Envisage

A/N: Inspired by TFR Writing Prompt No 264: "You know you're in love with her right?" "Since when?" "Since pretty much always. That's why I'm breaking up with you." A Teddy/Victoire fluff story. One-shot. Rated T. Everything belongs to JKR.

Teddy Lupin was looking forward to the last Hogsmeade weekend of the term. He was going with his girlfriend, Jessica. They were finished with exams, and Teddy was positive he'd done well enough to keep being an auror as his career goal.

Teddy turned the corner and smiled as he saw Jessica waiting for him at the entrance to Ravenclaw Tower.

"Ready Jess?"

She smiled and took his hand. "Let's grab a drink."

"Three Broomsticks it is!" He agreed, and they set off for the village and their favorite booth in the pub.

They sat cozily in the booth near the back of the pub sipping their butterbeers. Jessica's dark black hair hung long around her shoulders and was a stark contrast to the blue of Teddy's short spiked style he preferably donned.

"You're very quiet today Jess," Teddy teased as he bumped her shoulder with his, a smile in his voice.

She sighed. "Yes. I've just been enjoying the last of this."

"Of term?" Teddy asked sympathetically.

Jessica hesitated, staring at her bottle of butterbeer before squaring her shoulders. "Of us," She said simply, turning to look at him.

Teddy stared at her, confused and blindsided. "Wait, what do you mean 'of us'?"

"Just that Ted, I'm breaking up with you, and I've been enjoying the last few hours of being your girlfriend."

"But why?" Teddy was a mix of emotions and he couldn't pin anyone down to figure out what they were so he just kept talking.

"Lots of reasons, really," She was so matter-of-fact about it that Teddy was pretty sure she'd rehearsed this speech a few times. "The biggest reason is that you don't love me, and I can't honestly say that I love you. I know we've only been dating for half a year, but I don't want to go through the hassle of a relationship if we don't even think we love each other."

Teddy held his butterbeer bottle in both hands quietly for a moment before he spoke. "How do you know I don't love you, Jess? I know I've never said it, but how are you so sure that I don't?"

Jessica hesitated. "Please don't ask that question, Ted. I know you don't, can we leave it there?"

Teddy straightened and looked right at her. "No, Jess. I've asked it and I'd like an answer."

Jessica shook her head and looked away as she spoke. "Fine but you asked for this. I know because of Victoire Weasley."

"Oh come off it Jess! What did Vic tell you? She was probably messing with you."

Jessica looked back at him her eyes hard. "Victoire didn't say anything to me, Ted. She actually hasn't spoken to me at all unless you've been there. But she is how I know you don't love me." Then she looked out the window, her voice quiet as she spoke. "You know you're in love with her right?"

"What?! Since when have I loved Vic? Jess, she's practically my family."

"She isn't blood Teddy and I think you've loved her since pretty much always. That's really why I'm breaking up with you." Jessica drained the last drops from her bottle before setting it down with a few sickles. "This one is on me. It's been a fun run Ted; I hope you have a good break. I'll see you around next year." Then she kissed his cheek, stood up, and walked out the door, heading back towards the castle, leaving Ted staring after her from the booth.

When he finally was able to think again, Teddy decided sitting alone in the booth that everyone expected to see him in with Jessica was more or less asking for gossip, so he quickly left and set off for his favorite place to think, the Shrieking Shack.

The shack still stood on the outskirts of the village and although the Weasley kids all knew it was safe, they had all made a point of telling ridiculous stories to keep students away. This was Teddy's place. It was where he felt closest to his dad, and his family agreed to protect that as much as they could for him.

Sitting at a desk in the main room, Teddy turned over Jess' words. She thought he loved Vic. It was preposterous really. Vic was his best friend for certain but that was it. In all reality the world assumed they were related, him being Harry's godson and Vic being Harry's niece. They were simply closer than most friends because they'd grown up together, nothing more. And he spent a lot of time in Gryffindor tower because a fair amount of his family was there. Teddy didn't see anything more than friendship in his interactions with Vic. They were friends and they always would be.

