2. Can't Come Home Again

Some people might have found it to be a strange choice, but the portkey destination was Grimmauld Place. Diagon Alley, Hogsmeade, the Burrow, the Forbidden Forest, and Surrey all had issues. The last thing he wanted was to be spotted by someone that would spread the news of his return. After being so famous before his disappearance, he wanted to be able to go a little while without the press bothering him.

Going to a heavily warded building that he owned and could only be inherited by his godson seemed to be the best option. Before his disappearance, he was actually living there with the pair so that he could help raise his godson. Given that he had not seen Teddy since he was one year old, he liked the idea of seeing him once again.

The portkey dropped him off about three feet of the ground, resulting in him slamming into the floor, face first.

"Who was that?"

He quickly rose to his feet and saw Andromeda Tonks walk into the room with her wand out. Her eyes widened when she saw who it was.

"Harry?" she whispered in shock.

"The first time I met you, I went for my wand thinking that you were Bellatrix," Harry said, holding up his wand sideways so that she could see it.

"But how could you still be alive?" she asked in shock. "They saw you fall through the Veil. It's impossible to survive that."

"I've been hit with the Killing Curse twice," he pointed out before showing a faint scar on his arm. "I was also bitten by a basilisk in second year. I don't stay down."

"There's more to it, isn't there?" she asked, staring at him as if looking for an answer.

"There always is," Harry agreed. "Let's just say that I was occupied until last week. As soon as I was able, I came back."

"You were occupied?" she asked carefully.

"I'd explain it if I knew how, but I had no way of returning," he answered with a nod. "I need you to keep this quiet though. I'd like to talk to some people before word spreads that I'm still alive. But first, you tell me what's changed since my… disappearance?"

Nodding, Andromeda grew deep in thought. "I suppose I should begin with the aftermath of your disappearance."

"I am curious about how everything went down after I fell through the Veil," Harry admitted.

"Apart from you falling through the Veil, no one died in that fight. Seeing you fall get knocked through it rallied your friends to finish things quickly. Bellatrix and the others have been in Azkaban ever since," Andromeda explained. "Things were not exactly simple after that though. You were more than just a wizard. You were an icon. When news spread that the Man-Who-Conquered had fallen in battle, it was a sad day for the Wizarding World. But some good did come out of it."

"Oh?" Harry asked, surprised to hear such a thing.

"You made your point-of-view known on quite a few subjects before your disappearance, and those subjects were quickly dealt with by certain politicians. For the first time in history, muggleborns and purebloods have the same rights. Even werewolves cannot be discriminated against. Perhaps most importantly of all, the crime rate is the lowest it has ever been in recorded history. The Department of Magical Law Enforcement and the Auror Department were criticized for being unable to stop the last of the Death Eaters from reaching the Department of Mysteries, resulting in their funding being increased to ensure that something like that could never happened again."

He was not sure what to think of that news. It sounded like a good thing, but out of the twenty-six years that he had been alive, fifteen of them had placed him in life or death situations. He knew how to deal with conflict. Dealing with peace was a completely different matter. He honestly did not know how to deal with it.

"What happened with my friends since I've been gone?" he asked a moment later.

"Well, your friend Ron was an Auror until five years ago and then joined the Chudley Canons as a Keeper. He is currently married to another of your friends, Hermione Granger. She played a major role in the drafting of a number of critical laws, but she's currently unemployed. I hear that she's working on a book about the Second Wizarding War while she waits for her first child to be born."

That news surprised him. He honestly had not thought that they would have ended up together because of how different they were. Sure, he had been happy for them when they got together, but he had still been skeptical it would last too long.

"Neville Longbottom resigned from being an Auror shortly after your disappearance. He went on to become the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts. He's been there five years and is now married to Ginny Weasley. She is currently the Seeker of the Holyhead Harpies and has been since she graduated."

Hearing that the guy he saved ended up marrying his ex-girlfriend was a surprise, but it did not bother him. Ginny was in the past. He had loved her at one time, but the separation after sixth year had changed too much for them to get back together.

