Wands and Claws
Disclaimer/Plot/Author's Note: SEE FIRST CHAPTER
Recommended Reads: Apex, Damaged Raven, Widow's Vengeance, Bonded, Magical Spider, Silver King and Hydrus Black by JustBored21, Ruby Tinted Glasses by StormyFireDragon, Shattering the Mirror by arturus, Child of the Storm, Ghosts of the Past and The Phoenix and the Serpent by Nimbus Llewelyn, Lightning, Part 1 and Lightning, Part 2: An Eventful Fourth Year by The New York Bear, Harry Potter The Protector of Magic and The Protector and the Four Guardians by TigerSwarm9122, Harry Potts and the Infinity Stones by samhaine and Ascension, The Son of Storms and The War of Titans by PerseusPeverell092
Key Pairing: Eventual Harry/Jean;
Other Pairings: Logan/Ororo; Erik/Raven; Others TBD
Normal Speech
'Thoughts'
'Telepathy'
/Parseltongue/
Review Answers:
Guest: Let's just say the old saying of fool me once is definitely going to apply here;
WhiteElfElder: I know, but I'm sure it's just a coincidence, isn't it?
BMS: I hunger for the day that Sinister comes into live-action X-Men…until then…well, we'll always have fanfiction;
"My care, Chuck: he's my family."
"Then, in the name of that family, Logan; trust that I am only trying to help…as I have spent years trying to help you…"
As Logan scowled, he looked to his sleeping cub before he scoffed amusingly;
"You just want me to not tell Sabretooth what you did to his cub, don't you?"
"It would help, yes."
Chapter 8: Phoenixes and Dragons, Rise!
"Well? Are they here yet?"
"One moment," Professor Xavier replied before he concentrated, though not without earning him a dark look from the one who'd asked him about the reason for him using them. "Ah, yes; they've just arrived outside of the mansion, so, my best guess is that they'll be here in a minute or so."
Even as he felt a small modicum of relief seep into him, Harry couldn't help but tense up, as he had done ever since the incident in the car, as he was left waiting next to Ororo and Professor Xavier, while Logan had gone off to go and collect Jean.
WsCs
Had he been given the choice, instead of being grounded for going against the Professor and endangering them on the ride back from Jean's house, Harry knew he wouldn't have been any trouble, if only because the git responsible for all the trouble happening in the first place had opted to stay in his ivory tower.
Although the interfering old chrome dome's reluctance to go back to the Greys, especially after Harry had gotten a taste of what Jean's loving family thought of their superpowered daughter left a foul taste in Harry's mind as, not for the first time, he was put on an alert as he wondered if Xavier was up to something.
However, the grounding had come from Logan, though Harry had asked him if it was his idea or Wheelie Bin's – just one of a slew of mocking names that he'd started calling Xavier, using it as a euphemism to show his ire.
When his grandfather insisted that it was his, a quick sniff of his scent told Harry that Wolverine was telling the truth, so, reluctantly, he relented.
But he did not willingly trust Xavier to be left alone with him after that, even less-so with his baby sister, which was why Harry was stood waiting with Laura, who'd heard about Jean from Harry and wanted to meet her. When Charles and Ororo actually insisted that Laura accompany Logan, Harry shot that idea down fast enough.
"How do I know you won't use your freakishness on her to make her say things to Jean that you want to say?" Harry had asked, again emphasising his loathing and distrust of Charles by using the one word he loathed more than any other in existence – namely, freakishness.
Of course, Charles hadn't told anyone else what had happened, and he'd also apparently tamed the Wolverine into putting a muzzle on himself, so the only one who knew why Harry had suddenly regressed into a loathing, distrustful state where Charles Xavier was concerned was Laura.
And, when Harry asked her opinion, Laura had to admit that she wasn't happy when she heard about what had happened at Jean's home, but that was mostly because of how she had also heard of how Harry had almost lost his temper, which would have resulted in a dead human, thanks to Charles' pacifistic attitude.
To her brother's relief, Laura insisted that she wasn't angry with Harry; on the contrary, she not only shared in his opinions surrounding the sick-and-twisted, not to mention perverse, self-serving thoughts about the elder Greys' thoughts; she also agreed that Harry had been right sticking up for Jean, because of how they were willing to go as far as getting in touch with the MRD if Charles didn't 'cure' their daughter.
