Chapter 11: Removing The Masks
"A penny for your thoughts, my young friend?" The Beast asked as he searched the file cabinet beside the one Harry was in. Harry had been looking at the same folder for the last five minutes.
"I was just thinking, that's all, Beast," Harry gave a weak smile.
"I assume about you and my niece's disagreement earlier today?" Beast asked, pulling off his reading glasses.
"Has Hermione really been in therapy for the last year?" Harry asked, not looking up from the file.
"Considering what she tried to do over the summer, that really shouldn't surprise you that much," Beast said with a hint of sadness.
"Huh, what did she try to do?" Harry asked, suddenly very concerned.
"Forget I said anything," Beast said quickly.
"Hank?" Harry said in a warning tone.
"Promise you won't get mad at her for not telling you, and don't say it came from me ok?" Beast whispered, glancing around.
"Spit it out, Fur Ball," Harry narrowed his eyes.
"You know she loves you, Harry, every bit of her does," Beast started, trying to delay what he had to tell the youth. "But, over the summer while she was with her parents she came very close to … committing suicide."
"What?!?" Harry gasped.
Beast shoved a clawed finger over Harry's mouth and shushed, "Quiet!"
"Why didn't she tell me?" Harry said his color fading rapidly.
"She didn't want to burden you, Harry," Beast said, averting his gaze, "She's doing a lot better, she's on medication, magical so its better then norm-Muggle type medication. Plus she knows you have enough to worry about with Voldemort, and being an X-Man, and then your last year coming up at New Hogwarts. She said she knew you needed her to be strong and not to be a crazy unstable girlfriend."
"But …" Harry gapped.
"Sinister did a lot of bad things to her, Harry," Beast sighed, but quickly spoke up when his eyes widened, "We don't believe he did THAT, but he did a lot of painful experiments on her. She's trying her best to be strong, but she is still only human."
Harry looked down at his feet. "We need to talk," Harry mumbled as he heard footsteps.
Harry looked up to see Wolverine and Hermione approaching them. Harry looked in puzzlement when Wolverine just stopped and stared at him, then taking a deep breath before walking past him with a grunt.
"What's with him?" Harry asked before Hermione gave him a bone-crushing hug. "H-Hermione?"
"Just felt like hugging you," Hermione blushed slightly pulling away.
"Hermione, we … need to talk," Harry forced out, losing his nerve at the sight of her deep brown eyes.
"What's wrong, Harry?" Hermione blinked worriedly.
"Why don't you tell me?" Harry asked in a slight cold tone.
"Wha-" Hermione started but was cut off by a beeping.
"Cyclops to X-Men, pull back to the X-Jet, we found what we're looking for. We're moving out," Cyclops said over their radio.
"Lets move," Wolverine called back, as he started back the way they entered.
Hermione turned back to ask Harry what he was talking about, "We'll talk later, Mione," Harry gave a weak smile, "Lets get out of here."
X-X-X-X-X-X-X
Lucius Malfoy walked with a smile on his face along the large catwalk. That had worked better then expected. Perhaps this little revelation will slow Potter and those pathetic mutant muggles down.
He glanced down at the production line, countless red and gray towering figures were being constructed and worked on. 'Lord Voldemort's army is nearly complete,' Malfoy thought to himself, 'and that fool Umbridge believes my children will be for her.'
Lucius finally made it to the end of the catwalk and gazed up at the massive mechanical marvel assembling most of the Sentinel Units. "Good afternoon, Master Mold," Lucius smiled loving up at the blend of Magic and Muggle technologies. "How are you today?"
"This is a mistake," Arthur Weasley said walking up behind him, "the Mutants do need to be stopped, but this … this is overkill."
"Overkill?" Lucius asked, looking over his shoulder, "The Mutants are freaks of nature that should be wiped from the face of the Earth. Abominations that should be exterminated as the animals they are. Those are your own words, Arthur."
"I did say these things, but this are too many, a squad or force would be plenty without endangering normal Wizards and Muggles, Lucius, putting an army with this power in the hands of Umbridge is foolhardy!"
"We shall see, my friend," Lucius turned his back to hid his grin, "We shall see."
X-X-X-X-X-X
Harry held Hermione tightly. Goodbyes were never easy, even if it was only for a short time. Hermione, Ron and Ginny were going to remain at New Hogwarts then taking rides to their respective homes, while Harry would return with the X-Men and Professor Xavier on the X-Jet to the Xavier Estate in America.
