Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, settings, or worlds within this work, outside of a few OC's. Any recognizable characters are not mine; I'm just playing with them. Harry Potter and its associated works belongs to J.K. Rowling. X-men and Marvel belongs to... er... Disney, I suppose? I am not making any money off of this fan work, nor do I wish to.

Author's Note:

I don't know how familiar my audience is with the x-men and their normal, non-power-based names, so... Some of this will be more detailed in the author's note at the bottom, but just real quick:

Ororo is Storm, Logan is Wolverine, Scott is Cyclops, Kitty is Shadowcat, Kurt is Nightcrawler, Bobby is Iceman, Jubilee is... well, Jubilee, Hank is Beast, and Charles is Professor Xavier. There is a tendency both within the show and in fic to call them by their given names during more personal settings, and then use their mutant names or code-names when they're actively fighting, when they're actually in the field, or when they're running a training exercise.

BTW, I threw in a reference to a HP joke/meme in here; see if you can spot it. It's pretty brief, but it should be noticeable if you know about it. :P

This chapter took longer than usual to write. I had to take more time than I normally do to think through what I actually wanted to happen next. Sure, the two groups of people meeting each other was easy enough to set up... but then all of a sudden my internal dialogue-and-scenario-creator went blank and I'm just sitting here like "uhhhhhhhhh..."And it's not like I could just skip it- the two sides meeting each other is a rather important transition within any story of this type. So... Yeah.

(It also didn't help that I got distracted reading someone else's fanfic but shhhh, don't tell anyone.) :P

Like I said in a previous author's note, we've hit a section that I haven't really thought through everything for just yet, so it might take me a bit more time than it has been for earlier chapters.

I also feel I should mention this chapter is, like, one-fourth author's notes because I gave a good chunk of x-men info in the note at the end of the chapter. Sorry. :P

Chapter 14

Connect

Logan, Ororo, and Scott had all been summoned to Charles' office. When Logan arrived, Professor Xavier was waiting at his desk studying a letter in his hand.

"Mornin', Charles. What's this all about? Someone stirring up trouble again?"

"Good morning, Logan. No, no trouble. I'll explain momentarily, once the others arrive- ah! Here they are now."

In walked Ororo Munroe, along with Scott, who shut the door behind him. "Hey, Professor. What's going on?"

"Well, now that we're all here, I'll explain. Earlier this week, I was looking through Cerebro's files on the mutant signatures in Scotland and the surrounding areas, when I came across an advertisement in one of their local papers from a boarding school requesting advice on how to deal with several newly-emerged mutants who have been discovered in their school. I have answered this advertisement, and the school administration was highly favorable towards the possibility of working with us. To that end, I have arranged to meet with them in a neutral location.

Oddly enough, they requested that we meet in London rather than any city within Scotland proper, but- well, it hardly makes much of a difference from our end, so I saw no reason to object to such an stipulation. I, and whoever goes with me, will be meeting their representatives in a private room at a restaurant near Charing Cross. I have decided Ororo will accompany me, but I was thinking it might be a good idea to bring along someone who's a little closer to the age range of their students. We should show these people the very best our school has to offer, after all. Any recommendations?"

They all thought this through for a moment. One of the younger students who would be a good representation of their school...

Logan winced as an image of Bobby and Jubilee playing "mutant-ball" ran through his head. They were two of the most exuberant and competitive of the newer students, and, well... the less said about the two of them working together, the better.

It should probably be one of the sophomore students, he thought.

Ororo seemed to agree with him. "I don't believe any of the New Mutants are quite ready for such an assignment. They're still too inexperienced, and from what you told me earlier, there's a lot at stake during this meeting. I would suggest perhaps Kurt or Kitty. They both do well with people, and they're still young enough that they would connect well with any students the school chose to bring along.

Charles considered "Hmm... You're right. However, Kurt has been getting a little behind on his schoolwork lately. He should probably focus on that, rather than spending too much time going on missions. I think Kitty would be the best choice for this particular situation." He hesitated, then added, "She is also less likely to, ah..."

