/𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐒\ [𝒔. 𝒃𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒌]

𝐬𝐢𝐱

"everything was beautiful and nothing hurt." ~ Kurt Vonnegut

Sirius had fallen asleep early when Artemis got the distress call from Little Whinging. She and Sirius had pulled out the little round devices Dumbledore had given them during the first war to receive messages, and Artemis kept hers in her pocket at all times. The distress call was short. Dementors - Little Whinging - Help Harry. Usually, when there was a distress call, someone else would send a short, sometimes one-letter answer to signify that they were taking care of it. Artemis sat in bed and watched the device. No answer came.

She was caught in something of a predicament. She technically wasn't supposed to leave Grimmauld Place, but her godson needed help. The stakes weren't as high for her as they were for Sirius- she doubted she would be recognized if she ventured outside, and besides- Sirius had done so earlier that year to watch one of the Triwizard tasks. Her sneaking out would really just be evening the score. And Harry needed help. Now was her chance to finally lay eyes on him, to see him in action, to find out if everyone was right when they said he was just like James.

She slipped out of bed and pulled on a set of robes as quietly as possible. Then, she checked to make sure Sirius was still asleep, and crept down the stairs. She couldn't walk past the portrait of Walburga without waking her up, and if she woke her up, Sirius was sure to wake up too. In a moment of quick thinking, Artemis headed to the kitchen window, wrenched it open, and climbed through with graceful, well-practiced ease.

The air was warm and the sky was glittering with stars. It had rained earlier that day, leaving the street damp, and Artemis's boots splashed in a puddle just before she apparated to Privet Drive, Little Whinging.

The street was deserted. Fog hung low in the sky, and there was an eerie feel about the whole village. There were no dementors in sight, but Artemis could feel the after effects in the chill that ran through her spine and the sadness that crept in as she walked up the street. Then, she saw him. Harry was standing at the base of the hill Artemis was on, across from a stout woman. Artemis started towards them, squinting to get a better look at the woman. She recognized her from a few Order meetings during the last war.

She jogged the last few steps, and only then did the pair notice her. Harry looked utterly confused, but Artemis couldn't take her eyes off of the boy. She hadn't seen him since he was a year old. He did look just like James. And his eyes were as much like Lily's as ever. She snapped out of it.

"I got the distress signal," she said to the woman. "I can take him from here."

Mrs. Figg looked her up and down skeptically. "You aren't supposed to be here."

"Well, nobody else answered, and I figured venturing outside for an hour or so wouldn't hurt anything." Artemis returned Figg's skepticism. "What are you doing here?"

"I was supposed to keep an eye on him."

Artemis looked back to Harry. "Dementors gone?"

"Yeah," he said, a bit dazed. "They're gone. I- Sorry, who are you?"

"I can't let you take him," said Mrs. Figg, not giving Artemis a chance to answer. "I'm supposed to look after him until the advanced guard gets here."

Artemis wanted to strangle her. "Yeah, see, I get that, but Arabella, I can take him. Please. Until they get here- I mean, I can protect him if anything happens-" She didn't want to mention that Mrs. Figg was a squib, and therefore couldn't do much of anything if Harry came into danger again. "Arabella, I'm his family."

"You're-"

"His godmother," Artemis said through gritted teeth.

Harry stared at her. "You're Artemis Blake," he said in a hushed voice. "You look different, I didn't recognize you."