Sorry this is a week late, guys. But it wasn't ready by last Saturday, so I couldn't publish it. Chapter 15's coming along nicely, though, and should easily be finished by next week. It appears that I write more often when I actually have school. o.0
Artemis felt a little better when he was alone with Holly, away from the demanding eyes of the adults in the classroom outside. Surrounded by shelves and shelves of potions, with only Holly there, the traces of the Complex which had begun to show themselves dissipated, and he could think properly again.
"Tell me what happened," Holly ordered in Gnommish, releasing his wrist and staring him down.
"We should speak in English," he told her. "They will be able to tell if we are speaking another language, even if they cannot understand us anyway."
"Okay," she grumbled, reverting back to English and lowering her voice. "Now. What. Happened."
"I lost my pills," he confessed after a moment of strained silence. "I texted Foaly so that you could bring a new bottle with you, but evidently my text was not recieved." Despite himself, he felt his mouth twitch in irritation.
Holly's steely eyes melted. She took her helmet out from under her arm and showed it to him. "I was battling a troll," she explained. "It damaged the communications in my helmet." True enough, the helmet looked battered, and when Artemis examined the interior, the communication device was crushed. "I'm sorry," she murmured, after he'd finished.
"It's not a problem," he lied. Unease twisted his stomach. "I will be alright for now."
"You're cracking," she accused, keeping her eyes on her helmet as she replaced it underneath her arm. "It won't be long until you start counting your words."
At the mention of it, the compusion began peeking out. Artemis had to squash it down with all the will he possessed, half shuddering. "Let's not discuss that," he disuaded. The words came out harsher than he intended. Holly blinked at the bite of them.
"Arty," she said quietly, "you won't be able to hold on for much longer. I would go and get the pills for you, but I won't be allowed to leave." She glanced up, as if hoping for a trapdoor leading outside to appear over their heads. Artemis followed her gaze and attempted to steady his breathing.
"I can't very well help you escape, can I?" he snapped, looking down again.
"Artemis," she replied in the same tone. "Calm down." She followed her own advice and breathed deeply. "We can't fight right now, okay? Let's focus on what we need to do."
With an intake of breath, he began, "I am completely without magic, and without pills. To solve the magic problem, we will have to persuade the professors to let us go to the Forbidden Forest. Less difficult is the issue with the pills." Eyes sparking with the idea, he reached into his pocket and retrieved his phone. Holly's eyes lit up when she caught sight of it. She seemed to have to stifle a grin. "I'll simply text Foaly and have him send another fairy with a fresh bottle."
"There," Holly said, and the smile came through, warm and entirely welcomed. "I was wondering when you'd come up with a plan."
Artemis smiled back, and began texting. "They'll notice a sudden silence," he told her. "With the way the door is positioned, they shouldn't be able to understand what we're saying, so as long as we keep talking, they should not suspect anything."
"There we go," Holly cheered. "Back to your old smug self for the moment."
Artemis couldn't be sure if it was an insult or not, but he kept smiling anyhow. The situation was beginning to seem less dismal now that they had a plan, at least for the pills. Convincing the professors to allow him to plant his acorn would be another story entirely, but for now they were at least getting something done. And despite the slight sorrow edging Holly's smile, and the fours Artemis knew he'd soon have to fight back, the room seemed lighter.
At least, until the door banged open.
Artemis and Holly jerked back in surprise, Holly going reflexively for her absent weapon. Artemis almost dropped his phone, but managed to hold onto it, bumping into the back shelf as he did so. He registered, too late, Snape standing there. The man's eyes focused on the phone, and he wrenched it from Artemis' grip. Holly's face turned nearly white. Artemis' gut churned.
"There are Death Eaters in the school," Professor McGonagall started, just coming into view. But she froze as she took in the scene; Snape looming over Artemis and Holly, the black phone clutched in his pale hand; the two friends backed against the far wall, white as death, bottles wobbling on the shelves behind them. "What is going on?" she demanded. Slughorn peered around her, watching everything unfold with round eyes.
