Hello to all of the Artemis Fowl and Harry Potter fans who have been patient. I have contemplated the direction of the story and hope you will enjoy this new path. In order to make the revised Magical Worlds work though, I've need to redo the first chapter (it was a tester chapter anyways). Never fear though, I shall be more constant with the updates now that I now know what I want to do with the story; and if I ever wander from my path, I give my permission to all of you to nag me. Seriously, spam me with e-mails if I fall behind. Finally, please enjoy the new Magical Worlds prologue until next we meet.
-Prologue-
Muggles and Mudmen
Things were starting to settle down in Haven City. No more Goblin rebellions, no more ransomed officers, and best of all, no more Artemis Fowl. Since his mind wipe, a huge worry had been lifted from the shoulders of the council and slowly, but surely, order was returning to the LEPrecon.
It was after hours in the Police Plaza, but a few stragglers remained. Major Trouble Kelp and his younger brother were still there, as well as Foaly and Commander Root. Seeing that Foaly and the commander practically lived there anyway, it wasn't really out of the ordinary.
"I'm tired! And hungry! Can't we just go home??" Grub whined while hunched over a plasma keyboard.
"Shut it." Trouble said lightly hitting the back of his brother's head.
"Ow! I'm telling mommy you were hitting me! You'll get in so-o-o much trouble, Trouble!" Grub dramatically massaged the back of his head. His brother just rolled his eyes.
"I barely tapped you, you whiner. And if you rat to mommy, I'll tell her that you've been slacking off on your duties. Now hurry up on that report; that was due two weeks ago! And then we can go home."
Grub sighed heavily and continued his typing. He was halfway through his last sentence, when there was a loud crack in the room. Trouble and Grub looked around to see an old man with a long silvery beard and equally long hair, standing before them wearing a long cloak with audacious purple patterns. His mischievous blue eyes were covered by half moon spectacles perched on his crocked nose. Trouble would have immediately sent the old man on his way if it weren't for one small detail: he was a human.
Trouble and Grub just stared at the new anomaly in the room, and the anomaly stared back. He had an odd, almost calm look about his features as if popping into underground fairy cities at night was a normal pastime.
As if on cue, Grub let out an ear-splitting scream that filled the entire room. He held it for almost a full sixty seconds before running out of breath. When he finally calmed down, he fainted in his seat from exhaustion and fright. His brother's and the stranger's eyes watched as he slunk comically onto the floor.
The old human stuck a finger in his ear and wiggled it around. "If you are quite finished, I would like to have a word with Foaly and your commander." He said with utter calmness in a clear British accent.
The shock slowly wore off as the human before them spoke. Irritated and confused by this intruder's appearance, Trouble pulled out his Neutrino 3000 and aimed it at the old man.
"Alright mudman, put your hands where I can see th-." But Trouble's sentence was cut short by a flash of red light that leaped out and knocked his weapon from his hand, leaving it smouldering on the ground. Trouble looked up and saw that the old man was pointing a long, thin, wooden stick at Trouble. Annoyance faintly crossed the old man's features, but then relaxed and let his arm drop to his side.
Grub came to just in time to see the stranger's display of power. He stared at the stick and then started laughing like a loon. "It all makes sense now! I know what this is!"
Trouble looked at his brother hopefully. "You do? What?"
Grub's laughter died down to a low chuckle. "This is a dream! A mudman appearing out of know where and with a deadly stick! This-thwap-OW!" Trouble smacked his brother on the back of his head much more firmly than before.
"If this was a dream, would you have been able to feel that?!" Grub whimpered like a puppy. He was about to threaten Trouble with his ever reliable Mother, but stopped when he heard the clip clop of hooves.
"What are you two doing in here? Throwing a party or-." Foaly stopped his sarcastic remark and took a sharp intake of breath at the sight of the old mudman. Trouble and Grub smirked to themselves. The mudman was finished now. All the technology in the building was at Foaly's command. One push of a button and BOOM! Bye-bye mudman. "Albus Dumbledore! What are you doing here?"
The two brothers' jaws dropped in unison. Foaly trotted towards Albus, arms outstretched.
"It's good to see you after all these years professor."
"Likewise Foaly, I came to-."
