Rating:
PG-13
House:
Astronomy Tower
Ships:
Neville Longbottom/Seamus Finnigan
Genres:
Romance Drama
Era:
Harry and Classmates Post-Hogwarts
Stats:
Published: 05/16/2005
Updated: 05/16/2005
Words: 4,131
Chapters: 1
Hits: 373

Starlight Seamus

The Dork Lord

Story Summary:
Seamus and Neville have been living together for a while and Seamus can't seem to hang on to a job. One day, Neville finds him the perfect career that makes use of his hidden singing talent but it leads to division between them. Mild S/N slash.

Chapter Summary:
Seamus and Neville have been livng together for a while and Seamus can't seem to hang on to a job. One day, Neville finds him the perfect career that makes use of his hidden singing talent but it leads to division between them. Mild S/N slash.
Posted:
05/16/2005
Hits:
373
Author's Note:
Know, I understand this is a bit soppy, but do forgive me. I adore Andrew Lloyd Webber's music and this has been a real labour of love for me. It's the longest one shot fic I've ever done. To see where I got the inspiration for this, see the link the post fic notes.


Too often we deny others our talent because we deny it ourselves. This was Seamus Finnigan's problem for some time. He liked to sing every now and then when he was sure no one was around, but he didn't think he was really all that good. No one ever heard him sing while he was in Hogwarts, not even one person in particular.

Seamus and Neville Longbottom first discovered they like each other during their fourth year. Just before the Christmas holidays, Seamus walked in on Neville sobbing into his pillow. After witnessing the Cruciatus curse in the impostor's class, Neville sank into private fits of melancholy and depression. When Seamus found him, Neville revealed how his parents had been tortured into insanity by the Dark Lord's supporters. It was Seamus' kisses that helped Neville through his misery.

The two boys kept their relationship secret for the rest of that year. They spent the summer holidays corresponding through letters, but that was the same holiday that Seamus almost didn't return to Hogwarts. He felt betrayed when Neville took sides with Harry over the return of He Who Must Not Be Named. No one knew there was anything wrong between them because no one knew there was anything between them. It wasn't until Seamus came to one of the DA meetings that they made up. They didn't start sleeping together until sixth year.

They still saw each other after Hogwarts, though they didn't live together for almost a year. While Neville had a flat in London and a secure career in the Ministry, Seamus seemed to drift from job to job until he could no longer afford his rent. Neville gladly let him move in with him and for a while their relationship flourished.

No matter how hard he tried, Seamus just didn't seem to last in any job, Muggle or magical. It was beginning to look as if he had no future whatsoever, until one fateful morning when Neville caught him singing. He was absentmindedly singing 'You Are My Sunshine' while in the shower; unaware that Neville was awake and listening in their bedroom.

The sound of the shower stopped but the singing continued. He came out of the bathroom, a towel around his waist and another being vigorously applied to his hair. Seeing Neville sitting on the bed in his boxers, he stopped mid song.

"No, don't stop. That was beautiful," said Neville in awe.

"Oh ...well, it's ...it's nothing really."

"You never told me you could sing."

"I can't," muttered Seamus sheepishly.

"You can," stated Neville. "I think you're really good and I'm not just saying that because you're so ..." Neville trailed off. Not it was his turn to feel bashful.

"So what?" prompted Seamus playfully. Neville only mumbled something incomprehensible in reply. Laughing wildly, Seamus pounced upon his boyfriend and forced him down onto the bed. After rolling back and forth for a while, Seamus finally pinned him down. "What am I?" he asked a little more suggestively.

"You're a very sexy, talented singer," answered Neville, who had finally found his voice again.

"You really think so?" Neville answered that one by pulling Seamus down close enough to kiss. Seamus' towel and Neville's boxers were quickly thrown to the floor.

~|~

About a month passed and Seamus still didn't have a job. Neville took to walking home from work so that he could look for a job for Seamus. One day, he found himself wandering into London's West End, where all the theatres were. As he was walking past a theatre called 'The Lyric', he found an advertisement for a job that Seamus was practically born for, something he would be spectacular at.

~|~

"It's called what?" asked Seamus.

