Heaps of thanks to november21 and babington for adding QC to their story alerts and to '-Magical Moonshine-' for adding this story to her favorites! Also, virtual chocolate chip cookies to november21, SapphireMoon10, and babington for their reviews! You all are the reason that I continue with this story.

As always, please observe the following: J.K. Rowling lives in Britain. I live in California. Therefore, I am not her, and I certainly do not take credit for her work. I'm just another fan (albeit a bit of an obsessive one, at that).

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Chapter Four: DGW

Describe the wand movements needed to cast a successful Banishing Charm, and explain the ways in which these movements differ from those used in order to cast its counterpart, the Summoning Charm.

I exhaled and leaned backwards in my chair, twirling my quill between my fingers. I knew that the class had reviewed both charms earlier in the year, but I still had no clue about how to answer the question. Unfortunately, my mind was a blank at the moment.

Actually, that wasn't really the truth. If anything, my mind was much too cluttered and jumbled, and that was the reason behind my inability to remember anything about the wand movements of Banishing Charms, or anything else on the end of the year exams, really. I should have been relieved that term would end in only a few more days, but there was just too much to think about.

For example, Gryffindor had won the Quidditch Cup two weeks earlier, and as pathetic as it was, I was still hung up over it. Okay, so it was the third year in a row that we'd won, and I really should've been used to it by now. But, I dunno...there was something so amazing about being able to work together to achieve something that big. I didn't think that I'd ever get used to the feeling. Then, of course, there was my birthday, which only added to my excitement. Sure, it was still a month away, but I couldn't halt the anticipation that always overcame me whenever my birthday drew near. I loved getting together with my extended family, no matter how rowdy everyone might get, and birthdays were always family occasions. I couldn't wait to see little Lily and Hugo, and to be able to discuss Quidditch tactics with Auntie Ginny.

It didn't help that my mind was still reeling from the other day, when I'd accidentally stumbled upon Vic and Teddy snogging in an abandoned alleyway outside the Three Broomsticks. Snogging! And not just a peck on the lips, or anything. I mean full on snogging, complete with tongue. It was actually rather disgusting. I almost considered obliviating myself, it was so bad. Vic made me swear I wouldn't tell Mum and Dad, but still, that did nothing to erase the image of the two of them that had been burnt into my mind's eye.

I rubbed an ink-stained hand over my face in an attempt to force myself to concentrate, subtly glancing to my right. I couldn't help the smile that tugged on my lips at the sight that met my eyes. Sean was tapping the end of his quill against the edge of his inkwell, a sure sign that he was stuck, as well. That made me feel marginally better, since he and I were about the same at Charms, but my reassurance disappeared once more when I noticed Angie scribbling away on my left. What was she writing, an essay? How could she possibly have that much to say?

I looked back at my parchment, closing my eyes and trying to visualize something, anything, that would help me answer the question.

Inspiration came to me as I recalled the sight of Fred and River banishing dungbombs down the second floor corridor, right into a group of unsuspecting Slytherins. I barley managed to smother a giggle at the memory. I guess I wasn't all that successful, because Sean looked up and sent a sent a questioning look my way. I smiled and shrugged, mouthing 'later'. Sean nodded and returned his gaze to the examination sitting in front of him, resuming the tapping of his quill.

I set my own quill against my parchment and began forming a sentence in my messy handwriting. The wand movement required for a Banishing Charm includes a long sideways sweeping motion, followed by a quick jab...

x-x-x-x-x

I woke when a compact mass jumped onto my rib cage, leaving me gasping for air. My eyes sprang open and took in the exuberant thirteen-year-old that was currently bouncing up and down on top of my sheets. "If you aren't out in ten seconds, I swear to Merlin that I'm chucking you out the window," I warned, my voice a growl.

Oh, yeah. Have I mentioned that I'm not a morning person? Well, now I have.

Lou grinned wider, if that was even possible. "You gotta get up, Dom! It's your birthday!"

