Ok. Horrible long wait. But I've had competitions, homework, and writers
block. Joy.
Lenora: Of course you like Artemis better than Nemesis. Nemesis is, for lack of better explanation, an egotistical, cynical, sarcastic, pessimistic bitch with a superiority complex, while Artemis is fun, happy, optimistic, hopeful, bubbly, and upbeat. But Nemesis is brilliant, which Artemis is not. So you got to give her credit there. And I have a short, one-shot Voyager fic in the works, and THEN I'll update Dimensional. . . too much HP can make you crazy, you know.
Ladybug: GO FINDING NEMO! And I hate romance. Got a poem, it's called Damning Love. . .? However, it is a necessary evil and so, I write it.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Artemis yawned and stretched. George had joined her and Fred only ten minutes into the movie, and the three had lain, in various positions, on the leather couch. The atmosphere that had been in the air when Fred tried to kiss her had evaporated, and while Neo beat up a mob of Smiths wasn't the best mood she could go for.
As the movie finished, Artemis glanced at the clock. They could stay up until they were tired, so time wasn't really an issue. But glancing over at Fred and George, the two were asleep anyway. Giving a small smile, Artemis cast a spell and the twins floated up into the air. George rolled over and Fred gave a small grunt, but the two didn't wake up. Leading them back out of the Unknowable Passages to the normal Hogwarts corridors, Artemis brought them to the entrance to the Gryffindor common room. As she was about to say the 'secret' password, the Fat Lady swung forward to show Ron stumbling out, rubbing his eyes, which were wide and unfocused.
"Dream. . . silver. . . The Dark Lo-. . . Voldemort. . ." his breath was coming in short bursts, a word each time he exhaled; he looked wildly at a stunned Artemis and his floating, slumbering brothers. "Floating. . ." he murmured as he tried to settle his breathing before his eyes rolled back in his head and he collapsed forward. Artemis stepped and caught him, shock receding. *Damn,* she thought to herself. *Nemesis was RIGHT. . .*
~*~|flashback|~*~
"So, how do you know who they are?" Artemis was eating Brussels's hedgehogs out of a green box, sitting on a bucket chair that was hanging from a branch on a tree in Woodwings.
"Simple, you can feel the aura around them. Or at least, I can, with my superior mental abilities." Nemesis gave the smallest smirk; she was only half joking. Picking up a Purdy's caramel, she popped it in her mouth before continuing. "So, to recap: Neville is Earth-"
"Duh! I knew that."
"Could you be just a little less articulate?" Artemis rolled her eyes at her sister, who ignored her and continued talking. "Hermione is Water, Draco is Light-"
The sarcastic girl was interrupted again. "Damn, I have to get to class! Finish talking while we walk." Artemis jumped off the chair and headed out the door.
The two girls left the Unknowable Passages and walked towards transfiguration. "So, continue. . ." the nicer of the two prompted.
"Actually, how about YOU tell ME, seeing as you were all ready to go."
Artemis shot a nasty glare at her sister. "Right, Luna Lovegood is Air, and then the twins are Dark, and then Ron is Fire, and we have Ginny at the top with Spirit." Artemis gave a smug smile. "See, I got it."
Nemesis shook her head. "No you don't. You've got a few mixed up."
"What? Of course I don't!"
"You got the Harry Potter thing wrong, and now you've got the Ginny and Ron thing wrong too."
"No, way, Ginny is so Spirit!"
"Nope, Ron is."
"Ginny!"
"Ron."
"GINNY!"
"Ron."
They continued like this for sometime, Artemis getting progressively louder, Nemesis staying the same steady tone, until they rounded a corner and ran into Draco Malfoy.
"What are you arguing about?"
"Nothing. . ."
~*~|flashforward|~*~
Man, did Artemis hate it when her sister was always right.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Meanwhile, Nemesis led Draco down the stone hall that was lit, appropriately, with torches in wall brackets. Two doors were across from each other right before the corridor took a sharp right turn. The left door was wood, with a perfectly carved plaque that read, in bold script, "Woodwings". The right door was wood as well, but with a simpler plaque (still immaculately engraved) reading "Fireside". Nemesis pulled out a ring of keys, heavy and brass, and slid one into the right hand lock. Opening the door, Draco was confronted with a small room, a fire blazing on the hearth. There was a cozy sofa that was made out of a sort of brown leather, and a couple wooden chairs full of pillows. Walking briskly, Nemesis showed the staring blond up to a loft, where there was a twin bed and a dresser, along with a wardrobe.
