Inside Maria's ho.
Woosh, woosh—tuk, tuk, tuk… Woosh, woosh
In the middle of the living room stood Albus Dumbledore, wand in hand, moving it in graceful sweeps, up and down, left and right, turning on his heel like a maestro before an invisible orchestra.
The space was indeed a little cramped, just as the hoowner had said, and with a dozen or so people already gathered and more expected to arrive, everyone quickly ca to the sa conclusion that they needed a bit more room. After all, a proper discussion required so breathing space, right?
So, the old wizard took it upon himself to handle the matter. It was nothing worth ntioning, really. For an accomplished archmage, such things were rely small inconveniences, tiny problems waiting to be solved.
At first, when Dumbledore asked Maria for permission to "make so space," she wasn't quite sure what he ant. She thought he might be planning to conjure a few extra tables or maybe shift the furniture around a bit, so she just nodded absentmindedly.
"Feel free to make any changes you wish, sir…" she said, and then what happened next nearly made her jaw drop to the floor.
A few startled curses slipped out before she could stop them. Magic… what an incredible power, she thought, glancing around in awe.
Before her eyes, what had once been her simple twenty-by-twenty-foot living room began to stretch and grow. No—expand. Within seconds, it was at least three tis its original size.
The humble coffee table at the center transford into a grand, ornate table, and the sofas multiplied around it as if on cue, changing into exquisitely crafted chairs and forming a perfect circle. She counted quickly, then gulped. There had to be at least twenty.
In other words, her small, ordinary living room hadn't just beco a "bit bigger," as the grandfatherly wizard had said. It had been transford into sothing more like a full-fledged conference room, and she couldn't help but gulp again at the sheer, breathtaking power of these otherworldly people she had co to know over the past week.
But... for real though, them chairs and that desk lookin' real slick and mad expensive.
"That, sir… is it gonna stay like this forever?" she asked, eyes on the old wizard, who was nodding approvingly at his handiwork with a satisfied smile.
"The transfiguration would eventually revert, but the space itself, unless altered by another mage, will remain stable, sustained by the ambient magical energy," he explained, turning to her. "Worry not, my dear. Once everything is complete, I shall revert the room back to norma—"
"Please don't!"
"I an… can you not, humble sir? I… uh, really like what I'm seeing, thank you very much," she said nervously, while the rest of the magicals exchanged amused glances.
The old man couldn't help but let out an audible laugh at her reaction, while a few others tsked under their breath, muttering "Muggles" or "No-Majs." But to her credit, only Dumbledore, the two other archmagi, and perhaps McGonagall could transfigure such finely detailed craftsmanship. It really does look "mad expensive," even for wizards taste.
And just as the strange silence settled, with everyone's amused glances fixed on Maria, the sound of the front door opening made everyone turn.
---
Outside the house.
Thumph!
The sound of a dense hum echoed as Maverick and Danvers suddenly appeared out of nowhere, in front of the property's doorstep.
"Uh… I feel like I'm gonna throw up…" Danvers grimaced the mont she appeared, bending forward slightly. Even with her body enhanced far beyond any normal human, the nauseating rush of apparition hit her full force.
"You'll get used to it." Maverick curled a smile, hands in his pockets, and gestured toward the door with a nod of his head. "Co on, we've got a lot of company…"
"Company?" Danvers straightened up and got herself under control, giving him a sideways glance. "So the people you said would co are finally here?"
"So…" Maverick said, sliding one hand out of his long coat pocket and flicking his finger. Instantly, Danvers' battered Kree uniform repaired itself, the damage from their earlier ruckus disappearing as it looked good as new.
Sighing, Danvers shook her head. "I really envy you people…" She flicked off the nonexistent dust from her shoulders after Maverick's spell finished. "Strange drinks to boost stamina, heal injuries, and with just a flick of your fingers, you get to clean yourself up… co on, wizard, you're not seriously telling I can't learn so of that magic? Not to brag, but I pick up skills pretty fast."
