Awakening ~Artemis~

[Bella Walsh]

Bella was excited! Excited was an understatement, actually. She was leaving the school for a weekend and travelling to France with Lili so the two could do some shopping. She would never admit it (ever), but she was eager to get a new wardrobe. Plus, she was growing into a surge of confidence that she'd never had before. Ever. Ever since the strange incident with a Slytherin and the polyjuice potion, Artemis had become more inclined to draw her close in public and drape his arm around her waist proudly.

He was so proud to be seen with her and she was still hiding her body in too big clothes. The only one she really liked anymore was his hoodie anyway! Lili promised that she knew of some makeover artists that would help to boost her confidence further with a new hair color, new makeup, and the witches were apt to make anything happen within the magical realm (anything was possible!) to her body if she desired it. There was a little nervousness as she gathered up her bag and headed to the courtyard, waiting for Artemis. He'd promised to see her off.

She stood among the grass, with her bag clenched in her hands, the bubbly pink haired classmate of hers had not emerged from the school yet, likely mingling among the throng of friends she had. That girl was always surrounded by people! She wore Artemis' hoodie over a black tank top and jeans. As casual as you please, and she almost wished she had a bit more feminine wardrobe. Well, that was going to be fixed! His locket was around her neck, nestled on the sliver of exposed skin. The too long sleeves were pushed up to her elbows and she bit her lip slightly, looking around for her boyfriend.

Hopefully the change wouldn't be...horrible for him. It seemed like her growing confidence transferring to him in some ways. Something in their physical intimacy was making him more sure of himself, and that was something she was proud of him for. She shifted her weight to one hip and looked at the clock tower before the cloud formations above her began to draw her attention. She looked up to the big, fluffy white clouds and watched their pattern across the sky. Good grief, she was going to miss the school in the time that she was going to be gone.

Well, more Artemis than the school. Where was he anyway?

[Deleted]

Artemis was making his way down from Ravenclaw tower with his hands shoved in the pockets of his pants. Today was going to be the day that he would go and see Bella off. She was going off on some sort of girl's weekend with one of her friends from the Hufflepuff in order to do something together, [what he wasn't entirely sure as both girls had absolutely refused to tell him, stating that it was a surprise of sorts and that he would have to wait until they returned to school at the end of their weekend in order to find out.] and he had promised that he would go and see her off, as well as be the first to welcome her back when she returned.

He glanced at one of the clocktowers that were present in the hallways and swore quietly to himself as he ran down the stairs. He was running late! He knew that he shouldn't have stopped to ask Andrews that question about that Transfiguration assignment! Quickening his pace and nearly tripping on his way down the stairs as he ran in a hurry to get to Bella in time before she left, he managed to catch himself just before he hit the ground and cursed quietly in Greek before straightening himself and breaking off into a nearly full blown sprint to the courtyards, not stopping until he stood right in front of her panting heavily.

"I'm sorry I'm late. I thought that I had more time and stopped to ask Xayden about the Transfiguration assignment that Professor Dombrovski gave us the other day. It took a bit longer than expected, he would've kept talking if his boyfriend hadn't dragged him off." He gave a sheepish laugh before his warm brown eyes met Bella's pretty ones. His hand moved to gently cup to soft skin of her face before he pressed gentle kisses to her forehead, her cheeks, the very tip of her nose and finally the soft skin of her lips for a few moments before pulling away. "I'm going to miss you Bella. I know that it's just for the weekend, but I really am. It'll be lonely here without you to talk to."

[Bella Walsh]

Finally, she could see him approaching at a full blown sprint and she stifled a soft giggle as he skidded to a stop, explaining himself between breaths. "It's okay, baby. I just wanted to be sure to see you before I go." The kiss to her forehead made her smile, to the cheeks spread that smile a little more broadly, which lead to an uncontrolable giggle when his lips pecked the end of her nose. When they finally fell to her lips, her arms wrapped around his neck and she kissed him deeply, not separating for a long moment before looking back up at him. "I'll miss you too, my love. We'll be back Sunday at 6:00, okay? We're meeting right here, right?"

