Marvel/HP: A Third Path to the Future

After Stephen left, Harry called the X-Men (minus Jean) together to lead them through their exercises. After changing into their uniforms they met Ororo outside the danger room, who gave them a brief description of what had happened to Jean, not giving any details, just enough for the kids to understand what had happened, and why. It wasn't enough to ameliorate Scott's worry for Jean, but it helped the other teens a little. Well except for Rogue who wasn't as close to the redhead as the others.

After that the teens entered the Danger Room to find Harry waiting for them, and he motioned Rogue over to him.

When she was close he said, "I've made some progress in creating a ward array for you, but I still haven't thought up a finished product. What I've got now is loosely based on what I did for Ororo to keep her emotions from impacting local weather patterns, but targets the entire mind rather than the emotional center. This will make you unable to 'take in' other people's memories. I haven't figured out a way to stop you from draining someone's bio energy or abilities and still retain a sense of touch, it's a tricky situation. Do you want what I have now or do you want to wait, and do you want it in the form of a piece of jewelry or something else?"

Rogue blinked in shock having thought that Harry would have to give up on helping her that was just the way her life worked. "Ah'll take what you've got now Mr. Potter. Um, if yah can make it into ah belt buckle or something, that'd be great. And um, thanks sir. This means a lot tah me even if ya can't figure out anything more."

Harry merely grinned and waved her on to join the others.

Unfortunately that was the last enjoyment Harry had for a while. The X-men just weren't concentrating on the exercises that day. Most of them were still worried about Jean, Kurt was worried about what his connection to the mysterious woman in Rogue's dream was, Rogue was still wondering what her dream meant, Evan was irritated with Harry due to his relationship with his aunt, Kitty was still skittish about combat at and Scott continued to let his irritation with Harry show..

Things came to a head when Kitty was charged with using her power to disable a computer. She did so by putting one of her small pebbles into it and imparting some momentum, but what she hadn't counted on was the shrapnel of the resulting explosion taking out two of the guards of the facility they were infiltrating with the shrapnel. At the sight of the blood she froze, and without her rejoining the team they didn't know about a few of the traps she had bypassed, which in turn caught Kurt and left the others without a scout.

Scott soon led them into a rather simple ambush, and despite the large numbers of enemies they took with them the rest of the team soon went down, even Rogue once she was hit with a magical attack from one of the 'special' troopers Harry continued to sneak into every match. In this case it was a trooper armed with a simple tickling charm, which took her out of action long enough for another trooper to hit her head with a cutting spell. As she didn't retain any of the magical defense Juggernaut had from his shield this counted as a kill.

At this point Harry called a halt to the proceedings before any of them could start pointing fingers. "All right, that's it, all of you are just going through the motions, and that barely. Evan and Scott target practice for you two, Rogue, Kurt martial arts." At his words the Danger Room's hard light display, which had been in the form of a underground military installation, disappeared and the room separated into two areas much like it did for Rogue and Jeans training with Ororo. "Kitty, come over here for a minute."

Kitty stood in front of him looking a little shamefaced but when she looked up at Harry she saw only concern on his face. "It was the realism of that exercise wasn't it? That was what made you freeze like that?"

Kitty nodded morosely. "Yeah, I can fight against robots easily enough, but you made our opponents as realistic this time as possible and the moment I saw the blood I just, I froze up."

Harry nodded. "It happens Kitten, especially after an experience like you had. Have you thought about whether or not you want to stay on the team at all?"

"I have," Kitty answered, not realizing that Scott was close enough to hear, and even if she had it wouldn't have bothered her. "I want to wait and talk to my folks before I make a decision, but even if I do stay on the team I want to switch to a support role. I'll go out on missions if they need me, but I'm not going to be fighting, not anymore."

Harry nodded, not surprised by her decision, and reached forward ruffling her hair affectionately. "Remember Kitten this is a choice you need to live with so make the one that makes you happy. Whatever you decide we'll back you."

Kitty breathed a sigh of relief. Even knowing Harry had encouraged her to make her own decision a part of her had still been afraid he would look down on her for not wanting to be a frontline combatant anymore. Then she grinned. "I take it Storm won the nickname war?"

