Remnants
The morning light seeped weakly into the dim Slytherin common room, its faint glow casting eerie shadows over the dark stone walls. Juliet lay sprawled across one of the green leather couches, her head pounding viciously from the night before. She felt like her skull was splitting in two, the memories of the previous evening blurry and disconnected. Detention with Draco, Theo saying something... what the hell even happened?
Her head throbbed harder just as she tried to piece it together.
She was on the verge of slipping back into a groggy, half-asleep state when the door to the common room burst open. A whirlwind of energy followed, and with it, the one person who could make even a hangover worse — Pansy Parkinson.
"Oh my Merlin, Juliet, you won't believe what just happened!" Pansy practically skipped over, her face lit up with glee, a stark contrast to Juliet's current state. Her voice, usually sharp and biting, was laced with the unmistakable sound of excitement, the thrill of some new, juicy gossip.
Juliet groaned, not ready to deal with whatever drama Pansy was about to unleash. She cracked open one eye, squinting at Pansy, who was practically vibrating with excitement. "What?" she croaked, barely able to manage even that.
Pansy, entirely ignoring Juliet's obvious suffering, plopped herself down beside her on the couch. She was practically bouncing in her seat as if she could barely contain the news she was about to spill.
"Draco and Theo!" she squealed, not even bothering to build up to the climax of her story. "Draco and Theo had a row this morning — and guess whose name came up?"
Juliet blinked, trying to process Pansy's words through the fog of her hangover. "My name?" she rasped, trying to sit up, but the pounding in her head made it feel like the room was spinning.
Pansy giggled, looking like she was about to burst. "Yes, Jules! Your name! They had an entire shouting match in the Great Hall, and it was all about you!"
Juliet frowned, confused and irritated. "What... what do you mean, about me?" she asked, rubbing her temples, trying to soothe the pain.
Pansy leaned in closer, eyes gleaming. "Well, apparently, Theo said something to you last night, and Draco just lost it. Right in the middle of breakfast! He starts accusing Theo of spreading lies about you—lies Juliet!" Pansy laughed, her voice dripping with amusement. "You should've seen Draco. He was fuming, practically turning red as he shouted at Theo in front of everyone."
Juliet felt a wave of nausea rise, both from her hangover and the information. "Wait... what did Theo say?" she asked, trying to remember anything from last night but coming up blank.
Pansy waved a hand dismissively, her tone light and playful. "Oh, you know, the usual. Apparently, Theo mentioned that Draco likes you — or something along those lines."
Juliet's eyes widened. "Draco likes me?" she echoed, incredulous.
Pansy let out a peel of laughter, clearly enjoying Juliet's shock. "I know! I nearly choked on my pumpkin juice when I heard. But Draco was so angry, like Theo had revealed some deep, dark secret. He kept insisting it was a lie, but honestly, darling, he wouldn't have gotten so worked up if there wasn't some truth to it."
Juliet sat up straighter, despite the ache in her head, staring at Pansy in disbelief. "Draco was angry about... me?"
Pansy's grin widened. "Oh yes. You should've seen the way he was glaring at Theo. He was practically daring him to say it again. Theo didn't even fight back — he just looked utterly confused the entire time, poor boy."
Juliet rubbed her eyes, trying to shake off the confusion and the lingering headache. "I don't... I don't remember any of this. What the hell did I say to Theo last night?"
Pansy shrugged, clearly unconcerned with the finer details. "Who knows? But whatever it was, it got Draco all riled up, and that's the fun part. You must've really gotten under his skin, darling."
Juliet scoffed, feeling a flicker of frustration mix with her confusion. "Draco hates me, Pansy. He's made that perfectly clear for years."
Pansy giggled again, nudging Juliet playfully. "Oh, I don't know about that. People say a lot of things when they're angry, but actions speak louder than words, don't they? And Draco losing it over Theo just mentioning your name? Sounds like something more than hate to me."
Juliet shook her head, still struggling to wrap her mind around the idea. "There's no way. He's just... Draco. He probably just needed an excuse to be a git."
Pansy smirked, folding her arms over her chest. "Mmm, sure. Keep telling yourself that. But I'm telling you, there's something more going on here. Theo didn't seem too happy about it, either. I think Draco might've struck a nerve."
Juliet leaned back against the couch, feeling utterly drained. "This is insane. Why would Draco care what Theo says about me?"
Pansy's grin was as smug as ever. "That's the real question, isn't it? Maybe he's been nursing a little crush all these years and didn't know how to handle it." She laughed again, clearly enjoying the idea.
Juliet groaned, burying her face in her hands. "Please stop. This is ridiculous."
Pansy cackled, clearly not planning on letting it go. "Oh, I live for ridiculous, darling. And this — this — is gold. Draco and Theo fighting over you? I can't wait to see how this unfolds."
Juliet groaned again, more loudly this time. "I don't even remember what happened. I was too—" She stopped herself, realizing that admitting to being blackout drunk wasn't exactly something she wanted to share with Pansy, not when Pansy would just spin it into more gossip.
Pansy, thankfully, didn't pry, just grinned wider. "Well, whatever you said or did, you've got Draco's knickers in a twist, and it's the most entertaining thing I've seen all week."
Juliet, her headache now compounded by the absurdity of the situation, flopped on her bed and sighed deeply. "Great. Just what I needed."
Pansy patted her on the shoulder, her tone mockingly sympathetic. "Oh, darling, you'll survive. And who knows? Maybe this whole mess will end up being more fun than you think."
Juliet shot her a look, not feeling particularly amused. "Somehow, I doubt that."
Pansy only laughed again, standing up and giving Juliet a wink. "We'll see, darling. We'll see."
With that, she twirled on her heel and sauntered off, leaving Juliet alone with her pounding headache, a dozen unanswered questions, and a deep sense of unease.