//------------------------------//
// The Nymph Meets The Tabby 
// Story: The Queen's Nymph 
// by PactOfSkyranger 
//------------------------------//

"Excellent, Harry," Chrysalis said to the young colt in front of her. "You're taking to being a changeling quite well."

The colt smiled, before being wreathed in green flames and emerging as a boy, though his features hadn't changed much. His crimson amaranth mane with emerald streak became purplish-black, and his purple eyes became slit and turned the color of emeralds. The most obvious changes, however, were how the colt became bipedal, his blue coat becoming black chitin, hands clawed. This, however, only lasted a moment before Harry Potter willed his shape to shift to an ordinary changeling royal, his fingers receding. “Thank you, Mom. I’m just thrilled to be accepted by someone in some capacity. After you told me all the basics, I felt like I was born for this!”



Flashback



“Okay, Harry,” Chrysalis said, “now that the Link to the hive is basically ingrained in your soul and form, I think I should coach you in some of the... quirks of the form, other than shapeshifting.”

”Okay, mama,” Harry said, making Chrysalis’ heart flutter. She could feel love from Harry, but a changeling’s love was not exactly potent in a hive where sharing and trust took back seats to infiltration and betrayal.

Chrysalis schooled the flutter of her heart and continued. “When Thorax linked the Hive into your thoughts, he inadvertently linked the Reserve to you, and it poured love energy, which acts as a sort of core magical energy, into you, healing your wounds and kickstarting your transfiguration. This is a process known as Hive’s Embrace; using love energy to heal our bodies, regenerating us on a cellular level in more extreme cases by molting off our current carapace.”

Harry nodded. “That explains the chitin forming before I became a changeling fully.”

Chrysalis smiled warmly. “The accelerated process came from you pouring love into the Link towards the Queen, me, while you were in the Hive proper. Some theoretical or splinter hives have different philosophies on replacement and expansion than ours, which is mainly grown through typical hatching. That isn’t to say that some hives can’t hatch changelings, simply to say that they choose to pursue alternate means such as the use of a mutagen known as Necrosia, an emulsion of changelings usually made from deceased subjects.”

Seeing Harry's confused face, she said, “Your emotional bond accelerated you turning into a changeling, and some hives use a liquid made of dead changelings to force the transformation instead of typical hatching of nymphs.”

Harry nodded, and Chrysalis continued. “Looking the way we are, we are basically outcasts in the typical pony society of Equestria, the parallel world to yours where we are now. Fortunately, a changeling’s magic includes an innate form of what I learned the magical side of your world calls Transfiguration. It acts in a similar fashion to a mix of the genetic magic of a Metamorphmagus and a Polyjuice potion, though we can do much more than simply imitate things similar to our form.”

To accent this, Chrysalis turned into a cat, then a table, then a baby dragon, then a human, before returning to her true form. “If a user of Polyjuice tried to turn into a dragon or a cat, they would be hybridized in a manner that is oddly hilarious to some, highly undesirable in most cases, and much more persistent, requiring special treatment. I can safely say we reserve the ability to turn into inanimate objects, though. You actually subconsciously utilized a variant of our shapeshifting when you first became a full changeling, as well.”

Harry thought back to the shapeshifting he had employed, and said, “So a changeling can look like anything they can imagine, as long as they have enough love energy? How do you even get most of it?”

Chrysalis’ smile became fixed as she said, “My hive is... not unaccustomed to using forceful methods such as emotional draining, replacement of actual people, and brainwashing, to say the least. All of which are morally reprehensible things to do, but I would never force a nymph to do something like that right out of the cocoon, let alone you. You’ve noticed that most of the changelings that aren’t your immediate familial units are... abrasive at best, aggressive at most, towards each other. This isn’t actually because of bad days. We, the most ancient hive of the Changelings, born from a magically polluted swamp, are by far the least... ethical or friendly hive in Equestria. We do whatever it takes to survive, regardless of how reprehensible it is. Your specific family unit outside your position as Royal Ward is full of some of the... outliers. Thorax, our least aggressive, Pharynx, the unofficial standard of every guard and soldier, and Ocellus, a curious and peaceful princess drone... the latest born in decades."

