Between Worlds (The Owl House AU)

Finn was once again in the void, training with The Lich as per their deal. The lesson, however, was more proactive than usual.

"Focus, boy! You can't defeat your opponent by simply running around! Fight back!" The Lich criticized Finn's fighting tactics as he faced his latest sparring partner.

It was the silhouette of a tall humanoid with a long beard and hair, large and unusual hands with six fingers, and blue veins bulging out on the back of each hand. Its left shoulder bore a strange scar with stitches.

"Easier said than done, you rotting corpse!" Finn retorted, dodging another swing of its massive sword. "Whoever this thing is based on is obviously crazy strong!" He leapt out of the way of an energy blast from the creature's gauntlet.

"That's it!" Finn yelled as he transformed into what Luz had named his Lich Form. His height increased, muscles expanded, and two twisted horns sprouted from his head. Finn roared with power.

"RRRRAAAAAHHHHH!!!!"

He charged straight at the silhouette, tackling it to the ground and pummeling it with repeated punches until it stopped moving. Panting heavily, Finn caught his breath and sighed with relief. "Is that all for today?"

The Lich stood silently, observing Finn, before speaking a single word.

"Pathetic."

"Excuse me?" Finn asked, confused.

"You heard me. PATHETIC!" The Lich shouted. "In olden times, I would have finished that fight before you could even blink."

"Okay then! Why don't you show me how it's done!?" Finn mocked.

"Very well."

The Lich raised his hand, summoning yet another silhouette identical to the one Finn had just fought. "Pay close attention, child." With a snap of his bony fingers, the silhouette turned toward The Lich and attacked.

The Lich didn't move an inch, standing as if uninterested in the fight. As the silhouette raised its sword high to strike, The Lich cast a black spell circle, freezing it in place.

"Witness my power. By incorporating my glyphs with a spell circle, you can achieve the same effects. This is a deviation of the time glyph I humbly bestowed upon you."

The Lich walked behind the silhouette, placed his hands on its head, and twisted it until it faced backward. With its head reversed, the silhouette collapsed and disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"I believe this is a teachable moment. You lack creativity and imagination. You simply charge in, relying on brute force without a plan." The Lich cast another black spell circle. "From now, until I deem it enough time, you will only be able to cast my glyph magic."

"WHAT?!" Finn exclaimed in shock. "How am I supposed to survive with only one spell?!"

"Do not fret, for I shall teach you the next glyph: SPACE."

The Lich drew another circle, this time with three circles converging in the center, forming a triangle.

"With this, you can manipulate space itself." He summoned a stone statue of Finn and used the glyph to compress it into a small pebble. "There are other uses, but you must discover them on your own. Still, you have indeed grown, my pupil, so I shall grant you a reward."

The Lich placed both hands on Finn's shoulders, opening his mouth to expel black smoke. The smoke seeped into Finn's eyes and mouth as a murky green light bathed his body.

"I have reinforced your body. With this gift, you are now the physically strongest being in the Demon Realm. Do not disappoint me further, boy."

With that, The Lich snapped his fingers once more.

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"AAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!" Finn screamed, waking up in a cold sweat. He slammed his fist on the table in front of him, which splintered into pieces under his newfound strength. Taking a look around, he realized he was in the middle of class. All the other students, as well as the teacher, stared at him in fear.

Catching his breath, Finn said, "Sorry, everyone." He glanced at the pile of splinters that used to be his table. "I'll, uh… I'll fix that."

He cast a spell circle, but was startled when it changed from white to black. "What?" was all he could say before the broken table aged into dust.

"That… that wasn't supposed to happen," Finn explained to the class. Attempting another spell, he inadvertently created a portal that sucked in the dust, only for another portal to expel it over his head. Coughing out the dust he had inhaled, he turned to the teacher.

"Teacher, I think I need to go to the bathroom right now."

"Just GO, Mr. Whispers," the professor replied, pinching the bridge of his nose and shaking his head. "Oh, and it goes without saying, but you WILL report to Principal Bump's office after you're done."

Finn nodded weakly and hurried out of the classroom. As he left, he accidentally tore the doorknob off the door. Awkwardly laughing, he muttered an apology before running down the hall.

On his way to the bathroom, Finn stared at his hands, contemplating how much stronger he had become due to The Lich's influence. I need to test this carefully. I don't want to keep breaking everything around me, he thought.

Passing by a club room, he was snapped out of his thoughts by a familiar voice.

"How about… a REAL HUMAN!"

Finn stopped and peered through the glass window of the door. Inside, Gus stood wearing a paper crown labeled "President," standing in front of a banner that read Human Appreciation Society. Four other students were seated before him.

The club members began murmuring.

"Why the secrets?"

"Show, don't tell, man!"

"Yeah, uh-huh, and you never brought your friend here—why?" asked a construction-track kid.

"She's busy! She's got a job! But I'll bring her in tomorrow; she'll prove I'm right!" Gus said with a smug grin.

"Uh-huh, sure, Augustus. SURE you will," the construction kid replied with disbelief, causing Gus to panic over his promise.

After witnessing the exchange, Finn continued to the bathroom, cleaned himself off as best he could, and went straight to Principal Bump's office. He knocked, but his knock sent the door crashing down.

