ME? Like ARTEMIS (aka Delta)?!?!?!
Yeah, right.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
As Artemis slept on, Ron's thoughts were a jumble. *What was with all the silver? Bloody hell, what a lie! "A seventh year cast a healing spell"! Seventh year, my foot! And the wizard. . . I don't believe there WAS a wizard. I think she pulled us out. But she can't be more than. . .* looking at Delta- sorry, Artemis's face, he again saw that her age was undistinguishable. She could have been 13, but looking at her body. . . Ron compared Artemis to Hermione, secretly. Artemis looked more, well, developed than Hermione. Sure, Hermione had grown - Ron's surprise had been infinite - but Artemis looked strong and tough compared to Hermione's slight frame. So she could be 20, or older, even. But probably not. Ron guessed Artemis was 16 or 17, like them.
Then he saw it.
The flash of pain, despair, endless knowledge: a world weary, tired expression that indicated she was ancient, had seen horrors Ron couldn't imagine.
Then Artemis stirred slightly, and the look disappeared.
Ron's age estimate was smashed, and his thoughts turned back into a shambles.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Harry assumed that Ron was silent because of the closing stages of his flu. Little did he know what was going on in Ron's troubled mind. Turning to Hermione and Ginny, he broke the silence that had fallen and settled for the last 30 minutes.
"What happened?"
Hermione looked at him, and Harry could see the fear in her eyes.
"Oh, Harry! I wish I had fainted like Ginny! So much black. . . all endless black. . ."
Tears brimmed in the girl's eyes.
"And then Artemis-"
Ron's head shot up at the mention of Artemis's name. Seeing Hermione ready to tell Harry, he began to shake his head violently behind Harry's back. Hermione, seeing this, remembered the mocking look in Artemis's eyes before she went to sleep.
iI dare you to tell./i
Hermione hadn't dared then, and she didn't quite dare now. Harry noticed her hesitation, and Hermione used her noteworthy intellect to make up a story.
"And the Artemis tried to make light, but it wouldn't work, and we heard someone yell "Levitate!" and the train turned sideways and we rose up. Then the train was lowered onto the tracks, and I went to find someone to find out what was going on." Hermione looked furtively at Ron while she said this. Ron just stared back.
Ginny, meanwhile, looked ill. "The drop made me feel sick. And all that black. . . I thought I'd died, or something. It felt like Tom. . . You-Know- Who. . . Riddle, was taking my life away again. I- I don't feel well. I'm going to go like Artemis and go to sleep."
Ginny did just that. The rocking of the train lulled her to sleep, head against the window.
Hermione kept giving Ron looks, trying to get some information out of him. Ron avoided her gaze.
In Harry's mind, he replayed the words he'd heard Ginny say: "I thought I'd died, or something. . ." Was that what had happened to Sirius? Had he seen black, all black? Sirius Black in an abyss of black. . .
Harry shook away these morbid thoughts.
There was more silence as Ginny slept (or at least lay with her eyes closed), Ron didn't speak because he was incomprehensible, Harry was trying to think less depressing thoughts, and Hermione went back to worrying about the next year at school.
The witch with the trolley came, and asked them, in a rather shaky voice (though she tried to sound cheery), "What would you kids like?"
Although they resented being called kids, Harry felt that chocolate would help the three conscious teens. Buying Ron, Hermione and himself a whole mound of chocolate, along with some Bertie Bott's every flavour beans, they settled down and a feeling of normality returned to the compartment.
For the next two hours, they talked about their OWL's, (Hermione had managed to swing an O in everything accept Potions, in which she only managed an E. Ron got mostly E's, although he only got an A in Potions and Divination and an O in Defense Against the Dark Arts. Harry got the same as Ron, except he got an E in Divination.) they talked about their summers, they talked about their fears and apprehensions for the coming year.
"They've given us a Lord Voldemort psychopath, a self-obsessed jerk, a werewolf - though Lupin wasn't bad - an imposter, and an accountant. What next?" Questioned Harry.
"Sthnape!" muttered Ron. "At the wrate we're goin'."
"Ahh! The torture!" mocked Harry.
"Shh! Dumbledore will get a good teacher, I'm sure."
"As wong as they haven't made a miw- miwwl- million more decwrees!" groused Ron.
The train went on, and, in three hours (as Artemis had said) the train came to Hogwarts.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Delta- sorry, ARTEMIS, had been awake for the last hour. She'd heard Ron, Hermione, and Harry talking, and stored what they said in her audio file. She 'saved' or remembered perfectly, nearly everything she'd ever heard. She 'stored' the memories away, or her telepathic abilities would start projecting the thoughts onto others, like B'Elanna and her dreams about her wrong-side-of-the-tracks lover on Voyager.
She pretended to wake up as she felt the train slowing down.
"Well, ya'll better get dressed. Don't want to show up in civvies!"
"Civvies?"
"Casual clothes." Seeing the odd looks on the youths faces, she sighed and rolled her eyes. "British." She grumbled, before turning to wake Ginny.
"Common, we're almost there. Get changed."
