Chapter 39: Chapter Thirty-Nine
Their visit to the Nymph enclosure was met, as usual, with much blushing and curtsying. Harry rolled his eyes and nodded at Xera. "Good evening, Xera. How are things going here?" he asked.
Xera smiled and bowed slightly to him, "All is well, Lord Harry," then she bowed the same way at Natasha, "Lady Natasha."
Harry smiled back, "That is always good to hear. Are you ready for a little outing?"
"Oh, yes, please! We have been practicing to control our Allure, but we have been unable to test our progress as we are all immune to the effect." Xera said.
"Then tonight will be perfect. We'll be taking you to the greenhouses first, where I've been able to arrange for a friend to meet with us." Harry said.
Xera nodded and asked, "Are we going now?"
"We can." Harry said, turning around and looking at Natasha. "Anything I'm forgetting?"
Natasha looked thoughtful and shrugged, "We should probably fly there. It would give the ladies a better idea of what they will be working with. It is full moon tonight."
"You are going to fly us there? How?" Xera asked with a look of both excitement and concern on her face.
"Magic Carpet. Would that be an issue?" Harry asked. He had personally transported their trees through a jumbo sized portal. They had never flown before.
Xera looked uncomfortably at a couple of her fellow Nymphs before turning back to Harry, "There are some of us who feel the need to maintain contact with the ground to feel connected to our trees. I fear that some will not like the experience." she informed them with a wry smile.
"Could it harm you? We can go slowly and close to the ground at first, if that helps. I really would like to show you the island, now that you've settled in, but I won't risk your health." Harry said.
"I am willing to try, Lord Harry." Xera said, squaring her shoulders. "But could you just take me, for now? I can then tell them of what I learned. It would allow those with a fear of heights to avoid the experience." she requested.
"Of course," Harry said as he started leading them to the exit. "You may want to close your eyes while we go through the barrier." He said as he offered Xera his hand. She took it and closed her eyes as Harry pulled her through the barrier, which she could not pass on her own, yet. They led her outside and Harry pulled out the Carpet again. "Okay, let's try this."
Xera looked at the carpet dubiously, but stepped onto it and sat down next to Natasha. Harry lifted them up slowly and he watched her closely. Her eyes were slightly wider than normal, "Are you okay?" he asked, when she volunteered nothing.
Xera looked at Harry and, slowly, a smile grew on her face, "Yes, I'm fine! I can still feel my tree and my sisters through the magic of your land!"
Harry smiled in relief, "That's great, because I want to try something quickly and I think a little more altitude will make the effect more pronounced." As he said it he started flying off to the western side of the island. He continued monitoring Xera, but she seemed almost giddy the entire time. When he reached near the edge of the boundary of his island's wards, a mile away from the shore, he stopped the carpet, closed his eyes and started focussing his magic, just as a cloudbank slipped in front of the moon.
It took him a while to access the magic running through the island from where they were, but once he did, he started willing a change. He could feel the magic slowly responding and let it build. He knew they were seeing what he was doing, when there was a sharp intake of breath from both Natasha and Xera.
"It is so beautiful!" Xera whispered reverently.
Natasha simply pulled Harry into a kiss, before he had a chance to open his eyes. When she broke the kiss, Natasha moved herself into his lap and pulled his arms around her, as they watched the Island.
Harry watched with no small amount of awe himself at what he had done. The island seemed to glow with the nimbus as millions of pinpricks of multi-coloured light lifted and floated into the air from the island. There they bobbed and floated, making the entire island look like it was covered in floating Christmas lights.
"That's a bit more than I had planned on," Harry admitted, "but now you can see the island. The lights should last for another hour or so." Xera did not respond, and when Harry placed a hand on her shoulder to gain her attention, she jumped, as if she had been shocked by his presence. Harry saw the tears running down her cheeks. "Are you okay?" he asked for the second time that night.
Xera pulled herself together and nodded vigorously, "I'm sorry, Lord Harry. I do not mean to cry in your presence." she said as she looked away.
"What's wrong?" Harry asked.
Xera was quiet for a second, before responding, "This is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen and experienced. How could I not weep?" she asked.
Natasha felt like there was more to it, by the way Xera refused to make eye contact, her body language and her tone of voice, but let it go for now. Maybe she should speak to Xera later, in private. "I agree. Harry has done something amazing again." Then she turned and smirked at Harry, "And again, he didn't warn anyone and I expect a call from someone on the island soon."
Harry almost jumped when his mirror vibrated in his pocket. Natasha reached in and answered for him. "Hi."
Logan's face was on the other side, "Harry doing this?" he asked.
"Yes." Natasha said. "It should last only an hour."
Logan smirked, "The kids are loving it." He then moved the mirror to show the kids sitting around a campfire looking up in awe at the colourful lights. Then Logan appeared in the mirror again, "Warn me next time. Campfire stories shouldn't end with awe. It should end with screams and fear of the dark." he said with a dark smile.
"Poor kids." Harry muttered.
"It's part of the experience." Logan said just before he closed the connection.
Harry smiled and heard Natasha make another mirror-call, while her cell-phone came out to record what the island looked like. "Hello, Sister-in-law." Came Loki's voice when he answered the mirror. "If you're calling about the lights, I've already informed everyone that Harry's magic is at work and not to worry."
Natasha took a moment and then said, "Thanks. If you get a moment in the next hour, I suggest you close the bar for a couple of minutes and fly off the island to look at it. It's spectacular." Then she turned the mirror around so Loki could see.
