A/N: As always, me no own. There may be further chapters with different pairings, I may decide to make those a separate fic or never write them at all, we'll see how things go.

Ever since he could remember, Seamus had hated the idea of the soulmate tattoo. It didn't seem right that some cosmic force could decide who Seamus would spend the rest of his life with, or when they'd meet, or anything at all, really. Besides, Seamus had never been a soulmate kinda guy. He liked kissing, yes, and petting and giving blowjobs and even sex although he'd never really tried it, but soulmates? Not really his thing. Truth was, he liked being single. Liked the freedom, the ease, the heaviness in his pockets from all the sickles he could save for better things than a girlfriend or boyfriend. Seamus began covering up his timer before he even arrived at Hogwarts, when he was seven or eight, and he'd just never really gotten out of the habit. He wore the wristband everywhere, in the shower, while playing Quidditch, while asleep, everywhere. Yeah, okay, it would be a major inconvenience to his soulmate if they ever met, but Seamus had heard of people with multiple or switching soulmates before. Surely the universe could figure out his intentions and just give his soulmate someone different?

"I just don't understand sometimes." Dean said. They were lounging in their favorite spot on the Hogwarts ground, watching people frolick in the lake and halfheartedly pretending to do homework. "Don't you ever get curious?"

Seamus rolled onto his back, staring up at the blue sky. "Nah. I figure I don't even have one, anymore, since I've been ignoring it this long. 'Sides, soulmates aren't really my thing. You oughta know, you keep yours covered, too."

Dean's eyes flicked down to his bandage-covered wrist and back up to Seamus with a frown. "That's different."

"Why?" Seamus picked at some grass near his forehead.

Dean shrugged. "It just...is."

In all their conversations over the six years they'd been best friends, they'd never really gotten into the specifics of why Dean kept his tattoo hidden. Seamus got the idea that Dean knew who his soulmate was, and that it wasn't good, but he couldn't remember ever seeing Dean without his tattoo. The Irish boy decided not to press the issue- having a bad soulmate was just one of the many fucked-up side effects of the system and why he kept his covered.

"It'd suck, wouldn't it, though." Seamus stared at the blades of grass. "If your soulmate was, like, Snape or something. I mean, can you imagine? Some eleven-year-old walks in terrified to his dungeon and their timer goes off."

Dean let out a loud bark of laughter. "I bet that's what happened to Malfoy, you think?"

"Oh yeah." Seamus said, giggling. "I mean, gotta be some reason they let him on the Quidditch team when Harry creams him every time, and Snape is Head of House-"

"Reckon Malfoy's folks wouldn't be too happy about it, though. That'd be a whole different kind of hilarious."

"The biggest shitstorm in pureblood history, what with the pedophelia and everything." Seamus rolled over and up onto his elbows. "Nah, you know what? I think they'd all actually be completely okay with it. They've already got the incest angle going for them, right? They have to be into some freaky shit to keep propagating."

Dean chuckled, and the sound warmed Seamus as he returned to his lake-gazing. For a moment, the pair relaxed in silence, and then the other Gryffindor asked, "So you're really never curious about it?"

Seamus sighed. "I mean, not really. There's always the nagging doubt, you know, but I've heard so many fucked up stories about it all."

"I could look for you, if you want." Dean said quietly.

Seamus laughed. "What would you want to do that for?"

Dean shrugged. "Maybe I'm curious."

"Why?" Seamus asked, staring intently at his friend, but the other boy's face was impassive.

"Fuck, Sea, I don't know, I just find it interesting. I mean, you could meet him or her in five minutes, or three years, or when you're eighty. Aren't you at all curious?"

Seamus furrowed his brow. "Well, yeah, okay, a little sometimes, but that's not the point. And we're talking about you here."

Dean smirked at him, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. "Oh, like you don't go around checking out other people's wrists. Even Lavender's said something about it, and she's not exactly the queen of tact when it comes to asking about soulmates. Plus, you've asked about mine at least once a year."

Seamus rolled onto his back again. "It's not my fault I find other people's love lives infinitely more interesting than my own."

Dean snorted, but let the comment slide and returned to his homework. After a moment, Seamus propped himself up on one elbow.

"I suppose you could...take a peek if you wanted." He slowly reached out his covered wrist to Dean. "But I'm going to close my eyes, and don't tell me what you see, because, like I said, I don't really care."

"Fine." said Dean. Seamus turned his head away as he felt Dean's fingers, warm and featherlight, gently take his wrist and slide down the cuff. For a moment, the Irish teen simply enjoyed the soft touch while the warmth and wind of the bright day curled around him- he was a tactile person, it was nothing more than that- and then he heard Dean give a small "hmmph" of surprise.

