2 months! He'd been in this world for 2 months! He couldn't believe it!
2 months since he had left his home.
2 months since he fell under the care of a psychotic demi-god.
2 months since he started going to a normal high school.
2 months since he started training.
2 months since anyone tried to kill him!
Harry sighed. Not like it had been an uneventful couple of months. His training with Logan was finally starting to pay off. He'd started beating the mutant troll simulation just last week, of course the giant snake crushed him every time but at least it was progress. Logan had even figured out a way to stop Harry's constant fighting with Masters. Logan had forced her to try the simulation and after she had been crushed five minutes in, decided to train them both.
Turns out the girl had an interesting mutation. Apparently she could subconsciously draw energy from the world around her and redirect it however she wanted. It was a bit like that girl Rouge, only rather than drawing life force from memories and the mutations of the people she touches but Rain could draw energy from the world around her.
Artanis had called it mana and though he claimed that it was important he refused to elaborate. When the teens pushed for more information he would accuse them of being a part of the Swiss Cheese Conspiracy and then vanish.
In truth, the Planeswalker had proven to be a very good teacher, sometimes. Harry had to admit that the Walker was a genius with magic, the few demonstrations the immortal had given made Riddle look like a squib. Not only that, but the Walker was really good at teaching spells too. He was patient and he demonstrated what to do and how it worked. He never got angry and patiently corrected the boy's mistakes. Though of course, as soon as Harry had figured it out the Walker would go off on some strange conversation about breeding bees and fire ants, or some shit. That's ignoring how hard it was to actually get the Walker to teach! So far Harry had gotten only three things from the Walker, a Shield that stopped moving objects, a spell that let him go unnoticed by people who weren't looking for him and a spell that picked locks.
The shield had been the most useful; it let him beat the mutant troll by stopping the momentum of its swings. Of course it also saved Spike from falling off his board a few times as well! The second spell which Artanis called the 'cure' for early morning classes let him sleep through homeroom every day. It almost made up for the 6 AM wake up he needed to get to his homeroom. The last spell was just an improved Alohamora, since the wizard spell didn't work on combination locks. Harry hadn't even bothered to remember his locker combination after he got that one.
Unfortunately his own studying with the guide book hadn't been as fruitful. He hadn't learned anything since that "Cure" spell, and it was really annoying him! Artanis said it was because his magic was still bound and the only way to deal with it was to follow the books instructions on meditation and building a mind scope. Apparently doing so would improve his connection to his magic which would make it easier to break the dam that was holding back his magic. Why didn't the freaking immortal tell him that in the beginning…
The door closed with a slam.
"Rough morning Masters?" The wizard asked.
"That stupid elf got Tabatha grounded!" The girl snapped.
"What happened?" The wizard sat up instantly, anything was more interesting than his ceiling tiles.
"They were screwing around during rescue training. One of them got hurt and now they are both grounded. Tabby can't go to the carnival now and it's all Kurt's fault!" Arms crossed the angry teen sank into the bean bag chair.
"How is that Kurt's fault? She was screwing around too!" He had grown fond of the blue elf. If not from him and Spike, he would've had to hang out with Rain, Tabatha and Amara even more.
"He started it!"
"Why do you even care? She gets grounded all the time!"
"Yea, but now she can't go to the carnival! The only person left I can go with is you!"
"I still don't…wait what!?"
"I know! I can't believe I have to go to the carnival with you!"
"Hey wait, don't I get a say in all of this? What if I don't want to go with you?"
She waved her hand dismissively. "There's no one else to go with. Tabby and Kurt are grounded, Spikes hanging out with Strom, Amara's babysitting Rahne and Jamie and the others are just so annoying."
"That doesn't mean I have to go with you! I wasn't planning on going at all!" The idea of being in a large crowd still annoyed him.
"Ah…please Potter? You don't want me wandering around all alone do you? There are so many horrible things that can happen to a young girl on her own…" She pouted.
He almost caved. She almost had him, but she had blown it when she called him Potter. He wasn't going to be a last resort! "Find someone else." He stormed out of the room leaving the stunned girl behind.
"Damn she's annoying." Harry muttered.