Loki looked at the island through the mirror, and then, without closing the connection, he could be heard offering, "Who wants to see this from the carpet?" That's when the connection was closed.
Harry hugged Natasha closer to him before slowly starting their way around the island, so that they could point things out to Xera. All too soon they were finished with the circuit and flying to the Greenhouses. When they arrived, Harry landed them next to the first greenhouse. It was one of the few without deadly plants being cultivated in them.
Harry checked the time and said, "We got here just in time." A minute later, the lights started fading. "If you ladies would quickly excuse me?" he asked.
Natasha nodded and Harry disappeared. Soon a portal appeared and Harry stepped through with Hank. Hank was still saying, "… and then he took us to see the island from outside the lights. It was truly amazing. And the uses in case of emergencies for such illumination…" he then looked up as if noticing for the first time that they were somewhere new. "Oh, I'm sorry my dear. I seem to have forgotten my manners." he said as he noticed Xera and offered his furry hand to her. "My name is Doctor Henry McCoy, but you may call me Hank."
Xera looked at the well-spoken, blue-furred man and smiled at him. "It is a pleasure to meet one of Lord Harry's friends. My name is Xera and people call me by that name." she said as she took the offered hand and shook it. She controlled her power tightly, trying not to affect his emotions.
Hank seemed polite enough, but Harry needed to be certain. "Xera here is a Nymph. I'd like to allow her people to freely roam the Island, but they have a magical aura called an Allure, which draws men to them and we need to know if they have theirs under control before I can allow them that freedom."
Hank looked at Harry sharply, "You're keeping them prisoner?"
Xera jumped into the conversation, "No! Lord Harry saved us from a life on the run. He has given us a safe haven and wants only our assurances that we will not affect the people of his land against their will or better judgement. We are here very willingly." she assured him.
Hank looked at Harry then, and said, "I am sorry, my friend. I seem to have jumped to conclusions." He then straightened up, "How can I be of service?"
Harry smiled at the big blue man, "Not a problem. Your first instinct to protect people is a good one to have, and only gives you more worth, in my estimation of your character. What we would like from you is to tell us if her allure is affecting you? Do you feel the unnatural need to follow Xera around? Are you in full possession of your faculties?"
Hank tilted his head to the side and thought about it, before answering, "Well, if I'm honest with myself, I believe I find her attractive. Her clothing is slightly too revealing and her attributes are rather impressive, but that's all skin deep. I'd have to spend more time with the young lady to find out if we could be anything more than friends, though I doubt it. I think I may be too old for her to find my company very appealing."
Xera blushed at his rather frank assessment of her looks and then laughed at his statement about her age. "You flatter me, as I am older than two hundred and fifty years." she said.
Hank's eyes widened, "Really? How old do your people become? Is it a healing factor or do you sustain yourself on something that prolongs your lives? Do you…" he started asking rapid-fire questions.
"Hold on there, Hank!" Harry interrupted. "Ask your questions as we walk. Xera, by no means are you compelled to answer either. Answer only what and how you are comfortable with."
"That's right. We'll be looking at the Greenhouses next." Natasha agreed. "This has been a long day and Harry and I have a lot to do tomorrow. Let's go." she said as she led the way to the greenhouse door, hidden from view by a simple illusion. She opened the door, cancelling the illusion and led them inside, Harry smiling all the way. He knew she wanted some alone time with him. He'd sensed it ever since he lit the Island from the Carpet.
"Wood Nymphs, such as Xera here, have an affinity for plants in the land where their trees are planted. We're hoping her and her people could have a positive effect on the growth of the plants in my greenhouses and over the Island." Harry explained.
"Ah," Hank said, "Like the stories of dryads or hamadryads?"
"Hamadryads from this world's mythology, yes. They are physical beings, not spirits like dryads are supposed to be." Natasha confirmed having done her own research on any creature Harry brought to the island.
"I'm assuming that their lifespan is connected to their trees then?" Hank asked, looking at Xera as they walked, but he thought he understood her age now.
"You are correct." Xera said. "My people can live for as long as our trees live. If we die, so do our trees. If our trees die, so do we."
"Fascinating." Hank stated, while he considered this.
"Here we are." Harry began. "Hank, you should recognize this from the memory earlier today?"
Hank did remember the plant and Harry had him harvest some of the plant to see if he'd paid attention in the memory. Hank performed admirably and did no undue harm to the plant. He seemed to have a steady hand and an understanding of how to hold the plant as he handled it with care.
Xera nodded along as Hank explained what he was doing and recalling the instructions from when Harry taught Bruce. "Your understanding of this plant is great. Do you work with it often?"
Hank smiled at her and said, "Harry allowed us to view a memory of him giving someone instruction on handling this plant correctly earlier today. I have never handled this plant before."
Xera's eyebrows rose. "Either you are a prodigy or Harry is a very good instructor." she said.
"Hank is quite the intellect. He studies the very foundations of life." Harry said, referring to the fact that Hank was a geneticist.
"Harry is not a bad instructor either. He gave his student everything he needed to succeed on his own, without needing to repeat himself." Hank countered. "That being said, his student from the memory is also considered one of the greatest intellects on the planet."
"Okay, boys, stop clapping each other on the back. We get it, you're both modest and awesome." Natasha joked. "Now, Xera, can you connect to these plants?" she asked.
