Victoire Weasley walked down the aisle on her father’s arm. Her strawberry blonde locks danced freely down her back, and her simple, white wedding dress brought out every beautiful curve in her body. The veil perched upon her head was a Delacour family heirloom; it hadn’t been worn since her mother’s sister, Gabrielle, had married over twenty years ago. Her makeup was subtle, yet highlighted her best features and covered up her worst (not that she had any in particular, of course). Dangling on her chest was the heart necklace that her soon-to-be-husband had given her on her sixteenth birthday - exactly three months, two weeks and four days since they’d first started going out. Her face broke into a smile as she saw her fiancé, Teddy Lupin, standing beside the minister. Today, they would become husband and wife.
They’d known each other since Victoire was born. When his parents had died, Teddy and his grandmother had become accepted as part of the Weasley family, just as his godfather had been seven years previously. When Teddy had been two years old, Molly and Arthur’s first grandchild had been born. He had gone along with the rest of his family to visit the newborn and her mother in hospital. Teddy, since he had been so young at the time, did not remember this anymore. And neither did Victoire, of course. But Teddy had known, ever since he could remember, that Victoire was special.
The first clear memory Teddy had of him and Victoire was from Victoire’s first birthday. Molly and Arthur had put on a big party at the Burrow for family and close friends. Running around in a party hat, Teddy Lupin had had the time of his life “ but what he hadn’t understood, however, was why some of his “aunties and uncles” hadn’t been as perky.
“Uncle George, why are you so sad?” he had asked curiously. George peered up at the little child. He’d been crying silently in a secluded corner of the Burrow; he’d thought that nobody would notice him there.
“You’re too young to understand, kiddo,” he had said thickly, wiping his eyes on his sleeve. Teddy had not been content with this answer, and had looked for someone else to ask. He had spotted “Auntie Ginny,” who even three-year-old Teddy could notice was upset, although she had been putting on a brave face and attempting to socialise with “Auntie Hermione.”
“What’s wrong, Auntie Ginny?” he had asked.
Ginny and Hermione had smiled at Teddy. They had given each other a knowing look, and both had crouched down to Teddy’s level.
“Teddy, do you know what day it is today?” Ginny had asked him.
“Yep!” he had said, grinning. “It’s Victoire’s birthday!”
“It’s not just Victoire’s birthday, honey,” she had said, her eyes welling up with tears. “It’s also a day where we remember those who died in the war, three years ago exactly.”
“Is that the same war that Granny says that my Mummy and Daddy died in?” he had asked her.
“Yes,” Hermione had replied simply, her eyes watering as well. “Ginny’s brother also died in the war.”
“Is that why everyone seems sad?”
“Yes.”
“But it’s Victoire’s birthday!” he had said, his childlike mind unable to see. “Why aren’t we happy?”
“We are, Teddy. Not only is it Victoire’s birthday, but it’s also the day that we all won our freedom back,” Ginny had said, a glimmer of a smile appearing on her face.
“And that’s good, right?”
“Yes, Teddy. It is.”
He had walked over to where Victoire had been fussed over by “Auntie Molly” and “Auntie Fleur,” and Ginny and Hermione had followed him.
“Victoire is special,” Hermione had said, taking his hand. “She’s the glimmer of hope in our family, in our world, that life moves on. Her birthday is a reminder of this, and that’s why she’s special.” Now, the adults had seemed to be reassuring themselves, not just Teddy.
“Did you hear that, Victoire?” he had said, sitting beside the one-year-old, who had been playing with her new toys. Victoire had smiled up at Teddy. “You’re special!”
Teddy Lupin smiled to himself as he remembered that day. Not only was it the first memory he had of Victoire, it was one of the earliest memories he had, period. However, he could only spend so much time reminiscing. Today, he was going to get married to the love of his life, and he couldn’t afford to be late; Victoire would kill him.
“You almost ready, mate?” asked his best friend, Luke Fischer. The pair had met in their first year at Hogwarts, and over ten years later, were still as close as ever. He was his best man today.
