A.N. These are moments in time (out of order) centered around Teddy and Victoire, one of my favorite HP couples. Rated T, although there is an IMPLIED moment, although it's not that graphic. At least I don't think so. If you don't wanna take the chance, skip the SEVENTH (7th!) section. The sections are broken up for easy counting. :D
So I don't know how important this is to anyone (if anyone even reads this, but I know I like to have the ages of the Next Generation in mind when I'm reading others stories about them. So here is my interpretation of the ages on the day that James Sirius so rudely interrupted that Platform 9 3/4 kiss :)
Teddy - 19; Victoire - 17; Dominique - 16; Molly - 16; Louis - 14; Lucy - 14; Roxanne - 14; Fred - 12; James - 12; Rose - 11; Albus - 11; Hugo - 9; Lily - 9.
Victoire clung tighter to her father and pressed her face deeper into his shirt. She was absolutely terrified, no matter how loudly and frequently she had commented on her excitement to go to Hogwarts all summer.
"Honey, I promise, you will have a great time," Bill whispered to his eldest daughter while his wife attempted to calm Louis and Dominique down. "You're going to learn a lot and come back for Christmas and wow me with all of your new knowledge."
Victoire sniffed as a solitary tear ran down her cheek. "But everyone I know is staying home," she whispered. That was what hurt the most; her entire family got to stay together while she was sent away.
Bill wiped her cheek lightly with his thumb. "Now you know that's not true. Teddy is going to be there. And he's already been at Hogwarts for two years, so he can show you everything that you'll need to know."
Victoire brightened slightly at the prospect of having Teddy with her. "What if I don't get into Gryffindor?" she asked, her spirits darkening once more at the fear that her family would hate her if she was sorted into any house but the one of red and gold.
Fleur overheard her daughter's whispered question over the chatter of the families on Platform 9 3/4.
"Bah," she exclaimed, tossing her silvery mane behind her. "That is not important. Victorie, we will love 'ou no matter where 'ou are sorted."
Bill nodded. "Oh look! Here he comes!"
Victoire spun around and spotted a flash of bright turquoise through the steam of the train and the crowd of people. Her face stretched into a grin. "Teddy!"
Teddy Lupin came to a stop as he reached the family of five. "Hi Victoire! Ready to get on the train?"
Victoire looked at the ground, nerves once again taking over. "I-" she started, before a hand slipped into hers. She glanced up to see Teddy staring into her eyes.
"Don't worry. I'll take care of you." As he said this, he gave her hand a slight squeeze.
Victoire felt her worry wash away. How could she feel anything but safe with Teddy, her best friend for as long as she could remember? "Ok. Bye Mama! Bye Papa!" She hugged each member of her family, and then allowed Teddy to lead her to her future.
Victoire huffed in annoyance. She had come to the library to finish her Potions essay in peace without the loudness of the common room distracting her. Of course, with her crappy luck, that meant that someone would inevitably find her and prevent her from finishing her work. In the past 10 minutes, she had had to console Dominique about a boy she liked, tell Lucy where to find her headband she wanted to borrow, and warn Louis, Roxy, and Lucy who were sitting a row over to stop making so much noise or she would hex them into next week.
Couldn't a girl find some quiet? After all, OWLs were next year, and she needed to be ready.
Finally, when it seemed as though everything had calmed down, Victoire pulls out a fresh sheet of parchment to continue writing. She had only managed a sentence and a half when suddenly, two hands cover her eyes. She shrieked and the ink well spilled onto the parchment.
Furious, she whirled around to find out who had caused the destruction of her essay. Snorting with laughter before her stood Theodore Lupin.
"Lupin!" she yelled, resorting to his surname in anger. "That's my bloody essay you ruined!"
Teddy gripped his sides as he continued to shake with mirth. "Man, Victoire, that was some scream!"
Victoire felt a smile threatening at the corners of her mouth, and stubbornly tried to keep an enraged expression on her face. "You better write this over for me!"
Teddy's chuckles subsided and he rolled his eyes. "Oh please. You only wrote a few words on that piece. You're fine." He grabbed her hand and tugged her to her feet. "C'mon. It's so pretty outside and you're wasting it in the library."
Victoire tried to pull away from him, albeit with little effort. "But, I really need to write this. You can go hang out with your other friends."
Teddy laughed. "Nah, you know I don't have any friends." Victoire snorted; he was the most outgoing and popular guy in the school. "Besides, we haven't gotten to spend that much time together recently. Please?"
