The next day I was jittery all through breakfast.
"Merlin!" Aidan snapped. "Sit still, Vic."
He was still in a bad mood.
"Shut up, Aidan," Rox said. "She's excited to see Teddy. Leave her alone."
"Do I look alright?" I asked Rox nervously. I was wearing a black skirt with gray tights and a white sweater. "Or do I look fat?"
"You don't look fat, Vic," Roxanne reassured me. "You haven't started showing yet. You're only 11 weeks."
"I don't believe you, I've definitely gotten fatter."
"Well it's not visible under your sweater, so stop worrying about it."
"So I look alright?" I asked again. "You like the outfit?"
"Yes, Vic, I like the outfit. It's cute."
"Why are you so worried about what you're wearing anyway?" asked Aidan. "Do you really plan on keeping your clothes on that long?"
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" I snapped.
"Well obviously you took your clothes off pretty easily for Colin, so why not Teddy?"
"I've only been dating Teddy for a few weeks. I haven't even seen him since September 1st. Do you really think I'm the kind of girl who shags a guy after dating him for a few weeks?"
He shrugged. "I don't know, maybe."
Fred, who had been mostly quiet the entire meal, suddenly spoke up. "Oy, Aidan! You're my best mate and everything, but you ever talk about my cousin like that again and I might end up in Azkaban for murder."
"Seriously, Aidan, we're all sorry about Grace and Matthew, okay? But stop being such an arsehole," Roxanne added.
He sighed heavily. "I'm sorry, Vic," he said. "You have every right to slap me."
"That's a tempting offer," I replied. "But I'll let you off this time. Say something like that again though…"
"I won't, I swear."
"Good." I smiled.
An hour later, Rox, Aidan, and I were heading to Hogsmeade. Grace was already with Matthew and Fred was already with his girlfriend, Camille.
We stopped in front of the Three Broomsticks, where Teddy was meeting me. "Well, see you later," I said, waving at them.
"Have fun," said Rox. She gave me a hug and then she and Aidan were off to Honeydukes.
I stepped inside the pub and looked around.
"Victoire, over here!" I heard a voice call. I looked over and saw Teddy sitting at a small table in the corner. I felt a huge grin spread across my face as I approached him. Merlin, I'd missed him.
I slid into the seat across from him. "Hey."
"Hey, yourself," he said, smiling. Today his hair was a short and a dirty blond color and his eyes were light blue. "Miss me?"
"Yes," I replied. "Did you miss me?"
He smirked. "Maybe a little."
I smacked his arm.
"Okay, maybe more than a little," he said, laughing.
"So," I said, taking a sip of the water he'd already ordered for me, no butterbeer for the pregnant girl. "How's life?"
He shrugged. "Well, not much. My job is torture. My boss is an arsehole."
I laughed. "Teddy, your boss is my uncle Percy."
"Exactly."
After our run-in with Percy at the King's Cross, Teddy had gotten a job in the Department of Magical Transportation, specifically the Broom Regulatory Control.
He'd only been working there for a couple weeks, but already nearly all his letters were filled with complaints about the job and about Percy.
"He's a merciless slave driver, Vic. I'm not even exaggerating."
I rolled my eyes. "Of course you're not."
"So what about you?" he asked. "How's your life going?"
"Oh, it's wonderful," I said sarcastically. "There's nothing better than being a pregnant teenager. The people staring at me and whispering, the idiot Slytherins calling me a slut to your face, the morning sickness, the annoying food cravings, and of course the knowledge that it's all going to get worse and that I'm eventually going to have to give birth and then raise a child."
He stared at me, his eyes wide and his mouth hanging slightly open.
"You know," he said, "my job suddenly doesn't seem so terrible."
"Glad I could put your life into perspective," I replied with a smirk.
He grinned and downed the rest of his butterbeer.
"You're flaunting that," I told him.
"I'm flaunting what?" he asked.
"Your butterbeer. You know I'm not allowed to have any and you're rubbing it in my face. If you were a good boyfriend, you'd drink water like I am."
He raised an eyebrow at me. "You know what sounds good right now? Firewhiskey. I think I'll get some."
I glared at him as he signaled the waiter and ordered a glass.
"Mmm," he said, taking a large gulp. "That really hits the spot." He looked pointedly at the glass sitting in front of me. "Although I'm sure your water is good too," he said, smirking.
"I hate you."
He leaned across the table, so that his face was nearly touching mine.
"No you don't," he whispered.
"Eww," I said, pulling away. "Your breath smells like alcohol."
He pulled out his wand and performed a quick breath freshening charm. Leaning in again, he whispered, "Better?"
I nodded.
"Now admit you don't hate me, even if I am flaunting my drinks."
"I don't hate you," I mumbled.
"What was that? I can't hear you."
"I don't hate you," I said, louder this time. Several people turned to look at us. I felt my face turn red.
"You sure?" he asked, that stupid smirk still in place.
"Yes I'm sure," I snapped.
"So then, how do you feel about me?"
"I love you," I murmured.
"Sorry, can you repeat that? I didn't quite catch it."
"I love you, you git!" I nearly shouted.
This time, nearly everyone in the pub was staring at us.
I buried my face in my hands.