Rain hadn't given up and Harry couldn't figure out why. She had even got the others to ask. It wasn't so bad when it was Amara, forcing Kurt to do it was expected and she even had gotten Artanis to ask him! The bloody nut job had called at 3 in the morning with that annoying ass ringtone. Then he had showed up that night and gave him a ten minute lesson on building a mindscape, only to end with "Go to the carnival with Rain. Don't die." Then he vanished.
The girl had cornered him at his locker and he'd caved. Then to his surprise, she'd said good and walked away. He expected some excitement or even a damn smile! He was only going for her; she could have at least thanked him!
The school bell ringed.
"Ah crap! Now I'm late for social studies!" With a sigh he walked down the hall. No point in running. He was late already, no need to rush.
He turned a corner and froze. In the middle of what should've been an empty hallway stood Tabatha and a much older man. Suddenly the man grabbed the girls arm and Harry stepped forward. "Tabby, come on we have class."
The man jumped and let go, only for Harry to walk past him. Turning to glare at the man, Harry grabbed her arm and dragged her away. "We are already late."
"Thanks Harry." She muttered.
"Strange day…" Harry muttered as he pushed open the institute doors. A sigh entered his lips as he looked around the entrance hall. "Not again."
The man from the school was back, only this time it was the professor he was yelling at. Silently he walked into the building, wondering if he shouldn't have left early.
"She's my daughter!" The man growled. 'That explains a lot Harry thought'
"Be that as it may, you have no custodial rights here. Tabatha's mother has left specific instructions…"
"You think I don't know what kind of freak show this place is?" The man grabbed the professor's chair and shoved him back. "I can have the press here in an hour and expose you're…" He trailed off as his eyes locked onto the glowing wand aimed between his eyes and the very angry teenager holding it.
"I think you need to relocate those hands." A voice growled.
'Shink' the man turned as Logan stalked forward, claws drawn. "How about a jar on my mantel?"
"Dad!" everyone turned to see Tabatha in the doorway, eyes wide in shock.
"Thank you for defending me Harry." The professor said. Tabby and her dad were in the study talking. So Harry, Logan and the Professor were forced to talk in the hall.
"What the hell was that about?" The young wizard asked.
"That man is Tabatha's father
"I got that part, sir"
"He's a crook." Logan growled. "A two-bit thief who used his daughter's powers to get passed locked doors and open safes."
"And we are letting them talk privately why?"
"We can't risk being exposed." The professor admitted.
"I can hear every word." Logan muttered. "He wants to use her powers to get into the school's safe and the steal the proceeds from the fund raiser."
"We have to tell the police." Harry said. He couldn't let him do that to his friend!
"We can't. If we do that, he'll just deny it, and if they catch him they'll arrest her too." The Professor sighed.
"Why are you telling me all this?" Harry asked glancing at the professor.
"We were hoping that you'd keep an eye on them."
"Isn't she grounded?"
"Like she'll listen…" Logan grinned slightly.
"Since you're going to be there anyway could you try to keep her out of trouble?"
"You don't even have to ask." Harry answered as he turned to walk away, only to pause. "How did you know I was going to the carnival?"
"Knew you'd say yes. Masters can't go without you." Logan answered.
"Wait what?"
"She didn't tell you? She's only allowed out of the institute when she's with others. Her parents asked for that when she came here." The professor responded.
"She can't go without me? She didn't tell me that!" He frowned and stormed away. "I'm turning her hair green!"
"Hey Potter, let's try some games." Rain called as she led him to a booth.
Harry sighed and followed "You know you could have told me you couldn't come alone."
"You would've made fun of me." She muttered as the guy in the booth handed her three tennis balls.
"I'm still going to." He admitted as he took his own balls. "But I would've said yes sooner."
"Well now you…damn…" All three throws missed the milk bottles.
"Ya, now I know." His first throw slammed the bottles, knocking them over. So did the second throw and the third.
"How the hell did you do that?"
"Quiditch training." He admitted. "Pick a prize."
"What?"
"What would I do with a stuffed animal?"
The two sat on a bench eating a funnel cake. Next to them sat a large stuffed gopher.
'Bamph'
"Kurt" Harry said, jumping up.
