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I Want to Walk in the Full Moon With You by The Quiet Girl

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Format: Novel
Chapters: 38
Word Count: 184,985
Status: COMPLETED

Rating: 15+
Warnings: Mild Language, Strong Violence, Scenes of a Mild Sexual Nature, Sensitive Topic/Issue/Theme

Genres: Drama, Mystery, Romance
Characters: Lupin, Sirius, Lily, James, Pettigrew, OC
Pairings: Remus/OC, James/Lily

First Published: 07/25/2010
Last Chapter: 05/25/2011
Last Updated: 05/25/2011

Summary:
Awesome banner by social@TDA!

Artemis: the Greek Goddess of the Moon. It's also my name. Artemis Monroe. Why does the Wizarding World name their kids the strangest things, like 'Sirius' or 'Remus'? But I digress. At the start of my sixth year, I realized that I was missing parts of my memory. Why were the moments I was missing coinciding with the full moon? Do I want to know?

Chapter 1: Chapter 1: Sirius Black, in the Library, with the Bookworm
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Chapter 1: Sirius Black, in the Library, with the Bookworm

“So, I finally found you.”

I looked up from my book to stare up at one of, if not the hottest and sexiest guys in school. “Black.”

“Please, call me Sirius.”

“Nothing about you is serious, Black.” I looked back down at my book, looking for where I left off.

Sirius barked out a laugh, earning him a stare from Madam Pince. When I looked back up, his blue-grey eyes locked onto mine.

Great, I’ve seen that look before. Great, and he probably thinks I was flirting with him. Think, Artemis, think! No, just ignore him. Ignore him and he’ll go away. Great. Great, great, great!
I tried to go back to reading my book. And for a while I succeeded. I got about ten pages read before Sirius groaned loudly and slumped over the desk, tilting his head sideways to look up at me. “Are you going to ignore me all day, Artemis? Because I’m bored.”

“Then go nail yourself to the wall and be of some use around here,” I retorted quickly, turning the page. I had to look back again, missing the last bit about non-verbal magic I would be learning about next year.

Sirius barked out another laugh. And again, Madam Pince shot the two of us a scathing look and shushed us. Yeah, like a lot of shushing makes a library sound any quieter.

“You know,” Sirius said, sitting up just so he could lean across the study table to look up at me. “I could help you with studying if you like.”

“You never study, Black.” I continued reading.

“For you I would.”

My eyes stop for just a moment, taking this in. Sirius Black is sitting in the library. After our O.W.L.’s. On a beautiful, sunny day. I think that out of the hundreds of students in this school, maybe three of them were still thinking about schoolwork like me, while the rest were obviously looking forward to summer. And from what I’ve seen and heard about the most wanted guy in Hogwarts, I was surprised Sirius even knew where the library was.

“What do you want?” I finally asked, resuming my reading but at a slower pace.

Sirius flashed his trademark smile at me, the one that sent at least half of the girl population into ecstasy. “I want you, Artemis.”

“Get a new want.”

From above my book, I saw Sirius’s eyes widen and his mouth open slightly. He straightened up. He continued to stare at me like that for four minutes and forty-seven seconds. At least I got a bit more reading done.

“But- but-” he stammered, finally finding his voice.

“Close your mouth, Black, you’ll attract flies.” I know, that line is so old, but I refused to waste a lot of my mental powers to think up clever comments for this Marauder. “And you sound like a broken record.”

“What’s a record?” he asked.

I groaned. Honestly, with so many people from Muggle households and such, Muggle Studies should be a requirement. “Never mind.”

When Sirius continued to sit there, at my table, obviously thinking of his new approach, I knew the library would not be a save haven for me anymore today. I put my own books back into my bag, then got up to return the rest to Madam Pince before she could curse me for removing one of her precious books. Honestly, they’re just books.

Sirius leapt up to leave the library as soon as I stood up. I thought he was giving up. No, wait. I guess I was hoping that he was giving up. But after Madam Pince looked me over after giving back her books, I found Sirius in the hall, waiting for me. “Artemis!” he cried happily.

“Black,” I nodded. “Good day.” I turned in the opposite direction of where I wanted to go. I had wanted to go to Gryffindor Tower, to at least rest my eyes and maybe get a start on a letter to my family, letting them know how I was and how the exams went. My mother would be more interested in how I did, wanting to know how I felt during the exams and how well-prepared I was. My father better understood O.W.L.’s, being a wizard and all. My mum was a Muggle, but she knew what my dad was before they married. And since the first week of first year, I’ve been sending letters home nearly every day, letting her know about what I learned and what I accomplished. Sometimes, I think she almost pretends that she’s a student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and I’m just her secretary writing down her daily activities in her diary or journal.

Oh well, I wouldn’t be able to write home now. Maybe I should stop by the kitchens. Have a chat with a few of the house elves. Get thirty kilograms of food to take back to my dorm. That would ensure that I had enough food to last through the weekend.

“So Artemis, heading for the kitchens?” Sirius caught up with me and flashed his grin again. It took at my self-control not to groan. “I thought such a bookworm like you wouldn’t be caught dead breaking the rules. You’ve never had a detention before, have you?”

I sigh but continue on my way to the kitchens. Okay, Artemis, just relax. Ignore him. It didn’t work in the library because you gave in to silly come-backs. If Sirius realizes there’s nothing here to entertain him, maybe he’ll go away. Egh, who am I kidding? I’ll show him a shiny spoon and run like hell.
“You know,” Sirius said, his voice going lower to a near-whisper. “I like it when girls play hard-to-get. It makes the end result so much sweeter.”

I stopped, just before we got to the painting of the bowl of fruit. I looked up at Sirius, locked my green eyes with his blue-grey orbs, and said in a flat tone, “I have no intentions of playing ‘hard-to-get,’ nor do I have any intentions of doing anything to make me another snog in a broom cupboard. I am not interested in having any kind of relationship with you, or anyone else for that matter. So I suggest you go outside and find a member of your fan club to snog before we leave on the Hogwarts Express.” I turned and continued to the painting. I reached up to tickle the pear when a pair of footsteps approached from down a nearby corridor. I dropped my arm and continued the way I was going. I refused to get a detention for something as stupid as taking food from the kitchens (even though I still would have gotten the food if I ate in the Great Hall).

I turned the corner and nearly sighed in relief. It was only Remus Lupin. Tall, skinny, and pale, Remus was probably the smartest and most obedient Marauder of the four Gryffindor boys. I’d also have expected him to be one of the three people I’d have seen in the library after O.W.L. exams. The only reason I didn’t actually sigh was because my eyes fell upon his silver Prefect’s badge pinned to his robes.

Great, I thought to myself again, not a professor, but nearly as bad.

“Hello, Monroe,” Remus greeted me, smiling slightly.

Wow, I didn’t even realize he even knew my name. “Lupin,” I nodded.

Remus’s eyes looked past me and caught sight of Sirius. He frowned slightly. “Padfoot? You okay?”

I glanced back to Sirius. I’ve heard these nicknames before. I’m sure the whole school has. Anyway, when I looked back, I saw Sirius just staring at the empty spot in front of him, right where I was when I gave him my semi-long speech about how I would not be his next snog (or worse).

“It’s the end of the world, Moony!” Sirius gasped, still standing still. “The end is near. I thought Voldemort would be in a pink fairy costume, skipping with the Hufflepuff first-years before this ever happened!”

“Padfoot! What happened?!”

Sirius seemed to break out of his petrified state. He turned to us, extended his hand, and pointed at me. Oh, great. “She turned me down! She rejected me!”

Remus snorted. I looked back up to see Remus barely containing a fit of laughter. He was already wearing a grin as he said, “I wouldn’t really go that far, Pads.”

“Have you gone mad?!” Sirius exclaimed. “She rejected me! ME! Sirius Black! No one rejects Sirius Black.”

“No one also talks about themselves in the third person, Black,” I smirked. Was Sirius that sure of himself? Or had he never been rejected before in his life?

“What even made you think of asking Monroe in the first place?” Remus asked. Then, with a fearful glance back down at me, he added, “Not that she isn’t pretty, but I never pegged her for your type.”

“I like to think of myself as a worldly man,” Sirius announced, thrusting his chin up.

Any higher and he’ll get a nosebleed, I thought, though I didn't say this out loud.

“What are you two doing down here anyway?” Remus asked. Oh no, I was hoping he wouldn’t ask. How do you tell a Prefect that you were-

“Artemis was going into the kitchens,” Sirius said casually, though still wiping away his non-existential tears.I froze. Maybe it was the pressure of taking my Divination exam yesterday, but I had a vision. Remus would get McGonagall and tell her I was about to break a school rule. They would find out I was a constant offender and give me enough detentions to make up for all the times I’ve slipped by these past five years. I would probably have to come back after I take my N.E.W.T.’s just to make it up to them-

“You know how to get in?” Remus asked, walking past me to the painting of the bowl of fruit. He ticked the pear and the painting opened to reveal the kitchens. The house elves were working to fix up lunch for the students. Remus stepped aside to allow me access.

“You’re- you’re not going to get me in trouble?” I asked nervously, still looking at that shiny Prefect’s badge.

Remus looked to Sirius. For a moment, there was silence. Then, the hall reverberated with the laughter of both boys. Sirius doubled over, clutching his gut, while Remus wiped a real tear at the corner of his eye.

“What’s so funny?” I asked.

“Where have you been, Artemis? Remus is a Marauder. The biggest trouble-makers in school? He would never get anyone from Gryffindor in trouble!” Sirius now looked at me like I must have been under the Black Lake for my whole life if I didn’t know this. Well, close enough.

I felt my face heat up when Sirius went on about the Marauders. Merlin, how could I forget?! Wasn’t it just last week that I walked across a prank for the Slytherins? I ended up covered in pink confetti and I felt my head was growing heavier. At least, until Remus came out, apparently out of nowhere, and quickly erased the damage, cleaning me up before whatever spell they cast could be completed. The next morning at breakfast, a group of Slytherins showed up in the Hospital Wing, their robes dyed pink and their heads the size of a large beach-ball. Their heads were even striped in bright colors. The back of their robes had enough blank space behind to spell out in black ‘The Marauders Were Here.’ Madam Pomfrey worked for two hours before giving up and sending them to class. In Double-Potions, all the affected Slytherins wore scowls while almost all the Gryffindors cheered.

“I, er, forgot,” I muttered, now looking down.

Sirius rolled his eyes. “Artemis, the exams must have gotten to you. If you want, I can-”

“Hold up, Padfoot,” Remus interrupted his friend. “I think you’ve given Monroe enough excitement for one afternoon. Let’s go. Wormtail and Prongs are waiting for us outside.” He took hold of Sirius roughly by the collar of his robes and pulled him down the hall, talking to him in hushed tones. Before I went into the kitchen, I heard Remus yell (“The library! I didn’t know you knew how to get in!”) and Sirius pout (“But I didn’t get anywhere! I thought it would be easy!”). I allowed myself to laugh softly before loading my bulging bag with as much food as it could carry.

~~~~~*****~~~~~*****~~~~~*****~~~~~

Dear Mum and Dad,

How are things? Mum, I hope little Terry is feeling better. From the way you wrote about him in your last few letters, it sounds like he’s doing well. But I’m sure he’ll be up and begging for your lollipops in no time. Imagine, sending him from his pediatrician to his dentist within a month? Are you two in cahoots together? (Kidding)

Dad, is the new guy doing all right? It sounds like he is a little too obsessed with Muggles if you ask me. Who in their right mind finds the process of making ice cubes fascinating? You just put water in the cold and science takes over (okay, so wizards don’t take science, but they see snow every winter!).

I actually had a really strange day. Don’t worry, Mum! I did just fine on my exams! I studied hard (but I didn’t crack like in your horror stories from your time in school, Dad!). I am almost certain that I have enough O.W.L.’s to get into the classes I need to become a Healer. We’ll have to wait until summer to get the results, though. Now Dad, don’t roll your eyes, but I’ve already started studying for sixth year. Don’t worry, I’m not going to overload my brain! And Mum, next year we’re going to start doing non-verbal spells. They seem difficult, but I know I’ll get it. After all, I inherited your brains!

Okay, so like I said, something out of the ordinary happened to me today. Remember the Marauders? The ones who accidentally pulled that prank on me last week? Again, Mum, I’m fine! It wasn’t permanent. However, a few Slytherins still have striped heads despite the swelling having gone down. Back to the point. I was sitting in the library when none other than Sirius Black came in and started bothering me. I mean, last week I don’t even think he knew my name. It must have been the Pink Confetti Incident that made me stick out.

Dad, stay away from that wand! I know you’re reaching for it! Nothing bad happened to your baby girl. I’m fine. Honestly! If he was as bad as his family name, don’t you think he’d be in Slytherin with his brother? Aren’t you and Mum telling me to stay away from stereotyping people? His only problem is that the size if his ego is comparable to the star he was named after.

Okay, so Sirius Black stalked me down to the kitchens (again, Dad, thanks for telling me how to get in first year!) when a second Marauder showed up. It was Remus Lupin, the nice and smart one. He was the one who took the spell off me last week. Anyway, I thought he’d get me in trouble (he’s a Prefect) but he actually took Sirius away for me. He seems too nice to deserve the title of Marauder. The house elves gave me enough food to feed me through lunch and dinner, so I have time to sort through all my notes in peace. I only hope that my notes are accurate and I remember all I need to know when classes start up again in September.

Dad, can you give Peck some extra owl treats before sending him back to Hogwarts? I’m out, and I don’t see the sense of you sending me more just to take the rest home in a few days. I’m sure Peck would like the extra food and will understand that I’m out. He’ll have many weeks during the summer to recover from all these trips.

I love you both so much. I can’t wait to see you again and hope you are doing well. I think of you all the time.

Love,

Artemis

P.S. I’m enclosing Randy’s letter with yours. Can you see that it gets to him? I haven’t had time to write him a proper note with all the studying I’ve been doing. Thanks! Love A.M.
I read over my letter a few times, making sure it sounded right. At six fifteen, when most of the students were sure to be in the Great Hall eating dinner, I left Gryffindor Tower and headed up to the Owlery. Calling down my barn owl Peck, I gave him a school owl treat, apologized for running out of his regular, tastier treats, and allowed him to take the letter in his beak. When he flew off, I stayed to watch his small form disappear into the sky, at the same time gazing up at the small sliver of the crescent moon, trying with all my might to see the dark side of the moon.

Chapter 2: Chapter 2: Just Your Average-- Today's Hogsmeade?!
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A/N: Hi. Just to clarify things, I don't own anything except for this story's plot. And Atremis Monroe. And this laptop. Where was I going with this? Oh yeah- HP belongs to JKR, not me. (I should have done this for the first chapter. Just pretend I did.)

Chapter 2: Just Your Average -- Today’s Hogsmeade?!

I woke up just before dawn, as I usually did. The other girls in the fifth year Gryffindor dorm were still asleep. Again, typical. Of the five beds in the dorm, three of them had their crimson curtains drawn closed. The fourth bed’s curtains were parted. Loud snoring nearly shook those curtains with each breath. I’d forgotten how loud Lily could get. Before the O.W.L.’s, the other girls had taken it upon themselves put up silencing spells around Lily’s bed for our own peace of mind. Now that the tests were over, I guess silence was a thing of the past.

I wonder if James Potter would still want her if he knew how loud she snores, I thought to myself, carefully getting up out of bed to begin my day.

My friends and family back home always made jokes about my namesake. Artemis brings up images of a moon goddess from Greek mythology. So people just assumed that I would be a night-owl. Of course, they were completely wrong on that account. I usually got sleepy after sunset and, except for the dreaded Astronomy lessons, I was always asleep before ten o’clock. During the winter, I’ve been known to conk out by seven thirty.

No, I think my initials give a better idea of my sleep cycle. Artemis Monroe, A.M. As in morning. I see more morning hours than afternoon hours for sure. And in a boarding school with hundreds of fellow teenagers, mornings are practically dead. No one’s awake. And because of my early-morning tendencies, I’ve almost starved a few times while waiting for breakfast to be served in the Great Hall.

Well, three things practically guaranteed me that this morning in particular would bring me peace and quiet. One: this was a Saturday morning. What self-respecting teenager (besides yours truly) wakes up with the dawn on a weekend? Two: with exams finished, no one would be worried about finishing a last-minute paper before class. Classes were over! We had a week before going back home. And three: after I had breakfast, no one besides me would be in the library anyway. I could hide behind the History of Magic section and no one would ever find me.

When I finished with my shower, I looking into the mirror to see what could be done about my appearance. Well, my brown hair, the same shade as tree bark I thought bitterly, was dripping wet. I quickly dried it with my wand, although it still looked boring and bland. Not like Lily’s hair, which was red and flowing gently over her shoulders. No, mine was straight, dull, and fell anywhere except where I wanted it to go. I pulled it up into a ponytail before it could become a mess on my face.

My face wasn’t too bad looking. Fortunately, I didn’t have any blemishes on my pale skin. The faint circles under my boring green eyes had gone away, probably because I was getting more sleep now. I know Lily has green eyes too, but hers are like emeralds. Mine are just there. Boring. Broccoli are greener than my eyes! (BTW, I’m not obsessed with Lily. It’s just that I constantly heard her snores through the bathroom door. Yeah, she’s that loud.) My nose did look a little shiny though. If I actually cared about other people’s opinion of how I looked, I would consider putting on makeup. But I don’t care. I know I’m not beautiful, but why put something on my face when I look in the mirror only once a day? If people don’t like how I look, then the joke’s on them!

I was just getting dressed in my school uniform when the other girls started to stir. Well, it was about time for breakfast to start getting served, so I secured my skirt, pulled on my shoes, and left the dorm with my bag over my shoulder before any of the girls could ask what time it was.

The common room was, like I expected it, deserted. The fire had died down to a few glowing embers, but it wasn’t necessary to keep us all warm with summer fast approaching. I climbed out of the portrait hole and made my way to the Great Hall.

At least, I tried. Before I got to the moving staircases, Peeves the Poltergeist found me. He was currently trying to paint the marble staircase green and blue.

“Ah, an ickly student out of bed! What is a student doing out of bed at this hour?” He waved his paintbrush, dripping with green paint, in front of my face. “Coming back from a little late-night excursion, are we?”

I felt my face blush when he implied what I could have been up to. “Just heading to breakfast, Peeves,” I answered.

“With a red face like that? Come, now, you can do better than that. Here!” He flicked the paintbrush at me, splattering me with shining green paint.

“Bye, Peeves!” I called, running for the main staircase. But as the landing came into sight, the stairs started to move! Bloody staircases! Can’t they figure out where they want to go?! I wanted to call out to them, ordering them to wait for me. Of course, I knew that would never work.

“Art-y Artemis! Art-y Artemis! Let me paint a picture on you!” Peeves called from behind me, laughing manically. Merlin, I hated his nickname for me! Couldn’t that poltergeist find some other poor soul to annoy? I glanced over my shoulder to look at him. He brandished his paintbrush like a sword, flinging green and blue paint all over the hall. Several of the portraits yelled out, calling him to stop. Of course, Peeves wouldn’t be Peeves if he actually listened to someone besides the Bloody Baron.

The top of the staircase was already gone from my landing. But I could probably reach the banister if I jumped. I don’t know what came over me, but jumping onto the banister of the moving staircase actually seemed better than letting Peeves drain twenty liters of paint on me. So I jumped. No! The staircase was getting away! Why can’t witches fly without brooms?

I was surprised when my hands found that I actually was clutching the banister. I clutched the banister like my life depended on it. I scrambled to climb over it and sank onto the stairs. Thank Merlin, I made it! (Please note: do not attempt at home!)

Stunts like this is why I was Sorted into Gryffindor! I thought to myself proudly.

“Oi! Art-y Artemis!” Peeves called from the hall I just came from. He was grinning. “I didn’t think you had it in you! A spectacular stunt deserves a spectacular uniform!” Then I remembered that the school poltergeist wasn’t restricted by physical barriers. Or gravity. Great.

I darted down the stairs, avoiding green and blue splashes. I nearly tripped when I got to the bottom of the stairs. Peeves laughed at me like a maniac. Great, just great, he was going to keep following me. What did I do to deserve his attention (besides launching myself into the vast stairwell and sailing through the air, risking life and limb to avoid paint)?

“PEEVES! I’VE GOT YOU! YOU’LL BE BANISHED THIS TIME FOR SURE!”

If it wasn’t one thing, it was another. Argus Filch, the caretaker, had been fighting an everlasting battle with Peeves since any student could remember. It was a constant struggle between Peeves, having his demented version of fun, and Filch, whose Christmas wish was to see all us students hanging in chains like students should be. And any of the aforementioned students were fair game in the middle of this battle.

Artemis, you’re one of those students, I thought to myself. Best to get out of here while you can. I took my own advice and hurried towards the closest suit of armor. Fortunately, there were enough shadows to hide behind so long as Filch wasn’t looking for me exactly. I waited.

The metal clanked above me. Fearing that the suit of armor would fall on me, I looked up. No, it was stable. The head had just turned to look down at me.

“No, don’t look at me!” I hissed. “I’m hiding! You’re protecting me from Filch!” I ducked lower.

The head resumed its forward gaze. Meanwhile, in the stairwell, Peeves continued to paint the marble green and blue, threw his empty paint cans at Filch (yay!), and zoomed downward towards the dungeons.

“PEEVES!” Filch screamed, storming off to either find the Headmaster or find some students to get in trouble so they’d have to clean up the mess. My bet was that it would be one of the Marauders.

I waited a few minutes before I moved to reach the Great Hall. Unless one looked to the staircase (it was now moving again), no one would suspect anything major had just happened. But then again, that’s life at Hogwarts for you.

~~~~~*****~~~~~*****~~~~~*****~~~~~

I found a spot at the end of the Gryffindor table and started piling stacks of pancakes onto my plate. Quite a few students had showed up while I had my little adventure with Peeves, meaning there was enough chatter to fill the hall with a pleasant drone of sound. No one was sitting next to me, though, as I started my morning meal. Three initial pancakes, a slice of toast with strawberry jam, a few strawberries, and a banana were the first phase of my meal. I could imagine if someone sat next to me, they might say-

“You’re going to get fat if you eat all that.”

“Black,” I said, feeling a sudden loss of apatite. “What are you doing here?” I looked around the table. The other Marauders were not here yet.

“Breakfast.” He straddled the bench to look at me. “Do you always eat like this?”

I sighed and popped a piece of my pancake in my mouth, giving me a reason not to respond.

Like yesterday in the library, Sirius didn’t take the hint to go away. He just continued to look at me as I stuffed my face full of food. There was a cluster of first year girls sitting towards my left, between me and the professors. On my right, there was an empty space behind Sirius before my gaze came to a fourth year couple sitting next to each other. The boy had his arm around the girl’s waist, the girl was smiling. I looked away and focused my energies on opening my banana.

“Artemis? Are you listening to me?”

“No,” I responded truthfully. I guess I was thinking about that couple a little too much.

“Okay, I’ll ask again. Will you go to Hogsmeade with me today?”

“This is a Hogsmeade weekend?” I asked before I could think about it.

“Yes!” Sirius yelled. The first years to my left looked up, started, before going back to their breakfast. “Will you go with me?”

“No.”

I finished my banana, ate my toast and strawberries, and looked around for some waffles before I felt Sirius move closer to me. I glared back up at him. What was his problem? Did he seriously (no pun intended) believe that he would be able to woo any girl he saw fit? Honestly.

“You know, I came across a peculiar scene on my way down here today,” he whispered in my ear. “One of the staircases was covered in blue and green paint. And the sides of your robes have speckles of blue and green paint. I find that interesting.”

“It was Peeves,” I said. “Not me.”

“Well, I heard Filch was asking about a student he saw at the scene. A girl with a brown ponytail.” His eyes flickered to my hair for a moment. “Ring any bells?”

“You must be desperate if you have to resort to blackmail in order to get a date,” I said. Sirius had no real proof. After I ate, I could just change robes and no one would know.

“Not blackmail. Think of it as a compromise.” He winked at me. “This way, you can save your reputation as being a studious bookworm that doesn’t get into trouble and I could maintain mine as having any girl in school that I want.”

“What would be the fun in that?” I asked. I started cutting up my second waffle.

“Why, you’d get a chance to spend an entire afternoon with the one and only Sirius Black!”

“Merlin, I hope there’s only one of you,” I muttered.

“Hey!”

“Hey Padfoot. Get the date yet?” Another boy, this one in glasses, showed up on the other end of the bench and sat down across from Sirius. I knew it was James Potter before he actually sat down. No one could mistake that messy, black hair. It almost looked like he had literally just woken up with that hair, but I was willing to bet ten Galleons that his bed head looks better than it did now.

“Just about, Prongs,” Sirius said. “Right, my little goddess?” Great, I think I’m going to throw up. Why did I eat so much?

“Monroe, what happened to your robes? Scourgify.”

I looked behind me as Remus Lupin arrived, sitting on my left. Then I looked down at my robes. The specks of paint were gone, leaving me in clean robes once again. Okay, this really is great. “Thanks, Lupin.”

“Yeah, thanks Lupin,” Sirius mimicked me, sitting properly on his bench. “You just ruined my chances of getting a date for Hogsmeade.”

James snorted. “Oi! Wormtail! We’re over here!”

The final Marauder, a small but slightly plump boy came towards the table and sat next to James, across from me. He nodded at me. “Monroe.”

“Pettigrew.” I picked up and apple, considering whether I should eat it now or take it with me to use as ammunition against Sirius if he decided to follow me again. But considering that I still had time to waste in the Great Hall, hunger won out.

“What was Padfoot talking about a date for?” Remus asked, deciding to go for porridge as his breakfast of choice.

“Black wanted to blackmail me with the paint on my robes to make me go out with him in exchange for not getting me in trouble with Filch.” I took another bite of the apple and nearly gagged when I tasted a seed in my mouth. I hated seeds.

Remus’s porridge must have been too hot, because he also gagged a split second after I did. “You did what?” he demanded, talking over me.

“I had to do something to get a date,” Sirius said.

“Has it ever occurred to you to get a girlfriend before you run out of girls to snog?” I asked. With my apple gnawed down to the core, I looked up to the windows in the ceiling, waiting to see the first signs of owls.

“And deny the world Hogwart’s most eligible bachelor?” Sirius asked, looking stunned. “Next you might think I’d ever want to be married someday.”

“That’s not such a bad idea, actually,” James said. He looked down the table towards the group of fifth year girls. Lily sat with the three other girls in our dorm, laughing with them while eating French toast.

“Prongs, snap out of it!” Sirius said. He threw a bread roll across the table, hitting James’s glasses and tilting them sideways. “What do you see in her anyway? You’ve been after her for five years, mate.”

“She loves me deep down,” James sighed, adopting a goofy grin on his face. His hazel eyes didn’t seem affected by the tilted glasses too much. “Just, really deep down.”

“Yeah, so down that not even Lumos would be able to light it up,” Sirius muttered.

After a while, I got the impression that the Marauders forgot that I was sitting in their midst. James eventually broke out of his daydreams to start a food eating contest with Sirius. Peter Pettigrew watched, the unofficial judge of who was eating more. And Remus continued to eat his porridge, seemingly ignorant of the violent display of food being massacred a few plates over (although I heard him snort when Sirius choked on a sausage).

Fluttering overhead caught nearly everyone’s attention in the Great Hall as hundreds of owls soared overhead, searching for the recipients of their letters and small parcels. I quickly spotted my barn owl Peck as he circled the Gryffindor table and dropped the exceptionally large envelope onto the table in front of me. Once Peck landed on the table, he nibbled at my fingers. Out of owl treats, I tried offering him a piece of sausage that had come out of Sirius’s mouth. Of course, I held it up to Peck with my fork.

“Hey, I think that was mine!” Sirius yelled.

“Don’t worry, my owl has better taste than to eat anything that’s been in your mouth,” I said. Peck had hooted angrily at my little offering and refused the sausage. “That’s a good boy. Thank you so much.” I stroked his feathers. “Did Dad give you extra owl pellets this morning?” This time, I got an affirmative hoot.

“That’s a fine owl you have,” Remus said. “What’s his name?”

“Peck,” I answered. He hooted at me once more before taking off and leaving the Great Hall with the other owls.

“So what do you have there?” James asked.

“My letter from home.” I turned it over to open the parchment, but Sirius swiped it out of my hands before I could break the seal. “Black!”

“What did they write you, a novel?” Sirius demanded, pinching the envelope.

Actually, the letter did look thicker than it usually was. Oh no, did my dad ignore the second half of my letter and write me about all the horror stories he’s heard about The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black? Or did my mum come up with a full list of possible questions about the O.W.L.’s for me to answer for her? (She actually did that when I didn’t explain my third year exams in the detail she wanted)

“Just give me my letter,” I demanded. I held my hand open for Sirius to give it back.

For a moment, I actually thought it would be that easy. He was about to drop it when his grip tightened. He grinned down at me. “Actually, how about a trade? One date, in Hogsmeade, and you get your letter.”

“Now its ransom?” I demanded. “How desperate are you?”

“C’mon, Artemis! Give me a chance!”

“No. Give me my letter.”

“Just one date.”

“No. Letter. Now.”

“Just an hour?”

“No. Letter?”

“A half hour?”

“Nope.”

“Fifteen minutes in a broom cupboard?”

“Never!” I stood up at this point. This was getting ridiculous. I wanted my letter from home. “I’ll just write home and ask them to send me another letter instead.” I grabbed my bag and headed out of the Great Hall.

I was just rounding the corner when I heard someone call my name. I turned back to see Remus running after me. He had my letter grasped in his hand. He caught up to me a few seconds later and gave it to me. “Here,” he said. “I got Sirius to let go of it.”

“Thanks, Lupin.” I opened it and looked inside. I pulled out the parchment from my parents. Inside the two folded pieces of parchment was another envelope, this one in white paper.

“If you don’t mind me asking. . .” Remus said, still standing there and looking at the envelope.

I’m sure I was grinning from ear to ear when I saw the handwriting and return address on the Muggle-style envelope. “It’s a letter from one of my Muggle friends,” I said. “My parents send their letters together every now and then. Wow, and I just wrote to him last night too.”

“Him?”

I nodded, still studying the way he wrote my name on the envelope. I’d never seen better handwriting from a boy before. “My best mate. Went to school with him before Hogwarts.” I paused. “I miss him.”

I looked back up to see Remus frowning at me. “Monroe? He’s not, er, I mean. . .”

“No! He doesn’t think of me like that. And neither do I. Thanks again, Lupin.”

~~~~~*****~~~~~*****~~~~~*****~~~~~

Dear Artemis,

Your dad and I are not going to storm the castle, demanding the beheading of this boy, Sirius Black. You have nothing to fear (so long Black stays in line- Dad). I still don’t think that those boys should be able to get away with as much as they do at those school. Don’t they get detention? There must be some sort of deterrent for pulling all those pranks, especially for those poor kids unfortunate to be sorted into Slytherin (that’s your mom’s opinion there, baby).

Artemis, dear, aren’t you worried that you’re missing out on something in your school career? You’re sixteen, sweetie, and when I was your age I was spending all my free time with my friends, occasionally being in the company of a boyfriend. I’m not saying that you should become the life of Hogwarts, but I’m not blind to your letters. I just think you should at least consider spending more time in your common room and less time in the library.

As far as your exams go, I’m certain you’ve done well. We eagerly await your good marks, but more importantly we await your return home! Your dad’s been planning a lot of quality father/daughter activities, intent to ease your brain out of exam mode. Your letter yesterday told us that your brain is still abuzz with learning. It’s the start of summer. Relax like a normal teenager!

Think about this during your last week at school. We await your next letter.

Love always,

Mum and Dad

P.S. Randy just came in with his letter to you. I’ve included it with our letter, though I’m sure you’re aware of it, especially if you read it before ours.

P.P.S. Now that your dad is off to work, mind telling your mother about any boys you might fancy at school? Didn’t you say something about this Remus Lupin being “nice” and “smart?” Anything else you might want to tell me about him? We can talk when you get home.

I groaned at that last part of the letter. Madam Pince looked up from her stack of books and frowned at me. I tried to smile at her, then slouched down lower to avoid her intense gaze. Even hiding in the history section didn’t give me much privacy. I suppose Madam Pince found it suspicious that any student would be in the library on a Saturday morning.

I glanced over my parents’ letter once more, then opened the second letter. Hopefully it would be less embarrassing.

Artemis! One Word:

FINALLY! What took you so long?! You couldn’t find the time to write at least one word to your best mate in the world? I don’t care if you had stressful exams- I’m more important!

Okay, fine, you said that these exams help determine what classes you take to become a doctor like your mum. I got that. So in compensation for not hearing from you in a month, I demand to spend a month in constant contact with you (except for bathroom and miscellaneous tasks we each must do alone- I don’t like you that way!).

Okay, you have to get home soon. Really soon. The rest of us are going crazy without our beloved leader to guide us into the next chapter of our lives! Oh, right, you don’t respond to flattery. Forget that part. We just want our freaky friend back. We miss her freaky name, her freaky sense of humor, and her freaky personality. That should get you home sooner.

When you get back, remind Ken to have him tell you about what he tried to do three weeks ago. Just mention “buttered toast.” He should know what you’re talking about and turn a pleasant red color in seconds. Should be quite a show.

Now, about the last letter you just sent me. If any of those tricksters tries anything on you again and you refuse to kick their butt for fear in getting in trouble (although that never stopped you here), find out where they live. My older sister can give us a lift to wherever we need to go in order to “convince” them to leave you alone. It’s a real shame that you go to such a private school. I know you miss us. Me most of all, right? Wink wink.

Seeing as I don’t want you to read another novel while being cooped up in the library in the form of my ranting, I’ll save everything else for when you get here. I’ve got the handcuffs ready and waiting, and you won’t get the key.

Peace out, love,

Randy

P.S. I hope you remember my presents for making me wait so long for you.

That last line made me smile. Actually, the entire letter did. That was so Randy, trying to butter me up and then speaking the truth. Anything he did for me also benefited him. He was never one to put himself out for the sake of others. And if he was forced to, he complained until he got compensation.

Wait, did he say presents? As in gifts? Trinkets from school? Oh no, I didn’t have anything for him or the others! Not even for my parents! How would it look, me coming home empty-handed?! My parents would send me back onto the train! Well, maybe not, but I had to get to Hogsmeade!

Arriving back in Gryffindor Tower so I could change cloths, grab money, and go to Hogsmeade Village to buy presents for everyone, I was surprised on how crowded the Common Room was. All the chairs were occupied by fellow students. A pair of sixth years were playing Wizard Chess, the boy losing horribly to the girl playing black. Another game of Exploding Snap was being played by the Marauders. Peter was covered in a thin layer of ash.

“Oi! Artemis!” Sirius called, being the first one to see me. I ignored him and scurried up to my dorm to change.

When I entered, none of the girls seemed to see me. Lily was absent, but I heard the water running in our bathroom. The other three girls were sitting on Samantha’s bed, applying makeup and obviously planning their Hogsmeade trip.

Melissa was the first to notice me. She smiled, but I could see the confusion on her face. “Artemis. What are you doing here?”

“Changing.” I dropped my bag onto my bed and proceeded to pull cloths out of my trunk. I only had a few artifacts of Muggle clothing available to me. I didn’t see the point in bringing outfit after outfit if I usually didn’t go anywhere in them. I found a pair of comfortable jeans, a loose blue shirt, and a pair of trainers that should probably be thrown out because of the small hole developing in the left shoe.

“So you are going with him!” Samantha said, looking smug at her conclusion.

“Who?” I asked, stepping out of my skirt and into my jeans in one easy motion.

“Sirius!”

“Nope.” I changed my shirt, pulled on my trainers, and then started my search for money.

“What do you mean, ‘nope’?” Samantha hissed. “It’s all over the school that Sirius Black asked you out Hogsmeade this morning.”

“Yeah, but I’m not going with him.” There, I found my money. I checked the bag to make sure I’d have enough to buy what I needed. “One of you can if you want.”

“I can’t go with him!” Samantha groaned. “I’m dating Lance O’Brian from Hufflepuff. We’ve been dating for two months.”

Oh. That I didn’t know. But then why did Samantha sound so bitter at my rejection of Sirius? “Well, what about you, Melissa? Or Kati?”

“Kati, Lily, and I are hanging out together,” Melissa explained to me. “We’re meeting Samantha at the Three Broomsticks.” She paused, considering her next comment. “Artemis, would you like to join us there?”

“No, I’ve got stuff to do,” I said quickly. She was probably only asking me to be nice. “Bye, girls.”

“Wait, you’re going to Hogsmeade in that?” Samantha asked, eying my choice in cloths.

“What’s wrong with it?”

“First of all, you’ve got a hole in your shoe. Secondly, those jeans have a small rip in the right knee. Thirdly, that shirt does not flatter your build at all. And have you ever heard of makeup?”

“In order,” I said, not thinking about what was coming out of my mouth. “Don’t care. Don’t care. Don’t care. And yes, but still don’t care. Tootles.” I escaped from the dorm before anyone could think of ways to craft me in their image. When did my dorm mates become such girlie-girls?

~~~~~*****~~~~~*****~~~~~*****~~~~~

Hogsmeade Village. The only non-Muggle village in England. Once I got there, I headed straight for Honeydukes Sweetshop, the best place in town to satisfy any sweet tooth. I found out after arriving home in third year that my friends all enjoyed the “funny candies” I brought back from school. My dad assured me that so long as I avoided giving them candies with magical properties, like Chocolate Frogs, they should be appropriate gifts for my friends. It was then I also learned that teenage boys, whether magical or not, would eat anything if it had sugar.

“Let’s see, some Sugar Quills for Nick,” I muttered, taking half a dozen of the mention items. “Cockroach Clusters for Jack.” I shuttered. Even I wouldn’t eat them. Jack is disgusting. “And Liquorice Wands and Honeydukes Finest Chocolate for everyone else.” I grabbed about twenty of each. Whatever I didn’t give away would last me through the summer.

I carried my possessions to the register and surrendered a good chunk of my coins to Ambrosius Flume and left the shop. Ken, Nick, and Jake would live off candy if they wanted, but Randy and Zach would be trickier to please.

Remembering that Zach likes reading almost as much as I do, I went to a tiny book shop that I knew had a selection of Muggle works. I bought Zach three plays written by William Shakespeare. From what I heard, Zach did everyone’s Shakespeare essays a few months ago, the only one with enough tolerance to decipher what that Muggle was trying to say.

Finally, what to get Randy? I knew he wouldn’t care if I got him stationary at Scrivenshaft’s Quill Shop, nor would he appreciate clothes from Glandrags Wizardwear (I got him some socks after fourth year; he claimed they were so ugly, they deserved to be lost in the dryer). Maybe I could find the lamest joke in Zonko’s Joke Shop and Dad could make it appropriate for Muggles. And at the same time, I could pick up something for my parents. Mom loves all of the old Zonko products my dad had from his days at Hogwarts.

I was just looking at a bottle of Forever Bubbles (‘Bubbles guaranteed not to pop! Amaze your friends! Annoy your enemies! Enough to fill four entire rooms with non-popping bubbles!’) when the door opened and the sound level tripled in moments. The Marauders had arrived.

“Okay, so we’ll need these and those for our prank.” I ducked behind a high shelf as James paced through the main aisle of Zonko’s. “Moony, you get the things we need for our slimy friends. Wormy and I will get our extra-special gift for that greasy git.”

The Marauders split up. James and Peter continued to the back of the store. Remus stayed up front. Sirius was conspicuously absent. Hey, he might be trying to find me in the library. That would be hilarious.

As soon as Remus moved away, I picked up a few decks of Exploding Snap and a few miscellaneous items that my mom loved and headed for the register. When I finished with my purchases, I didn’t have two silver Sickles to rub together (though I had about a dozen bronze Knuts).

“Hey Monroe, planning something?”

I jumped and spun to face Remus. “Lupin, you startled me!” I should start paying more attention to my surroundings.

“Sorry.” He looked sincerely sorry about it too. “What’s all this for?”

“Gifts to go home with,” I answered. “Mum’s in love with the Wizarding World.”

“She’s a Muggle, right?”

I nodded. “Yeah. Well, bye.” I took my bag and cautiously looked out the windows.

“Oh, you don’t have to worry about Sirius stalking you anymore,” Remus said. “He’s on a date with a sixth year Ravenclaw right now.”

I sighed, immensely relieved. “Thank Merlin! I was a little worried I’d become Black’s Lily Evans.”

Remus snickered. “Nah, I just think it was shock on his part. You don’t respond like most girls.”

“I’m not like most girls,” I said. “Gotta go. Bye, Lupin.” I left the joke shop and made my way back to Hogwarts.

~~~~~*****~~~~~*****~~~~~*****~~~~~

I was just finishing up my letter when the door to the girls’ dorm opened and the other four girls poured into the room. Lily’s face was as red as her hair.

“I can’t believe the ego of that git!” Lily yelled. “Does he really think that embarrassing me in public will make me fall for him? He is just so full of himself-”

I tuned out of the rest of Lily’s rants about James Potter. I’ve been hearing it for five years, and the beginnings haven’t changed since first year. The others were also inclined to ignore me, as usual. I liked it like that. In a week, I thought, smiling to myself, I’ll be back home where I belong.

A/N: Just to avoid confusion at the beginning of the chapter, I don't own anything by Shakespeare either. Just trying to clarify for you. Oh, and could you review? I'd appreciate questions/comments/concerns, just so I know people are actually reading this. Just please, be nice!

Chapter 3: Chapter 3: Bubble, Bubble, Trains and Trouble
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A/N: Hello again! To make things clear, JKR owns the HP world. Not me. Certainly not. I just find it fascinating. So, she's the lucky woman who owns the Marauders, Lily, and everything else you recognize. Me? I'm the poor quite girl in the corner who can only claim Artemis and the events that happen to her. Enough of my rambling, here's the next chapter. Enjoy!

Chapter 3: Bubble, Bubble, Trains and Trouble

I was just putting my spoon through some chocolate pudding when something floated past my face. I paused. I may not eat dinner in the Great Hall too often, but I had never seen anything fall from the ceiling while eating before. Focusing my eyes to the object in front of me, I dropped my spoon back into the pudding and just stared.

A small, transparent bubble did a lazy loop before the breeze in the Great Hall forced it out of my sight.

Looking around, I finally saw that everyone else in the Great Hall had noticed the bubbles before I did. And there were more than just a few bubbles. The bewitched ceiling, tinted deep orange to match the sunset outside, looked to be raining bubbles.

Another of these bubbles floated within my reach. I poked it with my finger. And like I suspected, it didn’t pop like a regular bubble. I caught it in my fingers and tried to burst it apart. Its spherical form distorted, but it never popped. As I released it, three more bubbles approached me.

I sat alone on the end of the Gryffindor table, closest to the oak doors out. The closest people sitting near me were a group of first years, talking excitedly about the upcoming summer, the feast, and the bubbles. Two of the small boys were creating shapes by stacking the bubbles together. Whatever they were creating was already nearly a meter high.

I looked up to the staff table. I expected the professors to be irritated to say the least. My eyes spotted Professor McGonagall first. Her lips were thin. Her own dessert was being ignored as she tried to speak to Professor Dumbledore. He, however, looked delighted at the bubble storm. He laughed as bubbles piled up on his plate, covering the remains of his pie.

The other professors seemed to match Professor Dumbledore’s reactions rather than McGonagall’s. Professor Flitwick laughed as he assembled his bubbles to look like a hat. Professor Sprout kept poking the bubbles with her fork. Professor Slughorn was attempting to collect the bubbles in an empty water goblet.

I tried to go back to my dessert and tune out everyone else in the hall. It wasn’t easy. The end of term feast always got everyone in the castle into the Great Hall for our last dinner at Hogwarts before we all left on the Hogwarts Express to go home for two months. With so many people eating and talking at once, it was sometimes hard to ignore my peers. Like now, for instance.

Right when I was blowing away bubbles from my pudding, a loud squeal emanated from the Slytherin table. Everyone, including me, looked up to see what was bothering that table.

It seemed that the bubbles weren’t just casually falling on their table as they had been with the other three houses and the staff. These bubbles seemed to be attracted to the students, attaching themselves to the robes, hair, and skin, basically any and all parts of the exposed Slytherins. The smaller students were already getting covered with a second layer as they tried to wipe the bubbles off their faces.

I looked back to the Gryffindor table. Like I expected, the four Marauders were laughing at the expense of our house rivals. James and Sirius were doubled over on their benches, tears rolling down their eyes as they clutched their guts. Peter was trembling with laughter, making him look like a vibrating piñata getting ready to explode. Remus was no exception. He was grinning widely, the most controlled but obviously involved in whatever prank his fellow Marauders were doing. I don’t think anyone but me noticed when he slipped his right hand under the table, put his left hand over his face casually, and muttered a few words.

While I might not notice everything that goes on in the castle, I’m still observant when I want to be. It didn’t take long for me to find the bubbly form of Severus Snape. Like all the other Slytherins, he was trying to keep the bubbles from covering his face. Above him, pink bubbles emerged from the ceiling, forming a nearly-straight line for the fifth year.

This is probably the most bubbles that Snape has ever seen in his life, I thought. I took a bite of pudding to keep my laughter under control.

SPLAT!

I looked back up. The pink bubbles were gone. Snape, as well as all other Slytherins within arm’s reach, were now covered in a layer of green slime. Lime green slime. I giggled a little at the rhyme.

Everyone else in the hall also seemed to think this was a great turn of events. Through the muttering, I heard things like “Deserves what he got!” and “Shouldn’t have called her that.” One of the first years next to me even said, “I knew those two couldn’t have been friends like everyone said they were.”

I wonder who they’re talking about, I wondered. Obviously Snape did something to upset someone else. Oh well. At least I wasn’t targeted about this prank. I went back to finishing my pudding.

“Oi! Snape!” I looked up to see James standing in the middle of the table. “You might want to consider washing that filthy mouth out with soap.” As he spoke, a pink bar of soap appeared and slammed itself in Snape’s open mouth, just as he looked like he was going to yell at James. Across from James, Remus once again had his hand covering his mouth, his right arm beneath the table again. James smirked as he saw Snape try to pry the soap out of his mouth. It wouldn’t budge. “Glad to see you’re taking my advice!”

The Gryffindor table cheered, and James stood up to take a bow. His gaze rested at one red-headed fifth year in particular. He winked down at her.

Lily slapped him.

The hall went quiet as Lily got up from the table and turned to run out of the Great Hall. As she passed me, I saw the tears already running down her face.

After three seconds of looking like a deer in the headlights, James jumped out from behind the bench and went to chase after her.

Oh no you don’t, I thought. You’ve already done enough. I pulled my wand out from beneath the table and took aim. “Tarantallegra,” I whispered.

James’s legs started dancing uncontrollably as I hit him with this spell. He tried to continue after Lily, but his legs refused to go straight forward. He threw himself at a wall, sliding down to the floor to stay in one place. His legs, however, kept jerking around, dancing to an inaudible tune. He shot a glance at the Slytherin table. All of them, however, were still focused on keeping the bubbles out of their faces so they could breathe. Professor Slughorn was just making his way to his house table, casting a spell to make the bubbles popable.

I finished eating my dessert when the other three Marauders went over to James (after Professor McGonagall had a short word with them). Seeing other people also leaving the Great Hall, I got up and went to leave. As Sirius tried to get a good aim at James’s still-jerking legs, Remus looked from me, to James’s legs, back to me. He raised an eyebrow.

I shrugged, averted my gaze, and continued out of the hall. This might not have been any of my business, but if Remus could discretely curse James’s enemies, I could jinx a roommate’s foe.

~~~~~*****~~~~~*****~~~~~*****~~~~~

Students at this school are predictable. If one gets a compartment at the very front of the train, people will pass that compartment, assuming that there has to be another open compartment somewhere else down the train. The entire school must have passed by my compartment and not once did anyone ask to join me. The train jerked into motion without anyone having backtracked to my compartment.

Hogsmeade Station soon disappeared as the train picked up its pace and headed back to London. Getting slightly motion sick from looking out the window, I slid over to sit closer to the compartment door and read one of the books I was getting for Zach. Five minutes and only two pages into the play, I understood why all my other friends made Zach write their papers. Oh well. What does ‘bite my thumb’ mean? What’s the big deal?

About two hours into the trip home and one outbreak of noise from an out-of-control game of Exploding Snap later, my compartment door slid open. Not expecting it (and after just figuring out that Caesar was stabbed by Brutus), I jumped. “Eep!”

“Sorry, Monroe.” Oh, it was just Remus. But then I saw his Prefect badge.

He’s just doing his rounds, I thought. Aloud, “No, it’s okay.” I picked up the book from the floor, hoping I didn’t wrinkle any pages (Zach, you crazy book-lover!) and found my spot. “I just didn’t expect anyone.” No prefect ever popped their head into my compartment before.

After a few moments, I realized Remus was still standing in the doorway. Did he expect something from me? Sirius’s words from just last week echoed in my head. “Remus is a Marauder. The biggest trouble-makers in school? He would never get anyone from Gryffindor in trouble!” Then again, didn’t I just see him pull off that stunt in the Great Hall yesterday, which is certainly not a Prefect duty? There was no way James or Sirius could have done it with the way they were laughing (sorry, Peter, but everyone knows Remus tutors you in everything). And then there was that look he gave me after I jinxed James. Jinxed James. Ha, that sounded funny!

“What’s so funny?” Remus asked. He didn’t sound accusing. Just inquisitive.

“Uh, nothing.” Why was Remus just standing there? “Um, do you need anything?”

“I’m just making my rounds,” he said.

I paused, not sure if I should say something or not. But with summer freedom so close, my mouth won out over my brain. “So they assigned you to patrol one compartment? Don’t they trust you with more duties?” Merlin, I did not just say that! This is just great!

Remus surprised me with a small smile. “Who would have thought you would have such a witty remark?”

“If only you knew,” I muttered.

“What was that?”

“Nothing.”

The air was silent around us again. Remus tried looking around, but he didn’t leave like I wanted him to. I went back to Shakespeare. Learning Latin seemed easier than decoding this stuff.

“So, what are you reading?” Remus asked.

I showed him the cover. “I wouldn’t have passed a Muggle literacy course, I can promise you that.”

“Is that for one of your friends?” he asked. “The one from the letter?”

“Yeah, pretty much.” I shrugged. “Though I don’t see why Muggles think this was so great. I don’t get it.”

Remus hummed in agreement and the compartment went silent again.

I didn’t like the silence. Maybe I should ask Remus about himself a little. Isn’t that what you’re supposed to do in small talk? “So,” I started slowly.

“So,” he replied in the same tone.

I sighed, racking my brain for something intelligent to say. “So, uh, how’s Addison doing?”

Instead of smiling, Remus frowned and tilted his head to the side a little bit. “Uh, I guess she’s okay. We’re not dating anymore.”

“Really?” I thought she was Remus‘s girlfriend.

“Yeah. We only dated for about two weeks in fourth year, remember?”

“Two weeks?” Okay, not only was I not sounding intelligent, but I just showed him how much, or rather how little, I pay attention to the social status of my peers. “Who else did I miss?” Ouch, that sounded a little too blunt, Artemis. What is the matter with you?
Remus, however, didn’t seem too phased by that comment. “Renee, Celia, and Kati. They never lasted too long.” He shrugged. “We always agreed to just be friends.”

Wow, he dated three other girls and I wasn’t aware of it? I asked myself. Where was I? Oh right, the library. Duh. Wait, he dated Kati? My dorm mate? How could you not notice, Artemis?! It must be special talent of mine not to know the gossip of Hogwarts.
Another explosion went off further down the corridor, but Remus made no effort to check it out. Instead, he leaned against the door frame and looked down at me, practically staring a hole into my forehead.

Using that very skill I’ve learned over the past five years, I tuned out Remus’s stare. I checked my progress in the book. One act in two hours?! I thought this was Act III at least! Oh well, it passes the time.

“You jinxed James’s legs last night, didn’t you?”

I looked up from my book. Remus now had his arms crossed in front of him. The look in his amber eyes told me that I wasn’t hearing things- Remus did just ask me that.

I closed the book and returned Remus’s cool stare. “You set the bubbles on Snape and the Slytherins, didn’t you?”

Remus raised an eyebrow at this. “You saw?”

I nodded. “You have a habit of covering your mouth with your left hand when you don’t want anyone seeing your lips move.”

“I’ll keep that in mind. But why did you jinx James?”

“He was going after Lily. She was really upset for some reason.” Although she’d never gotten so worked up over one of the Marauders’ pranks before. And compared the previous jokes on the Slytherins, this one was rather tame. “Although I don’t know why.”

“You mean you haven’t heard?” This time both eyebrows shot up. I shook my head. Remus sighed. “Well, just last week, Snape, er, he called Lily a, um, you know.”

“A Mudblood?” I whispered. “Who cares about blood status? It means nothing! I mean, she’s one of the smartest in our year! Just barely under you, Potter, and Black.”

“And you of course,” Remus reminded me. “But James was so mad with Snape. You are aware that James is in love with Lily, right?”

I rolled my eyes. “Merlin do I know.”

“We’re just guessing Lily is still a little sensitive to the topic. Apparently she and Snape were close friends up until last week.”

I groaned. Mudblood. Who ever thought of that term? There’s nothing dirty about anyone’s blood. So what if someone has Muggle parents? They’re like the perfect bridge to the two worlds. And Lily just proves that Muggle-borns can do magic just as well, or better, than those so-called Purebloods.

I was still grumbling about how thick certain students at this school could be when the witch who pushes the trolley filled with candies started on her traditional journey through the train, coming to stop in front of the first compartment. Mine. “Would either of you care for something from the trolley, dears?” she asked.

I pulled out my money bag hidden in my robes. But upon opening it, I was reminded on how much I spent as Hogsmeade last weekend. I didn’t think anything from the trolley cost so little that I could afford it. “Uh, no thanks,” I muttered, returning my light money bag into my robes. I wondered if shoe laces were edible for a couple of seconds.

The witch moved on, crying out throughout the rest of this car. I heard numerous people yell at each other as they rushed to get in line for the candies.

I had just picked up my book again, determined to read through it faster, when Remus took my wrist in his hand. Surprised again that he was still here, I looked up at him. “Wha-?”

“Here.” With his free hand, he placed a Chocolate Frog in my palm, closing my fingers around the candy. “I don’t have any more on me, but I can bring back more if you want.” His eyes were locked on our hands.

“Lupin, you don’t have to-”

“You’re hungry. I can hear your stomach growl from here.” He slowly and deliberately made himself let go of both me and the Chocolate Frog. “If you want more, you can always come down to our compartments. The Marauders, I mean.” His ears started to turn pink. “They wouldn’t mind. That way you wouldn’t have to sit alone. I mean, you just seem so lonely. . .” His voice trailed off.

“I don’t mind being alone,” I said softly. My hand still felt warm from his touch. That warmth seemed to have spread from his touch and had traveled up to my chest, now just creeping up the sides of my neck. What was wrong with me? “And I can’t-”

But by then Remus was gone. I pressed my face against the compartment window to watch him walk away. He seemed to just glance into the other compartments, not taking the time to speak to anyone else. Once he was out of my sight, I sat back down and slowly started eating the chocolate Remus left with me.

~~~~~*****~~~~~*****~~~~~*****~~~~~

I gave up on Shakespeare by the end of the second act. Yeah, Zach would definitely have had to write my paper if I was in a Muggle school with him. Congratulations, Artemis, you’re actually a witch. Your only worry is writing papers about Urg the Unclean and Wendelin the Weird. Oh, and creating potions that might become poison if you mix it wrong.

I was already in my Muggle cloths, looking out the window as the train pulled into Platform 9 ¾. Please, I just wanted to get my summer started. And to begin, I wanted food. I couldn’t wait for Dad’s cooking. Mum’s food always came out burnt (“At least you won’t get sick from undercooked foods!”).

I was probably the fifth person off the train. But there were too many people in my way for me to see my parents. The witches and wizards around me seemed to look through me, a few smiling when they saw their own children. I once almost ran into a stern-looking couple. The woman frowned at me before ignoring me all together. She didn’t even acknowledge my apology.

“Artemis! Over here!”

I found my dad calling from near the back of crowd. I ran through everyone and jumped the last five feet into his arms. I clutched his neck tightly and he twirled me around once, then set me down.

“Oh no, my baby’s grown!” Dad said, trying to frown. His lips still curved upward though. “How did this happen?”

“Five months and Hogwarts food,” I answered. “When you feed kids, they tend to grow.”

“No problems this year?” Dad asked me.

“You didn’t get a letter from McGonagall, did you?” I asked as my reply, putting my hands on my hips. I rolled my eyes for dramatic effect.

“With my daughter? Who knows what you get away with?” He looked around. “Where’s your trunk? And Peck?”

I feigned surprise. “But Daddy, you always get my stuff for me!”

“Artemis, how old are you?”

“Sixteen.”

Dad sighed. “Don’t you think you’re old enough to get your own trunk?”

I shook my head. “Nope. I’ll do it when I’m seventeen and can use the Locomotor spell outside of school. Besides, that’s what dads are for!”

“Smarty pants.”

“Hopefully. They’ve sat through school long enough!” I ducked my dad’s reach as he went to weave through the throng of people to get my trunk and Peck. I soon spotted Mum just a few feet away from where Dad had been. She was talking to another couple.

“Hi Mum!” I yelled, running over to her and engulfing her in a hug. When I released her, I realized Dad was right- I had grown! Mum and I were now the same height at 1.7 meters (or roughly five foot six for those who can’t do metric).

Mum seemed to think the same thing. “Who are you and what have you done with my little girl?” she asked sternly. Then she smiled. “Never mind. I like the young woman I see standing before me.”

I stuck out my tongue. “Young woman? I’m only sixteen, you know.”

“In half a year you’ll be of age in this world,” Mum reminded me.

“I won’t be a fully qualified witch until I finish my N.E.W.T.’s when I’m eighteen,” I reminded her. “You’re not getting rid of me that easily.”

“I wouldn’t think of kicking you out,” Mum said. “What would Dad and I do without you?”
“What have you been doing for the past five months then?” I teased her.

Mum’s face turned pink. “That’s not the point.” After I finished laughing for getting the better of her, she said, “I’m sorry, I haven’t introduced you.” She turned to the couple behind her. “This is the daughter I was telling you about, Artemis. Artemis, this is-”

“Mum! Dad!”

Mum and I looked back to who called. Of course, it just had to be Remus Lupin. He was walking towards us, his trunk already on a trolley. His eyes widened slightly when he saw me. “Monroe! Hello again.”

“Again?” Mum whispered in my ear. I elbowed her to keep her quiet.

“Hi, Lupin,” I said.

“Oh, so this is your son!” Mum exclaimed to the couple beside us.

But the Lupins didn’t seem to be paying attention. Mrs. Lupin rushed forward to hug her son. Remus stood about twenty centimeters taller than the woman. His dad walked up to Remus and whispered something to him. Remus’s face remained neutral as he made a short nod and muttered something. I wasn’t able to read his lips.

“He’s cute,” Mum whispered to me.

“Please, don’t,” I whispered back, worried she might start talking and not stop short of humiliating me.

“Just making an observation,” she said. “Though he’s a bit pale.” She looked back at me. “As are you.”

I rolled my eyes. “I’ve been studying inside for the past five months. I thought you picked that up from all my letters.”

“Well, you could use some sun. Not too much, though. But just enough.”

“Mum!”

At that time Dad came up with another trolley, Peck perched in his cage on top of my trunk. “Are we ready to go?” he asked us.

“I think so-” Mum started.

“Wait!” I dug into the pocket of my jeans and pulled out the Chocolate Frogs Card that came with the candy Remus gave me on the train. “Hey, Lupin?”

Remus, along with his parents, turned around to face me. All three of them looked confused.

“Thanks for the chocolate on the train,” I said, handing him the card. “This is yours.”

Remus looked like he was going to refuse it. “But I gave-”

“I’m not into collecting the cards,” I lied. In reality, I had nearly all the cards, but that was because I bought them myself. Remus bought that Chocolate Frog, so the card should belong to him. “It’s yours.” I placed the card on his trunk and turned back to my parents. “Okay, let’s go!” I said in a hyper voice. “Move! Move move move! You guys are slower than I remember! Shoo! I wanna go home!”

“How much sugar did you have on that train?” Dad asked as we walked toward the barrier.

“Only one frog,” I said.

“Did you eat anything else?” Dad asked.

“Nope.”

Dad sighed. “So we’re going to have to deal with five months of pent-up energy this summer?”

“Yep!”

“Merlin help us all,” Dad prayed.

“Amen,” Mum added.

A/N: I hope this chapter turned out right. It took a while to get the Marauder prank written, and I’m still not sure about it. The next chapter shows Artemis in the Muggle world. Please feel free to let me know if you have any questions/comments/concerns. Thanks! (Oh, and I do not own anything from Shakespeare either. Artemis’s reactions to Shakespeare belong to her and do not reflect my own personal thoughts or opinions.)

Chapter 4: Chapter 4: I've Got Mail?
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A/N: I don't own HP. JKR does. But I do own Artemis and all her friends. Um, that doesn't sound right, but you get my point.

Chapter 4: I’ve Got Mail?

Nothing can compare to the feeling of your own bed, especially when you haven’t slept in it since Christmas. And on my first night back home, I didn’t have to worry about tuning out my fellow Gryffindors. I didn’t have to hear Lily’s snoring, or Samantha’s latest gossip as to who the hot and sexy Sirius Black was dating this week. I didn’t have to keep my eyes closed tightly as Kati sat up to read late into the night in the bed next to mine or smell whatever new perfume Melissa bought in Hogsmeade. No, this had to be bliss. Knowing that the entire summer belonged to me and not have to worry about who saw me or getting into trouble with the professors.

I shifted in my bed, laying on my right shoulder, my back to the wall. My eyes remained closed as I savored this feeling. But my own habits were starting to catch up with me. If I didn’t get up soon, I would just become more uncomfortable until I was cursed with being a slug for the entire day. Too much sleep is bad for you, did you know that?

Oh well, I might as well get started slowly. Okay, Artemis, open your eyes. No? Okay, now! Nope, still black. Fine. Artemis, I command you open your eyes right this second! Take as much time as you want, but hurry up!

I opened my eyes. They were greeted by a pair of silver-grey eyes extremely close to my face.

“Eep!” I screeched. Instinct made me push my arms out and shove this person out of my bed. The silver eyes widened as the body was forced off the side of my bed, resulting in a satisfying thump on my bedroom floor.

“Owe! Dang it, Artemis, relax!”

“I thought you didn’t like me that way!” I replied sarcastically, rolling over to look off the edge of my bed.

Randy Sanders. My best mate. My first friend too. And currently, he was laying in a crumpled heap at the side of my bed. His light brown hair formed a halo around his head. And from the way his left arm was under his back, I’d say he wasn’t getting up any time soon.

“I don’t. And I’m taking it you got my letter.”

“Duh.”

“Then you know that our month of constant contact starts right now, right?”

I nodded. “So, are you going to keep records? How many hours is that? Thirty days, twenty four hours per day. . ?”

“I don’t know. You’re the smart one.”

I rolled my eyes. “That’s seven hundred and twenty hours. Please tell me you didn’t flunk math without me.”

“Nah, but it’s summer. No school, remember?”

“Ah, yes.” I rolled back onto my back and looked up at my ceiling. “Yes, certainly. That’s the nicest thing you’ve said to me today.” I sighed, allowing my thoughts to focus on that simple truth.

“Uh, Artemis? Care to get me up?”

“Get yourself up.”

“But you pushed me down!”

“But you got in my bed in the first place!”

“But you didn’t write to me for weeks!”

“But I told you I’d be busy studying!”

“But-”

“Artemis, what’s all the noise?” My bedroom door opened and my mum poked her head in.

“I blame Randy! He was in my bed when I woke up!”

Mum’s gaze traveled from me on my bed, down to Randy laying uncomfortably on the floor, back to me. She did not seem too surprised to see Randy up here, nor hear that he had been in my bed. Mum is either really cool or really oblivious.

“Uh-huh. Your point?”

“Did you put him up to this?”

“No,” Randy said before Mum and I could go back and forth. “It was 100% my genius that generated the plan. Please, save the applause for after the show.”

“Well, breakfast is in fifteen minutes,” Mum said. “Your dad had to leave for work early this morning. He got an urgent message.”

I nodded, understanding. “I’ll get up.”

“Good, because I have to leave in thirty minutes. I want to make sure you don’t eat the entire contents of this house.”

“Don‘t you trust me?”

“You’re a teenager.” With that, Mum went back downstairs.

“Artemis?”

“Okay, I’ll get you up.” I made a lot of noise as I pushed myself off my bed, placed my feet onto the floor, and stood over Randy. But when I stood, I realized something. “I have to pee.” I turned towards my bathroom.

“Artemis!”

“I’ll get you in a minute!”

Okay, so it was ten minutes later by the time Randy and I raced downstairs. I beat him, naturally, and took my spot at the kitchen table.

“Took you long enough.” Mum said. “And it sounded like a herd of elephants were stampeding down my stairs.”

“Sorry, Mum,” I said, piling up five pancakes. I liked pancakes.

“Randy, what’s wrong with your shoulder?” Mum asked.

Randy took his hand off his left shoulder. “It might be that I landed on it when Artemis pushed me off her bed, or the fact that she bumped me into the wall when we raced down the stairs.”

“Or it was a combination of both,” I said brightly. “Mum, where’s the syrup?”

“Do you want me to look at it, Randy?” Mum asked.

“Nah, it’ll be fine. So far, it’s been a mild first day back with Artemis.” He winked at me. “Remember last Christmas break?”

“You mean when I shoved you down a hill and you did that ‘rolling person becomes a huge snowball’ thing?”

“Yes.”

“Nope, doesn’t ring any bells. Hey, don’t throw stuff at me! Especially not something as weak as a crumpled napkin!”

“It feels as if you’ve never left, sweetie,” Mum said. She gave me a kiss, patted Randy on his right shoulder, and headed out to the garage to leave. The two of us were silent as we listened for Mum to back out of the driveway.

“So, how was school?” Randy asked me, taking a piece of toast and stuffing it in his mouth.

“Banal,” I answered.

“What?”

I rolled my eyes. “Boring. Increase your vocab.”

Randy snorted. “You really have been attending a private school, haven’t you?”

“No, I just use it as an excuse to get away from you.”

“Ouch. That hurt. I’m wounded.”

“Promise?”

“You must think you’re funny.”

“Yeah, but looks aren’t everything.”

“Well, seriously, how was school?”

I laughed at that. When Randy didn’t seem to find anything funny, I reminded him about my fellow classmate, a one Sirius Black. Randy smiled immediately after I reminded him of the story in my letter.

“I wonder what his parents were on when they named him.”

“Oh sure, like that’s not as bad as being stuck with ‘Artemis.’” I rolled my eyes. “Couldn’t they chosen ‘Diana’ instead? Same basic thing, and the name is actually normal!”

“No, certainly not,” Randy said, shaking his head back and forth. His silver eyes had a no-nonsense look to them. “First of all, you are not normal. Secondly, you do not look like a Diana. You look like an Artemis.”

“Gee, thanks for that.” I took a final bite of my pancakes. “I waited sixteen years to get your approval for the name my parents stuck me with.”

“Are you done eating? The others are expecting us in-” He looked to the clock handing above the kitchen sink. “Shoot, we’re late. Let’s go.”

“We’re always late. Don’t have a cow.”

“You don’t get it. We have to go up to park outside the woods. And I don’t know about you, but I don’t have my driver’s license yet.”

The park?! Now? That takes a good fifteen minutes to get there! “What are you waiting for?! You put away the food and I’ll get my loot.”

Randy went to clear the table as I sprinted up the stairs. I have so got him trained, I thought, proud of myself.

　

~~~~~*****~~~~~*****~~~~~*****~~~~~

　

“You’re late!”

“It was his fault!”

“It was her fault!”

Zach, leaning against a tree with his nose in a book, looked up and rolled his eyes. “I was actually hoping you had matured a little, Artemis. You just burst my bubble.”

Bubble? Soap bubbles. I laughed at the prank the Marauders pulled just two nights ago. Well, excluding that part where James tried to get Lily’s approval. The whole idea was good, too, and not overly mean-spirited.

Jake smiled, like he usually did whenever I burst into laughter. “Now what’s the joke about this time, Artemis? What have we said to start your laughing fit?”

“Man, guys, we’ve got so much to catch up on,” I laughed, still not completely sure I could keep a straight face, explain that joke, and make it sound possible to my Muggle friends. I’ve learned that some pranks, no matter how funny, cannot be translated into probable Muggle jokes. “But first thing’s first,” I said, “did you boys miss me?”

“Yes,” five male voices chorused at once.

“Good. Because I have presents.” I showed them the backpack I was wearing.

With that, five pairs of eyes widened. “Artemis,” Nick said, the one with the biggest sweet tooth of the group, “just hand over the bag and you will not be hurt. Will she, guys?”

“No promises though,” Randy said.

I stood back up and began to slowly back away from the boys. Randy, Zach, Nick, Jake, and Ken advanced one step at a time, all eyes at the shoulder straps of my bag.

“Are any of you guys getting the feeling of déjà vu?” I asked, stepping over a particularly large tree branch. I was nearing the edge of the forest. “I think we went through this last summer.”

“Surrender the candy!” Nick demanded.

“Yep, déjà vu!” I turned and ran as fast as my trainers could take me. My legs started to burn slightly after I passed my tenth tree. Artemis, you’ve gotten out of shape! I thought sadly.

There! That tree! With the boys still on my tail, I found a tree with an adequately low branch. Hopefully my body remembered how to do this, or else I might fall and get a concussion.

My hands scraped against the bark as I jumped into the first branch. My feet weren’t even stable as my hands found and pulled me up onto a second branch. Then a third. A fourth. When I got to the middle of the tree, I looked down. All five boys were standing around the base of the tree, none of them daring to come up to grab me.

For a brief second, I thought this resembled a game of cat and mouse, or rather dogs and a cat. Five dogs to one cat. This cat, however, had a ton of sweets.

“Now boys, be reasonable,” I said. “Wait, what am I talking about? Boys and reason? Psh!”

“Artemis!” Randy called up. “If you expect to keep any candy, you’ll be nicer to us! There’s five of us and one of you!”

I just decided to wait for the boys to stop pacing around the tree. This tree that I chose might have had a low branch for me to jump up on, but it wasn’t close enough for me to start jumping from tree to tree like a human flying squirrel. I tried that two years ago- I fell out of the tree. Being a witch, my parents took me to St. Mungo’s and my cracked head was healed instantly.

“Okay, how about a deal?” I called down to them. “Three pieces of candy each and I can come down safely. Agreed?”

“Ten pieces!” Nick called.

I rolled my eyes. “Only if you submit to visiting the dentist tomorrow.”

“Three pieces is a start,” Ken said, shoving Nick away from my tree.

A half hour later, my candy stash was nearly depleted. We decided to stay in the woods, under the very tree I took refuge in. Most of us were sitting against around a tree, forming a wide circle. Well, except Nick. Nick was running madly around the circle, chattering about something. All I caught were “killer rabbits.” Whatever.

“My parents need to send me to school with a fortune next year,” I sighed. “You boys ate more than last Christmas.”

“Well, we are growing boys,” Zach said, probably trying to defend his reasons for eating ten bars of chocolate.

“Yeah,” I said slowly, glancing up to Ken. “Well, I’m sure candy’s a better snack than ‘buttered toast.’”

As if on cue, Ken face turned dark crimson. He tried to sit lower, but ended up banging the back of his head against the tree he was leaning against. Maybe he was trying to turn into a slug. I could transfigure him into a slug if I were one year older. And if he and my friends weren’t Muggles. Oh, what am I talking about? I thought I told myself that I was done with school for another two months.

“Who told you?” Ken sputtered, his knees hiding only his jaw from me.

“Three guesses. First two don’t count.”

“Randy, I am going to kill you,” Ken hissed.

My other friends didn’t take his death threat seriously, least of all Randy. He just laughed. “Just tell her, Ken. I’m sure the rest of us would like to hear it again anyway.”

“Fine, just to get this over with.” Ken straightened up, but he still looked like a tomato with dark brown hair for leaves.

Okay, this had to be good if Nick stopped running around and sat down next to me. I grabbed my backpack away from him as he went to rummage inside it. Note to self- have Mum check Nick’s blood sugar within the next week.

“Okay, it happened just a month ago,” Ken started slowly. He went on to explain what happened, with a few comments here and there from the others about what they saw.

Basically, Ken had had his eye on a particular girl for quite a while. On one fine May morning, Ken was running late for school, so he took a slice of toast from home and went running. And then he caught up to the girl he’d been staring at for the past three months. And for a while, everything was going great. His voice cracked at one time, though (information thanks to Randy), and he tried to hide it by saying he thought he saw a rat.

Telling this girl that he saw a rat was not a good idea. Even I knew that. The girl freaked out, demanding to know where it was. Ken tried to say it scurried away, but this girl was going ballistic. When she turned to him to demand to know exactly where it had been last, she walked straight into the slice of buttered toast. It stuck to the middle of her chest for a few seconds before it fell to the ground, leaving butter all over her new shirt.

That, apparently, was there things went really bad. Ken first decided that he should try to wipe the butter off her shirt as much as possible. She slapped him when his hand touched her breast in his ‘innocent gesture of trying to make things right.’ He then suggested to her that she take off the shirt and get a different one. All she heard was ‘take off the shirt’ and promptly slapped his other cheek, harder and stronger this time. Finally, he admitted that he didn’t see a rat. Without given a proper chance to explain the series of events, the girl kicked Ken directly below the belt and stormed off to school. When he finally got to school, practically every girl in school gave him the cold shoulder.

“Of course, when he fell,” Randy said, “he proved that toast lands butter-side up. Had it all over his face for the entire day.”

“You didn’t have to tell her that!” Ken yelled. His face was already past red and was turning different shades of purple that I’d never seen on anything alive before.

When the story was over, I couldn’t help myself. I was laughing so hard, I think the tree behind me didn’t want to be associated with me anymore. I was flat on my back, clutching my gut and envisioning the image of Ken, one of the nicest and sincerest of my friends, getting nailed with a kick between the legs and singing soprano for choir practice.

“Who- who-” That was all I got as I tried to stop my laughing.

“Is she imitating an owl now?” Jack asked.

“Sorry, didn’t we tell you?” Randy said, understanding me perfectly. “Ken’s had a thing for Emily Vaine for a few years. Didn’t share it with his best mates for the longest time, though.”

“E-Emily Vaine?” It took me another minute for my laughter to subside. “But- but she’s shallow! Back in primary school, she was already worrying about how she looked instead of playing games in gym class. If you peel away her skin, there would be nothing but air!”

Ken shrugged, studying a small tear in the knee of his jeans. “She’s really nice looking. I thought I might. . .” He paused. “It would have happened with anyone. I just can’t seem to speak with girls.”

I tilted my head to the side. “Um, yeah, if you didn’t get the memo, I’m a girl. ‘Artemis’ is the name of a goddess, ergo girl.”

“You’re not a real girl,” Jake said with a silent ‘duh’ behind his words.

I frowned and pretended to examine my body. “Let’s see, long hair, smaller frame than you lot. I have two of these.” I pointed to my chest. “But I’m missing something here.” I patted the front of my pants.

All five of the boys looked a little disturbed by my blunt assessment. Zach, now also starting to turn pink, said, “Uh, I think we knew you’re biologically a girl. But you don’t act like a girly-girl. That- display- just confirmed it.”

“And please don’t ever do that again,” Nick said, his sugar rush evidently leveling off. “Anatomy lessons should only be conducted in school.”

“Amen,” four voices chorused.

“Wimps,” I grumbled. I crossed my arms over my chest.

“It’s just a known fact that you’re a little of a tomboy,” Randy shrugged. “Remember back in primary school? On our very first day of class, you spent the entire time peeling nail polish off your fingers and leaving the debris on my desk.”

“That was years ago.”

Zach leaned forward. “You’re also the one that kicked me off the swings when we were seven when you wanted my swing. Fortunately for you, I only chipped a baby tooth.”

“But we became friends right after that. I’d say that was a good day.”

“You also don’t obsess about girly-girl topics,” Nick said. “I don’t even think you’ve told us about any blokes at school you might fancy. Despise maybe, but never fancy.”

“What do I need boys at school for when I have you lot counting down the days to when I return?”

“I have convincing evidence about how you’re not like other girls,” Jake said, looking to my ponytail. “You’ve got an ant crawling on your hair.”

Huh? I pulled the ponytail forward and just managed to see a black insect crawling up the strands of my hair. “Oh. Whatever.”

“Other girls we know would scream at this little guy,” Jake said, reaching forward and taking the ant out of my hair.

Most other girls you know haven’t made potions with eyes of newts, bits of spiders, or other gross ingredients that are designed to be ingested, I thought. No, don't think like that. No school for summer, remember?

Jake looked at the ant a little longer. “They’d probably also faint if they saw me do this.” He opened his mouth, tossed the ant into it, then closed the mouth before the ant could escape.

“Did you just eat that ant?” I whispered. Okay, now I was feeling a little queasy.

“Jake, that just grossed us all out,” Zach said, looking a little green. Nick and Randy nodded in agreement.

Jake shrugged.

I took a deep breath, trying not to imagine the pain and humiliation that ant was experiencing after being eaten by Jake. “Well, seeing as that Jake has his dinner right here-” I waved my arms around the forest floor, “-I think the rest of us should grab lunch somewhere else.”

The six of us stood and wiped dirt and dry leaves off our clothes. We voted to go to Zach’s house. As we emerged from the trees, I stopped the group. “But first,” I said, “no one is to allow Ken access to the toaster. He has a ban for life!”

“Artemis,” Ken hissed. His face, which had started to return to its regular shade, turned red again. “Run. Now.”

I didn’t need to be told twice. I spun and ran down the street, heading for Zach’s house. Ah, yes, this is where I belong. I giggled when I heard Ken trip on a crack in the sidewalk, making the boys all fall on each other. Reaching Zach’s house first, I locked all the doors and refused them all entrance until Zach’s mum came home and let them all in through the garage.

　

~~~~~*****~~~~~*****~~~~~*****~~~~~

　

“So, how was your first day back?” Dad asked in the kitchen that night.

“Warren, can you please take care of her clothes?” Mum asked in an exasperated tone. “And are you almost ready with dinner?”

“What? There’s nothing wrong with my clothes.” Sure, I might have spilled flour on the hem of my shirt and had dirt stains on my bum, but the laundry could take care of it.

“Scourgify.” With a wave of Dad’s wand, my clothes were clean and smelled like I just pulled them out of my closet. “And it’s almost done, Marie.”

“See, nothing wrong.” I repeated for Mum, pretending that Dad’s spell did nothing.

“Sure, dear.”

“Artemis? How was your day?” Dad repeated, now setting the table with a wave of his wand.

I shrugged. “Randy freaked me out by being in my bed this morning, my friends all got a sugar rush, Ken told me about his episode with Emily Vaine, Jake ate a bug, I locked Zach out of his own house, Randy started a food fight, Zach yelled at me for the books I chose, and Nick might have more sugar than blood in his system.”

Dad nodded. “So, a typical day.”

I groaned. “Neither of my parents find it disturbing that I woke up with a boy in my bed this morning. Are you two really qualified to be parents?”

“Randy wanted to stay for dinner,” Mum explained, ignoring me (and casting doubt on whether I wanted that last question answered or not). “He said Artemis and him had some sort of arrangement.”

“It’s his version of payback for not writing to him for a month.”

“You did explain that-”

“Dad, this is Randy. The only reason he left was because I called Suzie over and asked her to take Randy away for the night. He promised he’d be back here with the dawn tomorrow.”

Dad smiled and looked over to Mum for a moment. “You don’t think . . ?”

Mum shrugged, trying to suppress a grin.

“What?” I asked.

“Nothing!” they chorused.

I rolled my eyes. They weren’t like this last Christmas. Whatever. “So, Mum said you had some father/daughter activities planned for the holidays?” I asked.

Dad nodded. “Though nothing compared to what you’ve done with your friends. I was thinking of some mindless movies this weekend. Maybe a trip to the amusement park. Just to keep you from thinking about school.”

I grinned. “I should have had O.W.L.’s more often!”

Dad cocked an eyebrow. “Artemis, did you hear what you just said?”

I paused. O.W.L.’s? Every year? “On second thought. . .”

Mum laughed. “I’d love to see what kind of person you are in school. With that mouth of yours, I expected to have numerous letters from your professors.”

“‘If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all,’” I quoted. “See Mum, I do listen to you.” As Mum rolled her eyes, I turned my attention back to my dad. “So, anything interesting happen at the office today?”

Dad’s expression turned serious. “I think this would better explain it.” He got up and grabbed a folded edition of The Daily Prophet. “Page three,” he directed me.

I turned to the page, worried about what I might find. The headline made my heart sink into the bottom of my gut.

“MUGGLE FAMILY CURSED TO DEATH AFTER NEW OVEN EXPLODES- EVIDENCE OF DARK MAGIC IN HOME.” The subtitle also caught my attention. “Ministry Officials Attempt to Locate Source of Cursed Oven.”

I looked up to Dad, hoping he would give me more information than the paper.

“We traced the oven back to a Muggle appliance store,” Dad said. “From there the trail goes cold. We tried finding the salesman, but no one could remember exactly who sold what. We’ve concluded that the oven wasn’t targeted at any specific Muggle. The Muggle police think it was a manufacturing error.”

“Oh my god,” Mum whispered.

“Obviously I was called in, because it was a Muggle artifact. That and I was raised as a Muggle.” Dad shook his head. “Nearly half the house was destroyed last night. We wouldn’t have known it was in any relation to our world if the Dark Mark was not left over the house.”

“I thought You-Know-Who and his followers liked killing Muggles personally,” I said. I hated how I said this. Like those poor people who just died for no reason only existed in theory. But I suppose that hearing too many similar stories blurred the whole situation together. Nothing seemed as bad while I was at school.

Dad shrugged. “Considering that the number of Death Eaters is growing and there are so many Muggles in the world, they’re probably trying to find ways of mass-extermination. Arthur and I found at least a dozen more cursed appliances in that store alone. Aurors are being sent around popular shopping centers to expand the search.”

I nodded. “This happened near London, right? Not near us?”

“No, not near us” Dad said. “But there’s another thing I want to discuss with you. From now on, I want you to keep your wand on you at all times.”

“My wand? But I’m only sixteen. I’m too young to use magic outside-”

“Artemis, we’re in the middle of a war,” Dad said. “Death Eaters won’t care if you’re an underage witch. If anything happens to you, I won’t have my only child defenseless.”

“But what if my friends are nearby? The International Statue of Secrecy was signed in 1689, and wizards broke off the Muggle world completely three years later. I can’t do magic in front of them! I can’t break a law that’s been in effect for almost three hundred years!”

Dad’s face hinted at a smile. “You still remember the exact dates? That’s it, we’re going to a show tomorrow.”

I sighed. “My friends can’t see me do any magic. They don’t have a single clue that I’m a witch. Well, unless you count the ridiculous name you gave me.”

“I think Artemis is a lovely name for you,” Mum said.

“Artemis, laws can be bent in a time of emergency. I’m not saying you’ll ever have to do magic, but keep your wand with you just in case. It would be better to use magic rather than risk your friends’ lives unnecessarily.”

I nodded. “Okay, I’ll keep my wand on me. I’d never let anyone hurt my friends.”

“Good girl,” Dad said. “Just keep your wits about you when you go out, okay? I don’t want you worried, but I don’t want you oblivious either.”

“Yes, Dad.”

Dinner was almost over when a tapping came from the window over the sink. It was too dark outside to see anyone from here.

“Probably Randy,” I sighed. Though why wasn’t he trying to barge in the back door?

“I don’t think so,” Mum said. She got up and went to the window. Opening it, an owl fluttered into the room, circling around the ceiling for a moment before dropping a letter onto the table in front of me. It then circled around a few more times before leaving from where it came.

“A letter?” Dad asked, frowning. He reached over to pick it up. “It’s addressed to you, Artemis.” He handed it back to me.

“Me?” Who would write me? “What did I do now?” I couldn’t recognize the handwriting at all. It was neat and measured, as if the writer took the care to form each letter perfectly.

“You didn’t offend anyone in your dorm again before you left, did you?” Mum accused me, closing the window and sitting at the table with me again.

I paused, considering. “Samantha might have been giving me the cold shoulder. I think.” I didn’t want to mention Sirius Black in front of Dad. “But I didn’t do anything recently. And this isn’t her handwriting.”

“Well, don’t wait!” Mum said. “Who’s it from?!”

I opened the letter and glanced instantly at the last line. The fingers holding the parchment felt like they had just brushed into a ghost. “Remus Lupin,” I said.

At this, Mum’s eyes widened and she was grinning from ear to ear. “Really? The one you mentioned in your letter?”

“Well, I only know one bloke who goes by Remus,” I said.

“What does the letter say?” Dad asked, adopting a slight frown.

“Warren, it’s her letter,” Mum said. “Let our daughter have some privacy.”

“No, it’s okay,” I said, skimming the letter. “I can read it.” I cleared my throat.

“Dear Artemis Monroe,

“How are you enjoying your summer so far? I know it’s only been a day, but hopefully you’ve been enjoying your time off. Again, I’m sorry for scaring you on the train back from Hogwarts. And for bothering you so much. I hope you didn’t mind the interruption too badly.

“I don’t think I thanked you for the idea of those Forever Bubbles. Peter was going to make it rain cheese in the Great Hall- don’t ask. And, well, let’s just say that the bubbles went along well with James’s contribution. So for the record, thank you for your inadvertently brilliant idea.

“Sincerely,

“Remus Lupin.”

I looked up to see my parents exchanging looks. “What?” I asked.

“Didn’t you ask me to modify some Forever Bubbles last night?” Dad asked.

“Yeah, I thought they’d be cool for Randy. I gave them to him as he left this evening. But when I got the bubbles in Hogsmeade, I ran into Lupin. He must have seen my purchases. Potter and Pettigrew were in the back of Zonko’s.”

“I think it’s sweet that this boy wrote to you,” Mum said. “He sounds lovely. Not to mention that he looked cute (“Mom!”). Surely you’re going to write back?”

“Maybe tomorrow,” I said, replacing the letter and putting it in my pocket. “Now who’s up for a game of Exploding Snap?”

　

~~~~~*****~~~~~*****~~~~~*****~~~~~

　

I was exhausted after my long first day back home. But no matter what, I couldn’t get to sleep. My ears had stopped ringing from the game with my parents, but my brain refused to shut down.

Groaning, I sat up and turned on a light. I shuffled over to my desk, where I’d tossed the letter Remus sent me before I changed for bed. Glancing at it for a moment, I pulled out a fresh sheet of parchment, a quill, and an ink bottle.

Dear Remus Lupin. . .

　

A/N: So this is Artemis in the Muggle world. Did it sound all right? What did you think? Feel free to let me know. And don’t worry, we’ll be heading back to Hogwarts in the next chapter and the story will really get started. Questions/comments/concerns appreciated!

Chapter 5: Chapter 5: I'll Miss You
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A/N: HP=JKR. JKR is not me. Duh. So therefore, I don't own HP. I just like that universe.

Chapter 5: I’ll Miss You

“And that bright star there isn’t a star- it’s Jupiter. The four main moons are Ganymede, Callisto, Europa, and Io. Ganymede is actually bigger than the planets Mercury and Pluto.”

“Cool,” Randy muttered.

We were sitting at the top of the hill outside the village. It was the best place for stargazing, and Randy brought me up here a week into summer break to get ‘astronomy lessons.’ I think he only wanted to annoy me more by keeping me up as late as possible. I’d told him repetitively that I wasn’t a night person.

“Can we go home now?” I asked. But I made no movement to get up.

“No.” Randy kept still too, with one arm behind his head, keeping it off the ground. His right arm rested over both my shoulders, keeping my neck and head laying across his chest. I was aware of ever move he made, every breath he took. I had long gotten used to the rhythm of his breathing. It was relaxing, and a bit hypnotic actually.

“Tell me more.”

I looked at the stars in the sky. What hadn’t I told him? “We’ve been doing this for almost two months, Randy. I’m never going to make it to my lessons once school starts. I go back tomorrow.”

“That’s why we can’t leave yet.” He took an exceptionally deep breath. “Is it wrong that I want to spend as much time as possible with you, Artemis?”

“No, but I’m getting sleepy.” I yawned to emphasize my point.

Randy squeezed my left shoulder. “Stay awake. I won’t see you again until Christmas.”

“Yeah, where I’ll have a lot more presents for you. I promise I’ll write every week. I don’t have hectic exams to study for anymore.”

“I wish I could write you every day,” Randy said.

I remained silent. It was possible to write every day. I did so with my parents. But Muggle post can’t move as fast as owls. In order to fulfill his wish, I’d have to tell Randy everything. I couldn’t do that.

So there we were. Sitting at the top of a hill. Alone. Just the two of us. The stars were bright, the only witnesses to what was going on. Today was August 31st. Today, I was a Muggle. My friends knew I couldn’t do magic but I could out-race any of them and I could climb anything, with or without footholds. I spent all my time with friends, be it teasing Ken, giving Nick sugar to see what happens, watch Jake eat the grossest things, annoy Zach when he’s trying to read, or just hang out with Randy. Tomorrow, on September 1st, I will resume my life as a witch. I will spend my time surrounded by books and studying every bit of magic I can to be the best witch and Healer I could be. My friends would exist only on paper.

My O.W.L.’s had come back. I got mostly O’s with a couple E’s, so I knew I could get into the classes I needed to become a Healer. Randy heard about my good marks weeks ago, of course. He was excited that I was another step closer to becoming a ‘doctor.’ For some reason, a part of me wished he’d figure it out. But that was the part of me that wished, when I was eleven, that Randy would turn out of be a Muggle-born wizard. I wanted so much for my best mate to be with me through everything. I still wished I could take him to Hogwarts.

“Artemis?” Randy’s voice was trembling a little. “Can I say something?”

“What?”

But in that moment, from the direction of the forest, came the sound of two or three canines howling. More joined in, their howls rolling over the hills in an otherwise quiet night.

The two of us listened, our short exchange forgotten. A few moments later, the howls died down. The air took on the peaceful quality the two of us liked so much.

Randy laughed above me. “Careful, Artemis. Werewolves are in our midst.”

I laughed with him. “You idiot, werewolves show up only during the full moon. That’s about a week from now. Where have you been?”

“Maybe they’re early.”

I laughed again. “Werewolves show up only once a month or so. Thirteen times a year.”

“Nice number, thirteen.”

I rolled my eyes. “Well, I know you’re not blind. It’s the first quarter of the moon. You won’t have to worry about a werewolf for another week or so.”

“You make it sound like they really exist.”

I turned my head to my right, straining to look up at Randy’s face with the least bit of movement. “If I were you, I’d just be careful on full moons,” I whispered, making my voice waver in an attempt to sound spooky. I didn’t think it was working, though.

“I always think of you on the full moon,” he whispered in response. “It’s your namesake.”

“Stop, you’re making me blush,” I said sarcastically.

“Oh, am I?” Okay, I could hear the smirk in that response.

I yawned again, this time against my will. “It’s time to get back,” I said. I reached up to pull Randy’s hand off my shoulder. “I have to go to school tomorrow.”

Randy also moved. He got to his feet first and brushed off his jeans. “Let me guess- your train leaves at eleven o’clock.”

“Yup.”

“King’s Cross?”

“Yup.”

“Can I see you off this year?”

“Nope.”

Randy groaned. “Please?”

“No. Stop asking me.” I brushed off my own pants and grabbed my backpack. I looked all around the hill, making certain that the two of us were actually alone. No, the wolves from before were probably still in the forest. To the north, small points of light shone from the houses. “My parents want to be the last ones to see me. Let’s go.”

We walked side-by-side for a while. Randy tried to help me walk down a steep part of the hill, but instead I decided to race him to the bottom. I won, of course.

“You’re slower than my parents!” I yelled at him.

“Sorry, I don’t want broken bones for when I go back to school,” Randy said.

We finally decided to walk together on the way to my house. I tried to put my arm over his shoulder, but Randy had grown too much over the past year for me to attempt to do that anymore. I settled for wrapping my arm around his waist instead. Randy put his arm over my shoulders after a moment’s hesitation.

“I’ll miss you,” he whispered, leaning down to speak into my ear.

“I’ll miss you too,” I replied. “Just two more years and I’ll be free.”

“Can’t wait.” We arrived in front of my house. The lights were on, my parents obviously waiting up for me.

While the half moon provided some light, the multitude of trees cast many shadows onto the ground, the shadows resulting in an obstruction of Randy’s face. But enough light caught and reflected off his silver eyes. He just looked down at me for the longest time.

“Tell- tell the others I’ll be thinking of them,” I said. I closed my eyes for a moment and took a deep breath to calm myself. I hated saying good-bye. “And let me know what to use against them in your letters.”

Randy’s eyes seemed to dance when I mentioned this part. “Oh, don’t worry. I’ll tell you everything. Always have.”

