(28 : YOUR LIVES SHALL PAY . . .
THE FORFEIT OF THE PEACE)

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     THE WARNING BELL FOR THE next period pierced the protective bubble that Juliet and James had established over the past month. It was the middle of October and they had spent most of their time snogging behind tapestries, in the kitchens, anywhere that offered them privacy really. Sometimes their hands would roam, other times they would talk about everything and nothing. It was like the two had built their own secret world full of longing stares and hidden notes, but the reality of their situation would always come crashing down. And no 'protego' could protect them from it.

     Jerking their bodies apart, Juliet was breathing heavily. "We have to go."

     "No we don't," said James, throwing out his arms as he regarded the broom closet with mock fascination. "With some drapes and a lick of paint, this place could be real homey. Hell, we could raise our child here."

     "You're being ridiculous," chastised Juliet, hitting him in the chest.

     James leaned closer — so close she could smell the minty toothpaste still on his breath. "Humour me, love."

     Although she rolled her eyes, Juliet played along and began to button up her shirt. "And what's our imaginary child called then?"

     "Elvendork, of course."

     "Well, it is unisex," she teased. "Now come on, where did we put our ties?"

     He grabbed her wrist before she could pick up their ties. "Do you — do you see a future with me?"

The question caught Juliet off guard. Juliet had never considered what would happen to her and James beyond Hogwarts. Producing an heir was part of the pureblood package deal, but she never viewed herself as particularly maternal. Not to mention she was still engaged to Regulus. There were many factors to account for and — once again — James was full steam ahead whilst she was still trying to wrap her head around merely liking someone she shouldn't. All that being said, the idea of a child with James' messy hair and her bright blue eyes felt right somehow.

Images flashed through her head like a slideshow — James teaching their child to ride a broomstick, James sending howlers whenever he was proud instead of mad, James using magic to reenact the stories he told before bed.

"Yeah," she blurted suddenly, "I can see it."

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     Stumbling out of the broom closet, Juliet immediately noticed the corridors were deserted and cursed under her breath. Whilst the redhead was frantically looping her tie around her neck and tugging her skirt down, James regarded her panic with a smirk. He didn't care to fix his tie or his robes, but he waited for Juliet all the same.

     "And here I thought you would be more relaxed after —"

"Shut it, Potter," snapped Juliet, rushing to tie her hair up and appear somewhat presentable. "What lesson do you have?"

     James scratched the back of his neck. "Uh, Transfiguration, I think."

"Right, I'll have it too then," she muttered more to herself than anyone. "Merlin, McGonagall will go mental."

Most would think it was peculiar for the normally composed Slytherin to be in such a state of distress with her face flushed red, but James found it endearing. He was constantly learning more about her as he slowly chipped away at her tough exterior and he found himself liking how she reacted so strongly to him. He could make her blush and laugh and he enjoyed that as much as when she would moan his name or tug on his hair in impatience.

Grabbing her hand, James didn't give Juliet any warning before breaking into a sprint and dragging her through the empty corridors. One or two times, James almost tripped and Juliet would snicker, but they eventually made it to Transfiguration. Between their panting and the echo of Juliet's giggles bouncing off the castle walls, the two could hardly control their amusement.

"You're such a bad influence, Fawley," commented James. "Always making me late."

Juliet snorted. "Because you're usually a model student?"

He pointed to his badge. "You know, I am Head Boy."

"Really? You haven't mentioned," she replied sarcastically. Then, her silliness evaporated, remembering where they were as she inclined her head towards their clasped hands. "We, um, need to . . ."

Embarrassed, James dropped her hand. "Yeah, of course."

Knowing they needed to get McGonagall's usual tardiness lecture over with, James didn't hesitate to burst through the classroom door, a boyish grin pasted across his lips. Juliet opted to keep a few paces behind him, which was probably smart as they were instantly confronted by an incensed Minerva McGonagall and the anxious squeaks of several unfamiliar faces.

