Two of a Kind

Chapter Three = Shopping Spree

(Still Seamus' PoV)

A YEAR LATER AND THEN SOME

Seamus was hovering on his toy broomstick when there was a knock on the front door. His mum and dad were both taking naps, saying that this year Seamus had grown into 'a lot to handle', and they needed a break.

He did not want to climb off his broomstick, in fact, he didn't want to do anything at all. But, being the good little boy that he was, he went to answer the door. "Hello, Ms. Cindy," he said in a dull tone; he saw her every single day. Her daughter Natalie was with her.

"Your mum's asleep?" she said, stepping inside. Seamus didn't answer at first because he was staring at the way Ms. Cindy was dressed. She was wearing glittery silver robes underneath a huge fur coat and large earrings that fell to her neck and was wearing bright pink lipstick.

"Why are you dressed like that?" Seamus asked.

"Never you mind," she said, walking hand in hand with Natalie into the living room. "Can you go wake your mum?"

"Yes," he said, and he ran into his parent's bedroom. "Mummy," he said, shaking her awake.

"I asked for one nap, Seamus! Just one!" said his mum, a little exasperated.

"Ms. Cindy is here. She looks pretty," he added as an afterthought.

"Oh," his mum said, getting up and walking out of the room. "Cindy, where's John?" she said with a yawn.

"Probably sitting on his arse doing nothing," Ms. Cindy said swiftly. "Could you watch Natalie today? I have a date."

"Sure," his mum said, taking Natalie's hand. Seamus noticed that she was unusually quiet. Normally, Natalie was always trying to talk. "Seamus, take Natalie into the kitchen and give her a couple of biscuits, please."

"Fine," Seamus said huffily, but he walked into the kitchen, Natalie trailing behind him. He climbed onto a chair and opened the cabinet. He grabbed the box of biscuits and handed one to Natalie.

"Thank you," she said slowly, enunciating very clearly. She smiled and took a bite of the biscuit, then jammed the rest of it quickly into her mouth.

"You greedy little pig," Seamus said admirably, as she practically inhaled the biscuit. "Did you practice the words I taught you?" Being only two, Natalie probably didn't know exactly what he had said, but she smiled nonetheless.

Natalie scrunched her nose, taking on her thinking face. "Bwoom," she said proudly. "bike."

Seamus grinned. "Good girl!" he said. Natalie was so smart. Ever since she said her first word, which had been, 'boy', he had been teaching her new words every day. Sometimes she grew frustrated when Seamus pressed her to say certain words, and once, she had even thrown a model of a golden snitch at his head. But she always new at least two new words at the end of the day.

"Your new words are bloke and prat," Seamus said. "Say it."

Natalie scrunched her face up even harder and began making small noises in the back of her throat. "B-b-b..."

"Bloke," Seamus probed.

"B-blow..."

"Bloke," Seamus said to her firmly, looking down determinedly at her wispy blonde head. She stared at him with a burning glare. She opened and closed her mouth several times. "Say it, Nat...come on, I know you can! Say it!"

"BLOKE!" Natalie yelled, as Sara Finnigan walked into the room.

She stared at Seamus and then at Natalie. "I'm not even going to ask," she muttered, but she was smiling. "Seamus, go put on your shoes. We are going to go shopping!"

Seamus stared at his mum in horror. "Shopping!" he exclaimed. "No, mum...you can't...I don't want...I'm not a girl!" He crossed his arms over his chest and looked defiantly at her.

"Chop," Natalie was murmuring softly to herself. "Chopee...chopping...no...sh..."

"Seamus, I am not going to argue with you," his mum said calmly, taking hold of Natalie's hand.

"Oh fine!" said Seamus and he stomped out of the room to get his sneakers.

"Oh fine," Natalie repeated to herself, though the phrase lacked the whining. Sara smiled at her.

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

The car ride to the mall was long and boring and freezing cold, because the old, beat up car that belonged to Seamus' dad lacked heat. Natalie was sitting in the car seat beside his mum, and Seamus was in the back, wishing they could just get this dumb trip over with.

When they pulled into a parking space, Seamus' mum unbuckled Natalie and they climbed out, Seamus travelling dejectedly behind them. "Now," his mum said, and they stopped right outside the doors, "I have to buy a new dress for one of your father's parties, you know, one of the Muggle parties. Seamus, you and Natalie will hold hands, and do not let her out of your sight! Do you hear me? Am I clear?"

"C...c..." said Natalie.

"Clear," mumbled Seamus, and they walked over the polished, squared floors, gazing curiously at the manakins and such. His mum led them to the women's section, full of such pretty dresses that his eyes widened. Natalie sucked on her thumb, and kept the same face, as though this didn't faze her at all.

"Cindy said green was a good color on me...this looks nice...oh that's horrid..." Seamus heard his mum whisper to herself, as she lost herself in the maze of beautiful blue, red, yellow, green, pink, and white fabrics.

Seamus stood with Natalie, his legs growing stiff, for what seemed like an hour. Natalie eventually took her hand from his and hobbled to a light pink dress made of floaty material. She made an odd noise in her throat, scrunched up her face, stuck out her tongue, and rolled her eyes at the dress. Seamus sniggered.

