Unfamiliar feelings

[Minoas Stratis]

The gryffindor pushed the double, heavy door of the castle and let the sunshine infiltrate the great entrance. He accepted the smooth touch of the winter sun on his face and filled his lungs with fresh air. With the exams over just a day ago, freedom was finally winking at him, inviting him to enjoy the wide, open spaces of Hogwarts grounds. He would much prefer a warmer weather to spend it outdoors but despite being at the break of winter, the sun was doing a respectable job maintaining a balmy weather. "Free at last!" he sighed as he watched the panoramic view of the gardens, showered in gold from the early morning light.

One would assume that since this particular lion had free time in his hands, he was going to disappear behind the tree line of the forbidden forest. However, Minoas had different plans and he had started materializing them from the day before, right after the end of his examination. After a ten minutes walk, he arrived at a lone corner of Hogwarts gardens. Most students didn't really visit that part of the garden. Well maybe older students that were seeking some private time with each other but they weren't going to disturb him that early in the morning, especially the next morning after exams. Most would prefer to take advantage of their leisure time and invest on sleeping as much they could, before finally heading indolently to the great hall and enjoy one of the last breakfasts of the year. There was nothing unusual in the silent garden, except from a scarecrow that it wasn't fitting the scene. It looked like it was abducted from the pumpkin patch of the greenhouses and was placed there deliberately. Minoas smiled when he noticed that his straw friend was left there, untouched from yesterday.
While he had found impossible the task to get a dummy to practise, the idea of borrowing one of greenhouses' scarecrows hit him. He hoped that Professor Blaze wasn't going to notice. He was planning to return it as soon as possible.

After two weeks of revision, it was time to break out of his hibernation and unleash the oppressing energy that was slowly building inside. He decided to materialize that energy on a spell that came across in a book and they hadn't be taught at class. Which exacty was the effect? He wasn't sure but he was convinced it was going to be something awesome since they were used to be taught only basic charms and spells. He looked at the chocked full, fabric face of the scarecrow with the awkward, sewn smile and the huge, shiny buttons for eyes. He was feeling quite bad that he had taken it out of its liar to be jinxed mercilessly. "Better than personating a perch for a loud gang of crows I guess." he comforted the lifeless scarecrow with a pat on its shoulder. He put some distance between them and took out his wand. He started casting. Initially, all his attempts were effortless. He was used to that. That had made him more patient than he was before.

He started working on his wand movement. It was the part of the whole procedure that he was usually finding the most difficult. He tried some common movements as well as some extravagant, with a behind-the-back shot for the icing on the cake.
"Reducto!" he yelled desperately after numerous of tries, this time just pointing his wand at the face of the scarecrow. To his surprise, blue light shot out of his wand tip towards the face of his target. The awkward face blasted into pieces launched at every direction. Instictevely, he used his arms to protect his face from the shower of falling hay and pieces of cloth. "Oh no..." he murmured picking from his feet the biggest, surviving piece of the scarecrow's face. He hoped that there were still enough scarecrows at the greenhouses for Professor Blaze to notice that one was missing. Because apparently, this one wasn't going to return back.

 

[Artemis Jackson]

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<COLOR color="#000"> The winter season was finally in the air. It has been almost a year since winter had come into Artemis' life again, and she thought that she deserved some cold air after a long time of being locked in the castle, because of the various things she needed to do. Artemis had a hell of a year, and the biggest thing that still saddened her was the Quidditch game between Slytherin and Ravenclaw. It was one event that Artemis hoped to win, but it seemed that their team did not practice enough. The thought of practicing her flying skills outside sounded good to do, but then why would she make herself grow tired when stress had been around her for the past week? The amount of pressure that was on her shoulders made her more mature, emotionally and physically. She was having her growth spurt already - she noticed, and the thought made her feel some mixed emotions. Artemis stood up from her sitting position on the bed, and got an object that happened to be a book. It's been a whilst since she had read good stories, and the synopsis at the back intrigued her. Some story it was - about adventure and a little of romance. It was a muggle novel but regardless, she was in the mood to read a good book that a muggle author made.

But instead of reading on the couch inside the Slytherin common room, the teenager got a blazer from her trunk and wrapped it around her body. Also, she gathered her blonde hair in a ponytail and tied it tightly. The day outside was just beautiful, and the winds were tempting Artemis to get out of the castle. Obeying, she exited the common room in just a minute. She knew that the garden of Hogwarts would be empty by now, since everybody seemed to be sleeping or just hanging around the Great Hall, enjoying the conversations around. Artemis found the idea of staying in the garden a beneficial one, because of the peacefulness that it always had. The flowers were pretty too, and it attracted the Slytherin. The doors to the outdoor grounds of Hogwarts were open, and Artemis did not hesitate to exit. Her footsteps weren't audible for any nearby professors to hear and she also made sure that she would leave in silence. A sharp, cold breeze hit her face and Artemis inhaled the air deeply. It smelled like the pine trees, and it caused her to smile at the weather. The sun was out as well, but that did not stop the occasional sharp winds to blow. Artemis was glad that the snow did not cover the ground entirely too, or else her feet would be soaked. There were a few flecks of snow, but the usual mountain of frozen rain wasn't present... yet.

