Sang Qui Lie

Artemis cringed as she glanced at her schedule. A shrill giggle, almost as high as Narcissa's, made her start. She looked up to see the three girls who were her roommates.

"Herbology is outside. You, my dear, are going the wrong way." The apparent leader placed her hand on Artemis's shoulder and marched her down the hall towards a group of students. More Slytherins.

Draco smiled at the girl. "Pansy, I see you have recovered my cousin."

Artemis studied the girl, this Pansy. She was a fairly pretty girl with hair that fell in golden corkscrews and faintly tanned skin. Her beady brown eyes and nose, however, gave her a decidedly pug-like face. Artemis didn't much like dogs. She was more of a cat person.

"Oh, Draco. It was nothing. It wasn't hard at all to find Athena!" Pansy giggled.

"Artemis." Oh yes, this one was most definitely a bitch.

"Of course you're Artemis!" Pansy rolled her eyes at her followers. "This is Blaise Zabini." The smallest of the three nodded. Her dark hair was pulled into a bun, showing off her dark eyes and extremely tan skin. "Do call me Zabini." Her accent had a slight Italian tilt to it.

Pansy pointed to the large girl behind her. "And this is Milicent Bulstrode." Artemis's eyes widened. That was not a girl, that was a gorilla! She tried to be polite and nodded her greeting.

By the time she had been properly introduced to her roommates they had reached the greenhouses. Artemis swallowed hard. Herbology wasn't exactly her forte. She had the distinct memory of being unconscious a week due to a Mandrake root accident. Her eye started to twitch when several large Venus flytraps came into her line of sight. Those were the kind Father used to keep pesky reporters away.

Professor Sprout waddled in behind them. "Hello students. Today we will be pairing off to water and feed these beautiful plants." She nodded to the menacing looking flytraps. "The meat buckets are over there. Watch your fingers!" The lesson on the Venus flytraps included the purposes and uses of the horrid plants. Professor Sprout went on about many a robber had been mutilated by the oversized plants.

After what seemed like an abnormally long lesson, Professor Sprout split them up. Artemis was paired with pug-faced Pansy, much to their mutual disappointment. By the end of class Parkinson was shrieking of how the plant had tried to rip her arm off, which was absolute crap. It had tried to rip off Artemis's arm. Draco growled at Pansy to shut up. It was time for lunch.

Artemis muttered she wasn't hungry and headed back to the common room to write her one and a half roll on Venus flytraps. Draco nodded absentmindedly then turned to ask Zabini if his hair was all right.

Artemis separated from her classmates and headed fro the dungeons. She turned a corner and ran smack into a hard body. "I am so so sorry," she stammered while trying to retrieve the books they had both dropped.

"It's really okay." Artemis bit her lip and stood up, facing an extremely tall boy who appeared to be about 16 or 17. His auburn hair was very scruffy and he had golden brown eyes that were currently studying her.

"What are you rushing to? You aren't late to any classes. It's lunch time." The boy chuckled. His eyes then fell on the Slytherin crest on Artemis's chest. "Ah, I see," he frowned. "Sorry to get in your way." Artemis flushed. "No, I'm sorry. I got in your way...umm..." she trailed off.

"Gabriel. Gabriel Waters." He held out his hand to her, shifting his bag to reveal a Ravenclaw crest.

"Pleasure to meet you, Gabriel, but I really need to start on my homework." She nodded to him and continued on her way. She paused when he called out after her.

"I didn't catch your name!" Not missing a beat, she responded.

"Artemis Malfoy!" A wide grin was plastered on her face. She didn't see him lift an eyebrow at her name and glance down at the copy of Hogwarts: A History she had accidentally handed to him with his books.

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Artemis stopped and stared at the common room entrance, trying to remember the password Draco had told her. "Fluffy the bunny!" she said triumphantly. She shook her head, chuckling. None of the other houses would ever guess that as the Slytherin password. She couldn't help but wonder whose warped mind had come up with it in the first place.

She settled down on a dark green seat in front of the fire and dug out some parchment and quills out of her bag along with an oversized hair clip Narcissa had bought her from Muggle London. She clipped her hair back from her face and went to work until a small bundle fell into her lap.

"Brought some lunch for you." She glared up into the smirking face of Draco. Artemis looked at the bundle and dropped it on the floor.

"Thank you." She continued to write until a perfectly manicured hand pulled the parchment away.

"Three parchments?! You're as bad as the Mudblood!" Pansy said haughtily.

"Mudblood?" Artemis cocked her head and reclaimed her paper. "Oh, you mean that Granger girl. Potter's little...friend."

Draco frowned, his eyes malicious. "No, she is the Mudblood."

"Lovely!" Pansy snatched Artemis's work out of her hand. Artemis glared at her.

"You smeared my paper!" she growled. Pansy made a noise similar to a mouse squeaking. Artemis stepped forward. "I spent an hour on this you, you, you little rodent and you ruined it!"

Pansy stepped back. "It's just a paper. I'm sure it wasn't even that good."

Artemis barred her teeth, her eye twitching slightly. "Pardon?!"

Zabini chose this moment to speak up. "Pansy's right you know. It's not that important. If you care that much I'm sure your father or uncle wouldn't mind making a....donation." Draco nodded in agreement.

"I can't......BELIEVE YOU! Getting your parents to buy your grades?? No wonder Slytherins have a bad name! You are all a bunch of egotistical, brain dead clones of your parents. And I am sure Voldemort will be so very pleased to have you as his future followers!"

At that Artemis stormed out of the common room and ran outside. She changed into her Animagus form and plopped down by the lake. She looked up upon hearing someone approaching. It was....Potter...and....Artemis blinked. It was Cass. Potter was actually talking to Cass and the conversation appeared to be civil. Artemis had to watch this.

She quietly followed them. She hadn't realized how thick Cass was. Surely she had noticed the wolf following them. Potter's stupidity was understandable, but honestly how conspicuous was a wolf?

The two neared the forest, stopped, and sat down on a bench. Artemis slipped into the forest and laid down to watch the show. This should be interesting, she thought wryly.