**I'm hoping that this summer I'll be able to work on all my stories. I
must admit, I probably will have better luck with my Artemis Fowl fic cause
there are so many Harry Potter ones and each one seems to come and go
pretty quickly. Most likely, most are better than mine, but here's mine.
and I hope you enjoy it.**
**IS FANFICTION.NET IS SO DAMN MESSED UP???????**
**Sry. excuse my temper .**
**Kree**
"We're here." Sirius led on. "This is the cottage. Dumbledore let him have one in the Forbidden Forest near the Shrieking Shack. He doesn't have to money to afford a house because he doesn't have a job. He doesn't get mobbed like he did when he lived near other cities."
"That's just terrible." Artemis shook her head. "I can't believe the discrimination now."
Sirius transformed back from his dog form. "Don't transform yet; go off to the side; believe me, I have the perfect idea for this happy romantic little reunion."
She rolled her eyes. "Seriously, Sirius."
Remus had just finished sipping his herbal tea when he heard a low rapping on the door. Startle, he let the cup slip out of his hands and crash to the floor. The glass pieces scattered across the floor. He would pick them up later. "Who could be at the door at this time"? He thought. "Who would be at the door of a werewolf"?
He walked to the door and opened it. He faced a grinning Sirius Black. Remus warmly smiled back and opened the door wider and stepped back so Sirius could walk in.
"Hello, Sirius." He greeted.
"Remus," Sirius began. "I have brought a friend along with me today." Remus saw Sirius bend over a little and motion to side. Then he heard a "Meow".
Remus began to laugh. "You brought a kitty?"
"Cat" would be better to describe her, but she would still scratch the scalp off my head if I made any jokes about it." Sirius grinned.
Remus saw the creature walk in quietly. He got down on his knees as the cat walked closer and closer to him. She had an orange and white coat of fur with bright cerulean eyes that glowed in the dark. She was quite thin. Remus ran his fingers through her orangey fur as the cat purred in delight. Remus smiled as he closed his eyes and remembered how familiar the feel of her fur reminded him of past memories .
"Beautiful creature ." Remus smiled. "You know the liking I feel for cats now . and this one looks so much like ." Remus stopped himself and could say no more. He couldn't even bring himself to saying the name without so much as a tear escaping. He couldn't cry in front of Sirius.
"Remus," Sirius changed the subject. "Have you been listening to the news lately?"
"Well," Remus looked embarrassed. "No. I haven't been out in awhile."
"No wonder, Lupin." Sirius pretended to shake his head as if he was disappointed. "You're a bit slow."
Remus was taken aback, but remained calm, like always. Or before always. "What do you mean? What happened?"
"Tell me, what is so special about this cat? Who does she remind you of?"
"Sirius, what is this? Are you doing this out of fun?" Remus questioned.
"Remus, don't tell me you don't want to remember. Or you can't. Come on, just say her name."
"This is a sore subject for me, remember?"
"She's more than a sore subject to you, Remus, who does she look like?"
"Sirius, it's a cat! Nothing else! Just a cat!"
"Fine, but still, answer my question: who does she like."
Remus looked away before he could answer. "Okay. Artemis. She looks like Artemis."
"I thought so." Sirius nodded. "You would never forget."
"Please Sirius, you take her. Or give her to some family." Remus began cleaning up the broken teacup and set it on the counter. "I can't bear to look at her; I'd go hysterical after awhile."
"The cat needs a home, Remus." Sirius started. "I was thinking that you might like to keep her company so you won't be as lonely."
"Where did you really get her?" This was one of these rare times Sirius heard Remus raise his voice. "The pet shop? The animal shelter? How many other stray cats did you have to look through to find her? Honestly, how can it just be a coincidence that you find a cat that looks exactly like Artemis's Animagus?"
"What's wrong with remembering Artemis?" Sirius asked. "You love her, don't you? Why do you shun any memory of Artemis?"
It took awhile for him to answer. Complete silence. Remus had his palms on the table leaning on it, with his back to Sirius. The cat even stood perfectly still.
"God Sirius." He whispered. "I loved her. I loved her so much, but . but after I let Voldemort nearly kill her . I was blamed for nearly stabbing her myself, and I let her go to Azkaban . She probably hates me so much. She's probably dead because of me . It was all my fault . How can I let myself have happy memories of her when I put her through so much pain?"
