"This is him Dom."

I looked up from my book to see Louis smiling expectantly down at me, a small fourth year girl by his size. Her hair was a rich, deep red; eyes an interesting combination of green and blue; her small, round, little nose scrunched in scrutiny. What got me though; was her expression. Her thin brown eyebrows were arched haughtily; eyes squinting slightly as she pouted down at me; surveying my disgruntled appearance. There was no doubt whose sister this was. Despite her being younger than me; I suddenly felt acutely aware of the fact that my shirt was un-tucked, my tie hanging loose at my throat; and my hair, now a dusky sandy colour, was tousled and unkempt; sticking up in every direction.

She turned to Louis; finally tearing her unimpressed gaze from me. "He's good looking; I'll give you that. But that's about it."

I raised my eyebrows; shooting an injured expression her way. "What the- Louis? What is this?"

She ignored my question; peering nosily at the book in my hand. "What are you reading? Advanced Transfiguration for-"

I snatched my book away quickly; not willing to humour this snotty kid; even if she was Victoire's sister. She rolled her eyes at my efforts; deftly plucking my notes from the table in front of me and scanning them quickly. My outraged protests fell on deaf ears.

Raising her eyebrows as she handed the parchment back to me she surveyed me once more; silent and thoughtful. Irritated, I raised an eyebrow back; questioning.

She smirked. "You mis-spelt Animagus."

From the seat beside me; Aelius snorted in delight; no longer paying any attention to his own essay as he watched the scene before him with poorly disguised enthusiasm.

Who was I kidding? He wasn't even trying to disguise it.

Scowling over at her I turned my attention to Louis. "Louis what is this? I have an essay due in tomorrow." I gestured emphatically to the parchment now lying innocently on the table in front of me. Even in the dim light of the library lamps I could see the mis-spelling in question; glaring up at me accusingly in the third line from the bottom.

Fuck. She was right.

He smiled hesitantly. "I told you- we want to help."

Dom scoffed noisily; earning a glare from the library attending. They both pulled up chairs opposite us; settling in comfortably. I stared at them; speechless.

"Louis- this is frankly ridiculous. Even if by some miracle this boy could win Vic over-"

I glowered over at her again; a petulant frown gracing my features. "I'm older than you? And what is that supposed to mean? Some miracle?"

She rolled her eyes; irritated at the interruption. "Please. You can't even button your shirt properly. The whole- "I-play-so-much-quidditch-that-I-only-have-time-to -barely-throw-on-clothes-over-my-chiselled-physiqu e" may work on some people- but not Victoire. Ever seen Zabini look askew? Pretty girl here would have a better chance."

Aelius's mouth fell open in shock. Clearly he was unable to form a response- flattered at being called pretty; insulted at being called a girl.

"And anyways- why would we want him to?" Dominique shot her brother a bewildered look. He stared back; equally confused.

"Why would we-? Because first of all; anyone is better than Cassius. Second of all- Teddy's a good sort. Sure he needs some polishing up, but-"

His sister threw back her head and laughed openly. "A good sort? Are you joking? Louis you need to wise up."

Following the conversation with confusion and bemusement; I suddenly snapped my gaze to hers; defensive.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

She narrowed her eyes in derision; a small hand resting lazily on the soft oak table between us as she closed the gap; leaning closer to face me directly.

"Do you deny that you slept with Carlisle and then dropped her as soon as she left her boyfriend for you?"

My mouth fell open. "No- that was completely-"

"And the Meriwether twins? I suppose that rumour started itself did it?"

I spluttered incoherently. "I didn't make-"

"What I thought." She observed me coolly; resting back into her chair.

We sat in awkward silence for a moment; appraising each other. I didn't know why I was sitting here; taking a gruelling from a fourteen year old kid but something about her made it impossible to bullshit her. With her hard gaze upon me; I knew I couldn't lie.

Louis coughed; abashed. "Look- no one's denying he has a past. But Vic is different- right Teddy?"

Both of their gazes swivelled to me. I froze. Aelius raised a curious brow too; unable to stop himself watching my response.

Was it different? Was she different? Certainly she was the most beautiful girl I'd ever chased after. And the cleverest. And certainly the most challenging. But was it a different feeling- or the same, more intensified?

I didn't know.

I didn't have a clue.

Suddenly feeling very claustrophobic, I grabbed my books and quills, shoving them in my bag. Louis watched me with surprise. Dominique with something akin to grim satisfaction. I shot Louis an apologetic glance. "I'm sorry- but this is a little much."

