Dom continued to enjoy her classes, though she was often reminded by her peers and professors how well her sister had done those subjects. Still, she found solace in her afternoons with Aberforth. She spent the rest of her time studying or hanging out with her classmates. She was in the courtyard with Billie, Lottie, and Peggy. They were going over their charms work, but spent most of their time talking. They were joined by the Wood triplets who were also in their charms class. Franklin, Hugh, and Chester were the smartest kids in their class, and they were mostly helping the girls with their work. Hugh and Franklin were trying to flirt, quite unsuccessfully, while Chester was cuddling with his seventh year girlfriend, Layla Wilson. They all laughed as Hugh tried to wink at Pippa Lewis, who completely ignored him, as she passed by. The group was so deep in conversation that they didn't notice the approach of Tillie McLaggen. Tille was flanked by Tia and Barney Davies.

"Well look what we have here," Tillie sneered, "it's a bunch of second rate wizards and a troll." The trio laughed as Dom and her friends turned to face them.

"Tillie it's not nice to talk about Barney like that he's right there, and you're not a second rate wizard give yourself some credit," Dom replied sweetly. Tillie fumed at this, while Barney looked positively mortified.

"People can see for themselves that I'm a great witch. All anyone knows about you is that you're Victoire Weasley's pathetic excuse for a sister. How does it feel to be a disappointment to your whole family? You couldn't even get into Gryffindor. Not brave enough are we?" Dom sat silently. She knew what Tillie would say, but it didn't hurt any less.

"Hey Tillie," Billie said, "Why don't you go stink up some other part of the castle?" This was met with nods and agreement from the rest of the group.

"Billie why are you standing up for her? You already have enough to worry about with your sister failing her O.W.L.s." Billie leapt up from her seat in the grass, but was restrained by Hugh and Franklin.

"Tillie just because you're miserable doesn't mean you have to make everyone miserable with you," Hugh shot at the girl.

"Back off Wood," Barney spat, "you know you can't back up any of your talk." Tillie opened her mouth to speak, but stopped as something caught her eye. In a flash, she reached out and grabbed a piece of paper from the pages of Dom's book. She looked to see a half finished drawing of a tea set that Dom kept in in dorm. Tillie showed it to Tia and Barney as she laughed.

"Look here, what's this Weasley? I only wish I could tell if this was done by a sixth year or a baby." Dom was frozen in her spot. Nobody but Aberforth had ever seen her artwork, and now Tillie had it. She'd never be able to keep it from her parents now. Dom shot a hex at Tillie, grabbed her drawing, and ran. She ran through the castle to an empty corridor on the third floor where she found a small closet to lock herself in. She cried in the closet for what seemed like an hour. She didn't know what Tillie would say, but she knew Victoire would hear and so would her parents. She also cried because she loved her artwork, and Tillie had dismissed it as trash. While she knew she couldn't trust Tillie's opinion, it still hurt to hear. She looked at drawing which was now crumpled and smudged. The lines which had seemed, while she was drawing, to come alive now appeared flat and indistinguishable. The picture had lost it's life, and Dom felt she had lost a part of herself. As she mourned the loss of her picture as well as her privacy and joy, she began to feel the magic inside her bubble into rage. She continued to stare at the paper. Without thought, she dashed into the hall and toward her dorm. She immediately retrieved the teacup from the picture. She set the picture by the teacup, and she imagined the life that the teacup had in the drawing. She wanted to capture that life again, but the picture had lost it. In a desperate attempt to create the image of the teacup as it was she placed the cup on the paper. She closed her eyes and focused on her magic and whispered, "Nihilex." She opened her eyes and saw the teacup in front of her, but the drawing was gone. She felt an overwhelming despair until suddenly, the teacup jumped off the table. The cup scurried over to the door and ran into it a few times before turning back to Dom. She just stared at the little cup in disbelief. She had never used that spell before, nor did she know where it had come from. As far as she could tell, she had created a new spell. As she observed the cup, it looked as though it seemed to be questioning her. She noted that though it had no face it moved with the side opposite the handle forward, and the lip of the cup lifted slightly on one side as if arching an eyebrow at her. She giggled at the cup and walked over to pick it up. As soon as she did, it leaned into her touch as if it knew she had created it. As if it had a personality. She held the cup up to her face, and cocked her head at it which the cup mimicked. She laughed. She had to tell somebody, and could only think of one person as she dashed out of the room.