She was unwilling to let him go, up until she saw Lili almost running out of the castle. "We're running late!" Bella stood on tip toes and swiftly kissed his mouth again as she grabbed up her bag and parting with a soft glance before running to catch up with her. "6:00!!! Sunday!!! I LOVE YOU!!!"

It didn't take her long to catch up with the smaller girl, and they looked at each other, burst into a fit of laughter, then continued to run the remainder of the way to Hogsmeade. Thank Merlin that both girls were both in some form of shape, because the run would have been positively ghastly! They ran to the Hogsmeade station and got on the train as fast as both sets of legs would allow them. Bloody...hell.

[Deleted]

Artemis chuckled quietly to himself as he saw the two girls run as fast as they could to Hogsmeade in order to catch the train on time. He watched them as they ran, growing further and further away from him before disappearing completely from his sight altogether. Merlin he would really miss her. With the time and day that they were supposed to see each other again locked completely in his mind, he stood there for a quiet moment before turning around and choosing to head back up to the castle. He might as well get all of the work that he had been assigned by their teachers done while he waited. It wasn't like he had anything better to do after all.

The two days without Bella passed by extremely slowly, and uneventfully. The most interesting that had happened had been two Ravenclaw males getting into a heated arguement over a move made in a game of Wizard's chess that the two were playing. Merlin he really missed Bella. When the day had finally come in which he was supposed to meet up with Bella again after the weekend that they had spent apart from each other had ended, he had been excited and in a positive mood the entire day. He was happy to see Bella again and he was curious to see what it was that they had done over the weekend that had to be kept as a surprise from him.

When Six O' Clock came, Artemis was there waiting at the courtyards eying the newly setting sun as it started lowering from it's position in the sky, painting the light blue a mixture of different array of beautiful colors. It really was a beautiful sight. The only thing that would make it better would be if Bella was there to enjoy it with him.

Where was she?

[Bella Walsh]

The weekend had gone spectacularly! She did wind up with a whole new wardrobe, inspired by older muggle eras and she absolutely loved them to death! Plus, they both got makeovers for the spring, but Bella thought she might keep hers on a permanent basis. Dark locks had been colored a stunning blonde, her skin was polished to a smooth, milky white, yet those blazing green eyes had not changed, save for the intensity of the gaze. Her waist was far more defined in these clothes, and she felt so very feminine, it was the lift she needed to shake off the winter months.

As the girls walked into the school grounds, side by side, with their bags, Lili was still recognizable, granted her hair was considerable lighter in its shade of pink. The girl next to her looked totally different! She was carrying herself proudly, walking straighter, and the heels on her feet seemed as if they belonged there. Her stride was confident and still at the delicate slope of her throat was the locket he had given her. She even wore makeup! Black eyeliner swept expertly across the upper lashline and red lipstick.

She could make out her boyfriend's frame as they neared him. Her heart started to pound wildly as she stepped up to his frame and gave a single glance upward at him before speaking. "I missed you, my love! What do you think? It's not...bad...is it?" The dress accentuated the shape of her body beneath the dress, even accentuated her chest in a way that presented them as larger than before. Some of the wandering students had taken notice with heavy stares, yet she didn't look away from him, anxious to hear his thoughts.

[Deleted]

His gaze had moved from it's place on the sky as he heard two sets of footsteps approaching where he stood, moving to focus on the two girls that had been approaching him. He could easily recognize the first girl as Lili, the pinkness of her hair not being all that hard to distinguish even if it was a shade lighter, and even if he was a small distance away from where they were. It was the second girl that had been walking next to her that had him confused. Who was she, and where was his Bella? Did something happen? As the two girls drew closer, he had opened his mouth to question the pink headed girl before his eyes caught the familiar piece of jewelry around the woman's neck and his eyes widened as his jaw dropped.

Merlin's bloody balls. That girl WAS Bella!

