A Dreadfully Convenient Crossover And the Prisoner of the Arctic Incident
By Spectra16
A/N: I seriously had to stab myself every time I hated myself for writing that last chapter. After my computer crapped out halfway, I was about to cry because I had just gotten through editing the giant excerpt from Prisoner of Azkaban. I have no idea why I'm being so anal about this story. I don't know what's wrong with me. I've never cared so much about a fan fiction. I doubt there's a fan fiction I've written that's this long and I've been so attentive with detail. And I haven't destroyed the characters by making them emo! Yay!
I'm planning to continue Artemis' crazy adventure with using the next books, if I get enough people to read this one.
Sirius: What makes you think this story is good enough?
A/N: Excuse me? It's not like you've written 57 pages of stuff!
Sirius: I'm still skeptical. The Prisoner of Azkaban was an amazing book. J.K. Rowling kicked by ass, it was so good! I wasn't expecting any of that! I even thought I was a bad guy! I doubt you could kick my ass like she did.
A/N: -.- You know how strange that sounds? Anyways, I'm working on a big plot twist, just gimme a minute. . . . . There! I'm damn skippy about it. Can't you tell?
Sirius: Usually, when you're damn skippy, it's because the doctors gave you too much morphine. . .
A/N: No, I get damn skippy without it sometimes.
-.-.-.-.-.-
Chapter Five: Answers Among Ollivander (and the Story of a Man Who Has Never Burned Anything Down, Despite What You Have Heard)
Sometimes when you are enjoying a book very much, you begin thinking so hard about the characters and the story that you might forget all about the author, even if he is in grave danger and would very much appreciate your help. The same thing can happen if you are looking at a photograph. You might think so hard about whatever is in the photograph that you forget all about the person that is behind the camera.
Lemony continued to type about a man that had taken his picture at his own funeral. The situation was an awkward one, you know, attending your own funeral. Luckily, the people attending it were not people he had known, and wouldn't be able to recognize him if they wanted to.
Mr. Snicket figured it was best to leave the Daily Prophet for a short time, in order to evade whomever burned down his office, which he assumed, was Rita in part. If not her, she had to be involved in some way.
Lemony remained in the VFD offices, in order for protection. M had visited him often, in order to bring him a blanket and some food. Reassurance was a tricky thing now, since once a member of the VFD of attacked, there was a very little chance he/she would remain alive for more than two weeks. Surely, the burning of his office was a warning from someone. Lemony sat awake most nights, wondering where he had gone wrong. Maybe it was a bad idea to come back to the Ministry of Magic . . . And to speak with Dumbledore. News must travel so fast. The world is quiet here.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-
Butler felt a bit out of place, but this was nothing new. In "normal" places, he was usually a foot taller than everyone else. His build was larger than the majority of men. Butler wouldn't call himself a body builder, since body building usually required the use of steroids. Butler could easily fight a body builder, since their bodies were only for show and strength contests, not combat.
But this was a different feeling of out-of-placement. Everyone was wearing strange clothing, like out of a fairy tale. All of the shops were quite British looking, but you'd never see anything like it in London. There were people flying on brooms, children carrying frogs and cats. There was laughing in the street, and children crying. There was a woman selling strange looking potted plants on the corner, and Butler had sworn he had heard one of them talking. Butler had had his share of strange things in the dealing of Artemis Fowl, and the last year, his ventures had tested everything Butler believed to be true. And now this? These were real people walking the streets! Not fairies or trolls or dwarfs or centaurs. Humans.
Artemis spotted the place where he had purchased his wand. The shop was tiny in size, but Artemis found it to be his favorite among all of the shops he purchased from when he was here to get his school supplies. Etched on the door was gold lettering, which Artemis always looked at.
Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C. A single wand lay on a faded purple cushion in the dusty window.
Butler opened the door for Artemis and walked in. The place was tiny on the inside as well. Tiny, thin boxes were stacked upon each other, crowding the store so. Mr. Ollivander seemed to hurry from his place at the back of the store as he heard the closing of his frail shop door. Mr. Ollivander flashed a smile at both Artemis and Butler.
