The morning sun dragged itself lazily over the horizon, painting the rooftops with a thin sheen of gold that glittered against the frost. Winter was in no mood to loosen its grip, the air so sharp it could bite through a scarf, and the streets below carried that brittle calm only found on frozen mornings.
By the time breakfast rolled around, the wizarding world were humming with gossip. Papers rustled open on kitchen tables, in corner cafés, even at cluttered office desks—and every single headline shouted the same story.
From Britain to the rest of Europe—and even a few overseas presses—yesterday's Wizengamot fiasco went global, with front pages ripping apart the circus of English magical politics in full view of the world.
Yes, on paper the assembly had been called to clear Sirius Black's name and expose Peter Pettigrew, but in print, those were just merely just afterthoughts. The true spotlight fell on the English magical government itself, with critics circling like vultures over the state of their politics.
"Minister Toppled in Broad Daylight!" one French paper declared.
"The Fall of Fudge: A Lesson in Power," sneered the Germans.
Even the Americans chimed in with their usual flair: "London in Flames—Politically, Anyway."
Every column tore into the politics of England's magical elite—mocking, dissecting, and questioning what kind of circus they were running across the Channel. It was a coup, plain and simple. But since it had gone off clean, by the book, and actually worked, there wasn't much anyone could do about it—except laugh at how ridiculous it all looked in the end.
Fudge, right up until the final moment, hadn't even realized what was happening. What made it more ridiculous still was that he had engineered the conditions himself—convening a grand assembly that needn't have happened at all.
Yet by gathering so many, he gave his haters both the stage and the numbers they required. In other words, it was his own hands that had prepared the grounds for something as drastic as the impeachment of a sitting Minister.
Article after article dragged him through the mud, painting him as the biggest fool. For a while, the English magical community would be the punchline, sneered at for ever having such a clueless, bumbling leader.
Maverick, sitting at the small dining table in his Los Angeles hotel room, set the paper aside, the corner of his lips curling as he finished the article. Honestly, he hadn't expected yesterday's drama to blow up this big, with even papers that hadn't been at the auditorium splashing it across their headlines. Still, it wasn't a big deal.
At most, Jameson's new government would take some heat for a while, but like every other scandal, it would dry up soon enough. This wasn't the twentieth century, nor the matured politics of the Muggle world from his previous life, where sanctions came down the moment a legitimate government got overthrown in some surprise coup.
"Ricky!"
Maverick looked up at the sweet sound of his fiancée's voice and couldn't help but swallow hard—absolutely because he was thirsty, and not because she was wearing his shirt… just his shirt. She strolled over, a coffee cup in hand freshly prepared for him.
Last night, after dinner, they had gone to a Muggle movie, which, to his inner child's surprise, turned out to be Batman Returns. The story followed the script he remembered from his previous life almost exactly.
The only difference seemed to be the cast, for some reason, but the cinematography was way better, so even though he had seen it before, he had a blast watching it. As for Isabella… well, he guessed she enjoyed it too. Probably. Who doesn't like Batman, right?
"What's so interesting on the news that you've been lost in it all this time?"
"The what?" he asked, still unable to tear his eyes away from his half-naked lioness.
"The paper."
"Oh… the paper," he said, glancing at it briefly before returning his gaze to her. "It's about yesterday's hearing. Everyone's calling it a coup d'état."
Isabella slid the cup to him and settled across from him, shrugging. "What else could it be? Don't forget—it was you who orchestrated all that. Did anyone connect the dots?"
Taking a sip from the steaming cup of caffeine, he shook his head. "The articles are mostly about how big a moron Fudge was… and a little heat aimed at Jameson."
"Or maybe the papers don't dare make accusations against you, Mr. Speaker… lest they face your archmagical wrath," she teased, a playful glint in her eyes.
"How is that possible? I am a law-abiding, civilized, well-respected wizard," Maverick said, raising his chin dramatically, which only made her chuckle.
"So… what's on the agenda today?" she asked after a moment.
Maverick's expression softened into a thoughtful pause before his grin widened, and he stood up. "Today… my lady darling." He circled the table, and before she could react, he scooped her up in a princess carry.
Her startled gasp only made him chuckle more as he continued, "How about some Venice barbecue? I hear the restaurants near the beach are absolutely worth it."
Isabella squirmed slightly in his arms, laughing. "At least let me change first before you Apparate…"
"Apparate?" he shook his head, winking as he carried her into the bathroom. "Today, we're going the old-fashioned way."
