𝐒𝐎𝐂𝐈𝐀𝐋 𝐌𝐄𝐃𝐈𝐀 -- 𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐠𝐞𝐧

28 | in real life ⇢ victoire

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𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐃 𝐑𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐁𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐃 through the room as Victoire tapped her knuckles against the door. The distraught grey-haired woman turned at the sudden noise, a faint smile briefly flashing across her face at the sight of the young woman in the doorway, before falling back to its former expression of worry.

"Is he okay?" Victoire asked as she stepped into the hospital room, a hint of desperation leaking into her voice. Andromeda sighed deeply, sinking into the chair at his bedside. 

The elderly woman gestured for the blonde to come to her side. "He's a fighter, like his mother. The damned doctors won't tell me anything, but I think he'll make it." She said, her voice filled with determination as she stroked her grandon's hair back from his face.

"He looks-- He looks different than he normally does," Victoire said quizzically, perching on the foot of his bed.

Andromeda smiled sadly. "He's a metamorphagus. He's been unknowingly changing his appearance since the day he was born, he probably has no idea what he really looks like. He's never been unconscious before. The same thing happened with my Dora. When she was knocked out she reverted back to her original appearance," The old woman explain. "Nymphadora looked so much like me. Teddy, on the other hand, looks just like his father."

Victoire scanned the face of the man on the bed, taking in the details of the sandy brown hair and handsome features. "He has your nose," She said softly, her gaze still trained on Teddy.

The elderly woman smiled, opening her mouth to respond but was interrupted as a doctor entered the room. "Hello, I'm Doctor Zabini," The middle aged man said, nodding to the two women. "You must be Andromeda, his grandmother. And you are..?"

"Victoire Weasley," She responded.

The doctor nodded, noting her somewhat famous surname, and  glanced back at Andromeda. "Your grandson, Edward--"

"Teddy," Victoire interrupted. Doctor Zabini looked at her, his brow furrowing. "Everyone calls him Teddy," She elaborated, looking down at the blanket.

"Ah, alright. Well, your grandson, Teddy, had sustained severe injuries, but luckily we were able to reverse almost all of the damage. He should wake up soon, but we'll need some time to talk to him and determine the cause of his injuries." 

Andromeda and Victoire stared quizzically at the doctor, scanning his face for any trace of a lie. Finding none, Victoire whipped her gaze back to the elderly woman, a grin beginning to stretch across her face. Doctor Zabini left the room as the two women gazed down at Teddy's unconscious form.

"Since he's alright, would it be okay if I went to grab a cup of tea?" Andromeda asked, seeming exhausted now that the adrenaline and fear had worn off. Victoire nodded at the grey-haired woman, still unable to contain the smile on her face. "Shout for me if he's woken up, dear."

Victoire moved to sit in the chair Andromeda had vacated, trying to ignore her aggressively buzzing phone. To be fair, she had apparated away in the middle of a work day, but she had a good reason. Flipping her phone into silent mode, the blonde leaned forwards to scan Teddy's face. She was still furious with him. But she also still loved him, and that outweighed everything.

He really did look like the photos she'd seen of his father. Remus Lupin, that'd been his name. In History of Magic during her fourth year they'd done a unit on the Battle of Hogwarts. Him and Teddy's mother, Nymphadora, had been listed under 'Major Casualties'. Teddy had been barely two weeks old when they'd died, she remembered.

He'd been a werewolf, if she remembered correctly. Yes, that was right. Lupin's Law was named after him, the law that forbid discrimination against werewolves in the workplace. It'd been the first law her Aunt Hermione had instated after her election as Minister for Magic.

"Vic?" Teddy's voice croaked, snapping the partially-veela girl's attention away from her thoughts.

"Hey, you're awake, I should call Andromeda," Victoire said awkwardly, rising to her feet. Teddy's hand reached out and grabbed her own, stopping her in her tracks.

"Stay," He murmured, his face slowly shifting back into the one she recognized. "I love you," Teddy said drowsily as Victoire sat down next to him on the bed.

"I know you do, but you lied to me," The blonde said softly.

Teddy's eyes widened slightly. "I didn't know what we had was real when I was with her. I've been in love with you since I was nine, Vic. I was scared that you didn't feel the same, that it didn't mean as much to you, so I panicked."

"You--" Victoire stammered, struggling to understand what he was saying.

"But when I realized that it did, that you loved me too, I ended things with her right away. It's you, Vic, it's always been you," The metamorphagus smiled, squeezing her hand. "I was scared."

"So was I, you idiot," Victoire said, suppressing a smile. 

Teddy'd always seen through her, and he did so now. "I want to spend the rest of my life with you, Victoire."

The blonde smiled, stroking his hair with her free hand. "I want--"

She was cut off as the door swung open suddenly, hoards of Weasley cousins flooding into the room. "Oh, he's awake," Lily squealed, bouncing on her toes happily.

"I thought only Lily, Al, and James were allowed to leave?" Victoire asked, raising an eyebrow at the eight uninvited teenagers.

"I managed to convince Minerva to let them all come," Harry explained, shoving through the hoard of teenagers.