----------------------> THAT SATURDAY, GEN, ROMAN AND HERSELF decided to go for a walk near the Black Lake a short while after lunch, just so that they could 'accidentally' cross parts with Rubeus Hagrid.
"I still cannot believe that you are nobility, Ro," Gen admitted.
Roman shrugged. "Technically, my paternal grandparents were. My maternal ones were just this really rich couple from France and my father is a lawyer. According to what I've seen in this school, I honestly don't think the wizards count a muggle nobility title."
Artemis shook her head in confirmation. "They honestly don't."
"See?" Roman gestured with a grin. "That's why I didn't flash it around much, because it's no use anyway. As far as anyone in this magical world knows, I am merely a simple wizard."
"Simple part's right," Artemis muttered under her breath.
"What was that?"
"I said 'The sun's very bright.'" Artemis replied, squinting as she looked up at the sky as if to make a point. "Isn't it?"
"It's quite pleasant, actually," Gen answered. "It's welcomed with open arms from me after it rained so much last night."
"Aah, couldn't sleep because of the thunderstorms?" Roman asked knowingly.
"Not until she banged on my room door at 3 am and demanded that she sleep beside me because apparently, I'm the one who is scared of a little lightning and thunder," Artemis replied before Gen could, making the latter glare at her.
"Firstly, excuse me for looking out for my friend," Gen began, "And secondly, what in God's great name made you think that last night's thunderstorms were 'little'? And thirdly, the reason I could not sleep was because of the noise that the storm created."
"Of course, Gen," Roman said, nodding in a way that he completely believed her but the tone of his voice suggested that he didn't. Artemis nodded in the same way as him, making the ever elegant and proper Gen give both her friends a sarcastic smile and a view of her middle finger, which in turn caused the two to fall into laughter.
Gen rolled her eyes before she began searching the area. "C'mon Ruby... Where are you, boy...?"
"Why does this remind me of the way people talk to dogs?" Roman wondered out loud.
"That's because it is," Artemis replied. "Hey Gen, you do remember that Rubeus is a boy, right?"
"Hush, woman!" Gen shushed her before continuing to search for the third year Gryffindor.
One would assume that with how large the boy was, he would have been easier to find. Three minutes later, they did find him, and he looked to be coming out of the Forbidden Forest. The three of them shared a worried and confused glance before proceeding to approach him.
"Hello Ruby," Gen greeted, only for the boy to jump up six feet in the air.
He turned to face them with a surprised expression fleeting over his face. "Artemis? Roman? Gen?" He asked confusedly. "What're you doin' here?"
"Actually, it's Gen, Artemis and Roman," Gen corrected with a smile. "And we were taking this walk that we do every Saturday morning-"
"-it's afternoon-"
"-that's what I said, we were taking this walk we do every Saturday afternoon," Gen continued. "And we just happen to bump into you."
Rubeus' eyebrows furrowed. "But I saw you coming to me."
"We bumped into you." Gen corrected, her smile slightly strained. "It was accidental, right guys?"
"Complete coincidence." Artemis dutifully added.
Roman nodded. "It's like the universe wanted us to meet you today. It's totally not because Missy got your routine from other people by threatening them with detentions because of Gen- Oomph!" He abruptly shouted, rubbing the part where Artemis and Gen had elbowed him simultaneously.
Artemis smiled at a confused Rubeus once more. "Complete coincidence." She repeated with an innocent smile.
Rubeus slowly nodded.
"So," Gen began, always quick to change the topic. "How are you?"
"I'm good," Rubeus replied.
"How is everybody else?" Gen continued firing questions. "Did you make any new friends?"
"Um, yes actually."
Artemis raised an eyebrow. "Are they human?" she asked.
Rubeus blushed. "Friends don't have to be humans. Animals don't judge me, people do."
Gen's eyes softened greatly. "And that's not one bit your fault that people are such jerks. Got it, Ruby? Besides, you do have human friends."
"I do?" Rubeus blinked with a bewildered expression on his face. "Who?"
"Us, of course!" Gen grinned as Artemis gave him a small wave and Roman winked. "Friends stick together. Now, come on. Tell me all about your day, Ruby." She said, dragging him to sit under a tree with Artemis and Roman following her.
Rubeus looked flustered by the attention he was getting from the three upperclassmen who happened to be very popular, and he offhandedly wondered if the trio even knew how famous they were.
After all, they consisted of the greatest Quidditch player of their generation, Roman Rhys; the beautiful, kind, fashionable and feminist Genevive Rhodes and of course, the gorgeous genius, artistic and favourite commentator, Artemis Potter, who was also the little sister of the second greatest Quidditch player of their generation and potions prodigy, Fleamont Potter and the perfectly brilliant Charlus Potter, both of whom were legends in the House of Lions.