"What?" Rain said, spinning around.
"There…" He pointed as Kurt and Tabatha stepped out from behind a booth.
"They snuck out?"
"You're surprised?"
She paused, then sighed "No…Not really."
"Come on!" He pulled her up and dragged her along, the stuffed gopher squeaking behind them.
"This is fun why?" Harry asked the others as the Crazy Spider ride span in circles.
"It's fast and makes you dizzy!" Kurt called over the screams from the other cars.
"It's boring!" Harry frowned.
"Then let's speed it up!" Tabitha laughed.
Between them, Rain sat, eyes clenched tightly. "Tabby please don't…"
'Boom!' Tabby had tossed an exploding ball onto the control panel, causing it to explode and short out. Suddenly the ride started to spin faster and faster.
"Now this is fun!" Harry and Tabby laughed over the screams of the other riders.
"Hey watch this!" Tabby muttered.
The others turned to watch as she darted behind two football players. A moment later she shot back.
'BOOM!' twin flashes appeared in their back pockets and their pants collapsed to their ankles. The four teens started laughing as the embarrassed jocks ran off, clutching their waist bands.
"Hey it's Jean and Duncan!" Harry said suddenly. The three turned to look as Harry pointed to the boy as he stepped up to a booth. "I can't pass this up!"
"What you gonna do Harry?" Kurt asked. Neither boy liked the annoying football player. He'd tried to intimidate Harry a week into the semester. Of course, he'd ended up on his ass with a confused look as an angry teen stood over him with a suspiciously fluttering trench coat flashing back to reveal the handle of something in his pocket. He'd only got a glimpse of it before Harry had stormed away. Since they'd been alone in the hallway, no one else had seen it, so he'd acted as if the whole event never happened. Of course the memory wipe Artanis gave him may have helped…
"Mr. Quarterback isn't getting a prize tonight…" He raised his wand as Duncan paid the guy at the booth. "What does he have to do to win anyway?"
"Get the football through the tire" Rain said grinning. The bully had always called her names and made fun of her hair when Jean wasn't around.
"Doesn't seem fair" Tabby muttered. "He throws those things every day, it's almost like cheating." Of course she didn't mind cheating, but it was fun messing up other people when they tried to do it.
Harry grinned as the teen raised the ball. In a flash, his wand slid into his hand and he aimed it at the boy. The football player's arm shot forward and the ball dropped like a stone. He stared blankly at the ball before laughing it off as a joke.
"If he misses enough do you think they'll kick him off the team?" He grinned as Duncan tried again. This time the ball went flying straight up as he threw it, only to come crashing down on his head.
"Well the coach is running the booth" Kurt said through his laughter. Duncan tried again, only for the ball to fly well over the tire and slam into the back of the booth.
"He's buying another three!" Rain laughed. She had no idea he could turn such a bright red!
"Let's try this…" Duncan's next throw went straight at the coach, who ducked out of the way. Harry smirked as the man started yelling at the confused teen.
"Hey look at Jean!" Kurt said. The girl was fighting hard not to laugh as her boy friend grew angry at his own arm.
"Watch this" Duncan drew back with his last throw and harry flicked his wand. The ball flew straight and true, right into the coach's crotch. The man's eyes bugged out as he fell to the ground and curled into a ball. The four teens burst out laughing as Duncan freaked out and jumped over the booth to help his coach. Suddenly Jean turned only for her eyes to widen as she saw him peaking around the tent. He grinned and waved before ducking back. "Jean saw me we have to go!"
"I hate popcorn" Tabby muttered as she tossed a glowing bomb into the popcorn maker. Suddenly the machine exploded, showering the line in crappy butter-less popcorn.
"Then don't eat it" Harry muttered as he shielded his popcorn from the girl's wrath.
"Hey guys, I'll meet you in the arcade." Tabatha said suddenly, punching them through a flap in a booth before darting away.
"Ah…crap" Harry muttered as he dropped the bag. Frowning he popped back out in time to see the girl walk off with the familiar older man. "Kurt, go back to the institute and get the professor.
"What? If I go back we'll get in more trouble!"
