Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

Season of the Wolf	By : sarcastrow Category: Harry Potter > General > General Views: 862 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, and I do not make any money from these writings

Chapter List
- 1
- 2
- 3
Season of the Wolf

Chapter 2

Termonfeckin

           They popped into existence in the shade of the trees lining the walk to the church. The old graveyard around them was shrouded in a rapidly disappearing morning mist, and Lavender could smell the salt air. A wisp of a breeze blew the mist aside, and the churchyard was bathed in light. Seamus took Lavender's hand and led her out into the morning sunshine.

           "Ah, Termonfeckin," he said. "Me dad brought us here the first time when I was just a wee lad. Great golf over at the links. 'S why he came. Mike, Sheighly, Mam and me went to the sea. First time I tasted salt water was here. Was kinda nice, bein' innocent, not knowin' what was going on in the world."

           Lavender looked at him. You really have grown up, Shay, she thought. "The crumpet from breakfast has worn off. You said something about lunch?"

           "Yeah, that's where we're headed. There's this great little Muggle pub here. Best pasties anywhere and they have a fine grill too."

           "I could go for a steak. Lead on, Shay"

           "It's just this way. This is a Muggle town though, so we should look the part."

            The gentle breeze brought more of the scent of the sea to them as they tucked their robes into Seamus's travel bag. He had worn a smart pair of trousers and a button down shirt under his wizard robes. Lavender surprised him with a clinging blue dress that stopped just above her knees. She'd had her hair styled to a nice shoulder length cut that didn't get in the way when she was in wolf. Its natural color was ten different shades of blonde, each catching the sun and giving it back to Seamus in rotating hues. The rest of her was the stuff that young men's dreams are made of.

           "Did I tell you last night how beautiful you are?"

           She smiled at him. "You might have mentioned it. Food, Shay."

           He laughed and took her hand. "C'mon then." He led her from the church lane.

           It really was a sleepy little town, so typical of this part of Ireland. Quaint shops and houses lined the high street - Strand Road, Lavender noted - and a modern market stood at one end. Seamus pointed out a few of the sights. Before they turned into the doorway of the pub he took both of her hands in his, and turned her to him.

           "Thanks for doing this Lav. I know we're Gryffindors and all that, but sometimes … I don't know, facing me mam…."

           She leaned into him and kissed his cheek. "Seamus Finnigan, I'm betting you’re braver than anyone in your family. What I saw last year proved that, and I haven't forgotten who it was that carried me to Madam Pomfrey. You saved my life, Shay."

           An electric shock ran through him when her lips touched his skin. He hadn't anticipated that. "Um, well, Hermione, Neville and Ron had a bit to do with it too."

           She just smiled back at him, and took his arm as he led her through the door.

************************************

           "How would you like your meat, miss?" the waitress asked.

           "Take it over to the grill and scare it a bit. That's all."

           "Rare then?"

           "The rarer the better, and I'm very serious about that," Lavender told the young woman.

           "Alright then, and to drink?"

           "Water, just water, for me," Seamus said blushing.

           "He had a bit of a rough night last night," Lavender told the waitress with a smile. "I'll have tea and a glass of red with my meal, thanks."

           Lavender watched the woman head back to the bar. "You're right, this is a nice comfortable pub. Hope they don't overcook the steak."

           "Well, now, I'm sure it'll be just the way you like it. Would you excuse me for a moment, while I visit the necessary?"

           She watched him as he headed to the back of the pub. Mr. Finnigan you are a contradiction; a shy little boy one second and a confident boisterous Irishman the next. A girl could grow to like that, she thought.

           Seamus detoured as he rounded the bar, and met their waitress at the service counter. “You know, when she said the rarer the better she meant just that," he said sincerely. "Seriously, would you be telling the cook to just slap it down long enough to leave some stripes. If it's more than a bit warm inside, she'll not like it."

           "But that'd be nearly raw, sir."

           "It would that." Seamus grinned and winked at the waitress. "Trust me."

           "Alright, sir," she said, with a confused look.

           Seamus came bouncing back to their table, a satisfied grin on his face.