But then, Rubeus realised that it didn't matter if they realised their popularity or not. All that mattered was that they not only considered him to be their friend but also looked out for him. While he was admittedly a little oblivious, he could see how a lot of people had stopped bullying him too badly after rumours got around that he was seen sitting with the trio, or how he received special treatment from Artemis during the time he got caught staying up after curfew, nor was he blind to the fact that Roman had dramatically waved to him whenever he saw him or how it seemed that the three of them had planned to meet him that day.
He felt touched really and all their efforts made his heart go warm.
Was this how it felt to have friends?
Whatever it was, he wasn't going to question it, but rather bask in it for as long as it took them to realise that he wasn't worth their efforts.
------> 0o0 <------
Gen, Rubeus learnt from Artemis, was purposely choosing to call him Ruby instead of his given name because according to her, he was as -if not more- precious than that expensive and rare stone.
He had blushed deeply upon learning that but couldn't help but feel proud. He had never had a nickname before.
However, their time together was cut short when Gen had learnt that Rubeus had missed eating lunch. The next moment, she went all mother-hen on him and insisted that he eat something immediately and she was willing to force-feed him if she had to.
Rubeus insisted that he would and that the three of them should enjoy the outside sun more. He told them that he knew where the kitchens were located, and he would go and eat something soon. Gen told him to come to the Ravenclaw Tower after he had finished eating, so they could help him out on any of his subjects. Rubeus readily agreed, wished them goodbye and left.
"Collecting yet another outcast, Potter?" Walburga's snide and condescending voice rang in the end not even a minute after Rubeus had left.
The trio turned to see another trio, with Tom Riddle in the middle and looking fully emerged in the book he was holding. Abraxas Malfoy was to his left, nose stuck in the air as always and Walburga Black to his right, giving them what Artemis assumed was a look of superiority, but looked like she was constipated.
"Let's see what we have here," Walburga continued as she looked at the three Ravenclaws who were giving her expressions of indifference. "A blood traitor, a halfie and a mudblood. What a lovely trio! And now adding a halfbreed freak of nature as well? I always knew you had a fondness for collecting trash, Potter." she finished with a smirk.
"They are not trash, Black. Your opinion, however, is." Artemis replied coldly. "You know, I wondered why the birds stopped singing a few seconds ago, but then I saw your face and the answer became so clear." She smiled.
Walburga's smirk dropped as her mouth twisted into an angered expression, but Abraxas Malfoy intervened before she could reply.
"You should learn how to speak properly to your betters." He said with a cool voice.
"Great, and when you find them, be sure to let us know," Roman replied with a smile.
"I wasn't talking to you, mudblood." Abraxas sneered.
"Too bad, because I was talking to you, pureblood," Roman said, mirroring his sneer before pausing and looking at Artemis. "No offence."
Artemis waved him off. "None taken," She told him before turning to the platinum blond Slytherin boy with a smile. "So, how long have you been training to be an arrogant, egotistic, idiotic arse?"
Tom Riddle finally put down his book and began watching the encounter with blatant interest painted on his face while Gen laughed, Roman smirked and Abraxas Malfoy's handsome face reddened deeply.
Walburga gasped in shock before glaring at her. "Potter! You can't address him like that!"
"Sorry," Artemis said monotonously, turning to meet Abraxas Malfoy's face once more. "So, how long have you been training to be an arrogant, egotistic, idiotic arse, Heir Malfoy?"
"Like you're any better, Potter." Abraxas spat.
"Ooh," Artemis sang, eyes twinkling, "Nice rhyme, Malfoy. At least we know if your career options fall horribly like I know they will, you can always become a poet."
Abraxas glared daggers at her. "You're a mewling quim, Potter."
"Funny, I thought you were referring to yourself for a second there," Artemis said dryly. "Besides, even if you weren't, in order to insult me, I must first value your opinion. Good try, though."
"How dare you, Potter!" Walburga yelled, outraged. "Don't you know who he is? Who we are?"
"You don't even know your own identities?" Artemis asked sympathetically, giving them a pitying look.
Tom Riddle disguised his chuckle as a cough while Gen and Roman didn't even bother hiding it and freely laughed. Artemis' encounters with anybody she didn't like was always entertaining to the audiences.
"I'm a daughter of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black," Walburga felt the need to answer, her nose snobbishly up in the air. "My family is superior to yours. After all, we have a lake named after us here, at Hogwarts."
"You also have a plague named after you," Artemis dryly pointed out, "So you must excuse me if I find myself stuck in a conundrum."
"And I'm the Heir to the Most Ancient and Noble House of Malfoy," Abraxas continued while Waburga flashed her a glare, which prompted her to return a sweet smile. "I happen to have many skills." He declared.
