Of Shoes and Squabbles

"Juli…"

"No."

"Aw – come on!"

"No."

"Why not?"

"No."

"Juliana! I'm your best friend!"

Catraoine's voice wafted through the library, causing several heads to pop up in either annoyance or interest. Juliana Weasley, daughter of the famous Ron and Hermione Weasley, gave her friend a pointed look over her shoulder that dripped with 'I told you so.' Blushing, Catraoine lowered her head and hurried over to join Juliana at their table.

"You should be ashamed of yourself!" Catraoine's voice came out in a malicious hiss.

The red-headed girl looked up at her friend, eyebrows furrowed in anger. "Me?" She indicated to herself, eyebrows so high they almost reached the threshold of her bushy hairline. "Why - just because I won't fix you up with my cousin?"

"No," the pretty girl countered, "because you ignored me when I asked you about it!"

"Catraoine," Juliana snapped, "some of us have better things to worry about besides your taking a fancy to Chris Weasley." She picked up her quill. "I, for one, have to do my Potions essay."

"It's due next week!"

"It's never too early for a head start," Juliana replied loftily.

"But Juli," her friend protested, "he wants me."

Juliana looked like she had just ingested a poison.

"It's true!"

"And how do you know that he wants you?" Juliana's voice was dripping with disdain.

Catraoine blushed. "He was staring at me in Herbology — with those intense brown eyes of his – and when I looked up at him he turned away, blushing." The girl sighed, her own blue eyes becoming unfocused.

Juliana snorted.

Catraoine snapped out of her reverie, looking offended. "What?" she snapped.

"Catraoine," Juliana began condescendingly, "Chris isn't exactly the brightest Lumosed wand in the queue."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"'Means he was probably searching your face for the answers."

Catraoine scrunched her face up in disgust and disbelief. "That's rubbish. How could he do that without using telepathy?"

"You tend to mouth the answers."

Catraoine looked confused. "What?"

"You mouth the answers." Juliana demonstrated, mouthing, 'I need to do my Potions essay,' and Catraoine was upset to find that she was able to understand her friend perfectly.

"I do not do that," she said, flipping her smooth brown hair over her shoulders with a cocky air.

"Yes you do."

"No I don't."

"Yes."

"No."

"Catraoine, this is stupid." Juliana dropped her quill, a sudden anger filling her stomach. "You mouth answers. There's nothing wrong with that."

"I realize that, Juliana" – her voice was icy hot – "but it's something I don't do!" Catraoine slammed her Potions book shut. A horribly smug smile graced her pretty features as she leaned back into the chair. "You're just jealous because somebody might actually fancy me."

Molten lava bubbled up in Juliana's stomach. It surged up her body, warming every tissue, organ, and muscle, until it exploded out through her mouth in a series of hateful bursts:

"How dare you say that to me!" Juliana's face was burning. "What's there to be jealous of? Your brain is the size of my little sister's fist!" Juliana held up her fist, and she felt a rush of pride when the girl visibly stiffened.

Catraoine sent Juliana a scalding look and crossed her arms over her chest, ready for a challenge.

"That may be true," she started in a vengeful whisper, "but at least I'm not what you are."

"Oh yeah?" Juliana stood up, defiant. "And what's that?"

"You, Juliana Weasley, are an overbearing, pushy, egotistical brown-noser with no friends."

The words stabbed at Juliana's heart. She felt a fresh batch of tears brewing in her eyes, but she refused to cry, especially in front of the person who was causing her to feel such pain.

Catraoine's normally cheerful blue eyes turned hellishly cold when they met Juliana's, and with an abrupt turn, they were gone.

Juliana allowed a few tears to spill out of her eyes as she gathered her books, but promptly snuffed them away with her kerchief and exited the library with as much speed and poise as was possible. As she walked down the corridor, the clomp clomp of her heavy footsteps rang through her ears, paralyzing her brain.

This was how she dealt with pain. She'd briefly allow a five-to-ten second grieving period, and then got on with her life by focusing on something completely peripheral; in this case, it was her shoes.

Juliana hated her shoes. They were so plain and heavy and ugly, and they made the most terrifying noise in the hallway. Her shoes and the floor together made a cacophony that sounded vaguely like bombs going off every few seconds. She felt like a damn Nazi every time she walked.

Catraoine, however, wore heels, and they were the most nice-sounding heels that ever existed. They let out a dainty little click click, flirting with the floor on each and every step. She walked well in heels, too. She didn't fall over or wobble awkwardly, but floated gracefully, as if being two inches higher was where she belonged. Once, Juliana had snuck into Catraoine's trunk and tried on those heels to see if somewhere underneath the layers of studying and frumpiness, she possessed the art of heel wearing.

She didn't.

The moment she had attempted to walk with an added three inches, she fell so badly that she had to wear jumpers to cover up the bruises for weeks.