"Let me try." she said as she closed her eyes and focussed on the land at her bare feet, the life she could feel all around her and the magic that her tree was getting from the land.
Harry was watching as Xera started to glow slightly. He felt her presence grow in his mind and looked at Hank. It seemed her control was slipping as Hank's eyes had a bit of a vacancy, but he was pulling himself out of it with some effort. Natasha was not showing any emotions, though she never looked away from Xera. He then noticed the plants around them. "Xera, stop!" he said hurriedly.
Xera stopped instantly and opened her eyes. She was shocked to realise that the small bushes and plants she had been standing next to had grown more than three times their original height. "I'm sorry, I didn't know!" she apologised to Harry, quickly.
Harry chuckled. "No need to apologise. You were doing exactly what you were asked." Then he explained, "The problem is, the plants draw nutrients from the ground. We made allowances for growth with the nutrients that were introduced before planting here, but you almost reached that level. Any longer and the plants may have died. Can you tell that? I have a spell for it, but you probably have a different method." He asked.
Xera closed her eyes for a second and glowed very faintly. Harry doubted the other two could even see it. "You are correct, Lord Harry. I did not take that into consideration." she said, still apologetically.
"I told you not to apologise. You didn't know how strong you had become, nor did you know that the fertilizer we use has magical properties. Plants grow quickly in the greenhouses already, due to that." Harry explained. "Next time, use your power with your eyes open. You'd have seen that your Allure was affecting Hank, here. He is strong willed though, and was fighting it quite successfully." He would ask Natasha about why she was staring later.
Xera's eyes widened as she looked at Hank. Before she could apologise once more, Hank held a hand up to stop her. "Had I not been warned, I may have taken offense, but I was and you were able to keep yourself under control until you used your power. I count that as a success." he said as he turned to Harry. "What do you think?" he asked.
"That's right. At this point, as long as you know what makes you lose control and you can keep from doing that around people, I think you are good to go. Just make sure the others are up to your level before you leave your grove. It is still your safe haven and your home where the wards were set to protect you." Harry said.
Xera smiled at this. "Thank you, Lord Harry! My sisters will be pleased to hear that. They are already at my level as we practise together, but I would ask that Hank accompany us to confirm that, if that would be alright?" she asked, looking at Hank.
"What do you think Hank, do you want to spend the day tomorrow with a bunch of beautiful ladies all wanting your approval?" Harry joked.
Hank caught his tone and smiled back, "I don't see why not. If they are in need of my assistance, I shall endeavour to provide it." He then turned to Xera and bowed slightly. "It would be a pleasure to help you in this regard, my dear."
Xera smiled at him and thanked him as Harry led the way back out of the Greenhouse. Once outside he opened a portal to the Nymph enclosure and walked through with everyone.
"This is how the enclosures are secured, Xera." Harry said, pointing at the sign. "You read the sign above the door and it tells you the name of the enclosure. That then allows you to exit, because it is the secret. You cannot say it out loud, around people who don't know the secret. So, when Hank has approved someone, you must lead them through the barrier like I did for you and then bring them out here to teach them the secret."
Xera nodded, "I think I understand."
"I've gone through that process at the Institute." Hank said. "I can help if they get stuck."
"Great!" Harry enthused. They bid their farewells and Harry opened another portal to the Bar. They all walked through and Harry took a seat at the bar and ordered a fifty year old firewhiskey from his brother. It was the best that they made in 'mortal' standards and Harry seldom drank of it, taking Odin's advice to heart that it was only good because it wasn't something you do every day.
Hank was soon discussing their trip with Charles, Jean and Scott, who tried not to act jealous that Hank had seen real-life Nymphs. Meanwhile, Harry was inundated with questions about the lightshow. Apparently it was appreciated, greatly. He'd have to remember that trick. The night soon came to an end as Natasha kept on dropping hints about getting to bed.
"Okay people, Natasha and I are headed off to bed. If anyone here has too much to drink, I can cast sobering charms in the morning. The same schedule will be followed as today." Harry said as he turned to Loki. "Bar closes at 2am, latest, if you don't mind." He said to Loki as he cast a spell on him and then concentrated on the bar-counter to add a feature he had been meaning to for a while.
After a minute, he attached his latest enchantment to a specific portion of the counter. "There you go. When you wish to lock the bar, like I normally do, just place your hand on this section of the bar and hold it there for a couple of seconds. The lights will turn off when the security wards go up." Harry told him. "Use the same process to unlock." he said as he started following an impatient Natasha to their place.
"I'll be fine, I'm sure. Good night." Loki said, looking over the people at the bar who were still enjoying the free alcohol. He'd have to ask Darcy to accompany Marie to her room, just in case. She had been enjoying her new-found freedom to indulge, just a slight bit too much. Darcy had been chatting with Marie since lunch. They were hitting it off quite well, Loki thought. Hopefully Darcy's care-free attitude would rub off a bit on the poor girl.
As Loki understood it, she had only recently been able to start enjoying physical contact and she was still quite shy. Apply some Darcy and alcohol, and that was soon changing. Darcy was one of those that were prone to outward displays of affection while in her cups, it seemed.
Loki was proud of his brother for what he heard from the patrons as he worked behind the bar. Apparently Harry had been working with the Mutants since shortly after his arrival here. There were many stories being told and Loki listened happily as everyone spoke of how Harry had impacted their lives for the better.
Meanwhile, the moment Harry closed the door to his house, Natasha was on him like a rash.