Yes, Jess was wrong about him loving Vic, but he had to admit that she was not wrong when Jess said he didn't love her.

Teddy had considered the thought on multiple occasions while they'd been dating, but he never felt anything like what Harry and Ginny described when they'd first realized they loved each other while dating - or what they displayed to this day for that matter. When he had asked his Gran about how he would know when he was in love, she got all misty-eyed and assured him that he'd know. Teddy loved his Grandmother more than anything, but that answer had been immensely unhelpful.

Looking down at his watch, Teddy realized it was time to face the music and head back to the castle. At least there were only a few days of gossip to endure before he'd be done with school and home for summer.

Teddy sat back in his yard chair at the Potters, enjoying the feeling of freedom. They'd invited him and Gran for dinner and while Gran had had a prior commitment, Teddy was always happy for an excuse to spend time with his god-family.

"We were surprised you didn't ask to invite Jess along," Harry mentioned as he brought out three chilled bottles of butterbeer for Teddy, Ginny, and himself.

Teddy turned to where his younger siblings played, trying to avoid eye contact. Hoping to postpone the conversation of his break-up, he diverted the question. "Jess is busy, that's all."

Harry hummed in understanding but Ginny stared Teddy down and he knew even as he tried to avoid her gaze that he was not getting out of this so easy.

"I'm not your mother," Ginny began. It's how she began every talk where she would, in fact, be his mother, and Teddy wondered if he could outrun her. "And so I don't have the mother's intuition excuse here but I know something is up with you and Jess." Ginny smiled sweetly at him.

Teddy sighed. "We broke up a few days before the end of the term." He hoped to keep this simple and short, with as few details as possible.

"And?" Ginny's eyes bore into him, and he knew they'd sit there until he had finally given her more details. Teddy took a deep breath, trying to decide what to give. Then he spoke quickly.

"Jess broke up with me. She said she knew I didn't love her and she didn't love me, nor did she think she would. When I asked how she knew I didn't love her she responded rather sadly that I'm in love with Vic."

Teddy felt his face reddening and he was incredibly embarrassed to have just related that last part to his god-parents; he hadn't even told Gran that part and he had vowed not to tell anyone for that matter what Jess had said about him loving Vic. Unfortunately, Ginny had that effect on him. He stared down at his trainers hoping they could drop the conversation now that he'd been stripped of his pride.

Instead, Harry put his hand comfortingly on Teddy's shoulder as he spoke. "Rough to get that sort of realization from someone else, especially the person you're dating."

"What!" Teddy pulled back, startled at Harry's words.

"Well Teddy dear, we know it wasn't the best way for you to realize it, but doesn't it feel better to know now," Ginny said comfortingly, a nostalgic smile on her lips.

"Wait, you two think I'm in love with Vic too!"

Ginny's smile faded quickly. "Oh dear," She sighed. "Teddy, if you were stranded somewhere and could only have one person with you who would you pick?"

"Vic, she's my best friend," Teddy responded quickly.

"Alright, who is the person that gets you the best?"

Teddy shook his head, "Ginny, Vic is my best friend; of course, she's who I'm going to answer for all of these. We've been best friends for the majority of our lives. But we're just friends."

Harry shifted forward in his chair. "Ted, how did you feel when Vic dated that bloke last year, what was his name...?"

"Jeff Parson," Teddy answered a bit too quickly. "I didn't like him, he wasn't right for her and he didn't treat her well."

Harry nodded. "And what did he do that showed you he wasn't the guy for Vic?"

Teddy paused, trying to push back the disgust he had for Parson and just give the facts, but the longer he thought about it the more he couldn't think of a single instance where Parson had been anything but kind to Vic. Ginny put a hand on his knee.

"Jeff was a fine young man. And he still is. You were upset because it wasn't you."

Teddy shook his head. "No, I know it was something but I just can't remember anymore. They called it off so it ended alright."

"Why did they break up Ted?" Harry pushed.

