Hey ya'll! Thanks for the reviews. Now, about Harry (as many of your have been asking about) I can't promise anything but with the idea I'm running with at the moment, Harry is most likely to appear a LOT later in the story. I can't say when (cuz I obvious can't be sure) but he will. As will Hermione and Ron. Okay?
Sorry for the extremely long wait with this chapter. Hopefully the light amount of fluff will make up for that!
Thanks
again folks!
-ultimategammy91
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Chapter Eight – Speculations and Eggs
The next morning, after a long night of troublesome dreams and little sleep, Rogue was awoken to the gentle hum of her alarm clock. Unlike the annoying, bleeping alarm clocks that normal people shut off or, more often, threw at the nearest wall in the morning, this alarm clock was different. Magical. Literally. The clock appeared, to an untrained eye, like an old fashioned, polished gold clock with Roman Numerals and delicate clock hands. As soon as the hands pointed at the eight and the twelve, the alarm went off. However, instead of an irritating persistence of beeping, instead, a soothing yet motivating tune of piano, acoustic guitar and a few other instruments began to play. The alarm served its purpose well, for not a minute after its tune began to play, Rogue's eyes fluttered open but closed at the sudden exposure to the light. She tried again after a few moments, her eyes adjusting better to the morning light before she made to move out of the comfort of the bed. However, moment her feet hit the wooden floor bored, chills ran up her legs as the chill of the floor sprung to life at the contact. She hissed through her teeth as the cold air rushing through her teeth but she stood up in spite of the cold. She was definitely back home.
She lingered a moment, just staring at the room around her, familiarising herself with her room again. It was exactly as she had left it. Her writing desk was covered in parchment roles and quills, among various other objects, both magic and Muggle made. One of her closet doors stood ajar with a fluoro green bed robe hanging from a magic coat hook in the shape of a brass, gold hand that was meant to grip whatever came within its grasp. A few pieces of clothing hung on the back of her desk chair, clean and folded no doubt by Kretcher the house elf as it was his duty to keep the house clean despite his own opinions of its occupants. The tall walls that had been painted a warm yellow not two years before were covered in posters and various photos in frames. Some figures on the posters snored gently in their magic bound walls while those in the photos moved about just as they away had since the moment of their creation. Few Muggle posters adorned the walls but those that did stood unmoving and silent. Meanwhile, the only light that entered the room came from the tall oval shaped window that looked out across the rooftops of the surrounding houses. Rogue felt herself relax comfortably as she let in a breath of fresh air. Despite the cold, and at the moment her lack of enthusiasm in the morning, it felt good to be back home.
Grumbling sleepily, Rogue made her way about the room, looking for some clothes. She pulled out a pair of maroon coloured jeans and an old white t-shirt from atop her desk chair. As she pulled on the shirt, she felt the fabric strain slightly as she pulled it on but managed to pull it on without tearing the sleaves off as she pulled it on. It was an older shirt than she'd thought, with its firm yet not uncomfortable fit against her frame. She gave a small grunt of annoyance, but didn't attempt to look for another shirt. Her stomach was grumbling for food and she had little patience to look for something else to wear. So, after flattening her hair and pulling on a pair of ugg boots (1) she picked up the closest thing she could find, which happened to be an old forest green sweater, and pulled it on over her shirt as she exited her room and headed towards the staircase.
As she made her way down the hall, she passed an old mahogany clock. The hands read that it was only a minute past seven in the morning, so Rogue wasn't at all surprised to find that no one else was out in the corridor. Even the figures in the paintings were sound asleep, serving as the only source of sound in the hall way as they continued to snore noisily. Rogue made her way silently down the corridor, careful not to wake any of the paintings or the people behind the doors, before descending the staircase that creaked feebly under her footsteps. Once on the main floor, she made her way towards the kitchen, rubbing the sleep from her eyes as she yawned sleepily. However, not two steps away from the kitchen door, voices caught on her ears and she stopped in her footsteps. She listened carefully with interest as the voices continued to speak to each other.
"-you can't honestly believe that that mob found us by some kind of twisted chance, Chuck. They must have been plannin' that attack for a while-"
Charles gave a heavy sigh but replied nonetheless.
