Juniper Nott woke early the next morning, unable to stay asleep for longer than a few hours at a time. The first rays of sunlight were beginning to peek through the windows of the dormitory, so Juni decided this was as good a time as any to get ready for whatever the day may have in store for her in 1944.
A thought struck her as she sat up and she scrunched up her face a little in thought. The muggle war was going on still, wasn't it? The one that had encompassed the entire world. But wasn't there something else that had happened around this time? Scratching the back of her neck gently with one hand, she used the other to pat around the bed where she had been lying in search for her wand. Something else had happened around this time, she knew it. The more she tried to force what it was back into her head, the more her head began to hurt so she brushed it aside with another sigh as she found her wand, buried within the covers.
Brushing the curtains of her bed aside lazily, she squinted slightly as the room around her was brighter than she realized. Letting her feet drop to the cold floor, she sat up straight and stretched her arms over her head, feeling her back crack quietly. After a few moments, she stood and walked quietly over to look out the window.
A soft groan sounded from behind her, followed by the creaking of a bed.
"Is it morning already?" A soft voice asked. Turning around again, Juni saw Rue sitting upright in bed, a sleep mask pulled up over her forehead as she rubbed at her eyes.
"I suppose it has to be eventually," she replied, facing the window again. Rue laughed softly.
"So dramatic," she commented as she climbed out of bed, pulling the covers back up to make it. "Nervous about your first day of classes?"
"A little," Juni didn't care about the classes even slightly in reality, but supposed she would have to at least pretend. "I'm already behind in all of them, aren't I?"
"Only by a week, term only just started. I think you'll be fine." Walking back to her bed, the two dressed in silence. It was only when Rue began pulling a brush through her long hair that Juni thought of her own hair. Cheeks flushing slightly, she tugged the now even-messier-than-before bun from her hair and began untangling it. Noticing the way Juni was struggling, Rue smiled slightly before offering her brush to her.
"Use this," she instructed as Juniper just stared at her. "It's enchanted to easily and painlessly detangle. Go on." Holding it out further for her to take, Rue looked at her expectantly. Looking between the brush and Rue with one hand still in her hair, she took the brush gingerly and inspected it suspiciously. It looked like a normal, albeit old-fashioned to her eyes, brush. "Oh, just use it." Rue laughed, pulling a dark grey jumper over her head and untucking the collar of her white dress shirt underneath it.
After a few more seconds, Juniper pulled the brush through her hair, expecting the pain that follows trying to brush through a large knot. Only instead of tugging, it flowed through her hair like silk. Looking at the brush again, she felt the hair she had just brushed through and was amazed to feel no tangle whatsoever. Why didn't they have these in the future? She thought furiously to herself as she continued brushing her hair quickly as Rue dug in her trunk for her tie. Each area she brushed felt softer and silkier than she could ever remember it being.
"Nice, isn't it?" Rue asked finally, standing up and untangling her tie.
"It's amazing," Juni marveled, leaning over to set it on Rue's bed. "Thank you." Bringing her fingers through her hair, she quickly braided it into a single, long French-braid down her back. Rue had frozen in place, hands still poised to tie her tie as she watched her.
"How did you do that so easily?" She asked. "I've never managed to braid my hair that easily."
"Oh," Juni laughed slightly, "I could show you if you want." Rue beamed at her and nodded enthusiastically.
"That would be so nice!" Pausing slightly as though she was surprised at how enthusiastic she had been, Rue looked down almost bashfully at her tie and finished tying it. There was an almost awkward silence between the two of them as Rue finished with the tie.
"As long as you teach me how to properly tie a tie," Juni broke the silence, giving a sly smile. Rue looked back up at her, a light in her eye that hadn't been there before.
"Deal," she stretched out her hand. "Give it here." Laughing softly, Juni dug in her trunk and pulled out a long, green tie and handed it to Rue, who at once got to work. Closing the lid of the trunk, she patted the end of it.
"Sit," she instructed and Rue did so without looking up from the tie. Within seconds she was finished, and held it in her hands as Juniper got to work braiding her hair.
"I'm glad I have someone else to talk to," Rue said quietly, a small smile on her lips again. "Don't get me wrong, I love David, dearly, but…" Her voice faltered as she gave a short laugh. "It's just not the same."
