Marvel/HP: A Third Path to the Future

Ororo was in a bad mood, not having realized how much she enjoyed waking up to her talks with Harry until he wasn't there to talk to. Especially with Kitten, Kurt and Logan missing along with the team's jet, she would have liked to have him here to help find them. Her eye narrowed as she thought of that. If Logan has taken them on some wild adventure of his without telling us I am going to see just how good a lightning rod he makes!

A knock on her door broke her out of her irritated mind state. "Come in." She belatedly realized she was still in her normal morning attire, and it might have been one of the youngsters, or maybe even Logan checking in, worrying thought that almost had her searching for a robe.

Thankfully it was Jean's head that stuck around the door to her arboretum. Jean looked at the older woman, astonished once again that she could sit there in the nude and yet still give of a regal, almost imperious feeling. The many facets of Ororo's personality that had been hidden up till now under her self-control fascinated her. "Still no sign of Harry?"

Ororo shook her head. "No, I wonder what that man is up to. Still I rather miss his presence here." Jean smirked a little and Ororo rolled her eyes, "Not like that Jean, we haven't taken that aspect of our friendship very far just yet. Although I am greatly looking forward to when we do… "No it's his conversation I miss this morning. I hadn't realized how… how lonely I was at times in the morning without someone to talk to." She actually had never realized how lonely it could be until she had a friend to talk to, but now that he was missing it hit her hard.

Jean frowned a little, but then smiled, realizing it was her turn to provide a friend to lean on for the other woman. "Well, I'm awake, and I'm free, so if you don't mind I could try and fill in?" In actuality she was finding that the stronger in the use of her telekinesis she became, the less sleep she needed, no matter how exhausted she was when she went to bed. This was the first time she woke up this early but it might well be her new norm.

Ororo looked at the redheaded woman and smiled. "I'd like that, however," she grinned impishly gesturing at her naked body, "don't expect me to change my attire to meet your American standards. In fact you could join me if you want?"

Jean blushed almost as red as her hair but shut the door behind her as she moved forward to join Ororo at the table. "Not likely, not with the hormonal teens around here, I just don't understand how you can be that, that comfortable not wearing anything."

Ororo shrugged and began to tell the younger woman about her time on the Serengeti plains, and how clothing other than a loin cloth or a rap was very strange to her for most of her teen years. Jean responded by talking about her parents and growing up with them, as well as the shock of realizing her ability to hear voices wasn't her going crazy. Ororo laughed and mentioned how she had blown away the leader of her street gang with a blast of hurricane wind force after he had announced her old enough to learn to whore she became so enraged that she activated her mutant power under her control for the first time. It wasn't the first time she killed someone (a girl as young as she was had needed to defend herself several times before that) but it was certainly the most bloody, the winds had torn into him and thrown him threw a concrete wall. This led easily to a conversation on ethics and how right and wrong impacted how their powers should be used.

This aspect of the conversation carried the two of them through Ororo dressing and the two of them working together to prepare breakfast, by which time the three missing X-men had skulked back in. Once informed of this by a message from Xavier, the two women looked at one another and Jean motioned wordlessly that she would watch breakfast. A grateful Ororo marched down to the underground hanger to greet the trio.

Kitty looked up as she and Kurt followed Logan out of the hanger as the elevator opened ahead of them to disgorge Ororo, striding toward them, her emotions as usual these days visible to see, and she winced at the anger there. "We are so in for it…" Kurt moaned agreement while Logan merely grunted, ready to stand up for the two kids if need be.

Ororo stopped right before the trio, her hands on her hips. "And where were the three of you, hmm? Leaving without telling anyone is something I would expect from you Logan, but I thought you two would have more sense than that." Kurt and Kitty exchanged a look but before any of the three could say anything Ororo reached out and pulled both kids into a hug. "Don't ever go off like that again, either of you! Or, oh I was so worried, don't ever do this to me again!"

Kurt blushed a little, not used to being mothered like that. The gypsies that took him in were not touchy-feely with him with him, saving such things for their own son, not that they were mean or didn't treat him kindly, just not as physically loving as all that.

Kitty however reveled in the hug, knowing that Ororo wasn't angryat her, simply worried abouther. Then too, she was a very huggy girl and had missed having her parents around, both of whom were very physically affectionate. "Sorry Storm."

Logan smirked shaking his head and thankful that Ororo was able to show her emotions these days. If she hadn't they might have just gotten the initial harangue rather than the hugs. "Don't be so hard on the kids Storm, they sort of came along accidentally, and they were a big help. Without them I wouldn't be here now."

