The Tale of Jamie Devereaux

That Damned Hufflepuff

"No." Fred crossed his arms.

"No?"

He smirked, "Now who's deaf."

"God you're impossible!" Jamie turned marched up the stairs, not caring that it was late at night and people were certainly asleep.

Fred laughed, "There you go calling me a God again."

Jamie turned, glaring at him, "Shut up, Fredward."

"Goodnight, Jamison, I'm going to make you tell me." His voice was light, but his words were honest.

--

Throughout one evening at Hogwarts School, students from three of the four houses walked past a certain wall once, twice, three times before a door appeared. The students came in pairs or trios, but never more than a few. Inside the appearing door was the room of requirement. It transformed itself into a training room, with large columns that stopped halfway and seemed to hang in the air. The group of students formed a semi-circle around a black-haired boy named Harry Potter who was demonstrating a rather impressive spell: a corporeal Patronus that took the shape of a Stag.

The tall four-legged animal pranced around the group of wizards before disappearing into the air. Jamie Devereaux Bruce watched with wide, excited eyes. Fred Weasley was standing on his toes, bouncing up and down slightly, his hands in his robes. George Weasley wasn't paying attention. His eyes were on Angelina Johnson, who was speaking in hushed tones to Alicia Spinnet. George had still not spoken to the Quidditch Captain about her possible feelings for him and his definite feelings for her. He didn't want to ruin his friendship with Angelina, but he also couldn't go much longer pretending he didn't like her. Ginevra Weasley was concentrating on the hand motions that Harry was instructing and trying to find her best memory. Luna Lovegood stood beside Ginny, thinking about pudding.

When Harry was done speaking, he let the group of witches and wizards disperse throughout the room of requirement and begin their attempts at a Patronus. Each unsuccessful attempt was met with an encouraging reminder from the fifth-year Gryffindor to think of something truly happy. A person, a memory, a moment that made them know they were loved or at peace. Something that would detour a Dementor. Harry kept trying to remind everyone that releasing a Patronus in a brightly lit room not under stress or attack would be difficult to do.

Fred and George Weasley made this into something of a game. "The time Umbridge tripped up the stairs in front of everyone!" Fred called aloud, then tried to perform the spell. Nothing happened.

"When an entire group of first years turned into Canaries!" George yelled before saying Expecto Patronum. Nothing happened. And on it went, for a while. The twins taking turns yelling out moments their pranks succeeded.

Ginny glared at her brothers, "Harry said a happy memory. Not an evil one, you sadistic bastards."

"You tell-em, Gin!" Jamie called from across the room, trying her best to think of happy memories. The blonde witch figured that anything to create a corporeal Patronus would be due to a moment she had with Loren Bruce. Memory after memory fled through her mind and, regardless of how hard she tried, not even a semblance of a wisp of blue came out of her wand.

There were gasps around the blonde witch and a beautiful rabbit began to jump around the room, playing in people's hair. Luna beamed at her Patronus, watching it with wide eyes as it traveled throughout the room. Cho Chang's swan floated elegantly in the air and the Ravenclaw girl stared at it with happiness, "Look how pretty!" There was a chorus of agreement. There was something beautiful about the silver and blue Patronuses. Like nothing any of the students had seen before. Jamie squared her shoulders and tried to focus again on something happy but her mind kept wandering. The half-Veela began to stress that she would never be able to produce one.

Fred Weasley seemed to materialize beside her, "Thinking happy thoughts of me, are you?" He asked.

Jamie's eyes narrowed, "Not on your life, Weasley. Have you gotten it yet?"

He huffed, "Not yet, but it's only a matter of time." Fred tried again. The tall red head thought of his childhood and growing up beside George. He thought of the time he and his twin had accidentally done magic to shred all of their itchy sweaters and the way they giggled in the ruins of their mother's knitting. Molly Weasley had been distressed, but Fred and George played games with the remains for weeks, pretending they were old wizards fighting on a magical quest. A surge of happiness overpowered Fred and he released it out of his wand. The blue and silver sparks formed wings, then a beak. A magpie burst forward, doing a backflip and soaring high into the room. Fred turned to Jamie with a smug look, "Ta-dah."

The blonde witch groaned, "I can't isolate just one emotion."

A hand touched her shoulder, "Try using my happiness maybe?" He whispered, bending down, "You can touch on people's emotions right?"

The thought was brilliant, and Jamie's eyebrows rose. She knew it could be anyone except Fred. The seventh-year Gryffindor broke from Fred's grasp and moved toward Luna Lovegood, who was watching her rabbit with dreamy eyes. Jamie thought hard, looking at the happiness displayed in Luna and remembering a memory of Loren Bruce. Jamie thought of her first night back during her first year at Hogwarts, how her mother had doted on her and they stayed up all night talking, laughing, and watching movies. Though no student could see it, Jamie's aura moved, wrapping around Luna's and embracing the Ravenclaw's happiness. Jamie took a breath and raised her wand, "Expecto Patronum." She called out. Blue swirls moved up and up. What looked like an ear started to form, so Jamie moved away from Luna and her aura. When Jamie did that the ear changed into a wisp.

There was words of encouragement from other students as they watched her struggling ball of possibility perch at the top of the ceiling, not coming down. Jamie found it odd. The blue light stilled before falling down into the room and flying through the air. That is when things started to get interesting. The movement of light chose to fly through other corporeal Patronuses. When it hit Hermione's otter, suddenly there were two otter Patronuses. But the new otter kept moving in flight. Jamie's Patronus knocked into Ginny's horse and no longer was it an otter, but a horse. Then there were two stags before one stag—Jamie's Patronus—became a swan. The half-Veela's heart was racing, panicking. How would she explain this to Dumbledore's army. Clearly even her Patronus was impacted by the emotions of those around her. She couldn't force it to come closer to her, so Jamie silently willed it. There were now three magpies chasing each other around before one of them hovered two feet away from Jamie. The other students studied the event, wondering if this often happened or if Jamie was a special case. Jamie wondered the same thing.

Luna Lovegood giggled, "How are you doing that, Jamie?"

Zacharias Smith crossed his arms, still unable to cast his own Patronus, "Is this that gifted wandless magic you were talking about? Because I sure haven't heard about this ever happening."

"Put a cork in it, Smith." Angelina glared, "Sorry you're jealous your Patronus is a—oh wait we don't know yet." The Gryffindor's hand clenched in anger.

George Weasley pulled her back by her robe when she headed toward the blonde boy. "Easy there, Captain, he's not worth it." He whispered down at her.

Jamie Devereaux ignored the chaos, still too focused on her morphing and active Patronus. The magpie morphed again, moving closer and lower toward Jamie's feet. It got bigger and the animal seemed to curl up in rest after an eventful sprint. The Patronus stilled right at Jamie's foot, nuzzling it. Jamie gasped. A badger. A choked sob left her, "That damned Hufflepuff."