True Colours
The Slytherins sat in the chilly, dimly lit dungeon for detention, with the heavy silence hanging over them like a cloud. Cedric, who had been dragged into the mess alongside them, leaned back against the wall, trying to keep his thoughts clear. He was still grappling with everything that had happened — the accident, the lies, and especially Juliet.
Juliet, however, seemed completely unfazed by the whole ordeal. She sat across from Cedric, a sly grin on her face as she reached into her bag and quietly pulled out a flask and a small pouch. Blaise, Daphne, Pansy, and Draco exchanged amused looks as Juliet smirked, shaking the flask in front of them.
"Alright, who needs a drink?" Juliet asked, her tone light and playful, as if they weren't in the middle of a punishment for a near-fatal accident.
Cedric's eyes widened in disbelief. "Are you serious, Juliet? We're in detention because a student nearly died, and you think this is the time to party?"
Juliet shrugged, her eyes half-lidded as she unscrewed the flask cap. "It's not like sitting here sulking is gonna change anything. We're already in trouble, so we might as well have a good time, right?"
Cedric's face contorted with frustration, his jaw tightening. "This isn't a joke. Someone got hurt, and you're acting like none of it matters. Do you even care about anything?"
The room fell into an uneasy silence as the other Slytherins exchanged wary glances. Juliet's smirk faltered for a split second, but she quickly masked it with her usual bravado. "Relax, Cedric. I'm not forcing you to join in. If you want to sit there and be all righteous, go ahead."
Before Cedric could respond, Draco, who had been watching the interaction with growing irritation, cut in. "Get used to it, Diggory," Draco said coolly, his arms crossed as he leaned back in his chair. "If you want to stay in Juliet's life, this is what you're signing up for."
Cedric looked at Draco, his frustration boiling over. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Draco's pale eyes glinted with something cold and knowing. "It means Juliet's always been this way. Wild, reckless, doing whatever she pleases. She doesn't care about consequences, and she never will. And now you're finally seeing it for yourself."
Juliet shot Draco a sharp look, but he didn't flinch. He continued, his voice laced with sarcasm, "You're wasting your time if you think you're going to change her or make her see the world the way you do. It's not happening."
Cedric clenched his fists, feeling a mix of anger and disappointment well up inside him. "You don't get it, do you?" Cedric said, his voice steady but laced with frustration. "This isn't about changing her. It's about wanting her to care, to take responsibility for her actions. But you're all just enabling her."
Draco's lip curled into a faint smirk. "And you're just wasting your breath. She is who she is. Deal with it or walk away."
Juliet's eyes flickered between the two boys, her expression unreadable for a moment. Cedric's words stung more than she wanted to admit, but she buried the feeling deep down, hiding it behind her usual carelessness. She took a long swig from the flask, trying to shake off the discomfort crawling up her spine.
"I don't need saving, Cedric," Juliet said finally, her voice softer but still carrying that edge of defiance. "So stop trying."
Cedric stared at her, his heart heavy with disappointment, before shaking his head. "I take it back," he said quietly. "You are a trainwreck."
With that, Cedric turned away, choosing to sit in silence, distanced from the Slytherins and their antics. Draco watched him go, a flicker of something short of success passing over his face before he settled back into his seat.
As the others passed around the flask, joking and laughing, Juliet glanced at Cedric out of the corner of her eye, her chest tightening in a way she wasn't used to. For the first time in a long while, she felt something close to shame. But just as quickly, she shoved the feeling away and plastered on a smile, trying to convince herself that she didn't care.