Christmas
Victoire, Link, Kit, Jade and her Gryffindor himbo boyfriend sat cozily in the Hogwarts Express compartment on the way home for Christmas break. The boys were entangled in some sort of discussion about Qudditch, giving Jade and Victoire the opportunity to steal a moment of confidence.
"Are you nervous about seeing Teddy again after your fight?" Jade asked, helping herself to Victoire's cauldron cake.
Victoire huffed, fire erupting somewhere within her at the mere remembrance of what Teddy had said to her the last time they'd been together. Who else is your soul mate? Are you gonna fuck the innkeeper next, too, then tell me he's your soul mate?
"No, I'm not nervous. We're going to be at my grandparent's home, with my family. And I'm going to have a merry fucking Christmas with them. He should be nervous to see me. I'm gonna pretend that he doesn't even exist."
Jade snorted. "Babes, if it were possible for you to do that, youd've done it years ago."
Victoire shot her a mean look, knowing damn well she was right. Jade stroked her hair soothingly, smiling apologetically. "I know he hurt you, and he's been a right ass. But if you really think that he's your Veela-soulmate-sex-partner-person, then cut him a little slack. I mean, you didn't imagine you'd ever find yourself in a polyamorous relationship, did you? If he cares about you the way he says he does, and if you truly feel he's also your soulmate, then I think you owe him a little patience - once he apologizes profusely for being a dick. But give him that chance, Vic. Because you've spent your whole life longing for him, and apparently so has he. So now that you're both aware of each other's feelings, don't make matters more complicated than they need to be."
Victoire sighed. She didn't have the energy to argue with Jade about Teddy, and honestly just wanted to spend some time in the company of her friend and boyfriends before starting her Christmas holiday.
They tuned their awareness back into the boy's conversation, where Link and Jade's himbo were playfully fighting Kit on which Quidditch teams were going to win the league cup this year.
"Yeah, but the Holyhead Harpies got Rosa DiLuca. The way she's headed, she's gonna be a legend like Krum soon enough."
Kit made a petulant tutting sound. "But the Falmouth Falcons have several really good players, so they don't have to depend on their seeker alone for their wins."
Link turned to Kit. "But a super talented seeker who can catch the snitch in a few minutes poses more of a challenge than several good chasers who've got beaters and the opposing team's chasers attempting to defend them."
Kit frowned, crossing his huge muscled arms across his chest. "You're my boyfriend-in-law. You're supposed to be on my side."
Link rolled his eyes, blushing slightly at Kit's public declaration. But Victoire saw right their Link's feigned annoyance with Kit's title of their relationship; especially when he payed for Kit's treats from the trolley witch. Kit nuzzled into Link in thanks in his too-tactile, overly-familiar manner that Link seemed to be growing more and more used to. And the sight warmed Victoire's heart so much she felt she could cry for the joy the scene elicited.
***
Christmas Eve arrived in great splendor at the Burrow. Victoire's grandmother, Mrs. Weasley, had decorated the cozy home in green and red paper chains, fresh holly branches and greenery, mistletoe, and festive brown paper packages adorned with holly stood under the tree bedecked with twinkling lights and shimmering ornaments. Victoire had helped her gran all day in the kitchen and about the house, preparing things for their Christmas Eve party later in the day. She'd had fun with her cousins - James, Hugo, and Albus had laughed themselves stupid after scaring her and Rose half to death with several new joke products curtesy of Uncle George. Victoire found a minute amidst helping her Gran to get her revenge on her cousins with Rose: they pretended to gift their cousins their presents early; which consisted of several very cross garden gnomes in boxes attempting to bite them. They were all in hysterics multiple times throughout the day, and Victoire savored their company.
She washed herself and prepared for the evening an hour before guests were due to arrive, which included Teddy. She had to admit that she did feel rather nervous to see him after she'd slapped him clean across the face. Though she felt he deserved that slap. She tried to shake off her nerves with a festive shot of firewhisky, letting it settle her as she did her hair and makeup and slipped on a dazzling green velvet cocktail dress. Christmas day was reserved for her gran's legendary knitted sweaters, but Christmas Eve everyone dressed decidedly more glamorously.
She may have taken three or four more shots of firewhisky before she felt brave enough to go downstairs and face Teddy. Ironically, she didn't notice him at all as she descended the winding staircase to the main floor of her grandparent's home; but his eyes followed her the entire way down, taking in her stunning appearance.
When she did perceive him in her peripheral vision, she ignored him as she greeted her Uncle George and told him of her cousin Jame's hustling in Hogwarts.
"Ten sickles for some dodgy stink pellets? That's criminal. Excuse me, will you, I've got to go tell him how proud I am."
