Amongst the Hunted Moons

Harry Potter, Hunter's encampment.

Harry had awoken peacefully the next morning in a tangle of limbs and bodies of an overcrowded bed, with a weight on his chest, looking down he could see the tangled mess of hair that, who he thought was Brittany's head on his chest, was still asleep. Lifting his head and squinting his eyes, he could kinda make out Atalanta and Sophie next to him, Harry smiled to himself, he felt…nice, not like it was spending time with Ron and Hermione, though it was similar. He felt safe, warm, and protected, if not a little hot; he could grow used to this. As Harry lays his head back down to fall asleep once more, he hears a soft chuckle in his room, and his head pops up looking around the room until it lands on a blur that was leaning against his desk.

"Enjoying yourself with my Hunters, Harry?" Artemis' voice asks, and Harry's hands shoot up into the air to show they were not doing anything untoward to the sleeping hunters.

"This isn't what it looks like," Harry whispers out, more than a bit worried about being caught in his own bed with three Hunters.

"Oh, it's not, is it?" Artemis asks in her normal bland voice, "it looks like you are quite comfortable sandwiched between three of my hunter's young man," Harry couldn't see her face but could hear the slight teasing tone in her voice, and he sighs out a bit in relief.

"I honestly thought you were upset there for a moment," Harry admits in a whisper.

Artemis chuckles once more, "No, Harry, I am not upset, I know how my hunters engage in acceptable physical intimacy, so long as they do not break their oaths then I allow it," she says, and Harry blushes at how she had worded it.

"O-okay, um, that's, ah, good?" Harry says, embarrassed a bit, "could you, um, m-my glasses?" He asks, holding out a hand, and a moment later his glasses were in hand, slipping them on so Harry could see. Looking around with a groggy mind he sees Artemis leaning against his desk as Brittany was sleeping on his chest, Atalanta had Sophie in a death grip around the girl's waist with her face pressed into Sophie's hair. Sophie herself was snoring and drooling slightly making Harry chuckle at the sight, Harry blinks the sleep out of his eyes and turns back to Artemis as he puts his arms down.

"So, what's up?" He asks the Goddess, curious about why she was in his tent.

"Well, I came here to try and pick your brain about the forest and the centaurs that call it home, but I walked in and was greeted by this sight," she says with a gesture to his bed, "and I decided to have a little fun beforehand, if you do not mind?" Artemis asks with a smirk. Harry shrugs, he didn't know what the Goddess was going to do, but since she wasn't mad about the current sleeping arrangements he wasn't all that worried about what she was going to do, so Artemis just smirks before moving from his desk to the opening of his tent before he amused face turns into one of anger and disappointment, if Harry wasn't in on whatever joke she was about to play he was sure that he would have fallen for it at once.

Artemis clears her throat, before narrowing her eyes, "Atalanta, Sophie, Brittany!" She yells, making the three girls jerk awake in shock before looking around confused to find an angry Artemis glaring at them, "Just what is going on here! Sharing a bed with a boy, my son of all things! How dear you all!" Her voice was sharp with fictitious anger. The first to react was Brittany, her brain finally catching up with what was going on, and who she was currently sleeping on makes her squeak before jerking herself up too quickly and falling off the bed. Atalanta and Sophie look at one another confused and a bit scared as they slowly start to scoot off the bed as Harry was trying hard not to laugh as he sat up.

"L-Lady Art-Artemis! I-its not w-what it l-l-looks like! I swear!" Brittany says as she scrambles to kneel but keeps tripping over herself because she was still in her sleeping bag, Artemis smells a wounded animal and pounces for the kill.

"Is it not Brittany?" Artemis asks turning to her, hurt painting her eyes and face as much as a skilled thespian could do upon the stage, "After all that I've done for you, guiding you out of the Canadian wilderness, offering you to join my hunt which you had turned down, only to find us three weeks later to ask me to join," Artemis says shaking her head as she looked at the young hunter with disappointment, "even after turning me down the first time, I still accepted you into the hunt, and this is how you repay me? Sleeping with me son!?" Artemis' voice picks up to a shout at the end of it, Harry sees Atalanta looking between the Goddess and Brittany with worried eyes as Sophie is doing her best impression of a pillbug with her sleeping bag, it's when Harry looks back at Brittany who had tears forming in her eyes that Harry decided to speak up.

