It was precisely 3 in the afternoon when the owl landed in Artemis Fowl's desk. Exactly how or when it had gotten into the manor was uncertain, although what was certain was that his 15,000 Euro desk was completely ruined from scratch marks and a white stain that looked suspiciously like bird poop.
For the first time in years, Artemis Fowl II was dumbfounded. Unsure of whether to call for Butler to get rid of the unruly bird or to simply ignore it, he stared at the surprisingly skimpy bird. Then he noticed the letter.
In ornate green font, the envelope read:
Mr A. Fowl,
Fowl Manor, Dublin.
Curiosity overcame shock as Artemis' brilliant mind began to race through the possibilities. The first thought was that this was some kind of practical joke. But who would, or rather, who could pull this off? The location of Fowl Manor was a secret hidden from most of the outer world. It had taken an obscene amount of money in "administrative fees" to make it happen, but to the rest of the world, Fowl Manor did not exist. He immediately discounted that theory. Perhaps a letter from one of his contacts? But why in this fashion? And besides, most were not aware of the location of Fowl Manor either.
Carefully, he pulled the letter off his desk. To his surprise, the owl was gone. Where, he did not know. The door was closed and there were no windows; but then again, how had it come in in the first place? Shrugging, he held up the envelope. It was thick and had the texture of parchment, giving it an ornate feel while conveniently making it so he couldn't peer inside to view its contents. He held it up to his ear and shook it, only to hear just paper.
Finally, curiosity got the better of him and he tore open the package. Inside was a piece of parchment similar in texture to the envelope; what was this, the 14th century? He thought amusedly. However, nothing prepared him for the message itself.
A seal of some sort decorated the top, under which were the following words:
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore
(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)
Dear Mr. Fowl,
We are pleased to inform you that you have a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.
Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July.
Yours sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall
Deputy Headmistress
For the second time in as many minutes, Artemis Fowl was speechless. Most men at this point would have dismissed it as a hoax; yet it could not be. He had seen the owl, and now it was gone. Logically, scientifically, mathematically there was no way this letter could have been delivered. Yet here it was. Furthermore, his most recent project had produced… startling results. One could perhaps say magical results. Yes, this was most certainly plausible. In fact, this fit perfectly with the research he had been doing the past few months. He stood up. He knew what he had to do.
He took out his phone and speed-dialed the first of only two numbers he had saved on it. It was answered in 2 rings.
"Yes?"
"Butler, could you come to the study right away?"
So, a few things first. A couple of you may be wondering why I'm doing this instead of updating Heroes of the Storm. Well let's just say there was an incident involving a certain winter storm and the loss of a 10,000+ word document. I think you get the picture. I basically write whatever I'm reading, and I happened to be reading HP and Artemis Fowl. So this was born. Don't worry HotS is not abandoned. I'll try to update more on time. Expect one by this Saturday to make up for the lack of updates. Enjoy!