Crossovers

“What are you doing?” came the curious question. Her round faced guardian flinched, quickly hiding the letters behind his back with a sheepish, nervous smile. Since his acquisition of his goddaughter, the girl had quickly proven that she was nothing like her father had been at her age besides an innate ability for flying and natural athleticism. That she wasn’t like either of her parents very much at all but that wasn’t really surprising given the poor dear had been tossed aside after that dreadful night that forced Peter on the run. While he managed quite well in avoiding capture, he was still a hunted man. He hadn’t been able to see his goddaughter for almost a decade before he finally found her in a children’s home that might as well have just been an orphanage so very far from the place he’d managed to rat out James and Lily had seen fit to leave her. She was supposed to be at Lily’s muggle sister’s place. There were supposed to be wards there to keep her and the Dursleys safe and everything but…

Well. Neither James nor Lily had even bothered to check in by the time Peter had gotten ahold of that information and when he got to Number 4 Privet Drive, there was no goddaughter to be found. Only a hateful muggle woman with her just as hateful husband and their ball of living fat that they had for some reason believed was a child or some such. Awful creatures, the Dursleys.

Since finding and taking the girl in for his own, he’d been driving forward with only one goal; getting out of the country. Off the continent even! He had two separate accounts in banks besides Gringotts and those were untouched thankfully, unlike the ones the Ministry seized from Gringotts. Good for his forethought in draining those beforehand when the war really picked up. Peter wasn’t one to leave things to chance after all. Especially not now that he had his precious goddaughter with him. His old friends have already proven they couldn’t take care of her and even if they did have her, she’d likely just get pushed to the side for their precious little Marigold, the famous Girl-Who-Lived and the one who ruined everything.

The sneaky thief shoved the letters back into a drawer. “Oh nothing, nothing at all, poppet.” he grinned. She clearly didn’t believe him. He never could lie to that sweet face of hers, even though to anyone else he could easily lie straight through his teeth on veritaserum and they wouldn’t know the difference. There were ways around the truth potion after all. “How was your day?” he asked, moving them both out of the small room. They were in a dingy little suite of rooms in the middle-of-nowhere out on the country side. He was surprised they had plumbing, it was such an otherwise backwards place.

“I made out alright.” she shrugged, pulling out a beaten up wallet from the pouch on her muggle jumper and stretching her body in a limber way. She had a strange habit of doing odd exercises that she insisted were conducive to acrobatics and contortionism. He didn’t understand it really, but they seemed like they were structured exercises and she didn’t seem to overwork herself so he supposed it was fine. There wasn’t much to practice these skills that he’d been teaching her anyways but she was fairly good at nicking things here and there regardless. He was a frugal man, used to living on the run with only what he could carry and regardless of the piles of wealth he owned, he didn’t dare to touch it until they were safely away from any territory of the Ministry. They were valuable skills anyhow, both what he taught her and her own exercise, though he wished it could be better than it was. Not like she didn’t positively excel at thieving and sleights and trickery, given her…Less than stellar upbringing in that deplorable orphanage. He’d always thought tales of places like hers had been were nothing but stories to frighten children but…

Well. That was then and this is now.

It was better now, and would only get better soon enough. He finally got a way for them to leave the continent. He’d originally been shooting for Australia but…That was several times riskier and pricier than elsewhere. His runner up had been Canada but…They had a pretty strict magical government as opposed to their muggle one and they might just ship him and his goddaughter back. This left the United States. They were quite a bit lax in their magical governing body, and while the magical side was much more dangerous because of it, it was also a safer long term place to stay in order to avoid the English Ministry and deportation back to it.

They would end up in the farthest reach from their home in the country, all the way to California and Peter had already determined they would make their way towards the east side of the country, though their final destination for a new home was uncertain.

He was going to surprise his dearest goddaughter on her birthday with the news, oh he knew she would be terribly excited at the prospect!

Besides that, he had another surprise. It was a ritual he had found in a book he had squirrelled away from the Blacks, more to the point- from Bellatrix Lestrange nee Black (oh, and wasn’t he giddy about pulling one over on her of all people? Zealous, confident and capable she might be, cautious she was not). It would, in a word, enhance his darling daughter. He suspected it had been used on Bellatrix herself and it had reacted badly with her constant overdose of extremely Dark magic with no cleansing period or procedure but what could he expect from her branch of the Blacks? They’d always been off the deep end.

His girl knew better, and she would even more when he could afford her real professors and educators when he had access to his wealth.

For what it was worth, Bellatrix though she seemed unhinged, was an incredibly intelligent woman with an amazing sense for comprehension and retention, and a very physically strong and resilient body. She was just…Plainly, greatly superior to her rather mediocre sisters and even her parents. It made sense to him anyways, that it would have been a ritual like this that had caused it.

xXx

Thirteen year-old Poppy Ursa Potter was unrecognizable after the first two months in the U.S., and to tell the truth, Peter almost didn’t recognize himself when he looked in a mirror. California was sunny and bright and warm and the weather certainly was a drastic change from what both were used to. Peter wasn’t a large man, being rather short and he used to be quite chubby; this was before being on the run from the Ministry for aiding and abetting the Dark Lord, and his goddaughter’s workout kick that she had eventually roped him into sometimes. The time spent in the sun turned his wheat colored hair a few shades lighter than what he was used to, besides turning his pinkish complexion into a rather fetching tan if he did say so himself. He’d gotten quite a few looks given his baby face, cornflower blue eyes and fluffy blond hair, a few tittering girls and appreciative looks.

Besides a few wrinkles here and there Peter, even for a wizard, was aging well. He wasn’t the most attractive man around but he’d quickly learned that even as a short average looking man, his supposed accent was considered attractive. It…Was an incredibly welcome change from back in his school days being outshone by roguish Sirius or tousled haired, crooked grinned James or even homely but handsome Prefect Remus.

Peter Pettigrew, now Peter Peach according to his papers, and his cousin and adopted daughter Poppy Peach, were settling well.

Poppy looked slightly more different of course, her skin taking to the sun well from the wan olive it’d been before. She also cut her long black braid off so now it curled messily about at chin length. Her tan and inky black hair only made her bright green eyes more noticeable. Her knobby knees were a bit less knobby looking as she’d gone through a bit of a growth spurt and grew into her long coltish legs. Even with her wheatish tan, even darker freckles spotted her cheeks and shoulders, a few on her chest visible when she wore camisoles.

It didn’t take long after arriving for Peter to decide a cross-country journey would do them both good, especially now that he finally had access to his well-managed money.

xXx

“Daddy…”

“Yes flitter-mouse?”

“I…What are my…I dunno, my roots I guess?”

“Your roots? Where is this coming from?”

“Well I mean, it’s just a silly thing some muggle boy was complaining about, having to dig around in his family tree…”

“I see. Well. You know how I feel about your birth parents. You know, I really have no idea about your mum’s family but, I am a cousin of your father so I’m sure I can dig up something about that.”

“Really?” her bright grin made him smile and he patted her hair. It was getting longer, he noted. Her hair did tend to grow fast.

“Of course.”

Which is how, about two weeks later he presented her with a thick, dusty book.

“What’s that daddy?”

“This, poppet, is an old family log of the Potters. Lucky for me that your father never really cared much for his own history. Found it in some seedy little bookshop you know! Despicable it is.” he shook his head. “But this details your father’s side, up to your grandfather’s marriages.”

“Marriages? I thought the circuit back in Blighty were more…Conservative?”

“Oh, those hosh-posh lying ‘Purebloods’ are, much as incestuous old bints they are. Like that fabled Sacred Twenty-Eight. All lies, you know. Never believe in the pureblood nonsense.”

“I know daddy. It’d be impossible for the magical folk to have survived without muggle or magical being blood somewhere in their lines.” she recited dutifully. “And that when that happens, the families just blot it out or rewrite their own history.”

“Very good.” as Peter had never wanted her to ever get involved like those crazed zealots he did way back when. He’d never really cared for their high-brow supremacy and genocidal agenda. He’d just been lured by safety. After James and Sirius went and put big old targets on their heads fighting Voldemort, Peter certainly wasn’t going to go down because some old ‘friends’ (berks, they were to him) were deciding to go against the most powerful Dark Lord of the century. Especially not when that Dark Lord targeted him because he was known to be their friend. “Now, let’s crack this thing open shall we?”

Poppy learned a lot that day, about her origins and it settled something in her that she didn’t know was loose.

She delighted in knowing that her great-grandmother was Ghawazi, amazed that her great-great-great grandfather was known for being a scarily adept Mediwizard, that his wife was a fierce Gael woman who was just as known to cause damage her husband could fix as a warrior-witch. And the pictures! Some had old portraits, not charmed or anything but towards the more modern times when it was available, there were pictures. Not moving ones, sadly, since the potion for that nifty trick wasn’t popular yet and especially not in old family books like this one.

It’s not that Poppy needed some sort of validation or anything about it; she had been curious, maybe even a little antsy. Growing up in the home, she supposed, and then with her godfather rather than her immediate blood family had spurned her interest.

She had soon after looked into things like river-dancing and raks sharki. She didn’t really know how to dance, despite all the skills she was amassing and it seemed like it’d be fun at any rate. Both styles, she learned from more specialist trainers, had fluid fusion styles about them to make them only that much more endlessly interesting.

And if she researched Arabic and Egyptian history a little on the side, and traditional Gael witchcraft, it’s not like her foreign tutors or daddy minded. It was just seen as cultural learning and her international magic history professor even gave her more praise when she turned in what essentially amounted to extra credit reports on both.

Daddy surprised her later, with the Potter Grimoire; which, while not found in a seedy bookshop, was instead found in some muggle collector’s collection who had no idea what it really was, as the Grimoire would only open to main line Potters; it was magically bound that way. Daddy had grumbled for days in shocked outrage that it had been in muggle hands and not in its place in the Main Potter Vault in Gringotts.

But well, all the better for her, she thought. Generations of Potters, married in or otherwise and their own family spells, own special family customs brought in from outside or no and all sorts of amazing, wonderful pieces of magic and tips and tricks and spells!

For example, within the first week, she knew how to summon a claymore that was bigger than she was! That Grimoire was probably one of the most cherished gifts from daddy so far, besides of course his very presence in her life.

xXx

“But daddy…”

“Now now, little flitter-mouse.” he chided the fifteen year old gently. “It’s an important part of your development. And now that we’ve finally settled, I think it’d do you some good.”

“I don’t want to go to a strange muggle school though!”

“They call them no-maj here.” he reminded her absently. Given that he had only ever hired foreign tutors for her rather than locals, she had absorbed proper Queen’s English than the oft butchered slang of the country. “And I’d think you’d like it! You certainly have no troubles in playing about with the local muggle children.”

“No-maj, daddy.” she retorted and he hummed. It was a lifelong habit, and harder for him to break.

“Bayville High is a perfectly pleasant place, Poppy Peach, and I’ve already gotten you enrolled. It’s what those few end of course tests were for.”

“Daddy…”

“Think of it as a mission poppet.” he soothed and she sulked a little but looked up at him obligingly. Despite the heights of both parents, she was on the shorter side the same as him. Malnutrition as a child, no doubt. Magic could and did fix a lot of things, as did those potion regimens he’d had her on, but some things couldn’t be helped. At least her body was no longer in danger. She would just be short. “Like an infiltration mission.”

She’d always loved the little missions he’d send her on or bring her on. Peter was still a thief, and a con to boot. Even better, he also worked at a private investigator’s office on the side of his more lucrative deals.

“But what’s the point?”

“Getting into a good school for one. You know their universities are a mostly mixed sort, dear. Think of it as an investment into your future.”

“But I’ve never even been in a school before!”

“Ah yes, one of the many downsides of homeschooling…” Peter sighed. It wasn’t like there was much else choice given their thus far nomadic lifestyle. He’d only recently agreed to stay in New York and by now, she’d already passed the U.S.’s counterparts for things like NEWTS and OWLs and the like. Peter had made sure to impress the importance of education to her through the short years he’s known her. The time just seems to slip from him sometimes…

“I’ve never even stepped foot in a classroom! Anything I know about highschool is from what I watch on the telly or on the computer!”

“There there, flitter-mouse, you shouldn’t worry so much!” he cooed and she scowled at him. “And it doesn’t begin until September dear. Plenty of time to research and prepare.”

“But I’m already learning muggle stuff anyways? Why do I need to go to a school for it?”

Peter sighed.

“I think…It’d be an important factor in your social development.”

“That’s utter rubbish daddy.” she accused and he sighed again.

“I…Well, I need to see to some old…Associates of mine and I won’t be around quite as much for a little while.”

“…This is about that Voldemort person isn’t it?”

“Yes, poppet. I just think it’s safer for you.”

“And what about you?”

“I’ll be fine, dear, don’t you worry about old Petey Peach! He knows how to play this game.” he smiled at her reassuringly and she sighed.

“What if…I mean I don’t…I’m not exactly like them daddy.” she picked at the immaculate hem of a fancy blouse. It was currently her favorite shirt.

“Of course not poppet, but I really do think it’d be good for you. We’re finally settling down.”

“…Do you really mean it this time?” her voice was small when she asked and he sighed. This wasn’t the first time he’d promised a more permanent residence.

“Yes, Poppy. I mean it.” he told her solemnly, a weary smile on his face. She gave an unsure one back. She wasn’t that often shaken, but this was an entirely new situation she was being put in. “Now enough of all that piffle, what’s say you to ice-cream?”

“Always!”

xXx

Peter jolted for a moment as a familiar tone resonated from his ever present satchel and he was quick to pull out what would look to be a compact mirror and deftly separated from the crowd to go somewhere a bit more private. He was quick to set up a few charms to ensure privacy before answering and his little girl’s flushed, wide eyed face met him.

“I think I made a friend and she goes to Bayville and she seems really pleasant and she wants to hang out so now we’re going to go the cinema with a few of her friends and-” she rapidly fired at him and he paused to process her speedy words before turning the mirror a bit more to beam.

“Oh, that’s wonderful poppet! Look at that, you still have another month and a half before and you’re already making friends! Such an overachiever.” he teased and she smiled at him breathlessly.

“I just wanted to let you know in case you come home early and I’m not back yet! I have to go now daddy, love you!”

“Love you too.” he assured her fondly as she grinned again before the connection was ended. He sighed. “They grow up so fast…” before turning and once more getting back on target. Those explicit photos of Mr. Drew’s homosexual affair weren’t just going to take themselves after all.

xXx

Savannah was tall, blonde and charismatic, with a bright smile and sparkling blue eyes. His pretty-faced, inky haired green eyed long legged goddaughter looked perfectly natural standing next to the taller girl, just as beautiful in her own right and surrounded by a few other girls.

She looked like she’d known them all her life! Petey grinned as he got out of his perfectly respectable electric blue Volkswagen beetle to stroll up to the girls. A few of them noticed him coming and started whispering and giggling; it was a fairly common reaction from girls, he was proud to say. This of course, eventually caught his little flitter-mouse’s attention and she beamed at him. Her smiles were always different from her father’s crooked mischievous smiles or her mother’s softer but blander smiles. She turned to the blonde and pulled her forward.

“- and this is my godfather, my actual father really, Peter!” he heard her exclaim as he got closer and he smiled winningly. He knew people liked his round, sweet faced smiles like that and Poppy was already rolling her eyes at him in good nature. “Daddy, this is Savannah!” she flourished her hands towards the statuesque blonde who grinned at him cheerfully. “And this is Melody,” this girl had long dark hair and with a bouncy, energetic sort of look to her and golden-brown skin. “Talia,” another blonde but this one had wavy hair and green-brown eyes, “Jackie,” a dark skinned girl with deep set eyes wiggled her fingers at him in a wave, “And Ophelia.” the last had red hair, a touch more like light auburn than the typical orange-red of gingers. She had an arm around Poppy’s waist as she waved at him. He’d probably forget their names by the time they got home, but he was happy that Poppy was happy.

“It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Peach!”

“Oh no, call me Petey please.” he smiled at them charmingly. He saw a few dreamy looks cross their young faces and almost snorted aloud as Poppy stifled her own snicker as she grabbed several very large shopping bags. “You had a good time, poppet?”

“Of course I did!” she beamed again and he grinned a bit more sincerely. She turned to the other girls. “I’ll definitely get into contact later! Or, er…Message.” she paused then corrected. “Later?”

“Definitely!”

“See ya Poppy!”

A chorus of goodbyes followed and she grinned as she followed him back to the car.

“They certainly seem lively.” he commented and she giggled.

“They’re cheerleaders, daddy.” her eyes sparkled.

“Really?” he only vaguely knew what cheerleaders were. “So they yell a lot and kick up a fuss?”

“Something like that. They’re meant to sort of excite everyone else, like a morale boost.” she told him. “And they throw themselves around in the air too. Sometimes in really complicated coordinated maneuvers!”

“Like that…Gymnastics thing you were into?” he asked dubiously. She had tutors and the like, and places to practice at, as disjointed as it was with all of their moving about and travelling.

“I’m still into it.”

“Just like the yoga, and the martial arts, and the aerial silk thing, and the circus stuff and the winged horse riding, or the magic carpet lessons or that weird board on wheels thing-”

“Skateboarding, daddy. And I wasn’t so good at that one- think I’ll stick to brooms and magical stuff instead.” she said with a crinkled up nose. He snorted and reached over to bop it, making her crinkle it even more as she shot him an offended look.

“I can only wonder what other strange things you’ll pick up to add to your weird list of hobbies.”

“They’re not weird, daddy. Just because you went to an exclusive all magic boarding school…” she grumbled. “Probably didn’t even know any muggles!”

“Not until I was a young man.” he agreed easily and she rolled her eyes at him again. “I saw that. Is that going to become a habit?”

“I don’t know what you mean.” she said primly, sticking her nose up at him.

“Of course you don’t dearest.” he sighed in fond exasperation. “So how was your day?”

