A Dreadfully Convenient Crossover and the Prisoner of the Arctic Incident
By a rather spastic Spectra16 (whom, for the first time, is finishing a story she is proud of)
Spectra16 gives her story two and a half thumbs up!
Critics say she needs to be admitted into the nearest medical hospital!
Roepert wonders where his money is! ("I don't critique for free, ya' know!")
"I really like your story. Someday, I intend to read it."-Anonymous reviewer
"The only part that settled with me is when Lemony flicks Rita off his desk. That part tickled me pink."-Anonymous reviewer
"This story does not capture the essence of my greatness!"-Harry Potter
"Never read this story. And never read the Series of Unfortunate Events. If I wanted you to read that, I'd have titled it, the Series of Completely Happy and Dandy Events. But I did not, so please, stop reading about the horrible lives of the Baudelaires."-Lemony Snicket
Entertainment Tonight says that in order for them to do a five second special on this story, they need approval of Paris Hilton (which they did not get, considering Miss Hilton cannot read . . . Or write).
Ted Nugent announced today that he will not be taking anymore requests from hippies.
Artemis sent several letters, concerning the fact that his father was ALMOST Snape. Artemis also added that he threw up when he read this.
Hermione also sent several hate letters, expressing her true feelings for Artemis. Thus, the Hermione/Artemis essence stops in this chapter. I never intended for their relationship to be so sarcasm racy.
This chapter included a small kitten hit by a cast iron bathtub.
My friend, Tierra, would like everyone to know that Church from Red vs. Blue should make a cameo appearance to express his feeling about how Hermione and Harry try to fuck everything over with their little time changing twanger.
Spectra16, sends her deepest regrets to you all because Lemony did not appear in this story half as much as she would've hoped. But the next Convenient Crossover, he will be making a lot of hoopla, considering Rita gets her major appearance and toys with the lives of human beings.
Also, I'd like you all to know that this is the last official chapter. There will be an epilogue and an "Erased Scenes" (somewhat similar to Deleted Scenes on DVDs) and a rather silly character talk back. Thank you for reading this far. I love you all dearly.
Spectra16
-.-.-.-.-.-.-
Chapter Eight: The End of Life Before S.P.E.W., the End of the Suspicions of LEP, and the Ongoing, Yet Perishing Tales of the VFD
Once Sirius and Artemis caught up to the group, they were already outside of the Whomping Willow. The branches were still and peaceful, which was quite the contrast to before they had touched the knot. The lights of Hogwarts were lit brightly, and the sun was completely gone. Remus wheezed.
"Remus," Sirius ran to Lupin's side, helping him up. The darkness flooded away as a cloud drifted away from the moon's light. Artemis was the second to notice this, for Sirius had gotten to it before. The light crept across the ground where he stood, panicking now. Lupin was now shaking, Sirius keeping him stable.
"Oh no, he didn't take his potion tonight. He's not safe," Hermione spoke clearly. Artemis watched Lupin shake. Sirius clasped onto his face.
"Remus, listen to me! We're your friends! Don't!" Sirius yelled at him. "Run. Run now!"
Harry didn't need to be told twice. Hermione and Artemis hurried after him carrying Ron up the hill, away from Lupin and Sirius. Lupin started transforming into the wolf, he became taller, and still stood on two feet. But he was overcome with hair now, and snarling at Black. Sirius tried to keep his cool now.
"Dad!" Artemis yelled.
"Leave it to me!" Sirius put his hands in front of Lupin's gleaming eyes. Lupin sprung at Sirius, knocking him to the ground and biting him in the chest. Sirius immediately transfigured into a black dog and fought back. Sirius seemed too small compared to Lupin, but he was still holding on.
The group was distracted by this, and Artemis was first to realized that Peter had transformed into a rat again. Artemis dove after him, and did Harry. They stumbled after the man who was guilty for killing Harry's parents.
"Sirius! He's gone! Pettigrew transformed!" Harry shouted nervously. Artemis stumbled to try to find the tiny rat.
"Dammit," Artemis howled and resorted to slapping his hands down to knock the rat unconscious. Harry stood up and ran a few steps toward where Lupin and Sirius were fighting. Black was clearly bleeding now, too busy with his duel with Lupin. Lupin pushed Black down the hill and followed after his falling body. Artemis winced as he watched them.
