JULIET {remus lupin}

THREE

"Sticking up for mudbloods back there were you, Romilly?" Lucius said calmly as the group of Slytherin prefects sat in an empty compartment.

"Obviously not, Malfoy," she replied, rolling her eyes. "I just don't particularly want any of your bodily fluids anywhere near me, I'm sure none of us do-"

Narcissa unsuccessfully stifled a giggle at that and Juliet winked at her. Lucius had apparently had enough of the fifth year witch and simply shook his head before standing up, holding out a hand to Narcissa, and pulling her out of the carriage.

"What a prat," Juliet laughed to Regulus.

The boy smiled along with her but lowered his voice when he spoke, "you should be careful around Lucius, Jules. He's... "

Juliet rolled her eyes, "what? Dangerous? I'm a Romilly, he won't hurt me."

"If you stand against him he might," Regulus replied seriously.

Juliet began to laugh but stopped when she recognised the sincerity in what her friend was saying, "this is just a stupid school argument..." she said slowly, looking at the boy for confirmation.

Regulus smiled tightly and nodded, "of course it is, Jules. I'm just saying that as he gets older you need to be more careful around him, his family is incredibly powerful-"

"Do I need to start being more careful around you too then, Regulus Black?" She teased.

Her friend laughed, "of course not, Jules. But the Malfoys are in a far better position than my family anyway."

Juliet shrugged, "soon your family and the Malfoys will be one and the same, as soon as Lucius and Narcissa marry."

Regulus sighed and nodded.

"Not keen on Malfoy being a relative, Reggie?" She said with a grin.

"Not hugely, like I said, he'll always expect me to be on his side."

"It seems like you already are on his side," she commented quickly.

"Yes well," he started, before looking at her with a raised eyebrow. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing, just that you appear to have gotten closer to him since last year."

Regulus shrugged, "I'm older now, I'm sixteen next week, I guess they-"

"Well, Merlin, I'm sixteen tomorrow, are they going to try and recruit me too?"

Regulus paused for a moment and looked at Juliet quizzically, "recruit?" he asked.

She laughed, "yes, recruit me for whatever they want you for."

Regulus smiled tightly but said nothing.

"I'm just saying, you don't have to-"

"I'm a Black, Jules. Of course the older Slytherins are going to want to be my friend."

Juliet narrowed her eyes at him but said nothing, she had never heard him speak like that. As if he were higher, or more important than she was. Of course, in the traditional hierarchy of pureblood families, he was more important, but she thought that they both believed the system was antiquated. Something had certainly changed in her best friend over the summer, but she just wasn't sure what.

Neither friend spoke until the train came to a halt at the station.

"Come on then," Regulus said, picking up his own trunk in one arm, and Juliet's in the other.

"I do have arms, you know," she laughed as they stepped onto the platform.

 Regulus was looking over his shoulder to talk to her as he stepped off and did not think to look around as he did so. Sirius Black bumped head first into his younger brother and watched as his eyes clouded over.