Chrysalis laid a hoof on Harry's shoulder as she added, "Know right now, Harry, that I would never ask you to go to such lengths for the Hive. Not after what you’ve already been through.”

Harry’s eyes were wide, but he nodded, and Chrysalis smiled warmly again. “Okay, well, some changelings have had the creativity to visualize completely new identities that require no imprisonment of a template pony. For a start, we’re going to start with a training exercise I like to call ‘Match The Mimic.’ I’ll take a form to show you how a race looks, then you use your own shapeshifting to match me. Ready, Harry? I’ll be showing you how every race I know of looks. I won’t ask for the same look, but I am asking for the same race.”

Harry nodded as Chrysalis shifted into a cartoonish but ordinary earth pony, black with a red mane and tail and yellow eyes. Harry responded by shifting into a similar pony, pink with an orange mane and tail and pale blind eyes.







“We had fun playing Match The Mimic. You came up with such outrageously colourful appearances, Discord himself would be proud!,” Chrysalis laughed.

Harry laughed with her. It was true; he had thought of all sorts of color schemes while he was getting used to the shapeshifting magic before settling on his Aegean blue pegasus colt disguise.

Magic, Harry thought. It had been thoroughly driven into his skull by the Dursleys that magic wasn't real. However, his new mother's studies had led her to discover enclaves all over the globe where magic had hidden away, and her home dimension of Equestria was positively brimming with it in one form or another, most of which she was able to personally demonstrate.

Pegasi could manipulate the weather with nothing but their hooves and wings, Earth Ponies could harness it in their natural strength and affinity for plants, and there were tribes like the Kirin and Unicorns that could use magic in the more common sense; levitation, teleportation, and a variety of other spells.

She then taught Harry of some of the darker sentient creatures; the Umbrum, hateful specters of smoke and shadow, the Windigos, a long-unheard of race of wind spirits that fed on the hatred prevalent in the early Equestria, the Sirens, sowers of discontent and eaters of negativity, and most certainly the Changelings and their abilities to assume any form, mimic any magical ability, and feed on the love of others.

Lastly, she had discussed the draconequus Discord, spirit of Chaos, and his ability to, as she put it, "twist time, space, and reality into a pretzel and cause a lot of unexplainable nonsensical things."

She advised against trying to learn three specific kinds; chaos magic due to its nature and unpredictability, Siren musical magic due to its nature of feeding on one's hatred and otherwise risking vocal cord atrophy with use, and umbrum magic because it tended to be weak to positive emotions like love, but encouraged him to learn a great deal of the other tribes' magic, as it would help him to blend in if he ever wanted or needed to do any infiltration.

Of course, one sort of magic teaching A, required qualified teachers, B, came as a bit of a surprise to Harry, and C, ended up finding the Hive all on its own.



Chrysalis decided to take a walk in the human world while Harry had a playdate with Ocellus, both to research the local government/education and to figure out a more concrete and secret place to conduct her traversals.

She flame-warped into the usual spot and assumed her human disguise; pale fair skin, her natural cerulean only wisps in long blonde hair, and a sort of bearing that would almost suggest she was a noble elf of some sort, though what noble elf would be in a red hooded cloak with an autumn blouse?

She began to walk the distance to London, not suspecting for a moment that the moment she had appeared, Minerva's plan began to work.



It is a well-known fact in the Wizarding World that a post owl will never fail to find its recipient.

It is an unknown fact in Equestria (just how changelings like it) that no magic works in the badlands around Chrysalis' hive save for that of a changeling.

Minerva McGonagall had attempted to trace the Chrysalias by tailing a post owl, but the homing spells had so far failed to latch onto their position.