The air was quiet as I continued to look up at him. His eyes seemed to want to tell me something, but I couldn’t read it. Maybe I was just being paranoid. Yeah, that might be it. If it was so important, he would have told me when we were still stargazing, right?

“Till Christmas, then.” I reached forward and grabbed Randy in a tight hug.

Randy’s body stiffened for a moment. But just a moment. He then relaxed and placed his arms around my shoulders, pulling me closer.

Strange, I thought. The walk wasn’t too long, but his heart is racing like mad.

“Till Christmas,” he whispered. He tightened the hug for a moment before releasing me. “Write to me when you get settled in, okay?”

“Will do.”

Randy patted the top of my head, took a step back, and walked away, towards his house. He was soon absorbed in the shadows of the neighborhood trees.

　

~~~~~*****~~~~~*****~~~~~*****~~~~~

　

“I’m going to miss you so much!” Mum sobbed.

“Mum, I’ll write,” I sighed. We were already standing on Platform 9 ¾, and Mum had started to cause a scene. “It’ll be like every other year, all right?”

Mum nodded sadly. When she spoke, her voice was trembling. “I just worry about you. Is that wrong?”

“Of course not,” I said. I looked up at Dad, the emotionally stable parent.

“Marie, Artemis will be fine,” Dad said. “She’s going back to Hogwarts, the safest place in the world. Albus Dumbledore would never let anything happen to any of his students.”

Oh, so that was it. Death Eater attacks had increased all summer. I only got hold of the evening edition of The Daily Prophet, but I had a feeling the more brutal attacks, which always happened at night, appeared in the daily version. I couldn’t read them with Randy always around, but I’m sure Mum had.

“I’ll be safe, Mum,” I said softly. I reached out to engulf her in a hug. “I’ll see you at Christmas. And by then, you can make me do my chores with magic. I’ll even pull a rabbit out of a top hat if you want!”

This made Mum laugh. Just last week, she was going on about several housework spells she’d found in a book from Diagon Alley while I was running around getting my school supplies. She had her heart set on teaching me all these spells (“They’ll be practical spells, so it’ll come in handy right away!”).

“Marie, Artemis isn’t your own personal house elf, you know,” Dad tried to say.

“Dad, I might as well learn them. The faster I finish with chores, the sooner I’ll be able to push one of my friends off a hill covered in snow again. Ah, good times.” I snickered, remembering how angry Randy was when he was trapped in a giant snowball. The other guys and I thought it would be funny to make him part of a snowman before Randy fought himself free.

Snapping fingers before my eyes brought me back to the present. “Artemis! Focus.”

“Sorry, Dad, just remembering.”

“That’s all and good,” Dad said. “Make sure you learn your stuff in Defense class. That is also a practical class to take.”

“Yes, Dad. I’ll miss you guys.”

The three of us embraced in a hug. Then I turned and boarded the train before it could leave without me. Not to sound insensitive, but my parents could be worse than leeches when it came to sending me to school.

“Bye,” I whispered, waving from the first compartment on the train (the first compartment not designated for Prefects, that is). Mum was wiping away her tears and Dad was holding her close to him tightly. As the platform got more crowded, they gave one last wave and left the station.

Numerous other witches and wizards arrived on the platform, bringing along their children. Some had farewells similar to mine and my parents; others seemed to just offer quick kisses and shoo them towards the train. One or two families, though, said good-bye to their children with a simple handshake. How cold.

As I watched, I saw Peter Pettigrew emerge onto the platform with what I can assume to be his mother. Peter’s mum was one of those who fussed over her son. Peter, though, looked ready to run away, but stayed still, his shifting feet my only clue as to where he wanted to be.

Five minutes later, James Potter and Sirius Black arrived, followed by two adults. The man looked like James and regarded the woman as his wife. I didn’t see any parents with Sirius though. Not my place to wonder anyway, Artemis, I thought to myself. Mind your own business!

Well, I thought after a moment, I can still watch.

James and Sirius seemed to find Peter and the three boys and their parents congregated in the middle of the platform. James and Sirius seemed to have a lot of stories to tell Peter, who seemed eager to listen to whatever they did over the summer. The Potters spoke with Mrs. Pettigrew pleasantly, as if they had done things this way for years (probably have).

I watched the entrance to the platform patiently. It was getting close to a time where the train would take off. I’d heard nearly the entire school pass my compartment, looking for a place to sit, but still didn’t see the person I was looking-

Someone knocked on my compartment door before it slid open.

“Sorry, Artemis, I didn’t want to scare you again.” Remus Lupin smiled down at me, blocking part of the hall as he stood in the doorway.

“Last term was just a fluke, Remus,” I said, returning the smile. “Come in, come in. You’re blocking the way for some terrified first years.” After he stepped in, I went on, “Just for the record, I do not scare too easily. Five blokes’ constant harassment keeps you on your toes.”

Remus nodded. “Okay, don’t tell me. Those blokes would be Randy, Nick, Ken, Zach, and. . . and. . . Jake!”

I clapped my hands together twice. “Did you study all summer for that pop quiz?”

Remus chuckled. “Would you think any less of me if I reviewed all your letters last night?”

At the beginning of summer, after Remus wrote me that first note, I couldn’t sleep and decided to write him back. Well, of course, it turned out that he in turn responded to my response to him. It would take a whole month to explain it, but in all our letters back and forth, I’d learned quite a bit about this particular Marauder. We would write every couple of days, usually when we felt like we had something new to share with the other. I mentioned my friends quite a bit while Remus described all the places he saw while traveling with his parents. I’m almost certain he’s been to every country in Europe at least three times in his life.

“Nope, no less than I already think of you.” I then stuck my tongue out of my mouth a little to let him know I was joking before pulling it back in my mouth. “Nah, it’s cool. It’s not like I chucked all the letters you sent me.”

“Yeah, about the letters.” Remus slid down into a seat across from me but closer to the door of the compartment. “I didn’t want to write this in a letter, but how’d you do in your O.W.L.’s? You don’t have to answer of course, but-”

“Mostly O’s,” I replied proudly. “I got an E in Defense Against the Dark Arts and Divination. I think only true Seers can obtain O’s in that subject.”

“Well, I’m shocked,” Remus said. “All that time in the library, I thought you could have done the tests in your sleep.”

“Oh, I was falling asleep for the Astronomy exam,” I said, only half-serious. “Nah, it’s just some questions that really got me stumped. I mean, that long question on werewolves did me in for Defense. The practical was nearly flawless, but I know I botched the written portion.”

I glanced back towards the platform. With only a few minutes until the train would start, the other three Marauders were still outside talking away. Didn’t any of them know how to read a clock? Then again, a lot of other students were also still on the platform.

Remus cleared his throat. When I looked back at him, he looked a little paler than before. Maybe he was already getting train sick or something. “Uh, when you say you botched the written portion, what exactly do you mean?”

I shrugged. “Remember back in third year when we learned about werewolves? I had the flu for probably two months. Stupid me refused to see Madam Pomfrey, so any notes I took in that time were abysmal. With five years worth of material, what were the odds that we’d be tested on werewolves? I spent more time learning about vampires. If it were vampires, I’ve had gotten an O. Darn werewolves!” I crossed my arms, closed my eyes, and slouched low in my seat, pretending to pout.

I waited a few moments. Whenever I did this at home, one of my friends would make a comment about how my pouts never have and never will work on anyone. And they would always snicker. But Remus remained silent.

Opening an eye and looking at Remus, it looked like he did not get my joke at all. He actually look mortified. Or petrified. He wasn’t moving, not even to breathe. His amber eyes remained wide as he looked at me in disbelief.

“Remus?!” I shrieked, sitting up instantly. Oh great, I didn’t think I was acting too weird. I was just acting as myself, not the quiet bookworm persona I put on at school. Idiot! What made you think that dumb letters would make you instant friends?! He probably thinks you’ve suffered some kind of spell damage and wants to rush you to St. Mungo’s!

“Remus, I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to freak you out!” I racked my brains, wishing I could redo this entire incident. “I’m still in summer-mode! I swear, I’ll be the quiet girl that you’ve seen in class over the past five years! And you don’t even have to-”

“Artemis!” Remus snapped out of his mortified state. He tried to offer a reassuring smile. “I’ve just never seen you like this. Though I should have figured as much from your letters.”

“No, I’m sorry! I swear, you can just leave and we can pretend that you never set foot in here. I don’t mind! And-”

“Artemis! Shut up!”

I stopped, worried about what might happen to me. I’d never actually bothered to know anyone from Hogwarts before. I told myself that I didn’t need to, that if I could keep up my friendship with my Muggle friends through seven years of school, then we’d probably be friends for life. But now that I’d almost befriended someone from school, how would my last two years be?!

“Artemis, did you hear what I said?”

“Huh? Oh, um, no. Too busy freaking out up here.” Great, why not check yourself into St. Mungo’s right now? Just get off the train. It’s just a few blocks from here!

“Artemis!”

“Sorry!”

Remus sighed, but he had a smile on his face. “I said that it was just a surprise. I just wish you showed this side of you more often. It’s- different. In a good way,” he added quickly.

“I-”

The train lurched. It must be eleven o’clock.

“I have prefect duties,” Remus said, standing up. “I’ll pop in again before we get to school, okay? Bye.” He slipped out of the compartment before I could get another word in.

“Yeah, sure,” I muttered. I pulled out a book about simple healing spells and started reading.

I’d wished to get at least half way through the book before reaching Hogwarts when the door of my compartment slid open again.

“No, Wormtail, we’re sitting here this year. Think about it this way- we can keep an eye on the Prefects.”

“You mean so you can spy on Evans, Prongs.” Sirius said, sitting on the seat across from me. He turned his attention from James and Peter towards me. He flashed the smile that made almost all the girls want him at school. “So, Artemis, enjoy your summer?”

“Yes. Not enjoying the new term, though.” Great, James just sat down next to Sirius. With a look at the other two boys, Peter also sat down.

“Awe, that’s too bad,” Sirius said, still grinning.

“What are you doing here?”

“In case you forgot, we’re Hogwarts students too,” Sirius explained patiently. “Sixth year Gryffindors, just like you.”

“Let me rephrase that- what are you doing in my compartment, Black?”

“Please, call me Sirius.”

I rolled my eyes. I shouldn’t say it. I should not say it. What the heck. “There’s nothing serious about you, Black.”

James and Peter instantly burst out laughing. Peter’s laugh was so high-pitched, though, that he nearly blasted out my right ear drum.

Sirius frowned. “That’s an old joke there, Artemis.”

“Still applies, Black. Besides, I have a new audience. Why don’t you three go to your compartment now? You’ve had your fun.”

“Remus said we could sit here,” James explained. “Said you wouldn’t mind.”

I sighed. This must be revenge. Has to be. “Don’t blow up the compartment,” I sighed, returning to reading my book. Great, now I’m stuck in a compartment with the Marauders and I have the blasted window seat. I’d better not get sick.

The ride to Hogwarts was slow indeed. I’d try to read a page about the properties of healing spells, and one of the Marauders (usually Sirius) would interrupt me. In the span of an hour, I must have been offered to play Exploding Snap twice, Wizard Chess once, and a chance to contribute ideas for the start-of-term feast prank many times. And after each distraction, I would take a deep breath, close my eyes for two seconds, and go back to reading my book.

“Why are you studying for anyway?” Sirius asked me, shoving Peter aside and trying to read over my shoulder.

“I’m trying to learn how to mend broken bones. I think I understand the basic spell. Care to be my first test subject?!”

Sirius blinked. “But I don’t have any broken bones.”

“Not yet.”

That sent James and Peter laughing again. “Pads, you should have seen that coming,” James said. “Ooh, Evans!” He turned away to stare out the compartment window.

“Merlin, let this be a nightmare,” I mumbled before attempting to resume my reading. I think I got through Shakespeare better when I was alone compared to this textbook with the Marauders’ presence.

The compartment door opened not even a second after I muttered that last prayer and Remus came in, wearing his school robes, although his tie was undone. He looked over his friends. “Having fun in here?”

“Okay Remus, you’ve had your revenge,” I said. “You can take PB&J back with you now.”

The Marauders all stopped what they were doing and looked at me with four pairs (or five if you count James’s glasses) of eyes. “Uh, what?” Peter asked.

“Yeah, I don’t follow,” Remus said.

I rolled my eyes. Honestly. “PB&J. You know, the simple sandwich that most people like to have for lunch every now and then. We have P-” I pointed to Peter. “B-” My finger moved over to Sirius. “And J.” I gestured to James. “And ironically or not, I’m not a fan of PB&J. Either type. So you four can go to your own compartment. You’ve had your fun.” I buried my nose in the book again, this time reading about how to treat burns. It was a large section.

There was silence in the compartment as no one moved. I turned from simple non-magical burns to dragon burns.

More silence. I glanced over the various potion burns and their remedies, which turned out to be more potions to counteract the original potion.

Someone snickered. I looked up. Wow, I don’t think anyone’s ever seen the Marauders this still while conscious before. The snicker came from Remus.

“What?” I demanded.

“I just never thought of them like that,” Remus chuckled. “Peanut butter and jelly. Peter or Pettigrew, Black, and James.”

“Which one am I?” Peter asked. “Peter or Pettigrew?”

We all ignored him.

“How does James rate a first name with you but not me?” Sirius complained.

Now we ignored Sirius.

“Okay, with that admittedly being funny,” James said, now also barely containing his laughter, “we’re not here to annoy you or anything. Remus said he wanted to spend time here, and we were interested. And offer our own thanks for that prank last term. We didn’t even receive detention for that one. Now that’s rare.”

I looked up. I refused to accept any explanation without Remus’s seal of approval.

“I just thought you’d have a better trip to school if you weren’t by yourself,” Remus said. He shrugged, now looking unsure of the idea. “Maybe I should have asked you first.”

“Maybe.”

“Why are we moping around here for anyway?” Sirius demanded. “We’re here, and I think some tiny first years must have found our compartment by now. We’re already more than halfway there.”

I glanced out the window. Ouch, Sirius was right? Shocker!

I put a bookmark at the page I was on and stood up. “Okay, Marauders. Out. Now!”

Peter’s eyes widened. “I thought we just agreed-”

“We’re close to Hogwarts and I need to change into my robes,” I said. “I need ten minutes. Out!”

Sirius straightened up when I said ‘change.’ “We could all just change in here together,” he said, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively at me. “You can trust us blokes not to peek.”

“That’ll happen when you’re actually serious for once. Move!”

Okay, they weren’t moving. The term technically hasn’t started yet, I thought. I’m still somewhat in summer mode anyway.

“Fine. I warned you.” I grabbed the front of Sirius’s shirt and jerked him upwards. His blue-grey eyes widened at the strength I used.

“What the-?!”

“Out!” With one hand around the collar of Sirius’s shirt, I used my free hand to slide the compartment door open and thrust him out into the hall. He stumbled over his long legs and fell noisily to the floor.

James was just laughing at Sirius when I grabbed a fist full of his shirt. “No, wait, I can walk out myself-” he tried to explain, no longer laughing.

“Too late.” I jerked him roughly around the compartment and thrust him out. He landed on Sirius, and the two went down together.

“I’m out!” Peter squeaked. He ducked under my reach and literally ran onto James and Sirius.

Hogwarts Express, we have a three-Marauder pile-up in the first car.

“You’ll really let us back inside in ten?” Remus asked, backing away to the door.

“Yep. Two minutes to change clothes, and eight minutes to stop laughing about how much I just pushed around the infamous Marauders.” I gently pushed Remus backwards and closed the compartment door, then closed the shades. Merlin, that was great!

　

A/N: Hi! They’re starting the sixth year (finally), so the story will start to take shape around the summary I gave in the first place. What did you think? I actually enjoyed writing this chapter. If you don’t mind, could you possibly leave a small blurb in the box below? Questions/comments/concerns are always welcome. Thanks! (And a special thanks to the four people that have already left me a review! You guys are awesome!)

Chapter 6: Chapter 6: I Was Just Minding My Own Business, I Swear!
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A/N: I don't own HP. I don't think JKR is a college girl procrastinating in doing her homework. I do this for you people! So go ahead and read for free!

Chapter 6: I Was Just Minding My Own Business, I Swear!

I didn’t think the professors at this school could intimidate us more than they did before our O.W.L.’s. I was proven wrong on the first day of class. Every single professor stressed the importance and difficulty of the N.E.W.T.’s. Some actually implied that we’d better start studying now. When James and Sirius complained about studying for a test two years from now in Transfiguration, Professor McGonagall gave them a night’s detention and the rest of the class two hours’ worth of homework.

But N.E.W.T.’s weren’t the only difference of this year. In practically all my classes, Remus asked permission to sit next to me and be my partner. Peter, Remus’s usual partner, hadn’t gotten the required O.W.L.’s for Defense and Potions. In Transfiguration, Peter was working with a girl from Hufflepuff. I didn’t know her name, but she was cute I guess.

To add to the changed between previous years and this one, Remus had started making it a habit of following me to the library after our last class and working on homework at the same table as me. I didn’t understand this part. Remus was the smartest person in our year (he’d gotten all O’s on all his O.W.L.’s!), so he didn’t need to waste time studying in the library with me. But I didn’t argue with him. We didn’t really talk. Although I think he looked at me strangely whenever I’d spontaneously pull out a piece of parchment and start on my letters home. He didn’t say anything about it, of course. He’d just go back to studying for Defense or Charms.

Oh, I nearly forgot to mention this. Because of all my high O.W.L. marks and my relationship with the school nurse, I’d received permission to learn some basic Healer spells and practices from Madam Pomfrey. She knew I’ve wanted to be a Healer for years, a parallel to my mum’s job as a doctor. And with the war and everything, I wanted to start doing my part for our side against You-Know-Who as soon as possible.

So with all the changes, it took me a little while longer to start feeling like I was getting into any routine in the school. I now went about my day by having breakfast, learning from Madam Pomfrey, attending classes, studying in the library with Remus, sending off my owl home, and finally going to bed. Yeah, exciting, I know. None of my friends would believe I live such a boring existence for the better part of the year. The only positive part is that I can do magic and they can’t.

So it was about a week into the new term as I watched Peck fly out of the Owlery. He was taking my eighth letter back home to my parents, and my first letter to Randy from this term. The sun was just setting over the horizon, casting everything in an orange-yellow glow. I continued to watch Peck as long as I could. Finally, he disappeared in the distance. I watched for a minute more, hoping to see one last glimpse of him, but he was too far away.

On my way back to Gryffindor Tower, I walked the corridors slowly, keeping my ears alert from the sound of shoes walking in my direction. But as I only heard myself, I let my mind wander to my first year here, when I actually met Madam Pomfrey.

　

~~~~~*****~~~~~FLASH~~~~~*****~~~~~

　

It was my first Quidditch match I’d ever attended. Hufflepuff vs. Gryffindor. I had followed my fellow first years out to the Quidditch pitch, not too sure of where I was going but having heard from older students at breakfast that it was the sport at Hogwarts. Nothing could compare to it.

The sky was cloudy and foreboding as I made my way into the stands. I was a lot smaller then, smaller than any of the girls in my year and I rivaled Peter as the smallest student in height. I found a quiet corner for myself in the stadium and waited, wondering how exciting a sport can be when it’s played on broomsticks.

It started raining just as the players flew out onto the pitch, and everyone but me seemed to find this acceptable. I thought, after ten minutes, that I should have brought a sweater. Or looked in the library for a water-repelling spell. Or just asked someone for help. But no, I was stubborn. I didn’t need help, I always thought. People came to me for help. At least, they did back in the Muggle world. And by they, I mean my friends.

I tried to keep up with what was going on. The Gryffindors, in their red robes, flew by so fast on the broomsticks. Every now and then, those in yellow robes would gain possession of the Quaffle and try to get it past the Keeper. I didn’t see any of the shots go in. Then again, the action was on the other side of the stadium and I was trying not to get rain in my eyes.

I didn’t remember exactly when I passed out. The last score I heard was 40-0 to Gryffindor. But I remembered feeling extremely warm in such cold weather, then everything went blurry. I was soaked to the bone, so to speak, and didn’t know what to do.

I think someone might have brought my to the Hospital Wing. It was all confusing. I walked with assistance, but I never found out who helped me. Voices swirled around me and my ears couldn’t decipher what voices belonged to who. Goblins might have been rummaging through my robes and I would be none the wiser.

“Here, put her on a bed.” “Thanks, Poppy, I was afraid she’d fall out of the stands.” “I’ve got things from here, dear, you go back to the game. Imagine, holding it during weather like this!” That was the only bit of conversation I could remember. When I woke up, Madam Pomfrey was the only one in the Hospital Wing.

She’d told me that I was lucky that I got to her so quickly. She gave me a potion and almost instantly, I felt tremendously better. I thanked her profoundly, saying that she healed me faster than any doctor in the Muggle world or any Healer from St. Mungo’s. I stayed for the rest of the evening, talking with her about the differences between a doctor and a Healer. I told her that I wanted to follow in my mum’s footsteps, and she recommended that I study hard so I could be the best Healer possible. It was all for the patients, she said.

And it wasn’t until the end of my third year, when I’d been trying to be tough and claim I wasn’t sick (though I felt like I was dying on some nights), when I finally went to see Madam Pomfrey again. She was actually impressed it took me two months to drag myself to the Hospital Wing and no one else had done so before then. I claimed it was because I didn’t want to bother her with some silly flu bug, but she wouldn’t hear it. With all the rumors around the school that Madam Pomfrey would keep students in the Hospital for weeks on end, I found it was just because she cared about everyone’s health. Since then, I tried to visit her every couple of weeks, to show her I was indeed in perfect health and asking her about general questions about what it would be like to be a Healer.

　

~~~~~*****~~~~~FLASH~~~~~*****~~~~~

　

I was shaken out of my memories when echoes of footsteps approached me from down the hall. I checked my watch. Good, it was still before curfew. I didn’t have to find a secret passageway to hide from Filch, the professors, or prefects. I just kept my eyes on the floor to avoid looking at anyone.

Of course, as soon as I turned the corner, I ran into none other than Remus. It just had to be him, didn’t it? (Not that I minded, of course.)

“Hi Remus! What are you- you look awful!” Tactless Artemis strikes again, I thought.

It was true- Remus did look awful. He was extremely pale, paler than he was on the train when I went ‘crazy’ in front of him on the first day. Minuscule beads of sweat dotted his forehead. Dark circles formed under his eyes.

“Artemis!” His voice even sounded stressed, even under his surprised expression. He opened his mouth to say something else, but ended up clutching his chest. He was panting heavily.

“Merlin, Remus, what happened?!” I demanded, taking his arm and guiding him to stand against the wall.

“Just, just not feeling well,” he mumbled, closing his eyes.

“You’ve got to get to Madam Pomfrey right now!” I said.

“I was actually on my way,” he said.

“Good. Do you want me to-”

“No!” Remus’s voice echoed a few times off the walls. “No,” he repeated, softer. “I can get there on my own.”

“O-kay,” I said slowly. “No need to yell at me.” Maybe Remus is one of those people who gets grouchy when they’re sick. “Get well soon.”

“Thanks.” He pushed himself off the wall and continued to walk past me, in the direction of the Hospital Wing.

I considered for a moment going with him, to make sure he makes it to the Hospital Wing in one piece. But Remus said he didn’t want help. And if it was really serious, his friends would be there with him. Shrugging, I continued on my way to Gryffindor Tower.

　

~~~~~*****~~~~~*****~~~~~*****~~~~~

　

“Thank you so much for your help this morning, Artemis,” Madam Pomfrey said quickly, her hands over my shoulder and guiding (or forcing) me out of the Hospital Wing. “My potions cabinet has never been so neat since I started working here. You’d better hurry up, class starts soon.” With a final push, I was out of the Hospital Wing. The twin doors slammed loudly behind me.

I blinked. The first thought I had: What is going on?! How did I get to the Hospital Wing? With a glance to my watch, I saw I had twenty minutes to get to Potions. Well, I might as well get going. I readjusted my book bag and started off to class.

I didn’t see the necessity in rushing to class. Besides, I kept feeling like I was forgetting something. I stopped a couple times in the corridor to check my bag, making sure I had my books, quill, ink, and homework. Everything was where it should be. Strange. I had the worst feeling that I indeed was forgetting something. Hm, maybe it was nothing.

The corridor was deserted, so I shouldn’t have heard anything down here. That’s why I stopped when I heard two pairs of shoes following me down the hall. When I turned around, no one was there. The corridor remained deserted. There weren’t even any portraits in this stretch of hall to make sounds.

“Hello?” I called into the empty hall. Maybe it was one of the ghosts. Or worse- Peeves. “Who’s there?”

No one responded.

“Okay, don’t reveal yourself. See if I care.” I looked around again, saw nothing again, and continued on to class.

I’d probably taken five steps forward when the door to my right opened on its own. It was an unused classroom. Why did this door-?

“Aaaahhhhhhhh!” I screamed. I was blasted from the hall into the empty classroom. My book bag flew into a corner of the room while I landed on my bum. I slid across the stone floor until I was in the middle of the room.

“What in Godric’s name is going on?!” I yelled, looking back to the hall. A moment before the door slammed closed, I saw a large shoe standing alone in the middle of the hall. It was only for an instant. The next moment, the shoe disappeared. After another two seconds, the door slammed closed.

“Colloportus.”

“Pettigrew?” What was Peter doing here? He turned away from locking the door and crossed his arms. His usual smile was absent. Instead, he wore a frown that looked completely alien on his face. I tried to get up, to find out what was going on around here.

“Levicorpus!”

I screamed as I saw a flash of white light coming from behind me. Then, one of my ankles hoisted me off the ground, dangling me in the air. I fought with my skirt as it tried to fall with gravity. I wasn’t faring too well in that battle. I screamed again in frustration.

“Nice knickers, Monroe.”

I looked around and saw James and Sirius standing in front of me. Where they came from was anyone’s guess. But neither of them were smirking like they usually did. Sirius spoke again. “Muffliato. There, now we won’t be interrupted.”

I wasn’t sure how I should interpret Sirius’s use of my last name. But with that paired with the nasty looks I was receiving, I decided this wasn’t a good thing. “Let me down, Black,” I growled.

“No.” It was James this time. “We wanted to have a quick chat with you, Monroe. Make some things clear to you.”

“You don’t raise people by their ankles when you want to talk to them!” I yelled. I looked at all three boys (Peter had walked around to stand with James and Sirius). “Let me down right now, Marauders!”

“Not before we’re finished,” Sirius said. He took a step closer to me, but he was still too far for me to reach him and thereby strangle the life out of him. “You will listen to us, and understand that if you open your mouth about any of this, you’ll think you were back in first year.”

“What the bloody hell are you sods talking about!”

“We’ve known for years,” James hissed. “We know we can trust each other. But you? We’re trying to protect our friend.”

“Let me down!” I screamed.

“No,” James said.

“Fine.” I pulled my wand out from my robes. “Rictusempra!” My first spell hit Peter full in the chest. He instantly doubled over and started laughing hysterically. He was soon rolling on the ground, failing to get away from my tickling charm. “Tartantallegra!” I pointed my wand at James next. Like they did at the end-of-term feast last year, his legs started dancing uncontrollably. He yelped out in surprise and nearly dropped his wand as he started dancing around Peter’s laughing form.

“Expelliarmus!” Sirius yelled before I could shout out the cheering charm at him. My wand flew out of my hand and landed in his. He dropped it and kicked it towards the door. “Don’t you dare attack my friends!”

“Me?! You’re the one who started this, Black!”

Sirius pressed his lips together so thinly, he reminded me of McGonagall for a moment. He looked away from me to his two friends. Tears were streaming down Peter’s eyes for laughing so hard. Meanwhile, James was cursing loudly. He was also panting while his legs kept doing a quick dance.

“You did this to James last year too, didn’t you?” Sirius asked, looking genuinely shocked. “Of course, I guess no one in this school knows what you’re capable of. What did you say earlier? ‘Well, that sucks,’ doesn’t it? Doesn’t it?!”

“Are you under the confundus charm, Black?! You’re not making any sense!”

“Then let me just say one thing, Monroe. You will keep your mouth shut about what you know. If you don’t. . .” He let the threat hang, just as I remained hanging by my ankle.

“I will say this once more,” I hissed. “I have no idea why you’re attacking me. But you’d be surprised on how good I am in Defense class.”

“You don’t scare me, Monroe.”

The two of us were interrupted in our little threats to each other when the door behind me exploded, throwing pieces of splintered wood all over the room. I couldn’t turned around, but Sirius’s eyes widened. “Moony,” he whispered, his anger towards me seeming to disappear.

There was a pause. Then, “WHAT THE BLOODY HELL IS GOING ON IN HERE?!”

“Moony, we can explain,” Sirius started.

“Finite Incantatem!”

Several things happened at once. The first was really obvious- I fell from the ground with a hard thud, landing on my left shoulder. A softer thud sounded in front of me when James collapsed, his legs no longer dancing uncontrollably. And finally, Peter stopped laughing and just laid down on the ground, panting heavily.

Once all spells were null and void, so to speak, Remus marched into the room to stand between me and his friends. He kept his back to me throughout the entire exchange.

“Explain,” he hissed.

The three other boys looked at each other, none of them apparently wanting to admit what they’ve done to me.

“Explain!” he said again, “or I’ll go to McGonagall and she’ll give you detentions for the next two years!”

I thought Remus would never get a fellow Gryffindor in trouble, I found myself thinking, slightly confused at the turn of events. Then another thought hit me. What am I saying? Remus is obviously pissed. I didn’t know he could do angry.

Sirius sighed. “Moony, we were just trying to protect you-”

“You don’t know what you’re saying-”

“She might tell someone else!”

“Artemis doesn’t know anything!”

“Uh, guys?” I interrupted. “You’re talking in riddles.”

“Shut up!” Sirius shouted over to me. “You’re not even really his friend, yet you think you can-”

I was so upset that Sirius said I wasn’t Remus’s friend, it took me a few seconds to realize that Remus had punched Sirius hard in the nose. When I did realize this, Sirius was holding his head back to prevent the blood leaking from his crumpled nose. Remus’s fist was dripping in some of Sirius’s blood. James and Peter just sat on the floor, gaping at two of their best mates fighting.

“Don’t ever say that again, Black,” Remus hissed. “Accio Artemis’s bag.” Remus caught it and tossed it backwards, still not turning around to face me. “Go to class, Artemis,” he whispered to me. “I’ll deal with these low-lives I considered friends.”

I nodded, not wanting to be around the Marauders anymore. I nearly tripped half a dozen times on my way to the doorway (the door itself was completely gone). My wand was fortunately unharmed as I picked it up. I cast one more glance at the boys standing in the middle of the otherwise empty classroom.

“It’ll be okay,” Remus called back to me, as if he still knew I was in the doorway. “I’m not going to class today.”

“Okay,” I whispered. I turned and bolted to Potions. I planted my bum in my seat just as Professor Slughorn entered.

All while I was mixing a potion (I was working on auto-pilot), I couldn’t get my mind off the Marauders. Three of them attacked me for something I obviously didn’t do or know about. Remus came to my aid, knowing I was innocent. But what did those four know that I didn’t? Those thoughts were wiped from my mind when my potion exploded, sending a cloud of thick green smoke all over the floor, requiring that the class evacuate the area before our robes dissolved.　

　

A/N: So, that’s that. Sorry this chapter is a little shorter than others. I'd written more, but then took it out (for reasons that will make sense later). If you could leave and questions/comments/concerns on your way out, I would greatly appreciate it. The next few chapters will be good (at least they are according to me). Thanks for reading!

Chapter 7: Chapter 7: "I'm Sorry" Isn't Good Enough
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A/N: I know you readers are smart. You're all so smart, I don't have to tell you I don't own HP. Yeah, you all already knew that. See? You guys and gals are all so intelligent! Give yourselves a pat on the back and take this chapter as a reward!

Chapter 7: “I’m Sorry” Isn’t Good Enough

Like Remus practically promised, he wasn’t in any of his classes that day. I made sure to take proper notes in all my other classes, doing my best to put the Marauder incident behind me. I found my letters from home already in my bag, so I read them during my lunch break in the library. Like usual, Mum thought my teachers had the right idea, making us worry so much about our N.E.W.T.’s so we wouldn’t be completely overwhelmed when we took our exams in two years.

My letter from Randy, however, practically had me laughing.

Artemis!

The post must be slow if it took a week for your first letter to get to me. I’m sending this letter with your mum the day after yours arrived, because I’m already going through withdraws. Who’s going to tutor me in astronomy?

The full moon last night was beautiful. I wished you could have been there with me. I would have kept you up all night just to watch it travel the sky. I can just hear you now, complaining that you want your precious beauty sleep and that the Artemis of mythology and Artemis Monroe are of absolutely no relation. I get it. But as far as I’m concerned, you don’t have to sleep another wink and you’d still remain beautiful.

So, you wanted updates as to our friends? Well, Ken is still considered a pervert. It seems girls over here have a long memory and stick together. Maybe Ken will find a nice girl when he goes off to a university. Especially if he studies abroad. And then he can have another incident involving jelly doughnuts. Don’t let him know I told you that.

Oh, you’re studying with the school nurse? I hope she isn’t awful like the one us guys are stuck with. One the second day of classes, Zach fell over a hurtle in gym and skinned his knee. There was blood running down his leg, it was so bad. Anyway, the nurse just popped on a bandage and told him to take care of it when he got home. And this happened before lunch!

So, did you really throw all those blokes out of your compartment on your train ride to school? If so, you are brilliant. I’m sure the others would agree with me. But what about this Lupin character? Are you sure he’s not trying to trick you, like putting a lame ‘kick-me’ sign on your back or something? Because I’m getting my license soon and we can take a road trip during Christmas break. No one harasses any of my friends, especially when she’s in a private school. The offer’s always open. Can’t wait until December.

Peace out, love,

Randy

P.S. Jack just walked into my kitchen as I’m writing this. He says hi, and that he’s dating Marilyn Smith. He’s telling everyone (she’s hot!- Jack).

P.P.S. Hey, Nick found me on my way to your parents’ house. He’s demanding more fun candy. He says he misses your candy (I miss you too, Artemis!- Nick)

P.P.P.S. Okay, Zach was waiting at your back door. Creepy. But he wanted to get his two bits in as well (I’m just glad I don’t have to do your homework on top of everyone else’s. Our friends are such cheaters- Zach)

P.P.P.P.S.- Artemis, this is Mum. Randy just left this letter with me and told me to write that he’s running late. Seeing as this is your fourth postscript, and the fact that three of your other friends added to this letter, I can understand. Oh, and Randy just yelled out that if he’s late, he blames it entirely on you. Love Mum.

Okay, did I say I was practically laughing at this? I had to actually hide myself under my table and take deep breaths in order to prevent myself from exploding in a fit of laughter. The sad part of this was that two years ago, I had a letter with nineteen postscripts attached to it. Randy had brought it to school with him and he and whatever friends were in his classes added to the letter, making me feel like I was in those classes with them.

I didn’t end up doing any homework during my lunch break. Promising myself to do it at the end of the day, I packed my bags with a new determination to take exceptionally-well notes.

　

~~~~~*****~~~~~*****~~~~~*****~~~~~

　

“May I sit here?” Remus indicated the chair next to me at the table I was studying at. It was a day after the Marauder incident, and PB&J had avoided me in class today. But for some reason I wasn’t aware of, Remus had missed a second day of classes. Well, he’s gotten a four-day weekend out of the deal, I thought.

“Sure,” I shrugged. I went back to the essay I had to write about the proper way to brew the potion I mucked up. I didn’t get in trouble. Professor Slughorn was actually still under the influence of a cheering charm that a third year was practicing for his following class, so he thought the exploding potion was, and I quote, ‘A blast! Get it, a blast! Blast!’ The professor then burst out into uncontrollable giggles for about ten minutes.

Remus took out his books and piled them on his side of the table. I took a moment out of my potion essay to retrieve all the notes I’d taken over the past two days. “Here,” I whispered. “I hope these are good enough for you. I have everything except for our Potions notes. Long story.”

Remus nodded. “Thanks. I’ll get the rest from Lily.”

With that, I resumed writing my potions essay. I had five inches left until I was finished. I already had three other library books to use as cross-reference to my essay, because even if I copied the text book verbatim, I would have still been half a foot short. Curse my tiny writing!

I finished my essay after searching down a fourth book, then started on Transfiguration. McGonagall wanted five feet for her essay. Gathering the required text books, I started on my second essay. I was just three lines down the page when hand started cramping up on me. I hated when that happens.

“So,” Remus started, finishing up with copying my notes into his handwriting, “about what happened yesterday. . .”

I sighed. “Honestly, I don’t want to think about it.”

“Oh.” Remus went quiet. A minute later, he got up to collect books he’d need for his Charms essay (also five feet).

I wrote a few inches of my Transfiguration essay before my hand started cramping up again. I wish I was ambidextrous.

“The guys are sorry about what happened,” Remus said slowly after sitting down again. He stared into the book in front of him. “Attacking you, I mean. They understand that it was unwarranted.”

“I highly doubt that.” I think I can pull out another couple of inches, maybe a foot, before my handwriting is unreadable again.

“Well, they told me to tell you that they’re all sorry. Peter is sorry. James is sorry. And Sirius is sorry. And they told me to tell you that they promise to never lift their wands at you again, even if it’s for a duel in class.”

I remained silent, intent on writing as much as possible for the essay. I wouldn’t be distracted from me keeping up top marks in class just because I’d gotten into a little trouble with the Marauders.

“Artemis? Please, say something. The others are really sorry.”

“Fine. Apologies not accepted. Happy?” I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Please, I want to finish this essay tonight.”

Remus nodded. He picked up his quill and started on his Charms essay. We worked in silence for about an hour. When I heard his stomach rumble, I looked up from my nearly-finished essay.

“How about you go down to dinner?” I suggested. “You’re hungry. And you’re still looking a little ill.”

“I think you’re right. I can’t concentrate anymore anyway.” He closed the books around him and rolled up his scroll, which was only one-third completed. He surprised me a little when he took out two bars of Honeydukes chocolate before packing his bag full of book. Well, he started packing his bag, but he stopped before putting his own books away. “Uh, Artemis? Aren’t you coming to dinner too?”

I shook my head. “I’m not hungry yet. And I’m almost done with this.” I paused, considering my words. “I’ll grab dinner when I’m done. You go on ahead. Oh, you can leave the Charms books. I can put them away for you.”

The corners of Remus’s mouth turned upward just slightly. “Thanks, Artemis.” He finished packing his bag and took one of the bars of chocolate with him. I looked up at him, down to the lone bar of chocolate, then back up at him. He just smiled in a sad sort of way. “That’s for you. You’re looking a little tired.”

“Oh? Uh, thanks. I’ll eat it later.” Do I really look so sleepy even before sunset?

“Yeah. Bye then.”

“Wait, Remus?”

Remus stopped. He had only taken a step away from our table. And being far back in the library, Madam Pince shouldn’t have heard us yet. “Yeah?”

“I just wanted to thank you. For coming to my aid yesterday. It was sweet of you.”

Remus nodded, but now he had no hint of a smile. “It was the least I could do. The others went too far. I’ll see you later.”

“Later, Remus.” I bent over my essay again, but I watched Remus disappear through the maze of shelves out of the corner of my eye. I didn’t turn my attention back to my homework until the library doors closed securely.

It took me only ten minutes to put the finishing touches on my Transfiguration essay. I waved my wand around the parchment to be sure the ink dried, then put it in my bag.

I’m technically not lying, am I? I thought as I pulled out a ham sandwich and some muffins from my book bag. I am grabbing dinner now that I’m done with Transfiguration. It’s just that I’m not going to the Great Hall. As I ate, I pulled over Remus’s books and started flipping through them, looking for something I might want to use for my Charms essay. I was determined to at least start my outline for the paper before writing a letter home and visiting the Owlery.

　

~~~~~*****~~~~~*****~~~~~*****~~~~~

　

I was planning to get a head start on my homework the next day. With it being a Saturday, I figured at least half of the school would sleep in. I enjoyed weekends for the sole purpose of eating breakfast in a quieter hall. And because it was a weekend, I would spend my morning in the library doing homework, the Hospital Wing after lunch to learn from Madam Pomfrey, and then return to the library after Pomfrey dismissed me for dinner.

I don’t think I had even sat down when three of the Marauders appeared at Gryffindor table. James and Sirius sat beside me while Peter took the seat directly across from me.

“You can’t attack me in a crowded hall, Marauders,” I said calmly. I then swallowed the slice of orange that I shoved into my cheek when I had wanted to speak.

“We’re not here to attack you, Monroe,” James said softly. He leaned forward, trying to make eye contact with me. I could have told him that it was pointless. I was more focused on eating my meal. How I remain slim with so much stuff going into my stomach is anyone’s guess, I thought.

“Yeah, the three of us were right gits to you the other day,” Sirius added, mirroring James’s actions. Again, pointless. “You didn’t deserve any of it, really.”

“We just wanted to say we’re sorry,” Peter piped in. He actually looked the most sincere in his apology. “James and Sirius just got overexcited when we heard something-”

“You were no better than us, Wormy,” Sirius growled. Peter leaned away from Sirius and let out a small whimper.

“Down, Pads,” James said. “Monroe, the three of us really are sorry. We feel bad about what we did, and we understand that you don’t even know what we were blabbering on about.”

“So please, for Merlin’s sake, forgive us!” Sirius said, finishing what I assumed to be a well-rehearsed apology.

“Sorry, guys, but words do not make up for actions. Apologies not accepted. Again.” I took a swig of pumpkin juice, hoping this would tell the guys that the conversation was over and they should move along.

I took a bagel and cut it in half, then started stuffing scrambled eggs inside it.

Sirius snickered next to me. “You certainly don’t eat like a girl, Artemis.”

“Go away, Black. You too, Potter and Pettigrew.” I chomped down into my bagel sandwich, almost burning my tongue on the still-hot eggs. I had to take another drink of pumpkin juice.

“That’s not really fair,” James said. “We’re sorry. We’ve learned our lesson. And we promise-”

“I know what you promised, you sent Remus with your story to me in the library yesterday. I’m still not forgiving you! Case closed.”

PB&J, as I had dubbed them on the train, lived up to be as sticky as the nickname I came up for them. They refused to leave me alone. Peter tried to apologize rapidly, as if he were trying to reach a quota. James tried to point out that the Marauders would be true to their word and not attack me anymore. Sirius tried to ask me out again, claiming that a date in Hogsmeade would change my mind about the group. I refused to even acknowledge any of their pleas (though I wanted to lash out and break Sirius’s jaw a couple of times when he was hitting on me).

The mail arrived (it took forever this morning!), so I finished my third goblet of pumpkin juice and started walking out of the hall. Peck found me near the doors out. I stopped only long enough to take my letter and offer him some food from the table. He refused, as usual, and flew back to the windows so he could get some sleep before tonight’s letter home. Thank Godric that my parents lived in a village in northern Britain. If we lived in London, Peck might not have made it to my second year.

　

~~~~~*****~~~~~*****~~~~~*****~~~~~

　

It was Sunday evening, and I was reading ahead in my Herbology text. Remus sat next to me, per usual, and was just finishing his Transfiguration essay, the last bit of homework he had. Neither of us spoke.

The sound of a stomach grumbling disturbed the silent library.

“Sorry,” Remus mumbled, his ears turning red. “That’s the third day in a row it’s happened.”

“I know.” I finished reading my chapter and put in a book marker. I then proceeded to pull out a piece of parchment and wrote the beginning of my letter to my parents.

“Er, forgive me for bringing this up,” Remus started slowly, “but do you only eat breakfast?”

“No. I have lunch and dinner too.” I started my letter by asking my dad if the new guy in his office had calmed down about Muggles yet. Just a few weeks before term started, this guy brought in a toilet plunger and took it everywhere he went, trying to discover its ‘secrets.’ Honestly.

“Then why don’t we see you in the Great Hall?”

“Maybe because Potter isn’t the only one that needs glasses?” I replied sarcastically.

Remus stopped writing his essay, just a few lines from finishing I’m sure. “No, seriously. The guys have been asking around and no one seems to recall you eating a meal other than breakfast in the Great Hall.”

“I ate there at the feast on September 1st.”

Remus sighed at my lack of useful answers. “Artemis, will you just give me a straight answer?” The question was punctuated with Remus’s stomach growling again.

“Here, have a muffin.” I pulled the pastry out of my bag and continued to tease my mum about how she wants to compare doctors and Healers.

I was just starting to write about how the students in this school could be so obsessed with little things when Remus tapped me on the shoulder. After Remus left, I was definitely going to add him to the letter. “What?”

“You knick food from the kitchens so you don’t have to eat in the Great Hall?” Remus asked, looking genuinely shocked.

“It’s not stealing,” I argued in my defense. “Someone would have eaten that food anyway, and the house elves practically beg you to-”

“That’s not my point,” Remus interrupted. “Why? Why do you not eat with the rest of the school?”

“Eating every meal in the Great Hall, alone, is really boring,” I said. Shouldn’t the answer have been clear? “I can get more done if I don’t have to walk all the way down to the hall, find a spot, eat, and then walk all the way back to the library. And Madam Pince hasn’t caught me eating in the library yet. Please don’t tell her.”

Remus picked up the muffin and studied it. Great, I gave him blueberry. I wanted blueberry. Please don’t eat it. For a moment, I wished Remus could read minds. Or at least thoughts directed towards him.

“You don’t have to eat alone, you know,” Remus said. “You could have eaten with the girls in your dorm-”

“Tried that first year. I felt more like a tag-along than a member of that group.”

“Or with us Marauders-”

“Only girlfriends sit with you guys.”

Okay, Remus was turning an interesting shade of pink. He looked away, dropping the muffin back onto the table. His eyes seemed to take a sudden interest in the wood pattern of the table.

Mum, Dad, blokes at this school are weird. Did you know that? Must be all the hormones they don’t know what to do with. Glad I don’t suffer from hormones. Dad, thanks for letting me inherit your mild-mannerism during the school year (Mum, I blame you for my eccentric tendencies during the summer).

“Well, what about drink?” Remus asked. He picked up his quill and began writing again. “Don’t you get thirsty?”

I pulled out a silver flask. “My dad enchanted this to refill whenever I get down to a certain point. It was a Christmas present during my first year. I usually stick to water. It’s better for you.”

“Your parents know you don’t eat in the Great Hall?!”

“Sh! Yes. My dad told me about the kitchens after I complained consistently after my first month here.”

Remus shook his head in bewilderment. “I had no idea you’ve done all that. You‘re technically breaking a few school rules every day. Everyone thinks you’re just a studious bookworm. ”

I smirked. “You should have known me before I came here. I was a regular problem student. A couple times, I even snuck into my teacher’s classroom to change a few grades for my friends. I never got caught, but I received quite a number of detentions for doing other stuff. You might want to finish that essay. It’s almost completed by the looks of it.” And I have to finish my letter home. I’m getting sleepy.

Remus just stared at me. “Are you sure? That doesn’t sound like you.”

“Well, that was me up until six years ago.”

“What changed?”

I looked back over to Remus. “What do you mean?”

“People don’t go from trouble-makers to student-of-the-year overnight. There has to be a reason why you’d changed.”

I looked down, away from Remus. “I- er- I’d rather not talk about it.” I felt my cheeks growing warm as I thought about who I was just a little more than five years ago. Fortunately, I saw Remus turn back to continue his essay.

Our corner of the library was quiet for a few more minutes. I signed my letter, stuffed it in an envelope, and left it laying on the table while I piled my books back into my book bag.

“So, Artemis. You sure you’re not coming down to dinner?” Remus began packing up.

“Positive. Besides, I’m sleepy.” I yawned to prove my point. I didn’t try to contain my yawn either. I opened my mouth wide, held it open as I could, then closed it when my exhale. I wonder if it’s true that yawns are contagious? Yes!

Remus yawned too, though his was less dramatic (as far as yawns go).

“I suppose I’ll see you in class tomorrow then, right?” Remus asked.

I nodded. “Yep. Bye, Remus.” We left the library and I turned away from him, towards the Owlery. Remus headed the other way for the Great Hall.

Arriving at the Owlery, so close to sunset, I had enough light to take a look at my letter once again. I couldn’t help but add something to the end of my letter.

P.S. I just yawned. I dare you to resist the urge. A.M.

　

~~~~~*****~~~~~*****~~~~~*****~~~~~

　

“Professor McGonagall, may I say something?”

The entire Transfiguration class, including myself, turned to look back at the table in the back of the room. Sirius had his hand up. I think that this was the first time he actually had his chair on all four legs as well.

“Mr. Black, what could be so important that you had to interrupt my lesson?” Professor McGonagall asked, narrowing her eyes and pressing her lips. With the Marauders’ reputation, them asking to do anything was most likely related to their rule-breaking tendencies.

“I wish to submit to the entire class to hear my plea.” Sirius stood and walked around the perimeter of the class. I didn’t like where this was going. I knew I liked it even less when Sirius came to a stop right in front of my desk.

Please don’t let this be about me, please don’t let this be about me, I thought desperately.

“Artemis Monroe, please accept my sincerest apology for my actions the other day. And before these witnesses, know that my words are true.” Sirius went to touch my hand, but I pulled it away and crossed my arms.

“No. Please go away.”

The classroom then went dead silent. Sirius’s blue-grey eyes widened, apparently surprised that I rejected him (he should know better by now). Remus, who sat next to me, stared pointedly at the desk, avoiding one of his best mate’s gaze. The other students around me turned their eyes to look at me, and some of the girls looked furious at me for some reason. And Professor McGonagall? She still looked stern, though her eyes were not as narrow as they were before.

“Mr. Black, please return to your seat. You’ve had your chance to speak.”

Sirius sighed and shuffled back to his chair.

Class continued as normal for exactly fifteen minutes, until-

“Professor McGonagall, may I have permission to speak?”

The professor sighed. “What, Mr. Potter, would you like to add to this lesson?”

Again, the entire class watched James stand up from the back of the class and walk around the room. I didn’t even bother to plead silently that James would do something besides try to humiliate me in front of the entire class.

“Artemis Monroe,” James started. “I am so sorry for what I did to you. I wish I could go back and stop myself, but I can’t. Please, stop being mad at me and my friends.”

“No.” I looked away to Professor McGonagall, hoping that she would-

“Mr. Potter. Take your seat now.”

Thank you, professor!

After James retreated, looking glum, class seemed to return to normal. At least, for anther fifteen minutes.

“P-professor McGonagall, ma’am? May I-?”

“For goodness sake, Mr. Pettigrew, just spit it out so I can return to my lesson!”

Peter, trembling, stood up from his desk. He tried to move around the classroom, but McGonagall stopped him with a glare.

“Uh, Monroe-” Peter started.

“No.”

Peter sat down again, apparently relieved that he was finished.

Professor McGonagall looked around and locked her eyes on Remus. Remus returned to stare, then shook his head slightly, as if to say that he wouldn’t do the same thing. Satisfied, she returned to her lesson.

But just as class was dismissed- “Black, Potter, Pettigrew, the three of you have detention in my office tonight. At six o’clock sharp.”

Those three deserve more than just a night’s detention, I thought. What gives them the right to attack me, then humiliate me in front of everyone in class as they attempt to apologize? This is probably all just a joke to them. A bloody joke. Has to be. ‘Hey guys, let’s see how we can humiliate Artemis today!’ Yeah, that’s probably it. But why? Why? WHY?!

“Artemis?”

“What!” I snapped. I then realized that we were outside of the library. No one else was in view, though a couple of tables in the front were already taken inside the library doors.

Remus took a step back. “Uh, I just wanted to know if you were going in.”

“Yeah, of course.” I sighed. “But, um, why are you here?”

“I’m just making sure you don’t get harassed going to your sanctuary inside the library,” Remus shrugged.

“Uh, thanks? Don’t worry, I can handle myself.”

Remus chuckled. “It’s not you I’m worried about.”

I punched Remus playfully on the arm before going inside. Remus hopefully went down to the Great Hall.

　

~~~~~*****~~~~~*****~~~~~*****~~~~~

　

“Professor DiGroop, can I say something?”

We were in Defense Against the Dark Arts after lunch that same day. Our new Defense teacher was one of the coolest professors we’ve had in a while. Monday and Wednesday classes were for book learning and theory. On Fridays, we cleared the desks away and dueled. I mean, last year we had a professor who seemed to have a fear of the students. The Marauders didn’t help matters by interrupting lessons to include what magic they might do if they wanted to take over the school. He had run out of the castle like a madman a few days before the students left.

Professor DiGroop looked surprised that James was asking permission to speak. He actually encouraged dialogue (as long as it wasn’t a dumb comment). “You have something to add, James? Please, share.”

James stood up, and in a nearly identical fashion as Transfiguration, walked around the classroom to stand beside my desk.

I thought I only experienced déjà vu with my friends back home, I thought.

“Artemis Monroe, will you please forgive me for my unfortunate display a few days ago? I don’t know how else to make things up to you, letting you know I am deeply sorry for my actions.”

I glanced at Remus. And once again, he was staring down at his desk, determined not to look at his friend.

“What is this about?” Professor DiGroop asked, seeming to be interested in his student’s affairs.

“I do not forgive you. Please stop asking.”

With a glance at Remus, James nodded and returned to his spot.

“A bit irregular,” the professor muttered, speaking to himself no doubt. “Well, we must carry on, then. Now, where was I?”

I felt that this class, despite the different material covered, was a repeat of Transfiguration this morning. It was fifteen minutes after James sat down when Sirius raised his hand. “Professor DiGroop, may I gain permission to speak?”

“What do you wish to say, Sirius?”

Sirius got up and walked over to my desk. “Artemis, please! I’m really, really, really sorry about what I did! Honestly! Please, forgive me!”

“No. Go away, Black.”

As Sirius walked away, looking completely depressed, Professor DiGroop looked down at me. Oh no, oh no, please don’t ask me about it. Please, I don’t want to- “Artemis, care to enlighten me as why two of my students are asking for your forgiveness?”

“I would rather no explain, professor.”

Professor DiGroop nodded. Thank Merlin he also respected his students’ need for privacy in personal matters. “Now, does anyone have anything relevant to add to our discussion of Defense Against the Dark Arts?”

I am just so glad Peter’s not in this class

I might not have been in Divination anymore (it was a useless class anyway), but I didn’t need three years of it to see that PB&J would do the same thing to me in Charms. Professor Flitwick seemed to think those boys’ displays of apology, in front of the entire class, should have been worthy of forgiveness on my part. Especially after Peter stuttered his apology.

“Miss Monroe, you might want to actually consider whatever they’re apologizing for,” he told me near the end of class.

“Professor, may I speak frankly?” I whispered.

“Of course, my dear! Of course! Please, tell me-”

“Professor, if I forgive those three, it’d be like letting them know that what they did was okay. It certainly was not okay.”

“But what did they do to you? If it was really serious, you should have reported it-”

“I’d rather keep it between us,” I muttered.

“I understand! Of course. Ah, teenagers and their problems. But if they interfere in your school work, let any of the professors know! We don’t want one of our most brilliant students to suffer academically, do we?”

“I understand, Professor. Thank you.”

With our final class of the day over, I packed up my books and headed for the library. Remus walked with me. I think he gave his friends some kind of look, because none of them tried to follow us. We worked like we usually did, writing out essays and homework. We didn’t say anything to each other until Remus got up to have dinner and I offered to put his books away for him.

　

~~~~~*****~~~~~*****~~~~~*****~~~~~

　

It was nearing curfew when I returned to Gryffindor Tower. Practically every other Gryffindor was sitting in the common room. A lot of them were sitting around on the various chairs and couches littering the room.

I took a glance towards the fireplace on my way to the girls’ dorm. The four Marauders were sitting in their usual armchairs. However, PB&J were all looking to Remus, speaking with him seriously. The fourth Marauder, however, had his nose buried in a book. He didn’t seem to be paying attention to his best friends.

Sirius was the first one to notice me enter the common room (my life is just one déjà vu, isn’t it?). “Artemis! Get over here!”

I ignored Sirius’s command. Instead, I broke into a hard run, hoping to get up the stairs before any of the Marauders tried following me and the result would be slippery stairs. Just as the common room disappeared below me, though, I thought I caught Remus’s gaze as he looked up from his book. But then he was gone.

The sixth years’ dorm was empty as I entered. Relieved, I plopped my bag beside my four poster bed and started my search for pajamas. Now where could they be?

I was just unbuttoning my shirt when the dorm burst open and all four of my roommates entered the dorm. Okay, these girls normally don’t storm in anywhere. This is probably a bad sign. Samantha led the way towards my bed. Yup, definitely a bad sign.

“Need something?” I asked.

“What is going on with you and the Marauders?” Samantha demanded, pointing her finger at me.

“Huh?”

“Hold on, Samantha,” Melissa said, pulling the first girl’s hand down. “What we’re trying to ask is why the Marauders made a spectacle over you in practically every class today.”

“You mean why they interrupted class asking the same dumb question over and over?” I ask, mainly for clarification.

“You can put it that way,” Kati agreed. “Well?”

“They just did something to me the other day. Do you mind? I’m changing.”

“What is this really about?” Lily asked, crossing her arms. Her silver Prefect’s badge glinted with the movement. “Remus hasn’t say more than ten words to his fellow Marauders in days. And the whole school knows you have something to do with it.”

“What?!” I sat down, hard, on my bed. “What’s going on around the school?”

“Just that you’re overreacting to one of the Marauders’ pranks,” Samantha said. “Honestly, I don’t think anyone in this school hasn’t been an accidental victim of one of their pranks. Just get over it already.”

“So everyone’s talking about me?” I asked.

“Well, yeah,” Kati said. “It’s kinda big if the Marauders spend all their time plotting on how to earn your forgiveness rather than pranking the Slytherins.” She then winced and looked back to Lily. “Sorry, that just-”

“It’s okay,” Lily said.

I sighed. “You know, I really don’t care what the castle’s saying about me or the situation. Make up whatever gossip you girls want. I don’t care.” I stood up and went back to taking off my shirt. “Shoo!”

Samantha turned her back on me and huffed away, Melissa following after her after a second’s hesitation. Kati shrugged and left the dorm, going off to do who-knows-what.

“Artemis,” Lily said softly. She was the only one who didn’t move away.

“Lily,” I replied sarcastically. I was now unfastening my skirt, wishing for the millionth time that girls had a choice as to whether they wanted to wear skirts. Too girly for my usual taste.

“Look, I don’t know what they did to you,” Lily said, “but I understand that they can be real gits at times. But they’re boys. It’s what boys do.”

“Yeah, well, I have five mates back home. All boys. They’ve never dangled me up by my ankle before. I’d like to think I know what typical boy behavior is.”

Lily stiffened. What is it with people acting petrified when I open my mouth lately?

“Good night, Artemis.” Lily turned and walked back out of the dorm, leaving me alone once again.

I crawled under my covers and closed my eyes, facing the wall of the dorm. “People at this school are mad,” I muttered before passing out for the night.

A/N: So, another chapter. I just had an idea. Why don’t you tell me what you think of the characters in the review box below? For example, if you like Artemis, give me a reason why. If you don’t like the way I’ve portrayed Sirius, point out what it is you don’t like. See? Simple. I just want to know what you’re thinking. Oh, and thank you for reading! I know my chapters are long, but I want to make all the wait time worth it.

Chapter 8: Chapter 8: Forgiveness- Artemis's Way
[View Online] [Printer Friendly Version of This Chapter]

A/N: I should be studying for a geometry quiz today, but I also wanted to post this. I think I'll practice proofs as my disclaimer:

Prove: HP does not belong to The Quiet Girl (TQG)
Given: HP belongs to JKR.
Proof: For sake of contradiction, suppose HP does belong to TQG. Because we know HP is so awesome, the owner has to have zillions of dollars or whatever in his or her bank account. So by supposing that HP belongs to TQG, TQG must have zillions of dollars in her bank account. But TQG is not rich. Contradiction.
Therefore, HP cannot belong to TQG, so HP must belong to JKR.

Yeah. . . I'm going to fail, but you get another chapter. Enjoy.

Oh yeah- I included dates so you know how long this chapter goes on for (that and I kept getting confused when I went to write it).

Chapter 8: Forgiveness- Artemis’s Way

Monday, September 20

“-and so. . . We. . . Are. . . Sor-ry!” The musical number ended, the lights came back up, and the three Marauders stood on the middle of Gryffindor table, James and Sirius with their arms spread high into the air and Peter kneeling before them, his own arms outward horizontally. All three of them looked out of breath.

The Great Hall, with nearly all the students in here for breakfast, remained practically silent. Even the professors at the front table were quiet. Hundred of eyes, including those of the performing Marauders, now looked towards me.

“No,” I grumbled, putting my left hand over my eyes to block the sight while spooning oatmeal into my mouth.

A collective groan echoed throughout the hall before the noise level returned to normal. The Marauders must have shuffled out of the hall, because I didn’t see them again when I removed my hand so I could peel a banana.

“They’re still trying,” Remus said to me. He was popping a piece of bacon into his mouth.

“They’re still failing,” I corrected him.

It had been a week since the Marauders had started to apologize for hoisting me up by my ankle and threatening me with something I didn’t even know about. They didn’t even tell me what they were threatening me about (so how was I supposed to understand this misunderstanding?!). And every day last week, the guys had to interrupt class to ask for my forgiveness. They started on Wednesday to parade around the Great Hall during breakfast, making a spectacle of themselves to convince me they were sorry.

Now it was the following Monday, and I wished that the boys could accept that I wouldn’t accept their apology and move on. I didn’t want to be friends with them, so why did they feel so-

“Mail’s here,” Remus commented. He was already looking up towards the windows, trying to spot Peck from among the other owls.

That’s right. Because I refused to forgive PB&J, I suppose Remus refused to forgive them as well. He’s been spending all his free time with me. I didn’t know what he did about lunch and dinner, but he always ate breakfast with me. I actually haven’t seen him talk to his friends in days (then again, I try not to poke my nose into other people’s business).

I actually didn’t think there was a single person in this school that didn’t know that I was apparently mad at the Marauders (minus Remus). That added another layer to my reasons for not forgiving them. I had gone five whole years without anyone bothering me, and no one seemed to be able to remember my name even. Now? I felt everyone’s eyes on me. Even Slytherins seemed to be watching me. Probably wondering what their enemies did to someone in their own House, I thought to myself.

“Hey Peck,” I whispered, pulling out an owl treat and letting my owl eat out of my hand. He gobbled the treat up quickly, took some water from a spare goblet, then flew out of the hall. Maybe I should give Peck’s goblet to Sirius, I thought for a moment.

“Uh, Artemis? You have more mail,” Remus said, pointing to the four owls around us. All of them hooted and offered us their envelopes, waiting for me to take them. All of them were addressed to either ‘Artemis Monroe’ or just ‘Monroe.’

“Not again,” I grumbled, taking the letters. I recognized none of the handwriting, but all four were about the same thing. I’ll summarize all four letters: ‘Forgive the Marauders!’ And from the loopy handwriting, I was willing to bet that these were all written by girls (as they were all unsigned).

“I’m probably going to get a Howler any day now,” I grumbled. “Can’t you just tell them to cut this out?”

Remus shook his head. “No. And even if I did, they wouldn’t listen to me. I was made a Prefect and see how well-behaved they became because of it.”

“Nothing changed.”

“Exactly.”

I smiled. “Well, I have to see Madam Pomfrey. I’ll see you in Transfiguration.”

“Bye, Artemis. Don’t forget your letters.”

I took the four pathetic letters with me. Once I was alone in the hall, I dropped them on the stone floor and set fire to them quickly. I then vanished the ashes away, guaranteeing that I wouldn’t have to see them again. Do they really think their letters will convince me when PB&J’s musical number didn’t? Witches and wizards in this school are just mad.

　

~~~~~*****~~~~~*****~~~~~*****~~~~~

　

Thursday, September 23

“Professor Slughorn!”

“No, Potter,” I called back, making sure to keep stirring my potion. Slughorn wasn’t under a cheering charm today, so I couldn’t risk detention for a second botched potion this month.

“You heard her,” Slughorn said from behind his desk. “Resume your potion.”

I actually think the school might be getting used to all this. None of the class turned to look back at any of the Marauders, nor did they stop in their potion making. A few of the girls, however, did send me nasty looks. They probably were the ones who kept writing me those letters as well.

“Trust me, they can do this for years,” Remus whispered when I added more ingredients to my potion.

“Then it’s a good thing I only have two years left here,” I whispered back. “As soon as we graduate, I’m only going to have to spend eight hours in this world. The rest of my time will be with my friends.”

“Well, I thought I was your friend too,” Remus muttered.

“You’re not even really his friend.” That’s what Sirius said two weeks ago. As it kept repeating in my head, I didn’t realize that I kept adding more and more roots.

“Artemis!” Remus reached forward and took hold of my hand before I could add any more. “Do you want another potion to go bad?”

“Sorry.” I quickly dropped the roots off to the side and picked up the next ingredient. “Remus, do you consider me your friend?”

“Of course.” He was already on one of his final steps, stirring the potion until it took on a milky cream color.

“Is that why you punched Black?”

There was a moment of pause. Finally, “That’s part of the reason. I don’t wish to talk about it.”

I nodded, completely understanding. “Fair enough.”

　

~~~~~*****~~~~~*****~~~~~*****~~~~~

　

Friday, September 24

Artemis,

What are you doing?! Forget about your perfect record, mutilate them! Kick their butts! Humiliate them in the same way they’re humiliating you! Honestly, what’s keeping you from chasing them around your school and hanging them by their boxers up the nearest flagpole?! Okay, forget it, tell me right now where your school is and the rest of us will be there immediately to show these guys that you are not to be embarrassed like that!

Don’t like my first plan? Then find out where they live! I’m getting my driver’s license in a few days, so I’ll be able to drive us around. I’m serious about this one. What was the name of one bloke, Sirius Black? We’ll show him what black looks like. And blue. Black and blue bruises for Christmas for pulling such a dirty trick on my best friend. And the other one is James Potter? We can pot him in the ground!

I’m sorry, but I feel so useless here. I have no way to really help out. All I can do is vent to the others in person and vent on a piece of paper, hoping you’ll read it. Some best mate I am, huh? Three months seems like an eternity. But if you can endure these blokes embarrassing themselves in some dumb attempt to apologize to you, then you’re definitely the strongest person I know.

As always, missing you. And if you want to vent, you can send a letter into the mail every day. It might not resemble a dialogue as much, but it might make you feel better rather than having to wait for my letters to get back to you. I’d endure eternal confusion in our letters to keep you happy.

Peace out, love,

Randy

“Randy, I love you to death, but that’s not useful,” I muttered to myself. I rested my head in my arms which were crossed over the table in front of me. I studied the neat handwriting of my oldest and dearest friend. “Idle death threats don’t get me through these next three months.” I closed my eyes. “I want to go home.”

　

~~~~~*****~~~~~*****~~~~~*****~~~~~

　

Thursday, September 30

“Professor Sprout!”

“NO, BLACK! NO, POTTER! NO, PETTIGREW!”

“You lot heard her. Back to work.” Professor Sprout continued on her way around the greenhouse, helping a group of Ravenclaws with our plant of the week. From the yellow-green puss on their robes, things didn’t look good for them.

“Well, that was subtle,” Remus whispered to me.

“You try having three annoying blokes harassing you for three weeks straight and see how you like it,” I hissed. I pulled at my plant forcefully, pulling it out of its pot when the directions up front said that two people are required to do this. When I looked up to Remus, though, his eyes were wide and he looked like he wanted to back off. “What?”

“You’re stronger than you look.”

I rolled my eyes. “Five blokes to one girl, remember? I was not going to be the wimpy one in the group.”

“Wait, they didn’t start harassing you in class until two weeks ago last Monday,” Remus said.

“Three weeks ago exactly they hung me hanging upside down. I didn’t appreciate them seeing my knickers.”

“Oh.” Remus’s neck turned pink and he seemed to turn his attention on setting up the pot so it would hold the plant properly. You know, keep it from drying out as well as keeping it from killing anyone.

My favorite class this year turned out to be Arithmancy. I technically didn’t need it to become a Healer, but I enjoyed the challenge in numbers. Remus was also in my class. And as an added bonus, PB&J did not elect to take this specific class, seeing as that everyone said it was difficult. I couldn’t possibly see James or Sirius passing this course, mainly because they would have to study the numbers in order to pass. And everyone knows that those boys do not study.

“Nice class to end my day,” I sighed after an hour of looking at the magical beauty of numbers. “Peace, quiet, and no Marauders.”

“Eh-hem!”

“Except you, of course,” I said, smiling up at him.

We arrived at the library and took our normal seats behind the vast History of Magic section. I was immensely grateful I could drop that class after O.W.L.’s. I mean, Professor Binns is so boring, the ghosts around the castle seemed to have more life than him.

I started on my Arithmancy homework first, with the numbers still fresh in my mind. Remus seemed to have the same idea, as we both took out our number charts and started on our homework. But while I started writing numbers right away, Remus seemed to take more time. In fact, he only did one of the problems when I was on my eighth.

“Sickle for your thoughts?” I whispered.

“Just thinking,” Remus said.

“Do I need to raise to a Galleon?”

“No.” With that, he picked up his quill and started working. We worked for a little more than an hour until Remus went to dinner. He didn’t try convincing me to come down with him anymore. One show a day was enough for me.

　

~~~~~*****~~~~~*****~~~~~*****~~~~~

　

Thursday, September 30 (still)

“Artemis! Our dorm. Now!”

I wasn’t even completely through the portrait hole when I saw a flash of red hair, felt a jerking sensation from my left arm, and then I was suddenly in my dorm. What the hell?!
“Lily? What is your problem?” I massaged my left shoulder as I walked around the dorm to my bed. I guess she did me a favor though- I didn’t have the Marauders yelling after me.

“You, Artemis!” Lily walked over and looked me straight in the eye. We were roughly the same height, but at the moment she looked a head taller. Her face was as red as her hair.

“What did I do to you?” I asked.

“Just forgive the Marauders already!”

“Not you too.” I rolled my eyes and plopped down onto my bed. “I thought you of all people would understand how annoying and-”

“Oh, you have no idea how annoying the Marauders can be! You see, they might have just taken notice of you, but I’ve had them on my back for over five years! Especially Potter! Do you know what that arrogant toe-rag asked me at lunch?”

I shrugged, obviously having not been there.

“Next weekend is a Hogsmeade weekend. And starting in our third year, he’s always, always, asked me to go out to Hogsmeade with him! But today at lunch, just a few hours after the notice was posted, Potter found me and asked me to make you forgive them! He didn’t ask me to Hogsmeade. Don’t you see?! Things aren’t normal around here because of you! So just get over your pride and forgive them!” Lily stopped, breathing heavily.

“Uh, so you’d rather have Potter harassing you about Hogsmeade?” I teased.

“Ugh, you are so thick, Artemis! That’s not my point. The Marauders aren’t playing anymore of their pranks. They spend all their time plotting about how to get you to forgive them. And-”

“Isn’t that what you Prefects want? The Marauders to stop being a nuisance to the school?”

“Argh!” Lily turned away and started pacing the dorm. Back and forth. Back and forth. I waited for her to either stop or go away. But this was quite interesting.

“This is affecting all the Marauders, Artemis,” Lily said, her voice softer than before. “Including Remus. Can’t you see it’s hurting him? He doesn’t want to lose your new friendship, so he’s siding against his long-term friends.”

“I’m not making Remus do anything!” I argued. “I would still be speaking with him even if he was still friendly with the rest of the Marauders. He should know that! He’s the one that keeps following me! I’m not seeking him out or anything.” I hopped onto my bed and kicked off my shoes.

Lily paced back over to my bed and stood at the foot. “Artemis, Remus is my friend. He’s fine with Potter and me not getting along. But he’s not comfortable with you being so mad with all his other friends-”

“I’m not mad at them,” I sighed.

Lily opened her mouth, about to argue with me more, paused, closed her mouth, then opened it again. “I beg your pardon?”

“I’m not mad at the other three Marauders,” I repeated. “I guess I was at first. And then I was mad at them when they made a big deal about me forgiving them.” I started playing with my tie, sliding it off my neck and started putting a knot in it.

“So, how long have you not been mad at them?” Lily asked. She moved to my side of the bed but didn’t sit down.

I shrugged. “Uh, I think it was sometime over last weekend,” I said, trying to think back. “When the Marauders-harassing-me thing kinda became the norm. I mean, they have been trying to apologize to me for a longer time than we’ve been back.”

“Well then, just accept their apology. How hard is that?”

I pulled the ends of my tie, effectively promising me twenty minutes of future work and sore fingers. “Lily. I do not forgive easily. They can’t just keep asking about it. That’s not how I forgive.”

“Well, what would it take-”

“I’ll think of something.” I pinched part of my tie, looking for someplace to pull out the large knot. This is why you have to put your cloths away immediately, Artemis. Remember: clothes are not toys.
Lily sighed loudly. “Always nice speaking with you, Artemis.” She went to leave.

“Oh, Lily? Could you not tell the Marauders I’m not still mad? I want to end this on my terms.”

Lily smiled, her emerald eyes glittering. “Well, I wish you luck in you getting the better of the infamous Marauders.”

“Who said I was going to get the better of them?” I asked, also smiling.

“Good night, Artemis.” Lily left the dorm.

A few minutes later, I finally pulled a significant amount of my tie out of the knot. And then I realized something. “I think that was the longest conversation Lily and I have ever had. Whatever.”

　

~~~~~*****~~~~~*****~~~~~*****~~~~~

　

Friday, October 1

“Merlin, it’s not in this one either,” I hissed, shutting the book I was looking in and picking up the next one in line. Instead of doing my homework during my lunch break, I was in the library, looking through books in the Defense Against the Dark Arts section. “Where could they have gotten that spell?” I thought aloud, frustrated that I only had about fifteen minutes until I had to get to class (which ironically enough was the dueling portion of my Defense class).

I flipped through the book, looking for any hints of the spell that was used against me three weeks ago. No, nothing resembling me hanging upside down by an ankle. The spell they used, which I remembered it starting with an ‘L,’ was not covered in any of my Defense books. They must have picked it up from a library book.

Now it was ten minutes until I had to leave. And still, nothing! I’d been looking all over this section of the library for the past hour, and I still had nothing! “Cursed Marauders!” I slammed another book back into the bookshelf. Hope Madam Pince didn’t hear that.

I decided to try another bookshelf in the Defense section when I practically ran into another student. A Slytherin by the looks of his robes. “I’m sorry about that,” I apologized, not really expecting much acknowledgement.

“You should-” The sneer stopped when the Slytherin got a good look at me. “Oh, it’s you, Monroe.”

“Hello, Snape,” I nodded.

The two of us have never been on speaking terms. But when you have little or no friends in an environment, you tend to notice other people like yourself. It doesn’t make you best mates, but you’re more aware.

“Trying to find the right spell to use against Potter, are you?” Snape asked, spitting out ‘Potter’ like it was a dirty swear word.

“No, I already have a plan on how to take him down during class today,” I replied evenly. I picked up another book on various spells and checked the index for something that sounded familiar. “I’m actually looking up the spell that Potter and his friends used on me.” Whoa, Artemis, why are you telling Snape this? What does it matter to him?

“What might this spell have been?” Snape asked, his sneer returning to his face and voice.

“It started with an ‘L’ and the result was me-”

“Hanging upside-down by your ankle?”

I blinked. Was this guy a mind reader? “Yes, actually. You know it?”

“Of course I know it! I invented it!” Ah, so that’s why I didn’t find it before. “That idiot stole it from me ages ago! He even turned it on me when-” He stopped, his black eyes looking away. His cheeks started showing faint signs of a blush.

That’s right. Snape called Lily a Mudblood at the end of last year. Not that I saw it, but everyone seemed to know. Maybe I shouldn’t be talking to him.

Eh, what’ll it hurt? He may have information I need. "Er, well, I don't think I should tell you this, but I was hoping to find the spell. Would you mind if I borrow it? I promise to use it only three times."

“You’re asking me for permission to use one of my spells?” Snape asked. “No one’s ever asked permission before.”

“Like I said, I only want to use it three times. Then you have my word I’ll never mutter it again. At least, not without further permission. Or if you publish it in a book.”

Snape was silent for a moment. I checked my watch. If I started down to Defense in two minutes, I might make it to class on time. Please don’t take too long to make up your mind.

“Fine. The spell is Levicorpus. You got that?”

“Yeah. Thanks, Snape. Bye.” I hurried out of the library. Taking a few shortcuts, I got to Defense thirteen seconds before the bell rang. Yeah, I was awesome. Let the dueling begin!

　

~~~~~*****~~~~~*****~~~~~*****~~~~~

　

Saturday, October 2

I planned everything out perfectly after Remus left the library last night. Down to the very last detail. I had to look up the disillusionment spell and practice it a few times on a cockroach I found scurrying around on the floor. I had a hard time finding that cockroach to make it visible again.

But now it was five o’clock in the morning. I was already dressed, waiting for an opportune moment to put my plan into effect. By five oh two, I figured that I’d better move or risk exposing my plan.

I didn’t come across anyone on the stairs when walking down to the common room. Continuing straight, I ascended the stairs again, making my way up to the dorm for the sixth year boys. I’ve never been up here, and I didn’t know if I was breaking a school rule by doing this. If Glessio hasn’t taken effect yet, then girls must be allowed up here, I thought to myself. I just hope the door doesn’t squeak. Well, to be on the safe side. . . I pointed my wand up at the door hinges and cast a quick silencing spell on the door. Cool, added practice. Killing two stones with one bird! (Side note- I messed that saying up on purpose)

The four beds in this dorm all had their hangings drawn closed. Two of the beds houses loud snorers. I went to the first bed with a snoring boy, wondering who it was. Okay, maybe Lily and James are made for each other. I think he’s louder than she is! The second snorer was Peter. Ewe, he’s drooling all over his pillow. Gross!

I next checked one of the other beds. I was hoping for Sirius, but this bed happened to belong to Remus. He was sleeping on his back, his hands folded on his stomach. Okay, I just learned two new things about him: Remus sleeps like a dead guy in a funeral home, and he sleeps in a long-sleeved shirt. Maybe he gets cold.

So the last bed had to belong to Sirius. And fortunately, he didn’t have anyone else in his bed. I only thought of that problem after I pulled aside the hangings. Please, Artemis, let that be the only potential flaw in that perfect plan of yours.

“Black,” I whispered, my voice barely audible even to me. “Sirius Black, wake up! Bla-ack!”

Sirius didn’t move. He just continued to sleep on his side, clutching a pillow close to his body like it might be a girl.

“Black! Wake up, Black. Please, wake up. Open your eyes, please.”

This was taking forever. Why did I start with Black in the first place? Oh, right, because he doesn’t snore.

“Please, Black, wake up.” Great, looks like he needed physical stimulation. I poked his shoulder with one finger, wishing he’d have been awake already. “Bla-ack,” I sang again.

Finally, some movement. Sirius rolled over to lay on his back, his arms spread over his bed. After a few more pokes and calling, he opened his eyes. “Huh?”

“Sh! It’s me.” I got his attention off the ceiling and onto my face.

Sirius looked confused for a moment, like he couldn’t place me. But a second later he broke out into a grin. “Artemis! Care to join me?” He lifted the bed sheets invitingly. I was grateful he was at least in a pair of boxers.

“No, I have to talk to you. Please, this is important.”

Sirius sighed but got up quietly.

“Please get dressed,” I whispered. “I’ll meet you in the common room.”

Sirius was down in less than a minute. “So,” he said, flashing his ‘sexy’ smile down at me. “Come to confess your love for me and snog before anyone wakes up?”

“In your dreams, Black. C’mon.”

“I’ll have you know that hundreds of girls would love to be in my dreams. Hey, where are we going?”

Sirius followed me to the Great Hall, where I hinted that I knew a way to make the whole Marauder Morning Musical Series come to an end. With that, Sirius actually tried to grab my hand and lead me into the Great Hall, but I avoided his touch.

“You know, seeing you break school rules makes you kinda sexy,” Sirius said in a low voice. We had just barely opened the doors and squeezed into the empty Great Hall. “Have you been holding out on us?”

I paced the Gryffindor table until I came into the near center. “This should be good,” I said. The tables were already set for breakfast. I moved a few goblets aside and took a stand on top of the table. Wow, cool view from here. “Care to join me?” I asked.

Sirius jumped at the invitation. “You know,” he said, winking at me, “if you want to confess your undying love for me, or at least say you accept our apology, you might have wanted an audience to be a witness-”

“Oh, I’m not doing either,” I said cheerfully. “Levicorpus!”

“Wha- ahh!” Sirius was lifted by his right ankle and flew up into the air, dangling above Gryffindor table. And from the height he obtained, I’d say that anyone would have a good view of him.

“Cool, it worked. Goodie! Now, what’s next? Oh year. Silencio!”

Sirius’s cries, which he had just started yelling, were cut off before he could get one complete word out of his mouth. That might have been a good thing from what his lips were trying to say.

“And the finishing touch,” I said. “Don’t worry, Black, I practiced this last night. It worked on the cockroach. It should therefore work on you.” With another wave of my wand, Sirius started to fade from view. After a few seconds, all I could see was a faint distortion in the direction of the far wall where I should have seen Sirius.

“One down, two to go!” I said happily, jumping off the table. “I think I’ll sit here this morning.” I adjusted the silverware at one of the settings, turning the fork upside down, with the prongs facing downward. “Wish me luck, Black.”

It was just as easy to get James down to the Great Hall. I had closed Sirius’s hangings around his empty bed, and James didn’t ask to see Sirius at all. I didn’t show Sirius to James before I disillusioned him too, but he’d figure it out in a few hours.

Peter was the easiest of all. He didn’t even notice that James’s snoring wasn’t causing a racket, and he seemed eager to follow me and prove that he was sorry about the events of three weeks ago. I almost felt sorry for the poor bloke. Almost. And then I lifted him by his ankle like the others.

“See you lot at breakfast!” I called over my shoulder when I was done, skipping happily out of the hall. “Gee, I don’t think I’ve ever been this happy at school before!”

The wait for the first person to come down was a long one. I was tempted to run up to the boys’ dorm for a fourth time and wake up Remus. But I couldn’t do the same all over the castle. So I sat in the common room, with a book, reading to pass the time.

Some of the earlier risers in Gryffindor came down before I saw Remus emerge from the boys’ dorms. He was about to walk past me, his face void of expression, when I was forced to call out to him. He turned, saw me, and smiled. “Hey, Artemis. What are you doing here?”

“Sitting and reading. Duh.”

Remus rolled his eyes. “I meant, what are you doing here in the common room? I didn’t even know you knew it existed.”

“I couldn’t sleep anymore, and I figured that we might as well walk to breakfast together.”

I couldn’t tell in this light, but Remus’s amber eyes seemed to sparkle. Then again, I might have imagined it. “Really? All right then, let’s go.” I banished my book up to my dorm and led the way out of the common room and down to the Great Hall.

I found the spot with the upside down fork and took a seat, directly in front of the three Marauders, invisible to the mass public. The hall only looked filled by a quarter of the population when we arrived.

“You seem really happy this morning,” Remus said. “Something happen?”

“You’ll see,” I giggled, gobbling up a pancake to avoid further discussion. A few times, though, I looked up to where I knew the Marauders were dangling and laughed out loud, imaging them trying to get down and curse me into oblivion. And right after that, Remus would give me a bemused look and I would be forced into looking down at my food. I didn’t want to spoil the surprise now, did I?

“I wonder where the guys are,” Remus muttered when the Great Hall was practically full and today’s musical wasn’t starting. He tried looking over everyone’s heads for his friends’ entrance. A few other people were also looking around for the show to our breakfast.

“It’s time for them to show up?” I asked, checking my watch. “Oh, so it is.” I swallowed the last of my toast before reaching for my wand beneath the table.

I didn’t know if I could do it with my wand beneath the table, but I tried to remove the disillusionment charms anyway in rapid succession.

It worked. As the forms of Sirius, James, and Peter became visible, silence spread through the hall like a tidal wave. Even the professors stopped talking amongst themselves to see three of the most disruptive students hanging upside down, by their ankles. They were all red in the face, but once they became visible they started yelling at me. Of course, I had the foresight to keep the silencing charm on them.

“Wow, guys, this is too much,” I said in a sweet and sarcastic voice. I heard my voice actually echoing off the walls. Creepy. “The musicals were entertaining and all, but this is just- wow. I don’t know what to say.”

The boys, meanwhile, just continued to shout silently down at me. Sirius tried to swing himself forward and take hold of me, but he was too far away.

I checked my watch again. “Well, guys,” I said, standing up. “I think we’re even now.” I leaned over to Remus, who looked completely shocked, and whispered, “Their wands are under their pillows. Have fun.” I then stood up straight, grabbed my bag, and walked towards the doors out of the Great Hall. Just before I left, though, the mail arrived by owls. But it was strange. The silent owls seemed to be making more noise than the students in the Great Hall.

I held my arm out as Peck found me to deliver my letter. I kept him perched on my arm as I left, turning the corner to head directly for the library. No one came to follow me.

Well, I thought, the Marauders have done the impossible- they convinced Artemis Monroe to forgive them.
　

A/N: So, Artemis has forgiven them. The Marauders should not have messed with her (so some unknown reason) back in Chapter 6, huh? Oh, and because I have another quiz today, I'll practice writing clear assessment questions. Do you think I put enough detail in my chapters that you can ‘see’ what’s going on? Am I clear enough? If yes, I’d appreciate the self-esteem boost as a writer. If not, give a nice suggestion on how I can improve. I’ll get the next chapter up ASAP for you lovely readers. Until then. . .

Chapter 9: Chapter 9: I'm Missing 5 Hours and 38 Minutes of My Life
[View Online] [Printer Friendly Version of This Chapter]

A/N: Hi, I'm feeling too lazy to be creative with this part (or my pitiful attempts to be creative), so just know that I don't own HP. JKR does. Lucky girl. Enjoy.

Chapter 9: I’m Missing 5 Hours and 38 Minutes of My Life

My slow pace came to a stop. I looked around. I was in a corridor. There were portraits along the walls. Doors dotted the walls every couple of meters, empty with it being a Saturday and all. But was I in the Transfiguration corridor? Or was it Charms? I certainly wasn’t in the dungeons because my fingertips were not numb. So, where exactly was I in the castle?

“Um, excuse me?” I asked, turning to a pudgy man in one of the portraits. “How did I get here?”

“You walked, of course,” the man said, frowning. He was currently in the middle of trying to capture a thin woman from another painting. She dashed into the next frame as I spoke to the man. “Do you mind? I’m too busy to help lost students.” He then ran after the woman.

“How rude,” I grumbled. “Of course I walked down here. But where was I coming from? Where am I going?” I glanced down at my watch. “Merlin, no wonder why I’m starved! It’s lunch time!”

I looked behind me to make sure I wasn’t being watched (I didn’t need any more rumors than I already had because of last month), then continued forward in my plan to find someplace recognizable, then get down to the kitchens.

Okay Artemis, focus, I thought. You find yourself walking down a corridor in the middle of the castle. You know you’re still in Hogwarts, because people in Muggle portraits do not go chasing after one another. I’m not in the dungeons, where the Slytherins are rumored to sleep. So this Gryffindor is safe. For now. But what happened to my entire morning?

I found a stairwell and decided to head up. Maybe seeing the school grounds would help me find my place within the school.

I ran across a pair of Ravenclaws on my way up the stairs. They were dressed in Muggle clothes and had their hands entangled, like a real couple. Neither of them seemed to see me as they continued down the stairs and out onto the grounds. Ah, the entrance to Hogsmeade. Good, so today was still October 9th. And I knew where I was in the castle now.

　

~~~~~*****~~~~~*****~~~~~*****~~~~~

　

I trudged up to my dorm around noon, loaded heavily with food the house elves were so gracious to give me. I also sipped at some hot chocolate that I just couldn’t refuse. The house elves are really too generous for their own good at times.

Two of the girls in my dorm were also there as I plopped my bag onto my bed. Samantha shot me a nasty look from her bed before going back to applying her makeup. Like always, I ignored it. I dug into my bag and pulled out a blueberry muffin. I could live off these things forever.

“Hey Artemis,” Lily said from her own bed, trying on different shirts. She tossed off the emerald green top and pulled out a brown sweater. “Where were you at breakfast?”

I stopped, the muffin half-way stuffed into my mouth. Where was I this morning? I wondered. I obviously didn’t eat there this morning.

I was about the dismiss the thought when I remembered the main reason why I chose to eat in the Great Hall at all. “My letter!” I choked, spewing out numerous crumbs onto my comforter and bag.

“Ewe, Artemis, that’s gross,” Samantha muttered.

“I hope you didn’t mind, but I took it from your owl for you,” Lily said, holding up the envelope with my first name on the front. “He looked like he was going to have a heart attack when you weren’t in the hall.”

I dropped the remains of my muffin and jumped over my bed to get to Lily. I took the letter and was so grateful that it wasn’t opened. “Oh Lily, thank you! Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

“It’s just a letter,” Samantha said.

I ignored Samantha’s taunts, as usual. “Lily, thank you! I don’t know what I was thinking to have missed breakfast.”

Lily smiled, laughing a little at the spectacle I was making. “Are you expecting any news from this letter?”

I shook my head. “It’s just important to me, that’s all.” I then realized what I had been doing, jumping to Lily and making a big deal about this small piece of parchment. “Um, sorry about freaking out.” I backed up and went over to my bed.

“Nutter,” Samantha coughed.

Shallow, I thought in response, though I didn't say that aloud. I still had practically two years left with this bimbo.

I cleaned up my bed with a wave of my wand and plopped down, opening my letter and reading what my parents had to say while taking a cracker from my bag and started gnawing on that.

“So, Artemis,” Lily said, deciding to wear a red shirt and now searching though her things for the right skirt. I tried not to roll my eyes.

“Lily,” I said. I hoped she wouldn’t scold me for snacking in our dorm. I’ve done it before, though I didn’t like the interruptions of my roommates.

Lily sighed. “Did you happen to see the Marauders this morning? Were they with you- wherever you were?”

I stopped my crunching and looked to the redhead. “No, I don’t remember seeing them.” Technically true, I thought. “Why?”

Lily shrugged. “I’m just wondering what plot those boys are up to this time. They missed breakfast. I guess I assumed they were with you.”

“Just because I forgave the Marauders does not automatically make them my best mates.” I put my letter down, glad to know my mum was fine and my dad convinced his colleague to stop studying toilet plungers. I turned my attention to Defense, thinking about what I might write for my essay about yesterday’s duel.

Kati decided at that moment to come out of the bathroom, her toothbrush still sticking out of her mouth. “Awe, is Lily worried about Potter? How sweet.”

Lily turned to her best friend, her face changing color to match her hair. “I’m just worried about what those four might do without proper supervision. Even with Remus as a prefect, they still manage to get in trouble.”

I had planned to tune out of the conversation, as usual, until I heard Remus’s name. So I decided to just move my eyes across the page, pretending to read and just listen for anything worth my time.

“Oh sure, whatever you say,” Kati nodded, though her tone of voice said the exact opposite. “So how would you even notice that Potter and his friends are missing? You’re only a prefect. Let the Head Girl and Head Boy worry about them. Leave the Head Girl to obsess over the sexiest guys in school.”

“I’m not obsessed with Potter,” Lily said. “And who says Potter is sexy?”

“Um, every girl in Hogwarts, as well a few witches who have already finished school here,” Kati said. “Samantha, is James Potter sexy?”

“Yup. The only one sexier is Sirius Black.”

I wonder how long one person can spend putting on makeup, I thought.

“Looks do not make up for how big a prat James Potter is,” Lily argued. “He’s an arrogant, pig-headed, selfish git who takes a sick pleasure in bullying those weaker than him. There is nothing in his personality that would make me possibly consider liking him.”

Okay, this really was the same argument I’ve been hearing for the past few years. I went back to my reading, for real this time. Maybe when the girls go down to Hogsmeade, I could get down to writing my Defense essay. At least for this one, I didn’t need the library books.

Kati was still teasing Lily about James when Melissa ran up into our dorm. Her eyes looked around until she found me. “Artemis! Someone wants to see you in the common room.”

I looked up from my book and swallowed the last part of my banana. “Who?”

“Sirius Black.”

Samantha snorted.

I sighed, disappointed it wasn’t Remus. “What does he want?” I asked, letting my eyes go back onto my book.

Melissa shrugged. “He didn’t say. He caught me on my way up here and asked me to send you down.”

“Thanks, Melissa.” I reached into my bag and pulled out a roll of parchment. I might as well start writing my Defense essay.

“Aren’t you going down now?” Samantha asked.

“No. He probably wants another date for Hogsmeade.”

I was just writing the first sentence in my essay when Samantha hopped onto my bed, jostling me and making me spill ink all over the top of my parchment. “Hey!”

“Artemis,” Samantha hissed, “when Sirius Black asks you something, you’re supposed to say ‘yes.’ Understood?” She knelt over me, her excess makeup making her look like she had just gone mad.

“When Sirius Black becomes Minister of Magic, let me know,” I said. “Until then, I can ignore him all I please. Now get off my bed.”

“Samantha, get down from there,” Melissa called, now walking towards my bed.

“Artemis doesn’t have to listen to Black’s every word,” Lily said, also approaching my bed. “Just like I don’t have to listen to Potter’s pleas for a date.”

“You two are different,” Samantha dismissed Lily. “Artemis, march yourself down the stairs and accept his invite to Hogsmeade so he’ll get over you already!”

“No.”

It took Lily and Melissa to get Samantha off my bed. When she was back on her feet, she spun on her heel and stormed into the bathroom, closing it with a slam.

“I don’t think Samantha likes me,” I said to no one in particular.

Melissa looked down at me and shrugged. “She’s just a little jealous. I mean, you’ve been spending so much time with the Marauders lately.”

“They’re the ones spending time with me,” I said. “I’m not doing anything to attract them to me, I swear.”

“Good luck convincing the entire castle of that.” Melissa went to her bed, picked up a sweater, and left the dorm.

“I’m not!” I repeated for Lily and Kati. “You can let the school know if you want.”

“C’mon, Lily, let’s go,” Kati said. “Maybe the Marauders will stick with Artemis and we can escape their escort this time.”

Lily smiled. “Really? Okay, Artemis, stay up here all day! If you do, I owe you one!” Lily turned around and followed Kati down the stairs.

I was just finishing the first half of my two foot essay when Samantha came out of the bathroom, gathered her purse, and left the room without a glance at me.

I got stumped with my essay three inches from the end. What could I add? I already explained how I sent Black sprawling out against his back yesterday when we dueled. I thought I explained the details, from my wand movement to the correct pronunciation to the effects of the spell I used. Hm, maybe I could add something about how I’ve used the spell in the past and how the spells react in varying degrees according to the intent behind the wand. Yeah, that would work.

Someone knocked on the door. I waved my wand to open the door. “Yes?” I called out.

A second year girl stood in the doorway, her eyes wide and her cheeks pink. “Um, Artemis Monroe?” she asked.

“Yes, that’s me.”

“Uh, Sirius Black told me to tell you he’s still waiting for you in the common room. He really, really wants to talk to you.”

Great, now Black’s enlisting the poor and innocent pre-teen girls to get me to go downstairs. "Uh, did he tell you what he wants?"

The second year shook her head. “He said he just wants to talk.”

I sighed. What too do, what to do. . .

“Tell him I’ll be down in at least five minutes. I’m finishing an essay.”

The girl nodded and ran off.

I wonder if any second years are dreaming about Sirius Black as well, I though as I packed up my bag. It would be wrong for Sirius to do anything with them, but I wonder if they’re boy crazy at that age. Funny. I don’t know what it’s like to be boy crazy, though that might be because all my best mates are boys. Whatever. I must be blessed.

I walked down the stairs with my bag over my arm, hoping that Sirius might not notice me crossing the common room on my way to the library. But he was facing the girls’ dormitory. He hopped to his feet and strode over to me.

Maybe I’m actually cursed, I thought again,

“What do you want, Black?” I asked, noticing that he was out of his school uniform and in casual Muggle clothes.

“Come to Hogsmeade with me?” he asked.

I rolled my eyes and walked around him towards the portrait hall. I didn’t have time for Sirius and his nonsense. I had to look up a carnivorous plant in the Herbology section.

Sirius ran to catch up with me. “You’re not going to Hogsmeade?”

“Nope.”

“Where are you going?”

“Library. Wait, today’s Saturday?”

Sirius nodded.

“Maybe I should go to the Hospital Wing instead-”

“NO!”

I stopped and looked up to Sirius. “Why not?”

“Here.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a crumpled note. “This came for you at breakfast.”

I took the note from him. It was short: Artemis, no need to come in today or tomorrow. Enjoy this Hogsmeade weekend. Madam Pomfrey.

“This came at breakfast?” I asked.

Sirius nodded.

“Then how do you have it? Lily said none of you Marauders were at breakfast.”

Sirius’s eyes widened. “She told you that? Well, we must have missed her. This note came in after all the owls were done delivering their letters. We ate breakfast late.”

“Oh.” I wasn’t convinced, but I took the point: don’t ask, don’t get in trouble. Must be about some prank they‘re about to pull. “Well, I’ll be in the library.”

“Awe, come down to the village with me,” Sirius begged, adopting his carefree demeanor again.

“Just answer me one thing,” I said.

“Anything!” Sirius smiled and straightened up.

“Where are your fellow Marauders?”

“James is following Evans. And Peter is following James.”

I sighed. “And Remus?”

“Head cold,” Sirius shrugged. “He’s staying at Hogwarts today.”

“Remus is sick?!” I looked back in the direction of Gryffindor Tower. “Maybe I can help out. I mean, I’ve been studying with Madam Pomfrey for a month now-”

“It’s not that bad, Artemis,” Sirius said quickly. “But how about you go up to your dorm and change?”

“Why?” I backed away from Sirius and continued on my walk to the library. “I never agreed to go out with you.”

“But I thought-”

“Do what you did during last Hogsmeade weekend. Find another girl, because I’m not interested. But tell Remus I hope he gets well soon.”

　

