The Marked

PART 2

THE KEEPSAKE

The summer air beat down hard on the shoppers of Diagon Alley. Seamus Finnigan wiped a thin sheet of sweat from his brow as he made his way toward the Leaky Cauldron. It was late July, and Seamus couldn't remember it ever being this hot. He had just come from one of the many quidditch stores lining the shopping district, in search for a birthday present for Harry. The Weasley's were throwing him a huge sixteenth birthday bash the next week, and Seamus was excited to see all of his friends again.

After he'd returned back to Hogwarts in late January, he'd tried to get things back to normal. He and Dean had begun practicing for the upcoming quidditch try-outs, both for the position of Beater. He'd promptly ignored Parvati and Lavender's teasings of he and Mandy. Nothing was happening between the them.

He shifted the weight of the package in his hand. He'd gotten Harry a working model of a quidditch pitch. It could come in handy to him, given that the Boy-Who-Lived had been proclaimed Gryffindor Quidditch captain at the end of the previous year. He hoped Harry would like it. It was always hard shopping for other boys who weren't your best friend.

He'd just reached the archway to the Leaky Cauldron when an excited voice called out to him.

"Seamus! Hey Seamus! Wait up!"

He groaned and stopped. "What is it Erron?"

Seamus's eleven year old brother hurried up to him, blonde hair falling into his hazel eyes. He was panting heavily and grinning from ear to ear.

"Where are you going? Can I come too?"

Seamus rolled his eyes. "I'm just going inside. Why don't you go find mum and Emma?"

Erron let out a whine. "Emma's biting's getting out of hand! It really hurts! Besides, I'm hot! Can't I come in with you? Pleeeeeaaase?"

"Fine," Seamus led him inside, refreshing in the cooler air of the building. He sat his bag down at one of the tables and took a seat in one of the chairs. Erron mimicked.

"Are you excited about this year? I am! I can't wait to get on the Hogwarts Express! It's going to be great! Do you think I'll be in Gryffindor with you? I hope I am. I don't think I'd like any of the other Houses..." Erron went on talking, but Seamus tuned him out. His little brother had been talking nonstop about Hogwarts since he'd come home from his fifth year. Frankly, Seamus couldn't wait to get on the train so he could finally get away from the chatter.

Suddenly, a sharp pang in his chest drew forth a gasp from the sixteen year old, and brought forth his hand to the pain. The Mark. He'd still burned from time to time, especially when he was near to for an extraction. The Keepsake was now worn around his neck, under his clothes.

"Seamus? Are you all right? Was it the Mark? Should I go get mum?" Erron, bless him, was always a bit overly eager to please.

"No, Erron," Seamus shook his head. "I'll be fine once we get home. Just stay put."

"Seamus!" A voice, or two rather, hollered out to him. The Patil twins approached the table.

"Hey Parvati! Hey Padma!" Seamus took his hand away briefly and turned his slight grimace into a welcoming grin. Erron took one look at the twins and dropped his jaw. "This is my brother, Erron. Erron, this is Parvati and Padma Patil. They're going to be sixth years, too."

"Hi Erron! Nice to meet you!" Parvati spoke for the two.

"H-hi."

"You're coming to Hogwarts this year, aren't you?"

Erron just sat there. Staring.

"Yes," Seamus answered for him. "He is. Forgive my brother, he's a little on the weird side."

That drew Erron's attention. "Hey! I'm gonna tell mum!"

Seamus rolled his eyes. "I'm shaking in my boots."

The twins laughed before gathering the bags up again. "Well," Parvati began, "we have to be going. We told our parents we'd be home ten minutes ago. Bye Seamus! Nice meeting you Erron!"

"Bye!" Seamus said for the both of them. When they had gone through the Floo fireplace, he turned, with a wicked smile, to his brother. "Does Little Erron have a crush?"

"Shut up, Seamus!"

***

"Henry! You're going to be late to the office!"

It was the morning of July 31^st, and things were off to a usual start at the Finnigan household. His mum juggled breakfast and getting ready. She was a historian at the National British Museum of Magic. Seamus tried to stay away from the details of her job. History had never been one of his favorite subjects. His dad, on the other hand, ran about the house in a frantic stupor, having gotten up half an hour late. He was a muggle lawyer, and worked in an office in town. Seamus would have gladly missed the mornings events, but his mother insisted on them getting an early start on the day. He personally thought she was rather mental.