“Well when I got to the mall, of course I wanted to get the school supplies out of the way immediately but I really wasn’t sure exactly if I needed all the things they have on those free hand out lists because I mean, who even needs all of those things? So I grabbed a few things but now I figure I can ask Savannah later about what all I really need to have then but that’s before. So I wasn’t sure exactly what I should get, blah blah blah, I decide to get some new clothes since I only have so much muggle clothes and that’s where I met Savannah and the rest of the squad.”

“Squad?”

“Cheerleading squad.” she answered absently. “I don’t know if I was just giving off the impression that I had no idea what I was doing or what but she just came right up to me, told me this one shirt would look perfect with my skin tone and that’s how I met her. She’s a whirlwind.” she shook her head. “I barely knew what was happening and before I knew it, we racked up a whole pile of clothes! But it wasn’t done there, oh no! Because then I needed accessories; I now have five fashion scarves. I barely ever wear scarves! Why did I need five of them?!” she let out a whoosh of a sigh. “But those, like eight pairs of shoes, so many bracelets and earrings and necklaces and rings. Honestly I stopped even really looking at whatever they decided they liked on me.”

“So they were just shopping for you?”

“Oh no, they all shop for eachother like this weird group thing. Like, a herd or a pack or something.” she explained to him, animated now. “And I think they’ve decided to bring me into it. So we’re all just chatting, having a good old time, and then a quick stop for a bite and then off to the cinema we went.”

“Was it any good? The movie?”

“Well it was certainly far better than that last one we tried to go to. The seats were clean, the floor was clean and they had a huge screen on it. Much better than the last.” then she grinned. “And it was a horror movie!”

“Ah. Then of course you liked it.”

“Naturally.” she preened. He shook his head as he eventually made his way back to the pretty house they owned. It was a bit of a distance, and absolutely riddled with wards and the like to protect them from being disturbed very often. There were several excess rooms and three full bathrooms. After years and years of being on the run, living in seedy hostels and motels, this place was decadent to them. Of course, it was much larger than they needed but it was the freedom of it that had mattered when they chose this one. And, on a petty whim, they had the plain old staircase removed to put in a fancy looking spiral set that was charmed to move them as they pleased from the subbasement to the second floor, extra taxes be damned. Granted, the subbasement was just a set of two rooms and they weren’t on any of the blueprints. The one the stairs led to, and the closed off potions room since both of them liked to keep a stock of emergency potions and the like at the ready. Too many sketchy situations over the years built that preference. The basement was only one large room and was more of a storage space than anything.

But Poppy’s favorite place was the attic, which was accessible from a hatch on the ceiling that had a pull-down ladder. It was also her room, the creepy, creaky attic. Oh, it was picturesque in an old house kind of way, with a beautiful stained glass window that was taller than she was. But it was also creepy in that same ‘old house’ way. Personally, Peter had always been afraid of the attic in the Pettigrew family home and that inherent distrust of attics never really left him but it made Poppy happy so he let it go. She’d made it quite homey since they’d moved in two months ago anyways. Soon enough they were pulling into the drive. They didn’t have a garage but he didn’t much think they needed one, given that anybody who wasn’t invited onto the property were compelled to ignore their home.

He helped her with the bags until they got in the door, at which point she just charmed them to float along them as she continued chatting to him about the girls she had met, little pieces of information about each of them. He was surprised at how open these girls were with someone they had only just met but then, by the time he was their age the war was really in swing and no one really trusted strangers. He watched what was for all intents and purposes his daughter as she moved on, talking in a carefree sort of happy way that made his heart melt a little. He rubbed absentmindedly at the Dark Mark, currently hidden by a neatly pressed button down.

He would make damn certain that she never had to experience the war. Not her. Not after everything else she’s already been through.

xXx

“I’m really not certain about this whole…Thing.” Poppy frowned down at herself. Savannah hummed and raked a hand through her long blonde hair as she grinned at the other girl’s reflection.

“No, you totally look great! It’s perfect on you!” Ophelia enthused on the black haired girl’s other side. “I’m actually kind of jealous.” she sighed. “I just can’t wear most shades of purple. Doesn’t look good with the hair, you know?”

“Well the color is fine and all but isn’t this a little…”

“Totally hot? Yeah.” Savannah wrapped an arm around her waist and laid her chin on Poppy’s tanned shoulder. “You worry too much! You’ve already seen our bikinis.”

“That’s still such an odd word…”

“Not nearly as weird as ‘swimming cozzie’.” Ophelia argued. “Now come on! Everyone else is probably waiting!”

“Alright, alright!” the recently turned sixteen year old sighed, brushing back unruly curls before stepping out of Savannah’s hold and pulling on a pair of fretfully short denim shorts and a cropped, billowy shirt, grabbing her flip-flops along the way as Ophelia grabbed her beach bag. She was normally more excited about beach days, since they reminded her of when they’d first arrived in California, but this ‘bikini’ was so…Revealing. She really liked it, and thought she looked good in it but wearing it around a bunch of other people? Thank everything daddy didn’t see it. Or the piercing at her belly button that she may have gotten secretly to match the extra lobe piercings.

She’d only met the ‘everyone else’ a few times, that particular phrasing meaning more than just the normal core cheerleading squad she had gotten used to most, but also the five male cheerleaders and the other members of the squad and members of their wonky ‘football’ team. She’d rather just call it ninny-rugby, what with all the padding and helmets and the like. She didn’t much understand it but they seemed to relish in it, so who was she to say?

Soon enough they were piled in Savannah’s pink jeep.

“Ugh, Dunc is bringing his girlfriend…” Talia groaned then turned to her. “We’ve told you about her before right?”

“There’s nothing wrong with Jean, Tal, stop being so jealous.” Melody rolled her eyes at the blonde and Savannah laughed in the front seat. “She’s on the basketball team and the soccer team and she’s the leader of the photography club and a whole bunch of other clubs.” Melody told her and Poppy cocked her head to the side.

“And she’s an honor roll student,” Jackie added in absently, busy texting her boyfriend Connor. “She’s a good role model actually, but she won’t join the cheerleaders cause it’ll get in the way of her other clubs.”

“And she just doesn’t want to be a cheerleader.”

“It’s because she thinks we’re all airheads and you know it!” Talia argued with a scowl, crossing her arms angrily. Melody rolled her eyes and tugged on the other girl’s braid.

“You just don’t like that she’s dating Dunc.” she told her breezily.

“Cause she’s a snob!”

“And Dunc’s not?”

“He doesn’t treat us like bimbos.”

“Yeah, since he’s your cousin.” Jackie rolled her own eyes, slipping her phone away. “And his mom would be so ticked if she found out he wasn’t treating the girls with respect.”

“Doesn’t matter why.” Talia sniffed. “Just because she’s got her hands dipped in like, everything.”

“She’s perfectly nice Poppy, don’t worry.” Ophelia bumped shoulders with her.

“And if she’s not, I’ll finally be able to shove it in Dunc’s face.”

“Tal just really doesn’t like her.”

“I think I might have noticed.”

“You just wait, Pop. She might seem all sweet and pretty at first but you just wait for it.”

“I’ll keep an eye out.” she stifled her laughter. It didn’t take much longer after that to arrive at the beach; there were a lot of people but it wasn’t packed or anything and she felt her fingers tingle with the urge to snatch all the easy money she could make from these relaxed beach goers. It didn’t take long for the pack of them, all pretty smiling teens, found their targets. Talia gripped her arm and cocked her head over and Poppy looked over curiously. She hadn’t met many other Bayville High students outside of the squad and some ‘football’ members, given that her free times were mostly spent with her daddy or the squad, or occasionally running around at night thieving and sneaking either solo or with a group of no-maj kids she had befriended. Or working out; staying as fit as she did required work after all. Be it through fun things like gymnastics or martial arts and broom riding (great full body work out, trying to maneuver those things) or just doing bursts of short basic things that target certain areas. There was always something to do.

Dunc had the same golden hair his cousin Tal had but with cloudy gray-green eyes and a nose that looked like it’d been broken at least once or twice. Still, he’d been perfectly nice to her when she’d met him before, as had the other few players she’d met. There were quite a few more people this time though.

The girl on Dunc’s arm had hair the color of…Tomato soup. But she wasn’t a ginger-ginger by the slight tan and absence of freckles which was curious. Most redheads she’d thus far met had freckles. Or maybe she was wearing make-up? Savannah after all insisted on at least wearing waterproof eyeliner. She was slim and tall and seemed to favor the color violet. From her other side Ophelia rolled her eyes.

“She likes pinks and purples and no one says anything about it.” the girl muttered. Her hair was a deeper shade with more natural highlights of copper and auburn to make it seem to have much more depth than this Jean person. Maybe she dyed her hair that color? If she did, she did marvelously with the roots and had remembered to do something with her eyebrows. Poppy herself had never even considered dying her hair; at least not any natural colors but she could always just charm her hair whatever color she wanted anyways, so what was the point of using muggle dyes that Savannah had told her damaged her hair? Besides, Poppy liked her inky black hair perfectly well. Her hair had a purplish-bluish tint in the light it was so very dark.

She would even say she was proud of her hair that the sun’s bleaching effect had no power over. She fluffed her thick plait just thinking about it.

“Well your cousin’s girlfriend aside, I thought we were going to play volleyball?”

This distracted her friends and they and some others quickly conquered a volley court for themselves.

xXx

“I’m Jean Grey.” the redhead introduced herself as they went to collect water bottles. They both had sand clinging to their thighs and bums and forearms, both having found out the other was a competitive player.

“Poppy Peach.” she answered brightly. “That was a marvelous game by the way, it’s been a while since I met someone so enthusiastic! Most tend to scatter when I spike the ball as hard as I do! Ah, er…But, sorry if you end up bruising.” she grinned sheepishly. Jean laughed and waved it off in good nature.

“I may look like I bruise easy but I’m a little more hardy than that!” the darker eyed teen assured her. “And what about you! That was a pretty amazing dive earlier!”

“Oh, just a remnant of gymnastics.” she demurred. “When I was younger I had the silliest dream of being an acrobat in a circus. Of course, it wasn’t exactly like I pictured it and they were much harsher than the gymnastics instructors I’ve met since.”

“Wait, does that mean you really did get to be a circus acrobat?”

“Not so much a circus as a traveling troupe, a carnival.” she said absently, thinking back to the one and only time she’d run from her old residence. It was back before her godfather had found her and she hadn’t been able to stay overly long. “Or well, I wasn’t in any shows, since they said that only someone who’d trained for years and years would be trusted to do shows.” and she’d only been there for a year and a half. She learned a lot nonetheless before she was caught and taken back.

No one wanted to see people just fall off of those high up tightropes, even if there was thick netting to catch them at the bottom. She’d always liked trying to master that tightrope thing when she was younger, shrieking like a little madwoman in laughter as she fell. She wondered if she could convince daddy to set one up somewhere in the house?

“Wow. Seems like an exciting life you’ve had.”

“That’s certainly one way to put it!” she grinned at the taller girl who smiled back down at her in response to the bright charming smile directed to her.

Jean wouldn’t say she was hesitant about her, but she felt…Odd. Like she was a static charge on the peripheral of her senses and it was…Unnerving for the mutant. She didn’t even want to know what it would be if she actually focused her powers on that feeling because it felt like that spark knew she knew it was there and was sliding out of her ‘sight’ on purpose. Whether teasing her or warning her not to poke around she wasn’t sure. She would definitely tell to the Professor about it later.

xXx

She looked around with wide green eyes at the university they were in. Cheer camp was something she’d been invited to, as she was expected to join the squad and join her friends in mostly wearing a cheerleading outfit during school on game days. Jackie grabbed her arm, whispering in her ear with a sly gleam and she grinned back, running off.

Choreography sounded like a fun thing to learn. It would help anyways right? They had two weeks out here, learning a whole bunch of tips and tricks. There were thirty some girls and boys in all from the entire Bayville Area, given that they would sometimes compete in competitive cheerleading.

Of course, two days in and she may have been playing on their gymnastics equipment; she was skilled enough to do a triple twist, and to perform kononenko she was quite proud to say. Stilted her guidance might have been, she worked very hard at her ‘hobbies’. It was a vicious ambition; she’d seen it, seen the fine control and calculation in their bodies and wanted to be able to accomplish it. The same had been for her martial arts training. To be fair, she may have also watched a lot of martial arts movies too. Wing chun? Oh yes. Muay Thai? Absolutely! Brazilian Jujitsu? She would like all of that. She wouldn’t say she mastered either three but she liked to think she was pretty okay at them, especially when it came to tricking.

Her body had been trained from a young age; to better withstand more rigorous training as she grows. Her frame was rather dainty, so her musculature didn’t seem like she’d been training her body since childhood. Her muscles grew lithe and slim and scrappy, all the better for a lithe, slim lean look. Well. She was growing into a wide set of hips and her bum was pleasantly cushioned but there was definite muscle there too and long strong legs. It was nice. If her body type were different she was sure she’d be buff but as it were, she was perfectly happy with how she was.

Her innate flexibility and athleticism had already earned her a spot in with her friends in the core group. That and, of course, being their newest darling friend.

xXx

“Daddy.”

“Yes, little flitter-mouse?”

“You’ll come to a few games at least right?”

“To see you? Of course I will, don’t be silly.” he chided fondly. “The year hasn’t even started yet and didn’t you say that for the first bit there aren’t any games anyways?”

“Well yes. But still.” she huffed, fiddling with the strap of her messenger bag. It was dark purple with a slew of blue to purple sequins on the opening flap. Melody had a matching one in pinks and oranges. Poppy, at current, was dressed in a comfortable high-waisted boot leg denims with four big buttons on the front and a comfortable, clingy Henley shirt in neutral dusty pink and dark gray over it and her shoes were comfortable shoes designed more for mixed martial arts. Always good to be prepared and all. Besides, they were cute. She flicked at the plait sitting on her shoulder; it was weaved and twisted to sit like that. Rings littered her fingers, along with a few choice, stylish bracelets. She even wore a cute little pearl choker to go with the matching pearl earrings dotting up her lobe and helix piercings.

“Now now, poppet, you’ve nothing to be worried about.” Daddy soothed in the car on their way over.

“I don’t think I’m really worried or anything. They said my grades were phenomenal and all, and I have friends there already.” she said but her hands still managed to find something to toy with. He glanced at her with a smile. “I mean, at worst, this whole school thing is just going to put a hamper on my usual schedule and I’ll have to rework everything around it which is annoying I suppose but I think I can handle it. Probably.”

“We’ve been over this before, outlined a new schedule and all with room for error.”

“I don’t think I really needed to cut out the measly two hours of advanced runes I get though…”

“It was either that or Potions.” he pointed out and she frowned. Between the two, both subjects that she liked for the sheer potential use of both, potions had eventually won out. “Besides, you’ve been doing well enough to shed a few hours last Professor Quinley told me. You’ve already passed what goes for the graduating class of Hogwarts a year and a half ago.”

Thinking back, Bellatrix’s husband had boasted quite a lot about how Bellatrix managed to skip the last two and a half years of her Hogwarts career, which, if Peter did the math right, set Poppy around the same age as when Bellatrix skipped out. He’d never regretted doing that ritual and his precious Poppy seemed all the better, all the healthier for it. Most of the damage from her life beforehand and the one time she’d run (she refused to ever tell him much about where she was or what she did) had cleared up nicely as well after it.

Honestly, Peter wouldn’t put her through a measly public muggle highschool if he hadn’t been a little more than paranoid. He really did believe she needed more social interaction with kids her age, muggle or not but better because of the universities being more mixed, and she would breeze through classes he was sure, so she could still focus on other things even while in the classroom. Mentally anyways.

He couldn’t very well have Poppy in a fully magical institution after all. Too many prying eyes and nosy staff that would put his girl at a severe disadvantage, especially if they started trying to dig around. Muggle things, documentation and the like was laughably easy to create and here in the states, wasn’t government regulated. Back in Britain, the Ministry has to go through one’s case and hold a hearing about making fake muggle documentation; squibs or those wanting to branch out would have to go through a lengthy waiting period even to get their papers (or parchment as it were) so much as looked at. People who were found making their own fake documents were swiftly found and either fined or, depending on what they were doing in the muggle world, incarcerated.

At the same time, he didn’t want to have her idle while he went and sorted out business with his old Lord and cohorts. He might not want Poppy anywhere near, but it was Peter’s war too. She could take care of herself, he had no doubts, but she might…Oh, she might overwork herself. Sometimes she just used Wideye potion instead of sleeping which, if used long-term could produce quite unsavory results. Or she’d do reckless things, like…Use dog’s breath potion for fun out in the muggle world and say she was a fire-breather or a dragon lady.

(She’d done it before, after all.)

But being in a school, a structured settlement with regular contact with others should slow her down or at least, help her moderate herself right?

(Honestly Peter’s been doing this since she was barely nine and he still had no idea how to rear children.)

And making meaningful friendships was important for kids right? Right. She’d had a few, but considering how often they moved, they always lost touch after the first few weeks out.

xXx

“Bye daddy!”

“Goodbye, little flitter-mouse! Have a good day!”

“You too daddy!” she grinned before he pulled away. She sighed, smile dropping a little anxiously. There were hordes of kids, much more than during that orientation two weeks ago.

“What the heck is a flitter-mouse?” came the confused question and she turned at the vaguely familiar voice. She saw Jean Grey behind her, a tall boy with red glasses behind her. Jean Grey smiled at her reassuringly when she glanced between them.

“It’s er…A rather old endearment I suppose, but it means bat.”

“He calls you a bat?” the boy asked dubiously, eyebrow raising. He was handsome looking, and had chestnut hair and a lean frame. She shrugged in response.

“Sorry about him,” Jean elbowed the boy who made a sort of ‘ooph’ noise. “He’s Scott Summers. Scott, this is Poppy Peach. She’s starting…Sophmore, right?”

“Yes, that’ll be it. But honestly, I’ve been homeschooled up until now, so I’m not really sure how all this…Works, cohesively. I’ve tried looking it up online but most of what comes up is parents talking about the difficulties of transitioning a homeschooled child into the public education system. Or just…Teenagers complaining about their…Teachers. You don’t call them professor at least.”

