A Dreadfully Convenient Crossover And the Prisoner of the Arctic Incident
By Spectra16
A/N: Wow, this is becoming a gimongo story. Is that wrong? Well, if any of you find something I should change, please let me know. I'm up for all criticism. And yes, I know that some of this story seems a bit rough draft-like . . . And well . . . It is.
Disclaimer: I don't own Artemis Fowl, Harry Potter, or A Series of Unfortunate Events. Duh.
Yes, I will continue and finish this story. Even if it kills me.
Speaking of finishing, guess what series ends October 13th, of this year? Yes, it's a Friday. Did you guess yet? Yup, Series of Unfortunate Events! Truthfully, I haven't kept up with the series, but I intend to. I don't know when the next Artemis Fowl and Harry Potter books come out. Meh. I assume the new Artemis Fowl is coming soon. Harry, not so sure.
-.-.-.-.-.-
Chapter Three: Mulch, Quidditch Enthusiast
Mulch, kleptomaniac and on the run from LEP authorities, often paid visits to Hogsmead and Hogwarts.
Of course, he never made mention of this to the Underground. Even though he had agreed to help out LEP a few months ago, with the special case of Artemis Fowl, he had never given out additional information, knowing it may prove useful for another tight spot. Mulch liked the taste of the magical countryside of Britain. Although, trips like these were on occasion. . . And strictly business.
The mudmen in this area could not be mind wiped like normal mudmen, because of their magical status, and invisible appearance from the Underground. But, it wasn't like the mudmen here would see Mulch. He was a master at deception and his quick fingers made the job easier.
Mulch had been tasked to steal from Hogwarts quite a few times. The first time, Mulch had been curious about the place (few in the Underground actually know about it, or have returned after the discovery). A man named . . . Well . . . Mulch couldn't remember his name, but he had been a mudman wizard who wanted a few ingredients from the school stocks. Another man shortly afterward (must have heard the news from the first man) asked for a certain painting in the staircase hall. He had been in and out in under two minutes, which he found impressive. Then there was this time. Fed up with the fact that he couldn't remember his employers names, Mulch was determined to know this one, but he had refused his name, and instead, wanted to be referred to as Parseltongue, which as Mulch understood it, meant that he could magically talk to snakes. (Mulch didn't dare question his employer's sanity at this point.)
This trip at Hogwarts was different. He wasn't there to steal something. He was there for surveillance. Parseltongue had requested that he listen in the conversations on of Albus Dumbledore (the headmaster) and a student named Harry Potter. Parseltongue had given Mulch three Remembrals for his stake out at Hogwarts. Mulch was never one for remembering things. His job called for short term memory, not long term.
Mulch hid closely beneath the surface of the Hogwarts' walls. Parseltongue had supplied him with a map of the floors and the rooms, which Mulch found extremely useful (obviously). He listened in on classroom discussions and on the dormitories, most often. Dumbledore was often traveling the grounds, so he was harder to predict where he would be.
A muffled jostle was heard in the next room, and Mulch pressed his ear to the wall. He knew this was Harry and his friend talking.
"What about Sirius Black?" The red haired friend asked.
"There's no way he'd come out during daylight and attack Harry," A girl spoke softly, Mulch could barely hear her.
"Hermione's right. Everyone knows what he looks like. He wouldn't dare come after me in Hogsmead," Harry spoke now. Mulch made a note of the fact that a man named Sirius Black could be after Harry. Maybe that would be useful, Mulch noted. There was a short silence.
"You have Quidditch practice tonight, correct?" Hermione asked.
"Yeah, why?" Harry asked.
"Artemis, Ron, and I are coming to watch . . . And study for that palm reading test tomorrow," Hermione announced. Harry smiled. Ron scoffed, although Mulch couldn't hear that.
"That Fowl boy? You fancy him, don't you?" Ron asked bitterly. Hermione seemed to take offense.
"No, his company is much easier on my mentality than yours is! He can actually help me with homework when the professors are busy! He's not bad . . . For a Slytherin," Hermione argued. Mulch perked up, hearing an all too familiar name.
