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real-artemis-hexley · 1 year

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Artemis Hexley: The Wilderness Years

Chapter 10: Options

A/N: Artemis bumps into an old “friend” and gets a pep talk from Madam Rosmerta. Warnings: spoilers for Y6 of HPHM, references to child loss and abandonment.

The final task of the Triwizard Tournament was now less than a month away, and there had been a peculiar sense of both winding down and gearing up at work. Badeea’s labyrinth had been constructed on the Quidditch pitch of Hogwarts school, and now, all that was needed were the obstacles for the champions to take on within its maze of hedged walls.

It was Artemis, Badeea, and - unfortunately - Thomasina’s job to sort out what would go where, and the three of them had been sent up to Hogwarts for the day. Working in such a small group with Thomasina was proving to be a challenging task in itself. At lunchtime, Artemis made the excuse that she had to go down to the village to pick up a new book for Chester in Tomes and Scrolls simply to get away from her.

The bookshop was relatively empty, and Artemis savoured its quiet atmosphere and musty smell, running her hands over the leather spines of the books as she walked along the length of the shelves. As she turned around one corner, she stopped abruptly.

Standing opposite her was a young witch her own age, flicking through the pages of a book on the Dark Arts, her spikily cut brown hair falling slightly over her pale and pointed face. She had an orange streak through her fringe, and the eyes that scanned the book in her hand were a striking shade of violet. Artemis frowned.

“Merula? Merula Snyde?”

At the sound of her name, the witch looked up from her book, and at the sight of Artemis, she rolled her eyes.

“Oh, for Godric’s sake,” she said. “What are you doing here, Hexley?”

“I could ask you the same thing. I thought you were away curse-breaking.”

“I thought you couldn’t read,” retorted Merula. Artemis pulled a face at her, and she shrugged. “I was sent to Hogsmeade on a case last week. Bloke up the road thought that his rubbish bin had been cursed to attract a hellhound.”

“Had it?”

“Nah, turns out it was just a stray dog looking for food. Bit dull, honestly.”

“Right,” Artemis nodded. “Did you get my Christmas card?”

“Really?”

“What?”

“It’s May, Hexley,” said Merula. She sighed and her face softened. “Yeah, I did. Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.” There was an awkward sort of pause in which neither of them spoke. Eventually, Artemis said, “I’m on my lunch break.”

“I’ll let you get on, then.”

“No, I mean… Do you want to come for lunch with me?”

Merula’s eyes narrowed momentarily as if suspicious, but she nodded her head and put down her book.

“Yeah, okay then,” she said, already walking towards the shop door. “But you’re paying, Hexley.”

It was Artemis’ turn to roll her eyes. Merula hadn’t changed one bit.

At the Three Broomsticks Inn, Artemis ordered two Butterbeers, two sandwiches, and a bowl of chips from Madam Rosmerta, and carried them across to the table by the window that Merula had chosen for them to sit at. Merula did not thank Artemis for the food or drink, but she began to talk in a far more friendly way, by Merula’s standards, at least.

“So, what’s the deal with you and Davies?” she asked, reaching across the table and taking a chip from their shared bowl.

“How do you know about that?”

“Still in contact with some of the Gringotts lot. And Penny writes sometimes, too.”

“Of course she does,” Artemis laughed. “We’ve been together for about a year now. More, actually.”

“Right. Do you like him?”

“Obviously, yeah.”

Merula shrugged. “It’s not that obvious. My mum hated my father and they were married for twelve years before they went to Azkaban.”

“I’m not your mum, Merula.”

“Thank Godric for that,” Merula muttered. She took another chip and made a peculiar face.

“What?”

“Nothing. Just wouldn’t have put the two of you together, that’s all. I would have thought Davies would go for someone a bit more… well…”

“Well?”

“You know…”

“No, Merula,” said Artemis. “I don’t know.”

“Clever. No offence, Hexley, but he’s really smart and you’re thick as Murtlap shit, aren’t you?”

