My hands slipped and I wrote over 6k words (which means it's unedited eheh)
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The dream diary sat open on Juliette's lap as she tapped her quill against it. She was initially excited to write down and discuss her dreams with Trelawney, but now she felt lost. She couldn't remember any of her dreams. The last one she remembered was with Umbridge and her cats but even that dream didn't have a context.
Better than nothing, I guess, Juliette thought and wrote down a simple; I had a dream about Professor Umbridge in her office and her many porcelain tea plates with cats living in them.
And there went her excitement. She closed the diary and didn't open it until the next Divination class.
Trelawney's grey cat lazily walked around the cozy room, rubbed against Juliette's leg in greeting before taking its place on one of the chairs in the back corner. Juliette couldn't acknowledge it, she was busy eyeing Umbridge suspiciously, who stood near the door with a clipboard in her hand. The countless crystal balls were placed on unsteady looking shelves nearby, and Juliette wouldn't be too bothered if they all fell on top of Umbridge. Trelawney looked uncomfortable by the inquisitor's presence as well as the rest of the students.
"Please take out your diaries. Today we will be discussing and interpreting them together." The professor instructed.
Juliette hesitantly grabbed her diary from her bag. The only writing she did was of the dream about Umbridge and there was no way she was going to read that out loud with Umbridge in the room. No way.
"Who would like to go first?" Trelawney asked with a tense smile, her wide eyes glancing at the inquisitor constantly for approval. She didn't receive any.
Lavender Brown eagerly raised her hand along with Parvati Patil, and Lavender was chosen to go first. She held up her diary and cleaned her throat,
"On Monday, I dreamt about going home for Christmas and decorating our tree by the fireplace with my cousins. It was daytime and I recall hearing my grandmother's voice from upstairs. On Tuesday, I dreamt about my pet rabbit Binky, who passed away a few years ago. It was the day I received him as a gift on my birthday. I was feeding him all the carrots and salads that he wanted. On Wednesday, I–"
"Excuse me," Umbridge unexpectedly interrupted the eager Gryffindor with a quiet cough, and directed her eyes at Trelawney. "But what is it that you teach in this classroom?"
Trelawney didn't know how to answer that question at first. She looked like she was trying to understand why that question was being asked.
"Divination. Future gazing and interpretation of what the Inner Eye perceives." She replied with a smile, as if her explanation was going to excite Umbridge. "Our current subject is dreams. We-"
"And you've been teaching these brilliant students since their third year, correct?" She asked, her quill raised and ready to write on her paper.
"I- Yes. Correct." Trelawney answered, her smile gone, before Umbridge turned to address the class.
"Please show me a raise of hands if you know how to predict the future." She asked, and no one in the room moved a muscle except for to look at each other. She was attempting to show that the Divination was a useless subject and everyone in the class was aware of that. Juliette's hand twitched, but she knew better than to get the satisfaction of proving Umbridge wrong by revealing herself. She had a feeling that Snape would grill her alive and Dumbledore would serve her remains for dinner.
"No one? That's a shame." Umbridge scribbled a few words on her paper. Trelawney looked at her with worry, wondering what the inquisitor was thinking. "Who can tell me the importance of dreams and their interpretations, then?"
Juliette didn't waste a second this time, and raised a confident hand. She's read the Dream Oracle until she memorized some passages, after all. And answering that question wouldn't reveal anything about her Seer abilities.
"Yes, Miss Avery?" Umbridge looked at her with a strained smile.
"Dreams are the products of one's subconscious. They can contain significant elements from our lives that we might not deem important. By interpreting dreams, we connect various relevant information and reveal facts about the dream holder's emotions, thoughts and personal life. Dreams are also considered as messengers from the future by some interpreters." Juliette answered, and the classroom stood silent for a moment. Umbridge's quill was frozen in mid air, the tip almost touching the paper. It was clear that she wasn't exactly expecting a real answer, and desperately wanted to embarrass Trelawney in her own classroom.
"Excellent." Was her reply, and she momentarily put down her quill. "Please feel free to interpret Miss Brown's dreams for me, dear."
