A Year in the Life

"So tell me..." Sarah Kirke asked a few hours later as she sat down between Dominique and Victoire to eat a piece of cake. "What is going on with you and Stuart?"

"I don't know," Victoire said, taking a big bite of cake.

"Bollocks," she said with a smile. "You two must have danced for a half an hour earlier. Don't think everyone here didn't see that."

"So we danced," Victoire said, unable to hide her smile.

"For a half hour straight," said Dominique, "and you looked quite cozy."

"We were just dancing and having a good time," she said with a carefree shrug.

"And..." Sarah continued, "I keep seeing you chatting and talking all over the place. Lots of smiling and laughing."

"Are you a spy or something?" asked Victoire. They both laughed.

"I'm just very observant."

"And as nosy as they come," Dominique said.

"Well," Victoire said, pointing with her fork towards the other side of the room, "Colleen seems to have cornered him now."

This was true. In fact, whenever Victoire had taken time to talk with anyone else in the room other than Stuart, Colleen had managed to swoop in on him as soon as she could. Thus far--Victoire had been counting--he had managed to escape Colleen three times; two of those times, Stuart had stopped by to talk to her instead. This time, however, most of his friends were congregated in the area where Colleen was now sitting, and thus, he seemed to be putting up with her. To Victoire's slight relief however, she did notice Colleen struggling to remain at the center of every conversation he was taking part in.

"Has anyone seen Whit?" Victoire asked to no one in particular. "I haven't seen her in ages."

"Oh, I know where she is," Dominique said in a sing song tone.

"Where?"

"Last time I saw her, she was outside talking to Mr. Jack Ians. I haven't seen either of them since, so..." She smiled.

"She was what?" Victoire asked, her eyes wide.

"That's all I know," she said, still smiling.

"Oh, is that the girl we spotted Jack with awhile ago?" Sarah asked as she finished up her cake. Dominique nodded.

"Oh you've got to be kidding me." Victoire laughed as she stood from the table and made her way to the edge of the tent. She glanced outside and saw several people wandering around, but no one she recognized to be Whit. She went and grabbed her cloak and stepped out into the cold night. She could use some fresh air.

"Hey, fantastic party!" yelled a Slytherin boy called Flint.

"Glad you're having fun," she yelled back as she took several steps towards the group. "Aren't you cold?"

"Nothing we can't handle!" yelled another boy who Victoire couldn't see in the darkness. Several people laughed.

"Hey Vicki!" someone called from several yards away. She glanced over and saw Whit sitting on a tree stump.

"Hey," she said making her way towards her. As she drew closer, she realized that she was sitting alone. "What are you doing out here?"

"Oh," Whit said with a small smile. "Just enjoying the evening. It's a beautiful night."

"It is," she said looking up at the sky. "It's also freezing."

"It's not so bad," she said, shrugging and a smiling. She seemed quite cheerful.

"So...you're sitting out here on your own?" Victoire asked.

She shrugged again. "I haven't been alone all night."

"So I've heard." She sat down next to Whit on the stump.

"What did you hear?" she asked, her face growing serious.

"Just that you and Jack Ians were seen wandering around out here," she said playfully. She glanced at her. "What in the world is going on there?"

She shook her head, but smiled none the less. "We've just been talking."

"Just talking?"

"Just talking."

"Talking about what?" she asked as she began nudging her.

"Don't start," she said, her embarrassment starting to show. "We've just been talking about school and about people... Well, just about you and your brother."

"I see. And how did this happen?"

"How did we start talking?" she asked. Whit said this in a way that seemed to want to downplay the situation as much as possible. "One person started speaking, and then the other commented back, and then-"

"Ha-ha," she said sarcastically, "you know what I meant."

"We just ran into each other inside and he started apologizing again. Then that turned into a conversation. The next thing I know, everyone who had been standing around us before had disappeared, and it was just the two of us. Then somehow, he and I ended up coming outside."

"You somehow ended up coming outside..." repeated Victoire. "That's how it all starts--"

"Oh, stop," Whit said, shaking her head. "It's just been chatting and nothing more."

"Chatting and nothing more," Victoire repeated. "For several hours."

"What time is it?"

"A little after ten."

"I've been out here for that long?" She stood up. "Oh my..."

