Stay the Night.

[Artemis Jackson]

The silence stretched long enough for one to think there wasn't anyone alive. No one was lingering, except for the dead air that aimlessly floated in the atmosphere. With most students tucked away in their respective dormitories, the hallways and corridors were left to the prefects and several other professors to scout freely. It was later in the evening when no other than the Slytherin Head Girl sneaked out of the common room. It was not easy, with several students casually snoring off to oblivion on the couches and armchairs near the fireplace. Some were even shifting their positions as they slept, leaving Artemis to wonder if they were really sleeping or were on guard to see if any Slytherins planned to sneak out this late. She was a role model after all, so she had to be more than extra cautious not to get caught on this one. Because if she did, her head would be on a golden platter adorned with diamonds that was to be given to the Headmistress along with her Head of House, most probably.

With light feet treading on the stone floor, it was only the breathing of Artemis that can be heard. She felt her heartbeat ram on her chest as she made her way down the dim corridors down to the ground floor of the castle. Her eyes darted in all directions from time to time whilst her ears kept alert. Sound was more important right now that she had not enough light to keep out for people in the dark. She even controlled her own breathing and lowered it to small, rapid inhales and exhales. In that way, she would not have to take deep breaths every five bloody seconds. The possibility of having a ghost stalk the halls at night was very high, and if they saw a student, the word could be brought to a professor in a minute. All of a sudden she desired a cloak of invisibility, if ever those still existed. If she had that then she would be wrapped in safe cocoon where nobody will even take a second glance at. Her lips were pursed hardly as she scanned the area before approaching the massive doors to the outside world. Its size made her feel as if she were standing in front of two boulders or if not boulders, giants. She took in a silent deep breath before working her way through its lock, hoping that it wouldn't be too creaky to be heard by anyone near. It was difficult at first, but she managed to open without making too much noise. She flinched with every squeak it produced, but in the end it was all good.

A sigh escaped from her lips as she felt the wind blowing on her face. The stars were brilliantly bright from above and she spared a minute of her time just witnessing it twinkle repeatedly. It felt good to be out in the open, with the tranquility washing her fears of getting caught by the professor. Her badge could be taken away from her if a pair of eyes saw her. Badass or not, this whole idea was wrong. Although, with the responsibilities she had to handle she ever wondered when in the world could she spend time with him. Artemis smiled at the thought of him as she walked the grass that led to the forbidden area of a cliff. He had to be somewhere around here by now. She hiked the uphill area carefully, her wand held in her grasp with its tip alight. Her eyes were focused on the shadows before her and her ears did the job of looking out for any noise. The crunch her feet made on the grass was not uplifting either, but she doubted that anyone can make out its sound as footsteps. Artemis hated the dead silence that was enveloping her, as she feared that it can drive her even more paranoid. She cleared her throat to start a sound, hoping the person she expected to be here would respond to it.
​

 

[Minoas Stratis]

Forbidden Forest's treetops were swipped by a sudden gust of wind and the rustling of the leaves reached Minoas' ears like eerie whispers. These windy outbursts were much welcomed from the Gryffindor while they were muffling his footsteps and movements in the labyrinth of trees. It was after curfew, meaning that the professors might have started their patrols around the grounds but after seven years, Minoas had become exceptionally good at avoiding them and sneaking away. Minoas left his partners Elbio and Sandalio earlier that evening when he received an owl from the person who had been occupying his mind the most. He had been meeting Artemis Jackson at their stamping ground, the cliffs, pretty regularly but never after the sun had set. Although Minoas had thought of meeting with his girlfriend under the stars, he had never suggested it openly when she was a head girl, thus a role model for younger students and he respected her choice of following closely the school's rules. It was a pleasant surprise for him to read in these few lines something that wasn't so typical of his girlfriend and he was finding this bold move of her quite appealing. He literally abandoned his companions in the forest to train alone and rushed to make it before Artemis at their meeting place.

