#And I saw Quirell for the last time.........

[tapakah0]

I walked in the Temple of the Black Egg (knowing beforehand that I won't be able to kill them, because of what Lemm and Hornet told us), looked how they watched us back and forth like a kitten and died... I suck at battles, but maybe I will be able to free them

#Hornet told that I have second path #the hard one #but better one #it means that I have no more paths but this one XDD #I know some spoilers #But I have no idea how exactly to get to them #I will try at least... but if I have to kill all these bosses twice (in their dream form)... well... it will be a long journey... #but I want to know their story... #And I saw Abyss #The place of Knight's birth #And I have a lot of questions #I will be seeking for answers. #And I saw Quirell for the last time......... #Okay this game firstly kills me with their complicated battles and then makes me cry... is that what you wanted??

[calummss]

Thomas Shelby Hogwarts Professor Short Story

masterlist other chapters

Chapter 1: Pretty Cute

summary: a stranger catches your eye whilst shopping in diagon alley

pairing: professor! thomas shelby x fem student! reader

words: 1.6k

a/n: i asked, you answered, i delivered

The warm bright sun blazed onto the cobblestoned street of Diagon Alley. The bustling streets were filled with fellow wizards and witches who were flowing by the shops, hoping to get their essentials before school or work started again.

You were sitting outside of Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour, a small table right in front of the shop as you watched the crowd of people sway past you. The twins Fred and George were also sitting at the table, with you in the middle. Your tongue picked up the taste of sticky toffee pudding, your favourite. Fred and George each had a scoop of butterbeer and early grey with lavender.

It had become a habit or a sort of tradition to get Florean’s ice cream with the Weasleys since they started attending Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. Hermione was off somewhere with Harry and Ron, whilst your family, the Grangers, had met with the Weasley family to get the back-to-school-shopping-list ticked off.

‘Y/n,’ Fred turned his face to you with a playful smile and you had a feeling you knew what he was going to ask. ‘Since you’re in your 7th year now can we get your schoolwork from your 5th year?’

‘No, absolutely not.’ You answered back.

‘Why not?’ George asked, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion. ‘We’re friends!’

You sat back in your chair, your ice cream still in your hand. ‘Because it would be very obvious that it’s your work.’ You scolded. ‘And second, you need to know. How else will you get on in the Wizarding World?’

‘You’re just like your sister.’ Fred exclaimed, continuing to eat his ice cream with narrowed eyes.

‘What do you mean by that?’

‘Ron talks about Hermione and what she says,’ George said, him too taking licks from his ice cream.

‘Well she’s right.’ You answer truthfully. ‘Glad to know I have a smart little sister.’

You continued to engage in conversation with the exception of making fun of Percy as he walked past the three of you.

‘Who do you think the new Defence Against The Dark Arts professor will be?’ Fred spoke as the other conversation started to bore him.

‘I don’t know but I hope they’re good looking.’ You answered, not really paying attention to your surroundings and continued to eat your ice cream.

George chuckled and Fred let out a small laugh.

‘What?’ You reproached. ‘Us girls deserve it after Quirell and Lockhart.’

‘What about us boy?’ Fred moaned, George nodding his head vigorously. ‘Why can’t it be a pretty female professor?’

‘You already don’t pay attention in class,’ you suppress a laugh, falling back into your chair. ‘That would be the worst thing that could happen to the both of you.’

‘You’re not even in our year so how do you know that George and I aren’t excellent students?’

‘First: I’ve seen your report cards. Two: Remember when I interrupted your Transfiguration class with McGonagall because Pomfrey needed that golden cup back?’ You eyed both of them. ‘I saw you playing with Jordan’s tarantula, scaring the Ravenclaw girls that sat behind you…’

Fred and George stayed quiet in defeat.

‘Oh, move over.’ You raised your voice at Hermione and elbowed her to the side. Diagon Alley was packed as it was and you certainly didn’t need a squashed hug from your sister.

‘I can’t otherwise I would.’ She snapped back at you.

It was the end of August and everyone was trying to tick off the last items off their back-to-school-list. Every year was a hassle but you were happy regardless. This would be your last time buying school equipment. You were officially a 7th year student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Only one year left and you would begin your new journey on becoming an actress, studying at the Wizarding Acadeyour of Dramatic Arts.

‘Y/n.’ You heard your mother call out your name. ‘Are you coming?’

You hadn’t noticed that your parents had continued to walk down the road without you. Just as you caught up with them, you noticed a rather tall and good looking man walk across the street and step into Amanuensis Quills.

‘Dad?’ You ran up to him. ‘Since I’m taking your N.E.W.T.S this year, I was wondering if it would be alright for me to buy a new quill? Mine’s scratchy and patchy.’ You asked, lying from ear to ear.

‘Sure, I’ll come with you.’

‘Oh no, I can go by yourself. I’m pretty sure Mum needs you at Flourish and Blotts. Hermione needs a lot of heavy books for her third year.’ You blurted out, trying to change his mind.

‘That’s true. Good thinking.’ He realised. ‘Here’s the money, but please don’t buy the most expensive one.’

‘I won’t.’ You yelled as your feet were already running towards the shop and when you stood in front of it you could see the man browse through various inks.

He was around 170cm, dark brown hair, almost black that seemed soft to the touch, a small amount of stubble across the lower half of his face. He was wearing a big, blue sweater that looked very old and worn. Underneath a pair of dark brown trousers and black shoes completed his look.

You hadn’t noticed how long you were staring into the window when Amandus Cordell, the owner of the shop, stood in front of the glass blocking your view.

‘Miss Granger,’ Amand bleated.

You removed your head from the dirty window and tiled your head with an awkward smile.

‘Are you going to be staring all day or are you planning on coming inside?’ He raised his eyebrow at you shortly before pulling the door open.

‘Sorry, Mr. Cordell.’ You walked into the shop, the wooden floor creaking under your heels.

‘What can I do for you?’ He stepped back behind the counter and re-adjusted his spectacles.

‘Well,’ you stepped to the counter taking a quick glance to the man that was still looking at the inks. ‘I need a new quill since I’ll be taking your N.E.W.T.S at the end of the school year. I need a quill that will write perfectly.’ You smiled.

‘I know just what you need.’ His index finger went up and with that he left.

Only the man and you were in the open room together and you could’ve sworn that the walls were coming closer, pushing you towards him. He’s been staring at those ink bottles for over 5 minutes. Surely he found what he had come in for.

You pretended to look at the catalogue that Mr. Cordell had set out for his customers, trying your best to not stare at him.

‘I noticed you staring earlier.’ A deep voice penetrated the silence.

Your head whipped towards the man who still hadn’t moved. He was holding an ink bottle in his hand but his head was still looking down.

‘Excuse me?’ You asked, not taking your eyes off him.

He turned around and looked you straight in the eyes. His blue eyes stared into yours until you could no longer hold it and broke off the eye contact. He was intimidating.

‘When I walked in here, I noticed you staring.’ He chuckled. ‘Don’t worry.’ he smiled. ‘I’m flattered.’

‘Oh that, I’m sorry, you just seemed familiar.’ You lied start to finish. You had never seen him nor know anyone that looks like him. His appearance caught your attention and you clearly couldn’t deny his attractiveness. Normally you would have minded your own business but you just couldn’t.

He moved closer, you remained in your place. Even if you could move, You’re sure you wouldn’t have.

‘I know, you know that that isn’t true.’ His frame stood in front of you as you gulped. ‘I wouldn’t be able to keep your eyes off you either.’ He breathed in your neck.

Goosebumps arose on your skin, your heart was pounding and your breath hitched as he removed his face from your ear. A smirk was painted across his face.

‘I-‘

‘Miss Granger, here would be the quill that I think would be a perfect fit.’ Mr. Cordell came out from the back. Deep down you thanked him. You had no words you could possibly think of saying to the man. You never ran out of things to say but right now at this given moment you were speechless.

You cleared your throat and turned your body away from him and went up to the counter.

‘It’s perfect. I’ll buy it.’ You said, trying to get out of the shop as fast as you could. It felt as though all the air was being sucked out of this place. A hand from behind placed down to sets of black ink, as you felt his chest swiftly on your back.

‘I’ll pay for these and the quill.’ The same voice from just a few seconds ago said.

‘Total comes to 5 Galleons.’ Mr. Cordell said as the man placed the coins onto the counter.

‘You’re welcome.’ He breathed down your neck before grabbing his stuff and walking towards the door.

‘Thank you.’ You yelled back but he was already out of the front door. As soon as the door closed you could feel your lungs expanding for air.

‘Are you alright?’

‘Perfectly adequate. Thank you Mr. Cordell.’ You breathed heavily. You grabbed your quill and returned to your family that were standing in front of Flourish and Blotts with the Weasleys and Harry.

No matter how much you tried to forget about the encounter, you couldn’t stop thinking about him. There was something about him but you couldn’t figure it out and probably never would. Your first and last time seeing that stranger.

#thomas shelby #thomas shelby blurbs #thomas shelby blurb #thomas shelby headcanon #thomas shelby headcanons #thomas shelby imagine #thomas shelby imagines #tommy shelby headcanon #tommy shelby #thomas shelby fanfic #thomas shelby fluff #thomas shelby smut #thomas shelby angst #thomas shelby x y/n #thomas shelby x reader #thomas shelby x you #tommy shelby blurbs #peaky blinders #tommy shelby imagine #peaky blinder imagine #period drama #tommy shelby x reader #tommy shelby blurb #tommy shelby fluff #tommy shelby x you #tommy shelby x y/n #tommy shelby imagines #tommy shelby fanfic #michael gray

[moonysbxtch0]

505

Part 3: Two can play this game

Summary: Professor Lupin gets his ‘revenge’ for your dirty play during his last class.

Pairing: Remus Lupin x werewolf student

Warnings: None

Ao3 link : https://archiveofourown.org/works/39275319/chapters/100533909#workskin

A few days had passed quickly. The pressure on you was worse than last year. The teachers had become stricter and kept mentioning the fact that your future depended on this year as if you weren't aware of it. What you always told yourself to help you deal with the stress was the phrase 'If I manage 12 transformations a year I can manage anything.'

During these past few days you had always found a way to make the class fun which always led to detentions. You had already lost 30 points to Gryffindor during Potions. It was Marcus who kept talking but since Snape is a complete ass to Gryffindor he blamed it on you and took house points when you tried to explain yourself. Luckily you managed to win 20 in transfiguration and 15 in DADA . Talking about DADA...It had become your favourite subject of all time and not only yours. Apparently everyone felt the same.

Professor Lupin was completely different from Quirell, Lockheart and the previous teachers before them. He was outstanding on his field and always managed to make his class fun. He was charming,sarcastic and cracked a few jokes from time to time.Last but not least he was the most handsome man you had ever laid your eyes on. 

It seemed like he didn't hold a grudge against you for that little dirty trick you pulled to save the class from the 20 pages of parchment. However he played more than dirty himself. 

You had not studied at all when he had mentioned that you will be having an exam. You thought that the first grade you would be getting on DADA as a 7th year would be outstanding, O,because you would cheat and well he said that you didn't have to study.

You arrived on time for his class, followed by Oliver and Percy as usual. Your eyes scanned the class and finally landed on him. You had a smug smirk on your face when you greeted him. He shook his head slightly from left to right and smiled at you. You sat in your desk, between Percy and Oliver and folded your arms on your desk. 

"Alright." The professor stood up from his seat and clapped to get everyone's attention."Is everyone ready?" 

"Yes." The class seemed in a good mood. Of course... who wouldn't be knowing that they would get an O just from cheating. The professor flicked his wand and at that moment, a single sheet of paper appeared in front of each student. You flipped it to the other side and repeated the motion a couple times. You met eyes with Oliver he seemed as confused. The exam  had only one question, a very simple one. Even a 4th year would be able to answer to that ...

"Write your names ,answer the question and we shall continue with what I have planned for the day."

"This is stupid ! The question is fourth year knowledge."You locked eyes with him. His lips twitched, he was trying not to smile. 

"Well Y/N ,I did tell you everyone would pass without having to study, didn't I?"

Two can play this game huh... And a smirk formed on his face.He looked so pleased with what he had done and honestly you deserved it. If you played dirty you had no right to tell him anything about this. You sighed and lowered your head to write the answer to the question.Seems like everyone was done rather quickly. Professor Lupin made sure each student handed him the paper before deciding to break the silence. 

"You will be having another exam next week. I will be testing what have you learned so far.Make sure you study for it."You threw him a stare. He did the stupid exam today in purpose just to keep his word ."Got anything to say Y/N?" He teased when he saw the look on your face.He truly was a bastard...

"No Professor. " You forced a smile.

"Very well. Today we are going to talk about Kappas. Can anyone tell me what they are?" A few hands shot in the air.

"Yes Percy ?"

"The Kappas are Japanese water demons which feed on human blood. They are known for strangling humans that invaded their shallow ponds." 

"Correct. And how can one protect themselves from Kappas?"

"One could protect themselves from, and appease a Kappa by throwing a cucumber inscribed with that person's name.However, if they could trick it into bowing, the water in its head would spill out, weakening it."

"Correct Y/N. 10 points to Gryffindor ,5 points per each of you. "

<•>

The weeks passed quickly. When you were a first year you never believed the words of Professor Mcgonagall when she told you that years pass in a blink of eyes. Your brain still could not comprehend how that was possible. Before Harry started studying here, school was quite boring... days barely passed but ever since he got here he is on some sort of streak... firstly he faces  Quirell who was  helping Voldemort, then the giant basilisk last year, now Sirius Black coming after him... The only bright side any of these things had, was professor Dumbledore cancelling the exams at the end of the year. 

The full moon cycle started 4 days ago and you felt anxious. Usually different months came with different mood swings. One month you would be happy ,the other motivated ,the other sad ...so to sum it up... if one specific emotion existed you would relive it. 

You realised that this month had hit you with  annoyance... you felt irritated all the time.You snapped at Oliver during dinner the other time just because he was munching his food 'too loudly '. You apologised after but still it didn't come from the heart because one part of you still felt like it would be a better idea to have smashed his face on his plate of food. First thing that irritated you this morning was the wet dream you had. It was the same you had been seeing since summer but it was more detailed this time. You knew that your back was against a cold surface and the voice seemed familiar but the person was still a shadow. 

"Fucking shit!" You were running to the dungeons, immediately after you realised that you were late for you class. Out of all classes you were late in Potions.You made your way there and slipped unnoticed...or so you thought. 

"Lost your way L/N?"Okay the last thing you wanted to hear today was Snape starting with his shit.

"Not really, I just overslept. " You said with the tone you knew that Snape hated the most. His lip snarled.

"That's on your carelessness!"

"When did I say it wasn't?"

"Sit down." He threw you a stare."5 points from Gryffindor. "

"What for?"

"Make it 10."

"But-" Percy kicked your leg.

"Let it go. You know how he is."

You let out a sigh and annoyingly stared at him.

<•>

You were still furious about the fact that Snape took 10 housepoints...he could have let you go with a warning. 

"He is a fucking asshole. He hates us Gryffindor!"

"We know that. Percy sighed."Just please- make sure not to lose us other points. "

You took a deep breath to calm yourself.Snape didn't have to ruin DADA as well for you. Professor Lupin,whom, you had not seen for a few days...you only had DADA on Monday and Friday,walked inside the classroom,made hus way to his desk and suddenly you felt weird. You couldn't put it in words but it had something to do with the wolf .

"The bloody hell-" you rubbed your temples.Professor Lupin was staring at you ,piercing you with his gaze. When you raised your head to meet his eyes he stared your for a bit longer and got up.

"Alright class- I have graded your exams. If you have any complains about your grade stay after class." 

He started handing out the papers and when he walked closer to you ,you suddenly were more aware of his presence. His smell filled your lungs ,sandalwood, chocolate, tea and an odd smell you could not quite place at the moment.You grabbed the paper as he left and realised that you had taken a good grade. 

Some little notes were written here and there but other than that you had done fine. He  started explaining the lesson after all of you had carefully observed your exams. You had zoned out a while ago and hadn't realised that the lesson was over.

"Y/N?" You snapped back to reality and realised that the class was empty. "I thought you would be satisfied with your grade?"

"Oh. Sorry" You started putting your books inside your bag." I am."Professor Lupin smiled.

"You had done quite well in your exam."

A blush creeped on your face at the sudden praise. "It's all thanks to you Professor. "

"Is something bothering you today?" 

"Why do you ask?"

"You seemed off during class." 

"Ah. I-" you locked eyes with him and your stomach felt weird when you saw the way he was staring at you"...ehm..I was just mad at Professor Snape. "

" Did he do something to upset you?"

"He took 10 house points for no reason. I mean...I was late and I kinda talked back to him but that was no reason to do that." 

You had gathered your stuff and were ready to leave. The professor chuckled and the sound made you feel weird. Why did that make you feel warm from the inside? You blamed it on the full moon.

"I heard that he is quite unfair to Gryffindor. Don't worry though. You lost 10 points you can win 20,you are capable of that."

"Hopefully. " You manged to say and found it difficult to tear your eyes from his.The two of you fell in silence,both staring at each other.

"Uhh- Well...I gotta go." You managed to get hold of yourself.

"Have a nice day Y/N."

"You too Professor. " You nodded as you walked away from his class.Now what the hell was that...As you were walking to your dorm you suddenly remembered that you had promised Oliver that you would meet him  on the pitch today. He wanted to give the yearly captain speech and inspect the pitch. The team was already there when you arrived .

"Finally here." Oliver said when he saw you.

"Could have taken me here when you left from DADA." You rolled your eyes and approached him.

"I thought you were not happy with your grade." Oliver smiled, knowing damn well you had taken a good grade. You flipped him off and he laughed. 

Part 4:

#harry potter #eventual smut #professor remus lupin #remus lupin #remus x you #slow build #eventual relationship #fluff and humor #older man younger woman #daddy issues #professor x student #marauders #teasing

[plant-flwrs]

Hi! May I please request a fluffy fic with Fred Weasley with a quiet, introverted, book worm reader who Fred desperately wants to get the attention of and if it’s not too much to ask how he acts in a relationship with someone quiet and not like well him lol. Thank you ❤️

the missing piece // fred weasley

masterlist!

a/n: this is a little different than my usual structure of my fics, so i hope you don’t mind! i also went a little literal with the introvert description, just because i am the biggest introvert you’ll ever met, so i wanted to be accurate yk. thank u sm for ur request, hope u like it!

---------

You were happy to listen. Happy to sit, tucked into Fred’s side, listening as he and his brother concocted schemes that you wouldn’t even dream of. You were happy to listen, sat in the crowded Quidditch stands, while everyone around you cheered on. You were happy to listen, diligently taking notes, while Fred’s head hit the desk with a thud as he fell asleep.

When Fred first met you, he didn’t realize that you listened. He thought you had no idea he existed. He did just about anything he could to catch your eye. He stole Professor Quirell’s heinously ugly robes, flying through the grounds as they trailed after him like a banner. He had to fly past you and the cheering students three times over before you even raised your head from the book you were reading.

This only made him more determined, and he was glad he didn’t give up. To this day, he was incredibly proud of the way he finally managed to catch your attention. 

Fred crouched behind a massive bookcase, watching you as you picked up the book he had just slipped back into it’s place. You flipped it open, you’re beautiful eyes scanning the page. He watched your hesitant fingers reach into the book, and when they retreated you held the note he had left for you.

Every day, Fred waited in the library, watching as you checked out more and more books, each with notes in them. He watched your bashful smile as you read over the cheesy notes, your bottom lip trapped between your teeth. You had a habit of tapping the spine of the book as you read his notes, as he found it adorable. You would look up, glancing around, and Fred’s head would duck just in time. You would look back down, and without a word to anyone else, you would walk from the library, where Fred stood watching you leave.

One day, he finally signed the notes with a simple ‘F’. He didn’t think you would know, but when your mind caught up with your reading eyes, your mouth fell open. You shut the book quickly, and when you realized you locked the note in there, you opened it again. Pulling the signed note from the heavy book, you smoothed it out. Fred saw his name leave your mouth in a whisper.

Even though you knew it was him, you never said anything. This was what always confused Fred. He didn’t understand, you had held all the power, and you did nothing. He had half a mind to think you didn’t like him back.

One day in the courtyard, he spotted you reading at a stone picnic bench, your legs tucked under you and your chin resting in your palm.

He pulled a piece of parchment from his bag and wrote the note quickly, stating four simple words:

I fancy you. -Fred

He walked by you, feigning no interest. The note slipped from his hand easily, and he winked at you. He was walking away just as your fingers began to unfold the note. You watched his back turn the corner, and looked back down at the note. The parchment was the same as the one’s that you had been finding in the books, and even though the words in the note were more than enough proof, you still noticed that the handwriting was the same.

You had admired Fred for knowing you so well, even back then when you barely knew each other. He knew that his insane pranks and antics wouldn’t catch your attention, so he went smaller, more your style. Every time you opened a book from the library, your fingers tapping on the spine, you thought of Fred and his notes.

You had kept every note, including the last one, and especially the one’s he still never fails to slip you in the halls. His fingers are always so fast, and you barely notice until you find them crumpled in the bottom of your bag. 

It’s hard for Fred to write how he feels, but he’s learned to since he started dating you. You were always a sucker for those love letters, and Fred would do anything to make you happy.

He realized a long time ago that you wouldn’t join him with pranks, or scream for him in the stands at Quidditch, but you’d always give him the homework he didn’t do, and you’d always hold his hand in the halls. And, as much as he pretended it annoyed him, he would always listen intently as you told him about the newest book you had read.

When you had first started dating, Fred had asked you to Hogsmeade every weekend, and every day after classes ended, he would want to be near you. The interaction was draining you, and Fred noticed. At first he thought he was boring you, or that you weren’t actually interested in him. You both drifted for a while, filled with insecurities. You found your way back to each other, though, never able to really be apart. You explained to Fred that you needed space sometimes, and that being social wasn’t as easy for you as it was for Fred. Fred understood that about you, but he never failed to kiss you goodnight and good morning every single day.

People didn’t understand at first, neither did you two. You had never been one for large flares, or obnoxious antics, but something about Fred made you like those things. You liked it when he did something stupidly daring. You liked it when he was obnoxious. Fred had never been one to notice the little things, he usually wen through life as oblivious as any other teenaged boy. But, something about you made him notice the little things. You made him slow down and appreciate things. George liked this, because Fred started to put more thought into their pranks, and they had never been more mischievous than when Fred was with you.

You both completed each other more than you could ever have thought. You were both the missing piece the other had been searching for for so long. 

#fred weasley fanfiction #fred weasley #fred weasley imagine #fred weasley fic #fred weasley x reader #harrypotter #harry potter fic #hogwarts

[ask-impure-vessel]

I have faith in you and Qurriel's fighting abilities. And if I recall correctly you do not need to be lethal to defeat the lords. Though that may be different for the Traitor Lord, i fear he may be too far gone in the infection to be snapped out of it. Good luck Vessel!

(Comments in italics from @krystian-pol - don’t forget, you can message this blog!)

Ah the mantises, Quirell says the truth, they aren't the friendliest. But they'll accept you as a warrior if you'll be able to defeat their leaders.

That was known, if a cruel joke for those outside the mantis tribe. The four mantis lords were a unit and a very capable one. A single warrior, challenging them to combat? Impossible. Absolutely impossible. If one of the three sisters' spears didn't get you, one of the chakrams the brother certainly would.

𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚜 𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚜 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢 𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚘𝚗𝚐 𝚠𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚒𝚘𝚛𝚜. 𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚋𝚎 𝚊 𝚚𝚞𝚒𝚝𝚎 𝚍𝚒𝚏𝚏𝚒𝚌𝚞𝚕𝚝 𝚋𝚊𝚝𝚝𝚕𝚎.

Ah yes the four leaders, the knight was capable to beat all of them in their journey y'know?

𝙰𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚘𝚗𝚎'𝚜 𝚜𝚒𝚋𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚜𝚖𝚊𝚕𝚕?

They were the size you saw them before leaving the abyss. Vessel. The knight had to battle the lords after the traitor lord was banished, therefore we do not know how strong he was before accepting the infection, however we can tell you what moves they'll use.

𝚃𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚒𝚜 𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚌𝚒𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚍, 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚒𝚜𝚗'𝚝 𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚎 𝚊𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚑𝚘𝚠 𝚑𝚎𝚕𝚙𝚏𝚞𝚕 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚋𝚎.

The first two lords lept off their thrones, the other pair hanging back, seeming to be preparing weapons for them. That advice could come any minute now!

Hm, where to begin. They'll jump onto one side of the platform, and will lunge across it, you can jump and hit your nail on them to give yourself a boost and avoid damage, another attack is one in which they'll drop from the sky trying to impale you on their nail, you just need to move a bit to the side, and you'll be safe. Last move is when they stick to the walls and send air blades at you.

𝚄𝚜𝚎𝚏𝚞𝚕 𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠𝚕𝚎𝚍𝚐𝚎.

At least, for the sisters. The knight took the initiative and knocked away their thrown weapons, using the momentum to strike at one. Quirrel used his great speed to take great blows at the sister Vessel had aimed at, though she leaped out of range as the lord came forward to bodycheck the smaller pillbug.

Quirrel gave a cry as he found the pungee pit, curling up and rolling out of the pit with alacrity. “Nnh. I’m certainly not dying to something as pathetic as a willingly infected husk.” He spoke with a forcefully cheerful voice.

The larger creature roared and began to make digging motions at the ground, his sisters taking defensive positions. The vessel got in front of Quirrel, holding their greatnail defensively as a wave of power shot into their body.

Still standing, they get a bit of room and start focusing, letting Quirrel start getting some blows in; kasaa! Well, it wasn’t as if they had a battle cry.

𝙳𝚘 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚔. 𝙳𝚘 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚊𝚔. 𝙳𝚘 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚑𝚘𝚙𝚎. 𝙳𝚘 𝚗𝚘𝚝. 𝙳𝚘 𝚗𝚘𝚝... 

The light shield came up as the brother came too close, the soul burning him there-then again as orbs shaped like ornate seals appeared through the arenas. Quirrel yelped, as the edge of one got him; but two of the sisters were out.

Just one more and the brother to go. “ Yᴏᴜ ᴀʀᴇ ᴊᴜsᴛ ᴀ ʙʀᴏᴋᴇɴ ᴛᴏᴏʟ, ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ᴅɪsᴄᴀʀᴅᴇᴅ ᴏɴᴄᴇ ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ ɪs ɴᴏ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴜsᴇ ғᴏʀ ʏᴏᴜ. Lᴀʏ ᴅᴏᴡɴ, ʙᴇ sᴛɪʟʟ ʙʀᴏᴋᴇɴ ᴠᴇssᴇʟ ᴀɴᴅ ᴍᴏᴠᴇ ɴᴏ ᴍᴏʀᴇ! “ The brother screamed out.

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚟𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚎𝚕 𝚑𝚊𝚜 𝚞𝚜𝚎, 𝚢𝚎𝚝. 

The vessel held out their hand as Quirrel dashed behind them. Black void tentacles erupted from their form, lashing out against the last two-the two screaming. The sister escaped back to her throne, but the brother was still in. They could no longer assist him. His daughter wailed. “Father, please why did you give in to the old light!?”

“ Wᴇ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ sᴛʀᴏɴɢ ᴀɢᴀɪɴsᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴜsᴜʀᴘᴇʀ's ɪɴᴛʀᴜsɪᴏɴs, Lᴀʏʟᴀ-ʏᴏᴜ'ʟʟ ᴜɴᴅᴇʀsᴛᴀɴᴅ sᴏᴍᴇᴅᴀʏ!” He called back, focus still on them as the vessel took a knee, gasping for breath.

They were running out of stamina.

“No, I won’t! I want the two worlds to meet!” She cried out.

“ I ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ʀᴀᴛʜᴇʀ ᴅɪᴇ ᴛʜᴀɴ sᴇᴇ ʜɪᴍ ᴡɪɴ ᴀɴʏᴛʜɪɴɢ, ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴀɴʏᴛʜɪɴɢ, ʜᴇ ᴍᴜsᴛ sᴜғғᴇʀ! ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴜsᴜʀᴘᴇʀ ᴋᴇᴇᴘs ᴇɴᴄʀᴏᴀᴄʜɪɴɢ ᴏɴ ᴏᴜʀ ʟᴀɴᴅs, ᴊᴜsᴛ ᴀs ʜᴇ ʜᴀs ᴀʟᴡᴀʏs ᴅᴏɴᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴏᴛʜs ᴀɴᴅ Dᴇᴇᴘɴᴇsᴛ! “ He screamed, turning from combat to his daughter.

“...she’s buying us time. Heal up, friend.” Quirrel murmured, looking fairly injured himself.

The two argue politics, as the vessel focuses, healing their shell. They have only a little-but they stand and they aim. The Traitor Lord turns and swings, just as the Hallowed Knight runs them through the middle with their greatnail.

The dim glow burns and the traitor lord flails on the end of the great nail in one last spasm of fight, spitting glowing fluid into the knight’s eyes before giving up the ghost, falling to the ground.

Vessel felt pain, but kept standing stoically. They had to be declared the winner.

The sisters look distraught, but the middle sister stands. “Your challenge is won. Your words, proven true. You shall both be given honor in our village. Your request is granted, scholar. Layla, you are free to marry in or out of our tribe, to come and go. I shall give you the title Lalya Shadewalker, for your paws shall carry you distances far beyond our home to places unseen and back. We shall have healers see to your injuries.”

𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚊𝚝𝚝𝚕𝚎 𝚒𝚜 𝚍𝚘𝚗𝚎. 𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚟𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚎𝚕, 𝚒𝚝 𝚌𝚊𝚗 𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚝. 

The vessel toppled forward and all went black.

#hollow knight #hk pure vessel #hk mantis lords #hk traitor lord #hk quirrel #hk traitor's child #radiance says hi #pale king was a conquerer

[miraculousmongoose]

Miraculous: New Heroes, New Allies

This is all of Miraculous: New Heroes, New Allies series thus far. The Next Generation of Heroes is set in the future.

Chapter 1

Marinette Dupain-Cheng

Ladybug sat at the top of the Eiffel Tower, waiting for Cat Noir to show up. She had something important to talk to him about. She tried calling him again, but only got his stupid voicemail in response.

“Where is he?” She muttered to herself. Ladybug fingered with the octagonal box that held the Horse Miraculous.

“You called, Bugaboo?” Cat Noir said behind her.

Ladybug shrieked and fell backwards, losing her grip on the box. “Cat! How many times have I told you not to call me Bugaboo!” She groaned after regaining the box and her composure.

“But just saying Ladybug is just so dull.” He fake pouted. “So, what did you wish to talk about M’lady?”

Ladybug gave him a dirty look. “I’m planning to visit the temple, and I want you to come with me. We are the holders of the two most powerful Miraculouses in existence after all.”

“And how do you plan to get there? Because this is certainly purr-plexing.”

Ladybug rolled her eyes. “With the Horse Miraculous, Kitty.” She said, showing Cat Noir the box. She opened it and the horse kwami Kaalki flew out. She put on the glasses, which turned red and black. “Tikki, Kaalki, unify!”

Her hair was pulled up into a high ponytail, her hands and feet became black, and her shoulders and knees became reminiscent of Kaalki’s pattern.

“So are we going or what, Bugaboo?” Cat Noir asked.

“Don’t call me Bugaboo!” She said. “Voyage!” She summoned a portal to the temple. “After you, Cat Noir.”

He stepped through and she followed. “Tikki, Kaalki, divide.” She said, turning back to Ladybug. “Shall we go meet the other Guardians?” She asked Cat Noir.

“We shall, M’Ladybug.”

Chapter 2

Lillian Montgomery

Lillian took a deep breath outside the classroom door. It was her first day at Collège Françoise Dupont in Paris. She gathered her wits and clutched her sketchbook with one hand and pushed the door open.

“Is this Ms. Bustier’s class?” She asked nervously. She looked around. On the right front row there sat a boy with glasses, a red baseball cap, and headphones around his neck. Behind him was a girl with black glasses and wavy brown hair with reddish ends. A large boy with a black skull t-shirt sat behind her, and behind him was a boy with red hair that partially covered one of his blue eyes.

On the left there was a blonde girl with her hair in a ponytail and sunglasses on her head. Next to her was a red haired girl with glasses and a white headband. Behind then sat another pair of girls. One had crazy, reddish pink hair  and the other had multicolored hair. Behind them sat a pair of boys, one very athletic looking and the other with glasses and a square afro. Sitting behind them were two girls. One had short blonde hair and the other had long black hair with purple ends. Behind them was a girl with long brown hair and green eyes.

