A Dreadfully Convenient Crossover And the Prisoner of the Arctic Incident
By Spectra16
A/N: Yay! We're nearing the end of the story! Aw. . . And yes, I AM finishing it! Even if I die! Yeah, I'm sorry for all of you who hate stupid Star Wars rip offs. But don't worry, there's still more story developing on the way. And a plot twist! (GASP!) Please don't try to guess. If you guess right, I will cry. Also, I've come up with a good plot for the next Harry Potter book, so I will be writing the sequel to this book. True story. Guess what I'm eating right now?
Sirius: . . . .
A/N: Guess.
Sirius: If I blow you off, you're still going to tell me.
A/N: Salted nuts! No joke.
Sirius: O.O
Disclaimer: I don't own stuff! Obey! Go search on video google for Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Amityville!
A/N: Also, there has been a lot of foreshadowing in this story, and most of it is going to my future stories. Like, the main one being Voldemort's sudden interest in Artemis. Stuff like that, just to let you know.
-.-.-.-.-.-
Chapter Seven: Seriously, Sirius Black is Back (The Plot Twist Unfolds!)
Artemis and Snape had an awkward exiting of their conversation. The raven haired boy hurried to find Harry and Ron. But when he did find them, Ron had some rather unpleasant news that he was just about to share with Harry and Hermione.
"Buckbeak's lost. Hagrid just sent this," Ron spoke weakly. Hermione starred at the letter that Ron passed to Harry.
Lost appeal. They're going to execute at sunset. Nothing you can do.
Don't come down. I don't want you to see it.
Hagrid
"We've got to go," said Harry at once. "He can't just sit there on his
own, waiting for the executioner!"
"Sunset, though," said Ron, who was staring out the window ill a glazed
sort of way. "We'd never be allowed... 'specially you, Harry..."
Artemis looked shaken, and Hermione knew this. But she thought it was because of the news of Buckbeak. Artemis really had no care to share with Hagrid's loss. Snape was his father. Snape is MY father.
"If we only had the Invisibility Cloak..." Harry said, in space.
"Where is it?" Hermione asked.
Harry told her about leaving it in the passageway under the one-eyed witch. Artemis, looking for anything to take his mind off of what happened.
"... if Snape sees me anywhere near there again, I'm in serious trouble," he finished.
"That's true," Artemis spoke up. "If he sees you . . .How do you open the witch's hump again?"
"You -- you tap it and say, 'Dissendium,'" said Harry. "But --"
Artemis nodded and strode out of the Gryffindor common room. He could hear Ron asking questions, but Artemis didn't stop to answer them. Artemis knew his friends wanted to see Buckbeak and Hagrid. And now, Snape, or rather, his father would never suspect him looking for an Invisibility Cloak.
Artemis didn't want to see the black dog again though. Black dogs now gave him the jitters, so Artemis walked quickly, not bothering to stop for anything or anyone. He noticed there were very few people in the corridors at the time, because dinner was taking place. Artemis, after having met his father just a few minutes prior, was anything but hungry.
Artemis Fowl the Second quickened his already jolted pace when he thought he heard paws hitting the hard floor. He suddenly stopped, and heard nothing. Artemis took a deep breath and retrieved the cloak.
He returned to the common room, and Harry's face lit up.
"Thank you, Artemis," Harry held the cloak close to him. Artemis did not look so cheery.
"I need to speak with you for a moment. Alone," Artemis said quietly. Harry nodded, and the two of them went into Harry's room. Harry seemed especially wondering, his eyes wide with curiosity. Artemis blanched at this.
"Harry, I want to talk to you about . . . The Grim. It's . . . I've. . . Seen it," Artemis tumbled over words for the first time in his life. He felt nervous and jittery, still wondering whether to tell him about Lupin and his father. One thing at a time, Artemis told himself.
"You've seen it? Thankfully. I thought I was going mad. Trelawney was making me think I was really just seeing the omen. It is a real dog?" Harry asked. Artemis nodded.
"Yes. There isn't anyone in the school who lets their dog walk around, correct?" Artemis replied. Harry shook his head.
"Not that I know of. Should we report it to Dumbledore?" Harry asked. Artemis was not accustomed to Harry's naïve nature. Surely, a dog was not something to fear. Even if it was the omen of death. Artemis hoped that his skepticism against omens would not be changed now that he was in the world of magic.
"No. Not yet. It's probably no matter. I just felt the need to tell you," Artemis turned around slowly. But Harry stopped him by putting his hand on Artemis' shoulder. Harry, hesitantly, pulled his hand away as Artemis turned back around.
"I-I want to thank you for being a good friend to me and my friends, even when . . . You know," Harry stuttered. Artemis nodded.
"To be honest, I've never had any friends my age before. I don't know what overcame me this year, but . . . I'm glad to have a friend like you Harry. You've been through much more than I can even imagine," Artemis said softly. Harry smiled at him and looked down. Artemis turned and left the room, leaving Harry standing. The Boy Who Lived stood there in wonder, contemplating as to why his scar prickled when he had touched Artemis.
-.-.-.-.-.-
Artemis had told them it would be easier to stay, but Harry had insisted that Artemis had to come to comfort Hagrid. Artemis reluctantly agreed, and so Ron, Harry, and Hermione set off to Hagrid in the Invisibility Cloak, and then Harry came back for Artemis, since the cloak was not big enough for all four of them.
"What if someone comes to the cabin? We can't all fit under then!" Artemis spoke concerned. Harry shrugged, holding the cloak tightly to himself.
"We'll worry about that when it happens," Harry said quietly and knocked on Hagrid's door. Hagrid already knew it was Harry and Artemis, so he opened the door and stood clear of it so that the two boys could get in.
"We must stay with you, Hagrid!" Hermione seemed to be protesting something at the moment. Artemis ruffled his hair, feeling itchy from the cloak.