Snape switched his glare from Artemis and Holly to the phone, which he cautiously turned over in his hands, as if he expected it to explode. He spotted the message, and his eyes narrowed almost to slits. "Trying to send for help," he spat. "Most interesting." Now he looked at them again, malice burning in his black eyes.
Holly took Artemis by his upper arm. "Artemis needs his pills," she tried to say, before Snape had taken out his wand and zapped the phone, rendering it useless. The fairy woman stared at the broken object with undisguised horror.
The growing hope Artemis had felt shattered, and very suddenly fours had flickered into existence around Snape, hissing furiously. Without meaning too, Artemis' hand flew up and gripped Holly's lower arm. Her attention went to him, and her eyes flooded with worry.
The fours floated closer, and Artemis flinched, knocking the shelves behind him once more. The already unsteady bottles tumbled down, crashing against the floor. The glass crunched, and liquid spread over the floor. Different colored potions mixed together. Artemis could only hope that they weren't explosive when combined.
The adults outside drew their wands.
"Come here," McGonagall ordered, although she looked pained. "Slowly."
Holly glanced anxiously at Artemis, but released him and put her hands in the air, carrying her helmet in one. She slowly stepped out of the closet after Artemis had let go of her arm as well. Artemis moved to follow her, wincing as he stepped in the puddle of potions. And then, to his horror, a scent wafted up to him.
The smell of oak trees all around on the full moon, bringing memories of Holly beside him and magic consuming the both of them. A smooth acorn cupped in his hands as he lowered it into the ground, and the feel of the cool earth under his palms, and dew seeping through his suit and dampening his knees, and Holly laughing as she kept him from losing his balance and diving into the lake.
Weak blue sparks crackled briefly over his hands, and all eyes turned to them. Even Snape looked shocked. The fours hovering around him flickered as if they were as surprised as everyone else.
And now an emptiness more complete than before sucked at Artemis' chest. He thought his heart stopped as his knees buckled and his vision blackened.
The next thing he was aware of was hot breath in his ear, and Holly's voice saying, "Arty, hold on." He could still smell oak, and the potions were bleeding into his suit like the dew on the moonlit grass. Holly managed to lift him out of the puddle and carry him to a dry spot on the floor, where he sat dumbly and tried to ignore the snapping fours while she looked him over.
"Alright Mud Boy?" she asked after she'd determined that he was otherwise unharmed. The fours disappeared, and then reappeared behind her.
Artemis nodded stiffly. "Surviving," he rasped.
"Do you think you could-" she started, before yet another door swung open, crashing into the wall with a deafening crack. Everyone whirled around to face the source of the noise, and Artemis even managed to haul himself to his feet to see...
Three men in cloaks, with skull masks on their faces. Artemis knew they were Death Eaters, instantly, although he'd never seen one before. The three servants of Voldemort had their wands extended toward the occupants of the potions classroom. The fours around Holly had relocated to surround the enemy like a shield.
"Surrender to the Dark Lord," one of the Death Eaters growled, "or we'll kill you all."
"You'd murder students?" McGonagall got out. Artemis saw her fingers tighten on her wand. Her knuckles whitened with the strength of her grip.
The Death Eaters didn't respond. Instead, one of them looked to Snape, and then away again. Planning something, Artemis thought. The fours flickered ominously.
No way to call for help, no one that could help them at this point, people might already have been killed...Artemis' mind whirled through the possibilities as best as it could with the fours present. At least Orion hadn't showed yet.
The Death Eater that had first spoken moved his wand from Snape to Artemis. "Unless you surrender," he said, "this one is dead."
"No," Holly tried. Artemis heard the mesmer layering her voice. Everyone looked to her in confusion. "You won't harm anyone here."
One of them started to lower their wand, but then seemed to realize what was happening, and lifted it again, aiming it at Holly.
