CHAPTER 8: PREPARING FOR SCHOOL
"There must be something I can buy here," Angeline picked up the twins' list of needed supplies for Hogwarts. "Let me see…"
"I don't think Farming Knights has books like History of Magic or Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them," Artemis Senior chuckled lightly.
"Still, I always dreamed of picking their school supplies…ah hah!" she pointed triumphantly at the list. "I can get their telescopes, brass scales, and quills…and they're allowed pets!" Her eyes sparkled.
"Right, then," her husband nodded, "you do that, darling, and I'll take the boys all to Diagon Alley for the rest."
"I wish they gave us more time," Angeline sighed.
"September is still some time away, but it is strange they didn't send these at the beginning of summer," Artemis Senior conceded. "Then again, I received my letter late, too."
"It must be because the school is in the UK," Angeline deduced.
While their parents were examining their supply lists, the boys were in the lab with the snake. The twins and even their father have taken to speaking with him regularly while his health improved each day. Beckett sat on Myles's swivel chair while Myles tinkered with the hover shoes on his feet. Artemis was on his side of the lab, packing some projects and locking up others in top-security safes he designed.
"I wanna test these out and perfect them before Beck and I have to leave for Hogwarts," Myles presumably addressed the snake.
"You say this will enable humans to fly without airplanes?" the snake asked.
"Yes," Myles was still focused on the shoes, "even if they're Muggles. They worked fine for simple things like getting you in here from outside, but I want them to be fast and super maneuverable, too. Okay, Beck," he got up and gave his brother a thumbs-up, "just hover a little bit to see if they can still lift you."
The snake watched in interest as Beckett lifted off the ground. Beckett's balance was legendary among the Fowls—it was like all the balance Artemis and Myles lacked was given to Beckett. That being said, he was almost immediately propelled to the window behind him by his right foot.
"Hm, I need to recalibrate and realign the boosters…" Myles noted as Beckett plummeted to the floor suddenly. The snake moved his head forward slightly in apparent concern. "Don't worry," he glanced at the snake, "he's been through worse."
"Be sure not to bring anything disruptive to Hogwarts," Artemis cautioned, "or it may be confiscated."
"What if we don't get caught?" Beckett asked, still on the floor.
Artemis hid his smile. Those are my brothers. "I simply ask you to not jeopardize my job. The headmaster took a bit of a risk in hiring me, and I must fulfill my promises as a professor." Becoming a member of the Hogwarts staff was as simple as writing well-worded letters to the headmaster and the current History of Magic professor. The latter had apparently died long ago, and his ghost had trouble connecting with modern students. All Artemis did was send enough gold to retire very comfortably, along with the promise of an adept successor. With that, the ghost teacher retired in peace.
The headmaster, Professor Dumbledore, was surprisingly enthusiastic about hiring Artemis Fowl II. Apparently, being a bright young man who missed his chance for a wizarding education must have tugged at the man's heart strings. Of course, the detailed thesis on magical history Artemis sent as an attachment must have made all the difference.
"Which subject are ya teaching, Artemis?" Myles inquired.
"History of Magic," Artemis puffed out his chest a little.
"Can Myles and I sit together?" Beckett pleaded.
"We shall see." Artemis did one final check to ensure everything was as he wanted to leave it, then activated his desk's security system. Less than a year after his last magical adventure, the teenage genius decided to start a legitimate business for security and espionage devices. Governments around the world were soon clamoring for Fowl Security systems, and he even sold home security systems and security cameras in the private sector. Houses, businesses, and public institutions supplied a virtually endless demand for his revolutionary technology. Naturally, he still kept the best and most powerful secrets for himself. Since he was preparing to leave for Hogwarts, though, the young CEO has already settled his affairs and handed the reins to his father, Artemis Fowl Senior.
A teacher's life may not be exciting, he contemplated, but it is a change of scenery. Running a business became boring after a while—the rush of making money was now stale in comparison to exploring a new field. Halfway tuned into reality, Artemis heard the twins talking to the snake. Their hisses and breathy words were unusual, and it seemed they did not realize how they sounded. A familiar electricity tickled his blood. He sensed a new adventure on the horizon.
I HAVE RETURNED! MY HIATUS IS OFFICIALLY OVER! MONTHLY UPDATES FROM NOW ON (THOUGH NOT ALWAYS ON THE SAME STORY)!
I ALSO INTEND TO REVIVE MY YOUTUBE CHANNEL IN A WHILE, SO KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR POETRY AND ORIGINAL STORIES IN THE FUTURE!
PROGRESSION OF THIS CHAPTER: I decided to put in some family fluff, but then I wound up explaining a bit of how Artemis wound up teaching at Hogwarts and what he'd been up to since his life-threatening escapades ended. How much contact would he still have with the fairies? Some, I would imagine, but Opal Koboi was still defeated in this timeline, and he had learned not to jeopardize their civilization's security, so there may not have been much action to involve him in epic missions. Will we see his three-foot-tall friends in this story? Maybe.
LENGTH OF THIS CHAPTER: I wanted to make up for lost time :,(. Thank you all for your patience—I truly don't deserve it.
ANGELINE SHOPPING: I also wanted to put a bit of Angeline's "cute, lovable mom" side at the beginning. She seems like the kind of mom who would be excited to go school supply shopping for her precious boys' first year of "normal" school (pft, as if Hogwarts could ever be normal…graduation rate = survival rate). Unfortunately, Muggles are not very popular in the wizarding world, so she is staying behind while the boys go off to find their more unusual supplies with their father.
DIAGON ALLEY: This also foreshadows a trip to Diagon Alley. Artemis Senior hadn't been to the wizarding world in a while, but going there might give us an idea of his reputation there, eh? ;) Artemis will have to go and get some supplies, too. A teacher must be prepared for his own class, after all!
FARMING KNIGHTS: Have you heard of Barnes & Noble bookstores? I took what the name reminds me of (barns and nobles) and adapted it into Farming Knights.
I do not own Harry Potter (the Cursed Child wouldn't exist if I did), nor do I own Artemis Fowl or Barnes & Noble.