"Yeh're ter go back up ter the castle. I told yeh, I don' wan' yeh watchin'. An' yeh shouldn' be down here anyway... If Fudge an' Dumbledore catch yeh out without permission, Harry, yeh'll be in big trouble," Hagrid was serious. Harry hung his head down, almost used to the burden. Hermione was clearly crying now, and Artemis was quick to give her a hug.
"It's okay," Artemis whispered in her ear, stroking her hair. Artemis starred behind Hermione, and there was Ron, near tears as well. Hermione pulled away and proceeded to make some tea. She pulled out the bottle of milk and then screamed. Everyone turned around, alerted.
"Ron! It's . . . Scabbers," Hermione breathed. Ron was quick to search for him. Sure enough, there was a thin, ragged rat.
"Scabbers!" Ron greeted him with a hug. Artemis looked at the rat. Wormtail. . . Artemis starred at Scabber's whipping tail. In the midst of the rejoicing that Scabbers was actually alive, Hagrid stood, his chair screeching against the wood as he stood.
"They're coming," Hagrid said, looking out of the window. Ron stuffed his rat in his cloak pocket. Hagrid opened the back door and Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Artemis waited for them to enter the cabin before running off. Artemis dodged pumpkin vines, as did the others. Buckbeak looked around, rather alerted now. The last remaining light of the evening was upon the earth around them. Artemis squinted to look behind him.
"Hurry Artemis!" Hermione hissed. Artemis trailed behind the three of them. Ron threw the cloak around them all, but it did not cover everything. The four of them were as closely huddled together as possible, but anyone who was attentive enough could very well see eight feet scurrying back to school.
Ron started fidgeting under the cloak.
"Scabbers! Stop it! It's me, Ron!" He struggled to hold Scabbers down. Harry, Hermione, and Artemis was especially worried about this, since Scabbers was squealing. They kept running, just simultaneously, they all stopped once they heard the thud of an axe, and a horrible, sickening fleshy sound.
"They did it. I can't believe they did it," Hermione gasped. Ron was still struggling with Scabbers.
"Damn it, Scabbers, knock it off-OW!" Ron released the rat. Hermione shot a dirty look at Ron.
"What? He bit me!" Ron defended himself. "What could possibly have gotten into him?" The three of them then understood why Scabbers was so rash. Crookshanks was only a few feet away, and when Ron had released Scabbers, Crookshanks chased after him like a blood thirsty lunatic.
Hermione didn't yell at Crookshanks, for fear of someone hearing her. Ron was not so forgiving. He threw the cloak off, exposing Harry, Hermione and Artemis. He lunged at Crookshanks, swearing and near biting.
"Ron! Come back here! They'll see us!" Hermione hissed. Ron scooped Scabbers up, now seeming to be completely fine. Just as they were about to cover Ron up again, Harry looked and saw the Grim again. It was directly in front of them. Artemis had a deep intake of breath.
"There it is," Artemis sighed. Harry shook, completely stunned. The dog had icy eyes and a skewed jet black hair. Without any moment for thought, the dog leapt at Harry, pushing him over. Ron jumped on the dog, also not giving much thought. The dog turned around and bit Ron's arm viciously. Ron was screaming, terrified now. The black dog's growls were vicious and daunting. Harry grabbed the dog's hair on his back and tried to pull the dog off of Ron. Artemis helped in the tug, until he was briskly whipped by something. Artemis fell back, nearly blacking out. He heard Hermione gasp and someone say "Lumos", lighting up the area. Artemis, flat on his back, looked up to see spinning . . . moving branches. There was no wind, but the tree was still moving. Artemis figured he was just hit too hard in the head, but this wasn't the case.
Ron screamed again, not revealing that he was being pulled into the tree of all things, by the dog. Artemis sat upright, now seeing this. Obviously, this is not a normal dog. Hermione screamed. Artemis looked at her, his vision still a little blurry. Harry had been struck by a thick branch, sending him airborne. Harry landed near Artemis, his body landing with a horrible thud. Artemis hurried to his side and helped him up. Harry wiped away the blood from his face.
"We need to follow him! There's no time to get help," Harry limped toward the base of the tree. Crookshanks hurried to the base of the trunk and put his paws on a knot in the bark. The tree stopped moving. Artemis, Hermione, and Harry were all shocked.
"How did he know to do that?" Hermione asked. Harry spoke up.
"He and that dog are friends. I've seen them together," Harry said. Artemis thought about this rationally. A dog? Friends with a cat? Wasn't it their nature as mortal enemies? Sure, there are exceptions. Artemis thought about this as the three of them ventured through the tunnel.
"This tunnel is marked on the Marauder's Map, but Fred and George said no one has ever gotten to it. The coordinates go off the map," Harry spoke. Artemis, right after Harry had spoken these words, had a vision in his head, a rather vivid one. He was in a house, bleak and gray looking. There was no one with him. Dust coated the floor. And Artemis could hear screaming, blood curling screaming. The vision ended, and Artemis was able to return to his present situation. The tunnel was so long, Artemis wasn't sure if he should continue. Crookshanks was already far beyond them.
Then a patch of dim light hit their eyes, and revealed itself to be the opening to a room. A very dusty room. Artemis immediately recognized the room as part of his vision.
"Where are we?" Artemis asked, not expecting an answer. Harry cracked the door open, to find that the room was a mess. The windows had rays of dulled sunlight coming in, where the boards did not cover. There was old furniture about, ripped and clawed at, as if a beast were locked up inside. The wall paper was severely faded and peeling. But out of all of these details, Artemis noticed the blood stained floors more than anything. The three of them pulled themselves up to step on the creaking floors. Artemis heard a fading shriek of horror, and turned around, thinking it was coming from behind him.