“Wow, thanks.”

“You said you wanted to know,” Merula shrugged. “If it makes you feel better, I’d have thought you’d go for someone less boring.”

“I don’t think it does make me feel better, actually,” said Artemis. “And anyway, he’s not that boring. Or boring at all. He’s not boring.”

“Right…” Merula’s voice dripped with sarcasm. She took a swig of her Butterbeer. “So, Hexley, do all the guys you date remind you of your brother, or what?”

“You know, Merula, sometimes you can just not say anything.”

Artemis was quickly regretting her decision to not only invite Merula for lunch, but pay for the privilege. She scowled and leaned back in her chair with her arms folded across her chest, and blew a strand of hair up and away from her face. Across the table from her, Merula was smirking, and as their eyes met, Artemis found herself starting to grin, too.

“You never answered my question,” Merula said, and Artemis laughed out loud.

“It didn’t deserve an answer.”

“Not that question, the first one. What are you doing here?”

“Oh, right,” Artemis nodded. “I’m part of the team organising the Triwizard Tournament.”

“Ah. So that was the top secret job you left Gringotts for. What’s it like?”

“It’s fine. Mainly been a lot of meetings and sourcing creatures and stuff, making sure everything is ready to go on the day. I get to watch the challenges, which is cool,” said Artemis. “What about you? Bill said you left Gringotts, too.”

“Yeah. I’m working for a private agency now. They find the cases and send ones to you that they think you might be able to work on, if you’re interested in one you sign up for it. Sort of like being freelance, but the bit where you have to look for work is done for you.”

“And are all the jobs as exciting as stray dogs raiding bins?”

“They’re all different,” Merula said. “Last month I was working for Ouagadou School, and a few months before that looking into some old ruins in Central America. In June I’m supposed to be going to a Dragon Reserve in Norway, but I might head there sooner seeing as this one turned out to be a bust.”

“And what’s it like compared to Gringotts?”

“I mean, the pay is nowhere near as good because it’s not a bank and the agency take a percentage of the money. And because it’s private jobs it’s not very regulated in terms of what you’re expected to do or where you’re sent to live and stuff. But still, it’s better than working for Gringotts.”

“Most things are,” muttered Artemis, and Merula raised one eyebrow at her.

“Do you not miss it?”

“What?”

“Curse-breaking, dungbrain.”

“No. Not really,” Artemis sighed. “I mean, maybe? I’m not sure.”

“Why don’t you give being a Curse-Breaker a try again?”

“Because I haven’t been a Curse-Breaker for a long time. Even then, back at school it wasn’t like I had a choice, I just did it because I had to. And then because I didn’t know anything else, I went straight to Gringotts and hated it, and told myself that I didn’t hate it. I just assumed that it was what I wanted. Now I think I never actually wanted it.”

“Shut up.”

“I mean it.”

“You’ve always been an awful liar, Hexley,” said Merula. “You loved it. You always loved it.”

Artemis pursed her lips and glared at Merula stubbornly. Merula was wrong. Surely, she was wrong.

“Okay, tell you what.” Merula put down her Butterbeer. “Why don’t I give your details to the agency? They’re looking for more Curse-Breakers at the moment, they’re bound to ask you to go in and interview. They’ll show you some of the cases they have to offer, and you can decide if you want it or hate it or whatever.”

“I dunno, Merula,” said Artemis. “I’ve already got a job offer, and it’s a good one too. Ludo Bagman’s asked me to be his personal assistant.”

“I didn’t ask, and I don’t care. Do you want me to get you an interview or not?”

Merula raised her eyebrows, and Artemis sighed.

“No,” she told her. “No, I don’t think so. Thanks, though.”

“Whatever. It’s your loss,” said Merula. She finished her Butterbeer and took one more chip from the bowl. “Anyway, I have a train to catch. See you in another two years, I guess. Don’t forget my Christmas card.”