Hurriedly striding from the library I left the three of them to their hushed and angry whispers. Once out of the hall I ran a shaky hand through my hair. What the hell was that? It had been an interrogation- by a pair of kids! And yet I felt so rattled. I felt slightly sick.

Shaking my head of the haze now clouding it; I decided to skip potions. I couldn't face Victoire at this very minute. We hadn't spoken since the disastrous encounter at the hospital wing. Every class I'd had with her since then had been torture. I was overly attuned to her presence in the class- who she talked to; what she said; where she looked. I ached to say something that would return us to the shaky normalcy we had established- but there was nothing to say and no opportunity to say it. We had both meant what we said. What she was doing to Bursnell went beyond the conforms of a petty grudge. It was malicious. Whatever mistakes I had made in the past were just that- mistakes. I had never intentionally hurt someone. That was the difference.

That was the difference; I reminded myself for the thousandth time.

But I still couldn't shake her accusations; her incredulous tone- scathing and stinging all at once. "Do you imagine that if you had pulled the shit you did with Carlisle with anyone else that you would have gotten away with it? If you had done that to me?"

That was the question wasn't it? Would I do that to her? Was she the equivalent to Harriet to me?

No; a small voice in my head answered. It was true that I respected her more than I ever had Harriet- she was clever; cleverer than me, even. And more principled. Her principles might be slightly fucked up but she abided by them at least. And Harriet…

Harriet hadn't been my finest hour- I'd admit that.

Sighing I realised I had reached the end of the hall. I needed to decide where I was going. But it seemed my feet already knew; leading me quickly down the front steps and towards the Quidditch pitch; the stadium standing alone in the distance; enveloped by a cloud of misty fog. The rain drizzled lightly around me and by the time my feet had squelched through the grass to the pitch; my clothes were damp and sticky. Ignoring this; I swung open the locker rooms- searching for my broom. I'd run drills. It was generally the only thing that calmed me down when I was in one of these moods.

I froze mid-step though as I opened the door to the pitch, my heart plummeting to see swarms of green and silver figures dart around the pitch. Fuck it. Why did they have to train the one time I really needed to? Fucking Slytherins. Kicking the door angrily; my eyes drifted of their own accord to the stands where a lone; pale figure was watching me. Her eyes narrowed in disbelief.

Under her gaze I longed to turn back around and retreat to the locker rooms and put some serious distance between me and the pitch. But I couldn't. She was like some sort of fucking magnet- wherever she went; I just had to follow. I was unlikely to get another opportunity like this again- Victoire; alone and with no other option but to listen to me.

Trudging heavy feet I advanced towards the stands; my eyes fixed on her. She observed my progress with cool; unflinching eyes; strands of ashy blonde locks whipping across her face in the wind as the team continued to practise behind us; oblivious to the impending murder that was about to occur in the stands.

Only feet away from her I cleared my throat awkwardly. "Hey Victoire."

She arched an eyebrow and glared at me. "Fuck off Lupin."

Taken aback; I stared at her in shocked silence. I hadn't expected her to be so hostile. She exerted so much of her energy pretending not to care; it was disconcerting to see her angry.

"Look- I wanted to apologise. What I said about seeing why you're a Slytherin- it was-"

She threw back her head and laughed mirthlessly; her eyes blazing over at me.

"That's what you want to apologise for? Calling me a Slytherin? Maybe it's escaped your dim capabilities Lupin; but I am a Slytherin."

I floundered for a moment. I was trying here. Didn't she have things she wanted to apologise for? Of course not; in her world everything Victoire says is right- no one else can have any valid opinions or morals at all. I mirrored her callous smirk.

"What would you prefer I apologised for? Calling you out on being a manipulative bitch?"

She smiled cruelly; tearing her hair out of her face as she stood to face me. "Trust me Lupin- I am all too aware of what a manipulative bitch I can be. You don't even know the half of it. But keep your shit up- and I promise you; you'll find out first hand."

I laughed; a hollow noise that didn't reach my ears. She was so fucking arrogant! There was no reasoning with her! "Fine then- what do I have to apologise for?"

She snapped her gaze to me; irritation flicking across it before she masked her entire expression; surveying me calmly. "I don't want you to apologise for calling me a Slytherin. I want you to apologise for thinking it's something that would insult me."

I froze. What?

"What do you mean?"

She gave me that twisted smirk again. "You know what I mean Lupin. You only said what you said to try and hurt me. You thought that saying I was a true Slytherin would hurt me. You think it's something to be ashamed off."

I stared back at her; silent. She was right to an extent. I would never be as proud of being a Slytherin as I was a Gryffindor. Being a Gryffindor was something that defined me- made me part of who I was. I couldn't imagine it any other way. But I had grown up with Harry constantly in my ear; telling me the bravest man he ever knew was a Slytherin. I knew they weren't all bad. I just had never met one who embodied all their prided traits like Victoire. And they weren't traits that I prided.

