That Which Prevails
"So, what, you're telling me your mum or dad never read you fairytales?"
"Not ones like these," Parvati grinned, and then nudged Lavender, causing both of them to fall into a bout of giggles. Seamus stared at the two for a moment, utterly disturbed and slightly baffled by their girly antics, before shaking himself slightly and jogging a bit to catch up with a disgruntled looking Dean.
"Look, mate, we're sorry—we shouldn't have started in with the teasing," Seamus began, inflecting his words just so in order to convince Dean he was sorry. Not that he was actually apologetic about some light teasing, but he and the girls needed help on this assignment and they didn't want to approach Hermione Granger either. His best friend gave him an appraising look, calling Seamus on his bullshit with just an expression, but the Scottish boy stubbornly kept up his earnest look. Lavender had come up behind Seamus, Parvati choosing to hang back and watch with amusement.
"Fine," Dean finally sighed, rolling his eyes overdramatically. "I'll help you. But I think going to a Muggleborn for answers on all of your Muggle Studies homework is cheating." Seamus grinned broadly and slung an arm over Dean's shoulder, whooping loudly as Lavender and Parvati breathed sighs of relief.
"Knew you were my best mate for a reason," he winked. Dean chuckled and led the way to an abandoned room decorated with desks. They usually studied in a place like that—it was as good a space as any, especially if they were practicing a spell. Seamus had never gotten over the habit of… well, blowing things up. Parvati and Lavender had only recently started joining them, though. Seamus had always thought them rather annoying, but after last year—particularly the Yule Ball—he'd gotten to know them much better. Dean was always nice, much more so than Seamus, and welcomed the company.
Lavender fished a rather large book out of her bag and dumped it on the table. "Disney?" Dean asked amusedly. Faint memories of setting round the telly watching the old cartoons with his sisters flashed through his mind—they'd always beg for princess tales, but Dean would only watch ones with minimal kissing. Smiling slightly, he turned to Parvati, the more sensible of the girls.
"Would you need help with, exactly?" he asked. As she started describing their assignment—something about finding elements of each story not normally part of Wizarding culture—Seamus procured his wand and experimentally tapped it against the book, squinting slightly when a wisp of smoke escaped from the pages. Lavender gasped and elbowed Seamus out of the way, grabbing her own wand.
"Ooh, what'd you do?" she demanded, cocking her head to the side interestedly. Seamus shrugged, swiping at the back of his neck.
"Dunno… I probably almost set it on fire, is all," he grinned. Most of the time, his uncanny knack for pyrotechnics was a curse; but he did love the sight of it, the feel of it, and when he was at school and it could be cleaned up well, setting things on fire was more fun than anything else (as long as he didn't get burned).
Lavender's eyes were alight with mischief as she slowly tapped the book with her own wand, biting off a squeal of shock as it slammed open. An unseen breeze ruffled the pages and sparks ignited from the movements. She stepped back as it began to heat up, almost glowing with intensity, mouth falling open. The sizzling was more than enough to alert Dean and Parvati that something was going on.
They glanced over just in time to see the light swirl up, encompass a wide-eyed Seamus and Lavender, and then flash so bright they had to shield their eyes. As the light died down, the open book slammed closed. Of course, what Dean and Parvati were really looking at was the empty classroom.
Seamus and Lavender were nowhere to be seen.
Seamus really wished he hadn't prodded that book. He had to stop testing the limits of magic, really… Grimacing slightly, he pushed himself off the ground and looked around, relieved to see Lavender stirring lightly next to him. He pushed against her side, urgently whispering her name. Finally, she blinked her eyes open, glancing at him and then around her before she gasped and surged upwards, nearly knocking him on the head.
"Oi!" he huffed, running a hand through his hair indignantly. Lavender didn't pay him any mind as she scrambled anxiously to her feet. She glanced around them, causing Seamus to do the same. They were in an old-fashioned bedroom, floral patterning every piece of fabric available. He wrinkled his nose in slight disgust and managed to stand next to her on shaky legs (he'd been knocked out quite well, after all).
