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last online Apr 24, 2024 23:36:06 GMT -7
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Dec 6, 2017 9:19:17 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Dec 6, 2017 9:19:17 GMT -7
It was the day before Jamie's birthday, and she kept getting asked what she wanted for her birthday. The thing was, Jamie wasn't all that materialistic. She had lived most of her seventh year out of her trunk at Hogwarts, not owning anything more than could fit into the small place. She didn't care about possessions - she cared about people, and the fact that people kept getting hurt infuriated her. It had been about two weeks since word had reached Britain that Ilvermorny had been ransacked, and Jamie still hadn't processed it. She was still working on internalizing Elias's death, and the appearances of her new siblings, and having a new job, and it all just felt like so much. Jamie wanted a break. She didn't want to tell people that she wanted a break for her birthday, though, because that generally didn't get positive reactions. In truth, Jamie didn't need a break from people - she needed to pull them closer. Spending time with everyone was a little harder now that she had a job to work around, and so did many of her friends, but Jamie was determined not to lose touch with all of her Hogwarts friends. There were a few people in particular that she was fighting tooth and nail not to lose. Chief among them was Andy. Jamie was hesitant to call anyone her best friend, because she didn't like to put one of her friends over the others, but if she had to call someone in the world her best friend, Andy would be it. The other girl knew her soul in ways that Jamie couldn't explain, and she liked to believe that she knew Andy's soul, too. It had been too long since they had seen each other, but Jamie knew in a way, it was for the better. Immediately after Elias's death she hadn't been in the best place, and she didn't need to drag Andy down with her. Now she had equal amounts of happy and sad news to impart, and Jamie was confident that her meeting with Andy would go well. She was meandering around the streets of London, waiting for Andy to appear so they could catch up on everything that had happened since they had last spoken.
@lestrange
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last online Apr 24, 2024 23:36:06 GMT -7
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Dec 7, 2017 21:11:24 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Dec 7, 2017 21:11:24 GMT -7
Dark jeans, a navy blue v-neck t shirt and a leather jacket. Andy braided her hair down one side and pulled the braid in front to rest against her chest. It looked nice, but serious. Like she was stylish but ready for combat any second. Basically, it suited her. Jamies birthday was tomorrow, and Andy hadn't even gotten her a present yet... she'd think of something. First and foremost, she wanted to see her friend.
It had been a strange May and June, with a lot of life changes and changes with herself. But she didn't feel like they were changes... she felt like she was pulling pieces of herself out into the sunlight, pieces that made everything finally make sense. Her years of chaos and, frankly, 'personality swings' were finally started to make sense. She was living with Susan and her family, working at the Ministry every day, and training to be a Hit Witch. She wasn't with Phil anymore, which was okay. She had changed her last name. She was eighteen now. She felt old, but in a good way. She was tough.
Or, rather, usually was. Seeing Jamie up ahead proved that to be false. She felt her insides turn to jelly, her chest growing warm and her muscles starting to ache. She didn't realize she had stopped walking, just standing there staring at her.
@jamie
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last online Apr 24, 2024 23:36:06 GMT -7
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Dec 8, 2017 13:45:01 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Dec 8, 2017 13:45:01 GMT -7
There were some things in life that Jamie was sure would forever remain a mystery to her, and how Andromeda Lestrange could look good no matter what she was wearing was one of them. The thing about Andy was that she just didn’t look beautiful – she looked dangerous in a way that sent shivers up Jamie’s spine. If she wasn’t entirely certain that Andy would never hurt her, Jamie probably would have been afraid when she saw Andy, looking like she was ready to fight someone. For a moment, Jamie stood there, just staring at Andy as the Gryffindor stared back at her. There was a feeling in Jamie’s stomach that she couldn’t quite understand. It was like she and Andy were opposite poles of a magnet, and standing there without closing the gap between them was against the laws of physics. Jamie didn’t wait longer than a moment before breaking into a run, closing the distance between her and Andy with the quick, practiced strides of someone who had run many, many laps around the Quidditch pitch. Jamie threw her arms around Andy’s shoulders, pulling the other girl close. It felt oddly like her reunion with Will, but Jamie shook that thought away as she took a step back from Andy. “You look nice.” Jamie said with a smile. Nice wasn’t exactly the world, but Jamie didn’t want there to be any mixed signals about how she felt if she said that Andy looked dangerous.
