Okay, so, this is an odd posting, yet another sequel that I never got around to posting as a fullblown story, and I was originally going to post this in the Cauldron for my December mass-update, until I realised I could crosspost Primordial Song: Melody of Unease here and in Zelretch's Collection of Alternates. But now that this website is recovering from yet another breakdown, the document uploader is being even more ornery than it has been of late (though it got better enough for me to upload these chapters anyway), and as some of the latest reviews aren't showing up, I'm not updating Guardian Angels and Unnatural History, which still have a couple of chapters apiece left to upload. So, I thought I'd give you guys a treat regardless, and post yet another sequel that, sadly, didn't make the cut.

This is a sequel to Girl Genius' Animagus, my first and only crossover (to date) with the Girl Genius webcomic series. Work on this sequel petered out years ago, waning along with my interest in the franchise, and I realised recently, especially after playing the recent Girl Genius game, that I could do much better with a crossover. I might come back to do a far better story in the same crossover and pairing.

But for now, you get these five chapters I completed. For all that I couldn't continue the story afterwards, they have some great moments, most coming straight from the webcomic itself. I hope you enjoy.

MAGIC IN MECHANICSBURG

CHAPTER 1:

MECHANICSBURG

Mechanicsburg. Once the seat of the Heterodyne family, one of the most feared, if not THE most feared, line in all of Europe. A family of Sparks, mad scientists, who frequently broke the laws of nature, morality, and general good taste. Their reputation, dark though it was, did get rehabilitated somewhat when Bill and Barry Heterodyne became travelling heroes, frequently accompanied by their Constructs Punch and Judy, their ally Baron Klaus von Wulfenbach, and sometimes by Lucrezia Mongfish.

But those days, halcyon days thought of fondly, had passed years ago. Mechanicsburg was attacked by The Other, a mysterious Spark who left Castle Heterodyne, a massive sentient citadel, in ruins, not to mention even more insane and malevolent than it once was. It was now little more than a province of the Wulfenbach Empire that stretched over most of Europe. The Heterodyne Boys, as Bill and Barry had become known, had vanished. Baron Wulfenbach had become an infamous, albeit not unreasonable, dictator. And Bill's sole surviving child, Agatha, was sent into hiding with Punch and Judy.

But due to a series of events both fortunate and unfortunate, Agatha's secret was revealed, even to her. She gained the Spark of mad science that had been suppressed for her own good by her uncle Barry, and learned that a pet owl she had adopted was in fact a wizard from another world, one Harry Potter. The two stood by each other in a series of adventures that doubtless would have made her father and uncle proud, with other Sparks and wizards as both friends and foes.

A particular series of events at Sturmhalten, however, led to somewhat less than desirable results. Agatha had a copy of The Other's mind downloaded forcibly into her own, and needs the very locket that suppressed her Spark to suppress The Other, who, in a shocking twist, turned out to be none other than Agatha's own mother, Lucrezia Mongfish. Baron Klaus von Wulfenbach, who came with his forces to save Agatha and Harry, as well as deal with The Other's allies, was badly injured, and the nearest hospital that he trusted was at Mechanicsburg.

The Baron didn't want to bring Agatha back to her ancestral seat, not until he was sure she was ready, not to mention himself. Unfortunately, the best laid plans of mice and men oft cock up. And they were due to arrive soon in Mechanicsburg…

As the airship came in to land, Agatha and Harry, along with their allies and friends, looked out at the town of Mechanicsburg, sprawled out beneath them. It was built around a crag, and on that crag was the various spires and towers of Castle Heterodyne. The forbidding fortress looked ominous, even partly carved from the very rock it was built on, with a trilobite symbol prominent on it. Of course, the Castle had seen better days, with much of it damaged, and the town below looked like it had seen better days too.

"This is my hometown," Agatha murmured, her green eyes pensive behind her glasses.

The bushy-haired Hermione Granger, one of Harry's oldest friends, shot the buxom blonde a look. "It looks a bit grim, no offence."

"None taken," Agatha said, smiling at the girl she often had discussions with, becoming fast friends over their mutual intelligence and interest in science. "Then again, given my family's reputation, it's not surprising."

"That's a fact you'll have to contend with, Agatha," Judy said, the kindly Construct with the mismatched eyes gently patting Agatha's shoulder. "Your father and uncle have been lauded as heroes, true, but before them, your ancestors were infamous, and with good reason. Klaus fears that you may take after them more than the Heterodyne Boys…or take after your mother." Her gaze then became more concerned. "…You haven't had any relapses?"

Agatha shook her head. "No. I mean…I'm starting to feel her presence in my head. I see…flashes of her wants and desires. Just impressions."

"Hey," Zeetha said. The green-haired Skifandrian warrior gently pulled Agatha around to face her. "You're stronger than her. Besides, don't think a little thing like possession's going to get you out of training. That being said, I'm going to stick by the Baron's side for now, at least until Gilgamesh…my brother, arrives. He's apparently only a few hours out, but a few hours are all that some assassins need. And there's good news from Tarvek, too. He's coming to Mechanicsburg very soon too."

