A/N: Welcome to the new and improved chapter one, don't forget to check out the monstrous new prologue on the way.
Chapter One – Independence Day:
Washington DC
July 4th 2010
Today was an important day. Harry wouldn't have been able to forget that fact if he tried, since Kid Flash had brought it up in conversation at least once every single time they had crossed paths since the decision was made. Speedy wasn't one to kick up a fuss, and neither was Aqualad, but Wally had been more than excited enough to make up for them, and even Robin hadn't completely been able to hide his anticipation as the day had drawn closer.
So yeah. Harry was well aware that today was an important day for them – he'd even helped them plead their case – but he couldn't bring himself to be as jubilant and cheerful as his favourite speedster (sorry Barry) had been all week. There was this slight niggling feeling at the back of his mind, a minor discomfit he hadn't been able to shake all day. In other words, he had a bad feeling about today.
Harry had known Batman for a reasonably long amount of time now, and while that meant he still knew almost exactly nothing about him on a personal level, he'd come to understand, at least a bit, his attitude towards crime fighting and the Justice League. While he'd been happy at the time that the kids had finally had something go their way, suspicion had crept up on him in the days after. Batman was not the kind of guy to change his mind on a whim – to suddenly up and let the kids have their way meant he'd probably found a convenient loophole to give them exactly what they asked for but none of what they wanted.
If that was true it was worse than just refusing them outright. They would find out, one way or another, sooner or later, and it would not be pretty when they did.
oOoOo
Harry had mixed feelings about the Hall of Justice; he always had and he always would.
So much of his childhood had been tangled up in underground militia-style war-tactics that having a big flashy museum dedicated to their cause had initially made his skin crawl with anxiety. He still found it uncomfortably public, but it did make a good bluff for that self-same public – the Big Bads of the world would never believe the Hall was actually their legitimate base of operations, and so the likelihood of them attacking for anything other than to simply cause a scene was fairly low, and any lower class of villain would generally never work up the guts for a full-frontal assault like that.
The one thing Harry did like about the Hall of Justice was its library. (Although he could've quite happily gone without the viewing windows wrapped around the upper level of the entire room.) It was here, reluctantly not under a disillusionment charm or his invisibility cloak, that Harry whiled away the early afternoon until Batman's designated 'tour' time. He could've stayed at home until right beforehand – he'd promised to be there but that didn't mean he had to spend all day at the Hall – but after lunch the idea of being confined in the house had only made him agitated and liable to pace a hole in the carpet. (He could wholeheartedly blame his tingling paranoia for that one.)
Being in the Hall's library didn't offer much of a sense of calm. What it did offer was an audience. From his own experiences and some media tips from Oliver, Harry had grown accustomed to acting with a certain level of dignity and togetherness when in the public eye. It didn't matter how nervous or agitated or even reluctantly excited he might have been, in the Hall he needed to display an outward sense of calm and stability. That training was the only thing keeping him in a chair instead of ceaselessly wandering the perimeter of the room.
The doors leading out to the transporters opened with a whoosh. Harry glanced up from the book he had been reading – or rather, the book he'd been staring blankly at for the last however many minutes – to see Martian Manhunter stepping into the room. He paused upon noticing Harry, but appeared entirely unsurprised by his presence.
"I believe it is time for the others to arrive. Would you like to come and greet them?"
Harry stood, sending the book floating back to its shelf with a lazy wave of his hand, and (ignoring the soft gasps from some of the tourists at the casual display of magic) offered up a smile.
"Of course. Why do you think I'm here?"
J'onn levelled a warm look in his direction as Harry readjusted his mask and kindly didn't say anything about work or being on-call.
Harry motioned for him to lead the way, and Manhunter headed towards the entrance. Harry fell into step just behind him, taking a few deep breaths to dispel some of his wariness in order to put on a mostly-genuine smile for the teens. Red Tornado joined them in the hallway, a silent presence at their side. Momentarily out of sight of the public, Harry's questing fingers twisted the holly ring on his right hand, reassuring himself of its presence.
J'onn's stride faltered for the briefest of moments as the doors to the entrance hall slid open. Harry came to a natural stop just inside the hallway as J'onn continued several paces out, shoulders back and head held high even as part of him wanted to slip into the shadows.
Eight people stood before them: mentors and protégés. There was also a noticeable crowd, but at this point none of them were strangers to attention, and no one paid them any mind.
Anxious or not, Harry found a fond smile curving his lips up as he looked over the teens. They'd never spent any time together as a group, and seeing them like this was a little strange, but they were all so obviously excited in their own ways as Manhunter offered up a concise greeting; how could he do anything else but smile?
Leaving the crowd behind them they wandered about in a bare-bones tour of the Hall. J'onn listed off the teens' new access privileges and Harry gave a little wave or nod whenever he met someone's gaze, walking unobtrusively along the edge of the hallway. When they reached the library and it became clear that the introductory tour was at an end, Harry's heart sank as he realised his bad feeling had been completely justified.
It had been a little far-fetched to expect Batman to actually allow them into the Watchtower, but Harry had still held out hope that he wouldn't be this cruel about it. He leaned against a bookshelf, hiding himself from one half of their watchers, and crossed his arms tightly over his chest, praying for patience.
