An hour and a half had passed with no signs of any of the champions. Dominique sat with her parents, with her grandparents, with the rest of her family. She'd had a few reporters–who must have noticed her with her family–come and ask her the typical questions. How was she feeling? Did she think her brother could win this? Had she spoken to him?

She gave them all the same answer. She was fine and she knew her brother was capable. However, there were a lot of capable people in this tournament. It was anyone's to win.

She managed to overhear her Aunt Hermione speaking to some colleagues about how the task should take no longer than two hours from everything she'd been told. She was now keen to know what her aunt knew, but matters like this naturally superseded family connections. Her aunt–the soon to be Minister of Magic–knew things. Official business was not something she could simply walk up and ask her about.

Professor Longbottom appeared soon thereafter; apparently to visit with his friends. He was making his way around the Weasley group, and Dominique assumed he wanted to make idle conversation with her parents, but he instead came and sat down beside her. His smile and demeanor was friendly. "How are you doing, Dominique?"

He'd been calling her Dominique a lot more often lately, she noted, but she merely shrugged in response. "Same as everyone else, I suspect. Waiting for this to be over."

"I have a feeling our winner will probably be finished soon."

She nodded rather lazily before she cast him a quick look. "Do you know exactly what's happening in the task, Professor?"

He nodded, but was busy watching a group of photographs clamoring to get a photo of her Uncles Harry and Ron, as well as her Aunt Hermione, as they chatted nearby. "I do. Many of us at the school contributed. Simply put, it's an obstacle course to truly test their knowledge and skill." He looked back at her. "Professor McGonagall drew inspiration from a similar idea that Professor Dumbledore had put in place many years ago. Only in that instance, it was to protect a valuable magical object here at the school."

"What was the object?"

"Something that has since been destroyed," Longbottom said. When Dominique's expression seemed to urge him to continue, he elaborated. "It was something Voldemort wanted to get his hands on. Happened my first year here, though I had no idea at the time. Your aunt and uncles did, though." He gestured to them. "They actually ran the course. Harry completed it with the help of the other two. Managed to stave off Voldemort for a bit."

She stared at him. "You said it was your first year here? Which also means it was their first year here, correct?"

He nodded.

"So, you're telling me this course–that was designed to protect something valuable from a deranged lunatic–was easy enough that a bunch of eleven and twelve-year-olds could figure it out?"

That made Longbottom laugh loudly. "I suppose I am. But you have to remember, they weren't typical eleven-year-olds. Not like me." He gestured over to where Hermione, Ron, and Harry were barely bothered by the photographers. "They are who they are today because they were never typical."

Dominique nodded as she also watched them. "Is the course today the same one they did?"

He shook his head. "No. Professor McGonagall was inspired by the idea of it, but she changed quite a bit. She had many of us contribute our own areas of expertise and build upon past ideas. I personally think it's very tricky." He shrugged. "But then again, I would have thought the old one was, too."

"I heard a rumor there was flying involved."

"There's a bit. There's a bit of everything. As I said, we all contributed."

"What did you contribute?"

"Various aggressive plants," he offered. "Many of which could do some damage if you weren't paying attention for the last seven years." He smiled a little. "And I can safely say I know your brother and Zahara were paying attention. They always got top marks in my class."

She nodded in a rather detached manner. She had a feeling that was the end of their little chat and that the silence would allow him to excuse himself, but he didn't. Instead he asked, "I never got to ask you about your time with Healer Cane that day. What did you think?"

She felt a little squirmy in her seat. "It was fine. He suggested that I see him again after I was done with school. Perhaps I should make a thing of it and it could help me long term."

Longbottom nodded. "I think he's right. He's a wonderful man. He's always been very kind to me, which meant a lot when I was young." He looked over at her. "I don't know if you were aware, but my parents suffered great spell damage when I was a baby. Enough that they aren't capable of taking care of themselves.