"David Avery, right?" Juniper asked as she braided the other girl's hair, leaning slightly to see more of her face. "Are you two…?" Letting her voice trail off purposefully, Juniper waited only for Rue to actually laugh at the question.
"Oh, goodness, no," She shook her head and let out a small gasp as she realized what she had done. "Oh! Sorry! I didn't mess it up, did I?"
"No, you're alright! Don't worry," Juniper told her, having quickly saved the braid despite the movement (not that it would have mattered anyway, she could have just redone it easily).
"Good! Good. Sorry again," Rue looked back down at the tie as she played with it between her fingers. "Anyway, no, we aren't together. Not that my mother wouldn't love the match. Unfortunately he's… 'not my type'." Her voice was quiet, almost thoughtful as she spoke, a small smile played on her lips again as though she had thought of an inside joke known only to her. "No, I'm not dating anyone at all."
"There we are," Juniper declared almost absentmindedly as she finished and tied the braid. Standing up, Rue turned to face her, tie still in hand. "So, who is your type then? Mister tall-dark and handsome that you reported as crazy last night?" She asked laughing as Rue brought the tie up and carefully over Juni's head.
"Absolutely not," Rue laughed with her, smoothing the collar of Juni's dress shirt down over the freshly placed tie.
"Then who is? I expect you're beautiful enough to have any of the guys you wanted here. If we're going to be friends, I ought to know, shouldn't I?" Smiling back at Rue, Juni watched as she tightened the tie to fit snug against her neck, being careful not to be too tight. Rue's eyes flicked up to meet Juni's only to look away quickly again, laughing almost nervously and finishing with the tie. She took a step back, a fresh light pink dusting her cheeks.
"Haven't really found anyone here that is, honestly," she shrugged, as she walked back to her bed and busied herself with digging through her trunk.
"That's alright," Juni crossed her arms across her chest, her eyebrows raised slightly. "You don't have to tell me yet." Rue threw a crumpled up skirt at Juni's head, making her duck quickly.
"Oh, get ready to go," Rue tugged a long, black robe out of her trunk and put it on. "Or we'll miss breakfast." Standing upright again, Juni picked up the discarded skirt and tossed it gently back into Rue's trunk and stopped short, glancing behind her shoulder towards the other beds in the dorm. The curtains were still drawn and she could see vaguely human-shaped lumps still tucked in the beds, asleep.
"Shouldn't we wake the others up? Won't they be late?"
"I wouldn't bother," Rue shook her head and looked at Juni, shoving her hands in the pockets of the robe. Noticing Juni's hesitance, Rue sighed and gestured at each bed with her hand as she spoke. "That one doesn't eat breakfast in the morning. That one will scream if her 'beauty sleep' is disturbed. The last one I simply don't like." Juni stood and looked at the other beds for a moment, appreciating Rue's honesty before shrugging and digging her own jumper and robe from her trunk.
As the two girls sat at the Slytherin table, Juniper shifted uncomfortably in her seat as she looked around the room: both incredibly familiar and foreign at the same time. Looking up at the ceiling of the great hall, she slowly tore apart a piece of toast in her fingers, unaware that Rue was watching her.
"Didn't they take you on a tour of the school when you got here? Or is this your first time being in the great hall?" Rue asked, somewhere between being genuine and teasing her.
"Oh, uh," Juni quickly looked at her toast and then Rue.
"It storms sometimes," she informed her, pointing up at the clouds currently surrounding the high arches of the room. "The ceiling, I mean. It doesn't actually storm on us, though. God, could you imagine the chaos?"
"Students trying desperately to save their books or homework…"
"And just ending up with soggy beans and walking into lecture halls soaking wet." The very idea made the girls crack up with laughter as Avery walked over to them and sat down, plopping his books next to the plate in front of his seat.
"Having a good morning, are we?" He teased the girls as they quieted down. "Rue, I see you've all but adopted our little newbie?"
"Oh, shut up," she gave him a soft shove to the shoulder and he pretended to be gravely injured, clutching it gingerly before laughing.
"Juniper, wasn't it?" He asked, leaning forward toward the table to look past Rue to see Juni on her other side. "I hope she's treating you nicely so far."
