CHAPTER 16: TRUE FEELINGS

Rosa sat on the edge of her bed, squeezing her intertwined fingers. Part of her wanted to stay in Ginny's room and not go downstairs for breakfast. The tension that gripped this house after yesterday's meeting hadn't abated one bit before she turned in. Dinner had been one of the quietest meals she'd experienced since coming to the Burrow, even quieter than the night after the Diggorys' deaths. Fred and George barely talked. Jimmy hadn't said a word, just sat brooding the entire time, determinedly ignoring everyone else at the table.

Especially her.

George, at least, acknowledged her existence. She closed her eyes and hung her head, remembering the scene outside Ginny's room before she went to bed. George gave her a rather flat, "Good night," and a quick kiss on the cheek. The cheek! No funny little comments, no mouth wide open and fingers going through her hair.

Is he mad at me, too?

"Rosa? You all right?"

She looked up to find Ginny standing over her. Her lips parted, ready to answer, "I'm fine."

The words died on her tongue. Why lie? Ginny would see right through it. Anyone would.

"No. No I'm not."

Ginny sat next to her and gently grasped her wrist. "Does it have anything to do with that Order meeting yesterday?"

"It has everything to do with it." She turned to her. "Does everyone really think I wanted to agree to that plan? Slipping that potion to people without their knowledge? Does everyone think I don't care that we're crossing a line? But after what the Chupacabra did to the Diggorys . . . I can't let that happen to more wizards or witches. This might be our only way of avoiding a total bloodbath. You have to believe me, I wish I could come up with another way."

"I do believe you, Rosa. Honestly, though, I disagree with this plan of Snape's, but I do understand your side of it, and I know even though you agreed to it, you're not happy about it."

"Thanks, Ginny." She smiled at her. "I just wish Jimmy and George and Fred were as understanding as you."

"Come on now. They're boys. You know how thick they are."

Rosa softly chuckled.

"Look." Ginny squeezed her wrist. "Fred and George are a lot of things, but they're not ones to hold a grudge. Before you know it, George will be back to telling you about whatever inane things he finds interesting and trying to pull you into Dad's shed and snog you."

Rosa managed a smile at that. "Yeah, you're probably right about George. Jimmy, on the other hand . . ." She clenched her jaw for a moment. "I'm sure you saw how stubborn he could be when he was at Hogwarts. I mean, I love him, but there are times he just pisses me off with this 'my way or the high road,' or however that Muggle phrase goes, philosophy he has."

"You know he'll come round, too. Despite his faults, Jimmy's a good guy. You two have been friends, what, over seven years now? You think that's going to end over this? I've seen my idiot brother Ron get hacked off at Harry or Hermione and go months without speaking to them. But in the end, they always make up."

"Thanks, Ginny." Rosa smiled and hugged her.

"Now, how about we head down for breakfast? I'm starving."

Both girls rose from the bed and went downstairs.

Just as with dinner last night, silence hung over the table for breakfast. Rosa frowned when she noticed Jimmy, Fred and George sitting as far away from the others as possible.

"Morning," she greeted everyone.

"Morning, Rosa." Artimus looked up and gave her a quick grin.

A spark of joy leapt from her heart. At least Artimus remained on speaking terms with her. Not that it surprised her. Anger and Artimus just didn't go together.

"Hey, Rosa." George flashed her a smile and went back to eating.

She halted. A lump crept into her throat. She swallowed against it and stared at George. Yes, he'd greeted her, but his tone was far from enthusiastic. Judging from the way he focused all his attention on his food, she wondered if he even wanted her sitting near him.

Does he not like me any more?

She noticed Fred just nod at her as she took a seat on the other side of the table.

Jimmy flat out ignored her.

Sighing, she scooped some eggs and sausage onto her plate and poured herself some pumpkin juice. She picked up the glass and took another look across the table at Jimmy. He shoveled food into his mouth, eyes locked on his plate.

Enough of this. "Jimmy?"

