Chapter Twenty-Five: Date Me
It was Christmas Morning and Jamie Devereaux Bruce knocked on the room of her favorite Professor, still dressed in her muggle pajamas and a squirming black cat tucked into her arms. Jamie's matching PJ set had Santa Clause hats decorating them and the jolly head of Saint Nick on the corner pocket. There were matching socks that went with the set, but when Jamie received them she was so eager for the holiday that she wore the pair immediately and now they were dirty.
Minerva McGonagall opened the door and looked down at the little blonde. She ushered the girl in and they began opening the brown packages that had been sent by Loren Bruce. Jamie squealed in excitement at the Christmas stocking that said "Jane" which had been stuffed with little goodies and muggle nick-knacks: Christmas themed Reese's, M&Ms, and funny flavored lip balm. There was a second stocking, also stuffed to the brim, which displayed the name "Marvin."
"Who is Marvin?" Professor McGonagall asked, incredulously.
Jamie laughed, "You're Marvin! It's your Christmas name."
Marvin McGonagall shook her head, "I swear, you and your mother are too much for me in my old age." The Transfiguration Professor sorted through her stocking, taking care to carefully place each item she received next to her. In her mind, Minerva was creating a long thank you note to Loren Bruce. Typically, McGonagall spent her Christmas's at Hogwarts with the students that elected to stay home. Having Jamie here was much more special than the little blonde could have realized.
The young Bruce gave a dimpled smile to the older witch, "And yet, you love us dearly, Marvin."
"That's Professor Marvin to you, Jane." The Transfiguration Professor quipped.
The pair spent the morning eating their fill of sweets and talking adamantly about the tournament, neither of whom believed that Harry Potter should be in it. "I am just worried." Jamie said, "This entire tournament gives me a bad feeling. I can't explain it."
"You mean common sense?" McGonagall offered. "I was against it from the beginning. I am glad that Beauxbatons and Durmstrang are here and we are becoming friendly with one another, but sending seventeen year olds to compete in intense tasks was never my idea."
Changing the subject, Jamie informed her professor of news about The Tale of Devereaux, "Fleur said that the English translation is hard to come by, but her mother is pulling some strings to get at least one copy to me by January. Her mother really wants to meet me, apparently."
"I am not surprised by that." McGonagall said, "Half-breed Veelas are not entirely common."
Jamie winced at being called Half-Breed it sounded wrong, and dirty. The word bothered her more than being called Mudblood, but they both essentially implied the same thing about a person. That they were dirty and a mistake of nature. Not intentionally created. Jamie felt that idea deep within her. Not intentionally created was a great way to describe the male-Veela half-breed, muggleborn Jamie Devereaux Bruce.
The Sixth-year Gryffindor girls dorm room was alight with energy and excitement that Christmas night. There was makeup strewn about on multiple beds, hair potions to calm down unruly wisps were being passed around, and an opened bottle of fire whiskey was placed in the middle of the room for anyone who dared to brave it. Considering how none of the girls in Jamie Devereaux's dorm were going with the boy of their choice, all of them took swigs of the dangerous liquor.
Jamie Devereaux Bruce sat on the floor with her back to Angelina Johnston, who's hands were expertly pinning the blonde's hair into an elaborate bun at the base of her neck. The pins had tiny little pearls at the tips of them and made it look like Jamie's own hair was twinkling in the right lighting. Jamie had refused Alicia's attempts to put a full face of make up on her, but did do more than just lip-gloss.
The gown that Loren Bruce and Minerva McGonagall had helped Jamie pick out was hanging on her bed and seemed to glimmer on its own. It was a deep green, with a shimmering fabric. It was simple. There were no ruffles or gemstones or anything wild like that. It had a square neck-line and a low back, and the skirt didn't poof but was rather straight and flowing. When Jamie put it on, it felt like she wasn't wearing anything at all the fabric was so soft and light.
Angelina looked stunning in a black dress and Alicia looked precious in her dark blue gown. The three witches all complemented each other in their darker colors. Mallory Norden, who had briefly come into their room before joining her friends Lisa Cullen and Fiona Belmont, starkly contrasted her roommates in her hot pink dress robes. However, Jamie had to admit that the ugly color looked rather pretty on Mallory. The Norden Girl was upset at not having been asked by Fred Weasley, but placated herself by knowing that her Durmstrang boy had been sought after by many other Hogwarts girls and had asked Mallory instead. Of the four Gryffindor girls, Mallory was the most excited for the Yule ball seeing as she hoped to snog her date.