Dom burst through the door of the office. "Ab!" she shouted ecstatically. Aberforth was sitting at his desk wide-eyed at her outburst. Across from him sat a handsome boy, who wore a smirk but had an intrigued look in his eye. Dom blushed fiercely. "I'll wait outside," she muttered. Dom closed the door and banged her head against the wall. She paced back and forth with the teacup in her hand until the door finally opened. She slipped the cup into her pocket as the boy came out of the room.

"He's all yours," he said with the same smirk from before, "sorry to have kept you waiting."

"No, I'm sorry," Dom quickly said, "I should have knocked. I'm just a little excited."

"I could tell," he laughed, "well I don't want to keep you any longer. I'm Angus… Finnigan." Dom smiled at him, but remembered her encounter with her sister earlier.

"Are you a seventh year Angus?" she asked.

"Yes," he said, confused at the change in her demeanor.

"Well then you must know my sister. I'm Dominique Weasley," she said in response to his confused look.

"I must say," Angus said, understanding who she was, "you don't seem very much like her." Dom hung her head.

"Yes, that is the conclusion most people come to. Sorry to disappoint you."

"Disappoint me? On the contrary, I find you far less abrasive." Dom's head shot up. She couldn't believe this boy had seen her sister, talked to her sister, and was not enamored with her.

"Well you'd be the first," she stammered.

"Pity," he replied, "you seem like a lovely girl… will you be going to Hogsmeade this Thursday?"

"Yes," she said.

"Would you mind if I accompanied you?" he asked.

"Not at all," Dom said, barely conscious of her reply.

"Alright, I'll see you then," Angus said as he turned and walked down the corridor. Dom watched him go, and stood in her spot, unable to believe what had just happened. Eventually, she made her way dreamily into Aberforth's office.

"There you are," he exclaimed, "I thought you'd left you took so long coming in. Did you have something you wanted to tell me?"

"Yes," she said coming back to reality, "but first, what do you know about Angus Finnigan?"

"Well," Aberforth started, "he's a very bright boy. He's a seventh year and he wants to become an auror. Gryffindor. Head Boy. That's about all I know. Why do you ask?"

"I think he just asked me out on a date," Dom replied.

"Did he now? Somebody's stepping into the spotlight," Aberforth joked.

"Not for long," Dom replied sadly, "Tillie McLaggen got ahold of one of my drawings."

"Oh Dom," Aberforth said as tears filled the girl's eyes.

"Now my parents will find out and I won't be able to be an artist, and…" she stopped unable to finish.

"What?" Aberforth asked coming around the desk to place his hand on her shoulder.

"She said it was awful." Aberforth hugged Dom as she cried. He knew how much her art meant to her, and loathed the McLaggen girl for making Dom feel this way.

"Dom, you know she's a terrible girl who just wants to get under your skin. Your art is beautiful, and anyone who says differently will have to go through me." Dom smiled up at him.

"Thanks Ab," she said, burying her head into his shoulder. Suddenly, she felt a movement in her pocket and remembered why she had come. "Ab," she said, leaping up, "I have to show you something. Aberforth was startled by her sudden recovery, but was even more startled when she pulled what appeared to be a sentient teacup out of her pocket. The figure hopped around her hand appearing to look down over the edges.

"What is it?" Aberforth asked. He had never seen an object like this. Spells could be used to make objects complete a task, but this cup had no agenda.

"I created a spell… I think. I was upset after Tillie had taken my drawing and ruined it. So, I tried to fix it, but this happened" She bounced on her toes as Aberforth examined the cup. It squirmed in his hands and shuddered as if it were ticklish when he scratched at the base.

"This is extraordinary," Aberforth marveled as he handed her creation back to her, "Dom do you have any idea how remarkable this is? You have such talent"

"I don't think it's talent Ab. I think it's just that I spend so much time alone that my magic is the only thing I can really depend on. I've become very intune with how it works, because it's there when nobody else is."

"Call it what you want, but I think this is spectacular. You haven't even left Hogwarts and you've already created a spell."

"So," Dom huffed, "lots of people have made spells during school."

"But most haven't," Aberforth countered, "whether it's talent or not, you should be proud of yourself."

"I am. Thank you," Dom said, "I think I'll call him Vie, for life."

"Excellent," Aberforth said with a chuckle, "you should show the Headmistress. I'm sure she'd be very interested in your charm work."

"No, she'll tell people about it," Dom quickly said.

"What's the point of having a spell if nobody can use it?"

