In the morning, after waking up to a cloudy and opaque weather, Juliette was sitting on her usual seat at the Hufflepuff table. Her chin was resting in the palm of her left hand as she played with the scrambled eggs on her plate, mindlessly stabbing them with a fork. The smell of the breakfast filled her nostrils and the heat of her tea warmed her face every time she brought the cup to her lips.
"When is the last task?" One of Cedric's friends asked excitedly. She didn't look at him nor paid attention to Cedric's answer. Her mind was too preoccupied as it kept tearing itself down to pieces, giving life to a new thought and to another problem for her to worry about. She was undeniably sad. Anyone could see it. A sombre expression was all over her face.
She deeply regretted shutting Draco down in a very unfriendly way. She was honestly confused about what they meant to each other and she didn't want to assume that they were already friends or more. She also couldn't have known that he was going to be upset with her for stating the fact that they weren't even friends yet.
She lifted her head with a startle when loud screeches were heard. Numerous owls flew in the massive doors of the Great Hall with different letters and packages. Each bird had their own significant look and it didn't take long for Juliette to see her family's owl. The familiar brown feathers flew towards her as her heartbeat mildly accelerated with excitement.
Arei, who had a smaller form than an average owl, perched on the table right in front of her and looked at her with his wide eyes as if waiting for a praise. Juliette curiously, but at the same time nervously, took the letter from his small beak before petting him. He flew off before Juliette could open the letter that probably came from her father.
She was glad that her father didn't make her wait to reply back. That would only add more pain to Juliette's both internal and external agony.
"Is that from your father?" Cedric asked after throwing a mere glance at the envelope she was holding.
"Yes." She replied before opening it with impatience. Rustling of the paper filled her ears and brought out her curiosity as she ignored every noise made by the other students.
Juliette,
Everything is all right. Do not worry about anything but your classes. And stay out of trouble,
Your father.
The only reaction she could display was a surprised, and maybe a little bit disappointed, parting of her mouth. She dropped the carefully folded paper next to her half empty plate.
She couldn't believe she fell down from the stairs that resulted with a huge swelling on her forehead and had an argument with Draco just to receive this not-so-helpful letter. Unbelievable.
"Well?" Juliette looked at Cedric with an unhappy expression. "You don't look pleased."
"That's because I'm not." She replied, folding the paper again and putting it back in the slashed envelope.
"What did he say? Is something wrong?" He asked with a frown. If she looked carefully enough, she could see the faint worry in his grey eyes.
Juliette silently shook her head. Cedric thought she looked strangely defeated as he examined her expression to find a clue about the letter's content.
Juliette's tired eyes absentmindedly wandered around the grand room while she thought about what to do next. Surely her visions were not normal. Were they really happening because of her tiredness or was that snake trying to show her something? Maybe it was a sign. But a sign of what? She thoughtfully asked to herself with an exasperated sigh.
Juliette was weighing down her options and she almost decided to go back to Snape and bring the strange subject up one more time before her eyes unconsciously stopped on the familiar blond hair. Numerous thoughts that were attacking her brain suddenly scattered away as she automatically straightened up her back. Now that he was in her view, she couldn't help but ignore every detail about the outside world. She didn't care about anything but his familiar scowl as he talked heatedly about something to his friends. A fork was in his right hand and his left hand was moving around, making random shapes in the air as he described something that she couldn't understand.
What's he talking about? What rendered him this flustered? Hundred new questions filled her mind, taking advantage of the now unoccupied space. She could feel the question marks surrounding her head, creating a messy halo as they kept whispering in her ears.
Draco finished his little speech and started to listen to his friends as they commented on his words that were inaudible to Juliette from where she was sitting. She watched him as he took a sip from his tea before looking away from his group. His uninterested eyes lazily checked his surroundings before he realised that a pair of eyes were focused on him. He frowned when he saw a very wistful looking Juliette, sitting next to Cedric and his friends with an opened letter in front of her.
