made a face. "Girls aren't any fun."

"Yeah. The only good one is you, Mum," added Jamie.

Mum laughed. "Flattery won't get you out of putting your cereal bowl away, James Potter."

"Aw," Jamie slouched. "Well, I guess there aren't any good girls."

Lily suddenly stomped in the conversation. "What about me?" she exclaimed.

I chuckled and picked her up. "You're the best there is."

Lily smiled gleefully, and turned to my dad. "Daddy, see? Teddy's the bestest boy, don't be mad at him!"

My father smiled and placed a kiss on Lily's forehead. "Teddy is the bestest boy, isn't he?"

I grinned and sat my little sister down. "Lily does make a great point, Dad."

"Ah, but you're still in trouble, little man. In fact, I think it's best you head up to the study so we can discuss your punishment properly."

"Aw, Dad," I groaned. I was holding onto the hope my parents would somehow cease to remember the events of last night.

But my father gave me a pointed look as he opened the Daily Prophet. "I'm not really giving you a choice, unfortunately."

I weighed my options of arguing back, but the trouble that would bring negotiated listening would be a lot easier. I turned and clumped up the stairs to the office.

Dad's study was a cool place. It had its own exclusive chimney that was connected to the Floo Network, since he was constantly out going to the Ministry of Magic and such. The large mahogany desk lying in the light of the window was covered in various moving pictures of our family, his Hogwarts days, and even old photos of those who died in the 2 Wizarding Wars. I especially liked all the magical knickknacks he collected on the shelves. They were an interesting combination of cauldrons and quills, cards and trinkets that were gathered over the years. My favorite piece to look at was a cool cauldron bubbling with a substance hovering between liquid and gas. Admiring it from above, I wondered what the shimmering item could possibly be.

Lost in thought, I nearly didn't notice the door swing open.

"I see you're looking at my Pensieve."

I whirred around. "Yeah, is that what this is? I've always wondered what it could be."

My dad stepped up behind me, procuring his wand and stirring into the ethereal mixture. "It's a magical object that has the ability to store memories. I've hardly ever used it, but one of my favorite professors years ago left it in my possession. Bit of a surprise, really."

"I like it a lot."

"Me too. It's a nifty little object. Some time or another, I have a few memories in it I'd like to show you."

My heart rose significantly. Memories he would show me would probably have to do with my parents and others who have paved my life.

"Unfortunately, now is not the time for that," said Dad, his voice growing sterner. He made his way to his desk and leaned onto the chest of drawers. I shifted my gaze down and sunk into the plush chair opposite him.

I had done a lot of reflecting on the catastrophe that entailed last night, and decided it was best to be upfront. I took a deep breath. "Before you ground me or whatever, can I at least say something?"

My dad glanced upwards; a bit taken aback at my words. Normally if I found myself in a similar position, I was happy listening to his words, then protesting when punishment rudely sauntered into the conversation. Harry Potter, prepared as ever, quickly answered. "Of course, son. You know that."

I met the man's gaze confidently, not one to shy away. "I'm really sorry. About everything. I knew if I was caught you and mum would be angry, but I did it anyway. I knew that arguing with you would never work out, and I'd probably just get in trouble, so sneaking out just seemed like a way to avoid that."

"Even though you knew lying and traipsing around secretively would put you in a spot that felt about a million times worse?"

I shrugged. "I wanted to take my chances, I guess."

Dad chuckled, but quickly regained composure, sliding into the seat across from me. "Let me ask you something, Ted. Say you were successful, managed to go to the concert, trek all across London with Victoire, and sidle back home- would you honestly feel happy? Would you be proud you managed to fool your parents for a few hours of personal pleasure?"

Ah. Dad had a way with words that twisted my insides into feeling like I was just about the world's shittiest son. I didn't want to hurt my parents. I knew if things had worked out, the guilt would have eaten me right up. "Of course I wouldn't be proud, Dad. It would be a sucky feeling, but at least I would have had my fun!"

