Disclaimer: I can claim nothing from the HP Universe. Items written from book 5, OotP, are followed by page number from the American hardback version.

Thank you to all my readers. I went and saw the fifth movie and while it was a good movie I was disappointed by a few things. Like where was Bill? And there was no quidditch! One of my favourite scenes in the fifth book was after the Gryffindor/Slytherin match when Malfoy gets slugged. And I would have loved to see more of the twins tricks. But all in all it was good for a movie if you didn't put it up against the book. Enough rambling and on with the story.

Chapter Twenty-six

"So, you aren't hungry?" Fred teased as Artemisia finished the full plate that Mrs. Weasley had put before her.

"Not anymore." She replied.

George playfully nudged her side, making the blonde laugh. "Ticklish, are you?" His fingers dig into her sides. Artemisia tried to move away only to find her means of escape blocked by Fred. She began to laugh helplessly as she squirmed in her seat.

"Let Arty loose."

Artemisia grinned up at Bill before taking his hand to stand up. "Thank you, Bill. You are my hero."

"Hey, what about us?" Fred asked.

"I think you two are trying to drive me mad."

They looked thoughtful for a moment before nodding in agreement.

The evening before the train to Hogwarts, Artemisia found herself helping Mrs. Weasley hang a banner for Ron and Hermione. She smiled at the blonde. "I feel that we should be celebrating for you too, dear."

"No, I've been a prefect since fifth year. If I were at home tonight, it would have been just Teddy and me at dinner. We've never really fussed over anything like this." Artemisia smiled. "You and everyone else here have shown me what family can really be like."

Mrs. Weasley's smile widened and she pulled the girl into a hug. "You know that you're welcome here as long as we're here and you're always welcome at the Burrow."

"Thank you, Mrs. Weasley." Artemisia replied. She turned to find Sirius watching her. She had been avoiding him recently. She wasn't sure why but she just found herself coming up with excuses for her actions, not that there really was one. Artemisia took a deep breath. 'You're a Gryffindor. You can do this.' She thought to herself and then stopped in her tracks. She wasn't in Gryffindor. She wasn't even sure that she even knew where their common room was. She shook her head, wondering what made her think that she was a Gryffindor.

"Hello, Arty." He greeted her.

"Hi, Sirius."

"Are you ready to go back to Hogwarts?"

"Yeah," she replied, breaking eye contact only to look back up at him. "I'll miss being here." With you. Artemisia let the words go unspoken, but she knew that he understood what she was saying when he lit up with a smile before doing the most amazing thing.

In front of everyone in the kitchen, Sirius leaned forwards and gave the girl a light kiss. Artemisia looked at him in surprise before leaving the room with a large smile upon her face. She felt as though she was floating on air.

The door to Artemisia's room was flung open and she looked up to see the twins. She grinned at them. "Can't you two leave me in peace? I'll never get everything packed for tomorrow."

"What's going on between you and Sirius?"

"Well, um."

"He kissed you."

"It was just a peck, Fred. It wasn't like we were snogging in the kitchen." She replied, folding a tie before placing it on top of her uniforms. Artemisia traced the blue, then the bronze and frowned. An image of a kitchen comes to her mind. It's bright and airy and decorated with sunflowers. She shook her head to clear it. Artemisia looked up at the twins in confusion, knowing not to voice it, like any of the occasional memories she's had since returning from wherever she'd been.

"Have you been snogging Sirius?"

"That's none of your business, Fred."

"You have." George declared. "Have you shagged him?"

Her mouth fell open as she stared at him in shock. Artemisia could feel her cheeks heat with embarrassment.

"You have!" Fred looked so shocked that if she wasn't currently being questioned like a murder suspect, Artemisia would have been amused to see that she had accomplished the one thing that as far as she knew no one had done before. For after Fred's announcement, the twins stood gapping at her, silently.

"What if I have?" She replied defensively. "I'm an adult. There's nothing that says I can't shag anyone I choose."

"He's a convicted murderer."

