(so sorry lmao, i only posted one POV first time around instead of the two planned.)

Remus' POV.

"You coming back to mine tonight?" Mary asked, cleaning up the last of the scattered glasses. Her shift coming to an end.

The rest of the group left about twenty minutes ago. I decided to stay and watch everyone who left, hoping that I'd catch a glance of Arty to confirm I wasn't going mad.

"I'm probably just gonna go home. Want me to walk you though?" I asked. Mary lived with Lily and Marlene, and they all didn't live too far from mine (which I shared with Peter).

I remember us all fighting about who was going to live with who, not being able to afford the big dream mansion that we could all live together. James and Sirius couldn't bear the thought of separating from each other and a four bed was impossible to come across, meaning Peter and I decided to become roomies. None of us could afford to live alone. Alice and Frank have been travelling since leaving Hogwarts, in Australia now living off a working visa. Engaged and thriving. Marlene's maid of honour and James is best man when the day comes. Lily found and fell in love with a nice three bed, with a little garden that many the BBQ has been hosted in and when Alice decided to go off travelling last minute and got engaged, Mary was then further interrogated into the group by providing the third bedrooms rent.

She didn't know about my condition. We decided as a group we couldn't risk telling anyone else, we were going to tell Arty, approaching the topic of the mauraders...which we hadn't called ourselves for a while, but then she left and she could have left knowing all of our secrets and that scared us all.

"How about halfway?" She smiled and I agreed, waiting for her to finish.

The night was warm and clear, stars shining in the sky and there were still the sounds of lively people celebrating life in the streets and their gardens.

"So, Marlene told me you bumped into Artemis Black? That's who you were on about right? That must have been a blast from the past." Mary said as I walked her halfway back to hers.

"Yeah, you remember her?" I asked, redirecting my gaze from the sky to her.

"Not really." She pulled a face that kind of said 'my bad'.

"I never spoke to her; we weren't in the same classes. Same as you and me! But people spoke about her for a while when she tried to kill Gregory Goyle. That's all I know her from."

I itched the back of my neck awkwardly.

"She was just misunderstood, I think. It was uh...act of passion?" I awkwardly replied.

"He was a dick though." I said flippantly, I still kind of believe he deserved it.

Arty didn't correctly perform the curse. It was attempted though and that was the main issue and Goyle did spend three weeks in the hospital wing because of a bit of internal bleeding and the fact he broke his arm by simply falling on it...the bleeding realistically was healed within a day. He just milked it and thrived off of the attention for a few weeks. He could have become seriously hurt if there wasn't medical intervention but even Poppy Pomfrey, on my next full moon trip to see her, told me-

"The boy was fine after a few days. Nothing too dissimilar than what I do for you, in these moments. The curse wasn't a curse at all, simply a good beating." She rolled her eyes, whilst bandaging me and then apologised for being unprofessional.

I remember wondering why his family didn't press charges until she spilled that information. He hadn't been hit by a curse, just an attempted one. Which is why Arty was excluded and not worse. She was an average witch (the dark arts were never her strong point despite good test scores), not even knowing how to magically clean her hands from the soil that covered them in our first ever class together. Bellatrix loved being able to claim their family all had a talent for the dark arts after the incident though.

"I didn't know you were friends with her, I just thought you guys had a talent for being in the wrong place." Mary said, snapping me out of my brief reminiscing.

"Yeah, you're not wrong." I laughed.

"I can leave Hogwarts, but I can't leave Ravenclaw." She tapped her head referencing her knowledge.

We finally approached Mary and the girls house, I decided I couldn't just leave her to walk alone in the dark despite how she protested that she'd be fine.

"You sure you don't want to sleep the night?" She smiled, starting to open the front door and I nodded, a yawn now slipping out of my mouth at the word sleep.

"Goodnight then, thanks for walking me home." She smiled, there was a flirtatious glint in her eye as she leant holding the door open for herself.

"You're welcome. Night." I smirked and began walking down the steps that lead up to her.

"No kiss?" She said with a playful tone in her voice.

