Chapter 15: Breaking Point
Marinette took a deep breath. She loved Alya. Truly she did. But it had been more than a week since the meeting in Headmaster Fu's office and Alya refused to leave it alone.
I honestly don't know why I'm surprised. Marinette thought gloomily, rubbing her forehead while Nino consolingly massaged her right shoulder. Nino had also been told what happened, but after asking one or two questions immediately after, he quickly left it at that, knowing full well that Alya would have a list of questions she wanted answered, and that Marinette would have her hands full with the self proclaimed "investigative journalist".
As Alya went on another tangent about how she still couldn't believe that Marinette didn't want to hear the prophecy, Marinette heaved a sigh and turned her attention to a nearby window.
The first week of November had now passed, and the sky was now perpetually grey, a hazard of going to school in Scotland. It had yet to snow, though it was due to start any day now, and many first year students could be found in empty classrooms, practicing their fire and warming charms. Marinette sighed and turned back to Alya. She'd never liked this gloomy phase of the year.
When Alya showed no signs of stopping her line of questioning, Marinette decided that she'd enough, and promptly excused herself. She vaguely heard Nino chastising Alya as she left, but didn't care to listen to what he was saying.
Marinette trudged her way through the castle and into the main hall, where she impulsively turned right instead of left, heading outside instead of into the depths of the castle.
Marinette took a deep breath as she stepped outside, relaxing as she felt the cold autumn air flow into her chest. Alex, who was in the courtyard as Marinette passed, gave her a concerned look, but Marinette was quick to wave her off, placating her friend, if only for the moment.
She hesitated a bit down the path, indecisive, before electing to go left and head towards the Quidditch pitch. She lamented the fact that she wouldn't be able to fly once she got there, but knew it was one of the more likely spots she'd be able to think on the castle grounds, if only because of how infrequently it was travelled.
She walked through the pitch slowly, taking her time, and contemplating the choice that she had made in Fu's office. She didn't regret the decision, but the flame of curiosity had been unwillingly lit, and Marinette couldn't help but wonder just what the prophecy contained. Marinette frowned and picked up a stray piece of broom that was lying on the pitch.
One of the bristles, she surmised, wiggling the flimsy strand and continuing on her way. She fiddled with it as she continued to mull over the events of the past week. The first thing that popped into her mind was that Adrien had put his name in the goblet.
This in and of itself wasn't overly surprising, as he'd said he would do as such, but his face later on had told a very different story from the one he'd been wearing in The Great Hall. He looked almost resigned, as though he knew that his name would be coming out of the flaming cup.
He had laughed off Marinette's concern, plastering on a smile which she had seen right through, but hesitated to call him out on. There was also the boy from Durmstrang, Ivan Bruel, who had done the same as Adrien. But while Adrien had played to the crowd, Ivan had merely strode up to the goblet with a confident expression and dropped in his name, not a smile to be found on his face.
From Hogwarts, a myriad of people had entered their names causing Malcolm Hall, a sixth year Gryffindor, to start a betting pool. Many had entered bets, but the general consensus was that the name coming out of the Goblet would most likely be one of six people. Jared Duncan was favored to be sixth, while Xander Yates was fifth most likely. Alec Cataldi, a sixth year Ravenclaw was fourth. Sherri Watts, a seventh year Gryffindor and Kim Le Chien, a Gryffindor in her year were tied for second. And in first… One Marinette Dupain-Cheng. She scowled and snapped the bristle in her hand at the thought.
Marinette was the only one on the list who hadn't put her name in, yet somehow she found herself at the top of the betting pool, and quite frankly, she couldn't blame anyone for putting her there. Everyone in the school had watched or heard about every single time she'd gotten into something absolutely ludicrous while attending Hogwarts. She honestly wouldn't even be surprised if her name came out of that stupid flaming goblet in three days.
Aside from that drama, there were also the issues that came from apparently being the subject of a prophecy. It wasn't like the entire school knew, but the people that did had been acting strangely around her. Not in a truly meaningful way, but enough that Marinette had noticed.
Professor Mendeliev for one, had been just as cold as she had always been, but practically flinched away when Marinette had walked up to her desk to turn in her potion, refusing to make eye contact.
Professor Bustier had been more strict with her than usual, starting to lecture here about her effort levels, which had come to a head when the professor docked Marinette points for a "lack of effort." Marinette was incensed, not least because she'd been the only one to successfully change her teapot into a tortoise at that point.
