Moon Dust | Mattheo Riddle

Chapter 44: Dumbledore's Army

The wind rustled through the Astronomy Tower, howling out into the inky sky above as Artemis slithered over the hardwood flooring, laying her head on Mattheo's knee. He rubbed a hand over her scales and gazed out toward the woods in the distance.

The dark trees swayed ever so slightly in the breeze, standing together like a row of soldiers, guarding the forbidden forest. They might as-well have been too. Ever since Umbridge took over with all of her never-ending rules, he'd barely been out in the forest and it was one of his favourite places.

"More pleassse," Artemis asked, slithering over Mattheo's knee towards the pile of hard boiled eggs that were sticking out of an open tub next to him. He nudged the tub away with his foot, moving the snake over to his other arm.

"You've already had four."

She slithered up his arm, slapping her tail down in a slump. A tantrum. Mattheo chuckled and ran another hand along her scales. "Uncle Lucius would kill me if I overfed you too much."

Artemis turned her head away, refusing to look at him. With a sigh, Mattheo reached for an egg. "One more," he said, offering it out to her. She took it and slithered away, settling herself into his bag that lay open on the floor.

"I thought I'd find you up here."

The Slytherin turned around at the gentle voice behind him, smiling softly as Nova closed the door behind herself. She walked toward one of the open windows, peering out into the night sky. The moon behind her shone bright, the stars around it painting the sky in a shimmer of shining gold, just like her eyes when she turned back around. Nova sucked in a breath, and then let it out again, washing the moonlight from her eyes with it. "Couldn't sleep?"

Mattheo shuck his head, grabbing at the flap of his bag and closing it over, locking Artemis inside. Not that she'd have noticed, probably too busy with her egg.

"Me neither," Nova said softly, stepping over to him and taking a seat on the green coloured quilt he'd brought up with him. She sat with her knees tucked into her chest, resting her head onto them as she continued to glance up at the sky. The way the moon reflected on her made Mattheo suck in a sharp breath. The gleam of the moonlight barely compared to the warmth that radiated from her. From the honey colours that melted into her hair, to the faint dimples that lined her cheeks. She was radiant. Nova shone brighter than anything in the sky, even the sun, especially the sun, because whenever he looked at her, his eyes would burn.

Just like the moon, who desperately tried to cling to her, she wasn't his.

"Is it the moon?" he asked, forcing himself to glance away from her. Still, he could sense the stiffness in her shoulders, but that's all it was, a slight discomfort. Nova was far from the girl she used to be, having to lock herself in the basement or behind the whomping willow. It was the night before the full moon and her she was, smiling up at the stars. She shook her head.

It had been a few weeks since she'd got to transform properly, she hadn't since they'd run into Harry and Luna in the woods. Mattheo could tell she missed it, even if she didn't say so. But she'd get to transform tomorrow, and whether they were stuck in the shrieking shack or not he was going to make sure they made it out into the forest.

He traced a finger over the patterns in the wood. "So, tomorrow. I was thinking we could—"

"I'm staying in my dorm tomorrow."

Mattheo peered up at her, widening his eyes. She'd never spent a full moon in her dorm before. In fact, he was half sure she wasn't allowed to. There was an agreement with Dumbledore that she was supposed to stay in the shack for her comfort, which was really just a rouse to cover up what it really meant. To keep her contained, just incase. If anything, Nova had always insisted on going to the shack, especially since Mattheo always went with her. He didn't like the idea of her being in there alone, given her father's history with the place and the screams of his past that haunted it, but if they were there, he could always break them out and go into the forest... He couldn't imagine she'd like to be locked up in her dorm room, at least in the shrieking shack there was space for her to transform.