“Sure - are Harry and Charlie ready?” he asked, referring to his two other groomsmen. Both were his “Uncles”, and Harry was his godfather. Charlie had been his mentor and the only link to home while spending the last few years in Romania, learning how to work with dragons.
“Yes, they’re in the foyer. Teddy took one last look in the mirror, trying to make sure he’d used his Metamorphmagus skills to his advantage. Unable to see any possible way to improve his reflection, he checked that his black dress robes were smooth and clean and left the guest room at the Delacour mansion.
The wedding was being held at Victoire’s maternal grandparents’ house by the sea in France. It was a mansion, to say the least; there were twelve bedrooms, seven for guests. Victoire and her siblings even had their own personal bedrooms each in this house. Teddy and Luke were getting ready in the nicest guest bedroom the house had to offer, and Harry and Charlie were in the one next door. Now that the time had come, Teddy’s stomach swarmed with butterflies. Although that this was what he’d wanted since he was seventeen and had first begun to fall in love with Victoire, he felt like he was going to throw up. He would be the centre of attention. Everyone would be staring at him. If he made a single mistake, it would wreck the perfect, big wedding that Victoire had always dreamed of. He couldn’t do this to her…
“It’s now or never,” Luke commented with a grin as he saw Teddy’s worried face as they descended the last flight of stairs into the main foyer, where they would then enter the garden to begin greeting the guests.
“No making me even more nervous than I already am!” Teddy grinned as they walked into the garden. Guests were beginning to arrive and were being ushered to their seats by Fred and James. Upon seeing the men arrive, Molly hurried over to them, her pale pink dress robes fluttering behind her.
“Are you all ready, dears?” she asked the four of them, who all nodded their heads. Molly patted Teddy on the arm.
“Don’t worry; you’re not going to mess up!” she said, smiling. “You’ll be fine!”
“Thanks, Molly,” replied Teddy. “Your dress robes look pretty on you.”
“Always the charmer, aren’t you?” she beamed. “Victoire’s lucky to have you!”
Suddenly, Teddy’s grandmother came over. “Everyone, the bridal party is ready! Places, people!”
“This is my cue,” Teddy smiled nervously, as Molly and his grandmother both kissed him on the cheek. “It’s now or never!”
Dominique Weasley was pissed, to say the very least. Not only was she absolutely resenting the fact that she had to get all dolled up for one stupid event, she also had to deal with her bitch of a sister yelling commands and advice at her every three seconds before having yet another panic attack.
“Think happy thoughts, Dom,” coached her cousin and fellow bridesmaid, Rose. “It’ll all be over soon.”
“You should be saying that to her,” she said bitterly, pointing to Victoire as she applied more mascara to her eyelashes.
Laura, Victoire’s maid of honour, comforted her best friend gingerly as she broke down in tears once more. This was because, seconds ago, Fleur Weasley had told her once again exactly how to walk down the aisle gracefully without tripping in her six-inch heels. Victoire couldn’t handle the stress, apparently. To be honest, who would?
“I was Head Girl!” she sobbed as Laura handed her a tissue. “Why can’t I do this simple little thing without going absolutely bonkers?”
“Cause you’re human, sweetie,” she replied, enveloping Victoire in a hug. “Don’t think of your mother. Think of Teddy.” She beamed at her best friend, and got up from the couch in Victoire’s bedroom of her grandparents’ house. “Now, I’m going to go see whether Bill and Louis are ready.” Bill was walking her down the aisle, as all fathers were customary to do, and Victoire’s twelve-year old brother, Louis, would be the ring bearer.
Victoire smiled as she did what Laura had instructed her to do; to think of Teddy. Summoning a glass and using her wand to fill it with water, she sipped it and began reminiscing.
“Weasley, Victoire.”
There had been two people left to be Sorted, and one of them, a pretty strawberry blonde, had walked nervously to where the frayed, old hat sat on a three-legged stool. Professor Macmillan had given her a little smile as he placed the hat over her head.
