Disclaimer: This is a story based on Harry Potter, Marvel, DC and Image comics characters and all recognizable characters, plots belong to Jk Rowling,Marvel, DC and Image comics. I claim no ownership to it.
Chapter 16: The World Was Not Ready : Part IV
The Gala
Maria Hill looked around the archaeological gala and she could admit it was one of the best, but she was no enthusiast. She was eyeing each and every one of the persons here, and the items displayed, for any type of clue to see why Fury asked her to attend this. Hill thought it was Fury's paranoia at first, as he had ordered her to attend in full incognito. Even Hill had to admit that using another identity while wearing another face was one of the best ways to hide.
Ever since Fury came back from Britain, he had been more paranoid than ever. Hill still remembered the first meeting in which Fury assigned her to look into the Potter accounts and the millions entering the economy. Hill had almost shot Fury that day when he randomly took out his gun and shot at the corners and around himself.
Hill asked for an explanation, but Fury remained stubbornly silent.
There were no movements in any of the Potter accounts until a large amount was used to pay the owner of Facebook, an upcoming website that allowed people to find their friends. What made Potter pay such a big amount to what appeared to be an inter-university website, Hill did not know. She had to report it to Fury, and it was an interesting meeting.
"So you are telling me that Sirius Black and James Potter visited and bought fifty-one percent of this Facebook?" Fury asked, his thoughts racing as he tried to understand the reason.
"Yes. That is what they said," Hill replied. "The paperwork was impeccable and taxes were paid. Everything has been well above legal standards for such a large transaction. It is as if Potter wanted it to be as legal as possible."
Fury's thoughts suddenly clicked into place, and he understood the reason behind the purchase.
"That motherfucker," Fury snapped.
"Sir?" Hill inquired.
"Hill, what is one of the biggest forms of soft power in this world after religion and money? It is media. They control the narrative, how the news is read, and what happens to whom. The internet has become common all over the world, and what is Facebook? A place where everyone could hang out, chat, and interact. That cunning bastard is investing in it to control the future narrative," Fury said with a sigh.
Hill's eyes widened as she registered the implications.
"Hill, it is time that you are informed of more secrets," Fury said, and then briefed her about the gala, instructing her to be absolutely discreet.
Hill looked around as the gala wound down, and she still had not found anything of note. The only thing that stood out was the host, who made even her question whether she should be straight or not. The host was a raven-haired beauty, no doubt about it, but that was not what truly stood out. It was the sheer charisma and presence that made you feel warm and bask in it, which turned the gala into a wonderful event.
There were only one or two stragglers left when the host approached her. Hill looked at the host and smiled.
The host looked around and said, "Ah, agent of SHIELD. So, what brings you to my corner? Did Fury send you?"
Hill was shocked that she had been identified, especially when she should not have been under any circumstances. Her hand instinctively moved toward her hidden gun, but a small smile from the host stopped her.
"Oh, no need for guns, my dear," the host said. "Call Fury and just ask him to come. I am in no mood for his stupid dramatics today," she finished with clear exasperation.
Hill followed the unspoken order, and after almost an hour, they sat in the host's home—something Hill could never afford. The entire mansion was located beyond the city limits and built with intricate Greek designs, though it had some modern touches as well.
Fury sat with a scowl as he looked at their host.
"So how did you know?" Hill asked, unable to figure out what had gone wrong.
The host simply shrugged. "Nothing you have done, dear. For a mortal, you are one of the best I have seen in spycraft. But I see more than with just my eyes. Even with you masking your strength, I can tell you are an exceptionally trained warrior. That kind of trait is not easy to hide from the body."
Hill looked intrigued but simply nodded.
"Fury," the host said, her tone sharp and expectant.
Fury rolled his eyes before responding.
"Hill, this is Diana Prince. Age: unknown. Threat rating: Omega class. Origin: unknown. Claims to be the demigod daughter of Zeus, the king of the Greek gods, and Hippolyta, the queen of Themyscira. She has been in America since the end of World War Two, where she worked extensively with Captain America. She is one of our backup options if a world-ending threat arises. Diana, this is Maria Hill, my deputy director, and I wanted to introduce you both."
"What a charming introduction, as usual, Nicholas," Diana said with a free, open laugh. "Do not worry about me, Hill. I am just a normal woman like you and your previous director, Peggy Carter—whom I liked significantly more than you, Nicholas. I do wonder why."
Hill just nodded while Fury scoffed.
