Chapter 5

The Letter

"Don't you have anywhere better to be, Malfoy?"

"Not at all, Potter. Now move, you're blocking my light."

"Voices down, gentlemen. That'll be five points from Gryffindor and five from Slytherin, I think."

"Sorry, Madam Pince." Harry said through gritted teeth. The two boys glared at each other as the librarian sidled back between shelves of books to tell of more unsuspecting students.

They were about to start one of their famous flows of retorts and insults when a brush of bushy hair came between them.

"Harry, let's go, I've got the transfiguration book and Ron's waiting."

"Waiting? Why?" Harry momentarily forgot about his rival and looked at his friend with confusion written over his face.

"He's too much of a wimp to come over while Malfoy's near. Oh God, I can't believe I just said that! Don't tell him, will you?!" Harry shook his head and peered around her to glower at the Slytherin as he began to speak.

"He's just scared," the boy said nonchalantly whilst flicking a page of his book over. "And rightfully so…" he glanced up, sneering, "…I might bite."

Harry made to step around Hermione but was stopped by a firm hand on his shoulder.

"Honestly, you two." Hermione said letting go of her friends shoulder and turning so she could see them both. "You're always at each other's throats. Why can't you be more like Artemis and Jacob?" She clucked her tongue irritably.

"Who?" Came the joint reply from the boys.

"Youstill haven't read Hogwarts: A History yet, have you, Harry." Hermione gave him a withering look before raising an eyebrow at the Slytherin, whom shrugged. She then sighed and Harry sensed he would be learning some new piece of information he did not need very soon.

"Thousands of years ago, when the school was first built, it was used as just that; a school.

"Then, about three hundred years later, the castle was taken over by the wizard king of the time – don't look confused, Harry, they were replaced by ministers ages ago – and used as his palace. Obviously, the Founders wouldn't have been too pleased about this, had they been alive, and neither was the rest of the wizarding world.

"Artemis was the son of this king. In books it says he was never willing to participate but there was never any hard evidence.

"Anyway, some time later, the rebellion, which had been growing, came to the castle and began the first Great War of Hogwarts, mind you, there hasn't really been another one yet." She gave Harry a lingering look before carrying on with her narration.

"The rebellion found secret ways of getting into the castle undetected, loads of them. Sixty-five battles ensued inside.

"Jacob was a soldier of the rebellion. On the sixty-sixth battle, The Great Battle, and the last one, he lost his life to the King's brother. The Uncle was then killed by Artemis himself seconds later."

"And?"

"And what?"

"What happened to the war, Hermione?"

"Oh, the King was captured, along with the rest of the castle. That ended the war. The important part , for you two at least, although maybe not so strongly – even acquaintances will do – is that those two were on opposite sides of the war but still managed to get on more than well." Hermione could not help the giggles that escaped from her lips.

"So, if Jacob died and the castle was captured, what happened to Artemis, Granger? And where does all this information come from?"

"A lot of information comes from scribes, poets, aristocrats, soldiers and there was even a rumour that the King wrote something himself, although it was never published. The written record in Hogwarts: A History is Artemis' suicide letter to his father."

A silence followed her words. No eye contact was made and the only sound coming from 'Draco's Corner' was the shuffling of awkward feet. Then Hermione seemed to realise how uncomfortable the silence was because she suddenly piped up.

"Come on then, Harry. We've got reading to do. Oh, and both of you should read that letter," she half murmured, flicking her gaze down to Malfoy's essay and the quill in his hand, "You might learn something…interesting." She stared meaningfully into the blonde's eyes before grabbing Harry's sleeve and walking away, yanking him along behind her.

Harry sat in the common room, alone, in a comfortable armchair next to the fire. It blazed beside him, feeling hot enough to melt his face but he ignored it.

Hogwarts: A History lay in his lap, open at the contents pages. 'How could one book have so many topics?' He let out a frustrated moan. 'Could they not at least keep it on a bloody timeline instead of leaping all over the place with so-called connections.'

Finally, after reading carefully through all seventeen pages of small printed contents, he found what he was looking for near the end. 'Sod's law!'

He flipped to page nine-thousand-seven-hundred-and-fifty-one of the book and skim read the story, he doubted Hermione would have missed anything out. He stopped when he reached a long piece of writing in a different style. By the ink he could see that it was magically copied but the writing was old and the blotches in the background were from the original. This was how Artemis actually wrote.

The words were smooth and graceful, gliding over the page like an aristocrats words over the mind. Letters looped and swirled upward, arcing to precisely the tips of the under hanging letters before swooping down again, and yet it looked so natural. Neat, defined and delicate.

Harry began to read.

To my dear Father,

If there is indeed, as you have always told me, another life after this, I ashame to say I will never regret what I am about to do.

