Hey, OTPeople! I'm back with Chapter 4 of The Magic Between Us. I'm going to explain my sudden disappearance after this chapter. I think I might slip into a two-or-three-villains-per-chapter sort of routine, so this chapter is going to include Timebreaker, the akumatized version of Alec, and the Evillustrator (mentioned). These villains will not be written about: Stormy Weather, Bubbler, Pharaoh, Horrificator, Mime, Kung Food, Puppeteer, Reflekta, Guitar Villain, Pixelator/Digital, Princess Fragrance, and Jackady/Simon Says. You already know why I'm not writing about Gamer, Rogercop, and Lady Wifi. And I might akumatize an OC later because I feel like it. There are a few OC teachers and students, so I hope you don't mind. I will also insert a few jokes about Nargles. Hogwarts will also not have classes on Saturdays and Sundays.
….…...…...…...
Chapter 4: Promises With Paintings
One Week Or So Later
Marinette ran down the hallway to her next class, for she had just narrowly dodged the pot of ink that Peeves the Poltergeist had thrown at her.
She was the best student in Defence Against the Dark Arts, and it was her favorite class, even surpassing her love for Robes Design.
Well, she supposed that being Ladybug had given her the confidence to defeat any evil creature that Professor Timmonds threw at her.
Professor Timmonds was an amiable old man with thick graying blond hair (rather similar to a lion's mane), a mustache, and a beard the same color.
Even though he was in his late fifties, Professor Timmonds was very muscular and could probably tear a Lethifold to pieces.
A scar ran across one of his gray eyes, given to him during a scuffle with a Chinese Fireball Dragon.
Unfortunately, the dragon had also branded him with the everlasting smell of burning chicken.
She ran inside the poorly-lit classroom just three seconds before Professor Timmonds Apparated right next to her and the scent of charred poultry filled the classroom.
"Today we will be summoning our Patronuses," Professor Timmonds announced as Marinette sat down next to Alya. "Although the population of Dementors has decreased over the last few years, the Patronus Charm is an essential spell to learn. It has been known to prevent countless encounters with Dementors from resulting in a fatal loss on the wizard's part. You simply need to think about your happiest memory while saying 'Expecto Patronum.'"
A silver lion unexpectedly burst forth from his alder wand.
The Lion Patronus's wispy mane flew back as it dashed around the classroom in all its glory.
The students gasped in amazement.
The lion soon faded.
Max raised his hand.
Professor Timmonds acknowledged the extremely intelligent Ravenclaw.
"Yes, Max?"
"What is your happiest memory?" Max asked. "It must be a very strong one for you to summon a Patronus so quickly."
"Relaxing on a vacation in the Bahamas with a tall glass of lemonade in my hand," Professor Timmonds replied.
"Seem suitable for an old grandpa like him," Chloe snickered to Sabrina.
"Really? That's your happiest memory?" Alix deadpanned.
"No, of course not!" Professor Timmonds heartily laughed. "This may sound sappy, but my happiest memory is teaching the students at Hogwarts."
Adrien smiled.
Professor Timmonds was by far his favorite teacher in all of Hogwarts.
The man practically radiated a contagious, nostalgic feeling of protection and bravery, which explained why he had been the Head of Gryffindor before he passed the role onto Professor Bustier.
But Adrien didn't tell anyone that the teacher of his Defence Against the Dark Arts class was his favorite, because the news of a Slytherin liking a Gryffindor teacher would certainly earn him some odd glances.
"Now, everyone, try thinking of your happiest memory," Professor Timmonds instructed them.
Everyone shut their eyes, and memories, some recent, some long forgotten, returned to the students.
Alya thought of the day that she and her friends went on a picnic at Valley Wind Park when she was nine.
She had played tag with her ginger cat (who was only a small kitten back then) named Pumpkin, and her old friends Claire, Victoria, and Savannah.
Both Mylene and Ivan remembered the first time they met each other.
Nathaniel remembered curling up in his grandmother's lap by the fireplace as a child while she sang German lullabies to him.
Kim couldn't help thinking about his first broom race around the Quidditch pitch with Alix four days ago.
Sabrina thought about the time her parents gave her the entire Sherlock Holmes collection (her favorite book series in the history of ever) for her eleventh birthday.
Marinette's happiest memory came to her mind immediately: the day Adrien had handed her his umbrella.
Meanwhile, Adrien frantically searched his brain for something, anything that made him happy.
While everyone's eyes were shut, Tikki and Plagg gestured to Adrien and Marinette's Miraculouses.
They reluctantly took off the earrings and the ring and slipped them inside their pockets.
Tikki and Plagg disappeared.
"Wands out! Now, try to summon your Patronus!" Professor Timmonds commanded his students.
Everyone drew out their wands.
Marinette thought of Adrien, the sound of the cold rain against the umbrella.
That rainy day was anything but dreary.
A warm feeling blossomed in her stomach.
"Expecto Patronum!" Marinette confidently said.
An elegant swan burst forth from her wand, swimming through the air like it was drifting across a pond.
"That was spectacular, Marinette!" Alya cheered.
The swan slowed down and faded.
Soon, Ivan's grizzly bear cradled Mylene's tiny mouse in its arms.
"Awwwww, they're so adorable!" Rose squealed as her nightingale flew around Juleka's wide-eyed fruit bat.
Juleka smiled.
Nathaniel stared at his hedgehog, which immediately rolled up into a spiky ball.
"Great. My Patronus is afraid of me," he mumbled to himself.
Alya and Nino doubled over with laughter as Alya's squirrel quickly climbed all over Nino's wolf with random bursts of speed, which caused the latter to let out a howl of complaint.
Chloe's terrifying snake coiled in one character, hissing at any Patronus that came by, except for Sabrina's sheep.
Max's pigeon stayed in one place, thoughtfully gazing at its conjuror.
Kim's proud tiger roared.i
"So. Cool!" Kim gasped. "I have the most awesome Patronus in this entire-"
"A rabbit?! I get a stinking rabbit of all animals? This is so not fair!" Alix whined as her Patronus twitched its nose. "I wanted something that had deathly-sharp claws at the very least!"
"Alix, that's not a rabbit. It's a hare," Professor Timmonds pointed out. "You should consider yourself lucky. Hares are one of the fastest creatures in the world."
Alix's eyes lit up with excitement.
Suddenly, Kim's silvery tiger sauntered over to Alix's hare.
They stared at each other for a few seconds, a wordless challenge passing between them.
The two Patronuses raced around the room, scaring the Nargles out of wizards and Patronuses alike.
