I'd lived for a long, lazy summer all last term. It was my one solace when I was drowning in scribbled essays and piles of eternally long textbooks. It was the only thing I could think about during my final exams. But none of my fantasizing included The Eleventh Annual Weasley Family Reunion Extravaganza. This year, it was being held at the Potters' new house.

Don't get me wrong; I love my family to death. But after a mere three hours in their company, I was starting to feel slightly overwhelmed. Today was supposed to be the kickoff for a whole week of Family Fun and Games, but so far, I really hadn't had much fun or played any games. The adults had decided to exile us kids to the basement for the hour before dinner so we'd stay out of the aunts' way in the kitchen. So I was stuck in the dungeon, the designated babysitter for my legions of little cousins. Oh, the injustice of life.

At the moment, the younger set were chasing each other around with toy wands, shrieking made-up spells at each other and reacting very dramatically. Dom and Molly, who were both eleven and should have been more mature, weren't helping much. In fact, they were contributing to the chaos by chasing four-year-old Lily and one-year-old Louis around with "tickle fingers."

"Stop, everybody! Just STOP!" I yelled, but my voice was drowned out by Albus's shout of indignation. Fred had him in a headlock and was force-feeding him what looked like a vomit-flavoured Bertie Botts bean. I buried my face in a pillow, trying to block out the noise of it all. I couldn't wait to be back in the solitude and peace of my room in Shell Cottage.

I felt the couch cushion depress beside me.

"Don't start jumping," I warned darkly. "It's not good for the couch. Plus, I'll kill you."

"I'd probably break the couch." It wasn't the shrill, little-kid voice I'd expected. It was deep and quiet and in my ear. I looked up eagerly.
"Teddy! Finally! I thought you'd never get here. This lot has been driving me up the wall."

"I can tell," he said, grinning at Roxanne's attempt at a daring backflip. Fred had abandoned his attack on Albus to catch his sister's legs in midair. She was struggling to get away from his grip, her shirt falling down into her tan face.

"I missed you," I told Teddy.

"It's been, what, two weeks?" He laughed.

"Well, yeah. But it's just strange, you know? I mean, we see each other every day at Hogwarts, and then to go home and not see anybody except my family...I dunno, it just throws me off."

"Oh, so I don't count as family? We're practically cousins."

"Not really. I wish you were my cousin, though. You're so much saner than this lot." I frowned at Lily, who was currently holding a full glass of water over Rose's head behind her back. "Lily, let her read!" I called. "Go attack Dominique, if you want." She ran off gleefully and drenched my sister, who shrieked and grabbed at the smaller girl, threatening to dunk her head in the bathtub.

"Yep, they're bonkers. But they're good for a laugh," chortled Teddy.

"Wish we could get out of here. Lily'll come after us next."

"Want to go out in the garden with me?" Teddy suggested.

"Please," I said, leaping up from my tangled up position on the couch. I grabbed his hand and pulled him up the stairs, desperate for some peace and quiet.

We'd almost made it through the mass of busy women in the kitchen and out the back door when Uncle George strode in with a tray of empty mugs.

"Oho," he announced to the kitchen at large, "Looks like Teddy's got himself a girlfriend!"

We were still holding hands. I dropped his like a hot poker, my face flushing bright red. The tips of Teddy's ears turned slightly pink, but he gave no other indication that he'd heard Uncle George.

Aunt Ginny looked up from stirring a big cauldron of sauce. "Where are you kids off to?" she asked, raising her eyebrows suggestively.

"Vic and I were just going outside to escape--you know." Teddy gestured toward the basement stairs, from which a distant crash and shouts of hysterical laughter could be heard.

"Right," said Aunt Ginny, grinning. "We'll leave you to it, then."

"'Ave fun," said my mother with an infuriating wink.

I couldn't get outside fast enough. Leaving a blushing Teddy behind me, I ran across the garden to the big tree in the middle. A long rope swing dangled from it, just recently hung for the Potter kids. I sank into the swing and pushed myself back and forth with my toes.

Teddy came outside a minute later and leaned against the tree, scuffing dirt around with his trainers. I avoided his gaze, almost wishing I was back in the chaotic basement. Uncle George had ruined everything. I kicked the swing harder and faster, getting up off the ground and flying into the air, attached by only a plank of wood and two long ropes. It was almost better than a broomstick.

"So how was France?" Teddy shouted up at me. I came back to earth.

"French," I told him flatly.

"Duh. I mean, what did you do?"

"Nothing. Well, nothing exciting, I mean. Mum just took us around to all the Muggle museums. It was royally boring. The paintings didn't even move."

"Weird," said Teddy. "But some of it had to be fun."

"I guess. Well, we did go to this restaurant one night. It was all posh and very sophisticated. Dom had a ball." I rolled my eyes.

"That doesn't sound too terrible," said Teddy. "Gran's never taken me to a posh Muggle restaraunt."