"What, what is it?" Seamus asked half-teasingly, keeping his head turned away. "Will I die an old maid?"

There was something uncertain about Dean's voice when he responded. "No, you- you said you didn't want to know."

Seamus bit his tongue to stop himself from giving into the momentary impulse- one moment of temptation would not make up for several years of devout principles- and instead pried his wrist from Dean's arm. "Yeah, I don't." he said, pushing the cuff back into place without looking. "Was just testing you." The snaps had come off during Dean's examination, and Seamus couldn't seem to put them back together.

"Here, I'll do it-"

"Nah, I've got it." replied Seamus, but, as if some vengeful cosmic force had heard his words, the strap flew out from between his fingers and floated away on the wind. He immediately slapped a hand on his wrist. "Oh shit."

"Look, let me go get it, you need to stay here-"

"Nah, it's my wristband, isn't it?" Seamus said, standing up to run after his friend. Running, however, proved difficult when he was holding one wrist at his side, and so Seamus let go, trying desperately to focus on the faint speck of the wristband and not his hands in the edge of his vision. Dean was right, Seamus was bloody curious, even more so after his friend had seemed shocked by what he'd found. But what result could surprise the unflappable Dean? No tattoo, perhaps- maybe Seamus's wish had been granted? Or one centuries or decades into the future, when Seamus would be old and maybe dead? Or- Seamus slowed, considering it- was there the possibility his time has run out already?

His wrist prickled, and he covered it with one hand again. Ahead of him, Dean was still running after the strap, but it had sailed beyond his reach. The taller boy turned around and jogged back.

"Maybe if we get a broom," he said, a little breathless, "then we could-"

"Nah, it'll be long gone by then." Seamus's shoulders slumped. "Merlin, Dean, you have no idea how hard it is not to look right now, when you sounded so surprised."

"Maybe you should then." Dean's voice was quiet.

Seamus eyed him. "You really think so? What, is it in a few minutes or something?"

Dean shook his head. "You didn't want me to tell you."

"Well then, what is it?" Seamus combed his fingers through his hair. "Eighty years from now, right? Or- or have I already met them?" His friend kept his mouth shut tight, and Seamus growled in frustration. "I'll just get a new strap." he said as they returned to the shambles of their windswept homework. "No point in breaking my vow now after eight years of wearing that bloody thing."

Dean shrugged. "Suit yourself."

Later at night, though, Seamus found the mystery still gnawed at him. He'd managed to make it back to the dorm covered and carrying homework by looping his tie around his wrist, and Dean had let him borrow a bandage, and yet here Seamus was at one in the morning, listening to his roommates snoring while picking at his bandage. He couldn't tell if he wanted it to come off or not, really. On one hand, Dean had advised him to look and Dean generally had common sense, but on the other hand, what if he really had missed meeting them? What would he do then?

Seamus let his eyes drift to his dorm mates. Of the five of them, only Neville and Ron didn't cover their tattoos- Harry also wore a cuff, presumably because finding out when the Chosen One would meet (or had already met) his soulmate would cause a riot in the Wizarding world, and Dean had his for mysterious reasons. Neville's timer, however, was still counting down, and Ron's had stopped the first time he spoke to Hermione Granger, although until last year Seamus had believed that to be another fuckup by the system. None of his roommates, however, could quite understand the situation he was in- the Irish boy was fairly sure both Dean and Harry checked their tattoos from time to time if the timers hadn't stopped already.

And what would be the harm in that, really? Just a routine check, to see if it was still there. It'd likely just be a bunch of numbers too large to calculate- he doubted he'd end up knowing where or when he'd meet them. And why not know? It wasn't like Seamus had to date them. He could always choose not to, and, if they were really his perfect match, they'd understand, right?

Seamus tugged at the corner of the bandage, still unsure. But he'd made this resolution when he was, what, eight? Was it really worth holding onto for the same of an eight-year-old's pride? Wasn't he a different person now?

And knowing did not mean consenting. Even if Seamus somehow managed to figure out the time, he could still say no. He could always say no. He had a choice in this.

The Irish boy closed his eyes, and ripped off the bandage with a muffled curse. For a second, then another one, then a third, he kept them close, breathing deeply.

And then, Seamus opened his eyes.

There, on his wrist, was an unbroken chain of zeros. Seamus sat up in bed with a gasp, nearly hitting his head on the canopy.

