"So tell me..." Sarah Kirke asked Victoire later on that evening, having purposely chased her down while she was eating cake and talking to her sister. "What is going on with you and Stuart?"

"I don't know," Victoire said, taking a big bite of cake to hide the smile that was growing on her face at the mention of Stuart. They'd danced through at least eight or nine songs and, while she didn't know exactly since she couldn't keep track, it had lasted at least a half an hour. A glorious, amazing half an hour...

"Oh, get off it," Sarah said, frowning at the lack of details Victoire was offering. "You were out there dancing for ages. Don't think everyone here didn't see that."

"We danced for a bit," Victoire said innocently, still unable to hide her smile. "What's to tell?"

"Who knows?" Dominique muttered as she took a large bite of cake, clearly uninterested in all things Stuart or anything Victoire had to say about him. "But I'm sure you'll find a way to tell it."

Victories made a face and Sarah swatted Dominique to shut it. She evidently was interested in all things to be said about this. "All I know is that you two looked quite cozy."

"We were just dancing and having a good time," Victoire said, deciding to leave it at that. Outside of the lovely dancing and some nice conversation, nothing had really happened. There had been some charged moments and looks that gave her the energy to want to pursue things further, but there wasn't anything to really tell.

"And…" Sarah continued, "I keep seeing you two checking each other out from across the room…"

Victoire laughed. "Are you a spy?"

"I'm highly observant," she offered.

"And as nosy as they come," Dominique added with her mouth full of cake.

"Well," Victoire said, pointing with her fork towards the other side of the room, "Colleen seems to have cornered him now, so..." She pulled a grumpy face before taking another, larger than normal bite of cake.

Colleen did, in fact, have him and some of their mutual friends cornered over on the other side of the room in conversation. Anytime Victoire had taken time to walk around or talk with anyone else in the room other than Stuart, Colleen had swooped in on him the second she could.

Stuart, however, whether it was because he didn't want to speak to her or because he was generally attempting to be social and make the rounds, would often shake her after a few minutes. In two of those instances, he'd found his way back over to where Victoire was and they'd gotten to chat a bit more, which was nice. This time though, with most of his friends present, he seemed content to hang out where she was now.

Victoire at least took a little pleasure in the fact that Colleen seemed to be struggling to remain at the center of every conversation he was taking part in.

She took another bite of cake and focused back on Dominique and Sarah, who were talking about something having to do with a Slytherin boy called Robbie that Sarah was quasi-dating—Victoire wasn't sure what they were. He'd been invited, but apparently couldn't come for whatever reason. Sarah was sad about that, though Dominique seemed rather pleased. She was not keen on Robbie.

"I'm not sure which is worse," Dominique was saying. "You pining over Robbie when he's in front of you or when he's away."

Sarah's eyes turned hard and she opened her mouth to defend herself, but Victoire quickly cut in with, "Has anyone seen Whit? I haven't seen her in ages."

Dominique snorted a laugh. In a rather sing-song tone, she said, "I know where she is."

Victoire stared at her.

"Last time I saw her, she was outside talking to Jack," Dominique said with a smirk. "And I haven't seen either of them since, so…"

"Jack?" Victoire asked, wondering if she'd heard correctly. "Jack Jack? Louis' Jack?"

"How many Jack's do you know?" Dominique asked.

"Is that who we spotted Jack with earlier?" Sarah asked, setting her empty cake plate down on a nearby table. When Dominique nodded, she added, "Yeah, they seemed quite chatty."

Victoire laughed, having not expected that. "You're serious?"

They both nodded.

"This I have to see," she said, setting her own plate down and making her way to the edge of the tent. She glanced outside and saw several people wandering around, but no one she recognized to be Whit. She went and fetched her cloak and stepped out into the frigid night. She could use some fresh air.

"Hey, fantastic party!" yelled a Slytherin boy called Flint, who may or may not have been smoking with his mates in the shadows of the woods. Victoire smiled and acknowledged the comment with a quick wave, though she kept walking until she heard someone call her name.

When she discovered the source, she found Whit sitting on an old tree stump had been there since Victoire was a small girl. She could remember the day her father and her uncles had cut it down for reasons she didn't understand.

"Well, hello," she said upon approaching her. "What are you doing sitting out here?"

"Oh," Whit said with a quick shrug. "Just enjoying the evening. It's a beautiful night."

"It is." Victoire looked up at the night sky before a shiver ran through her. "It's also freezing."

"It's not so bad," she said, smiling a bit. She seemed quite cheerful for someone sitting on a stump by themselves in the dark.

"So…you're sitting out here on your own?" Victoire asked.

She shrugged again. "I am now, but I haven't been alone all night."

Victoire sat down next to her on the stump. "So I've heard."