The teens settled themselves in the sparse selection of furniture, getting comfortable after their idea of 'mission accomplished'. All of them except Speedy.
Roy watched as the Leaguers turned towards each other, slipping from welcome mode into business mode within one moment and the next, and then turned and caught Harry's eye. Harry grimaced and shrugged a shoulder, one ear on Batman as he started an intel brainstorm about today's ice villains and the rest of his attention on the tension thrumming through Speedy's stance.
He considered stepping in, maybe taking Speedy aside and trying to talk to him before he exploded into anger, but it wasn't his place. Not just because Green Arrow was his mentor and had known him longer and should know what to say, but because Harry knew what it was like to be manipulated and lied to and how he had despised it when people tried to placate him in his anger. He would not force himself to be one of those people now just because he was older.
Batman turned towards the scanner and the door to the teleporter and Harry knew that that was the last straw.
"That's it?" Speedy interjected, words clipped and cold in his simmering anger. He marched towards them, drawing everyone's attention. "You promised us a real look inside, not some glorified backstage pass."
"It's a first step," Aquaman said in a tone that was probably supposed to be reassuring. For a King his ability to read the mood was sometimes startlingly lacking. "You've been granted access few others get."
Speedy laughed, biting and bitter, and gestured emphatically to the camera-wielding tourists that lined the windows overlooking the library.
"Oh really. Who cares what side of the glass we're on?"
It was a valid point. The only difference was access to a training facility that was barely ever used, and the fact that no one could hear them from outside. If they could, then this argument would be making the rounds on the internet before the day was out.
Harry pushed off of the bookcase as Oliver stepped forward, pleading patience from his protégé. Oliver may have been one of his closest friends in the League but dear Merlin he didn't understand how to deal with young adults. He settled his hands briefly on Robin and Kid Flash's shoulders, garnering confused looks from them both, before continuing towards the standoff as Roy rounded his attention on his bemused peers instead.
"They're treating us like kids," he insisted, anger only intensifying under the admonishments. "Worse, like side-kicks."
Side-kick didn't have any negative connotations to the others, not yet, but it would obviously grate on a person as they got older. Roy was eighteen; no adult appreciated being relegated to side-kick.
Harry shot Oliver a look, daring him to speak up but begging him to hold his tongue, and stepped up in front of Speedy, uncaring of the unimpressed stare Batman was levelling on the both of them – probably for being time-wasters.
"Roy, listen to me for a moment."
He clenched his jaw, angrily biting back the continued torrent of words, even if just for a moment.
"You have every right to be angry, you hear me? Every right." Harry flung his arms wide, gesturing to the entire room. "But this is not the place to have this argument."
Speedy was audibly grinding his teeth.
"I'm not asking you to let it go," Harry continued, while he still had the chance to do so. "Hell, fight for it, I'm with you on that, okay? But put it aside. Let's not do this today."
"Um." Kid Flash spoke up for the first time, giving voice to what all three of the other teens were feeling. "I'm confused. Why is Speedy so angry?"
"Because," Roy spat, unable to maintain his silence any longer, "this is all just a game to them. This whole day was just a farce. Did you know that this isn't even the League's real headquarters?"
Harry flicked his gaze over to Batman. His scowl, ever present, darkened significantly as he turned it on Oliver. Green Arrow shrugged sheepishly but refused to wilt under the heavy glare.
"I thought maybe we could make an exception?" Oliver's reason for filling Roy in obviously wasn't good enough for Batman, but it was a perfectly reasonable thought process to Harry. Even if Batman was against Robin knowing, as the youngest, Roy was an adult who ought to have earned the right to that knowledge by now.
Harry seconded Oliver's defence. "I agree. This is far from what I was aiming for when I asked you to reconsider your stance. Manipulating the situation and lying to the people you work with will grant you no favours here. Regardless, I admit my own mistake for taking your acquiescence at face value. I will not make that mistake again."
"Stand down, both of you," Aquaman commanded.
None of it was helping. Roy's rage was a full-bodied beast now, and he trembled with it.
"You incite rebellion when you should be bringing it to an end." Aquaman directed the reprimand at Harry, before shifting to Speedy. "Son, you do yourself no justice arguing here. Cease this at once."
Roy bristled.
"Or what? You'll send me to my room? And I'm not your son. I'm not even his! I thought I was his partner, but…" he paused, almost as if waiting for Oliver to interject, but then kept going, tone dark. "Not anymore."
Speedy ripped the hat off of his head and threw it to the ground, as if his statement had needed any clarification.
He edged around Harry, angry and hurting. Harry followed him across the room, catching his wrist and pulling him to a standstill.
"Please don't leave like this," Harry pleaded, voice pitched low for privacy.
"Sorry." Roy answered in kind. He refused to meet Harry's gaze. "But I just… I can't deal with them right now. Any of them."
Harry tightened his grip, squeezing his wrist once in reassurance.
"Stay in touch?"
"Promise." When Harry relinquished his grasp Roy raised his voice, directing his next words to the three teens who hovered awkwardly, half-risen from their chairs like they wanted to act but had no idea how to move. "I guess they were right about you three. You're not ready." He stalked off before anyone else had a chance to try and stop him.
