Dean lay on his side in his bed, curtains drawn. He'd been in that position all of Saturday and the three hours he'd been awake so far. He'd gotten up once to grab some food from the kitchens, suppressing the memories of finding the kitchens with Seamus the year before after an all-nighter finishing a complex Transfiguration essay.
Seamus had ignored him, as he did outside of classes, Neville had been easily distracted the past few weeks, and Harry and Ron were always engrossed in their own mysterious world- seemed like they were either whispering about whatever it was they talked about, or practicing for the Quidditch game next month. Dean was looking forward to the last game, as it would provide a welcome distraction and also herald that the school year was drawing to a close. He'd been sleeping a lot, when he could, and forcefully doing his homework to a Hermione Granger-esque perfection when he was awoken by that dream again. In the end of the dream, the girl was saved by another, with red-brown hair. He wasn't sure what it all meant, but pondering that dream instead of how he could have fixed his relationships with Seamus and Ginny was a much better train of thought.
The thing was, he'd started drawing parallels between the dream world in the woods and his own screwed-up life. He figured that blonde-haired girl was happiness, or at least being content, and the dog was him screwing up his relationship with Ginny by being with Seamus. The girl fighting back was him trying to get the best of both worlds, and the red-haired girl must be what would give him back his happiness. He also had figured out that he overanalyzed everything when he was upset and needed to find some way to occupy his time other than sleeping, drawing, and doing homework. Maybe he'd start doing research on dream symbolism. Or he could find a different hobby...
Dean sat in the common room the week before the game against Ravenclaw, reading a book on the history of the Ministry of Magic that he'd randomly picked up in the library, as had become his habit. So far he'd learned more about goblins from one book than he had in 6 years of Professor Binns, a surprising amount about how to make parchment that he resolved to try sometime, and how to build a house out of logs in the woods. Suddenly Harry stopped in front of him, looking forlorn.
"You'll be playing Chaser and Ginny will be playing Seeker." He trudged on towards the dormitory.
"Harry?" Dean asked. Harry turned around. "What... what happened?"
"I have detention. Snape," Harry replied, with a flash of anger showing through his misery. Dean's eyes widened.
"That absolute bat!" Harry sighed and nodded, then turned back towards the dormitory. Dean sat frozen in place, Ministry of Magic forgotten. He'd have to practice, and some calisthenics couldn't hurt either... Placing the book on the table in front of him, he ran out of the Common Room to get his broom and begin his training.
The day of the Quidditch game, the Great Hall was full of excitement. The Gryffindor team all sat together, and Dean was surprised to note that while Katie Bell was on one of his sides, Seamus was right on the other. Walking out of breakfast to play in the last match of the year, his team on one side and his best friend on the other, was the best feeling in the world, thought Dean later.
He didn't have much room for thoughts at the time, or indeed, through much of the game, but that was something he'd remember even more than the victory that came after it. He only remembered a few bits of the victory party, but they were some strong memories despite the firewhiskey. The first was about 15 minutes after the party started. Harry got back from his detention, and beelined straight towards Ginny. Dean got a sick feeling in his stomach as they embraced, and then finally kissed. It was as though the final strings tying them together had been cut. Dean's glass broke in his hand as he turned away and headed towards the stairs leading up to the dormitory.
He walked into the Sixth Years' room and tugged his jersey forcefully over his head, throwing it to the ground. He wasn't really sure what mood he was in. It seemed to be a mix between catharsis and some feeling of pain. He lay on his back on his bed with the curtains wide open, trying to deduce the source of the pain. After a few minutes, it became clear. He wanted Seamus back.
Closing his eyes, Dean wished with all his might that he'd just broken up with Ginny after coming out to himself. Life would have been a lot easier. Dean kept his eyes closed, trying not to think, his thoughts filled with Seamus, who began changing into the red-haired girl from his dreams, who sang a peaceful song he did not recognize, lulling him off to sleep.
Dean woke up with a jerk as the door to the dormitory snapped shut. He kept his eyes closed as familiar light footsteps made their way towards him. A body lay down next to him and an Irish brogue asked, "You okay, mate?" Dean opened his eyes and looked at Seamus. "
I might be. One question, though." Seamus nodded for him to continue.
Dean drew a deep breath. "Be my boyfriend?" The light in Seamus's eyes as he leaned over for a kiss was answer enough.
So how do you like it, gang? End how you supposed it would? Any comments? Questions? Concerns? I'd love if you guys had something to say *nudge nudge wink wink*!
