Yay for not having updated in forever. I'm pretty bad at that. I've been drawn back in now though, I really enjoy writing and I've missed it for the past yearish amount of time! So hopefully this is pretty nifty and enjoyable! Read. Review!


Madam Pomphrey ended up agreeing to let him spend one more night in the hospital wing after she discovered he had neglected to mention the continued headache and bouts of dizziness. Surprisingly, or worryingly, depending on your perspective, it wasn't even faked.

It was a slow day. At one point a group of third years appeared, half dragging a brown haired girl who had apparently fallen down the stairs while staring at some cute boy. But other than that it was a quiet day. By dinner time had rolled around, the Gryffindor was regretting having to stay here another night.

Ginny, Neville and Hermonie had all stopped into visit him but none of them stayed long and yet the one person he wanted to see still hadn't come. He picked at the dinner tray that had been left for him, finding his appetite gone.

"Eat your dinner Mr. Finnagin, or shall I have you stay another night?" the nurse inquired, popping out from her office to check on him.

"I'm not hungry," he muttered, nonetheless shoveling an overfull spoon of potatoes into his mouth. He gagged as he forced himself to swallow, before giving up as his stomach rebelled against the food.

The nurse tutted but he ignored her, curling onto his side. His head was starting to ache again. The hours continued to drag. Drag. Drag. Drag. Finally after a long evening of angsting he finally managed to slip into a fitful doze.


Dean managed to creep back into the common room, gathering his books and going back to the library, to accomplish his ever mounting pile of homework. He ignored the dark look that his ex-girlfriend shot him and the superior one of Hermonie.

The teen worked through lunch, not getting as much done as he had anticipated. For some reason he kept getting distracted, staring out the window, his mind straying to the sandy haired boy whose condition he had no idea of.

It was growing dark when Blaise cautiously approached him. His skin was a few shades lighter than Dean's and his eyes were red rimmed. "Hey Dean."

"Zabini," the Gryffindor remarked coldly.

The silence stretched between the two of them, as they gazed at one another. Dean took the time to appraise the Slytherin. His clothes were rumpled and he had a miserable expression on his face. "Can I talk to you?" he boy asked him quietly.

"I'd rather you didn't," Dean snapped, turning his eyes back down to his parchment. He didn't hear the teen move and after another few long moments, he sighed, tossing his quill down and rubbing his eyes. "What do you want?"

"Don't be mad at Shay," Blaise started.

Shay? Shay? When did he become Shay to the slimy cold blooded Slytherin? His anger must have showed on his face because he started talking again. "I didn't…he didn't…Seamus isn't my boyfriend. I mean I'm not…I mean…it's my fault! I didn't mean for you to see or," he sighed, hitting his head against the library table, drawing an angry glare from the librarian. "Seamusisn'tmyboyfriendandI'msorryandpleasedon'-"

Leave it to Seamus to find what must be one of the only other boys who could be just as confusing as him. "Zabini," Dean said, with much less heat in his tone, "just…say what you want to say okay?"

"Fine. I kissed Seamus. But we're not dating. It's the only time we've ever done that, and he definitely doesn't like me like that. And I just…wanted you to know I'm really sorry…for making this all harder for you boy. Just…tell him I'm sorry?" And with that strange and unhelpful speech the Slytherin stood and vanished, his robes swishing along behind him.

Another hour later, Dean gave up. He wasn't hungry but since he hadn't eaten since yesterday, he figured now was about time and he made his way down to the Great Hall.


Going down to grab a bite to eat seemed to have been the wrong move he found out not long later. Harry was ignoring meeting his gaze and Ginny was still looking like she would like to rage at him. The only one who tried to talk to him at all was Neville, who looked hesitant to do so, probably because of Dean's earlier outburst.

"Have you…yah know…how is he?" the black boy asked, feigning nonchalance.

"Y-Ow. Well, I've seen him," Neville answered, shooting the bushy haired girl to Dean's left a dirty look. Hermonie didn't look up, her nose buried in a textbook.

"But you haven't talked to him?"

"Err-" Again Neville shot the girl a look and seeming to gain some confidence went on. "No. He's been out the few times I went to go. He looks okay though," Neville offered lamely.

Dean made a face, poking at the food he should have been hungry enough to devour. Yet he was pretty sure if he tried it would just taste sour in his mouth and make him wish he hadn't bothered as soon as he swallowed.

He was such a git. How could he leave his best friend lying there for hours, nay days, without even trying to find out how he was. How did that make him any better than Malfoy or Harry? He was just as big a prat.

What was his problem. Why did it matter that Seamus was snogging Blaise, even though according to the Slytherin, Seamus had had no say in it. But even so, what did it matter? Dean shouldn't care, Seamus was still Seamus. A shameless flirt with sandy blond hair that always got into his face as he tried to take notes or mix potions, often crouching so low over his papers that he got cute ink stains on his cheek or nose…

Some time must have passed as he sat there engulfed in his thoughts. A bony finger prodded his side, jolting him from his stupor. "You alright there Dean?" Hermonie asked.