           "So, what canary did you eat?" Lavender said.

           "Whatever would you mean?"

           "That grin, looks like you scored with the waitress or something," she said mockingly.

           "Sure, you wound me, madam. Don't I only have eyes for you today?" he said with a bow.

           What are you up to, Shay? she thought, and a strange sensation began to build in her chest, one she hadn't dared let out in a long time.

           Seamus saw the strange swirl of expressions whip across her face, but didn't comment. She was enthralling. He couldn't help himself when he sat down, and he took her hand.

           Lavender looked from her hand to Seamus. "We should have a battle plan, right? That's what Harry always taught us. Have a plan, your adversaries will." She was speaking in a low, husky voice that was making his skin tingle, and her thumb tracing circles on the back of his hand was making it hard to think.

           "Um, right, yeah, what … yeah battle plan."

           It was all she could do not to burst out laughing. I've still got it! Lavender had always loved the fact that she could easily render a male incoherent. She decided to help him out a little.

           "So, what's the problem with you and your mum? I was under the impression that she thought the sun shone out of your arse."

           "That would have ended at Dumbledore's funeral. When I 'defied' her she started treating me different. She's … well, she thinks there's her opinion and the wrong one. I started thinking for meself, and she didn' take it well. 'S why I haven't been home in a year an a bit."

           "Sorry to hear that, Shay. I love my family, but I have this Muggle friend and she described us perfectly. We 'put the fun in dysfunctional' she told me."

           Seamus laughed. "Is that so? What's so wrong with your family?"

           "Dad. Sober he's a saint, drunk, not."

           "I've seen you pissed once or twice. You're a happy drunk, like me. He's not like that, is he?"

           "No, he's not. He's done some bad things, Shay, really bad, but I still love him. How fucked up is that?"

           "Not as bad as some, Lav." He picked up his glass. "Here's to family, fucking with our heads from cradle to grave."

           Lavender joined the toast and they laughed. "Yeah, and then there's my sisters, my actual sisters. My brother, Rowan, has been great my whole life, but Artemisia and Jasmine, well they’ve always treated me like they didn't want me around."

           "You're the youngest, they're jealous," he said. "I know a wee bit about that."

           Very astute, Shay, she thought. "Yeah, you're right. They were already five and seven when I came along. Rowan was three, but he was a boy, so that was different. Mum tried harder to shield me from Dad than she did with them. They thought I got special treatment with all this 'Hero of the Battle of Hogwarts' business, and with all the other things they've had to do for me, this last year has not been very pleasant."

           "I'm sorry, Lav. I haven't been as much help I could have been either. Luna's been taking the whole thing on, hasn't she?"

           "Luna's done the most, yeah, but all the girls have been great. I owe them my life."

           "You're quite the little group. Nine witches all working together; I’ll wager there's nothing you girls can't do," he said seriously.

           "We haven't really explored just how far we can go. I shouldn't talk about it. We all promised that only the closest family could know anything about us, but you're as close as some of the husbands and fiancés so I can say a bit.

           I'm that close to you? he thought, and smiled. "Don't be saying anything you don't want to. I understand."

           "No, it's okay. I can tell you, it's not the feeling of power that's so good, though we all feel we could do almost anything when we're in the link. No, Shay, it's the link itself," she said in an awed voice. "When Luna does what she does and the nine of us join…." She trailed off, staring into space.

           "There's no words appropriate, apparently," he said with a laugh.

           She picked up her glass, took a drink, and contemplated for a long moment. "No, there's not."

           As she was setting her glass down the waitress arrived with their plates. Seamus's pasty smelled marvelous, and Lavender was fretting over her choice when the waitress, with some trepidation, set her plate down. It was the first time since she'd been bitten that she'd had meat served to her liking. She could smell perfection. Some grill marks were seared into the meat, and that was all. A little blood was seeping out of the sides of the still raw steak, and Lavender looked up at Seamus and smiled.

           "Thanks, Shay." She turned to the waitress. "Perfect, thank you."

           The waitress looked at Seamus and he winked at her. She shrugged her shoulders and walked away perplexed.

