Lessons
"Have I ever told you how awesome these books are!?!"
"You could say it more," Alya teases her, crossing her arms knowingly.
The four of them are hanging out in Marinette's room, two days after her birthday, to talk before heading out to Master Fu's place for lessons. Luckily, Adrien is here with his father's permission (she knows it wouldn't have mattered anyway because her Kitty would have just snuck out regardless) as the man has been nice enough to let him hang out with his friends for what he assumes will be the last time in a while. No one has bothered to correct the assumption.
As it is, everyone has their wands with them. As agreed, Marinette has both of the newest books out, open for them to study. They're pretty interesting even if they're kind of boring to read. Luckily, Alya and Adrien are a great help with that.
"So I guess wizarding magic can work with any language," Adrien says from over her shoulder, reading it, "Although Latin is usually used."
"Makes sense," Nino says from the chaise, "Wizards must live all over the world. It wouldn't make sense for them to only speak English."
"And there are multiple communities and schools for wizards," Alya agrees from what knowledge she must know, "Beauxbatons in France, Castelobruxo in Brazil, Durmstrang in Northern Europe, Ilvermorny in the United States, and so on. Latin is one of the most central languages, I guess. It's weird. My maman uses French and Latin. So a lot of people use the Latin forms."
"Well, I can't wait to see what I can come up with," Marinette grins as she glances at the Kwamis who all sit around in a circle, including Kaalki, chatting away in an ancient language none of them can understand. She looks back at her partner and best friends, "I just want to make sure that I make the spells specific enough to do exactly what I want them to."
"Well, if anyone can do it, it's definitely you, Bugaboo," Adrien grins before pressing a kiss on her cheek. She smiles happily, blushing slightly before she nods. Emerald eyes gaze at her, "I can't wait to see what awesome spells you'll create. You're a-meow-zing, after all."
She groans at the pun, both hating and loving it. How did she not see how much of a dork the blond is?
"Dude…" Nino sighs. Adrien just smirks before shrugging and flopping on top of the older teen who yelps with a bit of laughter, "You are definitely a cat. And now you're squishing me, dude."
"Careful over there," Alya chuckles before teasing the two playfully, "Keep this up and we're going to assume you're dating instead…"
"Alya…you're the only one for me," Nino gasps before hugging Adrien close. The younger looks super satisfied as he starts to purr, "But Adrien is my bro! We're besties! And look! He is so touch-starved. He needs this."
"No doubt about that," Marinette nods before rolling her eyes goodnaturedly, "But we really should be focusing on our abilities. We will meet Master Fu in a bit."
"Noooo…" Adrien practically whines before standing up, pacing around the room for a moment before sitting on the floor to pout. It's adorable, "Wanna stay here…"
"You're a big baby kitten …"
"Your big baby kitten, Bugaboo," Adrien grins before jumping up and standing next to her, arm around her as she grins.
"True…"
"So what are we going to talk about?" Alya asks curiously.
"We're the ones who wanted to talk to you," Tikki responds with a small smile, the other Kwamis nodding, "Using underage magic is a big no-no in the wizarding world, and it can be traced. However, using the Miraculous magic won't be traced because it's a different type of magic."
"Okay, so good to know that teleporting won't be tracked," Nino nods before raising his brows, "But what does that have to do with us?"
"Because sometimes our owners have similar capabilities as us," Wayzz floats into the air, "And they bond with us on a deeper level, accidentally or purposely. And by doing that, they sometimes develop our special powers even after they quit using their Miraculous."
"So what?" Adrien asks curiously before squinting at the turtle Kwami, "If I say Cataclysm-"
All of them gasp in shock when black bubbles appear at the tip of his wand. Adrien glances around before staring at Marinette with wide eyes.
"What can I hit that won't matter to you?"
"Uhhh…" The girl glances around quickly before pointing at a pile of crumpled paper balls. They're supposed to be trash anyway (designs that never quite clicked) so she doesn't feel bad as the pile turns into a tiny heap of dust. They do all stare in shock though as silence echoes around.
"So what you're saying is we can use our abilities as wizards?" Alya stares at the pile of ashes before a grin lights up her face, "We can use this to defeat Hawk Moth. Like if I had Marinette's Miraculous, I could still use my illusions, right? That could be useful."
"Very useful," Trixx giggles mischievously before smirking, "Anything the mind can conjure as long as the illusion isn't touched."
"But you really must keep this under cover at all times," Tikki gives Trixx and Plagg hard looks before facing them, "It's highly unlikely, but Hawk Moth may be a wizard too. He will know instantly that you have magic if you use these abilities outside of your original suit. And there's only so many wizards in Paris, so he may be able to narrow down the list and find you. Only use it as a last resort!"