The two of them – meaning Laura and Harry – had dealt with Stryker and those like him: they'd be damned if they were going to let a potential new friend suffer a similar fate.
It was also for this reason that she had stayed close to her brother, even when they were meant to be apart for one reason or another – e.g. when they bathed and/or went to the toilet – if only to ensure he didn't go off the deep end or, as Harry had suspected, that Xavier wouldn't try anything.
Meanwhile, she wanted to meet the girl who managed to have such a calming effect on her usually-stubborn sibling, although it had taken several long discussions with Ororo before she was able to believe Jean wasn't going to actually try and steal her brother away from her.
Something about the new girl made Harry feel calm, safe to be around and even safer to be left on his own.
Were it not for his age, Ororo even said that Harry might have a little crush on Jean, though that idea was shot down when Harry, who'd been listening in thanks to his enhanced hearing, told Ororo what any eight-year-old might have to say about such gross thoughts.
"Call her my girlfriend again, Miss Munroe, and you'll have to regrow all your flowerbeds by hand, because I'll weed-whack the ones you have now into piles of mulch!"
It was meant as a joke.
But nobody laughed, not even Harry.
WsCs
"Hmm."
Despite his mistrust of Xavier, Harry still sniffed the air, which gave him the scent of cigars and alcohol, mixed with wildness that made him think of the jungle – telling him that his grandfather had indeed returned – before his whole body jerked as he also smelled something like blueberries and bubblegum, mixed with a smell that made him think of a kids' library.
"Huh…guess you're right this time, Dead Legs," drawled Harry, earning a disapproving look from Charles, before Harry flexed his fingers, letting his metal-tipped claws sneak through his skin.
Recognising the way they were going to come out as a take on Logan's classic, and just as unfunny, one-fingered salute, Charles let it go.
This time.
Laura, meanwhile, followed her brother's example as she too sniffed the air; while she did not recognize the new scent, however, she still smiled as she did recognize her grandfather's scent.
A minute later, Logan and Jean entered the mansion, which seemed to be Harry's cue to shed his stubborn, insulting mask for one of a friend who had been waiting for a long-lost companion to return.
Whilst Logan was holding two large suitcases which clearly belonged to Jean, the redheaded, emerald-eyed girl – the look and sight of whom made Laura do a double-take as she felt a glimmer of memory stirring with Jean's looks – looked around with a starstruck expression evident on her face as she looked at the expensive looking mansion.
Before she had a chance to take in the sights and appearances of the others waiting for her, however, a mixture of a gasp of surprise and a warm laugh escaped her when she found her vision taken up by a head of wild, unruly dark hair and a level of inhuman strength that might have crushed the air out of her, if he chose to.
However, Jean didn't need her psychic gifts to recognise the first boy to be really nice and even protective of her and, even better, Harry didn't need to panic or act overly-aggressive or defensive with her.
Instead, he wrapped his arms around her like a snake coiling around its own young, before he breathed in her welcoming scent, earning a warm laugh from Jean as she returned the embrace gladly, equally interested in breathing in Harry's scent – although, unlike him and the young girl waiting with him, whom Jean guessed was Harry's twin sister, she didn't have an enhanced sense of smell to help her hold onto his scent.
"It's so good to see you, Jean," said Harry, earning a brief gasp from Jean as she heard a choked sob escaping the otherwise-tough guy as he added, "With…with how I…I've been grounded here, cause old Egg-Saver over there can't handle someone standing up to him, I…I feared the worst; if that…if your Dad's done anything…"
"Calm down, Harry," said Logan, easily manoeuvring his grip on Jean's cases, so he could tousle his grandson's hair softly, helping to soothe the raging beast within as he added, "I give you my word, little cub; Jean's as safe as houses. She was practically waiting on the kerb for me when I pulled up in the car. Tried speaking to the fam, naturally, but as soon as they saw me, they decided they'd left something on the stove."
As Harry parted from Jean's hug, he glanced to Charles, who held up his hands defensively, shaking his head slowly.
However, given what had happened, Harry didn't trust the bald bastard as far as he could throw him – and, with his Wolverine-inherited strength, it was pretty damn far, in case Chuckles forgot.