@lestrange
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last online Apr 24, 2024 23:36:06 GMT -7
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Dec 12, 2017 11:51:00 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Dec 12, 2017 11:51:00 GMT -7
Andy didn't help Jamie close the distance, but rather prepared herself for the embrace by holding her ground and lifting her arms. She wrapped them around Jamies waist and gave her a tight squeeze, taking in the scent of her with a deep breath in through her nose. Then they broke apart, Jamie saying she looked nice, and Andy grinned, giving a little shrug. "I'd like to think I look more... dashing, or something more upbeat than that," she half teased, lifting her hand to tap the side of her own nose. "Have you toned up your muscle since I last saw you? They must be working you hard at Quidditch," she laughed. Not a sweet, polite chuckle like she used to do, but a full on laugh complete with tossing her head back so the sound could escape in the most efficient way possible. "Happy early birthday. Anything specific you want?" she meant for a gift, but she was sure that it could be seen another way, which she didn't particularly mind.
@jamie
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last online Apr 24, 2024 23:36:06 GMT -7
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Dec 14, 2017 17:30:51 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Dec 14, 2017 17:30:51 GMT -7
Andy’s arms wrapped around her, and Jamie accepted Andy’s tight squeeze, even though she felt like she was having the life squeezed out of her. When she was released, and she took a deep breath in, Jamie realized why that had to happen – she had to be hollowed out so that something new could come in, an unfamiliar warmth that curled up in her chest like a contended animal. Jamie wasn’t sure how to describe the feeling that had settled just under her sternum, but it was pleasant enough, so she wasn’t sure she needed to identify it. “You look dashing, too.” Jamie teased, glad that Andy had given her a choice of words that couldn’t be misconstrued as negative. At the question about Quidditch, Jamie shrugged. “Maybe it’s just that I’m not eating house elf food anymore.” She said with a laugh. Hogwarts was good to its students, but Jamie had to admit that it was a combination of not having infinite food and her Quidditch practices that had made Jamie grow leaner. Andy asked what she wanted, and Jamie cocked her head at her friend. “You, of course.” Jamie replied, oblivious to the double entendre in Andy’s words. “I feel like I haven’t seen you in forever. I want to hear all about what’s happened for you since we last spoke.” Jamie had been woefully uninformed when it came to Hogwarts gossip, so she hadn’t a clue what had been going on in Andy’s life, and that needed to change.
@lestrange
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last online Apr 24, 2024 23:36:06 GMT -7
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Dec 14, 2017 21:03:50 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Dec 14, 2017 21:03:50 GMT -7
Jamie said she looked dashing, too, and Andy grinned. Jamie laughed about Andy complimenting her figure, saying that it was possibly because of the lack of House Elf food. "They are all about the taste and not the health benefits, aren't they? Growing kids, need their fat and carbs," Andy commented with a nod. Andy had bulked up herself, from all the boxing and other training, not to mention actually eating instead of slowly starving herself. She was better than ever. Happier than ever. More herself than ever.
Jamie cocked her head and said she wanted Andy for her birthday, and Andy grinned. Jamie said she wanted to hear all about the things that had happened when they were apart. "Well, you have me. That's not news," she said, "as for talking, I agree. We have a bit to catch up on," Andy side stepped beside Jamie and linked her arm through hers, starting to walk down the streets of London. "Well, Phil and I aren't together any more. Don't worry," she added quickly, "we're happy to just be siblings instead. It'll a strange transition but... we're happy."
