𝙎𝙃𝘼𝘿𝙀𝙎 𝙊𝙁 𝙍𝙀𝘿 ꧂ ʳᵒⁿ ʷᵉᵃˢˡᵉʸ

𝐧𝐨 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐧 𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐚𝐥.

☽ ★ ⇎✾⇎ ★ ☾

"Where did you go off to with Draco? You were gone for ages."

Juliet shifted uncomfortably, glancing up briefly from her homework to meet Fay's questioning gaze. Juliet gulped, quickly looking back down to her Charms homework.

"We were just talking about my brother." Juliet said casually.

The two seemed like they were about to question Juliet further, but were interrupted when a flurry of bouncing brown curls and silly silk ribbons announced the arrival of Lavender Brown.

Azelea raised her brows, her head slowly reclining as her glare met Lavender's supposedly innocent hazel gaze.

"And you are here because?" Azelea asked abruptly. Lavender turned to her with a suspiciously guiltless twinkle in her eyes.

"To read." Lavender chirped, opening her books silently and beginning to study.

Before Fay, Juliet and Azelea could question her further, Parvati also joined the girl's table, slapping down her books beside Lavender's.

"Okay, what's going on?" Fay demanded. "You two never sit with us."

Parvati and Lavender blinked up at the three other girls with wide, innocent eyes. Juliet narrowed her eyes at Parvati, which finally provoked her into telling them.

Parvati let out a dramatic sigh, then began. "Okay, fine! Padma told me that Terry Boot told her that Michael Corner told him he saw Juliet and Draco getting it on in a vacant hallway."

"Could you repeat that in English?" Juliet asked, her brow furrowed in confusion, a spur of panic building inside her as she heard her and Draco's name mentioned in the same sentence.

Before Parvati could open her mouth, Lavender quickly cut in. "Oh, for goodness sake, don't bother denying it. Some useless Ravenclaw told Parvati you were hooking up with Malfoy in some hallway; and just so you know, i think your being slutty and you should apologise to Ron for leading him on, not that he was ever that interested."

Juliet choked on the water she was drinking.

Between coughs, Juliet spluttered out an inaudible, "what?" while Azelea and Fay gave Lavender disgusted looks.

"That's awful, Lavender, you shouldn't feed into rumours like that." Fay said sternly, regarding the malicious girl with a firm, piercing expression.

However, Azelea took a less gracious approach then her friend's, and instead began cussing explicit insults to a now offended-looking Lavender.

"Well, I, for one, think it's true." Lavender said defiantly. "Parvati would never lie, would you, Va-va?" Lavender blinked expectantly at her friend.

Parvati shook her head loyally.

"Besides, Ron came back to the common-room yesterday looking awfully crest-fallen, and very battered up. I just want to let you know, Juliet, making boys fight over you isn't a very good look."

Juliet had a very sudden and desperate urge to slap her hand across Lavender's smug face.

"I never did any of that!" Juliet exclaimed defiantly. "And I never led Ron on, we are hardly even friends!"

Lavender scoffed in disbelief, her pale face beginning to glow red. "Oh, really? So if I go over to him right now, you won't care?"

Juliet ignored her breath catching in her throat. She ignored the burning hatred swelling in her stomach. She ignored her feelings of infatuation for the stupid red-head boy. She ignored how much she didn't want to say the words she said, but she went and said them anyways.