Whit's face immediately shot to her. Her expression actually felt a bit panicked. "What did you hear?"

"Nothing," Victoire offered, though she was grinning as she said it.

"No, seriously, what did you—?"

"I heard that you and Jack Ians were seen wandering around out here," She glanced at her. "That's an interesting development."

"We've just been talking," she said, but she was smiling a little as she said it.

"Just talking?"

"Just talking."

Victoire elbowed her playfully in the side. "Talking about what, exactly?"

"Don't start," Whit said, her embarrassment starting to show. "We've just been talking about school and about people. About you, your brother, and your sister."

"I see," Victoire said in a very thoughtful manner. "And how did this happen?"

"How did we start talking?" she asked, sounding as though she wanted to downplay the situation as much as possible. "One person started speaking and then the other commented back, and then—"

"You know what I meant."

"We ran into each other inside and he started apologizing again for the punch thing. Then that turned into a conversation. Then somehow, he and I ended up coming outside."

"You somehow ended up coming outside…" repeated Victoire slowly. "That's how it all starts—"

"Oh, stop," Whit said, shaking her head. "It's just been a nice chat. Nothing more."

"A chat and nothing more," Victoire repeated again. "I usually don't consider hour long, private chats with boys I just met 'nothing'."

"What time is it?" Whit asked.

"A little after ten."

"I've been out here for that long?" She suddenly stood up and looked back toward the tent. "Really?"

"Generally, I've found that when you lose track of the time, it's because you're enjoying someone's company just that much more than normal." She looked around all of the sudden, noticing Jack was nowhere in sight. "Where is he, anyway?"

"He had to use the loo," Whit said, still looking a little shocked by the time. "And he wanted to grab something to drink."

Victoire watched Whit's face for a moment, attempting to read where her thoughts currently were. "So...what do you think?"

"About what?" Whit asked, finally looking back at her. "About him wanting to use the loo or about him wanting to get something to drink?"

Victoire threw her an obvious look. "About him."

"I…" she stammered, seemingly surprised by the question. "I don't know."

"This isn't a Charms exam," she offered. "There is no right or wrong answer. You obviously find him to be decent if you've been sitting out here half the night with him."

"No, I do." She nodded. "He seems lovely. Really nice, polite, genuine…" She hesitated.

"But,,,?" Victoire probed.

"He's young."

"He's just turned sixteen," said Victoire. "In October, if I remember correctly."

Whit bit her lip, but said nothing.

"You're sixteen," Victoire reminded her.

"I'll be seventeen in February," she said. "And I've never been attracted to younger boys. I've told you that."

"Are you attracted to Jack?"

She again didn't answer that straight away. She instead looked down at the ground and sighed rather heavily.

"There's a first time for everything," Victoire offered.

"And he plays Quidditch," she said as she threw her head back in frustration.

"He does." Victoire nodded. "He's really good too."

"I hate Quidditch," Whit muttered. "I don't like Quidditch players…"

"Are you trying to find reasons not to like him because you do? Because that's what it seems like."

Whit signed and looked off into the distance. "It does, doesn't it?"

Vicotire nodded. "Personally, I've always liked Jack. I've known him for ages and I can tell you without a doubt that he's a nice guy. A little quiet and reserved, but you two are practically perfect in that sense."

Whit fidgeted a bit on the spot, her gaze constantly bouncing in the direction tte house. "I've never done this before."

"You've never done what?"

"Sat out all night in the freezing cold talking to a boy who actually seemed interested in what I had to say," she said. "Most of the conversations I have with boys are usually about schoolwork and whether or not I can help them with the answers."

Victoire smiled. "Again. First time for everything."

"And I've never actually had someone to talk to about this sort of thing either. In fact, I've never really had a friend who I talked about anything deeper than schoolwork with."

"Well, I haven't had many," Victoire said, looking off into the distance as she suddenly thought about Ted. "One by my count." She glanced at Whit. "Well, two now."

Whit grinned back at her and was quiet for a long moment. "I think I might like him."

"Then do something about it," she said. "I'm not saying you have to jump on him, but you know…let him know you're interested in getting to know him better."

"That's easy for you to say," Whit said as she started rubbing her hands together due to the cold. "I watched you with Stuart. It's so easy for you."

"He's just a boy," she said. "Stuart is also just a boy."

"One that you left unattended," she said, nodding towards the tent. "With Colleen lurking about."

Victoire shrugged. "He and I could get together right now and Colleen wouldn't stop going after him. She'd probably try harder. I suppose I'd rather find out that he goes for her now rather than later."

"That's mature."

"I'm also hoping that he'll get annoyed with her faster this way," Victoire added as an afterthought. "She's practically forcing her way into his eye line at every opportunity. It's bound to annoy him sooner or later. It annoys everyone else."

