Chamber of Love

Chapter 19

**unedited**

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  "Can I... Can I ask you something?" Juliette adjusted her bag that was hanging from her shoulder and glanced at Neville, who was descending from the stairs with her.

"Sure."

Neville looked nervous as he bit his bottom lip before averting his eyes. "What happened to... to you?" He asked unsurely.

Juliette sent him a confused look before she realised what he was talking about.

"Oh," Her left hand unconsciously reached for her forehead, gently touching where the infamous bruise was located. "It's nothing important. I was just not paying attention to my steps."

Neville, unlike Draco, believed her and didn't ask any further questions. He simply nodded, much to Juliette's delight.

The bump on her forehead was smaller and less noticeable thanks to the salve that Madame Pomfrey had prepared for her. It was still there, but at less not as obvious as it was yesterday morning.

The duo exited from the circular trapdoor, entering a long corridor. It suddenly became brighter than the Divination classroom now that the red curtains were gone. She looked down, avoiding the direct sunlight.

"I have Herbology now." She said, glancing at Neville for a second. It came to her attention that he wasn't standing tall. His shoulders were slightly cowered as if he was trying to exclude himself from his surroundings.

"Okay." He said quietly. "Have a good day." His steps slowed down as he waited for her to walk away.

Juliette smiled at him, realising how his behaviours reminded her of herself. "I'll see you later." She said, looking at him over her shoulders before turning around to walk towards her own way.

"Okay. Bye, Juliette." Neville weakly called after her, awkwardly waving even though she couldn't see him. His pitiful wave dropped as he let out a quiet sigh. One of his housemates, Seamus, walked past him with a snicker, earning an eye roll from Neville.

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Juliette's day was extremely uneventful. She couldn't wait for the day to finally be over so she could go back to her room and sleep until the summer holiday came. Or maybe just until tomorrow.

During lunch, she was planning to sit next to Cedric as usual. She wasn't surprised to see his friends around him, but what made her steps falter was someone unfamiliar.

Cho Chang, Cedric's girlfriend from Ravenclaw was sitting at the Hufflepuff table and eating lunch with Cedric and his group of friends. Juliette rolled her eyes when she realised Cho was occupying the seat that she was intending to take, which was right next to Cedric.

With a tired sigh, she chose to sit at the end of the table by herself, not wanting to bother the new couple by her unneeded presence.

The Great Hall was still half empty when she sat down. Various foods with appetising smells were already served, waiting for the students who were currently entering the grand room.

She put her bag on the floor after taking out the almost completed Potions essay and her quill. She's been writing it since last week and because of her unexpected accident, it was unfortunately delayed.

She reread her essay for at least twice before attempting to write the conclusion while snacking on the grilled corns.

It took her ten minutes, give or take, to complete her average essay. She knew she wasn't going to get an O or even an E, which was not good enough for her since she was usually very successful in Potions.