Wasn’t Supposed To Go Like That

Dominic had always known that he was going to feel a lot of pressure when he got to Hogwarts given that his dad and uncle worked there but if he was honest it was actually quite comforting having them so close. He didn’t tend to like letting people see when he was struggling but his dad had a habit of picking up on it anyway and when he did he always made sure to help Dom out and his uncle was the same. He knew that he was quite lucky in that respect but Dom knew that he couldn’t rely on them to help him forever. He had always been the kind of person who liked to figure things out on his own and even they knew when to back off when he was trying to do that. Dom knew deep down that he didn’t have to be perfect and that no one expected him to be but at the same time he knew that he didn’t want to let anyone down and he felt like he needed to set a good example for Leanne. He knew it was natural that there would be things that he found more difficult than others but he really wasn’t afraid to put in the hard work to make sure that he got the hang of whatever it was. He knew that there were students around the school who probably felt like he had it easier than everyone else but they didn’t have a clue and he knew that they never would.

He at least didn’t have to worry about how things were going for his immediate family since both his sisters were at Hogwarts and his dad worked there too. It was different with his mum but Dom’s family lived close enough that he could walk to and from school every day if he wanted to. He didn’t always tend to do that as he had a bed in one of the dorm rooms as well but he made sure to go back home at least a few times a week to see his mum and younger siblings as well. He knew that there were other kids who did the same thing but the majority still boarded at Hogwarts the way they always used to so Dom knew that he was definitely one of the lucky ones in that respect.

That day Dom was determined to get the hang of a spell that had been bugging him for a while so he had headed out to the training grounds. Normally when he headed down there it was empty and that day was no exception. He had been able to get a bit of practicing in when a familiar voice sounded and Dom glanced in the direction it had come from. “Hey Nyssa,” he said, lowering his wand as she approached. “I know, you’re as bad as I am for that,” he nodded, a half smile forming on his face as he looked over at her. “I’m getting better, I’m just not quite there yet. Definitely not at the wand throwing stage yet,” he added, knowing he was probably more likely to set one of the dummies alight out of annoyance than anything if it got that bad. He had seen an improvement during the time he had been out there but he knew that he could still do better. Nyssa had been a good friend to him since their first year, they competed sometimes but they helped each other out just as much and that was something that Dom had really grown to appreciate over the years. “So what brings you out here?” he asked, unable to deny that he was curious as to what she had been up to.

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Dominic knew that he perhaps should have already let go of the pressure he put on himself to get everything perfect when it came to his school work and those around him certainly told him that he didn't need to be perfect all the time, especially his dad, but he still couldn't help it. He had followed in his dad's footsteps when he had been sorted into Ravenclaw and with his dad his Head of House and his uncle the Headmaster, he couldn't shake the feeling that he needed to live up to the high standard they had set. His aunt Ana had gone on to play quidditch professionally while his uncle Asher was doing well at the Ministry and his uncle Jacob seemed set to follow him. His family seemed to be full of high achievers and Dominic knew that he didn't want to be the one to let the family down. Instead he did what he could in order to make sure that his grades were perfect. He always went for extra credit assignments when they were offered and if he didn't understand or couldn't do something then he didn't stop until he had figured it out. It was a lot of hard work and the truth was that he was growing a little tired of it but it was a habit that he wasn't sure how to break.

The Ravenclaw had always found it much easier to figure out his assignments than he did people anyway. He wasn't good at letting people get too close to him but Nyssa was one of the people he considered a friend so he was glad they she was the one who had found him out there. As Nyssa said she was there to help him if he wanted it, Dom felt a smile touch his lips. "I'd appreciate that, thanks," he said sincerely. He had learned a long time ago that if he couldn't figure something out on his own then talking it through with someone helped, especially if that person was Nyssa, so he knew that he wasn't going to turn down her help. As Nyssa asked if he remembered her godfather, Dom nodded. "Yeah, I remember you mentioning him. Is everything okay?" he asked before nudging her arm gently with his own. "Hey, you're an honorary Brit," he assured her gently. "Besides, it doesn't matter if you're a Brit or not, you belong here," he added with a shrug, knowing that it definitely wouldn't be the same without her. As she asked what spell he was struggling with, Dom groaned. "I guess the break is over, huh?" he teased playfully. "I'm trying to get the hang of Diffindo. I can get the spell to work but the cuts aren't clean enough yet." They weren’t clean enough for his liking yet at least.

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Dominic had grown up hearing stories about Hogwarts from his parents, aunts and uncles so he had found himself eager to go from a very young age. Even before he was old enough to attend he had spent as much time there with his dad and uncle as he could, soaking in as much as he could about the school that would eventually become his, and it definitely hadn’t disappointed. He hadn’t quite appreciated how much pressure he would feel when he got there but more often than not Dominic tended to thrive under pressure. He knew deep down that that was a good thing, there were plenty of students at the school who felt like they had to follow in the footsteps of their parents and Dominic definitely fell into that category. He wasn’t sure what he wanted to do with his life after he graduated yet but right now he was just trying to make it through his OWLs in one piece. His cousin Ryan had faced them the year before and so had Ashlyn so Dominic knew that they were going to be intense but he was a good student and he had never been afraid to put in the hard work to get good grades if there was something that he was struggling with and he knew that he wasn’t about to let that change now.

