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project-v175 · 6 months

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Out on a Limb

Brutal fighting. That's what the wizarding world had succumbed to. Violence. All her life, she had only known the peace of magic. That changed when she became an apprentice at the ministry. She wanted to be an auror. She wanted to restore peace. He who shall not be named had ruined everything for her, and it needed to be set right. Nothing felt normal for her.. not until him.

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Chapter 8: Memories

Venus recalled the events of the past week; the last battle of the war, her encounter with Alastor Moody, his hospital visit, and the mental breakdowns. Everything poured out of her. Sobs wrecked her body. Molly had moved beside her to hold the young girl. There was a heavy, dark silence that filled the home. Venus sat in Molly's arms, sniffling and red eyed. Her body felt weak. She finally felt safe enough to relax.

"I spent three days in St. Mungos, just watching over him. Thats.. probably what caused the rumors." Venus wiped her eyes with the edge of her fingers, careful not to smear her mascara further that she already had.

"I'd say it was. Arthur says the two of you were seen walking around the ministry and left together." Molly placed her hand on the back of Venus's head. Her fingers smoothed over the girl's dark, fluffy curls.

"Mhm. We did. We were uhm." Venus sat up. A small flush settled over her cheeks now that she realized what the rumors implied. "The Head Minister told him to finish my apprenticeship training. So we went to an empty field..."

Molly smiled to herself. She placed her hands on Venus's shoulders, rubbing soft circles into Venus's sore muscles. "That was sweet of you. As always.. so sweet to others. Ever since we took you in, you've been an absolute blessing."

"Oh, Molly, don't say it like that. You know you guys didn't have to, right? I was.. i was so young when i stepped out of the water for the first time. I fell in love with the beauty of life above the water. You and the rest of the Prewettes only fueled that love." Venus smiled. She shook her head and stood from her spot. The kettle was screaming now instead of whistling.

"Let me help you get the tea." Molly stood as well. She followed Venus to the kitchen. Her eyes darted between the renovation tools. "All by yourself, dear?"

Venus held the kettle with a towel. She pulled it off the hot stove eye and put out the small flame. The kettle was placed on a round pad of cloth. "Yeah. I was gonna get help, but honestly, I enjoy the work. I get to experience.. what was it? Pride?"

"Yes, dear. That is pride. A strong feeling of accomplishment." Molly smiled as she watched Venus pull tea packets and cups from the cabinet. She moved her gaze to the backsplash above the stove. The intricate details of the mermaids dipicted were far too many to be from Venus's imagination. "The mermaids... you miss home?"

"Sometimes I do. But it is a faint feeling. I am close to the water out here. It is not hard to ease my mind." Venus poured the hot water into two cups and placed a tea packet in each one. She handed Molly a cup as she took her own.

"I see.. that's.. smart, and convenient." Molly dipped her tea packet into the water. She waited for the herbs to fill the hot water, then took a sip.

"I had not realized what those.. rumors.. implied. Alastor is.. a sweet man, but much too old for me." Venus took her own sip.

Molly nearly dropped her tea at the comment. She laughed under her breath and reached out to Venus. Molly set her hand on Venus's shoulder. "Oh child- thats- nonesense. He's in his fourties. You're in your twenties."

"Precisely. He is twice my age. That is much too old. He will die and leave me a heart broken widow for years." Venus smiled to herself. The man she had met on the battlefield was certainly a looker. He was different now, but no less good-looking. It was just for a different taste. A flush rose to her cheeks at the thought.

Molly watched Venus with a knowing smirk. It wasn't common in for there to be age gaps amongst wizards, but it certainly wasn't unheard of. She continued to admire the mermaid painted tile. Venus's handiwork. Her talents were derived from her mermaid heritage. Ever since she was adopted by Molly and her parents, she had made their life more beautiful. Soft songs, both vocal and instrumental, in the middle of the night would ease the children. Her bright art would decorate any room of the house that the Prewettes would allow. It was Venus who inspired Molly's colorful attire.