“I won’t,” Artemis promised, and she watched Merula leave the inn and walk past the window in the direction of the station. A part of her felt disappointed to see her leave.

“Was that who I thought it was?” asked a voice from behind her, and Artemis turned in her seat to see Madam Rosmerta standing with her hands on her hips. “What did Merula Snyde want?”

“Nothing, we just bumped into each other and decided to have lunch,” Artemis told her. She sighed and rested her feet on Merula’s now vacant chair. “Though she was offering to get me an interview with the Curse-Breaking agency she’s working for now.”

“I hope you took her up on that offer,” said Rosmerta, and Artemis shook her head. “Why not?”

“Because I’ve still not said yes to the job I’ve already been offered.”

“I repeat my question.”

“What, why not?” Artemis asked, and Ros nodded her head. Artemis shrugged. “It’s a big decision. I’m thinking it through.” Ros chuckled. “What’s so funny?”

“You, love. I don’t think I’ve ever known you to think a decision through before making it, big or small.”

“Well, I’m a grown up now.”

Rosmerta whipped Artemis gently on the upper arm with the cloth she used to wipe down the bar and laughed even harder.

“I am,” Artemis said indignantly. “And Chester said it was right to think it through and weigh up my options.”

“Ah, well. In that case, I must be wrong,” Ros raised her eyebrows, “because if I didn’t know better, I’d have said that you’re stalling.”

Artemis rolled her eyes. “I don’t think I’ve ever stalled before, either,” she muttered. “It’s a really good job. I’m probably not going to get one this good again, not until I’m much older, if ever.”

“So why haven’t you said yes to it?”

“I dunno.”

“I do,” said Rosmerta. Artemis pursed her lips, and the landlady smiled. “I’ve known you since you were thirteen, love. You lived here for a while, remember? And so I know as well as anyone that if you’ve not said yes, it’s because you don’t want to.”

“But-”

“But other people are telling you that you should, I know. Do you know what I think you should do?”

“I know you’re going to tell me.”

“I think you should run after Merula and tell her that you want her to get you that interview,” Ros told her. “How are you supposed to weigh up your options if you don’t know what the options are?”

Artemis frowned and looked out of the window. Merula had gone, but she could probably still catch up with her if she ran. But she did not run, or make a move at all. Madam Rosmerta sighed and pushed her feet off the chair to sit with her.

“What’s the matter, love? Are you worried that you won’t like this agency, or that you’ll like it too much?”

“Both, I guess. I dunno,” Artemis shrugged. “I used to be the Curse-Breaker girl. It was such a big part of me, and then I gave it up. And it felt so strange, not having that anymore, but I got used to it, and I’ve moved forward, and I have this life now that doesn’t involve curse-breaking anymore. The idea of going back, it’s… I feel like I might go backwards, y’know? But then, part of me wants to go backwards, but that means going back on this new start I’ve made.”

“Chester?”

“Yeah, and… It’s been five years since Rowan died, which means from now on I’ll have spent more of my life missing her than I did knowing her. That and going back to Hogwarts for work this year, and being around all those memories, it’s… I just feel like I should be moving forward now.”

Rosmerta reached across the table and took both of Artemis’ hands in her own. Her eyes were sad, but she smiled softly.

“Artemis, love,” she said. “Do you remember the Christmas you moved in here after Rowan died?”

“It’s not like I could forget that, Ros.”

“Remember how scared you were of going back to school again? How you begged me to let you stay here and work as a barmaid?”

“Yeah,” Artemis nodded. “You made me go back.”

“I did. Do you know why?” Artemis shook her head, and Rosmerta sighed before telling her, “Because I didn’t go back.”

“Wait, what?”

“I left school in my sixth year.”

“Why?”