“Yes, this is my class.” A red haired woman with a kind smile said. “I’m Miss Bustier. Who might you be?”

“I-I’m Lillian.” She stuttered.

“Lillian Montgomery?” Ms. Bustier asked.

She nodded.

“Why don’t you sit next to Nathaniel?” She pointed to the red haired boy in the back.

“Um, okay.” Lillian walked towards the desk and sat down.

“H-hi.” Nathaniel said, looking at Lillian. “I’m Nathaniel.” He held out his hand.

“I’m Lillian.” She said as she shook his hand, smiling. Their eyes met for a brief moment and they both looked away, embarrassed. Lillian’s cheeks were flushed.

Am I getting a crush on him? She asked herself silently. She looked back over again and he smiled slightly.

I think I am! Lillian thought.

Chapter 3

Adrien Agreste

“Welcome, Ladybug and Cat Noir, I am Zagnu. We have been expecting you two for months.” The monk greeted Cat Noir and Ladybug.

“So you must've heard of my amazing-ness and M’lady’s help.” Cat Noir said, smirking as Ladybug gave him a dirty look.

“We’ve heard of both of you equally.” Zagnu said. “We also know that Wang Fu has passed his guardianship to you.” He pointed to Ladybug. “Now come, we are preparing something for you.”

“Croissants?” Cat Noir asked hopefully.

“No,” Zagnu said, giving him an odd look. “This.” He opened a set of doors.

Inside, more monks with Miracle Boxes waited.

“We are aware that the Butterfly and Peacock Miraculouses have fallen into the hands of evil. We are willing to lend you four miraculouses to fill in the empty spots in your Miracle Box until the missing miraculouses are recovered.” Zagnu told them.

Both Cat Noir and Ladybug’s mouths fell open.

“Four new miraculouses?” Cat Noir exclaimed. “That’s amazing!”

“But how will we choose?” Ladybug asked.

“We have taken the liberty of choosing the most powerful miraculouses from each Miracle Box.”

After looking through the miraculouses, Ladybug spoke up. “We’ll take the Lion, the Zebra, the Flamingo, and the Owl.”

“Be careful not to lose them.” Zagnu warned as he gave two to Ladybug and two to Cat Noir.

“We will be.” Ladybug said, giving Cat Noir a hard look.

“What?” he asked, putting on an innocent face.

“Let’s just go.”

“Fine by me, Bugaboo.”

“Don’t call me Bugaboo!” Ladybug groaned. “Tikki, Kaalki, unify.” She summoned Voyage.

“After you, M’lady.” Cat Noir said, following Ladybug into the portal.

“Watch out for the-” Ladybug called out too late as Cat Noir tripped on a steel beam. “-beam.”

Cat Noir flailed his arms wildly, losing his grip on one of the miraculouses. He watched as it fell down the tower.

“We have to catch it!” Ladybug said just as Cat Noir leapt down.

“Don’t worry, cats always land on their feet!” He called up.

He reached the ground, but there was no sign of the missing miraculous.

Chapter 4

Lillian Montgomery

Lillian was walking by the Eiffel Tower, heading to her new home when something fell on her head.

“What the-?” She exclaimed. She examined the object. It was a wooden octagonal box with a red insignia on the top. “What is this thing?” She was about to open it when her phone pinged. “Oh, Mom’s waiting.” She muttered and stuffed the mysterious box into her bag and rushed off.

The next day Lillian entered Ms. Bustier’s class, and saw two new people that weren’t there the previous day. One was a blond, handsome boy, who sat next to Nino, the boy with the red baseball cap, and sitting next to Alya, the girl with the wavy brown hair with the reddish tips, there was a blue-black haired girl with bright blue eyes. Both were clearly exhausted.

“Who are those two?” She whispered to Nathaniel.

“The boy is Adrien Agreste and the girl is Marinette Dupain-Cheng.” He replied.

“Oh.” Lillian held his gaze a moment too long and they both looked away, a repeat of yesterday.

What neither of them noticed was that Lila Rossi, the girl with long brown hair and green eyes, was watching them intensely.

Later, Lillian looked around the cafeteria, searching for a place to sit.

“Hey, Lillian! Come sit with us!” Alya called.

Lillian headed over and sat down.

“So this is Marinette Dupain-Cheng,” Alya began, pointing to the blue-black haired girl. “Alix Kubdel,” She pointed to the girl with crazy pink hair. “Juleka Couffaine and Rose Lavillant,” She pointed to the black and purple haired girl and the girl with short blonde hair. “And Mylène Haprèle.” She pointed to the girl with rainbow hair.

“Nice to meet you all.” Lillian said, smiling.

“Where were you from?” Marinette asked.

“I used to live in Alabama, if ya'll don’t mind me saying.” She said, with the last part in a corny southern accent, sending the other girls into laughter. Lillian grinned. Maybe Paris wasn’t so bad after all.

Chapter 5

Lila Rossi

Lila watched Lillian talk and joke with the other girls. Already the new girl was more popular than her! The thought made her fists clench with rage. Lillian even had someone who liked her back! She had to do something about it.

She got up and walked towards Lillian, ignoring the suspicious look from Marinette.

“Hi, Lillian. I’m Lila!” She said in her sickly sweet voice.  “We’re in the same class, and I was wondering if we could switch seats? The air conditioning back at my table is very high and I have hyperhypothermalia, so I’m very sensitive to the cold.”

She watched Lillian as she went over two conflicting thoughts. Should she do the ‘right’ thing and give Lila her seat, or should she stay with her friends?

Before Lillian could answer, Rose piped up. “You can have my seat, Lila!”

Lila internally groaned. “Thank you, Rose! You’re too kind!”

She later excused herself and went to the bathroom. “That stupid, little nitwit…” She muttered. As Lila went back to the lunchroom, she overheard Marinette.

“It’s not even cold!”

“She’s right, you know.” She heard Rose say.

Juleka mumbled something that couldn’t be understood.

“Why lie though?” Lillian asked.

“Who cares? Lila is a liar!” Marinette exclaimed.

Lila couldn't believe her ears. Marinette was getting the others to side up against her? She ran back into the bathroom and began to cry, but her spirits lifted when she saw a black butterfly heading towards her.

Chapter 6

Lillian Montgomery

Lillian was finishing her lunch, her mind still buzzing at Marinette’s outburst. Furthermore, she couldn’t help but think of Nathaniel. Suddenly, the doors burst open and Lila stumbled through.

“Akuma in the bathroom!” She yelled before collapsing on the ground, à la Professor Quirell.

The room burst into chaos. Everyone ran in separate directions. Not knowing what else to do, she followed Alya outside. “What’s an akuma?” She panted.

Alya stared at her. “You seriously don’t know what an akuma is?”

“Nope.”

“Well basically, there’s this evil guy, Hawk Moth, and he has these butterflies that can turn people into supervillains. For some reason he always wants Ladybug and Cat Noir’s-”

“Who are Ladybug and Cat Noir?” Lillian interrupted.

“How do you not know about Ladybug and Cat Noir? They were even in New York City at one point!”

“I lived in Alabama!”

“Well, anyways, Ladybug and Cat Noir are Paris’ superheroes, but they also get others to help out. So far there’s been Rena Rouge, Queen Bee, but she got demoted because she betrayed Ladybug and Cat Noir, Carapace, Pegasus, Viperion, King Monkey, and Ryuko. They all help defeat the akumatized villain, and they are totally awesome! But Hawk Moth always wants their miraculouses, which give them their powers.”

“Hey, where is everybody?” Lillian asked, noticing they were alone.

“I don’t know, but I’m sure everyone’s ok…” Alya sounded doubtful. “Hey, where are you going?” She called after Lillian, who had run inside.

The lunchroom was full of chaos. Lillian looked around. Some students hid behind tables, others, like Alya, had run outside, and in the midst of it all stood a girl in indigo robes that were sparkling with golden stars and silver moons. In her hands she held twin golden blades, and she was standing over a girl with blue-black hair in pigtails. Marinette. Lillian looked around and spotted a trash can lid and some tarp. She grabbed both and snuck behind the girl in robes.

“I am Hecate.” The girl proclaimed. “I have power over everything and everyone.”

“Yeah, yeah, keep talking,” Lillian mumbled softly. She was right behind Hecate and banged the lid onto her head. Hecate collapsed, and Lillian secured her with the tarp.

“I’m not sure how long it’ll hold, so c’mon!” She said, and helped Marinette up.

“Thanks, Lillian.” Marinette said.

“No problem.”

Then, the windows exploded.

Chapter 7

Marinette Dupain-Cheng

Marinette ran, feeling guilty for leaving her friends, but she knew that she couldn’t do anything as Marinette. She ducked into an empty alley and opened her bag, letting Tikki fly out. “Tikki, spots on!” Ladybug hopped out of the alley and headed back to the school. While running, she called Cat Noir on her yo-yo. “Cat Noir! Akumatized villain at Collège Françoise Dupont! Meet me there ASAP!” She closed the yo-yo just as she heard a scream. “That can’t be good.” She muttered.

The scream had come from Rose. She was shaking her arm frantically as golden light spread up it. Within seconds, she was encased in the light. When it fell, Rose had been replaced by her akumatized form, Princess Fragrance.

Ladybug gasped. She looked around and spotted Hecate, who was holding her swords, one of which was tinged pink. Rose’s favorite color. She understood what had happened. The blades had turned Rose into Princess Fragrance. Before she could act, Hecate threw her swords like a boomerang, hitting various students and employees. Soon, Stoneheart, Horrificator, Reflekta, Evillustrator, Stormy Weather, Timebreker, Reverser, Zombizou, Dark Owl, Dark Cupid, The Mime, Copycat, Antibug, and Miraculer joined Hecate’s army.

Ladybug knew she had to act now. She readied her yo-yo as Cat Noir spoke behind her.

“So, where’s the big baddie that needs some talking to?”

“Cat! Stop sneaking up on me!” Ladybug exclaimed. “Besides, we can’t let Hecate, the one with the swords, reach the remaining students.” She pointed to a small group containing Alya, Nino, Lillian, and Max.

“They’re all that’s left?” Cat Noir asked.

“I’m afraid so.”

“Then what are we waiting for?” He extended his staff to the ground. “Climb on up!” He called down to the students.

Alya, Nino, and Max climbed up.

“Wait, weren’t there four of them?” Cat Noir asked.

“Maybe she made a break for it.” Ladybug said, though she wasn’t very optimistic.

“Let’s hope so…” He replied.

Chapter 8

Lillian Montgomery

Lillian was running as fast as her feet could carry her. Seeing nearly all of her friends turned into those villains had scared her. She ran aimlessly, searching for someone who could help. She burst into her home, hoping her mother would be home.

“Mom- oof!” She tripped on one of her books, sending the contents of her bag flying, including the box she had found the day before. She stared at the box and curiosity got the best of her. Lillian opened it, and suddenly a small ball of silvery-blue light flew from it. She dropped the box in surprise.

As the light faded, Lillian saw what had been inside it. It was a light blue creature about four inches in height. It had no toes or fingers, just paddle-like limbs. On its forehead it had a blue v shape with a white feather design on the end. Two antennae curled like braids behind its back. It had five blue tail feathers with a mix of light blue and white design.

“Hello!” The thing said with a distinct feminine voice. “I am Unna!”

Lillian chose that moment to scream.

“Shhhh!” Unna said. “No one must know I exist!”

“What are you?” Lillian asked after calming down.

“I am the owl kwami, also known as the kwami of resilience.”

“Kwami?”

“Kwamis are what power miraculouses.”

“Like Ladybug and Cat Noir? Because my friend Alya told me about them.” Lillian said, slowly adjusting to the situation.

“Exactly! To transform, say ‘Unna, wing it’ and to detransform you say ‘Nest time’.” Unna said. “Also, you’ll need to wear the necklace when you do so.”

“Necklace?” Lillian asked.

“Just look in the box.” Unna told her.

Lillian pulled out a necklace. It had a horizontal stone cut into a rectangular shape that looked like lapis lazuli, but had four silvery streaks, dividing it into fifths. On the sides there were identical silver wings, and the chain was silver too. When she put it on, the chain turned to gold and the wings disappeared. The stone became pure teal.

“Well, here goes nothing.” Lillian murmured. “Unna, wing it!”

The same silvery-blue light that Unna momentarily surrounded Lillian. When it fell she was in a completely new outfit.

She had a skintight suit that was white on the top half, and light blue on the bottom. The colors were divided by a curved v shape that laid slightly above her waist. On her shoulders, she gained silver-blue feather designs that looked like wings. A blue rope threaded with black was wrapped around her waist. The mask followed the same color scheme as the rest of the suit. The teal in her hair had become white, and her eyes turned bright blue. And, to top it off, five blue tail feathers identical to Unna’s were on the back of her waist.

“Sweet!” She exclaimed. “Now to help my friends.”

Chapter 9

Adrien Agreste

“We’re going to need reinforcements, no matter what.” Cat Noir told Ladybug.

“But Hawk Moth knows the identities of every wearer except us. We can’t risk it.” She said.

“We’ve risked it before with Chloé.” He pointed out.

“But how would we get the right miraculouses to the right people? We don’t even know who King Monkey is!”

“We’ll have to do without him then. Also, I’m positive they would love to be heroes at least one more time.”

Ladybug hesitated. “Alright,” She said after a moment. “I’ll get the Miracle Box. Make sure they don’t get the students.”

“You know I excel in purr-tection.”

Ladybug rolled her eyes. “Just keep them safe.”

A while later, Ladybug returned. “I’ve got it.”

“Let’s have a look now shall we?”

Ladybug brought out the Fox, Turtle, Horse, Snake, and Dragon Miraculouses. She handed Cat Noir the Horse and Dragon.

“Get these to Max and Kagami, I’ll handle Rena Rouge, Carapace, and Viperion.” She said.

“I’ll find Kagami first, so I can think of a way to get Max from Alya and Nino.” He said as he vaulted off.

“If I were Kagami, where would I be..?” Cat Noir muttered to himself. “She might be practicing with her mother at Jardin des Tuileries!”

Sure enough, both Tomoe and Kagami Tsurugi were there. He landed nearby and cleared his throat. “Ms. Tsurugi? I’m Cat Noir, and there’s an akumatized villain close by. We need both you and your daughter to split up and hide.” He paused. “For your own safety, of course.”

How will I know if Kagami is safe, though?” Tomoe asked.

“Ma’am, we’re professionals.”

“Very well then.” Tomoe walked off to her self-driving car.

Kagami watched her mother depart. “Why is it that I don’t believe you stated the whole truth?” She asked, turning to Cat Noir.

He grinned. “Right as always.” He brought out the Dragon Miraculous. “Kagami Tsurugi, here is the Miraculous of the Dragon which grants the power of Perfection. You'll use it for the greater good. Once the mission is over, you'll return the miraculous to either Ladybug or me. Can we trust you?”

“Yes, you can.” She put the choker on. “Longg, bring the storm!”

“We’re meeting up at Collège Françoise Dupont, but I need to make a quick stop on the way.” He told Ryuko.

“See you there, Cat Noir.” She leapt away.

Cat Noir headed where the three students had been. Alya and Nino weren’t there, which made his job much easier.

“Hey, Max, catch!” He tossed the Horse Miraculous to him. “We’re meeting up at Collège Françoise Dupont.” He said and vaulted away."

Chapter 10

Marinette Dupain-Cheng

Ladybug raced back to Collège Françoise Dupont with Viperion right behind her. Cat Noir, Rena Rouge, Carapace, Ryuko, and Pegasus were waiting for them.

“Alright, so this is what we know,” Ladybug began. “The only true akumatized person is Hecate, who is the one with the golden swords. Those swords can turn anyone into their akumatized form, so don’t let them touch you. Miraculer and Timebreaker are both very dangerous. Miraculer can steal our powers and Timebreaker can freeze us and go back in time. Stoneheart absorbs all damage, and it makes him stronger, so don’t attack him. Princess Fragrance can control anyone who smells her perfume. Zombizou’s kisses are infectious, and Dark Cupid can turn all emotions negative. Horrificator can trap anyone in her goo and she feeds off fear. Reflekta turns people into copies of herself. Evillustrator can draw anything, the Mime can mime anything, Dark Owl has an endless supply of weapons, Stormy Weather can control the weather, and Copycat and Antibug have identical powers to Cat Noir and I.”

“They do have weaknesses, though.” Cat Noir said.

“Yes. Evillustrator can’t draw in the dark, Reflekta’s beams can be reflected, the Mime can only mime one thing at a time, Princess Fragrance’s perfume is highly flammable, Antibug can only use her Anti Charm once, and same goes for Copycat’s Cataclysm.”

“So what’s the plan?” Rena Rouge asked.

“Lucky Ch- huh?” Ladybug exclaimed.

“Wooaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh!” A white and blue figure hurtled towards the superheroes. “Oof!”

The figure slammed into the roof where the heroes were.

“Are you alright!?” Ladybug ran towards them, but froze in shock. Her necklace was the very same one that Cat Noir had lost. She had the lost Owl Miraculous.

Chapter 11

Lillian Montgomery

Lillian stared at the group in front of her. They all had unique animal themed outfits. She saw a ladybug, cat, fox, turtle, horse, snake, and what she thought was a dragon.

She groaned and got up. “Yeah, I’m okay.” She looked up and frowned. “Why are you staring at me?”

“Y-your necklace. Where did you fi- I mean get it?” Ladybug stammered.

“It fell on my head.” She mumbled softly.

Ladybug pulled Cat Noir aside. They talked in hushed, inaudible tones.

“So, what’s your miraculous?” Carapace asked.

“My kwami said it was the owl.” Lillian said.

Ladybug and Cat Noir returned.

“Alright, if it means more help, you can join us.” Ladybug said.

Lillian grinned.

“Now, what should we call you?”

She hesitated before answering. “Athena. Call me Athena.”

“Niiiccceeee.” Rena Rouge whistled. “Greek Goddess of wisdom, right? Symbol is the owl?”

“Yep.” Athena replied. “Now how about we kick some villainous butt?”

Cat Noir grinned. “I think you’ll be a great addition to the team.

Ladybug groaned. “Just what we need, another jokester.”

“What’s wrong?” Athena asked. “Are you wondering who will be the better at puns?”

Cat Noir cracked up. “I like you already!”

Chapter 12

Marinette Dupain-Cheng

“Lucky Charm!” Ladybug summoned her lucky charm. “A roll of duct tape!?” She exclaimed.

“You gonna use it to tape Cat Noir’s mouth shut to spare us from his puns?”

Cat Noir chuckled. “Good one, Athena… Hey!”

Athena snickered.

Ladybug rolled her eyes and looked around. She spotted the villains weapons, the heroes around her, and some discarded trash can lids.

“Alright, here’s the plan…” She began to whisper to her friends.

"Second Chance!"

"Whirlwind!"

"Water Dragon!"

The heroes summoned their powers.

Cackling filled the air."You fools! You think you can stop me? I have an army of villains to aid me!"

Ladybug looked, and saw Hecate wasn't kidding. Mr. Pigeon, Pharaoh, Rogercop, Darkblade, Animan, Simon Says, Pixelator, Guitar Villain, Puppeteer, Volpina, Collector, Prime Queen, Despair Bear, Gorizilla, Frightningale, Style Queen, Maldiktator, Anansi, Weredad, Party Crasher, Kwamibuster, Ikari Gozen, and about a billion Sapotis had joined her ranks.

"Oh my…" Ladybug muttered.

"We don't have time to waste!" Rena Rouge said.

"You're right."

"Let's kick some villainous butt!" Athena cheered.

Chapter 13

French Miraculous Superhero Team

Rena Rouge leapt down from the building, grinning. She loved being a hero. Carapace landed next to her. "You focus on Anansi, I'll work on Volpina." She told him.

"Be careful!" Carapace replied and ran off.

Rena Rouge weaved her way to her evil counterpart, and raised her flute. Volpina did the same. Volpina brought her flute down, but it dissolved in a blue and silver mist, revealing Miraculer.

Orange spots appeared on her suit as she drained Rena Rouge's power.

Carapace was battling Anansi, using his shield to block her punches.

"You little flyweight!" She roared.

Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Miraculer standing over Rena Rouge, causing him to falter.  

Anansi took that moment to punch him, sending Carapace flying.

Viperion battled Reflekta, unaware that the second change timer was running out. The snake head reached the end just as she saw Miraculer steal Rena Rouge's powers. He attempted to turn back time, only to find out he couldn't. In his confusion, Reflekta zapped her own brother into a copy of herself.

Ryuko was fending off the Sapotis, but to no avail. They surrounded her. "Lightning Dragon!" She called, and she managed to fry a few clones. Her necklace began to beep. The Sapotis swarmed her.

Pegasus was narrowly dodging Kwamibuster's attacks. Her rays were coming dangerously close to him.

He threw his horseshoe at her, but missed.

Kwamibuster took the opportunity to zap him.

Pegasus barely had time to hide before Kaalki was sucked into her vacuum.

Cat Noir and Ladybug were fighting their way to Hecate. In their way was Evillustrator and Puppeteer. Evillustrator drew Ladybug and Cat Noir dolls and tossed them to Puppeteer.

"Ladybug, come to life!" Puppeteer said.

"No!" Cat Noir cried, but it was too late. Ladybug had lost.

"Cat Noir come to-" Puppeteer began.

"Oh no you don't!" Cat Noir yelled and used his staff to knock the doll out of her hands. He then proceeded to destroy Evillustrator's drawing pad.

He looked around. There was no sign of Carapace or Pegasus, Rena Rouge was powerless, Ryuko was imprisoned by the Sapotis, and it looked as if Viperion had been turned into a Reflekta copy. Then he spotted a flash of blue and white, and his spirits lifted. Athena hadn't fallen. At least, not yet.

Chapter 14

Lillian Montgomery

Athena was barely able to fend off the villains. Her rope twisted around Stormy Weather, but a blast of lightning threw it free. Her necklace was on its last segment. Suddenly, Cat Noir's staff slammed in front of her.

"Can't let my fellow comedian become a mind controlled zombie." He said with a grin. "Now follow me, I know a place where we can regroup." He vaulted off.

"Where are we going?" She asked. "And what about the others?"

"Ladybug's under Puppeteer's control, Pegasus was zapped by Kwamibuster, Viperion is a Reflekta copy, Rena Rouge is powerless, Ryuko is trapped, and Carapace is who knows where." He tried to open a manhole, but found it locked. "Cataclysm!"

He slid it open. "You coming?"

"...Okay."

They ran for about 30 seconds before Athena's necklace gave a final beep. She tripped in surprise as she turned back to Lillian.

Cat Noir stared at her. "You look familiar, but I can't quite place it." She said.

"Does this mean I can't be Athena anymore?" She asked miserably.

He hesitated. "Well, Ladybug decides who gets to be heroes, and she's not here… And she has no way of knowing that I know your identity…" He grinned.

Lillian gasped. "Thank you thank you thank you!"

Unna moaned.

"Looks like your kwami needs to refuel." Cat Noir remarked. "What do they eat?"

"I don't know. I transformed almost immediately after I met her." Lillian said.

"Candy! I like candy!" Unna declared.

"I only have cheese."

"Cheese is good, too."

"So, what's the plan?" Lillian asked as Unna munched on some of Cat Noir's camembert.

"Maybe find Carapace. The more backup we have, the better. Then after that… I don't know." He said. His ears were flattened and he sighed. "I've never faced a villain without Ladybug. I've never faced anyone alone."

"But you're not alone. You have your kwami, and you have Unna and I." Lillian said, her voice full of sympathy. "And we'll have Carapace soon enough."

Cat Noir smiled. "Thanks, Athena." His ring beeped. "Hold that thought!" He ran behind a corner as Lillian cracked up.

"You all better?" She asked Unna.

"Sure am!"

"Unna, wing it!"

Chapter 15

Nino Lahiffe/Adrien Agreste

Carapace sailed through the air. He didn't know how far Anansi's punch had and would send him. His bracelet was beeping, indicating that Wayzz was losing energy. He spied the ground coming up.

"Shell-ter!" He yelled, protecting himself as he slammed into the Arc de Triomphe. The structure shook and began to fall, but luckily his shield held. Carapace soon blacked out.

Cat Noir and Athena scoured the city, searching for Carapace. They soon came across the ruins of the Arc de Triomphe and the fading glow of Carapace's Shell-ter. When they reached the spot, they found Carapace out cold. As the two of them watched, a green light emitted from his bracelet and Wayzz flew out. Carapace was returned to his civilian form.

Cat Noir gasped, as did Athena, though hers was much quieter. "Nino?" He asked.

Nino awoke to the sound of his name.

"Nino, wake up!" Someone said. It sounded like Adrien.

"Nino?" Another voice asked, this one more feminine.

He opened his eyes to see Cat Noir and Athena standing over him.

Cat Noir breathed a sigh of relief. "So you're Carapace, huh?"

He paled. "Uh, I don't know what you're talking about, dude. I'm just me." He tried to feign innocence as he hid his bracelet.

"We saw you detransform." Athena said. Her blue eyes were sympathetic, as if she'd experienced someone seeing her detransform as well.

"Wait, how did you two know my name?"

This time it was Cat Noir and Athena's turn to pale.

"Uhhh…"

Nino's mind began to race. Cat Noir had sounded like Adrien, and he knew his name… "Adrien?" He asked.

Cat Noir's eyes widened.

"Is the cat out of the bag?" Athena teased.

Cat Noir ignored her. "How did you know?" He asked Nino.

"You talk the same way, and you know my name." He said.

"Promise me you will never, ever, breathe a word about this to anyone." Cat Noir said.

"Don't worry, dude. I can keep secrets, just like I keep Marinette's."

"What about Marinette?" Cat Noir was confused. What secret could his very good friend have?

"Oh, just that she has a major crush on you…" He trailed off, obviously realizing he had just blabbed a secret.

Athena cracked up. "Bwahahahaha! You didn't know a girl had a serious crush on you? That is so priceless!"

Chapter 16

Lillian Montgomery

While the two boys got oriented, Athena formed a plan in her head. Hecate was the main target, but getting to her was impossible. The akuma had to be in the bracelet she wore, as there was only one. Hawk Moth wanted miraculouses…

After a while, she'd come up with a plan. "Cat Noir, Adrien, whatever. I've got a plan!" She began to whisper.

Cat Noir turned to Nino. "We'll need the Turtle Miraculous back." He told him.

"Good luck dude and dudette." He told them with all sincerity.

"Thank you, Carapace." Athena said with a wink.

The pair left.

"Hecate!" Athena shouted at the entrance of Collège Françoise Dupont.

"We give up! If you free all these people, I will give you my miraculous." Cat Noir added, a seldom heard tone of solemn in his voice.

"Very well." Hecate said. She raised a sword and golden light enveloped the school. When it fell, everyone was back in their civilian forms.

"Cat Noir! What are you doing?" Ladybug pushed her way to the two heroes.

"Don't worry, everything will be just fine." He said.

"Hand over your miraculouses!" Hecate shouted.

Every hero in the vicinity approached the villain.

She held out her hand.

Athena stepped forward and began to undo her clasp. She suddenly stopped and ran forward, snagging the bracelet. "Cat Noir, catch!"

"Cataclysm!" He destroyed the bracelet and the akuma flew out. "It's your turn, M'lady." He said.

"Time to de-evilize!" Ladybug captured the akuma and grabbed some of the unused duct tape. "Miraculous Ladybug!"

Chapter 17

Marinette Dupain-Cheng/Lillian Montgomery

It was two days after Hecate. Lila had been deakumatized and had left in her usual huff. Marinette took her usual seat next to Alya when she heard someone speak.

"Hey, Alya, could I trade seats with you?" Adrien asked.

Marinette went wide eyed as he sat down.

"Marinette," Adrien said, looking into her eyes. "I've come to realize that you mean more to me than I used to think. You've always been there when I needed it most. You're such a supportive and kind person. You're more than just a friend, and I was wondering, if um-" His face went red. "If you'd like to go out on a date with me?"

Marinette's jaw dropped, as did nearly everyone else's in the room.

"How romantic!" Rose squealed.

"I- um-" Marinette was at a loss for words.

Adrien's shoulders slumped.

"I mean- YES!" She threw her arms around the boy she'd loved since the second day of school.

Everyone cheered. Well, everyone but Chloé and Lila.

Chloé threw a temper tantrum, but no one seemed to mind.

Unbeknownst to both of the miraculous holders, Tikki and Plagg popped out of their bags and grinned at each other.

"I'm happy for them," Lillian told Nathaniel. "They just seem made for each other."

"They certainly do." He replied.

"Oh, um Nathaniel?"

"Yes?"

"Do you want to come over to my house to work on homework?" She hoped her cheeks weren't red.

"Sure!" He smiled.

Lillian gave him a bigger smile. It wasn't a date, or even a declaration of love, but it was something.

End of Book One

Short Story

Miraculous: Happy Holidays

"Oh Tikki! Where are my spools of thread?" Marinette scrambled around her room, hurrying to finish her gifts, scattering supplies in the process. She still had to do Nino's and Rose's, not to mention the ones for the heroes.

"Which color?" Tikki asked. 

"Gold!"

"Here you go!" Tikki flew up, carrying the requested thread.

"Thank you!" Marinette stitched a music note to a headphone plushie. "There! Nino's gift is finished!" She got to work on a flower purse for Rose.

A few hours later, Marinette finished the last present.

"Perfect!" She looked at the presents on her desk. "I've got everyone!"

"Uh, Marinette, it's a bit late, don't you think?" Tikki asked. "It's 1:30 am!"

"You're right, Tikki." She yawned. "I should get some sleep…" Marinette laid down and almost immediately fell asleep.

Adrien wrapped the final gift, one for Marinette. "I hope she likes it." He told Plagg.

"Oh, that girl will go nuts over anything you give her." Plagg said as he gobbled up a slice of cheese.

"You think so?" Adrien asked.

"As sure as I love Camenbert!" He said.

"Well, time to sleep. Goodnight, Plagg."

"Goodnight, Adrien."

That morning, Adrien arrived at school early to distribute his presents. For Alix he got a new pair of roller skates and a watch repair and cleaning kit. Alya received a high tech video camera and a notebook. Chloé got a honeycomb phone case and golden charm bracelet. Ivan got tickets to the Zombie Skull Crushers, for Juleka, he gave a makeup kit and barretts. Kim got swimming gear, Lila got some Mad Libs, Lillian got signed copies of the Harry Potter books, Max received a gaming console and games, and Mylène got a gardening kit and an apple sapling. Nathaniel got an art kit, a new sketchbook, and drawing materials. Nino was gifted with a new pair of headphones and music records, Rose got a blank scrapbook, and Sabrina, a set of superhero costumes. 

He smiled as his friends found their gifts. He then approached Marinette to give her her present.

Marinette opened it, revealing a silver necklace with a pinkish ruby pendant shaped like a flower. "Oh, Adrien! It's beautiful! I love it!"

He grinned as she gave him a big hug.

Lillian went home carrying an armful of presents. Alix had gotten her a guided tour of the Louvre, Kitty Section had pitched together to get her a trumpet of her own, Alya gave her an art kit, Max got her a joke book, Adrien gifted her the entire Harry Potter series, each one signed by J.K. Rowling herself, Kim, oddly enough, gave her a helmet, for which he said could be used for any sport, Mylène gave her a bouquet of lilies, which she said were her namesake, Nathaniel had given her each of his and Marc's comics so far, and Marinette had made her a light blue scarf with pink flower designs.

That night, she and Unna prepared the gifts for the heroes and their kwamis. 

"Tikki told me that she loves cookies." Unna told her.

"I know, Unna. You've reminded me of that for a while now." She sighed.

"What's wrong?" Her kwami companion asked.

"It's just that I lost my dad on Christmas last year. There's not a day that goes by that I don't miss him. Mom was forced to move here so she could sustain us." She stared at a picture of the late Chase Montgomery. "He was coming home when a car couldn't brake fast enough…" Her voice broke and a tear slid down her cheek.

Cat Noir was on his way to the Eiffel Tower when he caught sight of Lillian. She was crying. He went over and tapped on her window.

"Cat Noir?" She asked in surprise.

"Hey. I saw you crying. What's wrong?" He asked his friend.

Lillian sighed. "My dad passed away a year ago tonight. I've never spent a Christmas without him."

"I understand. I lost my mom around a year ago, too, but I've learned to grow and move on, and I'd bet that's what your dad would want you to do."

She smiled. "Thanks, Cat."

"Any time." He vaulted off.