"It's not about skills. Like, I don't have photon energy powers like you, and you don't have magical energy. Simple." Saying that, he opened the door and stepped inside, with Danvers following.
"Hmm? Did we co into the wrong house?" Danvers gave a puzzled glance around the… well, much larger living room than she rembered her friend's house having.
"Carol!"
"Maria… what happened here—"
Maria ca running over, grabbed her hand mid-sentence, and gestured behind her with excitent. "Look, the wizards made my living room so much bigger!"
"I can see that..."
At the sa ti, Maverick walked up to the group, smiling, and headed straight to his father-in-law first. "Teacher…" he greeted respectfully.
"I see you've been busy, kid." Edward arched a brow at his student.
"More or less…" he said, curling a smile, then glanced at the two beside him. "Teacher Simon, Teacher Sarah, thank you for coming."
Glancing over at the rest, he nodded likewise. "Headmaster, Olympe…" He gave a brief greeting to the two archmages first, then paused at the elderly-looking couple. A genuine smile spread across his face as he approached them and extended his hand. "Thank you for coming on such short notice, Grandmaster and Lady Flal," he said, bowing his head slightly in respect.
"Oh no… this is our duty, young Maverick. I must admit, I found it hard to believe at first when Olympe delivered your ssage… but seeing proof right here before our eyes, I'm glad you chose to seek our help," Nicolas Flal said warmly.
"This is our ho too, young man. Of course we would show up," Prenelle added just as warmly beside her husband.
Smiling, Maverick then turned to the others, greeting each of them one by one before finally motioning for Danvers to step closer.
"Everyone, this is Carol Danvers," he said. "She'll be a key ally in helping us stop the invasion that's coming our way."
Short and precise, he skipped over the details of her abilities and the reason for her importance. Those explanations could wait until the full team was assembled and it was ti to break down the plan.
"And these," Maverick continued, glancing her way, "are people from my world. My teacher, Edward Garling." He gestured toward his ntor first, who offered a single nod, though Maverick noticed the subtle tremor in the man's pupils—a reaction he barely masked. Understandable, really. After all, feeling that kind of dense energy from a muggle of all people would shake any mage of his level.
"…Albus Dumbledore and Olympe Maxi, along with my teacher, are as capable as I am, if not more." Keeping the introductions brief, he finished in a single breath, continuing, "The rest… well, they're not to be underestimated either. So of the finest minds and strongest wands the magical world has to offer."
Danvers had also put on her soldier mask, looking solemn and letting Maverick handle the talking. She gave short nods as he spoke, her posture firm, though her eyes couldn't fully hide the curiosity bubbling inside her head.
With the introductions over, everyone moved into the newly "redecorated" living room, ready for Maverick to finally explain the full situation. His ssage via the Patronus had only scratched the surface, enough to stir urgency, but far from the whole picture. There was much to go over, and not much ti left to do it.
When the group settled, Maverick took the seat at the head of the long, ornate table. No one objected, even though he was the youngest there… well, Isabella didn't count. On one side sat the witches and wizards, and on the other were Talos, Morex, Danvers, Fury, Coulson, and Maria.
The other Skrulls, aside from Morex and Talos, stayed outside, knowing well they wouldn't have much to contribute to this particular discussion.
Maverick leaned forward slightly, clasping his hands. "Once again, everyone, thank you for coming on such short notice. First of all, I want to make it clear that everything I said through my Patronus was completely true. Our world is facing a grave threat from a force unlike anything we've encountered before."
He gestured briefly toward Talos and continued, "As you can see, extraterrestrial life is very real, and has likely existed far, far longer than our own civilization. So long, in fact, that their technology has advanced to a point where even we, as magicians, might mistake it for magic."
A few soft scoffs rose from the wizards' side of the table, but Maverick didn't pause. This wasn't the ti to put anyone in their place, and truthfully, he preferred to avoid argunts until after the operation was over.
