Shadows at Augury Academy
Summary: An enchanted school called Augury Academy is shrouded by an ominous mystery: professors and students vanish without a trace, casting a shadow over the once-harmonious halls. Cedric, Sofia, and Butterford are summoned to go undercover at the school, where they unravel a web of secrets, puzzles, and missing people. As they delve deeper into the mystical academy's secrets, the trio must guard their true identities while unearthing the truth behind the disappearances, lest they become the next targets to vanish in plain sight. (Takes place 6 years after my Season 5)
Disclaimer: I only own Jas Butterford, Serena and Charlie (mentioned), and the other OCs as well as Augury Academy. MarionetteJ2X owns Nana and Tanya (mentioned).
Chapter 2: Wise Guise
About an hour had passed when Butterford returned to the headquarters, a smile and a thumbs up indicating to the magical couple that he was onboard with the mission–and apparently, so was Muscles.
"Not going to lie," Sofia began as she took her Guardian's hand, playfully swinging it as she walked with him and Cedric down the hallway to Chrysta's location, "I wasn't fully sure this whole mission was going to happen. At least not with you coming, Jas."
"Really?" he murmured, chuckling. "Why is that?"
"I think Muscles is more protective of you than Cedric is of me, and that's saying a lot."
"Well, he's gotten a little better the last few years, but I can see where he's coming from, considering the…circumstances…" Butterford shrugged to indicate a change of subject. "Anyway, it'll be interesting to see what kind of disguises Chrysta has for us."
Cedric rubbed the back of his neck as he sighed. "As long as it's not an age reversal spell or something, because I think I've had my share of child-style undercover characters." He smiled as Sofia playfully nudged him. "Although, my dear wife here really liked the child form of myself, from what she's told me."
"Oh, a lot," she admitted, laughing. "Not as much as Cedric, of course, but he was cute. He still is." She winked, giggling as her husband blushed modestly.
Once the trio arrived at the back of the headquarters where Chrysta was stationed, they found the door swiftly closed behind them, startling them.
"What gives, Chrysta?" Sofia asked in confusion, looking from the door to her friend.
The crystal fairy smiled apologetically. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you. I just don't want any nosy passersby to see this. It's an undercover mission, after all, so it needs to be a mystery even to our own people. Now." She gestured toward a circular table with a few chairs situated around it. "Take a seat and we'll discuss your disguises."
The friends sat down as Chrysta magically conjured a model of Cedric in simple underclothing, smirking as the sorcerer blushed and Sofia and Butterford fell into soft laughter.
"Must you?" the sorcerer pointedly scoffed, folding his arms.
"I must," she responded with a cheeky grin. "Okay, so here's the deal. I'll teach you guys a spell that you can say to alter your appearance, voice, and even personality. I'll help you design the look and backstory, while you come up with the names and personalities. Starting with Cedric."
Cedric tapped his chin as he nodded toward the holographic image of himself. "I think…let's go with glasses, dark eyes, and a differently structured face." He gestured toward his nose. "Exhibit A."
"Aww, I like your nose though," Sofia cooed, leaning over to gently caress it with her index finger, making him blush. "At least it's just for the disguise."
"Sofia…"
"Ooh, and give him long curly hair, Chrysta. Like, in a ponytail just at his neck. That would be so good to see." She grinned at her husband as he rolled his eyes in humor. "What? You like my long hair. Someday, I'd love to see you try the same thing." She fluffed his bangs, giggling. "I think you could pull it off."
"No promises, my love," he chuckled, reaching up and taking her hand, clasping it against the table. "And as for a title, I think the name 'Professor Oaken' is good. He should wear a fitted dark blue jacket and matching pants, a white button-up shirt and gold vest, and black loafers."
"Oddly specific," Chrysta teased as she used her magic to generate Cedric's image of his character. "Almost like you've been thinking about this for a while, Cedric." She nodded as the sorcerer rolled his eyes. "What do we think?"
Butterford laughed. "You'll actually look like a professor. In fact, I'm with Sofia. The hair is nice. And the glasses."
"I've always told him he looks so nice in his glasses," Sofia gushed. "He doesn't need them except when reading late at night, but every time he wears them, I swear my heart skips a beat."
"Sofia," Cedric mumbled, another light blush crossing his features. "Erm, personality… Oh, I think Professor Oaken should be scholarly yet still mild mannered—approachable even."
"Not too approachable though," the princess added, thinking of potential female students sauntering up to him and asking him for 'homework help' or something. It almost made her blood boil, even hypothetically, but she shook her head to clear it.
"Right. And maybe a little air of mystery…"
Chrysta nodded, magically adding these details into the holographic image as she gathered them. "Okay, and I'll help with a backstory. So, Professor Oaken is from the Southern Seas. He's a noted academic and magic connoisseur. He lives with his elderly mother, taking care of her since the passing of his father two years ago."
"Aw," Butterford and Sofia cooed at the same time, while Cedric sighed with a sheepish smile.
"He likes to play chess, try new types of teas and food, and dislikes tardiness and unfounded excuses as well as misbehavior in his students."
Sofia giggled. "Sounds like a professor, all right. What about me, Chrysta?"