"I want to keep it to myself for now. There are very few things that belong to me alone, and right now this is one of them."

"I understand," Aberforth said with a sigh, "I'm sure she would keep it confidential if you ask her to." Aberforth arched his eyebrow at her as she smiled.

"Fine you can show her," she said with a smirk.

"Hey this is your moment, remember," he said.

"Yeah, then why do I feel like you're more excited to show her than I am." Aberforth smirked at her, and together they raced out of the room.

Headmistress McGonagall was sitting in her office rubbing her temples. It was getting to be too much, dealing with these students. Finlay Baddock had just come, for the seventh time this year, proclaiming that James Potter and his friends were breaking yet another school rule. As usual, all she found was Lewis Carmichael looking scared as ever, but unwilling to rat out his long time idol. She chuckled to herself, realizing how much like his grandfather James was. He even had a similar group of friends, though with the tragic lack of a friend to keep the others in check. Sadly, that job went to Finlay, who wasn't so much of a friend as a tattle tale. Minerva sighed as she prepared to leave for the Great Hall. She was stopped however by a knock on the door. "Come in," she said as she sat back into her chair. Aberforth Dumbledore walked in followed by Dominique Weasley. Minerva couldn't remember the last time Aberforth had come into her office or Dominique for that matter. She didn't recall the girl ever having been in the office. She wasn't a troublemaker like her cousin nor was she a stand out student like her sister. Dominique had never had a reason to be in the Headmistress's office, good or bad. Minerva greeted the pair politely, but with an ounce of worry. "Aberforth. Miss Weasley. What brings you two to my office?"

"Headmistress," Aberforth began with a small smirk, "I believe Dominique has something you will want to see."

"Miss Weasley?" McGonagall said, turning to the girl. Dom took a step forward and stopped.

"Headmistress, I ask that you please keep this between the three of us… for now," Dom said hesitantly. Minerva looked at Aberforth who gave her a nod.

"Very well then. Let's see," the headmistress said, becoming more sceptical of the pair. Dom pulled out a small china teacup. She set the little cup on the headmistress's desk, and it began to race hop around. Dom couldn't hold in her laugh at the sight, and soon all three of the occupants of the office were laughing as it slipped on parchment as it navigated the desk.

"What is it?" McGonagall asked after they had stopped laughing.

"It's a teacup," replied Aberforth with a grin. Minerva slapped his shoulder lightly.

"I'm well aware that it is a teacup Aberforth. I want to know what spell Miss Weasley is using to make it do that," Minerva said shooting a pointed look at Dominique.

"I made it, the spell, I created it," she stumbled over her words as she replied.

"You mean to tell me you developed this spell on your own," Minerva looked shocked as Dom nodded, "that is marvelous Miss Weasley. Congratulations. The rest of the staff will be delighted at your accomplishment, as will your family and peers I predict."

"No Headmistress. Please, I'd like to keep this between us for now," Dom blurted out.

"But Ms. Weasley, this is a great accomplishment, especially for a witch of your age. You could be recognized by the Ministry for such an achievement." Dom thought about being honored for her spell, seeing the proud looks from her parents, the jealous look from Victoire. She had longed to have something to make her stand out apart from her sister, and now that she had it, she wanted to hide it. If she shared her spell it would be like giving up a part of herself. This spell was personal, born out of her deepest feelings, and to share it felt wrong.

"Please Headmistress, this spell is very personal to me. I'd like to keep it to myself for now."

"Very well Ms. Weasley. Thank you for showing me. You may go."

"Thank you ma'am." Dom turned and exited the room.

"Such a pity," Minerva said sitting back at her desk.

"Be grateful you saw it at all. I had to convince her to show it to you at all," Aberforth said with a pointed look.

"I am, but a talent like that should be shared with the entire magical world. Imagine the things she could do with that."

"Minerva, I've known Dominique for many years now and I know exactly why she is keeping this to herself. I know she would love to get the recognition. She often deserves it and seldom gets it, but this is something that belongs to her. Her sister gets everything, from attention to the newest magical items, and Dom is so often an afterthought. This spell is hers and hers alone. Let her have it." Aberforth saw Minerva looking at him with a knowing look.

"So she's the underappreciated sister of a celebrated older sibling," she said sadly. She knew Aberforth had a similar relationship with his brother. While she greatly respected Albus in his life, she understood Aberforth's frustration. "She has the right to do with it what she chooses."

"Thank you Minerva," he said looking sadly out the window.