"I don't deny that it was by chance that they found us, but I do not think they could have possibly done it on their own. They were angry civilians, Logan. Not mastermind terrorists. They may have been manipulated some how. Perhaps with some inside information to assist them-"
"So you're sayin' all mutant haters are manipulated into hunting down our kind? Chuck, they were actin' on their own call."
"I have to agree Charles. They knew perfectly well what they were doing and I do not think you or anyone can justify their actions by merely protesting that they were manipulated into action. They got past our security sensors without fail and they set fire to the mansion without a second thought. What more proof is needed to say that they did this willingly?"
Rogue silently leant against the door frame with her ear to the wall. Logan, Storm and the Professor had been so calm and collected about the situation until now. They hadn't made any notion that there was something bigger behind why the institute had been attacked by the anti-mutant mob, at least not to the students. She heard Charles let out another heavy sigh before speaking.
"There precisely is my point Ororo. What civilian would know how to disable a high technology security system? There are many well equip technicians in Bayville, but the technology I acquired for the security system isn't even available to the public.
By manipulated, I meant that someone must have given them the right information and means of getting past our security."
There was a silence of realisation between the three teachers but it ended quickly.
"But who Charles? The Government has not made any move towards anti-mutant hostilities as of yet and we haven't had this much anti-mutant activity in Bayville since Apocalypse was defeated."
Rogue wondered the same thing, but perhaps with a broader range of potential suspects. There were various anti-mutant groups that could have arranged such an attack. The Friends of Humanity organisation was rising in numbers these days, especially with their effective policies that had led to many mutant lynching and torture of mutants.
"I could go back to Bayville and sniff around for some answers, Chuck. 'Reckon we should get to the bottom of this before something else happens."
There was silence again and Rogue found herself waiting on Charles' answer probably with as much anticipation as Logan himself. But more of the worried kind. Finally, Charles spoke.
"Very well Logan. But perhaps not just yet. I think it would be best we gave it a couple of days before you go investigating. There could be trouble getting around without being recognised and I have yet to hear any word from Hank since I last tried to contact him."
"I could handle things enough on my own."
Logan grunted in irritation. His anticipation seemed to be fuelled by his eagerness to put whoever destroyed their home to justice by his own means. His means of justice having something to do with his claws no doubt.
"That may be but I think it best we act with caution Logan. We weren't prepared for that attack. We can't afford to make the same mistake."
Another grunt was all Rogue heard from Logan before Ororo spoke up.
"Maybe it would be better if I accompanied Logan for this mission. We could cover more ground and keep you informed of any progress?"
It wasn't lightly taken to mind but Charles was quick to agree.
"I think that the best course of action. Perhaps when the students and I leave on the 1st of September, you and Logan can return to Bayville. How long do you expect to stay there?"
"As long as it takes to get what we need. You alright with that 'Ro?"
"I want to find these monsters that did this much as you Logan. It doesn't matter to me how long it takes for us to find out the truth."
There was a strong determination behind Ororo's words a well as evidence of anger on the matter as well. Rogue could understand her mentor's anguish over the loss of their home, for though Hogwarts would always be her true homes, the Xavier Institute was just as much a home to her as it had been for the rest of the X-Men.
"Then it is settled. However, I don't think it would be best we told the students about this just yet."
"Therefore I would appreciate it, Marie, if you kept this to yourself until I say otherwise?"
Rogue shuddered uncomfortably as Xavier's voice barged through her mind abruptly but she quickly agreed and apologized for eaves dropping on the conversation.
"That's quite alright. But I trust you to keep it to yourself Marie."
"Ah promise Professor."
"Good. Now, would you like to come in and join us? I believe Logan has noticed your presence."
As soon as the mental link disappeared, Rogue stepped into the room only to find Logan, Ororo and the Professor at isle in the kitchen. She smiled sleepily, doing her best not to appear like she knew anything that had happened, for Logan and Ororo's sake at least. As she made her way towards the coffee pot beside the stove, she bid them good morning.
"Mornin'."
The three teachers greeted her kindly, all feeling just a little more inclined to be a little more pleasant around her considering the circumstances of the day before. Ororo came and rest an almost reassuring hand on her shoulder, a kindly smile across her face as she spoke.
"Good morning child. You're up rather early this morning. Did you sleep well?"
