Juniper woke up rather abruptly to four pairs of hands shaking her awake. After she'd fallen asleep last night, finally venturing back into her dorm after the Teddy/Selene trainwreck. She'd slept soundly for the first time in a while, Selene decidedly absent from their dorm. Juniper did not care why, and she hoped she didn't come back, because she was finally sleeping. A brief moment of peace from the onslaught of Selene and the agonizing emotions sorting through her mind regarding Teddy.

Which was why she wasn't taking kindly to being woken up.

"Mmph!" Juniper protested groggily, batting the hands away. She buried herself further into the covers, sandwiching herself between a mattress and a pillow over her head, "Leave me alone!"

Someone yanked the pillow off her head, Juniper suspected James, and Leo flung open the drapes, casting a blinding ray of morning light straight into Juniper's half lidded eyes. She covered her face in her hands, while Rory tried to drag her- unsuccessfully- out of bed. Finally, Charlie grabbed hold of her legs and pulled her off the bed, Juniper taking the duvet down with her as she fell in an unceremonious heap on the carpet.

Juniper moaned, poking her head up with a withering glare that could turn a person to dust. Her hair looked like a beehive, and one side of her face was still slightly smushed from sleep. That plus her obvious anger, made for quite the comical sight. But for some reason, no one was laughing. "You motherfuckers, " she growled through bared teeth, lunging for her brother, "I'm going to destroy-"

"Teddy's missing." James said, not a trace of humor in his tone. His eyes were full of worry, and Juniper knew then that this was not a prank.

She looked at each of her friend's faces, all serious, and a pit formed in her stomach. A growing dread enveloped her entire body as Rory helped her up to standing, "He's- what?" Her voice shook a little, and she was immediately embarrassed of it.

"It was full moon last night, he hasn't come back yet." Rory explained softly, and Juniper was so consumed with worry she didn't see when the brunette's hand slipped into James'.

"Madam Pomfrey checked the shack and everything," Leo continued, eyebrows lifting at Rory ever so slightly. "He wasn't in the infirmary this morning, or in our dorm. We thought we'd wake you up so you can help us look, or we could wait in the common room to see if he comes back..."

Leo's words became background noise as thoughts ran through Juniper's head a mile a minute. Teddy was missing. Teddy hadn't come back. Selene hadn't come back. What if Teddy was with Selene? Selene who just moments before Juniper had wished wouldn't come back.  What if Teddy wasn't coming back? It was all Juniper's fault, it was all her-

"Junie." A gentle tap on her shoulder. Charlie. "Junie, we're gonna go see if he's turned up in our dorm since we've been gone."

"Right," She murmured, dazed. "Right." Juniper nodded, trying to shake the worry away, and followed her friends out the door.

"I'm sure he's fine," Rory reassured, linking arms with Juniper. She turned to James, "Are you sure we shouldn't tell McGonagall? Or your dad?"

"Not if we don't have to. Teddy wouldn't like- he wouldn't want everyone knowing." James replied, downcast. Juniper knew he was feeling the same worry as her. Teddy had never just disappeared after a full moon. He was cagey usually, closed off, and standoffish, sometimes he didn't let them visit him if he had to go to the infirmary, but he had never disappeared.

Juniper knew it had to be connected to Selene. Selene was missing too. Teddy had to be with Selene. What if something awful had happened? Juniper flashed back to their last conversation, the hurt look on his face when she'd shifted away from him. That couldn't be her last conversation with him. It just couldn't. She was going to kill him if that was their last conversation. How dare he let that be their last conversation?

She wasn't allowed to be mad at him if he was dead! So unfair.

They swung open the door to the boys' dorm, hearts sinking when they found it as empty as when they had left it.

"Okay- so he's not in here," Rory took a deep breath, remaining calm for the sake of her friends, forever the anchor in a stormy sea. "That doesn't mean that he's not somewhere else, we could try the common room again. Charlie, Leo, why don't you guys head outside and look around the grounds?" She instructed decisively, gesturing to the two boys.

Charlie and Leo nodded, heading for the door.

James started to go with them but Rory held him back. "Wood- I should go with them I should do something!"

"I should go too- what if-" Juniper urged towards the door too, she couldn't just sit around and do nothing while Teddy could be out there.

"Junie..." Rory gave her a warning look, "The two of you are going to sit with me in the common room to see if he comes back."

"But-" James protested.

"Potter I swear to god, I'll give you detention. And I'll guarantee you'll be scrubbing Parkinson cauldrons for weeks." Rory said, arms crossed. "I'd listen to me if I were you." She arched an eyebrow, mouth settling in that classic Rory, don't test me, face.