Juliana turned a corner and sniffed. Her shoes weren't helping to numb the pain, and she looked around for anything that might do the trick. But everything she saw reminded her of Catraoine. The paintings that graced the walls reminded her of her friend's great beauty, the torches reminded her of her friend's bright personality, and the dreary air of the castle reminded her of their previous squabble.

Juliana scowled as she turned another corner. She wasn't upset because Catraoine said she was jealous; she was upset because it was true.

Catraoine was everything Juliana wanted to be. She was an Irish beauty, had attractive features, and could walk in heels. Sure, maybe she wasn't too bright, but what she lacked in that department she made up for with her looks.

"Ahh!"

Juliana screamed out in alarm as she came in contact with a fixed object.

"Oi'," a familiar voice chuckled, "don't run me over, yeah?"

Juliana looked up and into the eyes of Jack Newman.

Juliana didn't know Jack personally – he was friends with her twin, Rusty – and she seldom had a conversation with him

"Hey," he said in mild surprise, "Juliana."

"Y...yeah," she stammered, "Hi, Jack." She stared at her feet, face ablaze. "I – uh – sorry about the, er, accident." She glanced up at him and let out an awkward laugh. "I wasn't paying attention."

"It's fine." Jack replied nonchalantly, but his face suddenly became ornate with concern. "Are you all right? You look…distressed."

"Oh – I'm fine," Juliana lied, shaking her head. "I just – my eyes are a bit sensitive."

"I see." Jack, however, did not look convinced. Thankfully, he didn't comment on it.

"I guess I'll see you round, then?"

Jack nodded and sent her one last smile before walking down the corridor. Juliana stalked off as well, but something caused her to falter and turn around. "Jack?"

He looked over his shoulders, eyebrows raised. "Yeah?"

Juliana moved towards him, not knowing why she stopped him or what she was going to say. On a whim, she blubbered, "Have you seen my brother?"

"Who's your brother?"

Juliana flushed and Jack laughed at her reaction. "I'm taking the mickey — Rusty was in the common room last time I saw him – he was talking to your friend."

Juliana's eyebrows furrowed. "My friend?"

"Yeah." Jack nodded. "Your friend, Catraoine Bailey."

Juliana visibly paled. Rusty was talking to Catraoine, most likely about her, which meant she couldn't go to Rusty and talk about Catraoine.

"Oh," she said, nodding. "Thanks."

"Juliana," Jack called, as she walked away. "Are you sure you're all right?"

Juliana turned around and nodded half-heartedly.

"Look," he said, boldly moving towards her, "I know we haven't talked much before, but I know Rusty – he says you're his favorite sibling – so perhaps we can…" he trailed off, waving his hands for emphasis.

Juliana bit her lip, slightly confused but intrigued all the same.

"Let's go to dinner, yeah?"

The girl nodded, and they fell in step on their way to the Great Hall. It was awkward for a while – neither of them knew what to say or how to say it – until Juliana let out an involuntary sniff.

"So, Juliana," Jack spoke up, "are you going to tell me what's bothering you?"

Juliana was taken aback by his emotional sensory, but then remembered her sniff, and blushed despite herself. "Nothing. I told you – it's just my allergies."

"Your allergies?" Jack repeated skeptically. "I thought you had sensitive eyes…"

Juliana blushed, and suddenly found herself becoming angry. She stopped in her tracks and was surprisingly upset to see him walk ahead. "Well…if you're going to interrogate me, I – "

"Juliana," Jack called coolly, "I'm not interrogating you; you're just awful at lying."

The red-head crossed her arms over her chest, rigidly determined. "I am not."

Jack turned around, his gaze lingering on the girl thirty feet from him. "Are you coming to dinner or not?"

Juliana's stomach emitted a rumble of hunger, and her feet moved themselves towards Jack and together they started their second journey to the Great Hall.

"So you're not going to tell me?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"I barely know you." They turned a corner. "Why do you care, anyway?"

"You're my best friend's sister," Jack answered, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "It's my obligation to look after you."

"I'm not a child," she retorted, angry. "And I'm not an obligation."

"I didn't say you were," he told her, as they turned to the entrance hall. "I said looking after you was an obligation, not you. The verb, not the noun."

Juliana sighed and quickened her pace to lose Jack, but he caught up with her in two easy strides, and sat down at the Gryffindor table.

And then, as Jack was reaching for a biscuit, something – some distant, unknown force – opened Juliana's mouth and she blurted, "I got into a row with Catraoine."

Jack looked up in mild surprise. "Bailey?"

"What?"

"You had a row with Catraoine Bailey?"

Juliana nodded, looking miserable.

"You?"

"Yes."

"But-" For the first time since Juliana had known him, his face looked seriously troubled, and he seemed as if he couldn't process a sentence – "you two are practically attached at the hip."

"Yeah, well, things go bad sometimes," she snapped.

