Categories > Books > Harry Potter > The Company We Keep
A Surprising Discovery
10 reviewsProof that the author of this fic is sort of writing it as he goes along...
5Original
DISCLAIMER: See the Prologue.
A/N: Be prepared for something of a surprise in this chapter...
NOTE: I don't know if I've said this before already, but I'll say it here, just in case: I'm not doing accents, simply because I'm not sure how to get them right. So, for characters with accents (like Nightcrawler's German accent, Rogue's southern accent, Gambit's New Orleans accent, etc.), just use your imagination.
Chapter 16: A Surprising Discovery
Harry returned to the Institute, feeling much better and proud of himself by being able to tell of Fudge, especially without using insults or profane language.
As he walked back to his room, he heard some dialogue down the hall.
"C'mon, chere, what do you think?"
"For the last time, swamp rat, it looks fine."
Harry ducked his head out the doorway to see Remy talking with Rogue.
"Hey, Harry," Rogue greeted him.
"Hello, Rogue. What's going on?"
Rogue was about to speak when Remy cut her off. "Remy was just showing her his new outfit."
Rogue rolled her eyes as Harry was trying to figure out what Remy was talking about, since the Cajun mutant was wearing his normal attire (a suit with a trench coat over it)... but then Harry noticed that there were a few X's newly added. There was a big "X" on the back of the coat, one on Gambit's belt, and one on each of his shoulder pads.
"Ah. I see."
"So, Harry, what do you think?" Remy asked.
"It looks like your normal outfit, but with a few X's slapped on," Harry said observationally.
"Told ya," Rogue smirked to Remy. "More or less what I said."
"That's no way to treat your new teammate," Remy smirked back.
Harry rolled his eyes at the flirting and went to his room.
While the rest of the mansion was buzzing over Gambit's becoming an official member of the Institute, Harry took some time to himself to continue his own independent studies in terms of magic. As usual, just because he couldn't be at Hogwarts didn't mean he couldn't learn magic at all.
He was just practicing a new defensive spell when he began to feel a little dizzy.
'Meh, it's nothing,' he thought at first.
However, as time went on, the headaches began to get worse, and so he decided to lie down.
'What's going on?' Harry thought to himself as he began to moan in pain.
What started out as pains in his head began to spread to the rest of the body, and he mentally cried out for help before he finally passed out.
Harry awoke to the familiar sights and sounds of the infirmary. A moment after he regained consciousness, it all came back to him.
"Harry?" a voice asked. "Can you hear me?"
Harry strained to identify the voice of the person speaking. "Mr. McCoy?" he asked wearily.
"Yes, Harry. Anyway, I believe I might have found the cause to your... attack - but first, there's something I think you should know."
Getting himself up, Harry turned to look at the blue-furred mutant who also passed as a doctor at the Institute, his beastly face wearing a puzzled expression.
Looking at Dr. McCoy, Harry asked, "Well, what is it?"
"First of all... If what I've been told is true, then magic interferes with non-magical technology to the point of ruining it, correct."
Harry nodded. "Yes..."
"Well, Mr. Dracon used a special device he has to measure magical interference, and by now, all that power from your 'magic surge' has faded. As I was withdrawing some blood from you, I was curious about something. So, I ran two blood tests with your blood: One of them a minute before all the extra power had faded, and the other a minute after all the extra power had faded. The results were mind-boggling at first, to say the least. The first one taken said that you were a mutant, and the other one said that you weren't a mutant."
Harry's eyes widened ever so slightly as he digested what Mr. McCoy was saying.
"And since the magic interfered with the blood tests as they were being taken..."
Mr. McCoy didn't need to say any more.
"So I'm not a mutant, then," Harry said, sounding conclusive rather than disappointed. Personally, he didn't know how to feel. Was he supposed to feel anything at all?
Mr. McCoy nodded in agreement, trying to gauge Harry's reaction.
After a minute or so passed, Harry finally spoke. "So... does this mean I have to leave the Institute, since I'm not a mutant?" he asked with curiosity but no fear.
The apelike mutant chuckled. "No, no, I'm sure things don't work like that here. Instead, you can simply be a 'guest' of the Xavier Institute." After a good chuckle, Mr. McCoy also added, "Anyway, I have Mr. Dracon waiting outside, in case you want him to give the best explanation as to why this happened."
"Sure, I'd like to try and figure this out, too."