"Luna Lovegood never ended up marrying. It's been a couple of years since she last visited England, but she's a rather well known magizoologist," Andromeda remarked.

"What about the Weasley family?" he asked after a moment of thought.

"There have not been any more deaths in the family, fortunately. Arthur and Molly are doing fine. In fact, Arthur is Kingsley's Undersecretary at the moment," Andromeda explained with a smile. "All their children are married too. You were at Bill's wedding, but you missed the birth of his daughter Victoire. I heard that Charlie married another dragon handler, Percy married a woman named Audrey, and George married a woman named Angelina. She was one of the chasers on your team, if I'm not mistaken."

"Yeah, she was," Harry said, shaking his head with a smile. It was nice to hear that everyone was doing so well. But now he had an important question to ask. "It's been nearly seven and a half years since my disappearance. So tell me… am I still missed?"

That question seemed to make Andromeda grow sad.

"Every year, Ron, Hermione, Neville, Ginny, Bill, Fleur, George, Arthur, and Molly visit your grave with us. To us, you'll always be missed, but most of them have gotten over it enough that your name isn't a taboo."

He nodded in understanding of what she was saying. Her words put him into a difficult position though. If he were to truly return to the wizarding world, it would have a great impact on everyone that had mourned for him. If he stuck around, things would be better in the long run, but from the sounds of it, the wizarding world that he knew was gone. It sounded as though he no longer had a place in the current wizarding world.

"I need you to keep my return from Teddy," he said after several moments of silence. "Tomorrow, I'm going to visit Kingsley. Before I make a decision, I need to talk to him."

"I understand," she replied with a knowing look in her eyes. "The only thing I ask is that you don't suddenly leave. Teddy is still your godson. Even if you decide not to return to our world, you should still be a part of his life. I understand if you decide to wait until he's a few years older and less likely to reveal the fact that you're alive, but don't completely disappear on him."

He had to bite back a chuckle at how well Andromeda read him. Before he could ask the question that came to his mind, she answered him. "He's spending the day at Shell Cottage, so you won't see him today."


The next day, Harry removed his Invisibility Cloak as he sat across from the most powerful person in magical England, Kingsley Shacklebolt. A whispered Muffliato before he sat down ensured that their conversation would be kept private.

"Hello Kingsley," he greeted, quickly catching the man's attention.

"Harry Potter?" he asked in shock, staring at Harry like he had just seen the ghost of Merlin.

"In the flesh," he replied before handing over his original wand.

"That wand fell through the Veil. I'd know it anywhere," Kingsley said, studying Harry carefully.

Nodding, Harry showed him the small scar that he received from the second Killing Curse that he had been hit with. He had kept the scar's existence hidden from everyone but Kingsley.

"How did you survive?" Kingsley asked once he recovered.

"I told you that I reunited the Deathly Hallows. Apparently, being the Master of Death means that you don't die when you pass through the veil. You end up in this dimensional prison that aliens created. It's known as the Phantom Zone."

Kingsley just stared at Harry in disbelief. "Have you been reading The Quibbler?"

"I'm not joking," Harry said flatly. "It's incredible, but it's the truth. That's why I look exactly like I did the last time I saw you. Time was meaningless there."

"I know better than to second guess you," Kingsley said, shaking his head. "How did you escape?"

"I used my cloak to sneak behind someone that could open the gateway out of there," Harry answered with a sigh. "Magic was mostly useless there, so I'm still not at one hundred percent. As soon as I was sure that I had recovered enough to make a portkey, I returned. I'm not so sure I should have though."

"Why do you say that?" Kingsley asked in shock.

"I visited Diagon Alley before I came here. I've seen how happy people are. I know how peaceful everything is. I don't have a place in the wizarding world anymore. Dumbledore did what he believed was right, but war and conflict defined who I am. I cannot settle down and become a quidditch player or a teacher. After fifteen years of fighting for my life, that is not who I am. And let's face it, being an auror now would be pointless. I would just end up spending most of my day walking around or sitting at a desk. Given how I disappeared for seven years, sitting at a desk is what most people would push for."

