Disclaimer: The usual. I give all to JKR and Eoin Colfer except for my plot which is mine, mine!

Notes: Mop Head: I could only imagine Remus having the same eye color as a wolf's…

Invader: Thanks! I just finished reading the two Artemis books just last Friday and I couldn't help but obsess about them. This is my outlet of sorts ^__^

A Shard's Worth of a Mirror Image

Chapter Three: Velvet Covering

"What do you mean about a Sorting Ceremony?" Artemis asked. He had to keep his mind, and thus his options, always open. Despite the ongoing pandemonium of the present situation, with several Death Eaters effectively 'cleansed' off the face of Hogwarts, and not to mention the few witnesses' gaping mouths that his spectacle had elicited, he took pains to ask one little question, what is a Sorting Ceremony?

He had barely finished speaking when Severus pulled Artemis away from the scene and led him to a more secluded area, which he found in one of the deserted classrooms. Closing the door after him, Snape muttered the Silencing Charm.

"What the hell did you do, Fowl?" Snape spat at Artemis, who was suitably shocked (but his startled state was concealed, of course) since he had shown extreme self-control the moment he woke up at Hogwarts. And then again, this was the same man who was one of the Death-Eaters.

"I Blue Rinsed them." Artemis answered wryly. "A simple but high level weapon I stole from Faerie Technology."

"Right," Snape drawled, "that just about explains everything, does it, Artemis Fowl? Did you just realize what you have done?"

Artemis took a few seconds before answering. The man had a point, but he was not helping, not with his extremely offensive stance he bore over Artemis, his tall frame leaning towards him like a snake going in for the kill. Artemis' reason for doing so was that he saw that Harry's group was outnumbered three to eleven, and he would not want to see a replay of sorts of what happened that night. The reason was emotional, even by Artemis' own cold standards, but the recent events were enough to thaw him a little. Even the coldest, most determined man.

"I just saved Harry and two other students. Or is there anything else I should know about?" said Artemis testily. A small warning shot through his brain, telling him that somehow there was something that was missing, something that would complete the whole picture. But that piece would only let itself show in the later part of this particular event in Artemis' life, in which he would ultimately save his life and that of Captain Holly Short's.

Snape let himself calm a little. Of course, the boy doesn't know about Voldemort. Taking a deep breath, he sat on one of the dusty chairs and motioned Artemis to sit on one of the chairs across him. "Do you know about the Death Eaters?"

"No, not beyond what I saw that night," said Artemis.

"Let me just tell you that this particular group is hell bent on exterminating half-blood wizards. Wizards with non-magical mixed in theirs," said Snape in a level voice as if he was lecturing in his class. "The leader, named Voldemort, is supposedly descended from one of the greatest wizards, Salazar Slytherin."

Artemis nodded, digesting every bit of information the man had to offer.

"I do not know if you could grasp this, but recently Voldemort had acquired one of our professors to join his ranks." Snape took time to snort at the next bit of information. "Fortunately, he got one of our most ineffective teachers, and that is our Divination professor, Trelawney."

Artemis raised a hand to cut in, ever the well-mannered boy that he was. "Excuse me, but if the Divination that you're speaking of means the power of prediction, why do you refer to that professor as ineffective?" Artemis raised an eyebrow. "Isn't that supposed to make one powerful?"

"For the sole reason that almost all of her predictions did not come true." Snape dead-panned. "I would have given Voldemort her anytime, and make him believe in her predictions. If this trend goes on, then we would be eventually seeing the Dark Lord's demise."

"I have to confess that I failed to notice the immediate conflict here, Professor Snape." Artemis said somberly. He hated it when he was clueless. But who could blame him? The Wizarding World was so backward when it came to technology; there were no files about them. Of course, the reason for that was mainly because the wizards would want to have nothing to do with the non-magical folk.

"Trelawney apparently told Voldemort that the true Heir of Slytherin, who is supposedly much more powerful than he is, would reveal himself now, or anytime soon," Snape answered. "And he was told that the Heir was to be found inside Hogwarts. Those whom you Blue-Rinsed were just decoys. They were meant to ferret out the supposedly true Heir of Slytherin."

"And I just…wiped them out," said Artemis weakly. "Now they would think of me as the powerful Heir…"

"Not to mention that most of us don't know about the Blue-Rinse," Snape went on gravely. "That flash of light that vaporized them could be easily mistaken as a new, powerful form of magic."

"Are there many witnesses?" asked Artemis tentatively. He knew he would not like the answer to that particular question.

"Half the school knows by now, Fowl."

"So now I have to push on with the disguise as your son as soon as possible." Artemis said, his mind groping for more possible paths. But none turned up, especially since he could not leave the premises, not with extremely magical wizards hunting him down for his non-existent magic.

Apparently, Snape wasn't told of this particular bit of plan. "WHAT?" he bellowed. "Who told you this?"

"The Headmaster. And another professor."

"Look, I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I do not fit into the father-figure mold," said Snape. "Not to mention that if the student body found out, it would just serve as a…distraction. Also, it would compromise my position in the Death Eaters…" Snape trailed off.