~~~~~*****~~~~~*****~~~~~*****~~~~~

　

Dear Mum and Dad,

Do you ever have one of those days when you can’t remember what you did that morning?

“Nah, that’ll freak them out,” I muttered, clearing the ink off my parchment. I dipped my quill into my ink bottle again and tried another approach.

Dear Mum and Dad,

Hey, I think this was a good morning. Well, I don’t remember Lily’s snores, or being harassed at breakfast today. And I don’t think I had breakfast today. Why? Because I woke up standing in some corridor around lunchtime! Talk about weird.

“That’s even worse.” I cleared the parchment again. I tossed the quill down onto the table, looking around my surroundings. I still had to put away those Herbology books. The library was actually quiet as most of the student body was down in the Great Hall. When the library doors opened, I tried to look through the gaps in the bookshelves to see who it was. For the tenth time this hour, I sank back down, seeing it wasn’t Remus.

“I wonder if he would think it’s weird,” I whispered to myself. “I usually wake up by six o’clock at the latest. I was already dressed when I realized I was wandering the corridors. I must have woken myself up then. I don’t want to think of anyone changing me out of my clothes while I was unconscious.”

I picked up my quill again.

Dear Mum and Dad,

Do either of you know about a condition where a witch or wizard loses part of their memory? Not that I’m saying that’s happened to me-

“This is useless,” I grumbled. Maybe I should write Randy a letter instead. I don’t chronicle my daily routine for him. Yeah, that would work.

Randy,

I’m bored. I don’t know what to write to my parents today, so I’m sending this letter early. It’s the weekend, and for once I have very little homework. I finished all my essays and stuff earlier. I don’t know what I’m going to do tomorrow (Sunday), but I doubt you could help me with that. I just feel like complaining.

This letter is between us, right? I mean, you read it yourself and paraphrase the general meaning to the others, right? Because I think something might be wrong, and don’t leap to conclusions. Just hear me out.

This morning (Saturday), I completely spaced out on where I was supposed to be. I’m almost certain I woke up at dawn, but I can’t remember what I did this morning. I mean, some mornings my roommate Lily’s snores wake me up. Other times, she’s as silent as a church mouse. I don’t remember which it was this morning. And I missed breakfast. I don’t remember eating breakfast, and I was starving when I realized I was lost in the bowels of my school. I mean, I missed breakfast! Me! I can out-eat you and the others any day of the week. I don't think I've ever missed a meal before today in my life!

Sorry, where was I? Right. Thinking that I woke up around six at the latest, I can’t account for five and a half hours of my life. That’s never happened to me before. I mean, I know I’m a little unobservant at school, but I’d like to think that I know what happens in my own life!

I currently have no one else to talk to at the moment. Remus has a head cold, so he’s stuck in his dorm all day. He can’t go to the nearby village. I would have spoken to him for the instant feedback. Too bad my school doesn’t believe in telephones, huh?

Well, like I said, Remus was unavailable. Oh, and Sirius Black hit on me again. You’d think that after drawing him out of bed and getting him to hang upside down by the rafters in the cafeteria, he wouldn’t be interested in me anymore. Then again, Black must have some mental issues if he keeps going after me. I mean, I’m just ordinary looking, nothing to write home about, but almost all the girls want to date the ‘hottest, sexiest bloke in school,‘ even if it’s just for a day.

I just rolled my eyes. I can’t believe I just wrote that.

So anyway, that’s been my weekend for you. Nothing too major. I’ll send you another random letter if this missing-memory thing happens again. I’m going to write my parents now. I think I just needed to let out my frustrations about my day. You don’t think I’m going crazy, do you? Because I don’t think that losing the memories of your entire morning is exactly normal.

Can’t wait to see you again,

Artemis

Wow, that actually helped. I closed my eyes, imagining Randy’s reaction to my next letter. If I could have told this to him in person, he would say that I’ve always been crazy, or freaky, and certainly not normal, but insist that it was just me. Then, if our other friends were around, he would probably quiz them on stupid bits of trivia to show me that none of them can remember their entire mornings either, thus proving his point that spacing out on an entire morning was the only thing I could claim as a normal human being.

I could almost hear Randy’s taunts at what he would say. “Boy, Artemis, you must be getting paranoid at school.” “Just proving how weird you are, Artemis.” “Don’t worry, we all still love you, despite your brain starting to malfunction. You must be reaching your brain’s maximum capacity for knowledge. I’ve always said you’re too smart!”

I snorted at the last thought. Madam Pince seemed to glare daggers at me for disturbing the silence of her library. I looked down and pretended to study out of a nearby book until she looked away. In a vast library, how does she manage to be everywhere at once? It’s like she’s the Filch of the books. It’s amazing that I’ve never been caught eating in here before.

I ate the last sandwich I’d gotten this afternoon from the kitchens (I had to eat a lot to make up for missing the most important meal of the day!) before returning my books to Madam Pince (who glared at me when I returned them). Honestly, I’ve spent five full years in the library and she still treats me like a felon. Definitely a lit like Filch. I wondered if she has a pet worm. You know, then it’d be a bookworm!

Well, I thought that was funny.

It was nearing sunset, and basically curfew, by the time I made it to the Owlery. Peck flew down to me as usual. I gave him an owl treat while he rested on my shoulder.

“I’m sorry I wasn’t in the Great Hall this morning,” I apologized. “Would you believe I have absolutely no idea where I was?”

Peck didn’t seem to believe me as he took my letter to my parents. I decided to keep hold of my letter to Randy, to wait a few days so he wouldn’t wonder how I could write to him on a Saturday afternoon and he’d receive a letter when there was technically no post at all the next day.

I watched Peck, as usual, disappear into the distance with my letter home. The letter with no mention of my memory gap. My parents had enough to worry about, with the wizarding war outside of Hogwarts and Dad having to go to London every day for work. I could read between the lines of Mum’s letters.

Not feeling like going back to Gryffindor Tower just yet, I climbed up the outside of the Owlery and sat on the roof. I watched stars appear one by one. Then the waning moon rose up from the horizon, almost full save a small sliver missing on one side.

　

　

　

　

A/N: Hi there! Is anyone confused? Am I too obvious? What’s happening to Artemis?! Something is happening, but I refuse to tell (tee-hee!). But I’m worried about if I’m too vague, or do you know what’s happening? Hey, how about you let me know? I’m not that good at Legilimnes yet. Thank you for reading!

Chapter 10: Chapter 10: Okay, I Can Live With This
[View Online] [Printer Friendly Version of This Chapter]

A/N: Okay, see that girl? Sitting in the back corner of the room? No, she's hiding behind the laptop. *Pokes head up from behind screen.* "I DON'T OWN ANYTHING OF HP!" *Disappeared behind screen.* Yeah, now you know. Enjoy.

Chapter 10: Okay, I Can Live With This

“Lily snoring? Check. Morning shower? Check. Dressed? Check. Gathered books? Check.” I stuffed my scroll and quill back into my bag. The next thing on my list? Breakfast. Then would come getting my letter.

Okay, so maybe I was going a little overboard here. But when I was watching the moon rise Saturday night, I came up with a brilliant idea on how to keep track of my memory. I would make a check list! Of course, you probably already figured that out. Well, it worked out yesterday. Now it was time to see if it would work on a school day.

I was about to walk out of the dorm when I saw Lily’s hand move slightly through her parted curtains. I don’t know what made me stop, but the gesture looked familiar. A sleeping person. A twitch of the hand. Then nothing. It just looked so familiar.

And then Lily let out a loud snort between snores. She rolled over to lay on her stomach.

Nice, Lily. Very lady-like. I left the dorm before anyone else woke up.

I was normally the first person awake in Gryffindor. Or at least one of the first. I stopped at the last step when I saw James Potter and Peter Pettigrew sitting on the sofa in front of the extinguished fire, playing Wizard Chess.

James was the first to see me. He smiled and waved me over. “Artemis! Morning! Care for a game? You can help Peter.”

“Uh, no thanks James,” I said. It took all my self control to not cringe at Peter’s side of the board. He only had two pawns and his king left, while James was only missing three pawns. Peter was now just biding his time until his ultimate doom. “Um, I hope you don’t take this the wrong way or anything, but what are you two doing up? It’s just six o’clock in the morning. You know, three hours until class?”

“We wanted to walk you to breakfast,” James said. “Right, Peter?”

The small, pudgy boy nodded. “Right. Don’t rush me, James. I’ll think of something.”

“Wow, James, that’s nice of you, but you don’t have to. So, um, can I ask why?“ Maybe James was after something.

“Because that’s what friends so,” he said casually. “You know, hang out. C’mon, Wormtail, just surrender. Monroe’s not going to wait all day.”

“I can do this,” Peter said.

“So then, how long have you two been up?” I asked. If it took Peter this long to make a move. . .

“Since four. We thought exploding snap would be too loud.”

Peter sat up in his seat, smiling broadly. “Pawn to E-7!”

“You sure?” the pawn called up wearily. “Are you sure you want to send me-?”

“Pawn to E-7!” Peter repeated, more forcefully.

The pawn shook his little head as he moved up one square.

“Knight to E-7!” James yelled. The knight, which did not question James’s orders, walked it’s ‘L’ shaped path to the recently moved pawn and beat it over the head before shoving it off the board. “Check,” James announced once the pieces finished moving.

“Oh.” Peter slouched, studying the board again. “I’ll find something.”

Speaking of board. . . "I'm going to breakfast." I turned to walk away.

“Just surrender already!” I think that was actually Peter’s king talking to him. At least my chess pieces have confidence in my playing ability.

James and Peter caught up to me in the hall. Peter seemed down about losing his game and how his pieces don’t trust him anymore. James asked me if Lily was showing any signs of warming up to the idea of dating him. And me? I told Peter that maybe he should listen to his pieces advice (he couldn’t get much worse) and James that Lily does not find any form of stalking flattering (and that I was the last person to go to for love advice).

We arrived in the Great Hall with just a minor incident- Peter fell through the trick step. James insisted that he could lift Peter out himself. Just because he was taller and a big Quiddich star did not mean I couldn’t help lift someone out of the trick step. But I did manage to mend Peter’s twisted ankle, so at least I did something.

“T-thanks again, Monroe,” Peter said, sitting across from me and next to James.

“Don’t mention it,” I said. “It’s what I want to do with my life.”

We only had to wait a few minutes until the house elves down in the kitchens sent up this morning’s breakfast. I grabbed the pancakes and started eating. The other five students in the Great Hall (excluding us three Gryffindors) also began eating, but at a slower pace. Not even any of the professors were present yet.

Three pancakes, two eggs, four sausages, two waffles, an apple, and a slice of toast later, the Great Hall was mostly filled. Only a few spots remained empty between every few groups of students. And presently, there were two seats conspicuously open on either side of me.

I was thumped on my back as I popped a grape in my mouth, nearly resulting in me choking to death on the small, green fruit. When the massive lump in my throat finally went down, I glared over at Sirius Black. “Trying to kill me?” I growled.

“Whoa, sorry Artemis,” Sirius said, straddling the bench on my right, facing me. “Of course not. Can’t get a date out of you if you’re dead. I’m not into Inferi.”

“Padfoot!” Remus walked up from behind Sirius, whacked him hard in the back of the head, and took the empty seat to my left. He instantly started piling food onto his plate.

“Owe! Moony! You might have caused me brain damage!”

I snorted, picking up my goblet. “Prerequisite required, Black.” I took a sip to wash down the grape. I felt like it was still clinging to the bottom of my esophagus.

The three boys snickered at my dig against Sirius. Again. I wonder what would happen if I stopped picking on Sirius. After all, I guess these Marauders are my friends now. I should be more respectful like good friends should. But then Sirius tried to tell me that he did so have a brain, and that he proved it every time he showed up in class. Actually, I can’t. Too much fun.

When Sirius started complaining about how I must have eaten half of the kitchen’s contents, I decided to ignore Sirius and looked to Remus. This was the first time I’d seen him since class on Friday. “So Remus, you feeling better?”

“Huh?” Remus glanced at me before returning to his porridge. “Oh, yeah. Just took it easy over the weekend, you know. So I could be in class today. I just wished I didn’t get sick on a Hogsmeade weekend.”

I nodded. “Yeah. I had Black here asking me for another date Saturday afternoon.”

“What?!” Remus dropped his spoon so he could lean over to table to get a good look at Sirius. “I thought we-”

“I thought that only applied for fifth year,” Sirius interrupted. “Besides, it’s not like anyone else was going to take her.” And for once, Sirius’s blue-grey eyes actually looked serious about something as he looked across me and into Remus’s amber orbs. They held their gaze for about half a minute before I broke the connection, reaching forward for another slice of toast.

“Sorry,” Sirius muttered.

“Nah, forget it.” Remus shrugged a shoulder and went back to eating.

Yup, blokes are weird. Arguing about nothing. Almost reminds me of home.

“You know,” James started, “us Marauders haven’t done anything to warrant attention in the last few weeks.” He waved his fork around, pointing it at me lazily. “We’re open for some really good ideas. Have anything brilliant in mind, Artemis?”

“Why would you ask me?” I asked, now feeling full and waiting for the owls to arrive. But it was still too early for mail.

“It seems that our resident bookworm has a devious side,” Sirius snickered. “Hanging three of the Marauders upside down in the Great Hall? It’s never going to happen again, mind you, but you have gusto. Almost makes me wish we knew of your hidden talents sooner.”

Okay, that’s weird, them referring to me as a fellow trouble-maker. I turned back to Remus, who looked like he was repressing a grin. “You didn’t tell them anything I told you before, did you?”

“Oh, what did you tell Moony?” James asked, leaning forward. “Are you really an ex-convict from Azkaban, hiding out as a teenage student?”

I rolled my eyes. “I don’t break rules in the wizarding world.”

“Ah ha! So you’re a terror in the Muggle world!”

Not necessarily a terror, I thought. Just not as much as a stickler for the rules back home. Yeah, like I'd admit that to the troublesome portion of the Marauders.

“Oi, don’t soil Artemis’s reputation,” Remus warned. “She doesn’t need your bad influences on her.”

“Right, and you’re a saint,” Sirius scoffed. Sirius picked a grape off my plate, to which I just missed swatting his hand away, and said to Remus, “Just do it already. I’m getting bored.”

Huh?

“No, actually, I think I’ll let you do the honors,” Remus said. “Learn to entertain yourself for once, Padfoot.”

“Never. Prongs, entertain me.”

“Fine, just to shut you up.” James turned around in his seat, pulling his wand from his pocket. He took aim at the Slytherin table.

Something instantaneous did happen at the said table. There was nearly a collective gasp, causing the volume of the Great Hall go drop to nearly nothing. But I didn’t know whether to laugh or groan.

It seemed the silverware at the Slytherin table decided they didn’t want to feed those students anymore. Flashes of silver reflected off nearly every surface as the students lost their grips on their utensils. And for about five seconds, all the knives, forks, and spoons of that table floated at eye level in front of the students, about an arm’s length away from the faces of their masters.

I was just counting the sixth second when the silverware attacked the Slytherins. And I mean attacked. The spoons all flew forward, flying upwards and trying to get into each students’ nostril. The forks jerked forward, pushing their prongs into the cheek of their student, twisting around for a moment, then backing off to target the other cheek. And the knives worked at keeping the Slytherins from reaching their faces by swatting away the flailing hands, as if tiny invisible people wielded the knives like swords.

Like I said, I didn’t know whether I should find this display humorous or mean-spirited.

But when I saw movement from the professors, I decided on the latter. “I don’t know you guys,” I muttered, ducking my head down and poking my obedient fork at one of the remains of the scrambled eggs I had earlier. Yeah, like anyone hasn’t noticed that I’ve been hanging out with the Marauders, three of which I was apparently furious with for three weeks.

The rest of the hall must have found the prank funny, because I heard a lot of laughter. I wished the mail had come sooner as Professor McGonagall made her way to where the Marauders and I were seated. If those boys got me my first detention at Hogwarts, they would have to update their last will and testaments before I served my first detention.

“Which one of you gentlemen cast the spell on the Slytherin silverware?” she asked, standing behind James and Peter. I think she was looking at Sirius.

“Awe, Minnie, how could you think it was one of us blokes who did that?” Sirius asked sweetly. “Just because it was prank doesn’t mean one of us did it.” And then he looked pointedly at me.

It took me a second to realize that Sirius was trying to imply that I just pulled that prank on the Slytherins. My mouth fell open slightly as my brain buzzed for the slowest, most painful death I could imagine for him.

“If you were to cast blame on anyone in this hall, Mr. Black, I suggest you pick a more likely suspect. Unlike you, Miss Monroe is an exemplary student. She would not have done anything of the sort. Three nights of detention, Mr. Black. That goes for the rest of you boys, Mr. Potter, Mr. Pettigrew, and Mr. Lupin. I will inform you as to when you will serve your detentions.” McGonagall walked off.

“Artemis hangs up upside-down here last week and Minnie thinks she can’t curse the Slytherins?” Sirius complained, slouching back. He picked at his hash browns, turning them into hash mush.

“No one can prove it was me,” I whispered to him. “Besides, it was nothing compared to the humiliation you put me through for three weeks. And you blokes still refuse to tell me what you were going off about!”

“How about we just let that go?” Remus suggested. “Artemis, mail’s here.”

Indeed, the owls started soaring into the Great Hall with packages from home. Peck quickly found me and gave me my parents’ letter. I tucked it into my bag. I didn’t exactly trust Sirius not to swipe the letter out of my hand (again) and attempt to read it, possibly aloud to the entire hall. Nah, it was best saved for my lunch break as usual.

“See you lot in Transfiguration, then,” I said, finishing my pumpkin juice and starting to walk out of the Great Hall.

“Already?” James called out. I heard something that sounded like a large slurp before James stood up. He swallowed a few times. “Later, guys.”

“Where are you going?” I asked him.

“Hospital Wing,” he said. “I have a feeling some of those Slytherins will visit Madam Pomfrey before they go to class. I want to see our handiwork up close and personal.”

I rolled my eyes but didn’t argue. It was James’s time to waste, not mine. I was actually hoping to ditch him as he called out to Lily for her to go out with him, be he got rejected as usual and caught up to me. I tried to ignore the looks a couple of girls were giving me as I passed. If Avada Kadavra could be used with one’s eyes, then I’m sure Samantha would have just killed me.

　

~~~~~*****~~~~~*****~~~~~*****~~~~~

　

I ended up helping Madam Pomfrey with thirty seven of the Slytherins who got cut or jabbed too much by their cursed silverware. A lot of them scoffed at my help, but I ignored them. It was mostly the older students that insisted on Madam Pomfrey’s help over mine. I tended to the younger students, who just glared at my Gryffindor patch on my robes but otherwise let me tend to them. The only older student I treated was Severus Snape, and even then he still glared hard at me. Of course, James had insisted that Snape looked better with the punctures in his face before Madam Pomfrey kicked him out, so Snape might have just been repulsed by every Gryffindor at the moment.

“Do I dare ask how these injures even happened?” Madam Pomfrey asked once the last Slytherin was released to go to class.

“The Marauders,” I answered. “But McGonagall already gave them all detention for it.” Although Remus technically didn’t do anything, so he shouldn’t have to have detention with the others. I kept those thoughts to myself.

With my morning session finished with Madam Pomfrey, I collected my books, recalled my entire morning clearly as I checked off items on my list, and started to make my way for Transfiguration. I nearly tripped over Sirius’s legs just outside of the Hospital Wing.

“What are you doing here, Black?” I asked as he stood up.

“Won’t you call me Sirius?”

“Only when you act serious, Black.”

“If you must know, I was waiting for you.”

“No.” I marched past him and continued off to class.

“No what?” He quickly caught up with me. Curse tall people with their long legs. At least, legs longer than mine.

“I will not go out with you.”

“Surprisingly enough, I wasn’t going to ask you that.”

“Sure.” I didn’t believe him for an instant.

“I just wanted to walk you to class.”

“I’m capable of getting there on my own, Black.”

Sirius sighed. “You know, I am capable of nice. In fact, I can do a lot of nice things.”

We reached Transfiguration together. Samantha still looked murderous as I parted with Sirius and sat down next to Remus. I pulled my books out and groaned.

“What’s wrong?” Remus whispered as class got started.

“The Marauders, minus you of course.”

Class went on as normal. Professor McGonagall kept her eye on James, Sirius, and Peter throughout the entire lesson, but they made no motion to disrupt class. After all, I’d forgiven them last week. They were no longer begging my forgiveness. Yay!

~~~~~*****~~~~~*****~~~~~*****~~~~~

The rest of my week was pretty usual. I didn’t have any memory blanks or feelings of confusion whatsoever. I was hoping for the same results for the weekend ahead of me. My checklist was already laid out, though I doubted I would need it for much longer. I would eat breakfast, hang out by myself in the library, learn from Madam Pomfrey, and go back to the library until it closed. Remus usually spends his weekends with his fellow Marauders, so I didn’t expect him to show up. But within the past few days, I’ve noticed that Remus usually finishes most of his homework before me, but then he takes forever to finish up his last assignment. Why would he do that? Doesn’t he want to finish his work as soon as possible so he could leave and spend more time plotting with his Marauder friends?

So yeah, I was surprised when I saw Sirius sitting on the ground outside the library. When he stood up at my approach, I knew he was waiting for me.

“No, Black.” I tried to walk around him to get into the library.

“Oh no you don’t,” Sirius said. He put both hands on my shoulders to stop me. “Today’s Sunday.”

“Congratulations, you know your days of the week!”

“Ha ha. I was getting to the point that the ever-studious Artemis Monroe finished her homework last night. You have nothing to do!”

“Not studying, but I want to find out if Jillian discovers who bewitched her best friend. Was it Daniel or William? And then will Jillian go after him directly or lead him into a trap that will send the guilty one to Azkaban?”

“What are you talking about?”

“It’s the current novel I’m reading,” I said. I pulled out the paperback from my bag. “Imperio or Impervious? by Ileana Eyeson. It’s a mystery slash romance. I only started it last night though.”

“You’re halfway through! And it’s four hundred pages!”

“Yeah, I know, but I skip all the mooshy romantic scenes. Too boring. Anyway, I want to finish it before lunch. And you’re in my way.”

But Sirius didn’t release me. “You know, too much studying is bad for you. It hurts your eyes.”

“Then you have nothing to worry about, Black.” I tried to jerk backwards, but Sirius’s grip was pretty strong. “And seeing I’m not your responsibility, you should let me go before I use a spell on you.” I was thinking of the Confundus Charm.

“Artemis, after sixteen years of life, I think someone has to introduce you to something that the rest of us call ‘fun.’ Let’s go.” He started dragging me away from the library. Curse whoever decided blokes should be bigger than girls! I don’t have enough traction to prevent this!

“I do know what ‘fun’ is, Black. Though I don’t associate it with you!”

Sirius sighed. “Artemis, why do I get the impression you’re not too fond of me?”

“Because I’m not. Now stop hitting on me and pestering me and upsetting my careful schedule. I want to go to the library!”

“Sorry, Artemis, this is for your own good.” We got to the stairs at this point. I reached out and grabbed hold of the railing and refused to let go.

“Put me down, Black!” I said.

“No, you’re coming with me!”

As we struggled, a group of fourth year Hufflepuff girls came up the stairs. Sirius stopped pulling me long enough to smile at them. Their giggles echoed off the walls as they continued on their way.

“Why not go after one of the Hufflepuffs?” I asked. “They’d be a lot easier.”

“Has anyone ever told you that you leap to the wrong conclusions?” Sirius asked patiently. He then took hold of each of my wrists, pressed hard, and pulled me off the railing. “You wound me, Artemis. I would not use force to get a girl to date me. I don’t have to. You’d know that if you got to know me.”

“I know you as much as I care to, Black! Let me go!”

Sirius didn’t listen to me. We started to repeat ourselves as Sirius carried me over his shoulder out of the school. He didn’t let me down until we were in the courtyard outside. I stumbled when I landed on my feet.

“Sirius, I thought you said you would ask her to come down, not abduct her kicking and screaming.”

“A technicality, Moony,” Sirius said, shrugging.

I heard that last part and turned around. The other three Marauders stood lined up behind me. And yes, Remus was standing among them. “What is going on?” I asked him.

Remus shrugged a shoulder. “We thought it might be nice for us to hang out today. You know, as friends.”

I crossed my arms. “And what happened to me getting a choice in what I do with my free time?”

“The Marauders unanimously agreed that you need to stop acting like you’re adult and act more like a teenager,” James said in an official tone of voice. I couldn‘t help but think my Muggle teachers would have hung him for saying something like that. “And of course, who else would be more qualified to teach you about the art of having fun than us, the Infamous Marauders?”

“I know how to have fun, if you would listen to me.”

“Then prove it,” Sirius challenged me.

Okay, four blokes to one girl. I’ve had worse odds at home. James and Sirius are really athletic, though. I know I can outrun Peter. Wait a second, James and Sirius play their sport on a broom. Those long legs might not be as trained up as they should be.

“You’ll never catch me, Marauders!” I declared loudly, raising a hand and pointing it to the perfectly clear sky overhead. I then pushed my way between James and Peter and ran out onto the grounds of the school. Sure, I’d dropped my book bag when I ran, but I would retrieve it later. Anyone who goes through my things, though, would end up in the Hospital Wing for a month. Longer if Madam Pomfrey left me alone with them.

I heard shouts from behind me, so the Marauders were chasing me. I couldn’t help but smile. Running outside with several blokes chasing me felt right. This reminded me of home. Different blokes, different environment, but the same feeling. As I ran, I let my mind think I was back home and picked up speed. They wanted to see me have fun? Wait until they got hold of my transfiguration skill: transfiguring dying tree leaves into water balloons should be fun enough for them.

　

　

　

A/N: I’m sorry if this chapter seems a little weird. This is actually the fourth draft of this chapter. I never felt like it was right. I’ve already got the plans through chapter 19 (yikes, 19?!) laid out, but this chapter also felt needed to show the passage of time. So, how did it turn out? I’ll never know from an objective audience unless you tell me in that cute little box below. And I promise, the next few chapters should be good (but be sure to tell me what you think- hint hint!)

I want to make a special thanks to all the people who have reviewed already, and to Dreaming of Remus and kassandra466 for reviewing more than once. You guys make me really excited, knowing that people read and then care enough to let me know your thoughts. You rock my socks! :D

Chapter 11: Chapter 11: This Time I Know I'm Not Crazy
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A/N: Hey, see that stuff at the bottom of the screen? All that fine print? That's basically telling you that I'm not JKR. Enjoy the chapter!

Chapter 11: This Time I Know I’m Not Crazy

I looked around. The house elves here in the kitchen were all busy preparing what looked to be lunch. As for me, though, I was sitting at one of the tables in the corner with a stack of pancakes, eggs, bacon, sausage, and a load of other breakfast food. I swallowed the bulge of food in my mouth that felt like it might have been from the stack of pancakes.

How the bloody hell did I get here?

I’m serious, that was my first thought. I didn’t remember waking up this morning to either the rising sun or Lily’s snores. I didn’t remember getting ready or going downstairs to the Great Hall to have breakfast (thought if I’m eating breakfast in the kitchens, I evidently didn’t make it). And I didn’t remember asking the house elves to give me all the remains of breakfast, though the food was still warm. Must have a charm on it or something. But I must have done all those things. I felt like I’d taken my morning shower and brushed my teeth. Yep, teeth were still clean despite the massive amount of food going down into my stomach. Too bad I ditched my checklist about two weeks ago.

So, what was going on? “Uh, excuse me?” I asked the closest house elf. He and five other elves within hearing range turned and crowded over to me.

“Yes, Miss Artemis? What might we bring to you now?” they asked.

“Uh, what day is it? It’s Sunday, right?”

“Of course,” the house elf nodded. “Would you be needing anything else from us?”

I shook my head. “No, thank you. I just wanted to know the day of the week.”

Well, the house elves went back to their work. A few of them might have thought I’ve probably lost my marbles or something, though.

But I haven’t. This is the third instance that I can recall that I could not remember my morning. And don’t they say if something happens three times, it’s a pattern?

I found my school bag sitting at my feet. Everything seemed in order. I had a note from Madam Pomfrey. Strange, she said she was making a complicated potion today and warned me that it would be best if I didn’t come by this afternoon. I didn’t remember receiving this note. Hm, must have come with my letter this morning.

My letter? No, that was from yesterday! Where was my letter for today? No, oh no, where was it? I needed it! What if something happened to my family or friends back home?

I checked my watch. Yeah, it was after breakfast. The house elves were already sending up lunch, and it was highly doubtful that my letter would have been left laying on the Gryffindor table. So I slung my book bag over my right shoulder and dashed for the Owlery.

“Peck!” I shouted into the rafters. It took a while to find him. He blended into the crowd of owls. Kinda like my boring appearance, I thought. Maybe what they say is true- owners tend to look like their pets.

I found him after a minute of searching. He was perched on the highest rafter, but he was also facing away from me. “Peck!” I shouted up to him. “Where’s my letter?”

And do you know what that owl did? He fluttered away from me to a further rafter, wedging himself between more owls and kept facing away from me.

“I’m sorry!” I shouted up to him. “I blanked out again. What did you do with my letter?” He obviously didn’t keep it to read himself.

My owl wasn’t giving me anything.

“Fine,” I grumbled. “As long as you didn’t leave it with Sirius Black, I’ll give you extra treats later tonight. I promise.”

I then decided to go to Gryffindor Tower. Maybe Lily had it for me.

“Stop being such a git, Potter!”

“I’m not a git. Besides, you can reach it yourself. You’ll just have to come closer, if you know what I mean.”

“I could hex you for this, you know.”

“Why Evans, I’m shocked. You’re a Prefect! You can’t go around hexing people you don’t like.”

“Never stopped you before, Potter.”

Yeah, I heard that just when the Fat Lady was opened just a crack. Merlin, those two already sounded like a married couple. I hope Lily can’t read minds.

Lily and James were standing in the middle of the common room. The other people, hanging out in the room, seemed entertained at the pair fighting. Lily, though, was the only one not amused. She was glaring up at James with her intimidating emerald-green eyes. Every few seconds, she would jump up and try to reach James’s right hand, in which the leader of the Marauders held an envelope with what appeared to be my name on it. James, being taller than Lily, kept it dangling only a few centimeters above her reach.

“Just give it to me!”

“No, I’m waiting for Artemis.”

“Is that my letter?” I asked, finally making my presence known.

The couple (well, they’re not a couple according to Lily) turned to me. Lily pointed up to James’s hand, still hovering above her head. “Potter took your letter when you weren’t at breakfast this morning. I was going to-”

“Hey, Artemis and I are friends,” James defended himself, now pretending to be hurt at Lily’s words. “She can trust me with her letters.”

“Not by choice,” I muttered. Louder, “I’ll admit, I’d rather have James hold onto it rather than Black.”

“Hey!” Oh, I didn’t notice Sirius sitting there on the armchair. Oh well.

“May I, James?” I held out my hand.

Keeping it constantly out of Lily’s reach, James walked it over to me. “See?” he called back to Lily. He reached up to run his hand through his already-messy black hair. I don‘t even think he was aware of doing it. “I can be responsible. And I didn’t even open the letter. Impressed?”

Lily rolled her eyes. “Sure, it was so hard not to do something, Potter. You’re unbelievable.” She walked over to Kati and started talking softly with her. The rest of the common room followed suit.

“So, what was that about?” I asked, walking with James to the couches and sitting down on the left arm, my usual spot when hanging out with this lot. Wait. . . “Where’s Remus?” The left cushion of this couch was bare of any humanoid life form.

“That’s a funny story,” Sirius said, a little too quickly. “We were perfecting our next prank for the Slytherins, but we needed to test out the spells and stuff. And, well, Remus was at the wrong place at the wrong time-”

“Is Remus okay?” I asked.

“Except for his feet looking like something that came out of the Black Lake, he’s good,” Sirius said. “But he refuses to go anywhere without shoes.” He shrugged. “He’ll find the counter curse soon enough.”

“And you’re going to do the same thing to the Slytherins?”

Sirius and James exchanged looks. James shook his head. “Well, thinking about it, we don’t want to get hurt if the Slytherins decide to kick us. Might not be a good idea.”

“Awe, and Remus went to all that trouble for nothing,” Sirius sighed.

I rolled my eyes and went on to opening my letter (with my wand sitting ready in my lap for when Sirius would try to steal it). When I finished reading it, I let out a sigh.

“What’s wrong?” James asked, sounding concerned. He was sitting on the opposite side of the couch, his legs propped up on the table in front of him.

“Nothing,” I said. “But-” I stopped. I only discussed my letters with Remus. He could then share what he wanted with the others, but I felt more comfortable telling Remus what was actually happening with my life.

“Is everyone okay at home?” James persisted.

“Yeah, yeah, everyone’s fine!” I waved downward, letting him know not to get too worked up.

Yeah, it’s all fine, I thought to myself. Except that my mum doesn’t want Dad going to the office anymore. There have been more attacks on Muggles in towns surrounding London. She doesn’t want him getting too involved, even though a lot of the attacks involve Muggle artifacts. She tried reminding him that he’s not an Auror, that he should just work with mundane disturbances. But Dad added to the letter, saying that he was fine, that he always went with Aurors if anything seemed suspicious. And fortunately, my home had not been affected by any of the war as of yet. Of course, who would care about a town with a population of less than a thousand?

Merlin, I wish I could share this with Remus. At least sharing my thoughts gets them out of my head.

“Well,” Sirius said, clapping his hands together. “Seeing as that we don’t have an effective prank to pull on the Slytherins tonight, let’s brainstorm some ideas.”

“But what about Remus?” Peter asked from the floor. He had a bag of marshmallows and was busy roasting them in the fire. Gee, I hoped he would offer me one.

“What about him?” James asked.

Peter popped a marshmallow into his mouth. “We don’t plan without the four of us present. That’s the rule.”

“Oh, you’re right,” James said. He checked his watch. “Padfoot and I have a few hours before practice. What do you lot want to do then? Slytherin hunting?”

“I’m game,” Sirius said, standing up.

Peter nodded, jumping up and putting the bag of marshmallows in his robes. There go my hopes of getting one.

The three Marauders went to leave the common room, but James stopped them before they were half way to the portrait hole. “Coming, Artemis?”

I shook my head. “You blokes nuts? I’m not risking my perfect record because you lot are bored.” I stood and backed away to the stairwell. “You know where I’ll be if you need me. And if you know what’s good for you, you’ll not need me.”

“Awe, Artemis, you don’t want to hang out with the coolest, hottest, smartest-” Sirius started.

“That’s enough, Pads,” James said, grabbing Sirius by his collar. “Even I’m getting nauseated by your dramatics. Later, Artemis.”

Peter held open the portrait hole as James literally shoved Sirius out. It looked rather comedic.

“Blokes,” I sighed, rolling my eyes. I went upstairs to my dorm.

No one was there, thank goodness. Let’s see now, today was Sunday. I checked over my homework. It was done. And I remembered finishing it last night. I remembered going to bed early. But I didn’t remember getting up this morning.

I went down to the trunk sitting at the foot of my bed and went searching through the stack of letters sitting there. Where was Randy’s response from last time I had a memory blank?

I found it. And like I had expected, it wasn’t very encouraging.

Your name is Artemis Monroe.

I thought I would remind you of that little bit of information. You go to a boarding school in some secret location. And your favorite person in the world is Randy Sanders.

Honestly, don’t the days blur on to you? For the past few years, I’ve felt like I’d been reading duplicate letters, your days were all the same. So what if you can’t remember your morning? I can’t even remember what I was doing last Saturday morning (it’s Wednesday night as I’m writing this). Well, I’m sure I was wishing you’d come back. Too bad the moon was out bright that night- I might have missed seeing a few shooting stars.

You know you can tell me anything, right love? You shouldn’t feel like you have to rely on people with crazy first names like ‘Sirius’ and ‘Remus’ to understand the true you. And ‘Artemis’ is not a crazy name. I think it’s beautiful. Like you.

Look, don’t worry about it. You’re sixteen. And for the past five years, you’ve done nothing but study. Maybe you’re just reaching your breaking point. The others and I wouldn’t know if you did- you’ve always been too crazy around us to notice the difference!

Peace out, love,

Randy

P.S. I just had this awesome idea! Maybe you need a vacation! Take time off school and come back three months early! Yeah, that’s it! Come home already!

Yeah, Randy didn’t take me seriously. He thought this was normal. No, I’ve daydreamed before. I’ve spent five years daydreaming in the library. And in all that time, I never got someplace without knowing where I had come from. This was not normal.

I needed to find answers somewhere.

　

~~~***~~~

　

“Dementia? I’m too young to suffer from that kind of thing! Besides, all the cases here are with witches and wizards in their 120’s.” I sighed, put the book back on the shelf, and continued looking through the medical section of the library.

I’d been in here for nearly three hours. And my eyes were starting to tire. All the books I opened either had no mention of gaps in memories or they dealt with people in their old age.

I decided to give up for the time being. My bag was empty of food and I was hungry. Lunch was also almost over, so I figured I might as well go down to the kitchens now.

Madam Pince gave me an evil glare from behind her desk as I left the library. Well, more evil than usual. What was her problem today?

“Artemis? What happened to your robes?!”

I turned around as I was just approaching one of the stairwells. Samantha and Melissa stood behind me, apparently going to go into the library. Melissa was failing to get Samantha to follow her in.

“What? These don’t have any holes in them.” Did she think my school uniform, identical to hers, to inferior to her fashion sense?

Samantha pointed to my shoulders. “You have grey stuff all over your back! How could you not notice?”

“Huh?” I tried to turn my head, but I’m not that limber with my neck. I finally had to put down my bag, pull my arms in from my sleeves, and rotate my robes around so I was wearing them backwards.

Samantha was right. From my collar down to where the small of my back would be was covered in light-grey blobs of powder. There were even a few clumps of what looked to be modeling clay dried to my back.

“How did those get there?” I wondered.

“Artemis, you’re in the hallway!” Samantha marched up to me, took my robes in her grasp, and swirled my clothes around to put the back of the robes back against my back. Oh boy, that’s a lot of backwards thinking. Back to back? I wonder if I could stand with my back and heels against a wall and not fall forward.

Samantha must have been speaking during my inner thoughts, but I still caught a little of what she said. “At least appear somewhat normal when you’re out of our dorm. Honestly, Artemis, you’re an embarrassment! Why any of the Marauders find interest in you is beyond me.”

Yeah, and how she got into any of our N.E.W.T.’s classes is beyond me.

“Here. Scougify. I’m only cleaning you up because someone has to care about your appearance!”

I rolled my eyes. “I didn’t even know it was a mess. You could claim not to know me.”

Samantha rolled her eyes in response. “Two sixth-year Gryffindors? How dumb do you think this school is?” She turned back and went into the library with Melissa.

“Can’t be too smart if you still attend classes with us,” I muttered before going to the kitchens to fetch my lunch and dinner.

　

~~~***~~~

　

Okay, I wasn’t so thick to think that the powder and clay just magically could have gotten onto my robes. Well, it might have been from a magical means, but I should have been aware of it. And why didn’t anyone tell me about this earlier? Did it have to do with my missing memories? Did I do something strange during that missing time? Or did someone do something to me?

Back from lunch, and with a feast stuffed into my otherwise-empty bag, I renewed my search for answers. Two hours, and nothing. I moved from the medical section to Defense Against the Dark Arts. Maybe I was cursed somehow. But three times within this year? It was early November. No one, not even the Marauders, would take this long to pull this subtle of a prank.

Too bad I can’t bump into someone with the answers I’m looking for like what happened with Snape. Oh Merlin, did I just wish for another encounter with a Slytherin? Randy's right, I'm already starting to lose my mind.

“Can’t lose what you never had, Artemis,” I whispered to myself. I pulled the last book off this row of shelves and flipped through the pages.

The searching for answers for my unclear question must be making me paranoid. Or anxious. I didn’t know. All I did know was that I started feeling like someone was watching me. But when I turned back around to see who was there, and if I might be blocking access, no one was there. Strange.

The feeling of eyes watching me remained as I flipped through dozens of more books. The library was getting close to closing time and the feeling remained. Most people had abandoned their Sunday night studying to pursue their last bit of weekend fun before the weekly grind of learning returned with the dawn. Wow, Artemis, I didn’t know I could think so eloquently.

I was on the last few books on this side of the bookshelf when I decided to stop actually reading and pretend to read just to determine where my mysterious watcher was. I didn’t think this was a ghost, and Peeves would cease to exist if Madam Pince found him in here. Maybe a disillusioned student or professor?

I returned the last book to the bottom right corner of the bookshelf. As I did, I pulled out a piece of paper from my bag and a quill, making it look as if I was going to jot myself a note. The feeling of eyes watching my back did not waver.

Okay, the watcher must be behind me, a little to my right. Got it. Then, praying that Madam Pince wouldn’t think I was doing this to any of her precious books, I crumpled the piece of paper in my hand, spun around to face my watcher, and threw the wad of paper with all my might.

It flew through the air. Exactly where I had wanted it to go.

And the paper stopped and crumpled to the ground two meters before it would have hit the wall.

“I know you’re there,” I announced, braver than I felt. “Come out.”

I tried walking forward, cautiously, looking for any disturbances in the air that would be a give-away for someone under the disillusionment charm. After all, I only found that cockroach all those weeks ago because the pattern in the wooden table was distorted somewhat.

I groped at the air. Maybe this mysterious watcher person knew what was happening to me. Maybe he or she could tell me had the answers that these books seemed to lack.

But then, the feeling of being watched faded away. I can’t really explain it. I didn’t see or hear anyone pass by. But right where my wad of paper fell, no one was there. I reached all around me, but the person was gone. When I touched the wall, my gut was telling me that this person had left the area. All I knew was that someone was watching me, and my gut told me that this person knew what was going on.

　

　

A/N: Anyone figure it out yet? You don’t have to be direct, but just a simple yes or no will suffice. I try to include clues along the way, nothing too direct, so if you have it, just point out what clues you’ve used to figure it out. If you don’t think there are any, just ask for one and I’ll direct you. (I’m trying to clue you in- just review that you want a clue and I’ll tell you something. Or help others with the clues you do have.) Until next chapter.

Chapter 12: Chapter 12: It's Not Eavesdropping if You Were There First
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A/N: Hi. If I were JKR, I would have released an entire book at one time, not give you one chapter every few days. So yeah, I'm not her. Sad, but true. Enjoy this chapter!

Chapter 12: It’s Not Eavesdropping if You Were There First

“Uh, hello Peeves.” I tightened my grip on my book bag, mentally running my brain through all the escape routes.

“Ah, my favorite art student!” Peeves dropped the brick of clay in his hand to clap a few times.

I groaned. Just because my name starts with ‘art’ doesn’t make me in any way artistically inclined. And yet, that’s all I find when I run into the resident poltergeist. If only he saw my poor excuses for stick figures.

“Awe, Arty-Artemis, don’t be sad!” Peeved picked up the clay and went back to ‘perfecting’ the clay hairstyles he was giving the suits of armor. “Once I’m done with this one, I’ll give you a new hair fashion!”

“How about a rain check on that, Peeves?” Sadly, I’d have to go back about five meters before I’d come to another corridor to run down.

“Rain?” Peeves slapped some clay on the suit of armor and started floating over to me. “I can do that too. Need another shower?”

“Gotta go!” I spun and ran down the corridor as fast as I could. Why, why does Peeves always come after me?!

The halls were deserted as I ran. Most everyone was at dinner. Merlin, I didn’t want to walk the rest of the castle with clay all over my robes. Again.

Hold on a second, I thought. My robes had grey powder and clay on them last Sunday. I must have had yet another run-in with Peeves. But I would certainly have remembered that! What’s wrong with my memory?

A clump of clay splattered onto a portrait just as I passed it. Less thinking, more running! Who cares what happened back then? I don’t want to be covered in gunk again today!

I don’t know how, but I managed to lose Peeves. Well, actually, it might have to do with the fact that I just barely missed having Professor McGonagall see me. I heard her yell after Peeves. For a second, I worried about him attacking a teacher, but then remembered that she was a full-grown witch and fully capable of taking care of herself. Me? Peeves would just laugh with the style of curses and jinxes I would throw at him.

“Just- just tickle the pear,” I huffed, hands on my knees. Whew, that was quite a workout. I should make sure to get enough food for emergencies like this. I didn’t even realize I was out of food until Remus left the library and all I had was a plain bagel. Plain. I was tempted to transfigure it into a blueberry muffin (yum!), but I don’t like tampering with food that goes into my system. I’m weird like that.

Actually, I think I’m weird in more ways that that, but I don’t have time to go into all of that right now.

The pear giggled and let me into the kitchen. All the tiny house elves inside were working diligently around the kitchens, preparing the desserts that would be sent up once the students were done with their main courses.

Four house elves saw me and brought me platters with my usual food. I packed some of the sandwiches and such into my bag, ate a blueberry muffin, and decided to actually have a hot meal in the corner of the kitchens. Hey, there’s only so long a person can deny herself a hot dinner without worrying about getting crumbs in the evil librarian’s perfect books.

“Thanks, guys and gals,” I said with my cheeks stuffed with mashed potatoes. Sure, that might not have been the best way to thank them, but house elves bow down at every compliment. Honestly, we trust these creatures to keep us fed. The least we could do is thank them for keeping the poison out.

So while I ate, I kept watching the house elves work. Do you know how creepy they are? They diligently go about their business, never complaining, never asking for time off. They actually seem like their greatest dream is to serve humans in every possible way imagin-

Someone outside the kitchens tickled the pear. I heard it giggling.

“Crap!” I hissed. There was only one way into and out of the kitchens. Believe me, I’ve looked. I was trapped. Did someone follow me here? Did Peeves tell McGonagall that I was on my way to the kitchens? Did McGonagall actually figure out where I was at every lunch and dinner and came here to bust me? No, I was not going to get in trouble just because I didn’t want to eat with the rest of the castle!

“House elves, you never saw me! I’m not here!” I grabbed my bag and hurried to the corner of the kitchen. Well, a large shelving unit with bread was in the corner, so I sat myself down next to it. The house elves that were paying attention to me nodded in understanding. After all, why would they doubt me? I think I’m the human they see the most in this castle.

I pulled out my wand, racked my brain looking for the right spells. C’mon, brain! The door was just opening. I heard voices, so there was more than just one person. What was the disillusionment charm again? And the silencing spell as well?

The feeling of cold water running down my back was just fading away (I didn’t know it was that cold!) when the door opened fully and the three blokes on the other side came into the kitchen.

Whew, it’s just the Marauders, I thought to myself. My heart stopped racing a zillion beats per minute.

“-can’t believe he lost it again!” Sirius said, rather loudly. “What’s that now, three times this year?”

“Four, actually,” Remus said calmly, walking in behind Sirius. “But don’t hold it against him, Pads. At least he always wipes it clean before Filch confiscates it and sentences him to detention.”

“Sure, that’s nice,” Sirius went on. “Now one of us has to go into Filch’s office again to retrieve it! That means another detention with the demented caretaker!”

“Not it,” James piped up, the kitchen door closing behind him.

“Not it,” Remus said a split second later.

“Not- hey, wait a second! I got the map back the last two times! Why can’t either of you-?”

“I’m a Prefect,” Remus said.

“And I don’t want Evans to hex my hide off.” James smiled when he mentioned Lily’s name.

“Some friends you lot are,” Sirius groaned. He hopped onto the table where I had just been eating a minute ago and reached for a slice of cake. “Fine,” he said, his mouth full, “I’ll get it back before the weekend.”

Okay, I had absolutely no idea of what these three were talking about. What map? Was it a map for homework? No, I was in all of their classes, and we didn’t map anything anymore. Well, either way, it sounded like a Marauder-only topic. They might not like it if they thought I was already here, listening to them. I’d best remain here, sitting on the floor, nearly invisible, silent, and out of the way.

James reached over for a boiled potato. But then he turned his attention to Remus, who looked like he was just frozen in place. “Hey Moony, you alright? You’re not moving.”

“I smell Artemis.”

“Artemis?” James and Sirius chorused.

Remus smells me? Hey, I do remember taking a shower this morning! I may have sweat a little on my way over here, but I certainly didn’t smell too bad. To be on the safe side, though, I smelled my invisible robes. Nope, nothing funky here yet.

“She could have been here at lunch,” James suggested. “Honestly, you sure do have her on the brain all the time.”

“You’re not much better, Prongs,” Sirius said.

Remus shook his head and took a deep breath. “Yeah, it must be from lunch. Her smell is still strong, though.”

What kind of nose does Remus have if he thinks he can smell me from earlier in the day? I don’t wear any perfume or anything.

“Forget it, my nose must be acting up,” Remus said. He took a bread roll a house elf offered him. “Thank you,” he said to her. The house elf blushed and backed away before resuming her normal duties.

“Hey, maybe we can do something like that to the Slytherins!” Sirius said, sitting up straighter with a goofy grin on his lips.

“Do what?” Remus asked.

“We can make the Slytherins smell something really rancid all day when there’s nothing really to smell,” Sirius said. “It’s brilliant. We’ll have the whole house breathing through their mouths as they smell rotten eggs and sour milk and ripe flobberworms and-”

“You mean they’ll smell themselves all day long?” James said. He shook his head. “It’s a little weak, Padfoot.”

“Wait, so are we plotting without Wormtail?” Remus asked the others. “Shouldn’t we wait for him to get out of detention first?”

“Wormy will just agree with whatever James says,” Sirius groaned. “Besides, we’re just brainstorming. We have to come up with good ideas, or risk losing our title as the best troublemakers Hogwarts has ever seen! Everyone that comes after us should know the mark the Marauders have left behind!”

“Our Halloween prank was pretty good,” James said. “We have to have something to top that one.”

Halloween? Oh, so that’s why some Slytherins were sporting pumpkins for heads. I thought they were just being festive.

“Yeah, that was good,” Sirius smirked. “A few of them looked better with pumpkin heads. Too bad someone wouldn’t let us turn their entire bodies into pumpkins.” He stared at Remus.

Remus smirked. “Someone has to reign you two in. If I didn’t, Prongs wouldn’t still have a slight chance to catching Lily.”

“Evans?” James turned to Remus. “Has she said anything about me recently? Like how devilishly handsome I am, or how awesome I’m going to be at our first Quidditch match, or-”

“No,” Remus interrupted him. “She just says the usual. She hates you, hates your hair, hates your attitude, and hates you in general.” James’s smile faded slightly until Remus added, “Though she says your only redeeming quality is your glasses. She says it makes you look smarter than you are.”

“Evans thinks I’m smart? Evans thinks I’m smart!” James jumped off his part of the table and danced around the kitchen, telling every house elf that same statement.

“Oi! Hold up! She said your glasses make you look smart,” Remus yelled over James’s song and dance. “She didn’t really say she thought you were smart.”

“But our visually challenged mate here is smarter than Evans,” Sirius argued. “He’s one of the best in the class.”

“I’m just telling you how it is,” Remus said.

James finally settled down about Lily and popped back on the table beside Sirius, leaving Remus to continue standing in front of them. “Evans thinks I’m smart,” James sighed.

Remus rolled his eyes. “Why do I bother?”

“Speaking of unreturned love,” Sirius said, now rounding on Remus, “I’d like to know when a certain Marauder will make his move on the girl he fancies.”

Wow, I did not know Remus could turn such a shade of red.

“I don’t fancy anyone,” Remus said after a minute’s silence. He picked up a bowl of chocolate pudding and started eating it slowly.

“Oh, sure you don’t,” Sirius said. I swear, if the guy had a tail, it would be wagging itself off his bum. “Moony doesn’t happen to have the biggest crush on a girl since Prongs saw Evans.”

“I don’t have a crush,” Remus repeated. “Any girl I happen to spend time with is just a friend.”

“Right,” James said. “So, when are you going to make your move on her?”

“I’m not going to make a move. I don’t have a crush on her!”

Really, Remus, I thought to myself, your face doesn’t lie. You fancy someone. The question is who. Hm, I wish I’d turned a muffin invisible with me. That pudding up there looks good.

“Right,” Sirius said. “That makes as much sense as James getting over Evans, me being Sorted into Slytherin, and Peter getting the highest marks in the class. So, what’s the real reason you haven’t done anything yet?”

Remus shrugged, keeping his eyes glued to the pudding. “I don’t want to rush it with her.”

Sirius choked on his pumpkin juice. “Rush it with her?! Moony, it’s November! This is, like, your longest relationship you’ve had and you haven’t even started it yet!”

“Well, yeah, because she’s different! Just drop it! You know how complicated it is.”

The smirks on James’s and Sirius’s faces faded instantly. “Oh,” Sirius mumbled, now turning to find something else to snack on the table. “Right. That thing.”

“You never told us it was bothering you,” James said.

What the bloody hell is that thing? I wondered. Can’t these boys be more blunt so the casual listener could understand? Owe, I think my bum in numb.

Remus shrugged. “It just nags me in the back of my head, that’s all. Nothing too serious.”

“Nope,” Sirius smiled, “I’m Sirius.”

James smacked Sirius on the back of the head.

“Okay, okay, I get it!” Sirius said, keeping his arms up to block off any further attacks. “Enough with the Sirius jokes, which in itself is an oxymoron.” He then grinned.

“Padfoot!” James launched himself off his spot in the table and went to whack Sirius over the head with an empty cooking pan. Sirius promptly got up and started running around the kitchen to save himself.

“Why do I hang out with you two in the first place?” Remus muttered.

My thoughts exactly, I agreed silently.

“Because we make you look good,” Sirius called from the other end of the kitchen. James was still trying to corner him. The house elves, however, worked around the boys as if nothing was out of the ordinary.

Well, I watched as James chased Sirius around the kitchen for about five minutes. Eventually, Remus must have gotten bored, because he summoned the cooking pan and gave it back to a house elf. He also asked the elf to make sure to hide all the cutlery. Just to be on the safe side.

“Moony, my hero!” Sirius leapt over the various tables to Remus and tried to engulf him in a hug. “What would we do without you?”

“Been expelled years ago?” Remus counted, now fending off Sirius’s hugs.

These blokes are nuts.

“So, about Remus’s crush-” Sirius started up again.

“I thought we were done talking about that,” Remus said darkly, frowning at Sirius.

“Oh, come on. She’s a smart girl. She’ll figure out how you feel about her eventually.”

Remus likes a smart girl? She must be in Ravenclaw. Well, that helps me narrow it down.

“Yeah, maybe she’s already figured it out,” James added. “But she’s just waiting for you to make the first move.”

“Yeah, she might believe that the bloke has to approach her,” Sirius said.

Remus cocked an eyebrow. “Guys, are you forgetting about who you’re talking about?”

James and Sirius looked to each other. And then, as if a light switch had been turned on inside their heads at the same instant, the nodded in unison. “Right,” Sirius said. “Forget what we just said. She hasn’t got a clue.”

“For all I care, it can stay that way,” Remus said. He accepted a mug of hot chocolate from a house elf and set it down on the table behind him. “It’s best this way.”

Once again, Sirius’s face turned somber and he looked like he was starting to live up to the pronunciation of his name. “Remus, you know what she’s done for you. It must mean something in her favor. She might have even done it because she really likes you. What do you think, James?”

James was silent, looking back and forth between his friends. Finally, “I’d say let Remus take his time. I am with Evans.”

Sirius let out a loud groan. “You two are different. The whole castle knows that. Besides, Evans knows how you feel. Has know for years. But Remus won’t breathe a word to her.”

“She might figure it out,” Remus said. “Eventually.” He slowly took a sip of his hot chocolate.

“Yeah, right,” Sirius said. “You said she thought you were still dating Allison-”

“Why don’t you mind your own business, Sirius!” Remus snapped. He took out a bar of chocolate from his robes and dropped two small squares into the liquid.

Sirius’s blue-grey eyes lit up when he saw the bar. “Moony, can I have some?”

“Get your own!” Remus quickly stuffed the rest of the bar into his robes.

“Pads, you must be slipping in your old age,” James said lightly. “You know Remus never shares his chocolate with anyone. He love the stuff more than life itself.”

He does too share,I thought. Remus gives me chocolate all the time.

“Must be an only child thing, not sharing,” Sirius said. “I wish I were an only child.”

“You hardly share anything as it is,” James teased him.

“I do too! I share myself with all my adoring fans here at Hogwarts every day! Every girl would love to have a turn with me!”

“Are first-borns supposed to be so self-centered?” Remus asked James.

James shrugged. “I wouldn’t know. Then again, is there anyone like our Sirius?”

Thank Merlin no.

“I’m going back to our dorm,” Remus said, finishing the last of his hot chocolate. Before he handed over the mug, though, he took a spoon and scraped the remaining chocolate from the bottom. I guess it was stuff that hadn’t melted. “When Peter gets back, he’ll need someone to tutor him in Transfiguration.” He then left the kitchens.

“He is so love-sick, it’s almost sickening to watch,” Sirius said once the door was firmly closed.

“I know what you mean,” James said.

“Okay, so how about after Defense tomorrow, we grab the two of them and lock them in a broom cupboard? Then they’ll have to get together!”

“Pads, you tried that fourth year with me and Evans. She hexed my lips off and then came after you,” James said. He paced back and forth, thinking of something. “Maybe. . .”

“Maybe what?” Sirius asked. He hopped off the table and stopped James from pacing. “What’s going on behind those glasses? What can we do? Remus is driving me insane!”

“First, you let go of my robes! Thank you. Second, we do nothing.”

“Huh? Nothing? Oh, you mean they’ll think we’ve done nothing-”

“No, we do nothing. We just sit back and let Remus figure this out himself.”

“Prongs, what’s the fun in that?” Sirius groaned. “I don’t know about you, but listening to him talk about her every freaking night is crazy! And believe me, I know crazy. I lived with three of them for sixteen years before I made parole.”

James started walking to the door out of the kitchens. “Okay, maybe we could give him subtle hints, but nothing more! I don’t think Remus could cope if his crush ended up hating him.”

“Yep, you’re the only one who can handle multiple rejections and live to laugh about it.” Sirius glanced down at his watch. “You know, if we run, we might catch Evans doing her post-dinner patrol duties on the third floor.”

“Evans? Let’s go! I think I know her schedule now, and tonight she patrols by the Astronomy Tower!” James ran through the door with Sirius quick on his heels.

When the door swung shut for a second time in about five minutes, I just continued to sit in my little corner of the kitchen. The noise level seemed to have gone from a million down to five.

I removed the disillusionment charm. One of the house elves approached me with a tray of blueberry muffins. I thanked her and asked, “When those blokes come in, are they usually like that?”

The house elf nodded. “This has been one of their better times in here, Miss Artemis. We don’t mind them too badly, though sometimes they do stuff to the Slytherin food. We never know what happens, though.”

“Well, thank you. Good night.” I nibbled on my blueberry muffin for a bit before deciding that the coast must be clear for me to leave the kitchens myself.

　

　

　

A/N: Yeah, you know who Remus has a crush on, you’re all so smart . For those of you who are looking forward to the romantic part of this story, it’s coming in Chapter 13. Any idea on Artemis will take the news about Remus’s crush? I’d love to hear them.

Chapter 13: Chapter 13: I Am the Dumbest Girl to Walk the Planet!
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A/N: I'm not JKR. How do I know? JKR probably didn't think of her amazing series while sitting in band practice. No, that's how I spend my Monday nights. Enjoy.

Chapter 13: I Am the Dumbest Girl to Walk the Planet!

“Art-Artemis! Ha ha! Get- get this charm off meeeee!” Lily then collapsed in a fit of laughter.

“Sorry, sorry,” I apologized. It was Friday’s Defense class. This week, Professor DiGroop partnered me up with Lily. Like all other duels, our main goal was to incapacitate our opponent. And for most people, that meant a large reliance on stunning spells and shield charms.

But as you may have guessed, that’s not exactly how I duel.

Sure, I can stun as good as the next witch. But stunning spells are so boring. Now, if you can combine a cheering charm and the tickling charm together, your opponent can’t focus enough to attack you back. And with a ‘secret weapon’ I discovered a few years ago (which I refuse to tell anyone about), I can distract my opponents long enough so that I don’t even need the shield charm.

So yeah, Lily was the victim of a heavy-handed cheering charm. I then added the tickling charm. I’ve been wondering what would happen to the recipient of those two charms for a few weeks now. Now I knew.

I lifted the charms, but Lily still had a goofy grin on her face. “Th-thanks,” she giggled. She accepted my hand as I helped her off the floor. “That was good.”

I smiled. “Thanks. Out of eight duels this year, I haven’t lost one yet!” Yeah, that might be a little pride leaking out, but I didn’t care.

“Artemis, Lily, good duel,” Professor DiGroop said, coming over to us. The other dueling partners were already finished and half the class was already gone from the room. Our professor turned his attention to me. “Artemis, I’ve noticed that the spells you cast are not ones typically seen in duels.”

Yeah, I get them from Charms class. "They still work," I said. Was my professor afraid I didn't know any of the serious spells and curses?

“Well, of course they still work. Even the disarming spell can be useful if the right witch or wizard is behind the wand. But I’ve also noticed that when you cast your spells, your opponents usually, well, they usually hesitate themselves. No offense to you, Lily, but I expected a fast wand reaction from you.”

“None taken,” Lily said. “I actually don’t know what came over me.”

I knew what had come over Lily. But I’m constantly afraid others will steal my idea, so I made sure I learned the way to cast my ‘secret weapon’ nonverbally. I used to whisper it, but you never know who has incredible ears.

“Well, either way, good work ladies. I expect your summaries of today’s duel on Monday.” The professor made his way to the last group of duelers, a Ravenclaw and a Hufflepuff.

Lily and I went to the back of our room to grab our books. As we did, Lily looked over at me, as if studying a science project.

“What?” I asked. Did she actually get a jinx in and now I had a pig’s snout?

“What spell did you use on me? Before the cheering charm.”

I almost felt like cringing under Lily’s stare. It had to be the emerald-green color of her eyes. But I looked away as I fiddled with my bag. “Sorry, it’s an Artemis Monroe Specialty. It wouldn’t be effective if I told everyone.”

Lily sighed. “Whatever. You’d better get moving. Remus is waiting for you.”

Huh? I turned back to the door. Remus had been dueling one of the girls from Ravenclaw. I didn’t know her name, but I guess she was pretty. If she was the one Remus had a crush on, I wanted to give them time alone. So much for good intentions.

“Oh, okay. Bye, Lily.”

“Bye, Artemis.”

Remus waited patiently for me to run across the room and join him. I nudged his arm, as I usually did, to get him to start our daily walk to the library. “You didn’t have to wait for me, you know,” I said.

Remus shrugged, keeping his eyes looking forward. “Not much of a walk without a friend.”

“Awe, you’re too kind. So, how did your duel go?”

“I won, though I had to dodge a powerful stunner. Natalia is really good at those.”

Remus doesn’t talk about ‘Natalia’ like she’s anyone special to him. Must be a different Ravenclaw. I know it's none of my business, but I was somewhat interested in who Remus was interested in. I mean, I know who all my Muggle friends are dating (my only single friends back home were Ken and Randy). Yeah, I try not to push too much as to who's dating who, but I'm somewhat interested.

“Artemis? Coming in?”

I looked up. “We’re at the library already?”

“Uh, yeah. Where have you been?”

“Thinking. A girl’s allowed to think, right?” I walked past Remus, who held the door open for me, and led the way to our usual table in the History of Magic section.

So yeah, from there things turned its their usual evening. I got started on a new Transfiguration essay due next Wednesday because I hated procrastinating. Remus chose to work on his Potions essay. That probably meant that after Remus left for dinner, I would look through his books to write the outline for that paper. Transfiguration was so long, I’ll need to give my hand the rest of the night to recover.

“Uh, Artemis?”

I looked to my right at Remus. We’d been in here for less than fifteen minutes. “What?”

“I- uh- I mean-” Remus turned away as his face grew pink. “Never mind.”

Okay, that was random. Whatever. I went back to writing my essay.

We went back to working for a while. But then Remus bent over his side of the table and went rustling through his book bag. “Uh, Artemis? Do you have your potions book?”

“I think so.” I checked my bag. Yup. “Here you go.” I slid it over to him and went back to writing the blasted essay.

“Thanks. Must have left mine in my room this morning.”

“Not a problem.” Oh great, I misspelled another Latin word. Where did I put my wand?

I tapped my essay, erasing the misspelled word, then went back to writing. But when I reached for my quill, I felt Remus’s eyes on me. In fact, I didn’t think he even took the book I gave him. That was a little weird. Whatever. I tuned him out and went back to writing.

Five minutes passed. I misspelled the same Latin word four times. And each time, I’d noticed Remus wasn’t working on his essay. I must have something on my face. I touched my right cheek but didn’t feel anything strange. Whatever. It’s just Remus. If I did have something on my face, he would have cleaned it up for me already. I went back to writing.

Remus took a deep breath not even a minute later. “Artemis, I really need to tell you something.”

I put down my quill and turned in my seat to face Remus. Obviously something was bothering him. Maybe he wants a girl’s advice about his crush. Not that I’d be much help since I don’t think of myself as the typical girl, but the least I could do is try to help a friend in need. “Okay, Remus. Shoot.”

Remus’s eyebrows went up when I actually swiveled around. “Well, actually, I wanted to ask you something . . . I mean-” He then started muttering incoherently.

“Remus, slow down!” He’s kinda cute when he gets this flustered. “I don’t want you to throw yourself into a fit over nothing.”

Okay, wrong thing to say. Remus groaned. Okay, maybe I shouldn’t have downplayed his ‘crush’ into nothing. Whatever. He doesn’t know I know. I just sat there next to him, waiting for him to either put his words in order and spit them out or just forget it and go back to work. I kinda hoped it was the former- I thought of some potential advice I could give him last night before I went to bed.

Watching Remus was interesting. He ran a hand through his hair, looked all around the area, and let out another groan. I was very close to laughing at him, but I did have enough common sense to tell me that would be a bad idea. I didn’t want Remus to-

Remus leaned forward and pressed his lips against mine. Remus was kissing me.

Remus. Was. Kissing. Me. Me!?

I felt my brain freeze. My heart stopped. My breath caught in my throat. The library started becoming very warm, the air thick. And Remus’s face was in my face, kissing me.

I felt like the kiss lasted years, but at the same time only a couple of seconds. Or fifteen seconds according to the clock behind Remus’s head.

After the longest fifteen seconds of my life, Remus pulled away from me, reopening his eyes. Mine had remained open, not even blinking.

Remus. Me. Kiss. Now. Library. Remus. Lips. Me. Kissed.

“Artemis?” Remus asked, his voice soft but wavering slightly.

Me. Remus kissed me. How? Why? Remus likes me? No. But still. . .

“Artemis?” Remus repeated. He took a deep breath. It came out sounding like Morris Code, it was so choppy. “Artemis, say something. Please.”

How? He can’t like me! But the kiss? Kiss. Remus. Kissed. Me. Why? Where did this come from? Can’t be.

I finally felt my heart start to beat again. Well, it was actually going so fast, I think it was vibrating. My brain was still in jumbles. Remus kissed me? Every square centimeter of my body started shivering. What was happening to me?

I was moving before I could make sense of it. I guess it was the fight-or-flight response. I jumped out of my chair, grabbed the shoulder strap of my book bag, and dashed for the door. I nearly ran into a group of third year Slytherins on my way out. I didn’t even apologize. I just had to get out of there!

Once in the corridors, I started running. Fast. I didn’t care if anyone saw me. Few people could probably keep up with me on foot. I didn’t know where exactly I was going, but I had to get out of the castle. The air felt so thick, I couldn’t get enough fresh air to breathe.

After a few minutes of high speed running, with my legs actually burning from the run, I finally slowed down at the steps leading up to the Owlery. That’s where I should go. I ran up the stairs, two at a time, and was relieved to find no one else up here. Good. I couldn’t deal with people right now. Only owls. And paper.

“Peck!” I shouted up. My owl only came down when I pulled out his bag of owl treats and set them down with the bag open, giving him a chance to eat his fill.

“Don’t eat too much,” I warned, searching through my bag for some paper. My quill and ink were still in the library, I realized, but I had a few pens in here. “You have to get this home immediately. This is an emergency.”

I then wrote the shortest letter home in my life.

Randy,

Remus kissed me! What do I do?

Artemis

I shoved the letter in an envelope for Randy, then wrote another letter for my parents, just telling them to give the note to Randy. I stuff them all into one envelope and tied it to Peck’s leg. He was still going to town on the treats.

“That’s enough, go home!” I ordered him. I nearly threw him out the window. “Give me the answer as soon as you get back! Don’t wait for breakfast!”

Peck hooted angrily at me but did as he was told. He started flying out to the south, faster than he normally leaves.

Now what? I couldn’t go back to the library. Remus might still be there. Nor could I go to Gryffindor Tower, because Remus might show up there too. Where could I go for the night?

With nothing better coming to mind, I pulled myself up and out of the Owlery and positioned myself on the roof, figuring no one would see me here. From a certain spot up here, I couldn’t even see the rest of the castle. Someone would have to know exactly where to look for me, and I had never come across anyone else sitting around up here in six years. I cast a heating charm on the roof and a few protective spells to keep me from rolling off the roof and down to my death. I would sleep here, under the stars, and wait for Peck’s return.

　

~~~***~~~

　

Something was biting my fingers. I didn’t like it. I waved my hand around, hoping whatever it was would go away. I was too sleepy to-

A weight pressed itself on my chest. What the-? I opened my eye. A large pair of brown eyes surrounded by feathers looked back down into mine.

“Eep!” I sat up, making Peck flutter away from me and land on the roof next to me. Peck did not look happy.

“Sorry, Peck, you scared me.”

The owl just decided to offer me his leg, where an envelope was waiting for me. When I untied it, Peck took off to go back to rest in the Owlery.

“Thanks! You have the night off!” I shouted down to him. I didn’t think Peck would deliver a letter for me tonight anyway. Sometimes he can be a drama queen when he feels overworked.

I just had to choose the owl with attitude when I was eleven, didn’t I?

I ignored my parents’ letter, which would probably ask me what happened, and turned to Randy’s response. Well, I tried to anyway. However, the sun was just hinting at rising over to the east, with only a faint grey light disturbing the otherwise black sky. I had to rearrange myself to use the last quarter’s moonlight to illuminate the page. When I did, I saw the letter was shorter than I was expecting.

Artemis,

You shouldn’t be so surprised. I’m not there, and I could figure this Remus bloke likes you. I can’t tell you what to do. Just do what feels right.

Randy

I just looked at the letter. Well, what did I expect? Randy to say I should kick Remus’s butt for even touching me? I did give him my shortest letter ever. So he gave me my shortest letter back. I was at least hoping for some of his taunts about how ‘Artemis is growing up’ or ‘It’s about time.’ Or, in the other direction, he would say ‘Pound in his face’ or ‘We’ll get him when he gets off the train at Christmas Break.’ Randy telling me to do what feels right? I’d never expect that from him in a thousand years.

I removed the spells keeping me on the roof. But when I removed the heating charm, I realized just how cold November could be. I nearly fell off the Owlery roof as I maneuvered myself back through one of the many windows, all because my fingers were nearly numb from the cold.

Three cups of hot chocolate and enough food to fill three regular students later, I was still wondering what I should do. Remus kissed me. How? I thought he had a crush on a Ravenclaw girl. I mean, James and Sirius implied that this girl was smart. And aren’t Ravenclaw girls seen as smart?

Then again, the top five people in sixth year are all Gryffindors. The Sorting Hat must have been Confunded that year for that to happen.

No one was in the Gryffindor common room when I came in, though the Fat Lady tried to get me to reveal where I was last night. Honestly, what can a painting do to me?

And no one was awake as I entered the sixth year girls’ dormitory. Lily wasn’t snoring this morning, though. Great, I could have had a peaceful night’s sleep if I did manage to come back here last night. I can never win, huh?

I took a shower (definitely needed one after sleeping on top of the Owlery). When I got out, though, I saw three of my roommates were sitting up and looking at me.

Well, I didn’t have to explain anything to them. I walked across the dorm to my bed, sat down, and tried to figure out what to do. I mean, I couldn’t ask my professors to all give me private lessons up here because I didn’t want to show my face again, could I?

Samantha was the first to move from her bed. But instead of going to shower, she marched over to my bed and stood in front of me. “Where were you last night?” she asked.

“Hogwarts,” I answered automatically. When you ask a stupid question . . .

“You were with Sirius Black last night, weren’t you?” she demanded, crossing her arms.

“Samantha!” Melissa called, now getting out of her bed and approaching her best friend.

“And you were wishing you were with Sirius Bloody Black last night, weren’t you?” I shot back, rolling my eyes. Honestly, how could she have gotten any O.W.L.’s when she’s obsessing over one bloke all the time?

“Samantha, you know Artemis can barely stand being around Black,” Lily said, arriving at the foot of my bed next. She turned to look down at me. “You weren’t with Black, were you?”

“Wow, you just proved that you’re the smartest witch of the age! Now let’s see what you’ve won!” I slouched down lower on my pillow. Let’s see now, what could possibly have possessed Remus to-?

“Artemis, that’s enough with the sarcasm,” Lily said sternly. She took a deep breath and said in a gentler voice, “Artemis, what happened last night? We were worried when you didn’t come up.”

“Yeah right,” Samantha coughed. Melissa nudged her in the ribs.

Well, what would matter if I tell them now or if they find out from the Marauders later? The whole school would know within a matter of hours, if they didn’t already know. “Remus kissed me.”

“So, it wasn’t Sirius?” Samantha pressed. Melissa nudged her again, harder. “Well, excuse me for caring,” she said sarcastically. She turned around and went to take the next shower. On the way, she poked Kati to wake her up. Kati just hid her head under her pillow and continued to sleep.

“Artemis, why are you so upset about something like that?” Lily asked. She sat down at the end of my bed.

I just looked at her. Did she not see how weird this was? Remus and me? Me and Remus? I was under the impression that we were just friends.

Samantha left the shower and Melissa went to take hers. Lily continued to sit at the end of my bed, trying to coax me to talk to her. But how could I when I was barely understanding what was going through my own head?

“Lily, aren’t you going to have breakfast?” Kati asked when she finally woke up. She usually takes her shower at night, so she was just changing. Lily, however, was still in her pale-pink pajamas.

“You go on ahead, Kati,” Lily said.

Kati shrugged and left with Melissa. Samantha had gone down as soon as she was dressed.

“Artemis, please, talk to me,” Lily said. “Why are you so upset?”

“I’m not upset,” I said. “Just confused.”

“About?”

“Well, why would Remus kiss me in the first place? It just doesn’t make any sense.”

Lily just continued to stare at me. “You’re serious about that, aren’t you?”

“What do you mean?”

Lily sighed. “Artemis, Remus has obviously liked you for months now. Just think about it. And you?” Lily shrugged and got off my bed.

“And me?” I asked. What about me? “What should I do about this?”

Lily shrugged again, now getting dressed. “I can’t tell you what to do about this sort of thing. No one can. Just trust your heart and everything should be okay. Trust me.”

Great, another non-answer. Lily’s no help, just like Randy’s letter. I groaned and pressed my forehead against my knees. Too bad I couldn't fold myself up into nothing and get out of this problem.

Lily must have left, because when I unfolded myself, I was alone. Everyone was probably going down to the Great Hall for breakfast. Well, I’d already gotten my mail from Peck, so I technically didn’t need to go down. That and I’d already eaten. I was safe up here for the weekend. The mound of food I brought back from the kitchens Thursday night would last me six, maybe seven meals. But then what about Monday? I would have to sit next to Remus in Transfiguration. How could I do that when the last time I saw him, he kissed me?

And how could everyone think that Remus kissing me is okay? Didn’t they see that this came out of nowhere? There was no way. . .

No, I was being foolish. Haven’t the clues been all around me? Remus has always been hanging out with me. I thought it was because he thought I needed friends here, not just at home. But what if he liked me from the beginning? I probably would have rejected him instantly if he came up to me like Sirius did last year and suggest we go into a broom cupboard and snog. Remus became my friend first.

Remus had even written to me over the summer. Maybe he used the Forever Bubbles as an excuse to get in touch with me. And before that, when I saw him in Hogsmeade, Remus was really nice to me. I thought it was just his polite mannerism. Maybe he liked me ever since then.

“Okay, Remus does like me,” I muttered to myself.

But what about me? How do I feel about him? I mean, Remus is a good friend. He stuck by me after his Marauder friends hung me upside down and I refused to forgive them (they still refused to tell me why they did that in the first place!). He had chosen me over his friends, so to speak. I appreciated the loyalty. That’s a great quality that I have in common with all my Muggle friends. And Remus is honest. And sweet. And he shares. All qualities I really like in a person.

And didn’t I think about him all the time? Whenever Remus has to do his Prefect duties when we normally spend time together, I usually miss his company. I’ve come to rely on him being with me nearly all the time. If he stopped spending so much time with me, making me go back to being alone all day, I didn’t think I would be so comfortable with the silence.

I must like him after all. I mean, the idea of Remus kissing me didn’t disgust me like the idea of Sirius kissing me (shiver). No, I was just surprised. And I don’t think I would mind him kissing me again.

Oh Merlin, wait a second! I ran out of the library after Remus kissed me! He must think I don’t even like him! I’ve always liked him, but I never considered myself as possibly being a typical girlfriend (which is strange, because I never doubted I would get married someday- you have to be a girlfriend before a wife, right?). Anyway, Remus must think I’ll totally reject him. There’s a big difference between complete and utter shock and rejection. Um, I’ll let you know what that is later, but there’s a difference!

So, what do I do?

How would I handle this if I were at home? I thought to myself. I mean, not if I was at home, but if I was acting like the person I’m like at home? I don’t think I would have run. Certainly not. I would have probably cracked a joke about the kiss. That wouldn’t have been a good move either. So what’s left? I want to show Remus that I still like him, possibly more than I realized, and I’d be open to the whole boyfriend/girlfriend thing if that’s what he wants. Now how would I do that if this were not Hogwarts?

I smiled as a simple thought came to my mind. It was so easy, it was bordering on genius. Yup, I’d do just that. I hopped off my bed and headed for the Great Hall. The whole school should be down there for breakfast by now.

Yeah, the Great Hall was crowded when I got there. I left my book bag out in the hall, not wanting to smack anyone once inside. I disillusioned it to be safe (you know, to prevent theft of my lunch inside), then entered the hall.

No one seemed too surprised at my entrance. Most didn’t even look up as I walked in and scanned the Gryffindor Table, looking for one special Marauder. Wow, I didn’t realize there were this many Gryffindor students. There looked like a lot more of us when I wasn’t seated within the rows of students.

I found him. He was in the middle of the table, spooning up porridge slowly. The other three Marauders were there too, but they looked like they were behaving normally. Remus looked so downcast, my chest hurt a little when I realized he was bummed out because of me.

“Remus Lupin!” I shouted above the chatter. The hall came to be silent a moment later. Even the professors stopped chatting amongst themselves. Great, I forgot about the professors! I might get a detention for this. A moment later. Whatever. Remus is more important than some record I’ll never get acknowledged for anyway.

“Uh, Artemis,” Remus said, his mouth hanging open. I think it would be safe to assume that he was surprised.

“Stand up!” I ordered, walking down between the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff tables to where he was seated.

Remus got off the bench slowly. He had closed his mouth, but his eyes had widened considerably. It took all my self-control not to laugh about what he must be thinking right now.

I came to a stop directly in front of him. No one made a sound. Remus just looked down at me, but from his body language it felt as if I were larger than him now. I decided to wait a few seconds, to let him sweat it out.

Okay, I was bored.

I reached forward with my right hand, clutched his tie, and yanked it forward, causing Remus to stumble. But as he recovered, I put my left hand behind his head and drew his face forward into a kiss. I pressed my lips firmly against his and held him there for a few second.

I felt something warm and tingly go through my entire system as our lips pressed together. It was hard to describe. It almost made it incredibly hard to release Remus and push him away from me. He stumbled back and fell onto the bench.

“That’s my answer,” I said, now unable to stop smiling at him.

Remus just stared up at me in amazement. Then, slowly, a goofy sort of smile placed itself on Remus’s face. He nodded once, still slowly.

Okay, everyone’s eyes were on me. Might as well get out of here before McGonagall could called out a detention for me. I turned and walked back the way I came, the Great Hall still silent.

I was just finding my invisible bag when I heard a roar come from the Great Hall. I couldn’t be sure, but I think they were cheers. James’s and Sirius’s voices rang out the loudest. I guess the entire castle knew before me. Typical. I walked away from the Great Hall. Um, I wonder what Remus did with my Transfiguration essay. Oh well, I’ll get it from him later.

　

　
A/N: Someone asked me several weeks ago when Remus and Artemis would get together. I’m so sorry it took so long, but it’s finally happened. This was an easy chapter to write, and I had fun with Artemis freaking out. : ) So what did you think? Does this fit with how you see Artemis and Remus? Like it? Don’t like it? Don’t care? Let me know. I don’t want to disillusion myself into thinking I’m doing a good job if everyone else thinks I’m wasting my time.

Chapter 14: Chapter 14: To Date a Goddess
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A/N: I tried to tell one of my friends I was JKR. He didn't believe me. I then told him I was actually The Quiet Girl. He still didn't believe me. In fact, he said I should be in a loony bin for speaking such nonsense. Oh well, you readers at least know the truth. Enjoy the chapter!

Chapter 14: To Date a Goddess

“C’mon, call me Sirius already!”

“I thought your name was Sirius Black, but I can call you Already.”

“Ack, just call me Sirius!”

“Only when you start acting serious, Black.”

“Stop doing that!”

“Stop doing what?”

“That thing! Where you refuse my demand and make a joke at the same time!”

“Who says I’m making a joke, Black? I’m just telling it as I see it. And get your fork away from my ham.”

Sirius turned away from me and skulked over his own dinner. And yes, I said dinner. Me. In the Great Hall. During dinner. No, it was not a feast. Just your average Friday night, where your average witches and wizards all came together to eat the final meal of the day.

And yes, this is still Artemis speaking. You should be able to tell by the way I make fun of one Sirius Black. Hey, it’s become more of a habit than anything.

“Moony, can’t you do anything about your girlfriend?” Sirius called across to the bloke sitting on my left.

Remus shook his head, though he didn’t stop grinning. “Even if I could, I wouldn’t. She’s amusing.”

“Oh, so that’s the only reason we’re going out now,” I said in fake astonishment before returning to swatting away Sirius’s fork and eating my dinner.

Yeah, Remus and I were a couple now. When I did pay attention to my peers during the past week, I learned that some people thought that the two of us were already dating. Imagine that! I even heard that from some Slytherin students. I never thought I did much to be the talk of the entire school.

Okay, so I refused to forgive the Marauders for a month because they harassed me, and just last week I came into the Great Hall during breakfast and kissed Remus in front of the whole school. But hey, shouldn’t my classmates get real lives and not worry about what I’ve been up to? Honestly.

I reached forward and pulled another plate closer to me. I haven’t had any corn or mashed potatoes yet. I’ve gotta say, eating hot meals with the school in the Great Hall is a lot more satisfying than sneaking in cold sandwiches in the library while avoiding the librarian’s notice.

“Uh, Artemis?” James asked, eying me nervously. “Didn’t you have a big breakfast?”

“Yeah.” He was there. We ate, the Marauders had dung-bombs fall all over the Slytherin table, and I went to the Hospital Wing for Healer training with Pomfrey. It was a typical morning.

“And didn’t you have a large lunch?”

“Yeah. Whoa, did you realize you put two B’s together to make ‘big breakfast,’ then two L’s together for ‘large lunch?’ What are you going to ask next, if I’m eating a ‘delicious dinner?’ No, that would best be for dessert. Where is it anyway?”

Now it was James’s turn to groan. He propped his elbows onto the table and put his head in his hands, his fingers tangling through his already-messy black hair. It was amazing on how he could do that without disturbing his glasses, actually.

“I think James is trying to ask how you can eat so much and still be skinny,” Peter said, looking a little nauseous himself. He was still eating, but slower than me.

“High metabolism,” I said. That answer was so obvious, especially with how much the boys have chased me around the castle and grounds. Then, the dinner was replaced with deserts. I felt my eyes widen at all the sweets gathered in one place. “Finally!” I grabbed a slice of chocolate cake and started eating. Ah, yes, I already felt the effects of sugar take hold of me. Remus took a smaller slice from the same cake.

“Remus, your girlfriend is a nutter,” James said, deciding to eat just a cracker.

“Yeah, you sure she doesn’t have an evil twin sister that takes her place every now and then?” Sirius asked.

“Me? Have an evil twin?” I said, my mouth full. I swallowed. “What makes you think the twin would be the evil one? Muah-ha-ha!”

“I blame the added sugar,” Remus shrugged. “It doesn’t help that she found out where I keep my chocolate bars yesterday and stole three of them.” Remus paused to eat a piece of cake. “I had to find a new hiding spot.”

James choked on his cracker. “Artemis got away with eating Moony’s chocolate?!”

“Yup. All the time.” I decided two servings of dessert were enough. I searched in my bag and started writing my letter home. Remus had inadvertently reminded me of a big part of my day that happened after I sent home my letter yesterday.

Dear Mum and Dad,

I found Remus’s candy! I have sugar!

Yeah, that’s the only part that made sense in that letter. I won’t subject you to the chore of decoding my sugar rush.

So yeah, I finished writing my letter, sealed it, and waited for Remus to finish eating his chocolate cake. Honestly, the bloke is so slow at eating! I wanted to move! Movemovemovemove!

“We’re unleashed a monster on the school,” Sirius groaned. He actually scooted a few centimeters away from me on the bench to give me more room to be hyperactive.

“Artemis, slow down,” Remus said softly, placing a hand on my left shoulder.

The effect was instantaneous. My jerking legs froze and I stopped looking at everything and everyone at once. In fact, I let out a long sigh and leaned against Remus’s right arm. He then decided to finish eating his cake left-handed.

“Whoa, that’s amazing,” Peter said, his eyes wide.

“Remus, you can do anything, mate,” James said in the same awe-struck tone.

“Just wait until he chases me to the Owlery,” I teased them. Yeah, that’ll be fun.

“Uh, Artemis? I wanted to ask you something,” Remus said. He finished his cake and didn’t reach for another slice.

“Yeah?”

“Are you going to Hogsmeade tomorrow?”

I thought about this. If I did my Hogsmeade shopping tomorrow, I might eat all the candy before I can take it home to my Muggle friends. Whatever money I have left at that time will certainly not be enough to satisfy my friends’ hunger for my funny candies. I will either have to hide out all Christmas or suffer the wrath of five sugar-deprived teenage blokes.

“Wasn’t planning on it, no,” I said. “Shopping is best left for December, where the temptation to eat my friends’ gifts isn’t too great.”

Did I say something wrong? Again? I mean, Remus slumped a little in his seat as PB&J snickered. I didn't get it. I looked to the three laughing Marauders, hoping for an explanation.

“Artemis, that was Remus’s way of asking you out,” Sirius said. “You know, on a date to Hogsmeade.”

“Although he’s never been so nervous about asking before,” James said. “Where’s that courage that got you into this House, Moony? Owe!” James jumped. And beside me, Remus was glaring hard at James.

“Oh, you were trying to ask me out?” I asked him. It took him nearly a minute to nod his head. “Well then, okay, I’ll go to Hogsmeade with you tomorrow. You done with dinner and dessert? Let’s go.” I stood, but my bag had a little bit of trouble getting out from between the benches and the table. I still had all my books inside. Maybe I should drop it off at Gryffindor Tower before coming down to dinner.

“Definitely a nutter, Moony,” James said.

Remus just rolled his eyes. “I’ll see you later.” He followed me out of the Great Hall.

“I’ll race you to the Owlery,” I challenged. I then broke into a run, hoping none of the Professors or Prefects (minus Remus, of course) were wandering around this way. I kept my ears open as I ran.

“Artemis! Not again!” I then heard him start to chase after me.

I had time to secure my letter home to Peck’s leg and send him home before Remus even made it up here. I had so much time, I could have written fifteen post-scripts to keep myself entertained.

Finally, Remus arrived, huffing and puffing. He really needs to work out more. “You need to work out more,” I said. Hey, it sounded good in my head.

“I get enough exercise just chasing after you,” he said. A few breaths later, he stood straight up. “Send your letter yet?”

“Yup. I could race you back to Gryffindor Tower.” Remus let out a loud groan. “Or we can snog in here for a bit.” I dropped my bag, away from the piles of owl poop, and walked forward to stand in front of him.

“Snogging sounds nice,” Remus said, smiling down at me.

“Then come here!” I grabbed a firm hold of Remus’s tie and yanked it forward, bringing him down to my level with it. I still had to tilt my head upward and stand on my tip-toes to kiss him, though.

Remus moaned against my lips. “You can kiss me without doing that you know,” he said, though his words were a little distorted due to our proximity.

“But this way is more fun,” I smiled, using my free hand to wrap itself around Remus’s neck. I kept hold of the tie as Remus snakes his arms around my side and pressed me closer to his body.

“Fine, I’ll be clearer: it hurts my neck.”

“Then be grateful you’re dating a future Healer.”

“You always say that.”

“Because you always-”

But I stopped speaking. Remus had tilted his head slightly and opened his mouth, his tongue reaching in to connect with mine, deepening the kiss and effectively silencing me. I closed my eyes and let him back me against the Owlery wall.

The Owlery is the coldest part of the castle, being exposed to the elements, but Merlin, it felt like spring decided it wanted to come early. As Remus moved an arm from around my side to caress my hair, my cheek, my neck, I felt like we had suddenly decided to skip all the way to the middle of summer.

　