"Nothing more, then?" Victoire asked as she watched her. "Generally, when you lose track of the time, it's because you're enjoying someone's company so much, and there tends to be a little something more there." She looked around. "Where is he anyway?"

"He had to use the loo," she said, still looking a little shocked by the time, "and he wanted to grab something to drink."

"Right," said Victoire as she explored Whit's face for any telling signs. "So, what do you think?"

"About what?" she asked, sitting back down. "About him wanting to use the loo, or about him wanting to get something to drink?"

"About him."

"I..." she stammered, seemingly surprised by the question. "I don't know."

Victoire laughed. "This isn't a Charms exam. You obviously find him to be at least a good guy if you've been sitting out here all night with him."

"No, I do." She nodded. "He's seems great. Really nice, polite, articulate..." She hesitated.

"But?"

"He's young."

"He's just turned sixteen," said Victoire. "In October, if I remember correctly."

Whit stared at her.

"You're sixteen," she reminded her.

"I'll be seventeen in February," she said. "And I've never been attracted to younger boys. I've told you that."

"Are you attracted to Jack?"

She stared at the ground for a long while. She finally sighed.

"There's a first time for everything," said Victoire.

"And he plays Quidditch," she said as she threw her head back. "I hate Quidditch players."

"Are you trying to find reasons not to like him because you do?"

"Seems that way, doesn't it?"

"Because if we're trying to find reasons, they'd at least better be good ones." She grinned. "For example, he pushed me on the ground once when he was over playing Quidditch with Dominique, Ted, Louis, and me."

"He did?"

"He was twelve, I was thirteen," she said, still grinning. "It was actually an accident."

Whit smiled a little.

"I've always liked Jack," she continued. "He's a nice bloke. A little quiet and shy, but you two are practically perfect in that sense."

"I don't even know what to think," she said, shaking her head. "I've never done this."

"You've never done what?"

"Sat out all night in the freezing cold talking to a boy who actually seemed interested in what I had to say," she said. "Most of the conversations I have with boys are usually about schoolwork and whether or not I can help them with the answers."

Victoire smiled. "There's a first time for everything."

She sighed. "And I've never actually had someone to talk to about this sort of stuff either. In fact, I've never really had a friend who I talked about stuff any deeper than schoolwork with."

"Well, I haven't had many," Victoire said, looking off into the distance as she suddenly thought about Ted. "One by my count." She glanced at Whit. "Well, two now."

Whit smiled back at her and was quiet for a long moment. "I think I might like him."

"Then do something about it," she said with a nudge in her side. "I'm not saying you have to jump on him, but you know...let him know you're interested in getting to know him better."

"That's easy for you to say," Whit said as she started rubbing her hands together. "I watched you with Stuart, and it's so easy for you."

"He's just a boy," she said. "Just like Stuart's just a boy."

"And you left him unattended," she said, nodding towards the tent. "With Colleen lurking about?"

Victoire sighed. "He and I could get together right now and Colleen wouldn't stop going after him. She'd probably try harder. Anyway, I'd rather find out he goes for her now rather than if we were together."

"That's mature."

"I'm also hoping that he'll get annoyed with her faster this way." She smiled. "She's practically forcing her way into his eye line at every opportunity. It's bound to annoy him sooner or later because it annoys everyone else."

"Now that's more like what I expected to hear," Whit said as they both laughed.

"Hey," said a voice from behind them. Victoire turned to see Jack had reappeared with two butterbeers in his hand.

"Hiiiiiii Jack," Victoire teased. Whit quietly groaned next to her.

"Hi Victoire," Jack said with a sheepish smile. Even in the darkness, she could tell he was blushing.

"None for me, then?" she asked as she gestured towards the butterbeers. "Thanks a lot."

"I had no idea you were out here," he said, handing Whit one.

"I'm kidding." She stood up. "I was actually just leaving. Don't mind me." She smiled at them once more before turning to head back towards the tent. She felt happy that Whit was actually excited over something for once. She was owed a little fun here and there, and she deserved--

She looked up. It was then that she heard a group of voices piling out of the tent in front of her. It was one particular shrill laugh that made her stop in her tracks. Sure enough, Colleen, Penelope, and Aspeth were standing there with Stuart and two other boys, Tom Haines and Devon Whimbley. They were all standing directly in front of the tent entrance.

