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the-al-chemist · 1 year

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Artemis Hexley and the Return to the Riddles

Chapter 7: The Most Powerful Puffskein at Hogwarts

A/N: I had THE most fun writing this chapter. Happy Halloween. Kudos to @cursebreakerfarrier for changing the furby’s eyes in the above photo. Warnings: mentions of grief/loss, and a savage beast.

October was growing more autumnal by the day, with the sky painted grey and the grounds covered in leaves in every imaginable shade of umber, orange, and yellow. The giant pumpkins in Hagrid’s garden were almost ready to be picked, and the students had started to don their knitwear. It was a typical autumn term at Hogwarts, in almost every way, except for one thing: the thief was still at large.

With more items going missing daily, and still no luck finding the culprit, Corey Hayden the Head Boy was arranging more and more prefects’ meetings, which Artemis was finding more and more tedious.

“Honestly, this is pointless,” she whispered to Charlie, as Corey announced - yet again - that he still had no leads. “If they’ve run out of the good sandwiches by the time we get to lunch, I’m going to be livid.”

Charlie made a low, sympathetic humming noise, and Artemis crossed her arms over her chest as she looked out of the window at the rain falling steadily on the surface of the Black Lake outside. On the shore, a single white swan was grooming itself and ruffling its feathers. It was miserable weather outside, but Artemis still would have gladly traded places with that one wet swan, if only to avoid having to listen to Corey droning on.

“I’ve been re-reading all my detective novels,” Corey was now saying, “and I think we really should consider the possibility that the thief is one of the people who reported an item stolen.”

“Why would a thief report a theft that they committed?”

“In order to shift the blame from themselves. In The Detective Files of-”

“You’re using tips from detective novels to help you find out whose been nicking a few girls’ jewellery from around the school?” said Victor Ketsueki, an arrogant smirk playing on his lips. “What’s your next theory? A Niffler did it?”

There were a few muffled snorts of laughter from around the room as Victor rolled his eyes and Corey bristled. Artemis pursed her lips. Though she found Corey insufferable, she disliked Victor just as much. She also hated these meetings, but at least she had the good sense to sit through them in surly silence and not try and draw attention to herself. Besides, it wasn’t just ‘a few girls’ jewellery’ that had been lost. These were things that had meant something to their original owners, and still did, such as Murphy’s Golden Snitch pin badge and Talbott’s mother’s old necklace.

She narrowed her eyes at both Corey and Victor before returning her attention to the view from the window. The rain outside was falling more heavily now, and even the swan had disappeared from view, presumably having grown as bored of his own situation as Artemis had of hers.

“Well, if you all wouldn’t mind speaking again to the people in your houses who claim to have had things stolen from them, that would be appreciated,” Corey said. “You’re all free to go.”

At last, Artemis thought. She slung her yellow rucksack over her shoulder and followed Charlie and Badeea across the classroom. She got to the door at the same time as Victor Ketsueki, who stepped in front of her as if he hadn’t noticed her there.

“Excuse me.” Her mouth dropped open. “I was just-”

“Well done. You remembered the words I taught you,” said Victor. He gave her an insincere smile before turning his collar up and walking away down the corridor in the opposite direction to the rest of the prefects.

Artemis frowned as she watched him leave. Why was he not going to lunch in the Great Hall like everyone else? What was he up to?

“He’s probably meeting a girl,” said Badeea, as Artemis caught up with her and Charlie. “They all seem to like him these days.”

“Why?”

“I expect it’s because of the poems. You should see him in the Common Room, he’s always scribbling away. Tulip and I asked him what he was writing the other night, he told us it was a haiku.”

“Bless you.”

“It’s a kind of Japanese poem,” Badeea laughed, not unkindly. “Short but sweet, you know?”

“She knows about one of those things,” muttered Charlie, and he left for the Gryffindor table.

He was already halfway across the Great Hall before Artemis understood the joke, and so she tutted to herself as she took her own seat at the Hufflepuff table with her dorm-mates.

“How was the meeting?” asked Penny. “Are you any closer to finding out who the thief is?”

“No.”

“Well, did you tell Corey about mine and Talbott’s Animagus theory?”

Artemis shook her head. As much as she agreed with Penny and Talbott that their theory made sense, what with the fact that ingredients needed to make the Animagus potion had been stolen from Professor Snape’s storeroom, she didn’t see how her sharing the idea with Corey would help find the thief, or if he’d even listen to her in the first place.

“Corey’s got it into his head that one of the people who’ve had something stolen might be the thief,” she told the others. “He read about it in some detective story.”

“For Godric’s sake.” Tonks rolled her eyes. “He does realise that stories aren’t real, right?”

“I’m more interested in why someone would steal all these things in the first place,” said Chiara, her pale eyes furrowing. “I understand the potion ingredients to make an Animagus potion, but the rest… There doesn’t seem to be much rhyme or reason to it. Jae told me in Divination that half of it wouldn’t even be that valuable. Perhaps we are looking at some sort of sudden onset kleptomania. It might be spell or trauma induced.”

“In which case, we’d need to look into anyone acting strangely or out of character.”

“Like Victor Ketsueki,” said Artemis, her teeth grazing her bottom lip. “Everyone who knows him says he’s been acting differently since we’ve been back at Hogwarts.”

“Well, yes.” Penny’s blonde hair fell over her shoulders as she shook her head. “But that is because he’s been turned into a vampire.”

“Has he, though? Or is that just a big lie? Because as far as I’ve seen, he’s not vampire-like, he’s just rude and full of himself. And, I just saw him skulking off somewhere by himself at lunchtime. Why would he not go for lunch unless he was up to something?”

“Because vampires don’t eat like regular people. And he is a vampire, not a kleptomaniac.”

“Can he not be both?” Artemis asked, and Penny sighed deeply. “No, but think about it. If he is a vampire, like you say he is, then he would be able to steal things easily, wouldn’t he? He can go anywhere he likes, as long as someone invites him in. Loads of girls like him these days, they might do it, or he could just fly into all the dormitories as a bat.”

“If someone had invited him in, then they’d know he was there to steal things,” Penny reasoned. “And him already changing into a bat would mean that he wouldn’t need to become an Animagus.”

Artemis frowned. Penny had a point. Still, there was something not right about Victor, she was sure of it. Penny clearly could see that she had out-argued Artemis, because she gave her a wide smile and returned to her lunch. Artemis sighed before picking out some sandwiches for herself. Her stomach had begun to rumble almost as loudly as the thunder outside.

After lunch, Artemis had a double Care of Magical Creatures lesson. Having finished her sandwiches and bade farewell to the other girls, she made her way through the wet and windy grounds to the outdoor classroom, where she found all the rest of her classmates standing under the wooden shelters as they waited for Professor Kettleburn to arrive.

All except one, that was.

“Where’s Merula?” Artemis asked. Her question was met with a chorus of non-committal noises and Charlie Weasley’s shrugging shoulders. “Ismelda, you’re Merula’s friend. Do you not have any idea where she is?”

“No,” muttered Ismelda. “I dunno where she is, and I’m not her friend, either.”

“But I thought-”

“You thought wrong, didn’t you?” Ismelda sighed, a dark look in her eyes. “Merula and I hardly even speak these days. She went all of last month without saying a word to me. I’m not exaggerating.”

“She isn’t,” said Barnaby, nodding his head enthusiastically. “Merula didn’t speak to anyone last month at all. She didn’t even tell me I was stupid. I thought that maybe I was getting cleverer, but she is talking again now and she’s called me stupid three times in the last week. So I don’t think I am getting cleverer, after all. Look, a Bowtruckle!”

Barnaby walked off to look at a nearby tree with a spring in his step, apparently nonplussed by Merula’s behaviour. Artemis frowned.

“Wait,” she said, turning back to Ismelda. “So, Merula didn’t talk for a whole month?”

“Yes, Hexley. I’m surprised that you didn’t notice.”

“Do you know why?”

“No. All I know is that she’s now talking again,” Ismelda scowled. “Talking too much, if you ask me. Keeps reciting lines of poetry or something in Latin at dawn and dusk every day. It’s irritating.”

As Professor Kettleburn trudged through the mud to meet them and the lesson began, Artemis found herself struggling to concentrate. As the class went on with no sign of Merula, something kept niggling at the back of her brain.

“Earth to Artemis,” said Charlie, waving his hand in front of her face. She blinked, realising that she had not been paying attention. Charlie frowned. “You alright, mate?”

“Yeah, I just… Don’t you think it’s weird?”

“Er, what?”

“Merula,” Artemis said. “I mean, she stops talking for a month, and then she’s speaking odd Latin words, and now she’s not here.”

“I guess,” Charlie shrugged, and used the sleeve of his robes to push rainwater off his face as yet another roll of thunder echoed in the distance. “Maybe she just doesn’t like the idea of being out in this rain.”

“And the Latin?”

“I dunno. A spell, maybe? I don’t know what kind of spell you’d need to do every morning and evening though.”

Artemis’ eyes widened. She actually did know of a spell that had to be recited every morning and evening without fail; she had recited it herself for a while shortly before her fourteenth birthday, the night she had become an Animagus. Thinking about it, she had also spent a month not talking as part of the ritual, having held a mandrake leaf under her tongue for an entire lunar cycle.

There was another great rumble of thunder, and Artemis bit her lip, hard. The final stage of the Animagus ritual had to take place during a storm. If her suspicions were correct - and she was certain that they were - Merula would be attempting to complete the spell as soon as the storm reached the grounds.

