Tuck. Tuck. Tuck.
The spiraling staircase leading to Hogwarts' Headmaster's office wound ever upward, its stones cool and shadowed in the late hours of the evening. Torches flickered along the walls, their flames casting restless shadows that crawled across the curve of the stair.
Halfway along the curved stone path, a stern-faced, elegantly dressed woman was seen ascending steadily, her heels striking the surface in rhythmic tucks that echoed through the silence, while the dark mantle over her shoulder swung in graceful arcs behind her.
She climbed steadily, higher and higher, her expression unchanging, until at last she saw the path come to an end, where she was met with two stone gargoyles, their eyes fixed forward in eternal vigilance, as if daring any intruder to take another step.
But she was no intruder, and her poise even suggested that she had long grown accustomed to this routine.
"Fizzing Whizzbee," she muttered, looking squarely at the gargoyles, not so much as a twitch disturbing her stern yet strikingly beautiful face. It was evidently some kind of password, however oddly out of place it sounded.
At her words, the stone guardians stirred without a beat, the gargoyles slowly sliding aside to reveal what lay beyond.
"Albus, I have just received—"
The moment she took her first step, words were already on her lips; clearly, from the way she had marched up the spiraling staircase without pause made it clear she was eager to address them to whomever was on the other side.
But her words caught in her throat, halted midway by surprise. It wasn't just Albus Dumbledore in the room; someone else was there too. And what truly made her pause was the fading white mist of a Patronus—the same one that had appeared at her office not long ago, which was also precisely the reason for her abrupt visit.
"It seems I wasn't the only one sent the message…" She glanced between the two before walking to the desk and taking a seat beside her colleague.
"Filius, I take it you've just arrived as well?"
"Ah, yes, Professor McGonagall. The message… well, it seemed rather urgent, wasn't it? And Professor Caesar specifically instructed to go directly to the Headmaster."
"Mine too…"
Together, they then turned their attention across the desk to Albus Dumbledore, waiting for his word. Clearly, both were here with purpose, and it was evident their reasons were the same as well.
"I do not have the answers you seek, Minerva, Filius," the old wizard said, glancing between them with a rare seriousness, the usual twinkle in his eyes absent. "The messages I received were the same as what Filius told me, and I imagine yours were no different, Minerva."
"A great danger… terrible enough to engulf the entire world?" McGonagall murmured.
"Indeed. For Professor Caesar to summon us all, the threat he speaks of must be as serious as he claims—enough to endanger the entire world."
"Did he share no other details with you?" she asked again. "Besides that we should come immediately?"
"No…" Dumbledore said quietly. "Only that more would be needed."
"More?" McGonagall's eyes widened for a moment. "More than just us?"
"Indeed." While saying, his gaze then turned to the corner of the room, softening as it landed there.
"Fawkes."
The phoenix lifted its head at the sound of its master's call and, with a graceful beat of its wings, glided across the chamber to perch upon the desk. Dumbledore reached out, running his fingers along the fiery plumage with practiced familiarity. Then he spoke, though not in any human tongue—his words flowed as a melodic sound, half-song, half-incantation, filling the room with an almost tangible resonance.
"I haven't heard the Headmaster speak Phoenix-tongue in ages…" Flitwick murmured, listening to the melodic exchange between the bird and its master.
"I suppose she's being tasked with bringing the others who will accompany us," McGonagall added.
"Thank you, my friend…" Dumbledore murmured, the last words in English, while the phoenix cocked its head, as if understanding, giving a solemn nod in response.
And with that, the mythical bird spread its wings wide and vanished in a flare of fire, briefly bathing the chamber in golden light.
"Who else is coming?" McGonagall asked as soon as Fawkes had disappeared.
"Alester... as well as two old friends from the Department of Mysteries…" Dumbledore replied.
"Unspeakables?" McGonagall arched a brow.
"I can understand Alester, Headmaster… but are the other two truly necessary?" Flitwick, rubbing his chin thoughtfully, also asked, slightly taken aback by the names.
"I hope they won't be, but… they are all great magi nonetheless. It's best to be prepared for the worst," Dumbledore said, nodding firmly to the two. "We shall depart immediately once they arrive."
---
Meanwhile, the other messengers that Maverick had scattered across to Europe and America were also finding their way to their targets, with some already having located their intended recipients and delivered their messages.
The ones that took longer did so because, when Maverick scattered his Patronuses through the portals, he had only a rough idea of where each person might be. However, even if his guesses were off, it would only delay their mission briefly; so long as they were fueled with enough magic, the Patronuses would unfailingly find their targets.
