chapter 2

Harry stood silently, and looked up this new player in the game. The person called Magneto, who had just knocked aside these government troops like they were absolutely nothing, hovered in the air with his arms folded. Harry remained still, and assessed the situation. He knew that this man commanded a great deal of power. He magnetized the metal around him, and used it to accomplish his goals. It was a one sided beating, there were no two ways about it. Harry blinked suddenly, trying to regain his bearings.

He was in this new place. Unfortunately, this was one situation that he had no idea how to get out of. Magneto stood, patiently, and awaited for Harry to give his answer. Harry had no idea what to say, and what to do. Yet, he had to do something, so he decided to say the first thing that came to mind.

"What do you mean about my future?" Harry asked, and immediately he felt stupid at saying that.

Magneto decided to elaborate. "Child, you have great power, and with that great power, there is potential. The mutant race could use someone like you on our side. As you can see, the humans went after you at the first sign that you might not be something they can control. They will continue to go after you. Not because of any misdeed you have done, but for the sheer fact that you are different. People fear what they cannot understand."

Despite the situation he was in, Harry had to grudgingly admit that this Magneto had a point. He had lived in through many situations where people did fear what they were unable to understand. The events during his second year, when people had judged him to be evil just because he spoke Parseltongue, proved that much. His own relatives were proof of this, and there were many other cases. Fear tended to make people lash out in the worst possible way.

Despite their common ground, Harry thought there was something suspicious about this Magneto. He might have talked as if he had the best intentions, but there was just something about him that wondered if those intentions had gone to a certain extreme. The best intentions often could go wrong, and while Harry tried to keep an open mind, he remained suspicious.

"You think I'm a mutant?" Harry asked. "I don't think…"

"This is a common reaction for those who have come into their powers, the fear of being different," Magneto said. He spoke in an even and patient voice. "But there is no reason to fear. You have risen above humanity, and their flaws. Humanity will destroy each other for their own petty gains. If we do not band together, what do you think they will do to us?"

This question was left unanswered. Harry stood before Magneto. He did not say anything, so Magneto took this as his opening to continue.

"The choice is in your hands whether or not you come with me," Magneto said. His gaze remained cold, and focused towards Harry from behind his helmet. "I will say this, if it was not for my intervention, you would have been captured and subjected to horrors which you can only scarcely imagine. You are running around in circles. If you were to join me, then you would not fear. Your fellow brothers and sisters will help shield you, and make you strong."

Harry's eyes narrowed. This guy thought he owed him something, because he saved him. His hands curled into fists, but Magneto paid his body language no mind.

"Once again, the decision is yours," Magneto said in a cool and calm voice.

Harry folded his arms and thought about it. He knew that the wrong answer would likely get him attacked. He knew that there were spells to transfigure metal into plastic, but he wondered if he could actually perform them. His transfiguration ranged from average to disappointing.

It was points like this where Harry wished he had taken his studies of magic more seriously when he had the chance. That was in the past now, and Harry was staring up at a problem for the present.

Harry took a deep breath, and stared up at Magneto. He took a deep breath, and spoke. "So you want my answer. I'm…"

What Harry was going to say was interrupted by the arrival of an impressive looking aircraft. Magneto stepped back, and his body tensed up. He prepared himself for a fight against them. A dark skinned woman with white hair and a man with dark hair, with a scowl on his face, exited the plane, and turned their attention to Magneto.

Storm and Wolverine exited the Blackbird, and sure enough the first thing they saw was Magneto. Professor Xavier warned them there was a chance that Magneto might try and recruit the young man. He saw the young man standing there. He looked positively confused about the situation. Wolverine, not one known for tact, stepped forward and stared down Magneto.

"Step away from the kid, Magneto," Wolverine growled, and with a skikt, his claws popped up for emphasis. His teeth gritted before he offered his next statement of declaration. "Now!"

