CHAPTER 16: CROSSING PATHS
After buying the books, Artemis Junior decided to take his brothers to buy parchment and writing utensils. Some of the inks were quite fascinating to the twins, but he just shook his head after looking around for a while.
"No binders, no pencils…" he sighed. "Why is everything so arcane?"
"This quill writes on its own!" Beckett gawked at it, ignoring his brother's negativity.
"This parchment makes writing disappear and reappear on demand!" Myles was equally fascinated.
"Forget the bookstore," Beckett remarked. "We should buy the whole marketplace!"
That's actually not a bad idea, Artemis thought. Imagine the revenue.
The boys both got normal-looking ink and paper, but Beckett's ink smelled like smoke, and Myles got the parchment he pointed out. Artemis, wanting to have a bit of fun, selected ink designed to appear almost exactly like blood. He imagined grading with it and watching his students' faces when they receive feedback. Myles and Beckett agreed to play along, excited to scare their future classmates. He also got a quill which could write on anything, including air.
When the three brothers exited the store, they found their father holding two ice cream cones and a lollipop.
D'Arvit, Artemis the Second cursed internally in Gnommish. He guessed who the lollipop was for.
"I know you're not crazy about ice cream, Artemis," his father smiled after handing the twins the cones, "so I got you this instead."
"Thank you, Father," Artemis forced himself to accept it.
"Holly told me you like lollipops, so I figured you might enjoy it."
Artemis reminded himself to get revenge on Captain Short as soon as possible. She was responsible for checking in on the Fowls regularly, or so he assumed. Her visits were on too regular a basis, she always claimed to not have anything else to do, and he sometimes caught her trying to enter the lab.
It still baffled him how the L.E.P. never wiped his entire family's memory clean. Was his mother just that convincing? Looking back at how she got him to wear jeans and call her "Mum", Artemis II stopped being so surprised. She really did always get her way…That, and he heard Dr. Argon declared only the Fowls could manage a Fowl, so the L.E.P. now considered them an asset.
"Oy, Artemis!" A massive, shaggy-haired man walked over to them with a boy around the twins' age following him. They were both eating ice cream cones similar to theirs, too. "Figured I'd introduce yeh. Harry, this here is Artemis Fowl. He an' yer father were 'friendly rivals' back in Hogwarts, as he put it."
"It is my pleasure to meet you, Harry Potter," Artemis Fowl Senior smiled warmly and shook Harry's hand.
"You knew my father?" Harry inquired. Artemis the Second realized with a pang this boy's father might be dead. He knew what that felt like. Artemis Senior nodded.
"I got him in trouble, he played tricks on me in return, and the cycle continued," he laughed. "Needless to say, I considered him one of my best friends." Artemis Senior motioned to his three sons. "These are my sons: Artemis the Second, Myles, and Beckett." Each of them nodded as their names were called. "Gentlemen, meet Rubeus Hagrid and Harry Potter."
"Are you going to Hogwarts, too?" Harry asked Myles and Beckett.
"Yeah," Beckett answered excitedly.
"And Artemis is teaching History of Magic," Myles added.
"So you will see more of us in the future," Professor Fowl finished.
"So, yer the new History of Magic professor?" Hagrid chimed in, "The one who got Binns to finally retire?"
"Indeed. I look forward to this year."
"So formal! Jus' like yer father, eh, Fowl?" Hagrid chuckled.
While the adults were talking, Myles and Beckett took Harry aside and started chatting as the three ate their ice cream.
"We heard about you from Mr. Diggle," Myles said, "and that you grew up in the Muggle world."
"We did, too," Beckett continued, chomping into the cold ice cream.
"So, how did you find out you were a wizard?" Myles picked up so Beckett could gulp it down.
"Our dad told us when we got our letters," Beckett offered their own explanation, though, not minding his full mouth. "Those things flew right in, so we thought they were bombs or something."
"Hagrid told me," Harry replied, obviously enjoying his ice cream as much as Beckett enjoyed his.
"Were you looking at other schools before Hogwarts?" Beckett licked his fingers, already done with his treat.
"Only one," The-Boy-Who-Lived admitted, "but I really didn't want to go there."
"Kind of like us," Beckett nodded, carrying the conversation while Myles tried to catch up without getting dirty, "but their cafeteria didn't have espresso, so we're trying our luck with Hogwarts."
"That's not the only reason!" Myles interjected.
"What was the other reason?" Harry inquired.
"Boredom," the twins said in unison.
"The wizard world is already super cool," Beckett bought Myles more time to eat. "Have you seen the book store yet?"
"No. What's it like?"
"Awesome," the twins gave the only necessary response.
"Boys," Artemis Fowl Senior called to his sons, "it's time we go on our way. Say goodbye to Harry."
"Bye, Harry," they obliged. "See you in Hogwarts."
"See you," Harry returned the farewell.
"Oh, and Mr. Potter," Artemis Fowl II chimed in, "prepare for class ahead of time, and contact me via owl if you have any questions."
"Yes, Professor."
"We best be gettin' on our way, too," Hagrid shook the adults' hands and waved to the students. "I'm the gamekeeper at Hogwarts, so yeh'll be seein' me there soon enough. 'Til then, lads."
"Goodbye, Mr. Hagrid." They bowed a goodbye, and the four Fowls set off to continue their shopping. Hagrid and Harry finished their cones and entered the parchment store.
Yay, they finally met Harry! Little do they realize how the people they met that day would stir up great turmoil, nor do they know they'll inevitably be caught in the tumult.
I do not own Harry Potter or Artemis Fowl.