Chapter 4: Chapter 4: Blending
In his day, Harry Potter had fought many fearsome creatures and won many deadly battles. In his fifteen, nearly sixteen, years of life, he had been through a great number of tough trials. He had fought dragons, giant snakes, soul sucking monsters, deadly wizards, and had to sleep in the same room with Ron Weasley's snoring. Yet, there seemed to be nothing that was more intimidating to him then the challenge was ahead.
Harry Potter would be stepping into the realm of American High School for the first time. He heard stories. Not many stories, but a few stories that made him think rather carefully about what he had to deal with. Over the past couple of days, he had been put through a battery of tests to determine the status of his mutant power. Not to mention, Harry took a number of test to determine what he remembered from the days of actually attending standard school.
Thankfully, it was not as damning as he had feared. He had remembered far more than he thought he remembered. He would be spending some time trying to play catch up in certain subjects, with a little assistance. He felt he had been a solid student, perhaps not the most academically gifted, but he hung in there. However, if he was motivated he was willing to work hard in certain aspects. Perhaps this entire school thing would work out, and there would be tutors if he started to struggle.
Harry would vow to win this battle on his own. However, there were going to be many things that would be out of his control. All he could do was take one step at a time. He stood outside the doors of Bayville High School. He took a deep breath, and drank in his surroundings.
People chattered nearby, and he knew that this was going to be an entirely different experience from his days of Hogwarts. It was an entirely different world for many reasons, least of which being the lack of magic.
Then again, as he caught glimpses of the interactions, with all of the gossiping, relationship drama, and cliques, he wondered if this would be too much different from Hogwarts. Teenagers were in fact teenagers no matter the world or dimension that they were in. They had the same personality traits whether they had magic or not. He would just have to and see what happened. He made sure that he had his papers in order. Once he verified they were, he could proceed. Without another word, he took his first steps into the treacherous jungle that was high school.
'First stop is the Principal's office to make sure everything is in order on their end,' Harry thought to himself. He paused immediately, and his head turned around. He felt stupid. 'And I have no idea where it is. At least this place isn't as big as Hogwarts, and has no disappearing staircases, paintings, or pesky poltergeists."
Harry inclined his head, and turned around. He felt stupid immediately. He could have slapped himself in the head. All he needed to do to find the Principal's office was to turn slightly to the left. The door was already open, so Harry stepped inside.
It was not the experience that he had taking his frequent trips to the Headmaster's office, or any of the teachers at Hogwarts for that matter. Actually the understated and quite bland nature of the office was quite refreshing.
The dark haired wizard took a step forward. He really had nothing to fear. He stood at the front desk, where a student aid sat. The aid noticed Harry was there, and cleared his throat.
"Yes, may I help you," the student aid said in a dry and rather uninterested tone of voice. He was there and showed little interest for his job.
"I'm here to see Principal Darkholme, I'm a new student being transferred here," Harry explained. "Harry Potter, er you should be expecting me."
The aid checked the notes on the desk in front of him. He offered a crisp nod.
"Yes, Principal Darkholme will want to speak with you, through that door to the back office," the aid said in a dull voice. He pointed towards the direction, as if Harry could not figure that out. Harry stepped forward into the back office.
Waiting for him in the office was a rather severe looking woman. She had dark hair and glasses. She seemed not to be one to be trifled with. The woman, Principal Darkholme, looked at Harry over her glasses. She was surveying him carefully, trying to figure out where he stood. It was an awkward couple of moments before she decided to break the silence.
"Mr. Potter," Darkholme said to Harry in a crisp voice. "Another one of Xavier's has been sent here, I take it."
"Yes, Principal Darkholme," Harry said. She took several moments to really look at Harry. Almost like she was sizing him up for a noose and that made Harry a bit uncomfortable. The woman remained seated behind her desk, and stared Harry down. "My records are here, if you need to take a look at them."
Darkholme snapped the records from Harry's hands. She remained silent for a few minutes. The seconds of the clock ticked by, and Harry sat himself down on the chair to look up at Darkholme. She seemed to be assessing something, and taking her time to do it. Harry decided it would be best not to speak. He just remained silent, and still as the woman before he did what she felt she had to.
After a moment, the Principal of Bayville High School opened her mouth. "Well, Mr. Potter, your records seem to be in order. There was a sizeable gap in your education due to an extended stay in the hospital. I trust your health is in an optimal state now."
