6. To London and Back
The next morning, Harry walked into a shop that he had not been inside since he was eleven years old.
Like the last time, he felt hidden power lurking beneath the surface. It was only natural, though, given the sheer quantity of wands present.
"Mr. Ollivander, I am glad to see that you are still around," Harry said from beneath his cloak as he approached the elderly wand maker. To an average mortal, his age would have been considered great, but he was a wizard, not an average mortal. He was a still younger than Dumbledore had been, so he still had quite a few years. He had thought of Dumbledore as an old man, yet he was still twenty-three years shy of the average life expectancy of a wizard. That was just the average, of course. One of the most extreme cases that was not aided by something like the Elixir of Life was Armando Dippet. He had gone on to live three and a half centuries.
"That is a voice I have not heard in years," Garrick Ollivander remarked, staring at Harry curiously.
"Call me Mr. Peverell if you have to, but I'd rather you not mention any other names you may know me by," Harry said as he removed his original wand and handed it to Ollivander. He proceeded to remove the Elder Wand as well and put it on the counter between them.
"I would know this wand anywhere," Ollivander said as he studied the phoenix wand. "It is in good shape, as I would expect from you… Mr. Peverell."
He returned that wand to Harry and studied the second wand.
Almost instantly, Olivander gasped in shock.
"This wand… I have never seen anything like it. I was asked me about this wand twice, but I was not certain it was anymore than a fable until you showed it to me. The Deathstick is real after all, and I am holding it."
He reluctantly returned it to Harry, clearly wishing that he could have studied it further.
"For certain reasons, I am in need of something from you, and I cannot have you speak of this meeting or my request," Harry said after a moment of silence.
"I am sure you have your reasons for choosing to remain dead," Ollivander said, unconcerned. "I will not speak of this to anyone. However, I cannot sell you another wand. There are restrictions on buying additional wands."
"I do not want a wand, Mr. Ollivander," Harry said, leaning forward. "I want a staff."
Those words seemed to shock Ollivander more than anything else could.
"I have studied wandlore all of my life. I have never even attempted to create a staff. It could be as different from making a wand as day is to night," Ollivander stated.
"From what I understand, a staff can focus more magic than a wand can," Harry pointed out. "I need something that can produce acts of magic similar to the Elder Wand but without being able to be snapped so easily."
"I see," Ollivander said, growing deep in though. "As far as I know, a true magic staff has not been crafted in England in the last five hundred years. Perhaps I could apply what I know of wandcrafting to staffcrafting. However, it is unlikely to only take a single attempt."
"What do you need to do this for me?" Harry asked, feeling a little relieved. Ollivander's answer was better than he had expected.
"I will not accept any payment for this. For saving me and ending the war, I will always be in your debt. If this helps you, then I will gladly do it," Ollivander answered. "But if you are asking how I will make it, the answer is more complicated. A staff would have to use at least two different cores due to its size, and I am not certain what kind of material would be best suited to crafting the shaft of the staff."
"I will leave you to it then," Harry said, reaching into this cloak. He knew better than to argue about Ollivander not accepting payment for the staff. Old men had a tendency to be stubborn. "But just in case, take these. Maybe they will help."
"I would recognize this anywhere," Ollivander said, taking the feather that Harry was holding. It looked exactly like the feather used in the wands that he gave to Tom Riddle and Harry Potter. "And that is a vial of phoenix tears?"
"Correct," Harry said, handing the vial over. "Thank you for your assistance. I'll be at Grimmauld Place if you need me."
Ollivander looked too deep in thought to notice Harry leave the shop.
After leaving Ollivander's, Harry decided to visit a certain shop that he had not been to in too long. Weasley's Wizard Wheezes.
"Not very busy on Saturday, are you?" Harry asked when he entered the shop, only to see that George Weasley was the only one inside. He cast a wordless Muffliato on the door as he approached the counter.
"It's usually a slow day," George agreed, nodding his head. Seeing him reminded Harry how much Fred's death had changed him.
"Out of curiosity, did Bagman ever pay you back," Harry asked casually.
It did not take long for the reaction to be seen on George's face.