"We should get out of here. Bring Snape back to the castle," Harry said. Hermione and Artemis helped Ron up, whom was looking quite dazed. Then there was a howl of pain, from Sirius.
"Sirius," Harry hurried towards the howl, leaving Snape dangling in midair. Hermione and Artemis followed.
"What about Ron?" Hermione asked.
"Leave him for the moment," Harry starred over the hill. Sirius kept yelping, and Harry guessed that he must be somewhere by the lake. Artemis ran past the brush that cut his clothes and face. Hermione and Harry also showed no signs of relenting. All three of them continued to run, and then felt a sudden urge of coldness. Artemis knew there was dementors coming up, and he looked at Harry, who also seemed rather frightened.
"Harry," Artemis said his name, as if to warn him.
"I know," Harry replied. Artemis grimaced. The yelping stopped and Artemis' heart dropped. He can't be dead. Not after I just met him.
Harry, Hermione, and Artemis stepped out into the clearing, where there was a rather clear looking lake. There was Sirius, in his human form, moaning on the ground, his arms above his head.
"Please . . . No," Sirius begged.
"Sirius . . . Black," Artemis heard the same voice he had heard before. The dementor voice. He looked up, and there were hundreds of them, circling the air above the lake. Harry pulled out his wand, shuddering. Hermione feel to her knees in a great depression. Artemis, was feeling something entirely different.
That's why they had come to me . . . They knew I was born of Sirius. They thought I was Sirius. . .
Artemis was in a daze. A dementor floated down in front of him, and hypnotized him.
"Sirius Black," The dementor addressed Artemis. Sirius held out his hand to Artemis.
"NO! Stop!" Sirius screamed. Artemis had not heard him. The dementor was busy feeding on Artemis' mixed emotions. Artemis felt himself losing control of his thoughts.
"STOP! I'm Sirius Black!" Sirius screamed desperately. Artemis didn't move. There was no more happiness left in Artemis. He felt backwards, stiff as a board. Sirius screamed.
"STOP!"
The dementor kneeled over Artemis, he still starred into space, as if he understood.
"Harry, get him out of here," Artemis breathed and Harry had heard him. Harry looked up at the dementors still in the sky.
"Hermione! Think of something happy! The happiest thing!" Harry yelled.
"EXPECTO PATRONUM! Expecto Patronum! Hermione, help me!" Harry screamed. Hermione tried, but she couldn't. Harry kept screaming.
"EXPECTO PATRONUM! EXPECTO PATRONUM!" Harry shook with the reverb in his voice. Artemis closed his eyes, waiting for the kiss. Harry kept yelling this, and Artemis tried to relax as he was to die.
"EXPECTO PATRONUM!" Harry closed his eyes, and when he opened them, there was a streak of white light piercing through the darkness around them. He had done it. He preformed a patronus. Harry collapsed, watching the dementors swirl around in confusion. But it was fading, and a dementor came down to Sirius this time. Harry was heart broken. He had failed. The dementor pulled off his hood.
"Kill Sirius Black," the dementor spoke. The hood of the other dementor, Artemis' dementor, came down, and was also about to kiss him. Harry threw himself over Sirius, holding him away from the dementor. Artemis starred up at the face of the dementor. They were no eyes in the sockets, just a horrid mouth. Behind the dementor was the circling dementors. The sky was clear and fleeting. He closed his eyes, but a bright light reflected on his vision. Artemis opened his eyes, finding that the dementors were flying away now. Artemis felt much warmer, much safer. He sat up, seeing Hermione in a heap on the ground, Harry covering Sirius. Sirius breathed heavily.
Harry looked up across the lake. Artemis looked at whatever Harry was starring at. It was a shining light, perhaps where the patronus came from. Artemis squinted to see it, but his eyes were just starting to adjust. He saw someone across the lake, but he disappeared with the light. Artemis was brought back to reality, seeing that Harry had collapsed on top of Sirius. They all were unconscious, with the exception of Artemis. Artemis wiped his eyes and accessed the situation.
"Artemis!" A voice pierced through the despairing silence of the lake. Artemis looked toward the voice, and Snape was coming through the brush. He had found his wand on the ground, because he was holding dangerously in hand.
"I saw the light. What was that? Was it a patronus?" Snape grilled Artemis with questions.
"I guess," Artemis said, dazed. Snape flicked his wand, carrying Harry and Sirius lifelessly.