"There's a kitchen downstairs, should be stocked. See you in the morning." Seeing the look on his face, Nemesis raised her eyebrows. "What, not mansion enough for you?" He shook his head quickly.
"No, really, it's great. I'm admiring it. Very. . . homey." He nodded now. "Yes, homey. That's the word." Nemesis gave him a sarcastic look and turned to go back down the ladder.
Then Draco did something very rash. He grabbed her arm. She looked at him, at the arm, and then back at him. Draco quailed under the stare, but didn't let go. "I just want to say thank you."
Nemesis raised her eyebrows higher. "Oh, good. Do you have to keep me captive to do that?"
Draco gulped. "No, but I do to do this." And with that, he gave her the quickest of quick kisses to the lips. Then he let go of her arm and stepped back, his cheeks tinged rose. "Um. . . good night."
Nemesis left without making the smart comment that immediately came to her lips. Walking over to Woodwings, she slipped a small, silver key into the lock and entered. There was a tree in the middle of the room, with chairs and tables suspended from the many branches. Usually, Nemesis lived a rather. . . Spartan life style, but if she could, she would go over the top. Collapsing into a hanging bean bag chair, she rubbed her eyes. How to tell poor Draco she didn't believe in that sort of thing? She decided not to dwell on it. The whole situation was getting too soap opera for her, anyways. The more she thought about it, the more realize she should just find that Calculator, check it for maintenance, and leave. Tomorrow, she would help Draco take Potter's power, then she would give Artemis a warning/run-down, and then she would find the Calc.
Walking over to a curtain of weeping willow leaves, she pushed them aside and climbed up into the suspended bed. Kicking off her shoes, she changed her attire to a tank and loose pants, and was asleep in seconds.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Artemis stared at Ron, who was now draped over her arms. Putting him down lightly, she said the password and the portrait (with an annoyed Fat Lady) opened again. The floating (and still, somehow, sleeping) twins were sent down the hallway and through the middle door. She deposited them on the beds and left. Picking up Ron, she walked towards the Dungeons. Nemesis would know what was wrong; and besides, Artemis wanted some sleep. Leave Ron to Nemesis to handle, then go back to a nice, warm bed. . . Yes, that was definitely what she was going to do.
She never got that far, unfortunately.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Nemesis had her mind on autopilot as she slept. Because of her 'superior mental abilities', she saw, heard, and felt everything her sisters did, wherever they were. That was a lot of emotion and experience running through her mind, so whenever she slept she had to have her brain automatically file away the 'data' she received, like a supercomputer. However, if something was wrong, if one of her sisters was in danger or stressed or there was just. . . something wrong, then Nemesis would usually wake up. And that's what happened now.
Snapping up in bed, she was changing her clothes mentally before she even realized what was happening. She could feel a change in the air, something obviously tangible. A presence, not welcome. She could feel Air and Light rushing away, Dark being pulled forwards, and Water trying to warn her. Sending out searchers, Nemesis tried to focus on the sensation that she could almost touch, but not quite.
Then she felt Artemis fall.
Her head jerked forward as she felt Artemis's body hit with numerous spells. Artemis had been hurt before, but never while Nemesis was so close. Nemesis tried to catch her breath; whatever was happening to Artemis must be strong, because usually Artemis was indestructible. *Not usually* Nemesis thought to herself. *Always. She'll be fine. But Ron. . .*
Nemesis now realized that whoever was attacking Artemis was trying to get to Ron. Artemis was fighting back, shielding Ron with an Air charm, but there were at least ten of them, too many for the less-mentally-able sister to hold off. . .
Shaking the image of what was happening to Artemis out of her head, the girl tried to figure out where Artemis was. She saw a picture of a young boy with a long wand who was trying to hide behind the frame. Nemesis focused on that and teleported, swiftly. Landing in the middle of the fray, she saw Ron being picked up by two black-clad Death Eaters. Artemis was trying frantically to hold a shield around herself to stop the Avada Kedavra charms, while also grabbing at Ron. She was exhausted, drained quickly from her efforts against the attackers.
