I can't leave you with nothing and I don't want to either. But right now even I don't understand what's going through my mind – I can't answer the questions I know everyone will have. So I can't stay another day with you all. I know that no matter how much it hurts to leave, staying would be so much worse.

I'm truly sorry. I had to say that, I know this will affect you all. But this is what I need.

I love you all.

Victoire

%%%

Dominique huddled on the window seat in the living room, her forehead pressed against the cool glass as she kept her intent blue gaze fixed on the front gate of their home, in spite of the fact it had been dark for hours. She knew she was being foolish, hugging her knees a little tighter to her chest as a yawn escaped her, but it was too difficult to let go of the hope that the letter by her feet was a mistake.

It'd been two weeks since the night Victoire had left, though it felt a lot longer at Shell Cottage with the dark cloud that now hung over everyone living there. Their mother had been the one to take it the hardest (although perhaps she just wasn't as good at masking her emotions as the rest of them), her face now a blank expression by default, her lips beginning to crack and the bags beneath her eyes becoming more prominent with each night. Dominique had noticed the effort she made to smile a little when she and Louis were around but it never reached her eyes, not even when her father attempted to brighten the mood. He'd taken the time off work and was spending a majority of it trying to lift their spirits – rough-housing on the beach with Louis and letting him have ice cream for breakfast, finally buying the muggle mobile phones they'd pleaded for since they were little, in spite of the fact he detested the things, he'd even taken Dominique to Oxford Street in London to buy whatever she wanted for her summer wardrobe. But through all this there was always the brief moments when he thought no one was looking and she'd catch the forlorn look in her father's bright blue gaze, her heart clenching tighter each time she saw it. Louis had managed to cope well enough so far but she'd been careful to keep an eye on him. The remaining siblings had taken to hanging around with one another as much as possible, often reading or messing about on their phones, occasionally playing exploding snap or going out to the ocean when it was a warmer day. He'd not really mentioned their older sister since the night she left and Dominique had a suspicion that under his brave face he was angry at Victoire for doing this. Quite frankly her own feelings weren't dissimilar, their parents' gradual decline only fuelling this mind-set.

The small blonde started when she heard a creak from the hall, dragging her from her thoughts. Some irrational part of her was a little hopeful but of course she was met with the stormy grey eyes of the final, most recent addition to their house.

"Sorry," Teddy mumbled as he quietly shuffled to flop on the sofa opposite her, the cushions sinking beneath his weight. The boy had practically moved in since Victoire had left, in part due to her parent's feeling responsible for their daughter's rejection but largely because he was despairing over her absence as much as they all were and it only felt right they should all worry together. Judging by his dishevelled appearance he'd been tossing and turning upstairs for a while now trying to sleep. "I didn't mean to scare you but I didn't think you'd still be down here."

Dominique cuddled further into the over-sized Gryffindor sweater she wore, her hands slipping into the sleeves as she released her legs. "It's ok." Her voice sounded hoarse from disuse as she shifted to sit cross-legged facing the metamorphagus. He was definitely a close second to her mother in their deterioration – he had thick stubble and his eyes were bloodshot, his usually bright blue mop of hair now a dull, muted brown. "I can go upstairs if you want?"

He shook his head, his dark irises fixed on the floorboards between them. "It's alright." He then lifted his gaze to meet her own, the intense sadness making her flinch.

"It's no bother," Dominique made to stand, untangling her limbs from beneath her.

"No!" The harshness of his tone stopped her and she raised an eyebrow at a now sheepish looking Teddy. "Sorry, I just… Stay?"

She slowly sat down again, sliding back to lean against the window pane as she regarded him with curiosity. She and Teddy had always got on, though of course that was true of him and all the Weasley children, but they'd been much closer before he'd left Hogwarts. Nowadays they never had those long conversations about everything and nothing of which she had fond memories, though of course she understood he had limited spare time most of which he'd prefer to spend with her sister.

"You've been down here for ages," Teddy spoke softly.

"Mhmm," She hummed non-committally.

"Since dinner?"

"Yep," Dominique picked at a hole in her jumper, poking her thumb out. "I do it every night."

He raised his eyebrows. "When do you sleep?"

She shrugged. "Whenever I go to bed. I feel better waiting down here-"

"Waiting?"

"You know…" She bit her lip, annoyed at her phrasing and fully aware she would sound mad now. "For her."

The grey eyes widened in realisation and a sympathetic look spread across his face. "Dom-"

"It's stupid, I know that." She said matter-of-factly. "But it's not like the letter says she won't come back."

