CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Surprisingly, Teddy's plan to evade Aviana appeared to be working. While he was not particularly proud of this accomplishment, he could not deny that his strategy was proving effective so far.

With great caution and strategic manoeuvres, Teddy had managed to keep himself out of Aviana's path for an impressive stretch of time. However, the question now lingered—how long would he be able to maintain this elusive dance?

Despite Teddy's impressive efforts to maintain distance from Aviana with minimal success, it seemed fate—or more accurately, his friends had other ideas. While they might have understood his need for space, they couldn't help but empathize with Aviana, feeling a bit sorry for her on this matter.

As Teddy arrived at the annual Weasley family gathering for Christmas, he found himself completely taken aback at the sight of Aviana among their relatives. This unexpected encounter left him momentarily stunned.

The energetic and exuberant voice of his god-sister, Lily, rang out, her excitement bubbling over as she exclaimed, "Teddy bear! Your girlfriend is here!" In her typical fashion, Lily proceeded to pounce on him, knocking him down to the floor with a playful yet unexpected tackle.

Teddy took a moment to regain his bearings, snapping out of his daze and fully processing the words that Lily had spoken. The realization of her statement slowly sank in, causing his initial surprise to morph into a mix of bewilderment and slight panic.

As Teddy finally registered the meaning behind Lily's words, a vibrant shade of pink spread across his entire head of hair, betraying his internal turmoil.

The fortunate twist was that the bulk of the Weasley family missed Lily's declaration thanks to the loud commotion around them. However, Teddy's pink hair did earn him a few curious glances from those within earshap.

The attention to Teddy's pink hair was short-lived as the family members quickly resumed their conversations with their respective groups, paying little mind to the unusual hair colour.

In an attempt to sidestep the awkwardness with his little red-haired god-sister, Teddy welcomed her into his arms, returning the embrace, however, his mind remained cluttered with thoughts of Aviana.

Teddy leaned in closer, speaking in a hushed tone, his words barely audible to anyone nearby. "Lil, she's not... my girlfriend," he murmured.

Lily, her head tilted to one side, responded with a puzzled expression. "Really? But Sky and Vicky said she was."

Teddy relented with a sigh, realizing the futility of arguing with Lily, who had a knack for twisting his words. He knew it was best to simply let the matter go instead of engaging in a fruitless debate with the spirited child.

Despite her young age of just four, Lily unmistakably inherited the same mischievous tendencies from her grandfather. It seemed that the Weasley genes were strong, and even at such a young age, she displayed a penchant for stirring up trouble.

As Teddy pointed towards the direction where he had last seen Skylar and Victorie, he added a request, "Just do me a favour and never believe what they say. I never do. So don't trust them." However, even as those words left his lips, an icy shiver coursed down his spine, as he sensed a presence close by.

Initially, Teddy tried to convince himself it was just his imagination, but when Lily looked over his shoulder and chuckled, his heart sank. He instinctively knew that something mischievous was about to unfold.

Skylar, with a casual demeanour, crossed his arms and addressed Victorie, the blonde Weasley. "Well, I suppose we should reevaluate our friendship, don't you think?" His comment hung in the air, adding an edge to the already-mounting tension.

Victoire took on a mimicry of Skylar's tone and stance and joined in the banter, stating, "I agree, but let's leave this to sweet Aviana, don't you agree?" As Teddy slowly turned towards the pair, he instinctively swallowed, realizing there was nowhere to escape. To make matters worse, Aviana was already making her way toward them, effectively trapping him.

In an instant, the three people who were previously surrounding Teddy seemed to have vanished from his line of sight, leaving him and Aviana locked in a momentary eye connection.

Aviana gracefully knelt before him and smiled gently, her eyes meeting his with a warm expression. Her words carried a hint of playfulness as she addressed him, "I didn't expect I would have to play tag with you, Edward Lupin... but I have finally caught you."

Despite his attempts at avoidance, Teddy couldn't help but let out a soft chuckle at Aviana's words. In spite of himself, he found it endearing—a quality he had grown to love about her, even though he was trying to keep a distance.

Teddy finally broke the silence, acknowledging the need for a proper conversation, "I think it's about time we have that long-awaited, proper talk."

Aviana paused for a moment, taken aback by the sudden reminder. She had momentarily forgotten about her sudden love confession, her thoughts momentarily scattered.

As the realization dawned on Aviana, her cheeks started to turn a beautiful shade of red, an involuntary reaction to her embarrassment. Teddy, attentive as ever, couldn't help but notice the change in her complexion.