CHAPTER 21: QUESTIONING THE MAN
"You mean we can't have any technology?" Myles was flabbergasted. He clutched the laptop he created for himself and his encrypted phone to his chest like a mother clutching her child.
"The wizards have their devices, and the Muggles have theirs," his father tried explaining patiently. "Mixing the two worlds is strictly regulated by the Ministry of Magic. We'd be breaking the law if we let you take that with you."
"Don't tell me Artemis agreed to that, too!"
"He did."
"But…" Myles pleaded. "It isn't fair! What's wrong with science? What's wrong with progress?"
"The wizards have their own progress," Artemis Senior reached out his hand. "Hand it over, or you're not going."
After a bit of deliberation, Myles grumbled and relinquished his beloved technology. If his brothers could both survive without modern science, then so could he.
"Maybe you'll be an expert alchemist someday," his father tried cheering him up. "Or you could invent a new magical apparatus. There's a lot you can do if you just meet a civilization where it is with understanding and ambition."
"Hoo," Mr. Hooty hooted as if in agreement. Myles kept the large owl outside his cage, using critters Beckett caught to try and socialize him so he wouldn't eat other pets at Hogwarts.
"Maybe you and Mr. Hooty are right," Myles managed a smile and reached over to his right, enjoying the soft feel of the owl's feathers. Mr. Hooty closed his golden eyes contentedly as Myles scratched the base of his skull. "At least I have you and my wand, Mr. Hooty."
"Oh, and no magic outside of school, alright?"
"What?!" Once again, Myles was shocked by the new rules. "How am I supposed to practice any of the material during breaks?"
"Reading?" his dad ventured.
"I have a photographic memory, Dad," Myles' shoulders slumped. "I only need to read something once to remember it."
"Meditation, then?" now the parent was getting frustrated. "Please, Myles, just…follow the rules, okay? I know it can be hard, but we're not criminals anymore. The Ministry doesn't let anything slide."
Unless they don't find out, Myles felt like saying. He knew better than to talk back, though. The last thing he wanted was to miss out on attending Hogwarts. "Yes, Dad," he recited obediently.
"That's my boy," Artemis Senior smiled and ruffled his son's hair. Myles scowled and fixed his tussled black locks. Myles realized how much they looked alike. Suddenly, he felt he'd miss his affectionate father.
"Will you write to us often?" Myles asked. "I'm sure Mr. Hooty wouldn't mind it if you do."
"Of course we will. Now, go make sure your and your brother's luggage is in order. We leave for London in an hour."
"Aye aye!" Myles hurried out of the office and to his bedroom. He scanned his retina and entered. Unlike Artemis, who had a mere eternity-coded digital lock to his room, Myles insisted on a cutting-edge Fowl brand eye scanner for his and Beckett's room. A code could be cracked, and a finger could be cut off, but it would be much more difficult to extract or replicate an eyeball.
"Hey, Myles!" Beckett was holding his ant farm contemplatively. "How do you think I should pack this?"
"You're taking that with you?" Myles looked at his brother like he just grew two heads.
"Uh, yeah," Beckett responded like it was common sense. "What else are Sera and I supposed to snack on?" his hair and skin always looked great because of his high protein intake. At least, that was his excuse for still eating bugs on a regular basis.
"Well, I'm not in the mood to figure that out for ya, Beck." Myles huffed over to his bed, where his neatly packed luggage was laid open, and plopped himself onto the edge of the royal blue sheets. "You didn't even warn me about those stupid rules! No technology? What kind of rule is that?"
"You really hate it that much?" Beckett's sky-blue eyes widened, and he set down the ant farm. "I thought it'd be kind of fun not to have that stuff."
Myles's jaw dropped. "What planet do you even live on, Beck?"
"Earth," he deadpanned. "You know, where we have dirt, animals, trees…We don't need tech to live, genius."
"You don't need it, but I do," Myles crossed his arms petulantly. "The wizarding world had better be worth it. Oh, but what about not using our magic outside of Hogwarts?"
"Right?" Now that was a rule Beckett didn't like. "Maybe we should just buy the rules. Can we do that, Myles?"
"No," Myles threw his arms back and sprawled out across his bed. "I don't think the Ministry of Magic is a corporation."
"Maybe Artemis can take over them or something," Beckett wasn't giving up. He reached into his pocket. "What do you think, Seraphina?" The toad croaked. "Myles?"
"No…" an idea dawned on the child genius. "I think we should take over it."
"What?"
"Croak?" Seraphina shot her tongue out at the ant farm from her owner's hands, trying to get at the tasty morsels scurrying about inside it.