Magneto hovered, his arms folded. Had one been able to get a clear shot of his face, they would have detected amusement. He stared down Wolverine.

"You think you can threaten me, the Master of Magnetism?" Magneto asked in a dry tone of voice. He lifted a hand, and Wolverine's legs and arms folded back. He tried to push back through the sheer force of will. "You always never did learn from your foolish blunders, Logan. One would think that one with a skeleton coated with metal would not try and trifle with someone with my powers."

Magneto flicked his wrist, and Wolverine grimaced. He tried to fight back. Never one to go down easily, he tried to fight off his enemy.

"I could easily rip your foul metal coated bones from your body," Magneto commented calmly. He used his powers to continue to knock Wolverine around like he was nothing. "But what point would that serve? Charles should teach his pets more obedience. I find that an animal that has learned obedience lives much longer."

He forced Wolverine down on the ground. He smashed face first into the rocks below. Wolverine struggled back up, and Magneto exerted more force. Wolverine was like his puppet on a string to be used as he pleased.

"Again, I ask you, what did you hope to accomplish by trying to engage me?" Magneto asked him. "What did you hope to foolishly do? Is it worth it to be utterly humiliated?"

Wolverine managed to lift his head up, and look Magneto in the eye. He heard thunder in the distance. He decided to enlighten Magneto on what was going on. "It's call a diversion, bub."

Magneto's head snapped up, and he saw the storm clouds rolling in. Storm floated into the air, and her eyes narrowed. Thunder cackled in the air, and a wind began to kick up. This was even strong enough to be able to blow Magneto slightly off balance. He summoned another part of the fence, but Storm blocked the attack with a huge gust of wind, blowing the metal back.

Harry watched the battle as he edged away from it. He figured that both sides of this battle had met before. And they had quite the past. It was something that he had been stuck in the middle of, and he was not sure if he liked that. There was another huge problem as well. He had no idea who to trust, and there was a chance that both sides were completely out of their mind.

While the two sides were occupied with each other, Harry backed slowly to the side. A strategic retreat was in order. At least until he found out more. He turned around, and rushed off as fast as his legs could carry him.

Where he would go, he had no idea. All Harry knew was that he had to get away from this battle until he considered his options. He saw the battle continue to get intense over his shoulder, and he continued to run further into the park. There was a wooded area that he hoped he would be able to lose everyone who had been chasing him. His heart beat into his chest, and it thumped hard.

He had no idea what a mutant was to be honest. This Magneto seemed to think he was one. He briefly wondered if that was some American term for a wizard. Were witches and wizards known by Muggles and actively hunted in America? What Harry knew about magical culture in America could be written on the head of a pin. He would worry about figuring that out when he had time to catch his breath.

A part of him still wondered why the American Ministry still had not gotten involved. Surely they would have been doing some heavy damage control by now. Unless they were more incompetent than their British counterpart and that was a thought that made Harry shudder.

Not to mention he had no clue where Sirius was, or even if he had made the trip. Harry shook his head; he would worry about one thing at a time. It was survival of the fittest out here, and Harry was not going to be taken down that easily.

While Harry sped away to reassess his situation, Storm and Magneto continued to engage in battle.

"I will not stand by idly and let another young mutant be lead astray by foolish hopes and dreams," Magneto said, and he turned towards Storm. "Charles has sent you here to poison the boy with lies. It is the dream of a fool that mutants and humans can live together in harmony. Did you not see that this government hunted a teenage boy like he was some dangerous fugitive?"

Storm had heard this statement from Magneto before, or at least variations. He always had an uncanny ability to point out the harsh truth of the matter, but that just made the cause of Charles Xavier to be more important.

"You cannot look me in the eye, and tell me that I'm wrong," Magneto said, and he stopped attacking Storm.

"It isn't like you to surrender," Storm said.

