Ch3
Sitting in the Great Hall it was the Monday before the final Hogsmeade weekend before Christmas, and James was eagerly tucking into a big plate of sausages, bacon and eggs. When the owls started to fly in to deliver the morning mail. As James looked up he was startled to see his father's two owls both flying through the window closely followed by Teddy's own owl, all three together it seemed to puzzle James for a second in the past they had always grouped their letters together. Then James saw that his father's black eagle owl was carrying some sort of bag, and Teddy's owl had broke off formation and was looking for someone, James knew who straight away she was looking for Victoire. Just as someone opened the doors to the Great Hall and Teddy's owl flew out to find Victoire, the other two owls landed in front of James. It was then that James recognised the bag it was Teddy's, well it had belonged to Harry when he was at Hogwarts and Harry had given it to Teddy when he was thirteen. The other owl had letter for everyone, himself from his parents and Teddy, one for Albus, as well as, one for his cousin Rose from his aunt and uncle. Grabbing two sausages off the plater in front of him James fed the two family owls who both give deep dignified hoots and then flew off, James turn his attention to the mail. Why had Teddy sent his rucksack? Puzzled James decided to read Teddy's letter first.
Dear James,
Hi There, how has your second year at school been going? Good I hope?
I guess you are wondering why I have sent you my rucksack? Inside are a few things that I would like you to give to Vi for me… however, I want it done in a covert romantic sort of way. Yes I know I am asking you to do my dirty work for me. I am thinking you are going to need to get some female help with this as I know and I think you may well be aware as a boy you can not enter the girls dorms.
If you do this for me I will make it worth your while, in fact since I know you have always admired that rucksack with it having belonged to your dad and it having been on many adventures with both him and myself please consider it as first payment.
Teddy R. Lupin
PS there is a two big blocks of Honeydukes Chocolate in the front pocket, think of them as second payment.
Wow was all James could think he was dumbfounded, how was he going to help Teddy and as if on cue the doors to the Great Hall swung open again. Only this time in walked the three most popular girls in Hogwarts, any boy well those in Ravenclaw Hufflepuff and Gryffindor would give their right arm to go on a date with one of these three girls. It was Sarah, Hailey and Victoire, James sighed ever since the summer he had, had a crush on Hailey she was one of his cousins best friends. In a flash of brilliance it came to him Victoire's two best friends could help they both knew how Teddy and Victoire felt for each other. Jumping up from the table James had to think fast, he slung the rucksack over this shoulder and ran down to meet his cousin before she could sit down.
Skidding to a halt in front of his cousin James panted slightly, "Hi Vic, was that Teddy's owl I saw? Did she find you?"
"Yeah, it was her." Victoire trailed off wistfully, "she found me." If James didn't know any better he would have said that hi cousin was glowing.
Oh good, er um Sarah can I have a word with you? Please." James was starting to turn a slight shade of pink, he hoped he would not blow it and that she would just say yes.
"Er…" stalled Sarah, looking towards her friends and back to James, "Sure, now?"
"Yeah, that would be great. Can we talk outside?" James questioned as his headed towards the main doors, not giving Sarah a chance to say no.
After Sarah had left, the two remaining girls turned to each other and began to chuckle quietly. "Well that was weird." Said Victoire.
"Yeah…" chuckled Hailey. A split second later with her eyes narrowing as she leaned toward Victoire, "I thought you said he had a crush on me?
Victoire suddenly burst out laughing, "Oh Hailey, that's funny…" pausing to take a breathe, "he did, does, you're not jealous are you?"
"NO!" Hailey hissed.
Later that night everyone was sitting in the common room, James was sitting in front of the fire lazily reading the latest 'Quidditch Monthly' chuckling occasionally out loud, especially at the article on the Hogwarts best players and where are they now. On the other side of the room Hailey was quizzing her friend on what she had been getting up to with James.