Nemesis broke the bubble quickly and managed to catch Artemis as she was on the brink of collapsing. Focusing her mind on Ron and the girl in her arms, Nemesis felt her eyes go orange. A glow in the darkness, the flicker of glowing tangerine in her irises and pupils gained fury as Nemesis tried to teleport the two people at the same time while still holding the shield around herself. A flash like an explosion, and she was left alone with ten stunned Death Eaters. Standing up, she grinned impishly. Her mind was spinning from the work she'd just done, but it was fading. She rubbed her hands together with an evil smirk and glint in her eyes, which were fading to a muted purple.
The Death Eaters looked around for their quarry that had disappeared. Nemesis, still in the plain brown hair no freckles look, was very different from Artemis's long blue-black hair, and they wondered who had simply stepped in and taken away the two they were after.
Now Voldemort wasn't stupid. He knew about the Elemental Controllers being 'reborn' in a way at Hogwarts, and he had sent his minions to gather them. The hooded figures around Nemesis looked towards their leader, who realized that this girl must be a Controller, and a strong one. The evil look on her face made just the smallest of shivers run up the Death Eater's spine, but the feeling was ignored. Instead, a twisted smile appeared behind the mask, although no one saw, and the leader gave the signal to charge.
It really wasn't fair, ten to one, Death Eaters against Nemesis. The poor souls never had a chance.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Artemis saw orange above her, glowing orange eyes, orange everywhere. Was she in a corridor, going through Dimensions? But then where was Ron? She tried to sit up, but seconds later she felt her body tugged backwards. Some spinning, then she landed, hard, on a floor. Ron's body fell beside her, and she heard a muffled "Good Lord!" before strong hands pulled her up into spindly arms.
"Artemis, are you okay? Artemis, speak!" Dumbledore's worried face swam into view as she tried to focus on the half-moon spectacles.
"Yeah. . . an attack. . . Death Eaters. . ."
"Shh, shh, drink this." A goblet appeared out of nowhere and was held to her lips. Gulping the liquid, she felt a strange numbness course through her, and then she felt everything sharpen. Feeling more awake, she sat down on the chair and watched Dumbledore tend to Ron. As Ron sat up, looking groggy, the Headmaster turned to her and stared with intent blue eyes.
"What happened?"
"I think Ron here had some sort of premonition. He ran out of Gryffindor common room, half-delirious, and then he collapsed. I was taking him to see Nemesis when then attacked."
"Who?"
"Ten of them, Death Eaters. Voldemort must know the Elemental Controllers are here, and he's not stupid. He wants them, and he was trying to get them. I wasn't able to hold them off and try to stop them from taking Ron and then, I, uh. . ."
"What?"
"Erm. . ."
"Whatever it was, I won't think less of you. Tell me, this is vital information."
"Well, I collapsed. But someone caught me, I think. I thought it was a Death Eater, but I couldn't move to fight. Then there was darkness, and two orange lights, like eyes. Then an orange explosion, and I was spinning, and then I was here. I think Nemesis came; she's probably fighting them now."
"What!? Why didn't you tell me? I have to get Severus and Minerva on this, right away. . ."
"No! Protect the others! Draco's in the Unknowable Passages, he's alright, but the others. . . they need protection. Nemesis can take care of herself. Trust me, the fight is more than fair, the odds are downright in her favour."
Artemis saw the hesitation in Dumbledore's eyes, but not for long. Perhaps he remembered the bubble incident. Regardless, he nodded and walked over to the fire. Tossing some brown powder that he pulled out of a green jar into the flames, his voice became commanding.
"Professors, the school has been infiltrated. Protect the students. I repeat, protect the students. Severus and Minerva, my office."
The flames flashed blue, and then a normal fire blazed in the grate.
"If they take any of my students," Dumbledore's voice was heavy with worry. "If they lay a wand on any of them, this is more than a battle. This will be the beginning of the war."
Standing there, a frail looking old man with white hair, it was hard to believe that he wanted to declare open war with the most powerful evil wizard ever. Artemis couldn't help but wonder about their - or more specifically, Dumbledore's - chances. Then she looked into his eyes. Ice blue, piercing, knowledgeable, wise, and intent. And there, behind the pupil, burned a flicker of fury at the man who had caused him worry for the last three decades. Artemis knew she had to trust him, and she nodded her head.
