JULIET {remus lupin}

THIRTY EIGHT

Juliet,

I do not know if you did not receive my last letter or if you are purposefully ignoring me. You are needed at home and I demand that you return here. The majority of your Easter will be spent at Malfoy Manor with your peers. I have tried to write to Dumbledore but he has not written me back so I will collect you from Hogsmeade, I know that you're allowed to go there during holidays. Your presence has been requested by the Dark Lord himself. Every other son or daughter is here, you should be too. Our family's reputation may depend upon it. Write back to me instantly.

Nathaniel Romilly

Jules-

I took your other letter from your father when he replied saying you had to come home- sorry. Do not come here. I'm fine and I'm safe but I'm begging you to stay. I know that Nathaniel is writing to you today. Take no notice of what he says. Find a way to stay.

R.A.B

The witch scanned the two letters as she sat with Arabella in the mostly empty great hall for breakfast three mornings after the rest of the students had departed. The Slytherin table was empty apart from Damien Jones, Arabella and Juliet. It seemed that Barty and Snape did have somewhere to go after all, Juliet suspected that it was probably to Malfoy Manor with the rest of them. Other houses had a few students, and the majority of the professors sat in their places at the front of the hall.

"What you going to do?" Arabella muttered.

"Dunno."

"You aren't going to go back..."

"Don't know."

"You can't!"

"Bella," Juliet snapped. "Let me think."

"Sorry."

The witch glanced around the hall a few times, always in the habit of checking who's behind her, before standing up and marching over to the teacher's desks, where she stopped in front of Professor Slughorn.

"Professor..." She said slowly.

"Yes, my dear?"

"Hello, Miss Romilly," Dumbledore mused from where he sat.

Juliet gave him an odd look, "Hello, headmaster."

"What do you need?" Slughorn asked kindly.

"Well. My father wants me to come home... I'd rather stay here. I was wondering if-"

"All shall be sorted," Professor Dumbledore interrupted. "Help will always be given at Hogwarts."

"Right..." Juliet said. "What are you going to do?"

"Horace and I shall write to Nathaniel telling him that we need you here, Miss Romilly. That your potions NEWT depends on it. He shall not answer back to me."

"Thank you," Juliet said quickly.

Regulus Black sat in Malfoy Manor beside Bellatrix Lestrange and Narcissa Black, his two cousins. Ophelia and Evan were opposite him, seemingly clutching each other's hands under the table. His arm stung. No, it killed. He hadn't looked at it since it had happened. Orion had smiled and hugged him proudly as had Walburga. 

Regulus didn't want to see it, he wished it wasn't there.

He didn't hear a word of what was being said. He focused on the table, staring at the cracks and dents in the wood. Then he'd glance at Narcissa, who had her elbow touching his ever so slightly. That made him feel better. He looked at her pale, plain, empty arms and found himself envying her. He never expected to feel like that. Everyone else here had a mark. But Narcissa and Druella did not. He wondered if there was a way that he could have gotten out of it.