"Jump all over the other school's students like an excited puppy?" Scott said dryly.

Ororo hid a grin. Logan snorted. Charles' lips quirked. "That's one way of putting it, I suppose."

Ororo smiled. "Kitty it is, then. I'll inform her to get ready for a mission."

"Very well. You're all dismissed."

Harry wasn't very surprised, near the end of September, to find himself summoned to a meeting with Dumbledore, McGonagall, and the other mutants in the school.

What did surprise him, however, were the specifics of what the meeting was about.

Powers-tutoring had, so far, been a mixed bag of results. Wizards, it seemed, were accustomed to teaching their students how to draw out power and channel it into a focus, whether through a wand, a cauldron, runes, or some other magical focusing agent. Mutants, on the other hand, tended to use their powers automatically, and even when someone was using their ability on purpose, it would often run wild.

Take Neville's tutoring sessions, for instance. Professor Sprout had him taking seeds and sprouting them, then slowing their growth rate back down, over and over again. And, well... It's not like it wasn't working at all or anything. He'd gotten a fair bit better at turning it on and off on purpose... but none of that stuff helped him recognize when he was using it accidentally, or how to make it work on just one plant and exclude others, or how to direct the plants he was growing into doing certain things... And it didn't help with those times when he could feel all the plants everywhere around him, and started to get overwhelmed from all the input. Or how sometimes, it was like this itch in the back of his head, and if he didn't make sure to use his powers on those days, they'd definitely come out on accident when he least wanted them to. He'd talked about it with Harry a bit, and Harry could honestly sympathize, considering he had similar problems.

Yeah. Tutoring hadn't really been helping with any of that, much.

Which was the point of this meeting, really... Wizard techniques applied to Mutant powers didn't always work.

So Harry really shouldn't have been surprised when the teachers informed them that they were considering calling in outside help...

But he was. As was a certain young Slytherin.

"You plan to meet with a what?!" yelled Malfoy.

"A few representatives from a Muggle Institute for Mutants," Dumbledore said calmly. "I had thought it might be a good idea for Professor McGonagall to bring one of you with her, since this matter does affect the six of you, and it would be beneficial to the decision making process if you were to gain your own perspective on these people."

"Our own perspective is that these people are Muggles who wouldn't know a swish from a flick!" Draco seethed. "How are they supposed to help us with our powers when they don't even have experience working with magic?!"

"It is precisely because they don't use magic which makes their help so invaluable and necessary, Mr. Malfoy. These are people who are accustomed to working with mutant abilities, whereas we wizards are inexperienced with these types of powers- you've seen it yourself in our attempts to help you these last few weeks. While we can certainly help to mitigate the damage from any accidents which occur, we have made very little progress in the realm of actually controlling and preventing those accidents."

"But Professor, they-"

"Oh, stuff it, Malfoy!" growled Harry. "The only one here who's got a problem with meeting these Muggles is you, you know that?!"

Professor McGonagall cleared her throat to get their attention and gave the both of them a harsh look. "Carry on like this and it'll be points from both Slytherin and Gryffindor. Mr. Malfoy, your objections to our current course of action have been noted and denied. There is no need to continue belaboring the point; it won't change our decision. Even if we ultimately choose not to work with them, we have already agreed to consider their offer, and are now taking steps to do so. Which means, selecting one of you to accompany me to this meeting. Is there anyone who would like to volunteer?"

Draco scoffed and glared at the wall. Tony snickered at his antics. Harry shifted a bit in his seat. He felt it might have been nice to go on a trip like this, but... what with Sirius Black's escape, and his being after Harry and all, he probably wouldn't be allowed.

Cedric and Luna both seemed to be considering it, but after a moment it was, surprisingly, Neville who spoke up.

"I think I'd like to come, Professor. If you think it's alright."

