2

By the end of the first day, Lorna was getting antsy. It wasn't that she was just impatient to get her powers back and feel whole again, there was something she needed to do. She had seen something in space during a recent mission and she needed to be there when it arrived.

"Harry?" She called as she entered the infirmary.

"Over here Lorna."

She followed the voice to find Harry standing over the teenage boy who could kill with his touch, Wither.

"Excellent! We could use a test subject." Harry smiled as she approached.

She hesitated for a moment.

"Don't worry, I just turned off Kevin's powers. He just needs someone to make sure it worked."

She was still a little worried.

"Don't worry Miss. Doctor Potter healed Laurie when I accidentally hurt her hand." Kevin assured her, there was a large dose of shame in his voice.

"She'll forgive you." Harry assured him. "If you want, you could always offer to let her slap you in retaliation… she can do that now." He grinned.

"I… I'll think about it. I'm not that much of a sadist." Kevin said with a small smile.

"What do you say, Lorna?" Harry asked.

Lorna took a deep breath and stuck out her hand.

Kevin slowly inched his hand out, just as nervously.

When Lorna realised that he was just as nervous as she was, she shot her hand forward and grabbed his.

Kevin gasped. He began feeling her hand, caressing it… he then stopped and dropped it like it was red hot, his face was very red.

Harry just chuckled. "At least he wasn't as bad as young Matthew, first thing he did after we woke him up was grab Jean's breasts!"

Unfortunately this made the pair blush even more. "And the less said about what Rogue did to Remy the better!"

"Erm… are we done, Doctor?" Kevin seemed anxious to leave, Lorna felt the same.

Harry just rolled his eyes. "Yeah, go find Laurie and tell her the good news."

Kevin was off like a shot.

Lorna watched him go with a sad smile.

"So, Lorna, what can I do for you?"

"My powers, are you any closer to fixing them?"

"Not yet, I've been a bit swamped with patients and dealing with everything. I've only actually been in this world for over a day." He said apologetically. "Are you having adverse affects?" He asked professionally.

"No… other than the loss." She said clearly depressed. "There is something I need to do, and I will need to leave soon. I just want to know if I can leave with my powers."

"Can you tell me what you need to do?"

"We were in space recently, I saw something up there and I know it is coming here. I need to be there when it arrives."

"Is it dangerous?"

"I don't know, that's one of the reasons I would prefer to have my powers back." She sighed as she sat on the bed.

"The feeling of loss you are experiencing is natural. You have essentially lost a limb. When I was fourteen a mad man cut off my hand, for several months, even with an artificial hand which I crafted with magic, I felt the loss and suffered mentally."

Lorna gasped.

"You will get over the loss, I might eventually be able to give you your powers back… if you still want them. Or, I can give you something else… something a whole lot better."

Lorna looked at him curiously.

"I can make you a witch, give you access to power like mine."

"Like?"

"You won't be as powerful as me, you won't have the same control as me. But you can fly, levitate anything, conjure things, transfigure things, even teleport and walk through things."

"That sounds very powerful." Lorna said slightly amazed that Harry was offering such a thing.

"It does take skill and practice."

"What's the catch?" She asked suspiciously.

"The only catch is that you might find yourself discriminated against for a whole new reason." Harry shrugged.

"So nothing new." She smiled.

"If I find you've gone evil I will remove the powers though." He warned.

"Good, I've gone off the rails before, quite a few of us have." She admitted with some shame.

"You in?"

Lorna didn't really have to think about it. "I'm in… but I might need a new codename, Polaris won't really fit anymore." She smiled.

"You never know, some people find they have an affinity for certain things, me I get on well with magic and healing… my best friend could make any plant grow."

Harry hopped up off the bed he was sitting on.

"Ok, I'm going to put my hand on your chest and pump power into you. I want you to focus on that feeling, you need to find it later to perform magic."

Lorna just nodded.

It was a weird feeling, Harry's hand on her sternum but slightly to the left, more like it was over her heart. The power was warm, it filled her up and made her feel content, chasing away the horrors and sadness of the last few days.

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!"

"Not now Bobby!" Lorna warned worriedly, she didn't want to interrupt Harry and screw things up.

"Why the hell is he touching your boobs?!" Bobby had clearly lost control, he was in full ice mode.

"Doctor Potter is providing medical aid, now shut up and let him work!" Lorna snapped, but she happened to notice Harry was fighting not to laugh, he had his back turned to Bobby as he kept pouring in the power.

