Xchange Students

Xchange Students

Chapter 3: "This Place is Weird!"

It was her first experience with portkey travel, and Rogue thought it would have been easier to swim to Scotland. When the world came back into focus, she was in a large room, lit by odd-looking crystal lamps and a roaring, log fire.

Beside her, Bobby let out a breath he had obviously been holding for some time. "Oof! Couldn't somebody have said 'energize', or something?"

"Good evening," said an unfamiliar voice. "Welcome to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

Marie found herself facing an elderly man in richly-colored robes and buckled shoes. He had a long, white beard that reached well below his waist and was watching them over his glasses with a pair of very bright blue eyes. He smiled, and spoke again. "I take it that you are Miss Marie D'Ancanto? And these young men will be Mr Drake and Mr Rasputin. I am Professor Albus Dumbledore, and you will be in my care until Easter. Please sit down."

Marie took the opportunity to study the room a little more. It was as large as Professor X's office, but stuffed with fascinating bric-a-brac. In one corner, a large bird, with glorious scarlet and gold plumage, sat on a perch and eyed them curiously. Then, the pictures on the walls caught Marie's attention. Portraits of men and women were watching her. As she stared at them, astonished, they graced her with nods or bows, while others smiled or winked.

Professor Dumbledore seated himself behind his desk and surveyed the three young Mutants for a moment, before telling them, "Here, at Hogwarts, the students are sorted into four Houses: Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Slytherin. The students who have gone to your school are in Gryffindor House; therefore, during your stay here, you three will join that House. You will live in Gryffindor Tower and undertake daily activities and lessons with other Gryffindors. You will also be able to earn or lose merit points for your House, upon occasion.

"In order for you to gain a full experience of our curriculum, I have arranged for you to attend a selection of both Fifth- and Sixth-Year lessons. You will not be able to take an active part in all of them, but I hope you will find some interest in observing when you cannot participate.

"We have a rule that all students should wear formal Wizarding robes. Professor Xavier was kind enough to send us your measurements some days ago, so you will find robes in your dormitories. Wear them over your usual clothes.

"For now, you will be taken to Gryffindor Tower to settle in. Your new Housemates are expecting you, and I imagine you will meet with a warm welcome."

Professor Dumbledore looked up when his office door opened. "Ah! Minerva, punctual as ever! Professor, here are our visitors from America, Miss D'Ancanto, Mr Drake and Mr Rasputin." To the students, he said, "This is Professor McGonagall, Head of Gryffindor House, who will be looking after you all on a day-to-day basis."

Professor McGonagall was tall, slender and ramrod straight, with sharp features and hair scraped tightly back. The smile she greeted them with barely tilted her thin lips, but Marie saw that the eyes behind the odd, square-rimmed glasses looked kind. "Welcome to Hogwarts," McGonagall said. "Now, if you will follow me?"

The castle was huge, a maze of corridors and passages. "We're gonna get so lost!" moaned Bobby.

Professor McGonagall sympathized. "I advise you not to wander about on your own until you're familiar with the castle. The stairs, in particular, are prone to moving unexpectedly. I'm sure any of your fellow students will be happy to act as a guide, whenever necessary."

The pictures were doing it again, Marie noticed. The people in them were gossiping and pointing; some were even slipping out of their own frames and reappearing in others further down the passage, telling those portrait people about the visitors. Professor McGonagall ignored the pictures so Marie decided to do the same.

At a junction, Peter stopped in his tracks. "Professor," he said slowly, "there's someone coming down the other passage."

"What of it, Mr Rasputin?"

"Well, he's kinda--transparent!"

"Translucent, Mr. Rasputin," Professor McGonagall corrected. "If he were transparent you would be unable to see him." McGonagall turned to address the ghost. "Good evening, Sir Nicholas. I trust I find you well?"

The misty apparition was a tall man wearing what the young Americans guessed to be Elizabethan clothing. The ghostly man smiled cheerfully at them while he told McGonagall, "Well as can be, Professor! Are these our visitors from the Colonies?"

