/𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐒\ [𝒔. 𝒃𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒌]

𝟐.𝟛.𝟣

~

"happiness can exist only in acceptance." ~ George Orwell

~september 1972~

Artemis woke up before dawn on September first and got up without a trace of sleep in her eyes. She'd chosen her outfit the night before- a new pair of plaid slacks and a white button-up shirt that she tucked into her pants. She stared at herself in the mirror, not used to her reflection showing the actual shape of her body. She'd always been sort of scrawny for her age, having inherited her mother's narrow shoulders and her father's lack of appetite. She squinted at herself, trying to figure out why she wasn't more satisfied with her own reflection until, wanting to further change to her appearance, she pulled her usual unkept mane of hair around her shoulders up into a ponytail at the back of her head. Then, she gave herself a small smile and sat back down on her bed to wait for it to be time to go back to Hogwarts- the moment she felt like she'd been waiting for since she left at the end of last year. While she waited, she sifted through the letters she'd received from her friends at the beginning of the summer, starting with what she'd gotten from Lily in the first week of July and ending with the note Remus had attached to his package just weeks before.

At last, the sun rose over the tree line and cast its thin rays onto the cold wooden floor of Artemis's bedroom. She checked the clock. Five til' eight. She couldn't keep her legs from bouncing up and down in excitement, picturing herself boarding the Hogwarts express with Lily and Mary and Marlene, maybe even sharing a compartment with Remus again, and at last waving goodbye to her aunt and uncle. She slid off of her bed and checked for the fifth time to make sure everything was all packed. It was. She slipped an owl treat into Athena's cage and watched as her beak clipped it and swallowed it almost whole. "You're so weird," she murmured lovingly, slipping her fingers through the bars to gently stroke her owl's soft feathers.

At last, the sound of other people stirring alerted Artemis that it was finally almost time to go. Heavy footsteps pounded on the staircases and voices called to one another. She stood up to head down to breakfast, straightening her clothes, and then her door banged open. "Morning!" Gregory shouted excitedly, his eyes scanning Artemis's outfit gleefully. "What are you wearing?" he spat, eyes gleaming maliciously.

"Clothes," Artemis said, giving him an obstinate look.

Gregory snorted. "You look like a boy. Dad! Art's dressed like a boy!"

"Shut up!" Artemis shot back, but Gregory was already prancing out of the room, still howling over his joke. She took a step back and surveyed herself in the mirror, suddenly hating every part of the outfit she'd been so excited to wear on the train just minutes before. The pants didn't fit right, the shirt was too formal, her hair was all wrong... She swiftly tugged the ponytail holder out and let her long brown tresses swing down over her shoulders before beginning to unbutton her shirt. In one minute flat she was back in an old pair of baggy jeans and a huge, gray work shirt her dad used to use when he had to fix things around the house. She looked in the mirror again, and while she didn't feel particularly happy with how she looked, she was at least comfortable.