"Wait just a troll pickin' minute!" Trouble stalked over to the old man and centaur, trying to look as fearsome as possible. This was difficult since he was one third of the other party's height. "What is this?! The Foaly I know is paranoid to death about mudpeople! So excuse me if I find it a little hard to believe that he'd start talking casually to a mudman who-."
Foaly half whined, half sighed. "He's not one of the mudmen, he's a wizard."
Grub started laughing hysterically again. "Only a dream would be thisridiculous! I told you Trouble!"
"What's going on here?" Heads turned to see Holly standing in the doorway with her arms crossed. She was probably the only fairy that wouldn't go bonkers witnessing the sight before her. She'd had enough experience with mudmen to last her a lifetime, and this old man wasn't nearly as intimidating as some of the ones she'd met.
Foaly stammered slightly, his hooves echoing on the hard floor. "H-hey, Holly. Um, professor, maybe we should go somewhere more private so we can speak without anymore interrupt-."
"Hang on Pony Boy." Foaly whinnied in protest, but Holly carried on. "We're coming too, and we aren't leaving until we find out what's going on here."
"I'd be delighted if you'd accompany us to Commander Root's office." The wizard said. As he smiled cheerfully, everyone else paled. How would the commander react to this? Probably the same way he reacts to everything, yelling 'till his face adorns its famous red hue.
"All right then, just follow me." Foaly said as equally happily. Any opportunity to row the commander was not to be squandered.
The odd group made their way to Root's office, and without even knocking Foaly opened the door, leading them into the room. As they arranged themselves in various chairs around the commander's desk, they were silent; bracing themselves for the inevitable barrage of screams and yells. Root stared, his eyes bulging out of his head which was slowly turning purple. Finally he slammed his hands on his desk, lurching from his chair.
"What in the name of Frond is going on here!?" The cigar he was puffing away at before the intrusion fell from his mouth as the words streamed from them.
Unperturbed by Root's outburst, Dumbledore raised one hand peacefully. "Please, allow me to explain. My name is Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, headmaster at Hogwarts School of Witch Craft and Wizardry, Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorcerer, Chief Warlock, and Supreme Mugwump, International Confederation of Wizards. I came because of my connection with Foaly."
Hands still placed on his desk, Commander Root leaned forward menacingly, his eyes moving in the direction of Foaly. "Is that so?"
Foaly brushed Root's cut-eye away with his hairy hand. "When I was little the professor here took me from the Forbidden Forest to Haven. He thought that my immense intelligence could be put to better use. Centaurs are more connected to wizards than-"
"Ok, slow down." Root said rubbing his temples. "You said this guy is a wizard. Explain that first before you start talking about your life in forests no one can go into."
Dumbledore cleared his throat. "I believe I am quite capable of covering that section of the story. As you are all probably aware, the fairy folk left the surface during the Frond Dynasty to escape the muggles."
"Muggles?"
"What we magical people call 'muggles' are the equivalent of what the fairy folk call 'mudmen'. Now, as I was saying, during Frond's rule, 10 000 years ago, there were three races. The humans, the fairies, and the wizards; humans that have magic capabilities like fairies. During the war that took place, wizards were aligned with the People, but as the humans became more powerful, the wizards of that time switched sides. While most of the People retreated underground, a select few decided to go with the wizards. Among them were dragons, trolls, centaurs, goblins, pixies, and various others which have evolved differently compared to the People living here. You do not know this, because Frond and other ancient fairies erased any record of magical people ever existing feeling contempt towards them."
Dumbledore paused from his story telling to look at the stunned faces of the elves. "I think some drinks are in order."
"All right, just one-." Dumbledore silenced Foaly with a gesture of his hand.
"I shall take care of it." Dumbledore reached into his cloak pocket, pulled out his wand, and waved it in the air. Instantly, six mugs appeared in the air full of amber liquid that floated down towards each person. "Butterbeer from the Three Broomsticks; drink up." Dumbledore and Foaly did not hesitate taking their drinks from the air, but the elves in the room were extremely wary.
"It's safe, right?" Holly said, raising an eyebrow at the mug.
"Of course it is! You'll love it Holly." Foaly said winking at her. They each took swigs from their cups, though Root was still hesitant; and felt the warm liquid pour down their throats.
