PRONGSLET AND THE CERYNEIAN GUARDIAN

Chapter Thirty-One

"No, my mother, my adopted mother," Milo questioned. "She's my family too, even if it's not through Potter blood, I can't tell her?"

Artemis shook her head, leaving Milo to frown as he looked down at his hands. There was a big part of Milo that simply hated lying to his mother above all people. Mainly because Minerva had been honest with him from the beginning. She had informed Dumbledore from the start that her conditions were to take Milo in and be honest to the boy about everything when he was old enough to hear it all. Keeping secrets from her, it weighed heavier on Milo more so than it did with anyone else, Cedric and Harry included. 

"Do not fear to keep this secret, Milo," Artemis told her, "you would be surprised but your mother has her own secrets up her sleeve."

He tilted his head and gave her a curious look. "Is that a way of telling me that she's protected by a god or a goddess too?"

"Did I not say it was not your business?"

"But you just-"

He watched as the goddess winked at him and then it was all made clear in his head before his confused looked turned into a smile. Giving a nod of his head he peered up at her again.

"I understand."

"If you are sure then this is where we part again, Milo Potter," Artemis informed him before the Ceryneian Hind lowered herself to allow the boy to climb down. He straightened his clothing and went to look up at the goddess but as he did, his eyes opened and he found himself looking up at Harry, Elspeth and Silas.

"And he's back, ladies and gentlemen," Elspeth said with a smile. "Hey there, sunshine."

The three of them helped Milo up to see that he was still on the ground in the courtyard. Harry looked incredibly worried even though Elspeth and Silas seemed awfully calm about the scenario.

"Are you alright?" Harry blurted out before Milo could say anything. 

"Y-yeah, I'm fine, Harry," he told him, "I just...I haven't eaten anything today and I guess it finally caught up with me. I started to feel light-headed earlier and I thought I could fight it off, but I guess not."

"Want some sweets?!" Silas nearly knocked Milo in the face with the bag that he had hidden from his mother. Milo smile and nodded his head before gently taking the bag from him. Elspeth took to see if he had hit his head leaving behind any bumps or bruises but it seemed he was given the clear.

"You have your father's head," Elspeth chuckled,"I've never seen anyone take a bludger to the head as many times as he did and still able to speak English as well as he did."

The boys around her giggled but as Milo peered up at her, he saw Elspeth wink at him before he popped a sweet into his mouth. 

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Milo sat next to Cedric during the Halloween Feast in the Great Hall, thankful that no one outside of Harry, Silas, and Elspeth were aware of what occurred that afternoon. He was sure if anyone else had heard about him fainting that between his mother and Cedric, he would probably be smothered with everyone's concern. He seemed to have convinced his brother at least that it was due to not eating and that was enough. As much as he wanted to tell Harry, it wasn't in his place to do so, unfortunately. But they were able to spend the rest of the good day having a few good laughs and just having a nice time.

Now Milo was in the company of his friends at the Hufflepuff table, eating as much pumpkin pie as physically possible. Heidi had told him that he might want to slow down or he was going to put himself into a sugar coma but around his fourth slice, she gave up. The Great Hall was decorated with hundreds of pumpkin filled candles and orange streamers and flying bats fluttered over their heads. Paden seemed to be in his own personal heaven as well as Milo gifted him with some butterbeer for the occasion. The bowtruckle seemed more than content as he happily sipped away. Milo was definitely going to have to make a note and mention it to Newt at some point that his bowtruckle had a slight addiction to the sugary drink.