"Okay, Tikki," Marinette nods before frowning, "Does that mean I could use both of mine?"
"Technically…no…but yes," Tikki looks thoughtful, "You have two powers. But without the creation of the charm, you can't use your Miraculous Ladybugs."
"Huh…" Marinette nods in understanding before she glances at the second book that is open on a diagram of the yin and yang symbol, showing how creation can't exist without destruction and vice versa, "Wait a second…If Adrien and my powers are equal, does he have another power?"
"Oh finally!" Plagg perks up before floating around Adrien's head as he gazes with wide eyes, "This is why Pigtails is the smart one in this relationship. I was waiting for you to ask that, kid. Geez…"
"Hey, I wasn't thinking about any extra abilities," the blond huffs before shaking his head, "I had other things to think about."
"Like your girlfriend," Plagg teases.
"Yeah," Adrien says softly, so openly as he gazes at her, "Exactly."
"Ewww…" Plagg gags before rolling his eyes and grabbing a piece of Camembert from the other's jacket, munching a bit, "Seriously, I thought this lovesick gross mushy stuff would have quit when you actually started dating her. Ladybug this and Marinette that. Blehggg!"
He gulps the cheese down before huffing.
"Anyway, you also have the power of Misfortune," the black cat says from the air. Marinette blinks before deciding to listen in.
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"Anyway, you also have the power of Misfortune," Adrien raises a brow, glancing at his friends before watching Plagg. The Kwami seems serious, "It's kind of like Sugar Cube's Miraculous Ladybugs in reverse. It can't be summoned unless you use Cataclysm first. It basically can send a person bad luck for as long as its duration, you're Chat Noir, or until Ladybug's Miraculous Ladybugs get rid of it. Pretty handy for Akumatized people honestly. All those minor annoyances pile up and wear them down."
"Why didn't you say anything sooner?" Adrien groans before sending the god an exasperated look, "That could have been super useful before."
"Says Mr. Reckless," his girlfriend teases softly, "I remember when we started as heroes, you didn't even let your Kwami explain your own power."
"Fair enough…" Adrien blushes slightly before rubbing his head, "I was so excited to get out of the house…"
"I know," Marinette laughs before rubbing his head where his fake ears would be as Chat Noir. He leans into the touch, just holding in the vibrations in his chest, "I love that about you. It's just a bit bothersome during times where we shouldn't attack first."
"Whoops," Adrien says sheepishly.
"Hey, that's what makes us great partners," the other chuckles before bopping his nose playfully, "You are good at reacting on instinct and I take my time to figure out a strategy. Both have saved us more than I can count."
"You're right, My Lady," Adrien nods before pressing a kiss on her hand, grinning happily, "I'm glad you're my partner."
"Me too, Kitty," Marinette grins before hugging him close. He nearly sobs at the touch, breathing in her scent. His sense of smell is definitely heightened and he enjoys the flavors in his nose, "Me too."
"Awww…you guys are so adorable!" Alya takes some photos of them on her phone, making him glance over at her, "But we have a little problem…how will we know if an Akuma attack happens??? Technology doesn't work so our phones are out of the picture while we're there."
"Aghhhhhhh…did you have to remind me?" Nino practically cries, "I don't know what I'm going to do without my beats. I can make due without the movies and stuff but I need to jam out to focus on stuff…"
"You'll be okay," Adrien reassures him before placing his arm around his best friend's shoulder, "Besides, if anyone can make your music work in there, it'll be us. Marinette is wickedly creative with everything, Alya is great at finding out new information, and you're persistent when you want to be."
"And you're always keeping our spirits up," Nino grins widely, hugging him tightly for a moment before nodding, "We'll make something up. As for notifications…maybe we can enchant something like a coin or something that buzzes when it senses Akumatized magic in Paris? We should be able to do that, right?"
"That is a very good idea," Tikki smiles before thinking it over, "As we said before, wizarding magic is quite different from Miraculous magic. The same can be said for specific Miraculouses. The Ladybug transformation magic has a different signature than the Chat Noir one and so forth. We can set a perimeter that can sense Nooroo or Duusu's energy. It won't be specific enough to tell us where they are or what is going on, but we'd know as soon as they have transformed."
"And that can be helpful so we can get back here before too much happens," Marinette agrees with a small determined nod, "I think we should have the objects linked up if we need to communicate in class or something. But it would probably be a good idea to not have it be understandable by others."
"But none of us know any languages that the others won't know," Alya points out before waving at the first book, "I'm pretty sure translation spells exist too."
An idea forms in his mind. He remembers being bored at the age of ten and learning about Morse code during that time. He's fluent in it now, and he can definitely teach his friends how to use it.
"Would anyone know Morse code there?"