He responded by stuffing a spoonful of oatmeal into his mouth.

"Jimmy!"

He looked up, annoyance plastered on his face. "Yeah?"

"I said good morning to you."

"Uh-huh." He lowered his head and jammed another spoonful of oatmeal in his mouth.

Rosa's jaw clenched. She squeezed the glass so hard her hand shook. She sucked down a deep breath. The urge boiled inside her to scream at Jimmy, to tell him to stop being an idiot, to understand her view even if he didn't agree with it, to treat her as the friend she'd been to him for over seven years.

Instead he just continued to eat.

Rosa slammed her glass on the table. Pumpkin juice sloshed over the side. She shot to her feet, ignoring the shocked stares from everyone at the table, and stormed out the back door.

Tears welled up in her eyes. She gritted her teeth, willing the tears to stay in her eyes.

Damn you, Jimmy. You stupid, thick-headed, insensitive son-of-a-bitch.

She stopped by the chicken coop, hugging herself. Was this it? Was her friendship with Jimmy over? Sure they'd had disagreements before, but had any of them been over something as serious as how to use this Pest Elimination Potion? He'd been so passionate about his position, so dug-in with his resistance. Could he ever forgive anyone who agreed to Snape's plan?

"Rosa?"

She spun around.

George stood a few feet away, a sullen look on his face.

"I figured you'd be back in the house with Jimmy and Fred coming up with ways you all can stay pissed off at me."

"I'm not . . ." George shifted his weight from one foot to the other. "I'm not pissed off at you."

"You couldn't fool me. Ever since that meeting you've barely said more than five words to me. And that kiss good night you gave me? Merlin's sake, you acted like it was something you had to do, not something you wanted to do."

"Yeah, I guess."

"You guess?" Rosa flung her arms out to her side.

"Sorry, Rosa. Okay? I'm sorry. But this plan, to give this potion to people without their knowledge, it just infuriates me."

"You think I like it? Did you see me jumping up and down and cheering for it? I don't want to do this. I hate it! But if it stops the Chupacabra from killing more witches and wizards, then we have no choice."

She closed her eyes and took a breath. "I'm not asking you to agree with me. I'm just asking you to understand my position. Please, George."

George worked his jaw back and forth. "I'm sorry, Rosa. You're right. I should have been more understanding and not been so . . . so awful to you."

"Apology accepted." She snorted. "I just wish Jimmy would come to whatever sense he has and do the same."

"Come on, Rosa. Do you have to bring up Jimmy when it's just you and me here?"

She blinked and did a double-take. "What?"

"Well, it's just . . . here I am, coming out to you to apologize, and as soon as I do, you start talking about Jimmy. In fact, you do bring him up quite a bit when we're together."

Rosa's jaw fell open. "George, what the hell are you talking about? Jimmy's my friend, and yours. Why are you so upset when I . . ."

She gasped in sudden realization. "Oh Merlin, you've got to be kidding me. Are you . . . are you jealous of Jimmy?"

George's lips twisted. He shrugged. "Well, considering how close you two are, there are times when you talk about him that I . . ."

Rosa shook her head to the sky. "George, I swear to you, there is absolutely, positively, not the slightest amount of romantic feelings between me and Jimmy. The guy's like a brother to me. I mean, me dating Jimmy would be like me dating Jared . . . ew."

"You're sure?"

"Yes."

"No desire to at all to snog him."

"None."

"Not ever?"

Rosa sighed and cast her gaze at the ground for a few moments. She chewed on her lower lip and looked back up at him. "Okay. There was this one time when we were thirteen. We were doing homework in the Blazenrowe Hall parlor and we started goofing around and next thing you know, we're in a tickle fight. And there was this moment when we looked at one another and I really thought we were gonna kiss. But we didn't. And a few days later we talked about it and decided we were better off just being friends. That's as close as we ever got to anything remotely romantic."

"You're sure?"

Rosa groaned and looked to the sky in frustration again. "I can't believe we're having this conversation."

