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Things She'll Never Say

By Molly The Monster

Setting: The Great Hall
Early November, 2015

Prompt: heartbreak

Saturday morning. The Great Hall was practically empty. Today was the day of the first Quidditch match of the year, and it also happened to be the match between Gryffindor and Slytherin. The match in which Dominique Weasley would be rooting for Slytherin while her sister rooted for Gryffindor.

Dominique pushed the eggs on her plate around absentmindedly. She was thinking, musing, wondering.

Victoire had finally said yes. Dominique had hoped and prayed that she never would, but Victoire finally said yes. Teddy Lupin had only been after Victoire for two years. But Victoire always turned him down. And Dominique would never say anything, but it made her happy. If Teddy went out with Victoire, it would ruin any chance of Dominique being with him.

But then Victoire said yes. He asked her to go with him to Hogsmeade and she finally said yes. And Dominique was crushed. How could it have happened? Why did Victoire get everything? She was already prettier. She was already smarter. She got placed into Gryffindor like a good Weasley is supposed to while the Sorting Hat shouted Slytherin after being placed on the head of Dominique.

And now Victoire had Teddy. The one thing Dominique had always wanted more than anything.

She was startled when someone sat down in front of her. "Hi, Dom!" said Teddy Lupin cheerfully, reaching forward and grabbing a piece of bacon off of Dominique's plate and biting it. Dominique rolled her eyes at his forwardness, but Teddy just smiled. His smile could make a girl's heart melt. Today his hair was a brilliant shade of red. It wasn't red like Dominique's, more of a scarlet. Just like the Gryffindor Quidditch robes.

"What brings you to the Slytherin table?" asked Dominique with a raised brow. Not that she minded. If she could have Teddy Lupin around her every second of every day, she would be the happiest girl on the planet.

Teddy smiled. It was a smile that sent shivers up her spine. "Well, you, obviously," said Teddy brightly, taking another piece of bacon from Dominique's plate and biting it.

"Me?" asked Dominique.

"Of course you!" said Teddy. It wasn't that Teddy never talked to her or ignored her. Teddy was frequently spending time with the Weasley-Potter family. He always paid attention to Dominique. In fact, he paid attention to everyone. All of the Weasley and Potter grandchildren loved and admired Teddy, and he never left any of them out. He was one of the nicest, smartest, funniest, kindest people Dominique had ever known.

Dominique didn't know what to say. If Teddy was seeking her out, he probably had a purpose. When she remained silent, he answered her question. "You look sad," said Teddy, his smile turning from cheerful to sympathetic. "And something tells me it's not just because you know Slytherin is definitely going to lose that match today." Teddy raised his eyebrows mischievously, and Dominique couldn't help but smile a little bit.

"It's nothing really," she said with a shrug. Nothing I could tell you about anyway, she thought. How in the world was she supposed to tell him she was feeling and overwhelming amount of grief and anxiety because Victoire had finally agreed to go out with him?

Teddy crossed his arms and leaned his elbows on the table, leaning closer to Dominique. "You don't have to tell me," he said gently. "But just know that if you do want to talk about it, I'll always be here to listen."

That was Teddy. Always looking out for everyone. Always caring for everyone. Always trying to help anyone when they needed it. It was one of the many things Dominique loved about Teddy and it was one of the reasons why she and all her cousins looked up to him.

She could tell him. She didn't have to use his name. Dominique looked down at her lap, unable to look Teddy in the eye. "Well, there's this boy..." she began, her voice trailing off.

When Teddy started laughing, she immediately looked up. He was laughing at her. She felt her cheeks and the tips of her ears turn as red as her hair. Did he know? Did he somehow know about the crush she'd had on him for as long as he could remember? Surely she'd done a good job hiding it, hadn't she?

"I should have known this was about a boy," said Teddy, shaking his head. Dominique felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Okay, maybe he didn't know what boy she was talking about. "Come on. Tell big brother Teddy all about it."

Dominique hated when he called himself that. He called himself that in front of her and all her cousins. Except one of them: Victoire. Teddy wasn't her brother. And he wouldn't be. Not unless he, oh Merlin. What if he...she could barely even bring herself to think it. What if he actually married Victoire? Dominique felt her stomach clench at just the thought of it. No, that wouldn't happen. He had only started dating Victoire a month ago. And that was after two years of rejection. Dominique pushed the thought out of her head. Teddy wasn't her brother and he never would be anything even close to it. Not her Teddy.

"Well," said Dominique, still feeling that her face was a little warm, "he hardly ever notices me." It wasn't entirely true. Teddy was, in fact, sitting right there with her at that very moment. He noticed her, but never in the way that she wanted him to.

Her eyes had moved back to her lap before Teddy spoke again. "Dom," he said, and she found herself lifting her eyes to meet his gaze. "What guy in his right mind wouldn't notice you?" Teddy asked and it really sounded to Dominique like he was being sincere. "You are drop-dead gorgeous," he continued and Dominique felt her face flush again. He didn't mean it. He was just being nice. He was just being Teddy. "You're smart. You've certainly kicked my butt in Wizard's Chess more times than I'll ever admit. You're hilarious. No one will ever forget the Great Treacle Tart Fiasco of 2012." Merlin's beard, was he trying to embarrass her? She had been trying to forget about that for the last three years, but apparently no one was ever going to let that one go. "You are one of the nicest people I've ever met. And, you're thirteen years old and five foot ten. It's pretty impossible to not notice you."

Dominique could hardly believe her ears. Did Teddy Lupin really just say all of that to her? Did he really think she was gorgeous? And funny? And smart? And kind? Surely he thought all of that about Victoire. That was why he had spent two years trying to get her to go out with him. But could he really think all those things about Dominique as well? She felt her stomach do uneasy flip-flops. Was this Teddy's way of telling her how he felt?