Victoire sighed before beginning to put her stuff away. "Fine. Just this ONE time."
Teddy let out a cheer before he was shushed by multiple students. "Oh, bugger off," he muttered under his breath as they exited the library. "They're just upset that they're wasting away in a coffin of books..."
Victoire punched him lightly. "Hey. That was me in there."
Teddy grinned as he took her books from her and slung her bag over his shoulders. "Yeah, I know. I came to save you from a horrible and painful death."
"My hero," Victoire replied sarcastically, laughing as he pulled her through the doors and into the beautiful sunlight.
The tears dripped slowly from her eyes and onto the patch of wildflowers she was sitting in. Her toy broom lay next to her as she cradled her knee where the skin had been scraped away and blood slowly oozed from.
"Vic?" a voice called out. "Hey, where did you go?"
"Go away!"
Teddy appeared from around the Burrow. She could hear the voices of the adults talking and laughing as the mingled at the Sunday get together that Grandpa and Grandma Weasley loved to host. Victoire turned her head away from him in shame. The 7 year old Metamorphmagus ran quickly to his friend's side when he realized she was hurt and upset.
"What happened?" he asked as he knelt by her side and put an arm around her shoulders.
Victoire didn't answer for a minute. "I fell off my broom," she finally whispered. "Daddy and Uncle Charlie and Uncle Ron and Uncle George and Uncle Harry all can ride a broom. Aunt Ginny plays Quidditch with her team. But I can't even ride my broom." Fresh tears welled in her eyes as she thought about her family shunning her for her inability to do something that they all could.
Teddy tightened his grip on her. "Hey, don't worry! Everyone loves you no matter what you can or can't do." Teddy searched for the right words to make her feel better. "I can't speak French," he finally said. "But you can! See?"
Victoire stayed silent for a moment, before deciding that Teddy was right. Maybe it was okay that she couldn't ride a broom as well as her Aunt. "Yeah."
Teddy got to his feet and brushed the stray bits of grass from his pants. He snatched her broom up in one hand and held out the other for Victoire. "C'mon! I think Grandma Weasley is gonna bring out cake!"
Victoire grinned and took his hand. Teddy began running, pulling his best friend right behind him.
Victoire fidgeted as she stood in line with the rest of the first years. Her heartbeat pounded in her ears and her limbs quivered beneath the heavy regulation cloak.
"Wallace, Joshua!"
She clenched her fists as another bout of anxiety washed over her. There were only a few of them still standing in front of the entire school, and she knew it was her turn soon.
"Weasley, Victoire!"
Several whispers permeated the Great Hall before silence fell once more. With trembling steps, she made her way to the stool. As the Sorting Hat was placed upon her head, the last thing she saw before the wide brim covered her eyes was Teddy beaming up at her from his table below.
"Hmm," the hat muttered in her ear. "It's been awhile since I last saw a Weasley..."
Victoire wasn't sure if she should talk back or not. Eventually, she decided to take the risk and speak to him, albeit in her mind.
"Um..Mr. Hat? I don't know how much this matters, but I've decided that anywhere you sort me is good. My family will love me no matter what and I know I'll do my best no matter what house I'm in."
The hat seemed to chuckle slightly in response. "Spoken like a true GRYFFINDOR!"
The table clad in red and gold erupted into applause. Victoire grinned widely as the hat was taken from her head. She stood up and tried not to run over to the table. Teddy, however, had other plans.
The third year, despite the scowls that some teachers gave him for his disobedience, left his seat at the Gryffindor table and ran to his friend. She laughed as he excitedly intertwined his hand with hers, and pulled her to her new home.
"What exactly is your problem?"
Victoire was absolutely furious. Never mind that her shimmery blonde hair had fallen out of twists and turns she had worked for hours on. Never mind that the makeup she had applied so artistically was smeared and ruined. She was over the top infuriated with the boy in front of her.
Teddy stared back defiantly into her face. He calmly took in her enraged expression and stance, hands on hips. "He was an absolute pig. I was simply doing you a favor."
Victoire brushed a strand of hair away from her face subconsciously, huffing in annoyance. "I didn't ask for any favors, Theodore!" she sneered. "All I wanted was to have a fun time at the dance! Lucas asked me to go as his date, and you had to scare him off! I thought you were better than that!"
"He only liked you for your looks!" Teddy yelled back, his cool demeanor slowly disappearing.
