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whalyrae · 2 months

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THE OLD GUARD - CHAPTER 4

"We don’t get a say on how it ends, we never have. But we can control how we live."

Summary : You are a powerful witch, cursed and hurt through ages. Owner of your esoteric shop, you were resigned to live this lonely life when the powerful magic of soulmates and fate came to you.

Pairing : poly BTS x reader (she/her)

Genre : soulmate au, demons bts au, witch y/n au, fluff, angst, eventual smut, polyamory relationships

Status : In process

Word Count : 5k

Warnings : eventual smut, angst, mention of depression, death, suicide, past trauma, violence, blood, past (sexual) abuse, past torture, PTSD, scars, self harm, and more.

Tag list : @blackrockshooter780 @babyymeme @starrlo0ver @suckerforv @mushroom-main @m1sss1mp @prettydancingdamzel @i-have-no-life-charlie @avadakadabra93 @veronawrites @kawaiikpoplover268 @didi-9310 @ghostlyworld @carolinexkpop @gooooomz @00ihatesnaku

A/N : After months of struggling with life, health, mental health issues... I can FINALLY POST AGAIN !! This chapter was really hard to write (I cried a little at the end ngl :D), I have constant writer block, constant impostor syndrome... I have the perfectionnism trait but in a toxic way really TT.TT Don't hesitate to like and reblog !! Also don't be afraid to leave a little comment or if you have any questions, here or in anon in my inbox !! they are really really welcomed, I love reading all your impressions and thoughts !!

Also thank you so much !! I was inactive for a very long time and I still got daily alerts with people who liked/kudos the chapters and the story :(( I can't express (yeah i'm an author and i can't express through words LOL) how much i'm grateful :(( ♥♥

ps : ah and sorry if there is any mistakes or anything it's almost 2:30am when I post this and I had an really emotionnal day fgkfdhlfk LOVE YALL MUAH ♥

Playlist link : The Old Guard Playlist

Masterlist | ao3 | wattpad

Chapter 3 // Chapter 5

☾ ☾ ☾ ☾ ☾ ☾ ☾ ☾

She was wondering whether it would be better to ask Handong to stay with her. She had assured her that she would handle the situation and that Handong could go home. She knew that Gahyeon would need her at their coffee shop.

However, now that she was in the living room of the seven boys, her soulmates’, after bringing one of them in an utterly unconscious state for a reason as unknown to them as it was to her, she was starting to regret this decision.

She couldn't understand what had happened with Jin the moment their eyes met. She couldn't say anything, the words were stuck in her throat as they stared at each other without a word. He parted his lips as if he wanted to say something, but just like her, nothing came out.

He'd known she was his soul mate, of course he could feel it. Just like her. But had he recognized her? Did he know that the two of them were the firsts of their soulmate bond to meet, long before any of the other six were born? She couldn't be sure and didn't have time to find out.

She had seen his features contort in pain, and without a word, he had collapsed. Luckily, Handong, who had seen them, was able to catch him in time, preventing him from falling to the ground and potentially injuring himself.

Thanks to a spell that increased her strength tenfold, she could carry him without Handong’s help and any difficulty to the place where he lived with his mates. But she couldn't stop herself from hurrying, worried sick about him.

And that's where she is now. Jungkook helped her carry Jin to the living room, laying him on the sofa. While Yoongi woke up Taehyung and Namjoon. Jimin and Hoseok hurried to get a damp cloth on Jin's forehead.

Namjoon and Taehyung stormed into the room, not hiding their surprise at seeing her there in total panic.

However, they didn't ask any questions. Yoongi probably had to explain to them what happened and what was going on.

She was standing in front of the sofa where Jin was lying, staring at the unconscious demon, his features distorted by pain. The sight of him was enough to make her stomach twist with soreness.

"Hey, Noona..." Jimin's soft voice startled her. He was standing next to her, a comforting smile on his lips, "Everything’s going to be fine, don't worry..."

She didn't even know what to say. She didn't dare to look him in the eye, or any of the other boys. The guilt she'd been carrying around with her all these centuries was only getting stronger.

She could hear voices behind her, probably the boys talking amongst themselves, or maybe they were trying to talk to her. She didn't know. Nothing around her was clear and precise. Her vision was blurring, her heart rate had been racing for a while and she was getting worse.

She gasped when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned round abruptly, facing Namjoon. The other boys were behind him, except for Yoongi who was next to Jin.

"Hey," he greeted her with a gentle smile, "don't worry, everything's going to be fine,” he repeated Jimin’s words, “You're having a panic attack, I'm gonna help you, okay? Look at me."

His voice was soft and reassuring, it had a calming effect on her. His presence and warmth invaded her whole being, despite the anxiety attack she was having.

She raised her eyes to meet him. Slowly, he tells her to take long, deep breaths. The first time, she breathed in and breathed out. Then a second time. And a third.

Finally, her breathing returned to normal and her heart rate calmed. Seeing this, Namjoon gave her another smile, his fingers caressing her shoulder to calm her down.

She had the strange impression that Namjoon probably possessed some kind of power capable of influencing the emotions, feelings, or even bodily reactions of the people he touched. Or maybe it was just the soulmate effect.

"Feeling better?"

"Yes... Thank you..." She replied with a small smile, seeing Hoseok approach her with a glass of water. "Thanks… and sorry, I wish we'd met under different circumstances..."

"Don't worry sweetheart, I'm enchanted to meet you."

Hoseok gave her a big, bright smile, which he succeeded in communicating to her.

"I guess you guys have questions... and why did I show up with Jin in this state..."

She turned her attention to Jin. A wave of emotion suddenly washed over her as she realized that yes, he was there, in the same room as her. Her soul mate, the first to cross her way, the one she'd lost so suddenly and brutally centuries ago. A mixture of joy, sadness, guilt, and apprehension.

"Do you know what's going on with him? And why is he in this condition?" Hoseok asked curiously, taking back the glass she'd just drunk in one long sip.

She bit her lower lip nervously. She had to tell them. Jin was their soulmate, just like he was hers.

But where to start?

"Come on, settle down here."

Yoongi straightened up to install her on the sofa, right next to Jin still unconscious. He'd then sat down next to her, while the others had taken seats in front of her, Namjoon and Hoseok on the low table, the maknae on the floor, clinging to each other.

The sight made her smile gently. But quickly the smile disappeared, replaced by apprehension. The words just wouldn't come out of her mouth. She knew that the moment had come, that once she'd told them everything, they'd hate her, reject her, and she’d lose the people she'd waited for all her life.