The second Professor Kettleburn dismissed the class, Artemis set off at a run. She had to find Merula, and quickly. The Animagus spell was complicated, she knew that from her own experience, and if it went wrong, the effects could be catastrophic. Artemis had only been able to do it with the combined help of Rowan, Penny, and Talbott, and as far as she knew, Merula was doing it alone.

Once she was sure she was out of sight of her peers, she transformed into a cat and ran through the wet grass across the grounds. When she had completed the final part of the Animagus spell, she had done so on the Quidditch pitch, a good open space that was out of sight from the castle or Hagrid’s hut. It seemed a sensible place to look for Merula, and surely enough, when she got there, she could see her standing in the centre of the pitch.

“Merula!” Artemis called out, girl-formed once more, and Merula turned around to scowl at her.

“What do you want, Hexley?”

“Are you trying to become an Animagus?”

Merula’s scathing look became one of surprise, then one of mistrust.

“How…” she crossed her arms over her chest and glowered at Artemis. In one of her hands was a small potion vial that might have been made of crystal. “What’s it to you?”

“You know how dangerous that is, right?”

“Only if you don’t know what you’re doing.”

“Do you know what you’re doing, though?” asked Artemis, and Merula rolled her eyes. “I mean it, Merula. You’re messing around with really difficult and-”

“Sod off, Hexley. Stop interfering in things you don’t understand.”

“Actually, Merula, I do understand.”

Merula scoffed. “Yeah, right.”

“Yeah,” said Artemis, and she sighed deeply before transforming into a cat and back again. Merula’s jaw dropped open. “Right.”

“Okay, so you’re a hypocrite,” Merula told her, quickly regaining her composure. “You don’t care about me. You just want to be the only person at Hogwarts who can change into an animal.”

“I’m not…” Artemis shook her head, stopping before she let Talbott’s secret slip. “I just wanted to make sure that you have help.”

“I don’t need help.”

“I needed help.”

“Well, I’m not you,” snapped Merula. “Just go away, Hexley.”

“I’m not going anywhere. I’m going to help you whether you want me to or not.”

The two girls glared at each other stubbornly for a few moments, until a roll of thunder - louder and closer than any of the ones preceding it - made Merula give in.

“Ugh, fine. Just don’t get in my way,” she said. “And don’t say anything. You’ll only annoy me.”

In response, Artemis pressed her forefinger to her lips. Above them, ominous dark clouds had gathered, and the rain was falling so heavily that Artemis wasn’t sure that Merula would hear her even if she were to say something. There was a flash of lightning, and the potion in Merula’s hand turned red. Merula looked from the potion to the sky, and then at Artemis, who nodded grimly.

“Bottoms up,” Merula shouted over the sound of the thunder. She pulled the stopper off the potion vial and brought it to her lips, drinking until the liquid was drained. She pointed her wand to the centre of her torso.

“Wait,” said Artemis, already breaking her silence. “You have to point at your heart.”

Merula frowned, but moved her wand upwards and to her left, before reciting the incantation: “Amato Animo Animato Animagus!” She paused, and seemed to battle with herself before turning to Artemis and asking, “Now what?”

“Now you transform,” Artemis told her. “You should have an idea of the animal you’ll become, like you can see it behind your eyes. Imagine yourself transforming, and then do it.”

As Merula closed her eyes, Artemis crossed her fingers, already wondering what - if any - animal Merula would turn into. If she were to guess, she would have said that Merula might be a wildcat, or a crow, or a skunk; something untamed and savage. More than anything, she hoped that Merula had managed to complete the entire ritual correctly, and would not end up permanently misfigured.

Artemis closed her eyes as well, barely able to watch, and when she opened them, Merula was gone. She looked down at the ground where Merula’s feet had been to see something small, spherical, and completely covered in thick brown fur.

“A Puffskein!” Relieved and amused, Artemis laughed out loud. Puffskein-Merula looked up at her, and she laughed harder as she realised that even in Puffskein form, Merula had retained her orange fringe, violet eyes, and grumpy expression. “Sorry, I just… You’re a Puffskein!”

Puffskein-Merula made a high-pitched angry chirrup that only served to make Artemis double over with laughter. When she managed to stop and get her breath back, Artemis could see that Merula looked even grumpier than ever.

“Honestly, Merula, I’m just relieved that you managed to do it without hurting yourself,” said Artemis, biting her lip to stop herself from giggling again. “Right. Turn back so we can go back to the castle and out of the rain.”

Merula chirruped again, remaining in her Puffskein form.

“Oh, come on. It’s cold and I’m soaked through,” Artemis rolled her eyes, and Puffskein-Merula screwed her own shut. She still did not change back. Artemis’ eyes widened in horror. “You can change back, right?”

Puffskein-Merula screwed up her Puffskein face again and again, clearly trying her hardest to transform back into a human, to no avail. There was no doubt about it: Merula was stuck as a Puffskein.

“Merula, I think we need to get you some help. Look, I’m really, really sorry about this, but…”

Grimacing, Artemis bent down and picked up Puffskein-Merula, tucking her under her cloak and ignoring her loud and indignant chirrups as she carried her back to the castle.

Artemis’ first thought had been to take Merula to Professor McGonagall; as the Transfiguration teacher and an Animagus herself, she was bound to know how to return Merula to her human form. However, even as a Puffskein, Merula was able to make her opinions on this matter clear. After Artemis had gained a set of Puffskein-sized tooth marks on her lower arm, she decided that maybe Merula was right, and it would be better to try and solve the problem without any help from the school staff.

Unfortunately, neither the general counter spell nor the detransfiguration spell McGonagall had taught Artemis in her second year served to help Merula at all. She tried taking Merula to the library to see if she could find anything in the books Rowan had used to research the Animagus spell in their third year, but was thrown out by Madam Pince the librarian after Merula attempted to do her own research, using her mouth and hairy body to turn the pages of the large, leather-bound tomes.

“I will not tolerate pets being allowed to handle books, Miss Hexley!” Madam Pince said, glaring at Puffskein-Merula. “Look at this. There are toothmarks on the page!”

“You should see my arm,” muttered Artemis, but she did as Madam Pince told her. She scooped Merula up and carried her out of the library and down to the Hufflepuff Common Room. “Chiara did her work experience in the spell damage ward at St Mungo’s,” she whispered. “She might know what to do.”

Merula exhaled loudly, but did not try to bite. Artemis took that as a sign that she was happy with this plan. She found Chiara revising Herbology with Penny and Tonks in the corner of the Common Room, and plonked Merula down on the table in front of them.

“You know how you thought that the thief was hoping to become an Animagus?” she asked Penny, who nodded. “Well, we were right. The thing is, now Merula is stuck like this.”

“Wait, Merula was the thief?” Penny asked, her blue eyes wide.

“She was. Now she’s just a Puffskein,” said Artemis, and Merula let out a series of grumbling chirps that made the others start to giggle. Merula narrowed her round eyes at them, and Artemis rolled her own. “I don’t know what you’re so annoyed about, Merula. It’s not our fault that you look ridiculous. Chiara, any ideas on how to get her back the way she was?”

Before Chiara could respond, the girls were interrupted by the arrival of Bea Haywood, who rushed over to the girls with one of her friends, both of them barely able to conceal their excitement.

“Is that your Puffskein, Artemis? Can we play with it?”

Artemis shrugged. “Sure. Why not?”

Bea and her friend went to pick up Puffskein-Merula, who puffed up her fur, bared her teeth, and growled at them. The two younger girls squealed with delight.

“Oh, my goodness!” said Bea’s friend, both her hands placed to her cheeks. “It’s so cute!”

“You know, they have a point,” whispered Tonks, as Bea carried a squirming and chirruping Merula away. “Do we haveto put her back the way she was?”

“Ethically, yes,” said Chiara, though she looked tempted.

“Shame. Guess I’ll just have to find something else to use for Beater practice.”

“Do you know how to change her back?” Artemis asked Chiara, who shook her head.

“No, human-animal transfiguration is far too complicated for me to reverse. You should probably take her Professor McGonagall or Madam Pomfrey.”

“I did try that, but she wasn’t too keen on the idea.”

“I’m not surprised,” Penny huffed. “Really, she could get into an awful lot of trouble for this. Not just the spell, but the stealing, too. I wonder why she’s been doing it.”

“We’ll never know if we don’t get her back in a shape where she can tell us,” sighed Artemis. “I guess I’ll just have to persuade her that McGonagall is the best option. In case she won’t listen, can I borrow a pair of Herbology gloves from one of you? I didn’t realise such tiny teeth would hurt so much.”

Eventually, Artemis was able to prise Merula away from the third year girls, and between the threat of being stuck as a child’s pet forever and the promise that Artemis would take the blame for her transformation, Merula was far more amenable to being taken to Professor McGonagall. The Transfiguration teacher was not best pleased with the situation, nor with Artemis’ explanation that Merula’s state was the result of a duel gone wrong. After a lecture about school rules and ‘knowing better by now’, Merula was sent to the Hospital Wing and Artemis back to the common room, both Hufflepuff and Slytherin having lost twenty house points each.

Merula was still in the Hospital Wing a week later, much to her disgust. Artemis had been curious to know how her detransfiguration was going, but so far, Merula had declined visitors.

“She’s finally stopped chirping,” Chiara told her friends over dinner after having spent the evening volunteering in the Hospital Wing. “But her eyes are still round and her forehead is a bit hairy. Madam Pomfrey is hopeful that she will be out in time for the Halloween feast on Wednesday, though.”

“Well, that is good,” said Penny. “I’d hate to think of anyone missing their last Halloween feast.”

She aimed her last sentence at Artemis, who pursed her lips tightly. So far, she had managed to miss the majority of every single annual Halloween feast during her time at Hogwarts. It wasn’t her fault - each year something had happened to prevent her attending - but in Penny’s eyes, missing an event like Halloween was close to sacrilege. Still, being her last year, Artemis was fully intending to not miss the feast this time.