The moment Chrysalis had come through to their world, the owl carrying her missive had taken off from the Owlery, which did not escape McGonagall's attention.

The tracking spell on the owl began to give results that McGonagall could travel to by Apparition or Floo, on which she decided the Floo when the owl found its recipient just outside the Leaky Cauldron.



Meanwhile, Chrysalis had been walking to London to see what information she could gather when she noticed a pub that only one or two interestingly dressed people seemed to notice, while most others seemed to simply pass it by without a glance.

A quick covert scan spell revealed those "one or two" to be Wizards or Witches, so she surmised the pub, named The Leaky Cauldron, could only be seen by magicals.

She decided to look inconspicuous, leaning on the right side of the building, when she noticed an owl circling overhead.

Thinking it was natural, Chrysalis returned to looking inconspicuous, waiting for an opportunity to snag one of the magicals with no one looking.



Minerva, on the other hand, was wondering why she didn't enter the Leaky Cauldron. Surely she couldn't be a Muggle, not with her bearing so similar to a Noble House or a Slytherin.

Minerva rented a room from Tom for the night, then dressed herself in a simple green blouse that matched her robes and exited to meet the odd woman head-on.



Chrysalis was snapped out of her gryphonesque focus when a voice called from the door, "Would you like to come in?"

She turned to her left and spotted a woman wearing a simple green blouse beckoning her from the door.

Wondering who this austere witch was, Chrysalis decided to take her up on the invitation and went inside, the room bustling with activity.

The people here were either the oddly dressed folk who had entered from the streets, or people who teleported in from the fireplace in a wash of emerald fire wearing long billowing robes.

"I am Minerva McGonagall," the woman who invited her in said. "It is a pleasure to meet you, miss Chrysalia."

The fact that her hive name was dropped made her curious, as she had no infiltrators planted today, so she simply said, "Likewise." It took her a while to recall the name she had used for her disguise before it came upon her as if it were obvious from her looks. "Celesta... I'm Celesta."

She had chosen the name because her disguise had reminded her of Celestia, and made her wonder how she would look as one of these bipeds. She had, of course, omitted the flowing prismatic mane to opt for the more sensible wisped blonde.

Minerva chose that moment to shake her hand, saying, "Perhaps we should adjourn to my rented room and talk a little more privately."

Privacy?, Chrysalis thought. Privacy is the perfect place to lay a trap. In her mind she smirked and thought, Miss Minerva, however, seems to think it's her who'll be doing the trapping.

Outwardly, she smiled and said, "That would be appreciated," following McGonagall to her room.



When they had sat down in Minerva's room, the owl began tapping the window, to Chrysalis' confusion.

McGonagall, however, saw it as confirmation this was the woman, and let the owl in. "I've been wondering about your family, Celesta. Just a few days ago, three names were added to Hogwarts' book of admission."

Chrysalis played coy, saying, "I just moved to Britain. Must have happened then."

McGonagall didn't seem to buy it at first, saying, "If you had moved from the Americas, we would have received record of you from the Magical Congress, would we not?"

"Well," Chrysalis said, "we didn't exactly trust the Congress. We lived in secret, and I was on vacation here before moving. We Chrysalias keep a lot of secrets."

Minerva still didn't seem convinced, saying, "What sort of wizarding family has names like Thorax, Pharynx, Ocellus, or the surname Chrysalia?"

Chrysalis knew she was in a corner, but decided to read the letter.

Dear Miss Chrysalia,

We wished to speak with you about the proceedings concerning the adoption of one Harry Potter. Our representative will meet with you shortly, as this owl was outfitted with a tracking spell.

Sincerely,
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

It was then she smirked and rose. "So, you saw right through me. Yes, I did happen across Harry, but we Chrysalias keep many secrets, as I say."

Minerva seemed offput by this reaction, saying, "What do you mean?"

