Lake of Emotions

A chilly breeze was blowing across the grounds while Artemis and Septimus were making their way towards the lake. The air was getting colder now that they were at the beginning of October. There was a light touch of rain in the air which seemed to have kept everyone else inside. Septimus had convinced the brunette that it was best to leave the castle for a little while. Reluctantly she had agreed so after a change of clothes and some freshening up they had been on their way.

Artemis' hands had not stopped shaking and she could still feel the boy's pulse slowly fade underneath her fingers. The nausea was also coming and going in waves and she silently hoped that Orion was not paying too close attention to her just now. Septimus was walking a few steps in front of her in silence, leading the way. Where they were going she had no interest in knowing, it was not important, all she could do was try to keep her breathing under control.

Suddenly the man in front of her stopped, Artemis almost bumped into him before catching herself in the last second. Puzzled she looked at her surroundings, they were standing underneath a big tree. The leaves were a mix of red and yellow and it stretched tall towards the heavens, the base of the tree was big enough for two people to lean their backs against side by side. The male Auror took a handkerchief out of his pocket and made it bigger with a flick of his wand, laying it flat on the ground. Grinning he bowed at her in the same royal manner he had done when they were younger. He reached out his hand for her to take with a glint in his eye.

"My Prince. It would be my pleasure if you would keep me company on this fine day." Despite herself, Artemis found herself giggling at the other Auror's antics. She took his hand and let herself be led down on the blanket. He sat down next to her leaning his back against the tree.

Septimus took out his wand again and put up a privacy ward to not being stared at if some students were finding themselves outside. Artemis studied him as he, in turn, was studying the lake in front of them. His dark blond hair was a mess from the wind blowing it into weird angles. The wizard had been sitting with her on the bathroom floor for what seemed like hours, calming her down and reassuring her that everything was going to be fine.

He never forced her to say anything, always letting her talk at her own pace. This was one of the big differences between him and the other men in their group. Even though the man was one of the best information gatherers in the country he never forced information out of anyone. There was just something about him that made people talk of their own accord. Zacharias was once convinced that the man was part veela, but the wizard himself had just laughed at the idea. Artemis was not sure herself, but she had met a few veela throughout her career and had easily figured out that they were one. Takes a beast to know one she supposed. Septimus' sky-blue eyes met her brown ones then, a small smile was faint on his lips.

"What are you glancing at me for?" She shook her head.

"No particular reason. Seen the giant squid yet?" The brunette turned her head to look at the lake.

"No, he is lazy today it seems. Must be the weather." They sat there in silence for a while, keeping their thoughts to themselves until Septimus spoke up again.

"Do you recall the day you and I first met?"Artemis was about to laugh at the stupid question but decided to play along. This man never asked unnecessary questions after all.

"Of course. The potion classroom in seventh year." The man laughed softly, still looking at the lake.

"We actually met earlier than that. But I do not judge you for not remembering." Artemis looked at him in surprise, she did not remember meeting Septimus at an earlier time than that. The brunette wracked her brain to see if there was any information she could find but found none.

"When?" His eyes were filled with humour as they met hers.

"In the library actually, earlier in the year. You were trying to place a book on a shelf that was too high for you. I placed it in the correct spot for you. I always found that peculiar." He laughed again before continuing.

"You looked at me like I was a deadly spider and fled without saying anything." Artemis blushed, she did not remember at all but it did sound like something she would do back then. She had gotten so used to people shunning her and sending hexes her way that in response to kindness, she had chosen to run away.

"I shall admit that I did see you from time to time after that, but I never approached you. I regret that now, I've always wondered if things would have been different if I had." Artemis looked at him with a smile, it was rare of the man to tell something personal like that to her, it made her feel special in a way. Then she had to laugh herself.

"You never got anyone to look into me? It would have taken you maybe a couple of hours, I was quite famous in a way." Septimus grinned at her.

"If I tried to find information about everyone I found slightly interesting I would not even have time to go to class back then. Also, seems like you are getting new company." Septimus pointed towards the little road they had come down, where Orion was approaching them in a determined manner.

"Seems that is my cue to leave, Prince. The Ace is nothing compared to the King after all." The witch smirked at him mischievously.

