CONTEST WINNER THIS CHAPTER: melissamcmahon recommended the song, "Red Light Special" by TLC for for Seamus & Lavender this go around, and I thought it a perfect complement to Lavender's thoughts here. So, this chapter is dedicated to melissamcmahon - congratulations! Lyrics for that song appear at the bottom of this chapter. Hope you'll find this song somehow and give it a listen.

Remember, I'll accept song suggestions for each couple, as well as digitally manipulated images of live people and your original hand-drawn or digitally drawn fanart for this story up until the end of this fic is published. SEND ME YOUR LISTS OR ARTWORK to: rzzmg at yahoo dot com.

P.S. Unseenlibrarian – Without you, this chapter would have sucked. You are the BEST! Thank you again.

I apologize to everyone for the long wait in between updates for this story. Life got in the way, fests got in the way... I promise to work hard to get the next chapter for you in a couple of weeks.

CHAPTER NINE (#1): Seamus & Lavender

Lavender gently ran her fingertips through Sea's coarse, dark chest hair, contemplating her feelings regarding his recent confession that he loved her and wanted them to have a serious future together.

Actually, he wanted the magic of his heritage to bond them, as in 'till death do they part.

Although she was at last prepared to admit that her feelings of love for him had never truly faded away over time, that didn't mean she was ready for such a huge commitment at barely eighteen, especially given her plans after graduation! If there was one thing she'd truly been looking forward to post-Hogwarts, it had been the launching of her adult career. Starting up a new, very intense relationship at the same time seemed… well, daunting.

Since her second year in school, during that awful time when students were found petrified and an unknown individual claiming to be the heir of Salazar Slytherin terrorized the school with threats about the Chamber of Secrets being opened, she'd known what she wanted to do with the rest of her life: to be an investigative reporter. She'd spent most of that year, in fact, covertly following Hermione around as much as possible, keen to the fact that her roommate had discovered some pertinent bit of information behind the attacks after asking Professor Binns about the Chamber. Their ghostly teacher's long-winded explanation to Granger's query is what had piqued Lavender's curiosity to learn more about the story behind the story. For instance, who was Salazar Slytherin really, and why had he been so prejudiced against Muggle-borns to start? Why did he consider himself the purest of purebloods, so that only one of his lineage would be worthy to reopen his secret chamber under the school? Etcetera.

That line of questioning had evolved into a hunger for the truth. Not the kind of scholarly pursuit that was done merely for the sake of knowledge, as Hermione was wont to engage in, but the kind that was relevant and important in the now. It was an insatiable need simply to know more - about people and their circumstances, about their motivations and what drove them. It was her passion, one might say.

Passion…

Lightly tracing a path down Sea's sternum, she contemplated his motivations. What did he expect from her in this relationship? Would what he needed clash or harmonize with her needs?

Following the line of hair to his navel, enjoying the feel of his warm skin, she touched him not to arouse, but for the mere pleasure of doing so. There was something deeply and intimately sexy about knowing that this amazing sex-god of a wizard was all hers for the touching, tasting, and taking.

When he stirred in his slumber, she stilled, waiting for his breathing to return to normal before continuing her slow, thorough exploration of his body. Smoothing her fingertips over his naked hip, she followed the curve around to his tight arse.

Godric's truth, Seamus had the hottest bum she'd ever seen! It truly surprised her that it had never been de-virgin-ized, neither by the strap nor in a full-on penetrative manner. He'd done just about everything else there was to do in a sexual capacity, and with multiple partners, so why had he never crossed those lines? Was he afraid of pain? Homophobic? He'd admitted to joining in an orgy, but had been adamant that no one had buggered him.

Come to think of it, Zabini had been there that time, too, he'd said. She knew Blaise, intimately. It seemed almost inconceivable that the tall, dark Slytherin wouldn't have at least made the offer to top Sea, especially given his proclivities towards experiencing new heights of pleasure and how incredibly sexy and well-equipped her Irish was. Had Zabini made such a pass at her boyfriend? Was that why Sea was extra-sensitive when it came to her ex-lover?

Hmmm…

Yes, she was definitely too curious for her own good at times. Parvati had been right about that. That's why journalism was such an ideal match. It was a bold and daring career that satisfied her inquisitive nature, and her work would matter.

