AN: This is my first witch au and it's something that I've always wanted to do especially since I don't really see many witch au's floating around the MLB fandom. I got really inspired after coming back from watching Studio Ponoc's first featured film Mary And The Witch's Flower. (I highly recommend it especially if you're a weeb like me who simply adores Studio Ghibli/similar art styles!)
Since I'm coming close to completing my other multi-chaptered story Tu Es Beau next week, I figured that I'd get started on this idea. I don't know how long it'll be yet but if you're new to my storytelling then all I can say is… buckle up, you're in for a wild ride. If you're a returning reader then you already know what's in store. Mwahaha.
Ps. For my MLB stories, I like sticking to French titles for chapters. I'm horrible at leaving translations but this story in particular is titled The Catnip's Aster (both are flowers and will be symbolic to the story)
Summary: Marinette is a sixteen-year-old witchling living in the mortal realm and still learning how to use her powers. On her first day of magic school in the witch's realm, all students are assigned a familiar. Not knowing what this is, she's even more confused when she's told hers is special. How special can one black cat even be? Witch AU.
L'Aster De La Cataire
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L'Heure De Sorcellerie
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It was cold.
Air thin.
Sprinkles of rain looming in the air.
The mist thick.
Nothing but woods for miles and miles.
The girl with the bright red rainboots stuck out like a sore thumb in the mixed palette of browns and greens.
Her bluish-black hair tied in disheveled pigtails.
Shivering pale hands enclosing on the sides of her mouth, trying to project her echoing voice further and further into the mist and fog.
"…rien!" she shouts. Normally her lips would tingle at the fact that she finally knew his name but now nothing but worriment shrouded her every word.
She runs straight down the winding paths, her boots stepping on puddles causing the splash to sink deep within her black tights covered legs.
She ignores the discomfort as she desperately shouts, calling out the same male name.
Her eyes quickly blurring with the onslaught of warm tears threatening to cascade down her numbing cheeks.
"Where are you!" she agonizingly yells, briefly pausing when her foot gets caught in a small root sticking out from an ancient tree. She loses her balance and lands on her palms and knees.
The mud imbeds itself onto every fiber of her cotton clothes.
Wiping a smudge of mud on her cheek, she sniffles as she gets up again to continue her search in the mystic woods.
Another sharp turn and she's found herself in the middle of a four-way crossing. The fog was so thick that she couldn't read the signs.
Hearing a snap coming from behind her, she instantly turns around and readies her glowing red yo-yo.
"Who's there!" she demands as she awaits in a defensive stance.
A second later, she sees a broomstick hopping its way towards her.
She realizes once she could fully make out the foreign object that it was her broomstick! She rushed into the maze of trees in such a hurry that she left it behind. Sighing in great relief, she whistles to make it fly as she latches onto it and speeds her way through, being guided only by a faintly glowing green stone pendant.
"Please, still be alive…" she breathlessly whispers into the pendant as she tightly clutches onto her pendant close to her heart. The warmth emanating from the small object as tiny and weak as an ember.
She can feel its energy pulsating with a fight left within it.
His pulse.
His aura.
His essence.
Then thoughts and memories and past conversations come flooding her mind all at once in a flurry of longing and desperation.
Every kiss shared.
Every hug given.
Every moment of attention.
Every silly banter.
Every shoulder to cry on.
The broomstick tilts to the side when she momentarily loses control as the warm tears instantly turn frigid with the wind hitting her face.
"I just want you back!" her lips quiver as she follows the green pendant as a honing signal.
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"You better hurry, Marinette or you'll be late for your first day of school!" a woman called out from downstairs of a spiraling staircase as she held one hand on the banister and the other swirling her finger in the air to levitate a porcelain tray containing a clear glass teapot with a blooming osmanthus flower, a glass mason jar mug, and a piece of buttered lightly toasted bread on a small plate.
The woman chuckled to herself when she heard the commotion upstairs and out came a bumbling mess of limbs tumbling down the spiraling stairs.
"Oww" the young girl rubbed her head as she tried getting up.
"Marinette…" the woman tsk'd as she flicked her finger up causing the teapot to serve the girl a nice hot cup of tea.
"Thank you, Maman" Marinette took the mug and wiggled her nose to use a bit of magic to lift the buttered toast up to her mouth.
"Please do be careful and try not to choke on your bread. First impressions matter, you know" her mother reminded her as she added, "this isn't the ordinary human schools you've grown accustomed to"
Marinette nodded, having understood for a full year now.