A momentary light appeared in James's expression, the hint of a smirk creeping up his cheeks, "I do love it when you boss me around."

Rory rolled her eyes, "Is that a yes?"

"And you really love bossing me around don't you?" James stared at Rory, both of them forgetting that Juniper was even in the room.

"Idiot." Rory shook her head, cheeks taking on a rosy hue. The two gazed at each other for a long moment.

Juniper groaned, "For Chrissakes I can't deal with the flirting today." James grinned and Rory turned a shade of vibrant vermilion. "Yes hello, I'm still here. Remember me?"

Rory blabbered out a string of incoherence, brushing Juniper's smug look off as they headed to the common room. James, reveling in his victory, was relieved of his worry briefly. It returned all too quickly, the clock ticking slowly with no sign of the blond haired boy. Seconds passed, minutes, an hour.

Juniper dug her nails into the couch cushions, trying to keep the bad thoughts out of her mind. The what ifs. Beside her, James jiggled his knee up and down, anxious and on edge. Rory put a hand on his knee in comfort, but she was gnawing on the inside of her cheek, eyes darting to the portrait hole every two seconds.

Every time it opened Juniper's heart caught in her throat, hoping it would be Teddy. Or Leo and Charlie back, telling them that they'd found him- or... Juniper didn't want to think about or.

After a few more agonizing minutes, James couldn't take it anymore, "Maybe we should-"

"Hey guys." Teddy waltzed in, unconcerned, hand in hand with a gleeful Selene. Other than a small cut just below his left eyebrow, he looked fine, unharmed. Better than fine- he looked freer- more lighthearted than he usually was after a full moon. 

James leaped up from the couch and bear hugged Teddy with such force he nearly knocked him over, shoving Selene to the side. Juniper felt a little triumph at that, quickly squashed when James pulled away and Selene reclaimed her territory, marking Teddy with a slow, tortuous kiss, yellow eyes on Juniper.

"Whoa, mate." Teddy chuckled, caught of guard, "What was that for?"

"You didn't come back this morning." Rory told him, lips lightly pursed, "We didn't know where you were."

"Oh- er-" Teddy shifted from foot to foot awkwardly, "I was just with Selene."

"Of course you were." Juniper muttered under her breath, regretting every ounce of worry she'd wasted on him.  She should've known. "I can't believe-"

"I'm fine," Teddy shrugged, looking at his friends' faces in confusion.

"We were worried about you- we sent out a goddamn search party- we- ugh!" Juniper threw her hands up in exasperation, storming up the stairs to her dorm. She couldn't be here with him anymore, him and that vile girl. Selene who had slithered her way into his mind, making him forget about his true friends. "I'm going upstairs."

Juniper landed on her bed with a huff, praying to Merlin that Selene would not return for some time. She let out a scream of frustration.

"Erm- ow." Vivian came out of the bathroom, rubbing her ears. Shit. Juniper hadn't realized she was in here. "That was loud."

"That was what I was going for," Juniper scowled, rolling to her stomach so she could see Vivian.

"Let me guess," Vivian raised her eyebrows pointedly, leaning against the doorframe, "Something happened with Teddy."

"You know what, I'm really not in the mood for your judgment right now Vivian." Juniper snapped, for the first time in years using her friend's full name. "And I'm certainly not in the mood for you to defend that wretched snake again!"

"If you're talking about Selene, " Vivian replied cooly, "I am not anyone's side but yours Juniper. I'm looking out for your own best interest. And personally, I don't think you should dislike someone just because they stole your precious Teddy. I told you ages ago that-"

"Oh my god, SHUT UP!" Juniper shouted, and Vivian recoiled. "I am so sick of this I told you so bullshit. You can't control my feelings."

"No, I suppose I can't." Vivian said, very quietly. And without another word, the girl exited the room.

A month ago, Juniper would have gone after her. Hell, maybe even two weeks ago. Vivian was just so- different these days. Juniper barely recognized her best friend. And Vivian constantly withdrew herself, distanced herself from their entire group. On purpose.

Sighing, Juniper closed her eyes, allowing the peace of sleep to take her body.

When Juniper finally rose from her slumber, it was nearly nightfall, the stars winking at her outside the window. She rubbed her eyes, cramming her tangled hair into a bun. Juniper turned on the tap and splashed a bit of water on her face. She didn't bother changing out of her sweats, before padding down the stairs in her mismatched socks.

The warm glow of the firelight flickered in the common room, washing her friends in a soft orange hue. Teddy wasn't there, nor Vivian, Selene was absent as well though, on the brighter side of things. Juniper sat down on the armchair opposite her brother and a sleeping Rory, between Charlie and Leo.

"Have a nice lie in?" Charlie snickered at her disheveled appearance.