“I’m guessing that no one has been able to ask Merula about the stolen stuff if she’s only just stopped chirping?” Tonks asked, and Chiara shook her head. Penny frowned.

“Artemis, you did tell Corey about Merula being the thief, didn’t you?” she said, sighing heavily when Artemis shook her head. “Well, you really had ought to tell someone. You know, that necklace was given to Talbott by his mum before she died. It has a feather on it from her Animagus form.”

“I know, it’s just… Well, why would Merula steal that?” Artemis wrinkled her nose. “I know she took Snape’s potions ingredients and broke into the greenhouse, but we haven’t got any proof that she took anything else. I’d rather speak to her about it myself before I get Corey involved. He’ll only stick his nose in where it’s not wanted and take over.”

“I suppose so. It could be that there are two thieves, after all. Talbott did say that Tulip was telling Badeea that she saw someone trying to poke around the Whomping Willow the other day.”

“What? But that’s mad!”

“I’m just telling you what Talbott said Tulip said,” Penny said. “Apparently it looked like they were leaving something under the roots, or picking something up from under the roots. You never know, it might have been the thief hiding their loot.”

Artemis couldn’t imagine that anyone, thief or not, would risk hiding anything under the vicious tree, but she nodded anyway. It was something else to bring up with Merula once she was free from the Hospital Wing. Until then, she had plenty of other more exciting things to think about, like Quidditch practice and Halloween.

But by the day of the feast, Artemis had stopped feeling excited at all. She woke up on Wednesday morning feeling strangely apathetic, with a small niggling doubt that grew as the day went on, despite her being unsure what she was doubtful of. It was only as she walked into the Great Hall and saw Penny, Tonks, and Chiara sitting at the pumpkin-decked Hufflepuff table beneath the bat-ridden ceiling that she realised exactly what was bothering her: something - or rather, someone - was missing.

Suddenly, Artemis didn’t fancy going to the Halloween feast at all. Thankfully, her friends hadn’t seen her yet, so she slipped away before they could beckon her over to sit with her, and left to sit in the quad, looking at the stars and listening to the sounds of the other students in the Great Hall from outside its walls.

A set of footsteps broke her peace and quiet, and she looked up to see that someone else was walking away from the feast. She squinted to see who it was in the darkness, and though she couldn’t make out their facial features, she recognised the leather jacket they wore over their robes.

“Victor?”

“What are you doing out here?” asked Victor Ketsueki, stuffing his hands into his pockets and he walked towards her. “Don’t you have a feast to go to?”

“I could ask you the same thing,” Artemis told him, and he laughed sharply.

“Yeah, I don’t really see the point. Like, pumpkins and skeletons are cool when you’re eleven, but we are adults now,” he said, shaking his head so that his hair fell away from his face. “There are better things I can do with my spare time.” He cocked an eyebrow at Artemis and leaned towards her as he added, “Talking to you isn’t one of them. Sorry, Hexley.”

He skulked away, leaving Artemis to glower at the back of his head.

“Where are you going?” she called after him, and he laughed again.

“Wouldn’t you like to know?”

Artemis, thoroughly annoyed now, crossed her arms and scowled. What did everybody see in Victor Ketsueki? He wasn’t mysterious, he was just arrogant. Were all vampires like that? And what was he up to, sneaking around when everyone else was at the Halloween feast? A suspicion re-entered Artemis’ mind; perhaps Victor really was the thief. She didn’t care what Penny said about it not making sense, it made sense to her. No doubt he was off to steal things right now.

Artemis’ mind was made up. She was going to follow him and catch him in the act. She went back inside the castle, where she could hear footsteps echoing down the corridor, and she followed the noise, her lit wand in her hand. She must have been gaining on him, because the footsteps were getting louder. Speeding up, she turned the corner and-

“OW!”

Artemis stepped backwards, rubbing her forehead where she had crashed into the person who had been walking around the corner. Apparently, the footsteps had been getting louder because their owner had been walking towards her.

“Sorry,” she said, looking up at the person she had crashed into. The other person glared back at her with narrowed violet eyes.

“Watch where you’re going, Hexley,” said Merula, rubbing her nose. “You nearly broke my face.”

“Like I said, I’m sorry. I thought you were someone else.”

“Who?”

“Victor Ketsueki. I was trying to follow him.”

“Don’t tell me you’re one of those girls now,” Merula said, rolling her eyes. “And I thought I couldn’t possibly have any less respect for you…”

“It’s not like that,” Artemis shook her head. “I think he might be the person who’s been stealing all the stuff from the dormitories.”

“Ketsueki? Nah.”

“Why not? He’s been acting strangely ever since he came back from the summer,” said Artemis, but Merula looked unconvinced. “I think it’s more likely to be him than you.”

“Me?” Merula looked almost offended. “Why would I be nicking stuff from people’s dormitories?”

“I dunno. You nicked stuff from Snape’s store.”

“Only the stuff for the Animagus potion.”

“Penny thought that maybe whoever was making the potion was trying to to become an Animagus so they could steal things more easily.”

“That’s because Haywood is a moron.”

“She isn’t,” Artemis’ nostrils flared. “Okay, then. Why were you trying to become an Animagus? There must have been some reason.”

Merula pursed her lips before answering. “I just wanted to see if I could.”

“You what?”

“It’s one of the most complicated spells there is. I wanted to prove that I was powerful enough to do it.”

“Well, that worked out just great, didn’t it?”

“Shut up, Hexley. I almost got it completely right.”

“Almost,” Artemis raised her eyebrows at Merula before peering up and down the corridor. “I wonder where he’s gone. Maybe to the Whomping Willow.”

“What?” asked Merula, her eyebrows knitting together.

“Apparently someone has been hanging around the Whomping Willow. They think it’s the thief.”

“Why would they think that?”

“Because they were hiding things under the roots. Like maybe stolen stuff,” Artemis shrugged. “But don’t you see? That’s why it makes sense for it to be Victor Ketsueki. Most people would be scared of getting whomped, but if he’s a vampire, he’s hardly going to care about a tree, is he?”

“I guess not,” Merula said, looking deep in thought. “I thought he’d made up the whole vampire thing, but maybe you’re right for once, Hexley. It might be him.”

“I’m sure it is. Do you want to help me find him?”

“He could be anywhere now, and it’s the Halloween feast,” replied Merula, hesitantly. “Shouldn’t you be there, too?”

“Oh,” Artemis averted her eyes. “I dunno. I’m not sure I want to go, really.”

“Why not?”

“Nothing. It’s stupid.”

“Either it’s stupid enough that you don’t need to worry about it and you should just go, or it’s not stupid and… Well, maybe you might want to… I dunno… talk about it?”

Artemis tilted her head. “With you?”

“Maybe. I guess. Yeah.”

Merula huffed, but her face was sincere and not mocking. Artemis sighed.

“Fine,” she said. “It’s just that every year I’ve missed the feast, and the one year I’ve been able to enjoy it, I can’t because Rowan’s not here to enjoy it with me. I went to go and I suddenly felt really guilty, like I should have gone before and been there with her, and now it’s too late for that and…”

“You’d rather not go at all than go without her,” Merula finished Artemis’ sentence for her. Artemis nodded, and Merula frowned. “Why not? I mean, if Khanna liked the Halloween feast so much, she’d hardly want you to sit out here and mope about instead of going, would she? And anyway, it’s not like you’ll have another chance to go. It’s our last one. You say you regret not going before because it’s too late, you know that next year you’ll regret not going this year either, and it’ll really be too late.”

“I suppose.”

“Ugh, I hate that you’re making me do this,” muttered Merula. “Hexley, if you don’t go, then I won’t go.”

“Do you not want to go?” Artemis asked her.

“Obviously I want to go. I love the Halloween feast. It’s the best night of the year, I can’t believe you’ve been missing out all this time.”

“But-”

“But you stayed with me in the rain to make sure I didn’t get horrifically misfigured, and you took the blame for me turning into a Puffskein, so… I owe you one. If you’re not going, I’m not going.”

Merula’s face was stubborn, but Artemis was sure that she could see a faint glimmer of triumph in her violet eyes. Artemis sighed.

“Well then, it looks like I don’t have much choice but to go, do I?” she said, and together, the two girls walked back through the darkened castle towards the Great Hall, where the Halloween Feast was just about to begin.

#artemis hexley #hogwarts mystery #hphm fic #hphm #the hexley saga #merula snyde #penny haywood #nymphadora tonks #chiara lobosca #charlie weasley #ismelda murk #barnaby lee #corey hayden #victor ketsueki #beatrice haywood #puffskein merula #badeea ali

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eternalchaoschocolaterain · 26 days

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Why did they make this character? Corey is a waste of space. We have so many fun and likeable characters. There was no need to make him

#hogwarts mystery #corey hayden

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electricslytherindog · 2 years

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"He doesn't have any other friends! He wants to manipulate all of your time!!!"

Look who is talking now

#hphm #harry potter #harry potter hogwarts mystery #hp #harry potter hogwarts game #jam city #hogwarts #hogwarts mystery #merula snyde #corey hayden #mc #jacob's sibling

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lifeofkaze · 1 year

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Firebug

I could write a whole essay about how and why I love you, @the-al-chemist, but honestly, I don't think I have to.

I think you know. No, actually, I know you know. You're the bestest. Happy Birthday 💛💛💛

A/N: Katriona Cassiopeia is the brainchild of the lovely @kc-and-co. Artemis Hexley belongs to @the-al-chemist, ofc. Warning: Language, dark noir world-weariness.