"Yes, I feel much better than I have before," Harry answered. The story seemed to be airtight. Xavier thought that there was going to be people who were going to potentially poke holes into the story, although less if they had went with some prolonged illness. Harry decided to trust the man's judgment. Darkholme seemed to be particularly intent in picking together each and any hole with his story. It was almost like she did not buy the cover story for one second.
"For your sake, I hope you remain in perfect health, and cause no trouble," Darkholme said. She placed the files on the desk. She put her hands on the desk, and her eyes narrowed towards Harry. She peered at him from behind her spectacles. "I will be watching your every single move Mr. Potter. Slip up one time, and Xavier can pull as many strings as he wants, but that won't change the fact that you'll be out of here. I have a zero tolerance policy. Is that clear?"
Harry was reminded of Snape, only female. He shuddered at the rather horrifying mental image that he just gave himself. He decided to reply in the calmest, most polite voice he could manage.
"Crystal."
"Then everything that you need to do in this office is done," Darkholme said in a calm and calculated tone of voice. "I trust you'll be able to find your way to your first class. Remember, tardiness is not tolerated, as I'm sure you found out when you read your copy of the school handbook."
"Yes, I read it, back to front," Harry said.
He had no idea what Darkholme's problem was with him. Normally he would call her out on it, but he was trying to actually make an effort to stay out of trouble when he can. He had just got here, the last thing he wanted to do was to make a scene. A part of him wondered exactly how long that was going to last.
"Am I excused?"
Without another word, and a nod of consent, Harry was excused from the office. He looked up his locker number, and his combination. Actually having a locker was something that was completely different for him. He struggled with the combination a little bit. Then he realized no one was looking, so he just used a tiny bit of magic to cheat it.
What people did not know, would not hurt them after all? Harry hastened to his first class. Thankfully he was able to find it, before the bell rang. Less than ten seconds before the bell was going to ring, and Harry was going to be marked tardy.
He had cleared the first minefield. The day was still young, however.
The very first day of standard High School had actually been a rather tiring one for Harry. Perhaps he was used to the insanity of Hogwarts. High School offered a different type of insanity that threw him off. There were some similarities between both schools. There were teachers of different types. They gave homework, they lectured, notes needed to be taken. Harry struggled to focus. He reminded himself that he did not have his standard note-taker or homework checker with him in this universe.
He had to work alone. He had to buckle down, and not be lazy. Perhaps a stronger mind would allow him to have stronger powers.
On the bright side, he did not have a ghost teacher that did not drone on about Goblin Rebellions. So that was a point in the win column.
Harry knew had to work hard to not to fall further behind. A charm lightened his bag, actually allowing him to be able to carry all of his books without any problem. How the teachers expected them to carry all of the books, without getting a hernia that would be a mystery that he would have to solve on another day. He did hear a few snatches of conversation from the senior class students, who stated that their textbooks seemed to be getting bigger and bigger each and every year.
He would have to take their word for it. He would not be surprised if that was the case.
"Busy first day at school?"
Harry turned around, and saw Scott standing right behind him.
"Yeah, you could say that," Harry said. "It's a different experience than I'm used to."
Scott nodded. Given where Harry came from, there had to be many differences between the school systems. Plus as Harry told him, he was getting used to a more normal school structure. The school where he came from focused on the specialized classes that would center on mastering his powers.
"Don't get too frustrated by it too soon, Harry," Scott said to him. "Even those of us who are used to it get overwhelmed by it."
"Yeah, I can imagine," Harry said dryly. He took a deep breath, and offered a shadow of a smile. "It actually wasn't quite as bad as I thought it would be. A bit weird and it's going to take some getting used to. I got to all my classes, didn't cause any trouble, and hopefully I'll continue to get through the day."
It was not going to be that bad, Harry admitted. He was just going to take things one step at a time, and hope for the best. He took a few breaths, and suddenly he heard a message from inside his head.
'Harry, please report to my office at your earliest convenience. The results of your tests are processed.'
Harry blinked.
"Still got to get used to being talk to in my head," Harry said.
Scott gave him a sympathetic expression. "It doesn't get any easier at all. Trust me, it still throws me off. Especially when I'm in the middle of doing something."
Harry nodded, and he made his way into the Mansion. It was a short walk to Xavier's office. He reached forward, and was about ready to knock on the door, but it turned out that he did not have to.
