Time Of Terror

It’s the perfect time of year

Somewhere far away from here

I feel fine enough I guess

Considering everything’s a mess

There’s a restaurant down the street

Where hungry people like to eat

I could walk but I’ll just drive

It’s colder than it looks outside

         

          Seamus Finnigan turned up the radio in his old Four x Four, humming along with one of his favorite songs.

It’s like a dream you try to remember but it’s gone

Then you try to scream, but it only comes out as a yawn

When you try to see the world beyond your front door

Take your time, ‘cause the way I rhyme’s

Gonna make you smile

When you realize that a guy my size might take a while

Just try to figure out what all this is for

It’s the perfect time of day

To throw all your cares away

Put the sprinkler on the lawn

And run through with my gym shorts on

Take a drink right from the hose

Change in to some drier clothes

Climb the stairs up to my door

And sleep away the afternoon

          Seamus laughed as he screeched out the words. He was reduced to listening to Muggle music… something his Muggle sister Mace had drilled into him. She was a Barenaked Ladies fanatic, even going as far to make her father take her to the concert in the United States. Seamus chuckled again, but then he remembered why he was in the old Four x Four and sobered up. The graduated wizard was on his way to visit his girlfriend Elle, who was, in fact, a Muggle. It must run in my family, Seamus thought, me mum was a witch, married my dad who was a Muggle. Me grandmum was a Muggle, me granpappy was a wizard…what a mixed up family I come from!

It’s like a dream you try to remember but it’s gone

Then you try to scream but it only comes out as a yawn

When you try to see the world beyond your front door

Take your time, ‘cause the way I rhyme’s gonna make you smile

When you realize that a guy my size might take a while

Just try to figure out what all this is for

          Elle was in London for a visit to her mother in the hospital, who was deathly ill from cancer. Seamus would love to help Lela out, but in order to do so he must reveal he was a wizard. But that was beside the point. This visit was much less pleasant, as Seamus planned to tell Elle that he wanted to break up with her.

Pinch me, pinch me ‘cause I’m still asleep

Please God tell me that I’m still asleep

          Becoming depressed, Seamus slowed to a stop at the red light. His father had taught him to drive after he had turned sixteen, saying that if he wanted to function between worlds he needed to become sufficient in the ways of Muggle transportation. ‘I don’t want my boy to become ignorant!’  John had said.

On an evening such as this

It’s hard to tell if I exist

If I pack the car and leave this town

Who’ll notice that I’m not around?

I could hide out under there

I just made you say underwear

I could leave, but I’ll just stay

All my stuff’s here anyway

          The unwillingness to compromise: that’s why Seamus wanted to break up with Elle. They had just gotten in a huge fight over where they were going to vacation. To vacation! Seamus had just been promoted, and with the money he wanted to take his serious girlfriend out for a break. With her mother… Seamus didn’t even want to think about the pain she might be going through. Despite everything though, wasn’t he doing the right thing? Cutting it off if they couldn’t even agree on where to vacation? It would end in misery anyway…Seamus was just saving her from more hurt…or so he wanted to think.

It’s like a dream you try to remember but it’s gone

Then you try to scream, but it only comes out as a yawn

When you try to see the world beyond your front door

Take your time, cause the way I rhyme’s gonna make you smile

When you realize that a guy my size might take a while

Just try to figure out what all this is for

          Pulling into the hospital visitor’s lot, Seamus shut off his Irish green vehicle and stepped out. He was wearing a gray wool sweater with black dress pants that made him look relaxed yet refined. His sandy blonde hair, grown out, was pulled back into a ponytail that curled at the tip. His dark skin, tanned from working in the sun on his dad’s farm, made most of Seamus’ freckles stand out more than ever. He hoped he didn’t look too upset; this was not exactly the place to break up with someone.

          Stuffing his hands in his pockets like a nervous schoolboy, Seamus began the walk towards the tall hospital.

~

          “Hey Elle,” Seamus smiled. Elle, her long blonde hair swaying as she turned, smiled and walked over to her boyfriend. She reached out for a hug, but as she grasped him a thread from her expensive silk shirt got caught on a chair. It snagged, and she pulled away.

