In the summer leading up to Victoire's first year of school, for once, she spent all of it gushing about their future at Hogwarts. Feeling left out, she had rarely discussed it with him before, but now it was all they talked about. Of course he came shopping for school supplies with her, collecting books, clothes and a new broom for the pro who had helped him feel comfortable- he was exceedingly thankful for that as he was planning to try for the team this year, something he'd never have done without her influence. Bill left them to go catch up with some of his co-workers in Gringotts, and gave them a couple of sickles to get some ice cream. It was quite a choice; and they eventually decided on their top four and each got two scoops to share. Victoire dipped her spoon into the Bertie Bott's Bean flavour and held it up for him with a challenging look. "Naughty or nice?" But her eyes said a lot more. She brought it to his mouth, and he licked it off the spoon- a wonderful mix of marshmallow and bubblegum and chocolate frog melting in his mouth. She was staring not at his eyes, but the moving mouth. As he swallowed she leant in and pressed her lips against his, letting them both sample the ice cream. It was only a couple of seconds, but as his eyes shut he saw a million images flash behind them. He felt the pressure of her lips against his, the slightly awkward but perfectness of her elbow jabbing him. Now he understood why Abi Flint and Gemma Rookwood had looked so happy when he'd walked in on them kissing in the Transfiguration classroom. This was how life was meant to be spent. This was what love should feel like. This was why people wrote sonnets about it, why they sang songs, made feature length films! Victoire pulled back and laughed with a very un-Victoire awkwardness. "Sorry about that."
His eyes widened. "I-I loved it."
A smile bloomed in her face, more beautiful than a thousand pouting full-blooded Veelas. "I meant the poke."
He chuckled, and so did she. "Oh yeah. That was okay too."
A week later, after their parents had waved them off with more than a few pointed looks and delighted grins, they joined his friends on the Hogwarts Express. "Ted!" Said Abi, raising her eyebrows when she saw the new arrival.
"This is Victoire," he introduced her as they slid into their seats, incidentally opposite Marcus Flint's daughter. "My, uh-"
He trailed off, realising they'd never defined things. But Victoire looped her arm through his and leaned onto his shoulder, meaning he couldn't see her expression, but he saw Abi's shift. "Girlfriend."
The train ride was a little awkward, for reasons he didn't even understand. When Victoire went to the toilet to get changed- she failed to convince him to come wait for her outside the door- with a glance backwards at them, they aired their views. "Your girlfriend's a little clingy," said Scott, and the others nodded.
Teddy shook his head. "It's just new, y'know. We only kissed last week. And we've been family friends for years. It's an adjustment."
"It's weird," said Abi. "That's what it is."
"Guys," Teddy snapped. "Give Victoire a break. I know she seems unbreakably confident, but she's a First Year in a carriage with a bunch of Third Years."
"I'm sure she's lovely," said Danielle. "But isn't that part of the problem? Shouldn't she be making friends with her own year to adjust? Just like we did?"
He had to admit they had a point there, and when he saw her making her way back he left the compartment to say something similar to her. Of course, it didn't exactly work out as planned. "They don't like me?" Victoire asked anxiously.
"They like you fine," he reassured her. "But you can't hang out with us in your classes, so shouldn't you make friends for that?"
Victoire surveyed him with a disappointed look for a brief moment, and then the look was gone and she gave him a nod goodbye, turning to head down the train. He reached out a hand to pull her back, "Vicky-"
She took a long breath as he said the childhood nickname the babies in the family still called her. He hadn't meant to say it, and it seemed she didn't like him thinking of her as a child. "It's fine Teddy. You're right." She pulled her hand out of his and trooped away from him.
He gave her a little mournful wave as he climbed into a carriage with his friends and she sparkled back, by the Black Lake with the other First Years. She was clearly the centre of a large group of them, despite only going to make friends near the end of the train ride. Like her mother, she had the natural magnetism of a Veela, slightly diluted, but he was sure people would have gravitated to Victoire even if she had none of that blood.
