A/N: This fic was written for the Spring Fic Exchange the HPFC Forum, and it was held by burning happiness. I received Megan in the exchange, and from the information she provided I decided to write a fluffy and romantic/angsty buildup Teddy&Dominique two shot that has to do with a dance. Hope you enjoy it, Megan! -Ryyan ;)
Dominique was sitting on top of the brick wall that surrounded the Burrow, a Muggle toy called a Rubic's Cube in her hands. She wasn't paying much attention to what was going on around her, not caring too much for the party that was just starting to get into full swing around her. She should have been, since it was in honor of best mate Teddy's new position as Seeker on the England National Quidditch Team, but all she could think about was how he wasn't going to be around much anymore.
Twisting the plastic contraption in her hand, she frowned down at it. She'd known that this day was coming. After all, he was almost six years her senior and really quite talented at the game. He'd been playing professionally since his first year out of Hogwarts. It was only a matter of time until he secured a spot on the national team.
Unexpectedly, something touched her leg and she gasped and jerked slightly, almost losing her balance and dropping her toy. Familiar laughter rang out around her, and once she was sure she wasn't going to toppled over the edge of the six foot wall she glared at her cousin as he climbed up to join her on her perch.
"We always thought he'd pick Victoire, you know," James carefully stood on the wall, holding his hand out to help Dominique up. She stepped to the side and reached down to grab the jacket she had been sitting on, shaking it off and standing up gracefully. She draped it neatly over her arm, careful since she was only borrowing it from Teddy. She'd only had it for three years now, and she thought tonight she might finally return it to him. He had claimed it was his lucky coat, and she figured he'd need luck being on the national team.
"Merlin, Dom, how do you walk in those shoes?" James asked her, his eyebrows so high they had vanished into his mess of dark hair. Normally, she was a good half a foot shorter than her cousin, but tonight she was just a smidge tinier.
Laughing, Dominique twirled, showing off the almost unnatural balance she had always seemed to have, "Easily, James. What was that you were saying about Victoire?"
As he spoke, she turned her back on him and started their usual trek along the wall, leading them further and further away from the backyard bash. Her heels made clacking noises as they went along, and she smiled at the sound. It reminded her of her mum.
"Mmm, see, that's why I wasn't worried about you toppling over when I scared you. All that ballet you've been doing has given you superhuman balance. And I was just saying we all always thought Victoire- where's the back of your dress?" James reached out to pinch her exposed spine between her shoulder blades, "You're deceiving. You're all cute and humble from the front, but then you turn around and there's nothing! I can almost see your bum."
"Why are you looking at my bum anyways, James?" she tossed him a skeptical look over her shoulder, but it was all in a good fun. She knew he was only picking on her in his protective older brother way. She laughed when he stumbled, his cheeks turning pink at the accusation, and she faced forwards again, "I know you weren't actually checking out my backside. Relax. So go on with what you were saying about my oh-so-lovely big sister."
"Yeah, right, like I was saying: everyone has always assumed that Teddy and Victoire would end up together. You know, because they're kind of perfect for each other. She's all peaches and cream and smiles and put together and whatnot and he's a rugged professional Quidditch player with a spotless reputation and charming personality. Not to mention, he's less than two years older than her," James went on, and even though she couldn't see him she could feel his hand motions. He'd always been the more dramatic boy of the family in that sense, using his entire body to tell a story no matter how mundane it may be. As he went on, Dominique couldn't help but feel a little annoyed at the topic. All her life, that's all that had gone on. Everyone, adults and peers, would gush over how absolutely bloody perfect her sister and best mate were for each other. How they were destined to end up together.
They didn't even like each other most of the time, and Teddy was most certainly not Victoire's type. He had the wrong bits. Not that the rest of the family knew that just yet. And Dominique happened to know for a fact that Teddy wasn't interested in her sister- he said she was too stuck up, and he'd never want to be with someone who was afraid to get their hands dirty.
"Oy, did you hear what I said?" James pinched her back again, this time harder, and she let out a huff.
"Yes, James, I heard you. It's just such a ruddy tragedy that Teddy isn't going to marry my sister and have loads of perfect children with her!" she snapped, and she had to resist the urge to jerk her arm out of his hand when he reached out to stop her.
"That's not what I said at all, Dom," he chided, turning them both around so they were on their way back to where they had started. He was leading them now, and she smiled when he held his arms out to keep his balance every now and then. Clearing his throat, he went on, "What I said was, that's what everyone expected, of course, and needless to say we were shocked when it never happened. But we were all completely blindsided when we realized it was because he had his eyes set on our little Dominique."
Dominique lost her footing then, stumbling and grabbing on to the back of James' blazer to catch herself, "What?"
"Woah, you alright back there?" he looked over his shoulder; his hands reaching back to steady her. Once she was upright he continued on with their walk, "And what do you mean, 'what'? Don't give me that. I see the way you look at him, and we all see the way he looks at you. In fact, I bet if you look over there right now you'll see him watching you. He's always got at least half his attention on you when you're anywhere remotely near. The bloke hasn't even had a proper girlfriend since you started seriously dating- haven't you noticed that?"