"I am tell you Hailey it is nothing like that…"Sarah protested, Hailey just nodded her head in a manner that said that she did not believe her, "if you must know he wanted to know what your favourite things were, he wanted to get you a Christmas present." Hailey started to blush and out of the corner of her eye Sarah saw James blushing too, in stirring her friend she seemed to have let the whole common room know that James liked Hailey. She thought she would have to apologise to him later. Sarah had yet to fill Hailey in on the plan to help James for Teddy, it was hard with Victoire around.
"Well I don't think I am going to get anymore of this essay done tonight" sighed Victoire, "what about you, shall we go to bed."
Hailey sighed, but before she could answer Sarah got in first. "Not yet Vic but we will but soon."
"OK don't be too long or I might be asleep" with that Victoire waved good night to her friends and climbed the stairs to their dorm. As she got to the stairs, Sarah leant over to Hailey and started to explain the plans. The girls waited five minutes and then followed their friend up to their dorm, when they got heard a quiet whimper come from behind the curtains of Victoire's bed.
"Viccy whats wrong?" whipered Sarah.
"OH nothing, its just…"
"Viccy why are you crying?" started Hailey.
"OH, I am not really honest." Said Victoire pulling her curtains back. "Its just when I got up here, there was this on my pillow." said Victoire holding out the rose.
"A rose?" queried Hailey.
"Its not just any rose, I don't know how it got here but I was given this rose when I was four years old. By my then best friend, he gave it to me for Valetine's Day." Hailey's eyes widened as she put two and two together, this is what Sarah had just told her about. "This rose came from a bush at his grandmothers house, it was planted to commemorate his mother's life."
It was Sunday morning and the old Shift Clock in the Tonk's Cottage had just struck Eleven as Teddy came bounding out of his room bustling to head off to the Burrow, he always loved going to the Weasley's for Sunday dinners.
"Stop right there," Andromeda told her hyperactive grandson, "let me fix your hair it is all over the place."
"Oh Nan" Teddy sighed. Andromeda Tonks had after much determination and many years given up on her daughters wild hypercoloured hair, however, she was yet willing to give up on taming Teddy's. Though after fussing over a squirming six year old and having no success at all she gave up for today.
"So Teddy it is Valentines Day today, did you want to take a gift with you for Victoire? I think she might like to receive a present form a charming young man." Cooed Andromeda
"Ewwww Nan, that's mushy stuff." Replied Teddy sticking his tongue out in a fake gagging motion. While Teddy verbalised his dislike to the idea of taking a gift for his friend, part of him did in fact like the idea if only he knew what to give her.
"OK OK if you insist." Andromeda sighed. Just as Andromeda had finished packing everything they where going to need, she noticed she saw Teddy out in the garden looking at the rose bush that she had planted as a memorial to her daughter. Putting everything down she walked out to join him.
Placing her hands on his shoulders. " Are you OK?" she asked.
"Look Nan." He said pointing to the rose bush. "Its got a flower." Teddy was right there was a bloom on the bush in fact there was quite a few buds on the bush but this was the first flower to have appeared on the bush since it had been planted. "Um Nan, can I … um can I give it to Vi?"
Andromeda sighed, with tears welling up in her eyes she looked from the single bloom down to Teddy. Who on seeing her crying was about to apologise, but before he could splutter out sorry. "No, No Teddy its fine. Yes you can give that rose to Victoire, I think it would be a lovely gift." She smiled down at Teddy tears still falling from her eyes. "Why don't I put a charm on it for you too, one so it will never wilt and look as beautiful as the today, forever?"
Teddy's eyes lit up. "Can you Nan, wow that's brilliant."
The next morning Victoire had woken up unprecedentedly early and gone to bathroom to get ready. Hailey saw this as their chance with Sarah acting as a lookout to make sure Victoire did not come back to early, she placed the next present from Teddy on her pillow. While the girls did not realize the entire meaning of the rose, it is that, a rose, a beautiful flower, but this present was odd. A worn and thread-bare old stuff toy, a small wolf it looked like a baby's toy. Having succeeded both girls headed off to the bathroom to get ready for the day ahead, as they were brushing their teeth there was a gasp closely followed by squeals of delight.