Did they just say what I think they said? It couldn't be. Not Fowl. LEP would've noticed if he had magical powers . . . Or did they know? That would explain why he made it seem easy to fool LEP. . .This is interesting.
Disregarding the fact that the Remembrals were for Parseltongue's business, Mulch made a note of this fact. The facts dusted off as he quickly went to find more information.
-.-.-.-.-.-
Artemis and Hermione sat on the cool grass in the evening, besides the Quidditch field. Ron was at Hermione's side, copying her notes. Artemis watched the purple/indigo sky, taking a break from the cramming. He had found Divinations to be as big of a joke as Hermione, Ron, and Harry did. When he found out about Trelawney predicting Harry's death at every chance, he hadn't taken the class seriously.
Hermione tapped her nose with the feather of his quill, thinking about nothing really. She watched Harry follow the golden Snitch, as did Ron. Artemis had studied the basic rules of Quidditch, but like all sports, he did not feel the need to partake in them. Although, since he had never seen a Quidditch game, he was feeling anticipation for the Gryffindor/Hufflepuff game.
"I must admit, I've heard you three talking about Harry accomplishing quite a few things, and I get the idea that he is a young, yet impressive wizard," Artemis stated. Hermione and Ron then realized that Artemis didn't know half the story, probably because he had obviously lived with Muggles for his whole life. They also wondered why, if that was the case, he was a Slytherin. Before Hermione could be polite about the situation, Ron spoke up.
"Are you bloody crazy! He was the only survivor of an attack from . . . You-know-who," Ron exclaimed. Artemis raised his forehead.
"No, I don't know who," He replied nonchalantly. Hermione shot a glare at Ron.
"You-know-who is an evil wizard, one who has killed many people. He's become so powerful, so power hungry, that he has been able to leave his human form. After he attacked Harry, he was weakened and has been in hiding . . . Ever since our first year, when he came to the school," Hermione had been cut off by Ron.
"Harry single handedly defeated him again! And then last year, he took his old form and attacked Harry again, but he survived again!" Ron said excitedly. Artemis seemed a little taken back by all of the common knowledge he had missed.
"Wow. I guess you guys are lucky to have such a great friend," Artemis stated. Ron smiled.
"He saved my sister, Ginny. She had been speaking with Tom Riddle's journal, you know who's human form. She felt really bad about it afterwards. He's really modest about all that he's done," Ron watched Harry just as he caught the Snitch. The sky was darkening, the color a deeper pink. Artemis then realized something.
"Why can't you speak the name of that evil wizard?" Artemis asked. Hermione titled her head.
"No one does, except Harry and Dumbledore. I believe that those two are the only people who do not fear him," Hermione replied.
"What is the name?" Artemis asked. Hermione pulled out her Dark Arts book and pointed it out. Voldemort. Artemis looked up at her, just as Harry ran up to them.
"Hey, guys," Harry breathed hard, quite sweaty in his Quidditch uniform. The three stood up and walked back to their dormitories, laughing about silly things they encountered during the day.
-.-.-.-.-
Ron, Hermione, and Artemis said their goodbyes to Harry as they left for Hogsmead. Ron was nothing but talk of Honeydukes. Artemis admitted that everything he described sounding quite delicious and entertaining, but Artemis wasn't one for candy. But he could, indeed, try a little. Hermione, now out of her robes and into some of what Artemis considered to be "normal" clothing, now made her look more slimming.
Hogsmead seemed strangely familiar. The sky was clear, the air was cool. The streets were overwhelmed with Hogwarts students. Artemis wore his tie loosely round the collar of his black sweater. He found ties to be a good thing to fiddle with. He knew it was a bad habit, awful looking to his business partners, but he could control it then.
Ron's rat, Scabbers, poked his tiny head out of Ron's baggy pockets, surveying the area. Artemis finally revealed a contented smile, and Hermione was quick to notice it.
"You don't look so intimidating when you smile," She said quietly. Artemis blushed a little.
"Er. . . Thanks," He replied. Ron tried not to notice this.
The three of them found Neville looking in Zonko's Joke Shop. Hermione smiled at him, as if he should feel guilty, but she wasn't going to stop him. They continued to Honeydukes, and as Artemis stepped onto the street, Artemis' replacement for his father's voice spoke to his mind.
