A/N: I'm so happy! I'm so happy! People like this story! I'm so happy!

Disclaimer: I offered J. K. Rowling fifty cents to buy the rights to this story off of her, but she wouldn't budge. Bitch wanted seventy five cents! Like I'd pay that much… Still until we reach an agreement the rights to this story still belong primarily to her.

Chapter Four

May I Have This?

Teddy Lupin hovered around the outside of the house just a moment too long. He knew that the people inside knew that he was outside and that they probably also knew why he was stalling. You see the scariest person Teddy had ever met was inside that house. He was taller then him, stronger then him, more gifted with spells then him, etcetera. He was all around a better wizard and what's more he no doubt hated Teddy's guts.

How could he not, he was Teddy's girlfriend's father. The guy had every reason to despise him.

He'd known Bill Weasley his whole life and had been friends with Victoire for her whole life. Teddy had fallen in love with Victoire during his seventh year and had been so horrified of his feelings he had graduated without telling her how he felt. After graduating he moved into a flat near his godfather's house. The location was perfect because his godfather was Victoire's uncle and therefore she visited a lot and he got the chance to see her on a pretty regular basis.

Well, it didn't take long for Harry Potter to figure out how Teddy felt about his niece. And he wasn't shy about telling Teddy off for not manning up and admitting how he felt to Victoire. It sounded to Teddy like Harry was holding a bit of information back while encouraging him to do the right thing. When Teddy tried to press him for information, Harry just said,
"You're a Gryffindor, act like it."

So, right before Victoire got on the train for her seventh year at Hogwarts, Teddy stopped her, told her how he felt and kissed the crap out of her. James interrupted a little while later, which turned out to be a blessing in disguise because Bill Weasley was just around the corner about tell his daughter off for not being on the train yet.

Teddy was more careful after that. He had very gently asked her to move in with him after a year of dating. They'd been living together for two years now and everything was going perfectly. Until he got that damned letter from Albus. Yet another Potter calling him out on his cowardice.

Dear Teddy,

It's come to my attention that my bloody brother has finally removed his head from his arse and admitted that he fancies Kira. This would be fabulous news if he hadn't also decided not to do anything about it. He's hoping, the damned fool, that if he ignores it, it'll go away. He's hoping that if he does nothing she'll stop being attractive and things will pick up where they left off. You know, them pranking other students, then lying to the professors about who really did it and then serving detention.

I recommended that he write to you and figure how to handle this situation like a sane, level headed person, but of course my advice has fallen on deaf ears. So, I've stepped up to the plate in hopes that you might be able to give him a few pointers on how to deal with the situation.

I know you're busy and feel free to refuse, but so help me Merlin if you do I'll be telling my cousin about that ring you've been hiding for the past few months. Don't think for a second I won't.

Yours,

Albus Potter

P.S. You might be wondering why I'd take time out of my busy day for my dumb ass of a brother. To tell the truth I was hoping that if I showed James what a good brother did for his siblings he'd follow suit. It probably won't work, but here's hoping.

The youngest Potter son liked to pretend he was the good son, but Teddy knew better. He was as much a trouble maker as his older brother, Albus was just smarter about it. More to the point he didn't get caught. James could learn a lot from Albus if he'd just slow down for a second and listen. But yet again James ignored his brother's good advice in favor his own half-assed plan.

Teddy tried to ignore his feelings for his best mate and that got him nothing but trouble. Plus his godfather all but called him a coward. That was what James was doing whether he realized it or not. James was afraid that if he put himself out there with Kira he'd get shot down and they wouldn't be able to be mates anymore. It was the same fear that Teddy had had to face on Platform 9¾ three years ago. Unfortunately the only advice he could give James was the same advice Harry had given him.

"You're a Gryffindor, act like it."

What was really unfortunate for Teddy was that James was so dense he wouldn't get it and probably wouldn't act on it. And because of James' denseness Albus would surely make true on his threat and tell Victoire about the engagement ring.

Teddy made an attempt anyway and sent three letters to three Potters. One to James telling him to act like a Gryffindor. One to Albus telling him that he'd sent a letter to James and explaining why it probably wouldn't do any good. And the last to Harry. The letter told his godfather about the situation with his son and the awkward predicament it had put Teddy in.

Harry was thrilled, of course, about the whole situation. He was relieved that his son had finally figured out something that every witch and wizard that had every seen James and Kira together already knew. And he was happy that Teddy would be making an honest woman out of Victoire. It worked out perfectly for Harry, but then again things usually worked out perfectly for Harry.

Perfect family (sort of), perfect job, perfect house, perfect life. Right now at least. Teddy knew it hadn't always been that way, but it didn't stop him from feeling slightly bitter about it. He was being black mailed into asking for his girlfriend's hand in marriage by two Potters, he felt that it was his right to be pissed at the aforementioned Potters.

Harry had threatened to tell Bill about the engagement ring and that served to scare Teddy into action. He'd been dilly dallying around the issue for too long anyway. The more he thought about it, the less he liked the idea of changing the relationship he had with Victoire. They were happy, why fix what isn't broken?