The entrance of the garden was filled with the flowers. Flowers of different colours and scents were everywhere, and this just made Artemis feel satisfied about her choice of location. The Slytherin walked past the entrance and took in the different kinds of plants around. There were trees and flowers, and she even spotted some shrubs not far away. Grinning, Artemis walked past all the flowers and into the deeper side of the garden, which wasn't really bothered by the students unless, they needed some privacy. In her case, Artemis did need the privacy to read the book without any disturbance. Walking on the grassy ground of the garden was no problem for her, until she heard a 'BOOM!' nearby. By instinct, she pulled out her wand from the pocket of her blazer and stepped backwards. She saw some birds fly away because of the impact, and she stalked towards the location of the sound. It only took a few steps when she saw a friend of hers looking at what seemed to be one of the remaining pieces of the object that turned into pieces. "What just happened here?" Artemis asked as she stepped out from her hiding place. It was obvious that something was destroyed and whatever that was, she had a strong feeling that Minoas Stratis had something to do with it. But before she could get more information, she spoke of a basic and polite question. "Are you all right?" She said, her English accent blending in with her voice. Artemis approached Minoas cautiously, in case another explosion would reoccur. The pieces were everywhere, and everything around her looked like straw and some broken pieces of wood.
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[Minoas Stratis]

The gryffindor was ready to gather the remains of the scarecrow's head and find a way to fix it as much as possible. However, a familiar voice caught his attention. Soft but melodious with british accent quite eminent.
"Oh, hello Artemis!" he turned to face her, greeting her quite startled. He wasn't expecting to see anyone and she had appeared silently at the scene. "No time, no see." he added with a smile. The truth was that there was a long time since the two of them had hang out. Minoas' first impression about Artemis was that of a very secretive person, a trait that was making him to want and learn more about such kind of people. But it wasn't only Artemis to be blamed for not talking lately. Minoas as well, had limited his free time amongst quidditch and training. That free time had shrinked even more with the exams the past few weeks but now, it was time to make up for his friendships that had long neglected.

A tuft of straw was slowly falling and hooked on his hair. "Yeah...I'm alright...thanks." he replied while trying to blow away the straw. In the end, he used his hand to untangle it from his hair and throw it away. "I was just practising a spell. Next time I'll remember to check out what exactly I'm going to practise." he casted a look at the mess he had caused. The truth was that he had just picked the incantation without reading further the effect of the spell. He then looked around them. Thankfully, the wind should have masked the sound of the explosion. Or maybe, it had contributed to transmit the sound faster to the ears of Hogwarts' staff. He noticed that Artemis was holding a book so he didn't bother to ask her what she was doing there when it was obvious.
"Reading? Just after a day from the end of our examination?" he smirked, oblivious to the fact that it was a muggles' romance book. "Someone was sorted in the wrong house..." he commented and had a seat at the nearby bench, deciding to clean up the mess later. "So what is new? Everything okay with your exams?" he asked and kicked away a piece of cloth that used to be part of the scarecrow's hat. He could guess that she was going to refer to the cancelled match. Both of them were sharing the same passion about quidditch and this cancellation had really disappointed the young lion.

 

[Artemis Jackson]

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<COLOR color="#000"> The sudden appearance of Artemis was stealthy, just like a sly fox. Artemis sensed the surprise that Minoas felt, since it was etched on his facial features. She faced up, still taking in the appearance of their surroundings. She was aware that the things around them were actually pieces of wood and straw that varied in size. The remainings were around the two students, and Artemis resumed looking at the ground and the pieces of wood that looked quite old and familiar. She was sure that she saw the same kind of texture that the wood had, but it was difficult to recall. The wood was quite old, and it looked as it belonged to one of the school's properties. Artemis inhaled deeply, finally recovering from what seemed like an unusual explosion that rarely happened in the garden. Artemis fingered the spine of her book and looked at the environment with an expression that was weirded out of what just happened. "Yeah, it's been long." Artemis said whilst still looking around and she finally faced Minoas with an expression of disbelief and surprise with what just happened. She was too distracted to even make a conversation for the meantime. Splinters of wood were beneath Artemis' footwear and she bent down got a piece broken wood, which had the shape of a broken cylinder. It felt rough in her hands, now that it was already broken. Whatever its previous form was, Artemis had a strong feeling that she was familiar with it. The Slytherin tossed the cylinder back to the ground and looked back at the Gryffindor and she chuckled shortly whilst Minoas was trying to untangle the pieces of straw that was on his hair. "Er, you have some on your shoulder too." Artemis said and stood there, awkwardly thinking whether she herself should brush it off or not. She nodded slowly when the awkwardness was evident in the air, and pointed to the small pieces of straw.

Once the odd awkwardness was over, Artemis' lips curled upwards, forming a small grin at Minoas. And of course, the mystery was solved on who committed that unusual sound. Artemis chuckled when Minoas explained, and found his explanation valid. But if a professor was there to hear his reason, she thought that it would be a night of detention for Minoas. Artemis tried to look back at the memories of her classes, and failed to locate such a curse that would destroy a solid object into something like the wreck around them. "Right. Do remember that." Artemis laughed softly, at the mistake that Minoas had done. Her tone obviously had a friendly sound, and it did not sound irritating and annoyed. She did not want Minoas to mistake her advice as something unfriendly and quite cold, so she just accompanied her statement with a small smile after a hearty laugh. Artemis did not notice the pair of gray eyes looking at the novel she brought, and the Slytherin held it up when Minoas acknowledged its presence. She fingered the spine again - it was a strange hobby of hers when it came to books - and raised an eyebrow when a smirk appeared after her. "It's a novel, not a textbook." Artemis said truthfully, and lowered the book down until her hips. Artemis followed Minoas and sat on the bench too. She thought that the joke had ended, until she heard the same voice speak again. "Trust the hat, I am a Slytherin. And, it sorted you in the right house; being mischievous, adventurous and all that." Artemis wanted to bring up the courageous part of being a Gryffindor, but she thought that it might lead to further teasing. She sucked at teasing, and she usually laughed along with it. She also made witty remarks, but they were not as strong as her companion's. "Everything's good. Still brooding over the cancelled Quidditch match but besides from that, all is well. And you?"
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[Minoas Stratis]

Minoas watched as Artemis was picking the cylinder base of the scarecrow. He couldn't help but smile widely when he recognised in her expression that she was familiar with it but she couldn't identify it.
"That's one of Blaze's scarecrows...or maybe I should say, it was one of Blaze's scarecrows." he explained to her although he was finding priceless her expression and he would like to make her think a little bit more.
"Rest in peace." he joked at the remnants of the scarecrow that were scattered around on the ground and hanging from the nearby bushes. His attention shifted quickly to his shoulder where Artemis had pointed out.
Embarrased he picked the piece of straw and threw it away. "Er, thanks." he uttered and felt his ears getting warmer. He looked away for a moment wondering if his ears had indeed blushed and turned back to face her with an awkward smile that soon joined her laughter.

