school of loverboys
When Dean first woke up, he barely noticed anything was wrong. He blinked until his vision wasn’t blurry and for a moment everything was normal. He tilted his head as far as he could without digging into Seamus’ skin–
Wait. Seamus’ skin?...
Dean was not one for cursing, but holy fuck.
He gently but quickly removed himself from Seamus’ arms, he can’t let Seamus wake up, because then Seamus would probably get super weirded out and not talk to him ever again. At least that’s what he thinks.
He gets out of the bed and goes into the bathroom, getting changed as quickly as he can before heading straight to the library. It’s early, so it’s relatively quiet, the only other person there being a blonde haired girl and Hermione Granger, each sitting quite a way away from each other. He paces up and down the shelves, looking for something to distract himself with. ‘Fantastic Beasts And Where to Find Them’. That will have to do, he thinks. He pulls the book down from the shelf and sits down, flicking open the pages.
Acromantula. Ashwinder. Augurey, otherwise known as Irish Pheonix. Huh, he’ll have to remember that one next time Seamus asks what animal he would be. Basilisk. God, don’t even, Dean thinks, second year sucked. Billywig. Of course it’s native to Australia. It’d fit right in with the spiders and platypuses. Platypi? Moving on. Bowtruckle-
He slams the book shut. “Oh, forget it.” He mutters under his breath, putting the book back. It’s no use. Dean now reckons he’ll just have to get used to the thought of Seamus always being on his mind.
He wanders the halls of the library. Hermione waves, but he just nods at her and keeps walking. He would go to Lupin’s classroom, but it’s far too early for that.
He sighs and after a while of walking and pacing and thinking things over time and time again, two more groups walk in. One is a tired Seamus and Neville, and the other, a bunch of Hufflepuff girls he’s never seen before. He turns his attention to Seamus and Neville.
He’s happy with Neville right now, mainly because of his facial expression. It is not the one of someone who is standing next to their best friend’s crush. It is calm and peaceful and for that, Dean is grateful.
“What’s up, cabbages.” Neville greets with a tired smile.
“Cabbages. Seriously, Longbottom, we’re cabbages now?” Seamus asks with a grin. Neville slaps his hand to his forehead.
“You know what I meant. Too tired.” He yawns. “What’re you in here so early for, Dean?”
“Oh. Uh. Couldn’t sleep.” He replies, very conveniently looking at a book on the shelf behind the two other boys.
Neville nods and Seamus just shakes his head with a grin. “Alright lads, I reckon we’ve got about half an hour before we get dragged into the great hall with the loverboys.” Seamus remarks, which makes Dean laugh softly.
“Did they learn their passion at the Good Old Fashioned school of Lover Boys?” He jokes. He facepalms when neither of them laugh and just look confused. “Come on, that was hilarious. Queen anyone? Seriously?” The boys just shake their heads.
“Sea, you’d like Queen, it’s very… how do I put this without insulting you… loud.” He explains with a smile. Seamus grins.
“What exactly is Queen?” Seamus asks, mainly to piss off Dean.
“Oh shut up. Nev, you’d like em.” He adds.
Neville has already wandered off to the herblogy section. Yay. He smiles at Seamus, the butterflies in his stomach settling for now. “Should we go down to breakfast?”
“Absolutely, I’m starving.” He says with a wide grin, racing in front of Dean to get to the Great Hall. Dean sighs and shakes his head. Sometimes he wonders why he decided to like this weirdo.
And at times like those he’s reminded of all the times Seamus has yelled at someone for calling Dean a ‘mudblood’, or the times he’d pass notes to Dean in class, or even just that slightly lopsided grin he shoots him in the middle of the hallways. That is why Dean chose him, and that is why he would choose him every time.
He follows Seamus with a gentle upturn of his lips, one characteristic of the few times he is reminded of all the reasons to love Seamus Finnigan.
Love? Okay, what, he thinks. Somehow it didn’t feel wrong, but… surely it can’t be love, no. Just a crush. Maybe it will pass.
That wipes the smile off his lips. He doesn’t want it to pass, not really. But Seamus is definitely, totally, and completely straight, so he might as well get over it as soon as possible.
Finally, Seamus pushes open the doors to the Great Hall. Dean never ceases to be floored by the absolute elegance of it all. Sometimes he has to remind himself to pick his jaw up off the floor.
They sit down at a table, waiting for Harry and Ron. It’s oddly quiet without them and the chaos they bring. Neither of them speak until Seamus finally ends the silence.
“Exploding Snap?”
Dean laughs and hits his shoulder. “Absolutely not.”
Seamus rolls his eyes. “I’m just saying. Hey, should I do some magic?”