"How do you know about that?" The question came out quietly but serious enough that it would have made most people nervous.
"I'm not likely to forget that, now am I?" Harry asked as he lowered his hood. "I did give you the Triwizard winnings on the train, after all."
"Harry?" George whispered, completely shocked by his sudden appearance.
"It's been too long," Harry said, removing the Marauders' Map from his cloak and placing it on the counter.
"What happened to you? We thought you were dead," George asked, his voice almost too quiet to be heard.
"I'd rather not advertise how I survived falling through the Veil, but I will say that I ended up in another dimension," Harry began. From there, he told George about what had led him from escaping all the way up to visiting Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. He made sure to speak vaguely of Clark, J'onn, and aliens in general, but he did not need to say anything of that to get the message across.
"I wish you were here to stay, but I think I can understand," George said, letting out a soft sigh. "I'll keep this a secret, but you better start writing occasionally, even if you have to get Andromeda to pass them to me. Also, you accept your share of the profits. You were our chief investor, so it's only right that you start getting your share of the profits. After we opened the shop, we decided that you'd get a third of the shop. You disappeared before I could tell you though."
Honestly, Harry could not bring himself to complain. He had no plans to get a job in Metropolis, so an extra source of income could be useful. "Okay, I accept. However, I want to get some stuff from the shop. Just deduct the cost of whatever I get from my share."
"You have seven and a half years worth. Whatever you get isn't going to take away that much," George pointed out.
So with that, Harry gathered up Bruise Removal Paste, Extendable Ears, Swamp in a Box, Sunny Spells, Wasley's Snowstorm, Weasley's Wet Weather, Weather in a Bottle, Decoy Detonators, Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder, Shield Rings, and a variety of quills.
Most of the items he bought had been available the last time he was there, but they had all been improved according to George. For example, the Extendable Ears were now what muggles would call wireless. The Shield Rings were a fairly interesting object in his opinion. They were actually new, having been based off of Shield Hats, Shield Cloaks, and Shield Gloves. They produced a Shield Charm using the enchantments placed upon them. One model automatically formed the shield anytime foreign magic neared the wearer, and another model had to be activated by the wearer's magic.
It was interesting to note that the first model could actually be used by squibs and muggles.
In the end, Harry left the shop with enough products to take out about three months of the profits he was owed. The business that he was a part owner to was actually very successful, it seemed.
Before Harry left, the pair had made plans to get together again before he returned to Metropolis again.
When Monday rolled around, Harry returned to Ollivander's shop at the wandcrafter's request.
As soon as he got inside the shop, Ollivander strode past him, locked the door, put up a sign saying that the shop was closed, and returned to the counter. Atop it was a white sheet that was clearly covering a staff.
"It is simple in design, but I believe that it is exactly what you wanted," Ollivander said as he gripped the sheet. With a single motion, he pulled the sheet away, revealing a staff different from what Harry had expected.
The staff was black in color. It was the darkest shade of wood that he had ever seen. The shaft was straight as an arrow and relatively plain. However, a silver cap had been placed on each end of the staff. Runes could be seen going around the sides of the caps. The flat side of each cap was completely unmarked.
Harry grabbed the staff and held it in his hands. It was heavier than he had expected, but it was not too bad at the same time.
"Six feet long, made of ebony that was treated with phoenix tears, and contains a core of one phoenix feather," Ollivander said, surprising him. "Ebony is highly suited to all manner of combative magic, along with transfiguration. The perfect match of an ebony wand is one who will hold fast to his beliefs and is not easily swayed from his purpose. I assume that the same can be said of an ebony wand. The phoenix tears had a profound effect on the wood. It gave the wood natural healing properties and removed the need of multiple cores. Even if the staff was cut, it would repair itself over time due to these healing properties. The single phoenix feather within the staff already seems to owe its allegiance to you. It fits the wood perfectly due to it being treated with tears from the same phoenix that gave the feather. And the silver caps at each end of the staff are not for decoration. They protect the ends of the staff and magically strengthen the staff as a whole. You expressed interest in a powerful focus that could not be easily broken, so I present you with this."