"They were admitted to St. Mungo's for care and they've been there for as long as I can remember," he continued. "I've spent a lot of time on that ward with those Healers. It's why I take it all so seriously–dealing with your spell damage, that is. I know these people and I know how they can help." He threw her a sad, but genuine smile. "I do hope you consider letting Cane and his associates help you. It is a process."

She again nodded; while she agreed with him, she didn't quite know what to say since it truly was overwhelming to think about.. She let her gaze travel over to where her parents were standing; her mother remaining cool and reserved while her father walked around with nervous energy. Members of their family were offering them encouraging words and attempting to take their minds off of things.

Dominique turned back to Longbottom. "I really do think Louis' in a worse spot than me."

"Even once the love spell was extracted? I'd been under the assumption that was causing him the most grief."

She nodded, though she didn't get the chance to elaborate. The sound of an immense cheer suddenly cut through the air as they–and everyone else–began searching around for the source of the jubilation.

In the direction of the archway, a tall, dark, willowy girl with her hair plaited down her back suddenly emerged holding onto what looked like a golden trophy. She looked a bit frazzled and certainly as if she'd dealt with some serious things on the other side of that archway, but on the whole, Zara looked completely triumphant. It had taken her a moment to remember to smile, but once the crowd's cheers became almost deafening, a proud grin crossed her face. She'd done it. She'd won the entire thing.

People were clapping, yelling, and shooting sparks up with their wands. Zara's family had come rushing to greet her, as well as some of her closer friends. The horn was blaring to symbolize the end of the task and, shortly thereafter, the other champions began emerging from the archway one by one as if summoned. Javier looked tremendously disappointed–or perhaps he needed a cigarette–but he was attempting to put on a brave face. The others were all clapping and walking over to wait their turns to congratulate Zara.

Louis, looking unscathed, had been the first one of the champions to make it through to her, hugging her quickly and saying something to her. He was ushered away swiftly and out of sight, seeing as everyone up on the stage was attempting to get to Zara. Sparks and fireworks were still going off; cheers carried from every direction. Several people had conjured confetti and streamer spells.

Nearby, her parents and family members were all exchanging hugs and good natured, but defeated shrugs. Dominique immediately noticed both of her parents looked more relieved than anything else. They had to be thinking that Louis made it through this one alive and in one piece; he'd walked out on his own accord. For the first time, he hadn't been pulled out in a state of unconsciousness.

The celebrations carried on for ten minutes as McGonagall finally appeared on the stage to attempt to settle everyone down. That action itself took more time, but after shooing away the photographers and everyone who wasn't Zara and her immediate family, she proudly let Zara take her moment at center stage to declare her the winner of the inaugural Tri-Wizarding School Tournament.

Dominique started clapping along with everyone else, noticing then that Jack had emerged from the crowd after finding her. They exchanged quick smiles as McGonagall invited several Ministry personnel up to the stage to commence with the prize awarding ceremony. As they were organizing themselves to do that, she also extended an invitation to the other champions to please join them on stage so that they can once again be recognized for their amazing achievements.

Aurick, Javier, and Maarit immediately appeared with their Heads in tow. Madame Maxime had been following, though stopped and immediately looked confused. She spoke something to someone, who dashed off the stage in an instant.

"With impressive showings," McGonagall said, "Please join me in congratulating our competitors from the Durmstrang Institute. Mr. Aurick Moser and Miss Maarit Lampenin."

Lots of clapping and applause as they waved and took their bows and waves. At the same time, the person who'd dashed off stage at Maxime's request suddenly reappeared with Amalie in tow. She was rushing up onto the stage to join Javier, having just made it in time for McGonagall to announce the pair of them.

"And from the Beauxbatons Academy of Magic, Mr. Javier Escolera and Miss Amalie Bellamy."

As the clapping continued, Dominique looked around for Louis. His introduction was due up next, but he was nowhere to be found. She nudged Jack. "Do you see Louis?"

He shook his head, standing up taller to get a better look.