A moment later, Damien entered, carrying what appeared to be a magical tome under his arm. He described the event to Harry as something so rare, there were very few recorded instances like the ones Harry went through, both when he arrived at the Institute and just the day before (it was now a day after the event took place). Dubbed the Rara Incrementum Vis (Latin for "Rare Increase of Power"), it was well-documented that Albus Dumbledore was one of the most recent people in wizarding history to undergo such a thing, and it was highly possible, although not proven, that even Merlin himself underwent such a process. Simply put, if someone went through these occasional Rare Increases of Power in their mid- to late-adolescence, it was a sign that they would grow to be considerably powerful wizards during their adulthood.
This also meant that Harry had at least a few more of these "growing pains" to deal with the future. That aside, Harry supposed it was something to be thankful for (especially for someone destined to kill Voldemort), but apart from that, a small part of him once again bemoaned how nothing could ever be simple for him...
TBC...
A/N: Now, you're probably wondering why the heck I did this. Read below to find out!
Note about why I made it so Harry isn't a mutant after all: I had my reasons for doing this. After reading "Of Slings and Arrows" by The Original Pe, my appetite for more HP crossovers with X-Men was whetted. After reading some more of them, I decided to write my own. However, I want this fic to be unique in its own way and not resemble the others too closely. One idea which occurred to me (or at least, more recently) was that Harry didn't need to be a mutant to be on the run and meet those who resided at the Institute. He doesn't need to be a mutant to have powers (that's what magic is for). Oh, that and I didn't want to go back and re-write this entire story (I already had to change my OC Draco's name).
Note about Harry's magical powers maturing: I've read plenty of fics where magical teenagers have sorts of "growing pains" from their magic maturing. However, THIS DOESN'T MEAN that Harry will be insanely powerful to the point where nothing is challenging to him anymore (then where would the fun be?). He's just "slightly" more powerful than is considered normal. Somewhat, but not very.
Note about the thing with science and magic: I'm trying to base the interaction between science and magic upon what little we know from the books, as well as thrown in a few of my own ideas. However, I'm not trying to turn magic itself into something which can be scientifically explained. I have reasons for this: Too complex to explain; fine as it is; and the last time someone tried to use science to explain something mystical, it didn't get much of a positive reaction. (Remember in Star Wars Episode I how George Lucas tried to introduce the concept of midi-chlorians? No offense to Mr. Lucas, who I admire along with his work, but he essentially demystified the Force via science, which bothered lots of fans. While I may not be one of those bothered fans, I can see their point.)
Next chapter, I add a new mutant or two... -Quillian
A/N: Be prepared for something of a surprise in this chapter...
NOTE: I don't know if I've said this before already, but I'll say it here, just in case: I'm not doing accents, simply because I'm not sure how to get them right. So, for characters with accents (like Nightcrawler's German accent, Rogue's southern accent, Gambit's New Orleans accent, etc.), just use your imagination.
Chapter 16: A Surprising Discovery
Harry returned to the Institute, feeling much better and proud of himself by being able to tell of Fudge, especially without using insults or profane language.
As he walked back to his room, he heard some dialogue down the hall.
"C'mon, chere, what do you think?"
"For the last time, swamp rat, it looks fine."
Harry ducked his head out the doorway to see Remy talking with Rogue.
"Hey, Harry," Rogue greeted him.
"Hello, Rogue. What's going on?"
Rogue was about to speak when Remy cut her off. "Remy was just showing her his new outfit."
Rogue rolled her eyes as Harry was trying to figure out what Remy was talking about, since the Cajun mutant was wearing his normal attire (a suit with a trench coat over it)... but then Harry noticed that there were a few X's newly added. There was a big "X" on the back of the coat, one on Gambit's belt, and one on each of his shoulder pads.
"Ah. I see."
"So, Harry, what do you think?" Remy asked.
"It looks like your normal outfit, but with a few X's slapped on," Harry said observationally.
"Told ya," Rogue smirked to Remy. "More or less what I said."
"That's no way to treat your new teammate," Remy smirked back.
Harry rolled his eyes at the flirting and went to his room.
While the rest of the mansion was buzzing over Gambit's becoming an official member of the Institute, Harry took some time to himself to continue his own independent studies in terms of magic. As usual, just because he couldn't be at Hogwarts didn't mean he couldn't learn magic at all.
He was just practicing a new defensive spell when he began to feel a little dizzy.
'Meh, it's nothing,' he thought at first.
However, as time went on, the headaches began to get worse, and so he decided to lie down.
'What's going on?' Harry thought to himself as he began to moan in pain.
What started out as pains in his head began to spread to the rest of the body, and he mentally cried out for help before he finally passed out.
Harry awoke to the familiar sights and sounds of the infirmary. A moment after he regained consciousness, it all came back to him.
