JULIET {remus lupin}

SIXTY FIVE

On Remus and Sirius' return, Juliet had instantly been apparated to Marlene's house, where she would stay with Arabella until the Hogwarts express the next morning.

"It's safer here. Proper wards and spells and that," was all Remus had said to her. "I'll see you at Hogwarts tomorrow."

She had been confused at his coldness and had reached out and grabbed his hand as he left, squeezing it and saying, "thank you, Remus."

He'd smiled absentmindedly back at her, "you're welcome, Romilly."

"I cannot, for the absolute life of me, fathom what I have done to deserve such cold treatment," the witch said, her feelings finally exploding as the three witches sat in Marlene's bedroom.

"Lupin kissed Juliet," Arabella said, filling Marlene in.

The blonde witch's mouth dropped open, "you didn't tell me!"

"We were slightly busy getting attacked, McKinnon," Juliet responded, rolling her eyes.

"And since then nothing?"

"Yeah, clearly regrets it," she muttered back, feigning interest in a potions book. "Don't really care either way."

"Merlin, am I stupid for not seeing that coming at all?" 

Arabella laughed, "a tiny bit stupid, my darling."

"I mean, Romilly," Marlene started. "For one, you're engaged, to the boy you've been best friends with for the last six years. We didn't know you properly until this year. Before this you were Regulus' suspected girlfriend. What's he meant to think?"

"That's complicated."

"There isn't really time for complication on the brink of war."

"So I'm not worth his time?" She scoffed.

"You Slytherins are so bloody dramatic," Marlene sighed. "And secondly," holding her hands up she said, "this is no judgment on my half, but you've got that on your arm, and again, we're on the brink of war. And you're being protected by one of them. Your fiance bloody fired shots at Remus for Merlin's sake. What on earth must be going through his head?"

Juliet groaned and put her head in her hands as she sat on the edge of Marlene's bed, feeling selfish and confused.

"That's not really fair, Marl," Arabella said gently nudging the blonde witch beside her. "Juliet didn't choose any of that, none of us did. And Remus has known her long enough to understand that she's not the dark mark, and she's certainly not her fiance."

"I know that," Marlene said, chewing her bottom lip and looking guilty. "We all know that. Remus out of all of us the most."

"He's just being a man," Arabella said decidedly. "He's scared and he's confused."

Juliet grinned and rolled her eyes, pulling a blanked up to her chin. "I forgot how wise you are about men, Greengrass."

The Gryffindor witch mocked a vomit.

Arabella winked at Marlene, "night ladies."

Sirius and James arrived at Marlene's house at 5AM the next morning. After several complaints, a lot of nagging from Marlene, and Juliet soaking Arabella in water, the two witches made their way downstairs and sleepily greeted the two wizards.

"I thought you said we could get muggle trains," Arabella grumbled, apparently having a new fondness for them.