~~~***~~~

　

Saturday morning, after breakfast, Remus decided to leave the library first after doing his homework so he could get ready for Hogsmeade. And he left me with the books. The Potions and Charms books. And they were heavy. I thought boyfriends were supposed to wait on you hand and foot. Or something like that. Whatever. I’ll complain about that to him later (and he’ll surely roll his eyes at me). Ah yes, we have a lovely relationship, don’t we?

As usual, Madam Pince gave me an evil look as I returned the books to her. Honestly, I get evil looks when I put the books back myself, I get evil looks when I return the books to her, I just can’t win. I wonder if librarians talk to each other, I thought idly as I left the library. Merlin, I hope not! I’d probably have been banned for life if they did. Long story there. I’ll tell you about that later. Maybe.

I got back to Gryffindor Tower without any mishaps. None of the Marauders were in the common room. In fact, the only people down there were first and second years, who could not go to Hogsmeade. I guess everyone else was getting ready.

Yeah, they were. At least all the other girls were. I got to the sixth year dorm to see my roommates either picking clothes, putting on makeup, re-doing their hair, or searching through their purses for something. I just rolled my eyes at them as I went to my bed. It just had to be the one furthest from the door, didn’t it?

I noticed Samantha turned to look at me as she was searching through her purse, but she didn’t stop me or anything. I just ignored her and went searching through my trunk for the one pair of jeans I brought with me, one of three shirts jammed into the corner, and my trainers that I’ve had since I was fourteen. I was dressed faster than it took Melissa to apply makeup and finish doing her hair. All that was left was to decide how much money I would bring with me, and how much I would save for my friends for next month.

“Artemis-” Samantha started, getting off her bed. She looked like she was prepared to go into a long speech with me. Probably rehearsed it too.

“Samantha! Glad we know each other’s names after six years of living in the same dorm!”

However, Samantha didn’t laugh. Not that I expected her to. She never got my sense of humor. “Artemis,” she started again, slower. “You’re going to Hogsmeade today, right?”

“Yup.”

“On a date?”

“With Remus. Duh.” I really hoped she didn’t think I was going out with Sirius again. I still remembered the last time she came at me like this.

“You are not leaving this room looking like that!”

“What, do I have paint supplies on these cloths too?” I asked sarcastically. I pretended to look around my shirt. “No, they’re fine. Thanks for the concern, though. Appreciated.” I made sure the sarcasm was especially obvious for that last bit.

Samantha must have had a plan, though. She blocked my way out of the room. “No. Way. You look worse than you did last time you left for Hogsmeade, but this time you’re going on a date! You have to look nice!”

“I don’t care.” I crossed my arms. “Remus likes me for who I am, and I do not go dressing myself up to look pretty to other people.”

“I might allow you to go around the castle without you putting any effort into your appearance, but-”

“Whoa, you allow me to go around the castle?” I laughed. Merlin, this was going to be good. “Okay, so you think you have to be responsible for the way I look? And act? How about you just take responsibility for who I am?!”

“Girls, stop this,” Melissa said. “Why don’t you two leave each other alone, okay? You know, like you used to.”

“Artemis used to just be the bookworm we’d only see at night. She was always gone before any of us would wake up!”

“The only reason you thought I was a bookworm in the first place was because you reminded me of those Muggle girls I had to grow up with! I couldn’t stand them, and I wasn’t going to take the magical version either!”

“Girls!” Now Lily came over. “That’s enough! Just get ready for Hogsmeade!”

“I am ready,” I said.

“No you’re not,” Samantha said. “Your hair is kinked up in the back, those jeans and shoes look worse than last year, and even this shirt has a hole in the hem! That’s no way to dress for a date!”

“The hole has a purpose,” I said. I stuck my wand through the hole, twirled the shirt, then let go. The wand remained lodged in my shirt. “See? Instant wand carrier. Better than pockets.”

Despite all the makeup, Samantha started turning red. I wondered if she would pass into purple next. Or if her head would explode. Either one would be fine by me.

“If you really want to get a second date and keep Remus as your boyfriend, you’d think that you would try harder to keep him!” Samantha reached back to her bed and pulled forward her makeup case. “Just try it.”

I snorted. “Unlike you, I don’t have any self-esteem issues. I know I’m awesome just the way I am!” Okay, Samantha was just starting to turn purple. Best to beat her at her own game. I withdrew my wand, my shirt now just having a bulge of material around the hole. “Now stand aside.”

“You can’t curse me!” Samantha shouted.

“I’m not. Scougify!”

And yes, all the makeup Samantha had put on her face vanished, leaving her looking, well, normal. I could barely tell if the spell did anything or not.

Samantha put her hand on her face, felt the lack of makeup, and her eyes widened. “No!” she squealed. She dashed into the bathroom and closed it with a slam.

I looked back to my three remaining roommates. They were all giving me really strange stares. Say something, Artemis, say something, I thought.

“I regret nothing!” I hopped over Kati’s and Samantha’s beds and left the room before the shock could wear off.

And I realized too late that the stairs were no longer stairs, but a slippery slide. I fell on my face and slid all the way down. Well, at least I landed on something soft. Oh, it was a third year boy.

“Owe!” he groaned from under me.

“In nine hundred years, no bloke has gotten up there,” I said, pushing myself off the ground. “You’re not going to be any different.” I held out my hand to help him up.

The boy moved his hand to massage the shoulder he landed on. “Well, I was just trying to get to my sister. She’s a first year.”

“The stairs don’t care, you’re not getting up there.” Hm, ‘care’ and ‘there?’ They kind of rhyme. “Find another girl who’s going up to get her. Here.” I picked up my wand from the ground and pointed it at the boy’s shoulder. “There you go, good as new.” I walked around him to get to the common room.

The Marauders were already there. And for a second, I thought Samantha might be right about my appearance, that I should change clothes or something. I mean, Remus was in a pair of nice pants, shoes without holes, and a dark blue sweater that practically screamed ‘I look nice!’ Even his hair looked neater than when I saw him a few minutes ago. Me? I think that last fall tore my jeans open further than before.

“Uh, hi,” I said, straightening up, although I think that made the hole in my shirt more obvious.

“Hi,” Remus said, standing up from the couches and coming over to me. His eyes darted to my clothes before coming back to look at my face.

“Just for the record, I never would have guessed I’d be going on a date when I packed last summer,” I said.

“Right,” Remus nodded. “But, aren’t you going to get cold? It’s November, and you might need a coat or something.”

I almost bopped myself on the head. “Duh. How dumb am I? Don’t answer that. Accio Artemis’s jacket.” And, like magic, it showed up. I love my wand.

“Okay, now I’m ready, let’s go!” I grabbed Remus’s wrist, pulling him behind me as I made way to the portrait hole and out of the common room. After all, I did not want to wait around for Samantha to reapply her makeup and come after me.

“Uh, okay. Bye, guys!” I heard a crack as we left the common room. Um, is it a bad sign to dislocate your boyfriend’s shoulder on your first official date?

　

~~~***~~~

　

It was only after I challenged Remus to a race to Hogsmeade that I realized that I probably should have walked next to him like every other couple out there. I mean, he caught up to me out of breath and didn’t recover for a few minutes. When I tried to apologize, though, he said it was okay, but this time I noticed that Remus didn’t look too comfortable saying that. Well, what did he really expect from me? This was my first-ever date. I was sure to make mistakes.

“How about we go into the Three Broomsticks,” Remus suggested. “I think I could use some butterbeer.”

“Uh, sure,” I shrugged. “I’ve never been there before, though.”

Remus stopped walking down High Street and just looked down at me. “You’re kidding!”

I shook my head. “Never been to Hogsmeade with anyone else before either, so I only went to places that looked fun. The Three Broomsticks was just another pub to me.”

“Then you have to come in. Let’s go!” Remus took my hand and jerked me forward, almost the way I had led him on before.

Cool, maybe my insanity is contagious! This is more like it! I ran faster to keep up with Remus and we soon arrived, being one of the first students to come inside.

From there, I felt like our date became more traditional. Sorta. I mean, we ate lunch (I chugged three mugs of butterbeer before Remus decided to cut me off), we went to various shops like Scrivenshaft’s Quill Shop (Remus bought me more paper and envelopes, and also a quill that smelled like blueberry muffins!), and Honeydukes (I found and bought Remus a bar of chocolate that was the size of a large book, the largest in the shop- I think he was going to cry when he saw it!). We passed other shops without going in, just walking through the town. Remus eventually placed his arm over my shoulders. I in turn put my arm around his waist, hooking my thumb into one of the belt loops of his pants.

“Anywhere else you want to go?” I asked Remus.

He shrugged a shoulder. “Not that I can think of. I mean, we haven’t passed Madam Puddifoot’s, but I don’t think you’d be interested.”

“What’s Madam Puddifoot’s?”

“It’s that the little tea shop that most couples-”

I stopped Remus. “You mean the place where dates to go snog over boring tea? Ugh, I’ve seen it before. I was tempted to throw up in the doorway when I first looked inside.” The lunch from the Three Broomsticks felt like it wanted to come up right now, just thinking about how mushy that place was.

“Yeah. I had a feeling you’d say something like that. You’re not into those girly things.”

“Definitely not. So, destination?”

“I already told you-”

“Then come on, there’s one more place here I think you’d like to see,” I said, now leading us to the outskirts of the village. The other buildings became further and further apart. No other students were around here anyway, so we were all alone.

“Ever been to the Shrieking Shack?” I asked.

“Uh. . .”

The aforementioned shack came into view just beyond some trees that had been blocking our line of sight. The place looked horrible, like it would fall down at any moment. “On our first visit here in third year,” I said, “I heard some of the shopkeepers talking about this place. Supposedly, a violent spirit lives, or rather haunts, this building. I’ve never heard anything myself, but it sounds cool. I mean, all the ghosts at school are harmless enough. Well, Peeves is annoying and the Bloody Barron is creepy, but they sound like pussycats compared to the creature in there.”

“Uh, yeah, I’ve heard that.”

“You okay? You’re looking pale.”

“Just not so comfortable around here, that’s all. We should leave.” Remus tried to pull me away from the fence marking the property line.

“Oh, come on, it’s not that scary,” I said. “The two of us can make-out in the library, where Madam Pince can walk around the next corner at any time, but you won’t go near a haunted house?”

“Do you even realize what you just said?”

“Yeah. You point?”

Remus shook his head, as if he were disappointed in my logic skills. “I’d rather be in the library under said conditions rather than here, that’s for certain.”

“Well, I want to go in again. Let’s go.” I jumped over the fence (which is a lot sturdier than it looks- must be magic) and proceeded to the house.

“Wait, did you say again?! Artemis!” I heard Remus’s attempts to get over the fence. So, naturally, I ran ahead so he wouldn’t catch me. Also, I hated waiting. I wanted inside.

Now, let’s see. There was no way I was getting in through the front door. I remembered that much. And most of the windows were also sealed. Whatever this ghost was, someone went to deliberate measures to make sure it didn’t get out. But one of the windows was certainly accessible. At least, if you knew the right trick.

“Artemis?! Were you listening to me?” Remus yanked my arm back and forced me to face him. His amber eyes had a small touch of gold around the rims. Unusual, but my dad said his mum’s hazel eyes sometimes shifted green when she was angry with him. Whatever.

“Artemis!”

“Sorry, sorry! What is it?”

Remus took a deep breath, and the gold in his eyes seemed to diminish slightly. Just slightly. “Artemis, please tell me you’ve never been in this house before.”

“I’ve love to, but then I would be lying, and I don’t lie.”

Remus groaned, now closing his eyes. “When? When have you gone in?”

“Only third year when I heard about the shack.” What was Remus getting so upset about anyway? “I had no one to tell me not to, and I had been completely and utterly bored. Besides, I had a magic wand. What could some malevolent spirit do to me?” I backed away and turned my attention back to the shack. “Now, which one was the loose window?” I started to circle the house. I think it was in the back somewhere.

“Loose window? Artemis, wait!”

There! The window with one of its window panels missing! I dropped my shopping bag, then tossed my coat onto the pile. There was no way I could slide in with that bulky thing on my frame.

“Artemis, let’s go back now!”

Still ignoring Remus, I climbed onto the window’s ledge, the part with the missing panel, and used myself as a wedge between the window and the shack’s frame. Ugh, it was still tight over here. I pulled out my wand and used a loosening charm on the window. I had to repeat it ten times to even get the window to move about a centimeter.

“Artemis-”

“I’m through!” I slid through the small gap and fell onto the floor of the shack. Hm, I remember the gap having been smaller back in third year. I must have needed the extra space to get my boobs through. Yeah, that must have been it, because my chest now felt sore.

As I stood up and dusted off my jeans, I looked around the room. Wow, it was worse in here than I remembered. There really must be an evil ghost or something haunting this place. For example, I remembered there being a couch had had been mostly intact. Now? I just found some springs and a whole lot of stuffing.

“Hey, mean-spirit guy or girl?” I called out into the house. “You might not want to destroy your things. I think you’re stuck with this set of furniture and stuff for eternity.”

I got no answer. Just like last time I was here. Oh well. Maybe evil spirits are shy.

I went from room to room. Even though every door and window seemed wedged in place on the outside, all the doors and cabinets opened normally on the inside. In fact, the doors opened easier than my own bedroom door at home.

“Okay, kitchen table is gone. Chairs are now toothpicks. What I thought was a bookcase is still there, but the upper shelves I remember are gone. You’ve been pretty busy since I was last here.”

“Artemis?” It sounded like Remus had finally squeezed himself into the house after me. “Where are you?”

“What’s left of the sitting room!” I called back. “Just comparing memories.”

I heard Remus coming for me, but I didn’t want to be pulled out of the house just yet. I went up the stairs, wanting to see the damage left in the bedroom and bathroom before going. I knew the mattress of the bed was in pieces, but I had a sudden urge to see if an evil spirit could destroy a toilet.

As I climbed the stairs, I looked all around, noticing the dents in the walls and the missing chips of paint. When I was in third year, I thought the house might have looked nice before the ghost came to haunt here. If I had first come just now, I wouldn’t have had any inkling.

At the top of the stairs, I had intended to turn right. I had. But my fingers brushed across three distinct claw marks. I stopped and looked down. The claw marks were deep. And deliberate. Some of the paint and wood of the walls had been shaved off. The evidence of this event was clear- a small pile of dust laid right underneath the mark. Whatever had caused these marks on the wall had been recent.

Without thinking, I raised my left hand and traced my fingers over the scratch, just a centimeter above the surface. I repeated the sweeping motion, slowly, about three times. With each swipe, I seemed to be seeing something. I wasn’t just seeing the wall. There was something else that had this same marking on it. And I’d seen it before. The dull grey wall wanted to reveal something else about it. I swiped my fingers over the wall again. As I did, the indentions in the wall seemed to shimmer in my eyes. It looked wet. Fresh. Fresh. No, not fresh, but something that sounds like that. Fresh. . . Flesh. . .

Flesh. The wall was gone. Now all I saw was flesh. Pale skin. And three marks, glistening red. Not ketchup. Not paint. Blood. The claw marks were on human skin, and my hand was just over the fresh wound. And my own fingers looked to have the same blood on them. The flesh was cut with claws. My own hand had some of the blood on it. I went to pass my hand over the wound once again. . .

“ARTEMIS!”

I jumped when Remus grabbed my shoulder. I spun around. He was looking down at me, pale and wide-eyed. He was also breathing heavily. “Artemis, are you okay?”

I didn’t know what to say. I looked down at my left hand. It was clean, except for some dirt under my fingernails (which I think I got while inspecting the shack). I turned back to the wall. The wall was once again a wall. The claw marks were still there, but they were absolutely dry. No sign of blood anywhere.

“Artemis?”

“I’m fine,” I said, mostly to convince myself of that.

“Then let’s go. I don’t like it in here.” Remus kept hold of my right hand as he led my back down the stairs.

I let him pass us by a short hallway. I decided not to tell him about the secret passage out of the house right there. If he knew that there was a tunnel leading to the base of the Whomping Willow on the grounds of our school, I think his heart would give out. I mean, even I was freaked out when I stuck my head out and nearly had my brains hammered out of my skull. Yeah, best to keep that secret of this house to myself.

Remus squeezed himself out of the shack first, then helped me down so I didn’t crash onto the frozen earth. Before we left, I pushed the window back in again as far as it would go, then used a powerful strengthening spell to secure the window into place. This just went to show that I was not raised in a barn (even though it would be so cool if I were!).

We picked up our bags and jackets and headed back to the village. Remus walked beside me, but didn’t say anything. I didn’t mind, I wouldn’t have felt up for much conversing myself. I mean, how can I when I hallucinate about claw markings and see images of blood? Where in Merlin’s name would I come up with images like that? Unless. . .

Unless those weren’t just random thoughts. What if, and I was being really hypothetical here, but what if those weren’t random thoughts? What if I was remembering something? Those missing moments in my memory, what if they weren’t like any typical day? What if something bad happened on those days? If they were so bad, was I subconsciously trying not to remember?

I was so caught up in my thoughts, I didn’t realize I was back in Hogwarts until Remus mentioned something about seeing me later and heading back up to the boys’ dorms. I proceeded to the girls’ dorms and spent the rest of my Saturday thinking about what happened in the Shrieking Shack.

　　

　

　

A/N: Ooh, that was interesting? Or boring? Do you know what’s happening? Do you not care? Please, tell me your thoughts, even if they’re one word. I’ll be waiting. Here. Alone. By myself. Twiddling my thumbs (actually, typing up the next chapter, but you get the drift).

Chapter 15: Chapter 15: It's Actually the Second Quidditch Game of My Life
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A/N: Hi, let's play Two Truths and a Lie. The game is self explanatory. Okay, here it goes. 1. I am female. 2. I sometimes don't speak for much of a day. 3. I am JKR. Okay, find the lie! While you think about it, enjoy this chapter!

Chapter 15: It’s Actually the Second Quidditch Game of My Life

Remus and I were two of the first Gryffindors to breakfast the following Saturday morning, despite the fact that we stopped to snog inside an empty classroom. My idea. But no, the other Gryffindors were all a few years younger than us, meaning I did not know them in the slightest. I heaped a massive portion of eggs and bacon on my plate. Remus just rolled his eyes and settled for porridge.

“Good morning, Artemis,” Peter said, arriving with a small surge of students. He sat across from me and started putting food onto his plate.

“Hi Peter.” I looked around. “Where are the other two?”

Peter shrugged. “They woke up before dawn. No clue.”

Those boys? Up before the sun? I looked to Remus, wondering if he knew.

“Quidditch,” he said simply, as if that answered all my questions.

“Oh, right,” Peter nodded. “I keep forgetting.” He reached for the bacon.

About ten minutes later, seven people in bright red and gold robes entered the hall. All of them disbursed around the Gryffindor Table. Two of them came to sit in front of and next to me.

“You’re evil, mate,” Sirius said, slumping onto the bench beside me and laying his head onto the empty plate in front of him. “Bloody evil.”

If Sirius looked sleepy, then James looked wide awake and ready for anything. Two words: total opposites. “We can’t afford to lose this game, Pads,” James said. “Gryffindor vs. Slytherin. It’s epic. Our house has to win! Even if we lose for the rest of the year, we can’t let that slimy house get the better of us!”

“What are you blokes talking about?” I asked.

Sirius rolled his head around to look up at me. “Prongs here decided to have the team practice once more before the Quidditch game this afternoon. It’s not enough that we’ve been practicing at odd times all these past weeks, but he had us practice the morning of the big game! He’s evil!”

“We’ve worked harder and longer than all the other teams,” James said. “If we lose today, something has to be wrong with us.”

“There’s already something wrong with you, Prongs.”

“Artemis, will you get Sirius to eat? He’s not going to be much of a Beater if he doesn’t have enough energy to hold his bat properly.”

I sighed, wondering if I should do what I was told. I was going to tell James no, but I had a brilliant idea. “Okay.” I turned to Sirius, weaved my fingers into his black hair, and pulled upward really quick.

“Yeouch!” Sirius opened his eyes and tried to flap my hand away from his head. “My hair! My hair! My perfect, precious hair! Don’t destroy it, Artemis, please! I’m up, I’m up, I’m up! Please!”

“Then start eating,” I said. I waited another few seconds before releasing my hold. I looked back over at James. “He’s up now.” I then went back to my hash browns.

“Prongs, I take everything back,” Sirius said, massaging his scalp with his left hand while eating with his right. “You’re not evil. She is!”

“Well, with all the practice we’ve put in, I expect you all to cheer louder than the Slytherins,” James said to Peter, Remus, and me. “We’ve got to prove that we’re not just a better team, but we’re the better House.”

Peter nodded eagerly. Remus smirked but nodded once to show he understood. When I didn’t do anything, though, all four Marauders looked to me expectantly.

“What?” I asked.

“Are you going to cheer?” Sirius asked. He had finally stopped playing with his hair.

“Sure I will, but I doubt you’ll be able to hear me from the castle.”

“What?!” four voices chorused. James looked the most shocked. “What do you mean from the castle?”

I shrugged, wishing the post was here. “I, um, I don’t exactly go to Quidditch games. Sorry.”

“Why not?!” James practically cried. “It’s the best sport in the wizarding, no, the whole world! You have to come!”

Yeah, no. How could I tell the Marauders that at my first Quidditch match I attended, I got sick and had to be brought to the Hospital Wing? I couldn’t do that. “I usually prefer to read in the library. You can tell me how the game went when it’s over.”

PB&J then started pestering me, trying to make convincing arguments for me to go or asking what I had against the best game on Earth. With three blokes talking at once, though, it was a lost easier to tune them out and get on with my breakfast.

Remus surprised me a little when he put his arm around my shoulders. “Artemis,” he whispered in my left ear, “please come with us. I’ll be with you. You won’t have to worry about anything but having a good time.”

Hm, Remus will be with me? Well duh, of course he will, he’s my boyfriend. And looking outside, the sky looked clear, not like it was in first year. Maybe. . .

“Okay, I’ll go,” I said. I sipped at more pumpkin juice.

PB&J quickly stopped talking and just stared at us. Sirius was the first to speak. “Remus, how did you do that?”

Remus smiled. “I’ll give you a little hint- I’m magic.” He then went back to eating breakfast. He kept his arm around my shoulders the entire time.

“I have a brilliant idea!” James said, snapping his fingers. He stood up and leaned over the table to look over at the sixth year girls. “Evans!” he called.

Lily looked up and narrowed her eyes at him. “Potter. What do you want?”

“Are you going to cheer me on at the game today?” He smirked at her.

“I will be at the game,” Lily said, measuring her words, “but I’ll be cheering for the Seeker. After all, she’s the one who wins the game.” Lily turned back to talk with Kati next to her. I think I heard ‘huge ego’ and ‘never quits,’ draft over from her group. But I could be mistaken.

James plopped down on his bench and stared at the food in front of us. He ran his hand through the back of his hair for a second. Wow, I never thought James could look so thoughtful.

“Padfoot? Do you think Tiffany would mind if I ask her to trade positions with me for the game today?”

Sirius snorted. “What happened about winning the game, mate?” Sirius turned to look at me. “Tiffany’s our Seeker.”

“I think I could figure that out, Black.”

“C’mon, Prongs, let’s round up the team and get back to planning the Slytherins’ destruction. I’ll round up the team for you.”

“Mail’s here,” Remus said as the seven Gryffindors in red robes left the hall.

　

~~~***~~~

　

Getting closer to game time, I wasn’t so sure about my decision to go to the Quidditch match. I mean, last time I was here, I was alone, it was cold, it was raining, and I nearly fell out of the stands. Someone had to literally carry me to the Hospital Wing, I had gotten so sick.

“Ready to go?”

I looked up from my Transfiguration textbook, trying to squeeze in a bit of studying while keeping my mind off the fact I was going to a Quidditch game. Besides, since starting to date Remus, I wasn’t as far ahead of the class as I liked to be. I was only three chapters ahead of McGonagall.

Remus just smiled at me as I tried to figure out what answer I should give- the one where I was honest or the one where I was brave. “C’mon.” He took the book out of my hand and pulled me to my feet. “We don’t want to get bad seats.”

“Doesn’t everyone stay standing anyway?”

Remus ignored me.

We met up with Peter and walked out to the Quidditch pitch. While walking, we were joined by other students from the other houses. Remus spoke with a few of them, though I could not have remembered any bit of their names for the life of me. We walked with them, only parting when we went up to our own stands.

“Hey, where’s Peter?” I looked around but couldn’t see him. I knew he was shorter than me, but he wasn’t slimmer than me, if you know what I mean.

Remus looked around. “Looks like he’s joining the Hufflepuffs with his girlfriend.”

“Peter has a girlfriend?” I asked.

“Yeah. Rachael, remember? The girl he sits with in class. They’ve been dating since September.”

I whistled. “I never noticed.”

“What do you notice?”

“Hey!”

Remus chuckled. “Nah, out of the four of us, he’s the best one at keeping relationships, I guess. James has eyes only for Lily. Sirius will only stay with a girl for five days maximum. And I. . .” Remus trailed off.

“And you?”

Remus got a blush around his ears, but nothing else. “Look, there’s still some room in the front. C’mon. We don’t want to hold everyone up.”

Fine, be that way. Ooh, a birdie. I watched the small thing flutter from goal post to goal post. It came to rest inside one of the hoops. I only hoped it would go away before the first Quaffle tried to pass through.

“Welcome, Hogwarts, to the first game of Quidditch this year! Our first match, Gryffindor vs. Slytherin, promises to be a good one this afternoon! And, of course, you have none other than yours truly, Wyatt Jordan, to bring you the exciting play-by-play of this exciting match!

“And here come the teams now! For Gryffindor, we have Captain Potter with fellow Chasers Smith and Roberts, Beaters Black and Urich, Keeper Knight, and the beautiful, magnificent, stupendous, talented-”

“Jordan!” McGonagall snapped. I looked around and found her standing behind a boy with a large machine of some sort in front of him.

“Okay, okay. Honestly, Professor, I was just-”

“JORDAN!”

“And finally Seeker Lee. And she’s mine, aren’t you love?”

“Jordon, if you can’t do your job right-”

“And here come the Slimy Slytherins.” Wyatt Jordan listed off seven names. I didn’t bother to pay attention. If I didn’t recognize five of the players from Gryffindor, my own house, then how would I know- “And finally Seeker Black,” Jordan finished.

“Black?” I looked back towards Remus. There was no way Sirius could play for two teams, right? And he hated Slytherins with a passion.

“Sirius’s younger brother,” Remus explained. “You didn’t know?” I just looked up at Remus. “Oh. Right, you didn’t. Well, they don’t really get along. Don’t worry about it. Let’s watch the game.”

I tried to pay attention. I really did. And for a while, I thought I was being good. I mean, I counted all fourteen players in the middle of the pitch. I saw Madam Hooch, the new flying instructor, take her place as referee. She tossed up the quaffle. And then, everything became chaos in my eyes.

There were blurs of red and green as the quaffle disappeared. Two streaks of red and green went in different directions, the Keepers probably. Another two shot upwards, above the other players. And a large cluster remained where the quaffle had been. After a moment, the cluster moved in the direction the first green streak had disappeared off to.

“It’s faster than first year,” I grumbled. I resisted the urge to close my eyes. Maybe coming out here wasn’t such a good idea.

“And already, Potter’s got possession of the quaffle.” Jordan’s voice carried over the cheers of my fellow Gryffindors behind me. “He’s, I don’t believe it! He’s trying to beat the Slytherin Keeper to the hoops! C’mon, Potter, get to it! He’s done it! Potter scores, 10-0 Gryffindor! The Gryffindors have obviously been putting those long practices to work. I should know- Tiffany and I haven’t been spending as much time together as I’d like because of-”

“Jordan!”

“Sorry, professor. Right then. Roberts takes possession of the quaffle. Looks like he’s going for another score. Wait, behind you! No! Slytherin has possession of the quaffle. Black made an impressive save of Roberts, but the Slytherin captain has obviously been working his team as well. Keep your eyes open, Knight, it’s going to be your turn to play.”

“How can you tell who’s who in the mess?” I asked up to Remus. He had decided to stand behind me, wrapping his arms around my shoulders. It didn’t make the best means of communication between us, but at least he seemed happy with the arrangement.

“What?” Remus yelled over the others screaming around us.

“Nothing.” I shook my head. Oops, not a good idea. The world started to sway around me worse than before. It started getting harder to ignore the intense winds rushing across my face. Just keep your eyes off the ground and you should be fine, I reminded myself.

I watched the blurs of red and green (reminded me of Christmas a few times) go from hoop to hoop. Most of the time was spend around the Slytherin hoops, though. And though I couldn’t see, it seemed that James and Sirius were the best players on the team. Jordan kept announcing James’s scoring ability, getting us up to 40-0 in just a few minutes, and how Sirius made some close-calls in regards to keeping his teammates in one piece while also aiming bludgers towards Slytherins.

“Wow, looks like Lee found the Snitch! Look at her go! This game could be over soon, ladies and gentlemen. No! Black’s also going after the Snitch.” Pause. “No, you nitwit, Regulus Black! Sirius is a Beater, Regulus is a Seeker. And they’re in different Houses! How many times do I have to clarify for you lot?!”

“Jordan, get back to announcing the game.”

“Yes, professor. Oops. Looks like the Seekers have lost sight of the Snitch.”

The two lone players in green and red robes, ignorant of the game going on with the other twelve players, came back up from the ground to resume their search for the Snitch. Well, the one in green did. The player in red, Tiffany Lee, went up to the part of the stands where Wyatt Jordan sat.

“Uh-oh. I know that look.” Jordan did not sound too pleased.

“Wyatt, how many times do I have to tell you?!” Tiffany screamed, loud enough to be picked up by the Sonorus spell. “When I go for the Snitch, don’t announce it to everyone in the stands! The other players can hear you too, you know!”

“Sorry, love, but I’m just doing-”

“And stop making a big deal about me! You know I love you, but do your job!”

“Yes, love, but-”

“Not buts. Do it!” Tiffany moved her broom away and went back to circling the field.

Just as Tiffany resumed her job at playing the game, I noticed one of the players in red break off from the group playing with the quaffle. When I squinted my eyes, I could make out some messy black hair and the glint of metal reflecting in the sunlight.

“Is that James?” I asked no one in particular. That’s all right, though. Everyone else was still cheering our team too much to listen to me.

It took me a minute, but then I became certain it was James. He must have done something to his broom, because the end of it started letting out white smoke. But the broom itself wasn’t on fire. He didn’t have the quaffle, and he was making unnecessary loops in the air. Oh, he was spelling out a message:

EVANS- DATE ME!

“Potter!” I looked around the stands to see Lily standing with the other girls in our dorm. Kati was trying to keep Lily from jumping out of the stands to attack James. “Not again! Doesn’t that toe-rag ever give up?! This is a Quidditch game!”

“Lily, calm down!” Kati said, reaching up to keep both of her hands on Lily’s shoulders.

“I am going to hex him big time when he comes down.”

“Ah,” Jordan said between laughs, “It looks like we’ve gotten our traditional shout-out to a pretty red-headed Prefect. Where is Miss Evans this afternoon? Well? What do you say, Lily?”

James’s form came to stop at the bottom of his message. The other players continued to play without the Gryffindor captain, almost like they had expected this. “Evans!” he shouted. He then flew towards our stand. He hovered in front of Lily, smirking and running a hand through his messy hair.

Lily’s face changed color to match her hair. “I’m not going to hex you for this- I’ll kill you!” She then tried to leap for James, probably to strangle him from the looks of her hands.

James backed away, laughing. “I’ll give you a victory ride later, Evans. I have a game to win. Please, contain your excitement! We have first-years in the audience!”

Most of the people within hearing range laughed.

I arched my head backwards to look at Remus upside down. “Is this normal for a Quidditch game?”

Remus shook his head, though he was grinning. “Usually Lily’s already pulled out her wand by now. I wonder-” He looked over towards the sixth year girls. “Oh good. Kati’s got Lily’s wand.”

This is a mad sport. I rolled my eyes and tried to pay attention to the game.

“Well, for those of you in the stands with Lily Evans,” Jordan announced, “You missed a few more scores. It is now 70-0 Gryffindor. And because I actually do want to survive the night, I won’t tell you what Lee is up to. But Seeker Black is still looking for the Snitch, rather unsuccessfully I’m glad to say.”

Gryffindor scored a few more times, but the action started moving a bit closer to the ground. Everyone in the stands leaned down closer to see. And that’s when things turned ugly for me.

The ground was so far away. It seemed to go on forever. If I fell, I would have time to actually realize I was falling, scream my head off, then complain about the sore throat from screaming. Merlin, no. As I continued to look down, it seemed as if the ground itself was moving. And these stands did not look stable. I tried telling myself that everything was secured with magic, but my brain refused to accept it. There were hundreds of students in all of these stands. A powerful gust of wind, in my mind, could blow these stands down to the ground.

No, don’t look down! I looked up, to where the players had returned to play the game. I think I heard 110-10 somewhere, but I wasn’t sure. All I saw was a mass of colors, all converging into one colorful disaster. These people were playing on broomsticks, for crying out loud! They could fall! And the speeds-

I couldn’t take it anymore! I closed my eyes.

But even this wasn’t working. I felt the wind blow against the stands. My mind told me that we should be wavering, even though I knew we had to be stable up here. Everyone else cheering flooded my ears, mutating from cheers to screams. Terrible screams. I started to feel myself actually rocking back and forth under Remus’s arms.

My mind couldn’t take anymore. This morning’s breakfast started to feel like it wanted to see me again. But I couldn’t. Merlin, I couldn’t do this!

And then, the screams dimmed down and the swaying seemed to stop. And my mind found solitude in unconsciousness. . .

　

~~~***~~~

　

I took a deep breath. Then another. And another. My nose told me that I wasn’t outside anymore. And my ears heard relative silence. Only the occasional rustle of feet or adjusting bed springs. And my brain had stopped yelling at me, telling me I was going to fall to my death at any moment. That was good.

I slowly opened my eyes. I saw a stone ceiling. It looked somewhat familiar. Lowering my gaze, I saw a line of white beds against the wall. I was in the Hospital Wing. And due to the fact I was looking straight-on at those beds, I had to be laying on one of the beds myself. But how did I get here?

I looked to my left, towards Madam Pomfrey’s office. The door was open, and I saw her shadow busying itself somewhere in there. To my right, the direction of the doors leading out-

“Remus?”

Remus was sitting on a chair. Before I spoke, he had his elbows on his knees. His hands had been clasped together in front of his face, and his eyes were closed. Once I spoke, his eyes snapped open and he straightened up.

“Artemis!” He looked from me towards Pomfrey’s office. “Poppy, she’s up! Can you come out here?”

“Poppy?” I echoed. Madam Pomfrey, however, responded to her first name. She was instantly at my left side and waved her wand over me.

“Artemis, dear, how are you feeling?” she asked.

I glanced over to Remus. His presence and actions were confusing me a little, but Pomfrey wanted an answer. “Better,” I said slowly. I mentally ran down a list of possible problems that could be associated with my condition. “Vision looks good. Ears better. My stomach has settled down. The spinning is gone. And my ego has a tiny dent in it.” I nodded my head over to Remus.

Madam Pomfrey smiled. “Well, you just made my job easier. You’re free to get up. When you do, tell me if you feel any of your previous symptoms return.”

I got up onto the right side of the bed. Remus tried to help me, but I waved him off. I needed to test my abilities myself.

“All feels good,” I said. “Though I’ll refrain from Pin the Tail on the Hippogriff today.”

Madam Pomfrey nodded. “Well then, you two can stay here until the casualties of the game arrive.” She turned to go back to her office. “Honestly, no matter how many safety measure are imposed, it’ll always be a dangerous game, I can promise you that. The safest game is no game at all.” She disappeared into her office (at last).

“Artemis, you sure you’re okay?” Remus asked. He still looked a bit paler than usual.

I nodded. At least that motion didn’t nauseate me anymore. “Madam Pomfrey has given me a clean bill of health. Actually an impressive time for her.” I sat back down on the bed. “Sorry you had to miss the rest of the game.” I assumed he took care of me when I passed out.

Remus shrugged a shoulder. “It’s not like I haven’t done it for you before.”

Huh? "What? When? This is only my second Quidditch game ever."

“Well then, you have a really poor track record for finishing the games,” Remus said. He was now smirking at me.

“I don’t follow.”

Remus sighed. “Back in first year, you were standing in front of me at the first Quidditch game. I caught you and carried you to here. I was worried you were going to tumble off the stands.”

“That was you?”

Remus nodded.

“Wow, and here I thought my first contact was you was from the Pink Confetti Incident.” I paused. “Um, you called Madam Pomfrey by her first name. I’ve never heard any other student call her that. Are you related?”

Remus looked away and started studying the hem of the beddings. “Uh, no, I just get sick every now and then, and she takes really good care of me.”

“O-kay. You haven’t been sick too much this year, though,” I said. “Just that one time in early September.”

Remus shrugged but didn’t look up at me.

Maybe he’s one of those guys who hates to admit weakness, I thought. I know I feel that way.

“So, I know today you didn’t collapse because of the weather,” Remus said, changing the subject. And possibly reading my mind (metaphorically speaking I hope). “And you can’t claim food poisoning either. The house elves can’t be to blame.”

I squirmed in my spot, wishing he hadn’t asked me that. “Uh, can you keep a secret?” I asked.

Remus snorted. “Yeah, I’d say so.”

I took a deep breath. “I get motion sickness.”

“That’s not too bad.”

I shook my head. Remus didn’t get it. “It is to me. I mean, I can ride in a car just fine or go on roller coasters. But I get nauseated when traveling at higher speeds or standing at higher altitudes. I don’t really get it on why trains are bad for me but I’m fine with roller coasters though. I hate getting window seats on the train, and the stands surrounding the Quidditch field look too unsafe to my eyes, even though I know I won’t fall.” I shrugged. “It’s not something I like to share with people.”

Remus nodded. Now I felt his eyes on me again. “I won’t tell anyone.”

“Thanks. Now only you and Randy know that about me. If you tell PB&J, though, I will come after you, like Lily after James.”

Remus smiled, though the smile didn’t reach his eyes. “Your secret is safe with me,” he muttered.

Noise from outside the Hospital Wing announced that either the game was over or there was a serious injury that could not wait. After a few moments, though, I kinda guessed the game was over. Most of the players from both teams arrived, either helping an injured teammate or being injured themselves. The Slytherins all put themselves on beds on the other side of the Hospital Wing from me. The Gryffindors settled for the others side.

Madam Pomfrey emerged and gave me directions to help the Gryffindors. She would take care of the Slytherins. Our team didn’t seem so bad. Tiffany had a jammed finger from when she caught the Snitch, Urich’s right arm was broken from when a bludger got too close to him. Our Keeper turned out the worst, though. His right shoulder, and all the bones inside, were shattered. He said that a Slytherin was behind that quaffle when he had tried to ram it through the hoop manually. Knight didn’t let it in, but from then on he had to grip his broom left-handed.

Just as I finished healing Knight’s shoulder, the Hospital Wind doors burst open and the last of the Gryffindor Quidditch team arrived. “We won!” James and Sirius shouted in unison. “We won! We won! We won!”

“We heard you, Gryffindors!” one of the Slytherins shouted to the guys. He was the smallest of the Slytherins and looked amazingly like Sirius.

James and Sirius looked at each other. Then, in unison, continued, “We won! We won! We won!”

“There’s a party in Gryffindor common room in fifteen minutes!” James announced. “Artemis, get these guys patched up! We have some major celebrating to do!”

“What was the score?” I called as they started to walk away.

“320 to 10,” James said. “It’s like we caught two Snitches! Or we could have won without the Snitch! Gotta tell Evans that. Let’s go, Sirius!”

“I have to make sure they don’t tear apart the common room before the party again,” Remus whispered in my ear. “Not to mention keeping James’s rear in one piece. See you in a few.”

I nodded. “Don’t worry, I won’t go to the library. I’ll be down shortly.”

　

~~~***~~~

　

“We won!” Sirius yelled at the top of his voice, then collapsed onto an armchair next to the couch. Miraculously, none of the butterbeer in his hand sloshed out of its bottle. It was quite impressive.

“Yes, Black, we heard you,” I said. “We heard you six hours ago. We heard you five minutes ago. And we heard you every minute in between.”

Sirius sat up a little from his chair. “You know, when I heard you’d actually be at the party, I thought you’d be partying with the rest of us. But no. Who in their right mind ever heard of bringing a book to a party?”

I shrugged and turned the page in my Herbology book. “You lot wanted me to participate with you. I’m fine with partying. But we have an exam in Herbology next week.”

“It’s nine days away! That’s not ‘next week.’ And you even roped Moony into studying during a party too.”

Remus looked up when he heard his name. “Pads, maybe you need Prongs’s glasses. This is a novel, not a textbook.” He shook his head and went back to reading.

Well, Remus and I weren’t just reading. I was actually on Remus’s lap, my book open behind his head. My right arm was getting a little stiff, but that was the most comfortable position I could come up with. Remus had his left arm behind my back, supporting me. His right arm crossed over my lap where he had his own book propped. I felt him tighten his hold on me whenever he reached his left arm forward to turn a page. Whenever I turned a page, though, I had to reach up to wrap my hand around his neck. Currently, I had left my left hand resting on his right shoulder. I didn’t think he minded.

“Padfoot, relax,” James said, sitting on the other end of the couch. His right cheek was still red from where Lily slapped him earlier. Personally, I had expected more damage, but I guess without a wand, it was her best. “I would give anything to sit like that with Evans.” He glanced over to Lily, but she had her back turned away from those of us at the fireplace.

“Mate, if I were sitting like that with a girl, reading would be the last thing on my mind.”

“Mate,” Remus said in the same tone Sirius had used, “I don’t think you would have been sitting like this for long. You’d have been bringing her up to our dorm already.”

Sirius shrugged. “Yeah. Your point?”

I rolled my eyes. I felt Remus reach around me to turn another page.

“You know, I’ve noticed something about you two,” Sirius said.

“Call the Daily Prophet,” I said.

“No, really. Over the past two weeks you’ve been going together, you’re still acting the same way as you were before Remus asked you to go out with him.”

“You mean before he kissed me out of the blue,” I said.

“Whatever. Where’s the lovey-dovey romance to your relationship? Have you two even snogged more than three times?”

“Sure we do,” I said.

“All the time,” Remus agreed. “It’s just that we don’t go flaunting relationships like trophies.”

“Right,” Sirius said. I think I could actually feel his eyes roll from over here.

“Fine, be that way,” I sighed. I closed my book over my thumb, scooted myself away from Remus’s shoulder, and pressed my lips against his. My left hand reached up to rest behind his neck.

Remus jumped a little when he felt me snogging him, but he soon got into it. I heard him close his book and wrap his right arm around my hips, the hard cover of his book pressed against my waist. His left hand slowly moved up and found a gap between my blouse and skirt. His warm hands touched my skin, making me jump a little at the touch, but I continued to snog him.

After what might have been a full minute of snogging, I reluctantly pulled my face away from Remus’s and reset myself into a reading position, flipping open my textbook. However, I kept my face close to Remus’s neck so it wouldn’t be obvious that I was grinning like crazy. Behind me, I felt Remus also flip open his book. However, he kept his left hand positioned on my left side, his thumb rubbing small circles into my skin.

“Whoa,” James whistled.

“There’s something wrong with you, Artemis, you know that?” Sirius asked, sounding like he was still in aw over Remus and me snogging in front of him.

“Or there’s something wrong with all the other girls on the planet,” I said.

“Merlin, I want a girlfriend,” James sighed.

“Plenty of girls in the school, Prongs,” Sirius said.

“But only one Evans.”

The three boys started talking about something or other (Peter was spending ‘quality time’ with his girlfriend elsewhere), but I realized my eyes were starting to feel heavy. The words on the page quickly lost meaning once I read them. I didn’t want to move my head to check a clock, and my watch was on my left wrist. I’d have to choke Remus to get a peek at it. And let’s face it, I like Remus too much to do that to him.

But I had to stay awake. Just because my eyes were sleepy didn’t mean I couldn’t stay here. I closed the book, figuring that studying any more would be pointless for the night, and shoved the book behind one of the couch cushions. I then allowed my head to rest against Remus’s neck.

“Artemis?” Remus whispered. “You tired?”

“My eyes are just sleepy,” I muttered back. I secured a comfortable grip around Remus’s neck. “I’m fine.”

I heard Remus close his book. “No, you’re tired. C’mon, let’s get you upstairs-”

“No!” I said. “I want to spend more time with you.”

“Leave her be,” James said. “It’s not going to hurt.”

“I guess not,” Remus muttered.

I listened to James and Sirius recount the game (again) to Remus, who only hummed in agreement. I think he was still reading his book, though I didn’t know how he was changing the pages. Maybe he was getting his thumb between the next two pages or something. It was just a guess.

“Hey Remus,” Sirius said after James recounted how he made smoke come out the end of his broom, “is Artemis still awake?”

Remus said nothing, but he moved his left shoulder around a bit. Being too lazy to even open my mouth to complain, I just moaned and kept my place.

“No, I think she’s out,” Remus said.

“You know,” Sirius said, “if any of you told me last summer that we would be hanging out with Artemis, formally known as the biggest bookworm and nerd in the school, I would have said you were barking mad.”

“Sirius, you’re the one who’s barking mad,” James laughed. “But I have to agree with you. Too bad it took us so long to figure her out.”

“Yeah,” Remus hummed in agreement.

“Moony, you alright?” James asked. I heard him reposition himself on the couch.

I felt Remus lower his head when James spoke to him. “Yeah, I guess,” he said slowly.

“Like hell you are,” Sirius said. “Why are you looking so down? You can’t be upset about Artemis. I mean, you finally have her! Look at yourself! You should be loving ever minute of this.”

“That’s just it,” Remus said. “It just seems to good to be true for me.” I felt him shrug his right shoulder.

“Hey, you shouldn’t doubt yourself, Remus,” James said, sounding more serious than before. “You deserve to be with Artemis.”

“Do I?”

There was silence for a few minutes. I was feeling too tired at this point to join in the conversation, so I remained still.

“Yes you do,” James said, breaking the heavy silence. “Do you honestly think someone like Lily Evans thinks I’m worthy of dating her? You saw her after the game.”

“We see her every time you strike out, Prongs,” Sirius added cheerfully.

“What I’m getting at,” James sighed, “is that I probably don’t deserve a girl like Evans. But I’m still going after her.”

“You and Lily are different,” Remus said. “Everyone knows you’ll get married and have five children. Then all you have to do is get Lily to actually ride a broom and you’ll have your own Quidditch team.”

James and Sirius laughed. I even smiled. That was an interesting thought, though I highly doubted Lily would want to hear that.

“Look, Remus,” Sirius said once he stopped laughing. “You know I despise long-term relationships. But that’s just me. Before you hooked up with Artemis, you never seemed completely happy. And I’ve never seen you snog anyone like you did with her just now.”

“Look, I just don’t want to talk about this anymore,” Remus said. “It’s my problem, my relationship, and I’ll do what I want about it, okay?”

There was a bit more of an argument from the boys, but eventually they dropped it entirely. I almost wished I were more awake. That way I would have been able to ask Remus what he was going on about. Maybe I just wasn’t hearing right because part of my brain was already shut down.

“Wow, it’s getting late,” James said after a while. I had tuned out their following discussion, instead deciding to snuggle closer to Remus. I felt the couch move as James got up. “I’m off to bed. Coming, guys?”

“Yeah,” Remus said. He started to move. I didn’t like that. I clutched Remus’s neck tighter. “Let me just hand Artemis off to Lily. Lily!”

“Remus? What is it?”

“Can you take Artemis up to your dorm? I think she’s out for the night.”

“Sure. C’mon, Artemis, bed time.” I felt someone reach around me to take my arms off of Remus’s neck.

“No,” I mumbled, clinging to Remus tighter. With every attempt to remove me, I just tightened my grip.

“It’s no use,” Remus said after a few minutes of them trying to pry me off him. “I can’t detach my head, and I don’t want to try tonight.”

“I have an idea !” Sirius said. “Why don’t we just bring her up to our dorm? She’ll be safe there, and-”

“Do that and risk midnight castration,” I muttered, though making sure I was clear enough to be heard the first time.

“That was a dumb idea,” Sirius said. “Who would think of bringing her up to our dorm after what happened last time she was there? Leave her down here, Moony.”

“Gee, Padfoot, you think? My only problem is that I can’t get her off!”

“I wouldn’t consider that too much of a problem myself, Moony. Good night!” I heard shoes rush to the staircase, then fade away as they ascended.

“Fine, we’ll stay down here for the night,” Remus said, settling back down on the couch. I in turn loosened my grip around his neck. Just a little bit. “Good night, Artemis.”

“Good night, Remus,” I whispered before finally letting sleep overtake me.

　

A/N: First of all, sorry that the chapter is so long (for those of you that might not like seeing massively-long chapter lengths). The whole thing goes together, and I couldn’t cut any more out to make closer to the average chapter length. Secondly, like the banner? So awesome, mysterious-looking by social@TDA! Much thanks! (Yes, it took me this long to figure out how to ask for one). And because I’m more long-winded than I expected, I changed the story from Novella to Novel. I hope everyone who likes this story could still find it. Let me know your thoughts of this chapter, and especially the thoughts of what you think might happen next chapter. Thanks for reading!

Chapter 16: Chapter 16: He is the Biggest Idiot in the Cosmos! . . . !!!
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A/N: You all know JKR, you know, the one who owns HP. Yeah, I'm not her. Far from. I mean, if I was her, wouldn't you have heard of Artemis before? See? I'm certainly not her.

Chapter 16: He is the Biggest Idiot in the Cosmos! . . . !!!

“Na-nah na-nah boo-boo! Na-nah na-nah boo-boo!”

I groaned and looked around, wishing I could find the source of that annoying sound and perform a permanent sticking charm to that girl’s lips. I knew it had to be a girl. I highly doubted that any bloke would pitch his voice up so high and taunt in that annoying fashion.

I was in the woods. I knew that. But I didn’t know, nor cared, how I got out here. I didn’t even recognize this patch of trees. I knew every square centimeter of the woods back home, and I knew the general look and feel of the Forbidden Forest. I wasn’t at either of those places.

“Na-nah na-nah boo-boo! Na-nah na-nah boo-boo!”

“Argh, shut up already!” I screamed. I spun around in a circle. In doing that, I also realized I was out of my school uniform and in my Muggle clothes. I didn’t remember changing. But like how I got here, that didn’t bother me.

The trees went on for meters in all directions, eventually blending into the trees further away. Looking up, the sky was a sort of yellow-white color, like it was either somewhat cloudy or close to sunrise or sunset.

“Na-nah na-nah boo-boo! Na-nah na-nah boo-boo! Na-nah na-nah boo-boo!”

“I heard you the first million times!” I yelled out again. But unlike when I yell in the woods back home, no animal made a move now. I usually had birds fleeing bushes or squirrels leaping to other trees further away from me when I got this loud.

“I know something you don’t know! I know something you don’t know!” The girl’s taunt turned into a sing-song voice, mocking me. I knew she had to be mocking me. No one and nothing else was here.

Now this got my attention. I looked all around me again. “Where are you?”

“I know something you don’t know!”

I thought I had gone in a full circle. But when I finally finished spinning around, there was a girl, standing about twenty meters away from me, right in front of where I had initially been facing. The sun also seemed that it wanted to come out, because it was just behind the girl, masking any of her identifying features from me. All I saw was her silhouette. I could tell, however, that her arms were crossed in front of her.

“I know something you don’t know,” she sang, softer this time.

“Who are you?” I demanded. I hated playing this game.

The girl uncrossed her arms and tapped the side of her head with a finger. “I know something you don’t know.” This was almost a whisper.

“Can’t you say anything else?” I started walking towards her.

“I know something you don’t know!” The girl then spun around and took off into the woods.

“Oh no you don’t!” I started to run after her. There was no way a girl like that would outpace me!

I thought I could catch up to her. But as I ran, it felt like something heavy was weighing down my chest, keeping me from running at full speed. I tried to push past the weight, but the girl ahead of me kept on picking up speed. She was fading in and out of view with the trees. She would soon be gone.

“I know something you don’t know. . . I know something you don’t know. . .” Even her sing-song chant of annoyance was growing fainter.

“Who are you!” I screamed.

The girl just laughed. As she faded away, so did the light in front of us. The woods started getting darker. . .

Her chants got softer. . .

And the weight on my chest seemed to get heavier. . .

I opened my eyes. And was looking at the ceiling to the Gryffindor common room.

“It was just a dream,” I whispered to myself. But the weight-

I looked down and saw a head of sandy hair laying over my chest. And now that I was paying attention, I felt a pair of long arms wrapped around my body, as if they had been there originally and I must have landed on them.

I smiled and placed my hand on the side of Remus’s head. He was obviously sleeping peacefully. Last night, after I refused to go up to bed, he must have decided to spend the night with me. Well, I remember that I refused to let him go, but he could have waited until I was really asleep and disappeared sometime near two in the morning.

I checked my watch, although it was no surprise that I woke up at sunrise. Witches and wizards alike could predict sunrise and Artemis-rise to always coincide. Usually.

“Remus,” I whispered, running my hand through his hair slowly. “Remus, I want to get up now.”

No, Remus remained asleep. Well, it’s not like I was trying very hard to wake him. I could try pushing him off the couch, but that would be too mean early in the morning. I at least wanted him to wake up before I started pushing him around.

“Remus,” I said, trying to rouse him again. But this bloke was not moving. Well, it was too early for other people to be awake, so we had the common room to ourselves. And if I moved this pillow behind my head, I should have enough room to wiggle out from under him.

Okay, I’ve been in some weird positions before, mostly from trying to get into places I technically wasn’t supposed to be, but this was one of my weirdest positions yet. I was scotching backwards, away from under Remus, to get off the couch. And when my shoulders were cleared, I tried to walk onto my hands to speed up the process. My legs and hips were still somewhat trapped under-

“Artemis?”

Oh great, so now you decide to wake up.

I looked up and over my chest to see Remus looking down at me. I had moved enough so that my upper back was now free of the couch, but my legs and hips were still under Remus. Remus’s head was, well, in an awkward position, though from his blush I think he was more embarrassed than I was.

“Morning!” I said, trying to sound cheerful and like nothing was out of the ordinary.

“Artemis, what do you think you’re doing?” He tried to push himself up, but his hands were trapped under my bum. I think he was afraid of moving them for fear of what my legs might do.

“Getting off the couch. What does it look like?” I paused. “Um, you’d probably better not answer that.” I gave myself a final shove and, with most of me off the couch, I tumbled down and rolled into the coffee table. I smiled back up at Remus when I finished moving.

“Here, let me.” Remus got himself up easily and helped me to my feet. “So, sleep well?”

I went to answer yes, but then I remembered that strange dream. “Actually, I had this freaky dream before I woke up. Did you take divination with me?”

“Uh, no. I had elected to take just Arithmancy and Care for Magical Creatures.”

“Well, good for you, but now I wish I brought my Divination notes with me. We covered dreams in one of our years, can’t remember which, but I think that topic put me to sleep. I can’t remember what we learned about them.”

“Sorry, but didn’t you study for two months straight for O.W.L.’s?” Remus passed me my shoes, then went to walk me towards the staircases leading upstairs to the dorms.

“Yeah, but I knew I wouldn’t continue in that subject. And it is one of the classes that has nearly no use in my daily life. Why would I remember that?”

Remus shrugged. “Just saying. So, you’re going to. . ?”

“Shower, change, and join you back down here for breakfast,” I said pleasantly. I turned to go upstairs when Remus took hold of my arm.

“What?”

“Here.” Remus leaned down and pressed a light kiss onto my lips. He pulled away a moment later. He smiled his goofy grin whenever we finish snogging. “I was planning on waking up differently this morning, but this works too.”

　

~~~***~~~

　

“Okay, quick question,” I said, walking out of Charms with Remus Wednesday afternoon. “What’s the main reason we learned Avis anyway?” I flicked my wand and a few more birds came out. “Is it so we can become bird-people? You know, like there are people who love their cats and people who love their dogs. Does Flitwick want us to become bird lovers?”

Remus shrugged a shoulder. He pointed his wand at some of my birds and made them vanish. “Dunno.”

“Well, Remus, what are you? A dog person or a cat person?”

“I’m a dog person!” Sirius said, running to catch up to us. He draped on arm over Remus’s shoulder and one arm over mine. “100% dog. No cats for me!”

“I didn’t ask you, Black,” I said calmly. “And I’ve learned the amputation charm from Madam Pomfrey just last week. Would you like a demonstration?”

Sirius quickly removed his arm from me. Ah, I love it when I can get blokes to do what I want. I’m gifted.

“So, what about you, Remus?” Sirius asked, still dangling off Remus’s shoulder. “Cat or dog?”

Remus stopped attempting to get rid of the birds now fluttering over our heads to look down at Sirius. “Mate, a little personal space please. And what would you do if I said ‘cat’?”

“I would call you a traitor,” Sirius pouted, very similar to puppy whines.

Yup, Sirius Black, named after the dog star, is certainly a dog person.

“What are you three talking about here?” James asked, catching up to us with Peter at his heels.

“Prongs, you wouldn’t betray me,” Sirius said, stepping away from Remus to walk backwards in front of his best mate. “Which one are you? A cat person or a dog person?”

James blinked, looked around, ruffled his hair, and tried to swat one of my birds out of the air. “Well,” he said slowly, “I know for a fact that Evans likes cats. . .”

“No!” Sirius cried. “This can’t be true! It can’t be! All my friends have betrayed me!”

“I don’t like cats,” Peter piped in.

But Sirius was ignoring everyone at this point. He slumped as he walked, moaning about how dogs are considered man’s best friend and how they have a lot of positive qualities that he would think up later.

“What got him started about dogs vs. cats this time?” James asked Remus and me, taking a position to Remus’s right.

“It was supposed to be a quick question as to why we spent time in Charms learning Avis.” Three more birds flew out of my wand and joined the rest of the flock.

“She thinks Flitwick wants us to become bird people as opposed to the standard dog or cat generalities,” Remus said. “Artemis, cut this out! I can’t keep up with how many birds you’re making!”

I smiled and tapped out a few more birds. “Well, you know I’d have to stop when the room is filled with birds. Hm, I wonder how many birds could fit in our classroom.”

“Artemis! You’re brilliant!” James exclaimed. His hazel eyes started twinkling behind his spectacles.

“Flattery gets you nowhere,” I said.

“Remus, you’re dating a pranking genius!” James went on. “Oi, Sirius! Stop wallowing about your dog issues and get over here!”

“I don’t get it,” Peter said. “What’s James going off about now?”

James jumped up and tried to catch one of the birds flying above our heads. Sadly, he wouldn’t make it as a Seeker with those skills (or lack thereof). “Guys, I have a brilliant idea for our next prank for the Slytherins, and it’s all thanks to Artemis!”

“Whoa there, hold on!” I backed away from the four most infamous boys to wander these halls. “If this is about a prank, I want nothing to do with it. I have a perfect record of no detentions, and I’d like to keep it that way.” I looked back to Remus. “I’ll meet you in the library when you’re done plotting, okay?”

“Huh? Oh, sure.” Remus continued his attempts to rid the corridor of my feathered creations, but usually something as simple as that never distracted him. Just the other night, he was casting a shield charm for James to protect him from Lily while he and Sirius were playing wizard chess. Remus won and James is still alive, so I’d say Remus is good at multitasking.

I planted myself in the History of Magic section for two hours without being bothered. Working without Remus, though, was a little unnerving. I felt like there was an obvious void missing where Remus usually sat. Sometimes we spent hours not speaking, but that silence and this silence now were completely different. But I shouldn’t feel this way, should I? I spent five whole years here, studying by myself. Why should I feel uncomfortable now that Remus is just missing an afternoon? I focused my attention back to my Charms essay, wanting to get it done while the information was still fresh in my mind.

I’d also gotten myself used to Remus walking me down to the Owlery as I sent my daily letters home. Tonight, however, I walked there myself. Again, I felt like something was missing, though I couldn’t understand why I was feeling this way. It’s not like we had to spend every waking moment with each other. But this was the first time in three months Remus wasn’t with me for this long of a time. It just felt strange, being by myself again. And when I got to the Great Hall, I was still alone. Even PB&J were missing. Blood hell, I can’t believe I’m even thinking this, but part of me wished even just Sirius was here. At least then I’d have someone to tease during dinner.

I spent most of my dinner that way. Alone. Everyone else was at least chatting with their friends and having a good time. How could I have a fun time by myself? Maybe I shouldn’t have left my book bag in Gryffindor Tower. If I had it, I would have at least been able to pull out something to read.

“Hey, Artemis?”

I looked up. Kati stood on the opposite side of the table, looking down at me.

“What?”

“Uh, we’ve noticed you’re eating alone,” Kati said slowly, squirming a little under my gaze (even though I was looking up at her). “And, well, do you want to have dinner with us?”

I looked over to where ‘us’ sat. Lily and Melissa were looking over in my direction. Samantha, however, seemed to be ignoring me. She has been ever since Hogsmeade.

“No thanks,” I said. “No offense, but I don’t need to be a fifth wheel as you four gossip like chickens.”

Kati didn’t seem offended in the slightest. “Well, we could talk about what you want to talk about.”

Honestly, I was trying to be subtle. Aren’t girls supposed to over-analyze things all the time?

“Kati, I don’t want to sit with you. I don’t mesh well with other girls. So please, leave me alone.”

“I tried,” Kati sighed before going back to sit with her friends.

Without anyone worthwhile to talk to, I finished dinner faster than usual. Knowing I still had a few muffins in my room, I decided I could skip dessert. Besides, I didn’t want anyone feeling ‘sorry’ for me just because I chose to eat alone.

I ended up walking into Remus on my way out of the hall. Really. I bruised my nose against his arm. It hurt.

“Sorry, Artemis,” Remus said, backing away from me as I rubbed my face. “I thought you’d still be eating.”

“Finished early,” I said. “What happened to you?”

“Uh, just setting up another prank,” Remus said. Looking around, I saw PB&J waiting behind Remus.

“Okay then. Enjoy dinner.” I went to walk around the Marauders. Maybe I could do some research in the library without Remus raising an eyebrow. That dream from the other night was still bugging me. I hadn’t done it earlier because I had kept hoping Remus would eventually join me in studying.

“Hey, where’s the hurry?” Sirius took hold of my arm as I passed and swung me around so I was facing the Great Hall again. “How can we break bread without Moony’s girlfriend?” Sirius looked back up to Remus. “Honestly, mate, how could you think of even doing anything like that? It makes no sense.”

Remus, however, just shrugged and continued towards an empty spot at Gryffindor table without looking back at me.

“What’s got his wand in a knot?” I asked as Sirius pushed me back into the Great Hall, right behind Remus.

“Haven’t the foggiest on what you’re talking about.”

The Marauders only had a few minutes of time with the dinner spread before everything switched to desserts. Remus took a bowl of chocolate pudding, but he played with it more than ate it. And when I say ‘play,’ I mean just pushing his spoon to the bottom, taking the spoon out, tapping most of the pudding off, and repeating the whole thing. Something was obviously on his mind. Then again, it had to be obvious if I noticed it.

PB&J, however, seemed to be making a massive attempt to make up for Remus’s lack of interaction. James got hold of a few plates and charmed them to dance with the spoons. Peter clapped them on, to which the dance got its rhythm. When they were done, Sirius shot a spell to make all the Slytherin dishes and spoons vanish. McGonagall couldn’t prove anything, so she gave the boys a warning as she passed out of the Great Hall.

“Okay, we’ve caused our daily quota for mischief today,” Sirius said once most Slytherins were leaving the Hall. “Of course, they don’t know that yet.”

“What did you blokes do?” I asked. “Wait, I don’t think I want to know. I’ll find out eventually tomorrow morning.”

“By Jove, I think she’s catching on!” Sirius laughed, getting up from the table and leading Remus and me towards the doors out. Peter and James came the same way from the other side of the table.

“Hey, Artemis?” Remus asked softly from behind me, “can I speak with you for a moment?”

I nodded, surprised on how solemn his voice was. “Sure, anything.”

“Privately?” Remus nodded his head down a side corridor.

“Okay. Bye, guys.” But when I glanced over at them, Peter, James, and Sirius were no longer smiling. Sirius shook his head sadly and ushered the others towards the staircases.

Remus led us to an empty classroom, closing the door gently. This did not feel like it was leading to the two of us snogging each other’s brains out.

Remus took a deep breath. “Artemis,” he said when releasing his air.

“Remus.”

He looked up into my eyes for a moment, then looked down and turned away. He paced up to the teacher’s desk in the front of the room, paused, then turned back to pace towards me. I just watched him. I’d never seen him act like this. As he paced, I couldn’t help but think that this sixteen-year-old bloke looked more like an old man. I didn’t know what to make of it.

“Artemis, just hear me out,” Remus said, stopping about three meters from me.

“Okay. Shoot.”

The corner of Remus’s lips twitched upward, making him look like a teenager again for a moment. But after a few seconds, it was gone. “I, um, Merlin, this is so hard to say to you.”

“I’m not doing anything!”

“Artemis, just listen!” Remus snapped.

I took half a step back. Remus had never snapped at me before.

“Sorry,” he muttered, looking down at the ground now. “Look, the past few weeks have been great. But, well, I think it would be best for the two of us if were, um, if we went back to just being friends.”

The classroom went dead silent.

“What?” I asked. My ears must not have been working right. And if not my ears, maybe the part of my brain that makes sense out of sounds-

“I want us to just be friends again,” Remus repeated, a little faster this time.

“Why?” Is Remus breaking up with me?

“Well, I think it would just be for the best,” he said, reaching up to scratch behind his right ear. “We can still spend time together, you know, from before, but-”

“You’re not answering my question,” I interrupted him. I tried to ignore the knot growing in the pit of my stomach. “Why are you breaking up with me?”

“Uh, well, it’s not really that important-”

“Yes, it is important. I just want to know ‘why.’ Why do you want to break up with me? Am I too dull? Too ‘out there’? Is it that I don’t know how to act on dates? Am I bad at snogging? Is it my habit of putting my foot in my mouth at the wrong time? Because I won’t call one of your best mates by his first name still? Do you think I’m not pretty enough? Is it that all my Muggle clothes are not as ‘pristine’ and ‘perfect’ as all the other girls’ clothes? Because I-”

“No!” Remus said, cutting me off. “It’s none of those things. You’re not dull, far from it. And don’t worry about how to act on dates, you were fine in Hogsmeade. And the snogging’s great. You’re perfect just the way you are. But I just want to be friends with you, nothing more.”

Merlin, then what could it be? I thought desperately to myself. I never saw this coming. We haven't even been going out for three weeks! How's that for a starting record, Artemis? C'mon, think of something! And I did.

Let’s see, Remus didn’t start paying attention to me until after we took our O.W.L.’s last year. At the same time, Sirius began bothering me by asking me out with him every two minutes or so. Sirius kept that up at the beginning of this year too. And I’ve been sitting between those two since the start of this year, no, since breakfast that one morning before Hogsmeade in fifth year. Sirius only stopped asking me out once Remus kissed me, then he hasn’t breathed a word about the two of us going out together. And they said something weird when Remus found out Sirius asked me out to the October Hogsmeade trip. Remus has even reminded me that he’s a Marauder, one of the biggest troublemakers and tricksters in the school. And Randy’s early letters this year warned me that Remus might be up to something with me. Oh Merlin! That’s it! Those Marauders Remus and Sirius must have had a bet as to who could date the ‘biggest bookworm and nerd in the school’ first! Sirius chose the direct approach, and Remus went the way of friend-to-boyfriend! Now the dare’s finished and Remus wants to date someone else!

“Artemis? Have you been listening to me?”

Remus’s voice snapped me out of my own thoughts. I didn’t know how long I wasn’t paying attention, but Remus still looked a little frustrated.

Must be annoyed that this break-up is taking so bloody long, I thought darkly.

Remus sighed. “Artemis, it’s okay, really. We can just be friends-”

“Okay,” I said, cutting him off coldly. I crossed my arms and took a step away from him. I couldn’t let him know that the back of my eyes were burning, that my nose was starting to stuff up, that every bone in my body felt like it would crumble to ashes in a moment. I couldn’t show any weakness, especially to him. Not now. “You want to break up? Fine. You don’t want to tell me why? Fine too. But I have a slight alteration to your perfect plans. I don’t want to back to being your friend. In fact, I’m done with you. We cannot go back to before you kissed me.” I pulled my arms tighter against my body, which felt like everything inside was shivering in cold. I didn’t like this unfamiliar feeling inside me.

Remus’s eyes widened. “No, I don’t want that-”

“You weren’t the only member of this relationship, Lupin,” I said. I continued to back away from him, towards the door. “So please, respect my wishes and leave me alone for the rest of our natural lives.” I got to the door, opened it, and slipped out. I needed to get away from Remus before my body would inevitably fall apart.

“Artemis!” The door to that classroom swung open. I heard his shoes approaching me.

“Stay away from me!” I called back. I then burst into a hard run, towards the main staircase. I made it to one of the staircases before it decided to move. I ran up all the flights of stairs, dashed towards Gryffindor Tower, shouted the password to the Fat Lady, and darted up to the girls’ dorm before anyone realized I was there.

Only once I was on my bed and had the curtains closed securely did I realize my face was moist.

A/N: So, that’s that. Thoughts? Comments? Feelings? Reactions? Predictions? Anything? Just please, don’t hate me.

Chapter 17: Chapter 17: I Just Wasted Three Months
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A/N: Hi, I am not JKR, the amazing woman who owns HP. I've told you this how many times already? If you don't know by now, either you don't read these A/N's (and have probably skipped over this one too) or, well, you might not know who JKR is (she owns HP, not me!).

Chapter 17: I Just Wasted Three Months

I pushed myself off my bed at around four thirty in the morning. I couldn’t sleep anymore. But despite crying myself to sleep by eight o’clock in the evening last night, I still felt exhausted. As I rolled myself out of my bed and settled onto my shoe-encased feet, I felt really stupid for forgetting to change out of my school uniform and into my pajamas- a pair of old shorts and an old T-shirt. Okay, not technically pajamas. But why did I forget-

And then yesterday came rushing back to me. Remus broke up with me. Without a good reason.

A typical Marauder, I thought grimly as I shuffled to the bathroom. If PB&J don’t have to explain their actions, why should Remus be any different? Merlin, I can’t believe how stupid I am.

I showered quickly and changed into fresh robes. By that time, it was five-oh-five. Now, what could I do for the next four hours until Madam Pomfrey expected me in the Hospital Wing for Healer training?

“I guess it’s back to before,” I sighed, taking my book bag and making sure there would be enough room for today’s lunch and dinner. “First stop- Owlery.”

I was the only Gryffindor even somewhat awake as I descended the stairs and crossed the common room floor. It was so late at night (or extremely early in the morning in my point of view), the fire in the fireplace didn’t even have glowing embers inside. My eyes fell to the couch. Just a few nights ago, I fell asleep there in Remus’s arms. Was he just pretending then too? Remus was either a very good actor or I was more oblivious than I thought.

My money was on the latter. I told myself not to care about what happened between us before, to ignore those happy memories, and just go on with my life. Yeah. It’s not like I had any long-term plans for the two of us or anything.

The halls just outside the common room were empty. Silent. I couldn’t even hear Peeves getting into any early morning trouble. But to be on the safe side, I disillusioned myself. The Fat Lady, only knowing her portrait was being opened by someone, mumbled something about late-night hooligans before going back to sleep.

“Peck,” I whispered once I was in the Owlery. “Peck, you up here? Hello?” Fortunately, with it being so early in the morning, most of the owls were out either delivering mail or finding dinner. I hoped Peck wouldn’t bring back a dead mouse with my parents’ letter. That would just be disgusting.

Peck finally did arrive sometime before six. Hey, he was before the dawn, so I couldn’t complain too much. But when he went to rest on the rafters, it took me a minute to remember that he couldn’t see me with the charm still hiding my location. But as soon as I was visible again, he fluttered down and offered me my letter while giving me curious looks.

“Now don’t be that way,” I said, offering him some treats. “Can’t I come to you for my mail every now and then? Saves you the worry of coming in with all the other owls in that aerial confusion.”

Peck just cocked his head to one side and continued to stare at me.

“Not buying it? Would you believe it’s Owl Appreciation Month? No, it’s the second of December. That means I would have forgotten to do this yesterday.” I sighed. “Okay, okay. I’m not going to be having breakfast in the Great Hall anymore, so I don’t want you worrying about where to find me. Well, I’d most likely be in the Hospital Wing, but I don’t think Madam Pomfrey would appreciate your visits.” I started stroking his feathers as I spoke to him. “Why aren’t I eating in the Great Hall anymore, you might ask. Good question. I don’t want to see Remus anymore. He broke up with me last night.”

Peck hooted, but I wasn’t sure if he was trying to tell me “go on, tell me more” or “just shut up already and let me go.” This time I chose the former.

“It’s stupid, really. Me, I mean. I’ve been stupid. I thought that I could have had a good relationship with that wizard. I always thought he was nice and smart. Then again, he’s a Marauder. More detentions than any previous Prefect, I’m sure, but what choice did Dumbledore have? He certainly couldn’t have chosen James. Though I’m not one to talk. I’ve had my fair share of detentions and trouble making in the Muggle world. Not that you would remember, Peck. It’s just that things are different here in the wizarding world. It just is.

“I just wish that Remus had at least told me a good excuse for why he broke up with me. I though he really liked me, you know? I know I’m not an average girl. And I don’t want to be. I just wish he actually did give me something to work off. It would be nice to know what I might have been doing wrong in the whole relationship thing. Maybe my eleven-year-old self had the right idea in the first place.”

Peck hooted and flapped his wings a few times, though he didn’t fly away.

“Do you want to know what that me was thinking?” I asked, my voice lowering to near a whisper. “Besides my dad, I’d never really known anyone else magical. I had this silly idea that when I was done with school, I would find a nice Muggle bloke and settle down with him, whoever he would be. It would be like my parents. Our kids would most likely be magic, but it would just be from my side of the family. That’s what my plans were. Hogwarts would just be a seven-year training program, nothing more. Merlin, why couldn’t things be simple like that?” I stopped stoking Peck so I could wipe away some tears from my eyes. “I just wanted things to be simple,” I repeated softly.

Without my contact, Peck scooted himself away from my reach. With a final hoot, he launched himself off the ledge he had been on and found a spot on the rafters, close to other owls. He was probably cold. I wouldn’t have noticed the temperature- I’d been cold since last night.

I didn’t bother replacing the disillusionment charm as I reentered the main castle. It was late enough in the morning for any early riser to be up and about (I think). Well, I didn’t come across anyone as I headed down to the kitchens to have breakfast and read my letter in peace.

The house elves seemed surprised to see me after my three week absence but were fast to provide me all of my favorite breakfast foods. When I asked them for enough food to last me through lunch and dinner, though, I think the five of them waiting on me were torn between filling my request and hugging me for just asking anything of them.

“Thank you,” I said an hour later, lifting my bag filled with both books and food over my right shoulder. Before I left, though, the house elves wanted to thank me for thanking them by offering me a whole plate of blueberry muffins to go. I just took one (though I was tempted to take the entire plate and run away with it).

“Madam Pomfrey,” I called, arriving in the Hospital Wing and hiding my book bag behind one of the beds. “Madam Pomfrey, I’m here!”

Pomfrey poked her head out from her office and gazed at me curiously. “Artemis? What are you doing here? Isn’t it still breakfast time?”

I shrugged and did my best to smile lightly. “Ate fast. So, you wanted me to make more Pepperup Potion?”

Pomfrey nodded, coming out holding a cup of hot cocoa. “Yes, this cold weather’s got a lot of students catching cold. You’d think they’d know by now how drafty some areas of the castle can be and would dress accordingly. The ingredients are in that cupboard, dear. You remember how to make it just right?”

I nodded. I’ve come a long way in my potion-brewing skills since I started in September. I’ve heard other students complain that Slughorn’s N.E.W.T. level Potions class is extremely difficult, but so long as you know which ingredients have been altered between the ancient textbook’s printing and today’s modern ingredients (I’m guessing quality isn’t as good as it was in the 1800’s), the textbook is pretty readable. Some people have even made it a habit of rewriting their books to compensate for the lower grade of ingredients. Honestly, how is anyone supposed to get the same quality of wormwood as the author of our book had back in the day? It doesn’t make sense.

“Artemis? Are you listening to me?”

“Uh, no, sorry,” I said. “Just mentally bashing the old coot who wrote the potions book for sixth years.”

“Is that all? It looked like something else was troubling you.” Madam Pomfrey took the vials of potion I’d already prepared onto a tray and moved towards one of her cupboards where she stores all her other day-to-day potions.

I sighed. She’ll find out with the rest of the school soon enough. “Remus broke up with me.”

Madam Pomfrey dropped the vial she had been holding. Its contents smashed onto the stone floor and began to steam up. Probably the healthiest slab of stone in the school now, I thought.

“What?” Pomfrey choked. “Remus broke up with you? Why?!”

I shrugged, now trying to ignore the knot in the base of my stomach. I had to. “Dunno,” I lied. I wasn’t about to tell anyone my theory. Best to let the school remember the Marauders as troublemakers to the Slytherins only, not girls’ feelings.

Madam Pomfrey surprised me, though, when she went back to putting away the vials of potion and started muttering to herself. I didn’t catch anything, but then again I went back to brewing a potion worthy of an O if I were in Slughorn’s class right now. Speaking of which-

“It’s almost time for my first class,” I said, bottling the last bit of potion from the cauldron and moving to clean up. “Ironically, my first class is Potions. What fun.”

“Huh?” Pomfrey came over to collect the last vials and looked up at the clock. “Oh, so it is. Don’t you worry about what happened with you and Remus. I’ll speak to him and-”

“Whoa, no need to go that far!” I yelped, surprised my mentor was taking such an interest in my love life, or current lack thereof. “It was Remus’s choice, and I’m fine with it. Really.” I tried to smile for her again. “See? I’ll be back here tomorrow. Bye.”

I joined a crowd of students moving towards the Potions corridor and hoped no one would notice me. The sooner things returned to normal, the sooner I wouldn’t feel so crappy. Aw, who am I kidding. I just hope this doesn’t carry over into the next year. Maybe the school will go back to ignoring my existence after Christmas Break.

Just outside the Potions classroom, however, I noticed a lot of students with white splotches all over their uniforms. Getting closer, a lot of the girls and some guys with longer hair had feathers sticking out at every odd-end point of their heads. And when I got even closer, I realized that the white splotches were some sort of poop and I wished I hadn’t gotten closer to begin with.

“You like, Artemis?” An arm draped over my shoulder as Sirius slid over next to me. “We tried to keep count, but we lost it somewhere around 1,674,702.”

“Huh?”

“That’s how many birds from the Avis charm could fit in the Slytherin common room,” Sirius explained. “Took the four of us hours to conjure them last night while the Slytherins were at dinner. Remus also took the precaution of making sure no one could get rid of the birds for about 24 hours. No bad, huh?”

I frowned when Sirius mentioned Remus. Although, I hated to admit it, at least Sirius had made his intentions clear at the beginning of their little Marauder ‘bet.’ He was always blunt in his repeated and failed attempts to get a date out of me. But Sirius was probably the brains behind the dare to begin with.

“Let go of me, Black,” I said. I ducked under his reach and proceeded to class.

“What’s wrong?” Sirius jogged to catch up me. “You wanted to know how many of those birds would fit in a room,” he said. “Okay, so we may have opened the doors to the dorms as well, but so what? It’ll serve them right as to have something as obvious as ‘Pride’ as their password. It was our third guess.”

“I said leave me alone.” I pushed him away from me and took my spot in class. Not many other students were here from their first classes yet, though.

“Okay, fine. But what happened to you at breakfast?”

I looked inside my bag and pulled out my Potions book and essay due today. The seat next to me was currently empty. I hoped that it would stay that way, but I wouldn’t hold my breath. Was it just me, or did the dungeons seem darker and more depressing than before?

“Okay, okay then. I’ll see you at lunch.”

Finally, Sirius is leaving me alone. Let’s just hope he doesn’t start stalking me again now that I’m single.

Two minutes before class was scheduled to begin, Remus came into class. My heart sank as he approached our table. How was I supposed to act with him now? He was my partner in practically all of our classes. How could-

“Hey Remus, think I can sit with Artemis today?” Kati asked, arriving at my table at the same time as Remus, though looking a little out of breath.

“But I wanted to speak-”

“Lily’s actually needing a little help in class today,” Kati said. “I don’t think she would mind your help.”

“But-”

“Hey Artemis, mind if I sit here then?” Kati asked, already plopping herself down in Remus’s spot.

I shrugged, though I refused to look up or even speak with either of them, despite the fact that my throat felt like someone stuff a bezoar into it. Why did school have to involve social interactions?

Without a place to sit here, Remus finally left the table and took Kati’s usual spot next to Lily.

“Hey Artemis, need anything else?” Kati asked, sounding somber now. “I’m sorry about you and Remus, and if you need to talk about anything-”

“I can’t hear Professor Slughorn over you,” I whispered, dipping my quill in some ink and showing Kati that I clearly did not want to talk.

Kati sighed, got out her own books, and started copying the notes Slughorn wrote on the board.

It was only after my hands stopped shaking did I realize that I had been trembling in the first place, worried about how to act around him now.

~~~***~~~

“Merlin, I wish I’d found this years ago,” I whispered to myself, flipping through a book in the Potions section. “Actually, I was fine in O.W.L. level classes, but whatever. Why am I talking to myself in a library?” I shrugged to myself and retreated to my usual table in the History of Magic section to start studying.

Potion Making and New Methods for the Mid-Twentieth Century, published in 1969, was amazing. It listed all the ingredients necessary in advanced potion-making, described what to do with the high-quality (stuff real Potions Masters use) and inexpensive-type (what us students can afford) of ingredients. No wonder our potions books were so hard to follow at the beginning of the year- the author of our books was an old and rich bloke. Of course he wouldn’t be making potions with the inexpensive stuff his readers used.

I started writing a few notes for my next Potions class next week and added a few notes for what I’d need for my next essay. Too bad lunch break wasn’t that long. I wanted to actually finish my Potions homework before going to Herbology.

“Can I sit here?”

I looked up and saw Remus standing next to the table, one hand on his usual chair and the other holding a stack of Charms books. My stomach felt like it switched places with one of my kidneys as I looked at him. Honestly, how could he have been lying to me? And he thinks we could still be friends after only dating me for a dare?

“No sign saying you can’t,” I muttered, skimming through the book now and making a note of page numbers. It was a little harder to do this now, though, with my fingers feeling like they had been submerged in ice water.

Remus had just unpacked his books, the same way he’s been doing it for three months, when I finished with Potions book and started packing up my stuff.

“Hey, where are you going?” Remus asked, loud enough to earn a ‘shush’ from Madam Pince.

“Elsewhere.” I shoved all my things into my bag and got up to leave.

“Look, if you don’t want me to sit-”

I took the library book back with me and gave it to Madam Pince before leaving. Great, I’ve been chased out of my usual safe haven, I thought, making my way to Gryffindor Tower. Forget it, I’ll just do my homework when I know all the students have to eat. I don’t really need to be in the library to do my homework. All I need is the curtains drawn closed around my bed and a powerful silencing charm to block out my roommates. See, I can adapt.

Right, just keep telling yourself that, Artemis. Can I really keep this up for another year and a half? Merlin, what about just two more weeks when I can go home?

~~~***~~~

Okay, just for the record, the people who sit next to me in class are not automatically my friends. Unfortunately, that’s what Kati seemed to not understand. Sure, she kept Remus from sitting next to me and trying to get me to talk to him, but Kati insisted she wanted to hear about my feelings. Honestly, people all over the world break up all the time. Why should my situation be any different?

Sadly, the difference between having male and female stalkers is that female stalkers can follow me up to my dorm. And into a bathroom. And, well, anywhere. So while I was safe from Remus (PB&J were surprisingly keeping their noses out of this), Kati had drafted Lily to help her get me to ‘explain how I was feeling to a sympathetic ear.’

Their plan was not going too well for them.

“C’mon, you’re obviously pissed,” Kati said before dinner. “What did he do to you? He seems like he still wants to be friends.”

Yeah, I thought bitterly, friends. If he had wanted to be just friends, he shouldn’t have kissed me three weeks ago, nor should he have led me down this roller coaster of unfamiliar and unwanted emotions. I was still feeling a little sick, but how could I ask Madam Pomfrey for a cure to heartache?

“If you don’t speak to anyone,” Lily said, joining Kati at the end of my bed, “you’re going to drive yourself mad.”

If my friends could hear you, the ones back home I mean, they’d say it was too late to stop the madness. I slouched down lower behind my Herbology textbook.

“Artemis, please, we’re worried about you,” Kati said.

Oh sure, worry about me now that you think I’m interesting. Did any of you worry about me for the first five years here? Nope, didn’t think so. Please, just assume I’m not interesting anymore and leave me alone until, well, forever.

Melissa came up to the dorm. “Is Artemis coming down?” she asked.

Lily sighed. “It doesn’t look likely. She hasn’t been speaking to us.”

Oh sure, go back to speaking about me while I’m still in the same room as you! That’ll really help me open up! I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. I just turned a page instead.

Melissa sighed. “I’ll tell James that she’s not coming. You know, Artemis,” she said, raising her voice to talk towards me (as if I couldn’t hear her earlier), “even if you’re not dating Remus anymore, the other Marauders still think of you as their friend.”

Oh sure, like they have so many ex-girlfriends hanging around with them. What, do they feel sorry for me too? They think that I can’t go back to being the bookworm everyone assumed I was? That’s what breaks and vacations were for, to get away from school and let my real self show. I do not want their pity. I turned another page in my book, even though I had stopped actually reading what the text was saying. I couldn’t let them know I somewhat cared about what they were saying about me.

“We’ll keep a spot open for you if you change your mind,” Kati said, finally getting up off my bed. “I hope you don’t think we’ve ever rejected you. We can be your friends if you want us to be.”

Once they were gone, I finally put down my book and pulled out the remains of food I’d gotten from the kitchens earlier this morning. I ate slowly, desperately wishing that I really could just decide to stop caring so much.

~~~***~~~

“Ugh, this is too early, even for me,” I groaned. I pressed my palms into my eyes, wishing I could go back to bed. But no, I wanted to be here when Peck arrived with my morning mail. “Why can’t the sun rise at four thirty in the morning? Why?”

Once again, most of the owls in the Owlery were missing for various reasons. Peck, however, had better be working on delivering mail. If he thinks he’s going to get an owl treat with any remains of an owl’s breakfast in his beak-

Peck swept into the upper windows of the Owlery, his beak empty. He saw me, lit up by the Lumos spell of my wand, and flew down to rest on the stone ledge. He offered my parents’ letter to me.

“Thanks, Peck,” I said, giving him his favorite treats. I stroked his feathers as he gobbled up his reward. “You’re too good to me, you know that? Aren’t you glad our roles are reversed? It’s about time I come to you for my mail, isn’t it?”

Peck hooted, though I think he just wanted more food.

“Nope, no more. You can’t fly if you get too fat.”

Peck hooted again, then fluttered up to the rafters. I don’t think he wanted to listen to me rant two mornings in a row.

“See you tonight!” I called up. I then looked down at the envelope in my hands. It felt really thick for just my parents’ letter. Did Randy respond to me already, even though I‘d written to him last night? He was the only one I told about Remus breaking up with me (turns out I did have to tell someone about it). I planned to tell my parents something different at Christmas. This sort of thing wasn’t something that I could just write to my parents in a letter. Mum had been so proud that I ‘finally had friends at school and that it was about time I had a boyfriend.’ If I recalled correctly, she’d had about eight boyfriends before she met my dad.

For the second morning in a row, a morning which would eventually become normal after a few more days, I arrived at the kitchens and ate an early breakfast. And like yesterday morning, the house elves seemed surprised that anyone was awake at such an early hour to have breakfast. They were also excited to physically give away a good portion of the food to someone who looked like she only ate salads but actually ate more than the biggest blokes at school.

I read my parents’ letter. Mum said a lot of the children were catching a flu virus, and she joked about how if she were a witch, she’d have been able to cure the kids instantly. Dad said activity had slowed down in relation to deaths by Muggle artifacts, so Mum was feeling better. They were both counting down the days until they could pick me up from the Hogwarts Express to celebrate Christmas. I was also looking forward to it. I missed my real friends.

Madam Pomfrey was again surprised when I walked into the Hospital Wing earlier than I used to for a Friday, or any weekday for that matter. But I was soon making more Pepperup Potion (yesterday’s supplies had obviously been quickly consumed). As I mixed the ingredients together, I wondered for a moment if I could send some home to Mum. Though I don’t think many of the parents would like the steam coming from their kids’ ears.

“Artemis, you sure you’re all right?” Madam Pomfrey asked me as I gathered my book bag for Transfiguration.

“Sure, never better,” I said. “Aside from the fact that my ex-boyfriend gave me absolutely no reason why we’re not together anymore but insists that we can still be ’just friends,’ I’m peachy. I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”

Pomfrey sighed, probably to keep her from lecturing me. It’s not like she had any control over Remus’s actions.

I was the first to Transfiguration. But when other students started to arrive, Kati sat in Remus’s old spot. I just looked at her, silently letting her know I still didn’t want to talk, before going back to pulling out the essay due this week and waiting for McGonagall to start class.

Once class was over, I was the first one out of the classroom. I saw Remus stand up from his seat next to Lily, but his books were still all over his desk for him to follow me.

Good thing I’ve memorized all the secret passages of this castle first year, I thought to myself as I entered the library. Only students whose classrooms were closer to the library beat me here. I walked past Madam Pince and hoped she couldn’t smell the lunch I crammed into the bottom of my bag this morning.

“Let’s see, where is that potions book?” I muttered, walking around the bookshelves for the book I’d found yesterday. Great, someone put it back on the wrong shelf! It was on the top shelf, the one I have a lot of trouble reaching. Hm, maybe if strengthened my book bag, I could stand on it and-

“Here.” A hand from behind me reached over my head and brought the book down to my eye level. All my internal organs felt like they fell into the pit of my gut when I saw Remus holding the book.

I frowned. “How did you know-?”

“I saw you looking through it yesterday, remember?” Remus said calmly, though he didn’t meet my gaze.

“Would you please stop stalking me?” I asking in my patient-but-could-crack-at-any-moment tone of voice. I guess I really will have to sneak in here in the middle of the night if I still want to use these books. I shouldn’t get caught if I’m careful. I had really wished I wouldn’t have to break many school rules, though.

“Artemis, wait! I really want to talk to you.”

I ignored him. Why should I give him any of my time? For three months, he was just pretending to be my friend. Why did I fool myself into thinking wizards could make decent friends? Didn’t I come up with a brilliant plan in first year? Just go through school to learn magic, then once seventh year’s done I can be rid of all of these people. The only time I’d see them is if they spilled a potion on themselves or cast the wrong charm or something.

“Artemis!” Remus took hold of my arm outside of the library. His grip was tighter than I would have expected from him.

“Let me go, Lupin!”

“No.” Remus pulled me back and had us enter another empty classroom. He cast a few charms on the door before turning to look back at me.

“What game do you think you’re playing with me?” I challenged him. “I’m not afraid of you.”

Remus just frowned. “Artemis, I should hope you’re not afraid. But I just want to talk to you.”

“Are you going to give me a reason why you just ‘decided’ that we should be just friends?”

Remus looked to the stone floor. “No,” he muttered.

