When We Were Just Friends

Year 7

be warned! some events have been changed from the books… eg. muggleborns didn't have to leave hogwarts until the seventh year - bill and fleur get married in the seventh year - teddy lupin is already born and a little older etc.

Chapter 10

Seamus

Our seventh and final year in Hogwarts was most definitely an eventful one. The first few months was a tense time, but Dean and I were together, and that was all that mattered.

"I… I have to leave Hogwarts, Shay." Dean whispered to me one night as we lay side by side on his bed, talking.

"I know." A tear slid down the side of my face. "Dean… I need to tell you something."

"What is it?" He breathed. I took a couple of deep breaths, steeling myself for the worst. I had to tell him how I felt.

"I don't know why I haven't told you before now, but-"

"AAAARRRGGGHHH!" A terrible scream echoed through the dormitory. Dean stood swiftly, and I followed. Harry had shot upright in bed, and was breathing heavily, sweat dripping from his forehead. Ron was looking over him with concern, ready with Harry's glasses in hand.

"Thanks." Harry breathed. "Sorry for waking you guys."

"We were awake anyway." Dean muttered.

"What was it, mate?" Ron asked.

"It was… him. He's found out that the locket's gone. He'll come here soon. I know it." Harry said sadly, mopping his brow.

"How long do we have?" Dean breathed. Harry looked at Dean as if he was seeing him for the first time.

"You need to go, Dean! You, Hermione… you're muggle-borns, they'll go for you first!"

"I know." Dean murmured. "I'll go soon. How long do I have to get away from here?"

"A week at least, I think. You should go as soon as possible."

"Yeah… g'night guys…" Dean muttered, climbing back into bed. I waited until Harry and Ron had returned to bed before getting in beside him.

"What were you going to tell me, Shay?"

"I'll tell you tomorrow." I said, butterflies coming alive in my chest. Dean laughed softly.

"If you keep procrastinating, Shay, you'll never get the chance to tell me."

Dean

What if he was going to… no, he couldn't feel like that… could he? If he told me that he… felt more for me… I don't know how I could leave Hogwarts without him.

The next day I gave the Fat Lady the password, and entered the Gryffindor common room. Seamus was sat in his favourite armchair, reading. He looked so serene, so beautiful, I just had to take a moment to drink it in. I took a deep breath and walked slowly froward towards him. At the sound of my footsteps he turned his head, smiling when he saw it was me. My heart skipped a beat; he was so happy, even in the face of danger. He always knew that what we all needed was a smile, not warnings and morose thoughts.

"Dean." He said simply.

"Shay, we need to talk." I said, before cringing. Why did I say that? His face dropped alongside my heart.

"What about?" He looked so scared I just had to rush to him, and take his hand.

"It's nothing bad, Shay, I promise." He visibly relaxed, and I smiled. "Seamus, I… I've felt this way for a long time, and I feel like I should tell you now, before I-"

"I love you too." My heart seemed to stop beating as time slowed.

"You… you do?"

" That… that was what you were going to say, r-right?"

"Y-yes… yes, I… Seamus Finnigan, I am in love with you." I couldn't help it, I just had to say it. Seamus' smile didn't falter as he stood and rushed into my arms, embracing me tightly.

"And I with you, Dean Thomas." He breathed against my chest. My heart exploded with joy. Seamus pulled back slightly, and stood on tiptoes in order to reach. He placed a hand on my cheek, and looked into my eyes.

"I really do love you with all my heart." He whispered, half closing his eyes as he leaned into me. Before I knew it, his soft lips were pressed against mine, and my dreams were lived. He pulled back, panic flashing across his face when I didn't return his kiss.

"I'm sorry, I-" I swallowed his words as I brushed my lips against his, unable to break my smile. Seamus chuckled, and deepened the kiss; I loved and cherished each second, embedding them in my memories.

"You will be the end of me, Shay, I promise you that." I murmured against his lips. Seamus gently pulled me back to the armchair, nearer the fire. We fell into the chair, laughing.

"I wish you didn't have to go." Seamus whispered.