"That depends on the game you are playing." The dark blond-haired man's eyes glinted with similar mischief as he got to his feet and gave a little bow to her before he started to head towards the road Orion was coming down. She laughed at him as she watched him go.

The brunette studied the two men while they greeted each other, Septimus giving Orion an update no doubt. On the surface, they were not so different, both blond, both blue-eyed, Ace only slightly shorter than the King but their personalities could not be more different. While the King was loud and commanding the Ace was quiet and calculating. In all these years the brunette had rarely seen Septimus outside of his office to do fieldwork so when he showed up personally on a scene it was like a thick blanket of gravity was placed over those that were present.

Orion was quickly approaching where she was sitting, while she turned her attention towards the lake again. She squinted as she thought she saw the giant squid peek out from the lake's surface. The blond man sat down next to her and the silence that followed was not as awkward as it had been previously, the witch's rage had calmed down now and it felt like she could listen to what he had to say. Even though the brunette still did not understand why he had decided to do what the late Potion Master had asked of him, she could feel that the wizard was pulsing with guilt.

They were not quite touching but they did not have to because, for the first time in several days, Artemis opened the bond fully on her end. Their emotions floated back and forth between them, both sending everything they were trying to say but could not. From the corner of her eye, the brunette could see the blond leaning on the tree with his eyes closed. He let out a sigh of relief and she had to smile when she could actually tell that it was relief. Even though she felt guilty for keeping the bond partially or fully closed for so long she felt that it was justified. He took hold of her hand unexpectedly and intertwined their fingers.

"Your hands are cold." The brunette chuckled.

"Aren't they always?" Ice-blue eyes looked at her then and no matter how many years that passed the man's eyes never stopped mesmerising her. Even though they were the colour of ice they still were warm and filled with emotions while he frowned slightly at her comment.

"Have you forgiven me?" Orion's voice turned soft, almost like a child who had done something wrong without understanding the consequences of his actions. Artemis looked out towards the lake again, if she were to be honest with herself she probably would not forgive him for a long time. But right now she did not have the energy anymore to continue on the same road as before. She had almost killed someone today, again. The witch needed the blond to keep her in check, it was the only way for her to stay sane. What happened today could never happen again.

"No, but I am willing to put it behind us, for now at least and I'm sorry for closing the bond, I know it makes you feel uncomfortable." Orion sat up slightly, moving closer to her making their shoulders touch. He grabbed her face gently with one hand and made her look at him again.

"You don't have to be sorry for my mistakes." His thumb was stroking her cheek gently, making the demon purr in happiness from the contact. A low chuckle came from the man in front of her.

"It's been ten years and you still react the same way to my touch. I have to say I am honoured." Had it not been for the fact that she now felt much better than she had in days the brunette would have pulled away from him. Instead, she let herself be embraced by his touch, only focusing on that closing her eyes in the process. It had been a long time since they did this. Just the two of them, touching in the simplest of ways.

Artemis was pulled back to earth when she felt soft lips on hers. Startled she pulled back slightly opening her eyes, Orion's eyes were filled with the question of permission to continue. Before even thinking twice she kissed him back. They were gentle like it was the first time they had done this.

The blond turned his body towards her properly and pulled her flush against him, starting to thread his fingers through her hair with his free hand. The world stopped again, and it felt like she was back in the Room of Requirement in seventh year. The pair's emotions were mixing with each other to the point where they did not know what belonged to who anymore and even though she had kissed this man many times before, this felt different to the ones in the past. Artemis started to stroke the back of his neck, feeling the short hair brushing gently against her passing fingers. The brunette smirked slightly when she felt the man shiver. The neck had always been one of his weak points. Feeling the smirk against his lips the blond pulled away slightly out of breath.

"Unfair of you to play dirty Miss Blackmoore." Artemis smirked wider as he continued to play with her hair, making her shiver in return.

"Why should I play by the rules of a King who doesn't follow his own rules hm?" Orion's eyes glinted with mischief as a rush of lust waved through her. She gasped in surprise while he chuckled at her reaction. He leaned down to capture her lips again and poured everything he was feeling into it. The guilt, sorrow, regret, shame and everything else the man was feeling came pouring over her like warm water and as he deepened the kiss the emotions changed suddenly. Burning jealousy was radiating off him and Artemis could feel the brand resonate. It was burning slightly, but not in the pain that it had been in the Forest. This was to mark its presence, to tell her it was the owner of her.

