AN: Quick update!

#

Transfiguration had been very interesting that afternoon but Juvia was glad it was over – she was tired and worried about the final Task in a few days. She could feel it in her gut something wasn't right and her friends agreed even if they were excited.

"A week until the last task, huh?" Gajeel asked, walking alongside with Juvia towards the Great Hall.

"Yes." Juvia sighed. "I have a bad feeling about this. Everyone is so excited but I have this bad feeling in my chest."

Gajeel looked at her and frowned. "This isn't good; your gut is usually right."

"I know." The blunette groaned. "This needs to be over soon."

"Yeah." Gajeel agreed. "Oh, there's your other half." He told her and pointed to a few meters away where Gray walked slowly, looking around as if looking for someone. "He's probably looking for you."

Juvia perked up with the sight of her boyfriend so she walked his way, Gajeel a few steps behind her.

"Hi, Gray-sama." She said, jumping in front of him, smiling. "Want to have dinner together?"

"No." Gray said and he kept looking around and Juvia frowned; he didn't even spare a glance at her. He kept turning, looking for someone. "Did you see Gen anywhere?"

"Gen?" Juvia's frown deepened and she saw Gajeel step next to her. "Who's Gen?"

"Genevieve."

"Genevieve?" As far as she was aware, Gray didn't know any Genevieve so when he was looking for her so intensely, it confounded her and made her feel quite jealous.

He finally looked at Juvia and his dark eyes were glassy, he smiled stupidly. "Genevieve Saville, fifth year Hufflepuff, the most beautiful girl in the world." He said. "Did you know she get dimples when she smiles?" Juvia felt as if she had been punched in the stomach with his words and she took a step back, confused and hurt until she noticed his flushed skin, how misty his eyes were and how weird his smile was. "She is the love of my life."

"What the fuck?" Gajeel took a step towards Gray and Juvia's first instinct was to put herself between them – an angry Gajeel would be hard to stop.

"Gajeel-kun." Juvia put a hand on his chest to stop him.

"Are you going to let him say that to your face?" Gajeel looked at her in disbelief.

"Does he seem alright, to you?" Juvia asked her friend. "He spent months hiding our relationship, do you think he would just state he loves someone else like this?"

"What's wrong with him, then?" Gajeel asked and Juvia looked over her shoulder to see that Gray had wandered off and people were staring at him, curious.

"Juvia thinks someone gave him a love potion." The blunette told her friend before she walked towards her boyfriend. "Gray-sama?" She put a hand on his shoulder and the Gryffindor looked at her. "Juvia heard Genevieve is at the Hospital Wing."

"She is?" He got excited and it made her so angry someone had done that to him.

"Yes. How about I get you there?" She told him kindly, gently steering him the right way while he nodded, eager. The blunette looked at Gajeel, who was following a few steps behind the couple. "Gajeel-kun, could you get Natsu-san and Lucy-san? They will want to know about this."

"Are you sure you can handle this?" He asked, worried but Juvia just nodded in response.

"Don't worry." Juvia told him and led her boyfriend away from the prying eyes.

#

"You were right, it was a Love Potion. He is going to be alright." Polyuska told Juvia and her friends as they waited for her to examine Gray. "He got a little... too enthusiastic to find a girl so I gave him something so he could sleep for an hour." She wasn't happy to be bothered with silly Love Potions, that was sure. "You can go wait if you want to."

Hearing he was alright made Juvia finally sigh in relief – her Gray-sama would be alright and it was all she needed before she turned around to look at her friends and she finally let out how angry she was.

"Could you stay with him?" She looked at Lucy, Natsu and Gajeel, venom dripping from her voice. "Juvia will be back in a few minutes." She meant to walk away, but Lucy grabbed her arm.

"Wait, wait, wait." The blonde stopped her. "Are you going after Genevieve Saville?"

"Of course I am." Juvia told her. "She can't give Gray-sama a Love Potion and expect it to be okay." Juvia pulled her arm away. "You won't talk me out of it."