He picked up a quill, and examined it purposefully, humming at my words. "See, Teddy, I know you. I know you more than I think you are aware of. I'm your father and I've watched you grow up, raised you into the man you're becoming. If you weren't caught last night, your guilty conscious would take over."

"Probably would still feel a hell of a lot better than right now," I muttered, huffing.

"Language," Dad chided. "You might think that now, but I can promise a clear conscious through honesty is always the better choice. I know from experience."

I grinned at the last words, seizing the opportunity for a change in subject. "What kind of experiences?"

Apparently, my eagerness showed, and Dad laughed. "Don't try to change the subject just yet, little man. We still gotta talk about consequences."

Groaning, I fell into the slouch of my seat. "Let me guess- I'm grounded?"

"Next two weeks. No broom, no friends, no magic. Chores. Fair?"

I bolted up to the chance to plead my case. "Not fair at all! How do you expect me to make the Quidditch team if I can't practice flying? I need my broom for that."

He shook his head. "You've been on the team since you were a second year and your skill as a player has only improved since. I doubt your position is in any danger at all. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if you make Gryffindor Quidditch captain."

"I'm going to be bored out of my mind, Dad! I mean two weeks- is that really necessary?"

Dad smirked. "Was coming home near 3:30 in the early hours of the morning really necessary?"

I scowled. He had me there. "No sir. But I'll be bored out of my mind by Tuesday, not even half a week in!" I quickly counted on my fingers. "By the time my grounding blows over, there will only be one proper week of summer left."

He threw his hands back in a what-can-I-say manner. "I hate to sound like such a cliché, but you brought this on yourself, Teddy." Dad's emerald eyes softened a bit in sympathy at the sadness in my face. "Of course, if you are truly bored, you can always come into the Auror office with me and help sort files. Miss Tabitha always needs help with that, and paper work is a pain in the arse, anyway."

I scrunched my nose in. "All Miss Tabitha can talk about are cats. Cats, cats, cats. I hate cats."

Dad chortled and spoke softly, leaning in. "Don't stand too close to her if you do come, then, she smells strongly of catnip."

I tried to disguise my laugh with a glare, to no avail. "Believe me, I know."

The man sighed heavily and stood up, running a lazy hand through his forever jet black hair. "I'd appreciate if you'd go and help your mother bake a dish for tonight's Weasley dinner while I send a couple owls. Consider that the first of your long list of chores."

I sat up, suddenly excited. "I can still go to Sunday dinner?!" Sunday dinner was my favorite. The entirety of the huge Weasley family- cousins, aunts, uncles, and sometimes friends- all went over to the Burrow for an absolutely delicious meal made lovingly by Grandmum Molly. It was practically a weekly feast, not to mention the best time for me to entertain my little cousins and siblings. I'll admit, it was a fun bunch when us grandkids got together, even if the babies were a bit annoying at times. There's thirteen of us total- my personal go-to being Victoire at these events. She enjoyed the privilege of being my female co-ringleader of the lot. She was also the reason I thought my father wouldn't permit me to go to Sunday dinner, but maybe he overlooked the fact she was my best friend.

Dad furrowed his brows at my words. "Why wouldn't you be allowed to go to Sunday dinner? Your grandmother would hang me by my toenails if I didn't bring you along."

"I assumed I couldn't because I'm apparently grounded." I then deepened my voice significantly and took on an authoritative stance. "'No broom, no friends, no magic.' Your words."

"Yes, and that stands. But no family time with your cousins did not make the list. In fact, I expect you to go," answered Dad, while he pulled out various pieces of parchment, intent on finishing the last of his never-ending work.

"Alright, then! I'll get to see Vic after all!"

My dad suddenly turned his attention off his work, confused, and started opening his mouth to question my apparently intriguing words.

But it was too late- I jumped up, quickly shut the door, and ran off to go assist my mother, instead.

Baking with Ginny Potter was normally quite the affair. My grandmum was known as the flamboyant, brilliant cook of the family, but she had also bonded with her daughter in the kitchen as the girl grew up. Therefore, my mother happened to be quite the chef herself. After years of being married to my dad, she had managed to perfect his favorite- a treacle tart recipe. The flavor even exceeded Grandmum's. Impressive, I know. It just so happened to be the dish she was bringing to Sunday dinner tonight, and I, who was absolute garbage when making anything more complicated than toast, was recruited for dish duty. Bit stupid, of course, when you consider Mum was a talented witch who could easily wash dirty plates with a simple spell, but then again, I was the grounded one.