"It is foolish to continue this fight, we should all be on the same side," Magneto said, and he looked over his shoulder. "Plus, in our conflict, we seemed to have accomplished only one thing. That was driving our newest mutant off. Do what you must to locate him, if you choose to. But I will conduct my own search, and remember, if he chooses to join me, then any attempt to persuade him will be judged as an attack against the mutant race."

Magneto moved off, and Wolverine finally was allowed up to his feet, just as Magneto left them.

"Just one shot, I swear, I'll take him down," Wolverine growled.

"You played your role well, Logan," Storm said. "But we have a problem right now."

"Yeah, the kid flew the coop," Wolverine said. He shook his head. "He's still out there, and who knows what he'll encounter."

Storm nodded. She decided to voice something that she had been wondering about.

"I'm wondering if there is something about him that is beyond standard mutant abilities," Storm said to Wolverine. "The readings that Charles gave us for him, they are rather unique. He may have other gifts beyond the X-Gene."

"Well, let's work on finding the kid first, and then we can worry about what he is, or what he isn't," Wolverine suggested. Storm looked at him. He shook off the injuries and continued to speak in a low grunt. "I'll heal."

Storm and Wolverine turned around, and walked off. They both spotted another wave of government troops closing in, which indicated to them they could not stay here. They both entered the Blackbird, and prepared to report back in with Professor Xavier of their status.

"It was only to be expected that Erik would get involved," Xavier said in a calm and patient voice. "He sensed this young man was vulnerable and acted to use him to further his own aims. We should have been prepared for it, but he managed to find this young man first. That is a lesson to be learned, but never mind that. We must locate him before Magneto does."

Wolverine and Storm nodded.

"Do you have any idea who he is?" Wolverine asked.

"That remains a mystery to me, my friend," Xavier said. The truth was that he had been combing every single detail. "Normally I was able to pinpoint information, but whoever this young man is, he simply appears to have no records whatsoever anywhere. His thought patterns are something that are an enigma to me, but I do pick up brief frantic pulses infrequently."

"He has to exist somewhere," Storm argued. Then a thought visited her. "You don't suppose that he is not from around here."

"Yes, that is my belief as well, there is a chance that something went awry, and we may have a visitor from elsewhere," Xavier said. "I have been able to locate this much, however. He has a latent mutant ability, buried beneath several other powers. Yet, that is not his true power; rather his true power is something else. It is something that is more among the mystical variety."

"You've got to be kidding me," Wolverine said. "You mean the kid is some kind of magician?"

Xavier chuckled from the other end of the communication. "Actually the preferred term is sorcerer, or wizard. You sound as if you don't believe it."

"I believe it, believe me, after what I've seen, there's nothing that I wouldn't believe," Wolverine answered gruffly.

"These new powers, that would make him a more delicate situation than we had previously thought," Storm said.

"Correct, Ororo," Xavier answered. He paused momentarily to check anything. "His X-Gene is just an added gift for him beyond his other abilities. His mystical abilities, well I may have to call upon a former colleague of mine to get further insight on what I might expect from them. Naturally, he is extremely difficult to get ahold of, but being the Sorcerer Supreme, he does have many matters that dictate his time."

There was silence for a brief moment, before Xavier switched gears.

"We will worry about determining this young man's powers, and abilities should he chose to join us," Xavier continued.

"What if he decides to join Magneto?" Storm asked.

"It will be unfortunate," Xavier admitted. He took a deep breath, and continued in his most optimistic tone. "But let us assume that his mind has not been made yet."

"Why don't we find him first, and ask him?" Wolverine suggested, and Storm looked on, before she nodded. That seemed to be the best course of action.

"He couldn't have gotten too far," Storm said. She then paused, and added. "Then again, if these reports are correct, he made it from the southwest to the east coast in record time."

"Keep me posted on your progress, and I will do likewise if I find out any tangible information that you can use," Xavier replied, and both Storm and Wolverine nodded in agreement. "In the cover of night, it may be difficult to locate him, but we must keep trying."

