"Artie! Artie!"

It was an early Sunday morning, and Apollo Avery was chasing his sister. He was running down the corridor, shoving people out of the way in order to reach Artemis, who merely gaped at him in surprise.

He grabbed at Artemis's arm, so painfully oblivious to his sister's hatred of being touched. She jostled out of his grip, but Apollo just grinned at her. As if it was normal. As if they were normal.

"Did you get a letter from Mum?" he asked excitedly, a bright light shining from his golden eyes.

"No," Artemis responded hesitantly, ignoring the small crowd of people that were shooting glares at her for blocking the path to breakfast in the Great Hall.

There was a brief pause of awkwardness; it wasn't new information that Vance and Sorscha Avery rarely wrote to their daughter while writing every week to their son, but it didn't make the fact any less awkward when the Avery siblings stumbled upon it during conversation.

But the awkwardness evaporated as Apollo's face split into a wide smile. He waved the letter that was clutched in his hand.

"We're going to France for Christmas!" Apollo exclaimed. "France!"

Artemis's heart plummeted deep inside her chest. Already, she felt the pain from being away from Regulus, and he was only on the other side of the wall. How was she supposed to survive being in another country without him?

"France?" Artemis echoed weakly. "Why?"

"Does there have to be a reason? It's France, Artie. Anyways, Mum and Dad told me that I could bring Harper and Tobias, if I wanted to, which I do. I'm sure you could ask to bring a friend."

The last sentence came out weakly, the words too rushed together to truly be sincere. But Apollo was trying, Artemis would give him that. He was trying much harder than Artemis ever had.

Her parents wouldn't care if Artemis brought anyone along, much less who. Just as long as they weren't Muggleborn or a blood-traitor. Just as long as Artemis remained out of her parent's sight. Slowly, the pieces began to fit together.

Artemis beamed suddenly at her brother, who smiled surprisedly in response. "France sounds amazing," she said with genuine. "Have you written back home yet?"

Apollo shook his head. "I just received this. I was going to write back later this afternoon. Why?"

"I have to ask first, but I think I know who I want to take," Artemis replied, already walking inside the Great Hall. "Find me before you send a letter!"

And then she was gone, striding determinedly towards the Gryffindor table. Artemis Avery sat down directly beside Marlene McKinnon. Several pairs of Gryffindor eyes gaped at the Slytherin girl.

"Can we help you?" asked Lily Evans after a pause, her green eyes wide.

"You can't," bluntly said Artemis before turning to face Marlene, who appeared to be blushing. "Can I talk to you in private, Marlene?"

""Oh no, you don't," growled Dorcas Meadowes, who had her dark eyes narrowed at Artemis. "She told us what you've said to her, and you've got another thing coming if you think we're gonna let you talk to her —"

"Where do you want to talk?" interrupted Marlene, a steely look in her brown gaze.

Artemis grinned and led Marlene to a corner of the Great Hall, ignoring the confused stares that were aimed at her back. Once she had determined that there was no one around paying them any attention, Artemis began to speak quietly.

"I wanted to ask you a favor," began Artemis carefully, giving the girl a wide smile.

"What kind of favor?" Marlene asked casually, trying and failing to sound uninterested.

It was almost too easy, sometimes.

"You see, my family is going to France for Christmas and my parents told me I could bring a friend or two, if I wanted. And I thought that you might want to come with us."

Hesitancy shone in Marlene's brown eyes. "I didn't think we were friends."

"We weren't," said Artemis hastily. "But I'd like to apologize for the way I've acted, and this is the best way I thought to do it."

The lie rolled off Artemis's tongue easily, too easily. But why should she be surprised? She had been lying for years; this was just her most recent lie.

"By taking me to France with your prejudice family?" Marlene asked dryly, crossing her arms.

"By taking you on a paid holiday," corrected Artemis. "It won't cost you a single knut."

Artemis could see it in Marlene's eyes, and she fought down the urge to smile. Marlene was going to say yes; it was written all over her face.

"I'll think about it," said Marlene after a pause, lying through her teeth.

Artemis debated whether or not she should call out the Gryffindor's bullshit, but she decided against it. "Great," she grinned. "I'm going to go ask Regulus now."

She began to walk away, spinning neatly on her heel, allowing the words to sink into Marlene. Artemis had only walked a few steps when she heard a voice chasing her.

"Wait!" said Marlene. "Why are you asking Regulus?"