Chrysalis chuckled darkly. "As you no doubt learned when you wrote up this owl to me, as well as any possible others, our location is a secret that not even owl post can penetrate. But we keep more secrets than that. Before I tell you more, though, what was with the magicals using the fireplace?"

Minerva raised her wand as she answered, "Floo travel is one of the more common methods of transport in the magical world... and you just let slip that you know nothing of it."

Chrysalis raised her hands. "Yes, you have me. I'm not a witch like you. What we are is another secret. But who I am..."

Minerva could only watch in shock as Celesta's silver eyes suddenly flashed harlequin and she said, "That's a secret I'm more comfortable with sharing on my turf."

Suddenly, a ring of green flame surrounded the two as Celesta smiled wickedly.

Minerva tried to extinguish the flames, but it proved fruitless as they coalesced into a dome that dragged the two downward... leaving only an empty room.



Minerva came to in an inhospitable craggy landscape, barren of life, with a foreboding black structure in the distance.

Sitting on a nearby boulder and smiling smugly was Celesta, whose eyes had turned that wicked green she had witnessed.

Grabbing her wand again, Minerva shouted, "Stupefy!", only for the red light to dissipate into wisps that travelled to the structure.

Getting up, Celesta said, "This is my home, Minerva... and as you've seen, it's warded, for lack of a better term, so that any magic that isn't from my kind simply dissipates."

McGonagall was wide-eyed as she continued. "Now for the secrets of who and what I am, I suppose."

Almost by her command, a green circle that erupted into a pillar of light formed around Celesta, and when it had cleared, Celesta was replaced by something insectoid, quadrupedal, and very much inhuman.

Her green eyes stayed the same in color but were now slit, her fair skin had been replaced by hard perforated black chitin, her mane had returned to its cerulean shade, and her grin now sported prominent fangs.

Minerva, however, seemed insulted. "You went through all this trouble just to tell me you were Animagi?!"

Chrysalis smirked. "Oh, not Animagi, or Metamorphmagi, at all, Minerva. After all..."

She whistled, and the boulder she had been sitting on had opened a pair of actual eyes before turning into a smaller insectoid equine and hissing menacingly.

"...no transfigurative ability can allow you to become something inanimate the way we can. I am a Changeling, professor; the Queen of the Changelings, to be exact."

Minerva's jaw dropped. These creatures were undocumented, dangerous, and capable of assuming any form they chose.

Chrysalis' expression then became a bit kinder. "Now come on. You'll probably want to meet Harry."

She dismissed the smaller changeling, and the two set to walking through the badlands and discussing multiple topics that sprung to their minds.

"Who sent you after me, anyway?," Chrysalis asked.

Minerva, finally easing herself after all the surprises, readily answered, "I was tasked with looking into your family by Professor Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts and Harry's previous magical guardian. He wanted to know how you came by Harry, why you removed him from the Blood Wards, and most imperatively if you would be ready to defend him from anyone who might try to attack Harry."

Sensing her sincerity, Chrysalis said, "I was walking by Privet Drive when I felt an aura of negative emotions. When I had Thorax, one of my drones, investigate, he accidentally bonded Harry to the hive by attaching to his magic and his thoughts crying out for someone to care for him. What Thorax revealed about Harry's life made it clear to me I needed to take action. He was being denied meals for subpar work, lashed by his uncle's belt, and his injuries cost Thorax most of his love ration when the link performed Hive's Embrace on him. Those rations can heal two lost limbs at least by molting the carapace... which is another reason I had to remove Harry. The bond began turning him into a changeling, and if Vernon had had the chance to notice chitin plates growing on Harry, just think of what he would have done!"

McGonagall's eyes were wide as dinner plates before she turned away and muttered, "I told him they were the worst sort of Muggles...," then said, "I assume you used the odd method of teleportation to covertly extract him?"

