CHAPTER 31: MID-DAY CRISIS
"Artemis?" Myles entered the History of Magic classroom, where Artemis was preparing for the seventh- and second-years' Friday afternoon sessions. "I wish to speak with you as soon as possible."
"Is there a problem, Little Man?" his brother looked up from his notes.
Cat mewed a greeting and stopped begging for Artemis's attention to rub against Myles's legs. Myles hiked up his robe, not keen on getting fur all over it. The indignant feline swiped at his shin and stalked to a corner, where she curled up and decided to take a nap while the tasteless humans talked.
"It's about Professor Snape. There's something I want to figure out about him," Myles said honestly.
"You and I both," Artemis muttered. "I will send an owl when I am prepared to receive you. Perhaps you can help me with something in return."
"What would that be?"
"That is for us to discuss privately. For now, why don't you go socialize?"
"Sure. Just so you know, I've already made a few friends," Myles felt like boasting a little. "I guess that means I'm more popular than you were at my age."
"Congratulations," his brother was too busy frowning at essays to pay any mind to the young wizard.
"W-well…um, bye…" Myles creased his brow.
"Have a pleasant afternoon, Little Man." Artemis said absently, still focusing on his work. Usually, Artemis was more easily disposed. No matter what it was, he usually set down his work to listen when his little brother approached.
When Myles shut the classroom door behind him, he leaned against it with his arms folded and a pout on his face. He loved doing better than Artemis—surpassing him was one of his life's goals—and he was already more successful in having a social life. It wasn't enough, though. He used to prank Artemis, explore new horizons with Artemis, compete with Artemis, lord his successes over Artemis, share his struggles with Artemis…Now, he barely got to interact with him at all! Beckett never had that problem—he just did his own thing when the genius brothers were busy with each other. "I envy you, Beck," Myles vented to thin air.
"For what?" Beckett materialized in front of him, causing him to jump in surprise. "Is it because of what I found?"
"What you found? No, but now I'm interested…"
"Well, I'm not showing you," Beckett stuck his tongue out, just like he used to whenever he got the upper hand on his twin.
Normally, Myles would have been annoyed…but this time, he just laughed. "I wanna find out why Snape hates Harry so much, so I'm talking with Artemis later. In the meantime, we can—"
"Boring," Beckett rolled his eyes and leaned in closer to Myles. "You're just dying for some action, aren't you? Well…I happen to have the perfect mission for us. Come on!" He grabbed Myles by the wrist and dragged him away.
"Where are we going, Beck?" Myles did his best to keep up, but he kept stumbling.
Beckett didn't answer, but instead led him into the boys' restroom. After making sure no one else was in it, he pulled a folded piece of parchment from the inside pocket of his robe. He also produced Seraphina from a pocket Myles was fairly sure did not exist in other robes and ordered her to keep watch in case any newcomers approached. Beckett also turned on all the sinks for extra measure.
"What sort of mission is this?" Myles had to admit, he was very interested. It was rare for Beckett to come up with schemes, so this had to be one doozy of a goal.
"The Weasley twins told me they were planning on getting into the Forbidden Forest," he explained. "The problem is, they keep getting caught by either Filch or Hagrid. So…" he gave a sparkling white smile, "what do you say we take advantage of their failure and explore the woods ourselves?" Beckett then unfolded his parchment to reveal notes about the Weasleys' plans. "Can you believe they told me everything? They're taking care of Filch with a simple illusion, and they plan to get Hagrid's hound to chase Mrs. Norris, but do you see how they plan to get past Hagrid?"
"Hagrid lives near the Dark Forest," Myles realized, "so they intend to sneak past his hut while he's supposedly occupied with Fang."
"Exactly," Beckett nodded, "but there's a problem with that."
"Two, actually: Why would Hagrid care enough about Mrs. Norris to leave his hut, and why wouldn't he suspect them if they've tried to sneak over there before?"
"You realize what this means, right?"
"They're practically guaranteed to fail…"
"Which gives us the perfect chance to sneak into that forest while they have everyone's attention. We can be there and back by morning!"
"When are they planning this?" Myles was sold.
"Next Friday night," Beckett handed the paper to Myles, who burned it with a flame at the tip of his wand. "Word in the halls is, flying lessons begin next week."
"If we can sneak a pair of brooms and get off the ground, we can soar right over their heads!" Myles grinned and ran a hand through his hair. "We just have to notice where they're kept and snatch them on the night of the Weasleys' escapade."
"I knew you'd figure something like that out!" Beckett beamed at him. "Let's do it."
"Count me in, Beck." Myles waved his wand, and the sinks all shut off. Beckett called Seraphina back to him, and the twins left the restroom as if nothing suspicious had taken place.