Remus was surprised to feel arms around him. Well, he thought it was strange that /Sirius/ would have his arms around him and started to inch away when he looked down. It was not Sirius's arms; they were thinner and the torn robes were not Sirius's. And the warmth he felt was so familiar .
Remus turned his head to come face the cat. Of course, the cat had obviously transformed into the girl he knew with straight long auburn hair, though messy, with her cracked glasses hiding her bright blue eyes. She gave him a warm ice melting smile with her eyes and his eyes blurring as each moment passed, in silence, but silence is loud when all you hear is love .
"Artemis ." He whispered her name with every beat of love. Artemis let him turn around and his hand went to her face.
"Love you, Remus." She wrapped her arms around him.
"Love you, Artemis." He held her close to him as her head rested on his shoulder.
"Oh go on, kiss already. I told you, Artemis, I am a genius at making a good romantic reunion." Sirius laughed.
"And what makes you think I'm going to kiss her now with you in the room?" Remus smirked.
"Whoah ho ho." [hi kyleen!!! I know that you will probably kill me for using your quote, cause you already do when I just say it myself] Sirius pretended to look startled. "I didn't think your old self was actually alive. Next time I need to wake you up, I'll just call on our old friends in Azkaban."
Remus could only stare at Artemis lovingly. "Dammit . You're so beautiful ."
Artemis snorted. "Dammit, maybe you should get your eyes checked. Look at me, I'm a mess." She rolled her eyes. Of course, maybe later, after I wash up and everything. maybe I can take that lie a little better ."
"Same old Artemis ." Remus laughed. Twice since Artemis came in, he laughed. Sirius smiled, knowing that it hadn't been very often since he had laughed. "Artemis . my lovely moon goddess . my beautiful luna blossom . my gorgeous light gem . There you go . I made up for my lie."
Artemis blushed. "You actually remember all the nicknames you gave to me?"
"How could I forget?"
"I love watching you two love birds, and I absolutely enjoy seeing Artemis so soft, and I love watching Remus making a fool out of himself." Sirius grinned.
"Could I use your shower? I'm sure I smell awful after staying in that dump for nineteen years."
"Sure," he nodded. "It's the door on your left." Remus pointed. "I think I have some other robes, black, would you like to change into them?"
"It would be fine with me." Artemis smiled.
Remus dug through some of his chests of clothes finally taking out some black folded robes that did not look like it was designed for a certain gender with red lining at the edges. He handed them to Artemis and she thanked him and walked into the bathroom. She shut the door.
"Nineteen years." Remus sighed.
"All that time in Azkaban . I spent thirteen. It's amazing she's still alive and hasn't lost her mind."
"She's strong . Just like she was years ago ."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
She slipped the torn, ripped, and incredulously dirty robes off her and got into the shower, turned on the water, and let the water run down her body. The hot warm, addicting water that seemed to soothe her soul: even with one drop of steamy warm water makes you wanting for more seeming like everything else was so cold. It was hard to let go of a feeling like that.
She shut off the water and stepped out, steam rushing to and fro. She grabbed a towel and began to dry herself. She put on the clothes Remus had given her and brushed her hair down neatly. She took the wand out of her pocket; she had snuck it in Azkaban only to find out that wands were completely 'dead' in the prison. She pointed it at her broken glasses and with a few red sparks, the glass renewed itself and it was in mint condition. She put them on her face and looked at herself in the mirror.
She sighed. She looked better after washing up, almost like what she used to look like before she left Hogwarts. Not bad after nearly twenty years of prison. Her hair was longer now, a bit past her lower back, with two thin strands of hair on both sides of her face. Her glasses always seemed to hide her eyes, and when she took them off, only then would people notice she had blue eyes. Her eyes almost held everything she went through and you could find anything that happened to her in the past. She stared deeper into the mirror, only frightening herself with every thought her eyes belonged to a ghost. She was incredibly thin now; she remembered how she always was thin in her stomach and everywhere else except her thighs, but now, she was a thin as a pole. She had small figure and was a bit taller than average.
"How could he call me beautiful?" She thought in her head. "How can anyone find me beautiful? I mean, look at me ." She stared at her reflection. "Maybe before, it was different . Remus, Severus, even Voldemort . but now . I'm just . plain."
She hung her head. "How could someone .Someone as wonderful as Remus . love me still?"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
He watched the bathroom door every moment and was not late to catch the moment that Artemis stepped out. Her long wet hair ran down past her waist and the fire from the candles lit up her face and her hair gleamed with light. Her eyes and smile didn't need light to gleam like a light from heaven.
