JULIET {remus lupin}

EIGHTY EIGHT

September, 84

Juliet Romilly stared at the small mirror in her cell. Today was her birthday, she was twenty three. It was a month until she had been there three years, and she must say, she looked remarkably well. The witch refused to let her situation consume her, she stayed sane, and she was impressed with herself for doing so. The witch had become an expert at clearing her mind, she could sit, for days, and think of nothing. Not feeling sorry for herself, and not going mad. Which was what she wanted. No thoughts of the marauders entered her mind, she didn't let them, it was as if they didn't exist, and that was how she wanted it.

She would occasionally permit her mind to stray as far as her Slytherin friends. But never negatively. She hadn't cried when they had brought her here, and she still hadn't in all her three years. She would still be young when she got out, she was proving that she was good by repenting. 

She'd smile to herself thinking of parties where she, Bella, Penny, and Ophelia had gotten far too drunk, or she'd laugh as she remembered kissing Barty Crouch Jr in Hogsmeade, she even went as far as to wonder if he was in this prison with her. She wondered if Lucius was, and hoped that Narcissa wasn't. Sirius was, though, she knew that. She had caught the news just before she was arrested, his alibi for her assumed to be a lie.  She could not believe it, and hated herself a little for not listening to Remus. If she dwelled on it, the thought of Sirius being a liar the entire time was all that could bring her close to tears. He was their best friend.

October '84

Sirius Black jolted awake when someone grabbed him, his eyes wild, he began to plead as he was dragged out of his cell, "firewhiskey," he said to the man who seemed to be a similar age to he, "firewhiskey, please. I have money, so much money, I'll tell you how to get to it- Vault-"

He was shoved into another cell, "please," he said. "Come on, please, have a little humanity."

"Where was your humanity?" The guard hissed, kicking him.

Juliet's ears perked up as she heard the argument, when the guard said that, she knew it had to be a death eater. She sighed. Last year, Nathaniel Romilly had been next to her, and owing to a hole in the wall, taunted her for a full six months. The guards generally liked her, and eventually felt sorry for the witch, moving the man away from her.

Sirius whimpered and put his back against the same wall that Juliet leant against on the other side. He felt himself going insane. Everyday he wished for death. But he also planned, planned an escape, an escape which would be years in the making. An escape which was not worth it until Harry Potter was old enough to understand.

He kept count of the days, although he knew he was going a little mad, he made sure he kept track. Today was Halloween. Three years he had been here. He refused to think of Peter Pettigrew. It was still his fault, he had as good as killed James and Lily. He cried when he realized what day it was and he thought of Harry. Who would be taking care of him?

The man paced his new cell, staring at the ocean below through the bars and thinking about Regulus, Marlene, Remus, even Juliet. Anyone but James and Lily. He kicked the walls and closed his eyes, spinning around. Despite his best efforts, still not thinking about anything but Harry. When he noticed a crack in the wall he became intrigued. There was something dark on the other side of it. A woman's hair.

Bellatrix was his first thought. He hesitated, before coughing.

"Hi, neighbour."

Juliet Romilly was practicing her art of zoning out when her eyes snapped open to the sound of a voice she hadn't heard in years. Her first thought was Regulus, before she remembered.