Slowly, muscles coiled tense, Harry turned to face the Leaguers again, catching a glimpse of the shell-shocked confusion that rippled across the remaining teens. He inhaled deeply and took a menacing step forward.
"This is what I was worried about!" Harry snarled, wishing he was brave enough to jab a finger into Batman's chest just to emphasise the point. "This is what happens when you make promises with no intention of following through and then just expect everything to be hunky dory. You're a confusing and infuriating man, but I have respected you as a leader for the past five years. But you will not treat these kids the way my headmaster treated me – I will fight you every step of the way."
That sent a wave of confused whispers through his fellow teammates – Harry never spoke on his past, and Batman had never had anything to say either, in warning or in praise. (They didn't know it was because there had been nothing to find.)
"Magician." Batman didn't raise his voice, but all the hushed conversation stopped instantly. Everyone knew Harry hated the codename they'd assigned him, and it was only ever enforced while he was out on a mission. The word was a reprimand all on its own.
Harry scrambled for something to throw back at him before Batman shut him down for good, but the computer monitor flickered on with a low hum, followed by a stern transmission alarm, and Superman's voice redirected everyone's attention away from their spat.
"Superman to Justice League. There's been an explosion at Project Cadmus; it's on fire."
Harry snorted. Oh no, a fire.
Batman moved to organise a plan of action with Superman, but another transmission interrupted them. It was Zatara – Wotan was trying to blot out the sun.
A part of Harry deep down wanted to be petty and sit this one out – he definitely could've walked out and just gone home if it was only the Cadmus fire – but he wasn't selfish enough to think his anger was more important than protecting the planet. Zatara had requested full League back-up, and that's what Batman was going to order, and Harry was going to be there whether he liked it or not.
While the others talked briefly with Superman and Zatara, the teens approached Harry where he stood aimlessly in the centre of the room.
"Hey man." Wally brushed his knuckles across Harry's arm in a feather-light punch. "I, uh, I don't totally understand what just happened, but thanks for sticking up for Speedy."
"Man you totally just yelled at B. I knew I liked you for a reason."
Kaldur eyed Robin reprovingly and added, "Shouting aside, you tried your best. That is all we could have asked for."
Harry sighed, long and low. "You guys are more mature than I am sometimes."
"We have our moments."
Harry gave the dark-skinned boy a wry smile, but it twisted quickly into a scowl when Batman called out to him again.
"Magician." He was still mad. "We need every available League member on hand. That means you."
The teens bristled at their obvious exclusion, but Harry didn't have the wherewithal for more damage control just then. He obediently headed over to the scanner and the teleporter so everyone could move out.
"Stay here," Batman ordered the trio in a clipped voice somewhere off to Harry's left. They may have complained, but Harry wasn't listening, already caught up in the motion of departure.
oOoOo
They made a brief pit stop in the Watchtower to group together and confirm the situation before teleporting as close to Zatara's coordinates as they could.
Harry hadn't exactly been paying attention to the nitty-gritty details, and he had no idea where they were when they arrived – geography was not his strong point – but he knew what needed to be done, and that was all that mattered.
For all that Harry admired Zatara and what the existence of different types of magic might mean, he hated fighting in close proximity to him for that very same reason. In that vein, Wotan – ancient and questionably immortal and with who knew what sort of knowledge about the varied magics of the world – was the villain he most hated fighting against. They forced him to limit himself, fear of the Statute always lingering annoyingly in the back of his mind when they were around.
The MACUSA had been kind enough about setting up a flu connection for him, but he didn't think that same courtesy would apply if he exposed their entire race to a crazed sorcerer who wanted to destroy the world.
Full-League fights were always something like controlled chaos in Harry's mind – so many people with so many different skills and fighting styles, so many people to take into account and to stay out of the way of and to avoid accidentally attacking.
Without his broom Harry was earthbound, but it was a small price to pay to avoid perpetuating stereotypes. Besides, he'd never gotten particularly used to the sensation of casting while in flight, as it required a whole different sort of concentration and technique to casting while running. On his own that might sometimes make him feel backed into a corner, but there were plenty of heroes around to take to the air in his place.
It wasn't until they'd been locked in battle for almost half an hour that Harry remembered what it meant that Wotan didn't use the same magic he did. He cursed at himself a little, then tried a summoning charm on the amulet that was at the centre of this whole debacle.
If he was fighting a wizard, they almost definitely would have put wards in place to prevent it being stolen by something as rudimentary as a simple accio, but Harry had learnt through trial and error that other magical and mystic beings – old and long dead, like whoever created the amulet, or old and still kicking, like Wotan himself – didn't usually possess the same attitude towards protections. Perhaps direct thievery like that was something outside of the range of a sorcerer's skill-set. Whatever the reason, the amulet wrenched free of Wotan's grasp and rocketed across the battlefield towards Harry.
For a split-second everyone seemed to stop, watching the amulet soar through the air, but then Wotan screamed in outrage and everyone snapped back into action.
Knowing that he was now Wotan's main target, Harry banished the amulet to the Watchtower the moment it graced his palm. Without the extra strain of trying to protect the sun, they could focus entirely on shutting Wotan down.
Wotan was not gentle in his anger.