"Why the hell can't he wear a white coat and stethoscope." Bobby muttered.

"Because I can see a heartbeat and I can clean any blood off with a wave of my hand." Harry answered. "And you are officially a witch!" He said removing his hand from Lorna's chest.

"Hey! Watch who you're calling names buddy."

"For the god's sake Bobby! He just turned me into a magical being, instead of a mutant I am a witch. Will you please grow up!"

"Go easy on him Lorna, he is having a hard time with his mutation." Harry said soothingly. "Now, whilst I help Bobby, you focus on the feeling of power, I want you to tell it to make your finger light up like E.T." He instructed as he gave a demonstration.

"I love that movie!" Bobby declared with a big goofy smile.

"Get over here." Harry ordered as he moved to another bed. "Seriously, most mutant's powers… most powers in general are tied to emotions. You need to learn control, can you meditate?"

"I can sleep?" He said sheepishly.

"Really not what we are looking for. You need to focus your mind. Go and grab a bucket and some water, sit outside and focus on forming the water into various shapes, try not to get distracted. Do it until you are physically tired, then go to sleep and do the same thing tomorrow, do it for at least an hour a day afterwards."

"Shapes? That's what you want me to do?" He asked disappointedly.

"Only if you want control. And I mean perfect geometric shapes." Harry said pointedly. "Now get out of here. Lorna seems to have moved on to creating a disco."

Sure enough, Lorna was sitting on the bed cross-legged with various lights floating in her palm.

"That is so cool, can you do that for all of us?"

"Yes, but I need to focus on those that are suffering first. Then deal with the persecution and then I will start dealing with mutant to magical revolutions. Besides giving you additional powers will be confusing and hinder your attempts to gain control over your ice forms."

Bobby nodded in understanding, gave a wave to Lorna and jogged out.

Harry walked over to Lorna. "You seem to have found your magic and become fast friends with it."

"It feels great!" She said. It made Harry very happy to see the green haired woman so up beat. She had been almost suicidal since he arrived.

"Right, let's get you sorted with the basics then."

Over the next hour he taught Lorna the basics of flying, teleportation, phasing, mental communication and even some transfiguration. He told her to figure the rest out for herself.

"I have two favours to ask of you." Harry said carefully.

Lorna's expression froze, there was a catch.

"First, here is a list of students that are suffering badly from losing their powers or keeping them. I'd like you to go and find them and show off your new abilities, tell them I can give them the same and basically offer them some hope."

Lorna relaxed a bit, so far nothing but helping people be happy like her.

"Secondly, and lastly. I'd like you to take some friends with you on your journey. I have a pair in mind and will go and ask them whilst you go play."

"Why?" She asked curiously.

"These powers are new to you. Also, whenever you go into an unknown situation, always take backup. Take it from someone with millions of years of experience." He advised.

"Ok, I can handle that." She sighed.

"Good, now off you go."

She jumped off the bed and ran for the door with a huge grin on her face.

"Oi! Did I just give you magical powers or what?!" Harry called out. "You're supposed to be showing off! Make an entrance."

Lorna blushed then focused and vanished, leaving a chuckling Harry to find Remy and Rogue.

It didn't take long for Harry to track them down. He had spent all night with Rogue and had her scent down pretty well. What did take time was convincing them to put some clothes on so he could talk to them.

"About time!" Harry commented as Remy opened the door, clearly in one of Rogue's shorter nightgowns. "You couldn't have just thrown on your trousers?"

Remy just muttered about not being able to find them.

Harry waved his hand and they were both dressed in the clothes he had last seen them in. "I need a favour. And it is a fairly big one." Harry warned as he conjured a chair.

"Mon ami, I be happy to give you anything up to and including our first born!" Gambit declared with a scary amount of sincerity.

"Excuse me!" Rogue was not quite on the same page.

"No, no. Nothing quite that big. It's Lorna, she wants to head off somewhere, says there is something from space coming and she wants to be there when it arrives. I just turned her into a magical, she has a limited form of what I can do. But I'd much rather she had backup as she will still be learning."

"When and how long?" Rogue asked. Whilst she might not be willing to sacrifice her children on Harry's altar, she was willing to do a lot for the man who freed her from her curse.