"I guess . . . I don't know. I guess I'd like some more reassurance."

She furrowed her brow at him. Her shoulders rose slowly. Determination settled over her face. She marched over to George, cupped his cheeks and crushed his lips with hers.

"Is that reassurance enough?" She stared hard at him.

George drew a staggered breath. "Yeah. Yeah, I think that'll do."

She smiled as George kissed her. Their mouths opened wider. Excitement consumed her as their tongues dueled.

Rosa drew a ragged breath as George kissed her cheek, then her neck. His lips gradually made their way to her right ear. She gasped when George delicately nibbled her lobe.

"By the way, Rosa," he whispered in her ear.

"Yes, George?"

"All that talk about me being jealous of Jimmy . . ." He kissed her behind her ear.

"Uh-huh." She moved her right hand up and down the back of George's head.

"Well . . ." He pecked her ear. "I just made that all up."

"What?" She pulled away from him.

George grinned wide. "I know there's nothing going on with you and Jimmy. I just said it to see if I could get a rise out of you. Looks like I succeeded."

"You . . . you big jerk!" She playfully slapped his chest.

George stumbled back, howling with laughter. "And here I thought you were the smart one of the O'Bannon foursome. Merlin's beard did I have you going."

The corner of Rosa's mouth twitched. "You are going to pay for that, you jackass."

She pulled her wand from her waistband.

"Oh bugger!" George turned and ran.

She let him get about fifteen feet away before easily nailing him with a Trip Jinx. He fell face first into the grass.

Rosa ran at him. George had rolled onto his back when she jumped on top of him and dug her fingers into his sides. He squirmed and laughed. Then his fingers found her sides. She flinched and cackled. They rolled on the grass and filled the air with laughter.

Finally she let him roll her on her back. They both breathed deep, their gazes locked.

"Thank you, George."

"Anytime, luv."

A shudder of delight went through her. "Luv." He'd just called her "luv." And saying it with that British accent of his, Merlin it just made her melt.

George lowered his head toward her. She opened her mouth and readily accepted his.

XXXXX

O'Bannon fought to keep his eyes open as Lupin ran down tonight's patrol assignments. His mind battled between paying attention to what the ex-Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher had to say, and holding on to his anger at him. Him and everyone else that went along with Snape's damn plan.

"Tonks," Lupin said. "I'm giving you the late shift with Jimmy and Artimus."

He saw the auror nod at that and responded in kind. At least he'd be with two other people who knew slipping wizards and witches a potion without their knowledge was wrong.

Unlike two of my 'best friends.'

He could barely even look at Rosa and Jared. It still boggled his mind how they could go along with something like that. He thought they cared about doing the right thing. He thought morality mattered to them.

Boy, was I wrong.

O'Bannon stared at the table, his eyelids drooping. He didn't get much sleep last night, instead spending most of his time in bed staring at the ceiling thinking about Snape's plan. Anger and disbelief raged through his mind when he thought about the people who backed it. Moody he could understand. That guy's heart probably shriveled up at age six. But Fred and George's parents? And their oldest brother Bill? And Jared and Rosa.

How could people on this side of the war support something like this?

When the meeting broke up, O'Bannon trudged toward the staircase without looking at anyone. He barely noticed Harry, Ron and Ginny sitting in the living room.

"You heading out on patrol now, Jimmy?" Ron asked.

"No. I got the late shift."

"Up for a game of Wizards Chess?"

"No. I'm gonna grab some Zs before I head out."

He headed upstairs, thinking about the cot that awaited him. Thinking about sleep. Thinking about just getting away from people. Especially the ones who . . .

"Ooff!"

He bumped into someone. O'Bannon looked up.

Fleur Delacour stood in front of him, an indignant look on her face. "Watch where you are going. You could 'ave knocked me down."

