Chapter Twenty-Four: I See No Men Here
Loren Bruce was devastated. She looked down at the letter written by her daughter only to be told that Jamie Devereaux would not be coming home for Christmas that year. While Minerva had prepared Loren for this, it hit the single mother hard knowing that it would be even longer until she saw her daughter. The dark-haired muggle lightly pet the school owl, most of which chose to stay a little longer at the Bruce house in order to receive the good snacks that Loren would give them. Always choosing to look on the bright-side, Loren was anticipating even more news about the Triwizard tournament and Cedric Diggory—as well as a new Fleur Delacour—adventures.
She had prematurely created a sweater for Cedric that declared "Triwizard Champion" in bold gold letters. It was a dark blue and would look great on the handsome seventeen year old. Loren also had prepared for Jamie to spend her Christmas with Minerva McGonagall and so would be sending Jamie's presents to Minerva, as well as some for the Transfiguration Professor.
The muggle woman looked around her small, quaint house and felt a pang of loneliness. She had always wanted a large family, and wished she could have given it to Jamie. Loren had grown up as an only child and imagined what it would be like to have four or five children, always laughing or screaming or talking over one another. At one point she had wanted enough kids to create her own football team. Truthfully, Loren was not that old. She had had Jamie at twenty, and was now thirty-six. Men often looked her way, but with Jamie being a witch and the confusion of her Veela blood, it didn't seem fair to attempt to introduce a man into her life.
With one hand petting the Hogwarts owl, Loren wrote a long, jokingly dramatic, letter to her daughter. Afterwards, she pulled fresh brownies out of the oven, gave one to the owl—which she only started doing when one of the owls had stolen a brownie from her hand. When that had happened, Loren immediately called a veterinarian and asked if the owl would die. After making sure it didn't leave for three hours and was still safe, Loren Bruce had begun giving any owl who wanted one, a brownie for their time.
Sitting at her kitchen table, Loren watched the barn owl fly off in whatever direction Hogwarts was, the medium sized box clutched tightly in its talons.
The Hogwarts castle was buzzing with excitement for the Yule ball. Everywhere there were girls comparing their dresses, boys agonizing about who they would ask, and people whispering about who is taking who. Beauxbatons and Durmstrang students were infiltrating Hogwarts and, as the mysterious newcomers, almost every Hogwarts witch was fantasizing about being asked by them. Jamie Devereaux Bruce was not one of these students. In vain, most of her fantasies consisted of a certain loud-mouthed red-head asking her to the ball and finally apologizing for every prat-ish thing he had done in the past six months, specifically. Not a blanket apology, but an in-depth sorrowful apology that would be detailed and numbered and preferably in chronological order. Possibly even beginning with the pincher from their first year. His apology, in these fantasies, would always illicit a reassuring smile from the little blonde that would then reluctantly admit that maybe she had been partially at fault. And then he would tug her hair, call her Jamison and they would not end up happily ever after because even if he took her to the dance she would not be able to date him.
Shaking off the scene she had constructed in her head, Jamie focused on her potion. Trying to avoid, once again, looking at the vein in Fred Weasley's hand as he handled his ingredients. Even the way he moved was so polarizing to Jamie Devereaux. He would grip things and hold them tightly, whereas Jamie's small hands seemed to hardly touch the objects she handled. With a rush, the little blonde was taken back to the time that Fred had gripped the back of her neck. The hair on the same spot he had touched seemed to stand up on end.
Cedric snapped his fingers in front of Jamie's face, "Oi." The blonde blinked at him and smiled sheepishly, "Sorry." She mumbled before proceeding on to the work at hand.
When class was over, Cedric and Jamie walked together through the halls of Hogwarts, with Jamie growing increasingly annoyed at the nerves of her best friend, "Just ask her!" Jamie exclaimed, causing the Hufflepuff boy to hush her. "Cho likes you. It's so obvious. Also you're a champion, every girl will want to go with you."
"Maybe we should just go together." Cedric offered. "That way boys will stop asking you and I don't have to make a prat of myself."
"If you bring me I vow to be the worst date you have ever had. No bail outs, Diggory."
