Chapter Twenty-Seven

Goodbye

"Finally!" whispered Dominique as Victoire snuck through the back door. Victoire jumped, turning towards the noise to find Dominique and Katie waiting for her at the kitchen table, both snuggled up in their robes and sipping mugs of hot chocolate.

"You startled me!" she hissed, putting her wand back in her pocket. "Are Mum and Dad awake?"

"Probably," Dominique said, shrugging. "You know how they are. Go say goodnight and come back here."

"Yeah, we waited up this long for details and you better not disappoint!" Katie added, summoning a third mug for Victoire with her wand hand and shooing her out of the kitchen with the other. Victoire rolled her eyes but did as they said and tiptoed to her parent's bedroom. A small sliver of light could be seen shining from under their closed door and Victoire smiled. She knew her parents could never sleep until they were sure all their children were safely home.

"Mum?" Victoire called out quietly, knocking on the door. She heard the rustle of bedcovers before her mother's faint call of entrance.

"I'm home, Mum," Victoire said, peaking through the door.

"Bon," Fleur answered sleepily. "How was your night?"

"Wonderful," Victoire answered softly, smiling as she did so. "Go to sleep Mum, I'll tell you in the morning."

Fleur murmured "Bon," as Victoire pulled the door shut and headed back to her inquisition in the kitchen. She faintly heard her father mutter "Nox" as she left the hall.

"Well," Katie whispered as soon as Victoire joined them at the table. "How was it?"

Victoire blushed as she recalled some of the more spectacular events that had transpired on her date with Teddy. "It was fantastic," she gushed, taking the mug of hot coco from Katie with a murmur of thanks. She sipped her drink but even that couldn't compare to the warmth that was spreading through her as she thought about tonight's events.

"Hmm, he was that good, was he?" Katie asked, eyeing Victoire. Victoire felt her face heat up.

"Katie!" she blustered, looking to her sister for help. But Dominique merely raised an eyebrow in mild interest.

"Well, was he?" Dominique asked, tripping a bit over the words as her face twisted into a combination of disgust and curiosity.

"Nicki," Victoire protested weakly. "How can you ask me that, he's practically your—"

"I know, I know, we're practically related," Dominique interrupted. "But if I can suffer through an hour of this one," she jerked her thumb in the direction of Katie, "gushing on about Louis than I can suffer through this as well." Dominique sighed before turning towards Katie. "You know it really would be much fairer if you had a brother I could get a leg over just so you know how this feels!"

"Nicki!" Katie and Victoire spat out together, Katie quite literally spitting out hot chocolate as she began to laugh.

"Nicki, we didn't… didn't shag," Victoire said weakly over Katie's sputtered snicker.

"Hmm," Dominique hummed, regarding her sister, "near enough I'd bet."

Victoire opened her lips to argue but found that she honestly couldn't, instead her mouth bobbed open and shut a bit before she finally nodded, knowing her face had never been this red before.

Katie snorted and Dominique rolled her eyes. "You owe me five Galleons, Fitzgerald!" Dominique said, pointing at Katie.

"Yeah, yeah," Katie conceded, waving her hand. "I'll pay up tomorrow."

"Wait, you bet?" Victoire asked, eyeing the two girls from across the table. "What were the terms, exactly?"

"She thought you'd get thoroughly shagged tonight while I thought you'd do everything but," Dominique explained with ease though Katie, at least, had the decency to blush.

"You thought I'd shag him?" Victoire asked, now amused. "Really?"

"Well, no offense Vicki, but you are…" Katie trailed off, grinning at her from behind her mug of coco.

"I'm what?" Victoire laughed, watching her friend, but it was Dominique who answered.

"Randy."

Victoire released a loud guffaw into her hands as Dominique spoke. But it was the truth wasn't it? Teddy knew it, she knew it, and apparently her best mate and sister knew it as well.

"Fine that's true," Victoire conceded after her laughter subsided. "But that doesn't mean I'd let him—"

"Let him? Ha!" Dominique interrupted. "Teddy's so shy I bet you had to beg him to do anything!" At that Victoire laughed so loudly that Katie whispered a quick Muffliato to avoid waking their parents. But she couldn't help it because Dominique was right, wasn't she? She did have to beg him and the thought that her sister knew her so well made her giggle.

