A/N: Happy 18th Birthday Seamus!

January 19, 1998

It was excessively dull in the Room of Requirement on that cold, blistery night. Small fires glowed in the centre of small groups, huddled around the flames wrapped up in blankets. The flames casted flickering patterns across the walls and ceiling, and Seamus watched them absentmindedly from his hammock. He hated having nothing to do. He hated sitting idle and waiting - waiting for what? For Harry, Ron and Hermione to return and save the day? For He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named to finally be defeated and leave the world in peace? For the Carrows to stop picking on first years and punishing those who defended them? It frustrated him to no end.

Seamus still hadn't heard from Dean. It had been five months without a word, even a quick note to say that he was alive. Was he still alive? Had he been captured by Snatchers? Had he been tortured for information about Harry? Those thoughts had haunted Seamus in his sleep. If he was completely honest, a part of him wished that Dean was dead. That way, he wouldn't have to face the horrors that the Death Eaters dealt Muggle borns.

With a sigh, he put his hands behind his head and stared up at the ceiling, counting the number of flickering lights that danced across the surface. It was then, that he felt the weight of someone sitting next to him. The hammock rocked a little, and he looked to his left to see Parvati staring at him. Her dark brown eyes were narrowed in concern, and her black braid a little messier than usual. There was a bruise on her right cheek, from when the Alecto Carrow had slapped her for speaking out in defence of Professor Trelawney. The sight of it made Seamus angry and he clenched his fists and set his jaw.

"Are you alright?" she asked quietly, noticing his sudden change in demeanour.

"They hit you," he spat aggressively, reaching up and touching the bruise softly.

Parvati shrugged. "It's not so bad now. You've got some pretty bad bruises yourself."

That was true. Seamus was not one for conforming to order, and his cheek and stubbornness often resulted in him being the Carrows' punching bag. He had been tortured one or two times as well, though he hadn't told anyone about that.

"They can't get away with this," he growled darkly.

Her hand rested on his arm and Parvati nodded. "They won't, Seamus. It'll all be over soon, I can feel it. Then they'll pay for what they've done."

"How can you be so sure?"

Parvati shrugged. "I don't know. I guess I have hope."

The two of them sat in silence for a while, listening to the sounds of the others sleeping. Seamus' eyes darted to Neville, who was sitting upright in his hammock, staring at the ground with his wand in his hand. The forlorn look on his face told Seamus one thing - he was thinking about Luna. It was then that he glanced upon the calendar on the wall beside Neville's head. Today was the 19th of January.

"It's my birthday," Seamus blurted out suddenly, as though he was completely taken by surprise at the sudden memory.

Parvati glanced up, a little bewildered, before smiling at him. "Oh, Happy Birthday," she said kindly.

Seamus grimaced. "Let's just hope I make it to the next one."

A/N: Parvati and Seamus are such cuties. I quite like this pairing. Please read and review! xx