The flame beneath the little red kettle roared to life and Dominique sank into a rickety chair inside her tiny kitchen. It wasn't much, but it was home. She pulled out a faded copy of Lysander's breaking story and scanned its words once more. It felt as though she'd read it thousands of times.

Dom realized a bit reluctantly that she was beginning to have a bit more understanding for his cocky attitude. After Cuffe had blown up at both of them, it had become evident that they were under a lot of pressure. Dom had always dreamed of an investigative job, but she hadn't paused to think about the immense stress that came with it.

Lysander had spent the last two years working under exacting deadlines and catering to a volatile boss who expected the impossible. Though she felt she would thrive under the pressure, being so close to a huge investigative story gave her more sympathy for Lysander's air of confidence and his desire for perfection. Maybe his impatience and rude remarks were just part of being a brilliant reporter.

A loud knock sounded from her front door and Dom furrowed her brow. Few people ever came by her little flat. When she pulled it open, the breath left her lungs in a tiny whoosh. "Ted."

"Dom!" he exclaimed, launching over the threshold and throwing his arms around her waist. "My little reporting star!" Teddy picked her up with minimal effort and spun her in a circle, constrained by the small front room.

Blushing a fierce shade of red, Dom pulled out of his embrace and stepped back. "What're you doing here?"

"I came to congratulate you! Your first story was fantastic."

Dom shook her head and dropped her eyes. "My name wasn't even on the story. How did you know it was mine?"

Teddy brushed past her and dropped into the armchair by her fireplace. "Dom, everyone in our entire extended family knows by now. They've all been calling each other all week talking about it. Gran won't leave me alone, keeps calling to say I'm best friends with a celebrity."

She wanted to be excited, but she knew she didn't deserve the praise. "Lysander did most of the work. Besides, we have a long road ahead of us on this story."

"Working with Scamander, huh? Wasn't he the one you fought with all the time at school?" He began leafing through a book she had left in a stack on the coffee table.

"Um, yeah. Sort of."

Teddy chuckled. "I remember that time you hexed him right after the opening feast and he had bat wings growing out of his ears for a week."

Her face burned at the memory. "He was asking for it."

"I'm sure he was. You never were one to pick fights. But you were always the one to finish them."

What is he doing just waltzing into my flat to chat about old times? she squawked internally. "Well, he's less of a prick now."

He narrowed his eyes. "Glad to hear it. But blokes like that don't change."

Does the same go for you? she longed to ask. The whine of the tea kettle pierced into the restless silence.

Dom darted into the kitchen and switched off the stove. "Tea?" she called into the living room.

"No, thanks. I didn't mean to stay long."

She poured the water into her waiting mug, but left it on the counter and went back to sit on the chair opposite Teddy. "Why'd you come?"

"I told you, wanted to congratulate you on your big break." His hair flickered to bright pink and back to its normal brown. That had always made her laugh when they were young, especially when laughing was the last thing she wanted to do.

She didn't laugh now. "How's Vicky?" she asked, the words tasting bitter.

Teddy shrugged. "Likes her work at Flourish and Blotts alright. She's a little bored, but you know your sister. She's always bored."

"And you two are…" Dom let her voice trail off. She really didn't want to know how serious Teddy's relationship with her sister was, but at the same time she was dying to know.

"We're whatever," he replied with another shrug. "Vic and I are complicated." A bright smile lit up his handsome face.

"What does that even mean?" Dominique snapped. She found that, having asked the question, she didn't want to hear the answer.

"It means I love your sister but she drives me mad."

Her stomach churned at his words. "She hasn't been home in ages. Mum misses her." Dom's tone was harsh. She hated being harsh to him but she couldn't help it.

The grin fell from Teddy's face. "Dom, you know better than anyone that Vic doesn't want to be home. She never got along with your parents."

She never got along with me either, Dominique added in her head.

As if reading her thoughts, he continued, "You two have had your fair share of issues, which I'm sure I don't have to remind you of."

"Dominique, darling, come out of the tree house!" her mother's soft French accent wheedled.

Dom sniffled, wiping her nose on her jumper. "Don't want to."

Fleur craned her neck and tried to get a look at her daughter. "It's your birthday, don't you want to see all of your cousins?"

She took deep breath to try and stop the tears from falling, looking down at the small picture frame she held in her hands. Teddy's bright grin and her own freckled face stared up at her, their smiles betraying her wounded heart. "I'm not coming inside."

"Did something happen? I can't find Victoire anywhere but why don't you bring her in and have some cake?" Fleur asked, smoothing down the front of her dress.

