𝙎𝙃𝘼𝘿𝙀𝙎 𝙊𝙁 𝙍𝙀𝘿 ꧂ ʳᵒⁿ ʷᵉᵃˢˡᵉʸ

𝐟𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐒𝐥𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐬.

☽ ★ ⇎✾⇎ ★ ☾

Loud, boisterous chatter emitted from the Gryffindor table as Juliet took her usual seat between Azelea and Fay, her eyes drooping from a lack of sleep.

Juliet murmured a quick, "g'morning" to her friends before beginning to butter a slice of crisp, golden toast.

"Wait a moment- oh no... Sirius!" Suddenly exclaimed Hermione from a few seats away. Juliet turned curiously to see Ron, Harry and Hermione, their heads all ducked inside of The Daily Prophet.

"What does it say?" Juliet asked curiously, which received her no response whatsoever.

Feeling slightly agitated, Juliet leaned closer to glimpse what the paper read.

"The Ministry of Magic has reiceved an anonymous tip-off that Sirius Black, notorious mass-murderer and escapee of Azkaban, is currently hiding in London..."

Harry sent Juliet a slightly cold glance, pulling the newspaper away from her reach.

"Oh." Juliet said, rather dumbstruck. "Well, that's good they've spotted him. Hopefully they catch him, soon."

Harry suddenly made a rather strange movement, as if he was clenching his fist. "No surprise your happy, knowing who your family is and their supposed 'Death-eater' related connections with Sirius Black." He said in a sneering tone, which got him a confused look from Ron.

Juliet froze, her eyes widening slightly before she quickly let the awestruck expression slide off her face. Hermione slapped Harry on his hand, whispering to him sternly.

"Oh." Juliet uttered, her brow raised in a surprisingly cold demeanour. "You, out of all people, seriously don't trust me because of my lineage? That's absolute rubbish. Aren't you supposed to be the all-knowing and great Chosen One?" Juliet sneered.

It was very unlike the quiet, kind girl who most of the Gryffindors knew Juliet to be; which is why so many people turned to gape at her.

Her momentary phase of coldness forgotten, Juliet felt a blush creep onto her cheeks at the sudden attention.

Juliet quickly ducked her head, continue to butter her toast meekly as if nothing had happened. Azelea snickered.

Harry sent a glare in Juliet's direction, before quickly excusing himself from the table and leaving the hall.

Hermione and Ron exchanged worried glances, before quickly following their friend. Juliet felt a sudden prick of guilt when Ron sent her a strange look.

"He had it coming for him." Azelea shrugged. "They way he talked about you in the common-room, making all these assumptions and silly comments about your family and how your a spy for Slyther—"

The red-haired girl cut herself short when Fay sent her a sharp glance, but Juliet had heard enough.

"He said that?" She asked quietly, her stomach sinking in dread.

"Um... I'm sure he didn't mean it." Fay began, shooting Juliet a pitiful glance.

"I'm sure he did." Juliet said coldly. "After all, I'm just the stupid Slytherin Mistake, according to everyone here."

Azelea and Fay began to protest, trying to coax Juliet into a different mindset; but Juliet had already jumped from her seat and walked away silently, her toast forgotten in her burst of anger.

A strange, unfamiliar feeling lingered from the tips of Juliet's fingers to the burning sensation of rage in her chest. The sound of her own footsteps began to echo away into silence as her own self-deprecating and angered thoughts consumed her mind completely.

"Hey, Laurent. You don't look too happy."

Juliet spun around to see none other then a tall, smirking boy with peroxide blonde hair and porcelain skin.

"Malfoy." Juliet greeted curtly, her frost-blue eyes surveying the boy with mild interest.

"I saw you leave the Gryffindor table, looking quite agitated. What's up with that?" Draco asked. Juliet could sense the insincerity in his voice, but a strong urge to confide in somebody drowned out that hesitation.

"Everyone is assuming things about me, saying I'm a spy and my familys filled with Death-Eaters." Juliet began bitterly, "nobody trusts me, and I was stupid enough to see past it."

Draco looked as if he had predicted this exact situation to happen.

"Well, you can't really expect Potter and his friends to be very understanding. Potter himself is an absolute idiot, can't see past his own little perception of the world."

Juliet was surprised to hear Draco's voice ooze with hatred and coldness. "Well, I suppose that's a bit far—"

—But Draco continued on, "everybody acts like he's some sort of saviour, but he's really just some idiot boy who coincidentally missed a curse as an infant and now everyone thinks he's some hero."

Juliet blinked. Why was he confiding in her again?

"Um- yes, I suppose."

Draco looked at Juliet as if he was about to continue, his mouth slightly ajar, but a sudden stumble of footsteps and talking made the two fifth-years turn.

Ron, Harry and Hermione stood, staring at the two in matching shock and fury.

"You are a traitor!" Harry yelled bluntly.

Juliet felt her cheeks flush red. "I was simply talking to him, Harry. Not everything involves you." She retorted hotly, anger lacing her usually gentle voice.

"She might be right, Harry-" Hermione began, but Juliet wasn't listening to her. She had turned to stare at Ron, who was a few steps behind his friends with a pained expression.

"This is exactly what I was talking about." Draco implied simply. "You think everything is about you, Potter."

"You were talking about me!" Harry exclaimed angrily. Hermione sighed.

"What's happening here?" Came a curious voice. Juliet turned to see Fay and Azelea standing at the hall exit with confused expressions.

"Juliet is fraternising with Slytherins. Again." Harry said coldly.

Azelea rolled her eyes, "that's absolute bollocks! You have no proof of this stupid theory of yours!"

And then, the group of Gryffindors and Draco Malfoy launched into an argument concerning Juliet. An argument Juliet had no voice in, apparently.

Juliet sighed in exasperation, turning and storming away. The only person who seemed to notice her not so grand exit was Ron Weasley, who was looking at the agitated girl with a mix of pity, confusion, anger and frustration.

☽ ★ ⇎✾⇎ ★ ☾

"𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐝, 𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐝; 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐛𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐡 𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡."
published: 6th of october, 2020
edited: 6th of october, 2020

an: this is sort of short sorry and not that good ahh
love, rose xx