Aftershock
The morning sunlight filtered through the cracks in the Astronomy Tower, casting a soft glow over the stone steps. Juliet stirred, feeling an unfamiliar warmth against her side. As she blinked awake, her vision still blurry from the night before, she realized with a start that she wasn't alone.
Draco Malfoy.
Her heart jumped in her chest as she found herself nestled in his arms, his head leaned back against the stone wall. She gasped, jolting upright. Draco stirred at the movement, but his eyes remained closed, his expression calm, almost peaceful. Juliet's mind raced as she tried to piece together the events of the night before. The last thing she remembered was being in the Astronomy Tower, drinking alone. But how had she ended up here, in Draco's arms, of all places?
Quickly, she scrambled to her feet, straightening her wrinkled clothes and wiping the smudged mascara from under her eyes. She glanced back at Draco, who was still half-asleep, his arms now loosely at his sides. The sight of him made her chest tighten with confusion, embarrassment, and something else she couldn't quite name.
Without another word, she hurried down the tower stairs, her footsteps echoing in the quiet morning. The further she descended, the more her thoughts raced. How had she ended up in his arms? Had he helped her? Why had he stayed with her? And why couldn't she remember a damn thing?
As she reached the entrance to the Slytherin common room, her jaw dropped. The place was a disaster. Broken bottles, overturned chairs, and torn banners littered the room. It was trashed beyond recognition, and for the first time, Juliet found herself wondering — who cleaned all of this up after her parties? She had never thought about it before, always assuming everything would be magically back to normal by the next day, but now... now it was inescapable. Someone had to deal with it.
Shaking her head, she weaved her way through the wreckage, ignoring the few groaning, hungover students still passed out on the couches. Her thoughts were still spinning, and she barely registered the destruction around her. Draco's face, the feel of his arms around her, the complete blank of how she'd gotten there — it was all she could think about.
She made her way up to the girls' dormitory, where Pansy Parkinson was lying facedown on her bed, groaning into her pillow. The smell of stale alcohol hung in the air, and Pansy barely lifted her head as Juliet walked in.
"Ugh, Juliet, I feel like death," Pansy mumbled, her voice muffled by the pillow. "I blacked out last night. First time ever. It was a mess. Who the hell spiked the punch? I can't remember anything."
Juliet gave a half-hearted nod as she sat down on her own bed, running a hand through her tangled hair. Normally, she would have joined Pansy in complaining about the aftermath of the party, but today she was too distracted to care. The image of Draco asleep next to her in the tower kept flashing through her mind, and she still couldn't figure out what had happened.
Pansy, sensing Juliet's lack of enthusiasm, finally lifted her head, squinting through her hangover. "What's with you?" she asked, her voice laced with curiosity. "You look like you've seen a ghost."
Juliet hesitated for a moment, biting her lip. "I... I woke up this morning in the Astronomy Tower. With Draco."
Pansy's eyes widened, and despite her hangover, she managed a small laugh. "With Draco?" she repeated, amusement dancing in her eyes. "What the hell were you doing with him?"
Juliet shook her head, still trying to process it herself. "I don't know," she admitted, her voice tinged with frustration. "I was drinking alone up there, and I guess I blacked out at some point. Next thing I know, I wake up, and he's there. I don't remember anything that happened."
Pansy let out a low whistle, sitting up a bit straighter now, clearly intrigued. "And you don't remember anything? Not even a little kiss, or maybe something more?" she teased, a smirk forming on her lips.
Juliet shot her a sharp look. "No, nothing like that. I just woke up, and he was there. That's it."
Pansy chuckled, leaning back against her pillows. "Sounds like someone had an eventful night. Maybe Draco's not such a cold-hearted git after all. Who knows, maybe he was actually trying to be nice for once."
Juliet frowned, unsure how to respond to that. Draco Malfoy — nice? The thought seemed ridiculous. And yet, why had he stayed with her in the tower? He could have easily left her there, and she would have never known. But instead, he had sat with her, stayed by her side through the night.
"Or maybe," Pansy continued, her smirk growing, "he's just as obsessed with you as you are with him."
Juliet's eyes widened in shock. "What? No! I'm not—he's not—"
Pansy burst into laughter, ignoring Juliet's flustered protests. "Oh, come on, Juliet. You two are practically magnets. You fight, you bicker, but somehow you always end up in each other's space. It's so obvious."
Juliet glared at her, but deep down, Pansy's words gnawed at her. She wasn't obsessed with Draco... right? It was true they clashed more often than not, but that didn't mean anything. She had been angry at him, disgusted by him half the time. But then why did it bother her so much that she couldn't remember what happened?
Pansy flopped back down on her bed, wincing from her hangover. "Well, whatever happened, I'm sure Draco's in a mood today. He always gets weird when he's around you. Maybe he's having feelings, huh?"
Juliet rolled her eyes, but the uneasy feeling in her stomach didn't go away. As much as she wanted to brush off Pansy's teasing, she couldn't shake the memory of waking up in Draco's arms — or the nagging question of why he had stayed.
"I guess I'll figure it out," she muttered under her breath, more to herself than to Pansy.
But for now, all she could do was try to piece together the fragments of the night — and figure out where things stood between her and Draco.