Juliette woke up the next morning nestled under heavy layers of quilts and down comforters, staring at an unfamiliar red velvet canopy. She stretched lazily under the covers, recalling her tremendously eventful first night at Hogwarts.
"Juliette?" a voice asked tentatively from across the room.
Juliette sat up in bed, blinking at the golden morning light pouring in from the dormitory windows.
"Good morning, Hermione," she said with a sleepy smile. Her friend was sitting cross-legged on her bed opposite Juliette's, with a book in her lap, as usual.
"Good morning," Hermione said, "Did you sleep well?"
"Yes, thanks," Juliette replied as she slid out from beneath her covers, wincing a little when her bare feet hit the cold stone floor.
"I – er – I didn't hear you come to bed last night," Hermione said, standing up and approaching Juliette's bed.
"I was up late, I guess," Juliette admitted, "Harry and I were talking and we lost track of time."
"Oh," Hermione said, narrowing her eyes a little. The corners of her mouth turned upwards. She definitely knows something, mused Juliette, but how?
"Well, we should get down to breakfast." Hermione went back to her own bed to pack up her book bag, while Juliette began to dress.
She and Hermione walked to breakfast together, chatting casually about what classes and teachers they hoped to have. Inside the Great Hall, they found their friends at the Gryffindor table, already comparing class schedules.
"I have your schedule, Juliette!" Ron grinned at her as they sat down. "Fred and George were trying to bewitch it so that they would have you in all of their classes, but Harry and I rescued it!"
Harry gave Juliette a feeble grin from his seat beside Ron. She laughed and thanked them, then looked down at her schedule. Transfiguration, Potions, History of Magic, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Divination, Herbology, Charms, Care of Magical Creatures. They had some free time before their first class, and Juliette decided that she needed to talk to Harry.
She had thought a lot about what to say to him. She needed to make it clear that while she thought that he was fantastic, she really just wanted to be friends – she didn't think that she was quite ready for a serious relationship.
But Harry had already finished his toast and jam when Juliette and Hermione had entered, and left wordlessly as Juliette perused her new schedule. She was startled to see him gone when she looked up, and downed the rest of her breakfast tea, eager to find him.
"Where are you rushing off to?" George asked as Juliette rose from the table too quickly, knocking over a half-full glass of orange juice beside her.
"I just wanted to explore a bit before class," she said, casting a quick cleaning spell and turning to leave.
"Wait!" Fred called, "Do you need tour guides?"
"We're extremely familiar with the castle," George added.
Juliette laughed. "No thank you," she replied with a smile, "Maybe another time."
And with that, Juliette rushed out of the Great Hall, headed toward the Gryffindor dormitories.
She was walking fast, her mind fixated on what she needed to say to Harry, when she ran head-on into a boy walking in the opposite direction.
"Oh!" Juliette said, falling to the floor, "I'm so sorry!"
The boy glared down at her with icy blue eyes that made Juliette shiver. He offered her his hand, which was as cold as his eyes, and helped her up.
"Really," Juliette said, startled, "I'm very sorry. I'm so clumsy."
Surprisingly, the boy smiled at her, like a stone statue coming to life. He ran a hand through his sleek white-blond hair.
"No, it was my fault, too. I was distracted," he said kindly. He offered her his hand again.
"I'm Draco Malfoy," he said.
"Juliette Rousseau," she replied, shaking his hand.
"Where were you sprinting to, anyway, Juliette?" Draco asked with a teasing grin.
"My – my dormitory," she stuttered. She really hadn't known where she would find Harry, she was just hoping to catch up to him.
"And which dormitory would that be?" Draco said, faint frown lines beginning to line his porcelain brow as he contemplated the direction in which she had been headed.
"Gryffindor," Juliette told him. Draco sneered and laughed haughtily. His face went from strikingly handsome to ugly in an instant.
"Shame," he replied, nose in the air, "You look like a Slytherin."
"I'm new, actually," she said, "I just got sorted last night."
"Well, you should be in my house. You're a complete waste in Gryffindor."
"And why is that?" Juliette asked, growing impatient.
"Because you're stunning," he said, grinning again, "and Gryffindors always grow up to be boring things, like teachers." Draco had apparently turned the charm back on – his upper lip no longer curled in disgust, his eyebrows not pinched together – he was handsome again. Juliette marveled at how much his attitude changed the whole look of his face.
Although she was flattered, Juliette remained suspicious of Draco Malfoy's cunning taunts. She decided, however, that it would be much better for her to stay on his good side – he gave the distinct impression of a person who was easily angered.
Juliette smiled at Draco. "Why, thank you," she said, "But I really do have to go to my dormitory."
"I'll escort you, then. Just to make sure no other rogue boys slam into you and knock you to the ground."
They made their way to the portrait of the fat lady, to which Juliette whispered the password. The portrait swung forward, revealing the empty common room.
"May I come in?" Draco said gallantly, helping Juliette through the hole in the wall.