"She had dreams about going back home for holidays, spending time with family members, she distinctly remembers her grandmother's voice, and she's seen her pet rabbit who passed away. She must be feeling nostalgic and emotional, in need of being in a space where she feels safe and comfortable, which might be the product of stressing over homework and O.W.L. studies straight out of summer holidays." Juliette answered without missing a beat, and Umbridge evaluated her answer in silence. Juliette gave her the sweetest smile she could put on her face. Trelawney's private sessions were finally proving useful and to be honest, she was glad she's been attending them if it meant wiping the fake concerned smile off of Umbridge's face.
"And what would you predict for her future?" Umbridge asked.
Juliette didn't reply immediately, taking a moment to think. She didn't know how to link dreams and the dream holder's future yet. She didn't have an answer for her question, but even if she did, she wouldn't say it out loud.
"I don't know, Professor. I'm not a Seer." She answered instead.
"I see." Umbridge turned to Trelawney once again. "What about you, Professor? What is your prediction?"
The Divination Professor was caught off guard. She clasped her hands together as her lips kept moving; physical indications that she was thinking and generating ideas.
"It means... It means that Miss Brown is going to go through hard times! She will be seeking familiarity, but she will soon discover that what she needs will find its way to her!" Trelawney answered, and Juliette heard Lavender's gasp from the back row as she considered the professor's words. Umbridge, on the other hand, wasn't impressed at all.
She scribbled down further information with a mysterious hum.
"Very well. I wish you all a nice, productive lesson." She smiled and turned towards the door, but paused as she was just about to exit. "Oh, and 10 points for Hufflepuff. Well done, Miss Avery."
Juliette's smile wavered. She had an unsatisfactory feeling that she proved Umbridge that she was the only one paying attention in class, not how good of a teacher Trelawney was. And was Umbridge even allowed to give points as an inquisitor?
"W– Well," Trelawney fixed her glasses with a shaky hand. Juliette felt bad for her. "Please go on, Lavender, dear."
Lavender hesitantly picked up her diary and kept reading her dreams from Wednesday. Juliette zoned out a little as her voice got lost in the background along with Harry and Ron's whispers. She noticed Neville shifting around uncomfortably in the corner of her eye. Her hands played with her diary's cover. Everyone in the room felt drained by Umbridge, and she wasn't even present for more than fifteen minutes. Juliette worried about her position as high inquisitor. She knew Trelawney wouldn't get any approval from her, and she was concerned about the notes Umbridge took that were unknown to the rest of the class. She wasn't eager to see what the outcome of inquisitions were going to be.
The class went on with couple more students talking about their dreams as Trelawney randomly picked victims when no one else raised their hands. Juliette made up a story about having a nightmare about failing all of her classes and having to repeat the year, and gave a convincing argument about how school stress was affecting her even in her sleep and how her subconscious was making her face her anxieties. Fortunately Trelawney didn't doubt her, and Juliette was relieved she didn't have to actually read from her diary. Harry and Ron were among the students who were picked. Apparently they both had empty diaries because they couldn't remember anything after waking up. Trelawney asked them to interpret their classmates' dreams, but their limited creativity didn't convince the professor, and they earned a nod adorned with a pitying smile.
That was the day Trelawney asked Juliette to tutor Harry, as Lavender already volunteered her help for Ron. "It will help you develop as well." She said when Juliette froze after her request. Juliette has never tutored anyone before, and she didn't believe she had the ability to explain Divination to anyone, least of all to Harry Potter, who apparently didn't understand a single thing since his first Divination class.
Regardless of what she thought or wanted, Trelawney didn't really give her a choice and she eventually ended up at one of the round tables in the classroom with Harry sitting across from her. He looked like he'd rather be anywhere else, and so did she, especially since it was near dinner time.
"Hi." She greeted as she sat down, and received a quiet Hey. They were alone in the room along with Trelawney's cat, who was fast asleep on a chair with red cushions. Trelawney was nowhere to be found, and Juliette was half glad she wouldn't be watched like a hawk as she attempted to tutor Harry.