Later, the entire team met up at the Eiffel Tower, bringing presents. Ladybug gave everyone little plushies of their respective animals, Rena Rouge brought a polaroid camera, which everyone took selfies with, Carapace brought a Just Dance game, which was a huge hit, Ryuko gave some combat lessons, Pegasus produced books for everyone, including a cat pun one for Cat Noir and an owl pun one for Athena, King Monkey, for inexplicable reasons, gave everyone personalized helmets, and Athena and Viperion played a duet on the trumpet and lyre, which were surprisingly great sounding together.

Then it was Cat Noir's turn to pass out his presents, and he did so with gusto. Everyone received a kitten a day calendar, but every cat's head had been replaced by his. 

Athena playfully threw hers at Cat Noir, which bonked him on the head. "I'm already haunted by it." She teased.

Even later in the night, Cat Noir returned to his room. "Claws in." He whispered and destransformed.

Adrien immediately hopped onto his computer and ordered something for his saddened friend.

Lillian stared at the small package in her hand. A delivery person had just dropped it off. She opened it and a note fluttered out.

"Lillian, I know it's hard to lose someone you love, but with this, hopefully you won't feel quite as lonely. Merry Christmas, Adrien." She read aloud. Inside the package was a golden necklace with a circular pendant engraved with an L. It was a locket, and she knew exactly what to put in it.

An hour later, Lillian looked down and smiled at the two pictures that now resided in the locket. One was of the night before, when they had all taken a group selfie with Rena Rouge's camera, and the other was of her father.

"Thank you, Cat Noir." She whispered as she put the necklace on.

Chapter 1

Nathaniel Kurtzburg

Nathaniel had never felt this way about someone before, not even for Marinette. She was kind and sweet and a talented artist. She even had a good sense of humor. Lillian Hope Montgomery. Just thinking about her could make him smile.

"The problem is, I love Lillian, but I don't know if she feels the same way." He said to Alix one day. "And then there's Marc and our comic book. I'm pretty sure he likes me, and I used to until I met Lillian."

"Look, Nath. I'm not the love expert, but based on Marinette's old obsession with Adrien, you should just come right out and say it." Alix said.

"Thanks, Alix." He smiled.

A while later, he met up with Marc on the entrance stairs to the school.

"Hey, Nathaniel!" Marc said as he sat down.

"Hey, Marc. I've got a new hero for our comic book!" Nathaniel showed him his design. "Her name is Brushstroke, and she's the female counterpart of Mightillustrator."

"Cool! I love how her ponytail looks like a brush."

Nathaniel smiled. "Thanks. I based her off of Lillian. She's a new girl in my class." He blushed.

Marc either didn't notice or didn't care. "I think I've met her before." He said. "Short brown hair with teal tips, glasses, blue-green eyes?"

He nodded. "That's her, alright." He paused for a second. "I was thinking that maybe she could also help us out on our comic book. She's an amazing artist and she loves to write. Plus she's had some first-hand experiences with akumatized villains."

"We could give it a shot." Marc said after thinking about it.

"Great! I'll tell Lillian and-" He stopped abruptly when his watch beeped. "Oh, I forgot, we're studying for a test together today. Well, see you!"

Chapter 2

Adrien Agreste

"Father?" Adrien asked as he poked his head through the doorway.

"What is it, Adrien?" He responded with his usual cool tone.

"I-I'd like your permission to go to the movies with my girlfriend, Marinette." He said nervously.

"Of course, Adrien, you are allowed to go to the movies. Let Nathalie prepare the limousine for you."

"I meant going to the movies alone with Marinette." Adrien said. "Please?"

Gabriel Agreste sighed. "Very well. You may go alone, but you are to come back immediately afterwards.

Adrien grinned. "Thank you, Father!"

A while later, Adrien knocked on the door of the Dupain-Cheng residence. Sabine answered the door.

"Oh, Adrien! Marinette's up in her room!" She said.

"Thank you, Mrs. Cheng."

"Please, call me Sabine."

"Adrien!" Marinette fell out of her chair, but quickly got back up. "I didn't know you were coming!"

"It was a surprise." He said. "I got us tickets for Solitude, as we never truly got to see it last time."

"And this time people will rightly guess I'm your girlfriend this time." Marinette laughed.

Adrien smiled. "That is true. Now, come on! It starts at 3:00!"

The couple sat down in the movie theater.

"This is so exciting!" Marinette squealed, her blue eyes full of happiness.

Adrien grinned. Ever since he'd started dating Marinette, he'd been so much happier. He'd stopped thinking about Ladybug as much. Ladybug had also seemed happier. He hoped it was because she was finally with the boy she loved.

Marinette rested her head on his shoulder.

"Have I ever told you that you're awesome?" He asked her.

"You just did." She replied with a grin.

The movie started.

Chapter 3

Flora Mayfield

"Dad! Where'd you put my fabric?" Flora called.

"I don't know! Ask your mother!" Her father replied.

"Don't ask me! I never touch it!" Her mother yelled.

Flora groaned. "The only good thing about this is that I don't have to share a room with Carson."

"I heard that!" Her little brother yelled.

"I'm sure everything will work out, Flora." A slightly muffled voice piped up.

Flora chuckled. "Oh, sorry, Sunny. I'll let you out." She opened the flap on her bag and a little pink sprite flew out.

Sunny was Flora's kwami. She was about 4 inches tall and was almost completely pink. She had large, emerald green eyes, and two antennae. On her forehead there was a design that looked like a flamingo's beak, and she had a short train of fluffy, pink feathers.

"Like I said, it's all going to be fine. Paris is one of the safest cities in the world thanks to Ladybug and Cat Noir." She said.

"Tell me about them." Flora requested.

"Ladybug is considered the leader of the French Miraculous Superhero team. Her miraculous is the ladybug's, which give the power of creation. Cat Noir is her partner. He owns the Black Cat Miraculous, which grants him the power of destruction."

"Thanks, Sunny." Flora said.

"I recommend you explore a bit, maybe make some friends." Sunny said.

"That doesn't sound so bad…" Flora mused.

"Mom, Dad, I'm going out!" Flora called. "Sunny, feather up!" She transformed into her alter-ego, Tropic Storm.

Her suit was a mix of gold, pink, dark pink, and small traces of black. Her mask was gold and pink, and she had a train of feathers similar to Sunny's. Her strawberry blonde hair was pulled up into a bun and her hair comb had turned pink with five light pink metal feathers.

Tropic Storm leapt out her window.

Chapter 4

Marinette Dupain-Cheng

Marinette smiled as she leaned against Adrien. She couldn't remember a time she'd ever been happier. As she stared at the screen, she noticed something off. There was a faint silhouette behind it.

"Adrien, we need to leave." Her eyes were wide with fear.

"Why?"

She pointed at the figure. "I think it's an akumatized villain. We should hide until Ladybug and Cat Noir get here."

"What about Athena?" He asked.

"How do you know about Athena?"

"The Ladyblog."

"Fair enough. Now, let's hi-" She was interrupted by the slashing of the screen. "-de." She finished.

Stormy Weather floated through.

"Adrien, run!" Marinette grabbed his hand.

The two of them made it out of the theater, but Stormy Weather froze them in ice.

"No!" Adrien banged on the ice. "Let us out!"

"Help!" Marinette cried.

Suddenly, a figure clad in pink landed in front of them. "Color Bomb!" They drew what looked like a blowtorch in the air, which then materialized. They used it to melt the ice surrounding Marinette and Adrien.

The two of them stared, open mouthed.

The girl leapt off and began to fight Stormy Weather.

"American superheroine Tropic Storm is fighting Stormy Weather here in Paris!" Nadja Chamack said.

Marinette and Adrien watched the news on her phone.

"Tropic Storm? I don't think even Alya's heard of her." Marinette remarked.

"How is she even here? And why?" Adrien asked.

"Maybe Cat Noir and Ladybug can figure it out." She said.

"Oh, um, my father will be expecting me!" Adrien ran off.

"That was… odd." Marinette said to Tikki.

"Shouldn't Ladybug be helping 'Tropic Storm' out right now?" Tikki asked.

"You're right. Tikki, spots on!"

Chapter 5

Lillian Montgomery

"Can I show you something?" Nathaniel asked.

"Um, sure!" Lillian said.

He brought out a drawing of a young teen. She had brown and teal hair that was pulled back into a ponytail that resembled a paint brush. She had a white beret and a dark aqua mask. She wore a white and teal top with a swan necked collar, and had a dark teal and white bottom with a short teal skirt.

"Is that- is that- me?" Lillian asked.

He nodded.

"It's wonderful! What's 'her' name?"

"Brushstroke. She's supposed to be the female counterpart of Mightillustrator." Nathaniel said, smiling.

"It's miraculous." She said with a sly grin.

"Uh, listen. I was wondering if, um, you'd like to help me and Marc with our comic book. He's on board, and I've seen your art and writings."

"I'd-" Lillian's phone beeped. "I'd, uh, love to, but my mom is waiting for me and, um I have to go!" She dashed off. "Unna, we have a problem."

"Akuma?"

"Precisely. Unna, wing it!"

Athena arrived at the theater. Stormy Weather blasted the area with lightning.

"Nice to see you again, Coldilocks." A voice said behind her.

"You talking to me or the Ice Queen over there?" She asked Cat Noir.

"Her, but I keep my range open." He replied.

"Oh, yeah? Well then, let's show this mouse what owls and cats like to do."

Suddenly, a large, clear, hollow cube slammed down on Athena. "What the-?"

A girl in pink landed next to Cat Noir and strode over to Athena. "Hand over your source of evil." She said.

"Evil? Who do you think I am? Hawk Moth? Mayura?" Athena exclaimed. "The real villain's over there!" She pointed at Stormy Weather.

"You are not a member of the French Miraculous Superhero team, yet you have powers, suggesting that you are a villain. Hand it over."

"On whose authority?"

"By Tropic Storm's."

Athena's jaw dropped. "Tropic Storm!? But- but- You're supposed to be in Alabama!"

"May I ask why you are persecuting the second best comedian on the team, when there's a villain wreaking havoc across Paris?" Cat Noir said.

"Stormy Weather is of little threat. Miraculouses used wrongly impose serious threat."

"She's a hero! While she may have gotten her miraculous by mistake, nothing but good had ever come from her!"

"Storm. It's me." Athena said. "Nest time."

"Lillian!?" Tropic Storm stared.

"How do you two know each other?" Cat Noir asked, curious.

"She saved my life before I moved to Paris. We've been friends since then. How do you think I knew so much when I was new?"

Cat Noir shrugged. "I just assumed you were a natural, like me or Rena Rouge."

"And can you please let me out? We need to hold off Stormy Weather until Ladybug gets here."

"There you go." Tropic Storm snapped her fingers and the cube vanished.

"Thanks. Unna, wing it!"

Chapter 6

Nathaniel Kurtzburg

Nathaniel sat down next to Lillian. "Marc and I are meeting at Place des Vosges. If you want to come, we'll wait for you."

"Count on me to be there!" Lillian said. "I've done some drawings of the heroes, if you guys want to use them."

"That'll be great! We're meeting up at 4:00."

Nathaniel sat on a bench, waiting for Marc and Lillian. He doodled a picture of Lillian, or rather, Lillian as Brushstroke.

"Is she coming?" Marc asked as he sat down.

"She said she'd come." He said, not looking up.

"Woah! Oof!" Lillian made her entrance by tripping on a rock. "Sorry if I'm late." She apologized after getting up.

Nathaniel dropped his drawing. "You're right on time, actually." He turned to Marc. "Marc, this is Lillian. Lillian, Marc."

She smiled. "Nice to meet you! I actually brought some drawings if you want to look at them."

She handed some papers to Marc.

"I've got Ladybug, Cat Noir, Rena Rouge, Ryuko, Carapace, Athena, and Viperion." She said.

"These are amazing! They're almost like the real ones!"

Nathaniel grinned at Lillian.

"Nathaniel also said you were a writer too. Did you bring any?"

"No, those are kind of private, but I will gladly share my drawings."

Both Nathaniel and Marc grinned.

Chapter 7

Marc Anciel

"Whatcha got there, Montgomery?" Chloé's snear filled the air. "Pfft, doodles of those lame-o superheroes?"

"They're not doodles, they're art. And also, I'm honored you've bothered to learn my last name, now how about learning my first?" Lillian said with a slight smirk.

Marc snorted.

"Hmph, Athena? The new one? You didn't even bother to make Queen Bee." Chloé tore Lillian's drawings in half.

"No!" The three of them cried.

Lillian began to sob and ran off.

"Lillian, wait!" Nathaniel ran after her.

Marc began to gather the papers dropped. He came across Nathaniel's drawing. He noticed hearts drawn across, including one with lettering.

"NK+LM? NK must be Nathaniel Kurtzburg, LM… Lillian Montgomery?"

Nathaniel's words echoed in his mind. 'New girl…' 'Female counterpart…'. Marc remembered Nathaniel's blush when he spoke of Lillian.

"No…" He breathed.

Nathaniel had a crush on Lillian.

A tear rolled down his cheek.

"No." He repeated. "H-he can't be."

But he couldn't deny the facts. The boy he loved loved someone else. Nathaniel loved Lillian.

Chapter 7 ½

Gabriel Agreste

Hawk Moth stood in his liar. He sensed a powerful negative emotion, one that he'd only felt once before from Evillustrator.

He cupped his hands around an akuma and filled it with dark energy.

"Fly away my little akuma, and evilize her broken heart!"

The akuma began to fly off. It soon came across a young teen, crying, her face in her hands. Before the akuma reached her though, a red haired boy approached her.

Hawk Moth couldn't hear what the boy was saying, but the girl's negative feelings faded.

The akuma changed course and began to fly towards Place des Vosges, where Marc sat, crying. It infected Nathaniel's drawing of Lillian.

"Reverser, I am Hawk Moth. I will grant you the power to reverse any aspect of a person. In return, all I ask for are Ladybug and Cat Noir's miraculouses.

"Yes, Hawk Moth."

Chapter 8

Flora Mayfield

"My best friend is a superhero. A superhero." Flora paced across her room. "How long has she kept this from me? How? When?"

"Have you considered that she only became Athena after she moved to Paris?" Sunny asked.

"I saved her life and this is how she repays me?" Flora continued, not listening to Sunny.

"Flora!" Sunny said sternly. "Listen to me. Did Lillian have her necklace back in Alabama?"

"Well no, but-"

"And did Athena first appear in Alabama, or Paris?"

"Paris, but-"

"And didn't Cat Noir say that she received it by accident? How could he have known that if she got it in Alabama?"

"It's just so hard to believe." Flora said.

"Talk to her, it might make you feel better."

"Alright. Sunny, feather up!"

Tropic Storm tapped on Lillian's window.

"What is it now?" Lillian asked grumpily.

"I want to talk to you."

"Alright. Just be quiet. Mom's been on edge recently."

"Well, first off, I'm sorry for trapping you in that cube. I didn't recognize you."

"Well you released me eventually."

"And I'm sorry for thinking you were a vill-" She was cut off by Unna.

"You big bully! You made Athena sad! And when she's sad, she doesn't give me as much candy because she's eating it! So I'm sad! You- you-" Unna paused. "Poopy head!"

Lillian put her face in her hands. "Unna! Be nice."

"I'd, um, better get going." Tropic Storm said, not wanting to be yelled at by Unna.

"Bye, poopy head!"

Chapter 9

Lillian Montgomery

"Unna, you have got to stop being so erratic. Storm made a mistake, and she feels bad abou-" She was cut off by a new voice.

"Lillian! You've stolen Nathaniel from me! Now you will pay!"

"I don't know who that is, but Athena needs to be there. Unna, wing it!"

Her necklace glowed with energy as Unna entered it. She put both hands over her eyes, with one laying on top of the other and pulled them back, revealing her newly created mask. She tapped her shoulders then spread her arms out, creating the sleeves of her suit. She stomped her foot and the legs of her suit appeared. She drew a line across her wait and her rope appeared. She then swept her hands down and her tail feathers materialized. She ended her transformation with her hands on her hips. She was now Athena.

Athena leapt out her window and swung up onto her roof. She was greeted by the sight of Parisians screaming and running from a villain on a paper airplane.

"Is that… Marc!?" She used the feather on her rope to access her Owl Phone.

"Let's see, past akumatized villains…" She came across a photo of Marc. Next to it was a picture of who she was facing now, and her face fell. "Reverser."

She attempted to call Ladybug, but there was no answer. "Ladybug, this is Athena. Reverser is at Place des Vosges, come ASAP!" She tried Cat Noir, but got no answer either. "Looks like this is up to me." She muttered. She began to swing her rope and ran after Reverser.

"What's Old-Timey-Movie all worked up about?"

Athena jumped. "How do you always manage to sneak up on people? This is the fifth time this week!"

"It's just one of my amazing talents." Cat Noir replied.

"Yeah, right. And you're not dating Marinette Dupain-Cheng."

He groaned. "Just because we know each other's identities doesn't mean you can bring up my personal life, Birdbrain."

"Why thank you! Owls are very smart, you know."

He sighed. "Are you always this irritating?"

"Not as irritating as you." Athena said. She took every chance she could get to out-joke the master of puns.

Ladybug swung by on her yoyo. "Got your message, what'd I miss?" She asked Athena.

"Oh nothing, just outwitting the cat."

Cat Noir glared.

"Nice job." Ladybug pounded fists with Athena.

"Let's just find Reverser and do this thing." Cat Noir said.

"Sounds like a plan, Cat Noir." Athena said.

Chapter 10

Marinette Dupain-Cheng

Ladybug raced alongside Athena and Cat Noir. "Make sure you don't get hit by his airplanes." She said.

"Let me guess, they reverse stuff about you." Athena said.

"Right. Last time he made me super clumsy and Cat Noir afraid of his own shadow."

Athena snickered.

"Can we focus on the villain, please?"

"Oh Lillian? Where are you?" Reverser called out.

Athena and Cat Noir's faces paled.

"What?" Ladybug asked.

"Errr, nothing. I just happen to know about the girl he's after. That's all." Athena said hastily.

"Maybe we can use her to distract him like we did with Marinette with Evillustator and Nathaniel last time?"

"No!" Athena shouted. "I, uh, mean, we shouldn't. His powers are most likely increased, and our mission is not to harm, but to help."

"Ah, Clumsybug and Scaredy Cat. And it looks like you've brought a friend. How about the stupid owl?" Reverser said behind them.

"Athena! Look out!" Cat Noir jumped in front of the paper plane.

"You throw one more at us, and you'll be dead in two seconds." Athena growled. She raised her rope and began to swing it, forming a shield.

Ladybug did the same with her yoyo.

"Whirlwind!" Athena launched herself at the villain and began fighting like a literal whirlwind. She managed to dodge and deflect every paper airplane thrown at her, using the summoned winds to support her as Ladybug defended Cat Noir.

Finally, Reverser growled. "You'll regret this!" He flew off, yelling for Lillian.

"Uh, Ladybug? You might want to look at this." Athena called as Ladybug made one last attempt to catch Reverser.

"What?" Ladybug turned to look at Cat Noir. She gasped.

His hair had become longer, stopping at his shoulders. His body was narrower and slimmer. His face had become more delicate, more… feminine. Realization struck her. Cat Noir was no longer a boy. He was a girl.

"What?" She asked. Her voice was higher than usual. "What's wrong?"

"Um, here." Ladybug handed her yoyo over.

Cat Noir looked at herself in selfie mode. "What the what!"

Chapter 11

Lillian Montgomery

"We should split up and cover more ground." Athena said. "With luck, we might be able to catch him, but we'll need to know where he is."

"Good idea. Cat, take the Louvre, Athena, take the Eiffel tower, and I'll focus on Place des Vosges in case he comes back." Ladybug said. "Ready? Go."

Athena ran off. Soon her necklace began to beep. "Oh no, please hold, Unna!" She managed to duck into an alley, but did so by tripping and face planting into a dumpster. "Bleah! How many times do I have to trip?"

"Candy?" Unna asked.

Lillian checked her purse. "I'm all out." She peaked out and saw she was near the Dupain-Cheng bakery. "Can you settle for cookies?" She asked Unna.

"Ok!" Unna dove into Lillian's bag.

Lillian walked to the Dupain-Cheng bakery. She tried the door, but found it locked.

"Hello?" She called.

She heard footsteps. Sabine Cheng unlocked the door. "Oh thank goodness! Marinette told us that there was an akumatized villain and we've been worried about all of you! Have you seen her?"

"I-I don't think so. Last I saw her was at school."

"Well, come on in! The more people who are safe, the better!" Sabine pulled Lillian in.

"Woah!"

"Can I at least get some cookies?" Lillian asked Tom and Sabine.

"Why, sure! Any friend of Marinette's is a friend of ours!" Tom said and handed Lillian a plate of cookies.

"Thanks!" Lillian walked off and began to explore. She'd only been in Marinette's home a few times, so there was much she didn't know. She made her way up to Marinette's balcony.

"Wow… what a view!" Lillian exclaimed.

She saw Ladybug go by. "Well, I could ask her if she's seen Marinette, it's the least I can do for her parents." She told Unna, who was happily munching on a cookie.

"Ladybug!" She called out.

The superheroine landed next to Lillian. "What is it?" She asked.

"My friend Marinette Dupain-Cheng is missing and her parents are really worried. Have you seen her?"

"Oh, yes! She's somewhere safe."

Lillian smiled. "Thanks. I'll tell her parents."

Ladybug turned to leave, but paused. "Hey, you're Lillian, right?

She nodded.

"Do you think you could help Cat Noir and I? This villain seems to have it in for you. We can keep you safe though."

She hesitated. On one hand, she knew she could very well be useful to Ladybug and Cat Noir, but on the other hand, her identity could be in danger if Athena wasn't there.

"I'll help you any way I can." She finally said.

"Great." Ladybug grabbed ahold of Lillian and together they soared off.

Chapter 12

Marinette Dupain-Cheng

"Where are we heading?" Lillian asked Ladybug.

"The Eiffel Tower. Athena and Cat Noir should be there by now."

She thought she heard Lillian gulp.

They reached the tower, where Cat Noir was waiting.

"Where's Athena? She's supposed to be around here." Ladybug asked Cat Noir.

"I don't know," She admitted. "She might've run out of time, but-" She faltered when she saw Lillian.

"But what?"

"But-errr-uh-I forgot."

"Let's just do this before he causes more havoc. Lucky Charm!"

"A hat?" Ladybug thought for a moment then gasped. "I'll be right back!" She promised and swung away.

She landed on her balcony. "Spots off."

Marinette crept into her room and accessed a secret compartment under her bed where the Miracle Box was. She hesitated before pulling out the Fox Miraculous. "Sorry, Alya, but a new fox needs to come…" She muttered. "Tikki, spots on!"

Ladybug landed back at the tower. "Still no sign of Athena?" She asked.

Both Lillian and Cat Noir shook their heads.

"Oh well." She turned to Lillian.

"Lillian Montgomery, this is the Miraculous of the Fox which grants the power of Illusion. You'll use it for the greater good. Once the mission is over, you'll return the miraculous to me… Can I trust you?"

Lillian's eyes widened. "You can count on me anytime, Ladybug."

Chapter 13

Lillian Montgomery

Lillian put on the necklace, swiftly removing her current one. When Ladybug wasn't looking, she slipped it to Unna, who then flew off. An orange ball of light erupted from the necklace and the fox kwami appeared.

"My name is Trixx, and I'm your kwami! All you have to do is say 'Trixx, let's pounce'!"

Lillian took a deep breath. "Trixx, let's pounce!"

"I don't look like Rena Rouge." She remarked as she examined her new outfit.

While having a two-piece design, mask, and ears like Rena Rouge, that was where the similarities stopped. Her hair had gotten longer and was streaked with orange, pulled into a low ponytail with a gold and black band. Her tips were white, but resembling a fox's tail rather than what it was when she was Athena. She had black arms and legs that ended in a swirling pattern that was outlined in gold. Her top was orange on the top half and white on the bottom, outlined with gold, with a black swan-necked collar with a golden streak in the middle, also outlined in gold. Her lower half was orange with white and gold streaks, and she had an orange, fabric fox tail that glittered with gold ending at her knees.

"It changes for every user. When Cat Noir and I accidentally switched miraculouses, our outfits changed drastically." Ladybug said. "Now, what should we call you?"

Lillian hesitated. "Kitsune. Call me Kitsune."

"Well, Kitsune. Let's take down this baddie. I'm tired of being a girl." Cat Noir said.

"What's the plan?" Kitsune asked Ladybug.

"Lucky Charm!"

Chapter 14

Flora Mayfield

Flora sat at her sewing machine, working on a skirt when Sunny flew up to her.

"Unna's at the window! She has the necklace, too!"

Flora ran to the window and let Unna in. "I hope you're here to apologize for calling me 'poopy head'."

"Never, poopy head!" Unna paused, as if remembering why she was there. "But L-" White sparkles came from her mouth. "I mean Athena needs your help!"

"Is Lillian in trouble?" Flora asked, concerned.

"No. In order to help Ladybug, she's risking her identity. She's gotten the Fox Miraculous and she has a plan, but she'll need 'her' powers. She trusts you with her life."

"Wait, how do you know I'm Tropic Storm?"

"Errr I sorta told her where we live…" Sunny mumbled.

Flora sighed. "You know what, I don't have time to be mad at you. Sunny, feather up!" Tropic Storm turned to Unna, who in turn gave her the miraculous. "Sunny, Unna, unify!"

Tropic Storm leapt to the tower, the pink in her outfit various shades of blue and the gold was now silver. She saw Ladybug and two others, one who looked like Cat Noir, but a girl, and another with a fox-like outfit. Must be Lillian. She thought.

She got closer, staying in the shadows, and overheard the conversation.

"What are you going to do with a mop?" Fox-Lillian asked.

"I don't think you can clean up this mess with just that." The girl-Cat-Noir said.

"Is he- she- always this annoying?" Fox-Lillian groaned.

"Usually more, now I think I have a plan, Kitsune." Ladybug said.

Chapter 15

Lillian Montgomery

Kitsune peeked up and saw a blue figure. Tropic Storm. She smiled to herself. The plan was working.

"Ready to try out your power?" Ladybug asked.

She nodded and raised her flute. She envisioned two copies of herself, one as Lillian, next to her, and one as Athena where Tropic Storm was. "Mirage!"

"Hey guys, sorry I'm late!" 'Athena' hopped down.

"Athena! Just in time!" Ladybug said.

"So what's the plan? I doubt you could do much with a mop."

Ladybug snapped the handle, leaving the mop itself intact. "Cat Noir, I'll need your staff." She said. She used her yo-yo to tie the mop onto Cat Noir's staff.

"Alright, so here's the plan…" Ladybug began to whisper.

Kitsune, Ladybug, and Cat Noir raced around where Reverser was. One by one, they were hit. Ladybug became clumsy, Cat Noir lost her bravado, and Kitsune lost her smarts. They retreated back to the tower.

"Alright. Athena, stay hidden, Cat Noir, take the mop and dip it in water, Kitsune, take 'Lillian' to the top." Ladybug gave directions.

After a few minutes, Ladybug picked up a megaphone. "Reverser! We give up! We surrender our miraculouses! We will also give you Lillian! All we ask is that you turn everyone else back to normal!"

Reverser flew up. "Surrender, eh? Give me Lillian and then we'll talk."

Chapter 16

Marinette Dupain-Cheng/Adrien Agreste

Ladybug glanced up at Athena, who was still perched in the shadows. She looked at Kitsune, who nodded. The Lillian illusion stepped forward.

"What do you want with me?" She asked.

Reverser flew closer. "Get on first."

"Now!" Ladybug shouted.

"Whirlwind!" Athena's winds imprisoned Reverser.

Cat Noir extended her staff and soaked the airplane. The villain fell, but Kitsune snatched him out of the air. Cat Noir caught the paper airplane and cataclysmed it, releasing the akuma.

Cat Noir tossed Ladybug the mop.

"Miraculous Ladybug!"

Athena and Lillian had dispersed, leaving Cat Noir with Ladybug.

"Bye bye, kitty." She told him. "Bug out!" She smiled and swung off.

Cat Noir grinned as he watched his friend go. A few weeks ago, he'd have been love struck by her words, but now Marinette was the one he loved. Ladybug was a friend now, and only that.

"Oh no!" Ladybug's scream reached his ears. He looked over and saw a bright pink light. Ladybug must've run out of time.

Cat Noir ran forward, ignoring his ring's beeping. He vaulted into the air and closed his eyes, playing he would catch her. They landed in an alley

"Cat Noir!?" Ladybug asked in surprise.

"I'm not looking, Bugaboo." He told her with all sincerity.

"But you're about to transform ba-" She stopped with a gasp. "A-Adrien?"

He opened his eyes to see… "Marinette?"

End of Book Two

Chapter 1

Unna

Lillian slept on her lower bunk. Unna had a peppermint shaped pillow on which she slept. Both human and kwami were sound asleep. Two things, one red and one black, phased through a window.

"Unna! We need to talk!" The red thing hissed.

"Candy?" Unna asked sleepily, half awake.

"I've got a cookie, but Plagg ate the cheese he was supposed to bring."

Unna fully opened her eyes to see Tikki and Plagg. "What's going on? Why aren't you with Marinette and Adrien?"

"We'll explain later. Grab something interesting and follow us." Tikki said.

Unna looked around and spotted one of Lillian's wooden puzzles. She picked it up and followed her kwami friends.

They approached the Dupain-Cheng Bakery and entered through the top, where Marinette's bedroom was. The three kwamis entered the Miracle Box.

"We're here!" Plagg called out.

15 kwamis popped up. Trixx, Pollen, Wayzz, Sass, Kaalki, Xuppu, Mullo, Longg, Fluff, Barkk, Daizzi, Stompp, Roarr, Ziggy, and Orikko greeted them.

"Hey, who's behind you?" Xuppu asked, spotting Unna.

"My name is Unna, and I'm the owl kwami! I brought a wooden puzzle!"

"She's not the reason we're here." Tikki said.

"Then what is?" Wayzz inquired.

"The reason is… They know."

Every kwami but Plagg and Tikki gasped. There was only one thing that Tikki would say with that much graveness. Ladybug and Cat Noir's identities weren't secret to them any more.

Chapter 2

Lillian Montgomery

Lillian was making her way to Ms. Bustier's class when she was stopped by Marc.

"Um, hi, Lillian." He said. "I just wanted to say I'm sorry for trying to attack you the other day as Reverser."

"It's not your fault Marc. Hawk Moth is the one to blame." She told him.

"Also, I wish you and Nathaniel the best of luck."

Lillian frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Aren't you two dating?"

Lillian felt her face go red. "No… Why would you think that?"

"Because he dropped this in the park." Marc handed her a paper.

She gasped. It was a drawing of her as Brushstroke, but drawn around it were hearts of all sizes. One had lettering in it. "NK+LM?"

"Nathaniel Kurtzberg and Lillian Montgomery." Marc explained.

"Thank you Marc!" Lillian said, excitement dancing in her eyes. She clutched the drawing to her chest and ran off.

That evening, Lillian sat at her desk, doing her homework. After a little bit, she decided to get some fresh air. She grabbed a flashlight, her sketchbook, and some drawing utensils, and opened her window. She climbed up to a flat section of her roof and looked out on the city.

Lillian sighed contently. "Paris is more of a home than Alabama ever was." She remarked. She opened her sketchbook and Nathaniel's drawing fluttered out. "After all, it's where he is."

She noticed a dark figure on a nearby rooftop. Lillian flicked on her flashlight and the beam illuminated Cat Noir.

"What is he doing here? It's Ladybug's night to patrol." She said to Unna.

"I don't know, why don't you ask him?" Unna said.

"That's not a bad idea. Unna, wing it." Athena quickly made her way to her friend. "Nest time." She whispered quietly.

Lillian approached her friend. "I knew owls were nocturnal, but I didn't know cats were."

Cat Noir didn't turn around.  "Hi, Athena." He said glumly.

"Actually, it's Lillian." She sat down next to him. "What's wrong?"

He sighed. "It's partially about Marinette. Our relationship has become… Tested."

"Define 'tested'."

Cat Noir hesitated. "I-I shouldn't say. I'm already putting you and her in danger by talking to you about it."

"It always helps to talk." She told him.

"The thing is… There's a reason Ladybug and Marinette are never seen together."

Lillian's jaw dropped. "You mean she's-?"

He nodded. "Please don't tell her I said that."

"Don't worry." She smiled. "I'm good at keeping secrets. And you should write a note or something to her. So you can talk."

Chapter 3

Adrien Agreste

Later that night, Cat Noir headed back to his home. "Claws in." Adrien collapsed on his bed.

"Lillian's a good friend." He remarked.

"You said the same thing about Marinette." Plagg noted. "Are you just going to keep on switching girls?"

