Song: Dancing On My Own by Robyn
DISCLAIMER: I don't own the song or the characters.
A/N: Enjoy!
Somebody said you got a new friend
Dominique Delacour-Weasley grinned as she saw her cousins, forgetting momentarily the fact that she couldn't see Lysander, her best friend, anywhere. Or Teddy. "Louis, look!" She laughed, waving at them. Her twin brother looked up and shrugged. She rolled her eyes and turned to her mum, noticing that Victoire had disappeared. "Can I go over and say hi?" She asked.
Fleur nodded and smiled. "But don't be too long; the train's leaving in four minutes," she warned.
Dominique nodded and ran over to her cousins, grinning. They all smiled and waved, and James turned around, looking exasperated, but his face lit up when he saw her. "Dom!" He shouted.
She reached them and smiled. "Hey everyone," she laughed, embracing Al and ruffling Lil's hair, nodding to her aunt and uncle.
James grabbed her arm, eyes wide. "Teddy's snogging Victoire! Our Victoire! Your sister!" He told her.
Does she love you better than I can?
Dominique gaped at him, years of hopes and dreams crashing down around her. "What?" She gasped. Her best friend? And... her sister?
He nodded. "I know!"
Al rolled his eyes. "He's perfectly entitled," he pointed out. Dominique stared at him. He was so annoyingly mature for an eleven-year-old! She was sixteen, and still reeling from the news. Then again, she was in love with Teddy. Al wasn't.
She hoped.
"Snogging her!" James was still broadcasting the news.
Victoire walked over, blushing. "James, shut up!" She hissed. She turned to Dominique and grinned. "He's coming to the leavers' ball with me!" Her eyes sparkled.
Dominique shrugged, trying to maintain a cool façade. "Oh," she replied. "Well done."
She had fervently hoped that Teddy would go with... well, her. All Hogwarts students, leavers and their guests were going... she had thought it would be perfect.
Apparently not.
There's a big black sky over my town
All the way to Hogwarts, on the train, Dominique stared out the window and felt sorry for herself. The fact that she was - against her wishes - sitting next to Victoire, who kept chattering on about Teddy, didn't help one bit.
"I'm going to the toilet," she muttered, getting up and leaving the compartment. Victoire kept chattering on at James, Louis, Al and Rose, barely acknowledging Dominique's existence.
She reached the toilet and sat on the floor, then finally gave into the tears that had been threatening to engulf her since James had told her the news.
"Are you okay?" A gentle voice asked with concern.
She looked up, startled, and found herself looking into the deep blue eyes of Scorpius Malfoy's sister Amelie. She nodded, then shook her head, still crying. Amelie was really understanding... possibly something to do with being the only Malfoy ever to be Sorted into Hufflepuff.
Amelie looked sympathetic. "Boy troubles?" She asked.
Dominique nodded and explained haltingly through her tears.
Amelie put a hand on her shoulder. "If he's the right guy for you, it will turn out alright in the end," she promised.
Dominique smiled at her, eyes blurry from crying.
"If you wanna talk any time, I'm here," she told her, kindly.
Dominique nodded. "Thank you."
I know where you at, I bet she's around
-The day of the ball-
Dominique sat in her dorm, staring at the floor, trying to decide whether to go to the ball or not. An owl flew in through the window and she took the paper it offered her on its leg. It was a letter. She recognised the handwriting instantly.
Dom,
Hope you're okay! Haven't heard from you in ages! Did your owl get lost in the post? Anyway, just to say... I'm proposing to Vicky tonight. We've only been dating 10½ months, I know... but I really love her, and I wanted you to be the first to know.
"Thanks for that, Teddy", she muttered bitterly.
So... I'll see you there, Dom.
Love and hugs,
Teddy
She re-read the letter, then ripped it up into little pieces and set fire to it with her wand.
Yeah I know it's stupid
"Hey Dom," called her best friend and cousin, Roxanne, walking past her with her chestnut-brown hair in curls and wearing a floor-length figure-hugging purple dress. She stopped and looked at Dominique, eyes full of concern. Hardly surprising, since Dominique had been very withdrawn this year, barely talking to anyone and simply focussing on her work. "You coming to the ball?"
