Harry's hands shook as he paced his apartment. It'd been years since he'd been on a date and life had changed drastically since then. He checked his appearance in the hallway mirror and smoothed out a few wrinkles in his shirt. Brown locks of hair fell in a million different directions despite his best efforts to slick it into a presentable style.
Worries that he might look outdated or antiquated bloomed inside of Harry's chest. Suddenly, his choice to wear a tie felt stupid, like something an old man might do. Loosening his collar, he undid his tie and left the top button undone, hoping it might make him look slightly more casual and effortless.
Just as he was running his fingers through his hair for the millionth time, he heard the fire flare up in the fireplace causing the wood to crackle and pop. Harry wiped his sweaty palms on his slacks and walked into the living room.
A blonde haired man with bright blue eyes and freckles was just stepping out of the fireplace as he turned the corner.
"Hello Seamus," Harry said, smiling at the sight of him.
"Hello. Are you ready?"
"Sure. Let me just grab my coat."
A second later the pair were out the door and on their way. It was a cool fall evening and the wind bit at Harry's cheeks, giving him the appearance of being flushed. His already messy hair swayed back in forth in the breeze. Unsure of what to do with his hands, he used to cold as an excuse to shove them in his pockets.
Awkward silence vibrated in the air, broken only by the sound of footsteps crunching over the dry leaves that covered the pavement. Occasionally, Harry looked up and caught Seamus' eye before fixing his eyes back down towards the pavement. He tried to speak several times, but was unsure of what to say.
The time dragged on and the tension grew until Seamus finally stopped Harry on the street. "Look Harry, its okay if you aren't ready to do this. I know the divorce was pretty recent. We don't have to rush things if you're uncomfortable."
Harry smiled, the nerves evident in the way his green eyes sparkled and flashed. "No. No. It's not that. It's just…well…it's been a long time since I've been out on a date. I'm not really sure how these things go anymore if I'm being honest."
Seamus nodded and placed a hand on Harry's elbow, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "I know, mate. After Dean passed, it took me ages to finally go out on a date and when I did, everything felt all wrong. Couldn't remember how to flirt and all the things I'd planned to say dried up on my tongue, but I got through it and the next date was a little easier."
"Yeah. I'm afraid we'll just have to suffer through it tonight."
Chuckling, Seamus said, "No one's suffering tonight, Harry. We're going to go out and have a proper pint. Maybe that'll help loosen you up a bit."
With the pub in sight, Harry lapsed back into silence. He'd always had a small soft spot for Seamus, but the idea of dating him had never occurred to him. Now that the opportunity had presented itself, he wasn't sure what to do with it.
Seamus held the door open for Harry, allowing him to pass in front of him.
"Always the gentleman," Harry said, trying his best to relax.
"Only when I have a hot date with a lad as stunning as you," Seamus shot back with a wink.
Harry smiled, making his way towards the bar. The pair seated themselves and once more the conversation lulled. Fidgeting in his seat, Harry grasped at something clever to say, but was interrupted by the bartender.
"What'll you boys be drinking?" the old man asked.
"Two pints of Guinness, please," Seamus said, taking the liberty of ordering for Harry.
With a nod of his head, the bartender shuffled off to fill some glasses.
For the first time in the evening, Seamus looked a little nervous. "I hope Guinness is alright with you. Dean always used to joke that if a person didn't like Guinness, I wouldn't even give them the time of day. That's only partially true though."
"Well, I won't say that it's normally my first choice, but I enjoy a cool one once in a while."
The edges of Seamus' lips quirked up in a smile. "I suppose that'll do. You know, Harry, I'm really happy that you reached out to me. A little surprised, but definitely happy. What made you do it?"
"I've always had a bit of a crush on you, but then there was Dean and Ginny and a lot of years where I was just really unsure of who and what I wanted. After the divorce, I decided that it was time to stop waffling about wasting time and start being true to myself. Then I saw you at Neville and Hannah's anniversary party and I knew I had to at least take a shot. Don't ask me where I found the courage."
Harry locked eyes with Seamus, but this time maintained the contact until the arrival of their beers broke it.
"I can't imagine you having to find the courage to do anything. I'd think that after Voldemort asking a man out for a beer would be relatively simple."
A burst of laughter escaped Harry. "One would think so, but I've always found the prospect of romantic interactions a bit terrifying. I almost always end up making a fool of myself. I remember asking Cho to the Yule Ball, I just about fell down the flight of stairs to the owlery after I practically shouted at her."
"Ah, Cho. I saw her the other day in Hogsmeade. Talked for a few minutes. Seems like she's doing well. Still teaching flying lessons up at Hogwarts."
"That's nice to hear," said Harry. "She had a really rough go of things for a while there."
"So tell me, Harry, now that you're a newly single man, what are your plans?" Seamus took a deep swig of his beer as he waited for the answer.
"I suppose to just be happy and to spend as much time with my kids as I can. They're growing up so fast, I can hardly keep track. Really makes me feel old sometimes."
The two men continued chatting well into the night and as they did so, the beer glasses stacked up in front of them. They revisited old memories from their school days and commiserated over shared experiences in their adult life. Things like Seamus setting his feather on fire during one of their first transfiguration lessons had them in fits of laughter. Gradually, Harry began to stop worrying about seeming foolish and started enjoying the evening.
After several hours of good conversation and drinks, the pub began to close for the evening, so the pair decided to head back to Harry's place.
On the walk home, instead of shoving his hands in his pockets, Harry slipped his hand into Seamus' and the two strolled arm in arm down the street enjoying the crisp autumn air.
"Mind if I use your floo? I always prefer not to apparate if I don't have to. Splinched myself a fair number of times," Seamus asked when they reached the doorstep.
"Of course," Harry said, holding open the door. "Come in, please."
Standing in the living room, Harry found that he didn't want Seamus to leave. Their date was the most fun he'd had in a long time and he just wanted it to continue, but he also knew it was probably best not to rush.
"Well, I've had a lovely night…" he started, but he was quickly silenced as Seamus' lips crashed into his. Strong fingers wrapped into Harry's hair, tugging at the roots with intensity. He felt like his breath had been sucked from his chest and his body had been lit on fire. Every part of him tingled with nervous excitement.
"Are you kidding me, Potter? What is this lovely nonsense? Tonight was amazing. When can I see you again?"
With a shy smile, Harry said, "I was hoping you would ask. Would next Wednesday work for you?"
"The sooner, the better," Seamus murmured, kissing Harry a second time. "I suppose I'll see you in a couple of days then." A moment later he disappeared into the sparkling, green flames behind him.
Hi there!
This story was originally written for the Harry Pairings Challenge on HPFF in which we were to write about Harry paired with another character. The character I was assigned was Seamus. This was really tough because Dean/Seamus is my OTP and I hated having to break them up.
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed what I came up with. I'd love to hear your feedback on it if you have a moment and as always, thank you for reading!
~Kaitlin/TreacleTart