By the time they had him pinned down and encaged, courtesy of Green Lantern, Harry's entire body ached. He'd been tossed about and thrown into other people and trees and anything else in the vicinity of the battle, and he was pretty sure he'd be a walking bruise over the next few days. Most of it should be centred underneath his clothes, and potions would accelerate the healing and help with the pain; he just had to avoid anyone seeing too many of the bruises. It was the regular old song and dance where he avoided being put under suspicion of being less-than-human for possessing accelerated natural healing.
One good thing which arose from the prolonged battle was that Harry had had plenty of opportunity to work off the anger and frustration that had been burning just beneath the surface. Now, instead of red-hot rage, he was just weary and disappointed.
Blowing up at Batman like that – and, by extension, every other League member who had been present at the time – hadn't exactly been the best idea he'd ever had. It was like he'd said: he was well aware that he understood very little about the way Batman operated, yet he'd followed his lead without issue for years. This whole situation, while far from ideal, had not been entirely unexpected.
That didn't mean he was going to apologise for speaking his mind.
Harry stayed on the fringes as they went through the motions in the aftermath: arranging Wotan's transport and imprisonment, post-mission debriefings, is-anyone-currently-in-danger-of-dying once-over medical checks. They were on the battlefield and then they were in the Watchtower. Harry spoke when spoken to, but otherwise stayed silent.
His head ached, in the way it always tended to after big team-up fights. Harry had so many little medical charms on so many different people that he had to entirely close off his awareness of his danger alerts when going into battle just to be able to focus properly. Now that it was over he could bring them back into focus, silencing the ones that spoke of injuries already sustained and dangers now gone until his head was peaceful again.
His head was not peaceful.
An array of charms on three people blared loudly at the centre of his awareness, refusing to quiet down. Icy fear curled deep in his gut. He knew exactly who those wards were attuned to. How long had they been screaming? When did it start? Why?
Harry swore darkly, voice low but not low enough to avoid detection, and spun away from the debrief in a sudden burst of movement, storming towards the transporters.
"Magician," Batman called in warning, still mad. "You have not been dismissed."
"You'll thank me later," he shot back, right before he stepped out into the Hall of Justice.
In his wake, the League felt a ripple of unrest. Harry wasn't prone to insubordination, but he had come to various members' aid in times of danger when he shouldn't have been stationed anywhere nearby. They'd noticed he had a way of knowing things that no one could quite figure out, but had never led them astray. If he was worried about something, perhaps it was another one of those feelings.
The debrief had mostly been finished anyway; they made a silent, unanimous decision to check out the situation instead.
oOoOo
Harry had known before he arrived that the Hall's library would be empty – why would they be in danger there? – but seeing it was still a heavy blow.
Batman had ordered them to stay put, but Robin at the very least was practically immune to all of Batman's looks and tones and expressions of disapproval, so disobeying him was hardly a stretch of the imagination. And considering the explosive events right beforehand, the likelihood of them being willing to sit around on their lonesome waiting for them all to come back had been pretty low.
Could they have gone after Roy?
It was possible, but no one liked being around Roy when he was well and truly angry about something, and he didn't appreciate attempts at company either. Plus, he didn't think it would have been very difficult for them to find Roy if they went looking, in which case all four of them should have been in danger.
So no, they hadn't gone after Roy.
Harry turned to the computer, stretching his mind back through hours of fighting and talking to try and remember what had happened in that brief interlude between Roy storming out and everyone suiting up.
The door slid open beside him. Catching the blue of Superman's costume at the edge of his vision the transmission suddenly came rushing back. He shifted, locked eyes with the alien, and demanded the coordinates for Project Cadmus.
Obviously startled by the aggressive non-sequitur, Superman rattled them off almost instinctively. Harry input them into his phone (the League's computer systems tended to be too much for him to handle, but his phone was all of that without the extraneous systems he'd never use) and zoomed in on a digital map, committing it to his short-term memory.
Before anyone could question him he gave them all a look, said, "The kids are gone," and twisted in a sharp circle on his heel, disappearing with a loud crack.
oOoOo
Harry landed unsteadily in the street in front of the Cadmus building.
No, he landed in the street in front of where the Cadmus building should have been.
What he found instead was the ruins of a building, rubble and dust where there should have been walls and ceilings.
His heart seized in his chest. They couldn't be dead, if they were dead his head would be silent, but it was still ringing and ringing and ringing and-
There.
Harry stepped closer, gaze fixed on where he thought he saw some of the rubble shift.
Yes, there it was again.
Harry stalked forward, lightening and levitating debris away from the centre of the mess. Even if he was wrong, even if it wasn't them and they'd run off and gotten themselves into trouble somewhere else, someone was trapped here, and he couldn't call himself a hero, let alone a decent human being, if he left them to suffer just because they might not be who he was looking for.
The first person he uncovered stumbled when Harry levitated the hefty hunk of debris he'd been attempting to shift. They were dressed in a white bodysuit – torn and dusty from the rubble – and when they looked at him in surprise Harry found their face to be oddly familiar. That thought was immediately dismissed when he caught sight of the others sprawled around the man in white, slowly picking themselves up off the ground.
