I’ll Make A Million Mistakes -- Victoire

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Being the Minister was an exhausting job, but Hermione supposed she’d have it no other way. She enjoyed being kept busy during the day, even if that meant it sometimes bled into the time she spent with her husband. Ron was understanding, but she knew part of him missed when she had more time to devote to just them. It was alright though; the Tournament was over, and all they needed to do now was formally send off the students of Beauxbatons and Durmstrang, make sure the seventh and fifth years passed their qualifying examinations and hope that Elaine wasn’t somehow planning something none of her spies had been able to find out. It had been more difficult siphoning information on her followers since Theo’s death, but Hermione was hesitant to risk anyones livelihood when she had been dormant for so long. Perhaps she was wrong to do so, but after witnessing the destruction caused to Abigail and Theo, Hermione was not wanting another colleague of hers to go through that.

There was one other thing that she needed to take care of, and this mixed business and pleasure; checking in on Victoire as both Minister and aunt. Hermione had known something was wrong with the way Vic had looked by the time she stepped down from the Minister position, but she knew how much Teddy loved her and if it had gotten to a point of no return, the family would have been informed. Victoire had asked her to meet at hers and Teddy’s that afternoon, and Hermione had somehow managed to clear the whole second half of the day. That meant after her visit, she could go home and spend a well deserved evening with her husband.

Hermione walked up to the place Victoire had given her directions to and looked around. Nothing seemed suspicious about the place as she knew the location well, and she had double verified it was Vic’s handwriting. Perhaps Hermione was being paranoid, but she could never be too careful after two of her predecessors had been murdered. She lifted up her head and saw Number Twelve Grimmauld Place appear in front of her. She looked in both directions before hurrying up the steps and knocking lightly. She wasn’t positive if they had ever gotten rid of Old Mrs. Black’s portrait, but she wasn’t taking any chances.


@victoire

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Vic was excited and nervous for her aunt Hermione to come to Number 12. Her and Teddy wouldn't stay there much longer, now that she was better and since the house was technically James's. They had overstayed their welcome, she was sure, even though James insisted they hadn't. And Harry... who had been there for them, had vanished. If Vic dwelled to much on that she would spin away into insanity, she was sure of that. More sure of that than anything.

But now it was time to tell Hermione what had been going on - as her niece and her predecessor. Which was a horrible strange thing to think. That Vic had preceded her aunt in some way. In the most important way, according to Victoire. And now Vic had lost all that. But, at least the Ministry was in good hands.

She heard the knock on the door, a light one, and she got up from the couch to approach. She had cleaned the place quite a lot, and she was proud of the outcome. She opened the door and step aside. "Come in," she invited. She shut the door behind her aunt and took in her aunt. "You look wel-" she was about to go all business about this, but somehow this sickness had made her entirely more emotional than ever before. She let out a small cry and quickly moved forward, wrapping her arm around her aunts waist and beginning to cry.

She was doing a lot of crying these days.

@hermionejean

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Hermione was a little shocked when she saw how painfully thin her niece looked when she answered the door. She had had the inkling that all was not quite well with Victoire Weasley, and now there was living proof that she had been quite ill. She wondered if her parents knew the extent, certainly Dominique and Louis did not. This information if it got out would have spread like wildfire, with rumors daily on the state of Victoire Weasley, whether she was near death, recovering, or already dead. No, it was best that this information was kept secret, and Teddy Lupin had clearly done a good job of making sure she was well looked after. She could handle this, Hermione reassured herself as Victoire opened her mouth to speak.

What she wasn’t expecting was Victoire to break down and fall into her arms crying. Instantly, Hermiones’ Minister mannerisms left and her motherly instinct kicked into high gear. She wrapped her arms around her niece and hugged her tightly. “Shhhh it’s alright Vic, it’s alright,” she said, gently rubbing the girls back to soothe her. Right now she wasn’t here to speak to the former Minister for Magic, she was her to comfort her niece. She continued to soothe her, gently rocking from side to side, stroking Victoire’s blonde hair. After a few minutes, Hermione gave her an extra tight squeeze and gently loosened her grip. “Shall we make you some tea?” she suggested. Ron always made her tea whenever she was stressed or upset; for some reason it always seemed to help.