@jamie
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last online Apr 24, 2024 23:36:06 GMT -7
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Dec 18, 2017 10:33:33 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Dec 18, 2017 10:33:33 GMT -7
Jamie snorted when Andy said that house elves were all about the taste and not about the health of the food. “I think they just want people to enjoy eating.” She said, trying to be fair to the house elves. Since serving was their work, and basically their entire lives, if the children didn’t enjoy their service, they were stuck high and dry. Jamie didn’t think it was all that bad to be spoiled by Hogwarts food – it actually made it somewhat easier to get healthier when she left Hogwarts, since she was cooking on her own and slimming down since she was cutting all the carbs and fat of the house elf food.
Jamie smiled when Andy said that Jamie had her. That was a relief to know. Andy said that they had a bit to catch up on, and Jamie arched an eyebrow, wondering if she was reading too much significance into Andy’s words or if there was actually something important, and not just idle gossip, to talk about. The first thing that Andy said was a bit of a bomb – she and Phil had broken up. Jamie gaped a little, trying to figure out what to say to that. Her head and her heart were pulling her in totally different directions, and she… didn’t know what to say. “I have two new brothers.” She said, deciding to drop a bomb of her own while her insides figured themselves out.
@lestrange
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last online Apr 24, 2024 23:36:06 GMT -7
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Jan 6, 2018 14:02:01 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Jan 6, 2018 14:02:01 GMT -7
Jamie said the elves just wanted people to enjoy eating and Andy laughed, shaking her head. Then Jamie smiled when Andy said spoke about them having each other, and Andy watched Jamie react to what Jamie had to say. Then Jamie said she had two new brothers and Andy leaned forward, eyes wide, "what? Like, babies or...? Have they been at Hogwarts this whole time or what?" she asked. That was kind of a big deal, maybe even a bigger deal then Andy and Phil breaking up. Well, they were both big deals but in entirely different ways. Both life altering news. At least one thing remained the same, Andy and Jamie would always have each other no matter what the crazy world did around them and through them and to them.
@jamie
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last online Apr 24, 2024 23:36:06 GMT -7
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Jan 8, 2018 14:27:35 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Jan 8, 2018 14:27:35 GMT -7
Andy asked if her new brothers were babies, and Jamie shook her head. She hadn’t been rabid enough about finding her siblings that she had gone looking for women who Fenrir had impregnated – it just seemed like the world kind of threw the siblings onto her lap. Jamie nodded, though, when Andy asked if they had been at Hogwarts the whole time. “One of them – they’re twins – one of them was in Hufflepuff.” Jamie said slowly. At the time, she had thought it was interesting that she had probably seen her younger brother before in her life, but now it just made her feel… sad. Like she had missed so many chances. “Having an ever-expanding family is exhausting.” Jamie offered with a soft chuckle. She never knew when she was going to leave the house and return with the knowledge of a new family member. But this meeting wasn’t all about Jamie, and she didn’t want it to be that way. Jamie reached out for Andy’s hand. “How are you, really?” She asked.
@lestrange
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last online Apr 24, 2024 23:36:06 GMT -7
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Jan 22, 2018 18:23:17 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Jan 22, 2018 18:23:17 GMT -7
One of her brothers was in Hufflepuff? This whole time? This was... insane. She didn't know how Jamie could deal with it. Jamie said it was exhausting and Andy nodded, chuckling in sympathy along with Jamie. She reached a hand out toward Jamies face, pressing her hand against Jamies cheek for a moment. "Well, if anyone has a heart big enough to take on more siblings every day it's you," she said, pressing her hand a little further before pulling it away. But then Jamie reached for her so Andy dropped that hand into hers to hold on to. Her smile wavered slightly, and for a brief moment, if you were looking closely (which Jamie no doubt was), it would be clear that the light in Andy's eyes had dimmed a little. Just slightly. "I think I'm alright. It's been... taking some getting used to," then she let out a small chuckle, "William Windsor has been keeping me company," she chuckled a little more. It was strange to think about that, and even stranger to explain it to Jamie.