What did this mean? For a moment, his mind only registered the zeroes, and he looked around, thinking they were here, they were going to walk in at any moment-

-but no one came in, and the zeroes remained zeroes, and Seamus slowed his breathing. Of course he hadn't conveniently ripped off the bandage at the right moment, the cosmic powers weren't that good. So that meant- what? He'd met them already?

Seamus took a few more deep breaths to calm his thudding heart, glancing around at his dorm mates again. Dean had been shocked this afternoon, and he'd told Seamus to look at it- did that mean Seamus had only had a few minutes, and he'd met them between now and then? The Irish teen ran through the evening in his head, trying to remember if he'd talked to anyone new, but no, he didn't think so, unless it'd been a stranger he'd brushed in the hallway. But no, the tattoos didn't work like that, did they? It always seemed to Seamus that they went off during the first proper conversation, or the first time the pair felt friendly affection towards each other, which could get bloody confusing if you had multiple pairs all meeting each other at once. So if it wasn't someone he'd met, who was it and why had Dean told him to look at a zeroed out wrist? Maybe Dean felt it would make things more convenient, because now Seamus would never know without having to wear a cuff all the time. It was the same bloody thing, really.

Seamus laid back down with a groan, mentally picturing all the friends he'd made at Hogwarts, all the random strangers he'd flirted with over the years, everyone he'd ever liked in any way. It wasn't that he wanted to meet them, not really it was just...why hadn't they said anything when their timer ran out? Were they embarrassed? Did they think they were one of the rare cases of unrequited timers? Were they ashamed of Seamus, did they want someone better for a soulmate?

Another thought occurred to Seamus- maybe the universe had given him what he wanted after all. Maybe he was the unrequited soulmate, and since he'd missed his timer going off, now he would never know that kind of pain, unless he somehow fell in love with them anyways- but no, even then it wouldn't be as painful, not as bad as losing your soulmate. Seamus had seen that shit destroy people, it was one of the reasons he tried not to get involved in the first place. He'd been spared that, at least.

Seamus turned over to hug his pillow, pushing the whole matter out of his mind as he attempted to get back to sleep. His dreams that night were restless, and full of numbers and faces, all wrong.

"I see you changed your mind." Dean's voice broke Seamus out of his morning stupor the next day.

"Oh, shit!" Seamus covered himself with the blanket and grabbed for the bandage before realizing Dean already knew he was zeroed, and the Kneazle was out of the cauldron anyways. He tried to cover the movement by laying smoothly back on the bed, but the other boy's amusement was evident in his dark eyes. "Uh, yeah, Dean, I got curious, like you said." The Irish teen waved his wrist at his friend. "Look, I got what I wanted, I never have to know."

Dean sat down on his bed. "Sure that's a good thing?"

"Yeah, it's just...fuck, Dean. This shit happens to people all the time, who want their soulmates."

The other boy raised an eyebrow. "I'm pretty sure most people who want their soulmates don't cover up their wrists for eight years."

"Yeah, but..." Seamus stared up at the ceiling. "Missing moments. Timers going off at the wrong time. Wouldn't that suck, to just...miss each other and never know?"

Dean was quiet for a moment, and Seamus knew him well enough to know his friend could see there was a bit more going on here. "If it helps," the dark-skinned boy said, "I'll show you mine."

Seamus sat up to his elbows so quickly he nearly cracked his spine. "Really?"

Dean quirked an eyebrow, smiling slowly, and Seamus's heart rate sped up. "You show me yours if I show you mine, right?" He ripped off the bandage in one fluid motion.

Seamus leaned in, squinting. It was a single row of zeroes, shimmering as if it was being blown by the wind. "Oh, you've zeroed out, like me." he said, and then the implications hit him. "Did you- do you- know who it was?"

Dean looked away from Seamus, smoothing the bandage back over his wrist. "I- no."

Seamus narrowed his eyes. "Really? Come on, Dean, you suck at lying."

"I don't remember." Dean still wouldn't meet his gaze. "I- I was pretty young, and it was first year, soon after I got the timer, and we were all talking in a big group at once-"

"And no one else zeroed out?"

Dean looked at him, biting one lip. "No. Or at least, no one ever owned up to it."

"Hmm." There still seemed to be something off about Dean's story, about his claim that he had no idea who the person was, but Seamus decided not to push it. He did have one more question, though. "Why hide it, then? Why go to all that trouble and mystery?"

Dean shrugged. "Figured it would be too much trouble to keep answering everyone's questions about it, and I was eleven, I wasn't ready to handle that kind of thing yet. Saw your and Harry's wristbands the first night and thought that might be a good idea."