Minoas recognised the friendly tone in the girls voice and there was no way to perceive it as an attempt to irritate or annoy him.
"I should also bare in mind to use my own practising dummy and not even think of practising on someone else." he added, joking once more about the latest. He was never going to practise on someone else an unknown spell. Duelling was a different story and yet again he was going to limit himself to the spells that he knew pretty well. As Artemis sat next to him, he eyed the cover of the book and shook his head.
"None of these things that muggles put into books are true. I bet the protagonist dies for his loved one in the end, doesn't he?" he commented about romance books that he hadn't and he wasn't planning to ever read. When it came to books, he was more of the mystery side and he did enjoyed detective novels. There was a muggle, female novelist that he really liked her books but currently he couldn't remember her name apart from the first letter being an 'A'.

"I'm not really sure if the miscievous part is included into a gryffindor's traits. I never heard the hat referring to it." he commented as Artemis implied that he was mischievous when he was trying to get rid of that stigma. He was a slightly different person from the first year boy that was trapped in an acromantula lair. "As for the adventurous part, this year I could easily camp inside the library." he continued sneerfully about the fact that he had spent most of his free time in the library researching about his new aspiration of becoming a spell crafter. Few years back he was going to say that he would never, ever going to set a foot in the library.
He nodded a couple of times in agreement when Artemis referred to the cancelled match. He was feeling the same way and his frown now was indicating his disappointment. "It's the only cool thing around here and they decided it to cancel it." he complained as well although he had accepted the fact that nothing was going to change.
"I must admit that when our captain announced the cancellation, I believed that you, the snakes, had chickened out." he smirked and deliberately referred to Slytherins with the term 'snakes' as he knew that it was irritating Artemis. "I'm sorry, I meant to say serpents." he added with his sarcasm, remembering her telling him that their mascott wasn't a snake but a serpent. Why he was remembering that after two years, he didn't know but he did.

He decided to let his sarcasm aside for a while and talk seriously. "I'm good as well. I think I messed up a little bit in charms but overall I'm satisfied." he referred to his difficulty to perform fire element spells like incendio.
"I'm really looking forward to leave this madhouse and enjoy my holidays." he began and casted a look at the castle. He had stayed in Hogwarts during christmas holidays, a choice that he had bitterly regretted. It was just the christmas quidditch match that had influenced him take that choice but it proved to be nothing more than an unstructured match for amateurs. Now he couldn't wait for a change, a change that he couldn't find in Hogwarts.
"Planning to return back to Britain for vacations?" he asked the girl, remembering about her british origins.

 

[Artemis Jackson]

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<COLOR color="#000"> The feeling of touching one of Blaze's properties disturbed Artemis, and she was glad that she tossed it away from her sight. She felt as if she just touched a crime's precious evidence, and she was eager to get it out from her hand's grasp. And as always, the Slytherin also felt that her encounters with Minoas were as strange as ever and the first ever meeting they had was somewhat painful. Artemis' eyes bulged slightly, and she looked at the scene after the dry joke that Minoas said, that she thought he put up to make the scene a bit easier. "You mean you asked this from Blaze, and he just allowed you like that?" For a rigid person like the deputy headmaster, Artemis thought Blaze would have second thoughts first. The man wasn't really someone who could be joked around with, and Artemis bit her lip in disbelief in regards to the scarecrow. She nodded in reply to Minoas, and she cocked her head to the side when her friend momentarily looked away, as if he sensed something come into his senses. She decided that it was probably a personal joke that he thought off, so asking him wasn't really something she would care to do. She looked down and laughed softly, easing the awkwardness that was evident in the mood. It was funny to see both of them stuck in the middle of such an odd situation, and all she could do was just to cover it up with her laughter.

Artemis agreed with Minoas by nodding her head, with an amused smile. She found it strange to be in someone's company that would always joke, either it was dry or something really funny. She gazed around the scene and she somehow found it easy to imagine Minoas creating the wee destruction. He was a Gryffindor, and she knew about his adventurous side. Perhaps that was why she was not sorted into Gryffindor, because of the lack of courage that she could not maintain that easily. Artemis' eyebrows quirked when she heard the spoken opinion and said, "Hey, not all protagonists die for their loved one. And no, he does not die." She huffed and looked at him smugly in the eye. Her blue eyes showed only amusement and readiness, to whatever playful argument that would spring up. Artemis was fond of novels that had happy endings and tragic ones pained her badly. She also favored those that had adventure to it but and some mystery. Aside from Quidditch, the Slytherin had a love for novels and she sensed that Minoas wasn't really a digger for romance. "And if Alliyah was here, she would possibly disagree. Muggles are quite... fascinating for her."

Apart from being adventurous, Gryffindors surely had courage. Their standout trait - courage was certainly something that sometimes led Lions to being mischievous students. She knew that not all Gryffindors were as mischievous yet she decided to stick with it as a teasing comment for them. "Maybe not, but some are." Artemis said, whilst showing off a smile that was a half grin. She was lately giving in to some reading and she never found sneaking outside of the castle something entertaining or worthwhile. The Slytherin couches were comfortable and she found snuggling close to it something relaxing. A cuddle with the pillows was a a great pastime for the Slytherin. "Oh? And why is that?" The library had been a place for comfort that was once Artemis' favorite place to go too. But for a teenager, she was quite content with what she had whenever she had the time to waste it in the Slytherin dormitories, specifically on her four poster bed. The library was sometimes a place for snogging, and some even gossiped near the restricted area. But her thoughts of relaxing were replaced by disapointment when the cancelled match was brought up. With a sad smile, she agreed with Minoas' opinion and exhaled a brief sigh but then a flow of words took the silence and Artemis looked at him alarmedly when she heard her team had chickened out. "We never chicken out when it comes to the games. We desire to become the winners, so why back out?" Artemis smirked as she said this, and released a small chuckle when she heard the term, "serpents." Their mascot was a serpent but most people referred to the Slytherins simply as 'the Snakes.'

