CHECK YES JULIET ▷ JAMES POTTER [1]

𝟑𝟖. 𝐃𝐑𝐘 𝐒𝐎𝐑𝐑𝐎𝐖

(38 : DRY SORROW . . .
DRINKS OUR BLOOD )

✧࿐ ཾ✧

     THE DAY AFTER THE BREAK up was thankfully Juliet's last day at Potter Manor. Any sadness from the night prior had numbed, leaving only raw hurt behind. Of course the cutting remarks James made weren't new to her — she was acutely aware of what people thought of her — but she couldn't seem to shake the feeling of betrayal. It was different coming from him, someone she trusted against all her logic and instincts.

     On the other hand, the rational side of her knew he was hurt as well. James Potter was steadfast with his morals and too proud to admit when he was wrong. People could be more than one thing — nobody was solely good or bad in the world. Juliet's view of the world shifted at Hogwarts when she began to realise that muggles had their own form of magic in what they wrote and what they created. But, it wasn't an easy process for someone as stubborn as her. Now it was James' turn for an epiphany and she could only watch from the sidelines as he fought against the earth-shattering realisation that sometimes good people do bad things.

     All that being said, heartbreak was the furthest thing from rational.

     "Incendio," she said, pointing her wand at the annotated copy of Romeo and Juliet that James had gifted her.

     Her bedroom door burst open and Sirius entered without an invitation. "Right, since I'm such a good friend, I'm refusing to let you wallow in here fo—" The Gryffindor snorted, taking in the scene. "I'm not sure if this is better or worse than if you were sobbing into your pillow. Clearly we have some issues to work through."

     Smirking, Juliet fixed her gaze on the flames and the blackening pages. "I'm fine, Sirius. You should be talking to James, you're his best friend, not mine."

     "Sure, the pyromaniac says she's fine and I'm meant to believe that," he muttered under his breath, a stream of water shooting out of his own wand to extinguish the fire. "This is how it's going to work, we're going to go out and deal with . . . whatever is going on with you. Remember that conversation we had about being emotionally stunted? Yeah, I think the fact your immediate reaction involved fire is not exactly a promising sign that you've improved much." When she opened her mouth to protest, he held a finger to her lips. "You're right, James is my best mate, but I'm not what he needs for once. I can't hold his hand through this. I spoke to him last night, but some things can only come from him and nobody else."

     If anyone understood that James needed to want to change his mindset before it could happen, it was the two purebloods. No matter how often they were told their old blood purity views were superficial or cruel, the change in their opinions ultimately came from themselves and nobody else. Some people might have nudged them in the right direction, but only an individual could be responsible for their own growth.