There was no way around them, and Victoire was in no mood to have a battle of words and dirty looks with Colleen at the moment. A part of her wanted to march up there and ask Stuart if he'd like to dance again, but at that exact moment Colleen leaned in and whispered something in his ear that made him laugh loudly. A pang of jealousy ran through her; before she really knew what she was doing, she found herself walking straight towards the group.

"I swear, it's bigger than my wand," Tom mumbled in a slurred voice. Even from ten feet away, Victoire could tell he'd somehow been drinking. "I can prove it."

"Oh," said Colleen as she noticed Victoire first. "Well, here's someone who could tell us first hand if it is in fact bigger than your wand." She smiled at her as everyone else turned to look. Victoire felt her blood boil at Colleen's attempt to dig up the rumor that had haunted her at the end of last year. She knew she was doing it in an attempt to make her look as bad as possible in front of Stuart.

"Hey, Victoire!" Tom said when he saw her. He grabbed her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "This girl is a class act. She's single handedly helped me get through O.W.L.s last year."

"Single handedly?" Aspeth said with a giggle. "Now that's impressive. I would think two hands would be more effective." Colleen and Penelope burst out laughing.

"What are you even talking about?" Tom asked as he swayed on the spot. Had Victoire not been there to support him, he would have easily fallen flat on his face.

Victoire glared at Aspeth as she attempted to support Tom. "Well Aspeth, you have far more experience in that area than I do, why don't you tell me?"

Devon laughed and Aspeth said nothing, just as Victoire knew she wouldn't. Aspeth and Penelope may have felt bold enough to make snide remarks once in awhile if Colleen was around, but they rarely had the courage to have it out as Colleen often did.

"Is that Jack Ians with that Jane girl?" Penelope asked as Victoire turned to see the pair walking towards them.

"Oh, isn't that just precious..." Colleen said as she and Penelope exchanged laughs. "Do you think they're actually together, or was it just a quick shag in the woods?"

"Is your life so boring that you have to pry into everyone else's to take a piss?" Victoire snapped.

"Oooooh!" Tom laughed as he pointed at Colleen.

"Yeah," Stuart said, trying to cut the sudden tension. "I mean, who cares what they were doing. It's their business."

Colleen looked as if her head would explode as the color rose in her cheeks. Victoire almost thought she saw her hand flinch towards her wand, but she knew she wouldn't dare do that here. Not now. It was in that moment that Victoire realized that conversations with Colleen were now almost always going to turn out like this.

"Hey," said Whit as she approached Victoire. "Are you all right?"

"Oh, I'm wonderful," she said almost immediately without taking her eyes off of Colleen.

"Hey, Jack," Stuart said with a nod towards him. Devon and Tom did the same.

"What are you guys up to?" Jack asked, oblivious to all the exchanges that had just occurred.

"We just came out for some air," Devon said with a shrug. "What about you?"

"Same thing," he said as he shoved his hands into the pockets of his cloak. An awkward silence filled the air.

"How about a game?" asked Colleen suddenly. She was still giving Victoire a very pointed look.

"What kind of game?" Tom asked as he fought to find his footing.

"What about truth or dare?"

"And how old are we?" asked Whit. Both Jack and Victoire smiled.

"That's always the excuse of people who are too afraid to play," said Aspeth.

"Or people who aren't eleven," Victoire countered. She wondered what Colleen's plan was. She wasn't the type of person to randomly suggest a game for no reason. She hated games. Well, at least the fun kind...

"It's a party, Vicki," Colleen said as she stepped into the middle of the makeshift circle that the group had created. "And as the birthday girl, you're first."

"This is stupid."

"You can't even bear a bit of fun?" Colleen asked before she glanced at Whit. "Has the boring rubbed off on you already, because if it has--"

"I'll go first," Whit interrupted. She stepped forward.

Victoire looked surprised, but not as surprised as Colleen looked. She had started smiling. "Perhaps you're not as dull as I thought there, Jane." She twirled her hair around her finger. "All right then, truth or dare?'

"Dare, whatever."

"I dare you to walk into that tent and announce, clearly, that you're looking for someone to shag. Anyone at all."