"Hello Artemis Fowl! How have you been?" Mr. Ollivander pulled a wand out of the mass of them and put it on his counter.
"Well. And you?" Artemis didn't continue with idle chat, but it couldn't hurt in this case. Mr. Ollivander seemed pleasantly surprised.
"I'm quite alright! The sun is quite bright today! And the world is quiet here," Mr. Ollivander smiled vibrantly. Artemis nodded, even though sun wasn't his most desired type of aspect for the weather. "Right, well, are you here for a repair?"
"No," Artemis replied quickly. Mr. Ollivander seemed quite puzzled by this answer. "I was told by a woman that you can remember every wand and customer of yours." Mr. Ollivander looked quite flattered.
"Well, I can usually remember my customers . . . But always my wands," Mr. Ollivander nodded his head. Artemis grinned at the man.
"Well, I was wondering if you could recall a man named Artemis Fowl. He's my father," Artemis explained. Mr. Ollivander shook his head.
"You're the only Artemis Fowl I've ever met, I'm sorry. There are other wand sellers, you must know. Your father might've bought his from someone else," Mr. Ollivander also seemed very apologetic. "May I ask why you want to know about your father's wand?"
Artemis stopped.
"It's not the wand I wish to know about. I was hoping maybe you knew something about him. He went . . . Missing quite a time ago. I'm also still wondering if he was a wizard or not," Artemis ended. Mr. Ollivander scratched his chin thoughtfully.
"What house did you end up in?" He asked, out of the blue.
"Slytherin," Artemis tried to hide his disappointment of the choice. Mr. Ollivander looked approvingly, as if he had knew that was coming. Artemis paused.
"I figured as much. Your wand, ebony, dragon heartstring. 13 inches. It's a Slytherin wand, definitely," Mr. Ollivander seemed to be thinking about something.
"Usually, when a dragon heartstring, or a unicorn hair, or a phoenix feather, the wands that use it, have certain purpose for belonging to whomever they go to," he started, "Your wand is the . . . Brother of someone that teaches at your school. You may want to ask him about your . . . Family." Mr. Ollivander was clearly trying to sugar coat the whole thing. Artemis was quick to point this out.
"I'm not a child, Mr. Ollivander. You have reason to believe that man is my father," Artemis shot him down. Ollivander winced.
"Potentially, maybe. There's no guarantee that he is you father. I've sold plenty of wands that were brothers to people with absolutely no relation. But usually, the brother wands chose similar people. Like, in a parallel universe, someone who is almost exactly like you. Even if he isn't your father, there's a good chance that he is related to you," Mr. Ollivander wished he could avoid what he was about to say.
"Well, who is it then?" Artemis could almost feel Ollivander's answer before he spoke a word. Ollivander looked up at him with a serious stare.
"Severus Snape. His first wand was oak, phoenix feather, 11 inches. Said a group of kids were playing a prank on him and it snapped. His replacement was the brother of yours," Ollivander did not seem near as chipper as he was when Artemis came in. Artemis' heart was now in his throat, wishing it had been anyone but him. It all made sense, though. Snape could very likely be his father, since he had said the telepathy was a hereditary thing. Or maybe, hopefully, Snape was only related to him. There was still a slight chance that Snape was not his father. It could all just be a wild coincidence.
Butler was terrified. This whole deal with Foaly had been a bad idea. But, maybe this was what was suppose to happen. Artemis senior couldn't have expected to disappear for long, considering his son was a genius, and quite determined to find him. It was only a matter of time, Butler reasoned.
-.-.-.-.-.-
The last day of Christmas break came quickly for Artemis, who had been postponing the questioning of his mother, and replaced that time with research on the internet. It had been a long while since he had heard the tiny clicks from typing on a keyboard, since electricity wasn't needed or used in Hogwarts. Even Artemis' battery powered electronics had stopped working once he was in the Hogwarts vicinity. It was a curious effect, but it also showed him how well he operated without such advances.
Artemis stopped at his mother's room door. He grabbed the knob, but didn't turn it quite yet. He was afraid, she too, would know very little. And even if she did know, the fact that she had kept it a secret from him wasn't what he'd want either. Artemis didn't know what he'd do if his father was Snape. It would be quite an awkward situation, you know, having your father as your teacher. This wasn't something Artemis was looking forward to, either way.