"Sometime in the next few days. Once you get to wherever you wind up, she can bring you back here in the blink of an eye. But she will need company on the journey there and dealing with what she finds. She is currently riding on the high of her new powers, she may need further counselling when she crashes."

"Why us?" Remy asked.

"Truthfully? I'm playing on the trust I have gained by helping you both. Only Jean really trusts me but even Lorna will be having trouble dealing with someone who was dead up until a day or so ago."

"Sounds a little manipulative." Rogue commented, not that she seemed put out or upset.

"Not really, think about it, if you needed some thing important done you would go to the people you trust and who trust you. I didn't know about Lorna going off until about two hours ago."

"Ok, we'll go, but why don't you just go?" Rogue asked.

"My primary responsibilities are to the kids, ensuring their safety and well-being." Harry explained.

Harry made his way up the majestic wooden staircase, he needed to speak with Scott and Emma. He reached the top only to find himself tumbling back down the stairs as someone screamed in horror.

"Damned stairs are worse than Hogwarts." He muttered as he picked himself up.

"Oh my god! Don't move, I'll find Professor McCoy." The young lady said in a panic.

"I'm fine, take a whole lot more than a tumble down the stairs to hurt me." Harry assured her. He then noticed she had been crying. "What's wrong? You're upset."

"It's nothing, I… they fired me… first I lose my powers and now I lose my job… because I lost my powers. If I ever find the bastard-"

"My understanding is that the person who did this was absolutely not mentally culpable." Harry interrupted. "Look, stick around, I may have a job for you."

"You know who did this?" She asked angrily.

"No, I know who was at the epicentre. The person who did this was no more responsible than a baby for its mother dying in child birth." Harry warned. "Look, go and find Lorna, tell her I said you were to stick with her whilst she shows off and that afterwards I might have the same offer for you."

Harry didn't wait for an answer, he just jogged up the stairs and knocked on the Headmistress' door and entered.

Scott and Emma were in the middle of a huge fight.

"It's the right thing to do! These people need protection and we are the best people to offer it!"

"And what if these people are Magneto, Blob or Sabertooth? Will you be offering sanctuary to them too?" Emma demanded.

"Sanctuary?" Harry asked, startling the other two as they noticed him.

"Harry, how can we help you?" Scott asked tightly. Despite the good he had done, Harry Potter was an unknown player, a very powerful player.

"For starters you can tell me you aren't about to invite every remaining mutant to stay on the grounds!" Harry said heatedly.

"Not that this concerns you, but it's the right thing to do."

"Offering sanctuary? Yes. Offering it here? Hell no!" He retorted. "If you want to offer sanctuary to people like Emma mentioned and Jean told me about, then you can do it elsewhere. This is a school, the students come first, nothing is allowed to compromise their safety."

"Thank you!" Emma said as she slumped back in her chair.

"Don't get too relaxed, what's the big idea firing… the… the Native American Indian girl, the one who just left?" Harry realised he hadn't got her name, that was embarrassing.

"She no longer has her powers, she has no place here, she is not only in danger here but a danger to everyone living here. You just said the students safety comes first."

"Oh this has got to be good." Harry scoffed as he sat in one of the chairs opposite. "Go on, explain how she is a danger." He challenged.

"If we are attacked she will be unable to defend herself or the students. That makes her a danger to us." She said with a hint of smugness.

Harry just stared at her.

A good thirty seconds passed and Scott was worried Emma might have broken him or was communicating telepathically. Neither were moving, just staring.

"Bullshit." Harry stated firmly.

"Fact."

"Are you telling me she doesn't know hand-to-hand? First aid? How to handle weapons? How to deal with scared children and react in a crisis?"

"She can do all those." Scott admitted, much to Emma's clear annoyance.

"I'm guessing she also knows how to relate to young mutants. Try again Emma, why is she a danger or in danger?"

Emma bristled with anger. "Who the hell are you to come here and tell us how to do things? What gives you the right?" She demanded angrily.

"I am someone who brought peace, equality and prosperity to my old world. I am someone with the power to back up my promises. I was a warrior, a healer, a student, a teacher. I was a king. I am Death.

"Existence has given me these rights. The purest creatures in existence have decreed me beyond them and given me their blessing to the point of actually sending me here and asking for my help.

"What the fuck gives you the right to play with these peoples lives and safety? What gives you the right to throw someone away because of a minor change?" Harry was so angry smoke and heat billowed from his mouth and nose.