"Help me with Granger, Artemis," Snape said, as if he still thought that he was Artemis' father. Artemis did help Hermione up the hill in the same fashion that Sirius and Harry were in. Snape ignored the cut on his head for the moment. The walk up the hill was quiet.
"I'm sure Black gave you a completely bullshit story of who's your real father," Snape blurted out. Artemis was shocked, but was obviously not going to pass this up.
"What?" Artemis asked curiously, now able to keep his mind closed from Snape.
"Nothing. He's always been a rather egocentric person. I guess he had too much on his mind, like escaping, to keep him from causing more trouble with me," Snape mumbled. Artemis ignored it and smiled when Snape wasn't looking.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-
Artemis sat in Dumbledore's office, looking rather discomforted. Snape had forced him to hand his own father over to the dementors. Artemis felt nervous and sick. Dumbledore starred at him.
"Artemis, tell me what happened," Dumbledore sat across from him in a nice Victorian looking chair. Artemis folded his hands.
"Well, Hermione, Harry, Ron and I all went to see Hagrid, to check on him. He's not been doing well, as I'm sure you know. You, Fudge, and the executioner showed up, we ran off. And then . . . He attacked us," Artemis was stopped by Dumbledore.
"He? Sirius?" Dumbledore asked.
"Yes. But. . . He was a dog. A black dog. He pulled Ron into the Whomping Willow. We followed after him, and we ended up in the Shrieking Shack. Sirius kept us there, telling us he was going to kill someone. He wanted to kill Peter, but we thought Peter was dead. Lupin arrived a little later than we did, and we thought Lupin had been helping Sirius. He hadn't, but he was now helping him. Ron's rat, Scabbers, he's Peter. And just as they had explained everything that happened in the past, with the death of the Potters, Snape showed up and wouldn't listen to the story. He kept accusing him . . . Sirius," Artemis bit his lip.
"Your father," Dumbledore seemed to know that Artemis had been told. Artemis looked at him, rather shocked, but he continued.
"We attacked Snape, to hear the rest of the story. They told us, and we left to take Snape up to Hogwarts and get everything straightened out. But then Lupin transformed . . . Into a werewolf. Black fought with him, and it brought us to the lake, where the dementors were. I don't know where Lupin ran off to. But, someone conjured a patronus, and we were all safe. Everyone blanked out, except me, and Snape showed up. And now we're here," Artemis said stoically. Dumbledore looked like he was in deep thought. He nodded. He stood up, straightening his robes out of habit.
"Follow me," He said, and Artemis did not hesitate to.
-.-.-.-.-.-
Artemis recognized where Dumbledore was bringing him. It was the hospital wing. Snape and Fudge were just leaving as Dumbledore and Artemis came in. As soon as Harry saw Dumbledore, he started trying to explain what had happened. Pomfrey was quick to hush him, but Dumbledore asked her to leave. She did quietly. Artemis looked at Hermione.
"Professor, Black's telling the truth! We saw Pettigrew! He escaped when Professor Lupin turned into a werewolf!"
"-- he's a rat --"
"-- Pettigrew's front paw, I mean, finger, he cut it off --"
"-- Pettigrew attacked Ron, it wasn't Sirius --"
But Dumbledore held up his hand to stop the flood of explanations. Artemis sighed.
"It is your turn to listen, and I beg you will not interrupt me, because there is very little time," he said quietly. "There is not a shred of proof to support Black's story, except your word -- and the word of three thirteen-year-old wizards will not convince anybody. A street full of eyewitnesses swore they saw Sirius murder Pettigrew. I myself gave evidence to the Ministry that Sirius had been the Potters'
Secret-Keeper."
Harry and Hermione remained very quiet.
"But you do believe us?" Hermione asked. Dumbledore nodded.
"Yes, but we won't be able to convince anyone of your story. What we need. . . Is more time," Dumbledore eyes gleamed and his head turned to Hermione.
"But-oh!" Hermione smiled.
"Now, pay attention," Dumbledore bellowed. "Sirius is locked in Professor Flitwick's office on the seventh floor. Thirteenth window from the right of the West Tower. If all goes well, you will be able to save more than one innocent life tonight. But remember this, both of you: you must not be seen. Miss Granger, you know the law -- you know what is at stake... You -- must -- not -- be --seen."
Dumbledore went to the door with a key in hand. Artemis, sitting on Harry's bed, was wondering if he was supposed to remain here.