"Now that's more what I expected," Whit said as she began to laugh, though she stopped once the sound of footsteps approached. When Victoire turned to see, she found Jack had reappeared with two butterbeers in his hand.

"Heya stud," Victoire teased, causing Whit to practically shiver with embarrassment as she threw her a pleading look. She needed to relax. Victoire had known Jack since he was eleven; he'd spent countless days and nights at her house whether palling around with Louis or playing Quidditch with Dominique. She'd woken up to find him sitting across the breakfast table more times than she could count. If she could tease anyone, it was him.

"Hi Vic," Jack said with a sheepish smile. Even in the darkness, she could tell he was blushing a bit.

"None for me, then?" she asked as she gestured towards the butterbeers. "Thanks a lot."

"I had no idea you were out here," he said, venturing closer and handing Whit the one he'd brought outside for her.

"I'm only taking the piss." She stood up. "I was actually just leaving. Don't mind me."

She smiled at them once more—one last, purposefully cheeky smile that was sure to make Whit want to hex her—before turning to head back toward the tent. It was nice to know that Whit was actually excited over something for once. She was owed a little fun here and there, especially if that fun may lead to something a bit more meaningful. She deserved—

It was then that she heard a group of voices piling out of the tent in front of her; one particular shrill laugh made her stop in her tracks. Colleen, Penelope, and Aspeth were exiting the tent with Stuart and two other boys, Tom Haines and Devon Whimbley. They were all now standing directly in front of the tent entrance.

There was no way around them, and Victoire was in no mood to have a battle of words and dirty looks with Colleen at the moment. A part of her wanted to march up there and ask Stuart if he'd like to dance again, but at that exact moment Colleen leaned in and whispered something in his ear that made him laugh loudly.

A pang of jealousy ran through her; before she really knew what she was doing, she found herself walking straight towards the group.

"I swear, it's bigger than my wand," Tom mumbled in a slurred voice. Even from ten feet away, Victoire could tell he'd somehow been drinking. "I can prove it."

"Oh," said Colleen, noticing Victoire appear before anyone else did. "Well, Tom, here's someone who could tell us first hand if it is in fact bigger than your wand." She smiled at her as everyone else turned to look to see what she was on about.

Victoire felt her blood boil at Colleen's attempt to dig up the rumor that had haunted her. She knew she was doing it in an attempt to make her look as bad as possible in front of Stuart.

"Hey, it's Victoire!" Tom said, completely oblivious—or too drunk—to know what was happening or being said. He reached out and grabbed her and placed his arm around her shoulders in a playful manner. "This girl is a class act. She single-handedly helped me get through O.W.L.s last year. I would have failed without her."

"Single-handedly?" Aspeth said with a giggle. "Now that's impressive. I would think two hands would be more effective." Colleen and Penelope burst out laughing.

"What are you on about?" Tom asked as he swayed on the spot. Had Victoire not been there to support him, he would have easily fallen flat on his face. "Why does everyone think she noshed me off in the library?"

Victoire glared at Colleen. "I don't know, Colleen. Why does everyone think that?"

Colleen shrugged as if she had no idea, just as she always did. She clearly wasn't going to comment on it; no one standing there was.

That was until Tom added, "Because if that had actually happened, I can promise you I wouldn't need random people spreading that story for me. I'd announce it to the whole school myself!"

Victoire slithered out from under his arm at that comment, taking him off guard and letting him stumble over his own two feet and onto the ground. Devon scrambled to try and catch him, but Victoire let it happen.

"Is that Jack Ians with that Jane girl?" Penelope asked, seemingly looking to change the subject now that things felt strange. Victoire turned to see that it was exactly them walking toward them. She always wanted to yell out to go back to their tree stump

"Oh, isn't that just precious…" Colleen said as she and Penelope exchanged laughs. "Do you think they're actually together or was it just a quick shag in the woods?"

Penelope had laughed at that, but Victoire had heard enough. Her patience for these girls was nonexistent anymore.

"Is your life so boring that you have to pry into everyone else's to take the piss?" she snapped.

Colleen settled her rather scathing gaze on her, while her friends said nothing and stood dutifully waiting for her to react. Tom let out a low sounding, "Oooooh…." as Devon glanced from girl to girl in anticipation of what was looking to be a proper row.

Even Stuart made an attempt to cut the sudden tension with, "Who cares what they were doing. It's their business."

Colleen clearly wasn't keen on looking like the baddie here—not in front of Stuart. The color rose in her cheeks; Victoire almost thought she saw her hand flinch towards her wand, but she knew she wouldn't dare do that here. Not now.

Whit had approached the group of them, walking straight up to Victoire and asking, "Are you all right?"

"I'm wonderful," she said without taking her eyes off of Colleen. "Absolutely wonderful."