I shall not say goodbye to you in person as I do not feel it appropriate to do so when one has never really said 'hello.' Therefore, I make this my farewell.

Now the kingdom and your rule have finally ended, I feel I should be free, but I shall never so in this life, while you are my sire.

You must have noticed a change in me, a softness that never showed through to my surface before, even if you do not care to observe me.

You must also know that it is I whom brought the end to dear Uncle's life that much closer. True, it is a disgrace to myself and the rest of the family that I should murder one of my own kin, but even if you had been there. Even if you had seen what I have seen and felt what I have felt, a cold-hearted beast such as yourself could never understand.

My judgements of you may seem harsh but when one such as myself has undergone such scrutiny and felt such discrimination, it is difficult to keep one's mind clear and free of prejudice, for as I said, I never really knew you.

On an educated guess, I would say you have never felt real love. Even Mother was just the cold make-believe of two families searching desperately for fame, fortune, power and an heir.

I cannot imagine you are interested in any way as to why I am to do this. My reasons are my own. They are not, however, a sick revenge of a singularly twisted mind. I do not do this to harm you, the family or your fame. I do this for Jacob.

Jacob, to you, would have been a passer-by, no more than a foot soldier worth nothing more than a flashing curse and a slow, painful death on your time. You would have enjoyed his pain had Uncle not been successful first. He was not even a life in your mind, just a pitiful excuse for a wizard, one more person to be destroyed, only a mesh of skin, bone and blood taking orders from your enemy. That was Jacob to you.

To me, Jacob was so much more. He was a lifeline, a candle, my hope, flickering within my dark world, endlessly comforting my small and insignificant existence. He was the being that kept my own heart from slowing and my mind from giving in to your torment and games.

He was my luck, my happiness, the one whom captured my heart with the ease and grace of the vela. To me, his image appeared as one of the ethereal creatures too, although I knew his not to be one.

Often, I imagine him, just before I would appear before him, sitting atop the watching stone, staring at this very castle. His black hair would be bathed in the calm, trusting aura of the past full moon. His smile, which I often spent the whole night waiting for, curved slightly upon his perfect lips and I knew it to be for me and only me alone to see and appreciate.

I have spent many days wishing for him and many nights dreaming of him. I have feared that one day you would discover my pathway to him, that one day I would lead you straight to him. I have feared Uncle knew many times and know now I was correct with this issue, though it makes little difference now.

I regret many things of this life; my stupidity at believing in you always; my tolerance of your lies and pig-headed ways; my decision to stay under your rule; and even what I cannot control, being born into this family.

I do not, however, regret my little breaths of freedom. I wish to take that free air into my lungs more. I regret not staying with him longer. I do not regret falling in love with a forbidden, someone I should not have talked with, let alone bedded. I do not regret any of those nights, not even the last, for I know by doing this I shall see him again.

I shall find him again. We shall always be together. I will love him always. I will follow him until the end of time. And we shall find each other over and over in whatever life we live, so we may remain together for eternity.

So, I leave you now, not as a son or an heir or even a boy. I leave you now as a man. And by the time you receive this, I shall be with my Jacob again.

Artemis Malfoy

Draco, sat on an uncomfortable leather chair, also alone and beside the fire, in the dungeons, stared down at the last piece of Artemis Malfoy.
Thanks for reading again. Notice any parallels? (A hint, the word un/comfortable came up quiteeeeee a lot ;) )

Anyway. R&R please. The more people that review, the more I have to answer, so a) the more people that get a mention and b) the more you slave drivers make me type – I'm joking I love you all really.

Right so:

To the reviewers of Chapter 4:

Hertfelt Death: Never seen the film so I didn't know, is a well cool word though – teenage side coming through there, lol. Glad you liked the chapter, tell me if you cry at this one. Til next time.

Imarriedmalfoy: There we go, new chapter up and running. There is another couple coming up soon, from before these times. But first this mystery needs to be solved.

Mistress of the flames: I am, I am keeping it up. I haven't run out of ideas yet. And keep commenting and you'll get a mention every chapter. Come back next time.

Iridescentcloud: The next chapter is, I think, going to be with them together most of the time. I think, come back and find out, lol

Cherishmoiraparamour: well, I was interested, I like your name loads. Language?(Because that's not embarrassing, cough cough.) We're going for sweet and loveable in those chapters I think.

Aww, I love you guys, u comment like evvvery chapter, you loyal people. Thanks and keep it up. BTW, tell me if I got some emotions stirring with this one, will you.

All will be revealed soon, and then the mystery of …wait for it…L and B will be coming along. (Who can guess both the next names??? If someone gets it right they get the L&B's first chapter dedicated to them.)

Thanks everyone else for reading too. But if you want a mention to, leave a commenttttttttttttt, seriously though, I like to know what people think.

Til next time

Dark raven 4426