The speed of his Patronus was not to be underestimated. Just because the corporeal took the form of a bird doesn't mean it flew at the same speed. In other words, its wings cut through the air far faster than any bird born of feather and bone—magic, obviously. Nor was this unique to him; all corporeal Patronuses could travel at extraordinary speeds, which was precisely why so many capable witches and wizards relied on them as messengers.
One found its target in France, while in England, apart from Hogwarts, a few also flew to Buckingham Palace—specifically to the two great mages serving the country's monarch. In America, one touched down at the Garling residence, another at the home of the Scamanders, and a third and fourth sought out the Walker twins.
Basically, every witch or wizard of the Great Magus rank or higher, whom Maverick was personally acquainted with or otherwise counted as a friend, was included to receive the message, with each summons subtly tailored to its recipient.
And beyond the magical world, a silver Patronus was also seen gliding over the northern outskirts of New York, threading through dense forests and sleepy towns until it reached a vast clearing where a sprawling mansion loomed. Its mission was not for a witch or wizard, but for another extraordinary group—the most numerous besides the magicals who shared their world.
The mutants. Well, maybe not all of the adult X-Men under Charles would prove particularly useful for the kind of interception Maverick had in mind, but some, say, Ororo, aka the Storm, could undoubtedly play a role in it.
The rest, he didn't mind them joining as well, though the best they could do was observe from inside their X-Jet. On the other hand, their presence would serve as a boost to their reputation, and Maverick didn't mind lending a helping hand in that regard.
The Patronus hovered over the clearing for a moment first, because finding its target was not as easy. There was no clear magical trail to follow like its other brother birds did, and only had some descriptive instructions its master had installed as a reference. Eventually, though, the clever fellow managed to spot the bald man in the wheelchair, the one he was programmed to recognize.
When it slipped through the topmost window, it immediately raised alarms for the individuals in the room. Obviously, after all, how often does one welcome a glowing white raven?
Yes, two others were nearby as well, quietly occupied with their own matters when it appeared so inexplicably, but the bird paid them no attention. It had one job, no, two. So it flew straight to its designated target, then flapping its wings to hover steadily and marked the first task as complete. Then, it moved on to the next...
"Professor Charles Xavier…"
Amid the vigilant gazes of everyone present, the ethereal bird of white mist began to speak. At first, it startled them—a glowing bird was not something you saw every day, and a talking, glowing bird even less—but soon the familiarity of the voice settled over the room.
"For fuck's sake, it's the damn magical kid…" The hulking, ever-vigilant Wolverine was the first to relax, recognizing the voice, and then retracted his claws before glancing toward the professor.
"Let's hear it first…" Charles added a beat later, raising a hand in a gesture.
"This is a recorded message," brother bird continued. "Our world is facing a grave threat from an extraterrestrial civilization, which I have confirmed will arrive on our planet in less than 24 hours. It will be a fleet of no fewer than 50 spaceships, each as large as a football stadium, fully armed with advanced technology and ballistic missiles powerful enough to obliterate entire cities. I have sent summons to all the forces representing our world, including you, the mutants. So as soon as you are able, please arrive with your team at location XX. I await your arrival..."
The Patronus, once its mission was complete, did not linger for a second longer and dissipated before the now shocked and speechless people inside.
What they would do next—whether to believe the message or ignore it—was entirely up to them.
---
Meanwhile, back at Maria's property, after Maverick had sent out his Patronus, it wasn't just about sitting around waiting for everyone to arrive. Aside from the non-combatant Skrulls, everyone had something to do and was keeping themselves busy.
Fury, tasked with keeping the World Security Council and world leaders updated, was busy coordinating with S.H.I.E.L.D., along with his trusted sidekick ready to assist whenever needed. Yes, Coulson was there too, now. When Fury asked Maverick if he could "magic the guy" over, Maverick had him teleported straight to the location
Isabella was also on Fury's team, since her objective wasn't much different from his mission to live-transmit everything happening here to the World Security Council. So Maverick figured, they might as well work together.
Of course, Isabella wouldn't just be streaming live to the World Security Council and the muggle world leaders. Her audience would also include the entire magical world—meaning every magical household, pub, or public station with a Magic Vision installed would be able to watch everything unfold in real time.
Maverick was sure the World Security Council would keep all news of the alien invasion from the public, and the muggle governments would have to follow that order. That said, if the skirmish does reaches the Earth's surface, it would be a different story, and the muggle leaders would have no choice but to admit what had happened.
