Chapter Five: Deep Surface
Artemis, or rather a twenty-something version of Artemis cocked an eyebrow at Voldemort's mention of two consecutive consonants. "Gr?" taunted Artemis. In over two years Artemis saw it fit to let himself a good go at humor once in a while. Especially when in a dangerous situation. "Maybe you mean 'grrr', as in an expression of utter frustration." His vampire smile turned into a sneer as soon as Severus, in a fit of adrenaline rush, toppled the Dark Lord over, giving him a taste of the mud himself.
He gripped his blade with the billowing flames, an idea of Blaise, tightly, the warm, hard hilt of the sword felt good, giving him inexplicable confidence in himself. Beside him, Harry was getting ready to cast hexes himself, positioning himself to the standard Dueling stance. The cold wind played with the two boys'—or rather for this moment, men—cloaks akin to the classic fashionably just-in-time entrance of comic book heroes. Artemis decided that it felt good, especially when it's beyond make-believe.
Artemis flexed the fingers in his free hand and threw his temporarily grown-up body down to the filthy tableau below, his robes spread out like wings of a bat. Excited with the promise of an 'interesting' fight, his pale face was flushed and his eyes glittered dangerously.
Landing on the ground a few meters away from Voldemort, he charged at the still-stunned Death Eaters and lunged at them with his blade just like Butler and Juliet had taught him recently. Two, then three, six, then eleven Death Eaters were physically incapacitated, either with gaping wounds or burning flesh, after the two men's surprise attack. Not surprisingly, some were successful in casting spells at him but Harry, who followed suit, covered Artemis with six consecutive Expelliarmus spells, effectively disarming the ones who were still capable of hexing.
Severus kneeled on top of Voldemort's back, his deft fingers busy with strangling Voldemort and trying to drown him in the mud in the midst of the chaos. His own mud-caked face split into a grin as he relished in giving Voldemort a taste of his own medicine…but something was quite wrong. His fingers tried to squeeze out all life from Voldemort, but even though Voldemort could not move, he certainly wasn't showing any signs of weakening, power-wise. Damn you, damn you, Severus thought with all his remaining strength and tried even harder. His knees dug into Voldemort's lower back like a Shiatsu massage from hell, trying to fully incapacitate Voldemort, but he himself was slowly weakening as he realized he was probably better off wrestling with a pillow. At least pillows know when they are finally destroyed, when the filling spills out—but with Voldemort, he was just not moving. Period.
It was very frustrating even for a man of a great deal of control. When will you ever give up?! Severus growled mentally at Voldemort, his throat too dry to emit even the smallest sound.
Sensing that it was already a couple of minutes before the charmed port key, Harry's robes, would activate itself, Artemis motioned for Harry to free Juliet as he slashed at another charging Death Eater. Harry nodded, hastily running towards the tombstone where the girl was tied to and charmed the lock open, all the while whispering words of assurance to the traumatized girl. As he helped her up, he saw that Artemis already strode towards Snape with the Invisibility Cloak around his shoulders. One minute left, Artemis, Harry thought, edgy with anticipation and with the fact that he had a half-naked girl huddling close to him under his outer robe.
Artemis had been warned by Harry earlier that there were persons who were able to see through the Invisibility Cloak, but one particular other had his face in the mud, so he was not at all that anxious to be seen. The Death Eaters were slowly regrouping, being apparated to the site one by one via the Dark Mark. It's time to go, a voice in Artemis' head hissed as he lunged at another Death Eater, killing him with a deep wound in his chest. He was somehow morbidly enjoying it, but time was running out. The port key was going to activate anytime soon.
As soon as he reached Severus, he threw the cloak around both of them, and slung his body over his temporarily-broad shoulders. He paid no heed to the white figure slowly rising from the mud, and sprinted towards where Harry and Juliet were waiting, both of them visibly distressed since they could not see Artemis with the Invisibility Cloak. But once Harry noticed that Snape disappeared as well, he knew that Artemis was successful in retrieving him. He waited, once again, on tenterhooks for any tell-tale signs of Artemis and Severus approaching them.