"I am going to lock you in. It is --" he consulted his watch, "five minutes to midnight. Miss Granger, three turns should do it. Good luck."
"Hermione, what's he talking about?" Harry asked, as Dumbledore shut the door. Hermione pulled out a small trinket on a golden chain. Artemis watched it carefully. Aurum Est Potestas . . . What a lie that had been.
"Harry, Artemis, come here quick!" She hissed. Harry and Artemis leapt to their feet, and she rallied them closer to her. There was a tiny hourglass on the end. She threw the loop over Harry and Artemis' head as well as her own.
"Ready?" She asked.
"For what?" Harry asked, sickly. She threw the hourglass back three times. Artemis watched what seemed to be a flash of light and time reverse. The sun came back and seemed to be setting in the east, and people scurried through the hospital wing. In a few moments, everything returned to normal. The sun was still in the sky, but just setting.
"Woah," Artemis whispered. Hermione hurried out of the hospital wing, Harry and Artemis following her in amazement.
"We mustn't let our real counterparts see us," Hermione hissed as they ran out of the door to Hagrid's.
"Where did you get that hourglass thing?" Harry asked. Hermione whipped her head around to look at him.
"It's called a Time-Turner," Hermione whispered, "and I got it from Professor McGonagall on our first day back. I've been using it all year to get to all my lessons. Professor McGonagall made me swear I wouldn't tell anyone. She had to write all sorts of letters to the Ministry of Magic so I could have one. She had to tell them that I was a model student, and that I'd never, ever use it for anything except my studies . . . I've been turning it back so I could do hours over again, that's how I've been doing several lessons at once, see? But . . . What did Dumbledore mean? How is going back three hours going to help Sirius?" Hermione asked. Harry sat in thought, but Artemis knew right away.
"Dumbledore said we could save more than one innocent life. He . . . He wants us to save Buckbeak," Artemis smiled at the thought. Hermione, Harry, and Artemis hid behind a pillar of the gardens, starring down at Hagrid's hut, down a steep valley. Buckbeak was still tied up in the pumpkin patch.
"But, how will saving Buckbeak help us to save Sirius?" Hermione asked. Harry spoke up.
"He told us that Sirius was being held in Flitwick's office. We could use Buckbeak to fly up to his office. And then Buckbeak and Sirius could fly off together!" Harry said with excitement. Hermione hushed him.
"If we manage that without being seen, it'll be a miracle," She watched carefully to see Hagrid open the door to an unseen force. He did, and waited for them to step inside. Harry lurched forward to climb down to the pumpkin patch, but Artemis stopped him.
"No! Not yet! That was the first round. You're coming back to get me, remember?" Artemis assured him. Harry nodded. Hagrid opened the door again, and they assumed Harry had left.
"We should run for the forest. No one will see us there," Artemis suggested. Hermione nodded.
"Now," She said and darted off. Harry and Artemis followed closely behind her and hit the front patch of trees. They stalked the hut, watching it closely as they walked through the brush. Hagrid had opened a window to look out at Buckbeak, and just in the trees below Hagrid's giant pumpkin, Harry, Hermione, and Artemis sat. Finally, Harry and Artemis arrived at the house, and they talked with the others for a while. Artemis watched himself in the window.
"Is that really how I look?" Artemis blanched. Harry snickered. A piece of glass shattering was heard from the cabin.
"Peter," Artemis whispered. Dumbledore, Fudge, and the executioner rapped on Hagrid's hut door. Artemis saw Ron, Hermione, Harry, and himself leave quickly and run off.
"Now's our chance," Hermione said and hurried out of the brush. Harry and Artemis came closer to Buckbeak. Artemis was wary of the window that was still open.
"Hurry, Harry! Or they might see!" He hissed. Harry took quieted steps towards Buckbeak. Buckbeak starred at him with utmost respect. Harry bowed nervously, and Buckbeak returned the favor.
"Come on, Buckbeak. We're going to help you. Quietly now," Harry approached Buckbeak, who was quite nonchalant about the situation. Harry snatched the rope Buckbeak was attached to. Harry tugged on the rope conservatively, and Buckbeak seemed quite irritate by it. Harry managed to pull him toward the wooded area. Hermione and Artemis backed up, now that Buckbeak was quite agitated. Buckbeak showed quite the menacing look at Artemis. Artemis bowed respectfully, and Buckbeak stopped acting so hostile.
