Harry didn't speak to me for the rest of the day, something I tried to ignore but found it increasingly difficult. We found the Weasleys outside the book shop while Hermione bought The Unsolved Mysteries of Magic in the hopes of solving our little situation. It was probably a good thing they were all there for dinner that night, because it was a lot easier to ignore the tense atmosphere between Harry and me while I was laughing with Fred and George.
The morning after wasn't much better. Hermione woke me up at half past eight, and to my surprise, she looked incredibly worried.
"Are you alright?" she asked me cautiously.
"Not really," I mumbled, rubbing my eyes wryly. Every inch of my body felt weak and tired, despite the fact I'd been sleeping solidly since eleven o'clock the night before. It took me a moment or two to be able to sit upright, and by the time I did, Hermione was sat at the end of my bed with huge eyes and her lips pursed.
"Do you need a glass of water?" she questioned kindly.
I smiled weakly, shaking my head as I swung my legs off the side of the bed. "I'll be fine after I've showered and ate."
"Okay," she nodded uncertainly, pushing herself to her feet. "I'm going to take my things downstairs and get some breakfast. I'll be downstairs if you need anything." I grimaced my acknowledgement as she turned and let herself out of the room.
Slipping into the shower, I tilted my head back and let the water burn my back. It took about half an hour for me to finish, and by the end, I wasn't feeling much better. All the hot water had done was make me more drowsy. Splashing my face with cold water from the tap, I pulled on my favourite, long-sleeved blue t-shirt, a pair of battered skinny jeans, my combat boots and a jacket before hauling my packed trunk down the stairs.
"What happened to you?" Fred snorted as I slumped into the chair beside Harry, oddly cold.
"Nothing," I replied in a murmur, ignoring the burning look from Harry and piling my plate with toast and scrambled egg.
In no time at all, we'd finished breakfast and were piling into two Ministry cars that Mr Weasley had arranged for. Harry, Ron, Hermione and I were squeezed into the first one, with Mr Weasley and an important looking Percy sitting in the front with the driver. The moment the car pulled away from the Leaky Cauldron, Hermione burst into a one-sided conversation about all of her new subjects. Every now and then, she'd pull me into it since I was the only one in the car taking Arithmancy with her, something I was growing to regret with every passing minute.
When we pulled up at King's Cross, Mr Weasley made us go through the barrier two at a time with a stern expression. He pulled Harry through first, and I was irritated to realise my arm tingled the moment he disappeared from view. Fortunately, I was going through next with Fred, followed by George and Hermione, then Ron and Percy, and finally, Mrs Weasley and Ginny. When we were all safely through, Mr Weasley directed us to the end of the train and started to help the twins and Percy haul our luggage on board.
"Now listen here, you four," Mrs Weasley was frowning in a sharp voice, waving a finger between me, Harry, Ron and Hermione. "No wandering off this year, you hear me? I want all of you on your best behaviour."
The four of us exchanged confused looks, but promised Mrs Weasley we'd try our best. She didn't look entirely reassured, but she hugged each of us tightly before stepping back with a loud sniff and handing out sandwiches to everyone.
Just as I turned to climb onto the train, however, a familiar voice started yelling at me. "Hey, Arty!"
I turned to see my Uncle Dexter and Aunt Mary waving frantically at me, beckoning me toward them. Mr and Mrs Weasley frowned, scanning them cautiously. "It's alright," I assured them. "It's my Aunt and Uncle. I'll be back in a second."
"Well hurry up!" Mrs Weasley called after me as I raced down the platform. "The train will be leaving soon!"
Weaving between the many students hurrying to store their things onto the train, I finally found my family. Will, Evie, Liam and Sarah were standing in the doorway to the train, smiling and waving at me as I approached, and Uncle Dexter and Aunt Mary were stood side by side, the first frowning curiously and the second smiling shakily.
"Mia asked me to give you this," Uncle Dexter told me, holding out a piece of parchment. "Honestly, I thought it was a bad idea, and I'm pretty sure Luke doesn't know, but she started crying again and my resolve cracked. Knows how to get to me, does my little sister."
I raised an eyebrow, taking the parchment and opening it out. My jaw dropped. "My Hogsmeade form?" I blinked. "But she said . . ."
Uncle Dexter held a hand up. "Apparently, she thinks she should trust you, despite the fact you ran away. I really hope she's right, Artemis. You really upset her with that one."
A lump formed in my throat, and I found myself scratching at my arm again. "Yeah, I know, I . . . didn't think," I muttered.