The next morning, Harry woke up with the alarm. Natasha had gotten up before him again. He didn't know how she did it without waking him, but he wasn't complaining. The extra rest he got was a good sign. If she was angry at him for something, he suspected she could be less cautious.
He followed the same routine as the day before, starting by preparing breakfast for the kids before he would do the same for the adults. He had gone to pick Darcy up beforehand this time. He had even supplied her with a cup of coffee, to get her through the morning.
He cast a sobering charm on Marie when he saw her appearance, but had chuckled under his breath about it. Apparently Darcy had accompanied her to her room the night before and tried to get her to drink some water. He'd have to thank her for the extra effort at some point.
Harry offered to show another memory and got a welcome amount of excitement at the idea. He ended up showing them the first two Triwizard tasks, with a bit of background about the clues he had beforehand. When they were busy watching that, he went to fetch Natasha again so that he could start testing the new Room Of Requirement.
The next two hours was spent on experimentation and Harry found that it was working as it should, except for the minor detail that the Room's creations could now move past the door for a short bit. Not any large distance, but enough to be able to travel a couple of yards away from the door. This had obviously given Harry an idea, but he planned to get to that at a later stage.
They went to the Pensieve and found the people sitting around and chatting excitedly about the things they had seen, while Loki served behind the Bar again. He seemed to like working behind the bar. Harry wouldn't deny him a bit of fun. Loki wasn't exactly popular to begin with. It seemed that his being trapped in a female form was helping a bit as well.
"Harry!" came the call from Marie. "That was awesome! The dragon and the mermaids and the magic!" she exclaimed every statement as she all but bounced where she stood after having run up to him.
Natasha looked at Harry and asked. "Triwizard?"
"First two tasks." Harry confirmed.
Natasha smiled and said, "That was still mild. You should see the end of his second year. Nothing quite as scary as being stuck in an ancient sewer with a giant snake that can kill you with a look."
Marie paled, "Giant snake? How old were you?" she asked Harry.
"I think I was twelve at the time." Harry said offhandedly.
Marie just gaped. Charles decided to break the silence by chuckling, "You seem to get into almost as much trouble as the children."
"More." Natasha muttered.
Harry looked at her and said indignantly, "Hey! It's been months since the last problem."
"It's not been two weeks, Harry." Natasha returned, crossing her arms in front of her chest.
Harry flinched, "Oh… yeah. Well, it's definitely not as often as them." he said stubbornly.
"Only because there's more of them, and they don't all have control of their powers yet." Charles stated. "It is useful that you can just repair things with a spell, though."
"He does?" Natasha asked.
"Oh, yes. Hisako still has control issues sometimes. Her psionic armour can form and grow out of control. She grew out of the top of the building one evening while having a nightmare and was quite inconsolable, until Harry waved his hand, fixed everything and told her she had nothing to be sorry about." Charles said with a smile.
"That wasn't her fault." Harry defended the girl. "Nightmares affects everyone differently."
Natasha could only agree, having seen what could happen when Harry had a bad dream. "We're here to send anyone that wanted to join today's hike through to the camp." She said changing the subject.
"Right!" Harry said. He turned a portal into being and pointed at it. "They should be leaving shortly." Pretty soon the people who were going, were through the portal. "For those of you who wish to see and share a memory of their own, just ask." he finished, before going to get a glass of juice. He'd be working on his projects again after lunch and decided to spend the next hour or so watching memories with those present.
Harry ended up sharing some more minor memories. Things like his first encounter with a Dementor and an Acromantula; Flying and the Whomping Willow. He got to see some of their memories. Mostly major life events, like discovering powers, interesting people they had met and a Wedding ceremony or two. The women loved those and Harry suspected he'd be seeing more of those in the near future as word spread that he could do this.
It was soon time for the next creatures and Harry took those that were interested through a portal. He helped with the presentations and Logan helped keep the animals calm. The sphinx was an especially interesting one. Logan had arranged that the creature would answer a couple of questions and it did so on the condition that a riddle must be answered correctly first.
Once the tour was done Harry returned them all to the resort and made lunch again. After that, he went to work in the Workshop again. He finished one of the devices and tested it. When it did what it was supposed to, he smirked and started working on the next part.
They followed that routine for the whole week until weekend, when the kids were told there wouldn't be any more hiking or teambuilding exercises. Instead, Harry had a surprise for them. "Okay kids. Here's the deal. I've got a surprise for you. If you can play by the rules, you get to play. If not, you'll be spoiling everyone's fun." Harry said as he stood in front of the kids. "Last night, I spent a couple of hours setting this up for you and Mister Logan has agreed to it, so long as you follow the rules he gives you."
When Harry finished, he waved a hand and summoned a bunch of flying brooms to land next to the kids. There were excited exclamations all around and some of them tried getting on the brooms immediately. "Hold on." Logan said, "Those won't work for you until Harry has bonded you with them. It's a special magical process that allows non-magicals to use magic items." Logan then started explaining the rules.
As Logan explained them, Harry started bonding the brooms to the people they were with. He had seen a couple who were reluctant, but bonded them anyway. A fear of height was natural, after all, so he would let them go at their own pace. These brooms weren't nearly as fast as his other ones, which is why he could make so many, so quickly.
An hour later, Darcy had taken them through their first flying lesson and Harry had spoken to the few that were reluctant. They were informed that they would be in control and could move as slow and as close to the ground as they wanted. That seemed to cheer them up right away and they were soon joining the others, even if it was closer to the ground.
