CHECK YES JULIET ▷ JAMES POTTER [1]

𝟒𝟗. 𝐓𝐎 𝐑𝐄𝐃𝐄𝐄𝐌 𝐌𝐄

(49 : COME TO REDEEM ME . . .
THERE'S A FEARFUL POINT)

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SEVENTH YEAR WAS FINALLY OVER, Dumbledore was delivering a farewell speech and the leavers were having one last meal in the Great Hall before they were to be waved off, taking the same enchanted boats that first brought them to the castle. By the time they were invited to eat, some students were crying and others were throwing their ties up in the air. At the Slytherin table, a certain redhead couldn't stop rolling her eyes — their houses had seemingly defined them for seven years and suddenly people wanted to forget that, forget how much power those same ties once held.

Juliet didn't understand why people were so emotional. Hogwarts had served as an escape for her, but it was a cutthroat place to be at times. Especially with the constant house rivalries. Knowing that, she was simply focusing on the future. It wasn't panning out like she had thought it would when she boarded the Hogwarts Express at eleven, but she was strangely eager to build a new life with James.

In fact, the only thing that currently stood in the way of the couple was her wedding.

As she glanced to her left, her stomach twisted at the sight of Regulus. Although she hadn't told him outright, they both knew in their hearts that they wouldn't be getting married the following week. "Reg," she began softly, "do you think we could talk before I head to the boats?"

"I've been meaning to talk to you about something too. I didn't really know how to bring it up though." He was relieved for the excuse to talk to her and surreptitiously inclined his head towards the door. "Come on, I know somewhere we can go."

     From across the room, Lily Evans watched Juliet and Regulus sneak off together with a small frown.

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     'Somewhere' ended up being one of the many abandoned classrooms Hogwarts had to offer. It was a large room, the stools coated in dust and the desks having been pushed to one side long ago. As Juliet pushed up to sit on one of the desks, she absentmindedly brushed her fingertips over a pair of initials — ones that had likely been scratched into the wood before she was even born. She idly wondered if 'E.B + F.P' actually lasted beyond being school sweethearts.

"Do you want to go first?" Regulus offered, taking a seat beside her.

Juliet decided it was best to rip off the bandaid. "I won't be marrying you next week. It's not — it's not safe for me to tell you everything right now, but I wish it didn't have to be this way and I'm sorry."

Regulus snorted. "No. You're not."

Her brow crinkled. "What?"