Behold! The next chapter! I shall persevere, I shall!
The school year had passed by a ton quicker than Artemis had expected. Everyone was very depressed through the end of the year, classes passing quietly and people mostly keeping to themselves. Even the Slytherin class had something to be a little upset about, their head of house having killed the headmaster and left the school.
Defense Against the Dark Arts was canceled until the end of the year, and Artemis found he quite missed the grumpy teacher that skulked through the halls. There was always an interesting conversation to have with him, and now all the teachers seemed unable to joke. Artemis found it all very tiresome. He wished they all knew why Dumbledore had to die, and Artemis wanted to be able to defend Snape.
He had gone to Dumbledore's funeral, and was amazed by how loved this man had been. There were so many different types of people there, and the ceremony was absolutely beautiful. Artemis wished they knew that Dumbledore hadn't died by accident, that he had left the world just as in control as he was in it. Artemis kept glancing at Harry the whole time, watching the devastation on the poor boy's face. He had lost everything, and now every adult that had really cared for him was gone.
Today was the day that they would pack up their trunks and board the train, and Artemis was dreading it. He would be seeing his family and Butler again, but he loved being able to perform magic with many other students, and he wouldn't admit this to her, but he loved being able to see Holly every day without fail. Artemis was happy that they would be taking the train and not sneaking out like they had snuck in; he enjoyed fitting in perfectly with the amazing magical students.
"This has been quite an adventure. It will be odd to do magic just through my hands again," commented Holly as she looked out at the beautiful countryside through the train window.
"Well, don't forget all of the stuff that you have learned, because we will be coming back in the fall," responded Artemis.
Holly snapped her attention to him. "We're coming back? Your adventure isn't done?"
Artemis looked at her as if she was missing the obvious. "Of course we're coming back. We don't want to miss a huge wizard battle and miss out on saving lives, now do we?"
Holly thought about this. "I guess not… I just don't want to get killed, as all."
Artemis just shrugged his shoulders, leaning back in the seat. "There are always risks, but you are immune to human magic, so that will make it easier for you."
"But not for you," Holly said, looking intently at Artemis. "I can't save you forever, you know, Arty."
Artemis looked up at the sound of his pet name. He was about to respond dryly, but was interrupted by the door to the compartment opening.
"Can I have a word with you?"
"You may," Artemis responded, not a big fan of people who didn't use correct grammar.
Harry Potter closed the door behind him, taking a seat next to Artemis.
"I haven't had much time to ask you questions since, well, you know…" said Harry, and his eyes darkened momentarily.
"Yes, I understand," said Artemis, trying to step lightly in case he set off the bomb accidentally. Harry was known for holding his anger in until he exploded.
"First, I know you were close to Snape. I was wondering if you knew anything about this," Harry said, looking angrily at his shoes.
"I didn't know he was planning murder," Artemis said, and it wasn't exactly a lie. Snape hadn't been planning murder. Dumbledore had asked him to kill him.
"Oh," mumbled Harry.
"But I would keep in mind," Artemis began. "That things are not always as they seem at first glance."
Harry looked up at him, a frown on his face. "You are odd," was all that he said.
"Is that all you wanted to ask me?"
"Well, I was also going to ask you about your friend and her magic, and, well, what she is."
"I don't know if I can tell you that," grumbled Artemis, not really in the mood to play twenty questions.
"Well then, can she tell me?"
Holly jumped at being mentioned. She sighed and powered up her mesmer.
"You will not remember anything about me or Artemis here. You will leave this compartment and go back to your own," said Holly, her voice layered with the high-powered hypnosis.
Harry had tried to fight it, but was just so exhausted by recent events. He quickly fell under Holly's spell.
"I don't know who you are."
"Good job," praised Holly. "Now go."
Harry stood up and left the compartment without protest, and Holly relaxed.
"Well, that problem's dealt with," she said cheerfully, and even though Artemis knew that it was for the better that Harry didn't remember him, there was something about having at least one student at Hogwarts knowing that he was different that made him a little more comfortable. Now there was nobody left that was in on the scheme. Snape was off with the Death Eaters, Harry had been mesmered, and if Dumbledore knew anything he was now dead. And the conversation that he had with Harry had been pointless.