"Did you hear that?" Artemis asked, wondering if he was losing his mind. Harry and Hermione looked at him, quite stunned, puzzled. They said nothing, for they had not heard it. Artemis turned around to see a dark hallway, seeing the darkness made him feel nervous. This was the moment where Artemis wished Butler was with him most. Artemis pulled out his wand and pointed it at the doorway.
"I think someone's over there," Artemis said shakily. Hermione and Harry were both nervous because of Artemis' strange behavior.
"I think we're in the Shrieking Shack," Hermione mentioned. Harry nodded, thinking the same. Artemis was the only one sure of this fact. He then heard footsteps on a creaky floor above them. Artemis looked up. Harry and Hermione crept around the corner of the hallway and quietly walked up the stairs. Artemis followed behind them, now afraid of the situation.
Harry ran his fingers against the door where they heard the creek. Artemis clenched his wand tightly. Hermione and Harry was shaking, it was clear.
"Now," Hermione whispered and Harry slammed the door open. There was Ron, laying on the floor, his leg askew. Crookshanks starred up at the three of them, starring nervously in the doorway. All three of their wands were pointing out, ready for attack. Ron was sweating profusely, and looking rather concerned. Harry and Hermione ran to him, helping him up, but Artemis was still sure that there was something else near by.
"Ron, are you okay?" Hermione asked hurriedly.
"Where's the dog?" Artemis asked, panicked now.
"Not a dog," Ron breathed. "Harry, it's a trap." Artemis could feel someone behind him, and he whirled around and pointed his wand at a rather dirty looking man. His hair was almost past his elbows, and his star was full of blood lust. Artemis pointed his wand at the man threateningly. The man, with an Azkaban tag on his shirt, closed the door without touching it. It slammed, and Ron winced in pain. Artemis felt rather protective of his friends, starring Sirius Black in the eyes.
His skin was pale, skeleton like. He smelled as if he hadn't bathed in months. Artemis pointed his wand at the man's face. He smirked, looking rather impish, like Artemis' smirk.
"He's an Animagus," Ron breathed in deeply.
"Padfoot," Artemis whispered, hoping his friends had not heard him. Sirius seemed impressed by the fact that Artemis knew this. Sirius' teeth were stained yellow, a disgusting sight.
"Expelliarmus!" Sirius hissed, and at once, Harry, Hermione, and Artemis' wands were sent right into Black's hand. Artemis noticed that Sirius had confiscated Ron's wand. Artemis didn't get out of the way yet. He shot Sirius a dirty look, as if to say, I'm not moving. Black was hoping that by taking a step towards Artemis, that he would flinch. But it didn't happen. Sirius sneered at Artemis and pushed him out of the way, moving towards Harry. Artemis picked himself off of the floor and starred at Harry. Sirius' frightening gaze never left Harry.
"I thought you'd come and help your friend," Sirius spoke hoarsely, as if he hadn't spoke in a long time. As if he had forgotten how to.
"Your father would have done the same for me. Brave of you not to run for a teacher. I'm grateful . . . it will make everything much easier . . ." Sirius sighed. Artemis stepped towards him. He had already chosen to assume Sirius was going to kill them.
"You'll have to kill me before you hurt Harry!" Artemis shouted, of course, this wasn't much of a threat to Sirius. He had killed before. Sirius seemed to stop, and he slowly turned his head to look at Artemis.
"And you, with so much courage. Never met a Slytherin that acted so rash," Sirius spoke half sarcastically. He looked back at Harry. Harry glared at Sirius, furious with his comment. Harry marched to Sirius, ready to kill him, but Hermione held him back.
"No, Harry!" Hermione pulled him back. Artemis lifted his head from the floor.
"If it were me, I'd want revenge," Artemis spoke, not realizing he had repeated what Draco had said. Hermione starred at Artemis with a frightened look on her face. Harry pulled away from Hermione's grasp.
"Yeah, if you want to kill Harry, you'll have to kill us too!" Ron stood up, his face pale and cross.
"Lie down. You will damage that leg even more," Black spoke as if he cared. Artemis was taken back by this. Why would he care? Artemis was about to look into Sirius' mind when he started talking again.
"Did you hear me! You'll have to kill all four of us!" Ron spat, his voice trembling with anger.
"There'll be only one murder here tonight," Black smiled triumphantly.
"Why's that?" Harry walked right up to the man who had killed his parents. Artemis watched him in amazement. "Didn't care last time, did you? Didn't mind slaughtering all those Muggles to get at Pettigrew... What's the matter, gone soft in Azkaban?"
"Harry!" Hermione pleaded. "Be quiet!"
"HE KILLED MY MUM AND DAD!" Harry roared and threw himself at Black. Harry ignored the fact that he had no wand. He wanted to use his bare hands to kill Sirius. He threw punches at Black, all of which did little good. But Black didn't fight back. Artemis remembered again to search Sirius' mind. Sirius was hit in the face, and the wands spilled onto the floor. Artemis found his mind to be a clouded place, full of hate and wanting to murder. . . Peter. Not Harry. This couldn't be right, Artemis reasoned.
"Wait, stop Harry," Artemis said quietly, wondering if he was wrong about Sirius. Hermione shrieked as Harry continued to fumble for the wands and punch Black at the same time. Black's hand grabbed Harry's throat and whirled him around, to look into his eyes.
"No- I've waited too long!" Sirius shouted. His grip tightened considerably, and Artemis threw himself at Sirius. Hermione started kicking Black. Artemis snatched his own wand and Ron's. He rolled Ron's wand to him on the floor. Ron clutched it, hoping that Harry would get off of Sirius so that he could hit him. Sirius let go of Harry, and Potter went back to hitting Black in the stomach.