          “Shit!” She cried, “This was expensive!” Forgetting about Seamus, Elle turned her attention to her silver shirt. It wasn’t damaged badly, just a little tear. “Seamus…I’m having a bad day. First my office calls and says they can’t let me take any more family crisis days, then my flight to Japan is canceled because the deal is off, and now this…”

          Seamus squinted his eyes as she continued, suddenly realizing how selfish she was in the light of her position. Her mother was dying and all Elle could think of was her shirt!

          “… But I’m so glad you’re here…” Elle’s small, wispy gray eyes swept over Seamus’. “What’s wrong?”

          “Elle…can I talk to you outside?” Seamus bit his lip, unsure how to continue as the rehearsed explanation fled from his mind. They turned and walked out of the waiting room into the cloudy overcast in the hospital gardens. Elle reached for Seamus’ hand, but he shrugged her off.

          “Honey, what’s wrong? Are you still mad at me for that little argument?” Little… laughed Seamus… You kicked me out of our apartment!

          “Actually, yes. Elle, we need to break up.” Seamus winced at how cold it sounded, but his temper flared as he saw Elle looking at her shirt again.

          “Oh, I’m sorry dear, what was that you were saying?”

          “I’m breaking up with you, I don’t want to be your boyfriend anymore!” Seamus said angrily, narrowing his eyes to slits.

          “What…!” Elle’s face went white. She gulped as she cried, “why?”

          Because I realized how stuck-up you are… “Because we’re going in different directions. That’s why.”

          “Well fine!” Her face went from white to red in a matter of seconds. Seamus could see a vein pop out of her neck. “You are such a slut, I should have listened to Nicole!”

          “What?” Seamus looked taken aback. “Nicole? When did you talk to her?”

          Elle looked around coyly. “Yesterday…” Seamus sighed.

          “Whatever. I packed your things; I sent ‘em to your mother’s place. Good-bye Elle, it was nice knowing you.”

          “Seamus… you know I was going to break up with you anyway…you have a reputation you know? Lets see, I’m only number eight am I? Number eight in two years.” Seamus stopped cold, his back stiffening. Without turning, he retorted, “So you’ve been counting have you? Its amazing the things a girl will do…” And he walked away, not listening to the cries Elle was screaming at him, to the annoyance of the elderly out for a stroll in the gardens.

~

          Lela lay in her white hospital bed, closing her eyes and almost falling asleep as the beep, beep, and beep of the heart monitor chorused.

          “Mrs. Glass, you have a letter,” an attendant walked in the room, pausing to see if she was asleep.

          “Bring it here Sam, there’s a good lad…” Lela took the note from him and opened it. The chicken scratch could only be identified as Seamus’, but her joy faded as she read what it said.

          “He’s leaving her…” Lela said aloud. “Good-bye Seamus, dear, I’m glad I met you.” With that, she threw the note in the garbage, closing her eyes and slowly drifting into a deep sleep.

~

          Seamus walked up the steps, staring at his old leather boots. He had changed into his old Hogwarts robes just for fun, but he now realized they were about an inch short. Seamus’ growing had not ended quite yet.

          “Ahem.” A sneer even in his voice, Draco stood up at the top of the stairs. “So Finnigan, returning to your roots?”

          “What do you mean by that Malfoy?”

          Draco put a hand on his hip.

          “What are you two doing here?” A light voice came from behind Draco as Seamus reached the top of the stairs. Both turned to see Hermione, her hair disheveled and her robes wrinkled, but her eyes bright. Draco sneered and gave her a haughty look as she rushed forward.

            Seamus saw it all in one motion. Draco slowly put a toe forward on the stairs right as Hermione slowed to a stop. Not seeing the black leather boot, she stumbled and flew forward, straight into Seamus. The two plunged backward down the stairs, finally landing heavily at the bottom. When Seamus, recovered from the initial shock, looked up to see if Hermione was ok, he found she was gone.