"We'll have to hide in the forest until we get back from the Shrieking Shack. We should probably hide over there so that we'll know what's going on," Hermione suggested. Artemis nodded.
"Let's go," Harry tugged Buckbeak around.
Hermione, Harry, and Artemis hid behind a clump of bushes, watching their whereabouts from a different angle. They watched Sirius plow over Harry, and all of them winced at this.
"Ouch. It looks worse from this angle," Harry commented. He watched Sirius tug Ron into the Whomping Willow.
"This is too weird," Artemis spoke, watching himself get slapped by the tree. Buckbeak pawed at his face. After Sirius had finally gotten Ron down into the tree, and Harry, Artemis, and Harry followed, the current Harry spoke up.
"Here comes Lupin!" Harry whispered. Artemis watched him walk through the Whomping Willow sympathetically.
"We never did find out what happened to him after we left," Artemis stated.
"I hope he's alright," Harry said. Buckbeak snorted. Harry hushed him slightly. "I wish he had grabbed the cloak. It's just laying there. . ." Harry said with a little lust in his eyes.
"If I could just run out and grab it," He said hintingly. He walked out towards plain view, and Hermione snatched him away.
"Are you crazy! We CANNOT be seen!" Hermione hissed, just as they heard a deep voice burst out into song. They looked simultaneously and found Hagrid in a drunken, happy mood, walking towards the castle.
"See what would've happened? We must stay out of view! Buckbeak, stop it!" Hermione batted Buckbeak away, whom was trying to get hold of Hagrid's attention. Harry calmed him down, and Artemis sat, leaning up against a tree quite impatiently. Only a few minutes later, Snape revealed himself, storming his way into the Whomping Willow, snatching up the cloak on his way. Harry muttered something, but Artemis couldn't hear him. He was busy muttering as well.
This was the last part they'd have to wait for until they came up from the Shrieking Shack, which would bring on all of hell. Artemis, Hermione, and Harry sat in utter silence for the most part, until Hermione asked a very appropriate question.
"Harry, there's something I don't understand. Why didn't the dementors get Sirius? I remember them coming, and then I think I passed out. There were so many of them . . ." Hermione drifted off.
"Well, what I am sure of was that the dementor came down . . . To kiss Sirius and that I was attempting a patronus. There was so much confusion, so much nervousness that I'm not quite sure what I saw there. I think . . . I might have conjured the patronus," Harry said, quite disbelieving of his statement.
"Or . . . Maybe I imagined it. I saw . . . A man there. I think it was a man. He must've conjured it. I know I saw him," Harry stated. Artemis looked at him intently. He had been to focused on starring into the face of a dementor to see a man that might've conjured the patronus.
"I think it was my dad," Harry whispered. Hermione titled her head.
"Harry, your father is dead. Maybe it was his ghost," She said quietly.
"Maybe I was seeing things," Harry replied quickly. Artemis could tell that Harry was quite positive of what he saw. Either that or he was building up such a hope that it was his father. There was a short silence.
"Artemis, what did Sirius mean when he said you knew more than you led on?" Hermione asked. Artemis scratched his neck.
"I had my suspicions about Padfoot, Prongs, Moony, and Wormtail being who they were. I first guessed that Moony was Lupin. And Wormtail and Padfoot sort of just . . . Came to me. All of the names reflect what they turn into. Apparently Harry's father has something to do with prongs," Artemis said and Hermione nodded.
"Why didn't you say anything?" She asked, not sounding angry, as Artemis had expected.
"I wasn't positive. I was worried that I was just being paranoid. In a way, I was. I also saw Sirius on the night that Ron saw him. I was running around with the cloak and map when I spotted a black dog. I had no idea that it really was Sirius Black, even the map identified him as that. I just thought someone had named their dog Sirius Black," Artemis said stupidly. Hermione and Harry laughed a little. Artemis chuckled under his breath. A soft wind rustled through Artemis' hair, the first sign of the evening cool. Hermione jerked up.
"Here we come," She whispered, and Harry and Artemis stood up with her. The moon was starting to creep out of the cloud, which made the three of them quite nervous.
"Harry, there's nothing we can do. We must remain here," Hermione reminded him. Harry was not thrilled about this idea.
"Hermione! We've got to move!" Harry hissed.
"What did I just tell you!" Hermione reprimanded. Artemis tapped her on the shoulder.