"And, then from our own Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry," McGonagall continued, though only then did she seem to realize she was announcing someone who wasn't there. She looked around and then down at some of the people standing near the stage. "Is Louis Weasley hiding down there?"

There was laughter from the crowd as people craned their necks in an attempt to get a better look at what was happening. Dominique was watching with great curiosity as McGonagall seemed to be trying to communicate with people who didn't seem to have any answers for her. She then looked out amongst the crowd, specifically looking in the direction of the Weasley family. "If Louis Weasley is out there, please make your way to the stage."

Dominique's brow furrowed before she started to look around. Everyone seemed confused as to where Louis would have gone since he'd been there moments before. Everywhere she looked, people were glancing around them, as if expecting him to emerge with a charming smile and an "Oops, lost track of time" excuse.

Only nothing was happening. Louis was nowhere to be found.

"Alright," McGonagall said. "Well, Louis Weasley, wherever he may be."

More clapping, though it was deliberately slower and more confused sounding. Dominique looked at her parents; her father was looking straight back at her. He was silently asking if she knew what was happening, to which she shook her head. When Victoire and Ted appeared a minute later later, they had the same expression.

"Did you see where he went?"

"No, did you?"

"Where would he have gone?" Victoire asked.

"Toilet?" Ted offered. "Maybe he really had to go."

McGonagall had let the mustached Ministry official take the stage then to present Zara with her prize. The crowd was back to paying attention to that, though everyone around her was still unsure what they should be doing. Longbottom had reappeared to speak to her parents; everyone was mildly confused. He'd just been there, where did he go?

Zara was given a large, symbolic cheque in the amount of one-thousand Galleons, as well as flowers, and the prize winning cup. She was struggling to hold it all for the photographers who were begging her to look in their direction. People were still yelling and shooting sparks off with their wands. It had erupted into a bit of a wild celebration.

Eventually, once Zara had thanked everyone and the group took their final bows, the crowds did eventually begin to disperse. Many went back to the castle to continue celebrating—no doubt Slytherin would be absolute madness—or they were making their exits through the gates towards Hogsmeade. Her family had hung around for a while, all hoping to congratulate Louis on a job well done, but when he still didn't turn up after another hour, everyone outside of her parents and sister started to say their goodbyes.

"Tell Louis he performed tremendously," Hermione had been telling Fleur. "I wish I could myself, but let him know we're so proud of everything he's overcome."

Midday soon turned into late afternoon, and Louis' whereabouts still remained unknown. By evening, other people had started to ask questions about him. It seemed most had assumed he was off on his own–perhaps sulking after his loss; perhaps needing some space. He would turn up when he was ready.

"It would be rather devastating to have lost the whole thing," Rosie Weasley had offered Dominique upon running into her. "Especially after all that pressure to perform well."

Her parents hadn't been as convinced as everyone else that Louis was simply off lamenting. They'd argued Louis wasn't the type to sulk and disappear over a loss, though Victoire was quick to point out that Dominique was; perhaps it was another thing they'd swapped along the way. Their mother still hadn't seemed convinced, though Dominique couldn't argue with Victoire's logic. Louis was most definitely of the sulking variety these days.

But where had he gone? He wasn't in his room or the common room. He wasn't in any of the usual spots around the castle. That wasn't to say he hadn't found himself a new spot–the castle did have so many places to hide–but where? And for how long? He hadn't shown any intense desire to win the tournament in ages. How upset could he really have been?

The visitors and officials had mostly cleared after the celebratory feast in Zara's honor, leaving everything to return to mostly normal around the school. Her parents and sister had probably been the last people to leave, though Longbottom had been given instructions to please owl them once Louis turned up. Dominique could sense that her mother felt something wasn't right; truth be told, she sensed it as well.