If Voldemort got one of the Controllers, he'd have hell on his hands.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Review please.
Lenora: Of course you like Artemis better than Nemesis. Nemesis is, for lack of better explanation, an egotistical, cynical, sarcastic, pessimistic bitch with a superiority complex, while Artemis is fun, happy, optimistic, hopeful, bubbly, and upbeat. But Nemesis is brilliant, which Artemis is not. So you got to give her credit there. And I have a short, one-shot Voyager fic in the works, and THEN I'll update Dimensional. . . too much HP can make you crazy, you know.
Ladybug: GO FINDING NEMO! And I hate romance. Got a poem, it's called Damning Love. . .? However, it is a necessary evil and so, I write it.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Artemis yawned and stretched. George had joined her and Fred only ten minutes into the movie, and the three had lain, in various positions, on the leather couch. The atmosphere that had been in the air when Fred tried to kiss her had evaporated, and while Neo beat up a mob of Smiths wasn't the best mood she could go for.
As the movie finished, Artemis glanced at the clock. They could stay up until they were tired, so time wasn't really an issue. But glancing over at Fred and George, the two were asleep anyway. Giving a small smile, Artemis cast a spell and the twins floated up into the air. George rolled over and Fred gave a small grunt, but the two didn't wake up. Leading them back out of the Unknowable Passages to the normal Hogwarts corridors, Artemis brought them to the entrance to the Gryffindor common room. As she was about to say the 'secret' password, the Fat Lady swung forward to show Ron stumbling out, rubbing his eyes, which were wide and unfocused.
"Dream. . . silver. . . The Dark Lo-. . . Voldemort. . ." his breath was coming in short bursts, a word each time he exhaled; he looked wildly at a stunned Artemis and his floating, slumbering brothers. "Floating. . ." he murmured as he tried to settle his breathing before his eyes rolled back in his head and he collapsed forward. Artemis stepped and caught him, shock receding. *Damn,* she thought to herself. *Nemesis was RIGHT. . .*
~*~|flashback|~*~
"So, how do you know who they are?" Artemis was eating Brussels's hedgehogs out of a green box, sitting on a bucket chair that was hanging from a branch on a tree in Woodwings.
"Simple, you can feel the aura around them. Or at least, I can, with my superior mental abilities." Nemesis gave the smallest smirk; she was only half joking. Picking up a Purdy's caramel, she popped it in her mouth before continuing. "So, to recap: Neville is Earth-"
"Duh! I knew that."
"Could you be just a little less articulate?" Artemis rolled her eyes at her sister, who ignored her and continued talking. "Hermione is Water, Draco is Light-"
The sarcastic girl was interrupted again. "Damn, I have to get to class! Finish talking while we walk." Artemis jumped off the chair and headed out the door.
The two girls left the Unknowable Passages and walked towards transfiguration. "So, continue. . ." the nicer of the two prompted.
"Actually, how about YOU tell ME, seeing as you were all ready to go."
Artemis shot a nasty glare at her sister. "Right, Luna Lovegood is Air, and then the twins are Dark, and then Ron is Fire, and we have Ginny at the top with Spirit." Artemis gave a smug smile. "See, I got it."
Nemesis shook her head. "No you don't. You've got a few mixed up."
"What? Of course I don't!"
"You got the Harry Potter thing wrong, and now you've got the Ginny and Ron thing wrong too."
"No, way, Ginny is so Spirit!"
"Nope, Ron is."
"Ginny!"
"Ron."
"GINNY!"
"Ron."
They continued like this for sometime, Artemis getting progressively louder, Nemesis staying the same steady tone, until they rounded a corner and ran into Draco Malfoy.
"What are you arguing about?"
"Nothing. . ."
~*~|flashforward|~*~
Man, did Artemis hate it when her sister was always right.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Meanwhile, Nemesis led Draco down the stone hall that was lit, appropriately, with torches in wall brackets. Two doors were across from each other right before the corridor took a sharp right turn. The left door was wood, with a perfectly carved plaque that read, in bold script, "Woodwings". The right door was wood as well, but with a simpler plaque (still immaculately engraved) reading "Fireside". Nemesis pulled out a ring of keys, heavy and brass, and slid one into the right hand lock. Opening the door, Draco was confronted with a small room, a fire blazing on the hearth. There was a cozy sofa that was made out of a sort of brown leather, and a couple wooden chairs full of pillows. Walking briskly, Nemesis showed the staring blond up to a loft, where there was a twin bed and a dresser, along with a wardrobe.
