Following the events of the same universe where Juliet Potter and Remus Lupin fell in love, the insouciance has faded into misery as all parties prepare for the war, willing to pull any card to win a war from which none will truly come out victoriou...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
September 1979
"Do you even know where we're going?"
"No, I'm following the smell."
"What smell- BLOODY HELL!"
Yes, there was a literal smell of shit in the air. It was as though a hundred untrained dogs had decided to create a pile of excrement.
Hence, the Marauders that had been blindly following their favorite young woman were starting to wonder if they were running directly into a death pit, all of them covering their noses.
"It's probably cleanup day or something." Juliet muttered.
"Don't get me wrong but isn't a cleanup day about getting... clean?" Sirius gagged.
"And what the fuck is being cleaned?" Peter pinched the bridge of his nose painfully.
Juliet suddenly stopped behind a big bush. She knew they had reached it after the long hour walk into the forest.
Grinning brightly at the boys, she turned back and pushed the leaves to make her way.
A few steps forward and she stopped, watching her surroundings with astonishment, completely forgetting about the terrible smell of earlier. The halting footsteps behind her signalled to her that the Marauders had done the same as her.
"Welcome! You must be Juliet!" A young woman approached them, greeting them warmly. "I'm Carmen Rosetti, you were corresponding with me."
"Brilliant, it's great to meet you." Juliet shook her hand before turning to introduce the boys. "These are Peter, James, Remus and Sirius."
Carmen waved at them, sent a quick glance behind her before turning back to the group. "Sorry about the smell, the rookies are cleaning up the babies and it's... messy."
"Yeah I know one or two things about that." Juliet snickered, sending a quick look at Remus, who grimaced.
He had been having trouble changing Romy's diapers at first. Juliet only managed because she had previously changed Percy's and Cedric's diapers.
"Come, follow me, I'll show you around."
The Romanian Dragon Sanctuary was definitely a beautiful place. Once they had gotten away from where they originally stood, they were amazed by just the sight of the dragons casually cohabiting with each other and the sanctuary employees.
"Blimey! I credible! That's a Chinese Fireball!" James pointed out.
Juliet grinned when she spotted a Hungarian Horntail sat by the cliff. She knew they were aggressive but she was so amazed she was tempted to approach it. Her boyfriend however knew better, and carried her away, ignoring her complaints.
~
A bit later, they were sat in a tent with Carmen, fully intending to have a more serious conversation.
"You know, your mother visited this place a few years back, when Harvey was still with us."
Juliet raised her eyebrows in surprise. She did get the idea to come to the Sanctuary to get help from Euphemia's diary but she wouldn't have guessed that her mother actually had been where she was.
"Harvey?" Peter asked curiously.
"Harvey Ridgebit." Juliet told him.
"The Sanctuary's owner, first wizard to catch a Peruvian Vipertooth." Her twin completed.
Peter nodded, impressed.
"Has our mother mentioned the war to you?" James questioned.
He knew that Harvey Ridgebit passed about six years prior, which would mean that their mother would have known of the war for perhaps two years before tension even rose. How? Had word gotten around back then? Or did she, as an Auror pick up on bizarre attacks that hinted to something bigger behind the scenes?
"Well, not to me. But to Harvey. Before he passed, Harvey told us to be prepared for a visit of this sort."
"So you know why we're here." Remus concluded.
"I must say though. We don't own the dragons. This is their home, and we study them and take care of them to the best of our ability, but in no way can we control them. They're incredibly spontaneous, and they don't like following orders."
"Yeah, sounds familiar." Sirius threw a glance at Juliet who glared back.
She turned back to Carmen. "I know. I know they're not pets, and I know they're not a weapon. All I need from you, is if you'd agree to back us up, if the need presents itself, once the battle starts."
"Lots of species here are endangered, so I do hope you're not wishing for us to barge in on an army of dragons, but if we can even convince one to fly there, there is no reason to refuse." Carmen agreed.
Juliet turned back to the boys, satisfied with the response and they all nodded.
"Perhaps it would help you to bond with them a bit."
Carmen had brought the group to a space where an Antipodean Opaleye was resting. She thought it to be the best option, since the Opaleye was the least aggressive and most loyal species. If they were to safely approach a dragon, it'd be that one.
Juliet stood a bit back as the boys fearlessly approached the dragon, all of them amazed by the pearly skin color. Carmen noticed her hesitating and stood with her.
"It's okay, she's nice."
"What's her name?"
"We named her Lulu. I believe it's Arabic for pearl."
"That's pretty." Juliet nodded, turning her head back to the dragon.
Instantly, her eyes were met with big multicolored orbs. The dragon was staring right back at her. It was a bit nerve wracking, especially considering that Lulu just needed to breathe out to reduce her to ashes. But the dragon seemed so chill.
Juliet nodded to the Opaleye, showing her the respect she felt, and she felt a tingling sensation when the dragon gently nodded back. She first thought she hallucinated but the grin on Carmen's face proved her otherwise.
What a gratifying feeling it was, to be seen, and feel seen in such gratifying silence.