"Put it down," she coaxed. "You don't need it. There's no need." In a juttering, uncertain fashion, the masked person began to put down their weapon. Despite himself, Artemis relaxed as well, just slightly.
The middle one jerked out of the trance and shouted, "You idiots! She's doing something to us." Aiming his wand again, he shouted, "Avada-"
Artemis felt himself move. Everything slowed down. Suddenly, everything came into sharp focus. He could clearly see the material making up the Death Eaters' cloaks; the carefully carved wood of their wands; the shapes of their eyes behind their masks; the tiniest wrinkles around McGonagall's eyes; the gray hairs in Slughorn's mustache; the slight color in Snape's black eyes. And each hair on Holly's head, and every one of her eyelashes as her eyes widened, and the little cracks in her lips as her mouth opened in shock.
He collided with her, pushing them both to the ground with a thud, and time resumed its normal flow. There were shouts around him, but he could only focus on the sound of Holly's breath as it was forced out of her as he fell on top her. Dazed, he rolled away, shaking. Even as she gasped for air, the elf turned to him in shock.
She couldn't speak with her lack of air, but she gripped his hand tightly and stared at him in disbelief.
Several slow seconds passed before black-clad arms suddenly took Artemis by the shoulder and hauled him into a sitting position. Holly refused to release his hand, and so struggled up with him. Snape, the owner of the arms, glared at Artemis with undisguised fury.
"What's going on here?" someone asked. "Besides the Death Eaters, I mean." Artemis recognized Ginny's voice. The girl sounded slightly shaky, but when he spared her a glance, her wand arm was steady. Ron and Neville stood behind her, examining the scene with interest. She looked at him curiosly, and he noticed the way her gaze lingered on he and Holly's linked hands. Artemis looked away again.
Slughorn tried to explain, but not much came out besides frustrated, confused phrases. "Mr. Fowl here...he was on school grounds tonight, you see, alone..."
Snape ignored the conversation. His eyes hovered constantly on Artemis, who wanted to meet them defiantly, with dignity, but couldn't manage it. The boy's gaze remained on the professor's shoulder. Fours began flickering nearby again.
Snape didn't move, though, or order Artemis to look him in the eyes and explain himself. He was quiet, his grip firm on Artemis' shoulder, verging on painful. The sheer lack of reaction unnerved Artemis enough to help him muster up the strength to look up.
He didn't know what he expected - questions, of course. Answers demanded, Holly being torn away from him. Maybe even being locked up until he talked. The thing he wasn't planning for, though, was for Snape's black eyes to bore into Artemis', and the professor's mouth to bite out, "Legilimens!"
Abruptly, memories were flickering through Artemis' head, as if he was changing channels on a television at a rapid speed - Butler speaking to him at King's Cross Station before he came back to school; the twins tackling him to the floor and pushing the breath out of him; Juliet punching him in the shoulder in a way meant to be playful, but instead hurt; his parents sitting together on the sofa, opening their Christmas presents; balancing on a wire trying to retrieve Jay-Jay, trapped in the past; Holly punching him; sitting in Dr. Argon's clinic waiting for his medication to be delivered; getting the call from Foaly in the middle of the night at the beginning of this whole mess. The memories came in short clips, some playing a few seconds longer than others as Snape paused on them. Artemis tried to close the professor off, focusing on the outside world, feeling the man's hands on his shoulders and trying to push them away. Distantly, Holly was saying, "Let him go! Frond's sake-" and then her voice was muffled. Scuffles came to Artemis as if from down a long tunnel.
Suddenly, a particular memory came into focus - one from the last full moon. Snape let it play out. Artemis was helpless to stop it.
"Anything new, Mud Boy?" Holly from the memory was asking, kicking at the grass as they wandered toward the Forbidden Forest.
"Nothing interesting, if that's what you mean," Artemis replied. "No new developments, or particularly arresting gossip. And keep your voice down," he added.