"With my brain and your charisma," Myles explained further, "we could be the best politicians in the whole wizarding world! Whattaya say?"
"I don't know…it sounds boring," Beckett frowned. "Wouldn't we have to take care of the whole wizard world if we do that?"
"So? We care enough about people to do that, right? We just have to do our best in school now, build lots of connections, and go into politics when we grow up."
"But I wouldn't know the first thing to do! I'm not smart like you and Artemis, you know."
"You're smarter than Beau, aren't you?" Myles pointed out. "Besides, I'll be right there with ya."
"Well…I'll think about it." Beckett conceded. "So, ant farm?"
"Fine," Myles laughed. "Do you remember the box our last birthday present came in?"
"No."
"I kept it under my wardrobe this whole time because it's the perfect size to hold your farm."
THE TITLE: Not only does Myles talk back to his old man, he criticizes THE MAN like he's in the nineteen-sixties. XD
NO TECH RULE: Of course, any Potterhead might have questioned why the way of the wizarding world is so arcane—no cars, no pens, nada—so I decided to explain it in this chapter. Two distinct worlds means two distinct types and levels of progress.
UNDERSTANDING AND AMBITION: This choice of words from Mr. Fowl was no accident.
MILD SPAT: No siblings can escape conflict, but there would be no point in plopping an actual fight in here for that reason. Instead, I went with one of those little moments of frustration which easily pass as soon as something else shows up. In this case, Beckett knew the rules before Myles but did not warn him about them ahead of time.
PHOTOGRAPHIC MEMORY: I haven't written Myles forgetting anything yet, have I? Well, I sure hope not. This little detail just made sense to me. It also gave Myles an easy, funny (in my opinion) comeback to "you can read/study during breaks" which his brothers would not have. I think it is also a decent one-up to Artemis's speed-reading in an earlier chapter.
TAKE OVER THE WORLD: These are still eleven year-old boys, and one of them just happens to think big. With his frustration at the strict bureaucracy of the wizarding world, combined with his desire to surpass Artemis someday, it made sense to me a child genius would choose the most ambitious means of eliminating his issues with the wizard government. Beckett, on the other hand, doesn't have the same level of frustration or the same goal as he does, so if he's to get on-board with this career idea, he will need his own reasons for doing so.
Will this actually stick? It's difficult to say with children. What did you want to be when you were a child? How many times did you change your dreams until finding your present dreams? Did you or do you think of any steps to take for your ambitions?
PREVIOUSLY ON THE FOWL BROTHERS: I realized I forgot to put in some notes for Chapter 20. My bad! Here they are, then:
VIRGIL BUTLER: He was the first Butler ever assigned to a Fowl as a servant. The two families have been linked as servants and masters ever since then. What could have triggered such a deep connection between two families? Why did the first Butler butler become a butler? A rumour was mentioned in an earlier chapter about an unbreakable vow, but even if that was the case, why was it made? Could Lord Hugo de Fole (the Fowl ancestor he served) have discovered something about Virgil? Could Lord Hugo have done something to earn Virgil's loyalty, blackmailed him, or formed an alliance with his family? All we know for certain in this fanmade story is that Virgil's mother was a giantess. Perhaps Hugo saw an advantage in Virgil as a servant because of that. He could also have utilized it against him somehow, or even done something to earn the Butler ancestors' eternal gratitude.
In any case, I wanted to have a magical explanation for why the butlers are so exceptionally tall and strong, as that was such a notable trait in the books. At the same time, however, I did not want to place the giant's blood so recently in their bloodline as to no longer make sense. Not to mention, it's not like the current Butlers are inhumanly tall, per se…but this could also serve to explain why some humans have gigantism (a long-forgotten dose of giant's blood in their veins manifesting itself).
N01: He was canonically a busy bee by the end of the series, so I figured if Artemis was to bump into any fairy before heading to Hogwarts, it would be him. Plus, I just don't feel like we got to see enough of him. Granted, he was basically OP after training up…but he remains one of my favourite characters! His involvement with science by the end of the series makes me think he and Artemis would have fun exploring new horizons. I liked seeing a glimpse of him in The Last Guardian because we got to see how he changed after a couple of years honing his powers, gaining confidence, and helping others while retaining a warm, caring nature towards his friends.
Since he was able to tell so plainly when someone lies, I also figured it would give Artemis a moment of frustration knowing this was a fairy he could not easily get anything past. Thankfully, this friend is an understanding sort!
I OWN NEITHER THE HARRY POTTER NOR THE ARTEMIS FOWL FRANCHISE.