Victoire stepped back as if she had been hit. This whole time she had been concentrating on keeping the tears from spilling, but his comment had hurt her in a whole new way. "That's not true..." she whispered.
Teddy realized the second after he said the words how much they would hurt. "Oh Vic...no... I didn't mean it..."
Victoire shook her head, the tears flowing freely now. "No...you did. And you're right." She glanced up at him, her azure eyes shimmering behind the tears. "Nobody ever like me for...me," she whispered. Victoire turned to leave, to just get away from him and from everything, before a hand reached out to grab ahold of hers.
"That's not true."
And Victoire found herself pulled forward until his lips met hers in a kiss. A kiss that she hadn't even know she had been waiting for.
Victoire lay on her stomach, Charms book open in front of her. Her interest with the text soon evaporated, and she rolled over onto her back to bask in the warm summer sun. The waves just a few feet away were the perfect soundtrack as she closed her eyes and lay comfortably in the sand. If she listened hard enough, she could hear her father playing his favorite music at her home, Shell Cottage.
Everything was perfect. Until a shadow crossed her face.
Victoire sat up quickly, nerves racing, before she realized it was only Teddy. "Teddy! What're you doing here?"
Teddy shrugged and sat down across from her. He lounged back, resting his weight on his arms as he replied. "Eh, nothing much. Just came to see my best friend." Victoire smiled and laid back down. "What're you reading?"
"Charms. I've got to get ready for next year."
Teddy gasped in horror and revulsion. "Homework? Over summer? That's absolutely ridiculous!"
Victoire grinned. "Just because some of us care about our studies Teddy..."
"Studies? You're only going to be a second year! You have plenty of time before you actually need to worry! Hell, I'm not even worried yet."
"Yes, well, I do think you might want to start..."
Teddy groaned. "Don't start with the preaching. Grandma Andy does it all the time." He stood quickly while pulling her up to standing height as well. "C'mon, you need a break. A long and fun break."
Victoire screamed as he picked her up and tossed her over his shoulder. "Teddy, put me down!"
"Never!" he yelled loudly in response, running for the waves, too excited to let her walk by herself. The pair of them fell into the water, laughing until they ran out of breath.
"Oh god..." he gasped breathlessly as her small hands rushed to strip his jacket from him. "Victoire, I -"
"Shh..." she whispered, the pads of her fingers lightly tracing the contours of his chest. "Leave the talking for later."
Indeed, that is what they did. The pair lay intertwined with the sheets, naked, her head on his chest and his hand slowly stoking her back.
"You know Vic, I kinda feel like a criminal for doing this."
She lazily punched him in the arm. "It's not that big of a deal," she sighed sleepily. "I mean, 16 and 18? Not that much difference..."
Teddy snorted. "Yeah, let's try telling that to your dad."
Victoire lay quiet for a moment. "Well... he doesn't have to know quite yet."
"Nobody knows quite yet."
"Yes. And we agreed that's for the best," she replied, snuggling her face deeper in his neck. She felt him shift from her movements.
"You know..." she started, layering her voice with lust. "I don't have to be back from Hogsmeade for another couple of hours." Victoire sat up and looked at him, the sheet falling away from her body as he did so.
Teddy's swallow was audible.
"So...I was thinking," she continued, a coy smile growing on her face. "Maybe we could get a little more use out of this room."
Teddy stared in blank shock for a moment. Suddenly he groaned, reaching out to grab her waist.
"I'm going to hell for this," he muttered with a small smile, and Victoire laughed as once more he pulled her body to his.
"Vic, you look stunning!"
"Seriously, this is like a magical fairytale!"
"I'm sooooo jealous!"
Victoire couldn't help but beam as her sister and female cousins surrounded her, chattering excitedly about how amazing the ceremony was.
"And when you two said your vows! Oh my goodness, I thought I was going to cry."
"You know, I saw this coming YEARS before they finally did something!"
Victoire felt a tap on her shoulder. The girls around her fell silent as she turned and saw her new husband standing in front of her, the brightest smile she had ever seen adorning his face.
"May I have this dance, Mrs. Lupin?"
Lucy and Lily squealed. Victoire simple had no words to say as she took hold of his hand and allowed herself to be pulled onto the dance floor.
After the first song was over and other couples began to take to the floor, Victoire laid her head against his chest as a feeling of pure contentment flooded through her. "I love you."
