you're light years ahead of me [rosie]

[Deleted]

december 20th, 2024

Things were moving for Jamie. She had just finished an interview with the owner of Slug and Jigger's Apothecary, and gotten herself a job at one of her favorite shops in Diagon - and a job that would make use of her Potions skills, too. Being a potioneer had been a serious consideration of Jamie's in her final year of school, and she had a feeling that she wouldn't be readily welcomed in the Quidditch world after ending her contract as abruptly as she had. Not that Jamie particularly wanted to play Quidditch anymore. The fame and prestige that had seemed like a good way to make a name for herself as a werewolf who was normal now seemed more like a burden. She could deal with the spotlight under normal circumstances, but in hindsight Jamie wondered if she had ever truly been ready to face the less pleasant side of things.

Jamie stepped out of the apothecary and onto its front step, wrapping her scarf around her neck as she took a deep breath of the fresh air outside. She did have to admit that the various smells in the apothecary were a little overwhelming. She was hoping that being in the back room for the majority of the time would keep the worst of the scents out of her sensitive nose, but Jamie couldn't be guaranteed. Either way, she didn't mind. She had a job, and that had been the focus of the day. That, and coming back to Diagon at all, of course. Jamie finished bundling herself up on the apothecary's doorstep, and then paused. She thought she had seen someone that she known in the crowd...

rose harriet granger-weasley

[Deleted]

Rosie liked to walk the alley during her lunch breaks at the Daily Prophet. She loved working there, but she hated her job. Starting months after everyone else in her year had put her behind and while everyone else was now a formal employee, she was still an intern, and not even a fun intern, she was stuck all day at a dimly lit desk where she copy edited every article before it went off to print. It was tedious and annoying and left her dry eyed and tired by the end of the day. Some night, she was too tired to even call Brandon when she got home and would pass out on her couch rather than travel all the way to her bed in her studio flat in the city. Her bed was only a half dozen feet further on in the room, but those half dozen feet seemed like miles when your eyes burned like hers often did.

In order to cut some of the monotony, she took walks during her breaks. On this windy day in December, the Alley was particularly crowded. Christmas was coming up. She still needed to get Brandon something for christmas, she thought on that as she walked. However, she looked ahead a ways and then just froze in her tracks. She shook her head and blinked her eyes. It couldn’t be. Jamie? Wasn’t she gone taking care of her mum? “Jamie?” Rosie called, waving down the lane. “Well what are you doing in town?!” she asked with a huge smile on her face. That perked her right up.

@jamie

[Deleted]

Jamie hadn’t been imagining things at all, which was good. If she had started seeing strange visions the same day she returned to the wizarding world she would be a little apprehensive of ever coming back. She had recognized a face in the crowd – one of her best friends and former Hogwarts roommate, Rosie. She hadn’t recognized Rosie at first because the other girl’s hair was much, much shorter than Jamie had remembered it. When had that happened!?

“Rosie!” Jamie returned the greeting jovially. She paused when Rosie asked her what she was doing in town. “I’m coming back. For good, I hope.” There was a lot more to be said about that, but Jamie didn’t fancy saying it in the middle of a crowded alley. Rosie had gotten her incredulous question in, so Jamie decided it was time for one of her own. “When did you cut your hair? It looks amazing on you!” Of course, Rosie looked good no matter what, but the shorter haircut was definitely fetching, and Jamie wanted to know just how far out of the loop she was. Why hadn’t she thought to ask her friends for pictures when they had been writing!?

rose harriet granger-weasley

[Deleted]

“You’re back for good?!” Rosie exclaimed when Jamie explained why she was here in the Alley. Rosie could hardly believe what she was hearing. She had written with Jamie over the past months but she hadn’t expected to see her, one of her best friends, for a while longer. “What brings you back already?” she asked, wondering what Jamie’s plans were now that she was back. Before the girl had left, she had a Quidditch contract and Rosie had promised to go to all of her games, but things had changed and they were both different people now than they were when they made that promise to one another. “Oh I cut it over the summer when I ran off to America. Do you like it? I think it's the real me.” She left out the part about how by doing that she jeopardized her relationship with her boyfriend and put her professional life on hold.

@jamie

[Deleted]

Jamie nodded at Rosie’s incredulous exclamation. She hoped that she was back for good, and she was hoping that saying it enough times would make it the truth. She couldn’t change what she had done and what had happened to her, but she could make the choice to find a way to survive whatever the future had in store. Leaving for the Muggle world had been a necessity at the time, and Jamie was trying to remind herself of that, too. She hadn’t been a coward, or weak – she had just been a person who tried her best to go where she was needed.

And now, Jamie was needed here. Or, at least she hoped she was. “I wanted to see my family again.” Jamie shrugged. She wanted to see her friends too, of course, but the family bit was what always seemed to call her back. “My mum’s doing better, and you know how things are here…” Jamie trailed off. She had been relatively out of the loop for a while, but even so, the explosions that had happened around graduation time weren’t a distant memory by any stretch of the word.

