(51 : HE IS . . .
ALREADY DEAD )

✧࿐ ཾ✧

     THREE MONTHS — JULIET HAD SPENT three blissful months at Potter Manor before she was forced to run. Lord Voldemort was not the type of man to forget about a betrayal, but they had all assumed he would eventually move on from his feud with a teenage girl. Especially after she almost bled out in her boyfriend's arms as a result of one of his spells. In truth, she would've died that day had Sirius not recognised the dark magic. It was Sirius who kept her alive until they reached St Mungo's, countering the spell's effects with his vast knowledge of blood magic from his family's library.

St Mungo's was a mistake though.

Although she survived, it had come at the cost of her freedom. Once Voldemort was alerted of her survival, he sought revenge. None of them understood what he was doing at first — articles began to appear in various newspapers and magazines, ones that falsely claimed her visit to St Mungo's had been due to her being 'delusional' and 'unhinged.' No matter how unfortunate the rumours were, she brushed them off to focus her energy on her new life with James. That was her second mistake. After three months of minimal Death Eater activity, the couple ventured out on their first public date — a date that ended with Juliet being interrogated by Alastor Moody, suspected of patricide.

    James waited outside the office the entire time, confused. He never did have the ability to think like a Slytherin, but she did. It was then — as she left questioning — that she realised that Voldemort didn't want to dirty his hands for her. Instead, he was arranging her a one-way ticket to Azkaban. If anyone asked her, she would've said that it was a fate worse than death, but it was one she deserved. After all, she had killed her father and Voldemort most likely knew that.

Months passed without any evidence before an 'anonymous' tip came through in the January and provided them with substantial grounds for conviction. They attempted to arrest her without trial, tossing her into a holding cell like a murderer hadn't been trying to overthrow the government for years. Her belief in the Ministry of Magic being compromised was only cemented when McNair — a longtime employee — attempted to imperio her during his guard. Juliet narrowly escaped with her life after Sirius saved her for a second time, disregarding his precarious position as an auror in training and risking everything to aid her escape.

Yet, her escape only sealed her status as a fugitive. By February, Juliet Fawley was a wanted witch with a price on her head. Even though she knew that she always had a room at Potter Manor, Juliet fled. It wasn't because she was brave or noble either — it was because she was scared. Scared that James would grow to resent her when he was forced to sacrifice his career and his sanity to protect her from the consequences of a crime she had actually committed.

✧࿐ ཾ✧

Juliet had intended to sneak out in the night, leaving behind only a note. Goodbyes were hard — more so because she didn't want to abandon homemade dinners and morning coffees for dirty streets. Except, she couldn't see any alternative when being around her placed James in danger. All it would take was for one person to realise he was harbouring a criminal and everything he had worked towards would be ruined.

     Of course it didn't work out like that. James had caught her in the act, blearily rubbing his eyes as he pattered down the stairs to grab a glass of water. Barefoot and in his golden snitch pyjamas, recognition flittered over his tired features when he spotted the backpack slung over her shoulders and her black cloak. James pleaded, "Let me come with you."

     "We've already discussed this," she softly reminded him — they had argued many times over what was the best course of action. "You'd be a liability. I can't have you throwing yourself in front of me in a life or death situation. I'm leaving because I need you to live. I need you to live without blaming me for all the opportunities you'd miss if I stayed." Juliet noticed he was about to counter her point, so she raised the palm of her hand and rushed to add, "I'll be back though. This — this isn't the end, remember? I'm only leaving to take the spotlight off you for a little while."

    Aurors were already suspicious of James and Sirius. Information had somehow leaked about their face-off with Death Eaters the Christmas of 1977 and it had put them both in hot water when their connection to the prime suspect in an open murder investigation was revealed. Whilst Juliet's relationship with James was no longer a secret, Voldemort's wrath was relentless and had followed them beyond snogging in broom closets.

     "You can't promise that," stated James, swirling the water in his glass to avoid looking up again. "You can't promise that you'll be back. It's what they — he — wants! They want to lure you out of hiding and you're walking right into the trap!"

     With his parents still asleep upstairs, she shushed him. "You need to trust me, James." After repeating the sentiment so many times, it had almost lost meaning to her. "I'll be able to clear my name as soon as Voldemort's followers are ousted from the ministry. I killed a Death Eater in self-defence during a war, Wizengamot will see reason."

