A/N: Hello everyone! I would like to thank everyone for following, favoriting, and reviewing the story. Now here's a special announcement: Archdruid89 and I are working on a collaboration story called Doctor Who: Out of the Aether, which is a companion story to this one. It explores one of the adventures that Nathan and Rachael Summers go on with the Fourth Doctor, and it takes place in the Wizarding World alongside our OC character Lara Oz. The first chapter is posted and we would like to encourage you to check it out, especially if you are a fan of Doctor Who. Anyways, back to the story!

Chapter 15

Albus Dumbledore read over the replies of the parents of the Hogwarts students at Xavier's and took a sigh of relief. Luckily the letters got to the parents just in time. The replies were positive despite the 'delay' of informing them. The 'delay' being the troubles faced by the Ministry. Dumbledore took advantage of the trouble and a healthy dose of reassurance from himself and Xavier made sure the students' parents would not need to worry about their children's safety. Overall, the "foreign exchange program" was successful despite being so hasty.

The possibility of the students coming back to Hogwarts sooner than expected was certainly good news. With Umbridge's mind being wiped by Xavier, she immediately withdrew her "forces" from Hogwarts. Still, the students would remain at Xavier's until the X-Men have dealt with the Sentinels Xavier mentioned in his message to Dumbledore. The headmaster agreed with his friend that Umbridge and her assistant needed to be watched.

Dumbledore looked up from his desk with an odd feeling. He couldn't put his figure on it, but he felt like someone was watching him. A dark presence, just out of perception, observed the headmaster keenly. The Shadow King was careful not to expose himself though and quickly left the office. While Dumbledore was not telepathic, the ghostly figure knew that the wizard was powerful and possibly had other means of detecting him.

The Shadow King had learned much while he observed the school grounds. This was quite fitting, considering the purpose of schools. Among the most important things he learned was the history of the school, including the artifacts of the founders. This was information very useful for his master, Apocalypse. As the wraith wandered through the hallway, he noticed a couple of the ghosts moving about the corridor. One of the ghosts was Helena Ravenclaw. This gave the Shadow King an idea.

Later in the night in a small London flat, Maline Serras felt trapped. Her clothes were ripped. Her body was bruised and battered. She was absolutely terrified. As she laid face down on the ground, Maline felt a hot breath on the back of her neck. Then an icy cold, predatory voice whispered in her ear:

"I want to hear you scream."

Maline's eyes snapped open as she screamed at the top of her lungs. Soon she was curled up in a ball in her bed and cried. It was that damn nightmare again. It made her feel so powerless and she had nothing but complete hatred of that feral mutant beast that attacked her last year.

She had been going to her flat after work that day, and she didn't pay mind to the huge, blonde-haired creature in the shadows. Remembering made her shudder. She defended herself, but to no avail. She even used the Cruciatus Curse on the brute. All it did was make him mad. If it weren't for two of her fellow co-workers from the Ministry finding her, she would have died on the street. After she had stopped sobbing, Maline laid back down and tried to calm herself.

"No more..." she said to herself.

Once the Sentinels are up and running, no witch or wizard will ever be attacked by a mutant again. Even though her superior, Dolores Umbridge, had unexpectedly changed her mind on occupying Hogwarts, her plan for the Sentinels was still ago. While Maline was indifferent toward Muggles, she did appreciate the fact they knew how to make weapons for any situation. That was something sorely lacking in the Wizarding World. The magic folk may have their Unforgivable Curses, but Muggles could destroy the entire world with the press of a button.

Either way, it was going to be a long night for Maline Sarras.

During the dawn hours across the Atlantic, Cain Marko was up bright and early to begin the day's work as the groundskeeper at Xavier's. Being a giant of a man, his cup of coffee with vanilla creamer matched. As he enjoyed his coffee, the former Juggernaut observed a new floral arrangement in the training yard. It was well done, with the flowers arranged in rings and with each ring having a different, vibrant color. Once more, the flowers were still alive and planted in the ground. This impressed Cain and figured he would have a word with his stepbrother before starting. Of course, that's when he nearly tripped in the depression made by Seamus a couple of days ago.

"Damn it!" Cain said as his coffee split on his shirt.

That was going to be another thing he was going to discuss with his stepbrother. Cain took pride in his work on the grounds, and he disliked it when the students damaged the yard. To be fair it was the training yard, so he didn't get too upset. Still, he would like for the students to "clean up" after their training. Either way, he would keep his temper in check because the new kids were still getting used to being here and probably weren't informed of the 'clean up' part of the training. Especially since Gambit was a bit lax on the rules anyhow.