The summer – America. That explained why she hadn’t seen Rosie’s new hair. “I do like it,” Jamie answered. She carefully avoided the comment about the hair being the “real” Rosie. She was a little afraid of what that meant. Did Jamie know the real Rosie, or someone else?

rose harriet granger-weasley

[Deleted]

Jamie explained that she wanted to come back and see her family again. Rosie nodded at that, she understood. While she herself didn’t have much family to speak of, it being just her parents and herself, she understood the importance of being around them and spending time with them, and she sure missed them when she was away from them for too long. “I’m sure they’re all so excited to have you back, or do they know yet?” Rosie wasn’t sure how new Jamie being back was. Maybe Rosie was one of the firsts to catch a glimpse of the girl in the magical world again. Jamie explained that her mom was doing better and Rosie was glad to hear it, though she didn’t comment on it, she didn’t want to bring up any bad memories or feelings about it. There were other things to think about, as Jamie brought up also, albeit, vaguely. Rosie just nodded. She knew. Rosie had changed so much over the course of the past couple of months, and at the same time, not at all. She was still the same bubbly, Hufflepuff that she had always been. But she sported a new confidence and a new willingness that she had never felt before. Being lost in a strange place, and then coming home and fighting with her boyfriend for a while had done it to her, but she liked this version of herself a little better. “So what are you doing right now? Stopped into the apothecary?” she asked, noting the location.

@jamie

[Deleted]

Jamie winced a little when Rosie asked if her family knew whether or not she was back. Really, she ought to have told her half-siblings before anyone else, but she hadn’t. “They don’t know yet. I’m going to send them owls when I get home and see if I can meet with them before they go off for the holidays.” Jamie didn’t let herself think too much about what it would be like to see her siblings again – she was afraid her heart would beat right out of her chest if she thought too long about it. “You’re actually one of the first people I saw.” She had seen Andy, of course, but that had been on purpose. Rosie was the first person that she had stumbled upon entirely on accident, and Jamie thought there was something kind of poetic about it. It seemed like the universe’s way of letting her know that Rosie was still meant to be in her life, even after the divergence of their paths after school.

“I’m getting a job there,” Jamie admitted when asked about the apothecary. “I wanted something with a better schedule than Quidditch, and you know Potion was always my best subject.” Jamie paused. “You’re still at the Prophet, right?” Jamie hoped she would have heard something if Rosie was switching jobs, but she couldn’t exactly expect to be told everything while she was gone.

rose harriet granger-weasley

[Deleted]

Jamie explained that her siblings didn’t know what she was back yet and Rosie nodded, she didn’t mean to make the girl feel bad or uncomfortable, and she hoped that she hadn’t. She said that she was going to send them letters when she got home and hoped to see them before the holidays. Jamie then said that Rosie was one of the first people whom she had seen and Rosie smiled, “Well I’m honored, then.” even if it had been by accident, it was nice to see her. Maybe it was fate. Rosie definitely believed in fate. Jamie then explained that she was getting a job here, “Oh that’s amazing! You’ll be great at it!” she had known that Jamie was good at potions, Rosie had never been good, but she got a lot of inspiration to try from Jamie through the years. “Yes, I’m at the prophet now.” she nodded. She still wished she had gone to the prophet right out of school, but she enjoyed her time abroad anyway, even if it put her behind in life, ever so slightly. “It’s pretty great, I’m stuck as an intern for a little bit longer,” and the work was fairly draining, “but i’m excited to move up.” she explained.

@jamie

[Deleted]

Jamie felt something warm curl in her chest when Rosie said she’d be amazing as a potioneer. She had been a little worried about her skills, but the interview she had gone to had included a practical portion that she had aced. That, combined with Rosie’s praise, was helping Jamie’s confidence improve markedly. She didn’t want to screw up this new job the way she had screwed up the last one. She couldn’t afford to.

Rosie confirmed that she was at the Daily Prophet, and Jamie nodded, satisfied that there was one thing that hadn’t seemed to change. “You’ll be unstuck soon,” Jamie promised. She didn’t have a basis for that claim, but she knew that sometimes, people needed reassurance more than they needed the truth. “Are you looking forward to any big projects once you’re a full-time journalist?” Jamie asked. Muggle movies always made journalism seem so glamorous; the writers were always uncovering deep-seated corruption and discovering long-dead secrets to write the scoop of the century. Maybe Rosie had one of those projects in the wings.

rose harriet granger-weasley

[Deleted]

Jamie always knew what to say to make Rosie feel better, and this was one of those times. Brandon always helped too, the best that he could, but he always told her to keep working hard and working towards the future. Which was very practical advance. However, Jamie’s vague statement was just what she needed to hear. Soon, she would be unstuck. She was only stuck as an intern for 6 months and she had started in September. It would be done in no time. “Well I’m hoping to be put in sports, that’s what I’m aiming for.” of course, she’d take whatever job she was given, she needed to be making money now no matter what. But her heart was in sports. “Maybe I’ll get to cover the world cup or something, or, I can weasel some muggle sports into the paper.” she suggested. Though, she wasn’t sure how well that would go over. Wishful thinking, maybe. “I’m uh, still seeing Brandon.” she told Jamie once the conversation lagged a bit. “He’s working for a club in London, now, Club Indigo.” she explained.