"So, what brings you to me, Fury? I can see you are still healthy and young. Are you planning to retire and decided to introduce me to your deputy?" Diana asked with a teasing smile.
Hill's eyes widened as she registered the fact that this woman clearly knew Fury very well. After all, there would be no retirement for someone like him.
Fury simply shook his head. "I am here for two reasons. One, to introduce you to each other in case something happens. Two, I need some information and a favor from you. I will even owe you one," he said with clear reluctance.
Diana just smirked. "This is interesting. I can at least hear you out. So, what is it?"
Fury then went on to explain what had happened in Britain and in the magical world. He described how there had been no response from Lord Black and whether Diana could reach out, since they were supposedly old comrades.
Hill has to use all her training to remain in control as she learned of the wizarding world and their current headache is ten year old boy, with boatloads of money and power.
"Very interesting family you had, Charlus," Diana whispered, though both of them heard her. "Fury, I have not been in touch with the magical world for decades, and I do not know the latest developments as you do. So, I cannot confirm or deny what you heard from Star or the royal mages. I can say this, though—the Potters have always been an exceptional family, and anything like what you just described could easily happen to one of them. I would not be surprised at all. Even fate has its favorites. As for Black, you seem to misunderstand. We were not comrades, as you say. Black was a friend of Charlus, and that is it. He fought, but only against wizards, and never against anyone else. I do not see why he would respond or allow you to meet him regarding this matter. I can at least assure you that Black will not harm Harry Potter or damage his interests. So, the financial matters must come from Harry himself or from other Potters, if any still exist."
Fury sighed in frustration. "So, this is another dead end. Damn it all to hell," he cursed.
Diana just smiled. "Ah, ah. I never said that. I said Black will not meet you people based on just a letter. He will definitely meet me if I simply go and ask politely. He knows enough about me to not deny me."
Hill's eyes widened in surprise, and Fury looked genuinely pleased for a moment.
"Well then, please inform Hill of what happens when you visit Black," Fury barked as he stood up.
"No. Where are you going, Fury? I am not your errand girl," Diana replied, her voice completely devoid of emotion. "In fact, I am free right now, and I am going to Britain. Both of you can accompany me or remain in ignorance forever. At the very least, I owe that much to Charlus and Dorea, to make sure their grandson is safe."
Hill paled at the ultimatum given to one of the most influential men in the modern world. Fury simply closed his eyes and said, "We will accompany you."
=======================
Hill looked through the glass of the invisible jet she was flying in. She could not believe the speed or the specifications of the jet as it soared over the forests of Britain.
Hill was curious. "So you just know where Black's castle is?" she asked.
Diana simply nodded. "Yes, of course. I spent many days with Dorea and Charlus during and after the war. One of the places we frequented was the Black family castle, and I am quite sure it cannot be moved."
"And this invisible, super-fast jet?" Hill asked with interest.
"Oh, my uncle does excellent work, dear," Diana replied.
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Lord Black was going over the ledgers when his head rang with a sharp pulse as something struck the wards with tremendous force.
"Oh, for Merlin's sake, not again," Black muttered, remembering the last time someone banged on his wards.
He summoned a mirror and cast a few spells to observe the area outside the wards.
One of the most beautiful women he had ever seen stood just beyond the protective barrier, where a strange muggle flying machine was parked. Two other people stood behind her.
Black recognized the woman instantly and began cursing Harry under his breath.
He summoned the communication mirror Harry had given him and called out the most important passphrase to ensure Harry picked up the signal.
"Harry, I don't know if you know or not, but the Greek demigod Diana Prince is standing outside my wards with two muggles. I can see the same logo from that letter requesting a meeting. What was it... sword, sheath...? No, SHIELD. What in Merlin's name did you do across the pond to bring her here? What do you want me to do about it?"
Arcturus waited for several long seconds, hoping for an answer, but there was none. Hoping Harry would check the message later, he closed the mirror and apparated to the edge of the wards.
"Diana Prince. To what do I owe the pleasure?" Lord Black asked from within the wards. His sudden appearance startled the two muggles, who immediately raised their small guns and aimed at him. Black ignored them completely, as if they were no more threatening than dust on his boots.
"Arcturus. Still looking good," Diana replied with a smile. "Aren't you going to invite us in? I just want to catch up, for old times' sake... and for a few mutual friends we both miss."
Lord Black studied Diana closely, calculating his options. He decided it was wiser to have her inside the Black family wards, should things escalate into a confrontation.
"Then, welcome back to the real world, Wonder Woman," he said calmly.