Juliette, unlike her character, didn't avert her eyes. She found herself stubbornly locking eyes with him without blinking, warily keeping her focus on him as if she was afraid he'd disappear into thin air.
Draco, slightly taken aback by the unexpected attention he was getting from the girl across the room, held the cup close to his lips for a moment before taking another sip. His eyes never left her dark and lonely ones. Juliette tried not to be intimidated by his intense gaze and gingerly lifted her hand up to wave at him with a timid smile.
She didn't expect for Draco to wave back but she was hoping that he would at least give her a sign of acknowledgment. Instead, he put his cup back on the table and looked away with a blank expression. Juliette felt her shoulders slump as her smile fell from her face. Did he not see me? She rhetorically asked herself, dropping her rejected wave.
She silently huffed, informing Cedric of her annoyance and disappointment, before putting the envelope she just received in her bag. "I'll see you later. I've got Divination." She said and stood up before waiting for a reply. She quickly left the Great Hall, dragging Cedric's confused looks and Draco's distant behaviour with her.
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Juliette was the first one to arrive at the classroom that was located in the North Tower since the breakfast was still not finished. She walked towards the front row, to the table she always sat so she could understand the lesson better. Professor Trelawney and her strange behaviour always confused her and because of that, she had difficulties with her concentration. When she raised her hand to ask one of her endless questions, the poor woman always had to walk towards her to answer carefully but her questionable sight would do everything in its power to barricade her view. Even though she detested the lessons, she loved the classroom. The mystical ornaments, red curtains and soft chairs with cushions that decorated the room has always been adored by Juliette.
Juliette easily found her familiar seat at the round table. She put her crystal ball on the empty surface before leaning back and waiting for others to come so they could distract her with their loud chattering about their fresh gossips and simple problems which were more than unimportant next to hers.
She silently waited for at least ten minutes, absentmindedly staring at her crystal ball. A dark grey fog was swirling in the orb, creating a harmless tornado. The circular movement started to gain speed as small green sparks appeared irregularly. Juliette, realising something was out of order, frowned and leaned towards the ball. Her confused eyes were trying to catch a sight of something that would give her a clue of what was happening. She felt like the view in front of her was silently and slyly pulling her towards itself and she found it hard to get out of this strange trance until uninvited noises coming from the spiralling set of stairs outside of the classroom harshly grabbed her shoulders and pulled her away from the crystal ball.
Juliette, visibly startled, looked over her shoulder to see who the voices belonged to.
"I've told you, Ron! He's getting stronger. I'm sure of it."
It didn't take long for Juliette to figure out who was climbing up the stairs. She quickly turned back around, feeling slightly panicked under the influence of her uneasy thoughts.
"How can you be so sure of it?" Asked Ron's unclear voice. "They're just dreams."
Juliette's crystal ball was back to normal, the dark tornado was now no different than a calm cloud, but Juliette paid no mind to it. Her attention was focused on the conversation she couldn't understand.
"Listen to me—" The other student, who Juliette believed was Harry, abruptly stopped talking when he entered the classroom that resembled an old attic. His green eyes immediately noticed her small figure from behind his glasses. Juliette could feel them staring at her and the silence that dominated the classroom wasn't helping.
When their footsteps finally broke the uncomfortable absence of sound, she couldn't help but subtly look back. Ron's unfriendly gaze welcomed her with obvious displeasure, quietly telling Juliette that her little action wasn't subtle at all. She quickly turned around once again, trying to focus on her crystal ball which contained a serene looking fog.
The duo silently found their way to the table they usually sat at. It was in the second row, and not far away from Juliette. She mutely prayed that other students would arrive soon so she wouldn't have to be alone with Harry and Ron.
"So," Ron decided to pierce the awkward silence with his distant voice. "Are you and Malfoy a thing now?"
Juliette, feeling her heartbeat unexpectedly quicken, instantly blushed. She slowly turned her face towards his table, catching Harry's elbow nudging him with disapproval.