Victoire's eyes shot to Whit and immediately wondered what she would do. This was a girl who was the textbook definition of timid and shy. Making a public announcement, especially of this nature, was not something she was prone to do.

"Can I get the same one on my turn?" Tom asked just as Whit took a deep breath and started walking towards the tent. Victoire watched, her mouth agape.

"Oh!" Colleen called after her as Penelope giggled with excited apprehension. "Don't forget to call for everyone's attention!"

Whit said nothing, but continued walking into the tent before she disappeared behind the entrance flap. The group edged its way closer to the tent to better listen, when they finally heard her voice.

"Attention everyone!" Whit called. "I would just like to announce that I'm currently looking for someone to shag, so if anyone's interested...Line up!"

There was loud laughter from inside the tent, as well as from the outside. Victoire and Jack exchanged looks. Seconds later, an extremely pink-faced Whit reappeared outside. Someone from inside the tent yelled that he'd be willing, but Whit ignored him and continued walking straight to the spot she had been standing in before. Everyone else in the group was laughing hysterically.

"That was amazing," Tom said, giving her a high five. "Right on!"

"Well done, Jane," Colleen said. "Who knew someone like you could actually do something amusing." She laughed again, and Whit glared her.

"Your turn then," Aspeth said to her.

"Right," Whit said, clapping her hands together and looking straight at Stuart. "Stuart. Truth or dare?"

"Don't make me do what you just did." He grinned and gestured towards the tent. "I'm not that brave."

Whit smiled at him. Victoire couldn't help but notice a sense of purpose in her expression.

"I'm not one for truth," he said. "Dare, I suppose."

"I dare you," she said without missing a beat, "to kiss Victoire. Right here, right now."

"Oh that's easy," Devon said in a disappointed manner.

Victoire looked straight back at Stuart. He was looking at her with an awkward grin, wondering if she had something to say on the matter. It was Colleen, however, who had the most entertaining facial expression; it was a mixture of anger, annoyance, and pure jealousy. Victoire could actually see Aspeth and Penelope watching Colleen carefully.

"That's really stupid," said Colleen. "I mean, those are the sort of dares children do."

"This entire game is for children," Whit said with an amused smile. "And if it's so stupid, then let them just get it over with." She glanced at Stuart. "That is, if you're going to do it."

Colleen looked at Stuart on the off chance that he perhaps wouldn't. However, he took a few steps forward towards Victoire. "This is awkward," he said once he was standing in front of her.

"A little bit, yeah," she said, looking around. This wasn't exactly how she had imagined this moment happening. For one thing, Colleen was not supposed to be standing there glaring at her.

"You better make it good, Stu," said Devon. "After all, it's her birthday."

"I agree," said Whit, clearly enjoying Colleen's squirming. "You really should make it one that will landmark her seventeenth birthday for her."

"As if there's not enough pressure with everyone watching," Stuart said with a laugh. He turned and looked Victoire in the eyes. She couldn't help but think how this was definitely the most awkward kiss she'd ever had as he leaned in and their lips touched.

He was a good kisser, just as she had anticipated. His lips were smooth and warm. They felt exactly as she had dreamed they would have so many times before. As wonderful a feeling as it was to be kissing him, she couldn't help but think that this would be far more enjoyable if it were private.

"I think that's long enough," mumbled Colleen. Stuart took a few extra seconds to actually pull back.

"Good work, mate," Tom said from besides them as he smacked Stuart on the back. "Nice form."

"You're an idiot," said Stuart. He smiled at Victoire and stepped in between her and Tom.

"Your turn, Stu," Devon said as the game continued on. Victoire was fully aware that she probably had a happy and stupid grin plastered on her face, but for once she didn't care. If this had been a year ago, she would have done everything in her power to try to hide the fact from Colleen. She would have done her best to fall in line, just as Aspeth and Penelope often did, and she certainly wouldn't be standing here rubbing it in Colleen's face like she was. She just didn't care anymore. It was her turn to live her life the way she wanted to, and not how Colleen saw fit.

Everyone laughed as Stuart dared Tom to strip down to his underwear and run around in the cold. He added his own spin on the dare by strutting over to the Slytherin boys that Victoire had been speaking to earlier, and then asking them if they had any sugar he could borrow. Tom then picked Penelope, who refused to do anything but truth. She managed to skirt her way around answering a question about a compromising position she had been found in last year by Professor Longbottom.