"Expecto Patronum!" Adrien frustratedly said, waving his wand like he was conducting an orchestra.
"Expecto Patronum! Expecto Patronum! Expecto Patronum!"
Not even a wisp of silver light appeared.
"Are you sure that you're thinking about your happiest memory, Adrien?" Professor Timmonds asked.
"More or less," Adrien sighed. "Probably less."
"Just keep on searching for that memory, Adrien. Don't give up," Professor Timmonds encouraged him.
Adrien tried a new memory.
His wonderful, small family.
It had only consisted of three people, but that was enough for him.
His father had smiled more often back then, and sometimes he even gave Adrien piggyback rides around the mansion, much to the little rider's delight.
And then there was his mother.
His beautiful, courageous mother who always told him bedtime stories about the greatest wizard heroes and their battles against the evillest wizard criminals, ones that made him shiver in fear at the description of the villains and cheer when the main character was winning.
But it wasn't working, because instead of producing a Patronus, the memories only caused Adrien to try to prevent his flood of tears from escaping.
The dam holding the excessive waterworks sprang a tiny leak, but the leak was large enough to let a single tear roll down Adrien's face.
He wiped the tear off and began playing a timelapse video of his life in his mind, desperately searching for his happiest memory.
Adrien suddenly paused.
Ladybug.
Ladybug was the blessing to his curse.
She was the bright burst of color in his dim, gray world.
Ladybug was his happiest memory.
He was sure of it.
He took a deep breath and pointed his wand at the sky.
"Expecto Patronum!" Adrien boldly said.
A Patronus crawled out of his wand.
It was a large cat with feathery wings.
Chloe shrieked and hid under her desk.
Everyone else gasped and cowered in fear.
They all averted the Patronus's icy stare.
Adrien stared into its eyes before it faded away.
"What was that thing?" Alya asked, not scared in the slightest of the winged cat.
"Th-That was a G-Grim," Marinette answered, clearly shaken by the creature.
"I thought Grims were dogs," Alya shrugged.
Professor Timmonds cleared his throat.
"Over the last fourteen years, a new type of Grim has appeared. A new omen of death. Instead of a large black dog, people have reported seeing a large black cat with raven-like wings. A feline Grim. When you see a cat instead of a dog, you die twice as fast," he nervously explained.
Alya's eyes widened with horror.
"But don't worry. That wasn't a real Grim, it was a Patronus. Nobody will die. We just have to accept that Adrien's Patronus is a Grim," Professor Timmonds reassured the students.
Murmurs spread throughout the classroom.
The clock reached 10:45.
"Class dismissed!" Professor Timmonds announced.
Marinette and Adrien quickly put their Miraculouses back on.
"What do we have next?" Nino asked.
Marinette checked her schedule.
"Herbology. It's such a shame that Professor Longbottom can't teach us. His schedule is too busy already, and he can only teach the second, third, and fourth-years," Marinette said.
The students walked to Greenhouse Three and saw Professor Whipwind tickling the tendrils of a three foot tall laughblossom flower.
The laughblossom flower's petals shook with delight as its high-pitched giggles filled the room.
Professor Whipwind was a short plump woman with gray hair that she always tied up in a loose bun.
She looked and acted completely harmless, but if you messed with one of her many peculiar plants, she would curse you faster than you can say 'I blame it on the Nargles.'
"Today we will be learning about the many properties of the laughblossom flower," Professor Whipwind said. "I will be placing you in pairs. Each pair will raise a laughblossom flower from seedling to full bloom. First off, we have Adrien Agreste and Nino Lahiffe."
Nino and Adrien high-fived each other.
"Next, we have Chloe Bourgeois and Sabrina Raincomprix. Mylene Haprele and Alix Kubdel. Le Chien Kim and Max Kante. Marinette Dupain-Cheng and Alya Cesaire. Rose Lavillant and Juleka Couffaine. Last but not least, we have Nathaniel Kurtzberg and Ivan Bruel," Professor Whipwind continued. "Go to a station with your respective partner."
Seven pots filled with dirt were on a rectangular table in the center, and each pair walked over to one of them.
"The seed is alive. Try to catch it," Professor Whipwind instructed. "It's about the size of a walnut."
"Catch it?" Alya asked Marinette.
Marinette could only shrug in response.
Suddenly, the innocent giggle of a baby filled the room.
Something hit Chloe square in the back.
"Was that you?!" Chloe hissed at Ivan.
"That wasn't him, I swear!" Nathaniel defended his partner.
"Says the guy who tried to murder me with flying shoes!" Chloe screeched.
"It's your fault that he was akumatized!" Marinette said.
Nathaniel only stroked his quill in his pocket lovingly.
It was still his favorite quill, even though an akuma had landed on it only three days before.
Both Adrien and Marinette were glad that Hawkmoth had cooled down from his sudden streak of akumas on the first two days of school.
A giggle, seemingly from nowhere, echoed in the room as something fell on Alix's head.
"Watch it, meathead!" Alix scowled at Kim.
Max ignored Kim and Alix's usual arguing and ran around the room, trying in vain to catch something.
"Dude, what are you doing?" Kim asked.
"Trying to catch the seed, of course. It is invisible, after all. And it's a pesky little thing, too. Laughblossom seeds love to create mischief," Sabrina piped up.
"I caught it!" Max cheered as he tripped and cupped a seed in his hands.
He shoved it into his pot and muffled giggling came from the dirt.
"Good job, Max!" Professor Whipwind congratulated him.
"Way to go, buddy!" Kim cheered, giving his partner a pat on the back.
Following Max's example, the students dashed around the room, desperately trying to catch a laughblossom seed.
Alya tackled a seed and snatched it from underneath her stomach.
She gave the seed to Marinette, who gently planted the seed inside their pot.
"These things are harder to catch than the Golden Snitch!" Nino panted as he and Adrien sprinted after a laughblossom seed and poked it into their pot.
Soon enough, each pair had caught a seed and planted it.
"The laughblossom flower is an incredible delicate plant. You must not touch its pollen inside, for it will release an acid that will Petrify you. It is for this reason that the laughblossom is known as the 'Basilisk's Flower.' If you tug on its petals, it will let out a soft scream," Professor Whipwind explained.
"Does that hurt the flower?" Rose asked, clearly worried about the plant's wellfare.
"No. It's just an act. Laughblossom flowers are known for being extremely theatrical," the professor replied. "Now, can anyone tell me the main use of laughblossom tendrils?"
Marinette raised her hand.
"Yes, Marinette?"
