Artemis

It had been three days since Jane's poisoning when classes returned to normal. It was official Jane would have to go home to finish recovering leaving my room with one less roommate and much less Chocolate. They said she probably wouldn't return until after the winter holiday. It was hard and there was very little highlights in my life.

"Moon…" Zach asked as I read over the letter Maeve had just delivered from Jane.

"Yes?" I asked turning to face him. He was leaning in my doorway

"What are you reading?" He asked walking up behind me wrapping his arms around my waist.

"A letter from Jane...God, I miss her," I winced.

"She never really fit in." He shrugged. I turned to him.

"What?" I asked in shock.

"She didn't really embody the Slytherin characteristics." He shrugged

"I'm sorry I don't think I heard you correctly." I stared at him.

"Moon, you are the ideal Slytherin woman, You are ambitious, cunning and well bred." He kissed my neck "Jane was none of that."

"Well Bred? Why are you talking about blood types?" I said anger growing in my stomach.

"I have been studying is all," He shook his head.

"And why does Blood Type Matter? My Grandma is Muggle-born." I clenched my fists. His voice was tender and soft when was speaking but his words. His hands were caressing me so softly and amorously which put me at a false sense of ease.

" Wizardry is inherited, so it doesn't make sense how people born of two muggles could be wizards." He spoke confidently and logically

"But it does happen Zach…" I replied "When did you start studying this stuff?" my eyes were full of curiosity, but not the innocent kind, the fearful kind.

"I dunno, I got interested." He shrugged. I was feeling such a strange mix feelings. His hand and lips were calming as he touched my skin but his words terrified me. I wish that he wasn't spoiling this moment with hate rhetoric.

"Zach you're scaring me," I said looking at him carefully.

"Don't be scared," He said gently. "I am sorry it just interesting."

"Okay…" I relaxed a bit. "Please don't talk about that again." I shuddered. He started to kiss me softly. It was nice to feel his warm embrace.

"It is something you will probably hear a lot now that a movement is being started." He said softly.

"Hopefully not a movement anyone will join." I huffed.

"It seems people are already joining it." He sighed sadly.

"You won't, right?" I questioned

"I dunno," He shrugged.

"You dunno?" I exclaimed

"If you disapprove of it, of course not." He leaned into kiss me.

"Good," I kissed him carefully.

"Artemis, I promise you I would never do anything to harm you. I love you more than anything in my world."

"I love you too…" I kissed him again. He continued to kiss me back with more force. His hands had moved to the buttons on my shirt when I slapped them away. It was strange the moment was intimate and soft, romantic even but there was something about it to me, that made it uncomfortable. It probably was the weird blood mania that had come before. Possibly the fact that my friend was almost killed by that same blood mania. All it all I was not really wanting it to go much further. "Stop." I said lightly.

"Moon…" He said softly and kissed me again his hand managing a button.

"Zach this isn't time," I said trying to button my shirt back up. His face was still buried in my neck.

"Come on Moon, You may think the world's unfair, so let's keep it locked out there," He unbuttoned my jeans.

"I said Stop, Zach." I asserted shoving him back a bit. "I never said the world was unfair….I guess it is but.." His lips were on mine again.

"Please, for me?" He said sweetly.

"What part of No, don't you understand." I stepped backward.

"You are such a buzzkill." He grunted.

"No, I am not," I looked him sternly"I am just not in the mood Zach. Please, respect that." I went and sat on my bed quickly trying to get my trunk that held my coat.

"Where are you going?" He asked

"To visit Athos of course." I rolled my eyes.

"Come on Moon please…." He grasped my hips carefully.

"You have a hand don't you?" I joked.

"It doesn't work as well as you do," He winked, I rolled my eyes.

"I want to go see Athos." He grabbed my wrist as I tried to leave. He did have a strong grip.

"Please…" He asked again

"No," His grip tightened

"You're hurting my hand," I said as his grip tightened even more. "Zach let me go please," I said sternly. He dropped my wrist.

"Go hang out with your friend," He shoved me for ward and slammed the door. I took a deep breath. Zach could get so touchy and so possessive.

I went out to the woods. Flynn greeted me with his sweet awkward smile.

"Hey, I was afraid you weren't coming." He said nervously.

"Honestly, I kind of had to fight my way out." I joked. He looked at me carefully.

"Are you alright?" He asked eyeing my wrists he had freaked out over my wrist 'injuries' before.

"I am fine, Zach was just getting a little handsy and all." I chuckled.

"Did he break your wrist again?" He asked.

"He didn't break it," I rolled my eyes. Flynn sighed "Don't tell me to break up with him...I don't want to." I did a preemptive strike.

"Okay," He shrugged "But if he hurts you…" Flynn looked at me protectively.

