Astronomy
Draco climbed the narrow staircase to the Astronomy Tower, each step ringing out in the empty hall. The air was cooler up here, the noise from the party below nothing more than a distant hum. He needed to get away, to think, to breathe without the suffocating presence of every Slytherin trying to one-up each other in a sea of liquor and superficial praise.
The door creaked open as he stepped onto the tower platform, expecting the usual silence, a chance to be alone. But instead, he stopped short. Juliet Van Der Hart was already there.
She leaned against the stone ledge, a bottle of firewhiskey dangling loosely from her hand, half-empty, her long blonde hair cascading down her back in messy waves. She looked out over the grounds, oblivious to his presence. The party girl of Hogwarts, alone with her drink. The sight almost made him laugh in disbelief. Of course, she'd come here. Why wouldn't she? She was everywhere he didn't want her to be.
Annoyance twisted in his chest, and Draco closed the door behind him with a sharp click, the sound startling her. Juliet glanced over her shoulder, her expression unreadable, though her eyes were already glassy with alcohol.
"What are you doing up here?" Draco asked, his voice cutting through the night air like a blade.
Juliet shrugged, turning back to the view. "Same as you, I expect," she said, her tone thick and lazy, as though the firewhiskey had melted away any care she might have had. "Trying to get away from the idiots downstairs."
Draco scoffed, taking a few steps toward her, his arms folding over his chest. "It's your party," he sneered. "And here you are, hiding. Can't even handle the one thing you're supposed to be good at, can you?"
Juliet's lips curled into a smile, but there was no warmth in it. "Maybe I'm just tired of it," she replied, her words slurring as she swayed slightly. She took another swig of the firewhiskey and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.
Draco's eyes narrowed as he watched her. "Tired of what? Being the center of attention? That's new. I thought you lived for this," he taunted, his voice biting. "Maybe it's because the crowd's starting to see through you."
"Or maybe I just wanted a moment to myself," Juliet shot back, her voice sharper now, though still unsteady. She turned around to face him, leaning heavily against the ledge, the bottle dangling from her fingertips. "What's your excuse, Malfoy? Couldn't handle being the king of your little party down there?"
Draco's jaw tightened. He hated that she could so easily turn his words back on him, hated that she made everything sound trivial when it came from her lips. "I'm not the one who throws a party and then hides like a coward when it gets too loud," he spat, his eyes flicking to the bottle in her hand. "Though I shouldn't be surprised. You're always running away from something, aren't you?"
Juliet's eyes darkened at that, but she said nothing, just brought the bottle back to her lips. Her silence only fueled Draco's irritation.
He stepped closer, his voice low and biting. "What is it, Juliet? Trouble in paradise? Or are you just upset that no matter how much you drink, you're still the same spoiled brat you've always been?"
She laughed then, but it wasn't her usual carefree sound. It was bitter, cold, the kind of laugh that grated on his nerves. "You think you know me, don't you?" she said, her eyes locking with his, the challenge clear. "You think you've got me all figured out. But you don't, Draco."
"I know enough," he snapped, his fists clenching at his sides. "I know you're just like your bloody party. A facade. All noise, no substance."
Juliet's smile faltered, just for a second, and Draco caught it. That brief flicker of something real beneath the alcohol-induced haze. But it vanished just as quickly as it came, and she shrugged, turning her back to him again.
"Maybe you're right," she murmured, her voice softer now, almost too soft to hear. "Maybe I am just noise."
Draco frowned, caught off guard by the sudden shift in her tone. He expected her usual banter, her haughty attitude, the carefree Juliet who never gave a damn about anything. But this? This was different. And he didn't like it.
"Why are you even here, Juliet?" he asked, his voice quieter now, though the edge remained. "Shouldn't you be downstairs, basking in your own glory?"
She didn't answer immediately. Instead, she stared out at the night sky, the firewhiskey bottle hanging limply from her hand. After a long silence, she spoke, her words barely above a whisper. "Sometimes... it's easier to just be alone."
The vulnerability in her voice unnerved him, made him want to lash out, to break whatever strange spell had fallen over them. This wasn't the Juliet he knew. The Juliet he knew didn't get vulnerable. She didn't admit things like this.
"And yet, you're never alone, are you?" Draco said, his voice hardening again. "You always have people around you, don't you? Adoring you, fawning over you. You've got the whole school wrapped around your finger."
Juliet's shoulders tensed, but she didn't turn around. "Yeah," she said, her voice hollow. "Isn't it grand?"
Draco scoffed, taking a step closer, closing the distance between them. "Pathetic is more like it."
She finally turned to face him again, her eyes sharp and filled with something darker than before. "Why do you care, Malfoy?" she asked, her voice cutting through the air like a knife. "What is it about me that gets under your skin so much?"
Draco didn't answer right away. He wasn't even sure he had an answer. Why did she get under his skin? Why did he care? He hated her, didn't he? She was everything he despised — spoiled, reckless, selfish. And yet, here he was, standing in front of her, unable to walk away.
"I don't care," he finally said, his voice cold. "I just don't want you here."
Juliet laughed again, that hollow, empty laugh. "Well, tough luck," she said, her tone mocking. "Because I'm not leaving."
Draco clenched his fists, his patience wearing thin. "Fine. Then I will." He turned on his heel, storming toward the door, desperate to get away from her.
But as he reached for the handle, Juliet's voice stopped him in his tracks. "You know, Malfoy... for someone who says they hate me, you sure spend a lot of time watching me."
Draco froze, his hand on the door, the words hanging in the air like a challenge. He didn't turn around, didn't say anything. Instead, he opened the door and walked out, slamming it behind him.