"I think it's implied," he muttered darkly.

"You're wrong," Dominique insisted. "She told me she couldn't answer my questions right now – so someday she'll have to come back and answer them. She wouldn't just send me on my way and then never come home, without a proper goodbye for any of us. She just wouldn't." She took a deep breath, stopping the tears that threatened to spill. "She'll come back."

He was now studying the ceiling as he listened to her. "I hope your right, Dom."

She felt a twinge in her chest as she watched him, his eyes swimming with uncertainty and confusion that she knew her sister had caused. "I asked if she loved you," She didn't know why the words came out. "Before she left, I mean."

She saw his expression grow dark. "And?"

"And she looked… overwhelmed. But she said she did," She paused for a moment. "I think she meant it."

Teddy was facing her now, the corners of his mouth twitching ever so slightly up. "Good," his voice was soft. "That's actually kind of… relieving."

Their eyes met once again before she spoke. "You don't look relieved."

He grinned but there was no warmth there and Dominique saw the dark expression had returned. "Well it's hard to feel any relief when it's my fault she left."

"Teddy-"

"Don't." He held up a hand, stopping what would've been an attempt to comfort him. "It's not like I can deny it. If I hadn't been stupid enough to propose she wouldn't have freaked out-"

"But she didn't have to run away!" Dominique insisted. "And if I hadn't been blind enough not to realise she was leaving, if I'd stayed and talked some sense into her or…" By now she was struggling to talk due to the rising lump in her throat and the returned risk of tears. She was so focused on not letting her emotions get the better of her that she didn't notice Teddy moving to sit beside her until one long arm settled around her shoulders.

"It's not your fault." The words were simple but they were the ones she needed to hear. The guilt had haunted her, she'd played the events of that night over and over in her mind and thought of hundreds of things she should've done differently. She'd even convinced herself she saw a little blame in her parent's eyes each time they looked at her.

But as she looked and saw the same guilt reflected in his gaze she knew she needed to let go of it. "It's not yours either," Her own hand reached up to clasp his, the size difference between them almost humorous, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "She chose to leave." Dominique turned so her back rested against his side and fixed her deep blue eyes back on the darkness where she knew the front gate was. "And she'll choose to come back."

%%%

The clicking of claws along the corridor followed by excitable scratching at his door and the stupid giggling of his eleven-year-old sister meant James was already awake when Lily burst in and howled with laughter as their Large Munsterlander, named Paddy in spite of the fact she was female, leapt onto his bed.

"Bugger off!" He grumbled at the pair as the dog sniffed the duvet curiously, trampling him repeatedly as she did so and her tail coming dangerously close to whipping him in the face multiple times.

Lily managed to catch her breath soon enough to respond. "Mum told me to wake you, she said breakfast is in five minutes."

"When do I ever get up for breakfast?" James moaned, his eyes still tightly shut in protest.

He heard his sister as she moved into the room and flopped onto the bed, lying over his legs and fondly playing with the dog's ears. "We're going to Uncle Bill's today, remember? Mum wanted to take round a few things and see how Teddy's been doing since... Well, you know."

Finally giving in, he sat up and stretched lazily. "Bet they'll all be a barrel of laughs then."

"I know," the little ginger pulled a face as she moved to sit cross-legged at the end of the bed. "I don't get why she insisted we all have to go when they clearly don't want any company. Hugo said that Louis won't reply to any of his owls."

"Mmm," James got up and began to fish in the clean pile of clothes he'd yet to put away for something to wear. "Fred said he was round the Burrow the other day, overheard Nan saying she tried to go visit and Uncle Bill practically shooed her out the door."

"Nan will have over-exaggerated," Lily spoke matter-of-factly. "But it's probably a little true. I don't think entertaining guests is a priority right now given everything. You know, I never thought Victoire would be the one to cause all this drama though."

He couldn't help laughing at her comment as he pulled a plain grey t-shirt on. "True, given Dom's in their family!" James yawned and took a quick glance in his mirror, running a hand through his brunette hair and somehow making his current bedhead even messier. "Are you gonna leave so I can put some clean pants on?" He grinned when Lily shot him a look, but nonetheless she obliged and left with Paddy scampering behind her.