As Sarah and Hailey rounded the corner from the bathroom back into their bedroom they came to a crashing halt, running into to Victoire. All three girls shook their heads as they sat on the cold hard floor slightly dazed, and then both Sarah and Hailey stared dumfounded at their friend as they realized she was quietly giggling to herself and clutching the little toy wolf to her chest.
Snapping Victoire out of her daydream Hailey cleared her throat, "Um, Vic, are you alright? We heard a squeal and thought something might be wrong, you seemed a bit um, off last night."
"Oh, um wrong, no nothings wrong, in fact everythings is well…" Victoire paused, " actually I…" pausing again, "did either of you have anything to do with all this?"
"Er, No." Stammered Sarah. "Anything to do with what? Viccy what is that you are holding?"
"This is Wuff." Stated Victoire holding out the old toy with pride. "A certain young boy, I know used to take him everywhere with him. He never went anywhere without him, that was until he was five," said Victoire dreamily, "one day I fell over and hurt my knee, and he left Wuff here with me to look after me and make me feel better while he went and got help."
All three girls sighed in harmony.
"How romantic," chimed Hailey. "But why do you think we have anything to do with this? And why are you so ecstatic?"
"Because Teddy is up to something," beamed Victoire, "and we all know boys can not get in here, so it is not my little cousin James all by himself, and yesterday I saw him with his dad's old rucksack, well it was Teddy's last." Eyeballing her two best friends with a mischievous glint in her eye, "And with your little burst of jealousy and James wanting to talk to Sarah yesterday."
Hailey started to splutter in protest as Sarah retorted. "I told you what that was about, James wanted to buy Hailey a present."
"Sure girls and I came down in the last shower…" with that all three girls burst into fits of laughter, and then proceeded to finish getting ready for breakfast. As they left the seventh year girls dorm Victoire grabbed Wuff and attached him to her satchel bag and with that they all headed to the Great Hall.
The rest of the week had been like a dream for Victoire, the presents from Teddy, though her friends still denied any knowledge of them she know they had been involved in their delivery and now Hogsmeade in two days and hopefully Teddy was going to be there as well. For James on the other hand this week had been a stress, doing this favour for Teddy had been murder on his nerves. He was sure Victoire was on to him and both Sarah and Hailey refused to help with the last gift. Just then a small owl landed on his plate, James took the note which read.
All is good; give the box to this owl.
Teddy.
PS get your head down…
James pulled the box from his robes pocket, glanced quickly around the room and then gave it to the owl, which took off into the air flying in large elliptical laps around the Great Hall. Now James was confused what was it waiting for, it was only then that he realized that no other owls had yet entered the Great Hall and Victoire was yet to arrive. Then as if on cue both things happened at once, Victoire entered the hall with both Sarah and Hailey. James looked up above the three girls, there was the owl still clutching the small wooden box as the rest of the owls entered from the other end of the hall. The lone owl swopped down towards the three girls releasing the box mere inches above Victoire's head. James ducked as the box careered into the floor between the house tables between Victoire and himself, splintering as it hit.
Dumbstruck James stared as the box shattered on the ground, suddenly it hit him with a flash of gold but how would Victoire get this present? As a group formed around the splintered remains of the wooden box with Victoire squeezed through, everyone as puzzled by what had just happened as each other. As Sarah and Hailey caught up with Victoire, through the throng of people that had amassed around the remnants of the box Hailey caught sight of James. Unlike the others he was not looking down at where the box lay but up towards the roof.
"Sarah look," whispered Hailey as she elbowed her friend, "what is up with James?"
"Dunno" Sarah whispered back.
"I'm going to find out, OK?" Hailey whispered as she left her friends side, Sarah just nodded. After fighting her way back out through the mass of students, Hailey sat down next to James. "Hey James." But James did not respond he was intently looking to the roof, watching something. "James, Hello." Hailey said again.
"Oh Hi Hailey" replied James not looking down.
"What are you doing?" quizzed Hailey, "and what just happened?"
"Oh that, that box was Teddy's last presents to Vic." Still looking up James eyes darted left and right.
