Chapter 02
Phoenix stretched as she woke up. It had been about a month after the U.N. meeting. Their decision? Hold off on a _real_ decision until more research could be done. She was sure she wasn't the only mutant who had gotten increasingly nervous in recent weeks. She was even more so since she knew she her responses from the schools should be in anytime.
She climbed out of bed and padded down the hall, silently moving down the stairs. She headed towards the kitchen but stopped when she heard her parents talking. "What about the New England Academy of Magic?" Maria asked.
Phoenix heard a shuffling of papers and her father's deep voice read, "'We regret to inform you that you do not meet the qualifications necessary to be a student at New England Academy of Magic, blah-freakin'-blah.' They're all the same, Maria. The magical community pretends to be independent of the rest of the world but you know as well as I do that they're waiting for the U.N.'s reaction on mutants."
"So what are we going to do? Jason, you've heard her talk about it, she's been so excited about going to magic school!"
"I know," he admitted quietly. She heard the papers move again. "Californian Institute, Midwest School, Northcrest, hell, even Central Canadian!"
Maria snorted. "I don't think she would have fit in there well anyway."
"That's not the point, babe! These are the four we've gotten today! I already have the three others in my office at work. She was turned down from every single school of magic she applied to, meaning every single school of magic in the English-speaking North America!"
"So what are we going to do?" Maria asked, sounding defeated. "I can't tell her, not after everything I did to ensure her she'd be able to get into magic school."
She heard her dad drop his pen and could picture him picking it back up and dancing it over his fingers, a nervous habit she'd developed as well. "There's one last option...."
"Which would be?"
"Fudge owes me a favor...and Dumbledore has a reputation for letting in students other schools refuse-"
"Jason, you can't be serious! I want her to go to magic school too but Britain? Hogwarts is transatlantic, not a few hours away!"
"If you really want her to go to magic school, do you really see any other choice?" Jason asked.
Maria sighed. "I guess not."
"Look, don't tell Phoenix until we get it all hashed out. I'll try to get a hold of Cornelius today and see if we can't do a little bending where the Continental School District Act is concerned."
Phoenix heard his chair slide out as he stood and quickly ran back to the living room, sitting on the couch. A few minutes later, her dad passed the door, on his way out. "Hey, kiddo, I didn't know you were up," he said affectionately.
She nodded. "Yup."
"Big day today?" he asked, fixing his cloak.
She laughed a little. "You know it. Vegging, maybe reading and helping Mom with Dylan. Wild plans."
"Heh, don't I know it," he said, kissing her cheek. "I'll see you later. Love you."
"Love you too, Dad," she returned and he Disapparated.
*******************************************
"Professor, your two o'clock is here," Professor Charles Xavier's secretary's voice said through the intercom on his desk. Xavier had known the information already, of course, but he chose to do things the traditional way to avoid suspicions.
"Send him in, please," he said. A few minutes later, the door opened and a tall, broad-shouldered man walked in. His dark brown hair was touched with gray at the temples and his dark green eyes were weary and intense. A long black cloak covered his body from his neck to his heavy black boots. "Ah, Mr. Hart. I'm honored to meet you."
"Likewise," Jason said, shaking his hand.
"Have a seat," Xavier said, gesturing to a chair in front of his desk.
"Thank you." When he sat, Xavier noticed the dark blue button-up shirt tucked into black dress pants under the cloak. "So....that was a nice ten seconds of pleasantries. I'm guessing you know why I'm here."
"You're daughter's a mutant, correct? And you think that's why she can't get into a magic school in the United States?"
"I _know_ that's why she hasn't been accepted," Jason said firmly. "There's no other reason. And no, I'm not a parent blind to my child's faults. I've been keeping a close eye on her."
"Of course. A Minister of Magic would have to have his child in a magic school."
"That's not why I'm doing it," Jason said, his eyes telling the Professor that he meant everything he said. "My wife and my children mean more to me than anything and my daughter has had her heart set on magic school for years. There is absolutely no reason why she shouldn't be able to go. She has a better control on her mutation than anyone I've ever come into contact with or heard about."
"I understand," Xavier said patiently. "I'm assuming Mr. Fudge told you about my operation?"
"Yes."
"You understand that currently we're only accepting academically outstanding students at this point? While Dumbledore and I would love nothing more than to get all mutant magical children into school, our hands our tied by the International laws of the wizarding world."
"Which is why I brought these." Jason tossed a pack of papers onto Xavier's desk. "If you don't trust those copies, you're free to contact her schools and have them send you the files straight from their offices."
"I believe you're man of your word, Mr. Hart. You'd have to be to obtain such a position," he pointed out, studying Phoenix's records. "Hm....yes, I believe we'd be able to make room for your daughter."
Jason nodded. "I'd deeply appreciate it."
"I'll notify Dumbledore and he'll send you the information you need," Xavier said with a nod.
"So does that mean we're done?"
"It does. Thank you for coming, Minister."
"Thank you for having me," Jason said, shaking Xavier's hand again. "Excuse me, I think I'll take the short way out."
Jason Hart, the United States Minister of Magic, Disapparated from Xavier's office.
