Chaos reigned at the Burrow on the first Saturday in April, but to six year old Teddy, this was normal. The adults had all been in the sitting room talking when Uncle Ron and Uncle George got into a loud argument about Quidditch. They were so loud they made baby Molly start crying, which had set off Vicky's little sister, which woke Vicky from her nap, and the whole time Teddy just wanted someone to play with him.
He didn't quite understand how it happened, but somehow Nana Molly had pushed him and Aunt Ginny and Vicky and Vicky's mum out the door to go for a walk. He didn't mind though. It was a windy spring day and a little ways down the path he found a stick on the ground. Pretending it was a wand, he jumped through the knee-high grass alongside the path, fighting bad people just like Uncle Harry and Uncle Ron did.
Looking back at the other three, he saw that Vicky was bent over the path picking flowers while the adults hung back, walking much slower. A smile crossed his face as he got an idea. He snuck up behind his friend and pushed her arm, yelling, "Tag! You're it!"
She shrieked and chased him down the path. He darted away, laughing so much that it was hard to run. As he ran, he made his hair change colors, which made Vicky laugh too. He ducked around a tree, tripping slightly on a raised root, with the younger girl close behind. Finally, her outstretched fingers scraped the back of his jumper, and both kids came to a stumbling halt. Teddy flopped down onto the ground as Vicky giggled.
"I got you!" Her smile was gleeful as she jumped on him.
"No, you didn't!" Teddy wrestled himself out from under her and sprang to his feet.
"Yes, I did!" She pushed herself up onto her feet as well.
"Uh-uh, I tripped," he said firmly.
Vicky's blue eyes narrowed. "Okay. I'll race you for it!"
"You're on!"
Teddy barely heard Aunt Ginny's warning not to go too far as he sprinted up the little hill after Vicky. By the time the pair made it to the top they had almost forgotten why they were running in the first place, so when she cheerfully proclaimed that she had won, he pretended like he didn't really care. She was younger than he was, after all, which meant he had to be the grown-up one.
She was ready to run off again when he pulled on her arm. "Wait, Aunt Ginny and your mum are pretty far back."
She stuck her tongue out at him, but plopped down in the grass to wait. He sat down next to her and tugged at the blades of grass around his feet. After a minute he realized that Vicky had drawn her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms tightly around them. He scooted closer. "What's 'a matter?"
"It's cold now," she replied miserably. Teddy looked down at her with a wrinkled forehead. He didn't really feel cold, but he could see that she was shaking and shivering, so he pulled his jumper over his head and held it out to her. She smiled sweetly at him before tugging it on. The sky-blue jumper was too large and putting it on had mussed her red plait, but she looked much happier now and that made him feel good.
He looked up to see Aunt Ginny and Vicky's mum finally reach the top of the hill. Aunt Ginny immediately crouched down to his level and frowned. "Teddy, where's your jumper?"
Teddy shrugged and pointed. "Vicky was cold."
"So you gave her…?" Suddenly Teddy found himself unable to breathe as both adults swooped down and hugged him tightly.
"A leetle gentleman!"
"Harry's never even done that for me!"
Teddy looked to Vicky, but she didn't seem to know why they were acting so strange either. She squeezed in between her mum and her aunt and grabbed Teddy's hand, "C'mon, Teddy."
As he followed Vicky down the hill, Teddy had no idea why the adults were cooing like doves.