Artemis nodded understandingly. "Indeed. You are very skilled at getting other people to do stuff for you. So much so, that you are incapable of thinking of an original comeback without darling Walburga's help."
Abraxas' nostrils flattered in anger. "You dare-"
"-I do." Artemis countered with a glare of her own. "So?"
"I have many talents," Abraxas repeated coldly. "I'm not a fool."
Artemis snorted. "That's debatable."
"Oh, please. The only ignoramus person over here is you." Abraxas said in his trademark, artic, holier-than-thou tone of voice. "And you know what? You claim to be so smart, but I don't think you know what that word means. Do you, Miss Potter?" He taunted.
Artemis simply glared at him in reply. Was he really asking a Ravenclaw if she knew the meaning of a synonym for the word 'idiot'?
Abraxas flashed her a victorious smirk when she hadn't answered yet, thinking he had won. "What, scared now that we have caught on? No witty remark?"
"Aww, you think they were witty?" Artemis cooed instead.
Abraxas glared at her. "Describe the word ignoramus, Miss Potter, I dare you to indulge me."
Artemis raised an eyebrow. "In three words?"
"Yes."
"Abraxas Hyperion Malfoy," she answered with a smile, her eyes fixed on his.
His eyes widened as Walburga let out a gasp and Tom Riddle discreetly rolled his eyes.
"You dare!"
"No," Artemis said slowly, "You dared me. Remember?"
Abraxas resumed his activity of glaring daggers at her. "You have the mind of a child."
"And yet I'm still more mature than you." She replied with a smile. "Is there anything that you are actually capable of doing?"
"Putting up with you," Malfoy replied with a glare.
"That's actually quite a magnificent talent to have considering most times even I find it hard to put up with me," Artemis said with a shrug of her shoulders.
"Artemis," Tom Riddle finally spoke, interrupting anything Walburga or Abraxas would have said. "I know you don't have to listen to me, but-"
"Glad we agree on something," Artemis told him coldly, before starting to walk away from the Slytherin trio, with Gen and Roman shortly following her.
She was mad at a lot of things.
She was mad that many purebloods constantly called her out for making friends with people they didn't approve of. She was mad that Walburga, Abraxas and all the other Slytherins only spoke and argued with her on such matters and failed to even take notice of Gen and Roman as if they weren't even worth their time. She was mad at Tom Riddle for doing nothing but watching with intrigue as insults were thrown back and forth as if the reason the argument was taking place was for his sole entertainment.
She was mad at Lady Fortuna, who's eyes were blinded to the unaccountable variations in her dispensations to mankind, not caring who was right or wrong. She was mad at the world and all the people in it.
Except for her parents, brothers and friends, of course. They were all angels.
"I hate all three of them," Roman stated as soon as they walked away far enough, "Malfoy for his attitude, Black for her personality and Riddle for never really doing anything about anything."
Artemis nodded. "I know what you mean. I want to high five all three of them. In the face. With a brick. Covered in spikes and dipped in poison."
"They can go swimming in acid. In a white, straight-denim jacket!" Roman proclaimed.
"They should choke on their own puke!" Artemis exclaimed.
"Every time they touch a book, they should get a paper cut!" Roman yelled.
Artemis gasped. "...that's just plain mean. Even for them. How could you be so cruel, Rome?"
Roman grinned. "Well, what can I say? I'm a horrible, awful person. I'm the evilest person in existence."
"Oh please! You're a cinnamon roll."
"I am not!"
"You fold your socks," Artemis said pointedly.
"It gets all wrinkly otherwise!" Roman protested.
Artemis rolled her eyes. "Cinnamon roll." She accused.
"Treacle tarts," Roman retorted.
"Vanilla ice-cream."
"Apple pie."
"Cheesecake."
"Chocolate fondue."
"Thank you, I do," Artemis said without thinking before she realised what she had said and cursed. "Damn it."
Roman flashed her a victorious smirk. "I win." He said smugly.
"We didn't have a competition in the first place." Artemis retorted before pausing. "Did we?" She asked with confusion.
"I don't know." Roman pursed his lips. "What were we talking about again?"
"I'll be sure to inform you when I remember," Artemis replied before furrowing her eyebrows as she glanced at her other friend. "I'm worried about you, Gen. How come you're so silent?"
"I'm thinking," Gen replied
"Whoa. Now I'm really worried," Artemis said with concern etched on her face.
Roman looked at Gen with kind eyes. "I'm glad you've finally started to think, Gen, but please don't think too hard though, I wouldn't want you to hurt yourself."
Gen rolled her eyes. "You guys are the worse."
"Took you long enough to realise." Artemis grinned.
"But unfortunately, you can't do anything about it, dearie. You're stuck with us." Roman said as he threw an arm over Gen's shoulder.