"I doubt it," the brunette shrugs, "Most wizards rarely have much to do with the non-magical world. And if they do, they're likely muggle-born. Even then it's pretty rare for people to know about it."
"I could show you guys how to use Morse code," Adrien offers hopefully, "It's not too hard if you want to learn it."
"And we could color code it," Alya grins excitedly, "Red or pink for Marinette, black for you, orange for me, and green for Nino."
"That's a great idea, babe," Nino nods before hugging her close, "If one of us sends out an s.o.s then we'll know who it's from. But can it be on something other than a coin? Maybe we can all take pens and use them for that?"
"That's a good idea, actually," Marinette grins before shrugging, "We could have a special notepad each that we write on? Then we can use it for more than just Akuma notifications."
"Ohhh yeah, I like how you think," Alya grins before Trixx giggles mischievously, "Instant chat. Maybe our pens can be color-coded so that's how they show up in different colors."
"Oh I think I remember something about enchantments in the book," Adrien speaks up, shuffling through the old book before smirking as he lands on said page, "Here! There's enchantments that let that happen."
"Awesome job, Kitty!" His girlfriend pets his head and he doesn't even bother to hide his purr, too happy with his Lady's praise and presence, "We should definitely ask Master Fu about it. We should get going or we'll be late."
"Alright," Adrien nods before burying his face into her neck, enjoying the moment, "I don't think I've ever been to his place, despite having met him a few times."
"Well, we haven't either, so we get it," Nino grins before fist bumping him, which he eagerly returns, "We probably haven't even seen the dude before."
Adrien laughs in agreement before wrapping an arm around his Lady, unwilling to let her go before he finally gives in, knowing that it's not a smart idea to get caught in public like this. He hangs out with his friends enough that no one will be suspicious. But if he starts acting clingy, they definitely will.
"Let's go."
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Nino glances around at the massage parlor, taking it in as Marinette greets Master Fu. He swears he has seen the guy somewhere around. Granted, Paris is a huge city, and he could run across hundreds of people per day, especially hanging around a famous person like Adrien. He really swears he's seen this dude before…
"It is nice to officially meet the two Marinette picked out for the Fox and Turtle Miraculous," the old man bows just slightly, warm, "I see you're a good match. Good. I never had any doubts."
"Wait a second," Nino blinks before looking at the guy more, realization hitting him, "You're the old man from the party at Adrien's house not that long ago."
"That was me," the dude acknowledges with a small smile, "I heard that there was a party and decided to see for myself. Very fortunate that I was there."
"Thanks, I guess?" Alya raises a confused brow, "Uhhh…when was this? I don't remember it."
"Oh…hah…hah," Nino rubs his head nervously, looking at his girlfriend, "That was the day we threw a party…at Adrien's house?"
"And I wasn't invited?"
"It was a guy's day thing," Nino defends himself, staring over at his other two friends who only shrug and offer him no help, "It started with the boys and us chillin' and then random guys we knew came in and one thing led to another and then Marinette crashed the party a-"
"She did what!?!" His girlfriend yelps before facing a slightly nervous best friend who laughs a bit, "You did what!?! And you didn't invite me!?! Girl!"
"I'm sorry!" Marinette rushes to defend herself, "But you were busy and I didn't actually know if something was going on. I just had a hunch."
"Wait a minute…" Alya gets that calculating look on her face, "Is that when we planted trees? The ones all of the guys were going to help plant but made up excuses to not show up?"
"In my defense, I really would have loved to come and do that instead of being cooped up in my house," Adrien grins before rubbing his neck sheepishly, "But it really meant a lot to have my friends come over, even if I didn't know they were going to…"
"It is very good to see friends who are there for each other," Fu grins knowingly before patting at a circle of pillows on the floor. He takes his spot, offering out a tray of tea, "But I don't think that is what you are here for? Sit."
"You're right, Master Fu," Marinette nods before taking a seat. Adrien joins on her other side behind her. Nino settles down to his right, across from him, while Alya sits across from Marinette. They all take some warm tea as the Kwamis settle on their knees, "We met Ollivander. He said something about our Kwamis being our familiars."
"Ah, yes, Ollivander is the best wandmaker out there. His family has been doing the trade for as long as records show. A good friend of mine, although it has been a while since I last wrote to him," the Chinese man nods before looking at them, "I am sure he told you that he has seen some Kwamis before. In fact, Kwamis are what originated the belief of familiars. Wizards are aware that they exist but they don't know they are tied to the Miraculous or give their chosen ones powers."
"How does that help us?" Alya asks curiously, looking at Trixx, "Hogwarts has hundreds of students, if not a thousand, plus staff members and others who visit like parents and the Ministry members. Even dorms are filled with around five people so we're hardly ever going to be alone enough for our Kwamis to be out."