"There's a kitchen downstairs, should be stocked. See you in the morning." Seeing the look on his face, Nemesis raised her eyebrows. "What, not mansion enough for you?" He shook his head quickly.
"No, really, it's great. I'm admiring it. Very. . . homey." He nodded now. "Yes, homey. That's the word." Nemesis gave him a sarcastic look and turned to go back down the ladder.
Then Draco did something very rash. He grabbed her arm. She looked at him, at the arm, and then back at him. Draco quailed under the stare, but didn't let go. "I just want to say thank you."
Nemesis raised her eyebrows higher. "Oh, good. Do you have to keep me captive to do that?"
Draco gulped. "No, but I do to do this." And with that, he gave her the quickest of quick kisses to the lips. Then he let go of her arm and stepped back, his cheeks tinged rose. "Um. . . good night."
Nemesis left without making the smart comment that immediately came to her lips. Walking over to Woodwings, she slipped a small, silver key into the lock and entered. There was a tree in the middle of the room, with chairs and tables suspended from the many branches. Usually, Nemesis lived a rather. . . Spartan life style, but if she could, she would go over the top. Collapsing into a hanging bean bag chair, she rubbed her eyes. How to tell poor Draco she didn't believe in that sort of thing? She decided not to dwell on it. The whole situation was getting too soap opera for her, anyways. The more she thought about it, the more realize she should just find that Calculator, check it for maintenance, and leave. Tomorrow, she would help Draco take Potter's power, then she would give Artemis a warning/run-down, and then she would find the Calc.
Walking over to a curtain of weeping willow leaves, she pushed them aside and climbed up into the suspended bed. Kicking off her shoes, she changed her attire to a tank and loose pants, and was asleep in seconds.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Artemis stared at Ron, who was now draped over her arms. Putting him down lightly, she said the password and the portrait (with an annoyed Fat Lady) opened again. The floating (and still, somehow, sleeping) twins were sent down the hallway and through the middle door. She deposited them on the beds and left. Picking up Ron, she walked towards the Dungeons. Nemesis would know what was wrong; and besides, Artemis wanted some sleep. Leave Ron to Nemesis to handle, then go back to a nice, warm bed. . . Yes, that was definitely what she was going to do.
She never got that far, unfortunately.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Nemesis had her mind on autopilot as she slept. Because of her 'superior mental abilities', she saw, heard, and felt everything her sisters did, wherever they were. That was a lot of emotion and experience running through her mind, so whenever she slept she had to have her brain automatically file away the 'data' she received, like a supercomputer. However, if something was wrong, if one of her sisters was in danger or stressed or there was just. . . something wrong, then Nemesis would usually wake up. And that's what happened now.
Snapping up in bed, she was changing her clothes mentally before she even realized what was happening. She could feel a change in the air, something obviously tangible. A presence, not welcome. She could feel Air and Light rushing away, Dark being pulled forwards, and Water trying to warn her. Sending out searchers, Nemesis tried to focus on the sensation that she could almost touch, but not quite.
Then she felt Artemis fall.
Her head jerked forward as she felt Artemis's body hit with numerous spells. Artemis had been hurt before, but never while Nemesis was so close. Nemesis tried to catch her breath; whatever was happening to Artemis must be strong, because usually Artemis was indestructible. *Not usually* Nemesis thought to herself. *Always. She'll be fine. But Ron. . .*
Nemesis now realized that whoever was attacking Artemis was trying to get to Ron. Artemis was fighting back, shielding Ron with an Air charm, but there were at least ten of them, too many for the less-mentally-able sister to hold off. . .
Shaking the image of what was happening to Artemis out of her head, the girl tried to figure out where Artemis was. She saw a picture of a young boy with a long wand who was trying to hide behind the frame. Nemesis focused on that and teleported, swiftly. Landing in the middle of the fray, she saw Ron being picked up by two black-clad Death Eaters. Artemis was trying frantically to hold a shield around herself to stop the Avada Kedavra charms, while also grabbing at Ron. She was exhausted, drained quickly from her efforts against the attackers.
