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Chapter 07

As the limo pulled up to the restaurant, Kara looked out to see the building Bruce had rented for the evening. The Resatoni was a huge gothic structure like many of the buildings in Gotham. Huge pillars loomed up on either side of the entrance while two stone lions were crouched ready to pounce with their mouths open in a roar. Next to the heavy dark stained wooden doors sitting atop a regal looking staircase was the red hair of Wally West, wearing a gaudy red suit with a gold undershirt and black tie that matched his super hero costume.

Next to the freckle-faced red head, stood a woman that could give many an Amazon a run for their money. Her pale skin was a rarity in her home of Brazil, her green hair was even more so and was getting a few odd looks from some of the more business-oriented people. Beatrix da Costa, was a sight in her green bikini top pushing her breasts together and upward, while a green skirt fell down over her calves, leaving her ankles and green stiletto heels. Her rock hard abs, were showing and gathering just as much attention as her hair.

The two of them were holding each other close and whispering to each other and it made the young Kryptonian girl smile. It was so nice to see her friends happy. Nearby was Bruce's first protégé, Dick Grayson, dressed almost exactly like Bruce that it was uncanny. His black hair was slicked back and his dark suit fit his frame especially well. His arms were around an orange woman dressed in a full length purple gown. Her green eyes literally glowed with power, as the Tamerian girl, Kori, as she liked to be called when not fighting crime as Starfire, was one of the few aliens on Earth that could often go toe to toe with Kara herself in their sparring sessions.

Dick had taken up the title of Batman in Gotham when Bruce was believed to be dead, and worked with the original Dark Knight's son, Damien as Robin, while the billionaire was jet setting around the world getting an army assembled under the Batman logo to fight crime worldwide. Clark and Diana were both against the idea of Batman Incorporated, funded by Wayne Enterprises, but all hoped that a conflict between the Bat's men and the Justice League never occurred. Blue eyes turned to look at Bruce and wondered just which side would win. You never knew what exactly Batman had up his sleeve and she had seen the effects of Bruce fighting Clark while the Dark Knight had a kryptonite ring, and it was safe to say neither side truly walked away unharmed.

As they climbed out of the limo, the tanned teenager looked around for any sign of Harry, but couldn't see him. She was about to use her X-ray vision when she felt a tap on her shoulder. Turning, she saw Clark shake his head at her before walking away with Hippolyta, Diana, and Bruce, as well as the Amazon bodyguards wearing solid black suits. With a sigh, she followed the group, nodding and smiling as she shook hands with several business men, before a POP sounded nearby. Her smile grew into a grin, as she and the others made their way inside the restaurant.

The inside of the gray stone building was beautiful. It was two stories tall, with a balcony serving as the second floor and hanging over half the bottom floor. Most of the tables had been moved away with only a single long table set up in the middle with a red tablecloth was left. A chandelier hung over head, giving off a soft glow when compared to the deep set lights that were scattered over the ceiling high above. A tank full of fish sat off to the side with lobsters, their claws wrapped in rubber bands, scuttling around the bottom.

Sitting down next to Hippolyta, the young girl looked toward the entrance as a handsome, tanned youth, wearing a black suit and green shirt stepped through the door. His hair was as messy as ever as he looked at the table with a slightly nervous look on his face. His green eyes seemed to glow with a power all his own in the dim light and she wondered if that was because he was a wizard. It seemed odd to her that the wizards hide themselves from the world; after all, others moved quite openly in the mundane world without a second thought.

Harry was nervous, especially so, really. He had never really attended a formal function and had even skipped out on his Order of Merlin First Class award ceremony. Some of the light conversation seemed to stop as people noticed him, a large number of the group Harry didn't know at all. He smiled as his eyes landed on the group he had met earlier in the week and he found a seat on the edge of the table, sitting slightly apart from everyone. "Harry, glad you could join us." Bruce said with his goofy smile in place. "Everyone this is Harry Potter from England. We met him earlier this week and thought he would like to join us." Blanching at the attention, Harry smiled weakly and nodded to the others and gave a small wave.

Harry noticed a dark haired woman sitting next to Kara giving him a strange look as though memorizing his face. Confused, he nodded to her as well and turned his attention to the table cloth, not really sure what to say. He didn't really know anyone sitting around him and didn't really know what to talk about. It was moments like these, that he cursed Hogwarts; it had set him up with magic but had done absolutely nothing to prepare him for the real world. Maybe he should have taken Muggle Studies instead of the useless Divination, that way he would know something.

A short round oriental man sitting across from Harry smiled at the boy's obvious uncomfortable body language and decided to take pity on him. "Mr. Potter, I am Nakasumi; I find it easier to simply go by my last name." The man said in perfect English, drawing Harry's eyes to him. "I develop toys in my home of Japan, they were quite successful." He explained with a smile and nodded toward Mr. Wayne. "Mr. Wayne has given my company considerable investments so long as he donates many toys to orphanages all over the world."

