Here I am with the next installment of The Owl Family. As mentioned, this AU has many differences, and this chapter will show a few more. We'll also see more of the Owl Family's day-to-day life.
Note: Edric and Emira still wear concealment stones for different reasons. Meanwhile, Amity doesn't dye her hair in this story.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to The Owl House. I only own this story idea.
And now, on with the show.
The sun was out on a new day as King, Luz, and Eda stood on the beach. "Well, Luz! Did you ever in your life think you'd see something as breathtaking as this?" Eda nudged Luz before gesturing to the sight before them…
In front of them was the corpse of a trash slug that towered over them. It was surrounded by trash and muck as flies audibly buzzed around the corpse.
"I don't like this." Luz shook her head.
"Yes, it doesn't get much more inspiring than the trash slug." Eda approached the trash slug as the human girl plugged her nose. "It makes a home, a life from what others have thrown by the wayside…" She pulled a rubber chicken from the trash slug's mouth before tossing it aside. "Until, blam, it gets blasted by a wave one day and croaks from all the salt. And then we get to sell the stuff it ate." She then pulled out a pickaxe and held it out to Luz, who leaned away in horror.
"Please don't make me…"
"Aw, come on, Luz," King walked away, unfurling a beach towel on the ground. "It's not every day you get to go to the dump and pick apart a garbage carcass."
"Ah, nuts to you both," Eda swung the pickaxe at the trash slug, and Luz recoiled.
"So Eda…" Luz started, wincing as she looked away when some glass shattered from another swing. "What if we tried some new lessons for my apprenticeship? Like–" She cringed when something crashed. "Read ancient scrolls or mix together potions, or–"
"Ugh. That sounds like a bunch of magic school stuff." Eda grumbled while tossing an old receiver from a telephone out of the trash slug's mouth.
"Wait. Is there a magic school here?" Luz asked, becoming excited as she clasped her hands together eagerly. "Like winding towers, cute uniforms, dark plots that threaten your life kind of magic school?"
"Mm-hmm. What's worse, they force you to learn magic the 'proper' way," Eda argued to her. "But magic isn't proper. It's wild and unpredictable. And that's why it's so beautiful." Luz stared at her, her smile gone as she ranted. "I didn't finish school, and look at me! Who wouldn't envy where I am right now?" Eda said, flies flying around the pile of trash she was currently standing in, not giving a good example.
Luz's expression fell as she looked away sadly. Seeing she disagreed with her, Eda changed tactics. "Uh… Hey, here's a lesson." She dropped her pick and walked over to her, taking Luz's hand. "A great witch is resourceful, like this." She stuck Luz's hand in a puddle of trash slug bile, grossing the girl out. Eda dragged Luz's hand back and forth for a minute before letting go. Luz continued digging until she pulled something out.
"Oh, hey. Greasy slime ball." She said unenthusiastically.
"Use your slime ball wisely, young witch…" Eda closed Luz's hand around the slime ball. She then stood up and headed back to the trash slug. "Back at it! We'll hit the stink nodes first."
"Actually, if it's okay," Luz stuffed the slime ball in her pocket as she stood up before backing away. "I think I'll head home and look at pictures of animals that are still… alive. Love you, King," Luz walked over to King, petting his belly and making him giggle. "You little beach peach." She continued into the woods as King sighed contentedly before getting back to sunbathing.
Eda just shrugged. "More for me, then." She climbed into the trash slug, sending several things clattering. "There we go. Okay." She tossed out a cheese grater, an electric fan, and a tuba, the last of which landed on King's head.
"Ow!" King cried as he struggled to free himself.
"This is awesome!"
(With Luz)
A monster that looked very distantly related to a butterfly flew across the woods, panting. Luz walked down the path, glaring at the slime ball. "Ugh! If magic's all about digging for slime balls, maybe I don't have the stomach for it." She pocketed the slime ball.
"Luz?"
The human girl looked up and saw Hunter a few feet up the path. He was dressed in the uniform she saw him wearing the other day.
"Hunter?" She walked closer to the older teen. "What are you doing here? Don't you usually go somewhere with Raine by now?"
"I decided to walk today. What about you? Trying to get out of a trash slug-digging session?"
"How did you know?"
"Mom's dragged me into a few of those before," Hunter rolled his eyes at the memories.
Suddenly, a voice caught their attention. "You can do it! You can!"
"Mysterious voice of encouragement?" Luz murmured.
"Huh?" Hunter asked as she walked towards the source of the voice.
Luz looked through the bushes and saw a girl witch with glasses and blue hair wearing a black uniform like Hunters with lilac sleeves and leggings. "No! Little witch girl." She whispered in delight as the teen witch came to look over her shoulder.
