Dominique was always second. Second oldest, second youngest, second to Victoire. She was always the second one. In a second, she'd disappear behind her sister. She was second in Teddy Weasley's eyes, that seventh-year Gryffindor who seemed to always worm himself into her heart. Yet all he had eyes for was her sister.
What does she have that I don't, Dominique wondered as she stood in front of the mirror in the Hufflepuff dorms. She had waist-length silvery blond hair that had a slight bit of wave, like her mother. There was a certain amount of veela charm to her, but like her Maman's or her sister's. She had her father's dark blue eyes, which she thought brought contrast and color to her fair complexion, that had freckles everywhere.
"A redhead's fair complexion weethout ze wardrobe complications," Maman would always tell her whenever she'd complained about her freckling, and how she just couldn't get tan like Victoire or her mother, both of whom were the most dazzling women in her life.
It wasn't like Dominique dressed like a slob, either, when given the chance to dress how she wanted. Sure, she might not be stylish, always wearing French couture like her sister, but she dressed practically, in jeans and a geeky t-shirt, and she wasn't afraid to show the world about her geeky obsessions, like Star Wars. Victoire was always ashamed to show any boy, even Teddy, her Tinuviel costume she had worn when she was seven for Halloween, or her hardcover Lord of the Rings set.
Why don't boys pay attention to me? Dominique wondered as she threw on her Luke Skywalker's a Hufflepuff; Your argument's invalid t-shirt she'd gotten at the sci-fi/fantasy shop in Hogsmeade, and her favorite pair of jeans that had rips and patches from several adventures, and her oversized gray hoodie that had been her constant companion for seven years, and tied up her doodled-on trainers, and bounced out of the Hufflepuff dorm, her hair almost flying out of its ponytail.
"Bonjour," She said to her sister at the Gryffindor table and to her brother at the Ravenclaw table before sitting down with the Hufflepuffs.
Lysander Scamander-Lovegood from the Ravenclaw table came over and joined the table for a couple minutes.
"Hey, Minnie," he said, ruffling her hair.
"Bonjour, Lyly," Dominique replied through laughter. The Ravenclaw might've been two years younger than her, but he seemed much more wise than some of the boys in her year. Perhaps it was the Lovegood influence. Either way, he always had profound wisdom to drop on her, that she wasn't afraid to hear. Not at all, since she wasn't second to Lysander.
"Alright, so I've got this great saying that I found in this muggle song that I think might appeal to you," Lysander said. Dominique had forgotten how endearing his dancing words were to her. "Ready? Ready? I was chasing a dream, loving for a moment."
She frowned. "Not funny, Lyly." Dominique spooned up some porridge, choosing to ignore that statement and the rather obvious implications to her. He was one of three people who knew of her crush, and the second was Victoire, and the third, enraging as it was, was Teddy, who treated her like a begging puppy ever since he'd heard it after Victoire had used her veela charm to get it out of Dominique.
"Seriously, though, Minnie, he's never going to like you back, much less fall in love with you," Lysander reasoned. "I see the way he looks at you- like some cute, but annoying little pet who always comes up at the wrong time, who always is there when he'd like to be alone with the real object of his affections."
Dominique set the porridge down, for she already saw that stupid Gryffindor couple coming my way. She stormed out of the Great Hall. She really didn't have time for stupid things such as crushes that wouldn't ever like her back, no matter how hard she tried. It was even harder, knowing that it didn't even put a dent in her puppy crush. And he knew it. And he teased her for it in such subtle, oblivious ways.
Dominique started scaling one of the great oak trees in the courtyards of the castle. This was one of the few that had trees, so you had to climb it while it was still available. Tree-climbing was ample distraction from haunted love.
"Hey, Minnie!" It was that stupid Teddy Lupin again. She ignored it, as much as she wanted to get as sappy as the tree, but she kept climbing. She didn't need this, she didn't need this.
"I need some help carrying my books!" He called up. Ugh. The chink in her armor. She never could seem to resist him asking her for help, even though she knew what was going on. Love had made a fool out of her, like Helena, and here she was, fawning hopelessly over Demetrius, despite the fact that he had his Hermia.
"Hey, leave her alone!"
Surprised, Dominique looked around, to see Lysander, drawing his wand on the older Gryffindor.
"What's wrong with you, Scamander?" Teddy asked.
"It's Scamander-Lovegood, and you're taking advantage of my friend!" Lysander said, his gray eyes deadly.
Teddy shrugged. "She lets me."
"There is no let in taking advantage," Lysander replied. "Besides, you're preying on a young girl's feelings. Leave her alone."
Teddy shrugged, and left with Victoire, making some remark about how those kids weren't right in the head.
Lysander looked up to Dominique. "You okay?"
She hadn't even realized that she'd been crying. "Yeah."
"He shouldn't take advantage of you like that," Lysander continued, helping her down.
"He's right, I let him," she said.
"Well, I won't let him do that to you anymore." He said, wrapping his arms around her. "It hurts to see you hurt, Minnie, you know that?"
"It what?" Dominique was surprised by the gentle kiss that followed, but even more by the joyful statement in her mind. She had found her Lysander after all.