Chapter 10: First Dance and Last Sightings
Bill arrived that evening in his tuxedo, or really carrying must of his tuxedo. His hair was a mess. His tie was undone. His cummerbund was hanging over his shoulder. He was wearing his plain everyday shoes instead of dress shoes. Mrs. Weasley bustled about crying and worrying when he arrived. Mr. Weasley and all of the boys took him upstairs to get ready and have a nice long talk. Charlie stayed downstairs awhile to help Mrs. Weasley with some of the cooking. After about an hour of cold silence, she finally hugged him and told him to go upstairs.
Infinity and Artemis, with the help of Tonks and Moony, were setting up chairs outside. Ginny and Harry were helping Mrs. Weasley cook. The house was buzzing with activity when the guests started to Apparate. Mad-Eye Moody apparated in front of Artemis and caused her to fall over and drop the chair she was carrying. People were knocking at the door every time Molly Weasley made it back to the Kitchen. Eventually she stationed Harry and Ginny at the door to greet people. Now that they had made up they had a fine time standing at the door snogging until someone knocked.
The hustle and bustle made the whole house shake. The Twin's voices carried downstairs as they called their greeting to Mrs. Weasley and continued upstairs helping Bill.
Harry and Ginny were sitting bored and waiting. The guests had begun to arrive in such a steady fashion that they didn't even have to hold the door. Their privacy was gone so they decided to sit and wait.
"You know, Ginny, I never asked about Bill," Harry said suddenly.
"What do you mean?" Ginny asked. She was absentmindedly playing with the loose thread on the chair.
"How did they fix his…you know?" Harry stammered.
"Oh his face? Well, this healer was amazing. She looked at it and said 'Okay, It'll be done in three days.' I was like, no way. But she just asked for a signature for a few release forms and then kicked us all out. She probably explained the process to Mum and Dad, but I'm too young," Ginny rolled her eyes. "Oh well, as long as he's better. I think that healer is coming today. She was so nice. Fred had his eye on her."
"Hopefully she has a twin," Harry laughed.
People continued to enter the house. Harry had no idea that this many people could fit in the backyard.
"GEORGE! I'LL KILL YOU!" Bill's voice rang through the house suddenly. A loud pop in front of Ginny caused her to topple out of her chair. George appeared in front of her suddenly.
"Shhh! Don't let him know I'm down here," George whispered. He crouched a little. Another pop caused everyone to jump and Fred appeared.
"Brilliant, wasn't it?" Fred said.
"Of course!" George agreed.
"Absolutely—"
"Positively—"
"The best trick we have ever played," they concluded together.
"What did you do?" Harry asked.
"We gave him a box—"
"Pretending it was a wedding gift, you know, from us, the best brothers ever," George said.
"But when he opened it…"
"The first level was a spray of pepper, to induce sneezing—"
"Which would set off the hair powder."
"Replicas of your hair begin to fall, giving the illusion that you are losing all of your hair," Ginny whispered to Harry, who nodded.
"After the hair powder, comes the colour changer. It changes the colour of your skin, depending on the mood," Fred explained.
"He was a brilliant shade of red. Best colour yet," George noted.
"And then—"
"Yes, and then—"
"The best part of the whole show!" The twins began to conclude. Their story was cut short when Mrs. Weasley emerged from the kitchen looking horribly red herself. Ginny glanced at Harry, who nodded, and they both went out toward the backdoor.
Artemis was coming in the backdoor when Harry and Ginny ran out. Unknowingly, Artemis walked in on Mrs. Weasley at her maddest. Her face was a shade that could rival any attempt of red Vernon Dursley ever tried. The twins stood frozen to the spot.
"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU WOULD EVER EVEN CONSIDER DOING THIS TO YOUR OLDER BROTHER! HE HAS ALWAYS TAKEN CARE OF YOU, NO MATTER HOW STUPID YOUR TRICKS WERE, NO MATTER HOW MUCH YOU HURT HIM! AND ON HIS WEDDING DAY NO LESS! ARE YOU TRYING TO HURT YOUR ELDEST BROTHER? IS THAT IT?" Mrs. Weasley just kept yelling. Charlie and Ron fell into the room from the kitchen door.
"HE HAS DONE NOTHING BUT HELP YOU! WHO WAS THERE WHEN YOUR FIRST TRICK BACKFIRED? WHO HELPED YOU DESIGN THAT FIRST TRICK? I KNOW HOW MUCH THEY MEAN TO YOU, BUT TO HURT YOUR OWN BROTHER?" The yelling continued. People began to wonder how much more air Mrs. Weasley had in her. She had yet to breath. Arthur came in from the kitchen and touched Molly on the shoulder. She looked at him.
