Oh no. This is not happening. *labored breathing* not good. Very very not good. I can't update for another week. (quote thingy) Good Gatekeepers, what am I suppose to do? Ok, well, I'll just keep writing, and you will get 6 or 7 chapters on the 2nd of January. Or have gotten, if you are reading this.

*feels heart* fanfiction, you are giving me a heart attack!

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Ron looked down at the shivering Hermione who was curled in his arms. Normally he would be quite happy with the situation, but not after the scare they'd just had. She couldn't really move because of the limited amount of space underneath the desk. It was getting lighter, and the shaking had stopped.

"You okay?" He asked softly.

She nodded. "Let's get out of here."

However, the fates had conspired against them (snigger) and the floor was tilting towards the wall where Ron and Hermione were now pinned. They couldn't move the desk.

"Can you get at your wand, Hermione?"

"No! My arm is stuck against you!"

"Can your other hand reach mine? It's in my back pocket."

Hermione reached around and felt about. "OW!"

"What?" Hermione asked worriedly.

"That was my- never mind. Have you got it?"

Hermione blushed, although it wasn't visible in the shadow. "Yeah."

"Ok, try a Repelling Charm."

Hermione tried to raise the wand, but there wasn't enough room. "Just swish and flick, ok?" Ron urged.

"Right." She was about to say the charm when a voice rang out through the castle.

"STAY WHERE YOU ARE. EVERYTHING IS UNDER CONTROL, BUT THE CASTLE IS NOT STABLE. UNLESS YOU ARE IN DANGER OF DEATH OR SEVERE ACCIDENT, I REPEAT, DO NOT MOVE. DO NOT TRY TO GET OUT, DO NOT MOVE HEAVY OBJECTS, AND DO NOT TRY TO BE A HERO AND SAVE SOMEONE. THAT MEANS YOU, MR. POTTER." There was a pause. "OH, AND MAKE GOOD CHOICES." Artemis's voice cut off.

"Well, I guess we're not moving." Commented Hermione.

"What do you mean?!"

"You heard her. 'Don't move heavy objects'. If we do, then there might be someone who gets hurt. Or we might weaken the castle more. Or we might hit- "

"All right, all right, I got it. Is there any way you can move off me?"

"No, there's not enough room to move over. My legs are too long."

"Damn, you had to grow, didn't you? Well, I don't really like being able to feel my legs, anyway."

"Since when are you so sarcastic?" Hermione asked, a little irked.

"Since always. You just never noticed." Came the retort.

There was a silence for 10 minutes.

"Look, I'm sorry, it's just a little bit of a tense situation, right?"

"Yeah, I know. I'm sorry I weigh so much." Hermione grinned, and Ron could just see it.

"Na, you don't. But man, I'm tired."

"Me too. . ."

Another 20 minutes went by. Hermione and Ron tried to change position numerous times, but all they succeeded was moving Hermione's rear off Ron's lap so that she was sitting sideways and leaning against him. They ran out of things to talk about.

15 minutes after that, both were asleep, Hermione's head in Ron's lap, Ron leaning against the corner made by the desk and the wall.

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Artemis brought the two Death Eaters down to the castle and locked them in Dumbledore's office. The darkness rope would hold them, anyway. Flying through the walls and floors of the castle, she got back into the Watching Room. Flowing through the wall, she cast a spell on the teachers to make them blind again. Taking them back to Dumbledore's office, she then went over to the Weasley twins, clapped them on the shoulder again, and the three got back into the elevator. Dumbledore looked at them. "Where are you going?"

"Good Guardians, you have any idea how much energy we just used? We gotta give, take and balance!" And with that, the teachers could see again. But only one saw the door close.

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Outside the Forest, the twins and Artemis sat down.

"What was all that about give, take and balance?"

"Something I have to do, not you. Since I've got more than one Element to control, I can take energy from the other elements to balance the raw power. But before I do that, I want to fix the Forest. . ."

Artemis touched the tree behind her and energy was sent from tree to tree, via the roots and bushes, along the ground, back and through the Forest. The scorches on the trees mended, leaves and branches straightened, and any wounded animals were healed.

Artemis almost collapsed back from the tree, which had grown the tallest and had the greenest leaves. Fred caught her. "Maybe you'd better rest."

"Hold on."

Artemis's hair grew long and blonde, and her eyes took on a yellow tinge. Her skin got pale as she took energy from Light. She didn't bother taking it from anything else, because she'd used Earth to fix the earthquake, Water to douse the fire, Air to fly, Spirit to fix the sheet over the lake, and Air, Fire, Water, and Dark to fight the Death Eaters.

She gave the energy back to the other six elements in basic power, though most went to the Earth. Then she looked back to the Weasleys who were resting against trees, her yellow, cat-like eyes staring at them drolly.

"What do you think I should look like?"

