The Evolution of Silver
Disclaimer: I don't own harry Potter or X-Men. All recognisable characters, content or locations belong to their respective owners. No copyright infringement intended.
Summary: After her brother outs her as a mutant, Primrose Potter reluctantly matriculates at the Xavier Institute. There, new friends, new adventures, and new problems are abound. Meanwhile, Voldemort's power grows in the shadows, and unfortunately, the Dark Lord is not content to let sleeping dogs lie. Extreme AU. OOC.
Rating: M for language, violence, adult themes, and character death.
Author: tlyxor1.
Author's Note: A strange blend of the X-Men movies, and the X-Men: Evolution cartoon. Or, alternatively, my own head canon. Let's just go with that…
The Evolution of Silver
Chapter One: The Institute
With a disconsolate sigh, Primrose Potter dropped her head against the car window, brushed tear tracks from her cheeks, and tried to focus on the scenery that passed her by. It blurred into fleeting memory; of city, then suburbia, and afterwards, the empty planes along an endless highway. They'd turned off a while ago, and still, she saw, but she wouldn't remember.
Prim had never been to the United States before, but in the driver's seat, James Potter navigated the streets and roads of North Salem, New York, with the ease of one very well-accustomed to his surroundings. He and Prim's mother, Lily, had visited frequently over the years, and although Primrose had been invited to accompany them often, she had never thought she actually would.
'How things changed,' she thought bitterly, and the truth was bitter on her tongue.
"I think you'll like the Xavier Institute," Lily said, and Prim idly wondered about whom she was trying to convince, "It's a very lovely place."
To her right, Thomas choked, swallowed hard, and dug his fingers into the hair at the back of his scalp. The guilt was eating him alive, it seemed, and yet, Primrose didn't think she'd ever be able to forgive him. He'd ruined her life with his misplaced envy, and Prim was suddenly left with the monumental effort of starting over in a society and culture far from the one she'd always known.
With that in mind, she hoped he'd choke on his regret.
"It's not Hogwarts though," Prim answered, and after that, conversation fell flat. Thomas cried, and Lily did too, but Prim was all out of tears, and moreover, she knew better than to leave a poor first impression. Thus, she cleaned herself up as best she could, concealed any trace of her tears, and watched, expression impassive, as her father pulled up at the Xavier Institute.
The building was a refurbished mansion owned by Professor Charles Xavier: headmaster, scholar, and an internationally renowned telepath. It was also considerably crowded with the rush of parents, returning students, and the obligatory start of term chaos. Despite herself, Prim couldn't help but stare.
"It's not always like this," James Potter assured her quietly, his hand on her shoulder a welcome comfort, "Things will settle down after everyone leaves."
Prim nodded, firmed her resolve, and shouldered her messenger bag. Her duffel followed suit, but Thomas reached for her suitcase before his sister could, and Prim didn't bother fighting him over it. Mostly, it was because she hadn't said a word to him since their massive, blow out fight at the end of June, but also, Prim knew a lost cause when she saw one, and Tom was determined to help.
In Prim's mind, it was too little, too late, but she wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth.
"We'll have to check you in," Lily determined, "Then we'll be able to retrieve your dorm allocation, and get you settled as well."
"Alright," she acknowledged, inexplicably weary, "Lead the way."
A few minutes later, Prim had been introduced to a white haired woman by the name of Ororo Monroe. She checked her in, and assigned Prim a room, and then proceeded to babble off a laundry list of rules and regulations the girl promptly forgot. Afterwards though, she and her family found their way to the dorm she'd been allocated, and Prim slumped where she stood, already eager for her day to be over.
It was fairly simple: cream walls, darkly polished floorboards, and two sets of dormitory furniture. Half the dorm already appeared lived in, with photos and posters pinned up over the bed, with books haphazardly stacked on one of the study desks and it's accompanying shelves, and clothes carelessly stuffed into a standing wardrobe. The other half, however, was a blank slate, and that was where Prim migrated, thoughts already on her bed, and particularly, the temptation of a long, undisturbed night of sleep.