She nodded. "Sir Nicholas, may I present Miss Marie D'Ancanto, Mr Robert Drake and Mr Peter Rasputin? They are the exchange students from the United States who will be joining Gryffindor House for the term." She told the gaping Mutants, "This is Sir Nicholas, one of our resident ghosts. He and his colleagues will no doubt be happy to help you in any way they can."

"Certes," Sir Nicholas agreed readily, "though you might keep a watchful eye for Peeves, the scurrilous knave. And, mind you well the Bloody Baron, whose soul is black as Hades. Alas, I must away."

"S-see you around," Peter managed, after several swallows. As Sir Nicholas floated off, Professor McGonagall said, "I take it that there are no ghosts at Xavier's?"

"No," said Marie, staring after the specter. Returning her attention to McGonagall, she added, "but my best friend can walk through walls."

"How remarkable! You must tell me more of this at another time. We have reached our destination."

They stopped before a portrait of a plump, cheerful-looking lady in pink. She smiled at them, but demanded, "Password?"

"Caudimorax," said Professor McGonagall. The portrait swung aside to reveal a hole in the wall. Professor McGonagall led them through into a large, candlelit room.

"This is the Gryffindor Common Room. As it is evening, most of the students are at dinner, but these Gryffindors have volunteered to welcome you to your new quarters." The Professor gestured toward two students who had risen from chairs, a tall, thin boy with a shy smile, and an attractive girl with a sensible look about her. They both wore robes that reminded Marie of graduation gowns.

"These are Miss Lavender Brown and Mr Neville Longbottom," McGonagall said. "In the absence of Miss Granger and Mr Weasley, they have been made Temporary Prefects." Professor McGonagall introduced the three newcomers before leaving the room.

Marie looked around. The room was large, but cozy, filled with old, overstuffed, chairs and couches, many drawn up to a hearth. There was a table in the middle of the room with wooden chairs arranged around it.

Neville stepped forward. "Hello, Marie, Robert, Peter. We thought you might be hungry, so we had some food brought up. Help yourselves." Peter practically ran to the table, and all five sat down. As they ate, Neville and Lavender told them about the school.

They learned about the various Houses. Gryffindor, they were told, was the best (of course). Ravenclaw was where the very clever students went, and they were OK. Hufflepuffs were nice enough, but never amounted to much. Slytherins, however, were to be avoided; they were a nasty bunch, Lavender warned.

Then, there were the classes, which all sounded odd to Marie. There was Herbology and Transfiguration, not to mention Potions, and Care of Magical Creatures. Astronomy made sense, kind of, and Marie was sure Professor X would want them to pay particular attention in History of Magic. As to Divination and Muggle Studies, only time would tell!

Afterwards, Lavender showed Marie up to the girls' dormitory. On the way, Lavender said, "You're going out with Robert, are you?"

"Is it that obvious?"

"Just a bit! I'd better warn you that he won't be able to come up here, even if there's nobody else about. If a boy tries to come up, the stairs turn into a slide! If you two want somewhere quiet for a cuddle, there's always the Astronomy Tower, or you can nip into an empty classroom."

"OK, thanks. By the way, he likes to be called Bobby."

Lavender giggled. "Not a good idea! Over here, Bobbi is a girl's name. He'd better settle for Robert or Bob!"

The dormitory was amazing. Rogue stared at the huge four-poster bed Lavender told her was hers. "You mean I get to sleep in this all by myself?"

"Well, of course!" Lavender squinted at her. "Do you share beds at your school?"

Marie chuckled, shaking her head. Then, she unpacked her things and tried on her new robes. They fit perfectly, but she felt strange in them, though she did rather like the long, black cloak for wearing outdoors.

Rogue realized she'd better tell Lavender to warn the other girls against accidentally brushing against her. Marie explained that touching her skin caused injury to others. To Marie's relief, Lavender accepted the warning without comment; Lavender didn't even follow up with the usual embarrassing question about how Marie and Bobby could kiss. In fact, Lavender asked hardly any questions. In contrast, Rogue could imagine the good-natured grilling the three English students would be getting from her friends at Xavier's.