Adrien rolled his eyes. "No, Plagg. My heart belongs to Marinette. Besides, she loves Nathaniel and he loves her. They just don't know the other's feelings yet."

"Love is boring. Cheese is where it's at." The kwami gobbled up a slice of Camenbert.

"Well, I'm going to sleep. So finnish that cheese and settle down."

That morning before school, Adrien took Lillian's advice and prepared a note for Marinette.

Marinette

Mysterious and beautiful, like the moon

Midnight blue, her hair shines so bright

And every waking hour, I hope to see her soon

Eyes that stand out like stars, and they fill me full of delight

Tomorrow, I'll still love her

Six years, I'll still pretty much too

So I just want to say, I love you

And to separate, will be never

He underlined specific letters in each line with invisible ink, so that the underlined letters spelled out 'Marinette, meet me at Eiffel Tower, six PM. I love you, Adrien.'

Adrien put the poem in his bag and exited his room.

Chapter 4

Marinette Dupain-Cheng

Marinette could barely keep her eyes open. She had spent most of the past nights thinking about what had happened a week ago. Of course she was grateful for Cat Noir saving her, and even more so that he had closed his eyes so he wouldn't see her, but she still felt it was all her fault.

"Girl, what's wrong? I've never seen you this tired before." Alya asked her.

"It's nothing… Just some sleepless nights…" Marinette murmured, almost falling asleep.

"Hey, Marinette." Adrien walked up to her. He looked worn down as well.

She smiled tiredly. "Hi, Adrien." She stood up to give him a kiss on the cheek.

Adrien smiled brightly. "Here, I made this for you." He handed her a piece of paper before sitting down.

Marinette read what he had written aloud. "Marinette. Mysterious and beautiful, like the moon, Midnight blue, her hair shines so bright, And every waking hour, I hope to see her soon, Eyes that stand out like stars, and they fill me full of delight, Tomorrow, I'll still love her, Six years, I'll still pretty much too, So I just want to say, I love you, And to separate, will be never."

"Your boyfriend's a model and a poet. What luck!" Alya said.

He's a superhero, too. Marinette added silently.

That afternoon, Marinette examined the poem at her desk. "Something about this seems a little off." She told Tikki.

"Maybe there's a message?" Tikki suggested.

"You might be right!" She fished out a blacklight and shone it on the paper. "Marinette, meet me at Eiffel Tower, six PM. I love you, Adrien." She smiled. "That sneaky cat has done it again."

"And he wrote you a love poem for it!"

Marinette looked at the time. "It's 5:50. I'm sure he wouldn't mind that I'm a little early. Tikki, spots on!" Ladybug quickly made her way to the tower.

Cat Noir was waiting for her there. "Hey, M- I mean Ladybug."

"Hi, Cat. I got your message. Why did you want to meet me?" Ladybug asked.

"So we could talk about… you know."

"Oh." She sat down next to him. "It's just so hard to wrap my mind around it. Just when life seems almost perfect, something comes to mess it all up again. In this case, it was knowing who you are."

"I know. First you were the girl I loved and the girl whose friendship mattered most to me, then you were my closest friend and my girlfriend, and now, it's a weird mix of both."

"How about being a couple both ways? We could just do what we usually do and hide our identities, and no one's the wiser." Ladybug suggested.

"That's not a bad idea. You're awesome, Bugaboo." He smiled at her.

For once, she didn't object to the name. She just rested her head on his shoulder and they looked out on Paris' glimmering lights.

Chapter 5

Lillian Montgomery

Athena watched Ladybug and Cat Noir from a distance. She smiled. They just seemed so… whole. She accessed the camera on her rope feather and snapped a picture of the two, then ran off, neither hero noticing her.

That night, she landed on her roof. "Nest time." She whispered, so she wouldn't wake her mother. She slipped into her room. Lillian pulled out her phone, where the picture had been transferred to.

"I might just send this to Alya." She mused, a slight gleam in her eyes. She quickly texted her friend the picture.

"Good night, Unna." She murmured before drifting off to sleep.

"Good night, Lillian." Her kwami said sleepily.

That morning, Lillian entered Collège Françoise Dupont. The whole school was abuzz about Ladybug and Cat Noir. Alya ran up to her.

"How did you get that picture? The Ladyblog has exploded thanks to you!"

"I have friends in high places." She replied.

"Come on! I have to know more!" Alya pleaded.

"My lips are sealed." She said, but smiled slightly. Lillian walked off.

Lillian slipped into the art classroom and put a note she had prepared that morning on Nathaniel's seat. She raced out the door to Ms. Bustier's class. "Hopefully I'll see you soon, Nathaniel." She murmured before entering the classroom.

Chapter 6

Nathaniel Kurtzberg

"Lillian? Is something wrong?" Nathaniel asked his seatmate. She was acting very strange.

"No, no. Everything's fine!" She stammered.

He raised an eyebrow but didn't press it.

Later in the day, he entered the art classroom. He found a letter on his seat. He opened it and read what was written.

Dear Nathaniel,

I've pushed my feelings down for fear I'll ruin our friendship, but now I need to tell you something. If you meet me on the roof of the school tonight, you'll find what it is.

See you there,

MHL

"Who could MHL be?" He wondered aloud.

"No clue, but you should check it out." Marc told him. "Someone must really want to tell you something."

"You have a point. I guess I'll meet him or her tonight."

True to his word, Nathaniel made his way to the roof that evening.

"Hello?" He called. "MHL?" He looked around.

"Hello, Nathaniel." A shadowy figure stepped into his view. She had a light pink skirt with darker pink feather designs that went down her knees, with an ankle-length train of the same pattern. Her top was teal and heart shaped. She wore a simple white sweater with some pink flower designs. The girl fully stepped into the fading sunlight.

Nathaniel gasped softly. "Lillian? You're MHL?"

She smiled. "MHL, Montgomery Hope Lillian. My initials backward."

"Why did you want to meet me? Where did you get that dress?"

"To answer your second question, Marinette made it. As for the first one…" She reached into her purse and pulled out a slightly crumpled piece of paper. "Marc gave this to me." Lillian handed it to him.

His heart skipped a beat. It was the same drawing he had dropped just before Marc had been akumatized.

"Is it true?" Lillian asked. "Do you… love me?"

Nathaniel felt like a deer struck by headlights. "I-I um. Err, uhhh… No! LM st-stands for um, Lee Marvins, my neighbor!" He was making the whole thing up, of course.

"I- oh." Her eyes lost their gleam and her shoulders slumped ever so slightly. "Well, I'll see you tomorrow, I guess." She turned and left.

Chapter 7

Lillian Montgomery

Lillian couldn't bear to look at Nathaniel. Her hopes had been crushed.

"Lillian, I-I'm sorry." Nathaniel tried to talk to her.

She looked away. "It's fine…" She got up and took the hall pass. Lillian headed out the door and to the restroom.

In a stall, she began to sob, clutching Nathaniel's drawing. "I dared to hope, and now our friendship may never be repaired." The drawing got smudged by her tears.

"Lillian?" Marinette's voice echoed through. "Are you okay?"

"Y-yeah. I'm fine." She said shakily.

"Okay…"

Lillian didn't notice the akuma heading for her until it was right in front of her. She let out an ear piercing scream as it entered the paper.

"Heartthrob, I am Hawk Moth." The villain spoke to her through her mind. "Your hopes of love have been crushed. I will give you the power to erase and replace love for any one you choose. In return, all I ask for are Ladybug and Cat Noir's miraculouses. Do we have a deal?"

Lillian reached for her necklace, but not her miraculous. She pulled out the locket Adrien gave her for Christmas and looked at the two pictures inside. Her father and her friends.

"No!" She shouted. "I am Lillian! Lillian Hope Montgomery! I am not Heartthrob! You can't control me Hawk Moth!" She rebelled against the villain's power. "I am Ath- Kitsune!"

Hawk Moth fell silent and the akuma flew out of the drawing.

Lillian collapsed. She was vaguely aware of someone rushing in, and a pink light before blacking out.

Chapter 8

Marinette Dupain-Cheng

"Lillian? Are you okay?" Ladybug tried to awaken her friend. The akuma was long gone, but Lillian was still out cold.

"Spots off." She detransformed. If there was no akuma to catch, being Ladybug was pointless. Marinette managed to get Lillian upright and put one of her arms around her shoulders, so she was supporting her. She couldn't help be a bit in awe of Lillian. She'd never witnessed someone successfully resist an akuma before, though Ms. Bustier had come close.

"Oh, Cat Noir, Adrien, whatever, if there was ever a time I needed you, it's now…" She murmured as she got out of the restroom.

As if summoned, she heard his voice. "Marinette? What's going on? Ms. Bustier sent me to check up on you two."

She looked up to see Adrien on the floor above. "She fought off an akuma." She explained.

"She what?!" Adrien rushed down. "No one's ever done that before, right?"

"Ms. Bustier came close, but otherwise, it hasn't happened to my knowledge."

"Did you capture it?"

"It was gone when I got in there. Now, can you help me with Lillian?"

"Sure thing." He grabbed Lillian's arm and together they walked off, supporting their friend.

They were almost to Ms. Bustier's door when Lillian began to moan. "Marinette? Adrien? Wh-what's going on?"

"You fought off an akuma. That's no easy feat." She told her friend.

"And what's Adrien doing here?"

"When you didn't return soon, Ms. Bustier sent me to check up on you two." Adrien explained.

Lillian attempted to stand. At first she was wobbly, but she quickly regained balance. She gave them a grateful look and entered the classroom.

Chapter 9

Chloé Bourgeois

Chloé clenched her fists in anger as she watched Lillian be surrounded by admiring classmates. She had become instantly popular once she had told them what had happened.

"Fighting off an akuma? Puh-lease. That's not so special! I've done it before." She cried out.

The class stared at her doubtfully.

"Sure, you did, Chloé, and I'm Ladybug." Alix said, the sarcasm so thick you could almost see it.

The class burst into laughter. Even Sabrina couldn't hold it in.

Chloé stormed off, furious.

In her room, her anger only increased as she surfed the web. All everyone was talking about was either Lillian's picture of Ladybug and Cat Noir or Lillian's feat of fighting off the akuma. The little nobody from nowhere had somehow achieved city-wide fame… or something like that. The picture of the two heroes only infuriated her more.

Chloé banged her fist on her desk. She didn't notice the black butterfly until it had entered her necklace.

"Ahh, Miss Chloé Bourgeois. How nice to see you again." She heard the villain speak in her mind.

Chloé grinned. "Hawk Moth, it's good to see you too. I assume you want to give me powers?" She asked nonchalantly.

Hawk Moth chuckled. "Bright as ever, Miss Bourgeois. Like the Roman goddess Minerva, you have excellent tactics. Now it's time to put them to use. I shall give you the power to perfectly impersonate any hero or villain of your choosing. You can infiltrate the heroes and take them down from the inside. All I ask for in return are Ladybug and Cat Noir's miraculouses. Do we have a deal?"

"Yes, Hawk Moth."

Chapter 10

Lillian Montgomery

Lillian sighed as she sat on her roof. The day had been tiring, and not just because of the akuma. Chloé had gotten extremely jealous about her feat, and nearly everyone else had crowded around her for the rest of the day. The only people who kept their space were Marinette and Adrien, obviously, and Nathaniel.

She pulled out the drawing. "I have no one to blame but me…" She murmured. A tear slid down her cheek and splotched the paper.

Unna flew up next to her. "Would it make you feel better if I called him a poopy head?" She asked innocently.

Lillian managed a weak smile. "I thought Storm was the poopy head."

"Yeah, well, that poopy head isn't here right now, so he can be the poopy head!"

She laughed out loud, but quickly slipped back into her gloom. "Thanks, Unna, but it doesn't change that Nathaniel loves someone else."

She heard the familiar sheik of Cat Noir's staff.

"I knew cats were nocturnal, but I didn't know owls were." He said from behind her.

"Ha ha ha." She said flatly. "Not as good as mine."

"I just wanted to check up on you. I mean, fighting off an akuma is no easy feat, not to mention the extra baggage of being a hero." He sat down next to her.

"Truth be told, I don't think I could've managed it if I didn't have this." Lillian pulled out her locket and opened it, revealing the two pictures that resided inside.

"Is that your dad?" He asked, pointing at the first picture. "You look like him."

She looked fondly at it. Her father was grinning as he held a baby Lillian, while Cristine Montgomery, her mother, was laughing as she draped her arm on her husband's shoulder. "Yeah," She finally said. "That's him."

"There's something else bothering you." Cat Noir said. "What is it?"

"You seem to know everything. You tell me."

"Someone once told me that it always helps to talk."

She gave him a dirty look. "Now you're just teasing." She sighed and showed him the drawing.

"Brushstroke? Why do you have a drawing of her?"

"I've had a crush on Nathaniel for what seems like forever, and Marc gave this to me about 4 days ago. He said it meant he had a crush on me too…" She found herself spilling everything to Cat Noir.

He listened patiently to her. When she had finished, he opened his mouth to say something, but a new, yet strangely familiar voice interrupted him.

"Well, well, well. Has the tomcat found himself a new molly?"

They looked up to see a girl leaning against a wall on the roof of a nearby building. She had a skintight suit that was white on the top half, and light blue on the bottom. The colors were divided by a curved v shape that laid slightly above her waist. On her shoulders, she had silver-blue feather designs that looked like wings. A blue rope threaded with black was wrapped around her waist. There was a mask that followed the same color scheme as the rest of the suit. She had short brown hair with white tips, and bright blue eyes. Underneath the rope were five fabric tail feathers.

With a start, Lillian realized the girl was a perfect duplicate of her. Well, Athena.

"I'll stall her, you transform and find Ladybug." Cat Noir whispered to her.

It was obvious that they were thinking the same thing. The girl, whoever she was, was either akumatized, the product of an akumatized villain, or a sentimonster, none of which could be resolved without the spotted heroine.

Chapter 11

Marinette Dupain-Cheng

Ladybug made her way across the city on patrol. The moon shone bright and full, which made her think of the time she and Adrien had danced in New York. During nights like this, her mind was clear. No worries about how to juggle her civilian and superhero lives, no fretting if someone other than Adrien discovered her identity. Nothing.

Of course, like all seemingly perfect moments, it had to be ruined.

"Look out!" A girl's voice shattered the tranquil.

Ladybug looked up to see Athena spiraling towards her, but light blue bird wings held her slightly aloft.

"Whirlwind!" Athena used her power to cushion her plummet, but she still wound up face planting next to the spotted hero.

Ladybug rushed to help her friend up. "Athena! Is something wrong?"

"Akuma. Cat Noir. Montgomery." She panted out, trying to catch her breath.

"Akuma?" She echoed, alarmed. "You mean there's an akumatized villain?"

Athena nodded. "I think so. Looks just like me." Her breaths were becoming steadier.

"Okay. Where is it? Do you know who? And since when did you have wings?" The last question was definitely not necessary, but she'd just blurted it out.

"Montgomery place. Nope. Discovered them a few weeks ago. Still not used to them."

"Got it." She readied her yoyo, but paused. "Do you need to recharge?"

"Nah. Got four minutes to use whirlwind, and then five minutes until I detransform."

"Good. Let's find Cat Noir and your doppelganger."

Chapter 12

Adrien Agreste

Adrien groaned as he pushed himself up. The moment that he had shown suspicion of the fake Athena, she had judo flipped him into the alley. He looked at his hands, which no longer sported the clawed gloves of Cat Noir. Furthermore, there was no silver ring or a tiny cat whining for cheese.

"No, no, no, no!" He scrambled around, searching for the ring.

"Cat Noir?"

He swiveled his head up to see who had spoken. It was Ladybug. His face immediately lit up, but it quickly fell when he saw she wasn't looking at him.

"Where's the villain?" Ladybug asked.

He heard his own voice respond, "I don't know. She overpawered me."

Adrien cringed as he heard that clawful pun.

"She was wearing this ring though. I don't know why, but it's purrplexingly like mine,"

This time, both Ladybug and Athena groaned, but Adrien froze. The fake Athena/Cat Noir had his ring.

"Did you see where she went?" Athena asked.

He wanted to yell out that the villain was right in front of them, but he couldn't risk drawing attention to himself.

He couldn't go back to the mansion. He was sure of that. Even if he was let in at this hour, no doubt he'd have to explain where he was.

The obvious answer came to him. The Dupain-Cheng Bakery. Sabine and Tom treated him like their own son. They'd surely let him stay until things were settled.

Ladybug and Athena were still talking to the fake him, so the coast was clear.

He quickly made his way to the bakery he visited so often.

Adrien knocked on the locked door, praying that Marinette's parents would be able to hear him.

He heard footsteps, and soon, Sabine Cheng unlocked the door.

"Adrien? What on earth are you doing here?" She exclaimed.

"Akuma."

That one word caused him to be pulled inside the bakery. There, Tom and Sabine fussed over him.

"Please let me get Plagg back…" He murmured once he was alone. "Please."

Chapter 13

Lillian Montgomery

Something was off about Cat Noir, but Athena couldn't place it. Ladybug seemed to notice whatever it was too, as there was a slight frown on her face, but she tried to pass it off as thinking.

Athena began to think. If the villain could look like her, who's to say they couldn't look like Cat Noir?

"Say, Cat Noir, could I take a look at that ring?" She asked innocently.

"No."

"But we're friends, aren't we?"

"Just give her the ring, Cat. What could she do with it?" Ladybug said.

Cat Noir grumbled, but handed the identical ring over.

Athena examined the ring closely, comparing it to the one on Cat Noir before her. She couldn't find a single difference. But there was one last thing to do to make sure her theory was correct.

She slipped on the ring.

Instantly, it became gold with a circular teal stone in the center. A green ball of light shot out, and faded to reveal the black cat kwami.

"Impostor!" Ladybug shouted. "What have you done with the real Cat Noir?"

"Oh, I just deprived him of his miraculous, just like I'm going to do with you!" The fake Cat Noir morphed into a girl with long brown hair and a fox ensemble.

"Lila!"

Volpina lunged forward, aiming at Ladybug, but Athena leapt at her. The two tangled, but Volpina soon overpowered her and snagged her necklace.

Lillian was tossed into the alley. She groaned as she picked herself up, watching the last of her suit disappear.

She heard a strangled gasp from behind her. Lillian whirled around to see Nathaniel, staring at her, wide eyed and pale as a ghost.

"L-Lillian?" He stammered.

"Nathaniel, this isn't what it looks like. I was, uh…"

"Fighting an akumatized villain with Ladybug and Cat Noir?" He supplied. "You're not a good liar, Lillian."

She groaned. "Please don't tell anyone about this."

"I can keep a secret." He told her.

"Cheese?" Plagg whined.

"What was that!?"

Lillian face palmed. "Plagg, you should know that I don't carry cheese. I'm not Cat Noir, so normally it's not my responsibility to feed you."

"W-who's Plagg?"

"Me." Plagg flew out from behind Lillian. "Kwami of Destruction, nice to meet you. Do you have cheese?"

"Plagg!" She scolded. "I'm not sure what Cat Noir tells you, but you can't just go up to someone and ask for cheese." She blinked, finally taking in the full situation. "Nathaniel, I'm going to need you to keep another secret for me."

"Oh no."

"Plagg, claws out!"

Chapter 14

Nathaniel Kurtzberg

I'm in love with a superhero. The girl I love is a literal superhero. Why does that somehow make sense? Nathaniel's mind reeled as he stared at the girl in front of him. I go to try to clear things up with Lillian and I discover the identity of one of Paris' superheroes.

"Nathaniel?" Lillian asked. "I know this is a lot to take in, and I don't blame you. I know what it's like to have your world turned upside down, but I've always gotten through it. And if I can do that, so can you."

Her normally blue-green eyes were now green like a cat's. Her brown hair was longer and  braided with a single green streak going through it. She donned black fabric cat ears edged with green. She had smooth black clawed gloves trimmed in green. Two crisscrossing lines of green wrapped around her waist, to the back of which a silver staff and a black fabric cat tail were attached. Her black boots reached her knees, and had green wedges that gave her extra height.

He blushed. "Th-thanks, Lillian, o-or Athena, or, uh-"

"Lillian is fine for now." She turned around.

"Wait!" He grabbed her arm. "Be careful. Please."

She smiled. "I'll do my best, but you know about my history of face planting." She said with a twinkle in her eyes. "But only if you promise to stay safe as well."

"I-I will.''

"Thank you, Nathaniel." And, before he saw it coming, Lillian kissed him on the cheek. "And it's okay that you love someone else. We can always be just friends."

With that, Lillian used her staff to vault up and out of sight.

Nathaniel stared at the space she had been. "But I don't want to be just friends." He whispered softly.

Chapter 15

Marinette Dupain-Cheng

Ladybug was pinned down by Volpina. She couldn't shake her grip.

"Once I have your miraculous, I will be unstoppable!" She proclaimed with triumph, cackling evilly.

"But you forgot the Black Cat!" A girl shouted.

A figure in black smashed into Volpina, knocking the villain off of Ladybug.

"Cat Noir?"

"Nope. I'm way sassier and funnier, but I have the green eyes and the cat attire." The girl in black said, standing up. "You can call me Katrina, because I'm a force to be reckoned with."

"Athena?" She asked incredulously, because there was no one else who would challenge Cat Noir's sass and puns. "But how?"

"Chloé might've gotten my necklace, but she forgot that I still had Cat Noir's ring." She said.

"Wait, Chloé?"

"Why don't you take a look at 'Volpina' over there?"

Ladybug looked to where the villain was knocked to, and just like Katrina had said, Chloé was lying where Volpina should have been.

"How did you manage to land a hit? She managed to overpower all three of us before. What makes this time different?"

"My guess is that her power is to impersonate any hero or villain, so the fact that I'm using a different miraculous means she can't know how I'll act to different people because she doesn't know who I am."

"You know, you joke around so much that I sometimes forget how smart you are."

"Wing it, whirlwind, and nest time. Unna eats candy." Katrina tossed the Owl Miraculous to her.

"Wha- but shouldn't I purify the akuma?"

"You mean the one that's gone?"

"Oh." She said, seeing that Chloé was indeed gone. "Alright. Just don't look." Ladybug ducked out of sight. "Spots off."

"What's going on?" The ladybug kwami asked after being fed a macaroon.

"It's a long story, Tikki, but I'm going to need you to get these to Cat Noir." Marinette took off her earrings. "Athena, or Katrina, has a plan."

The kwami nodded in understanding. "I'll do my best to find him." With that, Tikki flew off.

Marinette put on the necklace she held. "Hello, there, Unna. I'm going to need your miraculous' abilities. And yes, Athena okay-ed this."

"Do you at least have candy?"

"Unna!" Katrina scolded from afar.

Marinette laughed. "No, but I do have cookies. Unna, wing it!"

Chapter 16

Adrien Agreste/Nathaniel Kurtzberg

Adrien stood on Marinette's balcony, trying to see if he could spot Ladybug or Athena, or maybe, if by some miracle, Plagg. He didn't like feeling so helpless. He'd felt enough of that in the mansion before Plagg came along.

"Adrien? Are you sure you're okay?" Sabine asked, having climbed through the trapdoor.

"Yeah. I'm just worried. That's all."

Sabine smiled. "You have a good heart, Adrien."

"Thanks, Sabine." He smiled weakly as Marinette's mother descended down. Why can't Father be more like that? He thought. Just someone who is supportive and kind. Is that too much to ask?

He was so caught up in his thoughts, he didn't notice the little red kwami until she hissed his name.

"Adrien!"

He looked over to see none other than Tikki, who was holding the earrings.

"Tikki? Why do you have the earrings? Is Marinette alright? Is Plagg okay? What about Athena?"

"Everyone is fine." Tikki assured him. "But in order to defeat this villain, there needs to be a change of the miraculous. Athena recovered Plagg, and Ladybug is using Unna. They need you to become Mister Bug."

"Alright. Where are they?" He asked, taking the miraculous.

"Waiting for you at the Eiffel Tower."

"Got it. Tikki, spots on!"

Nathaniel sat at his desk in his room, his cheek still warm from Lillian's kiss.

"I can't just let her fight alone." He said aloud. "She doesn't have the experience with the Cat Miraculous." Nathaniel sighed heavily. "Why can't I be a superhero?"

He stared at his sketchbook, looking at all the different heroes he had drawn. And not just the ones that Paris knew.

Many of his pages were filled with designs for Brushstroke. Nathaniel sighed again. "If I were Mightillustrator, I could just draw whatever I needed to save the day."

A thought occurred to him. "But I might be able to find someone who could!"

He hopped onto his computer and did a quick search of the residents of Montgomery, Alabama in the past year. He then cross-checked those names with the residents of Paris in the past year. Only six names popped up, but only two of them were important to his search: Flora Mayfield and Carol Mayfield.

Another quick search told him that only Flora was about his age.

Nathaniel printed out the address and went out the door. He was off to find Tropic Storm.

Chapter 17

Flora Mayfield

"Flora?" Her father called up. "A boy is here to see you."

"Ooooooh! Flora has a boyfriend! Flora has a boyfriend! Flora and that boy sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G! First comes the love, then comes the marriage, then comes the baby in the baby carriage! But that's not all, but that's all-"

"Carson, shut up." She grumbled as she made her way to the door.

She opened it to see a boy about her age with red hair that covered one of his eyes.

"Who are you?"

"I'm Nathaniel Kurtzberg, and I'm looking for Tropic Storm."

Flora felt the blood drain from her face. Could this boy actually know she was Tropic Storm?

She decided to play dumb. "I don't know who that is."

"And the girl I love isn't Athena."

"Lillian doesn't have a boyfriend." She said. "Oh poop."

"She needs help."

"I've retired. I can't be in Montgomery, and I'm not needed here."

"Do you have any idea how hard it is just having to sit by while someone you love risks their life? Because that's what I'm going through. This villain managed to take her miraculous."

Flora subconsciously reached for her comb. She could tell that the boy had pure intentions, but could she really trust him? But then again, Lillian needed her, and she couldn't just abandon her friend.

She sighed and took the comb from her hair. "The Flamingo Miraculous is very powerful, make sure it doesn't fall into the wrong hands. I will only give this to you one time, and you have to promise to return it to me."

Nathaniel's eyes widened. "You're- you're giving it to me?"

"Only to help Lillian. Promise that you'll help her."

"I promise I will."

"Thank you." Flora recalled the words the guardian of Sunny's Miracle Box had taught her if she ever were to give a miraculous to another. "Nathaniel Kurtzberg, here is the Miraculous of the Flamingo which grants the power of Creativity. You will use it for the greater good. Once the mission is over, you'll return the miraculous to me. Can I trust you?"

"I will do everything I can to help Lillian and the others."

She handed him the comb. "Now go. Help her."

Chapter 18

Lillian Montgomery

Katrina vaulted over Chloé, who was masked as Riposte, narrowly dodging a slash from her sword.

"You hoo! Over here!" Ladybug yelled, waving her arms. "Bet you can't catch me!"

Chloé growled and lunged at the heroine, but Ladybug was too quick.

"Hey, wanna-bee! Try me instead!" She shouted. Their plan was basically to keep Chloé occupied until Mister Bug showed up.

She blew a large raspberry at the villain, being at her utmost peak of being annoying and irritating, which was pretty high.

She wasn't sure how long they would be able to keep it up, though, as Chloé was getting wise to them.

"Now, how did that vixen put it? Oh yes," She laughed sadistically and shifted to a form that she knew all too well. "I am Minerva. I have power over everything and everyone."

Katrina froze. She knew exactly what Minerva was referencing. "No." She whispered. "No, no, no."

"Katrina?" Ladybug had rushed to her side. "Katrina, what is it?"

She didn't answer. She had never let on how much Hecate had impacted her. She still had nightmares about the villain, even though she had been defeated nearly six months ago.

"Katrina, I don't know what's wrong, but if you don't move soon, Minerva will get your miraculous!"

"Too late!"

She stood frozen as Minerva lunged for her ring.

"You know, I thought you were traumatizing enough even when you weren't akumatized, but Athena certainly thinks otherwise." A voice called as a quill whizzed by, stopping the villain.

Katrina was shaken out of her stupor. "St-Storm?" She stammered. She would recognize that quill anywhere.

"Tropic Storm is retired. I'm a one-time holder. Call me Mightillustrator."

Chapter 19

Nathaniel Kurtzberg

Mightillustrator had to fight a smile as Katrina stormed over to him. Her furious face just didn't look all that scary with the cat costume.

"You promised you would stay safe!" She yelled.

"Civilian me promised. Mightillustrator didn't." He replied. "And I couldn't just stand by."

"I can handle this. You've never wielded a miraculous before. I can't let you get hurt, Nath- Mightillustrator." She said in a much softer tone.

"And neither can I."

Katrina's face suddenly flushed bright red. "I- uh-" She tripped over her words.

He laughed. "You're starting to sound like Marinette."

"Y-yeah. I guess I am." She laughed self consciously.

Neither of them said anything for a moment, creating a highly awkward silence. Subconsciously, though, they were slowly drawing closer.

The pair locked eyes, cat green upon aquamarine. An unsaid message passed between them.

Is this really happening? His thoughts raced. Am I really going to-? His thoughts were interrupted by a snobbish voice.

"Just kiss already!" Minerva called.

Katrina simply shrugged, and, just like before, she kissed him. But this time it wasn't on the cheek.

Mightillustrator and Katrina locked hands, and for that moment, nothing in the world mattered other than the fact that they were together at last.

"Does this mean we're dating now?" She asked as they pulled back.

He grinned. "It absolutely does." And with that, he kissed the girl he had fallen in love with once again.

Chapter 20

Gabriel Agreste

Hawk Moth scowled as the purified akuma fluttered back to his liar. When Minerva had been distracted by the two heroes kissing, the obnoxious Mister Bug had managed to break the necklace that the akuma had infected.

"One day. One day very soon, I will get your miraculouses, Ladybug and Cat Noir." He vowed. "No matter how many heroes join you, the villains will always outnumber and overpower you."

"Sir?" Nathalie asked, approaching him. "Perhaps you should stop. People are becoming more resilient to your akumas. Today was the second time you tried to akumatize that Lillian girl, and also the second time someone managed to resist your akuma. You might just have to accept that Emilie is gone."

He sighed. "Nooroo, dark wings fall." Gabriel turned to Nathalie. "But with every new akuma, I learn something new about those heroes. Things that I can use against them. Like with Hecate. The only reason they won was because of Athena. And now with Minerva, I now know that one of her deepest fears is Hecate."

"Sir? What are you getting at?"

"I won't rest until I have her back, Nathalie. I will do whatever it takes to be with her again."

"Sir?" Nathalie asked again.

"It might be time to call on Miss Rossi's talents again."

"Are you sure?"

"For Emilie, anything."

He didn't notice Nooroo and Duusu exchange worried looks.

End of Book Three

Chapter 1

Marinette Agreste

"And to thank our guardians for 25 years of protecting our city, I, Chloé Bourgeois, the mayor of Paris, dedicate the Miraculous Gardens to Ladybug, Cat Noir, and all of our other heroes!"

Ladybug smiled as she stood side by side with her friends. Along with Cat Noir, Rena Rouge, Carapace, Athena, Viperion, Ryuko, Pegasus, Bunnix, and King Monkey stood with her.

"Thank you, Chloé. I know Queen Bee wanted to be here tonight, but I'm afraid being in two places at once is quite difficult." She said.

Her joke sent ripples of laughter among the crowd.

"And I'd like to thank so many people for our success, and for helping us in akuma attacks." She continued.

Cat Noir then took over.

Later that night she and Cat Noir landed on the Agreste mansion. "Spots off."

"Claws in."

The couple went inside.

"Do you think it's time?" Marinette asked her husband. "I mean, being Ladybug has been wonderful, but I'm also the guardian. The box will be safer if a new Ladybug arises."

"Do what you think is best. You've never steered us wrong." Adrien told her. "Whatever you do, I promise I'll be there to support you."

She smiled. "I'll look for candidates tomorrow." She told him.

True to her word, after her daughters, Kathrine and Emily, left the house, Marinette transformed into Ladybug and began to search Paris for someone worthy.

It wasn't until late in the afternoon that she found the right people.

The first one was walking with some other girls. They passed an elderly woman, who was being pushed around by the crowd. The group walked past her, but one girl ran back and helped the woman.

The second was alone, unlike the girl. He had a giant cookie, of which he was about to take a bite out of, when he saw a young child staring hungrily at it. Without a moment's hesitation, the boy gave his cookie to the child.

Ladybug smiled. She had just found Paris' next heroes.

