Categories > Books > Harry Potter > The Company We Keep
DISCLAIMER: See the Prologue.
NOTE: Sorry I cut this chapter short, except I wanted to update sooner. What would have been the second half of this chapter will be the next chapter instead.
Chapter 9: Preparing for Anything
Not long after the events of Halloween, Professor Xavier sent out urgent messages to all the mutants he knew, even those who were once students at the Institute but had been withdrawn by their parents after certain events. It would only be a matter of time before Voldemort set his sights upon mutants, and they wanted to be prepared for anything which would happen.
Soon, a few familiar mutants had returned. One of whom was Rahne "Wolfsbane" Sinclair, a metamorph who could transform into a wolf and even stop partially through the process. Jubilation "Jubilee" Lee had also returned, and didn't look too fazed by the Professor's grave request for everyone to come back.
It wasn't just former students who came or returned to the Institute. Scott's brother Alex came over from Hawaii, looking very concerned but still happy to see his brother again. A local mutant by the name of Forge (whom Kurt had stumbled across and rescued from a bubble dimension) decided to come by to see what was going on. Warren "Angel" Worthington also came up from New York City for the day just to see what Xavier wanted.
From the side, Professor Xavier saw Harry meet and greet all these new people, and from the looks of things (and what he could discern telepathically), Harry was slowly trying to move on from what he had witnessed in his sleep.
Even in what looked like the calm before the storm, Xavier was guided by his usual optimism.
Harry, in the meantime, was motivated by his own pessimism. The grief, anger, and outrage all pushed him to start taking his matters into his own hands. He felt a little guilty about doing this behind Xavier's back, except none of the other mutants had that danged prophecy hanging over their heads or an obscenely powerful Dark wizard out for their blood. This was something he just had to do on his own.
Harry had altered the basic uniform he was originally given and was redesigning it in his own image. There was still the basic jumpsuit, but now added on was a cape and cowl. The cape was of a shiny black material which Harry magically made proof to all kinds of damage, magical or otherwise, thanks to the help of a few spells, some runes, and a potion or two which the fabric was soaked in; it could be used as a shield in some scenarios. The cowl was dark green, and enchanted the same was as the cloak.
Another accessory had been a pair of gloves which Harry designed to amplify his own power while providing magical defense against opposing forces. He had also put special runes on the soles of his boots, so they couldn't make any sound as he walked.
Harry also completely renovated his trunk (with Damian's help, of course) so when he entered, it was like dropping down into a big storage area. In this storage area was not only his possessions, but also stores of potions, vaults for money, and other little knick-knacks.
Harry had also been practicing Occlumency on his own ever since the summer. He had become better, and without Snape to harass and bully him, he felt he might now actually have a chance against Voldemort and any possible invasions the Dark wizard might have on his mind, through the unique connection with his scar. However, he still had a long way to go before he could master it the way Snape had.
Practicing Occlumency also had an interesting side effect: It also helped block the connection between himself and telepaths, like Jean or Professor Xavier. However, Harry also knew that every now and then, he'd have to rely on help telepathically, so he also learned how to lower the shields every now and then, just in case.
Often, at night (although not every night), Harry would sneak into the Danger Room and set the danger level higher than his instructors would have allowed for him alone. Before he even got started, he put certain Silencing Charms in place so no one would know that he had been there.
Harry noticed that sneaking off to the Danger Room like that helped relieve some of his pent-up stress and other emotions, but not all of them. However, it did make him calm enough to make it look as though he was slowly overcoming his grief over what happened. He began to open up some more, and some of the concern which the others had for him seemed to slowly go away.
A new habit of his was helping Ororo make breakfast: He had certainly learned enough from the Dursleys to know how to do that. However, unlike at Number 4, Privet Drive, his culinary skills were much appreciated. He even got a few pleas for help from Kitty, whose cooking left much to be desired (Kurt told him once how Kitty's cooking could probably survive a nuclear explosion).
So now, Harry's life was something of a mixed bag, with various sets of emotions all trying to control his life.
Things took a turn for the mutants, too: Kelly now resigned as principal of Bayville High School, moving into the political arena and hoping to become mayor. The new principal was a quiet person who, while he didn't speak out against mutants like his predecessor, didn't do much, if anything at all, to stop the harassment mutants were getting at school.