"Come in, Mr. Whispers. And please, just set the door back in its frame for now," Bump said without looking up from his paperwork.

Finn carefully propped the door back up and entered.

"Sit down, please. I just need a moment to finish this form," Bump said, gesturing to a chair.

Finn sat, nervously waiting. After signing the last document, Bump interlocked his fingers and looked at Finn.

"Now, could you please explain why you're destroying school property?"

Finn explained as best he could. "Principal Bump, I seem to have been cursed by a powerful entity. I know it sounds insane, but—"

Bump raised a hand to silence him.

"Mr. Whispers, I assure you, being cursed is more common around here than you think. What type of curse is it? Will it affect your schoolwork or the safety of other students?"

Finn was taken aback by Bump's calm demeanor. "Oh, well… the curse forces me to use only two spells. As a side effect, my body is much stronger now. Most of my schoolwork that doesn't require magic or physical contact should be fine. As for how long this will last… I don't really know."

Bump nodded thoughtfully. "I see. I may need to reassign you to someplace safer." He stood, walked to his filing cabinet, and pulled out a folder. After a moment, he said, "Ah, you're in luck. I need an assistant to help with various tasks around the school."

"What kind of tasks?" Finn asked skeptically.

"Just a few odd jobs—nothing serious," Bump reassured him. "With your new strength, most of the work should be easier."

Finn sighed. Realizing he had little choice, he agreed. "Alright, you've got yourself an assistant." He extended his hand for a handshake.

Bump stared at Finn's hand. "For my health, I think I'll pass."

Panicking, Finn quickly hid his hands behind his back.

"Your first assignment will be tomorrow," Bump said. "For now, get back to class."

After returning to the classroom and enduring a few more hours of lessons, school finally ended.

"Okay, time to see what this whole Goops situation is about," Finn muttered.

Before he could leave, Skara approached him.

"Hey, Finn, got a minute?"

"I've got nowhere to be, so sure," he replied.

Skara hesitated before speaking. "About what happened earlier in class… is everything okay? You know I'm here for you if you ever need anything." She placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

Finn closed his eyes, trying to find the right words. "It's okay—just a bad dream is all." He forced a strained smile. "Nothing to worry about. I'm fine."

Skara still looked concerned. "Okay, if you say so. Just remember, I'm here if you need to talk." She smiled warmly before leaving but leaned back in for a parting remark. "Oh, you can find me at practice after school. Day or night, I'm here for you."

Finn returned her smile and nodded.

Not knowing where Gus might be, Finn headed to the one place he knew he could find Luz: The Owl House.

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When Finn arrived at The Owl House, he was greeted by Hooty.

"Hi, one of my maaaannnyyy best friends! Are you here for my tea party?"

"Just open up, Hooty. I already have enough problems to deal with today," Finn replied lazily.

"Okay!" Hooty swung the front door open and announced, "Hey everyone, Finn is here, and he is NOT happy today! So, everyone JUST KEEP CALM and make sure to make him feel all better."

As Finn walked inside, Hooty's expression went blank, and he spoke in a monotone voice. "Our very lives depend on his emotional well-being. I already sense a malevolent force deep within him. Should he turn to the darker recesses of his mind, we will all—OOO! A BUG!"

Hooty slammed the door shut behind Finn and stretched toward his next meal.

Finn glanced around the living room. Luz and Eda were sitting amid a chaotic mess of boxes.

"So… is Eda turning The Owl House into a trash dump?" Finn quipped.

Eda scowled. "Oh, ha ha, very funny. For your information, this is the latest haul Owlbert brought back from the human realm. Me and Luz are just sorting through it all."

"Yup, nothing says excitement like doing inventory," Luz added in a bored tone.

The door burst open again. "Luz! Gus is here, and he looks troubled! Hoot hoot," Hooty announced.

"Oh, Gus? Why are you here? Did you need something?" Luz asked, continuing to sift through the boxes.

"Yes, Gus, why are you here?" Finn said sarcastically, already guessing the reason.

"Oh, nothing… I was just wondering if you could come to school with me tomorrow so I can introduce you to my Human Appreciation Society," Gus said with a sheepish smile, his eyes silently pleading.

As Luz picked up a box labeled Junk to Sell, she said, "Gus, I'd love to go to school with you, but I can't. Principal Bump banned me from Hexside." She pointed to a poster of herself hanging on the wall with the word "BANNED" in bold letters.

"But nothing, Bump did you a favor. There's nothing for you at that dweebus factory," Eda chimed in, giving Gus a sideways glance. "No offense, dweebus."

Finn narrowed his eyes. "You do realize I ALSO go to that 'dweebus factory,' right?"

"Exactly. Case in point," Eda replied smugly.

Gus, less offended, shrugged. "It's okay. I come from a long line of dweebuses."

Luz slammed the box she was holding onto the floor. "Well, I'd love to go someday. It's better than unpacking boxes in the Eda Coven." She folded her arms and glared at Eda.

Finn placed his hands on Gus's shoulders. "Ooo, angry Luz. Pay attention, Goops—the show's about to start," he teased, thoroughly enjoying Luz's determination.