"Actually," Victoire said, wiping tears of laughter from her eyes. "I did have to beg him."

"Eugh! I was joking!" Dominique sputtered. "I don't need those kind of details!"

"I do," Katie said eagerly, leaning across the table. "Go on Vicki, what else happened?"

Victoire grinned at the grimace that crossed her sister's face. "Well, you already know most of the good parts," she said, leaning back in her chair and drawing her knees to her chest. "Teddy cooked me dinner, Aunt Ginny's lasagna. We drank a bottle of wine, talked, and he apologized for last month."

"Some apology I'd bet," Katie said suggestively and Victoire felt her lips quirk into a grin as a blush stained her cheeks.

"Hmm, it was a very good apology too," Victoire added, specifically to tease her sister. Dominique groaned while Katie squealed in appreciation.

"I bet it was," Katie said, grinning in excitement.

"Hmm, Katie," Dominique smirked at her. "Do you think it was as good as Louis's apology? You remember, the one I walked in on?" Katie clamped her mouth shut and mock glared at Dominique but she just continued. "I must admit, I thought the loo was a strange place to apologize to someone but it seemed to work for you and—"

"The loo?" Victoire asked in astonishment, clamping her fingers over her mouth to contain her laughter. "Oh Katie!"

"Well there isn't much privacy in this house!" Katie snapped, though Victoire could tell she was trying to hide a smile. All three girls dissolved into laughter after that and Victoire took a moment to reflect on how much they had grown over the past two years. Not so long ago, Katie would have had to drag this information out of Victoire and she wouldn't have dared to talk so openly in front of her sister. Victoire knew that sometimes, as people grow up, they grow apart. With some, it was inevitable. But, it seemed for now at least, that Katie, Dominique, and Victoire had escaped that fate. And, as she drained that last dredges of her hot chocolate, watching Katie and Dominique do that same before banishing the empty mugs to the sink, Victoire felt an eternal calm steal over her, it mingled with the happiness that she just couldn't rid from her soul, and it all settled into the most content mood Victoire thought she had ever felt.

~*~

The summer flew by after that night. Teddy visited often and Victoire went to his, fulfilling the promise she made to herself on the night she had first visited his flat: she cooked him many, many dinners. Afterwards they would take walks, play cards, talk, but more often than not tumble into his bed to continue their exploration of one another. They hadn't had sex yet, strictly speaking. They had decided, with Teddy's prompting, to wait a while. He made the point, and she agreed, that she still had a year left of school and that they really needn't rush things. After all, they had the rest of their lives.

And it was shortly after that talk that Teddy broached a similar topic. After one particular tumble into bed, and after mouths had roved and fingers caressed, Teddy and she lay curled together, his front to her back, waiting for their breathing to settle. His lips had brushed against her ear and he breathed it more than whispered.

"I love you."

Victoire closed her eyes as his words drifted over her. Her heart thumped and then seemed to collapse into itself as her stomach looped.

He loves me.

Victoire laughed as she turned to face him. "I love you too, you great prat!" She pressed her lips to his. "And I was going to say it first but you stopped me."

Teddy chuckled as one hand caressed her face. "It was my turn to take the first step," he said and she would have nodded in agreement but he kissed her, and their continued exploration began all over again.

All in all the summer ended much too soon as Victoire dashed ahead of her family to find Teddy among the swirling engine mist that was covering Platform Nine-and-Three-Quarters. She had begged Louis to lug her trunk unto the train for her and he had agreed with a smirk. Teddy had promised to use his lunch break to meet her and she wanted to use every second of her departure on him, though now the overpowering steam made it difficult to find anyone.

"Hey beautiful," whispered a tender voice behind her. Victoire whipped around and came face-to-face with Teddy, grinning down at her.

"Hey yourself," she whispered back, lacing her arms around his neck and pulling him in for a kiss. Victoire gave no regard to the people milling around them, though she thought she probably should have when one particular voice broke through her reverie.

"What are you doing?" James yelled, dropping his trunk in surprise as he came upon Teddy and Victoire.

