/𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐒\ [𝒔. 𝒃𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒌]

𝟓.𝟙𝟚.𝟤

"the awful thing is that beauty is mysterious as well as terrible. god and the devil are fighting there and the battlefield is the heart of man." ~ Fyodor Dostoevsky

~june 1976~ (continued)

The girls were bored. They were sitting in their dormitory on one of the last evenings of term, debating what to do with their free time. Lily was testing swatches of lipstick on her arm, trying to pick the best shade out of Marlene's bag. Marlene was laying on the floor with a magazine, drying her newly painted nails in the air, a cigarette perched carefully between her fingers. Mary had her oil paints out and was doing a portrait of Artemis, sitting sullenly in the alcove with her knees pulled to her chest, smoking her way through an entire pack of cigarettes and staring out the window without really seeing anything. She had no idea Mary was painting her. She was a million miles away. "I'm bored," Marlene complained rolling onto her back and giving Artemis a curious look. "Hey- hey, Artie. I'm bored."

Artemis still didn't look up. Lily frowned and grabbed a makeup wipe to erase the swatches from her skin. "Earth to Blake..."

"Hey!" Mary said, and tossed a dry paintbrush at Artemis's head.

Art finally looked over at them, but her eyes were still clouded with the daze she'd been under since she broke things off with Bones. "What do you want?"

Nobody said anything. They'd all forgotten why they were trying to get Artemis's attention in the first place. "I'm bored," Marlene said at last.

Artemis raised her eyebrows, then laboriously pushed herself to her feet. "And?"

Marlene gave her an innocent look. "And you always know how to fix that."

There was a pause, and then Artemis gave Marlene a small smile. "Fine then. You want a good time, I'll show you a good time."

"Should I do my makeup?" Marlene asked, instantly jumping to her feet, eager for a chance to get out of the castle.

"If you like," said Artemis, and then she swept into the bathroom to get ready.

An hour later, Artemis was sneaking her friends through the hump of the one-eyed witch statue and into Hogsmeade. She felt like a dead girl on her feet. She was going through the motions, emptiness taking over all of her senses. Marlene, on the other hand, was hyper and bouncing with excitement. She jumped onto Artemis's shoulders, hugging her tightly from behind. Artemis resisted the urge to cringe. "So, where are we going?" asked Marlene, fixing the pink bow in her hair.

"Hog's Head," said Artemis.

Lily linked an arm through hers and leaned into her ear. "Are you alright?"

"'Course."

They stepped into the foggy warmth of the Hog's Head and Artemis directed her friends to a table in the back while she went to the bar for drinks. When Abe saw her, his lips split into a large smile. "Same as always, miss?"