At the mention of Charms, Artemis made a 'pfft' sound that expressed her disinterest in Charms. The subject was okay, but it was not really something entertaining for the Slytherin. It was only 'Accio' that she used almost daily and it served its purpose quite well. There were times that she was lazy to even get something that was a few feet away and so the summoning charm was always the best way to solve the problem. Artemis watched Minoas as he looked at the castle's not so far away image and she gave out a small smile when her friend expressed his own emotions freely towards her. "Yeah, I think it's best if I stay with my family. I can prioritize Quidditch later on." For the whole Christmas holidays, she expected a fun match between the professors' teams but then she only felt a small emotion of victory when she realized that certainly not all Slytherins were there. The Quidditch match also had some drama which she wasn't really fond of. She wanted action and staying with first years made her feel uncomfortable.
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[Minoas Stratis]

Minoas paused for a moment after Artemis' question. The truth was he hadn't informed his professor about his intention to borrow the scarecrow. Now he had to find a way and fix the damage he had caused and maybe a reparo charm was the answer but for now, he wanted to talk with the girl. He couldn't understand from where exactly was emanating that need but her short, well-chosen words were adding a mystery around her personality's puzzle. "Umm, not really." he breathed with an embarrassed smile. "I was planning to return it back after I was done. I wasn't expecting to blast it into pieces." he justified himself with a shrug. He sure was going to find a way and make up for it. Minoas was the kind of person that was always taking over his responsibilities. He was going to do anything possible to return back the scarecrow even if that meant some borrowed help by Hogwarts, house elves' tailoring abilities for the creation of a new one.

"Aha, I see you read this book for the nth time." he returned the smug when she said that the protagonist of her book didn't die for love. It seemed to him that Artemis might have read the book before or maybe someone had spoiled its ending. Muggle books were always something different from what Hogwarts' library could offer but romance books, whether they were muggle or magical were still not a first choice for the gryffindor. "Ally is right. Although I adore their vehicles rather than their novels." he agreed with Artemis sister's opinion about muggles. Minoas wanted to own in the future his own motorbike of large displacement or a racing car. However, he was quite ignorant of the real price of those vehicles.

Minoas wasn't considering himself a mischievous person but unfortunate in some specific circumstances, being in the wrong place at the wrong time. This could have tagged him the title of the trouble-maker but he wasn't looking for trouble. The past one year he had settled down a bit and matured while becoming an adolescent, leaving behind him his childish and reckless habits. The proof was the fact that he had spent more time in the library this year rather than in the forbidden forest, his favourite place. "I don't know, I was quite surprised myself." he admitted as he looked down at his shoes. "I filled my spare time with more useful activities that required some mandatory time spent on research but I couldn't believe that I was going to respond to that so well" he confessed surprised, since he was the type of person that was getting easily bored and sitting on a chair above a book, wasn't the most attractive activity for someone so hyper. He was ready to astray even while he was in the library. The restricted section was so tempting and welcoming but thankfully for him, it was well secured. He wasn't going to share with Artemis this tiny detail that she could use against him to name him mischievous.

"It seems we'll never know who the winner is going to be." he said right after her defense of her team.
"Get ready for next year. I'm not going to be soft with your hoops." he wasn't hesitant to show his competitive spirit when it came to sports. It was like the awakening of lion's killer insticts with the appearance of its victim.
He knew however that the serpent was coiled hidden in the grass, waiting patiently for the right moment to unleash its attack so he wasn't underestimating their opponents.
"I was planning to ask you about it. How come you decided to play as a keeper rather than a chaser?" he asked her. He wanted to learn what had caused this choice while Artemis began as a chaser like him. He had played as well as a beater but it wasn't his choice. It was what the team needed and he was more than eager to support the captains opinion. Vacation was the most pleasurable topic at that moment. "I hope it won't rain that much and it will be sunny as well. I'll visit Egypt. I can't wait to be honest." he said, anticipation more than prominent in his voice. "Have you ever visited any other country apart from New Zealand and Great Britain?" he asked her.

 

[Artemis Jackson]

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<COLOR color="#000"> The remaining pieces of the brief explosion were scattered everywhere. Naturally, explosions would always blast things into pieces and scatter it everywhere. Artemis felt the emotion of disbelief run through her mind - again. If anyone was eavesdropping on them, Artemis was quite sure that Minoas would get in trouble. Or if the professors considered bystanders, then her record would be affected as well. She looked sideways to the pieces again, feeling discomfort to know that she was in a scene of her friend's own making. It seemed that whenever she was around the boy's company, there was always something that would happen. And those things, were still vivid in the teenager's mind. She quirked a single eyebrow at the sound of Minoas' response, listening carefully to what he had to say. Although she knew that the Reparo Charm would perhaps fix the problem, she was impressed by how the Gryffindor managed to sneak whatever thing that exploded out of Blaze's property. Really, how could Gryffindors - especially boys - do those kinds of stuff whenever they were determined? "Just... Make sure to fix it or else -" Artemis paused and she looked around the ground. The ruins were still there and the breeze of the winter season occasionally moved the wood and straw out of their original spot. She looked at Minoas' eyes again, and a small sigh escaped her lips. "Er, you know what will happen." Artemis gazed at him with her blue orbs and she tried to smile to ease the mood. And it was odd to know that all the encounters that she had with the boy weren't really normal, except for that one night that both saw each other in one of the floors of Hogwarts. But then, it was nighttime. Who did she really expect to see after that night's dinner?

Artemis rolled her eyes softly, hearing that Minoas' guess was partially correct. She did have a habit to spoil her own fun, and she settled the book on her lap. She found it difficult to just keep reading without knowing if reading the adventures of the main character were worth it. Or, he would just die in the end and the rest would lead a miserable life without the person who had tried to save their lives. "I uh, have a habit of reading the epilogue even if I am not yet finished with the book." She uttered, and she simply shrugged her shoulders whilst saying the words. She was honest and yet her eyes remained cool about it. Never did she want to show to much emotion that she really felt, and it was only to those who have known her dearly that she entrusted those feelings too. Alliyah for one, usually knew what the Slytherin was thinking. Living her life with her younger Gryffindor sister had helped the younger blonde notice what Artemis was feeling. Artemis recalled the muggle transportation that she knew about, and those were cars if she was not mistaken. Her country had those, and they had an irritating sound to the ears. The engine was just noisy as hell. "So, you're agreeing with Alliyah now?" Artemis said, and a small teasing grin showed off from her lips. She did not know that Minoas knew about those vehicles in the muggle world, and she saw the boy and her sister get along. She remembered the Quidditch Game between Slytherin and Ravenclaw, and that Alliyah mentioned that Minoas was near her whilst they were in the benches. "I heard that you two are getting along." She teased him slightly, expecting him to defend himself or something.

