The Hogwarts Express left at nine o'clock that morning, and the majority of the school had cleared out to catch it. The final day of school scramble was always hectic, with everyone rising early, packing, rushing about. Trunks were slammed shut for the final time that term and breakfast was generally hurried. Many people took the carriages to Hogsmeade to catch the train; others walked. For the first time since she started at Hogwarts, Dominique wasn't among the faces making that trek.
At ten o'clock that morning, the seventh-years had their commencement assembly. It was essentially a send off event, with McGonagall speaking to them for the last time as their Headmistress. Family members were invited to attend, though Dominique had to wonder if her parents would even bother at this point. If anyone had to be sick of the constant visits to Hogwarts, it was them; she couldn't even blame them. Nothing here had turned up good news lately.
There still had been no word from Louis; no news, no sightings. His bank account had remained untouched, and it had taken her father ages to simply get that tiny bit of information out of the goblins at Gringotts. It was assumed that while he probably had some money, he wouldn't last long on it; he would have to visit Gringotts eventually if he planned on keeping this up. That piece of news had calmed her parents significantly. With this information they assumed Louis was still in the country and perhaps planning to return sooner rather than later.
"Perhaps he needed a week away," her father had suggested after Dominique had returned to McGonagall's office that first day to tell them everything Amalie and Javier had told her. Her father was less angry now, but more desperate sounding. It was clear he was thinking things through and trying to logically explain everything.
"I wanted to escape as a kid, too. Charlie and I would always talk about getting away from our family and seeing the world. And we did. I went to Egypt. Charlie's still off traveling the globe." He looked at his wife, "Even you, Fleur. You wanted to get away from what you knew. You came straight here after you finished school."
"After I finished school," she said rather matter-of-factly. "And you finished school. And Charlie finished school. And our parents all knew where we 'ad gone. We didn't run away, Bill."
"True," her father said with a heavy sigh. "Yeah, we did do it properly."
Louis' things had been searched after his disappearance came to light, and while the objects he'd had in plain sight—such as his radio and books on his bedside table—had remained mostly untouched, his trunk had been completely cleaned out. It confirmed to everyone that he'd planned this well ahead of time; that it hadn't been a spur of the moment decision.
"How'd he get all of that stuff out of the castle without anyone noticing?" Flynn had asked as he, Jack, Dominique, and Professor Longbottom all stared down into the empty trunk.
"We got bottomless bags for our birthdays," Dominique mumbled, realizing he could have easily pocketed all of his possessions and walked right out without anyone being any the wiser. That was probably exactly what he did.
In a quest for answers, Dominique had asked everyone if they had any sort of information or had spoken to Louis at all about his plans. Flynn had said Louis talked about wanting to leave, but he–like everyone else–assumed it was more the general sort of chatter that people graduating usually spoke of. He'd claimed there'd been no specifics or places mentioned; he hadn't taken him seriously.
Her cousin, Freddie, had told her that when he'd run into Louis on the morning of the tournament, he'd wished him luck and that Louis had actually doubled back to hug him. While he wouldn't have thought it was strange usually–since Louis had always been very sweet with him–Freddie had said given how grumpy and moody Louis had been lately, it had come as a surprise.
"It was a tight hug," Freddie said. "I thought maybe he was scared since every task so far has nearly killed him." He shrugged. "Now that I think about it, maybe he was hugging me goodbye before he left."
Rosie, James and Albus had similar stories about how Louis had stopped to share a few words with them, which again they'd all found strange since he'd been so distant lately. Natalie had mentioned she'd run into him in passing in the stairwell before the task and, after polite hellos, he'd told her to , "Be sure to take care of yourself" before walking off. She found it odd, seeing as he was the one headed into the task, but it hadn't raised any alarms at the time.
It was Natalie's comment that made Dominique think back to her last encounter with her brother. His odd, pleasant act that seemed strange to her at the time. She and Jack had been so focused on how he was acting, neither had really stopped to listen to the words coming out of his mouth.
"You told him to take care," Dominique reminded Jack. "And he said, 'you too.' At the time, I just assumed he was responding out of habit and not paying attention, but what if he was?"