"Want some candy, Arty? There's a place just down the street," the voice repeated. A soft breeze pushed wrappers and leaves along the ground, circling Artemis' legs. He looked up at the street, wondering if this had been the place. This couldn't be. . .
"Yes! Finally!" Ron opened the door violently, and a tiny bell dinged. Artemis and Hermione took their time. Hermione opened the door, another ding rang. Artemis stopped outside of the store, looking into the window. "Honeydukes" was painting in yellow letters on the outside of the window. Artemis felt Butler's comforting presence there, even though he was back in Dublin. The tiny roundabout, colorful taffy puller turned around slowly, with an enchanted taffy spinning on it. Artemis had seen that before, he was sure.
"Artemis?" Hermione saw that Artemis' face looked quite pale. "Are you alright?" Artemis snapped out of his daze at the sound of his name, although, he had thought the voice was his mother's. This was obviously not so. He looked wide-eyed at Hermione.
"Yes. I'm fine," He answered quickly and entered the store.
-.-.-.-.-.-
Ron returned with all of the candy he could carry, and gave most of it to Harry, whom looked quite disgruntled by the fact that he couldn't attend the trip to Hogsmead. Artemis understood that Harry's guardians had not signed his permission slip to Hogsmead. Maybe it was for the better, since Sirius Black was still at large. Artemis found himself sitting at the Gryffindor table for the Halloween feast. The Slytherin table had already given him too much grief for hanging around them, why not rile them up more?
Ron also told Harry all about the post office in Hogsmead, Zonko's Joke Shop, Honeydukes, and Three Broomsticks. Harry seemed disappointed, but also interested. Artemis ate a few more Bertie Bots, now sure that they were his favorite. Once Ron was done talking, Harry told about what he had done while they were away.
"Lupin invited me for some tea, when Snape came in. Lupin has been very sick looking all year, and Snape had concocted a potion to ease his illness," Harry began.
"Lupin drank it? Is he mad?" Ron spoke with his mouth hanging open. Harry nodded. Artemis had taken a strange liking to Lupin by now. Artemis looked up, and instead of floating candles, there were lit Jack o' lanterns about the air. Hermione reasoned with the boys, telling them that Snape wouldn't blatantly poison Lupin on front of Harry. They seemed a little more at ease.
The night was filled with fun festivities, granted by the house ghosts. An certain excitement filled the air, and Artemis certainly enjoyed himself. Artemis finally parted from Harry, Hermione, and Ron. He sleepily announced the password and went to his room. Luckily, Draco was not in bed yet.
Artemis pulled out the syringes and loaded one up with the liquid that Foaly had provided him with. It had been a few days since Artemis had been afraid to stick himself, but now, it was just another part of his routine. He did not dwell on it anymore. Just as he had finished cleaning up, Draco stormed into his room and throw his books on his neatly made bed. Artemis watched him with icy, blue eyes. Multice hooted at the sight of Draco. Malfoy quickly realized he was being watched and turned around to face Artemis.
"Is it customary in Ireland to oogle someone? Or do I have to come over there and shank you to prove my point?" Draco had developed a habit of biting off Artemis' head every time they came in contact. Artemis brushed away a piece of his hair.
"I'll leave you to your idle conflicts," Artemis pulled out a piece of parchment to write to Butler. Hermione had explained the reason for buying an owl in Diagon Alley. Artemis was impressed by the fact that the domestication of owls for sending letters was used by wizards for reliable communication.
To Butler,
My stay at Hogwarts has been nothing less of eye opening. I am well, and in awe of my surroundings. Tell Foaly that I have made quite a bit of progress in understanding the area, but I'd like to stay for the remainder of the year. As much as this may seem strange to you, I have made friends here. I'm sure they see me more as an asset for studying, rather than a true friend, but it is progress, nonetheless. I'm sure you'll find this interesting and entertaining.
Tell mother I am well. Say hello to Juliet for me. Send a letter with this owl. If any news on my father reveals itself, please let me know.
From Artemis
Artemis opened Multice's cage, and the bird stretched it's wings at the window. Artemis was a bit hesitant with the next thing Hermione told him to do. ("Just tell Multice where to take the letter. He'll know!")