Professor McGonagall raised her eyebrows. "Mr. Longbottom? I'm willing to take you, certainly, but are you sure you're up to it? Your control in particular has been a bit spotty of late, as I recall."

He lifted his chin and brought himself to bear as best he could. Which wasn't particularly imposing, to be sure, but it was a good effort all the same. "I'm sure, Professor. We're meeting them to see if they can help us, right? I want to see what kind of people I'd be working with, since I'm one of the ones who needs their help the most."

McGonagall tilted her head contemplatively, and for a moment something like approval glinted in her eye, so that it seemed she might have been about to smile.

"Very well then, Mr. Longbottom. You shall be our student representative. We leave this afternoon at four. Be sure to wear appropriate Muggle clothing for a semi-casual outing to an eating establishment."

The restaurant was a lovely little place, with a regular flow of people moving in and out. Kitty grinned brightly as she looked about.

"I've never been to a restaurant in England before!" she chirped. "We should totally try some English food while we're here. How will we be able to tell when the people from the other school arrive, anyway? I bet they'll, like, totally be wearing uniforms or something."

"Even if they aren't wearing uniforms, you know the Professor will be watching for them," Ororo replied. "We won't miss them, don't worry. As for trying new foods, well... I don't see why not, but we should make our rendezvous first so we can all order at the same time. It is more polite that way."

"I wonder what their school is like? They must be pretty cool with people like us, you know, if they're, like, okay with keeping mutants in their school, even when their powers have been causing problems."

"Well, I suppose we'll just have to wait and see."

"Yeah. Guess so."

About ten minutes later, Professor Xavier wheeled in from where he'd been waiting by the door. "They're here."

Professor McGonagall scanned the area for any sign of their guests. The reply they had received from Professor Xavier had said that they would recognize him because he would be "the only bald man in a wheelchair with a white-haired dark-skinned woman beside him," but considering this was a rather busy establishment, that didn't mean they wouldn't need to search a bit to find them-

Ah. There they were, waiting in the corner near the entrance to a private room.

As he said in the letter, there sat a man of aristocratic bearing in an expensive-looking wheelchair, accompanied by a tall, dignified woman with dark skin, and a young, slender, dark-haired girl of about sixteen, who was taking in everything with a chipper demeanor.

McGonagall motioned for Neville to follow, and strode towards the small group of people, addressing the man first.

"Charles Xavier, of the Xavier Institute for Gifted Youngsters?"

"Indeed. You must be the representative for... Hogwarts, wasn't it?"

"That's correct. I am Minerva McGonagall, the Deputy Headmistress at Hogwarts. You may call me Minerva. Shall we go in?"

The group all shuffled into the reserved private room and shut the door behind them. Then, McGonagall turned to Xavier and the others.

"This is Neville Longbottom. He's one of the students we are concerned about, and he wished to come along for this meeting."

Xavier gave Neville a considering look. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Longbottom. This is a member of my staff, Miss Ororo Munroe, and one of my sophomore-level students, Miss Kitty Pryde."

Ororo nodded politely in greeting, and Kitty smiled. "Hi! Nice to meet you! It's, like, so cool to be here!"

Neville blinked. He hadn't expected such exuberance this early in the meeting. He gave a shy little wave. "Hullo." He cocked his head. "If you're one of Mr. Xavier's students, does that mean you're a mutant, too?"

"It sure does!"

"Oh. Cool. What, er..."

"What's my mutant power?"

"Yeah, um... that."

Kitty seemed pleased to be asked. "How about I show you!" With that, she moved backwards towards the table...

And walked straight through.

Neville gaped. Even Professor McGonagall seemed startled. So far, most of the mutant powers they'd seen either showed themselves in sudden strong bursts of power, or were just sort of there all the time. But a subtle power like being able to walk through things if you wanted to?

That... Was cool. "Are you guys all mutants, then?" He found himself blurting, looking towards Miss Munroe and Mr. Xavier.