"Starlight Express," repeated Neville. "It's a musical written by a Muggle composer called Andrew Lloyd Webber and The Lyric is auditioning for the start of a new season." He handed Seamus the leaflet he had picked up from the theatre. Seamus read it with great scepticism.

"I don't know, Nev. I mean ...this is a major West End production we're talking about. There's no way I'm that good and besides," he pointed at the picture on the leaflet, "I need to be able to roller skate."

"Well ...I suppose we could use magic for that part." Neville caught the disbelieving look on Seamus' face. " I don't see why you shouldn't get a part just because you can't roller skate. It can't be that hard anyway. You've got a great voice and I really believe you've got a chance. It couldn't hurt to try. Anyway if you don't fancy it, Burger King is hiring."

"Oh no," protested Seamus. "I swore I'd never work in fast food again after the incident in McDonalds."

"Then go along to the audition." It was quite unusual for Neville to be so persuasive. Before he and Seamus first got together, he had been the definition of shy but now that he had left Hogwarts, his self-confidence had skyrocketed. Seamus still felt reluctant, but after considering the alternative, he decided to take his head out of the sand and go for it.

~|~

Sitting in a hallway in The Lyric, surrounded by people all auditioning for a part, Seamus began to wonder why he had taken his head out of the sand. What was wrong with having your head in the sand? Indeed there are many advantages to having your head in the sand. For one thing it doesn't involve performing to a group of complete strangers. His leg was positively shaking with nerves as he waited to be called into the room at the end of the hallway. It looked as if he would be the last. In his hand he had the song he planned to sing and a CV. An embarrassingly blank CV. He expected to be laughed out of the room as soon as they saw it.

After almost an hour of sitting, waiting and sweating, a black haired woman poked her head out of the door at the end of the corridor. She spotted Seamus staring into space and brought him down to earth with a call of his name. He rose creakingly from his seat and made his way down to what he felt was certain humiliation. The woman held the door open for him. She seemed nice enough, though perhaps that was just a trick to put him off his guard. She'd wait until he sang and then barrage him with harsh criticism.

The room was mostly bare except for the various posters from past productions dotted around the walls. Seamus felt increasingly queasy. Two men sat at a table at the far end of the room where the woman joined them. Seamus stood uneasily in front of them. The man on his right had a very fine brown beard that he scratched habitually. He seemed to be scanning Seamus with his eyes, which only made the poor young man feel more uncomfortable. The man directly in front of Seamus wore black glasses and a grim expression. Not surprisingly, this didn't make Seamus feel any better either. Trembling, he handed his CV to the woman. The man in the middle glanced at it briefly and sniffed.

"No experience then?" he asked gruffly.

"Well ...n-no, not really," confessed Seamus. This whole thing was becoming more of a bad idea by the second.

"Well we've all had no experience at some point in our lives. Even you, Gerald," said the dark haired woman. Seamus suddenly felt a little more at ease. "Let's give him a chance."

"Fine, fine," muttered Gerald indifferently. The man to Seamus' right leant forward, still scratching his beard.

"So what are you going to sing for us, young man?"

"I thought I'd sing 'Bohemian Rhapsody' ...if that's OK." It was a song that he had heard on the radio a few days ago. Neville thought it was a song that really suited his singing style. The bearded man smiled warmly.

"You a Queen fan, then?"

"Yeah ...she's OK," replied Seamus, genuinely confused. The man and woman laughed at his little 'joke'. Gerald made no indication he had even been listening.

"I like your sense of humour, young man. All right then, when you're ready." Swallowing hard, Seamus proceeded to sing. He had practised it at home, though no one had actually heard him. There were plenty of high points in the song, points at which Seamus felt sure his voice would catch and he'd make a fool of himself. He didn't know it but he was actually impressing his audience so deeply that he actually got Gerald to look up at him and pay attention.

He finally finished his song. He quickly felt the urge to start again, as the silence was unbearable. Gerald looked somewhat distant, so no real change there. Both the woman and the bearded man seemed deep in thought. The beard was being excessively scratched. Finally the bearded man looked to his two colleagues.

"Rusty?" he asked them very simply.

"Was it really that bad?" ventured Seamus tentatively. This time even Gerald laughed.

