19Ok, first of all, I'm terribly sorry for the long wait, but after this I had to update both of my other stories, not to mention that I decided to continue 'Welcome to my Life,' and turn it into a series of songfics. Then there's also the fact that this was also meant to be a one-shot, since I myself didn't even know where the heck the leprechaun came from. However, after a bit of encouragement, (and threats of flying monkeys) I got to thinking and the little plot bunny came up on knocked on my door… so here it is. ( I will tell you however, these are just the after affects, for the real origin of the leprechaun does not come until the next, and final, chapter.)
PS: I apologize for any swearing for those who may oppose it, but it's rather light and these ARE teenage boys. You'll also find that jarveys… er… have a tendency to do that.
Dislaimer: No matter how much I wish for and write about Seamus Finnigan, alas, he cannot be mine! All characters in this story belong to J.K. Rowling, though their personalities may be tweaked a bit. Jarvey information comes from 'Fantastic Beasts and where to find them.'
Chapter Two: The Day After
Seamus awoke to the gentle sunrise streaming in through a crack of his velvet bed hangings left open, the smell of cat, (from Crookshanks, no doubt), and- the sound of Neville crashing off of his bed rather ungracefully.
"Third time in a week, mate," Dean said happily, and the familiar swish of his bed hangings opening could be heard. "What'd you dream about this time?"
Semaus peered silently through the edge of the thick fabric covering his bed. Neville shook his head gloomily and closed his eyes, as if chastising himself for being so clumsy. "Nothing, I swear. My foot got caught in the bloody sheets when I tried to get up."
"Language, Neville," Ron piped in a high-pitched voice as he, too, tumbled out of bed. "Honestly, if Hermione doesn't stop doing that every time I-"
Seamus tuned out of the conversation and dropped his head back down on his pillow, thinking. I wonder if that leprechaun was real. As random as that thought was, it frazzled his confused nerves, and he had tossed and turned about in bed last night because of it.
Seamus was startled from his thoughts as a faint groan fluttered into his ear. Harry's bed hangings were swung out of the way as he joined his roommates out of bed. "Best sleep I've had with no Vold-"
Dean gasped.
"Okay, You-know-who invading my dreams, and Neville wakes me up!" Harry said, his good nature quickly overriding his irritation at the early wake-up. "Fantasizing about Luna again, I assume," he said loudly.
Though Seamus could not see Neville, he could tell from the round-faced boy's voice that he was blushing a deep shade of red that most likely went quite well with the color of his bed furnishings.
"N-no, of course not!" he stuttered.
"Sure," Ron snorted in disbelief. "Just like Seamus hadn't been drinking one too many butterbeers before he saw that leprechaun."
Ron was joking, of course, but Seamus could feel himself flushing slightly at this.
"So tell me," Ron said, lowering his voice to a whisper. "Was there any shagging involved?" This time Seamus did not hear Neville's strangled protest, though it was certainly quite loud, because and image of Neville and Luna… well, doing it, crossed his mind.
Suddenly a strange hacking coughed mixed with a cry of boyish disgust escaped his throat., alerting the other boys to his presence. The strange hack turned into a laugh eventually, and his roommates pulled away his bed hangings to reveal a laughing Seamus with tears practically streaming down his face.
"I knew it," Dean said, almost mournfully.
"What?" Neville asked. "Knew what?"
Dean stood solemnly for a moment, as if contemplating to what to say. "He's gone mad," the lanky boy said shortly.
Seamus' tears stopped at this, but he could not hold back a slight chortle of laughter every now and then. "No, not mad, it's just-" he gasped. "Luna and Neville…"
Realization dawned on Harry as he chuckled slightly. "Don't worry, Seamus, Neville couldn't get that far if he tried." Neville opened his mouth to speak, but apparently decided against it as he turned with a small blush to pull fresh clothes out of his trunk.