"It doesn't matter Flynn. When I am out here with you and Athos, it is an escape. From the school work, the marks, Jane and now Zach is spouting off pure blood rhetoric." I shook my head.

"I am glad." He hugged me.

"Okay, enough about my problems." I laughed.

"Here, my Mum sent tea." He handed me a tea mug with a steaming tea.

"Thanks, I brought you some pumpkin pasties." I produced the treats.

"Thanks, my Mum cut off my allowance when I tried to use my food money on books." He chuckled.

"If my parents did that I would be in the same position." I giggled. Silence fell over us as we sat eating our treats and drinking our tea. In the setting sunlight Flynn's disheveled curls , whose hue was already a golden tone of blonde, actually appeared gold. The sun causing the curls to sparkle a bit. Flynn was very handsome. He had tan, warm skin, the purest blue puppy dog eyes, freckles, a sharp strong jaw line and a handsome nose. It was a wonder that the girls hadn't clung to him. His awkwardness distracted many from the fact that he was beautiful. If I could draw as well as he could, I would draw him like this his eyes staring a bit downward, his golden hair lazily falling across his forehead, the corners of his lips slightly tugging upward into a small smile, it accentuated his strong jaw. This is how I would draw him. He was good very good.

"How did you know how to save Jane?" I asked realizing I had been staring at him for awhile.

"Phoenix Tears," He muttered, "They cure almost everything, it was a lucky guess." He shrugged "We have a Phoenix at home, his name is Vulcan. My Mum found him some wizards had tried to capture him to sell his feathers. Now though he is a fixture in our home. My Mum sends me a vial or two almost every week, to keep me from get sick or hurt." He smiled.

"Useful." I chuckled. This cold chill rushed through the forest and I shivered quickly. I remembered that Griffins were from Greece a warmer climate. This chill of the coming winter would make Athos cold. "Flynn, do you have a blanket?" I asked staring at the sleeping Athos.

"Sure are you cold?" He asked

"Yes a bit but, Griffins are from the Mediterranean climate?" I asked in uncertainty

"Oh my Lord, you're right. How could I be so stupid…" He handed me a blanket that had a packaging for mediterranean climate simulation. I wrapped Athos in the blanket carefully before going back to Flynn who had laid out a picnic blanket and brought out some for us to wrap ourselves in.

"Thanks," I smiled at him gently.

"No Problem, you're my friend and I am a Hufflepuff." He joked poking my side. I giggled.

"I am glad to have you." I leaned on him.

"This pure blood stuff is crazy." He sighed.

"I am scared," I muttered.

"I am too but don't worry we have Athos." He joked and I laughed. I was at ease. "Do you want to get up?"

"No, I like it out here," I sighed dreamily. My wrist was hurting to move but I had hidden the truth my wrist hurt like a bitch. It was acting up during Quidditch practice. It was a scary moment during that party when he held my wrist in his hand trying to pulling me closer. With every motion met by a twist like the kind Barry use to pull on me when we were play fighting as children. It did hurt, it hurt badly. This dark cloud haunted us all. I eventually walked back to my dorm and I slammed the door behind me and broke into tears.

I ended up falling asleep by the door curled up on the floor, fully dressed

"Hey Art wake up, please wake up." Sarah and Samantha were shaking me up.

"Is she alright?" Manda asked.

"I am fine," I muttered sitting up slowly.

"Heard you and Zach had a fight." Sam pulled me up.

"More of a spat. He wanted to have sex I didn't." I shrugged

"What a stupid thing to get into a spat about," Sarah commented.

"You would think, He was getting handsy and then I went to go see Athos and he blew his top." I pulled off my sweater and striped myself of my button up shirt. I unzipped my dirty pants. Soon, I was in the shower and then changed into fresh clothes. Zach was in the common room. He ran up and hugged me. I wriggled against him.

"I was so worried you didn't come back…" He said softly. I grunted stepping back.

"I am fine, I told you where I was…" I sighed

"But still…" He rocked me gently. "Oh, Moon...my behavior was so horrid and I am sorry...I don't know what came over me." He brushed my hair behind my ear.

"Zach…" I muttered

"Please don't leave me…" He cried softly. My heart was breaking slowly.

"I am not going to." I felt my gut twist. It didn't seem that these events had been enough to justify breaking up with Zach. Two events, it happened only two times and after each time we went back to normal and he was so vulnerable right now. I could see in his eyes that were storming in his mind. I couldn't leave him, I just couldn't. If I did it would haunt my conscience for the rest of my life. I couldn't leave and break the heart of a hurting person. I loved him.

"Thank God," He held me tighter.

"Can we go down to breakfast please?" I asked softly.

"Of course." He took my hand. The one that was injured the left one. Had it been my right I would have been screwed because I was right handed. "These bruises, are they from me?" He asked softly. I couldn't meet his eyes. "I am so sorry Moon, I didn't mean to…" He shook his head.