Venus lifted her gaze from the floor. She gave Molly a curious look. "Molly, you never told me the purpose of your visit. Surely you weren't just checking in."

"Oh! Yes. Yes. Of course! We had another little one. I don't know if Arthur mentioned it, but we finally have a little girl!" Molly set her cup down on the dusty countertop.

Venus set her cup down as well. She and Molly nearly fell on each other with an embrace. "Oh, Molly! How wonderful! A little girl! That is magnificent! I am so happy for you!"

Molly reached for her pocket. She pulled out a folded photo of her new child. The little girl was already walking. Had the war lasted so long? "She is so big already, Molly.."

Molly smiled at the photo. "Yes, and she is beginning to talk. Mere babbling, but conversations nonetheless."

"That's absolutely brilliant. I-" A loud clock on the wall cut Venus off. She and Molly looked at the clock, then at each other to giggle. "Goodness.. It's late."

"I should get going. Let you get some rest. You should start writing again. Get yourself an owl. The kids miss hearing from you." Molly began collecting her things. She took her last sip of tea at the door and then gave Venus the cup.

"I absolutely will. I'll try to stop by sometime. Once I finish my apprenticeship up. Have a safe travel home, Molly." Venus opened the door for Molly, giving her one finaly embrace.

"I will. You get some sleep now." Molly began to walk away as Venus shut the door.

The house was silent now. Silent and lonesome. She headed towards her bedroom. The visit from Molly and training from the early morning had worn her down. Weariness finally settled on her shoulders as she flopped on her bed. The sheets were softer than normal today. Warmth invited her deep within them and into a deep sleep.

Author Note

This was sort of a filler chapter but also had a bit of information. The next few chapters are gonna be more interesting, hopefully.

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the-al-chemist · 1 year

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Artemis Hexley: The Wilderness Years

Chapter 12: The Point of No Return

A/N: the final challenge of the Triwizard Cup is here. We all know that it’s not going to go well… Warnings: canon death, mentions of war and murder, angst, description of injury, language.

The curtains did little to block out the morning sunlight, though Artemis had been awake long before the sunrise. She turned one way and then the other before getting up with a sigh and walking across to the window that looked out on the still sleepy Hogsmeade street below her.

She had come to the Three Broomsticks the night before, having left Chester’s flat with a hurriedly packed rucksack full of her things and Fergus the cat within an hour of returning from their disastrous dinner. Rosmerta had seemed only a little surprised to see her, and had shown her up to her old room without asking her too many questions that she didn’t yet have answers to. Was it over for good? Was she upset? What was she going to do now?

At least one question she could almost answer. That evening the last challenge of the Triwizard Tournament would be taking place, and there were bound to be plenty of final preparations to make up at the castle. And the Weasleys were going to be there. If Artemis went soon, she might be able to catch them beforehand, she could fill Bill and Charlie in on what had happened and to hear their thoughts on the matter.

She dressed herself and left Fergus asleep on her pillow to walk up to the school, which was filled with students rushing between their dormitories, the library, and the Great Hall. The hall was bustling with its usual breakfast crowd, and Artemis walked straight through it without stopping to talk to anyone, until she reached an antechamber leading off from the far corner, where a small group of witches and wizards were gathered. Among them were Mrs Weasley, who was talking to a wizard Artemis recognised as Amos Diggory - a colleague from the Ministry and father of Cedric - and Bill, who was leaning against a window and looking out at the grounds. Artemis made a beeline for him, and as he saw her, his face split into a wide and knowing smile.

“Wasn’t expecting to see you here so early,” said Bill. Artemis glowered at him, and his grin rapidly faded. “Is everything okay? What’s wrong?”

“What do you think is wrong, Bill?”

Bill’s eyes flicked towards Artemis’ left hand. Artemis sighed heavily and crossly, and he grimaced.

“Did he ask…”

“Yes, he asked.”

“And did you say…”

“No,” said Artemis. “I said no.”

“Ah.” Bill nodded. “Well, shit.”

“Is that all you have to offer?” Artemis asked him impatiently. She looked around. “Where’s Charlie?”

“He’s had to work.”