Knowing the forest like the back of his hand, he had no trouble to orient himself and reach the part of the forest that was facing the cliffs of the lake. He emerged out of the tree line to see no one else there. With a smile on his face for having time to prepare, he walked towards the edge of the cliffs to admire the stunning view. The floodlit castle was towering over the grounds, part of it reflected on the dark dome of the serene lake. Above him, the constellations were hanging from the dark canvas of the night sky like silver chandeliers. Minoas sighed and took a moment to savor this fine spectacle, created by the twinkling lights of the sky. Then he got down to work by taking his wand out of his pocket. He started by flicking his wand in the air and casting a summoning charm. Soon enough, a shadow darted from the trees and zoomed towards the young wizard. Minoas caught the object which proved to be nothing else but the back bag he was using for his classes. This time though it wasn't containing books but a few other objects that were fitting in with the help of a very well casted undetectable extension charm. Minoas started pulling out of it a couple of large cushions, a woolen blanket as the weather was getting chilly and a few glass orbs.

Minoas casted bright, yellow flames out of his wand tip and placed them magically in the glass orbs which he charmed them to float around him. The flames' flickering, dim light and the balmy warmth that spread at the surrounding area were setting the mood and a pleasurable shudder shot through him. Then he went for some more advanced magic he had been practising for the past few weeks. Raising his wand, he began to walk in a wide circle around the area, murmuring incantations as he went. There were disturbances in the surrounding air as a transparent wave of energy covered like a dome, a specific range of the cliffs. The defensive spells he had casted were protective charms and a wide range disillusionment charm that were going to keep them undisturbed, undetected (with the help of muffliato charm) and out of sight. Minoas had also casted a hex repelling charm in case someone was going to find out that the place was magically charged and attempted to break his enchantments. He wasn't taking all these precautions for himself. He had been caught for breaking the rules numerous times, one more wasn't going to hurt him much. He was doing it for her. Minoas knew how important was for Artemis the status of the head girl and he was going to do everything in his power to secure her badge.

The Gryffindor finished his good job and settled down to wait for her while gazing the night sky. It wasn't long until a silhouette appeared vigilantly from the distance. Minoas jumped on his feet without realizing the smile that cracked on his face upon seeing her approaching. Her blonde hair were waving at the touch of the wind, surrounding her fine features that were making his heart beat like a drum. He watched her stop, looking around and he remembered she couldn't see him with all the protective enchantments he had casted on the area.
"Psst! Gorgeous, over here!" he whispered to capture her attention and stepped out of the concealed circle to appear before her eyes. "Hey." he greeted her with a distinct spark in his grey eyes. Towering over her, he lowered his head to kiss her gently on her soft lips and send pleasurable chills radiating all over his body. "Come." he smiled and took her hand to guide her in the secret area. As soon as they stepped over the invisible borderline and into the scope, a wave of pleasant warmth brushed their faces. Now she could see the hovering orbs with the dancing flames and everything else he had prepared. "I must be a really bad influence. I wasn't expecting you to send me that owl." he commented with his eyes smiling mischievously, showing he really liked her move. He sat down on a cushion and offered her the other one to sit next to him. Neither the spectacular view of the lake, nor the starry sky was enough to make him take his eyes off her. "How was the day of the most amazing head girl to have ever been at Hogwarts?" he asked with interest and leaned back on the rock behind them.

 

[Artemis Jackson]

It was altogether odd. Very odd, indeed. Whatever energy that was radiating in the area made her feel like it was just too quiet for her liking. She loved the silence, but the eerie buzz of the wind's whispers gave her chills. It rode up and down the column of her spine, like ants constantly running on her skin. It left goosebumps that she did not like. Even with the sweater over her warm shirt, she felt the chilliness target her skin perfectly. Warmth was what she would love to feel right now and she was pretty sure her own boyfriend could come up with some of that just for her. She looked around, frowning a little to see no movement whatsoever in the air that could indicate his arrival. Suddenly she worried that he declined or had to do something that he deemed more important. The thought made her blink as her thoughts over rode her rationality. As usual she did not want to be the one who thought too much on everything, so she calmed herself down and took a step forward to see if anyone was really out there. Artemis held out her wand and peered into the darkness, when she heard the shuffle of feet towards her.