"It is fine Zach just fine." With that, he seemed satisfied and we sat down to eat. It was my normal routine but I realized that I had slept too late. I hadn't got up in time to help Flynn feed Athos. I felt very bad. Athos had become like my child and I did feel responsible for the charismatic Griffin. He had grown a few centimeters larger. His wing was healing beautifully Flynn had his Mum send him some things to help him strengthen it.

"Hey Artemis," I looked from my table to see Elizabeth who was eyeing her brother carefully. She had confided her suspicions in me but I had trouble believing her about him. It might have been a blind trust in the man I had chosen to date, chosen to trust with my deepest emotions and secrets. It was hard for me to believe that he would poison my friend.

"Hi Eliza," I smiled at her. Zach pushed me to face back to the Slytherin table.

"Has she told you anything about me?" He asked fearfully "Because she is lying. She hates me and wants to pull us apart Moon…" He said.

"Zach, I don't want talk about my relationship with your sister. We are partners on a project and we have more in common than you would like." I shrugged.

"Don't say that you are so much better than my sister." He whined. She was still watching him like a hawk.

"Leave it alone will ya?" I retorted. He pouted. Pretty soon breakfast was over and I started to my first class. That was when I was pulled aside by Elizabeth. She pointed her wand at my wrist.

"Episkey," She said quickly, there was a pop and my wrist started to feel better.

"Thanks," I said softly.

"You need to get away from Zach, Artemis." She said quickly.

"Eliza," I said firmly.

"He has the mark, I swear, he does!" She said. I blinked twice in shock. The dark mark tattooed on his arm?

"N..no, he doesn't" He couldn't have it, I would have seen it. Unless he found some way to conceal it.

"Someone stole my wand during the game to cast that spell." Elizabeth stared at my eyes in seriousness.

"It could have been anyone," I stated flatly.

"Artemis! He hurt you, and now you're defending him. I thought you were smarter than that." She yelled.

"I...I…" I sputtered. "Look I will explore it," I sighed. "He is been really sad lately and I don't want to hurt him worse…" I thought back to his tears in the broom closet.

"Don't worry about hurting him," She grunted "If you think you can find out anything about him do it." Her eyes searched mine. "He is not a good guy," I remembered his words that told me his sister would try to take me from him. The confliction I felt was deep. Then my brain reasoned 'If you can prove his innocence, then you should know to trust him but otherwise.' I felt my heart sinking quickly how could a year that started off so promising turn out so dark.

"What happened to Innocent until proven guilty?" I questioned.

"I proved he was guilty, you just have to believe me." She sighed

"I will check for the mark on his arm." I nodded "And I will dig around but I don't think he would do this…he told me he wouldn't if I didn't approve and I don't" I tried to hold faith that my boyfriend wasn't a part of terrorist group that was attacking things day by day. More vandalism and another student ended up in the hospital wing. She was a Ravenclaw by the name of Penelope. She was a half blood but had been dating a muggle born. It wasn't as serious as what happened to Jane but she had been beaten up.

I went to go see Jane in the hospital wing, and I saw Elizabeth there as well.

"Hey Penny, it's E again." She Smiled at the red head.

"Eliza!" She smiled. I noticed the boy by her bedside who must have been her boyfriend.

"I am so sorry," He kept muttering to her.

"Don't be," She kept repeating. I felt such a sadness in me and it hungover me for a good deal of time. Slytherin beat Gryffindor in the previous quidditch game, so we were the number one ranked team at the school. That put us in Hufflepuff but Gryffindor and Ravenclaw had to play. Then it was Halloween. Athos was getting better so strong that we were ready to try and ride him. Liam had to decided to come out sometimes with us. He loved Athos just as much we did now.

"Hey sorry I'm late." I jogged over to the clearing to see. Athos his wings spread carefully. Flynn beamed at me, his awkward demeanor vanished when he dealt with magical creatures and now when he was around me.

"No problem, come here," He waved me over. The cool fall air blew on my face as I walked over to the Griffin and Flynn. He handed the harness and the training line. I took off the harness and kissed Athos's forehead. He tossed his head up against my chest to nuzzle me.

I went to his wings and checked for scaring. Then I checked to make sure everything was in order. I stroked his brown, gold, cream and white feathers down his head to his front shoulders then continuing down his silky golden back. His tail flicked and I giggled. I felt this shiver down my spine as I stroked him. He lowered his pretty head and let his wings lift stiffly. I turned to Flynn uncertainly.