“Then there’s nothing to say. I’ll butt out of your life if you butt out of mine. Thanks for wasting three months of my life. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have our Defense duel to prepare for.”

“Artemis, please. I don’t want this. I said we can just be friends-”

“If you never wanted to go out with me in the first place-”

“Would you just listen to me for one minute-”

“You should have realized there it takes more than one person to make a relationship-”

“Artemis!”

“NO! I am done listening to you, Lupin! How can I expect that in just one day, you go from liking me to thinking we should just be friends! If you say that I’ve done nothing, then there must be something totally wrong with you!”

Remus’s face flushed pink. “You don’t-”

“SHUT UP! JUST SHUT UP! I DON’T WANT ANYTHING TO DO WITH YOU! YOU DON’T KNOW. . . MERLIN, JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!”

Remus jumped in as I paused to take a breath. “You want to know why I broke up with you? Fine. I-”

“I DON’T CARE ANYMORE! LUPIN, I-”

A/N: Yes, this is the end of the chapter. So, thoughts? What do you think now? What was Artemis going to say? Come back next time for another exciting chapter of this story! Either that or just come back to see what happens next (in case you don’t think this is exciting).

Chapter 18: Chapter 18: I Was Out for How Long?!
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A/N: Hi, JKR owns HP, not me. Why don't I own it? Well, I was just a kid when the first book came out. And I didn't read the books until the fifth one came out. Imagine writing something that you haven't read. Yeah, I can't see it happening.

Chapter 18: I Was Out for How Long?!

My mind woke up before the rest of me felt like moving. It was dark. And quiet. A stark contrast from my last memory. Wait, it was probably dark because my eyes were still closed. I opened my eyes slowly, worried about what I might see.

I saw the ceiling of the Hospital Wing. Most of it was covered in shadow, darkness inside darkness. Looking down, the windows outside we black. It had to be late evening or the middle of the night. But what was I doing here?

I looked around. My eyes instantly landed on Remus. He was slumped in a chair, his eyes closed. He was breathing slowly, telling me he was actually asleep. His right arm, however, rested on the bed I was on, just a few centimeters from my left hand. Merlin, what happened to get me here?

“Remus?” I whispered, but my throat felt dry, making it sound raspier than it should have.

Remus’s head jerked around a little at my voice. As he woke up, his amber eyes widened at seeing me awake. “Poppy!” he yelled, sitting up now and removing his arm from the bed. “Poppy, she’s awake!”

Madam Pomfrey rushed out from her office, wearing her nightgown under her robe. “Finally,” she muttered. “Artemis, dear, are you all right?” she asked.

“What am I doing here?” I asked. This couldn’t be because of my motion sickness problem. Last I remembered, I had been on solid ground.

“You had an accident, dear,” Pomfrey said, pointing her wand over various parts of my body and muttering a few spells. I recognized a few of them, but I was more worried about my position of being a patient and what lead me here. “This is a good sign, thought,” she said to Remus, speaking over me. “She’s responding to her name, and she obviously knows who both of us are.”

“Wait, I had an accident?!” I demanded, worried now. “What kind of accident? I don’t remember doing anything-”

“Artemis, what’s the last thing you do remember?” Remus asked seriously. He had backed away from the bed as Pomfrey did her own brand of magic to be sure I was okay.

I thought back. What did I last remember? I frowned and looked up to Remus. “Fighting with you,” I said coolly.

“Which time?”

Huh? What does he mean, ‘which time?’ “Elaborate,” I said.

Remus sighed. “We’ve had about three or four fights within the last week, not counting our Defense duel. Which time?”

“Defense duel?” I looked back out to the windows. Yes, it had to be night. “I haven’t dueled you yet. We still had an hour until class.”

Remus’s eyes widened while his cheeks turned pink. “You think it’s still Friday?”

“Artemis, it’s Wednesday night,” Pomfrey said. “December 8.”

“Wednesday night?” I echoed. “No, it’s Friday afternoon.”

Pomfrey looked back to Remus. Both of them looked grim. “Five days then,” she said. “Worse than I would have hoped for, but better than I expected.”

Remus nodded silently.

“You mean to say I’ve been in here for five days?” I asked.

Pomfrey shook her head. “No, you’ve been in here one day. Well, a day and a half actually.”

So basically thirty-six hours. Okay, so if I was laying in here like a vegetable for about two days, then I’m missing more memories. Now, instead of just a few hours, I’m missing a few days! What in Godric Gryffindor’s name is happening to me?!

“Artemis, did you hear me? Can you stand up please?”

I nodded to Madam Pomfrey and tried to swing my legs over the end of the bed and stand up. But it felt as if all my muscles were sore and they were refusing to let me move around easily. I got to my feet, but every part of me keeping me standing felt like it wanted to give up and have a two week paid vacation.

“How do you feel?” Pomfrey asked.

“Crappy.” I didn’t feel like diagnosing all my aches.

“Sit back down then,” she said. She helped me slide back to the middle of the bed. “I’ll get you a potion and you can stay here overnight. If you’re not feeling all right by morning, we’ll try other options.” Pomfrey turned away to go into her office.

So now it was just Remus and me in the Hospital Wing.

Strange, I thought, reviewing my latest memories. I remember being so angry at Remus, fighting with him outside the library. But now, I feel like that anger’s evaporated. I mean, I don’t want to jinx his tail-side off. Well, that wouldn’t be a bad idea, but the hot-angry feeling is gone.

“I’m sorry, Artemis,” Remus said, looking down at the stone floor. “I feel like your accident is all my fault.”

“How exactly is it your fault?”

Remus shrugged, examining the bed sheets rather than look up at me. “I can’t say really. Uh, I have to get back to my Prefect duties. Lily’s been covering for me. I’ll ask her to give you the notes from class that you’ve missed.”

“Thanks,” I muttered.

Remus nodded and turned to leave.

“Wait.”

Remus stopped. He looked back over his shoulder but didn’t turn completely to face me.

“Uh, I obviously don’t remember our fights. I don’t even remember how the first fight ended. Could you tell me . . .”

Remus pressed his lips together. For a moment, he looked like he was about to leave without saying anything to me. “They were bad,” he muttered. “It’s probably best that you don’t remember.” He went back to leaving the Hospital Wing.

“Are you okay?” I called out before he could actually leave.

“Sure, I’m fine.” Remus pushed open the double doors and slipped out.

“Liar,” I sighed, resting back against my pillow.

Madam Pomfrey came back a minute later, saying she had to dig deep into her storage for the right potion for me. I teased her about hoping it hadn’t gone stale. After I gulped it down, I felt like I shouldn’t have been joking- it was like swallowing raw eggs mixed with ear wax and vomit!

“What do you expect, pumpkin juice?” she asked, taking the empty container away with her.

“Do you have to compare all your bad potions to pumpkin juice?” I groaned.

~~~***~~~

In the morning, Pomfrey gave me a clean bill of health. Apparently, whatever accident I was in (she said she didn’t know the specifics) caused me a little brain damage. For me, the past five days never happened. Well, four days. On that fifth day I was just laying in the Hospital Wing, taking up space. But other than the loss of those memories, everything else about me was just fine.

After swinging by the kitchens to load up on food and the Owlery to pick up my letter from Peck, I decided I would just spend my free period in the girls’ dorm copying notes I missed from Tuesday and Wednesday.

Okay, this is weird, I thought as soon as I walked into the dorm. All four of my roommates saw me enter, frowned, and went back to their own business. Samantha went so far as to close the curtains around her bed (not that I was complaining).

Definitely a chill in here. I know we’re approaching winter, but I’ve never felt so cold without seeing my breath before. Something was going on here. And it felt really, really bad.

“Uh, Lily?” I asked, walking over to her bed where she and Kati had been talking softly. At my approach, though, Kati got off and walked over to her own bed to fiddle around with her own books.

Lily sighed, not looking up at me. “Yes, Artemis? What do you want?”

Uh oh, this can’t be good. “Look, I missed class on Tuesday and Wednesday, so could I borrow your notes please?”

Lily’s eyebrows went up with the ‘please,’ though she still avoided my gaze.

No one in the dorm moved, even when we heard the girls from the other years heading down for breakfast.

“Please, Lily?” I repeated, hoping she wouldn’t say no. I especially needed the Transfiguration notes. McGonagall’s a good one for testing students on what she’s said in class and not relying one hundred percent on our textbooks.

Lily sighed and reached for her bag. “Alright,” she said, putting the notes down on the bed in front of her. “Only because of three things. One- you asked nicely. Two- you haven’t sworn at anyone all morning, a nice change from the past few days.”

My eyes widened. Me, swearing at my roommates? What had I been doing that I can’t remember anymore? “And three?” I asked, hoping things wouldn’t get any worse.

“And three- because Remus asked me to help you out.” Lily left the notes on the bed and headed for the door. The others followed after her without a word to me.

I took Lily’s notes to my bed and got to work. Okay, so now not only are my memory gaps getting longer, but apparently I’ve been taking out my temper on my roommates. What have I been up to while I was so angry? I copied about half of the Potions notes before I resumed my internal monologue. Okay, so the last I remember, I was arguing with Remus. And I do remember that I was getting pretty ticked off at Lily and Kati for their constant pestering. I guess I must have just snapped. But that was strange. That’s not how I wanted to present myself in school. I would expect that if I were back home and someone was bothering me that way, but at Hogwarts? No way.

“If only I had someone to talk to,” I muttered, finally getting through Lily’s Potions notes in about fifteen minutes. I moved to Herbology. “I guess I can’t, though, if I’ve already burned all my bridges.”

I didn’t know what to expect when I arrived in Potions. I mean, the Gryffindor girls were all giving me a wide berth, so I didn’t really expect Kati to keep sitting next to me. But I didn’t want to sit next to Remus. He said he knew something about my accident, but as a typical Marauder he didn’t explain any further. So who would sit with me?

“Promise you won’t kill me and I’ll sit next to you,” James said, tapping me on my shoulder.

Merlin, can this bloke read minds? I thought. I opened my mouth to speak, but I didn’t really know what to say.

“Seeing as that your wand is still in your robes, I take it as a good sign,” James said, plopping in Remus’s usual spot and- No! It wasn’t Remus’s anymore. Remus had tricked me in order to make me go out with him. Well, at least it wasn’t Sir-

“Sirius wanted to sit here today,” James whispered, pulling out his books. “But then I reminded him that you said you would make sure he never made it to Christmas if he ever spoke to you again. And if you want to murder me too, just make sure it happens after I have a chance to kiss Evans. Can’t leave this world without that.”

“What are you talking-?”

“Alright class, find your seats and let’s start working,” Professor Slughorn said, arriving in the class and pointing his wand at the chalkboard. The directions for today’s potion wrote itself on the board.

So now it was James and me. There was a little bit of chatter among the students as they worked. However, James remained quiet, dumping his ingredients into his cauldron, not really checking the steps too many times. This was far different from Remus, who took time to actually copy the steps into his notes, consult his textbook with the same potion, and look over any additional notes he might have made before class-

Wait, what am I thinking? Comparing James to Remus? Why was I even thinking about Remus in the first place? He was a Marauder! He broke up with me for no reason! If I really wanted to get over him, I shouldn’t-

I glanced over my shoulder to Sirius and Remus working in the back. Remus was studying his textbook, like I knew he would, while Sirius was muttering to him. Sirius was working in the same way James was- just throw something in and make the potion fast. But instead of his carefree expression, he looked somber in his one-sided conversation with Remus. I wondered what he was saying.

No! Bad Artemis! Get over him already! I went back to making my potion. James finished before me, his potion still fitting the description provided in the text book, and decided to scribble some things down on a piece of parchment. He kept his arm over his work, though, so I knew it wasn’t for my eyes.

Whatever, I thought, finishing my potion. I suppose any fun at school will have to be contained within my head from now on. Merlin, why couldn’t my memory gap encompass the past three months so I could be oblivious to these feelings?

~~~***~~~

After Arithmancy, to which I actually had to sit next to Remus but he fortunately sat as far from me at the table as possible, I proceeded back to Gryffindor Tower. I didn’t feel much like writing my essays. None of them were due this week, but I realized in class today that all of my studying in preparation of future lessons cut off with today. I might have studied a few weeks in advance over the past weekend, but all that knowledge was lost with my memories. I just knew I had wasted so much time.

“Oi, Artemis!”

I turned back. PB&J were running towards Gryffindor Tower. Well, James and Sirius were. Peter was catching his breath just at the top of the stairwell.

“What?” I asked, wondering what could possibly be wrong now. Did I say something during those missing four days that they now wanted to challenge me with?

“Why didn’t you tell us that you can’t remember anything past Friday?” Sirius asked, arriving just a hair before James.

“Huh?”

“We knew you weren’t in class Tuesday and Wednesday because of your accident,” James said, “but no one told us that whatever happened to you knocked out five days of memories.”

“Four days,” I corrected automatically.

“This is a good sign, though,” Sirius smiled. “She’s acting much nicer than she was last weekend.”

I groaned, both at Sirius talking about me while I was standing in front of him and his reference to how I acted over the past week without giving me much details. “Well, would anyone mind clueing me into why my roommates now hate me and what I might have done last week? I don’t think anyone else would tell- meee!”

James and Sirius each grabbed one of my arms and drew me into an empty classroom. Gee, we sure have a lot of empty classrooms in this castle, I thought. Though how many classes would actually meet outside Gryffindor Tower? I wonder what the Founders were thinking when they built this place?

They were probably trying to test their students’ orientation skills in trying to get everyone lost. Oops, I think these guys were saying something to me.

“Uh, what were you saying?”

“First of all,” Sirius said, hopping onto one of the desks, “we heard that you can’t remember anything past Friday. So I ask of you- do you remember Friday’s duel with Remus?”

I shook my head while trying not to dwell too much on how mad I remembered being at him while coming up with my plan of attack for yesterday- I meant Friday. Funny. In my mind, yesterday was Friday. But in reality, tomorrow is Friday. See, funny.

“Well,” James said, “as witnesses to the event and aftermath, we feel that it’s our duty as your friends to tell you exactly what you’ve been up to.”

“Wait, did you say ‘friends?’” I said, stopping James before he could launch into his story.

“Yeah,” Peter said, piping up from next to James. “These two thought you needed some space, but we’re still your friends. Why wouldn’t we be?”

It was on the tip of my tongue to tell them that I already knew of Remus’s and Sirius’s bet/dare involving me, but I also wanted to hear what I’d been up to. “Well, right now I want to hear what’s been going on in my life. I’d say I have a right to know what happens to me.”

Well, as far as James and Sirius knew, Remus and I had a massive fight during lunch. No spells were cast, fortunately, so Remus was fit enough to duel. We arrived to class separately and listened to Professor DiGroop give his weekly lecture for when and how to duel formally and informally, then broke into our partners. I had already known that Remus would be my dueling partner this week- he was the only person besides our professor that I hadn’t gone up against.

Both James and Sirius were watching us as we got started with our duel. I, as usual, cast my ‘mysterious starter curse’ to make Remus pause before he could cast his own curse at me. I then hit him with a massively powerful babbling curse, making whatever spell he was about to say come out in ridiculous words. And for an added bonus, I used another curse to shoot Remus across the room and land against the far wall (the classroom walls have been charmed to act as cushions to prevent major injuries). And when Remus tried to get up, I hit him with a squeaky-voice charm to make his voice sound higher, as if the air around him had a high concentration of helium.

“It was awesome,” James laughed at the memory. “You should have heard him! Well, you did, but you get the point. He was talking so high-up, and with the babbling curse on him too, we couldn’t get any sense out of him. After a while, though, he got stuck on the word ‘spatula!’ We have no idea what he had been trying to say before, but everything came out as a squeaky ‘spatula!’ He had to drag Sirius with him to the library to look up and perform the counter-curse.”

Sirius, also laughing, looked over at me, now sitting on the teacher’s table, and asked, “You could obviously outdo anyone with the strength of your curses, but why do you always use those light and fluffy ones in class?”

I just smiled, enjoying the thought of that funny combination for spells. I actually did remember planning out those curses before my memory gap. “Well, Black, unlike some people, I can actually entertain myself.”

“Ooh, low blow,” Sirius laughed.

But as we laughed, Peter saying that that story will never get old no matter how many times he hears it, I suddenly remembered why it was just me and three of the four Marauders in the room. It probably would have been four out of four if Remus had at least attempted to give me a good reason as to why we broke up. All those thoughts made me the first one to stop laughing.

“Hey Artemis, what’s wrong?” James asked. “Sorry you can’t remember doing all that stuff yourself?”

“Uh, I was actually just wondering why the three of you still consider me your friend. I mean, I thought you were just being friendly because of Remus.”

“Are you kidding?” Sirius asked, finally stopping himself from laughing so hard. “Sure, we might have started out that way, but not anymore. And despite Remus acting like a complete and total idiot, do you think you’d be rid of us?” He shook his head, trying his best to frown. “I thought you were smart.”

Smart, yes. Common sense? Not as much.

“So what’s really wrong?” Peter asked patiently. Good ol’ Peter, I think he actually does want to know what’s bothering me. That’s probably why he’s kept a girlfriend for so long, I thought.

“I’m just remembering the reason why Remus broke up with me,” I said softly. I drew my legs up onto the table, folded them under me, and leaned forward to place my elbows onto the table with my head resting in my palms. I thought that if I felt small, I should look small too.

“You mean he gave you a reason?” James asked.

“Well, no, but I could figure it out,” I said. “All the clues were right in front of me.” I glanced over to Sirius. “But if you even think of asking me out to Hogsmeade again-”

“Whoa, hold it!” Sirius said, holding up his hands. “Why would I hit on one of my best mates’ girls?”

“Because I’m not Remus’s ‘girl’ anymore,” I said. “And I know all about your little bet.”

“Bet?” Sirius looked over to James. “Did I have a bet going with Remus and forgot about it?”

“Not that I know of,” James said. Peter also shook his head in a negative fashion.

Merlin, these blokes should stop pretending if they think they want to remain my friends. “I’m talking about the bet you and Remus had about who could date me first,” I said, looking at Sirius. “You probably made it at the end of fifth year.”

The Marauders went still, an unusual sight for sure. James and Peter then looked to Sirius, eyes wide. Sirius, on the other hand, just gazed at me. His draw dropped a little.

“What?” he choked.

“You didn’t,” James said.

“I didn’t!” Sirius said. “I have no idea where that crazy idea came from, I swear! Marauder’s honor!”

I groaned. Do I actually have to explain their own actions to them? “Look, after you four accidentally sprayed that pink confetti on me, you and Remus realized I existed and was in the same year and House, thought I had absolutely no friends, and concocted a crazy plan as to who could date the ‘bookworm’ first. Black, you went the direct approach, relying on your ‘sexiness’ to attract me. Remus decided to become my friend first to earn my trust before making me agree to go out with him.” I paused. “Duh.”

Again, there was silence in the room.

Sirius jumped off the desk he was on and came to stand in front of me. I straightened up to be closer to his eye level. This is strange. I’ve never seen him look, well, serious at me before.

“Artemis, I swear, that’s not what’s been happening. We would never make a bet like that, no matter how poorly you think about me.”

“Then why were you constantly hitting on me until November?”

“I told you that would backfire if you did that for too long,” James said.

Sirius groaned, shaking his head back and forth. I just watched, wondering what better explanation he could come up with in five seconds.

“Look, Remus has been obsessing over you since that pink confetti prank. When he was still talking about you a week after it happened, I decided to put the pressure on him to ask you out before anyone else got to you first. If you agreed to go out with me, I’d show him how easy it was to date you, then he could have you. But when you rejected me, I decided that Remus needed constant reminding that your single status would not be guaranteed forever. I’d still be pestering you about a date if Remus hadn’t gotten the balls to ask you out.”

“So, you never-?”

“No,” Sirius said. “No offense, but you’re not really my type.” Sirius offered a weak smile. “I was just tired of him talking about you so much but pretending you were ‘just’ a friend.”

Wow, I think Sirius is right, I thought, astounded by Sirius’s crazy thinking. But it makes a bit more sense. Yeah, didn’t I overhear Sirius complaining like that the day before Remus kissed me when I was hiding from them in the kitchens? I guess I forgot about that part.

“Thanks, Sirius,” I said. “An extremely crazy plan, but I guess it worked for a bit.”

“Welcome, I- Wait, did you just call me by my first name?” Sirius’s eyes lit up. “Yes, I’ve been promoted from ‘Black’ to ‘Sirius!’ I’ve attained a first-name relationship with Artemis! At last!” He started dancing around the classroom.

“Calm down, Black,” I muttered, doing my best not to smile.

Sirius stopped and looked back at me. “What?” he said, pretending to sob. “But you just called me ‘Sirius.’ You have to use my first name all the time now!”

“Only when you act serious, Black,” I grinned.

“No!” Sirius clutched his head and fell to his knees.

“He would be a semi-decent actor,” I said to James and Peter.

“You actually think he’s acting?” Great, I think James was laughing at me now.

Okay, so there was no bet, I thought to myself. Oh Merlin, that still doesn’t explain Remus’s actions regarding me. “Then Remus broke up with because he just doesn’t like me anymore,” I sighed, again feeling like I’ve been played for a fool.

“What makes you say that this time?” James asked.

I just looked at the four-eyed Marauder. “Are you kidding me? You don’t break up with someone because you still like that person! Maybe Remus just got tired of me or something. Merlin, I can’t believe I’m telling my feelings to you three! You’re the Marauders!”

Peter shrugged. “We’re still your friends. It’s what friends do, right?”

However, Sirius looked back to James and gave him a hard, serious look. James returned his gaze for a few seconds. Finally, he nodded and pushed himself off the wall he had been leaning against and headed for the door with Sirius at his heels.

“Hey, where are you two going?” I asked, unfolding my legs to get up.

“You two stay here,” James directed. “We’ll be back in a few minutes.”

James and Sirius quietly left the room. Outside, though, I think I heard them start to run down the halls.

“What just happened?” I asked.

Peter shrugged. “I’ve given up on trying to understand half their schemes. Want to play a game of gobstones?”

Okay, besides the freakiness of Peter carrying a game in his robes at all times, it turned out he was a much better player of gobstones than wizard’s chess. Sure, I still beat him, but it wasn’t an easy victory for me, nor was it a sad defeat for him.

About ten minutes after they had initially left, I heard two pairs of footsteps approach the classroom. But when the door opened, three blokes entered.

“Let me go!” Remus argued. But even though he was the tallest Marauder, James and Sirius had taken hold of both his arms and had him hoisted pretty high off the ground. His feet were swinging back and forth as he tried to get away.

“You heard him, Prongs,” Sirius said. “Let’s let him go.”

The boys dropped Remus’s arms while throwing him forward. Remus had to run forward to keep his balance. When he came to a stop, he was standing in the middle of the classroom. Peter and I remained seated on the teacher’s desk while James and Sirius blocked the classroom’s main exit.

Remus’s eyes widened and his cheeks turned pink when he saw I was in the room. “What’s going on in here?” Remus asked, turning away from me to face his kidnappers, er, friends.

“We just learned that Artemis thought you were only dating her for a dare between the two of us,” Sirius started, crossing his arms.

“What?!”

“My thoughts exactly,” Sirius continued. “But when I told her you weren’t, she now thinks that you don’t like her anymore.”

“What? But I said-” Remus turned his body so that he faced each side sideways, with me to his left and his abductors to his right.

“We’re not done,” Sirius said. “Prongs, care to do the honors?”

“Very well, Padfoot.” James reached into his robes and pulled out his wand. He took aim at Remus. “We’ve agreed that Artemis deserves a solid reason as to why you decided to end your relationship. Now tell her!”

Okay, this was weird. Even though Remus’s eyes got wider, his complexion paled to make him look one step away from death. “No,” he whispered.

“Guys, you don’t have to make him-” I started.

“Artemis, please,” Sirius said, also removing his own wand, “we’re working here.”

“Just tell her what was going through your mind when you decided to dump her,” James said, taking a step closer to Remus.

“Why are you doing this?” Remus choked. His body looked like he wanted to both back away but also stand his ground.

“Artemis is our friend,” Sirius said. “And Marauders stand up and do anything for their friends. Don’t we?”

Okay, I think I just missed something, but I don’t want to interrupt them again.

Remus slowly nodded. “But I can’t tell her-”

“It’s not that hard,” Sirius said. With his free hand, he reached again into his robes and pulled out a small vial. “Know what this potion it?”

Remus nodded slowly, his eyes now locked onto the vial. “Veritaserum,” he whispered.

“Just three drops and you’ll be the most honest bloke in the world,” Sirius said. He shook the vial, in which the liquid sloshed slowly and silently against the glass. “Now, while Artemis wants an acceptable reason to your idiotic actions, I don’t think she has all day to listen to all your deepest, darkest secrets.” Sirius paused, though he continued to stare down Remus. “So, unless Artemis is satisfied, Slughorn is going to miss a few drops of potion.”

“No, you wouldn’t,” Remus said. But after a minute of Sirius not moving, “You would, wouldn’t you?”

“You’re making this hard on yourself, mate,” James said. He flicked his wand a little to indicate he should turn around to face me. “Tell her. It’ll help both of you.”

Remus sighed and did as he was directed. Peter had at some point moved away from me and now sat at one of the student desks. So now, it seemed like it was down to Remus and me.

Remus looked down.

I continued to look up at him.

“So,” he said.

I was going to tell him I can’t sew, but I decided that humor would probably not be appropriate at this moment.

Remus sighed. “Okay, so I broke up with you.”

I nodded. It was actually a week ago exactly. Although it feels like two days ago for me, I thought briefly.

“And I didn’t tell you why.”

Again, I nodded.

Remus went to turn away, but upon seeing James and Sirius with their wands still drawn, he turned back to face me again. “Okay, here it goes.” He sighed again. “When I first thought I wanted to go out with you, I didn’t know who you really were. I mean, everyone just through you were a quiet girl with no friends, didn’t socialize well, didn’t participate in class-”

“I did that on purpose,” I said, not needing a review of the school-persona I had created for myself in this world.

Remus nodded, his head jerking awkwardly. “Right. Well, then I got to know you through your letters over the summer. And at school, I started learning more about who you really are.”

“Your point?” Honestly, I was there too. I don’t need a history lesson.

Remus took a deep breath. “My point is that when I got to know you, you were even more, well, amazing than I expected. And everything seemed so easy with you.”

“Easy? I dislocated your arm on our date to Hogsmeade and I accidentally pushed you into the fireplace after you tried to teach me how to dance.” Honestly, I made one comment about my lack of traditional-female skills and he tried to show me how easy it was. Not only did I have to heal broken toes, but I finally put that knowledge of how to treat various burns to good use.

Remus’s lips twitched to resemble the beginning of a smile for a moment. “You’re just proving my point. You seem so comfortable with yourself, despite any mistakes you might make. Things like that don’t bother you.” Remus shook his head, again breaking eye contact with me. “I just thought that you’d be better suited to someone, well, better than me.”

The room went silent.

“Wait, so let me get this straight,” I said, finally hopping off the desk. “I exceeded any expectations you had for me, so you thought that I was too good for you?”

“Well, maybe not if you put it that way-”

“Then what? It still sounds like you like me.”

“I do. I told you when I-”

“No, you said we could still be friends. Besides, it’s not like I have a line of blokes waiting to take their chances with a girl like me.”

Remus decided to look back at James and Sirius again. They still had their wands pointed at him. “Okay, I told her. Happy now? Can I go?”

“Not over yet,” Sirius said.

“Artemis, what do you think?” James asked.

Great, they’re still waiting on my input. Don’t I feel like the special one?

“I think,” I said, “that Remus is an idiot.”

“Agreed,” PB&J chorused.

I smiled. I walked around to stand in front of Remus. “Okay, just answer me honestly- do you still want to date me?”

“Huh?”

Honestly, this bloke is the smartest student in our year? “Do you want to date me? You know, go out to various locations, snog in the library, eat meals with little to no personal space, snog in empty classrooms, brush arms when working in class, snog in the Owlery, listen to me rant about topics that should be quick questions, snog in-”

“I get the picture,” Remus said above PB&J, who were now snickering in the background.

“Well?”

Now Remus smirked. “To go along with your sense of humor, a ‘well’ is a deep hole in the ground.” Remus stepped closer to me. “What do you think?” He leaned forward to kiss me.

I ducked out of his way and slid under his arms to stand behind him. When he finally turned around and saw where I was, I wished I had a camera- he looked so confused.

“That’s all I wanted to know,” I said. “But, give me a while to think if I want to be your girlfriend again.”

“But-”

“I’ll get back to you.” I retrieved my bag from next to the door and put it on my shoulder. I turned back to look at the four blokes, all of them wearing various faces of confusion and bewilderment. I highly doubted they expected that kind of reaction.

“Thanks, PB&J,” I said. “You’re awesome. In your own crazy, demented, twisted sort of way.” I went back to opening the door.

“Really, and you’re such a fine example of mental health,” Sirius muttered.

I headed up to the Owlery. I still had to sent my parents a letter, and I think I should tell Randy that Remus and I had gotten back together. Okay, Remus didn’t exactly know that yet, but he should figure it out soon enough.

A/N: Whew! Okay, so things aren’t yet back to normal, but what do you think? A bit of the missing memories, a bit of the relationship issues, and a lot of words. Could you add to these words by letting me know how you feel about this whole thing?

Oh, and before I forget, I’ll be working on the Christmas Break chapters soon and Artemis’s Muggle friends will be back. I haven’t had much feedback on them, so could you let me know what you think about them? I know they were only there in Chapter 4, so if you can’t remember who they are, here are some ways I keep them straight: Ken = ‘buttered toast;’ Nick = sugar rush; Zach = the Muggle bookworm or the one who does everyone’s homework; Jake = disgusting bug eater; and Randy = Artemis’s best mate. I just want a gist on who you might like, if anyone, when I write those chapters. Thanks!

Chapter 19: Chapter 19: It's Not a Matter of 'If,' but 'How'
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A/N: HP belongs to JKR, not me. Duh. I'm only borrowing her world and putting my own twist on it.

Chapter 19: It’s Not a Matter of ‘If,’ but ‘How’

I was the first one into Defense class on Friday. Well, maybe not the first, but I was the first one who mattered. I stood around the perimeter of the room with the others students already here, waiting to hear this week’s lecture on duels before actually reviewing all we had done in the class this term. Oh Merlin, our exams are next week! I thought. Just one more week of classes, five days, and we can go home! Yes!

Remus walked into the room with James and Sirius at his side. Oh Merlin no.

“Hey Artemis,” Remus said, walking across the room to stand next to me. “So, um, did you come to a decision over lunch?”

I shook my head. Not in a ‘No, we’re finished!’ but rather in an ‘I have no clue what to think yet’ manner. “Not yet.”

Remus nodded.

Merlin, he asks me that every time he sees me. Probably worried that I won’t take him back after he practically confessed that he has self-esteem issues yesterday. Honestly, I know I’m awesome, but shouldn’t that awesomeness rub off on him? I smiled. Yep, no self-esteem issues with this girl. Just issues.

“What’s so funny?” Remus asked.

“Just telling myself how awesome and radical and cool and far-out and-”

“You’ve been reading Randy’s letters again, haven’t you? You’re using Muggle slang.”

“See? I’m hip enough to use it correctly!”

“Oh Merlin,” Remus muttered.

Okay, Defense was a breeze. We didn’t duel anyone (we’ve already dueled all our classmates once before). But for our exam, we had to duel our Professor. And in order to give us all enough time to face him (and him enough time to recover from the injuries he expected to receive), we’d be staggered for our duels. The first duel would begin on Monday morning, nine o’clock, and-

“I have the first duel?” I asked without thinking when I saw the schedule written on the chalkboard.

“Is there a problem, Artemis?” Professor DiGroop asked, seeming surprised at my outburst. “You have the highest duel success rate in the class.”

“Uh, no problem,” I said. Merlin, how am I supposed to attack a teacher? Let’s see, if I take down my professor, I might get in trouble. But if I don’t, I might not get good grades. Argh!

“Artemis? Did you hear me? Do you want me to reschedule?”

“Uh-?” Ugh, what was I supposed to say? I was hoping to hear from others and see what extent of curses I could throw at a teacher without fear of going overboard.

Remus looked down at me, then across to the professor. “Wait, so you actually want us to try to defeat you? We won’t get in trouble for actually attacking you and possibly hurting you?”

“Comes with the job,” DiGroop said casually. “Besides, I know I’m not the best in the world, or else I would be an Auror. I know I have a couple future Aurors in the room right now.” He looked to James and Sirius, who were grinning widely. “But my goal is to make sure you are safe when you enter the real world. These are dark times, and your generation is the unfortunate one that has to grow up in such times. So please, study your attacks and methods hard. Make sure you can use them in case of emergencies. This is all for you.”

Remus nodded. “Thank you professor.”

Class then turned to practicing specific curses, spells, and jinxes we wanted to use for our final. It wasn’t in a duel format, so Remus, James, Sirius, and I formed a group and took turns cursing each other. Okay, okay, I mostly turned my want to Sirius, but I just liked seeing bad things happen to him. It was funny to watch Sirius pout to James and Remus about how I was picking on him. Amazing how the ‘sexiest bloke in school’ sometimes acted like a spoiled child.

After class, I stopped Remus as he was about to leave with James and Sirius. Well, actually, I just said a quick ‘thank you’ for asking my question to the professor before heading Gryffindor Tower. Remus just smiled at me, asked if I made up my mind yet, and backed away when I again told him I didn’t know.

Honestly, what was I going to say to Remus? I couldn’t leave him waiting forever. I decided to head down to the kitchens instead to mull things over. Maybe a blueberry muffin would help.

~~~***~~~

After breakfast the next morning, I was still trying to sort things out. Everything, I mean. I knew that I was missing four days of memories and one day of actually living my life. Well, I learned last night after my roommates thought I was ‘asleep’ (honestly, the drapes were not soundproof without a silencing charm), they were going off about how I was apparently ‘pretending’ that nothing weird had happened over the past week. I guess no one had informed them that my accident had knocked those four days out of my head.

Anyway, I found out that after the Defense duel where I made Remus say ‘spatula’ in a high, squeaky voice, I went back to our dorm to write up my Defense essay and do some homework. Lily and Kati had continued to try to get me to talk. And that was when I blew up at them.

No, I didn’t make them explode. But I was evidently sick of them being nice to me and verbally cursed them out, saying something along the lines of how Lily should have no say in what I do because she’s never had a boyfriend (thank you James) and that even though Kati thinks she was helping me, I didn’t need any support from a fellow ex-girlfriend of Remus.

Then Melissa and Samantha came into the room. I threw a slug-spewing curse at Samantha, apparently for no reason. Well, Samantha complained it was for no reason, but I knew I had been tempted to get her at a few points over these past six years. As I listened to my roommates further, I found that as the weekend progressed, I would verbally curse them and whatever they were doing that annoyed me.

Yeah, I remember the anger at Remus, I thought. I guess hanging out with him and the other Marauders made me feel more like myself at home, so I didn’t feel the need to put on my act. The things I did to my roommates remind me of what I do at home whenever I come across the girls I’ve grown up with. It’s like I totally abandoned my school persona. At least I seemed to have controlled myself on Monday if I didn’t receive any detentions, so that’s some good news.

But then I came back to the source of my problems- Remus breaking up with me. Sure, he said that he didn’t really mean it, that he wanted me to be with someone better, but no one else likes me like that. In clumping my Muggle and Marauder friends together, I’m close to nine blokes. And out of those nine blokes, only one likes me in a relationship kind of way. I mean, Peter, Zach, Jake, and Nick all have steady girlfriends. James is pining after Lily. Sirius jumps from girl to girl and said I’m not really his type. Ken just has problems talking to cute girls without making himself look like a pervert. And Randy has always said he doesn’t like me ‘that way.’ So really, where’s that ‘better guy’ that Remus thinks I should be with?

Right then, Remus said he still likes me. And I knew I still like him. But what kind of girl would I be if I just went running back into his arms after he confessed his issues at wand point? It would make me look easy. Weak. Certainly not fitting of Artemis Monroe, named after a powerful goddess.

Merlin, did I just compare myself to that Greek goddess in a good light? There must be something wrong with me. And now I’m just stating the obvious for myself. And now I’m thinking to myself like I’m a third person. Definitely something wrong with me.

“Hey Artemis?”

I snapped myself out of my internal monologue, thankful that I didn’t stay in that loop of thoughts for too long. I then looked down. From the tree. That I was in. I had planted myself in the tree (no pun intended) after I ate in the kitchens, hoping that the fresh air and altitude would help clear my mind and allow me some insight into my heart. In reality, I just started thinking of random things and had just recently gotten back to my present problem with how to take back Remus in an acceptable manner. Well, at least I was comfortable and didn’t have anyone giving me weird or, in Samantha’s case, dirty looks.

“Hi Remus,” I said, going back to looking up at the sky from my perspective in the tree. I was just watching the moon set over to the west behind the trees and mountains. It was actually a pretty sight, though it looked like more of a funky oval than a circle, but full moon must have been a few days ago. I liked the full moon.

“I see you’ve figured out how to transfigure your skirt into pants.”

I nodded. “Unfortunately it only lasts an hour. I didn’t appreciate Black’s whistles the last time I climbed a tree in a skirt. I don’t like giving out free shows.”

“Shame,” he muttered.

I looked down, tilting my head to the side. Did I hear him right? “Beg pardon?”

“Uh, I didn’t say anything.”

“Sure you didn’t.” I found a dead leaf on one of the branches, still struggling to keep hold on the tree, and yanked it off. I then started ripping the leaf apart. Hey, it was already dead.

“So, you feel all right up there?” Remus asked.

“Uh-huh. Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Well, at the Quidditch game. . .”

I groaned. “Look, trees in my mind are a lot more sturdy than those stands we, well, stand in to watch Quidditch. If terrible winds and heavy snow and bombarding rain can’t bring these things down, than I most certainly won’t.” I brushed some bits of the dead leave off my pants. “I’m weird that way.”

“Just that way?”

“I heard that one!”

“Look, my neck is killing me, trying to look up at you. Can’t you come down?”

“But I’m comfortable up here. Can’t you come up to me?”

“Uh, well, I can’t climb trees.”

“What?! Everyone can climb trees!”

“Not everyone. Now please, won’t you come down?”

“Fine, fine, I’ve already shredding this thing to bits anyway.” Besides, the moon just sank below the mountains. It seems to move quite fast when you have some frame of reference. I stood on the tree limb. But then I realized I really didn’t want to be on the ground. But Remus didn’t want me so high. Well, this tree didn’t exactly have low branches. But the next tree did. What if I-?

“Artemis?! What are you-?”

“Jumping from tree to tree,” I said just before I hurled myself forward, from the tree I was in to the tree a few meters away. I lost some altitude, of course, but I managed to land in the tree I wanted. And get this- I didn’t crack my head open this time!

“Artemis!”

“You know, if you keep calling my name, the Greeks might charge you in royalty fees,” I said. But I started to climb down some of the limbs.

“Why didn’t you just come down from the tree you were just in?” Remus demanded, now standing under my new tree, his wand drawn to obviously help if I lost my balance. Honestly, I live in trees during the summer. I think I know how to stay in them.

“Because that tree doesn’t have these low branches.” Once on the lowest branch, I sat down facing away from Remus, hooked my legs around the branch, and let myself fall backwards. I was then just a few centimeters higher than Remus’s face. Sure, I was hanging upside down with only my legs to support me, but I was fine. “There. Happy?”

“Not exactly.”

“Did you know that even when I look at the world upside down, I can still tell that you’re smiling, even though your lips are twitching ‘downwards’ according to my angle?”

“That’s because my lips have the context of my face. And I thought you would come down-”

“I did-”

“To the ground.”

“You didn’t specify that part.”

Remus sighed. But he was still smiling. “What am I going to do with you?”

“Hopefully not think that girls grow on trees.”

Ooh, a smile with parted lips. I missed those lips.

“Look, not to sound demanding or anything, but I got the impression that you still wanted to be my girlfriend.”

“Uh-huh.”

“But now you’re the one that’s acting like she wants to be just friends.”

“Uh-huh.”

“You also still know that I want to be your boyfriend again, right?”

“Uh-huh.”

Remus paused. “Money also grows on trees.”

“Uh-huh.”

“No it doesn’t!”

“Knuts do.”

I finally cracked Remus. He had to look down at he tried to contain his laughter.

“Thank you, thank you. Be sure to catch me again. Regular shows resume in January, 1977.”

It took Remus a few minutes to gather his composure. He tried twice but failed when he actually looked up at me. The third time turned out to be the charm when he was able to look up without grinning like crazy or holding back giggles. And yes, blokes giggle. I should know.

“You’re going to make me ask you again, aren’t you?” Remus asked.

“Ask me what again?”

Remus sighed. “Will you be my girlfriend again? Because I really do miss us being together.”

And now I was back to my dilemma. Take him back or leave him hanging for a bit longer? Wait a second, that’s it!

“I’m ready to give my answer.” I reached up, grasped the tree limb, swung my legs over my head, and twirled back down to the ground. I landed perfectly in front of Remus without so much as a stumble.

Remus clapped softly. He stopped when I started to walk back towards the castle without speaking with him. “Wait, I thought you were-”

“I was.” I turned back to Remus, charged at him, and pushed him against the tree trunk. My hand found Remus’s tie and pulled it downward, bringing Remus’s face closer to my reach.

“My neck could have done without you pulling me down by my tie again,” Remus whispered to me.

“Where’s the fun in that?” I whispered my response. I then pulled his tie a little more.

Our lips smacked together. Not the most graceful beginning to a snog, but it didn’t matter. At the touch of Remus’s lips to mine, I nearly forgot that it was December. In fact, I hadn’t felt this warm since before he tried to break up with me. I pressed myself against him, effectively keeping his body backed up against the tree. As I felt his tongue slide into my mouth, his arms snaked around my waist, keeping the two of us close together. Merlin, I had missed this. I had nearly forgotten how great this feeling was.

Finally, the two of us realized we needed air around the same time. We broke apart, both panting and most likely both pink. The steam from our breath mingled together before dissipating in the crisp air.

“Thank you,” Remus whispered softly. His voice send chills down my spine.

I smiled. “So, you won’t do that to me again?”

He shook his head. “Never.”

“Good.” I reluctantly pulled myself away from him and took a few paces away from the tree. “Now remain calm. Wingardium Leviosa!”

“Huh? Aaahhhhh! Artemis!”

I used my wand to make Remus hover up, up, up into the tree I had just been in. Seeing a nice, secure place, I settled him down about six or eight meters up. I’m really bad at estimating tree heights.

“Now you can say you’ve been in a tree!” I called up cheerfully.

This time, Remus was not laughing. He found the trunk of the tree and hugged it for dear life. “Artemis! Get me down now!” he yelled, his voice cracking. “I can’t climb trees!”

“Think about it this way,” I said, containing my laughter. “You left me hanging about our relationship. I didn’t like the feelings you put me through. Now I’ll just leave you hanging in this tree.”

“Artemis!”

“And if you ever do anything as idiotic as that again,” I went on, “you’ll be begging me to only leave you in a tree.” I turned around and went to go back into the castle.

“ARTEMIS! GET ME DOWN FROM HERE!”

“If no one finds you, I’ll get you next week!” I called over my shoulder. “Keep warm!”

“ARTEMIS!”

I passed PB&J as they were coming from the castle.

“What are you doing out here?” I asked them.

“Looking to see if you’ve finally gotten back together with Remus yet,” Sirius said.

I nodded, smiling. “Yeah, we’re a couple again.”

“So where is he?” James asked, looking around.

I pointed back to where I had been, a patch of trees between Hagrid’s hut and the Black Lake. “I left him in a tree over there. Did you know that when he’s scared, he sounds like a little girl?”

“You put Moony in a tree?!” Sirius choked out.

“Yup. You can get him down if you want.” I went to walk past them. I wanted hot chocolate. My fingers were getting cold.

“But Moony can’t climb trees!” James exclaimed.

“That’s what he said. Don’t worry, I charmed the ground around the tree to act like pillows if he falls out. I don’t want him too hurt. Tootles.”

A/N: Yay, they’re back together! Like how Artemis did it? Was it true to her character? Liked it, hated it, just let me know in the box below. Any other thoughts? Put in the box. Want to let me know that you at least read this chapter? Box! I like any reviews you have for me. Until next time!

Chapter 20: Chapter 20: Without a Trace
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A/N: Hi, I'm not JKR. She's from Britain. I live in the state of confusion, bordering insanity.

Chapter 20: Without a Trace

“I’m so happy!” I clapped my hands together, then rubbed them together in a way that reminded myself of a diabolical genius, ready for her master plan to get underway.

“What about, that you get to attack Professor DiGroop this morning?” Remus asked, adding a square of chocolate to his hot chocolate.

“No,” I said. “Something even better happens today.”

“What?” Sirius asked.

“Oi, hands off my muffins! But today is December 13.”

“Yeah, so?”

I sighed, but I wasn’t too bothered. “Don’t you think that thirteen is a beautiful number?”

“Thirteen is considered by many people to be unlucky,” Remus said.

“Well, a baker’s dozen has thirteen of something. That’s not unlucky.”

“It is for the baker,” Sirius said.

“There are thirteen full moons in a year!”

Remus choked on his hot chocolate.

“Remus, you okay? Anapneo.” I pointed my wand at his throat and dislodged the liquid that tried to go down into his lungs.

“Why do you mention full moons?” Remus asked, his face still red from nearly choking on the scalding-hot liquid.

“Uh, maybe because my name is ‘Artemis,’ which bring to mind the moon goddess?”

“Well, there are thirteen new moons in the year as well,” James said quickly.

“Yeah, that we can’t see because they’re new moons,” I said, rolling my eyes.

“Can we just stop talking about the moon right now?” Remus asked. “I’m trying to eat.”

“Fine, fine, we can stop talking about me,” I sighed.

“How did we start talking about the moon anyway?” Peter asked.

“I said cut it out!” Remus snapped.

O-kay, looks like someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning. Must have failed an astronomy lesson at some point. Whatever. I went back to waiting for the morning post to arrive.

“They’re here!” I clapped, sitting up and actually clearing away the plates in front of me.

“Artemis, moving food away from her?” Sirius asked. “Something must be special about today.”

Peck arrived, as usual, with my letter from home. Or rather, my letters plural. My parents actually sent a gigantic envelope with Peck. And following him were three more owls each carrying at least two packages in their talons. All four owls landed in front of me at the table.

“Early Christmas presents?” Sirius teased when they saw it was all for me.

“No, but they’re mine!” I relieved the other three postal owls before taking Peck’s envelope and offering him as many owl treats as he could eat.

All four Marauders watched me as I opened the large envelope to reveal six more, normal sized envelopes. I recognized all the handwritings on the front. I was so tempted to open them all up right now, but I had to get to Defense in a few minutes for the dueling portion of my end-of-term exam. Oh well, I could open them all later tonight. I put the envelopes in my bag and stuffed the smaller packages around the books I needed for Transfiguration later. Two of the packages were so large, I needed to actually carry in my arms.

“Care to enlighten us as to what’s going on with you?” James said.

“Nope,” I smiled. Seeing all my roommates still eating at the other end of the table, I knew it would be safe to go up to our dorm and dump this stuff off without any awkward moments. Ah, I love December 13.

~~~***~~~

It was snowing outside when I arrived at my last class of the day- Defense. I had defeated Professor DiGroop hours earlier, so I felt better about my odds of receiving a good grade in this class. And whenever he said anything with a ‘p’ sound, he let out a few bubbles from his mouth. Yeah, I think everyone in the class figured I was the cause of his problem. Ooh, another bubble.

But then, listening to him review what we would have to know for the exam on Friday really got me bored. I’d already studied this part days ago. So I just started looking out the window and watched the first substantial snowflakes of the year fall to the ground.

“What spell did you put on him?” Sirius asked as the four of us left the classroom and headed for Gryffindor Tower to meet up with Peter.

“It was just a distracter charm,” I shrugged, grinning. “He tried to cast Protego at the beginning, but I hit him with the bubble-burping charm set to ‘p’ first. His shield charm failed because he was so surprised with the bubbles coming out of his mouth. It was a lot more intense when the charm was fresh, though. The rest of the duel was a breeze.”

“Well, we have our duels tomorrow,” Remus said. “Although if you won, I guess we can’t ask you if he goes easy on us just because we’re students.”

“Hi guys,” Peter said, running up from the stairwell behind us. “Where are you off to?”

“To get you, actually,” James said.

“Yeah, where were you?” Sirius asked.

“Hufflepuff common room.”

“Of course,” Sirius said. But when he turned away from Peter, I saw his eyes roll.

“Guess what I saw when coming back up here?” Peter asked, walking next to James.

“Snow?” I asked.

“No, it was- wait, how did you know?”

“We have windows in our classroom,” James said.

“Hey Artemis,” Remus said, “we Marauders usually go out on the first real snowfall of the season. Care to join us?”

“Huh? A Marauder tradition? I don’t think-”

“Oh come on,” Sirius said. “Any girl that Remus dates for more than two weeks is okay in our books.”

“Right,” James said. “Evans is even welcome. In fact, let me go find her and ask her to join us! I’ll be right back!” James dropped his bag and ran down a side corridor.

“That felt random,” I said.

“If it involves Lily, then it’s not random at all,” Remus said, picking up James’s book bag and putting it over his shoulder.

A half hour later, it was still snowing. And the five of us were outside in regular clothes making the first tracks in the first snow of the season. Well, it’s snowed before, but the stuff either melted too quickly or it snowed for about five minutes before giving out. Anyway, I didn’t know exactly where I was going, but I felt like it would be pointless to sit up in the library to study material for our exams that I already knew. And I wasn’t going to start studying for January. I might like to read and be ahead, but that is too ridiculous, even for me.

“So, Artemis, we know your secret,” Sirius said lightly, using his wand to make a small snowball roll out beside him. It soon reached the size of a bowling ball.

“Huh?” My mind instantly thought back to my missing memories. Did Sirius and the other Marauders know what was happening to me? And now that we were all good friends they felt like they would clue me in?

“It took a lot of detective work and minutes upon minutes of research,” Sirius said dramatically.

Okay, if it is about my memories, I’m going to feel really stupid if Sirius could figure it out in minutes.

“We know that today, on December 13, you’re now seventeen years old!”

Or I could be stupid for thinking the Marauders would know anything about those memories in the first place. “Come again?”

“The packages and letters at breakfast,” Remus said, smiling. “Your giddiness and willingness to push away food before you’ve eaten a hundred kilos of blueberry muffins. The clues were right there.”

“I don’t eat that much food,” I grumbled.

“But you have to admit that it’s your birthday,” James said. “So-”

“Happy Birthday!” all four Marauders said.

And then they all threw snowballs in my face and ran off towards the lake.

“What was that for?” I yelled. But I was laughing. It had been too long since someone in person wished me happy birthday on my birthday. Though why I had snowballs thrown in my face was anyone’s guess.

“We needed a head start!” Sirius yelled across the snow-covered grounds. “Now get over here!”

“And zip up your jacket!” Remus yelled.

“I’m going to get you all!” I yelled, then ran as fast and as hard as I could to catch up to them. And because of all this, I was not going to listen to Remus (for once). My jacket was going to remain open!

So yeah, it was my birthday. Seventeen years ago, the world was blessed when I came out of my mum. Okay, maybe not blessed, but it certainly became more awesome because of me. But the last birthday that I spent with any friends was when I turned eleven. It’s not like I could ask Professor Dumbledore to floo me home every year because none of my friends could be at Hogwarts. But everyone’s cards and gifts made me miss them more. Thank Merlin that I was born so close to Christmas, though. I usually only had to endure one or two weeks of homesickness before getting on the train and knowing that I could see my friends again.

So, I caught Peter first. Easy. Then I went after Sirius. He was the next closest, and I think he was the mastermind behind all the snowballs in my face. I finally caught up to him just before he was going to dash across the frozen lake.

“Got you!” I said once I pinned him to the ground.

“Ah yes, but what are you going to do with me?” Sirius asked. I probably wouldn’t have minded that part if he hadn’t wiggled his eyebrows and winked at me.

“Head freeze!” I picked up some snow and forced it onto his face.

“Ah! Owe, owe! Moony, your girlfriend is mean! She just gave me a brain freeze!”

“Stop complaining, Pads! Not my fault she could tackle a Quidditch player so easily!”

“Black, I can’t give you a brain freeze! You need to have a brain first!”

“Hey! Moony-!”

“Stop complaining about her!”

Well, Sirius was drenched in melted snow when I finally let him up. In that time, James and Remus had cleared off the snow over part of the Black Lake and transfigured their trainers into ice skates. Even Peter, when he caught up to us, changed his into skates and attempted to skate across the ice. Well, he just slid around on his bum half the time, but he seemed to be having fun.

“You do know how to transfigure shoes into skates, right?” Sirius asked, pointing his wand at his feet.

“Yes,” I said slowly, now keeping my eyes on the revealed ice. It looked much better when snow was hiding it. “But I’m not one for skating.”

“Oh Merlin, Artemis admits that she can’t do something?” Sirius mocked me.

“I didn’t say I can’t skate-”

“There. Now prove you can skate!” My trainers turned into ice skates just as Sirius pushed me onto the ice.

Uh oh. Great. I’ve never been on anything larger than a patch of ice my dad conjured in my backyard before. How thick does ice have to be so it doesn’t crack under a person? Eep! Did I just hear the ice buckle? Will it open at any moment and bring me down into the lake, where creatures are rumored to reside and might like to feast on human flesh?!

“You alright there, Artemis?” Remus called, skating over to me.

“Just peachy,” I said, putting on a smile. At least, I hoped I was smiling. My face was already numb from the cold.

I did know how to skate. Well, in small circles anyway. I mostly watched the Marauders, who all seemed to be used to this kind of thing. Yup, definitely been friends for all six years. They were just so comfortable around each other.

I wasn’t sure what started it, but eventually they started up a game of tag. Remus was ‘it’ first, so he tried chasing after James and Sirius (Peter was too pathetic to be ‘it,’ so Remus didn’t bother with him). Whenever Remus got up to speed, though, his target slipped away and made the other bloke seemingly easier to catch. But Remus didn’t seem to mind. He actually laughed whenever one of his friends narrowly escaped him. I don’t think I’ve seen him so relaxed before. It was like he thought chasing after his best mates was the best game in the world.

“I know something you don’t know. I know something you don’t know. I know something you don’t know!”

I looked around. That voice! That taunt! I thought that was just a one-time dream! I looked around. Was the girl from my dream actually based on someone here at Hogwarts? Did she know about my memories?

“I know something you don’t know. I know something you don’t know.”

I turned away from the boys playing tag and faced out towards the rest of the lake. The voice seemed to be coming from out there. Or rather the woods across from our section of the lake. The Forbidden Forest? Was that it?

“I know something you don’t know.”

Over in the distance, in front of the first few rows of trees by the forest, I saw an outline. A girl maybe? I couldn’t be sure. The sky was too dark and overcast for me to see clearly, and even if I could she was still over a hundred meters away. I couldn’t have identified her even on the brightest of days at this distance.

“Hey guys?” I called back but keeping my eyes on the girl. I didn’t want to lose her. But from the sounds of things, the Marauders were paying me no mind.

“I know something you don’t know. I know something you don’t know!”

I skated towards her, hoping she would stay still long enough for me to question her, or at the very least speak to her. Maybe I could get close enough to curse her voice out. Girls are so annoying.

I wasn’t even a third of the way across the lake when I heard the loud crack of the ice. I looked down. The ice resembled a spider web of cracks. And the cracks were growing longer. Water seeped onto the surface of the ice.

“Uh oh.” I looked back up to the forest. But the girl was gone.

“Help,” I whispered, unsure whether I should move now and dash back to the Marauders or stay put and just hope one of them would notice me not moving.

The ice continued to crack. I felt it start to sag. No way in hell I was staying here!

I turned back and tried to run back to the boys. But I was in ice skates. I nearly lost my balance in the process. A large chunk of ice became dislodged because of my blades.

“Artemis, you all right out there?” Remus called, stopping his current pursuit of James.

Think, Artemis, time’s running out! “I can’t swim!” I yelled at the top of my lungs.

And then the ice gave out.

I started sinking. Fast. I hadn’t had enough time to take a full breath of air before I plunged into the icy-cold water. It was only five seconds in, and my lungs had already started to burn.

I flailed my limbs around, trying to swim up. But I was already two meters under the surface. The surface looked like it was already starting to refreeze itself. I tried to kick myself up but the skates felt like they were weighing my feet down. My flailing arms felt like they had massive weights stuffed into the sleeves from the water penetration. The dim light of the surface quickly started getting darker as I descended.

I thought for a second my hand touched air. But then it was back underwater again. The dim light from above grew even fainter. The only sound that I could hear was the blood pumping through my ears. The swishing sound kept getting faster and faster.

The light was darkening still. The water was cold. My lungs were on fire. I couldn’t feel anything except my water-soaked clothes. My wand? Even if I could move my fingers, I wouldn’t have been able to remove it from my waistband. Wait, did I even still have fingers? Or hands?

I thought I heard water splashing above me. Above me. Which way was that? It was completely dark now. My air was nearly gone. I got sleepy. No, I couldn’t get sleepy. I had to stay awake. If I passed out, I would start breathing. I couldn’t drown.

But wasn’t I drowning already?

Drowning, on my birthday. What are the odds of that happening? My headstone will read identical dates of birth and death, with only a seventeen year difference.

The pounding in my ears went silent. I closed my eyes. Nothing could save me. . .

I was floating somewhere. . .

And then I was cold. Bitterly cold. And it was bright, even through my closed eyelids.

I sat up and coughed, sending a ton of water dribbling down my front. I gasped and coughed again. More water came out. I tried to take a breath. The air was also painfully cold, but it was also as sweet as a spring afternoon’s air. I gasped for more air before letting myself lay back down. But I didn’t collapse onto the ground. Instead, I felt someone place their hands around me.

My ears were still full of water. Whoever was around me had garbled voices. I couldn’t understand a word they said. I took another breath and opened my eyes.

James and Peter were standing by my feet, looking down at me with pale faces. Peter opened his mouth and said something. Once again, all I heard was garbled through the water in my ears.

I reached up and poked my finger into my ears, breaking the seal of water. The sounds I got were almost shocking. I heard the soft winds as the winter storm blew in. I heard the crackling of a nearby fire. I even heard some of the nocturnal animals out by the forest in the distance. And I heard a voice that kept repeating my name, over and over again.

“Artemis? Oh Merlin, Artemis, are you okay? Artemis, say something? Artemis! Artemis!”

“T-that’s my n-n-name, d-don’t w-wear it out,” I shivered. My voice sounded raspy. I swiveled my head around, looking for the source of the voice. My gaze fell onto a very wet, very pale, shivering Remus. His arms disappeared behind my back.

Remus let out a sigh and closed his eyes when I spoke. “Thank goodness,” he whispered, lowering his forehead against mine. “Artemis, are you okay?”

“Considering I nearly dr-drowned in f-freezing cold water on my b-birthday? Just p-p-peachy.” Ugh, my mouth is on auto-pilot. How do I get control back? It’s my mouth, after all.

“Artemis, what happened?” Remus asked. “We thought you’d stay closer to us. Why did you go wandering over across the lake? It takes much longer for the middle of the lake to freeze enough for anyone to skate across without magic.”

“Oh great, now you t-tell me.”

I was just about to ask where Sirius was when he walked back from behind me. He was dry, but he was pale as well. “I just froze over the spot where Artemis fell through,” he said slowly, looking down at the ground. “And this is all my fault.”

“How is this your fault?” James asked.

“Artemis didn’t seem too keen on getting on the ice to begin with,” he said slowly. “I just thought she didn’t want to admit she was afraid.” Sirius looked to Remus. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t tell me, tell her.”

Sirius tried to look down at me, but his eyes never met mine.

“It’s nobody’s f-fault,” I said between chattering teeth. “So s-stop flattering yourself and cast a drying c-charm on my clothes! And a h-eating charm too. D-despite the fire behind you, it’s still freezing out here.”

“Right, right, how stupid of me.” Sirius waved his wand over me, then Remus after he too complained of wet clothes, and cast a warming charm over the area. Remus then picked me up and suggested we head back inside. After all, our magic really couldn’t compare to the extreme forces of nature.

“Are you really okay?” Remus whispered to me before we got started.

“Fine enough to stand on my own,” I said. “Care to let me down?”

Once again on my own two feet, I turned to look up at Sirius. “Black, I’m okay. I shouldn’t have wandered off. Don’t worry about it.”

Sirius shrugged but didn’t say anything.

“I- a’choo!- I’m going into to get some dinner. And hot chocolate. Anyone care to join me?”

As the five of us walked back to the castle, with Sirius keeping his distance from me, I wondered what he expected me to do in order for him to realize I was still his friend. Did he think something as silly as nearly drowning scared me? Well, maybe I could get him a boggart. Yeah, a boggart might work. Now, where was I going to find one before we got on the train to go home?

~~~***~~~

The next morning before breakfast (but after one blueberry muffin), I went back outside and walked around the Black Lake. There had to be something there that showed that a girl, or at the very least a person, was there last night. It had stopped snowing shortly after we went back inside and it was too cold for the snow to all have melted already.

I must have been out there for an hour before I gave up looking. I knew what I saw. The girl had been right here. But there were only animal footprints now. Not even Hagrid had been this way yet. So where had the girl actually been? Did I imagine her? Did she just cover her tracks? And why did I feel that she had all the answers I was looking for?

A/N: Again, any thoughts? Favorite moment? Confused? Let me know! Next chapter they’ll go home. Any thoughts or predictions about the story are appreciated. I love hearing from you! Until next chapter!

Oh, and because it’s reached Chapter 20 (this story is certainly longer than I had anticipated!), I’d like to thank these fine people for their multiple reviews: fire witch, orangezauber, Marauderette, Ja9, Shewolf, Werewolf Love, PineappleGoddess 13, and LuvIzMagic. And a special thanks to kassandra466 for reviewing every chapter! Also, thanks to everyone else who has at least left a review in the past. And if you haven’t left a review, don’t worry. I thank you too. It’s nice to know that people are actually reading this story and might like it. I probably wouldn’t work so hard on making sure I have chapter after chapter for you if I thought no one was reading or cared. So you’re all awesome! You all make me really happy!

Finally, I’ve got a Meet the Author topic on my author page! (I just figured it out- I’m poor when it comes to this kind of thing). Anyway, if you have any further questions, you can ask me on the forum! But don’t forget to review the chapters first (as I just finished telling you how much I love them).

Chapter 21: Chapter 21: Mixed Emotions
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A/N: "Knock Knock!" "Who's there?" "The Quiet Girl!" *pause* "The Quiet Girl who?" "Obviously I didn't create HP if you don't know who I am!" *scurries away* "Nutter." *closes door*

Chapter 21: Mixed Emotions

“C’mon, you have to admit it was funny!” James said before stepping into the carriage.

“I am,” I said. “But I don’t think it’s funny that you four have two solid months of detention waiting for you when you get back.” Though having a break from the Marauders will give me free reign over the library without questions of what I‘m doing, I thought myself. I guess there really are silver linings to every dark cloud.

“It was worth it,” Sirius went on. He pointed to a carriage a little further away. “See him? He still looks like a drum to me.”

Finally, it was Christmas time. Our exams were finished (not as hard as I had expected) and we were all packed to go home. Sure, a few students were staying, but most of us went home to spend the holidays with family and friends.

Last night at dinner, all four Marauders had excused themselves from the hall for a few minutes. When they came back, each had a choir book in their hands and they started singing the Twelve Days of Christmas on a stage they enchanted to appear at the end of the hall. And from their Marauder Morning Musicals back in September, I knew they were pretty good singers.

For the longest time, I felt like maybe these boys were starting to think that pranking the Slytherins wasn’t all they could do to gain attention. I mean, they really were good at singing together. I could see them going door-to-door singing for families and spreading cheer to everyone they would meet.

And then they came to the twelfth day of Christmas.

They sang long and dramatically. But for each of the twelve presents, one of them pointed their wand at the Slytherin table and transfigured however many amount of students into that gift or charmed them to go along with the song.

So when the Marauders were finished, with their voices echoing off the walls, we had twelve blokes turned into drums, eleven more blokes as some kind of flute or pipe, ten additional boys were jumping around their table, nine girls had the dancing charm on their legs, eight girls actually turned into the cows they were supposed to be milking, seven students turned into swans, six girls as geese laying eggs everywhere, five students rolled away from the table as gold-covered juggling rings, four girls turned into birds that would not shut their beaks, three more girls turned into hens with tiny berets on their heads, a dating couple of Slytherins turned into turtle doves, and, for the last present, Sirius transfigured his brother Regulus into the partridge while James turned Snape into the pear tree.

Yeah, when they were done, only a few first years and one second year student were left untouched. I wondered if it was a coincidence since those students left alone had yet to develop the traditional Slytherin sneer. Whatever.

I allowed Peter to get into the carriage, then pointed Remus in.

“You’re going to ride with us, right?” Remus asked.

“Of course,” I said. “But do you want to sit on my lap?”

Well, with five students in a carriage designed for four, we could have either voted one of the Marauders out (I would vote for Sirius just to be mean), Remus and I could have gotten a carriage for ourselves (and face the snickers later), or I could just sit on Remus’s lap. Yeah, I think everyone would agree that the third option was best.

The horseless carriages soon got underway in taking us to the train station. Sirius and James seemed determined to tell me all about how they executed their plan and how as of this morning fifteen students were still showing signs of the Marauder’s latest prank.

“And I saw that greasy git Snape before we left,” James said excitedly. “His greasy hair is still green! And those twigs holding the stumps of the pears kept getting into his eyes! It was great!”

“So which of you was the mastermind behind this prank?” I asked, looking across to James and Sirius. I instantly wanted to blame Sirius, but James had been working on something secret a few days ago. He might have been planning the prank back then.

James and Sirius looked to each other and started snickering. What, did they plan it together or have the same exact idea at the same time?

“What?”

“Care to look behind you at the bloke you’re sitting on?” Sirius asked.

Confused, I looked back at Remus. He was grinning sheepishly, seeming torn between meeting my gaze and looking away.

“You?” I asked. “You planned the song and cursing Slytherins? I thought that was only their agenda and you just go with it.”

“Heh, well, I did want to get in on the singing. And, uh, I didn’t think we’d have a big enough impact if we only sang.”

“I think the terminology Moony here used was ‘a musical number with visual aids,’” Sirius quoted.

I shook my head in mock disappointment. “And here I thought I was dating the nice and kind Marauder.”

“Oxymoron, Artemis,” Sirius said.

“Don’t start, Pads,” James warned his best mate.

“Just don’t tell the professors,” Remus said. “I mean, they’re so used to blaming James and Sirius for all the plans. And we didn’t really hurt anyone with this one.”

“Honestly, you think I’m going to rat you out?” I asked. “Although some of the girls who you made to dance were more out of breath than they should have been.”

“They needed the exercise,” Sirius said. “You actually feel sorry for those Slytherins? And you call yourself a Gryffindor.”

“I just don’t think you should stereotype all of them,” I said. “We have some jerks in Gryffindor that I can’t understand how they got into our House.” I was thinking of Samantha.

“But the Sorting Hat looked into our heads,” Sirius said. “It obviously saw evil when it looked into their greasy minds.”

“The Hat considered putting me in Ravenclaw,” Remus argued. “Think I should have been put there?”

“Of course not,” Sirius said. “Guts win out over brains. Besides, where would the Marauders be without our beloved Moony?”

“Expelled,” I coughed loudly.

“Thank you,” Remus said, tightening his hold around my waist. “Wow, we’re already at the station?”

“Let’s get my first compartment before anyone else gets there,” I said.

“Yeah, then I can see Evans when she goes on patrol!” James exclaimed.

~~~***~~~

Later that night when the train pulled into King’s Cross, I was one of the first people off the train. The Marauders were still cleaning up from their game of Exploding Snap that got out of control. Poor Peter had dust all over him and was freaking out about what his mum would think if she saw him in such a state.

Like all the previous years, there were a lot of parents waiting for their children. But unlike previous years, I was finally seventeen. So I was old enough to use magic outside of school! At last!

“Locomotor Trunk!” I said, pointing my wand at my belongings and making my trunk (with Peck’s cage perched on top) hover at knee-level.

I directed the trunk ahead of me through the throng of adults, using it to actually clear a path for me to my parents. They were in their usual spot in the back of the crowd. And once again, they had found the Lupins.

“Mum! Dad!” I called out, hurrying my trunk along to move through the last bit of crowd faster. I got my dad’s attention and pointed to the trunk. “See? I told you I would take my own trunk when I could use magic on my own!”

“Happy Belated Birthday, Artemis,” Dad said, walking around my trunk to engulf me in a hug. When he finished hugging me, he kept hold of my shoulders and held me out at arm’s length. “I just have a quick question for you. How do you expect to get your trunk into the car?”

“Uh, Dad, I’m of age now-”

“Through the Muggle train station?”

Muggles? Right, I had to pass by Muggles. And when that happens, I can’t use magic. So turning seventeen is pointless if I can’t use my magic wherever I want. “Humbug!” I huffed, crossing my arms and looking down at my shoes. Why didn’t I think of that?

My parents, the ever-concerning adult figures in my life, did what any normal parent would. They laughed at me.

“Glad to know you feel my pain,” I grumbled.

“Oi, Artemis!”

I turned back to the crowd of people around the train. And from the crowd came Remus. He was pushing his own belongings on a trolley. But get this- he was also pulling an empty trolley behind him. Once he reached the break in the crowd, he swung the empty trolley around and had it rest next to my still-hovering trunk.

“How did you-?” I asked.

“I know you, remember?” Remus asked. “I also saw you run off without a trolley and figured you would forget that you’d have to stop doing magic around Muggles.” He looked to my mum. “Well, Muggles that don’t know magic exists.”

“Oh don’t worry about Marie,” Dad said to Remus. “She’s half-convinced herself that she is a witch but has only misplaced her wand for the past forty-seven years.”

“Hey, don’t go announcing my age to the entire station!” Mum said, whacking Dad lightly on the arm. “Besides, it would only be thirty-six if I really was a witch.”

As I reluctantly directed my trunk onto the trolley and cut off the spell, Mum and Dad got started talking to Remus. Mum said that she had told me last year that she thought he was cute (to which Remus turned slightly pink) and Dad asked Remus what took him so long to ask me out (I rolled my eyes). Remus’s parents stayed pretty quiet, though. Mrs. Lupin moved herself to stand next to her son and eventually grabbed hold of his arm. What, did she expect someone to come around and take him from her?

“So I guess I’ll see you next year,” Remus smiled. “Have a Happy Christmas, Artemis.”

“You too,” I said. Then, I brilliant idea hit me. “Do you want to come over?”

“Huh?” The Lupins had already started moving towards the barrier.

“It can be after Christmas,” I said quickly. “You can come over to my house. See where I live, meet my Muggle friends. Though I warn you, most of them are insane.”

“Yourself included,” Remus teased.

“Remus!” Mrs. Lupin said.

“I don’t think that would be a good idea,” Mr. Lupin said, looking at my parents. “We wouldn’t want to impose on you.”

“Oh, we’d love the company,” Dad said. “Artemis usually just brings her friends home whenever she wants. And Marie would love to have more people to talk to about magic.”

I glanced at Mum. Indeed, her eyes were wide and she looked like having another witch and two more wizards at her house over the holidays would suffice for her Christmas present. But knowing that any conversation would turn into an interrogation about magic- “Uh, maybe inviting them over isn’t such a good idea,” I said slowly, taking a step away from Mum.

“Oh shush!”

“If you have time, just floo to our house,” Dad said. “Artemis and I are the only witch and wizard in our village, so try to stay low-key. We can just claim that I brought you home from work one day if anything is said.”

Remus’s parents exchanged looks. Finally, Mr. Lupin nodded. “We might take you upon your offer. It’s not often we’re invited anywhere.”

“So, are you traveling anywhere during the holidays?” I asked Remus.

“Fortunately, we’re staying home,” Remus said with a quick glance back to his parents. “Well, bye Artemis.” He went to take a step towards me, glanced at my parents, then backed up to where he had been before. “Uh-”

“Oh, go on and kiss her good-bye,” Dad said. “Honestly, it’s not like we don’t know you snog each other senseless at school. We were all teenagers at one point too.”

With another glance to his parents, Remus gave me a quick kiss on the lips before allowing his mum to take his arm again and he ushered his parents out of the barrier.

“And the Marauders wonder where I get my unusual traits,” I muttered as Dad got behind my trolley.

“What makes you say that?” Mum asked. She looked over at a wizard performing some kind of spell with his daughter and her hand mimicked the hand motions.

“Just a feeling,” I muttered. I just hoped we wouldn’t attract too much attention as we’d pass through the Muggle station.

~~~***~~~

I came up with a brilliant plan. At least, I thought so. I woke up way before the dawn, showered, changed, ate a quick breakfast I put together for myself (I depleted the cookies and muffins in the kitchen since I didn’t know how to cook), and ran myself over to the Sanders house.

I walked in the back door of Randy’s house. It hadn’t changed much since the last time I was here last summer. The walls were a bright yellow, which was even brighter whenever the morning sun would rise in the east. I dumped my coat and trainers by the door, as usual, and made my way slowly up the stairs leading to the bedrooms.

First door on the right, facing west, was Randy’s room. I pushed the door open, grateful the hinges were not squeaky, and slid into the room without a sound. The room itself had changed just a little- it was messier than I remembered. Of course, Randy wasn’t one for cleaning his room. Neither was I, but at least my Dad could sometimes use his magic to put my clothes away for me when Mum became too annoying.

Randy was still asleep on his bed in the middle of the room. He was on his side, facing the door, so at least I could see he was honestly sleeping and wasn’t pretending.

You freaked me out last summer, I should be able to do the same in winter, I thought to myself. Ugh, there was hardly any space between Randy and the edge of the mattress. Oh well, at least I was skinny. I eased myself onto the bed, keeping one leg over the edge for the inevitable moment Randy would wake up, freak out, and push me away. I wasn’t going to pin myself to the ground like he did last time.

I rested my head against Randy’s pillow and waited for him to come around. He should know that I was due to come home today (well, technically last night), so it was doubtful he would sleep in. And if he did, I would just have to lay like this for a few hours. Owe, I think my back and butt were already getting sore from the way I was twisting myself around to look like I was actually laying next to him. Can’t Randy be an early riser like me?

The sky out his window changed from grey to yellow-orange. Randy remained sleeping.

I heard the shower start and stop from Randy’s parents’ room. Randy remained sleeping.

I smelled someone, probably Randy’s mum, start to make breakfast downstairs. Randy remained asleep.

I think an hour passed and Randy hadn’t moved. So I decided to play with a lock of his hair. I poked at it with a finger, watched it flutterer away, then come back to its starting point after it moved. If I had to do this for an hour and he wouldn’t wake up, I might have to-

Movement! Randy’s legs stretched out under his bed sheets. I stopped playing with his hair and instead resumed a position that made me look like I had been here all night. Okay, okay, so now it felt like I was here all morning, but I would hound him about it later.

After a few moments of motion, Randy finally opened his silver eyes. I don’t think I’ll ever get over how they look so cool and metallic. I felt mesmerized by them as they stared straight into my boring green.

I was expecting Randy to realize someone was in his bed, freak out, and push me away. After all, that’s what I did last summer. But to my surprise, Randy actually smiled lazily. He pulled his left hand forward and touched the side of my face. He rubbed his thumb gently over my right temple. “Morning,” he whispered softly.

Okay, not the reaction I was expecting. I raised an eyebrow to go with my confusion. But I could work with this. “Do you wake up with random girls like this often?” I teased.

Randy’s thumb froze. His eyes widened. A few seconds later, his hand pulled itself away from my face. “Artemis? Are you really here?”

“No, I’m actually still at school but this is my clone, come to annoy you. Is it working?”

“Yah!” Finally, I got the reaction I was expecting. His arms pushed me away from him and I fell off what little of the bed I was already on. Fortunately, I just pivoted on my nearly-numb leg, spun in a funky circle, and ended up still on my feet. Yes, I was still standing! Better than Randy last summer!

“It took you long enough to wake up,” I complained. “I heard your parents fussing around downstairs ages before you even twitched.”

“What are you doing in here?!” Randy shrieked, clutching the covers close to him.

“Freaking you out. My plan is succeeding. C’mon, I only have a few weeks here and I don’t want to waste them.” I hopped myself onto Randy’s bed again, this time at his feet, and tried to pull the covers off of him. “Now get up! As my best mate, it’s your duty to be a witness to all the great things I will do this Christmas!”

“I’ll get up as soon as you leave my room!” Randy took hold of his covers and pulled them back towards him. I had already seen that he was sleeping without a shirt.

“How do I know you won’t just go back to bed when I leave?” I challenged him, trying to pull harder.

“I won’t, I swear. Now get out!”

“It’s not a modesty thing, right? I mean, I’ve seen you in your boxers loads of times.”

“Just get out!”

“When I know you’re up!”

“Out!”

“Up!”

We struggled like that for a few seconds. But then Randy looked over the side of his bed. Seeing something, he let his covers go. I rolled backwards and off his bed, not expecting the sudden surrender. I was just sitting myself up when a red sweater was shoved over my head.

“Randy!”

“I’ll be out in a minute!”

Unable to see, I was guided out of Randy’s room and eventually was tossed out into the hall. I bounced off the wall and landed on my bum. I tore the sweater off my head just as Randy slammed his door shut.

“How rude,” I grumbled, standing up. I left the sweater on the floor outside his bedroom and went downstairs to raid his kitchen. I was hungry.

I expected the kitchen to be empty. So I think it would be safe to say that I was surprised when I saw Suzie sitting at the kitchen table, eating a plate of scrambled eggs and reading the newspaper. She looked up at me with her blue eyes, smiled, and folded the paper over. “Artemis! Morning!”

“Hi Suzie,” I said, taking a seat across from her. Suzie was older than Randy by about four years. She currently worked at primary school with the younger children. I think she was seeing someone, but until they were married she was living here. Mostly to keep tabs on her brother. She’s also the only girl that I’ve never had anything bad to say about.

“So, I hear you have a boyfriend at school,” she said, leaning forward and smiling up at me.

“Randy told you?”

“In a manner of speaking. So, Remus, isn’t it? Unusual name.”

“Honestly, and ‘Artemis’ is normal?”

“Got me there.” She picked at the rest of the eggs and shoved them in her mouth. “I heard things got a little weird around the two of you for a while,” she said. “But everything sorted itself out?”

I nodded. “Yup. Randy shared all that?”

Suzie rolled her eyes. “Oh he most certainly did. Like you wouldn’t believe.” With her eggs finished, she got up and ran the dirty plate under some water. “Let me guess: you want ten pancakes, four eggs, and as much bacon as we have in the house.”

“Yup. Let Randy fend for himself.” That’s why I like Suzie so much- she feeds me!

Randy came down fifteen minutes later. His hair was still dripping wet onto his shirt as he sat down next to me. “Leave me any food?” he asked his sister.

“Let’s just say I have to go shopping as soon as I know you two are out of the house,” Suzie said, passing him a plate with two pancakes on it.

“What number are you on?” Randy asked me.

“Seven,” I said.

“You’re going to grow up to be a blimp,” Suzie commented. Finished cooking, she took back her set next to Randy’s and reopened the paper.

“High metabolism,” Randy and I said in unison. I then smiled at Randy for knowing me so well. He returned the smile for a second before turning pink and focusing on cutting his pancakes into tiny pieces. Why does he cut his into eighths? I only had enough patience to cut it into fourths before shoving it into my mouth.

“Okay, let’s round up the others,” I said once I was done.

“I’m not finished,” Randy complained.

“Not my fault you took an incredibly long shower,” I said. “You’re going to freeze to death out there. Don’t cry to me when you become a popsicle.” In fact, his lips were already slightly blue. Did he forget that he could shower with hot water?

I went ahead of Randy (who yelled out at me between larger bites). Let’s see, Jake was the closest one to Randy. Hopefully he was awake. Then we could-

“Artemis? Oh my god, is that you?”

I looked back. I had just crossed in front of the house of Emily Vaine. She and two of her friends were talking on their front porch.

“Oh my god,” I said, raising my voice to mimic hers, “Emily? I, like, had no idea, like, you lived here!”

Emily’s eye-shadowed eyes narrowed at me. “Is that supposed to be funny?”

“No. But your clown makeup is. But I didn’t know the circus was in town over the winter. By the way, how’s the nose doing?”

Through her makeup, I saw a faint sign of a blush. “That was years ago! Get something new to talk about and stop acting like we’re all still eleven! In fact, why don’t you-”

“Ignore her,” one of her friends, Louisa, interrupted her. “She isn’t worth our time.”

“Awe, but I haven’t seen you lot in so long,” I said. I reached down and scooped up a handful of snow. “Can’t we be friends?”

“I’d rather be friends with a giant ape,” Emily said.

“Oh, so that’s where you pathetic girls find your friends! I’ll check in with the zoo when I go to London and ask if any primates are up for charity work around here.” Hm, this is perfect packing snow. I love winter.

“You’d better not be thinking what I think you’re thinking,” the third girl, Denise, said. She was glaring at the snowball in my hands.

“How can I? You girls couldn’t have a thought if it came out of the sky and sat on you.”

“Don’t you dare throw that snowball at us,” Emily warned.

“I’m not throwing anything at you.” I then arched my right arm back, took aim, and chucked the snowball as hard as I could at the roof of Emily’s house.

“Missed us!” Emily called.

“Wasn’t aiming for you. Three. Two. One.” I snapped my fingers.

Like clockwork, all the snow on this side of Emily’s house slid loose from its hold on the roof and dumped itself forward onto the front of the house. Emily and her friends were quickly covered in the avalanche.

“Artemis!”

I looked back towards Randy’s house. He was running up the street, still working on getting his zipper hooked together for his coat. He stopped next to me and looked at the three girls shrieking and yelling as they tried to dig themselves out from under the snow.

“Randy!” Emily pouted when she saw him. “Get us out!”

Randy just smirked and looked down at me. “Your doing?”

“I just tossed a small snowball at the roof,” I said, trying my best to sound like I didn’t know the rest of the snow would come crashing down.

“She attacked us! Without reason!”

“I’d say speaking to me is reason enough,” I said. Not to mention that it’s your fault that Ken is now obsessed about his constant single status.

“Randy!” Emily shouted again. When she had our attention, she just frowned. “You would take her side, wouldn’t you? How typical.”

“What, she’s my best friend. You just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time.” Randy then placed an arm over my shoulders and guided me back on my way towards Jake’s house.

“Best friend? Yeah right.”

We walked down the street, Randy’s arm over my shoulders and my thumb hooked in one of his belt loops of his jeans. It felt great for everything to be so normal.

“What would you have done if I didn’t show up?” Randy asked.

“Coaxed them under a tree and have the same thing happen again.”

Randy nodded, grinning. “I missed you. But I’m glad you’re back, love.”

“Me too.” I rested my head against Randy as we walked. I soon got used to the rhythm of our steps.

“Just a year and half more and this can be the norm again,” Randy muttered. I felt him say that more than heard it, even through his winter coat.

“Yeah.”

Strange, I thought as we walked to Jake’s house. I’ve never felt sad thinking about Hogwarts being over before. But when I’m out of school, I probably won’t see the Marauders as much. I really will miss them. Do I honestly want it to be over anymore?

Once we were at Jake’s, though, I told myself not to think about things like that. I should have fun in the present. Leave the future for later.

~~~***~~~

“Hey Randy? Can I drive?”

“No,” he said. “You’ve never been behind a wheel before.”

“So? I’m seventeen.”

“I said no.”

I groaned and slouched back in my front passenger seat. Randy, Ken, Jake, and I were on our way to London to go Christmas shopping. Well, it was just an excuse for us teenagers to head out by ourselves. Zach had to take his little brother to the dentist today and Nick was on a date with his girlfriend. I guess that was good, though- the car would have ended up overturned with six teenagers squeezed inside.

Before I left, Mum gave me a long lecture about how if anything bad happens, I should know what curses and jinxes to use to get us to safety. But then I reminded her that the Death Eaters hadn’t attacked for a while, so it was highly unlikely that they would show up at the same time and place my friends were. But with my wand inside an interior pocket I created along my zipper, Mum felt a lot better about me leaving town without parental supervision.

So now all that was left was to endure a few hours cramped in a car as Randy drove us to London. He was the only one who was both seventeen and had a drivers license. Ken and Jake were still both sixteen, the little babies.

Right then, what can keep me entertained for the next few hours? Eh, nothing else to do but be annoying.

“Randy, can I drive?”

“No.”

“Randy, can I drive?”

“No.”

“Randy, can I drive now?”

“Not now, not ever! Come on, guys, can’t you think of something to say to keep Artemis entertained?”

“Anyone want one of these jelly beans?” Jake offered from behind Randy, showing off a bag I gave him a few days ago. They were actually Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour Beans that the Marauders were eating on the train ride home. For some reason, Remus was an expert at picking out the disgusting flavors and putting them in a separate bag. I asked to take them, thinking it would be funny to see Jake actually gag on some of the more nauseating flavors. But get this- Jake loved them! He even said a few of them tasted like chocolate-covered ants (which I’m sure that’s what the flavor was). Jake popped in a peach-colored bean that I think Remus identified as vomit. Jake didn’t even flinch.

“Where did you say you got those beans again?” Ken asked, turning a little green. He was brave enough to try a bean the other day. He threw up because it tasted like ear wax.

“Village outside school,” I said. “Figured I could try to get Jake to not like something.”

Ken just turned greener as he watched Jake eat. “I don’t think anything like that exists.”

“I‘d have to agree with you,” Jake said proudly. “Oh, did anyone tell Artemis about Ken’s more recent and multiple failed attempts to talk to people of the opposite sex?”

“No! Ooh, tell me! Tell me, tell me, tell me!” I popped out of my seat and knelt on my knees to face the backseat passengers without hurting my neck. I thought for a moment that my mouth was going to break for how wide I was smiling. Ooh, I wanted to hear this!

“Have you had any sugar today?” Ken and Jake asked in unison.

“Just chocolate chip pancakes.”

“How many?”

“Six.”

“This is going to be a long trip,” Randy muttered.

“Tell me about Ken’s recent humiliation!”

“He’s still got that bad reputation as being a pervert,” Jake laughed.

“I do one stupid thing,” Ken said slowly, shaking his head. “One stupid thing gets me a poor reputation for something I didn’t even mean to do!” Ken sat back in his seat and looked out the window. “I’ll never kiss a girl at this rate.”

“Oh sure you will,” I said. I tried to reach around the back of my chair to pat Ken on the head. “Just inherit a lot of money, wait fifty years, and invite a gold-digger into your mansion. She’ll have to kiss you when she marries you for your money.”

“I didn’t exactly need those words of encouragement,” Ken said. “And stop trying to touch me!” He tried swatting my hands away. Unfortunately, he wasn’t too good at it. Didn’t he remember that he can’t stop me? He tried to take shotgun when we got in the car. I literally crawled over him and pushed him out by wedging myself between the driver’s door and Ken’s body, then shoving him out with my legs. He was lucky that the bump on his head wasn’t too noticeable.

“I’m trying to reassure you! Don’t resist.” I tried to stretch my arms back further, now aiming to touch his nose. I didn’t know why, but it seemed like a fun thing to do.

Jake just smiled at watching the two of us going at it. “You know, Ken,” he said slowly, “you could always just snog Artemis to get that first kiss out of the way.”

Huh? Ken, kiss me? Ewe! I pulled my arms back to the front seat and scooted as far away from Ken as I could. I ended up almost falling down between the dash board and the edge of the seat, which would have wedged me into a very uncomfortable position for the rest of the trip.

“Ugh, Jake, I just had breakfast,” Randy said, sounding like he really was disgusted with the idea of Ken and me snogging each other.

Jake just shrugged calmly. “I don’t see what the big problem is. Didn’t you say something last summer about how you’re a girl?”

“I am a girl, but there are two problems with the thought of me even kissing Ken, which is totally disgusting. One: you blokes are like the brothers I was fortunate not to have. Two: I already have a boyfriend!”

Jake’s grin vanished, just as his eyebrows did into his hair line. Ken, who had pushed himself against the back seat of the car, had his eyes so wide I could see the whites completely around his irises. Ken’s jaw went slack as he just gazed at me.

“What?” I asked. I then tried to pull myself out of the front dash without getting my bum stuck sitting on the floor. I didn’t think Randy would pull over so I could get myself free.

“Since when did you have a boyfriend?” Ken asked.

“Yeah, you never said anything about any blokes at your school you like.”

“Unless-” Ken looked to Randy.

I also looked at Randy, surprised they didn’t know about Remus.

Randy’s ears had turned pink, but otherwise he kept driving. His silver eyes remained focused on the road ahead. His jaw looked like it tightened and loosened a few times, though he did not say anything.

“Mate, did you know Artemis had a boyfriend?” Jake asked cautiously.

There was a moment of silence. Then, “Yeah. Just didn’t think it was worth mentioning. That’s all.”

Ken and Jake looked at each other for a few seconds. They broke eye contact at the same moment and looked out their separate windows.

Um, why did it feel like the car’s heater had suddenly stopped working in here? Maybe I was missing something, but I decided against pursuing that topic. I’m not sure why, but I didn’t. Instead, I pushed myself up from my awkward position and sat correctly in the seat as I was supposed to. The ride then got boring again. There’s nothing better to do here.

“Randy, can I drive?”

“NO!”

A/N: Muggle world is back. Do you like it? Want me to get back to Hogwarts asap? What about the characters? Any feedback on them? What about predictions? Please, let me know. Tootles!

Chapter 22: Chapter 22: Lovely London
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A/N: You know I'm not JKR. She gets paid in money. I get paid in your reviews. My wallet might be light, but my spirits are also light. Enjoy the chapter.

Chapter 22: Lovely London

“Are we there yet?”

“Yes, Artemis, we’re here.” Randy put the car in ‘park’ and turned off the engine.

“YES! AT LAST!” I went to jump out of the car, but I banged my head against the roof. “Owe, my head.”

“I knew she would do something like that,” Jake said, getting out of his seat without any problems.

“Would she be our Artemis if she didn’t say or do something stupid every fifteen minutes?” Ken laughed.

“You’re not much better than me, Butter Boy,” I said.

Ken turned pink.

“Hey, maybe there are girls here that don’t know of his poor reputation,” Jake said. He and Randy joined us on the sidewalk. “Let’s see if we can hook you up with a girl who’s interested in long-distance relationships.”

“You’re really going to take love advice from someone whose breath smells like vomit?” I asked Ken. We stood around Randy’s car, out of the way of all the people busy going from shop to shop or just going through their daily routine in the city.

“That’s the magic of this season,” Jake said, pulling out a peppermint candy cane from his back pocket. From the way it looked, I would guess that cane was from a few years ago. “Just stick one of these in your mouth and your irresistible to the ladies. Too bad Shannon’s not with us.”

“I thought you were dating Marilyn,” I said.

“Months ago! She got weird when she saw me eating week-old spaghetti. As long as you scrape the moldy bits out, it’s still good to eat.”

“I was going to suggest we eat lunch first, but I just lost my appetite,” Ken said.

“Well, I’m hungry anyway,” Jake said, looking up and down the busy street. His eyes lit up when he saw a sign at the end of the block. “Ooh, sushi! Let’s go, Ken, no place to pick up girls like a sushi bar and grill.” He pushed Ken in the direction of the restaurant.

“Says who? And isn’t sushi supposed to be raw fish?”

“Says me, and yeah. If the place is any good, they’ll have stuff that still moves around on your plate! Now that’s good food! Can’t get stuff like that in our village.” He and Ken started moving away quickly now.

“Now wait, I never agreed-” But despite his protests, he was moving with Jake anyway. If he really didn’t want to go, he should dig in his heels, I thought. He’s too wishy-washy for his own good.

“We’ll meet back here in three hours,” Randy said as Jake started to drag Ken to the sushi place. “Did you hear me? Three hours! We have to be home before the storm moves in!”

“Right, it’s just a little snow. Anyway, you’d get in massive trouble if you leave London without us,” Jake said. “Enjoy your time with Artemis.” He winked and disappeared into the crowd.

“I hate it when blokes wink like that,” I grumbled.

“Is your head okay?” Randy asked, turning his attention to me. He reached up and rubbed his thumb gently over my bump, if there even was one. “No permanent damage?”

“Well, I don’t think I’ll be quite right in the head ever again,” I said, smiling. “Do I get special treatment for my own stupidity?”

“No wonder you’re nuts,” Randy said. “Let’s just go shopping before you accidentally cause a traffic accident.”

“From the sidewalk?”

“You heard me.”

“Fine. Turn around!”

Confused, Randy did as he was told. I then jumped up and clung to his back. “Now we can go shopping,” I announced, scooting up his back to see over his shoulder.

Randy’s arms automatically reached around to get a secure grip of my legs. But otherwise, he groaned and sagged under my sudden presence. “Warning would have been nice.”