Dominique knew exactly where her sister was, and she guessed Victoire wasn't the least bit interested in cake. She was much more interested in snogging her new boyfriend down by the beach, and she was sure Teddy cared much more about Victoire's new dress than he did about Dom's 14th birthday.

Fleur poked her head into the tree house and settled down on the edge beside Dominique. "Why are you crying, dear?" She glanced down at the picture that her daughter held carefully in her hands. "What a lovely picture. Was that Teddy's present?"

Dominique nodded. "I'll come in for cake in a minute, Mum. But I won't get Vicky. She doesn't want any birthday cake and she doesn't want to be around me."

"What would make you say that? She's your sister!"

"She's angry at Teddy for giving this picture frame to me," Dom whispered. "And he does whatever she wants."

Fleur looked down at her middle child with sympathy in her eyes. "Dominique, no matter what happens between Teddy and your sister, they both will always love you. And you have a special place in Teddy's heart." She tugged her daughter's red ponytail. "Now come inside and have some cake."

Dom watched her mother return to the house. She wasn't going to let her sister ruin her birthday like she always managed to ruin everything. Tossing the picture aside, she jumped down from the tree house and ran inside.

"It's not like I'm dying to have her around," Dom told Teddy, aching at the memory of her 14th birthday. "I just know it would mean a lot to my parents. She and I can put aside our differences for the sake of the family."

He arched an eyebrow. "Right."

Dom's phone rang. She dashed into the kitchen and the screen read, 'Lysander Scamander.' She bit her lip. "Sorry, Ted, gotta take this. It's for work."

Teddy poked his head into the kitchen. "Okay, kid. I gotta run anyway. We'll catch up soon." Tugging on her ponytail, he left the flat.

"Hello?"

"Dominique. It's Lysander." His tone was clipped, to the point.

She almost chuckled. "Yes, I know. Caller ID?"

"Oh. Of course. Look, I've got a new lead. I know you don't usually work on Sundays, but would you come down to the office? I need you to go up to Pennysworth's for an hour or two."

Dom stirred two cubes of sugar into her cool tea. "Sure. Give me ten minutes." She hung up. This was what she had always wanted. Victoire could have Teddy and all of the heartache that came with him. She had her job.


"Working on Sunday, huh?" Pennysworth's blond secretary asked Dominique as she approached the lobby.

"Just for a couple of hours." Dom smoothed down her pink skirt and admired the way it fell just above her knees. Nice clothes had never been her thing, but it seemed investigative reporters needed to put in a little effort. Although Lysander's perfectly pressed button-downs and ties seemed a little bit like overkill. She began passing the desk, but the blond witch called her back.

"Hey, Barbara, hang on a sec."

I hate the name Barbara, Dom grumbled to herself.

"You know the guy who picks you up from work here sometimes? Dexter, right?" the secretary inquired.

"Yeah, good old Dex," Dom replied with a forced laugh.

The witch inspected an infinitely polished red fingernail. "Do you know if he's seeing anyone?"

Dom almost choked on her own spit. "Lysan-" she half squawked in outrage, before calming herself immediately. "No, no there's no way."

Her eyelids were covered in some unidentified, altogether too-bright makeup and mascara coated her lashes thickly. She blinked slowly at Dom. "Are you sure? He's a bloody handsome fellow."

Dom paused, eyed the witch carefully for a moment, and realized she didn't even know her name. She narrowed her eyes. "Actually, I remember he brought a girl to work a few times. She's a terribly possessive witch as a matter of fact."

The secretary pursed her lips. "Well, isn't that too bad."

"Yeah, breaks a poor girl's heart, huh? Well, anyway, gotta dash." Dom scampered up the hallway, proud of her handiwork. Hurrying into Pennysworth's office and to her tiny desk in the corner, she settled her bag down and gave her boss a wave. "Afternoon," she called.

He nodded at her. "Hello, Barbara. Be a dear and sort those boxes over there for me." Pennysworth gestured grandly to a brand new stack of boxes by the window.

Those definitely weren't there on Friday, she muttered internally.

Suddenly, the phone rang. "Ministry of Magic, this is Edward Pennysworth speaking." His light eyebrows furrowed immediately. "Yes, yes, hello." His eyes darted to the door and back, then over to Dom. "Barbara, give me a moment please."

Immediately, Dom's mind began to race. She had to hear this phone call. "Of course." She left the room slowly, noticing that he didn't say another word until the door had clicked closed behind her. She pressed her ear to the crack. What I wouldn't give for some of Uncle George's extendable ears right now! she thought.

"Yes, I'm alone," she heard Pennysworth say in a garbled tone.