"Artemis," he says, catching the Goddess' attention.

"And you Harry, how coul-" Artemis begins to say but is cut off by Harry.

"Too far," Harry says with an amused smile, "you're taking it a bit too far," Artemis stops, looking at the other girls before her face slips back to her normal passive look.

"I see," Artemis says, her tone of voice back to her normal tone of voice, "I apologize, girls, I am still new to these practical jokes and pranks, perhaps I shall stick with the teasing," she admits with a nod of her head.

Brittany looks up confused for a moment before Atalanta snorts and sighs in relief before flopping back down on the bed and Harry swears he hears a sigh coming from Sophie. "Y-you're not mad?" Brittany asks, and Artemis sighs.

"No, Brittany, I am not mad, I suppose I will need to work on my sense of humor more," Artemis says with a sigh, "neither is anyone in trouble, you all are in your sleeping bags, and Harry is under his blankets, all is fine with this," Sophie finally pokes her head out from her sleeping bag to give Artemis a flat and unamused look.

"The Captain Artemis bit was a lot funnier than this, My Lady," Sophie says, before standing and unzipping her sleeping bag, letting It fall to the floor, Harry catches a flash of flesh beneath the belt line and immediately covers his eyes, "this was just mean, maybe do a cowgirl bit next time?" Sophie says as she steps out of her sleeping bag before she starts to roll it up.

"Sophie!" Brittany calls out in shock, turning to look at Harry who had his glasses pushed up and hand pressed against his eyes, "you should be dressed in something more suitable for bed," she says through her teeth looking back in between the hunter and Harry.

Sophie looks down at her clothes of a dark tee shirt and boy shorts before looking back up to Brittany, "what are ya talking about, Hun? This is appropriate, normally I just sleep naked," she says, rolling her eyes as Harry blushes, Atalanta facepalms, and Artemis pinches the bridge of her nose before pointing at the flap in the tent.

"Out, all of you, I need to speak to Harry alone for a few minutes," Artemis says with a sigh, and before Sophie can say another word, Atalanta, who had escaped her own sleeping bag, grabs Sophie by the arm and drags her out of the tent before being quickly followed by Brittany. As the tent cleared out, Artemis sighs once more, shaking her head with a small smirk.

"I swear, Sophie, likes walking that thin line between keeping her oaths and breaking them for kicks and giggles, doesn't help with who her father is either," the Goddess says as she walks over and pulls out the chair from Harry's desk before sitting in it facing Harry.

"Atalanta said something like that as well," Harry says as he throws off his blanket and swings his legs over the bed, "She's a demigod, right? Who's her godly parent anyway?" Harry asks, honestly curious about the crazed hunter.

"Her father is Dionysus," Artemis informes him.

Harry thinks for a moment before it hits him, "The wine guy?" Harry asks, not really knowing, he didn't spend a lot of time looking up myths and lore about the Olympians other than Artemis, and that was after he had found out that she was his-, that she helped with his birth.

Artemis nods, "Yes, that is what he is remembered for most," her face sets into a grim look before she continues, "most tend to forget what else he is the god of, and what he accomplished when he was but a demigod," her look was far away, probably in the past when the gods and myths roamed the earth more freely.

"Like what?" Harry asks.

"He is the God of hedonism, madness, and theater," Artemis answers, "He was also one of the most dangerous Demigods to ever walk the earth, possibly the most dangerous, while Herakles is known across the world for his rage, willpower, and strength, he never delighted in harming innocents. Dionysius, however, almost conquered the Asia Minor and delighted in the chaos and bloodshed he caused in his wake, he made it a game to see how far he could push mortal minds till they snapped like a brittle bow in the middle of a hunt," she says quietly as Harry's eyes widen.

"So, …all his children are like that?" Harry asks, but Artemis shakes her head.

"No, his children are far more docile nowadays, back when the flame was still in Greece, all his children were touched with madness in one way or another," Artemis says, "from the greatest artist to the most bloodthirsty warrior, all had a touch of madness from Dionysus, nowadays most do not, he actively tries to not have as many children as the other gods, because there is always a chance that one of them is born with access to his divine domain of Madness and Sophie is, unfortunately, one of them, she is what is known as a maenad,"

"Isn't that, I don't know, dangerous?" Harry says, "with the Hunt thrown in the mix?"

