𝗦𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗗𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 || 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗮𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗘𝗿𝗮

ᴹᵃˢᵏˢ ᵂᵉʳᵉ ᵂᵒʳⁿ | ᴬʳᵗᵉᵐⁱˢ

❝I walk this empty street on the boulevard of broken dreams.❞

Boulevard of Broken Dreams - Green Day

✧★✧

Everything has its pros and cons. Ups and downs. Perks and problems.

Being an Oakley was no different, despite the perfect picture the world saw of them. Sure, they were practically pureblood royalty, part of the upperclass, along with the Blacks, Malfoys, Selwyns, Notts and Greengrasses, but there was much more behind the the images of how the world saw them.

Artemis Oakley knew the struggles all too well. She was the youngest of three siblings - the unexpected child. Her brother and sister had already begun Hogwarts, and would be graduating in her first years of school.

Her siblings, Adrianna and Callum Oakley had set the bar extremely high for Artemis. Both, of course, were proud Slytherins, top in most of their studies, and had made good connections. She knew her parents resented her age, as Adrianna and Callum had both befriended Bellatrix and Andromeda Black, and Narcissa Black would have been her responsibility to acquaint herself with, if she was a few years older.

But instead, she was five years younger than ideal, and stuck in a huge mansion, slowly loosing her sanity. There were only so many times that Artemis could organise her wardrobe, pace her room and examine the paintings on the walls. Only so many languages she could learn, only so many classes she could take.

Perhaps it was the constant boredom that turned Artemis into such an adamant learner.

Drawing, by far, was her favourite hobby, but it was more self taught than anything. And of course, there was the problem of lack of scenery.

"Artemis?"

She gave a small start, and turned towards the source of noise, posture relaxing when her eyes fell on her sister.

"Yes Dri?"

The older girl brushed a few strands of blonde hair behind her ears, before leaning slightly on the doorframe.

"Mother sent me to help you get ready. The Blacks are coming, and she says you have 'no sense of proper style.'" Adrianna drawled, mimicking her mother's voice.

"Oh..."

"It's alright. I'm happy to help."

Adrianna wordlessly moved towards the spacious walk in closet at the side of the room, and began laying outfits on the bed.

"Too fancy...not fancy enough...too much lace...too small...too pink...try this - it goes with your eyes...and it doesn't clash with your hair."

She held up an emerald green, ankle length dress with some simple lace at the sleeves, a v-neckline, and a floral pattern running all the way through.

Artemis, like her siblings, inherited her father's green eyes, instead of her mother's brown ones, yet unlike the others, she had red hair. More specifically, her mother's red hair. Oakleys were known for their green eyes and blonde hair - yet another one of her imperfections.

She took the dress from her sister, and walked into the bathroom, undressing and slipping into it. She let her hair hang loose, and looked into the mirror, quickly checking for any wrinkles.

When she was satisfied, she allowed Adrianna to curl her hair into a neat bun at the top of her head, decorated with the classic oak leaf, and add a few dashes of makeup to her face, bringing out her eyes slightly more.