The arms around her tightened as Teddy brushed his lips oh-so lightly across her cheek. "Love you Victoire. Forever and always."
Victoire gazed at the tea cup that was placed on the table in front of her. She was slumped into a chair, her posture completely atrocious and her hair frizzing out of it's previously neat bun. But she couldn't find it in herself to care.
"Vic! I'm home!" Teddy's voice called out as he entered the flat. She barely noticed the noise and continued to stare blankly at the china.
"Vic?"
Teddy walked into the highly alarming scene of his wife of two months sitting almost comatose. Victoire was snapped from the stupor as he shook her shoulder gently, and blinked in surprise when she saw who it was.
"Oh."
"Victoire? What's going on? Are you hurt? Sick? Do I need to get you to the hospital? Please tell me." Teddy fretted, picking her up from the chair and taking her to the couch. He laid her on the cushions while taking in her paler than usual skin and trembling fingers.
Victoire kept her eyes and face turned away from him. She couldn't bear to see his face when he found out. Victoire hadn't felt this afraid since she was sorted. She hadn't had this much anxiety spreading through her veins since she took both her OWLs and her NEWTs.
"I'm pregnant."
The moment she uttered the words, she longed to take them back. How could she have just told him like that? He would freak and run away, never to come back. How could he love her, being the amazing and most beautiful person that he is? She was doomed to a life of loneliness.
"Are you serious?"
Victoire couldn't quite place the tone of his voice, except that it didn't seem disgusted or horrified. Taking a deep breath, she looked up into his face.
Pure wonder was spreading across his features. His eyes, once wide with shock, were now filling with joy.
"Vic! You're pregnant? We're gonna have a baby?"
In that moment, she realized how stupid she had been acting for the past few hours. Teddy loved her. It didn't matter that they were young and poor and inexperienced. They had each other.
She laughed as he began dancing and jumping around the tiny space, hollering at the top of his lungs. "I'm gonna be a dad! I'm gonna be a dad! We're having a baby!"
Suddenly, he stopped and knelt close to her on the couch. "Victoire," he breathed, gently cradling his face between her hands. She knew there were no words left to be said. This time, she placed her arms around her neck, and pulled him close for a kiss.
Teddy was bored. When Grandma Andy told him he was spending the day with Harry and Ginny, he had assumed that that meant the day was going to be the best day ever. After all, everyday with Harry was the best day ever.
The toddler didn't quite have the vocabulary to adequately express just how bored he was, but he was pretty sure a tantrum would work just fine. After all, he had been forced to sit in these uncomfortable chairs for at least a bajillion years by now (an hour and a half) in this building that didn't have anything fun to do. Just a bunch of adults walking around in weird pajama clothes with papers.
The only good thing was that Harry was forced to be here too. At least Teddy wasn't the only one that had to sit forever with nothing to entertain him.
"Harry," Teddy whined. "Noooo..."
Harry smoothed his hair fondly. "Hey buddy, just a little longer, okay?"
Ginny who sat on Harry's other side reached across to pat his leg as the rest of the Weasley brothers who sat across from him smiled to try and make him feel better. At least, most of the Weasley brothers. The one with the face that was kind of scary wasn't here...
"It's a girl!"
Well, what do you know. There was the scary one. Uncle Bill, Grandma Andy called him. Teddy watched as the adults stood up to hug him and say things like "Congratulations!" and "Oh my goodness, a girl!"
"Come in and meet her," the scary one told them all, and Teddy was lifted into Harry's arms and carried into a room. He glanced around, wondering if there was anything here exciting, but all he saw was a bed with Aunt Flurr lying in it. She seemed to be holding a bunch of blankets, but Teddy was unimpressed.
"Teddy, do 'ou want to meet ze baby?"
Teddy stared blankly at her. Harry chuckled slightly and walked him closer to the bed. Aunt Flurr patted the space next to her, and Harry sat him down on the bed. "Hey, say hi to Victoire, okay?"
Aunt Flurr carefully transferred the pile of blankets onto Teddy's lap while still supporting the majority of the weight. "Zis is Victoire. I theenk ze two of 'ou are going to be ze best of friends."
Teddy gazed into the face of the infant. He took in the blonde tendrils and miniature fingernails. Someone murmured something about a wedding, but Teddy didn't even register the voice. Suddenly, the baby's eyes opened and hazel met blue. Instinctively, Teddy pulled the baby infinitesimally closer, wishing to hear her heartbeat next to his.