That afternoon, the boys borrowed some books from the library and went outdoors to a bright green field, the Whomping Willow looming grey in the distance.
"See that?" Beckett pointed to the Willow, "I want to make friends with it. Oh, hi, Mrs. Norris," he cooed to Argus Filch's old cat. "Would you like some food?" he took a bit of salmon from his lunch and offered it to her. Her whiskers twitched suspiciously, but eventually she gave in to the temptation and slinked over to accept it. "Good girl! People don't appreciate you enough, do they?" the boy scratched her head, causing the cat to twitch before relenting to his affection. "You're a very good kitty!"
Mrs. Norris purred under Beckett's unexpected kindness before seeming to remember she had to continue making her rounds, and the wiry old feline left seeming happier for a change. Myles smiled fondly at the scene, and his thoughts turned back to his other brother. He wondered what Artemis wanted from him. Compared to the grand adventure Beck had planned, learning about Snape's vendetta against Harry seemed like pointless gossip. Of course, he still wanted to see what the young professor could dish up about his new coworker.
Surely enough, the end of the older students' classes brought with it a note from Artemis. Myles gathered his materials and bade his twin goodbye for the day. What began as a stressful day turned into a day of promises for adventure.
Artemis finished organizing his desk and awaited his younger brother's arrival. He wondered what Myles could possibly want with Snape. I had my questions about him, too, he recalled. Severus Snape was simply a suspicious-looking fellow, it seemed; however, the fact remained he and Artemis appeared to share an interest in another professor. Quirrell, Artemis mused, what are you hiding under that turban? Although Artemis still could not stop his thoughts entirely, he did his best to direct them when around Severus.
He learned what he could by visiting Rubeus Hagrid. The gamekeeper was definitely a good-natured fellow, but he was prone to slips of the tongue when his guard was down. Of course, the most Professor Fowl could gather was the fact Severus has been a trusted staff member for many years, although he had a clear bias in favor of Slytherin House. By associating with other fellow staff, he heard a bit of gossip about his youth, but decades-stale rumors were useless at the moment. As for Quirrell, the story of his turban changed every time he was asked about it, and there was a vague stench constantly wafting from it. Severus refused to betray any details beyond a general distaste for the stammering rookie. From other "unrelated" subjects, though, the senior professor appeared to respect Dumbledore, and he often met with the headmaster privately. Artemis kept wanting Cat to keep an eye on others for him, the way Mrs. Norris did for her master…but this human-world pet was simply a clingy companion. She never even let him put notices on her with his special quill!
Myles entered, thus interrupting his wandering thoughts.
COLFER HAS A FOWL TWINS SERIES? I just discovered this when reading a story by Blotcher (thanks for the favorites, Blotcher) and…I got inexplicably salty but also excited. I mean, the series even begins with the twins being eleven years old?! Not to mention, it was sheer luck I used "Brothers" to include Arty instead of going with "Twins" in the title of this story XD XD XD Anyway, my version of them turned out just a bit different from what is now canon, based on the reviews of The Fowl Twins and its summary. Plus, they're in Hogwarts now, unlike in canon. Nonetheless, this ought to provide some 'canon' fodder (heh, puns) if I should ever need it, especially for the kind of hijinks they'd normally get up to! If I can get my grubby fanfictioner hands on this original work from Colfer, you can bet I'll do so for this fanfiction!
HIATUS: I suddenly got hit with a bout of severe writers' block. It's like all forms of thought spontaneously combusted. I desperately wanted to include the ensuing conversation about Snape between Myles and Artemis, so I figured I would hold off and give you one big chapter. Unfortunately…I kinda, sorta…didn't .
Usually, the treatment for my writers' block is to avoid technology as much as possible and hold off on reading. It's like letting my brain reset. Unfortunately, I cannot seem to rely on that, as my GPA would suffer if I hold out any longer (and I am NOT about to drop out in my senior year). I'm starting to believe I need to stop burning myself out so often….Any suggestions for how I can do that? Perhaps I ought to make an announcement next time, so you're not left wondering about a sudden disappearance?
I still actually have that braindead state of mind going on, but I think I am seeing a light at the end of the tunnel here. I even wrote a random little blurb to try and cure myself, as that sometimes helps! Then I got writers' block for the blurb, too . In any case, I finally noticed someone was wondering about an update on this update, so I figured it was high time I published what I had for this chapter so I could tell you what's going on. I am sorry for the lack of length and substance, and I hope my excuses are not too tiresome yet.
THE BLURB PIECE: I have no intention of making it a full-length piece, and I doubt it even qualifies as a complete story, but I will give it an open ending and publish it as a one-shot so you can see what my mind is like when switched off and briefly lit by a random occurrence. It's a JoJo's Bizarre Adventures self-insert, or at least a premise for one. You see, I recently started watching it with a friend.
