The Marked

My sighs they ring out victorious

And fog this tinted fog this tinted glass

It's clouded and so is my head

The hint of these new tears are sharp

And I try to hold them back

It's useless

I am useless against them

They are beating me with ease

-The Sharp Hint of New Tears

Dashboard Confessional

Seamus was the first one to wake up in the dorm, or perhaps he had never fallen asleep. His mind was set on telling Lupin, once and for all. He planned on catching him outside of the Great Hall after breakfast and asking to speak to him in private. Everything would have worked out fine, if only Lupin had shown up to breakfast that morning.

"Where's Lupin?" Seamus knew he was frantic, and making quite a scene at the Gryffindor table. "He's not up there! It's not the full moon is it?"

"No," Parvati answered him with wide eyes. "He's probably just on a business trip. He goes on those a lot on the weekends, you know that. Do you have to speak to him about something?"

"No!" Even he was put off by the exclamation. "Why...why would I? What would I have to say to him? 'Oh, yeah Professor Lupin I'd though I'd say how really corking your class has been lately!' I mean, come on Parvati!"

Dean turned and tapped his friend's head. "You sure you're feeling up to Hogsmeade today? You're acting a little...creepy."

"Majorly creepy," Lavendar agreed with a nod. "Did you get enough sleep last night? You did stay in the Common Room longer than normal."

"I'M FINE!" Perhaps he'd shouted that a bit too loud he reasoned as the entire Great Hall went quiet and turned to stare at their table. "Er...I mean, I'm fine," he finished in a much smaller voice.

"If you say so," Dean turned back to his food, but not before giving Seamus a weird look.

"Uh...I'm not so hungry anymore...I'm going...up stairs." He stood from his chair quickly, the faintest hints of a headache resonating throughout his head as he did so.

"Can I ask why?" Parvati was plainly looking at him as though she thought he had lost his mind.

"No, my dear, you may not." Without a word more he turned and strode out of the Hall, unaware the most of the eyes there were on him.

***

"Stupid Lupin! Can't be here when I need him! What if I were to die today!" Seamus was storming around the DADA hallway. He'd tried every door before he'd resorted to screaming for the Professor at the top of his lungs with no luck.

"I've been Cursed and he thinks he can just not be here?!" He really had no idea why he was raving about, he just couldn't control it. Somewhere deep down, he knew he was being stupid, but he just had react.

"I should kick Delving's ass for ever creating this Curse!" He kicked out at the thin air, only to trip on an untied shoelace. He lay on the dusty floor with his eyes closed for awhile, regaining his bearings. When he opened his eyes, his right cheek resting upon the cold stone of the floor, a strange sight met his sight.

A rat. Not a very remarkable looking rat, either, its fur was a bit scruffy and it was missing a claw on one of its paws. But he'd recognize the little rodent anywhere.

"Scabbers where have you been?"

As soon as he spoke, the rat took off through a tiny crack in the wall with a small squeak. Seamus decided not to give it a second thought and pushed himself off of the floor, ignoring the dust that littered his front he glanced out the window next him and caught sight of students making their way towards the village.

"Hogsmeade! I'm supposed to be meeting the others!" Completely disregarding the fact that he wore no cloak and was covered in dust, he tore through the castle and down the path, zipping past other students on his way.

"Whoa!" A feminine voice called out as he entered the village, barely feeling the strain the run had on his body or the fact that his headache had now fully developed. "Where's the fire, Seamus?"

"Huh?" He turned and found Padma, Mandy, and their friend Lisa Turpin standing outside Gladrags. "Oh, no fire! Just had to get here!"

"Er, Seamus," Mandy stepped forward, "do you want to go to the Three Broomsticks and stick down and have a butterbeer?"

Seamus shook his head. "Can't sit down. Wanna go for run?"

"Er," Mandy looked a bit shocked. "How about a nice leisurely walk?"

"I guess I can deal with a walk. Not sure how leisurely it will be though." He looked the blonde over a second before taking her hand and pulling her down the road. "Let's go Mandy!"

"Er...ok!" As the sandy-haired boy drug her down the street she waved goodbye to her two friends. "Seamus...Seamus!"

"Whaaaaaat?" He sounded a bit annoyed.

"Can we slow down?" Her brown eyes were appraising him.

"Er...I suppose." He stopped dead in his tracks, then began to walk towards the edge of town.

"Where are you going?" Mandy strolled along beside him.

"I dunno. Somewhere." Seamus shrugged then put his hands in his robe pockets.

"Are you sure you're feeling alright?"

He rolled his eyes. "What's with the interrogation? Although...now that you mention, I have a killer headache. And I'm kind of cold."

"Cold?" She looked him over. "Well of course you're cold! You aren't wearing a cloak! What on Earth possessed you to run out without a cloak?"

"Possessed? I'm not possessed! At least, I don't think I am. Are you?" He stopped once more to look her in the eyes. His expression was completely serious.

