Man Up
Draco decided he needed to man up and ask Juliet out. The thought gnawed at him for days, especially since Cedric Diggory or Viktor Krum — or any other guy, for that matter — could swoop into her life at any moment. The idea of someone else getting close to her, especially when he had spent so much time watching her from afar, made his chest tighten with frustration. Juliet was never fully raw, never fully transparent. Drunk, high, faded— there was always something shielding her from being fully known. But then there were those rare occassions of sobriety, and Draco had always thought her wonderful.
Draco overthought everything. For days, he analyzed every move Juliet made. He watched her, careful not to be noticed. He couldn't help but be drawn to her unpredictability, even though he hated how much she disrupted his life. She was a mess, he told himself, over and over. A complete disaster. But it didn't change the fact that she was the most captivating person in the room no matter where she was. And it didn't change the fact that every time he saw another guy glance in her direction, his blood boiled.
He was still obsessing over his internal debate during Defense Against the Dark Arts, zoning out as the class droned on. His thoughts ran in circles — should he? Would she laugh in his face? Reject him? Was she worth the risk of bruising his pride? She probably was. Draco clenched his jaw. Juliet was never easy to read, and that only made him want her more.
Blaise nudged him sharply, breaking through his thoughts. "Oi, Draco," Blaise whispered, smirking. "You're staring at her again. What's the plan? You ever going to ask her out, or are you just going to keep sulking from afar?"
Draco's head snapped around. "Shut up," he hissed, glancing nervously to make sure nobody else overheard. "I don't know what you're talking about."
Blaise raised an eyebrow, looking highly amused. "Oh, come on, mate. It's obvious to everyone that you've got it bad for her. You think nobody's noticed? Please." He grinned wickedly. "What's the holdup? You're afraid she'll reject you?"
Draco's jaw tightened, his pride flaring at the accusation. "I'm not afraid of anything," he snapped, his irritation spiking. The last thing he needed was Blaise teasing him about this in front of everyone.
Blaise chuckled, clearly enjoying Draco's discomfort. "Right, sure. So, when are you planning on doing something about it?"
Draco's blood boiled. His decision was made in a split second — he wasn't about to let Blaise think he was scared of Juliet Van Der Hart. Pushing his chair back with a scrape, Draco stood up, shooting Blaise a challenging look. Without another word, he marched toward Juliet, who was gathering her things at the back of the classroom.
Juliet, half distracted by her own conversation with Pansy, looked up, surprised to see Draco standing in front of her. He had that familiar scowl on his face, but there was something different in his eyes this time—something intense, like he was bracing himself for something.
"Meet me in the common room on Saturday morning. Ten a.m.," Draco said, his voice firm and leaving no room for questions.
Juliet blinked, her brow furrowing in confusion. "What? Why?"
Draco didn't answer. He simply turned on his heel and strode away, leaving Juliet standing there, dumbfounded. Pansy, Blaise, Theodore, and Daphne, who had all witnessed the exchange, erupted into laughter as soon as he was out of earshot.
"Oh, Merlin!" Pansy gasped between laughs, clutching Juliet's arm. "Draco Malfoy just asked you out!"
"What?" Juliet's eyes widened, the confusion deepening. "No, he didn't. There's no way that was him asking me out — he was serious about something."
Blaise shot her a look, still grinning. "Serious, alright. He's serious about getting you alone. You know what that means, right? He's been ogling you for weeks now."
Juliet shook her head, still trying to process the abrupt encounter. "No, no. It's not like that. It's probably something else. Maybe it's... about the party accident," she muttered, recalling the incident Draco had stayed quiet about after that particularly chaotic night. Maybe he was holding it over her head, finally cashing in on the favor.
"Oh, please," Daphne chimed in, flipping her hair. "Draco doesn't ask girls to meet him alone on a Saturday unless he's interested. Trust me."
Pansy elbowed Juliet playfully. "So, are you going? I bet it's a date. He's probably been thinking about this for weeks. Look at you, making Draco Malfoy go all soft."
Juliet rolled her eyes, but deep down, the encounter left her unsettled. Could Draco really be interested? He'd never exactly been kind to her — quite the opposite, in fact. But then again, the way he'd looked at her recently...
"Whatever it is, I'll find out Saturday," Juliet finally said, brushing off the teasing with a forced laugh. She didn't want to entertain the idea of Draco asking her out — it felt too bizarre, too unlikely. But as she walked toward her next class, the thought lingered at the back of her mind. And no matter how hard she tried to brush it off, the idea of Draco wanting to spend time with her alone made her feel... something.
Something she wasn't sure how to handle.
The rumors spread like wildfire — Draco Malfoy had asked Juliet Van Der Hart out. Whispers echoed through the halls, students leaning into each other, eyes widening in disbelief, and stolen glances darting between them whenever Juliet passed by. Even the professors seemed intrigued. Juliet had overheard McGonagall and Snape talking in low voices just as she turned a corner by the Transfiguration classroom.
"It's quite unexpected, don't you think?" McGonagall had murmured, her sharp gaze flicking to Snape, who had replied with a disinterested grunt.
"Malfoy has always been... particular," Snape had said, though there was an edge of amusement in his voice that irritated Juliet even more.
She felt the weight of it all pressing down on her. The looks, the laughter — like everyone was in on some cruel joke that she hadn't been privy to. Was it really so ridiculous that Draco might like her? The thought made her stomach twist.
Was it that outlandish? Was it so laughable that Draco Malfoy, the cold, unyielding prince of Slytherin, could have feelings for her?
She tried to dismiss the idea, telling herself she didn't care what people thought. But the whispers gnawed at her.
Was she really such a mess? she thought bitterly, clenching her fists as she walked through the hall, her steps quickening. Was she really just some unpredictable party girl who couldn't keep herself together? The reflection stung more than she wanted to admit. She could still hear them, the rumors repeating over and over in her head.
"Draco? With Juliet? Yeah, right. Like he'd ever go for someone like her."
She wasn't a mess. She wasn't unpredictable. She wasn't just some ditzy blonde with a reputation for partying and substance issues... right?
Her mind raced, trying to push away the self-doubt that crept in. She wasn't just some girl who threw parties, who got drunk or high, who didn't care about anything. There was more to her. There had to be.
But the more she heard it, the harder it became to believe her own protests. It was as though the entire school had already made up their minds about her. Juliet Van Der Hart: the beautiful, rich, out-of-control socialite. Nothing more, nothing less.
The worst part? Deep down, she knew that Draco hadn't asked her out. That was absurd. He didn't like her. Draco Malfoy didn't want her. He had asked her to meet him for one reason and one reason only: to collect his debt.
The favor she owed him.
That's all it is, she told herself, forcing her thoughts into submission as she marched through the corridors. He's going to make me pay him back for keeping quiet about the accident. That's what this is all about. Nothing more.
Juliet shoved the thought down, buried it as deep as she could. She couldn't afford to entertain the idea that Draco Malfoy might actually be interested in her.