September 9 - September 23

Finding Seamus and talking to him proved more difficult than Harry had thought. Two weeks and still no luck in that department. Sure, he saw him in some of his classes but he was gone the minute they ended. He didn't see him on the weekends and when he did see him he was with Dean, too far way or moving away quickly to avoid him. He wasn't sleeping in his bed either. Harry was beginning to feel like a stalker and this whole thing was getting on his last nerve. He had to talk to Seamus.

Harry viciously impaled his chicken with his fork lost in his own thoughts. Ron shot him a look over the top of his cup. They were both eating their lunch without Hermione. The girl had run off to the library to research for an assignment they had just gotten in DADA. She was still angry about the house elves but was talking to Harry again now. He wasn't into the whole study mania that she seemed to be in though. September wasn't even finished yet.

"What crawled up your arse?" Ron asked eyebrows raised, as he bit into his own chicken. "You've been like this for a while now."

Harry glared at his plate all the harder. He was beyond irritated and rapidly approaching pissed. "I'm trying to talk to someone but they keep running away from me."

"Have you tried cornering them?" Ron asked around a mouthful. "It usually works."

"I can't do that if I can't find them." Harry growled inflicting more damage on his food even as his eyes scanned the Gryffindor table. No Seamus. He had stopped eating with them or would just show up for a few minutes to absorb as much food as possible then disappear.

"Haven't you used the map?" Ron asked and Harry looked at him confused. How would a map help him? Ron lowered his voice to a whisper after seeing Harry's look. "The Mauruder's Map?"

"Oh. Oh! Ooooohh." Harry exclaimed when it finally clicked to him. If he used the Mauruder's Map he could find out exactly where Seamus was and catch him anywhere. Why hadn't he thought of that sooner? It was so obvious! He grinned widely and threw and arm around his best friend. "Ron you are a genius!"

"No I'm not, you just didn't think of it yet." Ron brushes him off with a blush. Harry laughed.

"That's exactly why you're a genius. You thought of it instantly." he told him and Ron blushed all the more. Harry smiled at him again before standing and pulling his bag up with him. "You keep eating. I'm going for the map. I've got someone to find."

"Ok. Who're you looking for anyway?" Ron asked but Harry was already leaving the Great Hall and sprinting up to Gryffindor tower and into his dorm to dig around in his trunk for the map. He giggled excitedly when he found it then froze.

'Giggled? Really? I'm giggling now?' he thought dryly. This whole being Neko thing was still messing with him. Harry Potter did not giggle. He decided to push that aside for the moment to deal with the task at hand. He unrolled the parchment and spread it on the bed. "I solemnly swear I'm up to no good."

He watched as ink spread across the parchment idly wondering where Seamus could be. When the full map was up he began searching for the name he needed. He found it near a third floor class room with Dean Thomas. As he watched, the dot marked Dean Thomas entered the classroom and the other marked Seamus Finnigan moved away and down the hall. This was his chance! He bolted out of the room, map in hand, and out of the Gryffindor common room. He consulted the map one more time to check how far Seamus was gone and found him on the stairs coming up to the fourth floor, three floors down. Harry practically flew down the two floors to the fifth floor by the time the map said Seamus had stepped onto that floor. Harry waited a moment to see which direction he would turn to before moving. Seeing Seamus move in his direction he slipped into an empty classroom to wait. Classes had already started throughout the school so Seamus must have a free period like he did. He read the map until he saw Seamus turn onto his corridor before mumbling a quick 'mischief managed' and pushing it into his pocket to stand just in the doorway.

To say that Seamus was having a fairly normal day would be correct up until he was suddenly snatched off an empty corridor into an equally empty classroom with the door slammed behind him. He spun around ready to give whoever it was a piece of his mind and hex them harshly only to freeze why he saw Harry Potter standing there wand in hand from magically locking the door.

"Seamus-"

"Look Harry, I'm grateful that you haven't blabbed to the professors or Dumbledore-" Seamus cut in with his thick Irish accent.

"Seamus-" Harry tried to speak.

"-But I swear if you think you can use this as some kind of-" Seamus didn't seem to notice him talking.

"Seam-" Harry tried again.

" -blackmail or whatever I'll hex you to oblivion and-" Seamus continued making Harry roll his eyes.