I glanced back at her but keeping most of my body turned away. My hands shoved in my pocket and a smile creeping up onto my face at her cheeky behaviour.

"Not tonight. Looking as wonderful as ever though." I said earnestly.

She nodded slowly and smiled in a way that I couldn't figure out if she was trying not to laugh or trying not to be offended.

"Hm. Interesting. It's gonna be a shame when I have to start treating you as just a friend. Maybe I'll take Peter out next. I do have a rule that I don't date more than one person in a group, you back out and onto the next!" She laughed as I walked down the street. She wasn't offended, thank god. This is why I love casual relationships.

"I have no idea what you're talking about!" I shouted back sarcastically, already halfway down the street.

"One sight of a girl you once knew, and I don't get a single peck. The disloyalty!"

I could hear her roar with laughter as she closed the door. It was the first time I had somewhat rejected her. Mary was a self-proclaimed "hippy" who loved, loving people. I knew if she was so desperate for a little peck, she could call up any of the number of people she had that would have walked her home in a heartbeat. She was living her best life, the way she wanted to and I didn't mind to be occasionally squeezed into that schedule. Until now and the thought of staying the night felt, wrong and she's right. It is because I took a few glances of a girl I once knew.

I eventually got home, the walk not being too long or bad to mine and Peter's flat. He was sound asleep by the time I got back, sprawled over the sofa snoring instead of his bed. He had only drunkenly made it to the point of taking his shoes off before collapsing. I left him there, putting a packet of migraine medication next to him for the morning and went to sleep myself.

Arty's POV.

I got to sleep way too late, consumed by the children's book I had bought. Finishing it all in the one reading.

It was surprisingly wonderful despite my initial reaction to the concept.

A quiet girl who wasn't truly accepted by her village sacrificed herself for her vulnerable inventor of a father, becoming prisoner to a beast who lived in a large gothic castle. Objects spoke and claimed to have once been human, a curse having changed all their lives forever. Including the beast, who once was a handsome and popular prince. No one truly knew how to break the curse, but they knew time was running out. When the final petal falls from the enchanted rose, they would all be stuck in their cursed form forever. Love broke the curse, when the beautiful girl no longer feared the beast and stood her ground and the beast let down his walls and accepted the girls kindness instead of brooding in his solitude.

I woke up and it had gone past lunchtime. The long night taking its toll on my sleep schedule. I was to see Narcissa tomorrow about what my next steps were, but really I was happy to stay here for a while. It was comfortable enough.

I got ready for the day and went downstairs. It was a little busy, a bunch of people having afternoon Saturday drinks but nothing in comparison to last night where I could barely walk without touching someone. I came here early hours of last Sunday after the Saturday night drinkers were walking home. The pub stays open for travellers to pass in and out but doesn't serve food or drink anymore after a certain time. I wonder if tonight will be the same as last night, only getting quiet and empty into the early hours of the next morning.

The old bar owner was talking with a bunch of other moody looking wizards in dreary robes and wasn't working for me to be able to get a drink. I sat at the table I had made into my regular one, in the corner and just waited until she finished nattering. After some time a girl around my age pushed through the door.

"Sorry I'm late!" She huffed out of breath and the older woman sighed claiming she was useless to her friends.

I watched as the girl lightly jogged behind the bar. I hadnt seen her before and just assumed the cranky witch didn't hire any help. Maybe she only worked weekends. I waited for a while until I realised the cranky witch wasn't getting back to work anytime soon and decided to go up and ask the girl instead.

She had glowing dark skin and warm toned braids and a big pretty smile that she beamed at to customers. She wore faded dungarees, that hung loosely worn more like jeans and big hoops, she didn't look like she was dressed for work at all, not to the standards I have been raised around anyway but she still carried herself very professionally and friendly. Much kinder than the woman that obviously owns the place.

I wandered over to the bar.

"Hi, are you doing lunch today?" I asked, as she was polishing liquor bottles.

"Yeah Hun. I wouldn't get the pumpkin soup personally it's been sat there for a while, but I can grab you something." She smiled and slid over a small menu.