"Laughblossom tendrils are the main diet of bicorns. Therefore, a chopped-up laughblossom tendril can replace powdered bicorn horn in many potions, such as the Polyjuice Potion. Laughblossom flowers saved bicorns from going extinct," Marinette answered. "Liquified laughblossom tendrils also add a sweet flavor to cake frosting and makes the consumer feel comforted. I should know, because it's one of the main ingredients in my father's pumpkin and cream cheese whoopie pie."
"Very good, Marinette! Remind me to order something from your parent's bakery soon," Professor Whipwind smiled.
"Teacher's pet," Chloe snarled.
Professor Whipwind continued to explain a laughblossom flower's extremely particular diet- pure Runespoor venom extracted from the fangs in the second head with a dash of Nogtail blood and a cup of bubotuber pus.
Simply divine.
"Alright class, time to put on your dragon-hide gloves. We don't want anyone to be sent to Madam Pomfrey in the hospital wing," she continued.
Everyone slipped on a pair of leathery gloves.
Every student's black scaly gloves looked the same except for Chloe's.
Her gloves were golden and had a large blue diamond on the back of each palm.
The scent of rotten eggs filled the air as Professor Whipwind brought out seven buckets full of a foul-smelling substance.
The strange acidic mixture in the buckets were bubbling and were a sickly greenish-yellow color.
"Good God, what is this stuff? Liquid snot?" Kim recoiled, pinching his nose.
Professor Whipwind ignored Kim and started handing out the buckets, but it didn't go unnoticed when she gave him and Max the most rancid one.
Each pair took turns watering their plant.
One partner would dump the goo into their pot, holding their breath; the other would breathe into a clean rag until the first partner ran out of breath, and then they would switch.
Luckily, the laughblossom seed soaked up all of the putrid sludge and the nasty odor disappeared as well.
Adrien grinned as a tiny leaf poked out of the dirt.
"I see that some of your seeds have already germinated. Your homework is to make a list of fifteen common plants in the Wizarding World that are often mistaken by Muggles to be poisonous herbs," Professor Whipwind said. "Class dismissed!"
"Fresh air! It feels so good to breath you again!" Alya dramatically said as they left Greenhouse Three and walked to the Great Hall.
"What's the rush, Nino?" Marinette asked as Nino practically bounced down the hallway.
"You see, during lunch they're going to choose the Quidditch games announcers. There are five positions. One is reserved for a teacher -I heard it's going to be Professor Bustier this year- and the other four positions are for an announcer from each house to keep the commentary unbiased. I really want to be the Hufflepuff announcer," Nino explained as he nervously tapped his foot.
"Who else is competing?" Marinette asked.
"There's me and a third-year guy from Hufflepuff, but he stutters a lot. A second-year Ravenclaw girl named Mireille is the only one participating in her house, so she's obviously going to get the position. Those prankster third-year cousins in Gryffindor, Abby and Zack Johnson, are competing against each other, and there's also an energetic fourth-year named Emma; I reckon she'll win. Oh, and from Slytherin there's a fourth-year dude named Alec who already won three times, but he's got a major competitor. Chloe wants the spot too," Nino said.
"Good luck! We'll bring you some shepherd's pie before Robes Designing!" Adrien shouted as his best friend sprinted down the hallway, nearly crashing into a group of second-years as he ran.
…...…
Alec cleared his throat and practiced in front of the mirror.
"And Mandy passes to Rick- Rick shoots- AN AMAZING SAVE FROM RAVENCLAW'S VERY OWN ALICE PAILLARD!"
Alec looked admiringly at the poster of his idol that was plastered over his bed- Lee Jordan, the most famous Quidditch announcer ever.
Lee pretended to yell things like "GRYFFINDOR SCORES!" and "THAT WAS A BLOODY FOUL, MCGONAGALL!"
Alec grinned.
He headed to Professor Bustier's office where the competition would be held.
"It's your turn, Alec," Chloe smugly grinned as Alec entered the room.
Hmph, that prissy daddy's girl is no match for me, he thought.
A strange feeling bubbled in his throat.
"Show me what you've got," Professor Bustier said.
He sat down in the chair and held up the enchanted microphone.
Alec tried to yell his routine from earlier, but nothing came out.
He was mouthing the words, but Alec's voice was gone.
And then he realized something.
Chloe had put a Silencing Charm on him.
How had he not noticed?
He had felt the telltale shuddering sensation when he enter Professor Bustier's office, but he had merely brushed it off as nervous excitement.
"Alec, please take this seriously," Professor Bustier said.
Alix frantically tried to say something, but he couldn't.
"Please just go if you think this all a funny joke like Abby and Zack did. Chloe, you're the Slytherin Quidditch announcer," the teacher sighed.
Alec angrily stomped out of Professor Bustier's office, the microphone clenched in his fists.
Chloe, that stupid good-for-nothing cheater! Alec thought.
An akuma landed on his microphone.
"Echo, you can make Chloe pay for her wrongdoings. Ah-Ah-Achoo! But I need Ladybug and Cat Noir's Miraculouses in return," Hawkmoth said, sneezing up a storm.
"That sounds great!" Alec grinned.
The akuma's dark magic spread over him.
His Slytherin robes were now entirely black, but a cloak had been added.
It was dark blue with white designs that resembled sound waves.
His skin was a pale shade of purple and his eyes were red.
His microphone bore a single stripe of sound waves.
"LOOK OUT, CHLOE BOURGEOIS!" Echo screeched.
His voice had amplified so much that a few suits of armor blew into the next hallway and the people in every painting rushed to a different portrait, presumably far, far away from the akumatized villain.
Echo let out a booming laugh, satisfied with his new power, as a chandelier crashed to the floor.
…...
Marinette walked into Robes Design, her second-favorite class.
It was taught by Gabriel Agreste, her crush's father as well as her idol.
And the best part?
Professor Agreste liked her designs.
When Chloe had tried to copy her hat design that was inspired by Mr. Owl, he was impressed when Marinette proved that the design belonged to her.
As soon as everyone was seated, Professor Ploytwit began the lesson.
She was substituting today, because Mr. Agreste was 'not feeling so well.'
Mr. Agreste was partially telling the truth; he sneezed every time he tried to send out directions to Echo.
"Today, we will be working on patterns," Professor Ploytwit announced.
A few students grimaced.
"But not just any patterns," she added. "Watch and see."
She pointed her wand at Rose's robes.
"Germino Exemplum!"
Suddenly, a green seedling sprouted on the hem of her robes.
It grew into a series of green stems and leaves.
