Brotp. Written for a friend.

You feel like when everyone looks at Seamus they see that stupid kid with singed eyebrows and soot-rouged cheeks. It's really not fair, you find yourself thinking sometimes. He's grown out of that. Seamus is more than a laugh to you and you think he's owed a bit of respect.

You think this, but then he limps up to the dormitory again with the knee burned out of his pants.

"How do you expect to pass any of your OWLs if you can't cast a spell without hurting yourself?" you ask with a sigh, because whenever this happens you end up slipping into that mothery mood he likes to make fun of you for. "Honestly."

He huffs, half out of his pants. "I can do it when I concentrate."

"Do you ever?"

"Give it a rest, mate." Seamus sits back on your bed in his shorts, nursing his raw knee. You lower your Transfiguration book. "I really should try to study a bit, though," he says with a tight, rueful smile. "Don't want to think about how mad Mam'll go if I turn up with less than A's…"

"Don't know if I'll be much help." Your page of notes has devolved into doodles of Neville's potted plants along the windowsill.

"Ah, you're always help," Seamus says. "Anything happening tonight then? Someone's got to teach me shield charms properly, Umbridge's no use…"

And you roll your eyes, smiling a little. "Don't get me started on that bat, I'll never…" You trail off as your pocket glows with warmth.

"What?" he asks as you pull the Galleon from your robes, running your thumb over the surface. "Oh, that's…" He looks suddenly somber.

"Meeting's on for later," you say.

"Oh."

"You should come, Shay. I've been telling you."

"Don't reckon they'd want me, would they?"

You give him a weary look. "Harry's fine with you, honestly."

Seamus focuses on his knee, pressing a finger lightly to it and jerking it away with a breathless curse. "I told him he was spouting rubbish."

"You apologized."

"Didn't do a very good job of it though, did I?"

"You're being stupid, mate, nobody minds." You nod, hoping to enthuse him a bit, and it strikes you that things are usually the other way around. "It's brilliant, I've learned loads… You said you could use some practice, right, how do you think I can do shield charms in the first place?"

"Dean, I really don't know if-"

"We miss you, you know."

Seamus is silent for a few moments. "If you really want," he mutters as he slides off your bed to rummage for fresh pants, "I mean, I might…"

And you smile in earnest. "You'll like it, definitely."

He turns to you and smiles too. Glad to be back.