Besides, once she became famous enough as a star reporter, perhaps then she could finally crawl out from under her mother's shadow.

As she ran her fingers through the soft, black hair on Sea's head, Lavender tried hard not to generate any negative vibes that might disturb her lover's rest again, but it was a difficult task to accomplish whenever her mum crossed her mind.

Her mum… ergh, blah. Calista Meliantha Brown had blue-violet-coloured eyes, was blonde, thin, beautiful, fashionable, charismatic (if not outright vain), and magically gifted, but that seemed to be the extent of her charms. She didn't work, was a bit of a priss in Lavender's opinion, and was a little on the selfish side. She didn't cook or do house chores (they had a house-elf for such things), had been rather mediocre in her academics back at Beauxbatons, and didn't enjoy sports of any kind. Her hobbies consisted of tending to and occasionally upgrading her prized flower garden in their backyard, and dressing to dazzle for charity events. In fact, her mum hadn't accomplished a single worthwhile endeavour in her life aside from winning the title as the "Most Beautiful Witch in Britain-1975", single-handedly keeping the crystallised pineapple manufacturers in England in business (going through at least a pound of the stuff a week), and giving her husband two children - Lavender and her older brother, Thomas. As a result, people rarely took her mum with any measure of seriousness, and Lavender was no different in that respect.

On the other hand, Lavender simply adored her father. Martyn Fletcher Brown was engaging; he had an easy, affable smile that made him approachable, and his wit and intelligence were off the charts. He was a man who commanded respect in the International arena, acting as the British Ministry's ambassador to the I.C.W. for the last fifteen years, and consequently, he was the Minister's 'go-to' man in a pinch, especially when it came to political manoeuvering. More importantly, however, was the fact that his family meant everything to him, and he never failed to show it.

Family… She wondered about Sea's as she traced over his clover tattoo, noting the small, almost indiscernible Celtic symbols woven into the design.

The Finnigans were of the Fae, he'd said, a separate species that was close enough to humans to breed, much like the Veela, Hags, Giants, and Goblins. Technically, they were all classified as 'Magical Beings' by the Ministry, but the truth was human society still considered them 'monsters' behind their hands when they spoke of them in hushed whispers. Their mixed offspring, like the Sex-Witches and Sex-Warlocks who were rumoured to be the progeny of the Veela, and the Half-Giants like Hagrid, were treated little better than their parents, often snubbed or denied services and employment opportunities, especially by those of the pure-blood upper crust.

Tracing the loops and arches of Sea's tattoo again, she considered that in the face of his recent revelation. He was a quarter fairy folk, and if word of that ever got out, he and his family could face a lifetime of prejudice from certain factions within their society. That would include her, if she allowed them to bond and became, in effect, his wife. The affiliation could have a real impact on her job, as doors would close to her that might otherwise have been open.

No matter how the idea grated on her sense of fairness, the fact was Sea's blood ties were a real concern that she had to weigh into the equation of her life if she took him on. Could she do it – accept the limitations?

"Lavender, if there's one thing I've learned in my long years, it's that real, honest love, no matter its hardships, is worth whatever price you'll pay."

The advice sounded so easy… and a little naïve, to tell the truth. Yet, her father had often counselled her throughout her life to believe in love in such a manner. He professed whole-heartedly in its great power to accomplish amazing things, and his life was one big example of that faith. Should she trust in his way now, applying it to her situation? Could she surmount the hurdles and grab a hold of what Seamus was offering?

More importantly, could he, really?

From what she knew about the job of investigative reporting, there might be days or even weeks where she would be required to go undercover in the field, with absolutely no chance for her to send her significant other information about her whereabouts or to reassure him of her safety. She may even be required by the job to be in positions that could appear on the surface to be compromising or dangerous, as many illicit deals often took place in nightclubs, gambling dens, or abandoned buildings. Many men wouldn't be able to rein in their jealousy or overprotective natures with their witches in such situations.

That was part of the reason why she'd kept things casual with Ron and Blaise - no strings to worry about, no hurt feelings. With Seamus, however, not only would there be strings, but knots. His jealousy issues were a serious problem.

