one
the welcome feast
Artemis Narcissa Malfoy is the spitting image of her father. The same scintillating silvery eyes that often makes a quiver of fear run through anybody that looks at her the wrong way. The same soft, white as snow hair which was such a distinctive trait of being a Malfoy, that if Artemis had any hair colour but, her bloodline would definitely be questioned. Unlike her father though, her white locks were often tied back in a French plait, which was her signature look—now discarded for a bob. She'd chopped it all off on the day Scorpius left her.
By all means they looked alike, though Artemis inherited the grand elegance and effortless beauty from her mother. Her lashes were lusciously long, accentuating how mesmerising the sleek silver of her eyes actually are, plenty to leave you under a trance from a mere glare, never mind a stare. Her facial structure was sharp, pointed and devastatingly flawless, all the girls at Hogwarts curse her for practically looking like a goddess, although Artemis can hardly ever see the fuss. Especially in most recent days. Her cheekbones more prominent, more obvious through the gaunt looking bags beneath her hallowed irises. If you were to peer closely, you'd see the light bruising scattered across her knuckles from bottled up emotions that she couldn't control. The bruising is much better to the tape around her fingers last week. Draco had yelled at her for being so careless.
However different her physical appearance is now compared to what it was before her mother died, the one constant thing about Artemis Malfoy that remained unchanged, is her tongue. A flamingly rancorous tongue, a prized trait of hers that often gets her caught up in sticky situations, most of them with her father, their tongues as rapidly malicious as each other's—it's as if they stood in front of a mirror, arguing with themselves. Despite all else that might've changed about her, at least her tongue remind as bitter, hostile and snappy as ever.
On Platform nine and three-quarters, Artemis vanished immediately onto the train, ignoring the open arms of father as she abandoned him—Scorpius having run off with the Potters. It pained her to no end. She would've stayed and said goodbye if she had the courage. But she didn't. After hugging her father, she'd expect to see her mother standing healthy by his side, looking as dazzlingly gorgeous as ever with her arms wide open, ready to engulf her children in a farewell hug. Artemis didn't wish to experience that, so she ran for the train, waving a sullen goodbye to her father.
Fortunately, her friends were in the prefects carriage this year, after being chosen Head Boy and Head Girl for their final year at Hogwarts. That left Artemis to her own devices and an empty compartment all to herself. Just to be certain she'd have solitude for a while longer before getting to Hogwarts, she troubled herself through placing looks on the door, so nobody else could get in. Even if the Wood triplets knocked, she wouldn't leave them in.
Besides, one glance at Artemis's depressing facial features would have whoever wanted to bother her scurrying further down the train for happier company.
Sure it was rather lonely to seclude herself off from her friends—a thing she's done all summer—yet, at least this way Artemis wouldn't offend as many people with her lack of patience and sardonic comments. At least this way, she wouldn't have to face Blair Zabini—she didn't care how terribly cowardly that is, she wasn't yet prepared to face the guilt head on.
It's not like Artemis wallowed in self pity—well, not much—and cried the entire train journey, she actually entertained—mostly a distraction—herself with practicing a small bit of wandless magic. Before the summer even started and before Astoria Malfoy passed away, Draco promised to teach her the fundamentals of wandless magic, believing that every witch and wizard ought to know how to use their hands, because relying on their wand too much is just irresponsible, reckless and cocky—what would happen if their wand snapped during battle? The lessons soon stopped after she died though, but Artemis being stubborn and ambitious, told herself she'd teach herself until Draco came around.
That's what Artemis did the whole train journey. Well, the majority of the journey she caught up on some well needed sleep and the in between parts she either ate sweets from the trolley or attempted to levitate a cauldron cake into her mouth. It wasn't as easy as what she'd anticipated, it was far more challenging as she couldn't levitate the cakes more than a few inches above the seat before it fell. The practice left her irritated and with a dull firm pulse in the back of her head.
Exhaustion took over once again and Artemis relaxed her shoulders, resting her head against the wall and shut her eyes.
Listening to the rough noise of the train against its tracks sent her into a daze, somewhat actually being a relaxing sound. Her brain felt as if it was floating amongst the clouds and the birds, all thought processes halted and not a single thought of anything appeared into her head. For one sweet moment of blissful serenity, Artemis didn't think of anything. Not her mother. Not her father or Scorpius. Not even her predicament with Lysander and Blair—which has driven her towards insanity all summer.
For one sweet moment of blissful serenity, Artemis Malfoy experienced a mild sensation of what it could be like to be at peace.
Of course that peaceful feeling was short lived. Interrupted by the compartment door sliding open, which shouldn't have happened because her locks are impenetrable. Quickly she snapped her eyes open, the silver irises jumping wildly throughout the compartment in search of the intruder.