"So," Trouble said between sips. "How does Foaly know about all this?"
"Originally, the centaurs split into two; one group leaving with Frond, the other staying topside. They didn't rely on the wizards as much though, depending on their own abilities to keep safe from the mudmen. They started living in dark dense forests to escape, and conveniently enough, a dark dense forest borders Hogwarts. I was born there, but didn't like the whole rugged thing, so the Prof helped me to come down here."
"Yeah," said Holly, looking at Foaly's belly. "I can't really see you being very good at living the rugged life." Foaly blushed slightly at the notion and pattered his hooves in defence.
"Since I am short on time, I will get straight to the point. I came to inquire about a youth that you have come into contact with in the past two years." He paused as he let the sentence sink in.
"Artemis Fowl?!" Holly said spitting out some of her drink and rising to her feet. "What could you possibly want with him?!"
Dumbledore waited for Holly to calm down before continuing. "I wish to know how well he has progressed since he kidnapped you before I make my decision. Foaly?"
There was a long pause as Holly, Root, and Foaly looked at each other. Finally Root opened his mouth to speak, his face cooling slightly.
"A month ago he was mind wiped. Though he came a long way from ransoming people, he was still too much of a threat to us, so he was wiped. With the loss of all he's learned in the past few years, we can't be sure whether he's grown a conscience or not." Dumbledore nodded thoughtfully at the commander's response.
Foaly looked puzzled, which was not usual for the centaur. He hated to admit that Albus Dumbledore was one man he could not figure out. "Why do you want to know all this? What could you possibly want with Artemis?"
Dumbledore smiled. "Why, simply to deliver a letter to him." He pulled out a letter made from parchment and handed it to Foaly to examine. Foaly stared at it dumbstruck.
"Th… this is!"
"What is it?!" Holly said snatching the letter from Foaly's hands. Foaly just stared at the empty space where the letter was.
Holly ripped open the letter to reveal its contents with Trouble, Grub, and Commander Root looking over her shoulders. She read the parchment out loud. " 'Dear Mr Fowl. We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted into Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry…' "
"Uh, didn't you say that you're headmaster at that school?" Trouble asked Dumbledore, his brother standing behind him curiously.
Dumbledore nodded.
"Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't it a school for magical people like you?"
Dumbledore nodded again.
"But," Holly said, a little unsure. "He's not from a magical family, is he?"
Foaly seemed to snap out of a trance to answer Holly's question. "Yes, but every so often, someone born from a muggle family might develop magical capabilities. I don't understand though, professor. Shouldn't he have been accepted over two years ago?"
Dumbledore gave Foaly a severe look. "To be honest, I was afraid. The Artemis from two years ago reminded me of a former student of mine, who possessed traits that I saw in the old, young Artemis."
"Who?" Holly asked incredulously.
Dumbledore's grave look deepened, his eyes sinking behind shadows. "Tom Marvolo Riddle. After graduation though, he changed his name. He became Lord Voldemort."
Foaly blanched and shrunk back, but everyone else just stared at Dumbledore.
"Who?" Holly asked again.
"Professor, don't you think you're being a bit critical?" Foaly stammered. "I mean, Artemis was bad, but he wasn't bad like him."
"Who?" Holly asked once more with emphasis.
Dumbledore opened his mouth to speak, but then closed it, glancing down at his watch. "I'm afraid Foaly will have to explain that to you. I am needed elsewhere at the moment." He stood to bow to his hosts. "Good-bye Foaly, Commander Julius Root, Captain Holly Short, Major Trouble Kelp, and Corporal Grub Kelp. I hope to see you soon, and in good spirits."
Dumbledore straightened his cloak and was about to leave when Holly shouted. "Wait, how did you know our names, and even our ranks? And, how did you know about Artemis's plots?"
Dumbledore laughed heartily. "Why my dear elf; something as big as the underground element fairies' existence nearly being revealed to the muggles and Goblin rebellions is hardly something that goes unnoticed by wizards. Your names and such events involving Artemis are widely known among us. Artemis is quite infamous in our world. Good day to you all." And with that, there was another loud crack, and Dumbledore was gone.