Harry saw that Voldemort was poised to throw a curse in their direction, and he knew then and there that Artemis was going towards them from that direction; he knew Voldemort was the only one who could see through Invisibility Cloaks at the moment.
Then he felt four hands grabbing at his cloak, and the soft, whispery material of the Invisibility Cloak being thrown above his and Juliet's heads. "Five seconds before the port key is going to activate," Harry croaked, seeing that Voldemort was slowly regaining his strength and was poised to do a curse towards them.
"It will be no good if we run," said Artemis urgently. "We can't—"
And then they disappeared, completely, with Voldemort casting hexes on the tombstone where the four had just been standing a second ago.
It was a new sensation that Artemis had experienced, being pulled by a port key, into a different dimension and out into the target destination. A second ago they were about to be cast multiple Avada Kedavra curses by Voldemort in the deserted cemetery, and the next second they were in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, sprawled on the floor. Artemis and Harry were crouched on the damp tiled floor, thanking whatever deity they had in mind for a mission flawlessly executed. Then they noticed that both Juliet and Severus were staring at them as if they were strangers.
Then Harry realized that there was still two hours before the ageing potion wore off. "It's me, Professor Snape," said Harry tentatively, fearing that Snape would deduct mammoth amount of points from Gryffindor for their blatant rule-breaking.
But Severus was staring at Harry for another reason. Gaping, also. "J-James…" he croaked. "How?"
Harry broke into an embarrassed grin. "I never realized I looked that much like my father," he said, shaking his head. "No, it's me, Harry. Artemis and I just downed Ageing potions. Enhanced type."
"Enhanced type…" Severus repeated softly, so soft that it seemed as if his voice would break. He did not know whether to strangle or kiss his rescuers. "Who brewed the potion?"
Harry was at a loss. He did not want to put Hermione under compromise, not after what help she had given the cause, not to mention that she was running for honors, and top one at that. But he did not want to lie, either, not when Snape was looking so sincere. He would not also take the credit of Hermione's work, in case Snape took a funny turn and started praising him for the potion, which he did not have a hand in.
"Fifty points for Gryffindor, Potter, to Miss Granger," he whispered. He knew that if it was Potter who made the potion, he would blurt it out immediately. "Am I right in giving credit?"
Harry nodded, a big smile reminding Severus of James broke out across his face. "Thanks Professor," he said, self-consciously.
Severus was about to pay regard to Artemis when he saw a particularly heart-wrenching reunion between the kidnap victim and Artemis. Motioning Harry to let them be for a while, they quietly slipped out of the bathroom, opting to wait for them outside.
Artemis was holding Juliet, who was still wrapped in Harry's cloak, around him. "Sssh, it's me, Artemis," said Artemis soothingly at the sobbing Juliet. "I promised, didn't I?"
Juliet nodded mutely, then looked straight into Artemis' eyes. "It's weird seeing you all grown up, Arty," she sniffled, but with a small smile. "I know what you're thinking. It's not your fault…that you are so dead-set on recovering that gold."
Artemis winced at those words. It was his fault that they ended up in that particular place. "I'm sorry, Juliet, so sorry…" he said fervently, wiping off a tear that threatened to spill out of his eye. It was so awkward for both of them to see him losing his control over his emotions, but after the incident where he had such a good minute's worth of hard weeping following the rescue of his beloved father, Artemis lost his hesitancy and embarrassment in expressing his feelings. He only reined them inside in his criminal dealings.
"Big brother and I also promised to protect you, Artemis, in whatever you do," Juliet said, burying her face in Artemis' robes. "Besides, you have your reasons. We all have reasons. I may not understand much, but we trust you," Juliet said.
Artemis did not know how to react. "I'll find Butler too, Juliet. You can count on me," he promised. "Butler's not going to pull a disappearing act on us. Not now."
Juliet merely nodded weakly.