Juniper chucked a throw pillow at his head, "Shove off! Someone woke me up at an ungodly hour."

Charlie dodged the pillow, chucking one right back at her, "I remember. The highlight of my day was dragging your arse out of bed."

"Shh!" James out a finger to his lips sternly, doing his best not to move.

"Okay I know we were worried about Teddy and all but seriously- when are we going to talk about this?!" Leo interjected, gesturing wildly at Rory and James. Rory was currently nestled into James' side, fast asleep, her hand entwined with his.

"Shut your trap!" James hissed, "If you wake her up I'll personally murder you."

"There was the hand holding this morning, the constant studying, the jumper, and now this!" Leo exclaimed in disbelief, shaking his head. "What the bloody hell happened? The entire universe is broken."

"I know." James smiled giddily, doing a tiny dance of joy in his seat, but not enough as to wake the sleeping girl. "So don't ruin it!" He warned, staring each of them down, "You lot'll scare her off."

Juniper rolled her eyes with exasperation, "Don't get too cocky, James."

Her brother  merely winked in response. Juniper sighed, that was not a good sign. Usually she would've made fun of her brother for his dorky little victory dance, but she was still to preoccupied with- "Hey- where'd Teddy and Selene go?" She asked Leo.

"Selene- I don't know, but Teddy headed upstairs a little bit ago. He was tired," Leo answered, shrugging. "He's probably in the dorm," The dark haired boy peered at her suspiciously, "Why?"

But Juniper was already gone, disappearing up the stone steps. A cold gust of night air blew in through the open window, spreading goosebumps all over Juniper's skin as she continued up the winding path. It was a clear night, not a cloud in sight, moon reflected in the Black Lake. A shimmery ripple of water. Juniper turned the doorknob slowly, spilling a wide triangle of candlelight in the dusky room.

"Junie?" Teddy switched on the bedside lamp, pulling back the drapes surrounding his bed.

Juniper stood in the doorway for a moment, waiting, unsure of whether she should venture into the room she'd been in so many times before. The room she'd spent countless nights having pillow fights and popcorn eating contests in. Watching every movie under the sun and building blanket forts, falling asleep in Teddy's lap. The place where she kicked her heels off after a party and always had a jumper waiting for her in the dresser. The place where Teddy's skin had met hers.

Teddy patted the space on the bed beside him, scooting to the side. And in an instant, with that one familiar gesture, Juniper walked in. She settled down on the bed beside him, laying down so that they were face to face.

"Hey." She murmured to him.

"Hi," He said, curly hair slightly mussed. "I'm sorry- about this morning- I didn't mean...I wasn't trying to make you jealous with Selene or anything."

Juniper smarted at the accusation, did Teddy really think that's why she'd run off? The idiot. She wasn't jealous of Selene. Mostly... but that had nothing to do with this. "I wasn't jealous."

"You weren't?" Teddy turned his mouth up skeptically. The self absorbed prick.

"No!" Juniper told him in a low voice, "I was angry."

Teddy frowned, "At me?" His brow furrowed, "Wh-"

"When I woke up this morning  and they told me you'd gone missing- I thought-" Juniper's breath hitched. "I thought you were dead- gone. I thought I was never going to see you again- you..." she blinked furiously, feeling tears well up in her eyes, and prayed it was too dark in the room for Teddy to notice.

Teddy was speechless. He reached out his hand slowly, carefully taking hers in his. Juniper did not pull away.

"Don't ever do that to me again, " Juniper whispered, the warmth of Teddy's hold surging through her.

He gazed into her eyes, whispering back, "I won't." Teddy squeezed her hand, rubbing his thumb in a gentle, deliberate circle on the back of it. His other arm encircled around her waist.

Juniper and Teddy were mere inches apart, noses almost touching. Without thinking, Juniper lifted her hand to his jaw, bridging the divide between them. Her mouth met his, chaste and sweet at first but growing in depth. She hadn't realized how much she missed kissing him. And Teddy was thinking the exact same thing.

"I thought we were over," Teddy mumbled against her lips, fingertips trailing up her arm.

Juniper wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him again, "We are."

Teddy hesitated, his grip on her loosening, "I want to..."

"That sounds like a no." Juniper drew back, embarrassed and disappointed, but not revealing it. She bit her lower lip.

"Junie..." Teddy attempted to pull her back to him, reaching for her hand.

Juniper sighed, closing her eyes in resignation. Not mad, not- anything. She pressed her lips together in a wry smile, "I'm going, Teddy." Juniper slid out of the bed and walked out of the dorm.

Each of them missed the other's touch, and neither noticed the pair of yellow glowing eyes in the dark corridor, vindictive and murderous.