Their tongues battled for dominance as Artemis crawled into Orion's lap pushing him gently against the tree again. His hands started to roam up and down her back, dragging his fingers over her spine, touching her thighs and going back to her face. When blond pushed them apart it felt too soon but even so, the man was out of breath and his cheeks were stained a dusty pink. Artemis doubted she looked any different from him as the brunette leaned her forehead against his while they got their breath back.

"We should get back to the castle. The others are probably waiting for us." Artemis did not bother to hide her disappointment, but she had to nod. She was supposed to have Draco write that report today if the boy was even willing to see her at all. Orion looked up at her with the familiar Slytherin smirk.

"We can always continue this later. We do have a private room and I am not scared of kicking the others out." The brunette had to laugh at the blond as she shook her head at him. Still giggling she got off his lap and got to her feet. Orion stood up while brushing off his clothes, he leaned in close to her and kissed her cheek gently.

"Every time Thompson does that I want to kill him." The blond whispered into her ear and she looked back at him in surprise when he started to walk back to the castle. As she was about to follow she remembered in the last second the handkerchief that Septimus had left. With a flick of the wrist, the fabric piece shrunk back to its original size and she quickly put it in her pocket while she walked after Orion with haste.

 ~𓆗~

Draco and Pansy were walking along one of the corridors on the second floor. Originally they had thought about taking a walk around the lake to get some air but when the rain had started to show its presence they had decided against it and settled for just walking around the school with no particular goal in mind. Draco knew that he had to go to the Aurors' office at one point during the day to write that report that Auror Blackmoore had talked about but he had not heard from any of the Aurors after Auror Zabini had left the Slytherin house.

The older Zabini had gotten his room back to normal again and it looked like nothing had happened there at all. The blond had not been sure what to tell his friends about what had happened and had settled for lying about the whole thing. He had told them that he was not allowed to tell anyone of the incident that had occurred before the Aurors had investigated it, but he had reassured them that he was fine. Thanks to Auror Thompson taking the damage and Auror Blackmoore being near when it happened.

When thinking back to Auror Blackmoore he got filled with mixed feelings. On one hand, she was the best thing that could have happened to him these days, he felt safe in her presence and she always listened to him when he had a problem. On the other hand, she had tried to kill him, not on purpose of course, but it had still happened. He knew very well he had kept his life thanks to Auror Thompson and his quick actions. The blond frowned when he thought back to the little hesitation in the man's voice when he gave Draco the orders, and how resolved he had been when keeping the woman on the ground. It seemed to him that this was not the first time Auror Thompson had seen this or maybe done those exact actions. The older man had even persisted through all the damage done to his own body without even thinking twice about it. He briefly wondered if the two of them had a different relationship behind the scenes but when he thought about it more he had never really seen them together often. Though Auror Thompson seemed to take every opportunity he could to touch the short woman.

A flicker of jealousy went through Draco then that took him by surprise as he remembered the magical tattoo the wizard had. It was clear that the butterflies were not there by coincidence. Before he managed to explore the feeling further he got stopped in his tracks by Pansy pulling on his arm.

"Draco! Look! Down there by the tree, isn't that Auror Blackmoore and Auror Silver?" The girl jumped up and down in excitement as she pointed towards the big tree by the lake. The blond freed himself from the shorter girl's grip as he turned his attention towards the pair outside. True enough it was them, and the blond squinted a bit to try and make out what they were doing.

"Seems like they are just talking." The Auror pair were sitting close together under the tree watching over the lake. Draco knew that something had happened between them at the start of the week and they had not been talking as much as they apparently used to.

The older Zabini had given out some hints about the rift in their relationship during meals all week long. Apparently Auror Silver had kept some valuable information from Auror Blackmoore that had been revealed the day they had arrived here.

A sudden realisation hit Draco as he thought about that night in the kitchen. She had stated that someone had kept information about Snape's death from her and that she had just found out. Could that have been the reason? Pansy let out a high-pitched squeal that almost made Draco's ears burst. Covering his ears he sent her a glare, but all she did was point down towards the grounds again. The blond followed the direction she was pointing and felt his blood freeze. The two Aurors were kissing. The girl next to him was jumping again in excitement.

