Dominique couldn’t believe the authorities had decided to let everyone know just who had managed to identify Marian, and while she was a little overwhelmed by the looks and the whispering, nothing quite broke her peace as the sudden sound of Connor’s voice, telling Professor McGonagall what he thought of it all. More than ever the looks people gave her made her uncomfortable, and she also felt her heart beating harder than ever in her chest and ears as she saw Connor slowly crumbling under the weight of the news given to him in a rather careless manner. She supposed this was no time for tact or second-guessing but he didn’t need to find out this way.
Hearing Connor yelling like that, saying they were wrong only made the feeling in her chest a lot worse. It made her feel as though she had actually rushed to recognize her but… she only needed to look at her for a second to know it was here. Dominique hadn’t been wrong, but she understood his need to deny this, to think it wasn’t her. She very quietly got out of her seat and ran for it, just having Connor in mind for the time being. Dominique fell to her knees behind him, wrapping her arms around him as tightly as she could muster. “I’m sorry, Connor, I’m so sorry!” She exclaimed, though trying her hardest not to make her words too audible for anyone but the two of them. “Come on, come with me, please!”
He didn’t want to believe it, he couldn’t believe it- that much was clear to anyone who could see as Connor curled into a ball. It was a pathetic sight, but not one uncommon for someone experiencing so much grief, as well as pity. His cousin was in a coma, and he had done nothing to look for her when she had been missing, it was as much his fault as anyone’s. And he couldn’t cope with that- he couldn’t handle knowing he’d done nothing, he needed Marian to be okay. And that’s why he cried and screamed, and denied it over and over again. He thought- if he continued to say it, it would become true.
He felt the arms wrap around him, and he fought them at first- he didn’t need comfort, he didn’t need pity- he needed someone to tell him that they had made a terrible mistake. But that wasn’t going to happen, and the sooner he’d accept it- the better. He felt himself give in to the embrace, relaxing in their arms as the tears continued to stream down her face. “She’s okay,” he whispered over and over, in his best attempt to reassure himself. It wasn’t working.
As Dominique’s words hit his ears, he froze. Dominique. She’d been the one to identify the body, she’d be able to explain this, she’d be able to admit that they’d made a mistake. Taking a few deep breaths he found himself nodding along to her words. But when he tried to speak, he found himself unable to say anything. Instead, he rose to his feet and motioned to the redhead before he turned and made his way out of the great hall. And just like that it was over, the other students would return to their dinner, most of them forgetting what they had just witnessed.
Once he was safely in the entry way, Connor turned towards Dominique. He made no effort to rush towards her, or to say anything. Instead he folded his arms across his chest, as he bit down on his lip. He could tell she was upset, which did nothing to help his current state, but he was trying to ignore that. “Tell me you’re wrong,” he spoke, his words low, slow and choppy. It took an incredibly amount of concentration for him to speak without crying or screaming at her, but he needed her to hear his question.
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