"Get upstairs now," She ordered Fred and George after she drew in a deep breath. They both apparated away faster than anyone could ever think possible. Mrs. Weasley disappeared back into the kitchen determined to force her energy into the food. Ron headed back upstairs with Mr. Weasley. Charlie approached Artemis.
"So, how are you enjoying the Weasley family?" Charlie asked. Artemis couldn't help but laugh.
"It certainly is interesting. What exactly did they do?" Artemis wondered.
"Can we walk and talk?" Charlie gestured out the front door. Artemis nodded and they headed out.
"Well, they own that joke shop, right? Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes. They were testing another one of their newest jokes, a wedding present that sent the opener through several of their older tricks. It wasn't as bad as Mum made it sound. Bill was laughing the whole time," Charlie explained as they walked. He meandered along with his hands in his pockets, kicking some of the stones occasionally. Artemis was watching everything, trying to see every part of the wizarding community that she could.
"Charlie?" A voice called. Charlie looked up. Down the road a ways was a man walking toward them with two women. Charlie waved.
"Mr. Diggory! How are you? And Mrs. Diggory too?" Charlie motioned for Artemis to follow and headed toward the group.
"Charlie, son, I haven't seen you in what two years?"
"Yeah, at the Tri-Wiz—" Charlie cut himself short.
"Charlie, it's alright. We can't dwell on his death like it's a curse. We have to realize what his sacrifice started and move from there. My son is a hero," Mrs. Diggory said quietly.
"Of course he is, but I knew that before," Charlie noted. No one said anything for a few seconds.
"I don't think we've met. I'm Artemis West." Artemis's hand went out and Mr. Diggory shook it and then Mrs. Diggory did the same. Artemis moved to shake the other woman's hand but she was looking at Charlie and didn't notice.
"I'm Isabel," the woman practically whispered. Charlie glanced at her and smiled.
"You are all coming to the wedding I hope," Charlie said.
"Yes, of course. We were heading there now," Mr. Diggory answered.
The conversation continued. Artemis was able to fully look over Isabel. She was curvy and at the perfect height, not too tall and not too short. She had large, somewhat hollow, brown eyes and pale skin. Her hair flowed behind her like a sheet of brown that matched her eyes. Charlie tried to ignore her staring. Artemis could tell by the way he sifted his feet.
Isabel suddenly turned her gaze on Artemis, who lost all of her breath. She tried desperately to breathe but no breath came.
"Darius," Artemis whispered to Charlie as her legs gave way and she fell into unconsciousness.
"Merlin, is she alright?" Mr. Diggory asked rushing forward. A pop sounded and Charlie looked up at Darius. Isabel gasped at the sight of Darius and stepped back. Darius glanced at her oddly, but looked back at Charlie.
"Again?" He asked. Charlie nodded. "So who is it this time?" Everyone looked at Charlie, for he seemed to know who this stranger was.
"Everyone here, Darius. This is Darius, he's Artemis's seer," Charlie explained. Artemis was draped in his arms and Darius approached her carefully.
"Be right back," Darius muttered. He seemed agitated. His hand clasped around Artemis's and he fell into the blind gazing.
"What's going on?" Mrs. Diggory asked.
"Artemis is a Link. She sees…spirits," Charlie said cautiously. Artemis's eyes shot open and she gasped for breath. Darius fell away from her side and sat down on the side of the road.
"Merlin," he muttered.
"Let's get her back," Charlie said, taking charge. Artemis shrugged him off and stood on her own. Darius stood and approached her. He whispered something to her and she nodded. Charlie and the Diggory's along with Isabel started to walk back. Darius and Artemis followed behind.
"I don't trust her," Darius said once they were further away from the rest of the group.
"Neither do I," Artemis agreed.
"Do you think that was…?"
"It's never not been true," Artemis murmured as they walked further on.
"How long are you here?" Darius asked.
"About two more days and then we're heading to Diagon Alley. I start my seventh year in a month," Artemis sounded sad.
"You okay?" Darius stopped. Artemis turned and faced him.
"I…I suppose." The stood looking at each other. Thoughts flashed through Darius's head. He suddenly wanted to hold Artemis and protect her, to keep her from harm. He resented Charlie, for what—he didn't know—but there was something between them and he didn't like that. Darius blushed a little at the thoughts that passed in his head, hoping she would never hear them. He remembered a dream he had one very good night—
"They're almost out of sight," Artemis whispered. Her cheeks were a little red as well, but Darius thought it was only the wind.
"Right, then let's head back," Darius agreed. They walked back to the Burrow in silence—Darius trying to get those thoughts out of his head and Artemis thinking about what Isabel had caused her to see.