"I can go with her." Natsu suggested to his girlfriend.

"Me too." Gajeel volunteered.

"No way: you two will egg her on if she wants to fight this Genevieve. You will even help her." Lucy said and when Juvia started to walk away, she told the two young men. "I'll go, you two stay with Gray."

#

Juvia walked purposely towards the Hufflepuff table, eyes on a pretty brunette with short wavy hair. She needed to ask who this Genevieve was and once she was pointed out who she was, Juvia narrowed her eyes and she could feel anger inside her chest, boiling.

The moment she stopped behind her target, her friends stopped eating to look at Juvia with wide eyes until Genevieve herself looked over her shoulder and she paled. She knew exactly why Juvia was there.

"You and me, outside the Hall. Now." Juvia practically spat the words, she could feel eyes on her – people noticed something was happening and they were curious, even the students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang. The blunette almost bumped into Lucy when she started to leave but stopped when Genevieve spoke.

"Why should I?"

Juvia stopped, taking deep breaths before she turned on her feet to look at the Hufflepuff. "Do you want for me to tell everyone what you did? Fine by me."

Her olive skin flushed at the thought and she got up from her seat. Trusting she would be followed, Juvia stormed out of the Hall, Lucy following right behind.

"Juvia..." The blonde tried, but Juvia gave her a look and Lucy decided to remain silent.

They only needed to wait five seconds before Genevieve and two of her friends exited the Great Hall, followed by Cana and, surprisingly, Rufus Lore who was clearly curious.

"What is going on?" Cana asked, curious. Genevieve was from her House, after all and Juvia was her friend.

"Is everything alright?" Rufus asked, frowning but Juvia ignored their questions, staring intently at the brown-haired girl in front of her.

"Why did you do it?" Juvia asked. "What drove you to do it?"

Genevieve was clearly surprised to have been asked it so bluntly and with no violence at all – Juvia had seen her hand was inside her pocket, probably gripping her wand tightly, her senses telling her she was in danger.

"He's too good for you." Genevieve raised her chin. "I don't know what kind of spell you put on him, but something is wrong. Gray Fullbuster is a nice guy and somehow you put a spell on him."

"How would that be any different with you giving him a Love Potion?" Juvia took a step closer and Genevieve took a step back. By the corner of her eyes, Juvia saw everyone holding their breaths, as if she was going to attack the younger girl.

"I wanted to see if a Love Potion could break it, break whatever you have him under."

Juvia wanted to pluck her eyes out, she wanted to take her wand and cover her skin with furuncles to teach her a lesson, but instead, Juvia took a deep breath.

"I think he's too good for me too, but unlike you, I know myself. I know every single thing about me while you just see me walking around the Castle." Juvia told her. "And this is how you think he is too good for Juvia, isn't it? You watch him from afar, you have a crush? Perhaps he was kind to you a time you spoke to him?" By the way her cheeks flushed, Juvia got it right. "You think you know him because you watch him, but you don't, otherwise you would never do what you did today.

"We really are dating, we have been dating for ten months now and most of this time we hid it because people would judge us, like you are doing right now. You think we don't match because of our Houses or because of my past and that's alright; I don't care, but the moment you gave him that potion, you crossed a line.

"I don't know what you expected it to happen, but let me tell you something: you would've hurt him so much if he had done anything, you have no idea." Genevieve was clearly confused. "Gray-sama is faithful and loyal. I would forgive him, he would be under the effects of a Love Potion, but he wouldn't be able to forgive himself. He thinks he is superman, he thinks he can do anything, even fight a potion and he would think he didn't fight hard enough. He would hate himself over it, he would think he cheated on me and he would feel disgusted with himself." Juvia took a moment to let the words sink in. "To you, this was harmless but to him, it would have serious ramifications."

"I..." Genevieve's eyes were wide. "I didn't know..."

"You didn't know that, but I do. I know him, he knows me. This is not a joke, this is not a prank." Juvia told her. "I never gave him anything, I never put a spell on him of any kind, we just fell in love with each other and all we want to do is to live our lives without people meddling, without being judged every step of the way. A relationship is hard enough without outside people making it harder."