"Oh, you think you're clever, huh?" Eda said, glaring at Finn.

"Ooo, fight, fight, fight!" King cheered, throwing little air punches.

"Can it, King!" Eda snapped. "First off, it's the Bad Girl Coven. And second, I guess you don't want in on the t-shirt order, huh?"

Eda held up a design for a purple t-shirt that read BAD GIRL COVEN in bold pink, green, and blue letters surrounded by lightning bolts. The shirt depicted Eda surfing on Owlbert, wearing sunglasses and a backward cap.

"I don't care about t-shirts, Eda! I want to learn magic, and they teach that at Hexside!" Luz pointed dramatically at Finn and Gus.

"I mean, yeah, but—ugh!" Eda groaned. "I don't want to hear another word about Hexside. Unless it's 'Hexside is on fire, and let's grab front-row seats!'" She stormed out of the house, slamming the door behind her.

Luz glared after her, frustrated.

"Aw, look what you did. I'm going to rub it in," King said, rubbing his hands together gleefully before following Eda outside with a giggle.

Luz sighed heavily and slumped onto the couch.

Gus, determined to sway her, spoke up. "Luz, about the ban… I, uh, used my HASA presidential authority to pull some strings. You've been given a full pardon."

Luz's eyes widened. "You mean—"

"I got the ban lifted."

"Oh my gosh! YES, YES, YES! Of course I'll come tomorrow!" Luz grabbed Gus by his collar and shook him in excitement. She hopped on the couch, bubbling with joy. "This is great! I get to see the school and save the president!"

"Great! See you tomorrow!" Gus said, slipping out the door. Once outside, he closed it behind him and did a small victory dance. "Yes! You did it, Gus. You're the smartest! You're the best!"

"Sweet moves, little dude," Hooty said, startling Gus.

"Ah! I always forget you're there," Gus exclaimed.

"I forget I'm here too. Hoot!" Hooty replied, returning to his usual antics.

Inside, Finn stood behind Gus, watching him with an unamused expression.

"This is going to work out after all!" Gus said to himself, unaware of Finn's presence.

"I wouldn't say that, Goops," Finn interrupted, his voice calm but heavy with warning.

Gus spun around, startled. "Oh, uh, hi, Finn," he said with a strained smile.

Finn sighed, his face deadpan. "Listen, Goops. Luz is one of the only friends I have that doesn't annoy me… too much. So whatever you're planning, it better not put her in danger, or else I'll be VERY upset."

Without waiting for a response, Finn grabbed Gus by the collar and lifted him off the ground. "DO. I. MAKE. MYSELF. CLEAR?" Finn's voice turned gravelly, and his eyes glowed green.

Gus nodded frantically, too afraid to speak.

"Good," Finn said, dropping him back to the ground. Turning on his heel, he walked away. "See you at school tomorrow, Mr. President."

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Finn soared through the sky on Lady, who was in staff form, his thoughts wandering. I hope Principal Bump doesn't ask me to do too much work as his assistant, he mused.

"Uh, Finn?" A voice behind him interrupted his thoughts.

"Huh?" He glanced over his shoulder.

"Not that I'm complaining about getting a ride to school, but is something bothering you? You seem… distracted today," Skara asked, her expression tinged with concern.

"What makes you say that? I'm completely fine," Finn replied, shrugging off the question.

"Well, for one, you've been quiet since you picked me up—which, not gonna lie, was a nice change of pace. But for another… you've been flying in circles over the school for ten minutes now."

Finn blinked, glancing down to see the school directly below. "Huh. So you are correct."

He landed in front of the school, transforming Lady back into her scarf form and wrapping it around his neck. Turning to Skara, he added, "Sorry about that. It's my first day as Principal Bump's assistant, and I feel like it's going to be a long one." He stretched his arms, cracked his neck, and yawned.

"Well, as long as you say you're fine. Just… try not to get hurt, okay?" Skara said with a soft smile.

Finn smirked. "No promises." He noticed her expression shift and quickly added, "Fine, fine—I'll stay safe. Jeez, you almost sound like you're my wife or something."

As he yawned again, he missed the way Skara's face turned bright red. "Don't worry," he continued, flexing his right arm and tapping his bicep with his left hand. "I've gotten a lot stronger recently."

Skara chuckled at his antics.

Before Finn could say more, he heard a familiar voice shout, "This isn't going to work out at all!"

Turning, he saw Willow standing with Gus, who looked sheepish. From Willow's tone, it wasn't hard to guess Gus had spilled the beans about his plan.

"Excuse me for a moment, Skara. I need to handle some business with those two." Finn walked off, leaving a bewildered Skara behind.

"Goops, Willow! How's your morning going?" Finn asked with a forced, cheerful smile. "Because mine went great, and I'd be VERY UPSET if something—or someone—ruined it." His gaze shifted sharply to Gus.

"Oh, hi, Finn! My morning's going good, and I, uh, feel like I've taken care of any potential problems," Gus stammered, avoiding eye contact.

Willow crossed her arms, unimpressed. "My morning was also fine… until I found out what Gus was planning. He lied to our best friend and told her he got the ban lifted. That seems like a pretty big problem to me."