"Was, what?"
"What if he was telling you to take care, too. Because he was leaving? Remember, the last thing he said to us was, 'Bye.' Obviously hindsight is 20/20, but would you say 'bye?' before–"
"Before leaving a conversation?" Jack asked. "That's fairly standard."
"I mean, it is," she agreed. "But, I don't know. 'See you later,' or something similar to that seems more appropriate."
Jack shrugged, "I'm not saying you're wrong, but I am saying there's no way anyone could have known what he was going to do based on what he said." He paused for a moment. "But, looking back, yeah. I do think he may have been saying goodbye."
"Which means," she said, finding her stomach twist uncomfortably, "that this very well may be longer than a quick trip."
And on that final morning at Hogwarts, Dominique found herself more sad than she ever could ever have possibly imagined. She was shit at goodbyes and avoided them at all costs, but that was impossible today. She'd only had so much that she held dear in life, and she was losing one thing after the other. Flying, her relationship with Louis, actual Louis, and now the place she'd called a second home for seven years.
She'd always said that the World Cup had been the marker in her life that separated her childhood from her adulthood, but she was now thinking she'd been a bit premature in that assumption.
Sarah was rather weepy all morning. Dominique, despite everything, found it hard to want to cry. She was a mixture of far too many emotions; perhaps the anger she felt for her brother, mixed with the sadness she also felt for him–and for everything else–kept her from actually breaking down. She instead found herself sitting silently in the nearly empty common room as Sarah and Natalie walked about pointing out every single memory they could think of. Every chair, every table, every bit of the room seemed to remind them of something.
Jack and Flynn were more amused at being able to have the entire common room to themselves, even if it was just for a few minutes. They stretched out across sofas and pushed chairs around; taking up as much space as they could. It had taken them seven years to reach the point where they could have their run of the room, so they apparently were going to enjoy it.
They'd all gone and given their rooms one last walk-through, which caused Sarah to cry even more. Dominique did walk over to her bed and run her hand over it one last time. Some little first-year would be sleeping in it next year. That was a weird thought. Natalie and Sarah were again walking down memory lane as they stood there, though this time Eleanor joined them. They'd had a lot of good times in that room–even if Dominique had balked at them for entirely too long.
As they walked through the portrait hole for the final time, Dominique decided to treat it like a bandage and do it without looking back. She could hear Sarah crying, but she couldn't look at her or else she may have been overcome with emotion herself. Leaving Gryffindor Tower for the final time was proving to be the hardest part.
They ran into the Ravenclaws on the way down the stairs. Marlowe Quinn and Kiera Khan were tear-stained and sniffly, immediately rushing over to hug Eleanor and the other girls in a shared moment of sadness. Lira Chin looked remarkably resolute, but she–like Dominique–seemed to be avoiding the overt displays of emotions. She was walking ahead of everyone on her own; heading down the stairs with a purpose.
Giggleswick walked by with Ansel Baileymoore and Caleb Gilmore. Even he had nothing to say for once, and truth be told, she didn't either. Perhaps the day had come where they were finally over it. There were no final jabs or quips; there was only silence. After four years of back and forth, they'd finally reached the point of nothing.
As they reached the Entrance Hall, the Slytherins and Hufflepuffs were all standing around, waiting to be invited inside. It was a generally subdued group; not as rambunctious as usual. Friends were leaning into each other with heads on shoulders and arms wrapped around each other. A few people were standing off on their own, and Dominique felt she, too, probably would have felt most comfortable being left alone to her thoughts.
But that wasn't happening, seeing as right at that moment, a stone faced Zara caught her eye and stepped away from her friends to walk over to her. It wasn't the first time the two had spoken since Louis had vanished–Dominique had asked her the same questions she'd asked everyone else–but it hadn't been a lengthy conversation.
She'd said the two had shared a few words before the task, mostly well wishes and 'good luck'. Louis hadn't mentioned anything out of the ordinary, and she, too, had noticed he seemed to be putting on a bit of a happy act. She'd noticed his mood swings lately, so the friendly hug he'd given her before they'd walked down to the castle had taken her by surprise. But that had been it. She couldn't even remember seeing him after the task; she'd been so caught up in the moment that the faces had blended together.