“Key word: ‘would.’ Now mush! On to shopping!” I pointed over Randy’s shoulder to show him what direction I wanted him to go.

“People are staring at us.”

“So?”

“Never mind. But couldn’t you have at least zipped up your coat?”

“Never! Besides, you can keep me warm.” I tightened my grip around Randy’s back, enjoying the ride. “Now hurry up! We have less than three hours to go shopping!”

Yeah, people stared at us. In the stores I had to get off Randy’s back and shop like a normal person. But once we’d leave a store, Randy was stuck carrying his gifts, mine, and me. Good thing he’s pretty strong.

“We have a half hour and four more people to shop for!” I exclaimed, looking at a list I pulled from my back pocket.

“Who else? You’ve gotten a zillion gifts already!”

“Don’t be a wimp, I don’t have that many. Anyway, I only need to shop for my parents, you, and Remus.”

Randy stumbled a little as he walked down the street. Maybe all the weight was finally getting to him. “You really think your present will get to Remus in time for Christmas? The post won’t be able to deliver anything to him until after the holiday. Unless you plan to give it to him in person.”

“Hey, I have absolutely no idea where he lives. Oh, but I invited him to come over after the holidays. You’ll finally get to meet him after me writing about him all the time.” I clapped my shoes together. Just thinking of Remus meeting my other friends was getting me excited.

“Oof! If you keep kicking me, I’m going to keel over and you’ll get more than a bump to the head.”

“But I’ll land on you.”

“Who said anything about you getting hurt after I fall?!”

“Artemis? Is that you?”

Randy turned us around to the source of whoever spoke my name. My jaw nearly fell when I saw Lily Evans standing outside of a book store. Beside her was a girl I suppose was her sister. However, it looked like Lily got all the pleasant looks. The other girl had too much neck and a sour disposition.

“Uh, hi?” I hopped off Randy’s back and straightened my coat. Okay, what do I do when a Muggle friend meets a witch? In the entire city, why did I have to run into someone I know?!

“I thought it was you,” Lily said, sounding formal and polite. Probably worried I’d go off on her like I did during those missing few days, I thought. “Quite a surprise.”

“Definitely,” I agreed. Ugh, there were too many people present for me to think of running back to Randy’s car and crawling under the engine. At least without someone making a call and getting the police involved in this crazy girl’s behavior.

“Eh-hem!” Randy coughed.

“Oh, uh, is this your brother?” Lily asked, staring up at Randy. She smiled shyly up at him.

“Heavens no!” I chocked, laughing. Randy, my brother? “I’m not that unfortunate to be related to him! This is my best mate, Randy Sanders.” I turned back to Randy. “Randy, this is one of my roommates from school-”

“Lily Evans?” Randy shifted some bags to his left hand and reached out to shake Lily’s with his right. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“You have?” Lily blushed as she shook his hand.

Randy nodded, smirking. “Red hair. Green eyes. Smartest girl in your year. Prefect. In love with James Potter.”

Lily’s emerald eyes widened and she turned to me. “What did he say?!” she demanded.

“I told you, she doesn’t realize it yet,” I snapped at Randy, whacking him on the arm. His coat buffered much of my force, though. Too bad.

“Artemis!” Lily yelled.

“Uh, so who are you shopping with?” I asked, hoping that Lily wouldn’t take out her wand and hex me for making ‘false accusations,’ even though she was still sixteen.

“This is Petunia, my older sister,” Lily said. She looked back to Petunia. “Sorry, I forgot to introduce you.”

“Oh, why should I mind?” Petunia asked sarcastically. “It’s not like I want to actually know any of your freaky friends from your freaky school.” Lily winced every time Petunia spat out ‘freak’ in one way or another.

“For the record, I don’t go to their school,” Randy said.

Petunia nodded, though she didn’t seem to think highly of any of us. I wondered if she got constant nosebleeds from the way she held her head back so much.

“Lily, we need to finish shopping,” Petunia said. “I told Vernon I would meet him for dinner and it’s getting late.”

“Oh all right.” Lily rolled her eyes at the talk of this ‘Vernon’ bloke.

I checked my watch. “Yikes, she’s right! It’s getting late. We gotta hurry up, Randy! Move!” I pulled him by his right wrist to the next shop we were to visit. I hoped Lily wouldn’t follow us.

“It would help if you took some bags, Artemis!” Randy yelled at me.

“Now why would I give myself extra work?” I challenged, grinning from ear to ear now.

I picked up the last of my presents with the last of my money, then rushed Randy into trying to find his car again.

“Ken and Jake are going to kill us for being late,” Randy said, now leading me down the streets to his car. The street lights turned on a while ago, even though the grey clouds reflected enough light to prevent it from being pitch black. People in the city must be afraid of the dark.

“Only if Jake didn’t hook Ken up with a random girl,” I pointed out. I looked to the left as we passed by The Leaky Cauldron. I saw a few witches and wizards sitting around through the windows.

“If that happened, Ken would have just gotten himself into a mess again and been kicked out of whatever store he was in,” Randy said. His eyes didn’t even glance into the pub as we passed. I sighed. Why does Randy have to be a Muggle?

A shop at the end of the street exploded.

The force of the explosion blew me off my feet. Randy landed beside me. Other people on the sidewalk screamed. Ouch, now my bum was throbbing.

“What the hell?!” Randy yelled, dropping some of our bags onto the street.

I looked up and down the street. My heart sank into my gut. “Death Eaters,” I whispered.

There they were- Death Eaters. I’d never seen one in person, but I knew the description from Dad and the papers. And here they were. On the same street as me in London. They wore their usual black robes and hideous masks designed to hide their true identities. At present, I counted three. But there could have been more.

“We have to leave!” I helped Randy up. I pulled him away from the Death Eaters. The Death Eaters started attacking the nearby Muggles. I had us weave through the stunned crowd faster. We were also heading away from our ride home.

“But our packages-”

“Forget them!”

Death Eaters? Here? Now? Right when I’m shopping? And Randy is with me! I have to protect him! I reached into my jacket lining to remove my wand. I felt a little better when I felt the wood between my fingers.

“Artemis, are you all right?” Randy asked.

“We have to get out of here,” I said aloud. I pushed us past the still-dazed Muggles. Some were walking towards the explosion. Like moths to a flame. But I couldn’t worry about them now. I had Randy. “Merlin, why don’t I know how to Apparate yet?! Can I even Apparate with a Muggle? I should have headed for the Leaky Cauldron when we passed it. Too late now. Stupid, Artemis, stupid! You’re smarter than this!”

“Artemis-”

Another explosion rocked the street. A shop we just passed ten seconds ago. Orange flames licked at the crisp winter air. The light tinted everything in that orange hue. More people started screaming. Panicking. I pulled Randy’s arm harder.

“Bloody hell!” Randy yelled, finally picking up the pace. His silver eyes, now looking red-orange from the fire, turned back to the destroyed shop.

I wasn’t worried about the fire. I had turned back and saw four more Death Eaters. One of them scanned the crowd in our direction. Through the eye slits in the mask, our eyes locked. He saw me. And my wand.

“This way!” I knew it wasn’t safe. We should have stuck to the crowd, tried to blend in with the other people screaming and running. But I just exchanged looks with a Death Eater. I had a sinking feeling in my gut that he would try to come after me. I turned us down into the first alley we came across.

“Art-”

“Shut up, Randy! I’m trying to save our lives!” We reached the end of the alley. Paths darted away left and right of us. We needed to turn right if we wanted to double back to The Leaky Cauldron.

“This way!” I yanked Randy hard by his wrist. He followed after me. Just another turn and we should be free of the alleys. All we had to do was-

A trash can at the corner in front of us exploded. Randy and I were thrown back a few meters. I landed hard on my back.

“And where are we off to this fine day?” A Death Eater came out from around the corner, pointing his wand at us. I couldn’t be sure if he was the same one I saw on the street, but I was willing to bet a Sickle that he was. “Are you two lost?”

I pushed myself off the ground. My right leg burned as I applied pressure to it. Glancing down, my jeans were stained in blood. I was hurt. Ignore it. This is more important.

“We just thought we’d do an inventory of the amount of bricks in the average alley,” I said, sounding braver than I felt. I leveled my wand at the Death Eater. “You’re blocking about fifty from our view.”

“Think you’re funny, do you?” The Death Eater looked down to where I last saw Randy.

“Yeah, but looks aren’t everything.”

I heard scuffing sounds from behind, telling me Randy was still down but most likely conscious.

The Death Eater turned his wand to Randy. He tightened his grip. He was going to curse Randy.

Well, I was faster. I flicked my wand at him, thinking of my specialty curse.

It worked. The Death Eater paused longer than he should have if he was going to throw an Unforgivable at us. Perfect.

“Accio Wall! Protego!” I yelled.

The brick wall behind the Death Eater ripped itself from the back of its building. The bricks hurled forward. Most of them slammed into the Death Eater. He stumbled, then fell forward. His wand fell from his grasp as more bricks pummeled him.

My shield charm prevented the bricks from doing the same to Randy and me. They hit my protective charm, lost the magical command, and fell to the ground a meter in front of me.

“Oh my god,” Randy whispered.

I turned back to my best mate, worried he was hurt. No, he seemed to be fine. He was a bit pale, though. And his eyes were wide. He was only in shock.

“Get up.” I pulled Randy up by his collar and led him down another alley. I looked over my shoulder at the Death Eater, afraid he would try to get up. His gloved hand reached forward for his dropped wand. He gave one last attempt before passing out. His form disappeared as we turned a corner. The screams from the main street got fainter as we sped away from them.

“We should be safe here,” I said after making a few more turns. We were in a small alley, around the corner from another street. The street seemed calm, oblivious to the recent attack a few blocks away. I sat down against a wall.

Randy took a spot on the wall directly across from me. His eyes were still wide. And he was still panting after we sat down.

“You okay?” I asked after a minute. My heart rate was slowly returning to normal.

“AM I OKAY?! WHAT THE BLOODY HELL JUST HAPPENED?!”

Ouch, Randy’s never sworn at me before. But I guess he’s entitled to his own little freaking-out moment now.

“Death Eaters attacked the street we were on, and one of them followed us into the alley. I stunned him with the bricks from that wall so we could get away.”

“WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?!”

I raised my wand and cast a muffling charm around the area. We didn’t need nosy people to come by and eavesdrop on our conversation.

“I guess it’s time to be honest with you, Randy.” I took a deep breath. “I’m a witch.”

Randy just stared at me.

“I’m a witch,” I repeated, in case he didn’t hear me right the first time. I looked down at the wand in my hand. “You know, a female who can perform magic. Complete with her personal wand.”

Randy just continued to stare at me.

Uh-oh, maybe I should have just let him yell more without saying anything. This might be too much for him to handle. Oh no, what if he doesn’t want to be my friend anymore? What if he thinks I’m just more mental than a normal person should be? What if he-

“Cool.” Randy smiled. “You’re a witch? So, where’s your pointy hat?”

I rolled my eyes. “In my trunk with my school robes.”

“Robes? Awesome. Do you have a broomstick?”

“No, I get air sick. But two of my friends at school are on a team sport where they have to fly.”

“Well, why don’t you have green skin and warts?”

“Those are the Martian witches.”

“Really?!”

“NO!”

“You’re serious, aren’t you?” Randy asked.

“No, that would be a friend of mine,” I said, smiling. “I’m a witch.”

Randy shook his head slowly. Probably letting the news sink into his mind. Or just not believing me. His eyes landed on my right leg. “Artemis, you’re bleeding!”

“Huh?” I looked down. Through a hole in my jeans, I saw the stream of blood on my leg. A few centimeters above the area, I had a new hole in my jeans. The hole was outlined in my blood. A two-centimeter cut was visible through the blood.

“Oh,” I said, widening the rip in my jeans. “Adrenaline probably kicked in from that trashcan explosion for the fight-or-flight response. Had time to do both, actually.” Thinking about my injury, though, it started to burn a little.

“We have to get you to a hospital,” Randy said, moving to get up.

“No, sit tight. I’ll prove I’m a witch.” I pointed my wand at the cut. “Episkey.” I winced as the injury grew hot on my leg, then relaxed when it turned cool. I used my wand to also clear away the blood still left on my skin. “Here, look.” I showed off my leg. Clean skin. The only hint that I was hurt was still the new rip ringed with blood. I didn’t like it. “Scourgify. Reparo.” Hey, if I was going to wear ripped jeans, I wanted to have credit for wearing them out myself. All the other tears and holes have an interesting story behind them. A Death Eater attack did not rate as much as crawling around under Zach’s house looking for his turtle or being under a pile of five blokes when they manage to catch me.

Randy’s jaw fell open as he saw me perform magic. He looked from my jeans up to my eyes back to my jeans. “Impossible,” he muttered.

“Not really,” I said. “I learned the healing spell from Madam Pomfrey for my Healer training. And the other spells from classes I attend at school. Don’t you believe your eyes?”

Randy sat there for a few more minutes. I sat still, waiting for him to say something first. After all, it was a lot to take in.

“So,” he said slowly, “you’ve learned all this from school?”

I nodded. “That’s where practically everyone in the country learns it. Witchcraft, that is. I go to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.”

“And your friends from school? They’re, what, warlocks?”

“Wizards,” I corrected. “And yeah, the Marauders are wizards. Lily, who you just met an hour ago, is a witch like me.”

“So you’re dating a wizard?”

I rolled my eyes. Honestly, my best mate learns of the biggest secret I’ve been keeping from him and all he can think about is my boyfriend? And they say girls are hard to understand.

“Yes, I’m dating a wizard. I can’t exactly date Muggles at school.”

“Muggles?”

“Oh, right. That’s what we call people who can’t do magic. You’re a Muggle. Ken and Jake are Muggles. Nick, Zach, and Suzie are Muggles.”

“So how come you’re a witch?”

“My dad’s a wizard,” I said.

“And your mum must be a witch too,” Randy said, nodding. “Now it makes sense on why you have such a funny name. Wizards and witches like naming their kids weird things, don’t they?”

“Actually, Mum’s a Muggle like you and everyone else in our village.”

“But didn’t you once tell me that your mum’s the one who named you?”

“Yes.”

“But then why-?”

“Mum’s in love with the wizarding world,” I said. “You know how I write to you once a week? I write to Mum once a day to tell her all about what I’ve learned. I actually think she knows more about magic and how the stuff works than Peter.”

“So your mum knows you’re a witch.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Why didn’t you tell the rest of us before?”

I looked down at my trainers. “I wanted to,” I muttered. “Terribly. I almost did tell you a few times.”

“What stopped you?”

“Wizarding law,” I said. “The International Statue of Secrecy, 1689. The wizarding world and the Muggle world haven’t coexisted for almost three hundred years. I think my professor mentioned some issue with the colonies around the same time, but I’ve tried to block out history lessons.” I smirked. “Most of it involved goblin rebellions anyway.”

“Let me get this straight then,” Randy said slowly. “You couldn’t tell me you’re a witch because wizarding law says you can’t. Then how come your mum’s a Muggle? Your dad had to have told her.”

I opened my mouth to answer. Then stopped. Why didn’t I ever think of that? Randy was right in that Dad told mum he was a wizard before they married. Mum said that was the third best news she’d had in her life (with her marriage proposal and her pregnancy with me being one and two). And Muggles obviously marry into magic all the time. The Statue of Secrecy was in place to protect our world from the persecution of Muggles who feared our powers. Telling loved ones was allowed. And I loved my friends, who were like my brothers I was fortunate not to be related to. I had shared everything else about myself with Randy, trusting him more than anyone in my life. But I never trusted him with my biggest secret.

“Fine, you’ve got me. I suppose I was just too afraid on how you would react to finding out my secret.” I shrugged. “I guess I thought you would think differently of me.”

“Never,” Randy said, shaking his head. “It’s part of who you are. Besides, there’s always been something off about you.”

“Yeah, you just thought it was my personality.”

We laughed.

“Seriously speaking, you should never have to worry about how I’d feel about you, love,” Randy said, reaching forward and patting me on the shoulder. “My feelings for you would never change.”

I smiled, grateful he would always be my best mate. “Thanks, Randy.”

We sat in silence for a few more minutes. I couldn’t get over how well Randy seemed to be taking the news about me. It was perfect, actually. After all this time, over twelve years of friendship, I didn’t have anything left to hide.

“You look pretty happy over there,” Randy said. “Care to share?”

“Am I that obvious?”

“Obvious, oblivious, take your pick.” Randy rolled his eyes.

“For your information, I was thinking about how nice it is that you’re taking this news pretty well. I’ve never told anyone this, but I’d always hoped you’d be a Muggle-born wizard.”

“Huh?”

“That’s what my dad is,” I clarified. “Your parents are Muggles. But some people are born being able to do magic with Muggle parents. All four of my grandparents were Muggles. Anyway, when we became best friends and I knew I would go off to Hogwarts at eleven, I realized I would have to leave you behind.” I traces the knots in my shoelaces with my eyes. “So I kept a close eye on you, hoping and wishing that you would exhibit some sort of magic. I wanted to be able to tell you that you were a wizard, and then the two of us could go to school and learn magic together.”

“But I’m not a wizard,” Randy said.

“I know. No one else in our village is magic. Just me. That’s partly why you haven’t heard of me getting into much trouble at school. No accomplices.”

“Glad to know I’m such a good influence on you,” Randy said sarcastically.

I laughed a little. “I would spend all my time in the library, studying magic to the best of my abilities. Whenever I got homesick, which was quite often my first year, I would imagine what you’d suggest we do for fun. Every new spell we learned, I knew you would find a way to use it in ways not intended. We’ve had so much fun getting into trouble from what I’ve imagined up here.” I tapped the side of my head. “The two of us would have ruled the school and be constantly out-doing the Marauders. We would be the legends.” I paused. “I’ve never told anyone about those ideas, though. Maybe admitting what I wish were impossible makes my ideas sound even more impossible than before.”

“Whoa,” Randy whistled. “So I’m the main reason why you’re a goodie-goodie? I really am a rotten influence on you.”

“Don’t flatter yourself. I only said you were part of the reason. In the wizarding world, if you get kicked out of school, you can’t do magic anymore. The Ministry would strip me of my wand, breaking it in half, and chuck me out without-”

Wait a tick.

I leaned around the corner of the alley to see the street. The street was still calm. “Merlin, why didn’t I think of this sooner?!” I stood up and offered a hand to Randy.

“Merlin?”

“Sorry, it’s an expression I picked up at school. And yes, Merlin was a real person. No, I just realized that we’re a few blocks away from the visitor’s entrance to the Ministry of Magic!”

“Ministry of Magic? Cool!”

I led us down the next alley and looked up and down the street. It seemed quiet. “Look, if we get into the Ministry, we’ll be protected from the Death Eaters.”

“Death Eaters are the blokes who were trying to kill us, right?”

I nodded. “They hate Muggles. Think you all should be made as slaves for us.”

“Well, that’s not too pompous of them.”

I turned to Randy. I needed to make him understand the situation. This wasn’t a game. “Look, the visitor’s entrance is a red telephone box. It will look out of order, but it’s to avoid the casual Muggle from using it. When we get to the booth, close the door and dial 6-2-4-4-2.”

“Why those numbers?”

“It spells ‘magic.’ Duh.”

“Excuse me. But why do I have to know if you’ll be with me?”

I pressed my lips together. Something just didn’t seem right about how calm the street was. I mean, this was London, right? A city. There are more people living in some buildings than the population of our village. “Something doesn’t feel right somehow. And you can’t fight these guys. If I get caught up in a duel, I want you to get yourself somewhere safe.”

“I’m not leaving-”

I pressed the tip of my wand against Randy’s throat. “Randy, I’m serious about this! If I were by myself, I would attempt to Apparate myself out of here. But I’ve never done it without my dad, and I’m afraid of Splinching myself, not to mention side-along Apparation always made me puke anyway. Death Eaters like to kill Muggles, and I think you’ve already gotten the idea that you’re a Muggle!”

Randy just nodded slowly, although I think he only understood the last part of that. I removed my wand from him and took a final look out to the street to be absolutely sure it was clear.

“I’ve never seen you like this before,” Randy whispered.

“Like what? I’ve been pissed off at one of you guys at one point or another before-”

“No. All serious-like. No-nonsense. I usually don’t think of you without a smile.”

“Getting all sentimental now isn’t really appropriate,” I said. “The street looks clear. I’d say we make a dash for the Ministry and take our chances.”

Randy nodded silently. I was never so grateful before that Randy was the fastest of my friends. He would have the best chance of keeping up with me for the longest.

We ran out from our alley. I turned us left and ran down the sidewalk. No one was walking around out here. Strange. Right turn. Randy kept on my heels. Again, no other pedestrian traffic. Weren’t people supposed to be getting off work now? Whatever.

“There’s the box!” I said, pointing to the entrance. “Remember the code?”

“Yeah. I- I remember!”

“You have longer legs but are more winded than me?”

“Confringo!”

A postal box exploded into flames just as I passed it. “Protego!” I screamed, protecting Randy from the flames before they could touch him.

“Quick reflexes from a little girl.” Another Death Eater had appeared on the other side of the street.

“Randy, run!” I ordered, stopping to face the Death Eater. I took down one earlier. Let’s hope I could do the same again.

The Death Eater chuckled. “A little witch? That’s all the challenge I get?” He paused. Looked at something behind me. “Hm, no wand. Muggle.”

I looked over my shoulder. Randy was still standing behind me. What did he think he was doing?! “Randy, run!” I yelled again. What did it take for him to listen to me?!

The Death Eater rose his wand and pointed it at Randy. Oh no, Merlin no. Don’t have it be-

“Crucio!”

Protect Randy.

I dashed forward to get Randy to start moving again. I ended up between Randy and the Death Eater.

The curse hit my back. Pain. Burning. I cringed. Stumbled forward. More pain. A pair of arms caught me.

“Artemis! No!”

I couldn’t think. Couldn’t act. The pain. Everywhere. I squeezed my eyes shut tight. This couldn’t be happening. Let it go away.

And then . . .

The pain faded . . .

And I fell into unconsciousness.

A/N: Any thoughts? How was the Death Eater attack? What about Randy finding out Artemis is a witch? Any predictions on what happens for the next chapter? Please, I really want your feedback on this one! Don’t let me down!

Chapter 23: Chapter 23: Where Are We?
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A/N: I'm not JKR. She created HP so is therefore awesome. I did not create HP, so I- oh. Nevermind.

Chapter 23: Where Are We?

Please let the last thing I remember have been a nightmare, I thought, feeling myself start to wake up. I felt I was in a bed. Hopefully this was my bed, despite the sheets feeling stiff. I only dreamed that Death Eaters attacked London right in front of me and I had to tell Randy my secret. Please let that torture curse I took have just been Mum’s cooking messing with my mind. I knew I should have banned Mum from the kitchen.

I opened my eyes. Well, there go any hopes of that all having been a dream. I don’t recognize this place, so I‘m definitely not at home or in St. Mungo’s. I sat up. I was on a bed with stiff, white sheets. The mattress felt unused. Looking around, the room itself looked like no one possibly lived in here. Sure, there was a dresser and a door leading to a white bathroom, but no personal artifacts. I knew this had to be a bedroom, but whose it was and what house or building it was in was still a mystery.

I looked across the other side of the bed. There was a window to my left. Randy stood by it, trying to pry the thing open. He must have heard me moving, because he stopped messing with the window. “Artemis!” He moved to lean over the side of my bed and helped me sit up.

“Randy? Where are we?”

“Haven’t a clue. I was hoping you recognized this place.”

I shook my head, still feeling confused. “What happened?”

Randy frowned and looked down. “After you got in front of that Death Eater and screamed from what he hit you with? I’m not really sure. I caught you and tried to get us to that telephone box. Something exploded. Must have knocked me out.” He rubbed the top of his head. “I literally woke up five minutes ago.”

Well, at least Randy still knows that I’m a witch. Don’t know if that’s a good thing or not.

“Where’s my wand?” I didn’t think unconscious people clung to things well. Unless Randy put it in his pocket before carrying me-

“Right here.” Randy reached next to me and picked it up. “It was laying on the bed next to you. I didn’t have it.”

“I don’t think Death Eaters are stupid enough to leave a witch with her wand,” I said, taking my wand back. Except for school breaks, I’d never been far from it before.

“Do you know if these Death Eaters take prisoners?” Randy asked.

I got off the bed to look outside. The sky tinted the woods outside in a light-grey hue, which would have been darker if not for all the snow still falling. I didn’t think I could have even seen a half kilometer in any direction, the snow was falling so thick. Looking closer at the tree limbs, I would guess that the snow would come up past my ankles, possibly even higher if I stepped outside. Mum said there was a snowstorm brewing for later tonight. With a glance to my watch, I saw I must have been out for about five hours if indeed this was the storm Mum warned me about. Certainly late getting home now, I thought.

I turned away from the window and went to explore more of the room, starting with the bathroom. Well, it was a full bath at least. Shower, sink, toilet. And towels of course, the only extra item I noticed. Still nothing that explained where we were.

“Artemis, aren’t you going to answer my question?”

“Sorry.” I had nearly forgotten Randy had asked anything. “Death Eaters, like their name implies, like to kill people. They only take hostages if they want information. I’m of age, but I haven’t finished school. There’s nothing they’d want from me. And they would have just plainly killed you after having their fun on the streets.”

“You’re of age? But you’re only seventeen.”

“Seventeen is the legal age in the wizarding world,” I said. I started looking inside the dresser drawers. Nothing in there, though. “I’m now free to use my magic how and when I want outside of school. Within the law, of course.”

“Of course,” Randy said, rolling his eyes. “So what, your wand wouldn’t work outside school if you were still sixteen?”

“Oh, it would work. But I would get in trouble. Witches and wizards younger than seventeen have a Trace on them. If they do magic, they get in immediate and massive trouble with the Ministry. They’d know of the magic faster than that.” I snapped my fingers.

“Too bad you didn’t still have the Trace,” Randy said. “Then they could detect your use of magic, investigate, and help save us from the Death Eaters.”

I just stared at Randy. I’d never thought of the Trace as a good thing. The thought of it made me paranoid last summer when I had to make sure my wand was with me. It was easier to explain accidental magic when my wand was locked up in my trunk.

“What?” Randy asked.

I shook my head and opened on of the closed doors. It was a closet. Well, at least I found our coats. I took them down from the hangers and tossed Randy his. But when I tested the second door, the doorknob wouldn’t turn.

“I already checked that,” Randy said. “We’re locked in. Doesn’t feel like we were brought to a hotel, does it?”

“Depends. Maybe they were trying to keep you inside if you woke before me.” I pointed my wand to the door. “Alohomora.” The lock clicked and the door opened by a centimeter.

“Wow,” Randy whistled. “You really know your spells.”

“It’s a common spell to learn, actually. First year’s standard book of spells. Chapter six. C’mon, let’s find out where we are. Can’t be a Death Eater hideout if the door wasn’t Alohomora-proof.” Yeah, then I’d wonder how the Death Eaters could remain rampant all these years.

The hallway was pretty empty. There were photographs along the walls, but the pictures were empty. I thought I saw movement from one of them, but the people in the pictures must have been hiding. But why? Did they not want us to see who lives here?

As we descended the stairs, looking for a way out, muffled voices drifted up from a room downstairs. They were soft and low, so I couldn’t figure out what was being said or who was saying it. Were those our kidnappers? Maybe a couple of dim-witted Death Eaters trying to gain a name for themselves.

Randy tapped my shoulder to get my attention. He then pointed to the room the voices were coming from. I nodded, letting him know I heard them too and that we should avoid meeting them.

I guess Randy didn’t understand me. Or he was asking a question that I didn’t understand. He passed in front of me to stand behind the wall separating the entrance hall from the sitting room. He looked around the corner of the room for about a minute. I stood silently next to him. What if our captors heard us? Several wizards against a witch and a Muggle? Not good odds in my book.

Finally, Randy turned back to me. I cast Muffliato to keep the people in the room from hearing our whispers.

“Two of them, wizards,” Randy reported. “Seemingly about our age. Suspicious-looking. Their backs are to the door, so you might be able to take them by surprise.”

“Did you see their wands?” I asked.

“No. I didn’t know I should look.”

“I didn’t intend for you to look anyway!”

“They must know where we are,” Randy said. “I’d say you do your hocus-pocus and get them to explain themselves.”

I rolled my eyes at the ‘hocus-pocus,’ but otherwise I didn’t have a better idea. “Okay,” I whispered. “Just stay out of the way. If you do anything stupid again, I can’t guarantee your safety.”

Randy nodded, looking down. “Yeah, sorry about earlier. Do your stuff.”

I lifted the muffling spell. Randy let me pass him so I had better access to the room. I would count to three before I would go in, point my wand at them, and demand answers. One. Two. Three!

I rounded the corner. Aimed my wand at the blokes with their backs turned to the hall. “Oi! Don’t move! Tell me where I am now! And don’t let my appearance fool you either because I’m the best dueler at-”

“Artemis?” The two black-haired boys turned to face me.

“James? Black?” I lowered my wand. “What are you two doing here?”

“We live here,” Sirius said.

“Yeah, this is my parents’ house,” James said, smiling. He pulled forward a box from the coffee table. “Licorice wand?”

Honestly, I could out-duel these two in my sleep. “Randy, it’s safe,” I called back. “They’re not Death Eaters. Though you’re right in thinking they look suspicious.”

“Death Eaters?” James asked, frowning. “What are you talking about? Why would they be in my house?”

“Never been to the Potters before, have I?” I asked.

Randy poked his head around a corner, then walked up to stand next to me. “These are your friends from school?”

“The biggest trouble-makers at Hogwarts,” I confirmed.

“Of course you’d be friends with them then,” Randy said.

I whacked him on the arm.

“What are you going on about Death Eaters for?” James asked seriously.

“Death Eaters attacked London while us and two other friends of ours were Christmas shopping,” I explained. “How couldn’t you know? I mean, you don’t seem surprised that we’re here.”

“Mum and Dad brought you in a few hours ago,” James said.

It wasn’t until I realized that this was actually the Potters’ house when I noticed the Christmas decorations. A large tree stood tall in front of the window facing to the front of the house. Stockings hung above the fireplace. There was some mistletoe hanging above the doorway from the sitting room here to the dining room (note to self- avoid dining room at all cost!). There weren’t any presents in sight, through. I guess the Potters didn’t trust James to peek at his gifts three days before Christmas. I should have figured this wasn’t a Death Eater hideout- I would never peg them for celebrating the holiday in a cheerful way. I walked around the room and took a seat on the couch across from James and Sirius, facing away from the massive tree. Randy joined me a second later.

“My parents didn’t tell us much, though,” James continued. “Just said they found you after an attack unconscious with this guy.” James nodded to Randy. “They identified you with your wand, recognized your last name as Warren Monroe’s daughter, and Mum remembered that you’re one of my friends from school. They couldn’t see anything wrong with you, so they brought you here. They would have brought to your own home, but the storm is supposedly really bad up north. The Ministry and St. Mungo’s are also overwhelmed with whatever attack happened.”

“Did they bring any other Muggles here?” I asked. “I haven’t seen Jake and Ken since we split up to go shopping. If they’re still out there, they must be worried sick about us.”

James shook his head. “They just brought in you two. I’m guessing any Muggles lost or confused were brought to the Ministry to be sorted out.”

“Mum and Dad didn’t tell us much of anything,” Sirius said.

“Your friend already said that, mate,” Randy said.

Sirius looked at Randy, then turned his attention to me. “So this is one of your Muggle friends that we’ve heard a bit about?”

“Yeah. Sorry, I forgot to introduce you,” I said. “This is my best mate, Randy Sanders. Randy, this is James Potter and Sirius Black. Don’t let the name fool you though- he is very rarely serious.”

“How come she can get away with the Sirius jokes and I can’t?” Sirius complained to James.

James just threw a licorice wand at Sirius’s face.

“Yeah, and I’ve been filled in on a bit about your world ,” Randy said. “Artemis told me that she’s a witch and you two are wizards.”

“Not just any wizards,” Sirius said. “We are two of the four most awesome wizards to come out of Hogwarts at one time. We are-”

“The Marauders,” Randy finished for Sirius. He rolled his eyes. “Yes, I know of your nickname. If memory serves me right, the other two are Peter Pettigrew and Remus Lupin.”

Sirius tilted his head to the side. “Do you have a problem with Moony?”

“Who’s Moony?”

“Sorry, Marauder nicknames,” I said. “Moony is Remus’s nickname. They’re interchangeable.”

“Wonder what he did to get a nickname as ridiculous as that.”

James and Sirius snickered.

“I’ve learned not to ask questions when it comes to the Marauders,” I said. “Best to just go to Transfiguration and stay quite.”

“Transfiguration?”

“Right, I keep forgetting that you don’t know what classes I really take,” I said. I looked back to Sirius and James, silently apologizing for his lack of knowledge. Although he’s picking this up really well for someone who just learned his best friend is a witch six hours ago.

“Transfiguration’s one of the classes we take,” James said. “Basically like turning one thing into another.” Guess James doesn’t mind too terribly to explain Hogwarts to a near-stranger, I thought.

I pulled a pillow from behind me on the couch. “It’s like this. Watch.” With a poke from my wand, I turned the pillow into a black top-hat. Randy’s eyes widened. “And now for a magic trick familiar to all Muggles.” I waved my wand around the rim of the hat (mostly for show), pointed it at the inside, and tapped twice. I then pulled out a fluffy white rabbit.

“When did we learn that?” Sirius asked. “We only just learned to produce birds.”

“I learned this for my mum,” I said, passing the rabbit to Randy to show him that it was in fact real and not an illusion. Meanwhile, I changed the hat back into a pillow.

“Whoa, that was so cool. You know, for doing a trick that entertains seven year olds.” Randy started massaging the rabbit right between its two long ears.

“It entertained my mum too,” I said. She asked me to do it probably ten times one night.

“So in Transfiguration, you can change stuff from one thing into another?”

James, Sirius, and I nodded.

“Could you also do it to people?”

I smiled. “Yup. Though we don’t cover human transfiguration until seventh year. Unless you want me to try my hand at turning Black into a beetle without practice.”

“Hey, don’t point that wand at me! Why do you always pick on me anyway?”

“You make yourself an easy target for her, Pads,” James said. He chucked another licorice wand at Sirius.

Sirius took the candy and started gnawing at it, apparently forgetting that he was complaining about me again.

“So if you changed Black into a beetle, he could scurry himself under a refrigerator and retrieve a lost paper clip or something?” Randy asked.

I shook my head. “No, if I changed Black into a beetle, he would think he’s a beetle and forget who he actually was. Only Animagi can be animals and still retain their human identities. I think.” I paused, trying to remember that one specific and vague topic over everything else I’ve read over the span of five and a half years of magical education. “James, Black, do you remember if that’s right?”

The two Marauders, however, stopped messing around and just stared at me. They actually seemed to be lacking some color. Or maybe it was the light in here making them look a bit on the pale side.

“Er-” James’s voice dimmed down into nothing.

“I think that’s right,” I said, turning my attention back to Randy. “But only wizards and witches can become Animagi. If I were to change you into an animal, you’d think you were that animal, not a former human.”

“Well then, I request you only turn me into either a dog or a stag.”

Sirius fell off the couch.

“What’s wrong with you two?” I asked, more than a little confused now. Maybe they don’t think I’d make a good teacher. “Are you alright?”

Sirius pushed himself off the floor and climbed back on the couch, noticeably paler this time. Couldn’t blame this on the lighting now. “Why those two specific animals?” He looked to James, who was equally pale.

Randy rolled his eyes. “You obviously don’t study mythology, do you? Stags and dogs are two of the sacred animals to the Greek Goddess Artemis.”

“Not her again,” I moaned.

“I wrote a research paper on her last month actually,” Randy said. “There were several other animals considered special to her as well, but the stag was the only animal exclusive to Artemis, and she usually went hunting with dogs, which could take down impressive game.”

The room went quiet. I looked to James and Sirius, but both of them were looking at each other.

“Did you know stags and dogs were connected to Artemis?” James asked Sirius.

Sirius shook his head, his eyes wide. “I barely even know much mythology to begin with. Why would I know that?”

“Uh, guys?” I called. Their heads snapped back to me on the other couch. “I’ve told my other friends this loads of times, and you should know this too: I have absolutely no connection with any goddesses, nor do I enjoy my namesake.” I turned my attention back to Randy. I pointed my wand at the rabbit, ending the charm and leaving Randy’s lap empty. “And unless you want me to actually break the law and use my magic against a Muggle who can’t defend himself, I would suggest you stop comparing me to that goddess. We’re of no relation!”

“Fine, fine,” Randy shrugged. He looked down at his watch. “Wow, Artemis, did you look at the time? It’s nearly eleven o’clock at night.”

“Huh?!” I checked my own watch. “Wow, it’s late! It’s way past my bedtime!”

“You have a bedtime?” Sirius snickered.

“Self-imposed,” I said. “Must have been the Crucio I took. Totally messed with my sleep cycle.”

“Crucio?!” Sirius and James yelped at the same time. “You were hit with an Unforgivable?!” James exclaimed, his eyes widening.

My mind flashed back to that London street for a moment. When I heard the Death Eater call out his curse, targeted for Randy. “I don’t want to think about it,” I said, burying the memory. I can’t exactly be myself if I dwell on the negative, can I? “Besides, it’s not like that was the first curse I took from someone I didn’t like.”

“Hey now, those were two completely different circumstances!” Sirius said quickly. “Do not even think of lumping what we did back in September together with any Death Eater activities!”

“What really happened in September?” Randy said, crossing his arms. “I’m guessing that all my information I have on what goes on at your school has been converted to Muggle-ese.”

“Interesting term there,” I said. “You’re right in that bit too. Not even a week into the school year, James, Black, and Peter jumped me and cursed me so that I was hanging upside down without a way to get away. Disarmed me as well. Remus had to come in and save me.”

“You two cursed her?!” Randy yelled, standing up.

“Hey, hold up a tick,” Sirius said, also standing up. “We all decided to drop the whole attack in September thing, remember?” Sirius looked to me. “We’re friends now, remember?”

“You never gave an apology to Randy,” I said sweetly.

“We didn’t know who Randy was,” James said, also getting off the couch.

“I suggest you two run,” Randy said. “Because when I get my hands on you . . .” He left that part hang.

“I really would start running now if I were you,” I advised.

“What could a Muggle do to us?” Sirius asked.

“Without you being able to do magic, Black? Plenty.”

“I’ll give you a five second head start,” Randy said, holding up a hand. “One.”

“Really, should we be scared?” Sirius asked James.

“Two.”

James glanced from Randy to me. “Don’t you remember Artemis’s evil smile when she hoisted us up in the Great Hall in October?”

“Three.”

“Oh.” Sirius also looked at me. “I think you’re right. Let’s wait for Mum and Dad to get home. Somewhere else.” He darted out of the room, with James right on his heels.

“Four.” Randy smirked at me as lowered his hand. “How’d I do, love?”

“I told you we would rule the school, didn’t I?” I laughed. I took Randy’s help to get me off the couch. “I’ll get their wands, just to be on the safe side. You get the guys.”

~~~***~~~

“You sure that’s only toilet paper you used?” Randy asked. His arms were crossed as he looked up the wall. “It’s holding up pretty well.”

“Well, I might have strengthened it,” I said, also looking up the wall. “It still dissolves in water, but when dry it’s as tough as rope.”

“I think I like magic,” Randy said.

“I like it too.”

“Mmmph! Mmph mm mph!”

“Did you understand what Black was trying to say?” I asked Randy.

“Haven’t a clue, love.”

Up at the top of the staircase, James and Sirius were wrapped up in my heavy-duty, extra-strength, magically-reinforced roll of toilet paper. Well, they were actually hanging on the wall above the stairs. Oh, and did I mention that they were hanging upside down? Because they were upside down.

“Do you even remember how we got them up there?” Randy asked me.

“Nope.”

“How long should we let them hang up there like that anyway?” Randy asked.

“Don’t know. When I got even with them back in October, I think they were left hanging up in the Great Hall for about four hours.”

“Mph!” Now the muffled cry came from James. His head went to nod, but when it banged back against the wall, he stopped trying to talk so he could moan in pain.

“Wish I could have seen it,” Randy said. “I guess having two Marauder piñatas is the next best thing.”

Green fire appeared in the fireplace in the sitting room behind us.

“What’s that?” Randy asked, turning around to look. His eyes went wide as a form appeared and started to emerge from the fire.

“Oops, Potters are home.” I pointed my wand at James and Sirius. With a flick, water burst forth, drenching the Marauders. Their toilet paper bonds began to dissolve. “Into the kitchen. Now!”

“Why?” But Randy turned and ran back anyway without me having to push him anywhere.

“Do you want to explain to an Auror why we were hoisting their son and his friend up in their own house?”

“An Auror is a. . ?”

“Dark wizard catcher.”

“Gotcha. You’re a lot more concerned about not getting caught breaking the rules than I remember,” Randy said.

“Comes from years of making myself seem boring. I told you about all the punishments I’ve heard about.” Randy and I took a seat at the kitchen table and pretended to look natural, as if nothing was out of the ordinary. “Amazingly, having a good reputation there has kept me out of detention when I know others would have gotten in trouble. Especially helped me after befriending the Marauders.”

We waited. I heard people talking. I recognized Sirius and James as they spoke to a woman. Most likely Mrs. Potter. The boys’ voices were loud, but quickly quieted.

After a minute, Mrs. Potter came into the kitchen. I recognized her from Platform 9 ¾ back in September. From looking at her face, with some wrinkles and her graying hair, she was obviously much older than my own parents. But the way she moved, with speed and purpose, indicated that she was still active and not ready to buy a rocking chair any time soon. Even the way she stood, straight and with purpose, told me she was not a woman I really wanted to mess with.

Duh, Artemis, she’s an Auror, I thought. She tracks down and captures dark wizards for a living! Of course she would outdo my grandparents. If they were alive, that is.

Mrs. Potter smiled, which made me also think that she must be a kind mother when not working. “Hello, dears, glad to see you up and apparently doing well.” She took a seat on the opposite side of the table that us teenagers. Her hazel eyes, clear and sharp, turned to me first. “Artemis, right? I know your father. He’s very good at his job. He would have made a good Auror himself.”

I smiled politely. “Mum doesn’t want him in too much danger.”

Mrs. Potter nodded. “Understandable.” She then glanced to Randy. Still addressing me, “This Muggle, he is-?”

“Randy Sanders,” I said. “My best mate ever. I’m sorry, but I had to tell him I’m a witch.”

“And you, Randy, how do you feel about knowing about our world?” Mrs. Potter asked.

I opened my mouth to speak, but Mrs. Potter cut me off with a look. I suppose she wanted to hear this from him.

Randy returned her gaze, unwavering in front of this strange woman. “It doesn’t matter to me if she’s a normal girl, a witch, or a Greek goddess in a poor disguise. But if you’re worried I’ll breach your Statue of Secrecy, I promise I won’t tell another soul.” He paused. “But I’m glad that I finally know why she has to leave me nine months out of the year. I just wish that I found out under different circumstances.”

Different circumstances. For some reason, that thought struck me the hardest. My hand reached up to touch my right temple. Why did Randy’s words remind me of something that I couldn’t think of right now? The idea behind them was certainly familiar.

Mrs. Potter smiled, evidently not worried about me. “I’m glad to know that you understand the seriousness of your situation, Randy. Most of the time, we do not allow Muggles not related to witches and wizards to retain their memories of the wizarding world. However, I can tell that Artemis can trust you not to reveal our world to the other Muggles.”

My brain instantly forgot about thinking about the déjà vu feeling going on in my head and instead focused of Mrs. Potter’s words. I couldn’t help but wonder why I didn’t think about what would happen to Randy after I told him I was a witch. Too bad Mum and Dad can’t adopt him despite the fact that he has his own family, I thought. Well, I suppose it’s good that an Auror trusts him not to run around like a maniac with the news. Not like many people in our village would believe him. They would just think that he got into my bag of candy and overdosed on sugar.

“We were in London with two of our friends,” Randy said. “Is there any way that you would know what happened to them?”

“We’re still sorting out what happened in the Death Eater attack,” Mrs. Potter said. “I’m sure your friends are fine. It will just take a while to determine who’s where and get everyone reorganized. I’m sure my sons must have told you, but the Ministry is swamped trying to sort everything with it being so close to Christmas and all. A lot of people were hurt in some way, and so even St. Mungo’s won’t know everything until morning.” She turned her attention back to me. “The Death Eaters had attacked all throughout London, at regular intervals throughout the city within a matter of seconds. They had obviously been planning the attack for quite some time. However, there aren’t many witches and wizards coming forward with first-hand information relating to the attack, so our information is a bit sketchy. I’m terribly sorry to ask you this, but could you-”

I nodded, instantly understanding. “We were there at the first explosion.”

Randy and I spent about twenty minutes recounting everything that happened to us in London just a few short hours ago. Randy had been doing a lot of looking back, so he remembered what colors the spells were from the Death Eaters. I felt sick when he said that one of the first flashes of color after the main explosion was in green. So much for Death Eaters taking a holiday break from killing, I thought bitterly.

“You say that you were shopping with two other Muggles?” Mrs. Potter asked when we finished. “Could you give me their descriptions? When I get back to the Ministry with your information, I can put in an inquiry. They might have already been treated and are merely waiting for the storm to lift so they can get home.”

“I can do you one better.” I dug into my jeans pocket and pulled out my wallet. “I carry their pictures everywhere I go.” I flipped through the photos, almost wishing I decided to accept their school pictures. Sure, those staged pictures showed them looking either somber or wearing goofy grins, but I valued the pictures we actually took on our own time. I finally found two pictures that I liked that also had a good view of their faces.

“This one’s Ken Lambert,” I said, passing her the still picture of Ken and me in my house. I was trying to teach Ken how to defend himself over the summer. When the picture was taken, Ken was pinned under me, his arms twisted around his back while the side of his head was pressed against the carpet. “And this is Jake Tryson.” The other picture was in Jake’s house, or more specifically, his kitchen. I don’t remember what it was, but Jake had lost one of my bets and had to make me lunch. Of course, he got the last laugh when he showed his style of lunch: a plate with live snails leaving trails all over the dish and mealworms wiggling in a small bowl next to it. If memory served me correctly, I believe Ken threw up shortly after the picture was taken. “Ignore the bugs. He’s weird like that.”

Mrs. Potter took the photos and studied them. She frowned as she looked over the images.

“Is something wrong?” Randy asked.

“Huh? No, of course not.” Mrs. Potter stood from the table. “I have to get back to the Ministry. I’ll let Warren know you two are safe. I’ll work on getting you two a way home tomorrow morning when the weather’s better.” She came to a stop at the doorway to the kitchen. “When I came home, I got a strange story from James and Sirius, saying that the two of you pulled some sort of prank on them.”

“Er-” Ack, what do I say to an Auror accusing me of-

“I’ve wanted to hang them upside down for ages, with all the detention notes I get from Professor McGonagall and all. Just can’t bring myself to do that to my sons. Just remember to clean up after yourselves.” She headed back to the sitting room, probably to floo back to the Ministry.

Randy and I were left alone in the kitchen.

“So,” I said.

“Want to put the Marauders back up like they were before Mrs. Potter showed up?” Randy asked.

I smiled. “Maybe instead of stringing them up on the ceiling, we can trap them and transfigure their clothes into dresses. Then take pictures!”

“Cool. You can do that?”

“Yup. And with the right potion, the pictures can move! Let’s go!”

A/N: Yeah, I highly doubted any of you thought that Christmas Break would be like this. Any ideas on what’s going to happen next? Please leave your thoughts, comments, predictions, etc. in the box below. Appreciated!

Chapter 24: Chapter 24: Silver and Gold
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A/N: JKR would never pretend to be me. So I will pay her the same respect and not pretend to be her either.

Chapter 24: Silver and Gold

I got off the Knight Bus. Or rather, I ran out. And I promptly spewed all the contents of my stomach onto the clean snow on the corner of my driveway.

“Never knew you could get motion sick in a vehicle,” Randy said, standing beside me. My ponytail was lifted out of range of my mouth as another surge started to overtake me.

“That’s not any vehicle,” I grumbled, my stomach still turning knots from our fifteen-minute trip through England. “That’s a metal contraption from- uph!” I had to stop as my airways closed up, giving the rest of my stomach a way to escape my insides. My coughing coincided with the loud BANG! the Knight Bus made as it went on its merry way to deliver more passengers to their destinations.

“I know Black said the Knight Bus was a bit bumpy, but that was ridiculous,” Randy said, now helping me straighten out and head for my front door. “How would he even know what that bus was anyway?”

“Never successful in probing a Marauder,” I said, leaning against Randy for support. “And three of them don’t even know I have a tendency to be motion sick. Ugh, I can still smell vomit.”

“Heh. Glad Jake didn’t hear you. He might think you’re hording more of those jelly beans.”

“I don’t think he has a sense of taste anymore,” I said.

“Nah, he has taste. It’s just he thinks ‘gross’ is good and ‘normal’ is boring. Besides, I think he gets a kick out of grossing the rest of us out.”

“Merlin, then I created a monster ten years ago,” I said. I opened the front door to my house. “I wonder-”

“Artemis!”

I felt arms wrap around my body and my head went from resting on Randy’s shoulder to looking over the shoulder of my mother.

“Artemis, I’m so glad you’re okay!” Mum said, tears in her eyes. She turned those teary eyes to Randy. “And Randy, I’m glad you’re okay too!” She released me in order to wrap Randy in a massive hug.

“Can’t- breathe-” Randy gasped.

“Mum, don’t do the Death Eaters’ job for them,” I said, wiping her tears off my cheek. “We’re both fine.”

“Fine?” Mum turned to me, breathing in through her nose. “I smell vomit.”

“I threw up in the driveway,” I said. “I’ll clean it up later. I do not recommend that I use the Knight Bus again, though.” Ugh, even I could smell it on my breath. Good thing my stomach was just emptied. I told myself to think of something else. Looking over my mother, “You’re dressed warmly for someone just meeting us at the front door.”

Indeed, Mum was in a heavy winter coat, complete with gloves, a scarf, and a cap on her head. She was just zipping up her coat as I took in her appearance. “Joshua came down with an ear infection this morning,” Mum said. “That’s his second one this month. I’m making an emergency house call so his parents can have a stress-free Christmas.” Mum patted me on the head. “I’m really sorry, but I have to go. Oh, Randy! I called your parents last night when we found out about the attack. They wanted you to go home as soon as you get back.”

Randy groaned. “How am I supposed to explain to them that I left the car in London?”

“Lie?” I suggested brightly.

“Gee, what a simple answer to a complicated problem,” Randy said. He looked to Mum, who was now checking through her purse for her car keys. “Marie, have you heard anything about Ken and Jake yet?”

Mum stopped and looked from Randy to me. “Warren flooed me an hour ago,” she said. “The Ministry is still a mess. I’m sure they’re okay, but if no one knows that they were with a witch, they might be still waiting to be sorted out.” She pressed her lips together, looked at her watch, and jumped. “And I promised the Smiths I would be at their house fifteen minutes ago. I’m running late. I’m glad you two are okay. I’ll take care of you when I get back.”

Randy and I stood in the entryway until we heard Mum’s car pull out of the driveway. If memory serves me right, the Smiths live on the other end of the village. And with all the snow from the blizzard, driving over would be a nightmare. Although I’m sure walking across town would be worse.

“I can’t take this smell,” I said, leading the way to the kitchen. I hopped onto the counter next to the sink, leaned over, and used the faucet as my personal water fountain. The water poured into my mouth, then drained out as it overflowed.

“Most people would use a glass,” Randy said, offering me one from the cabinet directly above me.

I spat out the water. “This is faster.” I then went back to rinsing out my mouth. My way.

Shrugging, Randy turned away from me and rummaged through the refrigerator for something else to drink.

“Well, that was fun,” I said a minute later. I spat out the last bit of water and hopped off the counter. “Okay now, what can you make me for breakfast?”

Randy choked on his orange juice. “You just threw up fifteen minutes ago, and now you want to eat?”

“Of course. I don’t have anything in my system now! I need fuel! Now feed me!”

“You’re weird,” Randy muttered. But he put down his glass to see what he could whip up.

I love telling him what to do, I thought giddily, planting myself at the table and waiting for him to make my breakfast.

It wasn’t really as good as when Dad or Suzie cooks, but I knew Randy’s food was a lot better than the charcoal that would come off the stove if I decided to cook. One of the things I’ve never wanted to learn.

Once finished, though, Randy thought it was impressive that I knew how to make the dishes do themselves. He then made a comment about how, even with magic, he was willing to bet money that I still couldn’t make anything consumable.

“I’ll have you know that my potions turn out very good,” I said. “So good, the school nurse, Madam Pomfrey, trusts me to brew up the school’s supply of Pepperup Potions to help students with colds. Although I could do without the side effect of steam from my ears.” I poked my own ears at the memory of downing the potion on my birthday.

“Steam from your ears?” Randy shook his head, smiling. “Ever think of wearing earmuffs to hide the side-effect?”

I just stared at Randy. “You would make a decent wizard. You sure you’re not home-schooled behind my back?”

“Would I do any work if I were home-schooled?” Randy countered. He looked up at the clock mounted on the wall behind me. “I should probably get going home so my parents know I’m okay. Then get grounded forever for forgetting the car.”

“It was close to the explosion,” I said, frowning at the memory of the attack. “I don’t even think it’s in one piece. But if it is, Dad will find a way to bring it back. He works with Muggle artifacts.”

Randy was just putting his trainers back on (after I cast a drying spell on them) when the fireplace erupted in green flames. Like last night, Randy’s eyes widened at the unnatural fire.

I expected my dad to come through with news about our friends. I was not expecting- “Remus!” I ran forward before Remus had fully stepped out of the fireplace, tackling him against the mantle in a rib-crushing hug.

“Artemis!” Remus got hold of my shoulders and pulled me away so he could actually see me. His eyes, normally amber, were outlined in an intense gold. It reminded me on how he looked on our first date in Hogsmeade. “Are you alright? I heard about the attack in London-”

“I’m fine,” I said.

Remus frowned, still looking unsure. “James and Sirius told me all about what happened after I read about the attack in The Daily Prophet. The paper didn’t have much details, but they told me that you were hit with an Unforgivable!” Remus took a deep breath. “If Aurors hadn’t shown up when they did, that Death Eater could have-” He stopped to take another deep breath.

“Aurors showing up?” I wondered. “I know Mrs. Potter said she found me, but-” I shook my head. “Must have missed that part. A lot has happened in the last twenty-four hours.”

Remus finally smiled down at me. “I’m just really glad you are okay.” He then looked over my shoulder, his golden eyes glowing a little brighter while his smile dimmed. “Uh, is he. . ?”

I turned back. Randy’s silver eyes were still wide, having actually witnessed someone come fully out of a fireplace this time. “Don’t worry, he knows I’m a witch,” I said. “I’ve told you all about him, and here he is. This is Randy Sanders.” I pulled Remus closer to the couch that Randy occupied. “Randy, this is my boyfriend, Remus Lupin.”

As Remus approached, Randy stood up from the couch. He kept adjusting in height, with only one trainer on, the other one off.

Remus smiled at Randy as his irises dimmed to their regular amber color. “Randy? Glad to finally meet you. Artemis talks about you all the time.” He held out his hand.

Randy looked from Remus’s eyes to his hand, then over at me. “This is your boyfriend? Him?”

Remus blinked, his smile faltering. “Is there something I’m missing?” he asked, the hand lowering.

“What’s wrong with him?” I asked Randy, confused. I looked at the two most important people in my life. Let’s see, Remus had two arms, two legs, two hands, two feet, and no soot on his clothes. Perfectly fine to me. Well, he’d still be fine if he were covered in soot, but then I’d be made to clean up after him.

Randy shook his head. “Just not the type that I thought you would go for. Unless your perfect guy is pale, skinny, and, well, nerdy-looking.”

“Randy, since when did looks ever have an effect on me?” I crossed my arms. I turned back to Remus. “Sorry, it’s probably the shock of the last 24-hours finally catching up with him.”

“No problem,” Remus said, letting the hand drop all the way down. He turned his attention back to me. “Are you sure you’re okay? Sirius said that Unforgivable-”

“I wish you guys wouldn’t obsess over that,” I sighed. “I was out of it in five seconds.” I snapped my fingers.

“It wasn’t nothing,” Randy said forcefully. “And you were screaming for more than ‘five seconds.’” Randy quivered. “It still gives me goose bumps.”

“Can we please change the subject?” I asked. “It’s Christmas in two days! Speaking of which, I thought you wouldn’t be coming until after Christmas.” I smiled up at Remus. “Glad to see your parents let you come early.”

“You’re lucky they let me come at all,” Remus said. “James and Sirius had to come over to my house to explain what happened. It then took about an hour of begging on my part, and some on Sirius’s, to convince my parents to let me come here.”

“Big plans?” Randy asked. “If your busy, then you can go home now, knowing Artemis is just fine.”

Remus frowned at Randy before looked back at me. “I’m sorry to say, but they weren’t really planning on letting me come over. It’s just the three of us, and well, this is one of the few breaks I have where we can all be at home without, er, anything to worry about. With traveling and all,” he added quickly.

“Right,” I nodded. “Your dad works in some international branch of the Ministry, right?”

“The Department of International Magical Cooperation,” Remus nodded. “They like to spend holidays like this with just the three of us, since I’m gone for the better part of the year with school and all. Besides, Mum’s a little worried about ‘imposing on others, especially during the holiday season.’ It’s rare for me to even see the other Marauders.”

“They sound super-ultra-highly-over-protective to me,” I said.

Remus shrugged a shoulder. “Have been ever since I was a little kid, especially my mum.”

“That’s all really fascinating,” Randy said sarcastically. “And speaking of worried parents, I have to report to mine so I can get myself grounded for eternity. Excuse me.” Randy shoved his right foot into his remaining trainer, grabbed his coat, and headed for the front door.

“Huh? Randy, wait!” I looked between both guys, torn on who I should give my attention to.

“I’ll go after him,” Remus said. “My parents said I could spend a few hours here before I have to be home.” Remus ran around me and out into the cold, without a coat.

“Definitely overwhelmed with all the info,” I sighed. I put on my own pair of boots and my coat, intending to catch up with them. I was delayed a bit when Mum called from the Smiths. She said that she wouldn’t be home until sometime after lunch, that she had several parents contact her with concerns over their children’s health. Ah, gotta love a small village. They all know where the pediatrician is. After I hung up, I grabbed my dad’s coat from the closet for Remus and headed after the boys once again.

The two of them were already at the corner of the street, half way to Randy’s house, when I stepped outside. Randy had gotten a good head start, but Remus had obviously caught up. He walked slightly behind Randy, his arms crossed in front of his chest.

As I ran to catch up, some of their conversation was blown over to me so I could hear. Other parts were lost as the winds changed direction.

“-course I do! It’s obvious to anyone with a pulse! Well, almost anyone.” Well, that was Randy’s voice.

“Then you should have done something about it earlier.” And that was Remus. But he had, for some reason, adopted a more hostile voice than he had at my house.

The wind changed directions momentarily, drowning out the next part of the conversation. Luckily, the boys had stopped, too absorbed in their own conversation to get out of the storm. Seeing Remus shivering in the cold, though, I quickened my pace. As I got closer, the winds changed direction again, letting me listen to their conversation once more.

“-supposed to do then, huh? Say something the day before she leaves for three months? Right, like that’s the start of a great relationship.”

“You had your chance. All summer. Longer, if I understand you correctly.”

“I tried! But she’s as thick as diamonds are hard with this sort of thing! I wanted to make sure she-”

“Oi!” I shouted, finally within shouting distance and able to do something with my dad’s coat. “Who stops to have a conversation with one of the participants lacking a coat during the winter?” I tossed Remus the coat.

Remus turned to catch it, his eyes golden again. And again, I watched as the intensity of the gold faded as he looked at me. “Thanks,” he muttered, putting on the coat. It was three sizes too big for him, though.

Randy’s complexion paled, most likely from the wind ripping at his face. “Art-Artemis!”

I looked up and down the street. Seeing no signs of life from the street or the windows of the nearby houses, I took out my wand and cast heating charms on both of the boys, seeing as that it was so frigid that it reduced Randy to stuttering. Then I cast one on myself for good measure.

“Seeing as you two can’t walk and talk at the same time,” I said, putting one arm behind each bloke’s back, “here’s what we’ll do. Randy, we’ll go to your house, assure your parents that you’re fine, and hopefully not risk your future freedom. We can also get Remus, a school Prefect, to agree with whatever story we tell so they don’t think we’re lying. Then we’ll call Zach and Nick and tell them to meet us at my house.”

“At your house?” Randy echoed, finally moving as I pushed him forward with my left arm. “Why there? We normally meet in the park.”

“I know that,” I said. I glanced over at Remus. “But when Ken and Jake get back, they’ll most likely know I’m a witch. Just because Nick and Zach missed out on the fun doesn’t mean they should also miss out on the big news.”

“But I thought that you didn’t want to break the Statue of-” Randy started.

“I’m tired of speaking Muggle-ese, as you put it, whenever I come home,” I said. “And I’m not saying we tell the entire village. I don’t even want to tell Suzie, and she’s the only girl I’ve ever come close to considering a friend.” I looked to my right up at Remus. “My Muggle friends are like my brothers I’m glad to never have had. I’ve trusted them with everything else. And after yesterday, I’m not afraid of the Ministry.” I paused. “But do you think they would have too big of a fit if I told my friends anyway?”

Remus frowned, probably thinking. He then looked over my head (curse blokes for typically being taller than girls!) to stare at Randy. “Well, seeing as that one of your brothers already knows, and two others have probably already figured it out, what’s two more?”

~~~***~~~

“Why did you wake me up early again?” Nick yawned half an hour later, lounging on my bed in my room.

“Eight fifteen is not early,” I said. “Half the morning is already gone.”

“This coming from the girl who hangs upside down from trees and claims she isn’t a vampire,” Nick said, yawning again.

“How many times have I had to tell you,” Zach sighed, sitting at my desk. “Vampires are as real as werewolves, zombies, and ghosts. Did you not pay attention in school during our mythology lessons?”

Remus, standing next to me by my closet, stiffened up.

“Chill out,” I whispered to him.

“I thought I’d meet one of those vampires or werewolves before I’d meet any bloke brave enough to date Artemis,” Nick said. He then laughed at his own joke. No one else joined in.

Remus, his arms already crossed over his chest, tightened even further as Nick spoke.

“What is wrong with you?” I hissed back at Remus. Not waiting for an answer, I said, “Just to let you two know, vampires don’t really hang upside down in those old, lame movies we’ve seen. At least, not in human form. Also, have you ever heard of a vampire that despises saying up past sunset? It’s easier to think of them as being on a cycle where A.M. is their P.M. and vice versa. Oh, interesting tidbit: their favorite blood type to drink matches the blood type of their ‘true love,’ and-”

“Hold up, Artemis,” Zach said, waving his hands around to add emphasis. “What’s with all the talk on vampires? It was just a comment.”

“It was also a topic I studied hard for my tough exams last year that they never even asked a question about!” Now I crossed my arms, pretending to pout.

Randy, sitting on the trunk at the end of my bed, laughed. “You really think pouting gets you anywhere, Artemis? You don’t have that ‘touch’ other girls do when they pout.”

I dropped my arms and instead placed my hands on my hips. “I could whack you for that if I actually wanted to move, you know.”

“He’d enjoy it,” Nick said. He rolled over the end of my bed, keeping his body and legs on my mattress.

“I didn’t hide my fun candy under my bed this year, Nick,” I said.

“Probably in the closet, then.” But he continued to look into the darkness of my bed.

“Wait wait wait,” Zack said, holding up a hand as if we were in school. “Why would any big exam ask you specifics about vampires?” He looked to Randy, then Remus. “Remus, right? Interesting name, by the way. But certainly you didn’t have a question on vampires last year, right? I mean, they don’t exist.”

“No, they had a question on blasted werewolves,” I said, finally walking away from my closet and towards Randy. “Move your bum somewhere else or I’ll move it for you.”

Randy got off my trunk. He decided to lean against the wall with my bedroom window instead, standing directly across from Remus.

I opened my school trunk. “Gotta remember to get these washed,” I muttered, tossing my ball of school robes towards my bathroom. I looked at the spins of all my school books. “Here we are.” I tossed my Defense book, along with my notes, towards Zach at the desk. “That’s what I learned in one of my classes three years ago. I think we covered vampires in March or April. Remus, do you remember?”

Remus, though, had tightened his arms even more around him, and his face was nearly as pale as the school ghosts. He just shrugged a shoulder at me, his jaw clenched shut. Weird. Though he might be worried about getting in trouble with the Ministry with what I’m about the share. I shrugged those concerns away. These were my friends and my decision. I can attest to that.

“What kind of joke is this?” Zach asked, his jaw dropping as he looked at my notes. “April 15, 1974. It talks all about vampires.” He flipped through the pages. “What school would expect its students to know this much about creatures that don’t exist?” He then flipped backwards. He then squinted. “Is that supposed to say ‘werewolf?’ Because it looks like you wrote ‘we love pie.’”

“Give me a break, I had the flu during our werewolf unit,” I said.

“And I thought our mythology unit in school was a little much,” Nick said, still poking around under my bed. “I wouldn’t mind going to your school, Artemis. Any other weird topics you’ve covered?”

“Yeah,” I said, glad we were finally moving in the right direction. “Potion making, transfiguration, charms. That sort of thing. Charms is actually my favorite class.”

Zach closed my notebook, now just studying the cover of my textbook. “What joke are you playing now, Artemis? Those aren’t real classes. Unless you’re studying witchcraft.”

“Ding ding ding! We have a winner!” I announced happily. I clapped loudly.

“Witches don’t exist,” Zach started to argue.

“Than what am I doing here if I don’t exist?” I asked, smiling up at him. I took back my books and put them back near the bottom of my trunk. Hm, I wondered if I had anything in here to help prove it to him.

“You could do that hat trick again,” Randy suggested. It was almost like he could tell what I was thinking.

“Nah, I’m a little sick of pulling out bunnies.” I looked over to Remus. For some unknown reason, he still looked like he had been petrified.

“If a witch is defined as ‘a girl with a funky name and an even funkier philosophy of life,’ then I can believe Artemis is a witch.” Nick finally pushed himself up from the floor and went back to lounging on my bed. “Prove to me that you’re a witch, Artemis.”

I might not know what could convince Zach, my bookworm-persona role model, that I was a witch, but I knew how to win Nick over instantly. I pushed myself up from my trunk and approached Remus. I held my hand open to him. “I know you have one,” I said expectantly.

Remus snapped out of his petrified mode. “Wha-what?”

“Chocolate frog,” I said. “Hand it over.”

Remus just blinked at me.

I sighed. “Fine, be difficult.” I looked at his jeans. There wasn’t any indication that he had anything in his front pockets. But his back pocket- “There you are!” I pulled out the chocolate frog that I knew Remus had to have with him. “Don’t worry, I’ll pay you back,” I said.

Remus didn’t go reaching back for his chocolate, so I took that as a good sign. I tossed the package to Nick. “Open it. But the card inside belongs to Remus.”

Nick’s eyes practically lit up when he read the word ‘chocolate.’ He ripped into the wrapper, expecting normal candy.

“Whoa!” Nick’s eyes widened even further when the chocolate frog leapt out of its little package and landed at the foot of my bed. It actually got pretty good height for warm chocolate. The little frog continued to move about.

“Impossbile,” Zach whispered, sitting up straighter in the desk chair.

Randy’s eyes were also wide.

“You- you-” Nick said, addressing me but his eyes staying focused on the frog.

“I- I what?” I asked.

“You’ve been holding out on us!” Nick said. He reached forward, grabbed the frog, and bit off its head. His eyes lit up. “Whoa, now I know why Jake likes to eat bugs! They wiggle and squirm all the way down.” He looked back at the decapitated chocolate. “Though this tastes better than insects.”

“Please don’t become another insectivore,” I begged. “One per group of friends is enough.”

“How did you do that?” Zach asked, his eyes still wide at the moving and squirming candy.

“Artemis is a witch,” Nick said. “Where do you do your candy shopping? Can I go there too?” He bit off the front right leg of the frog.

“Nick’s right,” I said. “I’m trying to tell you I’m a witch. Nick, give me the wrapper.”

Nick complied, now eating off each of the frog’s tiny little toes. I think he was having a little too much fun with it, though. Eh, I’ll worry about him later.

I took the card out from the wrapper, glanced at the picture, and tossed it to Zach. “What do you think of that?”

Zach took the card, reading the writing on the back first. “Albus Dumbledore,” he read, his eyes skimming the print. Those eyes widened as they took in what made my headmaster rate enough to be on a Chocolate Frog card.

“Look at the picture on the other side,” I directed.

Zach did. And he yelped. Moving to look over his shoulder, I saw Dumbledore wave up at us, smile, then examine his half-moon spectacles. He blew a piece of dust off the left lens.

“That- that’s-”

“Impossible?” Randy offered, his eyes wide at seeing a picture move outside of a movie theater. “Not when she’s a witch. She can do all sorts of magic. Impressive magic too.”

Zach finally looked away from the card. His eyes rested on Remus. “And you? You’re a wizard?”

Remus nodded. During the whole candy exchange, some color had returned to his face. “Yeah,” he nodded. “But I can’t do magic outside of school yet. Still sixteen.”

Zach took a deep breath. “I’ll only concede that I believe magic exists if you answer one thing for me honestly, Remus.”

The bit of color vanished again. Remus nodded curtly.

“Does Artemis, at your magical school, actually do her own homework?”

Remus blinked. “What sort of question is that? Of course she does. Studies for classes every night of the week. She’s one of the top five students in our year.”

Zach laughed a little. “Then magic must exist.” He turned to look back at me. “Only magic can explain Artemis actually doing her own work without cheating off me.” He then looked to Randy and Nick. “I’m not doing your homework when we get into college, mates.”

“You would actually be proud of me if you saw me at Hogwarts,” I said. “For five straight years, I ate, slept, and breathed around those library books. I’m the model student in the Wizarding World.” I puffed out my chest to emphasize my point.

Zach poked me in the stomach, deflating me. “But you still act like a nutcase when you come home.”

I shrugged, smiling.

“You can’t tell anyone else that Artemis is a witch,” Randy warned. “There’s some international law thing that normally prevents witches from telling non-magic people what she is.”

“Then why tell us now?” Nick asked. He started licking his fingers, the frog gone.

I then told them about the Death Eater attack in London. I tried to make everything as brief as possible, but Zach kept asking for details. He was shocked to learn that there was a wizarding war going on and no one in the village knew about it.

“So Ken and Jake know you’re a witch too?” Nick asked when I was finally finished.

“More than likely yes,” I said. “Randy and I haven’t seen them since yesterday, but every adult we’ve spoken with is saying the Ministry is still trying to get everything and everyone straight. Why would they pay special attention to a pair of teenage blokes from some village practically no one’s ever heard of?”

“I hope they’re okay,” Zach said.

“I’m sure they are,” I said. “I didn’t want you two to be left in the dark when Ken and Jake get home. But you can’t tell anyone else about this. Not your parents, girlfriends, siblings, no one. It’s just between us six.”

Zach nodded. “I would never tell. If I let three of our friends cheat off me, what makes you think I’d tell people a story as far-fetched as you being a witch?”

“I won’t tell either,” Nick said. “But when you get back to school, buy out all the candy from that candy shop. I want to try to good stuff.”

“The stuff’s not exactly cheap,” I said.

“I’ll ask my parents to give you the money from my college fund,” Nick said.

“I’m not going to pay your way through school too, Nick,” Zach said, throwing the candy wrapper at him.

I looked back to Remus. “So, like my friends?”

“You certainly weren’t exaggerating about them in your letters,” Remus said.

~~~***~~~

Sadly, Zach had to get back home and take care of his little brother. And Nick had chores around the house. I offered to do Nick’s chores if he’d pay me, but when he heard my price, he decided he’d do the work himself. So that left just me, Randy, and Remus at my house for lunch.

“So what do you want to do after lunch?” I asked the boys as we made lunch. I peeled off another slice of cheese and stuck it on top of the ham. “We could have a snowball fight in the back yard. You two against me and my wand.”

“That’s not happening,” Randy said, already biting into his small sandwich.

“Somehow, I knew you were going to say that,” Remus said to Randy, but he kept his eyes on my sandwich. “Is that really going to fit in your mouth?”

“I’ll make it fit,” I said. The sandwich, with slices of cheese, ham, sausage, tomatoes, and anything else I found in the refrigerator, was already as thick as the span of my knuckles.

“I don’t think I’ll ever get used to how much you can eat,” Remus said, returning his attention to his pathetic only-cheese sandwich.

“We’ve actually wondered what would happen if we don’t feed her,” Randy said from next to me. “But any threat of removing her food ends up with all our dinners on her plate.”

“It’s a mystery that will never be solved,” I said. I put a final slice of tomato onto the sandwich before putting the top piece of bread on top. “Ta-da! A meal, fit for a goddess!”

“I thought you didn’t like to be compared to her,” Randy said, grinning.

“I said a goddess. I am awesome enough on my own without needing to take any glory from her.”

So yeah, that was lunch. Pretty normal. While shoving my sandwich into my mouth (I did make it fit- eventually), Randy ‘covertly’ took the plate with my dad’s home-made cookies and hid it on the chair next to him. I ended up tying him to his chair with my shoelaces and split the cookies between just Remus and me. Randy was not happy that I didn’t give him one. Or, it seemed, that I was willing to share food with Remus.

I was just clearing the table with magic (Randy was still impressed on how simple magic could do my chores), when my dad came home via our fireplace.

“I don’t think I could get used to that,” Randy said when Dad stepped out of the green flames, his arms loaded with bags upon bags.

“Our presents!” I yelled, recognizing some of the bags in my dad’s hands. I helped him dump everything onto the couch. “You found them!” Now all I needed to do was find PB&J’s gifts and send them off via owl before Christmas Eve tomorrow.

“Well, we found most of them,” Dad said. He was in his regular wizarding robes, having just come from the Ministry and all. However, he didn’t smile at us. Strange, too, because he technically just saved Christmas for practically everyone on my shopping list. Why was he-?

“Artemis, Randy, follow me,” Dad said, leading us back to the kitchen. He still wasn’t smiling.

Exchanging looks, Randy and I went to follow my dad. I had no idea what was going on now.

“I think I should stay out here,” Remus said. Looking back, he seemed to have figured out what I couldn’t. He turned his back to us, seeming to be more interested in the still photographs of my family around the living room.

Randy and I took our still-warm seats from lunch and looked across to my dad. I couldn’t understand why he looked so, well, stressed. He leaned onto the table, something he doesn’t normally do, and rested his chin on his interlaced fingers. Again, unusual. He took a few deep breaths, his eyes studying the table.

“Warren, what’s wrong?” Randy asked. Randy’s hand reached out and took hold of mine, which was still resting in my lap. “Everything’s okay, right?”

Dad didn’t answer.

“You found Ken and Jake, right?” Randy asked. Randy squeezed my hand. “They’re fine, right? Maybe a little shaken, but. . .” His voice trailed off.

“We did find them,” Dad said slowly. He then went silent.

Oh no. Please don’t let this be what I think it is. I’m just jumping to the wrong conclusions again. Please! I returned the pressure to Randy’s hand. Hopefully I could squeeze those terrible, unthinking thoughts out of my head-

“I’m sorry,” Dad whispered. He looked up at me. His eyes, green like mine, were moist.

Oh my god.

A/N: Thoughts? Comments? Predictions? Anything? Please let me know!

Chapter 25: Chapter 25: What's the Point?
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A/N: I'm not JKR. She wrote HP for a living. I write HPFF as a hobby. Don't worry, I won't quit my day job.

Chapter 25: What’s the Point?

I stood on Platform 9 ¾. People were just starting to show up, to send their children back to Hogwarts until June. A family came through the barrier. The two boys started chasing each other. The mother yelled at them to slow down. The father laughed as he pushed the large trolley towards the train.

“Artemis?”

I looked back to Randy. Instead of looking around the platform, at the witches and wizards all around him, he had his silver eyes locked on me. I stared straight into his coat, not meeting those eyes. I couldn’t.

“Artemis, it’s time to board the train,” Randy said softly. “You like getting the front compartment, right? Don’t want anyone to take it from you.”

I shrugged. My gaze wandered from Randy to a family of five. Two girls and a boy. One of the girls ran off to another group of girls, who then began talking to each other excitedly about something. I could hear their laughs and giggles from here.

“Artemis!”

“I still don’t want to go back,” I whispered.

“We’ve already gone over this,” Randy sighed, bowing his head forward. “You can’t stay with Nick, Zach and me. You would be robbing yourself of your future. And-” Randy stopped. He took a breath. “And, Ken and Jake wouldn’t have wanted you to give up your life just because of what happened to them.”

I closed my eyes. It’s my fault. My fault they’re. . . If I were a better witch, maybe I could have gotten to them. If I didn’t take so long in shopping, we would have been out of London before the attack. If I-

“Artemis!”

I felt Randy’s hand on my cheek, wiping away fresh tears. Opening my eyes, I saw his face was closer than I would have expected.

He smiled slightly when we briefly made eye contact. The smile faded as I turned my eyes to his chin instead. “It will be okay,” he said. “You’ll see. The others and I will still be here when you get back this summer. We’ll be laughing and messing around before you know it.”

It won’t be the same. Two of my friends won’t be there. It won’t be the same. I should have done something. More. Anything. If I did, they might still be alive.

“It’s not your fault,” Randy said. “There was nothing you could have done. You heard everyone. You don’t know how much I want you to stay. I-” His voice choked up. He cleared his throat. “I only want what’s best for you. I love you, Artemis.”

I looked down. I didn’t need to hear that one of my friends loved me. I knew they all loved me. It was why Ken put up with my teasing of him and why Jake took pleasure in grossing me out. I just wanted two of my friends back. Was that too much to ask?

Randy sighed loudly. He shook his head back and forth slowly. “I love you,” he whispered again.

“I heard you the first time.”

“No.” He forced a smile on his face. The smile didn’t reach his eyes. “You’re still not hearing me. Probably never will either.” He then looked over my head, towards the train behind me. The forced smile slipped from his face. “Remus,” he said, nodding curtly.

“Randy,” Remus said. Remus entered my field of vision, already dressed in his school robes. “Is she ready to go?”

Randy shrugged a shoulder. “Said for the millionth time she doesn’t want to go back. Wants to stay home.” He shrugged the shoulder again. “Not a good idea, though.”

“Certainly not.”

Randy put a hand on my shoulder, turning me to face Remus. “Keep her safe for me,” he said.

“I will,” Remus promised. He took my left hand. “Let’s get you on the train, Artemis.” He gently began pulling me after him.

“Oi! Remus?”

Remus stopped to look back. “What?”

Randy took a deep breath. “Thank you.” He extended his right hand.

There was a pause. Then Remus took a step towards Randy. They locked hands. “No. Thank you.” They held each other’s gaze for a moment longer before the handshake dissolved. Remus took my hand again, still somewhat warm from Randy’s. “Let’s go.”

My legs moved me forward. I glanced back at Randy. He just stood there, smiling, as Remus weaved the two of us through the gathering crowd on the platform. I came across my parents in the throng. Mum cried and hugged me tightly. Dad also hugged me, but not as tight. He held me as if I were a delicate china doll in his arms before releasing me to Remus.

Once in my compartment, the one I’d had by myself for the past five and a half years, I just gazed out the window. Mum and Dad had moved to Randy, and the three of them waved to me when they saw me on the train. They stayed for another few minutes. Their mouths were moving, but they kept waving at me. Finally, the crowd became too thick and they left through the barrier.

The train jerked into motion. I blinked and realized that the Marauders had filed into the compartment while I wasn’t paying attention. Sirius sat directly across from me, with James seated beside him. Peter sat on the bench with me, but with room between us for Remus when he finishes his Prefect duties.

“Hey Artemis,” Sirius said softly, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. “We heard about your friends. Sorry about that.”

I shrugged and looked out the window. The train began picking up speed as we left London. The last place where I saw Ken and Jake alive. And now, the last place I saw Randy and my parents. I pulled my arms closer to my body, trying to tell myself not to think that way.

“If you need us, we’re here,” Peter said. “You still have us.”

“Right. So just because I have more friends left, it makes everything okay.” I instantly regretted those words. Peter’s eyes widened, and for a moment I thought he was going to cry.

“I didn’t mean it that way,” he said in a quiet voice.

I propped my head on my right hand to block out PB&J and their ‘attempts’ to cheer me up. Out my window, I just saw rolling hills of snow pass by at impressive speeds.

“We should probably just leave her alone right now,” James said softly. Through the reflection in the glass, I saw James’s head swivel to look out of the compartment door. After a few seconds, he gasped. “Evans,” he whispered, standing up.

I heard the door open, but James didn’t bother to close it.

“Evans, I heard about what happened to your parents-”

“Leave me alone, Potter,” Lily’s voice choked out. “I’m not up for your harassment today.”

“No, Evans. I’m not here to harass you, or anything like that.” There was a pause. “What do you need from me?”

“Just leave me-”

“Besides that.” James’s voice lowered. “I mean it. What do you need?”

I heard some rustling. Then someone, Lily, started crying. The sobs were soon muffled against something. Or someone. And through the sobs, I could make out soft shushes and hums from James, trying to let her know that it was all right.

I watched the trees go whipping by out my window. One after another. All looking the same. The browns and whites swirled together to become a large fog. My stomach churned. In fact, I-

I threw up. In the middle of the floor of the compartment.

“Ewe! Artemis!” Sirius jumped up, pieces of my last meal now on his trainers. “Don’t puke! Peter, do something about it!”

Peter coughed, his eyes looking down at the vomit. After a few seconds, he leaned forward and added to the mess.

“Ah!” Sirius yelled, standing on the bench and pressing his body against the wall behind him. “Not like that, Wormtail! Help! Help! Massive mess in the first compartment! HELP!”

~~~***~~~

The train finally came to a stop at the Hogsmeade station. Remus was the first to stand up. “Come on Artemis, let’s go.” He pulled me to my feet. He then looked down at Sirius, who was still studying the spot Peter and I threw up on a few hours ago. It had been long since cleaned by a particularly-tall Prefect. “Can you make sure she gets to the carriages? I have-”

“Prefect duties. We know.” Sirius swung his feet off the bench to stand up. He patted me on the shoulder. “Let’s move, Artemis. The house elves probably made too much food for the school during your absence.”

I sighed but followed PB&J. Remus walked us out of the train, but he soon separated himself from us, weaving around the other students to collect the first years. It was still easy to spot him though. He was one of the tallest people in school.

“Too bad Hogwarts is a school,” Sirius said, arm now resting over my shoulders. “It’s great being back here, but I could do without the daily lectures and homework.”

“Not that we do the homework, Sirius,” James said. He kept looking around, though. He was really quiet all throughout the train ride. All the Marauders were, actually.

“But if teachers didn’t assign us homework, they wouldn’t get mad at us for not doing it,” Sirius said. “It’s brilliant, really. Can’t they trust us to understand perfectly the first time we hear things?”

“Speak for yourselves,” Peter mumbled. “I do the homework, but I can’t get it as much as you guys.”

“Don’t worry too much about-” James started.

I just stopped paying attention. My thoughts returned to Ken and Jake. How I failed as a witch and a friend. Did I even deserve to be here?

Remus tapped me on my left shoulder. “Did you hear me? I said pass the potatoes, please.”

I blinked. Somehow, I’d gotten to the Great Hall. James and Sirius were just starting to pile food on their plates, so I knew I hadn’t been here too long. I reached for the bowl and passed it to Remus, as requested. I then took some potatoes for myself.

“So,” Sirius said once we started to actually eat. “What should our first prank of the year be? Has to be something for the students to remember.”

“Not even here an hour and scheming for more detentions, Mr. Black?” Professor McGonagall walked up the aisle between the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff tables. She stopped directly behind Sirius.

“Minnie, so glad to see you!” Sirius swiveled around to look up at our teacher. “Happy New Year!”

“I hope so.” McGonagall, however, did not return Sirius’s smile. “It would be a better year if I didn’t have to write letters home to your families on nearly a nightly basis.”

“Lets our parents know we’re alive and well!” Sirius said. “Well, maybe not so much on the ‘well’ part. So what can I do for you tonight, Minnie?”

“You can stop addressing me by a shortened version of my first name-”

Sirius gasped. “But I thought we had developed a beautiful relationship over these past six years!”

“I’m here to give you your detention assignments for this evening,” McGonagall said. “Mr. Pettigrew will join you in your detention with Mr. Filch. Mr. Lupin and Mr. Potter will be working in the library with Madam Pince.”

Sirius’s eyes widened. “You still remember that?”

“Of course. While you were having a fine time over Christmas, your professors have been putting their names on a list of tasks they would like you four to do for the next two months. Enjoy your dinners, gentlemen.” McGonagall returned to the front table.

“I was hoping she would forget,” Sirius groaned, slouching against the table. “Why do I get landed with Filch?”

“I just hope we can stop by our room before we have to report in,” James said, staring at Sirius.

Sirius sat up, smiling. “Yeah, we need a chance to, er, make sure our trunks have arrived and aren’t still on the Hogwarts Express.”

“I’d say that we ‘make sure they are up there’ right now,” James said. He stood and began walking out of the hall.

“You finished eating, Artemis?” Remus asked as Sirius and Peter went to follow James. “I can sit with you-”

“No, I’m done.” I stood up.

“You sure? You didn’t seem to eat much-”

“I ate as much as you. Let’s just go. I hate sitting in here by myself.”

~~~***~~~

I tapped the point of my quill to my parchment, but I didn’t hear anything of what McGonagall was saying. I didn’t know, nor really care what the topic was. My notes remained blank, even through to the end of class.

“Artemis, class is over. Time for lunch.”

I snapped out of my trance-like state to look around. Oh, so it was. Most everyone was gone. Even McGonagall had left the room. Sighing, I put my blank notes into my bag. Swung the bag over my shoulder. There were words written on the front board, but I didn’t bother to read them. I just walked with Remus to the Great Hall, continuing my previous thoughts.

“Oi, Artemis!” Sirius said in a stage whisper. He sat down on the bench beside me. “Get a look at the Slytherins! Wait for it. Wait for it. . .” He pointed to said table.

I shrugged, taking a small cold sandwich from the same tray as Remus. And a bagel. And a goblet of pumpkin juice. The same exact meal as Remus. I wasn’t feeling up to loading my plate with everything in sight at the moment.

There was loud POP! from somewhere at the Slytherin table. Then came a lot of red and gold smoke. A lot of students, especially Gryffindors, laughed and cheered. I just ate my sandwich.

“All right, Pads!” James said, reaching over the table to slap hands with Sirius. “Good one! Never knew the Slytherins could look good sporting our colors.”

“Especially their hair,” Peter giggled.

“Especially their eyes,” Sirius said proudly. “Not that I would ever get close enough to see the color of their eyes, but I wonder how long it’ll take them to reverse this.”

“Hey Artemis?” Remus said, leaning closer to me. “You alright? Want anything else?”

I shook my head. “No, I’m fine.” I finished my bagel, then took a sip of pumpkin juice. As my head tilted back, I could vaguely make out a sea of red and gold robes, hair, and bags. Even the table itself seemed striped in Gryffindor House colors.

I put the goblet down, folded my arms on the table, and rested my head inside the nest.

“Moony? She alright?” Sirius asked.

Remus sighed. “I really don’t know.”

~~~***~~~

“Artemis, please pay attention,” Remus begged me, whispering as Professor DiGroop went on with the discussion.

I ignored him. Instead, I kept my palms pressing against the sides of my skull. My head was throbbing, my stomach was churning, and my brain was just refusing to comprehend anything over ten words at a time. What was wrong with me?

We were eventually released from class. DiGroop gave some last minute instructions. I didn’t catch any of it. I just knew that my muscles felt deflated as I pushed myself away from the desk and put my blank parchment and unused quill back in my bag. I could hardly believe that I’ve been back for only three days. It felt like months, years, decades even.

Remus stayed with me as I trudged out of the room. I think DiGroop called something to me, but I ignored him. My brain was still buzzing.

“I’m taking you to Poppy,” Remus said, the two of us the only ones in the hall. He looked at his watch. “I’ve still got time. Artemis, what’s wrong? You can tell me.”

I shook my head. “I’m not really sure,” I said slowly. “But I-”

A shot of pain shot through me from my stomach. I winced, dropping my book bag to the ground. I also stumbled, landing against Remus.

“Merlin’s beard!” I felt Remus take hold of my shoulders. “I’ll get you to Poppy, Artemis. Hold on!”