Darcy was enforcing the rules, while Logan sat nearby on his carpet, watching and drinking a beer from his latest gift, a bottomless beer mug. It worked the same as his normal enchantments except that it filled in the water to the halfway mark with transfigured and chilled beer. Thanks to this, people couldn't even get drunk from it, even if that was normal for Logan.
Harry was sitting back and enjoying the sight he had not seen in many, many years. He was suddenly embraced from the side by Natasha. "Hey you." he said.
"Hey yourself," Natasha returned. "This was very nice of you," she said indicating the kids. "Are you going to let them keep the brooms?"
Harry shook his head. "While the institute is secure and hidden, it's still a risk I'm not willing to take. Maybe sometime in the future. In the meanwhile, they get to enjoy the brooms on special occasions only. They'll just have to content themselves with the knowledge that they have brooms on New Atlantis."
Natasha was looking up at the kids with a thoughtful look. Then she turned and looked off to the side. "You don't suppose you could take the wards off the room for a bit, could you?" she asked.
"I could." Harry said. "Why, though?"
"I have an idea. Mind if I ran with it for a bit?" she asked.
"No problem. I trust you." Harry said as he waved a hand and focussed on removing the wards that hid the two story building from view.
"Thanks." She said as she ran off in its direction. She soon disappeared into the room and returned a couple of minutes later, with a smile. "Okay, I think it'll work. I'll need you to setup the room though, so no surprises for you, unfortunately." she told him. She then proceeded to explain her plan to him.
Harry's smile was infectious when she finished. "You're brilliant!" he said as he started walking off towards the Room himself. He paced and concentrated on what Natasha had explained to him. A large set of double-doors appeared in front of him and he peeked inside. What he saw made his smile even wider. He swung the doors open and spelled them to stay open for a bit.
Harry then went back to where the kids were playing and cast the charm he used so that everyone could hear him without blowing people's eardrums if they were standing too close. "Listen up, kids. We have another surprise for you." as he said it he summoned his own broom and mounted. "If you'll follow me, I'll show you to my version of a Danger Room."
The kids looked at each other and there were a lot of scared looks, while only some were just curious. "Don't worry. Mine has been set up in such a way to avoid any real danger, so it could be called a Safe Room, when being compared to your Danger Room." he said with some humour.
When the kids relaxed and followed him, with most of those who had been watching close behind, Logan floated over to Xavier, Scott, Jean, Ororo and Marie and loaded them onto his carpet. They were soon waiting in front of the open doors while Harry started explaining the current configuration of the room.
"In my world," Harry began, "there were a couple of games played on brooms. The most popular being Quiddich. There were some races and obstacle races as well. What you'll find through these doors are all three of those, set up and staffed with people that the Room provided to explain how everything works. I would suggest everyone goes through all the options to find what they'd like to try first."
When Harry was finished, he turned and flew through the opening, with everyone following behind him. Inside was a field with lines on the ground, surrounded with stands with seats; posts in the air with rings and loops and logs suspended magically with poles and obstacles around the outside of the large quiddich pitch.
In front of the kids, they saw four other Harrys, all mounted on brooms and sporting pastel coloured clothes. Each of them had been created to take charge of an area, and both protect and referee the events. On the quiddich pitch was a team of players all in quiddich uniforms apparently doing warm-up exercises. They would be giving examples while everything was explained and be the first opposition, while the kids learned the game and the tactics involved.
The four Harrys mounted and started taking them through the obstacle race first showing by example how it was supposed to be done and explaining the rules. Next was a straight forward race around the outside of the pitch. To make things interesting though, there were parts where the weather seemed to pull and tug and drench and pelt the flyers. Harry suspected the race would be the favourite of those that were afraid of going too high.
Harry followed them around as the games and events were explained, smiling all the while, with Natasha floating beside him on her own broom. He watched the examples and the reactions of the kids. When one of the Harrys did magic with a wand, some of the kids were shocked. It was the first magic wand they had ever seen.
"Is that a magic wand?" Marie asked from the Carpet, where Logan had been floating next to them.
"It is." Harry said.
"Why don't you use one?" Marie asked.
"Don't need it." Harry replied.
"Do you have any? I'd love to try using one." Marie asked.
"Sure, I have some, but it won't do anything." Harry said before explaining, "The magic comes from the caster. You need to be magical to use a wand. Besides that, not every magic wand you find will work for just anyone. You need a connection with it. When I got my first one, the shopkeeper told me that the wand chooses the wizard."
"That's no fun." Marie complained. "And here I can't even join the kids."
"Why didn't you say something?" Harry said as he summoned another broom to his hand and gave it to her. "Hold that for a moment while I bond it to you." he said as he concentrated and bonded it with her. It was becoming easier and easier, the more he did it. "Darcy, could you take her aside and help her if she struggles?" He asked Darcy, who had been keeping an eye on the kids.
"Sure thing, Boss." Darcy joked. Or, at least he thought she was joking.
Harry went through the obstacle course once, slowly, and then allowed the kids to go through it as well. He helped where he could with pointers and told them when they were doing things wrong or not following the course correctly. Once everyone had gone for a second test run, Harry saw some marked improvements.
That's when he decided to go for his own second test run. This time he went as fast as he could manage, which wasn't very fast at all, considering how fast his broom could go. It was still impressive, if the looks the audience gave him was any indication. Even Natasha seemed stunned for a moment, before grinning widely, giving him a quick kiss and going through the same course as well. Harry thought she did pretty well for her first time.
