Chapter Seventeen: Stop Trying to Get Me Naked

The Diggory tent was quiet. Amos Diggory was asleep in one of the bedrooms while his son laid peacefully on the couch, covered in blankets and wearing a funny sweater that displayed the word "HUFFLE-PUG" across of it along with a muggle dog's head. In the smaller room that adjourned the kitchen rested little Jamie Devereaux. She was splayed across the twin sized bed, her long hair flowing in multiple directions. She still had on faint residue of the paint face she had worn the night before in support of the Bulgarian Quidditch team. Jamie wore a similar sweater to Cedric, with the word "GRYFFIN-ADORE" across it with many tiny hearts surrounding the word.

There was shouting from outside the tent. Cedric Diggory was first to rise due to the noise. It was a slow waking, until he heard the scream of a young child. Immediately he jumped to his feet, all sleep leaving him. Running to the room his father was in, he opened the door to see Amos Diggory standing up, and shuffling shoes on his feet. He turned to his son and Cedric saw fear etched onto his father's face, "I'm going to go see what's wrong, you wake Jamie."

Amos exited the tent, but before Cedric had woken the sleeping Gryffindor his father's head shot back inside, "Death Eaters." It was all his father said before turning back out into the chaos that were surly ensuing. Because of his father's Ministry position, Cedric understood that Amos Diggory would be in charge of helping protect the wizards at the World Cup from people like the Death Eaters, especially considering it was the British Ministry that was hosting.

Jamie emerged out of her room, sleep still in her eyes, "Cedric, what is going on?"

Cedric grabbed Jamie's arm and dragged her small form out of the tent. Around them people were moving in crowds, running in every direction. Cedric wasn't sure where the Death Eaters were, only that they needed to move. From a distance, he heard more screams and saw a tent near by catch fire. Jamie Devereaux let out a loud gasp beside him, her big eyes reflecting the flames, "We have to get out of here." Cedric said, finally speaking.

Jamie nodded numbly and allowed Cedric's taller frame to break apart through the crowds and drag her along. Jamie bumped into the people around her, all of them pushing and fighting to get as far away from the danger as they could. The little witch's heart rate was impossibly fast. She was not sure what everyone was afraid of or why everyone was running, but Jamie had never been part of this kind of mass panic before. Everything around her blurred red and black and nothing seemed to make sense except for fear. Fear was an emotion Jamie Devereaux Bruce had not had much of, living quite a safe life. Instead of her features sharpening—as they did when she was angry—her features felt like they were melting away and the blurring stopped and suddenly her eyes were sharp. Everything was visible, and ahead of her she saw four people, two of them children, floating above in the air against their will. Jamie's sharpened focus looked at the panic etched onto their faces and felt immediate kinship with them.

Cedric looked back in panic, seeing that Jamie had stopped moving and was looking far away from them at shapes that were floating in the air above. He tried to make out the four figures but the haze of the night wasn't allowing him. He gave Jamie's arm another tug but she resisted with surprising force. An older woman bumped into her and she stayed standing, staring transfixed. "Muggles." Cedric heard her say, and then he watched as his best friend moved toward the floating figures and the Death Eaters that suspended them in air.

George Weasley was pushing his little sister in front of him and Fred followed closely behind the two. The three Weasley's were moving past the crowds and away from the Death Eaters. Fred felt numb in fear and uncertainty. He didn't know exactly what was happening, the mass panic was unnerving and confusing and all he could do was make sure his sister and twin stayed within his line of sight.

From that haze of focus on his siblings, Fred Weasley heard a familiar voice shouting. "Jamie! Jamie! Jamie stop, please!" Fred looked toward the sound and saw Cedric Diggory's head poking above the mass of people. He followed Cedric's waving saw a silver head of a determined Jamie, moving toward the group of terrorists. Everything went cold in him and Fred didn't think as he shoved people out of the way and moved toward Jamie Devereaux.