"How have you been?" She asked just to make a small talk as she pulled out the Dream Oracle from her bag.
"Good." He gave a short answer. "You?"
"Good." She placed the book on the table with a thud, and an awkward silence followed after that. Juliette tapped her fingers on the hard cover as Harry played with the corner of the tablecloth.
"I have no idea what to teach you." Juliette broke the silence with a nervous laugh, and managed to break through Harry's poker face.
"I don't think I'd understand anything you'd say anyway." He replied with a smile, eyes cast down at the embroidery on the red fabric.
"Sometimes I don't understand the half of it either."
"That's still more than I could achieve. Even Hermione couldn't be bothered with this class."
"Then why don't you drop it too?" Juliette asked, tilting her head with curiosity. Harry gave her a lazy shrug.
"It's better than Arithmancy or Ancient Runes."
"Fair enough." Juliette would never imagine taking those classes. She had a feeling that either her brain would explode or she'd burst into tears after each class. Much like her first year all over again.
"It's the same with Ron. And apparently he didn't learn much from Lavender either."
Juliette placed her elbows on the table and leaned her weight against it. The room was dimmer than usual and it felt like sleep was lurking behind the dark curtains, ready to take over her mind.
"I heard that he became a Keeper."
"Correct." Harry answered, his shoulders getting a little tense. Juliette wondered if he was expecting her to make a nasty comment.
"That's nice. You'll get to play together." She said instead, and Harry looked up as his posture relaxed once again.
"I suppose." He answered, and his index finger pointed at her for a second. "And I heard that you're a Seeker now."
It was Juliette's time to become nervous, not because she worried he would mock her but because she felt weird talking about it to Harry, who was known as a great Seeker at Hogwarts.
"Yeah. It was an impulsive decision."
"It's still not an easy position to get. So congratulations. What made you decide on trying out?"
"I- I didn't-" Juliette paused with a sigh. "I guess I didn't want Cedric to be replaced by someone who had no respect for his memory."
Harry decided to stay silent after that. Juliette lowered her gaze involuntarily, but she could still see Harry's scarred hand playing with the embellishments. They let the sound of the fire cracks fill the silence, almost like they were taking a moment to remember the significant friend they both lost so tragically.
"I've had dreams about him over the summer." Harry decided to speak up again. "Well, more like nightmares."
Juliette looked up, not expecting him to reveal something about himself.
"What did you see?" She asked quietly, carefully.
"The same thing I saw at the tournament. Only this time I experienced it each night." His voice was empty and emotionless even though it might've taken a toll on him. It was already hard enough for Juliette to live through the visions before it happened, she couldn't imagine seeing it for the months to follow. She'd go crazy.
"I'm sorry." Was the only thing she could manage to say.
"It's alright. I don't have them as often anymore."
"And what do you dream about now? It could be a good starting point for us." She said, trying to lighten the mood with a smile as she pushed forward her book. Harry didn't glance at it twice. He didn't look excited to talk about his dreams, not like Juliette blamed him.
"Some weird dreams, I guess. I don't remember much of it."
"Okay, well," That wasn't a good starting point. "How about we interpret someone else's dream, then? Do you remember Neville's?"
"To be honest, I wasn't actually listening."
"Harry..."
"What? I couldn't concentrate! How can you even spend two minutes in this room without getting sleepy?" He defended himself, earning a playful eye roll.
"I live in constant fear that Trelawney would ask me a question and I wouldn't be able to answer if I don't concentrate."
"I guess I developed some sort of immunity to that."
"At least concentrate now, alright?" He gave her a nod, which didn't look even slightly convincing. "Great. Now, Neville said that he dreamt of getting lost in the Forbidden Forest, but it wasn't scary at all. He said that the forest was filled with beautiful flowers and fireflies and colourful Flitterblooms. How would you interpret it?"
Harry took a while to think, Juliette almost questioned if he listened to her at all or not.
"He wishes the Forbidden Forest was more colourful." Juliette stared at him with a blank face. "What?" Harry asked, a smile breaking through his expression.