"Well, how about now? Better?" She asked.
"Now you've perfected perfection." Remus stood up.
"Which, the process or the state? Tell me, Remus, what is perfection, a state or a process?"
"Neither." Remus replied plainly. "Perfection is you."
"Gonna kiss now?" Sirius sniggered.
Instead of admitting it, which Remus /did/ want to kiss her, he simply smiled. "Artemis, come sit by the fire and tell me what happened these past nineteen years."
She walked over to where Remus was standing and he took her hand. She smiled as they both sit down on the warm rug. "It's not really much to tell. mostly my years and prison and my escape . but hell, I'll try to make it seem as interesting like the books that you two use to always read and enjoy." She eyed Remus and Sirius. "When I was first thrown into my Azkaban cell, I was screaming and crying like bloody hell for a whole week. I guess something that you would probably tease me about, Sirius."
"The only reason I didn't because your cell was next to mine." Sirius replied, reassuring her.
"I . I was so god damn scared. Could you imagine me? Scared?" She weakly smiled. "I was nearly surprised sometimes that I reacted too. At first, I was just plain terrified. Can't think of a better word to use than that at the moment. The prison was disgusting. I expected to hear rats and other bugs crawling but instead, I heard moaning, and ear piercing cries of the prisoners in their cages. The first time, well when I entered the cells, I past a man in the cage with his bony arms and legs practically drooling and tried to grab me. Most of the prisoners have lost their minds and go mad. Those prisoners, are dangerous and will rip you limb from limb. Of course the sane ones . well. they would probably kill you the same way too. Cobwebs hung from wall to wall. There were no lights, it was all darkness. Sirius came in later, and his cell was next to mine for a few weeks, but then they changed the location, thinking that we were both plotting Voldemort's return." She scowled in remembrance. My first year was there in fear . and then came my suicidal years." She shuddered, petrifying memories flooding into his head. "I hated my life. I couldn't take any of it anymore. I wanted to stop living and just die like I should of. Over and over again I tried using my wand to conjure some spell to kill myself. Of course, my wand couldn't work. I stopped eating for awhile. Of course, I got used to my small appetite, and I stopped eating for a few weeks, but after awhile, I started eating again, because it didn't seem to work for me. I guess that explains how come I got so thin. So and then I tried banging my head on wall, but heck, that didn't work too well either. So I tried thinking thoughts that would make the dementors purely delighted. I kept on thinking sadness, misery, anger, and fear .. the dementors fed on my feelings and emotions. But I was innocent. I was innocent and I knew that, so I couldn't lose myself and I couldn't die. And then I had the memories of you . and that was enough to keep the dementors out of my head. And so that was the end of my suicidal years. The rest was when I just kept strong, and tried to just persist each day. There was one time when Cornelius Fudge himself walked into my cell. I though I was free, but in fact, he was only suggesting that . that . that the dementors . might . might ."
Remus saw fear wavering in her eyes as her lips quivered as she spoke. He glanced at Sirius and he seemed to be shaking his head as if he knew what she was talking about. "Might what, Artemis?"
"Give me a kiss . they would have . but Dumbledore of course was there to convince him otherwise. So I was saved from that. Of course there were rumors, that I had been kissed and I was dead. So the press went crazy writing stories about that but then their mistake was corrected later."
"Oh ." Remus remembered that horrendous day when he looked in the paper at the terrible news. He had never been able socialize regularly after that, because he thought she was dead.
"During these years, I tried more and more and harder to escape. I had many ideas, but then I found out if I so much as touched the door of the cell, I was shocked with a jolting agonizing pain. I watched other prisoners enough to conclude that the doors did not affect the other prisoners. I found out later that Voldemort had actually cursed me in a dream, and was holding me there because I was a threat to him. So I waited there for years. But then, he disappeared after he killed ." She hung her head. "James and Lily. And then after that, his grip loosened on me. Sure, it took years, but it did wear off. One day, about thirteen years later, I lay on the floor, weak, and tired, my eyes barely open, but then . I saw a great big black dog. It was Sirius. I saw him running out the door of Azkaban, and I decided to use his way. Voldemort's grip hadn't released me yet, but years later I used his strategy. The door of my cell opened to deposit my food just wide enough so as a cat I could slip out easily. I managed to swim from Azkaban and met up with a boat. The boat saw me, the "poor drowning thing" and brought me to shore. And that was how I became the famous escaping fugitive." She grinned a little. "A lot happens in nineteen years."
