Sweet Sunsets.

[Artemis Jackson]

So the holidays were over and all the students of Hogwarts had settled back in their dormitories. The dungeons were still the same as ever and only the new addition of first years is what changed in the Slytherin common room. However, the newly made fourth year Slytherin paid no mind to that at all, since it was every year that the new batch of first years would arrive. The new prefects that Slytherin had were a good bunch, and Artemis trusted in them even if they did not know each other personally. Also, she kept in mind who the new faces were in the upper years, even if she had no idea what their names were. Some transfer students had arrive and had been sorted in Slytherin, and the blonde was uncertain if she should make friends with them. She went along with the 'No' decision, since she preferred it the other way around. A conversation started by them was what she was more convenient with, since she liked to stay silent. Being a Slytherin influenced her attitude at most times and Artemis had no doubt that she would bring some of the Slytherin traits even after she would graduate out of school.

The new textbooks that Artemis bought caught her interest suddenly, and she decided to stay in the common room to study them. She was no intelligent person and she would always choose Quidditch over her studies. Artemis simply wanted a quiet day for her and the common room was perfect for that quiet time she desired. She flipped through the pages of her books, taking note of some things that she found important. She wanted to be prepared for the lessons that she would have in the coming days. Artemis stayed in the common room for a few hours and continued scanning the books with her blue orbs, her lips set into a thin line. Eventually, she grew tired of advance studying and she fixed her books away and placed it in her new dormitory, just beside her bed. She felt an adventurous tug taking over her emotions and obediently, she obliged to what her current mood wanted to experience. Artemis was no adventurer, though she loved staying in places that she found peace in. Quietly, she exited the common room and walked herself up to the North Tower, with a small pleasant smile on her lips. Artemis greeted those who she was familiar with whilst walking, but then her pace quickened when she saw the tower's staircase. Grinning, she made sure that she would reach the top before anybody else could.

Artemis greeted the warm breeze with a sigh coming out from her lips. The tower always seemed abandoned whenever she visited it. Either that, or there would one or two people hanging around. Her blue eyes quickly looked around the place, and she was happy to discover that nobody was really there. The Slytherin checked her wristwatch and saw that it was only an hour before six pm, so she had almost all the time to just look around and watch the sun go down over the trees. Artemis approached an overlooking window and below her, there were several students who were laughing, shouting and hugging one another. Most were in the castle, reuniting with there friends in the Great Hall or in their own respective common rooms. Artemis leaned her head on the stony wall and she let her eyes look at everything she thought was interesting. She saw another part of the castle from a distance and she thought for a moment that she spotted the greenhouses. Continually, the breeze still blew on her face but luckily, she had a clip that held the upper part of her hair back and the rest were just dangling on her shoulders. The weather that the spring season was good, but the Slytherin still preferred to have snow right now.
​

 

[Minoas Stratis]

It would look like a suicide as he was standing at the edge of the dormitory's open window if he wasn't holding his scarlet streak in his left hand. The breeze like silk against his skin as his gray eyes were smiling along with his lips at the sight of that great view. His gray orbs jumped from the vast lake to the even vaster forest indecisive which would finally be his destination. He jumped on his broom and let the gravity draw him lower a few meters before taking control of his broom, soaring higher. The smooth breeze transformed into blustery wind that was making his clothes flap violently on his body but Minoas was enjoying these. He wasn't sure if it was allowed for students to jump out of their common rooms' windows with a broom at hand but he doubted that someone had seen him. Besides, he could use of some adrenaline rush after the monotonous hours of lessons he had earlier that day. It migh have began with his worst, history of magic but the lion was in a great mood and that feeling was boosted now that he was flying.

This time he decided to play with the gravity. He was letting himself free to fall while he was on his broom and then he was regaining control and flying higher in different velocities. He had started flying circularly around the brick dome of the tallest tower when he caught a glimpse of a silhouette from inside of one window. He decelerated abruptly, brining his body closer to the handle and flew backwards to have a better look behind the glass. When he recognized who it was he smiled broadly as he thought that his slytherin friend was probably isolating herself to enjoy again one of her romance books. Minoas ignored the big opening from where Artemis was enjoying the view and he hovered closer to the closed window that he was close too. "Hey Rapunzel over here!" he knocked behind the closed window and waited for Artemis to come and open it for him.