Well, they did have a whole summer to get back to their normal lives before Hogwarts started back up again, and Artemis knew that Snape would be back as headmaster, which in itself was pretty cool.
After a few more hours of riding on the train, it began to slow as it pulled into Kings Cross station. Artemis felt odd wearing his normal clothing again. They felt right on him, but he missed the sensation of flowing robes. Artemis had called Butler and told him to pick him up at the train station. They would be driving to the nearest airport where Butler had landed the jet, and they would take that back to Ireland.
Artemis exited the train, hauling his trunk behind him. He spotted Butler off in the distance, a man who was really easy to pick out of a crowd unless he was trying to hide. Artemis made his way over to the giant Eurasian man with a smile on his face, Holly trailing behind him.
"Hello, Butler, it has been a while, hasn't it?" greeted Artemis, and Butler pulled him in for a hug that would have never happened a few years ago. He then turned to Holly.
"Hopefully you didn't have to heal that many people," Butler told Holly. "You know, the people that Artemis likes to almost kill with his crazy plans."
Holly laughed at the expense of Artemis. "No, his plans went pretty smoothly. He did almost get eaten by a werewolf when I wasn't looking, but his favorite teacher, who also happens to be a murderer, saved him."
Butler just nodded, not feeling like getting the long-winded explanation that Artemis would surely give. He would be able to rest easier now, knowing that Artemis was safe in his grasp. It also didn't hurt that he could keep an eye on Holly either, and he really was used to looking out for her as well as his young charge.
A few hours later they were in the Lear Jet flying back to Ireland, and Artemis began to feel the pulls of home. As much as he enjoyed adventures that took him far away from home, he loved his home enough to enjoy the homecoming. And besides, he would be returning to Hogwarts in a few months.
"You know, Artemis, if you plan to go back to Hogwarts, it will take some persuasion to get them to allow me to follow you again," she told him, really dreading having to stay underground for the amount of time until she would go back to Hogwarts with Artemis. It had been fun pretending to be a human kid and having nice, clean, fresh air at her grasp all the time. She did miss the company of other fairies though. Mud Men could be so…well, Mud Man-like.
"I have a very persuasive speech all typed out if your persuasion doesn't work," Artemis assured her. "I really do need you if my plans are to work."
"What exactly are your plans?" Holly asked, a little nervous as to what they entailed.
"Nothing bad, I just want to save a life or two. It won't change the story line at all."
"Hmm…" Holly mumbled, not fully believing Artemis.
"I guess I will see you in a few months?" Artemis said, his tone suggesting more of a question than a statement.
"Yes, a few months. I will be sure to make it back up," Holly said, pulling Artemis into a hug. He had gotten tall enough that he had to lean down to give her a proper embrace.
Holly powered up her wings, ready to head back to Tara and catch a shuttle back down to Haven. She felt a sudden wave of sadness at the thought of not seeing Artemis for three months. She would miss him after seeing him every day for the past seven months.
"Don't get yourself hurt on a mission, okay?" Butler said as he leaned down for a hug from Holly. This was a feat in itself, given his size.
"I won't, But-But!" she assured him. Butler frowned at her choice of nickname.
She gave one last little wave to Artemis, whose expression was unreadable, and kicked off from the ground, her shielding making her invisible to the naked eye. The wind rushed in her face and she smiled involuntarily. This was the best sensation, ever. It felt good to be using her fairy magic to shield, as opposed to using it to control a wand. The magic had been aching at her since she had first started using the wand, and now it felt right again. She was a fairy, not a human, and times with Artemis she kind of forgot that.
She wondered if it would be weird to get back home with all of those fairies, if they would smell the Mud-Man on her, if they would question her motives when working with the wizards and Artemis. She prepared herself for this.
The last thing that went through her mind was how she would miss being an equal to Artemis. That was how it had seemed being students at Hogwarts together. They were on the same level and shared the same studies and everything.
It's only three months, Holly.
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