The students gasped in awe as the buds bloomed into beautiful pink roses.
"You may keep the design until the end of class," Professor Ploytwit said.
Rose blushed and smiled.
Suddenly, screams sounded from the hallways.
"Or not," Professor Ploytwit frowned.
She opened the door to check out what was going on, but immediately jerked her head back into the classroom.
"There is a new akuma. I'm afraid we'll have to practice the Pattern Charm the next lesson," she announced. "Hopefully, by then, Professor Agreste won't have a cold."
She pointed her wand at Rose's robes again.
"Germino Novis!"
The roses faded away.
"Now, everyone, gather around your Portkeys!" Professor Ploytwit commanded.
Portkeys for each respective house in every classroom had been added for safety when Ivan was akumatized.
Professor Ploytwit brought out four swatches of fabric- one red, one yellow, one blue, and one green.
The students each touched the sheet of fabric that belonged to their house and immediately teleported in front of their common room's entrance.
Alix, Nathaniel, and Marinette landed in a heap in front of King Arthur's painting.
"What's the password?" the young ruler questioned, pointing Excalibur at them.
"China teaset," Nathaniel groaned from the bottom of the pile.
Alix and Marinette rolled off of Nathaniel and helped him through the hole as King Arthur's portrait swung open.
Nathaniel and Alix walked to their rooms.
Marinette made sure that nobody was looking before Tikki flew out.
"Who do you think was akumatized?" Marinette asked.
"I think it has something to do with the Quidditch announcer competition that Nino was talking about," Tikki guessed. "I sensed strong negative emotions coming from Professor Bustier's classroom during lunch."
"It must've been Chloe again," Marinette sighed. "Tikki, spots on!"
Ladybug pushed the portrait open.
"Ladybug?!" King Arthur exclaimed.
Shoot.
She'd forgotten about him.
"I predicted that a valiant heroine like yourself must be from Gryffindor!" King Arthur beamed.
"Shhhhh, not so loud," Ladybug scolded him. "Please, can you not tell anyone else?"
"I, King Arthur Pendragon, do solemnly swear upon my own golden crown that I will not tell anyone or anything, whether it be the Fat Friar or a chair, that Ladybug is in Gryffindor," the monarch promised.
"Thank you," Ladybug said, sighing with relief.
"Anytime, fair maiden," King Arthur winked as Ladybug ran off.
…...
"What do you think you're doing?" Merlin asked.
"Ummmm….I'm just...visiting…..my friend in Slytherin?" Cat Noir said.
It was the weakest excuse he had ever come up with.
Merlin raised a watercolor eyebrow, then laughed.
"Good for you! Finally, a hero from Slytherin!" Merlin chuckled. "It's always Gryffindor this and Gryffindor that. King Arthur is my best friend, but sometimes I get tired hearing about every quest he's completed."
"So you won't tell anyone?" Cat Noir hopefully said.
"Heavens, no! Good luck defeating that akuma!" Merlin encouraged the superhero.
Cat Noir grinned and sprinted away on all fours.
…...
An ear-splitting shriek reached Ladybug's ears.
"CHLOE BOURGEOIS, I DEMAND THAT YOU SHOW YOURSELF!"
"He's even louder than a Howler!" Ladybug winced, pressing her hands to her ears.
"You'd think that a Banshee got loose," Cat Noir added, landing next to her.
The akumatized villain stepped into the hallway.
"Alec?" Cat Noir gasped.
"MY NAME IS ECHO!" Echo yelled.
The force of his voice knocked Ladybug and Cat Noir into the next hallway.
They were about to slam into a wall before the sudden cry of "Molliare!" was heard.
The wall suddenly felt like a soft pillow.
Ladybug and Cat Noir gently fell to the ground.
"Who cast the Cushioning Charm?" Ladybug said, rubbing her back where she landed.
"I did!" Alya happily responded.
She seemed to be completely unfazed by Echo's eardrum-shattering yelling.
"Do you mind if I take a few pictures?"
"How are you not affected by Echo's voice?" Cat Noir gaped, absolutely dumbfounded.
"I have three little sisters. This is nothing compared to their arguing," Alya simply explained, rapidly taking pictures of the superheroes.
"Just be careful," Ladybug warned her.
Ladybug and Cat Noir searched the school for Echo.
"So where do you think the akuma is?" Ladybug asked.
"In the microphone," Cat Noir responded. "Alec's been the Slytherin Quidditch announcer for three years in a row. That microphone is practically his."
"Chloe must've cheated her way into the position," Ladybug guessed.
"I'd like to furrect you, but you're purrobably right," Cat Noir sighed.
"I have a feeling that Echo's going to be a tough one to defeat. But first things first, we have to find and protect Chloe," Ladybug said.
Cat Noir nodded.
"We should probably ask the Bloody Baron for directions to the Slytherin Common Room," she added.
She probably thinks that I'm in Hufflepuff or Gryffindor, Cat Noir thought. Never in a million years would she think that I'm in Slytherin.
"Excuse me, but do you know where the entrance to the Slytherin Common Room is?" Ladybug asked the Bloody Baron.
He simply unwrapped one of his semi-transparent chains and it floated away.
"I think we're supposed to follow it," Cat Noir whispered.
Even though the Bloody Baron was the Slytherin House ghost, he still scared him to pieces.
The superhero team followed the chain link until it vanished in front of a portrait of Merlin.
"We forgot to ask for the password!" Ladybug suddenly realized, slapping her forehead.
"Don't worry, I'll make an exception this time," Merlin reassured her.
His painting swung forward.
Ladybug and Cat Noir entered the Slytherin Common Room.
"MERLIN'S BEARD! LADYBUG'S IN MY HOUSE!" Chloe squealed.
"I'm actually not," Ladybug denied.
"Then how did you know the password?" Chloe smugly asked, a triumphant expression on her face.
"Merlin let us in without the password," Cat Noir explained.
Chloe scowled.
"There's no time for this. Chloe, we have to save you from-"
Ladybug never had the chance to finish her sentence.
"CHLOE BOURGEOIS!" Echo screeched.
The couches in the room crashed into a wall, one of them narrowly missing the fireplace.
"Cataclysm!" Cat Noir yelled.
The couch that was about to hit Chloe crumbled into dust.
Echo screeched again.
Chloe collapsed into a dead faint.
Ladybug decided that it was time to summon her not-so-secret weapon.
"Lucky Charm!" she shouted.
Black earmuffs with a red band fell into her hands.
She slipped the earmuffs on and discovered that they blocked out all noise.
"Cat Noir, distract him!" Ladybug yelled at her partner.