"Right, yeah, I forgot you weren't wearing one." Seamus pushed off his covers and swung his legs over the side of the bed. "Seems like you've always worn one, since I've known you."

Dean shrugged again, face betraying no emotion. "Six years."

"Right." said Seamus. "And you're sure it's not anyone really scandalous, like McGonagall or Crabbe? Maybe you felt a rush of affection towards them, just nerves or something, and-"

Dean wasn't laughing, instead walking over to his chest of drawers. "You want another bandage for today or what?"

"Yeah, I guess." Seamus stood. "You're right. People will just ask too many questions."

Throughout the day, Seamus got a few stares at suddenly replacing his usual cuff with a bandage, but all he had to do was explain the wind and people stopped asking. No one needed to know he'd zeroed out, no one needed to know but himself and Dean. Seamus wasn't too sure how he felt about it, for all his posturing against relationships and soulmates. Yeah, he wasn't that type of guy, but that didn't mean he wouldn't ever be. The sandy haired boy figured it must just be that knee jerk reaction of having something taken away- he immediately wanted it back. But he supposed it was a good thing he hadn't really met his soulmate after all, because they would've had to put up with Seamus's no-relationships shit if they wanted anything to happen. Although Ron and Hermione had taken years to get together, and there were other stories, too, of couples who had taken even longer.

And what was the matter with relationships, anyways? Really, if it weren't for all this soulmate business making them a minefield- all the differing moral opinions on dating and shagging before your soulmate and the dreaded possibility of your significant other or you meeting your soulmate before you broke up, or worse, you and your soulmate not working out- if it weren't for all those complications, Seamus thought he really might enjoy it. It was basically just hanging out, which he loved to do, plus snogging, which he also loved to do. And some of the couples were cute when they walked around hand-in-hand. Harry and Ginny certainly were, and they didn't do all that romantic shit Seamus hated, either. So maybe, just maybe, losing his soulmate was a bigger deal to him than he thought.

"You'd think they'd have some other way to find them." he huffed as him and Dean bent over a cauldron. "Because, stories like you, if it can really happen that easily- they can't be uncommon, can they?"

Dean kept his eyes focused on the table as he chopped up some twisted-looking roots. "Thought you didn't care."

"Nah, I'm saying," Seamus lowered his voice, "for you. You want your soulmate, don't you?"

Dean's hand slipped and he slit one of his fingers. "Shit! Shit, shit, yeah." He sucked on the finger, eyes meeting Seamus's, and Seamus suddenly felt a strange warmth.

He ignored the feeling and leaned forward. "So yeah, there's gotta be a way to find them! Maybe I can ask Hermione, she'd know about it-"

Dean extracted his finger and returned to cutting up the roots. "Remember to stir, Seamus."

"Oh, shit, right." Seamus grabbed the spoon and gave the potion a few haphazard stirs. "Why not ask her?"

Dean shrugged. "Don't really want her to know. Watch what you're doing."

"Then I'll ask her for you." Seamus said. "I'll- I'll explain my situation, say I've had a change of heart, and she'll help me out."

Dean smirked at the roots. "Really? You're going to admit to another living soul besides me that you've had a change of heart about something?"

"Hey, I'm not that stubborn." muttered Seamus, letting the spoon rest against the side of the bowl. "And it's not like I'd be telling Lavender or Parvati, they'd have kittens if they found out I met my soulmate already. I think Hermione'd be willing to help without asking too many questions."

"Fine." Dean said, slowly plunking the roots into the brew. "If that's what you want."

"No, it's what you want, because you're the one who wants-"

Dean cut him off, eyes wide and horrified. "Sea, which way did you stir the cauldron?"

Seamus looked down at the now-fizzing cauldron. "Uh- shit, is to the right clockwise or counterclockwise? Shit, shit, shit-"

A moment later, class was disrupted by a loud bang. Slughorn just sighed and pinched his nose. "Clean it up, Finnegan."

When Seamus asked Hermione about soulmates, he immediately regretted it- her gaze went from curious to penetrating at once. "Why do you want to know? I thought you didn't care about that sort of stuff."

The Irish boy rubbed the back of his head, wishing he'd asked her in private and not in the middle of the bloody Common Room with Ginny, Harry, and Ron all watching. "Er- well- I had a change of heart. You see, it flew off the other day, and I saw it, and it was all zeroes-"

"You mean you don't know when it went off?" asked Ginny.