"You can do it," the girl stood up, pacing around. "Even if you get a bad grade, it's not a reflection of you as a witch. And my parents are right. There are better opportunities on this track. Now, get to school!" She stepped forward and pointed confidently but stopped short when she realized she stepped on a flower. "Oh, no!" She knelt beside the plant. "Oh, little friend! I'm sorry!" She repeatedly traced a spell circle as small green lights descended on the flower. Seconds later, the flower perked back up and fully bloomed.
Luz gasped quietly in amazement.
"Oh, it's Willow," Hunter recognized her.
"You know her?" The human looked at him.
"She's a friend of mine. Wanna meet her?"
"Por favor!" Luz brightened eagerly.
"Alright, then come on," Hunter laughed as he gestured for her to follow him. "Hey, Willow!"
The girl witch looked up as Hunter and Luz approached her before getting up. "Hi, Hunter. I thought you were already at school."
"I decided to walk today. Hey, shouldn't you be prepping your–?" A rattling sound cut him off as they all turned to a pot and wagon beside them before it spilled. Luz jumped back in surprise when a purple substance and an eyeball poured out, blinking and groaning. "That answered my question," Hunter muttered.
"What is this stuff?" Luz asked.
"An abomination… Or at least it's supposed to be one."
"Sorry about that," Willow apologized, blushing slightly in embarrassment.
"It's okay. I mess up stuff all the time," Luz replied. Suddenly, Willow got very close to her, forcing the human girl to lean back.
"So… circly." She said, noticing the human girl's ears. Luz squealed and covered her ears before Willow gasped in realization. "You're human! This is astounding!" She said excitedly as she moved around Luz to get a good look at her. "A human on the Boiling Isles! How'd you get here? What are you doing here with my friend? Hunter, where did she come from?"
"Okay, okay, easy, Willow," Hunter calmed down the other witch as he eased them apart. "Willow, this is Luz, the human. She followed Owlbert through the portal and decided to stick around. Luz, this is my friend, Willow."
"I saw what you did with that flower! It was just… wow!" Luz complimented her.
"Thanks, but…" Willow smiled before frowning. "I'm not even supposed to be doing plant magic. My parents put me in the abomination track at school."
Luz squealed, suddenly grabbing Willow and surprising Hunter. "Like, magic school?" Willow nodded, and Luz's smile grew. "That's so cool!" the human girl gushed, letting Willow go. "I'm so jealous. I have a teacher, but her lessons are a bit… untraditional. I bet she wouldn't even let me enroll."
"Don't be too hard on her. Mom doesn't have the best experience at Hexside." Hunter explained.
Blinking, Luz turned to him. "Wait, do you go to magic school?"
"Yeah, but that was Raine's idea."
"Oh," She replied before getting back on point. "Still, I wish I could spend one day there."
"I wish I could get a passing grade for once. Then people would stop calling me 'Half-a-Witch Willow.'" Willow kicked her spilled abomination, which groaned in response.
"Willow, I really think you should talk to Principal Bump about switching tracks," Hunter told her honestly. "You're only hurting yourself by sticking with a magic you're… well…"
"You can say it."
"I'm still working on sensitivity."
"I know, and you're right. Still, I just want to make the kids in class eat their words, just once."
Luz looked at her sympathetically before glancing down at the abomination remains, and an idea came to her: "Hey, wait. What are these supposed to look like?"
"Like this." Hunter pulled out a textbook and showed her a picture of a humanoid-shaped creature made from the slime on the ground.
"I think I know how we can both get what we want." Luz bent down, picked up abomination goo in both hands, and splashed it on her shirt. "Make me your abomination. I'll get you a good grade, and you can get me into magic school. It's fiendishly clever." She crossed her arms, raising a sly brow.
"… What?!" The school witches gasped after a beat of silence.
"I skimmed over the description. An abomination's just chunks of stuff that talks weird. I'm chunks of stuff, and I talk weird!"
"Luz! No! If this goes wrong, I don't wanna risk Raine getting in trouble!" Hunter argued.
"Why would Raine get in trouble?"
"Professor Raine's the head teacher for the bard track at Hexside," Willow said.
"Okay, so Eda thinks school is bad but Raine is a teacher?" Luz summed up.
"Like I said, it's complicated," Hunter said. "Besides, one of them needs to have a consistent, legal job."
"Hunter, I promise if this goes wrong, no one's going to think you or Raine was involved," Willow assured the blond.
"You're sure?"