Ginny abruptly started to cry. "I dreamed I was somewhere black. . . and someone was laughing. . . evil laughter. . . oh it was horrible!" She threw herself on Artemis, sobbing into the front of her shirt. Whimpering, she said something the others couldn't hear.
"Shh. . . don't worry, they're alive. . ." Artemis looked up and sharply changed from her kind tone to a brusque one. "Ya'll deaf? Get changed!"
Hermione and Harry left in a hurry at the snap in her voice. Ron, however, bravely stepped back into the compartment.
"What is she afraid of? Who does she think is dead?"
Artemis considered him. Finally she answered "Your parents."
Ron nodded, sat down across from the sniveling Ginny, and started to rub her back uncertainly.
Soon after, Ginny stopped crying.
"Get changed, both of you. We're practically there!"
Ginny and Ron left the compartment.
Ron thought, as he left, "How's Artemis getting changed?" But he knew better than to ask.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
As soon as the Weasleys had left the compartment, Artemis waved her hand. A wall of water appeared, shimmering, in the air before her. It hardened to become a mirror. With another swoosh of her hand, Artemis was wearing black robes. *Too plain. . .* she muttered. Another swoosh, and the robes were deep midnight blue, the same colour as her pupils. *Much better.* The cape that was attached to the robes was thrown back to reveal her bare arms from cap sleeves down. Sucking the water back into her hand, she stood up and walked into the corridor. Hermione and Harry came up, Ron and Ginny soon afterwards.
"What we all waiting for? Let's go!" Artemis grinned and motioned for Ginny to go back the way she had come. Everyone obeyed.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Outside, Ron, Hermione, Harry and Ginny went towards the carriages. Hagrid was yelling over their heads, "First Years! First Years, over 'ere!"
"You know, Ron sounds rather like Hagrid." Commented Ginny, back to her cheery self.
"Sthut up, you!" Growled Ron. Turning around, he watched Artemis walk towards Hagrid.
"Where you goin'?" He yelled.
Looking over her shoulder, Artemis gave one of her ironic grins. "I'm a first year, ain't I?"
Harry and Hermione, who had looked back, raised their eyebrows. They'd assumed she was a Seventh year they hadn't met before.
"HUH?" Yelled Harry into the dark.
"You know, you guys don't ask the right QUESTIONS out here, do ya?" Artemis turned back and continued walking.
Staring after her, Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny became even more shocked when Hagrid yelled "ARTEMIS!!" and scooped the girl up in his arms in what can only be described as a bear hug.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Just a Random thought: The best revenge is success.
Yeah, right.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
As Artemis slept on, Ron's thoughts were a jumble. *What was with all the silver? Bloody hell, what a lie! "A seventh year cast a healing spell"! Seventh year, my foot! And the wizard. . . I don't believe there WAS a wizard. I think she pulled us out. But she can't be more than. . .* looking at Delta- sorry, Artemis's face, he again saw that her age was undistinguishable. She could have been 13, but looking at her body. . . Ron compared Artemis to Hermione, secretly. Artemis looked more, well, developed than Hermione. Sure, Hermione had grown - Ron's surprise had been infinite - but Artemis looked strong and tough compared to Hermione's slight frame. So she could be 20, or older, even. But probably not. Ron guessed Artemis was 16 or 17, like them.
Then he saw it.
The flash of pain, despair, endless knowledge: a world weary, tired expression that indicated she was ancient, had seen horrors Ron couldn't imagine.
Then Artemis stirred slightly, and the look disappeared.
Ron's age estimate was smashed, and his thoughts turned back into a shambles.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Harry assumed that Ron was silent because of the closing stages of his flu. Little did he know what was going on in Ron's troubled mind. Turning to Hermione and Ginny, he broke the silence that had fallen and settled for the last 30 minutes.
"What happened?"
Hermione looked at him, and Harry could see the fear in her eyes.
"Oh, Harry! I wish I had fainted like Ginny! So much black. . . all endless black. . ."
Tears brimmed in the girl's eyes.
"And then Artemis-"
Ron's head shot up at the mention of Artemis's name. Seeing Hermione ready to tell Harry, he began to shake his head violently behind Harry's back. Hermione, seeing this, remembered the mocking look in Artemis's eyes before she went to sleep.
iI dare you to tell./i
Hermione hadn't dared then, and she didn't quite dare now. Harry noticed her hesitation, and Hermione used her noteworthy intellect to make up a story.
"And the Artemis tried to make light, but it wouldn't work, and we heard someone yell "Levitate!" and the train turned sideways and we rose up. Then the train was lowered onto the tracks, and I went to find someone to find out what was going on." Hermione looked furtively at Ron while she said this. Ron just stared back.
Ginny, meanwhile, looked ill. "The drop made me feel sick. And all that black. . . I thought I'd died, or something. It felt like Tom. . . You-Know- Who. . . Riddle, was taking my life away again. I- I don't feel well. I'm going to go like Artemis and go to sleep."
Ginny did just that. The rocking of the train lulled her to sleep, head against the window.
