Chapter Twenty: I'm a Witch. Get It?
Cedric Diggory was pacing, impatient at Jamie Devereaux's tardiness. It was October 31st and the Hufflepuff boy had today to put his name into the Goblet so he could be considered for the Triwizard Tournament. His heart had been racing at the prospect of being chosen, and when he turned during his pacing only to be face to face with his small blonde friend he almost jumped out of his skin. He took in Jamie's appearance with confusion. "What are you wearing?"
"It's Halloween." Jamie said with a smile, handing something to Cedric. It was muggle candy that he recognized, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. On Jamie's silver hair sat a witch hat that looked a bit like some of the hats Professor McGonagall would wear, if not a little cheaper. It was a tall, pointy black hat. "I'm a witch. Get it?"
Cedric stared at her, confused, "But you're already a witch—Is that a fake wand? You have a real one, Jamie."
Jamie giggled, "But that's not the point." She brandished the black wand with a white stripe in the air dramatically. Cedric didn't have to ask to know that the 'costume' was courtesy of Loren Bruce. His heart rate had noticeably cooled down and Jamie Devereaux's presence had tamed his nerves for just a little bit. Jamie nodded toward him, "So are we going to do this thing, golden boy?"
Cedric bit into the peanut cup, swallowing heavily before walking toward the Great Hall where the goblet was. "Wish this was mint." He mumbled. Jamie's hand pressed something small and circular into his hand, a York Pattie. "Bless Loren Bruce."
"Bless me, you mean!"
Jamie Devereaux watched as her best friend straightened his shoulder and headed toward the rather plain looking goblet, except for the bright blue flames that looked like fire dancing out of it. Other Hogwarts students watched as Cedric Diggory made his way over the aging line, that accepted him willingly. He then reached upward and placed his name into the goblet. The blue flames burned bright for a moment, before his slip of paper disappeared completely. Hufflepuffs sitting in the Great Hall cheered for the sixth year, while other Hogwarts students politely clapped. When Cedric walked back to Jamie there was a wide smile on his face and he seemed noticeably more relaxed than he had been. "Do you want to stay and see your competition?" Jamie asked once he reached her.
Cedric shrugged, "Not really, I don't want to think too much about it. Tell Angelina good luck from me, though!" The Hufflepuff boy then walked toward a group of other Hufflepuff boys before leaving the Great Hall in a loud flurry of words and excitement from the sixth year boys.
The blonde witch dressed as a witch headed toward the edge of the Great Hall and sat down next to Hermione Granger who was immersed in a book at the moment. When Jamie greeted the fourth year, Hermione's head looked up and saw Jamie's costume. She laughed, "Happy Halloween!"
Jamie sat close to the curly-haired Gryffindor and offered her the muggle candy that she had stored in her bag. The two snacked happily on candy and watched as other aspiring champions placed their name into the goblet. Harry Potter and Ron Weasley joined the two Muggleborns after a little while and joined in on their snacking.
Chaos ensued when the two Weasley twins along with Lee Jordan came strutting inside the Great Hall. The three headed toward the four Gryffindor's sitting together. "Done it, just taken it." Fred whispered triumphantly to them.
Realization hit Jamie and she rolled her eyes, "You didn't actually make an aging potion, did you?" Fred took in her appearance for a moment, noting the hat. A memory of their second year during Halloween when Jamie had worn strange head piece with cat ears all day long hit him fondly. It was the first time she had worn something like a costume for the holiday and Fred had teased her mercilessly. Instead of shying away and taking the headband off like most twelve year old girls would have done, Jamie wore the cat ears every day for a week to spite him, until McGonagall made her stop.
George nodded, "We actually did, Devereaux. One drop each, we only need to be a few months older."
"Why are you wearing a hat?" Lee Jordan asked, looking at Jamie in confusion.
Fred found himself responding without meaning to, "She's a witch." George and Lee exchanged confused looks as if to say yes we know and Fred continued, "It's a costume. She does it every year on Halloween."
"She does." Jamie responded, looking at Fred, a little confused at his comment. The red head had said it in almost a bored tone, like he couldn't believe that not everyone had tucked this information about Jamie's strange muggle habits into the back of their mind. A twinge of happiness hit Jamie that he had remembered this about her.
"I'm not sure this is going to work, you know. I'm sure Dumbledore would have thought about this." Said Hermione, closing the book she was reading and looking apprehensively at the twins and Lee. Jamie verbally agreed with Hermione.
Fred ignored them completely, "C'mon then, I'll go first." The tall red-head stepped over the line and for a split second Jamie Devereaux felt dread overpower her at the thought of him being chosen for the Death Tournament. Her heart raced in panic at the same moment that George joined his twin over the line in glee. However, there was a loud sizzling sound and the two twins were hurtled out of the circle and onto the floor of the Great Hall. Large white beards sprouted from their faces, causing Jamie to scream in a delighted laugh at their expense. Fred and George joined in on the laughter, as did Professor Dumbledore who had chosen that moment to check in on the students of Hogwarts.