Her dark locks had been changed to a very light shade of blond. Her skin was paler then it had been before, and yet her intense eyes were still that beautiful shade of green that he had always adored. She was wearing black eyeliner that made her gaze look even more intense than it already was and her lips were painted with a red lipstick. Slowly he admired her face, before allowing his gaze to drift down to what she was wearing, his face turning bright red as he was greeted with a pleasing sight.

She was wearing a beautiful turquoise dress that fell just down to her knees in length. Brown dots decorated the entire dress, giving it an old classic sort of look. The dress seemed to accent her waist nicely, giving it much more definition and giving her a more feminine appearence. On her feet lay a pair of black heels that gave her a confident boost in her step. His gaze moved back up to her face just in time for her to give him a gaze that both took his breath away, and made his heart skip a beat.

When she asked him what he thought of her makeover, his face burned again and while his mouth opened to answer her, only a small squeak came out to answer her. His face burned even darker and he tried to answer her, unfortunately for him nothing but small squeaks chose to come out. At least that was how it was until he noticed that he was not the only one that was admiring his girlfriend.

His eyes darkened and narrowed slightly in a glare as a possesive growl escaped his throat. An arm circled around Bella's waist tugging her close to his body as he glared dangerously at the men, causing them to immediately scatter in fear. It took a moment before he was able to calm down again, his eyes losing their fierce edge before looking down warmly at Bella. " I missed you too love, it was so boring here without you here. As for what I think, I think you look beautiful. Amazing. Incredible. You'd make the goddess of beauty herself jealous if she saw you love. I love your new look, and while I loved your old one as well, I think that this definately suits you."

[Bella Walsh]

Red lips spread to a wide smile as pale arms circled Artemis' torso, shooting a glare of near mocking to those that scurried away, paired with a venomous smirk. Just let someone bloody try! She settled close to his torso and as he spoke again, her eyes flashed upward to meet his eyes again. Lili was already back in the castle, and her cheek softly nuzzled his chest. "This weekend was fun, but I missed you so much!" Painted nails splayed on his stomach and she smiled up at him. "I'm so glad that you like it. At first I thought it might be a bit much...but...the more I look at it, the more I like it."

She looked out over the grounds and at the colors painted in the sky. "Can we watch the sun set, love?" Both arms threaded about his torso and the way she looked up at him was...completely enamored. She missed him a lot! There had never been so much love obvious in her face, in her eyes, posture and mannerisms. Nothing like a little absence to make the heart grow fonder (as if there was any more love for the poor organ to hold!). "I want to stay with you until we have to go to bed tonight. If that's okay with you." There were some surprises hidden among the clothing she got, especally with him in mind.

"Before I forget...I got you something I thought you might like!." She opened up her bag and her arm disappeared to the shoulder inside of her bag, pulling up a large book, then another. They were tied together with a blue ribbon, and there was still other books in there for Luna too. These, were just for him. "Here, darling. It's a reference book for spells, charms, and hexes. It's even got a hefty section on dueling techniques. If you want to learn to duel, I would ask Professor Satoshi for help there. Rumor has it, he's a very skilled dueler." The book beneath it, she smiled about, "This one...is an advanced book on Care of Magical Creatures. It talks in depth on all the little creatures in the magical world. I remember that you said you enjoyed that class, so...I hoped you might enjoy this."

Then, she playfully pulled his head down and kissed his lips deeply, as if she had not seen him in the span of months with her hands caressing his face and sliding back into his hair affectionately before parting the gesture with a breathless gasp. "Merlin...I missed you." She leaned against him, fingers trailing along his chest as her head rested there, gazing up at the sun setting with a warm smile. If there was never any doubt as to what she felt for him, she had never heard someone question it.

"I love you, Artemis."