"Don't worry, I've got his scent, shouldn't be too hard," Wolverine said.

Wolverine's super heightened senses made him an expert tracker, and his nose could not be fooled most of the time like tracking technology could. The nose did in fact know, and Wolverine sniffed the air. The smell of the woods intermingled with several other smells. It took Wolverine only a moment to pick up the scent of the boy in any kind of distinct way.

"He's heading north," Wolverine said, and Storm piloted the Blackbird in that direction.

Wolverine tensed up. He sensed something other than their runaway's scent. He sensed something that could complicate things greatly. He shook his head, trying to find a way to ignore it, but yet there was no ignoring that particular foul scent. His teeth gritted and Storm noticed this action.

"What is it, Logan?" she asked.

"Sabretooth," Wolverine growled. Never had one word be spoken with more hatred than what Wolverine had utilized with this name.

Harry slumped against the tree. He wiped his forehead, and it took him a number of minutes before a small amount of fear truly set in. It was rare for him to be afraid, but under the circumstances it had to be accepted. He really had no idea where he was.

This day had all started off with him stressing about completing his Ordinary Wizarding Level exams, and not failing them. Knowing what he knew now, he would have taken the OWLs a hundred times, if it meant not living through what happened on this day. .

Sirius had gone through that veil. He just had to follow him through. Now he was being chased by several groups. And he had no clue where Sirius was, or even if he was anywhere. The few answers he had been able to piece together just raised more questions.

He stepped forward, and wondered if he should chance lighting the trail. The darkness was a double edged sword. On one hand, it would cloak him from any parties. On the other hand, he would have a hell of a time seeing. Harry reckoned this was one of those "damned if you do, damned if you don't type things."

'If only you can see the famous Harry Potter right now,' Harry thought to himself. 'On the run, and potentially this could be my last stand. Well, guess what, the time for running is done. If I'm going down, I'm going down swinging. Why should I run?"

Harry stood up, tall and proud. He did not hear anything for miles around, with the exception of the chirping crickets. He had no idea how eerie that sounded until now. He heard an owl hoot from a tree above.

"Don't suppose I could tie a letter to your leg, and send a message to someone over in Britain, do you?" Harry asked the owl, half in a joking manner. The owl flew off to another point, annoyed at being disturbed. "Yeah, that was a longshot, but I had to try."

Harry stopped.

"Okay, Potter, talking to yourself when no one else is there is the first sign of insanity," Harry said. He stood around, and tried to use a directional spell to point him out of this wooded area.

He heard a snap in the distance. Immediately, he sent a stunning spell into the distance at the direction. It was a bit weird to be doing magic without a wand, but somehow he managed it. He wondered if this was some kind of side effect from his trip through the veil that would wear off in time. Harry took a deep breath, and he heard another loud footstep. Leaves and twigs crunched in the distance.

There was someone stalking Harry. Harry had no idea if this was an animal or a person, but it was unsettling no matter how you sliced it. Harry took a long and deep breath. He remained rigid, on his feet, and ready to go at a moment's notice. Another crack of twigs, and Harry fired off another spell.

At least, this was not the Forbidden Forest. There should be nothing in here that could hurt him. The noises ceased at that moment, and everything had gone completely silent. It was too silent for Harry's liking. He waited for the other shoe to drop, and for something, anything could happen. Now, it was time for Harry to light the path. He held his hand up, and a bright ball of light erupted from it.

The path lit up, but there was nothing nearby. Some rustling in the bushes caused Harry to stir. He heard the sounds of traffic, which meant he was not in the woods much longer. He was getting much closer to the city. He turned around. Yet, he could not move further on.

He bumped into a large and imposing figure. He was dressed in a trench coat, with a black tank top, and white pants. He had wild hair and a sadistic expression in his eyes that quite frankly Harry did not like. He gave Harry a wide and toothy grin, as he took another step towards the wizard. To his credit, Harry stood his ground, and braced himself for a battle.

