Disclaimer: I own nothing familiar from the HP Universe. All dates used in this story are taken from the timelines of HPLexicon.

Here's a few more chapters! Sorry that there was a bit of a wait for those of you reading since the last ones went up but I got a bit caught up with school, among other things.

Chapter Six

That night as Laelia slept, Artemisia sat at the window seat and wondered about what she should do. Everyone seemed to be looking for her. Her father and the other Death Eaters wanted her to join them. She still didn't know what Professor Dumbledore and the others wanted from her. To make matters worse, while she had been at Diagon Alley, an owl had dropped off a letter for her at Laelia's house that was from Roger. She still hadn't the courage to open it. She excused her cowardice by thinking that he had nothing that he could possible write to her that hadn't been said during the school year.

As daylight flittered through the window, she dug out the mystery letter. Too unsure to open it, she opened Roger's letter first. Her eyes widened as his words filtered through her mind and tears filled her eyes. He had decided to apologise for what he had done to her. He asked her to give him another chance and to make her feel even more confused he claimed that he loved her. She shook her head sadly as she refolded the letter. If not for the things that had happened to her this summer she would have taken him back in a heartbeat but now she wasn't so sure.

She picked up the other letter. It had no address, only her name and that is written in a hand she didn't recognise. She opened it and let out a low laugh. It was exactly what she needed.

Dear Miss Nott,

I hope that you read this letter in time. You must know that you are not alone in your fight to remain free from the strings of Voldemort's supporters. If you find a need to get away, please come to the address on the small card attached. Those there will do all that they can to protect you

Professor Albus Dumbledore

Artemisia packed everything back into her knapsack and the next day made excuses to Mr. and Mrs. Dearborn and promised to meet Laelia on the train. Laelia gave her one more hug before Artemisia got into a taxicab and wished her friend luck.

She got out of the car and paid the driver a few streets from where she was going. As she walked closer to the address on the card, her relieved smile faded. There was no such address. She pulled out the card and glanced at the address again. When she looked up her eyes widened in surprise, where there had been nothing a moment before there was a house. Artemisia took a deep breath, and knocked at the doo. A confusion of noise erupted from within the house and the door opened to reveal the woman that Artemisia had seen Laelia talking to the day before.

She stared at the woman in surprise. "You!"

"Well, you must be Artemisia Nott. We've been expecting you." She led the girl into the house and Artemisia shivered, though quite a few of the objects she saw around her are ones she had encountered before on her family's estate in the country. "I'm Tonks."

"You were in Hogsmeadt talking about me too." Artemisia blurted out as the realisation came to her.

"Yes, I was." She looked rather taken back at this. "Are you thinking of becoming an Auror?"

"No, I've always wanted to work at the Department of Mysteries." She shook her head as she entered what she found to be the kitchen. She looked around in surprise as she recognised a few of the people. Professor Lupin smiled at her. On the floor next to him was one of the largest dogs Artemisia had ever seen. If she had been one to put stock in superstitions, she would have believed it to be a grim. Bill from Gringotts smiled at her as well. The twins were sitting at the table as well. They looked shocked to see her. Hermione Granger was sitting with the two youngest Weasleys. Artemisia bit her lip and waited for someone to say something.

"Ah, we found her." Professor Snape's voice came from the doorway behind her.

As she had noticed since escaping her father, Artemisia had started to say whatever she had in her head when it came to her. She once more spoke out of turn. "I wasn't aware that anyone was looking for me, other than my father and his darling little friends." She raised an eyebrow. "Perhaps if everyone didn't treat me as though I was some mindless doll, I would have a clue as to what the hell is going on in my own damn life." She knew that this was just two weeks of stress looking for an outlet. Snape looked at her for a moment shock written plainly on his face as the dog let out a sharp bark that gave Artemisia the feeling that it was laughing. "Now, would it be possible for someone to shed a little light on this for me?"

"Miss Nott, you need to calm down." Snape began. It was the wrong thing for him to say.

"Calm down?" She questioned turning to him. "Do you have the slightest idea what I've been through since I've left school? It starts out with my father announcing out of the blue that he wants me to join the Death Eaters. Then I have to sit through a dinner with the Flints. After which, Marcus wants to shove his tongue down my throat. Finally my father decides that torturing me is the best way to get me to agree with him. That was the first day." She took a deep breath and continued. "Then as I'm making plans to get away, I find out that my mother's death wasn't an accident. When I finally get away from him, I find that not only are Death Eaters looking for me but that my house was being watched. Not only was it being watched, I was being watched. Then I have a lovely run in with Lucius Malfoy after leaving Gringotts yesterday, in which he practically threatened my best friend's family. I finally read a mysterious letter that was from Professor Dumbledore that sent me here. If I didn't know better I would swear that the world is trying to kill me or drive me stark raving mad."