"Absolutely. Besides, I'm bringing her in, and you're on a different track at school. How is anyone gonna make the connection?"
Hunter couldn't find a reason to argue and sighed. "Fine, I see and know nothing."
"Then, we have a deal," Willow stuck out her hand to the human girl. "Luz."
"This is a great plan," Luz said as they shook hands. They tried to pull their hands apart, but the abomination goo on Luz left them stuck together.
"Oops. Abomination goo." Willow said. They tried to pull themselves apart, with the human girl using her foot for leverage. She was able to free them, but the force sent her splashing in the goo on the ground. The witches flinched back from the splash before looking at the human worriedly.
"Great plan." Luz chirped, making the witch girl perk up.
"I'm regretting this already," Hunter facepalmed.
(A short time later)
"Welcome to Hexside School of Magic and Demonics," Willow said as they walked towards the entrance of a building that looked like a top university school. Other students wore uniforms like Hunter and Willow's in their colors or different ones. "Remember to stay hidden, okay?"
Luz, from inside Willow's abomination pot, squealed and giggled excitedly.
Glancing to their left, Hunter's eyes narrowed as he said, "Heads up, here comes the princess of abominations."
Looking over, the girls watched as another wagon rolled by carrying the same pot and a girl reading a book. She wore the same uniform as Willow, with a gold star pin on the cowl and brown hair pulled back in a small ponytail. The witch didn't even glance in their direction, indifferent to the glare Hunter sent her way.
"Who was that?" Luz asked.
"Amity Clawthorne, though her last name used to be Blight," Willow explained. "She's the top student in the abomination track and someone we don't get along with."
"That's putting it nicely," Hunter remarked.
Once inside, Hunter and Willow stopped at their lockers, tickling them to make them open their mouths and give them their books. Just then, a shorter witch boy with dark skin and light blue in his uniform bumped into Willow as he read a magazine. "Hmm?" She glanced down at him, catching Hunter's attention.
"Willow, Hunter, you would not believe humans." The boy said.
"Humans? Psh," Willow asked nervously, glancing at her pot while Hunter looked equally scared. "We haven't seen any. What?"
"Did you know… that humans nail barbed wire to their kids' teeth?" The younger witch showed them a picture of a human teen with braces. "But why?! Maybe to make them magnetic."
"Actually, it's for storing treats," Luz said inside the pot, making the other two nervous again as the shorter witch raised a brow in confusion.
"Okay, Augustus," Willow said calmly, placing her books on the wheelbarrow. "I'm gonna tell you something, but you have to be cool."
"And you can't tell anyone," Hunter added.
"I can be spool," Augustus stammered. "I-I mean, cool. And I won't tell anyone."
"Okay. Abomination, rise." Willow turned to her "abomination."
Luz stood out of the pot dramatically. "Ta-da! I'm an abomination."
"Luz, that's not how abominations act." Willow scolded her.
"We're doomed," Hunter said, putting his hand to his face.
Augustus simply dropped his magazine in shock. "No," He slapped his cheeks, playing with his ears as he stared at Luz's. "No, it-it couldn't be."
"Luz, meet Augustus Porter, our resident child prodigy of illusion magic," Hunter introduced him.
"He's also the president of the Human Appreciation Society. Most witches wouldn't be able to recognize a human right away, but Augustus is an expert," Willow explained.
"Where are your gills?" Augustus asked, looking Luz up and down with his eyes.
"I knew an Augustus back in the human world," Luz mentioned. "We called him Gus."
"Gus? Nickname? Human nickname?!" The newly nicknamed Gus held his cheeks in glee. "Gus? Call me it! Wow, Gus! This is the best day of my life!"
Suddenly, the school bell rang with a screaming sound, catching their attention. "I've gotta get to spelling class," Gus grabbed his magazine and took out a wand before running off. "See you guys at lunch!"
"See ya, Gus," Hunter said.
Willow waved at Gus before turning to Luz. "All right. Into the darkness, you go." Luz hissed as she sunk down, making the witches smile slightly.
"I've gotta get to my class, too," Hunter said as he walked away. "See you later."
"Bye, Hunter." Willow waved.
As Hunter headed down the hall, he stopped when he heard the sound of terrified yelps before a couple of students ran by in front of him. He then caught the sound of quiet giggles that made him roll his eyes with a fond smile. "Okay, what was it this time?"
"We were making the portraits talk," A female voice said as a girl and boy around Hunter's age with green hair emerged from hiding. They had the same light blue uniforms as Gus.
"Hey, Em. Hey, Ed," Hunter greeted them.
"Hi, Hunter," Em, better known as Emira, greeted back. "We were wondering where you were. You're usually one of the first people here since you come with Professor Raine."
