Normally Sirius would have been worried about a dog which acted nothing like a dog. But Butler was introducing him, so it couldn't be all bad, right?
Then it turned into a familiar face which had been posted all over the village, and things snowballed from there.
Sirius Black was in Hogsmeade, and very surprised to find his godson a Slytherin.
"So you're the one my birth mum named me after. Never thought we'd actually met with you on the run from everyone."
"And I never would have believed my own godson would become a Slytherin. So I guess we're even on that front."
Sirius smirked. And Artemis looked between the two.
"You know him?"
"I heard about him from Root. Apparently this is my godfather, the one my birth mother named me after before she sent me to the Fowl manor. It was easier to bring him in on the plan then shutting him up."
"You better believe it. I would have raised hell with James if she hadn't told me everything."
"So what do you plan to do now?"
"Find that rat bastard Peter, drag his traitorous tail back to Azkaban and let the dementors have him."
Sirius gave a very disturbing smirk.
"Might I suggest a more unpleasant ending?"
Padfoot turned to his godson, and did not like the shiver that had went down his back when he heard that tone.
"Let's just say for your sake that Dementors will be the least of his problems should I get my hands on him. I take blood traitors even more seriously than a half-ass attempt on my life by some crackpot who happens to be good a forbidden curses."
Artemis looked at Padfoot.
"Sirius takes loyalty even more personal then most Hufflepuffs. Those who have earned his friendship or respect have often found themselves with a very loyal ally which would do almost anything for them. So the level of betrayal this Pettigrew has shown when he betrayed the Potters..."
"His death would be neither quick, pleasant or legal. You don't want to know what I can do to people who betray others to the extent Wormtail has."
For some reason he really hoped he was there to see his godson get revenge. Being stuck in Azkaban when practically everyone knew you were innocent was not fun. It did things to you.
But innocence had it's perks in that hell. It was both a shield and a curse. It was a shield because the fact that you were innocent of the charges gave to some very unpleasant but sanity inducing thoughts.
It was a curse because being innocent with no way to prove it but to give up a loved one to a hell he would never make someone else endure was hell of it's own kind.
At least now he knew exactly where his godson had disappeared too. And the fact that he clearly had a loving family ended some of his doubts that Dumbledore had hinted at.
To add to this relief, his godson clearly didn't mind sharing his name. He even named his own owl after the constellation that he was named after. Artemis was clearly devoted only to his family and close friends like Butler. Even if the Fowls were more like his own 'family' than the Potters, it was clear there was a major difference in their attitude.
For one thing, the Blacks were more likely to kill others for no other reason than someone not having any magic in their blood. They also didn't have much loyalty unless someone had been killed by a rival family, or someone on the wrong side of the Light/Dark dispute. Hell, he never actually mourned for his mother's death, he had been glad when she and his father had died.
The Fowls, from what he could tell, were almost as Dark as his own family with one key difference. Where the Blacks were all about purity of their blood, the Fowl men seemed to be about family and importance. They had been rich until the disaster with the Fowl Star two years ago. Yet instead of selling each other out at the first opportunity, they stood by each other and supported each other no matter what.
So if he had to choose between a magic hating twit like Petunia or the family oriented Angeline from a rather neutral dark clan, he would choose to send Harry to Angeline every bloody time.
It was clear that Sirius loved his family. And there was no way in hell he would allow Dumbledore or the Ministry to take that away from him a second time. Even if the Fowls let him see his godson supervised. He could live with that. So could Remus if it came to that.
Artemis could see the wheels move behind the supposed convicts mind. It was clear that Sirius Black held loyalty above all else, family more so. Maybe that is where his brother got it.
He could tell that Sirius was willing to work with them so he could be in his godson's life. Even if it meant he wasn't allowed to be with him.
Well there would be no need for him to go that far. I'm sure we could find a way to let him stay at the Fowl manor. It's not like we couldn't use a properly trained wizard in our arsenal, and he could help out Butler in case of a fight.
Now all Artemis had to do was prove that Harry Potter was not only alive and well, but he had no intention of following an old goat's plans to ruin his life and others.
That would actually be easy once he asked Draco how he would got out proving Harry bloody Potter was alive without revealing where he was.
"You protecting him?" asked Draco shrewdly.
Artemis knew the Slytherin creed very well. He had often followed it most of his life without realizing it. Everything he did was for a purpose.
"I am."
"Well first you would have to..."
The trick was deceptively simple. The only catch was that it required someone who was willing to use a potion that was extremely difficult and required a month of patient brewing.