“Professor?”

“It’s what I called all my education instructors.”

“Instructors? But didn’t you say you were homeschooled?”

“Yes, but, not in the ‘my guardian teaches me’ way. I’ve had qualified professors up until now and I’m not entirely sure how smooth this system is compared to my old one.”

“Uh…I’m sure it’s gonna be a real eye-opener.”

“Scott!”

“No no, any honesty is appreciated. I usually like to know what I’m walking into and Savannah and the others have all been perfectly lovely but…”

“They don’t really know how to explain it?” Jean guessed and she smiled at the other girl.

“Yes, exactly that!”

“So, why are you coming to school anyways? I mean if you’ve been homeschooled before.”

“Scott! That’s a very personal question!”

“Sorry.” he apologized, to Jean. Not Poppy, to clarify.

“It’s fine. Daddy hasn’t really told me much but he did say something about being around people my own age. That and, he has to go back to England for a little while and feels it would be better for me to be in school.”

“Then why not a private school? There are plenty of those around here.”

“Geez Scott, are you trying to make her feel unwelcome?”

“Oh! No, no it’s not that.” he turned to her apologetically.

“It’s alright, really. I asked daddy the same thing. He said that the private schools were a little too cult-like for his tastes, whatever that means.”

Summers snorted at that.

“And that most of them seem to be boarding schools. Daddy doesn’t like boarding schools, says it brings up bad memories of his own schooling days. I try not to bother him about it, seems like a sensitive subject.”

“Poppy!” came the bright call and she turned to see Melody jogging over with a wide grin on her face. “There you are, c’mon! We’re gonna miss breakfast! You want the full highschool experience, you need to eat cafeteria food!”

“Oh! Alright yeah. See you!” she waved as she was being dragged away by the other girl.

That was the beginning of the strangest, most people-involved day she’d had in months.

xXx

She blew across her nails, nodding at the shimmery acid-green before turning her over to her giggling friends. Halloween was coming up, and more, there was going to be a party at Talia’s older brother’s place. Of highschoolers, seeing that Talia’s brother was off in Mexico and had given her permission to use his place as long as his bedroom, the laundry room and his wine cellar remained untouched and that his pet snakes, while they could be admired, were not bothered.

“Wicked little witches!” Melody giggled and Poppy did too. They didn’t know the half of it! They’d been trying on their costumes together, cooing and cheering eachother on in Talia’s huge arse room. Talia had elected to be a sexy cop, with black aviator sunglasses and indecent short skirt alongside her shiny fake cuffs. Savannah had gone for angel, in a cute babydoll type white dress and an LED halo connected to a thin headband and feathery fake wings. Jackie had decided to play on that and be a sensual devil in a skintight black and red leotard with tail attached, clip on little red horns and devil’s pitchfork.

Melody decided to be a woodland nymph, complete with peasant blouse, short flowy skirt, flowercrown, headband with small antlers and deer ears on it and delicate strings of flowers to drape around herself. She would do a little bit of corresponding face-paint for the final look, naturally. Ophelia was going to be a ‘love’ nurse. Dark pink little nurse costume, little hat thing and big needle.

Poppy, of course, was going to be a witch. She was going to charm her skin green, wear a cute little black dress with a ragged hem, striped tights, a plastic cauldron candy pail, and of course what was a proper muggle witch without a broom and pointy wide-brimmed hat? And those stylized witch shoes of course.

Tomorrow was the night after all, and they had everything. It would take them at least an hour to fully do their make-up and hair, and as soon as they were done making sure everything fit exceptionally well, they would go back over to Talia’s brother’s place to continue setting up. They’d been doing it off and on for about a week, adding tidbits here, or a fog machine there. He had a beautiful, expansive loft after all and it was all the more fun to decorate with spooky things!

(Of course, she may have magicked some of it when no one was around to see.)

Her phone went off and she paused from where she was hollering compliments at a cutesy angel-esque Savannah. She stood and crept over to the other side of the room with a vague signal to Talia who nodded.

“Daddy?”

“Poppet. How are you?”

“Oh just trying on our costumes. We’ll be back over at Mark’s place to decorate for the party after. How are you?”

“Well, all things considered. I just wanted to call, check up on you and all. I might have to extend my stay a little bit but I’ll definitely come home for Christmas.”

“Oh…Oh, okay daddy. You’ll call when you can right?”

“Of course flitter-mouse. I love you.”

“Love you too daddy.” and then hung up. She frowned at her cell before shaking her head and going back to her friends. She had hoped he’d be able to swing by before then. She tried not to think about it too much.

xXx

She came across a wan boy who was digging through the coats in the closet people set their jackets and coats in when they came in. He was sniggering to himself and not even trying to be subtle about it.

“You’re gonna get caught if you’re going to be so blatant.” she told him, watched him startle and give a small shriek. “Look, you didn’t even notice me opening the door. You weren’t even trying to conceal yourself. Are you trying to get caught?”

“Uh…” he froze. “I was just uh- looking for my buddy’s jacket! He uh, he left some stuff in there and told me to go get it.” he grinned, badly.

“That was a terrible lie. You should have just gone with something like, ‘I was putting whipped cream in their pockets’ or glitter or something as a prank. You should have already had it thought out too. And don’t go for the easy targets in the front, that makes the theft seem that much more suspicious. Go for the ones hidden in the back, that’s where all the ones with money are hidden, or folded up on the shelf there. And put some of the stolen goods into someone else’s pocket.” she pointed to where, indeed, a few nice looking jackets were neatly folded and slid back. “You’re not very well versed in this pick-pocketing thing are you?”

“Uh…Wait, hold up. You like…Not gonna rat me out?”

“What, and have Duncan and the rest circle you to beat you down? No thank you, those boys are always too eager to hit someone smaller than them. Besides, you’ve got pretty eyes, I think.” she nodded to herself. “Keep a better ear for the door and be prepared to hide next time.” she turned, grabbing about five boxes from the small mountain of board games. “Oh, we’re going to have a Twister competition, if you’re interested. The grand prize is a hundred dollars since Talia’s certain it’ll be one of us squad members who wins.”

With that, she left the stunned boy.

xXx

She giggled, shoving Candy as they hid in the tall rafters in a megamall, in a looming space that had been like an Ikea or something. It had been shut down but still had a lot of the old merchandise inside and she, Candy, Melody and Penny (whose uncle had let them in as the custodian of the big store) were racing around and playing. She supposed she could say it was, in itself, a form of exercise when they climbed up huge shelving units and rafters as fast and as stealthily as they could, to then find and build a ‘fort’. Another group of their friends would come in a little later and find and build their own, probably closer to the ground and what would commence was a massive sleepover of terribly epic proportions. She and Candy had decided to pair up and raced around the abandoned mall grabbing pillows and throws and soft fuzzy rugs (beating them to get some of the lingering dust) and she had grabbed some cleaning stuff just in case where they ended up was a little grimy. It would be odd if she just magicked it squeaky-clean after all. Even if that’s what she was going to do while Candy clambered down to grab more of the pile of supplies and things they had left down at the bottom. It took the other girl a good twenty-five minutes to both climb down safely, grab a bag or two, and climb back up. They were pretty high up and all.

They, she noted, were lucky. Penny, from her advanced English literature class, had only brought the three of them in early to get a head start on everyone else.

She had always loved finding hiding spots and the like, and making them into cozy little spaces for fun? Absolutely. And, she could say it helped her scavenging skills. This megamall was huge too, and it took some time for them to even find this place. She was glad she wore comfortable clothing and shoes at any rate, and that Candy had helped her make two braided buns rather than her normal plait. Kept it out of the way. She peeked her head out from between two tall, sturdy boxes to see Candy’s progress. In the dim lighting, there being only very dingy high up ceiling skylight, Candy’s burdened figure was slowly crawling her way up.

She was from the volleyball team, so she wasn’t really as comfortable or adept at climbing and the like as Poppy herself but limber enough to make decent time. She grabbed the girl’s arm when she was close enough, hauling her and their goods up. “Whoa! You really went to town on this place.” she said in awe as she looked around their high-up perch. They got up from the small space between the uneven shelving, climbing up that way.

“Well if we’re going to be here all night…” she grinned widely. “Figured we could make it habitable. Bring the shag rugs up first?”

“Yeah, and some of the pillows.”

“Excellent! Oh, I think I figured out a sort of pulley system, you know to bring it all up.”

“What, really? Damn, I’m glad I partnered up with you.” she hip-bumped her and Poppy smiled back before digging through her purse to get her scented hand sanitizer and some of the wipes she kept just in case.

“I wish we would have thought to bring gloves though. It’s so dirty in here.” she sighed, sharing with the other girl when she held out her hands.

“Always next time. Penny said that it’ll probably be a long while before someone buys this place out.”

“Oh, so we can come back in the future? Excellent! Even more reason to make the best fort out of everyone’s. Think we can find a little disco ball or something to hang up? I really want to make it as extravagant as possible.”

“We can go look for one on our next hunt.”

“Excellent. We’ve got a pretty airy space up here, need to fill it up proper.”

“Oh, we can grab cushions off of those display couches and stuff too!”

“Think we could bring one of those mini display beds too?”

“And we can make a second floor right there for it,”

“Yes!” the two grinned at eachother. “We’ll grab one of those huge platform carts and go around, hook it up and heave it.”

The next two hours were spent collecting for their fort, occasionally bumping into Melody or Penny before hauling it all up high into their space for another half hour at least, probably closer to forty some minutes. And then they spent another hour rearranging things and bathroom breaks (which were a real bitch, but at least not far off from where they had stationed themselves, and at least the water and plumbing were still functioning). Sweaty at all the labor, she grabbed a towel to wipe herself down.

“Now that was a workout. What time is it? They’re supposed to be here by noon right?”

“They should be showing soon, and some are probably gonna be fashionably late.” she rolled her eyes. “This place it a good fifteen minute walk away from where we got in and that’s without all the wandering around that’s no doubt gonna happen.”

“More time for cool down.” she unrolled the yoga mat that she was definitely going to be taking home with her.

“Yeah, you do that. I’m just gonna plop down.” Candy sighed gustily, throwing herself back on a futon cushion they’d set up. They weren’t playing around when it came to best fort after all. They even managed to grab a few battery-powered fairy lights in one of the little dollar stores in the main mall section. “Hey, I’m gonna put up my speakers.”

“Go ahead.” she smiled over her shoulder from where she’d started her routine. It was all about smoothly sliding from one position to the next in a languid way. It was only calm for another five minutes before Candy’s cell went off and she turned down her music.

“Hello? Jake! Hey!...Oh yeah, no totally! Yeah!...Yeah, I’ll meet you there!” she beamed as she spoke with her boyfriend. “’Kay, see you in a bit! Bye!” and sighed happily as she turned to her. “My boyfriend needs help finding a decent spot, so I’m gonna go help him out.”

“You gonna set him up around here?”

“No, he’s got lung issues. It’s a little too dusty. It might take a while so I might not make it back so take lots more photos for me, ‘kay?”

“Of course I will! Have fun with your boy.” she waggled her brows at the other girl who blushed a little and laughed, waving her off as she packed up her drawstring gym bag.

“Always. Will you be alright here by yourself?” the brunette asked, poised to start her descent.

“I’m sure someone will come around at some point, don’t worry about me. At worst the squad will call in to find me.” she assured her. She leaned over to watch the girl carefully make her way down, waving when she looked back up. As soon as she was reasonably far, Poppy grinned and swung herself up to the second level of the fort, landing softly on the cushiony queen size mattress. They had dragged up two of them and stacked them, making it absurdly comfy. “What am I even doing with my life?” she smiled up at the skylights above her. Despite classes being mostly boring and behind her own studies, she…Liked it. It might only be mid-November now and she still had the rest of the year to go but it wasn’t…Bad, or anything. Friends were easy to make so it seemed like most of her free time was spent with them. She was even beginning to reroute her studies to spend time with her friends. Speaking of, she thought to herself, pulling her purse closer. It had a few handy runes sewn in, making it essentially a bottomless bag; it’d been her present for Halloween. Daddy always sent her presents for Halloween, since he said that was when she was effectively made an orphan and he a runaway.

She pulled out a few of the books her old professors gave her. It would likely be a little while before she was disturbed right? And she had a battery powered doorbell situated at the bottom of the shelving with the little receiving end taped up below besides the alerting spell that she had set for the general space around her entire area.

She might work long and hard on her body but that didn’t mean she didn’t work just as hard on her mind and magic.

xXx

She looked around, slipping at least three cute little vibrators into her purse in a spot she had determined had no cameras that had a clear visual of what she was doing. The charms negated any possible alarms going off from security devices. It was mostly a novelty store she was in with a few of her old friends from when she wasn’t going to muggle school. She slipped back over to the lingerie section, cast a notice-me not and a handy little spell daddy taught her to obscure nearby muggle cameras, and swiftly stuffed a few different things in. Then back to the toy section to snag more of those, lubes, lotions, all sorts of things.

She also snuck in drinking paraphernalia, cute or novelty flasks, shot glasses, an adorable glass that said ‘Binx is my boo’ (she even totally got the reference! She was normally a horror movie type but she’ll watch most anything with wicked or evil witches too) and a ridiculous oversized wine glass alongside a pentagram chalice. A shot roulette thing, a cute little spin the shot game, some strange jenga drinking game.

She could have done the same with the original three vibrators, safely hidden beneath concealing charms but she needed her friends to actually see her swiping something after all. And she would buy the other things she wanted (with of course, magic conjured money which wasn’t something the American magical government could track unlike the British side), nothing more suspicious than a group of teens coming in and then suspiciously leaving after loitering around but for the stuff in the back one needed to be eighteen. Or so said the cashiers. Lyle had said that unless you look weirdly young, they’d sell.

She canceled her charms and grabbed a cute mug that had a unicorn head on the side and font that read ‘Fuckin’ Magical’ around it and decided she would gift it to daddy. He would appreciate the lilac purple mug. She also grabbed both him and her new ashtrays, and cigarette holders. Hers had a cute galaxy design with a cat on her ashtray. She next snagged a few black light fixtures and few trippy blacklight posters. She was going to redecorate her locker after all, she wanted to be delighted every time she opened it.

Then she managed to get sidetracked and nabbed several velvet chokers in a few different colors and that only led her to look at more jewelry. Like the snake ring she found herself enamored with, or three different ring packs, or the ridiculous large hoop earrings and rainbow crystal earrings.

She blamed her jewelry obsession on the squad entirely, by the way. By the time they left in a skulking group, Will was calling his older brother. The only times she had met Ed, the handsome man was buying booze on their behalf. As long as one had the cash and of course a little fee, he would go out and buy. Normally she had daddy when she would occasionally (very occasionally; booze wasn’t a personal vice for her) want, say a hard lemonade or other malt liquor (but not beer) drinks of that nature. Not overly strong but pleasant enough to maybe get a buzz after awhile. She liked fruity ones most. The only other alcohol she liked would be wine but again, only very rarely. Maybe for a major holiday or something.

Manny wrapped an arm around her shoulders with a grin. “The usual?”

“Sure, why not? For old times sake.” she smiled back, rolling her eyes.

“Hey Pippi, I finally found a legitimate guy, has a government licensed parlor and all, who does piercings.” Faith, a girl with vivid dyed teal hair and always wearing bold colored lipsticks shoved Manny off to take his place.

“What, really?”

“Yeah. I was thinking about gettin’ my nips pierced. Maybe a princess albertina, maybe a christina.” she said with a feigned nonchalance, gazing at her long lime green nails. “You wanna come, maybe get some of your own?”

“You know, I have been interested in that thing, where they have piercings by their hipbones. What time are you going out?”

“Next week, Tuesday night. He’s real flexible, can do stuff at his parlor as long as you got the cash and all if you want.” she winked.

“I’ll think about it.” she shrugged.

“A’ight, gotcha.” she bumped hips with her and Poppy hit back.

xXx

“That looks kind of cool.” Jackie poked at her new triple dermal hip piercings when she was changing. It was carefully symmetrical on both sides, but those weren’t the only new piercings she had. One of the new additions was already noted (and questioned; ‘Does eating feel weird?’, ‘Does it have a taste?’, ‘Did it hurt?’) earlier that day; a venom bites tongue piercing. That didn’t mean it was the only piercing in her mouth though either. She certainly wasn’t someone to do things by halves after all.

Double rings pierced her uvula and she had a barbell through the frenulum under her tongue. Those still weren’t all she had done though. Horizontal nipple piercings, a Nefertiti piercing, and a fourchette piercing.

It cost her well over a grand and she was not at all ashamed to say that she used her magic to heal it properly so she could put in (or really, on in the dermal case) prettier ones. Titanium, most of them though she did have a new glass-like one for her belly-button piercing when she’d gone out to get more accessories. It probably wasn’t advisable to get so many piercings all at once but lucky for her, one of the piercers was a witch and had quickly swept her up after her own personal alert charms pointed Poppy out. She was given a list and small demonstration for a few specific charms designed purely for piercings and the care of them too! She hadn’t even known charms like that existed!

Clearly, there was a lot more to learn outside of her professional stuffy professors. She just had to broaden her learning sources was all. Good for her that the witch had recommended a certain library-bookstore for her curiosity, wrote down the address for her even. She needed to make time for it at some point.

“Yeah, that’s kinda pretty.” Melody agreed, also coming closer to get a better look.

“Are you allowed to wear those in school though?” came the dubious question and she turned to Haley.

“It’s usually covered by my clothes and the cheerleading skirt is high enough that it covers it too, so it’s fine.” Poppy assured them. “It’s only facial piercings that people get in trouble about.”

“And your tongue one?”

“That’s in my mouth.”

“I guess. C’mon or we’re gonna be late for home ec.”

xXx

“Daddy? Yeah…I know…I know, daddy. I miss you too…I know. I love you…Bye, daddy.” she hung up, staring at her phone for a moment before smashing it against a wall.

Christmas alone this year huh?