Rogue nodded as she leant against the bench top and was about to reply when she noticed what Ororo was wearing and blanked out completely when she hit realisation. Her snow white hair pulled back into a loose tail in a cream white clip while she donned a white long sleave shirt and a full length purple skirt. The skirt was distinctive with an embroidered pattern of white and silver beads that swirled over the fabric like waves. Rogue had instantly recognised it. So she asked cautiously.
"Uh…nahce skirt Ororo. Uh, where did ya get it?"
Ororo took a quick glance at the skirt before looking back at Rogue, smiling warmly as she said in what Rogue could only say an admirable way.
"This? Oh your father was nice enough to pull out some old clothes he had found in the house."
Rogue made an inaudible 'oh' with her mouth, unable to let actual words slip out. She wasn't going to say anything but she couldn't help but feel a little possessive over her mother's old possessions. "Why would Dad lend Ororo, Mama's clothes? Doesn't he know how important-" She couldn't really say they were important because honestly they weren't. They were just clothes. But then again, they were her mother's clothes. And in a way, they were some of the few things that Rogue had to help her remember what her mother had been like at all while she had been alive. Even an old skirt.
"That was good o' him. But ya'll better watch out 'Ro. He was some Ladies' man in his day. Ah think he maght beh up t' his ol' tricks again."
The blush across Ororo's face was an amusing sight, hence, the skirt was quickly forgotten and a new subject arose; breakfast.
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About an hour later, the first lot of students began to trudge sleepily into the kitchen, their eyes full of sleep and their mouths yawning in good morning. Mrs Weasley had descended the stairs, expecting to find a large group of teenagers grumbling for their breakfast, only to find Ororo, Rogue and a few others pulling their own weight to make a breakfast big enough to feed a Dragon or two. And when Ororo had told Mrs. Weasley to sit down and have a cup of tea, she didn't know whether or not to thank her or ask if she were dreaming. However, with Rogue's assurance that everything was taken care of, she thanked the both of them (giving her surrogate-daughter a tight squeeze of a hug) and sat herself down at the end of the dining table with a cup of herbal tea and the morning paper in hand. Hence, when the Weasley twins finally came to, they found their mother oddly in good spirits and breakfast ready made on the table. The sight left them baffled a good couple of minutes before they settled into their own seats and tucked in with the others in tow.
"Bloody hell, I think I jus' died an' went t' heaven Ms. Stormy. Don't even get food this good back home."
Ororo smiled at the Auzzie as he continued to shove full forkfuls of pancakes into his mouth. She didn't even show her annoyance towards being called Stormy. Several others murmured in agreement as they chewed down on the food, with some sending their compliments to Rogue and a few of the others who had help prepare breakfast. Rogue stood leant against the isle in the middle of the kitchen overlooking the connecting dining room as she nibbled on a piece of toast. She was lost in an absence of thoughts as she watched her friends, family and surrogate family eat. At least, she was, until a figure quickly came to stand behind her, leant forward and took a bite from her toast as she held it absentmindedly in hand. She broke from her trance immediately only to turn her head to find a grinning-half-chewing Cajun looking down over her shoulder. He looked very pleased with himself. Even more so when she began to growl at him.
"Hey! Get ya own food would ya Cajun?"
Remy grinned devilishly, a hint of stubble apparent across his jaw line as his grin broadened. His hair was tussled slightly, indicating that he had only just rolled out of bed, as well as the fact he was wearing nothing but a pair of track pants and a T-shirt (from who knows where). He smiled down at her as she scowled up at him before he spoke.
"Bon Matin mon chére. Sleep well?"
Rogue rolled her eyes as she turned away from him, flinging the half-eaten piece of toast back on its plate as she went. Smirking smugly, Remy picked up the discarded piece of toast and took a particularly loud bite of it as he followed her around the kitchen. He had the satisfaction of another growl and a glare tossed from Rogue's shoulder as she turned to look at him.
"Ah slept jus' fahne."
