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Seamus Finnigan awoke in his lucky green pajamas. Seamus did not call his pajamas lucky because he was superstitious, but because, in fact, they were. His mother had knitted them for him just before he had entered Hogwarts, and enchanted them with an old family good luck charm. The catch was that it only worked twice a year. Seamus usually wore them once before finals and saved the other time for an emergency…like that Astronomy test he had today.
Seamus groaned and sat up. "I'm going to fail," he declared gloomily. He was answered only by the frozen smiles of Dean's West Ham soccer team. The rest of his dormmates were fast asleep. Seamus lay back down to study.
It was desperate, yet brilliant. It was the reason Seamus hadn't failed Astronomy already. On the ceiling above his bed, using a clever little glowing charm, Seamus had painstakingly copied the entire night sky, dot by dot, so he could study every night. An incantation would switch it to connect-the-dots pictures of the constellations. Seamus was hopeless at constellations. Which was why he was certain that he would fail today's test.
Seamus switched the maps back and forth, back and forth. Versus, versus. He moaned. "Gemini. Like those three random stars really remind me of twins! Whoever made these up must have been mental!"
"Hmm?" Ron Weasley was awake. Seamus realized how loudly he had been complaining. "Sorry, Ron. Studying my stupid constellations."
"Draw them into the freckles on your arm," Ron suggested, yawning.
"That was a joke, right? Like Professor Sinistra won't notice Orion on my arm," Seamus said, rolling his eyes. The hawk-eyed Professor could pick out stars where he only saw a faint glow.
Ron grinned. " 'Couse it was. Like my brother George says: 'Usually by the time you're done with the cheat sheet you know it anyway, and knowing doesn't get you in trouble.' "
"Glad to have the expert opinion," Seamus bantered.
"Anytime, old chap," Ron replied. "I'm going down for breakfast now. Coming?"
"I think I'll study a bit longer. Thanks, though." Ron left.
Seamus smiled wryly. Old chap. It was Ron's way of making fun of Seamus's Irish roots, talking like that. Like a posh Brit, Ron would say. Seamus flopped down on the bed, hoping it wasn't futile.
§ § §
Ten minutes later, Seamus was down at the breakfast table. Actually, he was down at the Ravenclaw breakfast table, where his friend Douglas was helping him study.
"You know, Seamus, you really should have taken Latin," he mused. "You'd be better at Astronomy if you understood what the names meant."
"You're always saying that," Seamus said. "With everything. 'Seamus, you'd do better in Charms if you knew what you were saying.' 'Seamus, you'd get higher marks in Transfiguration if you understood the language.' "
"Because it's true," Douglas said reasonably.
"It's not my fault I didn't take Latin. I was a kid! And my school didn't offer it."
Douglas held up his hands. "I know, I know. I was just saying."
Seamus went back to work. After a few minutes, Douglas said, "I've got an idea." Raising his voice, he called, "Hey! Longbottom!"
Neville looked up from his toast.
"Please," Douglas called, "please tell me you've remembered your Remembrall."
Neville held it up. "For once!" he called.
"Can I borrow it?" Neville tossed it over. Douglas caught it and handed it to Seamus.
"Concentrate on constellations, Seam." Seamus concentrated. The ball did nothing. "Excellent! You've done it, man."
"I'm going to pass?" Seamus said.
"With flying colors," answered Douglas. Seamus grinned.
§ § §
Seamus felt a lot better after that. When he found out that they would be pruning Shivering Shrubs in Herbology (ice-blue in color and cold to the touch; the leaves were added to drinks and the roots made a nice breath-freshener), he challenged Dean Thomas and Justin Finch-Fletchley to a topiary-sculpting contest. Seamus was snipping out pretty good snowman until Professor Sprout found them. "Ten points from Gryffindor and five points from Hufflepuff, boys." She smiled. "Although that penguin is rather cute." Justin beamed.
Then to Flying lessons. They had these for one week every year "to review." Not even Harry Potter was exempt; Madame Hooch said that playing Quidditch was one way to fly, but it wasn't safe or applicable in most other cases.
"All right. Brooms up!" Madame Hooch called. "UP!" they all shouted. Everyone had mastered that part. "Mount!" she called. "Go at the count of three. Nice cruising speed. One…two…three!"
Most people were going too fast, including Harry Potter. "Harry!" Seamus shouted. "Slow down!"
"Oh, right! Sorry!" Harry called. "Instinct!"
Seamus switched to a comfortable sidesaddle position. Harry might be good at Quidditch, but Seamus had practically spent his whole childhood on a broomstick. He had often taken a lunch on his tours and eaten it on broomstick without dropping a crumb. Speaking of lunch… Seamus thought, as he looked at his watch. And after that…Astronomy. Seamus nearly fell off his broomstick. Drat! I should be studying. "Accio notebook!" he called to his bookbag.
§ § §
Seamus tried to relax as the tests were handed out. You'll do fine, Douglas had said at lunch. The test wasn't that difficult. Maybe for you, Know-It-All, Seamus had replied good-naturedly. The test was passed back to him. His quill quivered in his hand.
A half-hour later, he handed his paper in. It had been grueling, but he thought that perhaps he had done it. He had remembered Ursa Minor (The Little Bear; thanks, Doug), and even Gemini, the stupid three-stars-that-were-supposed-to-be-twins.
Professor Sinistra announced, "All right, people, for homework, read the chapter on identifying galaxies. We'll be talking about it for a week, and then we'll have another test."
Seamus groaned. Maybe Dean could lend him his part of the ceiling.
§ § §
Potions was next. Because somebody upstairs loved Gryffindors (probably Dumbledore), they had Potions with the Hufflepuffs this year, not the Slytherins. Snape hated Hufflepuffs as much as he hated Griffindors, but at least this year the hate was equally distributed. They were doing Hair-Growing potions today.
"What have I done?" Ron groaned. While everyone else's potion was a clear blue, his was neon orange. Harry leaned over—and the cauldron exploded. Seamus got a drop on his nose and immediately a curly, sandy-colored lock sprouted and grew down to his chest. Dean cracked up. "I've seen some strange things since coming here, man, but that—that…"
Seamus held the hair up. "What, you don't think it's me? Anyway, if you want to see strange, look at Hairy Potter." Harry had gotten a large faceful and was indeed very hairy. "Yikes," said Dean. "He got some on his eyelids. That can't be comfortable." Seamus agreed and waited for Snape to come over with the antidote.
§ § §
It was quiet after the lights had gone out in the dorm. Then Seamus heard Ron's voice. "Hey. Seamus."
"Yeah?"
"How'd it go?"
"The test? I think I did all right."
Seamus heard the grin in Ron's voice as he replied, "Jolly good, old boy."
Seamus grinned too.