"Junie! Juniper!"

"Huh- wha-?" Juniper woke up with a start, blinking her eyes. Ow. She rubbed her head. Ow. Ow. Her face was all smushed on one side, and the skin on her left cheek was sticky with drool. There was a massive ink stain on the collar of her uniform shirt. Well, that was just perfect.

"Herbology's over," Leo nudged her, hoisting Juniper to her feet. "You have History of Magic in fifteen minutes. And I've got Astronomy."

Juniper yawned, "How long have I been out?"

"I'd say since you opened the textbook," Leo plucked out a quill that had nestled itself in her mess of curls. Seventh years didn't do anything but study now. They were supposed to use the extra time to prepare for N.E.W.T.S, but Juniper had been so so tired. And Herbology dissertations were so so boring.

"Brilliant," Juniper shouldered her bag, still groggy. She leaned on her cousin's shoulder as they walked down the corridor. Juniper could feel a massive headache coming on, and briefly wondered if she should duck down to the Great Hall for a spot of coffee. Her stomach made a loud growling noise at even the thought of the Great Hall.

Leo stifled a laugh, "Christ, what creature is living in there?"

"Shove off," Juniper grumbled. She was in no mood for this. She was cranky, hungry, and caffein deprived. That was a deadly triad. "I overslept and missed breakfast."

Victoire popped out from around the corner, Henry in tow. Her uniform was coated with a shiny pink substance. "Late night, darling?" Victoire's eyebrows waggled suggestively.

Juniper avoided the question with a question of her own, "What's with the new style choice?"

"Erumpent Potion gone wrong," Victoire waved her hands airily. Then she struck a pose, "Think I'm kinda rocking it though."

"As usual," Henry said, winking. He made his way over to Leo and kissed him on the cheek, slipping him a white paper bag. "Chocolate from Honeydukes. Vic and I ditched first period for Hogsmeade."

"Awww," Juniper cooed, then tried to swipe a piece from him. "Now gimme."

"No!" Leo smacked her hand away, holding the bag close to his chest. Leo protected chocolate with his life. "My boyfriend. My chocolate. Make your own boyfriend get you chocolate."

She narrowed her eyes, lowering her voice to the dangerous one she always used when she was mad at Teddy, "Leo I swear to god I'm going to eat you in the next five seconds if I don't get some caffeine."

"Damn," Victoire noted, "you really did have a late night."

Juniper nodded, "Yeah, I did."

"Oooh," Henry and Victoire shimmied their shoulder in sync, "steamy." At the exact same time, Leo said, "Ew, gross."

"Not that kind of late night," Juniper rolled her eyes, correcting them. Though she had had plenty of those, but— come to think of it, not lately. In fact, she barely saw Teddy these days.

He used to come by her dorm every night, or she'd come by his. But he hadn't, and every time she went over there he wasn't there. For instance, this morning Teddy usually would have woken her up, or at least grabbed her a scone and coffee when he realized she missed breakfast. They'd both been busy lately, she guessed. The end of the year was fast approaching, and everything seemed to be ramping up all at once.

At least, that was what Juniper hoped was the cause. There was that part of her, a suspicion that kept popping up in the back of her mind, that he was pulling away purposefully. It just— it felt like he was never around anymore. Not since, well— not since they'd talked about getting a flat after school together. This was exactly what Juniper had been afraid of. That she scared him off with the conversation. And now he was closing off.

No. No. She couldn't do that. He was busy. They were both busy. Between Quidditch and N.E.W.T.S and— life was busy. She had to stop overthinking things. That was what she always did, and it had nor worked out well for her in the past. So she hadn't seen him today, no big deal. They had Quidditch practice later, she'd see him then.

"Rory was up all night doing homework," Juniper explained tiredly. "It's hard to fall asleep with someone muttering counter curses."

"Again very sorry," Rory came up behind them, wincing. She handed Juniper a cup, however, "Coffee to make up for it?"

Juniper grabbed it happily, gulping it down so fast it scalded her throat. "I totally forgive you." See. Who needed a boyfriend to get her coffee? All she needed was her best friend. She continued down the hall with Rory, while Victoire, Henry and Leo headed in the opposite direction. Towards the Astronomy and Arithmancy towers.

"What do you have next, Ror?" she nudged the brunette, knowing that her class schedule was fuller than the Black Lake when it rained.

Rory threw her head back, "Runes. That class will be the death of me one day."

"No free?" Juniper's brow furrowed. "You didn't have a free period yesterday either."