When Cain entered the mansion he was greeted by Xavier.

"Good morning Cain, hope you are doing well," Xavier said as he wheeled himself out of the elevator.

"Mornin' Charlie. I'm about to get started for the day. I've got two weeks left before the contest," Cain replied happily as he followed his stepbrother into the kitchen.

"You must be very excited about it, and I'm sure Ororo will help you out as well. Would you like to have some more coffee?" Xavier asked Cain.

"Sure, I split mine when I nearly tripped in a hole in the training yard," Cain said as he handed his cup to the professor.

"I'll be sure to have a word with the students, and I'll remind Remy too," Xavier said with a chuckle as he handed a filled cup of coffee to Cain.

"Thanks, Charlie. By the way, speaking of help. I know that one of the students can control plants, and was wondering if I could recruit him. I figured it would give him a chance to hone his powers," Cain asked and then took a sip of coffee.

"That would be an excellent idea, and I'm sure Neville wouldn't mind at all. Just be sure not to be too harsh on him though, Cain. He tends to scare easily," Xavier explained.

"Sure thing Charlie. Seeing the kid's flower rings outside, I think he's got a good grip on gardening," Cain said, reassuring his stepbrother.

"I will let Neville know after the morning class with Agatha," Xavier said cheerfully.

In one of the converted sitting rooms, Agatha was at work teaching the Hogwarts students a lesson in Transfiguration, specifically the Colour Change Charm. Scott and Jean were asked by Xavier to observe the lesson. That way the X-Men could better deploy the students and their magic use if they were ever needed on a mission. The object of the lesson was to turn a small stone from grey to red.

Most of the students were in their fourth year, so Agatha asked Cedric, being a sixth-year student, to perform the charm as she explained the charm.

"Now, notice how Cedric holds the wand. You want to ensure a lightly firm grip on your wands, as when you do the twirl in the hand movement, a rigid grip will make this motion rough. A good and smooth flowing movement is an absolute must if you want to perform this charm. Cedric, if you will," Agatha lectured.

Cedric, following Agatha's instruction to a tee, performed the spell.

"Colovaria!"

The stone changed color instantly from grey to red.

"Alright, thank you, Cedric. Now, before I turn you loose with stones, I want to make sure that all of you can pronounce the incantation correctly. So, all together now," Agatha directed.

"Colovaria," chanted the fourth-year students.

"Once more."

"Colovaria."

"Good, good. Now, time for practice," Agatha said.

With a flick of her wrist, several stones appeared in front of the students. Agatha carefully observed the students as they practiced. Many of the students seem to be getting the hang of it, though Neville and Susan seem to be having a little trouble. Agatha observed that Neville had too firm of a grip on his wand, but Susan's trouble seemed to be a bit more obscured.

"How's it going, Neville?" Agatha asked, she figured that she would tackle the easier of the two first.

"I'm a little puzzled, but I think I can get the hang of it. Eventually," Neville said, a little defeated.

"Don't be too hard on yourself. Try loosening your grip a touch, and give it another try," Agatha instructed.

Neville loosened his grip, and once more attempted the charm. This time, he was successful.

"You've got it," Agatha said cheerfully and gave Neville a boost in confidence.

Now came Susan. She was performing motion correctly, and her pronunciation was correct. As well as her grip on her wand. There just seemed that something was off. The poor girl was getting frustrated too.

"Why won't this work?" Susan asked herself.

"Take it easy Susan. Now, start over," Agatha said calmly.

Susan tried once more but to no avail. However, being able to observe more closely however revealed a clue. When Susan performed the motion, the air flickered a little, similar to how air would come off of a road on a hot summer day.

"Hmm. I think your powers could be interfering with the spell," Agatha said, noting Susan's ability to absorb energy.

"Great," Susan said, upset that her powers were now getting in the way of her magic.

"Try releasing your energy as you do the spell," Agatha requested.

Susan did just that as she performed the charm one more. This time, the stone turned red.

"Ah. In the future, Susan, when performing a spell be sure to release the energy as you do so," Agatha suggested.

Susan was mostly relieved, but it still miffed her that her mutant abilities would interfere with her magic usage.

At the end of class, Neville was feeling fairly good about himself. The smaller class size and more direct assistance from Agatha were very helpful in learning his ability. That was when Xavier approached him.

"Hello Neville, how are you doing?" Xavier greeted.

"I'm doing alright Professor. Is there anything wrong?" Neville, a little nervous.

"Not at all, but I was wondering if you would like to assist my stepbrother, Cain. He's the groundskeeper here at the school, and he thought that by assisting him would allow you to hone your abilities," Xavier asked.