"Get out of the way!" Harry shrieked. Hermione and Artemis pulled themselves away from the struggle Artemis was facing with Sirius. Harry had his wand, and Hermione managed to grab her own. Harry pointed it threateningly at Sirius, who was still on the ground. Black's chest rose and fell as he panted for breath.
"Going to kill me, Harry?" He asked, worried.
"You killed my parents," Harry seemed like he was forced to say the words.
"I don't deny that. But if you knew the whole story," Black hinted.
"You've got to listen to me. You'll regret it if you don't," Sirius spoke with most urgency. Artemis stepped forward with a streak of blood on his head.
"Listen to him, Harry. There's no harm in it now," Artemis pointed his wand at Black. Black nodded.
"Artemis knows more than you think. He's been holding back for a long time. Isn't that right, Arty? Padfoot, right?" Sirius grinned at Artemis. He felt sick now. He knew Black's actions were too suspicious to not be intentional. Artemis' friends gave him a searching, curious look. Harry stood there, torn between killing Black or listening. Then footsteps were heard the hall in which they came.
"We're up here! We're up here! It's Sirius Black! Come quick!" Hermione shouted. Sirius seemed panicked.
"No!" He shouted, standing up now. Professor Lupin burst in, a sight for sore eyes. Artemis smiled, as did Harry, until he shouted Expelliarmus and their wands were once again rendered helpless. They all looked shocked. Lupin grimaced at this sight and he stormed over, leaning closely by Black.
"Where is he, Sirius?" Lupin asked urgently. Sirius starred at Ron, expressionless. Artemis' heart skipped, knowing what was coming. Sirius' words rang in his head, there will be only one murder here tonight.
Sirius pointed at Ron. Something about Lupin's actions with Sirius were to friendly still. Was Lupin behind this the whole time? That didn't make sense, Artemis thought. Lupin's mind was also quite shaken, leaving his thoughts in a blur. But something in Lupin was ecstatic that Sirius was. . . Not the murderer of the Potters? What?
"But then..." Lupin muttered, staring at Black so intently it seemed he was trying to read his mind, "... why hasn't he shown himself before now? Unless-" Lupin's eyes suddenly widened, as though he was seeing something beyond Black, something none of the rest could see, "-unless he was the one . . . unless you switched . . . without telling me?" Lupin looked horrified. Artemis was too curious not to take another dip in Lupin's mind. He was afraid that Sirius switched with Peter, to keep the Potter's secret safe. Peter . . . worm tail . . . Could it be Ron's rat?
Sirius nodded to Lupin. Lupin looked so shocked, but composed at the same time. Harry gathered enough courage to speak.
"Professor, what's going on?" Harry asked loudly. Artemis rubbed his temples, hoping that Lupin would answer. But instead, Lupin lurched forward and hugged Sirius. Everyone was aghast. Sirius patted Lupin on the back.
"DON'T BELIEVE IT!" Hermione screamed. Artemis crept toward Hermione.
Lupin let go of Black and turned to her. She had raised herself off the floor and was pointing at Lupin, wild-eyed. "You-you and him!" Artemis put his hand on her arm.
"Hermione, wait," Artemis whispered to her, but she ignored him.
"Hermione, calm down-" Lupin pleaded. She shook with fear.
"I didn't tell anyone!" Hermione shrieked. "We've been covering up for you!"
"Hermione, listen to me, please'" Lupin shouted. "I can explain-"
Harry was shaking, keeping quiet. Artemis squeezed Hermione's arm.
"Please, listen to him, Hermione. You'll understand if you just listen!" Artemis said quietly, trying not to gather too much attention. Sirius peered over at Hermione, who was now crying.
"Listen to him, Hermione. You're going to have to anyway," Sirius brought up a very valid point.
"I trusted you," Harry shouted at Lupin, his voice wavering, out of
control, "and all the time you've been his friend!"
"You're wrong," said Lupin. "I haven't been Sirius's friend, but I am now- Let me explain . . ."
"NO!" Hermione screamed. "Harry, don't trust him, he's been helping Black get into the castle, he wants you dead too- he's a werewolf!"
There was a ringing silence. Everyone's eyes were now on Lupin, who looked remarkably calm, though rather pale. Artemis was now sure that Lupin would explain what was going on. It was unavoidable now.
"Not at all up to your usual standard, Hermione," he said. "Only one out
of three, I'm afraid. I have not been helping Sirius get into the castle and I certainly don't want Harry dead." An odd shiver passed over his face. "But I won't deny that I am a werewolf."
Ron made a valiant effort to get up again but fell back with a whimper of pain. Lupin made toward him, looking concerned, but Ron gasped, "Get away from me, werewolf!" Lupin recoiled, a look of sadness spread across his face. He looked back towards Hermione.
"How long have you know?" He asked, curiously. Hermione sniffled.
"Both Artemis and I figured it out. We were the only two in our class to have done the report Snape asked us to do about werewolves. I guess, after that, everything was obvious," Hermione said quietly. Lupin looked up at Artemis.
"He'll be delighted," said Lupin coolly. "He assigned that essay hoping someone would realize what my symptoms meant . . . Did you check the lunar chart and realize that I was always ill at the full moon? Or did you realize that the boggart changed into the moon when it saw me?"
"Both," Artemis answered this time. Lupin saw the distrust in all of their faces. Not having consulted Sirius first (which might've made the outcome different), Lupin tossed each of their wand back.
"There," Lupin said confidantly, sticking his own wand back into his belt. "You're armed, we're not. Now will you listen?"
"Remus," Sirius bellowed, quite concerned now.
"If you haven't been helping him," Harry started, with a furious glance at Black, "how did you know he was here?"
"The map," Lupin replied. "The Marauder's Map. I was in my office examining it-"
"You know how to work it?" Harry asked, digging at every possible ditch. Artemis knew this was his time to put forth what he knew.
