「HOWLING MOON」
• Synopsis •
Artemis Wolfe - the irony of her own name. Named after a goddess of chasity, hunting and the moon. She was far from being chaste-- but she was closer to hunting. However, the meaning can go far or closer to what it may o...
chapter eight (this holiday might as well be hell)
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Artemis has never experienced the joy of a Christmas. It was just like any other day of the year for her family, who never celebrated it. She would get a little acknowledgement for her birthday with a card—but Christmas, nothing. No greetings or even gifts. Artemis never even got any presents for the holiday her entire life. She even had to forgo them in her first years at Hogwarts despite having friends, yet it simply was not meant to be.
The sight of others preparing to depart for the holidays was a common one for Artemis. When those who remained, such as herself, simply receded away into the background, it was as if it were routine.
This year, however, things changed. When Artemis was not showing any signs of going home for the holiday, a certain Hufflepuff and Slytherin somehow convinced her to go home with them. Or more like, they forcibly packed her trunk—all she could do was watch the two in astonishment—the two being Dilara and Darling.
Artemis found herself ensconced within one of the train's compartments with the pair of students who were responsible for her unexpected trip with her friends to their home. They were preoccupied with conversation and even included Darling's brother, Daniel—a Ravenclaw whom Artemis had never encountered previously. The individual's open nature was obvious, as he resembled James Potter's adoring gaze toward Lily Evans—only toward a certain Hufflepuff.
Despite the passing of time, Artemis was surprised to realize that James Potter's longing for Lily Evans was diminishing. Although Artemis did acknowledge his continued discussion of his former love interest, She was inclined to believe that it might have simply been a habit at this point.
The brief moment of contemplation was promptly suppressed as Artemis was coerced to contribute to the conversation between the three. At first, she was limited to supplying simple replies, though she eventually managed to lengthen them to meet the bare minimum requirements. Despite this improvement, the initial awkwardness lingered for several hours before finally subsiding.
"Arty," At the mention of her nickname, Artemis was taken aback but quickly acquired an admiration for it. She whirled around to face the slytherin, who began to provide a foreboding warning regarding the members of their respective families. "Just wanted to give you a heads-up, our families and Dilara's are on the eccentric side. You are likely to get smothered to death," the individual cautioned.
"Uh." Artemis shared a look with Dilara and Daniel—the pair nodded in agreement.
"You should be fine—" Daniel raised a finger but then winced," Well, maybe?"
"It depends on who'll be there," Dilara hummed.
"You mean, if your older brother is there," Darling snorted. The small Hufflepuff huffed, but the Slytherin pushed her face away," Arty, let me warn you, you'd think Sirius Black was bad with all his philandering ways, wait until you meet her brother! Dilan would put Black's reputation in the dirt"
"He goes after anything that lives and breathes," Daniel whispered behind his hand from next to Artemis but was quickly thrown candy wrapping from Dilara who was glaring.
"My brother is not that much of an animal,"
"We didn't say he was one," The twins said in sync," Just acts like one in heat," Daniel mumbled but only got thrown more trash from Dilara.
...
A few days later, at Dilara's and Darling's home. Artemos was taken aback by the unfamiliar customs of the household, which seemed distinctly muggle-like. They celebrated the holiday using a muggle tradition, eschewing any magical components and simply undertaking all the tasks themselves. Despite them being a wizarding pureblood family.
Artemis woke up one morning expecting things to stay the same as always, and she found herself surprised by the appearance of several new guests. Her eyes first encountered a tall male who was tightly embraced with her fellow housemate. Artemis had already recognized the individual from the photos that resided throughout the house, he was Dilan Avci.
Upon reaching the bottom of the stairs, Artemis noticed that one individual she knew—Remus. In addition, his family—namely his parents—had also taken notice of her and begun exclaiming, "Oh, good morning! You must be the guest that Dilan spoke about!" with a joyous expression on their faces.
The moment Remus noticed Artemis as she descended the staircase, he instantly felt the color drain from his face and almost dropped the book he was engrossed in. His mother's obliviousness to the details regarding the Wolfe family was seemingly in contrast to his father, who had thoroughly schooled his son in everything concerning it. The parent even cautioned him about maintaining a cautious stance regarding those affiliated from the Wolfe Clan.
As Artemis glanced over at Dilara's brother, who hastened to offer a formal introduction, Remus observed the scene. Despite feeling concerned about how his father would react, he was also unable to appreciate the way in which Dilan had already begun to make moves towards Artemis.
His mother, Hope, was the one who was acquainted with the family. It shocked him and his father when she introduced their families years ago. She didn't know they were a wizarding family, but even if she found out, she didn't mind not being made aware. It was his mother's influence that the pureblood family picked up the muggle tradition during the Christmas holiday. They even went as far as making the no magic rule.
Remus found himself to be increasingly anxious as his mother was joined by his father, Lyall. Together, the couple progressed forward to make their introductions, which inevitably included Remus. "Also, this is our son, Remus. We presume that you are already acquainted," the pair stated, with his father addressing the possibility that Artemis might recognize their son.
The statement from Darling caught Remus by surprise, as he had only anticipated the introduction of him and not the additional information about his social circle. This triggered another spark of uneasiness as his father's gaze quickly shifted towards him, awaiting an explanation. "Oh, yes—the two frequently interact they are from the same friend group," Darling spoke up from where she reclined upon the sofa. This comment sparked another burst of apprehension within Remus as his father's attention redirected toward him, anticipating an elaboration.
Artemis maintained a peaceful demeanour and slightly dipped her head in acknowledgement. Remus's chest constricted as he watched her, noticing the blissful expression she sported as she engaged in conversation and reveled in the occasion. Unfortunately, the atmosphere was expected to shift as her full name was unveiled, potentially leading to turbulence during this joyful holiday period.
"Yes, well, kind of, it just happens sometimes." Artemis referred to Remus and the boys," My name is Artemis Wolfe." She reached her hand out and suddenly the look on his father's face changed. His mother, however, took the hand and gently shook it.
Despite making a hasty effort to conceal the effect it had upon him, Remus's movement of sudden apprehension was noticed by his father, who immediately communicated his desire to converse with him in a discreet manner. He had only seen his father angry a limited number of occasions throughout his life, so witnessing his enraged expression proved to be a harrowing ordeal. Because of this, he was unable to express the sheer terror that he experienced each time such an event occurred.