It’s a day like any other, really.

To be honest, most of them are. Same drag, same routine, day in, day out in this fucked up little world, where a new cigarette brand at the store is the biggest outrage and excitement people have seen in weeks.

My morning starts like most days do - wake up from the shouting in the streets; squint at the dirty midday light filtering through even dirtier windows; roll out of bed and find some breakfast consisting of cold coffee and a cigarette, both of which taste suspiciously like ash.

I spend my time running errands, helping my brother Bill with those business transactions of his that require a little more subtlety. From the change I find in his debtors’ pockets, I treat myself to lunch at Molly’s - lukewarm eggs, rubbery bacon and beans that are worse than my morning coffee. A bloody culinary dream.

I’m still thinking about Mama Molly’s scrambled eggs as the doors of the custody cell fall shut behind me. Office Corey Hayden, the portly policeman who has locked me up, says nothing, just scratches his fat belly with the doughnut crumbs on it and shakes his head at me.

“This is the fourth time this week, Weasley.”

“And it’s already Saturday. Disappointing, I know.”

As I said - a day like any other, really.

Officer Doughnut rolls his eyes and turns away. He has a football match playing on his small television in the corner. I bury my hands in my pockets, grunting as I chafe my knuckles on the scratchy fabric. The wounds still sting, but the bastard on the receiving end has had it coming. Thinking about him makes the rage in me flare up again. One scumbag down, a million more to go.

Like a giant fucking hydra.

Rubbing my fingers with the fresh blood against each other, I place one bloody thumbprint against the wall, right next to the one from two days prior. My own personal scoring record. I was here. I will come back.

Officer Hayden grunts. “‘Tis ain’t no fucking gallery, Weasley. Stop it.”

“And if not?”

The police officer grunts again and focuses on the match, turning the television so I can see what’s going on.

“Is it too much to watch some goddamn rugby, at least?” I hear a voice behind me, followed by two sharp clicking sounds. I turn.

Behind me sits a woman; a girl, even, it’s hard to tell. She looks small in her oversized coat, and her mane of unkempt hair. She’s scrawny, almost haggardly so. Mama Molly wouldn’t be able to resist stuffing her with food until she’d throw up from either amount, or taste, or both. The source of the clicking sound, I realise, is a silver lighter she holds in her hand. She flicks it open and closes it again, her eyes trained on the TV screen. I cock my brow at her.

“Not exactly the Ritz, ain’t it?”

“Dunno. Never been there.”

She stares at me, a challenge if I’ve ever seen one. Her eyes are strange, hazel, with a green ring around the middle. They remind me of a cat. How curious.

“And who would you be?” I ask, leaning against the bars of our shared confinement. “Never seen you around before.”

Her cat-eyes narrow. “Are you hitting on me?”

“Just trying to start a conversation.”

She snorts. “Don’t bother.”

“I’d listen to her, Weasley,” Officer Corey chimes in, putting his feet on top of a pile of paperwork that will never see completion. “Tried to bite me earlier.”

I turn my attention back to her. “Feisty, are you?”

She only glares.

“Whatever,” I shrug into her sullen silence. “I’m Charlie, by the way.”

More silence. I shrug again and concentrate on the match. Exeter City have just swindled themselves to a penalty. Suddenly, the cat-eye-woman speaks up.

“I’m Fire.”

“Feisty and confident.”

“No,” she says angrily, “that’s what they call me at work.”

“You have work?”

“Why are you so surprised?”

“You’re here, aren’t you?”

“So are you.”

The corners of my mouth twitch. “Maybe this is my job.”

A snort can be heard from Officer Corey’s corner. The woman gives me a hard look from her strange eyes.

“Are you taking the piss?”

“Anything to lighten the mood.”

I flash her a grin but receive only a frown in return.

“Forget it, Weasley,” Corey calls again, followed by a groan as Exeter’s striker kicks the ball straight past the goal. “She’s like a feral cat, that one.”

“Have yet to meet a cat who doesn’t like me.”

Silence again. Exeter have taken the failed penalty badly and - much to Officer Corey’s chagrin - are falling apart quickly. From time to time, I glance at the woman with the cat-eyes. She’s stopped playing with her lighter and is staring at the wall as if, by the sheer force of her bad mood alone, she could blow a hole in it. I sigh.

“You really are one fun cellmate, aren’t you?”

I almost think she has stopped responding to me altogether when she raises her chin and asks,

“Why are you here?”

“Animals,” I tell her, seeing her shoulders relax, even if only slightly. “I get them from illegal breeders who treat them like shit. Giving them a taste of their own medicine. That’s why I’m here.”

I’m not sure she believes me. Her face gives away nothing.

“That’s what you meant about the cats earlier?”

“I did.”

“And that’s all?”

“That’s all. What about you? Who did you piss off?”

“No one,” she responds stubbornly. “A misunderstanding.”

“Misunderstanding my arse,” Officer Corey huffs. “Picked her up by the harbour earlier.”

I frown. “Where the big fire was?”

“Right bloody next to it. And good thing we did. She’s with that Cassiopeia lady, or so I’ve heard. No good ever comes of that lot.”

Corey’s words pique my interest. I know KC and her girls. Despite what Officer Corey thinks, they’re good girls, all of them. The business they’re dealing in is beyond me, but everyone with half a brain cell left knows to leave them alone. They look like angels, but their kiss brings death.

I look at my cellmate.

Or fire.

I nod at the lighter she has taken out again. “That why they call you Fire?”

She tenses, and the lighter disappears in her pocket in an instant. “No.”

“Why then?”

“None of your business.”

“Well, I’ve got time.”

“Tough luck. I don’t.”

With that, she rises to her feet and walks past me to the door of our cell. Beyond the bars, a woman has appeared in the doorway to the police station, surrounded by a cloud of glamour and expensive perfume. Katriona ‘KC’ Cassiopeia takes a long look at the woman calling herself Fire, a resigned sigh leaving her blood-red lips. She pulls a slender purse from her handbag and places a big bundle of banknotes on Officer Corey’s desk. Thumbing through them with greasy fingers, he finishes his doughnut and gets up to unlock the cell.

“Off you go, Miss.”

KC’s eyes only graze me, but she gives me a nod of recognition anyway. I return it. Down in the drags, we’re all in the same boat, after all, one way or another.

“This is not what we agreed on, Artemis,” I hear KC hiss at her protégée, who stubbornly looks ahead. I swear I can see her non-existent fur bristling. “You’re a proper fire hazard at this point, you know that?”

“Way too small for a hazard,” I can’t help but comment. “More of a firebug, if you ask me.”

“Shame no one’s asking you, Weasley.” KC gives me a look. “Staying longer this time ‘round?”

“Only until my deposit arrives, I’m afraid.”

“Figures. I don’t have that much luck.”

The two women leave, quietly talking among themselves. I watch as they step outside into the drizzling rain, KC beneath a luxurious umbrella, her fiery friend hidden by the hood of her coat. As they vanish into the night, I see the quick flicker of a flame before that, too, disappears into the night.

I smirk to myself as I settle into my favourite corner of the cell. A new player, then.

Welcome to the game, little Firebug.

You’re in for a hell of a ride.

#hphm #hogwarts mystery #charlie weasley #artemis hexley #corey hayden #dark noir au #happy birthday al

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missnight0wl · 1 year

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Alright, if we already talk about the recent stupidity of HPHM, let’s talk about Merula – because every time she whines about her Unbreakable Vow, I’m like:

So, in Y7Ch53, Merula basically couldn’t shut up about her stupid Vow:

(...)

And I know that JC does it, so we’d feel sorry for poor little Mewuwa, but like… I can only laugh. Because it’s so fucking stupid if you only think about it for a moment.

Soooo… Merula can’t disobey Verucca, right? Cool. Let’s go back to Y7Ch15:

And then in Y7Ch16:

So… How Merula wasn’t scared to send her note, basically standing up to Verucca? And how the reply talks about the consequences next time? Shouldn’t she drop dead when she crossed them the first time? I know she said her Vow is not to R, but we know that she was staying in touch with R through Verucca.

Ok, but let’s move on. So, Merula can’t go against her aunt, can she? But apparently, she’s not scared to physically attack her. Let me remind you the scene from Y7Ch27:

Even the end of Y6 becomes incredibly stupid because of that Unbreakable Vow.

It can be interpreted in two ways:

Merula didn’t know she’s taking orders from Verucca which means that the Unbreakable Vow was absolutely pointless because Merula was obedient either way, just because o the power she was promised. If JC really needed to involve the Unbreakable Vow, they should’ve made Merula make it after that meeting in Knockturn Alley.

Merula was doing everything, knowing that she HAS TO do it because of the Unbreakable Vow. However, it means that she and Verucca are full of shit when they say Merula’s proven that she’s worthy because… no, she hasn’t! She literally had no choice, just like she keeps whining about it right now.

Seriously, the whole Unbreakable Vow plotline is just so… incredibly pathetic. I’d love to see someone from JC try to make any sense of it when confronted with actual questions.

It’s also pathetic that they’re probably so excited already about surprising everyone with this stupid “plot twist” that the Vow doesn’t work because Merula doesn’t consider Verucca her “true family”.

#long post #hogwarts mystery #hphm #hphm mc #merula snyde #anti merula #verucca buckthorn #hphm r #corey hayden #jam city #year 7 #Y7Ch53 #playing hphm

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carewyncromwell · 1 year

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For the character ask, I'd like to ask for Carewyn & Badeea, Corey and Victor?

Oh gosh, three?! X3 At least in the case of the second two, Carewyn honestly doesn't know them that well since her story divorces fully from the game's canon after the formation of the Circle of Khanna...