As the two girls re-entered the Common Room, Bobby was saying to Neville, in a shocked voice, "You don't have a TV?"

"Is that a Muggle device? Sorry, none of that Muggle stuff will work here. All the Muggle-born First Years complain, but they soon get used to Hogwarts."

Bobby shook his head. "This place is weird!"

Neville laughed. "Just wait! You've not seen the half of it, Bob!"

It was about then that other students began to come in. They greeted the newcomers courteously, but kept a respectful distance. Though surprised, Marie was glad of this, because she was feeling surprisingly sleepy. It might have been the food-she hadn't been able to resist a second helping of something called treacle pudding-or it might have been the travel, but Marie felt bushed.

Still, there was too much to do to sleep. Marie and the boys soon found themselves part of a group of older students. In addition to Neville and Lavender, the group included two boys, Seamus and Dean, and two girls, Parvati and Ginny. Ginny was a Fifth Year, she explained, who would take them to some of their classes. Ginny was also the younger sister of one of the boys who had gone to Xavier's. She was a rather small, slim redhead with a mischievous grin. Marie noticed that Ginny was clearly having difficulty keeping her hot, sticky eyes off Peter!

Finally, Neville said, "If you don't mind me asking, exactly what is a Mutant? Harry told us that you're not Wizards, but you're not really Muggles, either. Is that right?"

How they differed from ordinary humans was difficult to explain to the young Wizards who knew little or nothing about Muggle science. Bobby tried his best to explain genetics and DNA. The Hogwarts students began to get the idea.

"So," Lavender said, "you don't have Mutant families like we have Wizard families. I mean, Neville and Ginny come from families that are all Wizards on both sides. Seamus, here, is a Half-blood because his mum's a witch but his Dad's a Muggle. Hermione, the girl who's gone over to America, is Muggle-born; neither of her parents are Wizards. All of your parents are Muggles?"

"I guess so," said Bobby uncertainly. "Our parents aren't Mutants. We don't know if mutancy runs in families, since Mutants haven't been around that long. The oldest ones we know of are Magneto, Professor X, and Banshee. Magneto was born before World War II, so he has to be in his seventies. Banshee's in his 40s. The Professor..." Bobby paused. "It's hard to guess his age. Mutants don't seem to age as fast as, uh, Muggles."

Just then, an appealing aroma filled the room. Neville looked up. "Ah! The cocoa's here! Everybody want some? Right, I'll fetch it, then!"

"I'll give you a hand," Peter offered, standing up.

Ginny's eyes grew round as Colossus unfolded to his full height. As he strode over to the table, she whispered to Bobby, "How tall is he, for goodness sake?"

"Six-eight," Bobby replied. Ginny whistled softly.

The cocoa turned out to be hot chocolate. Its arrival was a signal for the younger students to make their way upstairs. As for the older ones, Marie noticed couples slipping out of the room together. Ginny noticed her noticing, and leaned forward while the others were talking about something else. She told Marie about a little nook she knew of not far outside the Common Room--in case she and Bobby wanted a private moment.

"Thanks," said Marie, "but I'd feel bad leaving Petey here on his own. He's kind of shy."

Ginny's eyes danced. "Go on, the two of you. I'll look after Peter!"

'I'll just bet you will,' thought Marie, sharing a private smile with Bobby.

*****

The next morning, Marie woke to find Lavender standing beside her bed. "Grab your wash things," Lavender instructed. "It's time to get ready for class."

As they walked along together, Lavender explained, "Professor McGonagall said you should use the Prefects' Bathroom. After what you said yesterday, it makes sense. The Prefects' Bathroom is less crowded, so there's less chance of an accident."

The special bathroom was luxurious to the point of magnificence, with options like scented water and even something resembling a Jacuzzi, but Rogue found several things missing. There didn't seem to be any showers, and, while a bath might be OK for a long soak, what about weekdays? The sink area seemed ordinary enough until Rogue realized there were no electrical outlets. "How do you dry your hair?" Rogue asked.

