DISCLAIMER: Teddy Lupin, Victoire Weasley and all the other Harry Potter characters are property of JK Rowling, not me; no copyright infringement is intended.

A/N: Thanks to everyone who's reviewed – I really appreciate the feedback (hint!) :)

The Art of Being Subtle

Chapter Three – Neville

Grounds of Hogwarts – 10th July – 12.39pm

"Give it back!" Victoire said, snatching for her book and pretending to pout at Ted.

"Oh no," he responded, shaking his head. "If you want it—" He leapt to his feet. "You'll have to come and get it!" He ran off, holding her novel high above his head and she quickly got up to follow him, shrieking with laughter and nearly steamrollering a gaggle of very alarmed looking first years.

"Don't even think about it Teddy Lupin!" she panted. They ran around the grounds, collecting bemused looks from various students, hollering and laughing at each other. Victoire went flying over a large tree root, but pulled herself to her feet and continued pursuing her boyfriend, chasing him round the back of the greenhouses.

"Ha! You've got no chance of catching me, Weasley! You've—oof!" He barrelled into a hard object, and knocked all the breath out of his body. He looked up, recognising the object straight away. "Oh, sorry, Professor Longbottom, sir!" He gasped out, panting heavily.

"That's quite alright, Mr. Lupin," said Neville, wondering what in Merlin's name had possessed one of the best students in the entire seventh year to careen around the field like a first year. Before he could quite compute what had gone on, a second figure whirled around the corner.

"Teddy Lupin! I am going to kill—er, hello, Professor!" Victoire Weasley – the very same calm, demure, Head-Girl-next-year-though-she-didn't-know-it-yet Victoire Weasley – stopped short, offering her teacher a sunny smile, and tried to act as though it was perfectly normal for a sixth year girl in kitten heels and a slightly too short to be regulation skirt to be caught chasing after one of the boys in the year above her, yelling murderous threats at him.

"Hello, Miss Weasley," Neville said, bemused. "Is this National Act Like A Four Year Old day, or have you two just gone temporarily insane because of the heat we've been having lately?"

"Well, the thing is Professor—"

"Because you see, he was—"

"But then I didn't mean to—"

"Of course, I had to—"

"And if she hadn't—"

"I see," said their teacher. "I have no idea what you two were up to, but I think it would behove you to start acting like adults once more. Miss Weasley, your skirt is far too short. Mr. Lupin, I believe the rules stipulate that all of the buttons on that shirt should be done up, and your tie should be around your neck, not stuffed in your pocket. Please, do try to set an example for the younger students, won't you? I'm sure you can run around your own back gardens as much as you want in a few days, so please try to control yourselves until then, won't you?"

"Yes, Professor," they mumbled together.

"Very good," he said, picking up the book. "I believe that this is yours, Miss Weasley. See you both at dinner!" He handed her the book and walked away, a twinkle in his eye.

"Bye, Sir!" Victoire called. She turned to Teddy. "That was all your fault, you know."

"My fault?! How?"

"If you hadn't ran off with my book . . ."

"But if you hadn't followed me . . ."

"Excuse me, but I was not the one who ran into Professor Longbottom . . ."

The Leaky Cauldron, London – 10th July – 9:49pm

"Oh, and you won't believe who I had to tell off for acting like five year olds today," Neville said, looking at his wife over a glass of wine.

"Who?" Hannah asked.

"Ted Lupin and Victoire Weasley," he replied.

"Those two?" she asked.

"Yep," Neville said, nodding seriously. "They were chasing each other around the grounds – he'd taken her book or something. How ridiculous! Why in Merlin's name would they do that?"

Hannah blinked at him, like he was missing something obvious. "What?" he asked. She rolled her eyes.

"They were flirting with each other," she explained patiently.

"They were?"

"They were," she nodded. "But even you must have seen that one coming."

"What, those two?" he asked. "I suppose . . ."

"Oh please, they've been destined for each other since they were little kids," Hannah said. "Sometimes, you just know with people. Everyone just knows that they'll get together. Except them, apparently." Neville chuckled. "What?" she asked.

"I wonder if Bill's worked it out yet?"

And they sat on the balcony overlooking the shabby pub garden, in the oppressive London heat and laughed and laughed.