"Come in."
He proceeded to open the door. He walked inside Xavier's office. Xavier sat behind his desk, and pointed towards the chair in front of his desk. Harry took that as his invitation to sit down. He looked at Xavier, a curious expression in his eyes.
"You said my test results were completed," Harry said. He paused, and he added another thought he had. When he spoke, he tried not to sound too urgent or paranoid. "There wasn't anything that was wrong in them, or anything I should be worried about."
Xavier alleviated Harry's fears immediately. "No, Harry, there was nothing too bad. Curious, but something that is curious is not necessarily bad. While I don't claim to be an expert on magic, I have encountered it a time or two in the past. You seemed to be fairly above average in your powers. The fact you were able to perform it without a wand indicates that you might have received a power boost when you had left your world."
Harry thought this was a better explanation than he could come with it. He had not even thought of his wand, and a part of him was glad he did not have to use it. It was a bit of a problem if he lost it. So, the fact his powers got boosted because of it was a good thing.
"As for your actual mutant power, well that's an extremely curious one," Xavier said and he looked at Harry. Harry was a bit agitated from being left in suspense. "I could not say whether or not your powers manifested before or after you entered this universe. It is possible they manifested when you arrived here."
"What is it then, Professor?" Harry asked.
"You have super heightened stamina and reflexes, that are able to function on a tenth of an energy as the normal human or even someone with the X-Gene," Xavier said. "And I've observed that you have a keen ability to read the body language, and adapt your fighting stance from that. I believe that is what allowed you to dodge the attacks on your way here for as long as you did. I have cleared up that particular misunderstanding."
"Thank you," Harry said. He wanted to live a mostly normal life, well as normal as being a magical mutant would be. Something told him that was going to be easier said than done. "I…I really thought that my powers would be more physical, then passive."
"Well any power can be utilized in a physical matter depending on your creativity," Xavier told him. He consulted the report a moment later. "But there are numerous abilities that I have found that can be classified as just a further manifestation of your magical abilities. There is a grey area between the two, and it's difficult to determine what precisely your limits are. Further training in our Danger Room will assess the full scope of your powers."
Harry nodded slowly. He hoped to get started with his training.
"Of course, that can wait for another day," Xavier said. "The first day at public school, and I doubt they have wasted any time with giving you a fair amount of homework."
Harry looked at Xavier. He chuckled.
"Trust me when I say that I don't need telepathy to know that the load is going to be hard. I'll dismiss you so you can get a head start on that, and if you struggle, do not be afraid to ask for help."
Harry nodded, and he took up his bag of books and homework. He moved over towards the room that he had been staying with. He suspected that he had a good couple of hours at the very least.
It was not for the first time where he questioned whether teachers understood the actual passage of time and space. There were many times where he had wondered that at Hogwarts, and now he wondered it here.
Harry started with exploring the wonders of Alegbra. He pulled a face at the thought of the subject. The sour expression was on his face, as he continued to press forward on his homework.
The work load was something that he would have to work hard to adjust to over time. Although he wondered exactly how much differently the workload was than from Hogwarts. The subjects were different, but honestly teachers the world other tended to get some kind of pleasure of causing a vacuum with the free time of their students.
Harry bit his lip carefully. He shifted back and forth and tried to focus on the work load he had. By a sheer miracle, he was almost done. He plugged away at everything. The part he liked the most about High School so far is the fact he was absolutely normal. He was just another face in the crowd. All he was known as was that new guy with the accent, and that distinction would lose its charm rather quickly. Or at least he hoped it would. Still Harry was relieved to be as normal as he could be.
Or at least as normal as a wizard who had additional mutant abilities could be. He had hardly realized that it was getting so late right now. He had only take a brief break for dinner, and then he plowed through the homework. He found it easier to retain the information the more he worked on it. It did work well in a nice quiet room as opposed to the hustle and bustle of the Gryffindor Common Room.
He heard the voices of Jean and Scott. He knew that he should not be eavesdropping. Yet, he could not help himself. He listened a bit closely.
"Jean…you know it was an accident. My glasses got knocked off. I didn't mean to hurt Duncan, I swear."
Harry's face flooded with understanding, and a bit pity. He shook his head. He knew that Duncan referred to Duncan Matthews, Jean's boyfriend. The actual dynamic of their relationship was something that Harry did not completely get. Jean seemed to be rather nice, and Duncan…well he kind of seemed to be arrogant. He figured that this was some kind of High School thing that he would figure out in time.