Harry harrumphed, then grinned a little wickedly down at her. "Well, let's just say she has a certain advantage over me hmm?" Kitty giggled and the two of them talked about where her studies in runes was going for an hour then he dismissed her to go and work on them in his repaired research lab.

Soon after that he decided to dismiss the others but kept Scott back to talk to him. Leaning back against the Danger Room's wall, he stared at the younger man. "All right Summers, what's your problem with me?"

Scott frowned staring at Harry his eyes narrowed angrily, though of course no one could see that through his visor. "I don't know what you mean Sir," he said yet his very tone, a mix of sullen anger and irritation, gave him the lie.

"While Charles and I were having our little spat about coming clean with Jean you had a reason for your attitude towards me," Harry said coldly leaning forward now his emerald eyes hard. "In fact I kind of respected you for backing him up, but he and I buried the hatchet last night so is this just a holdover or something entirely new? Because I'm getting the impression this is something personal."

Scott frowned heavily. He had seen Harry and Charles, not exactly makeup or anything like that but they had seemingly buried the hatchet as Harry said, they were much more convivial towards one another at breakfast, and even struck up a conversation about whether or not right and wrong were products of society or unchanging morality. But it was obvious that while Harry agreed with Charles' dream, he was thinking of other ways to achieve it above and beyond (or perhaps more descriptively to the side of) what Charles was prepared to use.

Yet that wasn't the reason why Scott was giving him grief. No, Scott was jealous of Harry. It was as simple as that. Harry was a natural leader, both experienced and easy-going, with an easy air of authority yet was also friendly. He had stolen a lot of Scott's own authority, and everyone on the team looked to Harry first for leadership and advice, and he made it seem so easy that it made Scott even more jealous.

To top it off he was closer to Jean than Scott was comfortable with. Ever since Scott had met her he had known somehow that the two of them were meant to be together, it was just something he felt deep down, like she was a gift from the universe to offset his cursed eyes. The fact that Jean had a boyfriend was bad enough, but Jean's recent changes in attitude, her newfound willingness to go her own way and her growing independence seemed to be causing a rift between them. All of which he felt he could lay at the feet of Harry, and that didn't even mention how comfortable they were around one another or what little he and the others had been told about this strange entity that Harry had convinced Jean to bond with. The little Ororo had passed on to them before this session was worrisome in the extreme.

Not that he was going to actually share any of that Harry. Except for that last part, that could do as an excuse he thought. "I'm not comfortable with the fact that you convinced Jean to let this strange alien thing bond with her head. I'm also not exactly happy that you're encouraging Kitty to go her own way, that's taking a valuable resource from the team." There he thought, that sounded diplomatic enough and impersonal as well, and is about decisions that concern the team as a whole rather than about anything personal.

Harry nodded. He knew there was something more to Scott's attitude than what younger man was saying, but he wasn't going to push, if Scott wanted to keep it professional then he was fine with that. "I can understand that," he said honestly then went on thoughtfully. "I'll be honest with you Scott, I wasn't entirely certain of the idea of bonding with the Phoenix either." Scott blinked and Harry barked a laugh. "If any leader says he's absolutely certain that something that he can't control is a good idea he's lying. That was Jean's choice though, and I wasn't going to argue her out of it. You guys are on the cusp of adulthood, and you have to start making your own decisions. I just wanted the mental blocks gone. And I have no doubt when she gets her head together a few days from now she'll say that it was a good thing."

Scott frowned but nodded. "All right I can understand that and I'll reserve judgment for the moment on that point but on Kitty's case? She's going to tell her parents and you and storm actually encouraged it. I'm not happy with them knowing more about what the X-Men are supposed to be doing. You yourself said we should be worried about the hate groups out there and if they know about us, they could be forced to tell others."

Harry frowned in turn but had to concede to at least a bit of what Scott was saying. "I understand that as well, but they are her parents. Admittedly most of us here can't play happy families," he smirked a little and Scott nodded in agreement. The fact that Harry was an orphan was something he had in common with him, Kurt and Rogue, and Jean's relationship with her parents was cordial at best. Evan's relationship with his parents was ok, but nowhere near as close as Kitty was to her parents. "But I think it would be a very bad idea for Kitty to cut her parents out of her life entirely."