Artemis tilts her head back, thinking for a moment before looking back to Harry, "Think of it this way, when two large people try and fit through a single doorway only wide enough for one, they both get stuck, this same principle applies to Sophie, but when both agree to pass through one at a time it is normally the older, more powerful one, that goes first which is the Hunt in this case," Artemis explains and Harry nods his head in understanding.

"And if it doesn't go normally?" Harry asks.

"Then I call back my hunter to support Sophie from a range until she gets it out of her system and enjoy the show," Artemis says with a shrug, as if it was a normal thing, before she blinks and speaks again, "I will have to remember to order you to fall all the way back to camp if that happens during this hunt, or perhaps the castle," she murmurs to herself.

"Umm, Why?" Harry asks, feeling a bit scared with how Artemis said that.

"Because the maenad's bloodlust is only surpassed by their lust, and normally their victims do not survive the encounter," the Goddess says in an uncomfortable tone of voice when she explains it to Harry, his eyes go wide, and feels a shiver of fear roll down his spine.

"But we digress, back to the topic at hand I wished to discuss with you, the forest and the Centaurs, how much do you know?" Artemis asks, getting down to business.

"Ah, not much, I know the forest is old and that it was around before Hogwarts was even built, the Centaurs I know even less about, I was saved by one back in my first year, the herd has called the forest their home for a while, but I don't know for how long," Harry says with a shrug as Artemis makes a face, seemingly frustrated, "ah, not to sound disrespectful or anything, but shouldn't you know more about all of this than me?" Harry says before Artemis' eyes narrow at him, "I don't mean anything by it, I mean, you are the Goddess of the Forest, right?" He says raising his hands and Artemis shakes her head.

"While true, this forest is far more than it seems, it is an old and wild place, Pan would know more about it than I," Artemis says, "I've only been in these woods once before, and even then this place had struck me as more Pan's domain then my own," Artemis stands from her seat before walking over to the tent flap, "I've tried to ask Albus, but he wasn't in his office this morning to ask,"

"He's normally really busy during the summer months with the Wizengamot and the ICW from what I know," Harry says, standing and stretching himself, but then a thought hit him, "Well, there might be one more person who might know, he should be on grounds right now," Harry says looking over at Artemis, who was lifting the flap to leave the tent, she had stopped and looked back at him with a raised brow.

"And who would that be?" She asks.

Harry smiles a bit, "Why the keeper of keys and the grounds of Hogwarts, of course,"

Harry Potter, Hagrid's Hut.

Artemis had left Harry to get ready for the day, it was only a few minutes to get dressed and brush his teeth before stepping out of his tent, Artemis was standing a few feet away talking to Zoë as Harry had walked up.

"I do not care Zoë, unless they are acting hostile, ignore them or scare them off, this is their home, not ours," Artemis told her lieutenant, "Just make sure any hunters that go out to scout or patrol have at least two other hunters with them, there is something, …different about these Centaurs, I will not lose any of my hunters to an unknown," the Goddess said and Zoë nods her head.

"Of course, My Lady," Zoë said as she turned to walk away before stopping after seeing Harry and her face twisted into one of hate before she glared at him before leaving.

Harry wanted to call her something under his breath, but with Artemis standing so close he didn't want to risk It, "What was that about?" He asked, jerking his head towards the retreating Zoë.

Artemis sighed out before turning to leave camp, the camp the way Harry had shown up, "The Centaurs have been poking around since yesterday, they have not been aggressive yet, but that will possibly change in time, and I'd rather be prepared when they do," she admitted as they walked through the woods back towards the school, but those were the only words Harry and Artemis share on there walk, neither liking useless conversation like small talk. But as they walked through the woods Harry couldn't help but to think of her words.