That thought brought a shiver to him and Ororo looked at him, one white eyebrow raised. "I see that you all have a story to tell. Well breakfast should be ready soon, so let us go upstairs, you can tell all of us about it all at once."

The kids nodded eagerly, though Kitty looked a little less so than Kurt. Yet when it came to food that was normal and Ororo didn't notice, and she kept one arm around Kitty's shoulder as they turned to the elevator, the young teenager not even trying to move away.

The quartet joined the rest of the X-men and Charles at the breakfast table, where Logan began to give a briefing on what happened. Kurt described his part of the action in detail, as well as Kitty's who kept her head down, eating slowly as she finally finished the letter she had been so anxious to complete yesterday.

Jean frowned a little, looking at the younger girl. She sent out a small telepathic touch to taste her emotions and frowned even more at the chaos she found there. She looked over at Ororo, who was sitting next to Kitty, though most of her attention was on the tale Kurt was imparting. Ororo, the thought was a whisper, but it was enough to get Ororo to look at her. I think something is really bothering Kitty, I think you need to talk to her.

The African woman looked at the young girl at her side and mentally pinched herself for not noticing how withdrawn she was. Kitty would often go through a mood where she would fade into the background, but this was something different. Thank you Jean, I can't believe I didn't see it myself. I'll talk to her as soon as breakfast is over. Jean smiled happily, knowing the other woman would handle it. Ororo nodded back decisively and as Charles mentioned wanting to check the three wastrels down in the med bay she spoke up. "Actually professor, can you simply take Kurt and Logan with you. I think that Kitten and I need to have a talk woman to woman."

Kitty looked at her, her face torn between consternation and gratefulness and Charles nodded. Of course something like this and using her powers like that would have an effect on her, I should have spotted it right away. And such a discussion might be better coming with Ororo than I. "Then I will leave the young Miss Pryde in your capable hands Ororo. I'll meet you two down in the med bay after I call the school and inform them you'll be absent again."

After breakfast while the others went off to school she led Kitty up to the solarium, where she knew the girl was more comfortable than in her arboretum. After a few minutes of small talk they got down to business. Over the next hour she heard from Kitty's perspective their adventure up in Canada, and what she had done and how. Ororo soon learned that Kitty was more than a little disturbed about how much damage she had done with her power. A part of her wanted to blame Mr. Potter for it, but it wasn't like she had used a runic array, just her own power, oh sure the idea had come from him, but it was still her power. The blood and everything had frightened her a lot, showing her what she could do if she tried and she was now questioning if she wanted to remain an X-man at all. Ororo heard her out, not judging her at all and then said "Being an X-man is not something we can force on you if you do not wish to be one, we cannot, I will not make you fight if you do not wish to fight Kitten. If it disturbs you, then do not do it. Not everyone can be that type of hero, and if you decide you want to be the non-violent kind and help the team behind the scenes, or even do something else with your life entirely, I will not be any less proud of you." Kitty nodded then yawned, and Ororo chivvied her off to bed, then went and found Charles to tell him about it. Charles was a little dismayed, but to his credit it was about what Kitty had been forced to do rather than how he may soon be down an X-man.

Kitty woke up around noon to eat some lunch and was going back to her room, talking to Ororo about what she had put in her letter to her parents, when the two girls heard a faint pop from the room Harry had made into a rune lab. Ororo waved Kitty behind her, one hand glowing with electricity and opened the door to see Harry leaning shaking his head, his hands on his knees as Hedwig flew from his shoulder over to her perch. "Ugh, long distance teleporting is as bad as apparating, crud, I am not doing that again anytime soon." Hedwig precked smugly, her own stomach having handled the jump with ease. "Yeah, yeah laugh it up oh so superior winged one. At least I have opposable thumbs." Hedwig's eyes narrowed and she huffed and turned away. Harry laughed and straightened up, looking over at the doorway to find Kitty and Ororo looking at him. "Hey you two, I'm back."

Ororo rolled her eyes at his cavalier attitude but Kitty hurried forward hugging Harry tightly and sniffling a little as she babbled out the story of what happened up in Canada. After a moments shock Harry listened intently, letting the young girl get it off her chest for the second time that day. After the young teen's babbling slowed down Harry looked up wordlessly at Ororo who nodded, indicating with a touch to her lips that she had already talked to the girl. Harry shrugged, and began to talk, hoping his words could do some good when added to Ororo's. "Kitty, Curly-Cat, look at me." Kitty looked up from in his arms to his face and he led her slowly over to the bean bag that had been hers for the last few days as she learned how to draw and use runes.