“If you want to blow up the whole hall, go for it.” He grins, and Seamus gains a glint in his eye.
“Maybe that’s the point, though, Thomas.” He smirks, and Dean pretends to be offended even though the mere sound of Seamus’ voice has his heart going two times faster.
“Wow. You’d really blow me up, Finnigan?”
Seamus rolls his eyes with that same stupid smirk and sips some pumpkin juice. “Fine, I’ll blow up the whole hall except you. Happy?” He says, and Dean smiles.
“Very.”
At that moment, familiar footsteps get louder as a familiar redhead and Chosen One approach them, and Seamus’ forehead meets the table. “Here we go again.” He mutters.
Dean nods solemnly, and says in a hushed voice. “Hey, ten galleons Harry says something stupid about Cho in the first five minutes.”
“I’d love to bet against you, but unfortunately I would lose money, and I’m kind of saving up for Christmas gifts.” Right. Christmas. Dean forgot about that. He grimaces.
“Forgot about that.” He mumbles, as Harry and Ron sit down. Seamus’ head is still on the table. Ron grins and Harry smiles.
“Mate, what’s wrong with you today?” Ron asks with a short snicker that is cut off by Dean kicking his shin.
“Lay off him, he’s just tired.” He says half-heartedly, and the mention of sleep reminds Dean of last night in Seamus arms - part of him is still confused as to how that happened considering Seamus is roughly two inches shorter than him - and his face heats up. He groans and his face joins Seamus’ on the wood in front of them in a cheap attempt to hide his now-tinted face.
Harry laughs. “Rough night, eh?”
“Something like that.” Seamus mutters.
“Well, we had a great morning. Ron got yelled at by Hermione and I got smiled at by Cho.”
“Of course you did.” Seamus says, finally lifting his head from the desk with a smirk and Dean grins, glancing at Seamus.
“What? What did I miss?” Ron asks, confused by their expressions.
“Nothing except that Harry is an idiot for ‘falling in love’ with a girl two years older than us and who is dating the hottest dude in the school.” Dean adds.
“Hey! I am not, she’s not that much older, and… well, yeah, Cedric’s cool and all, but still?... Anyway, it’s not like you’d get it.” He huffs, looking away. Ron pats his back and Seamus stands up. Seamus wasn’t as partial to Harry and Ron as Dean was, and so he had absolutely no issue getting as mad as he would with anyone else.
“What’s that supposed to mean?! Why wouldn’t Dean get it, huh?” He says, irritated. Dean grabs his wrist to try and get him to sit down but Seamus ignores him. Odd, he thinks, Seamus always listens to him.
Ron is quick to argue back. “Well he doesn’t seem like he gets it, does he?! Neither do you, clearly.” He says, defensively.
“Get what? Your weird obsession with girls way older than you?” He questions condescendingly.
“It isn’t weird!” Harry defends himself, though not as loud or annoyed as Ron.
“Sorry mate, it is kinda weird.” Dean whispers to him, not wanting to yell otherwise they’d all get in trouble.
“Just lay off Dean, okay?! Not getting your crush doesn’t mean he’s stupid or something. Cho isn’t even that pretty.” Seamus interrupts.
“Yeah, well, you don’t think any girls are pretty.” He breathes under his breath, finally sitting back down.
That seemed to set Seamus off more. “Oh yeah?! And what about it, huh?” He says with a glare, as if daring him to continue. Ron stands back up, leaning over Seamus, his hands on the table, their faces so close. They are absolutely pissed at each other and even a blind man could see it.
“Say it, Weasley. I dare you. Say it.” He says, fuming.
“Whatever.” He murmurs, sitting back down next to Harry. Seamus finally sits next to Dean and Dean puts an arm around his shoulder.
“Just let it go, Sea.” He whispers.
“Fine. Pass the butter, would you?” He grumbles, and Dean removes his arm from Seamus’ shoulder to pass it to him.
“Thanks.” He says under his breath. The rest of breakfast is relatively normal, Hermione showing up halfway through - which made it more enjoyable, really, since she shut Ron up quickly every time.
Dean noticed those same Hufflepuff girls from the library, all bar one giggling.
Some people are weird.
— ⭒⭑🟊⭑⭒ —
They finally have Defense Against The Dark Arts, which has quickly become Dean’s favourite class. The lesson dragged on, which Dean didn’t mind, really. It gave him more time to daydream and think about what the ever-living fuck he was going to do about his growing crush on Seamus Finnigan.
The lesson, of course, isn’t really what Dean was looking forward to - it was the talk after it that had him in a good mood. During the lesson, the professor had put on another record - but not a random classical one this time. He knew the lyrics, that’s for sure.