"Um," he frowned.
"Well, I think it's better for you to be with your school friends," Aunt Mary smiled kindly at me. "Better being with people who can look out for you than wandering off on your own." I wasn't sure whether I should be pleased she was standing by Mia's decision, or annoyed she thought I'd run off anyway.
"Thanks," I managed. "I should be getting back to the others."
"Take care of yourself, kid," Uncle Dexter sighed, pulling me into a one-armed hug as Aunt Mary planted a kiss on my forehead. "No funny business this year, you hear?" I pushed my growing curiosity to the side and nodded, turning away from them and scanning the Hogsmeade form, now complete with Mia's signature. Why was everyone so worried about me this year?
"Come on, Artemis dear!" Mrs Weasley encouraged as I returned, almost shoving me onto the train. "You don't want to miss it."
"Um, don't want a repeat of last year," I muttered at Ron, and his face flushed bright red. I barely noticed, running the parchment through my fingers thoughtfully. What if this was some sort of test? Mia knew I knew she didn't want me in Hogsmeade. What if this was just some cruel test of how much I actually cared for what she thought or wanted?
Harry didn't look any better as he clambered onto the train beside me, mumbling under his breath and leading the three of us down the corridor to find an empty compartment. The only one was the last on the train, where a man dressed in tatty, worn robes was sat in the corner, apparently sleeping.
"Who's that?" Ron frowned.
"Hang on, let me consult the crystal ball," I sighed sarcastically, and Hermione shot me a disapproving look.
"Professor R. J. Lupin," she answered Ron calmly, pointing toward a battered looking briefcase on the racket behind the man's head. "I suppose he's the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher."
"Reckon he's any good?" Ron grimaced, peering at him curiously. "He looks like one hex could finish him off."
"Can't be any worse than Lockhart," I pointed out dryly, slumping in the chair opposite Lupin. "That man was insufferable. Did you hear? After the mess in the Chamber last year, he's in some mental ward at St. Mungo's."
"That's awful!" Hermione breathed as Ron snorted.
"Hermione, the guy tried to wipe our memories!" he replied sourly. "He was a fraud!" She pursed her lips, shuffling on the spot.
"Yeah, well it looks like this year will be just as eventful as the last," Harry frowned irritably, and immediately, I had the urge to chuck the Hogsmeade form out of the window. Ron and Hermione exchanged worried glances as Harry took a deep breath. "I overheard your parents last night, Ron, talking about Sirius Black."
"Good start," I mumbled with a scowl.
"Right," Harry snorted. "They were saying that the guards at Azkaban told Fudge he kept muttering in his sleep, always the same thing; He's at Hogwarts." Hermione let out a weak whimper, her eyes wider than usual. He ignored her and continued. "Apparently, he broke out to come after me. Thinks that killing me will bring Voldemort back, or something."
"That's insane," Ron breathed.
"Ron, the guy's a madman," I reminded him bitterly. "Insane kind of fits the profile, don't you think?"
"But he'll never be able to get you in Hogwarts, right?" Hermione asked shakily. "I mean, if You-Know-Who feared Dumbledore, his right-hand man wouldn't just stroll into the castle, would he?"
"Not unless he had nothing to lose," Harry shrugged. An uneasy silence fell on the compartment then, in which Lupin gave a rather loud snort and rolled over, his mouth hanging open slightly.
"You know, you two are going to have to be more careful this year," Hermione suggested quietly. Harry and I exchanged a mystified look, raising an eyebrow. She groaned and rolled her eyes. "Those things on your arms? It isn't like Black is your only problem, and Harry, you admitted it yourself when you said your choices impact both of you."
"Did he now?" I almost growled, glowering in his direction. He didn't meet my gaze. "And when was this?"
Hermione kept flicking her eyes between the two of us in concern. "He's just worried, Artemis," she mumbled eventually, and I snorted, reaching forward and letting Nyx out of her cage. She leapt delicately on the bench between Harry and me, stretching out cautiously as Hermione let her own cat – an ugly, flat faced animal called Crookshanks – out.
"Are you insane?" Ron suddenly snapped, clamping his hands over his top pocket. "That thing isn't safe around Scabbers!"
"Don't be silly, Ron," she sighed. "Nyx is fine, look."
"Nyx hasn't ever tried to eat him!" he retorted angrily, eyeing my cat as she plodded onto my lap and curled up contentedly. Crookshanks, however, was sat beside Hermione, watching Ron with his head tilted to the side.