"Incarserus." Harry cast knocking Seamus off his feet and wrapping him in thick ropes that weren't too tight but held him where he was perfectly. "Can I speak now?"

"Potter I'll-" was as far as Seamus got before Harry cast a wordless silencing spell. He had been practising with that spell for a while. He watched as Seamus continued his angry ranting for a moment longer.

"Can't hear you." he stated with a bored look and Seamus glared at him. On seeing Seamus quiet down he continued: "Thank you for finally deciding to listen to me. I'm sorry I had to bound and gag you just to be heard."

Harry didn't have to hear to tell Seamus had snorted at that but he ignored it and continued. He was still being glared at. "Now Seamus there was no need to get defensive about this. I'm not going to use this against you in anyway. I've been looking for you for two weeks now. Two weeks. You're good. Or rather I wasn't using my brain properly. Whichever it is. Do you know how irritating these two weeks have been? Of course you do, you were the hunted. All of this all of this for one talk that could have been dealt with if you hadn't run in the first place. There was a reason I didn't tell anyone you know? I'm just like you."

At Seamus' questioningly raised brow Harry moved to sit before him cross-legged before taking on his Neko form. He watched as Seamus's eyes widened at him with a slight smile. It was adorable how shocked he was.

"Do you still want to attack me?" Harry asked him quietly. Seamus shook his head slowly still looking at him with wide eyes. Harry raised his wand again. "Finite incantum."

"You? How?" Seamus muttered watching Harry's tail flick lazily behind him. It was mesmerizingly black and seemed to move with the shadows of the semi- darkened room.

"Inheritance?" Harry chuckled and Seamus seemed to finally come back to himself. He focused on Harry's eyes that shone in the semi-darkness..

"How long have you, you know?" Seamus asked gesturing at his ears and tail. Out of all the people he might have expected to be a Neko too, Harry wasn't one of them. He had actually expected to be the only one at Hogwarts.

"Since my birthday at the end of July." Harry answered and watched intrigued as Seamus sprouted ears and tails to match him. Now that he was looking at them he notices a white tip to the golden tail. "You?"

"Since just about two weeks before coming to school this year." he answered his eyes had shifted to look at Harry's tail again. "It's weird looking at another Neko, isn't it?"

"Yea." Harry said he was still staring at Seamus as was Seamus staring at him. He forced himself to snap out of it and actually look at Seamus. He had no idea Seamus was younger than he was. It wasn't by much anyway. "How come I've never seen you in the nights before two weeks ago?"

"Usually I just go to sleep then go out but I was having a bad day so I went out first." Seamus answered also focusing on him. It wasn't polite to state after all.

"It's annoying having to dodge Ms. Norris though." Harry commented twirling his wand through his fingers as a way to distract him from staring.

"What are you talking about?" Seamus chuckled and Harry marvelled as how he laughed so easily. "Growl at her and she'll leave you the hell alone. She doesn't trouble me."

"Seriously?" Harry asked surprised. Why hadn't he tried that already? The solution was so simple. He was missing a lot of easy solutions recently. First the map, now this.

"Her cat senses say we are superior so she'll leave us alone and not rat us out to Flitch. She'll practically avoid us and run in the opposite direction when she sees us." Seamus answered with a nod. He pulled himself to his feet and stretched. "Should we head to the common room? Do you have a class now?"

"Yea sure. I've got a free session." Harry said getting up as well and putting away his wand. Seamus followed him out of the classroom and onto the corridor.

"Oh and Harry." Seamus called. Harry looked over his shoulder at him just as Seamus sent a tripping hex at him. It hit him unawares and he was sent toppling to the ground. Seamus stepped around him smiling. "That's for tying me up and silencing me."

Harry watched shocked as he started off on his way to Gryffindor tower. He thanked Merlin he wasn't wearing glasses. His nose hurt. Quick reflexes hadn't saved him this time.

"What? Gonna stay there and rot, are ya?" Seamus called back at him playfully. Harry smiled.

XXXXX

"Did you find who you were looking for?" Ron asked when he and Harry were the only ones in the dorm rooms. Harry was busily shuffling through his books on his bed. He would never understand how Harry had suddenly gotten almost Hermione like in his studying. Harry looked up at him blankly for a moment before remembering what he was talking about.