“I was pregnant, love. My parents made it very clear that I wouldn’t be welcome at home anymore, and I already worked some shifts here, so I asked the previous landlord if I could move in and work full-time.” Rosmerta swallowed before continuing, “It was around then that I met your mum and brother. She had been through a similar thing, having to leave school early, but she had decided to take the N.E.W.T.s even though she was maybe your age, so she used to come in here to study with Jacob in tow. I thought that I might be able to do the same one day. I always remembered her, and Jacob, too. Your brother was very sweet back then.”

“Back then, maybe,” muttered Artemis darkly. She tilted her head to one side. “It’s weird, Ros. I’ve never even met your… son? Daughter?”

Rosmerta shook her head slowly. “No.”

“Do they live away or something?”

“No, Artemis.”

“Then… Oh.” Artemis swallowed. “Sorry. I’m sorry, I didn’t…”

“It’s okay, love.” Rosmerta squeezed her hands. She had tears welling in her eyes. “That’s why I didn’t go back. I couldn’t face it, and I had started building this life, so I decided to carry on building until I realised that I’d built walls all around me and couldn’t get out.”

Artemis frowned. “So, are you not happy with your life?”

“I wouldn’t say that. I love being a landlady. I’m good at it, and it’s a part of me.”

“But…”

“But I wish that I’d known back then that it wasn’t the only choice I had. I wish I’d explored other options before I committed myself to this,” said Rosmerta. “And that’s why I made you go back to school, and it’s why I’m telling you to go now and ask Merula for that interview before you end up forty-five years old and married to a boring desk job you hate and an even more boring middle-aged wizard with a receding hairline and erectile dysfunction.” Artemis laughed, but Rosmerta did not. “I’m serious. Go.”

Artemis did not take time to think through the decision. She let go of Ros’ hands, rose to her feet, placed a quick and clumsy kiss on the landlady’s cheek, and ran out of the door. She darted and dodged her way down the cobbled street until she reached the station, where a train was pulling in and a violet-eyed witch was about to board it.

“Merula, wait!”

Merula turned and rolled her eyes at Artemis jogging down the platform towards her.

“I’d quite like to keep my lunch down, Hexley, so if you came here to profess your undying love for me, please don’t.”

“What? No, obviously not,” Artemis half-panted. “I barely tolerate you.”

She could’ve sworn that Merula smirked slightly before asking, “Then what do you want, Hexley?”

“The interview. With the agency. You mean it? You really think you can get me one?”

Merula let out a scathing laugh and stepped onto the train.

“I’m Merula Snyde. I can get anything I want.”

#my story

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real-artemis-hexley · 1 year

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Artemis Hexley: The Wilderness Years

Chapter 9: The Dinner Party

A/N: it’s Artemis’ birthday, and she enjoys a grown-up way of celebrating it. Warnings: mentions of canon-typical bigotry, alcohol, some awkwardness, bridezilla Penny.

The dinner party had been Chester’s idea. Artemis would have been happy spending her birthday having a few drinks at the Three Broomsticks or the underground nightclub in Charing Cross that Andre had introduced her to, but she was hardly going to say no to Chester offering to cook for her and her fiends.

“It’s too special an occasion to do what you would do any other weekend,” he had said. “After all, there is a lot to celebrate.”

This was true. Not only was it Artemis’ birthday, but Chiara had just finished her final exams for her Healer training, Tonks had reached her six-month anniversary of being a fully fledged Auror, and Penny’s boyfriend Lewis Parkin had recently proposed to her during a weekend in Paris. The last of these pieces of good news had been the one that had so far dominated the evening’s conversations.

“Seriously,” Tonks muttered to Artemis, once the pair of them had slipped into the kitchen to clear away the plates and fetch more wine. “If I ever become that nauseatingly mushy over anyone, you have my permission to do me in.”

“Yeah, okay.”

“I mean it. Just put me out of my misery.”

Artemis picked up a piece of chicken from an otherwise empty plate and fed it to Fergus, who was sitting on the countertop looking hopeful. She shrugged.