She flopped over onto her back, feeling exasperated and a bit desperate.

Gods, the timing of their do-over couldn't have been more inopportune, could it? What should she do? She couldn't abandon her dreams… and yet, she didn't want to give Sea up, either. Her heart was torn.

Glancing over at him… her anxiety quite suddenly and unexpectedly melted away, as she was instantly enchanted by the way his long, dark lashes fanned downward in sleep. He looked boyish and adorable, much as he had the first time she'd seen him on the train to school their first year. The day he'd opened the door of her carriage without preamble and made his introductions with that captivating smile of his, he'd also wormed his way into her heart.

"'Ello. Me name's Finnigan. Seamus Finnigan. Is there room fer one more in 'ere?"

Their car had been nearly full, and she'd felt uncomfortably squished sitting between Ernie Macmillan and Fay Dunbar, but in that moment, Lavender would have gladly gotten up and offered the new boy her seat, if he'd asked… just so she could sit on his lap. Sea had charmed the socks off of her from the very start with that burr in his words and his roguish good looks, and even at eleven, she'd been a bit boy crazy.

Unfortunately, Dean Thomas had taken the fun out of her honeycomb when he'd scooted over to press against the window and invited Seamus to take the spot next to him. Thankfully, though, that space had just happened to be directly across from her, so at least she'd been able to get a good, long look-see at the Irish boy with the green-green eyes.

And look her fill she had. She'd practically stared at him from beneath her lashes for the entire ride to school, peeking glances at the way he twirled his wand between his fingers and over the back of his hand with a deft skill, and noting that his shoes had been well-shined with polish and newly broken in. When the others had gotten up to stretch their legs, or use the cramped loo at the end of their car, she'd stayed put the same as him, liking the way he'd blatantly stared at her bared legs. Her mum had thought her mad for going with the uniform skirt, rather than the winter trousers, especially given how cold Scotland was that time of year, but Lavender had never felt more vindicated in defying her mother's fashion advice than she had then, knowing she'd caught the Irish boy's attention.

When the Hogwarts Express had finally reached its destination, everyone had barrelled out of the carriage, eager to see their new home. It was then that Sea had really claimed a permanent place in her life…

"Careful, lass, or ye'll get trampled by the herd," he'd joked, watching her get jostled about by the swarm of bodies heading for the open door. Pulling the honey stick he'd purchased from the trolley out of his mouth, he'd pushed aside Dean and Wayne, and gripped her hand in a solid hold. "Don't let go. I'll get us through this, me angel."

The memory of that first touch made her tingle again now, just as it had then.

Rolling onto her side, she reached out to caress his hands, noting the strength in them, and tracing over the scars and callouses he'd acquired over the years from playing Quidditch, Exploding Snap, and from brawling a time or two with rival House members. He'd touched her all over with these hands, had been up inside her with these thick fingers; he'd held her and seduced her with them in ways she'd never imagined when she'd been eleven and mostly innocent.

That day exiting the train had been the first time he'd ever touched her… and the first time he'd called her his angel. For all practical purposes, it could be said that she'd been his everything and anything he'd wanted ever since.

With so much shared history, and so much feeling for him in her chest, she resolved that she couldn't give him up. Not now, when they'd just reconnected and made things right between them!

…Yet, his jealousy issues were really hard to handle, and the thought of being, in effect, married at such a young age was truly frightening.

What should she do?

What would he say if she were to confess these things to him? Would he be disgusted with her lack of Gryffindor courage? Would he decide it was all too much drama, and simply walk out of her life? That thought alone made her ribs constrict and breathing difficult. "Oh, Sea," she whispered, trying to hold back the confusing, conflicting tide of emotions.

She laced her fingers with his and gripped his hand in a tight hold, just as she had back on the Hogwarts Express, afraid that if she let go, this time it might be forever.

He stirred awake. "Angel, what's wrong?"

Lavender mentally kicked herself; she hadn't intended on letting him see her like this - ever. "N-nothing," she fibbed, quickly wiping at the moisture in the corner of her eyes.

Sea went tense against her. "Lavender, look at me, love." He leaned back, cupped her chin with his free hand, and gently forced her to meet his gaze. "Tell me those are tears o' joy, yeah?"