He sent her another Potter family heirloom in a bribe for forgiveness; an invisibility cloak that he’d managed to finally steal away. She trained harder over the winter holidays than ever, ignoring the holiday completely besides sending her friends thank you cards for the presents they got her since she’d sent their presents ahead earlier.

xXx

She watched Todd sneak under the bleachers and pursed her lips, then sighed in exasperation when Dunc, Keith and Mal stalked off after him. She tugged at Savannah’s skirt.

“I’m gonna take a quick break alright?”

“Yeah sure!” the blonde smiled at her sunnily before turning back to the crowd to smile and wave around. There were more than enough of the squad milling around that her being gone for five or so minutes would be fine after all. She turned, only to see Summers also making his way back and she frowned. As far as she had been able to tell with her rather, very limited experiences with him, he didn’t seem too fond of Dunc. She glanced around and slipped back to see what was happening.

Just in time to hear Summers suggest he just give the money back, no harm no foul. She almost snorted out loud but Tolansky seemed all for it. Not surprising when Dunc had him pinned to a pillar with two other muscley, strong teens prepared to whale on him.

“Whadda you care about this scuzzo, Summers?”

“Not much.” he answered easily. “But I’m not crazy about three against one either. So how about we settle this peacefully?”

“I think me and my buds are gonna squash this slimeball. So you, and your stupid sunglasses-at-night can just bail.” Dunc sneered before returning his attentions to Tolansky. When Dunc threw him down in the dirt, she watched the way Summers tensed up and just when Dunc went to presumably kick his face in, Summers outright tackled the bulkier teen.

“I said, knock it off!”

And then managed to actually throw him towards the others who were knocked down at the force. She crouched a bit more, watching in fascination. Summers was tall and lean but Dunc was broader, heavier and bulkier in muscle and his ‘football’ gear. Tolansky, wisely, chose this time to escape in great leaping bounds not dissimilar to a…Well, a toad or frog. She cast a quick notice-me-not spell under her breath; she didn’t have her wand on her but she did keep a ring foci on her at all times just in case. Mal and Keith took off after him, leaving Dunc to slam face-first into the mud. Dunc, for his part, looked furious as he brought his face up.

“Big mistake, Summers!” he growled as he got back up. Unfortunately for her entertainment, Jean stepped around the corner.

“Scott, no!” she cried, even though it was Dunc who had started it. Distracted by the redhead, Dunc hit him hard enough that she was sure he might have broken his jaw, sending the other boy to a pillar. “Scott!”

The most fascinating thing happened next; once his sunglasses came flying off, red beams spit from his eyes. From his eyes! The blast sent Dunc flying and then hit a propane tank, causing an explosion and she gasped in wonder. Screaming and running started up but Poppy stayed where she was, idly casting a shielding spell around her to keep on watching.

By the time firefighters, police and an ambulance or two came she was watching Jean move things about. But not with magic. Something else? Maybe whatever allowed those fantastic lasers to come from Summers?

She snuck off a bit, apparating back to her place. She had a new project now.

xXx

She brushed back her braid, doodling in her notebook, She couldn’t draw, at all, but it still made her feel a little better to do something while she waited for this boring, useless class to be over. When the bell finally rang, she waited a bit before following the stampede rushing out to lunch.

“You alright Pop? You’ve been distracted all day.”

“I mean, can you blame her? The explosion yesterday…”

“We were so worried you know? One minute you were with the rest of the team, the next we can’t find you and there’s an explosion and fire everywhere! You know Duncan got a concussion?”

“Sorry about that.” she managed a sheepish smile. “I saw him get thrown, but, honestly I hightailed it out of there when it blew.”

“Thank goodness. It was pretty scary.” Melody sighed, slumping against her. “Thanks.” she accepted the get well card they had gotten for Duncan. The squad was signing it for him and it would be brought over by Talia after school. It was given to Poppy next and she signed her name in glittery red pen before passing it onto Jackie.

Poppy was antsy for the day to just be over. She had bigger things to worry about and not for the first time, she was cursing public school.

xXx

“I really, really can’t sing.” she turned down her friend and Melody frowned. “There’s a big difference between cheering and singing. Really. I’ve no voice for singing.”

“You sure? It feels like it’s been a while since you’ve come out with us…”

“How about we watch that new horror movie and go for dinner, say…Next Friday?”

“I’ll see if everyone’s good!” she grinned. “We miss you, ya know?”

“It’s just been a little hectic lately.”

“…Poppy…Your dad is still…”

She slammed her locker shut a little harder than she meant to.

“He’s just been a bit more caught up than he expected.”

“Sure. You’re over there alone aren’t you? You know, if you ever wanna stay at my place, or one of the girl’s places the door is always open for you.”

“I know. Thanks Mel.” she smiled. She really didn’t want to talk about how she hadn’t seen her dad in months, or how he was part of some violent magical cult taking part in a restarted war.

It was easier to focus on the strange abilities that Jean Grey and Scott Summers had. And those new students too, when she thought about it. They all seemed pretty close. There were some mumbled things in books about oddities in that library-bookstore she had finally gotten around to but they didn’t have a name. Only that they were entirely muggle and seemed to manifest strange abilities or are born with odd mutations. It was pretty vague, everything considered but it made more sense than them potentially being aliens or partially Beings or something. They would have set off her alarms when she’d sneakily cast a few spells on them if they were. They also tended to skip out sometimes. Not overly often but now that she was paying attention, it was usually as a group. She shook her head a bit.

First it was that German kid, then another girl and around the same time came a gruff looking kid who apparently went to the same school as the girl before? Though he didn’t seem to be part of whatever Grey and Summers and those two other kids were.

Well. She had potions to brew, so she would have to just set it aside for now. Just because she had a new project didn’t mean she was going to just ignore her never-ending studies.

xXx

“Daddy.” she blinked in surprise as she answered. It’d been almost two weeks since he last called and she put on speaker, setting the phone safely away from where she was working on making another batch of wideye potion. Had to keep up with her schedules after all and school, most of the time nowadays, seemed to be nothing but a waste of her time. She liked her friends there, liked the socialization and all but the classes were so dull and time-consuming and she was starting to get frustrated. Well, she had been but it was really starting to get her stressed now. She’d been getting weird nightmares too.

Nightmares. Hah. She knew better.

She supposed distance made it easier. This weird connection she has to Voldemort and his snake. It didn’t happen that often at any rate. But the little scar on her forehead always seemed to bleed after one of them and she’d had to style her fringe to cover the puffy lightning strike scar and use glamor charms on top of that. It was a thin scar at least, and usually silvery pale when the light hit it as it crackled down her forehead and down her eyelid, ending just beneath her eye, thankfully only the strike spot, the top got red and bloody. She normally concealed her scar with makeup or charms anyways. On top of all that, yet another new student rolled in. This one with a distinct punk-goth look to her (and a neat stripe of white hair in otherwise dark auburn hair. Poppy thought it looked natural; maybe she had piebaldism?).

She, like Alvers, didn’t seem to be with Grey and Summer.

She was honestly half-tempted to just break into their heads but she wasn’t quite confident enough in her ability to do it without incurring possible damage and she didn’t want the information that bad. Yet. Occlumency was one thing, legillimency was another entirely.

“Poppet, sweetie, daddy’s so sorry for not contacting sooner.” her daddy’s hushed voice came through. “The other side has been launching attacks on our bases and we still haven’t found the mole yet so I’ve barely had time to myself. How are you doing over there? Good?” his voice was practically pleading for her to talk so she did.

Not about her newest project or about the explosion earlier in the year or anything. No need to burden him down with all that. Instead, she talked about the most recent movie she had seen, about who had broken up with who in the squad, the boring teachers she had to put up with. Easy little things like that, things he’d want to hear about while he was over there in turmoil and violence.

“Thank you, flitter-mouse. You’ve no idea how much it helps me to get through my day to hear you doing well.” he sighed. “I hope you’re not living off of take-out?”

“Daddy, you should know me better than that! I eat cake and cupcakes, not take-out.” she teased. “All triple German chocolate of course.”

“Of course.” he huffed a little laugh. “I love you, you know that right?”

“Of course I do daddy. And I love you too.”

“Good. Good…Daddy has to go now, flitter-mouse. Keep your grades up, and smile for me once at least once a day.”

“Always daddy. Love you.”

“Love you too.”

And that was the end of that call.

xXx

The newest one, and by far the largest, came in the next day. He was big, he was strong and of course, different. Unfortunately, he wasn’t as easily overlooked as some of the others for his size. He’d apparently ripped a set of lockers from the wall just that morning.

“He’s got some crazy anger issues.” Melody murmured into her ear as he walked into the lunchroom. “You know I heard he didn’t even get in trouble for ruining those lockers? Or for trying to like, crush Dunc with them?”

“I think it’s weirder that there have been so many new students the past few months honestly. And have you noticed they tend to stick to themselves mostly? Like, they talk to other people I guess, but they’re like…Weirdly divided. The goth, the cute grunge dude and Tolansky are together. And Summers and Grey seem to have like, adopted the German kid and that tiny girl who can’t do P.E.”

“Wonder who this one will go to?”

“Obviously the rowdier looking one, duh. There’s a clear divide between one group and the other- whoa!” Jackie paused as Penny finally got her attention. “Dude, look at all that food.”

“And I thought Poppy had an endless stomach.” Candy snorted.

“I burn a lot of calories!” she defended as she stuffed another snack cake in her mouth. Magic was an intense draw on calories after all. Daddy had said that back in his old school they had really rich, fatty foods to compensate for all the calories they burned learning and using spells. Some, of course, overate or didn’t care for what exactly they were eating but still. And besides that, she was an incredibly active person with a high metabolism.

“Oh. Oh, I don’t think our chairs are up for-” Penny started uneasily.

And like a catapult, the food that had been leftover on the table he had stomped off to flipped across the room and they all watched in morbid fascination until it splattered on where Dunc, Savannah, Alexis, Keith and Mal were sitting. They got up and already people were laughing at where Dukes was slipping in the mess. When he bellowed at them, it was apparently a signal for him to start what amounted to a foodfight. She, automatically, ducked down and away even if the food wasn’t heading their way yet.

“Let’s get out of here!” she called to the girls sitting at her table as they quickly slipped down to the floor and more or less army-crawled their way to one of the exits. She spotted Grey using whatever she had to keep from getting messy out in the middle of the cafeteria and rolled her eyes before they managed to get out. “Well, that was more exciting than a normal lunch at least.”

“Speak for yourself. I almost got applesauce on my ass.”

“You? I almost got milk dumped on me! Ugh, the smell would be awful.”

“The important part of both of those statements is almost, ladies.” she said with a cheeky grin. “C’mon, let’s get to class.”

xXx

“I wonder what the next one will be like?”

“Next one?”

“Transfer student I mean.”

“You think there’s gonna be more?”

“Well I mean, based on the year so far. Is it normal to have so many transfer students?”

“It wasn’t like this last year or the year before…”

“How odd.” she smiled pleasantly. “And none of them even had the decency to come at the beginning of the year like me either.”

xXx

“Oh. He’s gonna be one of Summer’s.” she noted.

“You can tell?”

“Immediately. Can’t you?” she asked her friend curiously and Melody scoffed at her.

“I dunno, this one seems iffy to me. Looks like he’s itchin’ for a fight.”

“Hm…That is true. But it just seems like…I dunno, under all that.” she sighed. “He doesn’t seem like he’d be in with Rogue’s.”

“Rogue?”

“That’s what they call the girl with the cool hair. I think her actual name is Anne-Marie but don’t quote me on it. I like her best, so I’m going to call that group Rogue’s group.”

“And Summers?”

“He seems the type to be anal about being captain so.” she shrugged and Penny snorted her milk, making a low noise after as she grabbed napkins.

“My nose!”

“Well that there was your own fault, luv.” she sniggered.

xXx

“Huh? Oh. Sure, I guess. I didn’t think there was going to be a game tonight?”

“Yeah, neither did I. But Zach called me and I dunno, I guess the principal threw it together really last minute. Candy, Jackie and Melody already said no to me and I need a ride at least.”

“What about your parents?”

“Ew, who gets out with their parents at a game for your boyfriend? Anyways, are you coming or what?”

“Sure, sure…Just let me get dressed I guess.”

“Yes! Thank you Pop, I’ll buy you snacks and stuff next lunch!”

“Pen. I already said yes, you don’t need to bribe me.”

Which was how she ended up watching the new boy, Daniels, get knocked over by a boy with stark silver-white hair as she dropped her friend off. “Wow. He only got here like a week ago right?”

“Yeah but he’s apparently a star player or something.” Penny rolled her eyes. “I don’t see how good he could be if he moves like that. Guess you were right about the Summers Squad thing. Looks like he’s breaking up whatever little spat they were having.”

“I like that alliteration. Then what could we have for Rogue though?”

“Uh…Retinue? Ugh, that sounds old and gross.”

“Regiment! Rogue’s Regiment and Summers Squad. I like it. Oh! The white-haired one back-handed Summers’s hand off.”

“Pfft! Cute. Anyways, thanks for the ride Pop!”

“No problem, Pen. And you’re sure he’ll drive you back?”

“Yeah, don’t worry about it!”

“Alright. See ya later.”

“Later.”

And somehow, she ended up watching the white-haired kid, now clad in some ridiculous attire, running up and down the streets like a demon on crack or something. He broke glass, moved cars with the sheer speed he possessed and she parked her daddy’s car safely into a nice little side road to keep it safe. It had some pretty strong charms on it but better safe than sorry before she got out to peek over. She spotted Jean, what she thought was Summers and the new boy all dressed in spandex of some sort (didn’t Daniels have a game right now?) as they struggled.

Eventually the boy (who she could no longer see from his speed) was raised up in the air and the only thing that seemed to do was make him able to form a mini-twister.

In the middle of the street.

She grunted, sliding back until it suddenly died down after a red beam. Summers’ eyes?

She peeked again, this time staring at the strange things pinning the shouting speedster. When the sirens went off, she sighed and got back in the car, pressing a button to make it more or less illusioned and starting it up to fly back home.

So Jean could move things or make barriers, Summers had eye lasers, Dukes had something to do with strength, Tolansky had some oddly toady attributes…What about the others? She supposed those stakes that had trapped the blue-garbed boy were from the new kid.

xXx

“You know, I’m not even that surprised.” she grumbled to herself, seeing the white-haired kid in school. “Yeah, he’s in Rogue’s Regiment.”

“But he’s so pretty?”

“Rogue’s. See, look.” she waved to where he had sat, sprawled in a chair next to Rogue who only scooted away.

“You’re getting really good at calling it. You know, it’ll be kind of disappointing when the year ends and we won’t have new transfers to say which group they’ll be in.”

“Yeah. Hopefully this continues next year too. So who’s going to Duncan’s party?”

“Uh, duh? Cheerleaders?” Melody told the other girl.

She giggled at them before gobbling down the rest of her goodies.

During free period outside, she managed to turn the corner just in time to see Wagner dancing on a table. And for a tail to come out and Summers to yank him down by it.

Blue pointy tail, she thought to herself. That was certainly interesting. And after a few moments of arguing about it (she distinctly heard “You pulled my tail man!”) he just…Poofed. As in, a cloud of smoke and disappeared.

Fascinating.

And then there was a fight in the halls, and the German kid was missing?

She ended up distracted by it for the rest of the day, and later, as they were leaving, she couldn’t help but notice that Summers Squad was nowhere to be found. But then there was Dunc’s party and really, she was too busy having fun to care for the rest of the night (and Summers Squad, including Wagner, managed to show up anyways, so all well, ends well she supposed).

xXx

“Jean!” Poppy called with a confused frown. “Aren’t you supposed to be-”

“I got booted.” she said sourly. “Last minute, and they didn’t have time to call Professor Xavier. Uh, the um…Our functioning guardian.” Jean awkwardly explained.

“Oh. Bad luck, mate.” she cocked her head to the side. “You were supposed to go up in the caves right?”

“Yeah.”

“Hm. Well, I’m sure you’ll get more chances for fun things anyhow. Wanna grab a snack?”

“I feel like most of the times I see you, you’re eating.” she quirked a half-smile.

“I may be small, but I burn a whole lot of calories, and I’ve got a whole lot of muscle.” Poppy grinned, pulling her sleeve up to flex the muscle there. “S’why people are so surprised when they try to pick me up.”

“I suppose I can relate to that.” she laughed into her hand. “I may look all skinny and lean, but I can pack a punch.”

“Well you’re quite tall, so the muscle has to contour to your length I suppose.” Poppy nodded.

“I don’t think I’m that tall or anything. Maybe you’re just small.” she teased and Poppy snorted.

“The important part is that I have a mighty fine arse and thighs, so I’m alright with being small.”

This time Jean really did snort in laughter, quickly covering her mouth.

“Is that doubt I hear?”

“No, no…Just…You really are something.”

“Excuse you, I am Poppy, not a ‘something’. Now c’mon, that vending machine spits out the crisps if you rattle it right.”

xXx

“Something definitely changed.” Poppy noted critically. “Ugh, godsdammit. Now we need to find a new name for those guys.”

“I dunno, Rogue’s Regiment was really growing on me though. Can’t we just keep it the same?” Melody frowned.

“Not if she’s been absorbed into Summers Squad we can’t.” she sighed, twirling the end of her plait. “Well I mean, Todd was here first so…Tolansky’s…Tour?”

“That doesn’t really…Roll off the tongue, you know? Why not cute rocker guy?”

“Alvers? I mean…Maybe? He does seem to fill in the leader role a little more.”

“No, go with Pietro. God, he’s so hot…” Penny sighed.

“I’m gonna tell Zach you said that.” Melody grinned and Penny shot her a dirty look. “Candy too.”

“No, not Candy! God, she’s such a gossip.”

“Like you’re not.”

“But I only say what I know is true! Candy will blurt out anything she hears from anybody! No source checking or asking around to make sure.” Penny groused. “Anyways, what are we calling them now?”

“Alvers’…Arc? Allstars?”

