The Hospital Wing glowed white as the early morning sunlight illuminated the white bedsheets that covered half a dozen cots. Artemis's head pounded, but that pain was nothing compared to the dryness that covered her mouth and throat like a coating of desert sand. She was in the Hospital Wing, that much was clear. Madam Pomfrey was nowhere to be seen, but there was a person standing at the foot of the bed that Artemis occupied.

It was Regulus Black.

He was looking away from Artemis, his gaze falling somewhere towards the door. Regulus was identical to the first boy in her dreams, except that he looked slightly younger. But why had he been in her dream in the first place? And why was Artemis there with him? And, the question that was bothering Artemis most of all, why had they been kissing?

And...pregnant? Artemis was pregnant with Regulus's child? She must have hit her head much harder than she thought if that was what she dreamed of.

But what was that second dream? The boy who was near-identical to James Potter, but he was younger and his eyes were green. Did James Potter have a secret brother that no one knew about?

But someone in her dream had died. A boy —Cassius, as the sobbing brown-haired girl had called him. It was funny, almost: for the first time that Artemis could remember, she was less concerned with the familiar night terror of Henry Grisham than her other dreams. The dead boy and James Potter's near-twin and the crying girl just couldn't leave her mind; they were like ghosts flitting across her memory.

Suddenly, Regulus moved and looked at Artemis's "sleeping" face. Artemis, who was looking around the room through half-opened eyes, quickly closed her eyes again, pretending to have been asleep the entire time.

But Refulus wasn't fooled. "I know you're awake," Regulus told her dryly.

Artemis fought the urge to curse before she opened her eyes fully. "What are you doing here?" she asked, her tongue heavier than it should be. Her mouth was drier than a desert.

Regulus shrugged. "I helped to bring you here. I felt responsible for making sure you weren't dead."

Such an annoyingly noble response; Artemis fought the urge to roll her eyes. Regulus was staring at her, as if he were studying her. Artemis pushed herself to a sitting position, ignoring the deep creaks that the cot released as she moved.

"Well, as you can see, I'm not dead," Artemis said bluntly. "You can leave now."

Regulus ignored her, and sat down at the foot of her bed. Artemis looked away from him and towards Madam Pomfrey's office, silently begging for the woman to walk out. But the door remained stubbornly shut. And Regulus remained stubbornly sitting there.

"What happened earlier?" Regulus asked without preamble. "Why did you pass out?"

"Medical condition," Artemis said unconvincingly. Regulus raised a single eyebrow at her. She gave him a glare and defensively said, "What? It's a real thing."

"Maybe, but not for you. We've been here for six years, Artemis, and never once have I seen you pass out."

"I don't see how it's any of your business," Artemis responded stubbornly. Merlin, she needed a glass of water. But she wasn't about to ask Regulus to get her anything.

Regulus rolled his dark eyes. "Act human for once, Artemis," he scoffed. "You may be named after a goddess, but you're not one. Why were you yelling at Abel like that? He's never done anything to you, has he? And Marlene's been nothing but nice to you —"

"Like I said," Artemis angrily interrupted, "I don't see how it's any of your business. Can you not just leave me alone?"

Regulus shook his head, his eyes burning with accusation. "I brought you here to get help. You owe me, Avery."

Merlin, he was stubborn. Artemis clenched her hands, which were hidden under white bedsheets, into tight fists. Her fingernails dig into skin, but her mind ignored the pain. Regulus continued to stare at him. It was infuriating.

"I owe you nothing," she hissed at him. "You don't know me, Black," Artemis spat out his last name like it was a curse, "so don't ask about things that don't concern you."

Regulus crossed his arms tightly over his chest. "Abel is my best mate. If you shout at him, I think I deserve to know why." Then, his eyes unexpectedly softened and his voice lowered. "You asked Marlene to kill you."

Artemis felt dread strike her heart like a snake. She had been weak, so weak, in front of three people that she didn't trust. Marlene had doubtlessly already told the entire school everything that had transpired. However dirty her reputation had been, it was about to be slandered through the mud even more.

Artemis wasn't just a slut anymore; now, she was mentally unstable. That would be the rumor on everyone's lips.

"You were screaming in your sleep," Regulus said quietly after a long pause of silence.

"That's why you decided to stay with me?" Artemis had meant for the words to come out snarky, but her dry mouth made them sound weak and desperate.

Regulus, hearing the pathetic state of her voice, stood up from the bed and walked across the room. When he returned, he was holding a full glass of water.

Artemis accepted it greedily, and downed the water in a single sip. She set the glass down on the bedside gingerly.

"I stayed with you," Regulus continued calmly, "because every time I tried to leave, you began screaming."

Artemis stared at him. Whatever she had been expecting him to say, it definitely wasn't that. She frowned darkly up at the boy.

"You were dreaming," Regulus said, not quite meeting Artemis's eyes, "and you wouldn't stop screaming. I thought you were dying."

"Your concern is appreciated," Artemis said dryly, her tone indicating that any concern of his was ignored. "But I'm fine, if you haven't noticed."