"Yea. We had a nice long talk." he answered and Ron kept watching him for a bit. "Do you remember when the assignment we got in Transfiguration today is due?"

"The day after tomorrow."

"Have you started yet?" Harry asked and when Ron shook his head he turned his attention to searching for a book. He distractedly added. "You should start."

"I'm not sure what to write on." Ron stated going to sit on his bed beside Harry's. "I was thinking werewolves but then I remembered Fleur and thought maybe Veela but then vampires popped up."

"Grindelow." Harry said

"What?"

"More unusual the better." Harry pointed out than froze. "Wait, what assignment is this?"

"The DADA assignment." Ron said and Harry for furrowed his brow in thought. "The one that's due in the next two weeks .An At least two and a half foot long essay on a creature of our choice with detailed research."

"You were actually listening?" Harry asked and Ron blushed.

"Of course. This takes up a large part of our grade." Ron said then rolled his eyes as Harry's eyes bugged out at him. "We're going to have to talk to Hermione."

"Yea." Harry said thoughtfully as he thought about what he would do for that assignment. Suddenly another thought came to him about something slightly different. A wide grin spread across his face dipped in mischievousness. Ron gave him a nervous look and shifted slightly on his bed.

"You alright mate?" the red head asked carefully.

"Puurfect." Harry answered with a chuckle. His plan wasn't evil but definitely tricked someone.

September 24 - September 25

Harry slipped into the library in search of his prey. He moved with grace that he hadn't been able to move with before he had become a Neko. He was silent as he passed aisle by aisle until he saw her and prepared to pounce.

"Hey Hermione." he said resting a hand in the girls hair making her jump. She whirled to him with her wand pointed. She sighed when she saw his smiling face.

"Harry! Don't do that." she said calming down and taking her seat again.

"No promises." he said taking a seat around her table with her. He rested the book he had been carrying with him on the table and leaned on it. "Have you started your DADA essay yet?"

"No." she answered watching him wearily. She was hoping he had finally begun doing his own work but she wouldn't be surprised if he wanted her help with this one. "I'm still deciding on what to write on."

"Isn't it better to write on rare creatures?" Harry asked nonchalantly and now Hermione looked at him with suspicion in her eyes. "The ones that persons wouldn't usually think to write on?"

"Yes. If you can find enough to be able to write a decent essay on it." she said and he hummed in acknowledgement and looked down at the books before her. He said nothing and soon her curiosity got the better of her. "Are you thinking of writing on one of these rare creatures?"

"Nope. I was think about probably writing on goblins." Harry answered with a shrug and have her a smile. It was really nice when he smiled Hermione concluded. "But I came across a creature that I think you might like to write on."

"Really? What is it?" she asked leaning towards him.

'Curious as a cat.' Harry thought and chuckled. He was the cat here, not her. He slid his book over to her. "Page 352."

She gave him a calculating look before turning to find the page. He watched her until she found the page before standing as she started on it.

"Hope you like it." he said turning to leave.

"Harry!" Hermione called softly not to be chastised. He looked back at her. "Does this have to do with your summer?"

He gave her a secretive smile before leaving without answering. She looked down at the page before her. 'The Neko'd Kinde' it read.

'The bait has been set.' Harry thought with a smirk.

XXXXX

"You're actually pretty good at charms." Harry commended Seamus after being taught a charms spell he had been having some problems with. Seamus stood beside him rereading his essay for transfiguration. They were both in the Gryffindor common room nearby the work benches. They were currently the only ones there. "Is it only in Potions that things blow up in your face?"

"Ha ha very funny. Have a good laugh there Harry, last time I checked, you're not so great yourself." Seamus answered good-naturedly and looked up from his essay. Harry shot him a smile before practising the charm again.

"I'm getting better. You however, not so much." he stated brightly and continued with his practice.

"I'm not doing potions." Seamus justified rolling his eyes. He didn't know how Harry got into Potions and frankly he was glad he wasn't doing it anymore even if they had a new teacher. Potions just want his thing.

"That is exactly why you won't be getting better." Harry teased and Seamus couldn't fault his logic.

"Whatever. Read my essay and tell me I'm right." Seamus said thrusting his essay at him at the same time that the portrait swung open to let a person in.