"Multice," Artemis began, realizing that Draco was snickering at the unsure ness of his voice, "Take this to the Fowl manor." Artemis tied a string onto the owl's leg and it hooted thankfully, and took off. Draco faced Artemis as he turned from the window.
"Your friend Hagrid will be in big trouble once the Ministry finds out about his hippogriff. My father works for them," Draco said teasingly. Artemis had no idea why he was acting so rash.
"Sounds like the apple doesn't fall far from the tree in terms of being an absolute ninny," Artemis pulled out a book he had checked out from the library about the history of famous Slytherins. Draco twitched with anger.
"I'm sure your father was just as arrogant and snobbish as you," Draco pulled out his pajamas and started changing in the corner.
"I never knew him, so I wouldn't know," Artemis ignored the insult and pretended to read, laying down on his bed. He would've been relieved to relax at this point, but the tension in the room prevented that.
"What, did he run off on your mother before you were born?" Draco sneered. Artemis was nonchalant about the situation, his family being insulted to his face. Artemis controlled his temper at this point. Draco was not worth blood and sweat.
"No, some say he died in the bay of Kola, in Russia, doing business," Artemis replied. Draco noticed he wasn't retorting like he had wanted. Instead, he wanted to find out anything interesting that he could pass around to the rest of the students.
"And what do you think?" Draco asked, with a pinch of care.
"I think he's alive. Why he hasn't contacted his family is beyond me," Artemis didn't look up from his book.
"How long ago was his disappearance?" Draco asked.
"A little more than a year," Artemis replied shortly. Draco smirked.
"Sounds dead to me," he replied and pulled his shirt about his head. Artemis looked at him and clenched his jaw.
"Russian officials have found all of the bodies of the dead, but not my father's. It's been so long, officially, he is dead. But I'm not so quick to give up," Artemis spat. Draco seemed more interested in what he was saying than to make fun of him. He didn't understand why he felt this way. When was the last time he hadn't been out for blood?
"Where do you think he is?" Draco asked, laying down on his belly, facing Artemis, on his bed.
"Russia, most likely. Unless he's hiding for some reason. I couldn't imagine why he's being so secretive now. Perhaps someone has him in custody and not released the news. Anything is better than him being dead," Artemis paused, and Draco said nothing. "I would like to meet him. I don't know what I'd say." Artemis looked up at Draco, who seemed completely interested now.
"What does your father do?" Draco asked seriously. Artemis hesitated. He assessed telling Draco, but figured it was fine. Slytherin's were so anti-Muggle, there was no harm in it. He hadn't spoken to anyone except Butler about these things that tugged at his heart.
"He usually is involved in illegal ventures. I mean, the last time I say him was when I was nearly ten . . . I think. I don't remember him at all. I don't even think I really know what he looks like, besides the fact that I have a photograph of him at the manor," Artemis looked at Draco's blonde hair. Blonde, like his mother's.
"Do you think your father was a wizard? I mean, since you don't know him," Draco guessed. Artemis thought about the possibility and shrugged.
"I guess he could've been. But on terms of my mother being a witch, I doubt it. She's never done anything magical. Or if she has, I haven't seen it. I wouldn't assumed that by now though," Artemis sighed. Draco furrowed his eye brows.
"Why would you have assumed it if you just found out about magic this year?" Draco asked. Artemis closed his book and set it on the desk.
"Well, I've known about magic for a while, but just this year I found out about people that can wield magic. Last year, I had a run in with underground fairies. I blackmailed them," Artemis smiled proudly. Draco showed a toothy, entertained smirk.
The night was filled with conversation about the two of their lives (Draco shared his business about the Death Eaters and Voldemort, while Artemis told him about Butler and Foaly) until 2 o'clock. Artemis found it hard to sleep, considering the two of them had just spilled their guts about their secrets. Once he found sleep, it was haunted with horrors.
Artemis found himself in a dark room with a large book and a quill. Words appeared on the page.
Hello Artemis Fowl. I'm Tom Riddle.
Tell me where you are.
I'm in Hogwarts.
Can you see me?