She, Jack, Sarah, Flynn, Natalie and several others all sat in the common room waiting for Louis to turn up until well past midnight. Longbottom continued to pop in until just after eleven to check, though every time he discovered Louis hadn't returned, his face grew more and more concerned. On his last visit, he hadn't even bothered asking any questions. He'd seen the group of them still sitting on the sofa–having not moved all night–and he'd merely sighed before walking out without a word.

Dominique slept in Jack's bed that night–willing Louis to turn up and scold her for it. She and Jack didn't sleep much; they instead lay next to each other and talked to pass the time. They relived how the rest of the school had been in a positively fantastic mood after the tournament; how nice the feast had been, and how happy Zara had seemed.

It had been next to impossible to get anywhere near Zara after she'd won, but they'd heard through the grapevine that the task had included difficult potion making that the champions had to ingest; a horrifying sounding encounter with a chimera–which was actually a boggart, but Zara hadn't known; a transfiguration puzzle involving some very large objects; something to do with Venomous Tentaculas, and various other tricks and traps that Dominique wasn't sure were actual parts of the task or exaggerated rumors. It also turned out Ansel Baileymoore's information had been true. There had been flying apparently; something to do with using a broom to catch a flying key

Dominique had drifted off to sleep at some point, but woke early since she hadn't taken her potion and had slept poorly. A nightmare had jolted her up, where she noticed Jack had his arm around her. He was still asleep, so she must not have been that restless. She gently lifted herself up so as to not disturb him, but immediately glanced at her brother's bed. It was empty and untouched.

She took a heavy breath and pulled herself up to stand. It was very early–probably five o'clock in the morning. She made her way into the empty common room and crossed to the girls' dormitory. Her roommates were all sleeping, so she dressed in silence and quickly took the last bit of Calming Draught to get her at least partially through the day. She had a feeling in the pit of her stomach that told her she was going to need it.

It was still too early for breakfast, so she wandered downstairs. She hadn't been sure what she was looking for, but there weren't any professors about. The entire castle seemed eerily quiet as she exited through the front and out into the courtyard. It was a dull grey, early light outside, but even so, she could still see remnants of the tournament spread across the grounds. The tents had come down, but the stage was still up; the risers were as well. The archway, she noticed, was gone.

She walked around the lake several times, her eyes open and observing. A part of her realized she was looking for Louis, but she didn't know why she thought he'd be in the woods. He wasn't exactly the type to rough it, and even if he had been, why would he bother? None of it made any sense.

After returning to the castle later in the morning, there were more people buzzing around. Not many, seeing as it was still only six-thirty, but the earlier riser had come to breakfast. Dominique joined them in the Great Hall; eating a quick bacon sandwich and drinking plenty of juice. She'd been contemplating having a second sandwich when she saw Professor Longbottom pass through the entrance. It seemed early for him to be here.

She had a feeling when she saw him that he'd come to speak to her; when he'd crossed the room and headed straight for her, her suspicions were quickly confirmed. His face did not look reassuring, which only confirmed to her what she already knew. Louis still hadn't turned up. Wherever he was hiding, he was making sure to stay put.

'Miss Weasley–"

"No word, then?"

"Could you come with me, please?"

His tone had been urgent, so she didn't question him. She stood without her second sandwich and followed him as he led her toward–what turned out to be–McGonagall's office. As she let the steps take her up to meet the large door, she realized this was the fourth time she'd been in this office since the start of term. She'd never even entered it prior to this year; now she was on her fourth visit.

Upon entering, she was even more surprised to find both of her parents there; her mother sitting in a chair in front of the large wooden desk and her father standing nearby. McGonagall was seated behind her desk, and all eyes landed on Dominique as she entered. She immediately felt nervous, but she wasn't sure why.

"She was in the Great Hall having breakfast," Longbottom explained, answering a question that no one had asked. McGonagall was nodding though, so perhaps it was something Dominique simply wasn't privy to.

She took the moment to smile at both of her parents, and they both returned it in a very lukewarm and exhausted sort of way. They were clearly preoccupied, and Dominique wasn't dumb enough to ask them what was going on. Louis may have walked out of that third task on his own accord, but he was still three for three in causing his parents extreme stress afterwards.