Teddy swallowed hard, he wasn't particularly proud of that situation. "I may have suggested to Vic that he was ruining our friendship. But I apologized for it and took it back and told her that if she wanted to date him I'd support her." Teddy rubbed the back of his neck. "Can we please stop talking about what a right git I've been to her?"

Harry put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "We can move on, but you should probably think about what pushed you to give your best friend an ultimatum when she started dating a respectable and kind young man."

Ginny pursed her lips. "If you really want to prove to yourself that your feelings for Vic are completely platonic, take some time on your own to consider what it'd be like to date Vic. If the thought of kissing her grosses you out then the rest of us are up a tree. If not, well..." She smiled knowingly.

Teddy nodded, looking over at his siblings playing tag in the yard, wondering if it'd be considered childish to run and play with them in an attempt to escape the complicated situation he found himself in.

It had been over a week since Ginny had told him he could prove to himself he didn't love Vic and Teddy still hadn't done what she'd suggested. He'd made up a hundred excuses, but in truth, he was scared of the answer. He was scared how this new information would affect his friendship with Vic, not that he'd made time to see her since school let out. But on a rainy afternoon, he decided it would be best to know sooner rather than later. He closed the door to his room and took a deep breath as he lay back on his bed.

"Alright," he said aloud. "Imagine that I'm dating Vic." He let his eyes fall shut and imagined sitting across a table at Fortescue's. That wasn't enough, they normally did that. Next, he imagined hugging her. Nope, he already did that too. Teddy braced himself for the next thought. He imagined sitting on the beach in the dim summer evening light with her. He could see her face perfectly, her blue eyes sparkled up at him, her blond hair a tangled mess in the wind, her cheeks rosy from being out in the sun all day, her lips soft and pink. Her windswept hair fell into her face and he reached out a hand pushing it gently back behind her ear and bringing her face to his, he leaned in and kissed her softly.

"Boom!" A loud clap of thunder sounded and shook the house. Teddy cursed the offending sound as his mental image shattered, leaving him groping for the pieces. Something in him ached and suddenly he realized they had all been right. He did have feelings for Vic, and no idea what to do next.

Teddy waited impatiently at breakfast the next morning. He'd written Ginny the afternoon before and still didn't have an answer; she should have replied by now, it wasn't as though he'd asked for a novel.

"Everything alright dear?" Gran asked as he looked at the window for the millionth time.

"Yeah, just thought we'd have some owl post today," Teddy said poking at the remains of his breakfast.

"Are you expecting something?" She asked as she gathered her dishes and he followed her lead.

"I just asked Aunt Ginny a question yesterday, and I figured she'd have responded by now." Teddy rinsed his dish, setting it aside.

"I'm sure Ginny will write you back just as soon as she has a free moment." Gran smiled, laying an affectionate hand on his shoulder, before heading to the study.

Just as she walked into the study, Ginny's owl flew through the window. Quickly taking the letter and handing the bird a pellet, Teddy opened the letter and saw the answer he'd been hoping for. "Yes."

Feeling like his chest was going to burst, Teddy quickly ran up to his room throwing a few things into his bag.

"Hey Gran, I want to go to Shell Cottage," Teddy said walking as calmly as possible into the study. "Can you send a patronus and see if that's alright?"

"Sure, dear. I'll just want you home in time for supper." Gran's patronus went flying out the window, and a few minutes later Fluer's patronus returned with the ok. Kissing his Gran's cheek, Teddy stepped into the green flames and walked out into the living room at Shell Cottage.

"Teddy! I've missed you!" Vic said throwing her arms around his neck.

Returning her hug, and realizing how much he really likes her hugs, Teddy laughed. "I've missed you too. I didn't have anything I needed to do today so I thought I'd stop by. Hope it's ok."

"Don't be silly!" Vic laughed pulling him from the grate. "You can come by whenever you want to!"

"Hi, Ted! Bye, Ted!" Louis called as he headed past him for the fireplace.

"Be home for dinner!" Fleur called as Louis disappeared in green flames. "Welcome, Teddy! It's been too long!" And she wrapped him in a hug.