Nemesis broke the bubble quickly and managed to catch Artemis as she was on the brink of collapsing. Focusing her mind on Ron and the girl in her arms, Nemesis felt her eyes go orange. A glow in the darkness, the flicker of glowing tangerine in her irises and pupils gained fury as Nemesis tried to teleport the two people at the same time while still holding the shield around herself. A flash like an explosion, and she was left alone with ten stunned Death Eaters. Standing up, she grinned impishly. Her mind was spinning from the work she'd just done, but it was fading. She rubbed her hands together with an evil smirk and glint in her eyes, which were fading to a muted purple.
The Death Eaters looked around for their quarry that had disappeared. Nemesis, still in the plain brown hair no freckles look, was very different from Artemis's long blue-black hair, and they wondered who had simply stepped in and taken away the two they were after.
Now Voldemort wasn't stupid. He knew about the Elemental Controllers being 'reborn' in a way at Hogwarts, and he had sent his minions to gather them. The hooded figures around Nemesis looked towards their leader, who realized that this girl must be a Controller, and a strong one. The evil look on her face made just the smallest of shivers run up the Death Eater's spine, but the feeling was ignored. Instead, a twisted smile appeared behind the mask, although no one saw, and the leader gave the signal to charge.
It really wasn't fair, ten to one, Death Eaters against Nemesis. The poor souls never had a chance.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Artemis saw orange above her, glowing orange eyes, orange everywhere. Was she in a corridor, going through Dimensions? But then where was Ron? She tried to sit up, but seconds later she felt her body tugged backwards. Some spinning, then she landed, hard, on a floor. Ron's body fell beside her, and she heard a muffled "Good Lord!" before strong hands pulled her up into spindly arms.
"Artemis, are you okay? Artemis, speak!" Dumbledore's worried face swam into view as she tried to focus on the half-moon spectacles.
"Yeah. . . an attack. . . Death Eaters. . ."
"Shh, shh, drink this." A goblet appeared out of nowhere and was held to her lips. Gulping the liquid, she felt a strange numbness course through her, and then she felt everything sharpen. Feeling more awake, she sat down on the chair and watched Dumbledore tend to Ron. As Ron sat up, looking groggy, the Headmaster turned to her and stared with intent blue eyes.
"What happened?"
"I think Ron here had some sort of premonition. He ran out of Gryffindor common room, half-delirious, and then he collapsed. I was taking him to see Nemesis when then attacked."
"Who?"
"Ten of them, Death Eaters. Voldemort must know the Elemental Controllers are here, and he's not stupid. He wants them, and he was trying to get them. I wasn't able to hold them off and try to stop them from taking Ron and then, I, uh. . ."
"What?"
"Erm. . ."
"Whatever it was, I won't think less of you. Tell me, this is vital information."
"Well, I collapsed. But someone caught me, I think. I thought it was a Death Eater, but I couldn't move to fight. Then there was darkness, and two orange lights, like eyes. Then an orange explosion, and I was spinning, and then I was here. I think Nemesis came; she's probably fighting them now."
"What!? Why didn't you tell me? I have to get Severus and Minerva on this, right away. . ."
"No! Protect the others! Draco's in the Unknowable Passages, he's alright, but the others. . . they need protection. Nemesis can take care of herself. Trust me, the fight is more than fair, the odds are downright in her favour."
Artemis saw the hesitation in Dumbledore's eyes, but not for long. Perhaps he remembered the bubble incident. Regardless, he nodded and walked over to the fire. Tossing some brown powder that he pulled out of a green jar into the flames, his voice became commanding.
"Professors, the school has been infiltrated. Protect the students. I repeat, protect the students. Severus and Minerva, my office."
The flames flashed blue, and then a normal fire blazed in the grate.
"If they take any of my students," Dumbledore's voice was heavy with worry. "If they lay a wand on any of them, this is more than a battle. This will be the beginning of the war."
Standing there, a frail looking old man with white hair, it was hard to believe that he wanted to declare open war with the most powerful evil wizard ever. Artemis couldn't help but wonder about their - or more specifically, Dumbledore's - chances. Then she looked into his eyes. Ice blue, piercing, knowledgeable, wise, and intent. And there, behind the pupil, burned a flicker of fury at the man who had caused him worry for the last three decades. Artemis knew she had to trust him, and she nodded her head.
If Voldemort got one of the Controllers, he'd have hell on his hands.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Review please.