"Hmm? Oh..yeah I think so. Why?"

"Oh..you just had this goofy look on your face. Looked like you were thinking of something that made you happy," she said with a knowing look.

Dean started, feeling the familiar stirrings of panic creep up on him again. Did he? Well of course he liked Seamus, Seamus was his best friend! And why wouldn't he make Dean happy?

"Dean, why don't you just go talk to him?" she asked, once more snapping him into the present.

"I…uh…I." He took a deep breath, grabbing his bag as he stood up. "Yeah, I guess you're right," he muttered, slumping out of the nearly deserted hall.


It was after 10 when the sound of the creaking door woke him from his unrestful slumber. Despite his earlier misgivings and Hermonie's earlier chastising, Seamus couldn't help but hurriedly roll over and pretend to lapse back into unconsciousness.

A heavy bag thumped on the ground beside his bed and someone sank into the chair near his bedside. All he could hear was the other boy's breathing and his head was facing the wrong angle to sneak a glance.

Time went back to it's former slow creeping and Seamus began to doze again, lulled into a sense of security by the other watching over him. His headache had even started to lessen. Just as he was about to fall into a deeper sleep the visitor sighed. Seamus took a chance and tipped his head towards the chair, thankful his hair was long enough to partially cover his eyes.

And there was his best friend, hunched over in his seat, head burried in his hands. It looked like his shoulders were shaking but he hadn't heard a sound from the other boy since the sigh.

"Merlin I'm so in over my head," he heard Dean mutter, his voice sounding choked and far away. "I-"

For some reason a voice that sounded suspiciously like Hermoine Granger's piped up. You're really going to spy on your best friend, let him tell you things he doesn't even think you're going to hear. That's low, really low.

His internal struggle caused him to miss what his friend said next and unconsciously he let out a sigh. He felt the boy freeze next to him and heard him groan. "Really Seamus?"

Seamus sighed again, giving up his act. "Nice to see you. Finally."

Dean looked taken aback before his days of frustration exploded into anger which he was suddenly quite willing to take out on his friend. "Yeah, well nice to see you snogging Blaise."
"What's it to you?" Seamus snapped back.

"Nothing!" Dean hollered. "Just…you could have told me. If you wanted to ditch me earlier to meet some Slytherin."

Seamus' own temper was easily a match for Dean's. "Blaise isn't some Slyherin, and I don't have to report to you where I'm going! And he's not my boyfriend! He kissed me or is your head so far up your arse that you really think I wouldn't tell you I fancied someone!"

"Yeah, like you told me you were queer?" Dean sneered. "Like you told me Lavander was just a front? Like you told me you were friends with Blaise? Like you've told me anything in the past who knows how long?!"

Seamus was sitting up now, head pounding too. "Yeah, and you ditched me while you were dating Ginny! You never hung out with me! I didn't have much choice to make other friends, did I?" he shrieked. "And how did you know Blaise and I were friends? I didn't SAY THAT EITHER!"

Dean paused for a second, a guilty look flashing across his face. "He wanted me to apologize for him," he admitted grudgingly. "And said he doesn't like you like that-" he delivered, biting off each word, his arms folded across his chest.

At that point Seamus lost it, clambering to his feet on the bed so he finally had a height advantage on the taller Gryffindor. "Then why the hell are you mad at me?" he screamed. He had been unsteady before but on the bed he was hard pressed to keep his feet.

At that moment Madam Pomphrey's light clicked on and she stormed out of her room, in a rather frilly nightgown, taking in the sight before her. "Mr. Finnagin, get down now!" He made a face, stepping forward to hop off the edge, his head spinning. His footing wobbled and he tumbled forward.

Expecting another painful altercation with an inanimate object, he was surprised when his body crashed into a warm yielding one, sending them tumbling onto another bed. "Oof-" Dean said, the air being forced out of his lungs.

Seamus felt the taller boy's arms tighten around him as he pressed his throbbing forehead against Dean's shoulder. "Seamus? Are you okay?"

"No Mr. Thomas he is not alright! He was supposed to be resting, as I believe you were supposed to be in your dorms! Now kindly release my patient and return to your dormitory."

The sandy haired boy felt himself being stood up as Dean levered himself off the extra bed. He chanced opening his eyes seeing brown eyes staring down at him, worry present. "So you weren't faking it?"

"No, he was not. Now release him and go back to bed before I am forced to report your behavior to your head of house. The moment broken, Dean relased him and Seamus stumbled unsteadily to his bed, plopping down on it ungracefully. The Gryffindor walked towards the exit, Pomphrey following closely behind. "You may come collect your friend in the morning if you wish Mr. Thomas," the nurse said rather more kindly befroe slamming the door in his face.