When she sat down Harry began to speak. "First let me say I'm proud of you Curly-Cat." Kitty looked at him wide-eyed. "You did what you had to do to defend your friends, that's the only thing anyone can ask of a soldier a hero or anyone. Ask people what they fight for, and when the camera's on they'll say reasons like freedom, or belief in the family pie or something." Kitty giggled as he mangled that phrase but her eye never looked away from his. "But most people will say in private they fight for their friends, the man standing next to them in the fight. That's what you did, and that's why I'm proud of you. Now that you're back, and you don't know if you want to be an X-man, that's fine too. A lot of people don't want to continue after seeing their the elephant the first time. I had two friends like that, and I never respected them or liked them any less because of it." Blaize and Padma had both stepped back after the first raid the New Marauders conducted against Death Eaters. They still supported the group and even fought with them occasionally when on rescue missions, but they only used defensive spells to protect them all, neither could stomach the idea of using violence against someone else. Later, when Parvati joined, she didn't have the same problem as her sister, but then again her desire for justice had overrode much or her normal attitude. "If you don't want to be out in the field with the others, that's fine because if you still want to help you can do so in other ways. No one here will judge you because of that choice. Just because violence doesn't agree with you doesn't make you any less than you are."

Kitty sniffled for a bit then looked away over at Ororo, who had been nodding along with Harry's words with a smile on her face. Kitty giggled a little then asked "Did you two somehow practice that or something?"

Ororo chuckled, moving forward to ruffle Kitty's hair. "Not at all Kitten, it's just that wisdom looks the same regardless of the angle." Harry smirked but nodded all the same.

Kitty giggled again, this time a little longer, before a yawn interrupted her. "You, you two need to figure out a single nickname for me okay? Choose one or the other." The two nominal adults in the room looked at one another challengingly and Kitty giggled again, getting up and heading to her room. "Thanks for the talk Teach, Storm, I'm going to go back to bed now."

The two both wished her a good nap and as soon as the door closed behind her Ororo pulled Harry into a hug, which he returned. "The next time you go off without telling me where Mr. Potter," Ororo said sternly, pulling back a little, "I will give you a wind enema, are we clear?"

Haryr gulped and nodded, yet when she leaned in for a kiss he responded eagerly. After a moment they pulled back and one of Ororo's eyebrows rose. "Why do you taste like spearmint with a hint of cherry?"

Harry smirked. "I met another mutant, I'll tell you about it if you want. I want to show you my new toy anyway." The other eyebrow rose to join its fellow and she followed as harry exited the house, waving a flippant hand over at Charles and Logan as they went into the elevator, going down to the med bay, to remove the control chip from Logan's head permanently. Once outside Harry took out his car and enlarged it back to normal, causing Ororo to gasp in shock. "So, you want to go for a ride with me?" Harry wiggled his eyebrows. "I want to find that Mystique chick anyway and get her to agree to a meeting. I want to hear her side of things."

Ororo smirked a little. "It just so happens I know where she is, she poses as the principal over at Bayville High. It allows her to protect the brotherhood to a certain extent from any trouble they cause, and as long as they don't abuse the privilege we have seen no need to try and remove her. Wait here and I'll go get changed."

Harry shook his head as Ororo walked off, taking this as another sign that Charles knew more about the opposition than he was saying. He wondered what other secrets the man was keeping, but shrugged it off for now. He'd take action if the kids got hurt, but until then it wasn't important.

Ororo came back quickly and Harry whistled as he saw what she was wearing now. Before she had worn a nice feminine business suit, now she wore a pair of jeans so tight they looked painted on, and a loose short sleeved button up shirt with several buttons undone allowing a nice hint of cleavage. "Veeeery nice luv, ready to go?" He quickly transfigured his own clothing to be casual, a good long shirt and tie with jeans.

Ororo smirked, pushing past him to get into his car, looking around in interest and finding it as nice on the inside as on the outside. She took out a pair of sunglasses and put them on, throwing her wild main of hair back. "Let's go Harry I suddenly feel the need to shock people. Their faces amuse me."

"Heh, I'll remember to take pictures." Harry shook his head and got into the driving seat and gunning the engine.

"And on the way you can tell me more about this other mutant, and what that has to do with your lips tasting of spearmint and cherry." Harry laughed, and the two exited the mansion at speed.