How Carewyn Feels About Badeea:

Carewyn only knew Badeea from afar for most of their school careers, merely thinking of her as that very pretty Ravenclaw with the amazing paintings, until Nearly Headless Nick suggested Carewyn talk to her about making original spells. Because of how introverted and private Badeea is personality-wise, Carewyn honestly had no idea Badeea liked making her own spells until then, nor even that she enjoyed Charms so much by itself...and since Charms is Carewyn's favorite and best subject, this ultimately became the thing the two bonded over most. That being said, Badeea also likes all the arts, and although Carewyn isn't as knowledgeable about graphic arts and Badeea isn't much of a musician, both of them appreciate each other's talent for music and painting respectively, and both really enjoy learning more about their respective school of interest from each other. One of Carewyn's favorite housewarming gifts, when she first moved into her new flat in London, was a painting by Badeea inspired by the events in the Sunken Vault, specifically the moment when the Circle broke apart and started to dance to Carewyn, Jacob, and Duncan Ashe singing Don McLean's American Pie, just before their final confrontation with R.

How Badeea Feels About Carewyn:

Badeea likewise only knew Carewyn from afar for most of her school career, though as the pretty Slytherin Cursebreaker who her dormmate Tulip used to mess with for being too serious. This changed when Carewyn approached her, and Badeea liked her pretty much from the get-go, loving how quickly Carewyn was able to key into her thought process and speaking cadence (something Orion Amari -- who like Badeea I see as an INFP -- likewise took note of and really likes about her) as well as her talent for music, which has served as great inspiration for Badeea's paintings. Carewyn often sends Muggle mixtapes and mix CD's as birthday gifts, so as to hopefully serve as good painting accompaniment, and Badeea always looks forward to listening to what Carewyn has come up with. Some of Badeea's favorite artists from Carewyn's "painting" playlists include Kenny Loggins, Enya, Loreena McKennitt, Genesis, and Sting.

How does Carewyn feel about these HPHM characters?

(Corey and Victor under the cut!!)

How Carewyn Feels About Corey:

Carewyn honestly didn't really interact with Corey at all until they became Head Girl and Head Boy, respectively. Even after becoming the Head Kids of their year, they really only spent time together for formal occasions, but Corey still seemed nice enough, to Carewyn. He even reminded Carewyn a little of her deceased best friend Rowan, which always made Carewyn sad to think about and sadly made it a little difficult for her to spend much time with him outside of their obligations as Head Kids.

How Corey Feels About Carewyn:

Corey admired Carewyn from afar just about all of their school careers, especially after hearing about her confrontation with Merula Snyde on his dormmate Ben Copper's behalf. Being both Ben and Charlie's dormmate, Corey naturally heard plenty about Carewyn throughout the years, but he honestly found her a little intimidating to talk to, however much he wished there might be more of a chance for him to talk to her. When they became Head Kids, Corey still didn't end up becoming that close to Carewyn, partly because Carewyn at that point seemed so preoccupied with enjoying her last year, reconnecting with her brother, and preparing for her future at the Ministry over making any new friends...but Corey was still really glad he got to work with her at all. His perspective had always been rather favorable toward Carewyn, and that perspective didn't change in the least upon getting to know her a little bit better.

How Carewyn Feels About Victor:

Carewyn honestly doesn't know Victor that well, aside from him being Talbott and Andre's dormmate. When Victor was unpopular, Carewyn didn't get much chance to get to know him -- if nothing else, one of Victor's only "friends" was Peeves, and there really wouldn't be anyone in the school Carewyn would want to spend less time with than the school poltergeist, if she had a choice. When Victor became abruptly popular in his and Carewyn's seventh year, he came across as rather superficial and self-absorbed to Carewyn, which deterred her from getting to know him further. Still, if he wanted attention, Carewyn was all too wiling to let Victor snatch it from everyone for a while -- after everything that went down with the Cursed Vaults, she liked the idea of a little peace for once.

How Victor Feels About Carewyn:

Okay, well, first off, I should say as a disclaimer...my Victor isn't entirely like game!Victor. Largely because I'm sorry, but the way the game portrays the school's reaction to Victor being a vampire makes no sense when juxtaposed along what little canon material we have about vampires prior to Jam City's creation of this character. So in my canon, Victor just changes his image in his seventh year to get attention, with his new "bad boy" look and attitude being inspired by the vampire performer Lorcan D'Eath. But yeah, so prior to his popularity boost, Victor envied Carewyn's popularity and wished he could be admired for doing exciting things too. When he found his niche and really embraced his new "cool" persona, Victor had actually secretly hoped that he'd be able to impress Carewyn with talk of all the daring, interesting things he'd done over the summer, since she was widely considered the most popular in their class -- and if she was impressed by him, that would have to mean he'd completely turned himself around and achieved the level of popularity he'd wanted. Victor was more than a little put-out when Carewyn reacted to his stories and "charms" with disinterest, though he tried to play it cool and act like it didn't matter.

#hphm #hogwarts mystery #analysis #hphm ask #corey hayden #victor ketsueki #badeea ali #carewyn cromwell

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mizutoyama · 2 years

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Real subtle, Charlie…

#hogwarts mystery #hphm #charlie weasley #nymphadora tonks #corey hayden #hogwarts mystery mc #alice beaumont #jacob’s sibling

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hellodanny-hphm · 2 years

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YEAR 7, CHAPTER 40

Corey with Merula: 😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡

Corey with Peregrine who obviously ordered the wampus in hogsmeade, to kill Jacob because he was looking for the claws and signed down for her kidnapping: 🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰

seriously

#harry potter hogwarts mystery #hogwarts mystery #hphm #jacob's sibling #hphm spoilers #merula snyde #hphm merula #corey hayden

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ramblings-of-a-mad-cat · 1 year

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one of the dataminers thinks that this is the split between ban and don’t ban merula from the circle based on the dialogue bubbles that show up during the activity.

ban: talbott, ben, andre, tonks, charlie, corey, george (and probably fred too)

don’t ban: ismelda, beatrice, chiara, liz, barnaby diego, and jae

With how late to the party I am, this is long past the point of datamines, so I don't even really need to tag it as such. (You know it's odd to think about but one day that Tag will be totally retired. Kind of surreal, actually.)

I'm getting distracted. This should be fun, let me just go through these characters one at a time. Starting with those who voted to keep Merula -

Ismelda and Beatrice are two characters that I'll discuss more in separate Asks (and I already have) but in general, I fully understand and support their choosing to vote in Merula's favor. It's a risk, to be sure, but frankly it's kind of a risk either way.

Chiara is no surprise, and bless her heart for being exactly the sort of caring, merciful person I know she is. Oh Chiara, you rock, never change Moonlight Bae, never change. In all seriousness, Chiara is exactly the sort of person who would give second chances, overlook betrayal, and offer the benefit of the doubt. We all know why.

Likewise, I expected nothing less from Liz and I respect her all the more for it. Let me give a self-indulgent example. I once wrote a scene where the Circle of Khanna was discussing a rogue Lethifold that had attacked Luca, and Liz argued that it was simply trying to feed itself. Because that's her. That's who she is. She's empathetic and understands the perspective of other creatures. Including wild, ornery Merulas.

Jae is fairly straightforward. He's had dealings with the shadier folk in the Wizarding World, in Knockturn Alley and such. I'd reckon he's much more likely to give Merula a second chance for that reason. He knows how it feels to skirt close to that line, and if anyone could tell the difference between the morally gray and the truly wicked, Jae could. Merula's no Dark Witch, not really, and I bet Jae can tell.

Diego is no surprise either. He's one of the only people in The Circle who genuinely thought of Merula as a friend. Unless they included some dialogue indicating that he felt horribly betrayed by this, having Diego vote any other way would have been downright odd.

Finally, Barnaby. He's treated simply enough by the writers, but this is still the right move for him, it's in his character. Merula was his friend once, and in general, he's an open hearted and forgiving person. While he's not as gullible as he used to be, I can definitely see him choosing to spare Merula rather than cast her out.

As for those who voted to ban her?

As far as banning goes, Corey is no surprise. This is personal for them and Merula is the reason they came within an inch of death. (I mean, for all they know, right?) They endured a traumatic experience with R because of her, so fair enough.

Charlie and the Weasleys in general are kind of whatever. Not to be dismissive of them, but they're only here for obligation and fanservice. (Apart from Bill.) This story isn't about them. And being blood traitors who detest Slytherin, The Dark Arts, and betrayal in general, this is no surprise.

Now Talbott, that is interesting. I would have half expected him to appear in the former list. Like Chiara, he has his own experiences and reasons for having a unique perspective on lawbreaking. However, he's also got history with Merula. True, his TLSQs are optional, but I think we can still treat them as canon in this instance. Either Talbott spared Merula once before, and she just blew that second chance, or, he already chose not to trust her once before, and is making the same choice again. Either way, it does work.

Andre. Hmm. Not much to say about this one. He's had such little interaction with Merula at all, to a large extent. I'm sure at least a few of these character's votes were influenced by the writers needing this vote to result in a tie, and though it's a bit cynical, I expect Andre was one of the people who could have gone either way for that reason.

Ben. I've talked about this at length before (and likely will again) but our poor boy is spiraling right now. MC and Merula have been the only people he's trusted at all since the night Rowan died, and now he has reason to believe he can't trust either of them. That puts the fate of The Circle entirely in his own hands. The other members of the chain of command are no longer to be trusted. MC at the very least, cannot be impartial about R, and Merula? She's a damn traitor. Of course he wants her out.