"Oh thank Merlin," he breathed in relief, sinking to his knees as the panic loosened its grasp on him.
They were fine. They were in so much trouble, but they were fine.
Once they had dusted themselves off, Robin contented himself with talking to the man in white, but Kid Flash zipped over to crouch awkwardly at Harry's side, a hand hovering nervously over his shoulder.
"Yikes," he said, in reference to the battle-torn condition of Harry's clothes, although he was in no position to talk. "You okay man? You look kinda beat-up."
Harry laughed, and was proud to say that it was only a tiny bit hysterical. He wrapped one sore arm around Wally's shoulders and tugged him firmly into his side in a brief hug and said, "I think I should be saying that to you."
Aqualad stood awkwardly between the two groups. Harry beckoned him over, accepting Wally's help back to his feet and clapping a hand on Kaldur's shoulder once he was close enough.
"You guys scared the shit out of me, pulling that vanishing act," he said, pitching his voice so Robin could hear him too. "But you're all in one piece, and that's what matters most in the end."
"Ye of little faith," Robin joked, clambering over the rubble with the stranger in tow.
"Try that on Batman and see where it gets you."
"Yeah," Robin allowed, "Maybe not."
Harry rolled his eyes fondly.
"Okay, reunion's over. Who's your new friend?"
The trio shared a series of unreadable looks before Kid Flash shrugged and said, "Superboy."
Harry assessed the stranger – Superboy – and realised that, yes, that was why he looked so familiar. He'd never seen Superman look so guarded and lost before, but the face itself was explanation enough.
"I see," he said. "In that case, it's nice to meet you Superboy."
But Superboy wasn't looking at them anymore; he was staring up at the sky.
"Oh joy," Harry murmured, following his gaze and catching sight of the incoming figures of the rest of the League. "Here comes the cavalry."
No matter the situation, no matter the fact that they'd all been together when it happened, everyone converging on Cadmus like this felt entirely like overkill. Wasn't Superman the one who had brushed it off as a mere fire that could be handled by emergency services? And yet there he was, leading the charge.
One way or another, this was not going to be pretty.
Harry moved away from the teens, aching legs traversing treacherous ground to get to Superboy, to Superman, to somewhere to do something. He didn't have any of the details, but Superboy was looking at Superman like he was the fucking sun and he knew, in his heart, in his bones, that Clark was not going to react favourably to any of this.
They didn't even have to exchange words for Harry to be proven right.
Superman's face was hard with suspicion and anger and Superboy just shattered, the hope and awe swallowed up by defensive anger in response.
Harry glanced around as the rest of the League purposefully encircled the wreckage, caging them in.
"I'm Superman's clone," Superboy announced, offering the information up freely, even knowing now what sort of reaction that statement was going to get him.
True to form, Superman's expression soured even further. Batman stepped immediately into action, interrogating everyone and rounding up some monster that was trapped unconscious under part of the building (Harry hadn't even noticed it, but it made sense that there had to have been a fight). Harry followed after Superman, determination guiding his steps, and cornered him at the edge of the wreckage with Wonder Woman and Martian Manhunter.
Superman was agitated. And sure, he completely deserved to be confused and overwhelmed and maybe violated, Harry knew that, he did, but acting like he was the only person being affected by it all was total BS.
"That thing shouldn't exist," he hissed through gritted teeth. "It could be a danger to society. It should be destroyed."
There were a lot of things Harry wanted to say to that, but Wonder Woman beat him to the punch.
"That 'thing' is just a boy. A child. That he even knows exactly what and who he is speaks to what his life must have been like until now. And you would deny him the right to existence? You have no right to single-handedly decide his fate."
"I think I'm the only person qualified to make that decision."
"Can you even hear the words coming out of your mouth right now?" Harry smacked a hand against Superman's chest, gritting his teeth against the pain that raced up his arm. "Are you a danger to society? Should we erase you while we're at it? He didn't ask to be your clone, you arse. If his only crime is existing then it isn't something to be punished for."
"You don't know what they did to him down there–"
"And neither do you!"
"Harry…"
Harry shrugged off the placating hand J'onn rested on his shoulder.
"I know this is one of those life-changing, earth-shifting moments, okay? That this is weird for you. But this isn't just about you; it's also about him. You don't have to suddenly become a dad or an uncle or a brother, no one's asking that of you. Literally the only thing you have to do is not be a total dick. Can you do that? Can you reign yourself in and have your little pity party in private?"
Superman glared at him.
"You've already destroyed the sparkling image he probably had of you. Don't make things worse by shoving your negativity and angst in his face. If you don't have anything nice to say then at least shut up until you're somewhere he can't hear you."
"Peace, all of you," J'onn interjected, trying to temper their argument into something less volatile.
"Fuck." Harry tugged at his hair in frustration. He and Superman were both stubborn creatures at heart, and this argument would just go in circles if he stayed. "I don't care anymore. If making him hate you is what makes you happy then go right on ahead. It's your funeral."
He threw an apologetic glance at Wonder Woman before leaving them to themselves.
Right now part of him wished he'd stormed out after Roy and avoided this whole mess altogether.