Mystique sat down in her lounge chair in her office, sighing tiredly and relaxing back into her swivel chair, still wearing her disguise of Raven Darkholme. If I knew there was this much work involved in being the principal of a school, I would never have chosen it as my cover. The paperwork and the showing the flag crap of walking around and just be seen was irritating. Training the kids before and after school was also irritating as hell, but they were all getting stronger, better at using their powers, even if their teamwork wasn't up to snuff yet.

She was still a little confused though by the newest X-man, Harry Potter. His mysterious message to Lance had yet to come to anything, but neither had he shown up anywhere. I still have no idea what his powers are but at least he seems pretty neutral in our little conflict here. I have to wonder though what his opinions on the bigger picture are….

Her thoughts were interrupted as her private cell phone rang in her pocket. She frowned, only a bare handful of people knew her number and none of them would use it lightly at an unscheduled time. Indeed the one who was mostly likely to be calling would only call if he couldn't come speak to her in person, which would indicate something had gone wrong elsewhere. Worriedly she picked up after the second ring. "Hello, this is Raven."

"Hello Mystique. How is the world of education?" A woman's voice speaking in calm, soothing tones came over the line and Mystique relaxed.

"Irene" she said tiredly, yet with a smile on her face and in her voice "how are you my friend?" Irene Adler was normally called Destiny most of the time, and was a mutant like Mystique. She was able to see into the future, though how far varied from a few seconds (very useful in a fight, making Irene deadly when pressed, though she wasn't anyone's idea of a front-line soldier) to years, sometimes even decades, though the farther she looked, the less useful her power was. Any prediction made within the next few years was almost guaranteed, but any beyond that became far harder to interpret in their wording. They were still accurate, but not very useful far in advance of the prediction itself.

She was also Mystique's closest friend, indeed her only real friend all the others were merely acquaintances at best. More than that, Irene was the only person in the entire world Raven trusted completely. Most people trust other people in little ways all the time, but not her. For Mystique, her power was a curse as she knew that enemies could be literally anywhere, could find her any time. Add to that the appalling number of times she had been betrayed, betrayed by friends, fellow soldiers, and her employers, and you had a person whose paranoia was beyond extreme. She handled it most of the time by simply being in disguise herself, but even under that she never let anyone close. Irene was the exception to that rule. They had known eachother for so long, ever since they were young adults back in 1903 when the daughter of a well-to-do merchant family hired Mystique, a young independent detective at the time, to help her figure out her visions and what they meant. The two of them had been friends ever since, and never had Irene proven less than a true friend.

Over the years, as Irene suffered her own betrayals, her own horrors, the two had become closer, even lovers at times, until that trust was one of the main foundations of their personal worlds. Both of them felt strongly about the need to defend mutant kind from exploitation and bigotry, and it had been both their choice to side with their current leader as the best chance to see that through. Mystique shook her head, but the smile on her face didn't disappear. "You realize you nearly gave me a heart attack calling out of the blue like this, our scheduled check-in isn't for another two days. What's wrong?"

"A third path to the future has opened." Irene said her voice deepening a little, become a little more otherworldly as she relayed what her power had informed her when she used it a few moments ago. "You will soon be meeting the fulcrum of it face to face, what you do then will be up to you."

Raven frowned, not understanding. "What does that mean Irene?"

"It means that before, there were only two paths dominating the future of mutant-kind, intertwined and so muddled as to be impossible to discern where one ended and another began." Raven nodded thoughtfully, understanding this probably meant Xavier's theories of co-habitation and peace and Magneto's idea of isolation and conquest. Obviously they would be intertwined, some mutants would choose one or the other, and they would just as obviously be at odds. "Yet now a third choice is part of the equation. Where the others twist and turn, signifying changing of the people involved, this one lays there like a bar of solid steel, as if the people who become part of it never deviate. It is… astonishing. It is not an easy path, I can see war and battles, but it is a third choice, and it will involve the wizard with the emerald eyes. More, all my predictions set more than a few years into the future are gone. Some are changed, others are simply not going to occur at all."