“What?”

“Dragon-based emergency,” said Bill. “He had to get a last minute Portkey back to Romania.”

Artemis made a noise like a growl and raised her eyes skywards. “What is the point of him?”

“I’ve been asking myself that question since 1972, Artemis.” Bill’s lips twitched, but Artemis remained stony-faced and narrow-eyed. “So is it over between you two?”

“I think so. I can’t really see things going back to how they were before, so probably.”

“And how do you feel?”

“I dunno,” Artemis shrugged. “Mainly just annoyed.”

“About what?”

“That it was all a big waste of time. That I let him in and he still didn’t get it, or get me. That he didn’t even talk to me about it before springing it on me out of nowhere. That he asked other people for their permission first. That those people gave their permission, when it was none of their bloody business.”

She looked at Bill accusatively, and he sighed.

“Sorry, little one,” he said. “In my defence, he sprung that question on me out of nowhere too.”

“You could’ve said no. I mean, I did.”

“As was your prerogative.”

“What?”

“Well, he asked if he could ask you. It didn’t really matter whether I gave permission, because the final say was always going to be down to you, wasn’t it?”

Artemis sighed. Bill had a point.

“Mum will be disappointed, though,” he continued. “She’s already picked out her hat.”

He chuckled, and as if on cue, Bill’s mother strode across the room with a smile so wide her cheeks must have hurt and her hands extended towards Artemis’ own.

“There she is!” Molly exclaimed. “Come here, I want to see…”

Her voice tailed off as she looked at Artemis’ bare fingers, and her eyes widened. She cast a questioning glance up at her son.

“Mum, maybe just-”

“Oh, Artemis. Are you okay, dear?”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Artemis told Molly, taking her left hand back and stuffing it in her pocket. “Really, it’s… I’ve got to get to work. Nice seeing you, anyway.”

“Artemis…”

“I said I’m fine, Bill.”

Both Bill and Molly looked at her with mingled concern and pity, and she made a conscious effort not to sigh or scream at them. Was this going to be how everyone looked at her now?

Her dark mood quickly returning, Artemis made her way back out through the Great Hall, where the breakfast crowd was beginning to dwindle, and across the grounds in the direction of the Quidditch pitch, where Badeea’s labyrinth had been constructed from twenty-foot high hedges. A few of Artemis’ colleagues were milling around already, including Badeea herself, who frowned at her as she approached.

“Are you okay?” she asked, and Artemis shook her head.

“Can you ask me an easier question?” she replied. “Or just give me a job, something I can help you with.”

“Really, Artemis, if you’re stressed you don’t need to-”

“I want to be helpful. What can I do?”

Badeea sighed before gesturing to a large crate of immensely ugly creatures that somewhat resembled maggots or scorpions, only they were almost ten feet in length, were covered in a thick, armour-like hide, and had dark spiky parts at either end of their bodies.

“What the hell are those?”

“One of the obstacles,” said Badeea. “Hagrid bred them, he called them Blasting-End Shoots or something.”

“Why did he call them that?”

In answer to Artemis’ question, one of the creatures turned one of its ends - she couldn’t tell if it was the head or tail - towards them and with a loud bang, emitted a flurry of flames at the pair of them. Badeea extinguished the flames with a wave of her wand.

“That’s why,” she muttered darkly. “I’m meant to get them into the maze, but I’m not sure how. Once they’re in it’s just sorting out the Cup itself and briefing the professors on how to get to a champion if anyone needs help.”

Artemis rolled up her sleeves and pulled out her wand, and she and Badeea set to work. By the time they had managed to figure out a way to get Hagrid’s bizarre and ugly creatures to a space in the labyrinth, it was early afternoon, and they had both ascertained several burns on their arms and hands.

“You might need to get that looked at,” Artemis told Badeea, looking at a particularly nasty looking red mark on her forearm. “It looks painful. I can get the Cup into the maze for you while you’re at the Hospital Wing.”

