Magickal Mutants

Logan sighed as he opened his eyes. Late morning sun shone through his thinly curtained windows, outlining everything in his room with a soft golden light. Ugh...that nap hadn\'t done very good. He still felt tired as hell.

He groaned as he rolled off his bed and onto the floor, making his way to the small bahroom where he doused his head in cold water. It soaked into his hair and ran down his face and neck. Ah...that was better.

Turning back around, he got a spare white tank top from the top dresser drawer, adding it to his baggy black sweat pants that he\'d worn to bed. Shaking his head to rid it of any excess water, he walked out of his room and towards the front of the mansion.

Once there, he heard a ruckus coming from one of the rooms. Looking in, he saw a group of students engaged in a game, laughing at the jokes that one pulled, playing the game but not really caring if it was played right. Logan sighed again. He wished he could be so carefree right now. But after Alkali Lake...he shook his, not wanting to remember.

He went into the kitchen, where he had craftily hidden a six-pack, and pulled one of the bottles from its cardboard case. He pulled the top off with his teeth, spitting it into the trash bin.

He walked around, casually talking to any students he came across, holding the beer but not really drinking it. It was warm anyway. He\'d forgotten to hide them in the fridge.

He found Bobby and Rogue watching the TV before classes started at one, and Bobby without asking pulled the bottle from Logan\'s hands and blew on it, just as he had done to the root beer a week before, handing it backed iced and chilled.

Logan heard a tickle in the back of his mind, and he opened it up to allow the proffesor.

~~Logan, could I see you in my study for a moment?~~ Xavier asked

~~Now?~~ Logan questioned silently

~~YES, now~~ the proffesor answered, seeming a little annoyed and humored at the same time, then he receded from Logan concience.

Logan sighed and drained his beer, throwing out in the kitchen as he passed it.

He lumberingly walked through the vast hallways of the mansion, noticing other students but not paying them much attention. His mind had been wandering a lot, expecially after what had happened in the last week.

He reached the door of the study,and before he had a chance to raise his hand and knock, th eproffesor said telepathically ~~Come in~~

He did so, entering the room dimly lit with sunlight from the high windows in the walls. The professor was sitting in his wheeled chair, as usual. He was in front of his desk, and a packet of papers stapled together in one corner was the only object upon the polished wooden top, woth a black and silver pen laid out beside it.

Xavier turned around, looking at Logan with a slight smile on his face.

Logan couldn\'t understand what there was to smile about, but the proffesor had been doing off and on for the last couple of days, ever since he had talked to Logan and Scott about Jean. Logan didn\'t kn ow why, and he was pretty sure he wasn\'t going to find out very soon.

The proffesor reached behind him and pulled forward the pen and paper. He handed them to Logan, and the mutant began to read. What he read made his eyes widen. He looked shockingly up at Xavier who sat looking at him, waiting for him to speak.

\"You want me to be a TEACHER?\" Logan asked, then his eyes went back to perusing down the employment contract.

Xavier smiled. \"Of course. You have to earn your room and board, don\'t you?\" and he laughed slightly.

\"But what would I teach?\"

\"Well,\" the proffesor answered, \" You have already shown in the last month and a half that you are more than able to defend yourself. And the attack on the mansion last week has only put further into my mind how helpless the children are. With your help, I want to teach them self defense so that in the case of another attack, they will be able to fight back.\"

Logan thought about it for a minute. \"But woulnd\'t that press into everyone elses minds how much mutants are dangerous? I mean, they think they are dangerous enough as it is, but if they find out that there is a scholl teaching them how to fight? Oh, they\'ll pass that registration law without a backwards glance, don\'t you think?\"

The proffesor nodded. \" I have already thought this over, Logan. I still think it better for them to be able to protect themselves. When I say self defense, I don\'t mean that they have to beat others into a pulp, but just to make them back off enough so that they can run away.\"

Logan nodded, understanding. Xavier continued without letting him reply.

