Charles Xavier was a man that many people would consider to be a mentor and a father figure to any of the multitude of children that he harbored within his school. They would only see his gentle demeanor and his wheelchair bound body without seeing the power that lay within his form, he was one of the most powerful mutants in existence though only a very select few had any idea of what laid beneath his genial blue eyes. He felt personally responsible for every child under his roof, including those old enough to be offended with the term child.
He found himself smiling as he gazed at his children enjoying their day outside of the school's walls as they gazed at the exhibits around them with wonder filled eyes while many of the older children filled the small café trying not to look impressed. He found himself drawn to one of the lesser occupied corners of the museum to find what looked to be a rather pretty girl gazing at one of the modern city climate exhibits. When he tried to skim the little one's thoughts he found his mental presence seized rather abruptly by the child's own. 'Who are you? What are you?'
Harry sighed as he trudged around the city's center looking for something to entertain himself with until his family returned home. His college classes had let out early due to the professor being needed for some kind of conference with some government board which left him without anything to do for the rest of the day. Eventually he ended up roaming around the crowded museum looking at some of his favorite exhibits while studiously avoiding the milling students on their field trips. He had never gotten along with other children his own age except for Dudley and he wasn't about to try with this rowdy bunch.
It wasn't until he reached one of his favorite modern climate exhibits that he felt the touch to his mental barriers, he had never felt anyone or anything trying to get into his mind and he immediately decided that he didn't like it. He followed the probe as it attempted to enter his mind without taking his eyes off of the miniature skyscrapers and pinned it in place when it became a little too forceful. He decided to keep whatever it was in his mind until he found out what it was and why it would want to come into his mind. 'Who are you? What are you?'
The mental voice that emanated from the probe through him off guard, it was very gentle and soothing to his frazzled nerves. 'My name is Charles Xavier and I am a mutant with the ability to communicate with others with the power of my mind, much like you are now, little one.' The voice seemed to belong to an older male and Harry found himself scanning the museum until his eyes met the kind blue eyes of a bald gentleman in a wheelchair. 'It is very nice to meet you. Maybe you could join me in the café to get to know each other the normal way.'
Harry let the probe return to Mr. Xavier and looked at the situation more carefully. He had never met another mutant, at least not any that were active and willing to admit it, and he was more then a little frightened. His family had grown tolerant to his freakishness but he wasn't sure how they would react if they found out that he was meeting other powerful mutants. Eventually his natural curiosity got the best of him and he slipped through the crowd, subtly mind nudging several of the students to get them to move enough for him to pass without touching any of them and made it to the café where Mr. Xavier was talking with a very pretty woman with snow white hair with a slightly shocked look on her face until he saw Harry coming and turned to greet him with a warm smile. "Hello, little one. This is one of the teachers at the school that I run not too far from here, her name is Oruro Monroe or Storm." 'It's a school for mutants, we teach the normal subjects as well as teaching mutants to control their powers, powers that many of them are terrified of.'
After Charles broke off the connection to the youth that he now knew was a boy he made his way back to where Storm was gracefully sprawled on one of the café chairs, the younger members of the school had run her ragged. "In a few minutes we will get the chance to meet a very powerful and controlled young man. He seems to be more then a match for this old man." He couldn't quite repress the smile at the shocked look that crossed over her face as he sensed the boy's approach and turned to greet him verbally and within his mind to let him know that he indeed had the right person. The boy gave them each an accessing look that seemed to strip them bare, which may have been the case.
After several tense moments the boy seemed to come to a conclusion and he nodded to himself before bowing slightly at the waist. "My name is Harry Potter and I attend university in town but my professor was called away to attend a government function rather suddenly." He looked around at the many children running around in the museum. "I've never seen so many mutants in one place before."
Storm sat up a little straighter in her seat. "You look a little young to be attending a university."
Harry turned back to look at her almost dispassionately. "My relatives would expect nothing but my very best in all things and I intend on delivering just that." He looked over toward where Jean and Scott were guiding around one of the more sedate groups of preteens and seemed to zone out for a moment. "The red-headed woman is having trouble with something that has been blocked off from the rest of her mind. If something isn't done about it soon she might not be able to control whatever it is." His announcement was followed by every TV in the museum flickering on and off until Scott put his hand on her arm.
Before Xavier could question him their attention was drawn to one of the most troublesome students, John. He had managed to start a fight and expose both himself and Bobby. He almost instinctually stopped every one in the museum that was not a mutant. "I would like to talk to you a bit more. Since you seem to have the day off from your schoolwork, would you mind coming with me to mine? When we are done talking I could have one of the professors take you back home." Harry nodded slowly and followed me as he dealt with the situation and they all left after the announcement that followed over the TV.
Harry found himself rather impressed by this Charles Xavier. He was a very powerful mutant that seemed almost reluctant to use his powers unless he absolutely had to. The woman, Storm, reminded him of a thunder storm that was about to start both in personality and in the general feel that she carried. He knew that his uncle probably wouldn't want him to go with these mutants to a school full of them, but he had to admit that he was curious about others like him.
He ended up sitting in a seat on a rather comfy seat with a girl wearing long opera gloves that went all the way up to her elbows. "Hi, my name's Rogue."
The strong southern accent threw him for a loop and it took a minute to catch up. "My name is Harry." He knew that Rogue wasn't her real name and he found his mind reaching out to hers without his conscious thought. "It's very nice to meet you Marie."
She flushed pink and looked out the window for a moment. "I don't use that name anymore. My mutant name is Rogue." She looked back at him with a smirk. "So you can read minds like the Professor?"
Harry nodded slightly, it would be a waste of time trying to deny it after all, and she didn't ask if that was the only thing he could do, though he knew that most mutants only had one power. He was a freak among freaks. "I'm sorry; sometimes I can't quite keep from hearing things that I shouldn't. I don't have a mutant name, so it's just Harry." The ride was quite after that because neither one of them quite knew how to carry on a conversation.
Harry had to almost pick his jaw up from the floor when he first laid eyes on the school. It was very large but it had a welcoming presence that made him relax into his seat the moment that they entered the grounds, he found himself wishing that he could attend a school this wonderful but he squashed the thought almost as soon as it appeared. There was no way that his family would let him come here; it would increase the risk of someone finding out what an abnormality he was.
Harry followed Rogue off of the bus and started to make his way toward the school when he felt something on the edges of his mind. It was what he considered his danger instinct, there was something wrong and it was going to be bad. He stored the warning in the back of his mind as he entered the school and made his way toward Mr. Xavier's office, following the mental nudging on the walls of his mind.
Petunia watched the television in shock as the news flashed across the screen in the break room of the restaurant, a mutant attack of the president of the United States was the headline and she felt the dread build up in the pit of her stomach. She had read several of Lily's books about the true horrors of both the muggle and magical worlds, neither world was very good at accepting anything that was different and she used to be of the same mind. With this attack as an excuse the governments of the world would have no problem on making life almost impossible for any mutant; some would even use it as an excuse to start a mutant hunt like the witch trials. Her hand flew to the cell phone that she had picked up in case of emergency and her fingers punched in her husband's number automatically, they would have to figure out what they were going to do, Harry would be able to hide his powers from humans but not from other mutants that would try to get their little Harry to fight for them and she wouldn't have him put in dangers way for anyone; wizard, muggle or mutant.