Now that she was sixteen, her witch powers came into fruition but still young and inexperienced, she was still only just a witchling.
Marinette wasn't a normal girl. For as long as she's remembered, everything in her life was tied to magic and nature. Since all witches and warlocks didn't come into their powers until sixteen, she had been raised in the mortal realm where magic was considered an illogical sin and diabolic distortion of what's real and sane.
She grew up watching her parents use their magic in moderation and teaching her little things here and there so that she didn't wake up one day, shocked and scared with what was happening with her body.
Her parents, Tom and Sabine didn't want her to grow up being spoiled by the mystic arts and solely relying on her abilities for every little thing. So, they had decided to bring her up in the mortal realm, in the grand city of Paris where many young witches such as herself were raised amongst the humans but hiding in plain sight.
It was due to this disconnection that she felt towards others that made it difficult for her to make many friends in Paris but that soon was all about to change with her starting her first year of Lycée Françoise Dupont: Institution For Brilliant Minds And The Mystic Arts. It was a mouthful but finally, a school where she didn't have to hide who she truly is!
She was beyond excited and one glance at the grandfather clock staring at her from further down the hall told her that she was about to be late for school.
"Mmm!" she hummed with the toast in her mouth as she waved goodbye to her mother and quickly ran towards the grandfather clock, tugging at the old face of the clock which in reality is a secret door in disguise.
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Entering through it, she was instantly whisked away to another realm where a dirt road greeted her with nothing but woods surrounding her. She could faintly hear the chitter-chatter of others as she made her way, quickly finishing her toast as her warming tea floated next to her as it followed her.
The most she could do was move inanimate objects and make things levitate but hey, it was a start.
Marinette gasped as she reached the end of the road, in front of her was a humongous building with a iron fence surrounding it. It was hard to tell by the main building but from the pamphlets, she knew that there were at least five buildings and two dorms on campus. She would've loved to dorm at the school but she didn't have the heart to abandon her parents.
She finished her tea and placed the mug into her pink messenger bag as she walked up towards the person guarding the front entrance.
The man gave her a once-over, unsure about her aura and raised a brow as she placed her bag on the table for inspection.
"Are you carrying any magical scrolls or textbooks that are from outside the school?" he asked.
"No" she replied back.
"Any plants/herbs/flowers of the poisonous genus?"
"No?" Marinette raised a brow at the weird question, was this something she should be concerned about?
"Witch or Familiar?" he lastly asked.
"Excuse me?"
The man sighed, annoyed, "are you a witch or a familiar?"
"What's a familiar?" she questioned as the man rolled his eyes, boy did he hate first days.
"It must be your first day here. You may proceed" he ignored her and allowed her entry.
Marinette flicked her finger down making her bag close and follow her.
"Thank you, Monsieur Theo" she politely told the cranky man as she read his nametag and made her way towards the classrooms still feeling lost with the confusing structure of the place.
Nothing was going to sour her mood today.
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Marinette arrived to her first class a few minutes after the last bell rung. Having no choice but to sheepishly make her way inside, she bowed her head down in apology and found the nearest empty desk by the window in the back.
She sat right across from a girl with long wavy bright ombré hair in a hue of reddish-brown with lighter orangey hair at the tips. The girl gave her a quick glance and gave her a small smile and wave.
Marinette returned the gestured and looked away to give her full undivided attention to the teacher.
"Bonjour, my little witches and warlocks! I am Madame Bustier and I'll be your literature, poem writing, potions, gardening, and familiar 101 teacher. I know what you're all probably thinking – that's a lot of courses that I teach so you'll probably get sick and tired of my face sometime in the year. Hopefully not too soon though!" she enthusiastically said as a couple of students laughed.
"Okay so for today, we will start off with the mandatory required essentials which will be getting your familiar!" at this, half the class cheered and started whispering amongst themselves.
Marinette felt stupid for automatically raising her hand but she wasn't like the others. She grew up in the mortal realm.
"Yes, Mademoiselle Dupain-Cheng?" Mme. Bustier gestured with her hands for everyone to quiet down as Marinette stood up on shaky legs. Of course, the teacher would know her name.
Magic school, remember.
"What's a familiar?" she asked, gaining a couple of snickers scattered through the room.
Mme. Bustier caught this and calmly took out a long wooden wand that looked aged from her desk drawer and swished it around in an 'X' formation making the snickering students shut their traps.