"There's nothing to do!" Seamus said, scratching his head. "Can you think of anything?"

Natalie grinned, lighting up her whole face. She nodded. "Hat," she said, placing both hands on the top of her head. "Hat."

"Hat," said Seamus, catching on, and he walked through the dresses, beckoning Natalie to follow. They walked around the room, and even went on the lift, in their desperate search for hats. They finally came across some, in the little girl's section.

Natalie rushed over to the hat stand as fast as her stubby legs could carry her, and grabbed a white hat with blue flowers, placing it on her head. Though it complimented her coloring well, the hat was way too big, falling down past her eyes and nose. Seamus shook his head, took it off, and put a tan hat with the word 'Cutie' on the front on Natalie's head. She shook her head furiously, and the hat flew off. "No," she said firmly.

"How about this one?" said Seamus, holding up a bright green hat with a yellow duck on the front.

"Quack," said Natalie loudly, and the people in the girl's section stared at her. She giggled.

Next, she tried on a straw hat. That was a no go as well. After trying what seemed like every hat on the rack, Natalie spotted something and she pointed at the top of the rack, jumping up and down eagerly.

"Okay," said Seamus, looking around for a chair so he would be able to reach it. He found a grey office chair by the salesclerk's counter and wheeled it over to the hat rack, looking over his shoulder to be sure no one was watching. He positioned the swivelly chair where he wanted it and climbed on it. It turned swiftly as he moved and he stuck his arms out to balance himself, then reached for the hat. He was close...even closer...Natalie was shrieking with delight...he almost had the hat...

"SEAMUS FINNAGAN, PLEASE REPORT TO THE REGISTER IN WOMEN'S CLOTHING. SEAMUS FINNAGAN, PLEASE REPORT TO THE REGISTER IN WOMEN'S CLOTHING."

This loud noise startled him so much, he whirled around to see where the voice was coming from and fell off the chair and onto the hard ground, right onto his back. "Shames! Shames!" said Natalie, as Seamus groaned loudly, pain shooting from his head to his toes, but mostly throughout his back. He could feel tears prickling in his eyes. He closed his eyes tightly, as though this would rid him of the pain, and pushed Natalie away when she bent down and shook him.

"Idiot children," said a silky voice, and a man bent over Seamus, and helped him to sit up. When Seamus sat up, and opened his eyes, he saw that the man had greasy hair that fell to his shoulders and calculating eyes. "Is this what you wanted?" he said icily, throwing the baseball cap down at them. "You should have asked your mother or father! Where are your mother and father?" he added, looking around.

"My goodness!" came another voice, and Seamus saw his mum rushing toward him, a dark red dress in her hands, tears sparkling in her eyes. "Where were you two? Why did you leave me like that? You stupid children! It's a good thing you found them Professor Snape, instead of some stranger..." Her voice broke off as she brought Seamus to his feet and walloped him right there in the store.

"I suggest you watch them more carefully, Miss Benningfield. Children slip through your grasp at every opportunity." The man smirked, and Seamus shivered. He did not like this man at all.

"Thank you, Professor, but it's Mrs. Finnigan now."

"Mum, Nat wanted that hat," Seamus tried to explain, Natalie clutching the dark blue baseball cap in her fingers, a look of horror frozen on her face, and she quivered slightly. Seamus winced as his mother ignored him and guided him out of the door, with her hand on his back, but she didn't notice, she was so angry.

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

When they arrived home, it was nearly dark, and Seamus' mum was not in a good mood. She sent them to bed straightaway, after a light dinner, and another lecture about what happens to little children who run away.

Seamus walked to the door with 'Seamus' on the front and went to his room, and closed the door. His back was still aching horribly, but there was no way he was going to tell his mum that. He winced as he removed his faded jeans and his yellow shirt and threw them into the laundry pile. He changed into his train pyjamas, brushed his teeth, turned out the light, and huddled under his covers.

He closed his eyes, trying to fall asleep, and eventually, he did. But he was woken up pretty quickly by a soft tapping on his door, late at night. He sat up in bed, a cramp in his lower back that hurt so much he cried out loud. Rubbing his eyes, he went to the door and opened it, knowing exactly who it was.

Two year old Natalie was standing there, in a pair of pyjamas that Seamus had long outgrown, a stuffed bear in her arms. "What do you want?" he asked. "A glass of water?"

"Shames, I scared," she said, her voice quivering a little. "Monser in bed."

He opened the door wider and she walked in. "Go," he said, waving his arm toward the bed. She gave a half smile and climbed onto his bed, then began to jump on it, giggling. "No," Seamus said, yawning, and Natalie immediately plopped herself onto the bed, pulling the covers tightly over her. Seamus climbed in next to her. "No hogging my sheets, no drooling, and no snoring," he added as he turned the opposite way she was lying and yawned again.

"Shames big brother," Natalie said, smiling in the dark.

"Yeah," he muttered, his words slurring into another huge yawn, and he drifted peacefully off to sleep.