"Noona... I can smell your fear all the way up here..." murmured Jimin, her eyes landing on him with surprise, "I'm an empath, by the way..." he explained with a shrug.

"You don't have to be an empath to sense the fear radiating from her." chuckled Taehyung, teasing his companion who gave him a nudge on the shoulder, "Oops, sorry sweetie."

"I know that from the moment you will know the whole story, you'll never want to hear from me again and I... argh that's the last thing I want," she admitted with a sad smile. The events of the last few days had paralyzed and overwhelmed her in some ways when it came to making the right decisions, and she was extremely upset with herself about this.

"But I think I need to stop being scared, and selfish like I have been."

"We could never hate you," Hoseok said firmly, the others all giving signs of approval, "no matter what you've done."

"Tell us all the horrible things you ever did, and let us love you anyway."

She recognized Namjoon's words. And she wasn’t surprised that he could quote Edgard Allan Poe, considering the circumstances of their first meeting.

She couldn't deny that his words made her feel a tinge of comfort, because he was sincere, and every one of the other boys thought so.

But they didn't know the whole story yet, so the chances of them thinking differently once they knew the whole truth were pretty high.

"Where to start..." she took a long breath, "Jin... I met him before I even knew I was immortal. That was... uh... it seems like an eternity now, at the beginning of the 15th century."

She expected the exclamations of surprise that followed.

"Wait... you mean you and Jin hyung..." Jungkook fell silent to think.

"Why didn't he ever tell us about you then? And why have we never met you before ?” asked Yoongi skeptically, "You're our soulmate, his soulmate, how could he..."

"It's more complicated than it sounds..." she sighed, scratching the back of her head nervously. "I always knew I was a witch, my mother was a witch herself. I lived in a village in France during the period when the witch hunts began. It was also during this period that the Malleus Maleficarum was written."

"I know this book," Hoseok sighed loudly as he shook his head, visibly annoyed, "this pile of garbage written in the late 15th century, which supposedly explains what a witch is, how to recognize one, interrogate them, and kill them."

"A load of bullshit yeah," Namjoon added with a chuckle, "I rarely waste my time reading books, but this one..."

"Tell me more !" Jimin exclaimed, "I read it too, well, not all of it, it's so... misogynistic and sexist!"

"I... was one of the witches who had to go through all the torture and experimentation to write this... book or whatever it is. And most of the women who suffered all that crap were just ordinary mortals," she admitted with a little restraint.

Horrified exclamations were heard from the maknaes and Hoseok. Yoongi and Namjoon closed their eyes for a few seconds, repressing the anger rising within them.

Talking about these events did not leave her indifferent; these memories were among the worst she had ever known, and she still sometimes had nightmares about them.

She remained silent for a few moments, before finally speaking up.

"That's not the point. Jin is the point. When I met him, he was a merchant passing through the village." A small smile appeared mechanically as she recalled this memory, "It was love at first sight. Of course, it was. He knew I was his soul mate, but I... I didn't even know what a soulmate was. He taught me. He taught me so many things..."

She turned her head towards Jin, still unconscious beside her. Oh, how she'd missed him. He hadn't changed a bit.

"I immediately sensed that he wasn't human, just as he'd guessed that I was a witch. So much better in a way, it made things easier."

Delicately, she let her fingers stroke his forehead, brushing aside a few strands of hair, a tender smile on her face.

"He stayed in the village after that. I had taken over the bakery from my parents who had passed away from an illness a few months before I met him. We weren't the richest, but we were happy.”

The other boys couldn't contain the grins on their faces. Of course, this story was beautiful and worthy of a fairy tale. But they all knew that fairy tales were only fantasy stories. The reality was not nearly as lovely.

"We lived... two years like that before everything went to hell."

She felt her hands tremble as she recalled what she was about to say.

Jimin sensed her nervousness, fear, and sadness. He left Taehyung and Jungkook's embrace to kneel before her, gently taking her hands in his for comfort.

Her gaze met his, and he offered her a gentle, reassuring smile. But she couldn't relax.

"The witch-hunt had begun and was becoming increasingly virulent and violent. The villagers had always thought it was strange that I hadn't suffered the same illness as my parents. I knew the rumors about Jin and I. But until now, we'd managed to keep a discreet, almost unnoticed presence. Until she came along."

Jimin squeezed her hands a little tighter as he felt her anger rising.

"That demoness... came to our village, supposedly a cloth merchant. She fell for Jin. Was it love, or just a physical attraction? I don’t know. She succumbed to his devastating charm, like so many others before her." She chuckled, imitated by Yoongi.

"As you would expect, Jin did nothing but ignore her and rebuff her advances. She didn't appreciate it at all… I learned later that this half-succubus demoness was renowned for finding prey and not letting go until she got what she wanted."

"A real nasty leech..." muttered Jungkook.

She noticed, however, that Namjoon, Yoongi, and Hoseok expressions had changed. They had exchanged glances, seeming to pass a message to each other that she didn't understand. She decided to ignore it for the moment.

"Things got worse after she arrived, after Jin's rejection." She took a long breath. "She's the one who delivered me to the villagers, who exposed me. When we realized her plan, that she was planning to take Jin with her by force, by any means necessary, we wanted to run away. We'd go to Asia, or America, or wherever, to another continent, away from her, away from all of this. But that demoness had planned everything… We were young, unaware, and inexperienced, unlike her. I was barely 25, and he was 23... we just wanted to..."

She paused to calm herself, her heartbeat quickening again. Fortunately, Jimin was able to calm her, just by being here, his soft hands on hers, and she was grateful for that. She thanked him with a small smile, which he returned by stroking the back of her hand with his thumb. How could a demon be so angelic?

"She specialized in memory magic..."

"Oh, I'm getting the hang of it..." muttered Namjoon, clenching his jaw.

"That bitch…" added Yoongi, making her huff.

"The villagers arrived in the middle of the night. We didn't see it coming. The demoness took advantage of this moment to attack Jin and cast a spell to erase me from his memory. The last time I saw Jin was before they put a bag over my head when he was unconscious in her arms."

She lowered her head, and it was only when she felt Jimin's soft hand on her cheek that she noticed a tear had rolled down.

She knew what the demoness had done, she knew that she'd erased Jin's memory, simply because she'd come to see her a few days later in the cell where she was being held captive. She explained everything, adding that she had offered to give her over to the Catholic order of Dominicans who wrote the Malleus Maleficarum. Which happened, the day after she came.

