Off to Paris

Dominique bounced on her toes while she and Chris waited in line to use the international floos at the Ministry. She was excited to see her little brother. It had been a few months since the last time he had popped home for a weekend.

"Didn't realize Paris got you so excited," Chris said, glancing down at her as he gripped the strap of his duffel bag.

"I'm excited to see my brother," she said glancing back at him as she took a step forward towards the desk, all their paperwork in hand.

"You guys as annoyingly close as the Woods?" Chris asked.

"I thought you were best friends with the Woods," she said.

"I'm best friends with Jamie. And good friends with Remus and Alan, but sometimes they drive me up the wall with their whole… triplet thing," he said with a sigh.

"What, no mention of Daisy?" Dominique asked with a smirk.

"That is ancient history," he said, his cheeks blushing slightly.

"So you no longer harbor any feelings towards everyone's favorite Pixie?" Dominique asked, stepping closer. Chris chuckled.

"That, I do not," he said. "That ended the summer after Hogwarts." Dominique looked back at him.

"I thought it ended at Hogwarts?" she asked.

"We, ah, picked things up over the summer while Jamie, Remus and Alan were off with the League. Felt it easier without those three interfering," he said, keeping his eyes trained ahead. "Thought Daisy would have told you. Don't you and your cousins share everything?" Dominique snorted.

"Obviously not everything," she said, turning to look back forward. The person in front of them finished and Dominique stepped up and handed over all the paperwork for their international travel permits. The wizard at the desk looked them over, stamped them and handed them back.

"You will be leaving from Floo No. 5. Safe travels," he said boredly. "Next." Dominique smiled and nodded, then strode over to the long line of floos.

"I wish they would just let us apparate," she said as they got in line.

"International apparition is difficult and not to mention dangerous," Chris said.

"Yes, mother," Dominique said as the people in front of them disappeared. She stepped up and grabbed a handful of floo powder, then stepped into the large fireplace, waiting on Chris to step in next to her. She then threw the powder and shouted the location of the Paris international floo terminal.

They both stepped out and walked over to the apparition points. Dominique looked over at Chris and held her hand out.

"Ready?" she asked.

"Lead the way," he said. He grabbed her hand and Dominique sputtered slightly as she felt a tingle run up her arm. She shook her head and then concentrated on where she wanted to go. In the next second they had appeared on the landing outside her brother's apartment.

"Where are we?" Chris asked as Dominique stepped up and knocked on the door.

"We're in the wizarding district in Paris – Versailles," she said. Chris frowned slightly.

"Isn't that the name of some palace?" he asked. Dominique chuckled.

"The locals like to say that the French royalty stole the name from them," she said, rolling her eyes. At that moment, the door flew open and revealed Louis.

"Dom! You made it!" he said, pulling his older sister in for a hug.

"Thanks again for letting us stay here," she said after letting him go and stepping into the apartment. Louis turned and grinned at Chris, holding his hand out.

"Good to see you again, Abbott," he said. Chris shook his hand and nodded. To be honest, of all the Weasleys, Potters and Woods, Chris found that he often forgot about Louis even though they had been in the same house. He was much quieter than the rest and typically more interested in his own friends and hobbies than whatever trouble the rest of his cousins got into.

Chris stepped in and looked around as Louis shut the door behind him. The flat was immense, to say the least. The main room was varying shades of white and beige. While the light fixtures and crown molding screamed antique, it was decorated with sophisticated, modern furniture in blue and green. There were large windows everywhere.

Chris walked up to one and looked down at the street, noting the various cafes and shops where witches and wizards were milling around. He walked over to a window on the other side of the flat and raised his eyebrows at the impressive view of the Eiffel Tower.

"Fashion pays well," Dominique said as she stepped up to his side, causing him to jump slightly. He looked down at her. "Come on, I'll show you to your room."

After the two had put their bags away, they settled in the living room with Louis. He certainly seemed to have come into his own since Hogwarts, exuding a sort of quiet confidence that Chris hadn't remembered. But then again, he reminded himself that he hadn't known much about the Weasley even then.

"So how long are you two here for?" he asked. Dominique shrugged.

"Not sure. As long as it takes to find this professor," she said.

"Hopefully not too long," Chris said.

"What? Don't like Paris?" Louis asked, smirking at the older man. Chris sighed, wondering how he would handle two Weasleys at once and cursing Merlin for sarcasm being an obviously inherited trait in their family.

"No, just don't like to be away from home for too long," he said.

"What's the plan?" Louis asked, looking between the two.

"We're going to the Ministry tomorrow to meet with Jules," Dominique said. "After that, I suppose we'll see where the information takes us."