A sense of curiosity wavered over the Slytherin and she tried to contemplate what kind of activities would her friend be doing. Did he want to receive high marks? The blonde had an idea that Minoas was more intelligent than her, or perhaps she just was not really indulging herself to study more often. She looked at him with a questioning stare and she asked, "Research? What about?" Artemis asked out of shallow curiosity and she could not help but think of the possibilities of what he was trying to do. Minoas always had things to do, even if there were days that were long and boring. Or at least, Artemis thought that Minoas never ran out of activities to make himself participate in. It was a good thing for him, that he was extra active. Her thoughts immediately arrived to Quidditch, and she thought that it was an excellent topic to converse about since both adored the sport. "Well I love extra challenges when it comes to Quidditch. Bring it." Artemis smugly replied and her lips curled upwards to express that she was ready for another game between both of their houses. Since both seemed to be rivals ever since the beginning of Hogwarts Scotland, she was ready to defend the Slytherin house anytime. She looked at the Gryffindor Chaser, an cocked her head to the side when he suddenly asked a question out about her desire to become a Keeper instead of being Chaser. "I don't fancy getting hit by bludgers most of the time. It seems that it's always the Chasers who are the targets. And besides, the action is tiring. I'd rather hover above and watch the game go on and just move whenever a quaffle attempts to get into the hoops." Artemis disliked being the one that the game needed to have at the start. Chasers were incredibly important and without them, a team would not gain any additional points before the snitch can be captured.

The topic shifted, and vacations were on the roll. Nothing really special would happen to the Slytherin, except for the obvious fact that she would not encounter any studies and just spend the time with her family. She missed Gwyneth and Alexander. Perhaps Alex had something special for her - something that was related to Quidditch. "Egypt? The history of their gods and goddesses are interesting." And she remembered that Minoas was a Greek guy, and visiting Egypt was probably a big thing for him. She smiled at his luck, and she mentally wished him a safe trip to the country. She hardly had any blood that was related to the Egyptians and maybe visiting that country would never happen for her. "I've been to France, once or twice. And the U.S." Her experience there was thrilling, and she was hopeful to ask for another visit from her parents. For both countries, Gwyneth insisted for them to travel via the muggle way which was through an airplane. It was great, even if Alex was hesitant at first. The memory made the Slytherin want to laugh, but she stiffled it instead.
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[Minoas Stratis]

Minoas knew very what could happen if he was going to get caught for what he had done. Manhandling school's property would probably lead to deduction of house points and to detention, probably growing himself the plants that the scarecrow was protecting or create a scarecrow from scratch. Regardless of the fact that he was aware of the punishment and the weight of his action, he preferred to act cool in front of Artemis and prove that he wasn't afraid of being caught. "Yes, of course I know. However, even if they decuct house point because of me, Gryffindor is still going to win the house cup." he replied quite cocky. Gryffindor's hourglass was indeed chock full with rubies, bringing Minoas' house closer to claim the house cup. Ravenclaw had managed to win it the past two years but this was going to change soon. He didn't really care about house cup as much he cared about the quidditch cup but since there wasn't the last one for this year, he was going to compromise witht he first one.

In case Minoas decided to read a book, he was always starting from the very beginning and he didn't dare to have a peek of what was going to happen later. He wanted the book to intrigue him and make him read more.
He had never thought of Artemis' approach nor he had heard anyone else following it.
"But this is how the book loses its magic." he began saying, sounding more like a protest than pointing out something. "I wouldn't read the book if I was going to read the epilogue first. Nothing interesting to be waiting for since you know the end." this time he pointed out his point of view. There wasn't to be any difference, whether he was going to read the epilogue first or not, for the books he had been reading that period. Probably, if he was going to read first the epilogue, he was going to make it more complicated for him na durge him to read it carefully from the beginning.

Minoas realized immidiately that Artemis was deriding him and he couldn't help but smirk. He was usually the one that was doing all the mockery and she was usually countering it back in the best occassion but now she was launching her own onslaught. "Are we jealous of Ally?" he asked and his eyes narrowed while another smirk cracked his face. He used Alliyah's nickname on purpose to show a level of intimacy between him and Artemis' sister. For some reason he wanted to make her jealous subconsciously. "True. We match quite well. I like that she's down to earth, modest and caring. She seems to care a lot about you as well." he added in the end a fact that he had noticed during the match of Slytherin vs Ravenclaw, while sitting along with Alliyah at the stands.
He was sure that she was expecting from him a different kind of reaction, a better way of defending himself but he preferred to play some mind games with her as soon as she had revealed that side of herself.

He hadn't shared with many people his latest aspiration. Maybe only with his parents and his best friend Briar Rowan. Generally, he didn't like talking about things that hadn't materialized yet as he knew really well that launched plans could change at any moment. Weighing in his mind whether or not he was going to tell her or not, he finally decided that he trusted her enough to confide in her. "I decided to take that huge step and become an animagus." he announced to her. "I was expecting that I was going to transform into something soon but it seems there's more reading at the beginning. Even more than history of magic." he connected the term 'research' with the whole process of becoming a shapeshifter. During his first year of training, Minoas had came across with lessons about human and animal's anatomy as well as with terms about space and mathematics. Who knew what else he had to learn before coming to know his animal form. "I hope it will be worth the challenge. I'm going to die if I turn out to turn into a frog." he expressed his concern with a worried chuckle.