"I know," Rory rifled through her bag, searching for her headband. She looked frazzled. Well as frazzled as Rory Wood could look. "I don't get as many because I'm taking four honors courses instead of three. And anyways, most of my frees are taken up by Head Girl duties."

"How do you have the time for anything?" Juniper shook her head in disbelief. Rory was constantly working, pushing, doing. She did it all. More than all.

"She doesn't," James said, slipping an arm around her waist. For Juniper's sake, he kissed her chastely on the lips, "Hi."

Rory  smiled, "Hi." Then she rolled her eyes, "Are you still upset about last night? I'm sorry. I had to finish my paper for Magical Theory."

He pouted in response, "I missed you, Wood."

"I missed you too. I— hey!" Rory was momentarily distracted as they passed a group of second years huddled in an alcove. "No fireworks in the castle, detention all of you!"

James murmured low in Rory's ear. But not so low that it spared Juniper the agony of listening, unfortunately. "You know how much I love it when you're bossy."

"Yeah?" Rory tilted her head coyly, teeth dragging lightly over her lower lip.  She played with the buttons of his dress shirt, "You know, I do have a little time before Runes...if you want to show me just how much."

James bent to kiss her, "I like the sound of that, Wood"

Juniper blinked very quickly. They weren't paying any attention to her anymore, completely absorbed in each other's mouths. She tapped her foot impatiently, "Guess I'll just walk to History of Magic by myself then." There was no response, as they continued to snog. Juniper sighed, "You're not even— you can't hear me anymore, can you?" Still no response. "Nope. I'm invisible." No response. "Okay," Juniper waved, "bye guys."

"Come on," Rory giggled, tugging on James's hand.

"A broom closet?" James smirked, turning the knob. They were greeted by two, exceedingly red fourth years, uniforms rumpled. "I think this one's occupied," he chuckled.

Rory's lips curved up into a mischievous smile, "Not for long." She indicated her Head Girl badge, "Get detention or scram, kids."

The poor, interrupted fourth years bolted out of the closet as fast as they could. Rory and James were laughing between kisses, shutting the door behind them.

James grinned broadly, "I love you."

"Less talking," Rory hooked her legs around his hips. "More kissing."

An invitation didn't get much better than that. James pressed Rory up against the wall, and she melted at his touch. A low groan rumbled deep from his throat as Rory ran her hands through his hair. She grasped at his collar, head knocking back when his mouth closed over her throat, traveling down across her collarbone.

While Rory and James were kicking snogging teenagers out of closets so that they could snog, Juniper was steadily making her way to class. Alone. By herself. Since her friends had abandoned her. Okay she was being dramatic. It was a minor inconvenience. A hardship of being the only one who didn't drop the course this year. She missed Teddy. That wasn't related, but she did. She missed him.

Thankfully, she spotted him coming out of the Charms classroom. Perfect. Teddy could walk her to class. "Teddy!" she called, beckoning him over. "Lupin!" Wait— who— who was that he was talking to? Juniper didn't recognize her. She wasn't a Gryffindor that was for sure.

The mystery girl was blonde. But not platinum like Vic's, a sort of amber colour, long and shiny. Yellow tie, she was a Hufflepuff. Juniper still could not place her name. Teddy appeared to know her though, from the way she was laughing. And touching his shoulder.

Juniper felt the sudden urge to hurl. The girl wasn't not pretty, either. Round, pale eyes and bee stung lips. Waif thin too, looked as though a slight breeze could blow her away. Who was she?

"Lupin!" Juniper called again, trying desperately to ignore the growing anxiety in the pit of her stomach.

He finally registered her voice, snaking his way through the throng of students to her. Oh. The blonde girl was following. Huh. "Hey, Junie," Teddy greeted, "what's up?"

"Rory and James ditched me," Juniper pooched out her bottom lip. "Walk me to class?"

"Sorry trouble," Teddy shrugged, squeezing her hand. "Can't, I've got detention."

It seemed like he always had detention these days. Juniper did her best not to be too disappointed, or at least, not let her disappointment show. "Oh— well, then I'll see you at practice. I was thinking maybe after you and I could—"

"I actually can't go to Quidditch today," Teddy cut her off. He scratched his head sheepishly

"What?" He couldn't go to Quidditch? Was he avoiding her? It really really felt like he was avoiding her.

"Well—" he started to explain himself.

"We have this really big Charms project due," the blonde girl piped up helpfully. "Flitwick—"

Juniper gritted her teeth, bristling at the interruption. "Sorry, who are you?"

"Er- Britta," she answered, introducing herself. "Nice to meet you. Teddy's been really helpful in class. He's so good at Charms."