     Professor McGonagall stomped towards the two older students. "Mr Potter, Miss Fawley!" she exclaimed, her Scottish accent thick with rage. "Pray tell why the pair of you thought it would be appropriate to interrupt my lesson. You are the Head Boy and a prefect, you are meant to be setting an example for the younger students."

     For the first time, Juliet registered that all the students in the classroom were fresh-faced and chubby-cheeked, no older than twelve or thirteen.

"Profes—" began Juliet, shooting a murderous glare in the direction of James.

"And, dare I ask why you are wearing a Gryffindor tie, Miss Fawley?" continued Professor McGonagall, tutting.

Speechless, Juliet glanced down to see she was wearing the wrong tie. In mortification, then it dawned on her that the two of them were being utterly reckless with their affair. Forbidden love and clandestine meetings were only romantic in theory. Without knowing it, James was evoking Juliet's inner lion and it could've killed her had they walked into a different class. If a Death Eater had seen her walk in with Potter, what would she have done?

Noting her discomfort, James stepped forward. "It was a prank, Minnie," lied the boy flawlessly. "Thanks a lot for ruining it. I was hoping nobody would tell her. A Slytherin in Gryffindor colours? Hilarious!"

"I regret to inform you then, Mr Potter, that you may be losing your touch with age." The teacher peered down through her glasses, unimpressed. "I'll be seeing you both in detention for this little stunt. Now, run along. I do believe that most Seventh Years will have either Potions or a free period at this time."

They both left without further prompting. And even James struggled to find humour in the distraught expression plaguing Juliet's face as she wordlessly handed the boy his red and gold tie back.

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Ignoring the guilt festering in her stomach, Juliet dodged James for the rest of the day and returned to her dorm before dinner as opposed to meeting up with him. Although, she wasn't avoiding him, rather she wanted to reevaluate their game plan. Whether it meant they reduced their interaction during school hours or they exhibited more restraint overall, their love was lethal and it was about time they treated it as such.

When she entered her dorm, Juliet was so lost in thought that she barely registered the long, medium-sized box sitting on her bed. The box was matt black with a tag reading her name in elegant cursive and she assessed it with caution. Owls normally delivered any packages at breakfast, so that meant someone had directly dropped it off in her dorm. With none of her roommates around for her to interrogate, she pulled out her wand and used the tip of it to lift the lid up.

Nothing exploded, that was a good sign. As long as she didn't touch anything, she would be fine too.

However, the second the teenager looked into the box, she regretted it and clamped her hands over her mouth to repress a scream. Inside the box rested three things: a bloodstained spine, the remnants of a broken pearl necklace and a note.

Juliet,

     You have yet to prove you are more than a spineless child, so I have kindly sent you one in hopes of it helping you finish your task.

    Time is ticking.

     Despite the lack of signature, it was painfully clear who sent the item. Memories of her dinner with the Dark Lord still haunted her most nights, especially the part of the night in which he had ordered her to prove she was "more than a spineless child with a penchant for running their mouth" by giving her an impossible task. In truth, Juliet had been so consumed with James that she never considered how — or if — she would make an Elixir of Life for the wizard. No doubt, Voldemort was growing restless.

Holding back tears, Juliet swallowed as her glazed eyes drifted to the abandoned bed in her dorm room. Holly always did like her pearls.

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A.N: Anddddd Voldy is ruining all their fun because now we'll have Juliet focusing on completing her task — if that's even possible?? We'll still have some James ofc but it seems she's finally realised what careless idiots they have been. In other news, I'm also going to publish a Remus fic soon if any of you find that cool. This one will take priority but I have lots of ideas for the Marauders these days.

Question, what would your favourite class at Hogwarts be? I feel DADA is cool, but my school record shows I'm not a practical person so I probably wouldn't be good at that. If I wasn't a muggleborn, then Muggle Studies would be cool. Ooh, and Charms?