"It's impressive," Harry said, grasping the staff in two hands. As he did so, he felt a rush of magic flow through him. It reminded him of when he used the Elder Wand, but it seems to be both more powerful and less focused.
"Be careful, Mr. Peverell," Ollivander warned. "That staff possesses greater power than either of us realize. Even without a vast knowledge of spells, the wielder of that staff possesses incredible power."
"I will be careful," Harry promised. "Thank you again for your help, but I need to return soon."
And with that, Harry apparated back to Grimmauld Place.
The sheer force of the apparition left every window in Ollivander's shop cracked.
"I can't believe you're leaving again already," Andromeda said, shaking her head.
It had not taken him long to get ready, fortunately. All that he planned on taking with him could fit on his person, after all.
But Andromeda had something else that she wanted to give him.
"I haven't had as much time as I hoped, but it was enough for me to finish you one." As she finished speaking, she canceled the Disillusionment charm on a box and handed it to him.
Curiously, he opened it, only to be surprised at what was inside.
A scarlet mask, a long sleeve black shirt with the Deathly Hallows emblem in scarlet on the front of it, a pair of scarlet gauntlets, a scarlet belt, a pair of black pants, a pair of scarlet boots, and a scarlet hooded cloak were placed neatly within the box. Just by sight, he could tell that the gauntlets, belt, and boots were made from the hide of a Chinese Fireball, while the rest of the clothes were made from acromantula silk.
"It's your decision if you want to wear it, but I thought you could use a little color," Andromeda said, looking away. "You may find that wearing at least one color other than black will change people's perception of you."
"Thank you," Harry said with a smile. It was a nice gesture. Plus, it would likely be more comfortable during summer than his all black ensemble would. As long as he used some Sleekeazy on his hair before he put on his costume, he could actually take off the cloak as well.
"Will we be seeing you for Christmas next month?" Andromeda asked after a moment of silence.
"Sure," Harry answered. "I'll just need to know what your plans are for. I may have told George, but I don't want the news that I'm still alive and kicking to get around."
"I'll let you know as soon as it is decided," Andromeda promised.
"In that case, I'll see you later."
With that, Fawkes flew over to him and took them both back to the warehouse with flame travel.
Upon arriving back at his warehouse, Harry saw that J'onn was actually sitting at the table and reading one of the history books that he had Andromeda buy.
"How's everything been over here?" Harry asked as he put his supplies on the table.
"It's good to see you," J'onn greeted. "Everything is as it should be. I do not know what method you had of obtaining information, but I read the minds of every criminal I took care of. Everything that I found out is written down on that stack of paper." As he spoke, he pointed to a nearby stack of paper that consisted of at least thirty pieces of paper.
"Maybe I need to start learning legilimency," Harry said as he flipped through the pages. It was a good amount of information and had more details than he would have expected. It seemed that his tactics no longer worked efficiently, so learning legilimency or making truth potions were his best choices.
"Since you've been gone, you've been known as Emrys instead of the Shadow of Metropolis. It is interesting to see how a simple change in name attracts attention. You're all that they want to write about," J'onn remarked. "At the same time, the criminals of Metropolis seem more determined to deal with you. I should warn you that I had a few bullets fired at me when you were gone."
"I'm not too worried about it," Harry said, knowing full well that he could easily disarm someone with his telekinesis. It helped that Fawkes could heal him if he needed it.
"Just be careful out there," J'onn said, closing the book he was reading. "Though Kal-El now has Raya to teach him about Krypton and guide him, I must remain vigilant. They both share the same weakness."
That caught Harry's attention.
"Weakness?"
Clark had never mentioned a weakness before.
"You are trustworthy, so I will tell you," J'onn said as he rose to his feet. "When Krypton exploded, two meteor showers were sent to Earth. The first carried Kal-El, but it also carried radioactive pieces of Krypton. This Kryptonite has adverse effects of Kryptonians. There are different variations of it, but all that you need to know is that he should be kept away from any glowing meteor rocks."
"I'll keep that in mind," Harry promised. "But for now, I need to go and visit Clark. I need to talk to him about something else. Feel free to stay and read as much as you'd like in the meantime."