She swallowed, trying to dislodge the lump in her throat. "I'm fine," she said with a tremulous, false smile. "Just being silly, is all."

The look he gave her said he didn't believe a word she'd just said. "Ya never were good at lying, angel. You're worried, aren't ya? About us after th' game."

Dropping her attention to his lips, she sighed in surrender. "Yes. You want us to start something really serious here, but I've got plans of my own for a career, and I'm not sure how the two will mesh."

"Ya want ta write fer The Prophet. I know," he stated, smoothing some hair from her cheek.

That took her aback. "How-?"

He gave her a lopsided, lazy grin. "Told ya I've been payin' attention ta ya fer a long time." He caressed two fingers over her cheek, following the curve to her chin. "Ye gave up on me, but I ne'er gave up on ya. Not really. Always wanted another go 'round. Always felt like I was waitin' fer it… like it was inevitable, ya know? I tol' meself that if I ever got it, I meant ta keep ya, too."

His brogue was so thick it was difficult to discern his words, but she got the gist. "Being a journalist is going to require me being away a lot, sometimes for days at a time," she explained. "Sometimes, I might have to go undercover. I might even have to get close to other men. I… to be honest, I don't think you can handle that, Sea. You have… strong jealousy issues."

He was quiet for a bit after that, considering her words and their implications.

"Would ya sleep with any o' those men fer the story?" he asked, pulling no punches and getting right to the heart of the matter.

She winced, nervously playing with his chest hair again. It was a fair question, even if it was horrid that he had to ask it. "No. I wouldn't," she vowed, and knew she meant it. There were definite lines she wouldn't cross, and selling her body to gain an advantage of any kind was one of them. People might assume she was the easy type or a money-hound, like they believed about her mum, but Lavender was neither of those things. She'd made a single mistake with Ron last year, which had cost her some self-respect, but that didn't make her a whore.

His fingers traced her lips. "Would ya do… other things… ta get th' scoop? With these lips 'o yers, I mean."

"No," she firmly restated.

His fingers moved across her throat, over her shoulder, down her arm, to grip her hand. His voice was hoarse when he asked, "Would ya stroke 'em with these fingers ta get them ta drop their guard and talk?"

"Not in the way you're thinking," she promised him. "I might dance with them, if I'm at a function that requires it, and I might have a business dinner with them, but I wouldn't go further than that, Sea." She entwined their fingers, pressing them palm to palm, and felt the rightness of the hold. "Besides, after tonight, I don't think I could do this with anyone else. I…" She let out a resigned, little sigh. "I just couldn't."

Because Seamus owned her heart, and he'd enslaved her body, and now neither belonged to her any longer.

Hell, he hadn't needed his heritage to bond her to him, had he? That had happened the first day on the train, seven long years ago. Every day since had simply reinforced the connection, whether they'd been together as friends, or as more than friends, or apart. This between them had been meant to happen, and it was time to face up to that glaring fact.

As if reading her thoughts, Seamus' lids lowered with sensual intent, and he rolled her over onto her back, coming over her like an inescapable force of nature. "Good," he growled, using his knee to open up her thighs. His hard arousal rested against her damp core. "Because I've decided, me love, that yer mine, and they'll be no one else in yer body but me from now on."

With an adjustment and an expert thrust, he speared her on his cock, sinking deep. The feel of being split open again by his heavy, thick erection was heaven.

"God!" Lavender cried out, loving the feel of his possession, of this completion that he gave her. "Go all the way," she begged, dropping her hands to his arse and pulling him in tight. "Go as deep as you can."

With a roll of his hips, he was in to the hilt, pressing against the opening of her womb. It was pleasure-pain at its finest. Nothing had ever felt this good.

She wrapped her legs around him and crossed her ankles at the sway of his spine, holding him close, and held on as he began to move.

He dropped his mouth to hers. "My sugar angel," he whispered around kisses and groans, moving with infinite care. Back and forth in an easy glide, he set a pace that was slow and gentle, as if he had all the time in the world. "I want ya happy, dontcha know? Do as ya will with yer career. I'll no resent it. Just… don't touch anyone else like this, yeah? Be like this only with me."