"Hey, Jack," said Devon—who was also on the Quidditch team—with a nod towards him. Stuart and Tom did the same. If Victoire didn't know any better, they seemed desperate for a subject change.

"What are you all up to?" Jack asked, oblivious to all the exchanges that had just occurred.

"We just came out for some air," Devon said with a shrug. "Hey, did you catch that Ballycastle match last night? What'd you think of—?"

"How about a game?" asked Colleen suddenly, ignoring the boys while still giving Victoire a look that could kill.

"What kind of game?" Tom asked as he fought to find his footing.

"What about truth or dare?"

Surprisingly, of all the people to comment, it was Whit who actually spoke up first. "You're serious? Who wants to play that? How old are we?"

"That's always the excuse of people who are too afraid to play," said Aspeth.

"Or people who aren't eleven," Victoire countered. She was already wondering what Colleen's plan was since she wasn't the type of person to randomly suggest a game for no reason. She hated games. At least the fun kind...

"It's a party, Vicki," Colleen said as she stepped into the middle of the makeshift circle that the group had unconsciously created. "Let's have a little fun. And as the birthday girl, you're first."

Victoire rolled her eyes. "This is stupid."

"You can't even bear a bit of fun?" Colleen asked before she glanced at Whit. "Has the boring rubbed off on you already, because if it has—"

"I'll go first," Whit interrupted, stepping forward.

Victoire was surprised at this, but not as surprised as Colleen looked. This clearly hadn't been part of the plan: however, when she slowly started to smile, it was evident that whatever Plan B she had was now making itself apparent.

"Perhaps you're not as dull as I thought there, Jane." She twirled her hair around her finger. "Alright then, truth or dare?'

"Dare," she said confidently, though she immediately added a less confident sounding, "I suppose..."

"I dare you to walk into that tent and announce, clearly, that you're looking for someone to shag. Anyone at all."

Victoire's eyes shot to Whit and immediately wondered what she would do. This was a girl who was the textbook definition of timid and shy. She had self admitted social anxiety. Making a public announcement, especially of this nature, was not something she was prone to do.

"Can I get the same one on my turn?" Tom asked.

Whit was looking over at the tent, the gears in her head clearly working over time. Victoire was a second away from telling her not to bother; this was all stupid, but she'd suddenly taken a deep breath. And just like that she started walking toward the tent.

Victoire watched, her mouth agape.

"Oh!" Colleen called after her as Penelope giggled with excited apprehension. "Don't forget to call for everyone's attention!"

Whit said nothing, but continued walking into the tent before she disappeared behind the entrance flap. The group edged its way closer to better listen; that was when they finally heard her voice.

"Attention everyone!" Whit called. "I would just like to announce that I'm currently looking for someone to shag, so if anyone's interested…!"

There was laughter from inside the tent, as well as from the outside. Victoire and Jack exchanged looks.

Seconds later, an extremely pink-faced Whit reappeared outside. Someone from inside the tent had yelled that they'd be willing, but Whit ignored it and continued walking straight to the spot she had been standing in before. Everyone outside of Jack and Victoire was laughing.

"That was amazing," Tom said, giving Whit her a high five. "Right on!"

"Well done, Jane," Colleen said. "Who knew someone like you could actually do something amusing." She laughed again. Whit glared at her.

"Your turn, then," Aspeth said to her.

"Right," Whit said, clapping her hands together and looking straight at Stuart. "Stuart. Truth or dare?"

"Don't make me do what you just did." He grinned and gestured towards the tent. "I'm not that brave."

Whit smiled at him. Victoire couldn't help but notice a sense of purpose in her expression.

"I'm not one for truth," he said. "Dare, I suppose."

"I dare you," she said without missing a beat, "to kiss Victoire. Right here, right now."

"Oh, that's easy," Devon said in a disappointed manner. He'd apparently wanted something more fun to watch.

Victoire looked straight back at Stuart. He was looking at her with an awkward grin, wondering if she had something to say on the matter. It was Colleen, however, who had the most entertaining facial expression; it was a mixture of anger, annoyance, and pure jealousy. Victoire could actually see Aspeth and Penelope watching Colleen carefully.

"That's really stupid," said Colleen. "Those are the sort of dares children do."

"This entire game is for children," Whit said. "And if it's so stupid, then let them just get it over with." She glanced at Stuart. "That is, if you're going to do it."

Colleen looked at Stuart on the off chance that he perhaps wouldn't. However, he took a few steps forward towards Victoire. "I think I can handle it," he said, stepping forward. "If you're game."

"I...yeah," she said, looking around. This wasn't exactly how she had imagined this moment happening. For one thing, Colleen was not supposed to be standing there glaring at her.

"You better make it good, Stu," said Devon. "After all, it's her birthday."

"I agree," said Whit, clearly enjoying Colleen's squirming. "You really should make it one that will landmark her seventeenth birthday for her."