"Sorry," he grumbled and plodded past her. He pushed open the door to the twins' room, kicked it closed with the back of his foot, and collapsed onto the cot. He closed his eyes, Fleur's throaty voice still echoing inside his head. What he wouldn't give to replace that French witch with another one. Specifically, Mireet Miradeaux. She would be on his side. She would know Snape's plan was wrong.

He just . . . knew . . . it.

His consciousness faded to black.

Location: Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Scotland.

Time Frame: "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire," the night of the Yule Ball.

Euphoria flooded through O'Bannon as he felt Mireet's body press against his. He closed his eyes, savoring the feel of her hair against his head. They slowly danced in a circle to the music filling the Great Hall.

His chest tightened as Mireet's fingers gently rubbed his shoulderblade.

My God, this is real. I really have Mireet in my arms.

Suddenly, the song ended. Mireet pulled away, taking her time doing so, he noted, and applauded with the rest of the Hogwarts, Beauxbatons and Durmstrang students. The whole time, her eyes and her bright smile were locked on him.

O'Bannon's legs turned to jelly.

How did I wind up with a girl this beautiful?

A harsh guitar cord and the rapid banging of drums exploded throughout the Great Hall as the Weird Sisters went into another song. O'Bannon frowned momentarily, wishing they would play another slow song. Heck, he wished the wizard rock band would play slow songs all night long. He could never get tired of holding Mireet.

Still, he got into the upbeat tempo, gyrating and whipping his head up and down headbanger-style. Mireet swung her arms and swayed her hips. She giggled with pure joy.

Then she reached out and took both his hands. Electricity shot through him as their fingers intertwined. They spun each other around, smiling and laughing.

O'Bannon caught glimpses of the jumping and spinning students around them. Fred and Angelina were dancing so exuberantly several people backed away from them for fear of injury. Susan Bones and Katie Bell howled with laughter as they watched Dean Thomas stiffly move his arms and torso.

"Check that out!" He nodded toward the Fourth Year Gryffindor. "Looks like Dean just introduced the Wizarding World to The Robot."

"What?" Mireet watched Dean with a bemused look. Then, to O'Bannon's surprise, she started doing The Robot. Even better than Dean.

"Go Mireet!" Katie shouted. "Wooooo!"

O'Bannon threw his head back and laughed. Who would have guessed beneath that classy, dignified exterior beat the heart of a party animal?

Not only was Mireet Miradeaux beyond beautiful, she was beyond cool.

Over her shoulder, he caught a glimpse of one of the tables beyond the dance floor. His brow furrowed at the four people sitting there.

Da'hell?

Ron Weasley downed a butterbeer, completely oblivious to the dirty looks Padma Patil threw his way. Harry Potter slouched in the seat next to Ron, while Parvati Patil crossed her arms and legs, the expression on her face matching her sister's.

O'Bannon shook his head. What is wrong with those two? Here they were at the Yule Ball with hot Indian twins and they're flat out ignoring them? Didn't they listen to the advice he, Fred, George and Lee gave them earlier today on how they should treat Parvati and Padma if they wanted to get lucky?

Obviously not. Harry surprised him the most. For piss sake, he was the Boy Who Lived and a Tri-Wizard Champion. Those two things alone should have gotten him to second base with Parvati by now.

Oh well, I can't worry about those guys. I've got my own woman to focus on.

They continued to dance and laugh and utterly enjoy themselves. Never in his wildest dreams did he expect his year at Hogwarts to be this awesome. He bore witness to history in the making with the first Tri-Wizard Tournament in centuries. He'd formed a hockey club with wizards and witches who hadn't known the first thing about the sport. And now he found himself dancing the night away with a beautiful and classy French witch.

Yeah, it's good to be Jimmy O'Bannon.

At about five minutes to midnight, Myron Wagtail, The Weird Sisters' lead singer, stepped to the edge of the stage. "Did you lot have a bloody great time tonight!"

O'Bannon and Mireet added their screams to the hundreds of others.

