It was a long night: Harry held Seamus in his arms for hours, while he cried. Harry couldn't keep himself from crying either – seeing his love in such emotional pain was more than he could bare. Harry and Seamus laid on Seamus' bed, just holding on to each other, not saying a word. It was just passed one in the morning when Seamus finally fell asleep: Harry was still wide awake, absentmindedly rubbing Seamus' back, thinking…

Tomorrow was Friday….they only had four classes that day before they headed into the weekend. Harry knew not much could be done about Seamus' grandmother passing away – but perhaps he could do something to take his mind off of things. Professor McGonagall gave Harry a pass that would allow him to take a few days off here and there if he was having a tough mental health day: Surely, she would allow him to take one tomorrow to help his boyfriend? Seamus certainly wasn't going to go to lessons – not like this. And McGonagall would completely understand that. Harry's eyes soon became heavy as a plan started to form in his mind, and he drifted off to sleep.

Harry entered his dorm at eight in the morning: He had been to see Professor McGonagall earlier that morning to explain what happened. Harry was thankful she was so understanding and allowed him and Seamus the day to grieve. When Harry entered his room, it was to find Seamus still asleep. Harry carefully climbed into the bed and laid next to him. Reaching out, Harry gently rubbed Seamus' cheek, taking in all his features. He started to stir and soon his eyes fluttered open.

"Hey baby," Harry said softly, his hand still on Seamus' cheek.

"Hey," Seamus said, his voice quite hoarse. "What time is it?"

"Just after eight…I didn't want to wake you," Harry said, watching his boyfriend closely.

Seamus sighed. "We're gonna be late –"

"I already spoke to McGonagall this morning. She told us we could take today off." Harry explained. Seamus nodded. He heaved a big sigh, his lip starting to tremble slightly. Harry pulled him into a hug. "I know I can't change what happened…and I can't make you forget…." Harry whispered. "But I thought maybe we can do some self-care things today to help. Would that be ok?"

It was a moment before Seamus answered. He pulled away from Harry, his eyes still watering, and nodded. They both sat up: Harry waited while Seamus started getting dressed in his muggle clothes.

"I'm not really hungry, but if want to go for breakfast – " Harry started to suggest, but Seamus shook his head.

"I don't think I can keep anything down right now," Seamus said softly. Harry extended his hand, and he took it. "Where are we going?"

"I thought maybe we could start the day with a walk outside. Some fresh air, being in nature – those things will help."

Harry led his boyfriend out of the common room and down the tower. They passed by busy classrooms, empty corridors, and a few wondering ghosts before they made it outside. The weather was gorgeous, there was a light breeze blowing through the grounds. Harry led Seamus over to the flower beds, where the last of the sunflowers were still growing. Harry watched as Seamus walked around to each flower, smelling them, taking in their beauty. A small smile creeped on his face as he started exploring the other flowers as well: Harry was happy they were able to do this – to have this extra alone time together.

They soon left the flower beds and started roaming the gardens along the water bank, hand in hand. They watched as birds landed in the water, gliding through effortlessly. Harry guided Seamus over to a beech tree and they sat down in the shade. Harry positioned himself right behind Seamus, so that he was right in Harry's lap. Harry gently started giving Seamus a shoulder massage. Harry could feel his boyfriend relax at his touch, letting out a small sigh.

They spent a good hour near the water, Harry giving Seamus various massages, Seamus closing his eyes and nearly falling asleep to them. When the lunch bell rang, the boys headed into the coolness of the castle. Seamus still wasn't all that hungry, but Harry grabbed a few small sandwiches from the dining hall and brought them out to him regardless. They went to an empty classroom where Harry had Seamus take a few bites before doing anything else.

"So I was thinking…" Harry started, watching Seamus take another bit of the sandwich. "I was talking to Hermione and Ron this morning, and they told me the password to the prefect's bathroom – you know the one on the fifth floor next to the statue of the one-eyed witch?"

"Yeah," Seamus asked, looking at Harry questioningly. "Why did they tell you the password?"

"Well, I thought maybe…maybe we could go in there and you could have some time to decompress," Harry suggested. "There's a huge bathtub in there and lots of bubble bath options. I know baths can be calming sometimes…"

"That actually sounds really nice," Seamus said. He finished his sandwich, and they made their way to the prefects' bathroom.

Harry was happy to find the bathroom empty: He wouldn't have expected anyone to be in there in the middle of the day. Harry locked the door behind him and got Seamus started on filling the enormous bathtub with the different types of bubble soaps. When the tub was filled, Harry turned around while Seamus undressed and slipped into the tub. He turned around when he heard Seamus give a satisfied sigh. He had his eyes closed; his head laid back against one of the tub pillows. Harry smiled, happy to see his boyfriend enjoying his self-care day. He sat against the wall and took out his sketch pad to finish up a drawing.