"Oh Salazar, this is amazing! I have to tell the other girls about this, this is huge news! I knew there had to be something between at least one of them and Auror Blackmoore. NO. WAY. can she be that pretty and not land one of these men!" Suddenly the girl's eyes grew wide as she looked at Draco.

"Do you think she has done it with more than one of them? We need to start betting on this. I need to find the others quickly. Sorry love but I have to run now, see you later OK?" The Slytherin girl waved a quick goodbye to Draco before she started to run down the hall the way they had come, probably back to the Slytherin house.

Draco stood frozen to the spot by the window as he saw Auror Blackmoore climb up on the other man's lap. The flicker of jealousy he had felt before grew tenfold and he had to swallow down a scream of frustration. He was touching her now, feeling her all over and the young Slytherin wondered how it would be if he could trade places with the older man. How it felt to have the woman on top of him, having her fingers in his hair. Draco heard a few gasps to his left and turned to see some Hufflepuff students looking out the window.

"Mind your own business! Get lost!" The students looked at him with scared faces when they saw who had shouted to them and they hurriedly made their way down the hall. Draco turned his attention to the pair again and saw that they now were standing up. Auror Silver was brushing off his clothes as he kissed the witch on her cheek. The emotion was almost unbearable now, he had never felt this kind of burning jealousy for anything before.

In his delirious state, he hit the wall with his fist and felt the skin on his knuckles tear open and pearls of blood started dripping down his hand. The two outside were now making their way towards the castle. In a split-second decision, Draco started to run at full speed towards the Entrance Hall where he knew they would be going in. Several students were yelling at him in anger as he passed them by on the way down the stairs and he was breathing hard when he saw the two Aurors enter the school just as he turned the corner after stepping off the last part of the stairs. Still running he made his way over to them, Auror Blackmoore was the first one to notice him as she looked at him in alarm.

"Mr Malfoy, what happened? Why are you alone?" The witch immediately noticed his bleeding knuckles and grabbed his hand. He was glad he could blame the running when he gasped slightly from her touch. Her hands were cold, as evidenced by being outside for so long. While catching his breath he looked at the woman's worried face as she turned his hand around to look for more damage. Her lips were slightly swollen and a hint of a blush remained on her cheeks. The brunette looked up at him with worry.

"We need to have that looked at, let's go to the office." Draco almost let out a whine from the loss of contact when the brunette let go of his hand. His eyes met Auror Silver and he quickly looked away when he noticed that his lips were similar to Auror Blackmoore's. He could not stop himself from glaring daggers at the older wizard's back as he walked next to Auror Blackmoore, he was not keeping his distance anymore and was constantly brushing her sides with his shoulder.

Draco almost bumped into the other blond man when they stopped outside of the painting of Salazar Slytherin.

"I have to go on my round, there are healing salves in my desk if you need them." The smile that Auror Silver gave the witch was a professional one, but Draco could still see the hint of adoration underneath and he could feel the beast of jealousy inside him roar. The witch nodded at him and returned the smile. She knocked on the painting and it opened for her.

 ~𓆗~

The young Slytherin breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that the office was empty. The brunette went over to her desk while unbuttoning her cloak and motioned for him to sit down in a spare chair that had been placed next to it. Probably for his benefit whenever he was coming here to fill out the documents.

"Take a seat, Draco. I'm just going to check on Auror Thompson in the bedroom if that is alright?" The blond nodded at her as he went over to the chair. A warm feeling bloomed in his chest when she called him by his first name. He hadn't really paid it any mind in the beginning, but now it felt totally different. He watched as the witch went into their private chambers leaving the door slightly open. Draco could hear faint mumbling from inside but she swiftly returned closing the door behind her. She smiled at him and now removed her cloak completely and hung it neatly over the back of her chair before sitting down in it.

"He is doing fine, just resting for now. Give me your hand." The blond stretched out his hand for her to take and he felt a blush creep up his neck when she started to study his wounds, carefully touching his hand as she went.

"What happened? Did you hit something?" Her eyebrows knitted together in disappointment at him, and he immediately felt guilty.