Speaking of Roy-
Harry sidled up to Green Arrow and have him a commiserating pat on the back. Maybe Oliver didn't fight Batman's decision, but he'd trusted Roy with the truth. It wasn't Oliver's fault – it wasn't only Oliver's fault – that Roy had decided to leave. The permanency of that decision had yet to be determined, but they would deal with that when the time came.
"He promised he'd be in touch."
Oliver nodded. "Apologise to him for me."
Harry wanted to tell Oliver to apologise himself, but they both knew Roy wouldn't listen if he tried, not until he'd had some time to cool off.
"Sure."
Harry dropped his hand and continued over to where the four teens stood huddled together. Superboy's expression had only gotten stormier since Harry left, so he knew he hadn't been wrong about him being able to hear their argument – in fact, it seemed he was still listening in.
"Hey," Harry said, reaching out slowly to catch Superboy's attention before resting a hand on his shoulder. "The way I see it, Superman's one of those people who hates surprises. And this? This whole thing is one hell of a big surprise. He'll come around eventually. And if he doesn't, I'll break my hand on his stupid chiselled jaw just to make sure he understands where I stand on all this."
"Why do you even care?" Superboy probably wanted to sound angry, but to Harry he just sounded sad. "It's obvious no one wants me here. I'm just a stupid clone, right? I'm dangerous."
Harry's grip tightened on Superboy's shoulder.
"I know you were listening," he said softly. "But I'll say it again if you want. In the same way that no one chooses their parents, you didn't choose to be a clone. Your existence isn't a crime. It's the choices you make that decide who you are, and whatever choices you've made tonight have led you here, with Aqualad and Robin and Kid Flash. You have a whole life ahead of you now, and Superman doesn't get to say what you do with it."
"Dude, you were pretty awesome today," Wally piped up. "We should totally team up again."
"I agree," Kaldur continued. "Your assistance was greatly appreciated. I would not be opposed to working together again, should you so desire."
Robin jumped in with, "The more the merrier, right?"
Unless it was Superboy's decision, those kids wouldn't be letting the boy go without a fight. It was heartening to witness; trust and loyalty without the jaded hesitation that seemed to seep unwillingly in with age. Harry smiled.
Somewhere behind their small group someone awkwardly cleared their throat, cutting through the warmer atmosphere and putting a heartbreakingly desperate expression on Superboy's face. Harry knew immediately who it was without even turning around; when he did, he frowned.
Superman wasn't even trying to appear welcoming in the slightest. His face was blank, his shoulders were back, and his stance was non-threatening but also significantly uninviting. He also wouldn't look Harry in the eyes.
"I… I'm too busy for all of… this." Superman burst out, blunter than usual. If he was in a different mood, he might have made some encompassing gestures to encapsulate the entirety of the situation that was 'this'; Harry certainly would have. "The League will sort something out." After stumbling through what was ultimately a dismissal – why bother coming over in the first place if that was all he had to say? – he gave a stilted nod, turned, and took to the sky.
Coward.
Out of the corner of his eye Harry could see Superboy clenching and unclenching his fists at his sides, his body tense. His stance was defensive; he clearly wasn't sure how to handle such a blasé rejection from the person he had essentially idolised. Even if he thought he might know what words to say to him, Harry knew better than to try it out in the open surrounded by witnesses. Superboy struck him as the type of person who didn't like other people seeing his pain.
Harry let out a defeated sigh, allowing his exhaustion to seep through his body. The day had dawned with so much potential, too, but everything had gone to shit. First Roy, then Wotan, and now this. Plus, the Superboy situation aside, the chaos wasn't quite done with them yet; with Batman in the lead, all three of the teens' mentors were heading over.
It was turning into one of those days where Harry wished he'd never gotten out of bed, let alone allowed himself to be dragged into the hero business.
The recriminations were to be expected, Harry supposed. Disobeying direct orders, hacking the League's database, recklessly endangering themselves and others; Batman would give that dressing down to anyone, regardless of age or position. But the last part? That sounded too much like a mission ban to him, and while he knew they weren't technically doing any League missions in the first place, it still rubbed him the wrong way.
Aqualad's interjection rang out strong around them. "I am sorry, but we will. We did good work here tonight. The work you trained us to do. Together, on our own, we forged something powerful, important."
A small smile lifted Harry's lips at that, even as Flash stepped forward, unintentionally antagonising them. It took guts to talk back to Batman, but perhaps for Aqualad it took even more to talk back to his King. That meant he truly believed in what he was saying.
With the others rallying behind him, and even Superboy easily lending his voice to the argument, Harry didn't see them backing down anytime soon. And really, what did they expect? You couldn't just take a kid, teach them to be a hero, and then expect them to be content with playing side-kick forever. Roy was a painfully fitting example of that mind-set blowing up in their faces.
Harry kept his silence. They didn't need his help on this. It was their fight. And, although it would be another unpredictable Batman CompromiseTM, he couldn't help but think that Batman wasn't going to even try to completely crush this newly strengthened comradery amongst the teens. Unity and teamwork was good for crime-fighting, after all, and a little bit of leeway as opposed to anger and resentment?
The strategist in him would win out over his indignation at their insubordination.
oOoOo
Harry's Apartment
Happy Harbour
July 6th2010
When Batman had told him he was 'sorting something out' Harry had bristled.