Artemis went with the wiser option and just bribed Snape of a month of no pranks from the twins. Snape had agreed so fast he almost got whiplash. In exchange for the polyjuice potion, Snape would have a month to brew a particularly delicate potion without worry.
Then they needed someone to walk into the Ministry and let everyone see the damn scar.
That person would be Sirius. He would take his own place while his godfather pretended to be him. That way no one in the school would know that Sirius Black was in the castle.
One month of brewing, and Sirius added his own hair to the potion, and Padfoot took his place for the night. Snape had brewed enough of the stuff for him to keep it up till morning. The port key would take him back to the Shrieking Shack and Snape would smuggle him back in.
He walked into the Ministry with his bangs cut for the first time in five years. His hair tended to go all over the place if he kept it short, so normally Sirius let it go down past his neck. At least then it stayed flat.
Artemis had promised him a hair growth potion the second he came back.
Fudge attempted to get a front page photo of the Boy-who-lived, but Sirius was having none of that. Not unless he accomplished his goal.
"Harry, my boy! Where have you been all these years?"
Harry curled his lips in distaste. He detested politicians on the best of days. And that simpering pink toad wasn't making this any easier.
"I only came back for one reason, Minister. I want my godfather freed and his charges dropped. He had nothing to do with my mother's plan. So I give you two choices. Either you drop the charges and get rid of those dementors from Hogwarts...or..."
"Or what my boy?"
"Or I leave the wizarding world in the dust to leave you to your own devices. Unless you want a new Dark Lord to succeed Voldemort?"
Harry's smirk was cold, and promised pain if he was crossed. On the plus side he was revealing his true nature as a very intelligent and ambitious individual. Where Sirius Fowl was an enforcer who hid his true nature behind a false image, Harry Potter would be cold, cunning and more importantly not in the mood to fall for badly executed tricks for control.
This could be fun after all. He idly wondered how Dumbledore would react to his true nature. Then realized he didn't really give a damn.
Fudge was trying like hell to get Harry to reconsider his ultimatum. If he dropped the charges he would be ruined! And why did that smile give him a bad feeling?
Madam Bones walked up to the boy. He nodded in acknowledgment. She suspected this was not usual for the boy, but as a true sign of respect.
"You do realize we will have to confirm you are in fact Harry Potter, the boy-who-lived?"
"Go ahead and call the goblins if you must. I have been hiding in plain sight at Hogwarts for the past two months. Depending how you deal with my godfather you may end up with a new Dark Lord. One who actually knows what he is doing."
That last bit was directed at Fudge and his followers. Between Fudge, Dumbledore and Voldemort, the magical community had taken a sharp nosedive.
"Very well. Come with me."
One hour later...
It had taken three drops of blood, a potion and a gryphon feather quill to prove he was in fact Harry James Potter. Which had set off a frenzy, and the main question seemed to be why he hadn't revealed himself two years ago.
"Why would I leave my home when Hogwarts couldn't teach me what I needed until third year? And no, I am not going to tell you where I live."
Even some discreet Legilmens couldn't get it out of him. Until the moment when he entered the Ministry, Harry Potter simply didn't exist. And it was impossible to sign his name as Harry Potter with a gryphon feather and blood unless he actually was the boy in question.
It baffled them to no end.
Now Fudge was in a jam. Harry Potter, wizard world savior and the only person to survive the killing curse was threatening to either leave them and never come back or worse, take over he-who-must-not-be-named position as a Dark Lord!
It would be a total disaster. Even worse than the fall of Camelot. So he reluctantly signed the order for Sirius Black to have a trial. He would have to actually show up of course, and Harry had made very sure Fudge couldn't have the man Kissed when he entered by making him give an Unbreakable Vow in front of half the Ministry!
This was a nightmare.
Sirius Black innocent! Peter Pettigrew, traitor who betrayed the Potters Loose! Harry Potter blackmails Minister!
In a shocking turn of events yesterday evening, Harry Potter, boy-who-lived arrived in the Ministry and demanded that Minister Fudge drop the charges on his godfather.
After proving that he was in fact the true Boy-who-lived, Harry Potter then proceeded to insure that his godfather would receive a fair and just trial, which according to Ministry records the Black family barrister has been trying to get for years.
How did the boy-who-lived manage to do something wiser and some would say more powerful wizards had failed with words? According the reliable witnesses Potter threatened to not only leave the Wizarding World permanently should Fudge refuse to give a man his day in court, but also take over where he-who-must-not-be-named left off!