"Wizard? Emerald eyes?" Raven was very intelligent, and there was nothing wrong with her memory, she could remember quite easily a person with emerald eyes. "Potter, you mean Harry Potter? Wait, he's a wizard?! Son of a…." she trailed off, knowing her friend's distaste for vulgarity. "That explains, well that explains his powers and why none of the Brotherhood could explain what they were." Mystique and Irene had run into one real wizard and one wannabe wizard in the past, and Mystique had run into two wanna-be occultists during WW2 when she was working for the allies. Baron Struker had dabbled in the occult at one point, and she had worked with the allies forces to stop him. Another madman had tried to open some kind of portal to another realm, and she and Irene had both worked with a real wizard to close it and kill the idiot. Doctor Voodoo had been an odd character, but powerful. Though his powers were based more on fighting the undead than the living at the time that was just what they needed. She had also heard about a 'Sorcerer Supreme', but there was no way Harry Potter could be that individual, he was far too young. "But does that mean he's also a mutant or did Xavier bring him in as a combat consultant or something, that wouldn't be like him at all. Can you tell me anything about Potter's powers?"

Irene chuckled tiredly. Using her power to look into the future was draining and the further into the future the harder. She had been so fascinated by what she saw she had expended a lot of her energy looking. She was in fact going to conk out for a while very soon, whether she wanted to or not. "You know my powers don't work like that, the images are so confusing its impossible to tell, I just know he is from elsewhere, and different than any sorcerer from our dimension, powerful in odd ways. He is center of this path, the fulcrum, and will be joined by the power of nature, of the cleansing flame, of the diamond frost, and others, though I cannot make them out, Russian steel is one, and others, a flame from the Orient, some others. He will be important and you have a chance now to meet him and possibly join him if you wish, though the outcome of is so affected by others that I cannot see if it will be good or bad." The fact Irene would follow her didn't need to be said it was so obvious.

"I'm sorry Irene, you must have exhausted yourself. Go to bed my friend, I'll call you tomorrow afternoon. Let me handle it from here." Raven said, her voice gentler than most who knew her ever heard, a note of actual apology in her voice. Irene sighed in weary assent and hung up, leaving the shape-shifter to wonder what she was going to do, when she should expect Harry Potter to contact her, and how he would do it. This would be answered momentarily.

Jean stretched contentedly at the back of her last class of the day, world history (which was more American rather than World but still interesting), having gotten there early enough to get a seat in the back where she could relax. She was a few weeks ahead in the reading anyway, and the teacher for this class didn't assign many assignments, simply lumping all the information into the unit tests and two papers per semester, the next of which she had already begun. She wasn't complaining though, she had physics right before this, so a nice lazy class right before having to deal with the errant emotions of her fellow cheerleaders was just what she needed. Ugh, only ten more minutes, I feel like a child wanting to pair the time down to smaller and smaller increments to put off getting out of bed. As she finished stretching she felt someone else's eyes on her and turned to look as Scott looked away from where he was sitting a few place over. She frowned a little, but then shrugged.

The fact that Scott had the same class was a mixed blessing. While she was still friends with him, the way he had been acting lately had soured their friendship and she couldn't bring herself to care much. Scott refused to think he was in the wrong pushing Potter, not learning as well as he could and playing favorites (which they had a massive row about earlier), and until he did she wasn't willing to be the one to bend. Really the similarities between Scott and Duncan are amusing as hell. One is opinionated because he's been chosen as our leader, the other because of his family's money, one thinks he's entitled because of how good he looks and his football skills, the other because of the 'tragedy' of his power.

Her thoughts were interrupted as a few of the kids on the outer side of the classroom looked out the window, whispering excitedly about something in the parking lot. Since this class had a side facing the lot and was on the second floor they had a good view of the parking lot, one that was normally uninteresting in the extreme. She cocked an eyebrow, wondering what that was about. Suddenly a wave of envy and lust hit her from both the boys and girls who were looking out the window, and several others gasped. One of the boys even muttered, "Damn who is that fox?"

Her friend Taryn, who was one of the most boy-crazy girls she knew despite having a good head on her shoulders, hissed a reply from where she was sitting between the windows and Jean. "That looks like Ms. Munroe, you know, the foreign languages teacher from over at the Xavier Institute, looks like she's had a bit of a makeover though. Never mind that, who is the hotty next to her? Look at that suit, and that smile, and are those green eyes?"

Hearing that Jean was torn between banging her head on her desk and laughing. Guess Harry's back, wonder what he and Ororo are doing here. There goes my normal day.

BY the time the pair had parked they had garnered quite a lot of attention and the school day had ended, letting out hundreds of kids to meet their parents/friends/buses, all of whom were looking at Harry and Ororo. "You think we made an impression?" Harry laughed as he closed his car door.

Ororo laughed too, walking around the car to sit on the front of it, her legs crossed languidly. "I believe so, and it is indeed a pity I forgot my phone, my nephew's face in particular is amusing, and would make a lovely photo to send his parents."