"I decided to wait a little longer today. Besides, I had a paper to finish anyway," The blond replied as they started walking together. "On that topic, shouldn't you guys be in class by now?"
"We have a free period right now," Ed, full name Edric, said. "Besides, we were going to send illusions in our places anyway."
"Of course, you were."
"What can we say? We have mischief to cause and a quota to meet," Emira said.
"Care to join us?" Edric asked the blond.
"As fun as that sounds, you guys don't have a guardian who works here as a teacher and would find out if you skipped class." Hunter turned him down.
"That, and you suffer from a chronic case of do-what-you're-told," Emira said.
"Ha ha, very funny," The blond rolled his eyes.
"Seriously, though, it's not like you need to go to class. Everyone already knows you're the smartest kid in school." Edric added.
"Yeah, and classes get boring when you already know almost everything they teach," Emira agreed.
"It would be nice if we could take multiple tracks," The blond agreed. "Anyway, I really have to go now. See ya guys, and don't get caught."
"Do we ever?" Edric remarked.
"See you at lunch, Hunter," Emira waved as he left.
Hunter waved back as he entered the potion homeroom. He took his seat and listened to the white noise of pre-class chatter while he waited for class to start.
(Meanwhile)
Students with pink uniforms filed into the Abomination 101 room, Willow's class, and Amity's. They were all anxious about their presentations.
"Hope I pass."
"I'm confident about this."
A female student with ram horns smiled nervously as she stood at the front of the room, showing an abomination with eight feet sticking out of it in various places. The teacher, Professor Hermonculus, a small demon man being carried by an abomination, scrutinized it for a minute…
"Hmm. Too many toenails in unexpected places. Fail. Pathetic!" He declared, causing the abomination and student to deflate as he turned to the class. She wheeled her abomination off the platform in the front of the room. "The biggest abominations are all of you! If the next abomination is a failure, everyone gets extra homework for a month!"
The students started grumbling at this.
"Oh, man!"
"Extra homework? Not again!"
Willow waited silently in the back of the classroom while Amity was closer to the front, an air of calm confidence around her.
The professor cleared his throat. "And the next one to come up is…"
"Excuse me, sir," Amity stood up, raising her hand. "But I'm ready to present my abomination. Rise!" Her abomination rose from her pot, groaning at it did a pose.
Hermonculus chuckled. "I've always saved the best for last, Amity. You'll have to wait your turn. How about… Willow?"
Willow became anxious as she pulled her hood over her head, especially when the other students began to grumble again.
"Not Half-a-Witch."
"Great. Homework for a month."
Luz peeked out of the pot. "Don't listen to them, Willow. We can do this." She encouraged her with a thumbs-up. Willow smiled at her support and nodded.
Taking off her hood, she wheeled her pot to the front of the room and set it down timidly as the professor waited expectantly. "Uh… Abomination, rise." Dramatically, Luz punched the lid off, making Hermonculus and Willow flinch. She jumped out of the cauldron and struck a pose.
"Ta-da!"
Everyone in the class gasped in shock and surprise at her appearance. Amity looked especially dumbfounded.
A little more confident, Willow gave the next command. "Abomination, bow."
Luz grunted as she did as instructed. "Blah!"
"Very impressive. But does it speak?" The professor asked.
The girls froze for a moment, caught off guard before Luz improvised. "Uh, I may be your abomination," She said before moving to hold Willow's hands adoringly. "but you're my a-mom-ination."
"Aw!"
"It's cute." All the students except Amity cooed, still gobsmacked by what was happening.
Hermonculus laughed in amazement as his abomination moved him closer. "'A-mom-ination!' Splendid wordplay." He wrote the grade on Luz's forehead. "A plus!"
The students cheered at the prospect of no extra homework–except for Amity, who huffed in suspicion and crossed her arms.
"Yay!"
"Go, Willow!"
Willow and Luz smiled at each other, happy the plan worked.
Soon, the bell screamed again before coughing from the strain. Students began to leave their classrooms, and Willow proudly wheeled her pot out of Abomination 101.
"Hey, Willow!" Hunter ran up to her, wanting to know how it went.
"Wonderful work today, Willow," Professor Hermonculus approached her just as Amity walked out of the room. "Looks like we have a new top student." Amity stopped when she heard that, dropping her books with a sharp gasp. Professor Hermonculus turned and took her top student badge. Amity growled and reached for her badge as he walked away.
"But…"
He happily pinned the badge of Willow's cowl, much to her surprise about this turn of events. "Uh–Thank you, sir." He nodded, and his abomination carried him away.
