/𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐒\ [𝒔. 𝒃𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒌]

𝟓.𝟙𝟙.𝟤

"I know not all that may be coming, but be it what it will, I'll go to it laughing." ~ Herman Melville

~may 1976~ (continued)

Sirius still had a scar on his forehead from his accident in the forest, but his leg was completely healed and he was feeling, at least physically, completely fine. He walked lazily through the corridors one Sunday morning before the other boys were up, passing time by looking at all of the portraits on the walls. He knew Art loved the paintings in Hogwarts. She'd never gotten over the way they moved, she got excited every time. Sirius used to think it was annoying, but now he'd kill to have her walk with him, talking to the different figures in the portraits and laughing every time they tried to impress the only person in the castle who paid them any attention. He wasn't watching where he was going, and neither was Regulus, walking at top speed around the corner.

He skidded to a stop just before running headlong into his brother, and Sirius reached out to stead him. "Regulus, what're you doing?" he said, shaken from the near-collision.

"Just walking," said Regulus, his voice ever so slightly slurred.

Sirius took stock of his little brother's appearance and frowned. He pointed to a stain on Regulus's white shirt. "Is that blood?"

Regulus looked down at the stain and shrugged. "I doubt it. Could be wine, I dunno, why?"

"You're a disaster," Sirius muttered, but he took Regulus by the arm and led him to a nearby bench. Regulus's hands were shaking. Sirius dug around in his bag and pulled out a water bottle. "Drink this, it'll help."

"Is it a potion?"

"It's just water, it'll sober you up a bit."

Regulus hesitantly unscrewed the top of the bottle and took a sip. "I don't need to sober up," he muttered.

"What's with you?" Sirius asked, looking at his brother with the utmost concern.

Regulus shrugged. "There's just a lot going on. It's fine, though, it's not a big deal." He frowned then, narrowing his eyes at Sirius. "Why are you talking to me anyways? You haven't all year."

Sirius's shoulders slumped and he looked exhausted. "Because you were right, Reg. I mean-" he stuttered, "-I dunno if I like Art that way. I really don't. But I like her in some sort of way, and she still won't speak to me, and none of this is your fault, okay?" He put a comforting hand on Regulus's shoulder. "None of it's your fault. We're fine, Reg. I mean it this time. And I'm sorry I froze you out all year, I know how shitty that feels- trust me."

"She still won't talk to you?" said Regulus.

"Won't even look at me," Sirius said with a grimace. "It's like she just-" He snapped his fingers, "-erased me from her life. It sucks, it really does."

Regulus nodded slowly. "Yeah, everything kinda sucks right now," he said drily, but he was thinking about his own struggles. All his friends were joining up with the Death Eaters, fighting for the Dark Lord. He knew he'd be expected to join at some point. He knew what was in store for him.

"Everything went to shit this year," Sirius said, and gazed forlornly at the ground.

"Yeah, it really did," said Regulus, but he couldn't help but feel grateful he and his brother were on good terms again. He loved that about Sirius. They could go months without talking, then all of a sudden, it was just like it was before. At least now not everything was shit.

When Sirius got back to the common room, he had a goal in mind. He knew it was fruitless, but he had to try nonetheless. He found Artemis sitting along by the fire reading a book and sat down next to her. She looked up in mild surprise, then went back to reading in silence. He took a deep breath. "Art, listen to me. I'm sorry for what I did, I really, really am, and you know that. And I know me apologizing doesn't really do anything, but I just... I was sort of hoping you'd think of how good of friends we were over the summer and last year, you know? You were one of my best friends, and I don't say that lightly, and I just wanted to tell you that I miss having you around and I'll do anything to get you to be my friend again."

He knew it sounded cheesy, but he hoped it would work anyways. He knew she had to feel the same way on some level, they'd gone through too much for her not to, he was just hoping she wouldn't let their fight get any more in the way of their friendship than it already had.

Artemis ignored him for almost a full minute, finishing the page she was on slowly. He waited, not taking his eyes off of her, not leaving without an answer. Finally, she closed the book and looked up at him with cold, unfeeling eyes. "Were we friends last year?" she said disdainfully, standing up and brushing her hair from her eyes. "I don't even remember."

She walked away, out of the common room, leaving Sirius staring blankly after her, a helpless expression on his face. Was she being serious? Did she actually not remember? Were they even friends? The thought killed him. Of course they'd been friends. He'd cried in her arms at the beginning of last summer. They'd gotten drunk and danced in the firelight at the vineyard. She'd grabbed his hand in the art museum and dragged him around, going on for hours about the paintings and smiling every time she looked up at his enraptured face. She cut his hair when it was getting long. She told him when he was acting like an idiot. Of course they'd been friends, but now... he didn't think they'd ever be the same again.

~

Professor Bones called Artemis back after class one afternoon in late May, just as she'd been about to leave with Marlene and Lily. She hadn't gone to Bones's office in over a week. She wanted to think they were done, this was it, but she knew it wasn't true. She was certain now that she wanted out. She was feeling trapped, suffocated, like Bones was using her for her body and nothing else. She couldn't live like that. "What's up?" she asked nonchalantly when she approached his desk.

"What's up?" he repeated her with raised eyebrows. "What do you mean 'what's up?' I haven't seen you in days."

She feigned a look of innocence. "I've been in class."

"You know what I mean." There was a long moment of silence in which Artemis wouldn't meet his eyes. Then, Bones stood up and she took an unconscious step back. "Are you avoiding me?" he asked.

Artemis felt like she was being accused of something, or interrogated. "Of course not, I've just been busy."

"And you weren't busy before?" He didn't believe her. He knew something was wrong.

She shrugged. "I've got O.W.L.s coming up, I've had a lot going on lately."

"Fine," Bones said cooly, and he reached out and took her hand in his. It took every bit of her willpower not to draw away. "Just know, Blake, if anyone finds out, we're both going down. This is grounds for expulsion, so don't... don't get any big ideas."

He let go of Artemis's hands and she finally met his eyes. He returned her gaze with nothing by dry indifference. "Right," she said, her voice barely more than a whisper. "I know that." She turned and left his classroom, and the second she crossed the threshold, her eyes welled up with tears and she ran to a nearby stairwell. She threw her bag down on the floor and then crouched in the corner, sinking her face into her hands, letting a sob loose from the depths of her throat. She couldn't get away from him, no matter how hard she tried. It wouldn't work. And the worst part- it hurt to even think it- the worst part was that she'd done it to herself. She'd finally gotten herself into a mess she couldn't get out of.