"No. We have to move! Lupin is going to come right at us," Artemis pulled Hermione over to start her running. Harry was not left far behind. Buckbeak finally stopped fighting Harry, sensing the danger of being in the path of a werewolf.
"We need to get Buckbeak somewhere. We can't keep dragging him about everywhere!" Hermione looked around at Harry, still running towards Hagrid's cabin. Harry also saw the hut.
"Take him to Hagrid's! Artemis and I will watch the happenings! We'll come back to get you!" Harry said. Hermione nodded and gave Artemis a curious look.
"Can you handle him?" Artemis asked. Hermione nodded nervously. Harry helped Buckbeak into the cabin and shut the door with Hermione inside.
"Let's go help Sirius," Harry said determinedly. There was a hollow howl at the moon, courtesy of Lupin. The sound chilled Artemis to the bone, for it had been more powerful, more threatening now than in the movies. Artemis gulped as he struggled to continue running with Harry.
"Hurry, Artemis! I want to see who it is!" Harry kept running until he arrived at the lake. Artemis looked up into the tiny peek holes in the trees, seeing dementors fly above in the sky, meeting at the lake. Harry and Artemis hid behind a bush, watching the dementors multiply in number, circling the lake dangerously. The water of the lake was unusually calm, but the mood was not. The feeling of death hung in the air.
Sirius lay in a heap next to the water of the lake, Harry hung over him, as if trying to protect him. Artemis, terrified, laid down, waiting for the dementor's kiss. And Hermione had passed out long before. Artemis watched this terrifying moment unfold.
"Come on, dad," Harry clenched his fists together. Artemis sat there, worried. Harry, across the lake, was attempting at a patronus, but tiny sparks of silver light was the result. Harry pounded his fists on the soft ground.
"Where is he?" Harry asked, agitatedly. The dementors had now lowered their hoods, and Artemis felt a knot in his stomach. The situation had drastically changed when Harry threw himself over the bush and stood directly on the opposite end of the lake.
"EXPECTO PATRONUM!" Harry yelled. Artemis gasped, watching Harry, watching the sky. The same thing happened as before. Tiny sparks of silver flew in the air. "EXPECTO PATRONUM!" Harry shouted louder, hoarsely. Artemis watched the dementor that loomed over his body, wondering when this miracle could occur. Harry yelled again and again, hopelessly. Artemis stepped out from the brush and pointed his wand in the air. Harry was stunned at Artemis' actions.
"Together, Harry," Artemis spoke calmly. Harry nodded and pointed his wand at the sky again.
"EXPECTO PATRONUM!" They both yelled simultaneously. A giant blast of white energy shot up into the abyss of dementors. They scattered, and the two by Artemis and Sirius also flew off. The light dulled, revealing only stars in the sky. Artemis gasped for air, Harry was shook up.
"Did you see that?" Harry asked. Artemis gave a weak laugh.
"Who wouldn't?" Artemis asked sarcastically. Harry shook his head.
"No. That animal," Harry rested his hands on his knees. Artemis quirked an eyebrow.
"No."
"Prongs," Harry said meagerly and Artemis guessed he HAD seen his father's animagus. Artemis turned to see Hermione dragging Buckbeak.
"What did you do! You said you were only going to keep a look out!" She nearly screamed.
"I just saved our lives! Here, get behind this. I'll explain everything."
-.-.-.-.-.-
Artemis felt rather unbalanced on a hippogriff. He wanted to grip onto something other than Hermione's waist, but Harry had warned him not to grab hold of Buckbeak's feathers. Artemis felt rather uncomfortable and unsafe, but this was for Sirius. He gulped as Buckbeak pushed himself up into the air and started to flap his wings. Hermione squeaked in fear, and tightly held onto Harry.
The airborne feeling was a frightening, yet beautiful one. Artemis felt so empowered, being several hundred feet above the ground. Hermione did not bother to look down, which would've been the smarter thing to do. Artemis knew this chance wouldn't come very often, so he decided to observe the feeling in the moment.
"There he is!" Harry remembered exactly where Dumbledore had told him. Harry, the least nervous of all three, directed Buckbeak to fly towards Flitwick's office window. Buckbeak halted in front of his window, and still flapped his wings magnificently to remain airborne.
Black looked up, with his jaw hanging open at the sight. He stood closer to the window, and pressed his fingers up to it. The window was obviously locked.
