Chapter Fourteen: Public.

A change of environment allowed for a rather fresh perspective. This particular lesson had been learned rather well by Harry Potter. He had waited in the lobby of Horizon for Carol Ferris. The two of them were going to meet together briefly. Harry wanted to meet her for a while. They talked a couple of times over the time, but talking over the phone and hashing together things in person.

Everything ground to a calmer pace over the past couple of days, after taking Natalie in. She had not remembered much about the days leading up to her coming underneath the control of the League of Assassins, at least she didn't just yet. Harry hoped in time, she would remember more. The League's tensions with the various factors continued to bubble over, to the point where it looked like it was about ready to practically simmer.

Harry thought any chance for them to get any kind of information would be a good one.

'All's quiet here,' Faith thought. She was currently bored, which meant she found her way delving in for some conversation with Harry. 'Is it just me, or is quiet the most unsettling thing in the entire world.'

Harry responded with a chuckle regarding the annoyance which started to cross her.

'No, it's not just you,' Harry said. 'I remembered when I was younger….'

'Yes, because you're so ancient now…..what are you anyway, eighteen or nineteen?' Faith asked.

Harry smiled, his actual age was an anomaly due to his Master of Death training, but that was neither here nor there.

'It varies,' Harry said. He wasn't about ready to be deterred from telling his story so he once again he started up. 'Every time there was a calm, I had a really bad feeling something bad was going to happen. And then the rug got yanked out from underneath me, because something really bad always did happen after things calmed down.'

'But, it was exciting,' Faith said.

People got their excitement and thrills in a variety of ways. Harry would call his years at school many things, but he would be a fool to call them dull. Excitement wasn't something they lacked.

'In its own messed up way, yes,' Harry said. 'As you know, you're going to have those dry spots. Take some time to catch your breath, and more importantly, sharpen your skills.'

Harry turned his attention over towards the side entrance of the lobby. Two sets of doors swung open and needless to say, the person who stepped her way on through the lobby more than deserved any attention Harry would give her.

The tall dark haired beauty dressed in a purple female business suit, skirt coming down to a modest level, while at the same time giving a hint of her legs. The top button of her blouse was undone, a bit of a tease ,although Harry doubted very much it was intentional. It just was the way the outfit was done, to be honest.

Still, she was the type of woman to turn heads, and Harry appreciated the fact she was here

Carol Ferris turned around and stepped towards the young man who watched her approach. She was looking around and considering Harry was the first person she saw, she figured it would be wise to go up to him.

"Hello, I'm looking for Harry Potter," Carol said. "I'm Carol Ferris…."

Carol realized something, the moment she caught sight of those green eyes. She could have gone ten shades of red.

"You're looking at him right now," Harry said. He extended his hand and she took it. The two of them shook hands. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Ms. Ferris. I wasn't around in the early stages of the deal but…..when the Board mentioned the project we were working on, I was curious about some things, and I wanted to clarify a couple of things we talked over on the phone."

Harry looked at Carol who appeared to be in la-la hand. He raised a hand and snapped his fingers.

"Hey, are you okay?"

"Well, it's not every day the prodigal son returns," Carol said. She took a moment to take him all in and frowned. "You know, you're nothing like I was expecting."

Harry answered only with a slight shift his eyebrow. He leaned closer towards Carol to ask the immortal question.

"Is that a good thing I wasn't like you expected?" Harry asked. "Or is it a bad thing, I wasn't what you expected?"

"Oh, no, it's a good thing, I can assure you," Carol said. "I just wish…well…it's nothing really important…"

"Actually, it seems to be very important if you're stressed out," Harry said.

Carol blinked and pulled down her sunglasses so she could properly survey Harry. A moment passed before she let out the most obvious sigh. One which indicated a person was getting tired of hiding their own feelings.

"It's pretty obvious I was stressed out, wasn't it?" Carol asked him.

"Yeah, just a little bit," Harry said. "Why don't we…postpone the business meeting for a little bit. We can discuss business later, you look like you can use a cup of coffee. And there's a nice café across the street. I'm buying."

Carol wasn't about to say no to a free cup of coffee. She turned away from Harry and allowed him to escort her across the street. The truth was, she almost had been made late from this meeting because of a lot of bullshit going on with her company. The same bullshit which had gone on since her father died about a year ago and the Board had thought they could strong arm her.

There were a couple people on that Board which gave Carol recurring headaches.

A cup of coffee had been placed on the table in front of both of them. Carol frowned when seeing the cup of coffee on the table.

