help? [landon]

[DOMINIQUE AMELIE WEASLEY]

dominique was fuming.

since arriving at hogwarts for her fifth year, she had been working extra hard to get good marks in each and every one of her classes. she did all her homework, and did her best for each and every assignment that came to her. it was hard work too, what with her OWLS coming up at the end of the year, each professor was loading her with homework. until today, she had been doing good and each and every class. it had looked like she would achieve at least an exceeds expectations in every class. but now, there was an assignment she just couldn't get. it was so stupid, why couldn't she do just a simple spell?

this week in defense against the dark arts, they were working on the patronus charm. years ago, it hadn't been taught until a students seventh year at hogwarts, but because of harry potter, the school board decided that they could learn it earlier. the spell would protect a person from dementors, which was extremely useful. while dementors didn't roam around like they had before, it was still fairly common to encounter one while they were sent to hunt down a criminal.

most of the people in her class had no problem with the spell. more than one had done it on their first try. but dom had tried again and again, using all sorts of memories, and had only achieved silver wisp. she desperately wanted to see what animal would erupt from her wand, after seeing all the beautiful shining creatures. not to mention, learning this spell was worth a lot for her mark. seven percent, or something along those lines. it was a difficult spell to master.

after class, the professor had requested to speak with her. she hadn't realized that she was so far behind, she was the only one in the class that hadn't had something resembling a creature come from her wand at least once. the professor had requested that she ask one of the students who had gotten it on the first try to help her. and who was she told to go to? landon taylor. so she sat in the common room, in a red armchair waiting for him to arrive. she had sent out an owl earlier in the day to him reading;

taylor,
meet me in the common room after classes today. i need to ask you something.

dominique weasley

hopefully, he would show up. the two of them weren't on the best terms. she really didn't want to work with him at all, actually. but she really needed this mark.

[LANDON DREW TAYLOR]

Opposed to Dominique, Landon was as happy as can be.

The singsong-y Gryffindor had just eaten his fill of everything he could find in the Great Hall. The house elves were hard at work that day, and it showed. Everything tasted heavenly; the pudding had just melted in his mouth. The pudding was always the best. He'd gotten his complete fill of pumpkin juice to the point of being sick, which made him increasingly happy at the sight of his bloated stomach. Delightful.

Not only had he been completely gluttonous, but he was on top of the world for yet another reason. He was acing pretty much all of his classes -- except Potions, he could never figure that out -- namely Defense Against the Dark Arts. Hell, he could teach that class if he wanted to (but Dominic was far better at it). In fact, in the first instant it was assigned, Landon had been far too eager to try. He always wanted to prove himself and show off how good of a wizard he was, even if he didn't need to. With a flick of his wand and a thought of swimming with his father, a silvery wisp shot out of his wand, blooming into a full body Patronus. This meant seven percent of his grade was secured for full marks. Yes, with just a simple memory and a whip of the wrist, he was able to produce his first Patronus -- a large, familiar dog that looked much like his animal form -- which pranced around the classroom, creating looks of envy on his classmates' faces. One face, plastered with particular jealousy, was more obvious than the rest. Dominique. And that one created the most satisfaction of all.

Quite honestly, he had tried as hard as he could to be friendly to Dominique. In the beginning, at least. Of course, any attempts of a smile or joke would have the undesired effect -- pushing her away. She remained futile and cold towards him, and their rivalry began. Since the beginning of that year, they'd hated each other. It wasn't as though they had to have anything against each other, but it just made everything more fun, he thought.

When a little birdie (an owl, really) had told him that Dominique wished to see her, he couldn't help but be curious and rather pleased with himself. She wanted something that he had earned, or else she wouldn't even attempt to talk to him. As he read the letter, he felt the smirk spread on his face. This was going to be good.

Complete with the smug expression, Landon bounded over to Dominique, who he spotted sitting in a rather squishy armchair. " You wished to see me, dearest ?" He raised a brow and his ego swelled thrice its size, sarcasm dripping from his voice. As obnoxious and irritating as he was, he took a seat right next to her and leaned towards her, expectantly waiting for a response, a plea, anything.