She hissed irritably as made her way over to the stove. Remy watched as she clicked her fingers only for the stove to suddenly ignite into emerald green flames. He stared in wonder for a moment as Rogue pulled out a small frying pan the old fashioned way from a cupboard. Unknown to him, a charm had been placed on the stove some months ago, for while the stove was a new addition to the kitchen, it was also a Muggle-made stove. Mr. Weasley had recovered it at a Muggle second hand electronics store and, being the lover of Muggle things he was, he had been quite proud of himself when he had brought it back to the house. However, unbeknownst to Mr. Weasley who didn't quite understand the mechanics of Muggle stoves, the stove itself had had no turning nobs or gas connections, so it couldn't work manually. So, instead, he placed a permanent charm on it so that Wizard folk could work it without the trouble of turning nobs. With a click of a finger, it would turn on, clapping would change the temperature depending on the number of claps and with a double click it would switch off. Though it was a trivial thing to Rogue, it was a new puzzle for Remy.
"Ya jus' gonna stand there all mornin' Cajun?"
Remy broke out of his small trance at her voice and did a second take of what she was doing. She had donned a black apron now, with a bowl of about a dozen eggs on the bench side while she held and stirred a bowl of egg yolks. Remy couldn't help feeling just a little bit stupid and smile for his almost childish gawking over a magic stove, but then, he wasn't exactly used to the idea of magic just yet. Nor did he have a problem with learning to get used to it. He stepped closer until he was right beside Rogue before he spoke.
"Need any help chérie?"
She didn't even look up at him as she spoke.
"Ah think ah can handle cookin' eggs Swamp Rat."
"Remy don't doubt y' skills wit' egg beatin' chére, mais, Remy does want t' help nonetheless."
He grinned but she took little notice as she continued to stir the bowl with an egg beater while she walked about the kitchen, getting things out of pantry cupboards and other various things as she did so.
"Ah don't need ya help Cajun, ya can leave if ya want."
"Gawd. Ah think ah'm goin' soft on him…" She didn't know why, but it seemed his annoying nature was beginning to settle with her, like she had acclimatised with his personality somehow within a mere day. It felt…natural to banter with him so loosely.
"Mais, Remy doesn't want t' leave y' all on y' lonesome wit' all de work. Besides, he got t' pull his weight around some how non?"
Rogue had returned to the stove by now, with several things in her arms besides the bowl of eggs. She looked up at him, surveying him a moment in a mockery of a thoughtful way, when really she had already decided to let him help. She blew a stray hair from out of her face before gently shoving the bowl of eggs into his hands as she spoke.
"Fahne. Ya can scramble the eggs."
Remy gave a Cheshire cat grin before ascending to his task.
"Merci. Y' alright wit' dose?"
"Jus' fahne. Now scramble already!"
Remy chuckled, giving a mock salute as he made his way back to the stove. Grinning amusedly as she continued to run about the kitchen with things in hand.
"Oui, oui mon Capitan!"
"Don't start."
"D'accord, d'accord. Jus' one more t'ing chére?"
"Shoot."
Y' wanted scrambled oui?"
Rogue, despite having her hands full with yogurt tubs and a few other things, managed to turn around and roll her eyes at him as a reply. He chuckled again and turned his back on her to face the stove. Once his back was turned, Rogue smiled with amusement.
"He makes it awful hard t' really hate him…"
Unnoticed by Rogue, Remy could see the look across the Southern girl's face. Thanks to the good positioning of a small frying pan on the wall just above the stove, he had a clear view of her as she smiled. He felt himself beaming, a hidden grin across his face as he continued to work like he hadn't noticed a thing and then a good two seconds later-
"Y' should smile more often 'round Remy chére."
Immediately her smile disappeared and in its stead was a scowl.
"But then he makes it awful easy t' hate him too…"
"Marie! Tonks and Saphy are here!"
As Remy and Rogue's heads spun around at Fred's (or George's) call, two young women, the tallest with peculiar vivid purple hair while the shorter one with a head of long brown hair, stepped into the room. The two warranted a couple of waves and greetings from the Weasley clan, while, in the purple haired one's case, getting a couple of odd stares from the Xavier kids. Both either ignored or did not notice the stares, for not a moment later one pointed towards the kitchen door and the other followed her direction. Bright smiles broke across each face before the two rushed through the ajar kitchen door excitedly and pulled Rogue into a three-way hug. The three young women laughed, swaying slightly on the spot but kept on their feet as they began squealing and talking happily amongst each other. Remy couldn't help but grin with amusement at the sight of Rogue, Rogue, squealing in such an un-characterised manner. Finally, once the squealing ended, the girls began to talk on semi-average pitched levels.