No. But I can feel you.
You tried to kill Harry Potter.
I killed his parents. And I can kill yours too. But it wouldn't matter much to you. Your father is about to die in the bay. Your mother is slipping as well.
Silence! Don't you touch my parents!
You know I can. Would you like a nice lightning bolt scar as well? I'm sure that would be admirable.
I don't like this.
You know, you and I could be quite the team. You're of noble birth. You feel like a Death Eater. You mind with my wand. We could kill more unworthy people.
I steal, Voldemort. I do not kill.
But you have killed.
Artemis looked up from the book and found that black hooded figure reaching out at him. It screeched, and Artemis dropped the book to cover his ears. The feeling was cold and depressing. Artemis backed up into a wall. The dementor came closer, inches from his face.
"Sirius . . . Black," It wheezed. Artemis felt such a powerful fear of it, he wanted to faint, but he was sleeping. Then . . .
Artemis awoke, seeing the same sight. A dementor leaning over him, and Artemis' vision seemed to make everything look like it was melting away.
"No," He gasped. The dementor touched him lightly, as if making the impression that it didn't take much to scare his mind out of his skull.
"Sirius is here. . ." the dementor spoke. The door to the dormitory burst open and Dumbledore strode into Artemis and Draco's room. The dementor immediately jumped out of the window in a desperate attempt and flew out over the field. Dumbledore, looking quite livid, watched it until it was out of sight and then became attentive of Artemis. He found Draco standing next to Snape. Artemis assumed he had run to get help. He couldn't help but still feel unsafe. That thing had approached him twice.
"Are you alright, Artemis?" Dumbledore asked, handing him a piece of chocolate. Artemis's eyes were wide and searching.
"What happened?" He asked. Dumbledore looked at Snape and then back to Artemis.
"Draco called Professor Snape when he heard you talking in your sleep," He said quietly. Draco spoke up.
"Yelling was more like it," Draco crossed his arms.
"And when I stepped in here, there was a dementor. Did it say anything to you?" Dumbledore asked, still looking angry. Artemis nodded.
"It kept saying 'Sirius Black'. It said that before, when it approached me on the train," Artemis bit down on the chocolate, shaking now.
Draco walked over and stood at Artemis' bed.
"At least you didn't faint, like Potter," Draco laughed nervously. Dumbledore spoke up.
"That's enough, Draco."
-.-.-.-.-
Dumbledore had asked Draco and Artemis to not speak of this event, but Draco couldn't seem to find anything more interesting. Pansy, Lawrence, and a few other Slytherin boys all surrounded Malfoy in his story telling. Artemis avoided the crowd and finished his potions homework. Hermione stared at the Slytherin troop.
"Sounds like you've had quite the night," She addressed Artemis. Artemis still felt shaky since then. His hands quivered when he wasn't trying to stop it.
"It was horrible. I actually think Draco wants to be friends with me," Artemis said, as a joke. Hermione laughed a little.
"The Gryffindors had an equally eerie night. The Fat Lady, the painting in which we give the password to and enter our house, was slashed by none other than Sirius Black, himself. We had to sleep in the dining hall. Everyone was paranoid. It's amazing that Sirius got into the school," She informed Artemis. He wondered why the dementors had allowed him to slip by. They must've been resourceful creatures, considering they did a lot of searching. This explained why the dementor had awoken him. He paused and then leaned over to her.
"Who is Sirius Black?" He asked. Her eyes widened and she pulled out a Daily Prophet with his face on the front page. The pictures moved, just like the paintings. There was a man with greasy hair, yelling and looking quite livid. The large caption above it was "Have You Seen This Wizard?"
"The dementors that are around the school, they are looking for Sirius Black. Word has it that he's after Harry," Hermione's tone saddened. Artemis looked back at the picture of Sirius. He only now hoped that the dementor would find him.
-.-.-.-.-.-
Snape slyly walked around the room, passing out the papers he had assigned on liverwort and dogwood. Ron and Harry were feeling quite confident about their papers because of the two nights they stayed up late with the Irish Slytherin that offered his help. Not to mention, Hermione had helped them out a bit as well.
Snape handed a scroll to Artemis, eyeing the Irish boy.