Chapter 2

Cayden Couffaine

Cayden entered Collège Françoise Dupont. His older sister Calypso had already entered, and Freedom was tagging along with her big sister as usual, leaving Cayden alone on his first day of school. His mother had been homeschooling him up until now.

He looked at his schedule. "I have Mrs. Bruel… Who is that?"

After a bit, he finally found the classroom.

The only person he recognized was his cousin Violet, but she was sitting in the back with a blonde and blue eyed girl. Cayden looked around and found an open seat next to a boy with dark brown hair and hazel eyes. He was listening to some music.

Cayden sighed and sat down next to the boy. The boy took out his earbuds.

"Uh, hi. I'm Aiden Lahiffe-Césaire." He said, somewhat awkwardly.

"I'm Cayden Couffaine." Cayden mumbled back.

Aiden's jaw dropped. "Couffaine as in Juleka and Luka Couffaine, two of the members of Kitty Section?"

"Uh, yeah, he's my dad and she's my aunt."

"That is so cool!" Before Aiden could talk further, a young woman entered the room.

"Good morning class! I am Mrs. Bruel, and I am your teacher. Now, I will call roll. Emily Agreste?"

"Here, and I go by Emmy." The girl Violet was sitting next to said.

"Kathrine Agreste?"

"Here!" The girl in front of Aiden called. "And I go by Kat."

"Amaya Bourgeois?"

"I'm here." A brown haired girl murmured.

"I already know Percy is here, so Cayden Couffaine?"

"Uh, here." Cayden mumbled.

"Gabrielle Graham de Vanily?"

"Call me Gabby!" A girl with blonde hair and green eyes piped up.

"Mark Kanté?"

"I am present." A boy said, somewhat robotically.

"Kayla Kubdel?"

"Yo." A girl with wild green hair said.

"Leo Lê?"

"Present."

"Annabeth Kurtzberg?"

"That's me." An auburn-haired girl who sat in front of him said.

"Adien Lahiffe-Césaire?"

"Right here!" Adien called.

"And finally, Violet Lavillant?"

"Present!" His cousin called.

"Wonderful!" Mrs. Bruel clapped her hands. "Now, let's get to know each other. Please pick one person you don't already know and spend five minutes talking to each other!"

Before the students could get up, Amaya suddenly began to wail. "Leo! Why?"

"Amaya, please calm down." Mrs. Bruel said, but Amaya had run out the door.

Chapter 3

Annabeth Kurtzberg

Annabeth doodled in her notebook, halfheartedly listening to Mrs. Bruel. She was thinking about her parents. They, along with her Uncle Marc, had gone to the USA for some comic book convention or something. Marc wasn't really her uncle, but he was so close to her parents that she just called him that.

She was going to stay with the Agrestes, her mother had told her. It was fine by Annabeth. She loved to hang out with Kat and Emmy. But her mother had been acting weird. She'd even given a package to her to deliver to Marinette.

Kat nudged her. "Psst, pay attention."

Suddenly, Leo shrieked out in alarm. Pencils were being thrown at him from around the room.

Fiendish laughter filled the room.

"Class, please evacuate the school and go home. This is clearly an akuma attack. I'm sure Ladybug, Cat Noir, and Athena will take care of it." Mrs. Bruel said, somewhat fearfully.

"C'mon, Annabeth!" Kat pulled her along.

She, along with Kat and Emmy soon arrived at the Agreste mansion, where Marinette quickly ushered them inside. Annabeth was so hurried, she didn't notice a small box being slipped into her bag. Also in her haste, she didn't realize that she'd dropped the package for Marinette, or that the ever curious Emmy came across it.

In Kat and Emmy's room, Annabeth turned on their TV.

"Don't be bemused, it's just the news! I'm Alya Césaire. Have our heroes abandoned us? Earlier this afternoon, Amaya Bourgeois was akumatized into the villain Chaotica, but there is no sign of Ladybug, Cat Noir, or Athena!"

Annabeth gasped, knocking over her bag. Among the contents was an octagonal box she had never seen before.

"What is this?" She opened the box and a bright, pink light flew out. She dropped the box.

"Hello, Annabeth! I'm Tikki, and Ladybug has chosen you to be her successor!"

"Say what now?"

Chapter 4

Cayden Couffaine

Cayden stared at the little cat creature in front of him.

"Let me get this straight, Ladybug wants me and some other person I don't know to be the next Cat Noir and Ladybug?" He asked.

The cat nodded. "Now, you gonna transform or what? If you don't, you better give me some cheese."

He sighed. "It's not like my day can get any weirder. What do I do?"

"Just say, 'Plagg, claws out'." Plagg said.

"Got it." He stood up. "Plagg, claws out!"

"Woahhhhhhh!" Cayden hurtled through the sky. "How does Cat Noir do this!?" He cried as he clung to his stick.

"Look out!" A new voice shouted.

He saw a figure in red and black hurtling towards him. The two of them collided and his staff went haywire.

The girl's yoyo wrapped around them and they hung suspended in the air.

"Hello, there. Nice of you to drop in." He joked.

"Weren't those the first words Cat Noir said to Ladybug?" The girl asked him.

"Yep, but don't worry, I won't be falling madly in love with you."

She giggled. "We'll see about that."

They got untangled and upright. Cayden got his first good look at the girl. She had auburn hair in a single braid down her back, tied off with a black ribbon with a red stone in the center. Her bluish green eyes sparkled playfully inside of her mask, which was just like Ladybug's. Her shoulders resembled the inverse of a ladybug's wings, and she had black boots with short red heels. She had a short black train in the shape of a ladybug wing, and around her waist was the iconic yoyo.

"So, who are you?" He asked her.

"Call me… Ruby Lady. And you?"

"You can call me Felynx." He told her.

Chapter 5

Emily Agreste

Emmy stared at the package in her hand. It had an octagonal shape, but it was wrapped in paper. There was a note on the top.

M-

CN told me a long time ago, and I've kept your secret for you, but now, I am ready to stop being a hero. It's been an honor working with you two, and please make sure this goes to someone just as deserving. N and A do not know yet, but I plan to tell them soon.

I'll see you around,

KMHL

"Who are M, CN, N, A, and KMHL?" Emmy wondered aloud. She felt like Pandora in the ancient Greek myths, her curiosity growing by the second.

"I suppose I could just see what's inside and re-wrap it for Annabeth." She mused.

Carefully, she removed the wrapping, revealing an octagonal box with a red insignia on the lid. As she pried it open, a silvery blue ball of light flew out.

"Finally! I knew you were just joking when you renounced me, Lillian!" A small voice said as the light faded to reveal a small, blue creature.

"Lillian? As in Lillian Kurtzberg, by best friend's mom?" Emmy asked, quickly recovering her wits.

"You're not Lillian!" The creature screamed.

"I'm Emmy Agreste." By then she had noticed the creature's voice was feminie.

Realization seemed to dawn upon the thing. "B-but she would never pass me on to a stranger, even if she was the daughter of her best friend."

"Wait, so this 'Lillian' is my mom or dad's best friend? But Dad's best friend is Mr. Nino and Mom's is Mrs. Alya."

"I said her best friend, not theirs."

"You still haven't told me what is going on." Emmy pointed out.

"My name is Unna, and I'm a kwami. I'm guessing Lillian somehow got this box to Ladybug, who in turn deemed you worthy and gave me and my miraculous to you."

"How can that be? My best friend Annabeth was carrying this." She held up the box that Unna had flown out of.

Before Unna could respond, Emmy's green-eyed and black-haired twin dashed in. "You won't believe this! There are two new superheroes!" Kat exclaimed. "A new Ladybug and Cat Noir!"

"What!? That's so cool!" Emmy tried to hide her nervousness. A small part of her knew that Unna had to be a secret.

"I know!" Her twin agreed. "Reports say that their names are Ruby Lady and Felynx. I wonder if a new Athena will show up." Kat talked a mile a minute.

"Maybe. Why don't you continue to check the news?" Emmy hurried her sister out. Once she was gone, she turned to the kwami.

"Let me guess. You know you shouldn't have the miraculous, but you need to stop the villain, so you need to transform. Your face looks just like Lillian's when she had gotten over the shock."

She sighed. "You got me. What do I do?" Emmy pulled out the necklace from the box.

Chapter 6

Marinette Agreste

"Emmy? Where are you?" Marinette searched the mansion for her daughter. Kat had come running up to her, saying that Emmy had vanished. She wished she still had Tikki with her, or even Plagg. The cat kwami could almost always make her laugh.

A rustling caught her attention. Marinette found a piece of paper fluttering in the wind. She bent down and picked it up.

"M. CN told me a long time ago, and I've kept your secret for you, but now, I am ready to stop being a hero. It's been an honor working with you two, and please make sure this goes to someone just as deserving. N and A do not know yet, but I plan to tell them soon. I'll see you around, KMHL." She read the note aloud.

M was undoubtedly her, and the KMHL triggered a story Nathaniel had once told her. Lillian had written a note to him and signed it 'MHL' which were her initials backwards. Add a K to MHL and it would become KMHL… Marinette gasped. "Lillian Hope Montgomery Kurtzberg!"

She re-read the note again. N and A were most likely Nathaniel and Annabeth, and CN… That had to be Cat Noir.

Forgetting about Emmy for the time being, Marinette sought out her husband.

She found him playing a song on the piano.

He looked up at her and smiled. "To what do I owe this pleasure, M'lady?"

"Did you ever tell a secret of mine to Lillian?" She showed him the note.

"Uh, well…" He looked like a deer caught in headlights. "It started when we retreated from Hecate. She detransformed in front of me-"

"Wait, what?" She interrupted him. "Are you saying that she's Athena!?"

Adrien looked guilty. "I sorta bent the rules for her. I could tell she had lots of potential, and it didn't seem right to take it away from her. Then we searched for Carapace, who also transformed. Nino managed to figure out my identity-"

"Nino knows!? How has he not spilled the beans to Alya after all these years?"

"It's a miracle, I know. Anyways, Lillian then knew who I was. After I found out you were Ladybug, I told Lillian."

"When she gets back from Alabama, I am going to have a long talk with her." Marinette said.

"So, what are you going to do with the miraculous?" Adrien asked her.

She frowned. "What do you mean?"

"The note implies that she's given it back, right?"

"Oh no." She gasped as realization dawned on her. "The Owl Miraculous is lost again!"

Chapter 7

Annabeth Kurtzberg

Ruby Lady raced across Paris with her new partner. Felynx had messy black hair and piercing green eyes. His hair was edged with green, which made it stand out from his black mask.

She was getting the hang of using the yoyo, but she wasn't a master yet.

"So, where do you think Chaotica could be?" She asked him.

"Isn't she the mayor's daughter? We could ask her where she'd be."

"Uhhhh…" Ruby Lady remembered something that her mom had told her, that Chloé in her youth had been a complete brat. "It's worth a shot." She said at last. "Let's go!"

They found Chloé Bourgeois pacing in her office. "What do you mean, you can't find my daughter? I demand that you do not rest until she is found!" She hung up on whoever she was yelling at on the phone.

Ruby Lady softly knocked on the ajar doors.

Chloé must've seen the spots on her suit as she called out, "Come on in, Ladybug!"

"Actually, we're Ruby Lady and Felynx." Ruby Lady said as they stepped in.

"Say what now?" The mayor's face showed nothing but perplexion.

"Look, ma'am. Your daughter has been akumatized, and we need to ask you some questions." Felynx said.

"Amaya's been akumatized?" Chloé's voice softened and the harshness had been replaced by concern.

"Yes, and we need to know where she'd be most likely to be." Ruby Lady said.

"Alright." Chloé paused before yelling, "Jaques! Bring me two chairs for my guests!"

A butler hurried in with two padded seats. If he was surprised to see her and Felynx, he didn't show it.

After what felt like an eternity later, the duo exited. "Well, that was a waste of time." Ruby Lady grumbled. "And we're no closer to finding Chaotica."

"Why does it that I feel like I've known you all my life yet we've only known each other for a few hours?" Felynx wondered.

"I suppose it's because Ladybug picked us out because we would have the same chemistry as she and Cat Noir did, or does. Or maybe they both picked us out. Did your kwami mention anything about who chose you?"

"Basically, he told me that I was to be the next Cat Noir whether I liked it or not because it was for the good for Paris and yadda yadda yadda. Then he said I'd have to give him cheese."

She blinked. "That sounds so absurd it has to be true." She giggled.

Felynx smiled weakly. "We still have to figure out where she is and what her powers are." He suddenly froze. "I hear someone."

Ruby Lady looked around and spotted a flash of white. "Do you think it's her?" She whispered.

"Only one way to find out." He grabbed his staff and exended it upwards. After pressing a few buttons, a screen popped up, showing the view from the top of the staff.

"It's like a periscope, but on land!" She exclaimed as they peered at the screen.

It showed nothing at first, but soon the white flash reappeared. It was a girl about their age with blonde hair and bright blue eyes.

She stopped and stared right at the camera. The two stopped breathing for a moment. After what seemed like forever, the girl turned and left.

"Who was that? Kinda looked like Athena." Felynx wondered.

"Ruby Lady and Felynx, I presume?" A new voice asked. "The name's Lady Owl. I'm the next Athena."

They looked up to see the blonde and blue-eyed girl staring right at them.

Chapter 8

Kathrine Agreste

Kat paced outside the mansion. There was still no sign of Annabeth or Emmy. A car pulled up and her friend Kayla Kubdel stepped out.

"Thanks, Mom." She said as the car pulled out. "Hey, Kat. I came as soon as I heard." Kayla hugged her.

Kat smiled weakly. "Thanks, K." She hugged her friend back. "I'm honestly more worried about Mom and Dad. Mrs. Lillian is going to be furious when she finds out, and they're already worried sick about Emmy."

"Here." Kayla fished around her bag and pulled out a silver pocket watch. "My mom gave this to me. It's, like, a good luck charm. Maybe it will help bring Emmy and Annabeth back."

Kat smiled, brighter this time.

Another car pulled up, and five kids clambered out. Kat recognized the driver. "Mr. Nino!"

Nino Lahiffe lowered the window. "Hey, dudette. I heard about Emmy and Annabeth, and Alya and I are searching for them. I'm sure they'll turn up soon." With that he raised the window and drove off.

"Oh, Kat! We heard, and Cayden's vanished too!" Calypso Couffaine hugged her tightly.

"Cayden?" She echoed. "The one that just started school?"

Calypso nodded.

All three Lahiffe-Césaires were huddled close while little Freedom clutched Calypso's hand.

"Thank you guys for coming, really." Kat managed to say. She pocketed Kayla's watch.

"We're here to help find Emmy and Annabeth." Mary, the oldest Lahiffe-Césaire, said.

Aiden, the middle one, nodded enthusiastically. "Together we can cover more ground!"

Kat managed a full smile. "Thanks, guys."

Chapter 9

Amaya Bourgeois

Amaya's eyes flew open. Standing over her were three people that looked familiar, but she couldn't quite place it. One was a black haired boy with intense green eyes in a cat costume. Another was an auburn haired girl in a spotted red and black costume, and the third was a blonde with a bird themed costume.

They almost looked like the heroes, and not because of the outfits. The cat boy had Viperion's greenish eyes and midnight blackish-blue hair like Ryuko. The bird girl's eyes were strikingly like Ladybug's, and the spotted girl looked a bit like Athena.

"Wh-where am I? Who are you guys?"

The spotted girl bent down and put her hand on Amaya's shoulder. "You were akumatized, Amaya. I'm Ruby Lady. This is Felynx and Lady Owl." She pointed to the cat boy and the bird girl.

"You mean like Ladybug, Cat Noir, and Athena?"

"Exactly." The cat boy, Felynx, said.

"I didn't hurt anyone, did I?" She asked hesitantly.

"Well, other than Leo getting a couple bonks on the head, everyone's fine." Lady Owl said.

Amaya laughed, but that made her see another similarity to the heroes. Her sense of humor was incredibly like Cat Noir's.

Lady Owl grinned back at her. "C'mon, let's get you back to your mom." She then mock-whispered, "These two need to make sure they don't reveal their identities on the first day of the job."

That night, Amaya couldn't sleep. The voice that had spoken to her when she was akumatized wasn't from a male, like so many past victims had described, but that of a female, and she had addressed herself as 'Violette Butterfly', rather than 'Hawk Moth'.

It just didn't feel right to her. She needed to talk to someone. Someone who wasn't her mother.

After making sure her mother was sound asleep, Amaya grabbed some warm clothes and opened her bedroom window. She tied an end of a rope she kept for these purposes to a nearby chair. She swiftly made her way down to the ground.

"Gabby! Wake up!" Amaya stood at the Graham de Vanily mansion, constantly throwing small pebbles at her secret girlfriend's window.

At last, Gabrielle Graham de Vanily slid open her balcony door. "Amaya? What are you doing here? Mother will freak if she finds out you were here, especially at this hour."

"I need to talk to you. Like, really need to."

Gabby sighed. "Alright, I'll let down the rope."

"Alright, spill it. What did Leo say to you that made you run off like that?"

"He called me a wimp for being lesbian." She muttered.

"What!? That homophobic…" Gabby struggled for a good word. "Poopy head."

Amaya burst out laughing. "Where in the world did you get something as absurd as that from?"

"Annabeth once told me about a party her parents hosted, and there was this girl from her life in Alabama who was there, and someone constantly yelled 'poopy head' at her."

She snorted. "That's so weird it has to be true."

"Now I know that wasn't the reason you came, but I know it has something to do with your being akumatized." Her girlfriend crossed her arms.

"Yes." She sighed. "But it wasn't like so many others had described. No Hawk Moth. It was a woman, and she called herself Violette Butterfly. She almost sounded like your mom."

It was Gabby's turn to snort. "You know that would be like Mr. Agreste's dad being Hawk Moth. Cold parents who don't care about their children. Too cliché."

"I guess you're right, but I should go know. Mom will go nuts if she finds me missing." She embraced her girlfriend one last time and made her way down to the ground.

It wasn't until she was back in her bed that Amaya realized she had completely forgotten to talk about the new heroes.

Chapter 10

Annabeth Kurtzberg

"Mommy! Daddy!" Annabeth was rereading her favorite book when her parents entered the Agreste living room.

She dropped her book and ran into her parents' outstretched arms.

"Looks like the owl has forgotten it’s day." Adrien remarked, leaning against an entryway. "Marinette needs to talk to you, Lillian."

"What about me and Daddy?" Annabeth asked.

"Just stay here with Kat and Emmy. It won't be long." Adrien ducked out of sight.

"How about you get your things, Buttercup?" Her father asked.

She nodded mutely.

"We'll help her!" Kat and Emmy sprung up.

The three girls headed upstairs to grab Annabeth's stuff.

"What do you think your parents wanted with my mom?" She asked her friends, wishing she had something to fidget with.

"Maybe to talk about you and Emmy disappearing?" Kat suggested.

"The new heroes?" Emmy offered.

They went on like this until they had gotten her things.

Her mother was back in the living room, though she looked troubled.

"Annabeth, can you come here, please?" Annabeth heard her mother call.

She gulped nervously. "What if she asks about where I was last night? I have no excuse!" She fretted to Tikki.

"If she asks, just tell her that you wanted to see the heroes." Tikki told her.

"Okay. Got it." Annabeth went downstairs to their living room. There, her mother sat in a plush chair.

"Annabeth, it's time I told you something that only a few others have ever known." Her mother began.

"Wh-what do you mean, Mommy?" She asked, nervous.

"You know the necklace I always wore?"

"The one with the teal stone?"

"Yes. Well, I've had it since I was your age. I was thirteen, and I had just moved here with Grandma."

"What are you trying to tell me?"

Lillian sighed, reaching around her neck. She unclasped a silver necklace and handed it to her daughter. "Look inside."

Annabeth complied. In the locket there were two pictures, neither of which she had ever seen before. The first showed a family of three, a father, a mother, and a baby, but it was the second one that caught her attention.

It was a group photo of nine of the eleven former heroes of Paris, likely between the ages of 13 and 15. Cat Noir and Ladybug were in the front, giving each other bunny ears. Behind them was Rena Rouge, who was sitting on Carapace's shoulders. On the far right, behind Rena Rouge and Carapace was Pegasus, and opposite him was King Monkey. Between King Monkey and Cat Noir were Ryuko and Viperion, and right in the middle of it all was Athena.

"I was a unique member. Not only was I the youngest, but also the only full time member that never fought Stoneheart."

Realization hit Annabeth. "You mean," She looked up at her mother. "You are, or were, Athena?"

Chapter 11

Cayden Couffaine

Cayden was nearly the last one out of the school. Dark clouds had formed during the day and were pouring down turrets of rain.

"Great," He muttered as he stood in the doorway. "The one day I don't bring an umbrella."

He prepared to step out into the rain when someone spoke behind him.

"You're Cayden, right?"

He whirled around to see the auburn haired girl who sat in front of him. She wore blue jeans and a white t-shirt with a purple flower design, which was partially covered by her army green jacket. Her multicolored sneakers were slightly soaked from the rain, but she stayed mostly dry from a black umbrella.

"Uh, yeah." He finally said.

The girl giggled. "You're not much of a talker, are you?"

Cayden felt his face go red.

"I'm guessing you didn't bring an umbrella?" She asked.

"Would I still be here if I did?"

She smiled. "You have a point there. You can have mine. I don't mind the rain. It makes me think about my friends and family. Each raindrop is someone who loves me, or at least, that's the way I see it."

"That's not a bad thought." He said as he took the handle of her umbrella. A clap of thunder startled him, causing the umbrella to fall on his head.

The girl laughed. "Sorry," She apologized. "But you just look so silly with that on your head."

Cayden's face reddened even further. "I guess so."

She began to walk off.

"W-wait!" He called. "What's your name?"

"I'm Annabeth. Annabeth Kurtzberg."

He smiled as Annabeth walked off.

"Let me guess," Plagg said, poking out of his bag. "'She's just a friend'?"

Chapter 12

Gabrielle Graham de Vanily

"Ugh. This dress is way too tight. Can't I please take it off?" Gabby complained as a seamstress worked on her newest gala dress.

"Nonsense, Mademoiselle. These are the top fashion trends. Your mother ordered the design especially for you, so hold still."

She groaned. Her mother never got something for her, she got things to live through her. This dress was only proof of that.

The dress was sleeveless and its skirt was just below knee length, with a train in the back. It was primarily orange, but the inside of the design was white. The train resembled a fox tail and she had a fabric fox tail wrapped around her waist, plus long black gloves and boots.

It was clearly a remake of Volpina's costume.

After what seemed like an eternity of torture, Gabby was finally allowed out of the dressing room, but her bliss wouldn't last long, because just a few hours later, she was forced to put on the dress again for the once-in-a-lifetime showing of the 'secrets' behind the Gabriel brand.

Gabriel wasn't even in business anymore. After Adrien had inherited the company, he'd shut it down, and helped Marinette start her own company, Marinette Designed, or more commonly referred to as Designed.

The gala was huge, as most of the ones her family went to were. All the 'important' families were present. The Couffaines, Bruels, and Lavillants from Kitty Section were present, as were Chloé and Amaya too, obviously. Also obviously were the Agrestes, and also the Lahiffe-Césaires. Surprisingly, the Kurtzbergs were present too.

Gabby desperately wanted to be with Amaya, but they couldn't risk it in such a crowded place.

Amaya had also undergone the same treatment as Gabby, as her dress was undoubtedly based on Queen Bee.

Looking around, she noticed several other superhero themed outfits. Emmy's dress was red with black spots, like Ladybug, or rather Ruby Lady, Kat's was black with green accents, like Lady Noir, and Annabeth's was a mixture of blues, whites, and feather designs, like Athena or Lady Owl.

The evening went on, and it was clear that none of the kids were enjoying it.

Finally, the 'highlight' of night came around.

"And now, the highlight of our show, generously loaned to us by Félix and Lila Graham de Vanily, here is Gabriel Agreste's book of inspiration!"

Chapter 13

Emily Agreste

"What's up, RL?" Lady Owl plopped down next to her teammate. "You seem down."

Ruby Lady sighed. "I've just got way too many things occupying my mind. First my mom drops the bomb that she was Athena, then Tikki thinks that the Graham de Vanilys have the Butterfly and Peacock Miraculouses, and now I think I'm getting a crush on Felynx!" Then her face reddened. "Did I just say that out loud?"

"Wait, your mom was Athena?" Lady Owl recalled what Unna had let slip in their first meeting, that her previous owner's name was Lillian. Unna had never confirmed that Lillian's last name was Kurtzberg, but still…

"That's what your mind jumps to? Not that, I don't know, Lila and Félix Graham de Vanily could be the very villains that Ladybug, Cat Noir, and my mom devoted their lives to stopping?"

"Oops, sorry. I'm a bit scatterbrained." She apologized.

No, She thought. Ruby Lady can't be Annabeth. She isn't the kind of person who has outbursts like that.

"It's fine. I think we're all a bit tired. Where even is Felynx?"

"Did someone say my name?" Felynx hopped up beside the girls. "Also, sorry I'm late. Getting out was harder than I thought."

Lady Owl noticed the slight blush growing on Ruby Lady's cheeks.

That night, she and Kat were getting ready for bed.

"Oh, Emmy, I totally forgot to tell you. Kayla gave me this epic watch!" Her twin told her. She fished around her drawers for a minute before coming up with a silver pocket watch.

"What's so cool about it? You have a digital one."

"Just watch." Her sister pressed the top. The watch swung open and the holographic figure of a young woman holding a large watch appeared at its base.

"Woah," Emmy breathed. "I want it!"

"Well, you can't have it!" Kat playfully stuck out her tongue.

Their playful banter continued on for some time, until, unseen by Kat, Unna whispered, "That's a miraculous." into Emmy's ear.

"Wait, you said Kayla gave that to you?" The blonde and blue eyed twin asked.

"Yeah. It was her mom's."

"You do know her mom was Bunnix, right?"

"Yeah, but what does that have to do with any- Ohhhh."

The twins locked eyes.

"I'm going to be the next Bunnix!" Kat squealed.

Chapter 14

Cayden Couffaine

"You like her, don't you?" Aiden nudged Cayden from his thoughts.

He blushed. "Uhh no?"

His friend chuckled. "There's a joke in my family: Nino knows all, Nino sees all. I'm the only son of my dad, so therefore, I know all and see all."

"Fine. I have a crush on Annabeth." He admitted.

"You should talk to her."

"Aiden, are you crazy? What if she has her eyes set on some guy who is filthy rich or whatever?"

"Uh, dude. Your family has tons of money."

"Not like her! The Kurtzbergs are, like, as rich as the Agrestes."

"Yeah, but neither Lillian or Nathaniel came from a rich family. They don't flaunt their wealth."

"I'm still not doing it."

Aiden sighed. "Suit yourself dude, but I'm telling you, you really should talk to her."

"You know, I'm not sure why all my owners always go fawning over some girl. Cat Noir was obsessed with Ladybug, and now you are head over heels for that Annabeth of yours. Frankly, surprised that you haven't fallen for Ruby Lady by now. It only took Cat Noir a day."

Cayden sighed in annoyance. "Plagg, why are you always so cynical?"

"Because there are only two good things in life: Cheese and Sugarcube."

"Sugarcube?"

"Oh, that's Tikki, the kwami of creation. Ruby Lady's. But then of course there's also Addy, she's always good for a laugh. So, I guess that's three things…"

"Wait, who's Addy?"

"Oh, that's Unna. She eats so much candy, it's like she has ADD, so Addy."

"Is it too late to back out of being Felynx?" Cayden groaned as he plopped onto his bed.

"Nope!" Was Plagg's gleeful response.

Chapter 15

Kathrine Agreste

"Call me Cottontail!" Kat leaped onto her bed with an umbrella and a Bunnix mask, trying to surprise her sister.

Instead of the hoped for reaction, Emmy just burst out in laughter. "That's what your costume is going to be? I could do way better."

"I see no proof of that." She said as she took off the mask. "Show me."

"Alright I will. Unna, wing it!"

"Hate to break it to you, but I see no change."

Emmy scowled. "Where did that kwami go off to now?"

"What's a quamy?"

Her sister didn't answer, but was searching around their bedroom.

Kat plopped onto her bed and waited.

"Unna! How many times have I told you not to sneak off and eat candy?" Her twin at long last exclaimed.

"But candy is so yummy! Lillian would give me all I wanted. And Plagg and Tikki get to eat as much as they want too." A high pitched voice responded.

"Who was that?" Kat asked, scrambling away from the source of the voice.

"Emmy!" The voice scolded. "You know I'm supposed to be a secret!"

"Well, too late." Emmy turned to Kat. "Kat, I'd like you to meet Unna, the kwami of resilience."

A small light blue thing flew out from behind Emmy's back.

Kat screamed. "Bird! Mouse! Bird mouse!"

"Shh!" Emmy hissed. "Mom and Dad will hear! Unna needs to be as secret as possible, or else I won't be able to be Lady Owl."

"Wha- you're-" She stuttered. "Emily Agreste! I am your twin sister, and you didn't tell me you were Lady Owl!?"

"I told you, Emmy."

Chapter 16

Annabeth Kurtzberg

"Alright, class! Today, we will be starting a group project on current events. Here is a list of who you'll be partnered with!" Mrs. Bruel said.

Annabeth scanned the list until she found her name. "Hey, Cayden! We're partners!" She turned around to look at her new friend.

"Oh, uh, great!"

They made plans to meet up in the library after class.

"So what current event should we work on?"  He asked her.

"How about the new heroes?" She said, thinking of Felynx.

"That's not a bad idea. Maybe we could even try to interview one of them?" Cayden suggested.

Annabeth's eyes lit up. "Do you think you could do that?"

"I- uh- I mean, I'll try."

She squealed and threw her arms around him, but she quickly drew back, her face redder than her hair. "Sorry."

"I-it's okay." He stuttered back, his face as flushed as hers.

"You know, Gabby's mom has a book full of superheroes. Maybe I could try to borrow it."

"Good thing it's Lady Owl's night to patrol. I have way too much homework." Annabeth said as she plopped down by her desk.

"I'm surprised you haven't fallen behind already. Ladybug could barely keep things together as it was." Tikki told her.

"You know, I still can't believe that out of all the people in Paris, Ladybug chose me to be her successor. I mean, what made me so special? And Felynx and Lady Owl for that matter."

"Well, given Unna's history, Lady Owl probably wasn't chosen so much as found, but as for you and Felynx, guardians choose wielders by the amount of selflessness you have. Ladybug must've seen you two perform truly selfless acts with no hesitation."

Before Annabeth could respond, she heard a thunk on the roof. "What was that?"

She went out to her balcony and made her way to the top using a series of steps she had perfected over the years.

There, on the flat rooftop, was none other than her partner.

"Felynx?" She asked tentatively.

He turned to face her. "Oh, hello, Annabeth! I was beginning to think I had gotten the wrong house."

"How do you know my name?" She demanded.

"Your friend Cayden reached out to me, saying that you two were doing a project about me, Ruby Lady, and Lady Owl."

"Wow. Well, I-I'll be sure to thank him." She felt her face growing red. "U-um, the interview?"

"O-oh yeah! Where should we start?"

Chapter 17

Lillian Kurtzberg

"Time for your tuck in, Buttercup!" Lillian said as she entered her daughter's room.

Instead of the semi-embarrassed giggle of 'Mommy!' she usually got, Lillian was greeted only with silence.

"Annabeth?" She asked.

Again, there was no answer.

She went over to her daughter's bed and found it empty.

Lillian began to panic. Had Annabeth run off? Had she been kidnapped? Her mind raced through horrible possibilities.

"Of all the times not to have Unna…" She murmured.

She reached for her locket, which normally gave her comfort, but the worst thought yet struck her. What if Annabeth had run off because she was Athena?

Lillian had always been known for having an aura of calm around her, but now… now the insecurities were piling up.

She barely noticed the black butterfly until it entered her locket.

"I've fended off an akuma before, Hawk Moth, and I can do it again." She growled.

"Oh, darling, who says I'm Hawk Moth?" A woman asked. "I'm Violette Butterfly, and I do agree with you. Not knowing where your children are is so stressful, and that's why I keep mine under lock and key. I will give you the power to do the same. All I ask for in return are the miraculouses. Do we have a deal, Lockette?"

Lillian frowned. Something was familiar about that sickly sweet voice, but her thoughts were clouded.

"Yes, Violette Butterfly."

Chapter 18

Annabeth Kurtzberg

"Well, thanks for the interview, Felynx. This'll help out a lot!" Annabeth said brightly.

"No problem! I'm always happy to help." He told her. "Especially when it involves someone as nice as you."

She blushed deeply. "Th-thanks." She turned to head down to her bedroom.