Jackie raised her eyebrows, peering over at their table pointedly. “Do they look like Allstars to you? They’re like the bad scraps, pushed off away from people who go into Summers Squad.”

“Harsh.”

“But true.” she sang.

“Army?”

“Definitely not disciplined enough. Assortment? Assembly?”

“Alvers’ Assortment. Sounds like an antique or a thrift shop or something.”

“Perfect, we have the new name. Still liked the last one better.”

“Well what can we do? She got seduced to Summers’ Squad and you can’t have Rogue’s Retinue without Rogue. Alver’s Assortment it is.”

xXx

“Hey, any of you gonna try out for that play?”

“What, the weirdly musical Dracula one?”

“I am. Jason is playing the lead.” Haley grinned broadly.

“You know, Dracula was based off of Vlad the Impaler who was called that because he impaled people. And he had a garden where they would be impaled, the spokes set upright as they slowly slid down on it, ripping up their internal organs and he would reportedly drink their blood from a fine goblet and eat grand meals to the sounds of their screams and cries. Don’t think he was much of a rock and roll guy to be honest.”

“That’s…Great Poppy, thanks. Not hungry anymore.”

“Anytime,” she replied cheerfully. “You going to eat that?”

“You can have it.”

“You want to hear about Erzebet? More commonly referred to as Elisabeth Bathory, she was-”

“No, that’s okay I think we can do without.” Melody quickly cut her off. Poppy shrugged.

“Your loss.” she shrugged. “It’s pretty fascinating and I’m pretty sure she was at least distantly related to Vlad.”

xXx

She found Todd grumbling as he kicked a few cans and cocked her head to the side. She’d been out for a casual little stroll, window shopping while she was at it. From the distance she saw the blond from Summers Squad skating away.

“What are you so upset about?” she asked and listened to him sort of shriek; her lips curled up immediately at the sound in a smile. It was a funny way to scream and honestly tickled her pink to hear it.

“Whoa whoa whoa, watch it there girly, you tryin’ ta give me a heart attack?” he scowled at her. “And what’s it ta ya anyhow?”

“Don’t recognize me without green skin? Honestly I’m hurt.” she grinned at him and he squinted at her, looking a little closer.

“Hey…” he drew out the sound. “You’re that chick that found me in the closet!” he pointed an accusing finger at her and her grin turned lopsided as she pushed his finger down with a tan, manicured one of her own.

“Poppy Peach. And you’re Todd Tolansky.”

“How’d you know my name?”

“Should I not?” her head cocked to the side. He scoffed, shoving his hands in his pockets.

“Whaddya want anyways?”

“Wanna be friends?”

“Huh? You’re kiddin’ me right?” he eyed her dubiously.

“I wouldn’t ask if I was kidding.” she told him easily. “So?” she asked expectantly.

“What?”

“Do you want to be friends?”

“Why?” he asked suspiciously.

“Why not?”

“That ain’t an answer!” he balked.

“What do you expect me to say? Besides, I think you could have a real talent for sleight of hands if you really tried.” she smiled at him brightly.

“Whoa now, what?”

“Daddy taught me a lot of tricks but honestly it was the orphanage that really gave me an edge I think.” she went on. “You’ve got a raw talent though, I think. A little refining would do you well.”

“Now hold up! Are you saying you-”

“Yes. I’d thank you not to spread it around.” she beamed, all bright white teeth. “I don’t bother at school, nobody there has much of interest and I need to deal with them on a fairly daily basis but out here? Easy pickings when it’s busy.”

“…You bein’ serious.” he said slowly.

“I am.”

“Why? You don’t look like you’re hurtin’ for money.” he said shrewdly.

“No, not anymore we’re not. Of course out here in America daddy isn’t a wanted convict anymore and I’m not some orphan anymore. Or, I suppose I’m still technically an orphan.” she shrugged.

“Hey hey, I don’t need ya life story here!” he protested and she threw her head back to laugh deep.

“Oh ducky, that’s nothing.” she told him with a wry smile. “So, friends?”

“…Yeah, sure. Friends.” he muttered, keeping a narrow gaze on her. She clapped in delight.

“Great! Wanna go to the cinema? There’s a new movie out I’ve been meaning to see.”

xXx

“No daddy, really, I’ll be fine. Promise.” she said quietly, peering blankly at the screen of her computer as she signed up. Sergeant Hawke’s survival camp looked like it promised something that she could properly vent with and she won’t have to deal with several of her friends poking around and asking how she was with sympathetic eyes because her daddy still hasn’t come back. “…Love you too, daddy. Be safe okay?”

She set her phone down. She would not smash another one over this. She finished the payment with a deft click and then mechanically went down to the potions lab. There were several interesting things she’d found at that library the piercer had guided her to. Nictitating membrane sounded awfully handy and something for her to have tapeta lucida? That sounded like a fine idea to her. And with such a short recovery period to it too! Only half a day with covered eyes!

Most of her senses were already peak performance but going beyond standard magical folk? Yes. Are most of these rituals, spells and potions dangerous? Yes. Are some of them illegal? Yes. Was she going to do them anyways? Yes.

She was careful, she did lots of research and weighing on what she had narrowed her options down to and made sure they didn’t conflict with one another or that ritual she had squirrelled out that daddy had performed on her at a tender ten years old. But then, most don’t conflict with that ritual anyways, only a select few do and she wasn’t interested in those.

She had another lined up for her hearing; another still would give her the same taste-smell abilities that snakes had and would enhance her regular smelling. She also knew several spells and charms and had enchanted jewelry (so handy) that could muffle them if needed. She had wanted to use a spell to give her a hawk’s perfect vision but that one had a forty-three percent chance of rendering the user blind and she wasn’t comfortable with those odds. Her body was already pretty hardy, even amongst wizards and witches and she’d always been a fast healer but enhancing those attributes?

And sure, some of the ingredients were dangerous to get but so worth it. Most of them weren’t even dark, the rituals, spells and potions. Just deemed ‘too dangerous’ and some frowned upon because athletes and sports players use them to enhance themselves and even then it’s only disapproved of. Only a few were really dangerous or Dark.

Hell, the one to enhance her healing ability was from the Grimoire; a few of them were and are special family secrets. She snorted when she thought that she was doing the Potter history more justice than the actual family.

Most of the options she took were for their speed; while brewing a few would take a day or two, some of the spells were only half an hour of pain to get results and while some of the rituals required absolute paralysis, all they would do is knock her out for a little while as the magic adjusted her body. She would be in tip-top shape by the time she left for training camp.

xXx

“Todd!” she said in surprise as she got to the bus that would take them out. “Didn’t think you were a survivalist type!” she said as she bounded over. She was dressed in clothes she could move and workout comfortably in; a skintight sleeveless leotard hid beneath a cropped, sleevless hoodie and short flowy athletic shorts that were loose and easy to maneuver in with compression leggings under. He was, naturally, with Alvers’ Assortment.

“I ain’t.” he bit out. “Boss lady’s makin’ us go.” he grumbled and she grinned wide, shoving into him and wrapping an arm around his shoulder.

“Oh but think of all the fun to be had! I was reading up on the Sergeant’s activities and honestly I can’t wait!”

“Yeah, good for you.” he sniped. They’d hung out a few more times besides going to see that movie (and she’d learned Todd and horror equals hilarious shrieking and finding herself with a lapful of Tolansky) and she had been muttering sleight of hands tricks and performing them on people around them. He was a sharp student in that way, though with his constantly slouched posture and general hoodlum way of walking around, people were slightly suspicious of him sometimes. He was keenly intelligent though.

“Who’s the girl?” the big blond asked gruffly, frowning down at them.

“Ain’t none a’ya business.” Todd waved off.

“Poppy Peach. Nice to meet you, Dukes.”

“You know my name?” he asked, blinking down at her.

“Don’t see how anyone wouldn’t, you’re the biggest guy around.” Alvers spoke up before turning to her with a shrewd eye. “Do you actually have a girlfriend Toad?”

That nickname was a bit on the nose, she thought absently as Todd spluttered.

“No way man! She’s a…Friend.”

“Who’d wanna be friends with you?” the roguish teen snorted, crossing his arms.

“You’re a cheerleader.” Maximoff butted in, his eyes intent and narrowed on her.

“Huh?”

“I am.” she confirmed easily, letting go of Todd.

“What’re you doin’ around with him?” he asked next, sliding closer.

“Poppy!” Jean called, cautiously coming closer.

“Oh, hey Jean!” she smiled at the girl. “Are you excited?”

“For training camp? No way.” she snorted before throwing a wary look at the boys she was with. “Do you…Know them?” she asked carefully.

“I know their names, but Todd here is my buddy.” she punched his shoulder lightly and he yelped, rubbing the space.

“Aw, don’t call me that! It’s lame.” he complained. Jean blinked in surprise.

“You’re friends with Toad?” she blurted out as Summers came up to see what was happening.

“Everything alright here?” he asked, a warning tone in his words as he looked between them.

“You act like socializing with people is suspicious Summers.” Poppy snorted with a grin, setting her hands on her hips.

“Yeah well, some people are pretty shady.” he muttered.

“What’d you say Summers?” Alvers immediately stepped up with a scowl across his face. Poppy blinked between them for a moment before cocking her head to the side.

“You know, I think I’d rather save that energy for the twenty-mile hikes if I were you.”

“What? Wait, what?” Todd shrieked. “Hold up, nobody said nothin’ bout anything like that!”

Just like that, tension was broken and she beamed at him, bouncing on her feet as Summers frowned over at her and Alvers’ nose scrunched up at the thought of such a long hike.

“We’ll be climbing sheer cliff faces too, oh! I can’t wait! I can feel the burn in my muscles already!” she sighed happily.

“Why are you happy about this?!” Todd shrieked again. She grinned and flexed the wiry but still obviously visible muscle in her arms as she again wrapped an arm around him.

“Think of all the improvement!”

“I’m perfect, I ain’t need no improvement!”

“Ah! Time to get on the bus!” she noted cheerfully. “C’mon, sit with me Todd.” she dragged the boy with her. “I’ve got a new game.” he brightened up slightly at that, taking her manhandling in stride since he’d gotten fairly used to it.

“What game you playin’?” Dukes grumbled quietly behind them maybe ten minutes in.

“Ah, it’s a bunch of arcade games formatted. Todd, how are you so bad at Frogger?”

“Shuddup, I’m just testing the controls!”

“Sure, sure…You wanna play something next?” she turned to ask Dukes.

“Oh! Uh…” he looked embarrassed. “I uh, I tend to break stuff like that. Hands are uh, too big.” he mumbled.

“I wanna play.” Maximoff turned from the seat in front of her and Todd, arm resting idly.

“You died again, it’s his turn now.” she plucked the handheld from Todd who whined a little under his breath as she handed it over to the silver-haired teen.

“So how long have you and Todd been friends?” Dukes asked awkwardly.

“A while I suppose.” she shrugged.

“Is he blackmailing you?” Alvers asked suspiciously, also turning around.

“Ay!”

“No way, he’s not smart enough for that.” Maximoff brushed off the idea absently.

“Ay! Not funny man!” he scowled beside her. “How’d you know she was a cheerleader anyways?”

“I’ve seen all the cheerleaders, duh.” she could hear him roll his eyes before he cursed, his Mario getting pummeled by a barrel. Alvers snatched it from his hands and started playing Pac-Man. “Hey!”

“Enough that you know them on sight out of their cheerleader outfits?” the brunet asked snidely.

“She’s also the only British girl and everyone knows the British girl is a cheerleader.” he mocked right back.

“Who knows, maybe the next transfer student will be English?” she hummed thoughtfully.

“Next one?”

“Well I mean I hope it doesn’t stop. My lunch table and I have the best time with it.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I mean, it’s hard not to notice that all of the sudden transfers either get absorbed by Summers’ Squad or come here, to Alvers’ Assortment. Yours used to be called Rogue’s Retinue but sadly since she was seduced away we had to change the name.”

“Have you…Have you been spying on us?” Maximoff balked.

“Don’t be silly, of course not.” she rolled her eyes as she pulled out a trashy erotica to read. It was a plain black cover with slim gold lettering on the spine so no one could really tell what it was. “You guys are so obvious we don’t need to. Still, we were all pretty devastated when Rogue was stolen away into Summers’ Squad.” she shook her head.

“Are you treatin’ us like some kind of soap opera?” Todd demanded and she grinned like a shark.

“You just make it so easy.” she teased. “And I mean, anyone with ears hears about it. About how Pryde and Alvers came from the same school and how Evans and Maximoff also came from the same school and both at about the same time came to Bayville. And all the transfers sticking in one of two main groups for the most part that appear to be opposing and that often seem to disappear, for which none of you seem to get in trouble for despite the teachers’ complaints. I’m honestly surprised no one’s bothered any of you guys about it.” she said absently as she flipped to a favored scene. A smile curled her lips when she found it, a slight giggle escaping. “I wouldn’t worry about it anyways, most people are over it and ignore it by now.” she glanced up at their silence. “What? Did you think no one would have noticed the obvious?” she snickered into her hand before returning to her book.

“And no one says anything?” Alvers’ disbelief made her snort.

“Would it matter if they did?” she countered. “The teachers have tried and they’ve all been shut down, parents complaints from grumbling children are ignored or glossed over with false promises. There’s no point.” she shrugged. “Jean and Scott, besides the occasional missing of class or cutting, are still considered model students and can get away with even more because of it. If they vouch for one of the others, the teachers are more likely to be lenient with them. With you guys, everyone knows how often you’re called to Darkholme’s office and how it’s never for punishment. There’s been lots of weird rumors floating around that.” she grinned and licked her teeth at a particularly tasty part. The book was abruptly pulled out of her hands as Maximoff frowned at her.

“Are you serious?”

“Do you think I’m joking?” she raised her brows, snatching her book back. “There’s also word that you had to be bailed out.”

“What?” he hissed.

“Sources are divided on whether or not that one’s true.” she went back to reading.

“Any on me?”

“Aside from being a thief?” she asked. “No one will tell you to your face and will deny if asked but they say your dance skills are top notch.” she said and watched a smug grin cover his face. He crossed his arms behind his head and leaned back.

“Yeah, Toad’s got the moves.” he boasted.

“They also say you eat bugs.” she said thoughtfully as Toad cursed under his breath sullenly. “Ah and, less a rumor that Maximoff is a manwhore.”

“What?” Toad whipped his head to her.

“He gets around.” she said easily and Maximoff shrugged with a haughty little smirk.

“I can’t help that the ladies love me.” he preened. He was promptly elbowed by Alvers. “Oof! Any of this ass?” he asked with a scowl, rubbing his ribs.

“Alvers? I mean…Mostly it’s just the girls saying how dreamy he is.” she said, then watched the tips of the boy’s ears and the back of his neck turn red. “There’s a divided faction among a few of them who debate on which one is hotter between the two of you. They’re pretty scary.”

“They have fanclubs?!” Todd shouted, making the all of fifteen some teenagers in the bus look back at them.

“Inside voice, Todd, you’re disturbing the others.” Poppy hushed him. She stood a little to wave a hand and smile brightly at them. “Sorry, carry on!” she told them cheerfully. She watched Summers’ stern face linger on them for a little while before he finally turned back around.

“Only a few are really fanclub-y I suppose but I guess so.” she shrugged. “I guess there’s also the star-crossed lovers thing too.”

“The what?”

“But I don’t think that one is really anyone’s business.” she went on. “There’s only so much to be said before things are too personal.”

“For rumors?” Alvers scoffed, a bitter look in his eye as he tossed the handheld at Todd who caught it with fumbling hands and a small yelp.

“Some things are no one’s business.” she responded easily.

“…You know,” Maximoff started off casually. “There’s some stuff floating around about you too.”

“I’m sure there is, we’re in a highschool.” she waved off easily.

“But you weren’t always right? You used to be home tutored.” he drawled.

“Until this past year.” she nodded.

“They say it’s because your dad abando-” her hand was over his mouth so fast and her book dropped to her lap as a hellish look overcame her face.

“Don’t. Ever. You know nothing.” she snarled in a low, growling timbre, eyes glittering in barely contained hostility. He went pale under his olive complexion at the feral rage she quietly displayed, nodding quickly under her hand. She took a deep breath and let go, leaning back into the seat. It was quiet the rest of the ride as she kept her eyes closed and rested against the window.

She would need, she reflected as she tried to calm down, to work on her response to touchy subjects more. Or let out her pent up aggression about them at least so it wouldn’t blow up a little like it just did.

xXx

Springing out of the bus and into fresh air did wonders for her mood, thankfully and she was back to smiling and bouncing on her feet in enthusiasm.

“Oh I hope we get started right away!” she giggled beneath her hand. Todd grumbled something rude under his breath and she once more practically choked him as she hooked an arm around him. “C’mon, where’s your sense of adventure?” she asked jovially.

“Oh, must have forgot to pack it,” he sneered sarcastically and she grinned at him, letting go and pulling up her braid to pin into a bun formation.

“Where’d you even get that muscle?” Alvers asked her as her biceps flexed with the movement. She glanced at him and smirked.

“I’m athletically inclined.”

“Then why are you only in cheerleading?”

“Savannah got to me first and I have studies and activities outside of highschool.” she shrugged. “Besides, I’m a little…Competitive.”

“Sore loser?”

“I’ve never been called one.” she shrugged. “I just get a little too into a game.” then she scoffed. “And anyways, cheerleading is a very physical sport. You think getting up in the air, kicking about for hours on end and practicing routine is for flimsy girls?” she crossed her arms and lifted her nose. “One kick could knock a man out. Have you seen the thighs of the core squad? Pure muscle.”

“Geez, I’m sorry I asked.” he grumbled.

