The Family Name

The Family Name

By Slytherin Tattoo

Chapter 12

"You want to research Riddle with me? I'm going to the library next."

___________ __________

Back to yearbooks, news archives, and genealogies. Draco took the mother and Artemis the father. Butler helped.

As Draco was sorting through articles, he said, "This reminds me, I was going to show this to Crabbe and Goyle, but you'll probably find it interesting, too. Here, read this."

It was a Daily Prophet article about Mr. Weasley, who was fined 50 Galleons for bewitching the car Ron and Harry had flown to school. Mr. Malfoy was calling for his resignation as Head of the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office. He was quoted as saying Weasley was unfit to draw up laws and "his ridiculous Muggle Protection Act should be scrapped immediately."

"Funny, huh?"

"Well, it does make sense he should resign his position." Artemis handed the article to Butler to read.

"What are we looking for exactly, Fowl?"

"Look for a connection with Salazar Slytherin, or anyone at Hogwarts. Or snakes," he added as an afterthought.

"Hey, maybe it's a professor."

"Maybe Lockhart's incompetence is a cover."

"Maybe it's Longbottom. Maybe his grandfather is actually Riddle."

"Who's more incompetent, do you think, Longbottom or Lockhart?"

Draco's forehead wrinkled. "That's a tough one."

__________ __________

The Christmas feast was fun. The Great Hall had been decorated with a dozen trees, and holly and mistletoe hung from the ceiling.

"Notice, Zabini, that the enchanted snow here is both warm and dry," Artemis pointedly told Blaise, who just snickered.

Dumbledore led the Hall in a few carols, which a few of the Slytherins actually joined in singing.

"At least I know you're not starving here," Butler said to Artemis as they passed around ham, roast beef, and Christmas pudding.

"Marie told me Eva's going to try to corner you under the mistletoe," Blaise whispered.

Artemis looked pained.

"Look at what Potter's wearing." Draco pointed. They all dutifully looked.

"Hand-knitted jumper, new," Chevalier observed. "Exactly the same as what all the Weasleys are wearing, each one a different color."

"Pretty stupid, if you ask me."

"We didn't ask, Malfoy," Zabini sneered.

"But it is a bit much," Eva agreed.

Galileo Bole was sitting next to his sister for Christmas. He had spent most of the feast sneaking glances at Butler, who Goyle and Crabbe had told him about. He seemed impressed.

"Go ahead and ask him about the troll," Artemis said now. "I know you want to know."

So Butler told the tale of how he had taken down the troll, leaving out mention of Holly. Every Slytherin goon and goon-wannabe at the table listened breathlessly.

___________ ___________

Artemis had learned of an old treatise written by Prof. Dumbledore on Theoretical and Practical Alchemy. He had spared no expense in discovering the location of the original manuscript and sending Butler to gain it for him. It had arrived a week ago, and Artemis had been reading it ever since.

The day before holidays started, Fowl's group and Malfoy's faction had been sitting at opposite ends of a long table in the common room--the cold had chased them away from their spots by the lake. Instead of sending owls, they were passing notes tied to the tail of a rat that belonged to the lone First Year sitting at the middle of the table.

Eva Bole had just received a note from Parkinson saying, "The answer to #9 is sassafrass weed, not sassparilla weed. By the way, are you going to make a move on Fowl, or what?" which she'd hastily crumpled up before anyone could read it.

Then Malfoy sent a message to Zabini that read, "It's so sweet to see you and Chevalier making kissy faces. Of course, you look like a dork, but that just makes it more amusing." And Zabini sent one back, "Shut up, Malfoy. Your dark roots are showing, by the way."

Which prompted Draco to lunge across the table at him, yelling, "I do not dye my hair!"

Artemis was reading the treatise and largely ignoring all this, when he suddenly drew in his breath in a startled sort of gasp, then let it back out again.

"What? What is it?" Eva asked.

He looked up from the paper, eyes exceedingly bright. If he had been anyone else he would have been dancing about, waving his arms and shouting "Eureka!" But as he was Artemis Fowl, he contented himself with the hint of a smirk. "What's what?"