"Awfully late to be out here alone," the wild man snarled. He eyed Harry, and a sadistic expression continued to flicker in his eyes. "What the matter, did you get lost?"

"No, not lost, just found my way out of here," Harry said firmly, as he stood up proud.

"Ah, you better be careful, these woods can be dangerous," the man said. A sadistic and knowing look appeared in his eyes. "All kinds of wild animals are around here. Someone who is soft might lose their head."

The man closed in on Harry, and he looked like he was stalking his prey. Harry lashed out, sending sparks into the face of this man. A stunning spell was fired off, but the man had surprising speed and agility for someone his size.

"That was the stupidest thing you could have done!" he growled. He continued to circle Harry, and tried to close in. He looked like a shark smelling blood. The man kept stalking Harry, trying to close in for the kill.

All Harry had to do was get in one shot at this man. One of his slicing spells appeared to have struck the man's leg, drawing blood. The wound healed over, and Harry stepped back. His eyes widened in abject shock, and now fear set in.

"Your little light show can't stop me," he taunted, and laughed hard.

"Who are you?" Harry demanded, and he fired another series of spells off.

The array of spells fired off, and this hunter was sent back hard with one of them. A high powered banishing spell sent him flying into a tree. Harry took that as his sign that it was time to leave the wooded area, but that was easier said than done.

His pursuer launched himself in front of Harry. He stuck the landing with precision, and turned towards Harry.

"I'd sooner rip you apart, but the boss wants me to bring you back," he growled, but then he stopped and sniffed the air. A grin spread across his face, showing all of his teeth. "Excuse me; it's time I get reacquainted with an old friend."

Harry had no idea what this man could have meant by that statement. He had a feeling that he was about to find out. A loud growl echoed through the air from the other end of the path, and Harry remained on his guard.

"Sabretooth!"

Harry recognized this man as one of the two who had engaged Magneto earlier. Sabretooth's eyes narrowed in hatred, as the smaller man dove at him. Razor sharp claws were bared, but Sabretooth blocked the attack. Sabretooth pushed him back. Wolverine fought Sabretooth with brutality, and sent him crashing to the ground hard.

Wolverine spun around, and focused on Harry.

"Get out of here," Wolverine told Harry.

Normally, Harry would not be the one to take orders, but that was the best idea he had heard all day. He hastened his steps, but realized that nothing in his life could be that simple. In his little ducking and dodging routine with this Sabretooth bloke, he twisted his ankle. He winced at it, and cursed himself for being so careless.

"I tell you Wolverine, we keep doing this, but it'd be a lot easier if you just died," Sabretooth growled.

"Sorry, too stubborn to stay down," Wolverine growled, not sounding sorry at all. He tried to move in for an attack, but Sabretooth blocked it.

A part of him could not tear his eyes away from the violence that occurred next to him. Wolverine and Sabretooth ripped into each other with absolute fury. Both fighters seemed to have a past, and tore each other apart. Sabretooth was the more violent of the two. He was motivated by the bloodlust, and tore into Wolverine.

Wolverine pushed back, and kicked Sabretooth in the leg hard to gain the advantage. The two continued to maneuver around each other. Harry stood, and tried to gingerly move out of the way. He could not help, but watch this battle. Violence was not something that normally appealed to him, well for the most part. The intensity these two fought was second to none.

The two continued to exchange violent punches, and Sabretooth got Wolverine backed up into a tree. He throttled Wolverine, but Wolverine pushed back from the efforts. The two continued to rumble.

"Stay down and take your medicine, runt," Sabretooth growled.

"Why don't you make me?" Wolverine challenged him.

Sabretooth violently flung Wolverine over the top of his head. Wolverine crashed down to the ground hard, and Sabretooth pummeled him in the side with a series of violent punches. Harry took a deep breath, and tried to study the battle.