Feeling tense as they sat in the Great Hall, he didn't say anything as conversation flew around him without his involvement. He kept his eyes on the double doors, until they finally opened and his girlfriend led the way to the front of the room. She was the last to be sorted in her year, and he was sure none of the others in the room would think she was anything but relaxed, maybe even arrogant. They didn't know her little tells: the slow winding of a tendril of lustrous blonde hair around her finger; the glances up to the ceiling which reflected the September sunset turning dark outside. When the hat was placed on her it took quite a lot longer than it had for him. He could practically see the tension in her facial muscles as she fought back against it; begging to put her with him. Her face relaxed slightly as she gave up, and he knew milliseconds before it was announced: Gryffindor.
After their classes the next day they had a couple of hours before dinner. It had been an Indian summer and the sun was still warm, even in Scotland. Teddy lay out his cloak for them to sit on by the side of the Black Lake, and let her sit first before he joined her. For a little while they chatted about her first impressions, which classes she'd enjoyed, the ones she had to come. Then she glanced across the grounds; he wasn't sure what she was looking for until she said, "so you must have worked out where all the secret passageways in the castle lead by now?" He gave her a perplexed expression, and she plucked a daisy from the ground, threading it through another one to make the start of a chain. Another activity she only did when she was nervous or uncomfortable. "This place is huge; and your godfather was the king of sneaking around it."
"I'm not Harry," he shrugged. "I find this place confusing enough as it is. I'm always misplacing my stuff, I don't need any more little nooks for that!"
She giggled a little, but continued to press. "I can't exactly walk down the hill to Hogsmeade with you. I'm sure there's one that leads down there. We could work it out together."
"Vic, that's not fair. Everyone has to wait until Third Year to go down there. It's a right of passage."
She set her lip. "But you'll be in Fifth Year by then! We're not in the same house now- don't you want to spend time together?" She shifted a little closer to him on the cloak. "We've been excited to be together here for years. Is that not what you want anymore?"
He exhaled. "Of course it is Vic, but these are the rules. They're there for a reason."
"But you'll be in Fifth Year by the time I can join you," she said. "We'll have lost two years of Hogsmeade dates." She surveyed him. "Unless you want to spend them with someone else." He looked at her disbelieving. "That girl who sat opposite us on the train was gorgeous. And looking at you."
"She's my friend!" He cried. "And a lesbian." At that, Victoire seemed to realise she'd made a mistake and opened her mouth to say something, maybe to apologise; but he didn't let her. He stood up, looking down at her as he said, "you're not mature enough for Hogsmeade, and I don't think you're mature enough for this relationship either." Her lip quivered, but she stood up as well, still shorter than him, but much closer than she'd been sitting down. She pulled the cloak off the ground and passed it to him, then turned without a word and marched back up to the castle.
Teddy felt guilty almost as soon as the words left his mouth, and he tried to apologise to Victoire several times but she turned and went the other way whenever she saw him.
A couple of weeks passed, until he was walking down to the common room one evening and a house elf apprehended him. "This way Teddy Lupin!" He pointed a finger at himself in confusion, and the elf nodded animatedly, running into the kitchen. Teddy followed at a slower pace, still feeling a little like a rule-breaker. It was dark in the kitchen, lit by candles. There were a crowd of elves whispering, but they all fell silent and dispersed when he entered, revealing Victoire with a small smile. He walked up to her, his mouth shaped like an O, and she gestured to a seat at a little table for two with a tablecloth spread on it, inviting him to take a seat. "You know," Teddy started to say. "I didn't mean for you... you are mature Vic. You've been nineteen since you were a newborn."
She handed him a plate of food and sat down opposite him. "No, I have been immature. But this is a gesture, not the whole change." She sighed. "I want to be with you Ted, but I think we should stay friends for a little while, until we're ready."
She was the only one for him, but he'd wait. This was a good idea. "That's really mature Vic. I'm proud of you."
She smiled back. "Thank you. Do you like the pasta?"
He could tell she'd done it herself, without, or with minimal help, from the elves, and it wasn't the best cuisine he'd ever tasted, but he said it was anyway, glad she'd tried so hard.