Finn raised an eyebrow, his voice dripping with mock shock. "Why, Goops, did you really lie to Luz yesterday? I could have sworn you said you pulled some strings to get the ban lifted. Oh, this is terrible news, especially since you had to recover from that broken leg yesterday."

Gus blinked, confused. "Uh, I didn't break my leg yesterday."

"No?" Finn's grin turned cold. "Well, I can fix that problem for you right now. My strength's been a bit… hard to control lately." He leaned in, his green eyes glowing faintly. "Because, as Willow can tell you, I REALLY don't like people who hurt their FRIENDS."

Willow frowned, reminded that while she and Finn were talking again, they weren't officially friends yet.

"Wait! You don't understand!" Gus squeaked. "The members were going mad—they were bloodthirsty! They were touching objects! I had no choice!"

Finn stared at him incredulously. "Seriously? You'd risk Luz's safety for a bunch of random people?"

"And what about all the wanted posters around school?" Willow pointed out, crossing her arms.

"What wanted posters?" Gus hesitated, then opened his bag to reveal a stack of Luz's wanted posters that had been plastered around Hexside. "I also got this to keep her undercover." He pulled out a spare cowl.

Before Finn or Willow could respond, Luz appeared seemingly out of nowhere. "Undercover from what?" she asked cheerfully, before letting out a surprised "eep" as Gus pulled the cowl over her head—backward.

"Behold! Your new cowl!"

"Whoa, I love it!" Luz exclaimed as Gus adjusted the cowl. She took a deep breath. "On the Boiling Isles, new things smell old."

"Yup! Just wear it to hide your ears," Gus said with an awkward laugh.

Finn and Willow exchanged unimpressed glances, silently fuming at Gus's continued lie.

Luz, oblivious, raised her cowl dramatically. "Oh, a showman! I totally get it. You bring the razzle, I'll bring the dazzle." She threw confetti into the air.

Finn blinked. "Do you always carry confetti, or—?"

Their conversation was cut off as Gus's watch started screaming. Gus jabbed the eye of his watch, silencing it. "That's my alarm! We better get going. See you after school, Willow!" He grabbed Luz's arm and hurried off.

"Bye, friends! Be safe! Make good choices!" Luz called as she waved at them.

Willow sighed. "Ugh, Gus. I hope you know what you're doing."

Finn shook his head. "He better." The school bell began to scream, signaling the start of the day. "Well, I need to see Principal Bump about my assignment. Willow, nice talking to you again."

Finn nodded to her and walked off, already bracing himself for the chaos the day would bring.

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As Finn entered the principal's office, he saw Principal Bump, as usual, busy with paperwork. Noticing Finn, Bump set his pen down and greeted him.

"Ah, Mr. Whispers, how good of you to show up early." He glanced at the wall clock, noting Finn had arrived five minutes ahead of schedule. "Now then, since this is relatively new for both of us, I've decided to create this."

Bump opened a drawer and pulled out a badge.

"This badge will signify that any business you attend to on my behalf will carry the same authority as if I were there myself. This should help, given your… 'current' situation."

Finn took the badge from the desk, studying it with a glint in his eyes. "So when you say, 'as if you were there,' does that mean…?"

"It means," Bump clarified, "that whatever orders you give will be regarded as my own. I've read your file, Mr. Whispers. While you have, shall we say, quirks, you've always acted in the best interest of others in the end. Can I trust you to handle this responsibility?"

"Yes, sir, you can," Finn said, pinning the badge to his chest. "So, what's my first assignment?"

Before Bump could respond, the office door slammed open, and a familiar figure strode in.

"Hey there, Bumpy! I came by to ask for some—" Eda paused mid-sentence, noticing Finn. "Finn? What a coincidence! So, what are you in for? Can I see what you did before Bumpy here makes you clean it up?"

Finn stiffened. The last thing he wanted was for any teacher—especially Principal Bump—to know about his association with Eda, a wild witch and criminal.

"What are you talking about, random stranger?" he said, feigning ignorance. "I've never met you in my life before today."

Bump chuckled, putting Finn at ease with a smile. "It's quite all right, Mr. Whispers. I already know you're Edalyn's apprentice. While it pains me to acknowledge, I believe all my students are free to choose their own path in magic."

Finn's shoulders relaxed slightly, though confusion crept into his voice. "Wait… how did you—?"

"I was at the Covention," Bump replied. "I saw your witch's duel with Miss Blight. While I don't condone the act of nearly killing a classmate, your mastery of abomination magic is… impressive." Bump's tone shifted to seriousness. "Now then, Edalyn, to what do I owe this sudden visit?"

"Oh, right!" Eda said, snapping back to her purpose. She took a seat in front of Bump's desk and began balancing a pencil on her upper lip. "It's been a while since I've been here, huh?" She leaned back, propping her feet on the desk. "Weird not hearing you yell at me for picking fights or stealing."

Both Finn and Bump scowled in unison. Bump cast a spell, sending Eda's feet off the desk and knocking her to the floor.

"I can easily change that. Now, what are you doing here, Edalyn?"

Eda dusted herself off, blowing a stray hair out of her face. "I want to… enroll my human, Luz, at Hexside. And before you get all judgy—" she leaned in, hands on the desk, ready for a fight.