@jamie

[Deleted]

Jamie nodded when Rosie said she was hoping to be put into sports. She remembered that – how happy they were that even though they were going down different paths, they’d still be tied together, in a way. “Covering Muggle sports would be fun!” Though Jamie did have to wonder if any wizards actually cared about that sort of thing – football could be boring after watching Quidditch. Not nearly as much danger of someone dying, for all that Muggle sports players acted like it when they were injured.

“That’s nice,” Jamie chirped when Rosie announced that she was still seeing Brandon. Her own love life was in a bit of a disarray at the moment – but then again, when wasn’t it? Jamie wasn’t going to regale Rosie with the tale of her twisted affections at the moment. Maybe when they had a girls’ night together and weren’t just passing on the streets. “As a musician?” Jamie confirmed when Rosie said Brandon was working at the club. She had heard of it before in passing, and as she understood they had bartenders and dancers and bouncers. None of those jobs seemed likely for Brandon, since music had always been his passion, but she was willing to entertain the idea that Brandon, like everyone else, had changed in her absence.

rose harriet granger-weasley

[Deleted]

Rosie’s fear regarding wanting to cover muggle sports would be that no one would read it and it would get cut from the paper, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t still attend the matches and write about it. Maybe she could get a second job, or a freelance job, covering those matches for various muggle publications. In the meantime, she’d probably stick with Quidditch, unless Quadpot made its way across the sea with the American students. “I think they’re a bit more interesting. But maybe that’s just because of my dad.” he loved any and all muggle sports, being a muggle and all. Though he had liked Quidditch too when his wife played.

“Yeah as a musician. He’s doing a lot better now. It was so hard for him to not be able to play almost all summer.” she told her friend, almost wishing she had left the last bit out. Brandon was finally to a point where it was almost easy to forget that he had ever been so close to death and in the hospital, unable to even more his head to look at her when she walked into the room. “He’s making new music all the time. He’s excited to finally be able to get into the studio sooner or later to record.” she admitted. She was excited for her boyfriend, but she didn’t want to bore Jamie too much with it. They had been friends, if she recalled, before he left for Durmstrang, but so much had changed since then. So much had changed simply in the last few months.

@jamie

[Deleted]

Jamie was definitely biased when it came to whether or not Muggle sports were more interesting than Wizarding ones; even if she had wanted to be a professional Quidditch player, it was Muggle sports that had first captured her mind and her athletic talent, and they were always going to have a place in her heart. “Also fewer ways to cheat,” Jamie added. She wasn’t sure how hard it was to mess around with the charms on a Quaffle or a Bludger, but she couldn’t imagine it would be that difficult for a wizard with a sharp mind for charms. Though cheating was a problem in Muggle sports, their video technology made it possible for them to rewatch and catch the cheaters in a way that wizarding referees couldn’t.

“I’d imagine.” Jamie nodded. Brandon had been injured in the explosion of the Durmstrang ship at the end of the semester, and from what Rosie said Jamie guessed that his arms or hands had been injured. After being kept from the things she loved for the past few months – mostly Quidditch and her siblings – Jamie could understand the sort of emotional toll that it would have on someone. “And then he’ll become a rock star and sing at a thousand shows and forget all about his werewolf friend from Hufflepuff,” Jamie finished dramatically. Her smile betrayed her true feelings about that, though; if Brandon was going to record an album, she was going to be so excited for him and the succeeded that he found. “Do you know how anyone else is doing?” Jamie had kept up with some of her friends, but not all, and she was curious as to what she could hear through the grapevine.

rose harriet granger-weasley

[Deleted]

Rosie had always admired that Jamie loved muggle sports like she did, a lot of wizards didn’t care for them, but Rosie found them fascinating and it was nice to have a friend who thought so too. “Absolutely.” she agreed when Jamie suggested that there were fewer ways to cheat in muggle sports, though she supposed that Quidditch referees were trained on how to spot cheating charms and unfair uses of magic.

Rosie hadn’t thought that Jamie might not have known the extent of Brandon’s injuries, but she didn’t really want to recount them right now, it wasn’t something that she liked to think about, for obvious reasons. For a while, even after the healers promised that he would okay, it wasn’t guaranteed that he’d get his motor functions back, and that had been a hard time. That was when she ran away, she regretted that a lot. Rosie laughed at her comment about him becoming a famous rock star and forgetting about Jamie, “Probably about his girlfriend too.” she teased, though she didn’t think Brandon was ever the type to forget about anyone. When Jamie asked if she knew how anyone else was doing, Rosie had to shake her head, “I have to admit, I’ve been a bit of a bad friend.” she sighed. Work and Brandon were the only things that had her attention anymore. She hadn’t checked in on anyone unless they happened to cross her path like Jamie had just now. “And on that note, my lunch break is actually ending... I should be getting back...” she had been on her way back to the office from lunch when she ran into the blonde, and, as an intern, Rosie didn’t really want to have any strikes against her.

@jamie
((I think you can end ))