"Harry?" a voice asked. "Can you hear me?"
Harry strained to identify the voice of the person speaking. "Mr. McCoy?" he asked wearily.
"Yes, Harry. Anyway, I believe I might have found the cause to your... attack - but first, there's something I think you should know."
Getting himself up, Harry turned to look at the blue-furred mutant who also passed as a doctor at the Institute, his beastly face wearing a puzzled expression.
Looking at Dr. McCoy, Harry asked, "Well, what is it?"
"First of all... If what I've been told is true, then magic interferes with non-magical technology to the point of ruining it, correct."
Harry nodded. "Yes..."
"Well, Mr. Dracon used a special device he has to measure magical interference, and by now, all that power from your 'magic surge' has faded. As I was withdrawing some blood from you, I was curious about something. So, I ran two blood tests with your blood: One of them a minute before all the extra power had faded, and the other a minute after all the extra power had faded. The results were mind-boggling at first, to say the least. The first one taken said that you were a mutant, and the other one said that you weren't a mutant."
Harry's eyes widened ever so slightly as he digested what Mr. McCoy was saying.
"And since the magic interfered with the blood tests as they were being taken..."
Mr. McCoy didn't need to say any more.
"So I'm not a mutant, then," Harry said, sounding conclusive rather than disappointed. Personally, he didn't know how to feel. Was he supposed to feel anything at all?
Mr. McCoy nodded in agreement, trying to gauge Harry's reaction.
After a minute or so passed, Harry finally spoke. "So... does this mean I have to leave the Institute, since I'm not a mutant?" he asked with curiosity but no fear.
The apelike mutant chuckled. "No, no, I'm sure things don't work like that here. Instead, you can simply be a 'guest' of the Xavier Institute." After a good chuckle, Mr. McCoy also added, "Anyway, I have Mr. Dracon waiting outside, in case you want him to give the best explanation as to why this happened."
"Sure, I'd like to try and figure this out, too."
A moment later, Damien entered, carrying what appeared to be a magical tome under his arm. He described the event to Harry as something so rare, there were very few recorded instances like the ones Harry went through, both when he arrived at the Institute and just the day before (it was now a day after the event took place). Dubbed the Rara Incrementum Vis (Latin for "Rare Increase of Power"), it was well-documented that Albus Dumbledore was one of the most recent people in wizarding history to undergo such a thing, and it was highly possible, although not proven, that even Merlin himself underwent such a process. Simply put, if someone went through these occasional Rare Increases of Power in their mid- to late-adolescence, it was a sign that they would grow to be considerably powerful wizards during their adulthood.
This also meant that Harry had at least a few more of these "growing pains" to deal with the future. That aside, Harry supposed it was something to be thankful for (especially for someone destined to kill Voldemort), but apart from that, a small part of him once again bemoaned how nothing could ever be simple for him...
TBC...
A/N: Now, you're probably wondering why the heck I did this. Read below to find out!
Note about why I made it so Harry isn't a mutant after all: I had my reasons for doing this. After reading "Of Slings and Arrows" by The Original Pe, my appetite for more HP crossovers with X-Men was whetted. After reading some more of them, I decided to write my own. However, I want this fic to be unique in its own way and not resemble the others too closely. One idea which occurred to me (or at least, more recently) was that Harry didn't need to be a mutant to be on the run and meet those who resided at the Institute. He doesn't need to be a mutant to have powers (that's what magic is for). Oh, that and I didn't want to go back and re-write this entire story (I already had to change my OC Draco's name).
Note about Harry's magical powers maturing: I've read plenty of fics where magical teenagers have sorts of "growing pains" from their magic maturing. However, THIS DOESN'T MEAN that Harry will be insanely powerful to the point where nothing is challenging to him anymore (then where would the fun be?). He's just "slightly" more powerful than is considered normal. Somewhat, but not very.
Note about the thing with science and magic: I'm trying to base the interaction between science and magic upon what little we know from the books, as well as thrown in a few of my own ideas. However, I'm not trying to turn magic itself into something which can be scientifically explained. I have reasons for this: Too complex to explain; fine as it is; and the last time someone tried to use science to explain something mystical, it didn't get much of a positive reaction. (Remember in Star Wars Episode I how George Lucas tried to introduce the concept of midi-chlorians? No offense to Mr. Lucas, who I admire along with his work, but he essentially demystified the Force via science, which bothered lots of fans. While I may not be one of those bothered fans, I can see their point.)
Next chapter, I add a new mutant or two... -Quillian
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