"Hey, Weasley," she said, approaching rather tentatively. "How are you holding up?"
She shrugged.
"I just wanted to…" She looked away. "Now that everything's died down, I haven't really been able to stop thinking about Louis. Knowing what I knew and how–while I'd convinced myself it wasn't my business–I still should have done more. I guess, I never really realized how bad it was. I mean, after I left Beauxbatons, we didn't talk as much…"
Zara seemed to be beating herself up about this, and Dominique wanted to tell her not to. She'd committed to shouldering most the blame for Louis now; because it ultimately was her fault more than anyone else's. She was the one who was supposed to have protected him.
"He and I got really close at Durmstrang," she said. "And I thought things would be the same when we got to Beauxbatons, and they weren't. He was all over the place–one day in love, the next day back to normal." She sighed. "I should have said something then."
"We all should have," she offered.
"It's something I truly regret," she said, and she looked like she meant it. "I wish I would have..."
But she never finished that sentence. Dominique wasn't sure if she'd ever planned on finishing or if the doors to the Great Hall opening caused a distraction large enough for her to switch gears. When they looked back at each other, all Zara said was, "I hope he comes home soon."
Dominique forced a smile, just as Jack came up behind her and seemed to be waiting for her so that they could enter together. She took a deep breath and glanced down at her uniform–the last time she'd ever have to be in these robes–and then back up at the large Great Hall doors. While she was more than ready for this school year to end, she wasn't ready for this new chapter to start. Not like this.
But as with everything else in her life lately, she didn't have a choice.
The ceremony had been shorter than Dominique had assumed it would be. She hadn't gone to her sister's, instead opting to take the train home back with her friends, but she'd expected it would last longer than the half hour to forty minutes that it did.
Their house tables had vanished, and they sat in chairs at the front of the hall, closest to the professors' table as their families were ushered in and sat behind them. Lira Chin and–to Dominique's annoyance–Ansel Baileymoore had gotten to stand at the front for the beginning of the presentation. They had been presented awards for their services to the school for their duties as Head Girl and 'acting' Head Boy, which was yet another painful reminder of Louis' absence. Dominique hated to admit it, but when she really thought about it, Ansel had probably fulfilled the role of Head Boy more than Louis had this year. He probably deserved it.
Zara had also gotten an award presented to her, which garnered a loud applause. Louis, too, it seemed would forever have his name imprinted in the trophy room–not only for being Head Boy, but for also being a participant in the TriWizarding School Tournament. At his name, Dominique felt as though she'd had a hundred eyes suddenly on her, but she kept her gaze focused forward and away from everyone else. Jack had reached over and put his hand on hers.
McGonagall had addressed them, telling them how honored she was to have watched them grow into competent witches and wizards; how proud she felt to have them go out into the world representing Hogwarts and the lessons it had taught them. She would miss them dearly, and perhaps would meet them all again when the time was right–whether that was due to a professional engagement or to see them one day returning to visit their own child here. Their academic journey was at an end, but their life was only just beginning.
It was a blur, and before Dominique knew it, they were being ushered out of the Great Hall; down a set of stairs that Dominique honestly hadn't taken since her first-year, and into the small underground harbor that housed the boats. Roughly forty to fifty of them were waiting to take them back out and across the Black Lake, a reverse of what they'd done as eleven-year-olds. It didn't seem that long ago that she and Louis had been staring at them from the shoreline in Hogsmeade after having taken their first trip on the Hogwarts express.
The group of seventh-years began congregating all around; no one was exactly sure exactly what was supposed to happen first. Dominique reached out and took Jack's hand as she heard Flynn mumble, "I'm a lot less excited taking these back as I was when I took them here."
"Remember how it was me and you on the ride over?" Sarah asked him. "Someone else, too." She looked around. "I want to say it Erin."
"I do," Flynn said, smiling a bit. "Want to sail back over? Go out like we came in?"