Harry was indignant on his friends' behalf, and was reminded of what Dumbledore told him: "Indifference and neglect often do much more damage than outright dislike."
The topic had come up about whether or not Harry should attend school like the others, but after a few discussions with his superiors, Harry decided to learn at the Institute for a few various reasons. First of all, he was on the run and couldn't afford to be recognized. Secondly, he hadn't taken any non-magical courses in more than five years, so he wouldn't be at the same level as the others. Thirdly, he was safe at the Institute, due to both the defenses which Xavier had installed and magical defenses which Damian had assisted with (although he would be allowed to go somewhere every now and then).
Harry had no qualms about having to stay at the Institute for the most part: In fact, it was more like Hogwarts to him than Privet Drive.
It was a cold night, as clouds drifted in front of the moon every now and then, sometimes blocking out its light. In the halls of the Xavier Institute, a predator lurked as it did its rounds. Eventually, he found whom he was looking for.
"Goin' somewhere, wiz?" Logan asked, coming out from beyond a shadow and extending his adamantium claws with a /snikt/.
Harry stopped right in his tracks. He had put a sort of invisibility spell on himself (he didn't want to risk anything with his Cloak), and even though his boots were made so they wouldn't make any noise, he supposed Logan must have heard him somehow.
"I can smell ya, kid," Logan said as though reading his mind.
'Well, there you go,' Harry thought.
Harry allowed the invisibility to wear off, not moving an inch. Logan raised an eyebrow at the outfit he was now wearing.
"Altered your uniform?" Logan asked rhetorically as he withdrew his claws, not seeing Harry's face under the cowl.
"Yes." Harry would have said something like "apparently" or "obviously," except a response like that probably would have only riled Logan.
"Sneaking to the Danger Room?" Another rhetorical question.
"Yes."
"Why? Normal exercises not enough for ya?"
"Don't take this the wrong way, Logan. The training exercises you run are great and they are what we need, but the other mutants don't have to face what I'll eventually have to face."
"If it's a matter of that snake-faced monster, we all know he can't touch you here. You and Dracon made sure of that with all your magic."
"It's not just a matter of hiding from him and waiting for the right time. I have to kill the guy."
"Why?" Logan snorted. "Think it's up to you to do everything? Want to be a hero? Think you're more important than everyone else?"
Harry's anger began to boil at Logan's very Snape-like inquiry. However, he was able to stop himself in time from shooting off his mouth and saying or even doing something he would really regret later.
"No, I know everything (or at least a lot of it) tends to be left for me to handle... /No/, I do not want to be a hero, and /NO/, I do not think I'm more important than everyone else."
Logan obviously knew he hit a nerve there. Deciding to drop the subject, he thought about the best way to punish the kid. His first thought was the Danger Room, except, for once, that undermined the situation.
Still...
"Meet me tomorrow evening, six PM," Logan said shortly and tersely. "In the meantime, just get back to bed."
Harry, of course, did as he was told.
Logan watched him leave, thinking about it the whole time. Why was it left up this teenager to have to defeat a tyrannical, magical monster? It sounded like something out of some big fantasy story.
Then again, before the Day of Reckoning, most people never even thought about the possibility of mutants living amongst them, so that pretty much settled it.
That topic settled, Logan went outside and lit a cigar, lost in his own thoughts.
TBC...
A/N: OK, this chapter seems like it was more transitional (not to mention a few cameo appearances), but hey, things will continue to get interesting...
Note about the new principal: I've recently decided to make this new guy the victim of what I originally planned for Kelly. Don't worry, Kelly will still get a few potshots taken at him...
Next chapter is where Harry meets his limit in the Danger Room... -Quillian
EXTRA! If anyone wants to read any great writers of pure X-Men: Evolution fanfiction, then this list should interest you.
Rurouni Tyriel
Agent-G
Slickboy444
Spadde
Kizmet
The Uncanny R-Man
mattb3671
Red Witch
Zoken
Parker Floyd
LittlRogue
Spyder616
little miss tiny shoes
Darkness1
Black Rose Apocalyps
kiki5
Ruby631
EVEN EXTRA! If anyone wants to see a REALLY funny joke regarding the X-Men, do the following...
Go to the webcomic "Exterminatus Now" at: exterminatusnow/(dot)/keenspace/(dot)/com. Using the archive, go to the comic drawn for Halloween, 2004. Be prepared to LAUGH.