"Yeah!" Wagtail pumped his fist. "You were a great audience! Thank you for having us. We're gonna leave you with our latest song, which thanks to folks like you, is up to Number Four on the WWN Music Chart."

Another slow song filled the Great Hall. O'Bannon's stomach dropped into a black hole. He didn't want this to be the last song. He didn't want this night to end.

"Well . . ." He took Mireet's hand. "Last dance, Mademoiselle."

Mireet smiled and drew closer to him. They wrapped their arms around one another and danced cheek-to-cheek . . . or rather, given Mireet's height, cheek to top of head.

He closed his eyes, losing himself in the feel of Mireet's body against his, losing himself in the song, which reminded him a little of some 80's power ballad.

I thought my search would be in vain.

I thought nothing would end the pain,

In my lonely, lonely heart.

But that's when I finally found you,

And that's when my life did truly start.

He drew a breath, thinking of the first day he met Mireet, of nearly every moment he'd been around her at Hogwarts. Her incredible beauty was just part of the reason he'd fallen for her. She was intelligent and compassionate. She possessed a quiet strength. She didn't have that haughty air of superiority that many of the other Beauxbatons students possessed.

He thought back to the girls he dated at the Salem Witches Institute. Flavia Farnsworth, his first real girlfriend. Penny Nichols, his last girlfriend, who broke up with him via owl mail. Neither of them possessed the . . . depth that Mireet did.

Neither of them made him feel the way he felt now.

He held Mireet tighter as the song continued.

When I look into your eyes.

When I feel our hearts collide.

I know, I know deep within my soul,

I fiiiiiinally found perfection.

When the last note of the song faded, the students erupted into wild applause. The Weird Sisters took their bows and headed off the stage.

"This was so wonderful." Mireet beamed. "I cannot wait to write my sister and tell her all about this ball. Thank you for asking me to it."

"Thank you for coming with me."

Mireet's smile grew wider. She took hold of his shoulders and gently kissed his cheeks. His entire body turned to jelly.

Everyone filed out of the Great Hall. He noticed Justin Finch-Fletchley and Susan Bones holding hands and smiling at one another. Fred and Angelina talked animatedly. Parvati and Padma Patil strode into the corridor, each one with a male Beauxbatons student on their arm. And Hermione Granger, Hermione freakin' Granger of all people, seemed to float on air as she bade Viktor Krum good night. Then she shot Ron a very cold look and stalked up the stairs.

Wonder what that's about.

He couldn't help but frown a bit at the depressed looks on the faces of Harry and Ron. Then again, who wouldn't be depressed if they came here with two hot girls, only to see those girls leave with other guys? He wondered what the general wizarding populace would think if they knew the famous Harry Potter didn't get so much as a friendly peck on the cheek from his date to the Yule Ball. Most people outside Hogwarts probably thought Harry had to fight off the girls with Stunning Spells. Little did they realize he was in the same boat as many other 14-year-olds when it came to girls, meaning not very good at getting them.

"I wish this ball was not over. I feel I could dance until the sun comes up."

Mireet's silky voice snapped him out of his reverie. He turned to her and smiled. "That makes two of us. Especially if all that dancing is with you."

"Jimmy." She looked away momentarily, her cheeks flush.

"Um, so . . . can I walk you back to your carriage?"

"Oui. I would like that very much."

She fetched her thick cloak, which O'Bannon draped over her shoulders. The two of them headed outside into the cold December air. He walked slowly, letting the other Beauxbatons students get far ahead of them. He wanted to be alone with Mireet when he said what he'd been dying to say to her all night long.

The powder-blue carriage that housed the Beauxbatons contingent came into view. O'Bannon's heart hammered away. His stomach churned. Dread and excitement twisted inside him.

C'mon, man. You can do it.

He halted ten feet from the carriage and took Mireet's hand. "Um, Mireet." He looked her in the eyes. My God, she was so beautiful. "Um . . . I had an absolute awesome time with you tonight. You're . . . well, um, aw jeez, I can't even describe what an awesome witch you are."

