Worlds can be shattered in an instant. Children go from experiencing new things in blissful innocence, to adults facing the harshness of ever-changing existence in the span of a single moment. Those who see the truths of the world are presented with...
Penelope's sobs sounded as if they were on the other side of a wall of rushing water. The curly-haired witch was shaking at her friend's shoulders as if it would rouse her from the deepest sleep one could find themselves in.
"Liza," Penelope whispered, "Liza, please."
Eliza Bennet's clear blue eyes were wide but empty in death. Her mouth was slightly open, matching the red smile slashed across her pale throat. Her dark robes were stiff with her drying life's blood. Both Penelope and Eliza's hands were stained a sticky red.
Eliza had been dead the moment the two of them had risked Apparition in her condition. No amount of blood replenishing potions could restart a heart and undamage a brain that had gone without oxygen.
Artemis reached forward and closed Eliza's eyes with two fingers. The knowledge that she had touched a dead body sat heavily in her gut.
Surprisingly, Artemis didn't feel like crying. She didn't feel anything. She put a hand on Penelope's shaking shoulder, "Pen ... she's gone."
Penelope whirled on Artemis, mouth open to argue, but at the last minute, her face crumpled. Penelope had been a few years above Artemis in Hogwarts, but the two had never spoken before they'd both gone on the run. Penelope was a true Muggle-born. The two girls had shared a few conversations over the weeks, but they remained barely acquaintances. That was why it was so shocking when she lurched forward and wrapped her arms around Artemis and sobbed.
It was surreal.
Artemis could feel the waves of realization wash over Penelope, but she just held tighter, unwilling to allow the older witch to face it all alone.
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Artemis could taste spring in the air. There was still a bite of winter in the breeze as it made its way lazily over the countryside, but the warmth of the sun on her skin felt like a new beginning.
She'd been staying with Penelope Clearwater for a week, watching over the witch as she came to terms with the death of her friend. Kingsley or Hestia visited each day to make sure the both of them were safe in the Rutland Outpost. It was the quietest region in England. Artemis hadn't heard of a single Death Eater demonstration within the county, but she was sure it was crawling with Snatchers like every bit of the Queen's land.
The small cottage sat on a hill that supplied a view of farmland to the far East, where cows roamed freely. At night while Penelope slept, Artemis would often venture out beyond the wards and stand beside the fence to watch them meander around under the light of the moon when their sleep was restless.
Artemis's sleep has been restless since the death of Eliza. It hadn't affected her as she had expected. She wasn't melancholy or in shock. She was simply aware. She'd jolt up in bed, her mind spinning with the knowledge that death was unforgiving and eternal.
Before Eliza, Artemis had seen death. She had been friends with Cedric, after all. But she'd never fully understood just how easy it was to die.
