It's Time To Go
My Second Submission for Era #2 of the @cruelsummer-ficfest (had to get this one done because if the next eras are what I think they are based on the hints, I need to be READY!)
Song: It's Time To Go
Album: Evermore
Ship: Tedoire (lol, somehow I managed to throw Romione in there too because I can't help it)
When the words of a sister come back in whispers
That prove she was not in fact what she seemed
July
Sobs echo down the hall from Victoire’s room, where she lays curled up on her bed. It’s the same story every night since she found out the girl she thought was her friend was only using her to get closer to Teddy.
Victoire has no one to blame but herself for the pain. It’s all her fault. She invited Carla to join their study sessions. She introduced them. But Vic never divulged her silly crush to Carla. Because how can you tell someone that you’re falling in love with your best friend—who you’ve known your entire life—when you won’t even admit it to yourself?
There’s a soft knock on her door, but Vic’s not in the mood to talk. “Go away.”
The door opens anyway, only it’s not Maman or Dominique. It’s Aunt Hermione. Sitting up, she wipes the tears from her eyes and apologizes. “Oh, sorry! I didn’t realize it was you.”
Hermione offers a soft smile and closes the door. “No need to be sorry. Can I sit down?”
Vic nods and gestures toward her desk chair. She’s close to her aunt—most likely because of their shared love of knowledge—but not ‘sit on the bed for girl talk’ close.
“Now, I’m not trying to throw your sister under the bus, but she told your mum what’s going on, and your mum told me. They thought maybe I could help.”
Vic feels as though a bucket of ice has been poured over her. As if her former friend/dorm mate stealing her crush and best friend wasn’t bad enough, her sister divulges her deepest, darkest secret? Naturally, the only thing Vic thinks to do is lie about it.
“Whatever she said, it’s not true.”
Hermione chuckles. “She only said your dorm mate recently started dating Teddy and you feel as though you’ve lost your best friend.”
“Oh, well, yeah. That’s true.”
“I completely understand.”
Vic looks up with questioning eyes. Is she just saying she understands, or does she actually understand? “You do?”
“Don���t you pay attention when George and Ginny love to give your Uncle Ron a hard time?” Hermione says through a laugh. “Although, my dorm mate and I were never exactly friends when she decided to snog your uncle in the middle of the common room for everyone to see.”
The hesitation Vic had been feeling transforms to relief. “Did she know you fancied him when she did it, too?” Her hand claps over her mouth. She didn’t mean to give that away.
“Don’t worry. Your secret’s safe with me.” A knowing look crosses Hermione’s face, but is replaced with a hint of sadness as she reflects on her experience for Vic. “I thought I was obvious about my intentions—to Ron, at least—especially after I’d asked him to attend a party with me. But you can never assume the male species will pick up what you’re putting down. Lavender, however, I think knew even though we had never spoken about it, but chose to go for him anyway.”
Anger begins to simmer under Vic’s skin.. “Why do girls do this to each other? I don’t get it. Carla knows how close I am with Teddy. I thought she was just looking for study partners when she tagged along with us to the library. She wasn’t acting all flirty or anything at all! But then she went behind my back and invited him to the last Hogsmeade weekend without me. Teddy didn’t know. He thought I was joining them, so he told me they’d be at The Three Broomsticks. And when I walked in, I saw her snogging him in a booth. I haven’t spoken to either of them since.”
Another treacherous tear escapes her eyes, forging a path down her cheek before she wipes it off.
“Are you planning to give Teddy the silent treatment all summer?” Hermione asks.
Vic folds her arms over her chest, her sadness shifting into defiance. “I—well, I’m certainly not going to speak to him first.”
“Well,” Hermione replies with a sigh, “I suppose that isn’t a terrible idea, but what if it doesn’t work?”
Even though she says it’s not terrible, Vic doesn’t believe her aunt. She’s totally lying.
“Why wouldn’t it work? If he has the guts to snog Carla in the middle of the busiest pub in Hogsmeade, he should have the guts to at least tell me he’s dating my best friend.”
“Yes, but if he doesn’t know why you’re mad, you won’t receive the reaction you’re hoping for.” Hermione gets up from the chair and joins Vic on the edge of her bed. “Victoire, you and Teddy are close. Do not be like me and let someone else try to take that away from you. Even if he doesn’t feel the same way, it’s not worth losing his friendship over. If Ron hadn’t almost died, I can’t honestly say if we would have ever recovered from that.”
“But you did.”
“We did. And you can too—only much faster if you seek him out first. Sometimes giving up is the strong thing, or running out is the brave thing. But you have to decide if walking out is the one thing that will find you the right thing.”
Vic laughs. “You sound like a Sphinx.”
Hermione leans over and nudges Vic with her shoulder. “I know. Just know there’s always another way. You’re a smart young woman, Victoire Weasley. I know you’ll do what’s right for you. And you and Teddy will work your way through this. I just don’t want to see you hurt the way I was.”
“Thanks, Hermione.” Vic wraps her arms around her aunt’s torso.