"A wall." The words left his mouth before he could stop himself as the expression on the witch's changed into worry. Why was she worrying so much for him? She didn't say anything as she placed her hand over his wounded knuckles. The witch mumbled the same healing incantation as she had done last night and a soft glow emitted from her hand. It was a warm and reassuring feeling.

This was not the first time he had tasted a bit of her magic but this was the first time it was in direct contact with his skin like this. Something in his magical core stirred somewhat and he got a sudden urge to be closer to her, but he kept himself in check and did not move. Draco watched as his wounds healed in front of him and Auror Blackmoore took hold of his knuckles again and felt over each of the joints to make sure everything was healed.

Still holding his hand she looked up at him, making their eyes meet. Again he could see the little gold flakes swim around in the brown like he had in the night, she cleared her throat before saying anything.

"Draco, I… I'm sorry for what happened this morning and I know an apology is not enough to justify what happened. But I dearly hope you still trust me and are not afraid of something like this happening again." There was clear guilt evident in her eyes and Draco wanted nothing more than to take the woman into his arms, so he did.

In a moment of madness, he pulled his hand back from her hold and for a second the witch's eyes were filled with sorrow but were replaced by surprise as he grabbed her shoulders and pulled her against his chest. He scooted his chair closer towards her and placed his legs on either side of hers feeling almost a burning sensation from where her thighs touched his. Draco wrapped his arms around her securely feeling her hands placed against his chest. The witch's breath was hot against his neck and he felt like he was going insane.

"You don't have to be sorry. If there is anyone that is at fault it's me, I was the one that asked you to stay in the first place. I don't care what you are, I trust you completely." The blond wanted to kick himself in embarrassment, but it felt good to say the words out loud. The woman in his arms started to shake slightly and he raised his eyebrows in shock when he felt his shoulder turning wet. A sob escaped the witch and Draco tightened the hold on her, he was at a loss for words so it seemed like the best thing to do. Without realising it he started to rock back and forth in his chair but it seemed to have a calming effect on the brunette as she eventually sat up straight. Tear tracks were clearly visible on her cheeks as she rubbed her eyes.

"I'm sorry, crying like that was highly unprofessional. It was just an answer I was not expecting." Draco smiled gently at her and dried her cheeks with the cuffs on his shirt.

"It's the truth." The witch's eyes turned serious then as she looked at him.

"Listen, Draco. You have a choice to make. Either you keep this to yourself and let us cover up the story or I have to Obliviate you right now." The young blond looked at the Auror seriously in return. If she Obliviated him that meant losing this entire day from his memory, which meant also forgetting the kiss and the sudden jealousy he was feeling. He knitted his eyebrows together in frustration. Forgetting seemed like the coward way out of this no matter which way he turned it. Him forgetting would not make her stop being guilty for what she did and she would have to deal with it alone.

"I will never say anything. You have my word as a Full-Blood." The witch seemed to deflate in her seat as she smiled at him in relief and with a wave of her hand his shirt was dried from her tears. Clearing her throat she changed the direction of the conversation.

"We better get started with these Ministry Papers, unless you are not up for it? We can do it later." The blond shook his head.

"I am fine to do it now, nothing better to do anyway." The brunette smiled at him knowingly as she opened a drawer in her desk and took out a pile of papers.

"As a favour for what happened this morning, I'm not going to have you take the truth serum. But you better answer honestly anyway, are we clear?" The blond chuckled a bit at the strict expression on her face as he nodded. He was given a quill and a bottle of ink to use and he took a deep breath to calm himself before starting the long progress of answering the questionnaire. It made it no easier with Auror Blackmoore sitting so close to him, even though she had moved her chair back and was working on some papers of her own. He was still close enough for him to just reach over and touch her.

The place where her hands had touched his chest still tingled slightly giving him a pleasant feeling. Draco snuck a peek at her watching her work for a second. Her eyes were focused on the paper in front of her and she was chewing on her lip. His thoughts floated back to the scene of the Auror pair kissing again and the little flame of jealousy came to life again.

Looking down on the paper in front of him he tried to take a few deep breaths to calm down, this was not the time to be thinking about this he reasoned.

"Are you alright Draco?" The blond looked up quickly to meet the Auror's eyes.