"That's not a bad idea," Bump said, his voice surprisingly monotone.

Eda blinked, taken aback. "Wait… really?"

"Yeah, really?" Finn echoed.

"I believe the student body could learn much from having an exchange student like Luz," Bump continued. Eda smirked, thinking it was easier than she expected, and kicked her feet back up on his desk.

"But," Bump added, his tone darkening, "there's a lot to answer for." He rifled through a file cabinet, casting another spell that flipped Eda upside down and dropped her back into her chair. From the cabinet, Bump retrieved a massive stack of binders and slammed them onto the desk.

"Oh, right. I heard about the abomination incident," Eda muttered.

"Incident is putting it mildly," Finn deadpanned.

"I'm not talking about Luz," Bump clarified. "I'm referring to your necrotic experiments, graffiti, scams, cheating, and Miss Jekinmire's teeth."

Eda sank into her chair, stunned as the memories came rushing back.

Bump gestured to the files. "The trouble you caused when you were a student, Edalyn…" The stack bore a bold label: EDALYN CLAWTHORNE – PERMANENT RECORD.

Finn's eyes widened. "Eda, seriously—what did you do as a student here?"

Turning back to Bump, he added, "Uh, Principal Bump? Since you're clearly busy with Eda, I actually have a friend who could use my help. Could I go take care of that while you… deal with this?" He gestured to the towering stack.

"Yes, you're in luck, Mr. Whispers." Bump smirked mischievously at Eda. "I think I'll be keeping Edalyn quite busy today. Request granted. Just… don't destroy the school with the authority I just gave you."

"Will do, sir." Finn gave a quick salute, then hurriedly exited the office—breaking the door in his haste. "I'll… fix that later," he muttered before rushing off.

As he left, he could faintly hear Eda mutter in disbelief, "Huh. I thought there'd be more…"

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With his newfound freedom and authority over other students, Finn decided to quickly find Luz and keep her safe from the increased security Principal Bump had hired after Luz's last visit to Hexside.

"Alright, time to find her." He attempted his usual oracle magic, forming a rectangle with his thumbs and index fingers to locate Luz.

"What the—!" Instead of seeing a vision of Luz's location, the spell turned into a vacuum, pulling in anything in front of him. He undid it as soon as he could, swearing he could hear one of the teachers yelling about how a row of lockers had appeared in their classroom. Finn looked left and right to make sure there were no witnesses.

"Alright, that's not going to work right now." He put a hand under his chin, thinking about where he could find Luz. "Wait a minute. If the space glyph can teleport objects, maybe I just need to focus on her first, then open a portal." He closed his eyes, trying to focus solely on finding Luz. Then he cast another spell circle, wide enough to step through.

When he opened his eyes, he could see Skara rushing toward a ball—then being picked up by a griffin.

"AAAHHH!!! I hate this game!" Skara screamed as the griffin dropped her into a basket. A buzzer sounded, signaling a point.

Finn walked through his newly made portal. "Huh, this is all the way on the other side of the school." He looked at Skara with a slight smirk on his face. "Hey, need a hand there?" he asked.

"Yeah, I could. Thanks, Finn." Skara smiled at Finn's kind gesture. As he helped her down from the basket, he noticed Gus dragging Luz away before they were spotted by one of the new security guards.

"Sorry to save and run, but I gotta go. See you later in class." Finn rushed toward them, hoping to catch up. He did, thanks to Luz's curiosity, which made her stop in front of a classroom to see what was happening.

"Ooo, what's in here?" Luz wondered.

"The plant homeroom," Gus answered.

"It's also one of two places you can get eaten by a carnivorous plant," Finn said, seemingly appearing out of nowhere behind them.

"AHH!" Luz and Gus exclaimed simultaneously.

Luz was the first to recover. "Oh, Finn! I didn't expect to see you so soon. Why are you here right now?"

"Yeah, why are you here right now?" Gus said nervously.

"Well, before I explain all that, why don't you peek in? Willow is actually in this class right now." Finn wanted Luz to have a good time touring Hexside before he told her Eda might be able to get her enrolled.

As Luz leaned in, peering through the window in the door, she saw a plant open up and try to eat a student who was distracted. Willow rushed over and scratched the plant's stem, causing it to throw the student back up, now covered in yellow slime.

"Willow, hey," Luz said, trying to get Willow's attention. Finn joined Luz and waved at her. Willow turned around, happy at the surprise greeting, and waved back.

Gus then made himself known. "Hi!" This caused Willow to scowl at him, shaking her head. "Bye." Gus dragged Luz to another classroom for the illusion track. "And this is where I spend my time—the illusion track homeroom." The classroom was filled with mirrors, and three students were in the middle of a test with their teacher.

The first was Emira; she used a spell to make her legs look longer. The next was Edric; he changed his face and hair to something more bizarre, in Finn's opinion. The last was a red-headed student who somehow managed to make their entire face disappear, freaking out over not having eyes, ears, or any way to breathe. The teacher managed to reverse it, saving them from suffocation.

Luz, trying to look away from the botched spell, saw another Gus sitting in the next-door classroom. "Wait, if you're here, then who's that?"