She rolled her eyes but couldn't hide her smile. Then, after a long—very long—shower, they checked out of the hotel, rented a car, and drove leisurely, taking in the sights as they made their way toward the neighboring district of the city.
---
Venice, a district within Los Angeles known for its beaches, boardwalk, and canals, wore a mellow chill today.
The sky was bright and almost cloudless, the kind of afternoon that felt cool on the skin yet gentle enough for a leisurely stroll along the boardwalk, with seagulls calling lazily overhead. Even in the middle of winter, snow was basically unheard of here, and the weather stayed mild and dry, with daytime highs around 20°C and cool, crisp evenings.
Inside a cozy corner of a bustling beachside restaurant, Maverick and Isabella settled into their seats, the hum of chatter and clinking cutlery surrounding them. A basket of ribs sat between them, the smoky aroma mingling with the tang of barbecue sauce.
Maverick leaned back slightly, grinning as Isabella took her first bite, wiping her fingers on a napkin with a teasing glance. For a moment, the bustle outside felt worlds away, leaving just the warmth of good food, soft conversation, and each other's company.
And the food was indeed good. A little messy, sure—but that's barbecue—and besides, who cared when the flavors of meat and sauce melted in your mouth, impossible to get enough no matter how much you ate.
They chatted about everything and nothing, time slipping by without them even noticing, and of course, the food—before long, it had all turned to bones. It was shaping up to be a perfect start to an excellent holiday… or so they thought.
Until—
Boom!
The bustling chatter inside cut off abruptly, and everyone's heads ducked instinctively at the loud bang from outside, followed by sharp cries and startled yelps echoing through the restaurant as people scrambled to see what had happened.
It sounded like an explosion—not massive, but not small either—and Maverick and Isabella also turned their heads toward the restaurant's large windows.
"Hmm… a duel?" Isabella squinted at the block across the road, casting a wandless cleaning charm over her sauce-stained hands.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
Three more sharp bangs rattled the street. Inside, apart from Maverick and Isabella, chaos reigned now—people screamed, ducked, and scrambled for the exits, unwilling to be anywhere near whatever was causing the explosions across the street.
Maverick furrowed his brows as well, extending his magical senses to see who had dared ruin his lunch date. But then, the crease of concentration on his face eased, as he took in—or rather, guessed at—the figures out there.
At least one of them looked familiar—he had met him once before—but…
"They're not wizards. Although… you have a point," he muttered under his breath. "No ordinary muggle weapons could do that."
Isabella's curiosity flared, her reporter instincts kicking in, and Maverick caught from the corner of his eye that she was itching to get a closer look.
He let out a quiet sigh, then unhurriedly cast a Notice Me Not around them. Once the charm took hold, he turned them invisible and, without a word, Apparated to high above the scene where the ruckus was unfolding.
"Merlin… is that human body Transfiguration?" she exclaimed.
They watched as a woman in green, oddly patterned tights leapt from rooftops and darted through alleys, chasing a man who, at one point, flickered into another form—and then another.
"It certainly looks like it," Maverick said, nodding thoughtfully. By now, he was fairly certain about what was happening, and his earlier guess was quickly solidifying.
For starters, the man frozen in momentary shock was none other than Nick Fury—whom he had seen during his inauguration assembly as High Councilor for the World Security Council.
So the woman chasing the shape-shifter has to be Carol Danvers, aka Ms. Marvel. As for the shapeshifter… that would have to be a Skrull soldier.
"Isn't this straight out of the Captain Marvel plot," he muttered to himself with a frown, then added silently, but… isn't it a bit early for this?
"What plot?"
Isabella's sudden question snapped him out of his thoughts, and the crease in his brow eased. "Nothing," he said quickly, though the grin that followed gave him away. A spark lit in his eyes.
Alien technology. Spaceships. A cat. And, of course, the bloody Tesseract—housing the Space Stone itself.
"I know that look…" Isabella folded her arms over her petite mountains, one brow arched high as she studied him.
"What look?" he asked back, though the curl of his lips didn't budge.
"That look you always get whenever something happens. Next thing I know, you're knee-deep in the middle of it."
"I—" He opened his mouth to argue, then shut it again just as quickly. Was this what they called a woman's sixth sense? But never mind that for now.
So instead, his grin only widened. "Say, honey… you up for a super interesting adventure?"
—————————
Author's Note:
🔥 Drop those Power Stones! 🔥
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