"Hey, we match," Hunter joked, adjusting his own top student pin since he was the top student in the potion track. The friends laughed and turned to go, only to stop abruptly when they nearly ran into an angry Amity.
"Hey!" She growled. Willow gasped, pointing bewilderedly between where she was and where she was now. Hunter was surprised before matching Amity's defensive expression with his own. "All of your abominations were mush before today," The former top student glared suspiciously. "What did you do this time?"
"Uh, perseverance pays off?" Willow adjusted her glasses nervously.
"Right," She replied, unconvinced, as she glanced at Hunter. "And I don't suppose you know something about this, Whispers?"
"Nope, but even if I did, I'd have no incentive to tell you, Clawthorne," He said coolly.
"Whatever. I've got my eyes on you two," Amity backed away with her arms crossed. "That badge is mine." She kept eye contact with Willow even as she bumped into another student.
"Hey!" They complained as Amity disappeared round the corner.
The friends were quiet for a beat before Willow said, "Uh-oh. I think Amity is onto us." She placed a hand on her cheek.
"Yup," Hunter nodded, agreeing with her.
(Later)
Lunchtime soon rolled around, and Willow, Guss, and Hunter were sitting at the end of the table. The boys were on one side, with Willow on the other. Luz, still in the abomination pot, was at the end.
"Hey. Do humans eat PB 's?" Gus asked, pulling a sandwich out of his bag.
"Oh my gosh, I haven't eaten real food in so long. Please give me some." Luz begged hungrily. Gus broke the PB in half and gave Luz one. She took the whole thing in her mouth and sunk back into the pot.
"I don't know, Gus," Willow said before grumbling, "If Amity saw that…"
Amity suddenly jumped onto the table as if summoned, shocking everyone and knocking Hunter's food into his face. "I saw that! Abominations don't eat!" She snarled in Willow's face.
"Steady, Clawthorne, your glue is melting," Hunter commented, wiping his food off his face.
"Butt out of this, Whispers!" She snapped at him. "I know her abomination's a fake, and I'm going to prove it!"
"You're just going to embarrass yourself, although I know the twins would enjoy that." The blond added, glancing at where Ed and Em were, readying their Penstagram scrolls as Amity started screaming into the pot.
"I know you're in there! You can't hide from me. What are you? Who are you?" She demanded, attracting the attention of other students. She then grabbed Luz's shirtfront and began shaking her violently. "I want answers!"
"Amity Clawthorne." Professor Hermonculus and Raine suddenly appeared, causing the girl to stop shaking Luz.
"Huh?" She looked over, horrified.
"I suspected a twinge of jealousy, but this, this is just sad." Hermonculus scolded her as the two teachers approached them.
"But I–No! Look at it," Amity protested. Luz just groaned as her head fell back, imitating an abomination.
"I think you killed it, Clawthorne," Hunter said, making her glare at him.
"That's enough, Hunter," Raine said sternly before looking at Amity. "Miss Clawthorne, report to Principal Bump's office."
"But–"
"Now," They narrowed their eyes, leaving no room for arguments.
Amity dropped Luz and ran off in frustration. When the two professors left, Luz popped back out, sharing a concerned look with Willow.
"All things considered, I'm impressed you managed to stay in character," Hunter complimented the human after a minute.
"Oh, that wasn't acting. That was nausea," Luz replied.
(Near the end of the day)
Hunter, Edric, and Emira ran around a corner, laughing as they heard angry shouting coming from the other direction. "Oh my Titan, that was hilarious!" Hunter wheezed between laughs.
"I know, right!" Edric agreed.
"I swear, Hunter, you're good at everything you try," Emira complimented.
"Thanks. Anyway, as fun as this has been, it's the end of the day, and I wanted to meet up with Willow and Gus real quick before going home."
"Then, we won't hold you up," Emira said as she and Edric left. "Besides, we need to go before we're spotted."
"See ya later, Hunter," The male twin waved as they walked out of sight.
"Later, guys," He waved after them before turning to the wall beside him. Using his magic, he drew a square with a lock, and a section of the wall glowed before opening into a door. He quickly slipped inside as the door closed behind him.
Behind the secret door was a large room with a winding stone pathway and many other doors and windows that probably went to different places in the school. It was known as the Secret Room of Short-Cuts.
"Viney? Jerbo? Barcus?" Hunter called, but no one replied. "Hm, they must've gone home. Oh, well."
Moving through the room, Hunter opened the door he was looking for, finding the Abomination 101 room on the other side. He quickly stepped inside and closed the door before anyone could see him.
