Flashforward II:
Seraphina Malfoy released her long curly hair from its oppressive ponytail and let it bounce out around her face in a crazy cloud. She'd learnt to embrace it long ago, but it could be inconvenient whilst flying through the air, the wind whipping it into her face. She marched into the library, the few pale students who couldn't stand the sun fanning out of her way as they felt her wave of authority moving towards them. "Miss Malfoy!" Madam Pince called out in an affronted stage whisper. "You're trekking mud onto the carpet!" Sera gave her the apologetic charm of a smile that always cooled any angry adult or teen and took off her boots, holding them up in a gesture of surrender. The stern librarian nodded her on with the smallest of chuckles. Back on the path towards her mission, the platinum blonde locked into her target and made her presence known with a loud cough. "Shush!" A younger tell-tale type whispered before realising it was her and darting into an aisle of bookshelves to hide. Sera rolled her eyes, then said to the girl glancing up at her expectantly, "you weren't at the match."
It was a statement, not a question, but the one eighth Veela could infer between the lines. She was an absurdly smart girl. "I quit the team."
As long as she'd known her, Dominique had adored Quidditch, but the only response Sera showed was a nonchalant "Oh," and a raised eyebrow. She slid down to sit on the floor beside her, leaning against the bookcase. "We smashed Ravenclaw no problem without you. It was pretty boring. No competition whatsoever. Professor Longbottom's daughter, Aurora, took your spot as keeper, but she doesn't have your focus. Easily distracted."
"Exactly why I quit," Dom explained, gesturing to the mountain of work around her.
"You can't have been assigned that much work," Sera said disbelievingly. "I was in your place last year, remember?" Dom was in the year below her sister and Sera, but she knew and had mastered spells they'd never heard of.
"It's revision," the blonde explained. Her hair was a darker shade than her sister's and not so pin straight but Sera wasn't sure what all the fuss was around that hair of Victoire's. She thought Dom's was much nicer, although it admittedly looked a little ratty at the moment. Her eyes were a slightly different shade of blue as well, the stormy, interesting kind rather than the calm, shallow, clear tropical seas that attracted every old holiday maker. And then of course there was the difference in work ethic. Even before Victoire had started dating her metamorphagous boyfriend she'd preferred other things. And now... well suffice it to say that if she and Teddy didn't have the contraception charm perfected there'd be a sixteenth Veela baby with blue hair one day and green the next crawling around the castle. Dom on the other hand had always been an over-achiever. Previously that had entailed taking on as many responsibilities as possible: Ravenclaw keeper; prefect and probable Head Girl; chair of the Ancient Runes Club; founder of the Wizarding and Muggle Literature Appreciation Society. Now it appeared that she was getting bogged down with one thing.
"You know everything already."
"No-one can ever know everything. And anything could be on my exams next year..." she was losing her. Desperate, Sera flashed 'the smile'. The one that had never failed before. But Dom just picked up her book and turned to the page she'd been making notes from.
Sera's forehead furrowed. "It didn't work..." she muttered to herself. "Why didn't it work?"
"I have more important things to do than look at your pretty face," Dom said, but there was an edge of panic in her voice rather than anger. She took a shaky breath. "I- I feel guilty when I'm not working. I can't stand it."
"Dom..." Sera said in a soft voice she reserved for people she really cared about. "Everyone gets anxious sometimes. Even me."
Her companion guffawed, finally looking away from her book at least. "Shut up."
"I do!" Sera exclaimed. She pushed back a piece of wind-knotted hair. "I feel... unanchored without the marriage law." The law that had united all their parents had been discontinued last year when the GWP (general Wizarding population) had reached its hoped for level, meaning they'd both just narrowly missed out on it. She'd never had so much as a romantic interaction with anyone. She had known that the test would place her with her true match and like the official stat of 97% of people, she would live happily ever after. Now she had to do it herself, had to find love, and she had no clue where to start. "I'm- terrified of being alone. I know it goes completely against my whole strong independent woman aesthetic, but it's the truth." She glanced down and when she looked to her right Dom had shifted a little closer, leaning in to push another loose strand of hair back for her. They both observed each other in the silence of the library, faces centimetres apart, and then they leaned in.
She'd thought she would be lost as to what to do in a first kiss but her body led the way, tilting her head to one side as Dom's went to the other. Their lips melded together softly, exploratory, uncertain. They were both nervous of ruining what they had, but she supposed it was too late for that now. May as well just dive headfirst in. Gingerly she reached up a hand to twine her fingers into Dom's silky hair, which felt wonderful even if she hadn't been taking care of herself well recently. Sort of rocking towards each other, hungry for more affection, they bumped heads and pulled apart with a synchronised giggle. It was going too well, she supposed, something had to bend.
"Without that it would have been too much like a romance novel," agreed Dom aloud, and Sera wondered if maybe she'd found her someone faster than she ever thought she could without the law.
AN: Short but sweet!