"Woah! Harry, relax! What's going on?" Jean asked worriedly as she flamed into the room.

"Harry? Was that you?" Lorna asked as she too appeared, Lorna definitely shocked Scott, Emma was feeling highly chastised, not that she would admit it.

"Oh, he powered you up!" Jean said happily. "Don't worry, what you felt was Harry's emotions getting away with him. Emotions affect our powers and Harry has more than anything in creation." She explained as she began massaging Harry's shoulders.

"My Lord! I sensed your distress!" Doctor Strange was now also in the house.

"WHY IS EVERYONE POPPING INTO MY OFFICE!" Emma shouted angrily.

"Emma. Enough. Be quiet for a while. I think we are in big trouble." Scott warned quietly. Stephen Strange did not teleport anywhere on a whim.

"Stephen, I am highly irritated." Harry growled. "It was a shame you couldn't bring yourself to kill Wanda before this happened, but what is happening to mutants is highly unacceptable. Inform your friends and anyone in power that I am here, if they do not start aiding mutants and respecting them appropriately… they will come to know me personally."

Stephen's eyes widened in horror at the thought. "As you wish My Lord."

"I will be defending this school from anyone who tries to harm it. Scott has desires to set up a sanctuary, I believe your friends the Avengers would be a good place to get good publicity."

"Captain America would be honoured to help. I will go now." Stephen paused as something occurred to him. "If I might request your aid with a minor issue. One of the Avengers allies is struggling with the memories of what happened in the alternate reality. He is desperate to lose those memories, he is suff-"

"Send him to me and I'll help him. Send him today."

"Take me to them and I'll bring them to the infirmary now." Jean told Stephen. "Harry could use the distraction and helping people makes him happy. Lorna take him to the infirmary and keep him company."

Stephen nodded and he and Jean vanished in a billow of flame.

Lorna shrugged at Scott before grabbing Harry and they vanished as well.

Emma was steaming in her chair. Scott just sighed. This was far from over.

"Emma, I love you but you are about to make some very big enemies. And I am not talking about Harry. If you throw people out like Danielle, because they lose their powers and become regular homo-sapiens, then all the other people, especially the governments will see you as a bigot."

Emma looked highly insulted.

"That's what they'll see. They'll see a woman who doesn't like to associate with people who don't have the x-gene. It's a very short step from people who don't like to associate with blacks or Jews."

"It would be much safer with those like Danielle gone. Danielle is an amazing counsellor, but it would be safer." Emma tried to explain.

"But why? What is your reasoning? It can't be because she has no powers."

"But there will be fewer people to watch after… fewer people to-" Emma couldn't continue as tears began to pour out of her eyes.

"Fewer people to watch die." Scott finished as he rounded the table and pulled her into a hug.

Few people remembered that when Genosha was attacked, Emma was teaching a class of children. She watched them die and she still suffered. She was in denial for a long time, she even walked out of the rubble with a dead child in her arms, never realising it was too late.

Eventually Emma calmed down enough, Scott sat in her chair with Emma on his lap as he comforted her.

"You should tell Harry the truth." Scott said quietly. "He deserves to have a proper impression of you, not just the stuck up bitch you show to the world, but the loving woman who still mourns over the loss of her students."

Emma was too tired to argue. "I'll think about it."

After a few minutes of companionable silence, Scott asked a question that had been bugging him. "Did something happen to your breasts? They feel different."

Emma just snorted in laughter before laughing outright. She needed that, Scott always knew how to deal with her.

"Harry, this is Peter and Mary Jane Parker. Peter is the hero known as 'Spiderman'." Jean said as he introduced his next patient.

"Nice to meet you. Tell me your problems. Dr. Strange mentioned memories." Harry offered as he conjured some comfortable chairs.

"You know about the recent reality changes?" Peter asked sullenly.

Mary Jane was very worried, she had had to ask Jeeves to keep an eye on Peter as she felt he was suicidal.

"Stephen explained the situation to me, gave me a copy of his memories."

"In the other reality, I had a different wife and a kid. I had an entire lifetime with them and now it is gone. They are dead and I can't get myself to slot back into this reality." Peter's eyes began to shed tears. MJ hugged him tightly, but he flinched.

"Yep, very bad. I'm going to knock you out for this. There is nothing dangerous about what I am going to do, but it will be easier for you to adjust if you are asleep. Your wife can stay right with you." Harry assured him as he led him to one of the beds.

