Chapter 3

A /N: So sorry about the long wait. However, it was simply because this chapter gave me a lot of trouble but the next few will come out pretty quickly.

Victoire POV

Dear Vicky,

You're probably better at this letter-writing stuff than I am so... Well we all miss and we hope all your classes are going well and that you're ok. I hear that there was the first Quidditch game of the season yesterday? Here, everyone misses you. Especially me. Charlie just arrived from Romania yesterday and he brought a new mission. He's supposed to try to make the mini dragon things become legal. They're pretty cute.
Love,

Teddy

PS: The Daily Prophet subscription is a gift from your dad!

I look up from my letter to see Crystal and Argent giggling. Except, this time it isn't because of my letter. Erik Packer, a very good-looking Head Boy, was heading their way. He sits next to me and says "Hello."

"Hi?" I reply.

"Hey, I was wondering if you would come with me next Hogsmeade weekend. We could go wherever you want."

I'm trying desperately to think of something to say. "Oh, um, thanks but I'm already going withAbby. Thanks anyway!" I say a little too brightly.

"That's alright. Next time, maybe?" Erik looks so hopeful it hurt.

I stand. "Well, I need to go to the library and study for NEWTs, then."

"I can study with you. I could help!"

I try to sigh as unnoticeably as possible but Abby catches it. She stands up and steps straight in front of Erik. She's at least 25 centimetres shorter but Erik still looks pretty intimidated. I wonder what she gets up to during those prefect meetings...

"Listen, Packer, Vicky doesn't want to go out with you! Get that into your horribly hairy head soon or you will grow old ALONE!" Abby shouts, "You're a pretty good-looking guy and I bet a ton of girls would love to go to Hogsmeade with you so don't bother someone who evidently doesn't want to go?!"

The Great Hall is silent for a minute. I look up at the teacher's table to see Dumbledore laughing hard.

"OK!" Erik squeaks. Then, regaining his usual confidence, he turns to Crystal and asks "You fancy going to Hogsmeade with me then?"

Crystal looks him up and down. "What would that involve?"

"I don't know," Erik says and flashes his most dazzling smile. "Whatever you like. Butterbeer, Zonko's, maybe."

Crystal grins, tosses her dark hair and nods. "Well, alright. See you, then!" She gets up and walks away with Maggie from the Gryffindor table, leaving Abby and I bewildered. There is a tense silence. It was broken by Abby who folds her arms, picks up her bag and says "We'll be late if we don't hurry."

I join her as she strides out of the Great Hall. Their first class is Transfiguration with Professor Bones and as they lined up, I ask "So, what are you going to do during Hogsmeade weekend?"

"I don't know," she whispers back, "Probably just reload on supplies and get some butterbeer with the usual lot. You know: you, Ellen, Argent, Lorcan and Lysander, and maybe Paige. Do you want to come?"

"Teddy's been talking about interviewing Hagrid for the zoology column. I was going to write to him to ask if we could meet up at Hogsmeade. We could join you if you want."

"No way!" grinned Abby, "You two need to catch up!"

Teddy POV

"...'collect the lacewing flies used in them Potions classes in a marsh 'bout a mile away. 'orrible experience! They get stuck up me nose. Yet some'ow, my 'eart still sighs when I pluck their wings out o' their backs. Interestin' fact: they're one of the few Muggle creatures I teach-"

"Sorry, Hagrid, but my Quick-Quotes-Quill is going to run out of paper in a minute," I interrupt Hagrid. He's been talking about various animals for over an hour. He's my friend, but I have a date with Victoire in half an hour! "But thanks, I can probably use this for at least two or three columns."

"And where are yeh rushin' to on a fine Saturday like this 'un?"

I don't look into his eyes as I stuff the drawings, notes, and dung samples into my bag. I mumble, "It's a Hogsmeade visiting day. I have a date...with Victoire."

Hagrid chokes on his cold tea. He smiles warmly and chuckles. "Well, tell Victoire ''ello' fer me and, um, 'ave a nice time."

"Thanks, Hagrid. Bye, then."

Everything's perfect. I'm standing outside of The Three Broomsticks with a bouquet of Victoire's favourite flowers, irises. I also happen to be a few minutes early. I watch as, slowly, groups of students started filling the small village. I notice that many of the girls wearing Ravenclaw ties and scarves giggle as they pass me. I wince as Victoire's group of girlfriends grinned widely as they saw me. Awkwardly, Victoire walks toward me, kisses me on the cheek to thank me for the flowers, which I hand her.

"It's been so long!" she smiles, kissing me on the lips this time and ignoring the background "oohs".

"I thought of you every day." She kisses me again. "More often than that. Every hour." (Another kiss) "Every minute, definitely."

Vicky smiles, eyes shining. "Let's go inside."

A few minutes later, two cups of Rosmerta's finest butter beer sits in front of us. Victoire is snuggled next to me, playing with my hair. We sit in almost perfect silence, occasionally snogging or waving at old school mates. Finally, I break the silence. "How's school?"

Vicky winces. "I've officially been classified as one of the most popular girls in year 7, I've had, um, three date offers,"- at this, I raised my eyebrows- "and I'm really not doing very well in school at all."

"Oh," I reply, "What's going on?"

Victoire hesitates for a very long time. "It doesn't seem fair to make fifth years decide on their future. My friend Argent, who's a muggleborn, told me about how in the Muggle world, eighteen-year-olds go on to school to study specific subjects and that many don't even have any idea of what they want to do later on. And there are so many different jobs to do there. Here you can write, you can teach, you can sell things or you can work for government. And, now, I don't know what I want to do." Her hand is on her temple now and her brow is furrowed in worry.

"I thought you wanted to be the next Beedle the Bard or Gilderoy Lockhart. Isn't that what you said to Professor Clearwater last year?" Right now, I feel very confused. Vicky has never been the indecisive type.

"Yes, well, I told you what Clearwater thought of that idea. And she's right! It's not realistic!" She takes a big gulp of the butterbeer sitting in front of her. "But what about you? I promise I've been faithfully reading your columns every morning."

The same strained expression I saw on Victoire's face a few moments earlier appears on mine.

"OK, I might have skived off a few times on exam days when I was cramming."

"No, it's not that," I say. "I know I have a column in the paper almost every day but I've never had a piece on the front page before and I'm starting to get worried about money and-"

"Wait," she interrupts, "why are you so worried about money all of a sudden?"

I smile awkwardly. "Bills, rent, you..."

"Me?" Vicky says, surprised. "Don't worry about money for my sake, please!"

"Among other things, I want to treat you to things sometimes."

Vicky kisses my cheek. "Besides, I thought there was your inheritance."

"My parents weren't rich, Vicky." She mumbles an awkward 'of course not!' but I ignore her. "Besides I don't want to live off, you know their death. Even Gran has said she's give me some money but I don't want to live off anybody else."

"Of course not," Vicky repeats. "But you're parents are war heroes. And Voldemort orphaned you; don't you deserve compensation for that?" The almost frightened look she's wearing tells me that she knows that she's pushing me too far. There's an enraged feeling fluttering in my chest but I can't let it get to me because Vicky is only being the kind-hearted, self-expressive girl that I fell in love with.

I kiss her. As we separate, I tell her that I don't want to talk about it and thankfully, she decides to let me be and kisses me back. What follows is a ten minute snog session. When we finally stop, Victoire takes a large swig of butterbeer and says, as if it never happened, "Let's go to Honeyduke's."

Hope you enjoyed this chapter. I should have the next one up within a week or two. Please review!

Apolla