He was not running on a bum ankle, not any more. Healing spells were very difficult to pull off, as the Lockhart fiasco in his second year proved. He found himself studying Sabretooth's moves, and almost analyzing a way to defeat him. Wolverine was coming up on the short end of the stick, and Harry limped forward, having a clear idea what he had to do.

He had a clear shot right now, and he had to take it.

A red light shot forward, and impacted Sabretooth hard in the chest. The large furry mutant slammed high into the trees in the distance, and was knocked out for the impact. When he woke up, he would be rather sore to say the least. Wolverine turned around, and stared at Harry. Said boy just stood there, and a determined expression was on his face.

"I thought I told you to get out of here," Wolverine said. He then added. "And thanks for the help."

"You're welcome," Harry said, and he turned around, but he winced as he stepped wrong on his ankle. It did not hurt as much as it did a while ago, and he could somewhat walk on it, but at the same time it still was tender. "I wish I didn't twist my ankle like an idiot."

"Injury comes with the territory, kid," Wolverine said, and he sniffed the air. "Sabretooth's going to be licking his wounds for a while. I can tell you that much. We better go meet up with Storm, tell her that I found you."

"Why were you looking for me?" Harry demanded. His limp cleared up a little bit, and he tried to remain on even footing.

"Everything will be explained," Wolverine said. "Just come with us…."

Harry held up his hand, and Wolverine stopped.

"What makes you think I'm going to come with you?" Harry asked. His eyes narrowed, and suspicion was in his eyes. He was not about to trust these people right off of the bat. He had no idea who was trustworthy. For all he knew, both sides could have been utterly insane, and out to do him harm.

Wolverine stopped. He was about to protest, but found out that this kid was making a logical argument. Hell, he would be distrustful of the circumstances if he had been in this kid's shoes.

"Just give us time, hear us out," Wolverine said gruffly.

Harry decided he could allow them that much, but he prepared to defend himself in case things got ugly.

"You have him, Logan?" Storm asked, and Wolverine nodded. Harry did not run away, on account that his ankle was killing him. She turned to Harry with a smile. "Hello, I'm Ororo Munroe, and you are…"

"Harry,' Harry replied. He remained calm, and decided not to offer much more information that that, for now. "Just Harry."

Storm nodded. She understood that Harry, providing that was his real name, was not going to trust them to give out much information, at least for right now. There would come a time where he could hopefully trust them.

"The fog cover should allow us a safe getaway from any government officials," Storm said to Wolverine, and Harry sat. "Providing of course Harry consents to join us."

"Join you, where?" Harry asked.

"We're from the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning," Storm explained. "It is an institution that helps young mutants such as yourself understand your powers, and use them in a way that cannot hurt themselves or others."

Harry heard that "mutant" word again, and continued to wonder what it meant. He suspected the best way to find out these answers was to play along. Until he could find a way to get home, but a place to stay was a place to stay. It sure beat running from people that wanted to do him harm.

"So what do you say, Harry?" Storm asked.

"I'll come along, to see what this place is all about," Harry said with a shrug.

"That's all we ask for you," Storm said. She focused on getting them out of here, and safely back home. Harry buckled up in one of the seats, and they took flight.

It was different than flying on a broom; Harry had to admit that much.

From the distant, Magneto watched as the new mutant consented to join the X-Men. He stood, his expression never wavering beneath his helmet.

"A pity," he commented in a soft voice. "But not unexpected."

He knew one thing for sure. This was not over. He allowed the X-Men to have their one moment of triumph, for now.

A couple hours after the flight back, Harry was sitting in a study area. His ankle was still a little sore, but it was mostly better. Magic did have remarkable self-healing properties. He drank the juice, and sandwich that he had been offered. It was better than the street vendor food that he had swiped earlier that day. The mansion he was in looked rather safe. Then again, so was Hogwarts, and Harry knew all too well how that turned out for him most years.