"I know you didn't, but the Professor had to work hard to make sure no one noticed. You need to be more careful of keeping your glasses on. One wrong nudge and they could be knocked off. Then you could really hurt someone"
Harry knew that Scott had optic eye beams. He had trouble controlling them due to a head injury that he suffered during a plane crash when he was younger. The only thing that could block it was Ruby-Quartz. Exactly why that was, he had no idea. Science was not one of Harry's strong points, and that was something that remained constituent from his primary school days.
Speaking of which, he looked at his mostly completed homework. He figured that if it got much harder, he would need tutors.
Harry stepped out of his room, nearly running into Scott. Jean had already left to use the bathroom.
"What's up?" Harry asked. He acted like he had not been listening in.
"Oh, Harry, sorry I've had a rough night," Scott said in an apologetic voice. "I had to break up a scuffle under the bleachers. There was a student who was using his gifts to steal from others. A couple of the Football players roughed him up."
"So there was another mutant?" Harry asked. "Just like us."
It was at this point where an expression crossed over Scott's face. "I'm not sure if you could classify him just like us. In the sense he's a mutant, but his sense of hygiene…well it left something to be desired."
Harry could tell that Scott did not approve. He shook his head. Jean popped up at that moment, having exited the bathroom.
"His name is Todd Tolansky," Scott informed him, and Harry nodded. He had not encountered this new mutant, but he had barely been at the school for a couple of days. So he was going to keep an open mind, until he had a chance to personally meet him. "I had to save him, no matter what he was. What would have done?"
Harry did not answer, but he honestly thought that he would have done the same thing. Immediately, the voice of Xavier projected into their minds. Even Jean and Scott shifted, and Harry felt relieved that it was something that they were not completely used to as well. They waited a few seconds, until Xavier informed them why he had summoned them.
"Our newest guest has arrived. He is waiting in the office right now, ready to meet you three."
Harry, Jean, and Scott all walked down the corridor and down the stairs until they reached Xavier's office on the ground floor. The door was already open for them as they walked. A knock on the door from Scott announced their arrival.
"Yes come in."
Harry, Jean, and Scott all stepped forward. They took several tentative steps towards the room, and saw Xavier sitting there, and Ororo stood there. By their side, stood a hunched over young man, dressed in a Monk's outfit. A hood was pulled over his head. Harry, Jean, and Scott could not get a good look at his face face, so they made their way closer, and closer.
"This is Kurt Wagner," Xavier said to the assembled group. "Kurt escaped his home country in Germany to escape prosecution to regarding his unique appearance. He has come to our school to hope to control his abilities. Kurt this is Jean Grey, Scott Summers, and Harry Potter.
"Pleased to meet you, Kurt," Scott said, and he extended a hand forward. Kurt extended a hand, and it was noticed by all that it was blue and fuzzy. Jean and Scott were momentarily thrown off, although Harry seemed to take it stride. He had seen some weird appearances in his day, so perhaps he was just a little be desensitized to the entire thing.
Plus the appearance rarely mattered. It was how the person acted that mattered.
Kurt took Scott's hand, and shook it. He did the same to Jean, and then to Harry. He took a step back.
"Welcome to the school, Kurt," Jean said with a bright smile.
"Yeah, welcome to the school, I hope you'll be here for a long time," Harry said with what he hoped was an encouraging tone of voice. "It might seem a bit intimidating at first, but you'll get used to him. I'm new as well."
Kurt nodded, and his hood was pulled down. He had the appearance of a fuzzy looking blue elf, although it would be easy how certain people might mistake him was more demonic. That type of prejudice was something that Harry knew all too well, and could identify with.
"I do hope that none of you are alarmed by my appearance," Kurt said. Scott, Jean, and Harry stared unblinking, and they shook their heads. "It has caused many problems, where I got prosecuted for how I looked."
Kurt realized how he understated this fact. He was chased by a mob, and was nearly crucified before he was saved by Professor Xavier and Storm. He laid low for a while, before he came to America to be part of the school.
Harry was the one who spoke up at this point. "Then they're idiots. It isn't how you look on the outside, but what you are on the inside that matters. It's your actions that matter."
Kurt nodded gratefully at this sentiment.