Unknown to her was a grateful smile curving her lips. She suddenly felt a new kind of vibe reveal itself to her. It fascinated her how much Minoas Stratis comforted her with his very presence or even, just the mere thought of him. He emerged from a somewhat secluded territory he probably made for the both of them. Knowing him, he had something set up for her again. He was good at those things - surprises. Sometimes the suspense killed her, but it was all worthwhile in the end. She marveled at how tall he had become and how his features sharpened through the years. They were in their seventh year now; the final and oldest year in Hogwarts. Both of their childish features were replaced by stronger ones, with a certain kind of light in them. His was marvelous and she could not deny how attractive he was even with the messy dark locks on his head. She reached up to him and returned his kiss then stole a moment to admire those gray, sharp eyes of his. She let Minoas take her chilly palm to lead her to a safer place for them to converse properly.

As soon as she entered the invisible borderline, she felt secured. It had a certain appeal to it that made her feel safe or maybe it was just the assurance that Minoas was already here. Now she knew why it felt too eerie outside the borderline. Minoas concealed it to make sure there was nothing to be seen from the castle. It was now evening, so the disastrous risk of having to meet him under the stars should be safely secured without anyone knowing about it. Artemis silently looked at the flaming orbs floating aimlessly, making the place light up with tranquil beauty. She was interrupted by Minoas however, who turned to look at her mischievously. She shrugged, feigning as if it was nothing. "Can't a girl be a little devilish sometimes?" Artemis smirked subtly after, recalling the very time she decided to meet under the stars with him. It was not often that she wanted to do something extremely out of the school rules. Plus for this meeting, she had to gather some courage to sneak out the castle unnoticed by anything. "Besides love, that influence of yours can be fun. You just have to tame it down at times." There was no hiding in it that this guy loved adventure. There were scenarios where he even took extremely dangerous risks. Artemis knew about his issue with Professor Kingsley; well, the whole Gryffindor House for that matter. At first she was worried for him, but she learned how to lead on a normal life with them not having to talk about it.

As he uttered a compliment, she laid herself down on the grassy ground. It was not itchy like she expected it to be. Rather, it was a bit moist and soft to touch. She imitated Minoas and leaned on the rock that was huge enough to support the both of them. Before that though, she got the blanket to cover the both of them in it. After all, they needed the warmth even with the firing orbs around. She sighed when she felt comfortable and looked at Minoas, who was sitting very close to her, that their shoulders touched and left no space in between. Artemis folded her legs and thought about what she did for the day. The tenderness of her muscles was what she felt first, and she told him about her long day of practicing. "Tiring. Literally." It was not like their captain was urging them to train everyday. More like, Artemis wanted to balance her fitness routine with her study routine. It was not clear to her why Beaters had their muscles all built up like that - especially the ones located in the upper body. "I trained in the Pitch, but not as Keeper. I tried being the Beater and, well, my muscles are now killing me. Bludgers are mad and can be maddening." How she wished they could spend a day in the Pitch (instead) under the starry night without anyone seeing, but she doubted that they could even stay an hour without being undisturbed. "And yours? Better than mine, I hope?"
​

 

[Minoas Stratis]

Minoas made sure that Artemis was first covered with the blanket he had brought. He wasn't cold yet but he covered himself with it as he was sitting next to her. His cheeks and ears were still blushed from running through the forest to get there before her or was that just the kiss? Minoas wanted to steal another one from her lips but instead he replied something about his influence which she described as fun.
"And dangerous sometimes." he added with a grin on his face. How many times he had been into serious trouble? Being busted by professors while wandering after curfew seemed so minor compared to what he had experienced at Malta. Sometimes he was catching himself thinking that it was such a unique experience. He was almost wanted to relive this. He was scared of himself sometimes.

