Magic

“What do you mean, gone?” Hermione gritted her teeth. The sprite behind the counter was unimpressed. 

“Gone means gone, dearie,” she checked her nails, which were a horrendous shade of swamp green. Hermione glanced at her friends, who were also glaring at the short woman. Everything in Haven was short, and though Hermione had a hard time keeping from bumping her head, Butler couldn’t even enter the building without breaking a hole in the wall. He had protested letting his charge go inside without him but agreed to watch the door when no alternative presented itself. Hermione wished he were in here - surely, he would intimidate this impertinent fool into telling them where he went. Luckily, some of their new comrades stepped in.

“I don’t care if you distrust these Mud People, Claudia,” Holly snapped. Hermione noticed the nametag a second later and silently applauded her for the personal jab. “I am a Major in the LEP, and you are obstructing a police investigation, which can result in up to fifty years in prison.” 

“I know who you are,” Claudia pulled out a bottle of nail polish the same color as her nails. “Holly Short, eh? Rogue half the time, reinstated at every crisis. And her Mud Whore, Artemis Fowl.”

Holly stiffened as she heard the sprite utter the last insult. Hermione wasn’t sure she had heard right. Artemis and Holly might have a connection, but there was no way Artemis would ever be anyone’s ‘whore’ and, even if he was, they were trying to do something good. Hermione remembered Rita Skeeter twisting Harry’s every move, how even now some people in the wizarding world distrusted Hermione for playing with his feelings in their fourth year. One scandal and the public would lap it up and shout in mobs at doorsteps. That must be what happened with Holly and Artemis though, judging by her surprised expression, the sexual part was new to Holly. Artemis was less taken aback - he had probably expected it - but he was still livid. Hermione was worried he might ruin the investigation, so she stepped in.

“It doesn’t really matter what you think about them, or us,” she said primly, “Either way, you end up in jail if you don’t tell us where our target went. He’s a fugitive from both us and the People, and you don’t want two whole worlds to know you as the one who aided and abetted him.”

Claudia tensed, looking at their faces, “Fine. He checked in upstairs about a week ago. Provided enough money to cover the fee, then some more, ‘cause he was a Mud Man. He came back this morning, muttering about ministries or something like that. He checked out ten minutes later, carrying the only bag he had taken with him. Went that way,” she pointed out in the street to the right of them, then noticed Butler for the first time. “Holy hell. That one’s big.”

Holly snapped her fingers in front of the woman’s face, “We’re going to search his room.”

“I-” Claudia began to protest, but Holly lifted her Neutrino threateningly. “Okay, whatever. Try not to mess it up.”

“You really need to work on your diplomacy,” Artemis remarked once they had retreated from the counter. Hermione could only agree, but Holly’s skill lay more in the ‘shoot first, ask questions later,’ which could come in handy.

“Not all of us can search the room, some should go after Rowle,” Hermione reasoned.

“I’ll look at the room,” Artemis volunteered. Hermione looked at him, surprised.

“I was going to,” she said. 

“I’m not good in combat,” he explained, “I would be a burden. I’m better at… the thinking side of things.”

“No offense to ‘Mione, but she is, too,” Ron countered. “Who says you’re smarte-”

“Enough,” Hermione said briskly. Artemis unnerved her, it was true, but there was no reason to act like a child because of it. “Artemis and I will search his room, while you all try to track down Rowle. Artemis and Holly can stay in touch.”

“Sounds good,” Harry said supportively. Holly looked concerned at leaving Artemis, so Hermione added,

“Butler can stay with us, for protection.” 

“Okay,” Holly agreed reluctantly. 

The two of them ascended the stairs, each observing the other and acutely aware that they themselves were being studied as well. Hermione saw the vampire-like boy, his scary genius, his ruthless streak, but no one as noble as Butler or Holly would stick around if he didn’t have any goodness. And he appeared to be at the People’s beck and call, so he held a certain regard for the species. There was a mask he had adopted when he separated from Holly, with Butler still outside. They didn’t attempt conversation. 

Rowle’s apartment was on one of the lower levels, though still nice enough. It was clear he had left in a hurry. There were sheets strewn half off the bed, as though he had jumped out. Various newspapers littered the floor, with names circled and hurried notes jotted in the margins. Hermione picked up the one nearest to her and read his nearly illegible scrawl.

“Spotted by Ministry, stay in hiding for two more days. Stop experiments for three days, give no reason to suspect,” she said aloud. “What experiments?’

“He refers to them throughout the clippings,” Artemis discovered, as he sifted through a large pile on Rowle’s nightstand. “Experiments restarted. Unexpectedly ruined my right hand.”

“What was he trying to accomplish?” Hermione wondered, “He said he developed a tick in his right eye on… June 30th. That’s not recent.”

“Relatively,” Artemis agreed, dropping his paper to read the one she had found over her shoulder. “Why did he leave all this behind, if it’s so important that he records what happened?”

“Maybe he was in a rush?” Hermione asked, throwing it aside. Artemis strode over to his bed and threw the covers off in one movement. A vial fell out, clear liquid shaking inside. Artemis uncapped it and smelled it. Hermione reached out to stop him, but his eye seemed in no danger of twitching. He smirked.

“Spring water from Tara,” he proclaimed, slipping the vial in his pocket. “Very magical. If he left this behind, he was in a rush indeed.”

“Why did he need spring water?” Hermione asked. “Was he trying to… make himself magical? Your kind of magical, I mean.”

Artemis frowned, “That’s likely. This would be a good start, at least a preparation, if that was his goal.”

“Artemis?” Hermione had a sudden brainwave, accompanied by dread. “What if he didn’t leave because he was in a rush?”

“What do you-” Artemis paused, eyes darting around the room. “Ah. You think he achieved his goal, that’s why he left his notes behind.”

“If he’s already done it, there’s no need to take anything with him,” Hermione said. “And murdering that fairy… that could have been a test.”

“If so, he has an end goal and is trying to reach it right now,” Artemis thought aloud, “What could that be?”

“I assume to exterminate the residents of Haven,” Hermione did some thinking of her own, “They’re very similar to the creatures their group was trying to eradicate above the surface.”

“He doesn’t have a specific plan,” Artemis mused. “He doesn’t know there are wizards who followed him down here. He probably thinks that a simple shielding spell will protect him from a Neutrino blast.”

“Will it?” Hermione turned to the door with a sudden urgency.

“I don’t know,” Artemis said, “There’s only one way to find out. Actually, there are several, but it is a quaint colloquialism.”

Hermione was already out the door, “Get the message to Holly, Artemis. We’ll inform Butler on the way.”

She heard Artemis chuckle from behind her, “Very well, Miss Granger.”

She felt a glow of pride, but it was quickly overcome with a cold feeling she was used to - worry. Her best friends were running off into danger and she wasn’t with them to protect the two idiots. Smart idiots, but idiots all the same. The worry fueled her, and they were out of the hotel in no time, Artemis panting while trying to keep up with her. As they ran, everything flew out of her head except for a familiar feeling, one she thought she hated but, it turned out, she found exhilarating.

Danger.