/𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐒\ [𝒔. 𝒃𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒌]

𝟒.𝟙𝟚.𝟣

Artemis laughed and stepped back, tucking her hair behind one ear. "Sorry, sorry, just... thank you." She wanted to tell him it was the first time anyone had ever shown her they cared about her like that, but she didn't want to be too forward. "Thank you."

~

On the last day of class, Artemis stayed after to talk to Professor Bones, sitting on the desk right in front of his and swinging her legs back and forth restlessly. "Professor, what do you do over the holidays?" she asked, uncharacteristically cheerful for that time of year. Usually Artemis got sullen and sulky in the days leading up to leaving school, but not this year. This year she was buzzing with excitement. She was going to stay with James.

"Oh, you know, mansion on the beach, parties every night, the usual. Sometimes the daily decision of which sports car to drive can be a drag, but you get used to it, I suppose."

Artemis laughed, her blue eyes shining in the sunlight cascading through the large windows. "Hogwarts must be paying you good," she said sarcastically.

He gave her a rueful smile. Professor Bones was one of the youngest professors, Artemis guessed he was only in his early twenties. He swept a hand through his thick, dark hair and his gaze flitted from the papers on his desk to the carelessly laughing girl just in front of him. "Really, though, I just go home."

"Where's home?" asked Artemis.

Bones raised his eyebrows. Artemis knew she was prying, but she didn't care. She felt like nothing could stop her that day. Bones gave a relenting sigh and set his papers to the side. "Manchester. I live down the street from my family, so I'll probably spend the summer with them."

"Oh, that's nice," said Artemis. "Got any siblings?"

"Is this an interrogation? What, the Ministry got students spying now?"

Artemis grinned at him sweetly. "Maybe they do, and you wouldn't want to disappoint the Ministry, would you?"

He let out a dry laugh. "We don't need to get into a discussion about my feelings on the Ministry right now. But yeah, I have a little brother. Left Hogwarts last year."

"Just last year? Did I know him?"

"Doubt it," Bones said with a shrug. "He was a Ravenclaw and didn't make a habit of talking to pesky Gryffindor third years."

"Hey!"

He gave her an unapologetic shrug. "What do you do over the holidays, Blake?"

"Seventeen's pretty young," Artemis said, not willing to let the subject go. "How old are you?"

Bones raised his eyebrows at her, and her luck had run dry. "Old enough to tell you it's time to cut the interrogation short, Blake."

"Fine," she sighed dramatically. "I've got to go pack anyways." She jumped down from the desk and flipped her hair over her shoulder. "I'm staying with James Potter and Sirius Black this summer," she said, her voice filled with joy.

Bones gave her an incredulous look. "That's a trio I wouldn't trust alone together for five minutes. Tell the Potters they have my best wishes and my kindest sympathies."

"I'll do that," Artemis said sarcastically. "And when you're making that terribly hard sports car decision, go with the Corvette. Sirius says they're the best."

"Corvette's making horrible models recently!" Bones called after her as she swept out the door, but he smiled and shook his head, running his hand over his hair again and staring at his empty desk for a moment before pulling the papers he'd been working on before back in front of him.