Then he sobered a little and went on, his eyes on something only he could see. "More, there is an edge to being a soldier, a fighter. I have it, Logan has it and Storm has it, though she hides it better than Logan. You and the others can grow into it, but Kitty, she's already seen the elephant, and she doesn't have that center of ruthlessness you sometimes need. If she's going to freeze up when the only choice between letting a friend die is to kill someone than I don't think you want her in a fight with the rest of you."

Scott blanched a little then nodded. "I hadn't thought of it from that perspective I guess."

"Scott" Harry said softly, reaching forward and grabbing the teen's shoulders, "Part of being a leader is having a little bit of empathy for your soldiers. You have to see what they can and what they can't do, what they are and what they aren't comfortable with doing, how hard you can push them and how, what makes them tick and what they can and can't face. Don't think of this as losing Kitty from the team, think of this as an opportunity to figure out how best to use her mind and her skills as a resource going forward okay?"

Scott nodded, and Harry hoped he was listening. Done talking for now he thumped Scott on the shoulders and then waved him off. "Good, now get out of here." Scott nodded and Harry leaned back against the wall thoughtfully staring after him.

There goes a very strange case, he thought to himself, extremely bright and extremely motivated, Scott's the only one of the group that's willing to put forth the effort to learn tactics and strategy, which makes him the leader of the team by default. Yet he can't seem to understand that other people had opinions too, that maybe their ideas would work better than his own, and don't get me started on his empathy! Harry was at a loss as to how to instill that ability in him, and decided to talk it over with the other teachers once Logan got back from his little errands that evening. Unfortunately when he did he would find that neither Logan nor Ororo had a better idea except for simply letting it grow on its own which Harry thought was a losing proposition in the long run, though Logan didn't honestly see the empathy thing as a problem.

OOOOOOOOOOOO

Monday morning Harry waited a time in the arboretum for Ororo surprised she wasn't there before him, something that hadn't happened before. Still it let him have some time alone with Hedwig, so it was all good in his opinion. Hedwig had been spending her time hunting and getting acquainted with the area surrounding the mansion, something she hadn't had time to do before this, and establishing her utter dominance of every bird and animal in that territory, including several creatures that she shouldn't ever have been able to tangle with, but with his magic infusing her Hedwig was far more dangerous than any normal owl.

"So what would you call your reign Hedwig? A Hed-ocracy, an owl empire?" he asked her, smirking a little as his fingers found the sweet spot around her neck head, stroking gently.

Hedwig precked back complacently, as is saying 'silly human, I would simply call it normal', and Harry chuckled.

The arboretum door opened and Ororo walked in, dressed this time as she had been checking on Jean. Jean was feeling far better and had woken up but was still organizing her mind and emotions, and had been excused from school for the day and up to Wednesday to get her head in order. Since she had nearly ripped Charles' head off when he stopped in, and then nearly broke out in tears when Kitty came in with Ororo after dinner and nearly ripped Evan's head off within five minutes, her need for some time alone to put her head in order was obvious.

She smiled at seeing Harry waiting for her, and slowly stripped off her clothing, amused by the fact Harry merely glanced her way as she did before going back to looking at Hedwig. Any other man would have been staring at her, but Harry had quickly gotten over that silly nudity taboo, and while she knew it still aroused him, his control over it was admirable. "How are you this morning Harry?"

"Well enough luv, well enough, a little sad the two of us couldn't get out for our date this weekend. Do you think we could go out tonight instead?"

Ororo smiled happily as she moved around the room watering her plants naked save for the necklace Harry had given her, which never left her person. "That would be lovely, what do you have in mind?"

"Well, I was thinking of another picnic actually, though this time I'll make the food. And I think you should wear your X-men uniform, trust me on this."

Ororo's eyebrows rose in surprise, wondering what that was about, but Harry refused to answer any more questions, and the two soon turned their discussion to other things, including a brief make out session before the two left to prepare for the day.

OOOOOOOOOOO

On Monday Logan drove Charles down to the school as well as the other kids after Charles assured Nightcrawler that he would do all that he could to find out who the mysterious woman from Rogue's dream was, and what her connection to Kurt was. In fact Charles had a very good idea of who it was, indeed he had thought about it for quite some time, but now he had proof. Well, proof of a sort, enough to maybe get her talking.