Now, of all the votes, Tonks is the one who truly surprised me, and disappointed me at the same time. Because Merula was hoodwinked into an impossible situation, and it's all the work of her wicked aunt, a Dark Witch. I kind of feel like maybe, just maybe, Tonks should be able to sympathize here? The parallels between Verucca and Bellatrix feel like a fairly obvious comparison to make here, but Tonks seems to go in the opposite direction. It's as though she's thinking "I have an evil aunt as well, and I never joined her cult, so there's no excuse for Merula doing the same in her circumstances." Which is a valid take, the problem is just that the situations are completely different. Tonks had people to protect her and raise her right. Merula was at Verucca's mercy.

Most of these votes make sense. There are a few shockers, but by in large, I'm just reacting as a biased Merula stan.

#Merula Snyde #HPHM Spoilers #The Circle of Khanna #HPHM R #Ben Copper #Talbott Winger #Chiara Lobosca #Nymphadora Tonks #Charlie Weasley #Corey Hayden #Andre Egwu #Diego Caplan #Beatrice Haywood #Ismelda Murk #Liz Tuttle #Jae Kim #Barnaby Lee

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dalekofchaos · 2 years

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Recently reset my game and In Hogwarts Mystery Year 3 and it's very clear to me Corey's role could've easily been Tulip.

Tulip is one of the smartest characters in the series

Tulip could've easily conned her way to becoming head girl and use her position to get away with pranks

No one knows Merula like Tulip and no one would've been more suspicious of Merula than Tulip

Tulip could've been the one person from the circle that was interested in helping the MC continue investigating R

But no, JC decided to flanderize her as a prankster character and pointlessly create another character no one wanted

#Hogwarts Mystery #Tulip Karasu #Merula Snyde #Corey Hayden

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redhairedgryffindor · 18 days

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But why are you looking into it?

Helping Skye Parkin

Can't let go of Ruby's death

Don't worry about it

#hogwarts mystery #hphm #harry potter hogwarts mystery #jacob's sibling #mc #hphm spoilers #harry potter hogwarts mystery spoilers #hogwarts mystery spoilers #corey hayden #character: ben paul #character: lea cahill #character: earnest jones

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the-al-chemist · 1 year

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Artemis Hexley and the Return to the Riddles

Chapter 6: Missing Pieces

A/N: and we are back at Hogwarts! Artemis’ final year gets off to a rocky start after she fails to make friends with the new head boy. Perhaps her work experience at the Auror office will come in useful, however… Mentioned characters belong to @thatravenpuffwitch and @that-scouse-wizard. Warnings: mentions of loss/grief, bad poetry.

The first of September had arrived at last. For the first time in all her years at school, Artemis did not go to Kings Cross station in the morning to catch the Hogwarts Express; instead, she walked down to Hogsmeade station in the evening to meet her friends as they arrived, ready to be taken up to the castle in the Thestral-drawn carriages.

By the time the train pulled into Hogsmeade station, where the clock on the platform said that it was ten past ten but the watch on Artemis’ ankle made it closer to seven, it had grown dark. Even so, she was able to pick out a head of bubblegum-coloured hair in the throng of disembarking students that could only belong to Tonks.

As she approached her, Artemis saw that Tonks wasn’t the only one of her friends waiting to board one of the carriages: her other two dorm mates, Penny Haywood and Chiara Lobosca were right beside her.

“Artemis! Oh, it’s just lovely to see you!” exclaimed Penny, throwing her arms around Artemis. “We missed you on the train, you know. Have you had a good summer?”

“Not too bad,” Artemis shrugged. “How was France?”

“Oh, it was wonderful. I saw the Notre Dame and the Eiffel Tower - I’ve got a key ring for you, actually - and working with Monsieur Flamel was just fascinating. I’m considering applying for a job as his assistant for next year.”

“What about you, Chiara? Did you like working in St Mungos?”

“I did, yes,” said Chiara, in her softly lilting voice. “It was very interesting seeing what it’s really like to be a Healer.”

“Did you get to see anything really cool and gross?”

“Not really. Healer Buckthorn doesn’t let students get involved with anything too serious or life-threatening, so I was mainly on the long-term residents’ ward. Lots of people with irreversible spell damage, mainly memory loss and misfigurations. There was one lady who attempted human-animal self-transfiguration and got her Animagus spell all wrong. She’s permanently turned into a dog-human hybrid, can only talk in barks now.”

Tonks tilted her head. “Could you understand her?”

“Not really,” Chiara gave a small smile and lowered her voice. “But then again, I wasn’t there at the full moon.”

The other girls giggled quietly; Chiara’s lycanthropy was not common knowledge. In fact, they were the only ones who knew that Chiara was a werewolf, and had only found out the year previously, having until that point believed her to be suffering from a the effects of a blood curse. Now that they knew, however, Chiara had accepted their offer to join them in their dormitory, and would be taking the bed that had been left vacant following Rowan’s death.

Artemis felt a small pang of sadness as the Thestrals began to pull the carriage away from the station and up the path to the castle. She had slowly become somewhat used to Rowan’s absence in her life, but she still found herself having moments in which she became acutely aware that Rowan was missing, rather than the less poignant sense of loss that she felt day-to-day.

It was going to be strange, she realised as the lights of the castle grew closer. She had always known that her time at Hogwarts would come to an end eventually, but the idea of entering her final year had always seemed so distant before. She had never thought to imagine what it would be like, arriving at Hogwarts knowing that it would be the last time she would do so. Even if she had imagined it, she she would never have thought that Rowan might not be at her side for it.

She took a deep breath and waited for the swell of grief to subside, as it always did. There was no point in being sad, and besides, Rowan would have wanted her to enjoy the Sorting Ceremony and Welcome Feast.

The Great Hall was decked out, as usual, with banners displaying the mascots and colours of the four school houses, and the girls soon found seats at their house table, beneath the stars of the enchanted ceiling. Tonks’ stomach grumbled loudly.

“I’ve never understood why we can’t eat and then sort the first years,” she muttered. “Honestly, I’m starving. Wish McGonagall would just hurry up and fetch the little-”

“Forgive me for interrupting,” a voice interrupted Tonks, and Artemis turned in her seat to see a boy from her year standing behind her.

He was broad and plump-framed, with a mop of curly brown hair and a shiny badge pinned to his Gryffindor robes. Artemis recognised him immediately; this was Corey Hayden, who had once been Rowan’s date for a school dance and had been turned into stone the previous year as the result of the statue curse that had been released from the final Cursed Vault. Presumably, he wished to talk about Rowan or the Vaults.

“Is everything okay?” Artemis asked, and Corey shook his head, standing up straight with his chest puffing out slightly.

“No, actually,” he said, a note of accusation in his voice. “Hexley, you were missing at the prefects’ meeting on the train today.”

Artemis frowned. “I wasn’t on the train today.”

“Patrolling the train is part of your prefect duties, you know. You should have been there. Why did you not attend?”

“Because,” said Artemis, already so annoyed that she was having to try not to raise her voice at Corey, “I’ve been living in Hogsmeade all summer. It seemed bloody stupid to go all the way down to London just to get the train all the way back again.”

“Yes, well…” Corey paused and made a sanctimonious huffing noise that set Artemis’ teeth on edge. “You ought to have sent an owl to let everyone know that you weren’t going to be there rather than just not show up.”

“Why do you even care? You’re not even a prefect!”

“No, but I am the Head Boy.”

Corey tapped his pudgy forefinger to the badge pinned to his robes. Surely enough, the words “Head Boy” were blazoned across it in capital letters. Artemis raised her eyebrows and slowly looked up from the badge to Corey’s face, her arms folded across her chest.

“You know, it’s hard enough being Head Boy without a Head Girl to help me,” Corey continued, ignoring Artemis’ look of disdain. “It’s even harder when three prefects haven’t turned up to do their share of the work. Next time, can you either show up when you’re supposed to or let me know in advance? Thanks.” He tugged on the lapels of his cloak and scanned the room, asking, “Now, do any of you lot know where I might find Merula Snyde and Victor Ketsueki? Both of them missed the patrol as well.”

“No, but Tulip or Andre might,” Penny nodded. “They were in the same carriage as Victor on the way back from the station.”

“So, he was on the train, then?”

“Oh, yes. I’m surprised you didn’t see him, everyone kept going into his carriage to talk to him.”

As Corey walked off, his chest still puffed out, Artemis turned back to her friends.

“What is up with him?” she asked them, scowling.

“I suppose you wouldn’t have heard,” Penny whispered, and her eyes lit up. “He’s a vampire now.”

“What? Corey Hayden?”

“No, not Corey. Victor.” Artemis thought that this sounded unlikely, but Penny seemed certain in her knowledge. “Apparently he spent the summer backpacking around Europe, and he got into some trouble with a vampire in a bar in Transylvania. He wouldn’t tell everyone the whole story-”

“Probably because it isn’t true,” muttered Artemis.

“No, but it is true, it’s just that it was quite a traumatic experience for him,” Penny sighed. “Naturally, he wouldn’t want to just share that story with just anyone. But everyone wants to hear it, of course. It’s made him into something of a celebrity, I suppose. That’s why everyone wanted to talk to him on the train.”

“That and the fact that his new haircut and leather jacket make him look great.” Tonks wiggled her pink eyebrows, and Penny giggled.

“Well, yes. His new look does rather suit him, doesn’t it? I’d never noticed that he was good-looking before.”

“Talking of good-looking,” Tonks nodded her head in the direction of the top table, “who is the new Professor? He’s cute.”

Artemis followed Tonks’ gaze to the final seat at the far end of the teachers’ table, where a dark-haired wizard with an olive complexion and long, straight nose was sitting and watching the students chatter with an amused look on his face. It was a nice looking face, Artemis had to admit.