The sound of the lake gently lapping against the shore, softly floated in from across the cliffs. Now he was aware of the chill of the night. He moved closer to her and slipped his arm around her, giving her the chance to rest her head against his shoulder. His strong fingers closed around her shoulder as he tried to keep her warm. He listened to how was her day, almost melancholically when she referred to her Quidditch practise. It was a long time since he had mounted a broom to play a good game of Quidditch. There were more important things he had to take over and thus, he had dumped Quidditch from his life in order to cope with his new activities. He spend a moment of remembering how fun was to be flying with a Quaffle in your grip, heading for those goalposts but he smothered the memories in his head. "You should keep on playing as a Keeper." he talked about his opinion. "You're great at this post. You have saved your team so many times from goals that most Keepers wouldn't have stopped." he continued. Minoas was getting protective over her. Maybe a little bit overprotective. It wasn't that he didn't believe she could excell as a Beater as well. He just wanted her away from these Bludgers and a Keeper's job was away from them.

"How was my day..." he repeated while looking at the starry night, buying some time to think of how to sum up the most significant parts of his day. "Well, I spend two hours of my life in the abandoned classroom in vain, thinking I could turn into my animagus form." he said bitterly, not having to say if he had succeeded or not. He would have greeted her in a completely different way if he was successful. "Then I spent my whole afternoon in the forest with Elbio and Sandalio. That until I received your owl." he concluded and kissed her on the cheek, still thrilled with her surprise. Minoas had told her before that he was practising in the forest with his two friends his new spells. He had even playfully provoked Artemis to come to the forest and catch them as the head girl she was but he had never referred to why they have been spending so much of their free time preparing in combat. She seemed to have more important things in her head to worry about his own reckless deeds. Like now, when she was looking concerned about something or it just seemed to Minoas that she was worried about something. "What's wrong baby?" Minoas noticed she was lost in thought. Something is bothering you. Like I've told you before, you can tell me anything that's troubling you. So tell me, what's been saddening your sweet face." he prompted her to speak of her problem with a soft smile and eyes reflecting the gently glow of the flames before them.

 

[Artemis Jackson]

Artemis just had to grin when he praised her for her Keeper skills. She took pride in those comments, knowing that ever since her childhood she was practicing to be a Quidditch player. It was a good sport and a good workout too. It helped her release emotional pain in the past and now with the divorce papers of her parents signed, she was doing the release-your-pain-through-Quidditch method. It worked a lot, but she knew it would be better if she spent it with her loved ones, like the young man sitting beside her. "Thank you," murmured Artemis, albeit softly but audibly. Leaning her head on his shoulder, she felt the warmth radiate from his body, giving her pleasing shivers that she dared not to tell him. He was warm and that was what exactly she needed after venturing into the nifty night. "I need to toughen up a bit too," Artemis added thoughtfully. "So it works for me." She did not think that Minoas was trying to protect her against anything. No, she knew that she could handle everything by herself - that included the responsibilities of being the Head Girl, a club leader, a Quidditch player and a student. She liked being independent, even if she struggled with it most of time.

How hard was it to do transform into an animagus? Artemis figured that it required great focus and power from a person to figure out his form and turn into that. She admired how Minoas was consistently determined and focused to seek his form, despite the demanding requirements and assignments. Then she heard about those two friends of Minoas, that were both in their year. Never have she spoken to Elbio formally and she only looked at him for a splitting second whenever he walked past her in the emerald common room. To her, that wasn't even a glance. She hummed shorty after he briefed her with what his day was composed of and chuckled. It always made her wonder why Minoas spent his free time hidden away in the shadows. Why there, with his two other mates? Artemis was not jealous, oh no, she was receiving the amount of attention she wanted from her boyfriend just fine. She also wasn't a person who wanted to be the center of a person's life all the time, because she knew that she could take care of herself just fine. She stumbled along the way, but in the end Artemis was always ready to stand up and be a big girl.

