Chapter Text
To say she was absolutely terrified of her first day at Hogwarts would be a severe understatement. And maybe her fear was the exact reason why summer flew by, after all, things you're afraid of always seem to make their way into your life much quicker than things you didn't fear.
She spent her summer unpacking her belongings from her mother's house, buying new books and robes for her third year at a wizarding school - after transferring from the Beauxbatons - and taking the time to prepare for the school year by reading some of the study material and taking notes.
Her father had went to Hogwarts when he was young and had briefly explained the sorting process to her. The use of an old hat seemed no better than shooting an silver arrow and watching it burst into the color of your house, like they did at the Beauxbatons. Her father had been sorted into Slytherin and naturally assumed she would be as well. "The most powerful wizards and witches come from that house." He explained fondly. "Anyone who wants to achieve anything would kill to be in that house."
She had felt the pressure from him of course, but she couldn't help but feel horrified at the idea of turning out anything like him. Nevertheless, she let him go on about his adventures at Hogwarts, making sure to appear like she was listening as they made their way to the train platform.
Her white cat glared at her as the trolley shook and rattled. Not only did she dislike the noise, she also wasn't used to being in a cage, which made her all the more irritated. Thankfully, she had stopped trying to claw her way out of it a while ago. Still, Juliette looked at her apologetically, "It's only for a few hours, Artemis."
It technically wasn't a lie, but she had no idea how long it would actually take to get to Hogwarts.
"Alright, daughter. In order to get to platform nine and three quarters, we walk through there." He said, nodding at a brick wall that separated platform 9 and 10.
She despised it when he called her daughter and not simply by her name. It always seemed as though Juliette was only important to him for what she was to him - his daughter. She managed to swallow down her frustration and walked after him.
Although she was quite used to magic, she still closed her eyes, somehow expecting to slam right into the wall. She didn't of course. Instead, she found herself at the right platform and looked amazed at the scarlet steam engine, where a sign above it read 'Hogwarts Express'.
She was quickly pulled from her thoughts by her father's voice.
"Alright, I am going to say hi to some old friends. It is best if you make your way into the train and if you need anything, send me an owl."
He was already making his way to a tall man with long white hair, and wearing a suit just like her father. She had to look away as a plump, red haired woman's eyes blazed with anger as her father nearly knocked her on the ground as he was walking briskly.
Juliette wasn't really hurt by the lack of goodbye. She was used to it from him. Yet she couldn't help but feel a tinge of sadness in her chest that her mother wasn't here to see her off. But to be fair, if her mother was here - and still alive - she wouldn't have to make her way on the Hogwarts Express at all. She'd still be home in France, going to school at the Beauxbatons
She carried her luggage into the train, sighing as a lot of the compartments were already full. Walking past them, she eventually found one nearly empty. It only had one man inside, who was staring out the window.
He looked quite young, but definitely not young enough to be a student, with several strands of gray hair between his brown hair. "Is it alright if I sit here?" She asked quietly, as he met her gaze. "Of course." He said, standing up from his seat, "Let me help you with those."
She smiled at him gratefully and the intensity of his gaze raised goosebumps across her arms. He had two long scars on his face, one starting at his forehead all the way down to the left of his cheek and the other one starting under his eye and ending at the opposite side of his face under his lips. They were old scars, she noted, since they were of a lighter color than his skin. He placed her luggage on one of the overhead racks.
Juliette quickly took Artemis out of her cage, who for once, seemed rather grateful as she pawed at Juliette's face.
"Oh! I'm sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Juliette Greene." She extended her hand to the man in front of her, who smiled kindly as he shook it. "My name is Remus Lupin, I'll be a professor at Hogwarts."
They talked briefly about what he'd be teaching - Defense against the dark arts - and her transfer. "I'm sure you'll enjoy Hogwarts very much." He said, before excusing himself as he wanted to get some sleep before they arrived. The circles under his eyes were a reflection of the reason for why he even wanted to sleep at 11 a.m in the morning
Finally averting her gaze from him as his head rested against the window with closed eyes, she noticed the train moving away from the platform.
Some time passed and Juliette was sure professor Lupin had already fallen asleep, he didn't even move as a rather high voice startled her.
Juliette looked away from the window and her eyes met those of a girl with brown bushy hair. Behind here were two boys, one of them with bright red hair and Juliette wondered briefly is he was related to the red haired woman she saw earlier.
"Oh, of course!" Juliette answered, pulling her cat into her lap to make room.
"My name is Hermione Granger, and this is Ron Weasley," She nodded briefly at the boy with freckles and red hair. "And that, is Harry Potter."
Juliette felt something turn in her stomach as she looked at the second boy. Even in France, the boy was well known for surviving the Killing Curse and even more spectacularly: surviving You-Know-Who. She glanced briefly at his forehead - or rather what was covering it: dark brown hair that didn't seem to stay in place - as she fleetingly thought about the lightning scar. She decided against asking him about it - she was sure many people before her had already bombarded him with those questions.
"I'm Juliette Greene. I'm a transfer from the Beauxbatons. Are you in your third years as well?"
It definitely wouldn't hurt to make friends. The third years at Hogwarts would already know each other and she wasn't sure how they'd feel about newcomers.
"Yes we are." The girl, Hermione, exclaimed as her eyes sparkled with excitement. "In what house were you at the Beauxbatons? There are three, right? Bellefeuille, Papillonlisse and Ombrelune!"