"Thanks Doc, I need this." Peter said sincerely as he choked on a sob.

"I know. I can see it. Just lie back and relax, you'll be awake in a few hours."

Peter stretched languorously as he awoke from his induced slumber. He felt pretty good, he couldn't remember why he was supposed to be asleep, but he didn't care at the moment. He then noticed that there were raised voices around him.

"We are playing by 20th century rules Harry, not whatever comes about in the future!" He recognised that voice, it was Jean Grey. He was sure she was supposed to be dead. Not that she ever stayed that way.

"We should have just played scrabble." That was MJ.

"Ha! Then we'd have to convince him to play English words only and then he'd complain about us using American spellings."

"I just don't get what you Yanks have against the letter 'U'." Now that was Doctor Potter, Harry. His savior… without the 'U', he was a yank and proud of it. If only he could remember why he thought Harry was his savior.

"Try not to think about it too hard Pete, let it come naturally." Apparently Jean was keeping mental tabs on him.

Peter got up and headed over to the game of Poker being played. There were two other women at the table, one looked like Polaris, he didn't know the other one.

"You know Lorna and Danielle?" Jean asked.

"I know of Polaris, but not Danielle." Pete shrugged apologetically.

"Ah, well both ladies were hit by M-Day, Harry turned them both into magicals a bit like him."

"Cool… the more people who can help heal saps like me the better." Peter grinned. Then his face fell. "Wait… I can remember everything… you said you were going to remove the memories."

"Actually, I just said I'd help you. Do you still feel you absolutely need them removed, or would like them removed?"

"I definitely don't feel as bad as I did." He considered.

"The memories weren't the problem. You just couldn't cope with the loss. It was literally driving you insane, that woman you were married to? She was your soul mate. When one half of a bound pair of souls dies, the other usually follows, on rare occasions when they don't, they go insane."

"Harry has power over souls. He connected you to Mary Jane as her soul mate." Jean explained.

"Isn't that as bad as what Wanda did?"

"No, I had both your consents… although yours was sub-conscious. Also, Wanda didn't have the authority to mess with souls, I am probably the most powerful person this side of the afterlife, but I'm guessing there are some pretty pissed off people on the other side."

"There's definitely an afterlife?" Lorna asked.

"So Jean and the other Phoenixes tell me. Of course I'll never go there. All my friends and family are there, but I get left behind." Harry said sadly.

The silence that followed was sad but neither oppressive nor uncomfortable.

Eventually Peter broke it. "How long was I out?"

"About eighteen hours." Harry answered. "Mary Jane said you hadn't slept in a few days so we let you rest."

"EIGHTEEN HOURS!"

"Easy!" Harry winced.

"No one was out there! Who knows who suffered because Spiderman wasn't there?"

"I think we acquitted ourselves pretty damned well, thank you very much." Mary Jane said feeling rather put out.

"Huh?"

"Lorna, MJ and Dani covered the city for you whilst you were resting." Jean smiled.

"You took my wife out to fight criminals?!"

"At her request and my suggestion, I made her a witch."

Peter looked a little confused and disturbed. "I hope that's not a euphemism."

Harry just started banging his head on the table as he Lorna and Dani giggled and Jean patted his back.

"I can do magic Peter. I can defend myself if any of your enemies decide to come after me to get to you." She said pointedly. "Apparently I can also do the dishes with a wave of my hand as well." She shrugged. "I'll believe it when I see it."

Before Peter could question further, they were interrupted by an irate Hank who didn't seem to notice them. "Bloody single-minded… bigoted… zealot… son of Hitler… FUCKWAD!"

All of them blanched. Those that knew Henry 'Hank' McCoy, knew he was a gentle soul and a master wordsmith. For him to be reduced to such crass and low vulgarity meant he must be beyond pissed.

"Hank? What's wrong?" Jean asked worriedly as she hurried over to him.

"What? Jean, I'm sorry my dear, I didn't notice you."

"Come and sit down. Tell us what the problem is." She said guiding him over to the table and conjuring a chair for him.

"That damned fool Stryker was on the television. He was going on about how the loss of our mutant powers was merely the first step in God's plan and it was up to them to finish the job." He removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes in frustration.

"I'd like to see him try. I'll turn him into a duckbilled platypus." Harry scowled.

"Not a toad?" Peter queried.

"Which looks funnier?"

"Ah. Good choice."