The intruder stood dressed in his red and gold school robes already, arms folded with such a smug grin Artemis wanted to slap it straight off his beautiful chiselled face. She narrowed her eyes at him, not budging from her position, praying the glare would be enough to send him scattering away.
But her glare was no match for the smugness that radiated from him. His brown eyes were ablaze with caramel pigments sparkling endlessly. James jutted his chin at her, a honey glazed smile appearing. "You're getting sloppy, Malfoy," he said, "those locks were easy to pick."
Every year since third year, Artemis practiced developing her locks, making them far more tricky and impossible than the last. And every year she's locked something, whether it be the door to her compartment or the lock on her locker on the Quidditch pitch, James would make it his life mission to crack the locks, only to show that he is as smart as she. Majority of the time he fails, because her locks are magnificently complex. There are other times, few times where he's succeeded in cracking the locks.
Today being one of those very few times he's outsmarted her.
"I don't care," she grumbled. Even though she did very much care because now her peace and quiet was rudely disturbed.
James didn't buy it. He took a step forward, towering over her like a giant as if to be intimidating—even though his younger sister Lily, is far more intimidating than he could ever wish to be. Before he could conjure a response, Artemis jumped to her feet indignantly, wanting to intimidate him with her cold as stone glare, gritted teeth and a tough finger roughly pointing his chest, causing him a slight step back. "What is it that you want me to do?" She drawled icily, patience wearing thin within a matter of seconds. All she wanted is to be left alone. "Congratulate you? Give you a bloody high five? Those locks were piss easy to anyone with a brain cell who knew how to think. Get over it."
When she finished, her breathing slightly haggard after spilling it all out in one breath, she took a step back to make leeway for him. A challenge. He could either continue to ruffle her feathers and potentially—no definitely awaken a dark side to her that's threatening to tip. Or he could turn back around, close the compartment door, replace her locks and leave Artemis the bloody hell alone.
Obviously, in typical James Potter fashion, he decided to stay and risk his life with waking the beast. "Look," He started. A roughly calloused hand from Quidditch reaches up into his swirly curls and pushed them aside, only for them to fall back into the exact same place as previous. All smugness dissipated from him then, the caramel flecks gone and a dark brown replaced its swirling emotion. He looked pretty serious and that unnerved Artemis somewhat. "I didn't come here to argue—"
Artemis cocked her head aggravatingly. "Then what did you come here for? Because I'm not sharing my cauldron cakes with you—"
"I came here to tell you that I'm sorry." He ignored her point blank, probably because if he hadn't then he probably wouldn't have apologised.
And for what? She wasn't sure.
Those words of apology were so foreign to come from his mouth for that he hardly ever used them. It was even stranger for Artemis to hear him direct those words to her.
As Artemis's eyes darted in a panic back and forth between his two eyes, to check to see if he'd break into a snicker and declare he was joking, her heart rate increased dramatically, feeling as if he wasn't talking about his behaviour towards her, but rather showing sympathy for what had happened over the summer.
Being so awkward that she is in situations like these with a guy she detests, Artemis let out a snort. "For what?" Now she began to list off all the possible things on her fingers. "That time you stole all my clothes after a Quidditch game and hid them around the school? Or that time you kicked a bludger to my face—?" Artemis paused quickly, thinking of something else he'd done that needed an apology. "—How about that time you—"
James shook his head, interrupting her again. "I'm sorry that you have to go through this, Artemis." His voice was gentle—as if he cared—and serene enough to make Artemis weak at the knees, overwhelmed with tireless emotions regarding her loss.
"W-What?"
"I'm sorry," he tried again, "about your mother."
In a trance of frozen time, Artemis's mouth dropped open, her silver eyes blankly stared at him with disbelief as her head swam with thunderous thoughts about what she ought to do next. None of them being pleasant for the curly haired boy.
Her palms gathered his robes and already she was pushing back towards the door as the tears formed. Tears that she knew wouldn't fall unless she punched something. But were there nonetheless. "Leave," she demanded, her voice in a small whisper, afraid that if it was any louder she'd breakdown into a fit of angry crying. "Get out."
She should've expected it coming because James wasn't having it. He slammed his foot between the sliding door and its lock, preventing Artemis from pushing him out entirely. Why couldn't he see that this wasn't the time to argue with her? Why couldn't he just leave her be?
"I'm being nice," he argued, "I just—I wanted to—Ugh!" Clearly she was irritating him, but he pushed harder against the door. Against her. His face almost as thunderous as hers. "I'm sorry you lost your Mum. I can't begin to imagine what it's like and I'm just so sorry it's happened—" yet when he spoke, it was calm.
"James, please," she snapped harshly, disbelieving herself that she's actually begging before him. "Leave me alone."