"They have not been aggressive yet", Yet being the key word, they probably haven't found the bodies of the other Centaurs deeper in the woods and Artemis was expecting that they would find them sooner rather than later, and when they did they would blame the hunters, Artemis wanted to find something about the Centaurs before she had to deal with them and remove them from interfering with the Acromantula hunt. Well, that is what Harry would do, he didn't like things getting in the way of his hunts as well. He remembers how annoyed he was back in his first year when he had seen Ron and Hermione in the bathroom with the troll, or the relief that he could go down into the Chamber of Secrets alone instead of with Lockheart and Ron following him, back then he couldn't really say why he had those feelings or where they even came from, but now he knew, looking back he didn't like that he had felt that way about his friends or the why he had felt them, but he doesn't think he could help it with as deep as the Hunt was ingrained into him. He also didn't feel all that bad about killing the centaurs. He thinks that he should but it doesn't really settle in his chest, like it was a ghost of a feeling that he knew of but never felt. Every time he thinks the guilt was welling up in his chest he would try and grasp it, but it would melt away like the morning mist, like it was never truly there.

They make it to the cabin shortly after leaving camp as Harry tries to organize his feelings and thoughts about what had happened, but in the end, he had decided it was a big deal and shoved it away, he turns to Artemis as he sees the smoke rising from the chimney of the hut.

"Hagrid is home," Harry says as he points out the smoke, "But, ah, do-do you have, like, an older form?" He asks awkwardly as Artemis turns to him with a raised brow.

"Is that where your interest lay, Harry?" Artemis asks, a teasing smirk on her lips, "More mature women?" To Harry's confusion, seeing the look on his face Artemis rolls her eyes before answering the question, "I can look older, if and when it is called for, why do you ask?"

Harry, still a bit confused, answers, "Well, Hagrid is a teacher here, and he's not in the, ah, know, you know?" Harry says, hoping Artemis would understand as they walk up to the door, and she nods.

"Well, I think he'd be a bit more comfortable with an, you know, adult-looking person leading the hunt," Harry says, and Artemis rolls her eyes once again before looking at him.

"Just knock, Harry," Artemis tells him, unbothered by it all.

Harry just sighs before turning to the door and knocking, "Hagrid, it's me, Harry!" He calls out, before Fang begins to bark.

"Back!" Harry hears Hagrid yell, "back ya great mangy beast!" Hagrid calls out as Harry hears Fang being pulled back from the door as it opens up to reveal Hagrid's towering form, and Harry smiles up at him.

"'Arry! Good to see ya, who did ya bring with ya?" Hagrid asks, as he smiles back down at Harry.

"Oh, this is-" Harry begins to say, but he's cut off by a voice he didn't know and his head snaps back to Artemis.

"Diana," Artemis says, while holding out her hand for Hagrid to shake, "Diana Phaesporia, Leader of the Hunt," Artemis says as Harry blinks up at her, because she was much taller now, her voice deeper, more mature, she looks like, well, it looks like she was old enough to be his mother. While she was in her younger form she barely came up over Harry's shoulder, now she was at least a foot or two taller than him.

Hagrid reaches out and shakes her hand in his normal way, "Nice to meet ya, Ma'am, Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper o' keys and the grounds of Hogwarts, and Harry's care of magical creature professor," he says before he steps back and opens the door for them, "come on in, I just put the kettle on," Hagrid tells them as they both step inside and move to the table as Hagrid pulls down two more mugs for tea.

"I have to say, Ma'am, it's a relief and a pleasure to finally meet ya," Hagrid says as he sets down the mugs as Harry and Artemis take a seat.

"Oh, why is that?" Artemis asks as she reaches out and scratches Fang behind the ears with a small smile.

"Well, it's a relief those girls have an adult around while in the forest," Hagrid says, as Artemis' eyes snap up to glare at his back, and Harry Swallows, "don't get me wrong, if those girls are as half as good as Atolanta, than I'm sure they'll be fine, but it goes against me better instincts to let kids that young wander around the forest without supervision," Hagrid says, and Artemis' glare disappears, Harry relaxes a bit at that.

"Well, have no fear about that Mister Hagrid," Artemis says with a smile as Hagrid turns around with a steam kettle, "My hunters are well trained and disciplined, they are in no danger they can not handle, even without me," she tells him before turning down any sugar or cream for her tea and Hagrid takes a seat with them.

"Harry told me that you know the forest even better than Albus, and I was hoping you could answer some questions I had," Artemis says as Harry prepares his own tea with a roll of his eyes, directly to business with her.