But I didn’t. I collapsed.

~~~***~~~

My muscles felt like they were filled with lead. And that I had used that lead in some sort of weight training program, leaving them exhausted for the next ten years. Even my eyelids felt heavy.

“Oi! She’s waking up, guys!”

“We see it too, Padfoot. No need to shout it through the entire wing.”

I struggled, but finally opened my eyes. I was once again staring at the ceiling of the Hospital Wing. Rotating my eyes, I saw two heads of black hair sitting on my right side. Sirius and James. And there was something at my feet. Oh, it was Peter, sitting at the foot of the bed.

“Artemis? Are you alright?”

I looked to my left. Remus was pale, extremely pale, but he wasn’t the one laying on the bed.

“What happened?” I asked, but my throat was dry. Raw, almost.

“Would you believe that you collapsed because you didn’t eat enough to feed all four Quidditch teams?” Sirius asked, smiling.

I looked to Remus, confused. “I’ve been eating. The exact same as you have.”

Remus offered a weak smile. “Yeah. But Poppy said you should have eaten more than me, which to most people is counterintuitive.” (“Big word there, mate,” Sirius said.) “You’ve been in here since you collapsed yesterday.” He pressed his lips together, looking down for a moment. “You missed today’s classes.”

I rolled my head away from Remus and just stared up at the ceiling. So what if I physically wasn’t in class today? Not like I learned anything over the past three, er, four days we’ve been back.

Madam Pomfrey eventually came out and shooed PB&J away from my bed. Peter moved too fast, though, and ended up falling out of my bed and onto his kneecap. Pomfrey had to treat him before checking to see if I was okay.

“My only order to you is to get food in your system. Lots of it.” Pomfrey pointed towards the double doors out of here. “Your little body requires a lot of fuel to operate.”

“So she wasn’t kidding when she said she had a high metabolism,” Sirius said. He was lounging on another bed, technically out of Pomfrey’s way. The nurse didn’t seem to like him messing up another bed for nothing, though.

“I’ll take her down to the kitchens,” Remus said, standing up from his chair. “Dinner’s long over, anyway.” He turned his attention to Pomfrey. “Thanks for taking care of her, Poppy.”

Pomfrey smiled. “Anything for two of my favorite students.”

“Hey Pomfrey, am I one of your favorite students?” Sirius asked.

“Of course. Now get down to scrubbing out my cauldrons. You lot get so many detentions, it benefits Artemis and me in avoiding the dirty work.”

Remus helped me off the bed, then lead me down to the kitchens. I remained silent in our journey.

Remus placed a large plate of spaghetti in front of me. Somehow, we had gotten into the kitchen without me noticing. I’ve been doing that a lot, I realized.

“Eat,” Remus directed.

I picked up a fork, but I didn’t have much of an apatite. I remembered that one time Jake dyed some spaghetti brown, threw in meatballs, and presented it as his science project in school, modeling how things decompose and worms grow everywhere. I didn’t even think we were studying decomposition in school at the time. Jake just did it to gross out the girls (and most of the boys) in class.

“Do I have to feed you myself?” Remus muttered, sitting down beside me. He took the fork and rolled it through the spaghetti. “Open up, Artemis.”

“I’m not hungry,” I said.

“Open up.”

Rolling my eyes, I opened my mouth.

We repeated this process until the plate of spaghetti disappeared. It was quickly taken away by a house elf and replaced with a fresh plate. Remus handed me the fork.

“I’m not hungry,” I said.

We must have silently sat there for at least ten minutes. The steam from the spaghetti eventually dissipated. The house elves continued to work around us. If not for them, it would have been absolutely silent.

“Too bad we’ve lost the war,” Remus said. He slouched back in his seat and stared at the ceiling.

I straightened up. I couldn’t have heard him right. “What?!”

“The war against Voldemort,” Remus said simply. His eyes remained on the ceiling. “And Death Eaters. Our side’s lost.” He let out a long, loud sigh. “At least I don’t have to worry about getting all O’s on my N.E.W.T.’s anymore.”

“The war’s not over!” I said, slightly confused. “If it were, the Death Eaters would be here! We’d be under attack. Or conquered. Or, well, something!”

Remus shrugged. “Just a formality. I mean, if no one’s around to fight dark wizards, then what opposition do they have? None. Might as well pack my trunk and get out of here before they show up. They will show up eventually.” He paused. “Muggles don’t stand a change. Most will probably be gone within the month.”

“No!” I snapped at him. “There are plenty of people out fighting! The Aurors! They saved my life!”

“They still die,” Remus said. “If there’s no one to replace our side but the Death Eaters keep recruiting the young witches and wizards of pureblood families, it’ll turn into a numbers game. And if you care to remember History of Magic, numbers do make a difference.”

“And who says there’s no one to replace our side?” I asked.

“You.” Remus said. He looked down from the ceiling to stare at me. His gaze told me not to look away. “One bad thing happens. You shut down. You haven’t been in to see Madam Pomfrey for Healer training since we got back. With one less skilled Healer, more people will be hurt or sick longer. If everyone just shut down after a tragedy, we would have lost this war years ago, maybe even before it began. And I-” Remus paused, his eyes widening. He broke eye contact first, looking over to the house elves surrounding the ovens. “Didn’t you tell me once that you wanted to be a Healer so you could help us out in this war? That and your mother would have a fit if you became an Auror?”

“I’m just one person. I can’t save everyone.” I looked down to poke the cold spaghetti. That was just the short truth of it all. I was just one person. One witch in this huge world.

Remus closed his eyes. “That’s not the point. You just do your best.” He reopened his eyes. “No one’s perfect.”

I thought about this. As I twirled my fork around the food, I thought of all my friends. No one had ever told me I couldn’t do something. Of course, they were very quick to point out any faults. Everyone has faults. Myself included. Merlin, I know I had issues. It just made life fun. Life that Ken and Jake would not- No. Randy was right on the platform.

“Our side will win,” I said. I pointed my wand at the spaghetti to reheat it while reaching for a blueberry muffin with my left hand. “You-Know-Who’s going to dread the day when I’m released onto the world full-time.”

Remus smiled. “The rest of the world is also dreading that day. And call him by his real name. Fearing to speak the name just makes him feel more powerful than he is.”

I nodded. “Okay. Dad just has a weird feeling about saying Voldemort’s name. Weird in a bad way.”

“My parents feel the same. But all we can do is our best.”

I went on to finish that second plate of spaghetti, then requested a large steak, a mound of fries, trout, and an unlimited supply of muffins. Remus also offered me some hot chocolate with some chocolate squares inside. I felt a little better after eating my fill, but I knew I wasn’t feeling like the girl who had left last December.

Leaving the kitchens with our pockets filled with muffins, a thought hit me. “Remus?”

“Yeah?”

I hesitated, not really wanting to ask this question, but knowing that I had to anyway. “What, er, what do you think you would do if you lost PB&J?”

Remus frowned. He looked away.

I opened the door out of the kitchens. The two of us walked back to Gryffindor Tower practically in silence.

Remus never did answer my question.

A/N: So, thoughts? Comments? Feelings? Please tell me if this chapter is good, bad, blah, or otherwise. Thank you!

Chapter 26: Chapter 26: I Am Not Afraid of Slytherins
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A/N: According to my own best mate, I'm not JKR. JKR has created an insanely incredible series of books, whereas according to him, I'm just insane. Enjoy the chapter while I reconsider why he's my best mate.

Chapter 26: I Am Not Afraid of Slytherins

“For a mild prank, they certainly went overboard with these detentions,” Sirius complained after dinner. He fastened the buttons over his winter cloak as he walked. “Couldn’t they cut it down to one month?”

“Sure,” I said, my book bag hanging over my right shoulder. Along with my books, it had about four blueberry muffins crammed inside with a protective charm (to prevent crushing). “But you’d still be stuck until mid-March with all the other detentions you’ve racked up within the past week. Besides, you usually don’t make a gigantic show of cursing each individual of a House at once. It’s usually a simultaneous thing.”

“Oi, it was mostly charms and transfiguration spells,” James said. He walked in front of our group, backwards. “I’m offended, offended, that you think we would curse our classmates.” Even without the large grin, I still would never have believed that.

“We’re out with Hagrid tonight,” Remus said to me, his right arm over my shoulders. “You going to be okay?”

“If you keep asking me that, boyfriend or not, you’ll make me earn my first detention tonight,” I warned. I ducked out of Remus’s reach. “Enjoy cleaning up after Hagrid’s beasts.”

I watched the Marauders head out onto the grounds, towards Hagrid’s hut. Once they were a far enough distance out on the snow, I let the smile fade from my face. I didn’t want to pretend that everything was still fine. It wasn’t. It wouldn’t be the same ever again. But I won’t let my friends worry too much about me. That’s not their job.

I headed away from the entrance, cold and drafty, and towards my warm sanctuary of the library. I studied my shoes as I walked, mostly to avoid eye contact with others. I had a load of homework to catch up on, and my study schedule was still a mess. I knew I would have to spend my entire weekend in here if I wanted-

“If it isn’t a Gryffindor, walking around without her bodyguards.” A group of four Slytherin blokes came from around the corner in front of me, also heading for the library.

I ignored the students. Let them think what they want. I knew I could take care of myself. I didn’t have to prove it to people whose names I didn’t know. I started to pull at the door handle.

A hand pressed itself against the door, stopping its movement. “Did you hear us? There’s four of us and one of you.”

“Congratulations, you can add. Please remove your hand.” Honestly, what do they want?

“Just thought you should be aware that your boyfriends won’t be anything after we’re done with school. You don’t want to become too involved with them.”

I sighed. “And your boyfriends are concerned with me why?”

The Slytherin scowled. I don’t think he liked that comment. “Think you’re funny, do you?”

“Yeah, but looks aren’t-” I stopped. I’d had this exchange before. I looked up at the Slytherin doing all the talking. He was much larger than me. I didn’t recognize him from any of my classes, so he might have been a seventh year. But I’d seen those eyes glare at me like that before.

The Slytherin cocked a grin, which sent cold chills down my spine. “Like I said, be careful,” he whispered.

I pressed my lips together, telling myself to wait a few seconds before doing anything stupid. This was school, not home. I had to remember that important fact. Although I don’t think I would get into too much trouble if I could provide proof that this Slytherin was possibly a Death Eater. He was so lucky I didn’t want to potentially spoil my record.

“Remove your hand,” I hissed, “or will I need to collapse another wall on you? You should remember that I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself.”

That made the Slytherins pause. Seeing the hand relax against the door, I reached forward again and pulled the door open. The Slytherin stopped it from opening all the way, but there was enough space for me to squeeze through.

Collecting a Transfiguration book for a relatively short essay due in two days (I know, I haven’t put off homework like this since Muggle school), I sat down in the History of Magic section and began the outline for my paper. At least homework would take my mind off the worst day of my life. I didn’t want to think about Death Eaters, or London, or failing two of my friends. . .

I was interrupted in even making the first few points of my outline when another group of Slytherins approached my table. Three of them, all girls this time. I think I recognized them. We might have had classes together. I wasn’t quite sure. This night just keeps getting better and better.

“Hello, Monroe,” one of the girls said. Great, it is all about me. Swell.

“Hello girl whose name I don’t know,” I said politely. “And to you two as well. I have a terrible memory.” I hoped I was making it obvious that I was interested in doing my homework and not in conversing with them.

“Gee, is that why you study so much and aren’t the smartest?”

“So long as I beat out all the girls, I’m happy.” I went back to reading. Out of all the students in the school, in the library right now even, why oh why did they have to target me? I didn’t do anything to them. Unless they were also in London that day- no, don’t think of that.

“So is it true that you’re going out with two Marauders at once? I mean, Black and Lupin have never shown long term interest in a girl before. And if so, did you need a love potion to do it? How’s that working out for you?”

I rolled my eyes and went back to reading. Rumors. I hate rumors. I wonder who starts these things. Probably Samantha if it has anything to do with me and Sirius. I flipped through the book to find the chapter corresponding to the essay I had to write.

The Slytherin girl groaned loudly. However, Madam Pince didn’t shush her, so the librarian must be on the other side of the library. “So then, you spend all your time with boys? Think you’re better than all us girls?”

Honestly? Yes I do. I had to clamp my jaw shut to prevent those words from escaping. I didn’t want to give her too much ammunition to use against me, however false it might be.

“She’s even friends with Muggle boys,” she said, now addressing her cohorts. “I wonder how many of them she’s dating.”

Really, like I would even think of dating Randy, Nick, or Zach. That’s just wrong. I took a deep breath to prevent myself from breaking down into fits of laughter. The idea itself seemed to be a bad punch line.

“Hey, I’m talking to you.” The girl leaned forward and slammed the book closed, nearly pinching my fingers.

I sighed. Fun time’s over. “Transfiguration section, Hal-Hou bookcase, second top shelf, ninth spot from the left.” I slid my own books into my book bag, put away my ink and quill, and stood up. Interesting. I was taller than these girls.

“What-?”

“You obviously wanted to read that book, or you wouldn’t have come by me. I’ll look through it another time. Good day.” I walked out of the library, leaving them looking after me dumbfounded. Please note: I knew they didn’t want that book. I just wanted to leave the area and confuse them at the same time. I’m not that oblivious.

Hey, don’t laugh!

The Marauders were obviously still doing detention. Not wanting to attract more unwanted and unwelcome attention, I just headed up to my dorm. I could do my catch-up studying in there.

Ah, silence. Haven’t heard that in a while. I walked to my bed, hopped onto it, and just bounced for a few seconds. I was too tall to fully jump anymore. Banged my head on the ceiling at the beginning of fourth year. Thinking about it, I’ve banged my head on a lot of things. I definitely have a thick skull.

When I finished bouncing, I just sat on the bed, staring at the wall in front of my bed. I didn’t really want to study. I didn’t want to see my classmates. I didn’t want to do anything. I just wanted everything back to normal. Normal, when I was eleven before I came here.

“What did I do to deserve this?” I groaned, pressing my palms into my eye sockets. I let myself fall back against my bed. I didn’t want to be seventeen anymore.

The door opened. I uncovered my eyes to see who it was and if I had to find a new hiding spot.

It was just Lily. Kati wasn’t with her. As I watched, Lily dumped her bag onto the trunk at the foot of her bed. She then walked to the side of her bed and fell straight down onto it, landing on her face. She remained still.

I took out a blueberry muffin from my bag, wondering which subject I should study for. I had Potions, Herbology, and Arithmancy tomorrow. My Potions essay was finished last night. Arithmancy was done with Remus during lunch. Forget homework. I dug deep into my bag and found an old letter. I received it last year after my O.W.L.’s. My eyes went directly to the middle of the letter.

When you get back, remind Ken to have him tell you about what he tried to do three weeks ago. Just mention “buttered toast.” He should know what you’re talking about and turn a pleasant red color in seconds. Should be quite a show.

Buttered toast. I teased Ken so bad that summer because of that. He was so obsessed about not having a girlfriend or even a potential girlfriend. He died without having ever been snogged at just sixteen.

I found another letter in my bag, this one from the start of this year.

P.S. Jake just walked into my kitchen as I’m writing this. He says hi, and that he’s dating Marilyn Smith. He’s telling everyone (she’s hot!- Jake).

Jake’s handwriting hadn’t changed since we were kids. Neither had his personality much. Though I did regret daring him to eat a beetle when we were seven. Not really for his sake so much as everyone else’s. Didn’t Jake say Marilyn broke up with him when she saw him eating week-old leftovers? That’s pretty mild compared to other things he’d subjected his stomach to.

Now I’ll never hear about them doing anything else. I just had my memories. I put away the letters before they would become wet from my tears.

I heard a sob. It wasn’t from me. Looking to the only other occupied bed, Lily had moved onto her side, facing away from me. I saw a large book on her bed with her, though. A photo album maybe. As she turned the pages, more muffled sobs came from her direction.

“Lily?” I whispered, wiping my face dry. “Are you okay?”

“Huh?” Lily sat up. She looked first to the door, then back to my bed. Even from this distance, with our beds being the furthest ones from each other, I could see how red and puffy her eyes looked. “Artemis? When did you get up here?”

“About five minutes before you,” I said. I stood up and crossed the room to her bed. I stopped a meter away from the bed, though. “Are you-”

“I’m fine!” Lily snapped.

I looked across Lily to see the book she was flipping through. It showed a lot of pictures of Lily, her sister Petunia, and two older people that looked like Lily. “Your parents?”

Lily’s emerald eyes moistened. She turned her head away from me. “It’s none of your business!”

I took a step back. I remembered seeing Lily in London just a half hour before the attack. Were her parents also there? And Lily was sad because-

“I’m sorry for your loss,” I whispered. Lily, like me, probably didn’t want to be bothered by other people. She probably thought I would tell her to get over it. I wouldn’t, though. That’s not advice I liked hearing. But Lily and I weren’t close to being friends. Especially not after last month’s events. It would be best if I just left her alone. I went back to my bed and pulled out my Potions books, studying for whatever potion we were making tomorrow. I tried to remember which ingredients needed to be cut, chopped, or squished differently from this outdated book.

“You lost two friends that Wednesday, didn’t you Artemis?”

I looked up. Lily still sat on her bed, but she was facing me.

“Yeah,” I whispered. I returned my eyes to the book. “Can’t compare to losing your parents, though.” Merlin, why was I feeling so upset at losing Ken and Jake? Lily was still sixteen. In one day, in one moment, she became an orphan.

“At least they knew I was a witch.” She paused. “Your friends, they didn’t. . .?”

I shook my head. “No. They didn’t know. I told my other Muggle friends, though. When I thought Ken and Jake were still coming back.” I felt my chest constrict slightly. Two of my friends died without knowing the true me. What kind of friend was I then?

“How were you able to do it?”

I looked up again. “I don’t follow.”

“You maintained your Muggle friendships. With five blokes if I’m not mistaken. How did you remain close friends?”

“As Randy put it, I translated everything into Muggle-ese. I tried to keep them informed about my life through my letters.” Shouldn’t that answer have been obvious?

Lily nodded. “I also had Muggle friends before Hogwarts. But we’re not really friends anymore. It just sort of- dissolved. It was just too awkward to maintain those friendships while I was gone for months at a time.”

“Sorry.” Personally, though, I hadn’t heard of many people talk about Muggle friends in the present tense. Well, of course I try not to eavesdrop, but from what I do hear in the halls and class, most people tend to drift away from their Muggle friends in lieu of the magical variety.

“May I ask you a question?” Lily asked.

“You just did. I’ll grant you one more.” I closed my Potions book. I couldn’t even remember the next potion’s name anyway.

“How come you don’t have any girl friends? All your friends seem to be blokes.”

I smiled. Laughed a little. The first time I truly did either of those acts in weeks. “All my friends are blokes. Probably because when I was six years old, I punched a girl in the nose. Broke it, actually. I got suspended from school for fighting.” Ah yes, good times.

“What?!” Lily sat up so suddenly, she seemed to hop up and down on her bed for a few times. “You got into a fight? You’ve been suspended?!”

“Yup. Suspension’s not really a good punishment, though. I had a long weekend and didn’t have to learn anything. I loved it.”

“That doesn’t seem like you,” Lily said. “Oh, wait, you have been acting weird this year. I thought it was the Marauders’ poor influence on you.”

“Nope. The weirdness is all me. It’s just that no one ever suspects the quiet ones.”

“Well, why did you even get into a fight to begin with? Six-year-olds would seem to have more temper tantrums than actual fist-fights.”

“Oh, that’s simple.” I sat up straighter and faced Lily straight on. I loved this story. “I had just gotten my hair cut really short, like the haircut my best mate had. When I got to school, all the girls didn’t seem to like it. They all came to school in skirts and acted so girly. One of those girls actually said ‘Now you look like the boy you really are.’ So naturally, I punched her for insulting me.” I pulled forward my ponytail, which now hung down to my mid-back in length. “My dad told me to keep my hair longer from then on, though. He hated the haircut Mum let me get.”

Lily’s eyes were incredibly wide at this point. I seemed to have that effect on people. “So, you hold a grudge against all girls for that?”

“Not all girls. But all the girls at my school seemed to hold that against me. I have fun terrorizing them when I go home.”

“And we had just assumed you were anti-social.”

“So long as you don’t call me a bloke, I don’t think we’ll have any problems.” I paused, remembering last month‘s events with my roommates. “And, er, sorry about what I did to you and the others last-”

“Don’t worry about it,” Lily said. “I suppose finding out that your boyfriend is dumping you is hard, especially when it’s your first one and you still really like him. Of course, I wouldn’t know. Potter’s never given any boy a fair chance of dating me.” She leaned back onto her bed, looking up at the ceiling.

I think I’m supposed to say something here. Think, Artemis, Lily probably wants a girly conversation. Anything to keep her mind off her loss. And me off mine. “So,” I said slowly, still racking my brain. “Is there any bloke in school you would want to date if James wasn’t such a prat around you?”

“First of all, Potter’s a prat all the time. Secondly, I’d rather date nearly anyone than him. I’ve stopped looking at blokes in front of him. Anyone that I look at seems to end up cursed and in the Hospital Wing within hours.”

I nodded. Since I hadn’t seen anyone from a House other than Slytherin in the Hospital Wing because of the Marauders, I felt it was safe to presume Lily stopped looking at all before the end of last year.

“I really shouldn’t say he’s a prat all the time,” Lily said. She continued to look up at the ceiling. “He’s been really nice to me these past few days. He’s not begging for dates, he’s not cursing anyone in front of me. He’s just, well, being nice. He even promised not to do any of the annoying stuff until I felt better. That made me laugh. It’s just that I didn’t know Potter could do nice.” Lily rolled her head to look across the room. “And if you tell him I said that, I’ll earn my first suspension for punching you in the nose!”

I smiled. “Don’t worry, I don’t make things easy for my friends. Makes everything more fun.” I thought about what Lily just said about James acting differently, though. Remus had been doing something similar with me. He was always asking me if I was okay or if I needed something. And though we still spent a lot of time together, it felt like we were just going through the motions of boyfriend/girlfriend. Like Remus was still afraid I might crumble in front of him.

“They seem to think we can’t handle ourselves, huh?” Lily asked.

“Huh? Were you reading my thoughts?”

“No. Your face is very expressive. It’s easy to read.”

“Oh.” Well, it’s not like I walked around talking into a mirror all the time, so I wouldn’t know. “Remus is just constantly asking if I’m alright. If I try to tell him how I feel, he tries to tell me that everything will be okay. Even Randy says that in his letters. I don’t want to be-”

“-told how to feel,” Lily finished for me. She rolled off her bed and approached mine slowly. “I spent Christmas with Kati’s family. And I’ll be there this summer. But all through that time, I had a million different people telling me that same thing.” Lily reached my bed. She placed a hand on one of the posts at the foot of my bed. “It’s like they’re expecting me to just get over the fact that I don’t have-” Her voice choked up. She took a deep breath. Then another. “That my parents are gone.”

“It sucks.” I tapped the end of my bed with my foot.

Lily sat, now facing me. The left side of her lips raised slightly. “Yeah, it sucks. It sucks that no one lets me talk without trying to tell me how to act or feel.” She pressed her lips together. “Look, I wouldn’t normally be asking you this, and I feel bad because you just-”

I held up a hand. “Look, I’m an expert at tuning people out. Randy says that I probably have the ability to turn my ears off. If you want someone to talk to without getting told what to think, I’m your girl.” I picked up my Potions book again. “I’m a better alternative than talking to a wall.”

“Thanks,” Lily said. She stood up. “Um, I’m supposed to go on patrol soon. But if you ever need to talk to me. . .”

“Just pardon my occasional language and we should be fine,” I said. “It was nice talking with you.”

“Same here, surprisingly.” She waved before heading out the door.

I turned back to the right page in the book and started reading about what specific ingredients I’ll need tomorrow morning. Let’s see, I’ll need spiders’ legs, leeches, wormwood . . .

~~~***~~~

“Please move,” I sighed for the fifth time that night. The large group of Slytherins blocked the narrow hall, the fastest route between Gryffindor Tower and the library. I had just left the Marauders with Professor McGonagall. I had no idea what they would be up to, but I smelled something rancid coming from the classroom they had to go into.

Like every night for the past week, though, the Slytherins did nothing. Some looked at me and laughed. Others frowned. The rest just continued to loiter around the hallway, blocking my path to the library. I had finally pulled ahead in my studying, but only by two days for each class.

I’m getting tired of this, I thought. What did I do to all these Slytherins to deserve this? It’s been a week. And I don’t want to tell the Marauders about this. The Slytherins have only been showing up in my way when they know the Marauders have detention. If I told Remus or anyone else, that would just make the situation worse, I know it. Also knowing that the Slytherins wouldn’t listen to me, that this night wasn’t any different than others, I turned around the way I came. Maybe I could find a secret passage that would allow me to go around them.

Of course there had to be Slytherin students in the library, just through the doors. They just had to be. If this keeps up much longer, I may have to disillusion myself in order to move about the castle freely. I weaved my way through a few tables to reach the Charms section of the library. Hopefully I could get a few notes copied onto some parchment before more Slytherins show up to harass me.

I saw movement to my right, at the far end of the aisle of books. I jotted down a few more notes quickly, taking note of the page number, and returned the book to its spot. I’ve gotten quite good at speed reading.

“Monroe.” Snape approached me. He was alone.

“Snape,” I said, relieved it was only him. I took down another Charms book, looking for this week’s topic. Index, page number, flipping through pages-

“You owe me, Monroe. It’s time for me to collect.”

The book flipped past my required page number. I turned to look up at Snape. “What are you talking about?” I asked.

“Last October, you asked to borrow a spell of mine. Now it’s time you do something for me.”

“Wasn’t it enough that I got the better of the Marauders for you? That should have made you happy.”

“Don’t worry. This favor is not too difficult for a-” Snape stopped, checking his sneer.

“Too difficult for a what? Half-blood? Gryffindor? Girl? Future Healer? Person that rambles far too long?”

The corners of Snape’s lips twitched upwards momentarily, then returned to a neutral state. “It’s simple. But only you can do it for me. I want to talk to Lily. Alone.”

“Huh?” Isn’t this the Slytherin that called Lily a Mudblood? “I don’t think-” I started slowly.

“You want the other Slytherins to leave you alone? I know you didn’t put that 12 Days of Christmas plot into their heads. You’re not like that. You’re also the only Gryffindor girl who would even consider this request. Just give me a chance to talk to Lily, and I will convince the other Slytherins to leave you alone.”

I pressed my lips together. I didn’t think this was such a great plan.

“Just tell me when and where,” Snape said. He brushed past me as he headed out of the library. The other Slytherins at the doors paid him no mind. They were waiting for me.

Oh joy, I thought, going back to my research. Can someone tell me when I became a person of interest to these people?

A/N: So, any predictions on where I’m going with this?

Chapter 27: Chapter 27: Not Again!
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A/N: I did not write HP. JKR wrote HP using her real name, whereas I write HPFF using a pseudonym (it would be embarrassing if my real first name was 'The').

Chapter 27: Not Again!

“I know something you don’t know! I know something you don’t know!”

“WHAT DO YOU WANT WITH ME?!” I screamed.

Instead of an answer, I just got a girl’s giggles and saw someone disappear around the corner of this corridor. I ran at full speed after her, determined to find out who she was and why she was taunting me for some unknown reason.

“I know something you don’t know! I know something you don’t know!”

“Would you just quit it?!” I slammed into the wall at the end of the corridor. Looking to my left, I saw the girl’s shadow dance as she ran down the next corridor. I took off again, the portraits in this hall blurring together as I raced past them. My heart pounded in my ears, my throat began to dry out, my legs screamed at me to stop, but I couldn’t. All because-

“I know something you don’t know!”

This was the third time that this annoying girl had appeared to taunt me. And she only said the same annoying phrase in that annoying sing-song voice of hers! Ugh, who’s idea was it to make girls sound so girly?

I caught a glimpse of her down another hall. She was skipping now, already heading for the large double doors at the end of the hall.

“I know something you don’t know. I know something you don’t know.” The girl opened the doors, flooding the corridor in an intense white light. Her silhouette, now the only thing I could see through the light, turned to look back at me. “I know something you don’t know.”

“Then tell me!” I ran faster, hoping to finally catch her. I was closing in on her. I was so close. I reach out my hand. I almost-

“-will be a useful spell to use, but it is very powerful. It is one of those that needs to be non-verbal, so I do hope you have been practicing your other spells nonverbally. If so, many of you should be successful on your first few attempts when you do your homework tonight.”

I blinked. Looked around. I was in Transfiguration. Professor McGonagall was in front of the class, lecturing on something. Everyone else in class was facing forward, quills in hand and writing down what McGonagall was saying in addition to what she already put on the blackboard.

I looked down at my notes. After poking myself in the nose with my quill, I realized that my hand had been taking notes like the others. But how? I didn’t remember this morning at all, just until ten seconds ago. But it was nearing lunchtime.

I looked to my right to ask Remus how I was this morning, but the seat next to me was empty. Remus wasn’t here today? I looked to the back of the room. James and Sirius both had their heads down on their desks, dozing away class time. Looking to the other side of the room, Peter had his head resting on Rachael’s left shoulder. From the way Rachael leaned her head away from her boyfriend, I was guessing that Peter was drooling on her sleeve. I did not envy her one bit.

I faced forward again, trying to listen to McGonagall talk. But I couldn’t. Everyone but me seemed to act like this was a normal morning. But I didn’t feel normal. My heart, while not pounding in my ears anymore, still beat painfully in my chest. I also felt that there was a massive lump in my throat. It was fading as I continued to sit in class, but I still didn’t like that feeling. I reached up to scratch my neck. It was warm and a bit clammy, as if I had actually just been running after the mysterious girl.

But I’d been here in class this whole time. My notes proved it. In fact, they were even written in my own handwriting, so I knew that it was me who had to be here. I raised the end of my quill back to my nose and inhaled. The blueberry scent was still strong after having it for about three months. It was the same quill that Remus bought me on our first date.

Okay, I thought to myself. I can’t let this keep going. This is just another time that I have a memory gap. Okay, my notes say it’s February 4th. It’s not like I’ve been out of it for a few days this time. That’s the good news. But I can’t risk this happening at random times. Wait. Have they been random?

Turning to a fresh page in my notes, I wrote down a list of memory losses or times that I couldn’t remember that just stood out in my memories I did have.

February 4th- right now, sitting in class
December 8th- found out I was missing five entire days
November 7th- woke up in the kitchens at lunch, no breakfast
October 9th- wandered the corridors, first Hogsmeade trip

I tapped the tip of my quill against the parchment. After a few seconds of debating with myself, I decided to add another potential date.

September 9th- left the Hospital Wing to be attacked by PB&J

Okay, the dates themselves didn’t match up, though all the memory gaps happened near the beginning of each month. Well, it seems that I had a lucky break in January. I mean, I didn’t remember waking up to find myself-

No, that was a lie. I was still emotionally torn up about Ken and Jake. Merlin, just thinking about them made my eyes burn. I have to remember that it’s not my fault they’re dead. I just have to work at protecting the friends I still have. And that meant making sure I was okay.

January 6th- collapsed due to malnutrition, out of it for one full day

Okay, so I did lose my memories once a month. But the dates didn’t match up. And all of these gaps happened on different days of the week: Thursday, Saturday, Sunday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday today. There was no pattern there either. And I kept ‘waking up’ in different locations. It’s like it was never the same place twice. But there had to be something linking these gaps together. I just wasn’t seeing it.

“And remember, I expect your six-foot essays on my desk at the beginning of next Friday’s class,” Professor McGonagall announced. “I will not allow you to work on it during my lecture. Potter, Black, Pettigrew, add another night’s detention to your lists for sleeping through my class today.”

I jumped, realizing half the students in class were gone. And I hadn’t written anything about today’s class (after I ‘woke up’ that is). Great, I’ll have to ask Lily for her notes later. At least I had that incredibly-long essay already completed.

I shoved my books into my bag, not wanting to stay in here much longer. I had to look through the library again.

PB&J were just shuffling themselves out of the room as I left. “Hey, do you guys know where Remus is?” I asked. If he had been here, I could have asked him if I looked a little strange during class.

James and Peter shook their heads, they eyes still red and puffy from apparent lack of sleep.

“Didn’t I already-” Sirius started. But he stopped to yawn. His mouth opened wide, then widened even further before he closed his mouth again. “We were in detention until late last night. We couldn’t get Moony out of bed, so we just left him.”

“Oh, okay,” I said. There wasn’t much else I could say to that, though. The three of them started shuffling to the Great Hall in their zombie-like state. I bet they were glad today was Friday.

I popped down to the kitchens really quick to grab some lunch for myself. The house elves were excited to see me again. They’re almost cute, in a really creepy kind of way. I sometimes laugh and cringe about them at the same time. Anyway, with my bag filled for lunch, I ran myself to the library. Maybe I could find something now that I knew these memory gaps were basically a monthly event.

The library was a bit crowded in the front as I entered. It was mostly by Ravenclaw students. As I passed by their tables, I took notice of a group of third years. They had their books opened and were drawing in the phases of the moon. I remembered doing that three years ago. One of the students was doing the February moon phases. Already halfway done, the chart showed that last night was the full moon-

Full moon?! I stopped walking just to watch the students work. A lunar cycle is 29 days. Well, not exactly 29 days, but close to it. So the full moon dates match up, but on a regular calendar it would seem like there’s no connection! Oh. My. Godric!

The Ravenclaw students must have noticed me looking at them. Hard not to notice, I suppose. The one working on the February chart turned in her seat and looked up at me. “Do you need something?” she asked.

“Uh, no,” I said. I had to prove my theory to myself before any of these books could help me. “Uh, I need something in my dorm. Sorry.” I turned and left the library. The doors weren’t even fully closed behind me as I dashed through the halls. I knew exactly where to look now. And the funny thing is that I’ve been looking at part of my answer for nearly six years now.

No one was in the girls dorm when I entered. Instead of heading for my bed, I went directly for Lily’s. Or rather, the wall next to her bed. Hanging at my eye level was Lily’s calendar for 1977.

Yes, this was a calendar that showed the moon phases. I ignored the kittens playing in the picture above and turned back to January. Yes, I was out of it during that full moon too. But that’s where the calendar ran out of months. The calendar from last year was already gone.

“Whoever decided that one school year should span two calendar years was mad,” I muttered. I highly doubted that Lily would have kept last year’s calendar so I could cross-check it against the dates that I was missing my memories. Oh well, time to do some Astronomy homework.

It took about ten minutes to quickly sketch last year’s calendar, then pinpoint when all the full moons were. When I was done, it seemed like my theory was correct. All my memory gaps occurred after the full moon of each month. The December full moon was mysterious to me, though. I had gone from arguing with Remus that Friday afternoon to waking up in the Hospital Wing Wednesday night. The full moon happened during those missing few days, but I had no idea what had happened during those five days. Okay, I knew I was doing stuff that weekend, but I never got real specifics.

“Of course it has to coincide with the full moon,” I grumbled, munching on my lunch. Tee hee, munch and lunch. They rhyme. No, wait, focus Artemis! “I bet this wouldn’t have happened if I wasn’t named after the moon goddess! But no, it makes sense! Of course anything that happens to me has to be blamed on the moon!” Great, a blueberry flew out of my mouth.

Finishing my lunch, I looked back at my messy moon phases calendar. Certainly wouldn’t have gotten a good grade on it if I turned that in third year. But it served its purpose. I just confirmed that my memories go missing with the full moon. It’ll help me narrow my search.

I tore the page out of my notes that I wrote on in Transfiguration. Putting that and the calendar I just made onto the stone floor, I nonverbally set them on fire. I wouldn’t risk anyone finding those. This was my problem. I refused to let my friends worry about me. I could take care and figure all this out by myself.

~~~***~~~

I went to class, but I just took the bare minimum of notes. My brain kept drifting back to about the link between my missing memories and the full moon. I felt like the answer was on the tip of my tongue, but I couldn’t get it out. Looks like Remus will have to get his notes from Lily. If he’d ever wake up. He was still missing from classes at the end of the day. If I weren’t so obsessed about my problems, I would wonder what kind of detention would take an entire night to complete.

Getting out of Defense, I decided that I’d rather spend my time in the library rather than with PB&J. I popped into the kitchens again. After I did, I realized I should have brought more food with me when I came for lunch. The house elves practically swarmed me, offering me everything including the kitchen sink. I may eat a lot, but I don’t need that much metal in my diet.

“Definitely creepy back there,” I muttered, finally escaping the kitchens. Fortunately, there was a shortcut from the kitchens to the library. I could take that without risk of any students following me.

Remembering McGonagall’s advice from this morning, I cast Lumos nonverbally so I could walk through the narrow passage. With my bag hanging over my right shoulder, I barely had enough room to go through without walking sideways. Oh, the many joys of school.

I heard giggling. I stopped. It wasn’t the same giggles that I heard from the mysterious girl this morning. No, these giggles came from a higher-pitched voice. I slowed my pace. Who would be giggling in a secret passageway? I didn’t see any lights up ahead. Whoever it was couldn’t possibly find their way through here in the dark.

Getting closer, I saw two people. They were, well, occupied. My wand could only cast so much light, and these two people were completely engrossed in each other’s company. The girl giggled again. The bloke’s features were hidden, seeing as he had his head buried along her neck. Listening, I could almost discern the sound of his lips planting kisses on her skin.

“Eh-hem.” I normally wouldn’t have bothered a couple in the middle of snogging, but the bloke especially was blocking most of the passage. I wouldn’t have been able to squeeze past them even without my bag and while holding my breath.

The girl gasped, opened her eyes, and squinted as she looked over at me. The bloke groaned, seeming reluctant to move his head away. He still did, though, to look up at me.

“Black?” For some reason, I was not too surprised to learn that Sirius was the bloke.

“Artemis!” Sirius smiled, then looked back down at his girl. “It’s okay, er, hon. That’s Remus’s girlfriend. The two of us are only friends.” He looked back to me. “Anything I can help you with, Artemis?”

“Yes, actually. You could move so that I can get by. This is a secret passageway, not a broom cupboard.”

“Not too secret if three of us are using it at the same time.”

I tilted my head, waiting.

“Fine, fine.” Instead of moving off the girl, Sirius took a step closer to her, pressing her closer against the wall with his own body. “You have enough room to slip by there?”

I rolled my eyes but otherwise had nothing else to say. I had to take my bag off my shoulder in order to fit through, but otherwise it was okay. As I continued to the library without looking back, I heard the girl give out another giggle. Sure, don’t stop on my account. Finally, the library.

Once inside, I headed straight for the Astronomy section. I hadn’t looked there yet since the whole memory loss thing started, and this section had the most information on the full moon. If my answers were anywhere, they had to be here.

Or not. Two hours in, I had already flipped through three entire bookcases front-to-back in the Astronomy section that had any mention of the moon. Trust me, there were a lot of books. My eyes were already burning as I considered calling it a day. Ugh, maybe I’ll have to come back again when I know Remus won’t be with me.

I backed up to replace one of the books. I ended up stepping on someone’s foot. “Owe!”

“Shh!” Madam Pince hissed from the front of the library.

“Sorry!” I whispered, turning around to see who I ran into. “Oh, sorry Snape.”

Snape had backed up. The imprint of my heel scuffed the top of his left shoe. “You should be.”

Maybe we should have an etiquette course at school in addition to mandatory Muggle Studies. “I didn’t know you were standing behind me,” I said.

“I thought we had an agreement,” Snape hissed. “The other Slytherins have been leaving you alone.”

“They still look at me weird.” Not that I really noticed, but one of the Marauders always brings up that point every day or so.

Snape ignored that. “I think I’ve been patient enough. You should have been able to arrange something within the past two weeks.”

I started chewing on my lower lip. What was I supposed to say to Snape? I couldn’t actually tell Lily that Snape wanted to talk to her. I heard about what he called her last year after all. Lily was also my first female friend. I didn’t want to risk losing another friend because of some request from an acquaintance. Besides, I’ve been studying my brains out to catch up to where I wanted to be with my classes. I didn’t exactly have much time to devise a plan to get those two to meet without Lily knowing I was the one who set it up.

“Snape, why do you even want to see her so badly?”

Now it was Snape’s turn to look a little uncomfortable.

I sighed. “Look, just give me time to come up with a plan. Lily’s a girl. I can’t exactly march up to her and ask her to meet with you out of the blue.”

Snape nodded. “That wouldn’t accomplish anything.”

“Just give me time, alright? I promise, when I have it worked out so that Lily won’t hex me and will be able to speak with you in privacy, I’ll let you know. I just need time.”

“Fine,” Snape said. “I’ve waited this long to speak with her, but I will not wait forever. You have until the end of the year. Enough time for you?” With that, he turned around and stalked off.

Part of me wanted to call out and ask what would happen to me if I didn’t get Lily to meet with him. But then again, I probably wouldn’t want to know. Well, Snape did seem sincere in asking to see Lily. Maybe I should figure something out. . .

“Students are insane,” I grumbled, returning the book in my hands to its proper place on the shelf. I’ll have to remember where I was for later.

I picked up my bag, intending to head back to Gryffindor Tower and see if Remus woke up yet. Or I could go to Lily, ask to have her notes ‘for Remus,’ and copy them for myself before giving them to Remus. Merlin knew I had no idea what had happened today.

“Owe! Artemis!”

“Shh!” Madam Pince shushed again.

“Sorry, Black,” I apologized. This was the second time in five minutes that I’ve had this exchange. Maybe I shouldn’t be allowed in public by myself anymore. Nah.

Fortunately, I hadn’t stepped on Sirius. Instead, I just rammed my bag into his gut. He frowned as he clutched his stomach.

“I didn’t hit you that hard,” I said, grinning.

Sirius, for once, didn’t return the smile. “Who were you just talking to?”

“Uh, you when I apologized for ramming my bag into you. Also the evil librarian at the same time for making ‘too much noise’ in here with my breathing. I also muttered to myself-”

“You know what I meant. What were you doing talking with Snape?”

“Comparing different shampoo brands?”

“Artemis.”

“Black.”

“Let’s go back to Gryffindor Tower. We missed you for dinner.” Sirius turned and headed for the library doors.

I sighed, but followed the Marauder. Great, another thing I have to keep in mind on top of everything else: study, help Snape, not mess up my next date with Remus next week, do my homework well enough to get ‘outstandings,’ keep Sirius’s nose out of my business with Snape, make sure Lily doesn’t know I’m helping Snape, find out why I lose my memories directly after the full moon, and what that mysterious girl knows that I don’t. I love my life.

A/N: So . . . yeah. That’s all I got. Love it? Hate it?

Chapter 28: Chapter 28: It's the Most Horrible Day of the Year
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A/N: I'm not JKR. I can feel it. I mean, I don't think she would get nervous whenever posting new chapters like I still do.

Chapter 28: It’s the Most Horrible Day of the Year

“Ugh, I think I’m going to be sick,” I groaned, walking through the streets of Hogsmeade with Remus.

Remus sighed. “Living through Valentine’s Day isn’t going to kill you.”

“Who said anything about dying?! If I see another pink confetti heart or more creepy little cupids, I will barf out my intestines. Real hearts do not look like this!” I placed the pads of my thumbs together, curled my fingers, and made the fingernails touch each other in the shape of the ‘hearts’ that girls have been writing in their notes as of late.

Remus laughed a little at my display. “So, I’m guessing that getting you a present for Valentine’s Day is out?”

“Let’s put it this way- if it’s pink, or girly, or completely sappy-looking, I will at best wince, at worst destroy it with stomach acid. I dread Monday.” Ugh, just thinking about the gushiest day of the year made me shiver.

Remus must have misinterpreted my shiver. He put his arm over my shoulder. He quickly matched up his feet to walk in step with mine. “Don’t worry, Artemis, I know you’ll live.” He looked down the street. “And I think we should walk somewhere else if we want to keep it that way. Madam Puddifoot’s is straight ahead.”

I stopped, pulled at Remus’s arm, and made the two of us turn one hundred eighty degrees. “Good idea,” I said, pulling Remus back the same way we came.

“You’ll never cease to amuse me.”

Eventually, after wandering the streets of Hogsmeade for an hour, we headed for the Three Broomsticks to meet up with the other Marauders. When we arrived, Peter and Rachael were already sipping butterbeer while engrossed in a conversation at the largest table. Remus took a seat at Peter’s left, so I sat to the left of Remus. Five minutes later, Sirius came in with a blonde girl who seemed to know Rachael. She was not the same girl I saw Sirius with last week.

Finally, James arrived. Surprisingly, Lily was with him. James took a seat on Sirius’s right, leaving Lily with the only still-empty spot next to me.

“So, I see you’ve gone shopping,” I whispered to Lily as James and Sirius started talking about Quidditch with Rachael and Sirius’s date (I didn’t catch her name).

Lily smiled, nodding. She opened the bag to show me several books as well as some candies. “Late birthday presents. I can’t believe we didn’t have a Hogsmeade trip until today. Potter even placed an order with the bookshop to have my favorite Muggle author’s latest book delivered by today.” She took out one of the books. From the cover alone, I could tell it was romance. Yuck.

“So, you’ve enjoyed the day then?” I asked sweetly, leaning forward and placing my chin in my cupped hand.

“Well, of course.” Lily replaced the book. “It’s been nice, actually. I mean-” She glanced back over her shoulder. James was watching Sirius intensely as he outlined the best way to make Chasers and Beaters rule the Quidditch pitch. “Well, my sister didn’t really send me anything for my birthday. Normally, it was my parents who. . . Anyway, it’s been a lot easier to handle these last several weeks because of, you know.” Lily’s eyes flickered over her left shoulder again to indicate James, still sitting silently behind her.

“Think you’ve been wrong about him all this time, then?” I whispered, still smiling.

“Uh, well. . .” Lily pressed her lips together. Her cheeks turned a slight shade of pink as she thought.

At this moment, James turned around in his seat and placed his right arm over Lily’s shoulders. “See, Evans, this is the kind of date you’ve been missing out on for the past three, going on four years. So how about it? Want to head over to Madam Puddifoot’s now and snog?”

“POTTER!” Lily threw James’s arm off of her and slapped him across the face. “Get your arm off me! This was not a date! Far from it! You arrogant prat! I would never think of dating you or snogging you in a million years! Even if we were the last two people, no, creatures, no, objects, left in the universe!”

James rubbed his slapped cheek but continued to smile. “Awe, come on, Evans. You know you loved every minute of my presence. You don’t have to pretend with me.”

“Oh, I’m not pretending.” Lily drew out her wand.

James’s face paled, his eyes widening at the wand. “Oh. Er, maybe you weren’t then.” He ran his right hand through his black hair, making it messier than before.

“I’m going to get you for saying those things, Potter!” Lily stood from her seat, getting a better aim at James.

James jumped from his chair just as wood turned to splinters. “Evans, no need to destroy the furniture before our wedding night.”

Lily screamed in frustration and tried to curse him again. If not for his Quidditch reflexes, those boils all over the far wall would have been on his face.

“I’ll be up in the castle if anyone needs me.” James dodged another curse, threw five Galleons at Madam Rosmerta, and ran out of the pub as if it were on fire. “For the damages my lovely Evans causes!” he called back as he ran out into the winter air.

“Potter!” Lily screamed, chasing after James. She left her bag on the table as she ran in pursuit.

“Well, that went well,” I said, still smiling. I found it surprising that Lily assumed that James would not listen to every word she said while in her presence.

Remus stood. “I should probably make sure that Lily doesn’t do irreparable damage to James. Later, guys. Coming, Artemis?”

I nodded. “Might as well. I’ll be able to reverse whatever damages she causes that aren’t ‘irreparable.’ Nice word by the way, Remus.” I grabbed the bag as I stood up. Remus and I then left Sirius and his girl snogging at the table. Peter and Rachael didn’t seem phased at all about what had just happened around them.

“Amazing that no one reacts to those two making a spectacle about each other anymore,” I said, walking briskly next to Remus. Ooh, I saw a flash of red light coming from one of the windows in the castle. Must have been Lily.

“Most people stopped paying attention sometime in fourth year,” Remus said. “It’s only you that’s still amused.”

“They never ran around in circles in the library, so how was I supposed to notice?”

Remus just chuckled, reached for my hand, and pulled me in for a quick kiss. “You’re one of a kind, Artemis.” He took a brief pause. “Don’t know what kind, but you’re it.”

“Hey, you beat me to the punch line!” I nudged him in the ribs, but otherwise we continued on our way to the castle. And while it was still brief, this was the first actual kiss that Remus gave me on the lips since last December. I felt like things were finally getting back to normal around here.

~~~***~~~

Valentine’s Day was an interesting day in itself. In preparation for Monday, Madam Pomfrey had me making antidotes for Amortentia the day before. We had enough to treat at least a dozen people that Pomfrey expected from her previous years of experience.

However, when the morning post came on Valentine’s Day, a lot of the Slytherin students were looking in the direction of us Gryffindors. Or more specifically, the Marauders.

“What did you four do?” I asked as one of the Slytherin blokes winked at me. It took a lot of self-control on my part not to cringe.

Sirius laughed ever so slightly. “Nothing. What makes you think we did anything on this fine Valentine’s Day? It’s a day of love and to show your affection towards the people you care about.”

I took my letters from Peck and put them in my robes to read later. I counted at least fifteen blokes at the Slytherin table who were eyeballing me. And not in the angry, Slytherin-vs.-Gryffindor way either. It almost reminded me of the way Sirius looked at me at the end of fifth year last June. Well, only ten times creepier. Great, my gut was telling me that something was going to go wrong soon. Just great.

“I’ll ask again,” I said slowly, standing. Five Slytherin blokes also stood up. Not a good sign. “What did you do?”

Remus stood as I did. Three girls mirrored his movement. “We put some love potion into their drinks early this morning. Just for a bit of fun.”

“We split the girls’ drinks between the four of us,” Sirius continued, grinning like a Cheshire cat. He also stood, probably so he didn’t have to look up at me. “Sorry, but we didn’t want to leave the boys out of it, so we tricked the blokes’ potions into thinking they all came from you.”

“What?!” With three of the five of us up, about seventy-five percent of the Slytherin table was also on its feet. “All the Slytherins think they’re in love with us?! Are you lot insane?!” I nodded over to the Slytherins. “What will happen when they catch us? Besides, Remus and I are dating and Peter has his own girlfriend!”

“It‘s not a big deal,” Sirius said casually. “They’re just going to be fawning over us all day. It’ll actually be fun to pass them in the halls without actually cursing any of them.”

Great, the Marauders didn’t seem to see the problem I saw, did they? “Where did you get the Amortentia from anyway? The longer it’s been around, the more potent it becomes!”

“Uh oh,” Remus groaned from behind me. “We took it from Slughorn first day back in September.” He looked over to the Slytherins. “Uh, I forgot about that bit.”

“Nice going, Moony,” Sirius grumbled, his smile fading fast.

“Hey, I’m not perfect!”

“But you’re a Prefect! That sounds like ‘perfect’ to me!”

“Padfoot!”

I kept my eyes on the Slytherin table. Uh oh, now a lot of those students were coming over here. “They’re coming for us,” I muttered, looking around for the quickest way out of the Great Hall.

“EVERY MARAUDER FOR HIMSELF!” Sirius yelled, his voice echoing off the walls. He turned and dashed out of the hall as about ten girls ran after him.

The rest of the Great Hall went silent as everyone not under the Amortentia’s effects stared at our group or the approaching Slytherins, all of which wore goofy grins. Slowly, a few students from various Houses started laughing.

“I do nothing and still have to run anyway? You Marauders are mean, mean I say!” I ran after Sirius. Every single bloke in the Slytherin house came after me. That was over forty boys, from eleven to eighteen years old. I could outrun the younger students easy, but I felt like I was running from a stampede of raging rhinoceroses! The thunder of footsteps was complimented by the laughing students left in the Great Hall.

I saw Sirius run down towards the Hospital Wing. Sure, like I had made enough antidote to treat this many students! I went for the moving staircases. Hopefully I could lose a few blokes as the stairs moved.

“Monroe!” “Artemis!” “Wait for me, my love!” If I weren’t so worried about being caught by all those boys under the effects of a love potion, I would have been laughing hard, especially since many of them seemed to want to hex me just yesterday.

Finally, the stairs! I dashed up the first flight, keeping my eyes looking up for a staircase that might feel like moving soon. When that happens, I might be able to lose half the Slytherin-

Oh! Seems like the staircase I was already climbing wanted to move. I rammed my hip into the railing as the smaller boys were cut off from the staircase’s movement at the base. But I still had a lot of Slytherins my age chasing after me.

I was still able to reach the top of the staircase, hopping over the trick step. Yay, I lost another Slytherin! Just twenty more to go. Great.

I ran up a few more flights of stairs, but none of the others moved. A lot of the boys were still after me. I had no idea what they thought would happen when all of them might catch me, and I certainly didn’t want to find out. Why did the Marauders do this to me?!

“Uh oh,” I moaned. The top end of this staircase was moving, and I was still near the bottom. There would be no way for me to reach the top landing by the time I got to the top of the stairs. I’d lost a few out-of-shape boys on the way, but I still had about a dozen or so blokes on my tail.

Hm, stay stranded up here and risk having a dozen blokes tackle me, or do something stupid that might break a bone? Yeah, didn’t need to think about that. Anything was better than facing Slytherins who thought they were in love with me.

I reached the top of the stairs. Looked left. Nothing. Looked right. Another staircase, only one floor down. No need to think. I hurtled myself over the railing, hoping that the staircase I was aiming for didn’t decide to move.

“Ouch. Note to self- don’t do that again without a cushioning charm in place,” I groaned, realizing that I twisted my ankle. Well, it could be worse. I was at least able to tap my ankle with my wand, making the dull pain start to go away. Looking up, all the Slytherins on those stairs were crowded around the railing, just watching as we moved further apart. A few called out for me, but otherwise they stayed put.

Not planning to stay anywhere the casual student could find me, I had to use some secret passages to reach the Owlery. But still concerned that an observant Slytherin might decide to check for me here, I did the only logical thing. I picked a window (none of them had glass, remember?), stood on the ledge, and hoisted myself out of the Owlery itself and onto its roof.

“Well, that was fun,” I said sarcastically, clearing a patch of snow and setting up several heating spells around here. I did not want to catch a cold because of a Marauder prank. I also had to make sure my shadow stayed on the Owlery roof. Oh, the joys of having Marauding friends.

I realized that I was currently missing my Healer training with Pomfrey this morning. Well, she should have known why when Sirius headed to the Hospital Wing with a lot of Slytherin girls on his tail. I don’t think she’d blame me.

I leaned back on the roof and looked up to the clear blue sky. It was literally a sky blue, without a cloud in sight. The sun was still mostly in the southeast. I let my eyes drink in the brilliant blue hue, giggling as I thought of another rhyme. I stopped in my giggles as my eyes landed on the crescent moon, more than half way through its journey in space.

The moon. The reason, or sign, that I was losing my memories once a month or so. It was all based around that gigantic rock hanging in the sky. My memories were tied to it for some reason or another. What secrets was it hiding from me? Was it just because my name was the same as that Greek goddess?

“I have less than three weeks until my next memory gap,” I muttered. “I need this to stop before I miss any more of my life. Or at the very least find out why it’s happening to me.”

The moon just continued to hang in the bluest of blue sky, not giving me a hint as to what I was missing.

I must have sat on the Owlery roof for nearly an hour, trying to think up a good plan for the next full moon. With no real ideas coming to mind, I figured it was best to head to class. But what if the Slytherin boys were waiting for me as I’d go to class? Or worse- what if they were waiting for me and they’d already gotten the cure of that love potion?

“Merlin, please don’t let me fall and break my neck for something as stupid and dimwitted as this,” I muttered, securing my bag over my shoulder. I trudged through the snow on the Owlery roof, which was up to my ankles, and walked along the rooftops and such connecting the Owlery to the rest of the castle. Once at the castle proper, I climbed. It took me nearly a half hour, but I walked along the castle roof and climbed up some towers in order to reach the Transfiguration room. Please note: don’t do what I just did. It was cold, it was windy, and if you’re a girl especially, it will mess with your hair. I didn’t really care, but I know Samantha would have died of embarrassment. Hm. . . Oh yeah, and walking on top of a building is dangerous. I didn’t forget that part, promise!

Okay, let’s see. Leaning over the edge of the castle’s roof, I saw McGonagall’s window was closed. Duh, it was winter. But inside, it didn’t look like there was anything my book bag could break. Good. I pointed my wand to the window, non-verbally opening it. See, McGonagall, I know how to do spells non-verbally! I wondered if I could get credit for that.

Okay, bag was flung into the classroom. Now I needed to do the same with myself. I put my wand in my teeth. This would be a bit tricky. Fingertips, don’t fail me now. I dropped my lower body over the edge of the castle. Okay, I should have tied my right shoe on a little tighter this morning. I then eased my upper body over the edge, making sure I didn’t move too fast as my fingers took on most of my weight.

Oops. Problem. Even with my arms stretched out as far as they would go, my shoes couldn’t reach the window ledge. I didn’t know how far I had left to drop. Oh no, what if I’m stuck out here? What if I’m stuck and left to fall and no one knows where I land until the snow melts? Oh no, my fingers were getting tired. Maybe I should try to pull myself up before-

“Artemis! I’ve got you!”

Someone pulled at my robes just as my fingers were about to give out. I felt down and into the classroom at the same time, landing on top of everyone’s favorite red-headed Prefect.

“Artemis, are you okay?” Lily asked, scooting out from under me.

“Of course,” I said, smiling. I rolled onto my bum and looked around. Everyone in the classroom, including Professor McGonagall, was looking in my direction. I also noticed that we were missing all the Slytherin sixth years. “I’m not late, am I Professor?” I asked McGonagall in my most sincere, studious voice. You know, as if I wasn’t just trying to get into the classroom through a window several floors above the ground.

“No, class doesn’t start for another minute,” McGonagall answered, the slightly stunned expression fading from her face. “If you and Ms. Evans would take your seats.”

“Of course.” I grabbed my book bag from the corner of the room and walked to my desk. As I did, I noticed that Samantha’s mouth was open and her eyes were just staring at my hair. I smiled over at her before sitting down.

Hm, Remus wasn’t here. Looking back, neither were PB&J. They must still be hiding from the Slytherin girls. Honestly, if I could outrun half a House, they should be able to do the same. I mean, they each had less people.

Class felt normal. At least, until McGonagall dismissed everyone for the day and I remembered that if any Slytherin boy sees me, I’d be chased around the castle for everyone to laugh at.

“Need help?” Lily asked, walking over to my table as I debated with myself whether or not I wanted to risk showing my face inside the castle.

“Huh?”

“I’ll see you in the Great Hall, Lily,” Kati called as she left the classroom with Samantha and Melissa.

“I’ll help you get around the castle,” Lily offered, waiting at my desk for me to pack up my things. “You should have seen the Marauders scatter this morning after Black yelled out like that.” She laughed, obviously thinking of it. “I almost felt sorry for them. Prank gone wrong?”

“They forgot Amortentia gets a bit more potent the longer they keep it in storage,” I said. I swung my bag over my shoulder and followed Lily to the door. McGonagall had already retreated to her office.

“Did you-”

“I had no part in the prank whatsoever!”

“Okay, okay.” Lily held up her hands, palms facing me. “Sorry. Just don’t know how much the Marauders share with you.”

“I don’t have a goofy, ridiculous nickname, so I’m not a Marauder. Duh.”

Lily opened the door a crack and looked left and right. “The hall looks deserted,” she said. “Most everyone’s already at lunch.”

“The Great Hall’s the last place I want to be,” I said. “But I won’t last half way through Charms on an empty stomach.”

“Hm, you’re probably right, surprisingly. I can get you down to the kitchens, then come back and get you before class.”

“Okay.” I started to follow her, then stopped. “Wait!” I can’t believe I didn’t think of this sooner. I took out my wand, tapped my head, and disillusioned myself. “Should make it harder for anyone to see me.”

Lily squinted at me. “I can hardly see you as it is. You’re good at those disillusionment charms. We’re not set to learn them until next year.”

“Needed to know it for October,” I whispered. “But people can still run into me and-”

“Got it,” Lily nodded. “Just follow me.”

Lily got me to the kitchens, made sure I was the only student there, and promised to get me fifteen minutes before our next class. It was pretty nice to have a non-Marauder friend.

That was pretty much my day. In class, I took notes and did my work as I was told. I didn’t see any of the Marauders, though I suppose they were hiding. After Defense class, Lily helped me get to the kitchens again, suggesting I stay there until after all the Slytherin boys get an antidote for the love potion.

After inhaling my dinner, I decided that instead of twiddling my thumbs waiting for Lily to show up, I could actually read those letters that Peck delivered to me this morning. I mean, I wasn’t going to do my homework in the kitchens- the house elves would be too distracting for that kind of information to stick in my head. Let’s see, Mum was doing fine. Still worried, but grateful that I was writing to her practically every night now. Now on to Randy’s letter.

Artemis!

How’s my favorite witch doing tonight? Hex the Marauders lately? C’mon, just because they’re your friends doesn’t mean you have to coddle them all the time. Especially Remus. They should understand your humor by now. You should practice an itching curse on them. Does it exist? Well, look it up and tell me the results!

So, dreading Valentine’s Day? I laughed when you mentioned that Puddifoot’s Tea House or whatever. I would have paid good money to get a picture of you actually puking on their doorstep (if you actually do that, though, do not blame me!).

Okay, so this afternoon (yesterday when you get this), Zack, Nick, and I were having a snowball fight- Zach and Nick against me. Yeah, they got pummeled, thank you very much. Imagine me bowing right now. Well, in the middle of the game, guess who decided to walk through the park? Yeah, Emily Vaine. Nick ‘claims’ not to have seen her, but one of his snowballs did manage to hit her pretty hard in the nose. Didn’t break it again, unfortunately, but then again that’s your specialty (wink, wink). She didn’t seem to like that, but the three of us enjoyed it. Nick dedicated that excellent throw to Ken.

Right then, Zack is here as I’m writing this, telling me to tell you that he’s not happy about writing my English paper. It’s due tomorrow, but writing nightly letters to you is more important than some stupid eight-page paper. It’s worth fifteen percent of my grade, but who really cares? Sure, we’ve had the assignment for two weeks, but who can write eight freaking pages?! That would be a nightmare! (Just checked- Zach’s on page five of my paper after working for just over an hour. Glad we have a smart friend on this end of our letters.)

So, interesting thing happened to me as I was walking to Nick’s house this morning. One of the girls at school came up to me and asked if I would like to do something with her tomorrow after school (Valentine’s Day). Had to turn her down, love. Honestly, girls should stop asking me. Next thing you know, girls will be asking me by the dozen to go out with them. Heh. Not really, but that would be interesting to see.

I hope you have a nice, quiet, low-key Valentine’s Day, love. And if Remus tries anything weird with you, just keep in mind that itching curse I mentioned. What am I talking about, curse him anyway.

Peace out, love,

Randy

P.S. Zach here. Maybe Randy will listen to you. TELL THE MAN TO DO HIS OWN HOMEWORK! I’M TIRED OF DOING EVERYONE’S WORK AROUND HERE! AND IF YOU ASK ME TO WRITE A PAPER ON ITCHING CURSES, I WILL GET YOU FOR IT WHEN YOU COME BACK IN JUNE!

P.P.S. Randy again. Don’t mind Zach. Nick just called my house and told Zach to go to his place to write his English paper. Zach will do it, of course, but his eyes are getting a little bloodshot. Think you can send over a potion for him? Thanks, love.

Gee, now why didn’t I read this letter this morning? Randy thinks it would be terrible to be asked out by a dozen girls at once? Try three dozen who all think they ‘love’ you. Although Randy must have a problem if he keeps turning down girls. Oh well, probably worried I’ll find something wrong with his girlfriend and attack her come summer. Although I wonder-

“Artemis?”

I looked up from my letter, seeing Lily enter the kitchens. I stood up from the back corner and waved to her.

“You can come out now,” Lily said. “All the Slytherin students have been accounted for by Madam Pomfrey and the Marauders have four more nights of detentions ahead of them.”

“Only four?” I asked, stuffing the letters into my robes. I picked up a blueberry muffin on my way to the door. “Are the professors being nice on them now?”

Lily grinned, shaking her head back and forth. “Nope. They actually got the detentions for missing class. Professor McGonagall figured that their prank gone wrong was almost enough punishment for those four.” Lily held the paining of the bowl of fruit open as I stepped out of the kitchens. “Let’s get back to the tower. Maybe you can keep Potter away from me tonight.”

I shrugged. “Sure. I owe you one, anyway.”

“So, anything good to report in your letters?” Lily asked.

I shrugged my left shoulder. “Not much to report. Same ol’, same ol’. Though I’ll have a lot to share with my family and friends about today. At least it wasn’t a sappy, mushy Valentine’s Day.”

“I wouldn’t mind having one of those ‘sappy, mushy Valentine’s Days’ myself,” Lily sighed. “It’s a bit hard when you have a Marauder constantly cursing any bloke who comes your way.”

I hummed in agreement, though I didn’t exactly know how that felt. I never really had any guy chasing after me. Remus was the only person who’s shown interest in being with me.

Hm, Lily thinks no guy will approach her because they’re afraid of James? I think I might have an idea that will solve one of my problems. I’ll have to ask for my non-Marauding friends’ input on it though.

We got back to the tower soon enough. The Marauders were currently at their usual spots surrounding the fireplace. Lily waved to me as she went to join Kati on the other side of the common room.

Okay, Artemis, show time. Give us a smile.

I hopped onto the left arm of the couch. Good, James was not making a move for Lily. I could keep my wand in my robes. “So,” I started brightly, “how were your days?”

“I think I’m going to be ill,” Sirius moaned. “I never, ever, want to see a Slytherin girl look at me like that again. Ever!”

“Wow, Black’s actually repulsed at the idea of girls liking him?” I laughed. “Call the papers.”

“It’s not that funny,” James said. “We were playing hide-and-seek with Slytherins all day. It’s one thing when they’re trying to hex, jinx, or curse you, but quite another when they want to snog you.”

“None of them caught you, did they?” I asked, mostly looking between Remus and Peter. They were the ones with actual commitments.

Peter shook his head. “Hid in a suit of armor all day. Everything echoed in there, though.”

“Huh?” I tilted my head to the side. “Hid in a suit of armor? No offense, Peter, but how could you of all people fit-”

“He means he hid in a passageway behind the suits of armor!” James interjected quickly.

“What have we told you about completing your entire thought, Wormtail?” Sirius asked just as quick.

“Oh. Sorry.” Peter ducked his head down a little.

“And did you hide in a telescope in the astronomy tower?” I teased Remus.

Remus smiled weakly. “After trying to keep up with you, I could outrun those girls easy.”

“Yay, dating me is good for his health!” After lowering my arms from the silent cheer, I said, “Just in case any of you decide to fly around the castle anytime soon and see footprints in the snow on top of the castle, those were made by me.”

“You walked on the castle?” Remus asked, his eyebrows raising.

“Well, yeah. I had to get to class somehow, which was not going to happen if I walked inside the castle. I’ll give you my notes tomorrow at lunch.” I checked my watch. “Don’t you four still have detentions to make up that Christmas prank?”

“Yeah, we’d better get going,” James said, getting off the couch first. “Wormy and I will have fun with Slughorn tonight. Bye, Artemis.” Fortunately, the two of them left without getting too close to Lily.

“Moony and I get to have fun with Minnie tonight,” Sirius said. “You know, if they keep giving us detentions like these, we won’t finish until the end of the seventh year.”

“Ever think these detentions are trying to tell you something?”

“Yeah, that I have to waste a good Valentine’s Day with a professor. Let’s go, Moony.”

“Just a second.” Remus stood up, but he turned to look down at me. “Think you can try to stay awake until I get back? I haven’t seen you all day.” He leaned forward, pressing his lips softly against mine. He pulled back just as I was reaching up to grab his tie. “I was planning on a little bit of snogging for this holiday.”

“Just a little?”

Remus chuckled. “I take it your answer is yes? I’ll wake you when I get back.”

A/N: Like it? Dislike it? Care to give me your opinion? You don’t have to, of course, but I always appreciate feedback.

Chapter 29: Chapter 29: I Blame My Lack of Creativity
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A/N: Exhibit A- our universe. We live here. Exhibit B- the HP universe. JKR created it and populated it with amazing characters and events. All I do is poke at the HP universe with my Artemis character. *poke poke* Any questions?

Chapter 29: I Blame My Lack of Creativity

“Ugh, it smells horrible,” I groaned, starting to breathe through my mouth as I stirred a potion in the Hospital Wing. Great, that’s not working. I can now taste how bad this potion smells!

“If potions were supposed to smell like perfume, no one would stay healthy,” Madam Pomfrey said, digging through her cupboards for bandages.

I wanted to tell her that I thought perfume also smelled gross, but I just wanted to finish making this potion. Good thing I was near the end of the directions-

“You should note,” Pomfrey said, bringing out the bandages and folding them with a wave of her wand, “those directions are three pages long. It normally takes me an hour to make this particular potion. Don’t worry, you have time to finish and get to Transfiguration on time.”

“An hour?!” I choked, both from the fumes and the knowledge. “What is this potion for?”

“I already told you,” Pomfrey said, turning her back to me. She went back to her cupboards for more bandages. “This potion is extremely potent in healing serious injuries. You just need to apply the potion to a person’s injured area and it will increase the body’s natural ability to heal itself.”

“Why would you need such a powerful potion when Episkey can heal a simple paper cut?”

“You can never be too careful.” Okay, now it looked like she was just fiddling around with nothing in her cupboards. “Artemis, you have to make sure you follow the steps exactly. I trust you to pay attention to detail, and the instructions are of better quality than that of your ‘blasted Potions book.’ Just don’t tell Horace I said that.”

“I won’t if you won’t.” I turned my attention back to the potion.

“I know something you don’t know . . . I know something you don’t know . . .”

I snapped my head up so quick, I was surprised later that I didn’t suffer from whiplash. “Did you hear that?” I asked, looking around.

Pomfrey, now just inside her office, poked her head out. “Artemis? Did you need anything?”

“Uh, um-” Oh no, was I really just hearing voices? No, Pomfrey was just in her office. And I barely even heard the taunting voice from here.

“Keep with the potion,” Pomfrey said sternly. “It has to be perfect.” She went back into her office.

I wanted to take a deep breath, but from the fear of passing out from the potion, I decided to just mentally sigh. Maybe I was just being paranoid. I mean, I’ve been a little jumpy as of late.

Tonight was going to be the full moon.

Sure, I kept trying to come up with ideas for me to remember tonight without having to ask any of my friends for help. Within the past few days, though, I think I’ve been slipping up. Remus, normally extremely patient with my quirks, has been snapping me out of my thoughts a bit too sharply when I’ve stopped listening to him. I have to remember to be careful or he might think something is wrong with me (and not in the good, fun way).

I worked silently, adding ingredients here and there. But while the potion thickened a bit, the smell didn’t change. It still reminded me of lemon-scented dish soap which had already been used combined with worn out socks that had never been washed at all. The potion just took on a darker amber color. Ewe, sudden thought! Its thickness looked a lot like puss! Ewe!

“I know something you don’t know . . . I know something you don’t know . . .”

I looked up again, towards the doors leading out of the Hospital Wing. They were opened, of course, but most everyone had a class at this time, except for a few lucky sixth and seventh years that is.

I waited for as long as I dared. Nope, no movement outside. I had to finish the potion, though. I just had fifteen minutes until my bum needed to be in a chair in McGonagall’s room. Oh yeah, and the rest of me too.

“You just about finished?” Pomfrey asked, coming out as I was making the last stir. She smiled when she saw the potion. “Yes, yes, this will do quite nicely.” Pomfrey patted me on the shoulder. “You’ve come a long way since I took you on back in September.”

I smiled at the praise. “Well, now I know that if I ever get chopped in half by an axe, all I need is to make this potion.” Of course, I would probably bleed to death before I got to the fifth step in the sequence.

Pomfrey smiled warily. “Just get yourself to class, Artemis. You did a fine job today.” She gave me a final pat on the shoulder before taking the large cauldron with her to her office.

I checked my watch. Wow. I did not know it was that late. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Madam Pomfrey!” I said, running to grab my book bag and pop over to Transfiguration.

“Huh? Wait, Artemis-”

But I couldn’t wait or else I might be late to class.

“You were almost late,” Remus growled at me as I sat down three minutes later.

“Key word almost,” I said. I put my Transfiguration books on the table in front of me. “McGonagall’s not even here yet. You’re only late if it’s past time for class to start and the professor is in the room. Duh.”

“Do you really want to spoil your record with something as stupid as tardiness?!”

I looked over at Remus, my eyes wide. Okay, I have a really touchy boyfriend this morning. What did I do now?

A crumbled ball of parchment flew through the air. It landed squarely on the top of Remus’s head.

“Oi!” Remus swiveled around to look back.

Turning back as well, I saw Sirius and James were both sitting up straight in their seats. Sirius had his arm fully extended, pointing a finger at James, and James was doing the same to Sirius. They continued to look at Remus, each wearing what appeared to be their most ‘innocent’ faces to convince Remus they did not throw the wad of paper. Unfortunately, ‘innocent’ and ‘Marauder’ are two words that will never go together.

Remus sighed, shook his head, and faced forward again as McGonagall entered the room, enchanting the chalkboard to write down today’s subject.

I don’t have much time left, I thought as I wrote down what McGonagall was saying. What am I going to do?

~~~***~~~

It was in the middle of Charms, when someone made the classroom’s clock explode, that I realized what I needed to do. Rather than keep a checklist and possibly mark off something that I may forget later, I just needed to watch a clock and write down every minute of the night! It was simple, private, and my second choice just below video recording myself (impossible to do here anyway).

Wait, that meant I would have to stay up all night. Me? The girl who usually falls asleep an hour after sunset? Could I do it? But what choice did I have? I didn’t have anything else set up for the night. What was I to do, let my memories disappear again, finding myself in another place without remembering how I got there? I might not even remember thinking this later!

“Oh, where had the time gone?” Professor DiGroop stood up from his desk. “Sorry to get so off-topic.” He smiled over to James and Sirius. “I still think Ireland has a solid chance of going to the Quidditch Cup this year.”

“But-” Sirius started.

“If you want, we can continue this discussion at your next detention, boys.”

Several students laughed as they packed up their bags and headed out of the room.

“I miss our dueling Fridays,” I said to Remus.

Remus merely grunted an affirmative, shoved his books in his bag, and marched out of the room without a look to me.

“Now what did I do?” I mumbled, upset with his cold departure.

“You didn’t do anything, Artemis,” Sirius said, hopping over to sit on the desk in front of me. “Are you going to move, or are you waiting for Monday to come again? Because if you are, you might want to plant your bum in Minnie’s class. Don’t want to be almost late like you were this morning.”

“I was working on a complicated potion! And McGonagall-”

James held up his hands. “Hold up, Artemis. We’re not yelling at you. We don’t care if you’re late.”

“We only care if you’re late in joining us for afternoon tea!” Sirius proclaimed.

“But I hate tea. You know that.”

“Awe, Artemis, can you talk and pack up at the same time? I’m getting bored waiting for you!”

“You keep taking to me, Black! What kind of listener would I be if I do something else while you think you’re telling me something important?”

James looked up to the clock in the back of the room. “We might actually be here until Monday at this rate, mates.”

I sighed. James was right. Besides, in order to put my brilliant plan into action, I needed to get myself to my dorm and settling in for the night-

“I’ll get the girl, you take the books then,” Sirius said. He hopped off the desk.

“Fine, fine, you’re better at this sort of thing, I suppose,” James agreed. He reached forward and started putting my Defense books back into my book bag.

“Wait, what are you two talking- about! Black, let me down!” My world quickly blurred as I was lifted and hoisted over Sirius’s left shoulder.

Sirius just tightened his grip on my waist. I swung my legs around a few times, but I knew it was a lost cause, trying to get out of Sirius’s handling of me like a sack of potatoes. I was just grateful that my skirt was still covering my bum this time.

“She doesn’t fight you as much as she used to,” James said. I heard my book bag rustle a bit from behind me, or in front of Sirius.

“She knows that resisting me and my charm is futile,” Sirius boasted in a loud, self-important voice.

“Actually, she knows that if you do anything ‘funny’ with me, Remus will rip your arms off faster than you can say ‘Beater without arms to hold a bat.’ How’s that?” I drummed my fingers on Sirius’s left shoulder.

“That was a mouthful just then, Artemis,” Sirius said. He swiveled us around and started walking out of the classroom. James followed a few paces behind, smirking at the spectacle.

“Are you sure none of your fan club girls will get jealous?” I asked, looking around for any of the usual girls that glair at me when I get this close to Sirius or James. Well, mostly Sirius. Most girls have given up their crushes on James.

“Artemis, you’re the only girl who doesn’t complain about being manhandled like this.” I felt Sirius shake his head against my left ribs.

“And how many girls have you carried like this?”

“So Prongs, I think we finally found the one thing I don’t like about this year’s Defense teacher. Now I won’t feel as bad when he leaves at the end of the year.”

Oh sure, ignore the girl yelling at you on your shoulder. How long until we get to Gryffindor Tower?

We were heading up some stairs (I was a little disorientated because I was going ‘backwards’) when I heard “Wait up!” and huffing on the stairs. Peter finally caught up to us as we left the staircase.

“Artemis,” Peter huffed, pink and out of breath, “Artemis!”

“I know my name, Peter. Thanks for your reminders, though.”

Peter shook his head. “What did you do this time to end up on Padfoot’s shoulder again?”

“Took five seconds too long in getting out of class. I was making up time for how quick Remus ran out of the room.” I tried to twist my head around to look at James. “And what is wrong with him today? He’s been a bit too touchy since this morning. Unless I’ve been a bit too weird today and haven’t noticed.”

“Uh, yeah, about that,” James said, running his hand through the back of his hair. “Day didn’t start out right for him this morning.”

“Rolled out of his bed actually,” Sirius added cheerfully. “Made so much noise, it even woke me up at the first sound.”

“So anyway, he’s just a bit, er, touchy today,” James said. “I guess it was either storm off after class or possibly risk biting your head off.” James paused. “Metaphorically speaking, of course.”

“Password?” the Fat Lady asked from behind me. Oh, were we at Gryffindor Tower already?

“Heh. Animagi.” Sirius swiveled around, giving me a good view of the Fat Lady opening and allowing us access to the Gryffindor Common room. “I just love our new password. Minnie is just so entertaining at times.”

“Unless she’s yelling at you,” Peter said, trembling slightly.

“Okay, in we go.” Sirius almost bumped my head into the door on our way in. “Watch your head, Artemis.”

“Oh sure, like I can prevent myself from hitting anything in this position.”

When PB&J entered (and me on the B’s shoulder), a lot of people laughed at the sight. As Sirius walked us to the couches, I got to see a lot of people laughing at me in particular. Some girls even pointed as they laughed. I just smiled, waiting for-

“Okay, down you go!”

My world went spinning until I finally landed on my back on the couch. I looked up at the stone ceiling. Hm, looks like DiGroop was right to root for the Irish. Some of our classmates must have decorated the ceiling with some Irish lace (either that or no one had cleaned out the cobwebs up there for a few years).

“Artemis, move your head,” James said. “I don’t want to sit on you. Thank you.” I heard a thump! as my book bag hit the floor.

I sat up straight on the couch. Wait, something didn’t feel right about this. “Is Remus going to be brooding up in your dorm all afternoon then? This couch feels weird without him.”

Although if he wants to be ‘alone,’ it might give me a chance to stare at a clock all night without anyone calling me down to see my boyfriend. But when I really thought about it, I might want the missing memories than to go through the most pathetic plan in the history of the universe.

Sirius and James looked to each other from a second. James nodded to Sirius before turning his attention to Peter and asking if he wanted to play wizard’s chess and test out what James had been trying to teach him.

“Before I give you an answer,” Sirius said, leaning forward and lowering his voice, “do you have the time?”

What does the time have to do with anything? “It’s just past four thirty. Why?”

“No reason. Get up and follow me.” Sirius launched himself off his chair and headed for the dorm staircases.

I looked to James, hoping he or Peter would clue me in, but they were both engaged in Peter’s knight getting smashed off the board. Poor Peter.

“Good, he’s coming down,” Sirius muttered, standing at the base of the stairs. Turning to me, he wore a wide and completely exaggerated smile. “I’m now off to waste an hour watching Prongs ‘teach’ Wormtail wizard’s chess. Anyone would have to be barking mad if they wanted to bet money on Wormtail winning. Excuse me.” He jogged back to the couches.

“Artemis?”

I turned to look up at Remus. He looked pale, er, I mean a bit paler than usual. Oh, I hope he didn’t get sick up in his room and just finished throwing up.

“Remus, are you okay? You don’t look too good.”

Remus just sighed. “Artemis, I feel like I have to tell you something. I’ve wanted to for a while, but. . .” He looked behind me, back to the common room filled with other Gryffindors.

Uh oh, please don’t be breaking up with me again. “You’re not breaking up with me again, are you?” I asked. That had better not been why he’s been so short with me recently. It was almost like what happened when he broke up with me back in early December.

Remus’s eyes widened. “What? No! Never! But I-”

Okay, then it can’t be too bad. “Good then. So, what do you need from me?” I checked my watch. Uh oh, the full moon rises in less than half an hour. I don’t have much time to put my pathetic plan into motion. It would look weird if I did it in front of my friends.

“I, uh, I need to speak with you in private,” he said slowly.

“Sure then, I suppose.” I looked around. “Where?”

“I-” Remus then closed his eyes, winced, and leaned against the wall behind him.

“Remus!”

Almost like they Apparated, Sirius and James were at Remus’s side. “You okay, Moony?” James whispered to his friend.

Remus had his jaw clenched shut tight, but he managed to shake his head back and forth once.

“Hurling Marauder, coming through!” Sirius yelled, taking the lead and clearing a path from the stairway of the dorms to the portrait hole. “Everyone move or Moony might throw up on you! Move it!”

“I’ve got the door!” Peter yelled, leaving his game of wizard’s chess to get through the portrait hole first.

Everyone else in the common room gave the Marauders plenty of room to get through. I mean, who in their right mind would want to actually be in the line of fire from a bloke ready to burst?

I watched the portrait hole close again as all four Marauders left. A part of me felt like I should go after them. I mean, I was studying to be a Healer. I should be able to help Remus if he’s sick. But the other side of my brain reminded me that this was the full moon. It was expected to rise in less than thirty minutes. I needed to find out what time I lose my memories and if I might do anything to encourage these memory losses.

Most people at this point had gone back to their socializing. No one seemed to care that Remus might be sick.

I looked back and forth between the staircase behind me and the portrait hole across the common room. Which way should I go? Well, my gut was telling me to-

~~~***~~~

I looked straight into the fireplace in the common room. The crackling fire within was the loudest sound to meet my ears. Outside, I heard the rain hit the windows softly. Maybe it would melt the last of the snow on the grounds.

Bang goes that pathetic plan, I thought grudgingly, realizing that I was once again missing a significant part of my memories. I mean, I certainly didn’t remember going back to the couches. And the common room was now deserted. And it didn't look like rain the last time I looked outside. Speaking of which, I also realized that I was drenched in water. Could that have meant I was outside at any time of those missing memories? What could that mean?

I checked my watch. Nearly six o’clock in the evening. Hopefully this was just Saturday, or ‘tomorrow’ as my brain kept telling me. I hoped I only missed out on one day. Everyone else must be at dinner.

“No closer to figuring this out, Artemis,” I mumbled. I looked around. My bag was nowhere to be found, but I felt something inside my wet robes. Pulling it out, it appeared to be a piece of paper. Of what was left of it. I could only make out a ‘4’ at the top of the paper. Then there was a word, ‘terrible,’ near the end of the page. Everything else was indecipherable, the ink having bled everywhere as a result of the paper being destroyed by water.

I sighed. Moved off the couch to sit in front of the fire. Tossed the wet paper into the fireplace. I brought my hands up to my face to make sure my hair would not catch fire. I took a deep breath. I smelled used lemon-scented dish soap and unwashed socks-

I stopped. That smell! I brought my hands to my nose and inhaled deeply again. I almost gagged. Yup, the same smell of the potion I made yesterday. But why would that smell be on my hands? Had I needed the potion last night? Was that it? The answer felt like it was right in front of me. But I just couldn’t reach it.

The fire crackled loudly in the silent common room. The fire dried the paper, then turned the paper to ashes. Every now and then, the fire let out a red flame amongst all the orange. Those images of red sent shivers down my spine as I continued to sit there.

I don't know how long I was just sitting there. But after a while, the portrait hole opened. Someone walked behind me and sat down.

"Hey," Remus said, also staring straight into the fire.

"Hi."

Remus took a deep breath. "I'm sorry."

I pressed my lips together. I didn't know what he was apologizing about. Was it something that happened this morning? Last night after he threw up? Or was it just for his behavior yesterday?

I nodded, not knowing the correct response.

So there we sat. In the common room. Alone. Remus eventually moved to put his arm over my shoulders, but we didn't talk. We seemed to be too lost in our own throughts.

A/N: So, anyone want to change their prediction? Anyone want to offer a prediction? Anyone want to get hold of me and make me tell you what’s going on already?

Chapter 30: Chapter 30: An Example of Poor Judgment
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A/N: Yeah, JKR doesn't give chapter-ly disclaimers. I do. So I'm not that amazing woman (bummer for me!).

Chapter 30: An Example of Poor Judgment

I ran ahead of Remus, eventually beating him to the Great Hall. I plopped myself next to Sirius and started my daily practice of fitting as much breakfast onto my plate as possible. “Morning, Marauders!” I said brightly, smiling at PB&J before I turned my attention to my first serving of everything in sight.

“You’re exceptionally cheerful this morning,” James said between bites of his French toast.

“Maybe it’s because it finally stopped raining after a solid week of muggy weather,” Peter guessed.

“Nah,” Sirius said as Remus walked behind us to sit down. “My money’s on those two snogging before breakfast. How right am I, Moony?”

Remus, rubbing the back of his neck, looked at me, smiled, and started eating his porridge. I took the cue and continued to stuff my face, though I could not for the life of me stop giggling.

“I’m inclined to agree with you, Padfoot,” James said. He snickered. “It seems like they’ve been snogging a lot more since Moony’s birthday party last Thursday.”

‘Birthday party’ was an understatement. Being the first Marauder to turn of age, the other Marauders made a school-wide event of it. If I had still been in the library under the guise of my bookworm persona, I would have still been fully aware of Remus’s birthday. There were balloons everywhere that sang ‘Moony is Seventeen!’ and suits of armor that had messages spelled across them conveying the same thing (PB&J got a few more detentions for defacing school artifacts). In every class, even Arithmancy, origami birds fluttered around the classroom, displaying a large ‘17’ on one side and ‘Moony’ on the other.

That evening after classes, the Gryffindor common room ended up trashed from the force of the party. Even Lily didn’t seem to mind the loud music or the fact that the first years stayed up past two in the morning on a school night. At least, I think that’s how long they stayed up. Sometime after ten o’clock, I finally got hold of Remus and led him up to the boys’ dorm, seeing as that was the only place in the school where we could snog in privacy and not extend the party to the rest of the castle.

I smiled at the memory, giggled a bit more, and finished off my first serving of breakfast. I then went in search for seconds, wondering how I should tell these four Marauders the news that was in the forefront of my mind.

Well, best to do it now while we’re all eating breakfast together. “So, Marauders,” I said, trying to take a deep breath to wipe the wide grin off my face. “I have something I want to tell you.”

“We’re listening,” Sirius said, smirking. The other three also turned their attention to me.

Ack, I didn’t want to phrase it like that. “I mean, I wanted to let you know, I mean to ask you, I, er-” I stopped and bent my head over my food, now surrendering to my fit of giggles.

“Did someone hit her with a tickling charm again this morning, Moony?” James asked idly.

I finally pulled myself together, taking deep breaths to prevent myself from breaking down again. Though I didn’t try to get rid of my grin. I wanted to see all four boys’ reaction to what I was going to say. I finally found the right words to use.

“Guess what happens in nine months!”

I wished I had a Muggle video camera, but my memories would have to do. Peter’s jaw dropped as he gaped at me. Pieces of egg fell from his mouth back onto his plate, though he didn’t seem to notice.

James’s eyes widened to the diameter of his glasses as the widest smile was plastered on his face. He started chuckling.

Beside me, Remus choked on his porridge and had to spit it out onto a napkin. His face was still red as he stared hard at me. His eyes started flickering gold around the rims.

Sirius barked out a laugh. He slammed his palm onto the table, making all the plates and utensils jump about a centimeter. “Knew it! I knew it!” He stood to lean around me to see Remus. “I knew you did it! You can’t go up to our dorm, alone with a girl, and not do it!”

“But- but-” Remus kept his eyes on me in horror. He coughed again into his napkin. “But Artemis, we’ve never done it! We were just snogging.”

“Yeah,” I agreed with Remus. I looked up to Sirius. “Besides, what makes you think Remus has anything to do with this?”

Ooh, more fun expressions from my friends. Peter’s jaw, and his head for that matter, slammed into table as fell off his bench.

James’s eyes stayed wide, but the grin was replaced by his own jaw dropping. His mouth finally formed an ‘O’ shape, and I think he stopped breathing for a moment.

And again, Sirius was the most interesting reaction. “What?!” he choked, earning stares from a few students sitting close to us. “You can’t be serious. Why would you, how could you, when?” Sirius got lost in asking half-formed questions.

“You know, you’re reacting to this news a lot more than I had expected,” I said. Ooh, blueberry muffins. I took one.

“How can you act like this is nothing at all!” Sirius yelled at me. Hm, I think he was getting angry. “This is big! This is major! Merlin, if it were Remus’s, I think we’d all be okay with it, but I thought we knew you-”

“But Remus just had his three days ago-” I started to say.

Peter, finally back to sitting on the bench, raised his hand a little, as if we actually had class on Sundays. “Artemis, maybe I missed something when I fell, but what exactly are you talking about?”

I just continued to smile as all four Marauders either glared at me or just looked at me with horror. I shrugged. “I thought it was obvious. In exactly nine months, I turn eighteen. It feels like you guys don’t want me to reach another birthday of my own, though.” What the hell, I’ll take another muffin.

Sirius was the first one to laugh, similar to how he did earlier. He laughed so much, tears started running down his face. “Okay, that was impressive,” he said between gasps. “You got me.”

“She got all of us,” James said, laughing almost as hard.

“So, what did you blokes think I was talking about?” I asked sweetly.

“If you honestly don’t know,” Sirius snickered, “then Moony has a lot that he has to still teach you.”

Remus, his complexion having just recovered from jumping to conclusions, turned red again. “Watch it, Padfoot. I know she’s not that type of girl, unlike what you’re attracted to.”

“Ooh,” Peter and James said in unison.

“I’m just amazed that you four think so low of my integrity,” I said. “Even you, Remus.”

“What?! But you made it sound-” Remus stopped when I started laughing. “You’re still messing with us, aren’t you?”

“Like I said. And it’s like people think I can’t say ‘no’ to you.”

A screech from the rafters echoed through the Great Hall, announcing the first of the owls coming for the daily post. I looked up, hoping to pick my barn owl from the-

“Artemis, isn’t that Peck?” Peter asked, pointing to the first owl.

“Yeah.”

Peck shot into the hall. There weren’t any other owls coming in to follow in his wake. Peck circled above Gryffindor table twice, then dove. Fast. His talons stretched forward, aimed for-

“Remus, duck!” I yelped, pulling Remus down by his hair.

Peck’s talons just grazed the back of his neck, drawing up a thin line of blood.

“Bloody hell!” Remus yelled. His left hand clamped onto the scratch. “What’s gotten into your owl?!”

“I don’t know!” I said. The rest of the students in the hall had quieted down as they witnessed my owl attack my boyfriend. Peck was gaining altitude for a second run just as the rest of the owls started to arrive.

“Oh no you don’t,” I muttered, standing above Remus, waiting for the next attack.

Sure enough, Peck tried to dive at Remus again. But I was quick too. I caught him by his left wing and body just before he tried to give Remus an owl’s form of a haircut. His sharp talons scratched my arms, ripping through my sleeves and drawing a tiny amount of blood.

“Peck!” I shouted at him, sitting down. Looking around, I was grateful most of the other students had gone back to retrieving their own post once they saw someone had claimed the mad owl. “Peck.” I made my owl look into my eyes. “Peck, look at me.”

The owl, however, still tried to escape my grasp. His head stayed swiveled to look at Remus, to which he glared hard at him. Well, I suppose Peck usually looked like he was glaring, so this instance was just a bit more intense.

“Peck, I told you to look at me.” I had to maneuver my arms around so he was forced to look at me. “Peck, listen to me. I’m not pregnant. Remus and I have never done it. I’m still a virgin.”

“Artemis, I don’t think many girls would be willing to say they’re virgins too loudly in a hall packed full of blokes,” Sirius noted.

Peck finally made eye contact with me, now giving me nasty looks.

“Who are you going to believe?” I asked him. “Me, whom you’ve known for six years, or Randy, who probably jumped to the same conclusion that my other friends did.”

I waited for about a minute at Peck considered my words. He shot a nasty look to Remus a few more times. Finally, he hooted at me and offered three bulging envelopes to me.

“Good boy,” I said, taking the letters. “Oh, one of them is for you, Remus.” I tossed the envelope to my boyfriend. Sometimes Randy sends letters to Remus, probably to make sure Remus is taking good care of me or something.

“What does it say?” James asked. Remus had torn open his letter as I searched my pockets for my owl treats.

Remus slumped in his seat as his eyes scanned the letter. “I am so grateful that Muggles cannot send Howlers. I wouldn’t want the entire hall to hear how Randy plans to kill me the next time he sees me.”

“What did you tell Randy in your last letter anyway?” James asked.

I shrugged. “Just the same things mostly. I put in the post script ‘Guess what happens in nine months.’ You know, the same thing I told you. That’s enough, Peck. I’ll see you later tonight.”

When Remus finally put down the letter, his hands were shaking. “I really wish you hadn’t done that,” Remus said.

“It can’t be too bad,” Sirius said.

“Are you kidding? I just read three pages that detail my execution, down to the tiny little details someone shouldn’t have to read. He would make a good writer for a horror movie.”

“Let me see that.” Sirius snatched up the letter and started reading. He only got halfway through the first page and even his complexion was a bit pale. “Okay, I formally retract my previous statement.”

As the Marauders passed around Randy’s letter, which I was sure contained all bark and no bite, I opened my own letter from Randy, curious what his reaction towards my ‘pregnancy’ would have been.

Artemis,

I WILL KILL HIM! I told him to take care of you, and this is what happens?! Don’t they teach wizards any common sense?! Don’t worry, love, I don’t blame you in the slightest. But if I ever get my hands on him, he will regret the day he saw you and thought of even asking you for a date!

I’m serious! I am one step away from coercing Warren to take me to Hogsmeade so I can reach your school. I don’t care if I think I’m seeing ‘ruins’ or ‘rubble’ or whatnot, I will come get you and bring you back. I’ll get Marie to home school you, maybe even Zach to help with all he’s learned about that world. I will make sure that lowlife of a boyfriend never lays another finger on you again!

How could this have even happ- No, don’t tell me. I don’t want to know that part. Don’t worry, Artemis, just remember that you’ve got people back home that love you, and we’ll make sure you’re okay when you return.

Randy continued to rant through four more pages of the letter, often cursing Remus and reassuring me, sometimes repeating himself. Okay, often repeating himself. I counted six instances of ‘kill’ and three more references to bringing me back home before the end of the school year. Near the end, he seemed to mellow out a bit.

Artemis, don’t worry. I know you’re strong, but I don’t think you realize how serious this issue is. But I love you, and I’ll take care of you.

Peace out, love,

Randy

P.S. I WILL KILL REMUS!

Okay, make that seven instances of Randy’s desire to kill my boyfriend.

“Doesn’t anyone have faith in my integrity?” I wondered, putting away the letter.

“What did Randy say to you?” Sirius asked, snatching the letter out of my hands.

“Oi, give the letter back and your face stays attractive to the opposite sex.”

“Okay, okay.” Sirius dropped the envelope. “No need to make drastic threats.”

“This is the scariest thing I’ve ever read,” Peter trembled, passing the letter back to Remus. “Is Artemis’s best mate capable of all these things? With his bare hands and no wand?”

Well, as the Marauders went to exchange notes about how ‘big, strong, and scary’ my best mate was (honestly, they were exaggerating), I glanced down the table to look at the sixth year girls. Kati and Melissa were deep in a conversation, and Samantha was flirting with a seventh year bloke next to her.

Lily, however, was still reading a relatively short letter. Her lips were pressed thinly together as she reread the words.

I looked away, not wanting it to seem obvious that the letter came from me. Or rather that it was drafted by me, went home to be copied in Zach’s handwriting, then finally came back to me just to be sent last night by a school owl as to arrive from a ‘mysterious sender.’

Hey, I might have problems solving my own problems, but I finally came up with a decent plan to give Snape what he wanted. I could still recite the letter Lily was holding from memory, mainly because it took me hours to word it perfectly.

Dear Lily Evans,

I wish I could speak with you in person. Unfortunately, we both know that any direct contact between the two of us would certainly end with my visit to the Hospital Wing at the very least. But I have been wishing to speak with you for the longest time. And it has taken me this long just to ensure that this letter reaches you without unwanted eyes seeing this.