He backflipped out of the Slytherin Common Room and hightailed it.
Literally.
Echo chased him, shrieking as he ran.
Cat Noir held onto a door handle for dear life.
"Get his Miraculous!" Hawkmoth commanded his victim.
Echo was just about to grab Cat Noir's ring before a yo-yo wrapped around his microphone.
"NOOOOOOO!" Echo yelled in defeat as his microphone flew out of his hands and landed into Ladybug's.
She snapped it in half and purified the akuma.
"Miraculous Ladybug!" she said, throwing the microphone into the air.
Magic spread everywhere, restoring suits of armor and paintings.
Echo reverted back into Alec.
Ladybug and Cat Noir fist-bumped and helped Alec up.
Later, after Care of Magical Creatures (where Marinette and Adrien had to tame exceptionally grumpy Jarveys), the notice board was updated.
These are the results for the annual Q.A.C. (Quidditch Announcing Competition):
Gryffindor Announcer- Emma Chimestoll
Hufflepuff Announcer- Nino Lahiffe
Ravenclaw Announcer- Mireille Caquet
Slytherin Announcer- Alec Cataldi
Chloe Bourgeois was immediately disqualified because she had cheated by using a Silencing Charm on Alec.
Sincerely,
Professor Caline Bustier
"Ridiculous! Utterly ridiculous!" Chloe scoffed.
"Serves you right for cheating," Emma grinned, giving Alec a fist bump.
"I can't believe it! I'm the Hufflepuff Quidditch Announcer!" Nino cheered.
"Way to go, Nino!" Adrien laughed.
He waved Marinette and Alya over.
"Guess what? Nino won!"
"That's great! I'll ask Peeves if he can steal some cake for you," Alya winked.
"Already on it! Oooh, I can't wait to see the look on Professor Whipwind's face when she discovers that I'm the one who stole her cake!" Peeves mischievously cackled, chucking Acid Pops at unsuspecting students.
…...
Another Week Or So Later
"What do you mean, chess is normal?" Marinette blankly asked.
"Sorry, it's just a bit weird seeing something as ordinary as a chess club at a school for wizards and witches," Alya responded.
Max had recently started a chess club at Hogwarts and posted an advertisement on the notice board.
"Library. Now," Marinette said, shoving Alya into the library.
Marinette unpacked a chessboard with black-and-white porcelain pieces.
"I am going to teach you how to play chess," she simply explained.
"But I already know how-" Alya protested.
"Not just any chess. Wizard's Chess. Black or white?" Marinette asked.
"White," Alya replied.
The white pieces marched to Alya's side of the board.
"Woah," Alya gasped.
The black pieces marched to Marinette's side of the board.
"Just say the name of your piece, then say what position you want it to go to," Marinette instructed.
"Pawn on D2, move to D4," Alya said.
The pawn relocated itself.
"This isn't even the fun part. Knight on B8, move to C6," Marinette countered.
"Pawn on G2, move to G3," Alya shot back.
"Knight on C6, move to D4 and capture Alya's pawn," Marinette continued.
Marinette's knight galloped towards Alya's pawn and swung its sword like a baseball bat.
Alya's fragile porcelain pawn shattered and its remains were punted off of the chessboard by Marinette's knight.
"Does that always happen?" Alya asked, peeking from between her fingers.
"Of course it does," Marinette smiled.
Four minutes later, Marinette put Alya's king into checkmate.
Surprisingly, Alya won the next round.
The girls kept playing until Adrien arrived and reminded them that they had an essay on The Great Siren Revolt of 1593 due tomorrow for their History of Magic class.
Alya and Marinette used up four scrolls of parchment each and resumed their game of Wizard's Chess.
"Checkmate!" Alya smugly announced as her bishop smashed Marinette's queen into pieces.
…...
Yet Another Week Or So Later
Everyone buzzed with anticipation as the first week of October arrived.
Today was Friday, the day that everyone was waiting for- Quidditch tryouts.
Both Gryffindor and Slytherin desperately needed a captain, because Julia Rodson, the Slytherin Quidditch Captain, and Troy Ashmore, the Gryffindor Quidditch Captain, had graduated last year.
Marinette grabbed her Cleansweep 12 and dashed to the Quidditch pitch, where Professor D'Argencourt and a cluster of eighteen students, mostly first-years and four or five second-years, were waiting.
Marinette recognized most of the first-years.
Mylene, Ivan, Adrien, Kim, Alya, Juleka, and Alix were trying out for a position as well.
"Each team needs at least two new players," Professor D'Argencourt said. "Your house's team will be your judges. I am merely here to prevent any rows from breaking out and to make sure that the final decisions are unbiased. The Hufflepuff Quidditch team needs one Chaser and two Beaters. The Ravenclaw Quidditch team needs two Chasers and one Keeper. The Slytherin Quidditch team needs one Keeper and one Seeker, and one of them must be the captain. The Gryffindor Quidditch team needs one Chaser and one Seeker, and one of them must be the captain. Please announce what position you are trying out for when I call your name. Agreste, Adrien."
"Slytherin Seeker," Adrien said.
"Bruel, Ivan."
"Hufflepuff Beater."
"Cesaire, Alya."
"Ravenclaw Chaser."
"Couffaine, Juleka."
"Ravenclaw Chaser."
"Drellings, Will."
One of the second-years stepped up.
"Hufflepuff Chaser."
"Dupain-Cheng, Marinette."
"Gryffindor Seeker."
The list continued on and on and on.
Each student practiced their position and before they knew it, tryouts were over.
The next morning, nearly every student in Hogwarts practically shoved each other to check the notice board.
"It's six in the morning! It's Saturday, why are you all up at this ungodly hour?" Headmaster Fu asked, wearing a long night gown and an even longer nightcap.
A second-year simply pointed to the notice board.
"Ah, I see. The results of the Quidditch tryouts. I'll read them out loud for everyone to hear at breakfast. Until then, I will place a Disillusionment Charm on the note," Headmaster Fu said.
The students parted like the Red Sea as he walked up to the note and tapped it with his wand.
It seemed to vanish into thin air.
"Now, off to bed, all of you!" Headmaster Fu ordered.
Everyone trudged to their dorm and soon fell asleep.
At 9 o'clock, Headmaster Fu kept his promise.
"There are eight new additions to the Quidditch teams of Hogwarts," he announced. "From Ravenclaw, we have our new Keeper, Sam Knobel. We have two new Chasers as well- Juleka Couffaine and Alya Cesaire. Please stand up, you three. You've earned it."