"It's none of your business." She replied, feeling annoyed by Ron's unfriendly attitude towards her.
Ron looked at her with a frown, which wasn't intimidating at all. "Actually, it is my business. You unleashed him on Hermione!"
Juliette couldn't help but part her mouth with surprise, bewildered by his hostile words. She blurted out a confused, "Excuse me?"
"Ron, stop—" Harry tried to intervene but his friend ignored him.
"You heard me."
Juliette, frowning at him with irritation, refused to stoop to his level. "You are immature and clearly oblivious to what really happened. I will not argue with you about this."
Ron, looking insulted and offended, didn't waste any time to open his mouth and probably utter some hateful words but he had to stop himself when the classroom's timeworn door loudly opened. Neville entered the small room, completely unaware of what was going on, and got greeted by his housemates and Juliette's not-so-happy gazes. He noticed how Ron and Juliette immediately turned around with an annoyed huff whereas Harry sympathetically smiled at him.
"What's going on?" He asked, unsurely closing the door behind him.
Harry tiredly sighed before glancing at Ron and then Juliette. "Nothing, Neville." He answered and turned around as well, leaning towards his friend to silently talk to him. Ron looked like he was being scolded at by his mum.
Neville looked at Juliette, who was sitting alone in front of the room, and saw how her arms were crossed and head was slightly bowed down. He was almost sure that she was wearing a frown. She always did.
While Ron and Harry quietly talked to each other, Neville tried to push his shyness away and hesitantly walked towards Juliette's table. He sat down next to her at the round table, trying not to make any noise to disturb her.
When Juliette looked up to glance at him, she confirmed his silent thoughts about her usual frown being visible. She was confused to see him sit next to her, and this time voluntarily.
"Hi." He murmured, having a hard time making eye contact with Juliette, and pulled his own crystal ball from his worn-out bag.
"Hi." She replied back, trying not to expose her puzzlement, and looked away. She always thought that Neville found her presence uncomfortable but now that he was choosing to sit with her, she started to doubt her previous thoughts.
Neville looked between her and Ron, who was exposing an extremely annoyed expression while throwing daggers at Juliette's back with his eyes. He turned back around, realising something was happening between him and Juliette just before he arrived. He just wasn't sure what it was.
Juliette felt her distressed thoughts slowly scatter away as other students began to enter the attic-like classroom. Every student that stepped into the room pulled a small weight from her shoulders.
"Ron is actually really nice." Neville said quietly, taking Juliette's attention. He tried not to avert his gaze when Juliette's eyes focused on him.
Still exhibiting a frown, she showed him how she didn't believe his words for one second by rolling her eyes. "I'm sure he's nice to his housemates."
Neville slowly shook his head. "I'm not saying this because we share the same house. He's really—"
"Neville, no." Juliette interrupted him with a tired sigh. "It's really nice of you to defend your friend but I won't believe that he's nice to everyone when he can't even look at me without saying something provoking."
Neville was silent after that. He slowly nodded and turned towards Professor Trelawney's desk, which was still unoccupied.
When every single student took their places at their tables, Juliette couldn't help herself from looking at Neville with curiosity. She still found it odd that he was talking to her let alone sit with her whereas he couldn't even look at her before this day.
"I thought you didn't like me." She said, nervously fiddling with her fingers under the long white tablecloth. The cloth's soft fabric caressed her skin, giving her a little bit of comfort.
Neville looked at her with surprise, lips slightly agape as his moderate buck-tooth made itself visible. "I don't— I never said that." He quickly denied her assumption while shaking his head.
"I know, you were just—" She started, but got interrupted when Professor Trelawney loudly entered the classroom.
"Oh! You're all here!" She said, greeting her students with a wide smile. "Nice. Very nice."
Juliette closed her mouth and leaned back as their bizarre professor walked towards the front of the room where her messy desk was located. "Please take out your crystal balls. We will try to predict the future!" She explained excitedly.
