CHAPTER 23: FRIENDS

After scouring the entire length of the Hogwarts Express, the Fowl twins still hadn't found the mysterious toad they heard. A crowd of students had already boarded, which made the search more difficult. Myles stopped next to an empty compartment near the back of the train.

"I give up," he breathed and dragged his stuff into the compartment. "We're sitting in here, Beck."

"But what about the toad? Someone must be worried about it," his brother fretted. He brushed a blonde curl back from his forehead.

"We haven't heard it again in a while," Myles pointed out. "Maybe the owner found it already." He leaned back in his seat. The booth was large enough for four people to sit comfortably in. "You keep looking if you want, but I'm done."

"Fine. Can you keep my stuff with you?"

"Sure thing." With that, the twins split up for the time being. Myles looked at his pet owl. "I'm glad you're not easy to lose." The majestic bird was somehow fast asleep. The young wizard could barely wait to send his first letters with him! He pulled out a handkerchief and wiped his forehead. He could have asked Beckett to carry the heavy items, but then he would've had to put up with being teased as a price. Come to think of it, Myles realized something, I can also send letters to wizards over the summer. Up until then, he had only been thinking about corresponding with family over the school year, but if he and Beckett made any friends here…

It took Artemis II until his teens to make any real friends, but it was obvious their mother wanted them to be more socialized than that.

We already have Beau, but…Myles thought back to that boy they met, Harry Potter. Maybe we'll get to meet more people like that here. He had to admit, the thought was intriguing. Their childhood playmate lived all the way in France, and everyone else they knew was much older than them. It was exciting to know they would interact with more than just the people they grew up with! Myles began to think his Mum was right about wanting them to attend school.

"Hoo," quoth the owl.

"What is it, Mr. Hooty?" Myles came back to the present moment and heard a couple of voices. One of them sounded familiar…

"Coming, Mum," two unknown male voices said in unison. Myles peeked out the door of the official Fowl compartment.

"Harry!" he exclaimed. Surely enough, the dark-haired boy they met at Diagon Alley turned around and saw him. "Do you want to sit with me and Beckett? We have room here."

"Oh, thanks," Harry accepted gratefully. He and Myles dragged his trunk and owl into the booth, setting it in the corner across from the Fowls' belongings.

"Nice owl," Myles complimented his pet. It was a snowy owl, native to North America and the Palearctic. "Bubo scandiacus, right?"

"Um, yeah," Harry said in the same tone Juliet sometimes used when she didn't actually understand what somebody said. Harry Potter sat down and looked out the window. Myles followed his gaze and noticed he was watching a family of redheads. Listening carefully, he could hear the two voices from earlier—identical twins, by the looks of them—telling their mother about Harry.

So, he really is well-known among wizards, the boy genius remarked. Every famous person he knew gained their fame through their actions. Artemis was infamous in the Underground and a prominent voice among humans. Holly Short also became a well-known figure through her involvement with him. N01 became a prominent force in the progress of fairy science, Minerva Paradiso made a mark on the human world to rival Artemis Fowl's, Juliet Butler became a pro-wrestler, and even Artemis Senior and Angeline became respected philanthropists. Myles had no idea what it must be like to be famous just for surviving, all without knowing about it for so long.

"Anyone sitting there?" A new person—a tall, gangly boy with red hair and freckles—pointed to one of the two open seats. "Everywhere else is full."

"We have room for one more," Myles said cheerfully. "Pick your seat."

"Thanks," the new boy sat next to Harry, looking anywhere except at him. "My name's—"

"Hey, Ron," the pair of twins from that red-haired family peeked in.

"Listen, we're going down the middle of the train—Lee Jordan's got a giant tarantula down there." One of them told Ron. Myles assumed they were brothers.

"Harry," the other twin addressed The-Boy-Who-Lived, "did we introduce ourselves? Fred and George Weasley. And this is Ron, our brother. See you later, then." Once Harry and Ron said goodbye, the twins slid the door closed and left.

"Are you really Harry Potter?" Ron blurted out.

Harry nodded.

"Oh—well, I thought it might be one of Fred and George's jokes," said Ron.

"My name's Myles, by the way," Myles introduced himself. "My twin brother, Beckett, went off to look for a toad. Have you seen one?"

Harry and Ron both shook their heads.

"Well, he probably got distracted, anyway," Myles thought of that tarantula Fred and George mentioned. Beck would love to see that, he thought wistfully. "I'd better go look for him. See you later, guys."

"Bye," they said.

Where could he be right now?

Is it excusable to skip doing stuff in favor of updating a fanfiction? You know what…it isn't, is it? Oh, well! *types intensively*

The dialogue between Fred, George, Ron, and Harry was pulled directly from the book, except from Myles's perspective.

DESIRE FOR FRIENDSHIP AND SYMPATHY: These elements are part of what really separates Mylees from Artemis as a character. At his age, Artemis II couldn't have cared less about social interaction or having someone to relate to—he was too focused on taking up his father's mantle and restoring the family fortune by any means necessary.

FAME: Myles and Beckett grew up surrounded by famous people, each one renowned for their own reasons; however, this is the first time Myles is meeting someone who never really earned his fame, except by something tragic he had no control over. Remember, he and Beckett heard his story from Dedalus Diggle, so Myles knows Harry's prominence came at the hefty price of his parents dying when he was just an infant. With the excitement of Diagon Alley and discovery somewhat fading as he just sits in a train alone with this guy, the grave realization is beginning to dawn on him that this new acquaintance really went through a lot. This is bound to get anyone pensive.