Title: The Thief and the Wizard

AU X-men/Harry Potter crossover

Summary: After Gambit is left to die in Antarctica help comes in an unexpected way. Harry Potter was on a job to retrieve an artifact from an old wizard stronghold when he ends up saving a strange man from the ice and snow. What does the future hold for these two men?

Warnings: Possible slash as well as hetero interaction, Violence, Blood, Gore. Does not follow cannon for HP or X-men.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or X-men they belong to their respective creators

Author's Note: Well this chapter has been long delayed and I'm not going to take up room here explaining things. If you really want to know you can read it on my profile. Due to the circumstances explained in the aformentioned profile I can not say when the next update will be. For those wondering, I have no intentions of ever abandoning this story. It may be a long time between updates but I will eventually put up new chapters. The story itself is still does not have a beta so there will be errors. Thank you to all the people who have read and commented on my story, I do appreciate it.

Chapter 7

Gambit flitted around the showroom excitedly looking at bike to bike, sitting on each one, and examining them all over before finally deciding on a Ducati Superbike. After informing the salesman he would be paying right now in cash, he even got a couple thousand knocked off the price. Paying the man, Harry and Gambit quickly made arrangements to have the bike delivered to the garage underneath Harry's apartment building. Exiting the dealership Harry couldn't help but smile at Remy who was rubbing his hands together in glee.

"I can't wait to take a ride on my new baby. It's been a long time since Gambit been on a bike other 'dan his Harley."

The happiness on Gambit's face dimmed a little as he was reminded just where his Harley currently sat. Not liking where he saw Gambit's thoughts were heading, Harry spoke up.

"Well now that we have that done we have a few options as to what we can do next. If you're done with the whole shopping thing for now we can always go back to my place and relax or we can take a trip down to the wizarding section of town and get a few things to get started on your permanent disguise. It's up to you."

Gambit stopped walking and stepped off to the side into a space between buildings out of the way of the people on the street. Harry followed as he waited for an answer. Leaning against a convenient wall Remy looked up at the clear blue sky he could barely see between all of the buildings. Finally shrugging his shoulders Remy spoke up after a few moments.

"S'pose it would be better for Remy to change himself sooner rather 'dan later, no? Let's go see 'dis magic world of yours homme."

He gestured for Harry to precede him with his usual cocky grin and lilt in his voice. Deciding not to bring up the fact he could see through Remy's bravado to the nervousness underneath, Harry stepped back out into the throngs of people making his way down the sidewalk. Motioning with a wave of his hand for Remy to follow him Harry walked to the edge of the sidewalk.

Hailing a cab, they got in and Harry directed the driver to take them to Times Square. Turning to face Remy he cast a wandless muffilatto deciding to go ahead and answer the question he knew had to be on the thief's mind.

"Our people have for centuries decided to follow the policy of hiding in plain sight. You will almost always find an entrance to our marketplaces smack dab in the middle of muggle shopping areas. There are plenty of protections surrounding it and unless you are sensitive to magic or a magic user yourself, you wouldn't even realize it's there."

Leaning back in his seat and stretching out his long legs as much as he could Remy just nodded.

"Makes sense to me mon ami. Remy understands the need for a group of different type of people to hide."

They arrived at Times Square a few minutes later and the cabbie pulled over to let them out. Canceling the muffilatto Harry paid the driver and they stepped out onto the sidewalk. Stepping to one side and a smile on his face, Gambit gestured with a courtly bow for Harry to lead the way. Giving the thief an amused smile in response Harry started walking Remy barely a step behind. As they walked Harry continued the explanation he had begun in the cab.

"Due to the fact I tend to be recognized fairly easily in my world, before we step into the marketplace proper I'm going to slip on a disguise of my own. Under the disguise I'm going to use today I go by the name Eric Taylor. Once we get you outfitted with a new look, we can work on establishing an identity for that look in both the muggle and wizarding world if you want."

Ambling along a step behind Harry with his hands in his pockets, Remy considered it. He was no stranger to creating new identities and having an identity in the magical world might come in handy later on.

"Dat' sounds like a plan to me cher. Never know when things like that can come in handy down da' road."

Flashing a quick smile at the thief Harry nodded his head in agreement.

"Yes, better to have it than not, you never know when you might need it. Merlin knows I have used them frequently. Once we get that identity established we can also open you up an account at the bank -which is run by goblins by the way- providing you with another place to stash some stuff. Wizarding banks are almost impossible to get into to steal something."