Juleka, Alya, and a second-year boy with black hair and lots of freckles stood up, blushing furiously as they did so.
The students of Ravenclaw clapped loudly, Marinette joining in.
"From Hufflepuff, we have Lucas Morney as a new Chaser," Headmaster Fu continued. "We also have Ivan Bruel and Mylene Haprele as Beaters."
It was Hufflepuff's turn to burst into applause as Lucas (another first-year with brown hair and glasses), Ivan, and Mylene stood up.
"From Slytherin, Adrien Agreste is the new Seeker and Le Chien Kim is the new Keeper. He is also the captain," Headmaster Fu said.
Kim and Adrien stood up, Kim grinning with a victorious look on his face as the Slytherins cheered their names.
Heck, even Professor Agreste was clapping.
"Last, but not least," Headmaster Fu finished. "From Gryffindor, Marinette Dupain-Cheng is the new Seeker. Alix Kubdel is a Chaser. She is also the captain."
The Gryffindors were ecstatic and a thunderous applause filled the Great Hall.
Everyone cheered for their new Quidditch players.
"We're sure to win this year, Kim!"
"I can't believe I made the team!"
Alya and Marinette congratulated each other from their tables.
Ivan and Mylene, the new Hufflepuff Beaters, hugged each other.
Everyone happily finished their breakfast before retiring to their common rooms.
"Gryffindor Quidditch players, gather 'round!" Alix roared.
Six Gryffindors shuffled over to sit on couches that were positioned around a table.
"First off, we all need to know each other's names," Alix continued. "You already know me. I'm Alix Kubdel, a Chaser as well as the captain of this fine team. Chasers, please introduce yourselves."
"I'm Grace Edwards, second-year Chaser," a shy girl with red curls and brown eyes mumbled.
"I'm Jack Miller, third-year Chaser and a ladies' man who is currently single," a boy with spiky brown hair and gray eyes said, announcing the last part loudly while winking at a group of girls on the other side of the room.
"Pay no attention to my little brother. Henry Miller, fourth-year Beater," a boy who looked like a slightly older version of Jack said.
"I do suppose that any 'un o' us can interrupt the cap'n now. Me name's Lydia Brown, thid-yeah Keepah. Plesha to mate ya," a girl with a long black braid and startling green eyes said, shaking both Alix and Marinette's hands vigorously.
"Stop mimicking that awful accent," a boy with blue eyes and longish blond hair said, rolling his eyes.
He seemed highly offended, because unlike Lydia's accent, his British accent was real.
"I'm Jeffrey Hughes, second-year Beater."
"But my cabby accent is great!" Lydia complained, now accentless.
Everyone was now looking at Marinette.
"Oh! Right. I'm Marinette Dupain-Cheng, first-year Seeker," she introduced herself.
"I'm glad to know that Grace and Jeffrey have a crush on each other," Alix blatantly said.
Grace blushed and hid her face under her massive curls.
"What?! I do not- we don't- how dare you assume-" Jeffrey spluttered.
"Mmhmmm. Suuure. Don't think that I haven't noticed you two staring at each other the whole time. Second of all, let me see your brooms," Alix said, ignoring the fact that both Jeffrey and Grace's cheeks were as red as the latter's hair.
The other six members of the Gryffindor Quidditch team retrieved their brooms.
Grace and Marinette gently placed their Cleansweep 12's onto the table.
Jack was using his Quicksilver 360 to sword-fight with Lydia's Comet 290.
Henry, who had the same broom as his brother, told him to stop being so childish and Jeffrey stiffly held his Nimbus 2500 in his left fist.
"Prepare to die of shock. You ready? Too late. Look at this beauty," Alix said, presenting The Valkyrie to everyone.
"Summer Riskins, as in thee Summer Riskins, was your mother?" Lydia gasped.
"Yeah, yeah, let's not go through this again. So I have an idea for a new play-"
Alix was interrupted by a wad of paper that suddenly landed on the table.
"Where'd that come from?" Grace asked.
As if on cue, a horrible stench filled the air.
"It's a Dungbomb!" Marinette complained, pinching her nose.
Alix unwrapped the Dungbomb and threw it back out out of the Gryffindor Common Room, much to everyone's relief.
Alix then looked at the paper itself.
"What does it say?" Marinette asked, peering over her shoulder.
Alix, I dare you to race me. Be on the Quidditch field by 1:00 pm next Sunday. If I win, we switch brooms for the entire school year. If you win, I'll stop making dares for the rest of the school year. ~Kim
"Wow, those stakes are pretty high," Jack whistled.
…...
One Week And One Day Later
To everyone else, today was just another lazy Sunday lunch.
But Alix wasn't everyone.
"No way!" Alix gasped.
It was her birthday, and her father had just sent her what had to be the greatest birthday gift in the world.
"What are you so happy about?" Marinette grinned.
Alix handed her a letter.
Dear Alix,
Happy Birthday! Mom, Jalil, and I miss you very much. It's finally your fifteenth birthday, so it's time to give you an important family heirloom. You are now holding very first Time-Turner ever! Your grandfather (there are honestly too many greats to count), Leonardo Taylor, was the inventor of the Time-Turner. It does not work anymore, but it's still an amazing thing to have.
Love,
Dad
Alix showed Marinette what looked like a silver pocket watch with an hourglass in the middle.
"Isn't it great? I can't wait for the race, which is in….two minutes?! Two minutes?! C'mon, Marinette we have to run if we want to make it there on time!" Alix said, practically dragging her friend out if the Great Hall.
"Wait! I need to get my broom and my banner!" Marinette realized, smacking her head as she did.
She suddenly remembered the amount of staircases she would have to climb to get to her dorm.
"You're never going to make it there on time!" Tikki said.
"But Ladybug can. Tikki, spots on!" Marinette said.
Ladybug used her yo-yo to swing to the Gryffindor Common Room.
The usual twenty-minute walk was reduced to ten seconds.
Ladybug grabbed a banner that she had painted yesterday and her broom and made it to the Quidditch pitch just in time.
Everyone else was already there, mounted on their brooms.
The race was going to be only fifteen feet off of the ground, so those who were watching the race spectated from their brooms instead of the stands.
Ladybug detransformed, mounted her broom, and unveiled her banner.
"Impressive, Marinette!" Adrien winked, sitting on his Quicksilver 360.
Marinette blushed and giggled.
"I'm gonna leave you in the dust! Your Quicksnail 360 is no match for me!" Alix jeered.
"As if! You're going down, Tinkerbell!" Kim taunted.
