Everything to Me

18.

"... and go to Hogsmeade with me."

Is he joking? He is joking. He HAS to be joking.

"I am sorry, what?" Juli asked, trying to keep her voice calm.

"Would you like to go out with me, Juliette?" Peter repeated.

Her name from him did not make her heart warm and her cheeks red. It made her angry. She didn't know what to do. She could not agree to that knowing how impulsive Peter was. She was unconsciously taking steps backwards.

"I - I need to go find someone." She mumbled and ran off. She didn't want to talk about it with anyone. Lily would have given her a sympathetic look but then also would have threatened to hex Peter and James would have definitely hexed him. Remus would have tried to knock some sense into him and who know what Sirius would have done. She wanted to be alone right now, to think and organize her thoughts.

She ran along the corridor and found an empty compartment, which was strange because it was September 1st. Panting, she entered the compartment and shut the door behind her. She plopped down on the berth and stared straight ahead, thinking about Peter and how rash everyone could react. She heard someone clear her throat. She looked around and saw someone sitting by the window.

"Regulas?" She asked.

"Hello, Potter." The boy replied with a blank expression.

"I can go. I am sorry I didn't see you. I was too... I don't know." She said, not wanting to intrude.

" 's fine. I can see you're preoccupied with your thoughts." He shrugged.

"Oh?" She wasn't sure if this was such a good idea. Not because he was Slytherin but because both would have to answer to their friends about this.

"Yeah. I am hiding from my cousins and looks like you don't want to be disturbed either." He reassured her. "Besides, I won't ask you to share if you don't want to."

She felt relieved. "Thank you."

They sat together in silence for half the train ride and it was broken when the Trolley Lady came to ask them if they wanted sweets. They gave each other a look and ended up buying the entire stock of Chocolate Frogs.

"Want to tell me why you were hiding?" Juli asked, with mouth full of chocolate.

"They were being bigots." He shrugged.

"Oh." She didn't want to share and Regulas didn't pester her to. "I better go and find my friends before they burn down the train." She picked a few chocolate cards and stood up.

He nodded.

"Thank you for letting me be here and the comfortable silence. See you around." She smiled.

"See you."

She smiled to herself and reached their compartment. Remus, Sirius and Lily had worried expressions while James was pacing the small length of the compartment. He sighed deeply and pulled her into a hug.

"We were worried sick, Jules! Where were you? Peter told us that you wanted to find someone. We thought it might be Lily but she said that she hadn't seen you either! What if something had happened to you? We searched all the compartments and then there was Mulciber. What if he had done something?" James rambled.

Guilt washed over Juli as she realized what her friends had been going through. "I am so sorry, James, and everyone, in fact. I just needed to think. It won't happen again." She handed them the chocolate frogs and sat down beside Remus.

Sirius was the first one to slouch back onto the berth, followed by James.

"Peter wouldn't tell us anything and then went to sit with some of his Hufflepuff friends. Do you want to tell us what happened?" Remus asked her.

"Well..." Juli started. She didn't know how to frame it neither did she want to lie to them. "He asked me out."

"Come again?" James snapped.

"Well, yeah. He said that he developed feelings for me over summer and wanted another chance." She told them nervously.

Everyone fell silent. "What will you say, then?" Lily asked. Sirius was now looking at her, waiting for her answer.

James answered for her, "She'll say no obviously. Everyone can see how awkward you are with him and you don't even try to hide that he annoys you."

"Uh, yeah, that's true but-" She began.

"But what?" Lily encouraged.

"It was almost 3 years ago. He said that he has feelings and now things can actually work out."

"Is that a yes?" James asked her in disbelief.

"Not really."

"It's not a 'no' either, Juli." Remus was the one who said this time. She didn't answer him and got lost in her own thoughts again.

Sirius could not believe she was even considering this in the first place. After what had happened in their second year and what had just happened between both of them, how could she? "I'll go and find Emma."

"Her name was Emily" Remus corrected.

"See you back at the carriages." Without so much as even glancing at Juli, he left.

"Emily?" Juli asked.

"Yeah. This girl came in looking for him but he said no because we were waiting for you." Lily told her, with emphasis on 'you'.

Juli suddenly realized what had happened. How could he do this? Was he trying to show how many girls like him?

Two can play this game, Sirius.

"I have decided something." She said.

"What's that, Jules?" James asked sweetly.

"I'll say yes to Peter."

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