"Yeah." said Seamus. "Got no clue, which is a little discouraging. I mean, it's not so much as I've had a change of heart, and more that I'm just curious, you know? If it's someone I already know, it could be someone interesting, right?"

Hermione raised an eyebrow. "Right. And no one's timer has ever gone off around you? No one's claimed to be your soulmate?"

Seamus shrugged his shoulders. "No. Guess maybe they were shy, or they didn't know, or they thought it was an unrequited one."

"Or you were the unrequited one." said Ginny.

Seamus scratched at his wrist. "Yeah, there's that possibility, too. Which was why I was wondering- you know a lot of stuff- would you know anything about-"

"Can't say magical wizard timers are really my area of expertise." said Hermione. She looked over at Ron with a hint of a smile. "Mine went off so quickly after I got it, I didn't really get a chance to be curious. I honestly thought they were bogus for a while."

"There's old wizard legends about them, though."said Ron. Right, he was the pureblood, he would know. "Stuff like...your tattoo gets brighter, and more elaborate sometimes, when you're nearby them. And when you kiss for the first time, it goes off again, or you know, or it changes, or something. Seems like it's different from person to person though." He shrugged one shoulder. "Sorry I couldn't be of more help."

Seamus glanced at his wrist almost involuntarily, but the bandage was still covering it. "No, that's good, thanks. I'll- I'll just have to-"

"I think you'd be able to see it better if you took it off." said Ginny, smirking up at him.

Seamus waved her suggestion away with a hand. He wasn't ready for that step yet. "Nah, maybe later. Thanks, though."

As he exited the room, he fiddled with his bandage, certain he could hear them whispering and laughing behind them.

As long as it didn't reach Lavender and Parvati, that was all. Seamus could handle any sort of jibes and laughter, as long as Lavender and Parvati didn't find out.

Seamus reported his findings to Dean that night. "So it should be easy, right? You just follow your tattoo around and it'll show you who it is!"

Dean rubbed at his bandage. "I don't know, Sea..."

"Don't you want to know?" Seamus asked, honestly a little hurt that he had done all that effort for nothing. "I thought you wanted to know!"

Dean took a deep breath. "Look, I- it's not any of your business, Seamus."

"I'm your best friend!" Seamus said, rising to his knees on his bed. "Of course it's my bloody business! Besides, you were the one that wanted to see mine, anyways!"

Dean looked away again, preparing to speak, and Seamus felt a hot wave of fury slice through him. "Don't you dare fucking lie to me, Thomas. You're a shitty, shitty liar, I know when you're about to lie to me-"

"Fine! You want to know?" barked Dean. The surprise temporarily jolted Seamus out of the fight, and he was very aware of the three boys behind them- but no, this was Dean, and Seamus was going to find out what the fuck was wrong with him right now.

Dean seemed to see the other boys, too, because he lowered his voice to a loud whisper. "It was unrequited, Sea. I met this person, talked to them, had a nice conversation about Merlin knows what, and- nothing. No reaction, no timer, nothing. I mean, even if they weren't looking at their timer for some fucking reason, they'd still feel it, right? And they'd be- interested- at some point-" He stopped, chest heaving. "And I swear to fuck, Sea, don't ask me who it was, because I-"

"No, no, no." Seamus said, mind whirling. He'd thought, over these past few days, that there was a possibility Seamus didn't have one, but it actually happening- to Dean of all people who was good and calm and deserved a soulmate more than anything- "Merlin, Dean, I am so sorry, I didn't-"

Dean flopped onto his bed and pulled the curtains shut around him, leaving Seamus to try and go to bed with his head spinning. Why had this happened? Why was the system so idiotic? How could they have given awful gits everywhere soulmates and not have spared one for Dean Thomas? Besides being one of the best human beings Seamus had had the privilege of knowing, Dean was also incredibly shaggable, what with his height, his eyes, his build, and that whole strong-and-silent thing- and yet, nothing. No girlfriend or boyfriend for the six fucking years they'd known each other. All because of that stupid bloody tattoo.

It made no sense, was what it was. And as Seamus pulled his covers over him and tried to settle his mind, he thought that he'd gladly rip out his bloody useless tattoo tomorrow and give it to Dean, if it meant Dean had a soulmate and he didn't. Dean was the one who deserved one, anyways.