"You're not helping things, dear!" His father rushed into the dining area, hair askew and tie hanging untied around his neck. He stopped briefly for a cup of coffee and a kiss from his wife before grabbing his car keys and hollering out, "Goodbye! Love you all!"

"That man!" Seamus's mother shook her head, but wore a smile all the same. She turned back to the table and sat down with her three children. "What time is Harry's party, Seamus?"

"Well, it starts at five, but Ron owled me to ask if I could come over at one at help set everything up."

Erron slouched in his seat. "I want to come!" he whined, letting his spoon drop with a clatter.

"Erron..." their mother warned while Seamus rolled his eyes.

"You weren't invited. Besides, you don't know anyone and no one will be your age."

"So?"

"Erron, drop it," their mother told him as she walked out of the kitchen, calling out behind her, "Emma, you've got ten minutes before we leave for the baby-sitter's."

"Ahhh, mum! I don't want to go there!" Emma had inherited her mother's chocolate brown hair, and had the same hazel eyes as her father and Erron. At five years old, going on six, she was quite the little monster. Despite her words, however, she hopped down from her chair at the table and followed her mother out of the kitchen. The two were gone for about five minutes before they came back around, heading toward the fireplace.

"Goodbye you two! Have fun at the party, Seamus, and Erron, you behave for your brother and don´t break anything when you´re by yourself. I´m trusting you."

"Bye mum!" With a flash of green flame their mother and Emma were gone.

"Hey Seamus! Let´s go practice quidditch out back!" Erron had hopped down from his seat at the table.

"No way, I'm going to sleep for another few hours before the party. You can do what you want." Seamus stood up and left the kitchen, climbing the stairs to his room. He could hear Erron complaining loudly downstairs but he really didn't care. Sure, he loved his brother and all, but he was going to have to put up with him all school year. He wanted a break while he could get it.

He ended up not sleeping at all, but instead going over Delving's journal some more. Professor Lupin had owled it to him at the beginning of the summer and now Seamus was reading it in his spare time. It was actually quite interesting. Delving didn't seem to have been as evil as Seamus had originally thought. He hoped that once he got back to Hogwarts, Hundley's portrait would be back up, fully restored. Perhaps it could tell him a few things.

Eventually, twelve thirty rolled around and he figured he might as well clean up a bit. Erron, who was sitting in the living room pouring over his Hogwarts letter for the millionth time, pouted every time Seamus walked by.

"Would you stop that? I already told you, you can't come!"

"But it's not fair!"

"You'll meet them all at Hogwarts! Now stop annoying me!" Seamus checked the clock on the wall. "I've got to get going anyway. Leave the house intact!" He gave his brother one last look, then headed out to the kitchen to use the Floo. "Bye Erron!"

His brother didn't answer.

Fine, Seamus thought. Let him pout. See if I care.

With a bitterly triumphant smile, he stepped into the green flame and made his journey to the Burrow.

***

It was his first time to the Weasley-household. He was the only one there so far, other than those of the family. Mr. Weasley and Percy were at work, and Mrs. Weasley had made a last minute shopping trip before the party. Ron, the twins, and Ginny were all in the kitchen when he arrived, and he could hear the two oldest he'd yet to meet banging something around in the room beyond.

"Hey, Seamus!" Ron rose to greet him. "Thanks for coming so early!"

Seamus brushed the thanks off. "No problem, Erron was driving me up the wall anyway. Hello everyone!"

Ron motioned for him to join them at the scrubbed table. "To tell you the truth we didn't really need you to come early. It's just..."

Ginny rolled her brown eyes. "Ron's overanxious. He wants everything to go smoothly."

"I am not!" Ron turned to glare at his sister. "And so what if I want everything to go smoothly? It's Harry's first birthday party! He deserves it!"

"Calm down, Ron, I'm only teasing you. Nothing to get worked up about." Ginny smiled and patted her brother on the back. She then turned to Seamus. "We can't do anything until mum gets back anyway."

"Oh," he sat back in the chair, listening to the twins discussing plans for their joke shop and hoping that Erron hadn't burnt down the house.

***

About five hours later, the birthday party was in full swing. Seamus was laughing at Dean's stories of his summer along with Parvati and Lavender. It seemed like almost the whole of Hogwarts to-be-sixth years were there. Sans the Slytherins, of course.

"It was hilarious! The look on my dad's face!" Dean wiped a tear of mirth out of his eye as he concluded his tale. Seamus had practically collapsed in laughter and was now hanging on his taller friend's shoulder. Lavender and Parvati were giggling endlessly.