@victoire

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Her aunt hugged her, comforting her with words and touch and Vic basically melted into her arms. After a few moments Hermione loosened her grip and Vic pulled away to look up into her aunts face, then nodded as Hermione suggested they make her some tea. She didn't say anything for a few minutes as they made their way toward the kitchen, Hermione still semi-clinging to her aunt. "I just..." she started, but the sobs started making her impossible to understand again. She shook her head and waved a hand, moving away from Hermione to sit on a chair at the kitchen table.

She bowed her head down, pressing her forehead into her palm for a moment as she tried to steady her breathing. The tea would help, it always did. Her own father often made her tea when she was upset... maybe it was a Grandma Weasley thing that was passed onto her children and their wives and now their children. Either way, even just the sound of tea being made was enough to make Victoire already start to breathe better.

@hermionejean

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Hermiones’ heart strings were tugging painfully as she held her niece close. How had it gotten so bad in so little time? She knew Victoire had essentially dropped off the face of the planet once she resigned as Minister, and guilt mixed into Hermiones’ heart. She should have been checking in on Victoire more often, but with her new responsibilities as Minister, time ended up getting away from her. Her time management skills were substantially higher than most, but the last time she had taken on this much she had had the assistance of a Time Turner, which they had accidentally destroyed at the end of her fifth year. She never wanted to go back to using the Time Turner though, even if it had given Sirius two more years with Harry in the end. Still, regardless of her workload, she should have noticed how bad Victoire was before this day.

She kept an arm around Victoire’s shoulders as they reached the kitchen, and Hermione poured herself and her niece a cup of tea. She swirled the contents in her own mug and wrapped her hands around it, her left pinky absent-mindedly fiddling with the simple gold band encircling her ring finger. She had married into this family not just for her love of Ron, but all the Weasleys. “So, lay it on straight,” Hermione began after Victoire had had a few moments to sip her tear. “How bad is it?” she asked softly.

@victoire

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Soon a cup of tea was placed in front of her and Victoire lifted it to her lips, waiting a moment for it to cool before taking a few sips. The question came, just as Vic knew it would. She lowered the cup but kept her hands wrapped around it, "Bad. In medias ignis. I'm sure you're sick of hearing about that one," she challenged. She knew Hugos girlfriend had it, so Hermione had already dealt with it enough for a lifetime. Even once was too many times. How both herself and Xanthippe managed to make it through alive... That was a miracle. Somehow Victoire wasn't surprised that she made it through, though. This was Victoire Weasley.

She sighed, "I don't want people pitying me," she grumbled, her brow furrowing. She had no doubt that Hermione could keep the secret, though.

@hermionejean

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Hermione had mentally braced herself for worst case scenario, and she had been right to do so. That damned disease again; she thought angrily. Where had it even come from? She knew it was relatively unknown, and had been thankful there had been a Healer who happened to have studied the disease since its’ discovery, and was able to treat Xanthippe. The girl had been bedridden for months though; it was a miracle she had been able to leave the Hospital Wing finally. That was part of why Hermione had readily agreed for Rose and Hugo to bring their significant others on their trip to French Polynesia. Xan deserved something fun, and the opposite of a hospital for a few days at least. “Soon we’ll hear that it’s actually contagious, something they probably should have discovered by now,” Hermione finally said, then sighed. “You are my niece and I love you. I will never tire of anything you tell me, even how much you love Teddy,” she told her with a chuckle.

Hermione raised an eyebrow when Victoire told her she didn’t want people pitying her. “You’ve made it through what, a year ago, was thought as an incurable disease. You’re one of only two known survivors Vic. People aren’t going to pity you, they’re going to revel you,” she told her with confidence. Victoire and Xanthippe were medical miracles after all. “You should tell your brother and sister. They may not know exactly what the disease is or how it works, but they need to know the truth; they deserve it,” Hermione added softly, knowing Victoire probably already knew this.

@victoire

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She could tell that Hermione had indeed heard enough of it. She spoke about how she worried it may be contagious, and Vics brow burrowed. She hoped that wouldn’t happen. Vic hadn’t even spent any time with Xanthippe Meagle. Hopefully that didn’t connect them. Though, she was interested in talking with the girl now. Hermione said she loved her and that she wouldn’t tire of anything she told her, even about Teddy. Victoire chuckled, and sort of choked, at the mention of Teddy. She shook her head, biting her lip before speaking again. ”I really, really, really, really do love Teddy,” she confirmed.