"When I finally escaped... After several months," she continued anyway, her voice trembling, "I looked for him, I... crossed France from top to bottom, and Europe... I looked for him everywhere, for many years... I never found him... until now..."

Jimin's hands gripped hers a little tighter. She looked up at him, then at Yoongi, who had moved a little closer to her. Their shoulders were touching, his way of showing her some comfort.

"So that's what happened..." muttered Namjoon, who had straightened up, his eyebrows furrowed, looking thoughtful.

"I hate humans..." blurted Jungkook as he hugged Taehyung tightly, his companion nodding in agreement.

"And so, you thought we'd hate you, or I don't know what other nonsense might go through your little head when we know the truth?" Yoongi asked, holding back a laugh. “I don’t see why. I mean. It’s genuine, really.”

She arched her eyebrows in confusion. She thought that it seemed logical. She hadn't been able to protect Jin, she’d left him in the clutches of this demoness who'd probably done a thousand and one things to him that she didn't even want to think about. She hated herself for it.

"Hyung." Hoseok sighed, shaking his head, "stop."

"I failed to protect him, he's my soulmate and... I abandoned him and..."

"You didn't do any of that, Y/N."

Namjoon approached her. He took Jimin’s place and knelt down facing her, placing his hands on hers.

"You're both the victims. You've met someone stronger, older, more experienced than you and she took advantage of it. You did everything you could. You did your best. You could never be blamed for that. We could never blame you for that. ."

"And Jin hyung won't blame you either, I'm sure," Hoseok added with a small smile. "When he will regain his memory, when we will give him back what that demoness stole from him, he'll be the happiest man in the world to have you back with him, with us. Believe me."

She pressed her lips together, not wanting to cry, not yet.

Yoongi wrapped his arm around her shoulder, pulling her closer.

"It's over now," he whispered against her hair, "you're not alone anymore, you won't be. We've found you, you've found us."

She couldn't hold back the few tears that had started to fall. How could she not break down, after all those centuries spent alone, thinking that her soulmates didn't want her, living with the guilt of having abandoned the only soulmate she’d ever known.

They said the same things as her friends when she told them everything a few days ago.

None of them thought for a second that what happened to Jin and her was her fault.

That feeling of being understood, of not being judged, of being accepted despite her past mistakes and scars.

That feeling of being in the presence of her soul-mates.

She hadn't felt so at peace in what seemed like an eternity. Ever since Jin and her were separated.

°°°

"Noona... I have a few questions..."

"Here we go... the kid and his questions. Wait, I'll get you an aspirin and a big glass of water."

Jungkook glared at Yoongi, who had gotten up to go into the kitchen, a sneer on his lips.

Jin still hadn't woken up, but after a simple soothing spell and an herbal ointment she’d carefully placed on his temples, he was calmer, his body more relaxed.

She hadn't wanted to stay, not wanting to risk another attack if Jin woke up again. She learned through Yoongi about the migraine attacks he'd had since the day she met Namjoon.

But the boys convinced her to stay. Namjoon and Hoseok had disappeared into their library, explaining that they were going to rummage through their books after a potential counter-spell. She wanted to go with them, but they insisted she stay with Jin and rest.

It didn't take long to realize that Jin's seizures had a direct link with her.

As her soul mate, and despite his forced amnesia, his subconscious knew who she was. But it wasn't strong enough to bring back the memories the demoness had made disappear. Well, they hadn't disappeared, technically; she'd just hidden them very well somewhere in his psyche.

her scent on the clothes of Namjoon, Yoongi, Jimin, Taehyung, and Jungkook had been the trigger for his subconscious to awaken, for his memories to struggle, to resurface and make Jin realize that yes, he did know her, as his intuition suggested. Yes, the person on the hill was her, yes every memory he thought belonged to someone else was his, and that the blurry person sharing them with him was none other than her.

The migraines, the loss of consciousness... were only signs that his body, mind, and soul were fighting to bring his memories back to where they belonged, to finally give him back what that demoness had stolen from him.

Or at least, that's what she’d come to conclude on hearing Yoongi's explanations.

"Ask me anything Jungkook, don't worry," she replied with a small smile, still sitting next to Jin.

Yoongi had returned with some drinks (no aspirin, to Junkook's great relief) which he gave to the three maknae, still sitting opposite her, and to her, then sat down on the coffee table.

"I was wondering, how did you find out that you were... immortal? I mean, what does that actually mean?"

She'd been expecting this question. Even for demons, immortality was still a rather vague concept. Nobody is immortal. Demons and vampires aged slowly, very much more slowly than human beings. But they weren't really immortal.

"I died for the first time after the Malleus Maleficarum experiments, they sentenced me to be hanged to death, like all the witches at that time."

She heard the exclamations of surprise from the maknaes. Yoongi remained silent, listening to her attentively.

"I actually died that day. Except... except a few seconds after I took my last breath, my heart started beating again, and I came back to life."

None of them could believe their ears. Yoongi couldn't hide his surprise either, and she knew that a thousand questions were forming in their heads.

"The second time was a few days later. At a bonfire." she continued, bowing her head, "The thing is… I feel all the pain, all the way to death. But for some reason, I live again and again. No matter how people try to kill me, no matter how I die, my wounds heal themselves, my organs reform."

"Is it due to a spell?" finally asked Yoongi with his eyebrows furrowed, "or maybe some kind of witch, a hybrid with a phoenix..."

"I think you're going a bit far, hyung..." Taehyung chuckled slightly.

"Hey, every proposition can be plausible, gamin."

She couldn't hold back a smile. It was obvious that they'd known each other for several decades now, that they'd been through a lot together. In a way, she was relieved that at least they hadn't had to go through all that alone.

"I've never known the reason, or why I became like that," she finally continued, scratching the back of her neck, "I just am. Several times I thought I wouldn't get up this time from certain injuries, especially during the wars, but I always got up again. And just like that, more than 600 years have gone by."

"Maybe it's just that fate didn't want you to die before you met your soul mates, who knows." Yoongi chuckled, shrugging.

"If you think the universe and destiny are that kind of romantic..." Jungkook rolled his eyes.

"I'm tempted to believe that theory, it's much sweeter and more romantic than a curse put on you..." added Jimin with a little pout.

"Sometimes things just happen, and they're impossible to explain. Even for creatures like us." she let go with a sigh and an embarrassed smile, "In any case, I've stopped looking and obsessing over it, I've just accepted it."

