Maid of Honour

Characters: Dominique, Teddy

It was nearly time. She shifted from one foot to the other, feeling the sleek, unfamiliar fabric brush against her legs. Bands of cloth were tight around her arms, and waist, and she resisted the impulse to rip them off. She longed to be back in her usual, comfortable jeans and t' shirts, a pair of which were now stashed under her bed, in anticipation for the moment when she could peel off this horrid dress and put them on again.

Her eyes moved furtively and guiltily to the dark abyss under the bed.

Dare she? She smiled slowly. How people would stare if she came down the aisle (in this case, the staircase) wearing old jeans and a slightly faded t-shirt.

Then the smile slid off and a steely look of determination shone in her blue eyes.

Today was Victoire's wedding day. Her sister's wedding day. Nothing was going to go wrong. Everything was going to happen the way Victoire had always dreamed it would.

So, she, Dominique, was certainly not going to spoil her sister's dream wedding by changing into her preferred clothes. Besides there was Maman to reckon with. And Grandmum. They would be horrified. Dominique cannot go dressed like that. Why, she was Maid of Honour!

She looked at her cousin Rose, who was sitting carefully on the bed, ploughing rather disinterestedly through a book about Magical Law, while Molly knelt behind her, threading a ribbon through her thick, red hair. Both were dressed identically in dress robes of pale gold, with roses of a rich butter yellow as bouquets. Seated on the window seat, were Roxanne and Lucy, dressed in soft pink robes, sprays of dark pink roses on their laps, as they sat patiently, waiting. They were all calm and unruffled. Dominique wished she were too. She felt she ought to be, as Maid of Honour.

Dominique reached up and touched her hair. It felt soft and unlike her. She fingered the beadwork around her neck, and turned to the mirror. She didn't need to, of course. She knew she looked pretty. She always did. Even when she was mud-splattered, or sleep deprived, or even ill. Thanks to her Veela genes.

Dominique was dressed in a close fitting set of white dress robes that were frilled and flounced excessively from the waist downwards. Dominique still felt that it was not right for her to wear something that resembled Victoire's bridal dress robes so closely. Not that she could ever hope to overshadow Victoire.

But Victoire had looked horrified when Dominique had shown her the dress she intended to wear.

"You can't wear red!" Victoire had exclaimed. "It would clash horribly with your hair."

"That doesn't matter, Victoire. It's you everyone's coming to see, anyway," she had protested.

"But Dominique," Victoire had cried, "You're my Maid of Honour!"

So Dominique had to wear the white dress robes instead of the one she had set her heart on. But since it made Victoire happy, she found she did not mind. She peered at herself in the mirror, and adjusted a few stray curls that had slipped onto her forehead.

Everyone had been waiting months for this wedding to happen. Both Victoire and Teddy had been very secretive about when and where they had envisioned their wedding to be.

No one could get it out of them, not even Uncle Harry. Victoire guarded their secret jealously. And Teddy? Teddy just laughed and said it was fun to keep everyone guessing when and where.

Dominique had never admitted it to herself or to anybody else, but, as a child she had had an enormous crush on Teddy (though she had, at the same time, thought it was disgusting as they were "practically cousins"); but as she grew up, it had blossomed into feelings that were purely sisterly. It had shocked her to realize that at one point or the other, all the girls in her family had experienced similar feelings towards Teddy. All except Victoire. Victoire had loved him unconditionally and truly.

Dominique moved away from the mirror, and tried to seat herself primly on a chair. She tried to wait patiently for Maman to come and call her and the other girls for the wedding ceremony.

The door opened, and Lily cannonballed into the room, followed by Rebecca, Victoire's best friend.

"Teddy's trying to sneak in and see Victoire!" exclaimed Lily, worriedly, tugging at her pale gold dress. "Mum said to send someone to him who can keep him occupied."

"Why don't you go, Lily?" asked Rose, not taking her eyes off her book.

"Mrs. Potter says to send someone whom Teddy cannot lift out of the way, or bribe with candy," added Rebecca, as she fiddled with her pink sash in front of the mirror.

"The bully," muttered Dominique under her breath. She stood up. "I'll go."

"But you're Maid of Honour," Rose protested. "Victoire said-". Molly shushed her and Dominique, smiling at her gratefully, slipped out of the room.

Dominique trailed down the stairs, smiling and nodding at various known faces from her schooldays, most of whom stared at her with frank admiration; and made her way outside where she saw Fred and James assisting Teddy in what seemed like planning elabourate methods of sneaking in. She wondered vaguely where Louis was.

She waited till the boys had carried themselves off and then tapped Teddy's shoulder. He turned and on looking at her gasped appreciatively, his eyes lingering on the delicate crown of white roses that were nestled among her thick red curls.

"You look beautiful, Dom," he said, smiling. "I didn't know you had it in you."

She stuck out her tongue at him. "And you don't look too bad yourself," she said, nodding at his black dress robes. "In fact, you look quite handsome." She reached out and touched the bubblegum pink streak in his sandy brown hair. She knew what that signified, of course.

"I'm sure you didn't come out here to pay me compliments, did you?" Teddy was smiling.

"Well, I'm here to keep you from sneaking up to see Victoire so if exchanging compliments will keep you occupied, then by all means."

Teddy laughed and held out his hand. Dominique took it, and they walked up and down by the side of the rickety old fence that separated Shell Cottage from the beach.

"So," said Dominique abruptly. "Another brother."

"Hopefully, a more protective one." smiled Teddy.

"Oh please." protested Dominique. "Dad fills that role already. I don't need two protective men in my life."

"What about me? I get a worse deal."

"What's that?"

"A foul-tempered sister." Teddy winked at her.

"Teddy! My temper's not foul!"

"Thank Merlin it isn't. But you're fiery enough." He patted her curly head as if she were a little girl again. "With your hair you have to be."

They stood there talking a little more, about Victoire, old times, Teddy's hopes and dreams, Victoire; until Uncle Ron suddenly burst in upon them.

"There you two are!" he exclaimed, grabbing Teddy's hand and dragging him to the front door. "It's about to start anytime now."

"Where are you going?" Teddy asked Dominique as she made her way to the side door.

"Upstairs," she replied. "I'm Maid of Honour."