"Does that sound convincing to you?"
"Oh, I see. You just make up stories in your head then, attribute them to the dream holder and hope it convinces Trelawney."
"No, I'm actually trying to interpret them!" Juliette objected, but Harry didn't look like he believed her.
"Right. Let me think," He played with the loose threads of the tablecloth and bit his lip in thought. Juliette wanted to object again, say she wasn't making up stories, but she gave him silence.
"He's having a hard time with school like the rest of us, so he dreams of the place he wants to be at because that's the only way his mind will be at ease."
Juliette blinked, and her eyebrow slowly rose up with an impressed gesture.
"That's actually not bad. For a second attempt."
"Right?"
Juliette gave him other examples she could remember from their classmates, and Harry always had to take a moment to think. Juliette knew he was trying to make up convincing stories, so she took him from all the way up there to the basics of it; gave him example questions he could ask the dream holder about themselves so he could interpret their dreams with more knowledge and ability to make accurate connections. Her teaching method might be faulty, but Harry seemed like he was actually learning a thing or two, even though his eyes were getting heavier by each passing minute. His tiredness wasn't enough to prevent him from acting all sassy and everything every time Juliette was impressed with his answers. She knew it was ridiculous to compare him to his rival, but his smug attitude reminded her of Draco, even though she'd never say it out loud to any of them.
"You're actually not so bad. Why don't you show the same effort in the class?" She asked, sounding genuinely confused. Harry shrugged and glanced at the clock for the first time since Juliette's arrival, silently telling her that it was time to end the session. The dinner must've ended by now.
"I don't know. Maybe I just feel like none of my answers will satisfy Trelawney anyway." He answered as Juliette closed her book and put it back in her bag.
"I think she will be. At least she'll be happy that you're trying."
"If you say so." Harry grabbed his own bag and hanged the bag over his shoulder as he was standing up, not sounding convinced. "But anyway, thanks for wasting your dinner time for me."
"It's alright, I've got snacks." She smiled and got up after him, following him outside of the class. "When do you want to meet next week?"
"Lunch break on Tuesday? And we could go to the library instead, this room is sucking my energy like no Dementor could."
"Fine by me." Juliette accepted his proposition as they came to a pause after climbing down the stairs.
"Alright, I'll see you then. And I'm sorry Trelawney made you my tutor." He apologized, but his voice sounded humorous.
"Don't worry about it. It's good practice." She assured him, and they parted ways to go to their own common room. Juliette noticed some Hufflepuff and Slytherins heading to the dungeons, returning from the dinner. She followed her house members, her head down as the exhaustion of the day started to creep up on her. She slowly tuned out the students' voices before her, and her mind almost completely got lost in irrelevant thoughts that had no link to each other, until an arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her into a corridor. Juliette jumped, her tired eyes widening in surprise and mind suddenly jolting awake.
"I haven't seen you all day." Draco sounded from behind her after a gasp left her mouth, and she quickly turned around in the dim corridor to lend a slap on his arm.
"Don't-!" Another slap. "-Do that!"
"Ouch." He faked a grimace and rubbed his arm.
"You scared me!" Juliette let out a breath, placing her hands on her hips in a scolding manner.
"It's because your head was in the clouds." Draco pointed out, tapping her forehead with his index before Juliette pushed his hand away. "Where were you anyway?"
"Why? Did you miss me?" Juliette fixed her bag strap over her shoulder as Draco rolled his eyes.
"Pfft, no." He paused. "Maybe."
"What is it, Draco?" She asked, not bothering to wipe her smile.
"Nothing. I was wondering if you'd like to join me at the Astronomy Tower." He shrugged, his right hand playing with the strap of his own bag.
Juliette's body ached from exhaustion, her mind was drained and she wanted nothing more than to go to her room and sleep for hours. But even that couldn't make her say no to him at that moment.
"Sure." She replied instead, and followed him towards the opposite direction. "But we can't stay past curfew."
"It's fine. I'm a Prefect."