Ron, who had just finished hurriedly dressing in the midst of their chatter, was beginning to grow restless. "Now that we're done insulting each other's sex lives, can we please get some breakfast? I'm starved!"
Dean threw back his head and laughed. "What else is new?" he asked. "But good idea, maybe if we hurry we can spot a leprechaun on our way there." He raised his eyebrows with a grin. Seamus just groaned and flopped his pillow towards Dean, who ducked easily. "Flirting with me, Seamus? I don't think Ginny will be very happy with that."
"Why you bloody, gitty, wanker!" Seamus shook his head menacingly at Dean.
Ron opened his mouth. "Don't," Seamus held up a hand. "Don't comment on my language right now. And don't start defending your little sister." And with that, he turned back to Dean. "Well, Mr. Thomas, I'm certainly going to have a talk with Ginny, if she's crazy enough to be with you."
Dean smiled. "Well, what about Lavender? She's stuck with a boyfriend who enjoys reporting leprechaun sightings in his spare time."
They continued to bicker about, and would have continued for quite a while if Ron had not stopped them. "Foooood," he groaned, a hand on his stomach. "I need food! Let's go!"
"Well, why are you waiting for us?" Dean inquired, clearly amused.
Ron blinked. "It's too much fun to watch you two fight," he said. "In fact, I've gotten quite used to it, so can we please get our arses down to the Great Hall?"
0-0-0
Six record minutes later, five fully-clothed six year Gryffindor boys sat at a corner of a long table in the Great Hall.
Seamus and Dean were, of course, still fighting, as Dean had brought up the ever-present subject of the leprechaun again. Seamus seemed to have toned down his argument, not wanting to lose his mellow appearance, though sometimes he did enjoy shouting out his thoughts for all to hear, to which his friends ( and most of the breakfasting students, for that matter) quickly covered their ears.
The fighting continued throughout breakfast, during which Ron happily engrossed himself in his food, while Harry and Neville watched both parties fearfully.
"I think today is going to be just as strange as yesterday," Neville said. Harry said nothing, only nodded as he watched Seamus and Dean begin a very rowdy buttered toast war.
0-0-0
"Today, class," Professor McGonagall began. "We will be learning about human transfiguration."
A collective gasp spread throughout the room. Seamus knew very well what it was for. Human transfiguration wasn't supposed to be taught until their seventh year, because it required immense skill and experience.
Hermione raised her hand, obviously to comment on this. "Yes, Miss Granger, both I and the headmaster realize the possible outcomes of this." Their teacher sighed. "But we have decided that we should ready you for your N.E.W.T's as quickly as possible." She glanced meaningfully around the classroom. "Besides," the professor began. " One never knows when such knowledge will be needed."
Seamus sneaked looks at his fellow students. Many seemed surprised, a few (like Hermione) eager, and some, like Ron, with pure looks of disbelief and unwillingness written on their faces. And then there was Harry, who had respect mingled with solid understanding in his green eyes.
Taking this as an incentive to pay attention, Seamus turned to the front of the classroom. Harry's thinking about the war, he thought. Several serious conversations about a war had broken out in the newly restarted D.A. , and Seamus had every intention of being a part of it.
No bloody leprechaun should get in the way of that, but until someone believes me I won't let go. He inwardly laughed at himself. Stubborn ass.
McGonagall's voice broke through his thoughts. "Today we shall simply be studying about human and animal transfiguration as a precaution," she said. "Open your textbooks to page 483."
The class obliged, and the teaching continued. "As you all know, humans can be transfigured into almost anything." The elderly woman gave them a slight smile. "Including animals, of course."
Professor McGonagall went on to talk about how famous witches and wizards had turned themselves into inanimate objects to spy on Death Eaters. She also gave them a few simple facts about the difficult transfiguration and its after effects. "Those with delicate stomachs should beware when they undergo this process, because even I threw up after my first try," she peered at them over her glasses. "And if you'll look at my current position, you'll see that I quickly got over it, as I hope many of you shall do."