Jean, meanwhile, looked to Harry as she smiled softly, "I…I'm glad you're okay too, Harry; after…after you left the other day, I…I kind of got a bit of a flash. I…I saw you…and you were…um…very, very mad…"
"I think the phrase you're looking for is pissed off, Miss Grey," argued Laura, earning a snort of amusement from Harry when he saw his sister move towards Jean, though not without occasionally looking back to Xavier as she added, "After what some people were willing to do, just cause Harry's not preaching peace, love and human-happiness, some people haven't exactly been left in a good light with us…but, for what it's worth, I'm glad you're here now…maybe now, Harry's inner Wolverine will calm down enough to be my big bro, again."
"Maybe," said Harry, watching as Logan eased his way past his cubs, before Harry added, "So, obviously, Jean, this is my kid-sister, Laura."
"It's nice to meet you," replied Laura.
"Thank you," Jean said once they let go of each other, though she did notice how Harry kept one hand in hers; she could even feel a hint of his strength, suggesting he'd covered his bones with metal, most-likely to keep Xavier out of his head.
Jean, meanwhile, could only feel a sense of calm, edged by a feeling that made her think of when she'd once seen a lion prowling in its cage at the zoo, snarling dangerously at those who were too stupid to keep their distance.
Now she concentrated, Jean could also feel a tigress prowling within Laura's mind, which seemed easier than Harry's to detect, though she also remembered why that was, "Harry told me that you have bone claws, while his are metal: is that true?"
"Yeah." Laura said, as she raised her right hand and closed it into a fist, two bone claws came out of her hand. "Did he tell you about the third one?"
"The one on your feet? Yeah," Jean nodded. "they look so cool."
"Really?" Laura asked.
"Really, so…um…" Jean confirmed with a nod, before she blushed softly as she asked. "What…what did Harry tell you about my powers?"
"He said that you can move stuff with your mind and that you can read minds." Laura said. "But please don't read mine."
"I won't…"
"Again," added Harry suddenly, earning a surprised look from Laura and Jean, though not before Harry patted his kid-sister's cheek as he added, "I wouldn't worry, though, Laura: unlike some psychics I won't name, but rhyme with Gnarls Gravy-er, Jean doesn't go prying without permission. If I had to guess, she sensed something in my mind and wanted to see if the same was true…you know, cause we're twins and all?"
Jean couldn't keep the shock off of her face as Harry hit the nail on the head, while Laura nodded, "Oh, I see; well…as long as you do ask next time, I guess I can let it go. Besides, I'd like to see how you help keep this wild mutt in check."
"With great difficult, as you well know, runt," laughed Harry, earning a stuck-out-tongue from Laura.
"Omega."
"Kibble."
"Brat."
"Dolt."
"Magneto-wannabe!"
"And proud of it, apple-polisher," argued Harry, earning a soft laugh from Jean, while Laura huffed, a part of her amused and relieved to see more of the brother she knew and loved coming back out after the past couple of days, while she also relented that she should have remembered that any comparisons to anyone who wasn't currently watching them with a creepily-silent air about him was a compliment to Harry.
Even moreso if he was compared to the Prof's frenemy.
"It is wonderful to have you here, Jean," said Professor Xavier with a smile, earning another scowl from Harry, if only because of how the git actually thought he could sweet-talk his way into Jean's trust, after what he pulled.
Rest assured, Harry would be keeping a very close eye on his new friend, as well as the guy who, if he wasn't careful, would indeed create another Magneto with his bullshit beliefs and holier-than-thou attitude.
"This is Miss Munroe," said Charles, as he gestured to Ororo. "she teaches here at this school."
"It is a pleasure to meet you. Do you have all of your things with you?" She asked when looking at the suitcases that Logan was holding.
"Yep." Jean chirped.
"Wonderful." Ororo smiled, before she turned to her other charges as she added, "Harry, Laura, perhaps you can show Jean around while Logan and I take Jean's things to her new room and make sure that it's ready for her?"
"Okay." Laura said just as Harry nodded.
"Come on." Harry said to Jean, gesturing with his head for her to follow him.
WsCs
"She's a rather excitable girl, isn't she?" Ororo smiled as she looked at Logan and Professor Xavier.
"She does appear to be so." Professor Xavier chuckled.
"Great…more energy and more kids, that's exactly what this place needs." Logan said sarcastically as he rolled his eyes.