I do not wish to tell you my identity at the present moment, for again I fear retaliation from the one who openly claims his love for you. Forgive me, for I am not as bold. But I cannot wait any longer. I wish to see you, and speak of something of great importance for just our ears.

If it would be possible, I would like to meet with you today, at eleven o’clock this morning. Please meet me on the far side of the Black Lake, just out of sight of Hagrid’s hut bordering the Forbidden Forest. I apologize for the remote location, but again I fear the repercussions that will occur if anyone sees you speaking with me. If you do not wish to meet with me, I will cease in my efforts to see you and respect those wishes, even though they may go against my own.

(Unsigned)

I turned my attention from Lily to the Slytherin table. It wasn’t too difficult to locate Snape. He was speaking with a Slytherin student next to him. When his black eyes met with mine, he nodded once, said something else to the bloke next to him, then excused himself from his table. Once outside of the Great Hall, he made a left.

“Then Moony’s dead if he goes back to Artemis’s village,” Peter summed up.

“I think that’s the message Randy was trying to convey in the letter,” James said.

“Well, mates, I’m done with breakfast,” I said, standing up. “I’ve had a good morning. I should send the four of you into near-heart attacks more often just for the reaction. Excuse me.” It was a good thing Remus hadn’t touched much of his porridge since this whole event began.

“Where are you going?” Sirius asked me.

“Oh, places to go, people to see, herbs to collect,” I said, shrugging. “A Healer’s job is never done. I promised Madam Pomfrey yesterday that I would collect some things from Professor Sprout today, so we’re not going to be having our morning study session in the library today, Remus. But enjoy cowering at the thought of one little Muggle.” I laughed at that thought.

“Randy’s not little,” Remus started.

“He was when I met him when we were both five. Tootles.” I left the Great Hall and turned right. I stood behind a suit of armor and cast the disillusionment charm on myself. Then I proceeded left, to where I saw Snape stalk off to in the first place.

Snape stood at the top of a set of stairs that only lead to the dungeons. His eyes stayed locked on the hall leading to the Great Hall. Apparently, he couldn’t see the small distorted space where I stood. I chose not to remove the charm until I was standing behind him, just so he couldn’t see how skilled I was with it.

“So after this favor, we’re even then?” I asked calmly.

Snape actually jumped when I spoke. He spun around and his eyes widened just slightly when he realized that I had managed to get behind him without his notice. “Do you Gryffindors always have to be so sneaky?” he sneered.

“That’s not a nice way to greet someone doing you a favor on already-flimsy reasons,” I said.

Snape took a deep breath. He looked really close to apologizing for it, but he stopped when he saw my Gryffindor crest on my robes. “Yes, Monroe, after this is finished, I promise not to ask any more favors of you.”

“Even if this doesn’t turn out the way you want?”

Snape just frowned at me, though it was a good mark in my book that the frown didn’t resemble the Slytherin sneer.

“I want this to be crystal clear. Once you meet with Lily, alone, you will not ask me to arrange anything else for you, correct? Anything else will not have anything to do with me borrowing your spell back in October, correct?”

“Yes,” Snape said.

“Yes, what? I want to hear you say it.”

Snape sighed, closing his eyes. “Once I see Lily, I will not bother you again with anything relating to our interaction back in October.” He reopened his eyes. “Happy now, Monroe? Tell me when and where I’m meeting her.”

“Eleven o’clock, other side of the Black Lake bordering the Forbidden Forest, just out of sight of Hagrid’s hut. Oh, and if you tell Lily I set this up-”

“I understand,” Snape said, nodding. “Thank you.”

Surprised at the manners, I just returned the nod and went back the way I came. Behind me, I heard Snape turn and descend the stairs into the dungeons.

Not even ten seconds later, I ran into Sirius on my way to the greenhouses.

“You four done gossiping?” I teased, putting on a smile.

Sirius just frowned. “Weren’t you supposed to be getting herbs from Sprout?”

“There’s more than one way to the greenhouses, you know.” I walked past Sirius.

When I got to the corner, I looked back at Sirius. He was standing against the wall, looking at a bit of parchment that he pulled from his robes. I could only see his back, so I couldn’t see his expression. Shrugging, I drew my robes around me closely so I could take a shortcut to the greenhouses, which meant a walk outside in nippy mid-March weather.

~~~***~~~

By a quarter to eleven, I was once again disillusioned and trying to pick the best tree for me to hang from. Not that I didn’t trust Snape, but I had a responsibility to protect Lily from whatever might happen. After all, I had picked this remote place. I wasn’t going to have James come after me if anything bad happened to Lily should he get wind that this was all my doing.

Finding a tree that looked sturdy, I quickly climbed up and made myself face the castle, waiting for someone to show up, either Lily or Snape.

Snape showed up first. He approached from the castle, with his robes drawn close around him to protect him from the cold. He actually leaned against the tree I was in, so I had to cast a muffling charm around the branches.

Lily showed up just as my watch showed eleven o’clock. She still had the letter in her hands, her eyes flickering from the directions in the letter up to her surroundings. As she approached, Snape moved to stand against the other side of the tree. Good thing for him that this was a big tree.

“Hello?” Lily called out, looking into the Forbidden Forest. “Is someone there? You wanted to speak with me?”

“It’s me, Lily.” Snape pushed himself off the tree and circled around to face her.

Lily took a step back when she saw Snape, her eyes widening. After a moment, her eyes narrowed and she frowned. “I thought I made myself clear, Severus. We’re not friends anymore. We have nothing else to say.” Lily turned around to leave.

Gee, I was expecting a better show.

“No, Lily, wait!” Snape ran forward to stand in front of her, blocking her way back to the castle. “Please, just stop avoiding me! I know that if we can just talk about what happened-”

“I think it was pretty clear what happened,” Lily said. “You called me a Mudblood, not even a day after telling me that blood status doesn’t matter to you. I’d have thought that after all this time, you would finally have given up on speaking with me.”

“No, Lily, I can’t. And I didn’t mean it, like I’ve been trying to tell you! I was under a lot of stress! You saw what Potter was doing to me! You can’t expect me to know what I’m saying under those circumstances.”

“You don’t get it,” Lily said. She crossed her arms. “People often mean what comes out of their mouths the first time. That’s when the filters come down and they speak how they feel. Besides, we’ve been growing apart of years, Severus. I just hadn’t admitted it yet.”

“Lily, no-”

“Just stop this, Severus. You’ll be a lot happier if you stay away from me. I appreciate and value the friendship we had, but it’s now just in the past.” Lily backed up and walked around Snape. Snape didn’t move to stop her.

Lily had gotten about ten meters away before Snape found his voice.

“Lily Evans, I love you!”

I nearly fell out of the tree. Totally didn’t see that coming.

But Lily didn’t stop. “You have to love yourself before you can love anyone else, Severus. Please, for your sake, don’t do this to yourself. Just let me go and live your life. Good bye.” Lily disappeared around the bend. Eventually, even the sound her footsteps faded away.

Snape stood still for about two minutes. When he did move, he let out a rather loud swear and stormed off in the opposite direction, actually heading into the Forbidden Forest.

Well, I guess that’s all. I should get back to the castle for lunch now, then a fun afternoon stuck in the Hospital Wing. Joy.

I rolled around to hang by my legs in the tree, then let myself drop from the tree, planning to land on my feet.

“Oof!”

I landed on a really solid patch of air directly under me. Rolling off, I wondered what I had bounced off, and what had made that ‘oof’ sound. As far as I could see, no one else was here. But wait, I myself was disillusioned. Perhaps there was someone else here, also under the disillusionment charm. But who?

“Hello?” I called, straining my eyes in search of any signs of distorted air, the signs that someone had a disillusionment charm on them. But no, there was nothing rippling through the air. It was just me, the almost-invisible girl.

“Hello,” I tried again, reaching out. For a moment, I thought I felt something silk-like at my fingertips, but it was pulled away. But while my vision told me I was alone, I could almost feel the eyes on me. When I looked straight forward, I felt like I was close to making eye contact.

I waited, hoping that I might hear the other person move, or see something that would tell me-

My stomach rumbled, signaling that I was late for lunch. And telling whoever it was that I was not only still here, but also starved.

“Fine, don’t confirm your presence. See if I care.” I turned and dashed back for the castle, hoping to beat the Marauders to lunch and tease them again about what little faith they have in me. I had to remind myself that I can’t worry about everything.

A/N: Thoughts? Predictions? I really like hearing from you. You make me sooo happy when I hear your thoughts. For example, kassandra466, orangezauber, Marauderette, Werewolf love, PineappleGoddess 13, and Kay Kay make me happy on nearly a regular basis. So here’s an extra-special thank you to those six and the additional people who have also reviewed. And take a thank you if you’re actually taking time to read this, even if you don’t review. You’ve earned it for reading through all my ranting and babbling. And I applaud you for reading through all thirty chapters! Don’t worry, I don’t think I’ll get to forty, so the mystery should be solved soon (though don’t quote me on that). And again, thank you everyone!

Chapter 31: Chapter 31: If Only I Could Retrace My Steps . . .
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A/N: I would like to thank my best mate for his inspiration in Artemis's current memory-remembering technique. But if you readers don't like the chapter, you can blame him! (Note from 'best mate'- "TQG completly distorted my original idea as she kept bugging me and bugging me about this story! I had nothing to do with this!")

Chapter 31: If Only I Could Retrace My Steps . . .

“My hand hurts,” I groaned, slouching over my Transfiguration essay on a fine Saturday morning.

Remus, studying for Arithmancy, looked over at my hand, which was still squeezing my quill pretty tightly. “Maybe you should stop clutching the quill like that. It’s not going to run away from you.”

“If I let go, my hand will give out on me. And I’m not ambidextrous.”

Remus groaned. “Here, let me see it.” He held my right hand in his, brought it up to his mouth, and placed a soft kiss on the back of my hand. “Feel better now?” He smiled slightly as he released it.

“Just a little,” I said, just happy for the attention. I turned back to my essay, searching for more information from this book to pull out and keep McGonagall impressed with how dedicated I am to writing these extremely-long papers. Actually, dedicated to adding another paper to my O collection, but she could think I was studious if she wanted.

After about fifteen minutes, my bottom lip was chewed nearly-raw. I just wasn’t getting anything more from this book, and I still had another eight inches to go. “Now my lips hurt, Remus,” I whined.

Remus, who had been sitting with his fingers threaded through his hair and his elbows propped on the table, just swiveled his head to look over at me. “Maybe if you didn’t try to eat yourself you wouldn’t feel that way.”

“I wasn’t trying to eat myself!”

“Shh!” Ouch, Madam Pince was closer to our table than I thought.

“I wasn’t trying to eat myself,” I whispered again.

“You eat everything else in sight.”

“No I don’t-”

“Then why are you reaching for my chocolate again?”

I dropped the square of chocolate back onto its wrapper, not realizing that I was reaching for the candy. Though you can’t blame me if Remus regularly puts out the chocolate for us to munch on while we study. It’s become a tradition.

Remus picked up the piece I had just dropped and popped it into his mouth. “So, where were we?” he asked.

“I complained about-”

“You like to complain.”

“Not all the time!”

“Shh!”

Remus chuckled a little. “You want more attention? Here.” He leaned forward, pressing his lips against mine. My lips, which hadn’t really hurt that much, now buzzed with Remus’s touch. My right hand reached forward and took hold of Remus’s tie. I kept it taut, not wanting him to pull away. I didn’t want to lose contact, too much enjoying the waves of pleasure rippling through my body from just a simple kiss.

“Study,” Remus muttered against my lips.

I moaned but released the tie. I then tapped my wand to the back of Remus’s neck, knowing that he would start complaining if I didn’t do anything.

“Congratulations, you’re dating a future Healer,” I said softly.

“What is it with you and my tie anyway?” Remus muttered. He still rubbed the back of his neck for a bit before returning to his previous study posture. “Never mind. Just get back to studying. The others would hound us tomorrow if they find out you haven’t finished your homework because we’ve been snogging up here.”

I turned my attention back to the paper, but there wasn’t anything else I could get out of this book. Even if I didn’t have small handwriting, the paper would still only be worthy of an E anyway. “I need a new book. What did you use, Remus?”

Remus shrugged a shoulder, his eyes gone back to studying our Arithmancy chart. “Don’t remember. I also write larger than you, so I usually don’t have to look so hard.”

“Fine. I’m going to look for another book.” I stood, but Remus didn’t look up. “I’m going to the Transfiguration section. You know, if you need to find me.” Still, no movement. “If you don’t hear back from me in three days, then send out a search party.”

Remus just turned to another Arithmancy chart and went back to studying every aspect of it.

“So glad to know you care,” I muttered, heading out from History of Magic and crossing halfway through the library to Transfiguration.

“What am I going to do?” I muttered under my breath, looking through all the Transfiguration books. I must have looked through at least three quarters of these books in my time at Hogwarts. It’s not like I could remember what each one had inside, though.

Each book could also have the answer to my missing memories and- oh crap! Full moon’s on Monday night! At best, I’m not going to remember how I get to Potions on Tuesday. At worst, I might not remember anything until I’m in Transfiguration on Friday! Just thinking about it was making my stomach queasy for some reason.

I rested my chin against one of the bookshelves, looking at the vast collection of books and topics relating to Transfiguration. Some books had such similar titles, I wasn’t sure how much different they could be on the inside. But really, would Transfiguration have the answers as to why I lose my memories on the nights of the full moon and some time before and after?

Last month, I obviously screwed up. Royally. I mean, what was I thinking? Staring at a clock? Like I would be able to actually stay awake long enough and record what happens at night. If I did do anything during the night, did I actually expect myself to pull out a bit of parchment and write down something like I’m doing something weird right now, something that can explain the missing memory episodes I’ve been having all year! Right, that would be too easy.

What I actually needed was to find out where I’ve been, without depending entirely on myself. If only I could retrace my steps-

“I’m an idiot!” I hissed to myself. I turned away from the Transfiguration section and weaved my way through to the Defense Against the Dark Arts section. Or more specifically, the tracking sections that pertain to the Auror division.

“Here it is,” I muttered, happy. I found a tracking spell, simple enough for a non-Auror to perform. I pointed my wand to my shoes. “Vestigium Semita,” I whispered.

My shoes shined purple for a moment before returning to their normal black. Lifting my foot, I couldn’t tell if anything had changed. There weren’t any footsteps detectable. But to make sure, I walked in a complete circle around the bookcase. Nope, still nothing to show where I’ve been.

I looked back to the Defense book. The following page had the next part of the spell. “Ostendo Sum Semita.”

This time, the tip of my wand emitted a purple light. My shoes, however, turned a pale pink for a moment (yuck, I hate pink!). When the light faded, though, my wand light showed me the purple shoeprints all around me and some leading off in two different directions. The purple wand light showed that after I had cast the first spell, I must have shuffled around a little at my present location. At least, that’s what the shoeprints indicated. Yup, I remembered doing that. It was from when I had looked under my shoes for the first few seconds. I pointed my wand to the right. More shoeprints became visible, seeming to walk away towards my right and headed down to the end of the aisle (even though they weren’t moving). They oriented themselves to the left, the same way I turned just a minute ago. Moving my wand to my left side, more shoeprints seemed to approach me before eventually reuniting with my own feet. If I actually wanted to follow them, I’m sure I could literally retrace my few dozen steps.

“That worked nicely,” I smiled, turning my attention back to the book. “Hm. Deleo Semita.” The purple light of my wand faded, as did the footsteps. I tried to reveal the path again, but nothing happened. I guess my footsteps really were gone. Though I suppose it would get confusing if everyone’s tracks didn’t disappear when they were supposed to be gone for good.

“Better than last month’s plan,” I thought brightly. I spent a minute memorizing the spells (not too hard since they were all Latin-based), then returned to Transfiguration to get a book for my essay. At this point, I didn’t really care how I finished it. So long as I solved this mystery soon, I was willing to receive even a T on all of this week’s papers.

“Sorry it took my so long,” I whispered, arriving back at the table. I sat down and just looked at Remus. His eyes were still glued to our Arithmancy chart. He didn’t even look up when I returned. “Glad to know you missed me,” I muttered, shaking my head and getting back to work.

~~~***~~~

“Twenty-three, twenty-four, twenty-five. . .” James counted slowly.

“He won’t get over thirty-five,” I bet, watching Peter in awe. He already had twenty-six carrots shoved into his open mouth. If he beat my number (thirty-four), I owed him five Galleons.

“He will,” James said. “Come on, Peter, just seven more to go.”

“Ah aah,” Peter said. Or tried to say. It was kind of hard to talk with so many carrots in your mouth. I should know. My jaw was still sore.

“Who’s next after Wormtail?” James asked, directing his question to Remus and Sirius.

The two blokes on either side of me, however, seemed distracted at something. Remus had been moody during all of our classes today, but that might have been because we came across Peeves right after breakfast. The poltergeist sucked Remus into our bit of fun and we had to go back to Gryffindor Tower covered in what I hope was only orange paint. I guess it was supposed to be a blend of our House colors, but it smelled like a mix between orange juice and ear wax. I tried not to think about it, but Remus had grumbled that he’d have the smell in his nose for the next two weeks. It was a shame, too, because before the incident Remus had been in a fairly pleasant mood, though he seemed a bit uncomfortable when he tried talking to me.

Sirius also seemed bummed out, but I didn’t know his reasons. He just pushed about the food on his plate but didn’t eat much. He was missing from the common room, actually, when Remus and I showed up as a matching mess. He was also the last of us to arrive here for dinner.

“Looks like it’ll be you, James,” I said.

Peter tried jamming the thirtieth carrot into his mouth. But his mouth wouldn’t open any wider. He finally waved his hands around frantically, his eyes wide. I took that as my signal to dislodge the carrots before he broke his jaw or any of the carrots would fall back into his mouth and choke him.

“Here,” Peter said, fishing the five Galleons out of his pocket and sliding them across the table to me. “You win. Owe, my mouth.”

“It can’t be that bad,” James said.

“Your turn then. Owe. Artemis?”

“Already on it,” I said, taking out my wand and pointing it at Peter’s jaw. “It’ll still be sore, but that’s the best I’ve got.”

“Anything’s better than it feeling unhinged,” Peter said, wiggling his jaw around.

James was in the middle of losing five Galleons to me when Sirius dropped his fork and stood up. He turned to leave the Great Hall.

“Oi!” I grabbed a fist of his robes to make him hang back. “Where do you think you’re going? You’re leaving before dessert!”

Sirius glanced at the other tables in the Hall, avoiding the look of his Marauding friends and me. “Just something I have to take care of. Don’t wait up for me.” Sirius yanked his robes out of my hand and continued out of the Hall, turning to the left. He was just one of a few students who left dinner without dessert.

I turned to look back to the remaining Marauders. Remus, well, he kept his eyes locked on his plate as he ate really, really slowly. For fear of getting my head bitten off, I turned my attention to the blokes across from me.

“Don’t look at me,” Peter said, shaking his head. “Wait Prongs, was that twenty-eight or twenty-nine carrots? Give me time to recount.” He tried to make James turn to look at him.

James turned his head to Peter, his brows furrowed. Peter only got to six carrots when most of them exploded out of James’s mouth. One of them hit Peter in the eye.

“I couldn’t hold them anymore,” James groaned, picking out bits of carrot from his teeth. “Sorry, Wormtail.”

“It’s okay. Artemis-”

I pointed my wand first at Peter’s eye, then at James’s jaw. I continued to look at James, hoping he would know what his best mate was up to.

“For once, I’m as lost at Wormy,” James said. “No idea whatsoever on what Pads has up his sleeve. Here.” After he gave me the coins, he looked down at his watch. “It’s getting pretty late in the afternoon, Moony. Did you tell her this morning about- OWE!”

Remus kept his head bowed over his plate, but his eyes glared up at James. “Shut up,” he growled.

“Tell me what?” I asked. Certainly, ‘her’ had to refer to me. Who else would Remus have to tell something important to? I looked over at Remus.

“I don’t get it,” Peter said innocently. “I thought she already-”

“OWE! Remus!” I yelled. His right shoe slammed hard and fast into my leg. And being a girl stuck in a girl’s uniform, I didn’t have anything to protect my skin from the side of his shoe. “What did you do that for?” I scooted away from Remus to look at my leg.

“Sorry,” Remus mumbled. He bent his head lower over his dinner and continued to eat.

“How bad is it?” James asked, standing to get a better look.

“Nothing too bad,” I said honestly. The outside of my lower left leg was just bright pink in the area where he slammed into me. “I take it Remus was aiming for Peter.”

“Sorry!” Peter put his hands over his mouth and slouched down. “You can kick me if you want!”

“Be grateful Pads isn’t around to hear that,” James teased him.

I pointed my wand to my leg and the skin returned back to normal. “I should probably head upstairs for bed now,” I said, also realizing how late it was getting. “I don’t want to go to the Hospital Wing tomorrow morning because I’m the patient! See you tomorrow, Marauders.”

I grabbed a blueberry muffin on my way out of the Great Hall. Once outside the Hall, seeing no one was in sight, I pointed my wand to my shoes. “Vestigium semita,” I whispered.

My shoes shined purple for a moment. The tracing spell was on. I quickly walked myself back to Gryffindor Tower, determined to keep the spell on until I realize that I’m once again missing memories.

~~~***~~~

“You have exactly one hour to make this potion. Extra credit to the one who can make it the best! Begin.” Professor Slughorn turned over a large hourglass, telling us sixth years to get to work.

I blinked. Looked around. Yes, I was in Potions. I looked at my watch. Class only began three minutes ago. Good news, I suppose.

“Hey Remus, today’s still Tues-”

Remus wasn’t there.

Strange. While waiting to collect the classroom’s ingredients necessary for the potion, I scanned the room. Okay, four chairs were empty (not counting my own). Remus. Check. James and Sirius. Yup, class was a lot quieter without those two just dumping ingredients into their cauldrons. There was also another student missing. Snape. Snape was also not in class this morning.

“Hey Lily,” I whispered as I passed her table, “it’s still Tuesday, right? No closer to the weekend?”

Lily smiled. “No such luck for a quick weekend, Artemis. Get started with your potion. Good luck.”

“You too.” Although I knew Lily didn’t need it. Not with Slughorn. If Lily and I both made a perfect potion, three guesses to who Slughorn will choose in the end. First two don’t count.

As I left Potions class alone, after being ‘narrowly outdone by Miss Evans’ according to Slughorn (big surprise), I headed down for lunch in the Great Hall. Hopefully I wouldn’t have to eat alone. Or worse, with the girls.

“Hi Artemis,” Peter said, coming in just after me. His smile was a bit too bright however. “How was Potions?”

“Lily won again,” I shrugged. “Nothing new. You?”

Peter shrugged. “Still don’t understand most of the Transfiguration essay we have to write. I’m just aiming for an A.”

“Aw, Peter, you’ve got to aim higher than that! At least for an E!” I looked towards the doors again. “Any idea where the other Marauders are?”

“Haven’t the foggiest. Want to see how many grapes we can stuff in our mouths? Five Galleons says I can put more inside my mouth than you. Just because your mouth is wider doesn’t mean it can hold more.”

“Fine. But you have to spit them out so we can count when we’re done. Otherwise we might ‘accidentally’ swallow some.”

Peter groaned but still agreed to the conditions.

“If you were Rachael,” Peter said as we headed down to Herbology together, “she would have an incredible time down in Hogsmeade with how much money you’ve gotten last night and today.”

“But I hate shopping unless it’s for something I need.”

“Rachael could think of a lot of things she would ‘need,’ if you know what I mean,” Peter said, sighing.

“Oh sure. Purses, shoes, blouses, skirts, jewelry.” I shivered. “I think I’m getting nauseated.”

“Well, that’s good, right? Aren’t we studying some sort of fern that eats other animals’ vomit?”

“That was a moss, and we finished those last week. We’re now onto man-eating flowers. Which means the female population is safe!”

Peter’s eyes widened. “Really? Plants can tell a boy from a girl?”

“Peter, I was trying to be funny.”

“Huh? Oh. Haha.”

“So, do you know where the others are?” I asked before we split up.

“I’m the clueless Marauder, remember? Ooh, there’s Rachael. Bye, Artemis.” Peter sped up to sit next to his girlfriend.

It was only forty minutes later, when Samantha had resorted to fighting off her flower with her shoe, that I remembered the tracing spell that I put on my shoes last night. Merlin, and I didn’t stop it when I realized my memories were missing. Well, might as well now. I tapped my wand to my shoes, telling my feet to stop leaving footprints everywhere but not to reveal where I’d been just yet.

Getting through the rest of Herbology was nearly impossible. It went on for so long. I mean, Remus wasn’t there for me to talk to. And James and Sirius weren’t making the usual ruckus that distracts Professor Sprout from helping to prevent the plants from eating the Ravenclaw students (I think the plants could sense the fear from the ‘smart’ students).

Arithmancy was even worse. Again, Remus was absent from class. I could remember him studying the charts in the library on Saturday, so he would have done well with the surprise exam we had. Note- not a surprise quiz, but a surprise exam. Yeah, James and Sirius would never have made it through this class with their lack of study skills.

I was so tempted to retrace my steps during dinner while most of the school was eating, but my stomach told me it was too starved to do anything but eat. So, I dumped off my bag in my dorm, left a flower petal from today’s Herbology lesson on Samantha’s bed just for the hell of it, and headed down to dinner.

“Gee, I thought you two fell off the face of the planet,” I said, sitting down beside Sirius. “What prank have you two been up to? Remus putting the finishing touches on it right now?”

Sirius slouched low in his seat, poking at his food like he did yesterday. However, today’s motions felt completely different. It was hard to describe, but it felt like Sirius wanted to just shrink down into himself. He’s a fairly large bloke, but today I felt bigger than him.

I looked over to James. James, however, was glaring hard at Sirius. He kept his gaze focused sharply on the top of his best mate’s head until he realized I was looking. James turned his eyes to me, which softened considerably. I tried to read them. What emotion was that? Sadness? Hurt?

Pity?

Shaking his head, James looked back down to his own dinner and began eating.

I finally turned my attention back to Peter. He shrugged and hunkered down over his own plate.

No one is speaking. Which is very unusual for PB&J. Did something happen last night that I’m not aware of? Should I ask them? No, what if I’m not supposed to know? Maybe it was a prank gone wrong or something. Or worse- what if it has to do with me and they think I should remember? I can’t let them know I’m missing my memories. I told myself that I’m not going to let my friends worry about me, and that’s what I’m going to do.

So I too bowed my head and ate in silence.

I think I would have preferred eating by myself during that meal. Remus never did show up, but if he was in a mood similar to his friends, I was actually grateful for his absence. I’ve seen how much of a grouch he could be at times.

The dinner plates eventually transitioned to dessert mode. I reached for the nearby chocolate cake. Maybe I should offer chocolate to the others. They looked like they needed some.

Just as I was about to offer, however, James stood up. “Where are you going?” I asked. I had the strangest feeling of déjà vu with a different Marauder. Too bad I couldn’t take hold of James’s robes in case he tried to walk off like Sirius did yesterday.

James looked me in the eye, glanced at Sirius, then returned his focus to me. “I have to ask Dan Logan a question. About Quidditch.” His hazel eyes flickered back to Sirius for a moment. “Stupid question that I regret having to ask anyway. I’ll be right back.”

Sirius sighed once James was out of hearing range. “I should probably go before he gets back.” He stood, taking his time as he got his legs untangled from the bench.

“Care to tell me-”

“Detention.” Sirius made sure I couldn’t reach his robes as he slowly started shuffling out of the doors.

Detention? But didn’t the Marauders have a big party last week when they were all finished making up all their detentions?

“What did Black do this time to warrant more detentions?” I asked Peter.

“Huh?” Peter blinked, looking around. Seeing no one, he shoved a pumpkin pastry into his mouth. “Af ah oof. Ahh o’ oo-”

“Never mind,” I groaned, turning my attention back to my chocolate cake. Must have been part of something I missed. Which means I have to figure this out. Great. I’ll never know what’s going on.

James returned to his seat and took a bowl of pudding. He didn’t comment about Sirius’s absence. But when I kept staring at him, he said, “Logan said yes. He’s a third year, but he was one of the best as try-outs last fall. Wish we had more time, though. Just a week and a half until we play Ravenclaw, and that captain is an excellent strategist-”

“Why do you need another Quidditch player? I know I don’t follow the game, but I thought you only had seven players per team.”

“Yeah, and we were down to six.” James swallowed a spoonful of pudding. “Sirius got banned from Quidditch. For this year and next.”

“What?!” I choked, spewing chocolate cake over the table. Oops, a large piece landed itself on James’s right lens. “What did he do now?!”

Again, James just stared at me with a sad look in his eyes. He looked down after a few seconds in order to clean off his glasses. “Doesn’t matter much anymore. Finish your cake.”

Seeing as that James was obsessed with cleaning his glasses (to avoid looking at me again?) and Peter excused himself to sit with Rachael, I decided that this would be a good time to test my spell and see where I’ve been between dinner last night and Herbology this afternoon.

“Ostendo Sum Semita,” I whispered. The tip of my wand once again turned purple as my shoes flashed pink momentarily. When everything settled down half a second later, my wand’s light illuminated my starting steps along with the next dozen or so steps. After that, the purple light wasn’t able to reach far enough to light up any more footprints. But I could see that I went for the moving staircase.

“I should have known better than come this way,” I muttered after waiting about five minutes for all the stairs to line up the way they did last night.

Okay, so last night I went from the Great Hall to Gryffindor Tower. I remembered the walk last night. Before going up to the girls’ dorm, I apparently spun around in a circle (at least, I think that’s why my shoes seemed to point in every direction before going on). I couldn’t remember that part. I had then gone up to the dorm, used the bathroom, and my shoeprints ended at the side of my bed.

I then followed my shoeprints back out of the girls’ dorm, went around the circle of tracks, and headed back out of the tower. I had used a different staircase to get down to the main level, so at least I wouldn’t have to wait for the stairs again. Thinking about it, though, I suppose it would have been a little fun to jump from staircase to staircase.

Strange. My footsteps led me outside. Quite a ways outside, near the Black Lake. What was I doing out here? I stopped when I came to the edge of the water. I looked around. There was nothing out here for me to see.

To the east, I saw it. Just barely over the mountains and hills in the distance, it was still yellowish-orange. The waning moon was slowly making its way up into its normal spot in the sky.

I tore my gaze away from the moon. I didn’t need it taunting me. I needed answers. I followed the footsteps that led me back into the castle. I was only half-surprised when my tracks brought me back to the Hospital Wing. Footsteps disappeared under the closed doors.

“Okay, two possibilities,” I said quietly to myself, unwilling to go inside. I started backing away, hoping Pomfrey wasn’t going to open the doors any time soon. “One, I came here like regular mornings, and it was something after my duties with Pomfrey that caused my memory loss. Two, something happened before and required me to receive Pomfrey’s help. But she should have told me if I needed help, right?” Unless I couldn’t be told for my own good. I know her. She would actually let me go on and be happy rather than confusing me with information I’d have no recollection of.

“What time did I actually come here?” I wondered. But unfortunately, these footsteps didn’t leave a convenient time and date stamped to the heel of each foot. I had to figure that out the hard way.

Maybe there was another part of this spell that I didn’t see the other day. I had to look into it.

In the library, no one was in the Defense section of the library. I took that as a good sign. Now all I needed to do was find the book, looked up the spells again, and see if there was anything about-

“I know your secret, Monroe.”

“Eep!” I jumped the book and turned around. I sighed. “Snape, what are you doing here?”

Snape just continued to look down at me with his narrowed black eyes. “Same as you, Monroe. Looking up information in the library.” He took a step closer to me.

I took a step back. My skin started to feel cold.

“I know your secret,” he said again.

“My-?”

“Your missing memories, conveniently lost once a month?” He paused. “Ring any bells?”

“You know? How?”

Snape just leaned forward, as if he were going to whisper it. He opened his mouth. Paused. Closed his mouth again and leaned away from me. “No, I won’t tell you.” He turned to walk away.

“What? Snape, wait.” I stepped forward but didn’t touch him. I didn’t want to be accused of assaulting him or anything. “Please, tell me what you know.” I didn’t care where it came from, if someone had my answers, I wanted them.

“Why should I?” Snape crossed his arms and sneered down at me. “I owe you nothing, Monroe.” He tilted his head to the side, shifting his black hair easily to the side. “I suppose I would have been more, generous, if my meeting with Lily had gone better-”

“But-!”

“-but seeing as it didn’t, I see no reason to keep playing our little ‘owing favors’ game. We are currently even, and that is good enough for me. Good day, and good riddance.” His shoulder brushed past me as he walked to the end of the aisle.

“Then why bring it up if you’re not going to tell me?” I grumbled.

Snape paused. Looked back at me. Smirked. “To make it absolutely clear that neither of us owes the other anything. Ever again.” He walked left, towards another part of the Defense section of the library.

I reached down to pick up the book. The fingers that wrapped around the spine were still cold and shivering.

“I know something you don’t know . . . I know something you don’t know . . .”

“Just shut up,” I muttered, shoving the book somewhere into the other books and walking out of the library. “Deleo semita.”

A/N: So, have I confused every last one of you yet? Yes? No? Oh, here are the translations of the three spells Artemis used: vestigium semita = trace path; ostendo sum semita = reveal path; deleo semita = erase path. I just translated it straight from English to Latin (I’m lazy).

Chapter 32: Chapter 32: Do I Need to Solve Everything?
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A/N: Not JKR. But you already knew that, so I'm not going to bore you anymore with my ramblings.

Chapter 32: Do I Need to Solve Everything?

I tapped my fork to my plate, turning my scrambled eggs into smaller and smaller pieces. I might need to use a straw in order to eat it soon, but my mind wasn’t too concerned with that. I just needed some noise somewhere close to me to eat up this silence around me. It felt like even the Great Hall was quieter than usual, especially on the day of a Quidditch match.

The Marauders weren’t speaking with each other. Or more specifically, three of them weren’t on good speaking terms with a one Sirius Black.

I kept poking the prongs of my fork into the mashed eggs as I looked straight ahead at James. James, dressed in his red Quidditch robes, was eating slowly and calmly, not inhaling his food like he used to before the other two Quidditch matches. He kept his gaze locked on his plate, but I would catch him every now and then looking up over the rim of his glasses at his best mate.

In the past week and a half, since my last round of missing memories, I knew that sometime during those missing hours Sirius must have done something terrible. I’ve known these blokes to play some cruel pranks before. But even if one or more Marauders don’t agree, they’ve always remained friends. I mean, they’re the Marauders! Their pictures should be placed in the dictionary next to the word ‘friendship!’

I poked the last chunk of egg (large enough to scoot onto my fork) into little pieces that mice would need help to eat. I turned to Remus, but lately he never looks at me until Sirius leaves. I’ve figured out that he doesn’t want to risk seeing Sirius looking at him from behind me.

I dropped the fork, my apatite shrinking away to nothing. “Marauders, what actually happened between you lot?” I asked, looking at each bloke in turn.

Sirius was the only one to look up at me, but he then went back to eating his breakfast. The other three continued to eat as if I had said nothing.

“Wow, and I thought I was hard to forgive.” I pushed my plate away from me. I stood up. Good, at least now they were all looking up at me. “Look guys, I’m tired of being the clueless one around you four. I get it- this is none of my business and I don’t need to know what happened between you. But I’m done sitting here like I’m in the midst of a group of strangers. I enjoyed meals a lot better when I was friendless for five years. James, good luck at your Quidditch match today. Remus, Peter, enjoy watching Gryffindor trample Ravenclaw. Black, have fun sulking. Let me know when the Marauders resume living up to their name.” I turned and walked out of the Great Hall, even before the morning post arrived.

I wasn’t even ten steps out of the Great Hall when Remus called after me. I stopped. Turned to him.

“Artemis!” Fortunately, Remus was less out of breath catching up with me than he used to be. “Artemis, what is your problem?!”

I’m sure my eyebrows jumped into my hairline. “My problem? I don’t have a problem. It’s you Marauders that have the massive problem. What is your problem with Black? What did he do to offend you? You’re obviously the most pissed off at him.” I crossed my arms, waiting for an answer.

Remus frowned. His eyes looked away to his right. His head soon followed his eyes. He remained silent.

I nodded. “Okay. I think it would be best for everyone if I stay out of the Marauders’ business until all’s well. I’ll let you four figure out your little dilemma without me.” I looked around Remus to see Lily and Kati leaving the Great Hall. “Please, tell me when you’ve forgiven Black so you can save me from my version of Hell. Lily, Kati, wait up!”

I ran to catch up with the two girls. Kati’s eyes were wide when she saw me approach, but Lily just nodded.

“I was wondering how long you’d last before wanting to be saved from the boys’ soap opera,” Lily chuckled. She laced her left arm through my right and continued her previous route to the school grounds.

“So you don’t know why they haven’t been pulling their normal pranks like they used to for the past two weeks?” Kati asked. She still seemed a bit wary of me, though. Probably remembering the time I freaked out at them last December (blasted missing memories!).

I shook my head, willing myself not to withdraw my arm from Lily’s grasp. I needed Lily to keep Remus from coming after me and pull me back into the Marauders’ mess. “The Marauders only tell me what they want to tell me. This is not one of those instances.”

I felt like a major tag-along with Lily and Kati before they decided to change for the big Quidditch game. Fortunately for me, Lily was perceptive enough to walk me to the Hospital Wing before joining the rest of the school. As she walked away with Kati, I wondered for a moment how long it would have taken Lily to solve this mystery if she were in my shoes.

“She would have solved it back in October,” I muttered.

“Beg pardon, Artemis?” Pomfrey asked.

“Just wondering what salve we’ll need to put back once it’s over,” I said calmly. “How bloody will this game get?”

“If it were up to me. . .” Pomfrey shook her head. “Help me set up everything so we don’t have to run back and forth to the cupboards between Quidditch players. They never seem to realize that we actually have a system around here that actually helps get them patched up.”

“That’s because half of them have mild concussions,” I said, half-joking.

I probably wasted an hour and a half of my life waiting for the injured to come. Well, I got an announcement before I saw any blood.

“GO GRYFFINDOR! WE WON!”

The Hospital Wing doors practically blasted open as both Quidditch teams came in for medical treatment. The Gryffindor players headed straight for me, seeming with just a few bumps and bangs. At least today wasn’t too terrible of a game. The Ravenclaw students headed for the other side of the wing to wait for Madam Pomfrey.

“So, how hard did you defeat them?” I asked James, who was babying his right shoulder.

“270 to 180,” James said. “Tiffany was at top form today. Excellent playing for her final game at Hogwarts.” James paused as I directed him to drink a potion. “Don’t know how we’ll find a Seeker as superb as her for next year.”

“So before the Snitch, it was. . ?”

James frowned. “120 to 180. The bludgers were flying everywhere. Played most of the game with this bum shoulder.” James rotated the shoulder. Wasn’t ‘bum’ anymore. “We still won the Quidditch House Cup, but we should have won by more. Way more. Far more.” James shook his head.

“Because Black-?” I started.

“Might want to take a look at Logan,” James said. “He got pelted a lot up there.”

I took the not-too-subtle hint and resumed my Healer duties. At least this game didn’t compare to Slytherin vs. Hufflepuff. Now that was a nightmare. At least ten players had to stay in the Hospital Wing overnight due to the severity of their injuries. I shivered just remembering all the blood.

“Party in Gryffindor common room!” James announced as I took care of the last cracked skull. He smiled widely at his team. “We’ve won! Not just the game, but Gryffindor has won the Quidditch House Cup! I knew we could do it! WE WON!”

~~~***~~~

“-and then we stopped by Madam Puddifoot’s,” Kati said. “It was a good anniversary, actually. Nice, relaxing. I can’t believe that I’ve been dating Benjamin for three months already.”

Someone, please shoot me and put me out of my misery, I thought, twirling my fork around in my mashed potatoes.

I imagined that the potatoes were my brain. I stabbed the fork into the top of the potatoes. That was now my brain after listing to girly conversations.

I then flattened my potatoes out to cover my entire plate in a one-centimeter layer. That was now my brain ready to leak out of my ears. Any questions?

“Well, Artemis has you beat,” Lily said brightly. She turned to me, her smile faltering when she saw my dinner getting flatter and flatter. “Er, you’ve been dating Remus for five months, correct?”

I nodded. This might be a good time to put my brains, I mean potatoes, out of its misery. I scooped up the food and stuffed it rapidly into my mouth. Maybe I could avoid conversing with these girls as much as possible. I just needed them to fend off Remus and the other Marauders’ drama for the time being. Although I was ready to run out of the castle screaming after five days of this insanity (aka girl talk).

Samantha just glared at me as I ate. “I can’t understand why Remus would be so willing to date someone like you, Artemis. You’re a slob.”

“I’m ‘ot a s’ob!” Hm, that probably would have sounded better if pieces of potato weren’t flying out of my mouth.

“There’s probably something that Remus likes about her,” Melissa said, nudging Samantha next to her. “That’s why people date each other- they like something or another about the other person.”

“Remus is just too kind for his own good,” Samantha said. She went back to picking at her salad.

“Remus really does like Artemis,” Lily said. She looked to me. “He always brings you up at one point or another when the two of us have Prefect duties together.” Lily looked to the other girls in the group. “Remus is always sincere in his words and actions. You girls know that.”

Kati nodded. “Although like Artemis, I can’t wait for the Marauders to forgive Black. The school is certainly not as interesting without a Marauder prank around the next corner.”

“Kati!” Lily’s eyes widened in surprise. “How can you say that?! It’s been nice without them getting into trouble! No one has to worry-” She stopped. Her emerald eyes dimmed. “Oh, who am I kidding? The school certainly isn’t the same.”

I looked down the table towards the four Marauders. And again, the blokes were eating silently with their eyes trained down at their dinners. There was a large space between Remus and Sirius, however. My spot.

As I was staring, Remus looked to his left towards us girls. The left side of his lips twitched upwards, but other than that he just stared at me. He continued to stare for a minute, then his lips moved. He tried mouthing a few words at me, but I couldn’t read them.

“What?” I whispered, training my eyes at his lips.

Remus mouthed the words again, but I still couldn’t read his lips. So he tried again. And again.

When I still didn’t get it after five tries, he took out his wand and pointed it to my napkin. I turned it towards me and read:

I miss you.

I looked over to Remus and just smiled at him. But my smile faded when I saw Sirius get up from behind him and shuffle out of the Great Hall, before dessert. I turned away from Remus and went back to taking out my boredom on the next course in my meal. I wondered if I could turn pudding into a pure liquid with the power of my spoon.

Lily and Kati walked with me to the Owlery, then we retreated to the girls’ dorm for the night. Not exactly much to do on a Thursday evening.

Changing for bed and taking the ponytail out of my hair, I became annoyed by how much hair I had. I mean, as I leaned over my trunk to dig out my pair of shorts, my hair fell over my face and obscured most of everything from view. All I saw was a forest of boring brown strands. Very annoying. I’d say it was time for a haircut.

So yeah, instead of going to bed with a good book to read or a text to study, I took my hairbrush and wand into the bathroom. Kati shouldn’t need the shower for another hour or so, meaning I had enough time to-

I had just pulled my hair back into a ponytail when Samantha barged into the bathroom. She stopped when she saw me.

“Ever hear of knocking?” I asked, turning my attention back to my reflection. I checked over the fresh ponytail again.

“Ever hear of locking the bathroom door?” Samantha asked back.

“Just go away, Samantha. I’ll be out in a minute.” I turned my head to the left, giving myself a better view of my hair. Okay, if I pinch my hair at this point and keep it still, it should keep straight enough to-

“What are you doing?”

“You’re still here?” I asked. Straining my eyes, I could just barely make out her silhouette.

“Of course I’m still here. I need to apply my night moisturizers and blah blah blah-blah blah!” Okay, she didn’t say any ‘blah,’ but that’s all I cared to hear.

“I already told you that I just need one minute,” I sighed. I raised my wand and pointed it to my hair, taking aim to-

“Stop!” Samantha grabbed my wrist, forcing my wand away from pointing at my hair. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“Cutting my hair,” I said. “I’m months overdue for one.”

“You don’t cut your own hair!” She tried to pry the wand out of my hand. “You go to a hair salon! Look, I can take you to this great place in Hogsmeade next visit. We can get you a really cute haircut. Maybe do something with your nails. And right next door is this shop with the cutest clothes-”

Maybe I need the toilet instead of a mirror, I thought to myself, feeling ill with all the ideas Samantha was daft enough to think I would go for. “Samantha, just give me my wand. I’m an expert at this.”

“You can’t cut your own hair!” Samantha yelled again.

“Give me my wand!” I was certainly stronger than Samantha. I then promptly ran out of the girls’ bathroom.

“Where’s the dragon?” Kati asked me, doing her homework on her bed.

“Behind me, actually.”

“Artemis!”

“I’m not staying here,” I said. “Bye!” I ran out of the girls’ dorm, casting the locking charm on the door. That should stall Samantha for a few seconds at least.

I ran down the stairs, only realizing when I got down to the base of the stairs that I probably should have jumped out a window rather than come down the stairs. When some students sitting in the common room stopped to laugh at me, I wished for half a second that I hadn’t changed into my sleep clothes- my usual short shorts and tight T-shirt.

Nothing that a lot of them haven’t seen before, I thought, deciding to head up the boys’ staircase instead of out of Gryffindor Tower. Well, maybe the first and second year boys not as much, but they would see more at the beach. Some people whistled as I stepped out of their view.

I soon got to the sixth year boys’ dorm. It was quiet within. Hm, should I really go inside? I needed a mirror to see the back of my head. Worst case scenario is that I might cut off an ear when trying to use the severing charm. Or my head.

I knocked on the door, intending to yell at the boys to forgive Sirius already, use their bathroom mirror for a minute, yell at the Marauders some more, and then terrify Samantha with a bunch of my recently-cut hair in hand.

I waited. Silence continued on the other side of the door. I knocked again. Waited. Felt a little cold in my shorts. Considered the possibility that I might need to consider getting sleep clothes that I didn’t outgrow a few years ago.

Sirius opened the door. He seemed a bit confused until he saw me. He brightened up a little. “Artemis. What an unexpected visit.” His eyes then widened. “You’re not here to eliminate our chances of creating baby Marauders, are you?”

I smirked, remembering a reference I made about that several months ago. “Your ‘manhood’ is safe. I just need your bathroom. Long story. Can I?” I nodded to the space behind Sirius. It was only then when I look away from his face that I realized he was standing shirtless, only in a pair of loose sweatpants.

“Er-” Sirius looked back into the room for a moment. “Uh, sure. Come on in.” He opened the door wider, stepping aside to allow me passage.

I stepped into the dorm, taking inventory of the Marauders. Sirius? Still at the door. James? Sitting crossed-legged on his bed. Remus? Standing in the middle of the room in front of his trunk. Peter? Uh, where was-

“Peter’s under his bed,” James said, pointing down to the fourth bed.

“Oh, now I see him.” Or rather, I just saw his tail-side poking out from under the frame of his bed. “But what-”

“We’re not sure,” James said. “We’ve never bothered looking under there. No Gryffindor is that brave to venture into Wormtail’s under-the-bed lair.”

“You needed to use the bathroom?” Remus asked. It looked like he was using all his willpower to keep his eyes locked on my face and not go wandering down to the rest of me.

“Thanks for reminding me. I’ll just be a minute.” I headed for said room, but stopped to look back at the Marauders. “I wasn’t disturbing anything, was I?”

“Nothing you need to worry about, Artemis,” Remus said. “Just do what you need to do in the bathroom.”

Shrugging, I went to the bathroom. In the span of a minute, I was able to pinch a specific point on my ponytail, checked my reflection, and used a skillfully-aimed severing charm to cut off about thirty centimeters of hair. My hair had gone from hanging down to my lower back to just brushing past my shoulders. I wrapped my hair tie around the strands of cut hair. I would taunt Samantha with it later.

I came back out of the bathroom. The Marauders were still where I had left them. I wondered if they had even breathed while I was gone.

Remus glanced at me, then jumped when he saw my hair. “What did you do?” he asked.

“She cut her hair, genius,” Sirius laughed. “Doesn’t surprise me that she wouldn’t want to go to a hair salon. They might actually say something that would offend her anti-girlie girl philosophy.”

“It looks nice,” Remus said, his voice cracking. His eyes did flicker down to the rest of me as he said this. “Although I liked it when it was long too.”

“It’s more functional when short,” I said. I looked at the hair in my left fist. “I wonder how long this stuff would be if I could line it up strand-tip to strand-tip.”

“Incredibly long,” Sirius said.

“Long enough to tie each of you four to a tower several times over,” I said seriously.

Remus stopped ogling me and Sirius lost the slight grin to his face.

“You four are the definition of best mates,” I said. I turned to James and Remus (Peter was still under his bed for some reason). “You blokes know how dim-witted Black can be at some times. He acts, then thinks.”

“True,” Remus nodded.

“Yeah,” James said, “those Herbology plants could tell the difference between real vomit and that fake stuff from Zonko’s. Sprout wasn’t happy with us making our bit of moss ill.”

“Although that doesn’t compare to what he did this time,” Remus growled.

I groaned loudly. “I get it, you four won’t tell me what he did. This is all I can do.” I turned to Sirius, shoved my wand into the waistband of my shorts (I actually felt Remus’s eyes widen), and marched up to Sirius. “Seeing as your friends are too kind to do this themselves.”

I shoved the palm of my hand into Sirius’s nose. I withdrew my hand, which was now covered in Sirius Black’s blood.

Interesting. Blacks do bleed in red. There goes that rumor.

“What the hell?!” Sirius arched his head backwards, trying to keep the bleeding to a minimum. “What was that for?”

“Would you believe that I like punching annoying prats and gits in the nose?” I turned back to Remus and James. Their eyes were still wide.

“I think I’m glad that I was only hung up in the Great Hall when you were pissed at me,” James said.

“Artemis! My nose!”

“Alright, Marauders, this is what’s going to happen,” I said. “You don’t have to tell me what happened exactly. But I can guess someone got hurt in whatever happened.” I held up a finger as Remus opened his mouth. “I don’t want to hear it. I know you’re not against Black because he just called someone names. So, his nose is broken. I can also break his jaw, his arms, his legs, whatever you need to make everything even.” I crossed my arms. “So, what’s your request?”

“Ar-e-mis! ‘y ose!”

I continued to ignore Sirius.

“I’m waiting, mates.”

James looked to Remus, tilting his head. “Your issues, mate. Your girlfriend wants to be your hit-girl as well. A bit too scary for my taste, though.”

“I ‘on’t ant ooh ‘ie!” Sirius cried. His fingers were already covered in his blood.

Remus shook his head. “I appreciate what you’re trying to do, Artemis-”

“I s’ill ’eeding!”

“-but you don’t need to turn Sirius into a carcass of formless flesh,” Remus went on. “At least, so long as he doesn’t do it again.” He finally turned to his bloody friend.

“I ont! I ont! I swear! Ar-e-mis!”

“Fine, fine.” I withdrew my wand and aimed it at Sirius’s nose. The bleeding instantly stopped. After a second wave, his nose was realigned and showed no signs (besides the drying blood) that he was punched. “Better?”

“Don’t do that again!” Sirius whined. He ran to his bed and grabbed a hand mirror, checking his reflection. “Owe! It still hurts!”

“The pain will fade,” I said. I turned to James and Remus. “Now, I speak for the rest of the school population when I say this- get started on the school’s next big prank. Hogwarts isn’t the same without you blokes doing incredibly stupid yet funny jokes on people.”

“Yes ma’am!” James said.

“So are we okay?” Remus asked.

“My poor nose doesn’t feel okay, if anyone’s wondering,” Sirius whined, still looking at his reflection in the mirror.

I nodded at Remus. “Yup.” I grabbed a clump of his shirt and pulled him down to my level. I pressed my lips firmly against his for a moment before releasing him. “See you at breakfast tomorrow.”

As I left the boys’ dorm, I heard James calling to Peter that he could come out from hiding under his bed now. Just as I was closing the door, James yelled, “I don’t believe this! Wormtail fell asleep! He probably passed out from all the weird things he keeps under there!” Once the door fully closed, I heard nothing else from that dorm.

A/N: Sorry for the delay in this chapter! Now, I would really appreciate any final predictions or thoughts that you might have about why Artemis is losing her memories once a month. Because in the next chapter (bump bump bump!), Artemis will solve the mystery! So I’d especially enjoy your thoughts! Thanks!

Chapter 33: Chapter 33: Ignorance is Bliss (Wished I Believed it Sooner)
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A/N: I'm not that awesome person everyone knows as JKR, nor did I create HP. I mean, she thinks of HP's problems. Me? I look up at the moon and think "RL would hate this time of month" (as it approaches full moon of course).

Chapter 33: Ignorance is Bliss (Wish I Believed it Sooner)

“Too bad Time Turners can’t be loaned out of Hogsmeade,” I grumbled, closing a book that I dared to check out of the library from Madam Pince (I feared what might happen to me if the book became overdue). I had a brilliant idea just last week of using a Time Turner to turn myself back several hours and follow my past self while disillusioned. In that way, I could see how, and possibly why, I was getting my memories erased. Then the book had to tell me that Time Turners are serious business and only given out by the Ministry to those with legitimate reasons.

“I’d be sent to St. Mungo’s as a patient before I could get my hands on one,” I muttered again. Fortunately, the other girls in my dorm were all doing something or another during our lunch break. Remus had said in Potions earlier that he needed to find something in his trunk. He had walked out of class before seeing my reaction. Of course, I was okay missing lunch in the Great Hall every now and then. I just had to stop by the kitchens to visit the house elves briefly before retreating to my dorm to eat and think.

I tried to come up with other possibilities to keep my memories tonight. And again, I had taken too long to come up with another good idea. Those tracking spells from last month couldn’t be time-stamped, so I had no idea when I’d been where. I wasn’t going to waste my time with that again.

I also considered faking an illness to be sent home for a week so my parents could watch over me. Yeah, slim to none that I would be sent home instead of St. Mungo’s. But if I was doing anything strange during these missing memories, I didn’t want to inflict myself on a village of Muggles.

Another idea was to tie myself to the Astronomy Tower and wait for the full moon to pass. I would set myself in such a way that I could not untie myself. By morning, Peck would have delivered a letter from myself to the Marauders, telling them where to find me and get me down. But again, that would make the Marauders ask questions (or maybe not- they’re used to my slightly odd behavior and ideas now).

That led me to think of a Marauder-plus-me scavenger hunt to do around the castle on the night of the full moon. It could be done in teams so that way Remus could keep an eye on me. He would certainly tell me if anything bad was happening to me. He wouldn’t lie to me if he knew something was wrong.

Finally, I considered asking Professor Slughorn when he could have another potion-making contest to see who could win a vial of Felix Felicis. I instantly rejected the idea- Lily would just end up winning the second vial. If I wanted any, I would have to ask her for some potion and need a better excuse than saying I needed a lot of luck to figure out why I was missing memories. Yeah, good luck wasn’t coming my way.

Well, it was getting close for Herbology class to start. I put the book in my bag, grabbed the last blueberry muffin, and headed off to class.

A feeling of dread filled in my gut as I watched the minutes tick by. Here I was, sitting in class like a normal student. But in a few hours, something will happen and I will lose my memories again unless I think of something. Anything, really. That’s certainly not normal.

Even in Arithmancy, I felt like I couldn’t sit still, waiting for the inevitable. But I must have been projecting my emotions onto Remus. It seemed to me like he also kept checking his watch and the classroom clock, waiting for the time when we would be dismissed for the day. And the night of the full moon.

“Let’s just go to the library,” Remus said once class was dismissed. “I, er, want to get a head start on homework.”

I nodded. I think I had half a muffin left in my bag somewhere. It might be a week old, but it would suffice if I got desperate.

But as Remus walked next to me, his head bent down to study the floor as we walked, I realized that Remus might actually be bummed out. Maybe his mood wasn’t just in my head. I mean, they say little girls make their dolls feel the same way they does. What’s so appealing about playing with dolls anyway . . ?

“Fine, stand out here all evening.” Remus moved past me and into the library. The door started to close behind him.

“Huh? Oh!” I scurried through the door before it closed all the way. Obviously Remus didn’t want to be a doorman when he leaves Hogwarts.

“Sorry, sorry,” I whispered after him. I returned the library book to Madam Pince, wondering if she could shoot curses at students with her eyes alone. I got to the History of Magic section a split second after Remus.

“Be my guest if you want to daydream in the middle of the school halls,” Remus hissed. He took his Arithmancy books out of his bag. “Doesn’t bother me.”

I slouched in my seat. What can I do to make Remus feel better? He’s probably annoyed with me because I’ve been acting a bit spacey lately, not like an attentive girlfriend. Hm, what are some girlfriend duties of mine that could make Remus not act all grumpy?

Five minutes later, I was sitting on Remus’s lap, my arms looped around his neck. My lips were pressed hard against his. My tongue reacquainted itself with the inside of Remus’s mouth. I continued to commit every nook and crevice to memory. While my mouth and tongue were busy, the fingers of my right hand wove themselves into Remus’s sandy locks.

I think I was succeeding in making Remus happier. His arms were keeping my body securely balanced on his lap. Both his thumbs had just barely managed to find a gap in my blouse and rubbed small circles into my skin. I had to press my lips harder against Remus’s to keep my moans inaudible.

I heard the library doors click open, followed by semi-slow and heavy footsteps approaching the History of Magic section.

I opened my eyes at the same moment as Remus. He let go of my waist as I detached my lips from his. I slid back onto my chair. Banged my left knee on the edge of the table as I rotated my body around to face forward. Picked up a quill and realized that I had nothing to write on. So I opened my Charms book, flipped to a page, and pretended like my scroll was just hiding under the books. Right, like anything could hide under the smallest text book assigned to any students (I think it was small so Flitwick could carry it).

Professor Binns walked in around the corner, stopping only when he actually saw students sitting in the History of Magic section.

“Good afternoon, professor,” Remus said, his voice cracking slightly.

I merely smiled at him politely. Sure, I wasn’t just snogging my boyfriend senseless in the library. That’s ridiculous!

The professor just blinked. “Er, yes then. Good afternoon, Mr. Lunar. Ms. Moon.” He stepped over to a bookcase, grabbed three books, and took them back towards Madam Pince.

“You’d think he would know our names after we sat in his class for five years,” Remus muttered.

I started giggling once I knew Binns was out of the library. “That was funny. I never thought about it like that before.”

Remus just stared at me, not laughing. “What’s got your funny bone now?”

“I can actually understand how Binns confused our names,” I explained. “Look, my first name is after that moon goddess. And the first syllable of my last name is ‘Mon.’ Just as an ‘o’ and you get ‘Moon!’ And you, your nickname is Moony! But he must have remembered that your name started with an ‘L,’ so that’s where he got ‘Lunar.’ See? Funny!” I continued to giggle.

“I still don’t-”

I stopped giggling enough to just groan. “Of course it’s not funny when you have to explain it to someone! And people say you’re the smartest in our class?” I shook my head, doing my best to look disappointed.

“Only you can understand ‘Artemis Monroe’ logic,” Remus sighed. He turned his attention back to his books.

I was writing down all the known properties of this week’s Herbology plant (I had to treat the Ravenclaws straight after class for burns they acquired- what is it with brainy people and plants anyway?) when my mind started drifting to another possible memory trick. Maybe I could get a Quick Quotes Quill to follow me around. It would write everything down as I did or said anything, ensuring that I would-

Nope, not happening. The Marauders last week traded all the quills in the school with Quick Quotes Quills (don’t ask me how they managed that). No one could catch their quills, and a lot of people had gossip in their papers instead of facts. I seem to recall Slughorn mentioning that potions do not typically have scandalous affairs with ceiling wax. If I were to use one, it would probably come up with some crazy and totally inaccurate account of my activities. I would have to be mad in order to resort to that plot. Actually, anyone would have to be mad if they used a Quick Quotes Quill for real business.

Argh! This is too hard! I slammed my head against pages 394 and 395 of my Herbology text. Argh!

“Uh, Artemis, are you all right?” Remus asked tentatively.

I lifted my head from the book. Some of the pages actually peeled off my forehead, seeming to want to come with me. “Sure, never better,” I smiled brightly. “Why do you ask?”

Remus’s eyes looked to my forehead. “You’re got the words ‘purple puss’ imprinted on your head. Spelled backwards, of course.”

“Of course,” I grumbled. I licked my thumb and tried scrubbing away blindly at the offending words.

“Here, let me. Scourgify.”

“You know, every now and then I forget that I can do magic to fix simple problems.”

“That’s you,” Remus said. He offered a small smile before turning his attention back to his books.

Hm. I’m trying to solve my complicated problems with magic. Maybe I’m going about this backwards. I could scour the library, looking for memory-remembering techniques, but I certainly don’t have enough time before tonight’s full moon. But what if I tried a very simple Muggle way to keep myself alert and with someone all night?

“So,” I said to Remus, “I know tonight’s a school night . . .”

Remus hummed to let me know he was listening.

“But I was thinking that because I’m not the typical girlie-girlfriend you may have expected, we might want to do something, er, a bit more romantic for your sake. I mean, you’re a pretty nice and romantic bloke, though you make sure your romantic side won’t make me sick to my stomach.”

I waited. Remus remained silent this time, but his eyes stopped reading.

Now or never, Artemis. “So, I was thinking we might take a break from all this studying. Tonight’s going to be a clear night. So it might be nice if we were to spend that time together.” Still, no reaction. “What I’m trying to get at is that I want to walk in the full moon with you.”

Remus’s complexion paled noticeably. His skin nearly became transparent. His left temple started throbbing with his heartbeat. His jaw clenched and unclenched in a matter of seconds. His eyes remained locked on his books.

“O-kay, bad idea,” I muttered. I turned back to my essay. “I agree, too mushy. What was I even thinking?” Back to brainstorming.

I wrote some information about the toxicity of this week’s plant’s leaves and how much time someone would have before shriveling up like a completely dry raisin (one hundred nine seconds). Thank you to the person who invented sturdy gloves! And the antidote that Sprout keeps handy!

Remus took a deep breath. From the corner of my eye, it seemed like some of Remus’s color had come back. Just some. He leaned over the right side of the table. I soon heard rustling papers.

Focus, Artemis, focus! Face it, I’m not getting help with my problem. But what good is it to read mystery novels unless I can learn some deductive strategies? Oh wait, I just like reading about the homicide. Then I like seeing the punishment. Those strategies for solving the mystery must have been hidden in there with the gushy, romantic parts I skip over! Curse those mystery writers!

Remus came back up to the surface of the table, holding an old and battered notebook. It was already open to a specific page. “Uh, Artemis,” Remus said slowly, “there’s something I want to tell you.”

I turned my head to Remus. “Okay.” I put down the quill and turned my body to face him as well. “Shoot.”

Remus’s amber eyes widened. “Well, er, I actually wanted, um, what I meant-” He soon got too caught in his mutterings to be coherent anymore.

“Remus, slow down,” I said, patting him on the shoulder. “It’s okay. Take a deep breath. Relax. It’s just me, remember?”

Remus nodded, clenching his jaw again. “Alright. But I think it would be best if I show you.” He passed the notebook across the table towards me.

I angled the book towards me. Read the heading. Felt a little confused. It was from a unit of Defense class in third year. Werewolves.

I looked back up at Remus, trying to smile. “Uh, nice gesture there, Remus. Finding these for me. But you’re about a year late. I can’t take my O.W.L.’s again, and I wouldn’t even if I could. So why are you bringing these out now?”

“Just read.” Remus turned away. Trained his eyes on his books in front of him. And just sat there.

Sighing, I turned to Remus’s notes. Hm, he had pretty decent handwriting for a thirteen year old boy back then too. Nothing compared to Randy’s, but still impressive. Let’s see, werewolves. Certainly more than I wrote on the topic (I believe my heading came out looking like ‘we like pie, ’ which was certainly not applicable to Defense class).

A werewolf changes from man into beast once every full moon . . . A werewolf loses its mind, often not remembering its nightly excursions . . . Once bitten by a werewolf, one is afflicted by the condition for the rest of one’s life . . . Werewolves suffer from severe injury directly after the full moon . . . There is no cure for lycanthropy . . . A werewolf would turn on its friends given the opportunity . . . Werewolves are shunned from normal wizarding society . . . Symptoms of lycanthropy include but are not limited to: fatigue, strong emotional outbursts, and occasional strong cravings of particular comfort food . . .

Werewolves are monsters, not to be trusted . . .

I may have only skimmed through the notes, but those are the parts that I took out. And as I read, I felt my gut grow heavy. What did this mean?

Sure, even Muggles knew that werewolves changed at the full moon.

But I’ve been losing my memories before or during the full moon of the month with no recollection of where I’ve been or what I’ve been doing.

It’s been happening every month since the start of the year. I realized a long time ago that I have not skipped a month (yes, both ‘monthly’ events).

Merlin, I’ve even awoken with brain damage in December, an ‘illness’ in January, and flashbacks of myself being around blood!

I haven’t been able to come up with a way to prevent myself from losing these memories after keeping the idea in the back of my head for months now! So maybe there is no way to stop it from happening.

Oh no, I even tried using Remus just now to keep an eye on me when I clearly promised myself in January that I wouldn’t allow my friends to worry after me.

I know I’m not a normal witch by any standards, but I’ve made sure outsiders don’t know that for the most part.

And I am aware that some might say that my fixation with blueberry muffins borders obsession.

Oh. My. Godric! It makes sense! PB&J attacked me in September. They must have known back then that there was something wrong with me and wanted me to stay as far away as possible from their friend! They’re loyal like that. But when Remus was still interested in me, the Marauders decided to become my friends just so they could conveniently keep an eye on me. I mean, I’m the only person to sit among the Marauders on a long-term basis. They weren’t only being my friends, they were acting as bodyguards for Remus!

“Artemis?” Remus reached out, placing his hand on my right shoulder. “Please, say something.”

I jumped and scooted back in my chair. Kind, gentle Remus. The nicest Marauder. He really is great. And here he was, trying to explain something to me that I should have known about months ago! He shouldn’t have felt like I was too good for him back in December! I’m the one that doesn’t deserve him!

“Artemis, just breathe,” Remus said. His hand withdrew from my shoulder. “I know it’s a lot to take in, and I’ve been trying to tell you for months, but-”

I didn’t hear anymore. I didn’t need to. I was aware of the wizarding world’s view on this sort of thing. And I couldn’t let Remus risk his future for being with me. So I did the only thing I could do.

I ran.

Out of my seat. Banged my right knee this time into the table. Shoved past Madam Pince. The books in her arms exploded to the floor. Pushed the library doors open. Looked around. Turned right. Down some stairs. I needed to get out of the castle. Because tonight was the full moon.

And I just learned that I am a werewolf.

A/N: THOUGHTS?!

Chapter 34: Chapter 34: Under the Full Moon
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Chapter 34: Under the Full Moon

I collapsed onto the grass as the sun set to the west. My legs burned, and it did not have to do with how I banged both of my knees under a library table at some point or another within the last half hour. No, I don’t think I had ever run as fast before in my life.

I rolled onto my back, staring up at the sky. In just a few hours, the full moon will rise. I will transform into a- a- a creature, and probably not remember anything after snogging Remus in the library. Merlin, Remus was willing to be with me, even knowing what I was?

But even after running as hard and as fast as I could, I had to keep moving. I pushed myself off the grass. I was still too close to the school. So I circled the Black Lake, my eyes adjusting to the gradually dimming light. I nearly tripped on a few stones that I thought were just lumps of dirt, but otherwise I was fine.

I stopped, just at the edge of the Forbidden Forest. The surface of the lake rippled with every gentle breeze that came across its surface. I heard the water hit the rocks. Some birds were still chirping in the trees behind me. Animals scurried across the forest floor. And I realized that this was the spot where that mysterious girl appeared on my birthday, taunting me.

“Is that what she knew?” I whispered into the wind. “She knew I was a werewolf?” The word sounded strange coming from my mouth. Foreign. Like I had never spoken the word before with so much meaning behind it.

I looked across to the castle. I knew that when I change, it won’t take me long to run back to the castle. Will it be locked at night? Do any of the teachers know that there might be a werewolf sitting in their classes?

I took a seat against a tree at the forest’s edge. I continued to think about the school. Let’s see, it took me twenty minutes to slowly get around the lake. It wouldn’t even take three minutes for a werewolf to round the bend. I knew, mostly from Muggle legends, that werewolf bites transmit the condition from victim to victim.

Merlin, please let my friends and fellow classmates be safe.

The sky turned from navy blue to practically black. Countless stars dotted the sky. Fires and torches within the school lit all available windows in a yellow-golden light. More nocturnal animals awoke and began their nightly excursions. The lake continued to slosh lazily against the shore. The lake’s surface distorted the school’s reflection of those flickering lights.

I rested my head against the tree as the full moon began to rise. At any time now, I may feel myself start to go through a massive physical change. And then by morning, I may not remember these thoughts. But how did I become a werewolf? How was I bitten? Did it happen here at school in September? More questions flooded my mind, all so similar but all without answers.

My eyes closed in an effort to keep from conjuring more questions. I needed to focus on something else. Something different than what caused me to be a werewolf. My ears picked up on the sloshing water. Back and forth the lake came. Drops slowly washed over the rocks, retreated, and came back to repeat the process.

That slow, rhythmic beat. It kept those pointless, unanswerable questions away. I took deeper and deeper breaths.

I didn’t fight it. I let myself slip into unconsciousness. It was best this way. . .

~~~***~~~

I felt something tickle my cheek. I tried swatting the object away. My fingers came across something with an exoskeleton. It cracked under the pressure of my fingers. My cheek felt the residue settle.

I opened my eyes and looked at the remains of a lone ant that had tried to cross my face. My fingers were illuminated by the bright full moon. I could clearly see that five of the six legs were still on the carcass. The sixth was probably still on my face.

Wait. Those were my fingers. I looked up. That was the full moon. As I sat up, I took inventory: two human legs, a human torso, human arms, and a seemingly human face with a smeared bug on the left cheek.

“I’m still human,” I breathed, actually smiling. I looked up at the full moon again. “I’m not a werewolf. Thank Merlin!”

I stood up, realizing that my limbs were stiff after sleeping against a tree for- four hours?! It was practically midnight as I read my watch by the moonlight. In fact, it was so bright on the grounds, I could make out well-defined shadows and some colors not normally seen in the dark.

I walked away from the lake and the Forbidden Forest, towards a wide opening of a grassy field. The stars were exceptionally bright. Not having astronomy lessons anymore made the sight ten times more enjoyable. I didn’t have to, but I could name every star and constellation in the black sky. Some stars, fainter than others, were blocked out of sight by the incredible full moon.

I must have been wandering the grounds for fifteen minutes, my head arched back to look at the sky. It was magnificent. It was glorious. And it was all the more impressive when I kept reminding myself that I was seeing this with my human eyes.

A wolf howled. Long and low.

I stopped. I’ve heard normal wolves howl. I’ve seen a few packs when home for the summer (don’t let my mum know). But the howl I just heard, that was no normal wolf howl. And it came from the direction of the Whomping Willow around the next bend of trees.

I swallowed a lump in my throat. It didn’t go away. Took a few steps forward. My heartbeat pounded in my ears, but I don’t think that’s what caused all the nocturnal creatures of the Forbidden Forest to go silent.

There was no mistaking it. It stood on all fours, its slender limbs covered in a light grey fur. Its body was thin, skinny. But the most notable feature was its eyes. Those golden orbs, glowing in the shadows of the Whomping Willow, were trained on me.

I felt my heart stop. I was exchanging looks with a werewolf.

We both stood motionless for what felt like hours. But as quickly as I saw him, the werewolf leapt forward, barking and snarling its way for me.

I turned and ran. Ordered my legs to run as fast and as hard as they had ever run before. But as my muscles began to burn and my lungs felt desperate for the oxygen I couldn’t deliver fast enough, I knew that there was no way that I could outrun a werewolf.

Its heavy breathing and paws ripping at the group kept getting louder and louder in my already-pounding ears. I was too far from the castle or even Hagrid’s Hut. Nowhere for me to go but onward, outrunning a creature faster than an Olympic athlete.

My eyes scanned the edge of the Forbidden Forest. There was my answer! The trees! Without thinking, I launched myself up at the first tree with a semi-low branch. My arms took the strain as my mind raced to think of what I could do from here. Sure, the werewolf could follow me up here. But I could easily leap to another tree. I don’t think werewolves could stabilize themselves in branches as well as I could. That may buy my some extra seconds as I think of another plan to save myself.

The werewolf reached the tree just as I was about the jump to the neighboring tree. It jumped up. Its front paws raked at the tree, but it did not get onto even the first branch. It slid back down and resorted to circling the trunk, snarling up at me but not making another attempt.

Good thing werewolves can’t climb trees, I thought. I decided to just cling to the tree trunk. I could wait here until morning, when the werewolf would revert back to whatever poor soul it was before.

The werewolf howled again. Long and loud. It backed away. Just when I thought it might be safe for me to relax a little, the werewolf ran forward, bent its head down, and head-butted the tree. Hard.

“Ya!” I clung to the tree tighter as I swayed in the branches.

The werewolf shook its head, backed up, and slammed the top of its head into the tree for a second time. And then a third. A fourth. Fifth. And with each attack on the tree, I started to fear that the werewolf would bring down the tree before the moon went down. I might not last through the night up here after all.

“Think, Artemis, think,” I whispered, cringing as the werewolf slammed the tree again. “What do I have that can take down a werewolf? Merlin, why did I have to be so sick third year?! I don’t think normal defensive spells even work on werewolves. If they did, they wouldn’t be feared as much. C’mon, Artemis, think!”

The tree shook again. I also heard a crack, but I wasn’t sure if that was from wood fracturing or bone cracking. I was willing to bet everything I had that the tree would give before the werewolf.

“Please let this be effective on werewolves,” I prayed, withdrawing my wand. I kept it clenched tightly in my right hand. If I dropped it, I knew that I was dead. Or worse.

“Sternutatio Maxima!” I screamed, my wand aimed at the werewolf below.

I waited. Held my breath. Please, please, please let this work on-

The werewolf stopped. Looked down. Blinked. And then let out a gigantic sneeze.

I had never used Sternutatio at its maximum level before, but if the book I read it from was correct, my target had forty-nine more sneezes before it would recover.

The werewolf sneezed again, this time with enough force to send it backwards by half a meter or so.

“Forty-eight,” I muttered, dropping down to the ground. The werewolf was beside me, almost close enough to touch.

“Forty-seven.” I ran past it. The werewolf opened its golden eyes long enough to see me, but it succumbed to the spell’s effects of compulsive sneezing before it could do anything to me.

I ran, realizing that I would run out of time if I headed straight to the castle. Besides, the doors leading in may be locked. But I knew a secret passage from Hogsmeade that could take me into the castle safely.

I thought the werewolf still had ten more sneezes to go when I heard it start chasing after me again. I didn’t turn my head back for fear of losing my fast pace. Just run. Run for Hogsmeade. And hope that the villagers locked their household doors.

The sound of footsteps kept getting closer. And closer. My legs were on fire. My throat was raw from my heavy breathing. My fingers were turning numb, but I kept a firm grip on my wand-

My shoe tripped over a rock that I had overlooked. My momentum sent me crashing to the ground. My left cheek burned as I slid across the grass.

I. Was. Doomed.

I rolled onto my back, expecting the worst. I could see it now. The werewolf will pounce on me. It will shrug off my hardest curses. Its teeth will rip into me. I will either be killed tonight or live the rest of my life as a werewolf-

In reality, the werewolf did appear. It had caught up with me. But as it was about to pounce, a large beast burst from the Forbidden Forest. Its antlers helped lift the werewolf from the ground and fling it at least twenty meters away from me.

The stag snorted before chasing after the tossed werewolf.

“Oh my-” I gasped. Where did that stag come-?

I felt a wet snout nudge my right hand. Looking back down, a large black dog was at my side.

The black dog gave a single bark, then nodded its head up once. I think it was trying to tell me to go back to the castle, or the village. Anywhere but towards the werewolf.

A dog? And a stag? Sacred animals to that goddess Artemis? What are the odds I would get protection from those two creatures? Whatever, I need to get out of here!

I pushed myself back onto my feet. Every muscle protested, but survival instincts won out. But as I tried to run again for Hogsmeade, my feet were still resisting the movement. A few times, I stumbled over more rocks, twigs, and even a clump of dirt.

But every time I stumbled, the large black dog was by my side, nudging me to keep moving, to get myself to safety.

Just at the edge of the Forbidden Forest and Hogsmeade Village, I heard an animal cry. I recognized it instantly as the stag. People think of deer as quiet and gentle. But when threatened or in pain, they can cry out so loud, it’s enough to make one mad.

I turned back, slowing in my jog to stand still. The stag and werewolf were still fighting, with the stag facing away from me. But I saw the scratches on the stag’s body, glittering red in the moonlight. Oh no, what if the stag get hurt because it was protecting me-

The black dog was at my side again, trying to nudge me to keep moving. It barked. It tried pulling at the hem of my skirt with its teeth. When that didn’t work, when I was still mesmerized by the stag and werewolf fight, the dog circled around to my front. It hopped onto its hind legs and put its front paws on my stomach. I had to stumble back from the impressive weight, but I didn’t run. The dog’s right paw slipped from my blouse, its rough pads brushing against the back of my hand like sandpaper.

Wait. The dog’s pads. I stumbled backwards again. The dog lost its balance against me and fell onto all fours. Before it turned around to face the battle before us, the left paw rubbed against my skin again. The rough pads.

Pads on a dog . . . “Pads” . . . Padfoot . . . a nickname . . .

“Sirius?” I whispered, hardly believing this crazy thought that just came to me.

The dog stiffened. Its ears, already perked up, seemed to go even straighter. It looked back over its right shoulder to me. I stared down into those unique blue-grey eyes that could only belong to one person.

Sirius Black, somehow, was the dog standing here protecting me.

Another cry came out from the fight in front of us. I looked up in time to see the werewolf get shaken from the stag’s back. While still unbalanced, the stag lowered its antlers. The werewolf went flying backwards into a tree. Leaves fell from said tree. Both creatures were covered in blood and cuts. As the werewolf stumbled to its feet, the stag got its antlers back into position. As I watched, I remembered that antlers are sometimes called prongs.

“Prongs,” I whispered. “James, your nicknames are more than just nonsense.”

And then what of Remus? Remus’s nickname was Moony. I had always just assumed. . . But what if Moony referred to the moon? And tonight, the moon was full. So that meant-

“Oh my god. Remus? He’s the werewolf?” Okay, I now feel like a complete and total idiot for thinking I was a werewolf earlier. And- Merlin! Those notes in the library that Remus showed me, that was his way of telling me his secret! It was my fault that I sucked at putting the clues together correctly. I still can’t put together jigsaw puzzles right without breaking a few pieces.

Ugh, what did I read in Remus’s notes? Symptoms? Yeah, Remus had always been a bit irritable before full moons, but I thought he was just annoyed with me. And Remus loves chocolate almost as much as I love blueberry muffins. How could I miss that?!

The dog barked at me numerous times by now, but my mind was still swirling with this revelation. I only noticed it when it stopped barking. A moment later, the dog was gone, replaced with a very serious-looking Sirius Black.

“How many times do I have to tell you?!” Sirius yelled, putting his hands on my shoulders. “Run! That’s not hard to understand in dog-speak, is it?!”

“Sirius, what’s going on here?!” I demanded.

“As much as I want to dance for you using my first name again, now’s not the time. Moony got away from us and obviously picked up your scent. Remus told you he was a werewolf! Common sense does not tell you to venture outdoors during a full moon when you very well know-”

“Hold on! Remus didn’t tell me he was a werewolf! He just showed me his werewolf notes. I thought I was the werewolf!”

Sirius’s eyes widened. He then let out a single laugh. “This gives a brand new meaning to the word ‘oblivious.’ Trust me, you would know if you’re a werewolf.”

Another howl echoed from the werewolf, from Remus, as he was once again thrown against a tree. The stag, James, nearly buckled over. His front legs looked like he was about ready to collapse.

“You and James. You’re animagi?”

Sirius nodded. “Illegally. We’re the Marauders, so what do you expect? The three of us did it to be with Moony. After all, werewolves only attack humans.” Sirius glanced over his shoulder to the animals battling behind him. “Of course, standing with you as Sirius Black is not exactly the best way to keep a werewolf calm. I can’t stay human for too long around him.”

“But then why haven’t I heard stories of a werewolf being this close to school before?”

“As animagi, we can normally keep Moony calm and under control,” Sirius said. The last trace of any smile faded from his face. “But when you ran out on Remus after he told you-”

“He didn’t tell me!”

“-he was an emotional wreck right before the transformation! You do not want someone to become a werewolf when their human emotions are all over the place! That just makes the werewolf ten times more agitated than usual!” Another howl of pain echoed from the stag. “Now if you’ll excuse me, Prongs needs some Sirius help in dealing with an overly-aggressive Moony. Don’t make me tell you again- get back to the castle!”

Sirius gave me a final push backwards. He then ran towards the fight. Dashed five paces. Leapt forward, his arms stretched out in front of his body. In mid-jump, he became the large black dog. Landed on his front paws as Padfoot and continued running. Padfoot slammed against Moony just as he was about to go against a collapsed Prongs.

These are my friends. Two of them are animagi. Another, my boyfriend in fact, is the werewolf trying to attack me. I really hope this isn’t what I go through every month!

I turned away just as I saw Padfoot’s teeth sink into Moony’s right shoulder. Moony howled in pain. My boyfriend.

No, not your boyfriend right now, I thought as my legs brought me into the outskirts of Hogsmeade. Remus always worries about hurting me when we snog on the common room couch. This is Moony. My boyfriend’s identity is being repressed by this curse. My boyfriend won’t resurface until the moon has set.

What are the odds that a bloke with a ‘full moon’ condition falls for a girl named after a moon goddess?

The streets were empty as I ran towards the post office. Not even a flickering flame lit up the silent roads. I only had the full moon to light my way.

Behind the post office, I came across the building’s back door. Next to the main door was another door, leading straight down into the cellar. The handle of the cellar door was on the right side.

“Contra Ostium,” I huffed, pointing to the left side of the cellar entry. “Alohomora.”

The spells worked. The cellar door opened, but from the opposite side of how it was supposed to go. The effect in essence allowed access to a second door hidden behind the first. And the basic first year spell granted me access to the other side of the door. Instead of showing me steps into the cellar, there was a hole leading straight down into a black pit.

“Lumos.” Wand lit, I jumped down the four meters into the secret passage. I soon found the narrow passage leading in the direction of Hogwarts. I ran.

My heavy breathing echoed off the walls. Part of my brain wanted to ask if everything that was happening was real, but I just told that part of me to shut up and run faster. I had to work harder as the passage slanted upwards, ascending to meet the castle’s level.

There was a loud thud back at the opening of the passage. My heart sank into my gut when I realized that I forgot to close the door behind me. And I nearly tripped over myself when I heard Moony howl.

I risked looking back over my shoulder. The passage was a straight tunnel between Hogsmeade and Hogwarts. Far off in the distance, two tiny points of light flickered up and down with movement. And even as I jogged to keep ahead of it, those golden eyes were increasingly getting closer and closer. I was trapped.

I’m trapped. No way to get out of this tunnel. Moony’s getting closer! I haven’t even reached the staircase in here yet, so I’m not even under the school right now. Oh no, those eyes are still gaining! I’ve never come across a branch out of this main tunnel before. Think, Artemis, think! Use your smart brain that lead you into this mess! Wait. Mess . . .

Just as my wand was able to detect a dark form racing at me from the shadows, I pointed my wand upward, to the ceiling of the ancient tunnel. Took a deep breath. I didn’t even have to think of this one.

“Defodio!”

The stone ceiling of the tunnel instantly cracked down the middle. Pebbles trickled down from the gap. More cracks appeared, branching off from the main rip and towards the edges of the ceiling.

Moony was now visible in my wand light. In five seconds, he would reach me, pounce, and-

It only took two seconds for the ceiling to collapse. Rocks and boulders fell between Moony and me. He stopped just before a particularly large rock would have hit his head. And then he was completely cut off, a new wall of rubble separating the two of us.

I turned back to continue my dash for the school. But the ceiling was still collapsing. More rocks fell before me, stopping me in my tracks. I backed up.

Maybe that wasn’t a good spell to use, I thought.

I just barely saw the medium-sized rock fall before I lost consciousness.

A/N: Sternutatio = sneezing. Contra ostium = opposite side of door.

Chapter 35: Chapter 35: The Morning After
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Chapter 35: The Morning After

“Na-nah na-nah boo-boo! Na-nah na-nah boo-boo!”

I clutched my throbbing head. “Go away,” I groaned. I remained laying on the ground. I coughed a few times when I realized that I was breathing in dirt and dust. “I don’t care anymore.”

“Na-nah na-nah boo-boo! Remus is a werewolf! Na-nah na-nah boo-boo! Remus is a werewolf!”

I opened my eyes. Not that it did much good- I was in complete darkness. I coughed the dirt out of my mouth and sat up. Only once I was resting firmly on my bum did I realize that the ceiling in here might have been low and that if I bumped my head into that ceiling, I would have just made myself pass out again.

“What did you say?” I asked.

“Remus is a werewolf! Remus is a werewolf!” The mysterious girl sounded close. And a bit too cheerful for that bit of unfortunate news.

“So that’s what you’ve known?” I rubbed my left hand over my head. A small lump had formed just over my left ear and left eye. “Saying that is a lot more informative than taunting me about my lack of knowledge. Owe. Would have saved me from making this tunnel cave in.”

Tunnel. Running for my life. Moony coming after me. Moony- Remus- werewolf.

“Remus is a werewolf,” I moaned, now feeling a headache coming on (and I don’t think it was from the bump on my head).

“Ding ding ding, we have a winner!” the girl’s voice called. “She’s figured it out, everyone! After eight freaking months, Artemis Monroe has finally discovered that her boyfriend is a werewolf! Let’s see what she’s won now, folks!”

“Girls are so annoying,” I sighed. “Wait, where’s my wand?!” I patted the ground around me, but I did not feel the slender piece of wood that’s been constantly with me for the past six years.

The mysterious girl was silent as my hands felt over every pebble and every crack in the stone tunnel. As I kept searching, I started getting worried. What if my wand was lost? I was in a dark tunnel, collapsed around me on both sides out. I didn’t even know if the moon had set yet. If it had, then I was safe. If not, and I picked the wrong direction to dig myself out, I might as well have not collapsed the tunnel at all.

“This is ridiculous,” I said, stopping in my search. I settled back down and opened both hand, palms facing away from me. “Lumos.”

A tiny point of light shone from behind me. I reached it with my right hand and waved it around the small space. Let’s see, two smooth walls, and two walls of cracked and broken rock. I would never be able to guess which direction would bring me back to Hogsmeade and which direction lead to the school. Joy.

The space I was in was about three meters wide and five meters long. At least, five meters in either direction until one came to the mounds of rocks. I was sitting closer to one side of the collapsed tunnel. Because of so much debris, there seemed to be more shadows than objects to cause the shadows.

And predictably, the mysterious girl was mostly hidden in one of the larger shadows. Her ripped jeans were the only part of her visible to my wand light.

“How did you even get in here?” I asked, realizing that there was no way out. Ergo, no way in.

“Remus is a werewolf.”

Great, she’s back to acting like a broken record. I pushed myself off the ground and approached her.

My wand illuminated the ends of her jeans first. There was a hole in one of the trainers. Her shirt was frayed at the end. She had a slender build but looked solid. She stood at my height. Her boring brown hair, tied behind her head in a ponytail, fell just past her shoulders. Dull green eyes met mine.

“Hiya!” The ‘mysterious girl’ gave me a small wave. “You caught me.”

I just blinked. Okay, three options here. One: someone got a strand of my hair and took the Polyjuice Potion, probably as a bet, before Apparating down here. Two: I’m hallucinating and this girl doesn’t even exist. Three: I have a long-lost twin sister whose agenda is to confuse the hell out of me.

“You know Apparation is not possible within Hogwarts school grounds,” the girl said. She smiled widely, her green eyes seeming to twinkle with mischief. “And really, you think Mum would have kept it quiet that she gave birth to two witches? Honestly. You certainly were not gifted with common sense when you were born, were you?”

“Not when it applies to my own life, apparently,” I said. Strange. I’m speaking with a figment of my imagination, and yet I’m not-

“I’m not a figment of your imagination,” the girl said, sighing. “Think of me as your subconscious, your brain’s pitiful attempt to help you realize something is wrong up here.” She reached forward and tapped her finger to the side of my head. I didn’t feel a thing.

“Why?” I asked. From what I know, it’s not normal for-

“You just thought it,” she said. “You’re not normal. Normal girls don’t jump from tree to tree or hurl themselves off moving staircases. Most girls do not flat-out reject members of the opposite sex just because of a few name-calling and taunts. And most girls do not-” She stopped.

Huh?! “Wait, what were you about to say? Most girls don’t what?”

The girl smirked. “I can’t tell you, because you don’t know it yet. I’m only here to confirm what you already know. Or, as my other appearances have indicated, get you motivated enough to seek a way to stop whatever’s been affecting the conscious mind.”

“I think I’m getting a headache again.” I sat down on one of the few sturdy boulders.

“I’m just here to help you,” she said sweetly. She knelt beside me, widening the rip in the knee of her jeans.

“Great. If I’m this annoying in regular life, I certainly wouldn’t want to be friends with myself. And why couldn’t you just chant ‘Remus is a werewolf’ before?”

“I already explained that. You knew Remus was a werewolf when I said that just now. I can’t tell you what I know unless you know it too.”

“I’m getting more confused,” I moaned. I slouched forward, pressing my forehead into my knees.

“And for the next question that you’re formulating, I was only able to break into your conscious thoughts when your senses were attuned to Remus or something about his secret.”

“What-?” I opened an eye to look up at her.

The girl stood up and began to pace back and forth in front of me. “Let’s see. First off, you fell asleep with Remus laying on your chest back in November. You could smell him and you were semi-conscious, which allowed me to tap into your conscious mind. Then in December, you saw Remus playing tag with PB&J, a game that a werewolf is capable of understanding and participating in. Hm, when else did I show myself to you? Oh, there was the time after the February full moon when you had that blueberry muffin quill that Remus bought you. And when you had to make that disgusting-smelling potion, it was for Remus. You’d used it before, but never attempted to make it. Need I go on?”

“But how did I lose my memories?” I asked.

She grinned. Merlin, do I grin like that? No wonder Sirius has called me evil when I do that. She went on to say, “I can only confirm what you have figured out on your own. I’m not telling you anything. I’m just providing . . . dialogue. After all, you’re just talking to yourself here.”

“I really am mental then.” I rubbed circles into my temples, but the pressure didn’t cause my hallucination to fade at all.

“Yes, you are, but just a little bit. See, more confirmation!”

“Girls are annoying when they’re that happy.”

“You mean you’re annoying when-”

“Just shut up. Okay, so there’s something wrong with me. I’m the one that’s been driving myself nuts over the last few months. And Remus evidently knew something about it. Heh. Only a werewolf would still seek out a relationship with me.”

The girl gasped, her eyes widening with her smile. “I know something you don’t know!” She jumped up and down, clapping her hands.

“And for all I care, you can keep that to yourself,” I said. “You’re useless.”

“I know something you don’t know! I know something you don’t know!”

“I told you before- shut up!” I got to my feet, walking to stand before her.

“I know something you don’t know! I know something you don’t know! I-”

“I said SHUT UP!” I balled up my fist, pulled it behind my head, then slammed it fast towards the center of the girl’s face. Hard.

“OWE! Son of a bezoar! OWE! Whatza grapa fodu zowwie! OWE! OWE-OWE-OWE-OWE!!!” My mouth soon got lost in yelling in half-swears and half-gibberish. OWE!

My fist, instead of hitting cartilage, slammed hard into the stone wall. Bones certainly broke. My fist was drenched in crimson blood. A puddle was already forming on the floor.

“Forgot she wasn’t real,” I winced, wrapping my fist in my white blouse. I was once again alone in the collapsed tunnel. “Owe. So much for being a smart person. Owe. Good thing I’m learning to be a Healer.”

It was difficult to operate my wand left-handed, but I managed to mend the bones, repair the skin, and clean up most of the blood by wand light. It took my mind off of hating my subconscious for being incredibly annoying.

A pebble on the collapsed wall to my right fell down to the floor. That got my attention. I slowly approached, wondering what might be coming for me. It couldn’t be Moony- my watch told me it was eight thirty (and it certainly wasn’t the next full moon yet!).

After a few seconds of watching, a rat shoved its plump little body through the opening. It made a little squeak of fear before it lost its balance and toppled head-first into this space. It hit its head, its bum, its head again, and finally landed spread-eagle on its belly. The only thing that moved was its disturbingly-long fleshy tail.

“Hello, Wormtail,” I said, kneeling next to the rat. “What brings you here?”

The rat looked up at me. In a moment, the rat was replaced by a pale Peter. “Artemis? Are you okay?” His eyes looked down to my stained blouse. “Oh no, you’re bleeding! We have to-”