Chrysalis nodded, then said, "As for whether we can protect Harry, I currently hold the vaunted position of the only person able to traverse the boundary between Earth and Equestria after some annoying creature had me chase him here. Even if they were to find a way, most of the ponies of Equestria rely heavily on their magic, even Princess Celestia. My throne, as you demonstrated to yourself, is carved of a Dark Stone that absorbs all magic except for ours, which has had the side effect of creating these badlands. I can assume that many wizards pride themselves on magic rather than physical prowess; I can assure you, not even the Killing Curse, Confunding, or Imperio can bypass the effect."

Minerva was curious. "How do you know that?"

Chrysalis smirked. "My flame warp can bypass Anti-Apparition. I'm sure you were curious about why Snape was missing two days ago."

Minerva gawked. "You had Professor Snape cast the Killing Curse, the Imperius, and a Confundus?"

Chrysalis smiled. "I made sure he knew he wouldn't be bound by your laws and that no one could convict him of the act afterwards. Changelings know how to cover tracks better than anyone. He'd thought it was Voldemort standing before him, about to kill him."



Flashback



Severus Snape could only gawk in disbelief as the acid-green light of the Killing Curse dissipated.

Strangely, however, Lord Voldemort seemed fascinated rather than pleased to see what had happened.

"To be safe," he said, "you should cast some spells to cover it up for Prior Incantato."

Severus did so, and Voldemort had said, "Thank you, Severus. Those results were just what I had hoped for."

A green flash in Voldemort's eyes was the only hint it wasn't him that Snape got before he was sent back to his office.



"...We were near the border of the Badlands, so I had him test Imperio and Confundo by having me walk into the radius. As soon as I passed into the range of my throne, the fog lifted from my mind."

Minerva beamed. "You're certainly thorough about your knowledge of possible threats. If your guards can't be Confunded or Imperiused, and the Killing Curse doesn't work, you've covered some of the top threats in our spellbooks!"

Chrysalis had a wry smirk. "Anyling worth their love ration can push off a passive mental attack easily, and an active assault would have to deal with the combined will of the Hive, most of which would be in the radius of the throne anyway as a reserve... which reminds me," she said, "there was a small probe trying to listen in on Harry and Thorax's initial conversation."

Minerva seemed uneasy as she said, "Did you discover what it was?"

Chrysalis frowned. "We surmised it was what erupted out of his scar when the Link fully integrated. It was this black smoke, screaming in agony at the hive's love as if it were an Umbrum... but they don't exist in your world, so we were confused on what it was after we blasted it with more love energy and it dissipated."

Minerva's eyes were wide as she took this in. "That was a foul bit of soul magic known as a Horcrux. It had latched onto Harry when V- when his Killing Curse backfired due to a protection Lily put on him with her dying love. We all thought Harry would have to die in order to exorcise it, but your connection to him must have..."

Chrysalis put it together instantly. "...must have caused a thaumic upheaval that shuffled his human soul enough to expose the Horcrux, allowing us to destroy it by reinforcing the protection enough to be anathema to the soul piece!"

Minerva smiled. "You have my vote for being able to protect Harry, Celesta."

Chrysalis frowned. "That wasn't my name. I chose it because I thought my human form looked like Princess Celestia as a human without her mane aura."

Minerva quirked an eyebrow. "Is it something like Chrysalis, then, like the hive?"

Chrysalis' eyes went wide, and McGonagall smirked as they entered the hive.



Harry loved playing with Ocellus.

The young nymph looked like a drone out of preference, but in truth, Harry and his new mother had known she was a Royal, and thus next in line to take the mantle of leader, with Harry as Royal Ward coming immediately after.

Their playdate, which consisted of a few rounds of Match The Mimic mixed with a couple of rounds of Vigilance, which was basically hide-and-seek, mixed with a lighter version of Harry Hunting, if the hiders could turn into rocks and were constantly trying to surprise the seeker, was interrupted when Chrysalis entered the room with a human in a green blouse.

