Consequences
Juliet woke up with a pounding headache, her body heavy as if she'd been hit by a Bludger. The room was dark, the heavy curtains around Pansy's bed blocking out any light, and for a moment, she was disoriented. Her eyes blinked open slowly, and that's when she felt it — the weight of Viktor Krum beside her, his arm draped lazily over her waist.
Her heart jumped in her chest, panic instantly surging through her veins. Juliet glanced around, realizing with horror that she was in Pansy's bed. She looked down at herself — completely naked beneath the sheets.
"Oh no..." she whispered under her breath, her hands shaking as she sat up, the memories of last night a blur in her mind. She remembered the party, Viktor's smoldering eyes, his thick accent, his hand on her waist — but then, nothing. Everything after that was a blank.
Her head throbbed as she stood up carefully, pulling the sheets around her as she tiptoed to grab her clothes. Viktor was still asleep, snoring softly. Juliet bit her lip, her heart racing as she tried to piece together what had happened, but it was like trying to catch water with her hands — slippery, impossible to hold onto.
The realization of where she was and who she was with crashed over her. Pansy was going to kill her.
With a quiet, shaky breath, Juliet slipped into her clothes, wincing at every rustle and movement. The last thing she wanted was for Viktor to wake up, adding to the already humiliating situation. She hurried out of the dormitory and made her way down to the common room, her mind racing with the possible fallout.
As she descended the stairs, Juliet was hit by a wave of nausea — not from the remnants of her hangover, but from anxiety. She had to face Pansy. And if Pansy knew— no, Juliet thought, when Pansy found out, there would be hell to pay.
When she reached the common room, she froze. Sitting there, clearly waiting for her, were Pansy, Blaise, and Draco. Their eyes locked onto her the second she stepped foot into the room.
Pansy's face was twisted with fury, her arms crossed tightly over her chest as she glared daggers at Juliet. Blaise sat awkwardly beside her, his expression sympathetic but tense. Draco was leaned back against the couch, his face unreadable, but the sharpness in his eyes told Juliet he wasn't on her side today — surprise, surprise. Was he ever?
Juliet swallowed, her mouth suddenly dry. "Morning," she said, her voice weak.
"Morning?" Pansy spat, standing up so fast that the couch cushions bounced. Her voice echoed off the stone walls, instantly drawing the attention of the few other Slytherins lingering in the room. "Is that all you have to say after what you did last night?"
Juliet's heart pounded in her chest. "Pansy, I—"
"Do you even remember what happened?" Pansy interrupted, her voice cutting through Juliet like a knife. "Or were you so drunk that you don't even realize you and Viktor were in my bed?!"
Juliet winced. "I... I don't remember much, but I—"
Pansy's laugh was cold, humorless. "Of course you don't. Because you were too busy being the center of attention, as always. Every single time, Juliet. Every party, every event — it's always about you and what you want, and the rest of us are left cleaning up your mess."
Juliet's eyes flickered to Blaise for help, but he simply gave her a small shake of his head, signaling that there wasn't much he could do this time.
Draco, who had been silent up until this point, finally spoke, his voice calm but biting. "You really don't care about anyone but yourself, do you, Juliet?" he spoke, aiming to instigate further conflict in Perfect Little Juliet's life.
Juliet's stomach twisted at the accusation. "That's not true. I never meant to—"
"To what? Disrespect Pansy like this?" Draco cut in, his silver eyes hard as steel yet dancing with amusement. "You took advantage of her kindness. You always do."
Juliet saw right through him and what he was doing. He was purposely egging Pansy on and feeding her lies to go off of. She'd wished Pansy would speak to her privately and not in front of him, and everyone else for that matter. However, Juliet couldn't talk back to Draco that much — not since that night at the field party. She owed him one for not blabbing. As much as she wanted to tell him to back off, she tried her hardest to keep her mouth shut.
Pansy stepped forward, her anger bubbling over. "Do you know how humiliating it is? To walk into my own dorm and find you — and Viktor — on my bed?! You could've chosen any bed, Juliet. But no, you always have to make it about you. I've had it!"
Juliet opened her mouth to defend herself, but Pansy wasn't done.
"I'm sick of cleaning up after you!" Pansy continued, her voice rising. "Every time you throw one of your stupid parties, I'm the one picking up the pieces. You never think about how your actions affect anyone else. It's always just — Juliet Van Der Hart, the girl who gets away with everything because of her stupid family name!"
Several other Slytherins had gathered now, whispering amongst themselves, their eyes glued to the scene unfolding before them. Juliet felt the heat rising to her face, a mixture of shame and frustration building inside her.
"That's not fair," Juliet said, her voice barely above a whisper. "I didn't mean for any of this to happen. I don't even remember most of it—"
"That's the problem!" Pansy snapped, throwing her hands in the air. "You don't remember because you never care. You never stop to think about how your actions impact the rest of us. I'm your best friend, Juliet, and you treat me like I'm nothing!"
Juliet flinched, her heart sinking. "Pansy, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you."
Pansy scoffed, crossing her arms again. "Well, you did. And I'm done. I'm done pretending like it doesn't bother me."
Draco stood up, his gaze still locked on Juliet, a mocking smirk plastered all over his face. "You should've known better. But then again, you always think you can do whatever you want, don't you?"
Juliet's throat tightened, her eyes stinging with unshed tears. She looked around at the faces in the room — the people who had once looked up to her, now staring with a mixture of judgment and curiosity.
"I—" she started, but the words caught in her throat. She had nothing left to say.
Pansy shook her head, her voice quieter now, but still filled with anger. "Just... don't talk to me. Not until you realize how selfish you've been."
With that, Pansy turned on her heel and stormed out of the common room, leaving Juliet standing there, exposed and humiliated. Blaise gave her a small, apologetic look but didn't move to comfort her. Draco, meanwhile, remained cold and distant, playing with the idea of Juliet losing everything in his head. He scoffed a laugh but quickly muffled it upon looking at her.
Juliet stood there, frozen, as whispers filled the common room. She had always been able to charm her way out of trouble before, but this time felt different. This time, she had pushed things too far.