Sarah smirked and shrugged as if to say, "Might as well." Natalie, however, made a face. She and Sarah would clearly not be sharing a boat on the way back if Flynn had anything to do with it.
"I can't remember who I sailed over with," Jack said, looking around as everyone started to queue themselves up to catch a boat. "I think Katherine may have been there? Or I could be confusing her with Ellibit? Then some bloke." He shrugged it off. "I really have no idea. I was too overwhelmed with everything going on to pay attention."
"I was with Eleanor," Natalie said, causing Eleanor to smile at her. "After we'd met on the train. It was her, Kiera, and Marlowe. They were all friends beforehand and we all managed to squeeze into one boat." She laughed. "It was tight, then. We wouldn't dare now."
There was polite laughter at the image of the four of them packing into one boat, which tapered into an anticipatory silence as the queue lurched forward. Dominique let the silence simmer for a moment before offering up, "I sailed over with Louis."
Everyone looked at her and the sympathetic looks appeared immediately, though no one said anything. Natalie threw her an encouraging smile and Jack had reached over to rub her back, but the chatter mostly died until they reached the front of the queue.
"Two to a boat," said Filch as he stood there instructing them how to board. "May have been more the last time you made the trip, but you're much bigger now."
Sarah and Flynn stepped up and entered first, with Flynn shouting a rather obnoxious, "We're finished!" while rocking the boat in the process. Sarah had grabbed on to the side for dear life while telling Flynn to sit down and shut up. She immediately looked as if she regretted her decision to travel over with him.
Jack offered the next boat to Natalie and Eleanor, who climbed in neatly and readied themselves for their trek across the lake. He then turned to Dominique and gestured to the next boat. "I didn't ask if you wanted to ride back with me, but maybe, if you weren't busy…"
She smiled and rolled her eyes at him, pushing him along as they entered the boat. Filch hadn't been kidding when he said there wouldn't be room for more than two of them; even just she and Jack seemed rather packed in there. She could distinctly remember these boats being far bigger.
The boat magically pushed itself out from the spot it was docked, but stalled several feet out as it waited for the remaining boats to load. From what she'd heard, it wasn't until everyone in her year had boarded that the boats would finally make their voyage back across the lake–where many of the family members from the commencement were waiting to greet them. As soon as they stepped off onto the shore on the other side, it was officially done.
"I can't believe it's over," Jack said. "Actually over."
She nodded slowly. "It's a bit strange since all I ever knew in life was that I was going to Hogwarts. Now that that's over, I'm expected to pave my own way. I have no idea where to even start."
"You've got time to work it out," he offered as their boat heaved forward. There were a handful of cheers from some of the other boats; Dominique assumed one of them had to be from Flynn.
"I know, I just wish things had been different," she said quietly as the boat sailed along, passing through the ivy barrier that opened up to the rest of the lake and let them meet the exterior of the castle. Her eyes traveled up the length of the larger than life structure, settling on what she knew to be Gryffindor Tower. She searched for her window, though she knew already it was on the other side.
"I know you do," Jack said as he reached out to link his hand with hers. "But sometimes life is beyond our control."
"That's the number one lesson I've taken from this year."
They drifted in silence for a couple of minutes, both of them watching as the castle got smaller and smaller in the distance. She couldn't help but think about how Louis should have been there, experiencing this moment with the rest of them. Then she found herself angry with him because she should be enjoying this moment and not letting him pull her mood down. As much as she missed him and worried about where he'd gone, she had to realize he'd ultimately chosen to leave. He made that choice. He could have been here.
Upon finally reaching the other side, there were many cheers from the awaiting family members to greet them. As everyone climbed out of their boats, hugs were given, tears had started flowing, goodbyes were being said. Despite the fact that they'd all probably be headed to the same parties over the next few days and seeing each other shortly, there was something rather finalizing about this moment. When Dominique turned to look back out over the lake, she couldn't even see Hogwarts any longer. It was masked behind the treeline.
"We're done!" Sarah said, having rushed over with tears in her eyes but also a large smile plastered across her face. Dominique was by no means a hugger, but she knew Sarah wasn't going to let her get away from this. Sarah had flung her arms around her and hugged her as if her life depended on it. After letting go, she went and did the same thing to Jack.