"Still, it must be painful to die, over and over again..." Jimin cocked his head to the side, feeling a wave of sadness as he thought of all she'd had to go through in her long life. As an empath, his reaction hardly surprised her.

If they knew. She didn't want to dwell on how some humans and even other creatures had taken advantage of her immortality to put her through the many horrors she’d experienced. This wasn't the time to talk about all those things.

“Our pretty soulmate is strong and courageous.” Yoongi finally broke the silence after a few seconds, “She’ll talk about it when she feels ready.”

She bites her lips. She wanted to tell him to not call her pretty, but she felt that it was destined to fail. Yoongi seemed to be stubborn, maybe a little too much.

“Do you guys think Joonie and Hobi will find something ?” Asked Jungkook, looking at Jin with worry.

“For sure they will!” exclaimed Jimin, “Namjoon has books that are centuries old and unique, Hobi and him are the most intelligent demons ever! They’ll find something, surely!”

Jimin was passionate, his trust in his partners was blind and absolute. It was probably the same for all of them, she was sure about it, but Jimin was the one who showed it the most.

“In the worst case…”

“Taehyung don’t start…” mumbled Jungkook, as the others sighed.

“Let me finish! In the worst case, if we don’t find anything for Jin hyung, the solution is simple, very simple. We’ll create new memories, so many new happy memories all together!”

“If something was robbed from you without your consent, I think you'd like to have it back. Don't you think so?" Yoongi asked, his voice softened as he ruffled Taehyung’s hair who nodded with a sad pout.

He was just as worried as the others. There were so many unanswered questions, so many theories without explanations, so many problems without solutions yet.

“Namjoon and Hoseok always find a way to resolve problems, you should be used to it now.”

That voice startled all of them. All five heads turned to the sofa beside Yoongi and her. To everyone's surprise, Jin was staring at them, or rather, at her.

“Jin you’re awake !”

While the younger hurried towards their eldest, their faces racked with worry and relief, she reflexively stepped back.

She couldn't get very far, as her back bumped into a chest. She turned to face Yoongi, who placed his hands gently on her shoulders. He could read the stress and apprehension on her face. He couldn't imagine what she must be feeling right now, coming face to face with the one she'd lost centuries ago.

"Where are you going like this?" he asked at first in a slightly teasing tone, before he leaned towards her and whispered, his voice softening, "Relax, everything's fine."

She opened her mouth to reply, but no sound came out. She'd spent her whole life looking for Jin and his other soulmates. Now they were all here. They were all in the same house. Everything still seemed so unreal that she didn’t know how to react or what to do.

“Y/N ?”

She froze when she heard her name coming from Jin's lips. The others in the room gave him a surprised, confused look.

"Hyung, do you..."

"Remember her? Us? Unfortunately not, I don’t. But I heard you guys talking earlier, I wasn't totally unconscious. Thanks for the herbs, by the way, they really appeased my headache."

Her eyes widened at his words. Had he heard everything? Did he know the whole story, just like his other soulmates? In a way, she didn't know if she could handle a new explanation, which was a bit of a relief. On the other, she was concerned about his reaction, since he was the one who was affected.

Jin straightened up to sit on the sofa, helped by Jimin. Yoongi was still standing behind her and gave her a gentle nudge, so that she didn't push herself aside.

Jin's eyes landed on her. For a moment, he said nothing, just looked at her. She could feel the stress twisting her stomach, her legs going limp as cotton. She felt weaker than she had ever felt before.

"Can you come a little closer, please?"

Jin's voice was soft; she perceived no anger, no resentment on his side. He had kept his comforting aura, the same one she'd known so long ago, the same one that had reassured her countless times.

She soon faced him and lowered herself slightly to be at the same height as him.

How was someone supposed to react to finding their soulmate and youthful amnesiac love, lost in tragic circumstances centuries ago?

She was torn between tears of joy and relief, but the guilt that consumed her seemed to be the most dominant feeling at the moment.

"Jin I..."

She pursed her lips. Her voice trembled. For sure her body would betray her right now.

Jin offered him a tender smile and shook his head.

"Shht, it's all right." he murmured his words as he gently grasped her hand, "come here."

Without waiting for a response from her, he pulled her against him and wrapped his arms around her.

At first, her eyes widened in surprise. Quickly, she couldn't hold back any longer. Her arms followed and she hugged his waist as if her life depended on it.

"I know what you're thinking," he began, his hand running gently through her hair, "I'm not angry or anything, how could I be? It was never your fault, nor mine." He paused before letting out a small sigh, she could hear all the pain, the sadness in his voice, "I'm sorry... I'm sorry you've had to carry this burden all alone all this time…"

Her whole body was shaking. His voice was shaking, as if he were holding back his own tears. She was fighting inside. She was fighting herself not to break down. But her traitorous body still betrayed her, and she couldn't even control her tears, which had started to flow uncontrollably.

But his words. His words resonated not only in her heart but in her entire soul. She didn't know how much she needed to hear those words from him until now.

"We'll find a way, and everything will go back to normal, it will be even better, I promise."

After all these years, these centuries of living with the weight of guilt, the weight of regret, the feeling that she'd never be able to meet her soul mates... she felt all this weight recede, making way for a quietude and lightness like she'd never known before.

An eternity of torment, torture, and pain was finally over.

It was as if she'd been deprived of oxygen all her life, until now, as if her breathing had been cut off, and now she was finally getting it back.

And even though she was currently crying her heart out in Jin's arms, she could also feel Taehyung's warm, reassuring hand on her back, Jimin's, Jungkook's, and Yoongi's presence in the room, Namjoon's and Hoseok's, even if they weren't in the same room with them.

Her cries were no longer cries of sadness. There was only relief, and it was becoming more of an evacuation from all that time of pain and isolation.

All those smells, all that warmth that invaded her body at that moment, brought her calm and relief she'd never be able to explain, not even in a day, a year, ten years, or even a hundred years.

The reunion with Jin that day, feeling him against her again, as well as having the presence of her soul mates around them, those who were destined for her. After all this time where her heart and soul had been crying out for help, she had finally been heard.

The darkness was finally disappearing, as the clouds and obscurity finally allowed the sun a chance to shine.

And despite her tears, she couldn't help smiling, because at last, she knew that happiness really was within her grasp.