Dominique stared at her, then jumped off her bed and pulled out a long light-blue dress out of her wardrobe. "Duh," she smiled, "Can you help straighten my hair?"
Half an hour later, Roxanne declared her perfect. Dominique stepped over to the mirror and gasped. Her blue eyes were framed by thick black lashes, her blonde hair was silky and straight, and her dress set off her curves. Roxanne walked over and smiled at their reflections, then glanced at the clock. "Time to go!"
But I just gotta see it for myself
Dominique sat at a table, sipping Butterbeer and watching Roxanne dance with her boyfriend, Tom. She smiled and looked around for Rose, and raised her eyebrows as Scorpius Malfoy walked over to her cousin and said something to her. Rose nodded shyly and took his hand, pulling herself to her feet, and started dancing with him.
Louis was dancing with Amelie Malfoy. It looked like the Malfoy and Weasley clans would have to befriend each other soon.
It was then that she noticed Albus and James glaring daggers at Scorpius Malfoy. She sighed and walked over to them, smiling at Fred, who was dancing with a pretty third-year, as she went. "Boys, let her enjoy herself," she sighed as she reached them.
They both avoided her eyes and James wandered off to talk to a girl in his year. Albus just shrugged.
A first-year girl walked over and smiled tentatively at Albus. "Hi," she muttered.
He smiled at her. "Hey... it's Graice, right?"
She blushed and nodded.
"Wanna dance, Graice?" He asked. She nodded and he led her onto the dance floor.
I'm in the corner, watching you kiss her
Dominique smiled and glanced around – and her eyes locked on Teddy and Victoire.
Kissing.
Her stomach dropped and she bit her lip, but couldn't stop watching them.
Teddy drew back from Victoire and said something to her, and she nodded, smiling. They walked onto the dance floor as a slow song started.
Dominique looked away and closed her eyes before she gave into the urge to run over there and scream at them.
In her mind, she imagined that she was the one dancing with him, kissing him, getting engaged to him...
Her eyes snapped open.
I hate my sister, she thought.
I'm right over here, why can't you see me?
She looked over at the happy couple, in time to see Teddy kiss Victoire and walk over to the drinks table.
As he waited in line, Dominique thought he would look at her, smile, wave, come over to say hi... but he never looked around. He seemed to have forgotten about her.
She folded her arms and leaned back in her chair, watching Teddy as he waved at Louis, who walked over to him with Amelie Malfoy and the three of them started talking.
Dominique tried not to cry; it felt like he was ignoring her.
So you have enough time for my twin brother, but not me. Great, she thought angrily.
She gritted her teeth and stood up, walking over to the queue for drinks.
I'm givin' it my all, but I'm not the girl you're takin' home
"Hey, Teddy," she smiled, as she reached the queue. "Haven't seen you in a while," she remarked.
He grinned and ruffled her hair. She gave him a horrified look. "Do you know how long it took to get it this perfect?"
He burst out laughing. "Your hair's always perfect, Dom."
She smiled, switching her weight to one hip. "Why, thank you," she said in reply, then looked at Louis and Amelie. "Nice to see inter-house harmony," she giggled.
Louis raised an eyebrow. "We're not the only ones at it," he pointed out.
"That's what he said," she muttered, then nodded and said in a louder voice, "Yeah, Rose is promoting friendship between the houses as well."
I keep dancin' on my own, I keep dancin' on my own
He nodded at her. "It's a good thing!" He grinned.
They reached the front of the queue and Teddy went over to Victoire. Louis and Amelie continued dancing.
Dominique sighed and walked over to the dance floor, and started swaying to the music, singing along to the lyrics of some old Muggle song. "Can anybody find me... somebody to love..."
I already have somebody to love, she thought, it's just that he doesn't love me back.
Victoire waved at her, eyes shining.
Dominique smiled back at her half-heartedly, swaying to the music, watching guys go past her, none of them looking at her.