I quickly scanned it over and just decided on a simple cheese and pickle sandwich. The menu was very plain, it was very much a drinkers pub. I told her my order.

"I can bring it over to you if you like? Corner table right? I just need to finish this up first." She nodded over to the window seat I was previously at. For some reason I felt like sitting at the bar with her instead and decided to try and be brave.

"Can I eat at the bar?"

She laughed.

"Yeah of course you can. Are you waiting for someone?" She asked.

"No, I'm just staying upstairs and got hungry." I smiled shyly. She was the first person I had the urge to start a conversation with all week.

"Oh are you travelling? Where you from?" She seemed intrigued. You could tell she was the type of person to do bar work because of a love for people. Nosey, but in a good way.

"Uh not quite. On the hunt for somewhere to live! Here for the time being." I shared.

"Hold that thought!" She smiled big at me and wandered off to the kitchens that was around the corner from the bar. Tucked away so you couldn't see the door.

A few minutes passed and she came back with my sandwich and a packet of crisps. I accepted it from her and began picking at the food. She started pouring some more drinks for a couple of middle-aged women holding shopping bags and shouted she'd bring them over. They must have been regulars. When she got back behind the bar, she dangled a piece of paper in front of my face with an address scribbled down on it. I looked at her questionably.

"You're looking for a place, right?" She said simply and placed the card in front of me.

"Someone I know is selling a flat. It's not big, but it's cheap and better than this place."

"Thanks." A big smile creeping up on my face at the helpful gesture.

"I don't mind it here though to be honest, it's not so bad!"

"I've slept on those beds; I know you're lying." She laughed, making me laugh too.

"They're expecting someone to show up for a viewing at about seven tonight, I don't think it'll be a problem if you showed up too." She added, pointing to the address she had written down. I smiled at her warmly.

"I love your hair by the way." I said, attempting to compliment my way into a possible friendship.

"Thanks Hun!" She swished her braid around.

"Got them done today but don't tell that old crow that's why I was late" She lowered her voice.

She went off to complete a few other tasks and go talk to 'that old crow' about a leak somewhere, she spoke pretty loudly and exuded confidence. It was quite charming instead of intimidating. She greeted everyone she saw, hugging a few people here and there, sending funny winks in different people's directions.

I finished my sandwich and brushed down my lap, giving it a patting drumming motion. Questioning what I wanted to do with my day. Should I go view this flat? Surely, I should go with Narcissa? I had no way of contacting her yet though.

I got up from the bar when the nice bartender came back around again. Grabbing my plate and empty glass.

"What you up to today then?" She asked.

"That's what I was just figuring out." I replied.

"Well, it's nice and sunny out! I'd be grabbing a tinny and reading in the park if I could." She sighed thinking about it.

"A tinny?" I awkwardly repeated.

"A can of something nice, alcoholic usually. You get them in muggle shops. Yanno though, Bubbles down the street do great fake potions, the passionfruit love potion is my favourite." She shared enthusiastically.

"I'll have a look, thanks!" I smiled, enjoying the idea of ... a tinny in the park. Didn't sound as cool coming from the voice inside my head.

"I'm Mary by the way." She said before I could leave.

"Arty!" I smiled at her, feeling happy I had met her.

Her mouth snapped open with shock laced with amusement. She quickly closed it.

"No way! I was in your year at school, technically. We didn't know each other though." She was holding in a laugh, and suddenly I felt a bit insecure that she was trying not to laugh at the reputation I might have. I thought people would have forgotten about me and don't know how she recognised me from saying my name, surely it wasn't super uncommon. A lot of girls in the wizarding world had my name as a middle name.

"Oh how weird. It was nice actually getting to speak to you." I laughed awkwardly, throwing one of my hands in my pocket and awkwardly giving her a wave bye.

"You'll be back tonight right?" She shouted before i could push open the door to leave.

I nodded a yes and quickly wandered off to find the shop bubbles for my fake potion juice. I hadn't thought how I would approach people who potentially knew why I had disappeared from school. I didn't even remember ever meeting her so who else knows me where it isn't mutual? I now understood why Narcissa told me to keep a low profile for a while.