He twisted the knob and pushed on the heavy oak door. The room smelled of heavy perfume, something that was surely his father's fault. His father's favorite clouded the room horribly. His mother had told him that, and the last time she was especially insane, she nearly asphyxiated herself with the stuff. The windows were open, and the thin white drapes flowed in the soft breeze. But the soft breeze was less soft than it was dreadfully cold. Artemis rushed to close the windows, but his mother sprung up in bed before he had the chance.
"Tim? Is that you? Why are you home so early?" Angeline called Artemis by his father's pet name. Artemis felt awkward, knowing that she didn't always recognize him. Artemis quickly closed the window, and the temperature was immediately warm.
"Timmy? Open the windows! Let them out!" Angeline's voice was higher than normal, a flirtatious tone. Artemis shuddered.
"I'm your son, mother," Artemis was near gritting through his teeth. Angeline giggled.
"Timmy, where's Arty? Is he at that dreadful boy's school? He should be home . . . With us. He's a smart enough boy," She sighed. Artemis smiled.
"Yes, about that, I was wondering if it would be okay for him to be transferred to a school in Britain . . . Hogwarts?" Artemis attempted to make his voice sound deeper. His mother was easily deceived.
"Come again?" She giggled. Artemis winced.
"Hogwarts? You do remember Hogwarts, don't you?" Artemis pretended that his mother would know, but his heart had dropped already.
"What are you talking about, Timmy? Come here!" Angeline teased. Artemis blanched and stood his ground.
"Well, I'm going to go back, just to see my old school. I'll be gone for quite a while," Artemis wondered why the light from outside was not getting to her yet.
"Prufrock Prep? Why would you want to go back there? Stay here with me!" Angeline softly yelled. Artemis wasn't sure what he was going to do with this situation. He wished he could just walk out, and that be that, but it wouldn't work that way. He paused.
"Mother, please. . . Would you like something to eat?" Artemis asked, realizing that it was nearing six o'clock. Angeline nodded quietly. Artemis quickly left the room and tightly closed the door behind him. Once he was in the hall, he was glad it went as smoothly as it did, and at the same time, if he had thought about it while talking to his mother, he would've thought the ordeal to be hard.
-.-.-.-.-.-
Haunted dreams filled Artemis' head once again. A collection of events of his life flashed by in instances. A thin man, dressed in prada, with short black hair, reached out his hand to Artemis. Behind the man was a dark night, street lights flickering off of a black sea. Snow was tightly packed on the ground. The man's breath was visible in a mist. His eyes were warm and comforting, even though this was not a real trait of the real Artemis Senior. Artemis wished this was real, and openly admitted to himself that it wasn't.
Artemis walked towards the man, hoping to be held. Artemis senior wrapped his arms around Artemis and fell backwards, down a long ways, before hitting a freezing cold sea. Artemis kicked for the surface, but he never seemed to reach it. Tiny bubbles filled the water around him, and he felt like sinking now. Artemis opened his eyes under water, to see a dark figure in front of him.
Father. . . he reasoned. He swam towards it, and found that it was definitely not his father.
"Sirius. . ." The dementor howled. Artemis gasped, taking in more water, but never seemed to die. Artemis kicked away from the dementor. The dementor effortlessly floated in the water towards Artemis. It was a ghostly movement, as if the dementor had no physics to abide by. It reached out to Artemis' face. Artemis, quite panicked, waved his hands back.
"Sirius Black. . .," The dementor sounded more agitated now. Artemis felt disconnected from the world now, realizing that all happiness he had harbored before was now gone. Death was now the happiest feeling Artemis could hope for. Such a deep depression was only postponed.
Artemis fell out of that thought, and faced Ron in a hallway, brightly lit by the sun. Artemis felt tired and dazed.
"D'you know what I see and hear when a dementor gets too near me? I can hear my mum screaming and pleading with Voldemort. And if you'd heard your mum screaming like that, just about to be killed, you wouldn't forget it in a hurry," Artemis said, but his voice wasn't his own at all. It was as if he wasn't in his own body. Artemis didn't understand the nature of this.