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[DOMINIQUE AMELIE WEASLEY]

dominique kept an eye on the clock that was hanging above the fireplace. landon had obviously gone to dinner, rather than coming to meet with her directly after classes had ended. when she had sent him the letter, she had expected to be done by now. instead, she was stuck waiting here until the lazy asshole decided that she was worth his time. why couldn't the patronus spell be another of those spells that she could easily teach herself to perform? dom did not want to learn this spell under the direction of landon, it was going to be more torture than it was worth. after all, landon was a standard gryffindor. over confident, optimisitc and just plain irritating. she had to spend enough time with gryffindors like that in classes, and in the paper angels. now they were going to overtake her free time as well? what was the sorting hat thinking, sorting her into this house? she had nothing in common with any of these people. sure, she was brave, but not nearly as much as sly or smart, in her opinion. she would have fit into ravenclaw or slytherin much easier than she was adjusting to gryffindor. gryffindor sucked.

while waiting for landon to arrive, dominique watched those who were in the common room. there was two fourth years playing a game of wizarding chess, groaning and cheering whenever something happened in their favour, or didn't. a few first years were chattering over something that had happened in flying class, and some seventh years were talking about what they were doing once they graduated. a lonely third year was reading some book on the couch nearby, and then there were some immature second years attempting to play a game of quidditch without brooms, using a throw pillow as the quaffle. she didn't fit into this house. even before she had changed herself, she never had. back then, she hadn't even been brave. she had been a timid little girl, scared of everything. how had the sorting hat placed her in here? people said that it did not judge by family, but it seemed to have done exactly that to her. there was nothing gryffindor about her, except her weasley blood.

dom hated her defense teacher for making her do this. acting friendly towards landon was going to be worse than pretending to be a sweetheart to the paper angels. the paper angels didn't know who she really was, but landon did. so he would try his best to annoy her and drive her crazy. why did it have to be him?

she knew why he had been recommended. his display in class had been absolutely astounding. they hadn't even raised there wands a few times yet, it had been the absolute first try on the spell, and he had done it. a silver dog had raced around the room, surprising everyone. it was beautiful. dominique wished she knew what animal her patronus would be. she couldn't think of a single animal who related to her at all. but all of the patronus' she had seen in class hadn't been a surprise. landon was a dog, and he was rather alike to canines, for example. what would she be?

dominique leaned against the back of the armchair, closing her eyes. she had pretty much lost hope that landon was going to show up, he was already so late. so of course, surprise hit her like a freight train when she heard his voice, and her eyes flew open. she tried to hide her surprise, morphing her expression into a glare as fast as she possibly could. god, five seconds with him and she was already regretting asking him to meet her here. "no, taylor, i don't wish to see you at all. but i didn't really have a choice in this matter." she replied, wishing she could wipe that smug grin off his face. but then she realized that he was the one in control of the situation, and sighed. she had to try and be friendly with this. or at least, not rude. "i need help producing a patronus"

[LANDON DREW TAYLOR]

While Dominique would brood about her misplacement of house and fume internally about the immature younger kids around them, Landon would have worked his charm and joined them. He loved to mess around and was as immature as the fail Quidditch players. Maturity and grown-ups were too boring. Teachers would droll on and on about the same subjects, while first years could amuse themselves by lifting paper airplanes with a mere Wingardium Leviosa or hell, just amuse themselves with the paper. He was the same way; he had been the same boy for the past four years. He'd learned -- and promptly forgotten all he'd learn the previous year. Landon could be a bright boy if he tried (which he did, to prove himself and earn jealousy from his classmates) but most of the time, he was just too lazy. He could procrastinate his homework longer than it took to do it, think for hours on end but not about the required topic, and doodle in the margins of his papers until he got whacked on the upside of his head. He didn't have much to care for; it wasn't like his mother would get mad for his lack of attention. She didn't even write -- guess owls couldn't fly across oceans very well. The thing was, Landon was a great student regardless of his inattentiveness. He was the first kid to produce a Patronus and the one who never studied for the finals and still aced them.

He was the top dog, so to speak.

First years looked up to him. Other fifth years, such as Dominique, envied his talents even if he was a show off. And Dominique's envy was the sweetest. Sure, he liked to tease her. If he could, he'd have his silver dog bark and lick her face to rub it in. Her reactions were priceless; she was his main competition for everything. In classes that they sat together, he would sneak glances at her paper and try to one up what she did, just 'cause he could. He would tease for getting one point higher and annoy the hell out of her, just because of that scrunched nose or flat expression that hid the coveting of his talents. Landon knew he was better than her in most things, and wasn't afraid to show it. He was just so happy he was one of the more fortunate ones who didn't have to slave away for a Patronus.. like little Dominique, his main rival... who he was about to see right now.

As Landon strutted through the halls, smiling at familiar faces and scowling at spiteful Slytherins, he noted the distinctive personalities each house had. The Hufflepuffs had goody two shoes, giggly and sweet kids who he could laugh at for a good minute. Leftovers. Slytherins were clever and stared him down for the red and gold tie he wore with pride. Ravenclaws would have their noses buried in their books or quills scrawling on parchment. And then, there was him. The cookie cutter Gryffindor. Brave and impulsive, unafraid to stand up and bark at those he disliked, and especially loyal to the friends he held dear. His three best friends were like him -- they could shift into animals. Two at will, one at the full moon. Poor Dominic. They'd all shared the secret quietly.. his Animagus form was something that had always puzzled him; he never really needed to try to learn like other registered Animagi did. It was odd, really. But what else did he even put effort in, anyways?