TITLE: Mid-life crisis, except in the middle of the day. This is because Myles is realizing there may be a real shift in how he and Artemis will be interacting now that Artemis has a new role to play. Now that he and Beckett are well-adjusted to their new lives in different Houses, it is time to adjust to having an older brother suddenly paying attention to other kids their age.
WEASLEY TWINS' SCHEME: The Weasley twins have tried and failed to sneak into the Forbidden Forest, so I came up with a scheme for them to try which the Fowl twins could take advantage of.
BECKETT'S OPPORTUNISTIC PLAN: Someone mentioned Myles displaying Hufflepuff traits in standing by his friends, and that same person thought it would be interesting to see Beckett show Slytherin elements. That was spot-on! Lo and behold, this is the first moment we really see a clear vision of Beckett's cunning side. The Weasleys were quick to let Harry in on their mischief, so I figured someone like Beckett could easily find out more details. Instead of helping them out, though, Beckett's first reaction when he saw a hole in their plan was to think of how he and Myles could take advantage of their impending failure.
I also knew ever since before starting this fanfiction Beckett, though not a genius like his brothers, would still be much smarter than he may have realized due to having grown up involved with them.
SCHEDULES: Did I mention how I pieced together a schedule, especially for History of Magic classes? I still have the website which helped me with that bookmarked. In any case, I also paid attention to when flying lessons took place in the book for Slytherins and Gryffindors, and with that I pieced together when Myles and Beckett would have their flying lessons. I decided, then, the escapade could take place shortly after that.
SIBLING DYNAMICS: Myles and Artemis shared more interests, and Myles is an ambitious young man. I wanted to glimpse what their usual relationship was like, and how it might change a bit during this story. I also wanted to get a peek at something about Beckett through it. Growing up, I had a unique relationship and dynamic with each of my brothers; furthermore, my personality and interests differed from theirs to a similar extent as Beckett's differed from his brothers'. In a way, this helps me relate to Beckett in that, like me, he would have had to find his own fun and even spend some time alone while his brothers pursued their more intellectual interests.
My childhood experiences play a huge role in how I portray sibling relationships…but the Fowls, especially, require me to tap into my past and even my present. Beckett is very close to his brothers, but also very different from them. He also has a different relationship with each of them, despite loving them both. This latter point also applies to Myles. Meanwhile, I identify with Myles' admiration of Artemis, as my eldest brother was the first person I ever truly considered a role model and looked up to. He taught me about 80% of what I knew by the time I reached my adolescence. As a result, it is easier for me to sympathize with Myles when his older brother stops paying as much attention to him as before.
As for Artemis, I know what it is like becoming a teacher for the first time: one's students become a top priority. Right now, Artemis is in a part of his life as a young adult when his responsibilities shift. Before, he was an inventor and a business man, building wealth and advancing the world through technology. Now, though, he is a teacher. Instead of machinery, employees, and clients, he is dealing with children he has a responsibility to educate and even nurture because education and nurturing go hand-in-hand to someone who educated their own siblings. I also know from my experience that helping to take care of siblings breeds a powerful parental instinct, which is something Artemis did ever since Myles and Beckett were toddlers. A resemblance to the siblings one takes care of also strikes a certain chord in one's heart. It's like being in that sort of dynamic creates a soft, passionate part in a person. Artemis is now dealing with children the same age as his beloved siblings, and that drives him to deem them important on a personal level. Personally, I think this adds an interesting new dimension to the Artemis we knew, both in the canonical series during his youth and in the context of this story. He had the roots of a caring side in the series which sprouted by the end of it, but it is different to see him with an actually soft element to his being. Is this a strength? A weakness? Both?
Now, it is worth noting that he took on the role of an older sibling at a much later point in his life than I did, as I actually grew up helping to teach and look after two of my brothers ever since I can remember (for reasons I will not get into right here and now). As a result, my parental nature extends to everyone; meanwhile, his mainly just extends to those who remind him strongly of Myles and Beckett. The Artemis we knew before was not exactly a fan of children in general, after all. As a result, this softer side to him is still not pervasive to his entire personality. That is what I deem most logical, anyway.
I DO NOT OWN ARTEMIS FOWL OR HARRY POTTER. THANK GOODNESS I AM NOT ROWLING RIGHT NOW, BECAUSE SOME OF HER FORMER FANBASE IS BRUTAL FROM WHAT I HEAR! I WONDER IF COLFER KNEW SOMEONE WOULD PUT THE TWINS IN HOGWARTS…I MEAN, THE ELEVEN YEARS OLD ELEMENT CAN HARDLY BE A COINCIDENCE! SHOULD I INCLUDE THE FOWL TWINS IN THE DISCLAIMER NOW? I DON'T OWN THAT, EITHER. WHATEVER!
