CHAPTER 8
Rose looked between the two women standing in her shop. This was definitely not good. Licking her lips she said, somewhat nervously, "Do you mind if I wait to answer your questions?" She gestured to the would be robber, "I'd like to take care of him first."
When Ororo nodded, she sighed and made her way to the back of the shop, where she grabbed a vial of mandrake restorative potion (She had learned to keep it on hand and her supply well stocked after accidentally petrifying Hermione at the beginning of her third year. Luckily Madame Pomfrey had potion left over from the year before.), and a length of rope.
Walking back to the main shop, Rose first took the money that had been in her cash register and put it on the counter, counting to make sure she had the right amount. She also pulled out the robbers wallet and took his money out, adding it to her own, before putting the wallet back. She then tied the robbers limbs together, specifically his legs in case she wasn't fast enough knocking him out. She then pried the gun from his hand, setting it on the counter alongside the money.
She then placed one hand around the robber's throat and began to pour the potion into his mouth, while chanting, "Gluttientes, gluttientes, gluttientes..."
Soon the robber jerked, as he tried to pull the trigger on a gun that wasn't there. And before he did anything else, Rose muttered, "Stupefy," and he collapsed to the floor unconscious. Removing the ropes, the witch retied them, making sure his limbs were firmly together and he would be unable to get away. She then put her hand to his forehead, and focused on the events from when she appeared before him to now and whispered, "Obliviate."
Standing up from her position next to the man, she said, "If one of you would call the police, I'll answer your questions."
Ororo gave Rose an assessing look. "I imagine it would be better if we called Professor Xavier at the institute first. He can make sure this man doesn't remember whatever it was you did to him."
Rose, for her part, was actually surprised, but said, "No problems, I already took care of it."
"Yah did," Rogue asked.
Rose smiled sadly, and wondered if she should rethink her decision to wipe their their memories after she answered their questions. If Xavier could wipe minds, they might already know about magic after all. It would depend on what they told her now though. "I cast a memory charm, wiping the events from his mind, but left him enough to know he tried robbing the place."
"Memory Charm?" Ororo asked. "You mean like magic?"
Damn, they didn't know. She'd have to wipe their mind then. Rose nodded. "I am a witch. A real spell casting, potion making, broom riding witch. It's how I make these products, combining potions with normal items I can sell to normals."
"Is that how you froze him?" Rouge asked. "A spell?"
Rose shook her head. "No, though it was magic, just not any magic other witches and wizards can reproduce."
"Other witches and wizards?" Ororo asked, now clearly intrigued.
Rose nodded. "A whole secret society of people living right alongside the normal world. Along with magical creatures. A few years ago, I was involved in an...indecent, with one such creature, and I almost died. In fact I would have if not for another creatures intervention. But the intervention affected my body, changing it into what it is now. I gained the ability to petrify, or even kill if I concentrate, with a glance. I can sense the general personality of a person. My skin became incredibly resilient, that bullet genius over there," she gestured to the robber, "shot at me didn't even penetrate my skin, and most spells simply flow off of it. My muscles became denser, my bone became lighter and hollow, but stronger at the same time. My canines can extend into fangs capable of injecting a poison deadlier than any you can imagine. My hair is actually feathers, and my senses of taste, sight, and smell became more enhanced. Not to mention my ability to flame anywhere I wish." She gave the two women a sympathetic look. "Of course none of this explanation matters."
"Why not?" Rogue demanded.
It was Ororo who answered. "Because she intends to wipe our memories like she did the robber's."
Rogue turned to Rose. "Do yah really plan to wipe our memories?" she demanded.
Rose nodded, "Yes. It's not like I have much of a choice. Magical law says that we can't reveal magic to any non-magicals unless they are family, already aware of magic, or at a certain level of government. I don't want to, but I have to."
"What gives yah the right ta do that?" Rogue demanded angrily.
Rouge," Ororo said calmly, laying a hand on the younger mutants shoulder. "Rose is just following the laws of her people. But," she looked up at Rose, "before you do that, I believe we have something to say that may cause you to reconsider."
"What?" Rose asked.
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Ororo took a deep breath. This was the moment of truth, if what she said didn't convince the young woman in front of her not to, Rose would at least attempt to erase her and Rogues memories. From the list of abilities she had, on top of casting magic, she would probably succeed.
Rose was definitely powerful.
"Rogue and I are mutants," she explained. Before Rose could ask, she continued, "Mutants are people born with special abilities. I, for example, can control the weather. This was the reason I was stopping at your shop. Yesterday, when you touched Rogue," Rose cast a quick glance at the other girl, before her attention returned to Ororo, "and her powers didn't work, it brought you to our attention as a possible mutant."
"What's your power?" Rose asked, looking at Rogue.
The girl in question looked away from Rose. "Ah absorb the memories and life-force of anyone ah touch. In the case of other mutants, ah absorb their powers as well for a time. Ah have absolutely no control over it."
"The gloves," Rose observed.
Rogue nodded. "When yah kissed me yesterday," Now it was Ororo's turn to be surprised, she hadn't heard about that, "ah fully expected yah to be knocked unconscious. But yah kept me off balance so ah didn't react ta move away when ah knew ah should have. And when yah touched me, and nothin' happened, ah was so shocked..."
Rose smiled. "So it wasn't the kiss that left you speechless?"
"No, the kiss was part of it," she assured the other girl.
Ororo cleared her throat to remind the other two girls she was there. "I was sent to invite you to the institute so we could see if you were a mutant. If you were, Professor Xavier was willing to offer you a place to stay and were you could be accepted by others like you. As it is, I don't see any real difference between what you described, and what some can do with their powers. I am sure that, if you wished, the Professor would still be willing to offer you someplace to stay, if you don't like wherever it is you are currently staying."
Rose smiled. "I'm, literally, living out of a trunk in the back room." She was silent as she contemplated what Ororo said before speaking. "I really should erase your memories," she sighed. Looking up at the the two mutants she said, "If I don't, and the government finds out, they'll come and wipe your memories anyway, and they'd take me away for breaking the law," she explained. "That said, take me to the institute."
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After waiting for the Bayville PD to show up and arrest the robber, and giving statements, Rose followed Ororo and Rogue to the mini-van Ororo had driven to the store.
Not long after, they pulled up to the gates of Xavier's Institute of Higher Learning. Moments later they had pulled up to the doors and Rose was stepping out.
Taking a deep breath, the witch walked through the doors of the institute. She was met by a gruff older man in a leather jacket and cowboy boots, and a bald man in a wheel chair.
The bald man smiled. "Welcome to the Xavier Institute Ms. Potter," he greeted. "I am Charles Xavier, and this," he gestured to the other man, "is Logan."
"A pleasure," Rose greeted.
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Gluttientes – Latin for Swallow