“Are you sure?” Badeea asked, and Artemis nodded her head. “Thanks. I’ll meet you later to watch the challenge. Is Chester going to be sitting with us, or…”

“No.” Artemis hadn’t meant to answer Badeea’s question so forcefully. She sighed and shrugged. “He’s not coming. He had… a work thing. A law-based emergency.”

Having been given instructions from Badeea, Artemis set off to collect the Triwizard Cup, which she was to place in the very centre of the labyrinth, a task that was undeniably more important than dealing with Hagrid’s ugly creatures. However, it was also less dangerous, and far less distracting. For several hours Artemis had not thought of the previous night’s events, nor of Chester, or the fact that she still needed to go back to his flat and either attempt to smooth things over or collect the rest of her belongings and leave without returning. Without the loud bangs and flame bursts to keep her mind occupied, her thoughts had once more begun to circle and chase one another round the inside of her head.

She was so caught up in her own private concerns that she did not notice that she was not alone until she heard someone clearing their throat behind her, and she turned to see the heavily scarred face of Tonks’ former mentor and now Defence Against the Dark Arts professor, Mad-Eye Moody.

“Sorry,” Artemis said. “I didn’t mean to be rude. I just didn’t know you were here, that’s all.”

“Thought not,” said Moody gruffly, and both his magical and non-magical eyes settled on her. “You seem distracted, girl.”

“I am, I guess.”

“Personal issues?”

“Something like that,” Artemis shrugged, and Moody let out a harsh laugh.

“Can’t help you there. Look at me, do you think this is the face of someone who can help you with your personal life?” Said face twisted into a grin. “I can kill him for you, if you want.”

Now it was Artemis’ turn to laugh. “No, you’re okay.”

“Suit yourself. You look like you could use a strong drink, though. I’ve got some brandy in my office. You won’t have to drink from my flask.”

“I don’t…”

“Or you could try Madam Rosmerta’s? If you go now, you’ll be back in plenty of time for the challenge.” Moody raised his eyebrows as if he knew that Artemis would be sorely tempted by this suggestion. She glanced at the trophy she had been tasked with, and he rolled his non-magical eye, keeping the magical one fixed on her. “I can take that Cup for you, get it to where it needs to go.”

“I said I’d do it,” Artemis said. “It has to go in the middle of the maze, and there’s all the obstacles in the way, and you don’t know where they are.”

“What do you think the point of this is?” asked Moody, pointing to his magical eye. “And don’t you think me capable of facing a few obstacles? If anyone can get your trophy to the right place safely, it’s me.”

He was right, his magical eye did make him the the best person for the job. And Artemis really had ought to see Rosmerta. She had left the Three Broomsticks so early and without even telling her what she was doing. Ros was bound to be worried. So, Artemis handed Moody the Triwizard Cup and walked away, feeling his magical eye still on her back long after she should have been out of his sight.

Shortly before sunset, Artemis returned to the Quidditch pitch, where a thousand-strong crowd had filled the stands overlooking the maze. A brass band was playing a triumphant-sounding tune, and banners were being waved around the arena. She took a seat on one of the benches of the commentary box, next to Badeea.

“Ladies and gentleman,” announced the voice of Ludo Bagman from near the entrance of the maze, “the third and final task of the Triwizard Tournament is about to begin!”

The four champions lined up ready to enter the labyrinth. Even from the distance, Artemis could make out the round glasses of Harry Potter and the bronze-coloured hair of Cedric Diggory, the hooked nose of Viktor Krum, and the pretty features of Fleur Delacour. If she had been closer, perhaps she might have been able to see how they were feeling. Nervous, she expected, or maybe excited, like the crowd around her, who were clapping so hard that birds were taking off into the sky from the branches of the Forbidden Forest’s nearest trees.

One by one, the champions entered the labyrinth and disappeared. Not a lot could be seen other than the tops of the hedges, spiraling and winding towards the centre of the maze like a spider’s web. Moody’s magical eye was on the labyrinth, and at intervals he muttered to Bagman, who announced what obstacle each champion was facing.

