Their Fiery Song
Tara- Ireland is where strange tales begin and happy endings are possible.
Now we have all undoubtedly heard of the 6th year Gryffindor Seamus Finnigan. Isn't that the boy who shares a dormitory with Harry Potter? Yes, that's right.
This story isn't about him though; this story is about Tara Finnigan a 6th year Ravenclaw and coincidently Mr Finnigan's twin sister.
It was nearing the end of the summer holidays; this was a time that produced mixed responses from the Finnigan twins. One half (Tara) was absolutely delighted by the prospect of returning to school to continue her studies and the other half (Seamus) was crest fallen at the prospect of starting a new term full of lessons he had very little interest in, although he was enthusiastic about seeing the rest of the 5th year Gryffindors (especially Lavender).
"Come of Taz!!! We're going to be late for the port key!!" Seamus called up the stairs from the mid-landing on the morning of August 31st.
The Finnigan family was located about 50 miles to the west of Dublin, which inevitably meant that getting to Hogwarts was a little more complex for them than other Hogwart students.
Seamus tapped his foot on the floor making only a faint thud but nevertheless audible to Tara in her room at the top of the staircase.
Suddenly a mass of red curls became visible to Seamus as his Ravenclaw sister tried to drag a bag load of'important books' across the landing above him.
"We would progress a lot if you were to lend me a helping hand" Tara exclaimed somewhat out of breath from the exertion of dragging the heavy bag across her bedroom floor.
"Sigh, Seamus to the rescue" he said in a mock exasperation. Seamus mounted the last remaining stairs to the top landing and proceeded to aid his sister. Once they had heaved the bag down to the mid-landing point Seamus found himself quite out of breath and as he leant over to get his breath back Tara grinned evilly at him.
"Why thank you 'oh great Seamus' you're so strong," the last part of this sentence was proclaimed in an exacting impression of Lavender Brown slightly hammed up for comedic effect.
Seamus' wisely chose to ignore his sister's taunt and she chuckled to herself. Once they had managed to get the bag down to the hallway Seamus picked up the couple of books that had fallen out of the bag on the way down. He looked at the titles on the spines and wondered why on earth Tara would need 101 sheep spells and the complete works of Shakespeare and who on earth was Charles Darwin. He shrugged, if anything it was the sheep spells that worried him the most.
"Why on earth do you need all of these anyway?" he inquired with an air of blasé curiosity.
"The exact same reason you feel the need to fill your trunk with endless (and in my opinion pointless) Quidditch supplies." she said nonchalantly. He sighed, they might have been twins but they couldn't be more opposite.
"You coming?"
"No, I thought I'd stay here for a bit, don't feel like going back to Hogwarts this year." She said, her voice seething with derision.
He shook his head and went to pick up his own belongings ready to take out to the wheelbarrow that their dad kept in the shed.
Three hours later the twins found themselves thrust into the heart of Muggle London completely lost.
"You said you knew where you were going!" Tara said appalled at her brother.
"Well I did, I just don't anymore." Seamus replied sheepishly.
"Why didn't you tell me that before?"
"I thought that I knew the way."
"I can't believe this! This is the last time I trust you to get us anywhere." Tara said exasperated at her brother's stupidity full knowing that there would be many more adventures of this kind in store for the two of them.
"Maybe I could ask someone," Seamus suggested whilst Tara clenched her hand in the strangling position just next to his neck.
"What on earth would you say? "Excuse me do you know the way to a place you've never heard of because I belong to a secret society of witches and wizards?" yes that will work a treat!"
"Do you have any better suggestions? If you're so clever where are we then?" Seamus retorted.
"Why don't you try looking at the map!?"
"Don't patronise me!"
This heated conversation was taking place in the middle of Trafalgar square and was attracting strange looks from more than just the pigeons. Raised Irish accents were filling the square as the twins continued to argue.
"Look we are going to get nowhere if we just stand here . "
"Well I don't think going off having no idea where we are going will help either" seethed Tara.
".And anyway we are attracting unnecessary attention to ourselves."
"Thankfully, archdeacon," she said throwing a usual random (as far as Seamus could see) insult in, "I happen to know that that is Nelsons column which means that we are currently standing in the middle of Trafalgar square."
"Well if you knew that, why didn't you say anything?" Seamus said looking incredulously at the girl he called his sister.
Tara chuckled to herself. "Well you did not ask."
The two finally found there way to the Leaky Cauldron and consequently to one of the main centres of Wizarding life; the famous Diagon Alley. As usual they passed Tom with their usual cheery greeting and Seamus sent him a buoyant "top of the morning" that made Tom grin.
Having collected their school allowance from Gringotts they were then left with the somewhat tedious affair of school supply shopping.
"The sooner we get our school stuff, the sooner we can go off and do our own thing. Deal?" Tara said logically to Seamus who was staring wistfully at Quidditch supplies.
"Deal?" Tara repeated impatiently.
"What? Oh...yes...deal."
After an hour and a half of monotonous shopping for their school supplies the twins finally managed to take the purchases they had acquired back to the Leaky cauldron where Tom said that he would have them sent up to the room that they were to stay in.
After thanking Tom for his help the twins made their way back to the alley.
"So where to now?" Seamus said brightly.
"I do not know where you are off to but I've got book shopping to do!" Tara said in cheery tone to equal her brothers.
"More books?! You have to be joking!"
Tara frowned, "Where are you going then?" she said challengingly.
"Me? Oh I'm off to Quality Quidditch supplies."
She narrowed her eyes but refused to give way to her fury and turned resolutely promising herself retribution another time.