Charlie, Mr. and Mrs. Diggory, and Isabel were just entering the house. Molly Weasley ran past the group in a hurry to do something. She stopped suddenly when she noticed it was Charlie.
"Charlie, I'm so glad it's you! Your brothers have been wreaking havoc on this ceremony and I think they might listen to you. Please do something," Mrs. Weasley pleaded to her second eldest son. Turning to the Diggory's she smiled, "How are you today? Oh, and Isabel, as well. Welcome, Welcome." Their conversation drifted off as Mrs. Weasley led them to the backyard. Charlie smiled and headed toward the kitchen stairway.
Darius and Artemis entered the house as Charlie reached the top of the stairs.
"What a…quaint home they have here," Darius said to himself looking around.
"What? It's not like your mansion?" Artemis teased. "I think it's marvelous. Look at that clock." Artemis pointed over at the clock that showed where all of the Weasley's were. All but three pointed at home. Fred and George were drifting closer and closer to mortal danger. Artemis imagined that that had something to do with the yelling coming from the upper stories of the house.
The other hand pointed at work. Artemis stepped closer to see who's hand it was. Percy was written on it with curly letters.
"Hey, I know him," Darius said pointing at the odd clock hand.
"I've never met him," Artemis murmured. "I wonder why he isn't here."
"He works with the Minister. Maybe he couldn't get away. You know how it is with Voldemort out again."
"Yeah, he's really busy." Charlie's voice came from behind them, making them jump.
"Will he be coming later on?" Artemis asked. Charlie's eyes seemed sadder than before.
"I doubt it." Silence hung in the air. "Look, don't say anything to my mum. She's really torn up about him." Artemis nodded. She had a feeling that his absence was not because he was busy. Charlie looked down. A voice from upstairs called him away.
"I didn't think to ask Percy about today. Maybe I should have," Darius said when Charlie was gone.
"I hope he comes. I think it will mean a lot for the family," Artemis replied.
The wedding ceremony was about to start. The musicians started to play and everyone quieted down. Artemis and Darius found seats on the second row, behind Molly and Arthur. Harry and Hermione also sat on the second row. Moody, Lupin, and Tonks were on the second row with Artemis, Darius and Infinity.
Inside the house the twins' hands moved back to being at home. Another hand shifted its placement on the clock, joining the other hands.
Bill stood at the altar awaiting his beautiful new bride. Her family was on the left side of the aisle. Ginny walked down the aisle ahead of her, throwing flowers everywhere, followed by the maid-of-honor, Fleur's sister. Darius, along with every other male at the ceremony, shifted in his seat, noting that the flowers were dull in comparison to the maid-of-honor and the bride. Charlie was best man while Gabriel was the maid-of-honor. The rest of the brothers were the other best men. Ron carried their rings.
The ceremony itself was magnificent—both homey and posh together, representing the new married couple perfectly. The drapes of cloth around the altar and the roses and lilies that were woven along the archway were a beautiful background for the romantic ceremony. Fleur and Molly had really outdone themselves with this ceremony.
Once the ceremony was complete and the bride and groom had walked down the aisle together, the crowd of wizards and witches surged out of the stands and headed toward the food at the other end of the yard. Molly was shaking with tears. Infinity held her and slowly led her down toward the food tables, talking and comforting her the whole way. Arthur was patting everyone near on the back and looking for someone to share a cigar with.
In the very last chair in the very last row sat a young man with flaming red hair. He watched as everyone moved toward food, his view blocked by the standing guests. He saw the other red heads float away toward their mother's food. One raven haired girl stopped suddenly in the mass of people and looked directly at him. Looking over her shoulder toward Mrs. Weasley, she looked back at the young man. He stared bewildered at her. She laughed and caught back up to the tall man who was walking with her, grabbing his arm and whispering to him. He glanced back—Darius. Percy swallowed.
His mother had made it to parallel his row and was slowly greeting and trying to clean up her tears. A tall thin woman held her regally and steered her toward the part of the wedding she had worked so much on. Percy stood and passed behind the mass of chairs toward the center aisle. He then thought of his brother and shot right instead.
The crowd noticed him and began to part as he stepped through the garden toward the married couple. Fleur was displayed on a bench, taking greetings from the guests who passed their well wishes. Bill stood behind her protectively. His eyes caught the crowd parting for his red headed brother. He stepped forward, breaking away from his new wife.