"I just think," Alicia stated after taking a deep swig of fire whiskey, "that Lee should have asked me. I'm glad George did, but Lee asking Katie was completely out of the blue. I mean, since when did they say more than a few words to one another?" Angelina quickly stopped Alicia from taking another swig of the bottle and passed the Fire Whiskey to Jamie, who was eagerly grabbing at it.
"Well at least your dates will be a lot of fun. I hardly know Jean besides through Fleur. I am worried it's going to be painfully awkward." Jamie said worriedly.
Angelina waved off Jamie Devereaux's comment, "We will make sure it won't be awkward, James."
It was a reassuring comment. With one more sip each, the three girls set off down to the common room where Fred and George were waiting for their dates. Fred watched as Jamie appeared from behind Angelina and Alicia, her green eyes looking even brighter thanks to her dress. Fred swallowed hard, trying to think of something—anything—to say. "I still think you'd look better as a Canary, Bruce." Was all that came out of him.
Jamie flipped him off, earning a laugh from the two twins that walked with the trio of witches toward the ball.
The decorations of Hogwarts was stunning. The fairy lights lit everything up and Jamie was astonished to learn that there were actual fairies within them, "Aren't they suffocating?" Jamie asked Angelina, concerned.
Angelina giggled, "Oh, James."
Jean watched Jamie and the group of Gryffindor's draw closer. Despite not being able to tell the difference between Fred and George, and having never spoken to them, the Beauxbatons boy immediately knew which one was Fred. The twin who's eyes watched every movement of Jamie Devereaux's, and looked like his fingers were twitching to touch the little blonde, had to have been Fred. When Jamie saw Jean, Jean watched Fred's wide smile shrink rapidly at his appearance. Jean wanted to laugh, and decided that messing with the Gryffindor boy would be a fun side of entertainment for the night.
Alicia squealed at the sight of Jean, "He is so pretty. His eyes! His arms! His face! His shoulders!"
"Is she going to name all of his body parts?" Fred grumbled to George. George wasn't paying attention, he was too busy looking at the curve of Angelina's neck as she leaned closer to her friends to giggle about Jean from Beauxbatons.
Jamie reached her date and he kissed both of her cheeks. Fred Weasley's eyes narrowed on the hand that was far too low on Jamie Devereaux's back. The large group of students walked into the converted ball room and sat down at a table together. The rush of excitement at seeing Hermione Granger shock everyone with her celebrity date brought a rush of happiness to Jamie Devereaux. The blonde knew that Hermione wasn't one to care about her appearance, but if the fourth-year Gryffindor girl knew that—whenever she wanted to—she could choose to look stunning, her confidence around the fowl Pansy Parkinson would surely grow.
Professor Dumbledore showed everyone how they could call upon the plates to create any meal they wanted. Jamie's table lit up with excitement. Angelina instantly asked for cheesy mashed potatoes, not thinking to say anything else. A large mound of gooey, cheesy potatoes slapped on her plate. Fred looked at the Gryffindor Chaser with amusement, "Balanced meal if I've ever seen one!."
Angelina rolled her eyes and nudged Fred, jokingly. Jamie's heart contracted at the sight and she looked down, focusing on her plate and what she would ask for. The only thing that came to mind was something she never got at Hogwarts and was always eager to have at home, "Kraft Mac & Cheese." A bowl of painfully muggle and processed pasta appeared before her and the little blonde's shoulders relaxed at the sight. Surely with her comfort food, a head swaying with fire whiskey, and a handsome, French date she could forget about how closely her best friend and crush sat next to each other.
Jean, after ordering his favorite soup, decided to have some fun and make his beautiful date's night a tad more interesting.
Fred Weasley watched as Jean's arm rested on his Jamie's chair. The Beauxbatons boy adjusted himself so that his legs were spread all too close to the blonde. The red-head's jaw tightened as the handsome French boy leaned over and whispered something in Jamie's ear, making her giggle lightly.