The twins looked at her. "White hair is kind of. . ." George began.

"Dumbledore-ish." Finished Fred.

Artemis smiled. "And the yellow eyes are VERY freaky." Added George.

"So, how should I look?"

"Do that thing again. . . where you looked like us."

Artemis's hair went short and tousled again, eyes identical in shade to Fred's (who's eyes were half a shade darker than Georges, though someone with normal vision couldn't tell), skin stayed pale but went freckled, and lastly her hair went that exact shade of orange-red.

"Amazing. . ." Murmured Fred, reaching out to touch her hair. "I'd swear you were my sister, or my twin, even!" Fred gave a wry grin at George.

"Why do you want to look like us? Well, we're not exactly top notch in the looks department," George commented. "But you make us look GOOD. . ."

"Oh, stop it George, I'm blushing!" Artemis smirked. "And what do you mean? You ain't that bad looking yourself. . . those seventh years from Ravenclaw have asked me about you. . ." George punched her arm.

Fred looked at her awkwardly. "You'd make anything look good."

Artemis actually did blush this time. So did Fred.

"No, really, what should I look like? I'd shock the world if I went in looking like the third Weasley twin, or should I say, triplet?"

Fred gave an evil smile. "You should! Just to make the school gossip, as you say." He thought a second. "No, bright pink hair! With purple eyes! And blue skin!"

"You want me to look like a valentine teddy bear?!"

"No, I mean. . . I was JOKING, Artemis!"

"So was I!"

George had been staring at Artemis thoughtfully. "Brown-blonde hair. Chin length. And blue-green-gray eyes. . . that you can't tell the colour to." He said suddenly. Then he looked sheepish. "Sorry, that just seemed to be. . . you, kind of."

Artemis tipped George's downward face up to look at her own. "You, my friend, are VERY perceptive." And her hair went longer, became straight, chin length, and brown with bits of blonde. Her eyes became an unnamable colour. Her skin got slightly darker.

"Me. But I don't like it really. So while I can change my appearance, I'd better do it, eh?"

Fred and George stared. It was simple. Not really like the red-haired, blue- eyed thing that they shared a room with. "I like it. But then again, I like how you look all the time." Fred said boldly. George nodded. "Gotta agree with Fred here on this."

Artemis blushed even redder, and her hair went short tousled, and orange. "On second thought, let's stir things up." Her eyes now the turquoise of George's, her skin paled and freckled. And there was the second Weasley girl.

"Come on, you two need to sleep." Artemis stood up, grabbed a hand from each boy, and pulled them to their feet. Hooking each arm through one of the twins, she looked up and the boys flanking her and smiled. "You boys seem to keep complimenting me, so I'd better compliment YOU. Why copy you? Because you're just so sweet." And with that she stood on tiptoe to kiss first Fred, then George, on the nearest cheek. And the three walked up to the castle for some well earned sleep.

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Dumbledore stared at the Death Eaters. "You should all begin re- structurizing the castle, except Torquil, Severus, and Minerva. I'll need you here." The other teachers left to save the students from who knew what.

"Minerva, remove their hoods." McGonagall complied.

Malfoy and Crabbe sat before the Headmaster, glaring at him. "Well, Dumbledore. Nice to see you." Came Malfoy's curt voice.

"Ah, Mr. Malfoy. Tell me, what, pray, were you doing in the air above my school?"

"Does it matter? Interesting that I didn't see you out there, Albus. You've got a little girl doing your dirty work, how amazingly interesting."

Dumbledore's eyes gleamed with a flame of hatred. "Severus, a vial of Vertaserum, if you please." Snape left the room. Turning back to the perpetrators, Dumbledore glared. "It does matter, Mr. Malfoy. It matters very much. If any one of my students was hurt, I will make sure you pay." The Headmaster's voice was calm, but his ice blue eyes betrayed his feeling. "Your son is here, Mr. Malfoy. Do you not care?"

"My son is in Herbology right now. Or should be. He's not dense, unlike some I could name."

Dumbledore whipped around and leaned over the desk, breathing heavily. He really was getting too old for this. But two Death Eaters, after an unmistakable attempt on Hogwarts, were too good a prize for anyone else to question.

"You really are getting on, Headmaster. You won't survive the Dark Lord's return." Twirling round, Dumbledore's eyes had a fury which McGonagall had never seen. It was lucky that, at that moment, Snape reentered the room. Handing the vial to Dumbledore, he looked back and Malfoy and Crabbe, and the smallest smile came onto his face. Then he cast an Impenetrable Spell, so no one could hear what these Death Eaters would say.

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In the Random Bedroom, on the one bed that had appeared when the walked in (because there weren't ALWAYS three beds, you know), three teens slept in a slumber so deep the Devil himself couldn't have woken them.

