REVIEW REPLIES:

Yochan123: I don't exactly hate Ron, I just... don't like him as much as the rest of the characters. He's not really evil, he just has a really hard time getting over his prejudices. That can make him be a pretty bad friend sometimes though... Anyway, thanks for reviewing!( And yes, Nico's lack of self-preservation will probably drive Artemis nuts 😁)

Guest(who I'm guessing is either DaughterOfHecate or Summer? I don't know, it just says guest for some reason): You know, I didn't even think of that pun when I was writing that chapter. When you pointed it out, I was like *le facepalm*. Thanks! I'm glad that my writing hasn't bored you to death yet! And don't worry, Nico won't always react so strongly to hocruxes, I'm pretty sure that I explained it in the Author's note at the bottom of this chapter, so I'm not going to type that all over again. Actually, what you just suggested was pretty similar to what I originally had in mind as well! *shrug* Great minds think alike, I guess. Don't worry about the whole 'the stupid review won't submit itself properly' thing, we've all been there :) I haven't watched Hawkeye yet, actually. My knowledge of Marvel is very limited, but Hawkeye is Clint Barton, right? Or have I just read too many Pjo x Avengers crossovers? Anyway, I'll be sure to give it a try! Once again, thanks for reviewing!

Draco was confused.

That pretty much summed up everything that had happened in the last few weeks.

First, Artemis turns out to be a thief, then there was this huge cliché fight between him, Nico and the 'Golden Trio'. And then something even weirder happened, Fowl and di Angelo started getting all chummy again! Whispering, grumbling, laughing, the whole deal! And before that, they showed up in the forest! The Forbidden Forest. Draco felt like banging his head on a desk, preferably someone else's, seeing as he didn't want any dents on his own, but that probably wouldn't earn him a good grade.

Did he mention that he was writing his History of Magic exam?

He groaned softly, just one more hour of torture and he would be free to go. Around him, Fowl and Granger were scribbling furiously, although while Granger had a crazed, frantic look on her face, Fowl looked cool, calm (seriously, when was that kid ever not calm?) and almost bored. Fowl let out a hugely exaggerated yawn. Scratch that, Fowl was definitely bored. Nico looked like he couldn't care less, Potter looked like he was worried that someone was going to attack him any minute, and Draco couldn't help but feel tempted to jump out at him and shout 'BOO'. The Weasel was half asleep, and Draco wondered what old Weasley was dreaming of.

Draco wasn't very focused on his exam either, to be honest. How could he be? What idiot had decided that History of Magic would be the last exam? No one (except Granger and Fowl maybe) could focus on what they were doing, and were entertaining daydreams of running through grassy fields in the sunlight, without a care in the world, even though it was sometime in March. What he wouldn't give for a glass of butterbeer right now...

Draco let out a tremendous cheer when Professor Binns finally collected his piece of parchment. He joined the flock of Slytherins fleeing the exam hall as fast as their legs would take them.

"I'm not being paranoid!"

Draco turned around. Artemis Fowl and Nico di Angelo were walking behind him, arguing about something or the other in hushed tones.

Artemis rolled his eyes at Nico, "Nico, no sane person would try to steal the Stone with Dumbledore around."

"You did."

"I said sane Nico. I've never exactly come under the 'sane' category."

"Artemis!" Nico groaned, "This is serious! I just- please, trust me on this one." he pleaded.

Artemis sighed in defeat, "Very well, I'll help with this little scheme of yours. But only because I trust your instincts."

"It's a plan," Nico corrected, "Not a scheme. 'Scheme' makes it sound evil."

"I'm regretting this already."

"Too late for second thoughts Fowl. Meet me outside the Third Corridor tonight. I have a feeling that things are about to get interesting." Nico said with a bone-chilling grin.

"Not to ruin that lovely cliché line, but we share a dormitory. We'll be going together. I won't 'meet you there' as you put it."

"You just can't let me have anything, can you Fowl?"

The duo walked away, still squabbling like children, oblivious to the fact that a certain Draco Malfoy had heard everything.

"Just once," Draco grumbled, "Couldn't people let me in on secrets without me eavesdropping or confronting them? Seriously, people here seem to think that they're that weird muggle detective guy Hemlock Combs or something."

Draco wasn't going to be a good boy and sit this one out, oh no, he was a part of this, whether the others liked it or not, and he was going to be at the Third Corridor tonight, Potter's orders be damned.

*****I'm a line. Move along now*****

Nico was a genius.

Artemis vehemently denied it, of course, but it was true.