"Of course, not only humans can be transfigured. During the Triwizard Tournament, you saw how Cedric Diggory turned a rock into a dog." A sad look came into her eyes. "Brilliant student…Pity…" she stopped herself abruptly. "Anyway, even house elves have been transfigured for special business."
Hermione, of course, was especially interested about this, and rambled on about elves and asked an array of questions concerning transformations and what the "business" was.
Uninterested, Seamus readied himself to leave the slowly emptying classroom. Lavender Brown walked by him, dropping her quill. "Oops," she breathed, bending down to pick it up at the same time Seamus did. Their foreheads touched slightly. "Astronomy tower, lunch," she whispered, and then with a rush of air and the lingering scent of perfume, she was gone.
Astronomy tower, he thought, knowing that she wanted to meet him there.
"What was that all about?" Seamus trailed his eyes up to meet Hermione's, one of her eyebrows raised quizzically. "Huh?" he asked lightly, avoiding her gaze. She sighed in exasperation. "Forget it. Anyway, I was just wondeirng if you heard that bit about the house elf." Seamus nodded. Hermione began again. "Did you- did you find anything strange about that?" She bit her lip.
Seamus just wordlessly shook his head in reply. Some crazy elf information I could care less about, he thought dismissively. "Listen, Hermione, we're going to be late for Care of Magical Creatures if we don't get a move on," he said, picking up his pack.
"Oh, yeah," she agreed, beginning to walk out the door. Seamus followed suit.
0-0-0
"Yer jarvey 'asn't taken a likin' to ya yet, Finnigan?" Hagrid's voice boomed.
Seamus' mouth opened slightly. "Taken a liking to me?" Hagrid had certainly just made the understatement of the year. The moment Seamus was presented with the rodent, it had squeaked, "Bugger off," and bit him hard on the hand. This cause Seamus to drop the jarvey, making the animal swear some more.
"He's bloody used every known swear word by now!" the Irish boy exclaimed, becoming aggravated.
Seeing Hagrid's look of disappointment, he sighed and picked up a small piece of steak for the jarvey to eat. Who would've thought they'd have such big appetites? He thought in wonder.
In his frustration and slight disgust at the animal he was holding, Seamus accidentally squeezed the jarvey a bit too hard. "Bloody 'ell!" it shrieked, much to the dismay of the surrounding students. "Get your damn 'ands offa me, you bloody wanker!"
Fortunately, Hagrid saw (for once) the discomfort of Seamus and many others. He whistled to call their attention. "Think that's enough fer today," he declared, and the sighs of relief that he was met with were loud and numerous. "Put yer jarveys in their cages an' come stand over 'ere."
The Gryffindors and Slytherins in the class did as told. "Now," Hagrid said. "I know the jarveys did'n' give us much to study offa, but now yeh've at least seen an' 'eld 'em, so you'll know what ta look for in a jarvey." A few of the students grimaced. "No 'omework, now off ya go."
The teens disassembled and began to saunter slowly up the hill to the castle. Seamus began to walk too, as Dean was waiting for him, but was stopped my Malfoy's icy drawl.
"Finnigan," he spat.
"Malfoy," Seamus replied.
"Oh, look." Seamus turned at the Slytherin's voice. Draco had picked up a shamrock from a grassy patch at his feet. "Looks like a leprechaun's been here, boys," he smirked at Crabbe and Goyle, the at Seamus.
Seamus took a step forward warily, so that he was face to face with Malfoy.
"Of course, only someone like you and your bloody, muggle-loving mother would believe something like that," Malfoy said. The smirk disappeared as the Irish fighting spirit in Seamus came forward. He swung a punch and hit Malfoy- right in the eye.
"Never insult me mam!" he hissed, and quickly outran the desperate grabs that Malfoy's henchman made for him. He turned back as he reached the top. Seamus looked back. Malfoy was crouching, clutching his eye and moaning in pain like the spoiled twit he was.