Then Hermione spoke about how no one would pity her. They’d revel her because of how she got through this. Vic tried to nod in agreement, but her head didn’t move. Then, of course, her aunt mentioned her siblings and Victoire winced. ”I know… I wrote them, we’re getting together after school ends…” she said slowly. She blinked hard, closing her eyes for a second longer than a normal blink, before looking back up at her aunt, ”how do I even explain this to them. And Hugo…” she wasn’t sure she could bear looking Hugo in the eye now.

@hermionejean

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Hermione smiled comfortingly at Victoire. “I know my dear, I know,” she said softly, giving her shoulder a little nudge. “You have a wonderful support system in him, you just need to know it’s okay to add to that system if you need to. Teddy will tell you he can handle everything himself, but you know the secret is killing him slowly. He’ll never admit it, but if I know him as well as I think I do, he wants to be able to talk about it more openly,” she explained. Keeping secrets from friends and family had never, in Hermiones’ own experience, gone well. She remembered when her and Ron used to talk about Harry and the Horcrux hunt while they thought he wasn’t listening, and it had ended in one of the most explosive fights between the two best friends that she had ever seen. It was worse than anything she and Ron had fought over, and he had made Hermione cry plenty of times. There had been a lot of resentment building up, and she didn’t want that to happen to her niece.

“The best you can Vic,” she soothed, nodding with approval that she had made arrangements to meet Louis and Dominique after school ends. She took note of the lack of mention of Dominiques’ graduation, but didn’t push it. Victoire may have beaten this horrible disease, but if Xanthippe was any indication it would take months for her to come close to the woman she once was physically. “And Hugo? He’ll know exactly how to handle it. He’s grown so much this year as a young man Vic you’d be so proud of your cousin. I know I am. He’s taken the difficulties life has thrown at him and faced them head one, together WITH Xan,” Hermione told her, not bothering to hide the pride in her voice. She had always worried about Hugo, her youngest, even more so after it was discovered he was Clairvoyant. But, this year had shown her that she really had nothing to worry about after all; she and Ron had done their jobs as parents well with both their kids, and she was so pleased with the way they had matured as they reached adulthood.

@victoire

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Hermione spoke about her support system with Teddy but how it was okay to add to that system. Vic knew that, it was just good to hear it out loud. Her aunt always had a way of saying what she needed to hear and pull truth out from deep inside Victoire, as if she was using her words as a fishing hook to scoop out of Victoire what she already knew. As Hermione talked, Walter came scampering into the room. Walter, Victoires five year old beagle. Vic bent down to scoop him up and hold him in her lap, nodding as Hermione finished her thought about Teddy. "Yes, yes, i know. And he'll be able to. Very soon. I just need to take it a little bit slow," she said, knowing Hermione would understand that.

Hermione said to just tell her siblings the best she could. Vic nodded, trying to take some confidence. As for Hugo, Vics shoulders slumped a little. "He's a brave one, isn't he? Now I understand why I wasn't put in Gryffindor like most of us," she sighed, feeling sorry for herself but glad for her cousin. He was a very, very good kid.

@hermionejean

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Hermione smiled at the sight of Walter and reached out to scratch the pup behind his ears and chuckled as he licked her fingers. She hadn’t gotten a new pet since her old cat Crookshanks had passed away when Rose was a baby; she had been worried about dander and allergies, and Ron had always hated cats. She and Ron had not been agreeing on a lot of things recently, and Hermione found herself feeling rather lonely even though she was always busy. She wouldn’t mind getting another cat, but Ron would never allow it, and he didn’t want the responsibility of taking care of a dog. She wondered about the possibility of getting a service dog in training; that way it could accompany her to the office no question. Well, she was Minister of Magic so she assumed she could bring in her dog if she wanted to, but she had always fancied the idea of training a service pet. “You take all the time you need, but remember how much your family loves you. They’d want to be here for you,” she told her niece soothingly.