“I dunno. She doesn’t seem miserable,” she said, with a glance over her shoulder. “I think she’s just really happy and excited.”

“Exactly, it’s sickening.” Tonks grinned. “I’m joking, obviously. I’m happy for her, it would be just nice to talk about something else for ten minutes, that’s all.”

“Is everyone like this about weddings, do you think, or is it just Penny?”

“Might just be Pen. You know what she gets like about organising parties, and this isn’t just any party. This is the party.”

“I guess,” said Artemis. She grabbed two wine bottles - the fancy red one that Chester had brought and the cheap pink one that was Tonks’ favourite - and nodded her head at the door. “Come on. We should go and be excited with her.”

“I’ll try, but if she starts talking about writing her own vows again, I might actually spew.”

Thankfully, Penny was not talking about her vows, nor any other part of the wedding ceremony itself. Instead, the discussion had turned to aesthetics, with Chiara listening politely and Jae looking incredibly bored as Penny chatted away.

“Well, I still haven’t quite decided what colour I want you all to wear,” she told Chiara, her engagement ring sparkling in the light as she moved her hands, “but it will either be pale pink, sage green, or maybe sky blue. In any case, it will definitely be a pastel shade. Bea won’t be happy, if it were up to her you’d all be wearing black, but she always looks so pretty in lighter colours, and it will be a summer wedding, so pastels make far more sense. I much prefer them, anyway.”

“And that’s what matters,” said Chiara. “It is your wedding, we will just go along with what you want. Don’t mind us.”

“Mind me!” Tonks blurted out. “I definitely want some kind of say in what I wear. What if it doesn’t suit me?”

Penny giggled. “You can suit anything, Tonks. You’re a Metamorphmagus.”

“Yeah, but-”

“I’m going to go looking at options with Andre next weekend, but I think I know what style I want for you,” Penny continued. “Probably mid-length, strapless-”

Artemis wrinkled her nose. “Won’t the dresses fall down if they haven’t got any straps?”

“- with a little bit of tulle under the skirt to give it some sort of shape. And then you all will have little bouquets of daisies to carry, because daisies are my favourite flowers.”

Tonks looked across the table at Jae, who appeared to have fallen asleep with his eyes open. “What’s your favourite type of flower, Jae?”

Jae puffed out his cheeks and exhaled before answering:

“Probably self-raising.”

The rest of the guests chuckled, and Chiara shook her head, her pale eyes rolling and lips twitching gently.

“Will you have a daisy bouquet, too?” she asked Penny, who nodded emphatically.

“Yes, but mine will be bigger, because I am the bride.”

“Really?” Tonks’ eyes widened in faux-surprise. “You should’ve said something before.” She winced as Artemis kicked her under the table. “Ow! What was that for?”

“And I want my dress to have daisies on, too. Maybe little ones embroidered on it or lace with a daisy pattern. I’m not quite sure yet, but I definitely want it to be white,” Penny sighed. “I know it’s a bit dishonest, but I have always wanted a white wedding ever since I was a little girl, and I don’t see why I shouldn’t have one just because of one very small technical detail. After all, it’s 1995. No one is actually a virgin anymore.”

Lewis Parkin, who Artemis had yet to hear utter a single word all evening, looked at his new fiancée and blinked slowly, his expression one of mingled endearment and exasperation. Across the table from him, Kingsley was paying close attention to his glass, whilst Chester shuffled slightly in the chair next to him.

“Anyway,” he said loudly, reaching across the table to pick up his glass of red wine, “I was hoping that now everyone is here again, we might toast the birthday girl.”

Everyone else hurried to pick up or charge their own glasses, except for Artemis. Once the full wine glasses were all held aloft, Chester spoke once more.

“Not only is it Artemis’ birthday today, but earlier this week she received an incredible job offer.”

“Oh, Artemis, that really is wonderful news,” said Penny, beaming from ear to ear. “What job is it? Curse-Breaking?”

