In Some Other Existence

Batrisakapadiablog: I know this is really cliche and overdone: BUT An Amortentia Deamus fic? Maybe? What about an AU where Dean is a graffiti artist? I LOVE your work, by the way.

Originally posted Sept 26, 2017, on tumblr

15: Too Much Cologne

"Can you believe we're brewing Amortentia today?" Lavender giggled as she looped arms with Seamus.

"'S just a stupid love potion," Seamus said. "It doesn't even create love, just crazy obsession."

"It may be stupid, but it is powerful," Parvati pointed out as they walked down to the dungeons.

"What do you think yours will smell like?" Dean asked.

"That's easy," Parvati said, pulling Lavender away from Seamus and twirling her around. "It'll smell like lavender."

Lavender shrieked with happiness as Parvati kissed her quickly, then the four continued walking. Dean and Seamus laughed at their friends' antics. Dean glanced down at his best friend walking beside him and suddenly felt a twinge in his gut. He felt certain that his amortentia would smell like Seamus.

He supposed he always knew, deep down, that he was in love with Seamus, but it wasn't until the end of last year, when Ginny broke up with him, that he truly realized it. It'd happened simply, without any fanfare or fireworks, one morning in the common room.

They'd just eaten breakfast, although Dean hadn't eaten much. His and Ginny's breakup had been just one week earlier, and he was still upset over it. They were sitting in the window alcove, and Seamus was making jokes in an effort to get Dean to smile. Then he stopped and smiled, running a hand through his hair, made golden in the sunlight. Dean felt his heart jump, and that was that.

He hadn't done anything about it, though. Seamus had a crush on Terry Boot at the time, and Dean didn't have any hopes of his feelings being returned. Even now, in February of their seventh year, he hadn't said anything.

They walked into the potions classroom and took their seats in front of their cauldrons, waiting for Snape to begin the class.

"Wands away," Snape commanded as he swept into the classroom, looking as grumpy and disgruntled as usual. "As I said last week, today we will begin brewing amortentia. I have previously lectured on the dangers of this potion, so I trust we will have no…incidents surrounding its usage." His nostrils flared as he looked around the class.

Dean saw that Ron looked almost green and nudged Seamus. They both snickered, remembering that Ron had accidentally gotten a dose of amortentia and became obsessed with Romilda Vane for a week before Snape finally prepared an antidote. They all suspected that Snape took his sweet time brewing that particular potion.

"I have already prepared the necessary ingredients," Snape said, swishing his wand. The ingredients appeared on their tables. "By the end of today's class, your potion should be a clear, watery substance that emits attractive scents."

"I expect mine'll smell like me mam's chocolate mousse," Seamus said, as he began chopping his wiggentree root. "Nothin' more attractive than that."

Dean laughed, remembering the delicious dessert. He'd tried it a couple years ago when he spent the fifth year winter holidays at Seamus' home.

Two hours later, Dean wiped his brow and looked down at the translucent poition simmering contendedly in his cauldron. The whole classroom was filled with amortentia vapors, which were causing many students to become dizzy. Dean inhaled the scents of drawing ink, his mother's perfume, and Seamus' hair.

"More unicorn hair, Mr. Finnigan," Snape growled as he walked by.

Dean looked over at Seamus' cauldron and stifled a laugh when he saw the opaque concoction bubbling menacingly. Seamus grumbled to himself as he put two more strangs of unicorn hair into the mixture. Sure enough, it cleared up almost instantly.

Snape dismissed them with a few disparaging remarks about their potions, and they left the potions to sit for the next few days.

"That potion sure gets to you, doesn't it?" Lavender bemoaned as she went through the portrait hole. "I still feel lightheaded."

"I dunno what yer talkin' about," Seamus said as he and Dean followed. "I couldn' smell a thing."

"What do you mean?" Parvati asked incredulously. "It was everywhere!"

Seamus shrugged. "Dean must've put too much of his weird Muggle spray stuff on this morning. Couldn't smell anything besides that."

Lavender let out a shrill squeak and stopped in her tracks, Parvati and Dean beside her. Seamus looked at them in confusion. Dean's heart was hammering in his chest.

"What?" Seamus asked.

"Shay, I didn't put on any cologne this morning," Dean said quietly.

"I guess you did smell the amortentia after all," Parvati told him.

Seamus looked quickly between the three of them, his eyes widening as he put the pieces together. His face started to pinch with panic, and his eyes started darting toward the portrait hole. Dean swallowed his fear, his disbelief, and stepped forward, tipping Seamus' head up and kissing him.

The jeers and howls coming from the Gryffindors sounded like they were a thousand miles away. All he could hear was his heart beating in his head, the blood rushing through his veins.

Dean pulled away and smiled down at Seamus, whose whole face was beet red. Without a word, they joined hands and left the common room, feeling they had a whole lot to talk about.