She laughed, shaking her head as she turned to her Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione. She told them of her visit to the Hogwarts Kitchens and discussed all she'd seen of the house-elves with them, which interested Hermione deeply. She looked somewhere halfway between amused and disapproving of the picture Victoire showed them of Kit with the house-elves and told them of his monthly parties (she'd made him give her a copy of it, along with a selection of her favorites from parties past).
"Brilliant," her Uncle Ron beamed, wiping a tear from his eye at a trick-perspective picture of Knobbles pretending to lift Kit with one hand (Kit's idea, of course).
"I suppose it's nice to see that they're happy," her Aunt Hermione offered bemusedly.
Somehow at dinner, even though she'd set the table herself and placed Teddy far away from her, he wound up sitting right next to her at table. She felt like throwing daggers at whoever had switched the place settings. The tension between them could've been cut with a knife, though Teddy had been trying to catch her eye all night. His energy was open and tentative compared to Victoire's icy hard wall that she wanted to keep up to protect herself - she couldn't allow herself to be hurt by him anymore. With every brush of their legs and arms, Victoire felt herself getting hot. Memories not of their fight, but of how he'd taken her into his arms that night in the passage, and the feel of his body against hers in the empty classroom ran through hear mind. After dinner when her whole family was considerably tipsy from firewhisky, she finally met Teddy's eye.
"Victoire," he said in his deep, gentle tones. "Can I have a word, please?"
She nodded, knowing she couldn't escape this conversation for much longer. He lead her outside, taking off his blazer to give to her. She thanked him wordlessly as he led them to the broomstick shred. She raised an eyebrow at him as he cast an airborne light overhead for them.
"I figured it's safer to talk in here than in any bedroom where James might be trying to prank us," he explained, and Victoire quietly agreed.
"I want to apologize for what I said, Vic. I was angry and hurt and I didn't mean it. You have to know that I didn't mean it, right?" he asked, desperation and remorse in his eyes and tone.
She stared at him for a long moment before deciding it was safe to drop her defenses. "No, Teddy. I don't think you meant it," she said quietly.
Hi shoulders sagged with relief as he took in her words, though his eyes did not drop their ever-intense quality as he stared at her, the rest of their problems coming to the surface. Her forgiveness didn't begin to make them any closer to coming to terms with the issues between them.
"I did mean it when I said I'd try to be okay with everything, Victoire. I know I've done a shit job of it so far. But as I try to be the man you deserve, please be patient with me. It's not natural for me to...to be okay with seeing you happy with other men. You're the only woman I want, and I wish that I could be enough for you, too."
All her resolve to be cold towards Teddy melted as she reached out to stroke his hair soothingly. "Teddy...you are enough. You are my soul mate as much as Kit and Link are, and Sal will be."
His brows pinched together at the mention of Salvatore, and she withdrew her hand. He caught it, and pulled back to his face, nuzzling against it as he closed his eyes; his expression tired. "Please, Vic...I don't wanna fight with you tonight, or ever. But I have a bad feeling about Salvatore. During my interrogation he seemed afraid at the mention of Kieran Dillon. His recovery has been slow, but Salvatore seemed afraid of the possibility of Dillon regaining his memories. I just know he's hiding something. I won't deny I'm jealous of all the men who have your heart besides me. But please believe me when I tell you I worry about Rookwood for your own safety and emotional wellbeing."
She sighed, conceding a nod. She knew Teddy was trying to look out for her in his overprotective way. "And please believe me when I tell you that I know Salvatore is good. Maybe not in a way I can prove that would matter to a courtroom, but something deep within me knows for certain that he's innocent as I know that you are both my soulmates."
Teddy didn't look moved by her conviction, but nodded his head all the same. Because as impossible as it felt, he couldn't deny the lifelong pull he'd felt towards Victoire. And if that was their soulmate bond, and if she shared that with other men, then he could understand why she couldn't stay away from them. But understanding a thing logically and emotionally were two different things that he was yet to reconcile.
He cast a charm to grow mistletoe over their heads, watching as Victoire's beautiful blue eyes lit up with appreciation as she admired his delicate magic. He gentle cupped her jaw, placing a soft, sweet kiss on her lips as they blocked out the noise of her drunken uncles bellowing "God Rest Ye Merry Hippogriff" from the Burrow. Their kissing intensified, his strong fingers running along her pussy as he fingered her. Her breathy moans between kisses pleaded for more, leading to Victoire impatiently unbuckling Teddy's pants as he lifted her into his arms, her dress riding up. He slid his tip into her tight pussy and her hair fell in a curtain as she pressed her forehead to his.
"I'll love you forever, Vic," he whispered, though those words were already in every brush of his lips against hers.
She slid down onto his full length, the feel of her soul mate deep within her satisfying more than just her body.
"I'll love you always, Teddy," she panted, needing this moment. She knew that with their problems, this sex wouldn't snap their Veela soulmate bond into place - but it would help them find their way back to one another in a way that made outside factors besides the heat of their bodies and passion of their love feel superfluous. /p>