The Hall was quiet, no one dared to speak, not even Genevieve herself found in her how to further justify her actions.

"That being said, some of the reasons you don't think Juvia is for Gray-sama, is the fact she's a Slytherin? The fact of how for four years I was a member of a Dueling Club taught by an old Death Eater?" Juvia asked and by the way Genevieve looked away, she was right again. "I changed. Gray-sama changed me and I was never on a path to be a Death Eater wannabe, no matter what you think but I did learn a lot during those years."

The blunette took a step closer, her eyes so cold the brunette in front of her couldn't even move. "And if you ever do any of this crap again, you will know exactly what I learned in those years and you'll see how cunning, resourceful, shrewd, determined and ruthless I can be." She hissed and the girl's eyes widened even more in fear. "No one will ever have a shred of evidence of whatever happens to you."

"You are threating me." Genevieve managed to squeak, scared.

"I am." Juvia didn't hesitate to answer. "You are warned; it better not be a next time, Genevieve Saville, if you know what is best for you."

Juvia turned to leave and nodded towards Cana, who was glaring at Genevieve (Juvia suspected the younger Hufflepuff would get a lecture from Cana), her friends didn't dare to look at Juvia and Rufus was looking at her and grinning, arms crossed over his chest and he tipped his head in acknowledgement but Juvia ignored him.

She needed to see Gray.

Lucy had to jog to keep up with Juvia, who was being very fast on her feet. She needed to see her Gray-sama, needed to kiss him and hold him.

"Wow." Lucy said from beside her. "I am so used of seeing you being nice I forgot how truly terrifying you can be."

Juvia held her chin up. "No one messes with the people I love. No one." She spared a glance at Lucy. "Especially Gray-sama."

"Copy that." Lucy nodded and then stayed quiet until they reached the door of the infirmary. "Juvia. Juvia, stop." Lucy grabbed Juvia by the wrist and the blunette stopped, impatient to see her boyfriend. "Just a second, let me tell you something and then you can go cuddle with Gray, okay?" Juvia sighed but nodded. "Gray... is complicated but you understand him in a way even me, even someone who has been his friend for six years, can't. I wouldn't have thought of what you told Genevieve about just now and this shows how deep you got to breach his barriers and I couldn't be happier." Lucy put her hands on Juvia's shoulders and smiled at her. "I want you to know that even if the whole world is against you two being together for whatever reason, I will always have your back, okay? I want both my friends to be happy."

Juvia's eyes started to water with the words she hadn't been expecting at all. "Thank you."

"Come here." Lucy gave her a hug for a few moments and then let her go. "Now let's go inside so you can see him, he'll need some comforting."

#

He was awake when she pulled the curtain of the bay he was in and he looked at her, guiltily and Juvia's heart ached with the sight.

"We'll leave you two alone." Lucy said and waved to Natsu and Gajeel so they would follow her, which they did and Juvia stepped close to her boyfriend's bed.

"I'm sorry." He told her and Juvia shook her head.

"It wasn't your fault, don't worry." She told him and she made to lie by his side – Gray slid away to give her space and she lied on her side, her head on his shoulder and Gray's arm around her shoulder. "How did she get you to take the potion?"

He groaned in annoyance. "She was offering cupcakes to everyone and they all were fine when they ate it, I accepted to not be impolite. I guess mine was the special kind." His face darkened. "I should go have a talk with her."

"No need. Juvia already did."

"Oh, Merlin." Gray looked down to his girlfriend, concerned. "Do I need to help you bury a body? Or find you an alibi?"

"No." Juvia told him. "She is still in one piece, alive and breathing."

"Really?" He frowned and looked down at her in confusion. "I would have killed the guy who did this to you; or at least punch him a few times."

"Don't worry about her, Juvia made sure she knew what would happen if she tried this again." The Slytherin told him. "But... Gray-sama... she told Juvia she did this because she thinks Juvia had given you a Love Potion herself."