Regulus gave her a long look, and Artemis squirmed uncomfortably. She was laying in the Hospital Wing; she was the opposite of fine.

"Who's Cassius?"

Artemis's heart skipped a beat. "What?" the word came out breathlessly.

Regulus's lips turned into a triumphant smirk. "You were screaming 'Cassius' for a while. An hour or so. That, and 'he's back'. Madam Pomfrey and I couldn't make sense of it."

Artemis allowed her eyes to close as she rested her head back onto the pillow. "I don't know who Cassius is. I don't know anyone with that name."

It wasn't a lie. She had never seen the dark-haired boy before in her life; the first time had been her dreams, and Artemis still wasn't sure who it was. Whoever it was, he was dead now.

"What else did I scream?" asked Artemis, embarrassed to ask the question. But her curiosity outweighed whatever embarrassment she still had the dignity to possess.

Regulus looked at her for a long time with those captivating dark grey eyes. There was a deep intensity that rested behind his gaze, an intensity that she had never noticed before; Artemis shivered. And, somewhere in the back of her mind, the image of a locket glowed iridescently.

"A few things, actually," Regulus finally said. "But you would only say them when it was just me, after Madam Pomfrey and everyone else left. It was like you were having a conversation with me, except I wasn't answering. You shouted 'we had a plan', and then something about a creature surviving it. And...and you said my name."

Damnit. Artemis closed her eyes, not daring to meet Regulus's searching gaze. He was going to ask the question any second.

And then he did. "What were you drinking, Artemis? And why was I in your dream?"

She didn't know. How could she? Artemis was every bit as confused as Regulus, every bit as worried about what her dreams meant.

"It was just a dream," Artemis said weakly. "Dreams don't have to mean anything."

Regulus leaned closer to her. "You take Divination with me; you know dreams have to mean something."

It suddenly hit Artemis how young Regulus looked; there was still a roundness in his face that he hadn't yet outgrown. But the Regulus in her dream had sharper cheekbones with no trace of the baby fat. The Regulus in her dreams was older.

Divination. The art of Seers. Artemis felt her pulse quicken as the thoughts raced through her mind. Was it possible that Artemis was a Seer?

She bit the inside of her cheek hard until she drew blood. No, it was impossible. She had never had dreams like this before. But that didn't make her a Seer. They were just dreams. Just stupid, realistic dreams.

"I'm not a —" Artemis began to say.

"Good, you're awake, Miss Avery," said a voice from the other side of the room. Artemis whipped her head and found Madam Pomfrey striding towards her. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine. I'm fine."

The cot groaned as Regulus stood up. "She woke up a few minutes ago," he said hastily. Artemis grinned; he felt guilty about not getting Madam Pomfrey right away. As if he could feel her smirk on his back, Regulus turned and shot a glare at her. She returned the gesture.

"That would explain all the talking," Madam Pomfrey said to Regulus with a knowing look.

Regulus blushed. Out of all things, a small guilt was enough to reduce him to nothing more than a boy. Gone was the interrogator mask that he had been wearing.

"Am I good to leave?" Artemis asked after stifling the urge to laugh at Regulus.

Madam Pomfrey's intense focus was suddenly on her. "I think not. You fainted for no reason, Miss Avery. It seems to me that you are severely dehydrated. When was the last time you had something to eat?"

Artemis shrugged. "Two days ago, maybe?"

"You haven't eaten in two days?" Regulus asked, shocked.

She rolled her eyes at him, the gesture almost playful. "Not all of us live in the kitchens like you do, Black. Some of us actually have lives."

"Funny how you don't find me fainting," he retorted quickly.

Artemis scowled while Regulus grinned.

"You're going to stay here until you eat something," Madam Pomfrey said in her no-nonsense tone, ignoring the bickering teenagers. "Your Professors are aware of your condition."

A thought suddenly dawned on her. "Wait, aren't you supposed to be in class right now, Regulus?"

"He is excused from today's classes as well," said the nurse briskly. "It would be a nuisance if he had left. You wouldn't stop screaming —"

"I know, Regulus already told me," Artemis interrupted, sending a glare at the boy. "But he can leave now."

Regulus shrugged. "I still expect answers, Avery."

"Prick," she muttered.

He laughed as he walked to the door. Regulus didn't look back as he crossed the threshold, disappearing from sight.

Suddenly, pain overtook Artemis. She bit her lip to keep from screaming. She squeezed her eyes shut to prevent tears from leaking out of them. It was as if her nerves were overflowing with this relentless pain. It existed everywhere: in her blood, in her bones, in her brain. There was a storm in her body.

"Are you alright, Miss Avery?" asked Madam Pomfrey's voice, but it sounded murky and faraway.

Artemis gritted her teeth and opened her eyes. The pain was still there, like an exploding supernova, resting beneath her skin.

"Fine," she said tersely. Merlin, it hurt. "I'm fine."

The pain sent out another wave, and Artemis drowned in it.

•••

-NOTHING BUT A STATE OF MIND-
[ good mourning / halsey ]