"And what does that have to do with this?" Juliette asked, glancing at his shiny badge pinned to his uniform.
"It means I can stay past curfew. To a point."
"What about me?"
"That's on you for not being a Prefect." Draco shrugged, and earned a third slap on the same arm, which widened his faint smile.
"Be nice."
"I am nice." Draco replied, and proceeded to brag about not taking any points from anyone for two whole days. Juliette, however, wasn't impressed.
They walked to the tower together, talking about little things now and then. Draco told her that her cat's been hanging around him a lot recently, finding him in the school at the most unexpected times. Apparently he followed him to the Prefect's bathroom the other day and Draco spent more time trying to take him out than taking an actual bath.
"Well, that explains where he disappears to all the time." Juliette replied. It seemed like her cat preferred Draco over her and honestly, she couldn't blame him.
As they reached the stairs to climb the tower, Draco asked her where she's been once again.
"Tutoring." She answered. Draco looked over his shoulder with a raised brow.
"Tutoring who?"
"Harry."
"Potter?"
"No, Harry from that one coffee shop that smelled like a dead body in London that I'll never go to again. Yes, Draco. Harry Potter."
Draco paused as the reached the top, processed her words and ignored everything else she said before Harry Potter.
"Why are you tutoring him?" He frowned. Juliette walked past him between equipments and towards the dark railings that served as a balcony.
"Trelawney wants me to." She replied and took off her bag, placing it safely against the wall before she sat down behind the railings. She heard Draco's footsteps approaching.
"Doesn't surprise me that he needs a tutor for Divination." He scoffed as he put his bag next to hers and sat down beside her.
"Does that mean you're good at the subject?"
"I don't take Divination. It's a waste of time." He replied, leaning back with the support of his hands. Endless stars shone bright above them as he looked up, and Juliette could see their reflection in his eyes when she turned her face towards him. They made his eyes look even brighter.
"What do you take?"
"Ancient Runes." He replied, and noticed Juliette's grimace from the corner of his eye. "Not a fan?"
"No, of course not. How do you even understand anything in that class?"
"Like you understand anything in Divination."
"Yes, I do, thank you very much."
"Oh, really?" He leaned forward and rested his elbow on his knee. "Like what?"
"I learn to look into the future." She replied with the obvious answer, and received an amused smile from Draco.
"And how is that going for you?"
"Oh, you don't believe me?" She raised an eyebrow and faked an offended expression. She knew he wouldn't believe her, and she knew she couldn't tell him that she was a Seer yet, but that didn't mean she couldn't entertain herself for once. The secret she's been keeping from even her family sometimes became too suffocating that it felt better than the breeze that was caressing her face to finally talk about it. Even if Draco thought she was just playing around.
"Well, yeah. I'm afraid you'll have to try harder to convince me."
Juliette hummed in thought. She looked into his eyes and never broke eye contact, examining him to see if he was actually challenging her. It didn't matter. She held her hand out and Draco's eyes dropped to glance at it momentarily.
"I'm going to look into your future."
"Great, you can tell me what I'm going to eat for breakfast tomorrow. Scrambled eggs or cereal? I can never decide." He placed his hands in her palm and she closed her fingers around it, feeling his warmth travel from her fingertips through her whole body untraceably fast.
"I can't believe you take Ancient Runes and still find the audacity to mock me for taking Divination." She said with a smile she couldn't suppress, and covered his knuckles with her free hand.
"And I can't believe you're actually comparing those two. Ancient Runes is an actual–"
"Be quiet." Juliette interrupted him an closed her eyes. "I'm trying to concentrate."
Even though she couldn't see him, she had no doubt that he rolled his eyes at her.
Juliette doubted whether she should actually look into his future or just make up a silly story. He didn't technically give her an actual consent, and that one time she had a vision of him was involuntary, but the image of him kissing her in his Quidditch uniform was more than enough to force her Inner Eye open. She felt the magnetic pull as the presence of her environment started to feel like a dream, and she let the vision lure her in, hoping she wouldn't have a nosebleed in the aftermath.