"Stand back!" Hermione said, holding her wand in hand.
"Alohomora!" She yelled, and the window flung open. Sirius stepped forth.
"How? How?" He uttered.
"No time to explain. Get on!" Harry spoke quickly. Sirius obviously didn't hesitate. Sirius jumped onto Buckbeak, and Artemis helped him up. Sirius sat behind Artemis. Artemis smiled at him.
"Well, hello again," Sirius smiled back.
Buckbeak struggled to gain altitude to reach the tower, but he made it. Harry, Hermione, and Artemis were glad to get their feet on the ground (more like roof) on the West Tower. Sirius held Buckbeak with care.
"How can I ever thank-," Sirius was cut off all at once.
"GO!" Harry, Hermione, and Artemis shouted and smiled. Sirius bowed his head and wheeled Buckbeak around. He had a very fond smile on his face.
"You really are your father's son," Sirius spoke softly to Harry. Harry almost blushed. And then Sirius shot a prideful look at Artemis.
"And you, young man," Sirius smiled wider, if possible. "I'll be seeing you at home."
Artemis' heart skipped a beat, never having heard that before. His father was coming home at last. Sirius kicked off on Buckbeak and they were off in moments. The three of them watched the two escapees fly away in the distance.
-.-.-.-.-.-
Harry, Hermione, and Artemis turned the corner right as Dumbledore locked the door. He smiled once he saw them.
"So, how'd it go?" He asked positively.
"We did it! Sirius escaped on Buckbeak!" Harry quickly and enthusiastically said. Dumbledore beamed and stood there for a moment.
"I think you three have just left, it'll be safe to go back inside," He said and unlocked the door once again. They entered to the room to find a rather perplexed Ronald Weasley. His face was priceless, stunned by the situation. Madam Pomfrey came back in the room, in a horrible mood. Artemis, Harry, and Hermione smirked to themselves, and Ron was waiting for his chance to ask them what the hell had just happened. He did not get his chance then, because Snape busted in the door, Fudge following him closely.
"HE DIDN'T DISAPPARATE!" Snape roared. "YOU CAN'T APPARATE OR DISAPPARATE INSIDE THIS CASTLE! THIS -- HAS --SOMETHING -- TO -- DO -- WITH -- POTTER!"
"Severus, be reasonable. Harry has been locked up."
Fudge, Snape, and Dumbledore came striding into the ward. Dumbledore
alone looked calm. Indeed, he looked as though he was quite enjoying himself. Fudge appeared angry. But Snape was beside himself.
"OUT WITH IT, POTTER!" he bellowed. "WHAT DID YOU DO?"
Harry was had a very convincing, very stunned look on his face.
"That will do, Severus," said Dumbledore quietly. "Think about what you
are saying. This door has been locked since I left the ward ten minutes ago. Madam Pomfrey, have these students left their beds?"
"Of course not!" said Madam Pomfrey, bristling. "I would have heard them!"
"Well, there you have it, Severus," said Dumbledore calmly. "Unless you are suggesting that Harry, Hermione and Artemis are able to be in two places at once, I'm afraid I don't see any point in troubling them further."
Harry, Hermione, and Artemis all mentally laughed at the irony.
Snape panned around the room with searching eyes. He turned to Dumbledore and straightened himself.
"At times, I can't help but feel that there is some sort of sick game you all are playing behind my back," Snape whipped around and left the hospital wing.
"Fellow seems quite unbalanced," said Fudge, staring after him. "I'd watch out for him if I were you, Dumbledore."
"Oh, he's not unbalanced," said Dumbledore quietly. "He's just suffered a severe disappointment." Artemis couldn't help but laugh at this.
"He's not the only one!" puffed Fudge. "The Daily Prophet's going to have a field day! We had Black cornered and he slipped through our fingers yet again! All it needs now is for the story of that hippogriff's escape to get out, and I'll be a laughingstock!" Fudge shook his head, looking at the floor. There was a light rap on the door, and everyone's attention was drawn to it. There was a man in a light suit, holding a rather posh looking cane in hand. His dark hair was slicked back, and he had a matching fadora.
"Speaking of which, I'm from the Daily Prophet. I was informed that you had captured Sirius Black, but now that he's gone, this will serve for a most interesting story. Do you mind if I interview you two?" The man asked politely. Dumbledore smiled widely at the man.