"Has he?" Juniper swallowed her insecurity. Inhaling deeply to prevent herself from curling her fists. "Fun."

"You're James's sister, right?"

If there was one thing Juniper hated most in the world it was being referred to as James's sister. She had a name! Her temper had almost reach it's boiling point, about to explode. Teddy recognized that and moved to scramble out of the situation. "I gotta go, Potter." He pecked her on the forehead, "Bye."

"Bye," she said to his retreating back. Juniper's nails dug into her palm. "I love—" he had already disappeared, Britta in tow. Guess he wasn't too busy to walk her somewhere.

She couldn't believe he'd given her a kiss on the forehead. Like she was a sick child, or a pet. Britta's words echoed over and over again in her head, all through History of Magic. So many times that they took on a new meaning. Was he— could he be— Juniper didn't want to even think it.

What if he was? Juniper felt like Juniper one year ago, making herself sick imagining who he could be with. What he was doing when he wasn't with her? Wondering why she wasn't enough. Why she couldn't be enough for him. It had hurt so much. She never wanted to feel like that again. Never. Her old wounds had closed over, but they were still there. And with the past few weeks, Teddy's absence, they were starting to open back up.

What if he was running away from her? What if she wasn't enough anymore?

She was wrong, wasn't she? She had to be. She had to be wrong.

Juniper wasn't wrong.

Teddy had been avoiding her. On purpose. He'd been avoiding her since he'd gotten that package. Since that night, he'd received six others. All threats to Juniper's life. Sometime they includes body parts. Sometimes bits of fur from the pack.

Greyback had marked the last one. The threats had been escalating, detailed into what the could do. Would do. Wanted to do. They gave him ultimatums. The next full moon was approaching. Teddy knew they had to have something planned. He could sense it. They were coming closer, closer to Hogwarts. He smelled her for the first time in a year last week. He smelled...him. The man who'd bitten his father.

Teddy had to protect her. He was sure of that. It was the only thing he was sure of. He'd been stupid. So stupid. To think— for even a moment, that he could be normal. That he could be in a relationship. He was a ticking time bomb, he'd always known that. Dangerous, and now he was about to explode. All Teddy could do was get Juniper as far away from the blast zone as possible.

He was hurting her. But he was hurting her because he had to save her. It was the only way.

The only way.

"It's like— it's like— I don't know!" Juniper collapsed on her bed. She was currently venting to Rory. "Something is off. I know it!"

Rory rubbed her back soothingly, "I'm sure everything is fine, Junie."

"Ugh!" Juniper buried her face in a pillow and screamed out of frustration. "He said he wasn't freaked out, but obviously he lied because he's definitely freaked out!"

Rory was valiantly attempting to catch up with Juniper's rambling. In her defense, it had been a lot of incoherent mumblings and moans. "About living together? You told me he was on board."

"He said he was, but now he's acting weird!" Juniper exclaimed, lying in Rory's lap. "I freaked him out! I knew it. I knew I shouldn't have brought it up. And now he's pulling away from me and he always has detention— or— or that stupid Charms project— and then there's Britta—" Juniper stopped herself short. Britta was the one thing she wasn't supposed to be thinking about. Because Teddy couldn't. He couldn't have. He promised. And the more she thought about it— the more likely it seemed that it had happened.

"Britta?" Rory frowned. "Who's Britta?'

"No one," Juniper replied. "It doesn't matter." But it did. It mattered so much. Her slip of tongue had caused Rory's intuition to go on high alert. Juniper could see her starting to figure out what was really bothering Juniper. And Juniper couldn't— she couldn't handle that right now.

Rory would want to talk about it. And then it would be real. It would be real. And Juniper couldn't let it be real.

"I think," Juniper stood up abruptly, "I think I'm going to get some air."

"Juniper—"

But Juniper hustled out the door before Rory could catch her. A thousand thoughts plagued her brain, images too. It was all she could think about. Flashing like blinding lights. Teddy not coming in til past midnight. Teddy not in his bed one morning when she'd gone in to borrow a sweater from Leo. Britta, tossing her blond hair as she laughed, pushing Teddy's chest teasingly. Britta and her minuscule waist, Teddy's hands around her waist. Teddy's lips on hers. Britta and Teddy—

Stop!

Stop. Juniper just wanted it to stop. Because her wounds were open now, wide open and raw. And it hurt. It hurt to love him so much.

She was in the courtyard now. Freezing because she'd forgotten her coat, but she didn't even notice. She couldn't do this anymore. It was physically taxing on her body, her mind, everything. Everything hurt.