I'm just gonna dance all night
Lysander walked over to her, smiling. "Hey."
She looked at him, and felt bad. She hadn't spoken to him as much this year, even though he was one of her best friends. "Hi," she smiled, and hugged him tightly.
He laughed as he hugged her back. "Well, you're feeling better!"
She nodded. "A bit... I'm sorry about this year."
He smiled at her. "It's okay, we all knew you were upset about something, so we figured you were dealing with it and we should give you space. I mean, you usually prefer that."
She raised an eyebrow, and let her eyes flick over to Teddy again.
"I still don't know why you were upset, though..." Lysander raised an eyebrow at her.
She shrugged. "Long story."
"Really?" He asked, looking over at Teddy, dancing with Victoire. "They look so happy, don't they?" He said softly.
She clenched her hands into fists. "Yeah, great."
I'm all messed up, I'm so outta line
She shot a glare in Victoire's direction, and then smiled sweetly at Lysander.
He frowned slightly, then said with concern, "Dom, what's wrong? You seem... changed?"
She tried for a cheery smile. "Me? I don't change!"
Teddy, how could you love her? I've been here for you forever...
Lysander was watching her with slight confusion. "Dom, what's wrong?"
She sighed. "Nothing! I'm fine! Just... drop it!"
He shrugged, obviously hurt. "Fine. See you around, then..." He walked off.
She felt a pang of regret, watching him walk away. He was meant to be her best friend... after Teddy, of course.
Stilettos and broken bottles
She tried to spin in a circle, and tripped as her heel snapped. She yanked both of her shoes off, aggrieved, and went for a drink.
Someone had spiked the punch, she noticed as she drank it. Her head span and she dropped the glass on the floor, wincing as it shattered. Lorcan, Lysander's brother, hurried over and muttered, "Reparo!"
She grinned at him, the spiked drink having made her tipsy. "Hey, thanks!"
He frowned at her. "Are you drunk?" He asked with disapproval. Always the more uptight of the two.
"Nah! C'mon, dance with me!" She grabbed his hand and pulled him onto the dance floor. "Don't tread on my feet," she warned him with a giggle.
I'm spinning around in circles
Lysander frowned, watching her dance with Lorcan. Something was definitely up with her. He thought back to their earlier conversation. She couldn't... fancy Lorcan, could she?
On the dance floor, Dominique span in a circle, laughing.
Lorcan looked over at his brother with an expression that clearly said, "Help."
Lysander shook his head, smiling.
Dominique continued spinning around, laughing. "I feel dizzy," she said happily.
Lorcan pulled her off of the dance floor and onto a chair. "Sit there, and shut up." He told her, before hurrying off to find her a drink of water.
She sat there and looked around.
I'm in the corner, watching you kiss her
She saw Teddy, dancing with Victoire, and sobered as she remembered how much she loved him. Overtaken by the urge to cry, she took a deep breath and felt stupid. The alcohol was obviously affecting her judgement. Dominique Delacour-Weasley didn't cry at school dances.
Teddy bent his head to kiss Victoire again, and Dominique dragged her eyes away, only to see Lysander chatting up some cute girl in the year below them.
She felt angry for a second, before wondering why, and reminding herself that wanting to be the centre of everyone guy's attention was selfish.
Anyway, she didn't like Lysander that way. She liked Teddy.
Didn't she? Her head was spinning.
I'm right over here, why can't you see me?
Victoire rested her head on Teddy's shoulder, and he hugged her tightly, then glanced over at Dominique. She didn't see him looking, but he was shocked at how... upset she looked.
He had a really bad feeling it was his fault. Had he been ignoring her, this year? Well... he'd been dating Victoire, hadn't he? He had an excuse. Sort of...
He sighed, glancing away, feeling guilty.
Dominique glanced back over at him, wondering suddenly when the heck he was actually going to propose to Victoire.
I can't believe he has the nerve to ask me to be a bridesmaid. God. Yeesh, I'm so jealous!
She sighed with anger, feeling hopeless.