Now we have all undoubtedly heard of the 6th year Gryffindor Seamus Finnigan. Isn't that the boy who shares a dormitory with Harry Potter? Yes, that's right.
This story isn't about him though; this story is about Tara Finnigan a 6th year Ravenclaw and coincidently Mr Finnigan's twin sister.
It was nearing the end of the summer holidays; this was a time that produced mixed responses from the Finnigan twins. One half (Tara) was absolutely delighted by the prospect of returning to school to continue her studies and the other half (Seamus) was crest fallen at the prospect of starting a new term full of lessons he had very little interest in, although he was enthusiastic about seeing the rest of the 5th year Gryffindors (especially Lavender).
"Come of Taz!!! We're going to be late for the port key!!" Seamus called up the stairs from the mid-landing on the morning of August 31st.
The Finnigan family was located about 50 miles to the west of Dublin, which inevitably meant that getting to Hogwarts was a little more complex for them than other Hogwart students.
Seamus tapped his foot on the floor making only a faint thud but nevertheless audible to Tara in her room at the top of the staircase.
Suddenly a mass of red curls became visible to Seamus as his Ravenclaw sister tried to drag a bag load of'important books' across the landing above him.
"We would progress a lot if you were to lend me a helping hand" Tara exclaimed somewhat out of breath from the exertion of dragging the heavy bag across her bedroom floor.
"Sigh, Seamus to the rescue" he said in a mock exasperation. Seamus mounted the last remaining stairs to the top landing and proceeded to aid his sister. Once they had heaved the bag down to the mid-landing point Seamus found himself quite out of breath and as he leant over to get his breath back Tara grinned evilly at him.
"Why thank you 'oh great Seamus' you're so strong," the last part of this sentence was proclaimed in an exacting impression of Lavender Brown slightly hammed up for comedic effect.
Seamus' wisely chose to ignore his sister's taunt and she chuckled to herself. Once they had managed to get the bag down to the hallway Seamus picked up the couple of books that had fallen out of the bag on the way down. He looked at the titles on the spines and wondered why on earth Tara would need 101 sheep spells and the complete works of Shakespeare and who on earth was Charles Darwin. He shrugged, if anything it was the sheep spells that worried him the most.
"Why on earth do you need all of these anyway?" he inquired with an air of blasé curiosity.
"The exact same reason you feel the need to fill your trunk with endless (and in my opinion pointless) Quidditch supplies." she said nonchalantly. He sighed, they might have been twins but they couldn't be more opposite.
"You coming?"
"No, I thought I'd stay here for a bit, don't feel like going back to Hogwarts this year." She said, her voice seething with derision.
He shook his head and went to pick up his own belongings ready to take out to the wheelbarrow that their dad kept in the shed.
Three hours later the twins found themselves thrust into the heart of Muggle London completely lost.
"You said you knew where you were going!" Tara said appalled at her brother.
"Well I did, I just don't anymore." Seamus replied sheepishly.
"Why didn't you tell me that before?"
"I thought that I knew the way."
"I can't believe this! This is the last time I trust you to get us anywhere." Tara said exasperated at her brother's stupidity full knowing that there would be many more adventures of this kind in store for the two of them.
"Maybe I could ask someone," Seamus suggested whilst Tara clenched her hand in the strangling position just next to his neck.
"What on earth would you say? "Excuse me do you know the way to a place you've never heard of because I belong to a secret society of witches and wizards?" yes that will work a treat!"
"Do you have any better suggestions? If you're so clever where are we then?" Seamus retorted.
"Why don't you try looking at the map!?"
"Don't patronise me!"
This heated conversation was taking place in the middle of Trafalgar square and was attracting strange looks from more than just the pigeons. Raised Irish accents were filling the square as the twins continued to argue.
"Look we are going to get nowhere if we just stand here . "
"Well I don't think going off having no idea where we are going will help either" seethed Tara.
".And anyway we are attracting unnecessary attention to ourselves."
"Thankfully, archdeacon," she said throwing a usual random (as far as Seamus could see) insult in, "I happen to know that that is Nelsons column which means that we are currently standing in the middle of Trafalgar square."
"Well if you knew that, why didn't you say anything?" Seamus said looking incredulously at the girl he called his sister.
Tara chuckled to herself. "Well you did not ask."
The two finally found there way to the Leaky Cauldron and consequently to one of the main centres of Wizarding life; the famous Diagon Alley. As usual they passed Tom with their usual cheery greeting and Seamus sent him a buoyant "top of the morning" that made Tom grin.
Having collected their school allowance from Gringotts they were then left with the somewhat tedious affair of school supply shopping.
"The sooner we get our school stuff, the sooner we can go off and do our own thing. Deal?" Tara said logically to Seamus who was staring wistfully at Quidditch supplies.
"Deal?" Tara repeated impatiently.
"What? Oh...yes...deal."
After an hour and a half of monotonous shopping for their school supplies the twins finally managed to take the purchases they had acquired back to the Leaky cauldron where Tom said that he would have them sent up to the room that they were to stay in.
After thanking Tom for his help the twins made their way back to the alley.
"So where to now?" Seamus said brightly.
"I do not know where you are off to but I've got book shopping to do!" Tara said in cheery tone to equal her brothers.
"More books?! You have to be joking!"
Tara frowned, "Where are you going then?" she said challengingly.
"Me? Oh I'm off to Quality Quidditch supplies."
She narrowed her eyes but refused to give way to her fury and turned resolutely promising herself retribution another time.