"Bloody fucking hell." Gray said annoyed. "This got out of hand."

"Yes." Juvia agreed. "We should've kept hiding this, look what happened to you."

"No." He said, decisively. "We don't get to hide our relationship to make them feel better or comfortable. We have every right to date as anyone else has. No one but myself will dictate who I can or cannot be with and as it happens, I want to be with you and you want to be with me so they all can sod off."

Juvia didn't have words to how she felt at the moment, seeing Gray so keen to protect their relationship so she just put her hand on his cheek and gave him a sweet kiss and he sighed.

"I need to set some things straight as soon as I can."

Juvia was about to tell him it could wait when Polyuska opened the booth's curtain and told them Gray could go and gave him orders to eat well before going to sleep – he'd probably have deep sleep that night once he was in his own bed and he needed a full stomach.

Knowing the banquet was already over, Juvia decided to take Gray to the kitchens before she let him go to the Gryffindor Tower. It had been a very eventful day.

#

The Library was usually a very nice haven to whoever needed some time to themselves but that afternoon, Juvia was feeling as if she were in exhibit: everyone seemed to be looking at her. Apparently, one of Genevieve's friends had babbled out about what happened two days before and everyone thought Juvia was crazy.

Great.

She was about to tell the person who sat next to her to leave – she had a scroll to deliver the next day before the Last Task – when she noticed it was Rufus and she sighed in relief – she liked him and he distracted her enough so she could ignore her surroundings.

"I had no idea you were so... ferocious." His accent was charming and Juvia's lips curled up a little. "That girl was ready to faint." He chuckled.

"Sorry you had to see that." Juvia put her quill aside. "She did give Gray-sama a Love Potion, though."

"Oh, no, she totally deserved that." Rufus told her, waving her concerns off. "I was expecting some hair pulling but you kept it as classy as it could be. Nice."

"It wasn't classy." The blunette rolled her eyes.

Rufus raised an eyebrow. "You bitch-slapped her without even touching her: that is class. If someone had given Johann a Love Potion, I would've, at the very least, hexed the person."

"Juvia wanted to hex her." She mumbled. "I wanted to... urgh. But I fought those urges, Gray-sama wouldn't have liked for Juvia to do that but if she repeats the same mistake again, oh, she's going to answer to me." Maybe she sounded a little bloodthirsty, but Rufus didn't look judgmental at all about it.

"I hear you. Next time, she's a goner." He chuckled. "I've heard some rumors since I found out you were a pupil of a Death Eater a couple of years ago."

"Oh, god." She moaned in annoyance. "Juvia wasn't a pupil, she was a part of a Dueling Club and our teacher was a former Death Eater, yes. Doesn't mean he taught us about dark magic, just techniques to improve our duel skills."

"And that's why most people are afraid of you." Rufus affirmed. "You and your friend, Gajeel, wasn't it? I heard you two were the most talented."

"People talk a lot." She pointed out, dodging the question.

Rufus smirked. "I'll take that as a yes, then. We should duel someday." He smiled her way, trying to charm her and Juvia rolled her eyes with it.

"If you want to duel someone, I'm free." Juvia was surprise to hear Gray's voice and even more surprised when he greeted her by leaning and giving her a peck on the lips – usually she was the one to initiate such contacts. "You should get going, Rufus. Juvia and I have a scroll to finish."

"Of course, Fullbuster." Rufus chuckled. "Talk to you later, Juvia." He winked at her and she knew he was trying to annoy Gray and she sighed – boys were so silly.

Once Rufus had left their table, Gray finally sat by her side, clearly annoyed. "I don't know why you still talk with him."

"Juvia told you he is nice, you should see for yourself."

"I won't. Every time he's around you he's all smiles and flirts and I just can't." Gray mumbled to himself. "I see how girls giggle when he walks by them."

Juvia couldn't help it but to chuckle and lean towards her boyfriend. "Don't worry, Juvia only giggles over you."

"Good." His own lips curled up and she was going to kiss him when she caught some people staring at them with looks of disgust in their faces.