It had been a long few days.
Behind her, James clapped his hands together, and mustered up a smile that wasn't entirely forced. "Well, how does a tour sound?"
Prim shrugged sullenly, and replied, "What else is there to do?"
In silence, she followed James and Lily through the corridors, and behind her, Tom brought up the rear. All the while, the twins' parents pointed out public rooms and interesting landmarks, and Prim quickly determined that her parents had visited more than they'd let on. They couldn't have known the place so well, otherwise, but she couldn't find it in herself to be bothered by their omission.
"What do you think?" Lily queried.
"It's nice," Tom said.
All three glanced at Prim, and in turn, she glared at the wall. The Xavier Institute might have been nice, but it wasn't Hogwarts, and neither was it home. She didn't have the heart to tell them she already hated it, however, and simply shrugged, followed them to the foyer, and watched as they signed themselves out.
"You're leaving, then?"
"Our flight leaves in three hours," Lily explained, and carefully carded her fingers through Prim's hair, "But you can call us whenever you like, and Prancer is still available to you. She'd be happy to pass on messages, I'm sure."
"Don't forget the mirror," James contributed, his voice uncharacteristically hoarse. He tugged Prim into a hug, pressed a fleeting kiss to her brow, and added, "Remember, we love you."
Primrose nodded, swallowed hard, and proceeded with the rest of her farewells.
"It's like Hogwarts all over again," Lily muttered, pressed their foreheads together, and offered Prim a watery smile. She moved before Prim's powers could kick in, and said, "I know you don't want to be here, but for now, it's where you're safest. Give it a chance? For me, if not for yourself?"
Primrose nodded wordlessly, and turned to her brother. He appeared indisputably awkward, his arms crossed over his chest, and his gaze on the floor. Prim didn't say a word, and she simply waited.
"I'm sorry," he rasped, and met Prim's green eyes with her own, "I know I ruined your life, and I'm so, so sorry. I'll spend the rest of my life trying to make it up to you, and I know it will never be enough."
Prim nodded tersely, swallowed hard, and looked away. She could remember a time when they'd been inseparable - before Hogwarts, before different houses and friends and interests - but she couldn't remember a time when she couldn't read him like a book. Tom's regret would destroy him, and no matter how angry she got with the idiot, he was still her brother.
She watched his retreating back, and swallowed hard. "Tommy?"
He turned slowly, and the tears streaking down his cheeks were unmistakeable. "Yeah, Posy?"
"Don't forget to kick Slytherin's arse, alright?"
Tom's smile was feeble. "I won't."
It wasn't much. It wouldn't immediately close the void their relationship had become, but it was a start - a truce - and for now, it was all the girl was willing to give. Her brother knew it, too, and he took it gratefully.
Beggars couldn't be choosers, after all.
Prim watched them leave, and when they were gone, she retreated to her dormitory, made her bed, and proceeded to unpack her things. It was a relatively mindless chore, and before long, she was done, and her roommate still hadn't made an appearance.
If only to keep herself busy, and for lack of any desire to join the chaos below, Prim wished she had.
'If wishes were sickles,' she thought wryly, dropped into the chair by her study desk, and cast her gaze towards the single photograph of her closest - and loyalest - friends. Even after Tom's epic screw up, they'd stuck by her, though realistically, it was likely because they were all mutants, too.
Like drew like, and all.
It didn't change the fact all of her non-mutant friends had bailed on her. If it hadn't been because of their own prejudices, than it had been due to the overwhelming amount of peer pressure heaped their way, and most days, Prim vacillated between justifiable resentment and reluctant understanding.
The hurt, of course, was a constant companion.
She wondered if it would ever go away.
Author's Note: Hoping to continue this one. Eventually. I haven't decided the pairing, however, because I want to write so many different ones…