/𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐒\ [𝒔. 𝒃𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒌]

𝟏.𝟟.𝟤

"hold faithfulness and sincerity as first principles." ~ Confucius

~january 1972~ (continued)

Artemis slid into a seat between Remus and Peter and let out a deep sigh, pulling her books out and setting them on the table in front of her. "Everything alright?" Remus asked with a shifty glance.

Artemis shrugged. "I guess so. Mary's all upset that Severus said something to Lily and I really just don't want to get involved."

"Why wouldn't you?" Remus asked, shooting a disgusted glance over to the other side of the Great Hall, where a rowdy group of Slytherins were distracting everyone with loud bangs and outbursts of laughter. "They're all bloody intolerable."

Artemis followed his gaze, but quickly looked down when she saw that Percy was a part of the group. "Severus is alright," she said quickly. "He helped us prank you lot back when you threw water balloons at Lily and Mary." She tilted her head at Remus, giving him a pointed look, and then laughed.

"Haven't you gotten over that yet?" Remus said, his face cracking into a grin as he pushed Artemis's shoulder. "And may I remind you- your 'prank' failed miserably."

"We'll still get you back sometime," said Artemis with a sly grin. "Better keep your guard up, Loopy."

Remus crumpled up a piece of parchment and tossed it at Artemis's face. "Better watch yourself. We're coming up with a nickname for you too." He raised his eyes warningly, the corner of his mouth tugging upwards in a barely contained smile.

"Oh yeah?" Artemis said with a snort. "And what's that going to be?"

"Well," Peter answered from across the table. He'd been looking for a spot to interject in the conversation and this was the perfect opportunity. "Sirius says that because you're named after a Greek goddess, we should find the worst one and start calling you that."

Artemis bit down on her lower lip, but couldn't contain the laughter spilling over. "That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard!" she said, catching her breath. "And Sirius calls us nerds." She gestured to Remus, whose eyes were twinkling humorously.

"Listen..." he said, his voice cracking as he tried to keep from laughing, "it's a work in progress."

Artemis let out a snort and cracked open her Transfiguration textbook. "Come on, let's finish this paper for McGonagall so when James asks if I can work on it with him I can say I already did it."

Peter and Remus opened their own textbooks, and together the three of them started writing their essays. "Artemis, what does a switching spell do?" Peter asked a few minutes in.

"Pete," Artemis said, looking up from her book with an expression of the utmost concern, "That cannot be a real question." Peter shrugged. "It switches stuff!"

"Right- right-" At that moment, there was a sudden commotion from the other side of the room that made all three of them look up with a start.

Frank Longbottom had sprung from his seat so fiercely, it toppled backwards with a crash. He stood facing Bellatrix black, his wand pointed straight at her chest. "Say that one more time, Black!" he shouted as Bellatrix took a step back, holding her hands up in mock surrender and laughing unaffectedly. Artemis was struck by how much her smile looked like Sirius's when he was making fun of someone. It made her chest burn with anger.

"Oh, Frankie, Frankie," Bellatrix said in her high-pitched pixie voice. "Calling you a blood-traitor isn't an insult, it's just a fact. Now, if I were to say... for instance, your father's a filthy muggle-loving idiot and your mother's a good-for-nothing gold digger, then that would be an insult- but also true!"