As she walked into her room, she saw the silhouette of a person. "Mommy?" She asked nervously.

"Why, Annabeth, honey, you're not safe! Let Mommy lock you up tight!" The figure said.

"You're not my mother." Annabeth growled, stepping back. "If you were, you'd call me Buttercup."

"Oh, but I am, darling! Or my name isn't Lockette!" The figure stepped into the light.

Her hair was jet black, and pulled into a tight bun. Her skin was pale, almost pure white. She wore a golden blouse that billowed at the sleeves, and underneath it was another shirt, this with a black swan-necked collar. She had a pair of black pants with wide openings at the ankles. Golden boots with high heels rested on her feet, that clicked as she walked. Around her waist was a large silver key ring, to which several keys and locks were attached. She wore a silver locket with a lock and key emblem, and her eyes, Annabeth would know those eyes anywhere. Those blue-green eyes that the black and gold mask surrounded belonged to her mother.

Annabeth scrambled away from Lockette, but the supervillain kept on advancing. Soon, she was pressed against the railing of her balcony.

She whimpered as Lockette drew nearer. The supervillain was taking one of the locks off her key ring.

"Don't you know that it's rude to stalk a lady?"

Annabeth looked up to see Lady Owl perched on the roof. Her rope wrapped around Annabeth's waist, and she was flung skyward.

Just as she began to fall, Felynx caught her. Apparently, he had never left the roof.

She clung to Felynx as he whisked her away.

He set her down at the Eiffel Tower. As Felynx turned to leave, Annabeth grabbed his arm.

"Please make sure she doesn't get hurt. It's my mom."

"Don't worry, Annabeth. You'll get your mom back in no time." With that, he vaulted off.

"Well, not without me they won't." She said to her kwami. "Tikki, spots on!"

"I heard your goal was to keep people safe, so how come we're all fighting?" Ruby Lady stood on the roof above the action.

"They are trying to keep my daughter away from me!" Lockette shouted.

"The daughter you're trying to imprison?" She countered.

"Well you can't keep me from her when you're all trapped in my locket!" The supervillain unhooked three locks.

"Watch out!" She screamed as the locks were thrown at her friends.

Ruby Lady leapt down and deflected the locks, but they kept coming. Eventually, two wayward locks made their way to her allies.

In an instant, Lady Owl and Felynx vanished in a puff of metallic smoke.

"No!" She cried. "Lucky Charm!"

She was given a hat.

"What am I supposed to do with this?"

Soon enough, her earrings began to beep, and she had to leap into a nearby and empty alley.

"Spots off." Tikki flew out of the earrings. "Tikki, the Lucky Charm gave me a hat, but I couldn't find anything to do with it."

"When Ladybug had something like that, the Lucky Charm would be trying to tell her something…" Tikki trailed off.

"What are you getting at, Tikki?"

"Annabeth, I think it's time for you to meet the Guardian of the Miraculouses."

Chapter 19

Tikki

"Tikki, this is the Agreste mansion. Are you sure we're in the right place?"

"Yes, just follow me." Tikki said. She led Annabeth around the back of the mansion and phased through a certain spot in the wall.

"Tikki?"

"Marinette!" Tikki flew towards her former owner.

"What are you doing here? There's an akumatized villain!" Marinette exclaimed. "Annabeth needs you to transform!"

"The Lucky Charm told her to come here."

Marinette nodded in understanding. "I'll open the way."

"Tikki?" Annabeth's voice came echoing through. "What is this pla- Mrs. Agreste?"

Marinette smiled. "I've told you before, Annabeth. You can call me Marinette."

"But why did Tik- I mean uh, my flying hairless cat bring me here?"

Tikki had to suppress a round of giggles. The 'flying hairless cat' excuse was nearly identical to the one Marinette had used when she had first met Master Fu.

Marinette was clearly thinking the same thing, as a small smile was on her lips.

"Annabeth, you don't need to hide from me. I've known you were Ruby Lady since before you transformed for the first time, and I can't have imagined someone better to be my successor."

Annabeth blinked. "You mean, you're Ladybug!?"

"Indeed. Now, tell me what happened."

Tikki settled down next to her owner, listening to the whole thing from Annabeth's perspective.

After Annabeth had finished, Marinette got up and walked over to a cabinet, bringing out an old phonograph.

Tikki recognized it as the same one Master Fu had used to store the Miracle Box.

"Annabeth, you are aware of the powers each miraculous holds, right?"

Her owner nodded.

"Very well." Marinette turned around, holding the Miracle Box. "Annabeth Kurtzberg, pick an ally you can trust to fight alongside you for this mission. Choose wisely. Such powers are meant to serve the greater good. Once the mission is over, you must retrieve the miraculous from them and bring it back to me."

Annabeth hesitated before picking up the Rabbit Miraculous. "I won't be able to do this without Felynx… and Lady Owl." She hurriedly added the last part.

Marinette nodded. "Be sure this doesn't fall into the wrong hands. The Rabbit Miraculous is exceptionally powerful."

"I promise I'll be careful."

As Annabeth left, Marinette spoke. "She's fallen for him, hasn't she?"

Tikki turned around. "She won't admit it, but it's obvious."

"And he her?"

"It does seem Cayden has fallen for her. As Annabeth."

Marinette smiled. "The reverse of me and Adrien. I chose them well. Now go, Annabeth will need you to deliver the miraculous."

Chapter 20

Kathrine Agreste

"Oh, Emmy… Please get back safe." Kat sat on her bed, worried sick. Emmy had left a while ago for patrol, but over an hour ago, there had been an akuma alert. There hadn't been any word since.

She heard a tap on her window.

Kat looked over to see Ruby Lady hanging from her yoyo in front of the glass pane.

Not knowing what else to do, she opened it. The superhero hopped in.

"Why are you here?" Kat nervously asked.

"It's a long story, but, how would you like to help a superhero?"

Her eyes widened. "Me? But why?"

"I know that you find us fascinating, and that you would give anything to be a superhero, but that you don't let power get to your head. So? Are you in?"

Kat grinned. "Yes."

"Good." Ruby Lady held out an octagonal box with a red insignia on the lid. "Kathrine Agreste, here is the Miraculous of the Rabbit which grants the power of Evolution. You will use it for the greater good. Once the mission is over, you'll return the miraculous to me. Can I trust you?"

"Totally!" She exclaimed. She took the box and opened it. A ball of light shot out. When it faded, she saw a rabbit-looking thing.

"Hi there! I'm Fluff!" The thing exclaimed cheerfully.

"Hello, there. I'm Kat." She replied.

"Super cool to meet you! Just say, 'Fluff, clockwise' to transform!"

"Got it." Kat took the pocket watch. "Fluff, clockwise!"

"Okay, so your special power is called Burrow. It will create a portal to your Burrow-" Ruby Lady was cut off by a new voice.

"-Which has other portals to any point in time. Including ones to this very moment where I can hop in and teach Cottontail myself. And don't worry, Ruby Lady. Felynx and Lady Owl are waiting for you in my Burrow. They're getting tips from the professionals."

They whirled around to see none other than Bunnix herself.

"But- what- how? Mar- The guardian took back the miraculouses! How are you here?"

"I'm a time traveler. Present me doesn't have Fluff, but I'm a past me, so I still do."

"This is crazy." She muttered. "And how did you know I would choose the name Cottontail? That was a private moment with my sister."

"Time travel expertise. Now, come. You're going to need to be at the top of your game when you fight Lockette."

Chapter 21

Lillian Montgomery

"Do you have any idea why Bunnix yanked us here?" Athena asked her companions.

"Last time she did something like this was when Kitty here got himself akumatized in an alternate future. I saved the day of course."

"Because my Bugaboo is purrfect beyond imagining." Cat Noir quipped.

"Don't call me Bugaboo!"

Athena laughed. "These moments where nothing is wrong and we are free to joke is why I love being a superhero with you guys so much."

"I think this is the end of this one though." Ladybug said.

Athena saw what she meant. Bunnix walked towards then with two teenagers their age.

"Wait, is that my ring?" Cat Noir asked.

"And is that my necklace?"

"Bunnix, what is going on?" Ladybug demanded.

"These are two of the three future heroes of Paris. Felynx wields the Cat Miraculous and Lady Owl the Owl."

"But what about the Ladybug?"

"I have to get her separately. This villain is especially powerful, which is why both generations of heroes need to work together."

"Wait, you don't mean-?"

The look on Ladybug's face was priceless, and soon Athena and Cat Noir burst out laughing.

"I'm betting it's the owl." She whispered to her friend.

"And why is that?"

"Duh. She's a girl. Girls are awesome. Everybody knows that. Oh wait…"

"Hey!" He punched her softly.

Athena smirked, but it soon fell as she was tackled by the other owl in question.

"I told you I could do it!" She said triumphantly. "Take that, Felynx!"

"I never said you couldn't but that you shouldn't. Why do I have to be the responsible one?"

"I thought that was Ruby Lady's job."

"But when she's gone, I'm second in command."

While the two were arguing, she and Cat Noir exchanged mischievous looks. "Let's show these mice what owls and cats can do."

And that's what Bunnix came to when she returned. The two cats and two owls sparing with Ladybug laughing hysterically.

"Ahem." Bunnix cleared her throat.

All five heroes froze in place and turned to look at the rabbit hero.

"Ladybug, Cat Noir, Athena. This is Ruby Lady, the leader of the future French Miraculous Superhero Team. And this is Cottontail, the first non full time member of the team."

Athena noticed the other owl, Lady Owl, seemed taken aback by the name Cottontail.

Ruby Lady, presumably the other ladybug, ran forward and tackled the other cat, Felynx, in a hug. "I thought I'd lost you."

"I'm standing here you know," Lady Owl said. "And what do you mean by that?"

"I'll bet you a hundred bucks that he's in love with her civilian form." Athena whispered to Cat Noir.

"What's that in euros?"

"'Bout 84."

"I'm not taking that bet."

She noticed that Ruby Lady was staring at her, her face pale like she had just seen a ghost.

"Is something wrong?"

The girl looked away, a pained expression on her face. "If I said what it was, I'd reveal both our identities, given time."

She wondered what that meant, but now was not the time. "Bunnix, can you fill us in?"

Chapter 22

Lila Graham de Vanily

Violette Butterfly growled in frustration. Lockette was supposed to be her masterpiece, but even a loyal mother like that Lillian couldn't find that pesky bug. Of course she was pleased that Lockette had gotten the other two miraculouses, especially the owl. She had never forgiven Athena for foiling her triumphant reign as Hecate.

"I don't understand! Lockette has searched the entire city, but she can't find that stupid bug!"

"Why not give her a sentimonster to help?"

"Not now, Félix. A sentimonster would be too obvious. Right now she needs the element of surprise."

"That's Peafowl to you, Lila." Her husband grumbled. "Have you even considered that this could put Nathan and Gabrielle in danger? And what about Adrien and Marinette? Adrien is my cousin and he's never given up on me. I'm not even sure why I agreed to help you get those miraculouses."

"Because, with the Ladybug and Cat Miraculouses, we would have infinite power, right, Peafowl darling?"

"You have a point." Peafowl sighed. "You know, Uncle Gabriel was lucky Marinette and Adrien kept his secret."

"And we're lucky that he gave me the miraculouses, so be quiet."

Peafowl suddenly started to laugh.

"What is it now?" Violette Butterfly asked annoyedly.

"I just realized that a nickname for Violet is Vi. Violette sounds like Violet. And Violette Butterfly, VB."

"Félix, don't you dare." She growled, realizing where he was going.

He cracked up. "I am so calling you Vibe now!"

"Why did I marry you?"

"Because I come from a rich family and am insanely good looking."

She suddenly tensed. "They used that rotten rabbit!" Violette Butterfly could see what Lockette was seeing: a glowing white portal.

As she watched, Ruby Lady stepped out. The young heroine's eyes were tinged red, as if she had been crying.

"Lockette, I surrender. I can't defeat you without my friends. If you release them, I will have Felynx tell me where your daughter is so you can find her. I will then give you my miraculous." The girl's voice quivered.

"It's a trap." Violette Butterfly warned her disciple.

"But Annabeth…"

It became a battle of will, but the mother's love triumphed.

"Peafowl." Violette Butterfly broke off the connection. "Sentimonster. Now."

Chapter 23

Cayden Couffaine

"No, no, no, no!" Felynx banged against the walls of the locket. "She doesn't know where Annabeth is! She can't keep her safe!"

"Annabeth is a resourceful girl. She can take care of herself. It's us I'm worried about."

He didn't want to listen. "Cataclysm!" He slammed his hand against the wall. "What?"

No black cracks were spreading, nor was the wall crumbling into black dust.

"The locket muffles our powers, Felynx. If you had just listened I would've told you. Whirlwind isn't working for me." Lady Owl sighed. "We're just going to have to wait until RL frees us."

Felynx slumped to the floor. "But I can't just leave her."

"Don't make me slap you out of it." She warned.

He said nothing, and the two heroes sat in silence for quite some time.

"Lockette, I surrender. I can't defeat you without my friends. If you release them, I will have Felynx tell me where your daughter is so you can find her. I will then give you my miraculous."

Felynx and Lady Owl locked eyes. "Ruby Lady!?"

They scrambled to the locket's window to see their friend standing in front of the villain.

"What is she doing? That's not like her!" He banged on the unbreakable window.

Moments later, the duo stood in front of the heroine.

Felynx was tackled in a hug. "I've got a plan." She whispered to him. "Just follow my lead."

He nodded slightly.

Ruby Lady looked at Lockette. "Annabeth is at the Louvre Pyramid."

As soon as the villain was gone, his friend turned around. "Cottontail? You can open the portal."

Lady Owl had an odd reaction to the name, but he didn't have the time to think about it as a glowing white portal appeared.

They stepped in to see a girl with black hair and vivid green eyes. "Ready to see your mom again?" She asked Ruby Lady.

The other two heroes exchanged looks.

"Athena?" Lady Owl asked, touching her necklace. "How?"

"It will make sense in time. Come." Cottontail beckoned them over to a window with six figures, all of whom had their backs turned.

They stepped through and the six turned around. Four of them he had never met, but he knew their faces from pictures. The former heroes of Paris, and the other two, he knew all too well. Felynx found himself face to face with himself.

Chapter 24

Annabeth Kurtzberg

"We'll need to set a trap for Lockette." Ruby Lady said after Felynx and Lady Owl had gotten oriented. "If we had the Fox Miraculous, we could create an illusion…"

"Do you want me to get Rena Rouge or Foxtrot?" Cottontail asked.

"Foxtrot?"

"Oh right. You haven't given her the miraculous yet." She seemed to notice the odd looks. "What? Bunnix is a good teacher."

"Maybe Lucky Charm might give you a hint?" Past Lady Owl suggested.

"I've only ever experienced two Lucky Charms at the same time once, and that was during Timebreaker when there were two of them. We might have the same ones, and that would put us in an unnecessary risk." Ladybug said.

But it also reflects on how the holder thinks. Tikki told me that when Cat Noir was Mister Bug, the charm was used in a much more straightforward way.

"Good point."

"Lucky Charm!" They said simultaneously.

Ruby Lady received a duffle bag and Ladybug got a manila envelope. Inside the bag was a white t-shirt with a purple floral design, a pair of jeans, an army green jacket, and an auburn wig. Inside the envelope was a picture of her- as Annabeth- face.

Ruby Lady grinned. "Good thing we got two yoyos, three batons, and three ropes."

"Oh Annabeth? Where are you?" Lockette called out in a singsong voice.

Ruby Lady was hidden in the shadows, using both yoyos, both Lady Owl's ropes, and Cat Noir's and Past Felynx's batons you create a makeshift marionette control, with a dummy with the clothes, wig, and picture acting as the marionette.

"Mommy? Did the heroes deakumatize you?"

"Yes, buttercup."

"I'm by the entrance!"

The boys had Cataclysmed the area to weaken the ground, and the others were going to make sure that Lockette didn't escape.

The clicking of the villain's heels drew closer.

Suddenly the ground gave away and Lockette fell through.

Ruby Lady grabbed the two yoyos and leapt down and snagged the locket, breaking it. She and Ladybug tossed their Lucky Charms in the air. "Miraculous Ladybug!"

Chapter 25

Lillian Kurtzberg

Lillian's eyes fluttered open. Standing in front of her were the three heroes.

"Where am I? What happened?"

Felynx bent down. "You were akumatized, ma'am. But don't worry, your daughter is safe. I took her to the Eiffel Tower. She's waiting for me to take her back."

She nodded. "Thank you."

"Lady Owl, do you think you can take her home? I can get Annabeth. Besides, I need to return Cottontail's miraculous." Ruby Lady said.

"Will do." The owl heroine said.

"Mommy?" Lillian at last heard her daughter call. She rose from the seat she was sitting in and ran to Annabeth, who stood at the door of her balcony.

"I was so worried! Where were you?" She asked.

"I was getting an interview from Felynx. He told me that Cayden had reached out to him. It was for our project."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

Annabeth laughed. "I did! Just after we began, I went to tell Daddy. He said he'd tell you."

"And I did." Nathaniel chuckled, walking in. "But that's your mother for you, Buttercup. Smart as a tree full of owls but always forgetting things."

"Says the boy who couldn't figure out I was crushing on him for who knows how long." She teased back.

"Well, you weren't as obvious as Marinette."

"Well, that we can agree on." She said with a smile.

The next morning, Lillian knocked on the door of the Agreste mansion. Adrien answered it.

"Oh, hey Lillian. What's up?" He greeted her.

"I need to talk to Marinette. It's about Hawk Moth."

His eyes widened. "She's in her spot." He said and let Lillian in.

Marinette's 'spot' was a small room where the former heroine kept the miracle box, but it also served as her quiet and meditation area.

"Lillian?" Marinette asked. "What brings you here?"

"The new akumas. They aren't from Hawk Moth anymore."

"What?"

"She was manipulative enough to- to get me akumatized."

"Who is she?"

"She calls herself Violette Butterfly."

Marinette's face hardened. "Thank you for telling me." She walked to an unassuming cabinet and pulled out an old phonograph. There were two ornate dragons with red eyes on the base. She pressed the eyes, which caused a panel to flip open, revealing nine buttons. The guardian punched in a code, revealing the Miracle Box.

She took out three miraculouses. She handed one to Lillian. "Here. Moral support always helps fight off akumas. If Ruby Lady has need for it, I'll send Wayzz or Pollen."

"That we will do!" The turtle kwami said.

"Affirmative!" Pollen chirped.

Lillian noticed Marinette had put on both a bracelet and hair comb.

"But for now, I have a job for you two. Pollen, find Tikki; Wayzz, find Plagg. Tell their owners to enter transformed."

The kwamis flew off.

"Well, Kitsune. Care to transform?"

#Why am I doing this? #BECAUSE I CAN #Miraculous: Athena #miraculous: tales of ladybug and chat noir #MiraculousMongoose #miraculous #fanfiction

[inkwardspots]

twice twined, once forged

Here on AO3

First --- Previous --- Next 

A giant barges into Ianthe's life (quite literally!), she meets the patrons of the Leaky Cauldron, has to deal with pesky goblins, and meets Professor Quirell (who knows how long she'll be able to cope with him during the school year?) and meets one Kalypso Arvanitis.

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Chapter 4 -- the keeper of keys, professor quirrel and gringotts. 

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BOOM.

The person knocked again, a thunderous noise that caused Dudley to jump and look at Ianthe in fear, “Who is it?” he said as Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia came running down the stairs, the former holding a rifle (who on Earth had sold him that? The imbecile is more likely to shoot his foot!) . They now knew what had been in the long, thin package, not that it did any good as the door was once again knocked on, a great thud resounding.

“Who’s there?” Uncle Vernon shouted, quivering like a leaf despite his bravado, “I warn you -- I’m armed!” There was a pause, as if it had never happened in the first place, and Uncle Vernon began to relax, and then –

SMASH!

Uncle Vernon shot up and Aunt Petunia shrieked as the door came tumbling down, swept right off its hinges as a giant figure stood in the doorways as the lightning flashed ominously. He had a great mane of long, tangled, bushy hair that would have made Aunt Petunia throw a fit had she not been scared out of her wits, but behind all that mass of hair, you could make out two eyes, glinting like beetles

He stepped through the doorway, clearing his throat as Dudley squeaked and the giant man lifted the door back up, setting it back firmly in the doorway. “Sorry ‘bout that, but ya haven’t made it easy. Travelled a good few hours to make it here, wouldn’t believe the storm out there, would ya!” he said cheerily, eyes crinkling merrily but at the terrified looks of the Dursleys, Dudley now huddled in his mother’s arms,  he turned to the only occupant not terrified out of their mind, Ianthe.

“Ah an’ here’s Ianthe!” he took a seat on the sofa, the poor furniture squeaking as it had to put up with the giant’s great weight, “Las’ time I saw yeh, you was only a baby. Yer look a lot like yer dad, but yeh’ve got yer mum’s eyes. Beauty, they were; reminded me a bit of a Welsh Green’s scales. I'd love one; I’ve always wanted a dragon, see.” Ianthe stared incredulously at the man as he smiled, eyes crinkling kindly as Uncle Vernon made a funny rasping noise in the background.

“Dragons! ” he said in part disbelief and other-part horror, “I demand that you leave at once, sir!” he said. “You are breaking and entering!”

The giant turned round, “Ah shut up Dursley, yeh great prune,” he said, reaching over to easily bend the rifle into an intricate knot before throwing it into a shadowy corner of the room.

“Anyway -- Ianthe, a very happy birthday to you; Got summat for yeh, mighta sat on it at some point, but it’ll taste alright all the same.” Reaching into his great black overcoat, he retrieved a squashed white box from the inside.

Opening it with trembling fingers, Ianthe’s breath caught in her throats as she gazed at the words, Happy 11th Birthday, Ianthe! She stared at it a long while, tracing the words over with her eyes.

“Well?” the giant said at last, nervous by the looks of it as he clenched his hand open and closed, “Do yer like it?” Ianthe grinned, eyes twinkling in the firelight as she answered, “It’s brilliant!”

The great man let out a happy breath, “Knew yer probably wouldn’t get anything from these lot,” he jerked his head towards the Dursley’s direction, “So I baked somethin’ up for yeh.”

Ianthe nodded, before turning back to him, “If you don’t mind me asking, who exactly are you, sir?” The giant chuckled, bringing out a pink umbrella dotted with little yellow ducks, “True, I haven't introduced myself. None o’ that sir business though,” he wrinkled his nose in distaste, “Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds, but call me Hagrid. Everyone else does.” He snorted at the shrivelled up crisp packets and something shot out of the umbrella tip, making the whole fireplace roar to life, a lovely heat emanating from it.

The giant reached into his coat and pulled out all sorts of things: a squashy packet of sausages, a copper kettle, a poker, a teapot, several chipped mugs and a battle of some amber liquid that he took a swig of before setting to work.  “You could do with some fillin’ up, Ianthe.” he said, before using the frying pan to sizzle the sausages over the open fire. Not long after, the whole shack was filled with the sizzling of sausages, the lovely warmth emitting all around Ianthe, as if she was submerged in a lovely warm bath.

Dudley fidgeted before at last speaking up, “Hogwarts?” Dudley said from behind his mother, ignoring her hiss of Dudley!

“You mean the magic place; Ianthe’s new school, Hogwarts?” Hagrid turned to him, waving him over as Dudley came to stand beside Ianthe, before handing the large boy and Ianthe two slightly burnt sausages. “Aye,” he said, smiling, “‘course, you’ll know all about Hogwarts, don’t ya, Ianthe?”

Ianthe shrugged, answering as she ate the sausage, planning on eating for the cake next, “Not really, Hagrid.” she said in between mouthfuls, “The only reason I knew about Hogwarts was because me and Dudley were able to read the letter together, though I’m a bit sceptical. Before then, I had no idea about magic.” she finished turning back to Hagrid, watching as he turned a great crimson.

“NO IDEA ABOUT MAGIC!” he yelled, standing up and turning on the quivering Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon, “DURSLEY! Are yeh telling me that this girl -- that this girl didn’t know ‘bout magic before ‘er Hogwarts letter? Are yeh tellin’ me that she doesn’t ‘ave any idea about what -- what she’s done? ‘bout ‘ow many lives she's saved?”

Ianthe’s eyes creased in confusion, “What I’ve done?” she echoed as Dudley looks between all of them, as if it was an interesting sitcom drama, like the ones Aunt Petunia watched. “What do you mean, Hagrid? I certainly doubt that I’ve saved any lives.”

“Blimey Ianthe,” he said, whirling around to the curly-haired girl, “When Dumbledore told me that yer weren’t getting yer letter, I certainly didn’t expect this. I wasn’t prepared to tell yer about -- about what you did.”

“Hagrid, I don’t like the sound of this. What did I do?” she asked warily, eyes cautious yet earnest as Dudley nodded along with the sentiment.

“You got my sister blown up, that's what you did, girl.” Aunt Petunia butted in, “With that freak hunting you down, my sister went and got herself blown up, trying to protect you. Lost cause, if you ask me, you’re still as freakish , still as abnormal , and still as demonic as my sister. Always showing off her ‘odd abilities’ as she called it. Not much different, are you? And when she got her letter, mother and father were so proud. They were so proud, so proud to have a witch in the family, going off to that -- to that school -- coming home with pockets full of frogspawn and turning teacups into rats. They didn’t see her for what she was, a freak!” she hissed, chest heaving as Ianthe turned stiff, her jaw tightening as a heavy feeling settled in her stomach as a voice spoke, She lied, it said, it's only fair you make them pay.  

Yet Petunia carried on, as if this had been on her chest for all this time, “And then she met that Potter, no manners and telling us that he lives off a fortune, and then they go and get themselves blown up! Told me before she died that -- that awful boy had joined them, told me to be careful, ‘Tuney,” she sneered, “HA! And then, we got landed with you. So strange, and demonic, and foreign, you are. Not like us, never like us, trying to influence precious Duddikins, we knew the only way to put a stop to it was to never let you know. But you freaks can’t take no for an answer, can you?” she said, turning to Hagrid who stared back both sombre and disgusted.

“Can’t believe yer Dursley; to treat a child tha’ way. Yer lot are rotten to the core, aren’t ya?” he said, turning to Dudley who handed a piece of cake to Ianthe who seemed in shock at her Aunt’s admission, "Least one of yeh lot is alright."

“They lied,” she murmured, “Wouldn’t be the first though, right, Dudley?” She said in a humourless voice, letting out a deprecating bark of laughter. Her cousin looked at her, trying to reassure her, “I’m sure they meant to tell you eventually, how your parents died.” Ianthe shook her head in disbelief, “But magic’s still cool though, think you can write me letters when you go off to Hogwarts?”

“‘Course I will.” Ianthe answered, bringing the cake up to her mouth.

Uncle Vernon was shook out of his stupor at the admission of her going to Hogwarts, “Enough.” he said, and “This tosh is rubbish. Listen girl,” her back was still to him as he spoke; she turned around as he seemed intent on burning her through the power of his glare alone, “No denying that there’s not something right about you. Nothing a good beating wouldn’t solve; should be grateful that we took you in at all, girl; but I ain’t letting you go!” he roared, turning on Hagrid, “You hear me, man! You can take your bloody message and leave, the girl ain't going!”

Hagrid glowered threateningly at the portly man, “Like to see a great muggle like you try, Dursley.” He cast a glance over the rotund man as Ianthe felt as if she had heard the word -- muggle -- before.

Ah, Nagini.

“Muggle?” Dudley asked eager as his watery blue eyes shimmered, “Non--magic folk.” Hagrid answered dutifully before turning back to Dudley's parents, “Now listen ‘ere, I don’ know wha’ lies you bee’ feedin’ Ianthe, bu’ I’ll be putting a stop to it. Stop Lily an’ James daughter! Yer mad. ‘Er names bee’ down since she were born, she’ll be one of the brightest minds in that place, I tell ya!” Ianthe coloured at this, because even knowing Ianthe only for a little while, Hagrid was still so sure in his  assessment, it made Ianthe warm, knowing that he believed in her; “Ianthe’ll be headed off to Hogwarts, come September. One of the' fines’ schools o’ witchcraf’ an’ wizardry in the world! Seven years there and she won’t know herself! She’ll be with younglings of ‘er own age fer a change, taught by the greates’ minds of the age and all un’er the greatest Headmaster Hogwarts ever ‘ad, Albus Dumbled--”

“I’M NOT PAYING FOR SOME CRACKPOT OLD FOOL TO TEACHER HER MAGIC TRICKS!”

But he had finally gone too far, Hagrid whirled around, bringing the umbrella over his head before pointing it towards Uncle Vernon, “NEVER--” he thundered, “INSULT -- ALBUS -- DUMBLEDORE -- IN -- FRONT -- OF -- ME!” he brought the umbrella up, and with a zap at Uncle Vernon, his teeth began to grow and grow and grow!

Wide-eyed the two children started as his teeth still began to grow, until finally they stopped just before his waist -- he looked remarkably like a walrus, now that Ianthe thought about it. Petunia shrieked in shock and Dudley whimpered as he rushed to his father.

Aunt Petunia cast a fearful glance at the both of them, before ushering her husband and her whimpering son into the small bedroom, leaving Ianthe with Hagrid who had a sheepish expression on his face, “Shouldn'ta lost ma temper," Hagrid said ruefully, a hand the size of a dustbin coming up to stroke his long, shaggy beard, "But it didn't work anyway. Meant to turn 'im into a walrus, goes to show tha’ there wasn't much left to change in the end!" He laughed out, plopping down on the sofa again.

However, Ianthe stared back at the door in worry, turning to Hagrid to ask a question, "Uncle Vernon will be alright, won't he, Hagrid? Even if he is horrible, I'd never want him to be stuck with those horribly long teeth."

Hagrid eyes softened as he looked at Ianthe, draping his coat onto the floor, "Aye," he said, "He'll be fine. Bastard man, though, if ya ask me. Too kind, you are, Ianthe. Jus' like Lily, yer mother, she was always poppin' down to me hut, back in 'er school days. Head Girl with yer dad as Head Boy, wouldn't find an 'appier couple anywhere," he said, eyes sad and a smile kind as he looked at Ianthe.

All of a sudden, he became very nervous, clearing his throat, "Er -- Ianthe, I would appreciate it if yer didn't tell anyone a' Hogwarts. Not really allowed to perform magic on muggles -- or since I was expelled."

Ianthe turned very stern in that moment, “Hagrid,” she started, “I think it would be best if you set Uncle Vernon’s teeth right in the morning; especially, if you’re not allowed to perform magic on muggles.”

Hagrid tried to protest, “But--”

“No buts.” Ianthe said, voice firm and eyes unyielding. Hagrid wilted but agreed nonetheless, no matter how unwilling.

However Ianthe had another question, "You were expelled, Hagrid?"

"Er -- well, yes. Expelled in me third year; broke me wand an' everythin'. But Dumbledore let me stay on as gamekeeper. Great man, Dumbledore, gave me a place when no one would."

Ianthe wondered what he had been expelled for, but she liked to believe she had more tact.

"Well, it's a gettin' late, have ta go and get yer books and the like tomorrow. Why don't you kip in under there," he pointed to his coat, "Careful though, still might have a couple of dormice in one o' the pockets."

Ianthe cast a glance at the coat, before walking towards it and letting it lay over her like a blanket. It was quite warm, smelling of a strange woodsy scent and something she couldn't quite place. Falling asleep surrounded by warmth and the soft crackle of fire, she couldn't but hope that this would all last.

--------------------

For the briefest moment, Ianthe thought she was back in her cupboard. She could feel the floor (though when did she get this warm a blanket?) and Aunt Petunia's insistent tapping on the cupboard door.

She'd had a wonderful dream though, where a giant called Hagrid had come to collect her and take her to Hogwarts, she had dreamed that he had made Uncle Vernon’s teeth grow to his waist (making him look like a walrus) until Ianthe had told him quite firmly that he was to set the teeth back to normal in the morning.

Yet, the tapping continued. Disheartened, Ianthe shrugged her blanket of -- only, it wasn’t a blanket at all: it was a coat instead! And the tapping came from the window, not her cupboard door. A smile pulled at her lips as she found that it wasn’t all a dream. However, the tapping was getting quite annoying.

Pulling herself up to stand, she was met by the oddest sight of an owl tapping on the window with quite a grumpy look on its face. Walking towards the window, she pulled the latch open, allowing the barn owl to flutter in. It held out its leg as Ianthe pulled the newspaper free.