Artemis looked to his right and found a troll, just about to come down on his. Artemis dodged it, flinging himself on the ground. The troll crushed the ground where Artemis had once stood.
Fowl sprang up in his bed, wondering why his nightmares were full of these strange things. Everything seemed so animated, so impossible. Artemis took deep breaths and sipped some water in a cup next to his bed. He laid back down, and starred up into the ceiling for hours.
-.-.-.-.-.-
Artemis returned to Hogwarts to find that Ron and Harry were rather cross at Hermione for separate reasons. Harry had hurriedly explained to Artemis that for Christmas, he had received a Firebolt, an international standard broom, and that Hermione had told McGonagall on him because of their suspicions that it was sent from Sirius Black. Artemis found this to be clever and foolish at the same time, on Sirius' part. Every day, Artemis was finding things he did not like about Sirius' tactics. Sending a highly expensive broom to the kid you're trying to destroy? Surely, if Harry were to use it, it could injure him, or be jinxed. But Sirius would obviously know that people would have their suspicions about a mysteriously sent broom. Artemis wondered how Sirius could go so unnoticed at Hogwarts. If he knew this, he would've had to have seen the Quidditch game. Artemis shuddered. Sirius Black was definitely roaming around the school. Perhaps he had an Invisible Cloak, like Harry. But wouldn't the Marauder's Map see him then?
Artemis also discovered that Ron had a feud with Hermione about her cat, Crookshanks. Apparently, Crookshanks had attacked Ron's poor, old rat, Scabbers. Scabbers was definitely old for a rat. Crookshanks was probably doing him a favor this way. But all Artemis could do was comfort Hermione, who resorted to crying most times.
Classes resumed, and were more frustrating as ever, to Harry and Ron anyways. Artemis spent longer hours helping them. Trelawney had moved onto palmistry, and even though Artemis didn't take this class seriously, he couldn't ignore the fact that he had a short life line. Trelawney obviously made a bigger deal out of Harry's life line though.
Hermione spread out a chart on the floor of the Gryffindor common room. Artemis knelt next to her, inspecting the sheet.
"Three times Professor Lupin has been sick. And all three times match up with the few days after and before a full moon. The potion he takes before his transformation must be to prevent it. Snape obviously knows he's a werewolf. He assigned that paper, when he could've assigned anything but. Not to mention, Lupin's cloaks are tattered and sewn, which could mean. . .," Hermione didn't intend on finishing her sentence. Artemis was hesitant to tell her about his theory on Lupin being Moony from the Marauder's Map, simply because it was still a theory.
Artemis smiled at Hermione. She rolled up the moon phase chart.
"You're not going to tell Ron and Harry, are you?" Artemis asked semi curiously. She shook her head.
"Lupin doesn't need anymore grief. Werewolves are prejudiced against, not that I would expect Ron and Harry to do that. But if someone were to hear us talking about it, Lupin's career would be on the line. Plus, Harry is learning defenses from dementors, in case they come into the Hogwarts field again like last time," Hermione continued. Artemis nodded.
The common room door burst open as Ron and Harry hastily ran to her. Harry had his Firebolt with him, and Artemis realized that it must've been in the clear now. People in the vicinity rushed to Harry and several had the nerve to ask to hold it. Harry was reluctant to allow people the pleasure. Artemis knew that if he possessed such a thing, he wouldn't do as Harry had.
"See Hermione? There was nothing wrong with it!" Ron smiled. Hermione crossed her arms.
"Well, there might have been!" Hermione restated her thoughts.. "I mean, at least you know now that it's safe!"
"Yeah, I suppose so," said Harry. "I'd better put it upstairs."
"I'll take it!" said Ron eagerly. "I've got to give Scabbers his rat tonic."
Artemis watched as he took the Firebolt and, holding it as if it were made of glass, carried it away up the boys' staircase. Ron was quite the character, seeming to take everything so seriously.
"Can I sit down, then?" Harry asked Hermione.