"It's not to your liking?" Harry asked.

Carol hated to give him the wrong impression, so she shook her head.

"No, there's just a whole lot on my mind," Carol said. She reached over and took the cup of coffee to drink it. Harry was right, it really did hit the spot. "The Board very nearly pulled the plug on this project."

Harry was rather surprised by this statement and invited her to continue.

"Why would they do that?" Harry asked. "Don't they realize how important the project is to the future of both of our companies….yours especially."

Carol responded with a scoff. The board saw her as Carl Ferris's little girl, and they just nodded and smiled every time she talked about a project.

"They are very short-sighted," Carol said. "They'd be angry if I told you about this, but….they think we should just follow the same steady path they followed when my father was around. But….my father realized towards the end that path was a pretty barren one. And this could really change air travel, if we can make it work."

"Yes?" Harry asked.

"The design you sent me…..with the modifications, they're perfectly doable," Carol said. "And the test flight should go on without a hitch, providing the Board doesn't get involved."

Harry reached across the table and touched the top of her hand.

"I'm sorry, we weren't supposed to discuss business, but….it's just been bothering me," Carol said.

"I understand," Harry informed her. "Why don't we get it all out right now, lay your frustrations out, and we can figure out what to do next? And maybe the two of us can go out to dinner another time, no business, just…to get to know each other a bit better personally. If we're going to work together, we should be comfortable with each other, wouldn't you agree?"

Carol took a second to consider his proposal. He did seem like a nice enough guy, and while Carol tried to make it her policy not to date employees, that said nothing about business partners. She decided since he was charming enough, and not too bad looking on the eyes, she would give dinner a chance.

What did she have to lose anyway?

"Right, I'd…I'd like that," Carol said.

"Excellent," Harry informed her. "So, what do you think of my ideas for the Redesigned Ferris Dragon Mark 1.0?"

Carol thought the name was a bit of a mouthful for starters, but it was also the type of name to grab people's attention at the best possible time.

"It's great, and my test pilot agrees, and she knows a thing or two about building planes, in addition to flying it," Carol said. "And I know the scientists at Horizon wouldn't make something faulty."

Daisy Johnson always loved a good puzzle and solving this one demanded a lot of her time and energy. She knew this hacker would attempt to get inside any. Daisy knew the type of hacker. They would consider any failure a personal challenge.

And when they got greedy, she would be there, ready to go. She was dealing with someone who was good.

The door opened and Harry walked into the office. Daisy turned towards him when Harry walked over to monitor her progress.

"So, how did the lunch date with Carol go?" Daisy asked as she kept one eye on the system which monitored any irregular activity.

If an employee used an office computer in a way which wasn't authorized, she would know immediately. And if someone tried to hack into the computer from the outside, she would most certainly know what was happening.

"It went about as well as can be expected," Harry said. "Her Board of Directors are giving her difficulties, and she told me all about it."

Daisy heard some whispers about how the Ferris Board didn't take Carol seriously. Not exactly fair given she was fairly competent, about as so as her father, if not more so.

"That's always a problem," Daisy said. "Are you going to have to have a chat with them?"

"I might put the fear of God into them," Harry said.

Daisy cracked into a smile. She would pay to be a fly on the wall to see that.

"The date went about as well as can be expected, because I asked her out to dinner, and she said yes," Harry said. "The only stipulation is we can't discuss business, it's strictly personal."

Daisy brushed off a thought about how she would like to get very personal with Harry. Ever since she encountered him for the first time, thoughts crossed her mind of Harry taking her over the desk and having his way with her.

She had been warned this would happen the moment she had taken this job, by people who were in the know, the people Daisy worked for. However, she ignored them, a very foolish act on her part.

"So, any luck on the hacker?" Harry asked.

Daisy straightened up and looked towards Harry. "No luck, at least not yet, they haven't tried to get into the system. I have it set up though where all activity in the system, whether internally or externally, myself and a small group of trusted IT people can monitor it. And if someone tries anything, we can pounce on them."

Harry answered her with a swift nod. He understood enough of what she was trying to do, but to be honest, there was a fair bit of it. Harry spent seven years inside a castle, and he really didn't have an opportunity to study the inner workings of technology before then.

Still, he knew enough to know Daisy knew her shit.

"You really were the best person for the job," Harry said.

"Yes," Daisy said. The other assistant leaving on maternity leave when she did allow Daisy to slip into the office. "So, is there anything I can get you…anything at all…coffee, maybe?"