He had realized earlier that day that whoever was trying to steal the Stone was stealing it for Voldemort. It was fairly obvious now that he thought about it. A Stone that could bring someone back from the brink of death would be the ultimate birthday present for old Moldy-shorts. Seriously, that Elixir of Life stuff is like bug spray for Thanatos! Thanatos- Spray!

For a moment, Nico pictured an ad with someone spraying Thanatos with a can of Thanatos-Spray, like one would spray mosquitoes or cockroaches. He shook his head, there would be plenty of time for weird mental images later, right now, he had to go over the plan again.

His plan was unbelievably simple. Artemis was almost entirely sure that Quirrell was the one behind all of this, which was good enough for him. So the two of them would hide next to blegh, Fluffy in the corridor, and jump out at Quirrell when he eventually tries to enter. No complicated variables whatsoever!

Professor Dumbledore hadn't showed up for dinner, so Nico was willing to assume the worst. Which meant that it was just the two of them against Quirrell and possibly Voldemort. Nico had waved of Artemis' concerns about him reacting to Voldemort the same way he had reacted to the hooded creature. He had been caught by surprise, that was all. He knew what to expect this time, and he could handle it. No prob! He'd fought a Titan, for Zeus' sake! He could handle a sliver of a soul.

"Artemis! Let's go!"

Artemis yawned, "You know, the average 11 year old requires at least 8 hours of sleep."

"Well then, it's a good thing that we're not average."

"You make a good point."

"When do I not?"

"Do you want the long version, or the short version?"

"Shut up you." Nico grumbled, grabbing Artemis' hand, "Now, this may feel a bit unpleasant." he warned, before dragging the two of them into the shadows.

Nico reveled in the familiar feeling of shadows enveloping him before stumbling onto the cold stone floor outside the entrance to the corridor. Behind him, Artemis looked a bit green, but oddly enough, his dinner wasn't decorating the floor.

"You didn't puke." Nico stated.

Artemis doubled over, "When you learn to fly a plane at age ten, you get accustomed to turbulence and other nauseating experiences." he explained, wheezing and panting like an old man.

"Come on Fowl," Nico said with a slight chuckle as he helped him stand up straight, "You'll get plenty of time to rest later, with Fluffy."

Artemis looked pained, "Oh yes. With Fluffy. How relaxing."

Nico ignored the sarcasm and made his way over to the hellhound.

"Hey there." he mumbled, scratching behind her ears, " Still here, huh? I'm guessing that no one has responded to my letter yet?"

Fluffy didn't answer, but instead, covered his face with dog drool.

He waved Artemis over, "Arty is a friend." he told Fluffy, "Be good. No eating him, okay?"

Fluffy seemed to study Artemis for a minute, sniffing him while the boy stood there, still as a statue. Apparently, Fluffy had deemed Artemis worthy, since he gave him a huge lick, before turning his attention back to Nico.

"Lovely." Artemis said dryly, trying to wipe away some of the drool.

Nico patted a spot on the floor behind Fluffy, "Come on, no one will see us here."

"I'm not sure if sitting behind the hellhound is such a good idea."

"Well, worst case scenario, we'll need a change of clothes."

"Joy."

****1 hour later****

Nico rubbed his eyes, exhausted.

Artemis had fallen asleep half an hour ago, and was snoring softly, clinging to Fluffy as though his life depended on it. The normally stressed genius looked oddly un-stressed, and his brow was wrinkle-free. Artemis actually looked like a regular kid his age, although he'd probably hate being told that. If he had a camera, he'd totally be taking pictures right now. You never know when you'll need blackmail.

Fluffy's ears stuck up and the hellhound growled softly. Nico could hear the faint sound of approaching footsteps. Quickly, he shook the sleeping boy awake.

"What time is it?" Artemis yawned.

"You fell asleep." Nico accused.

"Stakeouts aren't really my specialty."

Nico rolled his eyes, "I can see that. Now, be quiet! Someone's coming."

Artemis' eyes widened as he sat up and peered around the corner.

Nico yanked him backwards, "Do you want someone to see you?" he hissed.

Artemis didn't get a chance to respond as the door creaked open.

The sound of someone playing a flute(rather badly) filled the air, and the two boys barely dared to breathe. They felt Fluffy's breathing even out as he drifted off to sleep.

The footsteps drew closer, and Nico could make out muffled whispering. That didn't make sense! They'd only been suspecting Quirrell. Who was his accomplice? Nico wasn't worried about himself, he could take on two or three people, no problemo. But Artemis on the other hand...

Nico held up a hand and started counting down.

"Three" he mouthed to Artemis as the footsteps became clearer, "Two, One!"