"Call me and let me know you arrived safely, Harry," Hermione ordered, giving her boyfriend a stern look.
"Yes, Ma'am," Harry nodded, ignoring his adopted father making a sound similar to a whip cracking.
"I know you wanted to talk to me about something, Harry," Hermione continued, "We'll talk on the Hogwarts Express in a few weeks, ok?" Harry gave her a nod, and she returned it with a smile. "I love you," she whispered, earning a kiss to her forehead.
"Looks like we're not the only one having a hard time with goodbyes," Harry said, glancing over to where Ron and Jubilee were arguing over who loved who more.
"Hey, Lover Boy," Harry called in his official 'Mage' voice, "Let my teammate go, we've got a long flight ahead of us."
Ron and Jubilee blushed, "You're just jealous because you didn't get to let your girlfriend ride your broomstick before you had to leave!" Ron snapped playfully.
"Oh like you did!" Harry retorted, his eyes growing wide at their sudden blush, "you didn't … not in the X-Jet … you surely … Oh My God! You did!!"
Harry shook his head and turned to the other X-Men half scowling half laughing, "Lets go home, guys," He said trying to keep his blush from showing too much.
The others walked up the jet's gangplank, but Wolverine stopped and gave Hermione a knowing gaze. The teenager mouthed 'he deserves to know' one last time. Wolverine just shook his head and walked up the rising gangplank, as the X-Jet powered up.
X-X-X-X-X-X
The days past quickly and before they knew it, Ron, Hermione and Ginny were waiting patiently for the arrival of Harry out front of the London train station.
Ron was using his hand as a sun visor as he searched the skies for the Muggle wonder he had come to love known as the X-Jet, Hermione was merely double checking for the fifteenth time that she had everything she required for the coming term, and Ginny sat with her arms cross with a contemplating look on her face.
"Ron, do you honestly believe Harry will come in the X-Jet?" Hermione asked, getting frustrated at her best friend making himself look like an idiot.
"Of course! If I had that at my disposal, blood hell would I use it to make an entrance!" Ron said, "Now be quite Hermione, I think I heard its engines!"
"Heard what's engines?" Harry asked, rolling his cart up beside the three.
"BLOODY HELL!!" Ron screamed in a high pitched voice, literally jumping behind his sister, almost knocking her down, "Where in the bloody world did you bloody well come from??" Ron asked, trying to catch his breath, "You scared the bloody fool out of me!"
"Sorry, Dad and Logan dropped me off on the other end of the station," Harry explained, nodding toward the parking lot on the far end of the station.
"In the Jet of course?" Ron asked, blinking back the tears at missing the beautiful machine.
"Um … no, in a rented Ford Tempo," Harry blushed.
"Where's the flare in that?" Ron asked, "You're a bloody Super Hero now, Harry! If you got it, flaunt it!"
"Actually most countries including the US and the UK have the X-Men marked as criminals and terrorists," Harry stated with a shrug, "And why would me showing up in a jet make anymore difference then me riding in on a mule as long as I have this blood scar?"
"We'll talk more on the train," Hermione said stepping between the boys, "We're going to be late!" she said shoving them along.
"Missed you too, Mione," Harry smirked back at the girl gathering her trolley.
"Love you, missed you, now move, Potter," Hermione said in a monotone voice, smirking as Harry yelped as her trolley bumped his ankle. "See, don't move, pain. Do the math and move."
"I don't remember her being this violent when we were going out," Ron mused as they passed through the barrier to Platform 9 ¾.
"That's because over half the time it wasn't her at all," Harry pointed out, "It was really that blue lizard lady."
"Thanks, Mate," Ron gulped, "I had finally gotten over those nightmares. I really appreciate the revival."
"Speaking of Hermione, where did she go?" Harry asked, looking around.
"Head Boy and Girl gets their own cabin," Ginny explained walking beside them, "She's probably already on her way there."
"Hey, Ron, I'm going to go find her, we have an unfinished conversation," Harry said glancing to his best friend, "You care to take my stuff for me?"
"Sure no problem," Ron smiled coyly, "Enjoy the shagging!" He said loudly so that every student around could hear him.
Harry sent a volley of curse words directly to Ron's mind with his telepathy before entering the train cars.
X-X-X-X-X-X
Hermione sat chatting with Neville about various things, when a knock came on their cabin door. Neville got up and answered it and smiled, "Hello, Harry, I assume you wish to speak with the Head Girl then?" Neville asked with a mock-bow.