 

[Artemis Jackson]

Continuously, Artemis kept a serene gaze on the scenery just before her. She had not noticed that the structures altogether looked ancient and she began to wonder how old the school was. "It couldn't be that old," she thought with a small frown. The original branch in Scotland was surely more ancient and Artemis knew that because that school was the very place that her family originally attended back then. Artemis was well aware that she had a decent amount of family members, most of whom are still living up to the study of the dark arts whilst the rest wanted to abandon those old ways. She knew a few cousins who attended either Salem or Durmstrang for their own personal reasons. Frankly, Artemis thought that Hogwarts was the best school among the rest, but she was not entirely sure if the ministry would even approve of comparing the standards of education of every school and announce it to the public. Besides from good education, Artemis saw the beauty of the castle that she rarely even thought about. A small smile settled on her lips for a few seconds before being replaced by another peaceful look. Her younger memories in Hogwarts all came back to her and she thought about every lesson that she took, including the time where she had decided on what her electives would be. The tower's just one of the places where she could calmly think about all the events in her life, both good and bad.

The texture of the walls was not the most comfortable thing to lean on, but Artemis managed to make herself ignore it. She folded her arms across her chest whilst letting her thoughts wander to far imaginations. Only silence was around the area, however it was interrupted by an unexpected knock on an old dusty window. The Slytherin's shoulders jerked upwards because of the noise and by instinct and she looked towards the direction of the noise. Why in Merlin's beard would there be a person knocking on a window, from the outside? She was about to step back to avoid the noise, when she suddenly heard a familiar voice calling her Rapunzel, the maiden from a muggle fairy tale. "What the..." Artemis muttered to herself unconsciously and looked towards the window. There she found familiar gray eyes looking at her own blue ones, once she spotted its owner and she let out a disbelieving expression. Artemis walked towards the window, and let her hands grip what it seemed like the handle of the windows. Artemis fumbled and ignored the dust that was starting to stain on her fingers. Puffs of dust particles surrounded her and she still continued to try opening the window. With a final tug, the window finally budged and she opened it, and there she faced the boyish features of Minoas Stratis.

He was sitting on a broom, unafraid, hovering in the air. Artemis let her eyes show a little emotion, which were surprise and disbelief. She just stared at him for a few seconds and mentally questioned how the hell did he muster the courage to even fly on his broom around the castle, without any professor catching him. Artemis had to admit though, that the boy had decent skills when it came to flying and maybe his speed outwitted the professors. "Er, hi." She uttered awkwardly with her English accent. All of their encounters with one another were just weird and it happened in the most unusual times. Her mind did a quick flashback on what occurred when they last saw each other, which was in the garden of Hogwarts. She leaned forward to properly make eye contact with him and she said with a smirk, "You are probably the first person to fly to the north tower." She admired how he even had the confidence to do things that she never imagined herself doing, but she disapproved of how his mind worked. Artemis tilted her head to the right side and showed off a small smile whilst she put her entwined hands on the windowsill. She supposed that she would start a conversation, though she would not mind if Minoas would like to fly some more and leave. The Slytherin knew him as a person who couldn't be placed in only one spot. He constantly moved, unlike her who usually stayed in one spot and just peacefully read a book. "How were your holidays? Was Egypt beautiful?" Artemis recalled the time where Minoas mentioned about his stay in Egypt but she forgot some small details. A part of that was the time when Minoas offered to buy her a souvenir from the place. The fourth year thought that Minoas had a good time there, since he himself was from a place that had an ancient history as well.
​

 

[Minoas Stratis]

Minoas couldn't wipe his smile out of his face while astonishment was so vivid on Artemis' pale face. Usually the girl's reactions were more reserved and collected. She didn't let enough to show of what was happening in her mind and that was a challenge for him. And he liked challenges. It wasn't just the fact that she was somewhat mysterious and he had hard time to figure out what she was thinking from time to time but it was also challenging the task of making her reveal her emotions, such as making her laugh or react to his deeds.
Minoas flew inside the tower, stirring the cloud of dust that was agitated from the long closed, creaking window.
He flew one round of the interior of the tower before landing and jumping off his broom.
"Hey." he greeted back as he leaned his broom against the aged, stone wall. "If I won't turn into an animal with good eye sight, I will be devastated. I noticed you while flying far above." he explained how come he found her there while joking about his future animagi form.

