On May 2, 2017 Victorie Weasley wandered the halls of Hogwarts.
It was her 17th birthday and her bag was packed with presents. The rest of the school was down at the yearly celebrations. She didn't feel as bad about it as she had when she was younger but she didn't feel like joining. She had never been present at any of the festivities and didn't feel like starting now.
She was in her 6th year and was getting so close to being done. It was May not long until summer and the end of another school year. When she was younger her birthday had felt like it was right after Christmas. Now it felt like eternities separated the occasions.
She hadn't quite decided if she was going to the room of requirement yet. In the back of her mind she assumed that was where she was heading, she had left the common room after everyone else and had continued up to the sixth floor. Her feet were guiding her towards the seventh on their own. It was where she wanted to be but it felt wrong. Without Teddy it would just be pointless to sit around there and mope. She could that just as well in her own bed, if not better even.
Her hand went up to her neck at the thought of Teddy. She fingered gently on the silver butterfly hanging round her neck, where it had been every day for a year. A year to the day.
She walked in to the room 15 minutes later anyways. She leaned on the door behind her and looked around the room.
The same as every year, it was a place she loved just as much as her own home. It held such happy memories for her.
The green and blue colors of the room made her feel comfortable and the fact that the still bore all the signs of previous years on it.
Most of them due to her aunt's birthday cards. There where scorch marks on the ceiling from the firework they had produced when she turned 13 and specks of glitter, stuck in the carpet from last year, reflected the lights on the wall.
There were other things as well. Chocolate stains on one of ceiling beams where a chocolate frog had hid from them one year and then melted.
Stains on the big chair by the fireplace where Teddy had accidentally dropped a big peace of apple pie years before.
Then there were the details that Vicky knew but that couldn't be seen. The fact that there where candy wrappers stuffed between the cushions on the sofa.
There was a row of monopoly houses stacked on top of the wardrobe, which was full of glitter and ribbons. Some colorful ribbons had been tied to the ceiling beams.
She fell onto the sofa and placed her feet on the coffee table. That was why she like this place, it felt lived in. It had all the little details of life and people. Even though it was a magically conjured room, only used by two people and only on one day of the year, it had all this and that was kind of like a form of magic on its own, wasn't it?
"Having fun without me?" She jumped up, she'd been so lost in her thought and busy staring up on ceiling to notice the door opening. She stared in surprise at the boy, man, standing just inside of the door. His hair was light brown and fell in soft swops around his ears. He was dressed in black slacks and a white shirt, looking casually fancy. "Teddy!" she almost screamed in surprise. Her face broke out in a wide smile without her being able to control it. "What are you doing here?" she fumbled with her hands at her side where she stood, not really knowing what to do with herself. And wishing she'd worn nicer clothes than her school uniform.
"Couldn't miss your birthday now could I?" he said as if the mare idea was ridiculous.
She loved that he always referred to the day as her birthday. Not the anniversary of the war but her birthday, like that was the most important thing about the day.
It wasn't until that moment that she realized how much she had missed him. She hadn't seen him much when he had gone to Hogwarts. Granted, he was two years older and in a different House, but they would walk past each other and eat in the same hall each day. Now she hadn't seen him since Christmas and then her entire family - and there were a lot of them - had been there and they hadn't really had time to talk. But now, she almost threw herself on him, giving him a hug.
"Wow" he exclaimed almost losing his balance but there was a laugh at the end of the surprise. He smiled. "I missed you too, Vi" he sighed and hugged her back.
Once they let each other go, Vicky blushing slightly and they both smiled from ear to ear, Teddy produced a cake which he proudly proclaimed that he had made himself. Vicky gave it a mock distrusting look. "You sure it's edible then?" she asked and poked it, getting chocolate on her finger.
"Shut up!" Teddy playfully, shoved her out of the way and placed the cake on the table. "What, no presents this year? You getting to old for such things?" he questioned.
"If anyone here is old, it's you!" she stated and started unpacking the presents from the bag.
They spent the next hours unwrapping the presents. And had a positive surprise when Vicky opened Gabrielle's card and nothing exploded. Instead a marching band at about the height of 15 cm walked single file five laps along the table, swirling away from the cake and presents on it, as it played happy birthday and then they walked right back in to the card and disappeared.
They had ended up sitting on the floor in front of the coffee table, with their backs resting against the sofa by the time the presents were all opened. There where paper all over the place around them and boxes and books and clothes covering the table. The cake was all gone though.
"So" Vicky shoved him lightly with her shoulder, fingering her necklace. "No present from you this year?" she teased him.
"Well" he turned to the side facing her, his right arm resting up on the sofa. " Nothing as nice as last year. I thought maybe this would do?" He said softly, his voice almost trebled and then he leaned forward and put his lips to hers.
To say that she was surprised was putting it mildly. She'd liked him for over a year and last year, right before the alarm had interrupted them she had been sure he would kiss her. But it had been a year since then and they had barely seen each other since. He had started having his own, grownup life outside of school and she still had more than a year left. Her thoughts scattered as he pulled away again.
"So?" he questioned. She starred at him dumbfounded for a moment. Then she said, with a weak voice.
"Well." she swallowed, making sure she remembered how to breath. "It's a good start. Could need some work if you want to top last year though." He smiled at that.
"Really now?" she nodded her eyes slipped down to his lips and then his hand came up and rested on the side of her face. She looked up again and he was looking her straight in the eyes as he leaned in and kissed her again. This kiss was longer, deeper. And definitely worthy competition for last year's gift.
It was over an hour later, when they were lying on the sofa. Teddy on his back with a pillow under his head and his feet hanging over the other end. Vicky was lying on her side, half between Teddy and the back of the sofa, half on Teddy.
His hand was mindlessly brushing through her hair.
"How long can you stay?" she asked
"Longer than you" he answered with a smile and making her half snort half chuckle in response.
It was true though. It was way past nine o'clock and she would have to head back to the common room. She sat up and he moved with her, pulling her in for another kiss before moving his legs out of the way so she could get past.
They packed her presents in to her bag. Stopping to kiss almost every time they got close to each other. It took them almost half an hour to make it to the door.
"So" Teddy fingered with her hair, his own shifting to her color and then back to brown again as he did so. "I heard that you have a trip to Hogsmead planned for next weekend?" he asked casually.
"Why, Mr. Lupin, it almost sounds like you're asking to accompany me?" she smirked at him.
"Well I can't leave my girlfriend alone now could I? Not will all the wicked boys of the school who could take advantage of her." He said in a pompous tone, raising his nose a bit in the air. She hit him lightly in the chest.
"Like I would let myself be taken advantage of." she stated. Then she blushed slightly as she said in a smaller voice. "Girlfriend?" she smiled as she said the word.
"Well… if you'll have me I suppose." he brushed his hand true his hair nervously. She responded by grabbing his shirt, rising up on her tip toes and pulling him down for another kiss. He smiled into it.
"You'd better get going before you get in trouble." He whispered as she pulled back again.
"So. I'll see you next weekend then?" she asked just to make sure.
"Absolutely!"