After that it was time for the race course. Harry went through it once at normal speed before grinning and going through it immediately again at maximum acceleration. Needless to say, he finished in seconds. People who weren't stunned before were gaping now.
"How'd you do that?!" One of the Japanese girls asked. "I tried going faster, but my broom didn't seem to want to."
"That's normal, Hisako," Harry chuckled, "I couldn't give you all brooms that can go multiple times the speed of sound, after all. All your brooms have the same maximum acceleration and speed. What will decide this race is knowing how to tuck correctly to make as little wind resistance as possible, how to weave and how to handle difficult weather. There are also no rules against cheating…" he trailed off the last part in an almost whisper.
"What was that?" Noriko, always at Hisako's side, asked.
"Nothing, nothing." Harry replied with a smirk, knowing she had heard when he saw her smiling.
After the race track was discussed and viewed, Harry led the group to the Quiddich stadium, where he immediately spotted the snitch. Damning himself for not thinking of it, he caught the snitch and spoke to those gathered. "This is the golden snitch. As you just saw, I caught it pretty easily. This might not be the case for you. There is only one designated seeker in a team and only they are allowed to catch the snitch. Unfortunately, for me, since this place runs on my magic, I can feel the movement and won't be able to play here, but don't let that stop you."
One of the other Harrys started giving a rundown of the sport, while the other three all gave instructions to the Beaters, Chasers and the Keeper, to show how they played the different parts.
A couple of minutes later, just over half of children all decided Quiddich was their idea of fun and Harry ended up having to call forth another two stadiums. Fortunately he had seen this situation coming and had planned for it. Some had decided to sit down and watch, while others went off to the other activities.
A couple of hours later saw a hungry and sore, but happy group of kids exiting the Room with few of them having the energy to use the brooms any longer. Instead they carried them to the resort, where Harry had decided to start a barbecue. Magic was still in evidence if you took into consideration the speed by which everything was cooked, but that did not detract from the occasion as people sat down with hot dogs, burgers and steaks. There were also some fresh salads and cooked veggies at a buffet station.
The music was cranked up a bit and people were soon having fun, dancing and swimming in the pool, drinks floating along as people were free to snag what they wanted (all non-alcoholic, of course).
It was nearing the end of the evening when Harry got a ping from a ward he had set up at the Nymph enclosure. He was shocked it had only happened now, as the kids had been introduced to the Nymphs the day before. Maybe the opportunity hadn't arisen and now, with the brooms…
"Loki, please keep an eye here." Harry said. "My trap at the Nymph enclosure was just sprung."
"I can handle it, but I want to see the memory later." Loki replied with a grin as the glasses, which Harry's power had been floating around, returned to the Bar.
"Can do." Harry said as he hurried over to where Xavier was chatting amiably with the senior X-Men. He caught Natasha's eye and indicated for her to follow. When he arrived, he said, "I'm sorry, my friends, but there is a situation I need your help with."
"Is there a problem?" Xavier asked.
"Probably not an immediate threat, but I do need you at least present as I go to confront the person or people." Harry stated.
"You're being purposefully vague and you are enjoying whatever is going on." Xavier said.
"Don't spoil my fun Charles." Harry said bluntly as he turned a portal into being just outside the Nymph enclosure. The X-Men and Natasha walked through and followed Harry into the enclosure. When they arrived it was to an unknown dark-haired female teenager sitting on the floor, while the Nymphs had surrounded her with wooden spears pointing it her neck. "Wait here," he said indicating the viewing area.
"What is going on here?" Harry asked as he stepped through the barrier.
"Lord Harry, this child attacked us when we didn't know how to change her back." Xera said as she lowered her spear and bowed slightly. The others soon followed suit.
"What did you do to me!" the dark haired girl yelled as she sprung up and rushed at Harry. She didn't go far. A wave of telekinetic energy was sent at Harry and it made him weave for a moment, before he blocked it entirely and walked up to the kid, who he now had in a body-bind.
"Oh, sorry about that," he said sarcastically, "I should really switch off my defences when my guests try to attack my people."
"I didn't attack them!" the girl spouted as she found she could move her mouth again. "What did you do to me?!" she asked again, heatedly.
"I don't think I owe you an explanation. I don't even think I need to save you from my girls, here." Harry said as he walked around the girl and winked at the Nymphs, his meaning clear. "They do so miss their blood orgies. I had to stop that when they came here. Maybe once or twice wouldn't be so bad."
"Oh, yes, please! We've not had a good sacrifice to offer to our new Lord and patron either." Xera who was smiling now behind the girl's back said happily. "If we do it right and with a potion or two from you, we could keep her alive for days and enjoy the screaming." By the time she was finished, the others had caught on and started chanting, "Sa-cri-fice! Sa-cri-fice!"
Harry was impressed. They were really good at this. "I don't know. She might make a good maid at my house. A control collar or some obedience potions and she'll be a fantastic addition to my female staff."
"What!? No! I'm a dude!" the girl started screaming.
"Not anymore." Harry said. "What were you planning here, Julian, or should I call you Juliet?"
"I wasn't going to do anything, I swear! I just wanted to come talk to them. I saw one of them checking me out and thought…" Julian started.