"Not really." he began saying and with a hop he sat on the windowill of the window he had just entered.
"I've seen someone soaring from this tower before. I just took off from my dormitory." he explained, remembering hearing both his cousin and some older students before, talking about flying around the towers.
"Better than having to climb all those stairs, don't you think?" he stated, believing that Artemis would agree with that since she had to climb seven floors to reach this place from Slytherins' common room.
"Can't find words to describe how awesome Egypt was!" he exclaimed as he sat more comfortable, leaning his back at the cool wall. "Except from the prank that my brothers staged for me, everything else was fantastic." he grimaced a little bit but then his face beamed again. It was sure that these holidays were going to stay memorable for him. "Now that you reminded me...I'll be back in seconds." he said and jumped off the windowill to mount his broom and leave again from the window.

He returned back after a couple of minutes after visiting back to the dormitory. Now he was holding a jewel in his hand. "Since you are a slytherin, I thought that you would like this one. It's just a replica." he said as he was taking back his seat and revealed the brecelet in his palm. It was a golden snake brecelet with tiny, colorless gems for eyes. "It's for you. The gems change color depending on your mood. I don't know what color corresponds to which emotion. You'll have to figure that out on your own." he took her hand and placed the brecelet into her palm, hoping that she would like his gift.
"So how was Britain? Your sister wasn't relly enthusiastic when I asked her." he stated, recalling the time that he had some time to chat with Artemis' sister during Gryffindors gathering a few days ago.

 

[Artemis Jackson]

The usual intense, blue orbs of Artemis watched as Minoas came in the tower to either settle on the ground or to take a quick round of flying around. Watching a person seated on a broom in the north tower was odd, and it was the teenager's first time to see this. She preferred watching him, than to join him flying around the castle. The situation was too risky in her opinion, and she did not want to be brought to Professor Styx just for that. Artemis did not mind when Minoas did the latter of her guesses, and whilst waiting, she looked outside again to see if anyone really was watching them from afar. There were students who were there below, but they certainly weren't looking up from their spot. The people were busy to get to know how their friends were. The teenager heard a swish of air and looked at the direction of its sound and saw that her friend had come back from the almost five-second lap he did. She flashed him an amused smile when he mentioned a joke - which she heard most of the time whenever she was around him. Artemis changed her position and she leaned on the stony wall of the tower, whilst she subconsciously folded her arms across her chest. She nodded, agreeing that it was much better to just fly to the tower than climbing up the staircase. "You're just tempting me," She half teased and accused, but then showed a small smirk. Artemis was no two-goody shoes, but then she knew her limits and she rarely tested them. Yes, she really did want to fly to the north tower some time, but she was worried about what could happen if someone did spot her. "But I wish I could. It's just risky." She stated, with the as-a-matter-of-fact voice of hers. She did not want to interrupt her clean record just because she was spotted flying up to the north tower. If there were any interruptions however, she would make sure that it was surely worthwhile and fun. And Artemis would make sure to have no regrets.

A soft, heartfelt laugh escaped the lips of the teenager, and she was happy to learn that he did enjoy it in the ancient place. She felt the desire to travel with her parents when the next break comes, but then she doubted that they would go with the suggestion. Gwyneth usually had business to attend and so did Alexander. The Slytherin's parents were a busy couple, and they only kept their children company whenever evening came. But the Slytherin had no complains with that, since she knew what her parents experience everyday. It was hell for them, and so the Slytherin did not really want to stress them out even more. That was the last thing she even wanted to do to her parents. Artemis raised her head to meet Minoas' eyes and said, "I'd like to meet those brothers of yours. You talk about them so interestingly. They're twins right?" A certain hint of doubt creeped in the tone of the teenager, but she was fairly certain that she was correct. She had a feeling that if those brothers of Minoas really came to Hogwarts, then they would be sorted in Gryffindor too. They seemed adventurous and playful siblings. She a desire to have a brother too, but the image of Alliyah's face in her mind made her remember their experiences together and how they vented out things unashamedly to one another. Artemis was stuck thinking about Alliyah, but Minoas seemed to recall something all of a sudden. The Slytherin looked at him and her lips formed a subtle frown on them. She watched him, and all of a sudden, he flew out of the window to retrieve something. "Hey, where're you going?!" Artemis yelled after him, but then she knew she wast too late. The Gryffindor had soared in the air already, and she was quite sure that he was out of the earshot range.