"As if there's not enough pressure with everyone watching," Stuart said with a laugh. He turned and looked Victoire in the eyes. She couldn't help but think how this was definitely the most awkward kiss she'd ever had.

He leaned in then and their lips touched. Her immediate thought was that he was a good kisser, just as she had anticipated. His lips were smooth and warm. They felt exactly as she had dreamed they would have so many times before. As wonderful a feeling as it was to be kissing him, she couldn't help but think that this would be far more enjoyable if it were private.

"I think that's long enough," mumbled Colleen after a few seconds, though Stuart took a few extra to actually pull back.

"Good work, mate," Tom said from beside them as he smacked Stuart on the back. "Nice form."

"You're an idiot," said Stuart. He smiled at Victoire and stepped in between her and Tom.

"Your turn, Stu," Devon said as the game continued on. Victoire was fully aware that she probably had a happy and stupid grin plastered on her face, but for once she didn't care. If this had been a year ago, she would have done everything in her power to try to hide the fact from Colleen. She would have done her best to fall in line, just as Aspeth and Penelope often did; she certainly wouldn't be standing here rubbing it in Colleen's face like she was. She just didn't care anymore. It was her turn to live her life the way she wanted to; not how Colleen saw fit.

Everyone laughed as Stuart dared Tom to strip down to his underwear and run around in the cold. He added his own spin on the dare by strutting over to the Slytherin boys in woods that Victoire had been speaking to earlier, asking them to bum a cigarette. Tom then picked Penelope, who refused to do anything but truth. She managed to skirt her way around answering a question about a compromising position she had been found in last year by Professor Longbottom.

"We were just kissing," Penelope said with a cool shrug. "Professor Longbottom was overreacting when he told McGonagall."

Victoire wanted to laugh out loud at the sheer fact that Penelope thought they would believe Longbottom would have gone to the Headmistress for "just kissing" and nothing more. It seems she wasn't the only one because there were eyebrows raised around the entire group clearly doubting her statement.

Whit actually did laugh a little, throwing Jack an eye roll that didn't go unnoticed by the other girls. Colleen quickly leaned over and whispered something into Penelope's ear; she smiled forebodingly.

"Victoire. Truth or dare?"

She sighed. She knew this wasn't going to be good. "Dare."

"I dare you," Penelope said, unable to contain her giggles, "to kiss Jack."

"No," said both Victoire and Jack immediately, turning to look at each other.

"Why is everyone but me getting to kiss Victoire?" Tom asked.

"Yes, why am I getting dared to kiss everyone?" she asked, glaring at Colleen.

"I thought it was easy?" Colleen asked. "You didn't complain the first time."

"Her brother will murder me," Jack said.

"He'll murder me," Victoire said. "I'm not doing it. No offense, Jack."

"None taken."

Colleen rolled her eyes. "It's just a kiss. Grow up."

"It is just a kiss," said Devon, completely oblivious to what was really going on. How this was very much not just a kiss.

Victoire looked at Whit, who was staring at her with a mixture of curiosity and apprehension. She knew exactly what Colleen was doing. Whit had challenged her; she had assured that Victoire got the chance to kiss The Boy, and now she wanted Whit to share the feeling of having to watch a boy she fancied kiss someone else.

For someone as fragile as Whit was when it came to boys, this wasn't what needed to happen. Even if it was just a game.

"It's not as if we're asking you to help him study for his O.W.L.s," Penelope sneered.

That was the final straw.

"Piss off," Victoire snapped before she stormed off toward the tent. She knew she looked as if she had just completely overreacted to the situation; that Colleen was now having a field day by calling her a nutter, but she didn't care. She threw open the entrance to the tent and found herself running smack into Louis.

"Where have you been?" he asked, looking her up and down. "People were starting to leave and they were looking for you—" He stopped and stared at her. "What's wrong?"

"What's always wrong?" she snapped.

He sighed. "What's she done this time?"

"Messing with everyone like she always does!"

She stepped around her brother and walked over toward the group of people who were waving at her to say their goodnights. She managed to calm herself down and put on a brave face for them, continuing over the remainder of the party as she hugged and thanked everyone for coming.

"Happy birthday," Natalie said as she came over and hugged Victoire with Louis in tow. At that point nearly everyone had cleared out. The tent was practically vacant.

"Come on," Louis said, nudging his sister. "I'm walking Nat to the house to use the Floo. Everyone's gone so you may as well head back too."

Victoire nodded as she followed her brother and his girlfriend out of the tent and back toward the house, past the few people who were still milling about and saying their goodnights to each other. She scanned their faces quickly, but saw that Colleen was nowhere in sight. Thankfully, she must have already left.

"Have a good night?" Louis asked as the three of them walked.