What was she thinking? Of course not. He was just being kind. He was just being Teddy.

"The thing is, Teddy," said Dominique, her fingers working their way into a knot under the table. "He likes somebody else."

Teddy leaned back and crossed his arms over his chest. "How is that even possible?" he asked incredulously. "This guy is obviously an idiot. And you know what, Dom? I don't even think I want you to be with someone so stupid."

Her heart swelled at his words. She felt like her chest could barely contain her heart. It didn't belong to her. Her heart belonged to Teddy and it always would.

"Teddy," she said quietly, staring straight into his beautiful, kind eyes. She brought her hands onto the table, keeping her fingers laced together in a fist. "Can I tell you something?"

"Dom, you can tell me anything," said Teddy sincerely, reaching across the table to cover her hands with his.

This was it. This was her moment. He had practically just admitted to her that he was madly in love with her, hadn't he? Why else would he say all those things? Certainly he'd never say things like that to Rose or Roxanne or Lily. And Teddy Lupin would never say something he didn't mean, would he?

"Teddy, I–"

"Teddy! What in Merlin's name are you doing?"

It was the unmistakable shriek of Victoire Weasley. Dominique and Teddy both turned their heads to see her standing at the entrance of the Great Hall.

Victoire could command a room. She stood tall, five foot eleven, with her long, slick, silver blonde hair falling all the way down to her waist. Every time she entered a room, everyone turned to look at her. She practically radiated light. It didn't matter that she had just shrieked across the Great Hall. No one cared. Perfect Victoire Weasley could do whatever she wanted and no one would ever tell her otherwise.

Dominique felt slightly guilty. After all, she and Teddy were just about to profess their love for each other right in the middle of the Great Hall. How embarrassing for Victoire. How hurt she must have been to see her boyfriend embracing her little sister. Dominique never meant to hurt Victoire, but she loved Teddy too much. And Teddy obviously loved her, too. He hadn't let go of Dominique's hands. Of course he had to show Victoire how they both felt.

Teddy leaned forward and lowered his voice. "Oh, no. The wife if calling," he said with a smirk. Dominique searched his face for the truth. What was that supposed to mean?

Victoire stomped down the aisle between the Slytherin and Ravenclaw tables. When she reached them the stopped, crossed her arms over her chest and cocked her hip to the side, raising her eyebrows expectantly.

"Dominique and I were just talking," said Teddy, turning to look at Victoire, his hands never leaving Dominique's. He couldn't bear to tell Victoire just yet.

"Hi, Dom. Good luck in the match today," said Victoire quickly, practically dismissing Dominique altogether. "Teddy, you were supposed to meet me at the pitch twenty minutes ago. The game is about to start any minute! It's Kathryn's first game! We promised we'd be there. Aiden is saving us a seat. Let's go!" She grabbed Teddy's arm, urging him to go with her.

But he wouldn't leave Dominique. Not now. She knew it.

He leaned forward. "We'll talk later," he said with a smile and a wink before getting up to go with Victoire.

"Bye, Dom," Victoire called to her younger sister over her shoulder.

Dominique stared as Teddy and Victoire walked away. He flung an arm around her shoulder and leaned down to kiss her on her cheek. He smiled brightly at her and she smiled back, beaming at him as they exited the Great Hall together.

How could she have been so stupid? Her stomach boiled with jealousy, anger, confusion, sadness, embarrassment. Of course Teddy wasn't about to confess his feelings for Dominique. How could she ever think that? She felt like a silly child. He was so obviously enamored by Victoire. The older one. The prettier one. The smarter one. The perfect one. She had everything.

Her heart broke every time she saw them together. Every time she watched Teddy look at Victoire. Every time he smiled at her. Every time he looked at her. Every time he talked about her. A little piece of Dominique's heart broke off.

Teddy didn't love her. Teddy would never love her. Teddy loved Victoire. Perhaps it was a good thing Victoire showed up when she did. Dominique probably would have died of embarrassment if she had revealed her feelings to Teddy only to hear him tell her she was sadly mistaken about his feelings. And then she probably would have bawled her eyes out after hearing Teddy tell Dominique he was in love with Victoire and that he always had been.

I love you, Teddy, she thought, furiously swiping a tear from her eye. There weren't many people around, but she didn't want anyone to see. I love you, Teddy, she thought again. What was the point? What did it matter? She could just add it to the list of things she'll never say. She could add Teddy to the list of things she'll never have. All she had was a broken heart. Victoire wins. The French word for "victory" suited Dominique's sister well. Victoire wins again.


Yay! For some reason I've been really obsessed with the Dominique/Teddy/Victoire love triangle lately. So after reading like, fifteen fics, I got inspiration for my own! I really liked writing this. I tried to make her emotions appropriate for that of a thirteen year old. Hence, a boy being nice to her equals he's in love with her. It's why her emotions also don't seem very mature–because Dom's only thirteen and isn't very mature yet. So if you're thinking her emotions aren't very deep, just remember she's only a kid! I just love Teddy Lupin, too! I feel like he'd think of all the Weasley/Potter's as his little brothers and sisters!

This was for swimmergirl101's Heartbreak challenge on HPFC. As soon as I read the prompt I had an idea because I was so obsessed with the Dom/Teddy/Vic love triangle! I wrote this rather quickly!

This story is dedicated to EchoOFaWritersMind, Emullz, Lolaaaa, polkadot-scalpels, and short and proud for reviewing my last one-shot, All That Matters.

Anyway, let me know what you think!