Gambit's eyes widened slightly at Harry's mumbled comment about goblins and he couldn't help but ask.

"Goblins? Are you having 'dis poor country boy on?"

Harry's green eyes twinkled with amusement.

"We both know you aren't some poor lil' country boy Remy and yes, goblins are real along with dragons, unicorns, vampires, werewolves, and many other creatures. Goblins pretty much run the wizarding banking system except for the gnomes in Switzerland. They are a proud race and have had multiple conflicts with wizards over the years especially in Britain. However vicious and bloodthirsty they can be, there is no one else better at making money, wizarding or muggle. They have strict codes and laws that they follow and take their clients privacy very seriously. So long as you are polite and respect what they do you will be fine."

Gambit just shook his head in disbelief. Merde! It was like when he was first learning about mutants again. Realizing that things out of fantasy were actually reality, having adjust and integrate that knowledge into how he looked at things.

"Homme, you sure know how to turn a man's world upside down."

Now Harry was starting to look at him a little worriedly and his tone became apologetic as he replied.

"Sorry Remy I don't mean to overwhelm you, I know all this is a lot to handle all at once. Let me know if it gets to be too much and we can just head back to the apartment so you can decompress and process it all. You went through a lot of shit before this, and to have all this other information thrown on top of you right way, I completely understand if you're a bit overwhelmed." With a self-deprecating laugh, he continued. " You should have seen me when I first learned about the wizarding world."

Remy felt a real sense of gratitude rush through him at the other man's words. Harry was rapidly becoming the sort of person he felt he could truly trust and hopefully a good friend as well. So far the wizard had been nothing but accommodating, willing to do what Remy needed to feel safe and comfortable with everything. Offering up a small smile and genuine warmth in his eyes Gambit let his gratitude show in his voice.

"'Dat's ok cher, je suis tres bien. Gambit can process 'dis all later non? Right now it be more important to get things done."

Harry was just glad he had decided to learn several other languages, including French, when he started studying to take his muggle school exams. Otherwise he would miss half of what Gambit said on a regular basis. Giving the thief one last concerned glance he mentally shrugged figuring Remy would know his own limits. Merlin knew he hated it when people continued to push after he had made it clear he was ok to handle things. Noticing they were close to their destination Harry ducked into a semi-private alley way, Gambit right behind him.

"Ok then, we are almost there so I'm going to go ahead and slip my glamour on."

Harry reached into a small pouch at his waist and Remy realized with some surprise that he hadn't even noticed it. The pouch must be magical because Remy had been trained to notice exactly what people did and didn't have on their person whether they tried to conceal it or not. Pulling out a stylized medallion decorated with an ouroboros and what looked to be Celtic knot work on a silver chain Harry quickly slipped it over his head. Right in front of Gambit's eyes Harry's appearance began changing. He grew a few inches taller, his hair turned a dark brown color and became much shorter, and his eyes changed from vibrant green to a dark blue. Then his skin tone changed from slightly tan to paler white and finally the bones in his face shifted until no trace of what he used to look like was left. Having seen Mystique in action many times Gambit was incredibly curious and had to ask.

"Do you actually change shape mon ami? Or is it all just an illusion because dat' looked painful."

Harry chuckled, "No. It's not an actual shape shift, just illusion. I don't feel a thing even though it looks otherwise."

His disguise now in place Harry made his way back out onto the main street Gambit once again following behind. Walking past two more stores Harry walked into the third holding the door open for Remy. Moving past Harry and into the shop Gambit took a look around. The store was apparently one of those new age trinket shops with a ton of crystals and the scent of incense filling the air. Letting the door close behind him Harry nodded at the person tending the counter. Then he grabbed a hold of Remy's elbow leading him towards the two doors in the back corner of the shop shrouded in shadow. Opening the door to the right Harry lead the way into a plain looking room that contained a cheap looking table with two chairs and a really old looking fireplace.

For the life of him Remy couldn't figure out how any of this would get them to the wizarding marketplace. Seeing the confusion on his face, Harry just grinned before walking over to the mantelpiece above the fireplace. Casually waving his hand a fire sprang to life in the grate. Slightly startled and nervously wondering what the fire could possibly be for, Remy was not at all comforted by the look of amusement on the wizard's face. That nervousness quickly turned to horror as Harry began his explanation of floo travel.