Freedoms Letter
Author’s Notes: Please see my original posting on Ao3 for appropriate kudos and links to other works that inspired this story. https://archiveofourown.org/works/20988683/chapters/49910684
Dear Mademoiselle Dupain-Cheng,
We are pleased to inform you that your transfer request has been accepted to
Ilvermorny, School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Gates will open as early as 11:00 AM Eastern Standard Time for students, however
term begins on September 1st.
Due to your outstanding transcripts, we see it fit to move you into the class
of your current year, 5.
Enclosed in this letter is your Crystal Key to guide you to the school; a list of your year’s
school supply requirements; a key to Havermor’s Bank, to where they will exchange your
money for American Wizarding Currency; a map of the school’s campus and boundaries;
the scroll of School Rules; and a list of shops within 50 miles of Ilvermorny with the appropriate
permission form. Permission forms to leave Ilvermorny Campus are required to be signed
with an Anti-Forgery Quill by the student’s parent(s) or legal guardian. Any forged
documents will be immediately rejected for the year. The required quill is also enclosed in this envelope
for your convenience.
Note: Once the quill is used, it will immediately burst into flames. The quill is charmed not to combust
until all appropriate forms are completed. If a form is included, but not required, simply command the quill
with the basic incineration charm.
We, at Ilvermorny, were also informed of your incredible innate gifts and background,
and have made appropriate accommodations, which are listed on page 5 of this letter.
Students are allowed one familiar of their choosing, and must also fill out the approval
form included in this letter. Approval forms must also be signed by the student’s
parent(s) or legal guardian with the Anti-Forgery Quill.
If you have any questions, please feel free to Owl either me, or my
Deputy Headmaster, John Jones.
Signed,
-Bruce Wayne
Headmaster of Ilvermorny, School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Mount Greylock, Gotham, USA
The letter was much longer than either Marinette or her parents had anticipated it being. Regardless, the young Parisian witch still shook with the amount of care and attention had been put into every word. Slowly, she looked up at her mother and father, who beamed at her with pride and tears in their eyes.
“I got in,” she whispered. “They accepted me!”
“Of course they accepted you, ma petit,” her father rumbled and swept her into his strong arms. “We are so proud of you!”
“Beauxbatons don’t know who they’re losing,” her mother intoned and wrapped her daughter into a warm, loving embrace. Marinette sobbed quietly between them, feeling their love radiate back and forth between them all. It had been a hard battle, but now she was free.
Free... I’m finally free!
She wiped her bluebell eyes and smiled up at her parents. It was probably the first genuine smile she had given in over three years.
Sabine Cheng wiped Marinette’s face with the hem of her apron, a Mother’s Day gift that she proudly wore wherever she went. “Wǒ de xiǎo nǚhái.”
“Are you sure you’re okay with me going?” she asked. “What if Hawkmoth-”
“You let us worry about Hawkmoth,” Sabine placed a finger over her child’s mouth. “You are not the only one capable of handling him or his akumas. Your grandfather and I are taking precautions. This," she put her hands over the top of the letter. “Is for you. We want you to be happy, my daughter, and you are not happy here. You work so hard.”
“But you will call if you need me, right?”
“Of course, ma chérie,” Tom Dupain pressed a bristly kiss to Marinette’s raven-black hair. “That is why your grandfather is sending you with the Horse Miraculous. Should Hawkmoth raise his ugly head again, we will call.”
“However, you must complete your studies above all else,” Sabine intoned. “This is still a secret this family must keep, Marinette. The Miraculous Treasures are too precious to fall into the wrong hands. Two is bad enough, but we cannot risk the Miracle Box’s safety any more than it is now.”
Marinette nodded, wiping her eyes again with her sleeve. Tikki shifted position around her Chosen’s neck, giving away she was not some chunky, ruby and obsidian, dragon-shaped necklace as she made herself out to be. The Goddess of Creation moved her head to look at Marinette’s parents with piercing blue eyes. “I have a good feeling about this change,” she told them. “Stop fretting, Marinette.”
“But Paris-”
“-is safe with Viperion and Ryuuko keeping watch and capturing the Akumas before they even have a chance to manifest.”
Marinette gnawed her lower lip nervously, “But they haven’t mastered purification yet.”
“This will be good practice,” a new voice spoke up from the fireplace, making the two witches and wizard jump. Marinette beamed when she saw her teacher and grandfather, Fu, appear out of the emerald flames. “Yes, the Ladybug has the innate ability, as the Healer and Creator, it is a skill that both Luka and Kagami must learn. The Miraculous Order has been protectors against the Akuma forces for over millennia. They cannot continue to rely on you 100% of the time. The forces of evil will always be present, as has been proven with Lord Voldemort twenty years ago.”
Everybody, even Tikki, winced slightly at the name. Despite it being twenty years since the Second Wizarding War in England, there was still turmoil in the magical world. Seeds of pure-blood belief that the Dark Lord had planted years ago continued to sprout like weeds, allowing a new force, Akumas, to manifest between planes.
Hawkmoth, the current holder of the Butterfly Miraculous, had opened a gateway between worlds and manipulated those forces to gain more of the Miraculi jewels, specifically the Ladybug earrings of Creation and the Black Cat ring of destruction. Both gems, if harnessed together, were the key to warping the fabric of reality, essentially making the user a god. In fact, Miraculous priests, priestesses, and masters were considered gods incarnate by the non-magical community in ancient times.
When the Order fell over 100 years ago, the Art of Healing and Purification were nearly lost with them. Fu had been the only survivor of the near-apocalyptic event. He, with his direct bloodline to both Sabine and Marinette, was the only hope of their beliefs and powers surviving into the next age.
Marinette beamed at her grandfather and showed him the letter. “Ilvermorny has accepted me!”
Fu grinned back at her, the smoke from his pipe waving as he chuckled at her. “Was there ever a doubt, little one?”
Marinette’s ears turned slightly red with embarrassment. In truth, a small part of her did doubt. But when her parents offered to transfer her away from Beauxbatons to a school of her choosing, she threw herself into getting the best grades possible! Even in dreaded Numerology and Astronomy.
Despite the bullying.
Despite the lost lunches and enchanted, locked doors... ruined clothes and outright torture. Despite all of the detentions, rumors, and lies...
This was her fresh start. This was her opportunity. And by the Kwami, she was going to seize it!
Marinette’s lips spread into a wide grin, showing slightly elongated canine teeth. While the display in Veela culture could be considered threatening, she couldn’t help herself. She felt warmth and happiness seep into her bones as she hugged her family one by one and rushed upstairs to pack.
__
Last Notes:
I’m sorry for butchering any of the languages in this story! I know next to nothing about Chinese Mandarin (Or Chinese Simplified), and only French. Both of which are cultures I’m severely ignorant in. But this story is STRICTLY for the enjoyment of my readers.
Translations (Provided via Google Translate)
Ma petit: My little one (French)
Wǒ de xiǎo nǚhái: My darling daughter Chinese (simplified)
See y’all in the comments!
-Kestra
mon chérie: My dear (French)