"Dominique," said Professor McGonagall, clearing her throat. "Thank you for coming. I know you're aware that your brother is still missing. That is, in the last eighteen hours, no one can claim to know where he's gone off to. Many of us assumed he was simply dealing with the end of the tournament in his own way, but this length of time without any word seems rather excessive." She paused to look her in the eye. "We're now starting to believe he's left the school."

Dominique felt her brow furrow. Left the school? Left the school and gone where? Why would he have left the school? That couldn't be right. They were done in less than a week, why would he have left? Not to mention, his trunk and the area around his bed had looked untouched. His music, his radio, his books...everything was still there. She hadn't looked inside of his trunk to check if he'd taken anything, but...why?

"We've performed some spells to locate him and haven't had luck turning up anything," McGonagall continued. "That isn't to say that the magic of this castle doesn't have ways of rendering those spells rather useless, but it's beginning to be the explanation that makes the most sense." She stood then to walk around to the front of her desk, her dark purple robes trailing behind her. "We're attempting to figure out why. Have you heard from your brother at all since the tournament ended?"

She shook her head.

"We understand the two of you are very close, so perhaps he'd said something to you recently–"

"He hasn't," Dominique said blankly. "And we haven't been close lately,"

McGonagall looked confused, though both of Dominique's parents looked as though she'd claimed the sky was green. It was her father who said, "That's impossible."

"You would think so, but–" she glanced over to both of her parents, "Things have changed."

"Changed how?" her mother asked, though she was drowned out by her husband saying, "Changed? So, you've decided to...what, exactly? Stop being close?" He sounded dumbfounded and even a little irritated. "After eighteen years of being each other's shadows, now–"

"I didn't decide anything," she said. "He's angry and doesn't want anything to do with anyone. Locked himself away and threw away the key."

"What exactly do you mean by that?" McGonagall asked, the lone voice of calm in the bunch.

"I mean, that's what he told me," Dominique offered. "He's angry with me. He says he doesn't need me telling him what to do after I told him he needed to get help. He doesn't need anyone. He just wants everyone to go away."

Her mother stood up at the moment and started pacing the room while her father continued to look angry and frustrated. "But where did this come from?" he asked. "I saw him yesterday and he was fine. How am I supposed to believe that he went from perfectly happy to wanting to run away in a few hours time? Unless something in the task…"

"It wasn't the task," Dominique said, hesitating now as more of Louis' words during their fight echoed back to her. "Even before, he'd said he wanted to escape. That's what he told me."

McGonagall adjusted her glasses on her nose. "Did he happen to tell you where he wanted to go?"

She shook her head. "At the time I assumed it was a hypothetical escape. I didn't actually expect him to do it. At least, not without explaining himself."

"Do we think he planned to use the tournament crowds to slip away?" Longbottom asked, looking at McGonagall. "Then again, why wait?" He could have left any weekend by walking down to Hogsmeade–"

"The tournament had created a magically binding contract," McGonagall reminded everyone. "He was aware of the consequences of breaking it. It would explain why he left after its completion if he was looking to actually leave."

"But why did he want to leave!?" yelled her mother, having swung around on the group of them rather fiercely. "Why does my son suddenly want to escape everyzing? Why am I now hearing zat zings were bad enough zat his sister is asking him to seek help that he apparently refused? Why iz everyzing just now coming out!? He had a love spell inside of his 'ead for months and no one knew! Why does no one seem to know what iz 'appening!?"

The room was silent for a long moment, though Longbottom did finally break the silence. His voice was quiet when he said, "Fleur, up until a week ago when we learned of the love spell, he hadn't shown any real signs of strange behavior. He hid it remarkably well. It wasn't until he went off the potion to control his spell that the withdrawal caused him to act out."