“Diggory has just taken on a Blast-Ended Skrewt and come off better in the fight. Sounds like the dragons were good practice after all!” he called out, and a cheer went up from an area of the stands where the crowd was decked in yellow and black. A few minutes later, he called out again: “And Potter takes on a Boggart, nicely done by-”

A high-pitched scream echoed through the air from deep within the maze, cutting Bagman off mid-sentence. The scream came again a second time, and he whispered something to Moody.

“Ah, it sounds like Miss Delacour of Beauxbatons has run into some trouble,” said Bagman, as two people on broomsticks flew over the top of the hedges towards the area of the maze where the girl’s screams had come from. “Assistance is on the way, but that does mean that there are only three champions remaining.”

Not long after the Beauxbatons champion had been retrieved from the maze, pale and shaken but clearly not too badly injured, a flurry of red sparks emerged over the tops of the hedges. Another champion was out of the running.

“It’s officially a two-hippogriff race now,” Bagman told the crowd, as an unconscious Viktor Krum was pulled out from the labyrinth, closer to the centre than Fleur Delacour. “All is left to play for between Potter and Diggory, but one thing is for certain: the winner of the Tournament will be from Hogwarts School!”

The two Hogwarts champions must have been close to the centre of the maze now. Artemis craned her neck, but it was pointless. She could not see anything at all. There was nothing to do but wait for one of them to reach the Cup and return victorious.

A minute passed, then ten, then twenty, and there was still no sign of either Potter or Diggory. The crowd was growing restless.

“Do you think something’s happened to them?” Badeea asked, frowning deeply. Artemis shook her head.

“No, Moody’s magical eye would see it if it had. He doesn’t look worried, everything must be fine.”

After another fifteen minutes passed, Artemis began to doubt her words. But Moody still did not look concerned; if anything, he looked almost triumphant. Surely that meant that one of the two Hogwarts champions had to be close to the centre?

Her deduction turned out to be correct, because not long after, something silver swirled into existence at the side of the maze: the Triwizard Cup, held by a scruffy-looking boy with round glasses. A roar went up from the crowd, but Artemis’ eyes were fixed on what else - or rather, who else - the boy held in his arms as he lay on the ground.

Beside Harry Potter, Cedric Diggory lay motionless, as if he were badly Stunned, or…

People were running towards the two champions, and as each one drew near, their faces fell, and looked horrified. A blood-curdling scream went up from the group of onlookers nearest the scene, and another, and another.

Artemis felt herself grow cold. She wanted to look away, to close her eyes, to leave, but she could not. All she could do was look unwaveringly at the scene unfolding before her in disbelief and dread, her blood stinging her like ice as it moved through her veins.

The brass band had stopped playing, and the crowd had stopped cheering. Now the air was filled only with undulating wails of fear and misery and mourning, for the boy who had been pulled lifeless from the maze, for the life he should have still had left to lead, and for the joy that should have come from his return.

Chaos reigned in the hour that followed. No one knew what had happened in the maze, nor what should happen next. The school faculty and the ministry officials were panicked, and the rest of the crowd even more so. A group of teachers were attempting to wrangle the students and escort them back to their dormitories, while a team of witches and wizards from the Ministry were ordering everyone to stay put until more information had come to light. Meanwhile, several people rushed back to the castle, among them the Minister for Magic, Professor Dumbledore the headmaster, and Bill and Molly Weasley.

Artemis decided to follow them. She left Badeea in the stands and fought her way through the throngs of spectators to get to the edge of the pitch and across to the path that led back across the grounds. By the time she managed to get to the castle, no one was to be found there. She frowned, wondering where everyone could have gone.

The answer came to her relatively quickly: of course, they would have taken the champions to the Hospital Wing, especially if one of them was badly injured or even...

She swallowed down a substance that tasted like bile. A part of her hoped that Cedric wasn’t really dead, but she knew in her heart that he had to be. She had seen his limp body and the reactions of the people around him. She had seen reactions like that before. That little boy she had known at school was now dead, and a selfish part of her sincerely hoped that it had not been at the mercy of one of the maze’s obstacles that she had helped to procure.

