The middle; generally a safe place to be. When marching in the ranks towards war, the people are likely to be shot first before you. Sitting on a couch, you’re going to be very warms as well as there being no possibility to fall off. Even when living your life, many philosophers and religions encourage a happy medium, a balance between excess and poverty. However, being in the middle in a family, is not an ideal place to be.
Dom knew this fact very well. Victoire was swooned over by everyone, partly because she was the oldest of all the cousins. Everyone loved her, she set the standards to live up to. Louis, was the baby, everyone bent to his will, and he was often accommodated before Dom. Dom, unlike the others had taken after their father, creating even more of an oddity. Dom had long dark red hair, dark brooding eyes, and strong tall features. Quite a contrast from the blonde, elegant, pale features of Victoire and Louise. This left Dom frustrated, neglected, and in the middle.
Dom had once told such theories to Albus--a fellow middle child-- who merely laughed and asked who seriously thought about that stuff. Dom did. Dom spent a lot of time thinking. Not just about the middle child syndrome, but about the Wizard wars against Voldy, how so many people were lost, people Dom would never get the chance to meet. Or about why certain people were magic, and others not, how to pass divination without making everything up, even how to sleep in just a little longer without being late for class. Dom still hadn’t come up with a solution.
Dom had finally made it to sixth year at Hogwarts, and despite Fleur’s protests, this would be the last. Dom had secured a job with Uncle Charlie, working in Romania. Not with dragons, that was a little too adventurous, but instead working for the local library. Dom was to study and write papers on the dragons. The sort of observations Dom did readily.
Dom liked to watch people a lot, especially friends. There was Frank Longbottom, who had recently grown into a tall handsome man, losing his childishness over the summer. However, despite his appearance, Frank was loud and outgoing, smart, yet somehow grounded. His father was perhaps to thank for that. Needless to say, Frank had been Dom’s best friend since first year.
They had first hit it off on a joint adventure to find the kitchens to which both their fathers had told many a story about. They had become fast friends over the house elves chocolate cake. Since then they had spent many late nights by the fire doing homework, talking and having an all around good time. Dom was currently sitting by said fire, although alone this time.
“Hey Domie, what are you doing?”
“Don’t call me that,” Dom replied without looking up from the Daily Prophet.
Frank took a seat beside Dom and began reading the paper over Dom’s shoulder. “Well what should I call you then? Dominique?”
“No! Just Dom. How many more times do I have to tell you that?” Dom said, a smile hiding at the corners of the mouth.
Frank didn’t have as much control however and burst into a deep, ringing laughter. “Whatever you say, you’ll always be Domie to moi,” he added with a French accent.
Dom shoved him lightly, giving into a shy laugh, “I never should have given you that French-English dictionary.”
“Nonsense, I feel more cultured. So, any luck with Jordan?”
Jordan. The name alone sent shivers down Dom’s spine. There was only one way to describe Jordan; utterly gorgeous, but in a way that couldn’t even compare to the veela in Dom’s family. Dom had been crushing on Jordan since they had first brushed hands in Potions back in Third.
“Doesn’t know I exist.”
Frank groaned. “I thought we had a plan to fix that Dom. You were supposed to tutor Jordan in Ancient Runes, remember? Didn’t you offer your help at all?”
Dom looked down, a blush slowly growing. “I only took the class so that we’d be in all of the same classes. I’m barely passing.”
“Dude, your dad’s a code-breaker, what do you mean you’re barely passing? You got top marks last year!”
“Erm, I’m a little distracted I guess.” Dom admitted, sighing.
“What do you mean distracted? Distracted by Jordan?”
Dom’s obsession over Jordan had always been a sore spot between the two of them. Frank didn’t think Jordan was good enough for Dom.
“I guess you could say that.” Dom replied cautiously.
Frank grabbed Dom by the shoulders firmly. “You can’t let this stupid crush ruin your life! Do you think you’ll keep that job if you can’t pass your courses? Huh? Family can only go so far! I’ve tried to be patient, but I can’t watch you pine after someone who doesn’t even know you exist, someone who will never fully appreciate you for you! You know you always compare yourself to all of these people, but you’re an amazing person! Can’t you just accept that and stop being so hung up on stupid things?”
Dom stared at him for a moment, stung by his words. Dom pulled out of his grasp before saying, “Piss off! Who are you to tell me who I should and shouldn’t like? Huh? My marks are Fine! I’ll get the job, don’t you fret about that, and I will get Jordan to notice me.” Dom faltered slightly at the end.
Frank sighed, “Whatever mate, I know when I find a lost cause. I’m turning in.” With that he went up the stairs towards the dorms.
Dom just stared into the fire for the remainder of the night, mulling over the words Frank had said, the odd tear escaping.
Dom sat in class, constantly fiddling with wrinkled clothing. Sleeping on the couch had not been Dom’s brightest idea, and sitting in class unwashed and tired was not helping with concentrating on class. Dom’s mind instead kept returning to the fight with Frank last night. They never fought, not like this anyway. Frank had sat at the opposite end of the table this morning at breakfast, leaving Dom to sit alone.