The giant room felt so small when everything was in disarrange and cluttered on top of each other. Juliette, in her school shirt and skirt, sat on a worn out red couch and looked around curiously. Her long hair was in loose braids. She had a look in her eyes that indicated that she was wondering what each and every one of those items were made for as her homework sat next to her, abandoned.
Her shoulders got tense when a loud thud suddenly came from near an old cabinet. She turned to see Draco, looking tired. In stress. Sad and angry. His forehead was resting against its hard surface, and his closed fist right below. His harsh and rapid breaths left steam on the wood.
"Draco." Juliette called, and Draco's breathing visibly slowed down. A frown formed on his face as he slightly turned his head towards her, seeing her reached out hand. "Come here, love."
And he did. His fist got loose and his shoulders less tense. He let her sweet voice pull him to her now standing form, and he stood before her with his head down. Juliette grabbed his hand while her other hand went around his shoulders. She placed his hand on the small of her back, and hugged him with her arms around his neck. It wasn't long before the hand she placed pulled her tighter against him and his free hand grabbed her nape, holding her with everything he had left, and buried his face in her neck.
"It's all right, Draco. I've got you." Was the last thing she said before his body started to shake.
Juliette parted her eyelids, and her sight needed a second to adjust to her darker surroundings. She looked down at Draco's hand between hers, and somehow managed to replay what she's seen in her head a thousand times.
"So? Eggs or cereal?" Draco's voice sounded so much different from what he looked in the vision, and Juliette needed a moment to figure out which one was real.
"Crêpes." She answered, her voice so quiet that Draco almost didn't hear her. She dropped her hands and freed him, and the feeling of already missing his touch wasn't new.
"How could I not think of that? I feel so enlightened. You really are good at this, Juliette." Draco faked a disbelieving voice, but Juliette didn't react to it. Her eyes were still cast down, and she wondered why he looked so sad. Where even were they? What was he doing that made him so angry? Was he crying? She called him love.
"Julie?" She finally looked up upon hearing her name, and covered her somber expression with a convincing smile.
"It's because your head is in the clouds." She replied with what he said to her downstairs, and watched him laugh. She preferred him like this, not upset and burnt out.
"You got me."
I've got you.
Juliette's smile disappeared, and she almost regretted looking into his future.
"Are you alright?" Draco asked, examining her with a slight frown.
"Yes. I'm just tired." She sighed. "Matthew said Hufflepuff will have the pitch for practice next week. Apparently it's not compulsory yet but he said I should still go. I have to finish next week's work this week so I can be there."
"I told you it would be exhausting to start Quidditch this year."
"Maybe you should switch from Ancient Runes to Divination, then. You seem to have a talent for warning people about the future."
"You wish." He said with a short laugh, but his playfulness didn't live for long. He noticed her dropped shoulders and let out a sigh. "What are you having troubles with?"
"Uh, funnily enough, Astronomy." She answered, glancing up at the starts. "I'm trying to complete my star chart."
"Do you have it with you?" She nodded. "Let's see it, then."
Juliette looked at him, unsure. She didn't want to force him to help her with all the classes she was struggling with. He had his own homework to worry about.
"You don't have to help me, I'll figure it out."
"I've already finished my chart. Let me see yours." He held out a hand, and Juliette reached for her bag, feeling bad regardless of his reassurance. She pulled out her almost empty star chart and gave it to Draco. His eyes examined the constellations without names and noticed only two of them were complete. Taurus and Draco. The first one being her zodiac sign and the latter, well...
He looked up from the paper and at Juliette, who was swinging her legs and looking up at the real stars in the sky.
"Julie?" Draco carefully called for her attention.
"Hm?"
"Are these the only constellations you know?"
"Yes. I have difficulty remembering the rest, so I always have to look them up."
"And did you memorize the constellation of Draco because it's my name?"
Juliette opened her mouth, but no word came out. Her legs stopped their movement and she finally looked away from the sky. Their eyes met in silence before Juliette shrugged.
"It also has an easy shape to remember."
Draco unconsciously tapped his finger on the paper, examined her face that looked a little guilty, and sighed.
