burn me down, too (teddy)

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Kings Cross Station had been attacked.

The news came later than Vic would have preferred. Instead of contacting her directly they focused on stopping and evacuating the train before it got to the station. She didn't even hear the news until the deed had already been done. She burst out of her office, grabbing the first person she saw- Teddy - and taking him to the floo fireplace network with her on the entrance floor. "We have an emergency," she told him, all while sending a patronus out to spread the word to Sebastian and Harry Potter.

Soon, she and Teddy appeared just outside Kings Cross and her stomach sunk. She could even see the damage from across the street. She moved forward and even as security tried to stop her she held up a badge that had suddenly appeared in her hand. "Officer Morris, Scotland Yard, step aside," the security did and she and Teddy entered into the station

It wasn't just platform 9 and 3/4 that had been attacked, oh no. They had taken down the muggle side too. It was a wreck. Every train had been cancelled until further notice. Vic, finally, dropped her hold on Teddy and shook her head before her hands started shaking. She clenched her fists and let out a short, angry yell before her fist made contact with the nearest brick.

She held a hand out to Teddy, "I'm fine. Just help me find one of us," she said quickly.

(@teddy , too impatient to wait for that giant group thread to finish destroying )

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Teddy had been standing about just outside of Victoire's office when murmurs began to circulate throughout the office. Teddy could barely make them out and just when he finally did hear one person's words clearly and he turned to run to Victoire, she was already bursting out of her office and grabbing him and dragging him downstairs to the Floo Fireplaces. Teddy was thankful she seemed to have already heard herself and he wouldn't have to repeat it, but now a bigger stress weighed on his shoulders and that was his family. His and Victoire's. Their large, extensive family that was supposed to be arriving at King's Cross today.

Teddy swore he felt his heart sink all the way down to his stomach when he saw King's Cross. Both sides had been attacked. His mouth fell open in horror and his legs barely registered that Victoire had already started moving until she grabbed onto him again, showing a badge to the muggle officers with Teddy in tow. He couldn't believe this was happening. Hogwarts was one thing but now the group of terrorists were attacking muggles, too. As they got closer, Teddy felt more and more angry as he saw all the destruction up close. People were badly hurt and it hurt Teddy to see the innocent like this. Teddy felt like he was in a terrible nightmare until he felt Victoire let go of him.

Victoire moved to hit the nearest brick and Teddy's brow creased in worry, moving toward her himself to make sure she was okay but not before she held a hand out to stop him. His mouth formed a line, still riddled with worry over his family and then, as if on queue, he spotted Harry and relief briefly washed over him. "Vic, it's Harry," he placed his hand gently on her right shoulder and pointed her in his direction.

@victoire
I figured we could just NPC him haha

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She felt that same surge of relief when Teddy put a hand on her shoulder and pointed out that Harry had arrived. She looked up at Teddy and lifted her own hand to gently touch his before crossing toward Harry, assuming Teddy would follow. He filled her in then that he and the other Aurors had already been over with the train, evacuating the students. He explained that another team was trying to locate any parents that would have been waiting at Kings Cross for their kids. So far they didn't have a damage count, but it was looking like it could have been much, much worse on the death front. Victoire sighed with relief, but she still didn't feel that much slower. She thanked him and nodded before turning to Teddy, "we should stay here, help the aurors clean up the station," she said, taking care of business first as usual. Then she turned back to Harry. "James? Harper? Is everyone okay?" she asked. Her and Teddy both had so much family on that train, she didn't even give herself time to panic about them until now. The way they made it sound, they had stopped the train in time.

Why was she last person to hear what was going on!? As Harry went on to explain that none of the students were hurt, Vic's hand found Teddys wrist and she held it for a moment, squeezing it as the report that their family was all okay, at least the kids on the train. She took in a deep breath and nodded as Harry's report was completed. "Well, you should get back there and we'll help here," she suggested.

@teddy

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For the first time since seeing Victoire again, when her hand brushed his own it felt natural - it didn't feel like he was missing some part of him like he had felt the last few months every time he saw her. For the first time in years, he felt almost whole and that was all he had wanted. It just was unfortunate that it took such circumstances to distract him from his own feelings. Teddy followed Victoire, just as concerned about the whole situation as she was, and he let out an actual sigh of relief as Harry explained to them that their family was safe. That was all he had wanted to hear. No students had been harmed.

When Victoire's hand found Teddy's wrist, Teddy didn't notice at first. He was still so overcome with relief that none of his family had been hurt. When Harry walked away from them, however, Teddy finally became aware of Victoire's hold on his wrist. He didn't move or flinch away, though, and he was just as surprised that she hadn't yet either. He stared down at their hands, and then in one swift movement, moved the hand closest to hers into her palm and gently pulled her into a hug. He needed one right now and he knew she had to need one too. None of their family had been hurt and that was something to be thankful for.

After holding her in his embrace for just a brief moment, he let go and left only one hand on her shoulder again. "I'm so sorry you have to deal with all of this," he said, his brow creasing in empathy for her. The job of the Minister was never easy, and with damage such as this, he doubted it was easy to just put a band-aid over.

@victoire

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Vic wasn't expecting him to pull her into a hug and she didn't even know she needed it until it was already happening. She didn't wrap her arms around him, though. She was so comforted and comfortable in his touch that she didn't want to ruin it by moving at all. She felt her breathing slow, and her heart not pounding so loudly in her ears.

The next thing she thought was that she was going to have to fire Teddy.