"Brilliant," Dean whispered as he caught up with him at the door. "Though you'll probably get detention for it, knowing how Malfoy'll tell the whole world by tonight." Seamus nodded his head reluctantly as they strolled inside. "But it was worth it," he muttered. "To blazes with detention. He insulted my mam!"
"I know, I know," Dean answered calmly. The two fell into a comfortable silence, walking leisurely throughout the corridors as they made their way to History of Magic. Dean hesitated at the door. "Do you want to just skive off today? I mean it's not like we'd learn anything anyway, and Binns would never miss us." Seamus chuckled. "Nah, I need a good nap today." He grinned and pushed open the scratched wooden door to dfind Binns in his usual drone, with everyone except Hermione in a very glassy-eyed state.
He turned to Seamus and Dean. "Ah, Miss Abbot, and Mr. Zabini. Pleased you could join us today." He nodded at them and continued to talk about Goblin wars for what seemed like the hundredth time. Seamus grinned, shrugged, and sat down. "Gone batty, he has," he whispered to Dean. Dean thought for a moment. "Well, personally, I hope that I was addressed as Zabini and not Abbot." Seamus grinned again and pulled out a fresh piece of parchment. "You wish," he said under his breath.
"I heard that, and you're not taking notes are you?" Dean asked.
Seamus gave him a mortified look. "Bloody hell no!" he said. "I'm writing a letter to Mam. Just because I saw a leprechaun doesn't mean I've gone insane."
Dean breathed a sigh of relief. "Writing to your mam? I don't know , you could be insane." With that, the black boy buried his face in his arms and engaged in his favorite class activity: sleeping.
Seamus sucked on his quill. What to write? He normally never had any contact with his mother during school. Only people like Neville did that. He stopped sucking his quill. Just do it.
Dear Mam,
I know that I normally don't write and all, so if you write back, please don't lecture me about that. Anyway, the other day I saw this leprechaun. No one believed me, though. You always told me to let you know if anything strange happened, so here it is. The leprechaun was normal size, and he dropped some gold, which disappeared later. They all think I've bloody gone batty. Isn't there some muggle holiday around this time concerning leprechauns? St. Patrick's Day or something? Please don't get all worried and overprotective, I'm fine. Tell Da I said hi.
Love, Seamus.
Seamus quickly reread his letter, and, with satisfaction, rolled up the parchment and shoved it into his robe pocket. Without even thinking to make up a lie to tell Binns, Seamus slipped quietly out the door.
0-0-0
The door to the Owlery was shut, but it swung open with ease at the push of his hand. The musky scent of the owls filled the air as Seamus made his way to a small, promising-looking barn owl with speckled feathers that hooted at his intrusion.
He tied the letter to its leg. "Don't leave until she believes me," he whispered, then added, "And make sure she doesn't have a heart attack or something." He gave the owl a small nudge out the window.
Believing his work to be done, Seamus stepped lightly out the door, only to be met by Lavender. She smiled up at him. "Thought I'd find you here," she said happily and stood on tiptoe, kissing him softly on the cheek. He grinned and kissed her back. "How is it you always know what I'm thinking?" he inquired playfully, showering her face with a flurry of light kisses. "Talent." She giggled. "And perhaps just experience."
Seamus grinned again and led her towards a nearby broom closet. "Funny how wherever we are, a convenient closet seems to be, don't you think?" he asked, bringing her in for a deeper kiss.
Lavender pulled back. "Arithmacy?" she panted.
Seamus smirked. "Who needs it?"
0-0-0
Several good snogs later, a slightly disheveled pair of lovers made their way into the Great Hall. Lavender quickly tugged her robe back into place and gave Seamus a peck on the cheek.
"No need for the Astronomy Tower now that our business is done." She winked. "Bye, leprechaun boy." She smiled and walked off to meet Parvati.
