Entangled Again || With Sebastian Sallow

Ch 1: I Don't Give a Damn 'Bout My Reputation

Juliet Brooks and her best friend Poppy Sweeting flew through the Viaduct Courtyard at Hogwarts on their first day of Sixth Year, rushing to make it to class on time. They hadn't arrived on the Hogwarts Express or by thestral and carriage with the others the evening prior, instead, they had opted to fly directly from Poppy's Gran's home in Upper Hogsfield, since it was so close to the school. Juliet had crashed there with them for the last part of the summer.

Balancing a mug of coffee and her satchel as she hopped off her tattered, well-worn broom, a stray flyer clipped Juliet's side, causing her to stumble and spill her coffee, as well as the contents of her bag, all over the ground.

The young Gryffindor flyer, Lucan Brattleby, dismounted his broom at once and rushed over to help her, trembling when he looked up to see who he had collided with.

"Hey Juliet, I... I am SO sorry," he stammered, cowering in fear as he attempted to scoop up her scattered belongings.

"Leave it," Juliet huffed, as she bent down to gather her things herself.

Lucan persisted to nervously pass her items one by one, his hand shaking when he grasped on to her wand.

"I said, leave it!" Juliet growled as she stood up menacingly. She grabbed his broom and used it to shove him against a pillar, the tip of the broom jabbing into his throat. He whimpered pitifully when she dropped it, and turned to storm off. "Come on, Poppy," she said over her shoulder.

Poppy shot an apologetic look at Lucan, picked his broom up for him and gently placed it in his hands, before rushing after Juliet.

A path cleared for her as she marched through the pack of awe-struck students.

Leander Prewett sauntered up to Juliet and wrapped his arm around her shoulder.

"Ew, get OFF of me," she threw his arm off her before he even got a word in. "Ugh, as IF!" she dramatically dusted herself off as she continued on her way to class, Poppy trotting to catch up with her.

Juliet's attention was caught as she passed by her friends Sebastian Sallow and Ominis Gaunt, who were leaning against a stone wall chatting. Even though it had only a few months since she'd seen them last, she thought they looked much taller than she remembered, and somehow even more good-looking, if that was even possible. Sebastian had the whole 'messy-on-purpose' thing going with his hair, his jawline was sharper and he looked more grown-up, his tie was loose and his muscular forearms poked out of the rolled-up sleeves of his white button up. Ominis was dapper as usual, his hair slicked back to perfection, his uniform perfectly crinkle-free and buttoned up, but Juliet could see he was much broader in the chest and arms – he had certainly filled out as well.

Poppy noticed Juliet staring at the boys. "Should we go and say hi?"

"No," Juliet snapped, tearing her eyes away from them and picking up her brisk pace.

Violet McDowell ran up to Juliet and gave her an unwelcome hug, much to Juliet's distaste.

"Juliet! Where the hell have you been all summer, loca?" she slapped her arm playfully. "Were you with Sebastian? I heard he killed his Uncle!"

"Sebastian is utterly incapable of doing anything that interesting or cool," Juliet covered for him casually, not missing the chance to have a dig at him at the same time.

She slammed the door of the school open, and entered Hogwarts for the first time in months.

"Look at all these people," Juliet sighed as she scanned the hall, "These normal, non-traumatized people."

Poppy rolled her eyes at Juliet's overly dramatic pessimism.

"Hey, Juliet! How's it going?" Andrew Larson, a Ravenclaw Sixth Year, approached her confidently. "How was your summer?"