"I share those sentiments exactly," Xavier said, and he nodded. He paused, and considered his options. "Although until the moment that you are more comfortable with mixing in, I have something that would ease the transition a bit more."
He nodded to Ororo, who took out a watch.
"A free watch?" Kurt asked in awe.
Xavier chuckled. "Try it on, and see for yourself."
Without another word, Kurt strapped the wrist device on his wrist, and he tapped it. He immediately morphed into something more conventional that would not stand out in the crowd. He looked at Professor Xavier immediately, grateful at what he did.
"Thank you, Professor," Kurt said graciously.
"It was no trouble at all," Xavier said. "Storm will show you to your room, so you can settle in and enjoy your stay at the mansion. If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask."
Kurt nodded immediately, and he caught glimpse of his new appearance more in the mirror. Ororo smiled, and Kurt looked up with an apologetic expression in his eyes. He was lead off.
"The three of you are excused," Xavier said. Jean and Harry left, but Scott was the one that stayed behind.
Scott looked immediately apologetic. He tried to convey what he felt. "After what happened tonight…"
"I know, and I doubt that much could be gained from a lecture at the moment," Xavier said. "The only advice I will give you is to be more careful in the future. Even the best intentions are going to be something that goes awry."
Xavier remained rather calm. Scott shook his head. He hoped to obtain that level of calmness and restraint.
"The thief, I believe he was a mutant as well," Scott said.
Xavier nodded, knowingly. "Yes, Mr. Tolansky, he was nearly victimized with a brutal assault. Tell me everything you know, and have seen. He may have a spot at the Institute yet."
Scott proceeded to launch into his explanation. There seemed to be a bit of mistrust on his face and in his voice, but Xavier was willing to give anyone a fair shake. Even though there was evidence that told him that might not be a good idea.
Todd Tolansky, or Toad as he had been dubbed, looked up at the mansion. His eyes remained narrowed, and his fists clenched. He felt a high wind kick up below him. To be honest, he was not sure about this. Yet, Principal Darkholme was not the type of lady that one could really say no to. He was sent to the mansion to gain information. No one would suspect him. He took a look at the storm clouds and gulped. Without another word, Toad slid towards the Mansion.
A gust of wind picked up. Toad was caught off guard. The slimy mutant lost his balance. He spiraled forward, and he managed to avoid crashing through the window just narrowly. The door opened, and he looked inside. Another gust of wind picked him up, and sent him flying through the doors. He spiraled down to the ground, and landed with quite the embarrassing thud.
He shook off the expression. He saw a bald man with a wheelchair come forward. He
"Greetings, Todd, I am Professor Charles Xavier," Xavier said in a calm and reassuring voice. "I run Xavier's Institute for the Gifted."
Toad shook his head, to try and regain his bearings. This was not the reception that he expected. It took him a couple of moments to adjust to his surroundings. He stood up, and focused his stare at Xavier. He had a job to do. Before he could say anything, he caught sight of Kurt standing in the room. He glimpsed Kurt's unconventional appearance. He could not resist speaking his mind.
"What are you supposed to be?" Toad asked in confusion. He took a long and detailed look at Kurt. "Some kind of ratty plush toy or something?"
Kurt's eyes widened, and he looked at Toad.
"Oh, and have you looked in the mirror lately," Kurt fired back.
Toad looked at Kurt in confusion. "I have in fact, every morning. I say that I look quite handsome."
Kurt looked at him incredulously. Before he could say anything, Toad's eyes narrowed. He got immediately defensive, and his knees bent. He jumped forward into the air towards the furry mutant. Before Toad can get his hands on him, Kurt disappeared in a flash, and reappeared on the Chandelier above.
"What the…" Toad asked, and he shook his head. He was not about to be embarrassed by this ball of fuzz. His knees bent, and he sprang up. Toad missed him once again.
"So close, yet so far," Kurt commented.
Toad's fists curled up. "I'll show you too far, you fuzzy little gecko."
Toad jumped at Kurt once again. Once again, he teleported out of the way.
From the outside Harry watched the situation unfold before him. Toad was persistent, he'd give him that. Even if he was completely outmatched, and his hygiene sense left something to be desired, there was just something about him that was persistent. He half listened to the conversation between Ororo and Professor Xavier that went on several feet away from him.
"Do you think that Mr. Tolansky has potential to be part of this school?" Ororo asked.