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the-al-chemist · 2 years

Text

Artemis Hexley and the Circle of Khanna

Chapter 1: The Garden Party

A/N: And we are back in business! The nearly-sixth years receive their O.W.L. results, and Artemis and a friend discuss the events of the previous term. Warnings: discussions about trauma and impostor syndrome, copious amounts of exposition.

The first half of July had been wet and rainy, but as the month drew to a close the clouds had lifted, allowing scattered spots of sunlight to break through. It was during one of the brief sunny spells that two teenagers had taken to an orchard in the shadow of a tall higgledy-piggledy house, laden with a bag full of metal poles and canvas, and with a marmalade-coloured cat trotting behind them across the grass.

It had now been almost an hour since Artemis Hexley and her friend Charlie Weasley had picked the perfect spot in Charlie’s family’s garden to pitch their tent. She had never pitched a tent or even been camping before, so she hadn’t known quite what to expect, but this definitely had not been it.

“Does it always take this long?” she asked, pushing yet another pair of poles together. “I thought camping was supposed to be an adventure, I didn’t realise that it was so much work.”

“This is the last one and then the tent is up,” replied Charlie, taking her poles off her and sliding them into the canvas. “We are almost done, I promise.”

“We’d have been done ages ago if we’d been allowed to use magic,” muttered Artemis, turning to watch her beloved cat Fergus chase a garden gnome around the honeysuckle tree.

She and Fergus had been staying with the Weasleys since the start of the summer holidays, and the two of them were starting to feel as at home here as they did anywhere. With seven children, Mr and Mrs Weasley’s house, The Burrow, was always filled with noise, laughter, and movement - a far cry from Artemis’ mother’s house in London.

“You know if we used magic, Percy would rat us out to Mum, and then we would never hear the end of it,” Charlie laughed. “Besides, there’s something to be said for making things from scratch.”

“If you say so.”

“I do say so. Come and look inside.”

Charlie lifted the canvas of the two-man tent, and the pair of them stepped inside. The interior of the tent was much larger than Artemis had expected from the outside, with a living area, a kitchen, and several bunk beds. In the centre, several armchairs and a small sofa surrounded a log burner, and a raised platform housed a dining table and benches. The decor wasn’t quite to Artemis’ taste, and it smelt a little like cats, but she didn’t mind that.

“See?” said Charlie, half-smiling. “We did all of this without any magic.”

Artemis nodded, feeling distinctly proud of herself, in spite of the fact that she had only put a few poles together. She looked around at her - or rather, mainly Charlie’s - handiwork once more, and frowned.

“Charlie,” she said, wrinkling her nose. “Does this tent not have an undetectable extension charm on it?”

“You’re missing the point. Let’s go and find the pegs.”

Artemis smirked as she followed Charlie out of the tent. She didn’t think she was missing the point at all. Still, it was probably a good thing that the tent had been magically extended, considering the number of people it would be housing in just a few hours’ time.

The party had originally been Artemis’ friend Penny’s idea, but it had been Charlie’s brother Bill who had suggested that they hold the party at The Burrow. After all, as Bill and Charlie’s mother had said, there was a lot to celebrate.

Bill had recently graduated from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry with good grades in all his final exams, and had just started his new job as a Curse-Breaker for Gringotts Bank. As for Charlie, Artemis, and their other friends, they had all finished taking their O.W.L. exams at the end of their fifth year in June, and they had all received their results that morning. Not that any of them had opened their results yet; all the party guests had agreed to wait and open them together later.

“Who do we actually have coming?” Artemis asked Charlie, as the two of them started hanging up the party decorations that they had made with the help of Charlie and Bill’s youngest siblings.

“Jae, Rowan, Penny, Tonks, Tulip, and Andre have all said yes,” Charlie recited. “But Chiara’s poorly again, and Merula never replied to the invitation.”

“Not much of a surprise.”

“No, but you never know, she might just turn up,” Charlie shrugged. “And Barnaby and Liz said no.”

“Right,” Artemis nodded slowly, biting her lip. She and her ex-boyfriend Barnaby had only broken up a little over a month previously. “Is that my fault?”

“Not at all. He said his dad wouldn’t be happy with him staying here, what with the fact that my parents are so pro-Muggles, and he’s… well…”

Artemis nodded again. Barnaby’s father was known to be both controlling of his son and prejudiced against non-magical people. It was even rumoured that Mr Lee had once been a Death-Eater, a supporter of the now-defeated dark wizard Voldemort, so feared that most people in the magical community refused to even speak his name.

“And Liz?” Artemis asked.

“She didn’t want to go if Barnaby wasn’t going. You know how shy she is. Then Bill’s invited some of his friends from his year, but they will all be Apparating so it’s just us lot staying in the tent.”

“Yeah. What about Ben?”

“He actually never replied either,” said Charlie, his red eyebrows furrowing slightly. Artemis frowned, too. Ben was Charlie’s best friend. It was very strange for him not to reply to an invitation to stay at Charlie’s house. “I hope he’s alright. Especially after what happened at the end of term.”

At the end of the previous year, Artemis had entered the fourth of Hogwarts’ mysterious Cursed Vaults alongside Bill, Charlie, Ben, Merula, and their then Defence Against the Dark Arts professor, Madam Rakepick, a renowned Curse-Breaker. Their adventure into the Vault had been a very dramatic experience. Not only had they encountered a real dragon, but Madam Rakepick had betrayed them, attacked them, and left them for dead. That had been traumatic enough for all of them, but Ben hadn’t been the bravest person in the world to start with. It wouldn’t have surprised Artemis if he was taking it harder than the rest of them.

“Maybe he’ll turn up without responding, too,” Artemis said, though she doubted it. “Come on, Charlie. Let’s go and get all the snacks ready, and then we can ask your mum if we can borrow her wireless. It won’t be a proper party if there’s no music.”

At six o’clock that evening, Bill arrived back from work. His straight red hair was pulled back into a low ponytail - something he had started doing since taking the job at Gringotts, presumably to make himself look more professional - and he was carrying a shoebox.

“What’s in the box?” asked Artemis, following him upstairs.

“New shoes. Bought them today. First lot of pay,” Bill replied, lifting the lid. Inside the box was a pair of smart and hardy-looking black boots. They looked almost as if they were made of leather, but had a scaly texture like snakeskin. The scales, however, were far too big to have once belonged to a snake.

“Bill, are those made of dragon hide?”

“Yes, but they were cheap. Don’t worry, I didn’t spend all of my first month’s worth of money on-”

“Are you planning on wearing them in front of Charlie?”

