Work Text:
Summertime on Earth, in the year 1989, and huge events were happening for individuals worldwide from one side to another. While Carol Danvers was flying the Asis with Wendy Larson to an unknown location, they were attacked by the Starforce, which Larson recognized. After crashing, she explained to Carol that she was a Kree from the planet Hala and their attackers were after her Light-Speed Engine technology for a misguided war.
As Lawson was about to destroy her creation, she was shot and killed by Yon-Rogg, who then confronted Danvers. Danvers decided to fulfil her mentor's last wish and destroy the engine with the strange pistol she now held. A huge explosion rocked both parties, and Yon-Rogg was astonished to see that Danvers had not only survived but absorbed the energies from the Tesseract, altering her genetic code and leaving her unconscious. Yon-Rogg decided to take her back to Hala and try to turn the situation to their advantage.
What few others knew was that around the globe, a young wizard, 11-years old, soon to start his schooling at Hogwarts, was about to be abducted.
Cassius Warrington and his parents had been doing his school shopping when he was separated from them in the crowded book shop. Unaware that the alien had become curious about the seemingly nonexistent part of London, he had infiltrated and been observing a whole new and unknown race of people who had special powers. If he could skim some of them, along with their powers, the Skrull would have a possible advantage in their never-ending war with the Kree!
When Cassius got separated from his family, he decided to wait outside. The alien changed his face, and the faux-father approached the boy. However, Cassius was exceptional, even compared to grown wizards. He had natural occlumency shields and a passing ability to use Legimency that his father had assured him he would help him develop.
From a pureblood with a family history of Slytherin sortings, he fully expected to follow the family tradition. As such, his parents had spent his childhood teaching him all he would technically learn at school up to Ordinary Wizarding Levels. The wizard had a keen aptitude for magic and absorbed knowledge like a sponge to the pride of his family. Cassius also honed his occlumency skills but was advised to never show off his knowledge. Appearing ordinary would allow him access to circles of allies, and potential friends, who may not accept him if they suspected he was a swot or better than them at magic.
While waiting, a figure that looked like his father approached him. The Skrull had no way of knowing that the boy could read his deafening surface thoughts centred around taking the boy and learning from him.
Alarmed, Cassius ran away, chased by the faux-father who called out to him. Soon he was cornered in an alley between stores, and a blast of accidental magic sent the stranger stumbling back, knocked out momentarily, and shifting back to his natural state. Cassius was suddenly very afraid. The magical world was filled with strange-looking creatures and beings, but no green-skinned people with pointed ears and the ability to change faces without a potion. He jumped over the body and ran to the Leaky Cauldron, fear overriding his senses.
The Skrull was soon up and back into the fake father's face seeing the boy dart out the alley opening and chased him. He knew his cover was blown, making it vital that he caught the boy. He saw the child race into the establishment that had led to this strange new world, almost catching him by the back of his robe, when he was shot in the shoulder.
Losing his form again, he turned to confront the Kree that had been scanning the planet for the Skrull plague while Yon-Rogg went about his own mission. Korath then aimed again and killed the menace. Cassius was shocked at witnessing his first death, frightened, but knowing this dark skin stranger in odd clothes had saved his life. Overwhelmed, he glomped onto the Kree, crying and babbling the story.
Gathering quickly that the boy was unusual and somehow valuable to the Skrull, Korath did his best to calm the boy and then knocked him out and returned to his pod, meeting up with Yon-Rogg. Both surprised to see the other appearing with a person and set them up in bio-beds to keep them unconscious until they reached Hala.
On Hala, and after discussing matters with the Supreme Intelligence, they decided to do blood transfers on both humans, making them Kree-Human Hybrids and fit them with photon inhibitors to control their powers.
They were aware of the power than the newly named, Vers because she had absorbed energy from the Light-Speed engine core. The inhibitor would allow the Supreme Intelligence to restrain her powers and keep her in check should she rebel. When Vers woke conveniently with amnesia, she was told that the device was actually the source of her powers. Since her mind had closed itself off, the modified little. Vers would believe she was a Kree and had an accident that wiped her memory of her previous life.
Cassius was found to have a powerful core inside him that the Kree did not understand. So, along with the inhibitor, his memories were also altered. When he woke and was asked his name, he could only remember the first part, so he became Cass. The Kree had no way of knowing his magical core eventually replenished itself. Cass was able to remember his full name, past and knew he was a wizard.
The blood they had transfused him with jump-started his magical core, so his core matured far before 17 years old. He guarded his secrets against his new "guardians" and worked on mastering his magic as it developed in private places to avoid observation.
