/𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐒\ [𝒔. 𝒃𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒌]

𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐫

"come grow old with me. the best is yet to be." ~ William Wordsworth

Not long after his night at Remus and Artemis's house, Sirius disappeared again. This time, however, Artemis felt a little better about it. For one, she had the satisfaction of having seen him at least once after that Halloween night when life as they knew it had ended. Also, she knew that he was leaving this time. She'd had some amount of time to prepare. And she'd see him again, unless he was captured and killed while in hiding. 

A month passed with no word from him. She hadn't asked him to write to her. Even after all her talk about not caring about the dangers of being in contact with him, she didn't want to be the reason he got caught. 

Remus and Artemis very quickly fell back into their old routine. Despite having lost his job, Remus's teaching salary left them financially stable for at least another few months, giving him more free time to find more odd jobs that would hire a now known werewolf. Artemis read more than ever, ordering books in the mail every week or so and tearing through them in mere days. She and Remus had recovered quickly after their fight the night Sirius showed up. Tensions had been high, they'd both been sleep deprived, and they knew neither of them meant what they'd said. They spent long evenings in their living room, letting the sunset pour in through the windows, reading their respective books in almost silence. 

One of these nights ended in Remus and Artemis both asleep on the couch in the living room. When Artemis woke up, it was still dark outside. Remus was shaking her shoulder, his eyes wide. "Art," he whispered. "Art, wake up." 

"What is it?" she asked groggily, then sat up straight. Something wasn't right. "What is it?" she asked more clearly now. 

"Something's happened," Remus whispered. "At the Quidditch World Cup. Dumbledore's called an Order meeting." 

She stared at him. "A what?" 

"You heard me, get up." He took both of her hands and helped her to her feet. She was still in her clothes from the day before. "No time to get dressed," said Remus. "We've got to go." 

She followed him into the backyard. "Are we going to the Burrow?" she asked. Now that the shock had faded, she was bouncing with excitement. She was getting out. 

"The Burrow? No," said Remus. "Dumbledore sent an address. Hold my hand." 

She took his hand, and a second later, felt a lurch in her stomach as Remus turned on the spot and apparated them both away from the house. She hadn't apparated in so long, the sensation nearly made her sick, until she realized where she was standing. 12 Grimmauld Place. Sirius's childhood home. 

"What are we doing here?" she asked. 

"Dunno, this is the address Dumbledore sent." 

She shook her head. "Orion and Walburga died years ago, why would Dumbledore send us here?" 

Remus shrugged. "My guess is as good as yours. Come on." 

They mounted the front steps and Artemis drew her wand, holding it to her side just in case. Remus knocked on the door. A second later, it swung open, and Kingsley Shacklebolt loomed in the doorway. His mouth moved, but his words were drowned out by a horrible screeching behind him. 

"Mudbloods! Traitors! In my house... Oh, the shame! The shame!" 

"Shut up!" Kingsley shouted over the noise. "Come on." He motioned for Remus and Artemis to follow him inside. 

There was a crash in the hall and in an instant, Sirius was hurrying towards them. He grabbed a set of curtains around the portrait of Walburga Black- the source of the screaming, and wrenched them shut. "Will- you- be- quiet," he said through clenched teeth.