"Come on," I heard Teddy say. "Let's get outta here."
"And go where?" I asked, lifting my head
"You'll see," he said, standing up and holding out his hand. I took it and he pulled me to my feet.
Keeping my hand firmly in his, he led me out of the pub.
He pulled me down a few side streets until we came to an abandoned building. There was nobody in sight.
"What are we doing here?" I asked.
Instead of answering, he backed me up against the building and kissed me. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him closer to me.
After a few minutes we pulled apart, breathing heavily.
"Ah, that's what we're doing here," I said.
"I've been waiting to do that for weeks," he murmured, his hands still resting on my hips.
"Me too," I replied. He grinned and leaned in again, pressing his lips against mine once more.
I felt him move his hand down towards the hem of my skirt; he fiddled with it for a minute before slipping his hand underneath. Then it slowly began to creep up my leg…
I pushed him away. "Stop."
"Crap, I'm sorry, Vic." He leaned with his back against the wall and turned his head sideways to look at me. "I just got caught up in the moment."
"It's okay," I said.
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah… I guess I'm just worried that you think that because I'm pregnant I'm gonna be an easy lay or something." The words tumbled out of my mouth before I could stop them.
He frowned. "Of course I don't think that."
"Yeah, it was a stupid worry." I took his hand and gave it a squeeze. "Come on," I said. "Let's go to Honeydukes. I want some candy."
He didn't move. "Victoire, wait."
"What?"
"I need you to understand that I'm not trying to take advantage of you in any way. However slow you want to take this relationship is fine with me, as long as I get to be with you. I love you, Vic."
I felt my breath hitch in my throat. "Really?"
"Of course."
A smile spread across my face. I felt like I could just stand there, staring into his eyes for the rest of the day. Well I could if I hadn't been desperately craving some Cauldron Cakes.
"Er," I said, "not to ruin the moment, but I really do want to go to Honeydukes."
"Alright, then," he said. "Let's go."
We spent the next hour in Honeydukes, buying candy and chatting with people.
After we had both eaten enough candy to possibly feed a small village, we stumbled out of the shop, laughing hysterically.
"Remind me to never eat that much candy again," I said, gasping for breath and clutching his arm for support.
He opened his mouth to respond when a loud, high-pitched voice interrupted.
"Teddy? Ohmigod, it's you!"
We both turned around and came face to face with a tall, tan, raven-haired girl who I did not recognize.
"Maria!" Teddy exclaimed. "Wow, it's great to see you!"
I raised my eyebrows. Oh, it was great, was it?
And then the girl, who I decided in that moment to refer to as "That Slag", threw her arms around my boyfriend's neck.
And worse, my boyfriend wrapped his arms around her waist and hugged her back.
I cleared my throat loudly.
Teddy quickly untangled himself from That Slag's grip and grabbed my hand.
"Maria, this is my girlfriend, Victoire. Vic, this is Maria."
That Slag, err…I mean, Maria, smiled at me. "It's sooo nice to meet you," she cooed.
I tried to smile back, but failed miserably. "Yeah, nice to meet you too," I said through gritted teeth.
"So, how long have you two been together?" she asked, oblivious to the daggers I was shooting at her with my eyes.
"A little over a month," replied Teddy.
"Oh, well isn't that wonderful," she said. "You make an adorable couple." She glanced down at her watch. "Ohmigod," she exclaimed. "I'm late for something!"
Then That Slag leaned in and planted a kiss on my boyfriend's cheek.
I briefly wondered if clawing out her eyeballs with my bare hands would be an overreaction.
"Hopefully I'll see you around," she whispered in his ear.
Hopefully you fall off a cliff, I thought to myself.
Then to my utter horror, my boyfriend winked at her and replied, "Yeah, hopefully."
Then That Slag turned and strutted away, leaving behind only the stench of cheap perfume.
As soon as she was out of sight, I turned to Teddy. "What the hell was that?"
"What was what?" he asked, confused.
"Why were you flirting with that girl?"
"I wasn't flirting with her. I was just being friendly."
"Umm, no. Being friendly with someone is saying hi, and then maybe chatting about the weather for a few minutes while standing at least a couple feet away from them. Being friendly is not letting some random girl throw herself all over you and kiss you and then winking at her, all in front of your girlfriend. That's flirting."
He looked stunned. "Look, Vic, that's just how I am with everybody. I'm just a friendly guy, okay? It's not flirting."
"Who was that girl anyway?"
"Just a girl I dated for a little while last year."
"She's your ex?" Wow, that made it even better!
"Yes, Victoire, she's my ex, meaning we're no longer together and I have no interest in her."
I sighed. "I'm tired," I said. "I think I'm gonna head back to the castle."
"Alright," he said, leaning in and kissing my forehead. "Write to me soon?"
"Yeah, sure," I said as I turned to walk away.
"I love you," he called after me.
I glanced back over my shoulder at him. He was standing in the middle of the road all alone, looking sadder than I'd seen him look in a long time.
"I love you too," I said.
His expression immediately brightened and he shot me his most dazzling smile. I felt my anger towards him melt away.
Why did Teddy Lupin have to be so damn charming?
I hope you liked this chapter. Please leave me a review!