Artemis turned, giving the girl a too-innocent smile. "I told you my parents said I could bring two friends. You're one; Regulus is the other."

"But you and Regulus...you aren't friends," said Marlene stupidly.

Artemis shrugged carelessly. "Things change, Mar. People change, too."

And with that, Artemis walked away, leaving behind a confused girl. She ignored the long, suspicious looks Marlene's friends were giving her from the Gryffindor table, and continued towards where Regulus was eating breakfast beside Abel. They were whispering to each other over a plate of half-eaten toast, so emerged in their conversation that neither boy noticed when Artemis sat down across from them.

"Good morning," she said cheerfully, helping herself to a piece of toast off Abel's plate. "You two look full of secrets today."

Both boys jumped in surprise. But Artemis didn't care, not when a deep relief washed over her bones, changing her blood from the burning lava that had occupied her veins. It was pure bliss being near Regulus, and not in that way that Artemis had grown used to.

"Can we help you?" Regulus asked coolly.

"You can, actually," responded Artemis, wiping the butter off her fingers. "Well, Regulus can."

The two boys exchanged a look. "Whatever you're going to say in front of Regulus, you can say in front of me," Abel declared boldly.

"So dramatic," Artemis purred, leaning in closer. "It's a question about Regulus' holiday plans."

"Holiday plans?" repeated Regulus, his eyebrows drawing together in confusion. "Why?"

Artemis took another piece of toast from his plate, which Regulus ignored. She bit into it, taking her time to chew it before responding.

"Because I was wondering if you wanted to come to France with me."

"France?" asked Regulus.

"With you?" finished Abel.

Their surprised looks were identical. It was almost scary how alike the two friends were.

"That's cute, how you finish each other's sentences like that," said Artemis, taking another bite of the toast. "Have you set a date for the wedding?"

"Why would you ask me to go to France with you?" asked Regulus, blatantly ignoring Artemis's quip.

She shrugged. "Because I can. I can take two friends with me."

"Can I come?" Abel asked eagerly.

Artemis turned to face him. "No," she said bluntly.

Abel deflated. "Then who's the other person?"

"I already asked Marlene," Artemis pointed to where the Gryffindor had returned to eat with her friends, "and she said yes."

Another lie, but it was close enough to the truth.

"Marlene said yes?" repeated Regulus.

Artemis rolled her eyes. "It's annoying how you repeat everything I say. Yes, Marlene said yes, thought I don't know why that's so difficult to believe."

"It's not," said Abel hastily, shooting his friend a dark look. "Regulus wants to go with you."

Regulus glared at Abel. "I never said that."

"But you were thinking it," Abel countered.

"Young life," hummed Artemis dreamily. Both boys turned their glares to her. She rolled her eyes.

"Reg, I know you don't want to go home for Christmas," murmured Abel, trying and failing to speak soft enough for Artemis not to hear him. "Your brother will mess up everything as usual."

"Look, Black, you won't be stuck with me the entire holiday," said Artemis, drawing emphasis on Regulus' last name. "Apollo is coming; I know you're friends with him."

"We just play Quidditch together," he muttered.

"And Marlene is coming; you like her," Artemis continued, as if Regulus hadn't said anything.

"She's nice enough for a Gryffindor," Regulus interrupted quietly.

"I just wanted to see if you wanted your Christmas to become less hellish," finished Artemis, dropping the crust of her toast onto Abel's plate.

A pause. Long enough for Regulus' dark eyes to search Artemis' face. Artemis fought to keep her expression neutral, to keep the pathetic want invisible. If she acted like she didn't care, then it wouldn't be so obvious that she cared more than anything.

"Why me?" Regulus finally asked.

Because I'm in physical pain when I'm not near you. Because it's agony, and I'm too weak to handle it. Because I had a vision of us in the future, together impossibly. And I want to know why.

"Because I haven't been that good to you," Artemis said, ignoring the truth burning in her mind. "This is how I thought I could make it up."

Regulus nodded, as if that answer made all the sense in the world. "Okay."

"Okay?" repeated Artemis. "As in you'll come?"

He nodded. Suddenly, her heart felt much lighter than it had before.

"You haven't been that good to me, either," Abel pointed out. "I don't see you offering me trips to France."

Regulus grinned at Artemis, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Her heart skipped a beat as she returned it.

"Sod off, Grisham," she said, a teasing tone in her voice.

But Artemis was smiling.

•••

-FROM A DISTANCE
LIGHT FROM STARS-

[ everything that helps you sleep / julien baker ]