/𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐒\ [𝒔. 𝒃𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒌]

𝟑.𝟜.𝟤

"and me I'm in my bedroom, drawing in my notebook. because my hands think I'm an artist but my heart knows I'm a poet. it's just words, they mean so little to me. so little to me." ~ Conor Oberst

~october 1973~ (continued)

"I can't believe you wanted to stay back and study," Sirius scoffed keeping stride with Artemis. "Aren't you the one who's always saying you don't need to study?"

Artemis sighed. "I don't need to study. Bones just wanted me to tutor James."

"James doesn't need tutoring. He'd get better scores than everyone if he did the work."

Artemis rolled her eyes. "Yeah, the problem is that he doesn't do the work. That's what Bones wants me to help with."

James cleared his throat. "Yeah, James is also standing right here," he said, annoyed. "And he would like very much for the two of you to stop talking like he's not in the room."

"Right," said Sirius, "sorry, mate." He turned back to Artemis. "You know what I think?"

"What?" Artemis asked, dreading hearing whatever it was Sirius had to say.

He gave her a superior smile. "I think that if any other teacher asked you to tutor James, you wouldn't agree so quickly."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Artemis asked, suddenly defensive.

Sirius laughed. "Well, Bones is a very handsome teacher, isn't he?"

"Oh, shut up," groaned Artemis. "That's so shallow, Sirius."

"Leave her alone, Sirius," Remus piped up, his voice cool and steady.

Sirius laughed again and saluted Remus. "Aye aye, captain."

They split up once they got to the pillars outside the Slytherin common room. Sirius, James, and Peter hid behind one of the pillars with a bag of spiders they'd collected from around the school, all wriggling and climbing on top of one another. Remus and Artemis hid a few pillars down, wands both pointed at the suit of armor in front of them. The shadows obscured them almost completely from vision, so Bellatrix would hopefully run right past them after the spider diversion, allowing Remus and Artemis to follow her with the suit of armor.

The plan started out perfectly. At exactly 9:08, Bellatrix left the common room by herself, her textbooks balanced in her arms. Remus and Artemis had to stifle their laughter when they heard Bellatrix's bloodcurdling scream and the crash as she dropped her things and sprinted in their direction. "Sh, sh," Artemis giggled, clutching Remus's arm. The two of them calmed down long enough to watch Bellatrix streak past, still screaming, and then burst into uncontrollable laughter again.

"Ready?" Remus asked, raising his wand at the armor.

But Artemis was distracted. When she'd stepped out of the shadows to raise her wand, she saw that someone else had exited the Slytherin common room. Someone tall with messy brown hair and piercing blue eyes identical to Artemis's. "Percy," she whispered, forgetting all about the plan and stepping out into the corridor to face her brother. He stood stock still, staring at her with the same wide eyed expression she was wearing. "You're here."