“Personal secretary to the Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports,” Chester informed everyone, and Penny’s blue eyes and mouth formed perfect circles. “Which is rather impressive, considering that she is only twenty-two, and didn’t even apply. He selected her personally.” Artemis tried and failed to not roll her eyes at Chester’s proud tone. “Then again, she is always impressive. So, here’s to Artemis.”

“To Tiny,” said Kingsley, with a nod in Artemis’ direction.

“To Artemis,” the others chorused. They all lifted their glasses and sipped their wine, except for Tonks, who winked theatrically at Artemis.

“To enabling a man’s gambling addiction until he offers you a prestigious job role,” she said, before taking such a large gulp of her drink that she half-emptied her glass. Artemis laughed.

“I mean, it wasn’t just that,” she explained. “Fine, maybe it’s a bit of that, but also it’s because he was really happy with the dragon challenge. Said it was the best entertainment he’s had for a long time, much better than the lake challenge, because no one could actually see anything that was going on.”

“Ten points to Artemis, none to Thomasina Thistlethwaite,” said Tonks, and she held out her palm for Artemis to high-five, which she did. “A win on all counts.”

“When do you start?” Chiara asked, and Artemis shrugged.

“Not sure. I haven’t actually taken it yet.”

“Why not?” Penny frowned. “Does it not pay very well?”

“It does, I just… I haven’t made up my mind yet, that’s all.”

“There’s no rush,” said Chester. “Ludo doesn’t need an answer until after the final challenge, so there’s plenty of time to think it through properly and make up your mind based on the other options available.” He took a sip of red wine and rested his arm on the back of Artemis’ chair. “I think you will probably end up going for this one, though.”

Artemis laughed. “You do, do you?”

“Absolutely. This is an excellent opportunity and a strategic career move. Plus, I doubt that any other position will give you as much money or stability.”

“I dunno how much stability it will give me,” said Artemis. “I mean, this is Ludo Bagman we’re talking about.”

“True, but there are far worse people to have as your boss. Trust me, I know,” Chester said darkly. “I spent my first three and a half years at the Ministry working for Dolores Umbridge.”

A collective groan of sympathy and disgust echoed around the table. Kingsley shook his head and shuddered, and next to Artemis, Tonks stiffened in her chair. She looked nervously between Penny and Chiara, the latter of whom’s face a passive mask, but her already pale knuckles had whitened as she tightened her grip on Jae’s hand. Artemis’ eyes widened, and she opened her mouth to change the subject, but before she could say anything, Lewis Parkin spoke for the first time that evening.

“Umbridge…” he repeated. “For why do I ken that name?”

“She’s the one pushing the new lycanthropy bill,” said Chester. “If she gets her way, all werewolves will need to declare their condition so that people know about it when they’re hiring someone for a job or considering renting a property to them.”

“It’ll never happen,” Jae half-scoffed. Though his voice held no tension, his jaw jutted slightly. Chester did not seem to notice this, for he tilted his head one way and then the other and continued:

“I think it might, actually. Umbridge is awful, but she is also very shrewd, and she’s picked her timing well, given what happened at the World Cup-”

“Those weren’t werewolves, though,” said Artemis. Next to her, she could feel Tonks bristling. “You can’t take what-”

“I’m not taking anything. I’m just saying that it’s a clever move, politically speaking.” Artemis glared at Chester, and he sighed. “Consider it. Last summer it got out that a werewolf had been teaching at Hogwarts, living at the school with people’s children all year, and no one knew about it. Then, at the World Cup, all these maniacs in masks start coming out of the woodwork, and we can only speculate as to who was underneath those masks. You can see why now more than ever, people may be interested in having legislation that gives them the right to know exactly who’s living next door to them. I’m not saying that it’s the correct course of action, but-”

“It sounds like you are.”

“I’m not, Artemis. I’m just playing Devil’s Advocate, that’s all,” Chester told her, and he placed his hand on her knee and squeezed gently. “People who are scared will do all sorts of things if it makes them feel secure, and right now, lots of people are scared.”