"You could do with some more energy." Ororo quipped. "You move and act like an old man sometimes."
"Says the woman with white hair." Logan shot back, before he looked to Charles, who seemed to be watching the retreating kids with a curious, if not solemn expression, neither of which Logan liked, especially not after being told to trust him after what had happened with Harry.
Like his grandson, Logan silently swore he'd keep an eye on Jean Grey.
Especially since there was something sweet, and almost kind, if not gracious, regarding her effect on Harry himself.
WsCs
A week later, Harry suddenly woke up in the middle of the night from a dream he couldn't quite remember, but, whatever it was, it wasn't enough to keep him in an almost-dead state of sleep. Instead, he was suddenly wide-awake, the hairs on his neck raised like a cat raising its hackles as he looked around and saw that the time was nearly midnight.
As wide-awake as he was, Harry still yawned as he climbed out of his bed, a part of him surprised to note that he was really thirsty and if he wanted any chance of going to sleep then he needed to have a drink.
Though not the sort of drink that his Grandpa would have, obviously.
Chuckling at the thought, Harry looked at Laura, noticing that, unlike her suddenly hyper-energised twin, she was still asleep, and smiling, which brought a smile to Harry's face as he saw the gentler, happier side to his kid-sister.
Say what you want about Xavier and his hypocrisy: the only real reason Harry allowed himself to stay – well, the only reason apart from a now week-old friend – was because the school had become a proper home for Laura, while Harry still chose to see it as something akin to a waystation in his life's path, whatever that was.
Smiling at his sister's innocent look, Harry slowly, and quietly, walked out of the room, taking great care to make the smallest amount of noise possible so he didn't wake her up.
Thanks to his enhanced skills, Harry was able to quickly sneak down into the kitchen where, a tall glass of warm milk and a few chocolate chip cookies later, he burped softly, patting his stomach as he reasoned that he was sorted and ready to go to bed.
Maybe it was just a coincidence that he'd woken from such a dead sleep with a start.
As Harry sneaked back upstairs, once again taking great care to make the smallest amount of noise possible, this time just so he didn't get caught, however, he felt his hairs rise again while, this time, a familiar tingling sensation began to creep out from his heart.
And all because of what he heard as he went to go back to his and Laura's room.
"I'm sorry, Jean."
To his outrage, Harry's ears picked up on Professor Xavier's voice, laced with a familiar self-satisfying tone of apparent reason.
As angry as he found himself at the memory, and what Xavier had done to him as a result of it, Harry still managed to sneak up toward Jean's room, where, as though seeking to fuel his fire, he noticed that the door was open, and a low-burning light came from inside, suggesting Jean's bedside lamp was lit.
With trembling fingers and clenched teeth that would have made a certain someone in a certain British castle jealous of his look and ire, Harry took a single step closer, before he looked inside and saw Jean sleeping with Professor Xavier's parked next to her bed, one hand resting over Jean's eyes, while the other was slowly lifting towards his head.
A low, thankfully-inaudible growl rippled out of Harry as he recognised the signs of Xavier tapping into his telepathy.
But, once again, it was the man's next words that brought out the animal inside.
"You may hate me for this in the future, but I am doing this for your benefit…as well as everyone else's; soon, you'll understand that everything will work out…but this is for the Greater Good."
Those words…
Suddenly Harry saw red, even as he saw Charles place one hand on his temple and was reaching for Jean's head with the other one.
The Professor's hand was a second away from touching her head when he was stopped by the sound of a growl which was followed by the sound of running.
Before Professor Xavier could even turn his head around he felt a cold metal blade pressed against the back of his neck.
"What…do…you…think…you are doing?" He said in a voice that made it clear that there had better be a good answer.
Now, make no mistake: whether it was because of her powers, or just herself, Jean Grey had always been a bit of a light sleeper, and, as a result, she would have woken up from her sleep if not for Professor Xavier keeping her asleep using his powers.
But now his concentration had gone and she was allowed to wake up.
Jean blinked and slowly opened her eyes, she rubbed the sleep out of it to clear her vision.
When she looked forwards she jumped up to a sitting position and let out a short scream when she saw Professor Xavier frozen stiff in his chair with Harry standing behind him, a metal claw pressed so tightly against Professor Xavier's neck that Jean actually saw a trickle of blood rolling down over the mentor's usually-pristine suit.