"Uh, so, now, what?" Jack half joked.
Dominique did nothing more than shrug. For the first time in her life, she truly had no idea.
A month later, Dominique stared at herself in her bathroom mirror, her straight blonde hair brushed out as much as she could possibly brush it. She leaned in close to give her face one last quick inspection before standing back and nodding. She looked good. She was as ready as she'll ever be.
She walked out into the hallway, past the closed door to Louis' room and past her own room in the process. She'd spent much of the last month in that very room, leaving only occasionally to join her parents in relative silence down in the living room as they all forced themselves to keep preoccupied. Her mother had taken up needlepoint as a hobby and spent day after day charming needles and filling canvas after canvas. Her father had thrown himself deeply into his work.
The only other times Dominique really got up and about was to visit St. Mungo's once a week to talk to Healer Cane; to visit with Victoire, and sometimes Ted, when they came to the house; or to fly or stroll along the beach with Jack when he came around. He and she did spend most of their time out in the clearing in the woods near her house, allowing him to keep up with his Quidditch training. He'd thrown himself into things even harder than usual, and Dominique didn't know whether that was because of the impending Trials or because he–like her–just found comfort in busying himself with the familiar.
He was still getting a lot of attention from the German team that had contacted him earlier, and while they were determined, he'd decided he was going to go through the proper channel with the Trials and make a decision after that. Dominique tried not to think much about it, still holding out hope that something better—and closer—would come along. She wasn't sure she could handle the change of him leaving right now.
Healer Cane certainly had his work cut out of him lately, at least that's what she'd told him when she'd gone back to visit him that first time after graduation. He'd done nothing more than smile and encourage her to speak her mind and channel into the new parts of herself she was still learning to live with. It was the one hour a week where she truly felt at liberty to speak freely. With everyone else, everything was still too new and raw. Despite their claims otherwise, she still felt like her parents blamed her for not saying something sooner.
She'd made her way down the stairs to the foyer, where her sister was visibly working in the kitchen. Her parents weren't home—they usually took long walks along the beach in the afternoons these days—and Victoire had made it a habit lately to swing by almost daily to help in whatever way she could. Today was the first day Dominique wasn't busying herself by helping; for the first time in ages, she had plans to properly leave the house to be somewhere else but St. Mungo's.
"How do I look?" Dominique asked Victoire, who she realized was making dinner for their parents upon their return.
Victoire turned and looked Dominique up and down, smiling the moment she lay eyes on her. She had to be relishing the fact that she was asking for her approval on her appearance. This very, very rarely happened. "Turn around."
Dominique spun around. She was wearing dressy trousers and a flowy sort of blouse. It was far more dressed up than she would have liked to have been on a Saturday afternoon, but it was important she looked smart and put together right now.
Vicotire offered her a lazy looking thumbs up.
Dominique immediately wanted to kick her. "You're trying to wind me up."
"How does it feel?" Victoire smirked, charming the spoon to stir the sauce she was currently fretting over.
"Vic, I need you to be honest! This is important."
She laughed, turning to look at her once again. "You actually look lovely. I really like the blouse. And your hair looks fantastic. I always forget how pretty it is when you properly brush it out."
Dominique calmed at hearing that. "I don't look stupid?"
"One day you'll get it through your head that you don't look stupid just because you take the time to dress up a bit."
"I'm working on it," she muttered, checking the time. "But I need to go. Thank you again for coming over...again."
She shrugged. "You don't have to thank me. They're my parents, too. Plus, Ted should have just gotten off work and he'll be here soon."
That was good; she'd have company. Not that her parents needed supervision, but Dominique had convinced herself things were easier when either she or Victoire were around. It was something she was working with Cane, because she felt guilty for leaving even now—even just for the evening.
But tonight was important. Tonight was a big step.
"Please have fun," Victoire said, walking over to meet her in the foyer. "Or try to. And best behavior, of course."
Dominique let out an anxious breath. "I don't even know what I'm supposed to say."
"Not, 'fuck," she offered. "Perhaps put that one away for the night."