Their gazes held each other for seconds far too long. Brown and silver challenging the other to give in, but alas, silver won. His grip slackened and the door slid shut instantly. Artemis wasted no time to secure the locks on it again. On the other side of the compartment James had yet to move and their eyes still were glued on each other. Artemis, typically, glared hot daggers at him, the silver of her eyes sharp and menacing. However, James's eyes were narrowed into slits, Artemis receiving a thunderous glare from him, making her feel slightly nauseated by how thunderous it was. A stark contrast to how they shone when he first entered the compartment. Perhaps he was hoping for Artemis to have been kinder to him, since he discarded his pride and showed sympathy towards her. But Artemis has yet to be kind to anyone—if they aren't Lysander Scamander.
Then by some magical and mystical force, Artemis broke away, rolled her eyes and returned to her seat.
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The Great Hall always is a masterpiece of extraordinary magic at feasts. Especially the Welcome feast, it was certainly at its best. The stars shone above them in a purple and navy coloured sky, glittering the walls and the high ceiling. This year the milkway stretched all the way across from the Slytherin table to the Hufflepuff, the seats beneath the galaxy exceptionally fluorescent. Warm candles floated above their heads, giving the Great Hall are warmly and homely feeling, as loud fires lit the baskets on each wall, warmth hitting you the moment you set foot inside. It was honestly beautifully magical and Artemis felt, for the first time in weeks, at home.
It didn't take long for Artemis to find her seat amongst her Housemates on the Slytherin table. A sea of lustrous silver and effulgent emerald, shimmering with the way the bodies moved theatrically, as friends who hadn't seen each other since the End of Year feast welcomed each other in hugs of affection and words of longing.
On the middle of the Slytherin table, bench closest to the wall, a figure stood up and waved frantically at Artemis's approaching figure. Her hair a wild cacophony of caramel, hazel and chocolate. Artemis smiled and waved back, her footsteps gathering speed as she realised how much she'd missed her friends. Thankful, she was at least, it wasn't Blair who spotted her first.
"Artemis!" Before she could even reach the bench, Marlene Wood grabbed Artemis's robes and pulled her in for such a tight hug, her eyes blushed. Artemis squeezes back, a small smile spreading.
"I missed you too, Marls—" then all of a sudden Marlene shoved her out of the hug, Artemis's back up against the wall and her eyes wide in shock. The Wood triplets are renowned for being so awfully dramatic, but even this is new from Marlene.
"You stupid—" Marlene snatched a Daily Prophet from a Slytherin, rolled it up and thwacked her head. "—Piece—Of—Shit!"
"What did I do?" Artemis asked, flabbergasted by what just happened.
However, the two girls sat back down at the table once Professor McGonagall interrupted them with her speech and Sorting Ceremony.
"It's what you didn't do," hissed Marlene, eyes trained on the Sorting Ceremony. "You didn't write. You didn't even let Blair see you."
At the mention of Blair, Artemis could feel herself paling and becoming nauseous. Then, as if her ears had been burning, McGonagall stopped speaking momentarily as the grand doors reopened and Blair Zabini did the walk of shame, all the way down the table until she reached her friends. Her face shone crimson and her usual sleek and stylish raven hair, a frizzy mess.
When McGonagall carries on going through the Sorting Ceremony, another figure ran as discreetly as possible down the length of the Ravenclaw table. His face and hair almost exactly like his girlfriends.
It seemed not only Artemis had spotted it, but the rest of Slytherin had, too.
"Are you kidding me, Zabini?" Marlene thwacked her arm with the same newspaper as she had with Artemis. "You couldn't even wait until after?"
Blair Zabini isn't the usual type to become embarrassed easily. She's the one who causes other people to be embarrassed. But in the past year, only one person could make her blush a deep crimson like that.
Next to Blair, Fred Weasley snickered loudly when the applause started up again. "You and Scamander could've at least tried to not make it obvious that you just shagged."
Blair elbowed the boy beside her, trying to smooth out her hair. "Oh yeah? I don't see you shagging anyone."
The dark skinned boy rolled his eyes, mumbled an insult nobody could hear and stuck out his tongue. "I have more class. I keep the shagging for the bedroom not a broom cupboard."
And before either could say anything more, Blair, now looking ready to slap the boy, redirected the conversation towards her best friend. Unfortunately, that was Artemis. "Artie, hey. How are you? I really missed you."
This was the moment when Artemis finally realised just how badly she had messed up. Her mouth opened, ready to relay the same, but no sound came out. Her throat constricted, slump forming and she seriously thought she was going to be sick.
It seemed as if the stars were on her side tonight, for that the Sorting Ceremony ended and Headmistress McGonagall stole the attention of every single person in the Great Hall that evening.
The old witch stood in front of the golden owl, a radiant look upon her face. Her eyes scattered around the Great Hall, perhaps making sure all of her students had returned, but Artemis felt as if she was looking for someone in particular. Then her eyes, that shone full of wisdom, landed on Artemis, a small soft smile spreading before they flickered away, making Artemis wonder if it had ever happened at all.