"Nightcrawler! Go back to the mansion. Get the professor and Wolverine. Tell them Boom Boom's in trouble. Tell them that I'll do what I can."
I…I understand Harry." The elf nodded.
'Bampf!'
"Rain. Go find Scott and Jean. Tell them what's going on and bring them to the school."
"She's my friend too, I want to help!" She snapped.
"I know but we're not enough. We'll need their help." He said as he started for the school.
"Fine!" She took off running the other way.
"Who hides a safe behind a painting? How cliché!" Harry muttered as he leaned against the wall. He'd follow the pair all the way to Kelly's office and now he was leaning against the wall next to the office door. He couldn't do anything till after the guy got the money.
'Bang!'
"Well there's the safe..."
"All right let's go!" The door suddenly bounced open.
"Got what you wanted then?" Harry asked.
"Harry!?" Tabatha gasped.
"You!" Her dad snapped, taking a step back.
"Hello Tabby…Mr. Smith. Nice night to rob a safe I take it?"
"Harry what are you..."
"Tabby you should go out the back. Your dad and I are gonna have a little talk."
"Who the hell are…" The man started.
Suddenly a strange stringy thing came flying down the hall and grabbed the bag and disappeared. "Ha the moneys ours suckers."
"Get back here!" The man took off after the voice.
"Dad!" Tabatha shouted as she ran after him.
"That complicates things…" Harry muttered as he followed them both, all the way to the gym.
"Get it back! Use your powers!" Tabatha's dad shouted as Harry reached the gym doors.
Rolling his eyes the young wizard threw the doors open. "That's no way to talk to your daughter.
"Anyone call for help?" Rain called as she tossed open another set of doors. Behind her Scott and Jean walked in.
"Ya, things got a bit more complicated, seems the brotherhood wants the money too." Harry said.
"Money?" Jean muttered.
"You ain't stopping us!" Toad said as he laughed into the air. Harry's hand shot up, wand aimed, and the mutant froze in the air. "Yo, like what gives."
"You're not the brightest member I take it?" Harry muttered.
"Argh" Avalanche shouted as he clapped his hands. The ground shook and an explosive wave shot at Harry. The wizard smirked and waved his other wand. The attack slammed into an invisible shield and faded out. "What?"
"Hey Jean? Think you could get that bag?" Harry called.
"Who put you in charge?" Rain called as Jean pulled the boy from blob.
"That would be Logan." Harry answered.
Toads tongue shot out and grabbed the bag only for Harry to hurl him into a basketball hoop. The bag flew to the avalanche who reached for it only for Rain to blast it with a green beam. The money flew into Scott's hand, only to fly out again as the blob tackled him.
"Ha!" Tabatha cried as she grabbed it only for her dad to snatch it away. "Dad no!"
"Expelliarmus!" a red light flew past the man as he dived through a side door. "Damn." Harry muttered.
"He went to the roof!" Rain called.
"I didn't notice!" he shot back. "Stupefy!" A red light slammed into Toad and Avalanche. Both collapsed, unconscious, to the floor.
"What did you do!?" Blob's frightened shout echoed through the room.
"Just knocked them out. Look mate, you want to avoid trouble? You better get them home" Harry said to the large boy. Blob nodded, quickly grabbed his friends, and fled. "Well THAT was fun. I'd suggest going out the back." He waved and walked to the door.
"What about Tabby?" Rain called.
A loud crash sounded as a pair of legs burst through the ceiling. "Looks fine to me…Remember, go out the back." He pushed through the doors and walked down the hall. Another crash filled the quiet school. With a sigh he leaned against the wall next to the front doors. He had to wait for the cops to show up before he could leave, or this would all have been pointless. Suddenly the gym doors flew open and Tabitha's dad ran out, followed by Tabby herself.
"You have got to be kidding!" The three mutants couldn't stop a single unarmed person? "STOP!"
The pair skidded to a halt, staring in shock at the wizard.
"Harry please…." Tabitha whispered.
"Let Tabby go out the back." Harry demanded, sparing a glance at the girl.
"Why the hell would I do that?" the man snapped.
"Being a good father's not a good enough reason? Fine…You two can go out the front and say hi to the nice officers…OR you can send Tabby out the back and I'll get you past them."