"Which is it? You weren't going to do anything, you wanted to chat with them or you were hoping to score with the one that checked you out?" Harry interrupted. Julian was quiet then. Harry nodded, "The wise say nothing, while the foolish shout." Harry finished his circle around the former boy. "What you don't know is that the protections on my enclosures work on intent. If you were really here just to chat or be friendly, you would have not triggered the protections." Harry looked at where he knew the observers were standing and indicated for them to enter.
Soon the X-Men and Xavier were having a pointed discussion with the boy-turned-girl. They had asked Harry if he could turn him back and Harry had stated that the change would last as long as was needed to drive the point home. He would inform Xavier of the specifics later. When they were ready Harry opened the portal to right in the middle of the party and walked through before anyone could object.
When everyone was through, Harry left the portal open just long enough so that a few people could notice the Nymphs on the other side. That done, he stalked over to the Bar and got himself a strong drink. He was sitting at the counter, berating himself. He had wanted the trap to catch someone, but seeing it actually happen, made him feel like he had been a part of the problem, not the solution.
A couple of minutes later, Natasha joined him. "Don't even say it." She interrupted him as he opened his mouth, "I saw the look on your face. You didn't make the kid go there. You are offering the Nymphs every opportunity to leave the enclosures as well. Once they can leave you can arrange to meet with them and nobody would ever need to enter again, even if they wanted to." She said quietly.
Harry was shocked. She had read his thoughts almost exactly and said what he needed to hear. He put his drink down and took her in his arms, "I do love you, you know." He whispered in her ear. "Thank you."
"I thought you might." Natasha said, but returned the hug. "I love you too." She broke the hug and said, "Now cheer up! You have that surprise for the professor, don't you?" She knew how much he loved surprises.
Harry smiled warmly at the thought. "You're right and what better time than now to give it to him?" he asked rhetorically.
He got up and disappeared returning a moment later with three vials in his hands. He ordered a couple of shots for the X-Men and unobtrusively added a couple of drops from the vials into one of the shots. He doubted the Professor was a man for shooters, but Harry would just have to be obvious about it so the man would take his medicine.
Once he was prepped, he walked over to the table with the shots floating along behind him. He ignored the kids who were looking at him with both fear and awe on their faces. What Harry had done to Julian was the current hot topic.
Logan had decided to leave, the long way, taking Julian with him. Poor kid would be ragged when he finally got in bed that night. Harry wished Logan luck on that front. The kid was arrogant and entitled and he rubbed people the wrong way. Hopefully this experience would teach him some humility.
When Harry arrived at the X-Men's table, he had the shots land in front of the adults, took his own and said, "Bottoms up, people. I refuse to let one kid's bad attitude ruin my evening." Then he took the drink and, without waiting for the others, downed it. Then he looked expectantly at the others, "Well?"
It took a moment, but Hank, bless his monstrous heart, took a shot and said:
"For every wound, a balm.
For every sorrow, cheer.
For every storm, a calm.
For every thirst, a beer"
Then he downed his shooter and took a sip of his non-alcoholic beer. His action seemed to lead to the rest, until it was only Charles still looking at Harry curiously, having noticed his look.
"Will it hurt?" he asked.
"A little bit. I will help." Harry informed him.
Charles nodded and downed his shot. Harry lifted his hand and cast a body-bind and stunning spell on him. His eyes rolled back and closed. Harry cast a mild notice-me-not around the table, so the kids would not see what was happening.
"What was in there?" Hank asked. The other X-Men were very still, not knowing what to do.
"A bit of this, a bit of that." Harry replied as he stunned Charles again as he tried to wake up when the pain hit. "I lied. It would hurt like nothing he's ever felt. Better to just knock him out. The pain keeps on trying to wake him and I keep on putting him under. It will finish in just a minute. I had to go through the same thing a couple of months ago when Loki cut through my spinal column." At the incredulous looks, Harry quickly said, "To be fair, we were enemies at the time. I got him back good though. Made him a laughing stock for a couple of months, by completely outclassing him with my magic."
"It was a mediocre prank at best." came Loki's voice from behind him. "Don't mind me, I just noticed the magic and came to see what was happening."
"Charles is the recipient of one of Bruce's nerve restoration potions. Super-sized." Harry said.
Loki paled, "I see now why he keeps on trying to wake up. If a man was allowed to be awake during this, he might go mad. Keep him under, whatever you do." he said seriously.
"I'm doing my best," Harry said, "His injury is old, it'll take a bit longer than my own injury did, as it needs to reconnect and restore every degraded nerve ending. If I didn't knock him out, his mind might have been affected, as it's never had to deal with this amount of sensory information in his life."
"And every nerve is reconnecting? Even the pain sensors?" Jean asked with a horrific look of dawning understanding.
"I'm afraid so." Harry said.
"Were you unconscious when your spine was being healed?" she asked.
"No. I wasn't there to knock and keep me out." Harry joked darkly.
"Did I ever apologise for that?" Loki asked with bitter disgust in himself in his voice.
"You have, multiple times." Harry said.
"How are you not insane?" Jean asked.
"Who says I'm not?" Harry asked back easily.
"Harry has a high pain threshold." Natasha said from where she had gone to sit next to Ororo.
"Nobody has that high a pain threshold." Hank refuted.
"He does." Natasha said proudly. Then she looked at him, "Tell them."
"I don't think that's a good idea." Harry said uncomfortably, lowering his hand when he noticed Charles was no longer trying to wake up.
"I don't think they'll judge you by the actions of monsters, Harry." Natasha said.