"No, dear boy. I'm referring to the character 'Rusty'. I think you'd do very well in the part. What do you think, Patricia?" The woman actually got up from her seat and began examining Seamus' face very closely. Not knowing whether to feel hopeful or just plain foolish, Seamus stood stock-still.

"Hmm ...can you try smiling for me?" she asked bluntly. Seamus did his best to give her a bright, confident smile though it didn't help that he didn't feel either at the moment. "Hmm ...oh yes ...definitely."

"Well, that settles it. We'd like you to come back for another audition on Saturday at 10 o'clock." The bearded man handed him a sheet of paper from the pile on the table. "This is the song you'll be singing. We'll see you then." Offering them an uneasy goodbye, Seamus left the room, completely at a loss as to what had just happened.

~|~

Neville tried to concentrate on the paperwork he had brought home to do but it was no use. Seamus had left for his second audition hours ago. Neville began to wonder if he had done the right thing by pushing Seamus into this. His voice might have been ready for the big time, but were his nerves? Glancing up at the clock on the wall, two possibilities entered Neville's head. Either the audition had gone well and Seamus was discussing some kind of contract or the audition had been a total disaster and Seamus was off drowning his sorrows ...or himself.

Neville shook his head. Seamus wouldn't do something like that. It just wasn't him. He made another attempt to finish the paperwork, but he soon lost interest. He had just tossed his quill aside in frustration when Seamus Apparated directly in front of the table. There was a look of pure, unrestrained joy on his face.

"Well, how did it go?" asked Neville somewhat rhetorically.

"Brilliant and then some!" exclaimed Seamus. "I've signed up for an entire season of 'Starlight Express' playing Rusty, he's kind of the romantic hero of the show and depending on how it all goes, they'll consider offering me a long term contract!" Neville jumped up from his chair and embraced Seamus tightly. His face right up next to Seamus', they both smiled.

"So when do rehearsals start?"

"Monday. In the meantime, I'm taking you out tonight. We'll go to our favourite nightclub, dance till we drop, sink a few, then when we're exhausted I'm going to bring you home and do your brains out," stated Seamus, leaving no room for argument, not that it would have been offered.

"Whatever you say, Mr. Big Shot Musical Star," laughed Neville.

~|~

Seamus was an instant hit among the rest of the cast. He found a sense of enthusiasm and passion that he had never felt in any other job and it spread to everyone else. He felt a little guilty using magic to roller skate but it was hardly something he could tell the whole truth about. To subtly show that he wasn't really an expert skater, he'd occasionally and intentionally fall on his backside, which was such a comic site that it only made him more popular. He always had a smile and a friendly greeting, which made working with him a wonderful experience. He got on spectacularly with the young woman playing Pearl, his character's girlfriend. Her name was Francesca and had been in at least five other productions before this one. Most of their songs were together and when they sang their voices seemed to intertwine into one harmonious tone. Seamus' part had a very important solo. The whole cast would hang around to listen to him whenever he rehearsed it. Being accepted and even liked by his colleagues was a wonderful feeling. The only thing tarnishing his elation was the fact that his love life was slowly turning to crap.

~|~

After just a few months of rehearsals, Neville began to regret pushing Seamus into auditioning for Starlight Express. At least when he was drifting from job to job he was home most of the time. The timing of their jobs seemed to be working against them. Whenever Neville had a day off, which was seldom, Seamus would be at rehearsals. Whenever Seamus had a break from the theatre, Neville had to be at the Ministry, trapped under a mountain of drudgery. As luck would have it, Neville managed to find a day that they both had off. For at least five days it was all Neville talked about. He had planned a whole day for the two of them. They would go and actually see the sights of London properly; Neville had even gone as far as booking a table for two at one of the most fancy restaurants in the city. The only thing Neville had to do was drop into the Ministry early on in the morning then he would meet Seamus in Trafalgar Square at 9 o'clock.

However, when the time came, Neville found himself standing in the famed Trafalgar Square like a lemon. With each passing hour, Neville became more and more anxious. Perhaps something had happened to him. He might have been mugged, or worse ...but Seamus had his wand, he always carried it with him. Any thug that attacked him soon forgot what he was doing entirely. Neville began wandering around London, checking out all of Seamus' haunts. There was no sign of him anywhere, not even in the Lyric. Before he knew it he had missed out on their 6 o'clock dinner reservation. Ducking into an alleyway where no one could see him, he Disapparated to the one place he hadn't tried.