Jamie Devereaux began to take a bite of her pasta but Jean had other ideas. Grabbing her thin wrist in his large hand, Jean guided her fork into her mouth under the excuse of having never tried muggle food. Jamie blushed and an uncomfortable feeling overcame her. Her dark green eyes darted to see Fred Weasley, who looked like he would not be opposed to severing Jean's hand off right at that very moment.
Fred sat across from the duo seething, not being a very good date to Angelina. Angelina didn't seem to mind, though. She and George were having a contest to see who could throw the most decorative leaves onto Filch's plate, who was sitting only a few tables away. Lee, Jean, and Alicia were having a good natured conversation about Beauxbatons and how it compared to Hogwarts. Jamie was trying to join in, but Jean kept finding ways to touch her, which made her uncomfortable. She knew if she told him to stop, he would, but a part of her also didn't want him to stop. That mean, annoying, very teenager part of her liked that look of anger on Fred's face. He was jealous. And it made Jamie happy, because she was jealous too.
When dancing commenced Jamie Devereaux's table immediately emptied. Fred Weasley was determined to be a good, fun date and swept Angelina onto the floor. The two of them danced so aggressively and wildly, that small Professor Flitwick almost got completely run down. Jamie and Jean danced together for a bit before he excused himself to go find some of his school friends.
The second he was gone, Jamie jumped into the massive pile of Gryffindor sixth-years as they swayed and jumped and screamed each song at the top of their lungs. George Weasley twirled her, Angelina and her attempted a line dance, Jamie and Alicia fake slow danced together. The little blonde was panting, beaming with happiness. Her dark green eyes met light brown ones and she stilled.
Fred Weasley was having none of that. The tall red-head brought her into his arms and the two of them danced bizarrely together. Their arms were flailing, their legs kicking out, and a lot of jumping was involved. Out of his blazer, Fred pulled a small flask and offered it to Jamie. A mischievous smile crossed the little blonde's face as she used Fred as a shield to hide away from any Professor's prying eyes.
During a lull in the music, Draco Malfoy passed by Jamie Devereaux in old fashioned robes, along with Crabbe and Goyal sporting similar looks. Jamie choked on a laugh and Fred Weasley beside her gasped in glee. "Jamie, I got the robes like you said." Draco's haughty voice stated, expecting a pleased reaction.
"You look…I am speechless, honestly. You should wear them daily, Draco." Jamie said, her voice higher than usual in attempt to contain her laughter. Pansy Parkinson, Draco's date, glared at Jamie. The blonde smirked at the Slytherin before turning back to Fred in an obvious dismissal of the group.
Fred looked at Jamie in amazement, "You convinced them to wear those?" When Jamie nodded, Fred squeezed the little witch's shoulder, "You amaze me, Bruce." They stood close to one another. Jamie's face was still flushed from all the dancing and her breath quickened at the red-head's casual touch of her shoulder.
"Jamie!" Called Jean's voice, interrupting the brief moment Jamie Devereaux and Fred Weasley were having together. Jean kissed Jamie on the cheek happily, in greeting.
Fred Weasley couldn't stand there and watch. He had done it before with Kenneth and refused to watch her snog another boy. When his eyes connected with Jamie's he abruptly turned away, walking out of the Great Hall. Jamie's mouth opened in shock at his attitude. She couldn't believe the hypocrisy of it all. She waved Jean off and followed Fred out of the ballroom, her long, green dress seeming to fly behind her.
"Are you joking, Weasley?" Jamie called, a few feet away from the red-head. He stopped in his tracks and turned to see her walking up to him with murder in her eyes, "What on earth is your bloody problem? We are having a nice night, even somewhat friendly, and your attitude immediately changes?"
They were standing close to each other now. Fred could smell the scent of flowers more than usual, most likely from a perfume she was wearing. Her intricate upward hairdo was taunting him, as if begging to be pulled out from its confines. She looked stunning, especially with that annoyed face that was currently pinching her features together. Her hands were on her hips and everything in Fred said mine. "Maybe I don't want to have a friendly conversation with you, Bruce. Ever thought of that?"
Jamie's hands fell from her hips to her side as she looked up at Fred Weasley, "Evidently I had, considering we can never have a decent interaction with one another without me wanting to commit murder."
"I don't know, there was that month where we didn't speak to each other at all, that was quite nice." Fred said, not meaning a word of it.