"I suppose so," said Hermione, moving a great stack of parchment off a
chair. The moon charts were on top, and Artemis was afraid that Harry would see them. But it did not happen. He supposed Harry wouldn't be such a threat to Lupin, since they seemed to get along quite well. However, if such knowledge were to reach Malfoy, things would be disastrous.
Harry looked around at the cluttered table, at the long Arithmancy essay on which the ink was still glistening, at the even longer Muggle Studies essay ("Explain Why Muggles Need Electricity" and at the rune translation Hermione was now poring over.
"How are you getting through all this stuff?" Harry asked her.
"Oh, well -- you know -- working hard," said Hermione. Close-up, Harry saw that she looked almost as tired as Lupin.
"Why don't you just drop a couple of subjects?" Harry asked, watching her lifting books as she searched for her rune dictionary.
"I couldn't do that!" said Hermione, looking scandalized. Artemis silently laughed.
"Oh, let her be, Harry. She's a genius of a witch," Artemis smiled broadly. Harry scratched the side of his head.
"Arithmancy looks terrible," said Harry, picking up a very complicated-looking number chart. Artemis knew that both Hermione and him enjoyed Arithmancy quite a bit, and it was quite easy to run through with two minds at work.
"Oh no, it's wonderful!" said Hermione earnestly. "It's my favorite
subject! It's --"
But exactly what was wonderful about Arithmancy, Harry never found out.
At that precise moment, a strangled yell echoed down the boys' staircase. The whole common room fell silent, staring, petrified, at the entrance. Then came hurried footsteps, growing louder and louder -- and then Ron came leaping into view, dragging with him a bedsheet.
"LOOK!" he bellowed, striding over to Hermione's table.
"LOOK!" he yelled, shaking the sheets in her face.
"Ron, what --?" Hermione asked rather innocently.
"SCABBERS! LOOK! SCABBERS!"
Hermione was leaning away from Ron, looking utterly bewildered. Harry looked down at the sheet Ron was holding. There was something red on it. Something that looked horribly like --
"BLOOD!" Ron yelled into the stunned silence. "HE'S GONE! AND YOU KNOW
WHAT WAS ON THE FLOOR?"
"N -- no," said Hermione in a trembling voice.
Ron threw something down onto Hermione's rune translation. Artemis, Hermione and Harry leaned forward. Lying on top of the weird, spiky shapes were several long, ginger cat hairs.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-
Not ten minutes after the three of them made up, Ron was already mad at Hermione again, and vice versa. Harry and Artemis had tried repeatedly to get one to talk to the other, but this sort of thing had to cool down before anything could be done. Instead of comforting Ron and Hermione (for fear of taking sides), the two of them started talking together more.
"Professor Lupin is showing me a spell called "Patronus" . It's used to divert the dementors to feeding on a field of happiness, instead of feeding on your own happiness. He says it's quite advanced, but I've gained a lot of ground during his lessons," Harry walked to Divinations with Artemis.
"Does he have an explanation for why you faint around dementors, and others don't?" Artemis asked. Harry nodded.
"He says its because I have a darker past than most. Because of my parent's death, you know?" Harry paused as the two of them walked up the staircase to Trelawney's tower. "Every time I get near a dementor, I can hear my mum pleading with Voldemort."
Artemis immediately recalled that sentence from his dream at the manor. It had been Harry that said that, not him. Artemis took in a deep breath.
"Harry, that's . . . horrible. I don't really know what to say," Artemis looked at him in the eye. The two of them stopped on the stairs.
"I've heard about you being attacked by dementors too, Artemis," Harry started, "I know that because I survived attacks from Voldemort, I have been given special treatment . . ." Harry stated. Artemis could feel something uncomfortable coming.
"What do you hear?" Harry asked, as if he knew that Artemis was hiding something. Artemis tried to make it seem like it wasn't a big deal.
"Nothing compared to what you hear, that's certain," Artemis smiled weakly. Harry was not taking this lightly though.
"Tell me," Harry said sternly. Artemis clenched his teeth.
"Every time I've seen them, for real and just in my dreams, they repeat the name of the man they are after," Artemis said. Harry nodded.
