Finally, A Proper Goodbye

Teddy fidgeted, unsure of himself.  He could feel Victoire's blue eyes on him, but kept his own brown ones on the cobblestones determinedly.  He could feel the blush rising to his face and tried to ignore it.  He was quite sure that this moment ranked in the Top Five Most Awkward.

Merlin, get a hold of yourself.

You're practically family.  You're basically her cousin.  

But I'm not.

Just look at her.  

I have.  For a long time.  

Sap.  

Shut up.

"Teddy?"

He tried to say "yes?" but it came out as more of a grunt.  

"Are you going to kiss me, or what?"

Pure shock cause his head to snap up so fast his that his neck cracked.  She looked part amused, part annoyed, and just a little bit coy.

"You…want me to?"

"Oh, for the love of Merlin—"

She grabbed the collar of his vest and yanked his face into reach, and she was kissing him, and his arms were around her waist and her hands were around his neck and he was finally, finally kissing her—

"Teddy?"

They jumped and broke apart, and saw James standing not five meters away, grinning evilly.

"Victoire?"

Teddy felt himself redden (again, dammit) instantly.  "Go away, please!" he snapped.

James cackled and darted away, and Teddy was sure he was off to tell anyone and everyone who would listen.  He sighed.

Victoire laughed.  "I'll give him detention once we get to school.  But you and I only have a few more minutes, so we'd better make the most of them, yeah?"

xXxXxXx

As the train began to move, Victoire appeared at a window near the front, fighting her masses of strawberry-blonde hair as the wind blew it around.  Teddy laughed at the sight, and was still laughing as she managed to tug enough of it out of her face in time to send him a last glowing smile before the train rounded the bend.

He waved at the rest of the Weasleys as they rushed past in flashes of red and auburn hair, and James and Al, the younger brother's thin face full of excitement and apprehension.  James would tease and torment, but when it came down to it, he would protect his brother.

The train vanished, and Teddy walked back down the platform towards the Potters, where Lily was still sulking about being left behind.  Her brown eyes lit up when she saw him.  "Teddy!" she cried, dropping her father's hand and rushing at him.

Teddy knelt down to let her crash into a hug.  "James said you were kissing Victoire!"

Well, that was fast, he thought.  But he had known that James wouldn't leave without telling everyone that he had a chance to.

"I was," he admitted, avoiding Harry and Ginny's curious looks, and choosing to focus on Lily's big, brown eyes.

She squealed and hugged his neck.  "Marry her, Teddy, oh please, please, please—"  

Her excited begging was cut short when Teddy slung her upside-down over one shoulder and stood up.  The excitable little girl shrieked in laughter at the familiar treatment.  She was getting a bit big for it, but it effectively distracted her.

"Surprised?" he asked his godfather and mother.

Ginny laughed.  "Only that you actually did it.  You're so much like you father, Teddy.  It took him forever to."

Teddy blushed again.  He had done that a lot in the last ten minutes or so.  He considered, for a moment, telling them that she had basically ambushed him, but decided to keep what small amount of pride was left to him.  

They chatted as they walked through the train station, Lily still dangling from Teddy's shoulder, right over to the Potter's car, where he kissed her hair and promised to come over for dinner—Harry rolled his eyes, smiling—and Dissapparated as they drove away.

xXxXxXx

Victoire pulled her head back inside and set to combing her windblown hair with her fingers until the Head Boy and prefects arrived.  

But the first people through the door were her cousins.  She groaned.

"Vicky!" Molly shouted, a gleeful smile on her face, "You and Teddy!  I can't believe you didn't tell us!  How long?"

Dominique wasn't far behind.  "Is that who you've been owling all summer?  Merlin's beard, Vicky, you could have told me!  I'm your sister!"

Lucy followed, shouting at her sister and cousin, "You're not allowed!  That's the prefect's and Heads compartment!"

Among all the commotion, Victoire saw Molly drop a Wizard Wheeze and braced herself for an explosion, but none came.  Her sister and cousins continued to chatter as if Teddy kissing her would change the world.

"Merlin!" she shouted, throwing her hands up in the air.  "We kissed!  It's not like—"

"According to James, you were trying to suck each other's faces off," Molly said with a smirk so big it should have been outlawed.

Victoire tried desperately not to blush, but knew she was failing miserably.  "Right," she said in an attempt to collect her dignity.  "Lucy's right.  You're not—"

"Vicky and Te-eddy sitting in a tree," sang James, announcing his entrance.  Molly and Dom grinned evilly and joined in, skipping circles around her. "K-I-S-S-I—"

A couple fifth-years entered, looking at the Weasleys curiously.

"Out!"

Molly, Dom and James high-fived each other and all three left the compartment laughing.  Term hadn't even started and they were already causing chaos.  

Victoire managed to pull herself together just as the rest of the prefects and Head Boy arrived.  "Good morning, every—"

BANG.

Purple smoke filled the compartment, accompanied by an ear-piercing "MUAHAHAHA."

They opened the windows and managed to fan most of it out, but it took quite a while.  Victoire knew it was going to be a very trying year.  She made a mental note to write to her uncles and father and apologize in advance for maiming her cousins and sister.