There was no point in trying to argue, but Artemis was not placated. She crossed her arms over her chest and glowered sullenly at her wine glass. A tense sort of hush had fallen over the table, one which was broken by the sound of Kingsley’s low, gentle chuckle.

“You know what I’ve been scared about recently?” he asked, his brown eyes crinkling at the corners. “Who would be cooking this evening. The last time I was invited here for dinner, I was served beans on toast.”

Almost everyone let out laughs that were as much relieved as they were amused. Artemis shook her head.

“It wasn’t just beans,” she corrected Kingsley. “I grated cheese, too.”

“Of course, how could I forget? I also recall being offered a mixture of red and white wine to drink.”

“Red and white mixed?” Jae’s eyebrows shot up. “That’s almost criminal, Hex.”

“In my defence, I was very young and I didn’t know anything about wine at the time. I still don’t, really.”

“Right,” Jae grinned. “And what about your cooking? Do you know more about that now, or are you still limited to a diet of ‘things on toast’?”

“Actually,” said Artemis, sitting up straight in her seat and raising her chin, “I’ll have you know that I can make four different types of potatoes now.”

Jae clapped his hands three times slowly before reaching for his glass and raising it.

“Always impressive,” he said drily. “Forget birthdays and job offers, this is the sort of thing we should be drinking to.”

Artemis pulled a face, but she still picked up her own glass.

“To potatoes,” she said as she raised it to Jae.

“To never letting you cook for me.”

“We can all drink to that,” Tonks said, and she finished the second half of her wine in one gulp.

The rest of the group laughed and toasted again, and this time, Artemis joined them, giggling as she finished her glass of the expensive red wine. It was probably quite good, but as she still did not know much about wine, it could just as well have been Tonks’ favourite pink one.

The rest of the night passed without further political discussion or tension, with the guests preferring to talk about less potentially controversial topics. It was not until the very end of the night, after Penny and Lewis had already left and Tonks had fallen asleep on the sofa, that the topic of the Ministry’s werewolf reforms came up again.

“I’m really sorry about earlier,” Artemis said as she bade Chiara and Jae goodnight at the front door. “Chester would never have brought up the werewolf stuff if he had known…”

Chiara shook her head and smiled sadly.

“It’s okay, Artemis. I’m used to it,” she told her. “It’s really not a problem, he was only talking about the new laws they’re passing.”

“It’s just a vote. They haven’t been passed yet.”

“And they won’t be,” Jae said stubbornly.

“Actually, they probably will.” Chiara sighed. “Chester’s right. Umbridge and her supporters, they’ve really picked their moment. Everyone has been so afraid since the Dark Mark went up at the World Cup. People are terrified about what that might mean for the future. It’s easier for the Ministry to distract everyone by scapegoating werewolves, so that’s what they’ll do.”

“They won’t.”

“Yes, they will, Jae.”

“What does that mean for you?” Artemis asked, her eyebrows furrowing deeply. “Will you have to put your name on this list?”

“Probably.” Chiara’s front teeth grazed her lower lip. “My landlord would almost definitely kick me out of my flat, though. And I’m not sure that St Mungo’s would want me working there if they knew, either.”

“Hardly anybody knows about you,” said Jae. “You could lie and get away with it.”

“Maybe, but then if I get found out, it won’t just be St Mungo’s that I’d lose out on. Breaking the law like that, I could lose my license to work as a Healer altogether.”

“But you’ve just worked so hard to finish the training. You’re so good at Healing.” Artemis shook her head. “That’s not fair!”

“It isn’t. But then, neither are so many things,” said Chiara sadly. She blinked before smiling again. “Don’t listen to me. I’m just scared. And maybe Jae’s right. Maybe it won’t pass, who knows?”

