Edited (12/10/2011): Formatting changed slightly

A/N: Crazy fanfiction issues created crazy update days and this was supposed to by up yesterday. Hope you enjoy this! A little bit more plot XD

Disclaimer: I own a few new souvenirs and a few awesome pictures from my trip to Vancouver, but I don't own Harry Potter :(


Luck of the Irish

Chapter the Third


Though it be honest, it is never good to bring bad news.

~William Shakespeare


Kari sat Seamus in the seat she had vacated to greet him and took the chair beside Dean, grasping his hand in the process. It was during this motion that Seamus saw the glittering ring on her left hand. How could he have missed that when she hugged him? Had he been too focused on getting out of the situation to fully take in her appearance? Now that he saw it, he couldn't believe he hadn't seen it earlier.

The stone was of a good size, not too big that it took over Kari's dainty fingers, but also not too small that you couldn't tell there was a diamond there at all. The band was a simple sliver, no extra embellishments or gems. It was elegant yet understated.

And as his analysis of the ring concluded, Seamus felt his body freeze from the inside out.

It started with a small chill near the middle of his chest and gradually progressed through his torso and to the very tips of his extremities. It was as if the blood in his veins had turned to ice and was slowly turning him cold. His emotions went numb and he just sat at the table dumbfounded, staring at their clasped hands. He was wishing, hoping, praying, that he had misinterpreted everything. He wanted so badly to be wrong; he wanted some rude American to jump out at him and tell him that he was being "Punk'd".

Nothing happened.

The moments slowly ticked away, him sitting and staring and the other two…

Why weren't they saying anything? Why were they just sitting there, letting him assume the worst? Goddamn it! Why weren't the easing his bloody mind?

The rage began to build in him. Much like the ice, it started in his torso, though lower than the ice. This anger came not from his heart, which was still frozen as if Jack Frost himself had blown upon it. This anger came from a place much more animal. This wasn't a human anger; it was savage, wild, unrestrained.

It spread through his body until it finally reached the tip of his head and bathed his vision in a devilish red. Everywhere he looked, the red clouded his vision, colouring everything in the fiendish shade. How could they treat him like this? Stomp on his feelings in such a way and then not even give him the courtesy of an explanation.

He stood as Kari opened her mouth to finally speak, but he didn't care about what she had to say now. She had wasted her chance. He stormed out of the restaurant without another word and disapperated from the back alley the moment he was sure he was alone.

He wasn't sure how he made it back to his tiny apartment without splinching himself. This thought crossed his mind for maybe a second before it was once again replaced with his immense rage. He needed to act, needed to vent before the rage overtook him and he exploded with fury. He struck out at his wall and was satisfied by the pain that shot up his arm at the harsh contact and the small, fist shaped hole he had created in the drywall.

His anger and immense sadness gave him a power he didn't know existed. He suddenly felt like he could rip his couch in half, but refrained from doing so because it was the only piece of decent furniture he owned. Destroying it wouldn't be worth it in the end. And as that thought flitted through his mind, his overworked brain slowly began to clear and a much more rational thinking process emerged.

He found he wasn't angry at Dean. Dean didn't know how he felt, for he had never told anyone, not even his best friend. He had kept his feelings a secret because he didn't want to be laughed at. He didn't want to be judged as one of the many guys Kari had falling all over her. He wasn't like the other guys; he truly cared for her, deeper than any of her other suitors. But she never thought of him as more than the funny older boy she met while shopping with her brother. They would never be more than friends so he told no one of his feelings.

He wasn't mad at Kari either. She was also unaware of his feelings. She wasn't with his best friend in a spiteful manner. She liked him, a lot, and if she chose to settle down with Dean, the better to them both. Dean was sweet and caring and he really deserved a knock-out beautiful girl like Kari. And Kari deserved to be loved for her personality and soul as much as for her stunning good looks. The two were, and he hated admitting it, perfect for each other.

No, he wasn't mad at them. He was mad at the circumstance. If he hadn't been caught chanting his name by her all those years ago, then maybe they would have had a chance at something more. Maybe if he wasn't such a bloody coward (why was he in Gryffindor again?) then he would have worked up some nerve and told someone about the way he felt. But that wasn't the case, and now, the girl he had loved since he was eleven was getting married to his best friend.

Someone upstairs definitely had it in for him.


A sharp pain spread up his leg as the edge of his trunk made contact. He swore under his breath and looked around for his mum, hoping she hadn't heard. It wasn't until a few seconds later that he realised he needn't have worried. He was aboard the Hogwarts Express, heading off to the sole school for magical education in all of the British Isles. He wouldn't be seeing his mother for another four months! He was free of her watchful eye! He could stay up late and swear all he wanted without the fear of being whacked upside the head for his inappropriate behaviour!

Life couldn't get any better! Well, he could find a compartment, and his leg could not be hurting, but other than that.

He returned to his scans of the various compartments and found they were all occupied by either giggling girls who shot him dirty looks whenever he passed, or surly looking older boys whose stares just dared him to ask to take the free seat. Passing one compartment with a solitary figure, he could have sworn he saw Harry Potter, but he was sure his mind was playing tricks. Surely someone as famous as Harry Potter wouldn't be attending Hogwarts. He'd be going to some school for gifted wizards that trained heroes and such.

Another compartment brought him three upperclassmen, two with wild red hair and the other a black boy with dreadlocks. They looked to be conspiring about something and Seamus chose not to interrupt them, lest he be involved in something that could get him in serious trouble before he even started school.

A few more compartments on and he found one that was mercifully empty. He stowed his trunk above the seat and sat down by the window, watching the English countryside pass him by. He couldn't help but thinking that Ireland was much greener. No sooner had that thought passed his mind when a longing for home panged his heart. He was certain he wouldn't miss home while at Hogwarts; he'd be far to busy to give it much thought. But as he sat alone on the train, he had nothing but the green hills that surrounded his home and the constant smell of ale from the nearby pub, to think about.

Before the tears that were threatening to fall spilled over, a knock at the door sounded. Seamus took a moment to compose himself before turning to see who had knocked. Standing in the door, wearing muggle jeans and a jersey for a team Seamus had never heard of, was a small looking black boy.

"Hey," the boy began awkwardly, "can I sit with you?" Seamus nodded and motioned for the empty seat across from him. The nervous look on the boys face was replaced by a nervous smile. He pulled his trunk into the compartment and stowed it before sitting across from Seamus.

"I'm Dean, by the way, Dean Thomas."


To be continued…


A/N: Ok, so I know I promised you more plot and it may not seem like there was any in here but if you squint really closely and turn your head ninety degrees to your right, you'll be able to see that Dean is engaged to the woman Seamus has been in love with since he was eleven.

There will be more plot in future chapters but I'm taking it slowly because I am guilty of rushing plot and that creates a really crappy story that no one wants to read. So stick with me, there will be more to come!

Tell me what you thought of this chapter! And if anyone can tell me Dean's favourite football team (I can't remember it and HPLexicon has failed me in this instance) I would greatly appreciate it! Thanx!