She appreciates the conversation and having someone who knows what this kind of heartbreak is like. Maybe she can even allow herself to feel hopeful. Especially since Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione obviously figured it out in the end.
But even though she knows Hermione is probably right, Vic needs some time and space. So for now, she’ll choose to run. Even though it may ruin her summer, she’s not ready to face Teddy. At least not yet.
—
Or that moment again, he’s insisting that friends
Look at each other like that
August
“Ted?”
“Huh?”
Teddy had been pushing the food around his plate and staring off into space, not paying attention to the conversation around the dinner table. He was thinking about Victoire again. And he really shouldn’t be—at least not in that way—since he technically had a girlfriend.
Who you’ve avoided seeing all summer.
Ginny chuckles. “Harry asked you if you’re excited for seventh year. But if there’s something else you’d rather talk about, we’re all ears.”
“It’s fine, Gin. Don’t press him,” Harry covers for him.
“No, no, it’s fine.”
Shaking the haze from his mind, Teddy does his best to focus on Harry and Ginny. It’s the last time he’s going to see them until Christmas. The least he can do is engage in conversation. His meager teenaged concerns can wait.
“I—yeah—I can’t believe it’s my last year already. Can’t wait.” He tries to bite back a grimace, knowing that he’s trying too hard, and hopes to Merlin that his hair hasn’t shifted to a sandy brown.
But Lily only solidifies his fears when she points at him with wide eyes. “Ooooh, Teddy’s hair changed colors!”
Damnit.
“You know, I think I forgot to pack all the stuff we got at Diagon Alley today. I better go do that.”
He slides his chair back and leaves the table without being excused. It’s not like he’s that hungry anyway. Teddy bounds up the stairs two at a time, and shuts the door upon entering his small bedroom. After flopping on the bed, he covers his face with a pillow.
This was supposed to be the best summer yet. He and Vic had so many activities planned. She was going to take him to the sea, show him Shell Cottage. They were going to study together, vowing to get a head start on their work so it wouldn’t catch up with them during the term. Teddy was going to show her the ropes for Prefect duties—he was that certain she’d be named one. And with all that extra one-on-one time, he was hoping to finally decode her—to figure out if her heart beat just as fast when they’re together.
But then Carla snogged him and everything changed. He was trapped in a relationship with a girl he didn’t have feelings for and no way to get out of it.
And ever since Vic has been radio silent. Avoiding him at all costs. They stopped talking and studying together at the end of June, and Vic hasn’t owled him to follow through on any of their proposed summer plans. He thought maybe they could talk at one of the giant Weasley family gatherings, but Vic was always surrounded by Fleur, Dom, or her aunts.
A knock on his door tears him from his thoughts before Harry enters.
“Hey. Er, you sure everything’s alright?” His godfather runs a hand through his ever-messy black hair and leans against the back of the door.
“Yeah. I just don’t think I’m looking forward to the year as much as I thought I would be,” Teddy admits, his voice muffled by the pillow.
“Ah.” Harry pauses for a moment before continuing cautiously. “Does it have anything to do with Victoire?”
Throwing the pillow off his face, he sits up and offers Harry a bored, yet sheepish, look. “Is it that obvious?”
“It’s hard to miss.”
“I don’t know what I did wrong. Everything was fine before Carla and I started dating.”
Harry purses his lips and tries to hold back a snort, but fails. It comes out like choked laughter instead.
“What?” Teddy narrows his eyes in annoyance.
“Nothing. Nothing. You just remind me of—never mind.”
Teddy groans. “Seriously, Harry, this is not a Ron and Hermione scenario.”
He’s heard enough stories about the seven year lead up to their relationship and all the bumps they hit along the way. But that wasn’t him and Vic. They were just friends…until they weren’t?
Shit. We ARE Ron and Hermione 2.0.
Harry simply raises an eyebrow at him. “Ted, I know I may not be the best person to talk about this with, but trust me. Just because I don’t like to talk about these things does not mean I haven’t noticed. I’ve seen the way she looks at you. And the way you look at her.”
The urge to deny everything takes hold and Teddy shakes his head.
“You’re mental. We are just friends. Friends look at each other like that. Especially friends who’ve known each other their whole lives.”
It’s a weak argument, but his stubbornness gets the best of him. He’s not about to admit anything. Not when he’s fucked it up so badly by letting Carla in.
“Right.”
“What?”
Harry shrugs. “Nothing. I can’t make you see what you don’t want to, but can you promise me one thing?”
Teddy watches Harry for a few moments. The man has never led Teddy astray before, so what has he got to lose? “I’ll try.”
“Talk to her. Figure things out. And don’t be as thick as Ron was.”
Teddy takes a moment to let the words sink in. He knows Harry isn’t saying it to make the holidays a little less tense. Harry just wants Teddy to be happy. He always has. And so, Teddy nods.
“I’ll try.”
Because losing Vic isn’t an option.
Before his mind begins to swirl with all the ways he can get his best friend back, Harry interrupts him once more before leaving. “Gin’s taking the kids to the Burrow in a bit. Want to join?”
“Think Vic’ll be there?”
“Maybe.”
“Okay. Yeah.”