"Mostly," she said. She wasn't going to let Colleen put a damper on what was otherwise a fantastic night. She thought of kissing Stuart again; a smile slowly crawled across her lips.

"Good," he said before stopping abruptly. Victoire, who had been walking directly behind him, walked straight into him.

"Forgotten how to walk, Lou?" she asked, glancing up at him and noticing he was staring at something. She looked around him.

"Hey, Louis," said Stuart as he approached the three of them. He hadn't left yet.

"Hey," Louis said, glancing at his sister. Stuart and Victoire made eye contact and he smiled at her.

Louis took a step back. "I'll see you back at the house then," he said, taking a step in that direction.

Natalie had followed, walking a bit further until she stopped directly behind Stuart. She looked positively ecstatic for Victoire and silently celebrated by throwing a thumbs up and dancing a bit on the spot.

Victoire threw her a funny look before telling her brother she'd be right behind. She smiled at Stuart, waiting until Louis had finally got Natalie away before saying, "I'd thought you'd left."

"That would have been rude." He smiled. "I just wanted to thank you for inviting me. I had fun."

"You're welcome," she offered as the pair of them stared at each other awkwardly for a moment.

Stuart broke the tension by laughing a little. "I guess I'll see you at school then."

"I have been known to make appearances there."

He smiled at her. "We'll have to hang out."

"I'd like that," she said, studying his face. He seemed almost as unsure as she did with what to do with this moment.

"Um, well, goodnight."

"Night," she said as she took a step forward to offer him a friendly hug.

He hugged her back before stepping away. "I…" he began before he laughed awkwardly. "I enjoyed…Earlier that is…It was a good kiss." He made a face that seemed to say he regretted saying that.

She smiled. "I enjoyed it too."

"Yeah," he said. "Well, another time then. We'll have to try it again." He made another face then. "I'm sorry, I'm a bit rusty at this. It's been a while since I've had to."

"You're doing fine."

He laughed. "Alright, I'm going to go now before I say something else stupid. I'll see you."

She smiled and offered him a "Goodnight" of her own before he Disapperated with a quick pop. She stared at the spot he had been standing in before she sighed and shook her head.

"That other time could have been now," she said out loud to no one, feeling her face. It was hot. She smiled as she made her way towards the house, feeling as if she could skip the entire way there.

When she reached the front porch, she found Louis and Natalie standing and talking with Jack and Whit, who were sitting together.

"There you are," Whit said as she stood up. "Louis told us you were saying goodnight to Stuart." She smiled encouragingly.

"Just good night," she said. "Nothing more."

"Aw, no snogging then?" Louis teased.

"No, that was earlier in the night," she said

Louis' face twisted into confusion. "What? Seriously?"

She rolled her eyes and glanced back at Whit. "Are you staying for a bit?"

"I can."

"I've got to get going," Natalie said, glancing up at Louis. "My parents said I had to be home by eleven-thirty at the latest."

"Come on then," he said as he made a move toward the door. "Jack, are you hanging around?"

"I've actually got to go, too," he said as he stood up and glanced at Whit. "I'm spending the day with my dad and brother tomorrow. We're getting up early."

Louis nodded as he held the door open for Natalie to pass. He stood there waiting for Jack to follow, but he was hesitating. Victoire glanced at Whit and realized what Jack was waiting for. He was hoping to say goodnight.

"I think I'm going to go and get some pumpkin juice." She gave Whit a knowing smile. "I'll be in the kitchen."

Whit nodded as Victoire made her way to the door. She pulled Louis inside with her as she passed.

"Let them say goodnight," she said once the door was shut behind them.

"Are they…?" he asked as he suddenly tried to peek out of the window. "When did that happen? Is that where he disappeared to all night?"

"Go say goodnight to your girlfriend," she said as she tried to distract him from the window. She pointed to the sitting room where her parents, her aunt, and her uncle were all making small talk with Natalie.

Victoire went straight into the kitchen to grab some juice as she'd claimed she would, even though she wasn't thirsty. She simply needed to do something to channel her energy. What a night…

When she'd made her way back into the sitting room, Natalie had gone and Louis was filling George in on how long he and she had been together.

"Is that everyone?" her mother asked as she sat on the sofa with her father sipping a glass of wine. "I want to close the Floo."

"There are some people outside," Victoire said just as Dominique entered the room to join the group. "But I think they can all Apparate. Except for Jack and Whit, but she's staying for a bit."

"It was quite amusing to see all these kids march through the sitting room one by one," George said with a chuckle as he gestured towards the fire. "It was like a mini parade."

"Did you have fun, Vic?" her father asked. "Now that there's only—" he checked his watch, "a half-hour left of your birthday."

"I did." She sat down on the sofa with her mother. "The party was wonderful. Thank you."