Seamus sighed in contentment. Research time, he thought reluctantly. Somehow he was going to prove that he had actually seen a leprechaun. Even if he had to go into the library, a place he hadn't visited for two years, to do it.
0-0-0
The library was a cool and inviting place to most, filled with a nearly endless supply of knowledge, and quite comfortable as well. To Seamus, it was a very musty old place with several tedious books in it that was far too quiet. While others enjoyed coming to sit for a spell, silently absorbing sunlight from the generous windows and drinking in all the details of the volume they had, Seamus wanted to find his book and be out there as quickly as possible for lunch.
It didn't take very long to locate the L section of the library, and after a quick search, though not quick enough in Seamus' mind, he found a small green volume decorated in shamrocks. Leprechauns: Irish Myth and Magic, the title read.
"Perfect!" he exclaimed, only to be hushed by Madam Pince. Rolling his eyes, the boy walked towards her with the request to check out the book. The librarian complied. "Take good care of it!" she hissed as he ran out as fast as he could, glad to be rid of that gloomy place.
0-0-0
Seamus stared in shock as his gaping best friend. Dean stood stock-still, eyes wide, as if he had been stunned, and mouth agape as well, not seeming to move in the least, not even appearing to have breath coming out of it. It was like an Avada Kedavra had been thrown at him, but he hadn't even fallen to the ground.
Seamus waved a hand in front of Dean's face. "Bloody hell!" he yelled. "Move already!"
Dean shook himself out of his staring trance. "Sorry, it's just-" the black boy shook his head. "You went into the library! Have you gone mad? You haven't been there in-"
"Two years," Seamus finished, groaning at him. "Except I just went, so the record's been broken."
Dean huffed in frustration at his mate. "Have you lost all sense of pride, Seamus Finnigan? We have an image to uphold, you know." He grinned. "Besides, you've wasted a very precious part of our lunch break."
Seamus smiled, and with that, the two friends set off to take pleasure in the joy that is food.
0-0-0
Herbology that day wasn't very hard, as Professor Sprout had had to leave due to a problem with the Mandrakes in the unusual festering heat of March, leaving the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff sixth years to examine Neville's now monstrous Mimbulus Mimbletonia and to talk freely.
"So, Seamus," Ernie leaned casually against a large ceramic pot. "I heard that you saw a leprechaun yesterday, and that you got into a fight with Malfoy over it."
Seamus sighed. "Unless you believe me about the leprechaun bit, then I don't want to talk about it." He turned so that he, too, was leaning against the pot. "But," he added as an afterthought. "I hit Malfoy because he insulted my mam, not over a leprechaun."
Ernie nodded, disappointed that he hadn't gotten more information, and walked away.
Dean joined Seamus against the pot. "Funny, about Malfoy. McGonagall should have-"
"Mr. Finnigan!" Professor McGonagall strolled in. "I am ashamed of you!"
"-Found out by now," Dean finished lamely, giving Seamus an encouraging pat on the shoulder. "Good luck, mate."
The Gryffindor Head of House rambled on. "Gryffindor is ashamed of you!"
Several heads quickly shook to show that the Gryffindor house was most definitely not ashamed of him for punching Draco Malfoy in the eye.
"I cannot believe that you would do such a thing! And after all these years of warning, of examples of what happens to students who resort to physical force, you do this! Whether Mr. Malfoy provoked you or not, you had no right to do that!" McGonagall's face was flushed from all the yelling, and as she realized the number of students snickering at her, she dropped her tone.
"You will report to my office tonight for your detention, Mr. Finnigan. I trust, hope, it won't happen again," she said coolly, and left the greenhouse, readjusting her tall hat in the process.
Talk broke out again, many people laughing at Seamus and what McGonagall had done to him. "Well," Ernie said. "At least she didn't turn into a cat and start clawing you."
Seamus shot him a death glare. "Thanks, Ernie, I feel much better about my detention now." He grinned nevertheless. "That old witch can't hurt me."
"Of course not!" Dean said. "She'll just hex you into oblivion, that's all."