Of course, Lavender and Parvati found him at breakfast the next morning. The Irish boy did his best to smile at them. Normally, Seamus quite enjoyed their company, he loved gossip just as much as they did, but not when Dean hadn't been up when Seamus awoke and wasn't at breakfast today. And maybe the other boy wasn't mad at Seamus, just upset, but whether he was or not, it was still Seamus's fault for forcing him to talk about it. All of that guilt had the effect of both utterly killing Seamus's appetite, both for food and for polite conversation with nosy friends. Hell, he'd have skipped breakfast if he hadn't been hoping to apologize to Dean.

"Seamus Finnegan!" whispered Lavender as she and Parvati dropped into the seats across from him. "You found out about your soulmate and you didn't say?"

Seamus smiled, although it came out as more of a grimace. "Good morning to you two too."

"Hey, I told her not to pester, but you have to admit we have a right to be interested." Parvati smirked up at him as she dished out a portion of oatmeal on her and Lavender's plates. "I mean, for as long as we've known you, Sea, you've been completely against the thing, and now-"

Seamus pushed around the eggs on his plate. "Who told you, anyways?"

Lavender and Parvati exchanged glances. "No one." said Parvati. "We overheard Hermione and Ron talking, that's all."

"So did you figure it out?" Lavender leaned over the table, eyes hungry. "Anyone your tattoo goes bright around?"

Seamus rested his head in one hand. "I...I don't know. Haven't really been thinking about it much."

The resulting noise from Lavender could've put a banshee to shame. Parvati giggled at her friend before turning back to Seamus. "Really? No curiosity at all? I'm dying to know who mine is-"

"Yeah, well, maybe I'm not still completely okay with the whole thing." Seamus snapped, suddenly thinking of Dean. Parvati and Lavender staring at him, mouths open. "Sorry, I...I...didn't sleep well last night."

Lavender and Parvati exchanged significant glances, and Seamus kind of wanted to strangle them. "Look, I've got to go." he said, rising. "I'm not very hungry anyways." He swept out of the hall, ignoring the whispering behind him.

Because really, it didn't change anything, did it? It didn't matter whether Seamus knew or not, what had happened to Dean proved that the soulmate system didn't matter and society had been taken in by one big dupe. None of it mattered, as long as his best friend was being hurt by it. Seamus ripped off his bandage and pulled out his wand, overtaken for a moment by some crazy impulse, but the numbers were faint against his skin, almost as if they knew what his ideas were.

The Irish boy frowned at them for a moment. That couldn't be right, he'd been able to read them in the boy's dorm late at night- unless Ron was right about the effects of proximity on the tattoo- which meant it was probably a Gryffindor-

But no. Seamus didn't care about that anymore. For Dean's sake, he would ignore it. For Dean's sake, he wouldn't do anything stupid, like try to blow up his wrist to get it out. With Seamus's luck, it would work and he'd end up in the Hospital Wing for a week. But for Dean's sake, he wasn't going to wear the fucking cover anymore. He was tired of wasting so much energy obsessing over those stupid fucking tattoos, even to hate them. If people asked, he would tell them to fuck off, or, better yet, what actually happened. Maybe then people would stop thinking these timers were the end-all be-all of relationships when they could fuck up so badly.

Maybe then Dean would get some peace.

He was on his way to lunch when Lavender finally caught up with him. "Hey, Seamus, what's your problem?"

Seamus waved her away. "It's nothing, Lavender, I just-"

Lavender crossed her arms and gave him a look. "I haven't seen you that cranky since you and Dean had that fight last year. Seriously, is something wrong?"

Seamus faltered. He didn't want to tell Lavender Dean's secret, but she was just trying to help. "Lav, it's just..this system is so unfair sometimes, you know? The whole concept of unrequited soulmates is...horrible."

"Is yours..."

"No, no, no, I have no idea, but...I guess I just never really thought about the possibility before." Seamus rubbed his arm. "I guess I'm just thinking about it now because if I've met my soulmate, they probably know, and they probably think it's unrequited already. So that kind of sucks for them."

Lavender pursed her lips. "Well, if you're worried that you missed them-"

"No, Lav, I told you, I really don't care all that much about it, I was just...curious."

"That's sort of what I was going to say." said Lavender. "You know, not everyone takes them seriously. Most everyone, sure. But if you missed your soulmate, I'm sure there's some other people out there who don't care, or who don't have one, who would be easy to date-"

"Who said anything about dating?"

"Oh, come on, Seamus, if that's not the issue, what is?"

Seamus struggled for words. "I just- I don't like the system, that's all, because it's probably hurt people-"

"Yes, but it's hurt people before." Lavender said, crossing her arms. "And you've ranted about it before, and been upset about it before. So what's going on? Why now?"