"We were just kissing," Penelope said with a cool shrug. "Professor Longbottom was overreacting when he told the headmaster."

Victoire wanted to laugh out loud at the sheer fact that she was trying to deny what everyone knew had happened, but instead her eyes flickered towards Whit. She, too, seemed to be thinking the same thing. They both grinned at each other. In turn, Whit turned towards Jack and rolled her eyes. He stifled an amused laugh which didn't go unnoticed by the other girls. Colleen quickly leaned over and whispered something into Penelope's ear; she smiled forebodingly.

"Victoire. Truth or dare?"

She sighed. She knew this wasn't going to be good. "Dare."

"I dare you," Penelope said unable to contain her giggles, "to kiss Jack."

"No!" said both Victoire and Jack in unison. They turned and looked at each other.

"Why is everyone but me getting to kiss Victoire?" Tom asked.

"Yes, why I am I getting dared to kiss everyone?" she asked as she stared hard at Colleen.

"I thought it was easy?" Colleen asked in a patronizing tone. "You didn't complain the first time."

"Her brother will kill me," Jack said matter-of-factly.

"He'll kill me," yelled Victoire. "I'm not doing it. No offense, Jack."

"None taken."

Colleen rolled her eyes. "It's just a kiss. Grow up."

"It is just a kiss," said Devon, completely oblivious to what was really going on. Victoire looked at Whit, who was staring at her with a mixture of curiosity and apprehension. Victoire knew exactly what Colleen was doing. Whit had challenged her. She had assured that Victoire got the chance to kiss The Boy, and now she wanted Whit to share the feeling of having to watch a boy she liked kiss someone else. For someone as fragile as Whit was when it came to boys, this wasn't what needed to happen. Even if it was just a game.

"It's not as if we're asking you to help him study for his O.W.L.s," Penelope sneered.

That was the final straw. "To hell with this," Victoire said before she stormed off towards the tent. She knew she looked as if she had just completely overreacted to the situation, and that Colleen was now having a field day by calling her a baby, but she didn't care. She threw open the entrance to the tent and found herself running smack into Louis.

"Where have you been?" he asked, looking her up and down. "People were starting to leave and they were looking for you--" He stopped and stared at her. "What's wrong?"

"What's always wrong?" she snapped.

He sighed. "What she do this time?"

"She's just screwing with everyone like she always does!" She stepped around her brother and walked over towards the group of people who were waving at her to come over so that they could say goodnight. She managed to calm herself down over the next fifteen minutes as she hugged and thanked everyone for coming as they piled out of the tent at the end of the night. The smiling faces and compliments of some of people she enjoyed almost made her forget why she had been so worked up to being with. Almost.

"Happy birthday," Natalie said as she came over and hugged Victoire with Louis in tow. Victoire glanced around the tent and saw that just about everyone had gone.

"Come on," Louis said nudging his sister. "I'm walking Nat inside to use the Floo Network."

She nodded as she followed her brother and his girlfriend out of the tent and back towards the house, past the few people who were still milling about and saying their good-nights. She scanned their faces quickly, but noticed that Colleen was nowhere in sight. Thankfully, she must have had left already.

"So, have a good night?" Louis asked as the three of them walked.

"Mostly," she said. She wasn't going to let Colleen put a damper on what was otherwise a fantastic night. She thought of kissing Stuart again, and a smile slowly crawled across her lips.

"Good," he said before stopping abruptly. Victoire, who had been walking directly behind him, walked right into him.

"Forgotten how to walk, Lou?" she asked, glancing up at him and noticing he was staring at something. She looked around him.

"Hey, Louis," said Stuart as he approached. He hadn't left yet.

"Hey," he said, shaking his hand as he glanced at his sister. Stuart and Victoire made eye contact and they both smiled. Louis took a step back.

"I'll see you back at the house then," he said as Natalie stared tugging on his sleeve.

"Okay," she called after him as she turned back to Stuart. "I'd thought you'd left."

"That would have been rude," he said. "I just wanted to thank you for inviting me. I had fun."

"You're welcome."

They both stared at each other awkwardly for a moment before Stuart turned away and laughed.

"I guess I'll see you at school then," he said.

"You can count on it."