She'd stormed out of Bustier's class in a huff and promptly fallen on her face directly in front of Professor D'Argencourt, who helped collect her things with a wave of his wand, before striding off down the corridor without saying a word.
Easily the most irritating though, was Professor Jagged Stone, who refused to leave her alone, but also refused to talk to her either. Whenever he didn't have class, he would accidentally stumble across her path and wave his wand in her face, mumbling spells under his breath, before symbols would leap out of his wand in a grey mist. Symbols which he apparently understood, because his face would often become white as a sheet, at which point he would hurry off in the opposite direction, muttering to himself about counter-curses.
This had set Marinette on edge, and as Adrien was quick to point out, rightfully so. Adrien had been nothing but helpful since she had disappeared into Fu's office, and she was often tempted to tell him just what had gone down and exactly why she was so frustrated with her professor's, but she often hesitated. He had asked once, but she had deflected, and so he allowed her privacy, something she was immensely grateful for.
There was also someone else she'd thought about a few times over the past week, and that was Chat Noir. She hadn't seen him since that night in Fu's office, but there was something… a presence that tickled her subconscious, screaming that he was still somewhere in the castle. Her curiosity had only intensified when Alya hadn't heard of the vigilante, and Marinette had immediately disappeared into the library to look him up.
She didn't find a lot, though Adrien had been surprisingly helpful in this as well. It had taken Marinette a while to figure this out, as she'd somehow managed to forget the French model and Seeker, was, well… French. He'd directed her to a specific French newspaper, which she quickly tracked down, cast a translation spell on it, and poured through every Chat Noir related article she could find.
To her ever increasing frustration, the newspapers didn't seem to know much about him either. They knew he was male and had blonde hair. Some painted him as a criminal, others a vigilante, and some had quotes from furious government officials, demanding that he be brought to justice. The last article she read pointed out that his appearance didn't mean anything when it came to his identity, because Chat Noir could obviously disguise himself as someone else through magical means, at which point Marinette returned the articles with an angry swish of her wand, nearly taking out Alix Kubdel in the process.
She had yet to see Headmaster Fu since the meeting, not even at dinner, and there was speculation that he'd left the castle in order to prepare for the tournament, though Marinette suspected that he was preparing for the arrival of something far more important.
"Duapin-Cheng!" a voice hissed, snapping Marinette out of her thoughts. Marinette looked around, trying to identify a speaker.
"Over here!" The voice called again, exasperated.
Marinette turned to her left, in time to see a cloaked figure disappear behind one of the grandstands. Marinette hesitated and drew her wand as a precaution. She swiftly crept around the side of the stands, before whirling around the corner, to find the figure standing their impassively.
"I don't typically follow mysterious cloaked persons anywhere, just on principle," Marinette said dryly, causing the figure to chuckle. "However, as I know who you are, I'll let it slide. Chat Noir."
The figure reached up, making his hands visible for the first time, and lowered his hood. "How did you know?" The cat ears adorned in his hair twitched towards her.
"Honestly?" Marinette lowered her wand, but didn't put it away. "Just a feeling. What can I do for you?"
Chat smirked, then sighed and glanced around the quidditch pitch. "I used to love this sport," he began, looking at the goalposts forlornly. "The people, the fans, the excitement… I loved every moment." His expression turned sour. "I hate it now."
Marinette followed his gaze to the goalposts, before turning back to him. "Why do you hate it?" she asked, curiosity getting the better of her.
"Several reasons," he replied. "Many of which stem from my family. Their obsession with my playing got to be so much, it sapped any enjoyment I once derived from it." His green eyes turned back to hers, and Marinette drank them in, fascinated at their unique cat-like design. He let out a soft chuckle, before his expression once more became serious.
"That's not why I called you over, of course," he admitted, reaching into one of his pockets.
"I didn't think so," Marinette replied, turning her attention to what he was pulling out.
"Do you know what this is?" he asked, pulling out a glass ball. Marinette frowned at it, observing it's pale blue shade and the smoke that roiled within. It took her a moment, but it soon clicked, her brain dredging up the information from when she'd seen it in one of Nino's Divination textbooks.
"That's a prophecy sphere," she said, glancing back up to him for confirmation, which he gave with a brief nod. A realization struck her. "Is it mine? It had better not be mine,"
Her voice had become a growl. She pointed her wand at his face.
"It's not yours," Chat said reassuringly. "I do need to talk to you about yours though."