He managed to overcome his disquietude soon when Artemis emphasized that she was up to any challenge regarding their favourite sport. "Better be prepared!" he smirked and confirmed that the challenge was on.
As Artemis continued aboto explain to him the criterias of her choice to play no more as chaser but as a keeper, he found out that they had quite opposite points of view. There was some sense in what she was saying but the gryffindor couldn't relate to that. "Sure, being hit by bludger isn't in my list of my favourite things to do in life but is fun to avoid them or guide them back to the opponent." he pointed out. He wanted to try that one during the next try-outs. Bludgers were quite capable following a player but had no intelligence. You could trick them back to the beater that hit them. "What? Action is never boring." he gasped as he couldn't comprehend what the blonde was trying to say. "If you keep blocking too many goals I'm sure that one of the beaters will gift you with a bludger. At least that's what I would do if I was going to play again as a beater." he concluded, showing to her that the post of keeper wasn't going to keep her away from the nasty bludgers.

Minoas knew that Artemis quite liked mythology but he didn't know in what extend. It seemed that she knew a couple of things about Egyptian gods. He didn't know much except than a few names but that was going to change this summer. "Yes they are but I'm looking forward to see their temples and pyramids." he said with a nod. "Their magic must be quite different from ours so I would like to learn a few things about it too." he continued, this time thinking of spell crafting that his father had restricted him from getting busy with.
It was the first time that he was going abroad. Visiting back Greece wasn't really what he was considering as a trip abroad since it was his fatherland. In addition, Hogwarts' field trips were nothing close to recreational trips since they had to spend two hours either sightseeing or listening to a local person sharing their knowledge.
"France must be really beautiful, although more of a couple's destination compared to Egypt." he said, trying to imagine the illuminated city of Paris during christmas. "I've been once in United States during a field trip at a museum. I think it was organized by history of magic professor if I'm correct." he scratched his forehead in an attempt to remember. It was back only three years but felt so much longer. "I'm planning to tour around the world when we graduate. There must be more things to see out there." he said with a spark in his grey eyes.
He was always feeling confined in a small room where only a small window could offer you a glimpse of the outside world. However, that window could be opened if you like when you graduated from school and Minoas was waiting patiently near the window for his chance to spread his wings.

 

[Artemis Jackson]

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<COLOR color="#000"> Artemis rolled her blue orbs softly, and she sighed dramatically. How could her friend have that huge pride for his house? She also had the same feeling towards the Slytherin House, but for now she knew that her house would probably lose the house cup again. It was not really often that Slytherin won the cup for the past years. She felt that her housemates did not really care about it, and all they did was to just mind their own business. The hat called them ambitious and cunning folks, but they would definitely not waste their time on some house cup. She lost the urge to strive harder, just for her house to win. She had other business to attend too, and a house cup would not kill the Slytherins' pride. "Whatever you say." Artemis said in a soft manner, and she smirked teasingly as if she cared so much. Her attention was not focused on the house cup. She was more driven for victory when it came to Quidditch games. Especially with Gryffindor as their opponent. Most people expected a good game between the two houses, since their rivalry was said to be legendary. Slytherins - those who were so notorious in the castle were disliked heatedly by those who were siding with Gryffindor. Artemis shrugged once, a bit embarrassed that she shared this small habit of hers to the Gryffindor. "I know it does. I simply cannot help it." She said with a wee sheepish smile playing with her pale pink lips. She was open to what Minoas had to say, since he was one of the friends she knew for a long time after all.

To talk about Alliyah behind her back with a common friend of theirs had a different feeling. Perhaps it was only Minoas who both of them knew in common and Artemis was surprised to hear the nickname of her baby sister come out from him - more than once. Maybe the two were really closer than Artemis had imagined, and she felt a small bud of envy develop at the back of her mind. Artemis felt her insides squirm because of the question, but she kept herself composed. Artemis smirked and uttered, "Not at all. There's no reason to be." The blonde felt that she needed to tease her sister later on, perhaps after the encounter that she is having with Minoas. She did not know if Minoas really had this 'thing' towards Alliyah, but Artemis just hoped that it would turn out to be something that would be okay. She mentally compared both of the Gryffindors and indeed, both would make a good match. Alliyah was bubbly, and perhaps she would match with Minoas' adventurous side. "I love her. She's the only sibling I've got." Artemis was grateful for Alliyah in her life, even if their parents had favorites. The Slytherin thought that her mother favored her sister more than her, even if some still insisted that both her parents loved their children equally. She did not really take the matter seriously though.

The huge step in Minoas' life surprised Artemis. She grinned at him, her eyes showing momentary positiveness. She did not foresee the chance that Minoas would be an animagus. It was definitely something that was brillaint and she just hoped that he would make it. Artemis wrinkled her nose a bit at the mention of reading educational things. She did not fancy that, even if it was beneficial and it would lead to something great after reading those stuff. She preferred being a normal student, rather than reading heaps of junk just to have a very special ability that normal people do not have. Artemis smiled at him apologetically, if ever he would really turn into that slimy amphibian. "You have my support. Turning into a frog is... not really something pretty." Artemis laughed at that, and she could not picture her friend turning into a frog instead of something that could fly perhaps. Or maybe a stealthy animal would fit his personality. Perhaps something that was quiet in the outside, but had millions of ideas going on in the inside. She visualized Minoas being a lion maybe, and it did not really work for some reason. "And what would you like to be eh? Something courageous and Gryffindor-like?" Artemis said with a subtle, teasing expression. She knew that the boy had pride in his house - just like what she had with the Slytherins. She just hoped that Minoas would not scare her if he was a licensed animagus already. It would be ridiculous to see someone, mistaking him for a real animal.

"It is tiring though." Protested the Slytherin. She was not a fan of the action that Chasers always had at the start of the game. She got a bit overwhelmed whenever the energy of the crowd was building pressure on her shoulders. All the shouts, grumbles and cheers were factors that made Artemis dislike about being a Chaser. The team always relied on the Chasers for extra points, before the snitch can be caught. The Slytherin agreed with Minoas' point, but she added, "Perhaps Keepers do get hit, but not as much as the Chasers." She said with a small frown on her lips. How difficult could it be to explain why she loved the position as a Keeper? But anyhow, she still tried to keep up with all the answering and defending she had to do. If only the wind was not as strong, then she would be definitely flying in the air in no time instead of just sitting near the ruins of an small explosion. However, the Gryffindor's company made her feel comfortable, even if the scene that she was in was odd and unusual. Artemis tried to imagine how those pyramids in Egypt looked like, and she considered Minoas as someone who was lucky to visit a country that had such an interesting history with its twists and magic. "Maybe if we come across one another again, you can share what you saw? I've read books about that place and it's just so... Interesting."