The two of them jumped out from behind Fluffy, tackling the intruders. Nico was in action almost right away. knocking people's legs out from beneath them without stopping to see who he was attacking. Artemis just sort of... fell on top of whoever he was attacking, which was a bit undignified, but it got the job done. Strangled screams and yelps echoed throughout the corridor as the last assailant went down.

Nico dusted himself off, 'Not too shabby di Angelo' he thought to himself.

"Well Fowl," he said to Artemis, who was lying on top of someone who was face down on the ground, "We did it. My plan worked!"

"Nico..." Artemis trailed off, "I think we caught the wrong people."

"Huh?" Nico looked down at the people he had just attacked. One had flaming red hair, and the other one's hair was a wavy brown.

"Oh no." he whispered, "This is awkward."

*****Line Break*****

Harry groaned as he woke up. He opened his eyes blearily, only to realize that his vision was ridiculously blurry. He tried to pull himself to his feet, but found that there was something heavy on top of him.

"Terribly sorry about that," said the thing, "Up you get." The thing got off him and helped him to his feet.

Harry squinted at the thing, which he vaguely made out to be a human. His glasses were apparently ruined, seeing as he could feel them, but they weren't really doing anything useful.

"Oculos Reparo "

Harry's vision cleared, an in front of him, he saw Artemis Fowl, an apologetic smile on his face.

On the other side of the room, Ron and Hermione were sprawled out on the floor, with Nico di Angelo watching them while casually sitting on top of Fluffy.

"Hey." he said with a wave, "You're awake. Don't worry, Weasel and Granger will wake up in a minute or two." he assured.

Harry was too confused to be angry at the moment, "What are you two doing here? I told you that we could handle it."

"And you really thought that we'd listen?"

"No." Harry admitted. He'd been ready for Nico to demand that they let him help again any minute, but he hadn't thought that he'd do it all on his own.

"But why is Artemis here?" he asked suddenly, "He tried to steal the stone! You seriously can't think that we can trust him to protect it!"

"I can." Nico said firmly, "Artemis made a mistake, but he won't do it again. he really does want to help us."

Harry remained silent, he wouldn't be convinced that easily.

"He's also a certified genius." Nico coaxed, "He can help!"

"Fine." Harry grumbled. "He can help."

Hermione and Ron began to stir.

"Harry?" Hermione asked groggily, "Harry!" she yelled, shooting upright.

"Calm down Granger." Fowl said, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Fowl." she said stiffly, "Why are you here? Last I remember, you betrayed us." Artemis' face remained completely blank.

"Long story short, he's helping us for a while." Harry explained.

Hermione obviously didn't like that and was about to make that exceedingly clear, when Ron woke up as well and rubbed his head.

"Why does my head ache like it was hit with a crowbar?"

Nico grimaced, "Sorry about that, I thought you were an intruder. I may not like you, like, at all, but I'm not evil."

Ron's eyes widened, "Slytherins!" he brandished his wand frantically.

"Oh for goodness sake Ronald" Artemis chided, "What use will that do? We are helping you! If we were as 'evil' as you seem to think we are, then why didn't we kill you in your sleep?"

Ron hesitated and accepted Artemis' hand, "Just to be clear, I still hate you two."

"The feeling is mutual." Nico muttered under his breath.

Harry cleared his throat, "So..." he trailed off awkwardly, "We're all awake, so maybe we should, go?"

Nico nodded, "Yep. We should go. That sounds sensible enough."

Artemis smirked, "After you Harry."

Harry took a deep breath, and eased himself up to the edge of the trapdoor.

"Quit your dilly-dallying!" he heard Nico exclaim behind him, "Just jump in already!"

A pair of strong arms gave him a push, and Harry was falling.

A.N:

Hey guys! I'm back!

Sorry for not updating for a while. The only excuse I have is writer's block. I don't exactly have a rough copy of either of my stories, and even though I've got a vague idea of where they're going, mostly I'm just making it up as I go along.

Someone pointed out that Nico probably wouldn't react so negatively, and I'm starting to see that his reaction didn't make much sense. Usually a hocrux, or a sliver of Voldemort's soul would barely affect him, he'd just find it mildly annoying. But since he was already feeling shocked and terrified, he was taken by surprise. I mean, as powerful as he is, he's still 11, and it's easy to get overwhelmed when you're shocked. Also, his reaction only seemed that bad since it was from his POV. In reality, all that happened was that he got a bit woozy for a few minutes. Does that make any sense?

I was planning on writing all of the challenges in this one chapter, but it got too long and I ran out of time.

Part 2 will be out in a few days.

I'd love to know what you think!

As usual, please review!

-Keera o(*°°*)o