"Great," he said, "we'll have to hang out."

"I'd like that," she said, watching him. He seemed almost as unsure as she did with what to do with this moment.

He smiled. "Um, well, goodnight."

"Night," she said as she took a step forward to hug him. He hugged her back before stepping away. He looked as if he was struggling with something he wanted to say.

"I..." he began before he laughed awkwardly. "I enjoyed...earlier that is..."

She started at him curiously.

"It was a good kiss," he said before he made a face that seemed to say he felt ridiculous for having said that.

She smiled. "I enjoyed it too."

"Right," he said. "Well, another time then--" He paused. "We'll have to--" He shook his head. "I'm going to go now."

She laughed. "Goodnight."

"Night." He disappeared with a quick pop. She stared at the spot he had just been standing in before she sighed and shook her head. "That other time could have been now," she said out loud to no one, feeling her face. It was hot. She smiled as she made her way towards the house, feeling as if she could skip the entire way there. It was when she reached the front that she found Louis and Natalie standing and talking with Jack and Whit.

"There you are," Whit said as she stood up. "Louis told us you were saying goodnight to Stuart." She smiled encouragingly.

"Just good night," she said. "Nothing more."

"Aw, no snogging then?" Louis teased.

"No, that was earlier in the night," she said before smiling.

Louis's face twisted into astonishment. "What? Seriously?"

She rolled her eyes and glanced back at Whit. "Are you staying for a bit?"

"I can."

"I've got to get going," Natalie said glancing up at Louis. "My parents said I had to be home by eleven-thirty at the latest."

"Come on then," he said as he made a move towards the door. "Jack, are you hanging around?"

"I've actually got to go, too," he said as he stood up and glanced at Whit. "I'm spending the day with my dad tomorrow, and we're getting up early."

"Oh right," Louis said as he held the door open for Natalie to pass. He stood there waiting for Jack to follow, but he was hesitating.

"Oh," Victoire said as she glanced at Whit and realized what Jack was waiting for. "I think I'm going to go and get some pumpkin juice." She gave Whit a knowing smile. "I'll be in the kitchen."

"Okay," Whit said as Victoire made her way to the door. She pushed Louis inside as she passed.

"Let them say goodnight," she said once the door was shut behind them.

"Are they...?" he asked as he suddenly tried to peek out of the window. "When did that happen?"

"Go say goodnight to your girlfriend," she said as she tried to distract him from the window. She pointed to the living room where her parents, her aunt, and her uncle were all were making small talk with Natalie. "I shouldn't have to tell you these things, Lou."

"I was!" he said as the pair of them split into separate direction. Victoire turned and went straight into the kitchen to grab some juice. She wasn't thirsty, but she needed to do something to channel her energy. She made her way back into the living room where Natalie had gone, and Louis was filling George in on how long he and she had been together.

"Iz zat everyone?" Fleur asked as she sat on the couch with Bill sipping a glass of wine.

"There are some people outside," Victoire said just as Dominique entered the living room. "But I think they can all Apparate. Except for Jack and Whit, but she's staying for a bit."

"Where are they?" asked Bill.

"Saying goodnight," Louis said. He sat down on the sofa next to George.

"Ohhh..." Bill smiled, "I see."

"It was quite amusing to see all these kids march through the living room one by one," George said with a chuckle as he gestured towards the fire. "It was like a mini parade."

"Did you have fun, Vic?" her father asked. "Now that there's only--" he checked his watch, "a half-hour left of your birthday."

"I did." She sat down on the couch with her mother. "The party was wonderful. Thank you."

"I'm glad," Fleur said, kissing Victoire on the cheek. "Iz ze yard a mess?"

Victoire exchanged looks with both Dominique and Louis. "Not really, no."

"It mainly stayed inside the tent," added Dominique.

"Good," Fleur said as she stood and pulled out her wand. She turned towards Victoire. "I suppose you'd like your presents?"

Her eyes lit up. "I'd forgotten all about those!" With a flick of her mother's wand, numerous parcels came flying into the room and began stacking themselves neatly onto the floor. By the time they had all settled, there was a fairly nice sized mound of gifts.

"We're definitely having a party for our seventeenth," Dominique said to Louis as they observed the presents. It was then that the front door opened and shut.