"Of course he does, Harry. He wrote it," Artemis crossed his arms. Lupin and Black, both, seemed rather taken back. All of the years, it had been kept secret, they wondered if he knew more.
"What did you say, Artemis?" Lupin asked in disbelief.
"You're Moony, afraid of the moon. And Sirius Black is Padfoot, since he's a dog Animagus. Peter," Artemis continued, distracted by Sirius shuddering at Peter's name, "is Wormtail, correct? He's Ron's rat." Everyone seemed quite interested in how he knew this.
"How?" Lupin asked. Artemis dug through his hair with his hand.
"Not important right now. Tell us why you were looking for us on the map," Artemis read his mind. Lupin sighed and continued.
"Yes well, I assumed you four would be sneaking off to Hagrid's hut tonight, because of the execution. And sure enough, you all did. Luckily, the map can still see you even when you are invisible," Lupin paused. "The Invisibility Cloak, courtesy of your father."
"How did you know about that?" Harry asked. Lupin smiled sadly.
"I saw James disappear under it constantly. Ah, the adventures we had with the map and cloak. This really shouldn't take you by surprise," Lupin stopped. "Anyways, I saw another dot with you four, and thought-that can't be right. So I ignored it for the moment. And when you were by the Whomping Willow, Sirius' dot appeared and carried two of you off-"
"One of us!" Ron yelled angrily. Lupin looked at Ron.
"No, Ron. Two of you," Lupin retorted. "Peter Pettigrew was with you. And then I realized that's why Sirius was taking you to the Shrieking Shack. He was going to kill Peter."
"Peter killed the Potters. Not Black," Artemis nervously tugged on his tie. Sirius gazed at Artemis approvingly.
"Could I see the rat, Ron?" Lupin asked politely. Ron was thoroughly wigging out by now.
"What's my rat got to do with anything! He's not an Animagus! He's Scabbers!" Ron said defiantly. Harry didn't turn around to see his friend on the floor.
"Do it, Ron!" Harry yelled. Ron gingerly handed Scabbers to Lupin. Lupin held Scabbers with care. Sirius twitched, overtaken in rage.
"Twelve years of hell," Black threw himself at Lupin, grabbing at the rat. He landed on Ron, and Ron howled in pain.
"You can't just kill him now! We have to explain," Lupin held Scabbers away from Sirius' glazed over eyes and gripping hands.
"WE CAN EXPLAIN AFTER WE KILL THE BASTARD!" Sirius pushed Lupin over, and fumbled to grab Scabbers. Scabbers scurried around the mass of confusion.
"They've got a right to know everything!" Lupin panted, still trying to restrain Black. "Ron's kept him as a pet! There are parts of it even I don't understand, and Harry- you owe Harry the truth, Sirius!"
Black stopped struggling, though his hollowed eyes were still fixed on
Scabbers.
"Tell them whatever you like. But make it quick, Remus. I want to commit the murder I was imprisoned for . . ."
"You're nutters, both of you," said Ron shakily, looking round at Harry and Hermione for support. Artemis shook his head. "We did a class on Animagi. The Ministry keeps tabs on who's one and Peter's name was not on the list," Ron defended his rat.
"The Ministry does not have the names of three unregistered Animagi that attended Hogwarts. Which is exactly why Sirius has been able to walk free," Lupin said. Sirius looked away.
"In a sense," Sirius muttered. The door creaked and everyone except Lupin looked to see if there was someone there.
"This place is haunted," Ron said. Lupin shook his head.
"No it isn't. The screams that the villagers heard were from me. I used this place as refuge when I attended Hogwarts. Dumbledore told me to stay here during my transformation every month. This was before the Wolfsbane potion, of course. Now, I just drink it in the week of the full moon, and I still turn into a wolf, but I'm able to keep my mind. Some weeks it's worse than others," Lupin told the story. Sirius looked as impatient as a small child waiting for a trip to a carnival.
"Whenever I transformed, I'd tell my best friends, Sirius, James, and Peter, ridiculous stories of why I had to leave. It was difficult, lying to them. Finally, they got it out of me, being the friends they were. I was afraid that I might lose them, but instead, we got closer," Lupin looked up at Sirius, rather fondly.
"You all became Animagus for him," Artemis deducted. Lupin nodded.
"At our fifth, ignoring how dangerous it was, they accomplished it. They each could turn into the animal of their choice. Werewolves are only a danger to people," Lupin said.
"Please hurry, Remus," Sirius said with a horrid look of hunger on his face.
"All this year, I have been battling with myself, wondering whether I should
tell Dumbledore that Sirius was an Animagus. But I didn't do it. Why? Because I was too cowardly. It would have meant admitting that I'd betrayed his trust while I was at school, admitting that I'd led others along with me . . . and Dumbledore's trust has meant everything to me. He let me into Hogwarts as a boy, and he gave me a job when I have been shunned all my adult life, unable to find paid work because of what I am. And so I convinced myself that Sirius was getting into the school using dark arts he learned from Voldemort, that being an Animagus had
nothing to do with it . . . so, in a way, Snape's been right about me all along."
"Snape?" asked Black harshly, taking his eyes off Scabbers; for the first
time in minutes and looking up at Lupin. "What's Snape got to do with it?"
"He's here, Sirius," said Lupin heavily. "He's teaching here as well." He looked up at Harry, Ron, and Hermione.
"Professor Snape was at school with us. He fought very hard against my
appointment to the Defense Against the Dark Arts job. He has been telling Dumbledore A year that I am not to be trusted. He has his reasons . . . you see, Sirius here played a trick on him which nearly killed him, a trick which involved me-"
Black made a derisive noise.
"It served him right," he sneered. "Sneaking around, trying to find out what we were up to . . . hoping he could get us expelled . . ." Artemis gaped.
"Kill him? For that! Are you mad?" Artemis asked Sirius directly.