"I wish you didn't want to stay and fight You-Know-Who." I replied, my voice breaking slightly. Seamus responded by kissing me powerfully, his lips enveloping mine.

Seamus

I couldn't believe it. Dean Thomas, the love of my life, felt the same way as me. I couldn't help myself; I giggled from where I lay with Dean on the carpet in the dorm. Don't ask why we were on the floor; at some point we had just fallen about laughing. I think this was what people meant when they said they were drunk on happiness. We had forgotten about the war; we had forgotten about Dean having to leave; we had forgotten how to be unhappy.

All throughout the night we talked under the comfort of a Muffilato charm and the bed curtain. We laughed; we cried; we shared sweet sipping kisses as we told each other things we had never told anyone before. Little did we know, that night was to be out last together for a long time.

The morning came, and we rose from out blissful ignorance into the harsh reality of war and pain that was waiting for us. Harry, Ron and Hermione had already left Hogwarts. Ron's brother was getting married to the french girl who was in the Triwizard Tournament; a great shame, the others thought. They were required at the Burrow to help with the weeding, and attend, of course.

With Dumbledore gone - a tragedy that had rocked the school and our foundations the previous year - Snape had been left as Headmaster of Hogwarts. It was like Umbridge all over again; something we never wanted to relive. Each and every day, we trudged around the school, startling at each small sounds like animals, wary of everything but each other. Well, mostly.

"Hello, Dean." A seductive, sly voice echoed towards us through the hallway. We turned: a from marred Dean features until he saw who it was. Then, his face relaxed and he sighed, his eyes closing tightly.

"Please don't fight her." He breathed. I could already see that was going to be a problem.

Dean

I reluctantly opened my eyes, and I was greeted by the sight of someone I had never wanted to see again stalking towards Seamus and I, flipping her long blue-black hair.

Harper Jones - the first muggleborn to be sorted into Slytherin for centuries (the first one was executed it was that long ago), and with good reason. Her bright purple eyes were narrowed, her full, glossed lips curled into a smirk. She had very sharp features, not unlike Malfoy, with high cheekbones and a pointy chin. She certainly caught the gazes of the other boys in the corridor; not Seamus and I though (obviously ;) ), as she had relentlessly tormented me for the whole of our second year whenever Seamus was never around, so he never knew. Oh no, ok, alright, she's here, ok, great. I thought nervously in my head. I was genuinely scared that Seamus wouldn't hesitate to throw a punch at her if she went too far.

"Hello, Harper." I said slowly.

"How're you doing, Dean?" She trailed a finger down my cheek, nipping the skin with her fingernail, whispering in my ear, "I haven't seen you in so long. When did you get so tall, and so… hot…" Seamus visibly tensed beside me and I placed a hand on his arm to try and relax him. I knew that Harper had no effect on me, but he didn't. Oh, Merlin's saggy left-

"Oh, hello… Shawn, it's very nice to see you." Harper snarled, her smile seeming to melt off her face like hot wax.

"It's Seamus." I growled, moving to stand between her and Seamus.

"Ooh, getting feisty," that malicious, seductive smile was back. "I like that…" She was getting slowly closer to me until her face was inches from my own.

"We don't want you here, Harper. He's not interested." Seamus had stepped around me and was glaring something scary at her. Is it bad that I'm a little turned on? I shook the thought out of my head, and returned to my position of keeping them away from each other.

"Oh really, Shawn… it seems to me that Dean really does want me here." She murmured, leaning forward so that her lips brushed my earlobe as she spoke. Seamus jumped forward as shoved her forcefully off me. I smiled to myself for a moment, before deciding it was time to really step in. I took Seamus' arm, and muttered,

"Come on, it's not worth it." but Seamus didn't register my words. He only calmed down once we were sat in an abandoned classroom, out of the sightline of Harper.

"You alright, Shay?" I whispered, encouraging him to look me in the eye with a finger beneath his chin. When the oceans that I so often drowned in finally met mine, they took my breath away just as they did every single time.

Before I knew it, my lips were empowered by the most intense kiss I'd ever experienced. I was lost in the realms of euphoria as Seamus' lips moved against mine, drawing whimpers and sounds of joy from me.

The door opened.