"It's not all it's cracked up to be, trust me." I shuddered at the thought of the slimy, garlicky snail my dad had insisted I eat. "We left the next day, before we got to do anything interesting. Dad had some urgent work at the bank." I made a face.

"Your dad is cool," Teddy said. "I like his hair."

"He thinks it makes him look younger. I think it's hideous." I turned the swing around, the ropes twisting above my head.

"What if I had hair like his?" Teddy squinched up his face.

"Ugh, Teddy, no!"

But his hair was already growing long and shaggy and turning ginger. "Now all I need is an earring," he grinned.

"Two earrings and you'd look like Aunt Ginny," I said. "Besides, Dad doesn't wear his earring anymore." That may or may not have had something to do with a jinx I'd been, well, itching to try since last year.

"Too bad," said Teddy. He morphed his hair back to its normal length, but left it ginger.

"Now you could be a Weasley."

"Nah. Not enough freckles. " He reached out and touched my very spotty nose. I brushed his hand away, embarrassed.

"Budge up," said Teddy. He sat next to me on the wide swing and rocked us gently.

"How's your gran?" I asked.

"She's fine. She's a great cook. Better than the House Elves, even."

"But?"

"But...nothing. I love her."

"She's family. You have to love her. There's still a 'but,'" I insisted.

"No, there's not."

I gave him a look.

"But she's old and getting tired," he admitted. "I caught her napping on the sofa yesterday. She never used to take naps."

"I'd trade you," I said. "My mum was up at the crack of dawn yesterday organizing my bedroom. I think she did it just to bug me. I can't find any of my things now."

"At least you have a mum," said Teddy.

"Yeah." I couldn't think of anything else to say to him. This was a new side to Teddy. We were both quiet for a while, swinging gently.

"Did you know my mum left me?" Teddy said abruptly. I looked up. His face was slightly flushed, his expression unreadable.

"Of course she didn't. No mum would just up and leave her baby. At least, not your mum. I've heard all these great stories about her, about how loyal she was and what a great sense of humor she had..."

"Yeah, well, maybe that's all true. But I heard my gran talking to yours last week. About how hard it is to raise a teenager and all that. She was saying what a handful my mum was, coming home with a new piercing every other week and constantly sneaking Firewhiskey from the cellar." Teddy laughed humorlessly. "Figures. She sounds just like the wild type who'd get bored of a baby and decide to run off one day."

"But your mum didn't just run off one day," I said, shocked. "She was an Auror! She was even in the Order. She died in the war. I thought you knew that."

"That's what everyone says," Teddy said darkly. "I don't know if I believe that anymore."

"Teddy, no! You can't say that. You know your mum would never have left you just to, y'know, leave. She loved you!"

"You don't know that, Victoire. I don't know that." His voice cracked. "What if everyone's just been telling me those things about her? You know, about the Auror stuff. For all I know, she could have overdosed on some weird potion or...fell off her broomstick or something."

"Teddy..." I didn't know what to say to him.This attitude of his surprised me. At school, he was the eternal optimist, finding the humour in every situation. He was the best listener in the world, but he rarely opened up to talk about his own emotions. This was a big confession for him, I could tell.

"I guess it doesn't even matter how she died, anyway. It just kills me that I'll never know my parents." His deep blue eyes were shining with tears.

"I've never really thought about that before," I said quietly. "I know I always say I'd like to murder my parents. But I can't imagine...what I'd do without them."

"It's hard," whispered Teddy. The tears he'd been holding in overflowed.

I wrapped my arms around him in a tight bear hug. His body shuddered with a couple brief sobs. The top of my head only came up to his chin. "I'm sorry," I whispered into his shoulder.

"No, I'm sorry," he sniffed, extracting himself from my hug. "I don't know why I'm being such a baby about this. I've never really thought about it before, my parents being dead. It just hit me recently. I guess that's weird."

"It's not weird," I said, taking his hand. "I mean, you've been cared for all your life by people who love you as much as a parent would. Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny, your gran, Grandma Weasley...lots of people love you, Teddy. I love you."

Teddy looked into my face. He seemed oddly surprised, but he grinned widely. "Really?"

Something about the way he said it made me blush furiously.

"Yeah. I love you....you know, as a friend. Or a cousin. You're like a cousin to me."

"But we're not cousins." Teddy's face was back in its permanent grin. I'd never noticed the little dimple in his right cheek.

"You're right," I said softly, "we're not." I couldn't meet his eyes. I stared at our still-entwined hands, unwilling to let go of his but feeling very awkward about the whole thing.

"VICTOIRE! TEDDY! DINNERTIME!" Grandma Weasley's voice made us both jump. We slid off the swing at the same time, dropping each other's hands.

"Race you," Teddy said, and streaked off toward the tables set up near the house. I pelted after him, not sure quite what to think.

I snatched a place at one of the fast-filling long tables. My mother sat next to me. Before my conversation with Teddy, I would have deliberately moved away from her. Now, however, I gave her a big smile. It was nice to have a mum, I decided.