"Harry! I was where wondering where you ran off to." Ron exclaimed coming over to them quickly and dumping his bag into on to the table. "What are you blokes doing?"

"Assignments." "Practice." They answered at the same time and Ron looked from one to the other.

"Oh. Well that's great mate. Can I see your history essay?" Ron asked Harry with an odd look on his face. Harry shrugged and levitated the roll of parchment over to him. Ron snatched the roll out of the air with the same odd look on his face. "You've been using your magic a lot recently."

"Well of course. In less than a year I'll be seventeen and can do magic anytime I want. I should very well practise to ensure I can actually use my magic expertly by then and I can only do that here since I could get in trouble outside of the school." Harry answered cancelling the charm again before turning to look at his best friend. "Also we have to learn apparition soon and I should be able to use my wand and have good control so that I can at least ensure I don't get splinched by something wrong with my wand use even if I might get splinched for lack of focus and end up one limb less."

"I think you'll manage Harry." Seamus said with a laugh at the image an armless Boy-Who-Lived would present. Harry shoved him with his shoulder and took his essay from him.

"Ever thought of penmanship lessons?" Harry asked teasingly as he sat down with the essay. Ron watched them both distracted from the essay he requested. When did they get so close?

"Have you looked at your own writing recently?" Seamus shot back picking up his own wand to take his turn at practice. "It's chicken scratch"

"Did I miss something?" Ron asked looked from one to the other.

"Since we have some free sessions at the same time. We decided to hang out, do assignment and stuff like that." Harry answered.

"How have I missed this before?" Ron asked and both Harry and Seamus shrugged.

"This is the only free session we all have at the same time I think." Harry answered not bothering to tell him they had only really started hanging out the day before. He looked at Seamus for a moment. "Show me another charm or try and teach yourself a new one. You need more tricks."

"Tricks?" Seamus asked

"Yes. But I guess we can't teach an old dog new tricks." Harry commented and his smile showed he was only joking. Seamus glared at him but he was smiling as well.

"I'll get you back for that, no worries." Seamus said but went to check his text book for a new charm anyway. "You owe me a hex by the way."

"You want him to hex you?" Ron asked and Seamus gave him an odd look. Harry was lost in the essay he was reading and oblivious to what they were saying.

"No. He has to teach me a hex because I taught him a charm." Seamus answered and continued looking through his book. Ron nodded to himself then turned to the essay in his own hands. A few minutes passed before Harry passed Seamus' essay back to him with an approving nod. He then pulled his own unfinished essay to himself and got to work. They all worked in silence until Seamus cast a tempus before packing up to head to class.

"That was odd." Ron commented the moment he was gone.

"Hmm?"

"It's a little too weird to see him without Dean and usually we're never around each other for so long." Ron elaborated. Harry shrugged.

"I guess so. Does it bother you?" Harry asked looking at him with a quizzical look. He hadn't really thought about it.

"No. It was just new."

"Then we can do this again." Harry stated then held up both their work excitedly. "We got work done without Hermione!"

"Now she can't say we don't do work on our own!" Ron agreed happily and they were laughing.

XXXXX

The next day Harry came to the conclusion that after two weeks of searching for Seamus he had become accustomed to looking for the boy and so automatically searched for him among the others at the Gryffindor table. He also noticed that he also had a pair of eyes on him. The source of those eyes was easy to find considering that Hermione wasn't exactly hiding and if she was, she most certainly wasn't subtle. He knew she was trying to figure something out about the clue he had left her but she wasn't ready to directly ask yet. They would take a few days at least.

Ron was talking his ear off about the coming Quiddich season and the team's first match two weeks into the next month. Harry was wondering when he should have try-outs since it would fall to him as the new captain this year. His eyes wandered back to Seamus for at least the fifth time. It was weird to see him there after not seeing him there for two weeks. He looked untidy but there was tidiness to his untidiness as insane as that sounded.

'Maybe partial insanity is a part of being a Neko. We do 'feel' a second presence in our minds after all.' Harry thought to himself as he continued watching the other teen while subconsciously feeding himself. Seamus's untidiness was a calculated look. 'It works for him.'