[Deleted]

It was one of those not so rare moments when he had felt especially proud of his girlfriend as his eyes glanced down just in time to see both the glare and the smirk that she had directed at all of the other men who had been staring at her. It seems like he wasn't the only person who was less than thrilled with all of the heavy and lustful stares that Bella had been directed with. A smug sense of satisfaction filled his body at that realization. They could look and stare all they wanted but at the end of the day the only person that was able to touch her was him. That made him feel a lot better. Or at least it had until he saw another guy making eyes at Bella and scared him off with another glare.

On second thought, maybe he wasn't okay with them looking after all. " Of course I like it love. You're beautiful. Not that you weren't before mind you, but you seem more confident now. It's nice."

When she drew close to him, asking if they could watch the sunset he gifted her with a smile. " Of course we can love. We can do whatever you'd like. I don't mind as long as I can be with you." He smiled down at her, heart softening when he saw the lovestruck expression on her face. She always had this way of making him feel loved. " Of course that is okay love. I'm yours for as long as you want my company."

When she had said that she had gotten him something, his eyes gained a curious look in them, watching as she pulled out some books and handing them to him. He listened as she told him what each book was about, and smiled softly. She really knew him. He needed the spell, charms, and hexes book because he needed to learn all that he could about dueling. At the end of next year, after their graduation he would be expected to duel his twin in order to determine who the rightful heir of the Héderváry line was going to be.

The victor would be the one to win their father's legacy.

He listened as she suggested that he go to their potions professor in order to learn how to duel. Was that fair? were they allowed to seek help from the professors in order to help with that? He was fairly sure that they were, and that Luna had already begun seeking the help of their Transfiguration professor, but he was still a bit nervous. He supposed it wouldn't help to go talk to the professor and tell him what was going to happen. If he told him everything, he wasn't being dishonest and the man could make an informed decision based on what he knew.

He would do that then.

The second book was a book for Care of Magical Creatures, something that had made him smile. He loved that class more than any other, even had dreams of becoming the Care of Magical Creatures professor some time in the future after the job was open again. Perhaps he would study dragons or some other creatures until that day came.

" I love them both Bella. Thank you so much love for thinking of me enough to get me these wonderful gifts. I wish I had something to gift you with other than my heart." He smiled down, gasping softly when she pulled him down into a surprinsgly deep kiss before he smiled and returned said kiss, his hands moving to gently rest on her waist. " I missed you too Bella. More than I've ever missed anything." The sun was beginning to set even further in the sky, and yet he had a hard time drawing his gaze away from his girlfriend, finding her more beautiful than he could ever find the sunset.

" I love you too Bella."

[Bella Walsh]

She was relieved that he liked the gifts. Granted, Bella was not a good gift giver. Books were one thing, but actual sentimental gifts were tricky. The crystallized rose had been a spur of the moment creation for him, and the locket was something that represented them both. Books were easy! Granted, it meant she paid attention to his likes. "You know, love. We don't have class tomorrow. It's the last day of break and, well, as much as I wish I could stay with you all night...perhaps we should plan something for tomorrow?"

Her arms still wound around his waist, she looked up at him with a serene smile. The colors in the sky streamed through platinum locks and only gave the green eyes that much more emphasis and color, but the makeup certainly made those eyes produce seduction that she had not truly harnessed before. "Besides...my amazing and gorgeous Prince...there are some other surprises in my magical bag of tricks that are just for you. For your beautiful eyes only." She smiled with a hint of suggestion at the corners of her lips. He would know what that meant.

Something in her confidence made her embrace the thought of thrilling him, just as long as it was him. "And if you even try..." She was talking louder, to someone behind him, "I swear to ever loving Merlin that I will hex those fingers off of you, Thomason." Her eyes flashed from Artemis and to a Gryffindor attempting a strand of hair from Artemis' shoulders. Her fingers tightened on him. "Do not make me draw my wand you little sleaze, it will be the last thing you ever regret." The boy ran and Bella shook her head, "The shock will wear off soon enough and I will not be nearly so interesting. Besides, they all know that you are the only man that will ever be allowed to touch me."