"Severus was very interested in where I went every month." Lupin told the four of them. "We were in the same year, you know, and we --er -- didn't like each other very much. He especially disliked James. Jealous, I think, of James's talent on the Quidditch field... Anyway Snape had seen me crossing the grounds with Madam Pomfrey one evening as she led me toward the Whomping Willow to transform. Sirius thought it would be -- er -- amusing, to tell Snape all he had to do was prod the knot on the tree trunk with a long stick, and he'd be able to get in
after me. Well, of course, Snape tried it -- if he'd got as far as this house, he'd have met a fully grown werewolf -- but your father, who'd heard what Sirius had done, went after Snape and pulled him back, at great risk to his life . . . Snape glimpsed me, though, at the end of the tunnel. He was forbidden by Dumbledore to tell anybody, but from that time on he knew what I was . . ." Artemis was still in utter disbelief.
"Amusing? AMUZING! Are you bloody fuckin' mad!" Artemis was in rage that Sirius was so careless. Harry held Artemis back form charging at Sirius.
"Calm down, Artemis," Lupin said nonchalantly.
"But he's my father!" Artemis blurted. Sirius was the only person who looked thoroughly shocked. Sirius gave a short, nervous laugh. It gradually got louder, until a loud booming laugh was the only thing left.
"What other lies does that man feed you? A better question, why do you believe him?" Sirius asked, as if he knew something. Artemis felt insulted by this.
"What would you know?" Artemis spat.
Snape ripped the cloak off of him, revealing his draping black clothes, a wand pointing at Sirius. Hermione screamed, and Black hid stood closely behind Lupin.
Snape and Lupin went back and forth, exchanging words of nothingness. Artemis held his head, wondering what was the truth. Lupin pleaded with Snap, not to do anything he'd regret. Snape was acting rather triumphant about it. He wrapped cords around Lupin, to keep him still. Everyone at once, started shouting and panicking, begging Snape to listen.
"Father! Stop it!" Artemis shouted. Everything stopped.
"Artemis," Hermione whimpered. Sirius scoffed.
"He's not your father, Artemis," Sirius said calmly. Snape shook with rage.
"Quiet! I'm sure the dementors will have a kiss for you yet," Snape smirked. Harry's knees buckled. Sirius did not speak, instead, he gave Artemis a most sympathetic look. Artemis found himself unable to pull away from Sirius' gaze.
"What's he talking about, father?" Artemis asked. Snape ignored Artemis. Instead he ordered them all to come back to Hogwarts. Harry made large strides to the door and stood in Snape's way.
"Professor Lupin could've killed me a million times this year! I've been getting private lessons on how to fight dementors! If he was helping Black, why wouldn't he have done it by now!" Harry protested.
"Don't ask me to fathom the way a werewolf's mind works," hissed Snape.
"Get out of the way, Potter!"
"YOU'RE PATHETIC!" Harry yelled. "JUST BECAUSE THEY MADE A FOOL OF YOU AT SCHOOL YOU WON'T EVEN LISTEN-"
"SILENCE! I WILL NOT BE SPOKEN TO LIKE THAT!" Snape shrieked, looking
madder than ever. "Like father, like son, Potter! I have just saved your neck; you should be thanking me on bended knee! You would have been well served if he'd killed you! You'd have died like your father, too arrogant to believe you might be mistaken in Black- now get out of the way, or I will make you. GET OUT OF THE WAY, POTTER!"
Harry made up his mind in a split second. Before Snape could take even one step toward him, he had raised his wand.
"Expelliarmus!" he yelled- except that his wasn't the only voice that
shouted. There was a blast that made the door rattle on its hinges; Snape was lifted off his feet and slammed into the wall, then slid down it to the floor, a trickle of blood oozing from under his hair. He had been knocked out. Sirius grinned like a loon. Artemis hurried to Snape's side, holding his head up.
"You might not want to touch him, Artemis. He's not really your father," Sirius spoke. Artemis fought back tears.
"Why should I listen to you!" He screamed. Sirius ignored Artemis for the moment.
"You shouldn't have done that," Sirius said. Harry seemed embarrassed. "You should've left him to me."
"We attacked the teacher . . . . We attacked the teacher," Hermione whimpered. Artemis wiped a tear away from his face. Blood trickled down Snape's face. This had been Artemis' greatest fear; his father's death. Artemis could no longer think rationally, he was sure Snape would die. Black untied Lupin and Lupin dusted himself off.
"Well, time for proof," Lupin spoke wisely and grabbed Scabbers from Ron. Sirius pulled out a newspaper clipping of the Weasley family in Egypt.
"How did you get this?" Ron asked. Sirius shrugged.
"Fudge visited me in Azkaban. He gave me a paper to read, and there he was. Peter, sitting on your shoulder. It said, this boy, you, were going back to Hogwarts, where Harry was. . . Where," Sirius stopped. Lupin pointed at the rat in the moving picture.
"My God," Lupin breathed, "His front paw." Black nodded.
"What about it?" Ron asked defiantly.
"The only part of Peter that the Ministry found was his finger. He cut it off himself," Lupin said, amazed himself.
"He faked his death once, why not go for another try? It was easy, since. . . Crookshanks, is what you call him, could have easily killed him. It was the perfect escape," Sirius spoke softly.
"And now you've come to finish him off!" Harry yelled.
"Yes, I have," said Black, with an evil look at Scabbers.
"Then I should've let Snape take you!" Harry shouted.
"Harry," said Lupin hurriedly, "don't you see? All this time we've thought Sirius betrayed your parents, and Peter tracked him down but, it was the other way around, don't you see? Peter betrayed your mother and father. Sirius tracked Peter down-"
"THAT'S NOT TRUE!" Harry yelled. "HE WAS THEIR SECRET-KEEPER! HE SAID SO BEFORE YOU TURNED UP. HE SAID HE KILLED THEM!"