"Sirius Black. I can't believe my father used to be his friend. And I just talked to Professor Lupin, he was their friend as well," Harry quietly remarked. Artemis wondered if he should tell Harry his theory about Black, Potter, Lupin, and Pettigrew's secret. Artemis had made a promise to himself though, that not until he knew for sure, would he say anything.
-.-.-.-.-.-
Lord Voldemort looked rather ragged in the darkness of the room. He clutched two Remembrals in his withered hands, the ones he had paid the dwarf to fill with information. Voldemort winced.
"Mr. Diggums, I've studied all of Harry Potter's friends down to their family lineage, and some beyond that. Who is this, Artemis Fowl? I was not aware he was a wizard," Voldemort's face was jagged as a silhouette against the window. Mulch was hesitant to talk about Artemis again. He wondered why Parseltongue was now interested in Artemis, when he had been so intrigued with Harry.
"Artemis Fowl is a prodigy from Ireland. My kind has had their share of trouble with this boy," Mulch spoke rather professionally. Voldemort almost seemed to read his mind at every step.
"Mr. Diggums, avoid being to curious of my business. I hired you for a reason, now I hope you won't make me rethink it," Voldemort hissed. Mulch narrowed his eyes.
There was an awkward silence in the room. Mulch shifted uncomfortably. Voldemort smirked wildly.
"Tell me more about Fowl."
-.-.-.-.-.-
The blue uniforms of the Ravenclaw team were a beautiful contrast to the sky above. The stands were in rage with hollering and stomping. Hermione shouted to Harry once he entered the field on his new Firebolt. Artemis watched Harry glide in the air, sort of wondering what it felt like.
Madam Hooch, looking rather excited today, stood between Wood and Davies.
"Mount your brooms. . . On my whistle . . . Three, two, one-," Hooch had barely whistled when Harry shot up high into the sky, ever careful for where the Snitch was. Lee Jordan was quick to commentate on Harry's new broom, when McGonagall put a stop to it.
Harry quickly spotted the Snitch, but lost it almost at once. Wood kept yelling at him from the goal. Harry was being distracted somehow. Cho, the Ravenclaw seeker, seemed to catch a glimpse of the Snitch a few times, but also lost it. Fred and George were also having some trouble keeping the bludgers from Harry.
Harry dived, and Cho seemed to think he had seen it, so she dived after him. He yanked on his broom to pull up sharply, and she plummeted down still. Harry spotted the Snitch again, high above the field on the Ravenclaw side. Unfortunately, Harry did not follow it, being distracted by Cho's scream. She pointed far below the field. Harry saw three dementors and thought nothing of attempting the Patronus again. Artemis watched this happen so quickly. He glared at the dementors, but he didn't feel at all saddened by their presence. He looked at them closely and found that they were much shorter than the dementors he had encountered. Was that possible? Unless . . .
"Expecto patronum!" Harry's faint yell was barely heard of the chatter from the stands and Lee Jordan's voice. Harry still went after the Snitch, and he struggled to grasp it. He floated gracefully to the ground, safely this time. Artemis looked back at the dementors, finding that McGonagall was giving them a good reprimanding . . . It was Draco, Goyle, and Crabbe, of course. Artemis grimaced.
Hermione had left for the Gryffindor common room, where there was a party for the Gryffindor Quidditch team. Artemis had reasoned not to go, because not everyone in the Gryffindor house welcomed his presence. This was understandable, considering hundreds of years of rivalry between Gryffindor and Slytherin wasn't going to change overnight. Artemis returned to the Slytherin common room, and Draco seemed to be waiting for him.
"Hello Artemis Fowl," Draco greeted, not dressed as a dementor anymore.
"That was a dirty trick you pulled at the game," Artemis walked right passed Draco and to his room. Draco closely followed behind him.
"If you speak to Potter ever again, I'll tell everyone about your . . . Impediment," Draco threatened. Artemis found it to be too blatant.
"Does it really bother you that I'd rather be friends with him than with you?" Artemis asked rather snidely. Draco seemed shocked.
"I don't need you as a friend! I just don't want you to talk to that filth anymore!" Draco spat. Artemis turned around to face him with cold eyes.
"That's fine, Mr. Malfoy. I don't need to talk to him," Artemis spoke.
Especially, when I can do this.