The only thing Jamie could see was the panic and fear in the Muggle family's eyes. She had no plan, but she knew she could do something. She knew, somehow, that if she could tell those people to put them down in a strong enough voice, they would. Jamie just needed to get close enough for them to hear her.

She was only twenty people away from the group of cloaked figures and the struggling family when a broad shoulder hit her stomach and she was hiked into the air. The wind was knocked out of her and she gasped loudly. Her strange, determined trance had been broken and the smell of soap and cinnamon hit her nose. Craning her neck she saw a familiar head of red hair. Fred Weasley was carrying her through the crowd of wizards quickly. Almost as fast as he disappeared, he caught up with George and Ginny and jogged with them into the forest.

Jamie was bouncing on his shoulder, surely having a bruise form on her stomach, "Put me down, Weasley!" She shouted, beginning to hit his back and kick her legs. One of his hands went across the back of her knees to keep them still, while the other was around her waist to make sure she remained on his shoulder. "That's likely." Fred merely mumbled in response.

"Put me down or I will hex your shorts off." Jamie warned, even though her wand was closer to Fred's hand than her own.

"Stop trying to get me naked." Fred quipped, causing Jamie to still completely as heat hit her face and embarrassment set in.

Ginevra Weasley watched Fred march through the forest with the little blonde witch on his shoulder. She and George shared a look of uncertainty. Since the end of term this year, Fred had been very moody and cross. The glower that rested on his face right now only seemed to intensify due to Jamie's presence, which was a first. Normally the sixth year girl was what put him in a good mood, especially when she was threatening him.

When the trees grew a little thicker together and the sounds of chaos were no longer so prominent, Fred bent down to place Jamie Devereaux on her feet. The blonde immediately attacked and shoved at his chest, but he was the first to speak, "What the bloody hell were you thinking? Those were Death Eaters." Blood was pounding in his ears. All he could think about was the fact that, had he not stopped her, Jamie could have been killed by those cloaked figures because of her own stupidity.

"I was thinking" Jamie responded, angrily, glaring up at Fred and tugging at her sweater that had ridden up when he was carrying her, "That I was going to help that poor family. Until your Overgrown, Freckled, Neanderthal body stopped me." Faintly, Jamie heard George Weasley say 'good one' but she was too angry at his twin to acknowledge the praise.

"Really? What were you going to do, Jamie. Walk up to them and demand that they stop? Maybe do a little hex to turn their hair blue? Make them puke up their Death Eater snacks?" Fred was standing so close to Jamie, all he saw was her. Her dark green eyes were narrowed and her hair flowed behind her.

"Being a by-standard to the mistreatment of muggles makes you just as bad as them." Jamie stated, moving even closer to Fred to shove him out of her way, "I am going to stop them."

Fred grabbed her arm and kept her still, "The hell you are." Jamie twisted in his grip but he was determined not to let the girl go, "You and your death wish are staying right here."

"Oh and I suppose you're going to stop me?" Jamie Devereaux challenged.

Fred laughed without humor looking down at his hand preventing her from moving, "I already have." Jamie tried to escape his grasp again but to no avail. A frustrated scream escaped her lips and she stomped a foot.

"I can't just stand by and watch them hurt muggles!" She yelled.

"Jamie," Came George's voice from behind Fred, "You're muggleborn. If they saw you, it's just as likely that they'd hurt you as well. It's better to let the Ministry handle it."

"Don't be stupid." Fred said, his anger still making his blood boil. He couldn't believe how reckless she was being. How carelessly she could have been gone from the world.

Jamie's mouth opened at the words, "It's not stupid to want to help."

"Yes it is." Fred stated.

"You're stupid!"

