CHECK YES JULIET ▷ JAMES POTTER [1]

𝟏𝟔. 𝐀 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐃 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐀 𝐁𝐋𝐎𝐖

(16 : COUPLE IT WITH SOMETHING . . .
MAKE IT A WORD AND A BLOW)

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     NEITHER JAMES OR JULIET HAD spoken to each other in three months. After their talk outside of the dungeons, Juliet continued to avoid James and Sirius where possible, remaining stubborn in the decision to distance herself. Both boys did try — repeatedly — to convince the Slytherin girl that pushing people away wasn't a healthy coping mechanism. Alas, it was early March when James started to relent and focus his efforts elsewhere.

On his way to DADA, James was rifling through his satchel to find some homework when his hand caught on something he had forgotten about with everything else going on — mainly the rising attacks from Death Eaters and his situation with Juliet. "Moony!" James exclaimed, showing his friend the book. "We never found the girl who lost her book — the depressing muggle one."

    Remus rolled his eyes at the description. "I doubt she cares that it's gone now. You stole — I'm sorry, found — this in October."

     "I know, but she looked so sad," James explained as the pair walked into the classroom and took their usual seats. "I want to find her again and see how she is, maybe cheer her up. I wonder if she thought the ending was as dumb as I did."

    Regarding James with caution as he chattered happily, Remus asked, "And this isn't you obsessing over someone else because both Juliet and Lily are now ignoring you?"

"Of course not," James denied hotly. "I'm doing a good thing for someone. That's it."

Before Remus could further express his doubts, the teacher arrived and silenced the class. More concerned with flicking through the battered copy of Romeo and Juliet, James didn't catch the worried glances of Remus as he scanned the pages for a hint as to who the owner could be, quill dangling from his mouth.

     Remus Lupin knew many things. Remus Lupin knew James liked Juliet. Remus Lupin also knew he liked an impossible task, he liked fixing people — the band of misfits known as the Marauders were proof of that — but his ever changing bouts of obsession were making the werewolf question who would be the one to fix him. James Potter always seemed the most put together out of the four of them, but he was falling apart at the seams and the boys could only seem to hold his stuffing together, not sew him back up.

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Juliet was not having a good day. First, her alarm didn't go off, meaning she missed breakfast. Second, her new wand was being extremely difficult and turned her hair frizzy when she tried to cast a drying charm. Third, she was on patrol later that night and couldn't find her copy of Romeo and Juliet anywhere. If it was quiet, she had planned to read it for the umpteenth time, but was nearing a breakdown when she couldn't find the book that had greatly changed her perceptions on muggles. All in all, her day was off to a disastrous start and showed no signs of improving.