"Harry…" The girl muttered.
"Done! Tabitha, go!"
"But…"
"GO!"
The girl jumped and ran, glancing back in time to see Harry mouth 'I'm sorry' before she turned a corner and disappeared after the other mutants.
"Alright, so what now?" The man asked, expectantly.
'Sorry Tabby, but your dad's not getting away this time.' Harry thought as he slid his wants into his sleeves. "We walk out the front door and vanish."
The man looked at Harry suspiciously before nodding. He was just a little kid, no way he could be tricked by some kid…
"Let's go" Harry muttered. 'He actually believed me!? So he's a thief AND an idiot…'
The two stepped out the doors into the waiting search lights of the Bayville police. "Whenever you're ready kid…."
'Bloody moron!' Harry thought with a grin. Instantly his hands were in the air "WE SURRENDOR!"
"WHAT!?"
Harry leaned back in his chair, balancing it on two legs against the wall. Across from him, a mirror reflected his bored face. The police had arrested them as soon as he surrendered. They'd cuffed him, read him his rights, and put him in the back of a squad car. Of course than they put Tabitha's dad in a different car, after he started screaming that he'd kill the boy. Now he was sitting in the interrogation room. Staring at a pane of glass while who knows how many people stared back. Well at least Tabitha got away, now hopefully the man would keep his mouth shut about the institute and this would hopefully all end well. He still couldn't believe how easy it was to trick the guy into going outside. What kind of idiot thief was he?
Suddenly the door opened and an officer walked in. Silently he pulled out the chair opposite him and sat down. Opening a file he looked up and Harry and frowned. "You don't exist."
"Really? Then you're talking to yourself?" Harry asked, confused. What kind of idiots did this world have?
"No kid, we have no record of you. No birth certificate, no records, nothing. Hell kid, the only thing we found was a record that you were attending Bayville high."
'Oh that freakin Planeswalker!' Harry thought angrily. "Well that's not good."
"You had multiple licenses on you as well as quite a bit of cash and a couple credit cards. All real. How can you have all those with no record of them existing?"
Harry shrugged but stayed silent. No point in incriminating himself, he was already in the damn police station.
"Not to mention you were caught robbing the school you go to, with the aid of a wanted criminal. Kid, if you have anything to say, now would be a good time."
The door opened and another officer walked in. The first glanced up only for the other officer to whisper in his ear. "What!? Let him go? What the hell for?" The new arrival whispered again and the first cop's eyes widened.
Harry tilted his head and watched them both. Their quiet conversation went on for another few moments before they turned to him. "Yes?"
"We're terribly sorry for detaining you Agent Arkres. Your boss from the Bureau explained everything and he is here to take you home. We apologize for any problems." The second officer said quickly. Apparently they felt their jobs were in danger or something.
"No harm done?" Harry answered slowly. 'Agent Arkres? The Bureau? What the hell?' He shook his head and rose to his feet. "You gentlemen were just doing your jobs."
"Thank you sir. And just let me say, your persona is very convincing" The first officer said as he led Harry out of the room.
"Just out of curiosity officer, who did they send to pick me up?" Last thing he wanted was some secret organization bailing him out of jail…
"Him" the second officer said, pointing.
"Hello Harry"
Harry sighed and glared at the man. "Hello Artanis."
"So how was prison?" Artanis asked as he bounced down the street.
"Technically I was never IN prison. They never took me out of interrogation…" Harry sighed as he grudging followed.
"I got these back for you" the Planeswalker called as he tossed harry a bag. The cops had let him keep his coat but they had taken his keys, wallet, sunglasses, and anything else he had on him.
"Thanks…" The boy muttered. "How long have you been part of the FBI?"
"Uh about 20 minutes or so…I kind of stole the badge…"
"Why didn't you just make one with magic?" The boy asked as he reloaded his pockets.
"Uh…" The Walker paused for a moment. "Shut up!"
"So what happened after I got hauled off?" Harry asked as he refilled his pockets. 'Damn someone tried on my glasses!' he thought as he pulled a stray hair from the screw.