"Juni. And of course she is," Juni smiled slightly as she leaned forward to meet his eye politely.
"Ah, Juni. Noted," He wrapped an arm around Rue's shoulders and gave the far one a light squeeze and tugged her towards him slightly. "Just let me know if Ruthie gives you any trouble, okay?" Avery winked at Juni as Rue shoved him off her shoulders.
"Very funny, David," Rue gave him a look and he grinned at her before turning his attention to the empty plate in front of him.
"Anyway, what classes have you got today?" Avery took several pieces of toast and slathered them with jam before pouring a glass of juice and a separate glass of water.
"Oh, uh," Juni sat up straight, trying to remember off the top of her head as she quickly dug in her robe for the folded parchment with her schedule on it. Unfolding the wrinkled page, she scanned it. "Potions, with Professor Slughorn."
"Ah," Avery pursed his lips slightly and looked at Rue. "I've heard that's a rather tough class, especially first thing in the morning. Did you pick it on purpose?"
"I didn't really pick any of my classes," Juni smiled sheepishly as she shoved the parchment back into a pocket. "I sort of got stuck with whatever still had a spot available."
"Mmm, that would make sense," Rue said knowingly, looking at Avery before Juni. "Not many people in our year bothered with NEWT level potions."
"That's because not many people in our year are interested in being 'potions masters' or Aurors. You, err, don't necessarily need NEWT level potions to get into the Auror academy, but they say it's very helpful if you have the background. So most people take it anyway," Avery told her. Juniper leaned forwards slightly, actually very interested. To her knowledge, NEWT potions had always been required to be an Auror, and she couldn't help but wonder what else had changed in the last… Or next, rather, 50-60 years or so. She wondered how much of the change would come because of Grindelwald or Voldemort.
"I overheard Dippet talking to Professor Slughorn about the Ministry possibly making it a requirement, actually. Something about there being too many accidents out in the field lately with their Aurors not knowing the difference between veritaserum and the drought of living death."
"Well!" Sitting back in his seat again, Avery took a bite of toast. "Juni will be set then if she wants to throw her lot in!" Tilting his head slightly, he considered this as he chewed. "I remember I wanted to be an auror when I was a kid. Wanted nothing more in the world."
"Really?" Rue looked at him, almost surprised as she sipped from her own juice glass. "You?"
"Yes, me," he shot her a look before shaking his head and taking another bite of toast. "Then I realized I'd probably get killed in the war and promptly changed my mind." Rue laughed.
"That sounds more like you," she shook her head.
"The war?" Juni asked before she realized what she was saying. "The muggle war?" Both Rue and Avery regarded her questioningly, as though what she had just asked was very dumb. Juni's cheeks flushed red. "I, I mean-"
"The wizarding war?" Avery raised a bemused eyebrow at her. "Against the great dark wizard Grindelwald? Surely you heard of that in France?"
"I think he was in France for a period of time," Rue pointed out, glancing between Avery and Juni.
"Oh, right," Juni laughed slightly and looked at her breakfast, her stomach doing flips on itself. That's what it was. That's what happened in this time period. She kicked herself mentally for forgetting, but felt like she should have a little bit of a pass, having been in her own war very recently.
"Anyway, that's why I didn't want to be an auror in the end. Didn't want to be on the wrong end of the most powerful wizard's wand, you know?" He shrugged and finished a slice of toast. "What about you, Jun? What do you want to be?"
'Alive.' Juniper thought bitterly to herself and her mind had gone blank of any other possible answer. Her future had been effectively stolen from her when she decided who to place her loyalties with. She could have had anything she wanted, but she had made her choice. Now all she wanted - all she could even hope for - was her survival and helping those she cared about most. Juni's mind drifted slowly to what she had wanted to be when she was younger. It was only a few years ago, but it seemed like so much longer. Decades, even. Though she supposed technically it would be decades before she would even be born and… The thought train made her head hurt and she quickly pushed it aside.
"Juniper?" Rue probed gently, her eyebrows raised slightly.
"Oh, um," Juni smiled apologetically at the pair and looked back down almost bashfully. "A bookkeeper. Not exactly the most luxurious or… Praiseworthy, I suppose, but…" Her voice trailed off as she thought about what could have been if she had lived a normal life. She was honest with the pair, there was no reason not to be about something that seemed so silly as that.