"Girl do yeh know how much yeh scared meh t' death?! When yeh Pa went off lookin' fer yeh b'cause they couldn' find yeh- Don't do that again yeh hear?"
Rogue snorted but one look from the brown haired Irish Lass stopped her from sniggering out loud. She was forced to swallow before apologising.
"Sorry Saphy."
"Well I should hope you are Mar. Gave us all a right heart attack when you disappeared from that school."
As the purple haired woman continued to speak, Saphy set her gaze away from the two and focused on Remy for the first time. Remy, smirked and gave a small nod while Saphy raised a brow at him, unimpressed. Remy didn't have to wait long before Saphy tugged on Rogue's sleave to get her attention and pointed to him.
"Mar. Who's that?"
Rogue turned, locked eyes with Remy for about half a second before turning back to her friends. She smiled, grabbed their hands and pulled them towards Remy who was still keeping an eye on the eggs. Remy gave a polite smile, watching as Saphy gave him another raised brow as if to measure him up to standard while Tonks just smiled amiably as Rogue began introductions.
"Saphy, Tonks, this is Remy LeBeau, -Remy, Sapphire McIvor and Nymphadora Tonks."
Remy extended a hand to Sapphire first, giving another smile as he spoke (just to annoy her).
"Bonjour Sapphire. Pleasure t' meet y'."
Sapphire reluctantly took Remy's hand and shook it but let it go quickly as she replied.
"Yeah. Yeh say that now."
Remy chuckled, humouring her, but kept a mental note not to get to far on the girl's bad side. Rogue on the other hand, just rolled her eyes and ignored Sapphire's warning as Remy extended a hand to Tonks.
"Bon t' meet y' Nymphadora."
Tonks' pleasant smile faded instantly. Her once twinkling dark eyes turned cold and literally red with anger while her hair did much the same. It was a frightening and amazing sight, watching her hair as it went from a peculiar violet shade to a vibrant flush of red. One sight Remy was sure he didn't want to see again if he knew what was good for him. Not the moment the name Nymphadora has slipped between his lips had his hand grasped her own hand. He felt his finger bones crush under her iron grip as she hissed.
"Don't. Call. Me. Nymphadora."
And with that, she mercifully let go of Remy's hand and her hair and eyes returned to their original colours. Remy, as he massaged his aching hand, turned to Rogue who was going red in the face as she tried not to burst out laughing. He gave her a puzzled look, wincing as he massaged his hand, before speaking.
"Is dere somet'ing here Remy should know about chérie?"
Rogue snorted in reply before pulling herself together enough to speak.
"Don't called Tonks by her first name. It…irritates her."
Tonks gave Remy an irritable look while Sapphire just smiled smugly, enjoying the entertainment at Remy's expense. Remy on the other hand just smirked casually, his true emotions unseen as he inspected Rogue's friends. Nym- Tonks, was of course the more individual of the two. Her unusual hair came just over her shoulders in thin wisps of violet while she was dressed in burgundy leather and velvet clad coat, jeans and black top, a wand hanging from a belt around her waist. Apart from the obvious sensitivity over her name, she seemed like a nice…witch. Sapphire, contrary to Tonks, had a more ordinary appearance. Her waist-length hair laid dead straight against her back, her slim frame clad in a denim-blue jacket over a pair of jeans and a white shirt. Her Sapphire blue eyes however, were set in cold glare in his direction without so much of a need for a sneer across the rest of her face. She had a look that he didn't know whether to fear or return.
"Yeh eggs are burnin'."
Breaking out of his reverie of thoughts, Remy turned back to the stove only to find flaming eggs burning in the pan. He quickly grabbed the pan lid and covered the eggs, beating the flames down until they diminished and the smoke began to fill the air. He fanned the stove area before taking off the lid and inspecting the remnants of the eggs. Remy turned to the girls and offered the pan to them.
"Eggs anyone?"
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Kind of a filling chapter but I think you enjoyed it right? I mean, I introduced Tonks and my character Sapphire McIvor? And I even got Remy in the bad books of Rogue's friends! He gonna have to go to great lengths to earn brownie points with these girls. :P
Hope everyone enjoyed this update. I'm SO sorry Its taken me so long to update but I'm really stressed out and busy. But considering it was my Birthday Today, I decided to treat myself (and you all) to an update. :D
Until next update!!
-ultimategammy91