JULIET {remus lupin}

FOURTY FIVE

Remus Lupin approached the topic of Esmerelda Romilly with Fleamont Potter as quickly as he could. Lily was out with Euphemia for the day, and the rest of the marauders were playing a game of quidditch in the Potter's vast garden. It was the morning after a full moon so Remus was resting in the living room of the house as he had done before. 

"Mr Potter..." he started hesitantly. 

"Fleamont, please," the man grinned. 

"Sorry, right. Er- Fleamont, I was wondering what you know about Esmeralda Romilly, a... friend wanted to know about her." 

"Could this friend be Juliet Romilly?" He laughed. "James mentioned that the group of you got her out of trouble a few times, an odd friendship but interesting nonetheless."

"Yes," Remus said, relaxing a little. "Romi- Juliet wanted me to ask you about her. She's going through some... family difficulties."

"Well, with Nathaniel being arrested I can imagine, and Sirius says she's engaged to his brother, and living with Orion and Walburga?" The man shuddered, "I can't picture a worse summer."

"Or a worse life," Remus offered. 

"Quite right," the man nodded. "You need to give James some of your ability to see the bigger picture."

He laughed, "I think Lily has taken it upon herself to teach him about that."

Fleamont laughed, "yes, well, she's certainly a good influence. Anyway, back to business, Esme Romilly..."

"Yes?" Remus prompted eagerly. 

"She was a couple of years younger than I was, but we were prefects at the same time so I remember that a few times at least in my last year I patrolled with her. She was very friendly, for Slytherin, quite a troublemaker too. Apparently the sorting hat wanted to put her in Ravenclaw, or at least that's what Euphemia would tell you."

"Did Euphemia know her well?"

"Same as me, only on patrols. But my wife always took a liking to people that she shouldn't, she always said that she was fond of Esme, and the two would speak around Hogwarts regardless of where they were, or who could see them."

"Brave," Remus noted. "I bet Nathaniel didn't like that."

"Nathaniel was very timid in Hogwarts, he was extremely quiet and just one of Abraxas Malfoy and Tom Riddle's many followers-"

"Tom Riddle?"

"A popular Slytherin when I was at school, a death eater now, I'm sure."

"The name Riddle, it's not a well known one?"

"No, he was half-blood I think. But anyway, Nathaniel was very quiet, he could even be described as shy. Certainly not the sort of person you'd pin a murder on. Euphemia used to say that he couldn't handle Esme, and that he was quite intimidated by the idea of marrying her."

"And how did she feel about marrying him?"

"Well," Fleamont laughed. "Hogwarts has always had a talent for rumours, both true and false ones, but Esme's lack of loyalty to Nathaniel was of no doubt. Euphemia even swore that she was sneaking around with a Gryffindor at one point."

"Merlin, Juliet would hate that."

Fleamont smiled slightly, "she doesn't appear to hate Gryffindors as much as you may think."

Remus coughed lightly and looked out of the window to watch the quidditch game, "no, perhaps not."

"She left school a year early," Fleamont continued. "Nathaniel was a year older than she was, so when he finished, she did. They married quite soon after, I believe."