As the professor began to drone on about the discernable runes, Dom’s mind began to wander with the comforting scent of vanilla, Jordan’s perfume. Mulling over the words Frank had uttered, Your dad’s a codebreaker.. Just one more failure to add to the list. Dom wasn’t smart, not like Victoire or Louise, both had much higher marks.
What Dom really thought the most about was the person currently sitting in the next seat though. Dom sneaked a glance their way and couldn't help but grin inwardly.
The delicate features stern with concentration, tongue sticking out just a bit, hair falling into the face constantly.
Dom ached with the urge to brush it away. To feel the dark strands, smell the scent.
Dom fought these urges every day, battled with them. Dom fantasized about how they would meet, bump into each other in the halls one day which would lead to more planned meetings. Secret escapes to the astronomy tower, romantic walks along the Black Lake, stargazing by the forbidden forest, never mind trips to Hogsmeade.
They were only fantasies. It would never happen.
She didn’t know he existed.
Dom sighed inwardly for the fourth time that class and focussed on the task at hand: discerning Ancient Runes.
Dom sighed and turned to face the Professor again hunching his broad shoulders over, jotting down some notes. After six years of school, Dom was still greatly unaware of the complexities of dating. One more oddity to add. His sister and brother had no such issues. Louis had had his first girlfriend before Dom did; something Vic pestered him about when Mother wasn’t around.
The scraping of chairs and chatter pulled Dom from his reverie, class had ended and he was the only one still sitting while most everyone else had flied out of the class. Dom slowly threw his papers into his satchel and threw it over his shoulders and hunching forward staring at the floor, he made his way towards the boys lavatory.
Upon entering Dom went over to the sink and splashed cold water over his face and sighed as he heard the bell signalling the next class. Instead of turning to leave he stared into his reflection. He had dirty blonde-brown hair with a hint of red. He wore his hair short, but unruly, often running his hands through it to make it stick up. He had a chiselled face and he maintained a constant stubble; something Louis couldn’t do. He was tall, with broad shoulders, but lanky at the same time. By all standards, he was handsome, just like his father, but how could he compete with veela genes? There was something unearthly about Victoire and Louis, something he would never have. He sighed in defeat and laid his head against the cold mirror.
After a few minutes passed, feeling more miserable then when he woke up, Dom decided to ditch the rest of the day and headed for the Hogwarts grounds. Upon exiting the school a fierce wind blew causing him to hunch his shoulders forward more than usual and pull the collar up on his cloak. He walked in no particular direction, his eyes staying on the ground, holding back humiliating tears of self-pity.
Before he realised it, his feet had taken him to a spot near the lake surrounded by trees shielding him from the harsh wind and the rest of his cruel world. He sat down, drawing his cloak close to himself, pulling his long legs towards his chest. He wondered how he had gotten to this place in his life, when he had first started to feel such despair. Was it merely his unrequited love, was it the lack of love he felt came from his family, perhaps it was in the truth of Frank’s words.
Dom sat there with his head in his hands for a very long time. At one point he had begun to cry silently, had even screamed at the silence surrounding him. Eventually there were no tears left to be shed and no more dark thoughts to be thought leaving him to sit and stare blindly at the lake, for once no thoughts crossing his mind.
Dom was so engulfed in nothingness he didn’t hear the soft footsteps of a person walk towards him, he hardly felt their hand on his shoulder and didn’t, for at least half an hour, notice them sitting beside him, holding his hand until they spoke his name in a familiar, yet distant voice.
“Dom?”
Dom looked up and into brown eyes. “Jordan?” He whispered, shocked at the clearness of his deep voice.
She smiled shyly, “I was looking for you, you weren’t in any of our classes, Frank suggested I could find you here. He seemed awfully worried you know. You never miss class. Have you been here this whole time?”
Dom opened his mouth and the only thing he could say was, “You noticed I was gone?”
She giggled softly, “Dom, you sit beside me in all of our classes, how could I not notice you?”
Dom’s excitement fell a little. Of course. That was the only reason she would notice him, he sat beside her.
Noticing his change, Jordan added, giving his hand a squeeze, “You’re very handsome you know.”
Dom was speechless, the only people who said that was his mother and grandmother, sort of an obligation as far as he was concerned. Then he realized that she was holding his hand. He stared down at it for a while before taking it in both of his hands. He began to runs his fingers slowly over the surface, not thinking of anything else.
She watched him for a while, amazed at his gentleness. She took her hand from his and cupped his face in her hands, stroking his features, staring into his eyes.
On instinct, he leant forward and kissed her sweet lips and she responded immediately, to which he deepened the kiss. He stopped for breath and stared at her, unsure of what to do next, trying to stop himself from smiling.
She smiled warmly, “Will you be my boyfriend Dominique Weasley?”
Dom finally let himself smiling, knowing that everything would somehow get better, knowing that Frank had been right all along. The others didn’t matter, he was amazing and he had gotten Jordan, the most amazing girl to notice him, to like him, possible love him. He took her hands, and brushed hair from her eyes,
Well, I dislike one shots generally, especially such short ones.. But I’ve been playing around for this idea for a while, and it really only is a one-shot. Dominique is such an ambiguous name, and I feel that if Dom were a boy, this might be what he’s like. I’d love to hear your thoughts on my interpretation and the story in general.
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