The secretary made Charles wait for a few minutes, a spiteful little way of making him seem less important that Mystique took pleasure in. After little while he was allowed in. Raven looked across her desk at him, her eyes hard but not nearly as coldly as normal. Her talk with Harry on Friday had shown Mystique that there was no real point to letting personal feelings get in the way of business here, that everything that occurred here was more of a microcosm for the conflict to come.

"Well Charles," she said, leaning back a little, "what can I do for you? I already gave my word to Potter that the Brotherhood wouldn't make trouble in public anymore."

Charles shook his head smiling a little. "No, on that issue your word is good enough. I'll note that your brotherhood hasn't been making much trouble lately anyway. No I am here because of a memory that Rogue seems to have gotten from you. She mentioned touching you recently, so it had to come from you or my brother Cain, and you are a much more likely suspect given the subject matter."

Raven seemed to freeze in place for a moment, remembering the momentary touch from Rogue when the younger girl had slammed into her on Friday. What the hell did that girl see?! There were so many secrets in Mystiques head, both personal and not that the idea of anyone else knowing any of them was a cause for concern. After all she knew secrets that could cause several powerful governments a lot of trouble (for instance she knew who really shot JFK). "Oh," she replied, and was pleased that her voice came out its normal flat tone, "and what did she see what does that do with me?"

"Mystique, do you remember running from a certain castle in Germany? About running away with little blue furred baby in your arms?" His voice was soft now, almost apologetic but firm. "Do you want to know what happened to that baby?"

Mystique frowned. Of all the memories Rogue could've found she had to find that one. Mystique had given a lot in following the cause mutant supremacy, and one of them was searching down her own lost son. She had tried to move past it, by taking in Rogue and while that had filled the gap momentarily part of her still wondered what happened to her son. "No I don't know. I found tracks later of Roma carts, but the person who was coming after me hadn't given up his search and I decided to lead him away, just in case. Why, do you know what happened to him?"

"I should've spotted it right away of course," Charles said almost to himself but staring at her all the while. "You and Kurt even look alike. Don't tell me you never thought of it?"

Mystique sighed and leaned back. "I, I have long suspected, but how was I supposed to bring it up? He follows you and your dream," she said bitterly, "just like Rogue. Neither of them have the experience to see reality for what it is, they'd rather cling to that dream of yours rather than embrace the harshness of what needs to be done."

"And yet should that matter right now?" Charles said gently. "Surely even with that you can make the time to talk to them, perhaps get to know him. He is your son after all."

Mystique sighed. "Hope springs eternal huh? Very well Charles, I'll try to arrange a clandestine meeting between us. I don't want anyone to know about it, so keep it a secret for now, and it's best if it's kept between him and myself." She frowned. "I'm uncertain how… well never mind, it's just best that we keep it as secret as possible."

That afternoon, after school let out Mystique made her way over to the institute in her raven form, and, since she wasn't feeling any ill intent towards anyone who lived there, passed straight through the ward Harry had placed around the property. Flitting through an open window she dropped the note on Kurt's bed (his room was easily discernible by the number of metal poles sticking out of the walls and ceiling as well as the posters for German rock bands and a few German super models spread around liberally) before winging her way back out.

Unfortunately for her she was seen winging her way to and from the institute by Quicksilver, who had gone there wanting to prank Evan a bit only to be turned around by the ward. He frowned, wondering then followed the odd bird until it landed and transformed back to Mystique. With that done, he turned back and raced back to the mansion and, now only feeling curiosity rather than and malice was able to bypass the ward (though again he didn't even know it was there) checked which window she had flitted in and out of.

He raced off again, wondering why the hell Mystique would be trying to contact Wagner like that and he decided to send it upstairs so to speak, just in case.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOO

The kids came home and saw Harry waiting outside dressed in his normal attire of jeans and a good shirt. Kitty smiled waving at him as she got out of Scott's car. "Hey master, were you waiting for us?"

Harry merely smiled and waved back while tapping a lunch basket next to him on the ground with one foot. "Not this time Kitten, Ororo and I are heading out for a date. Logan is available as spotter if you lot want to exercise, or you can take the day off." Kitty and Rogue grinned at one another, wondering what the two adults were going to be doing on their date while Scott frowned at the idea of missing an entire day of training. Kurt simply shrugged, his thoughts on his own worries.