"Wow," said Whit as she entered and admired the haul. "Look at all of those."

"That one's mine," Jack said picking up a small, rectangular shaped package and handing it to Victoire. "If you don't like it, Lou and Dominique told me to get it. Blame them."

Victoire laughed as she took it and started tearing the paper away. It was a picture frame. "No worries," she said. "I love picture frames. Thank you."

Jack smiled as he gestured towards the fireplace. "May I?"

"Since when do you ask?" Bill joked as Jack made his way around the now crowded living room and grabbed some Floo powder.

"Night, everyone," he said.

"Night, man," Louis said over his shoulder as he started going through Victoire's presents for himself. Seconds later, the fire blazed and he disappeared.

"That one's from us," Bill said pointing to a package that had been settled onto the coffee table.

"That's the good stuff," Dominique said to her sister. Victoire reached over to unwrap the box that sat there. She opened the box to reveal a beautiful silver necklace.

"It's beautiful," she said, taking the necklace out to look at it. Dominique made a gasping noise as Victoire stared up at her parents, who were watching her in anticipation.

"Oh, it is," Angelina said from the sofa.

"I'm so glad you like it!" Fleur said as she made a movement towards her daughter to help her put it on. "It iz tradition. I 'ave one just like it."

"I know, I've seen it," she said excitedly as she gazed down at chest. "I love it!"

Bill and Fleur smiled proudly. Fleur looked as if she could suddenly start crying.

"Those two are from us, Vicki," George said pointing to one large and one small package. Victoire already knew the large one was a box of gadgets and gifts from her uncle's shop. She received an entire boxful every year. All of his nieces and nephews did.

"That one there is from Ginny, Harry, and the kids," George said, pointing to another package. "And that green one over there is from Ron, Hermione, and the kids. They would have all loved to have come, but you know, some people have to work in the morning at their boring jobs."

"Like us, for one," Bill said with a tired sigh.

"That is the beauty of having your own store." George smiled. "You set your own hours."

"Your grandparent's gift iz around her somewhere," Fleur said. "Zey sent it ze other day."

"Your other set of grandparents," Bill began, glancing back at Victoire, "said that you'll have to come by the house to get their gift. They want to see you."

Victoire laughed as she continued to open up various presents and exclaim in glee over the myriad of things she received. She had only made it through half the pile when her aunt announced that they had to leave in order to pick up their children from her mother's.

"We'll walk you out," Fleur said, standing and patting Bill on the leg. "I'd like to get a good look of ze yard for myself."

"Happy birthday, kiddo," George said as he passed by Victoire and patted her on the head. "I'm sure we'll see you all around Easter holidays."

"Bye," she called after them as the four adults made their way outside. "And thank you,' she yelled at the last minute before the door shut. She smiled as she picked up another present and began to sing. "Happy birthday to me..."

"Is it still even your birthday?" asked Dominique. She checked the wall clock. It was 11:56.

"For four more minutes," Victoire said with a sad sigh as she unwrapped a bright pink knit hat from one of her friends. She pulled it on top of her head.

"Burn that hat," Louis said. "Immediately."

"I like it," she said as she searched through the pile for something else. Whit immediately held up a package.

"From Stuart," she said.

"Oh, let me see!" She grabbed at it. She looked especially funny doing this in her new hat.

"Did you really snog him tonight?" Louis asked.

Dominique's jaw dropped. "You what!?"

"What if I did?" she asked as she started to tear the paper away. "Trust me. You'll thank me when you realize who I didn't kiss." She glanced at Whit, who smiled.

"Wait! You kissed Stuart Reynolds?" Dominique exclaimed once more, but Victoire ignored her as she pulled out a pale blue scarf and started to examine it.

"It certainly clashes with your hat," Whit observed.

She threw it around her neck. It was a perfectly nice scarf, but for some reason she was a little disappointed. She wasn't sure why, seeing as she and Stuart weren't especially close. She threw off the feeling and immediately started scanning through the pile once more when a sudden knock at the front door distracted her. Everyone glanced at each other. It was almost midnight, who on earth would be calling this late at night?

"Maybe someone forgot something," Victoire said. She stood up and threw her hat and scarf off. Taking careful steps across the room, so not to step on anything, she made her way towards the door. She could hear Louis and Dominique staring to interrogate Whit about her and Jack.

