Oh my gosh, guys, it's been so long since I've sat down and written anything! I've been so busy with finals and crap that I haven't had the time or motivation. But oh well. Here goes…

Vic's POV

"You…what?" Fred nearly shouted.

James slumped his shoulders over, suddenly doubting his previous statement. "I swear I did," he said defensively. "I swear I saw him. A big black dog. The thing looked like it was going to kill me."

"Oddly enough, James," said Vic, "you're making sense."

James sighed with relief. "Have you seen him too?"

"No," Vic hesitated, "but I heard Uncle Harry talking about him awhile back."

"How long ago is 'awhile back'?" asked Fred.

Vic breathed. "This summer when Aunt Hermione showed up at shell cottage along with Hugo and Rose, I followed my dad and Hermione back to her mother's house for answers." Vic directed her speech more toward Fred than James, since James had already heard the story from Teddy on their way to the platform. And he'd probably heard more details of the summer from their many cousins at Hogwarts. She finished her explanation with "and that's when I heard Uncle Harry talking about Padfoot. He said that's who had saved he and Lily. That's who had come to his rescue. A big black dog."

"Poor Lily," James shook his head. "Still stuck at the Dursley's."

Fred seemed to choke on air. "Lily? I'm sorry, Lily who is where?"

James looked at Fred as if he were insane. "Lily Potter! She's at the Dursley's."

"You're telling me," said Fred, "that the Lily Potter is on a sweet visit with her sister and moron of a brother-in-law?"

"What're you talking about?" James shouted slowly, "I'm telling you that my sister Lily is stuck with the most mundane lot of muggles I've ever had the displeasure of associating myself with."

At that, Fred seemed to calm himself down. "I'm sorry," he muttered. "I suppose I thought you were talking about someone else."

"You were thinking of Lily Evans," realized Victoire, "weren't you?"

"You mean my grandmother?" questioned James.

Fred nodded. "I apologize. You know…it might be best if I know…everything that's going on right now."

With that, James and Vic recapped their tales from the summer and brought Fred up to date on all of the family business. Who was with who, which children belonged to which parents, and where they all were now.

"I'm sorry," Vic said, "we've strayed from our original subject. Padfoot."

Fred nodded. "Of course," he said. "Sirius Black. After a mishap at the end of my seventh year, Sirius ended up dead. That was twenty-one years ago."

James shook his head. "If he died twenty-one years ago, how is he alive now?"

"I don't know," Fred said. "You can't even be sure if he actually is alive, James. Can you?"

"I know what I saw, Uncle Fred," said James. "I know I didn't imagine it."

"I don't think that's what he's saying," Victoire jumped in. "I think he's asking if you're sure the black wolf you saw was Padfoot."

"Well it wasn't a sodding pig, now was it?" James' temper blossomed.

"Easy, James," said Fred. "I know that you saw a black dog. A big, black dog. I'm just not sure if what you saw was actually Sirius."

"If it wasn't him," proposed Vic, "what else could it be?"

"I'm not quite sure," said Fred, "but I don't like this. Death Eaters back, talk of You-Know-Who, dementors out of their guard of Azkaban, and men coming back to life. I don't like any of this, Victoire."

"What are we going to do about it?" she asked.

"Whatever suits you," said Fred simply.

James looked at Vic and nodded, giving the okay for her to make a decision. After hesitating, she began slowly, "I want to leave Hogwarts."

James nearly jumped back from the blow of Vic's words. "You what? Are you absolutely insane, Victoire? Are you trying to get yourself killed? Hogwarts is the only safe place we've got, Vic."

"What if they're just telling us that, James?" Vic snapped. "What if it really isn't as safe as we believe it to be. If You-Know-Who got through Dumbledore's barriers back in the Second Wizarding War, who knows what he's capable of now, and who knows who's powerful enough to stop him. So now, James, anywhere else is just as safe as here."

"Wait a minute," Fred put up his arms in a halting gesture, "since when did we start talking about a war? You-Know-Who isn't back, unless you forgot something in your story from earlier."

Vic shook her head. "He's not back, no. But after all this talk of Death Eaters and whatnot, I'd rather be safe than sorry when he shows up knocking at my doorstep. Listen, I know it sounds insane to leave, but I think I'd be making the right decision. If I left, I could help Uncle Harry. James, you could even come with me. And maybe I'd even be with Teddy and if I could help at all with what they're all trying to do, I'd feel so much more useful than I do now, sitting here in daily lessons."

James lifted his head high. "That's what this is about," he said coldly. "You want to leave so that you can be with Teddy, don't you?"

Vic didn't answer.

"Don't you, Victoire?"

"James," she said, "it's not just Teddy…"

"But he's a big part of it, isn't he?"

Vic sighed.

"Who's Teddy?" asked Fred curiously.

"Teddy Lupin," sneered James. "Victoire's little boyfriend."

"You said Lupin?" questioned Fred.

James nodded.

"I knew his father," said Fred.

Victoire made a small noise and the boys turned toward her. "His father," she said. "He's been dead for nineteen years."

"So have I," said Fred. "Remus Lupin. Moony. He was one of the four Marauders. He was a werewolf, too."

"I'm sorry, he was a what?" Victoire walked up to Fred so that her face was only inches from his.

"A werewolf," repeated Fred.

"No," said Victoire. "Teddy's mother was an animorphmagus. His father was a normal wizard."

"Until he was bitten," argued Fred.

Vic's eyes darted back and forth. "Why wouldn't he have told me?"

Fred snorted. "Having a werewolf in the family isn't exactly something that most wizards are proud of, Victoire."

"You seem to be fine with the matter," Vic snapped.

"The Weasley's are a more accepting family than most. You should know that by now."

Vic turned and crossed her arms. "James," she huffed.

James made a small peep. "Yes?"

"Give me the cloak. We're leaving."

"But Vic," argued James, "we need more answers."

"We can get those later. Or elsewhere. Right now, we're leaving."

"Victoire," Fred tried to reason, "you can't leave now. There's so much more to tell you, so much that I can help you with."

Victoire almost laughed. "You're going to help me? Or am I going to help you?"

"I'm sorry?" Fred was caught off guard.

"I've given you the story of my family, Uncle Fred. You've been apart from them for the past nineteen years. What is it that you're wanting out of these visits?"

"I…I don't want anything," said Fred nervously.

"You can't be so selfless, Uncle."

Fred sighed. "I want…I want to see George," he said softly.

"Yeah," said Vic, "I bet you do." With that, Vic threw the cloak over both her shoulders and James', opened the door, and left Fred floating alone, waiting for a brother that he knew would never come back to him.

Well, that's all I've got for today. Please review!