They could stare all they wanted. This man saw her when she was invisible. "You said it yourself, love." A seductive smile curled over her lips, "I. Am. Yours." She winked up at him and nuzzled his chest affectionately.

[Deleted]

When Bella mentioned that tomorrow was their last day of spring break and that they should plan something to do together as a result of their time of leisure coming to an end. His hand moved up from her waist to gently stroke the soft blond strands on her head. " I wish that you could stay with me all night as well. It would be nice to just sleep by your side holding you while we slept."

He had always enjoyed sleeping next to Bella after their stay in the castle for it made him feel much more peaceful and he was able to sleep so much more peacefully when she was there then when she wasn't. " I agree. Is there anything in particular that you wish to do tomorrow love?" Warm and loving brown eyes glanced down at those beautiful green, his face coloring the slightest bit when he saw that sly little gleam in her eyes that bordered on the line of being seductive, his face turned darker when she spoke again, this time her words taking on a slightly more seductive meaning. "Oh really? I have to say then, I can't wait to see just what these new surprises are, love." His lips moved down to press a chaste kiss to her lips, pulling away a few moments later and smiling down at her.

It was only moments later that he felt that smile slip off of his face and turn into a scowl, his eyes narrowing and glaring at the Gryffindor that had tried to steal a strand of his hair for one reason or another. He felt her grip tighten on him, and in turn he pulled her close to the point where her body was almost pressed flush against his own. "She's mine. Go and find your own woman to bother. Try and take one of my hairs again and I'll hex you myself." He watched as the boy ran off, and his frown deepend. Would this be happening on a near regular basis now? As Bella spoke, his gaze was drawn to her. " I'm not sure that it well Bella. The boys in this castle are like rabbits in heat. Perhaps we should come up with some sort of way that we know for sure we are who we say that we are. For example, you have the locket I gave you, just as I have the one you gave me. We'll use those to start identifying each other from now on? How does that sound?"

There was no way that someone could replicate those lockets without the owner knowing. The lockets were too unique in the way that there was no other one exactly like the one being worn.

He smiled softly when she said that he would be the only man ever allowed to touch her, and that he had said it himself. She was his. His head moved down and his lips pressed against hers in a deep kiss. "Likewise, you will be the only woman that I allow to touch me. Yes you are mine and I am yours."

[Bella Walsh]

"Tomorrow, I'm not sure. But, I'm sure of what I want to do tonight. We can go to the Room of Requirement and stay there. No one would know...out head girl did that with her boyfriend a couple of times. So, if you would like...we could stay there just to have our moment until tomorrow, then, we can figure out where to go from there. Does that sound like a plan?" Her fingers rose to softly caress his cheek and she smiled fondly up at him. "I know what I'd like to do in there tonight too. I promise it will be something you'll like."

There were some ideas she got while staying in France, after all, it was the country that one associated with love. Artemis seemed to enjoy their soft moments, so this would be a great way to prove how much she had been thinking of him while she was gone. "What do you say, my Prince?" Her arms gave him a soft squeeze as she smiled up into his eyes. "I'll set up the room this time...and I'll make it special."

[Deleted]

Artemis listened to the words that she said quietly before smiling sweetly at her. It sounded like fun he did have to admit and besides, spending the night with her in the room of requirement did sound more appealing then spending the night alone in the Ravenclaw common room, especially when certain couples decided to get a little..friendly when they were supposed to be sleeping. Merlin, the Room of Requirement was certainly sounding better and better. Besides, they really didn't have any classes the following day, and it's not like they had a real reason not to.

Just like that he had talked himself into going with Bella.

"Yes it sounds like a very good plan love. Of course I will go with you." He wrapped his arms around the girl and pressed a gentle kiss to her head, just holding there for a few moments in silence before he pulled away from her and took her hand in his, smiling down at her yet again as he did so. " Let's go then, shall we love?" Just like that the two were off to the room of requirement, planning on enjoying the rest of the day and night together in the privacy of the secret room as they had done so many different times before in the past.