Mireet shuddered slightly as she took a breath. "Merci, Jimmy. And you . . . you have become such a dear friend to me. I'm so happy I have gotten to know you."

His back stiffened. He gave Mireet's hand a gentle squeeze.

Okay, man. Here goes.

"Mireet. I . . . I really like you. And tonight, when we were dancing and I was holding you, I just . . . I never met anyone like you in my life. You're wonderful and awesome and nice and just so . . . so beautiful."

Mireet stared at him, every muscle in her body seemingly frozen. He tried to read the expression on her face. He couldn't tell if she was flattered by what he said or if she . . .

No. Don't even think that.

He glanced down. They still held hands.

Holding his breath, he stepped forward.

Mireet didn't move.

Okay. That's a good sign.

He leaned closer to her, his focus on her lips. She didn't back away.

His heart thumped furiously. The space between his lips and Mireet's grew smaller.

"Jimmy."

He stopped inches from her face. "Yeah, Mireet?"

She closed her eyes and lowered her head. Her hands slipped from his.

An invisible fist punched O'Bannon in the gut. What's going on?

"Jimmy, I wish . . . I do not know if I can do this."

"Huh? Wha-What do you mean?"

"It's just . . ." She held her hand up to her mouth. O'Bannon got the sense she tried to hold back a sniffle. "Before . . . Before we left to come to Hogwarts, there was . . . there was a boy. Marc-Andre. We had been together for two years, and I loved him very much. I believed he would be the one I would eventually marry. But . . . but his family is very wealthy. They run a very successful robe business. They mingle in very important circles. Marc-Andre's parents felt it was . . . unseemly for someone from such a prominent family to be involved with a girl . . ." Mireet sniffled and bit her lip. "Involved with a girl whose mother works in our Ministry's Office of Muggle Relations, and who engages voluntarily in Muggle activities. So he . . . he broke up with me."

She lowered her head. O'Bannon just stared at her.

Mireet half-breathed, half-sobbed and looked back up at him. "Marc-Andre shattered my heart. I . . . I had never hurt so much in my life."

"I . . . I'd never hurt you like that, Mireet."

"But you will."

His face crinkled in bewilderment. "What?"

"Jimmy, I do want to be with you. But . . . but six months from now, you will return to America, and I will return to France. Who knows if we will ever see one another again? If I let myself fall for you, I know my heart is going to shatter again when you leave. I . . . I'm sorry. I just cannot bear to go through that sort of pain again."

The world completely stopped. O'Bannon's mind refused to accept Mireet's words. She couldn't have said that. Not after the great time they had tonight. Not after the way they held one another when they danced. There was a connection between them. How could she ignore it? How could she let an ex-boyfriend who was a jackass ruin things for them now?

"I am sorry, Jimmy. Please do not hate me."

He stood like a statue, eyes locked on her. His soul crumbled to dust, leaving an empty pit inside him. He didn't want to move, for fear he'd collapse. But he wanted to leave. Not just from this spot, but from Hogwarts entirely.

How could I have been so stupid? He should have known there was no way he could be in a relationship with someone like Mireet Miradeaux. The girl was far out of his league. So many hopes, so many expectations, so many daydreams of him and Mireet walking along the lake holding hands, of spending Hogsmeade weekends together, of finding some secluded place on campus and enjoying each other's bodies.

None of that would happen now.

Why had he gotten his hopes up?

Why did Mireet agree to go with him to the Yule Ball if she knew they wouldn't have any future together after it?

"Jimmy?"

His mouth opened and closed silently for several seconds. Finally he managed to speak.

"Um, yeah. Well, I better go. Good night."

He spun on his heel and stalked off.

"Jimmy," Mireet called out in a pleading tone.

He kept on walking.

TO BE CONTINUED

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Please feel free to comment on my Weird Sisters song lyrics. Writing lyrics and/or poetry has never been my strong suit, so I'd like to hear if they worked or not.