"No. Of course not. What a silly question." He merely shrugged again and started back walking. They had almost reached the end of the village. "Hey, shouldn't we turn back?"

"Nah. You can if you want to. I want to get away from everything for awhile. In fact, why don't you go on back? I want to be alone. Bye." He didn't even look back as she gasped in surprise and stopped walking.

"Well, fine then! Be like that!"

"Ok." He continued walking, leaving the buildings and Mandy behind. His thoughts wandered toward Professor Lupin once more, only to be interrupted by his headache.

He'd been walking alone for close to an hour, ambling about the countryside, never straying out of site of the village when exhaustion over took him. Once more ignoring the fact that he had means of the warmth, and no one knew exactly where he was, he laid down right where he was next a large root of a tree and fell right asleep.

***

It was dark. So very dark. He thought he heard someone yelling his name. Perhaps it was a star. They were quite bright that particular night. Maybe the stars were calling out to him join them. Pity, his broom stick was back at the school. How else could he reach them? Perhaps he could sprout wings and fly that way.

"Seamus!"

No...that definitely wasn't a star. He thought the voice sounded familiar. He tried to push himself off the ground but every time he moved hid brain contracted. At least, it felt that way. His headache was worse than ever. And he was so cold now, he didn't see how he could move in the first place. His limbs out to be frozen like ice.

He was about to call out to the voice when a dark figure came into view. It was wearing a cloak drawn up over its head. Seamus didn't want the figure to find him.

"Seamus! Where are you?" Why could it imitate Ron's voice so well? "Come on Seamus, this isn't funny!" He wanted to call out to the figure that it wasn't funny imitating his friend so well but he couldn't his mouth to cooperate. A haze seemed to be settling over his mind as a second figure joined the first.

"Any luck?" This one sounded like Neville, dear old Neville. Seamus wondered if he'd ever see his quiet friend again. These cloaked figures couldn't be there for friendly purposes.

"None."

"Maybe if we used some light?"

"We're not supposed to use our wands away from school but...I don't what other choice we have. Lumos." A bright light flashed out the area, stinging Seamus's eyes. Now they would surely find him. "Seamus! Where are you?" The haze thickened and he barely heard the false-Neville's voice.

"Ron! There!" He could feel them coming closer, calling out for reinforcements. He began to struggle as he felt their hands on him.

"No!" He finally managed to say. "Get away from me!"

"Seamus! It's just me. It's just Ron. I'm not going hurt you!"

The haze was winning over. "No...go away..." he only just got the words to come out before he fell back to the ground and into blackness deeper than any he'd ever known.

***

"Something's really wrong with him, Harry. He acted like he didn't even know me and Neville," Ron's voice filtered in through the dark some time later. He felt something warm being draped over him.

"He's sick," a hand pressed over his forehead. "He has a fever, so he's probably delirious." It sounded like Harry.

"That can't be just it. Mandy Brocklehurst said he'd been acting completely bonkers earlier. And you saw him at breakfast!"

"Look, let's not argue now, we need to get him back to the castle before he freezes to death. I've never seen anyone the pale before."

A new voice joined the others. "You found him?!" Was that Dean? Good old Dean.

"Yeah."

"He's...he's so pale."

"He was out here the whole time with no cloak."

"What? Why?"

"I don't know, look we have to..." the voices faded again.

***

He was being carried by the legs and underarms. That was the first thing he was aware of. The second was that it was blissfully warm.

"...frozen half to death..." That was familiar voice, but he could recall who's it was. He struggled to open his eyes.

"...don't know...been acting strange..." That was Dean. He wrenched his eyes half-way open, but no one seemed to notice. They were talking amongst themselves.

Harry had his legs, he could clearly see that. And by the look of the dark skinned hands, Dean was helping carry him. Beside them stood Ron, Neville, and-

"PROFESSOR LUPIN!" The two boys almost dropped in surprise of his outburts. "Professor! I've been wanting to talk to you all day! You've have to listen to me, I didn't mean to lie, it just happened! Weird things are happening, and I can't explain them, and I need your help, and I don't want to die!!" All of this was said it about the span it took a normal person to greet hello in the morning and left the others quite baffled.

"I...I think Mr. Finnigan here needs to be taken up to the hospital wing. Mr. Weasley, Mr. Longbottom, if you would go and inform the Headmaster and then return to your common room, I would appreciate it." His tone left no room for argument. "Mr. Thomas, Mr. Potter, follow me to the hospital wing."

"Please Professor!" Seamus wriggled in his dorm mates grasps. "Listen to me!"

"Seamus," Lupin turned to look at him, his eyes soft. "I will listen all you want once we get into the hospital wing. Please, stop struggling."

Seamus didn't want to go to the hospital wing. He wanted go to Lupin's office, but the haze was milking over his mind again and he didn't have a chance to disagree before he lost all sense again.