He paused, remembering the stories Clark had told him of his time in Smallville and Metropolis. The fights against metahumans and using his abilities to save lives… that was more his speed than sitting at a desk all day.

"Does the wizarding world even need me? I might be seen as a savior, but I'm also a symbol of power and war. What do you believe?"

Kingsley grew deep in thought before he spoke. When he did, his words surprised Harry a little.

"I could never thank you enough for what you did, but you're right. You aren't needed here. If you cannot settle for a normal life, maybe this isn't the place for you. To be honest, I don't see you enjoying your time here anymore. Seven years ago, you may have been able to live an ordinary life, but I can see that this Phantom Zone changed you. You have a hard look in your eyes that you didn't have when I last saw you. But I think you already knew that you've changed too much for this place. Why did you really come here?"

Harry nodded in agreement. Kingsley was right. He had already realized that he did not have a place in the wizarding world anymore. He had made the decision before leaving Grimmauld Place that morning. All that he had seen and heard only proved that his decision was the right one. "I need help. I could go to Gringotts and get enough money to live comfortably somewhere else, but it will cause problems if I have no identification or if I'm supposed to be dead."

"You were never listed as dead, legally. I can have my contacts in the muggle government get you new copies of your birth certificate, along with a passport so that you can go somewhere else. It might be a good idea to change your birth date so that no one questions your age. It might be for the best for you to use a different name though. If you ever end up in the newspaper, muggle or magical, your name would attract attention," Kingsley suggested.

"That's a good idea," Harry conceded. "However, I'd prefer that you left my age alone. I can just say that I age well. It'll be easier to let something slip if we change too much, but I think I'll have to go with a different name. Let's go with Harold Ignotus Peverell, and if you can manage it, I'd appreciate citizenship in the United States."

"That is a strong connection to who you really are," Kingsley remarked, though he did not seem put off by any of his requests.

"I am aware of that," he said with a ghost of a smile. "Naturally, I'd like this kept a secret. It wouldn't do for anyone to find out that I'm alive."

"Of course," Kingsley said in the calm, reassuring voice that Harry had long since associated him with. "I'll have it all ready by the end of the week."

"Good. I'll be going then. Andromeda is the only one that knows that I'm back. I'll need to drop by Gringotts personally, but I will have Andromeda pick up some supplies for me. I could probably get everything done without anyone noticing me, but I don't want to take the chance of someone realizing who I am."

"I will floo over once I have everything ready. If I can, I'll get you dual citizenship in the States," Kingsley said.

With a nod, Harry wrapped the cloak around him, canceled his spell, and left the room.


Gringotts was not one of his favorite places to go.

He had liked the place when he was eleven, but the decision to break into the Lestrange vault had left him uncomfortable every time he visited afterwards. Gringotts had wanted to confiscate at least one of his vaults in reparation, but Kingsley had stepped in and smoothed things over by pointing out that Harry defeating Voldemort had resulted in a number of vaults being confiscated by the Ministry and split with the goblins, following one of the many treaties that had been signed between wizardkind and goblins. One such vault had been the Lestrange vault, as a matter of fact.

Because he had resulted in them making enough to pay for the repairs ten times over and the knowledge that a horcrux had been kept in that vault, they had opted to forgive his transgression. That did not make the goblins look upon him any more positively, unfortunately.

Breaking away from that train of thought, he approached one of the tellers and said, "I need to speak to my account manager." As he spoke, he handed a piece of paper to the goblin.

The goblin took the piece of paper, only to grow shocked upon reading what was written upon it.

Without saying a word, the goblin guided him to a private room.

Once the door was shut, the goblin chose to speak.

"You claim to be Harry James Potter."

"That is my name," he agreed, lowering the hood of his cloak and holding out the keys to the Potter, Black, and Peverell vaults.

