ღ chapter two
( the return to hogwarts )
SOMETIMES, JULIET AWOKE on the wrong side of the bed, figuratively, not literally. September First of 1993 was a gloomy day, and she found herself in an extremely foul mood when she unraveled herself from the safety of her warm covers. Juno, her cat, was curled in her carrier across the room, and her mother was no where to be found.
She padded across the floor to stick her head out the door with bleary eyes, only for the door to open just as she leans on it, exhausted. "Someone is grumpy this morning," Cordelia mumbled, sweeping into the room to open the curtains, already dressed. She wasn't dressed in the green robes all hospital staff at St. Mungos wore like she usually did before work, instead wearing a white silk blouse and black trousers to blend in at King's Cross. "Get dressed, we leave in an hour," she added, lighting a cigarette and disappearing into the bathroom, leaving the smell lingering in the bedroom.
"Bit early, isn't it?" Juliet asked, before glancing at the clock that flashed nine. She groaned and dug trousers and a blue jumper out of her trunk, hurriedly tossing the clothes on. Staying up past midnight playing exploding snap had not been a good decision on her part, but she never made good decisions anyways. A Juliet Valentine trademark. She seemed to have gotten it from her mother, because who in the hell gave their daughter such a sappy, romantic name?
She was lacing her trainers when Cordelia walked out of the bathroom with blotchy cheeks and red eyes. She didn't say anything, instead embracing Juliet in a tight hug, and sniffling. "Mum, is something wrong?"
"Just scared, Jules," Cordelia whispered. "Now Molly doesn't want me to tell you or Harry but you're old enough to know, quite frankly. Sirius Black is after the two of you, and I'm not sure if Hogwarts will be safe. So promise me, no funny business, okay?"
Juliet shrugged. Granted, she had been attacked by winged keys while trying to get to the philosopher's stone her first year. Ron and Harry had nearly died in Slytherin's secret chamber last year; Juliet had been left behind with a petrified Hermione, in a flighty decision by the two boys. It wasn't exactly like Hogwarts was the safest, but it was safer than even the manor Juliet's father had built.
"I promise," Juliet mumbled. "Does Harry know?"
"Arthur told him," Cordelia replied, hugging Juliet even tighter. "Juliet Marlene Valentine, I love you to the moon and back," she added, pressing a kiss to Juliet's tousled curls. "Now go down and eat something, I'll finish with the rest of your things and meet you a little before ten."
Juliet ran downstairs to find Hermione and Ginny with Mrs. Weasley. "I was trying to use it on Arthur, but I ended up slipping the potion into the Head Boy's pumpkin juice on accident, poor thing was trying to come after me, who was a fifth year!" she heard Mrs. Weasley say as she slid in next to Hermione, who gave her a grin. She looked quite pretty this morning, cheeks flushed pink, tanned skin glowing.
"Morning, Jules," Ginny greeted sleepily. "Mum was just telling us about her first attempt at a love potion," she mumbled, playing with the toast on her plate.
"Morning Gin, Mione, Mrs. Weasley," Juliet greeted, ladeling porridge into her bowl and drowning it in brown sugar. Cordelia emerged downstairs, followed by Harry, the two standing in the corner. He was nearly as tall as her, and she was speaking to him in hushed tones. Juliet managed to catch the tail end of their conversation, whispered words barely reaching her ears.
"Harry, whatever you do, make sure you and Jules stick together. Sirius Black will try to find you, and he's an exceptionally powerful wizard."
"He's trying to kill us, isn't he?"
"I'm afraid so."
THE PLATFORM WAS bustling with frantic students and their families as Juliet and Cordelia stepped through the barrier together, everyone opting to go through in pairs. Harry and Mr. Weasley had gone first, followed by Ginny and Percy.
"Ah, there's Penelope!" Percy exclaimed, smoothening his hair and strutting over to the Ravenclaw seventh year, chest puffed out proudly to display the badge on his chest. Harry, Ginny, and Juliet attempted to stifle their giggles, but were failing, cheeks flushing bright pink.