"Made any friends yet?" Holly sighed, lowering her volume. Clearly, she didn't expect him to reply positively.
"One of the plants in Professor McGonagall's classroom and I are getting along nicely," Artemis said in an attempt at a joke.
Holly stopped walking, turning to him, her nose wrinkling in confusion and amazement. "Was that a joke?"
Artemis could feel heat rising in his face. Quickly, he tried to quash it, but he couldn't fight it down. He avoided Holly's eyes and watched the ground. He kept walking.
"Artemis Fowl told a joke," Holly cried, now broken out of her whisper.
"Holly," Artemis snapped, whirling around to face her and trying to hide his blush. He was careful to keep his voice hushed. "First of all, it is not like it hasn't happened before. Second, I thought we agreed to be quiet."
The elf let out one loud laugh, and then quickly stifled her amusment. She changed to just giving him a wide, almost evil grin.
He tried in vain to ignore her, turning around again and resuming his walk to the Forest. His footsteps were almost stomps at this point.
"Stop pouting, Arty," Holly said, suddenly beside him, her hand on his shoulder. He almost flinched away. "Look, I'm sorry." But she kept grinning.
Artemis recognized he was being childish, but it was late, his magic was depleted, and the itching was relentless. "We should be shielded," he grumbled. Holly, hovering in front of him now, became nothing but a haze. Artemis followed her lead.
"Better?" she asked. The shimmery shape that was her floated ahead, nearer the trees. Artemis trailed her at a walk without replying.
Abruptly, too soon, just in time, the memory shattered, and Artemis found himself being yanked away from a dazed-looking Snape, onto his feet. He recognized the feel of Holly's small hands at his elbows.
"Stop," the elf commanded. Now every person in the classroom had wands pointed at them except Snape, who was still on the ground. Now Ginny, Ron, and Neville were closer, evidently the ones that had been holding Holly back. They looked almost embarrassed, despite the uncertainty and fear in their expressions as well. Holly didn't remove her hands from Artemis' arms. Artemis wondered why at first, but then realized that he was practically falling over, and she was keeping him upright. "This isn't right."
Snape too got to his feet, expression melting into something akin to hatred. "I would not have had to resort to that if you had simply told us what we wanted to know."
Holly's grip tightened on Artemis. "Do it again," she snarled. "I dare you." Despite her size, she was strong. Her clutch was painful.
"Holly," he rasped. Slowly, she loosened her hands.
"A bit protective, are we?" Snape jeered. "Don't worry, I didn't hurt him."
"And he won't," McGonagall jumped in, sharply, eyeing her coworker angrily. Then her eyes returned to Holly and Artemis, and softened. Artemis figured they probably looked a mess. "But you are keeping secrets from us, and it's worrying, Mr. Fowl. We are only trying to protect ourselves."
Artemis thought he saw the blue fours sparking behind her eyes, and shuddered, leaning into Holly.
"Artemis?" she prompted, quietly. Her voice was slightly strained. With the realization that he was hurting her, the boy genius tried to straighten up.
"Sorry," he muttered. "I'm fine." He was, he assured himself. At least for now. The Complex hadn't progressed too terribly much at this point. Although Orion was starting to stir; or at least there was a concerning rumbling at the back of Artemis' head. He forced his attention away from that, for the moment, though, and focused on McGonagall, and the definite lack of fours nearby her. He was sure they weren't in her eyes, at least not now, because they had instead chosen to float around an oblivious, nervous-looking Slughorn. "I understand your concern," he enunciated. He tried to pull out of Holly's grip, but found himself lacking the strength. "I hope you understand ours." He wanted to look back at his elf friend, but the way she was holding him, it was impossible. He steeled himself for her anger, and said, "However, despite my deepest desires, I think it would be wise, considering our situation..."
"Artemis," Holly hissed, panicking now, nails digging into his arms.
"...to give you a bit of information."
