The Tale of Jamie Devereaux

She's Going to Look so Good Dancing on My Grave

Chapter Three: She's Going to Look so Good Dancing on My Grave

Dumbledore and Minerva McGonagall spent a good amount of Jamie's first four years of Hogwarts watching her from afar. Well, Dumbledore watched from afar. Professor McGonagall couldn't help but be part of the young witches life. What she found curious was how intelligent and inquisitive Jamie was about all subjects except herself. Minerva watched as, when excited the girl did seem to briefly fly. And how when angry, which usually only came after an encounter with Fred Weasley, her nose looked longer and her teeth almost sharp. Both the deputy headmistress and Dumbledore knew that the only explanation was that Jamie was part Veela. If the little Bruce had ever once come to her favorite professor and asked why boys seemed to follow her around, Minerva would have instantly sat her down and explained just what she was. But that never came, and Jamie seemed as oblivious of her outward appearance as she was aware of how talented she was in Transfigurations, Charms, and Care of Magical Creatures. She was not obnoxiously humble, but she had grown up with a mother that had exclusively praised her for her personality and intellect, and for that reason any external complement fell as if on deaf ears.

Minerva had sent a letter to Loren Bruce, asking questions about Devereaux and any information that Loren could give her. The older Bruce woman sent back a long letter about how "shit happens" "it was fun when it lasted" and "wouldn't trade it for the world." She did mention that he was very beautiful and seemed magical. This then was followed by several questions about if Devereaux was a wizard. The overall message of the letter conveyed that Loren talked freely of Devereaux to Jamie, but Jamie had little to no desire to try and find a man who didn't find her mother—the most interesting person both Jamie and Minerva had ever met—interesting enough to stay.

After than letter, Professor McGonagall understood trying to see if the muggle mother knew anything was pointless, for the glamor of a Veela would have been hidden in her eyes. There was also the matter of full blooded Veela men being very scarce and far in between, but Jamie did not seem to be just ¼ Veela. The old witch sighed at her desk, snacking on brownies that had been sent to her by Loren Bruce as a birthday present, along with a funny looking tea cup that was the shape of an elephant. If Minerva had been aware that getting to know the Bruce women meant being given sweets often, she would have gotten herself robes five sizes larger.

--

Jamie Devereaux was in her fourth year of Hogwarts, studying for her final exams in the library and was both excited to go home and sad to leave her friends. Exams weren't for a few weeks but Cedric and Alicia believed that the more hours under their belt studying meant they couldn't possibly do badly. Jamie covered her face with her hand and swiftly shoved a large bite of brownie into her mouth, trying to go undetected.

Angelina laughed at her friend, "James, you know there is no eating in the library."

"Brain food?" Jamie mumbled over a mouth of chocolaty goodness.

Half of Cedric's head was under the table as he tried to shove two brownies in his mouth at once. After meeting Jamie on the train to Hogwarts, Cedric and the blonde witch had become best friends and were almost as inseparable as Jamie and Angelina. This lead to a very unhealthy muggle-sweet addiction that was fueled by Loren Bruce who sent her daughter packages of sweets twice a month.

Cedric looked at his best friend who was smiling cheekily at Angelina and snorted. There were huge smudges of chocolate under her lip making the fifteen year old look like she had sprouted an impressive goatee.

Because of how close Cedric and Jamie were, many people at Hogwarts thought they were together. And while Cedric understood where these rumors came from, they couldn't be farther from the truth. Jamie Devereaux was the closest thing that Cedric had to a sibling. The two only children had come together and found themselves confiding in one another as they never had before with someone their own age. He was her brother that annoyed her to no end and laughed at her when she did something stupid or helped her when she was homesick. In fact, Cedric was one of the only boys at Hogwarts that Jamie talked to.