Harry laughed again touching her lightly on the shoulder. "You want to come in with me?"

"I think not, Raven will look at you with suspicion anyway, my presence would needlessly aggravate that response. Besides," she cocked her head, smirking a little, "I think my nephew and I will need to talk here for a moment."

"Have fun breaking his mind," harry said waving one hand and moving off towards the front of the school. He walked in and asked the first teacher he came across, a woman in her late forties who looked at him as if he was candy that she wanted to eat up, much like several of the teenage girls he could see, something he pointedly ignored. He knew they weren't actually attracted to him, just to the fact he was good looking and had a fantastic car. "Excuse me, can you direct me to the principal's office please?" She did so, strangely hiding one of her hands in her pocket as she leaned forward unnecessarily, pointing out the way. Harry simply nodded, thanked her and moved on, shivering a little as soon as he was around the corner.

He nearly bumped into Pietro and Lance, who were coming the other way, but he dodged around them easily. "Hey lads, nice day huh?" Before either of them could react he had moved on, leaving them both behind to stare after him along with dozens of other students, wondering who the man with the emerald eyes was.

Lance however knew who he was and he turned toward Pietro. "That's the Potter guy right? Wonder if he's here to meet with Mystique like he said he would."

Pietro shrugged, looking back at the older man, a little angry at how many admiring glances he was getting. "I don't know, but I don't like him." Maybe father should know about this, nah, whatever the punk can do I can handle, well me and the rest of the losers anyway.

Harry moved on and soon found himself at the principal's office on the third floor. After a brief discussion with the secretary in the outer office he was ushered in to see the principal, leaving the impression he was an alumni of the school just stopping by for a chat. The principal stood up, a rather severe smile on a rather severe face, thin, high cheekbones with a pair of glasses with red rims, and a deliberate, if Harry was any judge, unattractive female body covered by a serious business suit. As soon as the door shut behind her secretary however her smile disappeared. "So, Harry Potter, wizard, and mutant?"

Harry refused to let any of his surprise show, wondering internally at how she had figured it out. But he realized that the time was fast approaching when he would no longer be able to hide. He was determined to not show all his cards anytime soon though. "I see my reputation precedes me madam. Harry potter at your service, and my mutant power is rather a minor one. However, I came with a bit of a proposition."

Mystique sat back in her chair, keeping her eyes locked on the man in front of her. The very dangerous man, she realized, one with the eyes of a veteran soldier, and the way he carried himself told her he was an officer of some sort. It made her remember what Irene had said mere moments ago, about this man representing a third path for mutant-kind. It remained to be seen what kind of future it was however. "I'm listening, though what one of Xavier's people could say to me that I would find interesting is beyond me."

Harry barked a sharp laugh. "Well, I'm not really with him rather I'm more there to help the kids. What I'd like is to hear your side of this issue of mutant-kind's place in the world. But rather than just listen to you alone, I want to set up a bit of a debate, give you a chance to use your words to convince me and a teacher and student pair from the institute and let them do the same to you."

Mystique blinked in shock. The idea of a rational debate had never occurred to her, and she wondered if she should agree to this idea. To buy more time to think she asked "And where would this debate happen exactly?"

"Somewhere neutral, a public restaurant somewhere this Friday say, any recommendations?"

Mystique decided to see what kind of resources this man had, only realizing after she spoke that she had tacitly agreed to the idea. "Then how about the Spogeo, the new Italian restaurant that just opened in town?"

"Fine by me, say eight-ish?" Mystique nodded, cursing a little and wondering who to bring along. The idea of Blob or Toad in a fancy restaurant like that boggled the mind, so the choice was really down to Lance and Pietro, but the choice between them was a tough one. "Excellent, I'll see you then, now if you'll excuse me, I want to make certain none of your students tried to touch my new car." And with that Harry left, leaving behind a very confused shape-changer, who was wondering what this discussion would bring.

"A-auntie O, wh-what are you doing here? And why are you wearing… wearing that?" Evan asked, his face stuck somewhere between furious and confused.

All in all Ororo thought it rather cute. "Well Evan, I am wearing this because I feel like it. And I am here because Harry came home and wished to relay a message to the principal." She spoke circuitously, having noticed the dozens of people around in hearing range. Indeed she was now receiving even more admiring glances than Harry's Huayra. She rather liked the name, and felt the Incan god of wind it was named after would find it a most pleasing avatar. "After that he and I will be taking a bit of a drive together." Many of the boys who were staring at her turned away at that point seeing she was taken though a few, two of whom she recognized from going to football games where Jean and the cheerleaders performed, didn't and began to make their way out of the crowd toward her. She shook her head mentally, as if she would ever be interested in little boys.

