Author's note: PS. I have not forgotten about my poll on my profile. I decided to extend the poll till October 1st, please continue to vote!
Title: Stay With Me
Character: Seamus Finnigan
House: Hufflepuff House
Name: Love From A Muggle- Kara
Stay with me
Share all your secrets tonight
We can make believe
the morning sun never will rise
Josh Gracin Stay With Me song(story inspired)
He wiped his sweaty brow as placed his boot on the shovel once more. He was digging a hole to plant a new baby tree. As he dug, he looked at the hut that use to belong to Hagrid. It was now his, for he was the new Care Of Magical Creatures/grounds keeper of Hogwarts once Hagrid retired after the war. Hagrid found a nice country home to live in after the war. He loved Hogwarts, but didn't want to live there anymore.
The war. Haunted memories flooded his mind when he thought of the war. He shook his head to take out the memories. Now was not the time to focus on the nightmares of war. Seamus leaned on the shovel.
"Lemonade, Professor?" She smiled at him, or what he thought was a smile.
"Lavender!" He knew she was working there too, but had not seen her at all since he came to school. He accepted the lemonade as the hot sun burned his forehead.
"I heard you were working here now too," she said as he took a sip.
"They hired me after Hagrid retired. I'm now Care of Magical Creatures teacher and grounds keeper of Hogwarts," he said proudly. "What are you doing here?"
"Well, after the war, I didn't want to be seen looking like this, so I needed a low-key job.. They put me in charge of the kitchens. Nothing goes by without my say so." She gestured to her face showing her little scar.
"Is that from the war?"
"I was bitten. But thankfully, teachers got to me quickly so I wasn't fully transformed. I'll still get symptoms of a werewolf, but won't transform into a full one. It's a horrible scar. I bloody hate it." She looked like she was about to cry, so out of respect he changed the subject.
"I heard Harry's working with the school as an Auror to protect it."
"Yes, I saw him yesterday."
"It's been two years since the war, and he still doesn't feel like the school is safe until there is Auror protection," Seamus said.
"Well can you blame him? Look at what happened with no protection? And if we're going to start having families of our own, I'd want them protected too," Lavender said angrily.
He was confused. He hadn't meant to upset her. But somehow he had.
"Families?"
"Oh, no of course I don't have one, but he and Ginny are getting married, and Ron and Hermione will soon too. Of course, no one will want me." She paused, stared at him angrily and stormed off.
'No one will want me.' Trailed in his mind as he finished his work. Too tired to cook his own supper, he went to the Great Hall. He felt bad for Lavender. She still thought she was ugly because of that scar. That symbol that bad things happen to good people. He always thought she was a kind person, and even got mad at Ron for treating her so horribly. No wonder she was upset. Ron was about to get married, and she felt like she would never get married because of that scar.
After his dinner, he saw Lavender leave alone. He thought it was best to approach her again and apologize. But for what, he was still confused about. He figured he owed her an apology.
He cleared his throat causing her to turn around.
"What do you want?" she said. They were in the hallway of the kitchens and the Great Hall. Just the two of them.
"I'm sorry for earlier. I know it must be hard for you with Ron getting married and all."
"Hard for me? Seamus, you have no idea. No one would want me because of this ugly scar. OF course it's bloody hard for me."
"You need to give love a chance."
"I don't believe in love. I did with Ron, but after he broke my heart, love doesn't exist to me anymore."
"Just because you can't see something, doesn't mean it doesn't exist," he said suddenly, in a frustrating tone. How was he to get through to her? He always found her attractive, but Ron had gotten to her first before him.
"Can't you see? This scar, separates me from other people," she said angrily.
She started to go towards the kitchen, but he grabbed her lightly by the arm. In an instant, he felt warmth come through him. He felt comfort, and nerves at the same time. What was going on? And then he knew. She was meant to be his. Somehow, he would make her trust love again. He stared deep into her eyes and wondered if she felt the same sensation that was flowing through him. She had to, for she jerked her hand back suddenly.
"Why are you here, Lavender?" Seamus added calmly.
"You mean in the kitchens? I'm head over house elfs."
"Lavender," he said in a comforting way to let her know he really cared.
"Oh all right. I want people to remember me after I die. I don't want to just live for nothing."
"So by becoming the first person to be head of house elf staff in Hogwarts kitchens, you think you accomplished that?"
She stood in silence, not saying anything.
"I see. Lavender, don't you know you fought in the war? You survived Death Eaters killing curse! You fought proudly against evil to help Gryffindor and Hogwarts win. Not only that, but you survived a werewolf attack! Not many people can say they did that. And you made me an admirer."
Tears formed beneath her eyes as she looked from the ground to his eyes. She stepped out of the shadows and into the light.
"You admire me?" Never before had anyone spoken to her like they cared. He smiled because he must have proven that he cared about her a great deal.
"Yes, greatly!" he said nodding his head.
"But why me? You know I'm no good."
"Lavender, you're being silly! I've admired you for so long, then when you started dating Ron, I let it go."
"But why?"
"Because if you love someone, you have to let them go. Even if you don't want to," he said quoting his mother.
Seamus wrote home after he found out Lavender and Ron were dating in their sixth year. His mother responded: 'If you truly love her, you have to let her go. One day she will come back to you when she needs you most. Show her you love her. Tell her you care. Your father did that to me, and his father to your grandmother, it's the Finnigan way'
He smiled as he remembered his mother's wise words.
"But why me?"
"I can't explain that. I just knew from the first moment we touched hands in Herbology years ago." He grabbed her hand gently.
"I can tell you feel it too. The warmth running through our fingers, leading all over. It is what is meant to be. You're meant to be with me."
"Seamus, teach me to love," she said.
"Stay with me and I'll teach you everything. You and I can get through life together." He smiled at her.
She gave him a warm smile, letting him know she wanted him too.
"Promise me you'll stay with me."
"I promise."
As an unspoken agreement, they leaned in and kissed each other. Seamus felt the warm sensation of love flow from his lips to his hands all over again as he kissed her once more. He knew she would learn to trust him, and for him, that was enough.
The Prompt Challenge: My Prompts the mods gave me:
monse number 73: "Just because you can't see something, doesn't mean it doesn't exist."
Azzie number 123: "I was... bitten."
Lola- You know I'm no good.
Kayla Kara: prompt #13:"I want people to remember me after I die. I don't want to just live for nothing."