"Yes, I'm fine. There doesn't happen to be a bathroom I can borrow?" The woman gave him a strange look but nodded. She got out of her chair and opened the door to their private chamber.

"First door on the left. Take your time." Nodding in thanks to the witch Draco swiftly entered the room as quietly as he could.

~𓆗~

As told he went into the door to the left and saw that it was a relatively simple bathroom. It was just what you needed for everyday use, a shower, a toilet and a sink. Draco went over to the sink to wash his face when he noticed the different things that were standing on top of it. A bottle of perfume, some lotion and lipstick. The blond realised he was standing in Auror Blackmoore's personal bathroom and it made him cold sweat. Before he started to feel like a stalker he quickly washed his face and left the bathroom after drying his face with a towel.

He took a second to look around the room he was in. Again it was simple, five beds spread evenly around the room each with a bedside table and their trunks placed at the end of the bed. It was like how the old boy's dorm rooms looked the blond thought.

"Snooping are we Mr Malfoy?" The blond was startled by Auror Thompson's voice coming from one of the beds. The man chuckled at him as he pulled the curtains on his bed all the way back.

"I was wondering who went in here, needed the bathroom?"

"Yes, I'm sorry to have disturbed you, Auror Thompson." The auburn-haired man chuckled again as he sat up in his bed looking at him with a knowing look.

"Tell me if I'm wrong, Mr Malfoy, but do you happen to have a crush on my dear Artemis out there?" Draco was taken aback by the question and he stood there speechless for a good second before he managed to respond.

"Don't be ridiculous, Sir. What gave you that idea?" The man looked at him with a smirk on his face.

"Let me give you some advice Mr Malfoy, just know you are not the only hunter that is hunting this prey. But I won't stop you, in fact, I wish you luck." The blond swallowed thickly.

"I am not sure I know what you are talking about, Sir." Auror Thompson raised an eyebrow at him.

"Really now? What a shame." The Auror was grinning like a wolf that had, ironically, caught his catch of the day. Draco swallowed again while he thought of what to answer to that.

The Auror was still bandaged up from earlier but had changed into a loose-fitting shirt and pants. His chest was clearly visible and the magical tattoo was now proudly on display. The blond was certain now that the tattoo had some meaning behind it, the Jack card was, of course, a reference to his own nickname as he was 'The Jack of all trades' and the butterflies had to be a reference to the brown-haired Auror. The butterflies fluttered around his chest in a lazy pattern now. Could that be the 'Master's' mark. The blond was uncertain that a Master of a Slave would have a mark that signified who the slave was but if it was modified somehow it was not impossible. Even though that did not explain why her mark was that of a raven, but it could have a deeper meaning than what Draco could understand.

Before he could answer a soft knock was heard on the door then and Auror Blackmoore peeked her head in.

"Oh, Cyril you're awake. I thought I heard talking." She looked at Draco then with a curious look on her face.

"I don't have the habit of talking to myself yet Artemis. Mr Malfoy here was just about to leave but I just had to talk for a second. I am incredibly bored." The woman rolled her eyes at the man on the bed while opening the door fully.

"You can always get up and get some work done you know. I can even bring some work in here so you can do them on the bed." Auror Thompson flung himself down on the bed again making mock moaning noises.

"Oh! The pain just came back, I don't think I can work after all! I think I need to stay here for some more hours. Just to be safe." Auror Blackmoore crossed her arms and rolled her eyes again.

"Well then, I better get Madam Pomfrey up here so she can go over you again. Seems like the wounds are worse than we thought then." Draco did not miss the guilty undertone the witch had when she spoke and by the looks of the other Auror, he caught it as well. He sat up again in bed and gave her a reassuring smile.

"No need Prince. I'm fine, promise." The Auror took his wand from the bedside table and flicked it once, suddenly several folders of papers came flying by them.

"I better get some work done then before the scary mistress yells at me again." Auror Blackmoore studied him for a second before nodding in agreement.

"Call me if you need anything. Mr Malfoy, you still have a lot to answer." She left the room then and Draco looked back at the other man in the room. He was looking at him with the same knowing smile as before.

"Remember Mr Malfoy. You're not the only hunter." The blond shivered slightly as he followed the witch out the door, closing it softly behind him.