* - a r t e m i s // l o c h e

Unbridled displays of anger are beautiful. Howlers, on the other hand, are stupidly incriminating.

Now, people like to paint him as some kind of villain from time to time, and when it’s out loud and dangerously obvious, reactions can differ. There’s careless, there’s reasonable and then there’s excessively thorough, to the point that surpasses wary and heads straight into paranoid. His conscience likes to pick and choose. 

Today it’s the latter, and when he sees a goddamn howler making its way towards him in a public space, feet hit the ground running without a second thought.

The boy manoeuvres through the hallways with little regard for the shoulders he grazes and the books he knocks out of grasp, the singular goal of getting somewhere private before the damn letter chases him down. It is quite obvious, at this point, who sent the flying bastard - an idiotic little game they have with Loche, a Secret Exposure Roulette if you will. Never anything to really fuck with the business, but sometimes enough to put each other in quite a situation. Sometimes it’s nothing at all, but you can never be sure.

Rushed steps screeching to a halt, he heaves a rather irritated sigh, letting the howler catch up and voice its verdict.

“Boo.”

Eyes close in what might look like anger, but the slowly growing laughter that follows dispels the illusion.

—

Just to be a little shit, he rounds the corner considerably later that day rather then immediately after that little delivery. The boy stills for a moment, taking in his friend’s posture - how at any given moment, the fucker manages to look both restless and elusively calm. Like he’s about to slip through the cracks in the floors and vibrate through the walls at the same time.

Cassius sneaks up like he always does: quiet and careful not to let his presence known until he’s breathing right down Art’s neck.

“You’re a little fucking bitch, Bogo.”

How Cassius had become so adept at sneaking up on people was beyond Artemis, although he was clearly both entertained and impressed by it each and everytime Cas managed to get the drop on him. "But you laughed, Cassius?" It's a statement packed into the form of a question, spoken as the boy turned to face his friend in the hall. He doesn't bother to take a step back, instead pressing the boundaries of Cassius's personal space as he often did. "I know I certainly did." The edges of his lips both rise, though the smile does not quite make it to the outer corners of his eyes. Very rarely did the genuine feeling of happiness flourish within him, but he was quite good at cycling through the motions. It didn't mean that he wasn't glad or excited, no. Just that he wasn't very great at showing it. "We need to..." Hand still in his pocket, he thumbs over the enchanted bottle in his pocket, careful not to shake it so as not to make any noise. "Go somewhere more private."

By more private, he of course meant that they slip from the prying eyes of students and professors alike and make way to their chosen headquarters of sorts. To resupply. To switch out bottles. To unload whatever was on him, if only momentarily, in order to get some air.

ARTEMIS LOCHE

House: Ravenclaw Year: 5th Year Age: 16 Blood Status: Half-blood Extracurricular(s): Duelling Club, Potions Club Face Claim: Frank Dillane

BIOGRAPHY:

Artemis Loche is a half-blood: His father was a pureblood wizard, and his mother was a (muggle) descendant of Marie Laveau; A Louisiana Creole practitioner of muggle world ‘magic’. The Witch Queen of New Orleans, is what she was referred to as. But as far as the wizarding world was concerned, there had never been any proof that she had the ability to practice real magic at all. This was not a heavy weight in Artemis’s upbringing, but his mother had always daunted secretly in the practice of creole religion

For the majority of his life, all was well with Artemis Loche. He had a loving, supportive mother, who encouraged him to be the very best he could be. The term ‘by any means necessary’ should have been etched into a plaque and hung over the hearth in their home. There had never been struggles with his education- and up until he received his invitation to Hogwarts, even attended a private muggle school with many other like minded individuals. But a secret castle filled to the brim with magic wielding adults and children would not be the most extravagant change in Artemis’ life.

Since he was a small boy, Artemis had taken medication to help keep him healthy. When you’re young and your parent insists, it’s easy to say yes. Why fight them? They only want whats best for you, right? But as he got older, the questions became more prominent. His mother couldn’t keep up with her excuses, and her failed attempts at convincing him to continue taking his medication ultimately spurred his rebellion. There was nothing wrong with him, after all, so why did he need them?

He played along, promising to continue his dosing even as he trudged along through his years at Hogwarts. All she needed to do was explain to him what he couldn’t remember now as he got older. The emotional and physical abuse that had come at the hand of his father. Honest reasons why their family had broken. The therapy sessions that revealed parts of himself to both his doctor and his mother that broke her heart in a way that only women with children could understand. Some days he had been her sweet, innocent Artemis.

Other days he was not Artemis at all

She couldn’t bring herself to provide him with the honest truth, for fear that it would alter memories of his childhood and ultimately who he was today. So Artemis took it upon himself to stop. Stop with the medications. To be himself. His true self; Which would prove to be problematic for everyone involved in the years to come.

The war that Artemis fights is not all that different than the one going on outside the walls of the castle. Fast closing in on everybody around him. He can’t decide where he stands. The moral pendulum swung heavily in both directions, and depending on the day, he’s there to give it a questionable push.

TRAITS:

+Authentic +Bright +Attentive -Vain -Irrational -Paranoid

CONNECTIONS:

Cassius Nott: Close Friend/Business Partner Theodore Nott: Dislikes Gladys Gudgeon: Friends