Well, thanks to Dis Lexic and his 'Sirius' Old Flame' challenge, I've been inspired to do potentially two more stories: an X-Men one, and a Mass Effect one. The latter will probably take some time to develop and percolate, but the X-Men one, given that it allowed me to do a pairing I've wanted to do before (Harry/X-23, and I mean the comic version of X-23), came out first. Yes, we will have a Mutant Harry, but later down the track.


VIRTUTE NON ARMIS FIDO

CHAPTER 1:

LAURA'S NEW LIFE

With a savage snarl, the dark-haired teenager lunged at the woman, dark hair framing features that would have been cute, even beautiful in a hard way, had they not been twisted into a brutal, animalistic expression of rage. A pair of claws, shining as if they were metal, had protruded from between the knuckles of each hand. The woman knew she was about to die, and accepted it. She hadn't known that they'd use the trigger scent out of spite. The girl she had deluded herself into believing to be her daughter would only stop once she had killed her target.

Suddenly, there was a roar of "INCARCEROUS MAXIMA!" Chains wrapped themselves around the teenager, and she collapsed to the snowy ground with a startled yelp. The woman blinked, and then saw where it came from, a rather haggard-looking man, pointing a carved stick at her…only to blink in his own turn, recognising her at the same time she recognised him. "…Sarah?"

"Sirius? Hurry, use a spell to wash both of us down!" Sarah demanded. Almost instantly, she was hosed down, the water adding to the wind chill out here in the Canadian wilderness, as was her charge. The chained-up teenager eventually stopped writhing and snarling…and a look of horror came over her features. "Laura…Laura!" Sarah shouted at her. The girl looked up at them. "Rice must've left some trigger scent on us as a booby-trap. But…Sirius is here."

"Sirius Black?" the girl asked, before looking over at Sirius. "The one you spoke of?" To Sirius, the voice of the girl sounded too old, too clipped and professional for his liking. Like a soldier. True, it had a slight quavering edge, given what she went through, but still…

"Yes." Sarah turned her gaze to Sirius. "I'm afraid…you're not going to like what I've been doing since we parted ways, Padfoot. But for now, I need your help. Do you think you can make a Portkey to Westchester, New York?"

"Yeah…but I'm a fugitive, Sarah. Pettigrew betrayed the Potters and framed me for it. I've been trying to stay under the radar of MACUSA and the Canadian Ministry since coming here. What makes you think we'll be any safer in New York?"

"…Have you ever heard of Professor Charles Xavier and his school for gifted children?"


Laura Kinney, sometimes known by her codename of X-23, felt ill at ease in the mansion. True, she was safe, for a given definition of the term. She had her mother, and the man she was willing to call a father. But the X-Mansion, as the residents usually called it, didn't quite feel like home. Not that the Weapon X facility she grew up in ever felt like home, to be honest, but she detested the extra scrutiny she got here, from staff and students alike.

Admittedly, a lot of the scrutiny was for differing reasons. Her biological father, though she was loath to use the term for him, was none other than the Wolverine, one of the most famous members of the X-Men, and a legend to the young Mutants. Some of them didn't understand that, until a few months ago, she had never met him, only heard of him. Others understood, and felt pity for her for what happened to her. Few truly understood what she went through, but some part of her appreciated the fact that they felt something other than fear and loathing.

The staff were all cautious of her to varying degrees. Of them she felt the most comfortable around Hank McCoy, aka 'Beast'. She wasn't fond of telepaths and psychics by default, and while Charles Xavier and Jean Grey were cordial to her, Emma Frost was another matter. Her biological father was somewhat awkward around her, understandably, and she wasn't sure they could speak without having a major argument, again. Scott Summers was too uptight and suspicious for her liking. Ororo Munroe was fine, and Laura was close enough to the African-born Mutant, but she was currently in Wakanda with her husband, it's king, T'Challa.