Her mother looked as if smoke could have shot straight out of her ears. Her father seemed just as angry, though he was clenching his jaw and silently staring at the floor. His expression was very reminiscent of Louis when he was particularly absorbed in something.

"I should 'ave known somezing was truly wrong when I 'eard he was fighting oz'er students," her mother said. "Under normal circumstance, Louis would 'ave never—"

"It was Jack he was fighting with," Dominique said, catching Longbottom's eye as she said. "I know you're not allowed to give out details, but I can. They should know exactly who it was. It being Jack is different than it being a random student. It shows where his head was."

She'd been hoping to make her parents see that there had been more of a personal connection to Louis' outburst, not that he was running around fighting random kids like a madman, but she wasn't sure if her intent was understood. Instead, both of her parents just looked shocked.

"He and Jack got into a fight?!" her father asked, now looking at Dominique, as if begging her to explain this. "They're best friends." His voice suddenly raised. "My son doesn't get into fist fights with his friends! He's never hit...!" He suddenly stepped away as if to gather himself; he was quiet for a long moment before he finally said, "He claimed it hadn't been a big deal and not to worry. He never even mentioned Jack's name. He didn't even seem bothered by it."

"I think he was putting on an act yesterday," Dominique said quietly. "Why, I don't know, but his entire demeanor yesterday was so different from how I've seen him lately. He even put it on with me. And before yesterday, he legitimately hadn't spoken to me in ages unless we were arguing."

"And why have you been arguing, Dominique?" asked Professor McGonagall, her voice calm and collected.

Dominique glanced down at the vacant chair in front of her. She probably should sit if she was properly going to do this. "If you want, I can start at the beginning. But it's a long story..."

Her mother had started to cry once she heard the details. She'd gone from moments of pure sadness as Dominique described in detail how much she and Louis had lost due to the second task, only to flip to looking completely heartbroken at hearing how much of this could probably have been avoided if someone had just opened their mouth and said something sooner.

Her father said nothing. His face was like stone. She couldn't see how he didn't blame her for all of this. Somehow, she felt as though this wasn't one of her wilder antics that fondly reminded him of Charlie and he could simply excuse it away.

"I had no idea," Longbottom said in a faraway voice. "Louis always seemed so…" He blinked in a lost sort of way.

Even McGonagall had seemed shocked to hear the story, which only went to show just how in the dark everyone had truly been; how well Louis knew how to play the game. He'd fooled so many people into thinking his spell damage was surface level, when in reality, it was eating him alive inside. Add to that the lies and the confusion...He'd felt the need to escape it all.

"I cannot believe you and Louis 'ave been going zrough all of zis on your own," her mother finally said. "I can't believe neither of you said something to us. Why did neizer of you say somezing?"

"We assumed we could handle it," Dominique said meekly. "I thought I could…" She squirmed uncomfortably and found herself glancing over at Professor Longbottom before back at her mother. "But I'm getting help now. I'm trying to at least. I'm talking to someone. I'm taking potions. I was trying to convince Louis too, but at that point he didn't trust me because I'd lied to him…"

"I can't…" her father said before trailing off. He looked like a man who'd been left in the dark for longer than he should have and he was not happy about it. Oddly enough, he looked less angry now. He looked a hundred other emotions, but anger wasn't one of them.

When he finally turned back to face McGonagall, he simply asked, "So, what can be done?"

McGonagall inhaled slowly. "Unfortunately, not much can be done since he's an adult who left on his own free will. Anyone in an official capacity still wouldn't even consider him missing for at least another day or so, and that would still be tricky to prove. Especially since he doesn't pose a risk of harm to anyone."

"But himself."

"We can, of course, put the word out to keep an eye out," McGonagall offered. "You will want to contact Ms. Granger or Mr. Potter since they would have the best resources available to them."

Her father was already nodding, just as Longbottom added, "And perhaps we can attempt to set up monitors to see if he turns up in certain places. Gringotts, for example, if he goes to retrieve money, they could perhaps–"

"They could only alert us," her father said matter-of-factly. "They wouldn't be able to do anything. Goblins have very little interest in the problems of wizards."

