I was seated between Sirius and Remus, but it became apparent that Remus didn't recognize me. He did, however, keep sneaking glances at me, his confusion becoming ever more obvious. Several of the Weasley boys were doing the same thing, looking me up and down for an entirely different reason. Rolling my eyes, I turned my attention back to Sirius as he finished listing off names. I nodded, giving a polite smile to Hermione, who finished out the introductions. Sirius was on top of the world, having both Harry and me back with him, though he was trying to dampen his excitement, making the sadness that lingered on his face more obvious.

It became clear as we ate that all but Harry and I had been there for several days - at least - as they were completely comfortable with the layout and each other. I did notice a sort of tension seemed to grow between Harry and the other two kids I guessed were about his age.

Suddenly, in the midst of the scattered conversations, the door to the kitchen burst open. Everyone turned to see two ginger boys coming through, holding several boxes between them. I immediately recognized one as Charlie and scolded myself for not making the connection earlier. He was talking excitedly about meeting someone with the other ginger relative.

Their conversation paused as they laid down their boxes, Charlie's eyes widening as they found me amongst the group. "Well hello again," He said, giving a lopsided smile.

Sirius was glancing between the two of us. "You two know each other?" He looked back at me, eyebrows raised.

Before Charlie could open his mouth I interjected. "No," It came out more abrupt than I had meant it to be so, turning red, I added, "We just ran into each other today." I ducked my head down, wishing everyone would go back to their own conversations.

"Yea, literally," Charlie laughed, pulling a chair up so that he was directly across from me, separating the twins. Despite being introduced to the pair, I hadn't really paid attention to them until that moment. They seemed oddly familiar, even more so than Charlie did. I tilted my head, eyeing them intently as if that would bring back some lost memory.

The one on Charlie's left saw me looking at him and offered a smile in return. His eyes were an extremely dark brown, with light flecks of gold that seemed to sparkle in the yellow light of the dining room. I shook my head slightly, realizing suddenly that my name had been called. I turned to look at Remus, who was resting his elbows on the table and looking over at me quizzically.

"I'm sorry?" I asked, laughing stiffly, annoyed at myself for zoning out so easily.

The corner of Remus's mouth pulled up slightly as he eyed me intently. "I was asking," He started slowly, ignoring Sirius's looks. "Why you were suddenly brought here? Of all places?" He paused peering at me. "Do we know your parents perhaps?"

I bit my lip, wanting to be honest - wanting Remus to recognize me! - without revealing anything to the rest of the table. "Well," I started cautiously. "My parents knew Dumbledore from the first war." I glanced over at Sirius, who flashed a sad smile of encouragement. "They died in the war and he's helped watch over me ever since." I looked at Remus to see if he would catch on, but he just continued to eye me quizzically. "With Voldemort's return, I guess he just wanted to give me a chance to fight back this time."

"So I'm assuming you attend Hogwarts?" Arthur Weasley speculated, looking at me from the other side of the table. His question seemed much less interrogating than the others. I shook my head, sending my hair swirling around my body and into my face.

"I attended Hogwarts for my first two years, but I didn't thrive there so I left..." I glanced back at the twins, thinking that would possibly be why they looked familiar. They looked to be about my age.

"What house were you in?" Harry asked, his eagerness making me smile slightly.

"Gryffindor, just like the rest of my family," I laughed, looking at my little brother. "That's your house right?" It was one of the few facts I had convinced Dumbledore to feed me about my brother.

A smile split his face, softening the tension that had riddled his face since we had arrived. "Yeah, it is."

"Well I look forward to helping you learn this upcoming year, Harry," I replied, my misgivings about being here easing slightly as I smiled at him.

"Wait... What?" The words echoed around the room. Hermione choked on the water she was drinking as she looked to me surprised.

"Don't tell me you're the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher?" Harry said, looking mildly concerned.

I blushed slightly, obviously, Dumbledore wouldn't have told them. The twins were looking at me in amazement and shock, as were the rest of the table.

My mouth worked trying to find the words. " No! Albus hired me to be an assistant teacher at Hogwarts this year," I shrugged, wishing they wouldn't make it such a big deal.

"How old are you?" The twin boys asked in unison, looking at me incredulously.

My face turned an even darker red. "The poor dear can't be older than 14," Molly Weasley added, starting to clear the table.

That caused my mouth to drop. "Um, no," I laughed to hide the slight annoyance that was rising. "Actually I'll be seventeen this October."

"Oh, I'm sorry dearie I-" I laughed cutting her off.

"It's ok, I know I'm short."

The room echoed with laughter, though amidst it all, I couldn't help but catch one of the twins -Fred's- eyes as he looked at me, a half-smile on his face as if he was fully taking me in.

That was the last lighthearted conversation in the room for the rest of the night... the tone grew more serious as the night progressed. It got to the point that Mrs. Weasley tried to send everyone, including me, upstairs to bed. That was a waste, seeing as she only managed to get Ginny out of the room.

Everything we talked about was just filling in those who were absent for the last bit, nothing special or new... Except for talk of a weapon that brought back an odd fuzzy memory of my parents talking when they thought I was sleeping. Mrs. Weasley had enough at that point, ending the discussion and sending all of us to bed.

"I'm sorry Artemis," She said pulling me aside. "The only free bed we have left is in Fred and George's room."

"I don't believe I'm comfortable with that Molly," Sirius said, dripping an arm across my shoulders as he shot an accusatory look in Fred and George's direction. The twins were huddled near the door, whispering quickly to each other as they watched our conversation; just far enough away that they weren't a part of it, but close enough to hear everything.

"I can sleep on the couch... I don't mind," I offered, wanting to avoid contention.

"Oh nonsense, this house is a nightmare, honestly! What that house elf has been doing all these years is beyond me-" She fussed, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. A slight pang pierced me as I remembered my mother doing the same thing. "Well try to get another bed set up for you tomorrow." She assured me, giving Sirius a warning glance as he made to argue. "One night won't hurt anyone." I nodded, not wanting to argue with her after she had been so nice to me.

Smiling, Mrs. Weasly patted my cheek before turning to her boys. "Fred, George, why don't you show Artemis up to your room."