"With magic," said Lavender. "Like this." She handed Rogue her hairbrush. "It has a charm on it that dries your hair as you brush it out. Remind me, and I'll put a charm on yours, later."

It turned out that Bobby had encountered a similar problem when he tried to plug in his shaver. Luckily, Peter habitually used disposable razors, so he gave Bobby one.

Breakfast was another surprising experience. Neville had been right when he told Bobby that he hadn't seen half the weirdness, yet! The Great Hall at Hogwarts could hold a football field. At first, Rogue thought there was no ceiling when she found herself gazing up into a steel-blue, winter sky. Then, Neville explained that the ceiling was enchanted to reflect the weather outside.

The students sat at four long tables, one for each House. Neville led them to seats near Seamus, Dean, and Parvati at the Gryffindor table. Shortly after that, Ginny appeared, and plunked herself down next to Peter. Marie noticed Ginny was flirting outrageously, and, to Rogue's amazement, Peter was responding in kind. Shy Peter seemed to be adapting to Hogwarts quite quickly, Rogue thought.

There was no cafeteria line as at Xavier's. Food simply appeared on the table-- lots of it. No matter how much they ate (Peter consumed heroic amounts), there never seemed to be any less.

Halfway through the meal, Professor Dumbledore rose from his seat at the teachers' table. He called for quiet, and introduced "our three guests from the United States" to the school. There was hearty applause and some shouts of welcome from the Gryffindors. Students at two other tables, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff, responded politely. But, there was only desultory clapping from the Slytherin table. One boy among the Slytherins--a thin, pale blond--scowled as he whispered to his companions.

"That's Draco Malfoy," Lavender informed Bobby. "He and Harry-the boy who's at your school, now--have been at each other's throats since our first year. He hates Gryffindors. Watch out for him!"

Ginny jumped to her feet, announcing, "I have to go--Quidditch practice. With Harry gone, I'm playing Seeker again." She winked at Peter, "See you later?"

"Bet on it, babe!" Peter promised, then, in answer to Marie's astonished look, Peter said innocently, "What?"

"Nothing. Nothing at all." Marie squelched her grin by crunching into toast and marmalade.

The Mutants spent the rest of the day trying to get a handle on the immense, bewildering castle. Their new friends were unfailingly patient about showing them around and pointing out the various shortcuts and easy routes from place to place.

The exchange students began to form impressions of their new classmates and the lives they led. During a rare moment alone, they compared notes.

Rogue thought the Hogwarts students were just ordinary, likeable kids, apart from the fact that they had magical talent. She pointed out that Lavender was as practical and unflappable as anyone who owned a magic hairbrush and went to school in a haunted castle could be. Parvati seemed reserved, but not snooty; she had a nice, dry, sense of humor. Of the girls, Ginny was clearly the most outgoing.

Bobby and Peter had decided that Neville was the serious type. Seamus was more upbeat, and a bit of a klutz. Dean was easy going and quiet.

Students at Hogwarts, all three Mutants agreed, were very like those at Xavier's. They had special abilities that other humans lacked, so they went to a school set up for their specific needs. Also, just as Rogue and her friends lived under threat from the likes of Magneto and the Hellfire Club, so, too, Hogwarts students and their families were beset by a renegade Wizard. This menace had a name--Lord Voldemort--but only Neville seemed to have the nerve to speak of him aloud; the others referred to him indirectly as You-Know-Who.

There was one signal difference: The young Wizards did not feel threatened by the normal--Muggle--world. Nobody was trying to force a Wizard Registration Bill through the British Parliament. Hogwarts was in no danger of attack from mobs of scared and ignorant people.

While the Mutants pondered this difference, Ginny was thinking about the newcomers. She had been worried when Ron told the family he wanted to go to America. Now, she felt better. If the three who'd come to Hogwarts were a fair sample, things should go well for Ron, Harry and Hermione.

Marie somehow reminded her of Harry in the way she took charge. The other two seemed to look to her for leadership, just as Hogwarts students looked to Harry. Even the streak of pure white in Rogue's otherwise dark hair, Ginny had learned, was a souvenir from an encounter with evil, like the scar on Harry's forehead.

