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BOOK FOUR: CHAPTER FIVE

"Veronica, you drive me up the wall, you know that? You make me genuinely so frustrated, I could kill you." Artemis paced back and forth in front of her as he massaged his temples in frustration.

Veronica rolled her eyes and shook her head. "I don't understand what you want me to do, Art. He's dating her, yet you continue to tell me he loves me. How does that make any sense?"

Artemis stared at her in disbelief. "As if you didn't date me last year to try and get over him. And as if I didn't date you to try and hide the fact that I was gay. Come on, Veronica. The two of us know better than anyone that just because you're dating one person doesn't mean you aren't in love with someone else. But for some reason, you can't fathom the idea that he's just as hopelessly in love with you as you are with him. And just like you, he's too afraid to ruin your friendship because he also thinks you don't feel the same way. So he dated Aurora last year and now he's with Tonks. Why? Because he's trying to get over you."

"You know, you're starting to sound a lot like Tonks."

Artemis sighed. "Fine, don't believe me. But let me ask you this: what would you be losing now if you told him? You've been avoiding him for months, so it's as if you've already lost him. You have nothing to lose now. Best case scenario, he tells you he loves you too, and you two can finally be together. Worst case, he tells you he doesn't feel the same and things are awkward between you. But they're already awkward, so nothing would change. So now tell me, what's your excuse?"

"Let me tell you the flaw in your genius plan, Art. Just because he's with her now, doesn't mean he'll be with her forever. If they break up, then we'll go back to the way things were, and I'll have him back. But if I tell him how I feel and he doesn't feel the same, that's it. Our friendship will be over. And don't try to tell me otherwise. We would try to stay friends, but it would just be too awkward. I can't risk it."

Artemis closed his eyes and shook his head. He knew this was a hopeless mission; Veronica was just too stubborn. "Whatever Singer, I'm done arguing with you about this. My main concern now is that you're still avoiding him. Not only are you hurting yourself, but you're also hurting him. The poor guy doesn't know what he did wrong because you refuse to tell him, so he's left in the dark wondering what he could have possibly done to upset you. Why don't you at least tell him why you're ignoring him? Tell him you don't like that he's dating Tonks." Art rolled his eyes; Veronica had begun adamantly shaking her head before he even had a chance to finish talking. "Veronica! Why not? He's your best friend! He would understand. Besides, you have that guy wrapped around your bloody finger, he would do anything you wanted."

"There, you just answered your own question. I could never do that to him because I care about him so much, and I want him to be happy, even if that isn't with me and even if it's with her. If I told him how I felt about it, you're right. He would absolutely break up with her. But I don't want to do that to him. I don't want him to do something he doesn't want to do. And that's why I'm avoiding him. I couldn't keep up the charade any longer; he was bound to see on my face that I wasn't okay."

"What are you going to do at Christmas when you go with them to the Burrow? How are you going to possibly avoid him there?" The guilty look on her face made his jaw drop as he stared at her in disbelief. "You've got to be kidding! Don't tell me you're planning on staying at Hogwarts over the Christmas break."

"Of course I am, Art. Don't be ridiculous. Even if I considered telling him how I felt, it wouldn't be before the break. And like you said, I can't go to the Burrow if I've been avoiding him. It just wouldn't work."

"And what are you going to do if Charlie refuses to go to the Burrow without you? When he gets to Hogsmeade Station and realizes you're taking this avoiding thing as far as to stay at Hogwarts for Christmas, I have no doubt that he'll turn right back around and march his way back to the castle to look for you. If he does that, there's no way you'll be able to avoid him during the break when the castle is practically empty and you won't be able to hide from him the whole time. What are you going to do then?"

Artemis watched as she mulled over the information; it was obvious she hadn't thought of that outcome. After a while, she sighed and shrugged her shoulders. "I'll just have to get Bill to make sure he goes. Even if he has to drag him onto the train kicking and screaming."

Artemis stared at her in shock before shaking his head and rolling his eyes. "You are unbelievable."