"And so can nothing." Remus said quietly. "Everything's all right now . that's what matters."
**Well I guess she closed her eyes**
**And just imagined everything's alright**
**But she could not hide her tears **
**'Cause they were sent to wash away those years**
**They were sent to wash away those years**
She closed her eyes then, imagining that everything was alright but all the visions from the past caught up to her. Remus watched tears escape from her eyes. He came around to her side putting his arm around her.
"Cry, Artemis. Don't be afraid to cry. It's okay, you've been through a lot and you should just let it all out now." Remus whispered in her ear.
"I don't need to cry now, though. I'm back with you again." She smiled through her tears.
"I've missed you so much . and after listening what you've been through . I still can't help but feel it was all my fault . but I'm so glad you're here." Remus held her close to him.
"It's nice having you back, Artemis." Sirius warmly smiled too. "Maybe you can liven things up a little more, he's beginning to sound a little dead like Snape sometimes." Remus snorted as he laughed at his comment. "See, he's not some mummy anymore."
"Severus . where is he?" She asked.
"Professor at Hogwarts." Sirius replied.
"Still the same?"
"You mean still ugly?" Sirius snickered.
"No," she glared at him.
"Yeah, same whatever he is. Still hates me like hell. Same with Remus too."
"Does he hate me?"
"I think he still has the hots for you."
"Shut your trap!" She retorted as she watched Sirius chuckling to himself while looking at Remus's blank face. "Well, it looks like you haven't changed either, Sirius."
"Never do." He shrugged. "But you haven't either."
"I guess you get the same result after going through Azkaban, don't you?" Remus chuckled.
"I suppose so." Artemis smiled after letting a shiver pass.
Remus saw that. "I'll go make some tea for all of us." He stood up. "I'll get some of the herbs from outside okay?"
"Okay." They replied politely as they watch Remus open the front door and walk outside.
Sirius turned to face Artemis. "You know that he's changed right? Not the loud prankster you used to know before, right?"
She nodded. "He's quiet, serious, calm ."
"Polite." Sirius adding jokingly and she gave him a quick glare. "Kidding, well he was polite to you before, maybe not to other people . okay, more polite then . bottom line, he has changed"
"Yes . he has changed."
"Just know that." Sirius continued. "He lost you first, then James and Lily, then Peter, then me. He was attacked by the dementor. He has not been through paradise. Go easy on him. Get use to his new ways."
"I already am." She stared out the window. "And I love him just the same."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"You can sleep in my bed." Remus led Artemis into his bedroom. "It's okay, I can sleep on the couch, better than what I use to have at Azkaban." She reassured him.
"No, really, it's fine. Take my bed. You can't refuse your host."
"And you can't refuse your guest." She smirked.
"I'm not very gentlemanly though." He smirked back.
"I dunno about that. after watching you for awhile ." She rolled her eyes. "I'll let you win this one, Reme, so you won't feel so bad when you lose or other . contradictions ."
He laughed. "You wait and see, Ari."
She smiled. "Haven't heard that name in a while."
"Would you expect it at Azkaban?"
"No, but it's so nice to hear your name being called for once." She slipped into the bed sitting up. "Good night, Remus, and thank you for everything."
"What are friends for?" He stared at her for awhile as she began to blush. "Have I ever told you, you are beautiful?"
She turned a deep shade of red. "Yes."
"Has anyone else ever told you that?"
"Occasionally, but I never believed it, until you told me I was." She smiled playfully at him and he returned the smile. "A goodnight kiss?"
He pretended to groan, but not for long. "All right, a goodnight kiss."
He leaned over and pressed his mouth on hers, holding her close to him, and not letting go until he was in control of all his emotions and feelings for her .
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Severus Snape looked over the Daily Prophet scanning all the articles. The fugitive had obviously not been caught yet. He didn't know whether that was a good thing to him, or a bad one. After all, he still had mixed emotions.
"Severus?" Dumbledore stepped into his room.
"Professor Dumbledore," Severus began, putting the newspaper down. "What brings you here?"
"I just came here to inform you that you cannot be the Defense Against Dark Arts teacher this year, either. Someone wanted to take the job instead of Potions." He replied.
Severus couldn't help but scowl. "Who is it?"