"Very well. How about tonight I take you both out to show you around the district?" Louis said with a grin.

"I don't know about that… we are here to work, not play," Chris said, frowning slightly.

"It's just dinner and some drinks," Dominique said, rolling her eyes. "Beside, both Louis and I have our aunt's hangover tonic in case you drink too much." Chris looked between the two siblings.

"Fine," he said relenting.

"Monsieur Weasley! You are back!" the maître' d asked as Louis led Dominique and Chris into his favorite restaurant. Louis flushed slightly as Dominique gave him a look.

"This is my sister, Dominique. And her work colleague Chris Abbott. They're here from London," he said. The plump man grinned.

"C'est manifique!" he exclaimed. "Follow me, I will take you to your usual table."

"You have a usual table?" Dominique whispered to her brother. "Please tell me this is where you woo everyone."

"I'll tell you later," Louis said, hushing her. The three sat and began to peruse the menu, with Chris looking confused. Louis looked up at him and kicked Dominique under the table, motioning towards Chris with his head. She looked over at him, taking in the confusion.

"Thought you understand French," Dominique asked, smirking. Chris looked up at her, his eyes wide.

"I do… just… not sure what to order," he said. Dominique laughed and looked over at Louis.

"What do you recommend, little brother?" she asked. He studied Chris for a moment.

"I think he'd like the Steak Diane. It's really good here," Louis finally said. Chris nodded and put the menu down, obviously making up his mind. The server returned and took their orders. A bottle of wine popped up with three glasses and Louis quickly filled them.

"To a hopefully successful venture," he said grinning as he held his glass out. Dominique grinned as she followed and glanced over at Chris as he lifted his.

After they had taken a sip, Chris looked over at Louis.

"So how long have you lived over here?" he asked.

"About two years," he said. "I moved over shortly after Hogwarts and took up a position with a fashion magazine then started on at a design house shortly after."

"He's the top designer's personal assistant now," Dominique said. "Practically can't do anything without him." Louis blushed slightly.

"It's nothing like that," he said. "Just… learning the trade and all. I hope to start my own design house some day."

"Which will no doubt be successful," Dominique said, earning a look from her younger brother. "What? I can't help but be proud of you!"

"So, how is the search going for this professor?" Louis asked, changing the topic. Dominique sighed.

"Some days I wonder if we're on a giant goose chase," she said. "And always three steps behind."

"But we'll find him," Chris added. "Dominique's been great at tracking." Dominique flushed slightly as Louis smiled at her.

"Dom is nothing but determined," he said. "Always has been. Suspect it's middle child syndrome at play." Dominique rolled her eyes.

"It is not that, and you know it," she said, frowning at her brother.

"Our older sister is close to being the youngest head of the emergency department at St. Mungo's. And I, well, forgive me for sounding a bit smug, but I have progressed fairly quickly in my career. Dominique here is trying to outdo both Victoire and I." Chris studied the slightly fuming woman.

"I'm just trying to do my best," Dominique said, her eyes not leaving her brother.

"I know. And you're doing well. I'm sure Teddy has been thrilled with your work," Louis said. Dominique sat up a bit straighter.

"He has mentioned that he's happy with the progress we've made," she said, smiling slightly.

"I have to admit, you are a better investigator than I gave you credit for in the beginning," Chris said, causing both siblings to look over at him. Dominique smiled as Louis looked back and forth between the two of them and smirked.

Later in the evening, after they had started on the second bottle of wine, Chris excused himself for a few minutes to use the restroom, leaving brother and sister alone.

"So… is there anything going on with Mr. Abbott that I should know about?" Louis asked.

"No, we just work together," Dominique said quickly.

"That was a fast answer."

"I didn't have to think about it," Dominique shot back. Louis laughed.

"Let me guess, focusing on work, are we?" he asked.

"I don't see you running around with the love of your life," Dominique replied.

"I am focusing on my career," he responded.

"Better hurry up, you don't want to be the last hold out," Dominique said.

"Please, Gran's got a whole line of weddings to plan before she gets to mine," Louis said, rolling his eyes.

"Sooner would be better than later," Dominique said, her face going grim for a moment. Louis studied her and took a deep breath.

"Suppose you're right about that. Especially since we don't know how much time we may have," he said, looking down at his glass of wine. "Is Daisy doing any better?"

Dominique shrugged.

"She's still struggling, but she tries to put a good face on it. She only really admits how hard it is to us girls," she said. "She's gotten better since she moved in with John and away from Remus. But I can tell everyone's nervous about her upcoming match with the Falcons."

"If anyone is going to set her off during a match, I reckon Hardwick would," Louis said. "And I don't understand why Remus is being such a dick. They were always close before." Dominique sighed.