“But, Tonks, he’s so old! He has to be at least thirty.”

“Thirty isn’t that old,” said Tonks, with a shrug. “Anyway, there’s no harm in looking, is there?”

Penny opened her mouth as if to say something, but she fell quiet as the doors of the Great Hall swung open.

“Finally! Now we can sort the first years, find out who Professor Handsome is, and eat!”

But it wasn’t the first years that walked through the doors at all; it was Merula Snyde. Merula had wrapped her school cloak around herself, but Artemis could see that underneath, she was wearing ripped jeans rather than her uniform, and her boots were dirtied with what looked like soil.

“What has she been up to?” Artemis murmured, as Tonks groaned loudly and slammed her hands to her forehead. “Was she on the train as well?”

“I’m not sure,” said Penny. “I definitely didn’t see her.”

Chiara shook her head. “I assumed that she was with the rest of the prefects.”

Artemis frowned deeply and watched Merula take a seat at the Slytherin table. Her face was lowered, as if she were trying to draw less attention to herself, and there was soil on the sleeve of her cloak, too. Why had she been outside?

“I expect that she Apparated to the station to save her having to get the train,” said Chiara gently. “She must have missed the carriages and had to walk up.”

“Or maybe she went in the boats with Hagrid and the first years,” suggested Penny, as McGonagall entered the Great Hall, a hoarde of children following behind her.

An image of Merula sitting sour-faced in a wooden boat with three eleven-year-olds popped into Artemis’ head, and she had to stifle her giggles. Clearly, the same thought had struck Tonks and Chiara, as they began laughing, too.

Professor McGonagall gave the Hufflepuff girls a tight-lipped stare as she walked past them on her way up to the daïs, where a shabby looking hat perched on a wooden stool. The Great Hall fell silent, and the hat began to sing through a rip in its fabric:

“I am a rather shabby hat,

You would not wear me to court.

But that is not my purpose:

My job here is to Sort!

It was I who Sorted Merlin,

Morrigan, and le Fay,

And it is I who shall be Sorting

Each one of you here today.

Into Hufflepuff if you are loyal,

Hard-working, just, and kind,

Into Ravenclaw if you are witty,

And of a ready mind.

But perhaps you would rather Slytherin,

The house of the ambitious?

Or Gryffindor, if noble heroism

Lies in your hopes and wishes.

These four houses have, like pillars,

Held our school up from the start,

And for centuries, I, the Sorting Hat,

Have perfected my Sorting art.

But remember, though you shall be divvied

And Sorted into one of four,

It is when we are united

That we can achieve so much more.

Let me tell you a secret,

For when you face your darkest hour:

It is when you stand with others,

That you will truly find your power.

I digress, I am distracted,

I just had to get that thought in.

And now I have, we can begin.

Let us now commence the Sorting.”

The applause that usually followed the Sorting Hat’s annual song was punctured with whispers.

“What was that about?” Artemis asked, her nose wrinkling. “Usually it just tells everyone about the houses. It’s never given advice before!”

“It’s like it wants me to starve to death,” moaned Tonks. “Come on, McGonagall, I want my food…”

“Maybe it feels like we need advice,” Chiara whispered. “The Hat sits in Dumbledore’s office all year long. It must know what goes on in the school, perhaps it thinks that we need to band together more, in light of what happened last year, and because of the Vaults.”

“But we did band together last year,” said Penny, somewhat tersely. “And we broke the statue curse. So now we have finished with all of that.”

“Well…”

“No, we have, Artemis. The Vault in the lake was the last one, and we broke that curse.”

“Technically, yes,” Artemis shrugged. “But the Vaults themselves haven’t been properly broken, so they are still there. They just aren’t doing anything, that’s all.”

“Precisely,” Penny smiled, but her smile and the breezy tone to her voice looked and sounded forced. “They aren’t hurting anyone anymore, and Rakepick is in prison, so we can leave it all alone. The Cursed Vaults, the Cabal, all of it. It doesn’t matter anymore.” Her smile grew wider, and Tonks and Artemis shared nervous looks. “Now we can all just be normal students and enjoy our last year at Hogwarts like everybody else. Isn’t that wonderful?”

There was no point in arguing with Penny, so Artemis nodded her head, and watched the rest of Sorting Ceremony, just like everybody else.

Penny’s idea that the girls should enjoy the time they had left at Hogwarts had not been a bad suggestion in theory, however, in reality, enjoying their final year was easier said than done. In the summer, the seventh year students would be taking the Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Tests, a series of exams that would mark the culmination of their formal education. Although the exams were over eight months away, the teachers were already piling on the work in preparation for them, and stressing their importance.

“The results of your N.E.W.T.s will be taken as evidence of your aptitude in your chosen subjects, and great value will be placed on them by your potential employers,” Professor McGonagall told them at the start of their first Transfiguration class of the year. “I am aware that many of you wish to embark on prestigious career paths; Aurors, Healers, Curse-Breakers, Unspeakables, so on and so forth. All of you will need to work exceptionally hard this year. After all, your future does depend on your doing so.”

McGonagall was known for her strictness, but she was not the only teacher to give their students such a lecture. By Friday afternoon, Artemis had heard similar words from her instructors in both Defence Against the Dark Arts and Ancient Runes, and even good-natured Professor Flitwick’s lessons had been less fun than usual. It turned out that Professor Kettleburn, the Care of Magical Creatures teacher, was the only one who didn’t care about the exams at all.

“I got an Exceeds Expectations in my Care of Magical Creatures N.E.W.T.” he told them cheerfully. “Didn’t stop that Manticore ripping off my arm in ‘72. So, protective gloves on, everyone! Today we’re going to be working with Griffins!”

Artemis shared a look with Charlie Weasley, both of them having to look away before they made the other laugh out loud. Charlie, along with Tonks and several other classmates, had his first exam of the year that weekend: his Apparition test.

Artemis, who had neglected attending the Apparition classes the year before, wouldn’t be taking it until April, which was just as well. For this term at least, she had more pressing concerns than her N.E.W.T. and Apparition exams: Quidditch. The first match of the season would take place in November, but first, the Hufflepuff Quidditch team had to find replacements for the three players who had left school at the end of the previous year. Luckily, their new Captain, Murphy McNully, already had a strategy in mind.

“Statistically speaking, a team dynamic is better if you keep as many players the same as possible,” he said, wheeling his chair across the changing tent and conjuring a blackboard. “Now, Hopper did a spectacular job as a reserve Chaser last year.”

“He does realise that I’m right here, doesn’t he?” Ellie Hopper whispered, raising a single blonde eyebrow at Murphy, who continued on as if he hadn’t heard her.

“That means that with Costa still here, we can retain sixty-six-point-seven percent of our existing Chasing team. Obviously Willows, Hexley, and Booth all have their positions, but we still need a third Chaser and a new Beater, and ideally a new reserve player. So, I’ll be holding tryouts to find one. Until then, we are working with fifty percent of our Beaters, so we will be practising with fifty percent of our Bludgers,” he paused and looked directly at Artemis. “That means one Bludger.”

“I know what fifty percent means,” Artemis said, half-truthfully. “When are the tryouts?”

“In a fortnight. I’ve looked at the numbers, and that gives enough notice to make sure as many people can try out as possible without compromising on training time. We want to enough time to train as a team as possible; our first game of the season is against Slytherin, and from what I’ve heard about their new captain, they won’t be an easy opponent.”

Their first training session ended just in time for Artemis to meet Charlie and Tonks as they returned to the castle after their Apparition exam. Judging by the looks on their faces, they had both done well.

“Aced it,” said Tonks, grinning from ear to ear. “Can’t wait to write home and tell my parents. ‘Just because you’re a Metamorphmagus, that doesn’t mean that you’ll be able to pass your Apparition test first time’. Well, they were wrong and I was right, wasn’t I?”

“And you, Charlie?” Artemis asked, though she could tell that he had also passed from his relieved expression. “No grannies were harmed this time?”

“Very funny.” Charlie pulled a face at her. “I’m just glad that I won’t have to pay to take the test a third time. How was practice?”

“Fine. We’re down a Chaser and Beater, though. Murphy wants to hold try-outs in a fortnight.”

“A fortnight? We’re holding ours this Thursday.”

“Murphy wants to give it a bit more time for people to sign up first.”

“That’s not a bad shout,” reasoned Charlie. “Maybe I should’ve done that, too. So far, the only people who have signed on to tryout as Beaters are my brothers.”

“Which brothers?”

“The twins.”

“Oh,” Artemis frowned. “I thought that they were quite good at Quidditch.”

“They are. I just don’t really want them wielding heavy wooden bats around me.”

Artemis laughed, but Tonks stayed quiet.

“What’s the matter?” she asked her.

“Well,” Tonks said, looking as thoughtful as Tonks ever looked, “I’ve always liked flying. I played Beater before, when we did that friendly match for your sixteenth birthday. Maybe I should try out for the Quidditch team, too.”

“That’s… Yeah, you should definitely try out,” said Artemis. She looked away quickly, hoping that Tonks wouldn’t see the doubt on her face. She wasn’t entirely sure that she wanted Tonks wielding a heavy bat around her, either.

It turned out that Tonks wasn’t the only familiar face at the Hufflepuff Quidditch tryouts two weeks later; Penny Haywood’s younger sister Beatrice had also decided to attend, as had Penny herself, though only to watch and support vocally, cheering and clapping every time her sister took possession of the Quaffle.

By the end of the tryouts, Artemis was surprised that Penny still had her voice, but when Murphy announced that Tonks would be the team’s new Beater and Beatrice their new Chaser, Penny squealed louder than ever.