"No, actually, and I think it's a bit strange that you have. I also think you're batty and looking too hard at the situation. We're best mates. We've grown up together. Of course we give each other attention when the other is around," she disagreed with him, but even as the words came out of her mouth she glanced over at the party. The backyard of the Burrow was lit up with strings of light, an after-hours garden setting with mismatching tables and chairs. People were milling about, dancing, and she could see various family members and friends alike. Music was floating through the yard and the closer she and James got to get together, the clearer the upbeat lyrics became. She spotted Teddy standing off near the edge, a drink in his hand and surrounded by his Quidditch mates. Just like her cousin had predicted, Teddy was looking right at her as he laughed along with his friends. When he noticed that she was staring at him too, he lifted his empty hand up and waved at her, causing his friends to look over their shoulders and wave too.
Just as she was about to return the gesture, James spun around and shouted an abrupt 'I told you so', causing her to take a few rushed steps back. She was about to tell him to knock it off when her cousin Fred and his mate Bentley Zambini flew up next to them on their brooms, and the later gave the duo a charming grin, "What are you lot doing over here? Practicing your balancing act?"
"I was just explaining to my cousin here that she's managed to capture Ted Lupin's heart," James grinned, practically beaming as he spoke, "And vise-versa."
"You're such a gossip, James," Fred rolled his eyes, and for a moment Dominique thought he was going to side with her. It wasn't until he set his gleaming eyes on her that she knew otherwise, "Even if it's true, you shouldn't go around flapping your jaws about it."
"Honestly!" Dominique stopped her foot, "Stuff it, both of you! And aren't you two supposed to be with your teammates over there celebrating instead of riding around like a pair of school boys showing off?"
Bentley pressed his lips together, nodding slowing, "So I take it you don't want to take a few laps around the property, then? I mean, we only flew over to see if you wanted to since you were talking about how much you'd love to try out the new Nimbus last week. But if you think it's too childish-"
"I don't believe those words ever came out of my mouth, Bentley," Dominique waved him closer, a grin spreading over her features as he stepped behind her on the wall, lowering his broom so she could sling her leg over without showing off her knickers.
James frowned, looking at the pair as his cousin handed him her jacket, "You're wearing a dress, Dom, do you really think it's appropriate for you to be getting on a broom with some bloke right now?"
"Don't worry mate, she can just tuck it. We've done this loads of times before, she'll be fine," Bentley tried to reassure the younger boy, but it only served to send panicked over his face, "Your auntie might make Dom dress like a lady, but she can't always make her act like one."
Dominique laughed, agreeing with her friend as she grabbed the excess fabric of her dress and bunched the bottom together, pressing it beneath her palm as she gripped the neck of the broom. Bentley leaned forward, wrapping one arm around her waist and putting the other in the appropriate flying position as he set his chin on her shoulder. She relaxed into him as he kicked off, telling her cousin, "Relax, James. It's all in good fun. Besides, if I do lose my hold on my skirt, it's not like it's going to be easy to see. It's dark."
"That's not what I'm worried about," he groaned as the pair took off. He glanced over to see Teddy frowning heavily, eyes glued to the rapidly disappearing pair and fist clenched at his side.
Fred clapped him on the shoulder, "Seriously, don't worry. I'm almost positive this is going to work in our favor." At James' confused expression, he went on, "Look, Teddy's been bringing Dom around the pitch for ages. The other day, before the national team tryouts when we were helping Teddy run through drills, Bentley flat out asked him what was going on with him and Dom. Teddy and him are the same age, you know, and Dom's just turned twenty so it's finally alright to look at her like that, I guess. Teddy got all flustered and denied it of course, so Bentley just told him that he was going to make a move. Teddy was like 'oh, I don't think that's a good idea…you aren't her type' and mumbled a few more excuses, but Bentley was insistent, and basically told Ted that they'd see, and the worst she could do was say no.
As soon as Bentley left, Teddy went off on this huge rant about how Bentley wasn't good enough for someone like Dom, and how he would take advantage of her love for trouble and he got really jealous, James, so I pointed it out and we talked about it. By the time I left he was all set up to ask her to the party as his date. But then he chickened out. Did you see the look on Teddy's face when they flew off together? He's pissed. I wager a few minutes of watching Bentley move in on Dom is just the push Ted needs to get over whatever fear he has and tell her how he feels."
James was silent for a few minutes, his eyes flickering from the barely visible duo on the broom to his God-brother. Finally, when he looked back at Fred, he asked, "What exactly are we wagering?"
"That's the spirit!" Fred grinned.
A/N: Part one of two! I hope you enjoyed this so far, Megan! I know that right now there isn't a lot of Teddy/Dom action, but I promise that next chapter there will be plenty of it. The buildup is the best part, I think. Makes the end worth the wait. -Ryyan ;)