"I'm glad," said her mother, kissing Victoire on the cheek. "Is the garden a mess?"

Victoire exchanged looks with both Dominique and Louis. "Not really, no."

"It mainly stayed inside the tent," added Dominique.

"Good," her mother said as she stood and pulled out her wand. She turned towards Victoire. "I suppose you'd like your presents?"

Her eyes lit up. "I'd forgotten all about those!"

With a flick of her mother's wand, numerous parcels came flying into the room and began stacking themselves neatly onto the floor. By the time they had all settled, there was a fairly nice sized mound of gifts.

"We're definitely having a party for our seventeenth," Dominique said to Louis as they observed the presents. He was already nodding as the front door opened and shut.

"Wow," said Whit as she entered and admired the haul. "Look at all of those."

"That one's mine," Jack said, picking up a small, rectangular shaped package and handing it to Victoire. "If you don't like it, Lou and Nic told me to get it. Blame them."

Victoire laughed as she took it and started tearing the paper away. It was a green picture frame. "No worries. I love picture frames. Thank you."

Jack smiled as he gestured towards the fireplace. "May I?"

"Since when do you ask?" her father asked as Jack made his way around the now crowded sitting room and grabbed some Floo powder.

"Night, everyone," he said.

"Night, mate," Louis said over his shoulder as he started going through Victoire's presents for himself. Seconds later, the fire blazed and he disappeared.

"That one's from us," her father said pointing to a package that had been settled onto the coffee table.

"That's the good stuff," Dominique told her.

Victoire reached over to unwrap the box that sat there. She opened the box to reveal a beautiful silver necklace.

"It's beautiful," she said, taking the necklace out to look at it. Dominique made a gasping noise as Victoire stared up at her parents, who were watching her in anticipation.

"Oh, it is," Angelina said from the sofa.

"I'm so glad you like it!" her mother said as she made a movement towards her daughter to help her put it on. "It is tradition. I have one just like it."

"I know, I've seen it," she said excitedly as she gazed down at her chest. "I love it!"

Her father and her mother smiled proudly; her mother looked as if she could suddenly start crying.

"Those two are from us, Vicki," George said, pointing to one large and one small package. Victoire already knew the large one was a box of gadgets and gifts from her uncle's shop. She received an entire box full every year. All of his nieces and nephews did.

"That one there is from Ginny, Harry, and the kids," George said, pointing to another package. "And that green one over there is from Ron, Hermione, and the kids."

"Your grandparent's gift is around her somewhere," her mother said. "They sent it the other day."

"Your other set of grandparents," her father said, glancing back at Victoire, "said that you'll have to come by the house to get their gift. They want to see you."

Victoire laughed as she continued to open up her various presents, exclaiming in glee over the myriad of things she received. She had only made it through half the pile when her aunt announced that they had to leave in order to pick up their children from her mother's.

"We'll walk you out," her mother said, standing and patting her father on the leg. "I'd like to get a good look at the garden for myself."

"Happy birthday, kiddo," George said as he passed by Victoire and patted her on the head. "I'm sure we'll see you all around Easter holidays."

"Bye," she called, something her brother and sister echoed, as the four adults made their way outside. "And thank you,' she added at the last minute before the door shut. She smiled as she picked up another present and began to sing. "Happy birthday to me..."

"Is it still even your birthday?" asked Dominique. She checked the wall clock. It was 11:56.

"For four more minutes," Victoire said with a sad sigh as she unwrapped a bright pink knit hat from one of her friends. She pulled it on top of her head.

"That hat is as ugly as that one Nic always insists on wearing around," Louis said. "The big one?"

Dominique made a face, though Victoire laughed. She could already envision the ugly wool hat her sister did wear every winter that made her look like a lumberjack.

"Nothing is that ugly," Victoire offered as she pulled off the hat. Dominique flipped her off, but she ignored her in favor of searching through the pile for something else.

Whit immediately held up a package. "From Stuart."

"Let me see!"

"Did you really snog him tonight?" Louis asked..

"What if I did?" she asked as she started to tear the paper away. She looked back at Louis. "Trust me. You'll thank me when you realize who I didn't kiss."

"You actually kissed Reynolds?" Dominique asked, groaning as she said it. "Great, we'll have to hear about that now…"

Victoire ignored her as she pulled a pale blue scarf out of the box Stuart had given her. It was pretty, if not a bit generic. She threw it around her neck and looked around at everyone. Whit smiled; she was the only one paying attention, seeing as Louis and Dominique had moved on to grabbing at other packages.

It was a perfectly nice scarf, Victoire couldn't deny that, for some reason she was a little disappointed. She wasn't sure why, seeing as she and Stuart weren't especially close. But yet she was.

