Love Lost is Love Gained
Chapter 5: And I'm Leaving on a Jet Plane, Don't Know When I'll be Back Again.
Author's Note: I'm back with the vengeance of a rubber ducky. Amazing what reruns of South Park, and a Red Bull can do, eh? Now, for your musical pleasures I will begin this chapter with a song that I dedicate to Jake Ghylenhaal. "Loving you, is easy because you're beautiful" That's all I know.
At ten o' clock Artemis woke up, completely unaware that she fell asleep. The first thing she thought was that the whole thing was an incredibly elaborate dream, but next to her on the mattress was the birth certificate. She got up and walked down the hall to Paris's room; the door was locked. 'He's trying to keep me out, is he?' she thought. 'I'd like to see him try.' And with that she withdrew a bobby pin from her hair and jimmied the lock, and the door swung open.
Paris was lying on his bed, eyes glued to the TV screen; he was watching South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut. He hadn't even noticed that his older sister had walked into the room. Author's Note: I know I make a lot of references to South Park, but I love that show. The animation is so horrible, but it's insane what they say.
"Paris?" she asked, "Are you awake?"
"What do you think?"
"That you trained yourself to sleep with your eyes open." He sat up and said, "Don't be stupid."
"I'm not stupid; I just choose not to be correct." He smiled at this. "So," he said, "You're really leaving?" She walked across the room and sat in the chair that was by his bed.
"Yep, but I promise to bring you home a bunch of wicked Wizarding stuff."
"Can you send care packages of school food home? I don't want to be subjected to Mum's beef casserole anymore; my stomach wouldn't be able to handle it."
"Of course, you didn't think I would let you eat her 'food' did you?"
"I don't know, I'm going to miss you though, I'm not going to have anyone to talk to."
"What about Rachel?"
"But, Rachel doesn't threaten me with death, it's not as fun."
"When have I ever threatened you?" This was clearly the wrong thing to say Artemis noted a second later, for Paris went off naming a ton of times when Artemis threatened; even when she got up and went into the kitchen he was still rambling on about one of her more creative threats, which included being mauled by a heard of savage gerbils.
When the entered the kitchen, they found it to be completely empty. Author's Note: Quite eating all the Lucky Charms, gosh. "And then there was the time where you said that you would force my Game Cube into a trash compactor."
"I wasn't threatening you that time; I was threatening your Game Cube."
"Well, my Game Cube is part of me, so it still counts."
"Uh huh, where are Mum and Dad?"
"I dunno maybe they went to by you a bunch of new crap because you're leaving. If they get you a laptop, can I have it? Wizards don't use computers."
"I highly doubt they're out getting me a laptop."
"It never hurts to dream."
There was a shout from outside, "Paris, Artemis, we're in the garden!" And sure enough, when they walked outside, there were her two parents sitting at an outside table, drinking tea.
"How did you sleep?" said her mother, she seemed incredibly upbeat, it was kind of eerie. Considering how a few hours ago she was crying her eyes out.
"Why are you so happy?" Paris asked.
"Well, Artemis isn't leaving forever, this school is a type of prep school, and she'll be home for the holidays and during the summer. I did some research last night, and I found out that the school she would have been going to is also a prep school, so she would have been gone for the same amount of time anyway, so it all evens out."
"Oh," said Paris. "What school am I going to?"
"Same one Artemis would have been going to. So your father and I will be child free for nine months. I love this day."
"Glad to know you love us so much. Really I'm honored." Said Paris. 'Honestly,' Artemis thought, 'She could be a little more sensitive.'
"Uh huh. I'm going to go pack." And Artemis left the back porch, through the open window she heard "Since she's going to be gone for three months before I start school, can I have her room?"
She went up into her room and began putting all her clothes and a few other items into one of her trunks. On top of it all she placed the photo of her biological parents, which she had but into a silver frame.
Harold James Potter Esquire descended the stairs of number Four, to be met in the hall by his overly voluminous cousin.
