"What a beautiful school."
Mycroft became the school's first guest.
He stood with John on the lawn, watching Martha being dragged and hauled along by three others.
"Is that the vampire you mentioned?"
"Former vampire, to be precise." John raised an eyebrow. "What brings you here?"
"From the moment you asked me to deal with someone who'd merely embezzled a few teachers' salaries, I knew you were up to something," Mycroft said. "But you've given me quite a surprise."
"Don't get any ideas about them, Mycroft," John said mildly. "They're guests of wizards."
"I know." Mycroft smiled. "Quite a few people have left that orphanage. Those with superpowers could cause some trouble."
"I don't think they have any trouble," John said, leaving no room for argument.
"What about in the future?" Mycroft persisted. "Give me a list, and I can monitor them for you."
John stopped walking. "You're overstepping, Mycroft."
Mycroft knew that pursuing the subject would only create a rift between them.
He had the sense to keep his mouth shut.
Thirty-five orphans from the orphanage.
Had only three of them developed superpowers?
There was no way to be certain. All thirty-five had survived illegal human experimentation.
Since Smedley and the others had developed superpowers, the others might have them too.
Perhaps their powers were dormant. Perhaps they had already manifested.
If they ran into trouble, John would find out.
He didn't want to disturb the peaceful lives they had found.
"Having only four people at this school is such a waste." Mycroft brought up another matter. "On behalf of the government, I could send some people here and pay very generous tuition fees."
"Your agents?" John asked.
"They don't have extraordinary lifespans or indestructible bodies. An accident could leave them unable to continue their missions," Mycroft replied with