“They’re just work boots, Artemis,” Bill said, ignoring the look Artemis was giving him. “Dragon hide is really durable, and I’m going to need something hard-wearing for Curse-Breaking.”

Artemis pursed her lips. Charlie was passionate about dragon welfare, and she didn’t think that he would approve of Bill’s new work boots one bit, especially after what had happened inside the Cursed Vault. But Bill did look very happy with his new purchase, and with the Weasleys being as poor as Artemis knew they were, she didn’t want to berate Bill too much for buying something he liked with his hard-earned money. She said nothing, and neither did Charlie when he saw the boots, though Artemis could have sworn that his eyebrows had raised fractionally when he looked down at Bill’s feet.

With the tent pitched, food laid out on the table, and the decorations put up, the party was ready to begin. To no one’s surprise, Artemis’ super-organised best friend Rowan Khanna was the first guest to arrive, shortly followed by their dorm-mate and Bill’s girlfriend Penny Haywood, who never missed out on the opportunity to attend a party. The fourth and final member of Artemis’ dormitory, Dora Tonks - who everyone referred to by surname only - arrived just on time alongside her mischievous friend Tulip Karasu, both giggling as if they had already been sipping something stronger than pumpkin juice. Next, Quidditch-loving Andre Egwu arrived fashionably late, shortly followed by Charlie’s friend Jae Kim, who had managed to get hold of a few bottles of Firewhiskey for the special occasion.

“Just put them in the kitchen bit, next to all the Butterbeer,” Artemis told him, pointing at the four small barrels that her friend Madam Rosmerta - landlady of The Three Broomsticks - had sent her upon hearing that she was going to be hosting a party for the first time in her life.

Considering that it was the first party she had ever hosted, it seemed to be a great success. Artemis had managed to fiddle with Mrs Weasley’s wireless radio until she found a station playing some good Muggle music, and once everyone had drunk a little Firewhiskey, they were all up in the centre of the tent dancing, a clear sign that they were having fun. A little after midnight, Bill’s friends started to Apparate home, leaving the soon-to-be sixth years alone, ready to reveal their exam results.

Bill, who had literally let his hair down for the party, magically lit a small fire outside the tent, and they all sat around it, toasting large marshmallows on sticks as the envelopes containing their results were passed around.

“It’s rather nerve-wracking, isn’t it?” Penny said, with a little high-pitched laugh. Her hands shook as she picked up an envelope at random.

“Are you nervous, Ro?” Artemis asked Rowan, who was sitting at her side. Rowan, who was very academically minded and ambitious, was looking much calmer than she’d expected her to.

“A little,” Rowan replied, and Artemis narrowed her eyes at her in suspicion.

“You’ve already looked at your results, haven’t you?”

“No,” said Rowan, quickly. Too quickly.

“Are you sure?”

“Well, okay. I might have peeked quickly this morning.”

“Rowan!” Artemis hissed at her, but she smiled, too. “Were they good? I bet they were.”

“They weren’t bad,” Rowan told her, her own mouth twitching slightly. “But I’m not telling you exactly, or you’ll give me away when they’re read out.”

In turn, each of them took an envelope, ready to read out the results of whoever’s envelope they had picked.

“How do they grade the O.W.L.s again?” Jae asked through a mouthful of marshmallow, his eyes scanning the list of results in his hand.

“Same way as the N.E.W.T.s,” Bill reliably informed them all. “Top grade is O for Outstanding, then there’s E for Exceeds Expectations and A for Acceptable. Then you have Poor and Dreadful as failing grades.”

“And T for Troll, don’t forget that.”

“None of you are going to get a T for Troll, Tonks.”

“Rowan’s definitely not gotten any T for Trolls,” Jae said, still looking at the results in front of him. “You’ve passed all ten O.W.L.s, Rowan. Seven Outstandings and three Exceeds Expectations. Not bad.”

“Not bad? That’s brilliant!” Artemis linked arms with Rowan, who was smiling proudly and bashfully.

“You’ve not done badly either, Artemis,” Rowan said, opening up Artemis’ own results. “Outstanding in Defence Against the Dark Arts and Transfiguration; Exceeds Expectations in Ancient Runes, Charms, Potions, and Care of Magical Creatures; and the rest are all Acceptable.”

“What about Arithmancy? I didn’t get a T for Troll, did I?”

“No, you passed Arithmancy. Acceptable.”

“Acceptable? Are you sure?” Artemis leant over Rowan’s shoulder to check, and surely enough, there was a large spiky letter A next to the subject. She laughed. “I can’t believe it. I am an acceptable arithmancer!”

Everyone else had done well, too. Like Artemis, Tonks had achieved an Outstanding in Defence Against the Dark Arts, and Penny had Outstanding O.W.L.s in Potions, Herbology, and Muggle Studies. Andre and Tulip had passed everything except for History of Magic, and Jae had only failed Divination, whilst Charlie had achieved an Outstanding in Care of Magical Creatures and Exceeds Expectations in everything else. There was an extra surprise for him in his envelope.

“What’s this?” Tulip asked, holding up a red badge with engraved with the letters QC in gold, and a matching red and gold armband.

“That’s a Quidditch Captain's armband,” said Andre, holding it up. “Well done, Charlie. Though, I must say, this colour is going to clash terribly with your hair.”

Charlie shook his head at Andre, and took his Quidditch Captain’s badge from him as Bill patted him on the back.

“Prefect and Quidditch Captain,” Bill laughed. “Mum will be pleased. If you manage to make Head Boy as well, you’ll have outdone me.”

“I don’t think that’s likely,” Charlie said quietly, pocketing his badge.

“Don’t see why not. If you can keep Fred and George out of mischief this year then I’d say you’ll deserve the title.”

Artemis grinned. The Weasley twins, Fred and George, were going to be starting their first year at Hogwarts in September. The twins were a human whirlwind, and more troublesome than even her friends Tonks and Tulip. She doubted that anyone would ever be able to keep them out of mischief.

They sat toasting marshmallows for a little longer until the flames died down and even the fireflies seemed to disperse, leaving the garden in almost total darkness, the only light coming from the gibbous moon and a handful of stars that weren’t obscured by clouds. The night had turned decidedly chilly, so they returned to the warmth of the tent, and continued their discussions wearing their pyjamas and huddled in their bedding.

“I mean, they’re only children,” Andre was saying to Charlie. “The twins can’t be that much hard work, right?”

“Trust me, they could.”

“They’re animals.”

“Ah, but Charlie has an Outstanding in Care of Magical Creatures,” Tonks cackled. “He’s basically an animal whisperer now.”