France really was a stunning place, but not all seemed to know how to speak English. Artemis had difficulty trying to understand what they were saying in the French accent, using English words. At first the words sounded unfamiliar, but she eventually got used to hearing the same accent for about a week or two. She smiled weakly when she agreed that France was more of a couple's trip than a family one. She had seen tourist couples in France, either doing something gross or just murmuring between themselves. She also did not really like the word 'love' come into topic. It was just awkward, especially with the company of the opposite gender. "Professor Spenser you mean? I don't really remember that, must have been a long time ago." She said, trying to rack her brain for any memory of visiting a museum in her History of Magic classes. She was not fond of history, and she thought that there were so many things to take note off whilst the rest of the subjects taught new charms and curses, potions and anything that could make Artemis' life easier in the far away future. "It's just going to be like another adventure for you." She said, half smirking and smiling at him. Artemis knew that her friend always had these adventures, or so she thought that was how his lifestyle went. She did not indulge herself in those activities, since she aimed for a clean record. Alliyah would find the idea of travelling fun, but then Artemis thought it would be best if she would focus on what her occupation will be. "I think you should get the scarecrow fixed now." The fourteen-year-old placed her book between them and she surveyed the scene around. There were straws and some wood that were around her. She thought that the straw served as the hair, or if the scarecrow seemed to have flesh then that was the purpose of the straw. She looked at Minoas to see if he had any wand, to get this done.
​

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[Minoas Stratis]

Minoas' grey eyes studied Artemis' pale features while they were referring to Alliyah, Artemis' younger sister.
Earlier, he had mentioned her gryffindor sister with quite an enthusiasm, in return for Artemis' teasing of him getting along with her sister. The slytherin had a great talent of not letting her emotions show and this time had as well kept her composure. However, Minoas could feel the slight presence of jealousy when he talked about the chemistry between him and Alliyah. He didn't want to bring Artemis in an uncomfortable position by keep itching this topic so he compromised with a smirk. He also spotted the true affection that Artemis had for her sister. It was a rare occurrence for his slytherin friend to express any kind of emotion for someone else.
"I know she feels the same way about you too." he added right after her, not to make her wonder how much he and Ally have been talking but because it was true. He then groaned sligtly when he realized what she had said about Ally being her only sibling. "I have two and I can give you one of them anytime." he offered with a chuckle.
It was true that his brothers who happened to be twins as well, were quite the trouble-makers but he cared about them as well regardless their tendency of blasting his room now and then.

Artemis was the second person he was confessing his new aspiration and like his friend Briar, she seemed to be finding it a quite nice idea. That was giving Minoas a new pair of wings to wear and soar to his target especially when he had her support. It was good to have supportive people around you. "Thanks Arty!" he thanked her with a warm smile. "Hmm maybe if you kiss the frog, the prince will come out." he joked with a cocky smile all over his face. Even that idea wasn't going to be comforting in case he was going to turn into a slimy amphibian but he was going to keep that joke in case it was going to happen. "Besides, think of the bright side. A tiny frog could be a great spy, sneak into anywhere without being noticed." his eyebrows danced as he was using his positiveness.
Then he realized that he was talking again like the adventurous gryffindor that Artemis had pointed out earlier that he was and decided not to say anything else. She was still using his house in a mocking way to show that a courageous and adventurous person wasn't necessarily a brave one but maybe reckless. At least that was what he was receiving. "I really don't know. I would love to turn into something that can breath underwater I guess cause I like water, it's my element." he stated thoughtful as he was thinking of what he would like to transform into if he had the ability to choose. "But I'm going to accept whatever it would be in the end. Like Professor Davershire had told me, my form would be an extention of my personality." he continued, trying to convince himself about that even if it was going to be a frog. "I would like to believe that my character doesn't match much that of a frog." he concluded with a goofy smile.

There was not much to say about their different tastes in Quidditch. He had to be more respectful of other people's opinions. That was opposite to his headstrong personality but he had to become acceptive and decided to say nothing else about it. "Of course! I could bring you a souvenir as well. I read somewhere that they sell mummy maids. Could you imagine them coming out of their sarcophagus to replace Hogwarts houselves?" he said firstly amused with that idea but then a grimace replaced his beaming features when he imagined the bony, rotten hands of a mummy, baking a cake for their dinner.
Soon the attention returned back to the scarecrow's remnants.
"Perhaps if we could cast together the reparo charm, we are going to fix it in zero time. What do you thing?" he asked for her assistance as he stood up and took out his wand. It wasn't something broken, it was something ruined and that was going to need advanced magic. Knowing that the combined power of two wizards was more powerful than one's, he waited to see if she was going to help him.

 

[Artemis Jackson]

Artemis felt the pair of gray orbs washing over her face as she was talking about Alliyah. She ignored the weird emotions she was having. It confused how her feelings ignited, and just because of a comment she already felt a small bud of... something unfamiliar. These were unfamiliar feelings, and she knew that it the first time that she had ever felt it. But even though she felt this, the amount of those feelings were rather small. Despite the weird emotion that she just felt, she let it pass and focused on her baby sister. Alliyah always cared for anyone who she thought was worthy of caring for, and Artemis thought that she was certainly part of that list. There was absolutely no doubt about that. The Slytherin's lips curled and formed a small smile regarding Alliyah's never ending love for all those who she knew. Her little sister was simply a ball of love, even if she was always stubborn in everything that she did. She laughed when Minoas' comment about his siblings were not as nice, but she knew that he was simply joking. Having tonnes of siblings were not really what Artemis fancied and she thought that one or two siblings would be great. Three at the most, but that would give her a headache, considering that she is the eldest child in the family. Being the eldest had responsibilities and she knew it by the past experiences she had with Alliyah. It was always her that would be guarding Alliyah, and it would always be Alliyah who she would ask advice from. In a way, they worked together.