"As a matter of fact, we are." Miss Munroe replied. "After all, it makes sense for mutants to be trained in controlling their powers by other mutants, does it not?"

Neville nodded. That made perfect sense. There were some things about their powers that just didn't seem to occur to people who didn't already have the same sorts of issues. Like how sometimes he had to actively focus to use his abilities, but then other times things just happened without his say-so, even if he wasn't feeling emotional that day. Or how some days being in the greenhouses was fine, but other days, it was just a bit... much.

Feeling a bit bolder now, he asked, "So... What are your powers, then?"

"I am able to control the weather."

The two wizards blinked at her in shock. McGonagall recovered first. "And yourself, Mr. Xavier?"

The man seemed hesitant for a moment, but relented. "I'm a telepath."

Professor McGonagall frowned. "A telepath?"

"Yes. It means I am able to read and influence minds. I make a point to avoid intruding on people's privacy, as much as is possible, however. As far as I am able, I won't read your thoughts without permission, although I must admit I am unable to shut out everything. Some surface thoughts may break through on occasion."

MgGonagall went very still. "Mr. Xavier, do you mind if I have a word with you? Alone?"

"By all means."

"Thank you. Neville, stay over here with Miss Pryde and Miss Munroe."

"Yes, Professor,."

She nodded at him, then turned to Xavier. "Over here, please."

The two of them made their way to a private corner of the private room. McGonagall pulled up a chair and sat.

"Mr. Xavier. You just stated that you are careful to respect the privacy of those around you as far as you are able, and considering your willingness to admit to having this ability in the first place, I am inclined to believe you." She took a deep breath. "However, I have been working with several mutants over this past month, and if there's one thing I've realized by now, it's that most of the time, developing mutants' powers will act up at the strangest of times in the strangest of ways. And I do not believe that telepathic mutants are excluded from this tendency. Am I right so far?"

"Yes, that's correct. It took me some time to gain a level of control even remotely approaching what I have now."

"Hm. Then it would not be surprising if you happened to be privy to certain knowledge that most people are unaware of?"

He studied her expression for a moment. "What are you getting at?"

She glanced over at the two women to ensure they weren't trying to eavesdrop, then leaned in and spoke very quietly. "How surprised would you be if I were to tell you that I work at a school for magical children? Witches and wizards and the like."

His eyebrows rose. "Surprised that you happen to work for such a school? Perhaps. I can't truthfully say I was expecting to meet a magical person today. Am I surprised that such schools exist, and that mutants have begun showing up at one?"

He looked her straight in the eye. "No. I'd have to say I'm not surprised at all."

Author's Note:

This isn't quite where I wanted to end the chapter, but I've finally found a decent cut-off point, and it's been long enough since I posted, so I figure I can post this much now, and just continue with this same section for the next chapter and call it Connect: Part II or something. :)

I've finally figured out where in the X-Men: Evolution timeline I want this to take place.

That said, I'm having this part of the story take place after the episode "Retreat" but before "The Hex Factor." So "Day of Reckoning" hasn't happened yet, and may not happen within this fic for a long time, if it happens at all.

So basically, at this point the second group of mutants has arrived at the Institute, but Wanda has not yet come to join the Brotherhood.

Hank IS at the Institute by now, but I didn't call him into the meeting at the beginning of the chapter because someone's gotta watch the kids. He knows the meeting's happening, he's just not attending it himself. He knows one of the others will fill him in later.

Little bit of background info for those unfamiliar with X-Men:Evolution, or perhaps even X-Men in general. I may or may not include all of these characters in this story; I don't know yet, we'll see how it goes. But I figure I should at least give a few main character descriptions.

