JULIET {remus lupin}

TWENTY FOUR

After hearing Lily Evans say "I know you aren't one of them," Juliet Romilly had done everything in her power to distance herself from the witch, and indeed from all Gryffindoors. She was silent on her patrols, not responding to any questions Lily, Colin or Remus asked, and ensured that she was always seen with Slytherins. The polyjuice potion had been finished a few weeks ago, at the beginning of December, and Juliet had partnered herself with Narcissa Black for the remainder of the term.

Following her outburst in the November potions lesson, Juliet had decided that she ought to stop being so difficult and endangering her own life. Her and Ophelia were on better terms than ever, and she was even learning to tolerate Evan- which still proved to be exceedingly difficult. Lucius also seemed to take more of an interest in her, asking how her Dark Arts and potions were going, she knew why he asked, but pushed it to the back of her mind.

Whilst Juliet blossomed in Slytherin, Persephone sunk. She left the room whenever Caius was there and would be asleep before Arabella, Ophelia or Juliet went up to bed. Ophelia said that she had heard that their engagement was off, Juliet knew that would mean that her family would struggle massively. She hoped to ask her father to help them out at Christmas, he had written to her several times saying he was proud of her, so she thought that she was on his good side.

"There's a Ravenclaw Christmas party this Friday," Arabella said, gliding into the great hall on the nineteenth of December, days before they were due to return home.

"I'm patrolling," Juliet grumbled. 

"Boring," Ophelia smiled. "I'll go with you, Bella."

"I don't know why they're having it the day before we leave," Regulus scoffed. "I'll be so tired."

Juliet rolled her eyes at her best friend, "poor you."

He smirked, "can't you get out of it, Jules? We could go together."

The witch shook her head and was cut off by Ophelia's shrill voice, "you'll be going with me, Regulus, surely..."

"Oh, right. Yes," he said stiffly, raising an eyebrow at Juliet who smiled at him. 

Regulus and Ophelia's relationship was a dramatic one, he did nothing right and she did nothing wrong. She was there whenever he wanted her to be, which was rarely. The witch was often too nervous to stand up to him, so Juliet had become a messenger between the two, letting Regulus know of Ophelia's problems with their relationship.

The witch glanced at Arabella who had tore open a letter dropped in front of her and was reading it with wide eyes. She shoved it into her pocket and burst into tears, running out of the great hall.

Ophelia and Juliet looked at each other. 

"I'll go," Juliet said, standing up and following her friend. 

"Wonder what that was about," Marlene McKinnon muttered to Lily Evans.

"Ask her... she's going to that Ravenclaw party..."

"She hasn't spoken to me in over a month."

"Hey, Bella, what's the matter? Are your family okay?"

Bella nodded and slumped down onto a wall in the courtyard, holding out her letter for Juliet to read.

Arabella,

We have heard that you are making excellent progress at school and that you are maintaining your friendships with important people. The only trouble we have, is that Narcissa Black does not regard you highly. Of course, if it was only Narcissa, it would be no problem, but we hear that whatever Narcissa Black thinks, Lucius Malfoy also thinks. The Malfoy's and Black's run our world, Arabella, and so you must be favorable.