Artemis Lupin, 11 year old witch, had befriended Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ronald Weasley along with having obtained many admirers along the way. It seemed as if everywhere Artemis turned, she found a suitable peer to wink at warmly. It wasn't until her run in with Draco Malfoy, where words had finally been exchanged, in which she was met with the strange possibility that someone didn't like her. It overworked her brain to consider such an idea. Now, that sounds awful confident, but seeing that the young troublemaker followed in her mother and uncle's footsteps, it was undeniable that she had charm which she loved to flaunt. Not even the most intimidating of people could find a reason to dislike her, including the infamous Professor Snape, who seemed to have a hidden soft spot for the beaming Gryffindor.
The first time Artemis locked eyes with Malfoy was during the boarding process of her first year, as she chatted up a nervous Neville Longbottom on the platform. Her eyes flickered away from the visibility uncomfortable boy, whose appearance indicated his personality; he had messy brown hair and a soft belly poking through his clothes, when she heard a brief clip of conversation. "Draco, steer clear of the wrong crowd.-" Artemis' attention peaked at the low voice whose tone seemed dangerous, laced in poison. She glanced at the man as Neville stammered on about his summer.
The man was tall, with grand emerald robes that screamed of wealth, and long blonde hair that was neatly tied behind him. She felt his aura as he strode past, and his perfumed scent couldn't mask the superiority he displayed and felt entitled to. Somehow, Artemis did not think this man was giving his son a warning about teenage mischief.
"We've been over this, but as your father I have the obligation to educate you on... others. You will do best in only making ties with Slytherins, and pureblood Slytherins at that." The man finished and spun gracefully to face his son, who'd he'd been walking next to, and in turn, his son nodded up at him with seriousness. Artemis observed as the father placed his arm on the boy's shoulder, allowing it to linger, before speaking.
"Come now Draco, your mother and I did not raise you to be tardy." The man indicated to the Hogwarts Express. "I'll expect to hear from you soon." With that, the man disappeared in mid air without so much as a soft pop, an act Artemis identified as apparition, having learned both from her books and her father.
The boy, Draco, hesitated on the platform a moment longer. He seemed uncertain, Artemis analyzed. She could not explain her interest, knowing simply that it was difficult for any one person to hold her attention. Feeling rather guilty about blanking on Neville, whose name she'd already forgotten, she was about to turn to him and apologize when she met Draco's eyes.
The boy looked remarkably like his father, with pale skin and platinum blonde hair slicked back neatly. He was tall and handsome, but darkly so. Artemis held his gaze, and felt oddly unnerved seeing that the boy had seemed to figure out he had a eavesdropper. He narrowed his eyebrows upon meeting her gaze, lowered his gray eyes to her feet and back up at her, snorted in disgust, and not unlike his father, whipped around gracefully to the train door. Artemis felt her hot temper flare and was about to follow the boy into the train when she heard a voice next to her.
"A-artemis" Neville gulped, reminding her of his presence. He was red in the face with embarrassment from saying her name, as if it'd been the most daring thing he'd done. "Oh, I'm sorry Neville, -" she began, her quick mind reminding her of the boy's name. "-I was distracted." She didn't explain, just turned her hazel eyes towards the boy and flashed a smile. His blush deepened, and before he could reply, Artemis was off towards the nearby train entrance. "I'll catch you later buddy!" she called without turning back, not wanting to extend the interaction. She told herself she'd make it up to him later, not that she truly cared to do so. Neville looked after her, clearly mesmerized. Wow, he thought to himself, his heart still racing.
Artemis secretly wished to run into the blonde boy, questioning whether she imagined the dirty look she'd received. She was not used to boys looking at her like that. While Artemis didn't care for boys in particular, she certainly was used to receiving attention and she rather enjoyed it. Furthermore, she cared a great deal about being looked down upon. Gryffindor pride will do that to you. Before she was even sorted young Artemis had considered herself a Gryffindor.
She remembered the stories her father told her about Hogwarts, stories about mom and himself, their friends, the castle. Artemis' parents were both Gryffindors, her mother being the first in her family, along with her twin brother, to break the Slytherin tradition. The Black family had acted accordingly by disowning both Sirius and Chleo Black, the twins having been black sheep in a family that valued pureblood ideals over everything else. They were even burned out of the family tree, resulting in Artemis never meeting her mom's side of the family.
While Artemis scanned the cart she had entered, she did not spot the blonde boy. Instead, she surrendered her search and joined a nearby compartment full of other first years, sitting down uninvited before jumping into conversation. "I sure hope I'm placed in Ravenclaw. My mum will be devastated if I'm not." A lightly freckled brown haired boy mumbled in a low, insecure voice to the nearby students. It seemed that they all were uncertain of themselves, leaving Artemis to stand out as she responded bluntly, "So let her be devastated, mate. You'll be sorted where you belong; that's the only thing that matters." Her voice was confident and friendly, yet suggested impatience. The boy looked at her, wide eyed and frightened. After a few minutes of mindless nervous chatter from the students, Artemis quickly glanced at her watch and determined she'd walk the cart one more time before picking a final resting spot. "Well, this has been fun," Artemis began, not sounding as if she had the least bit of fun, "I'll be back my fellow classmates, or maybe I won't, who knows?" she announced, ending the rhetorical question with a grin. She had been planning her escape for the better half of the past five minutes. She heard faint fair well murmurs from the others as she stepped outside once again. They're not the worst bunch, she decided to herself, cracking a small smile once more. Despite being bored halfway to death, this particular group of kids weren't the worst.
After peeking about, Artemis realized that the other nearby compartments were full. She frowned to herself, knowing she'd need to take a seat soon before the train took off. At this point, she almost regretted leaving her previous crowd, yet she would not allow herself to return to them. Most first years had already taken seats, Artemis identified them by their discomfort and anxiety, both of which were present within her original compartment peers. Older students, on the other hand, were laughing and talking with their friends in separate compartments, looking a lot more confident.
It was then when the train conductor announced that all students must take their seats. The train whistled in warning before coming to life, starting with a sharp jolt. Artemis attempted to grab on to anything as to avoid a hard fall, and her hands grabbed the knob of the closest compartment door. As she fell, she slid the door open along with her, revealing two boys inside. One boy was heavily freckled with bright orange hair and tattered clothes while the other had dark messy locks, crooked circular glasses, and an odd shaped scar on his forehead. They both jumped in alarm as their door flung open, and their eyes widened at the girl on the floor who immediately looked up and grinned sheepishly at them. "Some entrance, no? My name's Artemis, mind if I join you?" the young witch asked enthusiastically, standing up and brushing herself off. She looked at the two boys, awaiting their answer. The dark haired boy spoke, seeing that his friend seemed at a loss for words. "Uh, no, feel free to sit down wherever." Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley did not mind their new addition at all.