"Where are we?" Lavender wailed, pulling at her hair dramatically. Seamus rolled his eyes and clutched in his robes, relieved beyond belief to find his wand there. He held it in front of him as he approached the closed door to the room, only to stumble in shock as Lavender grabbed onto his arm and held tight, begging him not to open the door.
"Lavender!" he griped, shaking her off resolutely. He turned, about to yell or reprimand her, only to meet a tear-stricken, shaking form. Seamus softened and tugged her close, pulling her into a rare hug. "It's alright," he sighed, letting go as fast as possible, "I promise I'll find out whatever the hell is going on." He very purposefully didn't promise he'd find them a way out of 'this'—he didn't even know what the situation was yet, and he wasn't exactly a skilled wizard. Hell, he was only in his fourth year of school.
She swallowed and then nodded, pausing for a moment before extracting her own wand. She gripped it between white fingers, slowly following Seamus as they crept towards the door. He determinedly turned the knob, running through as many defensive spells in his head as he could. They tiptoed their way through a darkened hallway to some stairs, noting that the rest of the house had an old sort of vibe to it, as well as the bedroom. Lavender was biting her tongue hard—she wanted to so badly to ask Seamus questions, but then she'd remember that he only knew as much as she did.
As they reached the bottom of the stoop, Seamus' arm shot out to stop Lavender from moving any closer. She squeaked and then slapped her hand on her mouth apologetically. Seamus sighed—he wished Dean would've been with him instead. He could hide behind him, instead of Lavender doing so to Seamus. He gestured for her to be quiet, and then listen closely.
Lavender closed her eyes and cupped her ears; she was confused for a moment, and then heard quiet snuffling and yipping sounds. Perplexed, she hesitantly pushed past Seamus toward the noises. He grasped after her, trying to stop them from getting killed. Lavender ignored him, so the only thing he could do was follow her, albeit tentatively.
He didn't exactly expect to find what they did after rounding the corner.
Seamus' mouth fell open—he had no idea what to say or do. On the other hand, Lavender's eyes widened imperceptibly before she let out a delighted, loud shriek and darted forward, throwing herself on the ground to land in the huge pile… of puppies.
They were everywhere. On the furniture and underneath it, crawling across the floor and peaking around the corners. Dalmatians poured from every crevice of the room. There must've been at least a hundred. Seamus wondered faintly how much fur would accumulate when they started to shed.
"Seamus!" Lavender squealed, happily tickling the stomach of two of the puppies as another few licked her face, "Where are we? Heaven?" He stared at her incredulously. Just a few moments ago, she had been clinging to him for dear life, and now here she was prancing around in a roomful of dogs, seemingly haven completely forgotten they had no idea what was going on or where they were.
His stomach twisted uncomfortably as a few dogs trotted up to him, sniffing his robes curiously and snuffling their little noses against his ankles. They were adorable, sure, but he had no idea why he'd landed in a room full of puppies. It made no sense… Oh!
Seamus' eyes lit up as he remembered flipping through the old muggle book, apathetically scanning each story and noting one or two things about each; one had definitely featured Dalmatians… a lot of them, in fact. And this was a shit load of Dalmatians. He swore loudly and picked his way over to Lavender, glancing around for whatever villain featured in this story (she was definitely a puppy-murderer, and anyone who could kill puppies was not someone he had any interest in meeting). If he remembered correctly, she wore a coat made out of fur—ugh, Dalmatian fur, to be exact.
"Lavender," he said, shaking her shoulder to snap her out of the puppy-induced headspace she currently occupied, "Lav, we need to get out of here. We're definitely not allowed to be here." She huffed slightly and gently pushed one of the puppies to the floor, where it tumbled backwards and then rolled so its stomach was up, wagging his tail lazily and whining to be petted.
