Chamber of Love

Chapter 3

  On the night of Halloween, the Hufflepuff common room was terribly packed. The students were celebrating together since Cedric's name was spat out by The Goblet of Fire.

Juliette, holding a book on her lap very protectively, looked around from where she was sitting. It was nice that they were happy for their house mate but couldn't they be happy quietly? There was no need for continuous high-pitched shouts.

When everyone started to sing at the same time and went horribly out of harmony, she closed her book with a little force and got up. It was way too loud for her and the dormitory was probably doing a terrible job at keeping the sound out. She was sure of it.

Juliette held her book firmly as she walked through the exit door. Her grip loosened slightly as she walked past the barrels in front of the common room's door and the kitchen.

"Finally." She whispered under her breath. "Silence."

The corridors of the castle were dark and there wasn't a single sound except for her footsteps. Not a single soul was awake in the large halls around her even though it was before curfew. She found it both peaceful and eerie at the same time.

Juliette thought about going to the library but went against that idea since it was probably closed. She also didn't want to face Madame Pince at this late hour. Instead, she headed for the stairs to go to the Astronomy Tower. Sure, it was a bit chilly and her thin sweater wasn't very ideal for the weather but it was better than her common room at the moment and she couldn't think of another serene place where no one would disturb her.

She was passing by another deserted corridor when she unexpectedly heard loud noises coming closer to her location. She felt the urge to hold her breath and change her way when she saw three familiar figures at the end of the corridor.

Crabbe and Goyle were laughing annoyingly loud about how they pranked Neville Longbottom on his way to Gryffindor Tower. Draco was walking between them and he was smirking to himself like he did something to be proud of.

She prepared herself to turn away and find another route to the Astronomy Tower, not wanting to be seen by three specific Slytherins, but she wasn't very quick about it considering Draco's bright eyes suddenly focused on her slightly shivering form.

"Well, well, well..." His smirk widened. "Look who it is." Crabbe and Goyle stopped laughing and looked where Draco was pointing at. Her.

They were looking at each other from moment to moment and grinning, waiting for Draco to probably make fun of her.

It's pathetic, really. Their only entertainment is bullying other people. Juliette thought to herself as Draco walked closer to where she was awkwardly standing with her hands protectively holding her book against her chest.

"What are you doing here?" He asked.

Juliette looked at him unsurely for a fleeting moment. His hands were in his pockets and his head was slightly tilted back. It was almost like he was trying to look down on her.

"Nothing." She answered in a quiet tone, wondering why he thought it was any of his business. "What are you doing?" She dared to ask back, conflicting with her own thoughts.

Crabbe and Goyle glanced at each other with a frown, thinking how unacceptable it was for her to interrogate Draco. But unlike their friends, Draco seemed like he didn't mind it that much though he ignored her question.

"What's that?" He changed the subject, pointing at the book she was holding tightly instead of answering her question.

"It's a book." Juliette answered. Draco rolled his eyes, making her embarrassed of her simple but dumb response. "It's actually about healing potions. Such as Blood-Replenishing Potion or Skele-Gro. Though they aren't very interesting for me since they're very complex in my opinion but I was just reading about Wiggenweld Potion which is basically brewed to awaken a person from—"