“ Dining at the Ritz we'll meet at nine
(One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine o'clock), precisely
I will pay the bill, you taste the wine
Driving back in style in my saloon will do quite nicely
Just take me back to yours that will be fine ”
Yes. Yes yes yes. Dean loves this song and it took every ounce of himself to not scream the lyrics. Freddie Mercury is - was - a legend, and Dean would never let anyone forget it.
After the lesson, Dean sat once more in the same seat as always as Professor Lupin poured him some tea.
“So, Dean, what would you like to talk about this time?” Lupin asks with a smile, limping slightly.
“Uh… I’m not sure. Actually, I am sure. You keep avoiding the subject, so I want to know. How do you feel about the Azkaban escape?” He asks, and then adds, “Because it’s okay if you’re scared, adults get scared all the time, like my mum.”
Professor laughs softly, his gaze away from Dean. “Ah… uhm… well, I’m not scared. Not really. I just… well, you are aware that Sirius Black used to be a student here, yes?” He asks.
“Yes. Same year as Harry’s dad, wasn’t he?”
“Yes. Same as Harry’s dad. They were close. We- We were all close. Him, James, Peter Pettigrew, and… me.” Lupin clears his throat.
“...you knew him?” Dean inquires, astonished.
“Yes. Or…” He coughs and looks away bitterly. “I thought I did.”
Dean looks down at that. He didn’t know how to respond. “Oh. So… so he betrayed you, pretty much. You… thought you could trust him.”
“I thought I could do a hell of a lot more than just trust him.” He says, almost snappily, before looking at him apologetically. “Sorry. That slipped out. I- yes. He did betray me. I was alone for twelve years because of what he did. Part of me didn’t believe it. But that’s… a harsh reality of life, so. That’s that.” The professor rants.
Dean is silent. His next words come out quietly. “My dad betrayed me. I thought he would’ve stayed. I never knew him, but… still. You’d think he’d have stayed for me.”
Lupin’s eyes flash with sorrow and maybe a hint of empathy. “Well. Seems like you and I have something in common.”
The room is quiet.
So quiet.
And yet heavy with the weight of betrayal. That feeling of blood that stings more when drawn by those you love. That sense of whether every memory you have of them was faked. The kind that has you wondering if there was anything you could have done to stop it.
It is heavy with understanding. That bond that forms with those who have been through the same things you have. That relief when your pain is shared in words. That comfort from knowing that there is another person in the world who may truly get it after all.
It is heavy with the experiences of a boy whose life has so many downs and ups to come, and those of the man who feels as if there is nothing but downs left.
…
“Sir?”
“Yes, Dean?”
“Can you tell me more about Starboy and Moony?”
“Moony?” The professor asks, almost alarmed and panicked.
“Because he’s a werewolf.” Dean explains.
“Ah. Er… maybe not today.” He decides, a bit exhausted from talking about Sirius Black.
“Right. Okay. Uhm… Thank you, professor.”
“Anytime.” Lupin says, and as Dean walks out the door, he calls out. “Oh, and Dean?”
“Yes…?”
“...call me Remus.”
— ⭒⭑🟊⭑⭒ —
Remus. Remus Lupin. Professor Remus Lupin.
Why does the wizarding world love weird names? Dean thought to himself, as he stood in front of a mirror mouthing said name. He couldn’t believe it. First-name-ing a teacher was practically a sin in the muggle world, and yet here was Lupin— Remus —letting him do it.
Sometimes that confused Dean. The stark differences between the muggle and wizarding worlds. Muggles treated football as more important than education sometimes, and yet here, if he so much as suggested playing football, he’d get laughed at. It works the other way round, too. If he suggested playing something as stupid as Exploding Snap, he would get ridiculed.
The human race is truly something else.
He fixes his hair in the mirror - not that there’s much of it - and rushes off to Potions.
He bursts open the door and rushes to his seat.
“Ten points from Gryffindor.” Snape drawls, and goes back to writing on the board. Seamus mutters “oh, fuck off, Snape.”, and Dean snorts quietly.
“Partner up, and brew this potion on the board. I want it done by the end of this lesson.” Professor Snape instructs, and then sits at his desk.
Dean and Seamus pair up. Dean crushes the newt bones, Seamus grinds the insects into a paste, and they work together. When it comes to stirring…
“Let me stir it, I want the old geezer to learn his lesson.” Seamus says with a grin. Dean sighs with a smile and hands Seamus the ladle.
BOOM.
Seamus’ face was covered with potion, and of course they both got detention for a week, but it was worth it- especially the reward of Seamus’ grin.
This was normal. This was comfortable. And Dean would rather die than change it.
So what if he has to keep his feelings to himself? He’ll be fine.
…probably.