Only the winds were there to accompany the lonely teenager, and the occasional screams of laughter below were the only ones to keep her from looking for her friend. He did the action so abruptly, that it confused Artemis. The possibilities for him leaving were endless yet not all of them matched the situation. Going back to their latest conversation, the Slytherin tried to think about what made Minoas retreat back to somewhere. Their latest topic was about Egypt and how all of it went. The blonde figured what thing he came back for, and she suddenly groaned out loud. She frowned, but not to the extent that it was too much. She did not want to bother Minoas whilst he was vacationing. The familiar rustling of the wind came within range, and Artemis looked towards the direction of the sound. Then she saw a jewel in his hand, and immediately her emotions were mixed. A part of a her wanted to smirk at how she guessed it correctly, whilst the bigger part wanted to frown even more. Artemis looked at the bracelet that Minoas was showing her, and it was lovely. "Really, you did not have to --" Artemis mumbled in a small protesting tone, but she was interrupted by Minoas taking her hand and putting a bracelet on it. Artemis did not really dig up bracelets, but she looked at the accessory on her palm with slight awe. It was simple, but beautiful at the same time. Only the eyes had gems and they were colourless. However, the bracelet seemed to have magic inside it too, so she smiled shyly and thankfully at him. "I, er... Thank you," She said in a whisper and looked down at the bracelet again. Artemis examined the eyes of the snake, and she felt a sort of connection towards it. Her emotions would be revealed if she would slip it on her wrist. Silently, she carefully slipped it in the pocket of her shorts and let go of it.

Going back to England went well, and Artemis wished she was still there. Her family was enthusiastic to have her back again and they did some activities with one another. Artemis went to a muggle play along with Alliyah, who was eager about the idea. The show was good, and Artemis was satisfied that they picked that (but she noted that her sister was not really happy about it). They went on some picnics too, and Artemis recalled supporting her sister to overcome her fear of heights. She shrugged slowly and said, "It was okay. Just had some family time and I went around muggle England to know more about their culture. I'm taking Muggle Studies so, I thought it would be useful." The Slytherin briefly looked at the view below and she sighed when her eyes swept over the vast expanse of trees that represented the forbidden forest. A comfortable silence settled over them, and Artemis enjoyed how it was serenely cool up in the tower. Casually, she looked over at Minoas and noted how he was growing rapidly, and she envied how he was getting taller. Far taller from her height. She thought about her current height. She was a few inches shorter than the other fourth year, and she recalled the times when their height difference wasn't as noticeable. "You're growing taller." She noted bluntly, and bored her eyes into his gray ones. She herself had some changes on her own physical appearance as well although she took no notice in those. She had curves, and she was getting slightly taller. There were more freckles on her face, and her skin was softer. The blonde stood straighter and held her chin higher, as if to match Minoas' height - which she knew was impossible though.

I am sorry about the late reply!
​

 

[Minoas Stratis]

Minoas flashed a smile when Artemis kindly accepted his gift. He had promised her back at the last time they had met before holidays and as he was visiting the old market in Egypt and saw that particular jewel, he remembered her instantly. He was glad that she liked it. He was used to give gifts to friends and family and when the seemed to be liking them, that feeling of fulfillment was intensified. "You are welcome." he replied with a grin as she was slipping it carefully into her pocket. He remembered talking about his brothers and Artemis showed some interest.
He let a chuckle before responding. "I'm not sure if you could handle them for more that five minutes." he said with a smirk as he imagined them meeting with his friend. They were two tough cookies that enjoyed pranks and they were never settling down. As a result, his parents had to deal with the ministry many times for underage use of magic and fixing the house every time an unexpecting flood was occuring or a mini tropical forest was seizuring their living room. Minoas only had to deal with their pranks, their last one locking him in a sarcophagus back in Egypt. "Yes, they are twins." he confirmed her suspicion. "They are not identical though." he added visibly relieved for that. If they couldn't distinguish them, everyone was going to have a far worse headache than they already had. "Maybe you'll get to meet them one day." he shrugged and smiled.