Bob seemed nice. Ginny liked his smile. But, why did they call him Iceman? The name didn't suit.

Ginny liked Peter best of all. She had been drawn to Peter's rugged good looks from the first, though his immense height had been a bit of a shock. He had a terrific body, nicely muscled; he was probably really strong. Underneath the shyness, Ginny sensed a reservoir of warmth and gentle humour. She was going to enjoy drawing Peter out!

****

Monday morning brought a flight of owls over the breakfast table. "Are those things housebroken?" asked Bobby nervously, quickly covering his plate. Privately, he thought there must be a cleaner way to deliver mail.

Then there were lessons. "Just your luck to have to start with Potions," said Ginny, as she led them into the bowels of the castle. "I'll tell you now, Snape won't like you."

"Why?" asked Bobby. "Has he got something against Americans or Mutants?"

"Neither, as far as I know. It's just that Professor Snape doesn't like anybody!"

"Maybe he has low self-esteem," suggested Marie. Ginny gave an unladylike snort of derision.

By now, they had reached what could only be the dungeons. They were torch lit, dank, and there were fragments of chains hanging from some of the walls.

"I keep on expecting to see skeletons hanging there," said Marie.

"I keep on expecting the Spanish Inquisition," put in Bobby.

"You never expect the Spanish Inquisition!" retorted Peter.

"Don't, guys!" said Marie plaintively, "just don't go there!" She mentally called down terrible punishments on whoever had decided to put Monty Python on cable TV, and on herself for forcing the others to watch 'Sliding Doors'.

Ginny looked puzzled. "Spanish what?" Marie waved off the question. Ginny told her the skeletons got fed up with being disturbed by students so they moved to the other end of the dungeons. It didn't occur to the Americans until later that Ginny might have been teasing. Even then, nobody quite had the nerve to ask her.

Bobby shook his head. "This place is weird. Every day is Halloween."

Professor Snape was a character straight out of a horror movie. Tall and thin, the man's pale, sour face was framed by lank hair. He reminded Bobby of Dracula.

Snape scrutinized the three Americans without a trace of welcome. "So, you are our guests? Well, your presence has at least rid us of Mr Potter." For the first time, Snape looked pleased. He told them, "The discipline of Potions does not involve the waving of wands or the uttering of idiotic incantations. It is a precise science requiring concentration and intelligence. I expect no less, and no more, of you than of my other students. There are spare cauldrons over there, and a stock of ingredients. For now, sit down and pay attention!"

Marie flashed him a bright smile, "OK, Professor. Thanks!"

Snape blinked twice, cleared his throat, and began the class. Today's lesson was an Intangibility Potion. Professor Snape made the students write down the recipe on parchment with quills. Struggling with these tools, the Mutants missed some of the instructions. They were glad when Snape put them in a group with Ginny. As they brewed the potion, the Professor patrolled the room, stopping to make acidic comments. Finally, he came up to them, demanding, "Well? How is the work proceeding-if, indeed, it is proceeding."

Rogue beamed up at him. She had a dazzling smile when she chose to use it. Right now, she was seriously cranking up the wattage, Bobby observed.

"It seems to be going just fine, Professor. But, we'd really appreciate it if you'd take a look, just to be sure it's OK!"

Snape harrumphed uncomfortably, and looked briefly into the gently bubbling cauldron. "Yes, well, that seems satisfactory so far, Miss D'Ancanto. Carry on!"

"Gee, thanks, Professor!"

Snape strode away, rather hurriedly, Bobby observed. Shortly after that, the lesson ended. They hung their cauldron to cool on a wooden tripod and filed out.

"What are you trying to do to Snape?" asked Ginny. "You can't possibly like the miserable old git!"

"I just think he's probably sad and lonely if nobody likes him."

"But, he's so horrid to everyone!"

"Anybody ever try being nice to him?" Rogue's comment made Ginny shake her head, more in wonder than denial.