Jamie Devereaux Bruce and Fleur Delacour stood in the archway of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, neither knowing exactly what to say. Besides her family members, Fleur had never met a part Veela-witch. She had often imagined what it would be like, but her excitement in the moment was very briefly lived. Jamie had just revealed how she had become a half-Veela and who her father was.
Fleur stared at the tan blonde, whose dark green eyes showed nothing but warmth and kindness. The French witch's grandmother had told dark tales of male Veela, how their powers almost made the Veela creatures extinct. She also told Fleur of the male Veela Simeon who, like a males, was quickly exiled after birth. Simeon had been born only six years after Fleur's grandmother and it was a dark day for the Veela women. "It cannot be." Said Fleur in a whisper, "Male Veelas are not surviving long after they are exiled."
Jamie's smile could only be described as uncomfortable, "Well Devereaux was surviving long enough to reproduce, apparently." The male-Veela witch was scared of Fleur's reaction. She could tell the French girl was now looking at her with doubt and suspicion in her eyes. As if Jamie couldn't be trusted. The Bruce girl knew that telling many people of her heritage was not in her best interest, but she couldn't help it. Jamie had needed to tell her, having been excited to hear even just one more thing about male Veelas. She was shocked when the Beauxbatons witch squeezed her hands tightly in hers.
"You cannot control who your parents are." She said in a low voice, "My mother is looked down on for being a half-breed, but she is beautiful. It is hard, no? Being not a full witch."
Jamie squeezed Fleur's hands as well, "Yes!" She said emphatically, "I only found out about it a few months ago."
"And you have no siblings?" Fleur asked, with empathy in her voice. When the smaller witch nodded, Fleur looked sad, "Then we are sisters now, are we not? We are Veela, even if male and female are different." A pang in Jamie's heart made her feel a sudden urge to fling herself into the arms of the older girl. It was Fleur, however, who pulled Jamie Devereaux into a tight hug, "I like this name 'Jamie Devereaux' it is elegant. I will teach you some French and you will help me with my English?"
Jamie agreed and the two beautiful witches found themselves remaining in this hug for a moment or two longer than most strangers typically would. They were, in a way, distant relatives. The Bruce women were the last two in their family and, besides Cedric Diggory and Minerva McGonagall, had no other extended family members. Fleur Delacour did more for Jamie than she could have ever realized by claiming her as a sister instead of pushing her away because of Devereaux. It felt like the very first win after months of losses for her. It brought hope into her mind that she hadn't given herself in quite some time.
A deep voice interrupted their embrace, "Fleur, we are going back to the carriage before the feast." Jamie broke away from her new-found sister and turned to see a very tall boy in Beauxbatons robes. He was handsome with dirty blonde hair and pale skin and looked very French. She recognized him as the wizard that Alicia had giggled about when their school had arrived yesterday.
"Jean!" Fleur exclaimed happily, "You must meet Jamie Devereaux, she is my dear friend from Hogwarts." Jamie giggled at that and the two blonde witches exchanged a happy look.
Jamie extended her hand to Jean and was rather surprised when he kissed the back of it, "Pleasure to meet you, Jamie Devereaux."
Fleur tusked at the boy, "Jean, you are horrible. Jamie Devereaux is off limits to you, you flirt." The French witch said, already protective over her new sister. Jamie smiled happily and Fleur and hugged her goodbye when the two Beauxbatons students departed for their carriage. Jamie seemed to float back to the Gryffindor common room, in a much better mood than she had been since getting back to Hogwarts for her sixth year.
That evening the Great Hall was thick with anticipation. Angelina and Cedric were anxious to be chosen, both scared that they wouldn't be and that they would be. "I might have made a mistake." Angelina had whispered frantically to Jamie Devereaux, "James, what if they pick me?"
"Then you are going to win and I'll be there screaming your name and spending your Galleons." Jamie said, without thought. She genuinely wanted Angelina and Cedric to be happy, but she didn't want them to be in the Triwizard Tournament. Nervously, Jamie ate almost everything in sight so as to avoid being part of the excited conversation about the Tournament and who would be chosen. When Dumbledore announced that it was time for the champions to be chosen, Jamie almost choked on her chocolate cake.
"The champion for Durmstrang," Dumbledore said in a strong, clear voice, "will be Victor Krum."
Jamie was not surprised in the slightest at the celebrity getting chosen. He was certainly skilled and a great flier, she was unaware of what kind of wizard he was but Victor was likely to do well. The clapping for the brilliant Quidditch player rang throughout the hall. Once it died down, the goblet of fire turned bright red and shot out a second piece of parchment. "The champion for Beauxbatons is Fleur Delacour!"
The little blonde's mouth opened wide in disbelief, having not even realized that she would have to fear for her new friend being placed in the tournament. Fleur exited out of the door in the back of the hall with grace and elegance. She too seemed to float a bit, just as Jamie did. Jamie Devereaux was no longer externally calm. She knew the Hogwarts champion was next. The same feeling that would overcome her in class when she knew she was about to be called on by a professor despite not knowing the answer overcame her. "The Hogwarts Champion," Dumbledore's voice rang again. Jamie felt the words in her soul before she heard them, "is Cedric Diggory!"