@jamie
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last online Apr 24, 2024 23:36:06 GMT -7
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Jan 31, 2018 17:30:39 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Jan 31, 2018 17:30:39 GMT -7
Jamie smiled when Andy said that her heart was big enough to take on a new sibling every day, if she needed to. That was the thing, though – Jamie didn’t think that her heart was all that big. She was just good at growing it when it needed to grow. Jamie didn’t see love as something that someone could run out of, and she was exceptionally talented at creating more of it at every turn. That was how she had been able to move on from Harper so quickly, and then from Will, too. It wasn’t easy to move on, but when someone made as much as love as Jamie did, not giving it away just felt wrong.
And Andy? Andy needed some of that love now, a fact which was made clear by her answer, and the way she looked just a little bit… off. Jamie opened her mouth to respond, but the words died on her lips when Andy said that Will had been keeping her company. Will Windsor, who she also wanted to desperately to give her love away to. “Will is a good person.” Jamie told Andy, though she was sure her friend already knew as much. “I love him.” The comment had been meant to be somewhat nonchalant, but just a touch too much of her feelings had come out in that statement, and Jamie thought she sounded a little bit… lovesick? She hated the strange in-between that she was with Will. If it hadn’t been for Liona, Jamie would have already admitted that she still wanted a different kind of relationship with the eldest Windsor. It wasn’t that she didn’t love Liona – she did – but Will was a different kind of attraction. He was like Andy, Jamie supposed. The Hufflepuff would just have to make peace with never getting to have them, and just giving them her love in the ways they could accept. The conversation had diverged a bit from what Jamie had intended it to be – comforting for Andy – but she didn’t know how to bring it back around.
@lestrange
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last online Apr 24, 2024 23:36:06 GMT -7
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Feb 9, 2018 18:54:04 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Feb 9, 2018 18:54:04 GMT -7
Jamie said Will was a good person and Andy nodded, but that nodding stopped when Jamie said she loved him. Andy new Jamie well enough to know that it wasn't just a casual statement. Andy wasn't surprised, though. For one, Will was easy to love and for two, Jamie was willing to give it. Andys reaction was not what even Andy was expecting, though. Andy reached out and cupped Jamies chin with one hand and leaned forward, until hers and Jamies faces were only two inches apart. "And I love you," she said. Then she chuckled, "all's fair in war," she said, "and love, I hear," and then she kissed Jamie.
It was different then the last time she'd kissed her friend. That was just a friend kissing a friend because that friend was the most amazing human ever. This was more... extensive. She pulled back afterward, standing a decent and normal distance away from her friend, but still holding onto her chin. She tilted her head to the side, "Will Windsor has the capacity to love like you do, Jamie. He's just... traditional," then she shrugged, and released Jamie's chin, "but I'm not."
... since when was she not traditional?
@jamie
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last online Apr 24, 2024 23:36:06 GMT -7
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Feb 10, 2018 14:52:08 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Feb 10, 2018 14:52:08 GMT -7
Jamie hadn’t known what sort of reaction her declaration of love for Will would entice in Andy, but she had not, in a million years or a million lifetimes, expected this. Andy’s hand was cradling Jamie’s chin, and her fingers were impossibly warm, setting Jamie on fire from the outside in. Andy leaned in, and instinctually, Jamie leaned closer. The distance between their faces barely seemed to be anything at all. Jamie was painfully aware of how good Andy smelled, how soft her lips looked, and the beautiful simplicity in Andy’s words. Jamie had known that she loved Andy practically from the moment they met, but realizing what kind of love it was had been… a process. It was like watching a storm roll in – the changes in pressure were palpable, and so was the tension in the air. Everything changed, from the sky to the sea to the earth, and that was what it was like to love Andromeda Longbottom. She changed everything effortlessly, the same way a thunderstorm did. She scrubbed everything clean, and made everything new, and it was… it was beautiful. Andy was beautiful. And that was why Jamie didn’t stop her when the Gryffindor leaned in to kiss her.
