October, 1978

     Juliet Lupin loved October, or at least she did. She loved how the leaves turned orange, and how knitted cardigans and jumpers were more accepted, she loved wearing cute boots and having Halloween themed drinks. Autumn was her favourite season, despite her being a summer baby. Juliet loved wearing lots of layers and being warm, she also loved wearing mini skirts with her jumpers and claim that she has the right to — she did have the right to wear tiny skirts and not get touched or treated differently. It was a miracle that she didn't get sent to detention for the length of her skirt, a teacher had tried once but Juliet shamed him for acting as though fourteen year old boys had no self control — it was not her problem if they fail because of a pair of nice legs.

Carrie and Felix were indifferent about autumn. In their opinion there wasn't really a better season. Winter and autumn are cold, summer is barely a summer and spring was wet. Honestly, they forgot that the season even change. "Aren't you cold?" Carrie asked as they walked down to the town. Juliet shook her head — Carrie didn't believe her, but shrugged none the less. The ginger adjusted her muggle jeans and grey jumper, hugging her cloak closer.

"Can we go inside, I actually think my balls are freezing into my body."

Juliet looked at her friend. "Is it true your Willy shrinks when it's cold?"

"Wanna see." Carrie smacked the back of her childhood friend's head as he threw his arms over the girls. "I'm joking, I couldn't do that with my girls. You're like my annoying sisters. I think even they're less annoying than you two." Felix came from a big family, he was lucky to only have two sisters, twins a year older than him, but he did have about fifteen cousins despite only having like three aunties. His family really believed in "it takes a village to raise a child" and unlucky for him they all lived pretty close to each other in wales. A lot of his cousins were much younger, over half ranging from six months to nine years old, and the other few were much older than him. Christmas was very messy in the Greene household. "I just love my girls, you should know this."

"Wanker."

It hadn't taken Felix long to drag them into the three broomsticks. And get them all butter beer. The three were content in their silence as they drank their drinks. Felix's cape had been dappled over Juliet's legs in an attempt to stop her shivering. The girl had stupidly forgotten to put her leg warms on, and the thin tights were not saving her poor skin in anyway.

Juliet loved her friends. And they loved her.

"You heard about Remus Lupin?"

"My brother?"

"Oh shit yeh, apparently he's moved in with Sirius Black."

"No, they got a flat together because Sirius hasn't got much money since his family do not like him. But he's got a job or something, bar work I'm pretty sure. Remus wanted to get away from home but he's finally got a job, I'm so proud of him."

Hogsmead trips with the trip often led to them sitting in the three broomsticks, window shopping before going back to the castle. The trio weren't very wealthy — in fact, all three had been pretty far from wealthy and so window shopping had become their little get away; it was bad enough asking their parents to pay for their school supplies, let alone money for shopping.

Evan Rosier leaned against the cold wall chattering away to the honey haired girl in front of him. Despite the amount of times Juliet had told the blonde boy to go away, he did not listen. Evan loved to chatter, and sometimes there was no shutting him up — he was often curious or nosey, and sometimes it was a bit to much. Unlike the Black brothers, Evan didn't have girls twirling their hair every time he walked past, he didn't have a long line of girls that wanted to be his; and he never understood why Regulus ignored the girls who fluttered their lashes at him.

"Can you believe it?"

"I ca-"

"I wasn't finished, Juliet! Anyway, and then mum, well, you know what she's like, well you don't really, but you've heard enough. She's gone mad. Insane dad says. Pandoras married into a muggle born family. Bizarre, she wasn't so interested in him I didn't think, obviously she changed her mind. But, well you know what she's like, well, I suppose you don't. I really thought she'd have loved Barty, suppose they were just friends after all. He's devastated, says he doesn't know if she'll still be friends with him. Locked himself in the bathroom and everything. And well—"

Juliet nodded slowly, looking around for any sign of Regulus as the blond boy carried on speaking. She didn't mind listening to Evan, it eased her mind, made her own problems and concerns quite down. "What does this have to do with Regulus?"

"Oh right, I forgot. He's going to be late Greengrass wanted to have a private conversation, if you get my gist. So I came to make sure you wouldn't get kidnapped or murdered. I'm such a good friend." Evan mused to himself, grinning proudly with a nod. He shoved his hands in his trouser pockets, eyes focused on Juliet as she leaned on the wall opposite him. He never really understood why he had been so drawn to her in first year.

Juliet Lupin loved castles and fairytales and all thinks princess like. Her little eleven year old mind had been super excited to attend a castle for a school with her big brother. The same castle her father had once attended. She stood in the grand dining room, staring at the ceiling, it was beautiful. Candles hung from it, their flames flickering like stars. The night sky charmed onto it. It was a little overwhelming how grand the castle was, maybe growing up in a small tattered bungalow with very little money was the cause of the inability to understand how big Hogwarts really was.

A boy stood beside her, a blond giddy boy rocking back and forth on his feet. He stared at Juliet, eyes wide — she hoped with curiosity — a smile stretched on his face. "I'm Evan Rosier, pure blood." He whispered, turning his attention to and from the sorting hat.

Juliet's brows pulled together, head slightly tilted. Pure blood? Was that a condition. "Uhm, I'm Juliet Lupin, normal blood?"

Evan held his hand out, took hers and shook it in very quick exaggerated moves. "I hope I get Slytherin with my sister. The house is so cool, I mean my parents wouldn't want anything else. Well, maybe ravenclaw. But nothing else. What house will you get? I hope you're a Slytherin too, you're so cool already. I think we're gonna be best friends."

"Uhm, my brothers a Gryffindor, I don't really know what I want. Something good I hope." Juliet spoke, beginning to look at the floor. "Uhm, we can be friends. That could be nice."

Juliet had never expected to learn so much from that interaction. Evan soon became her bestest friend. She soon learned all the things about his family, how much he wasn't sure if they truly loved him and how quite odd and lovely his sister seemed. And Juliet learned that being a pureblood did not mean he had a condition — it was just something his parents had drilled into his head, she wasn't too sure why blood status mattered.