Juliette didn't need to look around to see a bored look on everyone's faces.
The others took out their orbs while Juliette waited silently, glancing at her own crystal now and then. It was empty. She couldn't see anything but the reflection of the table's contains.
"Now, you all know that crystal-gazing is extremely difficult. I need all of you to close your eyes and relax." Trelawney said, waiting for everyone to do as she said.
Juliette lowered her eyelids and tried to relax. Now that everything was dark, all of her senses were focused on Trelawney's voice.
"Don't forget that this is all about your Inner Eye and subconscious." She quietly said and let her students relax for a couple of minutes.
Juliette could feel the calmness dominate over her mixed thoughts. Her frown slowly disappeared and she started to feel comfortable in the small, slightly humid room. Her breathing and heartbeats slowed down.
"Now, open your eyes please." Professor said after what felt like hours to the students. Juliette slightly squinted her eyes when she was greeted by the morning light.
"Let's look into our crystals. Can anyone see anything?"
Juliette leaned her elbows on the table, seeing Neville do the same thing, and looked at the glass. The dark grey fog was back but it was simply swirling around the ball, as calm as ever.
She sighed in defeat as Trelawney started to walk around to check on her students.
"I can't see anything." Neville comment. He was so close to the ball that his nose almost touched the glass.
"I doubt anyone can see anything." She said, turning around to look at others. The lesson began a couple of minutes ago but everyone already looked bored out of their mind.
Her eyes involuntarily stopped on Ron and Harry's table. Ron was leaning his chin on his hand as he hopelessly glanced at his crystal while Harry was clearly dozed off, probably because of their usual relaxation time.
Juliette turned around with a sigh and looked at her orb once again. She couldn't understand why Hogwarts would have this class when only seers had the ability to predict the future. This was nothing but a waste of time and grades.
"Can you see anything, dear?" Juliette, startled, looked up to see Professor Trelawney's wide eyes staring back at her with curiosity.
"I, uh..." She unconsciously leaned back. "Not really." Her answer was same as the other students' but when she remembered the small tornado and green sparks that she previously saw in the crystal, she decided to mention it to Trelawney. "But I saw something before the class began."
The woman with frizzy hair fixed her big glasses and expectantly looked at her. "Yes?"
Juliette's fingers started to fidget. "Well, I don't know how to explain it but it was like a dark—" she started to describe what she had seen but before she could properly say anything, she got interrupted by a very loud noise,
"No!" Someone shouted, causing everyone to flinch. "No! No, stop!" Professor Trelawney tried to see the source of the shoutings as Juliette's eyes quickly found it. Harry, with his eyes still closed, had his head on his arms as he leaned on the table to sleep. Considering the frown he was wearing and the words he was yelling, a nightmare was consuming his mind.
Ron awkwardly looked around to see everyone's attention on his friend. He reached for him and quickly shook his shoulders to wake him up. Just as Professor Trelawney started to walk towards them, Harry jolted awake, finally getting rid of his unpleasant dream with a startle.
"Vol...de—" He flinched when he realised Ron was grabbing his shoulder. He looked like he was still unaware of his surroundings while unclear words spilled from his parted lips.
"Are you okay, dear?" Trelawney asked, trying to reach towards him but she stopped when Harry looked at her with wide eyes.
"I-I saw... I just saw—" He tried to explain something but Ron immediately stood up, interrupting his incomprehensible words.
"I think he needs to go to Madame Pomfrey, Professor." He said, not waiting for her permission as he pulled Harry from his seat. He dragged him towards the door under the confused gazes of Hufflepuff and Gryffindor students. Only Juliette was able to notice that the whole time since Harry woke up, he was touching his scar as if trying to ease its pain.
She turned around with a frown as murmurs started to surround the small room. Her mind was too preoccupied by what just happened that she couldn't even notice her crystal ball acting up once again.
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I hate this chapter. Thanks for reading.