Still, he remained silent, and calm. He hoped that he would be able to get some more answers here, and use these answers to find his way back. For now, it was a long day, and all he wanted to do was get some rest.

A knock on the door brought Harry out of his thoughts.

"Yes, come in," Harry said.

The door opened, and five individuals walked in. Harry recognized two of them right away, as Storm and Wolverine or rather Ororo and Logan as he found out, who had brought him here. The third figure was a bald man in a wheelchair. The fourth was a red haired girl with green eyes, dressed in a purple tank top and jeans who looked at him with a smile. The fifth was a dark haired young man with red sunglasses, and he nodded and smiled as well.

Why someone would wear sunglasses indoors, Harry had no idea whatsoever, but he just went along with it.

"Hello, Harry, I trust you've had time to regain your bearings," the bald man said. He rolled forward, and extended his hand. "I am Professor Charles Xavier, the Headmaster of the Xavier Institute for the Gifted."

Harry reached forward, and politely shook the man's hand. He tried to keep an open mind once more after everything that had transpired. Xavier turned towards the red haired girl, and the dark haired boy.

"This is Jean Grey, and Scott Summers, they are students at the Institute," Xavier informed him.

"Nice to meet all of you," Harry said with a nod and a polite smile.

"The pleasure is ours, Harry," Scott said.

"Welcome to the Xavier Institute," Jean said with a bright smile. "Well, if you choose to stay here anyway."

"Is there a choice?" Harry asked dryly.

Xavier just smiled. "There is always a choice. Not every mutant I have discovered has entered this school. Some decide to take different roads in life, while others opt to try and live a normal life, not embracing their gifts. It is unfortunate, but we do not force anyone's hand here."

"What is a mutant?" Harry asked. He had a general idea, but he wanted to hear Xavier's take on it.

"A common question I have had, as there are many definitions to it," Xavier told him. "It is referred to those humans with special gifts, who have an additional gene. Through my studies, it has been called the X-Gene. That is the additional part of the genetic makeup of a human that will denote them as a mutant. Some mutations are easier to hide than others, but most of us are able to live normal lives, for the most part."

Harry did wonder what it was like to live a normal life. For his entire life, he had been looking for that answer. Yet, he just about gave up on that, and mentally shrugged his shoulders. He would have to just go to the flow, and see where life would take him.

"For the most part, we are unknown to the public eye," Xavier continued when Harry had no further questions. "However, there may come a day where we will be known to a wide group of people. The more of us there are, the more difficult it is to hide, and thus there will come a day soon where we will have to go public."

Harry offered a nod to this.

"It's difficult to hide something like that," Harry said, for lack of anything else better to say. The only thing he had to say kind about the Ministry was that they were somehow able to keep a lid on the secrecy aspect of his world. "So this is a school that will help, um mutants, use their gifts."

"Yes, we do what we can to help," Xavier agreed. "It can be a bit overwhelming to take in for the most part; it is for many young mutants when they discover their powers."

"All of us were confused by our powers, and did not understand how they properly work," Scott said at one point. "But, it's not that bad."

Harry shook his head.

"I knew about my powers, for a very long time," Harry said. "For the past five years, I've…."

"Yes, I realize about your other abilities, but you still have other abilities beyond your magic that you have yet to realize," Xavier said.

"Abilities?" Harry asked.

"Your arrival here has caused your X-Gene to manifest," Xavier said.

"What exactly is my X-Gene power?" Harry wondered.

There was a moment of silence. Xavier still had not completely come up with an explanation for what Harry's powers completely were.

"That is something that we will determine in time," Xavier admitted, and he surveyed Harry. "If you choose to stay here at the Institute, then we will determine what you are capable of. "

Harry wondered if something happened to him when he had stepped through the veil. It was possible. His head was clearer than it had been previously. His eyesight cleared up, and the scar on his forehead was gone. He looked at his hand, and those hideous words carved into his hand were also gone.