"What are you looking at?" Hermione finally asked snapping Harry out of his thoughts. She looking down the table in the direction that Harry had been looking in. Not seeing what he was looking at she turned back to him with narrowed eyes. Ron had stopped speaking to look from one to the other. Harry shrugged and turned his attention back to his plate and his second helping of breakfast. He was eating almost as much as Ron and that was saying something.

"Is it the person you were looking for?" Ron asked still looking from Harry to Hermione.

"What person?" Hermione asked looking to Ron for an answer.

"Someone he was looking for yesterday." he said and Hermione narrowed her eyes at him now.

"Who was it?" she asked and the redhead shrugged getting back to his meal.

"He didn't say." he answered.

"He is still here." Harry grumbled and rolled his eyes. This was getting out of hand. They both turned guilty looks on him. "Look it doesn't matter ok. Can we just eat and leave? Don't we have class soon?"

"I still can't believe we have class with Snape first today?" Ron commented suitably distracted. Hermione on the other hand was not.

"Could you stop staring at me like that, Hermione?" Harry asked giving her a pointed look. "You're making me feel like a lab experiment, like you're just waiting for me to explode."

"Sorry about that Harry. Just thinking a little hard." she said having the decency to blush. She had been looking rather hard after all.

"Think a little hard in another direction then." Harry commented before double checking his bag while he waited for Ron to finish eating. Without even trying his eyes strayed to down the table again. Seamus was just leaving with Dean, talking and laughing and Harry frowned for a moment before asking himself 'why doesn't that sit well with me?'

"Harry, are you alright?" Hermione suddenly asked and Harry looked back at her. Apparently has been staring off for a while because Seamus and Dean were long gone when he heard Hermione.

"Yea... It just really hit me that we have Snape first this morning." he lied still frowning.

"I know, right?" Ron agreed. Hermione simply rolled her eyes.

XXXXX

Harry growled angrily as he stomped into Gryffindor tower for his free session. He threw his bag down a began to angrily pace. Not only had Snape been a horror that morning but Slughorn had been particularly annoying especially about his little private club.

'Slug Club? Seriously? I get his name is Slughorn but who wants to be in a club named after a slug?' Harry inwardly grumbled. 'I don't care if that isn't even it's actual name, people still call it that. Friggin' club!'

"What's got you're panties in a twist?" a voice suddenly asked and Harry spun to find Seamus lying on his stomach and propped up by his elbows before the fire with books spread out before him. He looked really comfortable. Having his ears and tail our now would make the perfect picture. Harry hadn't noticed him when he came in.

"I don't wear panties." was the only thing he could think to say. Seamus quirked his lips

"Briefs?" Seamus asked amused and Harry looked at him questioningly.

"Boxers, if you must know." he answered folding his arms. Seamus nodded.

"Ahh. The age old question of whether Harry Potter wears boxers or briefs has finally been answered." he said and Harry gaped at him.

"Who the hell asked that?" Harry sputtered in surprise.

"Witch Weekly." Seamus answered and now Harry was really surprised. "Before you get any thoughts. My mom reads it and she decided that since I'm you're roommate I should know the answer and asked me. Weirdest conversation of my life."

"I can imagine."

"No, you can't. Really you can't." Seamus told him seriously. He shuddered just thinking about it.

"You're not going to tell her are you?" Harry asked warily Seamus immediately shook his head.

"No way. You deserve some privacy plus there is no way I'm going anywhere near a conversation like that again if I can help it." Seamus answered with a shudder. Harry smiled before picked up his bag and walking over.

"What are you doing with the fire on by the way?" he asked.

"It's warm and comfortable." Seamus answered shuffling a little so that Harry could fit beside him. "I'm going to practically live here by the time December comes around."

"It is warm." Harry agreed settling down beside him in the same position and looked at him. "Maybe when it's closer to December I'll join you."

Seamus looked back at him with a smile and Harry couldn't help but smile back. Seamus turned his attention back to the books before him.

"So, what do you want to study today?" he asked but Harry's mind was a mile away.

'Seamus's eyes are very blue.'


Note: It's been suggested that Harry should be a submissive but I'm sorry to disappoint but there will be no set dom/sub. Harry will have a special role but that doesn't come until later (much later). I will warn you: this is a slow story. Thanks for all the reviews so far and I'm glad you like it.