Seamus Finnigan

Seamus Finnigan (born c.1979-1980) is a half-blood wizard who was a student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in Harry Potter's year. He was Sorted into Gryffindor House and shared a dormitory with friends Dean Thomas, Neville Longbottom, Ron Weasley, and Harry Potter. Although Seamus originally doubted Harry's claim that Lord Voldemort had returned in 1995, he eventually joined Dumbledore's Army in his fifth year. He was again part of the D.A. in his seventh year, and fought in the Battle of Hogwarts.

Early Life
Born around 1980, Seamus is the son of a Muggle father and a magical mother. He has an older cousin, Fergus, who would frequently Apparate just to annoy him. Seamus had plans to to annoy Fergus back, once he passed his Apparition test. Seamus is implied to be Irish.

First Year
"I'm half and half. Me dad's a Muggle; mam's a witch. Bit of a nasty shock for him when he found out."

- Seamus Finnigan



Seamus arrived at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry on September 1, 1991. Other students in his year included Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, and Draco Malfoy. When Professor McGonagall asked the first years to form a line, to head into the Great Hall, Seamus ended up in front of Harry Potter. When Seamus' name was called during the Sorting ceremony, he waited for almost a minute before the Sorting Hat placed him into Gryffindor. After joining the Gryffindor table, Seamus was introduced to House ghost Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington, whom students often called "Nearly Headless Nick." Seamus asked how one could be "nearly" headless, to which Nick demonstrated by pulling his head off of his neck, which disgusted most of the table.

During his first Potions lesson the next day, Seamus was partnered with Neville Longbottom to brew a Boil-Cure Potion. Neville managed to melt Seamus' cauldron, and was drenched in their potion. Professor Snape told Seamus to take Neville to the hospital wing, which he did.

When the Gryffindor first-years learned about their first flying lesson with Madam Hooch, Seamus bragged that, in his youth, he spent most of his time flying around the countryside. During Charms class on Halloween morning, Seamus was partnered with Harry to practice the Hover Charm. While practising, Seamus managed to set fire to their feather, and Harry had to put it out with his hat.

When Harry was preparing for his first Quidditch match, Seamus joined in to try and get Harry to eat something for breakfast. He insisted Harry needed his strength, because Seekers were the most frequent target of physical attacks. Harry acquiesced, and Seamus piled ketchup onto his sausages. Out in the pitch, Seamus joined Ron, Hermione, Neville, and Dean in the top row of seats. When Harry's broom became enchanted by Quirinus Quirrell, Seamus was impressed, as was the rest of Gryffindor, that Harry managed to stay on the broom.

Before leaving Hogwarts for the Christmas holiday, Seamus lent Harry his wizard chess pieces so Harry could learn how to play. After the New Year, Seamus returned for his next term. When Neville arrived in Gryffindor Tower with his legs stuck together, Seamus was among those who burst into laughter.

Before getting on the Hogwarts Express to leave for the summer, Seamus, along with the rest of the school, was given a warning not to use magic.

Second Year
"They're starting a Duelling Club! First meeting tonight, I wouldn't mind duelling lessons, they might come in handy one of these days..."

- Seamus upon seeing the notice board

On September 1, Seamus boarded the Hogwarts Express to begin his second year at school. When Harry Potter and Ron Weasley arrived at school via Arthur Weasley's flying car, Seamus was one of the students who expressed admiration at the result.

In Gilderoy Lockhart's first Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson, in which he showed the class a cage of Cornish pixies, Seamus asked if they were dangerous or not. Instead of giving the class a straight answer, Lockhart showed them by letting them loose; most of the class, including Seamus, dove for cover. Seamus was among the students who bolted for the door when the bell rang, and escaped the task of putting the pixies back in their cage.

Seamus later attended the first (and only) meeting of Lockhart's Duelling Club. He was partnered with Ron, and at one point, Ron's damaged wand malfunctioned and knocked Seamus to the ground. Ron helped Seamus to his feet, apologizing profusely. When Harry and Draco Malfoy were chosen to demonstrate blocking spells, Seamus and the rest of the class learned that Harry could talk to snakes.

Third Year


A few days before the start of term, Seamus arrived in Diagon Alley to purchase his school books. With Dean Thomas, he saw Harry Potter in Quality Quidditch Supplies, where they were oogling the newly released Firebolt broomstick.

In his first Divination lesson with Sybill Trelawney, the class debated whether or not she had seen a Grim in Harry's teacup. Tilting his head from side to side, Seamus expressed his opinion that, tilted right, the tea leaves did resemble a Grim, but tilted left, it looked more like a donkey. In his first Potions lesson, Seamus told Harry and Ron that Sirius Black, an escaped Azkaban convict, had been spotted near the school. Looking excited, he informed them that a Muggle woman had spotted Black, and called the special hot line set up by the Ministry of Magic.