======================
Some time ago.
Somewhere above Atlantic.
Harry thanked himself and his previous lives' determination to crack the super soldier serum. He had been flying for over an hour using only the magical flight spell and telekinesis. He had been monitoring his powers through Body Scan, and when his magic reserves ran out, he simply used telekinesis to continue cruising. He had taken enough magical trinkets to stay hidden and was constantly using a notice-me-not charm. By his calculations, he had reached almost Mach 1 by pushing his entire magic and telekinesis to their current top level. Maintaining the speed was not the problem—it was surviving the speed, which required his passive shielding to increase in power as well.
The good thing was Harry was able to test how much faster his magical reserves recovered and how broken mutant powers were, to be honest. His telekinesis had almost no potential limit; he was only restricted by what his body could channel or process. His body, which had passed through the first adaptation ritual and the super soldier serum, was performing better than in all his other lives before.
By the time he reached the halfway point of the distance, he was almost in a meditative trance. One stream of thought worked through his plans, while another imagined how he would respond if attacked mid-flight or how any fight with flying opponents would go. His thoughts cycled through various strategies and simulations of fighting Iron Man, Superman, Magneto, and even Martian Manhunter.
Harry had tried to use the portals of sorcerers and, as usual, failed. He had the knowledge of Kamar Taj in his head somewhere, but he didn't have the body to channel it. Usually, almost no casual wizard could use sorcery because their entire instinct was to use their own magic and not borrowed magic. It was very hard to channel others' power and even harder to use both simultaneously. Harry had allotted one hour daily to practice sorcery and channeling borrowed magic.
Harry had decided to fly towards Gotham first and see what he needed to do. Even with the internet and media becoming more widespread, the true social media era had not started yet. Thus, Harry had to manually check the city for urban legends like Batman and others. In a way, Harry was thankful the social media era hadn't begun, as he could still buy in during the initial stages. It was more than profit—Harry knew how much he could influence people through social media. He had three major things to do in America, and the last one of them was making contact with Clark Kent. Harry knew that Clark Kent would be around his age and thanked Death for it.
======================
Harry arrived in Gotham and almost collapsed from exhaustion. Even his enhanced body needed to grow further to have the stamina required for continuous use of heavy powers. He decided to crash in a motel and just sleep for a couple of hours before heading out at night, when the true rulers of this godforsaken city arose from their slumber.
Harry walked into a motel, and no one stopped him from taking a key from the stand and walking into a room. He waved his wand, and the room became sparkling clean while the bed turned softer than silk, complete with extra cushions.
Harry awoke to the alarm after four hours.
"Body scan," Harry thought, and the thought immediately answered.
'Exhaustion recovered. Still recommended to sleep for the night for complete recovery. Magical reserves at 40 percent. Psychic powers at 80 percent.'
Harry grinned. Even with 10 percent of psychic power, he could envelope Gotham entirely and scan for interesting parties. Every mind had a distinct presence, and those engulfed in crime had something different from regular people. They didn't realize that deep down there was an underlying feeling of guilt and fear of capture.
Harry closed his eyes and channeled his telepathy outward. It expanded first to the entire building and then ballooned outward like an invisible explosion. Within minutes, all of Gotham was enveloped by him, and his mind lightly touched upon others like air touches every single one in the city.
Harry was surprised that he couldn't enter Wayne Headquarters with casual telepathy. There was some interference. For a moment, Harry wondered why this new defense existed in a world where he personally knew the usual defenses of Wayne Headquarters and Wayne Manor.
The answer came to him immediately, supplied by his own Memory Cache.
"Fuck you, Professor X and Magneto," Harry cursed. Bruce, the paranoid bastard, would of course know about mutants and would have taken precautions to block Professor X's telepathy.
Harry decided to ignore Wayne Tech for now and concentrated on the criminal elements. He really wanted to know which Batman he was dealing with. The memories began to flow, and Harry frowned at first, then grinned as he realized the truth.
This was not the usual Batman with a no-kill rule who fights every hero that kills. This was a pragmatic one who realized his own weaknesses. Harry saw Batman's first fights and the casual violence that even led to deaths due to lack of timely care. There were even some deliberate killings, just with fists and not with guns. Harry saw the gradual increase in violence until it stopped for two weeks. Looking further, he saw how much Bruce improved his control, and every takedown became precise and elegant. They were career-ending injuries for criminals, but no one died. The Wayne Group sponsored many rehabilitation activities in the prisons.
