AN: Thanks to all that have reviewed so far! I hope that most of your questions are answered in this chapter, for a couple of them, it will have to wait until chapter 4. There are only 5 parts to this story, so it's relatively short.

Part 3

Remy was glad to finally get home. While it had been nice to be in Italy, there was something about upstate New York that had grown on him. Of course, nothing could beat New Orleans, since there was nothing like a stroll through the French Quarter that made him nostalgic.

He was also glad to get away from Jubilee, who was trying to get him back with Rogue. The younger woman was too bubbly for him - like an extra-fizzy champagne as it went up your nose. Besides, he really didn't want to be cooped up in the catacombs beneath Rome when it was early fall, because they were musty. Plus, the sun had glinted off the Mediterranean Sea when they had flown over, giving the water a serene aqua color that made him, surprisingly, think of his new friend's eyes.

"Hey, Gambit!" Jubilee shouted as she stepped out of the X-Wing. "Maybe we could go see Rogue now!"

"Actually, he promised to spend some time with me before I left," came a British voice behind Remy.

He turned to find a much healthier Harry standing in the October sun. The younger man looked his age, instead of the world-weary man from a month ago. He was also surrounded by a bevy of rugrats, one of which was settled on his hip. They were the littlest of the students, ranging from three to six - the ones left at an orphanage or outright abandoned on the streets because of their powers.

"Hello, mon ami," Remy greeted. He swung his bag over his shoulder and turned as Harry began walking toward the school. "Are you here for much longer?"

Harry shook his head. "A couple of days. Then I need to return to London for a bit."

"He got a letter from an owl!" the little girl in Harry's arms volunteered. "It was pretty and white and Harry let us pet it!"

Remy raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "An owl?"

Harry grinned. "My owl, Hedwig. She was my first ever birthday present, and I got it from a half-giant."

The children giggled, with several of them calling out, "Hagrid!"

He looked at the green-eyed man with suspicion. "A half-giant."

"Yes." Harry's grin widened. "His father was human, but his mother was a giant. Hagrid's about nine feet tall, while his half-brother, Grawp, is a good twenty feet tall. Mind you that Grawp's considered a runt in the giant community."

Remy laughed but quickly stopped when he saw that Harry was serious.

They entered the building and Harry sent the children off to their next class. When they were down the hall, Harry guided Remy into one of the parlors used for the children to talk to their parents.

"Would you like to go with me? At least for a week?"

Remy stepped back in surprise. He blinked a couple of times before he focused on Harry. He saw that his friend wore a hopeful look on his face even as the rest of his body seemed tense. "Me?"

Harry shrugged. "Why not you? Charles was telling me that you've spent some time in London, and I need someone familiar with the city. Plus, you were the first person I met here."

His eyes widened at Harry's use of the professor's name. Many of those who had been X-Men for years didn't even use his last name. And while he was flattered at the invitation, Remy didn't think he could accept.

It was amazing how long seven days could feel. That was how long since Harry had left, and Remy was regretting turning down his invite to go to London. Harry may not have been around for very long, but he had made such an impact on everyone that the entire school seemed to be as depressed as he was.

The last day that Harry had been here, several of the adults had thrown him a small party. Remy knew most of them only wanted an excuse to drink alcohol, but there were a few who had grown genuinely fond of the green-eyed man with the fantastical stories. Remy had found himself missing the young man before the party had ended, when Harry had brought out his last bottle of firewhiskey. It wasn't because of the alcohol - no, he was never going to ever touch the stuff - but because he had formed a camaraderie with the younger man that he'd only ever felt with his adoptive father.

He felt strange, missing a person that he hadn't known for very long. Remy hadn't ever felt a connection like this in his life, having taken years to develop trust with even those closest to him. And then this strange young man suddenly appears in his life, and it's as if they had grown up together. There was an odd connection between them, as if they'd both grown up under difficult situations. As much as Remy had hated running around the streets of 'Nawlins,' he'd found a family that would accept him for as he was. It felt like that with Harry, despite never knowing his history.

Added to that, Remy had the feeling that Harry was much more powerful than he presented. It was only a feeling, but it seemed as if the younger man was constantly - and consciously - holding back his power.

The only time he'd ever felt anything like it was when he was a child. He'd wandered off into a dark alley, only to emerge in a strange street that was from another century. Remy hadn't been there very long before he was hustled back into the alley, but the man who had done so had felt like this. That man had been older, and the one thing that he could remember about him was that he'd had a long beard, white mixed with a dark brown.

He wasn't the only one who was attached to Harry. The children that he had taught had wanted to go with Harry. Even now, Remy suspected they were plotting to hunt down their new teacher.

Here he was, sitting in one of the Saturday-abandoned classrooms, looking out the window at the trees as they lost their leaves in droves. The wind scattered them about, and every once in a while there was a little dance of the red, gold, and green foliage that was if choreographed. The weather had been like this since Harry had left, making Remy a little more depressed than he would have been if the sun had been shining.

Something white flew into his line of sight, and Remy was startled to find a white owl flying towards him. It hovered in front of the window and blinked at him with amber eyes. He cautiously opened the window, hoping that this really was Harry's owl and not one of Beast's crazy experiments. He then saw a heavy, cream-colored paper with an old-fashioned wax seal.

There was a stylized 'P' embedded in the red wax, with a lightning bolt behind it, reminiscent of the faded scar on Harry's forehead. The paper itself was a strange texture, and really didn't feel like paper at all. The letter was, however, imbued with the essence that was Harry.

Dear Remy,
My business here in London is almost wrapped up, but I won't be coming back just yet. I will
be going up to Scotland for a couple of weeks to help one of my professors. Several parts of
the school are unusable at the moment, and she is afraid that some of the more curious
students will try to explore them. I estimate that it will take three to four week for all of us to
do the repairs.
Please let Charles know that I have sent him a letter as well with another owl. I suspect,
though, that Hedwig will be much faster.
Also, please give Hedwig some water? She is able to find her own food, but I don't trust most
water sources this side of the Atlantic.
Harry
PS If you find yourself in need to contact me, all you have to do is find an owl and tell it that
you need to send a letter to me.

The gloomy weather suddenly seemed more palatable with the letter. He hurried to get the hovering owl a bowl of water and went off to his rooms, thinking that he didn't need the sun to make his day complete.