"You're right, it is my birthday. And since it is, I should be able to choose when I'm waking up. Come back in three hours." I managed to shove my pesky little brother off of my bed, and then I closed my eyes, ready to drift back into dreamland.

Unfortunately for me, Lou knew all of the ways to get me to wake up. I guess it was his job as my sibling, but still, I hated him for it. He must have been feeling especially vindictive that morning, because he grabbed my sheets and yanked them off me, keeping a hold of them so I couldn't take them back.

That git! He knows that I can't sleep without some sort of blanket on. I know it's odd, but if I don't have anything covering me, I just can't fall to sleep.

I curled up in a ball, hugging my knees to my chest. If I ignored him, he might go away. Lou's got a pretty short attention span. Sure enough, he left, but the prat took my blankets with him, dragging them behind him out the door. He was so gonna pay for that.

I heard voices in the hallway, but I was too tired (and cranky) to care. A sudden prodding at my knee made my open my eyes once more. I glared blearily at my sister. "Seriously? Just let me sleep, would you? It's too damn early to get up, and nothing you say or do is gonna make me." Vic stopped poking at my shoulder, and even though I'd closed my eyes again, I could tell that she was grinning evilly just from the way her voice sounded. "Whatever you say, Dom." She made her way back out the door, calling to someone from the hall.

I sighed in relief and stretched out, turning to face the door. Maybe I could fall back to sleep, even without my sheets. There was a first for everything, after all.

"Dom?" The voice was soft, the question asked timidly. "Dom, please get up." I didn't move. I felt someone sit down on the mattress next to me, and a gentle hand touched my shoulder.

I shook my head. "No, go 'way, too early," I mumbled, feeling myself drifting back to sleep.

Warm air washed over my face as the mystery voice chuckled. Something began to click in my half-awake mind. "Come on, now, Dom, you're gotten up much earlier for Quidditch practice."

The wheels in my head finally stopped turning and I jumped up, feeling my face heat up instantly. "Sean!" I exclaimed. "What the hell?"

He laughed again, louder this time. "Hey there, Dom. You wouldn't get up, so I was recruited. Guess I was successful. Breakfast is in ten." He got up and walked out, just like it was the most natural thing in the world for him to be at my house waking me up in the morning.

I was going to kill Vic. Slowly. In an incredibly painful manner.

I jumped out of bed and began rummaging through my closet, fuming. What the hell was Sean doing here, anyway? People weren't coming until after lunch, and yet he showed up before breakfast! Honestly, he knew me well enough to know that I was not to be messed with in the morning, and yet, here he was...

I finished tying my trainers and stumbled to the bathroom, yanking a brush through my hair roughly, muttering a stream of curses at bedhead. I was downstairs several minutes later, my hair smooth and restrained by a hairband and my mouth tasting of mint toothpaste.

There he was, seated at the table, calmly sipping a glass of orange juice. I made my way over to him warily, sinking down in the seat across from him. He smiled. "Morning, sunshine. Bacon?"

I snatched a piece off his plate, nibbling on it. "What are you doing here so early?" I helped myself to some eggs while I spoke.

He raised a hand to his chest. "I'm hurt that you don't want me here, Dom. But since you asked, I was forced here. Something about getting you ready for the party."

I opened my mouth to ask what exactly he meant by that statement when Angie and Vic walked into the room. "Finally, you're awake!" Angie observed, completely ignoring the shocked expression I'm sure was plastered on my face. "Eat quickly, we need you back upstairs in five."

Behind her, Vic 'tsk'-ed, eying my clothing. "Geez, Dom, why do you always have to dress like that? Oh, well, I guess that just means we have even more work ahead of us."

I swallowed my mouthful of bacon. "Okay, wait, what are you two talking about?"

"We're giving you a makeover," Angie practically sang.

"And there's nothing you can do to get out of it," Vic added, a maniacal gleam in her eyes.