Xavier pondered the matter for a moment, before he gave his honest assessment.
"It remains to be seen, but we must give him a fair chance. He does have a willingness never to give up. However, whether or not that actually means that he is a young man that can join this group, that's something we can debate. We must keep an open mind.
Ororo looked at her old friend and teacher with a knowing smile.
"I sometimes think that your willingness to see the best in others might blind you to the obvious."
Xavier did not respond, rather he kept his focus from him above. Kurt and Todd continued to circle each other. Todd got closer, and closer, before he grabbed onto the furry mutant's tail.
"Gotcha," Toad said, but Kurt disappeared, and transported them away.
The two mutants dropped down onto the ground. Both of them landed hard. Toad shook himself off first, and Toad gave his head a shake. He saw they were in a training room of some sorts. Kurt looked at Toad in wonder.
"Where are we?"
"You asking me?" Toad asked. He massaged his throat, and cleared it. His eyes snapped towards Kurt. "You were the one who brought me here."
Kurt opened his mouth to retort. Yet his eyes widened immediately, when he saw a laser start up. It aimed at him, and blasted towards him. He disappeared with a teleportation pop. He remained on his feet, and unsteady.
"I think that we're about to find out the hard way," Kurt said. He closed his eyes, and avoided the attacks. Toad screamed and managed to hop out of the way. He could barely hear the noises from up above, and there was a loud crack that echoed that cause Toad to jump around, and try and get out of dodge.
The voice of Professor Xavier called from the other side of the door.
"Scott, Jean, our two newest guests have found their way into the Danger Room."
'And people accuse me of finding trouble too easily,' Harry thought to himself.
There was a moment where time stood still. Toad landed on the ground when his attempt to hop out of the way had gone awry. His heart hammered on the inside of his chest. He tried to move forward.
He buried his head in his hands, and waited for the worst. As it turned out, he did not need to. Scott and Jean turned up. Scott aimed an optic blast to take out the laser torrent. Kurt was safely guided out of the way, as was Toad. The slimy mutant shook madly, unable to believe what happened. It took a moment to regain his bearings.
"What kind of welcoming committee is this?" Toad asked in an incredulous voice. Toad hopped away outside of the mansion. The entire group watched him.
Scott took a step forward, to chase down Toad, calling after him. Xavier stopped him immediately.
"It appears that our friend has decided that his experience at the Mansion was not the most accommodating," Xavier said. He shook his head. It was unfortunate, but he could sense that Toad had some potentially malicious intentions regarding the school. He did want to give him a chance, however it was a test that he failed.
Toad ran forward, and his breath continued to quicken. His movements moved. He ran into the imposing form of a dark haired man with claws. Logan stood there, and popped his claws. The glint flickered in Toad's face, and Logan stood there. Toad swallowed nervously, and gave a bit of a chuckle. He slowly backed away from Logan and his legs twitched madly.
"What are you looking at?" Logan asked in a growl.
Toad shook his head. He tried to indicate that he never wanted to make any trouble. The soothing tones of Professor Xavier could be heard by all telepathically.
"Let him go, Logan," Xavier said to him, and Logan stepped back, grunting.
Toad took it as his cue to leave, and he immediately darted out. Logan's eyes narrowed immediately, and he sniffed the air.
"I came back a bit earlier, thought I smelt trouble," Logan said. He stepped forward towards the mansion. "Maybe it just turned out to be ol' stinkboy there."
Logan watched Toad leave. His smelt something off about the mutant. Xavier had suggested that he let the mutant leave.
"Still think you're getting too soft, Chuck," Logan said gruffly.
"You never fail to be critical, a refreshing change to be sure," Xavier said in agreement. "It appears that our newest recruit, Kurt Wagner, has gotten into a spot of trouble. His first day at the mansion, and he already got into a scuffle."
Logan nodded. Kurt had just exited the Danger Room. His eyes remained unfocused, and he blinked. He shook his head, and wondered if he would get blamed for this. Harry, Scott, and Jean walked over here.
"Well, I didn't plan to make a first impression that way," Kurt said. "I'd understand if you didn't want me to attend the school anymore."
Harry just shook his head, and offered an encouraging smile. "We all make mistakes. If you think you're getting kicked out for one mistake, then you're really giving this place an unfair shake."
Scott nodded beside Harry, and Jean gave Kurt an encouraging smile.