NOTE: Sorry I cut this chapter short, except I wanted to update sooner. What would have been the second half of this chapter will be the next chapter instead.
Chapter 9: Preparing for Anything
Not long after the events of Halloween, Professor Xavier sent out urgent messages to all the mutants he knew, even those who were once students at the Institute but had been withdrawn by their parents after certain events. It would only be a matter of time before Voldemort set his sights upon mutants, and they wanted to be prepared for anything which would happen.
Soon, a few familiar mutants had returned. One of whom was Rahne "Wolfsbane" Sinclair, a metamorph who could transform into a wolf and even stop partially through the process. Jubilation "Jubilee" Lee had also returned, and didn't look too fazed by the Professor's grave request for everyone to come back.
It wasn't just former students who came or returned to the Institute. Scott's brother Alex came over from Hawaii, looking very concerned but still happy to see his brother again. A local mutant by the name of Forge (whom Kurt had stumbled across and rescued from a bubble dimension) decided to come by to see what was going on. Warren "Angel" Worthington also came up from New York City for the day just to see what Xavier wanted.
From the side, Professor Xavier saw Harry meet and greet all these new people, and from the looks of things (and what he could discern telepathically), Harry was slowly trying to move on from what he had witnessed in his sleep.
Even in what looked like the calm before the storm, Xavier was guided by his usual optimism.
Harry, in the meantime, was motivated by his own pessimism. The grief, anger, and outrage all pushed him to start taking his matters into his own hands. He felt a little guilty about doing this behind Xavier's back, except none of the other mutants had that danged prophecy hanging over their heads or an obscenely powerful Dark wizard out for their blood. This was something he just had to do on his own.
Harry had altered the basic uniform he was originally given and was redesigning it in his own image. There was still the basic jumpsuit, but now added on was a cape and cowl. The cape was of a shiny black material which Harry magically made proof to all kinds of damage, magical or otherwise, thanks to the help of a few spells, some runes, and a potion or two which the fabric was soaked in; it could be used as a shield in some scenarios. The cowl was dark green, and enchanted the same was as the cloak.
Another accessory had been a pair of gloves which Harry designed to amplify his own power while providing magical defense against opposing forces. He had also put special runes on the soles of his boots, so they couldn't make any sound as he walked.
Harry also completely renovated his trunk (with Damian's help, of course) so when he entered, it was like dropping down into a big storage area. In this storage area was not only his possessions, but also stores of potions, vaults for money, and other little knick-knacks.
Harry had also been practicing Occlumency on his own ever since the summer. He had become better, and without Snape to harass and bully him, he felt he might now actually have a chance against Voldemort and any possible invasions the Dark wizard might have on his mind, through the unique connection with his scar. However, he still had a long way to go before he could master it the way Snape had.
Practicing Occlumency also had an interesting side effect: It also helped block the connection between himself and telepaths, like Jean or Professor Xavier. However, Harry also knew that every now and then, he'd have to rely on help telepathically, so he also learned how to lower the shields every now and then, just in case.
Often, at night (although not every night), Harry would sneak into the Danger Room and set the danger level higher than his instructors would have allowed for him alone. Before he even got started, he put certain Silencing Charms in place so no one would know that he had been there.
Harry noticed that sneaking off to the Danger Room like that helped relieve some of his pent-up stress and other emotions, but not all of them. However, it did make him calm enough to make it look as though he was slowly overcoming his grief over what happened. He began to open up some more, and some of the concern which the others had for him seemed to slowly go away.
A new habit of his was helping Ororo make breakfast: He had certainly learned enough from the Dursleys to know how to do that. However, unlike at Number 4, Privet Drive, his culinary skills were much appreciated. He even got a few pleas for help from Kitty, whose cooking left much to be desired (Kurt told him once how Kitty's cooking could probably survive a nuclear explosion).
So now, Harry's life was something of a mixed bag, with various sets of emotions all trying to control his life.
Things took a turn for the mutants, too: Kelly now resigned as principal of Bayville High School, moving into the political arena and hoping to become mayor. The new principal was a quiet person who, while he didn't speak out against mutants like his predecessor, didn't do much, if anything at all, to stop the harassment mutants were getting at school.
Harry was indignant on his friends' behalf, and was reminded of what Dumbledore told him: "Indifference and neglect often do much more damage than outright dislike."