"You might as well tell me," she heard Louis say. "I mean, I'll find out from Jack."

"So nosy," Victoire yelled from the entrance hall as she looked out the front window. She didn't see anyone. She opened the door a crack and saw someone standing just off to the opposite side. They turned when they heard the door open.

"I'm not too late, am I?" Ted asked as he stood there.

"Ted!" she said as her face lit up. "What are you doing here?"

"I had a break," he said just as she noticed the bags under his eyes and several days' worth of beard stubble on his face. "I figured I might be able to just catch the end of your birthday." He held out a small package. "Happy birthday."

"You didn't have to," she said as she took it and smiled at him. "You've got your thing tomorrow morning."

He shrugged. "I figured I could spare a few minutes."

"Do you want to come in?" She gestured towards the house.

"I really only stopped by to drop that off and see you on your birthday. I wish I had the time." A chime somewhere indicated that it was midnight. "And I made it just in time," he added with a cheerful smile.

"Good timing," she said, still happy with the surprise visit as she glanced down at package he had handed her.

"I really should be going though. I've still got a few more things to do before I can go to sleep." He sighed. "If I sleep."

"Wait." She started to tear at the paper of her gift. "You've got to at least wait for me to open it."

He watched as she pulled the rest of the paper off. "I'm hoping you'll get a kick out of this. My grams had this for ages in a box, and I asked her if she'd care if I gave it you. Plus, I know you like to collect picture frames."

She glanced down at picture frame in her hand. Unlike the other half a dozen she had received tonight, this one already had a picture in it. The edges of the picture were worn, but the image was clear.

"Where was this taken?" she asked quietly.

"Harry and Ginny's wedding," he said as he edged closer to get to get a better look at it. "I can tell by the robes I'm wearing. I hated those things."

She smiled softly. In the photo, she couldn't have been any older than five, which would have made Ted about six or seven. She was dressed in a pretty green flower girl's dress and was beaming at the camera as she had her index fingers positioned at the corner of Ted's mouth, as if forcing him to smile. The Ted in the photo kept trying to squirm away from her, obviously not at all interested in being photographed.

"I was a brat," he said with a laugh as Victoire looked up at him slowly. "Anyway, I always liked that photo, so I thought maybe you would too."

"I love it," she said, clearly feeling moved by the gesture. She glanced down at it once more. With the exception of her parent's gift, this was probably the most thoughtful gift that she had received. "Thank you so much."

He smiled and suddenly seemed to remember something. He started patting at the pockets of his clothes and pulled out an envelope. "There's a card. I didn't want to forget it." He checked his watch. "I really have to go though."

"Right," she said as if being awoken from a trance. "Thank you so much for this. And for coming by."

He shrugged as if it was no big deal. "If I don't see you before you're back at school, I'll try to actually write to you this term."

She smiled at him and nodded.

"Happy birthday," he said, "and tell everyone I said hi."

"Will do." She nodded again.

"Bye." He disappeared with a pop. She stared at the spot for a long time before she glanced down at the photo in her hand once more. She noticed the card and placed the frame down in order to open it. Inside was a typical birthday wish, but in messy script off to the side, Ted had written:

Happy birthday, Vic. Being on this side of seventeen was getting lonely without you, so it's about time you caught up. Sorry about missing your party, but here's to many good times to come (especially since I am, in fact, cool). Miss you - Ted

She found herself reading the simple message over and over again several times before she finally realized how cold she was. She picked up her frame and made her way back inside.

"Who was it?" asked Dominique once Victoire had reentered the living room. She was now wearing several gift bows on her head.

"Ted," she said. "He stopped by to wish me a happy birthday and give me this." She held out the frame, which Whit took.

"And he didn't come in?" asked Louis. "What the hell?"

"He's got that big presentation tomorrow," she said. "He only had a few minutes."

"This is adorable," Whit said, smiling up at Victoire. Louis reached out to take it from her and laughed when he saw it.

"Look how little you both were," he said. "You were so scrawny." Dominique leaned over his shoulder to observe it as well and smiled when she saw it.

"That was really sweet of him to stop by," Whit said as Victoire observed her brother and sister looking over the photo.

"Yeah," she said as she found herself smiling, "it really was."