"You should turn him into an ape. See how he likes it when he is literally a lower primate." MJ suggested angrily. These people were her friends, they helped her husband when they could.

There was a moment's contemplation.

"Nah… I don't like the idea of him throwing faeces at us." Peter shuddered.

"Gee, thanks for that image." Dani muttered.

"Hey, MJ suggested ape."

"Don't go blaming me for your mind and it's inanity!" MJ warned him.

"Anyway, bigots aside, how are you doing with the memories, Peter?" Harry asked.

"Fine… I guess. Give me a few days to see how it goes. I still feel sad."

"Because you haven't mourned them. You lived an entire lifetime with them. You loved them. You do not mess with love, it's one of the big three. Death, time and love. My dad always said death, time and his Twinkies, but I changed it."

"Wise words." Hank intoned thoughtfully. "Not quite sure about the Twinkies."

"Neither was he when his wives heard my version." Harry smirked. "And he had messed around with all three."

"Anyway," Harry continued. "You had a whole life with them, that is not something to throw away lightly. You were a good husband and father, a man I am proud to know. You have memories, that once you have mourned them, will bring you joy and the experience will help you later in life."

"And you're cool with this?" Peter asked his wife.

"Absolutely. Harry has even offered to help you share the memories with me." She said as she stood and hugged him. She was just happy he was safe now and no longer suffering.

Harry held out his hands and began to conjure; a framed photo appeared in his hands. "Something physical that you can both share so you don't have to doubt either reality."

Peter shakily took the photo as a tear ran down his cheek. There in the picture was a family photo of his lost family. Straight from the home of his lost life.

"They're so beautiful." Mary Jane said wistfully.

"Just like you." Peter said as he buried his nose in Mary Jane's hair and holding her tighter.

"Take him home MJ, he could use some rest. Bring him back if he needs it, even if it's just to visit." Harry ordered.

"I'll cover New York for the week." Dani offered.

"Yeah, I can stick around, I have a few days." Lorna added.

"Really?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, I know a few places close to my destination I can teleport too." Lorna explained. "It will cut days off the journey."

"Actually, if you, me and Dani sit with a map, we might be able to get you even closer." Jean offered.

"I'm game. Anything to use more magic to help." Dani bounced in her chair.

"Well, we'll leave you to it." Mary Jane crossed over to Harry and hugged him tightly. "Thank you for saving him."

"It's what I do, why I exist." He told her with a smile.

"Seriously Doc, thanks, you need me, just call." Peter said offering his hand.

"Likewise. Now, go and rest."

Harry was exhausted. He had been up and working since he arrived in this universe. He didn't need to sleep, but he did need to rest at times, he was still human and being over worked affected him just as badly as anyone else.

He headed up to just sit and relax in the sitting room, maybe watch the TV and catch up on current events. He realised that he needed a room of his own in this place, he'd crash with Jean for now.

Unfortunately, Harry's plans for decompressing were derailed when he came across an argument erupting between two of the teenagers. Apparently one of them was either a burgeoning bigot or an egotistical idiot.

"I know it's hard to tell with you, but last time I checked, 'you' just became a part of 'them'." Julian Keller stated.

Sounded like he had delusions of grandeur as well. The makings of a Dark Lord if ever he met one.

"What the hell is your problem Keller?!" The blue haired Nori Ashida demanded.

"Nori, it's ok…" David Alleyne was definitely trying to keep the peace.

"No, it's not!" She said angrily her gauntlets sparking dangerously.

Harry had to agree, but he was curious as to whether Julian would listen to his peers before he needed to knock him down a notch.

"It's ok, because David knows that when we're all up against the wall, he'll be free and clear.

"Did he tell you about his little phone call to Harvard?"

Nori was clearly shocked and hurt. "What?"

"Nori, I-"

"It's better this way, Ashida. He doesn't belong here or with you… anymore."

"And why is that Julian?" Apparently Harry wasn't the only one eavesdropping, not that it was a private conversation, it was clearly very public.

"Please tell me. Why is it 'better', Julian?" Because David is human now?" Sofia demanded. "Are humans not worthy of being loved in your eyes?"

Harry fought back a chuckle as Julian suddenly realised that this actually affected him and that he had just put his foot in his mouth.

"Sofia… it's not like that."

"You used to call me 'Beautiful'. Am I less so now?" The poor girl was clearly hurt. Persecuted by regular humans for being a mutant and now persecuted by mutants for being a human. She couldn't win.