"Well done, Mr. Fowl," Snape said Artemis' last name with pride. Artemis opened it, finding outstanding marks. Artemis smiled proudly and hoped Ron and Harry had similar scores. By the looks of their faces, they did not. Hermione didn't look so well either. Artemis tried to ask them what was wrong, but Ron shot him a dirty look. Artemis withdrew to his seat, and the torture of what went wrong pierced his mind through the rest of the class.
The bell rang and the students left. Artemis hurried over to Harry, Ron, and Hermione. They did not look as eager to see him.
"What happened?" Artemis asked, for lack of anything better to say. Ron glared at him. Harry handed him his scroll. Artemis found that Snape had written a long explanation of what he had done wrong. Ron's looked similar. Hermione had less on her paper, and a better score than the both of them, but it wasn't as high as Artemis'.
"How can this be? Our papers were nearly identical," Artemis asked, handing the scrolls back. Hermione looked bitter and sad.
"Come on, Harry. I told you we shouldn't have gotten help from one of them," Ron and Harry walked out. Hermione stayed behind.
"What's their deal? I helped! I did what I could! What did they do wrong?" Artemis asked, looking over his own paper. Hermione seemed tired.
"Professor Snape has always shown bias toward anyone that's a Gryffindor. It's not your fault," She said and started walking towards the door. Artemis stayed a few feet behind her, realizing that she didn't seem to want company. Just as she turned the corner, Artemis ran after her.
"Hermione-," he stopped. For a moment, he thought he saw her there, but she was obviously gone. Artemis furrowed his eyebrows and turned back into the potions room to talk to Professor Snape. But he, too, seemed to have disappeared in thin air. Was this normal for magical folk?
Artemis waited at Severus's desk, meaning to have a word with him. Snape busily cleaned his desk and then looked up at Artemis.
"Can I help you, Mr. Fowl?" Severus bellowed, eyeing Artemis.
"I'm sure you know this, but I helped Ron and Harry with the last report you had us do. I looked over their papers, and found that everything I had written was in their reports. I wondering why you felt they deserved a lesser grade for the same amount of work," Artemis knew that the sarcasm couldn't be hidden in his voice. Snape seemed amused at this.
"Are you implying that I am bias with grades of children in a different house?" Snape asked snidely. Artemis gave a stoic nod. Snape put his hands on his desk.
"Well then, I'll just have to show you that I expect the same out of everyone. Starting by giving you a detention tonight. Come around five," Snape spoke subtlety. Artemis was a bit taken back, but then regained composure and walked out.
-.-.-.-.-.-
With a Daily Prophet in hand, Artemis stepped into Snape's classroom. He found two other boys, red haired and identical, were sitting side by side, waiting for Snape to arrive, which would be any moment now. They both looked up at Artemis at the same time.
"Hey, it's the smart, kind-hearted Slytherin bloke," Fred raised his arms. George laughed.
"That was an oxymoron if I ever did hear one," George popped a grass flavored Bertie Bot bean into his mouth. He swung the tie on his finger around.
"You're an oxymoron, minus the oxy!" Fred lightly smacked George on the head.
"Sod off," George remarked shortly. Artemis sat a few seats away. Fred seemed shocked.
"What's the deal, Fowl? Come sit over here! We don't bite . . .more or less," Fred patted the chair next to him. Artemis, reluctantly, sat down. Snape was still no where to be found. Artemis starred at the picture of Sirius. Fred scoffed.
"What a dreadful publication you have there," He leaned over to see it. George leaned on the table to see.
"Not since they got that new editor, Fred. He had the strangest name . . . Lemony Snicket," George noted. Fred gave a quiet "ha".
"That sounds like a bloody good candy. Maybe Honeydukes could make something in his name," Fred grabbed the paper, Artemis was a little shocked by their intrusive behavior. George turned the paper to find Lemony's first article.
"I cut this out and stuck it to my wall. I'm so glad Snicket's watching over Skeeter's damn articles," George twirled his hair. Fred gave him a silly smile.
"Why do you care about the Prophet anymore? There's no pulling this one out of the sinkhole it's in," Fred peeled the pages. George pouted.