Landon muttered the password to the Fat Lady and slipped through the doorframe to bound over to the prominent red hair in the common room. A teasing remark and a dry retort were what was expected out of their exchanges. As he glanced up into the fire in Dominique's eyes, he noted he never really got to.. know her. He just assumed the worst after their first hateful encounter, and that was that. And here she was, practically begging for help. Why should he try to ponder and analyze her character now when she was wrapped around his finger?

The shaggy haired boy chortled. "Oh, of course you do, Weasley. I saw the disappointment this morning, when you didn't get more than a little spark out of your wand. Guess some aren't as lucky, huh?" He twirled his wand between his fingers, unable to wipe off his smirk. "Alright, well. Get out your wand, if you want to get on with it. Professor Taylor won't have all day."

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[DOMINIQUE AMELIE WEASLEY]

today had been a flurry of harsh comments and laughter. dominique wasn't a popular person, and she was fine with that. she wasn't a social person, and even before she had the enemies she had now, she hadn't had many friends. she was just one of those people who didn't know how to make friends with people. so of course, she had quite a few enemies. and those enemies had used the fact that she couldn't produce a patronus against her, teasing her at every point and time they could throughout the day. it was frustrating, why could everyone else do one and not her?

she had tried harder than most of the other people in her class. they had been waving their wands around, saying the spell in an almost lazy fashion, and an animal had sprouted from their wands anyway. but she had moved the wand in the precise fashion that the professor had shown them, and said the spell as clearly as she possibly could. but each and every single time, all she got was silvery smoke. after an hour of that, she had been holding back tears of frustration. and by the time class was over, all she had wanted to do was go back to her dorm and cry. she wanted to do this spell, because she wanted to prove she was better than everyone else. she had beaten most of the class in every other assignment, and then she just failed at this one.

dominique hated the fact that she was stuck asking landon for this. there was a huge chance that he would tell her no, because he was just like everyone else. he hated her. and she didn't like him either, she wanted to beat him at something. so asking him for help was like the ultimate embarrassment for her, because it was like she was admitting he had won. she wouldn't be surprised if he made her beg.

dominique just remained glaring at landon as he laughed at her. had her envy been that obvious in class? she hadn't exactly been trying to hide it, but usually she was able to keep her emotions behind a neutral mask. she hadn't been paying much attention early however. she had just been focused on getting the damn spell right. "I guess not, taylor." she muttered in response, desperately wanting to hex him. but she had to remain calm, and she couldn't insult the boy in front of her, or do anything to make him mad. she needed this mark. he needed to teach her seriously.

dom hadn't realized she had been holding her breath until she let it go in relief. she grabbed her wand, which had been laying on the table next to her, and looked at landon for guidance. she needed a step by step lesson, because she didn't know what she was doing wrong. "what's next, professor taylor? hurry it up. i don't want to be here too long, you may wear off on me."

[LANDON DREW TAYLOR]

Landon was cocky and high spirited. Oh, he was well aware of that. He didn't 'toot his own horn', as they would say in Texas or something, in his eyes. He was more of an over confident boy once one got to know him. His confidence made some ladies gush and fawn over the way he would strut (not as much as his friend Oscar, though. They shared that quality, but Oscar would often steal the spotlight). Landon took much of his magical talents for granted; he would never be in America if not for his mother having enough money to send him after American Academy of Magic closed down. Or were they rich? He couldn't even remember. His memory was a slippery thing; every time he tried to recall something that happened a few years ago it would slip through his fingers. He could furrow his brows, store his memory in a vial, but it would still be cloudy. Instead of his magic, he held his memory precious. What if he had some weird condition or something? Regardless of the murky parts of his brain, he knew his magical talent was nothing he would lose any time soon. Was that even possible? Turning into a Muggle? He couldn't even fathom the thought. Books and studying things were never his strong suit; if he had read it, he wouldn't remember it. He was more of a verbal person... if he paid attention, that is.