"I sometimes swear when I'm nervous," she said. "And I'm shit at small talk."
"You'll do fine," Victoire reassured her. "Just go with the flow. Don't fidget. Say please and thank you–"
"I do have manners," she said. "I'm not an animal."
"You're certainly not," Victoire said with a smile. "But you better go. It's nearly six."
"Shit," Dominique said, heading straight for the door at that comment. "I don't want to be late."
"Can't be late," Victoire agreed as she followed her to the door, seemingly enjoying the nervous display for whatever reason. "Be good."
"Always am," Dominique called over her shoulder, though she just as quickly Apparating a moment later, only to reappear hundreds of miles away in a narrow alleyway that she'd been instructed to use as a destination point. She'd never been here before and found herself sandwiched between two, rather tall, brick walls. There was little else to see–outside of Jack standing roughly ten feet away. He'd been leaning up against one of the walls as if waiting, and had looked up casually from something he'd been holding.
He smiled at her and she returned it as she walked forward and met him, already fidgeting a little anxiously.
"You look great," he said, pulling himself up off the wall. "Not that you had to dress up. I didn't."
He still looked perfectly presentable in brown trousers and a thin looking jumper, which she wanted to argue was slightly more dressed up than his usual wear, but she wasn't much in the mood to push it. "You don't have to. You're not meeting your parents for the first time. I'm looking to make a good impression."
"I think my parents are going to be so shocked by the fact that I can pull a girl as gorgeous as you are, that they really won't notice much else." He let his eyes grow a little wide. "I can promise you at least one joke from my dad about what kind of 'magic spell'—and he will call it a magic spell, which is a step up from when he used to call it a 'magic trick'–I must have you under to get you to give me the time of day."
She grinned a little as he led the way out of the alley and out onto a residential looking street, where semi-detached houses lined the way as far as she could see. There were a few kids running up and down the pavement, chasing after a football thing. Cars were coming and going down the street. An older couple was pushing their groceries on a small trolley. It was so very...Muggle.
"I don't do Muggle well," Dominique blurted out. "I forget what I'm not supposed to say or what I'm not supposed to use magic for. I only know so much about Muggle culture and references. I feel like I'm going to say loads of things wrong–"
"My parents are aware that we're wizards," he said with a laugh. "You don't have to hide it."
She sighed.
"In fact, it'll be good that you can help me explain the whole professional Quidditch scene to them because they really seem confused as to what I plan on doing for a living." He pulled a slight face. "My dad will also ask about why I can't ride the house broom around the garden if I'm apparently so good at it. He's got a lot of lame jokes. Be ready for that."
He suddenly stopped walking, which took her by surprise. She looked at him and noticed he was gesturing toward a walkway that led to a small set of stairs and a green door. "This is me."
She took an enormously large breath. She would be nervous enough seeing as this was the first time she had to meet someone's parents, but she was having to meet someone's Muggle parents and that was even more unnerving.
"Hey," he said, walking over to rub her arm affectionately. "There's no reason to be nervous. They're going to love you. Especially when they see how much I love you."
"But," she said, looking at him rather desperately, "what if I end up doing something stupid? What if I'm just some weird magical girl who accidentally swears or insults one of their habits or customs that I'm not aware of?"
He shrugged. "Then don't do any of that."
She let her expression turn exasperated. "Jack. Seriously."
"My parents are the nicest people in the world," Jack offered, clearly noticing her nervousness. "They're really excited to meet you." He smiled. "I talk about you a lot."
"Which just means you've set expectations I may not live up to."
"Who knew this would make you so nervous?" He smiled. "It's going to be fine. I know it is. But, for good measure" he suddenly held up his first, "Don't fuck it up."
She glanced from his hand to his face, her eyebrow raised. "We're just doing that for anything now?"
"Anything we need some extra encouragement on," he said. "Just like always. It's our thing."
She bumped his fist, finding it in her to pull a genuine smile out of her. She glanced back up at the green door, ready to conquer this first of many new firsts that the world would now throw at her. With one last deep breath, she said, "Don't fuck it up."