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Harry sat beside Neville and Seamus, wedged in a corner. His temper, which was as potent as the year before, was flaming. 'Don't be a hero! That means you, Mr. Potter!' Damn that Artemis! How dare she sound so smug! But the truth was, he'd immediately thought of helping someone. It was annoying to have to just sit there. It'd been 40 minutes since the announcement, and they were still waiting.

Harry could see all the Gryffindor Sixth years, and the Ravenclaw Sixth Years too, scattered around the room. Two girls were pinned under the chandelier, but no one was hurt. Dean sat beside Lavender and the Patil twins on the other side of the class, their feet up against a jammed chair to keep them from sliding across the tilted floor. Everyone was accounted for, and no one seriously injured, except Ron and Hermione. Harry still didn't know where they were. Maybe they were in the part of the classroom over to the right and behind him, where he couldn't see. But they hadn't made any noise. . . then again, the way the castle was creaking and groaning as the teachers worked on fixing it made a fairly loud din, and so maybe that was why they couldn't hear them. . .

No one spoke. They were all too traumatized.

Then Professor Sinistra poked her head through the door. "Good gracious! You are all as quiet as mice, I almost walked past this room without checking!" And in she came. Preforming a stabilizing charm on the floors and walls, the whole floor tilted up to become flat, but the ceiling was still slightly crooked. "Too much weight above you. Oh well, Professor Flitwick will work on that floor. Well, line up, all of you! This corridor and the first stairway on the left are secure, go down that till you get to the Entrance Hall, go into the Great Hall and sit in your forms! I'll get you two-" she pointed at the stuck Ravenclaw girls- "out, and then we'll join you, alright? Good, off you go!"

Harry left the room with Seamus and Neville, and only when he was inside the Great Hall did he realize that Ron and Hermione won't there. And there were only two teachers, Madam Hooch and Madam Pomfrey. And no one was let out once they were in.

So Harry had to wait, even after the two Ravenclaw girls were brought back without Ron and Hermione. Harry was worried now. People kept filtering in from different levels of the castle, but no Professor stayed for long, and Harry's reports that people were missing were met by "I'm sure they got shaken into the corridors, don't panic until everyone is back."

Then Dumbledore strode into the hall, a legion of teachers behind him. Everyone who had been talking immediately went quiet. There was a deathly silence, broken only by the tap of the teachers shoes as they made there way to the high table at the front of the Hall.

"Students of Hogwarts, it is my deepest regret to inform you that there has been an attack on the school."

A ripple spread through the assembled youth. Fear, anxiety, worry, offence; everyone had a feeling, and none of them were good.

"However, the attack was thwarted, thanks to your teachers here, Artemis, and Fred and George Weasley."

Ginny stared. "Fred and GEORGE?" She exclaimed, a little too loud.

Dumbledore gave a weary, but kind, smile. "Yes, your brothers, Ms. Weasley. Something to write home about, I'm sure." Turning to address the school as a whole, Dumbledore looked somber. "We will be taking measures to make sure this doesn't happen again. All Hogsmead trips have been canceled. We shall be reverting back to the safety measures taken 4 years ago, and students will be escorted to and from classes by your Professors, or, if in need, Fred or George Weasley. All students will be sent home for the Christmas holidays, but not via the train, not after what happened on September 1st. For that was an attack as well, as I am sure you have figured. Artemis will send you home. It is important that you all follow these rules, for the safety and security of all." Pausing, Dumbledore searched his coat. "The only students allowed to stay will be Draco Malfoy, Neville Longbottom, Luna Lovegood, Hermione Granger, Fred, George, Ronald and Ginny Weasley, and Artemis." Putting the list away, Dumbledore continued. "Now, all report to your House teacher, for attendance."

It was here that someone finally paid attention to Hermione's and Ron's disappearance. Professor McGonagall, after seeing that they were missing two of the 6th years, and after realizing that they happened to be two of the people off Dumbledore's list, went straight to the Headmaster.

"Headmaster, Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger are unaccounted for. They were in my transfiguration class. . ."

"They're right here, Professor." Artemis stood in the doorway, the slim figure of Hermione in her arms, Ron leaving on her shoulder for support. Madam Pomfrey came up immediately to coo over Hermione. "She's fine, just a little weak after being stuck under that desk. She should wake up soon." Artemis handed Hermione over, and strode up to the Headmaster. The students stared at her, for she had supposedly helped Dumbledore and the teachers save the school.

Reaching the high table, Dumbledore clapped her on the back. "I'm sure it's on behalf of the whole school that I thank you for your help. . . where are Mr. and Mr. Weasley?"

Artemis raised an eyebrow. "The twins are with Artemis, sleeping."

The whole of those convened started back. Dumbledore simply smiled his trade mark smile and commented "If they are with Artemis, then who are you?"

"Her sister. Nemesis."

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