Chapter 1
Chapter 1
Artemis (MC) POV
Honestly, my fifth year isn’t going like I had expected it to. I’ve been thrust into the center of danger and darkness since just before arriving at Hogwarts. I’ve fought goblins, trolls, dark wizards, and many beasts. Don’t get me wrong! It’s been quite the learning experience and I love being able to protect my friends, but it does take a toll.
While it’s true I’ve made many friends since arriving, I can’t help but feel like all I do is put them in danger. I was given the gift of wielding and seeing ancient magic. It sounds great, but it’s the whole reason I’ve been at the center of a war with goblins and dark wizards. My friends have gotten hurt. I’ve watched my best friend/crush, Sebastian, go down a dark path because I couldn’t tell him no.
Most days I can hardly get out of bed. I jump at every little noise, and the nightmares have caused me to start sleeping in the room of requirement. My fellow Slytherins started throwing me concerned looks when my screams started waking them up at night. I’m supposed to be the hero of Hogwarts. I’m not supposed to cry because of nightmares.
I should have left before things got too bad. I should have left when Sebastian started turning to dark relics. Maybe his uncle would be alive if I had. Maybe he wouldn’t be walking around like a ghost, moving from place to place, but never truly joining the world around him.
I should have left before Natty and Poppy asked for my help. Maybe then Natty wouldn’t be in the hospital wing. Maybe Poppy wouldn’t have almost gotten injured on multiple occasions. I tried to visit Natty in the hospital wing, but her mother screamed insults at me before I could even get to the door. She blames me for her daughter’s condition. It’s okay. I blame me, too.
I’ve already decided once I defeat Rookwood and Ranrock then I’m leaving. I’ll take whatever books I can carry from the library and disappear. I’ll leave a note for Poppy to take care of the beasts in the vivariums. Maybe I’ll leave notes for the rest of my friends, and maybe even one for Professor Fig. I’ll miss them, but they’ll be safer without me and my “gifts.”
I walk through the stone arches of Hogwarts and towards the Forbidden Forrest. Someone has to stop the darkness spreading through the woods, and I’m the best for the job. It doesn’t matter if I die, so I continue my trek as the sun sets, unaware of the pair of eyes watching from the window above.