"Mom!" Harry hugged Chrysalis deeply, while Ocellus opted to remain as a rock as she was scared that the woman meant them harm.

Chrysalis stroked Harry's messy purple-black mane, careful not to be prodded by Harry's sharp horn, and said, "Hello, Harry. I understand it is a fair while earlier than I said I would be back, but some opportunities came up." She turned to Minerva and said, "Go on."

Dumbstruck at how the young equine was, well, Harry Potter, Minerva took a second to react before she introduced herself. "Professor Minerva McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress and Transfiguration Professor at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I apologize for the Muggle attire; I thought putting my robes back on would only present an opportunity for Queen Chrysalis to evade the urgent discussions Professor Dumbledore tasked me with conducting when I made contact."

Harry was somewhat confused at McGonagall's introduction, so he asked, "What's Hogwarts, miss McGonagall?"

Minerva raised a hand to answer, but was interrupted when Chrysalis asked, "Where's Ocellus? She should hear about where her, Harry, and the brothers are going to."

At that word, Ocellus, curious, dropped her rock disguise and said, "I'm going to this Hogwarts place too?"

Minerva smiled warmly at the shy nymph. "Hogwarts' book of admission wrote you down after Harry was brought into your hive. As for what Hogwarts is, it is Wizarding Britain's finest magical institution."

Pharynx, who had arrived with Thorax early on, said, "Why do we have to go to a magic school? I'm already the finest warrior in the hive, and Thorax is... well, Thorax."

Chrysalis smirked. "True, but you only know the spells from the ponies. It's my decree that you attend to keep Harry safe, and help to establish a more concrete position we could fall back to in case certain things," she glanced to McGonagall, "end up falling through."

The unspoken things in this decree were numerous; Chrysalis didn't want Minerva learning of her plan to take over Equestria, she wanted them to gather information on the Wizarding World from the inside, and she had received a distinct feeling that things were about to change in Equestria from the thousand years that it was Celestia alone ruling the country when the letter from "He-Who-Does-Not-Make-Sense" had arrived, to name three.

Pharynx, of course, had heard these unspoken things through the Link, and nodded, saying, "I'll be sure to keep the kids out of danger, my queen."

Free to speak, McGonagall said, "There are a variety of classes in Hogwarts, all of which Harry, Thorax, and Pharynx will be eligible for in three years, with Ocellus following the year after or sooner if she shows her magical pathways have matured. Which has brought an interesting predicament to mind; how long passes in your world compared to ours?"

Chrysalis laid a hoof to her chin before she said, "I have no idea. The only concrete time scale there is in our world is when Celestia raises and lowers the sun and moon."

Any more discussion on the matter was stymied when a familiar pink cloud drifted over the hive and a note fell down, weighed by multiple bottles of varying size, onto Chrysalis' head. Chrysalis levitated it for all to read.

Dear Pesky Plumbers Chrysalis/Harry/Professor McGonagall/Ocellus/Thorax/Pharynx,

I heard you were wondering about any concrete scale of time because of concerns with Harry's schooling. Worry not, I have devised something of a useful measure for this in Harry's education. (I have made provisions for Ocellus; why, I'm not comfortable saying.

To the people beyond this world observing this story,

Each summer for Harry will be one season of My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic(plus any side movies like Equestria Girls.)

Each term of Hogwarts + winter break will last the interim between seasons.

This is so Harry doesn't miss any of his schooling OR any of the juicy things that will come to Equestria.

With love (the bottles attached to this note are samplings of Wizarding World love potions FOR SCIENCE, with the biggest bottle being Amortentia,)

He-Who-Does-Not-Make-Sense...'s nephew Falak

P.S: Aren't you glad I showed you how to get to the wizarding world, Chryssie?

P.P.S: Tomorrow is the big day. I want you in Ponyville dawn to dusk, and if I have to send you into Ponyville myself, I will. As for what day... Thousandth year, longest day. Ring a bell?