“Just think of it as practice for working with dragons, mate.”

“Charlie’s had plenty of practice for working with dragons,” Bill smirked. “Years of it. He used to make wings to put on the cats and follow them around the house, making notes on their ‘dragon behaviour’.”

The others laughed, and Charlie’s face flushed between his freckles.

“You make it sound like it was all the time,” he muttered.

“It was pretty much all the time. And you bewitched Percy’s rat to fly that one time, remember?”

“Yes, I remember.”

“I remember when we first got to Hogwarts, you were convinced that there must be dragons hiding in the Forbidden Forest,” Jae said, raising his eyebrows wryly. “I thought you were such a weird bloke, especially when you started going out looking around the forest with Hagrid.”

“At least you discovered flying, and had Quidditch to keep you busy,” said Andre. “Otherwise you might have even started dressing like Hagrid, and that is not something any of us want to see.”

At the mention of Quidditch, the talk soon turned to the sport, what team members would be returning for the new season, and which team was most likely to win the House Cup. Considering how much Charlie enjoyed Quidditch, and his new position as Captain of the Quidditch team, he was very quiet throughout the discussion, barely speaking a word. After a while, he merely stood up and walked out of the tent in silence. The others carried on chatting, either not noticing his leaving, or just expecting him to come back.

Artemis had noticed, however, and after ten minutes had passed without him returning, she also got up and left the tent, taking her blanket with her.

She found Charlie sitting by the now burnt-out bonfire, poking the embers with a stick.

“Are you okay?” she asked as she approached him. He made no response, though she thought she might have seen him shrug. “You must be freezing, sitting out here by yourself. Here, I brought you a blanket.”

Artemis unwrapped her own blanket and put it over Charlie’s shoulders.

“Thanks,” he said, after taking an audible breath.

“You’re welcome. You know, the others weren’t trying to be mean or anything.”

“I know.”

“They were just teasing. They didn’t mean any harm.”

“I know,” Charlie said again. “I know they didn’t, I just… I dunno. I wanted a bit of peace and quiet, that’s all.”

“Oh. Well, I can go, if you want?”

“No, it’s alright. You can stay.”

Artemis nodded, although she knew Charlie wouldn’t be able to see her, and sat next to him by the glowing remnants of what had been a fire.

“Charlie, what’s the matter?”

“It’s nothing, really, Artemis.”

“It’s not nothing if you’re upset about it,” said Artemis. “Are you worried about Ben still? Because I’m sure he’s fine. He probably was just too nervous to open his results in front of everyone, that’s all.”

“You know that’s not true,” Charlie replied. “It’ll be because of everything that happened in the Cursed Vault. It’s probably why Merula’s not here, either.”

“Merula just doesn’t like us that much.”

“I think she does, in her own way. She enjoyed staying for Christmas last year, didn’t she? No, I think that both of them are still just struggling to come to terms with it.”

“So, you’re upset because you’re worried about them?”

“No, that’s not it. I mean, I am worried about them, of course I am, it’s just that I would have liked to have spoken with them about it, I guess. Because they might understand a bit, that sort of thing.”

“You could talk to me and Bill,” Artemis said, frowning deeply. “We would understand. We were there, too, remember?”

“I do remember, it’s just that you two both seem to be okay with it all,” Artemis felt Charlie shrug next to her. “Bill got his job because of Rakepick, and she went on to attack us all, and he’s still going to work there, and he’s happy about it. He’s so interested in being a Curse-Breaker, and he’s not even bothered by the fact that we almost died breaking that last curse, and part of the reason was because of Rakepick.”

“Just because Rakepick turned out to be a bad person, that doesn’t mean all Curse-Breakers are going to be the same.”

“I know, but it’s just thrown me a bit. She was our teacher, and we were supposed to be able to trust her. Bill did trust her, and then she…” Charlie’s voice tailed off, and he sighed. “I dunno. I’ve always just thought that most people are good, deep down. I know that there’s bad people out there, and that bad things happen, but they didn’t seem really real before, and now they do. It’s stupid, I know.”

“It’s not stupid.”

“It is. I just don’t know how we are all supposed to know who we can trust after this, that’s all.”

Artemis was quiet for a few moments as Charlie’s words settled in. She had known that he had been upset by what had happened at first - they all had - but he had seemed much more like his normal self since they had arrived back home for the summer. Yes, he had been quiet sometimes, but Charlie was always fairly quiet, especially when there were lots of people around. And there were always a lot of people around at The Burrow. That was part of the reason Artemis liked it so much.

“Well, I don’t know if it helps much, but you can trust me,” she told Charlie.

“I do.”

“Good. So, why didn’t you say any of this before?”

“I guess it was because you just seemed alright about it, like Bill does, and I didn’t want to be the only person who wasn’t. Alright about it, I mean,” Charlie paused, and a burnt log turned over, revealing a bright orange underside. “Especially since I have no right to be more upset about it than you two.”

“What? Charlie, if you’re upset, you’re upset. You don’t have to-”

“I know, I know. But out of all of us, I should be the one who is okay about it, and if anything, I feel like the one who is taking it the hardest.”

“How do you mean?”

“Well, Ben has always been scared of everything, especially with the Vaults, and then you, Bill and Merula knew Madam Rakepick best, and you and Merula were the ones who were attacked. And then you had to deal with what happened with your brother, as well.”

Artemis found herself stiffening at the mention of her brother Jacob, who they had found inside the Cursed Vault alive and well, after eight years of being missing.

“Yeah, well,” she said, quietly. “I’m not okay about that.”

“Of course not. Sorry.”

“You don’t have to be sorry, Charlie,” Artemis shook her head, forgetting once again that Charlie still probably couldn’t see her. “I mean I’m not really okay about any of it, but that’s the thing that really hurt, somehow. I just imagined finding Jacob so many times, and how happy he would be to see me, and… Instead, I did so much to find him, and waited so long, and then I finally found him and he just left. Again. Like he didn’t even care.”

Artemis sighed, and Charlie was silent for almost a whole minute.

“Leaving doesn’t mean not caring, Artemis,” he said, eventually.

“It might as well do,” Artemis replied. When Charlie didn’t respond, she realised that he was probably talking about his own brother, and not hers. “Obviously, it’s different with Bill. He definitely cares.”

Charlie said nothing. Artemis was starting to get cold, but she didn’t want to leave him, not when he was still clearly upset. She took out her wand and pointed it at the logs.