Hermione kept giving Ron looks, trying to get some information out of him. Ron avoided her gaze.
In Harry's mind, he replayed the words he'd heard Ginny say: "I thought I'd died, or something. . ." Was that what had happened to Sirius? Had he seen black, all black? Sirius Black in an abyss of black. . .
Harry shook away these morbid thoughts.
There was more silence as Ginny slept (or at least lay with her eyes closed), Ron didn't speak because he was incomprehensible, Harry was trying to think less depressing thoughts, and Hermione went back to worrying about the next year at school.
The witch with the trolley came, and asked them, in a rather shaky voice (though she tried to sound cheery), "What would you kids like?"
Although they resented being called kids, Harry felt that chocolate would help the three conscious teens. Buying Ron, Hermione and himself a whole mound of chocolate, along with some Bertie Bott's every flavour beans, they settled down and a feeling of normality returned to the compartment.
For the next two hours, they talked about their OWL's, (Hermione had managed to swing an O in everything accept Potions, in which she only managed an E. Ron got mostly E's, although he only got an A in Potions and Divination and an O in Defense Against the Dark Arts. Harry got the same as Ron, except he got an E in Divination.) they talked about their summers, they talked about their fears and apprehensions for the coming year.
"They've given us a Lord Voldemort psychopath, a self-obsessed jerk, a werewolf - though Lupin wasn't bad - an imposter, and an accountant. What next?" Questioned Harry.
"Sthnape!" muttered Ron. "At the wrate we're goin'."
"Ahh! The torture!" mocked Harry.
"Shh! Dumbledore will get a good teacher, I'm sure."
"As wong as they haven't made a miw- miwwl- million more decwrees!" groused Ron.
The train went on, and, in three hours (as Artemis had said) the train came to Hogwarts.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Delta- sorry, ARTEMIS, had been awake for the last hour. She'd heard Ron, Hermione, and Harry talking, and stored what they said in her audio file. She 'saved' or remembered perfectly, nearly everything she'd ever heard. She 'stored' the memories away, or her telepathic abilities would start projecting the thoughts onto others, like B'Elanna and her dreams about her wrong-side-of-the-tracks lover on Voyager.
She pretended to wake up as she felt the train slowing down.
"Well, ya'll better get dressed. Don't want to show up in civvies!"
"Civvies?"
"Casual clothes." Seeing the odd looks on the youths faces, she sighed and rolled her eyes. "British." She grumbled, before turning to wake Ginny.
"Common, we're almost there. Get changed."
Ginny abruptly started to cry. "I dreamed I was somewhere black. . . and someone was laughing. . . evil laughter. . . oh it was horrible!" She threw herself on Artemis, sobbing into the front of her shirt. Whimpering, she said something the others couldn't hear.
"Shh. . . don't worry, they're alive. . ." Artemis looked up and sharply changed from her kind tone to a brusque one. "Ya'll deaf? Get changed!"
Hermione and Harry left in a hurry at the snap in her voice. Ron, however, bravely stepped back into the compartment.
"What is she afraid of? Who does she think is dead?"
Artemis considered him. Finally she answered "Your parents."
Ron nodded, sat down across from the sniveling Ginny, and started to rub her back uncertainly.
Soon after, Ginny stopped crying.
"Get changed, both of you. We're practically there!"
Ginny and Ron left the compartment.
Ron thought, as he left, "How's Artemis getting changed?" But he knew better than to ask.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
As soon as the Weasleys had left the compartment, Artemis waved her hand. A wall of water appeared, shimmering, in the air before her. It hardened to become a mirror. With another swoosh of her hand, Artemis was wearing black robes. *Too plain. . .* she muttered. Another swoosh, and the robes were deep midnight blue, the same colour as her pupils. *Much better.* The cape that was attached to the robes was thrown back to reveal her bare arms from cap sleeves down. Sucking the water back into her hand, she stood up and walked into the corridor. Hermione and Harry came up, Ron and Ginny soon afterwards.
"What we all waiting for? Let's go!" Artemis grinned and motioned for Ginny to go back the way she had come. Everyone obeyed.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Outside, Ron, Hermione, Harry and Ginny went towards the carriages. Hagrid was yelling over their heads, "First Years! First Years, over 'ere!"
"You know, Ron sounds rather like Hagrid." Commented Ginny, back to her cheery self.
"Sthut up, you!" Growled Ron. Turning around, he watched Artemis walk towards Hagrid.
"Where you goin'?" He yelled.
Looking over her shoulder, Artemis gave one of her ironic grins. "I'm a first year, ain't I?"
Harry and Hermione, who had looked back, raised their eyebrows. They'd assumed she was a Seventh year they hadn't met before.
"HUH?" Yelled Harry into the dark.
"You know, you guys don't ask the right QUESTIONS out here, do ya?" Artemis turned back and continued walking.
Staring after her, Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny became even more shocked when Hagrid yelled "ARTEMIS!!" and scooped the girl up in his arms in what can only be described as a bear hug.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Just a Random thought: The best revenge is success.