           "She'll be telling a tale tonight, won’t she?" he said to Lavender.

           "Yeah, about the guy who made her give his girlfriend a hunk of raw meat, and she liked it. That'll keep her in party stories for a month." She took a deep sniff and shuddered in delight.

           Girlfriend? Okay, I can deal with that. "So my little bit o’ subterfuge didn't work then?"

           Lavender tapped her right ear.

           "Hearing too!"

           "All the effects are more pronounced the closer the full moon is. My senses get really heightened the last few days, and … there are some other things. I call it PWS."

           "PWS?" he asked.

           "Pre-wolf Syndrome."

           Seamus laughed. "Now that's funny."

           "Glad I could amuse you." She smiled, picked up her knife and fork, and tucked in to her steak.

Seamus thought he should have been revolted by the sight of this beautiful young girl eating a raw piece of meat with such gusto, but instead he found it fascinating. She was still somewhat dainty, but occasionally an expression of bliss crossed her face, and once a low growl sneaked out.

           "It's good, yeah?" Seamus said chuckling.

           "Yes, they got it just right. Wonder what they'd do if I showed up tomorrow night all furry and asked for them to do it again."

           "Freak out and run, but then we'd have the place all to ourselves. Now that'd be nice, wouldn’t it?"

           You are a shameless flirt! She thought. "Might be. How's the pasty?"

           "Best in the land," he said.

           They concentrated on their food for a bit, and when they had slowed the waitress stopped at their table.

           "Are you finished?" she asked Lavender.

           Lavender surveyed the devastation she had wrought on the defenseless hunk of cow. "Yes, it was just right. Thanks again."

           "Would you like a doggie bag?" the waitress asked.

           Seamus was in the middle of taking a drink, and choked on his water. As he gasped for breath, Lavender struggled to suppress the laughter building inside her. "Okay, yeah," she said in a high strained voice.

           Seamus and Lavender looked at each other, barely hanging on, as the waitress walked away. Their smiles got broader, and their faces got redder, until finally they cracked and roared with laughter.

           "Oh, I'll have to tell Parv that one," she said pounding the table. "Doggie bag!!!" and Lavender succumbed to laughter again.

           "Ahh, if she only knew," Seamus said recovering a little. "Oh, get it together, here she comes."

           They barely managed to contain themselves before the waitress got to them.

           "I'll pack this for you then?" the waitress said indicating the remains on Lavender's plate.

           "Just the meat bits, my doggie will appreciate it," Lavender said smiling at Seamus, and silently daring him not to laugh.

           Seamus was on the verge of swallowing his tongue he was trying so hard not to dissolve into hysterics.

           "Oh, you do have a dog. What kind? Is it a nice dog?"

           A small groan escaped Seamus.

           "Well she's mostly wolf, and yes she's nice, to the right people." She winked at Seamus.

           Tears were flowing from Seamus's eyes, and he was shaking slightly.

           "Ooh, wolf hybrids are supposed to be very unpredictable. Are you sure she's safe?" the waitress asked.

           "Pefectly." Lavender said with a smile.

           "I like 'em unpredictable anyway," Seamus had recovered enough to say. "Adds a bit o' excitement." He winked at Lavender.

           You are a shameless flirt!!! Lavender thought for the second time.

           "I'll be your cashier when you're ready, sir"

           "Great, let's settle up. I want to take my date for a walk on the strand before we go."

           "The riverside walk is lovely. It gets you down by the sea in minutes. It's very nice this time o' day, but it's best at sunrise," she said as she wrapped the meat. "Thank you for dining with us, I'll get your bill."

********************

           The strand walk was very romantic. Seamus was right, Termonfeckin was a beautiful place. As they walked, Seamus took her hand. She hadn't held hands with a boy - man, she corrected herself - in more than two years, and it exhilarated her. This is what she had been missing. Lavender wasn't one of those women who could take or leave men. She needed this kind of contact. She needed to know she was attractive, and in the time since the battle, she hadn't really felt womanly. Seamus had brought that part of her back, and she needed to thank him.