Just like her life with her family was close to being a disaster, she was gathering herself just fine. She focused more on Hogwarts and her friends. That was how she coped; by burying herself into another type of business trying to completely forget what was happening in the other side of her life. She stiffened for a bit, realizing that Minoas noticed how she was quiet for a whilst. She recalled telling him a little bit of her parent's situation, which was a long time ago if she remembered rightly. Artemis relaxed her shoulders and went forth to tell that family predicament she was stuck in. "They signed it." It was vague, but she thought that it was enough to say. She looked at him, hoping not to get that confused look. But inwardly, she felt that that kind of information was too little and very unclear. She added quietly, "The divorce papers I mean. Pretty depressing, since my parents were in a fairytale then before they knew it, they were spiraling down." Artemis looked at Minoas' gray eyes and smiled at him meekly. She suddenly remembered Alliyah and how her sister was coping with it. The younger blonde wasn't doing so well the news either but together they struggled to accept the freedom their parents wanted from one another.
​

 

[Minoas Stratis]

Minoas knew how important was Quidditch for her. To him it was the element of antagonism that had stimulated his competitive spirit and had him try out for the Gryffindor team. For Artemis was something more. Similar with his passion of creating new spells. Minoas couldn't help but to smile to himself as he glanced somewhere above them at the stars. He hadn't told her anything but he was preparing a surprise for her. They had spent hours cuddling while talking about their future plans. Artemis was fond of the idea of becoming a professional Quidditch player and Minoas was secretly working on making her dream true. Apart from good seats at the stands, having professional Quidditch player as a cousin could be useful in so many other levels. Minoas thought it was worth it to keep his mouth shut until the end of the semester. Hard though. He really wanted to see her excitement lightening her lovely face.

Minoas' talent of figuring out other people's emotions was sometimes scary. Whether it was by chance or slightly related to his grandmother's gift of clairvoyance (he hoped it wasn't the second one) was unknown but he felt sometimes that other people were channeling charged emotions and he was receiving them. This connection seemed far more powerful with the girl next to him. He could feel her happiness but also her sorrow. He was right, she was thinking intensively about something that was bothering her and didn't took long to understand why she was so lost in thought. They had discussed about the clouds over her parents' marriage. Minoas was insisting it was just the normal tension between a couple married for so many years but he proved to be wrong.
"Well, what shines is not always gold after all." he commented. From what Artemis had described before, her parents sounded to be getting on really well. It was remarkable how easy was for someone to conceal something when they wanted to. He was familiar with this.

"It's going to be alright." he squeezed her in his arms and kissed her tenderly on her cheek.
"They are adults, they know what's good for them and for you. It would be miserable if they were pretending to be happy for you and your sister. Their love about you and Ally won't change and that's the bottom line." he reassured her and stared at the night sky. A sigh was suffocating him. It wanted to get out of his lungs but he managed to strangle it as he swallowed. He wished his parents were divorced but knew that they were happy. He knew nothing about his father. Where he was, what he had been through. Just that the Scitorari were keeping him alive because he knew something they were coveting. This was the most scary part of his ability to sense others' emotions, He was completely affected by her concernment and now he was the silent one. His own troubles emerged from the depths of his conscious.

 

[Artemis Jackson]

"You're right," Artemis whispered as her weak smiled retained. Minoas always had these words of wisdom to share with her. They were the constant things she always looked forward to and she only kept that to herself as a secret. There were times wherein she thought her dearest boyfriend was a man caught in between centuries and eras. As young as he was, he knew things she did not know, and he knew pain she thought was unimaginable. Both were exclusively different. It was fascinating to think of their differences and how these little details brought them much closer. Who knew that such personalities had the possibility to attract each other? Most of the time when Artemis spent time with him, she learned a thing or two. It was normally with him (besides from her dear sister, of course) where she found clarity and freedom, even if that was temporary. She just wanted to lay low from all the things happening. Artemis clearly knew once she was out of Hogwarts, she would be chucked out in the real world and would have to go back to square one. That was why she was gathering all the motivation and inspiration she could, to prepare to for the world's worst monsters. She did not want them to bite her first in the arse, did she?