But McCoy, for all his cultured ways, understood what it was like to have to fight the beast within. He was a gentle soul, an intelligent, cultured man, who nonetheless looked like a blue-furred humanoid lion. He didn't judge her. Oh, he was cautious around her, but next to her mother and her father, she felt closest to the man, if only as a mentor and, perhaps, honorary uncle.

Of course, her father, her true father, was better. Not bound by ties of blood, but when he learned what she had done, what had been done to her…he didn't judge her. He didn't look at her like a weapon or a freak or a ticking time bomb. He knew what it was like to be hunted. Plus, he was fun and funny. And he could turn into a dog on request. He was a wizard.

Laura entered the kitchen that her mother and father had commandeered. They were discussing something with Xavier, who was sitting in his wheelchair. "…Agree totally, Sirius," Xavier said. "Laura is altogether too young for X-Force, at the present time. Her abilities are beyond reproach, true, and she would be a fine asset to X-Force. But…given that she is only freshly away from Weapon X, I want to give her as good a childhood as one can manage."

"Good. Don't get me wrong, if she needs to fight, I'll let her fight," Sirius said. "But she deserves a good life." He looked up as Laura approached. "Ah, Laura, we were just talking about you."

"I know," she said, as her mother finished cooking breakfast. She didn't need to, but Sarah Kinney seemed to want to make up for all the bad stuff she did back at Weapon X, and act maternal, even as she worked with McCoy, doing research. "And while I would agree to joining X-Force eventually…as you said, it has only been a few months since we left Weapon X. However, I feel I need a purpose, more than remaining here."

Xavier nodded. "I understand. I was not the one who brought up the idea. Scott suggested it. I personally believe he wants someone other than Mr Wilson on the team."

"That bad?" Sarah asked.

Right at that moment, Deadpool, dressed in nothing but boxers and his red and black mask (and thus showing off his cancer-riddled immortal body), ran through the kitchen. "…RUNNING RUNNING RUNNING RUNNING…" he yelped as he ran through.

"…Worse," Xavier said with considerable understatement. "Incidentally, Sirius, there is some good news. The President of MACUSA has effectively declared your innocence, or at least put pressure on Fudge to re-examine the case. I confess myself surprised at how reasonable they have been: our prior experience with MACUSA has often been fraught with difficulties, especially when we encounter Mutants who also have magic, like Wanda."

"Politics," Sirius said. "MACUSA and the Ministry back home have had a rivalry for a long time. The President is probably just trying to rub things in Fudge's face. It won't mean much unless the Kiss on Sight order is rescinded, but I'm sure Amelia will at least try to look into things. Best case scenario, Fudge gets off his arse because, if it's put to him right, he'll view it as correcting the mistakes of his predecessor, Bagnold. Worst case scenario…well, Malfoy thinks that he can make Draco my successor because he's Cissy's son, and will probably shovel money at Fudge to ensure I get Kissed, or else Malfoy will send assassins after me."

Deadpool suddenly came back into the kitchen. Thankfully, he was now wearing a shirt and shorts. How the hell that happened so quickly, well, nobody knew, though it might have to do with his teleportation belt. "Hey, guys! So, don't suppose you guys could rustle me up some waffles?"

Sirius sighed, before gesturing at the fridge and the waffle iron. As the spell took the waffle mix from the fridge and poured it onto the waffle iron, Xavier remarked, "A 'please' wouldn't go astray, Mr Wilson."

"Meh, societal norms are bullshit anyway," the Merc with a Mouth said. "Anyway, I just wanted to say hi. Plus, Quatermass wanted to have me make at least one cameo. Maybe more, depending. He doesn't want to crowbar me in."

Laura was already well-acquainted with Wade Wilson, aka Deadpool, and his insanity. "Wade, take your insanity elsewhere," she said.