Explosion in the Great Hall overtook every Hogwarts student. The Hufflepuffs went wild and even the Gryffindor was excited. Angelina wasn't remotely upset and stood on her feet to cheer along the handsome Hufflepuff boy. The only person that didn't scream to cheer was Jamie Devereaux. She clapped along with everyone else but her eyes were glossed over and it was evident that more fear was inside her than happiness.
The two people she had called siblings—even though one had only been today—were competing in a tournament that had been disbanded because of danger. Jamie Devereaux, once again, was feeling very unlucky. Her gaze was unfocused and distant. The only thing that brought her back to the table she sat at was when Dumbledore's strong voice called out another, much younger, name. "Harry Potter!"
The young brunette boy with a scar on his forehead looked around frantically at the Gryffindor table. Jamie met his eyes and the Potter boy said, "I didn't put my name in." As if begging her to believe him. Jamie Devereaux immediately knew what he said to be true.
"He can't compete! He's too young, he'll get hurt!" The young blonde witch said emphatically, looking at her friends. When Harry left the Great Hall, all the Gryffindor's were ecstatic at the prospect that the fourth-year was able to fool the age line. Also, that a Gryffindor would be representing them in the Tournament after all.
Fred and George Weasley busted through the fat lady portrait with hands filled with food that they got from the eager House-Elves of the Hogwarts kitchen. Despite himself, Fred Weasley had asked one of the elves that had given him a pitcher of butter beer if they enjoyed working at the school for witches and wizards. When all of the high pitched voices responded with eager affirmation, Fred had felt vindicated against the little blonde witch that plagued his thoughts.
The red-headed twins spearheaded a huge chant for Harry Potter when the fourth-year entered into the common room. Everyone was buzzing and chatting or cheering or eating or drinking. Lee Jordan had spiked some drinks with fire-whiskey for the sixth and seventh year students that wanted to partake. Fred, in between his chatting and drinking, was continuously looking around for the small head of silver hair, but Jamie Devereaux was nowhere to be found. The night continued on and still Jamie had not entered into the common room. Fred and George Weasley sat on the couch, entertaining as many people who wanted to joke around and laugh. The man of the hour—Harry Potter—had already retreated off to bed and soon it was just sixth and seventh year Gryffindor's together, all who had had a little too much to drink.
Mallory Norden sat on the arm chair of the couch that the Weasley twins were lounged on. Her feet were on Fred's lap who had just finished another drink and was laughing loudly at something Lee Jordan was saying. Mallory studied the red-head and thought, with the right haircut, he would be positively dashing. She knew, as did most people at Hogwarts, that Fred Weasley and Jamie Devereaux had a complicated love-hate relationship. Most girls didn't try to flirt with Fred at all, knowing they would get very little reaction out of him. Mallory, however, thought of this as a bit of a challenge. She nudged Fred with her foot and leaned closer to him. Fred looked at her with unfocused eyes, but smiled.
Jamie Devereaux Bruce had spent that evening talking to Minerva McGonagall about how Harry Potter truly did not put his name in the Goblet of Fire. She also spent a good amount of time talking to Cedric about the tournament. The Hufflepuff boy was bustled off to the Hufflepuff common room, but he had reassured Jamie that they would talk soon and everything would be okay. Overall, the little blonde was tired and wanted nothing more than to go immediately to bed. When she walked through the portrait of the fat lady her mood considerably worsened. Mallory Norden was practically perched on Fred's lap.
Fred Weasley felt drunk. It was great. All his worries and angers were put aside and the only thing he could think about was how great it would be if Jamie had to see him kiss Mallory just like he had to see her kiss Kenneth last year. Had he been sober and not so emotional after months of genuine fights with the little blonde, he would have never even considered this. Fred, despite his flaws, was not a bad person. He was in love with Jamie Devereaux and never wanted to be the reason she was hurt. If he believed that there was even a slight possibility that seeing him kiss another girl would hurt her, he would never do it. But Fred Weasley was also a sixteen year old boy that had been drinking and was not thinking clearly in the moment. All he saw was Mallory's face close to his. For a moment, his eyes flitted over to the portrait at another attempt to look for Jamie. When he saw her standing there, looking confused at the scene before her, his intoxicated mind surged with happiness. Fred wanted to see her jealous, wanted her to finally have to admit that she cared if he kissed other girls.
Jamie Devereaux Bruce met Fred Weasley's eyes across the common room. Her heart stopped and, as if in slow motion, she watched the boy she couldn't stop thinking about pull her roommate closer to him and kiss Mallory.
George Weasley stared in shock at the scene before him, his head turning and looking at the horrified and dejected face of little Jamie Devereaux. It was the first time George had ever wanted to punch his twin in the face. The snog only lasted a few moments, but it was enough time for Jamie to retreat to her room and to engrain the image forever in her brain. Her heart felt painful, her whole body was numb.