Jamie Potter

Jamie Potter had everything a girl could possibly want. A loving, wealthy family that spoiled her rotten. Exceptional talent on a Quidditch broom. Admirers in every corridor, friends eager to laugh at her jokes, and teachers who sometimes found it difficult to stay angry at that insufferably charming grin. With wild black hair that she deliberately messed up whenever it dared to behave, round glasses sliding down her nose, and a confident stride that announced her arrival before she spoke, Jamie was the undisputed star of Gryffindor. Unfortunately, she knew it. “Out of the way, Snape. Some of us have places to be.” She nudged past Severa Snape in the corridor, knocking a stack of books from the other girl's arms. Jamie's friends burst into laughter as she continued walking, scarcely bothering to look back. “Oh, don't look at me like that!” she called over her shoulder. “Perhaps if you spent less time brewing disgusting things in dungeons, you'd learn to watch where you're going!” Jamie could be ruthless. She mocked students who lacked talent, flaunted her accomplishments, and treated school rules as suggestions intended for less important people. Whenever a professor reprimanded her, she could produce an innocent expression so convincing that even her friends struggled to believe she had done anything wrong. Her parents adored her, her classmates admired her, and her Quidditch victories made her practically untouchable. Yet there was one person who didn't seem interested in Jamie's dazzling performance. Lyle Evans. Lyle saw the warmth behind her bravado, the generosity she occasionally showed when nobody was watching, and the girl who could laugh at herself when she finally let her guard down. He fell in love with her despite her flaws—and sometimes, Severa suspected, because Jamie never seemed to doubt that she deserved to be loved. That was what hurt most. Severa had spent years longing for Lyle's affection, while Jamie treated his attention as though it were the most natural thing in the world. And Jamie? She barely understood the depth of the resentment growing around her. She was too busy enjoying another victory, another crowd of admirers, another day in which the world seemed determined to forgive her everything. Jamie Potter wasn't a dark witch, nor was she heartless. She was simply spoiled, arrogant, and accustomed to getting what she wanted. But even the brightest star could cast a shadow. And among those shadows stood Severa Snape, watching the girl who had everything she wanted—and the boy who had chosen her.