\"In addition to room and board, which you were already getting anyway, you\'ll be paid two thousand dollars a month, just as much as Aurora or Scott. What say you?\"

Logan had made up his mind five minutes ago. He picked up the pen, and quickly scribbled \"Logan\" along the bottom line. \"I don\'t have to put a last name, do I? I don\'t even know what it is. I can\'t remember it.\"

The proffesor shook his head. \"Not a problem, it\'s not a public contract, it for my own files. I know who you are well enough.\"

Logan nodded and handed the signed papers back. \" When is my first class?\"

\"You\'ll be gicing classes four times a week, on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, for three hours from one to four in the afternoon. Of course, those are the official full classes. If you have students who want extra training, or have ones who need a little extra, you can choose your own times for them. Your first shall be next Monday, two days from now.\"

\"Fine by me. Though I warn you, I\'ve never done much with children.\"

\"Not a problem, neither did Aurora or Scott when they first started, but they eventually leanred as so shall you.\"

Logan agreed, bid the professor farewell, and went back to his room.

Logan had barely closed the door before Xavier felt a tickle in the back of his own mind. He felt the familiar prescence, and opened his mind to allow the other access.

~~Greetings, proffesor~~ The other mind said.

~~Greetings back, Albus.~~ Xavier responded. ~~It\'s been too long. How have you been?~~

~~Not well, old friend.~~

Xavier snsed the sadness and pressure in the mindvoice ~~What\'s wrong?~~

~~Do you remember Voldemort?~~

Xavier cringed at the name. Good God, that evil man had nearly destroyed all he had known when he was a young man, still living in Britian before he had moved over to the states.

~~Well, old friend, he has returned, and with a strong arm, too. He attacked Hogwarts tonight.~~

~~No!!~~

~~Oh, yes, unfortunately. A curse of some kind that none of us has ever seen before. It has wounded more than half of our student body. It is no longer safe for them to remain in England. Voldemort has plans in action to kill all muggles and muggle born\'s. He wants only the pure-blooded of the wizards to remain.~~

~~Oh, God, Albus!! What are you going to do?~~

~~That is where you come in, old friend. The ministry here in England doesn\'t know what to do, or where to send the children. Europe is not safe, It\'s easy for Voldemort to travel around. But it is harder to cross the whole of the Atlantic to get to North America. I immediatly thought of you and your school. They would fit in quite nicely don\'t you think? And it would be temporary, hopefully.~~

~~I am obliged to saw yes, Albus. What else can I do? Voldemort must be stopped. He seems the wizard version of Striker, who wanted none of the mutants to survive. Imagine if he knew about wizardkind!~~

~~I know, old friend, and I thank you for your contribution. The Ministry and I will more than make up for your hospitality.~~

~~When will they arrive? I will want to have rooms prepared for them. I can have my own students help. I\'m sure they would like a few days off from class to help me.~~

A slight feeling of humor came from Albus\'s end, and was replaced again by a more serious and mournful air.

~~The students who are not hurt will be sent along in about four days, via a portkey. Is there a place within the walls of your mansion that could be set as the recieving end?~~

~~How many students will there be?~~

~~A hundred, maybe a few more if they wake up from the curse and are alright. The ones hit have been almost comatose since the attack a few hours ago.~~

~~Well, then, have one of your Portkey setters Apparate over here, and I will show him my library. It is big enough to hold the impending bodies, and several books can be set up as Portkey Gates.~~

~~Once again, I am grateful, old friend. I will come myself to oversee the setup of the gates. How about three hours from now? Approximately five\'o\'clock for you, I beleive.~~

~~That is fine. It will give me time to tell the children and teachers here, and they\'ll be getting ready for dinner when you arrive, and won\'t be allowed to sneak in to look at you. Once you have set up the Gates, you can dine with us.~~

~~Thank you, old friend. I shall see you then.~~