“As well you should be.” she sniffed before breaking out in another smile. “Oh, I’m so excited!” she gushed again.

xXx

“An obstacle course.” her eyes gleamed in glee, smile getting all the broader. She bounced in place again. “I can barely contain myself!” she clapped delightedly and once that whistle was blown she was scrambling up the rope and not even phased when the entire structure dipped and groaned when Dukes tried to start climbing, grin wide on her face as she snatched at her prize and giggled the entire way down to land in a neat tuck and roll to then spring herself into a raft, yanking skillfully at the knot with a little burst of magic in her fingertips to undo it before anyone else could get there and to get her little raft moving. She heard a small commotion at the shore she’d left but was already pushing and paddling her way, absolutely beaming at the strain she could already feel in her arms. There was only so much one could do in the city, regardless of magical abilities and she loved trying to push herself. She could take it slower no doubt, but this was a race and it’s been a long time since she was set against others and not just timed by physical instructors in large buildings. While they had enchanted items and the like to move with her and create their own obstacles, it was far different to an outdoors one with no magic involved.

She didn’t have time to look behind her and see who else had made it, she was getting close and she leapt once she was sure she was close enough, curling into a tight ball to propel herself to land and while her knees got scraped up she barely felt it as she made a mad dash to the finish and promptly fell through it with a breathless laugh as she laid in the grass, panting a little but not overly exhausted as she heard a loud whistle. She grinned broadly, sitting up and watching Alvers paddle the rest of the way to shore, panting as he eyed her and got on land.

“How,” he wheezed, “The hell.”

“I’m athletic.” she grinned back toothily. “And a little competitive.” before she hauled herself up. She glanced down at her leggings. They were only torn a little bit and there wasn’t much blood; barely grazed her skin with the harsh landing and she was pleased. While injuries weren’t as easy to get as a no-maj, she still should have sustained more damage.

Not ten minutes later and with band-aid patches on her knees, she wondered how she and Alvers somehow got pulled into punishment push-ups. Not that they were really punishment and she took to doing them with one hand behind her back; not that it made it any harder. Sixty was hardly a punishment. Maybe it was for expediency’s sake? She kept in time with the others and while they were able, they were as a whole slower than she would have given them credit for. She popped up easily, holding her wrist behind her back as the Sergeant called them up.

“Here at Ironback we got ways to weed the loudmouths from the tough guys.”

A gleam started in Poppy’s eye from where she stood between Todd and Pryde, the three of them the shortest out of the group.

“We fight it out in the wilderness, against the wilderness.”

She bit her lip to keep her grin from peeping out.

“You grunts wanna prove how tough you are, fine. First team to snatch a flag I got planted on top of Mt. Humiliation,”

She couldn’t hold back her grin now as he pointed towards a particularly picturesque mountain.

“And brings it back to me wins.”

“Cake walk.” Maximoff swaggered up. “Our team can take a sauna.” he boasted and mused to herself that given his speed it probably wouldn’t be much for him to run off and snatch it. “I’ll get it myself.”

“Not if I beat you there.” Wagner chimed in, a sure smirk on his face and she considered the strange poof-related disappearance. Sergeant Hawke turned to them.

“The whole team or no one.” he impressed upon them. “As proof, I wanna a snapshot of every member right there at the top,” he pointed far above them, “Are we clear?”

“Sir yes sir!”

“So…Whose team am I on then?”

“Even out the numbers,” he grunted, pointing her towards the boys. “You leave in five from opposite trails. Be ready.” he warned before stalking off. She heard the starts of another macho showdown from Alvers and where Summers and Jean were but shrugged as she followed the others with a spring in her step.

xXx

She eagerly scrambled up the mountain side; not as quick as Todd was leaping around but she was doing a far sight better than Maximoff and Alvers who were tied to Dukes as he climbed. She eyed them a moment before casting a subtle charm to lighten Dukes a bit, make him a little faster before she turned her attention back to her mad reach and grab up the mountain. She snickered as Dukes pulled the protesting boys up, arms crossed as she waited for Todd to get back. He’d brushed off her inquisitions to join him; it looked like fun. Just in time, she thought as she saw his silhouette move closer. “Toad’s checkin’ for a shortcut.” Dukes grunted as the other two joined them.

“Ay, there’s a tunnel in there that’s like a stairway to the top.” he walked his fingers across one of the boards.

“Now you’re talkin’!” Alvers ripped one of the boards off. “That flag is ours!”

xXx

“That looks like it’s a little stuck there. Ah! Wait, no.” she peered up as Alvers picked up Todd by his shirt. “Hang on here, give me a tic.” she picked up a small rock, testing its weight before focusing her eyes. “Stand back, boys. This might be a little dusty.”

“What’re you tryin’ ta do?”

“Weak spot. Found one. Stand back.” she pulled her arm back before flinging it hard up at the blockage above them. They heard an echoing smack before a rumble above them and the angry creak of wood distracted her. “Shit!” she hissed.

“It’s comin’ down!” Dukes cried and she was quick to cast a strong barrier around them and another to give them breathable air.

“Everyone alright?!” she called in the darkness, casting a faint lumos.

“Wh- what the hell?” Maximoff coughed, disoriented. She turned back to the small entrance.

“Guess it was blocked up to help protect the integrity of the structure here. I can clear it out but I’ll have to be careful not to endanger the mountain’s stability.” she set her hands on her hips before turning back to them. “Are you lot alright though? No injuries?” she looked around at them.

“You’re a mutant!” Todd pointed at her in shock. She raised a brow.

“I’ve been called a lot of things but I can’t say anyone’s ever called me a mutant before.” she snorted and rolled her eyes. “I’ll take that to mean everyone is uninjured.” she stepped closer to the entrance and muttered quietly under her breath to clear the worst of the debris on the ground away and peered up. It was a little small. No way would Dukes fit like this and she sighed, scrubbing at her temples. She wasn’t kidding when she said she would need to be careful. That shield was strong but if a bad enough wave hit, it would break under the strain. She cast another one under it just in case before breathing deep. “I’m going to climb a little bit,” she told the quietly arguing boys behind her. “I need to get closer to see where I can fit what to make sure it’s stable and big enough for all of us to get out.”

“Can’t you just like, blast our way through or somethin’?”

“That might get us out but it could cause an avalanche and get us crushed outside. Besides, we don’t know if there are hikers on this mountain or where Summers’ Squad is and I would much prefer not to get anyone killed or seriously injured during training camp if it can be avoided.”

“But the flag-”

“Is not as important as everyone’s safety.” she shot a look back at Maximoff. “Now stay in the pretty green bubble. Aw damn, the bottom half of the ladder is gone.”

“It’s them!” she heard abruptly.

“Rogue?” she called up. “Is that you? I’m afraid we’ve had a little accident!” she called up. “Are you lot alright?”

“Are we? Are you?” she called back down and she squinted up to see Summers and Jean pop their heads over the side.

“We’re fine, no injuries. I’m going to ask you to move back though. I need to make sure the layer I accidentally disturbed is stable again!”

“Huh? How do you plan on doing that?” Jean called down worriedly.

“Layer you disturbed? You mean it wasn’t Alvers?” Summers called down in surprise. Behind her she heard the teen grumble.

“No? I hit a weak spot to try to come through here and well, it all sort of fell around our heads. Stand back please?”

She yanked herself up on the bigger rocks and cast a few featherlight charms and maneuvered her way to look at where the worst of the damage was.

“Whoa!”

“Questions later,” she called up at them, eyeing the area critically before peering back down at some of the rocks. A little bit of tetris she thought to herself before casting another featherlight down and pulled the rocks up with her as she started to carefully pack them into place, sticking charms and ones to make sure they wouldn’t just crumble under the pressure when she was done. “Kind of don’t want to leave them down there for long if I don’t have to.”

It took a few minutes of angling but she surveyed the amount of space before sighing and calling down.

“Alright boys, line up!” she barked down and Todd was the first to appear and he leapt with all of his dexterity, latching on to spaces and leaping out. “Well that works too I suppose.” she mused as she latched onto a side and floated down. “This might feel off but try not to squirm around too much.” she warned briefly before smacking another floating spell, this one on Maximoff and he wobbled, making an aborted shout before she guided him up through the space. An arm grabbed his and pulled him out of the way.

“Uh…I prefer solid ground.” Alvers said nervously and she rolled her eyes.

“If I make it so your gloves and boots can stick will you be alright climbing to the remains of the ladder?”

“What? You can do that?”

“Are you good or not?”

“Yeah, yeah.” he said eagerly and she cast appropriate charms and smacking his shoulder to get him moving. He was cautious but finding the ease of movement he grinned. “Sweet.”

“It’ll only last ten minutes.” she warned him and he waved her off, climbing quickly. “You good to fly?”

“Uh…Sure.”

“Oh good. Alright, remember, try not to bump anything.” she told him and he froze for a moment as he started to hover off the ground.

“This is weird,” he said, a half fretful expression on his face.

“You’re doing fine.” she soothed before carefully making sure he was squeezing through. Once he clambered out of the entry she hummed and scaled her way up, flipping up and on her feet before brushing herself off. She was covered in dust and dirt and a little tired. She wasn’t used to having to cast such a strong barrier on the spot like that and it took more out of her than she would like. She would need to practice more. She also didn’t expect to have to expend so much energy just keeping Dukes in the air; he was unusually dense and really she could do with a cake and a nap.

Obviously her current training regimen didn’t prepare her properly for live scenarios and she frowned to herself. She couldn’t even ask daddy about getting different trainers since he would immediately panic about why she thought she needed it. And…Her frown got a little deeper, he wasn’t around.

He wouldn’t know about this either, she told herself balefully. If she didn’t tell him, he’d never know it happened. Just like the explosion. Just like her recent foray into magical enhancement. He had no idea what was going on in her life right now. She shook the bitter thoughts off.

“You’re a mutant?” Summers demanded and she blinked, abruptly brought back to the here and now and she chastised herself for drifting off.

“You know Todd called me the same thing. I suppose it’s not just a synonym for freak then?”

“But how did Cerebro not pick up on you?” Jean murmured to herself. “Unless it’s the same thing that makes your mind like static noise?”

“Static noise? That’s an interesting way to put it.” Poppy’s eyebrows rose. “Do you hear that?” she turned.

“Hear what?” Jean asked intently.

“It sounds like…” she turned and peered off into the distance. “A…Plane?”

“What? Where?”

It didn’t take much longer after that for a black aircraft to appear before them.

“Are we about to get kidnapped?” she asked.

“No, that’s the X-Jet!”

“X-Men,” came the smooth voice, “The Professor is in danger. And so is Mystique.”

“You guys just have a jet lying around?”

xXx

She frowned at their costume changes (Wagner was full on blue) and sighed as she transfigured her sleeveless hoodie into an inky cloak that reached her hips, pulling up the loose hood and placing a sticking charm and ditching the shorts. And of course, casting a few freshening and cleaning spells on herself and her clothes. She followed them down and was thankful they seemed too distracted to question her quiet presence and she marveled as they headed beneath a frankly beautiful mansion into a weirdly metallic futuristic looking labyrinth underneath. She wasn’t so surprised they had a jet now at least. They made their way to a large room with a man in orange and black on the floor, a very large man with a strange dome thing on his head, a man in a wheelchair and a redhaired woman that was blue.

Were blue people just a thing?

There was a dramatic entrance statement before Jean knelt and lifted the large man off the ground; she wasn’t able to hold it for long though and he easily floated back down as Jean crumpled a bit.

“Caine’s helmet- remove it!” the other man growled and she cocked her head to the side.

There was something…Odd about the large man.

“Petrificus totalus,” she muttered and watched him freeze before falling heavily to the ground. She apparated closer, not wanting anyone to have time to stop her from investigating.

“Poppy!”

“He’s dangerous!”

“Yeah thanks, already got that.” she waved off, a barrier coming up around them as she scrutinized him. “What on earth did you do? It’s not Dark magic, it’s not really enchantment…What is going on here?” she circled him before darting forward to undo the latches. She could feel him struggling harder under her spell and she frowned down at him, muttering a stronger spell to keep him contained before yanking his shell of a helmet off. His eyes were wild with anger as they rolled up at her.

“Please, let down your shield.” the man in the wheelchair rolled forward a little. She glanced up at him. “We must neutralize him. He is a danger to everyone.”

She looked back down at the man whose eyes went even wilder, pupils contracting in fear and then in fury and she skipped back, barrier falling as he managed to break through her spell. She blinked in shock; a no-maj no matter if they had weird abilities like these ones, should not have been able to break that. He roared in outrage, starting to stampede at her and she apparated away with a twist of her feet and then watched as the wheelchair man put fingers to his temples and close his eyes. She felt a weird twinge in her head; it wasn’t directed at her but her magic could feel something mental and something dangerous and she watched as the huge man eventually went down.

“What is he?” she asked in the aftermath.

“Juggernaut.” came the response as the man turned to face her. “I’m afraid we haven’t met?”

“Professor, this is Poppy Peach.” Jean was quick to throw in. “She’s a student at Bayville.”

“Hullo.” she gave a cheery little wave. “I’d say it’s nice to meet you but under the circumstances I’ll refrain.” she set a hand on her hip and pulled her hood down. “Well, now that all the fuss seems to be over…” she paused and frowned. “Wait, should I go back to camp? I did leave my stuff there and I was so looking forward to it.”

“Is that really what you should be worrying about right now?” Maximoff looked at her incredulously.

“Well the big man is down, everyone is uninjured and while I might stop for some snacks I was having fun at camp.” she frowned at him. “That and…Oh no! What if Sergeant thinks we’ve gone MIA in the mountain?!”

“We dropped off the photo!” Wagner pointed out.

“Oh yes and I suppose us just disappearing via jet isn’t worrying at all!” she retorted, crossing her arms.

“We’ll call him, kid.” the burly man grunted. “He’s had dealings with us before.”

“Well I suppose there’s that.” she sighed. “I suppose I’ll have to find something else to occupy my time then.” she grumbled before brightening significantly. “Oi Todd,” she grinned broadly and he winced where he stood. “Oh come on now, don’t make that face! I was just going to ask if you wanted to crash at my place and play videogames.” she grinned. “Come on, I’ll buy takeout or pizza or something.”

She needed to take a few days to relax; she was due for a break anyways since she’d been pushing herself so hard. Rest was important after all.

“What? Can I come?” Dukes asked, lumbering closer.

“More the merrier!” she beamed.

“Hang on, hang on! Are we like, not going to talk about you being a mutant? Like, at all?” Pryde frowned.

“Should we?” she blinked.

“Yes! Especially if you’re hanging around with them!” Evans piped in, pointing at ‘them’ dramatically.

“What’s wrong with them?”

“They’re the Brotherhood!”

“Wait, you guys already have names? Does that mean I can’t call you Alvers’ Assortment or Summers’ Squad anymore?” she frowned. “Because honestly, they’ve really grown on me.”

“What?”

“Enough!” the blue woman interrupted, lips pursed. “You’re a mutant?” she demanded. Poppy shrugged, neither denying nor confirming. Let them draw what conclusions they will.

“She already managed to figure some’a us out.” Rogue grumbled.

“She what?” the grumbly man snapped, narrowed gaze aimed at the cohesively dressed Summers’ Squad. “Have you been using yer powers out where anyone can see?”

Poppy pursed her lips.

“Right…Well, I think I’ll just be going now- Todd? Dukes?”

xXx

“Aw man! C’mon, I was so close that time!”

“Were not,” Dukes snorted in response, both boys on her very sturdy couch as he won again. There were at least four pizza boxes and plenty of two-liter soda bottles along with more snacks and food and she lounged on a chaise as she watched them, the small booklet she was studying for finals forgotten and unneeded as she fiddled with the small ring box daddy had sent to her. There was dark magic positively drowning it when she had first opened the box and she was quick to shut it again while the two boys were here and she positively itched to read the small note. But she was also just happy to have someone else in the house with her. Sure she could talk to the girls but…They would look around and make pointed looks and ask in soft voices how was she doing and that she could come over to their place, no one would mind.

She hated the coddling.

“Yo Pop, whatcha readin’ for?”

“For the finals tomorrow.” she answered, blinking back into the present. She really needed to get a handle on her recent habit of spacing out. Both boys froze. Her brows rose slowly. “Don’t tell me you forgot?” she asked incredulously. Over the past week or so the two had been hanging around after school more regularly and after the first two days, just finally crashed in the living room.

“I’m gonna fail!” Todd wailed, throwing the controller down.

“You? I’m already set up for summer school!” Dukes panicked and she rolled her eyes at the two. She would love to tutor them but she honestly has no patience; she comprehends things quickly and trying to explain what she thinks is easy is a one way ticket to frustration for both sides.

“Calm down, I’m sure Darkholme isn’t going to let you fail.”

Learning their principal was actually the blue lady had been weird and the meeting she’d had with her about talking if she needed to about any problems with her ‘mutant’ status or whatever. The woman oozed ruthlessness and cunning so Poppy would absolutely not, but still.

“But she would!” Todd moaned, falling back into the cushions. “Hell even if I ain’t gonna fail she would do it to torture me!”

“Dramatic. You wanna use my study guides?”

“What? Girl you’re in advanced classes, hell no!”

“Ah, guess you have a point.” she sighed. “You gonna crash here again tonight?”

“Naw, gotta make sure they don’t raid our rooms while we’re gone.” Dukes shook his head with a sigh.

“I’m tellin’ ya, I’m just gonna bring all my shit here.” Todd railed. Poppy shrugged.

“We have extra rooms.” she said easily. “And since you won’t let me hang out at your place.”

“We ain’t got shit over there.” Todd rolled his eyes. “And you always got food here.”

“Wow, I see how it is.” she grinned. “Either way, I’m heading up. You know where everything is by now.” she waved off, heading upstairs. “Try to get some sleep, coffee won’t fix everything. Neither will energy drinks. Night.”

“Night,” they chorused back and she felt content that she wasn’t alone in the house.

xXx

“Whaddya want?” Todd snapped into the phone, held between a shoulder and his ear as he mashed buttons in combos. He’s gotten better at this game she noticed. “Huh? I’m busy here, can’t you handle it?...She’s not my girlfriend!...She’s got games and food and a big ass fuckin’ t.v. man, if you came over here you wouldn’t wanna go back to that shithole neither!”