P.P.P.S: How do I keep riding a pink cloud over the Hive? It's a natural cloud coated with a pink binding agent to both keep it together and make it look like cotton candy, and it houses an airskiff with the balloon removed. Put it all together, and you have a "cotton candy" cloud that doesn't dissipate in anti-magic conditions and can be moved to my whims.

Chrysalis blinked in surprise as the cloud sped off into the distance, then raised a hoof to her chin. "'Happy Summer Sun,' the letter from Discord said... this one says 'longest day' and 'thousandth year' together..." Her eyes widened. "NIGHTMARE MOON!"

Minerva quirked an eyebrow. "Pardon?"

Chrysalis seemed frantic as she explained, "The corrupted form of Princess Luna, ruler of the night; the Mare in The Moon! 'Legend has it that on the longest day of the thousandth year, the stars will aid in her escape, and she will bring about nighttime eternal!' The longest day; The Summer Solstice, and the Summer Sun Celebration!"

Harry's eyes widened. "Our vacation to Ponyville?!"

McGonagall mused the information over for a moment. "Well, the Leaving Feast was today, so if I can arrange for traversal, I'd be interested in watching the festivities."

Before they could question how she would attend without raising suspicion, her form blurred and suddenly, in her place was a cat, black lines in the shape of her spectacles. The cat seemed as surprised as the four changelings.

Chrysalis was surprised at this transfiguration, snapping out of her panic as she said, "Hmm... it seems the Animagus transformation is something that can actually bypass the Throne's selective nullification. Still, Animagus? That'll work."

McGonagall nodded after she had turned back, then said, "At some point, we will have to discuss getting these three their wands and first-year texts."

Chrysalis frowned. "But didn't you say it would be three years before they took classes?"

Minerva tapped her nose as she said, "I said they could take all the classes in their third year because of our electives. They'll be eligible for the basic curriculum this coming term."







Chrysalis tapped a hoof to her chin for a few moments before she handed two green glowing orbs of resin to McGonagall. "These contain a fire-warp spell you and anyone you choose to bring can use to cross over here to Equestria and back to your world. We'll take Harry shopping after Nightmare Moon."

Minerva nodded, saying, "We should adjourn back to the Leaky Cauldron so no one gets suspicious. I assume Harry can still shapeshift back into a human?"

Harry, while a bit apprehensive to return to his human form, concentrated for a moment before he was enveloped in green flame and stood, fully garbed in his old tattered clothes, as a human once more.

Minerva nodded in approval, but said, "While he seems to have no problem conjuring robes, we may still want to purchase him robes so no one gets suspicious."

Chrysalis nodded, replying, "Making it look real is part of the disguise."

At that, Minerva jolted. "I just remembered. Wizards have several measures to detect disguises, least of which being Sneakoscopes and Secrecy Sensors, and Gringotts' goblins will most likely not look kindly on concealment if you pass under a Thieves' Downfall and your disguises cannot hold. On top of that, it may be hard to claim Harry's trust vault unless his blood can pass a heredity parchment, which is impossible to fool!"

Chrysalis' look seemed surprised, but she nodded quickly. "Thank you for bringing this to our attention. Perhaps you should bring something of these measures when you return for the Summer Sun Celebration, so we can test how efficient they are on changelings."

Professor McGonagall nodded, and Chrysalis returned to the guise of Celesta Chrysalia before the two were once again awash in a ring of green flames, this time bound for Minerva's room in the Leaky Cauldron and the two young changelings began a new game of Vigilance.



Having said goodbye to Chrysalis, McGonagall went up to the fireplace, said, "Hogwarts," and was whisked off to the ancient and expansive castle.

After stepping out of the fireplace, Minerva brandished her wand and said, "Expecto Patronum," the silvery apparition of positivity flowing from her wand and ready to take a message to Dumbledore.

Minerva debated on what to say for a moment, before she said to the cat Patronus, "The Chrysalias are better defended than you estimated, Albus. They will have no problems stopping Death Eaters."