Once everyone had safely made it through the barrier, they made their way to the end of the train. Many of the carriages were packed, so they had to find an empty one, which they loaded all of their things into. They ducked out once again to say their goodbyes, Cordelia squeezing Juliet in an embrace. "He's trying to kill me, isn't he?"
Cordelia looked startled, glancing down at her teenage daughter and biting her lip. She quickly looked away as her sea-foam eyes filled with tears. "Just be careful, okay? I love you."
"You didn't answer my question," Juliet sighed, glancing at her mother's forlorn expression. She chose not to push the issue any further. "I love you more, mum."
Juliet pushed back her tears and boarded the train, where Hermione and Ron were waiting for her. Harry boarded just as the whistle blew, and they were off in a puff of steam and smoke, the train pulling away from the platform.
The four began to look for an empty compartment, not finding one until Juliet finally spotted one that was nearly empty. There was a man inside of it, soundly asleep with his head leaning against the window. There were usually no adults on the train, which made him strange.
He was wearing a grey set of robes that had been stitched and mended in various places, lending a rather shabby appearance. His skin was marred by various scars, and even if on the younger side, his light brown hair was flecked with grey and white.
"Who do you reckon he is?" Ron hissed as they took seats furthest away from the window, sliding the compartment door shut.
"Professor R.J. Lupin," Hermione answered immediately.
"How do you know that?" Ron and Juliet muttered, aghast.
"It's on his case," she answered, pointing at the luggage rack above his head, where a battered case that seemed barely held together by knotted string sat. His name was stamped across the corner in peeling letters.
"I wonder what he teaches," Ron wondered out loud.
"Are you daft Ron? There's only one position available- Defense Against the Dark Arts," Juliet teased.
They settled into an uneasy conversation about what seemed to be the news of the year- the escape of Sirius Black. Hermione and Ron seemed to take the news of Black coming after Juliet and Harry the way they expected them to- they were far more worried than the pair.
"Hogwarts is pretty safe," Juliet insisted.
"Pretty safe," Hermione scoffed. "We've all nearly been killed twice."
"What's that noise?" Ron exclaimed suddenly, as a faint, tiny whistle sounded from somewhere in the compartment.
Juliet reached to push open the trunk nearest to her. "It's coming from your trunk Harry," she called out, pulling a pocket Sneakoscope that spun quickly and glowed.
"Is that a Sneakoscope?" Hermione asked, curious.
"Yeah, a cheap one," Ron chuckled. "It went haywire when I was tying it to Errol's leg to send to Harry."
"Were you doing anything untrustworthy then?" Juliet snickered.
"Err, I wasn't supposed to be used to using Errol, he's not up to the long journey- but how else am I supposed to get it to him?"
"Stick it back in the trunk," Harry sighed, watching as Juliet stuffed it into a pair of thick yellow socks.
"We could get it checked in Hogsmeade," Ron shrugged. "They sell that sort of thing in Dervish and Banges, magical instruments and stuff. Fred and George told me."
"Do you know much about Hogsmeade?" Hermione questioned. "I've read it's the only entirely non-Muggle settlement in Britain."
"Yeah, I think it is," Ron dismissed. "but that's not why I want to go. I just want to get inside Honeydukes!"
"What's that?" Hermione questioned, crossing her legs and leaning forward, hand interlocked with Juliet's.
"It's this sweetshop," Ron said with a dreamy look. "Where they've got everything, Pepper Imps- they make you smoke at the mouth- and great fat Chocoballs full of strawberry mousse and clotted cream, and really excellent sugar quills, which you can suck in class and just look like you're thinking what to write next–"
"But Hogsmeade's a very interesting place, isn't it?" Hermione pressed on eagerly. "In Sites of Historical Sorcery it says the inn was the headquarters for the 1612 goblin rebellion, and the Shrieking Shack's supposed to be the most severely haunted building in Britain-"
Ron continued, clearly not listening to Hermione, "And massive sherbet balls that make you levitate a few inches off the ground while you're sucking them-"
Hermione and Juliet exchanged glances with Harry, trying to suppress their giggles. The raven-haired boy proceeded to drop the bomb that he was not allowed to go into Hogsmeade, causing Ron to fly into an outrage. Hermione and Juliet both insisted it was for the best- she hadn't gotten her form signed either. Cordelia had refused to sign both of their forms, Juliet had been in a right mood about it for weeks.