During the Patronus charm test, Landon knew this would be easy as pie. He was a bit intimidated, to tell the truth. The spell was advanced and taught to older students years ago, but they felt the need to teach their students. It was like there would be some dementor apocalypse or something! Shaking his head, he held back his slight worry that he mightn't get it right, and tried to find the best memory he could find. Swimming with his father would have sufficed as his happiest time, even if it was a flurry in his head. It confused him; there were multiple details to it. Sometimes he was wearing blue swim trunks, other times they were green. His father's face wasn't completely clear to him either. Sometimes it distorted, like the color of his eyes or height of his cheekbones. Landon wished he could keep that memory and hold it by the neck, store it in a vial and watch it in a Pensieve for a rainy day, but it seemed impossible given that he hadn't even a good look at his father's face.

Instead, while he was trying his hand at a Patronus, a peculiar thing happened.

When Landon had been trying to think of his own father as his happiest memory, there was a flash in his mind, almost like lightning, of him.. or wasn't it him? It felt like he was himself.. but in a separate body? It was terribly difficult to explain, which was why he kept this to himself. The experience he saw behind his eyes seemed clearer than even his own recent memories. He was faced with a boy that looked younger than he -- he felt like he knew this boy -- with glasses, dark hair, and a.. lightning scar? Harry Potter? Landon had recognized the face from the papers; he was even popular in America. They appeared to be having an in-depth talk, and his heart felt content.. it felt safe. He had this adrenaline rush of sorts, as though he had just gotten out of a rut... "The ones that love us never really leave us. And you can always find them in here.." He put his hand on Harry's heart.

Before Landon knew it, he was thrown back into reality. He was perplexed, to say the least, and furrowed his brows as the barking dog scurried out of his wand and the teacher clapped.

He had played back the memory over and over again in his head, trying to decode the many questions stemming from it. Why was Harry Potter so young? Why was it me.. but not? Why don't I remember it, yet it feels so familiar? Landon was puzzled, but couldn't figure out why it had happened before a Patronus. Maybe it happened to everyone else too? Huh..

Well, he would surely find out soon.

Snapping out of his deep thought, he snorted at Dominique. His enemy. Right, this was reality.. not his Patronus memory. "Turning into me would be much more of a blessing than a curse." He smirked, then his face fell to a more serious expression. "Dominique, there's your problem. These things can't be rushed." He may have said it a bit sarcastically, but it was the truth. "Relax, 'kay? Breathe. Get out of body. And think of the time you were happiest.. not like now when you're just irritated. Think of your brightest time. Keep it light."

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[DOMINIQUE AMELIE WEASLEY]

thinking of even pretending to act like landon made dominique want to wretch. gryffindors were so obnoxious, and he certainly wasn't an exception. he was probably one of the worst, him and oscar. they walked around like they thought they owned the school, which just bothered her to no end. after all, neither of them had even been there since their first year. there was some story about coming from america because the wizard institute there closed or something stupid like that. hogwarts was her home, and they thought they could just waltz in from america and take it from her? there was no way she was allowing that to happen.

dom didn't understand how landon telling her what to do would help her anymore than the professor's instructions. she certainly would rather listen to the professor than the young man sitting across from her, and wouldn't that put her in a better mood? she had to be thinking happy thoughts to produce a patronus, after all. it was a tad hard to be happy with the stress of messing up again in front of landon. he would use it against her, no problem.

she glared at him for the sarcasm in his voice, but she knew he was right. there was no way she would be getting this spell down when she was this tense. she had to calm down. relax, he said. breathe. dom closed her eyes to help her focus. inhale. exhale. inhale. exhale. loosen up. good. now think. at what time in your life had you been happiest?

in class, dominique had been thinking of quidditch. nothing made her happier than zooming around on a broom, doing lots of fun tricks and crazy stunts. so she had conjured up the happiest quidditch memory she could, from the summer between her third and fourth years. the potter/weasley clan had been playing quidditch, an average day really for them. most of them were good on various positions, so they switched around a lot, and this particular time she had been playing as seeker. her team had pretty much already decided that they were going to lose, since uncle harry was playing seeker for the other team and he was one of the best quidditch players of all time, and definitely better than any of them. but she had caught the snitch.

that had seemed like her happiest memory, when she was thinking in class. but obviously, it just hadn't been good enough. she was going to have to think harder. think happy. keep it light, he had said, she was going to float.

now, when had she been happier than that quidditch game? was it...no. that memory had victoire in it, and that just caused her to tense again. she had to think harder.

well...there was that time when her grandfather got tickets to a baseball game. she had been ten then, and he had brought her and louis with him because victoire was at hogwarts in her first year. neither she nor her brother knew what baseball was, but they had been excited because they had never seen a muggle sport before. the entire game, the two of them had been completely into the game, and then the sixth inning had come, and the player hit the ball just a bit too hard, and it came flying into the audience.

dominique grinned, as she remembered catching the ball. now, she just had to hold onto that. "what now?" she asked, her eyes still closed.