Percy stopped at the same moment Bill did. They stood a foot away from each other, neither saying a word. The noise of the wedding reception died almost instantly. They kept their eyes locked on each other. Time seemed to slow down. Mrs. Weasley's tears continued to leak. Fleur stood gracefully behind her husband. The anticipation mounted steadily. Bill's jaw twitched with the pressure of his teeth. He wanted nothing more than to punch the lights out of his brother for disappearing. But he also wanted to hug him, pull him close and never let him abandon his family again. His hands balled into fists. Percy looked down, ashamed.
"Congratulations, Bill." His voice was but a whisper. But it carried across the entire wedding party. Bill's hands instantly unclenched. Percy's eyes shot up to meet his brother's and he stepped forward to shake his hand. Bill smiled and pulled Percy into a crushing hug. They exchanged a few words locked in that embrace, and when Percy surfaced, his neat hair was a mess and his eyes shone with the tears. But he was back. His family had taken him after his abandonment and not forgotten him.
Mrs. Weasley dived across the circle that had formed and attacked her son. The entire family followed. Fleur stepped forward with the rest and her blonde hair mixed with the flames of the large family.
"That's how you know it is love." Artemis jumped and looked up. Darius was smiling. She followed his gaze to what she thought would be Percy and Bill in the center, but was Fleur in the mass. "Someone who is willing to accept all of the family, regardless, and dive feet first into the mass."
Artemis nodded and smiled. The crowd began dispersing and Percy was taken away by his parents to catch up. Infinity floated through the crowd speaking with long lost friends. Music started and groups of people began dancing. Each person seemed to have a purpose, friends to talk to, people to eat with. Artemis stood suddenly very alone. Her one friend, Harry, was dancing with Ginny. She felt her eyes cloud with tears.
Social situations had never been her strong point. She took being alone seriously. It had plagued her since she was a child. Being in a gathering of such joy brought back with a vengeance the beliefs she held so strongly. She could not be a part of the normal day to day of these people. Her mind clouded with their dead relatives, dancing alongside them. Insane jealous rose inside of her as they led their normal lives and enjoyed themselves. A young girl swung by her on the arm of a young man, laughing and smiling. She had never had friends, much less a boyfriend. Her mother was her only companion. Darius had come close, but when he found out about her, he disappeared as well, only showing up when it was his job. The tears threatened to escape.
Escape. She needed to leave—even for just a minute or two. The figures of the past swirled with her vision. Artemis turned quickly, right into Darius. He caught her as her feet stumbled.
"Hey, where are you going?" His voice was soft, only she could hear. The figures, the confusion dissolved as his strong hands held her shoulders.
"I…I just—I want a break," Artemis stammered. Darius smiled slowly. He had a slight tilt to it, as if only one side of his face could smile all the way.
"How about a dance break?"
Without realizing what was going on, Artemis was swept out toward the swirling masses. Darius led her carefully toward the center. She stepped with him, but his hand lost hers. The figures reemerged and swarmed. Artemis froze. Grandfathers, mothers, children, famous wizards, lovers, drunks, priests, muggles. Their dancing pulsed closer to her. Her breathing doubled as she looked for escape, anyway through their stories, through their lives. Suddenly they all vanished. Her hand was attached to Darius's again. Calm flooded her veins, pushing the fear away. "I have you," he told her.
Not daring to release his hand, Artemis followed closely. They reached a clear area and she came face to face with the man who was one of her only friends.
They caught the beat of the music and began to dance. Darius knew exactly what he was doing. He led them confidently through a waltz around the floor, dodging the less experienced couples. Artemis, much shorter than him, thanked her heels to make dancing less awkward. As that thought passed through her head, she realized that even if she was shorter, he would have compensated. Her eyes moved up his chest to meet his gaze, which had been on her the whole time.
"I'm sorry," he said suddenly.
"There is no need to be sorry, Darius."
"Artemis, there is. Don't try to make me feel better."
"Why are you my Seer?"
"I was assigned to you."
"That's not what I mean," Artemis stopped dancing. She stepped back away from him and looked up, not breaking their hand contact. "I mean, why are you even a Seer?"
"To—Don't worry, I can keep the visions back even without contact," Darius said suddenly, breaking eye contact and looking past Artemis. She followed his gaze, confused. Charlie.
"Darius," Artemis began in warning. He smiled and dropped their hands. The visions swam into place, swarming her, reaching out to grab her. They pulsed out of view and then back in, out, in, and finally out. She looked at Darius when they disappeared. His concentration was incredible. Pain crossed his vision but he kept her vision clear. Sweat broke out on his forehead. He slowly began to walk toward a chair as Charlie got closer.
"May I have this dance," Charlie asked. "Cliché, I know, but still, dance with me?" Artemis locked eyes with Darius who nodded from a chair. She smiled up at Charlie and nodded.