Artemis spoke directly to Draco's mind, and this time, he was well aware of it. Draco always seemed to tweak out when Artemis did this.
"Stop it!" Draco said quickly. Artemis approached him in a rather intimidating way. He smirked.
Make me.
Artemis came within a foot of a trembling Malfoy. He pulled out his wand and pointed it at Artemis' forehead.
"I'll use a Crucio on you! My father taught me how!" Draco spoke threateningly. Artemis read his mind, somehow. Please, please don't hurt me. . . Draco begged inside of his head, thinking there was no one to hear him.
Draco, I'm no fool. I know that Crucio would get you expelled. Not only that, but you can't use it. Your father has never taught you that. Although, I can tell he uses it on you for punishment.
"Get back!" Draco yelled. Artemis smirked again and turned around to write a note to Butler. Draco hastily left the room, probably to hide in a corner somewhere. Artemis was starting to get really irritated with Draco now. He was such a ninny about everything. Artemis sloppily dipped his quill in some ink and etched the words "Butler, tell Foaly we need a mind wipe immediately".
Artemis did not waste any time tying the string to Multice's claw, and sent her out of the window. She bobbed up and down in the air into the distance. Artemis sighed and went to find Harry.
-.-.-.-.-
Many people were still awake in the Gryffindor common room, even as late as it was. Artemis stood on his tip toes to try and spot Harry's constantly ruffled hair. There were crumbs of food every where on the floor. Artemis tried to avoid crunching the crumbs, but it was hopeless.
Fred and George were singing a rather silly song they had come up with about the Quidditch game that day. They held butterbeers, trying hard not to spill. Artemis weaved his body around people, almost snake-like, to reach Harry.
"Artemis?" Harry's voice sounded curious. Artemis turned to it, and there he was.
"Harry, can I speak with you for a moment?" Artemis asked. Harry looked at someone else whom was trying to speak with him.
"I'll be there in a minute!" He called over the other students. "Sure." Artemis pulled Harry to a dorm room, where no one was with them.
"Could I borrow your Invisible Cloak tonight? And your Marauder's Map? I just want to look around Hogwarts for once," Artemis asked politely. Harry nodded quickly.
"Yes. But you must know, the Cloak doesn't muffle the sounds you make. So be careful. If you were to be found, a lot of trouble would follow," Harry sounded quite worried. Artemis smiled warmly.
"If I am found, I'll admit to stealing it from you, just so that you can get it back. And who cares if points get taken away from Slytherin?" Artemis joked. Harry immediately seemed reassured. He quickly went under his bed to retrieve a strange looking cloak and the blank parchment.
"Be careful, Artemis," Harry reminded him. Artemis nodded.
"Thank you, Harry."
-.-.-.-.-.-.-
Artemis left his pajamas on and covered himself with the cloak before Malfoy could notice he was gone. He stuffed some of his clothes under the blankets, to make it appear that he was still there. Artemis quickly left the Slytherin house and walked quickly down the Hogwarts corridors. They were dimly lit, barely enough to see in. Artemis looked at the map, seeing that Filch was quite a ways away. He looked in front of him, going forth to a secret passage way. It must have been the same passage Harry used to get to Hogsmead. Artemis looked down it, and turned around, walking back the way he came.
Artemis looked to see what other icons were moving, and found something quite unexpected. Sirius Black.
A tiny, black dot was coming toward him at an alarming rate. Artemis had briefly forgotten that he was invisible at the moment. He stood his ground, wanting to see if this was true. Soft footsteps were heard in a dark hallway. Artemis knew something was coming. The anticipation was burning in Artemis' heart. For some reason, the strange walking pattern never occurred to Artemis in this time.
From the shadows came a black dog. Artemis quirked an eyebrow, most unexpected. The dog sniffed the air, knowing that someone was around.
Some sick joke it would be, Artemis thought to himself, to name a dog after Sirius Black.
Sirius stopped to sniff the air. There was someone there! But he couldn't see him. He walked around the corner to see if there was someone there, but no one was. Sirius thought maybe it was Harry in his father's Invisibility Cloak, but it didn't smell like Harry. He sniffed again. Nope, definitely not Harry. But it does smell familiar. Who could that be? Snape? He usually is in bed by seven. Wonder what he's doing up and about at this time of night. . . What a dreadful beak he has. Wonder if he's still kickin' around. Sirius ran back to where he had caught the scent of Peter.