That was why he had ended up heading to the training ground that day but truth be told he was grateful for the distraction that Nyssa’s arrival offered even if it was only a brief distraction. “I get that, adults always think they have to protect us and never want to tell us when something bad is going on. It’s the same in my family,” Dominic admitted. It was frustrating to say the least but if he was honest it was good to know that he wasn’t the only one who found that. If he was honest he should have known that Nyssa would understand, the two of them were pretty similar in some respects and he had a feeling that was why they got on so well. They were rivals but they were friends as well and Dom knew that he could always count on her. As she said that Hogwarts was her home no matter what others might say, he nodded. “Exactly. If anyone tries telling you different send them my way, I’ll set them straight,” he assured her, knowing that he wasn’t going to let anyone tell Nyssa that she didn’t belong there with them.

“I’ve heard it can be a pretty effective spell to use when Duelling but yes, I am planning on using it to cut things rather than people,” he nodded. “I had thought about a smaller target but I wanted to get used to the spell first. Now I am I think a smaller target might be just what I need,” he added. To begin with he had struggled getting the spell to work for him at all so a larger target had seemed like a good way of getting started. Now he had the spell down it was just a case of perfecting it so he knew that Nyssa was probably right. “Let’s see what we can find,” he suggested as he pocketed his wand for the time being. “You’re doing much better so far this year, you haven’t blown any up yet,” he chuckled. “I think practice should help you keep that up though so this will do both of us some good.”

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“I think you’re right. We have to at least try,” Dom nodded. He knew that his parents, aunts and uncles were only trying to protect him and the rest of the family from what was going on but not knowing could be difficult at times especially when some of his family were out there on the front lines. His dad and uncle were pretty safe teaching at Hogwarts and Jacob was as well since he was still a student but he was training to become an Auror and when he graduated he would be out there facing danger every day. Dom knew that he didn’t want anyone he loved to get hurt, he was so young when Will’s wife died that he didn’t remember much about it but he could still see the sadness in his uncle at times all these years later so he knew that he didn’t want anyone else he cared about to have to go through the same thing. The Enlightened posed a real threat, they didn’t seem to care who got hurt as long as they got what they wanted and he knew that there was a chance that lots of people could end up becoming collateral damage to them and no one wanted that.

“That’s good. You belong here, don’t ever let anyone make you feel differently,” he said gently. Nyssa might not have grown up in the UK but that didn’t mean that she deserved to be there with them any less. There were students at Hogwarts from around the world and they all deserved to be there just as much as any of them did. Nyssa was a great person and Dom knew that he didn’t want anyone to make her start doubting herself. “I know, thanks,” he said, offering her a smile as she said that he had her too. Dom had plenty of family around him but he knew that he wanted people outside of that as well and that was why he was grateful for Nyssa’s friendship. They had a rivalry going for them as well but through it all they could count on each other and Dom knew that he couldn’t ask for anything more than that.

Right now it was a bit of both, it was good to spend some time with his friend but at the same time Dom liked the way that Nyssa always pushed him to do better. They both wanted to be top of their class and neither of them was afraid to put the hard work in to make it happen either. They made each other better and that was something that Dom knew that he didn’t want to lose. As Nyssa repeated the word “yet”, Dom couldn’t help but laugh. “Believe in yourself, I know you can get through the year without blowing anything up,” he said, certain that she could do just about anything she put her mind to. As Nyssa offered up a pumpkin pasty, Dom’s expression turned thoughtful for a moment. “I have an idea,” he said, pulling his wand out of his pocket and tapping the pasty. “Geminio,” he said, using the charm to create two copes so they could have something to practice on each. “Now you have one you can eat and we can still practice,” he said, offering Nyssa a smile as he picked up one of the copies of the pasty and set it down in front of him. “Are you ready?”

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Dom knew that he wasn’t the easiest person to befriend, he had never been the kind of person who found it easy to trust others and people had to earn that with him. For the most part he had always been happy to follow his cousin Ryan’s lead but now he was getting older he was starting to figure out who he could trust on his own more. Nyssa was definitely someone that he had grown close to over the years, she was a rival but she was also a good friend and she was someone that Dom genuinely cherished having in his life. He knew that he could count on her to be there when he needed her and he also knew that he could count on her to push him when he needed it. They made each other better and that was something that he wouldn’t be surprised if they both needed in their lives right now. They were still competitive, of course, but it was all in good fun and they were always there to celebrate the other’s successes and offer words of encouragement when things didn’t go quite to plan and Dom knew that he wouldn’t have it any other way.

As Nyssa joked that she never let others get to her, Dom rolled his eyes playfully. “We both know that’s not true,” he teased. It was easy to get lost in the failures rather than focusing on the positives and they were both guilty of that at times but they were better at it than they had been before. Dom always tried his best in his classes and he knew that Nyssa did too but their relationship had evolved so much that they weren’t out to get each other and they weren’t jealous of one another, they were able to help each other just like now.

“Maybe so but I feel like this year is going to be your year. You’ve got this,” Dom assured her. He knew that Nyssa hated running cauldrons and he honestly hoped that this year would be different. At the end of the year they were going to be facing their OWLs and Dom knew just how important it was to do well so he honestly hoped that Nyssa would be able to make it through those without being distracted by something like a cauldron blowing up. It wasn’t long before the pasty was duplicated and Dom watched as Nyssa gave the spell a try. “That looks pretty precise to me,” he admitted before nodding as she said it was his turn. “Diffindo,” he said, watching as this time a stream of light left the tip of his wand and a cut appeared in the wrapper of the pasty in front of him. Like Nyssa’s it looked precise which was something that he hadn’t managed before and Dom felt a smile touch his lips. “That’s much better than before,” he admitted. “Thank you, I owe you one.”

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