"Oh, Bruce," Harry whispered, "so you realized you would become the monster you wanted to slay if you continued the killings and finally decided to control yourself. Now the only question is whether you are pragmatic enough to let go of other heroes' personal rules."
Harry concentrated his telepathy on Wayne Headquarters and even Wayne Manor. He tried to subtly enter, but he couldn't do so without tripping whatever alarms were in place. Harry sighed in irritation, realizing he would have to physically visit those places.
Harry decided to visit Wayne Manor directly and got up from the bed. As he walked through the room, he caught his reflection and suddenly stopped as another thought hit him.
Bruce had no reason to know about Harry Potter or the magical world. If he introduced himself now, Harry wouldn't be able to make his other moves in America without ensuring he wasn't easily recognized by Batman. Especially while visiting the founders of the current social media companies and convincing them to let him buy in. He had already inquired with the goblins and, unfortunately, only Facebook was seeking seed money—and even then, the share was too low. They had also rejected the Britain-based shadow investor who only contacted them by mail and phone. Twitter was still developing, and Harry decided to wait until it became accessible to the public.
Harry chose to complete his other two goals before dealing with Bruce Wayne. Otherwise, he didn't know where or how Bruce might begin to investigate the name Potter.
====================================
Harry grinned in satisfaction as he walked out of the Facebook office. He had consumed Polyjuice Potion and introduced himself as Sirius Black, a prospective investor. Harry didn't need any legal trouble later, so he paid the full amount required to buy 20 percent of Facebook. Convincing them to sell was easy; he used the Charles Xavier trademarked "trust me" aura plus slight magical wandless compulsion. As a magical lord, people naturally wanted to follow Harry—or run away from him—especially muggles. Harry had enough training to control which aspect each person felt.
Even with the subtle methods of compulsion, Harry knew they wouldn't sell 49 percent to a single person, so he used two disguises over two days to acquire 25 and 24 percent in the names of Potter and Black respectively. Although the control remained with the founders, Harry knew that during listing he could refuse to sell his stake while others cashed in profits. This would allow him to raise his stake to 51 percent and gain control.
Harry also subtly used magic to plant a suggestion in the minds of the staff to work loyally and hard for the company's development. He had sent a Patronus to Tonks to settle the payment using money accumulated in American accounts from dividends and also the fee for using the voting rights of 5 percent of Stark Industries.
Harry reached a nearby coffee shop and entered to have a drink. Still disguised as Sirius Black, he scanned the shop for any threats. One of his thought streams was already prepared with an escape or combat plan in case of an ambush—be it muggle, wizard, or mutant.
He took a sip of coffee and sighed as his body absorbed the energy. Harry was happy that he had acquired a critical piece for his future plans, even though he had to almost empty his liquid cash—twenty five million dollars—for the 49 percent stake. He frowned, knowing he had no money to offer for Twitter immediately, since his wizarding money transfer had not been completed yet. Being an economist in a past life, Harry knew there wasn't enough muggle money in circulation in the wizarding world to easily convert his wealth. So how did the goblins do it? They had to melt down the galleons to gold and sell them to get USD.
He asked one of his thought streams for easy money-making ideas, and immediately a contract surfaced. Harry read over it—it was the Stark contract, giving a fixed payment for exercising his voting rights. An amount fixed in the 1950s and not increased since. Harry grinned as another plan formed in his mind that would net him some quick liquid cash.
Smallvile
Clark Kent, or the hidden Kal El, was not having a good week. He loved his parents, but their overprotectiveness and fear were getting to him. Clark knew he was different from the moment he could retain memories, and now, at age ten, Clark was more mature than even most fifteen year olds. He had always loved the sun, and he somehow understood that the sun was his source of power.
He had asked why he was different when he was five years old, but his parents just placated him without giving a good answer, saying he would know the truth when he was older. Clark first thought he was a mutant, but a little research made him doubt that, as it was specifically mentioned that almost all mutants got their powers during their teenage years. Also, the fear he could smell from his father whenever the topic of his powers being discovered came up was too much, even for him.
Clark had been holding himself back all his life, and he knew it was only his enhanced mind that made it possible there had been no accidents until now. His parents tried to understand his situation, but they never could. The last week was the perfect example.
He had unlocked some kind of X ray vision and super hearing, and the sheer pain was so intense that Clark felt like he was dying. Clark had never felt pain in his young life, and the sensory overload had been too much for him in school. He had pleaded with his parents to tell him the truth so he could at least find a way to control his powers, but they still said he was too young and ignored his demand. He had thrown his first temper tantrum and even damaged the old tractor, but there was no answer except more grounding and punishments.