I'm givin' it my all, but I'm not the girl you're takin' home
Hmmm... why didn't Teddy like her, anyway? Was it just because he preferred redheads? She tugged on her blonde hair. Or maybe he just liked the fact that Victoire was prettier than she was. She'd inherited more of the Veela side of the family, unlike Dominique who had only inherited her mother's hair and eyes, not her beauty. At least, in her eyes she hadn't. Louis was handsome, too, with floppy blonde hair and green eyes. Halfway between Dominique and Victoire.
Of course, he wasn't as cute as Lysander. Or Teddy. Especially not Teddy.
She wondered what the cure for being drunk was. Or if she was just intoxicated on being miserable.
I keep dancin' on my own, I keep dancin' on my own
She swayed to the music, not even realising that she was.
Teddy looked over at her and caught her eye, then turned to Victoire and got down on one knee.
Dominique fought the urge to avert her eyes, but couldn't work out if she actually wanted to or was forcing herself to.
She was so confused! And this headache wasn't helping either.
Teddy asked Victoire the question, which Dominique heard clearly, as everyone had shut up to listen.
She also heard Victoire's reply – "Oh, my God... I mean, yes! Of course!" – and the cheering that broke out afterwards. The music started up again and Dominique thought vaguely that this dance was going on forever.
So far away, but still so near
Teddy and Victoire hugged and kissed, then continued dancing.
Lysander walked back over to Dominique. "Hey. You okay?"
She shrugged, watching the happy couple.
"Pretty exciting, huh?" He asked, with a smile.
She looked at him, with a slight frown. "Urm... yeah. They asked me to be bridesmaid. Well, Teddy did." She giggled.
Lysander frowned. "Are you drunk, Dom?"
"Maybe a bit tipsy. I think someone spiked the... whassit called? Drink."
He pulled out his wand and whispered a couple of words. "That better?" He asked her.
The lights go on, the music dies
She looked at him ruefully as her head cleared. "Sadly."
"Good. Dom..." he took a deep breath.
She looked at him expectantly, but couldn't help glancing over his shoulder again. There was some point she was missing here, she was sure.
"Urm... we've been friends a long time, yeah?"
She smiled at him. "Uh, yeah! Ages and ages."
He breathed in and out. "Uh... yeah, I'm doing this wrong. Look, Dom."
"Uh-huh," she replied, distractedly, looking over his shoulder yet again. She couldn't help it. Something was staring her in the face, something she'd forgotten. She blamed the drink. And Lysander.
But you don't see me, standing here
Ah, that wasn't fair. She loved Lysander, she did, it was just...
"Anyway, I just wanted to tell you..." Lysander looked pretty nervous about something. She wondered what.
"Yes?" She asked, slightly impatiently as she glanced over at Victoire and Teddy again.
"Dom, I... well... I... I'minlovewithyou." He said in a rush, blushing.
"You what?" She asked, with a friendly grin.
"I'm in love with you." He mumbled, not looking at her and blushing even more.
She looked over his shoulder again.
"Will you go out with me?" He asked, with a quick sigh of relief.
She was still staring at Teddy.
I just came to say goodbye
Lysander frowned at her. "Dom?" He asked, before glancing over his shoulder.
He saw Teddy and put the pieces of the puzzle together. "Oh... I see... it's like that. Fine... I'll just..." he trailed off, blushing.
Dominique frowned distractedly. She'd come here for a reason...
To say goodbye, something reminded her.
Oh yeah, that was it. She'd come to let go, to move on...
After all, it was just a crush. She'd been in love with Lysander all along.
Where on Earth had that thought come from? She wondered, as her mouth opened of its own accord and said, "Yes!"
Lysander opened his mouth, then shut it again and began to grin, shyly. "Seriously?"
She nodded, and laughed. "Yes! I'm in love with you! Only... I thought I wasn't. Oh well."
He raised an eyebrow. "You're still drunk?" He asked, with uncertainty.
"Yes. On happiness!" She smiled and took his hand. "Happiness to be with you."
The two of them danced into the night, as the moon shone and couples came together in joy.