As the newest "Kree" and fellow amnesiacs, Vers and Cass developed a close friendship. They were approximately a 12-year apart in age; however, Vers found she got along better with children than people her own age.
The next six years saw both humans trained in combat, strategy, and everything to make them good warriors in the Kree-Skrull War. Yon-Rogg trained both of them, and he was just as hard on Cass as Vers when sparring. They heard endless lectures about letting go of the pasts that haunted their dreams to control their emotions and not rely on using their powers. Yon-Rogg was forced to take Vers to see the Supreme Intelligence and reminded both to rely on their minds instead of their emotions.
Cass was exceedingly clever and a true Slytherin, manipulating situations to his benefit, with no one the wiser except occasionally Vers. She had a knack for seeing through his seemingly innocent manipulations and deceptions. However, she never snitched on him, just giving him a smirk when he'd succeed in getting away with extra breaks, additional deserts, and free time from training.
Being so clever, Cass had learned more than he could possibly have on Earth and avoided ever having to meet the Supreme Intelligence. A gut feeling warned him it would be able to see through all of his shields and all of his guarded secrets. He hadn't even told Vers he was a wizard, just to be safe. He did use some of his magical abilities in lessons and sparing to keep up with Vers and keep himself and, by extension, his friend safe. But when he used his magic, he carefully regulated it to seem like something unique to him, like Vers photon blasts.
After practising his magic in secret, he mastered a wandless stupefy, shield charm, knock-back jinx, and levitation of things much heavier than a feather. He knew plenty of other magic and had soon mastered everything his parents taught him. Cass was confident that if he was in the Wizarding World, he'd pass his O.W.L's with all Outstanding's, in every subject, except perhaps Divination.
Both Cass and Vers were proud to be part of the Starforce, going on missions to serve the Kree way of life and continue the war against the Skrull race. Personally, Cass had nothing against them and had learned that the war was really an attempt at genocide of a mostly-peaceful race.
He had casually looked over Vers' mind and found that while she did have amnesia, it was greatly exasperated by the blocks the Kree had placed in her mind to keep her past repressed. He was inquisitive about what the Kree found so important to hide and that Vers herself had hidden away to protect her mind but wasn't going to push her when she wasn't ready for the truth. He was confident between his mind-magic and magical abilities; he could help her uncover the truth when she wanted to know.
After the botched mission to Torfa, both found themselves upside down, assaulted by memory-probing devices, looking for information from their past, but mainly Vers. Talos was exceedingly confused why his most advanced and frankly painful technology did not reveal much more than surface thoughts and memories on the boy when they got much better information from Vers.
Through a daring escape, they crash-landed on a nearby planet, landing in a Blockbuster. While both were confused about where they had landed at first, Cass realized as soon as they were outside and had a look around that he was home! After six years of captivity, he was back on Earth by some Merlin-blessed luck!
Vers insisted on contacting Yon-Rogg, despite Cass's misgivings. They were soon approached by a dark-skinned man in a suit and sunglasses, who called himself Nick Fury and began questioning the pair. Cass watched as Vers explained that Kree did not keep identification on little papers. As Fury told them they were under arrest, Cass pulled him out of the way, and Vers fired at the Skrull who had narrowly missed Fury. She chased the Skrull, and Cass stayed behind, knowing the blonde warrior was more than capable of taking care of herself.
Cass was forced into the back of a car with Fury and another agent name Rook? He didn't think that was his actual name. As they chased the train that Vers was currently battling on, Cass was getting strange thoughts from "Rook."
"Hey, Agent Fury, I know you don't believe us about aliens yet, but you need to take a closer look at your friend. He's not human."
The Skrull glared at the boy and then revealed to Fury that he was definitely not human. After crashing the car and inadvertently killing the Skrull, Fury took a moment to accept the huge paradigm shift and that the boy in the back had saved his life.
"Do you have any idea where your partner is going? I've a lead on a stolen motorcycle, but it would be helpful if we knew where she was headed."
"While we were being held by the Skrull, they were searching for her memories. I caught pieces. Do you know of a place called Pancho's Bar? That was in several memories."
"I don't know it, but I can find it."
Fury was usually good at reading people, but the kid next to him had next to no tells. The only one that stood out was that Cass seemed familiar with Earth. But if he were an alien, how?
They drove mostly in science, lost in their thoughts. Cass was worried about Vers. She had seen many resurfaced memories on the Skrull ship and would be curious, with her rather rebellious nature that he wholeheartedly approved of. She'd be investigating the veracity of those memories if he knew her.
The meeting in the bar, then the drama at the base, just served to give Cassius a huge headache. He was picking up more and more of Vers memories. A folder was found with a name, a picture of Vers, and a misguided call for backup from Fury, who quickly understood his mistake.