Phoenix stretched as she woke up. It had been about a month after the U.N. meeting. Their decision? Hold off on a _real_ decision until more research could be done. She was sure she wasn't the only mutant who had gotten increasingly nervous in recent weeks. She was even more so since she knew she her responses from the schools should be in anytime.
She climbed out of bed and padded down the hall, silently moving down the stairs. She headed towards the kitchen but stopped when she heard her parents talking. "What about the New England Academy of Magic?" Maria asked.
Phoenix heard a shuffling of papers and her father's deep voice read, "'We regret to inform you that you do not meet the qualifications necessary to be a student at New England Academy of Magic, blah-freakin'-blah.' They're all the same, Maria. The magical community pretends to be independent of the rest of the world but you know as well as I do that they're waiting for the U.N.'s reaction on mutants."
"So what are we going to do? Jason, you've heard her talk about it, she's been so excited about going to magic school!"
"I know," he admitted quietly. She heard the papers move again. "Californian Institute, Midwest School, Northcrest, hell, even Central Canadian!"
Maria snorted. "I don't think she would have fit in there well anyway."
"That's not the point, babe! These are the four we've gotten today! I already have the three others in my office at work. She was turned down from every single school of magic she applied to, meaning every single school of magic in the English-speaking North America!"
"So what are we going to do?" Maria asked, sounding defeated. "I can't tell her, not after everything I did to ensure her she'd be able to get into magic school."
She heard her dad drop his pen and could picture him picking it back up and dancing it over his fingers, a nervous habit she'd developed as well. "There's one last option...."
"Which would be?"
"Fudge owes me a favor...and Dumbledore has a reputation for letting in students other schools refuse-"
"Jason, you can't be serious! I want her to go to magic school too but Britain? Hogwarts is transatlantic, not a few hours away!"
"If you really want her to go to magic school, do you really see any other choice?" Jason asked.
Maria sighed. "I guess not."
"Look, don't tell Phoenix until we get it all hashed out. I'll try to get a hold of Cornelius today and see if we can't do a little bending where the Continental School District Act is concerned."
Phoenix heard his chair slide out as he stood and quickly ran back to the living room, sitting on the couch. A few minutes later, her dad passed the door, on his way out. "Hey, kiddo, I didn't know you were up," he said affectionately.
She nodded. "Yup."
"Big day today?" he asked, fixing his cloak.
She laughed a little. "You know it. Vegging, maybe reading and helping Mom with Dylan. Wild plans."
"Heh, don't I know it," he said, kissing her cheek. "I'll see you later. Love you."
"Love you too, Dad," she returned and he Disapparated.
*******************************************
"Professor, your two o'clock is here," Professor Charles Xavier's secretary's voice said through the intercom on his desk. Xavier had known the information already, of course, but he chose to do things the traditional way to avoid suspicions.
"Send him in, please," he said. A few minutes later, the door opened and a tall, broad-shouldered man walked in. His dark brown hair was touched with gray at the temples and his dark green eyes were weary and intense. A long black cloak covered his body from his neck to his heavy black boots. "Ah, Mr. Hart. I'm honored to meet you."
"Likewise," Jason said, shaking his hand.
"Have a seat," Xavier said, gesturing to a chair in front of his desk.
"Thank you." When he sat, Xavier noticed the dark blue button-up shirt tucked into black dress pants under the cloak. "So....that was a nice ten seconds of pleasantries. I'm guessing you know why I'm here."
"You're daughter's a mutant, correct? And you think that's why she can't get into a magic school in the United States?"
"I _know_ that's why she hasn't been accepted," Jason said firmly. "There's no other reason. And no, I'm not a parent blind to my child's faults. I've been keeping a close eye on her."
"Of course. A Minister of Magic would have to have his child in a magic school."
"That's not why I'm doing it," Jason said, his eyes telling the Professor that he meant everything he said. "My wife and my children mean more to me than anything and my daughter has had her heart set on magic school for years. There is absolutely no reason why she shouldn't be able to go. She has a better control on her mutation than anyone I've ever come into contact with or heard about."
"I understand," Xavier said patiently. "I'm assuming Mr. Fudge told you about my operation?"
"Yes."
"You understand that currently we're only accepting academically outstanding students at this point? While Dumbledore and I would love nothing more than to get all mutant magical children into school, our hands our tied by the International laws of the wizarding world."
"Which is why I brought these." Jason tossed a pack of papers onto Xavier's desk. "If you don't trust those copies, you're free to contact her schools and have them send you the files straight from their offices."
"I believe you're man of your word, Mr. Hart. You'd have to be to obtain such a position," he pointed out, studying Phoenix's records. "Hm....yes, I believe we'd be able to make room for your daughter."
Jason nodded. "I'd deeply appreciate it."
"I'll notify Dumbledore and he'll send you the information you need," Xavier said with a nod.
"So does that mean we're done?"
"It does. Thank you for coming, Minister."
"Thank you for having me," Jason said, shaking Xavier's hand again. "Excuse me, I think I'll take the short way out."
Jason Hart, the United States Minister of Magic, Disapparated from Xavier's office.