"I wouldn't say better than anyone, but I know a fair bit, Ma'am, and none of this Mister business," Hagrid says waving his hand as he reaches for the sugar and cream himself, "Any friend o' Harry is a friend o' mine," he tells the Goddess as she raises a brow.

"Harry didn't say you two were close," Artemis says as she tilts her head curiously.

Hagrid chuckles, "well, I would hope so, I did bring his letter, and took him shopping for his school supplies," he says, and both he and Harry smile at the memory.

Artemis blinks before her eyes go a bit softer, "You took him away from," her eyes flick to Harry before turning back to Hagrid, "From the Dursleys?" She asks, and Hagrid nods.

"He also bought Hedwig for me on, on my birthday," Harry says with a small smile as Artemis turns to look at him, getting what he had meant, Hagrid had bought him his first birthday present that day and she nods.

"That was kind of you Hagrid, please, call me Diana," Artemis says with a small smile turning back to Hagrid, "and if there is anything I can do for you, all you have to do is ask," Artemis offers, Hagrid not knowing what was offered waves it off.

"Maybe we can spare Aragog and his wife?" Harry says as the Goddess and Hagrid both look at him confused.

"Aragog? Who is Aragog?" Artemis asks.

"Aragog and Mosag are, well, were the leaders of the Acromantula colony you and your hunters be after," Hagrid says before taking a gulp of his tea and Harry's head snaps to Hagrid.

"Were? Are they, ya know?" Harry raises a brow at Hagrid.

"Hm, oh, no both them be fine, 'arry," Hagrid says with a nod, "they were moved about a week ago with the help of one of the headmaster's old students, Mr. Scamander," he informs Harry, with a slight smile.

"Scamander? Wait, Newt Scamander, the guy who wrote the fantastic beast book?" Harry asks, a bit shocked.

"Ay," Hagrid says, "it would be the second time I met him, he's a good man just like the Headmaster. He got Aragog and Mosag into a preserve he set up in South America that he set up," the smile never fading.

"You, …tamed an Acromantula?" Artemis says, a bit shocked.

"No, I'll never say I tamed a thing, I befriend him while he was still as little as a bird eater," Hagrid chuckles at the memory, "He's one of my oldest friends, didn't want him dragged into your job, his kids may be out of control but Aragog and his wife still wouldn't hurt a student," he says and Harry decides that was technically true, Aragog just said he wasn't going to stop his kids from eating him and Ron.

"Still, the fact remains that I'm impressed, I've never heard one of the descendants of Ungoliant being tamed or befriend," Artemis says with a shake of her head, "But my offer still stands Hagrid, if you need anything just ask and I will see it done, and if I'm not around, you can just ask Harry, he knows how to get ahold of me when needed," she says before taking a sip of her tea.

"Mighty generous of you, Diana, but I didn't do anything really," Hagrid says.

"You did more than you know, Hagrid," Artemis says with a small smile, "but I digress, I came here with questions," she says.

"Ay, Ya questions," Hagrid says with a nod of his head, "well, what do ya want to know, Diana?" He says lean back and taking a sip of his tea as Artemis leans forward.

"What can you tell me about the spirits that are pretending to be Centaurs in the forest?" Artemis asks with a smirk, and Harry looks at her in shock.

Anyway, onto a part 3 of a what if!?

Artemis, Camp Halfblood, Harry's age: 9

It had been almost two weeks since Artemis had dropped the hunt off at Camp Halfblood for some well deserved R&R, they had just finished a Drakon hunt that turned out to be a small nest of them, if it wasn't for Phoebe the hunt would have lost three sisters that day. But as the Goddess of the Hunt walked towards the archery Pavilion, she desperately tried not to think of who else called the Camp home, she would try and force it away or into the back of her mind, but wherever she went she couldn't help but to look into the crowds of Demigods to catch a glimpse of him in hopes to see him smiling, to hope to see him happy. She had told no one but Zoë about the boy and the circumstances surrounding him, she had thought him dead for seven years.

Until by random happenstance she had heard him pray, she was confused at first until she realized who it was, she had opened the link to all who shared her blessing and sure enough, she had felt him. If it wasn't for the prayer of getting him away, sending an angel to take him away from his Aunt and Uncle, she would have left it alone. But the wild desperation in his young voice had speared her to action, it had taken too long, far too long to find the boy, six months, but she did in the end behind a shield made from Lily Evans blood. When she had crossed that wardline and heard and felt every prayer said within it set her blood to boil and did not leave until those who had harmed the boy were dead and he was safe here at Camp.