"Come, let's take you to the Infirmary," he said gently. Juliet nodded and let herself be helped up and led out of the bathroom.
"By the way, Arty, where are we?"
Artemis smiled, a gentle, tentative kind of smile. "I'm still trying to grasp the logic in this place, too, Juliet. But I like it here. You will, too."
Dumbledore's Office
Harry and Artemis, still under the Ageing Potion effect, sat on the chairs before the fireplace. Remus Lupin stood leaning on the closed door behind him, while Sirius, still in his dog form, was curled up between Harry and Artemis' chairs, hogging the warmth of the fireplace. Severus, partly cleaned but with specks of caked mud still on his person, gingerly sat in the chair across Dumbledore's desk. Minerva was visibly distraught, as was Dumbledore who looked immensely tired.
"I should suspend you for blatant disregard of my order, Severus," Dumbledore said, but with genuine concern in his voice. "We could not lose you. Not now, when we need you most."
Severus opted not to answer. He believed that his main function in regards to the safety of Hogwarts was his spying, but that usefulness was already gone.
There were other people who could brew excellent potions. Granger, for instance.
Severus looked glum.
"I accept whatever you throw at me, Albus," Severus said feebly. He felt useless. He prided himself for his espionage and ability to brew potions perfectly, but there was a nagging doubt in his heart that somehow, he was going to lose his worth.
"I explicitly forbid you to leave Hogwarts grounds," said the Headmaster, with equal amounts of steel and care. "Until this war is sorted out. Do you understand?"
Under ordinary circumstances, Severus would have vehemently refused to be treated as such, like a student being forbidden to go to Hogsmeade on weekends. But he humbly complied. "Yes, Headmaster."
"You know very well that you have a key part of the revolution, Severus," said Dumbledore with all seriousness. "Do not go off wandering into the wolves' den just because you have not paid enough for what you have done, Severus. You have already done far more than that."
"I understand, Headmaster." Severus was too weak to throw any more words of resistance nor sarcasm. He just wanted to go to sleep.
Dumbledore then shifted his attention to the two grown-up young heroes by the fireplace. "Harry, you again have broken school rules in order to save lives. I am beginning to fear this trend, but I sincerely doubt that many students are going to emulate you, since they do not want to face the same amount of danger you face every time you do so," he said, his eyes twinkling. "However, I strongly advise you to use caution, and from now on, you should inform me personally if ever you have any plans of a siege." Then he turned his gaze towards grown-up Artemis. "That goes for you, too." His eyes turned thoughtful as he looked upon Artemis. But it disappeared quickly.
Sirius chose that moment to turn into his human self. "I can't get over it," he exclaimed, smiling. "You really are your father's son." Putting a hand over his godson's shoulder, he leaned close to Harry's ear and whispered, "You even inherited the fate of having to save Snape from a deathly end."
That remark, while not heard by the others, received a withering glare from Harry. He knew very well why his father had to save Snape then in the first place. "That's a bad joke, Sirius," he said sternly.
Sirius took that rebuke for granted and merely shrugged. "Just an observation," then he looked at Snape over his shoulder.
The Potions master looked as if he lost everything in the world and just wanted to sleep, which he really did, and was so sullen and self-defeated that Sirius felt an errant pang of guilt. That was quickly brushed away, though.
"You should go to bed, Severus," Remus said thoughtfully, Severus' current state reminding him of his unemployment days. Being a werewolf virtually made one a pariah in the Wizardling World, an outcast, but when he made a decision to move into the muggle world wherein werewolves were only figments of imagination, his fears and insecurities were quickly dispelled, not to mention the fact that his neighbors there loved him and his quaint old-fashioned manners. Not to mention the girls loved his striking amber eyes.
Severus is just misplaced, Remus mused. He needs to find a place where he belongs. I don't know if it is here, though.
"I agree with Remus, Severus. You need rest." Dumbledore stood up and the others followed suit. "We should all have ours, as well."
Taking that as dismissal, all the people assembled in the office began to file out. But Dumbledore held Artemis' arm. "Could I have a word with you, please?" said Dumbledore.