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
**I'll leave you to make your guesses on who it might be**
**Song used is "Wash Away Those Years" by Creed**
**Plz review!**
**Kree**
**IS FANFICTION.NET IS SO DAMN MESSED UP???????**
**Sry. excuse my temper .**
**Kree**
"We're here." Sirius led on. "This is the cottage. Dumbledore let him have one in the Forbidden Forest near the Shrieking Shack. He doesn't have to money to afford a house because he doesn't have a job. He doesn't get mobbed like he did when he lived near other cities."
"That's just terrible." Artemis shook her head. "I can't believe the discrimination now."
Sirius transformed back from his dog form. "Don't transform yet; go off to the side; believe me, I have the perfect idea for this happy romantic little reunion."
She rolled her eyes. "Seriously, Sirius."
Remus had just finished sipping his herbal tea when he heard a low rapping on the door. Startle, he let the cup slip out of his hands and crash to the floor. The glass pieces scattered across the floor. He would pick them up later. "Who could be at the door at this time"? He thought. "Who would be at the door of a werewolf"?
He walked to the door and opened it. He faced a grinning Sirius Black. Remus warmly smiled back and opened the door wider and stepped back so Sirius could walk in.
"Hello, Sirius." He greeted.
"Remus," Sirius began. "I have brought a friend along with me today." Remus saw Sirius bend over a little and motion to side. Then he heard a "Meow".
Remus began to laugh. "You brought a kitty?"
"Cat" would be better to describe her, but she would still scratch the scalp off my head if I made any jokes about it." Sirius grinned.
Remus saw the creature walk in quietly. He got down on his knees as the cat walked closer and closer to him. She had an orange and white coat of fur with bright cerulean eyes that glowed in the dark. She was quite thin. Remus ran his fingers through her orangey fur as the cat purred in delight. Remus smiled as he closed his eyes and remembered how familiar the feel of her fur reminded him of past memories .
"Beautiful creature ." Remus smiled. "You know the liking I feel for cats now . and this one looks so much like ." Remus stopped himself and could say no more. He couldn't even bring himself to saying the name without so much as a tear escaping. He couldn't cry in front of Sirius.
"Remus," Sirius changed the subject. "Have you been listening to the news lately?"
"Well," Remus looked embarrassed. "No. I haven't been out in awhile."
"No wonder, Lupin." Sirius pretended to shake his head as if he was disappointed. "You're a bit slow."
Remus was taken aback, but remained calm, like always. Or before always. "What do you mean? What happened?"
"Tell me, what is so special about this cat? Who does she remind you of?"
"Sirius, what is this? Are you doing this out of fun?" Remus questioned.
"Remus, don't tell me you don't want to remember. Or you can't. Come on, just say her name."
"This is a sore subject for me, remember?"
"She's more than a sore subject to you, Remus, who does she look like?"
"Sirius, it's a cat! Nothing else! Just a cat!"
"Fine, but still, answer my question: who does she like."
Remus looked away before he could answer. "Okay. Artemis. She looks like Artemis."
"I thought so." Sirius nodded. "You would never forget."
"Please Sirius, you take her. Or give her to some family." Remus began cleaning up the broken teacup and set it on the counter. "I can't bear to look at her; I'd go hysterical after awhile."
"The cat needs a home, Remus." Sirius started. "I was thinking that you might like to keep her company so you won't be as lonely."
"Where did you really get her?" This was one of these rare times Sirius heard Remus raise his voice. "The pet shop? The animal shelter? How many other stray cats did you have to look through to find her? Honestly, how can it just be a coincidence that you find a cat that looks exactly like Artemis's Animagus?"
"What's wrong with remembering Artemis?" Sirius asked. "You love her, don't you? Why do you shun any memory of Artemis?"
It took awhile for him to answer. Complete silence. Remus had his palms on the table leaning on it, with his back to Sirius. The cat even stood perfectly still.
"God Sirius." He whispered. "I loved her. I loved her so much, but . but after I let Voldemort nearly kill her . I was blamed for nearly stabbing her myself, and I let her go to Azkaban . She probably hates me so much. She's probably dead because of me . It was all my fault . How can I let myself have happy memories of her when I put her through so much pain?"
Remus was surprised to feel arms around him. Well, he thought it was strange that /Sirius/ would have his arms around him and started to inch away when he looked down. It was not Sirius's arms; they were thinner and the torn robes were not Sirius's. And the warmth he felt was so familiar .