While Batman's attitude towards Superboy was a vast improvement over Superman and his emotional ineptitude, Harry still got the uncomfortable feeling that Batman hadn't quite finished shifting his mind-set from 'Superboy as a clone' to 'Superboy as his own person'. It wasn't that he necessarily thought anything bad would come of that, he just didn't anticipate much good either; the dull middle ground.
Until a permanent arrangement could be decided upon, Batman had initially wanted to keep Superboy locked up – not imprisoned, but unable to get back to Earth – on the Watchtower under constant supervision. From a threat assessment standpoint, that probably made sense, but Harry wasn't interested in all that. So he had countered that proposition with an offer to let Superboy stay at his place for a while.
Batman had tacked on a whole list of conditions before he was satisfied with that arrangement, but just because Harry had nodded along didn't mean he was definitely going to follow all of them. Batman was cold logic and Harry was all about emotional stability (laughable, when he remembered some of his teenage years) and helping people.
So Harry had taken Superboy home.
Superboy was pretty withdrawn. Harry was sure part of it was because he was still processing the fact that he wasn't at Cadmus anymore and what it meant for him to be awake and free of their mind-control, but that didn't mean he wasn't allowed to be worried. He'd barely spoken since Batman gave them the go ahead; once to thank him for letting him stay and again briefly when Harry took him out to buy some clothes. Ever since he woke up that morning, if he even slept in the first place, he'd been seated in the window seat in Harry's living room, watching the world through the glass.
There wasn't exactly anything Harry could do about it except leave him to gather himself.
oOoOo
Now, Harry was no wardmaster, but he'd picked up a thing or two here and there during his travelling years, and he'd like to say that, while probably not what anyone well versed in warding would call proficient, he was at least passable. Enough so to craft basic security wards for his apartment without any of them blowing up in his face, anyway.
There were only really two active wards: one was a proximity ward so he could tell when someone was approaching his door, and the other was to gently encourage any would-be thieves to ignore his apartment and go somewhere else instead. He also had a lockdown protocol, to physically bar anyone he hadn't worked into the wards from his apartment and generally prevent access, but he was usually optimistic that he'd never have to activate those ones.
The strange thing was that Harry was almost convinced that Superboy could somehow sense the wards. He hadn't been in the apartment for long at all, but in between his hesitant, silent exploration and his oddly morose people-watching he occasionally froze up a little when people brushed along the proximity ward. Harry had long learnt how to gauge directionality and destination from the ward – his attempts at a ward for reading intent had been mediocre at best and only added the tiniest bit of information to the proximity ward – and had become good at keeping it tucked away at the back of his mind, but for someone experiencing the strange tingling of wards for the first time it would indeed be attention-catching.
As Superman had never been to Harry's apartment – nor did he know where it was – Harry couldn't tell if it was a Kryptonian thing, or maybe just something unique to Superboy. No one else who visited had ever appeared to notice it, but they also didn't usually stay long. Maybe everyone just thought his apartment had strange vibes or something.
Alone with his thoughts in a house with an extra occupant, Harry spent rather a lot of time pondering Superboy's unique situation, and when someone did cross the ward headed for his door he was dimly surprised to note that the process of noticing that fact started with catching Superboy's reaction and was closely followed by a rapid flurry of knocks that could only come from a speedster.
Wally had a key to the apartment – so did Robin, Kaldur and Roy – but those were more for emergencies – not that Wally needed one when he could just phase through the door – and they were usually content to observe societal niceties like knocking and waiting to be invited inside.
Harry tore himself away from where he'd been watching Superboy watch the world pass them by and crossed the hall to the entryway.
Wally grinned up at him when he opened the door, but he was also fidgety in a manner that was more nerves or anxiety than excess energy. He called out a greeting to Superboy as he followed Harry into the apartment.
Since Superboy was in the lounge, Harry led Wally into his study – which, other than the desk and computer in one corner, was really more of a small private library than a study, although referring to it as a library in his own head made him feel uncomfortably bookish. Wally immediately flopped down on the couch, while Harry took a seat in his desk chair.
In all honesty, Harry'd been expecting a visit sometime soon from one of them, and with Wally's abilities he'd definitely been at the top of the list.
"So," Harry began lightly, watching Wally wriggle about on the couch to find the comfiest position. "What's brought you to my humble abode this time around?"
"Nothing really, I just…" Wally sighed. He tilted his head back and stared up at the ceiling like a cliché psychiatrist scene from a movie as he pondered how to word his thoughts. "I've been thinking a lot, you know? About everything that's happened."
"About Cadmus?" Harry prodded, despite being almost entirely certain that that wasn't what Wally was here for.
"A little bit, I guess, but mostly… mostly about Speedy."
Harry pinched the bridge of his nose, suddenly feeling excessively tired despite having already known where this conversation was going to go. Reflexively, he glanced over at his cell phone which sat innocuously on his desk.
Wally caught the motion and followed his gaze.
"Has he… you know. Have you managed to talk to him yet?"
"No," Harry admitted softly, a little reluctantly. "I haven't. I tried calling several times and I sent a few texts as well, but so far he hasn't responded to any of them." He was a bit frustrated, both at himself and at Roy, who could surely spare the time to send even the briefest of texts, even if it was just asking to be left alone.
