CHECK YES JULIET ▷ JAMES POTTER [1]

𝟐𝟔. 𝐀 𝐅𝐎𝐎𝐋'𝐒 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐃𝐈𝐒𝐄

(26 : IF YE SHOULD LEAD HER . . .
INTO A FOOL'S PARADISE)

✧࿐ ཾ✧

IN 296 DAYS, JULIET FAWLEY was going to become Juliet Black. Until then, she was squeezed into a toilet cubicle on the Hogwarts Express with James Potter's hand up her skirt and his lips pressed to her neck. His touch caused shivers to run down her spine and she regretted not swallowing her pride sooner. Every stolen moment with James felt simultaneously like her first and her last.

"James," she murmured, untangling her hands from his hair, "the prefects' meeting starts in five minutes."

     "Mmm, I'm sure the Head Boy will understand," he remarked dryly.

     Juliet placed her hand on his chest, her hand covering the pocket proudly displaying the Gryffindor's 'Head Boy' pin. "And I'm sure that Lily will be all too hex-happy if we show up late for the first meeting." The redhead raised her hands in mock surrender. "But if you want to face the wrath of Lily Evans, feel free to have fun in here alone."

     He groaned. "We can continue after the meeting though, right?"

     "In here?" Juliet raised an eyebrow, inclining her head towards the toilet seat James had taken to sitting down on. "You certainly know how to romance a girl."

"It's a wonder I've been single for so long," mocked James, his expression softening when he looked up and met her blue eyes.

Grabbing him by the tie, Juliet rolled her eyes and pulled him up. "Come on, Romeo."

✧࿐ ཾ✧

After saying their goodbyes, the two separately made their way to the prefects' compartment, timing their arrivals so they were a few minutes apart. Despite Juliet feeling like there was a scarlet letter branded on her forehead, nobody glanced twice at her smudged lipstick, nor did they notice how James Potter's infamous messy hair was a little messier than normal.

Apart from one.

Per usual, the prefect meeting was uneventful — after all, it was her third year in the role and she knew everything already. However, she feigned attentiveness and was relieved when the students were released with promises of the patrol schedule to be sorted before classes began. She was about to leave and find an empty compartment — maybe sneak in another snog with James — when a hand on her arm stopped her cold. In truth, it had slipped her mind that Regulus Black was one of the younger prefects.

"Regulus," she greeted amicably as she attempted to brush past him, all too aware they were the only ones who remained in the compartment.

     He applied a gentle pressure to her arm. "Give me five minutes, Juliet."

     At his nerve, her lips thinned and she openly stared at his left arm, knowing what was concealed beneath his Slytherin robes. "Unless it's an explanation as to why you passed my name onto You-Know-Who," she spoke in a low, menacing tone, "I think we're done here."