Harry answered with one of those smiles as if he knew what she might be inferring. He wouldn't want to make it too easy.

"No, thank you for offering, though," Harry said. "I've got a couple more things to do, I'm meeting a couple of friends after they get out of class."

"Female friends?" Daisy asked before she could help herself.

The grin crossing Harry's face would cause frozen ice to melt in the Arctic. Harry stepped closer thus forcing Daisy to back off into the desk.

"Yes, female friends."

Harry also hoped the lead Sara was currently tracking back on the League, or rather a splinter faction if it would pay off as well. It might shed some more light on who helped mastermind the entire vampire incident, who let Natalie out of her cage. Despite she had been cured, with Harry arranging regular injections, he still wanted to know the truth.

"The press conference is after lunch," Daisy said. "But, I'm sure it should all wrap up before your meeting with your two…female friends."

Harry hadn't forgotten about the press conference, the entire reason for the early lunch date with Carol in the first place. He sat down on the chair behind the desk. Daisy brought him over some notes and dropped them into his lap.

She walked behind him and placed her hands on his shoulder. Daisy started to rub them. Harry turned his attention around towards her, raising an eyebrow.

"Sorry, sir, but you look pretty tense, and it's my job to help you relieve that tension," Daisy said. She massaged the back of his neck and shoulders, making sure to hit all of the points. "And don't worry…we'll catch the hacker, and I'll deliver her to your feet personally."

Harry nodded and flipped through the notes while Daisy gave him a relaxing shoulder and neck massage. Her hands were pretty skilled. Her fingers worked into his shoulder blades, almost like they vibrated.

Perhaps it had been Harry's imagination, or perhaps it was something else entirely. He would have to keep an eye on her.

Despite not putting too much effort in, Harry ensnared yet another woman into his web.

A buzzing echoed, and Daisy frowned. With regret, she pulled her hands away from Harry.

"That's your warning, the press conference will be starting in half of an hour," Daisy said. "Everything you need is there….if you forget…"

"I don't think I'll forget….."

"Right well if you do….."

Harry put a finger, touching it to Daisy's lips. Daisy shuddered.

"I think I'm fine," Harry said. He leaned closer towards her and leaned towards her. "Thank you."

Harry kissed Daisy on the cheek. The moment his lips touched the side of her face, a pleasurable burning sensation spread over the side of Daisy's face. She could barely stand up straight.

A buzzing in her pocket caused Daisy to be brought out of her thoughts.

"Um, I got to take this call," Daisy said. "Go ahead, I'll join you in a moment."

The most pleasurable sensation spread between her thighs. Daisy could barely stand up straight given the warm sensations coursing through her.

'Well, at least it's important, given only three other people have this cell phone number,' Daisy thought.

Harry Potter surveyed the scene. The press had been out in full view, leaving a hell of a crowd there. The Ferris Board of Directors were out, and they looked about as stuffy and agitated as Carol had made them out to be in their early conversation.

'We'll see if they can maintain that façade,' Harry thought to himself. 'Or they have the stick jammed so firmly up their ass they can't appreciate such majesty.'

Harry walked up towards the stage. He looked over the notes which Daisy prepared for him before heading out and memorized them in less than a second.

'Memorizing information is one thing,' Harry thought. 'The ability to think on your feet is what makes someone truly great.'

"For years, people have tried to get places a lot faster," Harry said. "One thing we can all agree about is people always are going to feel the need to speed…but there is a price when feeling this particular need for speed."

Harry allowed his words to all sink in. The applause grew light.

"You can fly at the speed of light, but if you can't prevent yourself from crashing into a wall, then really, what's the point in flying so fast?" Harry asked. "Until we can find a way to balance safety, alongside speed, people are going to always put themselves at risks testing those limits."

Everyone wondered where he was getting after, and Harry would explain it to them in due time.

"We have the future right here, though," Harry said. "The invention which will revolutionize air travel as you know it! And to help me announce this revolutionary new invention, I'd like to welcome the CEO of Ferris Aircraft, Ms. Carol Ferris."

Carol made her way up to the stage. She had been in the place where her father had.

"Thank you, Mr. Potter," Carol said.

"Hey, I should thank you, Ms. Ferris, you were the one who gave this company a chance."

Both of them smiled.

'Just find a room already,' Faith commented.

"Some people say the future is tomorrow, but I disagree," Carol said. "The future is now, and innovation always should be a consideration for the present. And here, Ferris Aircraft and Horizon Industries have teamed up to create a device which would hopefully make long, mind-numbing flights a thing of a past. The most secure, the most amazing airplane today, the Ferris Dragon Mark 1.0."