She then sent the Patronus to deliver her message, and sat down at her desk, fidgeting with the two spheres she had been given.

Her thoughts were interrupted by Albus' voice coming from the fireplace, saying, "You have my thanks for evaluating the situation, Minerva. Would you care to elaborate on your report?"

Professor McGonagall considered for a moment whether to reveal more about the Hive, and with a catlike smirk befitting her, she accepted the invitation to speak more openly, as well as the challenge of working around the details that Chrysalis would not want revealed. After all, she thought, like Chrysalis told me; Changelings keep many secrets.

"Albus," she started, "the defenses of the Chrysalias are impressive. They've devised a ward against magic not from their family, and personally guaranteed me it could stand against the Unforgivable Curses. Not only that..."



Meanwhile, Chrysalis, Ocellus, and Harry began to make plans.

On the wall of the throne room there was a list of things to do, a glob of resin stretched into a drawing board with things coming up written in fluorescent green magic.

Happenings Before Us: A List Of Things That Must Be Done

This board was an idea by Chrysalis to keep track of things that had to be done, and while it had once contained the preparations for the invasion, it now housed steps to cement Harry's education in the Wizarding World.

See the Summer Sun Celebration - Falak has made it exceptionally clear that me and Harry will be attending, and fortunately our disguises have been honed to the point we are indistinguishable from real Trottingham ponies. Minerva will be attending. We may be able to establish a foothold in secret if Harry makes a friend in town.

Sort out Harry's inheritance - Fortunately, I've examined Harry's magical signature in advance; aside from the link to the Hive, the signature is exactly the same as before he was brought in. It should show up exactly the same for the Goblins.

School supplies - After the celebration and the rigamarole at Gringotts, we will acquire supplies for Harry, Thorax, Pharynx, and a spare set for Ocellus just in case (I have heard rumors of a curse on the DADA spot; it is unlikely the same textbooks will be assigned for the subject.)

Establish a foothold in the Wizarding World - This was something I wanted from the start that Harry has only accented; a place to retreat to should the worst happen. If Canterlot falls through, I want Ocellus and Harry both to lead the Hive in establishing themselves in the Wizarding World.

Investigate rumors of other human dimension - This is inconsequential, but I have heard of a mirror that leads to a "human world" completely devoid of active magic. It is supposed to be years ahead of Harry's world. I will attempt to investigate in the wake of the main task.

At the bottom of the board, in the biggest lettering, were the words,

MAIN TASK: INVADE CANTERLOT - Equestria is a country full of love. If I capture the country, starting at the seat of the Princess, the Hive will never go hungry again!

Something that Chrysalis knew adorned this board in a more recent scrawl of magic, meant as an addendum to the last order of business,  was,

This is the big play I was planning to make before I found Harry. Changes do have to be implemented. Let this be known: If I perish in the assault, and the invasion falls through... to any adversary I may have made, please... take care of Harry.

It brought aches to Chrysalis' heart to think of such a thing happening, but she had to face facts; if things fell through in Canterlot, she may well leave Harry without a mother. These aches were why she always kept that addendum hidden from Harry and Ocellus.

"So," she said to her daughter and ward, "the stage is set for tomorrow. Are there any questions, you two?"

Ocellus raised a hoof. "How are we going to establish a base?"

Chrysalis smirked. "We had the week, my dear daughter. A team of drones was assigned to dig out a set of tunnels with an entrance near the town's train station, where we could enter the city without suspicion. The tunnels have been outfitted as a hive-away-from-hive, and if we decide to establish a foothold, I, as Crystalline Cloud, will buy one of the houses, and the entrance to the tunnels will be moved there."

Ocellus nodded, satisfied with the answer, and after twenty minutes of deliberation with no forthcoming questions, Chrysalis spoke up. "Get some sleep, both of you. There's a big day coming for us... whether we like it or not."