Cresting the hill to the archery pavilion, she saw the small gathering of her hunters, the six missing from the cabin all gathered around a young child, even her lieutenant was among them, this confused the Goddess of the Hunt, she would not recruit any demigod as young looking as the child, she normally took in teenagers or the like, anyone younger wouldn't be able to keep up with the hunt for how small they were. It wasn't until the small child turned and looked up at Atalanta, who was helping him shoot, did she understand, and her breath hitched. It was him, it was Harry. The Goddess stops a ways away from the gathering, just watching as Atalanta laughs at something Harry says, before Sophie says something making the rest laugh, even her normal stoic Lieutenant smirk.

Then Harry looks at her, eyes widening, and for a second her heart stops beating because she thinks the boy recognized her from that night, but as his head tilts with a confused look she lets out a breath she didn't know she was holding, she doesn't know if it's in relief or disappointment, so she pushes it aside as the rest of her hunters turn and look at her.

"Lady Artemis," Zoë says, pushing herself off the tree and giving her a slight bow, "I'm glad to see you return, are we on for another hunt?" She asks without pause as Atalanta moves in front of Harry, blocking him from view.

Artemis says nothing at first, looking toward the boy peeking out from behind Atalanta's legs, "Yes," she finally finds her voice, "The DoMC has reported missing hikers in the Grand Canyon and has asked us to see what it could be, I have accepted their request," she tells Zoë, trying to keep her eyes on her Lieutenant but they keep flicking back to the boy's green eyes full of curiosity.

Zoë nods and the rest of the hunters that were laying about begin to stand and stretch and as Artemis turns to leave the boy speaks.

"You're leaving," Harry says to Atalanta and the older hunter looks down at him with sad eyes.

"Sorry, Munchkin, duty calls," she tells him as she messes his hair affectionately, the boy looks like he wants to ask a question, but is pained before looking down at his feet. Artemis' lips pressed into a thin line, knowing this was a reaction to the past life he had lived only a few months ago.

Atalanta kneels in front of him, putting her hands on his shoulders "Hey, don't look down, kiddo, I'll bring you back something cool, okay?" She tells him with a smile, and the boy looks up at her with wide eyes, his feet shuffling side to side as he looks around at the other hunters and at Artemis, before looking back to Atalanta before leaping at her and engulfing her in a hug. Atalanta is shocked at first but quickly wraps the boy in a hug, and Artemis can't help but feel jealousy bloom in her heart.

Before long they break apart and Harry says goodbye to each hunter by name, waving to them as they walk back to the silver cabin they called their vacation home.

It was Sophie that spoke up first, "I was worried there for a moment, though you were gonna turn the little tike into a jackalope there when he hugged Atalanta, My Lady," the mad hunter says.

"Don't be foolish, Sophie," Zoë speaks up, "he may have been a boy, but he is still a child, our Lady is a protector of children," the Lieutenant says in a knowing voice.

"Yeah, female children, Lord Apollo protects the male ones," Sophie fires back, and as Zoë opens her mouth to say something, Artemis ends the argument before it could even start.

"Enough," Artemis says, "The boy is only nine, I doubt he even knows about those things," she says, quieting her hunters, "now stop your bickering, we need to pack and get going soon," the Goddess says and a choir of "Yes, My Lady," answers her, but most of the hunters with her can help but to wonder how Artemis had known the boy's age.

"Oh, and Atalanta?" Artemis says as she turns to said hunter who perks up at her name, "You're on latrine duty for the next week," the Goddess says before facing forward again.

"Aww, man," Atalanta moans out in despair, "What did I do!?" Says the hunter who had hugged Harry.

But unbeknownst to the Goddess of the Hunt, two weeks after seeing her son once again, the blood wards would fall, a silver instrument upon a desk would stop working, a headmaster would go on a wild search that would make news worldwide, And a mad hound looked away is dread and cold would break his shackles to find his godson.

Notes:

What if over, lol, Artemis got jealous over a hug.

Boom, chapter done! With an interesting ending, Spirits pretending to be Centaurs? Wonder what that's about?