The Hogwarts Express moved steadily north and the scenery outside the window became wilder and darker while the clouds overhead thickened overhead. People were chasing backwards and forwards past the door of their compartment, giggling and joyous. Crookshanks, who had been let out of his basket, had now settled in an empty seat, his squashed face turned towards Ron, yellow eyes resting on Ron's top pocket.
At one o'clock the plump witch with the food cart arrived at the compartment door.
"D'you think we should wake him up?" Ron awkwardly asked, nodding towards Professor Lupin. "He looks like he could do with some food."
Hermione approached Professor Lupin cautiously. "Er- Professor?" she said. "Excuse me- Professor?" He didn't move.
"Don't worry, dear," the witch nodded, as she handed them a large stack of cauldron cakes that Harry and Juliet jumped to pay for. "If he's hungry when he wakes, I'll be up front with the driver."
"I suppose he is asleep?" Ron quietly said, as the witch slid the compartment door closed. "I mean- he hasn't died, has he?"
"No, no, he's breathing," Hermione whispered, taking the cauldron cake Harry passed her.
Mid-afternoon, Draco Malfoy and his cronies stumbled in, the blonde boy having found a past-time of picking on the three Gryffindors and Ravenclaw. The very sight of Professor Lupin managed to scare him away after a brief back and forth exchange, and even if the Professor was not very good company, his presence had it's uses.
The rain thickened as the train sped yet farther north; the windows were now a solid, shimmering gray, which gradually darkened until lanterns flickered into life all along the corridors and over the luggage racks. The train rattled, the rain hammered, the wind roared, but still, Professor Lupin slept.
"He must be tired," Juliet shrugged, after Ron asked how he could still be sleeping for the sixth time. She was growing rather sleepy herself, her head beginning to loll onto Hermione's shoulder. The Gryffindor girl was completely absorbed in her book, the rustle of the pages and Ron and Harry's hushed talk about Quidditch nearly putting the girl to sleep.
"We must be nearly there," Ron said, leaning forward to look past Professor Lupin at the now completely black window. The words had hardly left him when the train started to slow down.
"Great," Ron added, getting up and walking carefully past Professor Lupin to try and see outside. "I'm starving. I want to get to the feast."
"We can't be there yet," Hermione countered, checking her watch. "So why are we stopping?"
The train was getting slower and slower. As the noise of the pistons fell away, the wind and rain sounded louder than ever against the windows. Juliet, who was nearest the door, got up to look into the corridor.
All along the carriage, heads were sticking curiously out of their compartments. The train came to a stop with a jolt, and distant thuds and bangs told them that luggage had fallen out of the racks. Then, without warning, all the lamps went out and they were plunged into total darkness. "What's going on?" Ron yelped from behind Juliet.
"Ouch!" Hermione gasped. "Ron, that was my foot!"
"D'you think we've broken down?"
"Dunno," Juliet muttered. There was a squeaking sound, and she saw the dim black outline of Ron, wiping a patch clean on the window and peering out.
"There's something moving out there," Ron said. "I think people are coming aboard."
The compartment door suddenly opened and someone fell painfully over Juliet's legs. It was Neville, Ginny quickly joining them as well, stumbling inside due to the darkness. They all began to verbally scuffle, bewildered and confused.
"Quiet!" a familiar, hoarse voice suddenly exclaimed.
Professor Lupin appeared to have woken up at last.
( AUTHOR NOTE )
hope you all loved the
second chapter !!
thank you for reading<3