Remus turned his head to come face the cat. Of course, the cat had obviously transformed into the girl he knew with straight long auburn hair, though messy, with her cracked glasses hiding her bright blue eyes. She gave him a warm ice melting smile with her eyes and his eyes blurring as each moment passed, in silence, but silence is loud when all you hear is love .
"Artemis ." He whispered her name with every beat of love. Artemis let him turn around and his hand went to her face.
"Love you, Remus." She wrapped her arms around him.
"Love you, Artemis." He held her close to him as her head rested on his shoulder.
"Oh go on, kiss already. I told you, Artemis, I am a genius at making a good romantic reunion." Sirius laughed.
"And what makes you think I'm going to kiss her now with you in the room?" Remus smirked.
"Whoah ho ho." [hi kyleen!!! I know that you will probably kill me for using your quote, cause you already do when I just say it myself] Sirius pretended to look startled. "I didn't think your old self was actually alive. Next time I need to wake you up, I'll just call on our old friends in Azkaban."
Remus could only stare at Artemis lovingly. "Dammit . You're so beautiful ."
Artemis snorted. "Dammit, maybe you should get your eyes checked. Look at me, I'm a mess." She rolled her eyes. Of course, maybe later, after I wash up and everything. maybe I can take that lie a little better ."
"Same old Artemis ." Remus laughed. Twice since Artemis came in, he laughed. Sirius smiled, knowing that it hadn't been very often since he had laughed. "Artemis . my lovely moon goddess . my beautiful luna blossom . my gorgeous light gem . There you go . I made up for my lie."
Artemis blushed. "You actually remember all the nicknames you gave to me?"
"How could I forget?"
"I love watching you two love birds, and I absolutely enjoy seeing Artemis so soft, and I love watching Remus making a fool out of himself." Sirius grinned.
"Could I use your shower? I'm sure I smell awful after staying in that dump for nineteen years."
"Sure," he nodded. "It's the door on your left." Remus pointed. "I think I have some other robes, black, would you like to change into them?"
"It would be fine with me." Artemis smiled.
Remus dug through some of his chests of clothes finally taking out some black folded robes that did not look like it was designed for a certain gender with red lining at the edges. He handed them to Artemis and she thanked him and walked into the bathroom. She shut the door.
"Nineteen years." Remus sighed.
"All that time in Azkaban . I spent thirteen. It's amazing she's still alive and hasn't lost her mind."
"She's strong . Just like she was years ago ."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
She slipped the torn, ripped, and incredulously dirty robes off her and got into the shower, turned on the water, and let the water run down her body. The hot warm, addicting water that seemed to soothe her soul: even with one drop of steamy warm water makes you wanting for more seeming like everything else was so cold. It was hard to let go of a feeling like that.
She shut off the water and stepped out, steam rushing to and fro. She grabbed a towel and began to dry herself. She put on the clothes Remus had given her and brushed her hair down neatly. She took the wand out of her pocket; she had snuck it in Azkaban only to find out that wands were completely 'dead' in the prison. She pointed it at her broken glasses and with a few red sparks, the glass renewed itself and it was in mint condition. She put them on her face and looked at herself in the mirror.
She sighed. She looked better after washing up, almost like what she used to look like before she left Hogwarts. Not bad after nearly twenty years of prison. Her hair was longer now, a bit past her lower back, with two thin strands of hair on both sides of her face. Her glasses always seemed to hide her eyes, and when she took them off, only then would people notice she had blue eyes. Her eyes almost held everything she went through and you could find anything that happened to her in the past. She stared deeper into the mirror, only frightening herself with every thought her eyes belonged to a ghost. She was incredibly thin now; she remembered how she always was thin in her stomach and everywhere else except her thighs, but now, she was a thin as a pole. She had small figure and was a bit taller than average.
"How could he call me beautiful?" She thought in her head. "How can anyone find me beautiful? I mean, look at me ." She stared at her reflection. "Maybe before, it was different . Remus, Severus, even Voldemort . but now . I'm just . plain."
She hung her head. "How could someone .Someone as wonderful as Remus . love me still?"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
He watched the bathroom door every moment and was not late to catch the moment that Artemis stepped out. Her long wet hair ran down past her waist and the fire from the candles lit up her face and her hair gleamed with light. Her eyes and smile didn't need light to gleam like a light from heaven.
"Well, how about now? Better?" She asked.