The next lesson was Sixth-Year Herbology. Neville and Lavender escorted them to a long, low greenhouse where the teacher, Professor Sprout, greeted them in a happy and expectant tone. "You've arrived in time for something very special!" Professor Sprout told the whole class. "A friend of mine sent me some seeds from Russia. I planted one last night. Already, the plant is fully grown. We will investigate what it is."

She led them to a large pot in a cleared space at the end of the greenhouse. In it was growing the oddest plant any of them had ever seen. The plant stood about six feet tall; it had a woody bole, from which grew a cluster of leaves and a long stem crowned by a trumpet-shaped blossom.

Professor Sprout put on a heavy, leather helmet with a glass shield. She was already wearing a leather apron, and now, as she spoke, she was slipping into leather gauntlets. She said, "Always approach an unknown plant with extreme caution. Some plants don't like people!"

The class watched as she moved nearer to the pot. Suddenly, the stem began to tremble. "It seems to be frightened," said the Professor.

Then, almost too quickly for the eye to catch, the stem stretched towards the Professor. A long, thin tentacle resembling a whip erupted from the blossom to hit Sprout solidly across the head. Professor Sprout fell to the floor as if she'd been pole-axed. There was instant confusion, students yelling and screaming, and a general scramble for the doors. The plant heaved, the pot shattered, and the thing began to drag itself across the greenhouse on three sturdy roots. It moved to block the door.

The stinger lashed out toward Lavender. Fortunately, Lavender kept her head. She whipped out her wand and a silvery shield deflected the blow. Lavender turned and began to wave the students back, away from the plant.

Peter saw the stem tremble, again. Moving with a speed that belied his size, Peter put his huge frame between Lavender and the rampaging plant.

Rogue's heart leapt into her mouth. Then, she heard a reassuring clang. Peter was using his power, transforming from flesh and blood to his invulnerable organic-steel Colossus form.

There was another round of yelling, until a stentorian voice cut across the racket. "QUIET!" Marie heard. She would never have expected soft-spoken Neville to produce such a bellow. It was effective; silence fell.

Speaking now in his normal voice, Neville said, "It doesn't appear to see us. It must sense us in some other way. Could be, it's attracted by sound. Nobody move!"

He began to edge away from the rest of them. As he did so, he gestured with his wand, producing a sharp sound like a whip crack. The plant lurched toward him. Neville cracked his wand again and the plant moved forward, aiming the stinger at him. Neville ducked, and the sting passed over his head. He bounded several feet backwards, produced several more cracking sounds, and the plant followed.

Bobby raised his hands. "Frozen vegetables coming up!" he murmured.

Rogue caught his arm and whispered urgently, "Don't, Bobby! Neville knows what he's doing. You might make things worse! If that thing's from Russia, it might like cold."

Neville lured the plant deeper into the greenhouse. Then, after ducking the sting yet again, he pointed his wand and said, "Dessicatum!" As though parched from a decade's Saharan sun, the stem shriveled; its bole dried and split. Within moments, the plant was a pile of dust on the floor.

Professor Sprout had regained consciousness. Rising shakily to her feet, she moved toward Neville. "Well done, Mr Longbottom. A cool head in a crisis, and a quick grasp of the situation! Five points to Gryffindor."

She held up her helmet for all to see. Across the faceplate were drops of liquid. "You see now why precautions are so important. That sting was undoubtedly poisoned. Professor Snape should find this of interest." Addressing the students, Professor Sprout said, "That is quite enough for today. You are dismissed." She sat down heavily on a potting bench.

As they filed out, Lavender put her hand on Peter's arm. "Thank you," she said. "It was brave of you to help me."

"No problem," Peter replied. "All in a day's work for a man of steel!"

"Neville's sure a handy guy in a crisis," remarked Bobby.

Lavender's brow wrinkled. "You wouldn't credit it, would you?"

"Why not?" asked Marie.

Lavender glanced round to make certain Neville was out of earshot. "Don't get me wrong, we all love him to bits, but Neville always seemed a bit of a wimp. He's a bag of nerves, you know, scared of his own shadow-or I assumed...." Lavender's voice trailed off as she regarded Neville thoughtfully.