“Incendio,” she said, and the fire started again. In the light, she could see that Charlie’s face was drawn. How could she have not noticed that he was upset before? Feeling guilty, she got up wandered over to the other side of the fire, where the boxes of marshmallows remained closed on the ground. Opening them in turn, she found that one box was still almost entirely full. “Do you want to share these with me?”

Charlie gave her a small smile and nodded, and she carried the box back over to where he was sitting. He handed her the stick he’d been using to poke the embers, and pulled out his wand to spear a marshmallow for himself.

“I still can’t believe you’ve never done this before,” he said quietly, rotating the marshmallow slowly over a flame.

“Camping or toasting marshmallows?”

“Both.”

“My family were kind of a bit busy dying or going missing to take me camping,” Artemis said, with a wry smile that made Charlie shake his head and almost laugh. “But I might have toasted marshmallows before, maybe. I don’t remember doing it, but they smell familiar, like the memory is there somewhere, I just have forgotten the memory, if that makes sense.”

“Not really, but I’m used to you not making sense,” Charlie smirked, and Artemis elbowed him, hard. “Ouch! Careful, your marshmallow is burning.”

Artemis turned her attention back to the bonfire, where her marshmallow had been set alight. She quickly blew out the flame, but it was too late: the marshmallow was blackened and charred.

“Oh dear,” said Artemis, wrinkling her nose as the smell of burnt sugar pierced her nostrils.

“Serves you right for getting violent,” Charlie said, taking her marshmallow stick off her and holding his out to her in its place. “Here. You can have mine.”

“Are you sure?”

“Of course. I don’t mind the burnt bits.”

Charlie handed Artemis his wand, on which the marshmallow was perfectly toasted. Artemis took it from him, feeling the strange weighty sensation that came with holding someone else’s wand in her hands. Without it, Charlie looked oddly vulnerable.

“It’s going to be weird next year, isn’t it?” Artemis said, prodding the marshmallow with her forefinger. “What with Bill not being there.”

Charlie made a non-committal noise, but the way he tensed gave away his discomfort. Artemis looked at him, and he shook his head.

“Don’t do that,” he told her.

“Do what?”

“Look at me like you’re reading my mind.”

“I’m not reading your mind, I promise,” said Artemis. “I can just see you’re not right, that’s all.”

“Right,” Charlie sighed. “It’s just hard to tell with you.”

“So, I’m right then? There is something else bothering you?”

“No. Well, not no. I mean, there is, but it doesn’t matter.”

“Obviously it does, or it wouldn’t be bothering you,” Artemis nudged Charlie’s upper arm with her right shoulder. “You can tell me, you know. I promise you I won’t laugh or think you’re being stupid.”

Charlie hesitated, before shrugging.

“It’s just Bill leaving,” he said, his eyes fixed on the bonfire, as if he were talking to the flames. “It’s complicated, I guess. I mean, as much as I would never admit it to him, he’s my big brother, and I have actually always looked up to him.”

“I won’t tell him, don’t worry.”

“Thanks,” the corners of Charlie’s mouth twitched slightly, but his smile faded before it even formed. “I dunno. It’s kind of easy to blend into the background when you’re Bill Weasley’s younger brother. I’ve always liked it, because it means I get to do my own thing with no one paying me any attention. But now that he’s gone, I have to be the big brother, and I’m the one that is going to be looked up to, and I just… Honestly, I feel like I’m going to let everyone down.”

“You won’t.”

“I might. I probably will. It was bad enough when it was just Mum and Dad and Percy and the twins I had to worry about, but now I have this bloody Quidditch Captain’s badge and that means that everyone is going to be watching me even more, and I... I just know that people are either going to be expecting me to do well, and I won’t be able to live up to that, or they’ll all know that I’m not good enough, and I’m going to prove them right. I actually don’t know which of those things is worse.”

“How do you know you won’t be able to-”

“Because,” the frustration was audible in Charlie’s voice as he interrupted Artemis, “I’m taking over from Bill. Bill. He was the Head Boy, and he got twelve O.W.L.s, and he won that award at the end of last year. Then there’s the fact that he’s always been the responsible one, and he’s been the one who’s saved my skin on so many occasions, and there’s all those girls who follow him around everywhere. I’m not jealous, or anything, I’d rather be left alone, to be honest, but it means that his are pretty big shoes to fill, and I know that I can’t do it. And don’t say that I can, because I can’t.”

Artemis gnawed on her lower lip. She had in fact been about to say exactly that, but she couldn’t do that now.

“Why do you have to fill Bill’s shoes though?” she asked, after a moment’s thought. Charlie turned to look at her sceptically, and she shrugged. “I’m just saying, you have perfectly good shoes of your own.”

“Right,” Charlie scoffed, and Artemis looked at him in earnest.

“I mean it, Charlie.”

“You do?”

“Of course I do,” Artemis said, a mischievous smile spreading across her face as her gaze drifted to Charlie’s feet. “Maybe not those shoes, though.”

“Alright, Andre. What’s wrong with my shoes?”

“They’re slippers with dragons on.”

“Exactly. They’re my favourite pair,” Charlie grinned and raised his eyebrows at Artemis, who laughed quietly. Charlie let out a quiet chuckle, before nodding his head, the expression in his eyes sober again. “Thank you.”

“Yeah, well. I’m being serious,” Artemis told him. “So what if you aren’t Bill? You don’t have to be Bill. It’s perfectly fine for you to just be Charlie.”

“Maybe you’re right.”

“I am. At least, I think so. I definitely wouldn’t want you to be like Bill and not like you, anyway.”

“I guess I can cope with that,” Charlie half-smiled.

“Good. I’m glad that’s settled,” Artemis said, handing Charlie back his wand with a little shiver. She’d forgotten how cold it was outside. “Shall we go back into the tent?”

“You go ahead. I just want to stay out here for a bit longer.”

“In which case, so do I.”

Artemis peeled back the blanket she had draped around Charlie, and shuffled inside it, before taking back her stick and spearing another marshmallow. Charlie did the same with his wand and she rested her head against his left shoulder, feeling some of the tension leave him as she did so. Artemis smiled, watching the flames lick at the two marshmallows being held over the bonfire.

“I like camping.”

“Yeah. Me too.”

#artemis hexley #hogwarts mystery #hphm fic #hphm #charlie weasley #bill weasley #rowan khanna #penny haywood #nymphadora tonks #andre egwu #tulip kasaru #jae kim #the burrow

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