Alone

A

Artemis Tuuri

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Artemis seated herself on the bank of the lakefront, staring out over the serene water. The day's work had taken it's toll, and the tiny first year began to feel the effects.

A dim misery had settled on her. Everything was wonderful at Hogwarts, but it was human company that she missed the most. Bess and Connie never spoke to her, lest she embarrass them in front of their friends. Kida had been nice, but she had her cousins to deal with. What did she know about Kida, anyway?

She missed her mother dreadfully, and she was thousands of miles away from her. Charing Cross seemed a lifetime away. A tiny tear crept out of her pixie eyes. Artemis took a great,angry sniff at her foolishness. She felt like cursing the tear away, but she knew no curses anyway. Just one, good hex.

Artemis lifted her head and stared at the sky. There was no-one there for her anymore. She was on her own.
 
Sern had been walking along the lakeside wondering if he should jump in, robes and all. How he loved the lake...So peaceful and the creatures below it surface were always so interesting to look at and talk to. he continued these thought down along until he saw a girl. ..its not like he hadn't seen a girl before, it was just that she seemed in such distress.

He slinked over to her in his usual silent way and stopped just beside her and said in his usual quiet but commanding tone, "Whats wrong?"...
 
Artemis snapped out of her reverie, literally. One moment she was curled up carefully, eyes skyward, and the next moment she let out a tiny squeak of surprise and tumbled over onto her back.
Artemis blinked tears out of her eyes and waited till they cleared. She looked up from her silly position on the ground, directly into the eyes of the boy who had spoken. She gave another comical little squeak again, then rolled gracefully to her knees.
"Waah...ahh...sorry? What did you say?"
Her tiny cheeks went pink.
 
Sern was never one to laugh unless it was worse laughing at. Though he gave a slight chuckle thinking that this deserved it. he watched her for a silent moment with his stormy eyes flashing under pitch black hair.

"I asked what was the matter", he said cooly, "But I suppose introductions would be best to start off with?". his voice kept just over a whisper.
 
Artemis's eyes remained glued to the boy's.

"Artemis Beatrice Blackmoore-Yearling" she said in one breath.
"Ravenclaw, First Year" she said in another.

Her eyes lost their distress and embarrassment, and gave a twinkle at the boy.

She dropped her voice to match his low tones.
"What's your name?"
 
Sern seemed to be unblinking as he listened to her name. And one she did he repeated, "Artemis...The huntress?" he was quite interested in her name.

And when she asked his he replied in a slightly prouder tone, "Sern, Sern Summers." then after a moments pause "Of Gryffindor".

He noted that she had coloured cheeks and her eyes seemed slightly distant. It didnt worry him to much alot of people were affected by his unusual eyes, though why she was blushing he couldn't figure out.
 
"The huntress..." Artemis said softly.
"Well, my mother and father named me after the goddess of wisdom, though that's not one I've heard before." she said conversationally, taking on a pleasant, friendly tone.
Mother...
There was a slight pause, before she spoke again.
"Do you like it here?"
 
"I see", He murmured gently and when she asked if he liked it here his gaze turned longingly over the lake and forests surrounding it. "Aye, the forests and lake most of all" even though his voice was so quiet it traveled well and could be heard clearly enough.
 
Artemis gave a tiny smile before her eyes drifted away again. The boy was apparently forgotten for the moment, as the lines of her face filled with the misery of before.
Although her eyes seemed to cry with no tears, her mouth kept running as if it was on autodrive.
"Yes, it is very beautiful here. I could not ask for a more lovely place to learn. And learn we do. Why, today I learnt my very first charm! Such a wonder I could not achieve at home. I say though, when did you first realize that you were magical?"
 
When sern looked back at her eyes and saw the misery in them he guessed what was wrong and moved aside the other questions, not meaning to be rude but he thought this was more important.
His face a mask of stone as he asked, "Who do you miss?"
 
Artemis was startled by the question. The boy has a hard face now, as though determined to get to the point. A point that Artemis was reluctant to share. Artemis considered brushing aside his question as he had done her own, but she was too tired, too miserable and altogether too lonely to brush it by so easily.
Her jaw trembled very slightly as she almost physically forced her feelings down before they welled up in her eyes.
"Everyone." she answered simply, hoping he would leave it at that before she broke so childishly in front of a stranger.
 
His face softened the slightest bit as she answered and wondered if he should press on but then decided against it for the time being. He sat himself down beside her and looked out over the water for a min. "I miss Azurath...." his voice had dropped , if it were possible, to an even quieter tone.
 
Artemis almost cheered with relief. She hoped this new development would not open up any wounds of Sern's own.
"Azurath?"
 
Sern chuckled with pain before saying, "you probably wouldn't believe me if I told you..., not many do..." his face kept the emotionless mask but his eyes wore deep with emotion.
 
Artemis forgot her own misery instantly, She instinctively lay her tiny, frail hand against his much bigger one, and pursed her lips in sympathy.
"I am sorry. Sometimes I wrap myself up in my own worries, and forget that others have them, too."
She did not think she had been selfish, but just in case he felt so, she had apologized.
 
After a long moments pause Sern gave a sigh and said, "No need to apologize for missing someone......", his eyes came back and set on the girl.
 
Artemis dropped her gaze from his, blushing again. She felt the tears barely being held in, and she felt so foolish that she wanted to scream at herself.
"How shameful..." she said softly.
 
Sern looked at the girl for a moment longer then on impulse said, "Azurath is a tiger by the way....a god friend of mine..." his stone mask softened slighter still as he said and wondered if she would think he was crazy.
 
Artemis nodded almost imperceptibly, taking it in stride. Hoping she had not crossed a line, she spoke again.
"What happened?"
 
"...He died" he whispered then fell silent looking back out to the lake, his stormy eyes going slightly misty.
 
Artemis looked up quickly, staring at the boy.
"Oh! Oh!" she said, throwing her arms around him. The hug was comforting and intimate, but immediately broken with embarrassment. Artemis flew back, a hand almost covering her mouth.
"Oh...oh, I'm sorry" she said with flaming cheeks, both for the boys loss and her strong reaction.
 
Sern was lost in thought when he realized the girl had her arms around him. his eyes widened slightly as she did and wondered what to do, I mean its not everyday he was hugged. But before he could do anything she withdrew and turned bright red.

He was about to say something and had his mouth open, but all thought drained from him so he closed it again, still scrambling in his head to find something to say or do.
 
Artemis pursed her cherry lips.
"I am sorry," she said seriously "That was rather rude of me. I should not have pressed the subject. And I feel that I have no right to complain anymore. Missing someone because they are not there is completely different from missing someone because they're dead."
There was a pause, and then...
"Especially if that one person is all you have."
Slowly her cheeks began to cool down.
 
"Curiosity is a good thing to have..." He took a moment before adding with a slight tinge to his cheeks, "and trying to comfort another is better, not to mention especially hard when the person comforting has their own pains...In this...I thanks you". He turned his gazed on her again but only for a moment then glanced to the side when he realized the tinge to his cheeks.
 
Artemis smiled at him.
"You needed it more than I did."
She lay her hand upon his shoulder softly for a moment. She stood now, and turned to face the lakefront. The sun was begging to set.
"I'll see you 'round" she said to him. Artemis turned, and scampered walked back into Hogwarts with his eyes in her mind's eye.
 
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