“Did you need Todd?” she asked after slipping the phone from him and he grunted, once more focusing on beating the level he’d been stuck at for the past two hours.

“It’s a Brotherhood thing.” Maximoff scoffed over the line. “We got orders from the boss lady’s boss.”

“Sounds important. Todd! You can just pause the game, I won’t turn it off.” she told the teen, phone still to her ear. “Oh hey, did you or Alvers wanna come over? I’m buying a feast of takeout tonight and having an all-out gaming night.”

“Yeah whatever, free food.” he said impatiently. “Is Todd coming or not?”

“Yeah, I’ll get him. Just get Todd or Dukes to bring you over then.” she said and blinked as he hung up. “Well. How rude.”

“Yeah, Pietro’s an ass.” Todd said easily. Poppy snorted.

“C’mon, go get your thing done. I’ll make sure to order from that Chinese place you like.”

“And you won’t turn the game off?” he asked suspiciously, pausing it and eyeing her suspiciously.

“Have I ever when you and Dukes are playing a game?” she asked and he sighed.

“Yeah yeah, alright. Seeya later Pop.” he got up and stretched before making his way out. She rolled her eyes and went back down to the potions chamber. While she liked watching him or Dukes or both play games, she was more often doing other things around the house; she couldn’t stop studying after all, or training. She might be naturally athletic but her body took time to train and shape the way she liked it. She’d left the boys in her house before too, hanging out with the squad, shopping or watching movies or in general hanging out. It wasn’t like they had access to the whole house; more important or telling rooms were hidden beneath charms and the like to hide them from anyone other than Poppy or daddy after all. She fiddled with the now Dark-magic free ring on her finger. A little black stone that she set into a new ring that wasn’t quite so gaudy. That…Thing that had been attached had tried to latch ahold of her but…

Well, her studies weren’t for nothing. She knew something trying to overtake her soul when she felt it and was prompt in using her magic to more or less…Eatit. Eat it and incorporate it into her own power. Granted that as the sliver it was, it did almost nothing for her anyways besides give her a slightly better proficiency with Dark Arts.

xXx

“Wow, you guys look rough.” she said, sprawled in her chaise lounge as Todd trudged in, Dukes coming in after and Alvers more cautiously. Pietro grumbled as he stalked in before looking around. She’d redecorated after Christmas; the walls were bright red and covered in band, movie and game posters, there were more beanbag chairs, the couch cover was dark tie-dye, more games and movies and consoles.

“You live here?”

“Nice, innit?” Todd sniggered tiredly before flopping onto the couch, dragging himself to his spot to grab the controller he’d left there earlier in the day. Poppy grinned, setting her laptop down.

“Well regardless food should be here soon. All of it, I managed to wrangle someone into picking up all my orders and bringing them to me.” she said smugly. Manny was easy to manipulate with money and cigarettes after all.

“Sweet.” Dukes sighed, also settling himself in the corner of the couch he preferred.

“Make yourselves at home boys.” she waved to the rest of the furniture. It was a wide open living room with cushy comfy furniture, plants, and all of the DVDs, DVD player, a portable DVD player, games, CDs and the like along with what Todd had appropriately called a big ass fucking telly. A half wall was all that separated the kitchen from the living room and it was also quite spacious. She already had snack bowls out alongside a stack of sturdy plastic plates and plastic cups. Sodas and juices were also sprinkled on the counter. She was glad for the charmed rubbish bins they had bought; meant she didn’t need to worry about bags and overfull garbage. “If you need it, there’s a bathroom right down that little hall there.”

“You know, somehow I imagined you lived in a treehouse.” Alvers said suddenly and she raised her eyebrows before rolling onto her back.

“Much fun as that would be, I’m afraid not.”

“What are those?” Maximoff was suddenly leaning over her, scrutinizing her toned flat stomach.

“Piercings.” she said dryly.

“On your hips?” he asked dubiously. “I mean, I’ve seen the belly button ones before but those?”

“You should see the ones in her mouth man.” Todd said absently as he started playing the game again. Maximoff turned to him.

“And you would know?” he taunted. “Thought you said she wasn’t your girlfriend?”

“She ain’t!” Todd snapped. “But when ya constantly hang around you see how often she changes the jewelry out. I still don’t know how you managed that one in ya throat.”

“Numbing agent and absence of a gag reflex.” she responded easily. “And it’s called the uvula.”

“Geez. Got any more piercings?” Alvers asked sarcastically.

“None you can see.” slipped out before she could stop it. “Oops.” she muttered.

“Wait, what’s that supposed to mean?” Maximoff leaned towards her. “How many more can you have?”

The doorbell rung abruptly.

“Oh! Look, food, great, I’ll just be getting that, be right back.” she grinned brightly as she slipped away. She heard Maximoff ask again and vaguely heard Alvers grumble something as she opened the door. Manny raised his brows and grinned at her broadly.

“Have my money?”

“Long as you got my food.” she smirked back, grabbing the twelve pack carton of cigarettes to hand to him.

“Why’d you need so much anyways? Feeding an army?” he asked as she followed him to his van.

“I got some friends over.” she shrugged.

“What, from school?” he asked dubiously and she rolled her eyes in good nature.

“What’re you snooping around for anyways?” she shoved his shoulder with her own and he grinned a little wider.

“Ah you know, Faith just wants to know if you’ve got a boyfriend yet.”

“You can tell her that I don’t and that she needs to stop plotting to steal him if I do.” she sighed exasperatedly. “Wasn’t she screwing Will’s brother?”

“Ah, but that’s for weed.” he pointed out and she huffed.

“I love her to death, really, but she’s gonna end up with another STI if she’s not careful. You know Ed’s a slag.”

“Hey, I told her already but you know she doesn’t listen to anybody telling her anything.”

“I guess.” she grumbled.

“But hey, off the record…Did you get a boyfriend?” he asked playfully. “C’mon you can tell Manny.”

“No, I did not.” she rolled her eyes. He gave a drawn-out sigh.

“How am I supposed to live my dreams of a cute boy dating me through you if you still don’t have a boyfriend?”

“You’ll manage to find your own?”

“I wish it was that easy.” he huffed. “Are you sure you can’t at least find a gay football boy for me, or a male cheerleader maybe..? Oh, I could say I’m really dating a cheerleader then!” he sighed dreamily.

“I’m no matchmaker. Honestly, you’re too much of a dreamer.”

“I’m just a romantic at heart, Honey-Pop.” he gently bopped her nose. “Now come on, any longer and all this food is gonna leave a smell in my van.”

xXx

She tapped her nails, now shimmery aquamarine, in boredom. Todd said they had more Brotherhood stuff to do but she could tell by the way he was acting so nervously that he was hiding something else. He didn’t say his usual seeya later either. He said bye. She sighed and slumped where she sat. What was she supposed to do with her weekend now?

xXx

She swished her pom-poms along with the others, smiling wide as the game ended with Jean having managed to score the win and then watched Duncan congratulate his girlfriend. Summers steamed close by and she watched them and how Duncan taunted the other boy. She wondered if Summer’s jealousy spurred this sort of behavior in him or not, because Duncan wasn’t usually quite so haughty with his expressions. She cocked her head to the side before shrugging and waving off her friends as she and everyone else started leaving. When she got home she sighed and set her pom-poms down.

“Good game?” Alvers called from where he was sprawled comfortably on the loveseat.

“I still don’t understand why it’s called soccer here.” she sighed. “Also, does Summers have any idea how obvious it is when he’s feeling jealous? I swear that’s why Duncan’s such an ass to him. He’s only really like that around Scott, he’s usually pretty decent.”

“Duncan’s a douche.” Toad grumbled.

“To you he is, if he catches you. Which I couldn’t help but notice he hasn’t lately.” she said slyly.

“I’m gettin’ better.” he aimed a cocksure smirk back at her.

“Where are the other two?”

“Blob’s pickin’ up pizza and Quicksilver’s on another date.” Alvers rolled his eyes, continuing to flick through channels.

“Still?”

“No I mean he came back, bragged, and then went on a date with another girl.” Alvers’ nose crinkled up in disdain.

“Huh. I knew he was a player but I didn’t think he gets around that quick.” she said as she plopped down on her chaise, not bothering to change out of her cheer uniform yet as she pulled her hair down from the space buns she’d had them in, sighing happily when her hair fell free. “Ah, freedom.”

“If it feels so nice, why you always put your hair up anyways?”

“Because it’s a snarling mass of evil that hates gravity and cannot be tamed otherwise.” she responded casually as she pulled out her phone to text Melody.

“Then cut it?”

“Excuse you, it took me threeyears to get it this long.” she turned a glare and Alvers’ lips twisted. “If it wasn’t such a hassle to straighten it…” she grumbled, running long nails painted gold, red and white to match her uniform through her tresses. They were silky enough with her care routine but they were curly and loved to twine and tangle and her hair was very thick besides. It was both her bane and her pride. “Besides,” she huffed. “I’m certain Melody would cut me if I tried to lop it off.”

“Which one is she?” Todd asked as he flipped through his comic.

“Black hair to her ass.”

“Right.” he nodded. “Don’t seem like the type to hurt people.”

“You’ve never insulted her nails.” she told him neutrally. “Other girl had to get fourteen stitches. Lucky she refused to identify her.”

“Holy shit, you serious?”

“Cheerleaders are ruthless.” Poppy nodded. Then she shrugged, starting to braid her hair. “But, she was on an opposing cheer team too, so Melody was especially vicious.”

“Geez…Glad I ain’t into cheerleaders.” Todd shuddered.

“Back!” came the call as Dukes came in, careful in shutting the door as he balanced seven pizzas in one large hand.

xXx

She waved off her friends as she trotted up to the jeep and crossed her arms as she came to stop besides Pryde.

“So…” she tapped her nails on her arm. “That could’ve killed our new principal.” she said calmly and Alvers winced.

“Like, yeah! Not cool Lance!” the other girl agreed furiously and both small girls sent him a glare.

“Aw c’mon, I said I was sorry!” his shoulders hunched up at bit as he glanced between them.

“Get a clue!” she turned to walk off and as Alvers reached out to grab her, Poppy grabbed his wrist.

“I would suggest not grabbing a girl who’s walking away. Doesn’t look pretty.” she scowled and he shot one back, opening his mouth to say something before Summers interrupted them.

“Something going on over here?”

“Some scolding for that little prank.” she told him tersely, watching Alvers through narrow eyes as she let go of his wrist. “So you don’t need to say anything about it.”

“He used his powers and someone almost got seriously hurt.” Summers scowled in response. “He doesn’t even seem sorry!”

“Hey man, no one actually got hurt!” Alvers stepped up to him with a scowl.

“Because Jean was there! What would you have done if it really did hit down the principal, huh?”

“Alright, that’s enough!” Poppy pushed between the tall teens and pushed them apart. “Both of you need to cool off. I deal with enough alpha male bullshit from the team, I don’t want to deal with it when I don’t have to.” she pushed Alvers to the jeep. “You, are in for a talk when we get home.” she muttered to the brunet who scoffed but got in the jeep.

“I don’t know why you hang around them.” Summers said harshly as the jeep started up.

“Ay!” Todd protested and Poppy whirled to him, poking him hard in the chest with a long nail.

“I hang around them because they are my friends, Summers.”

“They’re hoodlums!”

“They’re teenagers. Just like me, just like you, just like everyoneelse in this school.”

“You’re gonna regret it.”

“God, can you sound like more of a tool? Look, I don’t interfere with whatever rivalry thing you’ve got going on, but can you please just drop it for a while? I swear it’s like they took your toy or something.” she rolled her eyes. “Go calm down Summers. Ugh, god, I don’t want to deal with this.” she rubbed her temples. “I need to go get ready for the rally. Stop provoking my friends, Summers.” she warned before turning to get to the blue beetle she’d adopted as her own.

xXx

“Are you guys coming to the rally? I’ve got money if you want food.” she asked as she came down. The four were hunched close together and looked up at her in a way she found distinctly shifty.

“What happened to that talk?” Alvers snorted.

“What, do you think I was going to reprimand you like you were a child?” she rolled her eyes as she fluffed her high pigtails. They were long and not a style she normally wore them in but Melody wanted to match hairstyles. “It’s not like you meant to drop the scoreboard. Just be a little more careful next time alright? Who knows how much more the school building can handle without destabilizing and breaking down around our heads.” she shook her head, peering at her reflection in the mirror in the entryway and frowning before pulling out her lip-liner and neatly correcting before popping her shimmery red lips. “Honestly I was mostly ticked at Summers. Just because Jean’s hanging out with her boyfriend doesn’t give his jealous arse the right to be a prick. I still can’t believe what an ass he was!” she pursed her lips angrily before shaking her head again. “Anyways, will you be at the rally?”

“Yeah. Yeah, we’ll be there.” Alvers said slowly as they glanced at eachother. Shifty, Poppy frowned to herself but brushed it off. She had to worry about getting to the rally.

“Right. Whatever, I’m setting sixty here for you then. They pump up the prices ridiculously at rallies.” she rolled her eyes. “Well I’m off, see you there.”

xXx

“I dunno, it feels like we haven’t really been hanging out lately.” Jackie sighed and Poppy paused to look up at her.

“I’m still here,” she assured her quietly. “I’m just…I dunno…Things have been kind of hectic in a weird way?”

“You space out during lunch a lot more. The other day you didn’t even finish your food!”

She sighed.

“My dad…Thinks he might be stuck over there for my birthday still…My birthday is the end of July.” she grumbled and immediately a white noise of low sympathetic noises met her and she found herself in the midst of a group hug and lots of comforting words and assurances.

“We’re always here for you, Pop.” Melody told her.

“Yeah, if you ever need or talk or just hang around, don’t hesitate okay?” Savannah squeezed her.

xXx

“The game is underway and Bayville has taken the-” the announcer abruptly cut off.

“’Scuse me folks!” Poppy frowned, settling for a moment to turn and found Alvers standing on top of the announcer’s box. “Hey, can I have your attention out there?”

“What are you doing?” she whispered with a frown, stepping closer.

One of the lights was shifted and she cut a sharp look to see Maximoff for a moment as the light landed on Alvers. Dukes stepped up and Todd leapt forward in his toad-crouch and Maximoff joined them a moment later like he’d been there the whole time. Her pom-poms dropped. They were in their costumes. “That’s better.” he smirked down. “My name’s Lance. I also call myself Avalanche.”

“Oh tell me he’s not actually going to-” her body tensed up.

“Because I’m a mutant!” he told the crowd. “That’s right, me and Toad and Blob and Quicksilver here, we’re all mutants.”

“What is he talking about?” she heard Alexis murmur nervously.

“I don’t know. What are they trying to prove?” Jackie frowned at them and Poppy’s chest squeezed nervously as she glanced at the cameras focused now on them as well.

“Born different! What you might call,” he grinned, “Freaks.”

“Savannah, I think we should start evacuating,” she said in a low voice as she slunk to the taller girl. She glanced at her before nodding, quietly gathering the other members up and creeping to bleachers to try to stealthily get people out. Poppy really didn’t like where this was heading and she skipped to where she saw Rogue and the rest of the Summers’ Squad. “Psst,” she hissed, grabbing their attention. “I suggest you start getting people out if you can.”

“Did you know about this?” Summers snarled and she reared back, a snarl on her face.

“You think I would put people in jeopardy or, fucking god forbid tell a whole school and live cameras about mutants? I had no idea,” she spat back at him. “But I don’t like where this is going! Try to get people out of here before something happens! That’s what you guys do right? Help?” she demanded in a harsh whisper. “So do it!” before she slipped away hurriedly, apparating quietly and slashing at whatever cords she saw from the van to cut off the cameras.

She couldn’t control cellphones or video cameras though she thought with a cold sweat breaking out on her skin.

“You see, there’s lots of mutants at Bayville High,” Lance went on, “Scott Summers over there!” he pointed out to where Summers had gotten up and Poppy tensed up.

“Oh no, what are you thinking?” she whispered in horror.

“He’s one! And so is Jean Grey, your big soccer star! And most of their pals over at the Xavier Institute.”

“No no no, that’s supposed to be a safe place for them,” she hissed under her breath as the ones working the cameras the van fretted around, trying to get things back up and running for this drama. “Alvers, you idiot!”

“Which is kind of a school for weirdo mutant nerds! Now, being mutants means we’ve got these special powers-”

“Shit, Melody, we need to get people out faster!” she grabbed her friend’s arm and she nodded frantically, darting off to spread word and wave others to try to evacuate slowly and subtly enough not to alarm anyone or alert the threat before casting a strong notice-me-not on herself so she could cast more freely.

The threat being her four mutant friends, she thought dismally.

“That we use to make little…Improvements. For instance, we thought this game would be more fun if rows were further apart.” he pulled out a hand and a crack opened in the middle of the field. Her breath stopped in her chest for a moment as horror filled her as some of the girls nearly fell in, her heart in her throat.

No. No no no.

“And we thought the principal should have a little better perspective on his student body.”

This wasn’t a game. This wasn’t a joke or a prank.

They were putting people in very real danger.

She was panting now, almost hyperventilating. This wasn’t an enemy, these were her friends, they goofed off and complained about bad movie scenes, played video games and gorged themselves on pizza and takeout.

“Another thing!” Alvers pointed over and her head snapped as she only now noticed Dukes storming up the bleachers. “We think that mascot totally reeks!”

Her head whipped around; a lot of people were safely away and she looked, wild-eyed at Dukes before hissing a spell under her breath, making him fall forward and drop like a stone. She turned her frantic attentions over to Quicksilver and tripped him up in order to hit him with the same and safely float Principal Kelly back to the ground. Her hands spread out before her; there were maybe a dozen people left around after the ground opened up in the panic and the evacuation efforts; their memories could be wiped she thought numbly.

She knew the spells, had to perform them before.

It was supposed to be different here, she thought hysterically. She was supposed to be just an occasional petty thief and happy cheerleader.