The young wizard smiled at that, actually glad to hear that someone was doing something for the orphans in the world. "As an orphan myself, Mr. Nakasumi; I can say it is wonderful what you do." He said honestly, relaxing a bit. "I never had many toys growing up, my relatives didn't approve of them, or television." He didn't say that that had only extended to himself and not his blond boxing cousin. "I am sure the children are happy to have such things."

General small talk filled the air as the waiters brought out platters filled with shrimp and dipping sauces and placed them down, with every two people getting their own large portion. Part of the way through the shrimp, Bruce Wayne stood up and Harry saw Clark get out a notepad and a pen and start writing. "If I may have your attention, as many of you know I have recently revealed my part in the help against crime by funding Batman in Gotham." The billionaire said, and Harry looked at the others, hoping he wasn't the only one confused, but clearly everyone knew what Wayne was talking about.

"It has come to my attention that the Batman is on a mission to recruit others to his cause, spreading out across the globe to fight against crime everywhere and letting the whole of the criminal underworld fear the Mantel of the Bat." He said impassioned and the young man found himself riveted by the idea of a man taking a stand worldwide against the injustices that too often were never solved. "My company can only do so much to fund this project called Batman Incorporated, and we need help to see this dream spread globally to make sure no other child ever has to grow up alone because of some punk with a gun."

Harry's eyes misted over as he looked down at the table. This was more than the Wizarding World had ever done as a whole. This wasn't reacting to the crimes of the world like the Ministry and Order of the Phoenix had, this was more direct, trying to snuff it out at the source. It was a gallant dream; one Harry had had more times than he could count since he had come to Athens. He understood that it was futile in the end, you couldn't be everywhere at once, but they were trying, truly trying to do some good in the world. Even if it was only money, he knew he would help, just so long as there was the slightest chance that no innocent child would ever grow up in a cupboard.

He saw others nodding while Clark wrote down what Bruce was saying in his notepad, probably here to report what was going on. His eyes flickered to a frowning Diana though, who didn't seem happy with the plan. Harry could honestly see why, in truth the thought of a man controlling a global army was rather utilitarian and scared him, but he could see the honesty in Bruce's gaze, the want to help and not control. "To be honest, the Batman doesn't want much, just enough to get these men started in their quest for justice," Bruce continued looking around the table. Harry could see him frown as he looked at Diana's dark face, but pushed ahead anyway. "Batman Incorporated along with the Justice League could be just what the world needs to insure another near Apocalypse like what happened with Darkseid last year doesn't happen again."

The tanned boy watched as Nakasumi stood and clapped, as did a man that resembled Harry quite a bit sitting next to Bruce. Slowly the men in the party began to stand and Harry followed suit applauding the speech. Mr. Wayne was certainly a charismatic individual, though he wondered why Clark looked constipated, as did a red haired man and a beautiful woman with green hair. Kara and Diana looked about incensed with what was being said, while the dark haired woman sitting between them looked as though none of it concerned her.

"I doubt the Justice League will be too happy with one of its members having its own army." Kara said, her blue eyes blazing as she looked at Bruce. This had become a sore subject with the group as a whole with many members of the League arguing against Batman's advance across the globe. "I mean with heroes like Superman and Wonder Woman and two Batmen already, do you really think the world needs a world order of guys in capes who bow and scrape at a single man's feet."

"It does seem like a harsh approach." Harry said, speaking up to talk to the whole table, "but I've seen exactly what lengths some people are willing to go to for power, what depths they will sink to, and there wasn't any members of the Justice League there." The wizard said, ignoring the looks coming at him from several of the heroes who weren't already on board with the Batman Inc plan. "I had to hunt down the twisted filth that murdered my parents sixteen years after he killed them, because no one else would step up. I didn't see any super people or wonderful women coming to help me when I and my friends were being tortured and the people around me, my friends and family being killed."

He closed his mouth quickly realizing what exactly he had said and sat down, crossing his arms and glaring at anyone who looked at him. "If this Batman guy is willing to try and stop things like that, then I'm all for him." He muttered before retreating in on himself. Thinking over what exactly he had, said he was proud he hadn't let anything about magic slip off his tongue. He knew he shouldn't have gotten so vocal, but these people were putting their faith in heroes who he had never heard of, and who hadn't lifted a finger while Wizarding Britain was locked in a civil war, of course, most of the wizards and witches hadn't either, but still!

"Do not speak of what you know nothing about, little boy." A deeply accented voice said, as the woman with green hair stood up, slamming her hands down on the table. "The League has helped save the world numerous times; the idea that one of their weakest members should start an army, that any of them should start an army is laughable. The Batman is setting up a global dictatorship," Beatriz said, her green eyes flaring with fire as she turned to look at Bruce, "it seems to me he is setting himself up for a One World Order under his own insignia."