"Well I'm glad you three are having fun at my birthday party," Harry came up to them, practically skipping. He spoke in a very proud tone and the grin on his face was the largest they'd ever seen on him. Seamus was happy for him.

"We're having a blast!" Parvati told him, stopping to give the birthday boy a hug. "Happy sixteenth birthday!"

"Well thank you very, Miss Patil!" You knew Harry was in a goofy mood when he called a fellow student by a proper title.

"We're pleased to hear that, Mr. Potter," Seamus grinned as Harry scratched his head, eyes lighting up.

"Well, I'm back off into the fray! See you later!" With a jolly wave, the raven-haired boy bounded back into the party, joining Fred and George Weasley in a conversation.

"Well, he's certainly in a good mood," Lavender concluded with a smile.

"Well, shouldn't he be?" Parvati countered.

"Hey now, before we start getting all serious," Seamus took a step back, "I'm going to go get a drink. Anyone want anything?" They all replied negatively. "Alright then, I'll be back!"

"Careful now!" Parvati called out to him. "Mandy's being eyeing you this past fifteen minutes!" Seamus rolled his eyes and continued his journey to the kitchen, where the refreshments were held.

Mandy Brocklehurst had had her eyes on Seamus since before the Mark had come about. Or so he'd been told. They'd had one brief "date" in Hogsmeade and she'd left him alone after that for some time. But when he'd come back from his personal vacation (to home, didn't that defeat the word vacation?) she'd been in full blown girl-mode. It had been a bit of an ego-booster at first, having a pretty girl come up and say hi to him everyday, ask how he was doing and all that nonsense. But from the actual conversations he'd held with her, she didn't seem like the girlfriend type. At least, not for him. She'd be a great friend, she knew all about quidditch, but he just didn't think he could stand having a girlfriend that was always correcting his grammar or talking about goblin rebellions as though they were actually interesting. Dean had told him that it was because she was a Ravenclaw. Then Seamus had reminded him that his dream-girl was a Ravenclaw and he had shut right up.

And just as Parvati had said, Mandy, in a group with her Ravenclaw friends, was following him with her eyes. He glanced at her quickly and only through the corner of his eye. He figured if he didn't initiate any form contact he would be better off. She wouldn't be so bad, either, if she only would relent some. Dean liked to tease Seamus by saying he had a stalker. Seamus wasn't sure if that was so far from the truth anymore.

"Well hello there," a gentle, feminine voice greeted him. He looked up to see Ron's little sister standing in the entry way to the kitchen, talking with Neville.

"Hello!" He gave Neville an enormous grin. "I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"

"No!" Both of them practically shouted, shaking their heads and laughing merrily. "We're just discussing the finer points of stalking," Neville informed him, a sly look on his face as his light blue eyes traveled over to Mandy's group. Ginny seemed to be stifling giggles.

It had always struck him as odd that these two had ever become friends. Ginny was quite popular in her own year, and was growing into quite the looker. Neville, on the other hand, was...Neville. Nevertheless, the two had been good friends ever since they had gone to the Yule Ball together in fourth year, even if nothing more had come out of the date.

Seamus groaned at his friend's statement. "She's not a stalker," he looked at the dubious look on Neville's face. "Yet," he added.

"Well, better a stalker than a cult I always say," Ginny ran a hand through her long red hair. "Hold on, she hasn't told you that she's your true friend, has she?" Neville burst out laughing. "Because, there isn't really a glorious golden god on a far away planet waiting for you to come to him."

Seamus looked at her strangely for a moment before joining Neville in the laughter. "Damn! I was looking forward to chanting!"

"What are you all laughing about?"

The three turned to see Mandy standing behind them, a curious look on her face.

"Oh, um, nothing!" Seamus elbowed Neville in the stomach to keep him quiet. "Just talking about...the uh...decorations."

"Oh," Mandy blinked. "Well, how have you been? I was going to owl you but we were on vacation and the cost of international owls in atrocious."

"Oh, I've been-" Enjoying my time away from you? No too rude. "-having a good time away from school."

"Oh, me too! It's nice to see everyone again, isn't it?"

"Er, yeah."

Neville was practically doubled over in silent hysterics, meanwhile a new song began to play.

"Oh!" Mandy perked up. "This song is my favorite! Care to dance?"

