skipping stones

#4

Lysander and Lorcan Scamander

It's almost a year later when Dominique decides that she needs to come home. Hugging her Uncle Charlie goodbye, she promises letters and visits, and then she's gone. Stumbling from the Burrow fireplace, Dominique is surprised at the calmness of the large house. Usually, there were sounds of laughter and footsteps and voices rising and falling throughout it, but now it was completely quiet. She looks around, hoping to spot Grandma Wesley or at least one of the cousins. "Hello?" she calls. "Anybody?" All that answers her is the silence. She's confused, so she grabs the Floo powder, steps into the fireplace, and disappears in a flash of green smoke.

She couldn't go Shell Cottage, being not even close to ready to see her parents and siblings, so she ends up at the Scamander house.

Feeling a little awkward just standing in their living room with everyone staring at her like she's an alien, Dominique hops from foot to foot and smiles sheepishly at them, "Hi, everybody."

Of course, they welcome her because Dominique spent the better part of her childhood making mischief with the Scamander boys (along with Lily, but she doesn't want to think about that).

She stays there for about 3 weeks before her Maman catches wind of it and demands she comes home. The night before she has to leave, she lies with Lorcan and Lysander on the roof and watches the stars. They're quiet, which is normal for Lorcan (who's always daydreaming), but not for Lysander (who's way too outgoing to stand silence).

"Hey, Ly?" she whispers into the dark, her eyes still on the stars. "Yeah?" he whispers back and she almost smiles because it nearly feels like everything's normal and she's just here for a visit, not hiding from her family, "Do you miss her?"

Lysander looks at her from the corner of his eyes, "Yeah…you?" She nods slowly and almost begins to cry when both of the Scamander boys grab her hands. They stay on the room all night, talking about loss, Lily, and all the little spaces in between.

And in the morning, her Maman and Aunt Luna find the three of them up there, asleep and hands still tightly clasped.