"Excuse me, but I will not allow fighting before the race!" Max interrupted, flying up on a Shooting Star. "Let's go over the rules. Three laps around the field, and the first one to cross the finish line-" (he created a golden ribbon with his wand) "-is the victor! If Kim triumphs, he and Alix will switch brooms for the rest of the school year. If Alix triumphs, Kim will be prohibited from making another dare for the rest of the school year."
"Let's go, Alix!" Juleka cheered.
"You got this!" Ivan encouraged Alix.
"No more dares! No more dares! No more dares!" Nathaniel chanted.
"On your marks, get set…." Max said.
"Hold up!" Alix interrupted.
Kim, who had been so readily poised, suddenly leaned forward a bit too much and his broomstick jerked downwards so that the bristles were facing the sky and the tip was facing the ground.
Kim quickly put himself back into a racing stance.
"What's the matter, Alix? Are you too much of a Diricawl to race?" Kim laughed.
"Hold on to this for me, will ya, Alya? I don't want to drop it during the race," Alix said, handing her Time-Turner to the Ravenclaw Chaser.
"But I can't, girl, I have to-" Alya protested.
"Guard it with your life! It's a family heirloom!" Alix replied.
"Marinette, hold this. I have to take pictures of the race for the Hogwarts Weekly," Alya said, giving the Time-Turner to her best friend.
"On your marks, get set, GO!" Max yelled.
"But I have to hold the banner!" Marinette argued. "Anyway, Alix asked you to hold-"
Suddenly, the Time-Turner slipped out of her hands.
Adrien dove beneath her and caught it.
"Need any help?" he grinned.
"Umm, no! I mean yes! Thank you! You always gotta be careful, even if you are amazing…..." Marinette stuttered.
Adrien raised an eyebrow. "What?"
"At catching things! Yeah, you're amazing at catching things. Which is why you're the Seeker for Slytherin," Marinette blurted.
"Last lap!" Max announced.
"Amazing at catching things?" Alya snickered to Marinette.
"Hey Adrikins, whatcha got there? An old watch or something?" Chloe asked, taking the Time-Turner from Adrien's hands.
"Be careful, it's Alix's!" Adrien warned her.
"If it's Alix's it's probably worthless," Chloe scoffed.
"Give it back to Adrien," Marinette frowned.
Chloe opened the watch and immediately saw that it was a Time-Turner.
She gasped with surprise and dropped it.
Meanwhile, Alix was nearing the finish line, with Kim not far behind.
The tip of The Valkyrie crashed into the Time-Turner.
Alix crossed the finish line and the golden ribbon that Max had conjured disappeared.
"Ha! I won!" Alix cheered, but then she noticed her Time-Turner speared on the tip of her broom.
"I call a rematch!" Kim shouted. "That false start from earlier messed up my whole pre-race technique!"
Alix gently removed her broken Time-Turner from her broom.
It now had a large hole in the middle.
"Did you do this?" Alix asked her friends, her voice shaking.
"Well, I had to take pictures so I gave the Time-Turner to Marinette, who dropped it, but then Adrien caught it. Chloe took it from Adrien and then she dropped it," Alya hesitantly explained.
"As if! I had nothing to do with this," Chloe lied.
"That was a one-of-a-kind Time-Turner! The first one ever! My dad gave it to me for my birthday! You're all to blame!" Alix yelled, flying away on The Valkyrie.
"Alix, wait!" Marinette said, chasing after her friend.
…...
"You won the race, but your so-called friends broke something you love," Hawkmoth cackled. "Then I guess we'll just have to go back in time to save it."
He pointed his cane-like wand at a butterfly.
"Akuma Kedavra!"
The poisoned butterfly flew away, searching for Alix.
The akuma landed on The Valkyrie.
"Timebreaker, you can go back in time to save your Time-Turner, but only if you give me Cat Noir and Ladybug's Miraculouses," Hawkmoth said.
"You got it, Hawkmoth!" Alix maliciously smiled.
Dark magic spread over her.
…...
"Poor Alix. That Time-Turner was a gift from her dad," Marinette sighed.
Suddenly, a black and green blur touched Kim and he faded away.
His broom lifelessly fell onto the grass.
"What the-?" Marinette asked.
The blur stopped and Marinette saw who had made Kim disappear.
Alix had been akumatized.
Her robes were black and neon green with a red hourglass design on the chest.
She had black spandex tights and bright green boots.
She wore black-rimmed flying goggles with green lenses.
The Valkyrie was different as well; it had turned completely black and had a neon green band tied around the bristles.
Its neat, gold inscription had turned into a crude green scrawl.
"Alix, what are you doing?!" Marinette yelled.
"The name's Timebreaker now," Timebreaker corrected her. "And I'm gonna get my Time-Turner back, using all of you jerks to do it!"
"How? What did you do to Kim? Why did he fade away?" Marinette continued.
"I needed his energy," Timebreaker shrugged. "Besides, he was already a pain in the you-know-what with all those stupid bets. He deserved to disappear forever. And so do you!"
Timebreaker rushed at Marinette, but the latter threw the banner at the former.
While Timebreaker was distracted, Marinette leaned forward on her broom and dived into the stands.
"Tikki, I can't transform! What if someone recognizes my broom?" Marinette asked her kwami.
"Trust me, they won't. You'll see," Tikki said.
"I'm taking your lead on this one. Tikki, spots on!" Marinette whispered.
Ladybug looked at her Cleansweep 12…...….which was no longer a Cleansweep 12.
Her broom's bristles were black, and the handle was red with black spots.
Ladybug mounted her broom and kicked off to fight Timebreaker.
Timebreaker had crashed into another section of the stands.
"Rose, help me!" she weakly groaned.
"Don't!" Ladybug shouted, but she was too late.
Rose faded away.
"Ha! Sweet Rose, always thinking of others before herself," Timebreaker laughed.
She looked at her broom, on which two words were magically engraving themselves: 1 Minute.
"Where is that cat?" Ladybug muttered under her breath.
Meanwhile, Adrien was on the opposite side of the stands.
"Someone's gonna figure out my identity when they see my broom! What am I going to do?" Adrien asked.
"Quit worrying, kid. You'll see what happens to your broom when you transform," Plagg smirked.
"Alright. Plagg, claws out!" Adrien whispered.
Cat Noir gasped when he saw his Quicksilver 360.
The black handle had a pattern of bright green paw prints.
The bristles, which were also black, was tipped with bright green paint.
A long black ribbon was tied around the bristles, one end loose and being whipped around by the wind.
Thank you, Plagg, Cat Noir thought as he mounted his broom.
