Chapter 25:

Dissension in the Ranks

The Funny Farm was in an uproar the morning of the 26th, for the delicate balances of power had been suddenly and unpleasantly thrown off. Seamus and Rachel, who had gone a record 1.75 months without fighting, were now fighting. Dean and Hannah, who were supposed to be the practical, levelheaded ones, weren't. Tanya was all alone, and Katelyn was missing.

Everyone except Tanya, Dean, and Hannah was in a sour mood when they went to breakfast. That left only Rachel and Seamus, who were busy trying to kill each other without getting caught. Poor Tanya had to separate them at the table by using herself as a human wall. Unfortunately for Hannah and Dean, who were still rather goo-goo eyed, Rachel and Seamus were both significantly bigger than Tanya, and so simply carried on their petty squabbling and hexing above her head.

Eventually, though, Tanya realized something. "Guys?"

Seamus flung a kipper at Rachel, who ducked just in time to get the greasy fish tangled up in her hair. "What?"

"Where's Katelyn?"

"I dunno," Rachel said. "Mobilicorpus."

"What do you mean, you don't know?" Tanya asked.

"That's very simple, Sharkbait," Hannah said patiently as Seamus stalked back to the table.

"Someone's gotta have seen her sometime this morning," Tanya went on. "We share a bedroom with her."

Rachel shrugged. "I went upstairs long before you guys did."

"I offered to dance with you, dumbass!"

"Shut up, Finnigan!"

"Guys!" Dean exclaimed. "I hate to interrupt this, but, seriously, Katelyn's missing."

"She's not missing, Dean," Rachel scoffed. "We just don't know where she is, that's all."

Seamus stood up, using his height to his advantage. "I don't see her."

Hannah looked worried. "Where could she be?"

"I saw Wes," Rachel admitted. "She can't be with him."

"Found her," Seamus said suddenly, pointing.

Katelyn came up the aisle slowly, clutching her satin shawl at her throat. She was still wearing her dress from the night before, and her eyes had dark circles around them.

"What happened, Katelyn?" Tanya cried. "You look awful!"

"Fell asleep in the Transfiguration classroom," Katelyn mumbled, sitting.

The Funny Farm noted her trembling hands. "Eat something, Katelyn Ruth, right this instant," Rachel said after a pause. She filled Katelyn's plate with hash browns and a fried egg, and handed her a fork.

Katelyn groaned, but ate anyway, and drained the goblet of water Rachel pushed into her hands. "Now go upstairs, take a hot shower, and go straight to bed," Rachel insisted.

When Katelyn was out of earshot, Seamus made a face at Rachel. "Merlin—can you be any more controlling?"

Rachel's nostrils flared, but she answered coolly, "Katelyn's mother isn't here to take care of her, so someone has to."

"Down boy," Dean hissed in Seamus' ear as the Irishman went to make a smart retort.

Seamus didn't say a word, but instead flicked his wand and sent Rachel's plate sailing into her lap. Rachel retaliated by giving Seamus such a bad case of Jelly Legs that he fell backwards off the bench.

And so the rest of the Christmas holiday passed. It soon came out that the reason for Katelyn's disappearance was because of Wes' Slytherin girlfriend. Seamus and Dean found it hilariously funny at first, until Katelyn burst into tears. Then they felt rather guilty, and made up for it by jumping said character in a deserted hallway and giving him a few well-deserved bruises, for which they were docked fifteen points. Rachel even added her own Sushi-esque spin on torture by 'accidentally' locking Wes in a broom closet and explaining the American Civil War, all the way from the Compromise of 1850 to the surrender of Joseph Johnston to William Tecumseh Sherman in April of 1865, while rhythmic dull thuds indicated the regular contact of his forehead with the wall.

The commencement of the new term was a welcome distraction for the Funny Farm. Rachel and Seamus had fewer opportunities to torment each other, and, in a similar vein, Hannah and Dean had fewer opportunities to hold hands, blush, and altogether act like the lovie-duvie sops that they were.

A month passed, and February dawned just as cold and icy as ever. Then, on one particularly rainy evening, a letter came for Seamus by owl. He abandoned his spot at the table nearest the fire, where the rest of the Funny Farm was doing schoolwork, and read the brief note before tossing it onto his schoolbag.

"My mam's had her baby," he said shortly, returning to his chair.

The girls cried out with glee. "Oh, is it a boy or a girl, Seamus?" Hannah exclaimed.

"Girl."

"What's her name?" Tanya pressed.

"Kathleen Aislinn Finnigan."

Katelyn cooed. "How adorable!"

"Yeah," Seamus mumbled. "Just great." He bent his head, frowning, over his Potions essay.

Rachel, sitting nearby, looked as though she wanted desperately to comment, but was too angry with Seamus to fawn over his baby sister. Instead, she said, "Don't look so happy about it, gosh."

"Shut up, Hekman," he snapped, slamming his quill down. "You never know when to quit, do you!" He shoved all his things into his book bag and stomped upstairs, slamming the dorm door behind him.

Rachel looked shocked. "Oh…" she said, almost to herself.

"'Oh' as in you've just realized what a jerk you've been to poor Seamus this whole time?" Katelyn asked, wryly.

To everyone's surprise, Rachel nodded meekly, looking frightfully ashamed.

"Well, that's an improvement," Tanya commented.

"No one understands why you two've been fighting," Hannah murmured, deep in a pile of homework.

Rachel stood and went to the window, resting her head on the cool glass, but didn't answer.

A few hours passed, and eventually Seamus emerged from his cave, carefully avoiding Rachel's eye as the troupe went down to supper. Rachel saw the hurt in his face, and she bit her lip, and as they walked the halls, she built up her courage.

Finally, as they were descending the staircase into the Entrance Hall, she took a deep breath and caught at his sleeve. "Seamus, may I talk to you?"

He nodded emotionlessly and waited until the others had gone into the Great Hall. "What is it?"

"Seamus, I'm sorry. For what I did at the Yule Ball…everything. Really, I am. I…I hate fighting with you, but this one was the worst because I don't know why we're fighting. Please, forgive me?"

She looked anxiously up at him, twisting her fingers together.

In return, Seamus smirked and wrapped his arms around her. "You know I can't refuse a sincere apology."

"That's what I'd hoped for," Rachel answered with a relieved chuckle, returning the warm embrace. "You're really just a big softie, d'you know that?"

"Just around you," he rejoined, and hid his face in her frizzy brown hair, all the strain that the recent unsettling Rita Skeeter article had caused between them instantly loosening.

Katelyn reentered the Entrance Hall at this point, and stopped with a smug look on her face. "Well, welcome back, you two."

They parted, rather guiltily. "What do you mean, 'welcome back'?" Seamus asked.

Katelyn shrugged. "You two just aren't the same when you're fighting. Now—are you coming or what?"

Rachel nodded. "Yeah, I'm starving!"

And they went in to supper.

--

(A/N: Merry Christmas! If Sushi gets lazy and doesn't update again, that is. ;D Anyway, note to Snoodles: we still on for Sunday? And note to Schmo: CALL. US. NOW!! And that about wraps up the public service announcements! TTFN, y'all!)