As Artemis was talking about the time she had spent with her family during holidays, Minoas absent-mindly looked at her moving lips. When he recovered from his daydream, Artemis had stopped talking and he was left looking at her like an idiot. His eyes widened and tried to continue from the only word that he managed to hold in.
"Oh you are taking muggle studies?" he asked enthusiastically. "I always wanted to watch a movie in a cinema like they do." he continued with a longing tone. Minoas hadn't chose muggle studies because he believed that he knew enough things about muggles since his mother was a muggle-born but he was constantly discovering new things about their different world. Soon, there was a drastical change on his features when Artemis pointed out that he was getting taller. "Umm...I guess so." he shrugged. He felt his ears warm which meant that they had probably blushed but he kept eye contact as her blue gaze was piercing his gray one. "You changed as well." he said spontaneously as he kept looking into her eyes' skies. There was silence for a while that was interrupted by laughter. The group of students below them was probably sharing jokes or they were having a good time.
"So where is your book?" he asked her and pretended that he was searching for it around them.
"I guessed that you had isolated yourself here to read without anyone interrupting you." he explained from where it came his previous question with a tease.

 

[Artemis Jackson]

To have one more sibling was what Artemis wanted, but she doubted that her parents would permit it. Perhaps a brother would be lovely and exciting. He could also be obsessed with Quidditch just as she is. Artemis suppressed that want and she just enjoyed hearing the stories that Minoas would tell her about his brothers. Thinking about having a brother made Artemis mentally flush guiltily when she remembered how Alliyah was always there whenever she needed help. Alliyah never failed to keep Artemis company whenever she needed it, and they would end up talking about short stories and trading advice. She did not want that relationship to suffer just because she wanted a brother and she thanked whoever god was there to bless her with a sister. Although her wish to have a brother had been always obvious, Minoas narrated his life with his brothers as if it was annoying to be with them. This made Artemis mirror the smirk that her companion had. To meet them suddenly made her excited in a way that she was challenged as well. "Don't judge too fast." The words came out as smooth as a snake's, at the same time it was overloaded with confidence. Hell no, she could not be wrapped with intimidation just because of these two younger boys who were pranksters. Artemis looked at Minoas, her eyes sparkling slightly. She laughed softly, and she wondered what features did those twins and Minoas have in common. "Must have made your life a bit easier." Having identical twin brothers in one household could have been a disaster for his family, and Artemis could not help but giggle about that mentally. She was glad that her sister was orderly, although Alliyah's cheerful personality got into her temper sometimes. Smiling kindly, she thought if that day would come soon. Artemis had never met any of his family members and as for him, she knew that Minoas was friends with Alliyah.

The sight of the trees were serene and quiet. Perhaps the creatures there weren't that alive yet. Artemis looked at Minoas again and nodded absentmindedly as her thoughts trailed elsewhere. That show that she had watched with Alliyah was quite depressing and it contained suspense. It was almost identical to the Phantom of the Opera, but with some other side plots present. Ever wondering if there were those muggle cinemas in Greece, she shuffled her weight from one foot to the other and frowned subtly. She was aware that Minoas resided in New Zealand unlike her. Her family had moved - for businesslike reasons - back to England. "You should." She told him as she displayed a small smile excitedly about the idea. Artemis was not exactly the outgoing type, but she was always willing to explore the muggle world with her sister as company. Although she wasn't too fond about it, Artemis tried to know more about her mother's culture. She was a Halfblood and her conscience always bugged her to at least know the lifestyle of the muggles. The Slytherin's eyes looked at Minoas again carefully, and she noted how he blushed right and there. Her lips tugged itself upwards amusingly and she ignored his comment. "Er, you alright?" The blonde bit her lower lip to stop herself from laughing about how he could blush just because of a simple remark of hers. Was this also his reaction whenever a person would say something about his physical features? She thought so. Artemis wanted to giggle, but she remained her silent eye contact with the Gryffindor.

Artemis rolled her eyes softly and looked at the view outside for a few seconds. She did not come to read up there and she was well aware that Minoas was probably teasing her. The tone of his voice hinted it and she shook her head as her eyes still scanned the grounds calmly. "Er, no." Her lips had a ghost of a smile on it, as she thought that perhaps in the mind of this boy, she always read. Artemis loved books but she preferred Quidditch over that. Artemis uncrossed her arms and placed them on the stony surface of the opening, just beside Minoas. Her face was looking outwardly straight and she sighed when another breeze swept her hair backwards. "I like the view here. It calms me." She replied quietly and she looked up at him as she shrugged. Truthfully, she had no reason to be worried about anyways. She only felt that she needed to see the full view of the castle again after many weeks of vacationing. "I hope this year will go smoothly." Last year seemed to have plenty of drama going around the school. It wasn't that she actually cared, but it usually made Artemis feel awkward.
​