"What about Tinka?" Agatha asked.

"She'll be sent back to Master Payne soon," Judy said. "That fool Aaronev all but broke her. The Baron intends to cover up the fact that Payne has two Muses with him as a favour."

The airship they were on shook as they finally landed as close to the Great Hospital as they could…

Doctor Sun, the man Klaus von Wulfenbach trusted to heal him, turned out to be an elderly Chinese man, albeit one with a lot of vitality and intelligence flashing in his eyes. As he saw the gurney Klaus was lying on being escorted by his guards, along with others injured during the events at Sturmhalten, as well as Harry, Agatha and the others, he scowled. "Quite the party, Baron," he remarked, before saying, "Punch and Judy here too, hmm?"

"What's up, doc?" Bangladesh DuPree asked cheerfully, handing over a clipboard. The former pirate queen was one of Klaus' more homicidal minions, doing his dirty work with a cheerful smile on her face. "Here's the damage."

Sun peered at the clipboard, and grimaced. "Point blank explosion damage?"

"It's a long story," Klaus muttered, the grey-haired, burly dictator of Europe grimacing in pain from his injuries. "Some of the damage has been healed already, but the rest…Doctor Sun, has my son arrived?"

"Not yet, though he is not far out, perhaps a matter of hours at most," Sun said.

"You know Punch and Judy?" Agatha asked as they followed the gurney and Doctor Sun inside.

"My dear girl, if you've ever read The Heterodyne Boys and the Even Greater Wall of China, then you would probably have a reasonably accurate idea of how we met."

Agatha blinked in sudden realisation. "Wait…you're Sun Jen-Djieh? So what are you doing in Europe?"

"An extended holiday for health reasons," Sun said with a wry smirk. "The Emperor felt I had been contaminated by foreigners, and intended to have me subjected to the Death of Five Hundred Tightenings. I decided to listen to my doctor, namely myself, and head to the west. Most salutary for my continued health and well-being."

"I'm surprised at how you tolerate how those stories portray you, Baron," Remus Lupin, the grizzled werewolf who had been an honorary uncle to Harry, said. "I had read a few of them shortly after coming here."

Klaus merely showed a painful grin. "I may be a dictator, but I don't necessarily like being one. Besides, I actually find my portrayal rather amusing in most of them."

"We don't," Judy said rather archly.

"Yes, well…you're not bumbling Constructs in reality, so I can't blame you for detesting your portrayal," Klaus said ruefully.

As Sun finished setting up the medical equipment needed for healing the Baron, Agatha, Harry, Punch, Judy, Zeetha, Von Pinn and Bangladesh stood nearby. The other wizards, not to mention the others caught up in Agatha and Harry's adventures, had gone into town, for now. Klaus, wincing as Sun jabbed an IV line into his body, peered at Agatha. "So…here we are."

Agatha nodded. "Yes. Here we are. You're badly injured, I have a copy of my mother stuck in my head, and there's a possibility that plotters will be coming out of the woodwork."

"Even that may be an opportunity," Klaus rasped. "You described that machinery that Aaronev used very well. I can hazard some guesses as to what the process used was. I already received a dispatch that someone had destroyed that chapel and the machinery within. All salvageable parts have been sent to trusted men for analysis. For now, Barry's gift to you is the lesser of two evils, at least until we can find a more permanent solution to removing Lucrezia from your mind."

Agatha looked down at where the trilobite locket sat at her neck. She was understandably ambivalent about it. It had suppressed her Spark, made her dull, not quite stupid, but incapable of inventing. Some small part of her felt anger towards her uncle for inflicting this on her. But she also knew it was for her protection. Even now, it was a necessity, and while it hampered her Spark a little, requiring her to concentrate more to think, she still could use it.

Klaus continued, his expression becoming stern, "Do not mistake what I am doing as giving you free rein. I will not have my empire and the safety of the citizens within it jeopardised by you and your mother. Even without your mother in your mind, you are most definitely a disruptive force, intentionally or not. Unless something comes up that needs you to be sent into the Castle, I forbid you from going in for now. The thought of Lucrezia potentially in charge of Castle Heterodyne is too much to bear."

"It's her birthright, Klaus," Judy said quietly. "But for now, we will restrict ourselves to the town. We're not charging in, guns blazing...unlike someone I know. Or have you forgotten about what happened the last time we met the Master of Paris together?"

Klaus winced, before muttering, "What happens in Paris…stays in Paris. And Simon has managed to forgive that, anyway."

"Even the incident involving that rather comely Construct?" Judy asked.

"I was drunk, and I'm sure Barry was the one who spiked my drink!" Klaus protested. "Besides, that Construct was also working for Simon's spy corps! She was literally built to be a honey trap!"