Jack opened his mouth and gargled like a fish out of water. "Well…I…what happened?"

And Juliana was stupid enough to tell him, detail by detail, what exactly happened. Perhaps it was because he looked so attentive, his eyes intense as he absorbed every one of Juliana's words like they were oxygen, or perhaps it was because he had the perfect reactions at the perfect times and didn't interrupt, but Juliana found herself pouring out everything, telling him things she almost refused to tell herself.

"…what should I do?" she finished, staring at Jack desperately.

"Well," he began cautiously, "I think you should apologize – "

"– ME –?"

"—and hopefully Catraoine will see you being the bigger person and she'll apologize to you."

Juliana opened her mouth, and then closed it, thinking. "I guess it's worth a try."

"'Course it is."

"Russell…I knew you'd take her side." Catraoine glared at the boy's poof of red hair. "She's your bloody sister!"

"I'm not taking her side," Rusty argued, rather pink in the face. He was still amazed that Catraoine Bailey had come to him to talk about her problems. "I'm just – I mean…I know how Juli is."

"That's exactly why I came to you, Rusty!" the girl cried. "You know her and you can tell me what to do about it!"

"Oh." So that's why she came, Rusty thought, and he felt his heart start to ache. "Well…Juli's very stubborn – Mum says she gets it from Dad – so you're probably going to get the silent treatment for a few days before she even considers apologizing."

Catraoine frowned. "I see."

Rusty pushed his spectacles up the crook of his nose and squinted at the girl beside him, as she fumbled with her hands.

"Rusty," she began. His eyes twinkled with interest. "I'm – I mean – it's just – what I said was cruel."

"You were just upset," Rusty tried, but Catraoine didn't look phased.

"And just because she wouldn't play Matchmaker."

"What?" Rusty's voice was alert. "Juliana – play Matchmaker?"

"Yeah," said Catraoine, putting her head in her hands, "for me and your cousin, Chris."

Rusty nearly choked on his spit. "Ch – Chris?"

Catraoine nodded, too busy wallowing in her own self pity to notice Rusty's distress. "And Juli's not jealous of me – why would she be jealous of me? I mean, she's the best in our year…"

Rusty just stared off into space. Chris Weasley? Catraoine Bailey fancied Chris Weasley? Rusty meant no insult to his cousin, but Chris was as dumb as sheet metal, and the only thing he could offer a member of the opposite sex was nice abs.

Rusty scowled. Girls could be so superficial.

"…I should apologize." Catraoine got up quickly. Rusty looked like he had just noticed her there. "You agree, don't you?"

Rusty nodded automatically. "Sure."

The portrait hole opened and revealed a grinning Jack and a distressed Juliana.

"Juliana!" Catraoine rushed over to her friend, and launched her into a desperate hug.

Juliana blinked in reply, looking at Jack in confusion. He just shrugged.

Catraoine continued, "I'm so sorry! It was stupid of me to row with you – I mean – just because…"

"Catraoine," Juliana started, but the other girl shushed her:

"No, listen – you're always talking, Juli. It's time for you to listen." Catraoine led Juliana to the table where Rusty was sitting. "I really shouldn't have said what I said – I don't think you're jealous of me. I don't know why on earth I said such a thing. It was dumb of me and I'm terribly sorry."

"Er…" Juliana started wittily, "I'm sorry, too."

Catraoine looked relieved.

"But – I still have something to say." Juliana took a deep breath before she said anything else. "I have to admit, Catraoine, I am jealous of you. I mean – you're just – you're Catraoine Bailey, Resident Beauty, and I'm Juliana Weasley, Resident Bookworm." Juliana looked down at her hands. "That's why I lost my temper – my pride was hurt."

Catraoine blushed. "I – I guess – I mean…I suppose I'm…you're just so smart…"

Juliana managed a small smile. "I'm so sorry, Catraoine."

"I'm sorry, too!"

They hugged. A look of accomplishment came over Jack's face, as if he had something to do with the pleasant outcome. Rusty stood up, still looking put out.

"I'm going to dinner," he announced torpidly.

"Rusty!" Catraoine jumped out of her chair and approached the boy with a wide grin.

Rusty looked at her expectantly.

"Thanks so much for helping me," she said quietly, and she elevated herself onto her tiptoes to give him a chaste kiss on the cheek. Rusty's ears turned bright red, and he touched his cheek in with a crooked smile on his face as he exited the common room.

Juliana looked at Jack. "Don't expect a kiss."

"I don't."

"Good."

Jack looked away, grinning, and nudged Juliana to look towards the other side of the room. Juliana looked; Chris and Catraoine were talking. After a long while of nods and smiles, Catraoine let out a gleeful shriek (that caused several students scattered around the common room to jump in alarm) and threw her arms around Chris's neck.

Jack started laughing.

Juliana sighed. "It's got to be the shoes."

Author's Note: Thanks so much for reading:)