“GRYFFINDOR!” it had called, and Victoire had beamed as she became yet another Weasley Sorted into Gryffindor. Everyone had applauded loudly, and it hadn’t only been due to the fact that it was almost the end of the ceremony and food would be appearing shortly on their plates. Victoire’s family had been famous then, of course. However, nobody had cheered louder for her than third year Teddy Lupin, another student with a famous name. Victoire had beamed as she had come over and sat next to Teddy, who hadn’t looked put-off at all that he was sitting next to a Firstie.
As time had went by, Victoire had made new friends, and she had hung out with Teddy less and less while at Hogwarts. However, they had still remained close. She had been one of the most popular girls in the grade, and had had almost every guy in the school drooling after her by her third year. One of the few who could except himself from this group had been Teddy. Victoire had been nothing but a friend to him, and they had joked about it together every time Victoire had another potential suitor had come along.
And then, in fifth year, Victoire had finally said yes to one of those boys. Demetri Rocelli, arguably Hogwarts’ most gorgeous-looking guy, had finally won the prize that the rest of the guys could only hope for in their wildest dreams. He had been quite tanned, with sandy blonde hair and periwinkle blue eyes, and they looked like a match made in heaven. Teddy had been reminded of this every time he had caught them snogging in an “empty” corridor. He had never liked Demetri, but ever since Victoire had begun to date him, he found that it had turned more and more into hate as every week passed.
At first, he had simply been convinced that it was his naturally protective attitude towards Victoire, who was basically family. He never dreamed that he’d like her in that way. But, as the months progressed, he had begun to doubt himself. Why was it that every time he was supposed to be concentrating on his schoolwork or Quidditch, had he fantasised about punching Demetri and then giving Victoire a good snog afterwards? It had seemed that not even Care of Magical Creatures, his passion, could hold his interest anymore.
By the end of Teddy’s seventh year, he had been completely, one hundred percent sure that he had fallen for her. He had tried to move on; he really had. But he just hadn’t been able to. He had compared every girl he had taken to Hogsmeade to Victoire, thinking “She doesn’t have her eyes,” or “She doesn’t have her laugh.” Merlin, how he hadwished he could move on. It had caused him physical pain to see Victoire holding Demetri’s hand, not his. It hadn’t been an option, though, to move on. He loved her too much.
During those summer holidays, when Teddy had been preparing himself to leave home to work in Romania with Charlie, Victoire had Flooed suddenly into his living room, in the house he shared with his grandmother. She had looked upset, and Teddy had been able to see that she’d been crying. Noticing that Teddy was in the kitchen, she had raced over to him.
“Merlin, Vicky, what’s wrong?” he had asked, using his little pet name for her as he wrapped her in a hug. Victoire had buried her head in his shoulder, and begun to cry.
“De-Deme-Demetri,” she had sobbed, choking on her words, “dumped me!” A fresh wave of tears flowed down her cheeks.
“There, there,” Teddy had said, hugging her tighter. “Why would he do that to a beautiful girl like you?”
“He said “ he said, that we should- should date other people!” she had cried, burying her head even further into Teddy’s shoulder, to the point where it was starting to physically hurt Teddy. “I think he likes Anna Meyers now! I saw him staring at her the other day while we were in Diagon Alley!”
“When I get my hands on him…” Teddy had begun angrily.
“Don’t!” she had cried. “I don’t want you to fight him. You’ll only make things worse!”
“Victoire Arielle Weasley, you’re in pain! That slimy, no good asshole has hurt you, and he’s going to pay for it!”
“I don’t want you getting in the middle of this. I’ll be fine.” She hadn’t looked fine, though.
“You’re too good for him, anyway.” He had smiled at her, and she had beamed up at him, wiping away her tears.
“You’re just saying that.”
“No, I mean it.” Teddy had. “You’re beautiful, obviously,” he had said, and Victoire had given him a small grin, “you’re smart, you’re a Prefect, you’re kind, you’re confident, you’re independent.” He had stopped for a bit. “You’re perfect.”