Cedric scoffed, "That's ironic considering the fact that you won't ask—"
"—finish the sentence and I'll hex you to death." Jamie warned, bringing her wand out from behind her robes. From across the courtyard, which was covered with snow, stood Cho Chang surrounded by her usual crowd of friends. The Ravenclaw looked flush with cold, her cheeks were pink, and her eyes couldn't help but travel toward the handsome Hufflepuff boy.
He stood tall with a yellow and black scarf around him. His head was bent and looked to be telling off his best friend Jamie Devereaux Bruce, who was brandishing her wand at him threateningly. The two friends pushed one another in annoyance, Cedric pulling Jamie's hat down to cover her eyes, trying to walk farther away from the crowd of Ravenclaw fifth-years. Jamie wasn't having it and blindly grabbed his arm, repelling him closer to Cho Chang and her friends. Any girl that would be nervous about liking Cedric Diggory due to how his best friend happened to be a girl had clearly never observed the pair like Cho had. The way they treated each other was exactly how argumentative siblings would act.
With a glare over his shoulder at Jamie, Cedric walked toward Cho and her friends, asking to speak with her alone. The blonde Gryffindor giggled at the scene and headed back into the warmth of the castle, certain that Cho would say yes to her handsome friend.
While Jamie walked through the halls, she saw a familiar head of silver hair and immediately walked toward Fleur Delacour, who was talking to Jean—the Beauxbatons boy that was a huge flirt. Jamie smiled up at her Veela friend, "Talking about the ball?" she prompted when joining the conversation.
"Yes!" Fleur said excitedly. "I was thinking of asking your friend, Diggory."
Jamie's smile fell slightly, "I didn't know that, Fleur. He just asked someone."
Fleur pouted, but then shrugged her delicate shoulders, "It is no problem. I will ask someone else." In that moment Roger Davis and some of his friends exited the Great Hall with loud laughs. "Who is he?" Fleur asked, looking at the handsome Ravenclaw Quidditch captain.
"Rodger Dav—" before Jamie could finish, Fleur was heading toward him. In no less than two minutes she rejoined Jamie and Jean with a satisfied smile on her pale face.
"I am going with the Rodger boy." Fleur declared.
Jamie couldn't help the disbelieving laugh that escaped her at what she had just witnessed. Fleur's confidence in herself was truly other worldly, "If only it was that easy!" Jamie exclaimed.
"But it is." Fleur said, confused. "Just ask your Fred and be done with it. The Drama, Jamie Devereaux. It is impossible."
"Or," Jean said, interrupting whatever woe-is-me thing Jamie would have probably said in that moment, "You take me and make Fred jealous."
Fleur clapped at this idea, "Oh do take Jean! He is a fabulous dancer."
Jamie looked from Fleur to Jean in discomfort, not knowing what to say. She knew even if for some miraculous reason Fred did ask her, if it wasn't accompanied with an off-character groveling apology, Jamie would refuse him. She looked at Jean's handsome face, "You don't mind that I like someone else?" She asked this in a subtle attempt to make sure he was only flirting, and did not actually like Jamie.
Fleur laughed, "Jean is a flirt, but his heart belongs to another."
Jean nodded, "Collette." He said the name with a wistful smile, "She is in the year below and at Beauxbatons."
"You have a girlfriend?" Jamie asked surprised.
"I wish. Merely an object of my determined affections." Jean responded. "So we go to the dance together, despite loving others. And we have an incredible time!" Despite the wide smile on her face, Jamie still felt a pang in her chest.
Two tall red-headed twins stood together in the halls of Hogwarts. Their hair was long, much longer than most boys their age, and they had their heads bent toward one another. Fred and George Weasley were staring at a parchment of paper that was in Fred's hands. On the parchment was—what Fred had deemed—a sure fire way into the heart of Jamie Devereaux. Scrawled on the paper in Fred's messy handwriting was the short message of: 'If you want to go to the ball with me, say yes. If you don't want to go with anyone other than me, say no.'
"This is not how you're asking her." George said, his voice leaning toward pleading.
Fred's smile faltered a little, "What do you mean? It's funny! See—" Fred pointed at his writing, bringing the parchment closer to George's face, "Either way she ends up going with me."
"Is that how you plan on asking her to be your girlfriend one day?"
"Why, do you think it'll work?" Fred asked, eagerly.