Juniper sat down in the snow, covering her face with her hands. She breathed in and out, in and out. She need to calm down. She had to keep a level head. None of this was helping. She rocked back and forth slowly, exhaling in short white puffs of air.

"Hey, are you okay?" Juniper felt a hand on her shoulder and glanced up. She wished she hadn't. "Can I do anything for you?" Britta asked, grey irises filled with concern.

Juniper wrenched away from her, leaping to her feet. Her veins burned with rage, hot coils of pent up anger sparking inside her. She lashed out, "Can you stop shagging my boyfriend?" Juniper spun on her heel and stalked away, a stunned Britta trailing after her.

"Wait— no, wait— wait!" Britta said frantically, jogging to catch up with a fast moving Juniper. Juniper was having none of it. There was no way she was going to hear this girl out. She couldn't say anything that wouldn't make Juniper angrier  "Oh my merlin— wait- you have to listen to me. Please let me—" she reached out for Juniper's arm to hold her back.

Juniper snapped, "I'm not going to— I don't even know why you're trying to—."

"Please you have to— you have to listen to me," Britta pleaded, blocking Juniper's path. "Okay? Just hear me out. Please. I'm not— Teddy and I are not—" Juniper crossed her arms, nostrils flaring. "I flirted with him. I-- I flirt with him," Britta bit her lip nervously, gaze downcast. "I know I do. But I flirt with everyone— it's not. It doesn't mean anything. I would never— you're together. I would never.  I— I have a boyfriend, you can ask him, you can—"

"Just— stop. Stop talking," Juniper could feel a lump building in the back of her throat. Stupid. Stupid. She was so stupid. "I— just— just— I'm sorry. I shouldn't have assumed. I— I have to go."

Britta's voice carried as Juniper dashed away, "I swear I didn't— I swear."

What was happening to her? Why was she like this? This was not her. This insane jealous person. That wasn't Juniper. Sh'e concocted some outlandish story in her head and had actually been daft enough to believe it. God— she was losing it. She was absolutely losing it over him.

She ran through the halls, heart beating a mile a minute. She kept her focus on the ground, not caring where her feet were taking her. Running was a welcome distraction. Running away from everything. All her problems. It felt nice. Maybe that's why Teddy did it so much.

"Whoa!" Unfortunately she ran smack dab into the main course of her problems. Of course. Just her luck. "Where's the fire, Junie?"

Well, now was her chance. She finally had him alone. And she was not letting him run off this time. It didn't solve anything. No more excuses. "Teddy I need to talk to you," she burst out, straight to the point. Whatever, screw subtlety.

Teddy's demeanor shifted. He looked away from her, not making eye contact. "Maybe later? Because I actually have—"

"Detention?" Juniper was not letting him get away with it this time. They had to talk. She had to talk to him. She was going mental without him. "Or a Charms project? Or homework? Or you have to go to the library? It's always something, Teddy."

"Juniper can we not do this, right now?" Teddy shuffled his feet, still refusing to meet her eye. "I have to—"

"You have to talk to me, Teddy!" Juniper cried, chest rising and falling rapidly. "You have to talk to me because I'm driving myself crazy not knowing— I'm going crazy not talking to you. You have to— you have to tell me what's going on. Please. Because I feel like I'm losing you— and— I just— I'm going crazy." She let out a short, wry laugh. Making light of the situation. "And I know I'm going crazy because— god," she laughed again, "that girl Britta in your Charms class? I accused her of sleeping with you, and—"

Finally Teddy's hazel eyes locked with hers, head whipping around, "You what?"

"I know," Juniper ran a hand through her hair. She still couldn't believe she'd thought— ugh so embarrassing. It was funny, really. "And I'm sorry— I know you would never, but see this is why you need to talk to me! Because otherwise I think things like that, which is horrible because I trust you. I do. I—"

"I didn't sleep with Britta," Teddy stated, mouth in a firm line.

"I know." Juniper felt horrible. She shouldn't have doubted him. He promised her. Teddy kept his promises. Always.

"I didn't sleep with Britta," Teddy repeated. "But I did sleep with someone."

Juniper's smile fell off her face. Her heart sunk down, down, down. "I— what? What do you mean you—?"

"I cheated on you, Juniper."

so...yeah...

i'm evil i know

also cliffhanger alert!!!!!

the ANGST is back baby

what happens next you ask?

nothing good i can tell you that much

MWAH!

ranting—————————————————>

I GET TO MAKE A RANTING ARROW AGAIN!!!!!

never been happier

xxxxx

-coco