Heroes Assemble!

Free To Be Yourself

Noting their widened eyes, Harry grinned at them and hunkered down onto one knee. Glancing around quickly, he found a small stone, picked it up and held it out in the palm of his hand. Then, passing his other hand over the top of the stone, he concentrated on his magic and the transfiguration that he wanted. When the 'stone' was revealed once again, it was no longer just a stone, but a miniature, aminated dragon that lazily unfurled its wings and opened its mouth in a great yawn.

The boys instantly clapped and began yammering at him and, while Harry could understand them, he knew that they'd never understand him in return.

"I'm magic," Harry said, holding his empty hand to his chest as he said it, willing them to understand.

Obviously, the two did understand, for they nodded vigorously, beaming great smiles. Holding out his hand towards one of the boys, he offered the small dragon. Carefully, the boy picked it up while his friend began rooting around in the dirt until he found a second rock and offered it to Harry. Grinning, Harry repeated his transfiguration so that there was a second rock dragon for the other boy as well.

"You're good with kids, Magic Man," Daisy said, as she threaded her hand around his arm as the two of them stood to watch them run off, waving backwards at them as they did.

Harry shrugged. "Guess so. Gotta admit, it's nice seeing kids being able to be themselves here, using magic out in the open where the non-magicals don't even bat an eye. I wish the whole world could be like that."

"Who knows, maybe one day it will be," Daisy said, giving his arm a squeeze. "Come on, let's see what else we can find here."

ooo00ooo

Francine staggered out of the warehouse door and instantly had to shield her eyes from the bright sunlight. Blinking up through her fingers, she saw that the sun was high in the sky, maybe a little past its zenith.

After noon? she wondered. But it was still early night when I went in there.

That didn't seem right at all. Could she really have lost so many hours? Looking down at the street, she couldn't even see any puddles or damp patches. And after that storm last night, she was sure that she'd still be able to see evidence of it.

As hard as she tried, she had trouble thinking back to what had happened. Yes, she remembered her glee at hearing that the Avengers were no more. She remembered being out in the rain on the streets, looking, hoping to see some bad boys or girls having fun. Behind her was the very door that the two guys had broken into and that she'd followed them through.

She remembered climbing the ladder and having to take off her shoes so that she wasn't so loud. Then she'd fallen into a vat of something. She'd climbed out of that only to ... only to, only to fall into another. After that, things got hazy. Light. She remembered light. And pain, agonizing, excruciating pain.

And then nothing until she'd woken up just a little while ago lying on the cold, hard, metal catwalk about the vats.

Feeling the caked-on stickiness all over her body, pasting her hair and even inside her very clothes, all Francine really wanted right then was a shower. Or three. Really, as many as it took to get this stuff washed from her body and the stink that clung to her gone forever.

Pushing herself from the wall, she orientated herself and lurched down the sidewalk in the direction of her apartment.

People everywhere that she passed gave her a wide berth, many wrinkling their noses, others turning them up at her, some even crossing the very street to get away from her. Seeing a couple walking towards her, Francine reached out to grab a metal light pole to go around and promptly jumped as an arc of electricity jumped from the metal to her hand. The strange thing was that it didn't hurt in the slightest, there was only a slight warm, tingly feeling.