/𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐒\ [𝒔. 𝒃𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒌]

𝟓.𝟞.𝟣

"when you consider things like the stars, our affairs don't seem to matter very much, do they?" ~ Virginia Woolf

Artemis crept through the hallways late on the night of December first, her stomach twisting with mingled excitement and nerves. She turned down the Defense corridor and quickly came to the door of Professor Bones's office. She kept recounting the events of a few nights ago, when the boys had caught her walking the hallways with Bones. She hadn't lied when she said nothing had happened that night, but she hadn't told the whole truth either. She hadn't been sneaking out to the kitchens, and Bones hadn't caught her and walked her straight back to Gryffindor Tower. She'd been in his office late, talking to him after class for hours. When he'd walked her back, he'd invited her to come and visit that Friday night, so there she was, standing outside his office door, getting ready to knock.

When she did, Bones opened the door and ushered her inside, looking right and left down the hallway before closing the door behind her. "Hey," he said softly, crossing the room to lean up against his desk.

Artemis took the chair in front of him and smiled up at him, her face illuminated by the dim lights of the room, giving her a seductive, alluring appearance. "Hey."

"So... nobody saw you on your way here?"

"Sirius was in the common room when I left but he probably just thinks I'm going to the kitchens or something. Not that he asked." Her red lips formed the slightest of pouts and Bones tilted his head at her with an amused smile.

"Still fighting, are you?"

She shook her head. "Not fighting, exactly. Just never speaking again for as long as I live."

"Right. Makes sense."

She laughed and then pushed herself out of the seat, taking a step closer to him. To Bones, she looked confident and fearless, but inside, her heart was pounding and her brain was a tidal wave of mixed thoughts and emotions. "Anyways..." she said in a low voice, "-that doesn't matter."

"No, it doesn't," said Bones, and he reached one large hand out to slip around her waist, pulling her a little closer.

It was the only part of them that was touching for a few moments, and Artemis couldn't think about anything but the warmth of his hand clutching her, his fingers moving along the top of her skirt slowly, muddling her brain. She couldn't think, so she let go of any logic and leaned forward, her lips just barely grazing his for an unsure moment before he closed the gap, pulling her in and kissing her with rapture, his hands moving from her waist to the bottom edges of her skirt, up to her chest. It was mindless bliss for Artemis. In that moment, she didn't care what happened, as long as Bones kept touching her.

He broke away seconds later, pushing her almost roughly off of him, staying seated on the desk. "We shouldn't do this," he said seriously, but he couldn't keep his eyes off of her stained red lips.