SEAMUS FINNIGAN stays with Jason for several years, first in a monogamous relationship, then an open one. They travel extensively in the U.S., taking advantage of the sort of magic a British accent will work for you when hitting on Americans.

When they break up, Seamus moves to Boston, Massachusetts, where he spends a few years working at a wizarding Irish pub. Everyone knows what happened in Albion and Ireland, and can do the math to realize Seamus must have been there in the thick of it; on those (rare) occasions when someone asks him about life in the Protectorate, he tells them truthfully that he's a half-blood and lets them draw a mix of correct and incorrect conclusions. Every now and then, though, someone spots the faded Dark Mark on his arm; those conversations rarely go well. The exception is a man who gets the full story but sticks around anyway. That relationship lasts for several years, then ends messily. Seamus and Jason get back in touch, then reunite.

After Jason's death, Seamus moves quietly back to Ireland under an assumed name. He lives in Galway for a decade before being recognized and murdered by a vigilante.

Well, I left. I mean, I left New London, I left our side -- what was left of it -- I left Bellatrix Lestrange and Antonin Dolohov (even though he turned out to be alive after all) and the Council.

Jason Montague convinced me. Not to go to the Order -- he didn't tell me where we were going, just that he was going to keep me safe.

He'd apparently been working for them for months.

The Death Eaters want to get out -- they're trapped by the wards, the way Mr Rosier everyone else was. Lana Sandoval suggested killing me to break out of the wards. Which might have worked, I guess, because of the way the Irish ward was made. They asked if I was willing, so of course I said I was, because -- you know, what else was I going to say? After that was when Jason asked me to promise to come with him to safety. I thought, I don't know. I guess on some level I thought he probably meant the Order, but I couldn't let myself think about it. I just kept my head down until he said it was time.

So now I'm at Hogwarts. We were in a safehouse, Jason's safehouse. But it's very small, and his parents were there as well. And Freddie -- Alfred -- he wouldn't come. He wanted to stay behind. And that didn't end well for him. Jason wanted to get away from his parents for a bit so here we are. It's -- I don't know. I don't like being here. Too many people hate me I don't belong here. I don't really belong anywhere.

What

What happened?

They're saying Virgil Crispin is dead. Killed by someone from the Order of the Phoenix.

That Auror Crouch knows who did it, but isn't saying.

Was it Draco?

What happened?

I've been thinking about last night at Maidstone. The plan was to go in, strike, and then take off before they could properly respond, so we left when reinforcements turned up. There were a few wizards there when we arrived, though.

And, I've been thinking about this. I got just a quick look at one of them, and it was dark and there was a lot of smoke. But I think -- it might have been Sirius Black. I didn't write to Bellatrix or send word back to MLE because I would have felt such an idiot if it had turned out to be some other dark-haired bloke with a beard. Also, I was along as a trainee, and Wreston wasn't saying anything, and -- but the more I think about it, the more I'm pretty sure that's who I saw. Only I'm not sure now if I'm accidentally playing a trick on myself, you know? I don't know if I'm remembering properly what I really saw or not.

Anyway I don't think I'd better tell Bellatrix that maybe I spotted Sirius Black last night and didn't say anything.

How do you think I'm coming along, with the occlumency?

I'm being sent with Auror Unit 12 to Maidstone Camp. Not sure exactly what we're going to be doing there -- but I expect there will be Phoenixes! Didn't want to be a no-show without telling you why.

Thanks for getting me into the Auror training. I like keeping busy.

I was thinking today, though. About Boot's message -- about the useful bits, I mean, not just him trying to twist the knife. He more or less told me he was an animagus, but he also told me Neville Longbottom died in the same rite as Harry Marvolo did. The Phoenix must have had someone else there, who got away and told them what happened, right? And it HAD to have been an animagus, because even if someone somehow got in under a disillusionment spell, Bellatrix would have known they were there.

And it couldn't have been Boot -- whatever he turns into, it's big enough to rip out a man's throat. Dog, I imagine, or wolf -- big cats, bears, they don't have to go for the throat, but in any case surely THAT would have been noticed.

Back last winter, Ron Weasley brought Sally-Anne Perks' rat back to our dorm room. Or at least, he said it was her rat. It didn't act especially rat-like. So now I'm wondering -- maybe it wasn't actually Perks' rat, but one of their lot had worked out how to do the transformation, but not how to get back? I've heard that's one of the dangers of trying to learn, that you can get stuck as an animal if you do it wrong. Anyway, it's possible a rat could have gone along and spied. And got away, after. I don't know who it was, though. No one was missed, though I don't know how much that matters, they might have had someone use polyjuice and pass themselves off as Weasley or Perks or whichever traitor was stuck being a rat that day.

Look, I -- I'm sorry.

I don't want to make our friendship impossibly awkward. Friendship is fine. If you don't I promise I won't try to kiss you again. (I think it was me who kissed you, last night. I know I told you this morning you kissed me but once I'd had the hangover potion and slept again I was a lot less sure.)

I find you attractive. Not much point in lying about that. But I find a lot of people attractive, and a good portion of the time they're not interested in lads, and I manage. The fact that you fancy some lads doesn't mean you fancy me; I'll manage.

I hope you'll still train with me. Duelling, I mean.

I spent part of the day with Jason Montague.

One of the things we talked about was the Black Curse. He's seen it cast, and the results. I never have.

It must haunt you, thinking about it. Harry standing in front of you, asking you to cast it. The look on his face when the curse landed. Montague said the person who got hit looked relieved for a second, because they'd expected the killing curse. Then they felt it in their bones and got this look of horror.

Is that how Harry looked?

Are you also at Buckingham?

You asked me where I wish I could go. It's not so much -- what I really want is to be useful, you know? I don't have anything much to do right now. I don't

Auror Lestrange asked me to try to persuade Padma to come back but she's not answering me and I don't think it's going to work.