The Wilderness Years

Chapter 10: Options

The final task of the Triwizard Tournament was now less than a month away, and there had been a peculiar sense of both winding down and gearing up at work. Badeea's labyrinth had been constructed on the Quidditch pitch of Hogwarts school, and now, all that was needed were the obstacles for the champions to take on within its maze of hedged walls.

It was Artemis, Badeea, and - unfortunately - Thomasina's job to sort out what would go where, and the three of them had been sent up to Hogwarts for the day. Working in such a small group with Thomasina was proving to be a challenging task in itself. At lunchtime, Artemis made the excuse that she had to go down to the village to pick up a new book for Chester in Tomes and Scrolls simply to get away from her.

The bookshop was relatively empty, and Artemis savoured its quiet atmosphere and musty smell, running her hands over the leather spines of the books as she walked along the length of the shelves. As she turned around one corner, she stopped abruptly.

Standing opposite her was a young witch her own age, flicking through the pages of a book on the Dark Arts, her spikily cut brown hair falling slightly over her pale and pointed face. She had an orange streak through her fringe, and the eyes that scanned the book in her hand were a striking shade of violet. Artemis frowned.

"Merula? Merula Snyde?"

At the sound of her name, the witch looked up from her book, and at the sight of Artemis, she rolled her eyes.

"Oh, for Godric's sake," she said. "What are you doing here, Hexley?"

"I could ask you the same thing. I thought you were away curse-breaking."

"I thought you couldn't read," retorted Merula. Artemis pulled a face at her, and she shrugged. "I was sent to Hogsmeade on a case last week. Bloke up the road thought that his rubbish bin had been cursed to attract a hellhound."

"Had it?"

"Nah, turns out it was just a stray dog looking for food. Bit dull, honestly."

"Right," Artemis nodded. "Did you get my Christmas card?"

"Really?"

"What?"

"It's May, Hexley," said Merula. She sighed and her face softened. "Yeah, I did. Thanks."

"You're welcome." There was an awkward sort of pause in which neither of them spoke. Eventually, Artemis said, "I'm on my lunch break."

"I'll let you get on, then."

"No, I mean... Do you want to come for lunch with me?"

Merula's eyes narrowed momentarily as if suspicious, but she nodded her head and put down her book.

"Yeah, okay then," she said, already walking towards the shop door. "But you're paying, Hexley."

It was Artemis' turn to roll her eyes. Merula hadn't changed one bit.

***

At the Three Broomsticks Inn, Artemis ordered two Butterbeers, two sandwiches, and a bowl of chips from Madam Rosmerta, and carried them across to the table by the window that Merula had chosen for them to sit at. Merula did not thank Artemis for the food or drink, but she began to talk in a far more friendly way, by Merula's standards, at least.

"So, what's the deal with you and Davies?" she asked, reaching across the table and taking a chip from their shared bowl.

"How do you know about that?"

"Still in contact with some of the Gringotts lot. And Penny writes sometimes, too."

"Of course she does," Artemis laughed. "We've been together for about a year now. More, actually."