George pulled the parchment from his twin and crumpled the piece of paper up into his pocked, "Jamie will never know how much she owes me." He mumbled lowly. George turned to Fred, slightly exasperated. "You are not going to trick her into going with you. You're going to man up and ask her like a big boy." George started to walk into the large area where Professor McGonagall was corralling fourth year and older Gryffindor's together.
The Gryffindor girls were chatting loudly and Fred's eyes immediately saw a silver head of bright blonde hair. Jamie was talking to Angelina and Alicia about something, eliciting a fake swoon from Alicia and giggles from Angelina. Without realizing it, Fred found himself smiling as well and heading toward the group of girls. A thin, long hand stopped him. "Mister Weasley." Said the quick Scottish voice of Minerva McGonagall, "Boys are to stand in that direction over there." Her crooked finger pointed at the clump of Gryffindor boys that all looked positively miserable.
Fred gave a lopsided smile to the old witch, "But where do the men stand, Professor?"
The head of Gryffindor house pursed her lips and raised a single eyebrow at the tall red-head. "I see no men here."
His large hand went to cover his heart in mock pain at the comment before Fred sauntered over to where George was standing. "Still got my note for Jamie?" Fred asked when he reached his twin.
"You mean the note that you are absolutely not allowed to use?"
"The very same." Fred responded, half-heartedly listening to McGonagall explain how she would be helping instruct the Gryffindor's on dancing so as to not make a mockery and behave as a 'bouncing, bumbling, band of baboons.' "Try saying that five times fast." Fred whispered to George.
Jamie Devereaux Bruce was trying to pay attention to her favorite Professor, but her eyes kept darting to the two tall Weasley twins who, somehow, were making this lecture look like fun. Both had large grins on their face and their red hair was bouncing slightly with whatever they were saying. A part of the little witch yearned to be in their conversation and in on the joke. Standing half way across the room felt like a much greater distance in that moment. Jamie wondered if she should give back Fred's sweater, but she didn't want to. The soft fabric had lost most of his smell completely by now, but the light hint of smoke still lingered enough where Jamie found herself sniffing it a little too often. Her crush on Fred Weasley was becoming more like obsession. She thought of him daily and whenever he was in the room Jamie tried to telepathically will Fred Weasley to look at her. Or at least think about her.
"Miss Bruce!" Professor McGonagall called, bringing Jamie out from another day-dream spell she was slipping into all too often. Hearing her last name being called by the Transfiguration teacher, instead of her first, was always strange. "Come here and practice the dance with Mr. Weasley."
Jamie's heart leapt into her throat, until she realized it was a different Weasley boy than she had been thinking about. Ron Weasley looked at her with uncomfortable eyes. He looked embarrassed, but Jamie shot him a wide and dimpled smile that caused his hunched shoulders to relax slightly.
Fred Weasley watched as his git of a little brother put his grimy hands on Fred's Jamie. His jaw clenched at the sight, unwillingly. He knew Jamie didn't like Ron in that way, but the youngest Weasley boy was looking at Jamie Devereaux Bruce like he had never seen a more beautiful creature in his life. The unlikely pair danced, showcasing the beat of the waltz and what every Gryffindor was expected to do until Professor McGonagall invited everyone to come onto the floor and practice. Fred immediately made his way toward his little blonde witch and soon-to-be-dead younger brother.
Jamie and Ron spoke as they danced. "Who are you taking?" The blonde asked the Weasley boy, trying to ignore the fact that his hands were a tad cold and clammy.
"Don't have a date yet." Ron said, his shoulders slumping again. Jamie's heart reached out to him. He seemed upset and stressed about this fact, and the half-Veela couldn't help but relate to the fourth year.
"I only just got one. You have plenty of time to ask someone to go with you." She said reassuringly. Suddenly, Jamie was no longer in the awkward embrace of Ronald Weasley. His brother Fred had quite literally ripped Ron out of Jamie's hands and inserted himself in his place.
"Fancy meeting you here." The tall red-head teased.
Jamie's entire body was enveloped in a comfortable warmth. One of Fred's large hands spanned her lower back while the other held her small hand in his. Her thin, tan fingers fit perfectly in his grasp. "I see you really are forgetting about my no touching rule, Weasley." She teased. Jamie had to blink to register her own voice. The blonde had never heard such a teasing and…flirting tone come out of her mouth. She was flirting with Fred Weasley! And she hadn't even meant to!