"At least they've finally hired an editor with a brain," George muttered.
"True that," Fred replied.
Professor Lupin looked rather sickly as he walked into Snape's classroom. His face was pale and his lips transparent. George and Fred were quite excited to see someone other than Snape, especially Lupin.
"Hey, Professor! Where's Snivellus?" Fred asked. Lupin tried to laugh.
"He's busy at the moment. I'll be watching you today," Lupin yawned, seeming to be rather familiar with Fred and George's name for Snape. Lupin slumped down in Snape's chair and put his feet on his desk, letting out a sigh of relief. Fred and George looked at each other in dire excitement. Artemis also felt relieved.
Artemis went back to reading the article about Sirius, the one that George's favorite editor wrote. Lupin found enough strength and pull up a chair across from Artemis. He stared at the picture of Sirius Black. Artemis noticed this and felt a tad uncomfortable. Lupin looked up at Artemis' eyes. He seemed to study them closer and then went back down to look at Sirius.
Sirius kept silently screaming in the picture, trying to escape the picture. Artemis found the man to be haunting.
"And to think, he escaped from the place in which everyone that was inescapable," Lupin muttered. Fred and George now paid attention to Lupin.
"What happens in Azkaban?" Artemis asked Lupin. Remus sighed.
"From what the public knows, the guards are dementors, the creatures that suck out your happiness. I've heard that every prisoner there goes out of his or her mind. Even Sirius was said to have gone insane from the dementors. Crazy, they say he is. Sirius' the first to have ever escaped Azkaban. I'd like to know how he did it," Lupin stared off into the distance, looking like he was remembering something far off. Artemis studied Lupin carefully. Something about him was being too remorseful about this situation. There was an awkward silence for a while, before Lupin spoke again.
"The bastard deserves what he got. I hope the dementors catch him," Lupin stood up and seemed to be going somewhere.
"Did you know the Potters?" Fred asked, wondering if he felt hatred for Sirius for that reason. Lupin sighed.
"Yes. He was my best friend," Lupin smiled.
-.-.-.-.-.-
Artemis was ready for another day of Dark Arts by Lupin. Harry and Ron were talking about new brooms and what they were going to do during the Christmas break. Hermione was busy sorting her things. Neville sat directly behind Artemis. He tapped Artemis on the shoulder, sheepishly at that.
Artemis turned around to face a quivering Neville.
"Yes?" Artemis asked politely, which contradicted what he knew Neville was expecting. Neville gulped.
"I was wondering if you finished your notes from yesterday," Neville said quietly. Artemis had his notes in front of him and lightly passed it to him. Neville smiled a bit and began scribbling them down.
At that moment, a pensive Professor Snape burst in the room and with a flick of his wand, closed each window that was open and pulled out a slide show. This sight was frightened and curious at the same time. Was Lupin sick again? Hermione and Artemis exchanged worried looks. Snape spun on his heels to face the class.
"Turn to page three hundred and fifty-four," He bellowed. Most everyone did what he instructed, Neville was quickest to. Artemis raised his hand.
"Yes, Mr. Fowl?" Snape no longer saw Artemis as a Slytherin.
"Where is Professor Lupin?" Artemis asked, looking at Snape in the eyes. Those eyes seemed so familiar. . .
"He is ill," Snape replied shortly and pointed the light at a skin he had pulled down. "We will be learning about werewolves. Page three hundred and fifty-four."
Artemis thought for a moment. Werewolves. . . They existed in this world. Ignoring what Snape had to say, Artemis assessed the situation clearly. Lupin's fear was of the moon. Moony . . . Snape was skipping half the text book to study werewolves. What was the good of that? Why not any other dark creature? And Lupin took that potion made by Snape. . . Did that help the repercussions of a trasnformation? Snape must've known . . .
"Mr. Fowl!" Snape slammed his hands on Artemis' working space. Artemis jolted awake, back to reality. Hermione, Harry, and Ron looked shocked that Snape was outburst at a Slytherin like this. Artemis hadn't told them about his detention because of him sticking up for them.
"Yes, Professor?" Artemis asked nonchalantly. Snape looked livid.
