Beautiful Misbehaviour | George Weasley

Chapter 21

It hadn't taken long for the entire Weasley clan to make their way to Hogwarts. Combining the Patronus from Kingsley and the alert on the old Galleons from the Dumbeldore's Army days, it took them less than three minutes.

The Order had dispersed across the grounds to secure them the moment they'd had the chance to organize. Fred, George, Ginny, and her had clambered into the Room of Requirement to come to face nearly the entirety of Dumbledore's Army and then some. Not to mention Harry bleeding Potter.

While the aforementioned Boy Who Lived huddled close with Ron, Hermione, and Luna talking about the importance of finding Hufflepuffs stupid crown and how it could be instrumental in ending the Dark Lord, Artemis turned her attention to the redheads she'd been sharing her company with since late afternoon. Ginny was watching Harry like a hawk, her eyes filled with yearning. Fred and George were grinning and talking in hushed tones to Lee and Seamus Finnigan.

"Gin," Artemis tugged at her best friend's elbow, fading into the shadows and clamour of excited voices, "I need to go find Pomfrey. She'll need me when this all eventually falls to shite, and we need to get ahead of said shite."

"What?" Her friend's brown eyes sharpened, and she spun on Artemis, hissing, "you can't go traipsing about the halls with the Carrows on the prowl!"

Artemis wetted her lips nervously, "I know it's dangerous ... "

"But you're going to do it anyway?"

"Yes. I'm tired of crawling away like a rat. Those greasy pigs want to pick a fight with me? I'll give them one," Artemis said darkly, her mind turning back to the day they turned their wands against her and nearly gave her lasting lesions in her brain. They had looked so pleased with themselves. So very pleased.

"When Potter leaves, I'm gone," Artemis checked her sleeve for her wand and nodded to Ginny. Her friend's face was pinched with worry, but she accepted the swift kiss on the cheek Artemis gave and squeezed the older witch's shoulder.

Artemis watched Potter as Neville led Luna and him to the door, hands fidgeting as he talked. The bruises and cuts that scored his face had made her stomach turn when she'd first seen them. It was unhuman what was being done to students at this school.

Harry and Luna slipped out the door. Artemis crept forward, eyes on the door, when a hand came down on her shoulder.

"Going somewhere?"

"Yes," Artemis turned slowly to face George, feeling her face heat, "Pomfrey will need me. Each second I put this off is another second that could be spent preparing."

"Were you going to say goodbye?"

The flash of hurt in his eyes was like a knife to the stomach. Artemis blinked rapidly to dash away tears that threatened to spill, "The hope is, if I don't say goodbye, I won't have to mean it, Georgie."

His breath caught, and he tugged her against his chest, uncaring about the prying eyes of the students pretending not to be listening in on them.

Artemis let herself stay there for one heartbeat, two, then she pulled away, trying her best to scrub away any stray tears. She tried for a brave smile, but it felt rather wobbly, "I'll see you when the sun rises, Weasley."

"I look forward to it."

Over his shoulder, Artemis caught sight of Hermione and Ron ducking out, a reminder of the task she'd set herself.

It was like prying her heart from a frying pan to let go of George entirely. Their hands held until the last possible moment when Artemis squeezed his, and finally let it drop.