He was pointing at Black, who shook his head slowly; the sunken eyes were suddenly over bright.
"Harry . . . I as good as killed them," he croaked. "I persuaded Lily and James to change to Peter at the last moment, persuaded them to use him as Secret-Keeper instead of me . . . I'm to blame, I know it . . . The night they died, I'd arranged to check on Peter, make sure he was still safe, but when I arrived at his hiding place, he'd gone. Yet there was no sign of a struggle. It didn't feel right. I was scared. I set out for your parents' house straight away. And when I saw their house, destroyed, and their bodies . . . I realized what Peter must've done . . . what I'd done . . ."
His voice broke. He turned away. Artemis unwillingly entered Sirius' mind, and saw what Sirius had seen that night. It was horrible, the emotion Sirius had for Lily and James. They both starred up into the sky, a look of horror on both of their faces. Sirius had lost his mind, right then and there. He ripped through the rubble, screaming Peter's name.
"Enough of this," said Lupin, and there was a steely note in his voice Harry had never heard before. "There's one certain way to prove what really happened. Ron, give me that rat."
"What are you going to do with him if I give him to you?" Ron asked Lupin tensely.
"Force him to show himself," said Lupin. "If he really is a rat, it won't hurt him."
Ron hesitated. Then at long last, he held out Scabbers and Lupin took him. Scabbers began to squeak without stopping, twisting and turning, his tiny black eyes bulging in his head. "Ready, Sirius?" said Lupin.
Black had walked over to Snape's body and snatched the wand from Snape's hand. Artemis felt a sudden urge of hate for Sirius. He stood up and pushed the man away.
"Don't come near my father! You're a monster!" Artemis shouted. Sirius sighed.
"I'll explain to you later. But for now, this needs to be taken care of," Sirius spoke with a sudden urgency and authority, as if Sirius could control Artemis. Sirius turned around and approached Lupin and the struggling rat, and his wet eyes suddenly seemed to be burning in his face.
"Together?" Sirius said quietly.
"I think so," Lupin replied, holding Scabbers tightly in one hand and his wand in the other. "On the count of three. One -- two -- THREE!"
A flash of blue-white light erupted from both wands; for a moment, Scabbers was frozen in midair, his small gray form twisting madly -- Ron yelled -- the rat fell and hit the floor. There was another blinding flash of light and then --
Artemis watched curiously, as he found that the rat was turning into a man, little by little. The man scurried away, but not before Lupin and Black tackled him. Ron was in utter shock.
"Well, hello Peter. Long time no see," Lupin said mockingly pleasant. "We've been talking about the night Lily and James died. You might've missed the finer points in all of your squeaking and flailing."
Sirius grabbed Peter's neck.
"Remus, you don't believe him, do you? He tried to kill me!" Peter squealed. "I knew he would escape Azkaban to come after me! You've got to believe me!"
"Why did you think that? No one had ever escaped Azkaban before," Lupin asked.
"He's got dark magic, magic we can only dream of. He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named helped him!" Peter said accusingly. Sirius scoffed.
"Voldemort, teach me tricks!" Sirius laughed. Peter shivered. "Scared to hear your old master's name? I would be too if all of them weren't out to kill you."
Sirius tightened his grip on Peter's neck.
"Remus, stop him," Peter gagged.
"Sirius," Lupin chimed.
Artemis cried over his fallen father in the corner of the room. Hermione kept asking Sirius questions, Artemis didn't really care about it anymore. Sirius was obviously reckless and evil, no matter what his intentions were with Harry. Peter was obviously guilty, and Artemis knew this. Hermione just wanted the facts right. Artemis grabbed his father's hand and squeezed.
Pettigrew had fallen to his knees as though Harry's nod had been his own
death sentence. He shuffled forward on his knees, groveling, his hands clasped in front of him as though praying.
"Sirius- it's me . . . it's Peter . . . your friend . . . you wouldn't-"
Black kicked out and Pettigrew recoiled.
"There's enough filth on my robes without you touching them!" Black spat.
"Remus!" Pettigrew squeaked, turning to Lupin instead, writhing imploringly in front of him. "You don't believe this wouldn't Sirius have told you they'd changed the plan?"
"Not if he thought I was the spy, Peter," said Lupin. "I assume that's why you didn't tell me, Sirius?" he said casually over Pettigrews head.
"Forgive me, Remus," said Black.
"Not at all, Padfoot, old friend," said Lupin, who was now rolling up his sleeves. "And will you, in turn, forgive me for believing you were the spy?"
"Of course," said Black, and the ghost of a grin flitted across his gaunt face. He, too, began rolling up his sleeves. "Shall we kill him together?"
"Yes, I think so," said Lupin conclusively. Sirius and Lupin stood shoulder to shoulder, wand pointing at Peter.
"You should've realized, if Voldemort didn't kill you, we would've," Sirius spoke tonelessly.
"NO! You can't kill him!" Harry shouted. Artemis jerked up, wondering why, Harry of all people, as protesting this. "My father would not have wanted his two best friends to become murderers. Azkaban . . . That's the place for Peter."
Sirius and Lupin both lowered their wands simultaneously.
"Fine then. Back to Hogwarts," Sirius said with resentment for the fact that he was not going to kill Peter.
"What about Snape?" Hermione asked. She looked over at Artemis, who seemed rather torn at the moment.
"We'll bring him with, obviously. Morbilicorpus," Sirius flicked his wand at Snape, and Artemis' attention was brought to Snape floating in the air. He stood up and walked over to Hermione.
Artemis jogged to keep up with the group's hurried pace. Everyone, including Ron, were almost running. Artemis didn't like how careless Sirius was with handling Snape.
"You know what this means? Turning Pettigrew in?" Sirius asked Harry quietly.