"You just won't die, will you?" the goblin asked with a feral smile.

"I don't intend to at the very least," Harry retorted. "Now, can I see my account manager? I have some business I need to attend to. I need some discretion on this matter as well."

"I will go and inform Bearclaw immediately," the goblin said before leaving the room, not looking too pleased by the task.

Taking a seat, Harry waited for his account manager. He did not have to wait long though. A goblin with a wiry build entered the room after a short while.

"It is surprising to learn of your continued existence," the goblin remarked, staring at Harry carefully.

"I like surprising people," Harry replied. "Now, I would like to know the status of my accounts." The Potter account had always been his largest with the Black account close behind. The Peverell account had not been used in centuries when he claimed it. As a result of no one controlling the account for so many years and Gringotts continuing to charge fees for the usage of the vault, the once large fortune within had dwindled considerably.

"As there was never proof of your death and there was no one who could have countermanded the last requests you made upon your accounts, they are all still active and making money. The Potter account now has a balance of approximately one and a half million galleons, while the Black account has an approximate balance of seven hundred and fifty thousand galleons and the Peverell account has an approximate balance of one hundred thousand galleons. The investments worked far better than predicted."

"I would like to close the Peverell account and reduce the Potter account to an exact total of five hundred thousand galleons. If possible, I would like all but ten thousand of those galleons converted into American currency," Harry said, doing his best not to grin at the bewildered look on the goblin's face. "I am taking care of some things. Once it is all taken care of, I will be returning to the States. Unfortunately, I cannot access Gringotts or use galleons where I will be living."

"Understandable," the goblin said, taking a deep breath. "With the current conversion rate and our conversion fees, that will total up at just under eleven million dollars."

The number surprised Harry, but he did not react outwardly. "I would also like Andromeda Tonks to have permission to remove funds from the Potter account so long as she has written consent each and every time."

"I will arrange it," Bearclaw stated, though he did not look pleased by what he was hearing. "I must also inform you that when you disappeared, a small number of your possessions were moved to the Black vault by Andromeda Tonks. The list includes a motorcycle, a sidecar, a Firebolt broomstick, a chest full of schoolbooks, and a pensieve."

"I would like to retrieve those objects from the vault," Harry said, happy to hear that he had his godfather's motorcycle at the very least. He was a little rusty with the Disillusionment Charm, but he was already thinking of flying to the United States on the motorcycle.

"Would you like to personally retrieve them, or do you wish for us to have them delivered to your place of residence?"

"I'll retrieve them now," Harry replied as he rose to his feet and replace the hood over his head. "That will be all."

Grumbling, the goblin led him out of the room.


By the time he returned to Grimmauld place, Harry was very glad that he had decided to leave half a million galleons in the Potter account. There were two reasons he had not emptied it. The first was because Teddy, as his godson, would inherit the vault. The second was because his plans called for him to need to have some wizarding money left in England. He was not the Lord of the House of Black, but he was the account holder of the Black account. As such, the money within it was his by right. However, he had given Andromeda almost full control over the account before his disappearance. It was mainly because she was a Black and was his godson's grandmother. So even if he had the right to use the money in that account for his plans, he felt that it was better to leave it alone.

But there was another reason that he was glad that he only took two-thirds of the Potter account when he left the bank. That reason was because carrying eleven million dollars in cash was not as easy as he had imagined. It was only thanks to magic that he was able to carry it without too much of a problem, but his repertoire of spells did not delve into the subject of altering the weight of an object, so it was still heavy. In the end, he had placed all the cash in his old school trunk with an Undetectable Extension Charm to make it all fit.

Once he put away his stuff in his room, barring his motorcycle which was hidden by a Notice-Me-Not Charm outside, he headed towards the kitchen and saw Andromeda.

Not too far away from her, he saw his godson seated at the table.

"Andy, can I talk to you?" Harry called after stepping out of sight.

"I'll be right back, Teddy," she said before she walked out of the room.

