Jamie may have been the most hopeless Potter where magic was concerned, but that did not mean he was entirely stupid on the topic. He knew one thing very well — magic could be used to deceive. He was aware of potions that made one’s form change, of beings such as metamorphmagi who could take on the appearance of another with ease. During a heavy moment such as this, Jamie figured it would probably be wise not to trust just anyone who stumbled upon him. Magic could be used to deceive. But that thought bore little weight as he registered the voice calling out to him. He had known her for so long, and so intimately, there was no question that it was Brianna there. Everything in him just knew he was safe, comforted just by the sound of her voice. No wonder he kept going back to her after every petty (devastating) break up between them; there was a cosmic pull that even in that fearful moment caused him to crawl out of his hiding place to gravitate towards her without any hesitation.
“Much better now that you’re here,” he sighed in response to her question, a vibrant smile overcoming him despite the situation they found themselves in. When he’d managed to get to her, Jamie reached out with his uninjured hand to take a hold of hers, as if needing the physical confirmation she was actually there, and he wasn’t just seeing things. But there she was, real as ever and safe. “I think I hit my head during all the commotion… I don’t remember falling over, and when everyone else got out.” He blinked, taking the moment to look around and take in their surroundings more thoroughly. There appeared to not be any immediate dangers, at least nothing that stood out to him as being worrisome. Stroking a sensitive spot on the back of his head — likely where he’d fallen on earlier — Jamie leveled a sheepish look onto Bri. “Or maybe I was falling asleep during the debate; kind of a snooze fest, eh?” He was trying, and perhaps failing, to make light of the situation.
The joking grin on his face vanished as he registered the woman before him, frowning as he reached over to delicately cradle the side of her head. Her hair was dark, but it looked a little wet from something. Blood. “Bri, you’re hurt,” his voice softened as he drew closer to inspect her injury. Long fingers tenderly brushed the area around her wound, careful not to irritate or touch a particularly sensitive spot. “You came all the way out here to get me when you should have been seeking medical attention…” She already made his heart swell from just being there, but now it practically ached. Light as he tried to make the situation, things were very dangerous. She could have gotten seriously injured if she’d fallen onto someone else. Or worse… A thought he didn’t quite wish to dwell on. Maybe he was more a liability to his loved ones than he’d realized.
“We’ve gotta get somewhere safe, get someone to see to your head… do you think everyone’s gathering at the school? Or, or maybe Hogsmeade?” He wanted to pull her into his arms and carry her all the way to St. Mungo’s just to get her head checked and ensure she was okay. He had practically forgotten about his own injured wrist in that moment, too busy cradling Bri’s face and searching for any other signs of harm. But time wasn’t exactly on their side, and Jamie knew now wasn’t the right time to dilly dally. They needed to escape from there, and fast. Now what kind of secret routes and pathways did he know of nearby… His mind was foggy, unable to concentrate. He just kept seeing his father’s face on those banners… He hastily blinked the images away.
“Which way did you come from?” He asked in a shuddered breath, gazing around. The memory of those banners and that voice reminded him once again that he was a sitting target for whatever radicals were lurking about. The eldest son of Harry Potter, weak and defenseless, and now Bri was there and was in just as much danger. Useless as he was, Jamie couldn’t fathom what he would do if anything were to happen to her. He just got her back, he couldn’t lose her now. Which brought him to another group of people he couldn’t be without. “I need to find my family,” he exclaimed suddenly, “Gotta make sure they’re safe. An-and you, I gotta get you somewhere safe, and make sure everything’s okay — that everyone is okay, of course, but you, I need you to be somewhere safe.” His voice was soft albeit a bit frantic, his heart racing quicker as he came to realize just how scared he was in that moment.
She’d lived her life with Jamie longer than she had lived without him. She still remembered the first time she saw him as a keeper. Until she mustered up the courage to talk to him, she’d watch him from her broom or the stands in longing. Even in her desperate attempts to distance herself from him, she found herself back at his doorstep. As much as she wished, she couldn’t keep away from him. She’d loved him half her life, and she hoped to love him for the rest of it, too. Every ridiculous breakup, every silly fight, meant nothing now. The fear that had filled her for the last few hours was slowly dissipating now that he was in her sight.
“I could say the same.” His cheerful smile somehow erased all her negative emotions ever since she was a kid. Brianna took his hand in hers, and she noticed the way his other hand seemed to be cradled against him. He was hurt, but he was safe and alive. There was no imaging what was happening in his head when he saw his late father’s face unrolling before him. She wanted to take his pain away. They wouldn’t be safe for long. They were easy targets out here in the middle of the Quidditch Stadium. Death Eaters and enemies alike could be lurking. Jamie was enough of a target. Bri needed to get him to safety. She just needed a moment, though, to look him over. Hands cupped his face as if he’d disappear from her any moment. How he was able to make light of this situation she didn’t know, but she was thankful for it. A moment of laughter slipped past her lips. “Politics are always boring. Someone had to make it exciting.”
The grin that she found so much joy in disappeared. A hand joined his at the side of her head. “I think a blasting curse. I was standing too close. I’m alright, promise. It looks worse than it is. The head just has more blood vessels.” Bri wasn’t going to admit her terrible headache to him. Not now. “Your arm. Is it broken? Here.” She muttered a bandaging charm underneath her breath. It was the only healing charm she could do without fail. All the years of Quidditch had helped her become rather good at conjuring bandages. “You need help, too. We must get out of here first, okay? It’s not safe. You’re not safe.”
“I helped Remus get all the younger kids the Great Hall, but I don’t think it’s safe for you here. There’s a secret passageway to Hogsmeade we can take. No one will see us.” Bri leaned her cheek against his hand. Despite the fear in her voice, she wasn’t making much of a movement to get up. So much had happened, and she’d barely had time to process it all. Lips kissed his palm in an attempt to reassure him. “We’ll get out of here and get that arm checked out. I don’t think you want me mending broken bones.”
“I came from the castle. I had to find you.” Her mother was safe at home, and Jamie was all she had left. “We’ll find them. I promise, but your safety is what’s important now.” His voice was frantic, and Bri worried he’d start to panic if they stayed here any longer. Delicate hands cupped his cheeks. “Hey, deep breaths. Let’s go to Hogsmeade, and we’ll find your family.” A reassuring kiss to his forehead as if they had all the time in the world to escape. “I got you, Jamie. Let’s get somewhere safe.” With her wand at the ready, she took his uninjured hand in his. They had to get to safety.