The unlocking of his vision and hearing had happened one week ago, but the event three days ago and its aftermath were the reasons for his current anger.
Three days ago, the school bus he was traveling in fell into the river. His friends and classmates were drowning, while he realized he did not even need to breathe normally. He had been stuck in turmoil for the first minute, but seeing the panicked eyes of his crush, Lana Lang, made him act. He broke the glass window at the back, swam to the front, and somehow pushed the whole bus to the shore. Clark made sure to hide his face while doing this and even pretended to be unconscious among the students after making sure everyone was at least breathing and no one needed CPR.
The miracle spread across Smallville, and somehow, word got out about a boy pushing the bus, even though no one knew who it was. Many wrote it off as hallucinations from the boy who claimed to have seen it. The amount of scolding Clark got that night from his paranoid father was too much. Clark asked whether he should have just let them drown, and Jonathan paled, realizing what he was implying, then backtracked, saying Clark could have swum out some people instead of pushing the heavy bus.
Clark ignored his father for the next three days, but at dinner today, his father was pale and angry. He explained the presence of two men in suits who claimed to be from the FBI and were looking into the accident. Clark just ignored that and once again asked who he was and why he was powerful. This led to another argument and Clark being sent to his room.
Now Clark lay on his bed, stewing in his anger and imagining various things about his origin. It was then that Clark's super hearing picked up his parents' whispered argument.
"Jonathan, please, we must tell him the truth about his powers. It is more than late. Do you want Clark to genuinely start hating us?" Martha asked.
Jonathan sighed. "My love, I want to tell the truth. But I am afraid he will reject us. I am afraid he will not love us anymore if he knew the truth, that he is adopted and not our biological child."
Clark's eyes widened, and he almost screamed "No" in denial. His breathing quickened in shock, and then a horrific thought came to him. What if he was some experiment, stolen by the Kents? What if his true parents were out there looking for him?
Sadness, anger, and fear enveloped him, and he felt suffocated in his room. He jumped from his bed and landed on the floor with a heavy thud. He moved toward the open window, jumped down, and then started running with all his power when his feet touched the ground.
Clark did not know whether his vision was blurry because of the speed at which he was moving or because of the tears. He had only run for a moment when suddenly he hit something and, for the first time in his young life, was stopped in his tracks. Clark's eyes widened again in shock as he realized that whatever he hit had just been pushed several meters backward, while he was stopped.
Then a child's voice with a British accent reached his ears.
"Fucking hell, that hurt, Clark. If it was anyone else you bodyslammed like this, they would have died, you idiot, and you would have your first body count."
==============================
Harry swallowed a groan as his Body Scan suppressed his healing, deliberately avoiding the slight breaks in his bones and the bruises forming. He had been observing Clark through telepathy and had subtly nudged Jonathan and Martha to finally have that long-overdue conversation. Understanding the emotional turmoil Clark was in, Harry discarded his original plan of pulling a Batman and appearing out of the darkness in a superpowered child's bedroom. After Clark ran away, feeling like he was suffocating in his room, Harry positioned himself in the boy's running path.
But harry made a slight miscalculation of Clark's strength and speed. Even before he could increase his passive shield to full power, and channel telekinesis to his body, he was hit.
Clark's eyes activated automatically in panic, and he saw the breaks in the bones. His ears picked up the slight wheezing from the boy in front of him. Even while seeing the injured body, Clark's instinct screamed at him to be careful, but it vanished as quickly as it came, as if he had imagined it.
Immediately, he felt guilty about the pain the boy must be feeling, even imagining the blast of gore the boy would have become if he were ordinary.
More than that, it was almost a minute later when Clark registered the fact that the strange boy had called him boy and talked about killing casually. He knew he should feel fear, but for some reason, he could only muster some weariness about the situation. He felt that he could defend himself and face whatever would happen in the future.
"Who are you, and are you okay?" Clark asked hesitantly.
Harry looked at Clark while continuously blasting his trust me aura and other subtle boosts to his charisma. He also had to keep an eye on Clark's thoughts, even though they were moving much faster than Harry had ever seen in any mind.
"Hello, Clark Kent... or should I say Kal-El?" Harry said dramatically with a grin, raising his hand for a handshake. As Harry raised his hand, he immediately winced in deep pain and groaned.
Clark looked puzzled at the name Kal-El but moved forward with speed to support the groaning boy.