"You've worked with the bank for over twenty-five years," Dominique said. "They wouldn't–?"

"Goblins run by their own code," her father said with a stoney face. "So, no. They wouldn't." He looked over at McGonagall. "I need to send owls."

McGonagall was already fetching him a quill and some parchment as Dominique reached out and laid a comforting hand on her mother's shoulder. Her mother took her own hand and laid it on top of Dominique's, looking at her with wide, sad eyes.

"Mum, I'm so sorry. This is all my fault."

"Zis is many people's faults," her mother said. "You cannot shoulder all of ze blame. It iz the failt of many people. It iz my fault for not…" She trailed off and shook her head. Dominique didn't think she'd ever seen her mother look so sad.

Her father was now scribbling quickly at McGonagall's desk, while McGonagall, herself, was now bent near her fireplace as if trying to contact someone . Longbottom was attempting to offer reassurances to her mother that Louis was bound to turn up sooner rather than later; that someone would spot him and that they would owl everyone necessary to keep an eye open.

"Fleur, maybe owl your parents or your sister," her father said, not looking up for the letter he was writing. "In case he decides to go to France."

"You zink he would leave ze country?" she asked. Dominique's eyes went wide, as if to silently ask the same question. Leave the country?

"I don't know what I think," he said, already sounding exhausted. "I just want everyone to be aware." He glanced over at Dominique, his expression more concerned than she'd could recall in record memory. "Nic, maybe you can ask around? Ask your friends, kids in the school. See if he's spoken to anyone recently?"

"If there is one thing I've noticed working with teenagers is that they have a hard time keeping their plans a secret," Longbottom offered. "News always tends to get out."

Dominique nodded, though she didn't feel particularly confident that Louis had been talking to anyone. He'd been locked up in his room with the curtains drawn for the last week. Still, she had to do something. Her not doing anything was much of the reason they were in this mess.

It was nearly eight o'clock now and she knew the Great Hall would be bustling. She'd been headed straight for it, her goal being to speak to Flynn since she knew he was the only person who could claim to have spoken to Louis lately, but when she'd rounded the corner that led toward it, she'd suddenly been struck by an entirely different idea. She knew exactly whom she wanted to speak to.

She bypassed the Great Hall entirely and headed across the Entrance Hall. Out the front doors, through the courtyard, down onto the grounds, and headed in the direction of the Beauxbatons' carriage. It was still parked there, and she was aware they were supposed to leave shortly. She'd heard someone mention that both Beauxbatons and Durmstrang were planning their departure for after breakfast, and that there was supposed to be a bit of a send off around nine. She'd only hoped she'd caught them before they'd left to eat.

She rapped three times on the door to the carriage. She had anticipated doing it several more times, though found herself surprised when it opened straight away to reveal Javier standing there.

"Come to say goodbye," he asked with a funny sort of smile.

"My brother's missing."

The smile slipped off his face. His expression morphed into disbelief. "He never turned up?"

She shook her head and it was then that she noticed he was staring at her strangely. He must have been reading her; she didn't attempt to stop him. She wasn't sure she could tell the story again.

"Shit," he said, turning to look behind him, but gesturing for her to follow. "Come in. I know you're hoping I could help, but I don't know where he went."

"He didn't mention anything to you yesterday?" she asked as she stepped into the carriage. She immediately noticed that it was very clean; it had a quality about it that said it was being packed up to leave. There were a few boxes against a nearby wall, but otherwise, it looked the same as it had been the day she'd been here before the ball.

"No," Javier said as he crossed the living space. "But we didn't see each other much beforehand. We were kept separated until the start of the task."

"I didn't know if you happened to read—"

"No," he said, cutting her off quickly. "Believe it or not, I don't always automatically do that. Yesterday I was preoccupied with everything else. I only even fished around in Zara's head a bit to attempt to figure out how she was feeling."