Note to self: attempting to bolt out of the room in a mad dash for the front door doesn't work so well when the bastard sitting across from you puts a sticking charm on your chair.

x-x-x-x-x

"Dominique Weasley! Stop fussing or you'll ruin your makeup! That mean no touching your face or your hair, no exceptions!" Vic grabbed both of my hands in hers, glaring daggers at me. "Now come on, we're going down to lunch." She began dragging me out of the room.

"No way. No. I am not going down there. There are people down there!" I tried to pull away from Vic, but they'd put me in heels, so right now all I could only stumble forward. I swear to Merlin, if I broke an ankle because of these things, I'd...I'd...well, to be honest, in the two hours it had taken to complete the 'makeover', I'd pretty much used up all of my more creative ideas for revenge. I guess I'd just have to settle for hurting them. Badly.

Angie walked behind me, a hand between my shoulder blades, pushing me forward. "Well, yeah, Dom, that's kind of the point. People are going to see you, so you might as well get used to it."

I suddenly remembered just who was downstairs. "Angie! Vic!" I hissed, horror jolting through me. "Sean is down there!"

"So?" Vic asked, stopping outside my room. "That's why he's here. We're going to use his reaction to gauge what the average male will think when he sees the new you."

"Sean isn't just some average male!" I yelped, before I remembered to keep my voice down. The last thing I wanted was for him to be listening at the foot of the stairs. "Angie, you know why I can't...it just...Angelina Alicia Wood, if you make me go down those stairs, I'll -"

Angie cut me off with a smirk. "Dismember me and feed me to a rampaging hippogriff, yeah, I know." She placed a hand on my arm, speaking quietly. "Look, Dom, nothing is going to change, okay? 'The Incident' was a one-time thing, alright? You don't have to worry about loosing his friendship. He cares too much about you."

I blushed as Angie spoke, and the maelstrom inside my head began to rage full force. What was I afraid of, really? Sean would always be my best mate, even if he wanted something more. If I was going to be honest with myself, didn't I want something more, as well? Why would it be so bad if we became more than friends? But then the insecurities kicked in. I was too quiet. I wasn't girly enough. Maybe he didn't feel for me the same way I felt for him. Maybe -

A piercing squeal broke through my worrying. "Your room, now!" Vic demanded, grabbing my elbow and yanking me into my room. Angie followed, confusion etched on her face, and Vic let me go long enough to slam my door closed. Then she returned to her previous position, a hand clamped tightly on my elbow. "Dom, Angelina, were you referring to what I think you were referring to?"

"No!" I muttered, my eyes on the floor. It should be illegal for anyone to feel this much embarrassment.

Angie rolled her eyes, an exasperated sigh leaving her lips. "Dom, you might as well have just 'fessed up, with that reaction!" she scolded.

Vic's eyes widened to the size of saucers. Seriously, they did. "When?" she asked.

Although I knew desperate attempts to salvage the situation were useless, I had to try. "When what? I don't know what you're talking about, Vic, but I think you've finally lost it." I pulled my arm out of her grasp and made a beeline for the door. Angie, the traitor, moved in front of me, blocking the only exit in the room. Well, there was the window, come to think of it...

"You know exactly what I'm talking about, Dom!" Vic was practically bubbling over with impatience. "When did you and Sean kiss?"

I could feel a blush spreading across my cheeks. Luckily Angie spared me from having to talk. "When she spent Christmas Eve at my place. Fred was messing around with some mistletoe and the two of them ended up in the wrong place at the wrong time." She shrugged. "It was kind of a silent agreement that no one would ever really talk about it. You know, one of those 'what happened here, stays here' things."

I finally found my voice and managed to mumble, "We're just friends!"

Vic threw her hands up into the air, and exasperated noise leaving her mouth. "Dom, honestly, are you going to tell yourself that?" I shuffled my feet, wishing the floor would open up and swallow me. "You know that's not how you feel, and anyone with a working set of eyes can tell that he feels the same way you do!" She walked over to where I stood, determination glinting in her eyes. I backed up into a wall, cringing. "You are going to go downstairs, Sean is going to see you like this, and you know what I think?" I shook my head weakly. "I bet you anything that, even though he's going to swallow his tongue when he sees how gorgeous you look right now, he's going to prefer how you usually look." She raised a hand to rub at her temple. "Although, to be honest, I don't see how anyone could. You wear such awful clothes! Now come one, we're going." She grabbed my arm and led me out of the room. This time, I followed meekly, too lost in embarrassment to put up a fight. Angie walked beside me. I could tell that she was doing her best not to laugh at me.