"Mum, aren't you close to finished? I feel like I've been scrubbing this thing for an hour and still can't get the edges clean," I complained, struggling with a pan for homemade breadcrumbs.

She blew a wisp of ruby hair out of her face and continued whisking a mixture vigorously. "Nearly done. It would be a lot faster if I could perfect that damn stirring charm Mum does."

Tossing the pan back into the sink, I quickly dipped my finger into the bowl for a taste. The sweet concoction dissolved onto my tongue. "Absolutely amazing." I went in for another dip, but she quickly swatted my hand away, laughing.

"I don't think so, mister. This needs to be perfect for dessert tonight."

"Even if it's not, I'm sure Grandmum will have about a billion other sweets to eat. You know how she is."

Pouring the filling into a pie crust, she snorted. "I certainly do know. Even so, I'd like this to be nice. Your father loves it, anyhow."

"You always make nice stuff," I said, slithering my hand around her turned back to reach for another taste of.

"Well, thank you, honey. But-" she paused. "Teddy Lupin-Potter! Get your hands away from my tart!" she scolded, snatching the pan and shuffling it across the room.

I dissolved into laughter. "Sorry, Mum! It's just too good."

She rolled her eyes as she placed it carefully in the oven. "You're too busy sneaking samples than washing the dishes for my taste."

I propped myself up onto the counter. "I don't see why you can't just do them with magic."

Her look became stern. "You are grounded. And not using magic builds character. Besides, you've done them about a hundred times before without any complaints."

"Yeah, but that was before I was made to wash for punishment. You know, Victoire's mum and dad don't mind letting her do chores magically now that she knows some spells."

A look of interest flooded Mum's features. "Ah, so we're talking about Victoire, I see."

I jumped back down from the counter and tilted my head in confusion. "Huh? What about Victoire?"

She set her wand down and switched to a rag, wiping down the counter. "Did you have fun with her last night?"

"Yes, of course. I was with all my friends, though."

"Mmm, but you walked around London with just her. Just the pretty blonde witch. Was there any particular reason for this?"

I lifted my shoulders. "I dunno. She was the only one left."

My mum nodded, lifting her rag up from the counter and leaning onto the wall instead. "So it wouldn't have anything to do with the fact you wanted to spend some alone time with the young lady?"

I felt a blush flood my cheeks in comprehension. Dumbledore, how embarrassing! My own mother accusing me of liking her! Of course there was a chance I did, but she needn't know that. I immediately made a face.

"Mum, ew! Gross! Are you kidding? Victoire? She's my best friend!"

She covered her hand over her mouth, giggling. "I was only asking, Ted. There's no reason to get so defensive."

"Well, I don't like her like that," I shot back, a bit more aggressively than I intended.

"I never said you did, sweetie."

"Just making sure."

"Mmm, I see."

After that little imputation, I quickly resolved to finish the dishes as asked. The blush I had developed never left my face, though. Was even Mum picking up on the crush I had on Victoire? I had better start being more careful if I didn't want to reveal myself. Vic finding out I liked her in such a way was drama waiting to happen.

Apart from that, there were more prudent things to focus on. I needed to prepare myself for Sunday dinner- it would be my last chance to see Victoire for at least a week! I had to relish the little bit of time I had to spend with her while I still had the chance. It wasn't right to confess my feelings quite yet, but maybe I could at least determine if she felt even a fraction of the way I did. Either way, my butterflies were rapidly returning at the thought of seeing her again- I could hardly wait!

Author's Note: Thanks so much for reading! If you have any plot lines or ideas you'd like to see me write into the story, I'm totally open and will consider any suggestions that can be molded into the plot. So don't be afraid to request! The story line is still pretty flexible at this point, so let me know. And as always, I appreciate all reviews a ton.