"That's one of my illusions. It takes notes for me while I'm not around." The illusion then wrote on a piece of paper and showed it to Luz and Gus. It read, I'm not paying attention. The illusion giggled as it showed the note to the real Gus, which made him angry. "He doesn't always do what he's told." Gus attempted to walk over to correct his problem.

Luz was impressed. "Wow, Gus, you're good."

"Yeah, I've moved up a couple grades," Gus said as his watch went off again. After silencing the alarm, he added, "Oh, time for the H.A.S. meeting."

All three of them walked down the hall before Gus returned to the classroom where his illusion was. It looked smug and laid-back until Gus made a slashing motion with his finger across his throat, which scared the illusion. He turned around and bumped into Finn. Finn balled his hand into a fist, so tight that you could hear his knuckles cracking, and placed it an inch in front of Gus's face.

Before Finn could say anything, Luz returned, wondering where both of them were. "Hey, what are the two of you doing?"

Finn turned around and looked back at Luz. "Oh, nothing, just reminding Goops here about something we discussed yesterday. Isn't that right, Goops?" Gus could only nod weakly. "Now that that's done, let's get this over with."

They all then made their way to the club room for the H.A.S.

As they approached the door, they could hear chanting.

"Human! Human! Human! Human!"

Gus opened the door, now wearing his paper crown. "Human Appreciation Society." He got their attention by flicking a paperclip. "It is my distinct pleasure to introduce to you…"

Luz appeared in the doorway, moonwalking in and spinning before facing the group. "Luz the human!" She pulled off her cowl, revealing her round ears. The members began to freak out.

"Such showmanship!" one of them said.

"She's horrifying!" another added.

Gus walked over to the so-called human items. "Luz, will you inspect the items?" he asked, confident in his victory over Mattholomule.

"Of course, Mr. President. Allow me to determine if they're truly of my realm's origin," Luz replied in an exaggeratedly formal tone.

Finn was calmly observing everything from one corner of the room. "Lady, I think I'm going to need you pretty soon to make a quick getaway with Luz, so… staff mode, please."

Lady unwrapped herself from Finn's neck and transformed into a staff. A thought then occurred to him. "Huh, maybe I should test that new space glyph with you, Lady." He was brought out of his thoughts by Mattholomule.

"Stop!" Mattholomule swept away every human object on the table. "Don't make another move, human!" He leapt onto the table, pointing at Luz.

Finn instinctively gripped his staff, preparing for a possible fight.

"I have something to say," Mattholomule began. "I'm new here at Hexside. Making friends has been hard, so I lied. They're all fakes."

Finn raised an eyebrow, confused at the sudden turn of events. The rest of the H.A.S. gasped, while Gus looked genuinely surprised at Mattholomule's honesty.

"I thought if I was important enough, people would like me," Mattholomule continued, "but I've caused enough drama."

Luz and Gus shared a look of understanding, both familiar with how hard it was to make real friends.

Finn, however, rolled his eyes. He knew how difficult it was to find friends too, but he wasn't buying Mattholomule's story. Since working with Eda, he'd had firsthand experience reading people.

"This kid is a pretty good actor," Finn thought, "but I can spot a con when I see one. Still, since he isn't too dangerous, I'll just let them figure it out."

"So, I'll go. I'm sorry," Mattholomule finished, apologizing to everyone.

Luz tried to lighten the mood. "Hey man, it's okay. You're only human. Well, you know what I mean."

Gus chimed in. "Mattholomule, you aren't alone. You have a place here in the H.A.S."

The other members cheered.

"You're not alone."

"We admire your honesty."

"You're one of us."

"Thanks, guys. I knew you'd understand," Mattholomule said, smiling at their acceptance.

After a few minutes, the H.A.S. ended its activities. "Thanks for coming." "Come back soon." "Thank you," the other members said as they thanked Luz for dropping in.

Finn was relieved. Sure, most of his magic was sealed, and he couldn't control his strength right now, but Luz had enjoyed her time at Hexside. He smiled, thinking that maybe he should do something special for her after Eda told her she would be attending Hexside from now on.

"Hey, Augustus. Luz. Thanks for being so forgiving," Mattholomule said.

"We've all been the new kid before, right, Gus?" Luz said.

"Yeah," Gus agreed.

"Well, I just have one thing to say—" Mattholomule began, but the door slammed open suddenly, revealing two school guards.

"There she is! She's the intruder!" Mattholomule shouted, holding up one of Luz's banned posters.

The guards sniffed the air. "Trouble."

"No, it's fine! The ban's been lifted. Tell them, Gus!" Luz pleaded, but one of the guards hooked her, dragging her out of the room.

"Gus! Tell them!" Luz shouted.

"Oh, who's the liar now, Augustus?" Mattholomule taunted.

Finn appeared behind both of them, his face darkening. "I don't care who lied, and I don't care about whatever rivalry you two have." He gripped both of their shoulders, squeezing just enough to intimidate but not hurt. "But what I do care about is my friend's safety. So, you two are going to help me help her… OR ELSE."

Lady floated behind Finn, giving the two boys the most hateful glare she could muster.