Wally's disappointment was obvious.
"But, that being said, I'm sure he'll be fine. He's an adult, and I have to trust he knows what he's doing. And hey, maybe while he's out there he'll think up a better superhero name than Speedy."
Wally laughed at that.
Ever since they first met Harry had wondered about the origins of that name. If it hadn't been Oliver who talked about him and eventually introduced him, Harry would have assumed Roy was a speedster. That was the image a name like 'Speedy' portrayed. He got the feeling other people might have made the same assumption, so he'd always been glad he'd never said as much out loud. It might've set them off on a much rockier start.
Wally stayed for a while longer. They talked about trivial, everyday things like Wally's classes and the time an elderly woman in the neighbourhood mistook Harry for her grandson, but every now and again their eyes would flicker over to the still-silent phone by Harry's elbow.
The oppressive weight of uncertainty hung over them both. It would take more than a mere two days to adjust to the idea that Roy might not come back.
oOoOo
Mount Justice
July 8th 2010
Harry hid a yawn behind his hand as he escorted Superboy into the Cave. He hadn't been sleeping well the last few nights, and being awoken by a mandatory but non-emergency summons when he could have been sleeping in hadn't exactly started the day off well for him.
Everyone else was already assembled, waiting for them.
Batman, at the head of the group, skipped deftly over polite things like greetings and launched right into a speech once they arrived.
"This cave was the original secret sanctuary of the Justice League. We're calling it into service again. Since you four are determined to stay together and fight the good fight, you'll do it on League terms. Red Tornado has volunteered to live here and be your supervisor. Black Canary's in charge of training. I will deploy you on missions."
"Real missions?" Robin asked sceptically, hip cocked and arms folded defensively across his chest. He had every right to be disbelieving. Even if the place had been cleaned up pretty nicely, they'd experienced a serious let-down less than a week ago which had proven that their definitions of certain things were sometimes at odds with the League's.
"Yes," Batman affirmed. "But covert."
"The League will still handle the obvious stuff," Flash chimed in, gesturing to his costume. "There's a reason we have these big targets on our chests."
"But Cadmus proves the bad guys are getting smarter," Aquaman added. "Batman needs a team that can operate on the sly."
"The five of you will be that team."
Harry blinked slowly, confused. They weren't still counting Speedy were they? Even if he did come back, getting delegated to a childish covert ops team wouldn't win them any favours with him.
"Cool," Robin exclaimed, before the rest of the statement registered. "Wait, five?"
Batman stared behind the group, and the others turned to see what was happening. Harry observed them from where he was leaning against the wall.
"This is the Martian Manhunter's niece, Miss Martian."
"Hi."
"I'm liking this gig more every minute," Kid Flash muttered to Robin. "Ah, welcome aboard! I'm Kid Flash, that's Robin, Aqualad. It's cool if you forget their names."
Rolling his eyes at Wally's antics – he caught Flash doing the same – Harry smothered the laughter that wanted to escape. He'd obviously recovered pretty well from the bout of melancholy that had bought him to his house the other day.
"I'm honoured to be included."
The way she spoke was just a tad too formal, which suggested she hadn't been on Earth for very long. If nothing else, Harry figured it would be interesting to see her growth as she was exposed to pop culture.
The trio crowded around Miss Martian, but Superboy hung back, visibly unsure. It wasn't Harry's place to reassure him this time – they'd talked a little while he was staying at Harry's place, but he needed positive reinforcement from sources other than Harry or he'd have a difficult time believing it wasn't just Harry trying to be nice – but he did step over to him. A thought had occurred to him at Miss Martian's introduction, and there was something he needed to say.
"I think Batman intends for you to live here."
Superboy tore his gaze away from the teens to stare up at him in a silent query.
"I don't know if Miss Martian has anywhere to stay, so she might live here too. He probably trusts Tornado and the Cave's security systems to monitor you more than he trusts me. He's a little paranoid like that. But if you don't want to stay here, or if you ever need a break, my apartment's always open to you. I just wanted you to know that you have options."
"I…" Superboy frowned. The kid had a lot of frowns. Harry was halfway convinced he had one for every emotion, and that you could probably read entire stories from the slant of his eyebrows and the press of his lips. "Um, thanks?"
Harry smiled genially, taking the awkward words for what they were – confusion and mistrust but also hope and the genuine gratitude of being given choices instead of instructions.
Robin called out to them, beckoning Superboy over to the huddle of teens. Superboy went, after one final considering glance at Harry.
It was probably too much to hope that Superboy hadn't noticed Superman's absence, but hopefully they could even out some of that disappointment. Harry would have to try and talk to Clark again, but even though he was still kind of mad at the Man of Steel he could appreciate how difficult the whole situation must be for him. If he could only get it through his thick skull that that went both ways, maybe things would be a bit smoother.
Mother-henning a bunch of teenagers hadn't exactly been his intention when he signed on for this superhero gig. Occasionally he spared a thought to what life would've been like if he'd just stayed in Britain, but that sort of thing had never been his imaginative strength, so it was usually a pointless exercise.
And anyway, regardless of would-haves or could-haves, this was his life now. There was no going back on that; he could only continue forwards.