Marinette glared at him. "I already said I don't-"
"Not like that," he interrupted, causing Marinette to pull up short. Taking her confused look as an invitation, he continued. "Do you know where these are kept?"
Marinette shook her head in a negative and folded her arms, scowl never leaving her face.
"In France," he began, "we keep these in a specialized, concealed facility, which is under constant guard. In England, your Ministry keeps them in The Department of Mysteries. Do you know what the Department of Mysteries is?" He turned his attention to the glowing orb in his hands.
"Vaguely," Marinette said. "They mostly keep it under wraps. It's full of things we don't understand and so they experiment with them to try and figure them out right?"
"Correct," Chat confirmed, tossing the sphere up into the air. It seemed to float for a moment against the cloudy sky, before it descended back down into his waiting hand. "Do you know what else the Department of Mysteries is?" he inquired, still flipping the orb in his hands.
"What?" Marinette asked, her curiosity stoked.
Chat launched the orb into the sky, whipped out his wand, and without a word, caused the sphere to shatter several feet above their heads. A pale figure began to form from the smoke, but he swiftly sent another spell through it, dispelling it. He slowly turned his attention back to Marinette who had her wand pointed at him again, but his wand had already disappeared back into the depths of his cloak.
"Unguarded," he said darkly.
Marinette's jaw dropped. "Unguarded?" she spluttered. "That's insane!"
Chat shook his head. "It took me ten minutes to walk into the ministry, find the Hall of Prophecy, and take the exact one I was looking for. Did you know they have a directory?" He added the last question with mock cheerfulness, while Marinette was reeling from what he was telling her.
"But… why?" She finally asked, trying to wrap her head around it.
"I don't know," Chat Noir admitted. "But you know what I do know? That prophecy you're in? It's missing."
Marinette's blood ran cold.
Chat gave her an impassive look. "Do you understand what that means? It means someone is not only aware of what it says, but also believes in it. It means that they are going to do everything in their power to either see it to fruition, or make sure it never comes to pass. My bet is on the latter." His eyes narrowed as Marinette began to sway on her feet. "Do you need to sit?" he asked, conjuring a chair behind her.
Marinette gratefully collapsed into it, her mind a whirlwind of questions and emotions. "Okay… but why?" she asked again shakily. "What could they stand to gain from stealing it? Fu already knows it right? And he spread it to all of you."
Chat shrugged. "Who knows?"
"What's your best guess?" Marinette asked pleadingly.
Chat turned to her and hesitated. "Why do you care about my opinion?"
"I…" Marinette started, realizing that she did in fact care about his opinion. "I'm not sure. I've been trying to learn about you," she admitted.
Chat's eyebrows raised, but otherwise he didn't react, which Marinette took as a sign of encouragement to keep talking.
"There's not much to learn from the French press it seems," she began, which caused Chat to snort. "I assume that's mostly deliberate on your part,"
"Very astute of you," Chat drawled.
"You seem to be a decent person regardless, saving people where you can, catching criminals, though that that second term seems often attached to you when certain members of your government speak about you."
Chat hummed in agreement and seemed about to respond, but Marinette wasn't quite finished.
"But I think why I really care is… well… Adrien trusts you." She sighed, and glanced away from the vigilante, who was staring at her in surprise. "The little I've talked to him about you, he speaks with nothing but fondness and with a tone that suggests he knows far more than he lets on."
Chat blinked at her once, twice, and then chuckled. "I can see why he likes you so much," he said after a few moments.
"He does?" She blurted, before blushing at her enthusiasm.
Chat merely winked, and mimed zipping his lips. Marinette pouted, but nodded in acceptance.
"Do you have a guess though?" she asked. "About why the prophecy was stolen?"
Chat swiftly turned serious again, the smile leaving his face. "Most likely they are unaware of how many people have heard it at this point, and unfortunately I have no idea as to when they made their move on it. What I can tell you is what I would do if I were them."
Marinette looked at him expectantly and he looked off onto the Quidditch pitch again.
"I would remove you from the equation. Permanently."
Marinette blinked. "You think someone is going to try to kill me over this?" She demanded, springing up from the chair.
"Not necessarily. At least not directly. Not at first." Chat trailed off, eyes distant.
"What would you do? Specifically?" Marinette asked. "You've been doing this catching criminals thing for a long time, and you're strategically brilliant based on what I've read and what Adrien has said."