"Ooo good one. That insult will haunt me for years." Fred said dryly, still not letting her arm go. He held her right under her elbow and the heat from her smooth, soft skin was distracting but he ignored it. Jamie tried again to escape his grasp and Fred used it as an excuse to grab her hand and pull her closer, "Try to leave on more time, Bruce, and I will throw you over my shoulder again." The two glared at each other. The heat of anger stemming from a month of pain that the other caused them. Jamie angry at the fact that Fred didn't like her, Fred angry at the fact that Jamie didn't like him. Their breathing seemed to mingle together and Fred's eyes—for a brief second—darted to Jamie's lips.

"Are you two about to start snogging?" Came the voice of Ginny Weasley, breaking the spell between the two Gryffindor's. Both Jamie and Fred's head turned in a jerk to Ginny and, in unison, said, "NO!"

Fred looked back at Jamie, stepping away slightly, "Jamie doesn't like puppy dogs."

Heat hit Jamie and she glared, "Fred doesn't like pretty girls."

"I don't like girls with death wishes that go head first toward a group of terrorists." Fred said.

"Well that's a specific type if I've ever heard it." George said. Jamie and Fred glared at his and he raised both his hands, "Just trying to diffuse the tension."

Cedric's voice came through the trees, shouting Jamie's name. Finally, the blonde witch was able to escape Fred's warm, large hand and called for her best friend, who emerged through trees panting hard. When he walked up to Jamie, he grabbed both of her shoulders and began to shake her, "What the hell were you thinking!?"

Fred grabbed Cedric's shoulder in a hard clasp, "Let go, Diggory, I already yelled at her."

"You yelled at her?" Cedric asked, his anger switching from Jamie to Fred, "That's rich yelling at her after everything-"

"Excuse me, when you were busy miles behind her, who was the one that actually stopped her from going toe to toe with Death Eaters?" Fred asked, his annoyance building at the hypocritical Hufflepuff. So Cedric could yell but Fred couldn't? The Weasley boy found himself also wondering what Diggory meant when he had said 'after everything.'

"Both of you can stop yelling at me, I did nothing wrong." Jamie stated, stubbornly.

The pair of boys ignored her. Cedric's anger cooled for a moment, "Thanks for taking care of her, Fred." He said, with genuine emotion in his voice.

Jamie's mouth opened in shock, "You're thanking him? What do you mean taking care of me? I am perfectly capable-" While the blonde witch went on a typical tangent, Cedric Diggory and Fred Weasley shared a moment of approval amongst the two of them. Cedric recognized that, while maybe Fred didn't have a crush on Jamie, he cared enough about her to protect her. He also recognized that, had the Weasley boy not been there, Jamie could have been seriously injured or worse.

Cedric pulled Jamie into a hug, interrupting her ranting, "You can't do that ever again." Despite her annoyance, she wrapped her thin arms around her best friend.

Fred watched with a dull pang in his heart. While he knew nothing was between the two of them besides friendship, Fred had wished he had hugged her instead of gotten angry. But recently all he had been able to do was get angry and be upset. Fred Weasley was heart-broken and doing and saying things out of character for him. He was so convinced of Jamie's hatred of him, he hadn't even been able to enjoy having her on his shoulder and holding her close.

Minerva McGonagall stood patiently waiting in the Leaky Cauldron for the two Bruce women. It was their annual trip to Diagon Alley and she was anticipating the Bruce's arrival. In her hand was a small, neatly wrapped present for Jamie Devereaux. The sixth year witch had received three Outstanding OWLs—one in Potions, one in Charms, and one in Transfigurations. Jamie had actually received nine OWLs overall, which McGonagall was extremely proud of.

Another part of Minerva felt guilty for having to warn Jamie against her budding romance with Fred Weasley. Honestly, the older witch believed that the two of them would make an excellent match—if not a tad destructive. But the timing was not on Jamie Devereaux's side in this situation. The girl needed to understand more about her heritage. Scamander's book was only 60 pages and barely touched on the true power of the male Veela.

The Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts heard Loren and Jamie Bruce before seeing them. Loren's voice ran through the Leaky Cauldron, "I can't believe I raised an uncultured daughter!"