"He was wrongly convicted and you know it. He's a great guy. You've said so yourself."

"When we told you that we meant that he would make a good friend." George replied.

Fred looked disgruntled. "We didn't mean that you should jump into bed with him."

"Out!" Artemisia yelled at them. "Get out of my room now! If you can't accept my decisions then you don't need to accept my friendship. Out!"

"But, Arty." George said as she pushed him out of the room.

"No buts. Out! Now!"

Just as Artemisia finished her packing, the door crept open. "I thought I told you to get out." She said as she turned, expecting to find the twins. Her green eyes widened when she found Professor Lupin standing in the doorway. "Oh, sorry, I thought you were Fred and George."

He smiled in understanding. "Arty, could I talk to you for a moment?"

"Sure." She smiled at him. "Is something wrong?"

Closing the door, he took a deep breath before beginning his planned speech. "I want to talk to you about what's going on between you and Sirius."

Her eyes narrowed. "What is it with everyone?"

"I suppose that means that the twins were talking to you about this?"

"Yes. And I'll tell you what I told them. I'm an adult." She paused and met his eyes. "I can take care of myself."

Remus repressed the shudder that went through him. It was almost as though Fiona was staring at him instead of this young girl and he knew no planned words would push her from this destructive path she had set for herself. "Arty, I'm not sure that you know what you're getting yourself involved with." He paused and watched as she crossed the room to stare out the window. "You are a young woman with her whole life in front of her. No one wants you to ruin your life like this." He could see her agitation as she stiffened at his words, but he knew he couldn't sweeten what he had to say. "That's what falling in love with Sirius would do to you. He's a criminal on the run. The two of you could never have a life together, outside of this house. Is that what you want? To always have to look over your shoulder because he's wanted? You said you want to become an Unspeakable. Are you willing to throw that away?"

Artemisia remained silent as she walked to the door and opened it. "Would you please leave?" She said quietly.

He stopped in the doorway and looked once more at this girl who was so much like one he had once knew and sighed. "Think about what you're doing, Arty. That's all I ask. Think about what this will do to your life."

She shut the door and sat down on her bed. What right did they have telling her that she shouldn't be doing what she was doing and feeling what she was feeling? How could they tell her that she couldn't love Sirius and still do all the things she wanted to do in her life?

Her indignant thoughts stopped and her eyes widened as she stared blankly at the door. She loved Sirius? Artemisia immediately knew the truth in the thought. She was in love with Sirius. She wasn't sure when it happened, but she had the strangest feeling that it happened a long time ago. Artemisia mentally laughed at the thought. How could she have loved Sirius for a long time? They had only met a few months before. That wasn't a long time ago by anyone's standards.

The door starts to open and Artemisia steadied herself for another confrontation. When Sirius appeared, she relaxed and smiled up at him. "I was worried that you would be another person coming up here to tell me why I shouldn't get involved with you." She announced as he closed the door behind him.

His eyes darkened as he looked at her. "Who did that?"

"Fred, George, Professor Lupin." She replied as she crossed the room and nestled herself into his arms.

She felt his muscles tighten in annoyance, before he relaxed. "They're just worried about you."

"I don't care if they were." She laid her head on his chest and listened to his heartbeat for a moment as though making sure she was in his arms. "It didn't matter what they said, I already made my decision."

"Did you?"

"Yeah. You're too pleasant to give up."

"I'm just pleasant?"

"Amusing?" She teased.

"I amuse you?"

"How about entertaining?"

"Arty." He growled, playfully as his finger slid over her. "Can't you be serious for a moment?"

"Of course not." She replied, looking up at him as if scandalised. "You're Sirius. I couldn't possibly be you." Artemisia shrieked in laughter as his hands went from caressing her to tickling her. The two tumbled onto the bed as he continued tickling her. She tickled his sides in return only to have him capture her wrists and pin them about her with one hand. He continued to tickle as she tried to wiggle out from under him.