After lunch, Ginny took them across the grounds to a rough cottage at the edge of the forest. This lesson, she told them, was Care of Magical Creatures, one of her favourites. "You will like Hagrid," Ginny promised.

Professor Hagrid looked nothing like a teacher. He was enormous, easily eight feet tall, with a wild beard and long, dark hair. He wore an old overcoat with many pockets and sloppy boots.

He greeted the newcomers enthusiastically. "Hullo, there! Is it Marie an' Bob an' Peter, then? Yer a big one, lad," he said admiringly to Peter. "Rubeus Hagrid's the name. Welcome to Hogwarts! Talking to the assembled group, he said, "Right. Everybody follow me. Tha' means you, too, Mr Malfoy! You and yer mates failed this class last year. Do ye want to be repeatin' it next year, as well?"

Marie peered at the blond Slytherin that Lavender had warned her about. He was scowling at them. With him were two other boys--overweight, stupid-looking types--who hovered around him like bodyguards, she thought.

Professor Hagrid led them to a large paddock containing about twelve bizarre creatures. They ranged from four to six feet tall, and looked a little like ostriches, except that instead of feathers they had bright green and red scales.

"These here are wyverns," said Hagrid. "Some Wizard tried to cross ostriches with dragons and these're what he got. Now, they don' fly, and they don' breathe fire. They're quite friendly, but they're a mite skittish. If one of the littler ones starts to run, you just grab it by the back o' the neck and talk to it, calm-like, until it settles. If one o' the bigguns runs, you get out o' its way and leave it to me!"

The students were instructed to feed the wyverns dead mice. Marie was, for once, thankful that her mutation forced her to wear gloves all the time. The wyverns liked to be petted, emitting happy, whistling sounds when students gently scratched their heads. Hagrid talked about how they needed their scales oiled regularly, and how Wizards in Africa used them for racing.

Then, suddenly, Hagrid yelled, "MALFOY!"

There was a yelp, and the sound of pounding feet. Marie turned to see the largest wyvern galloping heedlessly in her direction. The smaller creature they had been feeding tried to take off, but Bobby grabbed it as Hagrid had told them, speaking gently to it as he pulled it out of the way.

As the big one thundered past, Peter's big hand clamped onto the back of its neck. Even in his human form, Peter's strength was formidable, and he used it now. His great biceps bulged under the robe as he held the struggling creature, soothing it with his deep voice. Gradually, the beast calmed so Peter could release it. It butted its head against him and whistled for a scratch.

"Well, done, Peter! Five points to Gryffindor," said Professor Hagrid. "As for you, young Malfoy, that was deliberate! I saw you teasin' that wyvern an' settin' it to running. Thought that'd be funny, did ya? Well, that'll be five points from Slytherin. Laugh about tha'!"

Draco Malfoy had been watching the three strangers carefully. He didn't believe the story about the American exchange; everyone knew there were no Wizards in America! As for all the rubbish about Mutants, there was no such thing. No, Dumbledore wouldn't let Potter out of his sight if he could help it. Potter had to be hiding out in the school somewhere.

Draco had assumed, at first, that the three "Americans" were Potter and his cronies using Polyjuice Potion, but Draco now knew that wasn't right. There was no way that the mousy, simpering little Mudblood Granger could be the same girl as forthright D'Ancanto--her attitude and body language was different. Potter and Drake were about the same size, but the purported American lacked Potter's arrogance. The big one could be Weasley, except for the fact that Ginny Weasley was all over him. Even the redheaded Gryffindor slut wouldn't behave like that with her own brother!

The trick with the wyvern hadn't produced the magic Draco had hoped to see. Maybe they were Americans, after all? In that case, they were Muggles and less than nothing. There was one way to find out...

On the way to tea, the three Mutants and Ginny found themselves in a quiet corridor confronting Draco Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle. "Oh, Hell!" muttered Ginny.