The topic had come up about whether or not Harry should attend school like the others, but after a few discussions with his superiors, Harry decided to learn at the Institute for a few various reasons. First of all, he was on the run and couldn't afford to be recognized. Secondly, he hadn't taken any non-magical courses in more than five years, so he wouldn't be at the same level as the others. Thirdly, he was safe at the Institute, due to both the defenses which Xavier had installed and magical defenses which Damian had assisted with (although he would be allowed to go somewhere every now and then).
Harry had no qualms about having to stay at the Institute for the most part: In fact, it was more like Hogwarts to him than Privet Drive.
It was a cold night, as clouds drifted in front of the moon every now and then, sometimes blocking out its light. In the halls of the Xavier Institute, a predator lurked as it did its rounds. Eventually, he found whom he was looking for.
"Goin' somewhere, wiz?" Logan asked, coming out from beyond a shadow and extending his adamantium claws with a /snikt/.
Harry stopped right in his tracks. He had put a sort of invisibility spell on himself (he didn't want to risk anything with his Cloak), and even though his boots were made so they wouldn't make any noise, he supposed Logan must have heard him somehow.
"I can smell ya, kid," Logan said as though reading his mind.
'Well, there you go,' Harry thought.
Harry allowed the invisibility to wear off, not moving an inch. Logan raised an eyebrow at the outfit he was now wearing.
"Altered your uniform?" Logan asked rhetorically as he withdrew his claws, not seeing Harry's face under the cowl.
"Yes." Harry would have said something like "apparently" or "obviously," except a response like that probably would have only riled Logan.
"Sneaking to the Danger Room?" Another rhetorical question.
"Yes."
"Why? Normal exercises not enough for ya?"
"Don't take this the wrong way, Logan. The training exercises you run are great and they are what we need, but the other mutants don't have to face what I'll eventually have to face."
"If it's a matter of that snake-faced monster, we all know he can't touch you here. You and Dracon made sure of that with all your magic."
"It's not just a matter of hiding from him and waiting for the right time. I have to kill the guy."
"Why?" Logan snorted. "Think it's up to you to do everything? Want to be a hero? Think you're more important than everyone else?"
Harry's anger began to boil at Logan's very Snape-like inquiry. However, he was able to stop himself in time from shooting off his mouth and saying or even doing something he would really regret later.
"No, I know everything (or at least a lot of it) tends to be left for me to handle... /No/, I do not want to be a hero, and /NO/, I do not think I'm more important than everyone else."
Logan obviously knew he hit a nerve there. Deciding to drop the subject, he thought about the best way to punish the kid. His first thought was the Danger Room, except, for once, that undermined the situation.
Still...
"Meet me tomorrow evening, six PM," Logan said shortly and tersely. "In the meantime, just get back to bed."
Harry, of course, did as he was told.
Logan watched him leave, thinking about it the whole time. Why was it left up this teenager to have to defeat a tyrannical, magical monster? It sounded like something out of some big fantasy story.
Then again, before the Day of Reckoning, most people never even thought about the possibility of mutants living amongst them, so that pretty much settled it.
That topic settled, Logan went outside and lit a cigar, lost in his own thoughts.
TBC...
A/N: OK, this chapter seems like it was more transitional (not to mention a few cameo appearances), but hey, things will continue to get interesting...
Note about the new principal: I've recently decided to make this new guy the victim of what I originally planned for Kelly. Don't worry, Kelly will still get a few potshots taken at him...
Next chapter is where Harry meets his limit in the Danger Room... -Quillian
EXTRA! If anyone wants to read any great writers of pure X-Men: Evolution fanfiction, then this list should interest you.
Rurouni Tyriel
Agent-G
Slickboy444
Spadde
Kizmet
The Uncanny R-Man
mattb3671
Red Witch
Zoken
Parker Floyd
LittlRogue
Spyder616
little miss tiny shoes
Darkness1
Black Rose Apocalyps
kiki5
Ruby631
EVEN EXTRA! If anyone wants to see a REALLY funny joke regarding the X-Men, do the following...
Go to the webcomic "Exterminatus Now" at: exterminatusnow/(dot)/keenspace/(dot)/com. Using the archive, go to the comic drawn for Halloween, 2004. Be prepared to LAUGH.
Sign up to rate and review this story