/𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐒\ [𝒔. 𝒃𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒌]

𝟐.𝟙𝟙.𝟣

"my dear, I don't give a damn." ~ Margaret Mitchell

~may 1973~

When the weather finally started getting consistently warm, the girls spent more and more time outside, wandering the grounds in search of a dry spot to sit down and study. It had been a particularly rainy spring, so the whole world felt constantly soaked and dewey and everyone's shoes were constantly streaked with mud.

One Saturday, Marlene, Mary, and Artemis found Lily sitting under a tree with Severus Snape, relaxing in the new warmth of the late spring. They looked up when the girls approached and Lily gave them a soft smile. "Hey, what's up?"

"We just saw James and Sirius eyeing up that tree they planted last year," Mary said conspiratorially. "Like, the one that moves? You know that one?"

Lily nodded and shifted to make room for Mary to sit next to her. "Are they going to do something stupid?"

"We were going to find out," Artemis said, sounding exasperated. "But someone didn't want to get in trouble."

Marlene raised her hands defensively. "I just didn't want you to get killed by that tree! It could be dangerous, you know."

"Only an idiot would purposely mess with that thing," Severus interjected bitterly. "Doesn't surprise me that Potter and Black are first in line."

Artemis scowled and opened her mouth to argue with him, but Mary cut her off before she could. "They're just really reckless sometimes. Especially since Remus isn't here to reel them in." Artemis's scowl deepened. Remus had gone away to be with his mother again, and Artemis was worried about how often he left the school. She knew what it was like to have a sick parent, and she didn't want Remus to have to go through anything she had.

"Well, Lupin is another story," Severus scoffed condescendingly.

Artemis reached into her pocket and wrapped her fingers around the handle of her wand. "Watch what you say, Snape," she said threateningly. She was willing to put up with Severus when he wasn't talking about her friends like this, but she couldn't help siding with the boys in their general dislike for him. He gave her an odd feeling, like he was constantly judging her every move.

"Have you done the Potions homework yet?" Lily interrupted, desperate to save the situation. "It's not hard, but it's a lot of work so you should probably start it soon."

"Yeah..." Severus said slowly, reluctant to let the subject go. "Yeah, I'll start on that later." There was a tense silence broken only by Mary pulling out her sketchbook and absentmindedly touching up the shading on a picture of the Black Lake. Severus, suddenly distracted, peered over her shoulder. "Did you draw that?" he asked.

Artemis rolled her eyes and laid back in the grass, but Mary blushed deeply and brushed her hair behind one ear. "Yeah, it's not my best but I'm working on it."