==========================================================================================

Willow was in the plant track classroom, using a spell to water the very same plant that almost ate her classmate. "Maybe I've been too hard on Gus? I mean, what trouble could they get into?" she said to herself, hoping Gus's plan would actually work.

"HELP! Ah! I don't even learn here!" yelled Luz, trying to escape from the guards.

Willow saw Luz being dragged away through the window in the door. "Luz!?"

"Where are you taking me?" Luz questioned, panicking at her fate.

"Detention."

"Oh, that won't be so bad, right?" Luz calmed down slightly after hearing the guards' answer. She was then brought to a room where the door was alive, with three red slit eyes and sharp teeth that looked ready to eat her. "AHHH!"

While this was happening, Finn was going over the plan one more time with Gus and Mattholomule. "Okay, step one: Idiot one and two, the both of you will do something to get all three of us thrown into detention with Luz."

"Okay, I'm with you so far," Gus said, laser-focused on the plan.

"Excuse me! Why would I ever do that for Augustus or the human?" Mattholomule, however, was not enthusiastic about the plan at all.

Finn smiled at him, then picked up a rock labeled 'cellular phone' and crushed it into dust with his bare hands in front of Mattholomule's face. "Do you have any problems with this plan?" Panicked, Mattholomule shook his head. "Good. Now, step two: I rescue Luz by using my awesome powers while the two of you suffer in detention for an unspecified amount of time." Gus raised his hand, at which Finn sighed. "What is it, Goops?"

"Can't you just use those powers of yours to save us too?"

"Yes, I could," Finn deadpanned. "But I still want to see both of you suffer, even if only for a few hours."

"Alright, I guess if this helps Luz, then…" Gus then walked up to the bell in the classroom and pulled out its tongue, causing it to spray drool all over the three of them.

Now, all three of them were being dragged by a security guard to the detention room. "But I didn't pull the alarm! It was Augustus! Are you even listening to me?" Finn grabbed Gus's paper crown and stuffed it into Mattholomule's mouth, shutting him up. After that, Finn spotted Willow looking from around a corner. He waved at her, signaling her to follow them.

As the guard threw them into the detention room, Finn stood up. "Alright, step one of the plan is complete. Now, onto step two." He was momentarily distracted by Mattholomule banging on the door, begging to be let out.

Gus got up next and spotted Luz hiding behind a rock. "Luz!"

"Gus! You said the ban was lifted," Luz said, a little confused.

"Well, I—" Gus tried to explain himself when the room suddenly shook. The floor split open, revealing a large mouth with dozens of eyes and teeth, with students trapped in blue, transparent cocoons.

"AAAAHHHHH!!!!" Luz screamed at the horrible sight. "How is this detention? This is a death sentence!"

"Alright! Everyone, be quiet! I have the solution." Finn drew everyone's attention to himself. He then jumped over the floor mouth, heading toward Luz. "Okay, Luz, just hold on, and I'll phase us out of here using Lady." He lifted her up in a princess carry, walked to the nearest wall, and headbutted it. "Ow! What the? Why can't I…" He then remembered. "Oh right, all magic is weakened in the detention room." Everyone else gave him a surprised look. "Sorry, my bad. Anyone got any ideas on how to get out?"

"I don't know, I've never been in detention before!" Gus said, clinging to the walls, trying not to fall into the mouth.

Mattholomule shuffled right next to Gus to gloat. "Welcome to my world. Believe it or not, at my old school I was in detention plenty of times."

Luz, angry at the lame brag, responded, "That isn't hard to believe. You're kind of a jerk!"

Finn piled on. "You're also weak, a liar, and a coward."

"Hey! In detention, this jerk is king! So if you want to get out, you need to do exactly what I say. First, we gotta—" Suddenly, a large green worm creature shot out of the floor mouth and wrapped a blue tendril around Mattholomule's leg. He screamed as it dragged him down into a cocoon.

"Mattholomule!" Even though he was the reason she was there, Luz was still concerned about the little jerk's safety. "You lied to me. You lied about the ban. Why?"

Finn glared at Gus, wanting an explanation. "Get on with it, Goops. If we're going to die, you at least owe us that much."

"I… I was afraid. I acted stupid."

"Yes! Yes, you did!" Finn nodded along with Luz's statement.

"Being younger than everyone is hard. You're overlooked, ignored, but at the H.A.S., I matter. I could make sure no one would ever get left behind. I didn't want to lose that. I'm sorry," Gus said, with a downcast expression.

Luz then put a hand on his shoulder. "I get it. I just wish you told me the truth." They both smiled at each other.

"Sorry to interrupt your moment, but we have bigger problems to worry about," Finn said, bringing them back to reality, just in time to see more of the worm creatures headed toward them. "So here's the plan: I feed Goops here to the monsters, and while they're busy eating him, we make our escape. Sound good?"

Luz just gave him a disapproving look. Finn backed away a little, not wanting to deal with an angry Luz.

Gus then had an idea. "I have a better plan."

Luz kicked a worm in the face. "I'm in. Where do WE start?" Finn just rolled his eyes at the "WE" part Luz had just said.