Evan frowned angrily, still not approving of his aunt's relationship with Harry. It wasn't just the fact he was only two years older than Jean and Scott, five years Storm's junior, but the fact that he wasn't used to thinking of his aunt as a woman, as a sexual being. That bothered the hell out of him especially remembering the look on her face after their first date. He decided to talk to his mom about it, surely this wasn't healthy for her, to get into a relationship so quickly with someone so much younger?

Before he could say anything Storm came out of the mansion dressed as Harry had asked her in her X-men uniform. That drew some looks of surprise but she merely smiled at the children and turned to look at Harry. "Well here I am Harry, now, care to tell me why you wanted me to dress like this?"

Harry smiled and reached down with one hand to pick up the picnic basket on the ground. When he straightened back up he seemed to concentrate for a moment and then, to the surprise of everyone there, rose two feet off the ground to hover in the air. If any other magic user was there they would have seen a circle of runes centered around He grinned at Ororo's surprised face and held out a hand to her. "Would you like to fly away with me milady? For the rest of the day at least."

Kitty laughed aloud and jumped up and down excitedly, her fluffy hair bouncing. "I can't believe it, you finished the flight array! Oh that is so awesome, when are you going to put them on our uniforms?"

"As soon as I figure out how to power them along with everything else we want to add to them," Harry said dryly, "One thing at a time Kitten. Oh, I also have a notice-me-not ward around me and the basket, and I'll put one around Ororo too, something I might put on your uniforms at some point."

Ororo chuckled and with a thought summoned up a wind, rising up into the air to join Harry then leaned down to place a kiss on her nephew's forehead. "We'll see you later children." The two adults smiled at one another and Ororo turned and led the way up into the air and away.

Kitty and Rogue looked at one another then broke out into giggles again while Scott went inside to the danger room, determined to get in some training for himself at least. Evan scowled and went to the TV room, determined to get some of his anger out via some video games.

Kurt teleported into his room having had enough of being around the other kids, well except for Rogue, she was the only one who really understood and commiserated. All the others knew who their parents were, and none of them could see how this affected him. He hadn't really thought about who his real parents were in a long time, being more than happy with the gypsies who raised him. They hadn't showered him with physical affection, but they had raised him well, helped him and never judged him because of his appearance and if he had any problems growing up they were always there for him.

This whole thing with the mystery woman carrying him away from a castle as a baby had torn open a wound he hadn't even known he had. Now he was filled with questions, questions about who his parents really were, why they abandoned him, who was the woman, was she his mother, why was she running away from that castle Rogue saw? And the sudden desire, his need to answer those questions a sort of slap to his adopted parents? He didn't want to replace them, he knew they loved him, but he needed to know where he came from.

So many questions were going through his head he couldn't really concentrate on anything else, and it wasn't helped by the others just banging on about it, bringing it up all the time yet not contributing anything except to reiterate what was already known.

He suddenly stopped, seeing a letter of some kind on his bed that hadn't been there when he left this morning. Hesitantly he, thinking this might be a prank from Harry (though Harry hadn't had much time for elaborate pranks for a while) he grabbed it off his bed and opened it, then bamfed away swiftly to the far corner of his room. When nothing happened he picked it up again and opened it. After a moment he set it down, eyes looking at nothing for a moment as he contemplated what it said.

.

OOOOOOOOO

Later that evening Kurt snuck out of the mansion and made his way as sneakily as he could to the empty construction area on the outskirts of Bayville where a new mall was being built.

He waited in silence, hiding until about five minutes before the designated meeting time. It was full night by that time and he moved silently into the shell that had already been constructed, moving toward the center of the mall where the roof was open to the sky above.

He waited there, standing just outside the light coming from the nighttime sky above, and after a few seconds another person appeared at the far edge and moved into the light. It seemed to wait there, and Kurt, gulping in trepidation moved forward as well. "A-Are you her?" he said almost trembling, "The woman from Rogue's dream? W-what is your connection to me? Are, are you my mother?"

"I am," the voice said, and Kurt stiffened in shock, recognizing it from several battles, though the sorrowful, melancholic tone was new. "But it isn't that simple is it?"

"Mystique," he growled jumping backwards to give him some room to maneuver, his hands outstretched and ready. "What are you doing here!"