 

[Minoas Stratis]

For some reason, Artemis looked interesting in his younger brothers. Perhaps she did wanted a brother like Minoas always wanted a younger sister. Even an older brother would be preferable. Someone that he could actually communicate with. To be fair, Perseus and Theseus weren't always a nuisance. It seemed that quidditch was running in family's blood and Minoas was glad that he could have some fun time with them, playing quidditch in their olive grove. It was one of the few times that he was grateful that he had his brothers.
"Okay! Maybe you'll have a chance to meet them over christmas holidays. I must clear off though, I'm not going to get you out of the trouble they'll set you in." he raised an eyebrow and folded his arms on his chest as Artemis looked confident enough to meet his brothers. "I wish I had someone like Ally. A grown up that you can actually talk to. The only thing I can chat with my brothers is quidditch players." he shook his head and slightly shrugged.

He went closer to the stony edge of the tower, next to Artemis, to see bellow the group of students socializing.
"There is a rumour going that Professor Spenser is going to take us to the movies. I guess we are going to watch something...umm...educational?" he said but he wasn't affected by the idea of watching something about history. The whole idea of going to watch a movie was intriguing him. Plus, he really liked the taste of popcorn.
"Back home, we were more accustomed to theatre. Both drama and comedy." he explained with his tone of his voice testifying that he preferred the latest.
The gryffindor tapped nervously his index and middle finger on the stone surface. Artemis had probably noticed his blushed ears or his uncomfortableness. "Umm, yeah. It's just...do you ever feel a strange sadness as the dusk falls?" he diverted neatly her attention at the sun that was sinking behind horizon's mountains. He must have been one of the few people thinking that sunsets were melancholic but soon the fiery sky was going to be replaced by a starry one.

Minoas had remembered last time he had seen her, when she was carrying a book with her. She hadn't give him the impression that she was a bookworm but at the same time, Artemis wasn't the type of person that would gladly embrace adventure. There was a balancing quality in her that was fascinating the gryffindor.
He nodded with a smile. Indeed, the view was so nice that could keep you there all day, lost in your thoughts.
"Pfff that's the problem." he snapped out of his silence. "Everything is so scheduled around here." he stated, obviously denoting that he wanted something exciting to interrupt that smoothness.
"Did you know that they used to hold some kind of tournament in the past?" he shared the only thing that he had managed to memorize from Hogwarts' history. "The constestants have to solve riddles, puzzles, even deal with dragons!" he stated thrilled with the idea of facing such an enormous creature.

 

[Artemis Jackson]

Artemis chuckled as she heard Minoas' response. The fact that she wanted a brother would not get her intimidated by two younger boys. She was aware that she was quite older than them but hearing about Minoas' experience with the twins forced her think about it twice. She thought about what their abilities can lead them to. To prank others can be called a talent of theirs and she expected that they could do things that were out of her imagination range. Her lips contained a mixture of two things; a smirk and an amused smile. She was not a lady who would simply wonder about. She wanted to know about it herself. Chaos makers or not, a small bud of excitement arose in the pit of her stomach. "No need to be the knight in shining armor Minoas." She looked over at him and laughed. They were just kids weren't they? Although kids usually caused serious trouble, Artemis did not really disclose herself from their fun. Secretly, she did not mind wasting her precious time with a group of kids. Crying infants however, was a different thing. Alliyah came into topic again, and the Slytherin smiled absentmindedly, grateful that she had Alliyah with her. But even with Alliyah, she was once in a whilst jealous about how their mother differently treated one another. "I love Alliyah so much," Artemis admitted freely even if she knew that Minoas was probably aware of this kind of information. Her adoration towards Ally was just everlasting and Artemis never really admitted these sisterly feelings towards others. She guessed that she considered Minoas a close friend of hers now that they were in their fourth year. "But she doesn't really knows anything about Quidditch." It was true, Alliyah had zero information when it came to the players. Perhaps she knew those teams that played for Great Britain but the rest, Artemis doubted so.