After lunch, Seamus had his first Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson with Remus Lupin. When Seamus' turn came to face a Boggart, the creature turned into a banshee with floor-length black hair and a skeletal green face. When the banshee began to shriek, Seamus used the Riddikulus charm to take her voice away; for his participation, Seamus earned 5 House points.

On Halloween, Seamus paid his first visit to Hogsmeade with the rest of the third years. When the Gryffindors learned that Sirius Black had attacked the Fat Lady, they were all sent back to the Great Hall, where they were joined by the other Houses. With the rest of Gryffindor, Seamus was aggravated by the choice of Sir Cadogan to guard the House's portrait hole, calling him a "lunatic." When Seamus complained to Head Boy Percy Weasley, Percy replied that Sir Cadogan was the only one who willingly volunteered.

Along with most of the school, Seamus went home for the Christmas holidays. When he returned, he was impressed that, although anonymously, Harry had received a Firebolt for Christmas. When Harry went down to breakfast the morning of his first Quidditch match with the broom, Seamus served as a "guard of honour" to protect the broom.

When Professor Lupin resigned at the end of the year, after being exposed as a werewolf, Seamus was among the students who was sorry to see him go.

Fourth Year
Over the summer of 1994, Seamus and his mother along with Dean attended the Quidditch World Cup between Bulgaria and Ireland. Being Irish, the pair obviously supported the latter; their tent was covered with shamrocks. When Seamus ran into Harry, Ron, and Hermione, they assured him that they would be supporting Ireland, as well. Presumably Seamus was delighted when the Irish National Quidditch team won.

By the start of term, Seamus was still wearing his Ireland rosette; it still called out the names of the Irish players, albeit feebly and exhaustedly. At the Welcoming Feast, Seamus learned that the Triwizard Tournament would be held at Hogwarts that year. Seamus' first day of classes didn't sit well with him. In his first class, Herbology, he was required to collect bubotuber pus for Professor Sprout. In his next class, Care of Magical Creatures, he was required to help look after Hagrid's newly bred Blast-Ended Skrewts.

When Harry's name mysteriously came out of the Goblet of Fire, Seamus was among the students who believed Harry had tricked the Goblet into letting him compete. On Christmas Day, Seamus attended the Yule Ball with Lavender Brown.

Fifth Year


On his first night back at school, Seamus got into an argument with Harry Potter about the latter's claim of Lord Voldemort's return. A devout reader of the Daily Prophet, Seamus's mother believed what the papers were saying about Harry and Albus Dumbledore, and had been reluctant to allow Seamus to return to school. When Seamus asked Harry what really happened that night, Harry snapped at him to read the Prophet like his mother. When Ron Weasley arrived to break the argument up, Seamus thought that, for believing Harry, Ron was as crazy as Harry was.

After Harry's interview with Rita Skeeter appeared in The Quibbler, Seamus apologized for his behaviour. He told Harry that he now believed Voldemort was back, and had sent a copy of Harry's interview to his mother. Seamus and Harry were soon friends again

When the students returned to school after Christmas break, Dean Thomas led Seamus to attend his first meeting of Dumbledore's Army. Seamus was thrilled when he managed to conjure a Patronus. It disappeared after only a few moments, but was "something hairy." When Dobby the house-elf arrived to warn the group about Dolores Umbridge's pending arrival, Seamus managed to escape with most of the others.

In the spring of 1996, Seamus sat his O.W.L. exams.

Sixth Year
In the fall of 1996, Seamus tried out for the Gryffindor Quidditch team as a Chaser. When Katie Bell was sent to St. Mungo's after touching a cursed necklace, Seamus was among the students who disapproved of Harry's choice of Dean Thomas as her replacement; Harry was initially against it, as well, because he knew Seamus wouldn't like it. But he felt it was the right choice, because Dean had outflown Seamus during the try-outs.

When the sixth-years learned about Apparition lessons in the spring of 1997, Seamus was among the group of students who were impressed that Harry Potter had already experienced it through Side-Along Apparation with Albus Dumbledore.

After Dumbledore was killed by Professor Snape, Seamus refused to return home until after the funeral despite his mother insisting he returned home at once.

Seventh Year
While Harry, Ron, and Hermione were gone searching for Voldemort's Horcruxes, Seamus returned to Death Eater-controlled Hogwarts for his 7th year. He greatly missed his best friend Dean Thomas, who was forced to go on the run because of his presumed Muggle-born status. Seamus was part of the restored Dumbledore's Army who ended up staying in the Room of Requirement to escape the Carrows. He, along with many others, showed the cost of standing up to the new regime at Hogwarts: his face was so bruised that when Harry returned to the school in May of 1998, Seamus was unrecognisable until he spoke.

Battle of Hogwarts
"He was searching for Voldemort and saw him across the room, firing spells from his wand as he backed into the Great Hall, still screaming instructions to his followers as he sent curses flying left and right; Harry cast more Shield Charms, and Voldemort's would-be victims, Seamus Finnigan and Hannah Abbott, darted past him into the Great Hall, where they joined the fight already flourishing inside it."