But if everything went according to Maverick's plan, that scenario would never come to pass, and Ronan's forces would be repelled long before they even reached Earth's atmosphere.
The magical world, however, was different and did not have many rules on spreading news of what happens in the muggle world to their general public. The problem only occurs when it is the other way around—news of the magical world spreading among muggles. Therefore, as long as the Statute of Secrecy wasn't broken, there was nothing, legally or otherwise, stopping Isabella from broadcasting the whole event live to the entire magical community.
As for Talos, well, most of the capable Skrulls under his command were no longer breathing, unfortunately, but their science guy was still a very useful asset. Maverick had him work on a device to pinpoint exactly when and where Ronan's fleet would drop out of their space jump, which, if he could pull it off, would be extremely advantageous for the Earthlings side.
Even though Maverick already had a rough idea of when the Accuser's forces would reach the planet, knowing the exact time and coordinates would save him a ton of prep time for the ambush and, more importantly, greatly reduce the risk of any attack reaching Earth's surface.
And this guy, Morax, when Maverick first asked if he could pull it off, didn't even flinch—just called it "simple" and dove right into the work. The result remains to be seen for now, but he really couldn't be underestimated when it came to creating or tweaking tech. After all, he had managed to turn a Quinjet prototype into a full-fledged spaceship capable of surviving and navigating outer space in under a day.
There was no way Maverick would let a genius like that slip away from him. Besides, his outer space project was about to kick start, and the Skrulls were basically looking for a safe place to settle, and out of the Kree's reach. If Maverick could provide them both conditions, he would thus gain another powerful ally working under him.
Maverick and Danvers weren't idle either while everyone else was busy with their own tasks. With Danvers, Maverick felt she still hadn't quite reached the level she had when Ronan's forces arrived on Earth in the Captain Marvel movie, so he wanted to handle that little detail.
Specifically, she still hadn't mastered flying with her photon energy powers, and without that, she was basically as useless as any regular person for the plan Maverick had in mind to confront Ronan.
And it wasn't just about flying. Once she mastered it, the photon energy would cover her entire body like an invisible armor, a seriously overpowered layer that could make her almost invulnerable to most attacks. It was absolutely necessary for her to get it under control before Ronan's forces arrived.
But there was only one way he could think of—quick enough—to get her instincts to pick up that ability.
So he took the blond for some good old training, and presently, they were seen perched atop a magical construct Maverick had created, hovering a couple of kilometers above the Earth's surface, while he explained what the exercise was all about.
"…You see, we magicals have this special ability—call it magical sense, or a sixth sense if you prefer—and it lets us gauge how strong someone is just by sensing their aura."
"Aura…?" Danvers tilted her head, arms crossed over her chest, clearly puzzled.
"Life energy, magical energy, or, you could even call it threat level. And for that reason, I'm certain you've barely scratched the surface of your abilities..."
"…"
"Uh-huh… uh-huh…" Danvers tapped her chin thoughtfully as she considered Maverick's explanation. "…so you must have a plan, then. Otherwise, you wouldn't have brought me all the way up here..."
"I do, in fact." Maverick gave her a knowing smile. "My plan is simple. Let your instincts take over, and let your subconscious master full control of your photon energy powers as quickly as possible."
"Riiight…" she dragged the words, a hint of skepticism in her tone. "And how, exactly?"
"It's very simple… you just have to… not die."
"I what—"
"Goodbye, Danvers."
You... aaaaaaas... hooooole!
Maverick watched her fall, her final shout echoing in the wind, while two beams of photon energy shot past him from his left and right, missing by a mile, clearly fired by Danvers as she struggled to control herself under the pull of gravity.
Anyway, she's all on her own now. Whether it's the adrenaline pumping through her veins or the fear of turning into meat paste, she has to find a way to control her power if she's going to be truly useful for the ambush against Ronan.
It was in a similar way that she learned it in the original movie, and he basically just applied the same settings here.
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Author's Note:
Man, this chapter nearly drove me insane. I had all the ideas and points lined up in my head, but no matter how much I wrote, deleted, rewrote, and deleted again, nothing felt right.
But I couldn't just skip it either. I felt like before the big gathering, this part was necessary... you know, to show how the other groups were reacting and what Maverick's side was up to.
At first it turned out way too long, filled with repetition, so I scrapped a lot and only kept the Hogwarts reactions, brushing over the rest. Then I ran into some plot holes and had to patch those up too… and yeah, this is what I ended up with.
I'm honestly still not happy with it, but I really did my best. Hopefully it was at least readable. I think I lost a few brain cells pulling this one together. Sigh.
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