Then why are you still here? A small voice asked. If you're so disgusted with her and hate Slytherin principles so much- why do you constantly think about her? Why are you constantly apologising to her; chasing after her?

I didn't know.

"Victoire!" A familiar voice boomed behind us; anger etched in every syllable. Tearing her gaze away from me; she turned into the furious glare of her boyfriend; pounding up the steps behind us. The entire Slytherin team had disbanded; hovering uncertainly in the air to watch our confrontation. The rain fell just a little thicker.

"What do you want?" Zabini gestured angrily in my direction as he closed the space between him and Victoire; a protective arm slung over her shoulder. Or a possessive one; depending how you looked at it.

I rolled my eyes. "It's the Quidditch pitch Zabini, and I am holding a broom. You do the math."

He glowered over at me. "And where does hassling my girlfriend come into you playing Quidditch?"

Before I could respond; Victoire intervened. Shrugging out of his grip she gave him an exasperated look. "For God's sake Cass- he can talk to me if he wants to. If I wanted to get rid of him; I would have. I don't need you hovering over me."

Both of us looked at her in shocked silence that she pointedly ignored. Finally bringing her gaze to me she stared expectantly. "I believe you were going to apologise?"

Zabini glowered over at me again; his anger returning in an instant. "Why? What did he do?"

She rolled her eyes. "He found a statue of Salazar Slytherin; stole it and brought it to the Gryffindor common room; defaced and painted it before setting it on fire and pissing on it to put it out. And then he sacrificed a few kittens over its smouldering remains."

Zabini's face froze.

Was he… was he actually contemplating whether or not I did that? I shot Victoire a disbelieving look. She stared mutely back at me; not humouring me; still waiting.

I swallowed. "I'm sorry for what I said. While I don't agree with what you did; it was wrong of me to attribute it to you being a Slytherin. Your bitchy and sadistic motives are your own; not that of your entire house."

There was silence for a beat as we absorbed this. The corners of her lips twitched minimally and my heart leapt.

"Thank you Lupin. That was all I asked." Her sarcastic smile was met with one of my own.

"Anytime. I live to serve."

Taking this as my cue to leave I turned and slowly made my way to the stairs. I was almost there when a thought occurred to me.

Was she still going to give me those private lessons?

Spinning on my heel suddenly; I froze as I took in the scene in front of me.

Victoire was on her tip toes; both small, silky hands placed on each side of Zabini's face as he kissed her. It wasn't the passionate; all-consuming embrace of two fiery lovers; but a much sweeter; softer moment. It was almost worse for that.

In that one moment I stopped thinking of her as pulling ahead and him as traipsing after her. They were a couple- a team. All those conversations she had with me- he probably knew about. They probably talked about me.

My stomach turned and constricted painfully as I turned away again; anxious for neither of them to notice I had seen. I kept myself walking. If I didn't I would go back there and punch him. I would seriously beat the crap out of him for touching and kissing her like only I should; however irrational and unjustified my anger was. And her! How couldn't she see how wrong they were together? How dim that boy was; how he just ran around after her all the time? How wrong them kissing; them touching; them laughing together was? It was just so forced; so unnatural- there was absolutely no chemistry- but us.

Before I could even think to stop myself my imagination went into overdrive; with me in Zabini's shoes.

Victoire coming to watch me train- to cheer me on; kissing Victoire in the stands after practise; sneaking away after Slug Club to be with her-

My heart beat stilled slightly as realisation hit me.

I wasn't fantasising about seeing her naked; or just kissing her senseless. I wanted all those relationship things- I wanted to be the one she told all her secrets to; the one she gave those small smiles to; the one that made her laugh; that kicked the shit out of every boy that looked sideways at her; the one who could walk up to her in the middle of the hall and kiss her- just because I could. I wanted everything Zabini had- but more. I just knew that we would be so much more if she would just open her eyes a little and realise that Slytherin wasn't fucking everything.

And that Zabini was a twat.

Armed with this realisation; I traipsed back to the castle in a daze.

She wasn't another Harriet to me.

She wasn't any of them.

She was entirely different.

I think- I think I might love her.

Author's note: Okay I've decided I am going to do this story in fragments! The next set of chapters will be from Victoire's perspective and then maybe after that it'll flick back to Teddy's, depending on how long it takes me to get them together naturally. This set of chapters is complete though and the new story will have the same title- maybe with an added variation so keep your eyes open! ;)