"Where's your book?" Snape asked sarcastically. Artemis picked it up and flipped to the page. Werewolves. . .
"I suppose you'd like to serve another detention, Fowl?" Snape asked rhetorically. Artemis looked up from his book with a vampire smile. His face came inches from Snape's, whom was leaning over him.
"You can't sway me with your sweet words of temptation," Artemis replied sarcastically. Several people's jaws dropped. Draco was especially appalled by the fact that Artemis would say such a thing. There was an eerie silence in the room, like a calm before the storm.
"20 points from Slytherin," Snape bellowed, as if these words he had never spoken before. And most likely, they hadn't. Snape walked toward the slide placement. Artemis looked at Draco, just to see the look on his face. Draco seemed more shocked than angry. Their eyes locked, and for some reason, Draco's voice filled Artemis' head.
"Are you bloody fucking mad, Fowl?" Draco's voice could be heard, quiet, but there. Artemis wondered if he had just imagined the voice, or if it was some sort of telepathy.
"No, not quite," Artemis thought back. Draco perked up from his head resting on his hand. Artemis seemed to realize that Draco was equally confused by the fact that he could hear him too.
"Did you just talk to me?" Draco asked, skeptically. Artemis nodded. Draco's eyes widened and realized Snape's voice strained more, so he focused on him. Artemis looked at Snape too. Snape continued to talk about the origin country of werewolves, but Snape's eyes focused on Artemis.
"I know you can hear my thoughts, Artemis," Snape's voice now filled Artemis' head. Artemis shivered. What the hell? Artemis turned around to watch the slides. He felt Snape's gaze burning into his head.
"Don't you turn away from me, Fowl. It's harder to communicate without eye contact," Snape's voice was muffled. Even though the rest of the students were busy listening to Snape's lecture, Artemis turned around to look at him. Snape was still glaring at him. Artemis swallowed hard.
"See me after class, Fowl," Snape continued to talk about werewolves. Artemis had never been through such a long Dark Arts class in his life.
-.-.-.-.-.-
Class ended, and before anyone had a chance to hit the door, he assigned a report on werewolves. The class gave a collective groan and were slowly leaving. Artemis quickly grabbed Hermione and put his face in her hair to whisper to her.
"Lupin," Artemis breathed, not able to find a good way to tell her what he thought of Lupin being a werewolf. "Do you think maybe . . ."
"He's a werewolf?" She asked inquisitively. Artemis nodded. Their voices remained barely audibly.
"I'm going to look at the moon phase charts to find out if he's always sick during a full moon. Tonight, there's one. That might be why he needs the potions from Snape," Hermione whispered. She looked at Ron and Harry as they disappeared from the room. Artemis sighed.
"Alright," Artemis said and released her. She walked out, wondering why Artemis had stayed behind. Artemis gathered his books into his bag and walked over to Snape, whom was lounging in Lupin's desk.
"Sir," Artemis spoke up. Snape stood up and walked around to him. He didn't seem angry in any way, but Snape usually could compose himself well.
"Mr. Fowl, only just today I realized that you were capable of telepathy," Snape started, waiting for Artemis to say something.
"Actually, I just found that out too, sir," Artemis set his bag down at his feet. Snape nodded.
"It's been quite some time since the last time I came across someone who was born with telepathy. Tell me, did you come across the ways in a book somewhere? Did you teach yourself?" Snape asked, keeping his hands at his sides. Artemis shook his head.
"I didn't know it was possible until today, Professor," Artemis spoke the truth, but Snape didn't look convinced.
"Speaking with your mind is hereditary, Mr. Fowl. All people who have this power are registered. I can contact your parents and find out if you are telling me the truth," Snape's voice dropped. Artemis wondered if an extended use of the toxant he was using was to blame for this extra sensory happenstance.
"Is there something you're not telling me, Fowl?" Snape sneered. Artemis looked up.
"Contact my parents if you'd like. My father's apparently dead and my mother's insane," Artemis spat. Snape didn't show any signs of sympathy.
"I most certainly will speaking with the Headmaster about you," Snape said and quickly walked out of the room. Artemis half heartedly picked up his bag and swung it over his shoulder, making his way to find Hermione.