Harry nods. With a single glance back, and perhaps a hint of a smile on his lips that Teddy can’t quite see, he says, “I’ll let you know when it’s time to go.”
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Hey, happy 2023! It’s been a while that I do t come here.. but I’m always rereading Eyes Glistening!
I love so much that serie! So could I ask for some Mia and Harry moment 🥺
Please?!?
Happy 2023, Ana! ✨ Here's one of those moments where Harry is the nicest older brother!
***
The living room of the Potter house is a mess; Harry manages to cross it without spilling anyone's drink, which he considers a miracle, and he lets out a relieved breath when he reaches the quietness of the kitchen, though he isn’t the only one there.
“This is the last time I’m suggesting throwing the back-to-Hogwarts party at home,” he says dramatically, filling a glass of water for himself.
It’s only when he turns back that he realises that Mia didn’t react to his comment; she is still standing by the window, a frown on her forehead, hazel eyes far away.
“Mia?”
She blinks. “What?”
“Party was too much for you?” He asks, trying to understand. Now he considers it, Harry doesn’t remember seeing her joining her nephews and nieces at the party.
“I’m just not in the mood.”
Harry shifts his weight from one foot to another; it’s rare that Mia gets subdued – unlike him, her teenage moods are more constant. “Can I get you something?”
“Alcohol?” She asks, almost smirking now.
He rolls his eyes. “You are sixteen. No, I was thinking of offering you Teddy’s solution to everything: chocolate.”
Usually, the mention of Teddy is also enough to distract Mia, but this time, she just crosses her arms and turns away from the window. “If I ask you something, would you answer it truthfully?”
“When hasn’t I ever—”
“Were you ever jealous of Ron and Hermione?”
Harry blinks. “Sorry?”
“When they got together – did you ever consider that it would change everything in your relationship?”
“Ah—” The sound of Ron’s laugh can be heard in the other room. “It didn’t change much.”
She puffs. “Forget it.”
“I just mean—by the time Ron and Hermione became a couple, it was after the war and—”
“Then you were with Ginny and other things mattered more,” she finished for him. “Ok, ok, I get it, you were never bothered—”
“I didn’t say this. I got—not jealous exactly, but worried, yeah. There was this moment in our Sixth Year when they almost got together—”
“That Lavender situation?”
“You know about it?”
“There are no secrets in our family, Harry—we can discuss Cho if you—”
“Er—no, I’d rather not. What I mean is back then I worried that I would be left out or that if their relationship didn’t last, we wouldn’t be friends anymore. Turns out I didn’t have to worry about anything, so you may not—what are you worrying about?”
The answer comes in the shape of two figures landing in the backyard; they are distant, but the shades of blue and silver in their hair make them very recognizable. “Oh,” mumbles Harry.
“Oh,” agrees Mia. “It’s not that I am surprised, it’s just—”
“It’s been always the three of you,” Harry says, nodding.
“They aren’t even together yet and they are already doing couple stuff.”
“It’s just like different hobbies. You and Vic enjoy Quidditch; Teddy gets a bit sick after two minutes in the air. Friends don’t do everything together—you are already in different years.”
“It never seemed to matter, until…” She gestures outside. “It did.”
“Hum.” A thought crosses his mind. “Are you jealous? Of them together.”
“Oh, no, no.” Mia looks alarmed. “Merlin, no. I know there was this family bet going around, but whoever bet on me and Teddy—” She shivers. “He’s like a sibling. Not that I need two older brothers, mind you—”
“Minded.”
“No, I knew it would be Teddy and Vic, it just always seemed so far in time.” She sighs. “I’m happy for them, I—”
The rest of her sentence is cut when the backdoor opens, and there comes Teddy, his hair painted in an electric blue. “Wotcher,” he says happily. “Just getting some water for Vic—what are you two doing?”
“Just bad-mouthing you,” answers Mia calmly.
Teddy nods. “Oh, just the usual then. When you’re done brooding, come join us for a flight.”
“I’m not brooding.”
“Crossing your arms. Talking alone with Harry. Being mean to me. You are brooding, Potter.”
“Watch it, Lupin.”
Teddy winks at Harry as if to say, “see what I have to deal with?”
“We are waiting for you—Vic told me about your new move, I’ve got to see it.”
“You are going to faint.”
“Probably. What is it with you and moves that defy gravity?”
“It’s called flying, defying gravity is its whole purpose.”
Teddy laughs. He opens the fridge to grab two bottles of soda, all the while holding a glass of water in the other hand.
Mia shakes her head. “Oh, let me, you are going to drop everything on your way out.”
“Probably,” he agrees shamelessly, walking out of the door that Mia holds for him.
“Some things never change,” she mumbles; then she glances at Harry. “I will be back inside in a few—I don’t wanna be a third-wheel.”
“If they called you, they want your company.”
“I know, but…” She sighs. “I will be with Vic all year at Hogwarts, whereas Teddy… well, let’s give them a chance of finally realising they like each other. I bet they’d start going out in September, so at least I get some money out of it.”
“Ah.” Harry smiles. “My bet was on December, let’s hope they stay oblivious a little longer.”
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