His comparison between magic and science wasn't ant as flattery. The being he referred to—the Supre Intelligence—was living proof of what he ant. If non-magicals could look at magic and call it miraculous, then it was only fair for magicians to see the Supre Intelligence as a miracle born of science.
"So ti ago, Talos, Ms. Danvers, and I intercepted a high-ranking soldier from the very force that's now preparing to invade our planet," Maverick went on. "But before eliminating him and his entire unit, I went through his mories... and what I found there is precisely why I decided to summon all of you here without delay."
"Then share it with us, kid. The mories," his teacher, Edward, interjected calmly the mont Maverick paused speaking.
"I will, Teacher," Maverick replied with a subtle nod. "But I'd prefer to wait until the rest have arrived before going over them... as well as, along with the plan I've been working on to counter this threat."
He paused, scanning the room, and seeing no objections, took it as agreent and continued. "In the anti, Talos here can fill everyone in on what we're up against. The enemy that's coming are his people's most hated foes, known as the Kree… and as the saying goes, the enemy of my enemy is... my friend."
"Therefore, at least until our operation against the approaching alien army is complete, I will consider him an ally, and I hope that after I show you the mories, you all will do the sa. So feel free to raise any doubts you have about the Kree… about who they are, how powerful their forces truly are, what kind of numbers we'll be facing, and what to expect when they arrive."
Talos didn't take offense at Maverick's blunt remark about considering him only a temporary ally. After all, they had known each other for less than a week, and only a fool would place full trust in soone so quickly.
"When the operation is over," Talos watched as Maverick turned his head to him and said, "When Ronan and his forces are repelled, and judging by how sincere you are in helping us, I promise to help you find a way to your problem."
"I understand completely, Mr. Wizard," he replied with a wry smile. What else could he say? He didn't bla Maverick. If the situation were reversed, he might do the sa—or maybe not. He wasn't sure he could be as considerate as this Earthling was being toward a group of foreign species they had barely t.
But regardless, this very Earthling, with all his power, had promised to help—and that spoke volus, touching his heart.
"Right then," Maverick said, sweeping his gaze over everyone at the table once again. "Until the others arrive, please direct all your questions to our alien friend here."
Imdiately, all eyes turned to the green-skinned humanoid, and Talos, the man in question, felt as though a mountain of pressure had landed on his shoulders.
But this was no ti to cower, he thought. His people, his wife, and his child depended on him.
So, with a resolute nod and a long exhale, he glanced around at the expectant faces, bracing himself.
The room fell silent for a mont before the first question ca from a rather unexpected party: Alastor Moody, ever the scrutinizer. He was blunt, asking directly what Talos' purpose was in coming to Earth in the first place.
Then Dumbledore, Maxi, Flal, and Edward followed with their own questions—inquiring where he ca from, details about the Kree Empire, everything he knew about them, and even more about the general life forms beyond their planet.
For over an hour, Talos talked nonstop, satisfying both the scrutiny and the curiosity of the mages, until finally the rest of the groups Maverick had personally invited began arriving.
The Scamanders appeared first, followed by the two great mages representing the British Muggle monarch.
Ali, Maverick's right-hand man, arrived with Lupin and… Maverick was a bit surprised to see Sirius Black, whom he clearly hadn't asked to bring.
Additionally, only Takamura, the wizard from Japan, arrived from the ranks of Archmages who was not really an acquaintance of Maverick. Although, that can't be entirely true, after all, the old thing had once made a generous donation to him from the goodness of his heart.
As for the remaining three — well, Maverick didn't bother to find out. He hadn't personally sent ravens to them anyway; instead, he had asked his teacher Edward, Dumbledore, and Maxi, to inform them of the gathering. Apparently, they had made contact, but whether or not they would actually arrive remained to be seen.
And finally, just as the sun began to dip below the horizon, Charles and his team of mutants arrived as the last party. Their X-Jet, aka the Blackbird, touched down with a deafening roar, its powerful engines rattling the house and sending shudders across the yard.
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Author's Note:
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