Ordinary familiar

I own nothing

Also a challenge if someone is interested

Tristain was a small kingdom when compared to its powerful neighbors, but even so, no nation prided itself on their mages as much as the nobles of that small land. Because of that the reputation of Tristains Academy of Magic was one fiercely defended and its students were encouraged to excel in their studies...more or less anyway. For pampering of students usually gets you only so far.

Louise Françoise le Blanc de la Vallière felt the pressure like nothing before. Today, all of the students in the second year at the Tristain Academy of Magic would summon their familiars, all of the students gathered in the Vestri courtyard to perform the summoning ritual.

Louise had been trying to appear as small as possible, despite already being the smallest in her class. If she failed today...then her mother will probably kill her. She shook hear head, no even worse she will be disappointed.

Despite her bloodline, her magical ability was practically zero. Her classmates could cast the simplest of spells with ease, while she could only cause violent explosions, no matter what kind of spell she tried to perform. This earned her the nickname 'The Zero'.

"Now, has everybody performed their summoning?" Colbert asked

"Nope!" A voice called out from beside Louise, stumbling forward as the owner of the voice gave her a light shove. She whirled around, coming face-to-chest with Kirche Augusta Frederica von Anhalt Zerbst.

Louse glared at the taller girl.

"Louise hasn't summoned anything yet," Kirche said.

Louise growled and turned away without responding, and walked to the summoning circle. As she approached, she couldn't help but overhear her classmates mutter to each other. Most had simply figured she just wouldn't summon anything, while others speculated the weird creatures that she could possibly summon.

"Are you ready Miss Vallière?" Colbert asked.

"I am," Louise nodded, drawing her wand. She took her stance at the circle, and held her arms outstretched with her wand in her right hand. She inhaled deeply and started to chant in a clear, musical voice.

"My servant that exists somewhere in this vast universe!"

"Oh sacred, beautiful and strong familiar spirit!"

"I desire and here I plead from my heart!"

"Answer to my guidance!"

What resulted was exactly what everyone had more or less anticipated: A sizable explosion that tore up the earth, and sent dirt and pebbles raining down on everyone in the area. The smoke started to clear slowly, revealing Louise sitting on the grass having been knocked over by the explosion, looking up she glanced something standing behind the still remaining dust cloud.

As the dust cleared she almost had a heart attack, in front of her stood a person and judging from his dress he was a commoner.

As expected laughter started to fill the clearing, the students finding delight in her failure.

„Hahahah Louise summoned a commoner!" laughed Malicorne, a fat dot mage with too much free time and not enough brains to keep quiet.

„Honestly Louise you never stop to amaze us" said Kirche, hiding her grin with her hand.

Louise clenched her wand tightly, her hand shaking in anger... she had this strange desire to explode Kirche's face in but managed to restrained her temper and sighed, doing something like that would get her in a lot of trouble.

„I only made a small mistake!" shouted Louise at Kirche, or rather all of her classmates. Seeing as how they weren't ready to stop the verbal assault on her she turned to the balding professor „Mr. Colbert, may I attempt the summoning ritual again?"

„I'm afraid not, The Springtime Summoning Ritual is sacred as you should know. It determines your further progress and magic affinity."

„But he is a commoner!" she shouted „I never heard about anyone summoning a commoner before!" She could already imagine how the reactions of her mother...of her sisters, it was to painful to even continue the thoughts. Why couldn't it have been a mouse or a worm anything was better than a filthy commoner.

That statement made her classmates even louder in their mocking, much to the pink haired girls frustration.

„SILENCE!" shouted the professor to his students before he turned back to the young Vallière „though it is certainly unusual, the rules are clear, you have to bind what you summoned."

Seeing no way out of this situation Louise hung her head and nodded „Very well..." she mumbled, disappointment and shame evident in her voice.

Louise turned to the dumbfounded commoner that was standing in front of them, confusion apparent in his expression.

„You commoner! What is your name?" she asked the teen irritably. To think that I will have to k-k-k, do that with a lowly commoner! Oh the humiliation! And what help would this commoner even be?! A familiars job is to protect the mage, the teen didn't seem to be able to look her in the eye much less defeat a common house cat! Ohh the indignity of it all!

The man looked at her with what appeared to be surprise „P-Podrick, Podrick Payne."

END

A/N:

What can I say, the idea was interesting enough at least for a one-shot so I can get it out of my head. The story of FoZ isn't bad, but if it was made without all the comedy/romance stuff would be better. Make the primary point the civil war etc and have Saito pick one girl and discard the rest of the fillerish aspects and you have something worth reading/watching. And that means out with all the horrible clichés and character stereotypes (lolis...how I hate them, almost as much as teen protagonists).

If Saito can be a hero without ever holding a sword or fighting in a war, than Pod should be as good.

And if not...then next time Louise gets Ramsay.