"Thank you. Congratulations on your new sister-in-law."
"I'm glad she finally made it. You can imagine how women do in my family."
"She's strong though, and loves Bill a lot."
"He's lucky to have found someone." His eyes flitted to his brother and his new bride. They were waiting on the edge of the dance floor.
"First dance?" Artemis and Charlie stopped turning and moved away to the side of the dance floor. Darius shot up and moved toward Artemis, the sweat on his forehead drying, but the pain in his eyes increasing. His hand found hers. Charlie glanced over at Darius dangerously. His eyes caught sight of their hands clasped. Artemis drew in a breath suddenly and held it. Her eyes grew as she stared at the couple. Darius, who had been desperately catching his breath bent slightly at the waist like he had just gotten back from a run, froze and looked toward the couple, slowly standing up. Charlie's gaze shifted, worried, but the couple seemed absolutely normal.
"Darius," Artemis breathed.
"I see it."
"See what?" Charlie felt horribly left out. If something was going on, especially with his family he wanted to know.
The couple stepped into the floor and never lost eyes for each other. The music switched to their song and they stepped off. Charlie watched as they floated, ignoring the rest of the world and enjoying their own love. He glanced at Artemis. Tears ran down her cheeks and Darius pulled her closely to him, silently watching something only they seemed to be able to see. Artemis's jaw twitched suddenly and the tears stopped. She wiped them away and set her gaze on the couple, determined.
Other couples began to join the couple on the dance floor. Charlie glanced down at Artemis. He stepped toward her with the intent to continue their dance but at that moment someone tapped his shoulder. He turned into Isabel. She smiled and pulled him toward the dance floor, her small dress flopping playfully against her knees.
The night was progressing quickly. Around the dance floor, several wizards worked to charm lights to hang above the dancers recreating the star light. Canopies of fabric transfigured over the lights to provide cover from any night rains.
Darius took Artemis's hand and led her away from the crowd. He led her back around to the side of the crooked house toward the benches that had been set up among the temporary rose garden. This area, being off away from the food and dancing, was not very popular just yet. The alcohol had not settled in enough for people to begin sneaking off. Darius followed a path to a secluded bench and pulled Artemis down next to him.
The silence between them thrummed with its own subconscious pitch making it far more obvious and awkward.
"Where did you go?" Artemis whispered.
"I graduated. I went to train," Darius replied, equally as quiet. "You're the one that disappeared."
"My father died."
"I know, I know. It's just that I had no idea where you went."
"We went into hiding, left France. Lived in Germany for a while then back to England, London, Kent, and finally Little Whinging. That's where we've been for the longest…about three weeks now."
Darius looked at the girl next to him. She had been his friend when his family was willing to get rid of him at all costs. They sat together in the park in the middle of rural France. The hours the spent together during that summer saved his life. He would escape for an hour of bliss in the middle of the hell he lived daily.
Once school came she was the oddity. He was the Quidditch captain, the most popular boy in school. He was two years ahead of her, with her being a year ahead of her own class. Their age gap was odd to the rest of the school, but their bound could not be denied after the summer was over. He played it cool in school, not admitting to his horrible home life, but she knew the truth. She had been his comfort.
But that one day when he caught her as she fell changed everything. He flipped out, seeing his dead uncle talk to her about family affairs. His fear repulsed him, but his intense curiosity drew Artemis to him. At that point however, she had given up. She locked herself away from him and denied their friendship, too ashamed to face him.
And then Artemis disappeared. He crumbled. The school watched as he fought with even his closest friends, snapping at them for no reason. He kept a steady girlfriend merely to keep his image up during those last few weeks. Upon graduation, he immediately broke up with the girl and was hired at the British Ministry of Magic.
Due to his extensive ability to screw up all of his cases, he was assigned to the West family. A family in hiding that had a girl who had occasional, unimportant glimpses of the dead. She was a low priority and therefore perfect for Darius, the screw-up.
Now she looked at him with pain through her crystal blue eyes. "I didn't want to believe that he was dead. But there he was again tonight," she murmured, looking down.
"Don't get down, Artemis. You are one of the strongest people I know. He knew that too. He loved you and would never want you to be sad because he was gone. Knowing him, he's not all the way gone."
Darius pulled Artemis to him, hugging her close, willing away her fears.
Commotion began to reach them from the central wedding area. They stood together and headed back toward the party slowly, cautiously.
Smoke drifted toward them as they emerged from the rose garden. Artemis ran forward of Darius, trying to get a better look. He followed quickly after her. They heard Molly voice sounded above everyone else.
"FINITE INCANTATEM!" The smoke cleared. The crowd screamed.
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