She arrived at the Hospital Wing just in time to see the door open, and a wizard with a long white beard and half-moon spectacles slipped through it. His elderly face seemed extraordinarily lined, more so than ever before.

“Professor Dumbledore,” said Artemis, and he regarded her with blue eyes that did not twinkle. Instead they looked tired and determined, both at once. “I was looking for Bill, is he in-”

“Young William and his family are busy, Miss Hexley,” Dumbledore told her, his voice firm yet gentle. “As we all shall soon be, I suspect.”

“Right, yeah. Of course,” Artemis nodded. “Professor, what’s going on? Cedric, is he… Is he dead?”

“Yes.”

“How? Was it something in the maze?”

“Not precisely,” said Dumbledore. “Unfortunately, a great evil has occurred tonight. For a time, the two Hogwarts champions were transported out of the maze and away from Hogwarts entirely, and it was then that Cedric met his fate at the hands of a Death Eater.”

Artemis tried not to breathe a sigh of relief. It had not been her fault. The thought struck her, and immediately she began to feel almost as guilty as she would had she been responsible.

“There has been a Death Eater disguised here for some time, and tonight he enacted a terrible plan. It was he who placed the Triwizard Cup in the maze after turning it into a Portkey-”

“What?” Artemis’ breath caught in her throat, her mind spinning with confusion and her guilt twisting like a knife in her back.

“- and orchestrated the challenge so that Harry Potter would be the first to reach it. Cedric was merely an innocent bystander, and the first victim of his actions, but there will be more,” Dumbledore continued. He fixed Artemis with a pointed look. “Miss Hexley, do you remember what we discussed shortly before you left school? What I told you would one day come to pass?”

At Dumbledore’s words, Artemis’ eyes widened, and she shook her head.

“You-Know-Who… Voldemort… He’s back?”

Dumbledore inclined his head. “He has returned, yes.”

“So… Now what?”

“I am afraid that we are on the cusp of an incredibly trying and terrible time. From now on, we must all endeavour to remember what truly matters,” said Dumbledore. “As for more practical solutions, this is why I must now leave you. I must find the Minister for Magic so that we can discuss where to go from here.”

The headmaster nodded his farewell to Artemis, who watched him walk away, the sound of his feet treading and the hem of his cloak brushing over the flagstone floor echoing in her ears with his final words.

Where to go from here… Where was there to go from here? She had come in search of Bill, but he was busy, and so was Molly, and everyone else in the castle, because something bad had happened, and it had been her fault, and now…

Before she was aware of what she was doing, her feet had started to carry her back towards the grounds, in the direction of the Quidditch pitch and the labyrinth, where the crowd was now dispersing, with Aurors having appeared at the scene to manage and interview the confused and concerned witnesses mingling around the edges of the pitch. She caught a glimpse of Badeea’s headscarf among them, and began to walk towards her friend, but stopped in her tracks when she saw that Badeea was talking to Chester, and pointing in the direction that Artemis had left by. He was looking for her, but she did not want to be found. Not by him, nor by anyone.

Artemis ducked behind the changing tents so that she was out of sight from the crowd. She could hear them behind her, the noise they made like the hum of bees, loud but strangely distant, the peculiar sort of low hum of activity that could have been peaceful, but she knew that was not the case. Nothing was peaceful, nor would it be so again. Everything had changed, the world had shifted, and now here she was, standing at the edge of it, alone and with no way of going back.

She felt dizzy with a mixture of feelings, none of which she wanted to feel. It was too much. It was all too much, and every fibre of her being was telling her to run, to get away from it all; from the maze, the crowd, the castle, her own thoughts, everything.

Her eyes focused on a single broomstick resting against the canvas material of the changing tents, and everything in her periphery faded away. She reached out and took hold of the broom, feeling the polished wooden handle beneath her fingers, before swinging one leg over it and pushing off from the ground.

And then she flew away.

#artemis hexley #hpff #harry potter fanfiction #goblet of fire #triwizard tournament #bill weasley #molly weasley #cedric diggory #mad eye moody #barty crouch jr #albus dumbledore #hphm fic #hogwarts mystery

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