"Thank you. I find the history of your hidden world to be rather fascinating," J'onn said.
Nodding, Harry brought all of his new possessions down to his potion lab.
He quickly changed into his new costume, though he did so in a way that no one would realize who he was. His cloak, gauntlets, and mask were stored away inside an enchanted bag that was disillusioned at his left hip, his fake glasses were once again in place, and he had put a hoodie on, concealing his shirt. Both of his wands were once again hidden in the mokeskin pouch underneath his shirt, as was the Invisibility Cloak and the Resurrection Stone.
Once he was changed, he put away the pranking products that he had gotten from Weasley's Wizard Wheezes except for the Shield Rings that activated automatically and a bag of Peruvian Instant Darkness Power. He disillusioned the bag after attaching it to his belt at his right hip.
Once he was done, he headed back up to the warehouse's ground floor and apparated, deciding that it would not be wise to do so around anything that was breakable.
Harry appeared outside of the Kent farm with a crack.
Almost instantly, Clark and Raya appeared before him, using their super speed.
"How have you two been?" he asked, looking between them curiously.
"Fine," Clark said with a nod. "That's the loudest you've ever teleported. We had no idea it was you."
"Yeah… well, it appears that my staff isn't good at subtlety," Harry replied sheepishly. "And how have you been, Raya?"
"I have been well," she answered carefully. "Being free of the Phantom Zone and under the yellow sun is an experience unlike any other."
"Can you fly yet?" Harry asked with a slightly mischievous smile.
"Yes, I can, though I am still getting the hand of it," she replied, sparing a glance at Clark. "Kal-El appears to have something blocking him from being able to do it at all."
"It's probably his fear of heights, which is ironic since he can go skydiving without a parachute and walk away without any problem," Harry said, making Clark sigh out loud. "But I'm not really here to talk about that. Last Friday, I had a run in with the infamous Green Arrow. What do you know about him, Clark?"
Raya looked interested in the direction the conversation was going now.
"We've met," Clark said hesitantly. "He knows my secret, and I know his. That's all I can really say."
Raya looked like she wanted to chastise him letting his secret be discover that easily, but Harry spoke before she could do so.
"He invited me to join a little group that he's putting together. It sounds like it's just a team of vigilantes that will come together to handle things that can't be done by just one person. Should I trust him?"
"He can be trusted," Clark said with conviction.
"This could be a good idea," Raya remarked, appearing to be deep in thought. "Even with Kal-El's destiny, he cannot do everything. A team would be useful in situations where he needed help, or even to simply take some of the stress off of him. It may very well be the only way that Kal-El can begin his training without having to worry about the people of Metropolis as well."
"I will be meeting Green Arrow this Friday and accepting his offer then. But for now, I need to get my bearings back. I just returned from London again."
"You were seen in Metropolis every night since you first returned," Clark said, looking confused.
"I had someone fill in for me. I'm sure you'll meet J'onn before too long," Harry said, seeing recognition dawn in Raya's eyes. "Oh, and I almost forgot something…."
He removed five rings from his pocket as he spoke the last sentence.
"Take these. There is an enchantment upon each ring. It will protect the wearer from magic. How long it lasts will depend on the power of the spells that it blocks, but I would suggest that you each start to wear one just in case. Feel free to give the other three to your friends or keep them for yourselves. I remember you mentioning your previous encounters with magic, so it's clear that it can be used to hurt you."
Raya took all five rings and placed one on her right hand before offering one to Clark.
"Thank you for all the help you've given us, Harry," Raya said, exhaling a sigh of relief. "I was concerned when I found out who you were, but you've proven that you are a good man."
"I just do what I think is right," Harry said, shaking his head. "I need to head back now, but one of these days, I'm going to drop by just to hang out."
"That sounds good to me," Clark said as he put on one of the rings.
With that, Harry apparated back to Metropolis.
Author's Note: And there's the chapter I planned on getting out yesterday.
Next chapter will mark the first real appearance of Zatanna, along with Harry's meeting with Green Arrow.