"He's just jealous, is all. But really he should get over it. Daisy needs him more than anyone of them will admit. She needs the whole family," Dominique said.

"I leave for a few minutes and you two look like the world is ending," Chris said with a smile as he sat back down. Both Weasleys looked up at him.

"It might be, mate," Louis said.

"Ah, right," Chris said. He looked down at his wine glass and then up at the two before smiling and reaching for his glass. "But… it's not ending yet." Dominique smiled slightly as Louis chuckled.

"That is true," he said. "Cheers."

"So… we're meeting your cousin?" Chris asked as he and Dominique made their way through the streets of the wizarding district in Paris to the French Ministry of Magic. Unlike in Britain, the ministry was located in the heart of the district, meaning there was no need to conceal it from muggles.

"Yes. Though, he's a distant cousin on my mother's side. We're not too close with them," she said. "With some help from Teddy, he's giving us access to their residents' records, so if the professor is or was in France, they'll have something."

"That is, if he registered with the ministry," Chris said. Dominique huffed.

"True. If he's been living muggle there is always the chance that he won't be there. Even though you're supposed to register," she said.

"Why do you think he's been living mostly muggle?" Chris asked. Dominique shrugged.

"Who knows? Maybe he's muggleborn and just finds it easier," she said, glancing at him.

"I think he's been hiding," Chris said, his auror instincts kicking in.

"Why's that?" she asked.

"He seems to be going through a lot of trouble to make it hard to find him," Chris said.

"But we've been able to track him," she said, frowning slightly.

"Yea, but not to find him," Chris replied. "And what we have found as been dismally small. I don't think we would have made it this far if we hadn't gone to that muggle professor." Dominique nodded.

"True… perhaps he leaves just enough crumbs to keep people going, but not enough to actually find him," she said, starting to get worried. Chris stopped and pulled Dominique around to face him.

"We'll find him, Dom. Don't worry," he said. Dominique nodded and smiled slightly.

"Come on then. We're almost there," she said.

"Blimey… seems a bit… much," Chris said, looking around the lobby of the French Ministry of Magic. It was large and ornate, harking back to the palaces and manors of the French aristocracy during the 18th century. It was bright with lots of windows and natural light. Tons of gold.

"A bit different than what we're used to, is it not?" Dominique asked, looking over at him.

"That it is," he murmured as he followed her up to the main information desk. They both presented their British Ministry of Magic credentials and the witch behind the desk gave them visitors' passes and directed them to the lifts.

"We're to meet Jules on the fifth level and he said he would take us to their registry office," Dominique said. "All the records are in French, you think you can manage?" Chris snorted.

"What makes you think I can't?" he asked, glancing sideways at Dominique.

"Just checking. You seemed to struggle a bit with the menu last night," she replied.

"I told you. Just didn't know what to order," he said with a huff. Dominique laughed as they stepped into the lift and waited for it to take them to their destination. Once it arrived, the doors opened and they stepped out into a busy lobby. A grinning man stepped up to them, dressed impeccably in light blue robes.

"Dominique! So good to see you!" the man exclaimed as he ran over to them and kissed her on her cheeks.

"You as well, Jules," she said smiling. He looked over at Chris.

"And you must be Monsieur Abbott," he said, putting his hand out. Chris shook it and nodded. "I suspect you both will want to get right to work, no?" Dominique nodded. "Very well. Come with me."

He led them back to the lifts and pressed a button for a basement level floor.

"We keep excellent records of all the wizards and witches in France. If your professor was here, then we will have something," he said proudly.

"That is if he registered," Chris muttered. Dominique elbowed him in the side, causing him to grimace slightly. Thankfully Jules was too busy explaining the history of the records department to notice.

"Ah, here we are," he said, stepping out and leading them in. The department was vast with an almost uncountable amount of desks and witches and wizards hard at work. An intricate configuration of tubes decorated the ceiling with each going to a desk.

"Through those doors back there is where all the records are kept. But we do not allow anyone but workers to go there. If there is anything you need to find, one of the workers will retrieve it for you. Ah, here we are. Marjorie will be assisting you," he said as they stepped up to a desk behind which sat a pretty young witch. She stood as they neared them.

"Bonjour," she said, smiling at them, though her eyes lingered on Jules. "Jules has explained everything. Who is it you would like me to find?" Jules nodded and grinned at the young woman before turning back to the pair.

"Here is where I leave you. I will see you later," he said before bowing slightly and stepping away. Dominique glanced up at Chris and then turned to the woman.

"We need to find anything you have on a professor, Nikos Aliefantis," she said.

"Very well, let us see what we can find," Marjorie said as she sat down at her desk.