"Why did you gasp like that?"

"It occurred to me how glad I am that I'm a wizard."

"And?" Marie prompted.

A more definite smirk. "How nice it is to be a genius."

"Ah. And what have you discovered that no one else knows?"

Artemis realized then how tricky it was to have friends. They knew certain things about you that could give you away. Fortunately, Artemis was clever, careful, and a wonderful liar.

Thus began his "newly discovered fascination with languages."

The line in Dumbledore's treatise had read, "I have heard of a legend which I can scarcely credit, regarding fairies and leprechauns and any number of tales considered outlandish, even by the wizarding world. It boils down to this: a long time ago, about 700 AD, a very powerful wizard discovered the secret of alchemy and passed it on to his best apprentice. The secret was guarded as dearer than life. Eventually it came to the attention of Rowena Ravenclaw and her brother, Roderick. Not much is ever mentioned about this brother, who was apparently an architect as well as an alchemist. He had no heirs or students, and no one he cared about, except Rowena, and possibly Salazar Slytherin. When he was about to die, he had the formula written down in a secret language, but not on parchment. He had it carved onto walls, floors, and ceilings of various important wizarding structures, scattered in bits and pieces like a riddle. I came across what is supposed to be one of these partial messages in a witch's pyramid in Egypt, but I have been unable to make any sense in translating it. I shall give up this theory and explore other avenues to the secret of turning substances into gold."

What made Artemis gasp that day was his instant recognition of the language; it was Gnommish. And it said "=gold. Next site: St. Mungo's hospital for wizards."

_________ __________

The mid-point of Christmas holidays, Artemis and Butler walked to Hogsmeade, then took the Knight's Bus to St. Mungo's Hospital. It was a large, run-down red brick department store called Purge and Dowse Ltd. Signs announced that it was Closed For Refurbishment.

"Rather shabby-looking," Artemis remarked.

They stopped in front of a window where an ugly mannequin wearing an even uglier dress was on display. Artemis leaned closer to the glass and murmured, "We're here to visit a patient."

The dummy nodded and beckoned. Artemis put his hand on Butler's shoulder and the two walked through the glass and re-appeared in a crowded reception room. Rows of witches and wizards sat on rickety wooden chairs, some seeming normal, others clearly having strange magical injuries or illnesses. Artemis walked to stand in front of the floor guide.

"Where to, Master Artemis?" Butler asked, looking around with a great deal of suspicion, keeping his hand near a cache of severely lethal weapons concealed upon his person.

"It'll be Spell Damage, I think, 4^th floor." He indicated the doors leading to the stairway, and they started up.

Artemis stopped at the door leading onto the 4^th floor, peering through the window before he opened the door. The corridor was clear as they entered. A few Christmas decorations were tacked on the walls.

At the far end of the hall was a window, and at the top of the window sill was an elaborate wooden carving of leaves and Celtic knots and the Healer's symbol. Artemis's eyes turned to it immediately.

A Healer stepped out of a door, carrying several bottles in her arms, and looked at them. "Can I help you?" she asked.

"Divert her attention away from me," Artemis whispered, and continued to the window as Butler walked toward her.

Artemis pulled out a small notebook and looked up at the carving. As he had deduced from the message in Dumbledore's treatise, the Gnommish words were there, the next part of the alchemical formula. He copied the symbols down in his notebook. "For lead," it read, "next site, Gringotts Bank, Diagon Alley."

__________ __________

Artemis had not visited Gringotts Bank yet. He had conducted his transfer of pounds to Galleons via a Squib intermediary and had obtained enough then that he had not needed to make another withdrawl. But now he and Butler entered the tall, white building, past two bowing goblins, through silver doors. They entered a vast marble hall. More than 100 goblins sat on high stools behind a long counter, hard at work, looking very self-important and busy. Some were scribbling in large ledgers, or weighing coins in brass scales, or examining precious jewels through eyeglasses. Numerous doors led off the hall, and goblins were showing people in and out of these. For a moment, they just stared.

'Very well then,' thought Artemis, 'time to impress the bankers.'