Victoire started as she pulled away from Teddy, looking from James to Teddy to gauge their reactions. Teddy looked amused, pressing his lips together in what Victoire was sure was an attempt to stifle his laughter, while James looked simply horrified.

"What are you doing to my cousin?" James repeated, elaborating slightly as he looked between Teddy and Victoire. Victoire laughed outright. It was sweet of James so feel so protective, especially when Teddy was practically his brother. Teddy grinned appraisingly as he regarded the younger boy.

"I'm seeing her off," he answered simply, wrapping his arm around Victoire.

"Like that?" James asked, wide eyed.

"If you don't mind," Teddy answered, chuckling. "Now go away James." Teddy turned away from her cousin and wrapped her up in a kiss. Victoire wasn't quite sure if James did actually leave then because she was so totally focused on the movement of Teddy's mouth and the realization that she would not get to do this again for several months. Teddy broke away from her slowly, leaving a lingering impression upon her lips.

"I suppose that's us rumpled," Teddy said, smiling down at her as she opened her eyes to him.

"Hmm, the younger crowd would have had to find out sooner or later," Victoire offered, shrugging as she sought his lips again. She knew James would go running right back to the rest of the family with the news.

"Hmm, the younger crowd, the rest of your aunts and uncles, and half of Muggle London if James has his way," Teddy added as his mouth landed on a particularly sensitive spot on her neck. Victoire released a breathy groan in agreement and it wasn't long after that that the warning whistle sounded and Victoire had to scramble to make it onto the train in time.

"We'll write," Teddy breathed against her lips as he helped her into her carriage.

"Right, and you'll come for Hogsmeade weekends," Victoire returned, a slight shiver of panic settling over her spine as she leaned down to kiss him.

"I will and we'll be fine," Teddy said bracingly, stroking her cheek and staring into her eyes as the chug of the steam engine started. Victoire took a deep breath and nodded, reassurance replacing panic at the force of Teddy' voice.

"I know, we will," she said, placing her hand over his.

"I love you," he said, though it may as well have been a whisper as the lurch of the train nearly drowned out his words and his hand slipped from her face.

"I love you too," Victoire said, his fingers falling away from hers as the train started forward. He smiled broadly at her and as the engine picked up speed and whisked him from her sight, she smiled.

Yes, she would miss him. And he would miss her. But they, they would be fine in the end.

Victoire was hurrying down the aisle, attempting to find Dominique and Katie, when she saw her nosy cousin James sneaking in front of an open carriage. Intending to scare him in payment of his earlier intrusion, Victoire stole up behind him but the sight in the open carriage completely distracted her.

Dominique sat straddling Jake on one of the benches, thoroughly snogging him. Her hands gripped his hair, his palm firmly grasping her bum. James slapped his hand over his eyes and the noise broke Dominique and Jake apart. Dominique leapt up, a move which would have toppled her to the floor had Jake not reached out and grabbed her by her belt.

Victoire burst out laughing and James chanced a peek through his fingers.

"Nicki," he said weakly, seemingly floored by his realization, "you're worse than Victoire!"

At this Victoire laughed even harder, leaning against the doorframe for support. Dominique had flushed spectacularly while Jake offered a lopsided grin.

"Here James, catch," Jake said, throwing him a chocolate frog. "And get out of here."

James face brightened as he caught the frog, said "Cheers Jake," and ran off down the hall. Victoire was still recovering from her laughter and Dominique remained speechless, mouthing without words.

"My, my," Victoire spluttered. "James has had quite the morning!"

THE END

A/N My thanks goes out to everyone who has come along for the ride and offered such wonderful support! I truly hope you all enjoyed the story.

For those who are interested, I have written two outtakes to this story: one from Teddy's POV and one from Bill's POV. Teddy's chapter involved his discussion with the Potters in regard to his feelings for Victoire and Bill's chapter is his POV when Teddy asks to speak with him in the den. They're both short pieces that I just had to write to explore Teddy's perspective during the last few chapters. I'll post them in a couple of days.

Thanks again and I hope to get some more pieces out soon! Everyone has just been fantastic!

Cheers!

~Ozma333