"Uh, you know I would but..." Seamus looked at his two fellow Gryffindor's desperately.

"But he's promised this dance to me!" Ginny butted in, taking Seamus's hand and pulling him into the main room where the joined the other happy dancers, leaving Mandy looking frazzled.

"Better watch it, Ginny," he warned her as she situated his hands for him (what did he know about dancing?), "Or we'll wake up one morning and your head will be on a post in the Great Hall."

Ginny raised an eyebrow. "Not really much of a comforter, are you?"

"I try my best," he told her solemnly. She patted his head and glanced over at her brother, Ron, who standing with Dean, Lavender, and Parvati. All of who were giving them strange looks.

"Uh-oh, don't look now, but we're starting rumors." She nodded towards the group as they moved in time to the slow song.

"Hm?" He turned and sighed as he saw the group. "I never get a moments peace, do I?"

Ginny shrugged. "Who wants peace, really?"

***

September 1^st dawned before anyone was ready for it. Excepting maybe Erron.

"Oh boy! I finally get to go to Hogwarts! I can't wait!" The young boy was hopping up and down as the family made their way into King's Cross Station.

"Calm down, would you?" Seamus lightly punched his brother in the shoulder. "We can't have you making a scene."

"I'm not making a scene!"

Seamus rolled his eyes and turned to his sister, who was walking hand-in-hand with their mother. "You going to miss us while we're away at school?"

"No."

"Well, at least you're honest about it..."

"Can I have your room while you're gone?" She looked up him, hazel eyes wide with hope.

"No. Ow!!!" With a jerk, he pulled his wrist free from Emma's mouth, wiping it off on his shirt and nursed the still stinging teeth marks.

"Emma! I thought I told you to stop biting people!"

"Aw, mum..."

"Here we are, kids!" Seamus's father stopped the trolley with their trunks before the barrier. "In we go." Seamus and Erron went first, followed by their mother and Emma, and finally their father.

The Hogwarts Express gleamed in it glory, scarlet steam engine proudly waiting to kick off the journey. Families milled about the platform saying their good-byes, and friends greeted one another, swapping stories and complaining about the return to schoolwork and early mornings. At least Seamus was already used to one of those.

"Now Erron, you behave at school! And don't hesitate to owl us if you need something! And Seamus, you look after him!" Their mother seemed more tearful than ever. Perhaps it was because she now had two sons heading off to school, rather than just one.

"Erron," Their father pulled the youngest son away from the pack briefly. "I want to ask you something."

Seamus stared after them, and then turned to his mother. "What's that all about?"

"Oh, I have no idea." But it was obvious she did.

The whistle hollered out, signaling that was time to board.

"Oh dear, Henry! Come and help them get their trunks onboard!"

"Coming, Colette!" Erron and their father returned, only immediately head toward the passenger compartments.

"Now you two be good! And Seamus...be careful."

"I will mum! Goodbye!"

With a last burst of steam, the train took off. Leaving their parents and Emma behind. Erron and Seamus looked at each other for a moment.

"What'd dad say to you?" Seamus asked him curiously.

Shiftily, Erron replied, "Nothing..."

Seamus's eyes narrowed. "Whatever. I'm going to go find my friends. I'll see at the school." He began to wade through the traffic of people and head toward where his friends usually congregated on the train.

"Wait! What about me? I don't know anyone!"

"So meet people!" With out even looking back at his brother, he left the compartment.

After a while of searching, he found Dean and Neville holed up in a compartment with Harry and Ron. They all greeted him as he entered.

"Hello," he responded. "Where are the girls?"

"Hermione's in the prefects compartment, as usual," Ron rolled his eyes.

"Parvati and Lavender are...doing what they do best." Dean followed suit.

"Checking out guys?"

"Bingo."

Seamus sighed and threw himself down next to Dean. "Silly girls." Shifting his weight in the seat, he turned to Harry. "Enjoy your party?"

"Oh yeah! Thanks for the model pitch, by the way! It's really great!"

"I figured you'd like it." They sat in silence for some time, until the snack trolley came by. While they were busy stuffing their faces with every sweet imaginable, Dean asked about Erron.

"Hey Seamus, isn't your brother starting this year?"

"Yup."

"Where is he?"

Seamus shrugged. "I have no idea."

"You just left him to wander around the train?"

"He'll meet with some other first years. He'll be fine."

"If you say so..." Dean began to say something else, but the train had started to slow.

They had reached Hogsmeade Station.