Neville gave it some thought, and it would give him an opportunity to work with plants.

"Sure thing, Professor," Neville answered.

"Alright then, you can find Cain is outside near the rock gardens," Xavier told Neville.

Neville set out to meet with Cain to get started. Soon, Neville met the giant of a man.

"Howdy, I'm Cain and I noticed your flower arrangement over there," Cain said, shaking Neville's hand.

"Y-yes sir," Neville, slightly intimidated by Cain.

"I think you did a good job and was hoping you'd like to make a few more," Cain said with a grin.

"Uh, sure thing," Neville responded and soon followed the former Juggernaut to one of the areas needing an arrangement.

Meanwhile, three of the students were in the Blackbird's hanger to start their first flying lesson with Scott. Harry, Hermione, and Ron looked upon the second Blackbird with a mix of excitement and nervousness. So when Scott offered to give flying lessons to any of the new students, the trio accepted. Though it was mostly Harry and Ron who were the most eager, while Hermione tagged along after much convincing.

By this point they had all flown in the first Blackbird, the jet still impressed them nonetheless. The thought that they would get to fly the second jet was daunting to all three of them. The difference between the second Blackbird and the first was that its wings were shorter. It was dark blue rather than solid black. Scott assured them that both Blackbirds performed more or less the same, and thus wouldn't be a problem

"For starters, this is going to be a classroom lesson today," Scott reassured them, seeing that they were all a bit nervous.

There was a little disappointment on Ron and Harry's part. Hermione was intrigued. So far, a lot of the classes and training at Xavier's was hands-on. So to have a class in a classroom setting was a welcomed change of pace for the young witch.

"So, what will our first lesson entail?" Hermione asked excitedly.

"Today, we will start with aviation basics," Scott said as he pulled out a chalkboard and drew out a typical aerodynamics diagram.

"So, based on what Harry has told me, you all have flown on broomsticks. While there is magic involved, the forces at work when flying are the same as they are when flying an aircraft. You have lift, thrust, drag, and gravity. Granted I haven't flown a broom, but I'm betting that if you wanted to increase altitude, you would pull back on the broom handle. Right?" Scott lectured.

"Yes," Ron said, starting to piece together where Scott was headed with this.

"Pilots do the same thing in a plane. They pull back the yoke or control stick, and this makes the ailerons and elevators go up, which makes the plane pitch its nose upwards. In a helicopter, it's a bit different…"

Scott continued. Surprisingly, Scott's lesson wasn't the cut and dry lecture Ron and Harry were expecting. Scott was very dynamic as he taught, drawing out on the chalkboard to give them a visual reference of what he talked about. He even showed them around the Blackbird to point out the different parts of a plane and explained their function. Before too long came the end of the lesson.

"Alright, we'll start on the second lesson next week, and I would like for you to review what you have learned today. I don't want to overload you starting out," Scott finished as he led them back upstairs.

After classes and training, the students set about making the most of their evening. Kurt and Ginny spent it playing the newly released Donkey Kong Country game on the Super Nintendo. It had just come in the mail, and both teens had been eagerly awaiting it. Ginny had taken up gaming very well and surprised Kurt with how quick she learned. They were currently playing team mode on the first level.

"So far, this game is brilliant," Ginny said as she played as D.K.

"Ja, thoze graphics are almost realistic," Kurt replied. He was playing as Diddy Kong.

"How do Muggles make video games, Kurt?' Ginny asked, as her curiosity flared.

"Vell, there's a lot that goez into a video game, but I do have a book you can borrow that is about how games are made if you would like to read it," Kirt responded.

"I would like to, thanks," Ginny said, a small bit of pink glowing on her cheeks.

Kurt noticed, and he too blushed a little. Though it was harder to notice due to his fur. That's when the sound from the first Blackbird thundered, interrupting the tender moment.

Harry was busy with his homework from Beast's science class when he heard a knock on the door. Harry looked and called out.

"Come in."

Jean entered his room.

"Harry, can I borrow you for a moment please?" Jean asked in a friendly manner.

"Sure thing," Harry quickly went with her to the lower levels.

Once they entered the hanger, Scott stood there waiting for them. Then, Harry noticed the first Blackbird and down the landing ramp walked a familiar figure.

"Sirius!" Harry cried out and quickly rushed over to his godfather.

"Harry, it's good to see you!" Sirius answered as he hugged Harry.

Scott and Jean silently observed the two, both smiling. The reunion between Harry and Sirius was a good omen and seem to be the vanguard of things to come.