"I am so sorry," Clark whispered in horror.
"Ah, no problem," Harry said, waving his left hand. "Let me take care of it before introductions then. I thought I could hold on and not surprise you further."
Harry deliberately summoned his wand from its holster while Clark raised an intrigued eyebrow at the wooden twig.
Harry commanded his body scan to restart his healing while casually waving his wand, making a golden aura envelop him. Clark, intrigued, used his x-ray vision to see the bones healing in real time,very fast. Faster than even himself as a toddler.
Clark opened his mouth to ask, but Harry immediately raised his hand to stop the questions. "I will explain it later, Kal."
"No. Not Kal," Clark replied at once. "I am not Kal-El or whatever. I am Clark Kent, as you called me first, and I really want to know how you know me."
Harry sighed tiredly and sat down on the ground. Even though Harry gestured for Clark to sit down, Clark ignored it and remained standing, prepared for anything.
"Well, let's start from the beginning. My name is Harry Potter, and I don't know if you will believe it, but we are future friends and teammates in a superhero group called the Justice League. I got a vision of the entire future months ago, and I was finally able to come to the one person who is my age and my friend in that future."
Clark remained silent in shock before he snorted. "You are mad. I will never use my powers in public. All I have ever wanted is to be normal like the rest of my classmates. I am just a farm boy."
Harry just shrugged and ignored the denial for now. "So, you believe I have future knowledge, but not the whole truth?"
Clark thought for a moment. "No. I don't know. You really have powers, as I just witnessed, but I don't think you know the entire future. How can anyone know the future like that?" Clark said in frustration. "How do I know you are not some shapeshifter sent here by the Feds after the bridge incident?"
Harry smirked. "I don't know why so many in the future thought you were a muscle-bound idiot when you show such cleverness," Harry said teasingly. Then he continued without a smile, "I know the timing is suspicious, but I assure you, I have no relation with any government—at least not the normal ones. You want proof that I know the future and was your friend? Then maybe I should tell you the truth about you and even show you proof—something only someone close to you in the future could have known. I can see your parents have yet to tell you about your origins."
Clark's heart leapt at the offer. He knew he wanted to hear the truth, especially now.
"Then tell me, and let me see whether I can agree with your last point," Clark said tensely.
"Okay, Clarky boy. Usually I wouldn't change the future so drastically, but since that future is already fucked up, maybe you knowing the truth earlier and training your powers faster is best for everyone," Harry said thoughtfully.
Clark could see that his supposed future friend was in doubt, yet he focused on the other part about training and grimaced.
"Harry, I want to know the truth, but not for training to be some superhero. I want the truth so I can live normally and control my abilities perfectly. All I have ever wanted is to be a normal person, take care of the farm here, and not have powered people chasing me," Clark said with a warm, innocent smile and hope in his eyes. He looked at Harry, and his smile faded when he saw the pity in Harry's expression.
Harry just smiled politely. "Clark, do you want to know where I was when the vision hit me?"
Clark felt a sense of foreboding, but his curiosity won, and he nodded.
Harry closed his eyes and said, "I was near death in my bedroom under the cupboard in my uncle's house in Britain. The cause was another beatdown from my uncle—just because I was a freak with magic. I might have even died that day if the impossible didn't happen. I awakened my mutant ability, and there was a huge explosion that vaporized my uncle's house along with some people."
Clark's eyes widened in horror and pity. He immediately stepped forward, picked up Harry by the hand, and hugged him. Harry allowed it.
"I am sorry, Harry, that you had to go through that," Clark said while patting Harry's back.
For a moment, Harry's iron control over his mind slipped, and his eyes even watered slightly.
'I can see why you are the beacon of hope and justice in almost all the universes you exist in, Kal-El... no, Superman,' Harry thought with a grateful smile, before squashing every positive thought except the web he was weaving.
Harry moved back, and to Clark's surprise—even when he didn't want the hug to end—Harry shook off his hold and stepped away.
"Thank you, my little friend," Harry said with a kind smile, "but I don't need it. I might have hugged you and never let go if I were just a ten-year-old. My body is that of a ten-year-old, but my mind has been overwhelmed with memories of my future—our future. The blast and unconsciousness gave me the vision and answered my questions. I never knew why I was a freak or why strange things happened around me. The vision answered all that. I am a wizard. Yes, the broom-flying, wand-waving, potion-making kind. And the wizarding world is hidden from the mundane one by age-old magic and laws. I saw how I would receive a letter from a magic school at age eleven, how I would learn the truth about my parents' murderer, and how I survived the impossible—the killing curse. I saw how I became an overnight sensation and a celebrity. I saw the years I would spend in that world, the wars I would fight, and how I would kill the dark lord who murdered my parents. Later, I saw how the world reacted to superpowers and the wars that followed."
