Hey hey hey! How are my readers doing this fine, June day (or night, depending on when you're reading this)? I have decided to grace you all with another fic, seeing as I'll be away for a weekend at my Internet-less cabin *sobs*
Oh, and this is also a celebration that EXAMS ARE OVERRRRRRRR! WOOT! *coughs*
Ahem. Anyways... I would love to thank Taragh McCarthy for her lovely and invigorating "Under Stress" challenge. I hope it meets even a little bit of your expectations. On with the story!
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Lilacs In The Garden
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Despite the many fans artfully placed to stave off heat stroke, the library of Hogwarts was absolutely stifling. Dominique Weasley sighed angrily as she wiped a bead of sweat from her brow, resisting the urge to hex the happy owners of the laughter that drifted through the windows, thrown open in an effort to catch a breeze.
Being a seventh year was harsh. Dominique cursed whoever the addlepated wizard was that felt giving strenuous NEWTs in the beginning of summer was a good idea. She flipped another page of Conjuring and Casting, giving the text a look that could have frozen.
She was one of the few students in the library, the others being fellow seventh years brave enough to endure the sauna in the name of achieving a good mark. The Weasley groaned as she spotted her cousin Rose eagerly sorting through a stack of novels, accompanied rather unwillingly by her friends Scorpius and Eva Finnegan. Dominique rolled her eyes; only Rose would be in the library when she didn't have to be.
As her cousin was dragged out the doors by her two overheated friends, the strawberry-blonde beauty again pored over the stash of knowledge she had accumulated over the year.
"Studying again? You're such a Ravenclaw."
"Don't insult me, pretty-boy," Dominique grinned, rolling her eyes at her new companion. "Gryffindor all the way, you know that!"
Louis laughed, pulling out a chair and sitting down, lazily throwing his feet onto Dominique's stack of papers. He yelped when she tapped them with her wand, making them grow red-hot and subsequently forcing their evacuation of the table.
"I understand you're just fulfilling your duty as younger brother, but can you please pick another day to annoy me?" Dominique asked with a forced calm. If she let her temper - a legacy from both sides of the family - get the best of her, Madame Pince would probably kill her for destroying the library.
Louis shrugged, leaning back. "I only have a few months left to annoy you, sister dear. Then you'll be out in the wacky world of wizards, and I'll be lonely…"
Dominique snorted. "With James and Fred as your accomplices? Doubt it. Oh, and this time next year when it's you with ten thousand books, I'll be sure to visit."
The sixth year placed his hand dramatically over his chest. "Oh, how you wound me. Actually, the only reason I came up here was to let you know that Luke needs your presence desperately."
Dominique giggled softly. "Has he gotten stuck on one of the stairwells? If it's another Slytherin this time, tell him he needs to grow a backbone."
Louis shook his head. "Nope, he's your best friend. And potential love interest."
Before Dominique could retort, a weary voice asked, "Whose love interest?"
A very tall, fit young man entered the library, looking as though he'd run a million miles (or tangled with a Slytherin, which was what Dominique thought more likely). His dirty blonde hair was mussed, and the look in his brown eyes was one of annoyance and amusement. He sat down next to the two Weasleys, missing the glare Dominique shot at her laughing brother.
"Thanks for the help, by the way," Luke said, ruffling Dominique's pixie cut. "Three of them this time, and I got backed into the corner."
"Yet, you're here and Nott and his cronies are suffering Madame Pomfrey's care," muttered Dominique, her focus drifting to the toned abs slightly visible underneath Luke's shirt. Damn hormones.
"Earth to Dom? Hey, best friend complaining here!" Luke's hand in front of her nose snapped the girl back to reality. She blushed.
"Exams got you stressed, huh?" Dominique was grateful that Luke was so oblivious to her feelings. Behind him, Louis was pantomiming dreamy-eyed stares and swoons. Dominique kicked him under the table, wondering how long she'd get in Azkaban for manslaughter.
"Stressed? Definitely! I have a reputation to uphold, you know?" she said quickly, turning back to her notes in an attempt to regain control of her emotions. Luke Hamilton had been the object of her affections since that summer, when she'd actually begun to notice his Quidditch body - something the rest of her dorm-mates had admired for years. Of course, though, she loved other qualities about him - she wasn't shallow like her cousin Lucy - such as his affability with everyone and everything (except Slytherins), his cleverness and protectiveness of those who weren't as strong.
Louis snorted, then stood up from the table and stretched.
"Well, I'll leave you two to your frantic studying. Meanwhile, I believe the boys and I have a caretaker to harass."
Winking exaggeratedly at his sister, the youngest Weasley-Delacour exited the library. Luke watched as Dominique flipped her brother the bird, then resumed her studying/glaring at her books. Finally he nodded.
"You, my darling Dom, are stressed out. Out, out, out of everything and anything."
Dominique shook her head. "Nope, not it. Not at all. Nuh-uh."
Luke grinned. "Yeah, right. Your right eye is starting to twitch. But don't worry; I have the perfect solution."
Then, before Dominique could protest, he'd jabbed his wand at her face, conjuring a black cloth that wrapped itself around her head, darkening her world. Dominique shrieked, but she got no reply; instead, strong arms lifted her out of her seat. The Gryffindor could hear footsteps as Luke carried her (presumably) out of the library. She clutched his shirt, unable to see anything and - oddly enough - sort of enjoying being a hostage.
The atmosphere began to change; Dominique felt the air shift from stuffy indoor castle, to heated breezy air of the outdoors, then to a damp, musty smell she'd always associated with Herbology class.
"Luke? Why the hell are we in the greenhouses?"
Hands pushed hers away when she reached to undo the black obscuring her eyesight.
"Just relax, and go with the flow, Dom. And stop squirming."
Dominique huffed impatiently, but allowed Luke to set her on the ground. She noticed a scent amongst the dirt and grass smells. It was a flowery, delicate smell, and it was steadily growing.
Lilacs. Her favorite flower. And Luke, her best friend, he'd…
"Oh… wow," was all Dominique could say. The sweet and fresh scent was easily overpowering her, causing a relaxed and calm feeling in her soul that the overworked seventh year hadn't had since the first day of classes - maybe even before that.
She heard the rustling of cloth, and grinned as she recognized Luke's presence sitting beside her. "You, my friend, are a beautiful person. I am forever in your debt."
Luke chuckled. "Debt, huh? How exactly did you plan to repay it?"
"Um… what did you need? Study buddy? Money? I ain't doing anything illegal, though; Mum lost it when she found out about that rave."
"Nah… just hold still."
And his palm was against Dominique's cheek. Her breath began to quicken as she felt lips touch her own, softly and sweetly. They remained there for just an instant, and Dominique couldn't help the longing sigh that escaped her when Luke pulled away.
"I think that'll do," she heard him say. Dominique gave a breathy laugh.
"You moron! You had me thinking you were the most oblivious git to walk the hallways."
"Well, it was fun watching your dreamy-eyed glances. But I think your debt was well-paid."
"I don't know," Dominique said softly. "Something so effective should have a much higher price."
"I guess you're right. And how should I get that payment?"
"Like this."
And they were kissing, Dominique Weasley and Luke Hamilton, in the greenhouses of Hogwarts School. Because it was summer, and summer is the beginning of everything.
Terminus
Well? I believe that Next-gen is my favorite era, but I don't always know if I write it well... please review!