"What an excellent question! Now listen up, my dears!" Mme. Bustier clapped her hands and made a hologram appear in front of her. "A familiar can either be a noble animal granted with magical abilities or a skilled witch/warlock who has committed a heinous crime and has been sentenced and punished to serve a young witchling or warlock for an indefinite amount of time but fear not, the wrong-doers are scarce and few. If anything, you'll all be granted with noble and wise purely animal familiars" she explained.
"Madame Bustier, will you be required to have the same familiar for the rest of our school years here?" the girl with the ombré colored hair stood up to ask.
Mme. Bustier smiled widely, "my, don't I have insight little dears in here! Yes, unless both parties no longer wish to work together after several trials of trying to and see that they are simply incompatible, the principal and all witnessing teachers have the power to grant you a new familiar but this rarely happens. Your familiar is not a pet, they are an aid and possibly a friend! They are your responsibility and lacking to take care of your familiar may even issue you to serve as a familiar the following school year so be warned!"
A few students gasped at the prospect of becoming someone else's 'pet.'
"Now to the fun part, you'll all continue to learn what exactly a familiar's job is as the school year goes but for now, we shall start the distribution. Each familiar is unique to your aura and reflects your inner self. Your personality is your strongest indicator. Just because your familiar is a creature you fear, loathe, or simply do not like or see its potential in, be assured that these judgements of character are never false!" Mme. Bustier finished her abridged explanation and began calling the students by row.
Marinette felt both excited and scared to essentially be responsible for a pet that would be hers alone for the remainder of her years at the school because as her teacher explained, this wasn't just a cute cuddly pet for her to play with but a partner for life.
She gulped when she watched the girl with ombré hair stand up as her row was called.
"Mlle. Césaire! Let's see what we have here, shall we?" Mme. Bustier winked in a cheery fashion as she handed the girl a small rounded white stone. The girl held the stone in her hands for a few seconds as she watched the color begin to shift.
Mme. Bustier closed her eyes for a moment as she concentrated. "Determined. Head-strong. Kind. Loyal. These are a few of many wonderful qualities I sense within you, my dear!"
The girl handed the stone that turned a glowing orange color back to Mme. Bustier as she used her wand to transform the orange stone into a pendant necklace. Handing it back to the girl, she then continued with a large navy blue steamer's trunk placed on top of the desk and dug inside of it, half of her body diving in as she wiggled around and came jumping out, carefully holding a hyper baby fox.
"Your familiar is a fox. Congratulations!"
Marinette watched in amazement as the girl came back to her seat, now holding a baby fox close to her chest as it nuzzled into her.
"It's adorable" she complimented the girl as the girl sat down.
"Thanks! I love foxes" the girl brightly smiled and stuck out her hand, "Alya Césaire"
Marinette leaned over and shook her hand back, "Marinette Dupain-Cheng. To be honest, I'm a little nervous about what my aura will say about me"
Alya smirked, "don't be, I'm sure you're a lovely person"
Marinette couldn't help but giggle a bit at the compliment. She sure hoped so, otherwise she'd be failing her humble upbringings.
"Mlle. Dupain-Cheng, it's your turn so up, up, up!"
"Wish me luck" Marinette whispered to Alya as Alya gave her a salute, sending her off to be sorted.
Marinette sat down and took the white stone into her hand. At first, she felt how cold it was until it slowly started becoming warmer and warmer in her held palm. She couldn't tell if her hands were just sweaty or if it was really the stone turning.
"Strong-willed. Humble. Creative. Passionate. These are only a few of many of your wonderful traits I sense within you, my dear!" Mme. Bustier applauded her as she watched the stone turn a bright glowing green.
"Ahh, green. Such a rare color for witches" Mme. Bustier vaguely said as she used her magic to transform the stone into a pendant necklace and then turned to look inside her trunk for the proper animal.
A few moments later, she came out holding a small black cat. Before handing it to Marinette, Mme. Bustier hummed and inspected the cat carefully.
"I-Is s-something the m-matter?" Marinette nervously asked.
She knew she was defective in some way as a mortal realm living witchling and now there was actual proof. So much for her low self-esteem not nagging her for once.
Mme. Bustier smirked and patted the sleeping black cat, "this here is a very special familiar, treat it with the utmost respect and care" she quietly told her before she raised her voice in her usual boisterous tone, "to you, a black cat is given! Congratulations!"
Marinette thanked her and gently cradled the sleeping black cat in her arms and went back to her seat.
As the last of her group received their familiars, she wondered why hers felt so… shrouded in mystery? She hadn't seen Mme. Bustier whisper anything to the other students and everyone else had exotic animals while hers… was so… traditional?