"What the hell did you do?"
"I don't know what the hell did I do?"
"You did something to Artemis."
"I did nothing to her; I haven't seen her since yesterday. And she didn't look like anything was wrong."
"She won't come out of her house. She won't talk to anyone. Her little brat of a brother said she was sick and wouldn't let me see her."
"Maybe he just doesn't like you."
"Shut it!"
"Maybe he realized how idiotic you were, and he just wanted to spare her the brain power of speaking to you. If I had a sister, that's what I would do."
Dudley glared at Harry, and began to raise his fists, but then took a look at his jeans, as if looking for his wand, and decided that it wasn't worth it. So he waddled up the stairs and Harry heard a door slam. This gave him a sort of satisfaction, then a sense of dread. He really wanted to talk to Artemis, but what if Paris wouldn't let him? He shrugged it off and made his way in to the kitchen. Where he scavenged in the refrigerator through a mass of low fat and Atkins© approved snacks. Finding his efforts to be futile, he retired back to his room and decided to write a letter to Ron and see what he was up to.
The grandfather clock in the hall chimed twelve noon, and Artemis looked out her door. Half hoping and half dreading seeing Dumbledore standing there, beckoning her to follow him. But seeing no one, she went back in her room and began listening to Against Me! A few minutes later (by the time it took to play "Those Anarcho Punks are Mysterious") Artemis heard her mother calling up the stairs for her. The farewell wasn't as sad as Artemis thought it would be. Her parents (still smiling) bade her farewell, and assured her that she was going to be missed. And Paris (complaining loudly that she better send him food) gave her a hug. She was quite sure that come September the minute Paris stepped on the train to school her parents would be off to Tequila Town.
She followed Dumbledore out the door, and waved her final good bye to Paris and her parents. She then heard Paris yell, "Hey! Can I have your room?"
"You go near my room you'll be meeting some vicious gerbils as soon as I get back!" She smiled and made her way down the drive, following Dumbledore closely. "Wait, Dumbledore! I forgot my trunks!"
"No worries my dear. I already have them." He pointed to a red Mini Cooper Author's Note: Dumbledore has a kick ass car! "They're in the trunk." She nodded and walked over to the car; getting into the front seat she took one final look at her house, and then the car started moving and it began to shrink further and further away.
"So, where are we going?"
"Well," Dumbledore explained, "As I said to your parents, we have to go to London to get your school supplies."
"You can buy wizard school supplies in London?"
"Well, it's a special part of London. Are you interested in music?"
"Very much so, why do you ask?"
"If you are interested, I believe that there is a CD player in the dashboard."
"Oh, alright." She took her messenger bag, which was once again near her feet; rummaging through it she found her CD case, which she hadn't really used since she bought her iPod. She put in Less Than Jake's Hello Rockveiw. After about 5 minutes they were on the highway. 'This doesn't make sense,' she thought, 'I don't live that close to the highway.' She glanced at the speedometer, to find that there was no speedometer. But there were several odd looking gauges that had odd looking numerals on them that she didn't recognize. Author's Note: Imagine the scene. Dumbledore and Artemis sitting in a Mini Coop listening to Less Than Jake...
"So, are you taking me school supply shopping?" She thought the question sounded foolish, but how else could she have phrased it?
"I'm sorry, but no. One of my close friends will be escorting you. I have rather important business to attend to in London."
"Oh, alright. Are we near London yet?"
"Actually," said Dumbledore. "We're here." The ride seemed only to have been 10 minutes, but there they were, parked out side a grubby looking pub.
"This is 'here'? I expected a more impressive looking place for the entrance to the magical world." He just smiled at her and exited the car, she did the same. "What about my stuff?" She said reaching for her bag.
"It will be taken care of, don't worry." He turned and entered the pub, she shut the car door and did the same.
It was very old and grubby looking, a small sign over the bar read The Leaky Cauldron.