Mystique pulled back her hood and looked at him smiling sadly. "I already answered that, I'm your mother, or at least the woman who gave birth to you."

"You're lying!" he said angrily, shaking his head in denial.

Mystique shook her head. "No I'm not, for once. You can't tell you don't see how alike we look. Your eyes, your coloration, the shape of your face," she muttered, moving slowly toward him, her eyes on his face. "You can't tell me you can't see the resemblance there?"

Kurt frowned. That is true he reflected calmly, or as calmly as he could under the circumstances. But it is as welcome a thought as the idea of being related to a serpent. While Mystique had mellowed out in the past month or so, the way she had treated Rogue and tried to use her against the rest of the X-Men, as well as her leadership of the Brotherhood made her very suspect in his eyes. "Do you have any proof?" he said almost desperately.

"What would you like me to say!" she said waving her arms in the air. This was not getting isn't any easier, but then she hadn't thought it would be. "What do you want to hear? I remember giving birth to you! I remember you used to wet your crib all the time, and giggle when I had to come in and clean it. Or how about how you were a biter even before you had teeth, always gumming things especially when I was fee…"

"None of that!" he shouted waving his hands and blushing heavily. There were just some things that no grown man wanted to know about their early years. Then he frowned. "Fine so maybe you are my mother, who was my father?"

"Pray you never find" out she said, her voice having gone from somewhat humorous to hard and angry as she stared up at him with hard eyes. "Don't go searching for him, trust me on this, you're not ready now, and you may never be. And if he ever comes looking for you somehow, keep that Potter man around." He mentioned having a thing about demons after all she thought to himself.

Her dalliance with Azazel while she was in Germany and away from Irene for the first time in years was one of her biggest regrets in life. He had seemed so debonair, so enchanting, but when you learned to look past that face, you found something very different underneath. And it was only with Irene's ability to see what would happen if she stayed that she found out what he truly was and escaped from him.

Kurt frowned a little at that but shrugged, seeing the real anger and even a little bit of fear in her eyes, wondering what kind of man could cause such a reaction in a woman like Mystique. This wasn't going anything like he expected this meeting to go, and it left him bereft of direction for a moment. "So, so what do we do now?"

"Well," Mystique answered thoughtfully, "do you have any questions you want to ask me other than about your father? I won't answer those until you're older and can take care of yourself better. And before you ask I'm including the X-Men and the Brotherhood in that. You kids are good, for kids, but you're not quite ready for the big leagues."

Kurt huffed a little at that but then nodded. Harry still handed the entire team their heads on a daily basis both by himself and in the tactical exercises he created. Even with Rogue's juggernaut given strength and all of their new abilities they still couldn't beat him, and they had a lot of trouble with Storm too when she joined him. Though it might change once Jean came back he thought happily. "Well, I guess I do have a few questions I guess."

Mystique nodded and motioned him to continue but suddenly Pietro zoomed out of the darkness clipping Kurt upside the head with a punch. The blow made Kurt cry out and fall to his knees, but he didn't stay there long, his training under Harry coming to the fore as he bamfed away immediately. He touched down a few feet away, his eyes wide and angry. "You tricked me you bitch!"

Mystique yelled out angrily. "No! I, I had nothing to do with this, Pietro what the hell are you doing here! This is, you're not supposed to be here!"

Toad's tongue came out of the dark to grab Kurt's hand, stalling him when he tried to teleport away, letting Fred's massive ham handed fist catch him in the side of his chest and smash him to the floor with a cry of pain. Lance and Pietro moved out of the dark, one arrogant the other cautious but it was Pietro who answered Mystique's shouted query. "Sorry boss lady, but we're under orders from higher now."

Pietro suddenly gasped as two hands solidified around his feet, grabbing his ankles and pulling him down into the ground. "What the hell!"

Kitty rose out of the ground as a beam of red shot out from the side of the construction area to slam into Fred who grunted in pain but didn't move, simply wincing in pain. "Hey speedy, remember you mess with one X-man you mess with us all!"

"You, you bitch, get me out of here!" Pietro yelled, the feeling of his legs fused into the ground freaking him out immensely.

Kitty ignored him and her own jitters, only dropping a stone with a hold rune inscribed on it next to him, just in case.

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