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It was the Wizarding World’s first Christmas not held under duress. There was no underlying threat of attack. No fear. They were free. Free.
Dean couldn’t help smiling at this particular thought. He’d never felt so free in his entire life. From the very moment they’d watched Voldemort fall; his life had changed. His view on life had changed too. They’d been so close to death. So damn close.
He could remember the exact moment it happened. His brain had barely registered the end of the battle- Harry’s triumph. A stunned silence engulfed the Great Hall. Then noise erupted. Dean had turned sideways, locked eyes with Seamus, and thought; fuck it! He grabbed his best friend by the jumper and kissed him. Finally. After six and a half years.
The fact Seamus kissed him back was just the icing on the cake.
Six months later they’d moved into a small flat in London. Restoration efforts at Hogwarts kept them busy while they tried to figure out what came next. Neither had thought much about life after school. No one had been certain there would even be such a thing. Yet here they were. Alive. Living. Together.
“Ready?” Seamus appeared in the doorway to their bedroom. His brows drawing together at the sight of his boyfriend sitting on the edge of the bed. Dean had been staring at nothing, deep in thought until interrupted. “What yer doin’?”
“Just thinking.” He got to his feet with a smile. “You still haven’t told me where we’re going.”
“Cos it’s a surprise.” Obviously. They both knew that already.
“What sort of surprise?” Dean closed the space between them in three strides.
“If I told yer that, it wouldn’t be a surprise now would it?” It had remained a surprise for over a month and he wasn’t about to ruin it. His resolve wavered for a moment as Dean ran a hand up the side of his neck and into his hair.
“Not even one clue?” The hand in his hair tugged gently, causing an unsolicited growl to rumble up Seamus’ throat.
“Stop that!” He swatted Dean’s arm away and retreated down the hallway. “Come on!” Laughter followed him into the living room as they both shrugged on their coats and scarves. Seamus held out his hand and Dean took it with a grin. There was that familiar and unpleasant feeling of being stretched in all directions, then they were gone.
They reappeared in a dark alleyway, swaying on their feet. Both men blinked as their eyes adjusted. Hustle and bustle of people could be heard from the end of the alleyway. Multi-coloured lights and silhouettes were all they could see. “Where are we?” Dean immediately made to leave the alleyway but Seamus grabbed his wrist.
“Wait. Close your eyes.”
“What? Why?” Seamus let go of his boyfriend’s wrist in favour of covering his eyes instead. “Seamus-“
“Just trust me.” He removed his hands when he was sure Dean was keeping his eyes closed. They walked awkwardly to the end of the alleyway and onto the street. “Grand. Now open.” He did as he was told. That were stood at the mouth of a pier, bright blinking lights illuminating both sides. Beyond those lights were hundreds of boats floating on the water, also lit up with multi-coloured lights. It was breath-taking.
“Seamus…” Dean glanced sideways to see his boyfriend beaming up at him. “It’s beautiful.” Seamus nodded and took his boyfriend’s hand. He gently tugged to get them moving. They walked silently along the pier for a minute or so. Once things felt a little less overwhelming Dean spoke again. “So where are we?” The crowd of people was far behind them by now, a distant hum of activity.
“Kenmare pier.” The name rang a bell.
“You brought me to the home of the Kestrels?” Of course! Seamus’ favourite Quidditch team. He should have known.
“This is where me Da was born.” This took Dean by surprise. Considering how long they’d known each other, there were some things they still didn’t actually know about each other. “We used to come ‘ere when I was a wean.” The photos Maggie, Seamus’ mother, had excitedly got out of the cupboard during their last visit flashed behind Dean’s eyes. His lips twitched into a grin at the memory.
“Well, I love it.” He thrust an arm around his boyfriend’s shoulders, pulling him against his side. “Thank you for bringing me.” They reached the end of the pier. Bouncing boats covered in fairy lights flanked them on either side. There was a clear space in front of them where light danced on the surface of the dark water. In the distance more lights lined what Dean assumed was the edges of the water, hanging in invisible trees.
“Merry Christmas, Dean.” Seamus looked at him with a smile.
“Merry Christmas, Seamus.” He leaned down and kissed him. Hopefully this would be their first of many.