The storm outside was relentless, crashing down around the house. Dominique tried to ignore it, but it was becoming increasingly impossible.
She hated the way the rain pounded against the pane like a monster looking for a way in. She hated how the wind shrieked and howled like a beast waiting to devour them. She hated the flash of lightning that drew shadows and demons on the wall and the crash of thunder that rattled the house.
Most of all, Dominique hated the fear that paralyzed her and the scream that always tickled the back of her throat, threatening to come out.
With another flash, followed by a sharp crack, Dominique vaulted out of her bed and into the living room, where Aunt Angelina was reading.
"What is it, Dominique?" she asked, peering over the top of her book.
"I-I'm scared," Dominique confessed, almost apologetically. "I know Maman says I should try to be brave, but..."
Angelina set her book aside and motioned for her to come closer. When Dominique was at her feet, she scooped the girl into her lap and wrapped her in a hug. Even though she was a petite woman, her arms were strong and warm.
"We can't always be brave. It takes a lot to find our courage," Angelina explained.
"But you're not afraid."
"No, not now. Not of a storm."
There was another loud crack, and the house trembled. Dominique buried herself deeper in her aunt's lap as she asked, "Will you tell me how you found your courage?"
"Well, I didn't really have a choice. I was terrified when I took over as Gryffindor Quidditch Captain. I was convinced that I would muck it all up, especially after all the effort the previous captain had put in. But I couldn't let on that I was scared. The team would've fallen apart. Nearly did anyway."
"So, what happened?"
"We won. It was pretty brilliant, actually. More luck than anything else, I reckon."
"And then you weren't scared anymore?"
"Oh no, I was absolutely terrified. Whatever I felt as Quidditch captain was nothing compared to being at the brink of war. Everyone's so tense and scared, waiting for whatever spark will finally set it off. Meanwhile, everything around you starts crumbling, and there's nothing you can do but sit and watch it happen."
"You mean the Second Wizarding War?"
The adults would sometimes reminisce about it in hushed tones when they thought young ears weren't listening. They let slip a few stories of those days, always with that far-away gleam in their eyes, but they never talked about the fear. Maybe that was one thing they were all trying to forget.
"Yes. I guess it probably seems silly to you because you know how it turned out, but back then we couldn't imagine winning. We were afraid even to say a name. Do you know how much power someone has to have over people to be relegated to You-Know-Who, where even the slightest whisper of 'Voldemort' would cause an upset?"
"But you were brave, you and Maman and the others. You all fought."
"That's right, we did. But I don't know if that was bravery, either. A lot of us, well, we were afraid that if we didn't fight we would have no future. I wasn't at Hogwarts when the battle started there. Some friends and I, we went back. We had to. It never even crossed our minds that there was another option. So we fought, and we came face-to-face with death at every turn. There were so many people, so many curses. It was chaos. And every moment, the only thing I could think is 'I'm going to die here.'"
Angelina drifted off, and Dominique recognized the look in her eyes. She was lost somewhere in the past. She was yanked back to the present as the wind shrieked and something heavy crashed and skittered across the porch. Dominique let loose a startled shriek before she could stop herself.
"Don't worry, child. One of the rockers tipped over, that's all."
"So-so, th-that's where you stopped being afraid?" Dominique asked, doing her best to keep her mind off the storm.
"No, dear. That was only the beginning. By that last battle, so many people had died. So many lives were torn apart. I was no longer afraid for my life, that's true, but I was afraid to go on. I was scared to keep living and leave all those people behind. I didn't want to forget."
Angelina fell silent. Dominique understood who she was talking about, even if she couldn't bring herself to say the name. It was the black veil that hung over the Weasley family. Everyone seemed to oscillate between fondly reminiscing over the past joke and trouble-making to not mentioning it at all. She figured that pretending nothing happened spared their feelings from time to time and made it a little easier, at least in that moment.
"So then...when did you stop being scared?"
"Never, my dear. I have never not been afraid. I still worry over things like you children and your well-being and the future. I worry if Europe will ever finish healing from what the Dark Lords put it through. I'm afraid that our mistakes and our shortcomings will be a burden you will all have to live with. I'm scared of being a bad mother and aunt and daughter and wife. I'm also terrified of spiders, so if you see one make sure you zap it. Those little buggers multiple, and they end up everywhere."
Dominique looked at her aunt closely – the warmth of her smile, the lines that framed her eyes when she smiled, her bright but tired eyes. The screams of the wind didn't bother her, nor the roar of thunder, nor the rain crashing down around them. There was no hint of fear at all. So how could she really be as scared as she claimed to be?
"I don't understand, Aunt Angelina."
"I never stopped being afraid, but courage isn't the moment your fear ends. Courage is learning to not let fear control your life."
Author's Note: Written for the "Bechdel Test Competition." Pairing was Angelina/Dominique.
Disclaimer: Harry Potter and everything associated belongs to J.K. Rowling.