"Come here." Juliette obeyed and scooted closer to him until their shoulders were touching.
"This right here is Auriga," He tapped on the paper. "It's neighbor to Taurus, so it should be easy to remember. These two are Andromeda and Cassiopeia. The Queen Cassiopeia, in myth, would brag about her beauty, and was punished by Poseidon for calling herself more beautiful than the sea nymphs. She's Andromeda's mother. Andromeda was chained to a rock to be sacrificed for the punishment, to be eaten by Cetus, but she was saved by Perseus. They fell in love then and there."
Draco pointed at two other constellations.
"This is Cetus and this is Perseus."
Juliette looked up at him, impressed and intrigued by his story.
"These are not taught in the class." She said, her voice questioning.
"Knowing the stories helps me remember them." Draco answered with a shrug after meeting her eyes. The lack of space in between didn't bother any of them. "Besides, most of my mother's side is named after constellations. I was curious about it when I first found out."
"Really?" Juliette looked down at the paper with curiosity. "Where's Narcissa, then? I don't remember hearing about it, but..."
"Narcissa is not a constellation. It's the female version of Narcissus from the Greek mythology. Apparently he fell in love with his reflection and stared at it for the rest of his life before he died." He explained. "I believe he has a star around Gemini, but you can't see it on this chart."
Juliette had to admit, Draco's teaching method was way better than her unsuccessful attempt with Harry.
"Is there a story for Taurus?" She asked, her wide eyes directed at Draco, and he couldn't help the smile that formed on his lips.
"I read about Zeus transforming into a beautiful white bull to win the affections of Europa. Taurus is mostly prominent in the winter skies, and Europa is mostly covered in ice. Maybe it'll help you remember."
"What about this one?" Juliette pointed at another constellation and Draco told her a new story. And then another, and another after it felt like there was no star left in the skies.
"I never realized you knew so much about the stars." Juliette commented after putting her now completed chart back in her bag.
"It's nothing. It's just made up stories." Draco shook his head, and it made Juliette frown.
"They're beautiful stories. And I'd love to hear more of them." She replied, and wanted to convince him that his knowledge of stars was more interesting than anything she could offer him. She thought maybe he was uncharacteristically embarrassed of his own interests, but the glimpse of a smile on his lips told to her not make any assumptions.
"Sure." He accepted, and Juliette had to hold her tongue from asking for more stories then and there.
"Is that why you wanted me to join you here?"
"No. I said I missed you, didn't I?" He replied so casually that Juliette wondered if she heard him wrong, if hear heart almost leaping from her chest was on accident.
"No, you didn't. You said maybe."
"That means yes."
"Right, how could I have not thought of that?" Juliette joked, and wrapped her arms around her as a wind flew past her.
"Are you cold?" Draco asked, his hands rising to grab his robe before Juliette stopped him.
"No, Draco, I'm not that cold."
"It's fine, I don't need it anyway." He ignored her protests and took off his Slytherin robes, placing it over Juliette's shoulders.
"Now you'll be cold." She said quietly, feeling how his hands lingered on her shoulders before dropping.
"I won't be."
"We could've used magic."
"I will if I get cold, alright?"
Juliette considered before giving him a nod, and they came to an agreement. She hugged his robe closer to her body and never wanted to give it back, even though she was concerned about him being cold.
And as she looked out at the view before them, a realization of familiarity suddenly dawned on her.
"Huh." She looked down at the snake crest on the black fabric, his Prefect badge displayed above it.
"What?" Draco asked, now in his shirt and sleeveless sweater. Juliette turned to face him with a knowing smile.
"I know why you brought me here."
"Enlighten me."
"This is where we first talked to each other properly." Her fingers grazed on the smooth fabric. "And you gave me your robe back then as well."
He had an unreadable look on his face, and Juliette's smile wavered. She wondered if she guessed completely wrong when he didn't smile at the mention of the memory.
"Or am I wrong?" She asked unsurely.
