QL, Round 7, Catapults, Chaser 3 reserve.

Theme: Write about a charm performed incorrectly

Prompts: [Character] Seamus Finnigan, [Setting] Stairs, [Dialogue] "You're doing it all wrong."

Word Count: 1130

Beta(s): CupCakeyyy, S L Blake, Wellwick, NevilleGonnaGiveYouUp.

The two teenage boys walked up the stairs, their sodden clothes leaving a trail of water behind them, all the way from the courtyard.

The day had started nice enough. They had completed nearly all of the theory for their homework and had happily moved onto the practical part. Seeing as the two weren't known for always working hard, it was an accomplishment for them. That is how they had found themselves out in the courtyard practicing their charms. But, of course, it had soon taken a turn for the worse.

"You have to pronounce the t's," Seamus advised, smoothing his wet hair out of his face. He sighed in disappointment as he glanced at the sun beaming through the windows. If Dean hadn't messed up on the water charm several times they could be outside enjoying the sunshine. "That's why the charms aren't working."

A scoff left the mouth of his best friend, Dean. "Coming from you! Not every charm is supposed to blow up, you know!"

Why did everybody have to always bring that up? A few explosions and that's all he's known for. "I know! I've gotten better! Have I blown anything up in the last month?"

Dean shook his head. "No. Sorry, I'm just frustrated."

Seamus looked at his friend and smiled sympathetically. "I'm sure lots of people get Aguamenti wrong."

Dean stopped, standing between two steps with his hand on his hip. He did not look amused. His left hand indicated how both of them were still dripping from his few pathetic attempts. "I'm doing it all wrong!"

"You're not doing it all wrong," Seamus replied, shaking his head. His friend had a lot of potential, he just wasn't applying himself. "It's the t's, mate, I'm telling ya! It's the t's."

Honestly, how Dean had managed to get into their fourth year was beyond him. Accents were a tricky thing, especially if you couldn't control them. Some people didn't even hear their own accent, causing a whole lot of trouble, not only for them but also for those unlucky ones standing too close. Whenever a curse backfired, it could end three ways: 1) Nothing happened, which was what Dean was struggling with at the moment. 2) Something unexpected happened, like, the caster accidentally getting rid of their clothes, leaving them butt-naked in the middle of a crowded place, or 3) The whole thing could blow up, which was usually what happened to Seamus. Or, as Seamus liked to think, what used to happen to him since he hadn't managed to blow anything up in a few months. He was pretty proud of that; not that he was going to tell Dean.

"Well, how can I practice my t's?"

Seamus looked around the staircase and the hallways that led off it. "Let's walk up a bit further," he said as he began to move up the stairs. An open door caught his attention and he grinned. "Let's practice on something small. Come on!"

Seamus led the way to the door and explained briefly about the spell. "Right. So this spell is supposed to charm doors shut, right? Okay, so it's 'Ah-Bare-Toe.' Okay?"

"Ah-Bare-Doe."

"Toe!"

"Toe. Got it!"

Dean stepped towards the open door, pulled out his wand, and cast - or attempted to cast - the charm. "Aberdo!"

Nothing.

The door didn't even shake.

"No! Aberto! A-bare-toe!" Seamus practically yelled. He was glad that he wasn't holding his wand at that moment. Who knew what might have happened? With Dean's head this close to the wood, they might have ended up in the hospital wing. "Maybe you were right, you're doing it all wrong!"

Dean let out a frustrated breath of air. "How can you pronounce the spells better than me? I can't even understand your accent half the time!"

Seamus rolled his eyes at his friend's comment. He was an idiot sometimes. "I've had to. I've practiced for hours and hours to get it better when it comes to charms. That's why I'm passing! You don't say or utter the spells, you pronounce them!"

Dean closed his eyes for a few seconds before pointing his wand. "Aberto."

Seamus grinned at the pronunciation, however, it quickly turned into a confused frown as nothing happened. Why didn't the door shut? That was what was supposed to happen when the charm was cast. Perhaps there was something else going on which was preventing his friend from doing well at charms. "Well… that was better, mate! We'll get there!" he said with as much encouragement as he could.

"Let's get back up to our dorm," Dean decided, his tone completely deflated as he moved back to the staircase and walked up them, a slump to his shoulders.

Seamus drooped his head. He was supposed to be supporting his friend, not berating him for making mistakes. Perhaps he could make it a little fun…

A smirk made its way onto the Gryffindor's lips as he slowly pulled out his wand and pointed it at his friend. "Aguamenti."

With delight, he watched as water squirted out of his wand and hit the back of Dean's head. The best bit, though, was Dean spinning around, shock clear on his face. "What did you do that for?"

"It's not like we're not already wet." Seamus grinned and held onto the banister to stabilise himself when Dean's wand pointed directly at him. Water was released out of its tip in return.

A huge grin made its way onto both of their faces. "I did it!"

"See! I told you that you weren't doing it all wrong!"

"What do you think you're doing?" a scandalised voice interrupted their victory. They both turned around to see their Head of House, an unimpressed look plastered on her face, and instantly knew there was no talking themselves out of this one. After all, who on earth would think it was a good idea to play with water on stairs of all places? Indoors, no less.

Up until this point, Seamus had been quite proud that he had not yet received any detentions that school year. Sure, some things had gone… well… not particularly bad but far from optimal, and he had been just fine. Those twenty or so points—or had it been forty?—really hadn't been that much of a loss, at least in his opinion.

Now, however, as Seamus looked at Dean, he couldn't help but think that any punishment would be worth Dean successfully performing a charm he had struggled so much with. Therefore, whether it was polishing cauldrons, writing lines, or another menial task, Seamus would accept it, knowing that he had helped his friend.

After all, he hadn't received a detention yet so he wasn't all too bothered about receiving one now. It was worth it!