Harry nodded, "I'll leave you two alone," Neville said moving toward the door.
"Give the guy a title, and he thinks he Gilroy Lockhart," Harry shook his head, walking into the cabin.
"Hey, Love," Hermione said, grabbing Harry and pulling him down beside her, before giving him a heated kiss.
"You did miss me huh?" Harry shook his head to clear the cobwebs.
"Now who thinks he's Gilroy Lockhart?" Hermione asked, smirking before taking a worried tone at Harry's serious expression. "What's wrong?"
"Hermione, you do know that if anything bothers or upsets you, you can come to me, right?" Harry asked, taking both her hands in his.
"Of course," Hermione nodded, "Same for you, Harry."
"Then why didn't you come to me this summer?" Harry asked, trying desperately to keep the anger and frustration from showing in his voice, but his worry did that for him. "Why did I have to learn you were in therapy in a fight and had to learn you tried to take your own life from your uncle over two months afterwards?"
"He … he promised not to tell you," Hermione said jerking her hands back.
"He slipped and I forced the rest out of him," Harry explained, "Hermione, please, if I had known something I could have done something, I still can, if you just let me in."
"You can't do anything, this is something I have to fight on my own," Hermione said looking away fiercely.
"That's not true," Harry tried to reason with her, "I'm your boyfriend, right? Isn't it my job to worry about you?"
"That's the point, Harry," Hermione looked back sternly with tears in her eyes, "You don't NEED to worry about me! The whole world just keeps piling more and more on you, as if Voldemort wasn't enough, Harry, then you find out you're a mutant, then Professor Xavier in all his wisdom makes you an X-Man, where you have to face Voldemort level psychopaths on a weekly sometimes daily basis, and you're going into your final year of Wizardry school, you don't have the time to worry about me and my delusions!"
"Maybe you're right," Harry said softly, sitting back.
"Would you just- what?" Hermione started but stopped when what he said processed.
"Maybe you're right, I've got a really heavy load, don't I?" Harry then glanced at her, "But then, you're load isn't a bag of feathers either, now is it? Hermione, there's times I wished I'd just wake up and still be just a normal kid with a weird scare living under my aunt and uncle's stairs. But I'm not, and I have to just keep fighting and carrying this cross I've been given. But you know … I don't think I can do it anymore. It really is too heavy. When I help you with your problems, even when your upset about losing a book or something, it helps me, but it still isn't enough. I have a proposition for you, Ms. Granger."
"A proposition?" Hermione sniffed, cocking an eyebrow.
"If you help me carry my load, I'll help you with yours," Harry said, wiping a tear form Hermione's cheek, "I'll come to you when I can't hold my load anymore, and you come to me when you can't either. That way what happened won't happen again, because I … I don't know what I would have done if you went through with … that."
"Deal," Hermione choked, reaching up and wiping one of Harry's tears away, "Sorry, didn't know even I could make a big strong X-Man cry."
"I'm not an X-Man right now, and I'm not the Boy Who Lived either," Harry stated, "I want you to forget about everything that I have to do and tell me what has been bothering my Mione."
Hermione took a deep breath, and began telling Harry everything from the beginning, letting the mask she put on drop to the ground and allowing every emotion she's felt since her rescue from Sinister's clutches flow freely. By the time the Hogwarts Express arrived at New Hogwarts they were crying in each other's arms.
X-X-X-X-X-X
Meanwhile back in the United States, at the Xavier School for the Gifted, Henry McCoy examined a sample from a body that was a victim to the mysterious Sinistra.
"Have you determined this Sinistra's identity yet, Hank?" Professor Xavier asked, as he and Cyclops entered the lab.
"Running a DNA scan now, Professor," Henry said, turning to the computer screen, should be ready in thirty seconds.
"Alright, three, two one … lets see …" Beast said, before the vial he was holding dropped and shattered on the floor.
"Hank, what's wrong, who is it?" Xavier asked, rolling closer to the furry X-Man.
"It … It can't be her, it just can't!" Beast said, tears forming in his eyes. "Damn you, Sinister! Damn you for what ever you did to her!"
Cyclops glanced to the screen, and he had to look away himself, "Oh Harry …"
The Screen read as followed.
DNA: 99% MATCH: MARTHA HERMIONE GRANGER
To Be Continued …