"B-But, what will people think of you dressed like that?"

"I care not of other people's opinions," Ororo said coolly, "Storms have many different faces, nephew. So long as I stay true to myself I see no reason to apologize for how others perceive me."

Evan gaped at her, trying to reconcile the change in his aunt that had been going on the last few days. Rogue however who had joined them at this point grinned. "Ah think yah can call that part o' bein' a woman sugah."

Ororo chuckled. "Perhaps." She looked over at Evan, her manner challenging, regal and aloof despite her clothing. "I am who I am nephew mine, the shell I was before was just that, a shell, barely scratching the surface of my full self. Accept it and move on."

Evan scowled a little, not really used to thinking of his aunt as this outgoing, this vibrant and, well sexy. It was disturbing the hell out him given how she had always been this calm, almost self-effacing and quiet person before. Rogue took one look at his face and giggled while Scott, who had come through the crowd with Jean, simply patted him on the shoulder in commiseration.

Jean on the other hand walked toward Ororo, wondering again how the other woman could look so sexy and yet so regal and commanding at the same time. It never occurred to her that she often gave off the same appearance when she was angry, like she had been the day before at Duncan and his fellows. "I take it you're feeling better Ororo? Harry had the medicine for all that ails you?" She said, causing the other X-kids to gape at her in surprise, wondering where that came from, and why Jean felt so comfortable talking that way to the older Storm, who despite her new looks and attitude was still one of their teachers.

Ororo simply laughed holding out one hand while the other rubbed her temple. Realizing that the weather witch wanted, Jean reached out and squeezed her hand, even as Ororo replied to her previous comment. "Yes well, he convinced me to get out and about and that seems to have done the trick for my little funk."

Jean sent a bit of her power through Ororo's hand, the physical contact making it easier. As soon as she did Ororo's mental voice said, I want to thank you again for pointing out that Kitty was having a problem this morning. She was, well her problem is her own to share, but I think my talking to her helped. She was close to a complete breakdown, and if you hadn't told me about it, well it would have been much worse than it was.

Jean gripped her fingers firmly saying, Don't worry about it Ororo, I was just happy to help. We all need shoulders to lean on sometimes.

Ororo smiled again and the two women let go of one another's hands. Jean looked over the car now, whistling appreciatively. "That is one hell of a car. Where in the world did Harry find that thing?"

Duncan forced his way through the crowd of interested kids as the crowd thinned with many of the kids heading over to their rides. "Fancy piece of nothing Jeany, European crap, all flash and no power."

"My car can outlast and move faster than any dinky yank made car boyo. It's a Pagani Huayra, and it is one of the fastest cars in the world." Harry moved through the crowd, which parted around him naturally. He was about to use his regular nickname for her when he saw Jean standing there but something dangerous in her green eyes caused him to change his mind before the word came out. "Grey, you're looking your usual fetching self, how are you doing? Any new breakthroughs?" He asked, obliquely questioning if Charles had spoken to her.

Jean, her jade eyes caught by his emerald ones flushed a little but shook her head, a smirk on her lips. "You're looking good too Potter, who knew someone so scruffy could clean up so well." She then addressed the second half of what he said, thinking he meant her occlumency training, and worded her answer as if he had asked about a history paper or something. "Nice car, and no, no new breakthroughs, though the source you gave me is still helping a little."

Harry frowned a little as he patted her shoulder, which caused Duncan to scowl a little at the familiarity, even as he wondered how a shrimp like Harry had bagged a sexy thing like the older black chick. "Pity that. Ah, well, Ororo and I are off for a bit, so I'll see you lot later." Ororo nodded and got into the passenger side of the car as Harry got behind the wheel, ignoring the jealous looks from the guys and the longing looks from the girls. The two drove off living a bit of chaos in their wake.

Taryn glared at her friend. "You live with that Hotty and Scott both, god how lucky can one girl get?"

Jean shook her head, moving off toward the gym. "Harry only moved in a few weeks ago, and if you're interested in Scott…."

Ororo and Harry drove around for the rest of the late afternoon, stopping in to grab a bite to eat before heading out into the under populated mountains. Ironically they wound up near the endurance camp that the youngsters had gone to, and they pulled off to the side of the road in a little secluded area that had a wonderful view of the surrounding forests and meadows. The two ate slowly, sitting close to one another and leaning up against the side or Harry's car, telling one another in more detail about what they did yesterday.