"Like glue," Artemis said, throwing an arm over her other shoulder.
"Or a sticking charm."
"Or jelly."
"Jelly isn't sticky."
"Then clearly you haven't had jelly dumped on you as a method to wake you up during the summer holidays."
"Charlus or Fleamont?"
"My father, actually."
"Your mother let him do that?"
"She didn't know but once she found out, he was put on the couch for a week."
"Figures." Roman nodded knowingly. "I love your family."
"Spend a proper week with us, and you'll change your opinion," Artemis replied before a worried expression flashed on her face. "What's wrong, Gen?"
Roman nodded with worry. "Usually you would have said quite a few things by now. Are you alright?"
"I'm fine," Gen said with a small smile that said she wasn't. Artemis and Roman, who were quite used to that particular smile, simply kept looking at her with concern.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Artemis asked.
"It's okay if you don't want to as well," Roman added, "but just remember that we are here for you, for better or for worse-"
"-Rich or for poor," Artemis continued, "In sickness and in health-"
"-Till death do us apart." All three of them finished together, and it was then that Gen smiled genuinely.
"When exactly was it that we started using muggle wedding vows to express platonic love for each other?" Gen mused out loud.
"I think it was in the summer of the second year when the two of you attended my cousin's wedding," Roman replied thoughtfully.
"Oh yes!" Gen exclaimed, grinning. "Artemis had looked so shocked upon seeing a ballpoint pen for the first time."
Artemis scowled. "Can you blame me? Rome is a muggle-born while your mother a muggle. The two of you grew up around such fascinating inventions. I, on the other hand, didn't; so forgive me if I, a Ravenclaw, got excited and hyper upon seeing something new."
"Nobody blames you, Missy," Roman chuckled. "After all, us Ravenclaw's are ruled by curiosity."
"Curiosity killed the cat." Gen pitched in offhandedly.
"But satisfaction brought it back." Roman grinned.
"Actually, I don't quite agree with that saying," Artemis said.
"Oh?" Roman raised an eyebrow. "Then pray tell us what you think, oh goddess of superior intelligence and I-am-never-wrong syndrome?" He bowed mockingly.
Artemis flashed him a glare with no real heat behind it. "I think," she began, "that knowledge killed the cat. Curiosity was just framed for the murder."
Roman cursed. "I hate it when you make valid points."
"So you hate me all the time, then?" Artemis grinned.
"Shut up."
"Only if you lead by example."
"Must you always have the last say in a conversation?"
"Of course! It warms my cold, nonexistent heart." Artemis replied with a sweet smile, making Roman very maturely blow her a raspberry.
They once again noticed Gen's unusually quiet demeanour, and side hugged her once again.
"You good?" Roman asked her.
"Yes," Gen replied.
"Are you being honest?" Artemis asked.
"No," Gen answered. Roman and Artemis waited patiently for her to continue. Gen sighed. "I'm sure he's going to break up with me." 'He' refers to her current boy-toy.
"Oh," Roman blinked, "How do you know? Rumours are lies, Gen, don't believe them."
"He has different views than me," Gen replied. "As in, although he is in a serious relationship with me even though it's only been three weeks or so, and he expects that if we get married, I will be a breeding machine and homemaker." She took a breath. "I know there's nothing wrong with that, but it's supposed to be a choice, not forced or cornered. When I told him I wanted to get a history mastery, he laughed at my face and asked me how I could, considering that I'll have to take care of the children."
Artemis winced before patting Gen comfortingly on her back as Roman rubbed smooth circular motions on her shoulder in a supportive manner.
Gen took another deep breath before letting it out in a dramatic yet sad sigh. "Why do I always attract either the sexist pigs or the prideful jerks? I thought he was the one, you know?"
Artemis and Roman shared a glance before Roman slightly shook his head. There was no need for them to bring up the fact that Gen had claimed every single boy-toy was 'the One' within the first week of their relationship, which Artemis and Roman had dubbed, 'the honeymoon phase.'
"Do you want us to do anything?" Roman asked. "Artemis is very good at the concept of revenge and in next week's Eagle-Lion Quidditch match, I can hit him with a couple of blunders, after all."
Gen laughed. "Thanks, but there's no need."
"Okay," Artemis nodded. "What are you going to do then?"
"The same thing I did to all the boys I loved before him," Gen replied, her face brighter than it had been earlier. "Goodbye, number nineteen."
They walked in silence after that. It was when they were in front of the Guardian Eagle of the Ravenclaw Tower when Artemis snapped her fingers and abruptly let out a shout of "Eureka!"
Roman and Gen looked at her questioningly.
Artemis cleared her throat and turned to face Roman. "Earlier, we were talking about how you are a complete and utter cinnamon roll. You agreed with me on that, if you were wondering."