"Really?" Avery leaned forwards and looked at her with what looked like genuine interest in his eyes. Juniper nodded and he considered this, his eyes drifting across the room in thought. After a few moments he shrugged and spoke softly. "It would be peaceful, though. Nice and quiet. The troubles of the outside world seeming so insignificant while you're surrounded by pages written by the 'greats' and all that they've done."
"David," Rue feigned surprise at the boy's sentiments. "That was almost poetic." He gave her a dopey look and laughed.
"I do from time to time have my moments," he claimed before taking a long sip of the juice he had poured.
"It would be nice though, I bet," Rue agreed, giving an encouraging smile to Juni. "You'll have to let us know where you set up shop and invite us over. Promise you will!" Laughing softly, Juni nodded.
"Of course." Juniper looked at the two people next to her as they talked about their classes and the assignments they had already gotten the week before, the professors they didn't like and their excitement for the future. She couldn't help but feel a pang of fondness for them, despite having just met them. She noted how… Normal they felt: despite being surrounded by Slytherins her entire life and knowing how nasty they could be if you crossed them. She ate her breakfast in silence as the pair spoke, hearing but not really listening to what they were saying.
"Where is your little boyfriend, anyways?" she heard Rue ask after a time and her ears perked up slightly. Glancing over, she took a bite of beans off of her plate. Avery gave her a look and a small chuckle as he shook his head.
"You know he'd all but kill you if he heard you talk about him like that."
"I know," Rue shrugged and laughed softly.
"Who?" Juni asked, leaning forwards slightly, mildly interested in who Rue would be calling Avery's 'boyfriend' and if it were a true romantic boyfriend or if she was just poking fun at their closeness.
"Oh, Tom," Rue explained quickly. "That boy I told you about last night."
"Were you asking about him?" Avery raised his eyebrows at Juni, the beginnings of a smirk on his face. "Does someone have an interest in our Tom already?"
"No," Juni scowled at him, setting down her fork. "I was simply wondering who the boy I hadn't even met was after he glared at me across the entire common room."
"Ah," Avery pressed his lips together and glanced at the ceiling before smiling again. "Yeah, he has a bad habit of, err… Glaring at nearly everyone. Especially strangers. I wouldn't take it personally, honest."
"That's… Slightly comforting? I guess?" Juni laughed softly.
"Anyway, he told me that he wanted to get a head start on a project for one of his hundreds of classes, so he was headed to the library. I didn't really ask questions, it was around 0430 this morning."
"That early?" Rue asked, appalled. She had a hand over her chest in shock as she looked at the other boy with a face of plain disgust. "After being up so late, too. Why would he want to start the school week out completely exhausted?"
"Again," Avery held his palms up in defense. "I didn't ask, I was trying to sleep at the time." Lowering his palms, he took a look at the faces around the great hall, as though he would see his friend. "Buuut, I haven't seen him since, so I would assume he's still there. Or maybe he's headed to class already, breakfast is nearly over."
"Speaking of," Rue gave Juniper a pointed look and sat back in her seat, placing her hands over her thighs. "You have potions first, right? Lets head down there now, I'll show you where the classroom is."
"Don't you have divination first, Ruth?" Avery raised his eyebrows at her.
"Yes," she gave him a look. "That's why I want to go now to show her where her class is, so I'm not late to mine."
"I appreciate it," Juni interjected quickly, already able to tell that David was planning on making a snide little joke about Rue's helpfulness. "Thank you. I'm all finished, anyway." Scooting back in her seat, she stood up and stepped away from the table, taking one last long sip of her water.
"Of course," Rue smiled at her, almost as though thanking her without saying anything and stood up. Picking up their school things, Rue interlocked her arm with Juniper's and turned to leave. "See you in ancient runes, David!"
With that, the two girls left the great hall, arm in arm, towards the potions classroom. Juniper couldn't help but think about her expectations for the last 24 hours in regards to what her reality had turned into. Never in her wildest imaginings could she have come up with what had actually happened to her. She decided that never again was she going to make any extravagant plans, because clearly the universe had alternate ones already set for her.