Ororo had known since the beginning that Harry was making long term plans, plans that might not include staying with Charles and the X-men. He believed in equality between homo-sapien and homo superior (a name he never used actually) but he and Charles had very different views of how to follow that dream. More there was still a tension between them whose origin Ororo couldn't quite figure out. She was worried for the day when they would split, but from what Harry said of his plans it was a few months in the future, something which she was very thankful for. Right now though she had other things on her mind. "So this Emma girl, you honestly believe she was in a very dangerous position?

"Oh yes," Harry said rather grimly, wiping at his mouth with a napkin. The food was sandwiches, turkey clubs, and they were in his opinion mediocre, but filling. "She let a little more of her emotions slip than I think she wanted to, and she was very afraid of this Sebastian Shaw character. I want to see if I can find any information about him and his business, but whatever the reason the fear was real, just as much as the loathing she felt toward her father. Are you… are you irritated she came on to me so strong?"

Ororo took the time to finish the last bite of her own sandwich before replying, giving her time to think. "In all honesty I am not. We have not formalized our relationship, in fact we barely have a relationship so it would be….."

She was interrupted by Harry pulling her into a kiss. The kiss started rather chaste, but quickly became deep and hungry on both their parts. Ororo pushed off the ground and slithered into Harry's lap, neither disengaging from the kiss as Harry's hands fell from her shoulders to cup and fondle her rear. Ororo moaned into the kiss opening her mouth and their tongues began to twirl and slide along one another in her mouth. Her own hands went into his hair while she ground her core against his rising excitement. After a moment they had to pull back for air and Harry began to attack her neck with little nips and licks between words. "Let's change that then…" Ororo let out a deep throaty moan that was among the sexiest noises Harry had ever heard.

He decided right than he wanted to hear that noise as often as he could for as long as he could, and as Ororo continued to grind herself into his lap, he gripped her jean clad rear with one hand, bucking up beneath her as his other hand trialed up her back and around her side, gently touching the side of her breasts before just as gently playing with one of her breasts through her shirt. Even with the shirt in the way the sensation was incredible, and Ororo moaned even loader. After a moment, as their movements began to get even more frantic Harry latched onto her neck, using one of his personal tricks, parseltongue. Snakes didn't communicate with sound, but with vibrations and when Harry was speaking it his tongue vibrated. When Ororo felt that sensation against her collarbone, which was a sensitive part of her, her moan turned into a throaty yell of pleasure that rose to the sky as she came down hard on his lap, her love juices leaking through her panties. Harry moaned aloud in turn as he finished as well from the friction caused and they both fell back, with Ororo letting out little gasps and moans as she leaned on his shoulder.

It had been five years since Harry had last even seen a girl, and a bit longer since he been with a girl. This was a woman whose beauty exceeded that of any girl he had been with back in his former dimension was it any wonder he found himself out of practice and shooting a little too quickly? Ororo, despite having had a boyfriend in college a scant two years ago, had never felt anything like that with either of the men she had been with, an orgasm when she was still fully clothed? Her last boyfriend couldn't even give her one when her clothes were off and they were having full on sex! And the older tribesman she had been with as a teen had good endurance and size, but hadn't really cared about foreplay or her own needs. That had simply been the best orgasm she had ever had, her legs felt so weak that she knew she wouldn't be able to stand up. "What," she half moaned, half gasped, "Was that?"

"Heh," Harry chuckled, as his hand flashed in a very specific version of the scourgify, cleaning his pants and at her nod her own jeans, which had a very small dark spot on them. "It's called Parceltougne, a magical ability that gives me the ability to speak to snakes. Snakes talk using vibrations you know?" Ororo looked at him in shock, her grey eye wide at the implication, a shiver going through her at the idea of feeling something like that on more sensitive bits of her. "So, just to make it formal, will you be my girlfriend?"

Ororo chuckled throatily, leaning up and kissing his neck gently. "Oh yes, I definitely think you are a, what's the phrase, a keeper? Yes, you are a keeper." Harry grinned and the two kissed and simply sat there together for a time cuddling before reluctantly getting up and heading back to the mansion.

When they arrived all the girls took one look at Ororo's flushed face, wobbly gate and lightly bruised lips and began to giggle wildly to one another. Jean simply grabbed her and led her off for a talk, with Rogue and Kitty following eagerly. Harry simply smiled and walked away, ignoring Evan's glare and Kurt and Scott's looks of admiration.

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