"Welcome to the school," Scott said to him. "Harry's right, you shouldn't beat yourself up over what happened. Come this way, I have something to show you."
Harry knew that Scott was going to show Kurt the Blackbird. To be honest, Harry was interested in learning how to fly it, after a while himself. It might be different than a broomstick, but flight was flight.
Toad's hands trembled so fast that they were nearly a blur. The mutant looked up at the imposing figure of Mystique, or Principal Darkholme as he also knew her as. The woman did not need to utilize her shape shifting powers to produce the desired effect. She was rather intimidating without them.. A sadistic scowl crossed over her face. Her arms folded over her chest, and she stood forward. She peered at Toad behind her spectacles.
"You had one job, one simple job!" Mystique ranted. Her nostrils flared with anger. Her fists were clenched, and Toad thought for one moment that he was going to be strangled to death. "You were supposed to infiltrate Xavier's school, and gain the necessary information that you could. Yet you get scared off immediately."
Toad swallowed the lump in his throat. He remained calm, and collected, despite the fact that he was more scared out of his life than he ever had been.
"Hey, me jumping out of there was just self-defense, it was nothing personal," Toad said, and he remained calm. "That Danger Room place, it's insane. There are so many lasers moving around. I can't keep my eyes on all of them at once."
Mystique raised her hand. Toad covered, and dropped to his knees, almost pleading for his life. The shape shifter's face contorted into pure rage. She snarled, and stared down Toad. For a few seconds, Toad thought he was really going to get it. Mystique relaxed her body language. Her demeanor remained sadistic, and ice-cold. It was like she would gut Toad, and leave him for dead if she thought she could get away with it.
"You were given one simple job," Mystique said in her most deadly voice. Toad gulped, and he was about ready to respond that they had been over this, but an incensed Mystique had cut him off. "You were supposed to gain valuable intelligence for the Xavier Academy, and you couldn't even gain one shred of information. You couldn't even smuggle in one camera, or hidden microphone. Hell, Xavier or Grey likely have erased any memories of anything you've learned from the pace."
It was at that moment where Toad had gone completely on the defensive. He thought that this was a bit unfair. He shook his head, and tried to argue with Mystique.
"Um, I don't remember getting my mind wiped."
This statement did not improve Mystique's mood. She picked up a letter opener from her desk, and slammed it down, breaking the wood. She grabbed Toad around the arms, and glared in his eyes.
"Of course, you don't remember if you got your mind wiped," Mystique said in a breathy tone. She looked in Toad's eyes, as the young mutant recoiled in fear. "That is the idea, so you don't remember anything!"
Toad shook his head frantically.
"It won't happen again, I swear, Boss Lady," Toad said in a trembling tone of voice.
Mystique's face contorted in an angry expression. "It better not, for your sake. You're dismissed, now get out of here before I change my mind."
Toad could not get up to his feet fast enough. He scrambled towards the door. However Mystique stepped in front of him, and put up a hand.
"You now work for me, so report to this address," Mystique told him in a harsh voice. She held the envelope in her hand, and passed it in Toad's grimy hand. Toad seemed reluctant, and tried to drum up the courage to tell Mystique off. "Unless you want to be reported to the law for the thefts you've done. Someone like you won't last long. You may get dissected."
Toad shuddered at the thought. He could hardly believe it, but he remained calm and collected. He looked up at Mystique.
"Is that all?" Toad asked a shaky voice.
Mystique waved her hand, and her eyes continued to simmer with fury.
"Yes, go before I change my mind."
Toad could not hop out of there fast enough. He nearly slammed into the door, and tried to escape. Mystique sat down behind her desk. She needed a good round with a punching bag after the idiotic bumbling that Toad did. She suspected she had herself to blame. She sent an amateur to do a professional's job.
She heard a rattling on her desk. She saw the tin on her desk begin to come to life. The paper clips rattled around. They were magnetized, and she followed their progress with her eyes. She knew that the man in the shadows could manipulate larger pieces of metal, and could bring anyone to their knees.
"That fool Toad bumbled the entire operation," Mystique said. She once again held the letter opener in her hand. The blue skinned mutant found the letter opener pulled out of her head by Magneto. "I suppose it was partially my fault to allow a bumbling fool like Tolansky with such a delicate operation."