"True," Master Fu nods calmly before grinning, "But familiars are known. They can talk, fly, and much more. It wouldn't be all that bad for the wizards to see the Kwamis. It's even known that familiars can't be recorded or seen by technology. Only those who know what a Kwami is will know your familiars are Kwamis. Be careful not to let the people of Paris see them, but those in the wizarding world should be able to."
"Okay, sounds good, my dude," Nino nods before frowning in confusion, "Can you explain the whole Kwami power and wizard magic thing again? The others told us but I'm still confused."
"Think of it like a doorway," Fu says after a moment of silence, thinking, "A hidden doorway that doesn't appear unless you have the special talents in a certain power and bond with Kwami who matches that power. Marinette, your powers lie in creation, and if I had given you the Miraculous of the Black Cat, you never would have developed the ability to open the doorway to using your Lucky Charm and Miraculous Ladybug, no matter how well you bonded with Plagg."
The old man pauses before gazing at the bracelet on Nino's wrist.
"Likewise, I have bonded with Wayzz and held the Miraculous of the Turtle for many, many years. Yet I would never be able to open that doorway because I do not possess magic, even if I am a match to Wayzz."
"So it's specific circumstances that let us do this?" Adrien wonders softly, grinning fondly at Plagg, "Having a specific magic, meeting our Kwami, bonding with them, and all of that. So all of us have a familiar. What about Kaalki?"
"Excuse me, but this pony can speak for herself," the horse waves her hoof, mane flipping in exasperation, "I am more of a free-roaming familiar, especially since I am not permanently in use with a Miraculous holder. I will be a familiar to all four of you, since you'll all be using my Miraculous at some time."
"Exactly," Fu nods before shaking his head, "It would be wise for all of you to use the Horse Miraculous, in case you need to get away faster. Oh, I nearly forgot…"
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"Oh, I nearly forgot…" Alya watches as Master Fu gets up, going to another room before returning after a moment, a few boxes in his arms. He places them on the floor between them all, "When I figured out you would be going to Hogwarts, I started making another batch of power-ups for all four of you. I see that you two tend to use the aqua and space ones quite often. There is one for flight, by the way, so you can be aware of it."
"Wait, there is?" Marinette stares in shock before grunting quietly, "Why didn't you tell us before?"
"Well, I just figured it out," the older man chuckles sheepishly, "I do not yet know what all of them do. I am sure the red ones are for fire since the blue ones are for ice. One may also give super speed although I am not sure yet. I don't have the grimoire fully translated yet."
"Can someone explain these power-ups?" Alya asks before remembering some of the costume changes Ladybug and Chat Noir have had, "I think we've seen some before."
"Yes, you have," Master Fu chuckles before opening two of the boxes. She can see colorful berry bundles in one and rainbow dried kelp in another, "Each Kwami has a food they love the most although they can eat any food to regain their energy. These chosen foods are better for them."
"That's why Tikki loves macarons," Marinette grins before hugging said Kwami who falls into it.
"And Plagg loves Camembert," Adrien groans before making a disgusted face, "Just Camembert…"
"Dude, that's why you smell like old cheese all the time?" Nino laughs as the blond crosses his arms, "I always wondered but I didn't want to be rude."
"Yep," Adrien huffs before pulling out said wedge of cheese from his pocket. Plagg refuses to look, but quickly perks up at the smell, heading twisting to the other before he grabs it, chowing down on it, "Camembert is disgusting…"
"No, it isn't!" The black cat yells around the mouthful he's chewing on, "It's delicious and gooey and bursting with hints of-"
"Plagg, we don't care about what the cheese tastes like," Adrien groans before rolling his eyes goodnaturedly, "Gross…"
"You're just jealous," Plagg huffs before rubbing the remaining chunk.
"I can see you two are a good fit," Master Fu interrupts them with a small chuckle, "Good. Now I want you four to attend a meeting that will occur in a few days. I remember back in the day that a group called the Order of the Phoenix fought against Voldemort. I believe they are back again. I dislike sending you into another war considering you are already fighting one, but it simply can't be helped. I'm afraid that he's probably back again. I want you to visit because they can give you more information than I can. And perhaps we will both win by cooperating with each other. I'll give you a letter to give to a good friend of mine. In the meantime, you can practice your magic here."
"But won't we get into trouble?" Alya asks curiously, "Underage magic and all?"
"You'll be fine," the man waves them off, "I am an adult supervising you and the Miraculouses should cloak it enough. Besides, the French Ministry isn't as strict as the British one."
"Ah, okay," Alya nods.
"Maybe you can help us out, Master," Marinette speaks up before pulling out the two books she grabbed, "We have a few ideas…"