Before Ron could say anything else, the compartment door slid open and my older cousin Evie stepped inside, smiling from ear to ear. "Hey guys," she greeted. "Arguing already?" The four of us grunted, Ron still scowling at Hermione and my eyes still narrowed at Harry. "Great! Anyway, I'm glad you got permission to come to Hogsmeade, Arty. Sarah got Uncle Dexter to sign hers and she doesn't want to be the only third year with us when we take her to the Three Broomsticks."
"I thought you said you weren't allowed to go," Harry frowned at me.
I shrugged irritably. "Mia changed her mind. Didn't I tell you?" His jaw locked furiously.
"Erm, I'm . . . just in the next compartment if you need anything," Evie said slowly, her eyes flitting between Harry and me. "Fred, George and Lee are showing us some of the joke stuff they've invented. It's actually kind of cool. I'll see you later, Arty." With one last uncertain look in Harry's direction, she turned and left us alone, closing the compartment door after her.
None of us were in a good mood for the rest of the journey. Hermione dug into her trunk and pulled out a complicated looking book that turned out to be The Unsolved Mysteries of Magic, while Ron and Harry got into a conversation about our chances at the Quidditch cup. If ever the subject of the Chasers came up, Harry refused to refer to me by my name, something that made my teeth clench angrily.
It wasn't until half way through the journey that my mood reached an all-time low. My wry feeling from this morning had doubled in the time it took to reach mid-afternoon, and every movement of my head sent me spinning and clutching my stomach. All three of them noticed, and even Harry's anger at me disappeared as they kept shoving glasses of water under my nose.
Eventually, I hurriedly excused myself and rushed to the bathroom halfway down the train, where I locked myself in and began vomiting violently down the toilet. My hands were shaking when I finally finished, and my forehead had broken out in a cold sweat. I was just splashing my face with cold water when someone knocked on the door hesitantly.
"Artemis?" Hermione's quiet voice came. "Are you alright? Do you need me to wake the Professor up?"
"No, I'm fine," I assured her, hating the way my voice caught in my throat. "Probably ate something funny."
She didn't look reassured as I stepped back out of the bathroom, but didn't complain and led the way back to the compartment. From the expressions on Harry and Ron's faces, I gathered I looked as bad as I felt. The thought didn't do much to comfort me, but I curled back up in the corner with another glass of water and tried my best to take deep, relaxing breaths.
In typical fashion, just as I was starting to feel a little better, the day got even worse.
Night had fallen outside, and a cold breeze had frosted the edges of the windows. Without warning, the train shuddered to a halt, its brakes squealing in protest. Ron sighed in relief, stretching out with a huge grin. "Great, I'm starving," he complained.
"We can't be there yet," Hermione frowned, glowering at her watch.
"Then why are we stopping?" he questioned. Harry, who was sat closest to the door, stood up and slid it back, peering out into the corridor as I turned to scan the darkness outside.
"I think there's something out there," I muttered, ignoring Hermione's small gasp and Ron muttering darkly under his breath. Scowling, Harry slid the door shut again and sat back down beside me, his hand clutching his wand in his pocket. Cursing myself for packing mine in my trunk, I straightened a little beside him.
Overhead, the lights flickered and died entirely.
"This doesn't look good, does it?" Ron gulped through the darkness. No one answered him.
The door to the compartment suddenly gave a small jerk and slid open with a surprisingly loud bang. Hermione squealed in shock as Ron yelped and Harry and I both leapt out of our skins. I could hear the Professor shifting in his corner, mumbling under his breath.
"What's going on?" a voice came from the door.
"Neville?" Hermione asked cautiously.
"Hermione?" a second voice came.
"Ginny?" Ron questioned.
"Ron?"
"Fred? George?" Harry asked.
"Harry?"
"Oh great!" I groaned loudly, jumping to my feet to pull the four of them into the compartment. "We all know each other's names!"
"Artemis," Fred and George sighed in unison.
"Artemis?" a hoarse voice asked. No one answered this time. "Lumos!"
I had to shield my eyes from the light at the tip of Lupin's wand. The Professor was stood with his back to the window, clutching his wand out in front of him and staring at me with wide, stunned eyes.
"Erm, do I know you?" I asked slowly. Lupin didn't answer, blinking at me.
Behind me, the door creaked again, and the sudden shudder that ran down my spine made me gasp in surprise. Without a word, Lupin lunged forward and locked a hand around my wrist, dragging me behind him roughly. Instantly, my head spun and I staggered, clamping a hand over my mouth.
Then I saw what was stood in the doorway.