Draco didn't seem like he was listening. His eyes were moving around her face as if he was searching for something. They followed the path of her hair, paused at her eyes, glazed over her red cheeks and freckles before momentarily stopping at her parted lips.
"No, you're correct." He finally answered, and watched her lips stretch into a smile. "You were way too quiet and awkward, though. Even if it was only a year ago."
"Shut up." Juliette bumped her shoulder against his in a playful manner.
"I remember you stuttering."
"Draco..." She dragged his name in protest, not wanting to remember any aspect of last year.
"Now look at you. Seeker." She couldn't help but blush, and her red cheeks from the cold got even warmer.
"Thanks to you." Her fingers played with the fabric of his robe. She was still a mess, but she was also in a better condition than she was in at least few months ago, and she didn't think it'd be possible if it wasn't for Draco. It wasn't about something he did or said that uplifted her. It was simply the feeling of having someone you cared about and loved be there next to you.
The movement of her fingers stopped and the small section of the fabric slipped from her grip. She wanted to fix what she just thought. Wanted to think that she loved him as a friend, like she loved Cedric, but even her own mind was putting barriers in front of her to prevent her from changing anything about what she was actually feeling.
You love him and there's nothing you can do about it, her very own thoughts mocked her.
"The curfew should start soon." She said, clearing her throat and pushing her hair back to get rid of the sudden warmth she was feeling. It must've been the robes. "Should we leave?"
Draco didn't answer immediately, he looked up at the stars that sat there and listened to them since their arrival, and let out a quiet sigh.
"Yeah." Juliette couldn't figure out if it was reluctance or tiredness in his voice. It didn't matter. She got up all the same with the need to leave his side. She didn't know what to do with the feeling that she just confronted. If she told him, he could reject her just like he did last year and she would never be able to look at his face again. She'd be left with a broken heart.
Juliette took off Draco's robe and handed it to him as soon as he stood up. He put it on with his careful eyes watching her every movement as she grabbed her bag and hanged it over her shoulder.
"Ready?" She asked, but turned around without waiting for an answer. She could feel her hand shaking, so she grabbed onto the strap tighter. She was right about thinking how Draco's mere presence helped her overcome the challenges she was having on the inside, and now the single thought of losing him was enough to push her right down the cliff she has been climbing.
I'll never tell him. Ever.
"Julie." Draco called before she could reach the stairs. She paused and looked over her shoulder. He was still standing by the balcony, the light of the moon making only his silhouette visible.
"Yes?" Her nail impatiently scratched the fabric of the strap.
Draco looked up at the stars one more time. That whole night he just looked like he was trying to find guidance in them, and Juliette didn't understand why. So when he finally left the railings' side and his form that was adorned by the shadows approached her, when his warm and soft hand grabbed the side of her neck, when his fingers pressed against her nape and his lips captured hers with the force of confidence he's been gathering the whole night, she was completely caught of guard. She was terrified and she was frozen. But most importantly, she was free from all the dark figures of anxiety that lurked in the shadows just to attack her when she was all alone.
In no time, her hand unconsciously grabbed his wrist as if she needed to hold onto him, while her free hand searched for his other. Something on her back pulled her closer when she parted her lips for him, and she managed to grab his arm as his kiss gave her the most beautiful feeling in the world. She felt like the stars on the sky were falling down upon them. The gentle movement of his lips, the warmth of his breath and the secure grip of his hands on her weakened every single bone in her body, made her heart have a field day as it banged against her chest, and she never wanted it to end. Ever. So when he pulled back after a kiss that didn't feel long enough to Juliette but still left her breathless, she involuntarily tried to follow after him, but Draco prevented it when he rested his forehead against hers.
His hand slid down from her cheek to her waist, and her mind memorized the path it followed.
"It this why you actually brought me here?" Juliette, surprisingly enough, managed to find her voice. She listened to Draco's breath with her eyes closed.
"Maybe." He answered, and she took that as a yes.
▬ ▬ ▬۩▬ ▬ ▬
Ta daaaa, their bestie ceremony is now complete
I also wanted to use this gif:
But i didn't wanna spoil it :)