Having a movie with the History of Magic professor intrigued the fourth year and she flashed her friend another disbelieving yet subtle look. Her mind immediately raced with questions on why he would do that to them. Maybe there would be a documentary or a short clip about the history of something. She was not fond of History of Magic but she sure noticed that Professor Spenser was not bad looking at all. She shrugged and gave a noncommittal nod at Minoas, who guessed that it would be something educational. Artemis was ninety-percent sure that it would really be educational unless Professor Spenser finally decided that his students needed a break. "I like comedy," She commented randomly and she grinned softly at him. For someone quiet and reserved as her, Artemis had a mind filled with loud thoughts. She treated her mind like a room that stored everything that her face could betray of her. Her emotions were always concealed and was replaced by either a blank stare or a smirk from her lips and eyes. Artemis decided to just play along with Minoas and did not comment on how he altered the topic of their conversation. Her eyes scanned the horizon and she sighed loudly when the sight of the sun was beginning to fade away. "No, not really." Artemis replied truthfully as she looked over at him, puzzled with his question. The sight of the orange sun was beautiful and it was only once in a whilst that Artemis was able to see this kind of view. She regarded this day as something special and tranquil. "So, you feel sad when you know," Artemis paused and gestured towards the setting sun. "This happens?" She finished and eyed him with oddness.

The interruption of the silence by Minoas caused Artemis to look at him slowly and she watched his eyes as he stated his opinion. She secretly wanted to giggle at him being so boyishly Gryffindor, but that wasn't really a part of her outer personality. She laughed shortly at him and thought, "If the Sorting Hat did not choose to place him in Gryffindor, I'd be doubtful it really has wisdom." She inwardly grinned at her own thoughts, thinking that she sounded so silly in her own mind. Her exterior however was reserved and silent. Artemis' eyes widened slightly on the revelation that she just heard about Hogwarts' previous activities and she couldn't keep a straight face when she thought about it. Dragons... Those creatures brought pure fascination to her. "Maybe that was in the older branch? The one in Scotland?" She looked again at the scene below her whilst she waited for whatever Minoas would reply to her to guess slash question.
​

 

[Minoas Stratis]

Minoas shook slightly his head and grinned. It was easy to feel confident like Artemis did when you hadn't pass a few hours with his brothers. "With them, you end up either being the knight in the shining armor or their old, feeble horse that endures their tortures." he used her metaphor to his advantage just to show how easily the twins could take advantage of someone and make their life a little bit more difficult. You had to assert yourself or else they could presume upon your kindness. Minoas wasn't sure were exactly he was standing and how his brothers were considering him. He didn't want to use intimidation towards them but he also didn't want them to believe that he was an easy target to be exploited and got him into trouble. He was probably balancing somewhere inbetween as the where times that they were managing to manipulate him in their own special way.
Despite their restless nature, Minoas loved his brothers as well, the same way as Artemis had just confessed about her sister Ally. However, he wasn't going to express this so openly, especially in front of his brothers.
"Who's better to teach her other than you?" he pointed a finger at her who could easily teach her sister how to play Quidditch. "I've taught my brothers. I don't know how I could possible survive school breaks' boredom at home if I hadn't lure them in the magnificent world of Quidditch." he said with a broad smirk. The reason behind it was that both Perseus and Theseus weren't still as good at him and it was a piece of cake for him to steal the Quaffle from the and score. This was one of the case when he was taking advantage of his brothers but in a good way. There was nothing better allowed to do at their home in New Zealand and Minoas had to channel somewhere the energy that he possesed.

He wasn't surprised that his friend wasn't feeling the same way as he did about the sunset.
"My grandfather is to be blamed for that." he replied with a chuckle and his eyes got lost in the fiery globe that was slowly hiding behind a mountain top. "He says it is the only time when our world intersects with theirs." he continued, knowing that Artemis would have no clue about what he was talking at the moment but he wanted to quote exactly his grandfather's words. "It's the only time that we can feel the lingering regrets of spirits, of those who have left our world. That is why loneliness always pervades the hour of twilight." he concluded. He had never felt that before until his grandfather had referred to it. He didn't know if his grandfather was right but he could also be talking with symbolisms. He used to do that and leave Minoas wonder what was the essence of his wise words. "Hmm, maybe that's why couples want to watch a sunset with their partner. They don't want to feel lonely." he rubbed his chin thoughful until he realized that he was watching the sunset right now with Artemis.
He cleared his throat to cast away the sudden feeling of awkwardness that possessed him.
"Nah, rediculous viewpoint!" he finally snapped out of his silence and shook his head. "It's just the planets orbiting. Nothing more." he stated categorically.