Gus grabbed her hand. "By leaving no one behind," he said as he jumped into the floor mouth, avoiding all of the teeth and worm creatures on the way down. They were both greeted by an annoyed Finn.

"What took you guys so long?" Finn said while cleaning his nails.

"What? How did you…?" Luz stammered, confused at Finn's appearance.

"New trick I just learned. Can't really control it yet, though." Finn then picked up the cocoon holding Mattholomule. "Alright, I got the jerk right here. Now what?"

Luz wasted no time and bit into the cocoon, trying to free him. When she failed, she said, "You know, it didn't taste as bad as I thought it would." She then pointed at Gus. "Oh, you're a witch. Do magic."

"Oh, I'll use magic," Gus responded as he pulled out a paperclip and straightened the end. "Human magic!" He then punctured a hole in the cocoon, freeing Mattholomule.

In a trance, Mattholomule said, "Am I a good student?"

Finn snickered. "Ha! Not in this lifetime." He received another look from Luz. "Alright, fine! He's still a jerk though."

Luz picked him up, carrying him over her shoulder. "Oh gosh, he's so little." The monsters then surrounded them. "This is part of the plan, right?"

Finn put his arms around Luz and Gus. "Hold on." He then opened a portal beneath them. They all went through and arrived at the top of the pit.

Luz's eyes were wide in surprise. "How did you do that!? Was that teleportation!? And can you teach that to me?"

"In order: new glyph, probably, and no. I don't even want to think about you having the power to teleport anywhere you want," Finn deadpanned. "Besides, right now I can't control it properly. But now is not the time for this." He then walked up to the door, put one hand on it while pulling back the other hand. "Okay, let's see how much stronger I've become." He then punched the door three times before it broke open. They were all surprised to see Willow and Eda standing next to Principal Bump.

"Eda?" Luz questioned.

"Principal Bump, I am here… testing the strength of the detention room door, so that no one can escape?" Finn lied through his teeth.

Eda responded to Luz. "Guess who got you into Hexside?" She said with her arms wide open.

"What? AAAHHHH!!!!" Before Luz could process what Eda just said, they were surrounded yet again by the monsters.

Principal Bump then snapped his fingers, calling them off. "Ugh, sorry, Principal Bump… sir," the monster said before retreating back into the detention room.

Furious, Bump then questioned them. "Mr. Whispers, it seems like we need to have a little chat later about your new responsibilities." Finn looked away, trying to feign innocence. "As for the rest of you, what did you do?"

Eda facepalmed at the situation. "Ugh, kid."

"To think that any student of yours could do anything but create chaos. Eda, take your human student and leave! You are both banned from this campus!"

Eda gripped her. "Come on, kid, let's go."

"Wait, Principal Bump—" Gus began, before Finn put his hand over his mouth.

"What Gus here is trying to say is that I knew how much learning from Hexside was a dream for Luz. I snuck her in to give her an impromptu tour of the facilities so she could see how amazing this place is firsthand. If anyone is getting punished, it should be me." Finn closed his eyes, ready to accept any punishment Bump would throw at him.

Bump then put a hand on his shoulder. "That is… very proactive of you, Mr. Whispers!" Everyone then had a look of absolute surprise. "You knew that Edalyn was trying to get her student enrolled, and you had enough faith that she would come through, that you already gave a tour to Luz here." He then patted Finn on the back. "I knew I chose right for my assistant." He then turned around to face Luz. "In light of that, barring any more trouble, you shall officially be enrolled in Hexside School next semester." This had Luz beaming with joy.

"Ah, hold on, hold on." Eda then leaned in close to Luz. "I'm only doing this because I have faith in you, and I know you're too smart to fall for that one witch, one coven nonsense. You can learn a lot from the witches here and maybe teach them some of that Bad Girl Coven magic too."

"I didn't hear that," Bump said as he walked away from both of them. "As for you, Augustus, since you technically escaped detention, I have to find another punishment for you." He then removed the paper crown from Gus's head. "I'm removing you from the Human Appreciation Society." Gus was sad but understood that this was for the better.

"Does that make me president?" came a muffled question from Mattholomule, lying face down on the ground.

"Impressive, still alive. Yes, I suppose you are." Bump then threw the crown at Mattholomule, who celebrated.

"Yes!"

"Now, with that accomplished, Eda, we have some paperwork to fill out," Bump said, while leading Eda to his office.

"Wait, I gotta do more stuff! Ugh! You better enjoy this place, kid." Eda ruffled Luz's hair before following Bump.

Luz then looked at Finn, Willow, and Gus. "Wanna finish off that tour?"

Gus exclaimed, "Yeah! Let's go!"

Willow chimed in. "I can show you guys which plants not to touch in the greenhouse, and then I can let you touch them."

"Yeah! Let's go!" Luz grabbed Willow's hand, who then grabbed Gus's hand, and they ran off toward the greenhouse, laughing all the way there.

Finn smiled as he watched over this and was about to join in, but stopped. The Lich's voice spoke to him. "It seems you do have some ingenuity after all. You managed to figure out how to teleport safely."

"So, does this mean I get my magic back now?"

"No, but I will consider it when you find another of my glyphs. It can be seen on a certain object you interacted with in your past." The Lich then chuckled ominously.