"Did you bring your swimsuit?" Vic asked, looking at the backpack over his shoulder.

"Yeah, I've learned it's sort of a requirement here." He chuckled.

"You should just buy one to keep here." She laughed. "Go get changed. I was about to go for a swim."

Teddy felt his stomach tighten, and rather than risk squeaking, he smiled, nodded, and headed for the loo.

If he thought he was nervous then, he was very near scared stiff when Vic came down the stairs in a new two-piece suit. It was bright blue and made her hair and eyes shine. For the first time, Teddy was very aware that Vic was part Veela.

"Race you!" She called as she ran for the door and the beach. Grateful for the excuse to not talk a bit longer, Teddy ran after Vic and followed her into the crashing waves.

After swimming for a while, Teddy began to get back into the comfortable rhythm that he and Vic had always had. He began goofing off with her as they always had, dunking Vic in the chilly water, and finally allowing her to dunk him after evading her attempts for a good few minutes.

Returning to the beach laughing and winded they collapsed on the towels they'd thrown down in their race to the waves.

"So, how are you, Teddy? I've been worried. You've been pretty distant since the breakup with Jessica." Vic lay on her side, propped up on one elbow, water glistening on her skin in the warm sunlight.

"I'm alright. I didn't mean to worry you, I just needed to sort everything out, you know?" Teddy lay on his stomach, head resting on his folded arms as he looked up at her.

"Breakups are hard, and I'm glad you're doing better now. I've missed you." She smiled at him, but he noticed her eyes weren't as bright as they normally were.

"It wasn't so much the break up that was hard." He said moving to mirror her position. "It was figuring out the fallout."

"It's hard to pick up the pieces after losing someone you loved." Vic nodded and Teddy heard just a hint of bitterness in her voice. He wondered if maybe she had loved Parsons. The guilt that hit was fast and Teddy pushed it away quickly. That wasn't why he was here.

"I didn't love her. It was some of what she said to me that I needed to sort out." Teddy noticed that a light lit in her eyes that hadn't been there before.

"Really? You didn't love her? But Jessica was lovely." Vic smiled a bit sadly.

"She was," Teddy nodded. "But she pointed out to me that I loved someone else."

"Oh." Vic's face became almost rigid and Teddy wondered if this next part was going to go over well. "Well, who's the lucky lady?"

Teddy swallowed hard. Now or never you scared git, He thought. Taking a deep breath he spoke quietly, "You."

Vic looked at him, not registering for a moment. "You, you love me?" Her voice quavered and her eyes were locked on his.

Shit, he thought. There goes a lifelong friendship. Sighing and rolling to lie on his back he closed his eyes, placing his hands behind his head. "Yeah, Vic, and I'm sorry. I guess I thought you felt the same way. If I'd know you didn't I wouldn't have said anything." He silently cursed himself for ever listening to Jess' stupid thought in the first place. Well, she got the last laugh. "Let's just forget I said anything, yeah?"

It was silent for a moment and Teddy wondered if Vic had left for the cottage.

"Teddy, please look at me." She said quietly. Reluctantly Teddy turned his head toward her and opened his eyes. She had moved closer to him, her body right next to his.

"I love you too." Her eyes looked deep into his and her voice was so quiet he wondered if maybe he dreamed it.

But he can't help but hope he isn't dreaming, and that image of kissing her comes back to him and without thinking he reaches his hand up and pulls her face to his. His lips capture hers tentatively at first but as Vic returns his kiss Teddy moves up to his side, pressing his body against hers, running his hand from her cheek into her wet hair.

When they pull away, both let out a nervous laugh and the laughter turns from nervous to pure happiness. And then Teddy's kissing her again and again as they laugh because Merlin how did he ever live this long without kissing her? And he feels like he needs to make up for all the time they could have had together. And all that lost time doesn't matter because he's kissing her now and he feels like he could kiss her forever and never have enough. And they have forever because this is love and he's never going to let go.