Wondering what the Headmaster had in mind, Artemis just nodded and positioned himself against the mantle of the fireplace. Harry gestured to him that he was going to wait for him outside.
When they were well out of earshot, Dumbledore cleared his throat. "I understand that the plan was of your doing, am I correct?" asked Dumbledore.
"Yes, sir," answered Artemis. "I thought of it as soon as Hogwarts was attacked. However, it should been executed later on, but with Professor Snape being in danger, and Juliet's as well, I felt that it was already the time to do so."
"And why did you choose to use the Ageing Potion?"
"Ah," exclaimed Artemis. "That was to throw off the enemy, and Voldemort seeing familiar faces would not be stunned as long as seeing a stranger," he explained. "However, if one were to see someone whom he didn't know in the middle of something that was to be under secrecy, he would take seconds in trying to identify the stranger," he continued. "Voldemort was particularly stunned at me. Whether he recognized my face, which is quite impossible, since I'm under the Ageing potion," Artemis noticed that shadows passed over Dumbledore's face but was quickly dissipated. "or he was terrified of being caught red-handed. Who knows," Artemis shrugged.
"Voldemort is known for his desire for his activities to be seen," Dumbledore hinted. "Maybe he recognized you."
"And he was that terrified?" Artemis smiled. "I don't know."
"I don't know either," Dumbledore said quietly.
Artemis was feeling quite tired but satisfied when he met up with Harry, Ron and Hermione in the corridors outside the Gryffindor Common Room, with Blaise coming up behind him. There were still thirty minutes to go until the Potion would lose its effect, and Artemis found himself putting every last second of being big and grown-up to good use and relished the sensations of having a tall and lithe body instead of his usual lean and pale frame.
There was a collective gasp when a group of female student who were exiting the Gryffindor Tower saw Artemis approaching the Gryffindor three. He just gave them a weak smile and walked away as fast as he could.
Hermione smiled wryly. "Glad to see that the potion really worked. You should have seen it when Fred and George botched up theirs," said Hermione. "They still looked the same age, but with beards. You should have seen the, Artemis."
"I thank you for your potion, Hermione. Without you, we could not have saved my father," he said, knowing that Hermione did not know his true identity. So did Ron, who…gaped at him.
This was getting Artemis confused. Voldemort looked at him like he was some ghost, then Dumbledore like he recognized him, and yet again, Ron was looking at him the same way as well.
"What is it?" Artemis asked, getting more curious. "I've noticed people giving me that odd look ever since I've grown up."
"Wait here, I'll get something," said Ron as he sprinted through the portrait hole. Within seconds he was back, huffing and puffing, a Wizard Card in his hand. He pulled Artemis close to him and Harry and Hermione also went and looked behind Harry's shoulders.
In the Wizard Card, a man who looked exactly like a grown-up Artemis Fowl from the pale complexion down to the cold blue eyes was wearing black robes and silver trim was standing still, gazing towards them with a grim expression as he held his wand, and a book which obviously looked like a dark tome was tucked under his arm.
Beneath the picture was the caption:
GRINDELWALD
Defeated Dark Wizard
One of the most evil Dark Wizards who preceded Voldemort, Grindelwald was the mastermind of many campaigns whose objectives were to
obliterate muggle existence and promote the Superior Wizarding Race mentality among misled wizards and witches. A fluent parseltongue
and expert in the Dark Arts, he was almost successful in his campaigns until Albus Dumbledore, currently Headmaster of Hogwarts,
successfully subdued and defeated him. Grindelwald was also Tom Riddle aka Voldemort's one-time mentor before the latter became fully
immersed in acts of evil.
Read and Review please! And correct me if I made any mistakes in timeline, etc. etc.
Author notes: Caitlin: I'm glad that you liked my work!
InvaderXelith: Now you know whos "Gr—" !
sNOw: Don't worry, I don't always indulge in cliffies even thought I want it ba~adly. Heheh.