Seamus wasn't in their flat. Neville was waiting for at least another four hours before Seamus finally stumbled through the door. He had certainly been drinking.

"Where have you been all day?" Neville blurted out before Seamus had a chance to say anything. "We were supposed to meet up at nine! I've been worried sick about you!"

"Nev, calm down. The director called an emergency rehearsal of the finale. I would have told you about it but you had already left."

"You weren't at the theatre when I went looking for you!" exclaimed Neville, feeling his anger rise.

"Well ...after the rehearsal we sort of ...you know, went to a bar ...me and the cast. It was kind of a pre-show party. Anyway I don't know why you're getting so upset." Neville was now just upset. Seamus had passed him over so he could go get drunk.

"I'm upset because today was the first time we've had a chance to spend some real time together in months! I thought that meant something to you!"

"It ...it does, Nev," stammered Seamus. He was having trouble maintaining his focus. The odd beer will do that to you.

"I don't believe you! You'd rather be with them than me! I'm beginning to wish I'd never made you audition." Seamus perked up at this.

"First of all, no one makes me do anything. Secondly, the whole thing was your idea!"

"WELL IT WAS A BAD IDEA!" shouted Neville; tears of frustration were wetting his cheeks. "I FEEL LIKE I'M LOSING YOU AND YOU DON'T EVEN CARE! YOU CAN SLEEP ON THE SOFA TONIGHT!"

"I'LL GO YOU ONE BETTER! I'LL SPEND THE NIGHT IN THE HOSTEL DOWN THE ROAD, SEEING AS I DON'T CARE!" roared Seamus as he threw something down on the living room table then stormed out of the door. Neville saw what it was that Seamus had thrown onto the table. It was the tickets for the opening night the next evening. They had contacted a bunch of their old friends and invited them along to see it. Neville turned his back on the table and plodded miserably into bed. As he lay fuming underneath the covers, Seamus was in a hostel room, crying himself to sleep.

~|~

As Neville had gone to bed angry, he woke up even angrier. He had barely got any sleep at all, though he had managed to oversleep. Skipping breakfast entirely, he took the fireplace to the Ministry, as he didn't feel quite up to Apparating. His day dragged on worse than it had ever done before. He couldn't concentrate at all. His mind kept wondering over to Seamus and what he might be going through as they made the final preparations for opening night. So what? Seamus would be fine, in fact he would be more than fine. As far as Neville was concerned, Seamus was happy in his new career but totally ungrateful towards the person who pushed him into it. At odd moments of the day he was struck by the terrible thought that it was over between them. It felt as if there was nothing he could do. Seamus had forsaken him and what they had. His thoughts turned to the opening night performance. He was determined to go. He would show Seamus that he wasn't going to sink to his level. Although Neville knew it would change nothing, he would go anyway.

Later that evening, Neville was standing outside the entrance to the theatre. He wasn't waiting long for their friends to arrive. Ron and Hermione arrived together as they had been seeing each other for a while. Harry, admired by every witch in the wizarding world yet amazingly still single was the next to show up. Ginny and Colin, both fresh out of Hogwarts arrived soon after. Dean and Parvati had been seeing each other since seventh year and were still very much enamoured with each other. Neville felt a sharp attack of silent jealousy. The group of old friends took their orchestra seats, which were all together very good seats and waited for the performance to begin. Neville was sat next to Hermione, who was overjoyed to be seeing something with Ron besides a Quentin Tarantino movie.

"I'm glad you guys could come," muttered Neville to his long time friend.

"Are you kidding?" said Hermione through an excited smile. "We wouldn't miss it for the world!" She quickly picked up on Neville's mood and enquired as to how he was feeling. He told a half-truth by telling her that he hadn't been getting much sleep recently due to stress. As the main lights dimmed, the audience fell silent. The curtain came up to reveal a fairly basic stage with ramps going up to a walkway and several exits. Bright lights started flashing all over the stage and a child like voice over started speaking. This bizarre start certainly caught Neville's attention.