Artemis watched as the dog ran back from where it came. Artemis took a deep breath and decided it was best to go back to bed.
-.-.-.-.-
If that wasn't enough, Artemis learned that Ron had seen Sirius Black last night, and the guardian of the Gryffindor house confirmed that he had allowed Sirius in, because he had the week's worth of passwords. Neville was definitely in trouble for this fact. Artemis wondered if he should mention what he had discovered last night. When he returned the cloak and the map, Harry had asked no questions, and he also looked quite pale with nervous tension.
Artemis thought about his theory again. Some of it just didn't make sense. It must've been a coincidence. After truly looking at the map, some very powerful wizards must have conjured it, not mischievous students from Gryffindor.
"... I was asleep, and I heard this ripping noise, and I thought it was in my dream, you know? But then there was this draft... I woke up and one side of the hangings on my bed had been pulled down... I rolled over... and I saw him standing over me... like a skeleton, with loads of filthy hair ... holding this great long knife, must've been twelve inches... and he looked at me, and I looked at him, and then I yelled, and he scampered," Ron was clearly having fun, now being the center of attention. Artemis watched him from a far, as did Hermione.
"Just look at him, all jolly about it. What if Sirius had attacked him?" Hermione complained. Artemis didn't look at her.
"I think something about Sirius is very wrong. He seems . . . Careless. He's been in Hogwarts for the longest time, and yet he has taken no action. It's like he's just hear to have a roof over his head," Artemis remarked. Hermione nodded.
"I'm surprised he hasn't attacked Harry yet. Considering Harry's not always with someone," Hermione mentioned.
"Perhaps that's why he was in the dorm when Ron spotted him. Maybe he was looking for Harry," Artemis rested his chin on his closed hand. He glanced over at Neville, who was obviously taking this very hard.
"Hermione, you know Neville well, right?" Artemis asked. She nodded curiously. "Could you do me a favor and reassure him? I'd do it, but I always get the feeling that he's afraid of me." Hermione smiled.
"Sure," She promptly stood up and sat by Neville. Although he couldn't hear them, Artemis watched the two of them talk. Neville looked rather pitiful, especially slouchy today.
-.-.-.-.-
Two days later, while eating breakfast, the hoard of owls swept in. Artemis patiently waited for Multice to arrive, and sure enough he did. Multice was always rather fond of Artemis, and always perched on Artemis' shoulder when he arrived. Draco was always first to comment on this.
"Is that an owl or a well trained parrot? Squark!" Draco laughed with Crabbe and Goyle. Artemis grabbed a smaller plate and poured some water onto it for Multice to drink from. Multice huffily screeched at Draco and drank from the deep plate. Pansy smiled at Artemis.
"I think Artemis' owl looks cool, you know, perched on him like that," Pansy spoke up. Draco glared at Artemis, and Artemis looked up at Pansy, not giving her the kind of warm look she was digging for. Artemis was about to untie the note on Hedwig's leg when the Slytherin's broke out in mad laughter at Neville, who apparently received a Howler. Poor Neville ran from the Great Hall, but the muffled yells could still be heard.
Artemis did not laugh, however. No matter how ditzy Neville was, there was something about him that seemed rather sad, and for some reason, Artemis felt he could relate to him. Artemis returned to poking at his pancake. He did not feel like eating today, for the prospect of last night was still fresh in his mind. Something was definitely missing.
Multice finished drinking and pecked Artemis' knuckle slightly. Artemis grimaced, and then remember the note attached to Multice. He pulled it off and unfolded the note, which wasn't Butler's handwriting in the least. It was in Gnomish, which luckily, Artemis did not fail to memorize.
Artemis-
You're lucky we don't give you a mind wipe!
Bring the mudman to your dormitory room, make sure you two are alone. We'll restrain him before we shut down our shields. We'll do this tonight.
And Fowl, no more cocky shenanigans.
Yours truly,
Root