"Well, well," sneered Draco, "our American guests! Has this school sunk so low that it is letting in Muggles? I know Gryffindor is a Mudblood haven, but really!"

"We're not Muggles," said Bobby patiently, "we're Mutants. Professor Dumbledore told you that."

"Mutants? And what's a Mutant but a jumped-up Muggle? Or, even worse, a lower kind of Mudblood? Let's see what you're made of, Mudblood!"

Malfoy pointed his wand and said something. Bobby felt his legs go to rubber, and promptly dropped to the floor, as Wolverine had taught him to do when unable to trust his footing.

With a nasty laugh, Malfoy jeered, "Can't even handle a First-Year curse. You're nothing but Muggle scum!"

Bobby looked up at him and said, deliberately, "Y'know, until a moment ago, I had nothing against you, jerk. But now, watch your back, Flatscan!"

Ginny didn't know what a 'Flatscan' was, but, from Marie's gasp, she knew it was something bad. Malfoy sneered and turned on his heel. His legs shot out from under him, and he slid the length of the corridor to fetch up hard against the wall, flat on his back, legs in the air. Ginny was too astonished even to laugh. She looked down. From where Bob's hand rested on the floor to where Malfoy lay groaning, a sparkling layer of frost coated the floor. Bob must have charmed the floor to ice; No wonder they called him Iceman!

Malfoy got to his knees and yelled for Crabbe and Goyle. "Get them," he said, nodding toward the Mutants.

The two hulking Slytherins moved toward Bobby, only to find Peter blocking their way. "Let it go, guys," he said with an amiable smile, "Don't make me hurt you."

As he spoke, a shimmer passed over his frame. Crabbe and Goyle looked up into a face that had become a carved steel mask. The mask smiled again, while two steel hands reached out to lift them both effortlessly several feet off the ground. This was no longer Peter Rasputin, but Colossus. When Colossus spoke, his voice was deep and had a hollow ring to it. "You don't stand a chance. I know it; you know it. So, let's say I put you down, and you get out of our faces--and STAY out of them. That way, I won't have to break you in half. Deal?"

Crabbe and Goyle, both ashen, nodded mutely. Peter put them down, and they ran for it. Peter laughed as he transformed.

By this time, Bobby had his legs back. The four Gryffindors carried on around the corner, past Malfoy who was still on his knees. They saw Neville and Lavender approaching.

"What's up?" asked Neville. Then, in the same bellow he had used that morning, he commanded, "PUT IT AWAY, MALFOY!"

Neville brushed past them. As they turned, they saw Neville and Malfoy facing off, wands out. "EXPELLIARMUS!" shouted Neville. Malfoy's wand flew from his hand, and the boy was thrown back against the wall. When he spoke, Neville's voice revealed a cold fury like nothing Lavender or Ginny had heard from him before.

"That's enough, Malfoy! I know you Slytherins like to hit from behind, but you don't do it to guests while I'm around! Ten points from Slytherin. Pick your wand up and get out of my sight!"

Anger and fear crossed Malfoy's face. He grabbed his wand and ran.

Neville turned around. "Come on you lot, or we'll miss tea!"

On the way, Ginny asked Peter, "What's a 'Flatscan'?"

He shrugged. "It's what some Mutants call ordinary humans. They show up as a flat line on a bio-energy scanner."

"So, I'm a Flatscan?" Ginny pressed.

"No, actually. Wizards do give off a reading, though it's different than a Mutant one. Anyway, babe, no one would ever call you flat." He winked and gave Ginny a meaningful glance.

"Cheeky!" Ginny protested, with a delighted grin.

Lavender said nothing. She was staring at Neville as if she had never seen him before.

Late in the evening, they attended an Astronomy class. Luckily for the Americans, they knew most of the northern constellations, though they were used to viewing them from further west, of course. At the end of the lesson, Ginny said to Peter, "I need a bit more practice at this. Want to stay and keep me company?"

"Sure. I like stargazing."

Stargazing? Bobby smirked, as Peter's deep chuckle and Ginny's giggle floated down from the Astronomy Tower behind them. Stargazing--yeah, right!