"You're sure?" she asked, gasping as he married their hips together again. "I could be gone for days. I could be forced to go into places you might not be comfortable with me visiting. I'd have to go where the story is, even if it meant danger for me."

"Then let me come along," he offered in a rash compromise. "Ye'll need a partner… ta take pictures and fer protection. Any wizard can work a camera, and I'm good at protective spells. I'll not crowd ya. I'll stay in the background 'til ya need me, but I'll be there in case there's trouble."

She shook her head. "I can't ask you to give up your own plans-"

He kissed her to shut her up. It worked. His tongue pumped to the same rhythm as his lower body, seducing her into calming, into enjoying their love making instead of fretting about tomorrow.

"I love ya, Lavender," he whispered against her lips. "We can make this work. Don't push me away 'cause yer scared. We can go slow, like I tol' ya earlier. We'll find a path tha' works fer us both, so neither of us has to give up th' important things." He worked his hips at a leisurely, gliding pace. "Nice 'n slow, yeah?"

Her heart eased a bit at his understanding and his willingness to find a compromise to their situation, Lavender let her worries go for the moment and enjoyed Seamus' seduction. "Okay," she agreed.

In no time at all, he brought her to the edge of the world again, and caught her when she flew off the end, holding her hand as tightly as he had when they'd been innocent children, and capturing her pleasure in his mouth.

When he followed her moments later, he was careful to pull out and spill his seed across her belly, sticking to the earlier promise he'd made to her.

Lying in his arms afterwards, sated and warm, enjoying the feel of his fingers stroking over her backside, Lavender finally said the words to Seamus that she'd wanted to for years. This time, she knew he was wide-awake for it.

"I love you."

TO BE CONTINUED...

AUTHOR'S NOTES:

PLEASE REVIEW, FOLKS! What did you think of this chapter?

In Chapter Nine of "The Chamber of Secrets" novel, Hermione Granger raises her hand in Professor Binns' History of Magic class to ask him to tell them something about the Chamber of Secrets. At that, it says: "...Lavender Brown's head came up off her arms..." indicating her interest in Hermione's questioning on the subject. I have capitalized on that paragraph for this fic.

Crystallised pineapple – According to the Harry Potter Wikia (harrypotter . wikia . com), "Crystallised pineapple is a sweet sold at Honeydukes Sweetshop. It is sold as small pieces of pineapple cooked in sugar syrup and encrusted with sugar crystals. It is a well-known favourite of Horace Slughorn. Tom Riddle may have bought this sweet to sway him to give him information on creating Horcruxes."

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Musical Selection for this chapter: "Red Light Special" by TLC. Lyrics are as follows...

Take a good look at it...
Look at it now.
Might be the last time you'll
have a go round.
I'll let you touch it if you'd
like to go down.
I'll let you go further,
if you take the southern route.
Don't go too fast.
Don't go too slow.
You've got to let your body flow.
I like 'em attentive,
and I like 'em in control.

Baby, it's yours.
All yours
if you want it tonight.
I'll give you the red light special
all through the night.
Baby, it's yours.
All yours
if you want it tonight.
Just come through my door,
take off my clothes,
and turn on the red light.

I know that you want me; I can
see it in your eyes.
You might as well be honest, 'cause the
body never lies.
Tell me your secrets and I'll...
I'll tell you mine.
I'm feelin' quite sexy,
and I want you for tonight.
If I move too fast, just let me know,
'cause it means you move too slow.
I like some excitement,
and I like a man that goes...

Baby, it's yours.
All yours
if you want it tonight.
I'll give you the red light special
all through the night.
Baby, it's yours.
All yours
if you want it tonight.
Just come through my door,
take off my clothes,
and turn on the red light.

If you want me,
let me know it.
I'll make time, but
you've got to show it.
If you need me,
I want to see.
But don't mistake me -
I don't want you down on your knees.
I need someone... a real man.
I need someone... who understands.
I'm a woman... a real woman.
I know just what I want.
I know just who I am.

Baby, it's yours.
All yours
if you want it tonight.
I'll give you the red light special
all through the night.
Baby, it's yours.
All yours
if you want it tonight.
Just come through my door,
take off my clothes,
and turn on the red light.