"Er – sure. I just have to go up and… change my shirt. I stained this one at breakfast," she lied, rushing up the stairs to her bed. In the few minutes that she had been away, her crumpled sheets had been changed, her pillow fluffed, and her bed-curtains tied back. She sat on the freshly made bed for a minute, wondering what to do about Draco Malfoy.
She could sense that he was the type of person that she would have hated at Beauxbatons, but here… Hogwarts was a whole different story. Their house rivalries were legendary. She couldn't decide whether it would be beneficial or frowned-upon to be in good graces with all of the houses. Or if it was even possible.
Downstairs, Draco Malfoy had settled himself on the couch in front of the fireplace, the very couch on which Juliette and Harry had made love the night before.
"How do you like the common room?" Juliette asked, sitting down beside him. Draco gave a derisive laugh.
"Oh, it's… cozy, I suppose. Gryffindors aren't big on luxury, obviously."
Juliette looked around at the lavish, overstuffed chairs and couches, the huge fireplace, the hundreds of paintings – and wondered what the Slytherin common room must be like.
Draco swung his legs up onto the couch, laying them across Juliette's lap.
"I like you, Juliette Rousseau, even if you are a Gryffindor. I think you were mis-sorted."
It was Juliette's turn to laugh derisively. "I doubt it, Draco Malfoy. That hat sure seemed to know what it was doing."
"Oh, what does and old hat know! I'm telling you, ask for a transfer to Slytherin."
"I'm going to give Gryffindor a chance," Juliette said firmly, "but I'll be sure and let you know if it doesn't work out." She thought that Draco would leave for sure after she averred her loyalty (if only temporary) to her house, but he showed no signs of annoyance.
"Alright then," he said, leaning back onto the arm of the couch and clasping his hands behind his head. "Tell me about yourself."
Juliette was taken aback and didn't know what to say. She shrugged.
"Where do you live? What's your family like? What do you like? Who do you hate?" Draco prompted her.
"I live in Sussex, with my Aunt Dorothy, Uncle Jack, and cousin Addie."
"Is she as pretty as you?" Draco asked, smiling.
"Er – I suppose. But she's absolutely horrible. I don't know, you might like her."
"What does she look like? And why horrible?"
"Well, she's got long black hair which she's a little too fond of. She never stops brushing it and smothering it in all sorts of creams and sprays. And she's got eyes sort of like mine, but brown instead of blue. She's much taller than I am. And she's horrible because she's obsessed with herself, and only likes people who are also obsessed with her."
Draco laughed. "Okay, what are your pet peeves?"
"Hmm…" Juliette mused, "bad grammar, sniffling, and people who can't take a joke."
"Good ones," Draco said, and closed his eyes. "Let's play truth or dare."
"But there's just two of us," Juliette said slowly.
"I know that," Draco said calmly. "Truth or dare, Juliette?"
"Er – truth."
"Do you think I'm attractive?" Draco asked, eyes still closed.
"Well, yes. I guess so. You're attractive." Draco's eyes opened. He grinned wolfishly at her.
"My turn!" Juliette said quickly. "Truth or dare?"
"Truth."
"Are you trying to seduce me?" Draco's grin widened.
"Yes. Of course," he replied, and shifted his weight to move closer to her.
Juliette looked up at the clock on the mantle. They only had a few minutes before class, and she still hadn't talked to Harry.
"We've got to go," she said, jumping up from the couch, "Er - Fun game, thanks for staying with me. See you later." With that, she rushed out of the common room toward the library.
Halfway there, she saw Harry on the stairs ahead of her.
"Harry!" Juliette called. He turned around, facing her with a worried and confused look.
"Oh, hey, Juliette…" he said, looking at his feet.
"Harry, what's wrong? I've been looking for you since breakfast," she fibbed. She meantto look for him, she just got distracted.
"I just didn't want to make things awkward," Harry said, blushing.
"It doesn't have to be awkward. We can be friends."
Harry nodded in agreement. "I just – I'm sorry about last night. It was my fault."
Juliette laughed, and gently placed a hand on Harry's muscular forearm. "Don't be sorry, Harry. The blame is on both of us."
Harry smiled, his green eyes sparkling. "You're right."
"Let's go to Transfiguration." Juliette said as they descended the stairs together.
In the classroom, Juliette found a seat beside Hermione at the table in front of Harry and Ron. Draco Malfoy swaggered in with a girl on his arm, and sat down at the table to Juliette's left. He reclined in his chair, then turned to Juliette and winked. The pug-nosed blonde beside him noticed, as did Hermione, and both of them snarled.
"Did Malfoy just wink at you, Juliette?" Hermione whispered urgently into Juliette's ear.
Juliette shrugged. At Draco's table, the blonde was whispering and shaking her head at him.
"Just a piece of friendly advice," Hermione said gently, placing her hand on Juliette's shoulder, "Don't get involved with any Slytherin, but especially Malfoy. He's very bad news. The youngest Death Eater ever, not to mention Harry's arch-nemesis."