"You see, Clark, all my life—even in the vision and this one—I only wanted to be normal and have a family of my own. A wife and three children to love and spoil. To live without bothering anyone and then die peacefully to meet my parents. That's all I ever wanted. But fate and death had another role for me. I was never meant to be normal. Never meant to be ordinary. The more I ran from it, the more people I lost and the more I suffered."
Clark's enhanced mind raced as he absorbed the revelations and realized how similar he was to Harry.
Harry sighed and continued, "It breaks my heart to say this to you, my friend. You and I are alike. We both wanted normal human lives, but our paths were shaped by our births. You will never be normal, Clark, because you can never be without your powers. If that were the case, your parents should have sent you to a planet orbiting a red sun, not a yellow one—where a Kryptonian becomes a god. Even now, with less than one tenth of your normal power, you are one of the most powerful beings on the planet. Just your mind alone is enough to prove that, and I am glad that it was a loving couple like the Kents who raised you, and not someone like my uncle."
Harry concentrated on Clark using his senses and cold reading. There was a moment of delay between Clark hearing and processing Harry's words. Harry nudged Clark's mind slightly, stirring curiosity about his powers and what else he could do.
"No..." Clark snapped. "What are you saying? Another planet? No. I am just a mutant who gets power from the sun—not an alien. Aliens are not real. Everyone knows that."
Harry grinned. "Well, you are an alien to me, Clark. And to be fair, we are aliens to each other. I am surprised you realized the sun is the true source of your powers. You are a Kryptonian, and your parents sent you here because their planet blew up."
Clark stared in disbelief, shaking his head as if that would make things right. Harry gave him time to recover from the shock.
"Give me proof, Harry," Clark said, unusually stern.
Harry nodded. "Of course I can give you proof. Come, let's go to your farm's barn. I'll show you the hidden space shuttle."
Clark ran back while Harry flew just above the ground. Clark's eyes widened in surprise and awe.
Harry just shrugged. "Don't be surprised, Clark. You can also do it easily—and much faster—very soon."
Clark almost tripped upon hearing that, but a slight telekinetic nudge from Harry saved him.
They reached the outside of the farm and looked at the barn.
"There is a storm cellar under the barn. Use your x-ray vision to find it," Harry ordered.
Clark nodded and activated his vision. At first, there was nothing, but after a casual scan, Clark saw the hidden space and a metal cylinder he could not see through. His breath hitched as he realized it might be the space shuttle he had arrived in.
"So?" Harry inquired from the side.
"There is a hidden cellar, and there is some metal cylinder I couldn't see through," Clark replied in a horrified whisper.
"Come then," Harry ordered as he waved his hand.
===============
It was almost two hours later that Harry saw Clark coming out of the cellar. Harry had given him some time alone in the name of privacy. He was sitting on one of the benches outside the barn, looking at the night sky and planning his next moves when Clark called out to him.
"Harry."
Harry looked at Clark and immediately noticed his red eyes from crying. He nodded and smiled kindly before asking,
"I hope you believe me now, Kryptonian."
Clark snorted slightly and gave a small smile.
"I believe you are telling the truth about me. But how do I know you're my friend and not an enemy?" Clark asked with a frown.
Harry just scoffed.
"Believe me, Clark, if I wanted to harm you, I wouldn't even need to use your greatest weakness. Magic is one of your natural weaknesses, and I am one of the most powerful wizards walking this planet right now. You are just a boy, and I could easily defeat you. I have no need for subterfuge. And for your information, let me tell you the truth: I wouldn't even feel guilt if I had to end you for some reason, because this is a do or die universe, Clark. Our enemies are so superior that I don't have the time to go easy mode on the flies of Earth."
"Kal-El," a slick silver-colored device shaped like a toy stick floated out from Clark's wrist and hovered at his side, "based on every scan, the individual calling himself Harry Potter is telling the truth. He is highly dangerous, and even in such a relaxed state, his esoteric and psychic energy is superior to whatever reserves you have built. I suggest you be highly cautious if you want to engage in hostilities."
"Hello, Kelex," Harry said with a grin. "I thought you would be inside the Sunstone and not inside the pod. Intriguing.".