"You called them in?" Vers asked incredulously as the trio ran for their lives.
"My bad," was his only reply, causing Vers and Cass to just roll their eyes.
Cass knew contacting Yon-Rogg was a horrible idea, but Vers still believed the Kree were "noble warrior heroes." He himself had been disabused of that notion as a child, but he also had access to his memories of his past and the world he had come from.
Meeting Maria proved enlightening to Cassius, sifting through so many happy memories of the two best friends.
Turning to his mentor and best friend, "Vers, I haven't been honest with you."
She just glared.
"I know you've had amnesia, and I also know the Kree put a block on your memories of your past to keep you compliant." At her disbelieving look, he just gestured to listen. "We are both from this planet, C-53, or Earth. I know Yon-Rogg confirmed that you'd had a life on Earth and that he tried to convince you that when you see Lawson or Mar-Vell as your Supreme Intelligence Avatar that it was a Skrull sim. No, I was nowhere near the phone when you had that conversation with him."
Vers had to sit down at that point. Cass was repeating things that he couldn't possibly have known.
"Yon-Rogg's been lying to you since you first met him, which is blocked right now. That photon-inhibitor chip doesn't give us our powers, and we're harped on to suppress emotion for rational thought because our powers come from our emotions. And we're both so much more powerful than they want us to realize."
Cass sat down across from her grabbing her hands, looking her straight in the eye. "I never lost my memories like you did. And it's more like you locked them away to protect yourself, not true amnesia. Now what I'm about to tell you, and everyone listening," he nodded at Maria, Monica, and Fury, "I could get in trouble for saying, but it's important." The curious looks had to wait a moment as Cass gathered his thoughts to explain to them the best way possible.
"Yes, I am from Earth, but from a hidden community. It's called the Wizarding World, and yes, witches and wizards are real, and so is magic. Please, don't interrupt Fury." Fury pursed his lips like a child told he couldn't have a treat.
"We hide from non-magical people, called Muggles in England, where I'm from. My powers are only the tip of the iceberg of what I can do. I can also read minds, I need eye contact to go deep, but passing thoughts are just like speaking aloud. I can also guard my mind, which is how I could hide on Hala. I know Maria has proof that will bring back your memories, but if you'd like, I can unlock the doors in your mind for you."
Vers took her hands back and looked out the window for a moment. "I can't pretend I understand all of this, but yes, I want the truth. I want my memories."
Before he ventured into her mind, he removed their inhibitors.
"Look in my eyes, and don't look away. You filled with locked doors the Kree put in and more than you put in yourself to protect your mind. This is going to take a few minutes." At her nod, they made eye contact and other than a quick blink here and there, neither moved.
As he walked among the hallways of her mind, he used a silent, non-verbal alohamora to open the doors to her past and only peaked in long enough to make sure there were no other doors. Everyone should be privy to their own secrets.
Carol Danvers now felt complete and angry. Processing past the past would take time, but mainly she concentrating on her mentor's betrayal. She stepped outside, wiping away tears, and gathered her thoughts. Maria stepped out and gently put a hand on her shoulder. "Are you okay?"
"Oh, Maria! I'm so sorry I didn't remember you! I feel so angry! We have work to finish from 6-years ago, and I have some scores to settle." The two women hugged fiercely, happily reunited. A thought came to Carol, and she sat back in front of her nervous looking friend.
"Thank you, Cass. Is it Cass?"
"No. Cassius Warrington. Pleased to meet with Ms Danvers," he said with a tentative smile.
"No! If anyone gets to call me Carol, it's you. You kind of saved me, ya know?" she smiled as she nudged his shoulder. "I can't thank you enough for giving me my past back. But it also made me realize they took yours. Sure, you remembered, but being trapped on Hala for six-years, hiding, his awful! I can't imagine how you managed, but once we've dealt with Yon-Rogg," she spit the name out, "we'll get you back to your family. I have to continue Mar-Vell's work and end this pointless Kree-Skrull War, so I'm going to be travelling all around the galaxy fixing this mess. I can't ask you to sacrifice more of your life."
"No. You're not going alone. My parents have a clock; it would have told them I'm alive, travelling, all sorts of things. They know I'm alright. I'm going to help you. There's just so much to see, and I've been a 'Kree,' as well, and have so much to make up for to the Skrull."
Fury stood up and addressed the duo. "If you're done?" At Cass's nod, Fury continued, "First of all, I know about the magic. Second, why are we sitting? Let's get this sorted, and then I want to watch you both kick some ass. Your hand to hand is amazing, but I really want to see these powers!" He picked up Goose and walked outside towards their stolen ship, speaking sweet nothings into the Flerken's furry ears.