"H…H…Harry, please…you…you have to…you have to listen…" Professor Xavier spoke in a pained voice, he realized that this was going to be very hard to explain.
The near-dangerous moment in the car aside, he had always refused to mess with the memories of his students unless absolutely necessary, and even if he did he knew that Harry would be able to block him.
Even moreso if his suspicions about the connection the boy shared with Jean Grey were true.
"I…I swear…"
"You had better have a good explanation." Harry growled.
"Harry?" Jean asked, looking back and forth between the two with a shocked look on her face.
"Jean, go and get Storm and my granddad," Harry said as he stepped in front of Professor Xavier, though not without tracing his claw across the man's skin: had he dug any deeper, he could have actually slashed Charles' throat, but, for whatever reason – Charles and Jean guessed it was because he didn't want her to think too badly of him – he was holding back, but barely.
"I know it's a shock, but, please…for me…just go!" Harry commanded.
Jean took one last look between the two before she got up and quickly rushed out of her room, leaving Charles alone with Harry.
"Harry…please, let me…" Professor Xavier tried to speak, thought that was quite hard with a metal claw pressed against your throat.
A fact Harry reminded him of as he actually let a second claw slide out, so he almost had the Professor's Adam's Apple in a vice grip. "Shut up!"
Realising he didn't have much choice, even less-so since Harry had always been on high alert since the incident, Charles relented, and the two fell into a silence, which left Professor Xavier's blue eyes locked onto Harry's green ones.
As he saw the fire, the merciless suspicion and the dark ambitions burning in those green eyes, Professor Xavier felt very uncomfortable.
Make no mistake, he wanted to speak, to try and explain but he had the feeling that Harry would not be very appreciative of that, and the last thing the Professor wanted to do now was anger the young mutant even more.
His look.
His rage.
His determination to see his objective fulfilled.
WsCs
All of a sudden, a flash of memory crossed Charles' mind, accompanied by a twinge he hadn't felt in a long time in his lower back.
"I've been at the mercy of men just following orders…never again…"
'Erik,' thought Charles, remembering the times Harry had been compared to his old friend-slash-enemy.
Now, Charles saw it for himself.
Like Erik had been, before delivering such a proverbial, not to mention memorable blow of a line to show how little he cared for Charles' thoughts and opinions of the humans against them, Harry appeared to be perfectly fine in the silence, his face had adopted what seemed like a permanent glare that showed no signs of leaving soon.
Charles just hoped that Harry could be saved, like Erik had been.
And, loath though he was to admit it, Charles knew only one thing that could calm him now.
Jean Grey.
WsCs
After about two minutes of intense silence, Charles' eyes flicked to the door as footsteps were heard coming from outside.
Seconds later, Logan arrived wearing grey pyjama bottoms and a white vest, while Ororo arrived as well, wearing a light blue nightgown that ran down to just past her knees. Both of them were looking at Harry and Professor Xavier with shocked expressions while, standing behind Logan and peeking her head past him to see what was going on was Jean.
Laura, meanwhile, was doing the same as she stood behind Ororo, earning a dark look from her brother "Laura, you're supposed to be asleep."
"So are you!" Laura pointed out.
"I couldn't sleep…something woke me from a dead sleep, and left me a bit peckish," said Harry, now extending his third claw as he growled, "And good thing too; whatever it was, it led me to you and your bull-crap hypocrisy rearing its head again, Chuckie!"
"What the hell is going on?" demanded Logan.
"Oh, nothing much, Wolverine: just me making sure that the noble, kind and caring Professor Charles Xavier couldn't start messing with Jean's mind, that's all," drawled Harry, the sarcasm evident in his tone, as was the danger and what this meant to him, seeing that all three of his claws were now inches from turning Charles Xavier into a mutant version of Stephen Hawking.
"Wait a sec, why were you even awake?" Ororo asked while she was processing what Harry was telling her.
"Like I said, I woke up from a dead sleep, got thirsty and went down for a drink, I came back up and I heard the Professor talking to Jean while she was asleep. Seeing as how I know from experience what he looks like when he does the deed, I knew right away that he was going to mess with her mind…and now he's going to tell us why, unless he'd like to lose his voice to someone who he knows won't be so easily tricked or controlled a second time, right, Chuck-E-Cheese?"