Seamus opened his eyes when he heard the sound of pencil on paper: Harry was sitting in the corner, drawing in his notebook, a smile on his face. Seamus couldn't help but smile too. He really knew how to take care of him. He sat up a little straighter and cleared his throat. Harry looked up.

"How's the bath?" Harry asked, smiling back.

"Very relaxing. Although it would be better if you were in here with me," Seamus said, a mischievous look on his face.

Harry felt his face getting hot. He cleared his throat uncomfortably. "I, er, I thought we weren't ready for anything intimate –"

Seamus chuckled at how flustered Harry sounded. "I'm not asking you to have sex, babe. Just merrily inquiring if you would like to join me. It's a big bath – and you could do some relaxing too. But only if you want to."

Harry could feel his heart pounding: He did, indeed, want to join Seamus – especially if nothing sexual was going to happen. The very thought of that made his stomach drop. He gave Seamus a shy smile and put his drawing away. He was grateful when Seamus looked away as he started undressing and slipped into the bath as well, making sure the bubbles covered everything. Harry had to admit, the bath felt very relaxing.

Seamus watched as Harry got comfortable in the tub and gave him a relaxed sort of smile. "Baby?"

"Hmm?"

"Thank you," Seamus said, reaching out for Harry's hand. Harry took hold of it and gave it a comforting squeeze. "This day has meant so much to me."

"I would do anything for you, Shay." Harry smiled. "It killed me to see you so upset last night."

Seamus swallowed, his eyes watering slightly. "I know my grandma was old…but…I'm going to miss her so much…" his voice cracked.

Despite being slightly uncomfortable, Harry moved closer to his boyfriend, so that they were shoulder to shoulder. He put his arm around Seamus, who rested his head on Harry's shoulder. "I know you're going to miss her. I wish I could change time for you…"

They were silent for a moment, the soft popping of bubbles filling the otherwise quiet bathroom. "You know, Harry…you're the only reason I'm not absolutely losing my mind right now…"

Harry looked at Seamus, confused. "What do you mean?"

"I don't think I could have gotten through this death without you. When my uncle died – I couldn't even leave my room for most of the summer…I couldn't eat, couldn't sleep…I barely spoke to anyone. But…you've really shown me what true love mean, Harry." Seamus lifted his head and looked at Harry, looked into his deep green eyes. "You didn't try cheering me up or making me forget. That's what most people would have done. You took care of me and allowed me to still feel everything. I don't think I've ever met someone as caring, raw, and wonderful as you…"

Harry swallowed hard and took a deep breath. He gently took Seamus' chin and brought him in for a gentle kiss. Seamus reciprocated, positioning his hands on either side of Harry's head. They sat there for who knew how long, kissing each other so deeply, that nothing else mattered in the world in that moment.

After the two boys were cleaned, dried, and clothed, they finished off the self-care day with a final walk around the castle: Seamus talked about memories of his grandmother – all the fun things they used to do when he was younger, how she was proud when she found about his magical abilities (for she was a muggle as well), and how she was happy when she found out about his relationship with Harry. Harry let Seamus talk on and on, hoping it would help Seamus through the grieving process. They laughed, they cried…they found themselves getting even closer to each other through the stories.

And pretty soon, it was dinner time. Seamus was feeling a lot better than he had that morning and was absolutely starving. They made their way to the Great Hall, where they found the others waving them over. They sat down and grabbed whatever they could in front of them and started eating.

"How's Seamus doing?" Dean whispered, leaning over Ron.

"He's doing a lot better." Harry whispered back. He looked up at Seamus, who was in a deep conversation with Neville.

"What did you guys end up doing?" Ron asked.

"Walked around the grounds for a bit – I took him by the flower garden, that cheered him up some."

"Did he end up using the prefects' bathroom?" Hermione whispered on the other side of Harry.

"Oh yeah, yeah that was probably his favorite part. It was such a nice bath, very relaxing." Harry said, taking a bite of his chicken. The other's eyes grew wide as they glanced at each other.

"Er…y-you guys took a bath? Together?" Ron asked, giving Harry the side-eye.

Harry rolled his eyes and chuckled. "We did, but we didn't do anything if that's what you were thinking. We didn't even look at each other when we got in and out of the tub."

"Wait, you've guys been dating for almost seven months now and you haven't even seen each other naked yet?" Dean asked, amazed.

"Well – no. I mean, we both aren't ready for that type of commitment yet." Harry said, glancing up at Seamus once more. Seamus turned towards him, and they exchanged smiles. "Besides, if and when we're ready to go beyond anything other than kissing – it's certainly not going to be in a Hogwarts bathroom."

"So you're telling me," Dean said, still confused, "that even though you've been roommates with him since year one, you've still never ever seen anything other than him in his underwear?"

"You've also been roommates with him, me, Ron, and Neville…have you ever seen any of us naked?" Harry asked.

"He's got a fair point," Ron said, continuing to eat. Dean just shook his head and laughed.

"Boys," Hermione said under her breath, and turned to talk to Ginny.