He zoomed onto the Quidditch field, where Timebreaker was chasing Mylene.
Mylene's Nimbus 2500 was fast, but not quick enough.
Timebreaker touched Mylene and she disappeared, her broom falling to the ground.
The inscription on Timebreaker's broom handle now read 1 ½ Minutes.
She dashed after Cat Noir, who narrowly dodged her.
"Let me guess. We're all playing a game of tag and you're it?" Cat Noir smirked.
"Exactly!" Timebreaker responded.
"Don't let her touch you!" Ladybug warned her partner.
Cat Noir dodged Timebreaker again, doing a loop-the-loop on his broom.
"Missed me! Just a second too late," he grinned.
Timebreaker touched Alya, and her Comet 290 clattered into the stands.
"Well, she wastes no time, doesn't she?" Cat Noir mused.
"The more people she freezes, the more minutes she gets in the last! We have to save those poor kids!" Ladybug said.
She pulled Timebreaker back with her yo-yo just as she was about to touch Ivan.
"Hey! Watch it!" Timebreaker protested.
"Get Ladybug's earrings! Her Miraculous!" Hawkmoth commanded.
She made a grab for Ladybug's Miraculous, but Cat Noir flew in front of her.
He faded away.
"Noooo!" Ladybug shouted, tears welling up in her eyes.
"Wow! Six minutes in one go! Must've been those nine lives," Timebreaker said, looking at the green inscription on her broom's handle. "Gotta go! The past is waiting!"
"Get Cat Noir's Miraculous before it disappears!" Hawkmoth yelled.
"Go ahead and try!" Ladybug shouted.
"Calm down, Hawkmoth. I've got a great plan," Timebreaker said.
She suddenly started zooming around in circles.
Ladybug threw her yo-yo around her waist, her broom launching forward.
Timebreaker and Ladybug disappeared in a flash of green light.
"Woah, what just happened?" Ladybug asked herself. "Did we- did we just go back in time?"
She was still mounted on her broom, but she was about thirty feet above the crowd.
"Hey Adrikins, whatcha got there? An old watch or something?" Chloe asked.
"Be careful, it's Alix's!" Adrien said.
"Chloe, give the watch back to Adrien!" Ladybug shouted.
"Ladybug!" Chloe squealed, throwing her hands up into the air.
The watch speared onto Alix's broom for the second time.
"Dang it! I need to go further back in time!" Timebreaker cursed.
"Ladybug, this is all your fault!" Alix cried.
"This seems interesting," Hawkmoth grinned. "Do I suddenly see double vision? Or should I say double villain?"
"Akuma Kedavra!" he shouted.
An akuma flew out of the window and landed on Alix's broom.
"I'm feeling an odd sense of deja vu, but I'll join your cause, Hawkmoth," Alix consented.
"Perfect," Hawkmoth grinned.
Meanwhile, in the stands, both Marinette and Adrien were preparing to transform.
But this time, Marinette's situation was a bit different.
"Who are you?" she demanded, staring at Ladybug.
"There's really no time to explain, but I'm you. From the future," Ladybug said.
"She's telling the truth! I can feel it!" Tikki said.
"That's so cool!" Marinette gasped.
"I'll go fight while you- I mean I- or you- transform," Ladybug stuttered.
She flew off towards Cat Noir.
"The akuma is in her broom! We have to catch it. Your life depends on it!" Ladybug said.
"Which life? I've got nine," Cat Noir grinned.
"I'm serious," Ladybug added.
Cat Noir's green eyes suddenly squinted.
"Am I seeing double?" he asked.
There were now two Timebreakers.
"That's another thing that I don't have time to explain," Ladybug sighed.
"With the energy from those two, we'll have as many minutes as we want!" the first Timebreaker said.
"I want my Time-Turner back! Let's do it," the second Timebreaker agreed.
"But they're fast. Let's stock up on energy from the others first," Original-Timebreaker said.
Soon, the Timebreakers decided that they had enough energy and started chasing Ladybug and Cat Noir.
Just as one of the Timebreakers was about to touch Ladybug, a yo-yo pulled her broom back.
"Need a hand?" a second Ladybug asked.
"Thanks!" the original Ladybug smiled.
Second-Ladybug flew over to the superheroes.
"They're insane on their brooms," she said.
"Which is why we need to steal those brooms," Original-Ladybug responded.
"Two Ladybugs? I'm in heaven!" Cat Noir said as he pretended to faint.
Both Ladybugs rolled their eyes.
"We need to go back in time again. There'll be less of them!" Original-Timebreaker said.
"They're going to go back in time again!" Original-Ladybug shouted.
The Ladybugs each used their Lucky Charm.
A red-and-black-spotted Bludger landed in Second-Ladybug's hands and a matching bat landed in the other one's.
"Do you know what I'm thinking?" Second-Ladybug asked.
"Of course!" Original-Ladybug replied.
"While you figure out your plan, I'll make sure they they don't touch anyone else," Cat Noir said, racing towards the Quidditch hoops.
"Cataclysm!" he yelled.
He touched one of the golden Quidditch hoops, which rusted over and nearly crushed the Timebreakers.
Their time-travelling process had been interrupted.
A yo-yo wrapped around their brooms.
Second-Ladybug, who had thrown the yo-yo, threw the Bludger at Original-Ladybug.
She swung the bat at the Bludger, which hurled through the air and hit the Timebreakers off of their brooms.
Cat Noir caught the villains while the Ladybugs snapped the akumatized brooms and purified the akumas.
"Miraculous Ladybug!" they shouted in sync, throwing their Lucky Charms into the air.
They turned into one Ladybug, the Quidditch hoop restored itself, and the Timebreakers turned into a single, unakumatized Alix.
"Here, I think this is yours," Ladybug said, dismounting from her broom.
She gave Alix her Time-Turner.
"Thank you!" Alix breathlessly gasped.
"It's such a shame. I was getting used to having two Ladybugs around," Cat Noir sighed.
"And now you'll get used to having no Ladybugs around," his partner smirked.
"Wait! How'd you fix my Time-Turner?" Alix asked.
"Magic," Ladybug winked, and swung away with her yo-yo.
And, in a way, she was correct.
…...
As I promised, I'm going to explain my prolonged absence. My schedule has just become extremely hectic. I've also been writing six (yes, six!) Valentine's Day one-shots, and I still have three more to go. (It's going to be called An Armada of Ships, for those of you who want to read it.) I've also been working on fanart for this fanfic. And right now, I really should be studying for exams. Stay tuned, OTPeople!