Harry had to concede her point. "Fine." he said. "Where I'm from there was a spell used by the enemy. It was their favourite as it immediately put anyone it hit out of the fight. It was a spell that activated every pain sensor in your body at once. It could not be blocked by magic either, so it was one of their favourite toys. Many did go insane under that spell during the war."
"Monstrous." Hank whispered with wide eyes. "And you have learned to tolerate it?"
"Nobody tolerates the pain curse. I just learned to recover quickly." Harry said. "After enduring it a couple of times, you get used to the side-effects. I doubt there is a torture on this planet that can break me."
"Don't say that!" Hank admonished. "It's like saying 'At least things can't get any worse'. Now the universe will try to find a way."
"The answer is simple." Natasha said. "You don't torture him. You attack someone he cares for. It's actually not an uncommon tactic used for terrorism." When everyone looked at her in shock, she said, "Now the universe doesn't need to test the theory." 'And I would suggest that nobody ever attacks someone he cares for, not if they want to live.' she finished in her head.
Harry laughed and sat down next to her, "That's my girl. She protects me from even hypothetical danger." he said with a smile.
"Better believe it!" Natasha enthused, getting up and sitting on his lap.
"I'm not sure that's appropriate." Hank said.
"Right now, the kids don't even know we're here. I cast a spell to give us privacy." Harry said. "Besides, those two seem to be fine with it..." he said indicating a young couple in the pool in much the same position.
Ororo was suddenly up, but was beat to the kids by Darcy. "Do you kids want to find out what a taser does in pool water?" she asked taking out her taser and showing it to them. They got the idea quickly and separated.
"She's good at what she does and she doesn't take any crap." Natasha said approvingly.
"She's good with them. Even when she threatens them, they respect and like her. That's a difficult balance to maintain." Charles said suddenly from his seat, opening his eyes.
"Professor! Are you okay?" Jean asked, rushing to him. "I thought Harry was keeping you under?"
Charles smiled at her, "I do feel rather remarkably well, actually. Thanks to Harry."
"How are you awake?" Harry asked. "I stunned you. You shouldn't be able to awaken without a spell from me. Are you sure you are okay?" he said as he got up and looked the professor over.
"I have a very strong mind. I asserted control over myself once the pain stopped. Fortunately, whatever you did, dulled it." Charles said.
"You were awake for that?" Harry asked in horror.
"Only part of my mind. You don't need to worry." Charles said. "Could you undo whatever it is, though? It's still trying to put me to sleep." he asked. Harry complied and removed the spell. Charles' face immediately relaxed a bit, as if he had been under pressure of some sort. "Quite an interesting effect. I'll have to try and emulate it. Perhaps it would be a good way to disable enemies without having to go too deep into the inner workings of their minds."
Then he looked down and slowly reached down to touch his leg. When he did, his smile widened and a couple of tears welled up in his eyes. He slowly lifted one leg unassisted and then the other, moving the foot about as he did so. "These shoes are not comfortable." he noted with some humour.
"I'm sorry, Professor. I tried to…" Jean started.
"I'm kidding, Jean. I was merely marvelling at the fact that my feet can be uncomfortable now." he smiled at her. "Moment of truth, as they say." he said as he lowered his feet from their rests to the ground. He started lifting himself, when he felt an invisible force helping him up. He looked over at Jean and nodded in thanks. Then he straightened himself out and took his first step and almost immediately fell over.
"Your balance should come back to you soon enough." Harry said, still smiling at the happiness he could see on the man's face.
"This is truly remarkable!" Charles said as he walked his way around the table they were sitting at, slowly increasing his pace as the skill started coming back to him. "I didn't even have to go through months of physical therapy! We have to find a way for you to get this to people in need." he enthused. Ten minutes later, he was walking completely unassisted.
"Should I drop the privacy spells?" Harry asked.
"I was thinking we could keep this a secret for a bit." Charles said as he walked to his chair and contemplated sitting down.
"Nobody would believe it when they see your legs, Professor. Half the kids are already suspicious." Scott remarked while Ororo nodded along.
"Let's just keep it away from the general public for a bit, if you don't mind." Harry said.
"Why would we need to do that?" Charles asked. "Nobody can prove I was healed with magic."
"We are struggling to come up with a way to sell the potions Bruce is making and keeping the fact that it's magic from coming to light." Natasha put in.
"And my miraculous recovery would automatically point to Harry and magic?" Charles asked.
"No," Harry shook his head, "I want you to be one of the first documented patients for Potter Innovations' medical research department. If I'm going to help the enhanced of this world, I want the people to see me helping not just them, but you as well."
"Anyone that wants your help would then by extension need to at least respect the people you count among your friends or allies." Loki said, nodding along. "Quite devious. I approve."
"There's also the fact that you are a world renowned enhanced. You've been the face of human evolution for a long time, now. People might not trust you, but they respect your power and what your people have done to help the world." Harry said.
"Until one brotherhood mutant decides to destroy a stadium filled with people." Scott said darkly.
"Harry will have that sorted in the next couple of months." Natasha put in. "He won't let things go, now that Erik has contacted him. He doesn't know it yet, but by getting himself on Harry's radar, he's promised to play by his rules or leave the game entirely." She smirked as she finished the statement, knowing it was true.
"And how are you going to ensure he keeps his people under control?" Jean asked sceptically.
"Magic," Harry replied, with a smile and a side-long glance at Charles, "and Telepathy."
"Oh dear." Charles said as he sat down on a nearby bench.
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