Jamie Devereaux opened her mouth and then closed it. She had had enough of his constant hot and cold attitude. She had been having a nice night and he had to go and ruin it with his temperamental attitude. Jamie turned her back on him, "Talk to me when you figure out what the hell it is you want."
"What I want!?" Fred asked, indignantly, grabbing Jamie's arm and pulling her back around to face him. "You have known what I want since first year."
His hand on her arm was warm and spread goose bumps all along Jamie's body. Her breathe caught in her throat as she looked up at his eyes that were filled with emotion. His jaw was clenched and made him look intense. His large hand flexed on her small arm as his words hung in the air around them. Jamie's gaze flitted to Fred's lips before focusing back on the narrowed, brown eyes that stared at her in frustration. "No I haven't. You tease me, you yell at me, you hate me, then you flirt with me and apologize and now you yell at me again. You snogged a girl in front of me, you took my best friend to the dance, and now you're jealous that I have a date?" Her voice was thick with emotion, Jamie became worried she would somehow cause him to do something he didn't want to do. She took a deep breath to control her emotions, "You're such a bloody hypocrite."
"What about you!" Fred said, his hand was still on her arm. He pulled her a bit closer in that moment, "You hated me verbally for years. Then you started to like me and prank me. Then you call me a puppy dog to my face and say you almost snogged me on a dare? And now you're jealous that I snogged someone else. So what if it was in front of you? You gave me no indication for six years that you liked me." Jamie pulled her arm away from Fred, needing the space so that she could think. She stepped back and swallowed hard. Fred watched Jamie move away from him, unsurprised. His heart ached.
Jamie looked up with narrowed eyes, "I wasn't jealous." She lied. Her back was straight and her nose was in the air. Her classic trope of denying her feelings was back and stronger than ever.
Fred scoffed, "That's a lie if I've ever heard one."
"You are the most insufferable person I have ever met! What happened to wanting to be friends and apologizing for being a prat? Was it a lie?" Jamie exclaimed, poking Fred in the chest with a thin finger.
"Maybe if you weren't so stubborn and could recognize what was right bloody in front of you—" Fred started, his eyes narrowed.
Jamie gasped, "Screw you, Fredward!" The name slipped out of her mouth before she knew what she was saying. She hadn't called him that in so long.
Fred Weasley's heart gave a jolt. He had been dreaming of hearing her say that silly nickname, hoping she would. He moved without thinking. The red-head closed the space between them, grabbing Jamie's waist with one hand and the back of her neck with the other. His mouth descended on hers and their lips met. The hand on her neck tugged at her hair. The bun that had taken Angelina fifteen minutes to configure was pulled down, the pins hitting the floor with dull pangs against marble. Jamie's long silver waves flowed in between Fred's fingers as he angled her head back even more.
Jamie's lips tingled. She felt light headed and everything that normally clogged in her brain with worries and fears seemed to evaporate immediately. All she could feel was Fred Weasley squeezing her waist and kissing her lips. It was nothing like any of the kisses Kenneth Towler and her had had. It was heated and determined. The hand in her hair moved to her chin, tilting it up and forcing her mouth to open. Fred Weasley was snogging Jamie Devereaux with tongue. And he was doing it well.
Fred's heart was at risk of exploading from beating so quickly, Jamie's small hands entwined themselves around his back and he felt her fists clench at his dress robes. He took a step closer to the little blonde, leaning her against the castle wall. He removed his mouth from hers for a moment, so he could put his forehead against Jamie's and revel in the fact that he was snogging the girl of his dreams. Her breathing was ragged and uneven. Fred's lips quirked and he tugged at a strand of her hair, "Sorry, can I touch you, Jamison?" Jamie let out a little, breathless laugh. Fred's nose touched her cheek as he kissed her jaw, lightly. Her skin was so soft and tan, her hands were still gripping his robes tightly, making Fred want to burst with pride and happiness.
His nose touched Jamie's and his lips descended on hers again, this time softer. Her lips were full and felt perfect against his, like they were made for each other. One of his hands was now braced against the wall while the other continued to play with the silver-blonde hair he missed so much. "Date me." He said. Fred didn't want to ask, it was no longer a question in his mind. He and Jamie Devereaux Bruce were meant to be together. After that kiss, even the stubborn blonde couldn't deny it—
"I can't."
—could she?