She didn't mind, really. Ever since she was a little girl, she always dreamt of owning a cat of her own but her parents wouldn't allow it in fear of the witch hunts coming back into trend in their eighty-five percent mortal ruling city of Paris.
"Now listen up my dears! Before you grow too attached to naming your familiars, let it be known that they do indeed have true names! Especially the w-familiars, those are the witches/warlocks' types. If your familiar tells you it has no name then please, feel free to name it something appropriate mind you! But in the event that you have a w-familiar, at a later given date, you selected few will have a special private lecture conducted by myself and the principal to explain a very important detail about their names! Class is dismissed for today but you may stay in here to interact with your fellow peers or go to the courtyard until your next class. I so do look forward to teaching you all and hope your school year is filled to the brim with knowledge! Ta-ta!" Mme. Bustier tapped her wand against the desk and in a puff of blue smoke, she vanished.
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"Mme. Bustier sure is something else" Alya spoke up.
Marinette smiled, agreeing, "I like her. So, are you from the witch's realm?"
Alya shook her head, "Mortal. I live in Paris, septième arrondissement near La Tour Eiffel"
"Oh! So, do I!" Marinette happily announced, "My parents own a bakery near the Notre Dame in the quatrième arrondissement but our house is near your area"
"Heeey, nice to know I'm not the only witch back in Paris! Now I have someone who can cover for me"
"Cover?" Marinette tilted her head.
"Hate to break it to ya, girl, but last time I checked, a fox isn't exactly a normal pet to own" Alya sassed her as she adjusted her glasses.
Marinette lightly patted the side of her head, "oh duh, right"
As they were talking, a male student came up to them and casually placed one hand on Alya's shoulder.
"Hey ladies, care to explore the school with me?" he asked.
Alya had switched seats right as they were dismissed and was now facing the guy's back but the feeling of him having the audacity to actually touch her made her skin crawl. She was about to tear him a new one and school him on personal space when she finally looked up and saw who it was. She squealed in delight and immediately wrapped her arms around his neck as she gave him a kiss.
"Nino!" Alya nuzzled his cheek as he laughed and embraced her.
"Sorry it took me so long to find ya, babe. It's a big school" he explained as she shook her head, forgiving him.
"I didn't think your parents would let you continue schooling here after finding out about your mortal realm living witchy girlfriend"
Nina waved it off, "nah, I mean, they're slowly coming around. It's a work in progress but what other option for schools do they even have? This one's the best"
Alya weaved her fingers with his, "damn right it is! Besides there's plenty of room for the both of us here"
Marinette felt a bit awkward and left out, having not known anyone prior to their first day. She was about to open her mouth to excuse herself and pull the lone-wolf act when Alya linked her arms with both Marinette and Nino.
"Hold on girl, there's no way you're ditching me now!" Alya playfully gave her a 'stern' look as she introduced both parties to each other.
"Nino Lahiffe, meet my new friend, Marinette Dupain-Cheng, a fellow mortal realm living dweller"
Nino hummed in agreement and smiled, "maybe I should move to the mortal realm if there's cute girls as you two there" he coyly said.
Alya sucker punched him in the arm as he yowled and mildly jumped up from the pain.
"Smooth talker now, eh?" Alya lovingly closed his gaped mouth and patted him on the cheek as she decided to leave him. "Come, Marinette, I'm sure we can escort ourselves in a self-guided tour just fine"
Nino rolled his eyes and followed right behind them.
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"So which familiars were you guys assigned to?" Nino casually made simple conversation as he showed the girls around the campus.
"A fox, naturally" Alya proudly held her familiar wrapped in a blanket as it tried getting closer to her chest for warmth, "it was very hyper earlier but now it's sleepy. It hasn't spoken to me yet"
Nino observed, "it's probably shy or not strong enough to speak yet. It's pretty normal, just give it some time. I wouldn't worry until maybe a month into school. I've heard but never seen it myself but it does happen. I do recommend to enjoy the silence while you can, sometimes your familiar will be a chatty little one that… won't shut up" Nino's posture slummed at the thought.
"Good, I love a good conversationalist!" Alya kissed the top of the wrapped bundle of furry joy in her arms.
"And you, Marinette? What did you get?" Nino asked when the quiet girl just took in her surroundings as they walked.
Marinette hadn't gotten the chance to fully interact with her familiar as she opened her messenger bag and saw that the black cat was still sound asleep within her books.
"A black cat" she answered, not being able to help stop the frown from showing.