Clark's eyes widened in surprise and he sighed but remained silent.
"Hello, Harry Potter. Jor-El thought it would be better for the family to know what Kal-El would need, and thus stored me inside the pod. But unfortunately, after taking the baby, the Kents never opened the shuttle, and I remained in hibernation."
"Yeah, Jonathan appears to be far more paranoid than I thought," Harry said with a shrug.
"So, psychic energy?" Clark asked, intrigued.
Harry nodded.
"Yes. As I said, I am a mutant too—and a powerful one. I'm both telekinetic and telepathic."
Clark's eyes widened in weariness for a moment before Harry grinned.
"Ah yes, I've already read your mind. You're under my thrall."
Harry extended his hand mockingly while miming a puppeteer. Small strings made of light appeared, connecting to a doll in Harry's hand.
"Kal-El, I scanned your body thoroughly when you touched me. There is no other form of energy working on you. My hypothesis is that Harry Potter is teasing you," Kelex said from the sidelines.
Clark nodded.
"Yes, Sherlock," he said. "The sarcasm was pretty evident, Kelex, though thanks for the confirmation."
Harry just grinned, internally patting himself on the shoulder.
"Harry, as much as I am thankful for your help, I want to know—what do you want, and why did you decide to meddle? You said you came all the way from Britain, and I may be a young boy, but I'm not naive enough to believe it's only for friendship." Clark asked with a frown.
"No, you're correct. I'm here for other purposes too, and you'll see them soon enough. But one of the major goals was always you, my friend. You're young and no one knows you exist. This is the perfect time to get rid of everything that could harm you—and all the weaknesses you have."
"What weaknesses are those? I've never been sick in my life," Clark said with a grin.
"Well, first one is this."
Harry reached into his pocket and took out a pouch. He opened it, and a green crystal floated out.
The moment it was exposed, Clark felt his breath hitch. Then came a slight weakness, followed by nausea unlike anything he had felt before. He almost wavered where he stood before the green crystal vanished into a chain with a locket.
"This is kryptonite. It is irradiated with the blast that destroyed Krypton. It will weaken you, even kill you, if exposed frequently. This is my gift to you," Harry said, extending the chain.
Clark looked at Harry like he was a madman.
"Why do I need that?" he asked.
"Clark, this chain is enchanted. Just wear it," Harry snapped.
Clark took the chain and wore it.
"Now think of one percent," Harry said. Clark focused, and suddenly his breath hitched slightly, but this time he only felt tired, not weak.
"As you can see, you can control the percentage of exposure and slowly increase the threshold so you can adapt and become stronger. This can help in your daily life too. If for any reason you wanted to be normal, just set it to fifty percent and you'll appear like a sick, normal kid. Do not use more than one percent unless you can run for an hour at super speed. After that, increase only one percent at a time, and I suggest testing it out in bright sunny afternoons. Cut the percentage to zero every night. Use it only with sunlight," Harry explained.
Clark looked confused before calling,
"Kelex?"
"Kal-El, this is basic conditioning training for Kryptonian soldiers deployed to yellow sun systems in ancient times. Though no one has undergone this kind of barbaric training for millions of years on Krypton. Kryptonians now use suits to filter out harmful radiation when needed."
Clark still looked unconvinced.
"Harry, is it really necessary for me to train? I don't even want to be a hero. I just want to be me."
"I'm sorry, Clark," Harry said. "Ask yourself this question, Kal-El—do you want to live your whole life holding back, in a cardboard world where a sneeze might destroy someone? Or do you want to be truly free?"
Clark only had to think for a moment before he got his answer.
"You understand then," Clark said in wonder.
"Yes, Clark. I understand more than anyone else. I just murdered as much as possible by awakening and then went into hiding, while the entire wizarding world and international spy agencies started looking for me. There are those blessed by Lady Magic more than others—born special. I'm one of them. Even without my mutant powers, my magic is at my fingertips, ready to serve me and bend reality to my will. Without training, we are very dangerous, Clark."
"Then I'm with you, Harry. Tell me how to train with your spooky future knowledge," Clark said with a grin, making weird gestures with his hands.
Harry grinned and said,
"Gladly, my friend and Welcome to the real world, Superman."
====================================================
Authors note : maybe should have added the batman scene too and so the trinity is introduced in same chapter.. ah whatever!!
So pa kent is paranoid because of the mutants and their treatment by govt.. rumours of experiments etc..
and harry acquired one of his trump card in his plan... superman...
Looking forward to the reactions !!!
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