Magneto tapped the letter opener on the desk. Mystique followed the progress of the object, and there were a few moments before the Master of Magnetism decided to indulge her with speaking to her.
"I wouldn't be too hard on yourself or the boy, Raven," Magneto said in a cool voice. The paper clips and the letter opener swirled around her head. Had Magneto chose to, he could do some serious damage with it. "We could have gained valuable intelligence had it succeeded. Since it failed, there was no risk of losing a valuable asset."
Mystique had to agree with Magneto's answer. She found the letter opener spin around above her head, before Magneto continued to launch it into the wall.
"And what is your assessment of young Mr. Potter after meeting him?" Magneto asked.
"He remains an enigma," Mystique admitted to him. "At first he does not seem capable of anything extraordinary at all."
Magneto just responded with a crisp nod at first. Then a few seconds later, he spoke in a cool tone of voice.
"Keep monitoring him. Appearances may be deceiving as first. As someone of your powers understands perfectly."
Mystique nodded. She had no choice, but to comply and continue her mission.
Magneto let her alone with her own thoughts of the events of today. There would be a reckoning with Xavier and his students, sooner rather than later.
"Alright Harry, it's your turn."
Harry stepped forward towards the Danger Room. His arms were relaxed by his side. He kept his posture steady and firm. This could not be any worse with undergoing Quidditch training with Oliver Wood. Harry remembered those days fondly, in a way. He had to fly in all kinds of insane weather, and even with a lack of sleep. Many would complain about it, but if Harry had to admit it, he did not mind it at all. He took a nice and deep breath, and stepped into the Danger Room.
His Quidditch training has given him enough of a sense when to duck. There was many times where he had applied that training to dodge spells. Back in the Department of Mysteries, he was able to dodge every single spell that the Death Eaters threw at him. That did seem like a lifetime ago now. There was just a built in instinct in him. He had a keen idea of how to dodge most spells.
Flying lasers should not be something that was too different. At least that's where Harry hoped.
"This first exercise will be a solo run, until we integrate you into the team proper," Xavier said to him.
Harry relaxed, and nodded. He looked up with a look of confidence spread across his face. He shook his head and was ready to go.
"Ready to go when you are, Professor Xavier!"
Xavier nodded. Scott, Jean, Kurt, Ororo, and Logan all watched the progress of Harry. He took a moment to calm himself. He made a mental rule to himself not to use his magical abilities at first, unless he was in a sticky situation. When he got more in tone with his mutant powers, he would figure out how he mixed, and matched the powers.
He could not think much longer. He just had to switch to action. There was a blast of laser energy. Harry dodged to the side, to the left and to the right. He took several deep breaths, and rushed forward. He tucked his head, and rolled underneath the blasts of the lasers. He tried to gauge the trajectory of the lasers, and fight the traps in the room.
One by one, Harry managed to hold his own against everything that the Danger Room threw against him. He was not a complete pro at it, but he immediately ducked each and every attack. He ducked, and rolled his head. The X-Men watched immediately from high above, and accessed his abilities and Xavier, Ororo, and Logan were marking down suggestions that they would giave him for improvement. He was not perfect, but he was good.
"So, what do you think?" Xavier asked after they had watched Harry in the Danger Room for a few minutes.
"Kid has potential," Logan said. "He could try to keep a bit cooler head in there."
"Speaking from experience, are we?" Ororo asked, and Logan just turned around to follow Harry's progress further. "It's not too bad."
"Yes, it's not bad at all," Xavier agreed. He thought that before too long Harry would be able to handle the higher levels. They did not want to overwhelm him on the first day.
Harry could not dodge forever, he was caught off guard. The lasers were not lethal, but they stung a little bit. He understood that he had to keep a cool head in there, and become mindful of his surroundings.
He vowed to improve. He wondered if he was going to beat the high score in the Danger Room any time soon. He decided that it would be best to improve upon his own abilities.
Then he would worry about beating everyone else. He was coming up with his own ideas how to best adapt, and he was sure that the instructors had their own suggestions.
For some reason, he found the Danger Room to be something that he could adapt much better to than High School. He smirked, and wondered how well that spoke of his sanity, or lack there of.
He continued to press forward. As the levels kicked up, he had a feeling the Danger Room would live up to his name. In the meantime, he would work himself up.
And hopefully his body would be stronger, and he would be more able to defend himself. Either by using his powers, or not using his powers.
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