"I –"

But Sofia couldn't listen to Julian's stupidity.

"Just stop, Julian. You're making fools of us both." She said as she headed for the door.

Her exit was impeded by the black haired man with the lightning bolt scar.

"The only fool in this room is Julian and anyone who thinks like him." Harry told her, though he spoke loud enough for them all to hear. "Everyone take a seat and turn off the TV."

"Aw man." Santo complained, he'd just got the remote back and switched back to the wrestling.

"Sit down Julian." Harry ordered.

"We don't have to listen to you." Julian sneered. "You aren't even a counsellor here."

"But I am the Headmistress. You can consider Dr. Potter a professor." Emma stated as she stood in the doorway, silhouetted by the light from the hall outside.

Julian groused as he took a seat by the table, alone and obviously unhappy and recalcitrant.

"Let's deal with Julian's opinions first." Harry began. "Mutants used to number what, millions?" He enquired of Emma.

"Before the holocaust of Genosha, 30 million." She said emotionlessly.

"That's 30 million compared to 6 billion and rising humans. How many were lost at Genosha?"

"Half, at best estimate."

"Half the mutant population was wiped out, how long did that take?"

"Seconds, a huge explosion caused by someone attacking with a giant Sentinel."

"My understanding is that humans made Sentinels. How long do you think it would take for them to wipe the rest of those mutants out? From what Hank has told me, out of the remaining 15 million mutants since Genosha, all but 198 were depowered when a single mutant suffered a major incident and accidentally wiped out their powers.

"Do you honestly think you could stand up to the combined might of 6 billion individuals?"

"Are they really going to try and kill us?" The golden skinned Josh asked nervously.

"Some will. The average human either doesn't like hurting people or doesn't care about them one way or another. That's not necessarily a bad thing, just a selfish thing.

"Evil always shouts the loudest.

"People with evil intent tend to be the most outspoken, they perform acts that garner the most attention. But they usually only appeal to one particular facet of humanity… in this case, non-mutants."

Harry sighed and turned to Julian. "You were pretty outspoken in your accusation against David. Name one person in this room who agrees with you."

Julian had a definite 'deer caught in the headlights' look. He nervously looked around, Santo? No, Santo didn't care one way or another. Cessily? She made it clear she didn't agree.

Then he smirked. "Miss Frost."

"Have I truly failed to teach you anything that you really believe I am a bigot?" Emma asked sadly.

Julian's face fell, he felt betrayed.

"I believe we should look out for ourselves, that we should be ruthless in defending ourselves. But I don't have anything against non-mutants, I am good friends with various members of the Avengers and have nothing but the utmost respect for their non-super powered relatives. That is to say nothing of Jeeves and his superb tea." She smiled wistfully, she really should pay a visit to the Avengers again.

"Let me bottom line this for you, Julian." Harry said seriously. "You and your opinions are alone in this room. I doubt you will find many supporters in the other rooms. Evil is always the minority, it has to be the minority because it seeks to rule and oppress, it can't do that if it is surrounded by equals.

"You need to ask yourself a few questions. One: Are you evil? Remember that evil is a choice, just like good. Two: Do you consider yourselves better than regular humans because they don't have powers? If you do, remember that I am possibly the single most powerful being in the universe, and I say evil is wrong. Jean is the only one who comes close to second on this planet."

Emma decided to add Scott's advice to her to Harry's words. "If regular humans find out you think them inferior, they will think you are a threat and they won't hesitate to put you down."

Harry decided to end the lecture. "It's late and you have all had a hard time. I want you to head to bed and think about what was said here tonight."

"Nice speech, Harry." Came Logan's gravelly drawl. Harry turned and frowned, Logan was standing in the doorway with a young lady. Something was wrong with her from what he could see.

"This is Laura, my sister. She's a genetic clone created from my DNA and… you know what? It doesn't matter. The bottom line is, she has my claws and, yes, she could kill you if she wanted. So don't make her want to.

"Consider yourselves introduced."

Logan turned to walk away but was stopped by Harry.

"A clone! Dammit, that makes so much sense now. Logan go with Laura to the infirmary and wait for me. Emma, get the triplets and join us there." Harry vanished on the spot.

"Huh, maybe Mister 'equality-for-all' has his own prejudices." Julian sneered.

"Shut up Julian." Cessily snapped.