And daddy wasn’t there to help her or shield her, to give her advice and help talk her through this, talk her through how to bring down her own friends. She muttered spells under her breath, chanting as she tried to ensure the safety of the few who lingered.

Alvers she thought, Alvers and Todd. She turned with wide eyes to where she saw him still standing up top, now frowning at Dukes’s downed form and then at Maximoff where he was laid on the ground. Her spell hit him square in the chest and he fell onto his back, out cold. Todd, she thought, eyes darting around, wide and shining as she focused around her, an absent minded spell mending the bleachers Dukes had destroyed in his trek before she found his leaping figure and hissed out the spell again. She breathed in and out shakily, trying not to collapse.

She pulled her phone out from the secured pocket and pressed speed dial with shaky fingers.

“I have a no-maj area that needs to be wiped. Bayville Highschool.” and she hung up before destroying her phone in a tight grip before dashing off to collect her friends. Her stupid, idiotic, dangerous friends. She apparated them back to her house, picking up her pace when she saw Summers’ Squad rushing in with their own costumes on. She came back only briefly, shedding her charm and finding the wheelchair man. He seemed to be their leader after all. “There will be people here soon to wipe their minds of the whole thing. They’ll take care of any video captured too. They’re thorough like that.” she croaked, feeling shaky and weak and like she may have started crying sometime between dropping off Dukes and coming back to grab Maximoff.

The loud crack of apparition alerted her and her head jerked over to robed individuals. She raised her arm, casting a bright lumos and waving them near.

“Are you the call in?” one man asked gruffly, cloak hood obscuring his face.

“Yes.” she said shakily.

“What happened here?” he demanded as she hugged herself, sniffling as others swept around, civilians and altering and remaking memories, finding out the people just outside and who was there to track down and properly fix. Her costumed schoolmates were quick to gather around their professor.

“M-mutant.”

“Ah yeah,” he pulled out a small mirror. “Yeah, B-349. Another mutant incident.” he said into it. “Perpetrators?”

“Gone.” she said quickly. He looked around.

“Don’t surprise me. Hit and runs from radical mutant groups have been springing up more in the past five or six years.” he grunted. “Them?”

“Mutants.”

“Right.” he turned to the group that huddled close now. “We won’t wipe your memories, given that sometimes your abilities can react badly with our methods. Were you aware?”

“They weren’t.” she hurried to answer for them, her voice hoarse. He hummed low in his throat, casting a warming charm on her, long dark wood wand swirling.

“Right. Well, while you’re not totally exempt from certain laws just because you know now, we will insist that you not mention this, or us, to anybody else. If you have any other run-ins.” his wand swirled again and a business card fluttered to the bald man. “You can call this number for a clean-up. Gotta make it fast though, no-maj these days are always so eager to post things to the internet and it’s hard to stop them once it goes viral.” the man turned back to her. “Do you need medical assistance?”

“No. No, I’m just a bit shaken up, thank you.”

“Right. We’re gonna finish up here and everything will be sorted out by the morning. Have a nice evening.” and with a curt nod, he strode away.

“Vhat just happened?”

“That was a team of specially trained wizards and witches that wipe the memories of non-magicals in case of threat of exposure for our society.” Poppy said dully. “I didn’t realize they were so familiar with mutants.”

“Wait, what? Wizards and witches?”

“Yes.” she sighed, turning to them. “Our kind split off from non-magicals during the witch hunts and trials, created our own secret spaces and society beneath their noses. The law they were talking about was the Statute of Secrecy. It ensures no one outs us to non-magicals…For safety reasons.” she rubbed her face tiredly. “I can give you addresses to offices or bookstores if you want to ask someone about it or read up on it but I just want to go home…”

“Where’s Avalanche? And Toad, Blob and Quicksilver?” Summers stepped up and she stared at him blankly. “Why did you lie?”

“…I told you.” she said tiredly, feeling far older than she was all of a sudden, her usual energy drained in light of the emotional rollercoaster she had found herself on. “They’re my friends. Regardless if they’re minors, if they would have taken them in, they would be charged as adults and sentenced as them too. Magical prisons, jails and penitentiaries are not…Are not nearly as humane as nonmagical ones. Most of them don’t have laws and regulations against torture and beating inmates, nothing about feeding them or bathing them. They were dumb and they put people in danger. If you want to talk to them, and only talk, I’ll give you my address but nottonight.”

“I think we all need our rest.” the bald man soothed. She nodded, slumping a bit. She couldn’t apparate in her state, all her frenetic energy was sapped and she didn’t trust herself not to splinch if she tried. She wasn’t sure she was alright to drive though either… “Do you need a ride home?”

“Huh? Oh…I…” she frowned dazedly. “My car can fly and drive itself.” she settled on. “It can turn invisible too, don’t worry.” she said, turning to go to said car in a daze and ignoring the burst of noise behind her.

It felt like one moment she was getting into the blue beetle and a blink later it was parking itself. She sat quietly for a few minutes before mechanically getting out and entering the house proper. She stared at the passive faces of the four who had so thoroughly ruined the night. She wandered past them and took a shower for…She didn’t know how long.

She put on one of her daddy’s shirts and a pair of shorts, brushed through her hair and went back downstairs, curling up on her chaise and staring at them before muttering spells to wake them. Maximoff jolted up first and Alvers groaned as he sat up, rubbing his head. Dukes was shaking his head and Todd yelped as he accidentally rolled onto the floor. She watched them all silently, only the few candles she lit providing a dim light. Her eyes were probably glowing.

“Yo, what- what happened?”

“You put other people and yourselves into a lot of danger.” she said flatly.

“Pop?”

“What- where-”

“You’re lucky they have clean up teams for things like this. No one will remember.” she tucked her head into her knees. “No one besides your X-Men and us anyways.” her voice cracked.

“Oh oh, no hey, don’t start crying-” Todd started fearfully.

“Do you have any idea how terrifying that was?!” she wailed. “Do you know what people would do to you if they found out what you were?! God, do you even realize how much trouble you would have been in?!” she sobbed. “What were you thinking?!”

“God, we’re- we’re sorry, Peach…” Alvers trailed off awkwardly. She hid her face again, crying noisily though muffled.

Poppy didn’t have many friends before coming here. The few she would find would drift after a week or two. Savannah and the squad were her friends but...

She had to hide who she inherently was with them. While she still hid parts of herself with these boys, they had managed to become her closest friends, who stayed at her house, laughed, played games with her.

And her closest friends almost managed to become terrorists, potential murderers.

God, she managed to get mixed up in the same sort of wrong crowd as daddy did didn’t she?

“And what if someone got hurt? What if someone might’ve died? What if someone else was armed and tried to shoot you? Do you have any clue how much danger everyone was in?” she blurted between gasps for air. “You could have been killed! You could’ve accidentally killed someone else!” she scrabbled at her chest, feeling it wound so tight she might pass out. “You stupid, idiot boys! Just because you have powers doesn’t mean you’re invincible!” she blubbered and then swiped at her face roughly. She hated crying, hated everything to do with it. It hurt her head, her throat, her nose and her lungs and it solved nothing. She hated being upset enough to cry too- she was a forwards type of girl, not a sob and sigh kind.

She hated feeling helpless even more. She could only imagine how awful, how terrified those poor people at the game were. She sniffled, grit her teeth and shot up, wiping her face one last time and screwing her eyes shut for a moment, breathing harshly before she forcibly calmed herself down. Crying about it helped no one.

“What. Were. You. Thinking?” she hissed, almost sliding into parseltongue. “What would have possessed you to not only put yourselves at risk for exposure, not just those X-whatever kids, but to then put in blatant danger a whole hunk of civilians?! Do you know how easy it is for a human body to break? How easy to trigger a heart attack, a seizure, how easy to break someone’s neck by accident? People could have died! You could have died!” she shouted at them hoarsely, voice a thundering thing in the dark room and she watched them flinch and fidget. “Fighting with Grey and Summers and their group is one thing, but targeting and attacking a public high school game where regular civilians, children, elderly, students- what in the seven hells brought you idiots to that point?! What could have been so polarizing that you put just about everyone there in extreme danger and almost exposed mutants to a society that would lash out in fear at them?!” she demanded, feeling her magic crackle in the air like ozone and the static charge of a thunderstorm. “I’m going to tell you what I told them after I brought your dunderheaded arses back here- I am a witch. I come from a hidden society of people with magic who can brew potions and cast spells and ride fucking brooms. Do you know why we are hidden? The fucking witch trials from history. We had to split our entire people into a separate hidden society because muggles, no-maj, those without magic started killing off people en masse on suspect of having magic. Do you think anything has really changed? Do you think people are going to accept that mutants exist and might crop up? No! They’re not! They will be persecuted, they will be hunted, and they will be killed! And fucking Merlin forbid if a fucking war starts between mutants and muggles because we all know wars end so nicely don’t they?!” she snarled before deflating. “…Why? Why did you do that?”

“We just…”

“Why should we have to hide?” Alvers’ said quietly. “We can do amazing things- why do we need to cover it all up just because some people won’t like it?”

“Because the people who won’t like it are loud and brutal.” she said ruthlessly. “Because they won’t look at you and see a person, see someone with hopes and dreams and emotions- you’ll be a threat, a danger, and most of all- something unknown. You will be feared and then hunted because of that fear.” she rubbed a hand down her face. “…If you want to use your powers so badly, I know a few places. Magical places. They might give you some looks at first but you’ll hardly be the oddest thing there.” she told them flatly. Mutants clearly didn’t qualify as muggles after all. She eyed them. “In fact, you might just be overlooked for the most part, you can sell off magical reasons pretty well. They’ll automatically assume Dukes is partially giant, Todd as a partial animagus transformation, you’ll just be an earth elemental and Maximoff-” she squinted at him. “Something to do with a ritual probably.” she tapped her nails against her hip as she considered them. “And if it’s training you want there are magical places for that as well.”

“There’s- wait what?”

“That could work. That could work.” she murmured. Then she frowned. “How were you being trained before?”

“Uh…We kinda…Weren’t?”

“Wasn’t the blue lady principle your boss or guardian or something? And…Actually, whatever happened to her?”

“She’s gone.” Alvers said firmly, frowning at her speculatively.

“Whatever, don’t actually care.” she waved off. “Summers’ Squad obviously gets quality training.” she tapped her fingers along her arm. “And you’re saying you had none this entire time but what you’ve managed to figure out on your own or in your squabbles?”

“When you put it that way…”

“No wonder we lose all the time.”

“Not to mention the group number disparity.” she tacked on absently. “Right. We’ll head off tomorrow and rent a dueling space for you to practice in and we can make real training schedules after we gauge where you are.” she frowned, running a hand through her hair. “We’ll still have to take account for school hours though…”

“I’m all for just skipping,” Todd piped in, clearly just relieved she wasn’t crying or yelling anymore.

“No, your education is important.” she frowned at him and then paused again. “What if you want to go to university?”

“What, me? In college?”

“Your grades are all fairly above average, I don’t see why you wouldn’t think about it.”

“And pay for it with what money huh? And can you picture me,” he swept his arm down the length of himself, “In college?”

“Is that a trick question?” she frowned confusedly. “Yes? And there are plenty of options for tuition help. Or, if you really want, I could help pay for it. Not like I don’t have a disgusting amount of money in my hands.”

“I’m not really a college type person, dig?”

“What? Why not?” she asked, even more confused. “What does that even mean?” she turned to the other boys. “You’re all thinking of university right?”

Dukes’ frowned self-consciously, rubbing the back of his head. “I uh…I wasn’t formally educated before I came here. I was kinda a…Sideshow attraction. College ain’t never been on the board for me.”

“Takes too long, too slow and boring. I think I’ve suffered enough school to want to throw myself into it willingly again after I’m finally done the mandatory stuff. College girls are cute though.” Maximoff scoffed, crossing his arms.

“I was told I might as well drop out. I always figured I’d end up a mechanic.” Alvers’ shrugged.

She blinked. Daddy had always told her about the importance of education and she had known for years that she would be going to university at some point.

“Even if not outright university, there are still trade schools you can apply for.” she pointed out.

“Training- weren’t we talking about training?” Alvers asked, very clearly trying to steer the conversation away. She frowned and gave them a stern ‘this isn’t over’ look before nodding sharply.

“Right, well…It’s still very late and I’ve no doubt I’m going to get called on tomorrow for my little stunt.”

“Called on?”

“I was forced to bring in specialists to wipe their civilians of their memories of what happened and reveal that I’m a witch to Summer’s Squad. No doubt there will be questions and that’s not bringing up that I snatched you all up before you could get yourselves in trouble or, Circe forbid, hurt.” she sighed, rubbing her face as she slid down to sit again. “Wait- since you seem to get into those pissing matches with Summer’s Squad do you- are you injured on a regular basis?!”

“I uh, wouldn’t really say that…” Dukes rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

She reared up in affront.

“Next time you get hurt,” she ground out, “You come to me first.” she growled. “I can heal your wounds and give you potions for anything else.” she shook her heads. “Whatever happened to youth-time pleasures?”

“Who even says youth anymore?”

“So is nobody else still kinda back with the whole,” Todd spoke up, waving his arms around, “Witch thing?”

“I feel like we’re better off not asking.” Alvers frowned.

“Speaking of asking, how are you allowed to live here without an adult? You’re still a minor.” Maximoff butted in and she frowned. “I’ve been wondering for a while now. Even we’ve been starting to get a few questions about the boarding house now that Mystique isn’t around.”

“Special permit and technical emancipation.” she answered gruffly, waving it off. Then she tapped her nails against her thigh as she sat up straight. “Speaking of, take me to your boarding house.”

“What? No way, it’s a total mess!” Alvers protested, the tips of his ears red. “And there’s- no way!”

“Don’t be silly, I’m just going to cast a few spells and create a few wards to protect it, since none of you will just stayhere.” she rolled her eyes.

“Hey, I stay over all the time!”

“But you still spend some nights over there. My house is positively armed to the teeth in protection spells and wards and that’s to say nothing of the hidden rooms.”

“Hidden rooms?”

“Magically hidden of course. Safe rooms and the like, or magical rooms that we prefer not to have just out and about for any guest to wander into.”

“Can you make hidden rooms in our place?” Fred asked curiously, leaning forward.

“No.” Alvers said sternly.

“Yes.” Poppy disagreed and crossed her arms over her chest. “If you’d like. I can do all sorts of interesting things to it. Like making sure that only certain people can get in or out, or sending a warning if there’s an intruder, creating hidden rooms, making traps for intruders, hidden entrances and walkways, expanding the inside of a room without changing the outside of it-”

“What? Wait, what was that last thing?” Maximoff cut in impatiently.

“Making rooms bigger on the inside than they appear on the outside?”

He looked torn for a moment. “I can go back and clean the place up real quick!” he blurted out and Alvers frowned at him.

“Wonderful! And I can finally see this boarding house of yours.” she clapped.

“Don’t know why you’re so excited, the place is a dump.” Todd grumbled as Maximoff was off.

“Come on then, up we go. And you can finally get out of those odd outfits of yours.”

“Hey! What’s wrong with our threads?”

“I mean, they’re just a little gaudy I think.” Poppy shrugged before brightening up again. “When we go off to the magical side I’m sure we can find something better to wear than those things. And, well, they look uncomfortable and clunky. Except for Fred’s.”

“Mine is just stuff I had before.” he shrugged. “Have to get things with special durability.”

“Understandable.” she nodded. “You know, Summer’s Squad’s outfits look sort of coordinated, if only because of the black and yellow they seem to wear.” her head cocked to the side. “And they all share the same sort of…Style pattern. Granted, they’re still running around in very conspicuous spandex outfits.” she sighed. “I mean, does your…Armor even function as armor or was that an aesthetic choice? And it seems like a pain to get in and out of. And it does fuckall to even try to conceal your identity.”

“You’re telling me.” Alvers rolled his eyes. “I don’t really get it either.”

“Then we’ll certainly try to find something less…That.”

“Sure, whatever.” he rolled his eyes before pausing. “Wait, we left the jeep!”

“You can all fit in the beetle.”

“Uh…” Dukes hunched in a bit more, raising his hand slightly.

“Yeah, no offense but there ain’t no way Dukes is fitting in that sardine can.”

“It’s a magically enhanced car that can turn invisible and fly, I think it can handle a little expansion.”

“Whoa, what? Hey hey, can you trick out the jeep?!”

“No one touches the jeep.” Alvers immediately shot down before turning to her. “Don’t touch the jeep.”

She raised her hands, “I don’t know about all of the charms on it anyways, it was all daddy’s handiwork.”

“Geez, what’s takin’ you slowpokes so long?” Maximoff blurred back in, dressed in regular clothes.

“Her car can fly.” Todd opted to tell him.

“Your car can fly?”

“My car can fly.” she nodded.

“Can you make the jeep-”

“No.” she and Alvers answered, him in a warning tone and her in a casual shrug.

“Not my area of expertise.”

“Tch, whatever…Hey, what about Dukes?”

“Magical car.”

xXx

She laughed in delight as she looped, feeling only more joy as they shrieked in the back and Todd beside her. They deserved a little punishment after that hellish episode they pulled and she really needed a pick-me-up from the mini meltdown. Or just a distraction.

They had no idea the danger they were putting themselves in, putting huge targets on their backs and idealistic views even on being shunned or rejected for being mutants. All it took was one radical to kill a teen.

And for them to kill someone else. She shoved that thought far far away.

And what was she doing? Offering them training?

Fighting with those other mutant kids was one thing, but…And what were those kids being trained for anyways? They were brushing on full blown combat with their powers, what were their guardians thinking? Training to be able to control was one thing, but from their uniforms they looked like they were training specifically to be used offensively, and their clothes and formations too. Poppy supposed it probably wasn’t that shocking. If someone found out, it really could devolve into a hunt for mutants.

At the same time, training teenagers to offensively use their fantastical powers would look…Very bad. No matter if it was to help people or quash less friendly mutants from disturbing the peace. But honestly, no matter if there was good reasoning or not they’d be persecuted for being mutants at all. It was a no win situation to try to come out as superhuman.