Chat sighed and looked her over again, a melancholy look on his face. "Imagine you learned of a prophecy, one that could shape the entire magical world for years to come. You know who that person is, and you need the prophecy to go a specific way. You know who the subject of the prophecy is, but you can't get rid of them directly. So what to do? What's the most dangerous thing going on where the subject is right now?"
Marinette frowned. There was nothing explicitly dangerous going on right now. The Triwizard Tournament was upcoming but-
Marinette's thoughts stopped dead, as she realized just what Chat was implying.
"Chat?" She asked, voice shaking. "How often do people die in the Triwizard Tournament?
Chat sighed. "There have been one hundred and twenty-five competitions played out since its beginning. Three hundred and seventy-five contestants in total." His green eyes pierced hers as he continued. "Of that number, eighty-seven have died, and two hundred and forty-six have been moderately to seriously injured."
Marinette felt faint, going over those numbers numbly.
"I've already talked to Headmaster Fu about my suspicions," Chat sighed, raking a hand through his hair. "But I suspect the Goblet has been tampered with since then based on the diagnostic spells I run on it. I tried to convince him of changing the selection methods but he outright refused. I don't know why. I'm not even sure he put on any extra protections once I told him. It's… difficult for me to get in the castle like this. I know the goblet has its own protections but those have been well documented and studied. It's not a far leap in logic to assume someone could have figured out a way to get past them."
"So… my name will come out of the goblet," Marinette said hollowly, her head drooping towards the ground. "It's hopeless."
"You gave up rather quickly," Chat commented, eyes narrowing. "Do you not have faith in your headmaster?"
Marinette opened her mouth to retort that she most certainly did have faith in him, but stopped short. Memories of the year prior were flooding her mind, and she suddenly realized that maybe no, she didn't completely have faith in him.
Chat sighed. "Marinette, I might not know exactly what happened last year, because it was covered up extensively. But I do know that you were wronged terribly. I'm not saying not to trust anyone, but I am saying that maybe the adults at this school aren't the best at keeping the students safe."
"So… I'm screwed," Marinette mumbled. "It's over."
"No," Chat replied firmly. "It's not."
Marinette looked up at him, eyes shining with unshed tears.
"There's every chance that I'm wrong," Chat said softly, conjuring another chair so he could sit next to her. "I don't think that I am, but even if I am right, then it won't matter. Adrien doesn't care about winning. Even if his name also comes out of the goblet, he will do everything he can to help you. And so will I, and so will your friends."
Marinette nodded, and wiped her eyes.
"You aren't alone, Ms. Dupain-Cheng," Chat said softly, resting a hand on her shoulder. "Remember that."
"I will," Marinette responded softly, enjoying the brief physical comfort. "Thank you Chat."
Chat smiled warmly, and opened his mouth as if to say something else, but was interrupted.
"Marinette?" A distant voice called. "Where did you go?"
"That's my cue," Chat said with a smirk, removing his hand. "It was a pleasure mademoiselle," he said, bowing extravagantly.
Marinette giggled in spite of herself. "A pleasure, Mr. Noir."
With a final grin, Chat Noir swiftly pulled up his hood and walked away from the stands, and with a swish of his cloak, vanished. Marinette shook her head at his theatrics, before walking back onto the Quidditch pitch, where she spotted Alex waiting.
"Alex?" Marinette called, causing the girl to whirl around. "What are you doing here?"
"Looking for you!" Alex replied, walking to meet her. "I figured I'd see how you were doing. You..." She trailed off, unsure of how to continue.
"Looked like I had a lot on my mind." Marinette finished with a resigned sigh. Alex nodded, a relieved smile on her face. "Yeah…" Marinette murmured. "I doubt that'll go away anytime soon."
Alex's smile vanished, and she gave Marinette a very sad look. One that Marinette was all too familiar with.
"No!" Marinette immediately protested, as Alex turned her green eyes onto her. "Stop that, how do you even do that? That thing, with the eyes? It's like they inflate!"
The corners of Alex's mouth twitched upward, which somewhat ruined the effect her eyes were having on Marinette, who sighed and looked out towards the Quidditch pitch, where Chat Noir had vanished.
"I think I need to talk to Headmaster Fu," Marinette said.
XxXxXxXxXx
Marinette hesitated as she approached the stone gargoyle guarding Fu's office. It gave no indication that it knew she was there. She couldn't help but wonder what would happen if someone were to try and force their way through. Would it spring to life and defend the headmaster? Or would it merely stand there, immovable? She shrugged to herself and steeled herself for the upcoming conversation.