"Hopefully, the others will be here soon. Amity is not the type to give up easily, especially if she thinks she's right." Suddenly, the door opened again, and Willow came in with her pot. Gus wasn't far behind her, shutting the door behind them. "There you guys are."
"Sorry about that. We had to make sure Amity wasn't following us," Willow apologized.
"Whoo!" Luz rose out of the cauldron, stretching her arms. "I'm a sweaty little abomination," she hopped out. "But now we don't have to worry about Amity, and Raine is none the wiser. High five!" the human cheered, holding out a hand to the others.
Willow and Gus stared at her hand, then shared a confused look as the shorter witch shrugged. "Slap my hand," Luz demonstrated. "It's a human thing."
Gus stepped forward and slowly slapped her hand. He then did it again and several more times with growing confidence. "Oh, oh, my. Oh, man, what a rush!"
Suddenly, the classroom door opened, revealing Amity. She smirked and stepped aside, allowing an older man with an imp-shaped mask over his head to enter the room. "Good afternoon, students."
"Principal Bump," Willow said in surprise. Luz quickly dropped, pretending to be an abomination. Principal Bump stepped closer to her, waving the students to back off. He kneeled down, grabbing Luz's face and turning her head from side to side with enough strength to crack her neck, causing discomfort.
"Hmm," He hummed before getting up. "Abomination, rise." Luz nervously got to her feet. "Abomination, lie."
"Uh, viral fame is a worthy pursuit. Your cat would never eat you if it got the chance. Chemtrails are real–"
"Oh, no, abomination," Bump interrupted her. "How strange for it to get the command wrong. I mean, lie down." He pointed to one of the desks. Luz whimpered with a frightened smile as she went to lie down on it.
"So very life-like," Bump complimented as he approached the table with Willow. "When Miss Clawthorne told me about your abomination, I had to come by, see what she's made of."
"Oh, I have her list of ingredients right here." Willow started digging in her pocket.
"No," Bump stopped her. "We were hoping…" He pulled a dagger from his sleeve. "for a closer look." Luz looked horrified as the knife's shadow fell over her, her reflection staring back at her in the blade. "Willow, I'll allow you the first cut." He handed the dagger to her, Amity looking smug while the boys looked nervous.
Willow took the knife offered and smiled at him nervously. She stepped closer to Luz, quietly asking, "Uh, you can't just cut open a human, can you?" Luz shook her head before Bump put a hand on the witch girl's shoulder.
"Willow, go ahead and make the first incision."
Someone whistled, and they turned to see Hunter standing by three cauldrons. With a swift kick, he knocked all three over, causing the goo to spill out as three abominations stood.
"Run!" Gus told the girls.
Willow grabbed Luz's arm, pulling her off the table and out the door. In the confusion, Hunter slipped over to Gus and pulled him down behind one of the desks.
"They're getting away!" Amity pointed at the door.
"No, the intruder won't get far." Principal Bump approached a wall and traced a large spell circle, then slammed the wall in the center of it with both hands. Red light formed patterns on the walls and floor, spreading from the spell circle.
Hunter and Gus watched it happen, looking at each other with concern. The blond quickly drew the entrance glyph on the wall beside them, opening a small entrance. "Follow me," He said to Gus before the boys crawled inside without anyone seeing them.
Meanwhile, Willow and Luz ran through the halls, panting as they stopped to hide around a corner. "This is all my fault, Willow. I just wanted to see what a real magic school was like." Luz looked down apologetically.
"Well, how do you like it?" Willow wondered, smiling.
"It's lovely, actually." She replied pleasantly, making both girls giggle.
"Okay, we should get out of here before–"
The red light patterns converged on the walls, catching the boys' attention in the secret room and Raine's in their homeroom. When they reached a doorway, a red shield blocked it off. Several more doorways were blocked off, and the patterns overtook the school.
"… Bump seals us in."
(Meanwhile)
Hunter led Gus down the stone ramp, explaining the plan. "Okay, I'll meet up with the girls and try to protect them. See that door over there?" He pointed to one of the doors along the walls. "It'll take you to the bard homeroom. Raine should still be there. Tell them what's going on."
"Will you be okay?" Gus looked at the older witch worriedly.
"I'll be fine," He assured him. "Now go!" Gus nodded and headed towards the door Hunter pointed out. The blond opened another door, slipping into the hall before running to find the girls.
(Back with the girls)
Willow and Luz reached the central atrium, but the doorways were still being sealed off, trapping them there. When a shadow fell over them, they turned and gasped. Principal Bump was there, directing abominations toward them.
The girls ran down the hall and hid behind a pillar. Seconds later, Hunter showed up with his potion belt. "You okay?"