"Just a sec." The crystal fairy finished adding all the details to Cedric's character and magically sealed it into a spell, writing the words down on a scrap of parchment, and passing it to Cedric. "Don't say it yet. Wait till I'm finished with everyone." She nodded toward Sofia. "Okay, Sofia. Let's check out your character." She used the same spell to conjure an image likeness of Sofia, with a simple white frock covering her thin frame. "Okay, Sof, hit it."
"Um…" The young woman frowned, folding her arms. "Hmm, this is harder now that it's about me. Oh!" She freed one of her arms, pointing toward the hologram. "Okay, my character is an 18-year-old girl named…Cam…ri… Yeah, Camri sounds good."
"It sounds like a piece of clothing," Butterford joked, snickering as Sofia tossed him a pointed look.
"Hush. Anyway, Camri is from Helvetica—and maybe she's related to Sir Finlay or something. Ooh! She has his French accent, but it's a bit lighter sounding. And she's got dark red hair braided to about…" She lifted her left hand and pointed her thumb toward the middle of her back, amidst her own much longer hair. "Purple eyes, purple outfit with a multi-colored sleeveless coat and black buckled boots."
"Going for quite the alternative expression, are you?" Cedric wondered, gently dragging his fingers through her hair. "And Sofia with a French accent. Be still, my heart."
"Ooh, la, la," Butterford teased as Sofia blushed this time, ducking her head a bit with a giggle.
"And, um… Camri is a nice girl—bubbly and fun. But she's also kind of intimidating, because she doesn't 'conform' to the 'norm.' I mean, obviously. Look what she's wearing." She gestured toward the hologram, her eyes locked on her identity's steadfast form. "And… Oh, and she's a genius, but she doesn't show it. Like, she doesn't show it off and brag about it, if that makes sense."
"Perfect sense," Chrysta confirmed, adding the details. "And a bit more backstory for her: she transferred from her old school to Augury Academy, because of the school's specialization in potions, which is her passion. She wanted a challenge, and the last school wasn't giving it to her, so she made a decision for herself. Her parents both support her, even though they don't understand her eccentric style or personality. But they still love her and brag about her to their circle of friends, because she wants to be a magical chemist someday."
"Aw, that's a sweet addition, Chrysta." Sofia smiled. "I like that story. It's sweet. Okay, Jas, your turn!"
Chrysta finalized Sofia's character and penned the specific spell for her, passing her the parchment. Seeing Butterford waiting patiently, she grinned and crafted his own holographic image, standing in a simple undershirt and shorts. "What you got, Jas?"
"Riley Weisz," he answered simply. "I always liked the name Riley. It can be both masculine and feminine, and well…" He gestured toward himself. "I guess that fits with the whole theme of literally 'me.' Ah… Let's see." He pointed toward his character's hair. "Dark brown hair tied back into a ponytail. Maybe a bit shorter than my own hair. And let's go with just a simple white tunic and maybe aquamarine pants with light shoes. I do want Riley to be a guy like me, but maybe with a little less ambiguous voice—maybe more tenor toned or something? I'm not sure."
"That's basically you now, Jas," Cedric joked, chuckling.
"I'd say my voice is closer to…a mezzo, maybe? I don't know. Anyway…" He gestured freely. "I guess greenish eyes, enjoys reading, likes to keep to himself a lot…"
"That's perfect for your role as the new librarian then," Chrysta mentioned as she fashioned Butterford's character. "Let's say that Riley took this new job after working in an enchanted library in Avalor for four years, and now he's looking for a change in scenery."
"Wouldn't there already be a librarian at the school, Chrysta?" Cedric wondered as Sofia leaned against him, causing him to wrap his arm around her. "I assume most schools still have one."
"Well, they did, but…she's one of the ones who went missing, but you'll learn more about that later." She finalized Butterford's spell and passed it to him. "Okay, when you're ready to put your disguise on, you say the words on your pieces of parchment. To remove the disguises, you say, 'Redeo ad me' followed by your name."
Cedric nodded. "So… Transformatto secreto Professor Oaken." He yelped as his entire form jolted, and within a few seconds, he stood as his created character from earlier.
"Wow!" Sofia laughed, looking him up and down. "Even better in person. Ooh!" She circled him, grinning. "And you're not as tall as you normally are, so I can finally do this!" She embraced him and leaned forward, pressing her lips to his with ease (where she'd normally have to stand on her tiptoes or lower his head to hers), and of course, she ran her fingers through his longer and much curlier hair. "Mm, I think I'm going to like this," the princess murmured dreamily as she curled her fingers around Cedric's (or rather, Professor Oaken's) luscious curls.
"Do you two need a minute?" Chrysta quipped, folding her arms, as Butterford sighed with a smile.
"They usually do."
"Well, if they'd admitted their feelings for each other a few years before they did, we wouldn't be in this situation now. The goo-goo eyes were cute ten years ago, you guys, but I need y'all to pay attention."
Sofia laughed, releasing Cedric as she stood near him, her hands on her hips. "Sorry, Chrysta. So, what now?" She heard Cedric murmur the de-transformation spell and reached out to him, taking his hand.
"Now, we discuss the mission. And boy, do we have a lot to cover…"
To be continued…
Next Chapter: Augury Academy