"Now you've perfected perfection." Remus stood up.
"Which, the process or the state? Tell me, Remus, what is perfection, a state or a process?"
"Neither." Remus replied plainly. "Perfection is you."
"Gonna kiss now?" Sirius sniggered.
Instead of admitting it, which Remus /did/ want to kiss her, he simply smiled. "Artemis, come sit by the fire and tell me what happened these past nineteen years."
She walked over to where Remus was standing and he took her hand. She smiled as they both sit down on the warm rug. "It's not really much to tell. mostly my years and prison and my escape . but hell, I'll try to make it seem as interesting like the books that you two use to always read and enjoy." She eyed Remus and Sirius. "When I was first thrown into my Azkaban cell, I was screaming and crying like bloody hell for a whole week. I guess something that you would probably tease me about, Sirius."
"The only reason I didn't because your cell was next to mine." Sirius replied, reassuring her.
"I . I was so god damn scared. Could you imagine me? Scared?" She weakly smiled. "I was nearly surprised sometimes that I reacted too. At first, I was just plain terrified. Can't think of a better word to use than that at the moment. The prison was disgusting. I expected to hear rats and other bugs crawling but instead, I heard moaning, and ear piercing cries of the prisoners in their cages. The first time, well when I entered the cells, I past a man in the cage with his bony arms and legs practically drooling and tried to grab me. Most of the prisoners have lost their minds and go mad. Those prisoners, are dangerous and will rip you limb from limb. Of course the sane ones . well. they would probably kill you the same way too. Cobwebs hung from wall to wall. There were no lights, it was all darkness. Sirius came in later, and his cell was next to mine for a few weeks, but then they changed the location, thinking that we were both plotting Voldemort's return." She scowled in remembrance. My first year was there in fear . and then came my suicidal years." She shuddered, petrifying memories flooding into his head. "I hated my life. I couldn't take any of it anymore. I wanted to stop living and just die like I should of. Over and over again I tried using my wand to conjure some spell to kill myself. Of course, my wand couldn't work. I stopped eating for awhile. Of course, I got used to my small appetite, and I stopped eating for a few weeks, but after awhile, I started eating again, because it didn't seem to work for me. I guess that explains how come I got so thin. So and then I tried banging my head on wall, but heck, that didn't work too well either. So I tried thinking thoughts that would make the dementors purely delighted. I kept on thinking sadness, misery, anger, and fear .. the dementors fed on my feelings and emotions. But I was innocent. I was innocent and I knew that, so I couldn't lose myself and I couldn't die. And then I had the memories of you . and that was enough to keep the dementors out of my head. And so that was the end of my suicidal years. The rest was when I just kept strong, and tried to just persist each day. There was one time when Cornelius Fudge himself walked into my cell. I though I was free, but in fact, he was only suggesting that . that . that the dementors . might . might ."
Remus saw fear wavering in her eyes as her lips quivered as she spoke. He glanced at Sirius and he seemed to be shaking his head as if he knew what she was talking about. "Might what, Artemis?"
"Give me a kiss . they would have . but Dumbledore of course was there to convince him otherwise. So I was saved from that. Of course there were rumors, that I had been kissed and I was dead. So the press went crazy writing stories about that but then their mistake was corrected later."
"Oh ." Remus remembered that horrendous day when he looked in the paper at the terrible news. He had never been able socialize regularly after that, because he thought she was dead.
"During these years, I tried more and more and harder to escape. I had many ideas, but then I found out if I so much as touched the door of the cell, I was shocked with a jolting agonizing pain. I watched other prisoners enough to conclude that the doors did not affect the other prisoners. I found out later that Voldemort had actually cursed me in a dream, and was holding me there because I was a threat to him. So I waited there for years. But then, he disappeared after he killed ." She hung her head. "James and Lily. And then after that, his grip loosened on me. Sure, it took years, but it did wear off. One day, about thirteen years later, I lay on the floor, weak, and tired, my eyes barely open, but then . I saw a great big black dog. It was Sirius. I saw him running out the door of Azkaban, and I decided to use his way. Voldemort's grip hadn't released me yet, but years later I used his strategy. The door of my cell opened to deposit my food just wide enough so as a cat I could slip out easily. I managed to swim from Azkaban and met up with a boat. The boat saw me, the "poor drowning thing" and brought me to shore. And that was how I became the famous escaping fugitive." She grinned a little. "A lot happens in nineteen years."
