JULIET {remus lupin}

ONE HUNDRED AND FIVE

December 1993

On the 22nd December, Remus and Juliet sat in an empty carriage of the Hogwarts Express, with the witch huffing and pulling down the door blind as soon as they were inside, and locking the door with her wand. Remus watched her with amusement as she sighed and leant back onto her seat.

"Bloody kids," she said. "They'll drive me mad."

He grinned and said nothing, staring out of the window at the mountains.

"James and Anne replied," Juliet said, looking up. "Said they will spend Christmas at... mine."

He smiled, "that'll be nice. It'll be good to create some happy memories."

The witch hummed in agreement, "I asked Tonks too, the auror. Said Ted and Andromeda are welcome too, they've helped me out a lot over the years."

"That was nice of you."

The witch nodded and chewed her lip, quietly fearful. She hadn't been to Romilly manor in years, it had never been a particularly pleasant place.

"You don't have to come with me before you know, Remus," she sighed. "I feel awful, Anne has been so excited to see you."

"She'll see me on Christmas Day," he reminded her kindly. "I wouldn't have you go there alone."

She nodded and smiled.

"It'll be nice to have a home again. Somewhere that's actually mine. Romilly or not."

"You'll always be a Romilly, Juliet," Remus grinned

"She laughed, closing her eyes.

Remus hadn't known what to expect of Romilly Manor, at school he'd never given her wealth much thought, being best friends with Sirius Black and James Potter had exposed him to that world far before he thought anything of Juliet. He knew she had grown up with money, of course, but then and again, hadn't most Slytherins? Or most members of the sacred twenty eight?

The Romilly house was huge. Larger than the Potter's, even. Imposing towers with ivy climbing the sides of them. Juliet was staring emotionlessly, Remus staring in shock.

"Merlin, Romilly."

She sighed and said nothing.

"Now I understand why you were so insufferably stuck up."

The witch rolled her eyes but still didn't speak.

"Are there wards?"

"Dumbledore said we'd get in fine," she said, pushing open a gate and revealing a perfectly trimmed walled garden.

"Who maintains this?"

Juliet began to speak, "I'd assume-"

A furious looking house elf swung open the door and Juliet groaned.

"Lolly," she nodded, marching towards the elf.

"Miss Juliet," she said, looking disgustedly at Remus. "And a halfblood, a were-"

"That's enough," the witch snapped. "I'm living here now, Lolly. You answer to me."

"Master Romilly-"

"Nathaniel is gone, Lolly. Never to return. This is my house. You serve the house of Romilly and I am Juliet Romilly. Clear?"

The elf bowed, casting another filthy look to Remus. He watched the witch next to him in admiration, getting slight glances back to who she was when he first knew her. Juliet waved her wand, a portrait of Nathaniel crashed to the floor, she set it alight, putting it out once charred. Then, she uncovered a portrait, and sighed. It was her, age seventeen, finally an adult. Remus bit his tongue at the likeness, the witch he'd fallen in love with.