"Well…" Luz trailed off, knowing it was apparent.
Hunter groaned. "I knew this was a bad idea."
"Oh, this is awful." Willow groaned, sinking to the ground. "I don't know what to do. Amity's right. I'm just Half-a-Witch Willow."
"No, you're not!" Hunter said suddenly, causing Willow to look at him in surprise. "So, what if you can't make perfect abominations like Clawthorne? I've seen you bring dead flowers back to life and summon thorny vines as thick as a tree! I bet you could grow your own forest if you tried!"
"Hunter's right. You're Full-Witch Willow. And you're great," Luz said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "And someone once told me great witches are resourceful." The human girl dug into her pocket and pulled out the loose junk stuck to the abomination goo, including the slime ball Eda had given her earlier.
"That's it!" Willow smiled, taking it from her.
"You mean that greasy slime ball?" Luz wondered, looking confused.
"Luz, it's a seed! Thank goodness you had it on you."
"Yeah," Luz smiled as she remembered that morning. "Thank goodness someone told me to hold on to it."
"Yeah, sometimes Mom's methods make sense," Hunter agreed, though there was a fondness in his voice.
"Now, let's see if I can get that forest going," Willow said. She put the seed in her lap and traced a spell circle over it. They watched as green magic surrounded it. "Please grow!" Thorny vines grew from the seed, reaching to the ceiling. Luz ducked as the vines stabbed through abominations and eventually targeted Principal Bump, shocking him. They grabbed him and sent him to the ceiling, pinning him there.
However, when he opened his eyes, Principal Bump gasped in amazement at the sight below him. Vines now covered the entire atrium, curled around pillars and reaching from the bottom-most floor to the absolute ceiling. Pink petals fell from above, and several of the vines had flowers.
"Remarkable."
The lights sealing off the hallways faded, unblocking the doors.
"There's the exit!" Luz said before making a run for it. Willow put the seed on the floor and followed her, Hunter bringing up the rear.
"Not so fast!" They gasped when Amity blocked their way. "I'm not letting you get away so easily. I want my badge!" She threw a vine off her angrily before raising her hands. "Abominations, seize!"
An abomination came from behind them. Hunter spun around and kicked it in the chest. "This way!" He led the way as Luz grabbed Willow's wrist and ran after him. Amity reformed the abomination and sent it after them again.
The girls and Hunter now seemed to have a clear path to freedom, but another abomination formed before them. "Whoa!" Luz yelped as Willow screamed when they were forced to stop.
The abomination staggered forward as Willow traced out a large spell circle. She made it larger and took control of the vines, trapping the abomination. "Get outta here!" She strained as Hunter turned around to guard her back.
"No! I'm not leaving you." Luz insisted, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"We may get detention, but you'll get dissected!" The abominations from before melted through the vines, reforming and staggering toward the teens. "So go!" Willow waved a hand, summoning two vines to carry Luz over the abomination and out the door. The human was dropped to the ground, and the door slammed shut after the vines retreated. Willow then redirected the vines and smashed the abominations coming up to them.
"Any ideas, Hunter?" Willow asked her friend.
"Give me my badge, Willow!" Amity screamed as she confronted them. "I earned it, it's mine!"
"I'll take Clawthorne," Hunter looked at his friend. "You deal with the abominations."
"On it!" The plant witch agreed before they were forced apart to dodge an attack.
As an abomination approached him, blue spell circles surrounded Hunter's hands. He held them up, and a shimmery blue dome appeared around him. The abomination tried to break through the dome but only destroyed its hands. Smirking, Hunter drew an orchid spell circle, and the abomination burst apart.
"What the–?!" Amity gasped before glaring at the potion-track student, sending two more abominations after him.
Unintimidated, the blond glowed gold before dashing past the abominations. Once behind them, his hands glowed as he telekinetically smashed one into the other, causing them to fall to the ground in a puddle of goo. Hunter and Amity then stared each other down before they charged at the other two to finish this.
"Enough!"
There was the sound of an instrument being plucked, and suddenly, the two rivals froze mid-step. Another pluck and the abominations froze, too. Standing on an upper floor was Raine, violin in hand, with Gus beside them. The bard teacher was not happy with what was going on, while the illusion witch stared at the fight with awe and fear.
Raine made their violin disappear and used Willow's vines to climb down to the first floor, Gus climbing down slowly behind them. "Now, what is going on?" They demanded, arms crossed as they released the teen witches from their spell.
"Hunter helped an intruder escape!" Amity pointed at the other.
"She tried to get the intruder dissected!" Hunter countered as Gus joined the older witch's side.