Hastily, he changed his underwear before pulling on a pair of jeans and strolling out his bedroom door. James happily hummed to himself as he plodded down the stairs, still trying to blink sleep from his eyes whilst the smell of bacon beckoned him toward the kitchen. As always he entered into a buzz of activity, with his mother standing at the stove trying to simultaneously make everything at once as Lily raced around the table chased by a boisterous Paddy and his father sat at the head of the table, oblivious to it all, as he munched a piece of practically burnt toast and shuffled through a pile of paperwork.

"What on Earth are you doing?" James jeered at his sister as he moved into the room and pulled out a glass from one of the cupboards. Lily simply waggled her tongue at him in response but nonetheless finally came to a stop and sat beside her father at the table, petting the dog who was now panting heavily. He shook his head at her as he pulled open the fridge and frowned. "Who had the last of the pumpkin juice?"

"I did," Lily gloated in a sing song voice. "While you were still snoring away upstairs."

"I'll get some more this week," his mother called over her shoulder. James continued to frown as he poured some of the orange juice instead and took his usual seat on Lily's right.

"Cheer up," she smirked at him. "Remember we're meant to be the happy ones today!"

"Lily," their father finally looked up from the sheets in front of him and gave her a disapproving look. "I don't want you joking about all this. I can't imagine being in Bill's shoes right now and I don't think snide comments from anyone would be appreciated." James noted that the green eyes looked in his direction as he said the last part and he was just about to defend himself when a steaming plate of bacon, scrambled egg and toast was thrust in front of him.

"Cheers, mum," he barely got the words out before beginning to shovel a forkful into his mouth. Lily grimaced at his table manners before beginning to eat her own breakfast – although as far he was concerned a bowl of yoghurt with a sprinkle of granola didn't count as a meal.

At that point Albus finally shuffled into the kitchen with a pair of trainers clutched in his hands, clearly still half asleep judging by his face. He flopped into the chair opposite James where a plate of scrambled egg on toast practically appeared before him as if from nowhere.

"Eat up, Al," their mother was eating the same pitiful breakfast as their sister but at about ten times the speed. "You'll need to be quick if we're going to get there on time." The younger boy gave a non-committal grunt as he began to rearrange the food on his plate. By the time Albus had finally gotten his first mouthful, James had cleared his plate and was jumping up from the table.

"Gotta go get my stuff together," he excused himself hurriedly before he bolted out the kitchen, having forgotten where he'd last left his shoes and wanting to hunt them down before he could receive yet another lecture about keeping track of his things.

"Remember, James, I don't want any trouble today!" He tried not to audibly snort at his mother's shouted plea – he knew better than to start anything in the current situation. Dominique was his closest cousin, after Fred of course, and despite his reputation for never thinking of consequences the last thing he wanted to do was cause her more trouble.

%%%

Dominique was sat on the floor, leaning against the arm of the sofa with her legs folded under her and a book in her arms that she was pretending to read. In front of her was the window seat where Louis lounged reading the latest letter that Hugo had sent him, arrived just that morning, whilst Teddy lay on the sofa behind her absent-mindedly fiddling with the material of his shirt. In truth none of the three were focused on anything but the impending arrival of their cousins.

They'd been in the kitchen having breakfast particularly early that morning when their Aunt Ginny had whipped through the floo and announced that she was bring the whole Potter family round later on. At that point their father had pulled her out of the room, closed the door and tried to insist that she shouldn't return but to nobody's surprise, Aunt Ginny was not swayed and had waltzed back through a matter of minutes later with the reassurance that she'd be round before lunchtime, with Uncle Harry and their cousins in tow. Which meant that now the three of them were simply waiting for the moment their now familiar, solemn peace would be shattered.

She yawned widely, having gotten limited sleep yet again last night. It'd been a few days since the night Teddy had first joined her downstairs and accidentally created their new routine. He'd taken to staying up with her – they would both huddle on the window seat and Dominique would stare at the gate like she normally had, only now they would occasionally break their companionable silence with simple small talk. They'd not breached the more uncomfortable subject of Victoire since that first night.

A loud surge of activity drifting through the doorway marked the arrival of the Potters. She heard Teddy shift to a sitting position, his nerves about seeing his Godfather and his family now far more obvious. Dominique knew he'd been worried his staying at Shell Cottage would offend the couple, but she was certain Uncle Harry would just be happy his Godson was coping.

Her mother pushed the door open, a fake, toothy grin plastered on her face as she ushered the three children into the room. "Just in here, you're free to head out to the beach as long as you let us know." Fleur caught the eye of the older boy. "Teddy, if you come through to the kitchen I'm sure Harry and Ginny would love to see you."