           "Shay?"

           "Yeah, Lav?"

           "This has been a great date. You're quite good at this, thanks."

           "Really?" he said. "Usually I'm rubbish."

           "I doubt that," she said as she sat on a piece of driftwood, and pulled him down to sit next to her. "I've seen a good deal of your Irish charm today, and I'm sure it's not just 'cause you're with me."

           "Actually, I think it is. I usually get too loud, or too flirty, or just too me, and scare 'em away. I've had lots of first dates and one night stands I'm not proud of, a few seconds, not many thirds."

           The shy, self-effacing boy was back. That he had the courage to tell her this spoke volumes to her, and something in her chest felt light and heavy at the same time.

           "Well, I wouldn't turn down another date," she said with conviction.

           He swelled. The grin that spread across his face made him even more handsome than she had thought at first.

           "I'd really like that, Lav. I know you're still scared, and don't really trust people all that much, but you can trust me. We've known each other for what … nine years now, almost ten, and I know what I want."

           The lion in him reared, and leaned in and kissed her. Not a peck, not a snog, but an earnest, sincere kiss. It was like an electric shock zipped from her lips to her toes and back, and she leaned back a bit and smiled at him.

           "That was very nice, Shay. I could get used to that."

           "Me too, Lav."

           He leaned in and kissed her again, longer, slower, and with great care. A tear trickle down her cheek, and when Seamus felt it he drew back.

           "What's wrong?"

           "Nothing, I'm just happy. It's been a while since I've felt like this. For the last year and a half I've been just a person, a werewolf trying to deal with it, and getting used to hiding what I am."

           Her skirt had ridden up a bit, and one long scar showed pink across her left thigh. She made to pull her skirt over it and Seamus stopped her. He traced his finger along the scar and looked back up into her eyes.

           "You don't have to be hiding anything from me, Lav. I know who and what you are, and I like it all, a lot."

           She looked to him with shining eyes, and this time she kissed him.

           The old Muggle couple was walking down the strand when they came upon the other, younger, couple sitting on the driftwood log. They gave the young pair a wide berth to ensure both of their privacies, and they noticed the young woman snuggle into the young man.

           "Young love. You remember, Teagan?" the old man asked his wife.

           "Aye, we sat on a log just like that thirty years ago. 'Twas one of the best days of me life, Paddy. You were so good to me. That was the day I knew we could last, that you could be the one. Hope she's as lucky as me," the woman said, and as she looked to the other couple, the young woman met her eyes and mouthed, "me too."

           Teagan's eyes widened in wonder. She was amazed that the girl could hear her over the surf and the distance. The young woman smiled and winked at her, and the two women shared a moment of understanding. Teagan nodded to her and mouthed, "Good luck, lass."

           "We should get to your parents' place soon. We've kind of dallied here," Lavender said against his chest.

           "I suppose. It's their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary after all."

           Seamus was reluctant to leave the log. He couldn't remember a time when he'd felt more at peace and more alive than this moment. He had his arm around her and she was hugging him with both of hers, her head tucked under his chin.

           "So, you mentioned having a 'plan'," he said.

           "Yeah I've got one. If anyone messes with you I'll put my foot so far up their arse they'll look like a shoe."

           He laughed. "While I appreciate the sentiment, I don't think that would make the best impression. Listen, Lav, me mam is liable to be a bit … abrasive. It's hard for people to live up to her expectations, especially me. It was good with her and me as long as I did what I was told, but once I went me own way … well, she's been very generous about sharing her disappointment with me."

           "Don't worry, Shay. I won't get physical with anyone," she said as she sat back and looked into his face. "Well, maybe one person," and she kissed him. "Trust me, I can hold my own. She'll find that out soon enough, and so will you."

           "Right then," he said, standing and pulling her to her feet. "Off to Cill Fhion'ain."

           He looked up and down the strand. The old Muggle couple was far down the beach, just shadows in the haze, and he could see no one else. He stole one more kiss, and Apparated them to his home town.
- 1
- 2
- 3
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

Season of the Wolf