She attempted to throw off the feeling and started scanning through the pile once more when a sudden knock at the front door distracted her. Everyone glanced at each other. It was almost midnight, who on earth would be calling this late?

"Maybe someone forgot something," said Victoire. She stood up and threw her scarf off. Taking careful steps across the room, so as not to step on anything, she made her way to the door. She could hear Louis and Dominique starting to interrogate Whit about her and Jack.

"You might as well tell me," she heard Louis say. "I'll find out from Jack."

"So nosy," Victoire yelled from the foyer as she looked out the front window. She didn't see anyone, so she opened the door a crack to reveal someone standing just off to the opposite side. They turned when they heard the door open.

"I'm not too late, am I?" Ted asked.

"Ted!" she said as her face lit up, shocked to see him there. "What are you doing here?"

"I had a break," he said just as she noticed the bags under his eyes and several days worth of beard stubble on his face. "I figured I might be able to just catch the end of your birthday." He held out a small package. "Happy birthday."

"You didn't have to," she said as she took it and smiled at him. "You've got your thing tomorrow morning."

He shrugged. "I figured I could spare a few minutes."

"Do you want to come in?" She gestured toward the house.

"I really only stopped by to drop that off and see you on your birthday. I wish I had the time."

A chime somewhere suddenly indicated that it was midnight then. It made Ted smile. "And I made it just in time."

"Good timing," she said, still smiling from the surprise of his visit as she glanced down at the package he had handed her.

"I really should be going though. I've still got a few more things to do before I can go to sleep." He sighed. "If I sleep."

"Wait," she said, wanting to steal a few more seconds of his time. She started to tear at the paper of her gift. "You've got to at least wait for me to open it."

He seemed to accept that and watched as she pulled the rest of the paper off. "I'm hoping you'll get a kick out of this. My grams had this for ages in a box and I asked her if she'd care if I gave it to you. I know you like to collect picture frames."

She glanced down at the picture frame in her hand. Unlike the other half a dozen she had received tonight, this one already had a photo in it. The edges of the picture were worn, but the image was clear.

"Where was this taken?" she asked quietly, watching as the figures in the photo moved around .

"Harry and Ginny's wedding," he said as he edged closer to her to get a better look at it. "I can tell by the robes I'm wearing. I hated those things."

She smiled softly. In the photo, she couldn't have been any older than five, which would have made Ted about six or seven. She was dressed in a pretty green flower girl's dress and was beaming at the camera. She had her index fingers positioned at the corner of Ted's mouth, forcing him to smile because—given what she remembered about Ted as a kid—he probably didn't want to. The Ted in the photo kept trying to squirm away from her, obviously not at all interested in being photographed.

"I was a brat," he said with a laugh, which made Victoire look up at him slowly. He shrugged. "Anyway, I always liked that photo, so I thought maybe you would too."

"I love it," she said, clearly feeling moved by the gesture. She glanced down at it once more. With the exception of her parent's gift, this was probably the most thoughtful gift that she had received. "Thank you so much."

He smiled and suddenly seemed to remember something. He started patting at the pockets of his clothes and pulled out an envelope. "There's a card. I didn't want to forget it." He checked his watch. "I really have to go, though."

"Right," she said as if being awoken from a trance. "Thank you so much for this. And for coming by."

He shrugged as if it was no big deal. "If I don't see you before you're back at school, I'll try to actually write to you this term."

She smiled at him and nodded.

"Happy birthday," he said. "And tell everyone I said hi."

She nodded again. "Will do."

"Bye." He Disapperated with a pop then. She stared at the spot he'd been in for a long time before she glanced down at the photo in her hand once more. She noticed the card and placed the frame down in order to open it. Inside was a typical birthday message, but in messy script off to the side, Ted had written:

Happy birthday, Vic. Being on this side of seventeen was getting lonely without you, so it's about time you caught up. Sorry about missing your party, but here's to many good times to come (especially since I am, in fact, cool). Miss you – Ted

She found herself reading the simple message over and over again several times before she finally realized how cold she was. She picked up her frame and made her way back inside.

"Who was it?" asked Dominique once Victoire had re-entered the room. She was now wearing several gift bows on her head.

"Ted," she said. "He stopped by to wish me a happy birthday and give me this." She held out the frame. Whit took it from her to examine it.

"And he didn't come in to visit?" asked Louis.

"He's got that big presentation tomorrow," she said. "He only had a minute."

"This is adorable," Whit said, smiling up at Victoire as she held up the photo. Louis reached out to take it from her, laughing when he saw it.

"Look how little you both were," he said. "Look at you, Vic. You were so extra."

Dominique leaned over his shoulder to observe it as well and smiled when she saw it. "She still is."

"That was really sweet of him to stop by," Whit said as Victoire observed her brother and sister looking over the photo.

"Yeah," she said as she found herself smiling. "It really was."