Immediately, her ears picked up the sound of her long time unused nickname. It sounded alien to her ears, after a long time of not hearing it from the other people she knew. She had been accustomed to Hunter lately - which had been a childhood nickname for her. She thought of it first as a joke, since it was ridiculous to be called that name because of her namesake's passion; hunting. She felt the mood of the wrecked atmosphere change again, together with a gentle breeze. Artemis was thankful that her choice of garments warmed her body, even if she felt that the skin covering her hands were starting to chill so rapidly. She unconsciously rubbed them with one another slowly whilst her blue orbs glanced at Minoas in a slightly disturbed way. "Never in my life will I kiss a frog. I promise you that." Artemis visibly shuddered, which was no doubt fake just to add some drama to it her statement. Even if there was a person of royal blood trapped in there, she silently vowed never to take the risk. The blonde never really took in the appearances of frogs, toads and even some insects which she found annoying. She was a bit terrified of them for a teenager. But those were just minor fears, unlike blood which she made her feel sick when she saw a pool of crimson liquid just in front of her. Her lips formed into a funny smile, and she recalled herself saying that her friend was really made to be a Gryffindor. His words were so Gryffindor-like, and it was unmistakable for him to be placed with the Lions. She did not open her lips to say something, but she watched him with her eyes sparkling with amusement. "Cannot frogs go underwater?" She said with bluntly but with her lips curled upwards subtly. She did not want to believe that Minoas would turn into a frog once he would finish his training because of the absurdity of the idea. Briefly, she let out a wholehearted feminine laugh as a sign of agreement towards Minoas' belief which she found true as well.

Artemis nibbled on her lower lip and shook her head, insisting that her friend did not need to get her a package from Egypt. She had no idea what she would do with Egyptian souvenirs, especially those that were just for display. Would she set it up on her drawer? Souvenirs were cool with her, but she just did not have any use it for it after two weeks of admiring it. It took only a short time before she got tired of looking at foreign things. "You don't have too, really." Artemis said, but then she was interrupted by another funny idea that Minoas always seemed to come up with at times. She laughed when she heard the idea of mummy maids which she thought was absolutely odd. Egyptians had their different ways compared to the English people which she was used too following all her life. After the joke deceased, she took out her Fir wand and twirled it around her fingers. After years of practice, she had almost perfected it. Almost. Artemis nodded at him and stood up, and she felt the joints that made up her knees crack softly. She bent down to retrieve another piece of wood, which was almost identical to the previous one she held, except for its size. The other one was longer whilst this one had a lesser amount of length. She threw it to the center which she assumed was the station of the scarecrow and nodded at Minoas. Artemis imitated the wand movement that she had learned from whoever professor and drawled the incantation of the charm together with Minoas. Artemis observed, if ever the pieces would come together again and she would see a scarecrow. At once, the pieces of wood, straw and other remnants gathered together and they formed a funny looking scarecrow just a few feet away from the pair of students. The Slytherin looked at Minoas and thought, "A Slytherin and Gryffindor working together."
​

 

[Minoas Stratis]

Minoas studied around him the scattered pieces of straw and cloth as he stood up from the bench. They were making no sense of which part of the scarecrow were originated. This spell turned to be an interesting one but he would have to be extremely careful when using it. He turned to say something to his friend who was still sitting on the bench but he forgot it when he noticed that her usually emotionless expression was cracked by confusion. He wondered if she was worried of casting with him, maybe she wasn't really confident with her spell-casting. Before he was able to ask her if she was alright with that, she retrieved her usual expression and she made a bluntly comment which flashed her features with a subtle smile.
"A dolphin would be a better choice. Being a frog would mean that I would have to be careful with predators as well." he replied to her comment less teasingly. The muscles near both ends of his mouth flexed as he thought of his as a poor frog struggling to escape from the menacing beak of a stork.

Minoas was going to bring her a souvenir from the country he was going to visit regardless her kind rejection.
It was something that the boy liked doing everytime he was visiting a new place, choosing something useful except from memorable like the tiny, fake dragon figures that he had requested from his parents during their journey to china. He had gifted his friend Madlyn with one of those and he was happy to see that she really liked his gift. He was going to find something as awesome as the false-dragons. Egyptians should have came up with cool stuff like Chinese but he wasn't going to bring a mummy maid for sure.
Artemis corresponded to his request by taking out her wand, ready for some action. He kept watching her dazed as she stood up, twirling her wand ably around her fingers. He snapped out of it just when she came closer to him and he copied her action by gathering as many pieces as possible at the centre with his foot.
"Okay let's see if our charms' classes haven't been in vain. On the count of three. One...two...three! Reparo!" he pointed his wand at the scarecrow remnants as Artemis was joining him. Pieces from all over the place, not just those that the pair had gathered, started jumping off the ground, zooming at the place the young wizards were pointing their wands. Straws, piece of wood and cloth united once more to shape again Professor Blaze's scarecrow. As the last eye-button took back its place on the fabric face, the scarecrow landed back on the ground but this time not in pieces.

"That was a good one! Thanks. I wouldn't have made it on my own. I suck at tidying spells, I'm up to more destructive stuff." he said with a smile and went to pick up the scarecrow and pin it on the soft soil. There was silence again between them two, only interrupted by the sound of the winter breeze, whistling among the trees' bare branches. "I guess I have to return it back now." he pointed at the scarecrow and took it of the ground to lean it on his shoulder. His stormy grey eyes met her own icy blue ones and rested there for a few seconds.
"So...umm...have a nice break. We'll talk next semester." he broke that silence and his glance washed over the rest of her facial features. "Bye." he mumbled and as was walking backwards to leave, keeping eye contact with her. Turning around to leave, the scarecrow resting on his shoulder tangled among the branches of the tree next to him. Cursing under his breath he pulled the scarecrow violently, snapping several branches in his attempt and when he freed it he left quickly embarassed.