Because it hurt Dean, Seamus realized. Because it was personal now, not just a number of faceless victims. It hurt Dean, his Dean. And with the realization came the niggling of another one, of fact that Seamus felt he shouldn't ignore, something about Dean-

Lavender's sigh broke him out of his thoughts. "Honestly though, Sea, I think we could use a few more non soulmate couples around here. It's so boring when no one ever seriously dates anyone. Hard to know what's real and what's created by the tattoos anymore."

"Now you're thinking like me." Seamus muttered, still trying to reach that feeling of understanding he'd had. He'd been thinking about Dean, and Dean getting hurt, and he'd felt- affectionate almost, or worried, or protective-

"Seriously, Seamus, you don't have to tell me what's wrong, but at least don't ignore me." Lavender said, waving a hand in front of his face.

"Sorry." said Seamus. "Thinking about- something else."

"I'll say. Now let's wait for Parvati and get to lunch."

As she leaned against the wall, Seamus focused hard, but he couldn't seem to place the feeling he'd had earlier. The shadow of it followed him around all day, haunting him like a dream he knew he'd forgotten.

Over the next few weeks, things slowly returned to normal. The buzz over Seamus Finnegan zeroing out and giving up his crusade against the tattoos gradually disappeared, and Dean and Seamus made up, after much apologizing on Seamus's part and a forced effort to avoid the topic of tattoos altogether. Still, Seamus caught Dean's eyes flicking over to the Irish teen's wrist more than usual, and he had to wonder what his best friend was thinking. Was he regretting bringing the whole thing up and causing Seamus's change in attitude? Was he curious whether Seamus was a mistake like him? Was the topic just on Dean's mind a lot lately? Or maybe Dean was considering taking off his own bandage too?

As for Seamus, well, yes, he did find himself watching his wrist every once in a while. He couldn't help it- it was mesmerizing, the way it darkened as he travelled around the castle.

"You know what, whoever it was, I think they're in Gryffindor." he murmured one night, staring at his arm while sitting at the edge of the bed. The tattoo was dark as ink, dancing over his skin like water.

Over at the dresser, Dean dropped something with a clatter. He and Dean were the only ones in the room right now- Neville had gotten detention, and Harry and Ron were off at Quidditch practice. "Why do you think that?" asked Dean.

Seamus shrugged. "I don't know, it's just- it's always going off in classes, and at meals, and pretty much all the time. Seems like it's someone I'm close to."

Dean made a noncommittal noise, but his shoulders were tense. The feeling jolted at Seamus's mind again, swirling right at the edges, he could almost taste it-

"Think it's Lavender or someone?" asked Dean, pulling out his pajamas.

"Yeah, maybe, if it's one of those unrequited ones." said Seamus. "I wouldn't mind, though, she's not a bad snogging buddy for all her tattoo obsessions. 'Sides, she was talking lately, about how we need more non soulmate relationships around here, she might be up for one."

Dean did turn around at that. "You'd date her?"

"Yeah, I guess." Seamus leaned back in bed as a thought occurred to him. "But you know, she's too obsessed with soulmates, in the end. I'd rather date someone who doesn't mind at all."

"Like who?"

And then the answer was on the tip of Seamus's tongue, like it'd been waiting for Dean to ask that question all along. Seamus's heart thudded as the sudden impulse overtook him. "Well..." He took a deep breath. "You, for instance."

Dean laughed, but stopped when Seamus didn't. "You're...you're actually bloody serious? Merlin, Seamus-"

"Hey, there are worse ideas!" For some reason, Dean's refusal stung. Seamus leaned forward. "We get along great, I find you attractive, you hopefully don't think I'm too bad, we're both out of luck with the whole tattoo business-"

The tall boy's mouth shut into a hard line. "Oh, is that what this is all about? You feel sorry for me, so-"

"No, that's- that's not it!" Seamus ran his hands through his hair.

"Then what is it, Seamus, are you bored with your usual shag partners, want to try something new-"

"No, that's not it either!" Seamus stared at his sheets, and that was when it hit him, the realization he'd been struggling with for years. He'd always thought Dean was attractive, and a great guy, and he'd felt warm around him and been upset when Dean was upset... "I- Dean, I think I fancy you."