"And since when have you cared about where you're allowed, Seamus? I mean, there are cute puppies everywhere! Why would you want to leave?" she demanded, obligating the dog and scratching its stomach, causing it to lick her hand happily.
"Because, we're in a freaking fairytale, we don't know what's going on, and there's a dog-murdering madwoman on the loose!" he all but yelled, resisting the urge to cuddle the mewing puppies himself. Finally, his small rampage managed to catch her attention, and she paused, mouth falling open.
"Wait, what?" she squeaked, hurriedly rushing to her knees and scrambling to approach him. "That doesn't make sense! Why would someone… why would someone want to hurt puppies?" she asked desperately. Seamus stared at her for a second, blown away (because, seriously, wouldn't a normal person be more concerned about the fact that they had somehow entered into a land of fairytales?).
Seamus took several calming breaths, then seized her robes and began to pull her away. She waved frantically at the puppies, petting them and cooing at them on her way. They tripped after her happily and then she followed Seamus willingly, delighting in the presence of the puppies. Ignoring the annoying—though admittedly sweet and, well, a bit endearing—he peaked around the corner of the room they were in, hoping for… he wasn't sure, actually.
Cautiously, he and Lavender stepped into what appeared to be a library. As the puppies spilled in, Seamus approached a table, hands tingling slightly at the sight of the beautiful book that lay atop of it. When he realized what it was, Seamus grinned and whooped.
"Seamus!" Lavender scolded, picking herself up from where she had fallen out of surprise from his yell. Chuckling, he scrambled for his wand and held it out carefully. Once she noticed what he was doing, Lavender gasped and came up behind him, gripping his shoulders tightly.
"Will it take us home?" she asked, a hint of fear coloring her voice. He glanced at her—and, resisting the urge to sweep a spare lock of hair from her eyes—sighed.
"I hope so. It got us here… I don't know what else it could do." They both glanced down at the book, worry throttling their stomachs into a thick knot. Seamus wiped a sweaty hand off on his robe and then pointed his wand at the book; it was open to a random story about a princess (of course, that could apply to more than half these stories, couldn't it?) and he hoped that maybe it was enough to bring them home.
Closing his eyes and focusing on the feel of Lavender's hands squeezing his shoulders, Seamus tapped the book and imagined magic—home, really—as hard as he could. Once again, the sense of sleep hit him, and darkness overtook his senses.
They were definitely not in Hogwarts.
Seamus and Lavender knew that much as soon as they came to for the second time. It wasn't cold or drafty, for one thing, and for another… they could hear singing. Not just any singing, but beautiful singing, gorgeous singing. Lavender tried to get to her knees, but only ended up falling flat on her face. Seamus stifled his laughter in favor of struggling to his own feet and surveying their surroundings.
They were still in some kind of castle, he mused, but it was much more… fancy. And ornate. Sighing, he lent a hand to Lavender and helped her to her feet. She dusted her robes off and sent him a withering glance before sauntering towards the doorway, closer to where the music was coming from.
"Where are we?" she asked, and then blushed and added, "Never mind," when Seamus rolled his eyes exaggeratedly. The two carefully stepped out of the room and glanced around the corner, surprised to find a large, beautiful balcony ahead of them. As soon as the sound of hundreds of voices hit them, Seamus wanted to turn around and go the other way, but Lavender's eyes widened and a silly grin reached her face. His heartbeat quickened slightly, and he thought that maybe they could check it out, just for her sake. Taking her hand and trying to ignore how very warm it felt in his own, he tugged her down the corridor, sticking closely to the shadows.
As they approached the edge of the balcony, Lavender squealed and surged forward, mouth falling open. Seamus was quite shocked as well—he definitely had never laid eyes on a ball before, after all. Numerous men and women in beautiful gowns and handsome uniforms mulled around the edges of the room, but they were all watching the graceful couple dancing around the middle of the hall.