Victoire had been smiling now. “That’s the nicest thing anyone’s ever said to me.” Her face had been so close to Teddy’s that their noses were almost touching.
“It’s the truth.” Teddy’s heart had been pounding in his chest. He had gazed into Victoire’s eyes, and smelt her breath. He had felt as if he could almost feel Victoire’s heart pounding in her chest, too. Their lips had almost met, when a loud crack had startled them, and they had broken apart swiftly as if they’d been jinxed apart. It was Harry, and he’d Apparated straight into the living room.
“Teddy? Andromeda? Anyone home?” he had called.
“Yep, Harry, in the kitchen!” Teddy had called back, trying not to look at Victoire. She had seemed to be trying to do that same.
“Hello, guys. I didn’t know you were here, Victoire!” he had said, gesturing at her. She had shrugged her shoulders.
“I’d best be off,” she had replied. “I’ve got to run a few errands for Mum. Bye, Teddy; bye Harry!” she had called, and virtually running to the fireplace, she had thrown in some powder and disappeared.
“That was strange,” Harry had commented. “What’s wrong with her?”
“Demetri broke up with her,” Teddy had said bitterly under his breath. Harry had nodded sympathetically.
“Poor girl. She’s too pretty for her own good.”
“Don’t I know,” Teddy had muttered under his breath.
Teddy had gone off to Romania after the summer had ended, and Victoire had gone off to her sixth year at Hogwarts, with her straight “Outstanding” OWLs. Neither had brought up the subject of that almost-kiss for the rest of the holiday, although both of them had thought of it constantly.
Victoire had begun falling in love with Teddy too. She used to catch herself thinking about his smile, his laugh, his eyes; Professor Longbottom, the new Head of Gryffindor, the Herbology teacher, and a family friend, had become concerned with her slipping grades.
The truth was, Victoire had known that Teddy couldn’t possibly fall in love with her. That almost-kiss had only been out of sympathy for her, she had convinced herself. She had told herself he didn’t like her as anything more than a friend. Teddy was too good for her; he was fighting dragons in Romania while she was stuck in school. He was far more interesting, far more intelligent. Why would he like a girl like her?
Teddy hadn’t been able to stop thinking about her, either. He had received numerous burns in his first few months for not paying attention when he had been thinking about Victoire. It had been bad enough in Hogwarts, but now, it had become simply unbearable. He had missed her so much. He had begun to count the days until he could come home, and see her again at Christmas. Charlie could see the signs of lovesickness in his eyes; he had had a good little chuckle every time he had caught Teddy in a trance. But he hadn’t found out until several months later that the girl he had been pining over was his niece.
Christmas at the Burrow was an annual tradition that the Weasley family and close friends looked forward to, Teddy and Victoire especially that year. However, when Teddy had been greeted at the door with hugs and kisses from Molly, and had peered into the sitting room, he had found Victoire’s eyes deliberately not meeting his, and her cheeks blushing furiously.
After the big, delicious Christmas feast that Molly had put on, everyone was full to burst with Christmas turkey. They had sat in the overcrowded sitting room, opening presents from the tree. Lily, Al, Louis, Lucy, Roxy, Hugo and Rose had all been squealing excitedly as every gift was unwrapped. Teddy’s heart hadn’t quite been in it this year, and he had kept sneaking glances at Victoire out of the corner of his eyes, and had felt her doing the same to him.
“Bedtime!” Molly had snapped, and she began organising everyone into different rooms. Throughout the chaos that followed, nobody had noticed Teddy and Victoire slipping out of the room.
“So… how’s Romania?” Victoire had begun lamely.
“Alright… Hogwarts?”
“Pretty much the same.”
“Oh. Okay.”
The two had sat down on the couch in the hallway. An uncomfortable silence had followed. Both of them had been thinking about each other “ about how good it would be to just lean over and kiss the other. The tension had been building…
Teddy hadn’t been able to take it anymore. He had leaned over to Victoire, and without warning, kissed her full on the lips in one quick motion. Victoire had been too surprised to respond, and he had broken away from her.