He put upon the arrogance of a wealthy, powerful man like a pair of soft, skin tight, elegant gloves, displayed for maximum effect. This was not a man one said no to.

Then he strode to a goblin at the counter, who was counting money, Butler carefully trailing along one pace behind and slightly to the right. His placement, his bulk, his eyes scanning everywhere, proclaimed him the bodyguard of a rich, influential man.

The goblin looked up and paid attention. But he was puzzled, for the rich man was, in fact, a 12-year-old boy.

"I want a vault," Artemis said.

"You wish to ensure the safety of your valuables?"

"Yes."

"The cost of a vault. . ."

"Is inconsequential. I want a vault."

"Your name, then, sir?"

"Artemis Fowl, the Second."

The goblin paused. "Fowl, did you say, sir?"

"Indeed."

The goblin pulled out a huge dusty, black ledger from underneath the counter. He quickly turned pages. "You would be the only currently living descendant of Lord Hugo de Fole?"

"Yes."

"Why then, you already have a vault, sir," the goblin beamed, warming to the boy considerably. "Always a pleasure to encounter a new de Fole."

____________ ____________

The cart ride was something of a shock to Artemis, but Butler appeared to have thoroughly enjoyed it. Artemis's vault lay deep beneath the bank, in one of the older sections of tunnels.

The goblin, Griphook, gave Artemis a key to keep, and unlocked the door using a combination of key and secret lock, which apparently only goblins could use. Artemis watched it all closely.

Inside the vault was a large stack of Galleons, some silver, and a chest of nothing but jewels, mostly diamonds. There was also a pedestal with a small box on it; inside the box was a ring with the de Fole crest.

Artemis walked to it and picked it up. It felt cold and heavy in his hand. He tried it on his right index finger, but it was a little too small, but when he slipped it on his left index finger, it fit fine. He left it on.

"Yes," he said, his voice a little weaker than he would have liked. "This vault will suit my needs adequately."

"Wonderful," the goblin proclaimed.

"Yes. Now that we're in the older section of the bank, however, I admit to being curious. Do the Hogwarts Founders have vaults here?"

"That they do, young sir," the goblin told him proudly. "Some of the first vaults in use, in fact."

"I've been thinking about them lately. I go to Hogwarts, you know, and we just had that whole Heir of Slytherin scare. . ."

"Indeed, indeed. None of those vaults are in use anymore. None of their Heirs are actually around to use them."

"Which vault is Slytherin's?"

"Number 19! Gryffindor's is right next to it, number 18. Hufflepuff is even earlier than that, 13, and Ravenclaw is near them, too, 24."

"Could I see them? Or is that a breach of protocol?"

"Naturally, you couldn't see the insides. . ."

"No, no, just the outsides. In fact, Ravenclaw's should be enough."

"I'm not sure, sir, it might be considered a security breach. . ." The goblin hesitated, looked at Artemis's expression, debated calling backup, looked at Butler, debated trying to magic him before the large human could react. . . his smile looked a bit sickly. "On second thought, why not? It's a short cart ride away!"

Gnommish symbols were etched above Ravenclaw's door. "Is that a message?" Artemis asked, pretending ignorance as he scrutinized them down to the last detail.

"Oh, just designs," the goblin laughed shakily. "I'd better get you back now!"

"Certainly. Thank you for indulging me. I just wanted to see a little piece of Hogwarts history."

The goblin gave another shaky laugh. "Yes, right. Let's not mention this little side-trip, though, OK?"

___________ __________

After they left the bank, Artemis copied the letters down in his notebook. His expression contained a level of irony, Butler thought, but he refrained from any questions until they were heading back to Hogwarts on the Knight's Bus.

"Where is the next location, Artemis?"

"Somewhere I had been expecting from the very beginning," Artemis replied. "In the Secret Chamber of Salazar Slytherin."

Artemis lapsed into reflection. 'So. A personal visit would be necessary.' He had hoped he would not have to take that risk, but his foreboding had proved well-founded. Artemis mentally shrugged. He would do what must be done. Gold was worth it.

Aurum Est Potestas, after all.