The item flashed off on the projector and everyone cheered in response. The sleek design made it look like something out of a science fiction movie, and if Harry didn't know any better, he would have to say it wasn't too far from the truth.

"While we're in the prototype phase, I'm confident this plane will ascend to great heights," Carol said. "We intend to balance the three S's, speed, safety, and security."

The image of the plane shifted to a live feed of the Ferris Industries headquarters. Everyone took note of the attractive blonde woman who sat in the seat of the plane. She had a wide smile on her face.

"Do you hear me, Carol?" Carol asked.

"Yes, Carol, I'm here. Are we ready to fly?"

"Yes, we are, show them what we have to offer."

The plane started to take flight. The normally stoic Ferris Industries Board of Directors gasped, and a couple of them looked impressed. Harry and Carol turned towards them with a smile. They tried to adopt the stern looks and failed.

Carol Danvers had flown some of the most complex planes in the world and beyond, and the Ferris Dragon Mark 1.0 was among the most complex to fly. Not any pilot could fly it, there would need to be special training. But, if they had the skills, boy were they in for a treat.

Harry saw the Board impressed, the press, and a few of the military officials who had gotten clearance had been very impressed. A bit too impressed, and Harry didn't know how to feel about that. And apparently, Carol had her same amount of misgivings when looking towards the military people. The frown crossed over her face.

The plane made a perfect landing down to the ground. Everyone cheered, at the successful landing. No one was more excited by the success of the initial test flight than Carol and Harry.

Carol beamed. She thought, maybe, the Board had respected her a little bit more, even though she had to drag her to this point kicking and screaming.

Still, a victory was a victory, not that Carol was going to rub it in their faces. Not really, okay, maybe just a little bit.

The press conference wrapped up and Harry made his way behind the curtain. He almost ran into Lana who stood before him. She stood next towards a perky little blonde with short hair, who eyed up Harry. She was in the crowd as part of one of the members of the press.

Lana stepped back to give them both some breathing room. She stole a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek from Harry.

"Hey, Lana," Harry said. "So, what did you think of the press conference?"

"It was pretty fascinating," Lana said with a smile. She pointed towards the blonde next to him. "Harry, this is Chloe...Chloe Sullivan….Chloe, this is….."

"Harry Potter, oh, I know, he was well introduced, um hi," Chloe said. She beamed with excitement meeting him. "So what brought you back to Horizon….."

Harry raised his eyebrow at the feisty blonde. She had about a million questions a minute, and Harry had never seen anyone talk without taking a breath.

"Easy, take a deep breath," Harry said.

"Sorry, I'm just so excited, actually getting to meet you, Lana's told me about you, and well, it isn't like you haven't been all over the news," Chloe said. "I won't spend too much time, I know you've been a very busy man."

Harry chuckled and locked eyes with Lana.

"Chloe, if you want an interview, all you have to do is ask," Harry said. He paused for a moment. "So, what are you doing out here on the West Coast? Lana mentioned to me you were working on a project."

Chloe nodded in response. She had only been out by Sunnydale for one reason.

"Well, there's a lot of weirdness out here, just as much as Smallville did back in its heyday," Chloe said. She brushed a couple of locks out of her hair. "And let's face it, Sunnydale might be even worse than Smallville given all of the weird rumors and stuff going on around them…you spent some time there, recently?"

"Yes," Harry said. "Are you doing a story about the weird goings on?"

Chloe chuckled, there would need to be an entire series of stories to scratch the surface of the weird goings on in Sunnydale.

"Yes, I'm…well, I'm doing more of the independent reporter thing," Chloe said. "Worked with the Daily Planet for a while, and that didn't really pan out…and then, I worked with Catherine Grant and….let's just say, that really didn't work out. Cat…she can be…well she didn't get where she is by being any less of a bitch and trampling over people."

Harry could just imagine. He took Chloe's hand and saw a flash. A man with dark hair stood over the top of her and ran cables through her body. Harry pulled back, blinking, and then adjusted himself.

It was only the second time that happened. Harry didn't know if he saw the future, a potential future, or a past, but still it was odd.

"Are you concerned at all the new plane is going to make you a lightning rod for terrorists?" Chloe asked. She received a look from Harry which made her feel like a naughty schoolgirl who was about ready to be reprimanded. "I know, I know but…"

"It's always a threat, yes," Harry said. "Carol and I, we're taking the proper precautions…the plane is not going to fall into the wrong hands."