Juliette couldn't help but widen her eyes as the girl started to explain what the houses meant to the two boys. And before Juliette could stop herself, she asked the girl if she was in Ravenclaw. Her father had informed her that Ravenclaw prized learning and knowledge and it seemed as though Hermione did as well. Ron and Harry laughed, but stopped as Hermione glared at them. "No, in Gryffindor. But Ravenclaw was probably the second choice for the hat. He said I thought a lot, although he phrased it as 'too much'."
Juliette's eyes flickered in amusement. She was grateful the conversation had moved away from her as the subject.
"It would be nice if you were in Gryffindor with us. We'd be spending all our classes together." Ron said, his voice wavering slightly as he looked at her. And then at Hermione, who had furrowed her brows.
Harry seemed to sense the tension as well and changed the subject to the man in front of Juliette.
"That's professor R.J. Lupin." Hermione said, which launched the group into a discussion of the staff at Hogwarts. They warned her for Snape - who was the head of the Slytherin house, to Juliette's horror. Another reason to not get sorted into Slytherin, Juliette thought sullenly.
Eventually, the trio started talking about en escaped prisoner of Azkaban to which Juliette listened only half. However, she started paying attention when three faces appeared at the door.
"Well… Look who it is." The boy at the front drawled. He was dressed in a white blouse with a dark green tie and a black trousers. His skin was as white as his hair, with green eyes peeking from under some strands of his hair. The two boys behind him were significantly taller and broader and they somewhat resembled trolls, with faces that seemed too small for their heads.
"And who are you?" The white haired boy took a step towards her, but Harry blocked him. "Oh getting protective now are you, Potter?" He snickered, "You must be the Beauxbatons transfer then. My father told me all about you and your father. Oh yes, they were the best of friends at Hogwarts back in their day. Didn't he tell you?"
The expressions of the trio seemed to falter a bit, looking at Juliette hesitantly. Her jaw clenched at the mention of her father.
"Piss off, Malfoy." Ron spat and the boy, Malfoy leered at him, before looking back at Juliette. "I'm sure I will see you in Slytherin, Juliette Greene."
She shuddered at the wink he gave her as they exited the compartment.
"Your friends with Malfoy?" Ron said loudly, receiving a smack from Hermione, who looked pointedly towards the sleeping professor. "That didn't seem like she wanted to be friends, Ron." Harry answered, as Ron rubbed the spot on his arm where Hermione had slapped him, glaring at her.
Juliette sighed, as she preferred not to speak about her father nor anyone in her family for that matter. Still she explains, "Let's just say my father and I do not have a good relationship." She muttered, before looking out the window and ignoring the looks the trio gave each other. The sky was a dark gray as thick droplets of rain covered the window.
At one point, the train started rattling, seeming to come to a stop.
"Have we reached Hogwarts already?"
Ron shrugged, burying his face in Cauldron Cake and not offering that much of an answer.
"We can't be, yet." Hermione whispered, looking at her watch.
Juliette gasped as the lights went out completely and she could now only make out the outlines of the others in the compartment. "Something is out there." She whispered, watching dark shadowy figures roam around the train.
She glanced at the professor - hoping he would be able to provide them with some answers, but somehow, he was still asleep.
"Harry? Hermione? Ron?" A voice whispered. "Ron? Ron, what's happening?" A higher voice added as they made their way into the compartment.
The introductions between Juliette and the two were rushed - Ginny Weasley, the little sister of Ron, and Neville Longbottom, both of them Gryffindors.
"Quiet!"
The voice had startled all of them and they looked into the corner as they saw the professor push himself up from his seat, holding what seemed several small flames. Of course, it was only his wand that had sprouted those.
"Stay here." Professor Lupin ordered. However, as he opened the door he was met with a cloaked figure.
In an instant, the compartment seemed to grow cold under its breath. Then, it seemed to seep into Juliette's lungs and heart and she pushed herself closer to the window, making herself smaller as Artemis hissed at whatever it was that was under the cloak. Or maybe at the cloak itself, since Juliette wasn't sure if the thing under it could exist separately from the cloak.
However, all her thoughts died down as a white fog formed around Harry's body, who stiffened and appeared in some kind of trance.
"Expecto Patronum!" Professor Lupin hollered, pointing his wand at the figure and a bright blue light filled the room, almost painfully bright as Juliette covered her eyes - somewhat fearful she'd end up blind because of it. When she opened them, the cloaked figure had vanished.
The professor left shortly after that, after handing out chocolate and explaining that what they had seen, was called a dementor - a guard of Azkaban and on the lookout for Sirius Black, the escaped prisoner.
Thankfully, it didn't take long after that to reach Hogwarts, where she left Neville, Ginny and the Trio as a gigantic man called her name.
The letter she had received, had said that someone from the staff would be there to take her to the deputy Headmistress so she could get sorted properly.
The man turned out to be the Gamekeeper, Rubeus Hagrid. He was pleasant as he talked to her about some of the creatures he kept. It was somehow easing her nerves.
Still, she wasn't sure what to expect nor what she desired. Her father assumed she'd be sorted into Slytherin like he had been. But what if she wasn't? Would she be sorted into Gryffindor or another house?
Or worse, what if she was sorted into the house of Slytherin? Would she end up as her father? Cruel and vindictive - aching for some sort of recognition and always desiring power?
She knew she wanted to achieve great things, good things, she was terribly interested in potions and herbology, like her mother. She knew she wanted to be a healer.
But could good people exist within the house of Slytherin or would they choke under the pressure of other dark-minded students and a certain head of house?