Nino noticed this and couldn't help but chuckle a bit, "you know, despite it being what the humans consider normal of us – it's extremely rare for a young witch or warlock to even have a black cat as a familiar. It's not as common as you think and from the energy I sense emanating off yours it's something… special"
Marinette caught that vagueness in his tone as well, sounding almost the same as Mme. Bustier.
What was up with everyone telling her that her familiar was special? She wasn't special so why would her aura and the familiar it generated for her would be?
Marinette nodded and switched the topic, "so, Nino, how long have you been a student here?"
Nino paused his slow pace and held up three fingers, "I'm currently starting my third year. I'm eighteen and even though you're only required four years, many opt to stay until they're at least twenty-five, hence the countless dorms and why this school rocks. I'm planning to stay here for as long as I can to learn everything I can – especially in music infused magics"
Marinette was genuinely surprised, she didn't get a chance to fully read the pamphlet or notice that a student could study for that long. Part of her felt even more pumped to start learning as much as she could but the other intruding thoughts she didn't ask for were wondering if she'd need to have her familiar for that long or give it back or trade it for another.
She didn't exactly understand the familiar process and was way too shy to ask another seemingly obvious question.
"I'd love to hear all about your major some other time. I'm not entirely sure on what I want to focus my studies on just yet" she confessed as Alya came and patted her shoulder, "same! They have like a million and one options here. I can't be excepted to just pick one per year!"
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Later that day, Marinette walked right out from the grandfather clock and was back home in Paris. She made a mental note that she had forgotten to ask her new friend Nino what his familiar animal even was in her hasty attempt to divert the attention from herself and her 'special' familiar.
She didn't quite know what that meant but tried to not think too deeply on the matter.
Once she entered her home, she found a small vase filled with forget-me-nots, a plate of warm cookies and a tall glass of milk waiting for her on the island counter of the kitchen. Next to the snack was a small note floating in the air. She snapped her fingers to call the little piece of paper to her as she opened it to see that her parents were letting her know that they'd be late from the bakery that night.
She shrugged and smiled as she flicked the note into the trash can. Normally she'd transform it into an origami piece but wasn't in the mood as she took her plate of cookies and glass of milk and made her way up towards her attic bedroom.
Once she ascended the spiraling staircase, she kicked her door open and set her snack on her desk and went straight for her light pink chaise lounge. Puckering her lips, she contemplated on what she'd tell her parents for dinner later that evening.
Surely, they were aware of the familiar rule.
She knew that having a black cat wasn't the most ideal animal for a witch in the mortal realm, especially with suspicious neighbors who already thought her small family was weird enough but it's not like she could get rid of an innocent creature either.
Shaking her head, Marinette willed the pesky thoughts away as she sat down and decided to open her bag to let the sleepy little cat out.
Carefully she used both her hands to nestle the black cat into her chest as she pulled it out of her bag and placed the cat onto her chaise.
She bit her bottom lip, worried that something might have been wrong with her familiar.
Alya's little fox familiar was hyperactive and took naps and was already getting acquainted with her but for Marinette, hers has been in a deep slumber since she got it!
Sighing, she plopped down onto her creaky wooden floor and crossed her arms on top of her chaise as she rested her chin in her crossed arms and watched the black cat's steady breathing.
"Why does everyone tell me you're a special cat?" she questioned in a soft whisper.
She wanted to know what color of eyes it had.
Did it have a name already or would she need to worry about that too?
Was it hungry and what kinds of foods did it prefer?
Was it male or female?
Marinette drifted off to sleep at some point, unaware that the black cat she was caring for had moved closer to her to nuzzle its head against her crossed arms.
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Done! To be continued!
I don't really have much else to say other than Nino and Alya are an established couple.
Lots of magic goodness to come in the near future!
Also, I made their school Françoise Dupont into a Lycée/High School rather than a Collège/Middle School because they're older. (But y'know everyone does this)
Remember to R&R! Plz & Thankies! :]
I don't own Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Adrien Agreste, all other characters and future characters used in this fic.
Miraculous Ladybug is owned by Thomas Astruc/Zagtoon/etc.
I just own this idea/plot/story/whatever you want to call it~ :p
Until next time~ ;D
Please do review! Follows and Alerts tell me that you guys are at least interested in the story but reviews really let me hear out what your feedback and personal opinions on my stories are!
If anyone is afraid to leave reviews due to language difference - please don't be! I can fluently read Spanish and partial French! :) And hey, that's why Google translate was invented after all! LOL.