"Before you all overindulge, I ask of your attention for a few more moments." McGonagall needn't ask more than once, for that she has so much respect across the entirety of the school, even the House ghosts stopped messing about to listen. "Firstly, Professor Slughorn retired over the summer and will no longer be teaching with us—" What? Artemis, extremely disappointed, wanted to argue with the Headmistress, because Slughorn is the best teacher. He pushed and pushed Artemis to the best of her capabilities and even said that someday, her ambition mixed with her clever brains will create a new potion that could cure so many incurable diseases. He was her favourite teacher. The whole reason she started to enjoy Potions as much as she does now. Nobody could replace him and whoever it is, Artemis automatically doesn't like.
"—Therefore, the post for Potions Master and Slytherin Head of House was reopened." Artemis's eyes did a quick scan of the long table where the teachers sat. As expected, Slughorn's chair was empty. Then McGonagall grinned to herself. "Your new Potions Professor is someone who used to sit where you all sit now. He scored the highest in his NEWTs, a true Slytherin as well as a pain in my arse." She earned a lighthearted laugh from her students at that, though Artemis was too panicked to join in.
It wasn't possible, surely?
Marlene leaned closer to Artemis, whispering, "whoever it is, he better be fucking hot. The rest look like they could drop dead any second."
Artemis neglected to tell her that who she thought their new teacher could be. A suspicion grew inside her, her heart hammering, palms sweaty and her suspicions were confirmed when further down the serpents table, Scorpius shared the same worried look with her.
"I am so pleased to welcome him home after years of being away. Taking over the job of Potions Master and Slytherin Head of House is, Mr Draco Malfoy." To her pleasant surprise, the entire Slytherin table erupted with a ridiculously loud applause, they were all up on their feet—Artemis and Scorpius were too shocked to react—whooping until McGonagall settled them down again. The moment the headmistress announced that her father would be a teacher, Artemis feared that nobody would react as positively as this. She feared that they feared him for the past. Artemis glanced over to the other tables to see that they clapped respectfully, too.
"Professor Malfoy won't be with us until tomorrow morning and he'd like me to remind all OWL and NEWT students to make sure that they are very well acquainted with the textbooks for this year. One last thing," McGonagall lifted her hand to try and settle the multiple sounds of booing that could be heard across the Great Hall. "Quidditch this year is cancelled to make room for the Triwizard Tournament—"
That did not emit the kind of response McGonagall hoped for.
Half the room were outraged by the prospect of cancelling Quidditch.
"You can't cancel Quidditch you daft old witch!" Marlene bellowed, rage forcing her to leap up from the bench. Artemis quickly pulled her back down before any real damage could be done.
From the Gryffindor table, James Potter and Camden Wood both shouted obscenities at the old Headmistress, who no doubt, would be issuing out detentions tomorrow.
However, the other half—the half Artemis was included in, were either aghast or curious. Artemis was definitely curious.
"Tomorrow we welcome Beauxbatons, Durmstrang and Ilvermorny to our home for the opening of the Tournament. This year, however, new rules have been put in place to ensure your health and safety during the Tournament. These rules will be in your common rooms and reinforced tomorrow during the opening ceremony. As for now," McGonagall spread her arms wide, clearly pleased with herself, "enjoy!"
A variety of foods appeared in front of them, everybody tucking in almost instantly. Artemis, on the other hand had a lot to think about, too distracted to think about what she put on her plate.
Why hadn't her father told them he was leaving the Ministry? Why hadn't he told them he'd be teaching at Hogwarts? Why isn't he here?
"I can't believe they're reintroducing the Triwizard Tournament." Fred pulled her back to reality. "Again."
Artemis couldn't quite believe it either. From what Draco had told both his children, the Tournament would never be able to make a comeback after what happened in 1994.
Blair snorted. "I can't believe the Yanks are taking part. Surely that defeats the object of Triwizard Tournament?"
Marlene, bless her, was furious. Her head shook rapidly, confused as to what the big fuss is. "Is that what you're worrying about?" She scoffed. "I can't believe that McGonagall's got the audacity to cancel Quidditch. In our final year!"
"So," Artemis interrupted, making eye contact with Fred and Marlene, trying her best to act as if she's not done something terrible. "Are you going to enter?"
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a/n happy new year!!🥳
this is two days late and i'm so sorry!
i rewrote the first chapter ten time, all because i was being too fussy about it. i wanted it to be perfect—the endings a bit meh, but i hope you enjoyed???
updates will be sporadic because i'm in the middle of exams😭😭
hope you all had a lovely christmas and new years :)
any thoughts on artemis's little predicament??
see you all soon and thanks for reading
glesni x