Some friend she was.

Somehow I managed to get down the stairs without killing myself, and the three of us walked into the kitchen, where my parents, Lou, and Sean were sitting at the table, eating. Lou saw me first and, with an evil grin, wolf-whistled. "Lookin' good, Dom!" he teased. If my parents hadn't looked over at me at that moment, I would have given that little prat the finger.

Sean's back was to me, and he turned in his seat in order to see what the fuss was about, taking a drink of water as he did. When he saw me, he did a double-take and swallowed, only to start coughing violently. My dad began hitting him on the back a little more forcefully than was necessary.

When he was finally able to breathe again, Sean straightened, staring wide-eyed at me. "Dom! I...uh, that is...I..." I couldn't help the smile that crept onto my face as he attempted to form a coherent sentence. "You...I mean...wow. You look great!" he finally managed to choke out.

I carefully made my way over to the table and sat down next to him, slugging him one on the arm. "Why thanks, Sean," I commented sweetly as he rubbed his arm. "Now, what's for lunch?"

x-x-x-x-x

I sat on a rock near the cliff's edge, watching the waves break on the shore below. The sea breeze was tangling in my hair, strands whipping into my face. I huffed in irritation, but I couldn't do anything about it; Vic and Angie had made sure that I didn't have any hairbands in my possession.

The sun was beginning to set, and I could feel the temperature dropping. I hugged my arms against my chest, reluctant to go back to the house. I loved my family, but I needed a few minutes away from the commotion. It hadn't helped that every female member of my family had gushed over my appearance. Well, except Auntie Ginny, but she could tell that I was mortified by the whole situation.

"Cold?" a voice asked behind me, and a few seconds later, Sean sat down next to me. He draped a blanket over my shoulders, offering me a tiny grin. "Why are you sitting here, anyway"

I huffed and looked over at him. "I'm contemplating murder," I informed him, my irritation at Vic and Angie still fresh.

He chuckled. "Well, real friends help you hide the bodies. I'll be sure to bring a shovel."

I burst into laughter, a huge smile replacing my frown. How did he always manage to do that? He seemed to know exactly how I was feeling, and he could turn any situation around. When I finally managed to quiet my laughter, I tentatively placed a hand on his forearm. "Thank you, Sean."

He shrugged. "Hey, don't thank me yet. I haven't given you your present." He pulled a box out of his jean pocket, offering it to me. "Happy fifteenth, Dom."

I swallowed, suddenly feeling nervous. I could feel my pulse accelerating. I took the box from him and opened the lid gently. Inside was a necklace. The chain was made from some sort of metal. From it dangled the letters 'DGW', plain except for some flourishes at the edges. It was perfect for me: plain, but subtly pretty.

I stretched out my arms impulsively, catching Sean in a hug. "Thank you," I whispered in his ear. My pulse, already racing, quickened still further at my proximity to the boy beside me. He held me tight for one long minute, then let me go, a crooked smile on his face. I offered him a shy grin in return, and we both sat there, watching the sun set.

"Dom." I turned to look a Sean, who seemed to be in an internal struggle with himself. "Just...don't take this the wrong way, okay? You look beautiful right now, but...I think you look better without all of this." He placed a hand on my bare knee, and a jolt of electricity raced through my body at the feeling of his bare skin against mine. He stood, and I craned my neck in order to look at his face. "I know Vic always gives you crap about your usual look, but...it suits you." With one last smile and a wave, he ambled off, leaving me sitting on a rock in the dark, clutching the blanket draped over my shoulders, an idiotic grin plastered on my face.