The elf tensed like she would push him to the ground, but thankfully, she didn't, and settled for a growl of, "You can't do this, Artemis, you can't."
"I need magic, Holly," he snapped back in a whisper, twisting away from her enough to face her. Desperation gave him a momentary rush of strength. "They will find out anyway, eventually. We cannot prevent that."
"Maybe not," she snarled at the same volume, "but you're making sure it happens sooner. Maybe we could have fixed things in the end, Artemis. You can't make this decision, you don't represent the People here."
"I do, actually, after a fashion. I may not technically or completely be one of you, Holly, but for now I am essentially the only representative of the People in this situation."
Her eyes flared. "I'm here, you idiot."
"You are not thinking logically."
Now she did push him away, with hands shaking with fury. He stumbled back, leaning on a desk, and she clenched her hands into fists until the knuckles turned white. Her whole body seemed to be trembling with the strength of her anger and fear. "And you are? You. Are. Certifiably. Insane."
The words hit him like a physical blow, the fours hissing relentlessly as he sucked in a dazed breath. Immediately after she'd spoken, Holly turned bone white, and gaped in surprise at herself.
"Oh, Frond," she stammered. "I - I didn't mean..."
Artemis steadied himself, focusing his devestation and hurt inward. His heart juttered spastically in his chest. Each beat pained him. "Exactly as I said," he said quietly, as evenly as he could. "You aren't thinking logically, Captain."
Guit filled the elf's eyes. "Artemis," she tried to say, but he turned away, keeping a steadying palm on the desk beside him.
"If you don't mind," he said briskly to McGonagall, who stared openly at him, "I would like to get this over with as quickly as possible." He felt the eyes of his three fellow students on his back, and Holly's too, but he ignored them. "I will need to be taken to the Forbidden Forest. Just the edge, I assure you. We will not need to venture inside."
McGonagall swallowed, eyes flickering between he and Holly. "Very well," she agreed after clearing her throat. "Severus, Horace - will you accompany us?"
"I think I'll stay back here," Slughorn put in. McGonagall looked at him, unimpressed. Obviously searching for an excuse, his eyes finally settled on the colorful mix of spilled potions on the floor. "I have quite a mess to clean up, Minerva, as you see." He gestured to the puddle, offering an earnest smile.
"I suppose," she sighed. "Fine, then, stay behind. It won't do to let it all ruin the floor." She looked vaugely disgusted as she focused on Ron, Ginny, and Neville. "You three."
"We're supposed to be watching out for Death Eaters," Ginny interrupted. And then blushed. "Sorry to cut you off, professor, but, er, we are. If we don't, they might take over the school."
"It isn't your job," McGonagall tried to say, but Ron shook his head gravely. She closed her mouth resignedly. "I can't say I like it," she said.
"We have Felix Felicis," Ginny put in, "if we need it." Slughorn looked interested, but didn't break into the conversation.
McGonagall sighed. "All right. But I would like to arrange a meeting place, where we can find you when we're finished." She shot a look at Artemis.
"Er..." the Weasleys and Neville exchanged glances. "We'll be around the Room of Requirement," Ginny decided. "Does that work?"
"That would be fine," the transfiguration professor agreed. "Very well. Off with you. Be careful!" This last was said even as the three piled out the door, wands still out and ready. The professor then turned on Artemis. "Now, Mr. Fowl. Lead the way, will you?"
"Artemis," Holly murmured, but the boy genius ignored her as he swept out the door.
Not so sure if this one's any good. Re-reading I thought it sucked, but that's probably just me. We writers tend to flip-flop between thinking we're the greatest writers ever to thinking we're the worst. I'm sure a lot of you know what I mean, as plenty of you are probably writers yourselves.
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed. Please tell me what you thought, and give me some tips for improving or anything. I crave constructive criticism, although I'll gladly accept any review. :)
Hope you're all having good weekends, and good luck at school/work/life/whatever else awaits you. Thanks for reading.