Raine narrowed their eyes before turning to the two girls. "Miss Park? Miss Clawthorne? Since this appears to be centered around you two, I would like you to tell me how this situation escalated to this point."
"Uh, well…" Willow stammered, she and Amity sharing a tense look. While Raine was known to be one of the more easy-going teachers, they were still terrifying when angry.
"Miss Park!" The girls flinched when they saw Principal Bump walk up to them. "I have just one thing to say!" The plant witch gulped in fear as the principal stared her down. "Impressive work," He suddenly smiled proudly.
"Huh?" She and Amity blinked in surprise.
"Look at all this," Bump gestured to the plants all over the atrium. "And you grew all this from a single seed? You clearly have a talent for plant magic."
"Oh, uh, thank you, sir," Willow replied. She glanced just behind the principal where Hunter and Gus were standing. The blond nodded that this was her chance while the illusionist gave her a supportive thumbs-up. Taking a deep breath, she stood determinedly and told the principal what she wanted. "And that's something I've been meaning to talk to you about, sir. I'm not good at abomination magic, and the only real reason I'm in this course is because my parents said it would be good for me. So, I was wondering if it would be possible for me to switch tracks?"
Principal Bump looked at her momentarily before nodding, "Consider it done. Starting tomorrow, you'll be taking classes in the plant track."
Willow beamed excitedly. "Thank you, Principal Bump!"
"You're quite welcome," He smiled.
"Way to go, Willow!" Gus cheered as he and Hunter walked over to her.
"We're happy for you," Hunter smiled at her, making her blush slightly.
"Thanks, guys."
"Now, the school day is over, and I know Willow wants to go tell her friend the good news," Raine looked at Willow, giving her a discreet wink to show they knew it was Luz.
"Oh, yeah!" Willow nodded, quickly overcoming her surprise. She removed the vines blocking the door so they could leave. "Come on, guys!"
"I'll see you at home, Raine!" Hunter told his guardian as the boys ran after Willow.
"As for you, Miss Clawthorne…" Principal Bump looked at the remaining student sternly.
Amity gulped, knowing she was in trouble. "Any chance this can count for extra credit?"
(Back at the Owl House)
After Willow had gotten her out of the school, Luz had run back to the Owl House to get help from Eda. She was out front, about to explain to her mentor what happened when…
"Luz!" Willow cried as she, Gus, and Hunter showed up. They ran over to Luz, and Willow and Gus hugged her, which she happily returned.
"Seriously, what is that?" Eda asked.
"You and Raine don't do that?" Hunter asked.
The new friends pulled out of the hug, Willow holding Luz's shoulders. "You won't believe it, Luz. Everything is perfect now!"
"It's true. I don't believe it."
"Principal Bump was so impressed by my plant work he's switching me to the plant magic track! Look!" She backed away and snapped her fingers. With a glow of green magic and a twirl, her sleeves and leggings went from magenta to green.
"Yes!" Luz hugged Willow again, making her giggle as the human girl cheered loudly. "Whoo! Wait… What about Amity?"
"Last we saw, she was asking Bump if today could count as extra credit," Gus replied.
"Well, I can't wait to see you in action next time I sneak in." Luz grinned, clasping her hands together. Willow and Hunter winced behind her, staring at Gus.
"Uh… about that," the younger witch said, reaching into his pocket. "You're kinda, sorta… banned." He pulled out and unfurled a poster reading "BANNED" with a picture of Luz covered in abomination goo under it.
"That's my girl!" Eda pumped her fists, Hunter rolling his eyes fondly at her.
"But we could come here and teach you what we learned." Willow offered Luz. "Besides, Hunter's living with you, so he can show you a few things, too."
"Aw. That would be nice. But… I have a pretty great teacher already." Luz smiled at the Owl Lady, who looked shocked before shaking it off.
"Yeah, that's right. Luz is my student!" Eda snatched the poster from Gus. "Back off, academy twerps. You already have Hunter." The four laughed as the illusionist backed up in surrender while Eda admired Luz's poster. "Ah, baby's first wanted poster. I remember when Hunter started appearing on mine. Good job, kid." She patted Luz on the head. "Looks like I taught you something after all."
"Uh, you high-five with your hands, not your head," Gus commented, Luz and Eda's eyes widening as the younger witch smiled.
That's the end of this chapter. I hope you all liked it. This story will be one of multiple updates, and I have a lofty goal set for it. I'm almost done with the next chapter of With You and steadily progressing on Moonlight Phantom. So, keep an eye out for more updates.
Happy Summer Olympics, 2024!