Juliette frowned. She remembered Harry telling her about Voldemort's Death Eaters the night before, but he had never talked about Draco. She wondered if he was really as bad as Hermione was making him out to be.
McGonagall strode into the classroom, interrupting Juliette's musings.
"Welcome back to Hogwarts," McGonagall said briskly as she pulled a box of paintbrushes from a drawer in her desk, "Today we will be transfiguring these paintbrushes into bouquets of flowers."
The school year had started. Juliette was lucky in Transfiguration, they had learned this particular spell the year before at Beauxbatons. She was fine in Charms, too, which was her personal specialty, but got butterflies in her stomach as they left lunch for Defense Against the Dark Arts.
The classroom was nearly empty when Juliette arrived with Harry, Ron, and Hermione, but the teacher was already writing on the chalkboard.
"Professor Lupin?" Hermione said softly, freezing in the doorway.
The teacher turned around and beamed at the group. He looked gentle and kind, if a little tired, and held his arms out as Harry, Ron, and Hermione ran to him and greeted him enthusiastically.
"You came back!" Harry said, obviously thrilled.
"Tonks convinced me," said Professor Lupin, quietly, as more students began taking their seats, "And, besides, I had to keep an eye on my favorite mischief makers!"
Harry, Ron, and Hermione laughed as they took seats directly in front of the chalkboard. Hermione motioned Juliette over to the seat beside her and introduced her to Professor Lupin.
"He taught this class the year before last; he's our favorite teacher," Hermione informed her.
"Don't let the other teachers hear you say that, now," Lupin said with a smile.
For the next hour, the students worked on un-hexing rats and petrifying lizards. Juliette lost her fear of being behind in classes; every time that she didn't understand something Hermione was there to explain it to her.
They saw Draco again in Potions that afternoon. As in Transfiguration, he made a point of sitting as close to Juliette as possible instead of his usual seat in the back of the dungeon, and winking at her. This time, however, Harry and Ron were paying more attention. They whispered together throughout class, heads bowed over their cauldrons.
As they left the dungeon, Harry pulled Juliette over to the side of the hallway. His hand felt hot on her elbow.
"What is it, Harry?" Juliette asked. Harry had a barely noticeable sheen of sweat across his forehead, and was wringing his hands.
"Was – was the reason that you told me that you just wanted to be friends because you like Malfoy?" Harry blurted, so fast that Juliette almost didn't understand.
"Harry!" she scolded, rolling her eyes, "I only just met Draco Malfoy! I want to be friends with you because I think you're nice, and I don't want to jump into anything serious. I don't know why Draco winks at me, but Hermione's already warned me about him, so you can skip any lecture you had planned."
Harry looked at her apologetically. "I jumped to conclusions."
Juliette grazed her hand comfortingly over his arm, once again noticing the hard muscle just beneath his skin, as if he didn't have a single ounce of fat. She caught his eye. Harry grasped her hand and squeezed. Her breathing quickened. Her hand continued its path up Harry's arm as if it had a mind of its own.
They made their way to the common room, and then to Harry's dormitory. Juliette was surprised, but happy, to find that the staircase to the boy's rooms didn't turn into a slide as the girls' did.
The six beds in Harry's room were all empty. Harry and Juliette threw off their robes, and leapt into one of the giant four-posters. They scrambled to remove their clothes, not exchanging a word. Juliette pressed her hands against Harry's hard, broad chest until they left white, sweaty imprints.
"So much for just friends, huh?" Harry mumbled into Juliette's neck as he kissed his way down to her breasts.
Juliette moaned in response. She couldn't think; her brain was clouded with lust. Harry rolled on top of her and thrust himself into her, making the bedsprings creak. Juliette squeezed her eyes shut and focused all of her energy on the rhythmic writhing of lovemaking.
She heard Harry's breaths become short and heavy, like someone struggling in a fight. His thrusts were quicker, deeper, harder. She opened her eyes and looked up at him. His black hair was swinging from his forehead, his emerald eyes shining and unfocused, mouth hanging slightly open. She ran her hands over his shoulders, his neck, his chest. She knew that he didn't notice.
Harry finally came, a hot stream of liquid shooting into her. He rolled over heavily, taking Juliette's hand in his. He was breathing like he had just been saved from drowning, but the grin on his face was a mile wide.
"Friends with benefits," he said, "that's what we can be. You've got me hooked, Juliette."
She smiled tightly. The feeling of losing her self-control wasn't pleasant, and the pang of regret afterward was sharp. This wasn't how she had wanted things to go here. At Beauxbatons, she had a steady boyfriend. Her healthy appetite for sex had always been sated.
When they broke up, just before her parent's accident, Juliette had turned to the many other willing boys at school to fill her void. Seduction had become second nature to her, but she had vowed to leave that life behind in France. Hogwarts had meant a fresh start. But now, Juliette realized, she was back to her old tricks.