Zeetha pinched the bridge of her nose. "Okay, as much as I like to hear saucy anecdotes, I don't want to hear more about my dad's sex life."

"Agreed," Harry said, with Agatha nodding rapidly.

"Oh, where's your sense of adventure?" Bangladesh pouted, toying idly with a stiletto.

"We're not discussing that matter," Klaus said with an air of finality. "Bangladesh…I need reports from my spy corps as soon as possible. News of my being injured will doubtless have leaked like blood in the water, and that means sharks are soon to follow. In the state I am in, I doubt I could fend off any assassins either. If anyone you don't recognise or is not authorised by Doctor Sun himself come into this room…do what you will with them. Kill them any way you wish."

The joyful noise that came from Bangladesh DuPree's mouth soon reached ultrasonic frequencies, and Harry winced as a crack appeared in one of the lenses of his glasses, with the same happening to Agatha. "And if that greasy-haired idiot who blew you up makes the mistake of showing his face?" Bangladesh asked as Harry repaired the lenses with a spell.

"I doubt he'd be that stupid…but feel free to make it slow," Klaus said, with a smirk.

"Oh, I will. I've still got to pay back that bastard for giving my mind the old bad touch," Bangladesh said with a vicious grin.

Agatha wondered whether she should feel sorry for Severus Snape, the greasy-haired bastard in question. But she had met the man on a number of occasions, and always found him to be deeply unpleasant at best. And that was being overly charitable, considering he had a penchant for torture and murder. Harry had explained what Snape did back in his world. There, Snape was a petty bully who viewed Harry as his father incarnate…but here, Snape showed an even darker side. And now he was not leashed to Dumbledore, who had died at Sturmhalten in trying to end Harry's life…

Yeah, Agatha, if she ever met Snape again, would just point Bangladesh in his general direction and say Go nuts. A death ray would be too merciful.

"Shouldn't Von Pinn stay with you?" Harry asked, the dark-haired wizard frowning. "She'd probably be a good bodyguard. Isn't she meant to be the Muse of Protection?"

"My place is with the Heterodyne," Von Pinn said, the leather clad Construct shooting a glare at the wizard. Her tone brooked no argument.

Punch looked at Judy, and the hulking mute Construct made a few gestures. Judy nodded. "Would you feel safe with Punch by your side, Klaus?"

"Of course I would," Klaus said. "Even if you two didn't trust me, I would trust you both to the ends of the Earth."

"Leaving aside the assassins," Harry pointed out, "Snape and Vrin are still out there. So's that conspiracy that Sturmvoraus was part of. Wouldn't they view this as an opportunity?"

"…Perhaps. If news of a hitherto-unknown Heterodyne heir has leaked, they may send one of their own pawns in to pre-empt Agatha gaining power," Klaus said. "I wouldn't be surprised one bit if they had a fake heir ready. And if they're smart, they will have done as much homework on Castle Heterodyne as possible." After a moment, he admitted, "Then, and ONLY then, would I allow you to enter the Castle at this point, if only to stymie any pretender. We cannot allow my enemies, and by extension, yours, to gain control over Mechanicsburg."

"My enemies?" Agatha asked.

"If they do have a fake heir," Judy pointed out, "and they come across you, they'd kill or capture you to ensure you're not a threat. Mechanicsburg and Castle Heterodyne is a tempting prize, especially for anyone who'd oppose the Baron. And the Heterodynes returning one day is a potent enough fairytale for people to rally around."

There was a knock on the door, and Doctor Sun opened it, and listened to a messenger. Nodding after taking a letter, he sent the messenger on his way. "Klaus, it seems that Tarvek Sturmvoraus and his sister are on their way," the elderly doctor said. "They'll arrive shortly after your son does. They have stated that there is a Smoke Knight loyal to him alone in the town, Violetta Mondarev."

"Hmm. I'd imagine Tarvek is divulging this to save his own skin, but at least he is cooperating," Klaus remarked.

"What's a Smoke Knight?" Harry asked.

Doctor Sun answered. "A European emulation of the shinobi from Japan. Ninjas, I believe some call them. Masters of stealth, espionage and assassination."

"…Ninjas. Mad scientists have ninja soldiers," Harry said flatly.

"You're a wizard, Harry," Agatha said with fond exasperation in her tone. "You've lived in this world for two years now. I thought you'd have gotten used to such things."

"So did I." Then, almost as an expletive, he murmured, under his breath, "Ninjas…"

CHAPTER 1 ANNOTATIONS:

C'mon, Harry. Between mad scientists, supersoldier werewolves, mind downloading and, well, being a wizard, are steampunk ninjas really that surprising? Remember Occam's Shuriken: when the answer is elusive, always assume ninjas. In case you're wondering where I got that particular tidbit from, it's from Freeman's Mind, a hilarious parody of a Let's Play of Half-Life, told from the POV of Gordon Freeman…

No numbered annotations this time.