When Seamus first came on stage, his costume was a big surprise to Neville. He looked half human, half steam engine. Neville was still too angry to admit it to himself, but Seamus looked kind of sexy. Neville decided to focus more on the other characters. He wanted to look at the people that had stolen Seamus from him. He could feel his race redden during a song called 'Crazy', where Seamus and a passenger carriage called 'Pearl' were fawning all over each other. It wasn't until Seamus' first big solo that Neville began to feel his anger melt away. Seeing him up there on stage, all alone, doing something that a few months ago he only felt comfortable doing to the bathroom mirror, he started to consider forgiving him. The interval soon brought him back down. Seamus hadn't even looked at Neville at all while he was onstage.

After about ten or fifteen minutes, the lights dimmed once again and the curtain rose. Neville paid particular attention to a song entitled U.N.C.O.U.P.L.E.D. It was all about another carriage that had been shunned by the one she loved, Greaseball the diesel engine. Neville felt that he could empathise with her entirely. He gave a small chortle when she described Greaseball as a B.A.S.T.A.R.D. The song that came soon after was called 'Right Place, Right Time'. It was basically about how Rusty and the other steam engines weren't in the right place at the right time. Neville felt that this was particularly apt.

So far, Neville had managed to maintain his grouchy attitude and as a result hadn't really enjoyed the performance so far. There was a race sequence where Rusty beat the other engines then came the song that melted Neville's newfound hard exterior. It was a song called 'Next Time You Fall In Love', sung by both Seamus and the woman playing Pearl.

"I guess I'm not too good at keeping love alive for long,

I think I found the answers but the answers always wrong,

My first love was my true love and it should have been my last,

The only time I'm happy is when I'm dreaming in the past.

Next time you fall in love,

It better be with me

The way it used to be

Back then, was when

We touched the Starlight"

These words in particular eroded the rocky shore of Neville's resentment. Seamus' singing and the magical music of Andrew Lloyd Webber could no longer fail to warm his heart. In the space of a few minutes, Neville finally saw that Seamus had been working hard on something beautiful. He may have been a little forgetful at times but that was how he was. Looking back, he felt foolish for flipping out like that. He began to wonder if Seamus would even consider moving back in after tonight.

The show ended with a powerfully fun song entitled 'Light At The End Of The Tunnel'. As the cast all stood singing together, Seamus finally stole a glance at Neville in the third row. He smiled broadly at him, just before joining the rest of cast in their almighty crescendo. This wasn't the end though, oh no. There followed a medley of all the best toe-tapping songs in the entire show. Neville found himself clapping and singing along with the whole audience. They finished on a brief encore of 'Light At The End Of The Tunnel' and one by one, departed from the stage. The rapturous applause from the audience seemed unending.

Neville promised to meet the others outside; hopefully he would have Seamus with him. Before their quarrel, Seamus had managed to get Neville a backstage pass so that he could come see him straight after the performance. Before he knew it, he was wandering around backstage, trying to find where Seamus was getting changed. He finally spotted him, still in his rather complicated costume. The smile on Seamus' face flickered when he saw Neville approach. At first all they offered each other was monosyllabic greetings. The theatre manager interrupted their uneasy silence.

"Seamus! Glad I found you! That was a stupendous performance! We would definitely like to offer you a more long-term contract. In fact, next season we plan to do a production of 'Cats' and we were thinking you'd be perfect as the Rum Tum Tugger ..." He trailed off when he saw the awkward situation that he was making worse. "And now I'll bugger off." This he did and quickly, leaving the two young men alone.

"So ...do you and I have a light at the end of the tunnel?" asked Neville anxiously and vaguely. Unable to contain himself any longer, Seamus grabbed Neville in a loving hug. They locked eyes and synchronised their smiles.

"I'm so sorry about yesterday, Nev. If it weren't for you I'd be nothing right now. You are my light at the end of the tunnel." As their lips met passionately, Neville decided he was going to become a more regular theatregoer.


Author notes: Now, nothing compares to seeing it live on stage, which I have. Have a look at the guy playing Rusty in this picture

Doesn't he look remarkably like Seamus in the films? That's where I got the idea. If you haven't seen Starlight Express or indeed anything by Andrew Lloyd Webber I urge you to do so, it's a magical evening.