Her parents were her own personal gold. Now, she felt that treasure was plucked out from her heart so easily. There were occasions when she felt that the cruelty of life would do the exact same thing to Minoas. She feared that he would say she was his biggest mistake ever. Now the pain for that was more than horrifying. But her calm state reminded her that this young man she knew for seven years would not just say that without a logical reason behind it. Suddenly they were not kids anymore. Here they were facing and dealing with their respective struggles and at the same time, finding comfort in each other's arms. She snuggled closer to Minoas, noticing the silence he was projecting after uttering his words of comfort. Artemis was not fantastic at interpreting other people's body language. She knew that for a fact, but this was a special case. All of a sudden the feel of the atmosphere was on him now and not on her. Artemis mentally reviewed what she just said, if there was anything to offend him. When the thought settled on her finally, she contained herself not to stiffen too badly. Now that she brought up the topic of family, she hit a sore spot on Minoas' thoughts. She felt obliged to return the comfort and she started it by trying to show him her best smile, which turned out to be rueful.

There was something in Minoas that radiated sadness, even if it was the tiniest bit. The Head Girl rubbed her head against his shoulder. "I hope your family's fine." Families were not meant to be in a mess. However, reality just did not accept that. Of course there had to be problems, and the Stratis family was not an exception. "You deserve some joy in your life," Artemis added, truthfulness laced with her words of lame comfort. "Plus, I would love to see you smile more," Artemis commented, feigning casualness when in fact that was what she really wanted. She was sincere, and she wanted to say more things to uplift both of their spirits. But with all the thoughts piling itself on her brain, she did not want to do anything else except relax and be able to do anything for the next few hours.

"Let's talk about something else," offered the blonde, who wanted to converse about something light. Looking up at the beauty of the sky, she beheld it. The stars were illuminated brilliantly, leaving off such a peaceful night to the world. Artemis sighed and thought of another thing to speak of. "Have you finally decided on what you're gonna do after graduating?" Knowing him, his plans would be quite the ambitious ones. But this time, perhaps not. All she wanted to know if he wanted to do something safe or he wanted to walk on the edge of the road again.
​

 

[Minoas Stratis]

His glazed eyes were staring at the a navy blue blanket above them, glittering in all the right places. Minoas recognized the conspicuous constellation of Orion, twinkling overhead. It reminded him the times he was spending with his father at their house's roof, alone with just a telescope, telling stories about heroes and creatures earning their place at the sky as constellations. Those stars were still woven on the dark veil of the night but Minoas was lying on that rooftop every time he was back home alone, wondering if his father was looking at those star from where he was. He was drowning in these thoughts but the girl next to him drew him out of them when he felt her next to him. Minoas smiled to her sincere words. It was times like this when he thought that she was a treasure to him. She knew he wasn't telling her everything about what he was planning to do after school. Yet, she wasn't pushing him but she was extremely supportive, making him fall in love with her more and more each day. "You make me smile." he whispered before stealing a kiss from her. His lips smiled against hers and pulled away from the kiss to look right into her blue eyes.
"I thank you for that." he squeezed her gently in his arms, wishing for the first time in his life for the next morning never to come.

His hands were stroking her hair as he was now seriously considering to tell her everything. Everything about his trip in Malta a couple of years ago. About the scroll case and the mysterious stone he had currently safe in his pocket. Then he wondered as he was lost in the seas of her eyes if she was going to misunderstand his thirst for revenge when he was going to tell her how bad he wanted to harm those people called the Scitorari. But it was the voice of logic screaming in head, advising him to keep her safe, out of this mess.
"You know I'd love to get a job at the Committee on Experimental Charms." he began saying. Minoas had shared with her his dream of working at the specific department but he believed he lacked experience to earn a post there. He had already a short list of his own spells to support his CV with but he thought they weren't just enough. Specialization was what he needed so he had been searching for the right courses provided by after school institutions around the world.
"But I think I need to continue my studies before taking this huge step. I found that institute about advanced witchcraft the other day." he continued, knowing that the next few words might not be received too well by Artemis. "It's in Europe. Austria." he added, avoiding to look at her now, preferring the serenity of the lake where the reflection of the moon was shimmering beautifully.
"This won't affect what we have." he reassured her, gathering the courage needed to look back into her eyes.
"I'm searching for an apartment there. You can come and stay with me. I would love that. And even if you can't, I'll be coming to where you'll be." he said and searched for signs on her features that could give away what she was thinking of this.