"I think your position was already compromised enough," Artemis countered, but not in defense of Dumbledore and Lupin's plan. He was merely stating the facts. "I'm sorry, but if Voldemort would not be convinced of my supposed relation with you soon enough, then his searching would inevitably lead to my parents and it would endanger them both."

"Hogwarts was already endangered when you stumbled into the Forbidden Forest," muttered Snape. "I could not spy anymore under these conditions. Do you realize how much you've cost this school?"

The remark stung, but not in a way that offended Artemis. Artemis believed that it was not his fault that he encountered the Death Eaters, and that fact somehow washed his hands of the situation. More important things lay ahead, of course, and that was saving Juliet and recovering Butler. All things would come in its time, Artemis told himself. This is all part of the plan…

But when revelations keep popping out of nowhere, would Artemis still be able to lead the flow of events to his advantage?

He doubted himself the second time. In his life.

He fervently prayed that Captain Holly Short would detect the activation of the Blue Rinse and trace it immediately. God knew he needed a lot of help.

Artemis realized after his private conference with Severus Snape that his question about the Sorting Ceremony was not answered. But at this very moment, when he was sitting on a stool in the Great Hall in front of the whole student body, he knew that he was to find out about it himself.

"Artemis Snape," called out Minerva McGonagall for formalities' sake and put and extremely tattered wizard's pointed hat over his head. The pitch-black velvet fabric of the hat engulfed Artemis' vision.

'Well, hello there,' said the voice in the hat.

So, is this the Sorting Ceremony? Artemis asked the voice.

'You're a no-brainer. You have slivers of Gryffindor courage but you clearly belong in…'

The hat bellowed out for the whole Great Hall to hear its verdict. "SLYTHERIN!"

The students of the red and orange scarves were muttering "I'm not surprised," and "God, another greaseball," and more of the sorts, but Harry, the first student whom he met and also one of those who knew his true identity gave him a thumbs-up. Apparently he agreed with the Sorting Hat's choice.

The occupants of the table situated by the far right hooted and stamped their feet. Artemis walked over to them, claiming a seat between on named Draco Malfoy and one of the students whom he spared a possible torture session, Blaise Zabini. After a while, he decided that he did not like Malfoy at all, since he spouted too many empty, heated words and kept on hinting that if Artemis would beat Voldemort, he should be his lieutenant.

Artemis' mind just drifted, almost effectively cutting the irritating Malfoy boy and the rest from his world. He was thinking of how to convince the other students that he was magical when he wasn't. How could he even attend classes? Not attending classes would be a good alternative, but that would entail even more complications.

He was to find out that Headmaster Dumbledore had straightened it out already for him. As soon as the commotion in the Great Hall had subsided, he tapped the side of his glass with his fork. "I am glad that Artemis Snape had decided to join Hogwarts for this year," began Dumbledore. "but since he had cast one of the most prohibited spells that even the Ministry of Magic had decreed if forbidden to utter its name, in spite of the service he had done for the school by successfully eliminating part of the Death Eaters," at this moment Dumbledore raised a wand, supposedly owned by Artemis, for the whole campus body to see, "his wand would be temporarily confiscated, but he would still be able to attend classes."

A loud murmuring was heard all across the Great Hall, and Artemis thought it unbecoming for the Headmaster to announce it to all of the students, and in dinner time at that. But that takes care of everything, thought Artemis smugly.

Double Potions class. The only class Artemis could actively participate in, besides Care of Magical Creatures. He was intently listening to Professor Snape's lecture when a polite tap on his shoulder called his attention.

"Yes?" Artemis murmured almost lazily, his eyes looking sideways at Montague, his partner.

"Is Snape a…er, good father?" Montague whispered.

Artemis cocked an eyebrow at the question. "Well, he is adequate, to say the least." He then chose that moment to grind beetle wings to make him look as if he was instructing Montague on the proper way of doing so. "Why do you ask?" Artemis could feel somehow that Snape had his eyes on him, but decided that causing a small tension between them would make their recent discovery of their 'relation' much more believable. No student would discover that he is, in fact, Snape's son and quickly adjust. Not with the occasional temper quirks that the man possessed.

"LONGBOTTOM!" Snape bellowed, his patience blown out. Point taken, thought Artemis and motioned for Montague to shut up. The poor Gryffindor boy had melted his cauldron yet again, and its contents were spilled onto Harry. Artemis could not help but feel sorry for them both.

"Twenty points from Gryffindor for your incompetence!" spat Snape. "When will you ever learn? When you get expelled?"

Neville Longbottom looked as if he was about to be murdered. Harry, on the other hand, positively looked green. Not because he was intimidated, but because there was something that was causing him a lot of discomfort. The potion had caused Harry to develop many pink boils sprouting all over his skin.

"Ah…" Harry moaned, a hand rising to touch his forehead.

"Potter, you very well know that if you are injured, you should go to the hospital wing!" Snape lashed out. "Now, go! I don't have—"

Harry waved him off. "No…" He turned to Artemis' direction. "Voldemort's looking for you…the girl…" Then he passed out, his body supported by Ron Weasley.

Artemis paled.

Juliet…

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