Artemis Hexley and the Mystery at Hogwarts

Chapter 7: A Curious Corridor

With two new friends, a pet kitten, and a new-found reputation for being an impressive dueller, Artemis' second term at Hogwarts was shaping up to be much better than her first. The atmosphere in the dormitory had improved enormously since she and Rowan had become friends with Penny and Tonks, who turned out to be excellent company.

Penny was very kind and thoughtful, and it was easy to see why she had become the most popular girl in the year. She had joined every club available other than the Frog Choir ("I can't sing for toffee!") and the house Quidditch team ("I'd much rather watch!"), and knew not only every member of every club by name and face, but was able to remember any details they happened to give her about their lives. She had continued to encourage Artemis and Rowan to join some of the clubs with her, and although Artemis still wasn't interested, History-loving Rowan had signed up for the Ancient Runes Club. Penny's favourite of all her many hobbies was Potions Club, as she was a whizz when it came to potioneering. Artemis didn't mind this at all; her marks in Potions class started to soar in the weeks following becoming Penny's friend.

Tonks didn't seem to care about her marks in any subject. She was much more interested in having fun. Her prank-pulling often put her in Jane Court's bad books, and caused her to fall foul of Mr Filch the caretaker, who despised everything about Tonks, from her brightly coloured hair to her clumsiness. The cantankerous caretaker could often be found scowling at her, muttering under his breath about shackles and whipping to his red-eyed cat, Mrs Norris, who was never far from his side. Artemis thought that Tonks was the funniest person she had ever met, but Rowan and Ben had found her practical jokes and gentle teasing a bit daunting at first. As the weeks went on, however, they both warmed to Tonks, especially after she had her family's owl deliver a whole bag of stink pellets to Merula Snyde over breakfast one morning.

Merula was still seething over her and Artemis' duel, but it was more of a quiet rage. Perhaps it was being beaten so spectacularly, or maybe it was Professor McGonagall's punishment, but she had definitely been less aggressive towards everyone since being disarmed in front of the whole year. Artemis knew that this armistice wouldn't last long, but she was happy enjoying the peace and quiet while it lasted. She herself had been getting more attention than ever following the duel, and for a change, the comments she heard were mainly positive.

"Of course they are," said Penny, prancing down the corridor at Artemis' side as they walked between lessons. "No one has ever stood up to Merula like you did. You're a hero!"

"I think that's an overstatement, I only disarmed her and tickled her a bit."

"Still, it was very brave of you," Penny beamed, linking one arm with Artemis, and using the other to wave at the many various acquaintances she passed in the corridor, "and you know, the disarming spell is in the syllabus for second year, and the shield charm is O.W.L. level. It's no wonder everyone is so impressed."

Even the teachers seemed to have heard about and been impressed by Artemis and Merula's duel. Artemis had been a bit worried about how Professor Flitwick would react to the news, but Professor McGonagall must have told him that she was not the instigator. He admonished her bad behaviour at the start of their next Charms class, but when the class ended and Artemis packed her bag to leave, she found a packet of Fizzing Whizzbees inside that definitely hadn't been there before, and looking around the room she could have sworn that the tiny Professor gave her a barely perceptible wink.

Of course, the downside to her duelling was the detention it had earned her. As McGonagall had instructed, both Artemis and Merula were having to spend every Friday evening completing menial tasks under the watchful eye of Tonks' nemesis, Mr Filch.

"If I had it my way," he grumbled, as the two girls polished the Quidditch trophies, "you two would be chained from the ceiling, dangling by your wrists."