Murphy McNully, on the other hand, despite having found decent players to replace their two missing teammates, looked more concerned than he did excited.

“What’s wrong, Murphy?” Artemis asked him, as they all set off across the grounds towards the castle.

“I couldn’t find my pin badge this morning,” he replied, frowning deeply and wheeling his chair off the path to avoid a stubborn swan who was too busy enjoying the rare sunny morning to move out of his and Artemis’ way. “I usually keep it on my nightstand, but it wasn’t there when I woke up.”

“You mean the one you always wear? The one that looks like a Golden Snitch?”

“Why, have you seen it?”

Artemis shook her head. The last time she had seen it was the previous day, when Murphy had been wearing it. “I’m sure you’ll find it soon.”

“I hope so. It’s a family heirloom, over a century old.”

“Don’t worry, Murphy. It’ll turn up eventually. Lost things usually do.”

It was strange, but as September drew to a close, not only had Murphy’s pin badge not been found, but several other students had reported items going missing as well.

It had started with small things: Murphy’s pin, a pair of sapphire earrings, an ornate silver looking-glass. Then, Bea Haywood’s friend Elora had the entire contents of her flying piggy bank emptied whilst she was at an Art Club meeting, and Talbott Winger reported that a beaded necklace had been taken from around his neck one night as he slept.

It wasn’t just the students who were noticing that their belongings had disappeared; Professor Snape looked even angrier than usual after someone broke into his Potions storeroom, and at the very end of September, Professor Flitwick lost half the white feathers he had planned on teaching his first years to levitate. After Professor Sikander, the new Muggle Studies Professor (the one Tonks thought was good-looking), had every single one of his “compact discs” - whatever they were - lifted from his classroom, it was decided that something had to be done in order to catch the thief.

Corey Hayden approached Artemis at breakfast the following morning, his chest puffed out as always, and she had to stop herself from groaning.

“I’m sure you’re aware of the situation,” he said, without greeting her first. “All these items going missing. It’s time to take action.”

“Why are you coming to me?” Artemis asked him, swallowing her mouthful of toast. “It’s not a curse, I don’t see what I’m supposed to do about it.”

“You’re a prefect,” replied Corey. “And this is a major issue affecting the student body and faculty alike. I’m holding a meeting at lunchtime so that all the prefects can get together and work out a way to get this sorted.”

Artemis did not really want to attend Corey’s meeting, but she shrugged and listened to him as he told her the time and place to go. As he strode away, she rolled her eyes and made a noise of contempt.

“He’s such a jobsworth,” she said, as much to herself as to her friends. “Honestly, you’d think he’d been made Headmaster, not just Head Boy, the way he goes on about everything. I feel sorry for Rowan, having to-”

“It would be good to catch the thief, though,” said Penny, as Tonks began to crunch on her toast even louder than usual. “Poor Talbott was so upset about his mum’s necklace going missing. It’s one of the only things of hers he has left, it’s just horrible to think that someone would steal it.”

Penny’s words made Artemis give up her fight, just a little. She still had the watch her brother had given her to look after for him before he first went missing and an old jumper and scarf that Rowan had bought herself on the first day they met. She didn’t want to imagine how she would feel if anyone ever stole one of those things.

So, after her morning classes ended, Artemis did attend Corey’s meeting, arriving a few minutes late after a brief trip back down to the dormitory to see Fergus and check that Rowan’s old scarf was still hanging up where she left it. Her tardiness was not wasted on Corey Hayden.

“Nice of you to join us at last, Hexley,” he said, with a tutting noise that made Artemis’ blood boil.

“I had to feed my cat,” she replied, taking a seat at the back of the room and glowering at him as he continued.

“Right, well, I was just filling everyone in on the items that have gone missing so far. Okay, so that brings us to the silver teaspoon from McGonagall’s tea caddy, Professor Trelawney’s favourite crystal ball, and the items from Professor Snape’s storeroom: one crystal vial and a container of Hawkshead moth chrysalises,” Corey stopped reading from the list. “As for clues as to who might be…” his voice tailed off and he looked at the door. “Ah. Victor, you made it. Take a seat.”

A boy with almond-shaped eyes and straight black hair that almost reached his shoulders trudged over to sit next to Artemis, leaning back in his chair with his arms crossed and legs outstretched. On his feet were a heavy pair of black boots, and instead of a cloak, he wore a black leather jacket over his school robes. It took Artemis a moment to recognise him as Victor Ketsueki, the Ravenclaw prefect. Though she had never spoken to Victor before, she knew him by face. He had never been the sort to customise his school uniform before.

“As I was saying,” Corey carried on, “we don’t have much to go on when it comes to the identity of the thief. Some of the missing items have gone missing from dormitories, and it’s not just one house that’s been affected. So, we have to assume that whoever it is, they’ve either been persuading others to help them, or they’ve been using a broomstick to get in through the windows. This evening, I’d like you all to talk to the students in your houses, see if anyone knows anything, and get all the dormitories searched to track down the items.”

“What if they’re not stored in a dormitory?” asked Victor, leaning back further so that the front legs of his chair lifted from the ground. Everyone in the room turned around to look at him, and he shrugged nonchalantly, using the nail of his thumb to clean underneath his fingernails. “I’m just saying, if I were nicking stuff from all over the castle, I wouldn’t be keeping it in my dormitory. Anyone with two braincells to rub together could tell you that.”

Corey blinked, clearly annoyed at the insult to his intelligence, but Victor seemed not to notice. He was still paying more attention to his fingernails than to the Head Boy. Artemis couldn’t tell whether she found his disinterest amusing or infuriating, but she knew which it was to Corey.

“Yes, well, I still think that it would be a good place to start,” he bristled. “So if you could all do that and report back to me, that would be great. Thanks.”

With that, the prefects were dismissed. Hungry, Artemis stood up, ready to leave with Charlie and Badeea, but found her path blocked by the outstretched legs of Victor Ketsueki. She looked from his legs to his face, and he tilted his head, as if he were confused by what she wanted, though his expression was still one of indifference. She looked to his feet and back again, but he still did not move, even when she raised her eyebrows expectantly at him.

“You’re in my way,” she told him, quickly losing patience.

“Most people would say ‘excuse me’,” replied Victor, resting his arm on the back of the chair in which Artemis had previously been sitting.

“Most people would have already moved.”

“Of course, I forgot that you’re a celebrity,” Victor said, his voice laced with sarcasm, and Artemis glared at him. “Just because you’ve broken some curses, that doesn’t mean you can’t have manners, you know.”

Artemis exhaled loudly and rolled her eyes.

“Fine,” she half-growled. “Excuse me.”

“That wasn’t so hard, was it?”

Victor did not just move his legs out of Artemis’ way, he stood up and walked out of the room. She scowled at the back of his head as she also left for the Great Hall, where she found Penny and Talbott eating lunch together at one end of the Hufflepuff table.

“How was the prefects’ meeting?” Penny asked her, not even giving her a chance to answer before turning to Talbott and telling him, “You know, Artemis and the other prefects are going to help find your mother’s necklace.”

Talbott nodded silently. His face was passive, but there was a sad look in his eyes. His mother’s necklace going missing was clearly bothering him more than he wanted to let on. Artemis smiled at him reassuringly.

“Corey says that there are things missing from students in all four Houses, as well as some of the teachers. He wants all the dormitories to be searched for the missing items.”

Talbott frowned. “Surely someone clever enough to break into four different common rooms and teachers’ offices would hide the stolen objects somewhere other than their own dormitory?”

“That’s what Victor Ketsueki said,” said Artemis, pulling a face.

“What?” Penny’s eyes widened. “Did you not like Victor?”

“Not really.”

“But he’s-”

“Really arrogant and rude,” Artemis shook her head. “You share a dormitory with him, don’t you, Talbott? How can you stand him?”

“He’s changed a lot over the summer,” said Talbott. “I don’t really see him very much these days. He’s hardly ever in the dormitory. Even less than I am, I mean.”

“Well, I’m sure he’s got lots of things to do. He’s become rather popular, you know. It’s the vampirism, it’s very cosmopolitan,” Penny said as she poured herself another glass of pumpkin juice. “Did you find out what potion ingredients Professor Snape had stolen?”

“Yeah, Mandrake leaves and Hawkshead moths. And some equipment, too. A crystal vial, I think.”

Penny and Talbott both shared looks of concern. Artemis frowned at them over the top of her sandwich.

“What?”

“Well, it sounds like whoever this thief is, they’re hoping to become an Animagus,” Penny’s blonde eyebrows furrowed. “Those were the same things I had to get to make the Animagus potion when we made it for you in third year, Artemis. I’m surprised you forgot.”

“You made the potion, Penny. I was too busy holding the bloody Mandrake leaf in my mouth for a month and reciting the incantation day in and day out,” Artemis grinned at Talbott. “Worth it, though.”

Talbott did not return Artemis’ smile.

“I wonder why they’re trying to become an Animagus,” he murmured.

“Well, I suppose it would be to make it easier for them to steal stuff,” said Penny. “After all, people are far less likely to notice an animal sneaking around somewhere than a person, aren’t they?”

“Even so, it’s a pretty extreme way to go about it, it’s not like the Animagus ritual is easy or without risk,” Talbott said, his eyebrows furrowing even deeper.

Artemis shrugged. “We managed it just fine.”

“We did. Let’s just hope that this thief knows what they’re doing. There’s a storm coming soon, I can tell.”

#artemis hexley #hogwarts mystery #hphm fic #hphm #the hexley saga #charlie weasley #penny haywood #nymphadora tonks #chiara lobosca #victor ketsueki #talbott winger #corey hayden #murphy mcnully

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