Dom glanced to her left and right. Being caught with her ear against Pennysworth's door probably wasn't the best idea. She cast a hurried look around her and caught sight of an air vent in the hallway ceiling. If she could reach one, maybe she could try and listen from somewhere else.

Dashing down the hallway as quietly as she could, Dom shoved into the women's restroom and glanced about fast. An air vent was positioned just above the furthest toilet. Gingerly, she stepped up onto the rim and cursed her high heels. Lysander's sharp dressing habits had rubbed off on her way too much.

She pried the edge of the vent loose and tried to tilt her ear up. Muffled sounds were drifting through, and she thought she could pick out Pennysworth's wheezing voice. Dom eyed the air vent. Maybe, just maybe…

Grabbing a hold of the edge of the vent, she hopped up onto the back of the toilet and propelled herself into the vent. Her hips stuck momentarily, but she wiggled left and right and tugged herself through. For the first time in her life, Dom was grateful that she hadn't been born with the same curvy build as Victoire.

Dom wriggled forward, trying to ignore the dust bunnies and spiders that infested the tiny air duct. She could hear clearly now.

"I told you, I don't know how much longer I can keep this up. I'm up to my ears in work you've left behind!" Pennysworth exclaimed.

He must be talking to Bomsnox.

"Don't threaten me," he hissed suddenly. "I don't know where you've been or what you think you're doing, but if I stop sorting through all of your work, many more people might realize you're gone. The Prophet is already on to you."

He fell silent for a long moment and Dom wondered if he'd hung up.

Then his voice drifted into the air duct again. "You wouldn't dare hire an assassin. Get back here by the end of the month, or else I tell everyone where you really are."

Dom's jaw dropped. What in Merlin's name had she gotten herself into? And on top of that, there was a good chance she was stuck in this air duct.

"Barbara? Barbara!" came a sharp call from the hallway.

Dom squirmed ferociously, trying in vain to push herself out of the vent. Seconds later, she dropped with a thud from the ceiling, right foot landing directly in the toilet. "Damn." Shaking her leg as hard to dislodge as much of the water as she could, Dominique dashed into the hallway and collided with a solid figure.

"Merlin's beard, Barbara!" Lysander snapped, eyes blazing.

She stared up at him from her seat on the hallway floor, amazed that he had somehow managed to stay undercover and remembered to call her Barbara.

He stuck out a hand to her, smiling crookedly.

Grimacing, she let him help her up and attempted to brush off her clothes.

Lysander's gaze swept up and down the length of her. "Why the bloody hell are you so dusty?"

"Long story," she muttered. "Let's get out of here and I'll tell you the whole thing."

Pennysworth's head poked out of his office, the door open just a crack. "Barbara, there you are. Take the afternoon off. You can start with those boxes first thing Monday." Without waiting for a response, he slammed the door shut.

Dom's eyes flicked up to meet Lysander's. "We have to go. Now," she whispered.

He gave one quick nod and stalked down the hallway, ignoring the front desk witch's smarmy wave, which gave Dom a tiny bit of pleasure. Once they had made it to the huge, loud front hallway of the Ministry, he slowed his pace. "So would you care to explain why one of your legs is soaking wet and why you have dust bunnies trailing halfway down your skirt?" He raised an eyebrow.

She chose to ignore his condescending tone. "Pennysworth got this phone call while I was working and basically freaked out and told me to leave. I knew it was something I had to hear but it was pretty muffled through the door so I just um…" Her voice trailed off.

Lysander narrowed his eyes. "So you what?"

"Climbed into the air vent to hear better," she muttered.

He let out a loud burst of a laugh, one of the most genuine things she'd ever heard from him. "Good for you! And the wet leg?"

She looked down. "Fell in the toilet," she said quickly, under her breath.

Dom could tell from the gleam in his eyes that he had heard her, but instead he replied, "You did what?"

"Fell in the toilet!" Dom exclaimed, throwing up her hands.

Lysander chuckled again and shook his head in disbelief. "Willing to get a nice outfit dirty and a brand new shoe drenched…you must be a reporter."

"How'd you know my shoes were new?" she asked, following him to the fireplaces.

He raised an eyebrow as if confused by the question. "You've never worn them before and they're as shiny as a snitch." Lysander stepped into the fireplace and shot her a wink. "Got them just to impress me, huh?"

The green fire blazed up and consumed him, leaving Dominique staring after him, unsure of just when they'd become friends.


Author's Note: Hope you're all enjoying where the story's going! I really appreciate the reviews I've gotten so far and I'd love more feedback...it's so helpful to hear from readers :)