"𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙖𝙡𝙡, 𝙞 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙩𝙡𝙚."
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IN WHICH ~ Jupiter Lestrange battles the haunting grip of Tom Riddle's malevolent diary as she unravels long-buried truths about her family, herself, and her growing feelings...
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"We looked at each other a little too long to be 'just friends'."
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Harry, Ron, and Jupiter made their way back to Gryffindor Tower, the day's lessons weighing heavily on their minds. As usual, Hermione broke off from the group, darting toward the library with no explanation. They'd gotten used to her hurried exits after class, her mind always racing to her next project or question.
"Wouldn't Moody and Dumbledore be in trouble with the Ministry if they knew we'd seen the curses?" Harry asked as they reached the Fat Lady's portrait.
"Yeah, probably," Ron replied with a shrug. "But Dumbledore's always done things his way, hasn't he? And Moody's been getting in trouble for years, I reckon. Attacks first and asks questions later. Look at his dustbins. Balderdash."
Jupiter stayed silent, swallowing the lump in her throat. She could still feel Bellatrix's cruel sneer, hear the hiss of her spells. The memory lingered, sharp and close, as if she were still back in that dark room. She clenched her hands to steady herself, biting back the urge to break down.
The Fat Lady swung forward, and they clambered into the Gryffindor common room. The space was packed with students, laughter and chatter echoing off the walls, but Jupiter barely noticed.
"Shall we get our Divination stuff, then?" Harry asked, trying to keep things light.
"I s'pose," Ron groaned. Jupiter just nodded, and they all headed up the stairs. She quickly grabbed her copy of Unfogging the Future from her dormitory and rushed back down, eager to avoid her thoughts in the empty room.
She found a table tucked near the fireplace, away from the livelier groups, and sank into a chair. Placing her head in her hands, she let a few tears slip through her fingers, feeling the warmth of the fire flicker against her cheeks. The release was small, but it helped ease the tightness in her chest.
"Jupiter?" Harry's voice was soft as he took a seat beside her, his gaze filled with concern. Ron sat across from them, watching her with a hesitant sympathy.
"I will be," she sniffed, wiping away the last of her tears. She opened her book, putting on a brave face. "Let's just get through this."
They spent the next hour buried in prediction charts, the common room slowly quieting as students drifted off to bed. They made up random predictions, scribbling nonsense onto their parchments. None of them were accurate, and none of them seemed to care.
"And on Wednesday, I think I'll come off worst in a fight," Ron muttered, scratching down his next forecast.
"Aaah, I was going to have a fight. Alright, I'll lose a bet instead," Harry sighed, dipping his quill in ink.