"Ace Ventura: Pet Detective is so much funnier than Dumb and Dumber!" Jamie responded, laughing a little at her mother's shocked and disgusted fascial expressions.

"I can't even look at you right now. Your sense of humor is repulsive."

"Dumb and Dumber is repulsive." Jamie quipped back.

There was a loud gasp and several witches and wizards in the pub turned to stare at the pair of them, "That is it! You're disowned!"

"Can't the two of you ever be in public without drawing attention to yourselves?" Minerva McGonagall asked with a bemused sigh.

"No!" Both Bruce women responded cheerily, taking turns squeezing the tall, thin witch tightly. Jamie wasn't mad at her Professor, mainly because she understood where the witch was coming from. She also knew that Minerva McGonagall loved her dearly and would only ever say something to help Jamie, not to hurt her.

"Before we go off shopping, I got you a present for your Transfiguration score, Jamie." Minerva said, handing the small package to the blonde.

Jamie unwrapped it quickly and opened the box to see a small gold necklace with two tiny bird-like wings on it. It was delicate, understated, and absolutely beautiful. After profusely thanking her teacher and having Loren put it on Jamie's neck, where it sat nicely between her two collar bones, the three set off for shopping.

"Are you going to tell me what the dress robes are for?" Jamie asked, excitedly.

"No, and please do not ask it is a surprise for all Hogwarts students." McGonagall warned. Jamie responded with a small pout, but didn't press any farther than she was allowed to.

"Why is it called dress robes when they mean ball gowns? What is with wizards and robes?" Loren asked as she skimmed the bookstore they were in, looking for the newest Advanced Potions book that Jamie needed for her class.

Jamie sighed somewhat dreamily, "I am not one for makeup, but even I can't deny wearing a fancy ball gown sounds incredible."

"Should we get you a matching tiara?" Loren asked eagerly.

Jamie Devereaux looked at Minerva with a pleading look, "Please help me stop her when we are dress shopping, otherwise I'll end up looking like Cinderella threw up on me."

"Who is Cinderella?" McGonagall asked. The Bruce women's mouths fell open and they started talking over each other, inviting the Transfigurations Professor to a major muggle movie night equipped with snacks and all the classics.

When the trio arrived at the dress shop there was a flurry of activity and excitement. All of them picked out dresses for Jamie to try on. McGonagall picked out classic and conservative gowns, Loren picked out sparkly and vibrant ones, and Jamie grabbed things somewhere in between the two. Minerva McGonagall found herself giggling like a school girl as Jamie Devereaux paraded around the small shop in a dress that was more glitter than skirt. It practically absorbed the small witch in poof and was hysterical looking.

As Jamie was changing into yet another gown, the Professor and Loren Bruce were left alone to talk. Loren lowered her voice so that Jamie would not be able to overhear from the dressing room, "She was miserable all summer until she went to the World Cup. And even still she is not completely herself. I suspect she liked Fred Weasley a lot more than she let on, and he went and broke her heart."

"What do you mean?" Minerva asked, this being the first she had heard of the spat between the two, "I told her not to pursue a relationship just yet, but why would that lead to a heart break?"

Loren's typically loud voice got even quieter, "There was an incident and she thought he was confronting her about his feelings toward her so she started to push him away because she's a silly stubborn girl and Fred told her that he didn't like her and called her 'just pretty.'"

Minerva's mouth opened in shock. She knew no one could lie to Jamie, but she also knew that Fred Weasley had harbored a crush on the little blonde witch since that very first Transfigurations class when he didn't even notice Professor McGonagall transform into a cat before his very eyes. Not when Jamie Devereaux was sitting in the chair in front of him and was far more interesting than an Animagus. "That can't be. Do you think it's possible he did lie-" Minerva started, but was interrupted by Jamie exiting the changing room in the most perfect gown.

"Wrap it up!" Loren Bruce called in excitement.