obliviate - j.potter

three

"Have you ever pondered on the crafting of potions with unusual effects? I mean, beyond those in our school books," inquired Artemis Gaunt, flipping through her potions schoolbook, bored. "Of course," Severus replied, equally uninterested, jotting down notes in his leather-bound journal. Artemis sighed, shifting her gaze from the book to the Black Lake. "I wonder if octopus tastes delicious..." she murmured, feeling her stomach yearning for food. Severus glanced up momentarily, on the verge of saying something, but then thought better of it.

Nobody could understand Artemis Gaunt's thought processes, or so he presumed.

Across the meadow, many students of the school were scattered, including Artemis's siblings. While Apollon slept alone on the grass, Athena sat with her friends from Ravenclaw, seeming to enjoy a picnic. Artemis observed her little sister taking a sandwich from the basket, unable to resist the desire for that sandwich herself. Snape secretly watched the young Gaunt, suppressing his laughter. "If you desire that bread so much, why not just ask your sister?" he inquired, amused. Artemis wiped away the drool trickling down her chin and looked at Severus, who struggled to contain his amusement. "You're the cleverest person on Earth, Sev. Be right back!" Artemis exclaimed before darting off to her sister. It didn't take long for the brunette Slytherin to collide with someone else, both tumbling onto the grass. "Whoa! Artemis?" the other person asked, looking at her, but Artemis only had eyes for the sandwich. "Hey, earth to Artemis!" the red-headed Gryffindor tried again, waving her hand in front of her face. "Y-yes?" Artemis said, bewildered, looking at Lily, who looked back equally confused. "Hey, is something exclusive being sold over there? Why did you sprint off like a madwoman?" Lily asked, pointing in the direction Artemis had run.

"Thena has food," Artemis said, looking back at her sister, who had noticed her and held out the bread to her. "Accio sandwich!" Artemis said, aiming her wand at the sandwich. "I love you!" Artemis shouted, still fixated on her grinning sister.

웃

"Why did you take so long? Was someone bothering you?" Artemis asked, her mouth full, looking concernedly at Lily. "Oh no, Mary and Alice tried to stop me from coming over to you guys. You know how much they hate Slytherins," Lily rolled her eyes, mimicking her friends. Artemis began to laugh, placing her hand on Lily's shoulder. "Well, they're not entirely wrong. Unfortunately, some Slytherins are very... unpleasant. Many of them pretend to be like everyone else because they don't want to be bullied in their own house," Artemis shrugged, biting into her sandwich again.

Tuna and grilled cheese, her favorite!

Lily looked sadly at Artemis, hardly daring to ask, but she gave herself a little push and did it anyway. "And what about you? And Athena? You both hang out a lot with Muggle-borns. Aren't you... I don't know..." Lily left the sentence open, hoping it wasn't so bad for her friend. Much to her surprise, the Slytherin started to laugh. "Lils, I really love you, but have you never heard of the Gaunt family?" the brunette asked, giggling. Lily shook her head, looking confused. This time Artemis looked surprised at her friend.

"Really? You don't know about them? So, you're not familiar with the Sacred Twenty-Eight?"

"I've only read a little about it, but I am not really...uhm.."

"So, is that why you talk and joke with me normally?"

"Huh??"