"Jolly Ranchers?" she offered hopefully. The gargoyle's eyes flickered to her for an instant, before leaping to the side, leaving the doorway open. She moved through and stepped onto the spiral staircase, which began rotating up. Marinette started in surprise, and only just managed to keep her balance.
Marinette stared at the staircase thoughtfully, wondering why it had done that, because according to Fu, the spellwork on the staircase had stopped working the year prior. She shrugged away her thoughts on the staircase, turned to face the office door, and knocked.
"Enter," Fu's voice said, muffled by the door.
Marinette slowly opened the door, sliding into the room, and walked up towards Fu's desk, where the diminutive headmaster smiled.
"Ms. Dupain-Cheng!" he said cheerily. "To what do I owe the pleasure? Perhaps you have changed your mind regarding the prophecy?" He asked with more than a twinge of hope in his voice.
"I have not," Marinette said firmly, causing Fu to look slightly put out, but Marinette continued before he could express his disappointment further. "I have a few questions about the Triwizard Tournament."
Fu blinked in surprise, and leaned forward. "You aren't thinking of competing are you?" he asked.
"I am not," Marinette quickly reassured. Fu noticeably relaxed, slumping back in his chair. "Why?" she asked, eyes narrowing in suspicion.
"The tournament is dangerous," Fu said plainly. "It's injury rate is incredibly high, and while you've proven yourself incredibly strong and resourceful the past few years, I fear that even the most talented student would find themselves in serious danger. Even with the steps we've taken to make it safer."
"And what about the protections on the Goblet of Fire?" Marinette asked.
Fu's eyes immediately turned to her, and he scrutinized her closely, before coming to a conclusion. "You've been talking to Chat Noir."
"I have," Marinette said, finding no reason to lie about it.
Fu nodded. "As I told Chat, the enchantments on the Goblet are perfect. Anyone who tries to infract upon them will find themselves… incapacitated."
Marinette hesitated, half tempted to accept this answer at face value, but something niggled at her. "Headmaster, I have another question." Fu gestured for her to continue. "Why should I trust you?"
Headmaster Fu looked completely shocked, and took a few moments to respond. "What do you mean?" he asked gently. "Have I done something that has caused you to doubt what I say?"
Marinette felt her eye twitch, and a nasty emotion begin to pool in the pit of her stomach. One she couldn't quite identify it yet. "Headmaster," she began, keeping her composure. "I'm talking about what happened last year. The complete…" she paused, searching for a word. "Calamity, that was my second term."
Fu rose and walked out from around his desk. "Marinette I did everything in my power to try and fix what happened."
"With which part?" Marinette snapped. "With covering up the fact that our Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher was driven insane and tried to murder the fourth year Gryffindor's and Slytherins?"
"Ms. Dupain-Cheng!" Fu protested, but Marinette wasn't anywhere near done.
"Or was it when you rolled over when the ministry official told you to let it lie, and threatened me with fines and expulsion if I continued to 'spread lies about upstanding members of society'?" She snarled.
"Marinette-"
"I WAS TORTURED ON YOUR CAMPUS HEADMASTER!" Marinette thundered, fury radiating from her. "And he's still here," she whispered, her anger dissipating "Why is he here?" she pleaded, staring Fu in the eyes, almost hoping to find an answer there.
She found none in his eyes, and she soon broke the connection when she realized she wouldn't find one. Without another word, she turned on her heel and began walking towards the door.
"I failed you," Fu whispered, causing Marinette to halt, her hand on the door handle. "I know I did. I failed many of you last year, and you ended up doing my job for me. You had to fight for your life in a place where you're supposed to be safe from everything." Marinette did not turn around, but kept listening.
"I give you my word Marinette," he continued gently. "I will not fail you again."
Marinette's grip tightened on the handle, as the hauntingly familiar words echoed through her head.
"I give you my word Marinette," she breathed. "I will not let him escape justice." She opened the door and walked through it, never seeing the horrified look in her headmaster's eyes.
A/N: *cough cough* H... Hi? I'm alive. :D I know it's been awhile, buuuut I have a decent amount of stuff written for the next chapter so. :) Hopefully before 2020 lmao. that's my goal. I hope you liked, lemme know what you thought :) Have a lovely day.
Until Next Time
~Nebilas~