The Tale of Jamie Devereaux

You Absolute Moron.

Fred Weasley tapped his quill on his table impatiently, waiting for the last of his OWLs to be over with. Four seats in front of him, to the right, sat the woman of his affections. Her hair was in a bun at the top of her head, small tendrils of silver sat at the nape of her neck and blew slowly with the cool air in the Great Hall—which had been converted into the testing room. Her head was bent, but her back was straight. Her hand rushed to keep up with her mind and her muggle pen made sweeping motions with each determined thought. The red-headed Gryffindor had thought of nothing but Jamie Devereaux since her sixteenth birthday when she had snuck into his bedroom. He wish he hadn't delayed and just snogged her the second he saw her dark green eyes looking up in his. Fred had replayed the moment in his mind, willing past Fred to act faster, move quicker. Surely he should have known that catching Jamie again would take possibly another five years. He had held her in his arms, felt her against him and now he knows exactly what she would look like wrapped around him. But now she was avoiding him, jumping and exiting when he walked toward her.

Professor Flitwick announced that time was up, and Fred Weasley immediately got to his feet and walked over to the short little blonde. She was distracted with stretching her cramped hand from hours of writing intensely. He grabbed her bag that hung on the chair behind her and placed it on his shoulder. Dazed she stood up, as if not processing what had happened. When it dawned on her that he had her bag and now she would have to acknowledge him, Fred watched in fascination as a dark blush swept the tips of her cheeks.

Jamie Devereaux couldn't look in Fred's eyes. After having been so close to snogging him, and wanting to snog him, she didn't know how to act. The boy was her childhood rival, turned girlish crush. Now...she didn't know what to call Fred Weasley. It was no longer just a silly crush of staring at hands and imagining him kissing her. It had transformed into a sick addiction. If he breathed in the same room as her she felt his breath against her neck as he had reached around her and placed that hair tie in his collection. If he spoke to George at the Great Hall during breakfast, she heard his deep voice whispering 'Jamison'. Her reactions were unnatural and heightened and Jamie could only assume that it was thanks to her half male-Veela self that she felt this way. Him standing above her, looking down at her right now she felt as if she was back in his bedroom and his hand was tangled in her hair again. Every part of her experienced a chill and a flush of heat at the same time.

Jamie cleared her dry throat and looked at her sneakers with concentration, "Can I have my bag back?"

"No." Fred responded, still staring down at her, pleading for her eyes to meet his again. Around them, their classmates were fading out of the testing hall, talking loudly and with excitement. It was summer break, everyone would be headed home soon. Fred couldn't bring it in himself to be excited about this. All he could think about was not seeing Jamie Devereaux for two months. Giving her two months to get over her small crush, and two months for his deep infatuation to grow deeper. This was the only time he had. She was attracted to him, he knew this. If he didn't act now, she could be dating someone else soon or hating him again.

Jamie's head snapped up in annoyance at Fred's abrupt response, "It is my bag, Weasley. Give it back."

"Not until you talk to me." He responded, his voice genuine and a bit more emotional than he would have wanted. This was not what he imagined doing to get her to confess her feelings toward him.

The blonde's shoulders straightened and she turned her body away from him, "Fine, keep it for all I care." And with a sweep she joined the crowd of retreating students.

While she was short enough to squeeze through people, Fred had long legs and a lot of determination. By the time Jamie Devereaux had exited the Great Hall, Fred had caught up with her and taken her elbow in a loose grip with his large hand. He tugged her into an alcove and held his breath when he processed that she was pushed against him.