Just a glance at her pale face and Minoas knew that something was going on in Artemis head. She wasn't really expressive with words but what her lips kept secret, were revealed by her eyes and probably she hadn't realized that. He immidiately recognized fascination in her eyes when he referred to dragons. If he could he would have had a pet dragon right there. He was always complaining to his father why he wasn't breeding dragons as well except from winged horses and griffins. Of course they were both decent and fascinating but could they spit fire?
"Maybe." he murmured with a shrug. His gray eyes were still sailing far across the horizon where the sky was dyed in auburn. "I can't pretend that I have read Hogwarts' history." he confessed with a guilty smile.
"To be honest, I have no idea how old is this branch to begin with." he said reluctantly, hoping that Artemis wasn't going to find him pathetic for his poor knowledge about their school's background. He decided not to refer further on this and ridiculate more himself. "So ready to block some Quaffles? I heard that you'll be facing Hufflepuff next." he changed quickly the subject to their favourite topic.

 

[Artemis Jackson]

So they were using figurative language right now? It just occurred to Artemis the moment Minoas imitated her choice of words. She winced inwardly when she got a more intelligent reply and decided to just let it go. If Minoas was going to insist that she would have a difficult time to play along with their jokes, then so be it. The previous trace of humor and playfulness vanished from those bright blue eyes of hers. She looked at Minoas with disbelief and seriousness this time. "That bad? You're kidding..." If Minoas' tone didn't have at least a quarter of seriousness, Artemis would have assumed that he was just exaggerating. She never really did doubt her friend. It was just that her mind did not really take messages into a deeper context. She shrugged with a small frown hanging on her lips as her imagination took in a scene of Alliyah agreeing to fly with her. Artemis thought that Alliyah was lacking in her flying skills - which in case she really was, no offense - and Artemis wanted to make up for that. The Slytherin was more than willing to teach the younger Lioness, even if the the chances of her agreeing were slim. "She usually refuses. I don't think it's my place to say why she doesn't like flying but... Well, yeah." Artemis highly respected Alliyah's fears even though she thought they were quite irrational. And so did Alliyah thought about Artemis' fears. Instead of just looking at him blandly, she gave him a small sheepish smile regarding the way she handled flying with Alliyah.

The words of Minoas puzzled the blonde and she hid with a bland nod. Those words did not struck her and she thought about it slowly. "What world?" She ran a hand through her medium length blonde hair and quit the thinking. The meaning behind was too deep to reach for her. Instead of dwelling on that more, she displayed a small smile and nod for a response. His words were strong but it did not make any sense to her. She shifted from a foot to the other as the silence endured. She liked how the sight of the sunset made her mind placid. Only silence wandered around but there was no sign of awkwardness yet. However it was quickly interrupted when Minoas' words intruded in. Slowly, she felt herself become hotter even if the weather outside was breezy. She did not dare look at Minoas in the eye but instead she bowed her head slightly for a second and looked up. Artemis remained blank, but her insides were squirming intensely. "Er... Yeah." Sometimes she was glad for the intelligent mind of Minoas whenever it became awkward for the two of them. He was usually the first to chime in before the silence would even last longer. She chewed the soft inner flesh of her cheeks and yet her eyes did not betray anything. She was quiet and she thought that nothing was wrong with that.

"You're not the only one." She smiled at him, guilty that she too had no interest for the history of the school. She breathed in slowly and tried to think of what else to comment about Hogwarts. Nothing was exceptionally bad nor good about it except for some of the students. There were some who she disliked but did not seriously hate. Artemis decided that she wouldn't say anything anymore and she clasped her hands silently. Her chest had a funny feeling in it and it was just too light to imagine. The presence of Minoas also helped and she was thankful that he stopped to talk to her. Quickly, her eyes gained an excited feeling to it and she subtly smirked at him without looking at his direction. "Very much ready. We'll beat those 'Puffs." Artemis unclasped her hands and unconsciously tucked a strand of hair behind an ear. Isabella Romanes was still their captain and Artemis knew her as someone who did everything to win in a match. "Is the Gryffindor team too nervous to face the Ravenclaws?" This time she looked at him and she raised her chin too. The same expression was there but this time it was a tad bit wider than the previous one seconds ago.
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