Hermione chuckled and shook her head. “You know, you remind me a bit of Neville Longbottom with that statement Vic. It took him years to feel worthy of the lion insignia on his robes,” she told her with a smile. “You were put in Slytherin because you knew what you wanted, and you went for it. People try to tell us women that ambition is a bad thing, but why? Because they’re afraid we’ll recognize we’re more of a force than they want to reckon with,” Hermione said with a smirk. She had been heralded as the brightest within their graduating year, yet being a black woman did not mean she was handed everything automatically. She had to prove herself, and work harder than anyone else to get where she was today, and she knew Victoire held a similar position on ambition. “Never feel like you shouldn’t be proud to be a Slytherin Vic,” she told the young woman seriously.

@victoire

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Hermione told her to remember how much her family loved her and how they would want to be there for her. Vic nodded, "I've told Royal and Odette... seeing my siblings as soon as possible," she said slowly. "I just don't know if now is a good time. I mean with Har-" she stopped. She could barely even say his name. It was like another disease to her, saying a name that would just burn her insides just like the actual disease she had.

Hermione spoke about Neville, which was another name that made Victoire feel sad. Glad too, though. Everything Hermione said was true, Vic knew that, but what had happened to her ambition? And what, what could she possibly want now? Still, Vic smiled as Hermione smirked. She was right, of course. They were a force to be reckoned with. Hermione became more serious as she told Hermione to never feel not proud about her house. Vic sat up a little straighter, scratching behind Walters ears. "I know. I am proud," she said with another firm nod. She lifted her free hand to take some more tea and then set it back down, "maybe I should be an auror again. I don't know," she brainstormed.

@hermionejean

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Hermione nodded. “That makes sense; sometimes it is easier to tell your friends before your family,” she reasoned, knowing many of her secrets had been shared with Harry, and then Ron before her parents knew. Harry had always been like the brother she never had; they had this unbreakable sort of friendship bond that a lot of people used to mistake for romance, but it had never been like that. They had stuck by each other in the best of times and the worst; not even Ron could say he’d done that. Thinking about Harry felt like an anvil weighing on her heart; Hermione sighed as Victoire mentioned it not being good timing. “Honestly, I think they’ll be relieved of the distraction. Besides, they need the good news that you beat something that until last year was thought to be completely terminal,” she countered. She had seen the look in Ginny’s eyes every time she came back to the woman with no new news about her husband. She still had no idea where Harry had gone, if he was alive or...no, she wouldn’t bring herself to think like that right now.

“Well, you do have an ‘in’ at the Ministry,” Hermione said with a wry chuckle. Of course she did; she was the former Minister for Magic who had stepped down for health reasons after all - it wasn’t like she had been booted out of office like Cornelius Fudge. “You can probably do whatever you want; I’d approve it,” she added, shrugging lightly. Victoire had an excellent work ethic, especially when she was at full health, and she believed her niece could do anything she set her mind to.

@victoire

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It wasn't easier to tell her friends, really, she just saw them more often so it was harder to hide it from them specially. Her aunt didn't need to know the details of that, though. Hermione said her family would be relieved of the distraction and Vic furrowed her brow, nodding to try and understand if she agreed. Hermione mentioned her 'in' at the Ministry and how she could do anything she wanted and Hermione would approve it. "I'll definitely keep that in mind," she said with a soft smile. "For now, I just need an aunt, Walter, and this tea," she reached over to take Hermiones hand, giving it a tight squeeze. Sometimes it was hard to remind herself she didn't have to be alone. 

@hermionejean
(close it with a post or call it gud)

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Hermione smiled and returned the squeeze back. “You return when you’re good and ready Vic, and not a day before. Family, friends and healing should always be held above work,” she told her, feeling a pang of guilt as she relayed that advice. If only Hermione herself followed that; she had always had a difficult time with that work life balance, but since taking over as Minister during such troubled times, work had certainly taken precedence. It didn’t help that since both of her children were at Hogwarts, and had stayed over the Christmas holidays that Hermione had simply let the Minister role take over. She knew she’d have to face the inevitable someday soon; she and Ron were coming to a big life decision, one that would affect the entire Weasley clan. She pushed those thoughts out of her head however and stayed in the present, chatting about everything with her niece until she took her leave. As she walked down the steps of Grimmauld Place, she turned to watch the house disappear into the buildings beside it; after all these years, all of Sirius’ fathers’ charms had held up. She sighed, checking her watch, and headed down the street. She wanted to pen a note to the Head of the Aurors before the day was out, and then she knew it would be time to talk to Ron about their future. Whatever that may be.


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