"Whoa, whoa, the Batman has saved my life on more than one occasion." The red head, Wally West, said, as he got to his feet quickly and glared at his date. "He's never struck me as the type of man to want power for himself, only to help others. And we aren't talking about overthrowing political leaders, we're talking about bringing down criminally insane madmen who are robbing banks and killing people by the truck load. He might not have any powers like the others, but he's a damn good guy and he has a dream that I think we should help with."

"In truth, it isn't like the League couldn't put him in place if he ever overstepped his boundaries." Diana said crossing her arms. "Batman has helped the world many times, I'll fully give him that, but to think he has the right and the honors to start a full war against the criminals of the entire world is mad." Her voice sounded pleading as she looked at Bruce, however the seemingly eccentric man had set his jaw and a vein seemed to be throbbing in his forehead.

A roar over took the table as people began arguing back and forth on the idea, some were for giving Batman a chance to further champion the mission he had started in Gotham City in the U.S., while others were against it. Harry thought that these people were doing an awful lot of complaining for people who weren't even directly involved. After all, he had seen no sign of the Justice League yet except for small stories on the news before he busted his T.V. The whole lot of them seemed as though they had gone over this argument time and again and he wondered why.

A vague idea crossed his mind and he had to wonder, perhaps these supposed heroes weren't as far away as he thought they were. His eyes focused on Bruce Wayne, a capital of industry and one of the richest men on the planet, but an orphan with the resources to take up vigilantism to fight against the thing that had taken his parents from him. His eyes widened as he put two and two together. Bruce was obviously this Batman guy everyone was talking about, trying to get multiple sources of income to finance his army of vigilantes without drawing too much attention to himself.

And if that was the case, then the others, Diana, Clark, and even Kara might have been members of the Justice League. That would be why they were arguing in its stead against the Batman Incorporated idea. His eyes moved steadily over the table taking in everyone. Mr. Nakasumi and a few of the business men probably weren't heroes, but the green haired girl and her red headed boyfriend might have been, as well as the guy next to Bruce and his orange girlfriend! Damn, he felt proud of himself, except for not noticing the orange girl sooner, he was certain he was sitting at a table with members of the supposed Justice League and had been the only none member to notice.

Looking back at Bruce, he supposed his shock and understanding must have shown on his face because the man's eyes were wide and then narrowed slightly. Harry sneered at the table; this was the Justice League, a group that had saved the planet multiple times? Each one was arguing about their own superiority like the Death Eaters fighting about who got to kiss the whitest part of Voldemort's arse! If these were the heroes of the muggles, he was glad they hadn't come to help him in his fight, because it still would have been going on while they argued over useless information.

The Justice League had saved the world, but it seemed as though they weren't doing a damn thing to help their fellow men on Earth if one of their number had to create a global organization to do so. Standing, he looked at Bruce before motioning his head to the stairs leading up to the balcony. Seeing the man's subtle nod, they moved in unison, with Bruce reaching the stairs first and Harry following behind him. At the top, Bruce turned to the wizard and narrowed his eyes. "What gave us away?"

"The bickering over things that, truthfully, none of you should have the power to even deal with," Harry explained as he crossed his arms. "I take it, you weren't planning on telling me or anyone else that you lot are part of a team of world saving badasses?" He asked, running his hand through his hair as his green eyes narrowed savagely at the guy he was now quite certain was the Batman.

"Not yet, we had other things we wanted to tell you first." Bruce admitted looking at the ground floor below them where the bickering continued. "I never planned this, or to have other people involved," he whispered, making sure only Harry he could hear him. "It started with just me, then Dick joined, then others. For years, I considered myself a loner, but I realized that it took me nearly twenty allies just to keep one city safe, and even then, we aren't doing the best. As Batman, I strike fear into the hearts of criminals, feeding on their fears of what really goes bump in the night. Batman Incorporated would do the same on a global scale, making millions of potential criminals rethink their lives."

Harry stared at Bruce's back, something was off; it was too easy to get through like this, to figure out someone's secret identity. "So why tell me all of this? I could have been wrong. You could have simply laughed me off like I was insane and continued on your merry way. So why tell me?" The wizard asked in a low voice as he stood slightly distant from the balcony, but he could feel the itch for the wand, wanted to feel the wood in his hands in case Bruce decided to kill him or something.

"Batman Incorporated is about taking people outside the fold; heroes with no real affiliation and band them together to do what the Justice League has been doing less and less of; protecting mankind from the monsters it spawns." Bruce said turning to look at Harry, his shoulders back and Harry now realized just how small he was compared to the man in front of him. "You are a hero, my friend J'onn told us today about what you did in school, and what you went through to make it happen.

"You are the type of person I want under the Mantel of the Bat, someone who is willing to do the right thing and gain nothing in return. I want you, Harry, to join Batman Incorporated."