He swallowed down the bile rising in his throat. "That could take years. What will you do until then?"

"Until then, I'm going to give Voldemort exactly what he wants," she offered vaguely. When James didn't seem content with her answer, she continued, "I know that's not what you wanted to hear, but I don't want to hear that you'll be leaving me for three days because Dumbledore gave you a mission either. It can't be one rule for you and another for me. And it's not like I'm planning on challenging the darkest wizard in modern history to a duel anytime soon."

     "You know, Dumbledore could help," the boy suggested quietly, knowing the man was a sore topic for the Slytherin. "He could organise a safe house. He has enough connections for it."

     Juliet slowly approached him and took his hand. "If it'll make you feel better, I'll speak to Dumbledore. I don't — I don't trust him enough to let him know of my plan, but I'll keep him updated and pass along what I gathered from the times that I have met Voldemort. For you." Her voice was strained, but she knew it was important that they compromised. "You can't change my mind on this, but I would like your support."

     Conflicted, James sighed. "I wish we didn't fall in love when the world is at war."

     "Really? Because I wouldn't change a thing. I doubt we would've fallen in love otherwise." In a gentle movement, she guided his hand to rest on her cheek. "I'm not a seer. I don't know what is ahead for us and the unknown terrifies me, but I would do the heartache, the anger and the sadness all over again if it meant we ended up right here in this moment. As long as I'm with you, nothing else matters."

      "I love you. And if you want to hear a long speech about exactly how much," he briefly hesitated, "I'll need you to come back in one piece."

     Her mouth quirked. "I can't wait."

     Earning his blessing had been bittersweet. Neither of them wanted to share a kiss in case it felt too much like their last, so she had simply pulled her hood up and left like a thief in the night.

✧࿐ ཾ✧

     Six months had passed since that night. Since then, the Ministry of Magic had locked her Gringott's vault and placed her family manor under high security. Regulus contacted her a couple of times — sending secret messages and updates through ink that disappeared at the tap of her wand — but she never replied unless it was horcrux related. Now that Regulus had graduated, they were planning their trip to the cave.

On the whole, her routine was monotonous. Most of the time, she would take up residence in empty muggle houses and track the Death Eaters' movements across the country. Like promised, she also kept in contact with Dumbledore where possible. But, her time on the run was a challenge — the stifling summer heat only fuelling her ire — and she was ready to end it once and for all.

Yet, a certain someone was avoiding her attempts at contact. And her patience was thinning.

It was almost eleven p.m. and she was sitting cross-legged on the floor of an unfurnished muggle house, not far from Cokeworth. Blue ink stained her fingertips as she furiously scribbled on a stolen piece of parchment, flinching at the telltale crack of apparition — something that she always made sure to ward her location against. The quill slipped from her hand and she reached for her wand, thrusting it in front of her only to be met with the large, beady eyes of a house elf.

"Who are you? Why are you here?" Her voice sounded stronger than she felt.

"Kreacher, miss," the house elf replied, his voice wobbling. Almost like he was sad, if that was even possible for such a creature.

The name struck a chord in Juliet and she lowered her wand, recalling Regulus' peculiar affection for his house elf. It had been many years since she last encountered Kreacher, but she distantly remembered him from some pureblood functions. "You belong to the Blacks," she murmured, her gut twisting at the realisation. "Did Regulus send you?"

At the mention of the teenager, Kreacher started blubbering.

Unsure how to comfort him, Juliet moved into a kneel so she was closer to the elf's height. "Kreacher, please," she urged in her kindest tone, "it's really important that you tell me why you're here."

"Master Regulus is dead."

✧࿐ ཾ✧

A.N: I struggled so much with this chapter because it covered such a large passage of time and it was a little all over the place, but hopefully it should be all smooth sailing from here. Next chapter, we'll find out more about Regulus' death. Now, we're in August 1979 and whilst I can't find any canonical evidence on when he went to the cave aside from the year, it's generally assumed it was near the end. That means I'm taking some liberties with the timeline here because it works better for what I have planned, just in case anyone thought it was a mistake.

[There should be a GIF or video here. Update the app now to see it.]

Also here's a really crappy little edit I made of Juliet and Reg when I struggled with this chapter. It's not great, but Iris is the song that inspired their relationship.

Question, I don't have a question, so pass on a recommendation for TV show, a book, a song, a fic! Anything you've been loving lately, tell me about.