"You're free," Harry answered.
"Well, yes. That. But I'm also- I don't know if anyone told you this- I'm your godfather," Sirius smiled. Harry nodded.
"Yeah, I knew that," Harry said hopefully.
"Well, your parents appointed me guardian. If anything were to happen to them," Sirius paused. Artemis could tell Harry knew what was coming next.
"I'll understand, of course, if you want to stay with your aunt and uncle," Black started, "But . . . Well . . . think about it. Once my name's cleared . . . if you wanted a . . . a different home . . ."
Artemis didn't even try to know what Harry was thinking. The aura of happiness in Harry could be felt by everyone.
"What -- live with you?" he said, accidentally cracking his head on a bit of rock protruding from the ceiling. "Leave the Dursleys?"
"Of course, I thought you wouldn't want to," said Black quickly. "I understand, I just thought I'd-"
"Are you insane?" Harry asked with delight. "Of course I want to leave the Dursleys! Have you got a house? When can I move in?"
For the moment, Artemis smiled at the two of them. He wished he had such a father, but Harry was much deserving now. He had never met his parents before. Artemis shivered. There was a horrid silence after that, and awkward silence. Even though Sirius and Harry walked directly in front of Artemis, Black seemed to be slowing down, to walk next to Artemis. He felt comfortable about this, but Black continued to slow down until he was closely next to Artemis. He said nothing to Black, knowing what was coming next.
"Don't you want me to tell you why I know Snape isn't your father?" Sirius teased. Artemis didn't look at him.
"I don't need your insight," Artemis snapped. Sirius seemed a little taken off guard.
"I'm sure you wouldn't want to go running around, claiming that Snape is your father if you didn't have to," Sirius laughed. Artemis blanched. This was true, of course. Snape had not been a fair man, even though Artemis was sure he was his father.
"I really don't understand where you are going with this," Artemis lied. He didn't want to know what was coming. Sirius sighed.
"Ever wonder why your only memory of your father is one of the candy store in Hogsmead?" Sirius asked. Artemis' eyes widened.
"How did you know that!" Artemis asked quickly.
"I had to fabricate that memory. You've never seen your real father ever before in your life, only in that picture your mother has. Your father was no where near the Bay of Kola when he disappeared. That was a story I created. How do you think it would've sounded if Artemis Fowl Senior had been taken away to a wizard prison?" Sirius asked. Artemis shivered.
"You're my father," Artemis breathed. Sirius nodded.
"I'm sorry Artemis. I needed to deceive you and your mother. If Voldemort were to find the both of you, I'd have killed myself," Sirius stopped walking. Artemis was too stunned to move. Lupin stopped.
"Would you like us to continue?" Lupin asked. Sirius nodded at him. The group went off ahead. Sirius and Artemis starred at each other for a long time.
"I saw you at Honeydukes during one of Hogwarts' Hogsmead trips. I had never seen you in the flesh. I . . . Couldn't believe it. You were so much like me. It was impossible. I figured you'd eventually make it into Hogwarts. I had no idea you possessed any magical talent. I was actually hoping that you wouldn't have," Sirius looked ashamed of himself.
"Yeah . . . Well," Artemis did not tell him about the fairies and their magical aid. "I've kept up your empire while you were away," was all Artemis could muster. Artemis Senior looked down at him, and put his hand on Artemis' shoulder.
"Artemis, there was no empire. I stole the Fowl name from research I had been doing before James and Lily died, in case I had to run from Voldemort. There was a real Artemis Fowl, who was a real descendant from Lord Hugo De Fole, and of course you know him. I stole his name! My real name is Sirius Black," Sirius admitted. Artemis felt like his insides had shriveled up inside of him.
"I'm not really a Fowl?" Artemis asked, quite proud of his lineage. Sirius shook his head.
"No, but you're still Artemis. You have to understand, I did it for our safety! I did not run away from you!" Sirius was near tears.
"Why does Snape think he's my father?" Artemis was near yelling, crossing his eye brows. Sirius looked to his side in the darkness. Lupin had taken Snape with the group. Black swallowed hard.
"After your mother and I were married, shortly after, I went to Azkaban. She went to Hogwarts to speak with Dumbledore about what had happened, and that's where . . . Snape and her met," Sirius' voice trailed away. Artemis had a look of horror in his face.
"So he could be my father!" Artemis yelled. Sirius shook his head.
"No. Before Angeline went to see Dumbledore, she came to visit me. She told me that she was pregnant. Trust me, I'm your father," Sirius shook Artemis gently. Artemis bit his lip.
"Why did she . . . Have an affair with that . . .," Artemis stopped. Sirius shook his head.
"You cannot blame her! She thought she was never going to see me again! She was quite frail then, as she is now!" Sirius defended her.
"Why hasn't she told me about any of this!" Artemis asked viciously. Sirius pulled Artemis to him, embracing him much more strongly than Snape had. Artemis let a few tears past him.
"She is clearly trying to suppress what happened. But, Butler knows the truth. I asked him not to tell you. He thinks that Angeline also doesn't know about what happened to me," Sirius let go of him. "Angeline can't handle what happened. So I put a spell on the two of you. Every year, I make sure you think I disappeared a year ago, enough reason to think that I'm dead, enough hope to think I'm not," Sirius smiled sadly.
"How could you lie to me? How could you fool our family for so long?" Artemis let a tear seep through and trickle down his face, starring his father in the eyes.
"There was no other way. I had to serve my sentence. You have no idea how I've longed to hold you and your mother . . . Every day I was torn apart by the . . . Need for revenge! I served 12 years in that damn prison! It was hell, Artemis! It was hell!" Sirius grabbed Artemis' shoulders. Artemis sobbed openly now. Sirius held Artemis' arm and pulled him through the tunnel.