"Do I get a kiss for my victory?" Sirius asked as he leaned over her, his hair falling into his face.

"Take your chances." She laughed.

His head came down and his lips touched hers gently. The kiss deepened and he released her hands. Artemisia's fingers slid over his shoulders. His mouth left hers and he began to nuzzle her neck. She wrapped her legs around his waist and brought his lips back to hers.

The door squeaked open and then a chorus of, 'Oh, dear, oh dear.' Sirius and Artemisia froze and stared at each other in stunned surprise. There was no question as to the identity of the person who had just walked in on the two of them. Artemisia untangled herself from Sirius and pushed him off her. She opened the door to find an embarrassed Mrs. Weasley. Artemisia covered her now flaming cheeks with her hands and looked everywhere but at her.

"Molly, we…um." Sirius trailed off, looking flustered.

"I didn't see a thing." She quickly announced. "No one saw a thing."

"Who didn't see what?" Ron asked coming out of his room, Hermione, Harry, and Ginny following behind him.

"Nothing." The three announce abruptly before going in separate directions. Mrs. Weasley took off down the stairs. Sirius's laughter was audible as he went into his room. Artemisia simply stared at the four, unable to think of what to do next. She opened her mouth and then closed it to go back to simply staring at them.

"What's going on?" George asked as the twins join the group before Artemisia's room.

"Apparently nothing," Ron replies.

Ginny caught the blonde's eye and grinned largely.

"It must be something. Arty is almost as red as our hair." Fred said. "What were Sirius and Mum doing?"

"You know I forgot to ask her what she wanted." Artemisia said in reflection. "I better go find her. She quickly made her way from the group only to find Ginny following her. Artemisia glanced over at the fourteen-year-old, who grinned at her cheekily.

"What was Sirius doing in your room?" she asked. "Where you shagging?"

"Ginny!" Her eyes widened and Artemisia glanced over her shoulder than back at the girl. "You don't go around asking questions like that."

"Why not?"

"It's just not done."

"What an answer." She laughed. "That's why he kissed you in the kitchen, isn't it? How long has this been going on? Does Harry know?"

"Yes, a while, and no." Artemisia replied quickly. "You really shouldn't be asking me questions like this."

"Hey, there's Tonks. Does she know?"

"Do I know what?" Tonks looked at the two girls in question.

"That I made Head Girl." Artemisia announced, getting a look from Ginny.

"I don't think that was what Mum look like a ninny."

"Ginny."

"Is something else going on?" Tonks glanced from one girl to the next.

"No." She gave Ginny a look.

"Yeah, nothing is going on." She laughed.

"Ginny, not a word."

"My lips are sealed." She called back as she headed up the stairs.

"What is going on?" Tonks looked at the blonde in confusion.

"Nothing." Artemisia smiled before heading to the kitchen. She walked cautiously up to Mrs. Weasley. She still looked flustered and everyone in the room was obviously wondering why. "Um, Mrs. Weasley, did you want me for something?"

"I wanted to know if you wanted something special for dinner, since you didn't want any fuss." She said after a moment. "I suppose I should have knocked." Mrs. Weasley grinned at the girl and Artemisia looked at her in surprise.

"The twins are more like you than I first thought." She said, getting a laugh from the older woman.

"Dear, you be careful."

Unlike with the twins and Professor Lupin, Artemisia didn't take offence to her words. She knew that it was the same thing she would say to her children. She wasn't telling her not to follow her heart, Mrs. Weasley was telling her that if she did, she need to realise that she might end up hurt.

"I will, Mrs. Weasley, but I just have to follow my heart."

Her eyes went to the doorway. "I almost wish that your heart would change course." She said before walking away.

Artemisia looked towards the doorway, wondering what Mrs. Weasley had been looking at and saw the twins. Her eyes widened in understanding. Mrs. Weasley had wanted her to end up with Fred or George. She let out a small mocking laugh. Neither of the twins had ever looked at her in a manner other than that of a friend. She must really have been dreaming on that score.

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