1. Season one of the show had one group of x-men student characters, and then they brought several new characters in during season two. The season one x-student characters consisted of:

-Scott Summers/Cyclops, 17 or 18, who shoots lasers from his eyes. One of the first of this batch of students to attend the Institute. Tends to be in charge when there aren't any other adults there; he's not one of the main teachers, but as one of the oldest students, he often fills the role of a teacher's assistant, running the younger kids through their paces, helping with certain exercises, etc. Has his own car, which he's very proud of, and woe-betide the one who crashes it.

-Jean Grey, 17 or 18, a telekinetic telepath; I don't like her much- in fact she's my least favorite character- but that's a personal problem; she's not a bad character at all. It's literally just me; I honestly don't really know why I dislike her, lol. She's friendly, popular, has ridiculously luscious flowing red hair, and is good in school. Tries to act like a big sister to the rest of the characters most of the time. Is surprisingly awkward when it comes to trying to approach people to help them with stuff they're going through; but then, so is Xavier. I think it's a telepath thing. As far as I can tell, they both have this interesting tendency to think they know exactly what the person's feeling, because of the telepathy, but then they end up accidentally pushing all the wrong buttons and just upsetting the person further instead. :P Jean, like Scott, is one of the oldest of the teen mutants, and will also often act in the role of teacher's assistant, mostly with doing one-on-one power exercises, sort of like the mutant version of tutoring sessions.

-Kitty Pryde/Shadowcat, 15 at the start of the show, 16 by the time of this story; can phase through stuff. She's cheerful, friendly, and playful. She's also a horrible cook. There's literally an episode where she breaks a tile floor with a muffin that falls out of her muffin tin.

-Kurt Wagner/Nightcrawler; probably 16. He's blue, has a tail, his hands have two fingers plus a thumb (I've often wondered how the heck he can write, poor kid), his feet have two toes, and he can teleport. He's German, very friendly, and insecure about his appearance. He wears a holographic watch so he can attend the local high school without suspicion. One of my two favorite characters.

-Rogue, somewhere between 16 or 17; absorbs the powers, memories, and life force of anyone she comes into skin contact with; a bit of a loner, but cares about her team. Cooler than I'm making her sound but I don't really know what to say about her.

-Evan Daniels/Spyke, 15 or 16; is one of the very few original characters of this show. He isn't found in any other x-men adaptation that I know of. He's Ororo Munroe's nephew; produces brown spikes from his body which seem to be made of bone (although, that never made sense to me because why the heck are his spikes brown if they're made of bone? LOL)

2. Then you have the adult mutant teachers. I have no idea about their ages.

-Charles Xavier, aka Professor X, their leader, one of the strongest telepaths in the world. He can read minds, speak between minds, control people's actions, erase memories... He'd be a really scary guy if he and Magneto swapped positions... Just sayin'

-Ororo Munroe, aka Storm, who can control the weather. She's a beautiful woman with white hair, dark skin, and a love of gardening. One of the coolest characters in the show but for some reason I'm having trouble thinking of what to say about the best characters. It's weird. Should be the other way around, right? Oh well. :P

-Logan, aka Wolverine, who has an artificially-embedded adamantium skeleton, three long, sharp claws in either hand which retract into his knuckles, and the ability to heal REALLY fast, which is why he is able to use those sharp claws without retaining injury, and why he was able to survive the process of having his skeleton coated in adamantium.

Later on, these three are joined by Hank McCoy, aka Beast, who looks kinda like a big blue furry bigfoot sort of guy. He's a kind, highly intelligent, gentle-hearted nerd who happens to have an ability that makes him look big and scary and, if he's not careful, can make him lose his sense of humanity and begin to act feral. He does what he can to prevent such scenarios, and calms himself down by reciting Shakespeare.

There are many more mutants in the X-Men:Evolution show, but it would probably overwhelm people to read about all of them at once. Like. Seriously, I did a mental headcount once; there's like, 30 consistently recurring mutant characters, and then at least another 10 or so who were only in one-to-three episodes. Sooooo... Yeah. Minimum of 40 mutants in the show. I'm not making you read 40 descriptions of different mutants all at once.