"Chuck," Logan said as he looked from his furious-eyed grandson to his friend and mentor. "Is that true?"
"Before…" Charles began, but he was cut off as he felt Harry's claws stick against his vocal chords.
"One word: Wheelie Bin…yes…or…no? right answer, I let you go; wrong answer, we have Charles Xavier Cheddar Cheese on tomorrow's menu!"
A dark, foreboding air of power seemed to lace Harry's words and, even though he'd believed he knew the extent of the boy's powers, Charles suddenly felt like he not only believed Harry when he said he'd do it.
He also knew Harry's power could do it.
"Well?" asked Jean suddenly, surprising everyone else as they saw her sitting next to Harry, now holding his clawed hand in hers, but Harry didn't seem fazed by her presence, even though she seemed to be holding his wrist, like she was the one holding the proverbial knife to Xavier's throat.
"Yes or no, Professor? After all you said about trust and help, were you actually going to mess around with my powers?"
"J-J-Jean…"
"Yes or no?" asked Harry, his green eyes glowing like fire.
"I…I…you need…" Charles began, though not before Harry jabbed his claws against the exposed flesh of Charles' throat again.
"One word, Chrome Dome: Yes. Or. No?"
"Harry…"
"TELL ME!"
"YES!"
Dead silence filled the room, earning a cold, dark look from Harry, while even Laura seemed to take a few steps back, even from Logan and Ororo.
Jean, meanwhile, looked at Charles with fire in her eyes, and darkness evident in her glare, as she hissed icily, "I trusted you!"
"We all did," said Harry, his eyes flicking to Ororo as he growled, "We're safe here, you said…we can find a family here, you said…you would never do anything like what Stryker did to us, you said…but, just like our families, like Stryker, like that old man who I thought I could see as my family, what do you do, Storm? You LIE!"
"No…" gasped Ororo, but Harry didn't seem too eager to listen to anyone anymore.
"Laura!"
"Y-Y-Y-Yes?"
"Pack a bag," growled Harry darkly, his eyes filled with hatred as he insisted, "Then, Logan, you can get on the phone to Victor: tell him to get his ass here tonight or he'll have another reason to want your head on a spike…namely the loss of his cubs!"
"Harry…"
"No Xavier," argued Harry, even as he heard Laura run from the room, which left a dark hole in Harry's chest as he explained, "I let you get one over on me…once! But after I woke up, and I realised what you'd done, I promised myself: I had been at the mercy of people who thought they knew what was right for us…"
"No…" gasped Charles, even as Harry shook his head, finishing Charles' darkest fear with two words.
"Never again."
The sound of claws slashing flesh filled the room.
WsCs
It took Sabretooth ten minutes to reach the school, and, even then, it was only because of a pink-haired mutant who seemed to be surprised by the fact that she found the Big Bad Sabretooth hugged by a little girl who could have passed for his kid with her wildness.
Meanwhile, when said mutant girl appeared, Harry, who was waiting by the front door with three hold-all bags, growled warningly, "Who is this?"
"Pixie," said the girl, her voice soft, but also edged by a note of surprise as she looked not to Harry, but to Victor.
"And, FYI, Vics, why on earth didn't you tell me that we were coming here to find and bring The Boy-Who-Lived and his sister to Genosha?"
Chapter 8 and it looks like the so-called wise leader has learned, the hard way, what happens when you corner a wounded animal: you might as well tickle a sleeping dragon, but what is going to happen to our heroes now?
Also, Harry didn't…he didn't actually kill Charles…did he?
Also…huh? Who, or what, is the Boy-Who-Lived and what does this 'Pixie' know about Harry and Laura?
Keep Reading to Find Out
Next Chapter: A lost secret from seven years ago is revealed to Harry and Laura, with a little help from a certain Master of Magnetism…or rather, a certain someone who also walks in both worlds; plus, Logan has some harsh words for Charles, while Harry wants to know more about why he should give family a third chance to screw the Cerberus;
Please Read and Review
AN: Adoption
So, from here on in, pretty much 90% - give or take – is all new stuff that is all my own work.
There will be some random moments of call back to the original work, but from here on in, the story changes big-time;
AN2: Portrayal
Pixie – Halston Sage