"Oh, you poor dear." A redheaded older woman came from the sink and ushered her into a seat between the twins. "I'll get you something to drink."

"We didn't expect to see you here, Arty." She looked at the twin, who had spoke and smiled.

"To tell the truth, I wasn't expecting to see you either, George." He looked at her in surprise as she turned her attention to his brother. "Hello, Fred." Everyone at the table got a laugh as they tried to talke her into changing her mind as to which twin was which. After a moment, Mrs. Weasley was back with a glass that she gave the girl. Artemisia took it and noted that everyone seemed to be waiting for her to drink it. She sighed, knowing that it contained a sleeping draft. She knew she should tell them that unless it was a strong one that she would simply hover on the edge of consciousness.

When she had been five, Artemisia had backed into the glass wall of the green house when a plant snapped at her. At St. Mungo's, she had been given a sleeping draft and she had heard everything said as if from a distance. Including her father blaming her mother for what had happened. She shook away the memory and picked up the drink. It was after all one way to find out what was going on.

She drank all the contents of the glass and smiled sweetly at Mrs. Weasley. "You really didn't need to drug me." She and everyone that Artemisia could see looked at her startled as her vision started to blur before she slumped against George.

The first thing she heard was Mrs. Weasley. "How did she know?"

"She's the daughter of a family a bit like mine. You would be surprised at what she does know." This was a voice new to Artemisia. A nice voice, she thought absently, warm and soothing, making her feel almost safe. "I've got her." She felt herself being lifted from the warmth coming from George.

"Sirius, are you sure that you should be carrying her?" Mrs. Weasley sounded rather worried.

"I'll go with him." It took her a moment to recognise Lupin's voice.

"I'll go as well. Best to make sure that Black doesn't drop the girl simply because of whom she is." Artemisia would know Snape's oily tones anywhere. She thought over his words. Her stomach dropped. Sirius Black, deranged murderer and escapee from Azkaban, was carrying her. There is no speaking between the three men before Artemisia felt herself being placed on a bed. 'Damn,' she thought to herself. She had found out nothing.

"I meant to warn you, but I didn't think she'd show up so soon." Lupin announced as she felt a hand pushing back her hair from her face.

"She looks so much like her." Black's voice came from somewhere near her ear.

"Be glad she isn't." Snape announced adding to her confusion about what they were talking about. "Or she would be hearing everything we are saying."

"I forgot about that." Black's smile could almost be heard in his voice.

"She isn't her though." Snape continued as if not interrupted. "It would be impossible for her to her child either."

"That's right." Lupin added, soothingly. "Miss Nott is the same age as the twins. I taught her, Padfoot. She might look like her but she's a different person." Artemisia heard their footsteps leave the room before Lupin's voice came from where she supposed the door was. "Leave her alone, Padfoot."

"I'm coming, Moony." His voice was close and for some reason, Artemisia wanted to see him in person, not just the flyers that still showed up here and there in the wizarding world, more than anything in the world. She struggled to the surface, fighting the effects of the potion. "Sleep well, Miss Nott." She felt a kiss being pressed to her forehead and with supreme effort, she forced her eyelids open. For a brief moment, she stared into the most amazing eyes she had ever seen before she slid into the darkness of sleep.

Later that night...

He woke from the dream with the suddenness that one could only achieve with a nightmare. Sirius ran a shaky hand through his hair before turning on the light by the bed and staring blankly at the wall before him. If only, he knew what had happened to her, then maybe the dreams would be of her, not what might have happened to take her away from him. He shook his head, knowing full well that knowing wouldn't help. For then, he would know without a doubt what he hadn't done that had caused him to loose the most important thing in his life. Who was he kidding? She had been his life.

Sirius pulled his mind away from the past and immediately his thoughts went to the young woman who had arrived earlier that evening. The resemblance was striking enough to be like an arrow through his heart from the moment that she had walked through the door following Tonks. Although he was told otherwise, the way she had acted during the time she was awake had reminded him so much of her, but Moony wouldn't lie to him and he could see for himself that Artemisia Nott was still young enough to be but a child.

Grumbling to himself, he opened a drawer and pulled out a picture that Moony had been good enough to get it for him from the cottage. The group smiled up at him, none of them knowing where they would or wouldn't be in just a few short years. James had his arm around Lily's waist but that had to be for she was in his arms. Shawny rolled her eyes and smiled in amused sort of way from where she sat on the arm of the nearby couch. Sunny was the only one not smiling as she stared daggers at the girl in Sirius's arms. Remus looked on just as amused as Shawny. Peter stood a bit off from the rest of the group and Sirius couldn't help but wonder if his friend had already started his betrayal of the group.

He shoved the picture back into the drawer and closed his eyes. He missed them. He had only had her for such a short time. Of course, if he had been wiser he would have been able to have had more time with her. He let out a sigh, wishing he could will himself back to sleep.

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