They had kissed before, but that had been nothing like this. It had been short and simple, the only way to convey a sense of acceptance and pride and happiness. This was the only way to convey emotions, too, but Jamie had no idea what those emotions were. Andy pulled back, and Jamie blinked, still trying to process exactly what was happening. Andy said that Will could love like she did, but that he was traditional, and Jamie nodded numbly. Will had such a big, beautiful heart – one that matched hers, or as close to matched hers as she had seen in anyone else. That what why she loved him so much – she didn’t doubt that he could love her back. Andy finished by saying that she wasn’t traditional, which threw Jamie a bit off-balance. “I don’t understand, Andy.” Jamie finally said, her voice impossibly small. She wanted Andy to be saying one thing, but Jamie was worried that her own desires were blinding her to reality. And if this wasn’t real… Jamie didn’t know what she was going to do.
@lestrange
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last online Apr 24, 2024 23:36:06 GMT -7
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Mar 2, 2018 16:23:23 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Mar 2, 2018 16:23:23 GMT -7
Jamie seemed frozen for a moment, which made Andy want to chuckle, but she stopped herself. She didn't want Jamie to think she was mocking her. Jamie nodded at her words, but still didn't say anything at first. Then Jamie said that she didn't understand, her voice very hard to hear. Andy finally let that chuckle break out. "I'm just saying that I was raised to be the 'perfect pureblood," she winced a little at that. "To be eligible to eventually get married and start having those little pure blooded children and follow their footsteps," she paused. "I'm just saying that there are a lot of things I love in this world, and you're one of them,"she felt like she wasn't talking to fast or too slow, her pace was just confident and calm. Calmer than she'd ever been, probably. "And I think, since I started opening up last year, that I have a lot of love to share and... well, I'm not sure if I can only share it with one person, just like you," sure, she was assuming, but she knew Jamie. Knew her soul. "So I'm saying I want to be one of your people, if you'll have me," she didn't want necessarily a title or anything, just... Jamie and Andy, Andy and Jamie, as per normal, but more.
@jamie
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last online Apr 24, 2024 23:36:06 GMT -7
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Mar 25, 2018 19:24:11 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Mar 25, 2018 19:24:11 GMT -7
Jamie didn’t know how to describe what was happening to her in that moment – her body and her mind seemed oddly disconnected, like someone had snapped the wires that connected her brain to the rest of her body. She stared at Andy as she talked, hearing the words, and understanding them, but still not quite ready to believe what the Gryffindor was saying. Andy loved things, and Jamie was one of those things. Why was that so strange? She knew that Andy loved her. She knew that she loved Andy, but it hurt, this feeling in her chest. It hurt because she had never believed this would come true – she had never believed that a world existed where she was anything more than Andy’s best friend. Either way she was a part of the Gryffindor’s soul, but it was so different, and new, and dizzying. Andy understood. Andy knew that Jamie had too much love to give just to one person – Andy knew that Jamie could drown someone in love and still have some leftover to give. Jamie was hyperaware of her own breathing, the shuddering, rasping sound in her chest that sounded like she was about to panic, even though the exact opposite was true. She wasn’t feeling bad, not at all – she was overloaded with the amount of happiness that was exploding in her. Her chest hurt because she was a star about to go supernova, and something so blindingly beautiful had to hurt a bit at first. “I want you.” Jamie wheezed out. “I want you, I want you, I want you.” Every time she said the words Jamie relished in the truth of them. She wanted Andy, and she wanted Andy to want her. “I – should talk to Liona.” Jamie said dumbly. Andy understood Jamie, but Liona and Jamie were still figuring each other out, and it was possible, even probable, that the Slytherin wouldn’t understand what Jamie wanted – dare she say, what she needed. Jamie wasn’t sure if she was asking for forgiveness or permission or what, but she knew that a conversation would have to happen. (And she loved Andy. She knew she loved Andy.)
@lestrange
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