But that would all have to wait til later. He pulled away, saying he was sorry she had to deal with all this and for a moment she showed him with her eyes that she was sorry too, but she didn't voice that. She swallowed and nodded, "I know," she said before turning her head back toward the damage around them, "I wonder... wait... where's Royal been?" she realized her newly appointed Junior Undersecretary and her best friend had been doing things out of the office today. Did he know about all this? Worry started to sink in again and she turned to Teddy, willing that face to soothe her worries away. It did, at least a little, and she cracked a tiny smile. "Let's get to work, then we can sort out who's where," she suggested before moving back into the fray in search of the aurors at work.

@teddy
(Let's help the aurors and then... not sure what XD)

[Deleted]

Teddy wasn't overthinking things for the first time in such a long time. Up until this point, he felt like he always had to watch what he would say or do around Victoire in fear that it would make her uncomfortable or make himself sound like some hopeless freak, but he had followed his gut just now and nothing of the sort had happened. He knew the circumstances were completely different from any other time but he had a small feeling... in the back of his head, that maybe after their talk in her office... things were going to be different for them now.

In the brief moment that their eyes met, Teddy could see that Victoire was sorry too. He felt terrible for her, that she had to carry this sort of weight on her shoulders. But at the same time, he knew that if anyone could handle this burden it was Victoire. After she mentioned Royal, Teddy too briefly felt a sting of worry for his friend but then thought of how very capable the Shacklebolt was. "I'm sure wherever he is, he is trying to get to his sisters to make sure they are safe," he said consolingly, knowing full well that Royal must have been as worried about the school train as they were.

Teddy could not fight the small smile that appeared on his face when he got a hold of Victoire's own tiny smile. Her smile had always felt contagious to him, causing him to smile even at the oddest of times as long as he got a glimpse of it. Teddy followed Vic back into the crowd of people, searching for the aurors. They separated briefly to talk to individuals that they both knew, getting personal, eye-witness reports from them. As Teddy helped two aurors he knew from being in the training program years ago rebuild a large brick wall, he glanced over in Victoire's direction and could have sworn he saw her glancing his way as well...

After about an hour of helping fix up some of the damage, Teddy began to walk back to where he last saw Victoire when he overheard some folks talking: "Yes, the Shacklebolt boy, he was injured." Teddy froze, his heart skipping a boy. Somewhere in this madness Royal was hurt. Immediately, his pace sped up as he searched through the crowd until he went bumping right back into Victoire.

They seemed to find each other that way a lot.

@victoire

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Vic nodded as Teddy reasoned about where Royal would be. They separated then, talking to everyone they could, working with aurora and obliviators to help restore the station. Vic often found herself glancing over at Teddy, a strange feeling in her stomach. A few moments ago he had completely calmed her mind and steadied her in a moment where she could have panicked. Isn't that something every leader needed? Someone to support them while they support everyone else? She had spent so many years seeing Teddy as an obstacle. As emotional damage that she couldn't afford to carry. But now, as she looked at him across the station, she wondered if he ever was that. She wondered if he was always the opposite and she just never noticed...

Her caught her eye and she turned away, continuing her work with the actual Scotland Yard. Before she knew it they'd been there for about an hour when Teddy bumped into her, his eyes urgent. Vic reached up and grabbed his arm, "What is it, Ted? What's wrong?" she leaned close to him, her eyes just as worried as his were. What was going on?

@teddy

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Teddy didn't know how to correctly word the next few things that would exit his mouth. He had only heard that Royal had been injured, and he wasn't sure how bad it was. Though, he doubted that if it were too serious those guys would just be saying "injured." Vic and he must have just missed him before he was taken to St. Mungo's. But Victoire had always been so much closer to Royal. Teddy loved Royal like a brother, and the news worried him... but it was going to shatter Victoire's world, especially after hearing all of their loved ones were safe.

Teddy put either of his hands on Victoire's shoulders and looked her in the eye. "Vic, it's Royal," he said slowly, but with a sense of urgency. "I... I heard some guys talking and they said he was hurt." Teddy shook his head. "I don't know how bad, but... but we can go right now. You... you need to be with him." Teddy looked at the blonde, unblinking. After all Royal had been through, Teddy knew he would need his best friend.

@victoire

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When he placed his hands on her shoulders Vics eyes widened slightly. This wasn't good. Then, he said the words... 'Vi, it's Royal.' She immediately caught her breath but waited for him to go on. Hurt? She let out that breath, at least he wasn't... anyway, he went to say that he didn't know how bad it was and that they could go right now. That she needed to be with him. She nodded, her breathing quickening just a tad. She lifted her hands to clasps Teds forearms in front of her. "I should stay here, though. I should-" she stopped, looked down for a brief second and then looked back up at Teddy. "Will you stay?" she asked, in reference to him staying here to continue helping at Kings Cross. "Send a message to me if you find anything I..." she found herself wishing they had a faster way to communicate... like with those two way mirrors Uncle Harry had told her about. Well, for now they didn't so that idea would have to be on hold.

She leaned toward him then, lifting onto her toes slightly to plant a gentle kiss on his cheek. "I'll see you soon," she said, pulling back before apparating out of there and to Saint Mungos.

@teddy
(lol you should do one more then I guess this ones over? XD)

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As often as Teddy knew Victoire tried to keep herself together, in moments like this it was clear just how hard she did try. At least to Teddy. He knew what Royal meant to her and seeing her even just a tad worried, worried him. When she grabbed his forearms, he looked her in the eye. "Go, Vic. I'll hold down the fort here." He meant it. He would do anything for her.

When Victoire leaned in, it seemed to happen so quickly. She planted a quick kiss on his cheek and then she was gone. Teddy found himself standing there, still, for a moment after she had gone... his cheek burning, but in the best of ways. Then, he turned around and jumped back into the fray.

@victoire
Le end