Now should we wonder whether sending Black to Azkaban in the first place was such a wise idea.
Black gets his day in court! Potter threatens to turn Dark if Fudge refuses!
In a surprise move yesterday, Harry Potter, the boy-who-lived shows up after twelve years away from the Wizarding world to insure his godfather, the only wizard who had any idea of his whereabouts until now, finally had his trial. A trial which was over faster than you could say 'stupefy', as it was clear that Potter had not been kidnapped or killed by his godfather as the charges claim.
Dumbledore was conspicuously missing from his chair of power, and rumor has it he is now looking for Harry Potter who is hiding under a different name.
Now that Potter has returned, what other things can we expect this rather intelligent and ruthless young man to do?
Hogwarts was in an uproar over the stunt he pulled. Even with the pictures of Harry Potter, taken discreetly when he went to the Ministry circulating around, no one realized Sirius Fowl was their missing savior.
On the other hand, Sirius was finally free and mostly hanging out with Butler for the time being. No one was aware that he was an illegal animagus, which meant he had a secret way to escape if need be.
Sirius (or Padfoot as he insisted the boys call him) had no idea that Artemis was planning on adding him to the family. He didn't realize that the genius level boy could see the honest love for his twin brother in his eyes. Artemis could tell he would never betray them.
The fact that he was a fully trained wizard was just a bonus. It simply meant they could blame all magic they did on him so long as Angeline wasn't there to see it.
Another addition to the Fowl arsenal was the addition of magic-compatible computers. The Fowl clan already had satellites which spanned the world, which meant they had internet no matter where they were.
(Unfortunately for Artemis, this new piece of technology had it's downside. It feed his brother's secret fanfiction addiction. Why his brother loved the fan written stories he had no idea. He also had a rather large collection of Japanese comics called manga and cartoons called anime. Which is why Artemis really hated Sailor Moon.)
Artemis found the application of turning himself into an animal rather useful, though the fact he would have to register annoyed him. Fortunately he had someone who had complete the work and not registered nearby.
He could always ask Snape for the potion and Padfoot for the help. The minute Snape figured out that Sirius was nothing like his father James or his godfather, he treated them a little easier. Apparently Snape had a grudge against James Potter and Sirius Black after years of hazing.
Sirius Fowl was no James Potter or Sirius Black. He only used his 'imp side' (what Butler termed his need to prank someone) when his friends were being bullied or someone really, really ticked him off.
Like Dumbledore, who suddenly found himself with a case of boils, acne, diarrhea, gout, constipation or a really nasty case of a head cold at least twice a week. When he really vexed the brothers (like he did when he tried to end Sirius' private lessons with Poppy, the school medi witch) he got something that the entire school dreaded.
Sirius had a large collection of what he called Revenge Dolls. Depending on his mood, the victim would either find himself with a rather bitchy comfort doll who whined like no one's business, and had a voice like nails on a chalkboard when she threw a tantrum, which was often. Or one which made his life hell by making it impossible to eat anything without tasting bog water and announced when he went to the bathroom and everything he was doing in there, or kept him up at all hours demanding he play with her.
Peeves of course loved the dolls, and actually got along with the sentient constructs (he was seen several times aided them in their quest to be annoying as hell. Strangely enough Myrtle, the ghost of the girl's bathroom joined them, often adding her own brand of misery).
Filch and Snape swore never to piss off the Fowl brothers.
To date, only a select few have actually had these rather evil dolls set on them. Dumbledore, Marcus Flint, Ron Weasly and Cho Chang after she made fun of Luna to the point of tears.
Though last week he sent one after Fudge for making a new law which really annoyed him greatly.
It was a law against werewolves. And since Sirius happened to like Remus enough for being a decent defense teacher...
He sent the most irritating doll he had created to date. Something that even the students at Hogwarts dreaded above all else.
He called it the Grim Fiend. It stalked the target, keeping them up at all hours with long howls which threw chills up your spine, keeping just out of sight at odd hours, drew attention at the worst moments, and (this was Sirius' favorite trick) stole all the good food from your plate and made your drink taste like bog water.
It had yet to be used, but Fudge got to be the lucky test subject.
Poor bastard.
Thanks to the Grim Fiend, Fudge was caught by several Aurors with a bag full of galleons courtesy of Lucius Malfoy. Of course Fudge attempted to shift the notice to Lucius, but as a Malfoy, he was more than skilled enough to shift it back.
Fudge was kicked out of office in less than a month after the Fiend was let loose. In a secret election a week later, Madam Bones was elected Minister.