Once she came within sight, Harry said, "Listen, I need a favor. I have ten thousand galleons, and I'm going to make a list of things I need. Can I get you to go out tomorrow and buy some supplies for me?"

"Of course," Andromeda replied with a look of understanding.

"Thank you. I will be returning to the States once Kingsley comes through with some identification that I asked for. In the meantime, I'd like to get to know Teddy. He's only eight years old though, so I have to ask for another favor. Can I get you to place a Tongue-Tying Curse on Teddy so that he cannot talk about me being alive or visiting?"

"If anyone else asked me to curse my grandson, I would show them why I was born a Black," Andromeda muttered under her breath. "Fine, I will cast it on Teddy to stop him from revealing this, but I will remove it if you don't visit. I'm only doing this so he can get to know his godfather."

"Don't worry, I'll visit," Harry promised, thinking how bad it sounded. Seven years in the Phantom Zone had made him forget certain things, such as it being a stupid idea to ask a woman to curse her grandson.

With that, the pair went back into the kitchen so that Harry could begin to get to know his godson.


One week after his arrival at Grimmauld Place, Harry Potter was getting ready to leave.

He had been ready to go for three days already, but he had opted to spend time with his godson instead. That was not the only thing that he had done either. Not all the things on the list he had given Andromeda were for his time in the States. The only thing that was different was an expensive potion that was able to correct vision problems. It had been invented after the Second Wizarding War, but he had not had the chance to take it before his disappearance. But now, he no longer needed his glasses. That was not to say that he got rid of them though. He simply replaced the lens with regular glass.

The sidecar of his motorcycle was filled with a small black chest, his old school trunk, and a brand new trunk that carried a large number of books, potion supplies, and clothing.

"Be careful," Andromeda said as she stood next to Teddy, looking at Harry with a hint of sadness in her eyes. After having him around for a week, she was going to miss him. Of that, there was no doubt.

"I will," Harry promised as he started the bike. "Would you care to do the honors?"

"Of course," she said before she pointed her want at the bike. The Notice-Me-Not Charm would stop most from paying any attention to the bike, but it was not fool-proof. "Celaverimus."

The sensation of having a raw egg cracking over his head made Harry shudder for a moment. Within moments, he was concealed from any onlookers, along with the bike.

"I'll contact you when I get back," he said before he took off, flying through the air on the bike.

And just like that, Harry Potter, or Harold Ignotus Peverell as his new birth certificate said, was on his way back to the States.


Author's Note: There's another chapter down.

I wouldn't be surprised if someone says that the chapter seemed like it was rushed. I had a hard time writing this, to be honest. I'm not really sure what made it difficult to write either. Maybe it's because I was getting anxious to start his time as a hero and interacting with the characters of Smallville. It's kind of hard to say. But this won't be the last time that Harry returns to England. I only have one more visit planned. One more that will be showed, at least. I do have plans for a few more Harry Potter characters to show up in the Smallville/Metropolis answer though. Unless something changes, one will take up the mantle of a superhero that was created by DC and two will become original supervillains.

With that said, I do want to go ahead and say that I wrote this chapter and had to go back and edit certain things, so if you see a place that doesn't make sense, feel free to bring it up to my attention. Don't reference his decision to leave the wizarding world as not making sense though. If you don't see what he made his decision, then that's fine. I did explain it, though it could be considered vague. It will be explained more in depth later on.

And on one final note, if you wish to see a character show up in this story, even if they were not in the Smallville series, feel free to make a suggestion. I'm always open to such suggestions. For the most part, Harry Potter character suggestions won't be accepted, however. I want to keep the number of Harry Potter characters low, hence my decision to have most Harry Potter characters that show up to have them only show up once. The only exceptions that I have planned are Andromeda, Teddy, one mystery hero, and one mystery villain. I will not take suggestions for that hero unless it just blows me away, though I would consider suggestions for the mystery villain, provided that good reasons are given.

Thanks for reading.