For a moment, there was silence, and then Dean started laughing. "Really, Seamus, I never thought you'd go that far just to-"

"It's true!" said Seamus. Why hadn't he seen it before? He was too busy hating relationships, that was why, and it had never occurred to him that-

"You just said that you'd be willing to date Lavender, I don't think-"

"Yeah, but this is- this is different!" Seamus said. "Dean, I fancy you, okay? You're- you're bloody brilliant, and I want to date you, no matter who my soulmate is. I guess I just thought-"

Dean folded his arms. "Thought I'd make a nice charity case? Thought I'd help you with your political cause if you could just convince me you fancy me? I'm your best friend, Seamus, I'm not just some- some toy for you to play with when you're bored-"

Seamus's mouth was open now, rage building in his chest. "What the bloody fuck is wrong with you?"

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" Dean countered. "Why would you even suggest such a thing if- if-"

"If what." Seamus stood, hands clenched by his sides, eyes blazing. "Because if you're about to tell me you think I'm a slag or that you're a homophobe after six years of friendship-"

"I'm not, Seamus, I just think- you- you don't know who you're hurting!" Dean was clenching the bedpost now, whether for restraint or support Seamus wasn't sure. "You think you can go around with this tattoo business, and this dating business, and have your fun without hurting anyone-"

Seamus laughed. "I've already apologized for the tattoo thing, but If we're talking about my dating habits, Dean, I think that's more the business of my exes than yours-"

Dean closed his eyes, and when he opened them, Seamus was almost pushed back by the force of the anger in them. "It is my fucking business you bloody fucking prick!" The taller boy took a step forward, ripped off his bandage, and thrust his tattoo in Seamus's face. "Look, look what it does every time I'm near you, every time I sit next to you, every time we talk-"

Seamus could only gape at the tattoo, which was swirling and shimmering as if it could sense its partner was near.

"So don't you dare, fucking tell me, that I don't have a right to fucking get hurt by your shit." snarled Dean, whipping his arm away and covering it up again. "Because I have known, since the very fucking beginning of school, and I have had to watch, and listen to you talk about it all-" He took a deep breath, picking his pajamas up from the ground. "And don't you fucking dare try to tell me you fancy me when you're just looking for a new way to shock everyone. I am not doing that."

Seamus couldn't seem to shut his mouth. "Why- why didn't you say anything?"

Dean laughed bitterly. "What, when we were both eleven and you already had that vendetta against soulmates anyways? I tried to avoid you, tried to hang out with Neville, but then Potions class-"

"And we were seatmates. And then- Merlin, Dean, why didn't you ever say anything?"

Dean was staring down at the ground, fury sapping from his weary frame. "I- I figured you didn't feel that way, because I thought you'd feel it, even if you weren't looking. Or that you knew, and you weren't interested. And I tried not to be, I swear I did, but-" He broke off. "Guess whoever assigns these knew what they were doing."

"Guess they did." said Seamus.

Dean's grip on the bedpost slipped a little as Seamus walked towards him. "What are you-"

"You know, honestly, I think I might've felt something that day." said Seamus, stepping closer. "But I probably didn't notice, or thought it was a normal part of Hogwarts. I was bouncing off the walls that day."

Dean's breath hitched. "Yeah, I remember, it took a while for you to calm down enough to sleep-"

Seamus leaned forward until they were nearly nose-to-nose. "Always been you doing that. Guess I should've figured it out before now."

"What?"

"That we're soulmates." the Irish teen whispered, placing his arms on either one of Dean's shoulders.

Dean pulled away an inch. "Seamus, are you sure?"

"Only one way to find out." said Seamus, and he reached up to plant a kiss on Dean's lips.

For a moment, nothing happened. And then Dean suddenly gripped Seamus tighter with a groan, and Seamus felt it, too- a shuddering in his whole body until he and Dean fell to their knees on the floor of the bedroom. Seamus reached up to claim Dean's lips again, and this time Dean responded hungrily, pressing his mouth against Seamus until Seamus felt numb. He grinned into the kiss and whispered, "Aw, fuck, Dean, I think we might've had a reaction after all."

Dean pulled away, and Seamus contented himself with kissing down the taller boy's neck before Dean said, "I think you're right. Look."

He waved his wrist in Seamus's face. Seamus caught it- it was blank now, wiped clean.

With a grin splitting his entire face, Seamus extended his own wrist. "Guess I got what I wanted after all, right?"

"Not just you." Dean said, watching him, and bloody Merlin, those eyes.

"I still don't like it, though." said Seamus. Dean hummed and pressed his lips to the crook beneath Seamus's ear. "Oh- fuck- I mean, it turned out well for you and I, but what about other people who go through what you've gone through, it's not going to-"

Dean pulled back, dark eyes hooded and heavy. "Later." he whispered. "Talk later."

Seamus could only nod as the other teen leaned in again.