But the look in her eerily pale blue eyes made it clear that she knew exactly what would come to pass. Artemis watched her and Jae walk away down the darkened street and returned to the kitchen feeling far less carefree than she had left it. She barely noticed the earnest tone of Chester’s voice or the wrinkles in Kingsley’s forehead as the two men talked quietly by the sink until they saw her enter and immediately fell silent.

“You look worried, Tiny,” said Kingsley. The very sound of his deep and melodious voice made Artemis feel less worried, and she shrugged. “Sickle for your thoughts?”

“Nothing I think is worth as much as a Sickle,” she told him with a wry smile.

“I couldn’t disagree more.”

“Would you like to stay for one more drink, Mr Shacklebolt?” Chester asked, but Kingsley shook his head.

“As much fun as this has been, I think I have had far too much to drink as it is. I’m too old not to suffer for my evening’s fun in the morning these days,” he chuckled. “I think I’ll leave you two young people to continue your conversations without me. I’ll see myself out.”

He shook Chester’s hand and hugged Artemis, who rose onto her tiptoes to kiss him on the cheek. Once he had left, she looked around the kitchen.

“Did you clean as well as cook?” she asked Chester, who laughed.

“Why do you sound so surprised?”

“I’m not, I just… Thanks. This was all really kind of you.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. It’s your birthday, Artemis,” said Chester. “And I had Kingsley to help with the cleaning.”

“Right,” Artemis nodded. “You sounded like you were getting along well.”

“We always get along well.”

“That’s not... What were you two talking about?”

“Nothing substantial. Work, mainly. Very boring stuff.”

“How true,” Artemis grinned mischievously, her head tilted to one side. Chester sighed and shook his head before stepping towards her.

“I’ve been thinking,” he said, quietly. “And I think that maybe we should live together.”

Artemis blinked. “Where?”

“Wherever you prefer. I could move in here with you, or you could join me in my overpriced flat. Or we could find somewhere new together. Maybe in Cardiff, it’s cheaper than London and closer to home.”

“But London is your home.”

“I mean home as in where I grew up. Portmeirion.”

“Oh, right,” Artemis said. She nodded, but frowned at the same time. “What about Tonks?”

Chester laughed out loud. “What about Tonks?”

“She’d be here all alone.”

“Tonks is a big girl, Artemis. She will cope with living alone. Or she could find a new housemate. Someone you can actually charge rent to,” Chester suggested. He raised one eyebrow. “Well? What do you think?”

Artemis did not really know what to think. The house she had grown up in had always been dark and dingy, a house rather than a home, and she co-owned it with the brother she no longer wanted anything to do with. Her choice to move back eighteen months previously had been one made out of necessity rather than desire; after leaving school she had sworn that she would never live there again. She should have been jumping at the chance to leave. The problem was that leaving the house now meant leaving Tonks, abandoning her there the way she had been abandoned as a little girl and left largely to fend for herself.

But Tonks was not a little girl, like Chester said, and perhaps she would not have to be by herself at all. She could live here with someone else, and Artemis knew who might want to do just that. After all, right now, Chiara was scared, and scared people needed to feel secure. And if Artemis could do something to give her that security, she would do it in a heartbeat.

So, she decided to ignore the small voice in the back of her head that was telling her that she wasn’t ready, that she was also scared, and nodded.

“I think it’s a good idea,” she told Chester. “Yeah, we should do that.”

Chester smiled, and kissed her gently.

“Excellent,” he whispered. “It’s late. Shall we go to bed?”

“You go. I’ll be up in a minute.”

Once Chester had gone upstairs, Artemis opened the door to let Fergus in from the back garden, conjured a blanket to place over the sleeping Tonks, and extinguished the candles that were still flickering on the table. Without them, the house seemed darker than ever, so dark that she could not even see where she was at all. She could have been anywhere in the world, and yet she was here. Still here.

Maybe that little voice had been wrong, she thought, as she padded upstairs. Maybe she really was ready to leave.

#my story #artemis hexley

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