"He wants you to ride him." Flynn nodded. This ridiculous smile split across my face. I climbed onto the back of the Athos. I wrapped my arms around his neck and he burst into the air. I let out a whoop of shock and awe. The sunset reflected over the lake. I felt the wind whip through my hair. I knew this feeling from my broomstick but the feeling of flying on Athos's back was different, it felt safe. Soon enough I willed Athos back to get Flynn he was still sitting in the clearing. It was a rough landing but not enough to knock me off. Flynn walked over his beautiful blue puppy dog eyes glimmering in joy.

"Come on," I offered my hand. "Get on with me." He looked hesitant at first but then grabbed his bag and climbed up with me onto Athos's back. He wrapped his arm around my waist as Athos jolted up into the air. When went higher and higher into the air.

"Art this is incredible!" He exclaimed I looked back to see the childlike wonder in his eyes. His golden curls were being made more unruly by the wind. Athos made his way to a clearing close to the edge of the lake in the woods. The landing this time was a bit smoother. I handed him some lamb meat and wrapped him in the blanket. Athos was satisfied with the gifts.

Flynn the went to the water and started to sketch in his note book. I peered over his shoulder. It was a picture of me riding Athos.

"That is very good," I smiled at him.

"Oh!" He flushed slamming it closed. "Thanks" His cheeks were blushing like roses. For a second I wanted to kiss his cheek but I held myself back.

"Are you going to write a book?" I asked grabbing for the notebook.

"I dunno." He shrugged "What would I write it on?" He shrugged

"Griffins, Phoenixes, or Avian creatures in general." I suggested "Maybe Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them part two." I teased

"I could never match him in his knowledge." He sighed.

"You could Flynn. Look at all you have taught me." I smiled at him. "I know what I want...I want to be an Auror, I want to write a book on that. It seems I want to be rich. Most importantly I want to help the world. There is so much I want to accomplish." I looked out at the horizon.

"You know your eyes sparkle when you talk about your career path," He smiled at me. I flushed "It makes sense why you are a Slytherin. You are ambitious." He nodded.

"Zach called me 'the ideal Slytherin woman'" I chuckled.

"You would be perfect for anyone in any house" He smiled, going back to his sketch.

"Thank you. You know Flynn you need to give yourself more credit you are very handsome, absolutely brilliant, and so very kind." I returned his soft smile.

"What do you love about Zach?" He recrossed his legs.

"You see it is very hard to explain I guess. He is witty, handsome, he is very kind to me…" I said shock. I hadn't thought about that in awhile.

"Then it's clear you two will be very happy together." He continued his sketch.

"I used to think so but lately…" Zach's behavior hadn't gotten better but it hadn't been as bad.

"What? Is something wrong?"

"Nothing wrong really, I mean we had been fighting more often but it seems to have passed over. Then there is the whole business of his assumed involvement with the group, you know his sister is talking to me about it non-stop." I complained, "And you were right, he did break my wrist." I sighed.

"Meow" I heard the soft meow of a cat.

"You heard that right?" He looked at me.

"Yes of course," I nodded

"Good, I was worried I was hearing stuff." He chuckled and scratched the back of his neck nervously.

"Nope, that is definitely a cat." I chuckled

" "So Artemis, tell me about your family…" He smiled.

"My mum is a half blood, Her mother was muggle born her father was pure blood…."

"I don't mean their blood type. What are they like?"

"My parents are um...unique," I shrugged "They went to school back when everyone in Slytherin was evil. So imagine their joy when their daughter ended up a Slytherin." I scoffed I still hurt "They wrote the school for months trying to get me transferred into Gryffindor or Ravenclaw. It didn't matter though they have Barry, their perfect little Gryffindor."

"He's head boy, and captain right?" He sighed.

"Yeah, and I won't ever forget it." I sighed and hung my head. "They never treated me as well. Liam is the best member of my family." I sighed "You know him."

Flynn smiled "My little buddy." He chuckled.

"What about your family?" I asked softly

"Well do you want to know their blood types or…." He teased.

"Oh come on." I rolled my eyes

"My mum's name is Holly, She was a Ravenclaw. She and my Dad dated during school, during their seventh year they had my oldest brother Dean. She dropped out of school to take care of him. She and My Dad got married before the 2nd wizard war started. Then after it ended they moved to Scotland near the first rehabilitation center where my mum worked. My brother Carson was born one year later and then me two years later. My Father died about six months after I was born." He stated "My brother is working in the ministry, he wants to work as a diplomat. We are all proud of him. Carson, is doing his own thing." He chuckled "My Mum worked really hard to raise us all." He smiled lightly.

"She sounds incredible." I smiled

"She really is." He blushed proudly. We sat there for a few minutes in silence.

"She raised a good kid," I gave him a warm smile. The sun had finally completely set and the black lake reflected the stars.

"It is getting late and I think we better get going." He nodded at me and we parted ways. I made my way back to my dorm. The common room was empty as it usually was on Thursday nights.I climbed up the stairs.

"Night y'all" I sighed and drifted asleep.