/𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐒\ [𝒔. 𝒃𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒌]

𝟏.𝟞.𝟥

"and my little girl don't understand ... why we can't afford no Christmas here" ~ Phoebe Bridgers

~december 1971~ (christmas special part 4 of 5)

When Artemis exited the Hogwarts Express on Platform Nine and Three-Quarters on her first day of Christmas break, it took her a minute to remember that her mother would probably be waiting outside the gates. The rest of her friends gave her quick hugs and goodbyes and hurried off to join their own families, leaving Artemis to lug her trunk through the invisible barrier by herself.

When Artemis saw her mother standing a few feet from the entrance to the platform, looking very alone and slightly uncomfortable, she abandoned her trunk to run and give her a hug. Harry felt his own expression soften at the scene, Jane's arms going around her daughter and pulling her into a tight embrace. "Ohhh, Artie," she said happily, "I've missed you so much."

Artemis stepped back and gave her mother an enormous, crooked smile. "I missed you too- and I have so much to tell you! Here- wait, isn't Percy coming with us?"

"He should be..." Jane's eyes scanned the platform worriedly. "Oh- there he is."

Seconds later, Artemis's brother joined them, looking around the platform nervously. He gave Jane a quick, one armed hug, and then said, "Come on, let's go," and started towards the doors of the station. Artemis shrugged at her mother and turend to jog after Percy.

When they got to the family car, Artemis stowed her things in the trunk and crawled into her seat in the back next to Percy. She didn't say a word to him as she buckled her seatbelt and stared out the window as her mother got into her own seat and started the engine. "So, you had a nice term?" Jane asked again.

"Yeah, it was really good," Percy said with, to Artemis's obvious immense surprise, a smile. Not the cold, sneering smile he wore around his friends, but a real and genuine smile that made his dimples appear and showed the little chip in his left front tooth. "Art, you had a good term too, right?"

"Funny, you wouldn't know," Artemis said roughly.

Jane looked at them through the rear view mirror. "Why's that, Artie?"

"Because he didn't talk to me the whole time," said Artemis, her voice cracking slightly. Harry immediately felt bad for her when she started blinking her eyes rapidly. He knew that she'd never cry in front of her new Hogwarts friends, but now she looked on the verge of breaking down.

Percy widened his eyes at her warningly, but it was too late. "What?" Jane said sharply. "Perseus, you ignored your sister on her first term ever at Hogwarts?"

Percy let out a deep sigh and rolled his eyes to the ceiling. "Mum, you don't understand how things work there. And if Art wanted to talk to me, she could've-"

"You're the older one," Jane said crossly. "You should've at least made sure she was doing alright- I mean, he did that, right, Art?" Artemis shook her head. "Perseus!"

Artemis listened to her mother and brother argue back and forth and finally managed to swallow the lump in her throat down. She didn't want to cry in front of Percy. She needed to show him that she was old enough to not need his help anymore. She was determined not to forgive him over Christmas break. He had ignored her completely from the second they got onto the Hogwarts Express on September first until now, and she was angry about it. She kept needing to remind herself not to take his side in the argument as she normally would do, even when it was her mother who was coming to her defense.