She laid it on the floor, and my, the pictures seemed to be moving! The man on the front, a short portly man with a striped pin suit and bowler hat seemed to be waving the people away as he entered a large building. Miffed, the owl started pecking at her fingers, causing Ianthe to hiss in pain and accidentally slip into actual hisses -- Parseltongue , Nagini had called it; “Ssssssstop it!” Ianthe said, annoyed.

Hagrid awoke at the noise, blearily rubbing his eyes from his spot on the sofa, “Ianthe?” he yawned out, a large hand coming to cover his mouth, “Wha’s the matter?”  

Ianthe cast a glance at the owl, wary of his beak, as she turned to Hagrid, “Well, there was an owl Hagrid. It had a newspaper, so I took it; only, it started biting my finger off. “

Hagrid chuckled, bringing himself to sit up, “Well, they’ll do tha’, they will. The owl’ll want a paying; rifle in my pockets. You’ll find some coins,” Ianthe put her hand in the pockets, pulling out a few dormice, a packet of dog biscuits and what seemed to be little green balls, “Slug pellets,” Hagrid supplied.

Finally finding little bronze and silver coins, she pulled them out. “Right,” Hagrid said, “Give ‘im five Knuts,” at Ianthe’s confused stare he started again, “The little bronze ones, you’ll find a -- righ’, you got that.” he said as Ianthe put the Knuts in a tiny leather pouch.

The owl sent one more baleful look her way (which Ianthe returned) before flying out the window, but not before crashing on the window, which had -- err, magically swung in its face.

Hagrid handed her a sausage, before popping three in one go into his mouth, “Shou’d be fine, Ianthe. We can have a bi’ o’ tha’ cake after. Have to be on our way though, can’t be too late. Have ta meet Prof’ssor Quirrell on the way.”

Ianthe was halfway through her third sausage, but perked up at the mention of this new person -- a Professor. “Professor Quirrell?” Hagrid turned to her, “Aye. Was the muggle studies Prof’ssor before, took the Defense Against the Dark Arts job now, though. Don’t expect he’ll last though,” he said ominously before turning back to his tea that he took a swig of after putting a little of the amber liquid in.

Ianthe wondered as he swirled the contents together with a silver spoon, “What’s Defense Against the Dark Arts, Hagrid?” Ianthe said, feeling horribly stupid with not knowing all these new things, “And why don’t you think Professor Quirell’ll last?”

Hagrid turned a embarrassed red at the question, “Oh, er-- might not want to mention that, Ianthe. ‘Bout him not lasting, on yer first day. Defense Against the Dark Arts, DADA fer shor’, is all about protecting yerself from dark magic and the like. ‘Orrible stuff, dark magic, Really does yer ‘ead in, it does. Anyway,” he said brightly, “No one expects a DADA Prof’ssor to last more than a year, some say the position’s cursed. Gets ‘arder and ‘arder for Prof’ssor Dumbledore to find good applicants. Las’ year, ‘e ad to hire a vampire. Got a bit much when we ‘ad to stop ‘im from fighting with the centaurs.”

Centaurs, Vampires? Curses and Dark Magic? Ianthe felt so out of depth, like she was stranded in the middle of an ocean. Licking her lips, she looked up at the giant, “And why are we meeting up with Professor Quirrell?”

“Well,” Hagrid said, “We’ll meet up with ‘im, bu’ then yer on yer own with ‘im. I hav’ta head down to Knockturn -- back alley place where the low lifes trade, so don’t let me catch you down there. Yeh’ll do most of yer shopping with ‘im, and then after I’ve finished ma errands, we’ll ‘ead back to yer ‘ouse. S’matter a fac’ we shou’d be headin’ off ‘bout now.”

Ianthe nodded, standing up and at least trying to appear somewhat presentable even with her rag torn clothes. “Oh, Hagrid,” she said, as he opened the door, “Yes?” he asked, taking a step outside. He felt a burning glare as an involuntary shiver went up his spine, “Don’t try and act like you forgot to set Uncle Vernon’s teeth right.”

Hagrid let out a great heaving sigh, as if she had asked the world of him, and set towards the other bedroom, blasting it open with his umbrella as loud shrieks were heard (courtesy of Petunia) and he let out a great zap. He came out the door, with a normal-toothed Uncle Vernon crying out in relief as Hagrid ushered Ianthe out the door, Dudley watching them go, an unexplainable emotion present in his eye.

Walking towards the boat, he clambered in, followed by Ianthe who sat tentatively on the boat, feeling a slight queasiness as Hagrid pulled his umbrella close, “Er -- yer don’t mind me using a bit o’  magic to speed this along, do ya Ianthe?” Ianthe shook her head, more in trying to not vomit than in consent. Hagrid grinned, using his umbrella to propel them along which set the sausages and stale cake Ianthe had for breakfast churning even more violently.

He pulled the newspaper he had gotten earlier from one of his numerous pockets, drawing it out to read as the boat propelled itself forward, seemingly by itself.

The boat moved still faster, and as time wore on, Ianthe felt her stomach settle and her face settle back from the tinted green to her usual golden-bronze with rosy cheeks. Hagrid turned a page snorting, “Ha! ‘Minister Asking For Loan Extension From Gringotts.’  Like that’ll work!” he snorted, “Goblins would never let tha’ ‘appen. Ministry o’ Magic’s gonna be turned on their ‘eads if they challenge them lot.”

“Goblins?” Ianthe asked, turning away from the gently lapping waves of the ocean, a stark contrast from the furious waves of the night before. “Aye, Goblins. Run the Wixen Bank, Gringotts. Never mess with a Goblin, I tell ya. They’ll only strike back harder. See, the banks buried ‘undred o’ miles underground, spells and enchantments. Some say that they even have dragons guarding the high security vaults. No place in the world better if yeh wanna keep anythin’ safe -- ‘cept maybe Hogwarts. S’matter o’ fact, one o’ ma errands is in Gringotts. I’ve got something to collect. Hogwarts Business. Dumbledore trusts me with tha’ important stuff -- fetchin’ you, gettin’ stuff from Gringotts.”

As they neared the shore, close and closer, a thought struck Ianthe, “Hagrid, I haven’t got any money. And you heard Uncle Vernon; he won’t pay for my fees or my equipment!” Hagrid chuckled at that, “Don’tcha worry Ianthe, money’s all sorted. Yeh heard yer Aunt, James lived off a fortune; yer grandfather was quite a successful businessman. The Potter family knew potions like nobody else; yer mum was quite a dab hand too. Sure you’ll be great too, so don’t worry.”

But Ianthe shot her next question, “You said you’ve got a Ministry?” Hagrid grinned, lying a giant hand on her shoulder, “We’ve got a Ministry, Ianthe. You’re part of our world now, don’t ya forget it.” a warmth curled inside, you’re part of our world now, don’t ya forget it, “But yeh, we do. ‘Course, everyone wanted Dumbledore fer Minister o’ Magic, but e’d never leave Hogwarts. So we ‘ad to settle for ol’ Cornelius Fudge. Right tosser, reckon ‘e only got office ‘cause o’ Lucius Malfoy. Slippery bloke, tha’ man. Anyway, Fudge bombards Dumbledore each morning with owl’s fer advice.”

They reached the shore, Hagrid stepped out as Ianthe asked her next question, eyebrows slightly furrowed, “But Hagrid, what does a Minister of Magic do?”  

Hagrid lumbered on as his large figure made way for a large path, all Ianthe had to do was stick close by, “Keep the muggles from findin’ out about us, mostly. We’d be neck deep with muggles wantin’ magical cures for their problems, otherwise.”

As they walked on, passer-by’s stared a lot. Hagrid was fascinated by all sorts: the parking meter, the flickering lamp post, even the advertisement for the Women's FIFA World Cup (unladylike, Petunia would sniff, they give us all a bad name while Ianthe would watch with avid interest at their coordination, at their joy in doing something they loved.)

They reached the station, people scuttling by like ants. Hagrid passed the ‘muggle money’, as he called it to Ianthe to handle, instead spending his time oohing and aahing at the Dior advertisements and the passing trains. The train to London left in five minutes, and as they boarded, people seemed to give them even more berth.

Ianthe didn’t know if it was Hagrid's own giant figure and wild and scraggly appearance or her own ragged and downtrodden one, the air of a ‘vicious child’ (as Aunt Petunia said) permeable to the travellers. Ianthe decided as soon as possible, she had to have money in Gringotts, she’d buy some new clothes. After all, she couldn’t spend the rest of her life dressed as an urchin cross-bred with a hedgehog, could she?

As they sat on the train seats (Hagrid took up two), it throttled by. Hagrid seemed not at all bothered as he set about knitting what seemed to be a canary yellow circus tent. As he set about counting his crosses, he talked, still focused on his project, “Still got yeh letter, Ianthe?”

“Yes,” she said drawing it out, the wax seal broken as she took the second letter out:

                                                    --------------------

                  HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY

UNIFORM

First-year students require:

Three sets of plain work robes (black)

One plain pointed hat (black) for formal wear

One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)

One winter cloak (black, silver fastening)

Please note that all pupils’ clothes should carry name tags.

SET BOOKS

All students should have a copy of all the following:

The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) by Miranda Goshawk

A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot

Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling

A Beginner’s Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch

One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore

Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander

The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble

Wixen Culture: The Fundamentals by Estella P. Jorgin (exclusively for the muggleborn and muggle-raised)

Muggle Culture: The Principles by Kendrick Hobbinshire (exclusively for the wixen-born)

The Beginner’s Guide to Latin, 1990 Edition by Adhideva Bhatt

RECOMMENDED ADDITIONAL FIRST-YEAR READING:

Hogwarts: A History by Bathilda Bagshot

The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts: A 21 Century Edition by Georgina Ursula

The Muggleborn and Muggle-Raised Guide: What You Need To Know by Saffiiyah Thomas

Notable Figures in Recent Wixen History: Hogwarts Alumni, Political Figures and more!  By Louie Arellano

Hogwarts and Her Founders: A Biography by Arlene Newman

OTHER EQUIPMENT

1 Wand

1 Cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)

1 set glass or crystal phials

1 telescope

1 set brass scales

Students may also bring an owl OR cat OR toad.

Should a student wish to have any additional pets that are not an owl, or cat, or toad, they must seek permission from the Headmaster firstly and their Head of House secondly.

PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST-YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS.

                                                 --------------------

“Hagrid,” Ianthe said, suddenly feeling doubtful, looking at the Muggle-Raised Guide, feeling as if she’d have a lot of use for it, a fire of why must i need it if it is the world i was born into? kindling in her stomach.

“Are you sure we can buy all this in London?”

“If yeh know where to go,” said Hagrid, adding another row of crosses.

                                                  --------------------

Ianthe had been to London once before, with Aunt Petunia. They had needed to go because she had wanted to pick up her jewellery, and Ianthe had been forced to tag along as she couldn’t be left home alone. She had been walking when a tall man with silky platinum locks had shoved her aside, sneering foully, as if he had stepped on some dog business, a sneer which Ianthe had returned with a steel look and Aunt Petunia had sneered back to before moving along.

Nonetheless, Hagrid seemed to know where he was going, though he had trouble getting there the normal way. He got stuck in the Underground and couldn’t help but complain about how the seats were too small and the trains too slow; “I don’t know how Muggles survive without magic, to be honest, Ianthe.” he admitted as they climbed down a broken down escalator which led them to the bustling streets of London.

Hagrid couldn’t help but point at a passing double-decker bus, manoeuvring about as he made sure they went the right way. Yet, even as they travelled, Ianthe wondered if she truly believed in magic. Did she believe it; did she dare hope that there were others like her and Hagrid? Believe that hundreds of miles underground lay a vault full of money waiting for her?

Despite how ludicrous it sounded, Ianthe believed it. She believed in magic, because what else could it be? Grinning to herself, she pushed forward, following Hagrid as he rounded a corner.

Hagrid came to a halt, causing Ianthe to bump into his back, “‘Ere we are,” he said, motioning to a grubby-looking pub, “The Leaky Cauldron, famous place, this one.” For some reason (magic, her mind supplied) it seemed as if everyone else (the muggles) seemed to completely ignore the tiny pub, eyes slipping over from the large bookshop on the left to the record shop with the newest chart topper on either side of the pub.

Before Ianthe could mention this to Hagrid, he had steered the both of them inside. For a famous place, it looked very dark and shabby, dingy with a side of iconic that if they changed it, people would rebel. Ianthe could spot a trio of old women in the corner, drinking glasses of sherry and talking lowly to each other. Another group of men and one woman sat and played cards together, golden coins and silver ones moving around in a strange rotation. “Mundungus,” one said, “Don’t try and bloody cheat me, you tosser!”

The Leaky Cauldron, it seemed, was stuck in a moment of time, never changing. A man in shabby robes entered after them, youthful and handsome in appearance, a black piece of cloth wrapped around his ankle, yet it seemed he had too many grey hairs for his age, as well as scars. He pulled up a chair, shrugging his coat off as he stared pensively before ordering for a ‘butterbeer’.

Ianthe watched the man in shabby robes, a sense familiarity pervading her senses, as Hagrid conversed with the barman, ‘Tom’ she had distantly heard. “....Is this -- could this be -- ....Ianthe Potter?”

Ianthe whipped her head around from the man with amber eyes and too-grey hair, “Yes?” she said, he stared for a moment, before a breath escaped him, “Bless my soul,” he started, “Ianthe Potter, what an honour.” he suddenly rushed from behind the bar and clambered to shake her hand, warm eyes and even warmer tears pooling in his eyes, “Welcome back, Miss. Potter, welcome back.”

There was a sudden silence, the amiable chatter non-existent now. Ianthe didn't know what to do, what to say. Everyone seemed to be looking at her, and if she had looked the left, she would’ve realised that someone had quite literally fell out of his chair at her admittance.  The old lady in the corner kept puffing on her pipe, not realising her pipe had gone out, and the shabby-robed man from earlier seemed to have spilt his drink, sitting rigid as if he had seen a ghost.  He stared at her with warring emotions in his eyes, raw pain and relief and why? As if he had seen a spirit of the past, a reminder of painful but once-joyous memories.

She had no time to ponder on this however as there was great scraping of chairs, the Leaky Cauldron’s patrons rushing to grab her hand, to say hello to the saviour of the Wixen World.

“Doris Crockford, Miss. Potter, can’t believe I’m meeting you at last.” A bandage around the forearm, decorated in scrawled flowers.

“So proud, Miss. Potter, so proud.” On the man's neck, a name: Daniel T.J. written in a squashed calligraphy and in blue ink.

“Always wanted to shake your hand -- I’m all of a flutter.” And yet another hand, with not another name but a word (Starlight) but in deep black this time, glittering like stars.

“Delighted, Miss. Potter; just can’t tell you. Diggle’s the name. Dedalus Diggle.”

Ianthe stared at him for a long moment, “I know you -- don’t I? You bowed to me once in a shop, didn’t you?” The tiny man jumped in excitement, his top hat tumbling down, and a bracelet of silver around his wrist glinting in the candle-light. “She remembers me,” he said, looking around at everyone, “Hear that? By Jove, she remembers me!”

Before Ianthe could wonder for too long about the bandages, bracelets and wraps of cloth around some people and why some of them had a name, like the Voldemort on her collarbone, whilst others had a word (Idyllic, one had said) and a few even had phrase (accende me) a pale young man made his way forward, hands fidgeting and his left eye twitching. “Prof’ssor Quirrell!” Hagrid cried out, beaming as the Professor came forward.

Ah, Ianthe thought, so this is the impressive Professor Quirrell. “P-P-Potter,” stammered Professor Quirrell, grasping Ianthe’s hand with his own leather-gloved one, “c-can’t t-tell you how p-pleased I am to meet you.”

For propriety’s sake, Ianthe thought it best to nod in reply, grasping his hand in a firm shake. “Nice to meet you as well, Professor Quirrell. You’re the one we were to meet up with later, am I correct?” It seemed as if his whole demeanour changed in that moment, his back straightened from its slight cowering position and he returned her shake of the hand with his own considerate squeeze before retreating, “Quite right, Miss. Potter.” A smooth gravelled voice presented itself to her, unlike the previous stuttering, “Though I’m sure you and Hagrid,” a curl of the lips, Odd, Ianthe thought. “must stop at Gringotts first. I have my own errands to run, I’m due t-t-o--” his shoulders hunched again, the previously confident posture slipping away, the tick in his eyes returning, he swallowed, “To p-p-pick up a book. On v-v-vampires.” he looked terrified at the very thought.

Ianthe was preoccupied with his change in demeanour, she reached out to grab his hand, but in the last moment someone grabbed her hand, the crowds not eager to share her attention with Professor Quirrell anymore. He turned away, and yet Ianthe swore she saw a hint of red in his eye just then before he was swallowed by the crowd.

Ianthe shook hands again and again -- Doris Crockford kept coming back for more -- and by the 42nd handshake she had quite enough. Turning to Hagrid she spoke, “Hagrid?” he turned to her, a ready beam on his face, which made Ianthe even more annoyed, “I think I’ve had quite enough shaking their hands. Don’t we have some school shopping to do?”

“Right ya are, Ianthe,” Hagrid said, “Come on the, you lot – back up! Must get on -- lots ter buy!”

Doris Crockford came to shake Ianthe’s hand one more time -- no matter how uncomfortable Ianthe looked. Hagrid then led her though the bar, where she spotted the many patrons hushed whispers and stares, the man in shabby robes leaving through the door they had just come through earlier, hunched with a weary look on his face.

Hagrid ushered her through to a small courtyard, the only occupants a dustbin and a few wilting weeds. “See Ianthe,” Hagrid grinned, drawing out his umbrella, “First step in an’ everyone already knows ya.” Ianthe hummed, wondering why they seemed so gratuitous towards her. Hagrid had still neglected to tell her what she had actually done to earn their gratitude, after all.

“Yer even managed to stop Prof’essor Quirrell tremblin’ fer a bit!”

He drew his umbrella closer, bringing up as he muttered to himself, “Three up...two across…” He stumbled, dropping his umbrella.

He cursed, and as Hagrid bent down to collect it Ianthe pondered her question out loud, “Is he always that nervous?”

“Aye,” Hagrid said, drawing himself up to his full height, “Poor bloke. Brilliant mind. He was fine while ‘e was studyin’ outta books, bu’ then he took a year off ter get some first-hand experience...They say ‘e met some vampires in the Black Forest out in Germany, and a nasty bit o’ trouble with a hag -- never bee’ the same since. Scared o’ the students, scared o’ his own subject -- even scared o’ the house elves!” he finished incredulously. “But ‘e did seem a bit mo’ confident today, maybe’ll e’s getting over those vampires? Not likely, bu’ still…” he trailed off, a pondering look in his eye.

“Anyway Ianthe,” he started, “Might wanna stand back fer this,” He brought his umbrella up as Ianthe took a step back. The pink umbrella point came to tap on the bricks, three up from the dustbin, two across and seven down before he patted the brick thrice with his umbrella tip.

The brick quivered -- it wriggled -- a small hole in the middle appeared before melting away, the hole becoming bigger and bigger, before an arch large enough for even Hagrid to walk though emerged Ianthe’s breath caught in her throat, eyes wide and eyes glowing in excitement as she spotted the cobbled road that twisted and winded at every turn.

“Welcome,” Hagrid said, grinning at her awestruck face, “To Diagon Alley.”

Almost at once Ianthe felt the urge she had always wanted, the feeling of belonging. They walked forward, people rushing by and magic thrown about at every turn. Some rushed by in witch hats, others in intricate robes and odd muggle clothes.

She paid no heed to the wall which had shrunk back into its original form. They walked forward, the sun shining on a collection of rather large pots -- no, cauldrons, the sign said; Cauldrons -- All Sizes -- Copper, Brass, Pewter, Silver -- Self-Stirring -- Collapsible said the overhanging sign in neat metallic bronze.  

“Yeh, you’ll be needin’ one o’ those. Gotta get yer money first though,” Hagrid said, following her line of sight. Ianthe, in a rush of euphoria, wished she had another eight eyes. She had a sudden rush in wanting to see everything: the shops, their wares, and even the people doing the shopping.

“Dragon liver, sixteen sickles an ounce, they’re mad…” said a plump woman, dressed in green with copper hair.

A soft cacophony of melodious hoots reached her, she spun around to a shop filled to the brim with all sort of owls, she looked up to the shop banner, Eeylops Owl Emporium -- Tawny, Screech, Barn, Brown and Snowy. Further down she spotted another ruckus of animals, owls screeching and cats howling and many, many hisses and assorted noises coming from a shop brimming with people called The Magical Menagerie.

As they passed by, Ianthe spotted a group of boys ogling with avid interest a sleek broomstick in a window display, “Nimbus Two-Thousand,” she heard, “Say that she’s the fastest broom on the market -- the Comet’s got nothing on her, I tell you!”

They walked through so many different shops, assortments of different coloured robes, books peeking out through windows and even spinning silver objects with no obvious purpose looking back at her.

They reached a large, grand marble building at the end of the winding road. It stood proud, gleaming and glistening in the sun as the people flitted about like moths around them.

“Gringotts.” Hagrid supplied.

At the opened door, decked in a uniform of scarlet and gold stood -- “Yeh, that’s a goblin.” Hagrid said quietly as they walked towards they walked upon the white stone steps towards him.  The goblin, green in colour with a smart and pointy face with a beard stood a head shorter then Ianthe. He bowed to them as they walked in; a curious stare from Ianthe caused him to bare his teeth and growl, something that Ianthe returned eyes glowing and vicious as she played along with him.

A display of dominance, she thought as she saw the goblin shrink away and minutely jump at the glowing eyes. They reached upon a second pair of doors, silver this time, with words etched in them:

                         ------------------------------------------------------------

                            ENTER, STRANGER, BUT TAKE HEED

                           OF WHAT AWAITS THE SIN OF GREED,

                        FOR THOSE WHO TAKE, BUT DO NOT EARN,

                         MUST PAY MOST DEARLY IN THEIR TURN,

                          SO IF YOU SEEK BENEATH OUR FLOORS

                          A TREASURE THAT WAS NEVER YOURS,

                        THIEF, YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED, BEWARE

                       OF FINDING MORE THAT TREASURE THERE.

                     -------------------------------------------------------------------

“Like I said, yeh’d be mad to try an’ rob it.” Hagrid said from her left side, as another pair of goblins bowed the both of them through these doors as well, long fingers sweeping in their bow. As they stepped in, Ianthe knew from only one glance about the room that there had to be at least a hundred goblins, all sat on tall counters. Hagrid walked her to an empty counter, where a goblin sat, scrawling across a weathered piece of paper.

He sat scrawling for a long moment as Hagrid searched in his pockets for something, letting out a quiet ‘Aha!’ when he found it. The goblin finally finished peering at them from up above, eyes inquisitive from behind his spectacles, “Gringotts is at your service, and how may I help you?”

Hagrid cleared his throat, looking pointedly at Ianthe. “Oh, err--” she lapsed into a quick silence, “My name is Miss. Ianthe Lily Potter and I wish to -- to access my vault,” she demanded. The goblin peered intensely, “Miss. Ianthe Lily Potter?”  

Ianthe nodded.

"Miss. Potter, a fact which you may not know is that each Wixen child, on their thirteenth birthday, has an inheritance test, funded by Gringotts herself. However, as the Heir of a Noble House, as is customary, you must be directed to your accounts manager for House Potter. He will provide you with further details about you accounts, as I cannot help you further. I would suggest arranging an appointment with your accounts manager, as he is currently stationed at the Irish Gringotts Branch.”

Ianthe mulled this over in her head, a lone finger coming to rest on her lips. “Of course,” she smiled lightly, “And what time would be appropriate for my meeting?” The goblin drew his fingers together, “It depends,” he began slowly, “We goblins are ever so busy. However, we could send a letter of urgent correspondence; at a price, of course.”

"Well sir," Ianthe began, not at all unhappy with the proposition, “I do believe it would be best if that would be arranged, at your earliest convenience?” The goblin nodded, fascinated by the demonic gleam in her eyes, “Of course,”

“Now, onto your vault Miss. Potter, if you wish to access it, you require a key.”

Hagrid handed her something -- a small golden key, it seemed. She bent up on her tiptoes, for she was a child of small stature, and slid it over. The goblin, with his crooked nose and glinting spectacles, roused about for any imperfections. “That seems to be in order at least,” he murmured. He turned to her again, “Gringotts is proud to offer its services, Miss. Potter. Welcome.” He said, baring his teeth.

Ah, another show of dominance. The inevitable feelings used to power the glow built up,show him who’s in charge, she thought, and the eyes glowed, the same as her mother when she had first stepped in these ancient halls, except the red-haired girl’s eyes had glowed with the feeling of joy, not this feeling of executing dominance. Hagrid watched with interest as the goblin smiled thinly.

“Oh! An’ther thing,” Hagrid fumbled about in his pockets as he retrieved a letter, handing it to the goblin, “Go’ a letter from Profe’ssor Dumbledore,” Hagrid puffed out his chest importantly, “It’s about You-Know-What in vault seven hundred and thirteen.”

The goblin’s long fingers wrapped around the letter, opening it and reading over it carefully, “Very well. I will get someone to take you to your vaults. Miss. Potter, may I suggest that you have a hold on your stomach from henceforth. Griphook!”

Another goblin strode over -- this one with a long nose and scowling face, it seemed as if the goblins had only one mood. Griphook the goblin and Ianthe locked eyes, his finger clenched imperceptibly and Ianthe wondered what this feeling building up inside her was; it seemed to be instinctual loathing, and so it should be as the goblin seemed the most horrid of those who worked at Gringotts. The creature ushered them over to a large door. As Hagrid grabbed his umbrella, Ianthe asked the inevitable question, “What’s You-Know-What in vault seven hundred and thirteen?”

“Can’t say,” Hagrid said as they rounded a corner, “Hogwarts business. Very secret, not something to tell just anybody, Ianthe; Dumbledore trusted me, so I gotta uphold it. More’n me job’s worth, to be honest.

Griphook held a door open for them, nodding them forward, Ianthe with a curl of the lips. Ianthe had expected to find more marble, but was instead met with the sight of a small passageway lit with burning torches, railways sat on the floor. Griphook held a finger to his mouth, letting loose a whistle that Ianthe was sure only a dog would hear. They waited for a scant thirty seconds as a carriage hurtled down the rails, coming to abrupt halt at the front of them.

They all got in -- Hagrid with some difficulty -- and set off, hurtling into an expanse of darkness. At  first they rushed by, and Ianthe tried to remember the turns, left, right, right, left, middle fork, left, right, and yet Ianthe lost her way as the carriage seemed drive itself (Griphook certainly wasn’t driving it, as seen by his crossed forearms.)

Ianthe whipped her head around as she thought she saw a burst of fire, and there it was: a pale dragon, eyes milky pink even in the distance, its majestic figure huddled against a wall as another goblin held a cow bell and a piece of meat at its feet. Such a fearsome creature, tied in the depths of the earth when it should soar, it made Ianthe ache from inside, her windswept tears hurtling by as they sped past it.

Pathetic, a voice said, to be captive despite being so powerful. How weak. And yet Ianthe didn’t know why she would think that.

They plunged deeper and deeper, passing by an underground lake and hundreds of towering stalactites and stalagmites. Hagrid looked to be turning green, and Ianthe hoped he wouldn't be sick all over her.

After that, Hagrid had to take a few minutes supported by the wall, knees trembling as he tried to get his face back from green to its normal rosy colour.

The goblin led them over to an iron door, odd symbols carved into it with a large wheel to spin.

As Griphook opened the door with the key Ianthe handed him, a lot of green smoke came billowing out. As it cleared, Ianthe's eyes widened. She could spot mounds of gold and columns of teetering silver. Even a small mountains-load of little bronze Knuts right in the middle.

"All yours," Hagrid smiled, following her lithe form as she stepped into the vault. She turned to Griphook who stared back impassively.

She raised a single brow, and then, quite unexpectedly, he sighed -- "Little lordlings don't even know they're exchange rates from Knut to Sickle and Sickle to Galleon…" he muttered.

Clearing his throat, he droned on in a monotone voice, "The gold pieces are Galleons, seventeen silver Sickle's to a Galleon," he intoned, "and twenty-nine Knuts to a Sickle. You must have your key to access your vault," he gestured to the little golden key which he had returned to Ianthe, "otherwise you must commission another, the process through which requires your blood." Obviously there was an unspoken general rule there that Ianthe did not know about the importance of blood.

"The conversions all use prime numbers?" Griphook grinned, though it was more jagged teeth than actual delight, "The Wixen lot never had much sense to begin with."

Hagrid seemed to be entertaining himself by trying to turn the mountain of Knuts into a fortress of some sorts.

"And would this be my only vault?" She asked as she gazed at the gold, "The teller said my accounts manager was stationed in Ireland for some reason."

Griphook sniffed. "Goblins don't value idleness. We care about gold. And don't be stupid, Wix, this is your trust vault. It is meant to be spent for schooling and equipment, and anything else that passes your fancy. Anything else about your vaults you may discuss with your accounts manager."

Ianthe could tell she was grating on Griphooks nerves; obviously this wasn't in his job description. She grabbed a pouch -- brown moleskin with a great crest emblazoned on it, a stag with a triangle set in the background -- and filled it up with all the Galleons, Sickles and Knuts it could hold, which turned out, was quite a lot.

"I don't think yeh'll need that much Ianthe. Tha's a Potter heirloom, 'member James had tha' as well once, gotta have some hefty enchantments, not to mention that Undetectable Extension Charm. Must’a had been one o' your ancestors work, probably."

Ianthe hummed, adding some more Knuts under Hagrid's incredulous gaze. Quite finished with them, Griphook led them to the cart again, which, at the sight of, Hagrid turned green again.

“Vault seven hundred and thirteen now, please,” Hagrid said gruffly, “And can we go more slowly?” he asked as they clambered in. “One speed only.” Griphook grunted with a nasty smile, hurtling them deeper and deeper into the underground maze that was Gringotts.

The carriage hurled past faster and faster, going deeper and deeper, the air getting colder and colder as they turned tight corners. At one point, they passed an underground ravine, and Ianthe had been too tempted to miss it, after all, how often would you get to be this deep underground?

She had leant over; trying to see how far below it went. Idiot, the voice had said, you’ll fall to your death.

And who are you to judge? Ianthe had snarled back in reply, unnecessarily annoyed with the voice in her head, she must’ve been going mad. Bonkers if she was talking to a figment of her imagination. You're just the voice in my head, she affirmed, you have no say.  

Despite that, Hagrid pulled her back with a heady groan, looking as if he would vomit into the cold abyss at any moment. Ianthe was sure the goblins wouldn’t appreciate that, yet she wondered what Griphook would look like if some sick got on him.

But she would never find out as they came to a slow stop, pulling in front of a door with lines embedded into the gold door.  Why a gold door? This door too had strange symbols, and yet Griphook passed them by without a glance.

“Stand back,” Griphook said importantly. Smarmy bastard, Ianthe thought with a scowl. He stroked the door with one of his long fingers and it simply melted away.

“If someone but a Gringotts goblin tried that, they’d be sucked through the door and trapped   in there.” Begrudgingly, Ianthe had to admit that was quite the fool proof security plan. “How often do you check in there?” Ianthe asked, unable to resist. “About once every ten years,” Griphook said with an appraising look and rather nasty grin.

Hagrid made his way forward, Ianthe trailing behind. Ianthe leaned forward with a cool look in her eyes, yet eager all the same, expecting to see fabulous jewels or mounds of gold, maybe even some ancient book or artefact but at first glance it seemed empty. But there, on the floor, lay a small package wrapped in grubby brown paper.

Hagrid picked it up and tucked it deep in his pockets, Ianthe longed to ask what it was (I as well, said the voice) but she knew better, however reluctant.

Hagrid turned to her one again, “Come on,” he walked towards the cart, following Griphook, “Le’s get back in tha’ infernal cart. Mind though; don’t talk to me on the way back. Be better if I keep me mouth shut,” he shook his head as they sped off, the wind whipping at the both of them.

                                                      --------------------

They made their way outside Gringotts, the sun partially blinding them as they moved through the large crowds. Hagrid seemed to be looking for someone, probably Professor Quirrell, yet he and even Ianthe couldn’t spot the purple-turbaned man.

“Ah!” Hagrid cried out, “There he be, come on Ianthe, let’s get goin’. I’ll drop yeh off with ‘im, he’s gonna do the rest of yer shoppin’ with yeh and then I’ll collect yeh from Ollivanders, ‘right?”

Before Ianthe could ask what Ollivanders was, Hagrid was already pushing past the crowd to Professor Quirrell who seemed to already be in conversation with a tall brunette with blue eyes who seemed somewhat exasperated as she talked in low tones, decked in an odd assortment of necklaces around her neck. Corkscrews, symbols and charms -- even a radish!

