So I realized after writing this, that I had used Artemis' point of view for the past 3 chapters, so the next 2 will definitely be from Audrey's, or maybe some third person. Haven't decided yet. But anyways.... I hope you enjoy this chapter! =D

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Artemis

            I had never fathomed myself sneaking into my own aunt and uncle’s home. I had always been welcome in, like a second son to them, but not now. There was no way that I would probably be looked upon like that again in their eyes. Well… at least Lucius’.

            Malfoy had led me through a dark tunnel leading to their cellar. It was not the entrance I was hoping to use, but he insisted that it was the last one they would check. So here we were, sneaking through a dark corridor only by the lights of our wands, getting ourselves covered in cob webs and dirt. I wish he had told me before we had left my home; I wouldn’t have worn my suit had I known this is how we were getting into the home.

            We eventually reached a wooden door, and Malfoy pushed it open slowly, trying to make the least amount of noise possible. Both of us muttered, “Nox,” and the lights at the ends of our wands went out. He poked his head out, and after a few moments, he stepped out into the pantry area. I followed hesitantly, trying to be stealthy, something I was definitely not. I hadn’t been on a “mission” in years. The last time I had to be quiet and stealthy, I was nearly mauled to death by a gorilla. Luckily for me, there were no gorillas in Malfoy’s house.

            Walking through the kitchen, we walked past the dining room where they were having the meeting. The door was shut, and they didn’t notice us pass. Malfoy and I jogged up the stairs and into a vacant room. He shut the door behind us, and I immediately spotted the hole in the floor that had been there since we were children. I sat down next to it, carefully glancing into it, having a perfect view of a few of the Death Eaters below.

            Malfoy joined me on the other side of the hole in the floor. He pulled out his wand and muttered, “Muffliato.” It was a brilliant idea really. That way they couldn’t hear us. I was surprised I hadn’t done it before he did. “Ready?” he asked.

            “You know it,” I replied, pulling an Extendable Ear from my pocket. I lowered it carefully into the hole in the floor, positioning it in the perfect location above the Death Eaters, so long as none of them saw it. Malfoy and I leaned forward, listening to their conversation below…

            “…they’re just boys, my Lord, why are we even bothering?” one Death Eater asked.

            “They betrayed you, they betrayed us, and most importantly, they betrayed me,” a voice that I knew belonged to Voldemort stated. “They have made their beds, and now it’s time they lie in it.”

            An uneasy silence fell upon the group, a huge uncertainty hovering over them. I looked at Malfoy, knowing very well what I was hearing. We were the boys in question, no doubt about it. And hearing my name only confirmed that.

            “Well, why punish Draco? It was that Artemis Fowl who caused all the problems. If it wasn’t for him, Draco would still be in the room with us,” a female’s voice said matter-of-factly. I was nearly positive it belonged to Bellatrix Lestrange. I was really going to get sick of her by the time this night was over.

            “Draco made his own decisions, and he chose to side with his cousin,” Voldemort went on.

            “Well jeez… who did you think he would side with?” I found myself hissing under my breath, but then I remembered we needed to be able to hear them.

            “By making that choice, he sided with the enemy, and has become one himself,” Voldemort explained. “They have internal knowledge, and must be destroyed. We cannot let them have our names, or our secrets to give away to anyone, especially Potter.”

            We heard a few mutters of agreement rumble through the Death Eaters, before Voldemort silenced them. “We must act soon. The sooner the boys are dead the better, and the less time they have to run, or to give out any information they have.”

            “What if they kill us first?” another asked.

            Voldemort laughed evilly, one that even murdered my evil laugh. “Though they may be feisty, they won’t kill you. They have too many morals, which is why they abandoned us in the first place. Draco will more than likely be one to disarm, or use something minor, like a distraction.” He paused for a moment. “Now Artemis… he’s the brain of the operation. He will use anything he can. He will injure you on purpose, with the intent to kill if necessary. Not to mention his vampiric abilities will already give him an edge over you.”

            “So what do you want us to do?”

            “Simple. The boys are staying at Fowl Manor, and are scheduled to go to Diagon Alley tomorrow morning with their girlfriends,” Voldemort announced. “We set up an ambush waiting for them.”

            “And what about the girls?” another asked.

            “Kill them too; they have no purpose for us,” Voldemort commanded.

            I couldn’t listen anymore. I moved away from the hole, leaning against the wall. I noticed Draco had done the same. I yanked the Extendable Ear from its spot, throwing it on the floor.

            “We got to go,” he breathed. “We can’t stay here, or at your house anymore. And Audrey and Pansy need to be warned.”

            “We’ll have to run,” I decided. “If we stay in one place we’ll get caught. And we surely can’t go through with our trip to Diagon Alley tomorrow, at least not without disguises. But we stick out like sore thumbs, so that’s not even an option.”

            What to do, what to do? My mind was trying to comprehend what I was about to do. I had never run away from my problems, and I was not sure how it would play out. Up until this point, I had tackled all the obstacles in my life head on, but this one I didn’t think could be taken care of without running. I was sure to be dead if I had stayed and tried to talk it over.

            “And when do we start running?” Malfoy broke the silence.

            I took a deep breath. “Now.”

            We immediately Apparated back to my room, and I started to throw whatever I thought we might need in a pile on my bed. I’m sure my cousin thought I had lost my mind. Although that was something that had in fact happened to me before, that was not the case this time. Now, I was just in a state of panic. My brain for once wasn’t sure of what I was doing, and it hated not knowing.

            After shoving the supplies in a back pack, I grabbed a pair of jeans and a t-shirt from my dresser and quickly changed right there. I didn’t care if Malfoy was right there or not; I wasn’t going to be on the run wearing a suit. I turned to face my cousin; he looked impatient.

            “Are you done yet?” he asked.

            I looked around the room, spotting my owl in the corner of the room. I opened the cage and let him out. I knew no matter where I went Ares would come with me. “Now I’m ready,” I announced, as my great-horned owl landed on my shoulder. “Let the journey begin…”