Brother.
Dominique has never been happier for it to be Friday afternoon. The week has been particularly horrifying due to a mass of assignments being due all at the end of the week meaning that her habit of procrastinating caught up to her and made her life hell.
"Christmas is two weeks away, why do they always do this to us?"
"What does it even matter? It's all over. Trinny, we can relax." Dominique says with an uncharacteristic lilt in her voice.
"You're happy. This is insane!"
The fourth years chase each other down the stairs, not worrying about the other students they were knocking into and/or over.
Hogwarts Castle is decorated expertly for the Christmas season as it always is and this is part of the reason Dominique is happy. Christmas always made her happy, despite the fact that she would have to spend an entire day with the entire family – that was if she was lucky, if she wasn't, it'd be an entire week.
It is when the two girls have reached the barrels that mean the Hufflepuff Common Room that Dominique's high shifts dramatically into a low. Her cousin Fred is sitting outside with a horrified look on his face.
"What the bloomin' hell do you want?" she asks him coldly as he stands once he sees her. Fred doesn't bother her as much as some of her other cousins but the fact that he has come to her looking like means that she is actually the only person who can fix it.
"It's Lou."
Her eyes widen and Trinity's do the same, both take a deep breath and follow Fred who has taken off. They run up the path they just took and glance at each other every now and then, both worrying as much as the other.
"Fred, do I need to get Vic?" the second year stops and looks at her stunned. The mention of her older sister as sent him into a frozen state because the sisters are hardly talking and he is unsure of which answer is correct. "Fred."
"Yes!" he answers abruptly, still standing on the spot.
"Right then." Dom closes her eyes and breathes in deeply, "Trin go with Fred and see what you can do while I try and find Vic. Or even better, Molly." Fred nods eagerly, knowing that Molly would probably be more help than the Ravenclaw.
Dominique races up the stairs in a path she knows all too well. She hates to admit that she had frequently run to Victoire many times during her first year at Hogwarts, begging for help with every problem that Teddy couldn't fix.
"Victoire!" she shouts as soon as she catches a glimpse of the blonde hair that can only belong to a Part Veela.
"Dominique?" Victoire turns around, fairly confused. The only real time the sisters talk to each other is at home and even then the conversations are short, few and far between.
"Louis." With one word Victoire has turned around and is following her younger sister back down the stairs.
"What's wrong?"
"I have no idea but Freddie looked petrified."
"Where are they?"
"I don't know that either."
They run around the school, asking whoever they can if they know where their brother is, or even if they have seen Molly but no one has an answer.
Finally they find the scene of commotion – the third floor corridor. A large crowd has formed around two young boys who are aiming their wands at one another. Even with Molly Weasley II standing in between them.
"I don't know what they're doing but, for Merlin's sake, make them stop." The fourteen year old in the middle of the duel screams at her cousins.
The boy opposite Louis is wearing a Gryffindor jumper and is no doubt picking a fight with the blonde due to his being in Slytherin. The Gryffindor towers over Louis and it is easy to see that he isn't a First Year like his opponent.
"James!" Dom stands beside her cousin, "As the first Gryffindor in this generation of Weasleys, it is your duty to tell me who the hell that is and why he's picking on Lou." Dominique demands of her young cousin who stares up at her in fear. She has this effect.
"H-he's Lincoln Chiles."
"Yeah, thought he looked familiar. His sister's in my year. She's a bitch, too." Drawing in a deep breath, Dominique smirks and moves towards Molly. The redhead in the middle of the soon-to-be duel moves instantly. Victoire moves to stand with her sister, the two of them back-to-back.
Dominique faces Lincoln with a raised eyebrow and laughs shortly. Victoire faces her brother with a concerned face and mouths 'are you alright?'
"I think you should leave right now." Dominique says without any emotion, "I'm only 15 years old but you are barely thirteen. And her-" she gestures over her shoulder at Victoire "-well, she's 16, isn't she?"
"What do I care?"
"We have years of experience on you. I know curses you haven't even heard of. Even if you knew how to counter spells, good lucking countering something you don't know of." Her threats weren't empty, she knew many things a witch her age shouldn't, she could probably put Victoire to shame with some of her hexes. "I could make sardines come out of your nose with a flick of my wand."
"Oi, Dominique, you messing with my baby brother?" Dominique rolls her eyes and turns her head slightly, groaning at the sight of Verona Chiles.
"Merely staging an intervention."
Verona draws her wand, ready to cast a spell but Dominique is as quick as they come. Her wand points at the other witch while Victoire runs to protect Louis and Molly draws her wand on Lincoln who scrambles to find his in his robes.
"Don't make me do it, Verona. It wouldn't be the first time."
"What, going to tickle me to death? Even Lincoln knows how to reverse a tickling hex." Verona baits Dominique.
"Please, I've come a lot further than that. I could tickle you and then have you sneezing at the same time. Or do you more fancy a shaved head and some antlers?" Dominique waves her wand slightly, causing red sparks to come out of the end, showing her anger.
"What is going on here?!" Dominique's wand drops to her side instantly at the sound of Professor Clearwater's voice – Verona and Molly do the same, Lincoln still hasn't found his.
"Just having a little chat, Professor."
"Of course, Miss Weasley. Isn't it always?" Professor Clearwater sighs in exasperation, "10 points from each of you for duelling in the corridor."
"We didn't even do anything!" Dominique says angrily.
"And another 10 for back chatting. All of you, disperse!" all the bystanders scattered in different directions, leaving the nine of them standing around, still being supervised by Professor Clearwater.
"Well?"
"Just one question," Dominique turns to Lincoln who swallows the lump in his throat harshly.
"Why the hell are you picking on Louis for?" Victoire finishes off, pushing Dominique out of her path. The latter smiles somewhat proudly that her older sister is taking charge.
Though the answer never comes because Lincoln is pulled away by Verona under Professor Clearwater's orders.