"Viccy is not going to be happy" sighed Hailey.
"Why?"
"It is destroyed."
"No its not," smiled James, "that's just a box."
"WHAT?" hissed Hailey.
"That is just the box, the Snitch is up there."
"The what?" stammered Hailey.
"The Golden Snitch, that was in the box it is up in the rafters. It escaped when the box broke." Explained James.
"But Viccy is a chaser not a…"
"I know" replied James cutting Hailey off.
"How is she going to catch it?"
"She isn't," replied James coolly, if he was right the Snitch would find Victoire, "where's Vic? Get her to come and sit down."
Hailey was about to question James on what he was thinking but then decided against it and just nodded and got up to go and fetch her friends. A couple of minutes had passed when the three girls returned to sit next to James, though he was still watching the Snitch he began to blush when he realised that Hailey had chosen to sit next to him, and was now sitting a lot closer.
"So James," started Victoire leaning around her friend to look at her cousin, "what is this Hailey was saying about a Snitch?"
"It is wha…" at that point James was cut off as all four of the house Seekers began to shout.
"What The! Who let a Snitch loose in the Great Hall?" called out Hufflepuff's Seeker. "It is going to be nasty trying to catch it in here."
"Here it comes." Said James calmly as Victoire stared at him. As the Snitch flashed past Victoire's head, James hand snapped up plucking the Snitch as if out of thin air.
"It is what?" Victoire started again.
"It is the last present from Teddy." Stated James handing the Snitch to Victoire, all she could do was mouth the word last. "Yes last, the Rose, the toy Wolf and this Snitch, Teddy asked me to get them to you, and before you ask. I had help."
"James, Thank You." Sighed Victoire taking the Snitch from her cousin and clutching it to her chest.
"Viccy…"prodded Sarah, but there was no response, she tried again "Viccy… Victoire!"
"Huh, wha?" replied Victoire startled almost looking like a deer stuck in a pair of headlights. "Yes."
"So we know about the Rose and the Wolf but what is it with the Snitch?" Questioned Hailey
"I know they are valuable and all but yeah why just because he was a Seeker?" Added Sarah.
"I don't know yet." Answered Victoire.
Hogsmeade was tomorrow and Victoire was on cloud nine, while she had not heard from Teddy directly in the last fortnight her cousin's covert gift giving had more than made up for it. The third present stilled puzzled her, she understood instantly the meanings of the first two gifts but the third was different. Yes Teddy had been one of the best Seekers Gryffindor had ever produced Victoire thought he was the best but she was biased and he had been taught to fly by the two of the other greatest in her aunt and uncle. However, it wasn't just that, that made this Snitch special or well special enough for Teddy to give it to her as a gift. Perplexed Victoire began to play every game of Quidditch they had played together through her mind.
Then it hit like a flash was this the snitch that Teddy had caught in the first Quidditch match that Victoire had played as chaser? If it was then it was the Snitch she had stolen, and given to Teddy on their first Christmas as boyfriend and girlfriend. It was from a game that went down in history for amazing feats by Gryffndor Seekers. The Syltherin Beaters had just sent both bludgers at Victoire as she was mere seconds from scoring having just beaten their Keeper. When Teddy took the hits from both bludgers shattering his shoulder, but allowing Victoire through to score putting Gryffindor into a possible winning position and then managing to still catch the snitch. Victoire had a sudden urge to ask the Snitch if it was indeed that Snitch.
"Are you the Golden Snitch from my first game when Teddy was hit by the Bludgers?" Victoire asked feeling a little silly. As she asked the question the Snitch began to hum softly and its wings began to fold back in on itself, then as thin crack appeared along the centre of the warm golden ball. Splitting open as if on a hinge the Snitch revealed a small turquoise heart shaped pendant on a delicate golden chain. Victoire slipped the chain over her head and the pendant inside her pyjamas, it felt warm, it was right as if it had always belonged.
Only a couple of miles away laying on his bed at the Hogs Head, Teddy felt his heart sore and he knew Victoire had found the pendant and was now wearing it.