Crystalized
Pansy was right—Draco was in a mood. The tension in the Great Hall was palpable that morning, at least for those who were paying attention. The usual Slytherin group sat together, chatting and laughing over breakfast, but something was different today. Juliet, normally the center of attention, was uncharacteristically quiet, barely touching her food. And Draco, who typically dominated any conversation with his sharp remarks, was equally silent.
They sat at opposite ends of the table, both avoiding eye contact but stealing glances when they thought the other wasn't looking. Every time their eyes met, there was a split-second of awkwardness before they both quickly looked away, as though the mere act of catching each other's gaze was something to be embarrassed about.
Pansy, ever the keen observer, couldn't help but notice. She nudged Juliet, a knowing smirk plastered on her face. "What is going *on* with you two?" she whispered, her tone dripping with amusement. "I've never seen it this awkward between you and Draco. Usually, by now, he'd have called you something awful, and you'd be throwing some snarky comment back. But today? It's been what, forty-five minutes? And nothing."
Juliet brushed it off, not wanting to feed into Pansy's gossip. "It's nothing, Pansy," she muttered, poking at her plate with her fork. "He's probably just tired or something."
"*Tired*?" Pansy snorted, barely holding back her laughter. "He's never too tired to insult you, darling. It's basically his morning ritual. You're telling me the boy who picks fights for fun suddenly can't come up with a single quip? Not buying it."
Juliet rolled her eyes, her lips pursed in frustration. "Can we not make a big deal out of this? It's just one morning. I'm sure he'll go back to being his usual prick self in no time."
Pansy grinned, clearly enjoying the situation far more than Juliet was. She glanced over at Draco, who was moodily pushing his food around his plate, and then back at Juliet. "Look at him," she whispered, her voice brimming with excitement. "He's not even pretending to talk to anyone. Just sitting there, brooding. And I swear, he hasn't looked at anyone except *you* since we sat down."
Juliet shifted uncomfortably in her seat, glancing down the table to where Draco sat. True enough, he wasn't engaged in any conversation with Blaise or Theo, who were busy discussing the latest Quidditch match. Draco's usual snide comments and smug arrogance were absent, replaced by a brooding silence that only added to the awkwardness.
Juliet shrugged, trying to act indifferent, though Pansy's words were starting to get under her skin. "He's probably just thinking about his precious Potions homework," she said, trying to sound nonchalant.
But Pansy wasn't buying it. "Please. Potions isn't what's got him in knots." She leaned in closer, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "I think he's avoiding you because of what happened last night. Whatever went down in the Astronomy Tower must have *really* messed with his head."
Juliet's face flushed at the mention of the tower. She still couldn't remember much of what happened after she started drinking, but waking up in Draco's arms had certainly left her feeling more unsettled than she wanted to admit. She glanced at Draco again, catching him stealing a glance in her direction before he quickly looked away, his jaw clenching.
"He hasn't said a single bad thing to you all morning," Pansy added, her voice filled with amused disbelief. "It's got to be some kind of record."
Juliet rolled her eyes, but she couldn't deny that Pansy was right. Draco's silence was unsettling. He was always quick to shoot a sharp comment her way, always ready with a sarcastic dig. But today? Not a word. It was as though he was deliberately avoiding her, which, in its own way, felt even worse.
"I'm sure he'll snap out of it soon," Juliet muttered, trying to downplay the situation even as the knot in her stomach tightened. She didn't want to think about what Pansy was suggesting—that last night had somehow gotten under Draco's skin. That he was feeling... what? Guilty? Embarrassed? Angry at himself? It didn't make sense.
Pansy just chuckled, leaning back in her seat and tossing her hair over her shoulder. "Oh, I wouldn't be so sure," she teased. "Something tells me this is far from over. If you ask me, this might be the calm before the storm."
Juliet scoffed, shaking her head as if to brush it all off. But deep down, she couldn't shake the feeling that Pansy was right. Something had shifted between her and Draco, something she couldn't quite understand. And as much as she wanted to pretend it didn't bother her, she couldn't stop thinking about it.
She cast another quick glance in Draco's direction, only to find him already looking at her. This time, neither of them looked away immediately, and for a brief moment, they just stared at each other, the unspoken tension hanging heavy between them.
Then, just as quickly, they both turned away, pretending as though nothing had happened.
But Juliet knew better. Something had happened. And whatever it was, it wasn't going away anytime soon.