Professor Sprout rushed back into the room. "The mandrakes are fine now," she said. "Why all the happy faces?" she asked, observing the room. "Mimbulus Mimbletonias are fascinating, but not that fascinating." She checked a wooden clock on the wall. "Class lets out early today," the squat woman announced. "You have an optional flying check-up in a ten minutes," And with that, the Herbology professor rushed out again to a claim that a first year had wandered too close to the Whomping Willow.
0-0-0
Ten minutes later, sixth years from every house assembled on the green turf of the Quidditch pitch. Most of the Gryffindors, a few Hufflepuffs, about half of Ravenclaw, and only two or three Slytherins had shown up, not including Malfoy. But it was enough.
Roland Hooch shook her head as Harry, Ron and Seamus walked past her. "Already on the Quidditch team," she mumbled to herself. "Don't know why they bother." The three just grinned and mounted their brooms with the rest of the sixth years.
"Don't even know why I'm here, either," Dean muttered. "I commentate, that's as close as you can get besides actually playing."
Seamus grinned and soared upwards on his broom, letting the wind overtake him and watching his friends out of the corner of his eye.
Madam Hooch simply stood with a clipboard and a whistle and observed the students fly, occasionally taking notes on a bad swerve or a clumsy landing here and there as the teenagers whizzed around carelessly.
Even Neville was there, Seamus observed, and watched with amusement as he struggled to make his broom fly upwards. "Don't even know why I bothered," he could be heard scolding himself.
Eventually, a small ragtag Quidditch game broke out, and they spent their time enjoying the fellowship and hard thrill of flying.
When the hour was up, Seamus plopped down dejectedly, a bit upset that his wondrous time in the air was up, and also partly dreading his detention to come.
0-0-0
After dinner, which was quite uneventful, except for the occasional Quidditch banter and exclamations over how fun the check-up had been, Seamus walked slowly through the corrdidor to the Transfiguration classroom adjoined to McGonagall's office. His footsteps echoed off of the stone floor, and walls, just as his thoughts echoed throughout his head at the pure emptiness of it all.
Bloody Malfoy, he thought. Bloody loss of self-control. To blazes with it all.
"Mr. Finnigan," McGonagall began upon his entrance. "How nice to see you on time." She then launched into a speech about how he should have never used his fist, and repeated again and again how disappointed she was.
Finally, after what seemed like hours, (and might possibly had been) she released him. "Tonight you will be scrubbing the desks," she said simply, and conjured a bucket of water and a rag for him. "Without magic."
So Seamus scrubbed. He scrubbed the magical pinewood until he felt that his knuckles would bleed from the rawness and his muscles would fall apart, at which point he reached the last double desk in the classroom, and finished that off as well. He dragged himself up to his dormitory to be met with four already (surprisingly) sleeping boys.
Every bit of reason inside of him screamed to go to bed without even changing into some pajamas, but instead of doing that, he plopped down at the desk the boys shared and muttered "Lumos," to his wand.
If he didn't read that blasted book now he knew he never would. So it began:
The leprechaun is a creature found only in Ireland. It can be identified by its height (only up to six inches) , its green garments, its fiery red hair, or simply the shamrocks that adorn its body. The leprechaun is rumored by muggles to be a fairy shoemaker, who sits under trees and mends the fairys' petal shoes. If one (in muggle myth) can catch a leprechaun, it will lead you to a crock of gold, but if you hesitate, the creature will vanish without a trace. This can be said for their gold, in our terms, which will disappear within a few hours of its finding. Leprechauns are related to fairies, which…
It was going to be a long night.
0-0-0
Well, I'm sorry it took so long, but I've had a bit of a holdup lately. I really really really appreciate the reviews::Hug: I'm in a bit of a hurry, so tootles!
PS: I'm in need of a beta for a story that I'm planning, Irish Beauty. If you want info you can contact me at Hope you guys like the new penname!