***

The next time he awoke, it was not a gentle, drifting to awareness. It was more like being smashed into the world of the living. A harsh light seeped in through his closed eyes and voices hammered in through his ears and provoked his aching head.

"He's Marked, Albus. Hell, he isn't just Marked, he looks as though he's been poisoned!" Seamus had never heard Lupin quite as angry as he was at the moment, and he wished he would lower the level of his voice some.

"Calm down, Remus." The Headmaster sounded only slightly frazzled. "I'm sure we can work our way through the situation." Silence rang out clear for quite some time, during which Seamus lay appreciatively on the bed he had been placed in, his eyes remaining closed.

Finally, Lupin spoke once more. "What is to be done with him?"

"What can be done with him?" Seamus let out a small groan when this was said.

"Mr. Finnegan?" He heard Lupin sit in the chair next to the bed and worked at opening his eyes. "How are you feeling?"

"Ugh," was all he could get out as he finally managed to get his eyelids to work.

"Understandable," Dumbledore was standing at the foot of the bed, his face neutral. "Mr. Finnegan, I know you are in pain and quite groggy, but we need to know something right away. Why didn't you tell the truth?"

"I...don't know. I didn't want to leave Hogwarts. Mum would be disappointed."

"Does anyone else know about this?"

"...no. Well...the Trio..." He trailed off. It hurt to talk.

"The Trio?"

Thankfully, Lupin answered for him. "Harry, Hermione, and Ron."

Something suddenly dawned on Seamus. Lupin and Dumbledore wouldn't particularly care, but maybe they could pass on the message for him. "Where is Ron? I've got to tell him something."

"He's in Gryffindor Tower. Sleeping. It's six in the morning on a Sunday."

"Oh. Well," he rolled over a little with a yawn. "Tell him I saw Scabbers today would you? Thanks." The haze began to come back. He hardly heard Lupin when he spoke next.

"Scabbers? His old...rat? Where?"

But Seamus was already back asleep.

***

Remus Lupin sat in thoughtful silence by Seamus's bedside. The boy had been out for several hours, but Remus found himself to worried to get to sleep. How could he have been so stupid? He should have realized that the boy's emotions could unconsciously alter the results of the test with as much power as he had behind him.

He should have checked for the Mark immediately. It was the only thing that couldn't been hidden. The energy wouldn't be able to disguise itself. It could prevent any detection of it being found, but not the actual visible form of it.

He'd seen the actual Mark finally. Before he and Dumbledore had questioned the boy, he'd gotten a look at it. It was enormous. Remus didn't understand it, there was no record of anyone except Delving living long enough for the energy to build up that much. They usual went mad before it was a fourth of the size, and Seamus was only just now showing any signs of mental instability. The boy was living two impossibilities. One, was the fact that he was alive. The second, that he had come in contact with the Curse in the first place! It was impossible!

When the first outbreaks started to pour in, Ministry officials worked day and night to quarantine those that had come in any sort of contact with the Cursed. It hadn't been an easy task by far, there seemed to be no basis as to how or why the Curse passed on to someone else.

A woman whose husband worked with Delving himself and had been Cursed, coexisted with him from almost the time of his Cursing until his death, coming into close physical contact with him and sitting by him on his death bed, and walked away clean.

Another woman had been shopping in Hogsmeade and barely brushed hands with a Cursed and had died three days later. Both women had been in their mid-twenties, and were in excellent health before. It wasn't always brief contacts that were the infected. Some people had been lived in close quarters with the Cursed and had been infected as well.

A good example had been documented under these circumstances. Five young men were living together in a modest sized house owned by one of the men's father. The same young man had been infected unknowingly until he realized several hours later that he now bore the tell-tale sign of the Curse, the Delving family crest and along with what almost appeared to be strange rash. By that time, he had already been home with all of his housemates for a good deal of time. The Curse passed on to two of the other men, who shared a room together across from the original Marked. The other men of the house stayed together in a room directly connected his through a door inside the rooms, which was left open for most of the day and neither were harmed in any way.

Purebloods, half-bloods, Muggle born, it made no difference of who you were born to and by the end of the outbreak, it had been almost impossible to tell who passed it on to whom.

Remus Lupin had gone over every detail of the extensive research that had been documented on the outbreak. It all added up to one thing. Nothing made sense. The Delving Curse shouldn't have come to be in the first place. Delving had been attempting a to create a quick, harmless means to transfer non-tangible energy into power. But something had gone wrong. That's all Delving would say until the day he disappeared from society forever. When asked how he was still alive after openly stating that he himself was Cursed, while everyone else was dying, he claimed ignorance.

It had taken months to isolate the Cursed and by the time, the numbers were disgustingly high. The wizarding population had a noticeable drop in population on the streets. Thankfully, the Curse stayed on the island, never reaching abroad to the mainland of Europe or other continents. It had been dead for centuries.

So how had Seamus come in contact with it? And who else among the student body had been Cursed along with him?