He smile weakly and made to stand, meeting Dominique's gaze as he did so. She nodded reassuringly at him and was glad to see him take a deep breath, steadying himself, before swiftly following her mother out the room. She was almost sad to see him go – it was true James was one of her best friends and the cousin she was closest to, perhaps only equalled by Fred, but in such a short time her connection with Teddy had returned and strengthened so that now she felt weaker without his presence.

"Is that from Hugo?" Lily gestured to Louis's letter and moved toward him, her dislike of the uncomfortable air that hung about the cottage visible on her face. "He said he'd been writing to you, but he hasn't got anything back." The redhead slid to sit opposite the blonde boy on the window seat, a sympathetic expression that was clearly false now across her face. "I suppose it's understandable though, I can't imagine what you must be feeling."

A smirk lifted Dominique's lips when she saw Louis roll his eyes at their cousin's false concern. "I'm fine, Lily." His voice was gruff and dismissive.

"It's ok," Lily's voice was unbearably sweet. "You don't have to put on a brave face, Louis."

"I'm not," he shrugged. "I'm just not upset."

Now the younger girl didn't seem to know what to respond. "Oh," she mumbled before slumping back against the wall. "Well in that case, I don't see why mum had to drag us here."

"Lily!" Albus, ever the sensible one, was of course quick to scold his sister.

"What?" her tone was sharp as she glared at her brother. "She said the whole reason we had to come was to cheer them up. You can't cheer someone up when they're not even sad in the first place."

"You're such an idiot sometimes," James finally spoke up, no surprise jumping at the chance to jibe at his sister as he flopped onto the sofa where Teddy had previously been. He turned to Dominique and flashed her a wide grin. "Alright, Dom?"

"Never better," her voice dripped with sarcasm. It was already difficult to act normal around her immediate family and she wasn't sure how well she would hold up with her cousins. Even now she saw his bright brown eyes studying her, clearly already aware she was different than before.

"Cool," his one word response reassured her. Dominique knew that James would be able to sense her unease but for once in his life he was choosing not to push it. "So… Beach, anyone?" The younger three all enthusiastically agreed to the suggestion, glad to be given something to do, and were up and out the room within a few moments. She watched James heave himself up from the cushions before he held out a hand to help her up.

"Actually, I think I'm gonna stay here," she picked up her book from her lap and waved it as though it were some sort of explanation.

"Okey dokey!" She smiled before staring blankly at a random page until he presumably left her. But the brunette boy instead moved to her other side and sat on the floor beside her. "And just how interesting are you finding our third year History of Magic textbook?"

Dominique felt her face flush at the realisation she'd picked up a near useless alibi in her hurry to head downstairs earlier. "It's thrilling," she replied coolly.

"Uh-huh," James pulled the book from her grip and rotated it. "I think it'd probably be even better if you read it the right way up." The blonde girl snatched the book back from her cousin, giving him daggers as she stood up and made to leave. She only got more annoyed when he snatched one wrist, stopping her. "Dom-"

"What?!" she made no attempt to hide her irritation as she glared down at him.

James crooked his head and her stomach dropped when she saw his expression of genuine concern. "Talk to me."

A matter of days ago she probably would've caved and flopped back on the floor before spilling everything to James as he sat patiently listening, showing a side of himself that few others got to witness. That would've been exactly what she'd done. But now, as she looked into her cousin's earnest expression, Dominique felt there was someone else she had to bear her soul to. Someone she thought deserved that much and who might be convinced to do the same if she lead the way. Someone who she truly thought needed to have that release. And it was with that in mind that she slipped out of James' gentle grip and gave him a forlorn smile, all her anger toward him vanished in a second. She softly called over her shoulder as she left.

"Another time."

%%%

So I think I've finally fixed the three people that this story will be told from and the other who will be heavily featured – and those four are the characters I've listed for the story [ie Teddy, Dom, James and Fred]. Dominique is the one who's easiest for me to write so she'll probably feature most, but James and Fred are quite fun to get to grips with so they'll be in there every now and then. I may feature one or two other POVs if the story calls for it but otherwise these four are the focal point.

I'm not sure how you guys might respond to the direction I take this story but it's ultimately my own vision of future Potterverse and whether you can agree with it/see it happening or not yourselves, my main hope is that it provides people some enjoyment when they read.

Nice length chapter as I'm useless at updating (but I never abandon!) – reviews, favourite and follows are all greatly appreciated :)