- Description of the second half of the Battle of Hogwarts

When Voldemort's army attacked the castle, Seamus was among many of those who stayed to fight. During the Battle of Hogwarts, Seamus, along with Luna Lovegood and Ernie Macmillan, saved Harry, Ron, and Hermione from hundreds of Dementors by casting the Patronus Charm to ward them off. His Patronus was in the form of a fox.

Seamus was among the students to witness Hagrid carry Harry's "dead" body back to the school grounds, when Neville shouted 'Dumbledore's Army', Seamus was among those in the crowd that roared with cheers, provoking Voldemort. Afterwards, when the second stage of the fighting began, and Lord Voldemort himself had stepped in, Harry saved Seamus and Hannah Abbott's lives when Voldemort had sent a curse their way.

Once the battle was over, Seamus was not among the mentioned casualties, and it is most likely that he survived the Second Wizarding War.

Physical appearance
Seamus had sandy-coloured hair. Being a Gryffindor, he usually wore a red-and-gold tie and a black jumper. He wore his clothes in an untidy manner and looked like something of a slob. During Seamus's final year at Hogwarts, his face had been battered and bruised by the Carrows to an extent that neither Harry nor Dean Thomas could recognise him, until he spoke with his distinct Irish accent.

Personality and traits
Through his school years, Seamus generally appeared good-natured and easy-going. As suggested by his name, Seamus comes from an Irish family. Seamus seems to display traits of more than one Hogwarts house, since the Sorting Hat had to think for almost a minute before deciding to sort him into Gryffindor.

Of all the boys in Harry's dormitory, Seamus was the least enthusiastic supporter of Harry Potter and Albus Dumbledore, often demonstrating scepticism of Harry's claims. He did, however, join Dumbledore's Army sometime in 1996 - however, he did not sign the actual membership list of the group. After Dumbledore's death the following year, Seamus insisted on remaining at Hogwarts in order to attend the funeral for the fallen headmaster, despite his mother's wish to remove him immediately from the perceived dangers at the school, showing his respect and growing conviction.

Seamus also demonstrated the characteristic bravery and loyalty of his house by opposing the Death Eaters at great personal risk during his final year at Hogwarts and in the final battle.

Dean Thomas
Dean Thomas was Seamus's best friend. The two quickly became close upon meeting and sharing a dormitory in their first year, and were both fans of Quidditch. Despite having differences over their belief in Harry in their fifth year, and when Dean was awarded the position of Gryffindor Chaser over Seamus , the two remained very close. When Dean returned to Hogwarts in 1998 after being on the run from Death Eaters, Seamus was ecstatic to see him, and ran to hug him.

Family
Seamus appears to have a very close relationship with his family, particularly his mother. They attended the 1994 Quidditch World Cup together, and one of Seamus's main reasons for doubting Harry Potter's story that Voldemort had returned was his mother's belief in the Daily Prophet's version of events. However, Seamus felt strongly enough about attending Albus Dumbledore's funeral to defy his mother's wishes that he return home immediately.



Other Friendships
Seamus is also friends with his other roommates, Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Neville Longbottom, though not to the same extent as with Dean Thomas. He and Harry had small fallings out over Harry being chosen as a Triwizard Champion and Seamus's doubt over Harry's claim that Lord Voldemort had returned, but managed to patch things up. When Ron had a row with Harry himself about the Goblet of Fire choosing Harry as a champion, he spent a lot of time with Seamus and Dean.

Seamus also appears to be friendly with Lavender Brown, whom he took to the Yule Ball in 1994 They may have been romantically involved around that time, though they may have just gone together as friends. Later on, Ron would get romantically involved with Lavender and there were no signs of bitterness between him and Seamus, which may indicate that Seamus and Lavender were never a couple.

Seamus also seems to have been friendly with classmates and fellow D.A. members Hannah Abbott and Ernie Macmillan; during the Battle of Hogwarts, he was frequently seen fighting alongside them, even though his best friend Dean Thomas had returned to Hogwarts. His friendship with Hannah and Ernie may have became closer when Dean was on the run and he had to make new friends, both Harry and Ron where also absent from school leaving Seamus with only Neville as a friend.

Behind the scenes

 * Seamus has been played by Devon Murray, an Irish actor, in all Harry Potter film adaptations to date.
 * Murray does not fit the physical description given of Seamus Finnigan, but he does have the Irish accent needed for the role.
 * A running gag in the films is that Seamus keeps causing things to be set on fire and (sometimes) burning his eyebrows off.
 * Murray has the record for breaking the most fake wands, on the Harry Potter set.
 * In the Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (film), it is Hermione not Seamus who asks Nearly Headless Nick about being his namesake.

Appearances

 * Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
 * Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
 * Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
 * Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (video game)
 * Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
 * Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
 * Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (game)
 * Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
 * Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
 * Harry Potter: Quidditch World Cup

Notes and references
Seamus Finnigan Seamus Finnigan