Author's note: A sort of double-oneshot, as both parts are closely linked. Enjoy. :)

II. Victory

May 2, 2000

Bill Weasley couldn't understand his wife. He didn't mean he couldn't see her point of view on an argument, though that happened occasionally, too. Rather, Bill couldn't understand a word that flew out of his wife's mouth, as she was currently screaming in French. Bill knew only a limited amount of Fleur's native language, no more than what she had taught him. However, judging by the strong tone of her voice and the way her hand crushed his, Bill suspected she was letting out a string of curses, most likely directed towards him.

Fleur had gone into labor about half past seven that night. At first, Bill was stunned that the baby was coming almost a week earlier, but after hearing his wife's cry of pain, he snapped into action. He sent a patronus to his parents telling them the news, and gathered an overnight bag for his wife, flooing them to St. Mungo's.

Several hours had passed since then. At least, Bill was fairly certain it had been hours. He had been too focused on Fleur to worry about time. He wasn't even sure of the date anymore.

"Almost there, Mrs. Weasley," the mediwizard said, standing in position to catch the baby once he or she was born. "Just one more push."

Fleur cried out, then gritted her teeth in determination, wanting to see their child. Finally, some agonizingly long seconds later, high pitched cries filled the room. The husband and wife simultaneously sighed in relief.

"Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, you have a baby girl."

"A girl!" Bill exclaimed. "Fleur, we have a little girl."

Fleur leaned back into her pillows and gave Bill an exhausted smile. "Yes, Bill. Isn't it wonderful?"

Bill nodded, grinning giddily. "It is. So wonderful." He leaned over and kissed his wife's cheek, and by the time he straightened up again, the mediwizard's assistant was carrying a small bundle wrapped in yellow blankets.

"You have delivered a healthy baby, Mrs. Weasley,' the assistant said. "2.8 kilograms and 45.9 centimeters. Born at one-forty-eight in the morning."

The baby was placed in Fleur's arms, and the little family was allowed a moment alone. "We still haven't come up with a name yet," Bill said, gazing at his tiny daughter. At only a few minutes old, she was the most adorable baby Bill had even seen, with dark blue eyes and silvery-blonde wisps of hair like her mother.

"I still like Gabrielle. Why shouldn't she be named for 'er tante? Perhaps for ze middle name," Fleur said. Suddenly, her eyes grew wide. "Bill!"

"What?" asked Bill, alarmed at his wife's sudden outburst.

"It is after midnight! Do you know what zis means?"

Bill considered her question before abruptly coming to a conclusion. "It's the second of May! The battle was two years ago now." Two years. Two years had passed since Bill married Fleur, since they had lost Fred, and since Harry had defeated the Dark Lord. It had been two years since Bill had last had to worry for his family's safety on a daily basis. Still, he was unsure what the anniversary had to do with finding a name for his daughter.

"Yes," said Fleur. "Now I know ze perfect name!"

Bill grinned. "Yeah? What is it."

"Victoire. Victoire Gabrielle Weasley. It means 'victory'."

"Victoire," Bill repeated, trying out the French name on his tongue. "Victory. I like it."

Fleur's smile was radiant. "Victoire it is zen." She planted a kiss on her newborn's forehead. "Maman vous aime, ma cherie."

"Even Mum will like it, and she wasn't so subtle about us using a family name like Cedrella or Lucretia or something," Bill teased. "Oh, that's right! I need to tell Mum she's a girl!"

"Now? But it is two in ze morning, Bill."

"Mum demanded it. She said she'd stay up all night just to know, and I already sent a patronus stating she was coming."

"Well, if you must," Fleur said with a sigh, "but don't let 'er come 'ere yet. I need sleep!"

Bill laughed. "Okay, fair enough." Kissing both his wife and daughter's cheeks, Bill headed to the nearest fireplace to floo himself to the Burrow.

Two weeks later

As per usual, the Burrow was alive with activity. Bill was impressed that his mum had managed to gather everyone in the same place at once. Family meals at the Burrow were a frequent event, occurring anywhere between every two weeks and once a month. Even so, not all six siblings and their significant others, if applicable, were in attendance. With the birth of Victoire, though, there was even more of a reason to have a full family reunion. Even Charlie was there, visiting the family for a week from Romania. Percy sat at the dining room table with their father, chatting about his position in the Department of Magical Transportation, and how he was hoping that through hard work, Kingsley Shacklebolt would promote him to head of the department someday. Ron and Harry were playing a round of wizard's chess in the sitting room, with two-year-old Teddy Lupin balanced on Harry's lap. Meanwhile, Ginny and Hermione helped Molly set the table. George and Angelina, who had just began dating about nine months previous, apparated onto the front doorstep.

Bill tried to remember the last time the family, all of them, had been together. It hadn't been the wedding; Percy had refused to attend, as it occurred during the period which he was estranged. A lump formed in his throat when he realized it would have been Fred's funeral that he had seen all of his surviving siblings together. Fortunately, this occasion was a cause for celebration, not mourning.

As the evening passed, Bill would have been surprised if Victoire was put down once. She fell asleep midafternoon and napped for about an hour or so while nestled in Molly's arms. Soon enough, she was wide awake again, and after Fleur took her away for a feeding, the baby began to circle the room once more. In all honestly, she seemed to be enjoying the attention, at least as much as a newborn could.

As she was cradled in her Aunt Ginny's arms, the toddler in Harry's lap next to her began to show a strong interest in the baby. "Baby?" he questioned, tilting his head back to look at his godfather for confirmation.

"Yes Teddy," Harry replied. "That's baby Victoire."

"Vic!" Teddy exclaimed, reaching for the tiny girl.

"Do you mind if he gets closer?" Harry asked, turning to Bill.

"Of course not. Teddy will be gentle. He's a good boy, aren't you, Teddy?"

"Yep!" Teddy chimed in. "Teddy good!"

Shifting Teddy in his lap, Harry gently took Victoire from Ginny's outstretched arms. Teddy leaned forward, peering down at Victoire in curiousity. Victoire stared back up at him, gurgling happily.

"Baby Vic," he said with a grin, his hair turning his favorite color of turquoise, a sure sign of delight. "Teddy like."

The little boy reached out and wrapped his arms around the baby in a gentle hug. Victoire cooed in response, clearly content.

"Aw," Ginny cooed. "That is adorable!"

"He likes 'er," Fleur added with a smile. "Zey are sure to be great friends."

Bill was quick to agree. After two years of peace, this moment couldn't feel more like bliss. Life was still full of holes left by Fred, Remus, Tonks and others that had been lost, but the way Bill looked at it, the road of healing had nowhere to go but up. Teddy and Victoire were not replacements for the lost loved ones, but they were bandages that played an imperative part in healing. Not only that, this was only just the beginning. More Weasleys would join them, filling the hearts of the entire family with warmth.

Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed this piece of fluff. I have no knowledge on how to write French accents, so please correct me if I get it wrong or offend anyone. In addition, I used google translate for any French words, so I apologize if those were wrong as well. Translations are below:

Tante: aunt

Maman vous aime, ma cherie: Mom loves you, my darling.

Metric to American conversions:

2.8 kg = 6.2 lbs.

45.9 cm = about 18 inches

P.S. Reviews are food. :) I read and appreciate each and every one.