"Of course, Mr. Snicket! Cornelius, this is the new editor for the Daily Prophet. He's absolutely revolutionary," Dumbledore shook Snicket's hand. Artemis studied the man carefully. It was George's hero, from that paper. Dumbledore patted Lemony on the shoulder and looked back at Fudge.
"And the dementors?" said Dumbledore. "They'll be removed from the school, I trust?"
"Oh yes, they'll have to go," said Fudge, running his fingers distractedly through his hair. "Never dreamed they'd attempt to administer the Kiss on an innocent boy. Completely out of control . . .no, I'll have them packed off back to Azkaban tonight . . . Perhaps we should think about dragons at the school entrance . . ." Mr. Snicket was busily taking notes on a small notepad he had pulled from his pocket. He had a ballpoint pen instead of a quill. Artemis felt like he had seen him somewhere before.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
Artemis sat outside, on the ledge of the wall, peering into the Hogwarts gardens. Friends were saying their goodbyes and exchanging gifts. He watched these people, sad to see that the school year had passed. He gripped his bags tightly, wishing this could never end. Artemis hadn't realized it, but Dumbledore stood next to him.
"So, did you find anything here that you liked?" Dumbledore asked a overly simple question. Artemis smiled at him, knowing that he was being ridiculous.
"Would it be at all possible that I could come back next year?" Artemis asked and looked at Dumbledore. Dumbledore smiled at him.
"How could I say no?" He asked warmly and walked off, as if he knew Artemis was wondering this very question. A few moments later, Ron, Hermione, and Harry ran to him, laughing.
"Hey Arty!" Hermione pinched him. Artemis got down from his seat.
"Don't call me that," Artemis retorted. She laughed.
"Are you going to write me this summer?" She asked, seriously. Artemis rolled his eyes.
"No, I'm going to forget about you for the rest of my life," He said sarcastically. She punched him lightly in the shoulder and then threw her arms around him. Ron snickered.
"Hermione loves Artemis!" He muttered loudly. Hermione pulled away and chased after Ron. Harry looked at Artemis.
"If it wouldn't be too much trouble, could I visit Sirius this summer?" Harry asked. Artemis was shocked by the question.
"Of course you can! Just owl me when you want to. I'll fly you out, no cost to you," Artemis smiled. Harry held out his hand. Artemis shook his hand. Ron ran into Harry lightly.
"Hey Harry, it's the Quidditch World Cup this summer? Want to go?" Ron poked Harry.
"Yeah . . . I bet the Dursleys'd be pleased to let me come. Especially
after what I did to Aunt Marge . . ." Artemis titled his head.
"What did you do to Aunt Marge?" He asked, cautiously. Hermione and Ron laughed. "No really! I want to know!"
-.-.-.-.-.-
Artemis' MP3 player started working half way through the trip on the Hogwarts Express. For the sake of mood, he played a rather sad and slow song. "Your Song" by Elton John. Artemis wasn't a big Elton John fan, but something about this song reminded him of himself. He watched out of the window, the British countryside flying by. The sky was a bright, something that Artemis hadn't been accustomed to before he came to Hogwarts. He now enjoyed how the sun reflected off the trees, the grass, and how little puffy clouds hung in the air. Artemis pulled himself from the sight of beauty. He realized now that he had been changed dramatically from coming to Hogwarts.
Artemis sat alone in the room of the Express. He wanted to reflect on what had happened there. He might do a report for Foaly, but then again, he might not. Artemis smiled happily, now that his father would be home. This would either make it easier to work, or harder. Artemis had his ideas again, something to keep him busy during summer break. And of course, he'd return to Hogwarts the following year.
And another thing. Artemis had planned on going straight- as soon as he pulled off the most brilliant criminal feat of his career. Artemis smirked, already knowing what he was going to do. He turned from Elton John to Audioslave and turned it up loud, resting his head on the fabric of his seat. He closed his eyes and smirked.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
Thank you reviewers for reading this whole thing! I love you all! Watch for A Dreadfully Convenient Crossover and the Goblet of Eternity. The mini story of Sirius and Angeline is going to be updated to this story soon! It's kinda cheesy, but really interesting. I'm not very good with romance. Meh. Again, thank you everyone! Also, for the next story, I'm planning on having reviewer cameos, so if you have a character you want to have in this story, please let me know, either by e-mail or review. I'll get back to you.
Love.