That somehow made the unbearable pain that he suffered stepping through that veil worth it. At least it almost did.

"Where did you come from, anyway?" Jean asked, and then she took a step back at the look at Harry's face. "Sorry if you didn't…"

"No, I would have asked the same thing if someone showed up randomly," Harry said, but he screwed his eyes shut. "The thing is, I can't quite remember what happened. I was being chased, and then I woke up in the desert."

Harry waited. He hoped that they had bought that statement.

"Your friends and family must be worried about you," Jean said, and Harry looked at her.

"I'd imagine my friends might be," Harry said, but he remained tight-lipped about his family for now. "Once I figure out what happened, I think I might need to find a way home."

"If that is what you feel you need to do, then we'll do what we can to help you," Xavier said. "In the meantime, you may spend the night here, and get some rest. Then we can talk about what you want to do in the future later on."

"Fair enough I suppose," Harry said. "I just have one more question."

"Of course," Xavier said, and he gave Harry the opportunity to ask the question.

"You know how I said everything was a haze when I arrived here?" Harry asked without preamble. He had been given the opportunity to continue. "This might sound like a stupid question, but I'm not sure how long I was out. For all I know, days could have passed. So I was wondering something. What's the date today?"

"August Twentieth in the Year Two Thousand," Xavier said, and Harry paled immediately, but he tried to remain calm and collected. "About when did you think you left?"

"I don't quite know, but it's been a long time," Harry said, when he finally found his voice. He took a deep breath, and turned around. He addressed the entire group. "Sorry, if I seem a bit rude, but I think I'll head to bed. It was a pleasure meeting all of you."

Harry spun around, and exited the study without another word. The five X-Men watched him leave immediately. None of them knew what to say at the moment.

"He seemed to be a bit upset about the date thing," Jean said. "I wonder how long he was gone."

"It does seem like a long time," Scott said, and he leaned against the wall. He took a deep breath, and shook his head. "He seemed to be a bit….I don't know…"

"Reserved would be the word you may be looking for," Xavier said. "Harry does seem to hold many secrets, and his trust seems to be one that is earned over time."

The temptation to poke around in the mind of anyone had always been present for a telepath like Charles Xavier. He only did this under extreme circumstances. Harry seemed to be only dangerous if he had been provoked in some way. If he stuck around here, perhaps Harry would open up. He just hoped that Harry did not get too hung up trying to find a way home.

If his theory was correct, then Harry may have not come here by conventional methods. That would explain his sudden arrival and lack of information about his past. That was a mystery to solve in the future, especially when everyone had a good night's sleep. It had been a long day, for many reasons.

In the early part of the morning, past midnight, Harry sat in the dark, and he was in deep in thought. He pondered the mystery of the veil and what happened when he stepped through. Did he travel through time? He supposed any number of things could have happened when he stepped on through the veil.

Harry hoped that he made the right choice agreeing to go with these X-Men as they were called. They seemed to be nice and accommodating enough, for the most heart. Harry suspected that everything he knew was turned upside down. He was just going to have to go with the flow, and see what happened, until he got a better feel for the rules of the game.

One thing was for certain, if he got here, there had to be a way to go back. Without knowing more about the veil, it could potentially be difficult. And the veil was in the Department of Mysteries. He took a deep breath, and tried to piece together all he knew. He was sure that he died, or came pretty close to it.

In time he would figure out what happened, and how, if possible, he would find a way back home.

If he wanted to go back that was.

And right now, Harry had many reasons not to go back given what he had been put through over the past year, than he had to return.

It would be something that he would think about after a good night's sleep.

For some reason, sleep did not come as easy as he had hoped. There was so much on his mind, and the events of the day replayed over and over in his head. Also the nagging question of Sirius's whereabouts, and if he made it continued to dog him.

Not to mention the nagging thought that he might be stuck here for a very long time.

'One step at a time, Potter,' he thought. 'One step at a time.'