A few hours later, Dominique sat back in her chair with a sigh as she stared at poor Marjorie's desk, which was covered in parchments and files. Of course there would be nothing at the Ministry. They had pulled everything they could think of to try and find any mention of the professor – from Beauxbaton's records to neighborhood registries. Apparently while in Paris, the good professor had decided not to be a part of the wizarding community at all.

"I am so sorry, Ms. Weasley," Marjorie said, seeming disappointed that their efforts had failed. "We keep such good records. I am not sure why there is nothing."

"We knew this was a possibility," Chris said. "He'd been living among muggles in London. There was a chance he did the same here. The address we had on him was a muggle post office box." Marjorie nodded.

"Suppose we should go meet Jules," Dominique said grimly, glancing at Chris. He seemed lost in his thoughts for a moment. "D'you hear me, Abbott?" He started a bit and looked over at her.

"Yea, sure," he said as they both stood. They said their good-byes and walked over to the lifts to go to the lobby where they would meet Jules for lunch.

"I was thinking," Chris said once they were inside. "Maybe we should try the muggle police. If he didn't live among the wizarding community, perhaps we would find something there. He would have had to have signed some sort of contract for his home, whether he leased or bought. Or may a bank account or something. We'll give them the PO box and see what they can find on him." Dominique nodded, silently agreeing.

"After lunch… let's go see," she said.

"Alright, so what's the game plan?" Dominique asked quietly as they stepped into the busy police station. It seemed awfully noisy and crowded.

"Find someone. Get them to search for the professor," he said simply. Dominique looked up at him.

"No back story?" she asked. Chris glanced down at her.

"Well… time is of the essence, so I think we'll have to be creative," he said, stepping up in line. "And use other means." Dominique's eyes widened. But then she looked at the young man behind the desk and nodded.

"Shall you do it or me?" she asked. Chris smiled down at her.

"I think I've got this bit," he said as they stepped up to desk.

"What can I help you with?" the man said in French. Dominique glanced at Chris as he pointed his wand at the man from his coat pocket and muttered something under his breath. A dazed look came over the man's face.

"We need everything you have on a Nikos Aliefantis... here is a mailing address we have for him," Dominique said quietly, holding a piece of paper out to him. The man looked at them, took the paper and then down at a computer where he started typing furiously. It didn't take long for him to stop and look up at them.

"I have a rental lease for an apartment and tax records," he said, he continued on for a bit more, listing several types of public records that both Dominique and Chris were unfamiliar with. They looked at each a moment before Chris turned back to the man.

"The rental lease will do," Chris replied. The man nodded and pressed another button. A contraption next to the computer came to life. Dominique looked up at him, a bit of hope coming into her face.

"You think we'll find him?" she asked. Chris shrugged.

"I suppose we'll find out," he said. The man held out a sheet of paper to them. Chris took it and nodded at Dominique. She pointed her wand at the man, still concealing it in her coat pocket.

"Obliviate," she whispered, concentrating on him. The two then quickly left the police station, Chris looking down at the paper.

"Let's be off then," Chris said with a smile.

A short time later, the two were standing outside a flat staring at the door. Dominique had a sense of déjà vu as she lifted her hand up to knock.

"There's no one there," a voice said from their right. Both Dominique and Chris turned to look at an older man who had just stepped out from a flat next door. "There was a professor who lived there. But he moved out some time ago. They have yet to let it out again. Renovating."

"Do you know where the professor went?" Dominique asked, finally finding her voice. "We're looking to speak with him."

"He did not say. Just that… he was retiring off in the country somewhere. He was a very private fellow. Friendly, but never shared much about himself," the man said walking towards them. Dominique frowned, her disappointment evident. "But… I suspect his colleagues at the university might know something."

Dominique looked up at him, a smile starting to form.

"Where did he teach?" she asked.

"Universite Paris 1 Pantheon-Sorbonne," he said. Dominique smiled and nodded.

"Thank you so much," she said. The man nodded and set off down the hall. Dominique sighed and looked up at Chris. "Shall we be off to the university, then?"

Chris glanced out the window at the setting sun.

"Might be too late to find anyone today. But first thing in the morning," he said, looking back at her. Dominique nodded.

"Until tomorrow," she said with a sigh.

And we're a little bit closer to finding the professor... sneaky little bugger... And apologies for no post yesterday. I was busy working all day from home. Starting my last week at my office tomorrow and already feeling a bit sad. I'm happy to leave office life, but I will miss my co-workers...

AleenaBean: Yea, she's still definitely struggling a bit there. But, as you can see, there are more Dom-Chris moments to come!

Thanks everyone for reading, following and reviewing!