"You know me and rules." Fred drawled. He then began to spin the little witch in multiple circles, causing an angry scold to emerge from the Transfiguration Professor.
"Come, Jamie, be a bouncing, bumbling, baboon with me!" Fred begged. Jamie laughed loudly and the tall red-head spun Jamie Devereaux in so many circles, she found herself falling into other dancing pairs and creating quite a scene amongst the Gryffindor's. Soon, everyone joined in with Fred and Jamie's antics. George and Angelina were line dancing together, while Lee Jordan and Alicia did an incredibly dramatic tango. Even Neville Longbottom got into the fun of it all. The shy fourth year dipped Mallory Norden so low to the ground, her head tapped the floor. George Weasley briefly broke away from Angelina to 'conduct' Dean and Seamus, who were attempting to do a ballet number.
When Seamus ran full fledge toward Dean, who tried and failed miserably to lift Seamus in the air, Minerva had finally had enough.
When Professor McGonagall threatened to take away fifty points from Gryffindor, the chaos came to an end. Every student knew that, even though she was the head of house, McGonagall would not hesitate to strip Gryffindor of as many house points as necessary to be taken seriously.
Fred and Jamie were forced to slow in a more appropriate dance number. The tall boy moved Jamie's hands up his body to rest on his shoulders as both his hands slid around her waist. There was barely any space between the two sixth years and sheer will power was stopping Jamie from leaning her head against Fred's chest.
At that moment, Ron and Hermione were awkwardly swaying together next to Jamie and Fred. Ron inserted his head between them, addressing Jamie, "So who is it you're going with, then?"
Fred's body went cold and Jamie felt him still under her hands—which were now around his neck and trying not to play with his red-hair. "Jean. He's a Beauxbatons boy." Jamie responded in a small voice. Her eyes darted to Fred's, who looked surprisingly emotionless.
While he continued to dance with her, Jamie noticed a change in his exterior. At this point in the year, she had spent so many hours studying Fred Weasley she could sense his every mood. When McGonagall was satisfied with their progress and all the Gryffindor's were dismissed, Fred disappeared.
Later that night, Jamie Devereaux sat in her bed trying to stop herself from rummaging in her trunk and pulling out Fred Weasley's sweater for what felt like the hundredth time. Angelina Johnston plopped herself down on Jamie's bead with a concerned look on her face. "I'm going to the ball with Fred. I swear, James." Angelina said, "We're just going as friends. And George is taking Alicia so it's just a group dance thing. Also, you know I don't like him like that."
The news of her best friend going with her crush hit her cold in the chest. Jamie, quite honestly, did not know what to feel. She knew that Angelina did not like Fred Weasley in a romantic sense. She also knew what Angelina was saying had to be the truth. But, just because Angelina didn't like Fred now, didn't mean her feelings couldn't change. Fred Weasley was funny, smart, and a genuinely good person. He was, Jamie was convinced, the best kind of person. Fred Weasley did not take life to seriously and knew how to make a mundane task an event. But he also knew when to protect a stubborn person, like Jamie, from herself. Suddenly, the blonde wanted to sprint to the boys dormitory and apologize for the Quidditch World Cup. For the first time, Jamie felt like maybe she had been in the wrong.
The little witch couldn't help but look at her best friend with fear. Angelina was gorgeous. What if Jamie had to watch while the dark-haired girl kissed Fred, just as she had to watch Mallory Norden kiss him. Would she be able to sit back and be happy for Angelina? Or would she be one of those girls that let a boy come between her friendship? Jamie Devereaux Bruce was truly worried what she would do in the heat of the moment.
That night—wrapped up in a warm sweater knitted by Molly Weasley—she dreamed of Fred and Angelina. Jamie had walked into the warm, fire-lit common room and seen them together. Dream Fred turned and met Jamie's eyes, saying 'at least Angelina is more than a pretty face' before tugging on the Gryffindor Chaser's long, curly dark hair that Jamie had envied her whole life. 'Stop, Fredward' Angelina told him, then thread her own fingers through his too long of red-hair and snogged him.