"Once I'm done eating, Wolverette," Deadpool remarked, knowing she hated that nickname. "I've got a plate of waffles with my name on it. That's Wade Winston Wilson, BTW. Anyway, I've gotta lay low for a bit. I kinda annoyed Neena a little too much, and her trigger finger is a bit on the itchy side. I kept asking her to pose for the swimsuit calendar I'm making to raise funds for the X-Men. Incidentally, Sarah, I know Laura's too young for that, being fifteen and all, but are you at all interested in stripping down? I mean, you're very much the MILF."

Xavier facepalmed. Sarah, meanwhile, looked at Wade, before saying, "Flattering, but no. I had to put up with a lot of attention at Weapon X. Besides, I think Laura would be tempted to test the limits of your healing factor for asking that."

Laura was indeed doing so, tempted to extend one of her claws and gut him. Though more for Deadpool calling her 'Wolverette'. Sirius gently placed a hand on her own, and she calmed down.

Deadpool shrugged, before he walked over to the table and sat down next to Laura. "Hey," he said softly. "You're out of that shithole for now. And while it may cling to you for the rest of your days, you don't have to dance to those cockbites' tune anymore."

"While I would not have used those words, I share Mr Wilson's sentiment," Xavier said.

"…Maybe. But I don't need pity," Laura said. "I need…purpose."

"What about helping your fellow students train?" Xavier said. "While the fact that you were trained in physical combat at a young age is appalling, perhaps you would be willing to help other students so that they can defend themselves?"

"They have Wolverine for that," Laura said.

"Yes, but for all his virtues as an instructor, some students might take it better from someone their own age," Xavier said. "I am only making suggestions, Laura. A childhood doesn't truly need a purpose, other than education and preparation for adulthood. It's a time to try and be happy."

"…It's hard for me to be happy," Laura said quietly. "Only now do I have something approaching a normal life. And it doesn't feel normal to me."

"It's because of what Weapon X…of what we all put you through, Laura," Sarah said. "No child should ever go through that. You just need something to fill the void. Try to make a friendship or something. I'm glad you're friends with Dr McCoy, but you need friends your own age."

Laura remained silent. She'd heard this before from Sarah and Sirius. The same old refrain. But they didn't truly know what it was like to be set adrift, to be without purpose. True, life was better in most regards than it had been at Weapon X…but it lacked one truly defining thing. Purpose.

The waffles finished, and Deadpool was tucking into them with aplomb, pulling up his mask to reveal his disfigured mouth. The Merc with a Mouth suddenly choked on them when, with a 'BAMF!' noise, a familiar blue-furred, deceptively demonic-looking figure appeared, holding a newspaper. "Herr Black!" Kurt Wagner, better known as Nightcrawler, cried out. "Your newspaper had arrived, and…well, it's not good news!"

Deadpool managed to cough out a spit-covered mangled bit of waffle, and rasped, "Fuck, Kurt, give a guy some warning before you do that!"

"Sorry, Herr Wilson," Kurt said. He was one of the few younger Mutants Laura got along relatively well with, for now. Despite his demonic appearance, Kurt was a gentle soul. He then handed Sirius the newspaper he had, The New York Ghost. This was the wizarding newspaper of New York.

Sirius looked at the newspaper, and then began swearing. "Padfoot, what's wrong?" Sarah demanded.

Sirius slapped the newspaper down on the table, and Laura saw the reason for her father's fury. He had regaled her with tales about his friends, of the Marauders, and of the adventure he'd had with his godson. Sirius wanted nothing more than to bring his godson back into his life, but his fugitive status had thrown a spanner into the works. And now, something else had cropped up, something problematic, staring at her in black and white newsprint.

HARRY POTTER: THE FOURTH CHAMPION OF TRI-WIZARD TOURNAMENT

CHAPTER 1 ANNOTATIONS:

So, Sirius has got a lover and a daughter in all but blood. Oh, and he's now teaching at the X-Mansion. But Harry's been roped into the TWT. Might this give Laura the purpose she desires?

Those familiar with The Cauldron may have noted some elements copied and pasted from my previous attempt at a Harry/Laura pairing, X-Celsior.

No numbered annotations this time.