The door to Shell Cottage opened, pulling Teddy from his thoughts. Bill Weasley stood in the doorway, his arms crossed and his expression stern. He looked like he already knew what Teddy was going to ask and didn't like it one bit.

Teddy knew that he was living in the twenty first century and didn't really need Bill's permission to ask Victoire to marry him, but he was too horrified of Bill to even attempt such thing.

Teddy swallowed, drew on some remnant Gryffindor courage and walked up to the house.

---

Rose Weasley wiggled her way down the hall, expertly avoiding her cousins and their never ending quest to ruin her hair. She'd finally gotten it perfect and wanted to make sure that Stephen Wood got a chance to see how pretty she looked before one of her stupid relatives got the bright idea to mess it up. She rarely got the chance to look good for her boyfriend and really didn't want him changing his mind about her just because she couldn't keep her hair nice for more than five minutes.

Stephen was two years older than her fourteen years and was quite possibly the best thing that had every happened to her. Or at least that's what she thought. They had begun dating at the beginning of her fourth year, when out of no where the sixth year had asked her out.

She had tripped over one of her cousin's expertly positioned foot and toppled to the floor. Stephen had come to her rescue, helping her pick up her books and walking her to class. She'd thanked him, blushed profusely and had nearly had a heart attack when she saw him waiting outside her classroom when the hour was over. He'd walked her all of her classes that day and during dinner he asked her to Hogsmeade. They'd been together ever since, much to Rose's father's chagrin.

"Rose!" Stephen called. Rose felt her cheeks heat at his grin. She skipped the rest of the way to his side. He immediately pushed her bangs out of her face and kissed her.

Rose would have rolled her eyes, if they hadn't squeezed shut as soon as Stephen pulled her into his arms. It just figured that he would mess up her hair after she'd taken so much effort to make it look nice for him. But that was her Quidditch hunk, there was only one thing he cared about more than Quidditch and that was her. The perfectness of her hair didn't matter one wit to him, so you'd think that would make Rose stop trying, but no. She just wanted to look like she deserved to be with him.

"Wanna skip lunch?" he whispered in her ear. Rose giggled and shook her head. His face fell. "Why not?"

"Because I have half a million relatives that will notice if both of us don't show up for lunch-" she began to explain.

"You also have half a million relatives that will notice if we have a snog during Hogsmeade weekends, whether we go to the village or not. We've barely been able to kiss for all your relatives!" Stephen exclaimed. Rose worried her lower lip.

"It wasn't my idea to have four uncles and an aunt. It wasn't my idea to have all of them have children. And it certainly wasn't my idea to have all of those relatives be so damn nosy that they'd hunt me down in your dorm room if necessary," Rose said. Stephen sighed, unhappily.

"I know."

"I have some good news, if that'll help."

"Always does," he said, wrapping his arm around Rose's waist.

"Oi, Wood! Knock it off!" Fred jr. yelled, from somewhere in the crowd of students behind them. Stephen ignored the command and kissed the top of her head, mussing up her hair even more.

"You were saying?" he prompted.

"My cousin Victoire just wrote me telling me something very interesting about Teddy Lupin," she said. They sat down in their usual seats for lunch, surrounded by most of Rose's male cousins who had been threatened by her father to watch Stephen's every move. They had the top Auror's expressed permission to hex the crap out of him if he got to handies with his daughter.

"I remember him, he was Quidditch captain before me," Stephen said, ignoring the seemingly endless pairs of eyes boring into him.

"Well apparently he plans on asking her to marry him-"

"What?!" Chucky yelled.

He was one of Uncle Charlie's three sons with his girlfriend, Charlene. Rose always liked Charlene, particularly because she preferred to be called Charlie and never wanted to marry her uncle. She wanted to stay in a relationship with him, but marriage was something the dragon trainer was interested in. All of the Weasleys were close and Rose was honestly surprised that this news hadn't spread sooner.

"She found the ring a few weeks ago in his pants pocket. She thinks he went to ask Uncle Bill for her hand a couple days ago, because he came home looking slightly sick and he only looks like that when he's talked to Uncle Bill," Rose finished, not taking her eyes off of Stephen. They had most of their conversations like that. Pretending that her family wasn't listening in on everything they said.

"I hate to say it, babe-" he began.

"She has a name you know?" Hugo interjected.

"But your uncle is pretty scary," he continued as though he'd never been interrupted.

"He can't help it, Stephen. You know that," she chastised lightly.

"Doesn't make him any less scary." Rose smiled and Stephen leaned in for a kiss. The kiss was forcibly broken when James walked by and kicked Stephen's chair. "I could easily pull you off the next game, Potter," he threatened.

"I know," James said, sticking his head between Rose and Stephen's. "But she's family and her dad's paying me a gallon a day to keep her virgin… And besides blood's thicker than Quidditch, mate."

Rose blushed and looked away. It seemed like her entire family was out to ruin not only her hair, but her relationship too. She could understand her father having her cousins watch her and Stephen, but paying them? PAYING THEM!? She'd just about had enough. Rose ran her finger through her hair and groaned. She'd just finished what her boyfriend had started and ruined her hair.