"And afterwards?"

"I didn't speak to him," he said as he stopped in front of a closed door. "I was preoccupied with having lost." He knocked on the door and it opened almost immediately. Amalie's head poked out, but she didn't see Dominique. She instead told Javier something about almost being finished packing.

"She has a question for you," Javier said, and when he gestured to Dominique, Amalie finally noticed her standing there. Her reaction seemed rather surprised, but also a little hesitant.

"Hi," Dominique said, stepping closer. "I know we haven't had the best interactions, but was hoping I could talk to you about Louis. He's run off. He's disappeared without a word or a note and no one knows where he's going or what he's doing."

Amalie emerged fully from her room, and her gaze had also changed into something more intense. Dominique had to assume she was now trying to get a read on the situation, but she felt rather stupid standing there being looked at like that. She decided to speak up, even if Amalie could read her.

"I know how things ended, and that you weren't even speaking, but—I don't know who else to really ask. I thought maybe he'd said something to you before he left."

"He did," she said slowly, causing Dominique's ears to perk up. "But it wasn't what you're looking for. Though..."

"What did he say?"

"Um," she seemed flustered, "He'd stopped me after the task, after Zara had won and everyone was celebrating. I must have gone on the defensive because I didn't know how he would be, but he immediately started apologizing. He wanted me to know he couldn't remember anything he'd done, but if the stories were true, he owed me a huge apology. He wanted me to know he was sorry for how he'd made me feel while under the spell."

That seemed...nice. That seemed much like the old Louis. "That was all he said?"

She sighed and looked at Javier before turning her gaze back on Dominique. "He said he'd never bother me again. Something about how he'd be out of my hair soon, and not to worry. Then one of the professors from Beauxbatons had come to fetch me. They were introducing us," she gestured between her and Javier, "and I needed to be on stage. I do remember Louis had turned and walked away after that, and it didn't hit me until he was announced later and never turned up that he'd walked off in the wrong direction. He'd gone away from the stage."

"That's it?"

She nodded. "That's it. I didn't see him after that."

Dominique sighed, having not found anything particularly useful and realizing she'd wasted her time coming down here. As she was about to excuse herself and leave them to their packing, Javier suddenly looked as if he remembered something.

"He'd told me many times on our walks that he wanted to get away. He was tired of everything; he needed to see what was out there. See the continent. I told him to come visit me in Galera if he found his way to Spain, but it wasn't a real plan. It was the sort of thing we all say, you know? Who doesn't want to get away and travel?"

It was then that she found herself wondering whether this was actually happening. Did Louis actually leave for some far away place? And if that's what he wanted to do, why did he have to run away to do it? Why not wait a few days, get through the end of term, tell everyone his plans, and then take off? Why the suddenness? Why the urgency?

"Probably because he didn't want people telling him not to," Javier offered. "He's sick and tired of people telling him what to do."

"Stop reading me," Dominique said, her eyes landing on Amalie. She had been looking at Javier curiously, though when their eyes met, Javier shrugged her off. It made her turn back to Dominique and sigh.

"Do you have any family or friends he may have tried to go and see first?" she asked. "I feel awful because I can see how worried you are."

"My parents are already writing to my family," Dominique said, realizing that she'd gotten all the info she'd come for; she may as well leave them to get ready for their trip home. "If either of you hear from him, please let me know."

Javier nodded quickly, which seemed to surprise Amalie. She eventually looked away and offered Dominique a genuine sounding. "Absolutely. And I'm sorry this happened."

"Yeah," she said. "I'm also sorry you had to deal with the Louis you had to deal with. He really is a lovely person...or, was before all of this happened." She found herself sadly smiling. "The best person."

"He seemed wonderful," Amalie said with a small smile. "He certainly had a way with people." She frowned. "It shouldn't have happened to him. It shouldn't have happened to anyone, but…" She looked away. "You know."

"I know," Dominique said quietly. Trust me, I know."