She could handle to be sneered at, she had been receiving those looks all her life; she was an orphan, a mudblood, an outcast, but Gray... he didn't have to live with that so she pulled away before their lips could meet.

"We... should finish homework." She whispered and her attention returned to the scroll in front of her and she got her quill back.

Gray frowned, confused to her change of heart until he caught some of the people looking at them. "Okay, this stops now."

Eyes widening as he got up, Juvia grabbed his hand so he could sit back down but he ignored her.

"Alright, listen up." He said loudly, breaking the silence of the library. "I couldn't help but to notice how some of you are looking at us and I just want to tell you all to shove it." Juvia groaned internally – sometimes her Gray-sama wasn't too graceful with words. "Yes, it is a Gryffindor and a Slytherin dating and the bloody sky isn't falling on our heads. What, do you think she's the embodiment of evil?" She asked a couple of older Gryffindors. "You think we should hate each other because two old men did so a thousand years ago? We are not just the traits of our Houses. Do you even know her? So what if she knows what she wants and go for it? So what if she can be fierce and if she wants to be the best? Do you know what she is as well? She is braver than some Gryffindors I know, wiser and many Ravenclaws and as kind as Helga Hufflepuff was. I can be a selfish idiot, I want to win all the time and sometimes I don't think before I act and I get into big messes because of it. So what? We are not just what our Houses value; we are our own people.

"And you." He turned to a group of Slytherins. "Some of you think we shouldn't be together because I have pure blood and she doesn't and that's fucked up, I can't begin to tell you how ridiculous you are, but if you think this will end because of it, you are even crazier than I thought. If you don't think that and this is about Houses, I hope you heard what I said because this stops now." He scanned the room and everyone was looking at him. "I will not tolerate any weird looks and whispering. This is happening and you better get over it."

...and sometimes he knew exactly what to say.

Juvia looked at her boyfriend in wonder. He had never been so passionate in public – of course, they had kissed a few times but he never really spoke about it, expecting their actions to speak louder. No one ever stood up for her like that.

Oh, Merlin, she loved him so much she couldn't handle it.

"Mr. Fullbuster!" The librarian, Mrs. Yanto arrived, fuming. "This is a Library, a place of silence! Honestly, five points from Gryffindor. Honestly! You should leave."

"It's alright, Mrs. Yanto, I said what I needed to say." Gray started to get his things and Juvia did the same, a plan forming in her mind. Once he was done, he waited for her and they walked out from the Library, side by side and Gray was still angry.

"Those bloody idiots, ignorant people." He was still mumbling and Juvia grabbed his hand and pulled him to an empty hallway, pushing him against a wall. "Juvia? What-?" She didn't let him finish, locking their mouths together in an amazing kiss that left both of them breathless once they needed to separate their lips. "What's that for?"

"What you said." She kissed him again, quicker this time. "That was amazing." She kissed him again. "I can't believe you did that." Another kiss. "People will be talking about this for a while."

"Good." He said between kisses. "It means my message will reach everyone."

Juvia smiled into the kiss and said on his lips. "Let's go to the Come and Go Room." Gray made a confused sound so she explained. "You just told all of Hogwarts to shove it about our relationship. Juvia found out she thinks it's very hot."

It amused her so much to see his cheeks get red so quickly and how breathless he became.

"It's... it's the middle of the day." He told her, as if she wasn't aware.

"Juvia knows." She giggled, feeling so happy she was afraid she was dreaming. "Come on. We can finish that scroll later."

"Alright." He mumbled and let her grab his hand and lead him.

She looked over her shoulder and smiled, receiving a small smile in return.

Four days later, at that exact time, she was certain she was going to die.

#

AN: So... a bit of a cliffhanger. Sorry.

I know I said we would return to plot this chapter, but I needed to get a scene off my chest, it was one of the first I thought about and one of the main reasons I placed Juvia in Slytherin. We are not just one quality or two; people are much more complex and I'm trying to explore that. I hope it was alright.