Her hand clenched at her side as she talked, mouth moving infinitely fast. She seemed to spot the pair approaching as her face smoothed out, eyes returning to a clear blue. “My -- Quirinus,” she said, “It seems you have company,” She gestured to Hagrid and Ianthe herself, a serene smile on her lips.

Professor Quirrell turned posture straight and confident, unlike in the Leaky Cauldron where he had been a quivering mess, “It seems I do,” he smiled, all teeth it seemed, and it set Ianthe even more on edge.

“Hagrid, Miss. Potter, you have completed your Gringotts run, I presume?”

“Aye,” Hagrid said with a bright smile, “Ianthe’s got everythin’ she needs an’ a little extra. ‘Ow was your errands Prof’sser?”

“Quite smooth, I --” The brunette woman butted in without a care, “The Ugoraia’s seem to want you to introduce me to your friends, Quirinus. I would not be opposed to the idea,” she snarked.  Professor Quirrell seemed to look furious as he gazed at the woman, “Of course,” he said smoothly, not the least bit amused with the woman even from his easy smile, but his eyes, a pale blue that seemed just wrong glinted viciously; Hagrid didn’t seem to notice, but Ianthe just knew, after all, it was those eyes that told another story. “Hagrid, Miss. Potter, meet Kalypso Arvanitis, who works in the Ministry Archives; Kalypso, Hagrid as you know, and Miss. Potter, who is due to start the school term in September.”

“Pleasure,” she smiled, hands twitching, “It’s not every day you meet the Wixen world’s saviour, ” she relished the word, as if greatly amused. Ianthe eyes her warily, nerves on end, “Ianthe or Miss. Potter is fine,” Ianthe said instead, “It’s bad enough that everyone seems to already know about me.” And my story, which Hagrid still hasn’t bothered to tell me.

“Humility,” she seemed impressed, “Anyone else your age would be boasting to the high heavens. But you’ll find the fame can be to your advantage, however unwanted. After all, it can be to your advantage; the young Malfoy wouldn’t stop boasting about getting to be in your year, did you know? I’d keep a tight leash on him.” Professor Quirrell’s eyes narrowed at her, mouth frowning.

"But I must be on my way, I can’t keep those pesky goblins waiting, I’m afraid; " she said abruptly, "Some business to attend to at Gringotts, such a bother."

Ianthe wondered how sane she was, calling the goblins pesky (but to be fair, Ianthe would’ve said the same about Griphook.) She only smiled serenely at them though; eyes alight in mischief as she disappeared into the crowd, her hair swaying with the breeze as they all watched her leave.

"Right," Hagrid said loudly, drawing attention from a passing gaggle of redheads who quickly returned to their business, "Mus' be on me way as well. Lots to do; I'll leave Ianthe in yer hands, Prof'ssor?"

"Certainly," came Professor Quirell's reply, a hand coming to rest on her shoulder as his fingers brushed over her collarbone, directly above where her scar lay along with the accompanying writing, a sudden jolt surging through Ianthe and Professor Quirrell too by the looks of it. "You needn't worry Hagrid, everything will be alright."

Hagrid smiled, turning a kind smile to Ianthe, "Yer in good hands Ianthe. I'll come an' pick you up later, once yer done. See ya later," He clapped her on the forearm -- her knees buckled at the unexpected force -- as he disappeared in the crowds, turning a corner onto a place called Knockturn Alley (The true place for the ones of power, the voice said, is where there is no need for such thing as restrictions. For that, Knockturn is the place to go.)

As she watched Hagrid leave, Ianthe felt as if she had been suddenly left alone, not abandoned entirely, just forgotten for the moment.

She turned to Professor Quirrell, who looked at her with a strange gaze, as if he had been presented with a particularly troubling puzzle. "Lead the way, Professor."

"It is only expected, Miss. Potter." He drawled, both hands coming to rest behind his back, moving forward with expectation of her to follow. It made Ianthe unnecessarily irritated.

How dare he presume her to follow! She thought. She had never allowed herself to mindlessly follow with the crowd; she had always been the one to scout out the possibilities, to test the limits when no adult (except Miss. Nirmala) had helped her. She had never followed, she had always led, yet it seemed that this would be something she would have to get used to. Ianthe frowned at his retreating figure, quickly walking to catch up.

“Finally decided to catch up, Miss. Potter?” Quirrell said, a cruel glint in his eye; Ianthe did not like it, and she was so very sure that she would not like this trip or the Professor very much either. She wondered how she would survive the year if she had to put up with him, “I would never let myself be left behind, Professor;” she quipped back as he raised his eyebrow, the both of them disappearing into the crowds, purple robes swishing and a messy-haired girl walking beside him as they set off to the first destination Quirrell had in mind: Madam Malkins.

#ao3 #ao3 writer #ianthe lily potter #professor quirrell #quirrelmort #tom riddle #tom marvalo riddle #fem!harry potter #Fem!Harry #hagrid #petunia evans dursley #vernon dursley #Dudley Dursley #dudley and harry #cousin bonding #goblins #dragon #soulmate mark #soulmate!au #diagon alley #fanfiction #fanfic #harry potter #harry potter fanfic #writer #writers on tumblr #crossposted #twicetwinedonceforged #my fic #mine

[gingerlibrum]

Saw a post on one of the pages I follow on Facebook that I thought seemed kind of fun. If you're bored, post a picture of your bookshelf and talk about each of the books that are on there. If you are in self quarantine and find yourself incredibly bored with nothing else to do feel free to comment. It will give you something to do for a little bit. If your bookshelf is to big, take a photo of one shelf or grab a few books that you love and comment about those! I'll put a 📚 to indicate that the book is on my tbr pile.

*Note it doesn't have to be books. If you have a shelf of movies or CD's/Records, feel free to comment about those!

1. Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom

A memoir between Albom featuring lessons on life from his dying professor. Highly reccomend. It's one of those books that I can reread and learn something new every time.

2. The Five People you Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom

A new look on what it means to die and how our vision of heaven isn't what one would expect. I try to reread this one every year because it's a good reminder that even the little things we do could effect not only the people we know, but complete strangers.

3. The Next Person you Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom

A sequel to The Five People you Meet in Heaven and a great follow up!

4. Scythe by Neal Shusterman

A great young adult novel! It's about a futuristic society where due to medical advancements, people can live forever and even do things like make themselves look younger. However, there's a catch. The Scyths people who act as a kind of population control. The story follows two teens as they train to be scythes.

5. Thunderhead by Neal Shusterman 📚

6. The Story of King Arthur and His Knights 📚

7. The Book of Joy by The Dalai Lama, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and Douglas Adams

Haven't finished it yet, but it's a conversation between two people of different religions and backgrounds. An interesting read.

8. Code Name: Lise by Larry Loftis 📚

9. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

Almost halfway through it. Story premise is interesting though.

10. Lord of the Rings boxed set by J.R.R Tolkien 📚

11. Dear Evan Hansen the Novel

I am Musical theater trash. I love this musical. The book gave me more of an insight to it beyond listening to the album on repeat.

12. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

A teen novel about the black lives matter movement. Honestly, this book was so good. 100% reccomend even if you aren't a teen.

13. Harry Potter and the Philospher's Stone

I got this copy while I was in Scotland at Blackwells bookshop in Edinburgh (oh how I am longing to go back there) - please notice in front if the book the tiny Proffessor Quirell-

14. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

I want to get the entire series in these covers. I didn't get this one in Scotland it was a Christmas gift.

15. The Little Book of Lykee by Miek Wiking

A book about the Danish art of Happiness

16. The Little Book of Hygee by Miek Wiking

A book about how to make your life and home more comfortable to life in the Danish way.

17. The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch

Another book about life told by a dying man. This is a good read. Follows Randy Pausch, a Proffessor, as he has been diagnosed with a brain tumor and continues to teach and prepares for his last lecture.

18. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

Had to read it for school in high school but I do like this book when I'm not required to read it too.

19. Let Morte D'Arthur📚

20. Pygmalion 📚

21. Little Women 📚

22. Walden 📚

23. Pride and Predjudice 📚

24. The Time Machine by H.G Wells

Books about time travel are a weakness of mine.

25. Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux

Read it so I would have something to talk about with my coworker who is now my boyfriend. Also I liked the cover and the theater show is fun to cosplay.

26. Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court 📚

27. Peter Pan 📚

28. 20,000 League's Under the Sea 📚

29. Treasure Island 📚

30. Moby Dick 📚

31. The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin 📚

32. The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See 📚

33. Fatal Throne 📚

34. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho 📚

35. Coraline by Neil Gaiman 📚

36. Stardust by Neal Gaiman

Loved the book. If you liked the Princess Bride I reccomend this book and its corresponding movie.

37. City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab

Love the author. This book is a kids book about a girl who can see ghosts. Her parents are ghost hunters who have a tv show where they travel to Edinburgh and she learns a lot about her powers.

38. A Darker Shade of Magic Trilogy by V.E Schwab

Again. LOVE this author. Highly recommend this trilogy. One of my favorite authors of all time.

39. The Sand Warrior 📚

40. To Kill a Mockingbird

Again. One of those I had to read for school but do actually like reading without the pressureeof having to read it.

41. Howl's Moving Castle 📚

42. A bunch of Hardy Boys Books 📚

43. Neverending Story 📚

#books #favorite books #bookshelf #bookworm #bibliophile #booklr #booklife #reading #reading list #tbr #shelfie #doesn't have to be books #music #cds #figurines #records #collectibles #whatever you want #quarentine #shareyourshelf #boredom #something to do #readingblr #cozyvibesonly #cozy photos #cozyvibes #cozy #cozy aesthetic #classics #fun

[just-a-dreamer23]

The daughter of the Lestranges! Part 2

A/N: Hey guys! Here is the second part of this story! I really hope that you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it :).

Hi there, I see that you would like to hear more about my story and I feel completely flattered I mean, I am not Harry Potter or Hermione Weasley and you are still into it. 

“OH MY GOD! FREDDIE!” I yell at my husband as he throws a firework without me noticing it and getting completely startled which of course made him laugh his head off. 

“What? I had to stop you there, but of them are great people and their stories are amazing. But so is yours love, when will you start giving yourself credit?” he said smiling at me in a particular way that always manages to make me laugh. 

I laughed and then sigh saying “You are lucky that I love you Weasley”

“I know, I know and HEY! don’t forget you’re a Weasley now, Scarlett!” he said pretending to be offended.

I giggled and said “Trust me babe, my mind and heart know that! Also, not that I want you to leave but... I am trying to tell my story” 

 “Hmmm... so you don’t want me to leave? I can always stay and help you tell the story. You know, Teddy loves it when the two of us tell him stories before his bedtime. Maybe they will like it too” He said while shrugging. 

“Alright” I said and kissed his cheek

   Okay, so if I am not mistaken the last thing I told you guys was that I was sorted into Ravenclaw and that Fred and George followed me everywhere. I tell you, I was their hobby along with pranking. They loved pranking me and also loved annoying some of my friends; like Hermione from Gryffindor, I think you already know that and Finlay; one of my closest friend from my house. 

“Yeah...Finlay” Fred said in an annoyed tone pretending to sound jealous.

Oh yeah, on our Hogwarts years Fred was always jealous of my friend Finlay for God knows what reason. 

“I was never jealous” he said rolling his eyes jokingly. 

“Sure...” I said smirking knowing I was right and that he knew I was doing it on purpose.

Anyways, so on the first months of being a first year at Hogwarts I was always studying with Hermione. That meant that I also hanged out a lot with Ron and Harry, you know, they are the golden trio and just as my father Ted used to say, if they were the superheroes I would be their sidekick. But those are muggle terms, sorry for confusing you, if I did. Ron and Harry always said that Hermione and I only had one thing in common. That thing was that we enjoyed reading and to study; I don’t like to study but I do like to be responsible with my school stuff. Anyways, when it comes to our personalities they were quite different since Hermione was more serious and I was more outgoing. 

“That’s a fact, I don’t know how you guys have remained that close with that difference in your personalities” Fred said

“We have manage it and you know that I can be serious when I have to be” I said. 

As for Finlay we talked, study and basically hanged a lot in our common rooms and were most of the times together in our classes and in the Great Hall. When we were not together, he was probably hanging out with Cedric Diggory and I was with the twins or the golden trio. One of the things we always did together though, was going to the Quidditch matches together. 

“Oh, that I remember quite well!” Fred said 

“You know he always supported Gryffindor” I said 

“Only if it was a match against Slytherin” he said and I rolled my eyes. 

“What is true and you are aware of it!!” he said 

“I know, I know” I said 

“I have to give Finlay credit for helping me on the day of the Draco incident” Fred said. 

“Oh what a sweet memory” I said with sarcasm 

“You should tell them about it love” he said “Come on, say it! I think that had a big impact in our relationship in someway” 

 “Yay, will be telling that happy memory and story right now” I said as I started clapping and giving Fred an annoyed look. 

“You know that you love what me and George did that day; specially me!” Fred said as he kissed my lips, cheek, jaw and then placed his head on my neck. 

I sigh and said “Okay, I will tell them” 

Alright, so on the first Quidditch match between Gryffindor and Slytherin my cousin Draco decided to  approach me for the first time. The reason of why I decided to go to watch the game was because I wanted to support Harry and of course the twins. Even though they always pranked me none stop and annoyed me, I was quite fond of them.So before the game started, I went to where the Gryffindor players were at to wish my three friends good luck and I hugged each of them and then left. 

“Ah, ah, ah!! You are forgetting a detail from that moment!” Fred said

“Which one?” I asked and he smirked

“Do you remember when George said that it was going to be a good game cause we had our luck charm wishing us the best?” He asked

“Yeah, and then you said that you always received good luck wishes from lots of girls” I said raising an eyebrow. 

“I don’t remember that but what I do remember is telling him that you we were going to be lucky cause you were the cutest” he said winking 

I blushed and laughed “You did said that, after you had previously said what I said that supposedly you don’t remember” I said shaking my head.

“I tried to fix it and after all of this years I thought I had” He said frowning.

I smirked and said “You did but I like to remind you just to mess with you”.

Okay, so after I left to the Ravenclaw area to watch the game I accidentally bumped into Draco and immediately said sorry. He replied by saying “You are going to pay for that Tonks”. I ignored him and joined Finlay, we watch the whole game, weird things happened to Harry’s broom thanks to a professor named Quirell but at the end of the game Gryffindor won. All of us basically went running to the Quidditch field to congratulate the victorious team;specially my friends. But as I was about to hug Fred, Draco pulled me by grabbing my arm and making me face him. 

“You really are something Scarlett Lestrange” He said knowing that I kept my biological parents story to myself. 

“My last name is Tonks” I said through gritted teeth

He asked “Is that so? or are you too embarrassed of who you really are?” Raising an eyebrow and without letting me answer he said “Yes, she is a cousin of mine that is a disgrace to my family. She is a Pureblood that makes herself and others believe that she is a filthy Half-blood. Befriends mudbloods and Half-bloods and her Pureblood friends are poor people fascinated by muggles. I am pretty sure you do have more Pureblood friends but they might be as pathetic as the others are!...Oh and you might be wondering how come she be a Pureblood, we-” 

“Malfoy stop” I said feeling humiliated and my eyes watering up.

“Stop? I don’t think so, her parents are my amazing aunt and uncle, Bellatrix and Rodulphus Lestrange. She is the baby that was born in Azkaban, I am sure most of you know that story! So yes, oh and she ain’t a Slytherin, I wonder how your real parents will feel if they ever find out who raised you and that you are not in their house. Also, congratulations, now everybody here knows what a liar you are!” 

I looked around everyone and ran away crying. 

“I felt shock and anger, I was taken back with what he had said about Scarlett but at the same time I wasn’t going to let him get away with it or let her get broken because of it. So, instead of dealing with that idiot, I decided to run after her while George, Finlay and Harry took care of Draco” Fred said 

He basically found me in a corner near the entrance of the Hufflepuff common room sitting down with my hands placed on my face crying. 

“I knelt down and hugged her and let her cry on my shoulders whispering things in her ears to calm her down” he said 

After he calmed me down I told him that everything that Draco had said was true and that I was ashamed of who I was. Then he explained to me that my biological parents are not the ones who define who I am. What defined who I was and I am, are my actions, then I told him that I consider my adoptive parents as my real parents and he said that if I feel that way then they are as a matter or fact my real parents. 

“Indeed, I also told her that her opinion about herself is the one that matters the most and of course, she should only listen to the words of those that care about her. After I stopped saying that I told her that Malfoy was going to pay and that George and I were going to take care of it” Fred said

“What caught him off guard was that I had agreed to join them! That’s were detentions began to happen, pranking together became a thing, studying became more fun and became unseparable. We were some sort of pranking trio! haha, and while all of that was happening I also, helped the golden trio in their adventures when they actually needed my help. I was basically in most of their adventure; except for the last one of that year because I got detention”. 

“What was your favorite moment of detention?” Fred asked

“Going to the Forbidden Forest with Harry, Hermione, Neville and Draco along with Hagrid and his dog” I said giggling at the memory.

“Why?” Fred asked

“Cause it was the first time I saw Draco screaming like a banshee and scared as hell” I said with a wicked smile. Then I looked at Freddie and asked, “How did Finlay helped you the day of the Draco incident?”

“By basically fighting Draco off with the help of George and Harry. He also told me where you might have gone to before I started running off after you” he said.

“Now that you said that I remember Finlay having to take detention as well” I said chuckling 

“They went easy on him” Fred said and I nodded in agreement 

Oh, for the single witches out there, Finlay is actually single and wants to find someone. I don’t have recent pictures of him but I will show you the one I do have but he is still looks that handsome and according to some of my girlfriends they said that he has gotten better looking. On top of that he is an amazing and loyal person so-...

“I knew that you always founded him attractive and that you fancied him” Fred said narrowing his eyes at me.

“That’s rubbish, I was and I am still am into redheads! Between you and I, I chose the hottest and sweetest redhead in the wizardry world”. I said winking at Fred. “And I am only saying that to help Fin, I mean not that he can get girls by himself but you know, he is always working as the auror he is!”

My second year was full of excitement and fright because the whole case of the chamber of secrets. But I did have fun since I was being part of the golden trio’s adventure once again. Pranking people and professors with the twins, getting us to detention. Meeting Moaning Myrtle how can I not forget that, drinking Polyjuice potion...which was nasty. Hmm, having the most dumb,narcissistic and weirdest professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts; Lockhart. 

“Oh yes, I remember you and Hermione having a crush on him” Fred said

“WHAT? Oh no, it was all Hermione I never fancied him, you jerk!” I said 

“Sure, what’s the thing you remember him for?” he asked

“Well, there are many things I remember him for!” I said 

“What’s the funniest to you?” he asked

“The thing he did for valentine’s day, he dressed in the pink robes and sending the dwarfs dressed as cupid all over Hogwarts. I remember that I was in Potions and a dwarf came in and dedicated me a poem and then said that it was sent by Fred Weasley” I said giggling to myself. “Snape was furious and I was shocked” 

“and I was embarrassed! I said to George that I would do that if I ever managed to admit my feelings for her. Then this bloody dwarf heard and it and George said my name and hers. Then mentioned the class that she was in and the dwarf took off” said Fred with an annoyed tone.

“You’re still annoyed by it and is funny cause that sort of declaration was what awoke my crush on you and then developed into something more!!’ I said and Fred rolled his eyes.

“Are you guys going to the burrow to eat dinner or are you going to work a bit longer?” George asked 

“We are going to the burrow” Fred and I said at the same time! 

#harrypotter fanfiction #Harry Potter #harry potter imagine #Fred and George #fred weasley imagines #weasley #draco malfoy #hermionegranger #ron weasley #goldentrio #bellatrix lestrange #nymphadora tonks #teddy tonks #remus lupin

[calimera62]

Memorable things in the Harry Potter PC games (HP1 to HP3)

Many of us grew up with Harry Potter, not only with the books and the movies, but also the games! We played HP on gameboy, on playstation and also on PC and these games were pretty memorable in many ways. 

With the PC games, we learned wizards shouldn’t have any problem to stay thin and had to be natural born acrobats with all this running, jumping, escalating and walking, always walking. We also learned the teachers’s method of teaching was to throw their students into a dark and deadly maze. We learned that students traded Wizard Cards and other things like drugs, that chocolate frogs increased our stamina. We could bump into students to make them talk and some of us tried to cast a spell on them without success, and we could find beans e.v.e.r.y.w.h.e.r.e!

Today, I would like to share with you some of those memorable things, and you’re free to add others yourself if you want to :)

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s/Philosopher’s Stone

The introduction scene with this music!

Hermione awarding you points when you managed to do the Alohomora spell

THE. FREAKING. GNOMES. WHO NEVER FAILED TO FREAK ME OUT WHEN I WAS YOUNGER

The amazing flying lesson class

Flipendo, aka the most iconic spell ever

The Wingardium Leviosa spell with the small feathers appearing when you were lifting something

That big garden you had to cross through to get to Hagrid’s house or to get to Herbology’s class with orange snails and venomous tentaculas and spiky bushes and blue doxies

The spells symbols you had to recreate to the perfection in order to win House points

Casting a Flipendo spell at knights or cauldrons so you would have beans

Having to collect stars during the spell challenges

The way a magical chest would move when you casted Alohomora at it

Hermione saying “Stop admiring yourself” when the mirror Harry was looking at turned out to contain a secret area

Fred and George asking you 25 beans for an experiment and giving you a Wizard Card as a reward

FRED AND GEORGE’S EXPERIMENT AT THE END OF THE GAME

The gnomes’s music theme (which also turned out to be Fred and George’s theme also)

The movements and the music when you got a Wizard Card

That duel with Malfoy throwing up Wizard Crackers at you

The dragon statues that were almost everywhere in Hogwarts

Magical chests that would sometimes contain… only one bean!

THAT FREAKING TROLL CHALLENGE!

Wanting to cast a spell and sometimes missing it

Wanting to cast a spell at rude students (I know I wanted to!)

The classes getting more and more challenging as you were progressing in the game

The way chocolate frogs croaked

Seeking for Fire Seed plants and waiting forever for the seeds to cool down

Hagrid’s quest for fire seeds, more like the mountains of infinite peril

The lost Slytherin kid during the Lumos challenge

Snape’s trick after he sent Harry to collect a few ingredients, thus putting us in an abyss of eternal darkness

Wondering why wizards can’t just put ingredients on some shelf nearby instead of putting them everywhere in the dungeons

Sneaking up at night and trying to get past Flich aka the most stressful and challenging level!

THE SOUNDS FLICH MADE WHEN YOU CASTED A SPELL AT A FLIPENDO SYMBOL OR TO UNLOCK A DOOR

PEEVES

Sneaking up at night and trying to get past Flich AND Miss Norris who could climb on the shelves

The struggle that was trying to put Fluffy’s THREE heads to sleep so you could go through the trapdoor

Trying not to get killed at the giant chess challenge

Trying so hard to keep your eyes on the right potion during Snape’s challenge

Quirell using Flipendo to make the marble blocks back away

Using the pillars to hit Voldemort with, VOLDEMORT EXPLODING THEM AND YOU SCREAMING AT THE INJUSTICE

Using Flipendo like crazy to defeat Voldemort

Those students who were sometimes jerks (like: “You're a Gryffindor, huh? Make way for a Slytherin!” or “Sorry, I don't speak to first years!”)

The Lumos gargoyles

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

HP2 aka the most amazing Harry Potter PC game ever

The Lumos spell not creating “paths” of light, like in HP1 but revealing secret areas and things

That little music when you discovered a secret passage

Having many Wizard Cards to find in Hogwarts

Being given a stamina increased every time you collected 10 bronze cards

Trying to collect all 40 silver cards to unlock the door to the golden wizard cards challenge

Having more of Hogwarts to explore than in HP1

Basically, Hogwarts being so much bigger and so much amazing

Lockhart being the worst DADA teacher ever but managing to teach you two spells

Fire crabs and giant orange snails being everywhere

Getting to throw gnomes back into their gnome holes and getting their beans

Those funny sounds when you threw a gnome into their holes

The weekly house points ceremony and the bean bonus room

Discovering the most useful (and the only) potion in the game, also the easiest potion since you only have to collect Flobberworm mucous and Wiggentree bark and to stand before a cauldron

Recreating the spells being much easier than in HP1

The Skurge spell to get rid of ectoplasm

Lockhart putting portraits and statues of him in his challenges

When you unlocked a magical chest but instead of beans, you got Peeves

Ectoplasm, cornish pixies, orange snails, fire crabs, gnomes and spiders? No wonder Snape is always so grumpy when you see what you have to go through to get to his storage room xD

That toilet in the girl’s bathroom that spat out gnomes if you managed to cast Flipendo on it and jumping to the top of the stall to get to that toilet!!

50 BEANS FOR MUCOUS?? WHAT THE HELL??

The Diffindo challenge (still not over the fact it was translated into “Cracbadaboum” in French xD)

“How about a trade, Harry?”

“Sorry, I just sold my very last item a few moment ago!”

Using the Diffindo spell to cut through vines and plant growth and spiderwebs

Horklump mushrooms being fun when you had gnomes around because they would stop to eat them and drop their beans, so you could collect them

Diffindo spell to fight venomous tentaculas, more like “OFF WITH THEIR HEADS!”

Bowtruckles looking very different from their FBAWTFT counterparts

“I have to be careful to not wake Goyle”, 2 seconds after: “FFFFLIIIIIIPENDOOOOOO!”

Exploring Dumbledore’s office

“There he is, sleeping like a particular ugly baby”

Sometimes, when looking after Goyle, you had to cast Flipendo at a block in the chimney to make it fall and it didn't work, no matter how many Flipendo you casted :/

When you transformed into Goyle and suddenly there weren’t as many students as usual in Hogwarts

“Why do you look so lost? This is our common room” “You don’t seem like yourself, Goyle” “There’s something different about you Goyle” LOL

On my way to go inside your common room and steal your beans

After that rude kid in HP1 saying “I don't talk to first years!” we have that rude Slytherin kid saying “I don't have time to talk to second years!”

Small spiders trying to climb on you

Never be over Goyle's voice!

Why do Slytherins have to go through an obstacle course…. just to go to their common room, when you just have to say the password to the Fat Lady when you’re a Gryffindor?? Maybe that’s why Slytherins are so grouchy…

On the other side, their common room is so much bigger compared to the Gryffindors’s

Transforming back into Harry in the snake den and having a heart attack about it

Trying to sneak out of the Slytherin common room without been seen by Slytherins/while running away from Slytherins screaming “PROFESSOR SNAAAAAAPE!!”, “I THOUGHT I SAW A GRYFFINDOR IN HERE!, “WHO ARE YOU? YOU’RE NOT A SLYTHERIN!!”

That painting you could jump into during the Spongify challenge because it contained a secret area

Trying to threw imps into their holes as fast as you could because those little shits could wake up when you were still carrying them and bite you

Casting Alohomora at Hedwig/A white owl during the Spongify challenge to unlock a secret passage

Jumping instead of walking down the stairs because walking is for Muggles

After doing the Slytherin common room level, noticing Ron is still in the girl bathroom and urges you to go and find the Slytherin common room!

Exploring Hogwarts and finding all secret areas

Exploring Hogwarts and sometimes finding out McGonagall is teaching when going to the Transfiguration classroom and asking you what the hell you were doing

50 OR 75 BEANS FOR WIGGENTREE BARKS?? ARE YOU SERIOUS??

“I wonder if You Know Who is in control of You Know What?” Haha boy, you have no idea!

Exploring the Forbidden forest and somehow discovering some people left behind Wizard Cards and beans

Having to fight Aragog and his children

Exploring the Chamber of Secrets and discovering the Basilisk wasn’t on his own since it’s also infested by pixies, fire crabs, imps and spiders.

Harry doing an Indiana Jones ripoff, running in the chamber from a big rock

Fighting the Basilisk

Being able to do Wizard duels

Somehow being able to cast Rictusempra at the pigs, near Hagrid’s hut??

The Golden Wizard Cards challenge!

Moving stairs!

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

THE MENU MUSIC THEME! I STILL SHIVER WHILE LISTENING TO IT!

Being able to play Ron and Hermione as well (I used to complain because I wanted to be able to play Hermione more)

Discovering the Hogwarts Express for the very first time in PC games

Same with the Shrieking Shack

Wondering what happened to the Flipendo spell (I missed it, it was such an awesome spell)

At least, they kept the Spongify spell, as well as the Lumos gargoyles

Rictusempra being somehow replaced with Depulso (same symbol, same colour, different name??) and being used like the Flipendo spell

But the Rictusempra still being here but… different colour and symbol??

Ron’s sense of humor

The design/art style for everything changed in this game: Hogwarts, the beans, chocolate frogs, … but it was well done!

Some awesome spells to learn, such as: Carpe Retractum, Lapifors, Dragonifors, Glacius and of course, Expecto Patronum

Those spells you could only cast when you were together with Ron and Hermione

Flying books and the Monster Book of Monsters's Encounters aka the bane of my existence

Wizards Cards somehow not being only about famous wizards but also famous witches, hags, vampires, giants, dwarves, fantastic beasts, … which was awesome!

The Bonus Beans Room aka IT'S RAINING BEANS! HALLELUJAH, IT'S RAINING BEANS!

Hippogriff flying courses, that were awesome

Buying Portrait Passwords to discover secrets areas containing beans, candies, wizard cards but also pixies, imps and flying books

Peeves challenging you more than once (in my opinion, he was more of a nuisance in this game than the previous two)

The challenge stars from HP1 and HP2 being replaced by challenge shields

Spells somehow not being effective anymore against imps and imps now using Wizard Crackers to hurt you

Being able to collect not only beans but also pumpkin pasties and cauldron cakes

Portraits that provided shortcuts to every floor in the castle, which was really nice when you were feeling lazy haha!

The return of the moving stairs!

The return of the rude Slytherin kids (“Buzz off! Can't you see I'm a Slytherin?”)

“Harry! Come over here!”

Fred and George's shop

That big special card in the shop you would get for free if you collected all Wizard Cards

Using the Carpe Retractum spell to pull things toward you or to pull yourself toward something

The mini games: Pixie challenge, Hippogriff flying courses and the Monster Book of Monsters's challenge and winning Wizard Cards once it was achieved

At least 40% of the Glacius challenge being just going down a slide

Secret areas that could be found if you casted Alohomora at flags and tapestries

However, you were not able to do many slides during the Glacius final exam, which was weird

No more gnomes, orange snails, tentaculas and spiky bushes. Instead, we had charmed skeletons, salamanders and bundimun (that weirdly produced pumpkin pastries if you jumped on them) and, of course, dementors

No Quidditch matches you could play, however we had final exams for all spells learnt during the game (except Expecto Patronum but hey! we got to fight too many Dementors for my tastes, so it counts as an exam!)

Somehow, you could also find beans in skulls, pumpkins and flags/tapestries

Malfoy’s expression, that were just priceless in this game

Lupin’s trick during his Dementor exercice, I felt so betrayed...

The game being less into the HP3 plot than the first two games

Trying to find as many cauldron cakes as possible to be able to buy passwords in Fred and George’s shop

This is where I am going to end with the Harry Potter games on PC, as I never played the following ones. To be honest, for me the franchise ended with the POA game. Sorry for those who loved the next games. To me, the games lost their charm after POA, the atmosphere just wasn’t the same and the game added nothing new to the HP universe. They tried too hard to copy the movies, and somehow it ruined the games for me. I have nothing against you if you loved the next games, it’s very good for you if you did! It’s just my personal opinion, I just think I wouldn’t enjoy the following games as much as I did with the first three, and that the gameplay wouldn’t feel great for me.

I grew up with the first three games, so there’s nostalgia of course, but I honestly think those games were unique and brought a lot of insight into the HP universe on their own. They had their own design/art style and added new trivia to the franchise (new spells, the wizard cards, etc), while the following games were more like the movies and brought nothing new (or too little). And, yes of course, the POA PC game copied a little of the movie (like Hogwarts or some of the actors’s face), but there was still some new things to discover.Anyway, I hope you liked this post and thanks for reading! Maybe, one day, I’ll do a similar post with the Harry Potter games on gameboy color (I only played the first two however, as HP3 never came out for gameboy color, only gameboy advance)

#harry potter #harry potter games #harry potter pc game #harry potter pc games #harry potter and the sorcerer's stone #harry potter and the philosopher's stone #harry potter and the chamber of secrets #harry potter and the prisoner of azkaban #harry potter is serious business