“There. I did it. Now you can go on about how stupid I am.” Teddy had looked disappointed and angry for all of two milliseconds before Victoire had pulled him back to her, and kissed him enthusiastically.
A few minutes passed had before the two had stopped snogging. Teddy had caressed Victoire’s face in his hands.
“Victoire, will you go out with me?”
She had grinned deviously. “Thought you’d never ask!” The new couple had picked it up right off from where they left, kissing as if there was no tomorrow.
Teddy smiled back at his bride as she joined him at the altar. Molly, Fleur and his grandmother had already burst into tears, offering each other lace handkerchiefs. Bill kissed his daughter on the cheek and went to go sit down next to the empty place by his wife. The minister, a balding, round wizard, cleared his throat loudly.
“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome, each and every one of you, to the wedding of Edward Remus Lupin and Victoire Arielle Weasley…”
Teddy never lifted his gaze from his wife the whole time. It was a simple, traditional ceremony. He smiled a cheesy little smile throughout the whole thing, and, when it came time for the climax, there was not a dry eye in the garden. Victoire’s eyes were brimming with tears. The minister pointed his wand at the joined hands of Teddy and Victoire.
“Do you, Ted Lupin, take Victoire Weasley…” Even Dom had stopped rolling her eyes long enough to start sniffing.
“I do.”
“Do you, Victoire Weasley, take Ted Lupin…”
“I do.”
“…then I declare you bonded for life.”
As Teddy embraced his new wife, the wizard emitted a shower of silver stars from his wand. The audience rose to their feet and applauded the newlyweds loudly. Victoire grinned as she heard two of her uncles cat-calling.
A lot of hugging, kissing and crying followed; a band began playing, and the garden was magically transformed into a huge party. People began to claim tables, and the banquet was now laid out for everyone to eat.
Teddy and Victoire never left each other’s arms. For their first dance as husband and wife, they danced a simple, slow waltz.
Other couples began to join the dancefloor. Victoire saw both sets of her grandparents dancing together, both looking blissful in each other’s arms. They spotted Rose dancing with Scorpius Malfoy, the most unlikely couple in the Weasley family.
“I love you,” he whispered in her ear as they glided across the floor.
“I love you too,” she replied, smiling.
“The day we told our family that we were together was a very memorable day.” Teddy grinned as he and Victoire stood up in front of everyone to deliver the speeches. Many of the crowd laughed. “I was really nervous about telling them; we’d kept it secret for months! I remember walking straight into my living room, Victoire in tow, and simply announcing to my grandma that Victoire and I were going out. You know what her response was?”
“About bloody time!” Andromeda Tonks called out, and everyone present laughed.
“Anyway, then I Apparated Victoire and myself to Shell Cottage. Victoire went into their kitchen, where her Fleur was cooking dinner. I waited outside, as instructed. I heard Victoire speaking to her mum, and a second later, Fleur burst out of the kitchen and hugged me tightly, jabbering in French!” Fleur looked slightly embarrassed. “Ten minutes later, Bill arrived home. For a moment there, I thought he was going to punch me!” More laughter. “But, obviously, he didn’t; in fact, he looked thrilled to bits!”
“Teddy proposed to me exactly one year ago,” said Victoire, grinning. “Most of you know the story already - he took me into the woods, and we had a picnic there. I was innocently eating a sandwich when he bent down on one knee, asked for my hand, and looked at me with his puppy dog eyes!”
“She couldn’t resist them,” Teddy added, chuckling, and the audience joined in. “And you know what she said?”
They looked at each other soppily. “You’re the only one for me,” Victoire said softly, and her lips met his.
Everyone applauded. “Get a room, guys!” James Potter yelled.
The Only One by U-No-Poo
Story Notes:
Thank you to Apurva (DracoGurlFurever) for her fabulously accurate beta'ing!
Chapter Endnotes: Review, please! Any criticism is good criticism!