"The professor called me. He asked me to get you out and make sure that Mr. Crappy Dad didn't have anything to accidently reveal in an attempt to get a lighter sentence."
"Huh?" 'Well at least they gave all the cards back…' It was only now he realized that he had no idea how much cash he was carrying… So he had no way of knowing if it was all there…
"I erased his memories of anything mutant related." The walker said only to stop and stare at a weird object in the window of a store. "Is that a slurpie machine!?"
Harry stepped up and looked through the window. "It looks like it…I didn't know there was a 7-11 here…."
"I want one!"
"I love slurpies!" Artanis said happily, a lot like a child.
"I noticed…." The pair of them had gotten the biggest cups they could and now they were sitting on the curb waiting for the professor.
"It's like the icy gift of the gods!"
"That's great Artanis…"
"It's like the perfect combination of ice and soda!"
"That's wonderful Tanis…"
"Surely the inventor of this wonderful drink deserves a place amongst us immortals!"
"I get it…"
"I think the whole town gets it" a voice said from behind them.
"You sure took your time Xavier." Artanis said as Harry jumped to his feet in surprise. Behind them were the professor, Logan, Kurt, and Tabitha, all looking confused.
"We didn't expect you to walk off" Logan growled.
"Have you met him?" Harry asked, jerking a thumb at the immortal.
"Everything taken care of?" The professor asked.
"Mission successful professor." Harry said as he dusted himself off.
"Harry…" Tabitha muttered.
"I'm sorry Tabby….I couldn't let him hurt you…" The boy muttered.
"We should let them talk." The professor said as he started to roll away. "Artanis, tell us about this gift of the gods you mentioned." The three mutants and the demi-god walked away as the two teens talked.
The two stood silently staring at each other. Neither really knew what to say. How the hell do you apologize for getting someone's dad arrested? "I'm sorry it turned out like this Tabitha. I'd hoped to stop it before it even started…The brotherhood kind of…"
"Shut up! You got my dad arrested! Why Harry!? Why did you have to do that? You've ruined everything!" She screamed.
"I know…"
"Everything would have been fine when it was done! He would have gotten his damn money and left! Now my dad's in jail, my mom's alone and stuck with all those debts, and it's all your fault!" Tears rolled down the girls cheeks.
"Yes it is…"
"Why couldn't you just let him go!? Why did you do it!? WHY!?"
"I couldn't let him hurt you…"
'SLAP!'
The boy's head turned, a red hand print across the cheek. "He's my dad!" The girl sobbed. "He's my father! My…My family…" The crying girl collapsed against the wizard crying. Gently the boy wrapped his arms around her. Her load sobs filled his ears as he gently stroked the girl's hair. "Why did he do it?" She whispered.
"I don't have an answer for you…I guess some people change, and some don't…Your dad didn't…"
After a lot more crying the girl finally calmed down enough to step away from the boy. Turning away, she whipped her face before looking off down the street. "I don't think I can come back to the institute…"
"Don't be an idiot!" He snapped.
Startled, she turned back, staring at him wide eyed. "Wha…"
"You're not your dad! Sure he made you do some bad things but so what? Is it your fault? He used you! It's not your fault."
"But the others…."
"They won't care! So your dad's a crook! They'll just shrug it off and everything will go back to normal!"
"But I…"
Harry sighed. He didn't like what he was about to do. But it was the only way. He wasn't gonna lose his friends, not again! "Tabby come…" he said grabbing her wrist and pulling her down the street. They passed the others, and the professor nodded to them before leading the others away. "We're taking the long way back."
"What? But I don't…"
"Tabby let me tell you something. Like I said, I was born in England. Though not the one you're thinking of. Artanis can travel between dimensions, and I am from a very different world. When I was growing up, I was called the Boy-Who-Lived…."
A/N There you have it fokes! Things are starting to pick up. From now on every chapter will probably cover several events and large periods of time. Oh and if anyone wants me to actualy type up Harry's history for the next chapter let me know. I guess some people might be interested to see how it sounds from the point of view of a mentaly tampered Harry. If enough people ask for it I'll write it, other wise I'll skip it and assume you've all read the first four books. Oh well, either way...TILL NEXT TIME, DON'T DIE!