"And so can nothing." Remus said quietly. "Everything's all right now . that's what matters."
**Well I guess she closed her eyes**
**And just imagined everything's alright**
**But she could not hide her tears **
**'Cause they were sent to wash away those years**
**They were sent to wash away those years**
She closed her eyes then, imagining that everything was alright but all the visions from the past caught up to her. Remus watched tears escape from her eyes. He came around to her side putting his arm around her.
"Cry, Artemis. Don't be afraid to cry. It's okay, you've been through a lot and you should just let it all out now." Remus whispered in her ear.
"I don't need to cry now, though. I'm back with you again." She smiled through her tears.
"I've missed you so much . and after listening what you've been through . I still can't help but feel it was all my fault . but I'm so glad you're here." Remus held her close to him.
"It's nice having you back, Artemis." Sirius warmly smiled too. "Maybe you can liven things up a little more, he's beginning to sound a little dead like Snape sometimes." Remus snorted as he laughed at his comment. "See, he's not some mummy anymore."
"Severus . where is he?" She asked.
"Professor at Hogwarts." Sirius replied.
"Still the same?"
"You mean still ugly?" Sirius snickered.
"No," she glared at him.
"Yeah, same whatever he is. Still hates me like hell. Same with Remus too."
"Does he hate me?"
"I think he still has the hots for you."
"Shut your trap!" She retorted as she watched Sirius chuckling to himself while looking at Remus's blank face. "Well, it looks like you haven't changed either, Sirius."
"Never do." He shrugged. "But you haven't either."
"I guess you get the same result after going through Azkaban, don't you?" Remus chuckled.
"I suppose so." Artemis smiled after letting a shiver pass.
Remus saw that. "I'll go make some tea for all of us." He stood up. "I'll get some of the herbs from outside okay?"
"Okay." They replied politely as they watch Remus open the front door and walk outside.
Sirius turned to face Artemis. "You know that he's changed right? Not the loud prankster you used to know before, right?"
She nodded. "He's quiet, serious, calm ."
"Polite." Sirius adding jokingly and she gave him a quick glare. "Kidding, well he was polite to you before, maybe not to other people . okay, more polite then . bottom line, he has changed"
"Yes . he has changed."
"Just know that." Sirius continued. "He lost you first, then James and Lily, then Peter, then me. He was attacked by the dementor. He has not been through paradise. Go easy on him. Get use to his new ways."
"I already am." She stared out the window. "And I love him just the same."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"You can sleep in my bed." Remus led Artemis into his bedroom. "It's okay, I can sleep on the couch, better than what I use to have at Azkaban." She reassured him.
"No, really, it's fine. Take my bed. You can't refuse your host."
"And you can't refuse your guest." She smirked.
"I'm not very gentlemanly though." He smirked back.
"I dunno about that. after watching you for awhile ." She rolled her eyes. "I'll let you win this one, Reme, so you won't feel so bad when you lose or other . contradictions ."
He laughed. "You wait and see, Ari."
She smiled. "Haven't heard that name in a while."
"Would you expect it at Azkaban?"
"No, but it's so nice to hear your name being called for once." She slipped into the bed sitting up. "Good night, Remus, and thank you for everything."
"What are friends for?" He stared at her for awhile as she began to blush. "Have I ever told you, you are beautiful?"
She turned a deep shade of red. "Yes."
"Has anyone else ever told you that?"
"Occasionally, but I never believed it, until you told me I was." She smiled playfully at him and he returned the smile. "A goodnight kiss?"
He pretended to groan, but not for long. "All right, a goodnight kiss."
He leaned over and pressed his mouth on hers, holding her close to him, and not letting go until he was in control of all his emotions and feelings for her .
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Severus Snape looked over the Daily Prophet scanning all the articles. The fugitive had obviously not been caught yet. He didn't know whether that was a good thing to him, or a bad one. After all, he still had mixed emotions.
"Severus?" Dumbledore stepped into his room.
"Professor Dumbledore," Severus began, putting the newspaper down. "What brings you here?"
"I just came here to inform you that you cannot be the Defense Against Dark Arts teacher this year, either. Someone wanted to take the job instead of Potions." He replied.
Severus couldn't help but scowl. "Who is it?"
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
**I'll leave you to make your guesses on who it might be**
**Song used is "Wash Away Those Years" by Creed**
**Plz review!**
**Kree**