They could tell the woman was beautiful even from way up in the balcony. Her hair, long and blonde, looked luxurious and soft, and her kind expression would be appealing to anybody. What really got them, though, was the look of love and adoration in her eyes. The look she was sharing with the prince—her prince—was enough to stir jealousy in everybody who had ever craved a pair of arms to hold them in the night.
Seamus turned to Lav, about to tell her they should get going, when he caught the expression on her face. She was so wistful, so hopeful; her eyes alight from the bright candles flickering all around them. Her soft hair flowed around her, almost like a halo, and she swayed slightly with the music. He'd always though her pretty, but now… now, she was absolutely glanced at Seamus and shyly looked back at the dancing royalty when she realized he was already looking at her, a touch of awe in his gaze.
"Seamus," she murmured, very carefully not looking at him, "can we… can we dance? Please?" He opened his mouth but nothing came out—he was at a loss for words. Normally, he would have said no, but there was a special kind of buzz in the air, and his arms ached to hold her. Finally, he stepped forward and tenderly grasped her hand before pulling her forwards. They circled their arms around each other shyly, and then began to move along with the music.
Her heart soared as she stared into his eyes. He was so chivalrous and handsome, and so funny, and now she was dancing with him at a real ball… for princesses! She felt like she was in a dream.
Seamus smiled at her, suddenly nervous. So caught up in the moment was he, he'd barely noticed as their bodies molded together, and now they were so, so close, and… and he couldn't take it. Her body heat was so enticing, and her lips looked so soft and pouty.
Forcefully not thinking about what he was about to do, Seamus leaned forward and met Lavender's lips in a kiss. For a moment, it was just the two of them, swaying and moving to the music, and then a surge of magic unlike anything else whizzed through them. Their lips were on fire, their hearts beating out of control, when a bright flash of light encircled them, overriding everything else.
Gasping, Seamus and Lavender broke apart and glanced around, and then whooped in delight. Dean and Parvati were staring at the pair incredulously as they kissed again, clearly relieved.
"What happened?" Parvati demanded, glancing between the two confusedly. Lavender beamed and seized Seamus' hands before tripping and stumbling over a rough explanation of what the pair had just gone through. Dean was blinking, trying to wrap his head around what they were telling him. And then something occurred to him, and a slow, slightly devious, smile spread across his face.
"Well," said Dean finally, a note of incredulity touching his tone, "all fairytales do end with true love prevailing." There were a few moments of silence, and then Parvati and Lavender both squealed, happily clasping their hands, while the latter beamed at Seamus—her new boyfriend, she reminded herself proudly.
Seamus however, scowled at Dean roughly. "That is the cheesiest piece a' shit I ever heard," he growled. Lavender frowned a bit, huffily crossing her arms and losing the lovey-dovey quality that had been so prevalent before.
"I think it's lovely!" she whined, "And romantic, of course! Don't you think I could be your true love, Seamus?" she pouted, pushing her hair behind her back and looking at him pleadingly. Bleeding hell, how could he deny that face? She was effing beautiful.
"Lav," he sighed, ignoring the cat-like grins spreading across Dean and Parvati's faces, "you're my girlfriend. Maybe you are, but, well, this is just a bit too early for declarations of true love, don't you think?"
"Just say I'm right," she said exasperatedly, winding her arms around Seamus' waist. He grinned, tugging her closer and bringing his forehead down to meet hers so their noses brushed.
"You're right, Lavender," he murmured, pecking her softly (her lips were so soft). Neither of them noticed as Dean and Parvati quietly filed out of the room, too caught up in the look in each other's eyes. "But you're always right, aren't you?" he added teasingly.
"Of course!" she agreed, apparently affronted he would ever think otherwise. Of course, Seamus spotted the twinkle in her that meant she was joking. God, maybe he did… Okay, no—still way too soon.
And then he pulled her in for another kiss.
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.
This was written for the FanFiction School of Imagination and Creativity, Dance Assessment 2. I was to write a Harry Potter crossover. I picked Salsa/Disney.
I had a really good time writing this, so please drop a review with your thoughts, no matter what they are! ^_^