Chloe nodded. She didn't have her notepad with her, which the girl could have kicked herself for being so lazy.

"And you don't really want it in military hands, do you?" Chloe asked. "I could see the look on your face when those military officials were eying you up."

"I'd prefer my projects are not used to strong arm people," Harry said. "Can you honestly blame me?"

Chloe shook her head. She really couldn't, honestly.

More people were coming in, moving their way towards the crowd. Buffy popped up next, and Willow tagged along.

"That was amazing...Horizon really is…well, it's breaking new Horizons," Willow said. "Which makes the name kind of appropriate."

"Hey, Willow….Buffy…..I thought the two of you were….well I was going to meet up with you later," Harry said. "I didn't mistake the time, did I?"

"No, that's all on us," Buffy said. "There was a situation at school."

A situation at a school in Sunnydale….oh boy, Harry could only imagine what that was out.

"And you got dismissed early," Harry said.

"Yes," Buffy said. "Even though it was taken care of, there's a lot of parents who are….well…..I'll tell you all about it later."

Harry could tell Buffy, and likely Faith, had a hell of an adventure which he missed out on.

'Yes, and you leave me to clean up the mess,' Faith thought.

'Hey, it was your turn,' Buffy thought.

'Okay, quit bickering like an old married couple,' Sara thought.

Harry smiled, but a very inquisitive Chloe was looking towards Buffy as if there was math her head which didn't fit.

"You must have blown past every stoplight to get here from Sunnydale this fast," Chloe said.

Buffy exchanged a knowing smile. She might have sped things up a little bit by teleporting over here, making her car move along heavy pockets of traffic. Harry turned towards her.

'What, it makes things quicker, and it allows to get the drop on vampires,' Buffy thought. She could still see Harry's gaze upon hers. 'Besides, I….'

'Just be careful,' Harry informed her.

'No sweat,' Buffy thought.

"So, Chloe, I'm going to take these two out for a late lunch, because I promised them," Harry said. "So, if you really want to talk about this more, have your people call my people, and we'll get something set up."

Chloe responded, watching Willow and Buffy leave. It hit her only mere seconds after he left.

"Wait a minute," Chloe said. "I DON'T HAVE ANY PEOPLE!"

Lana almost hunched over laughing at the look on Chloe's face. It was priceless, something she was going to cherish for the rest of her life.

Harry squeezed into a booth, with Buffy taking a seat right next to him. Willow took the seat right across from Harry.

Buffy gave Willow a knowing smile when she kept giving certain gazes towards Harry from across the table. She had thought about the fact it would be easy to nudge her friend over into Harry's arm. And it would do her some good to be under the tender infections on such an Alpha Male.

'You know, you really should,' Faith thought.

'I can't believe you'd actually encourage me to manipulate my friends,' Buffy thought. She didn't believe it, but at the same time, she believed it.

Faith seemed offended she would be accused of an underhanded tactic like this, even though was true.

'I don't call it manipulation,' Faith thought. 'I call it encouragement."

'Tomayto, Tomahto,' Buffy said.

"Can it really fly fast enough to get halfway around the world in the time it takes someone to get around to the corner gas station?" Willow asked. "It must burn through a lot of fuel."

"That's the main sticking point, I'm afraid," Harry said. He took a moment to consider. "We're considering alternate fuel sources, but given it's in the prototype phase, regular jet fuel."

"Solar could work," Willow suggested.

"Wouldn't that be a problem when the sun goes out where you're flying?" Buffy asked.

"Not if you have a satellite where you can channel the solar radiation from anywhere in the world where the sun is shining," Willow said. "It's pretty complicated to pull something like that off, but I'm sure if anyone could pull it off, you can."

Harry smiled at her. That was an interesting perspective go go on things.

"Maybe I should give you a job," Harry said. "You know, with ideas like yours, I could find a place for you. And Horizon is thinking about taking in Internships. If you'd like, I could put in the good word for you….and it could go into a full-time job later if you like."

"That would really be great," Willow said.

She almost knocked over the drink in excitement. Thankfully, it didn't fall over, and it was almost empty as well. Otherwise, it would have been very embarrassing, and not to mention very sticky.

Harry sensed something coming around the corner. The hairs started to rise up on the back of his neck. Harry casually waved a hand to the side of the wall and noticed someone dressed in battle armor approaching the.

In a flash, Harry grabbed Willow around one hand and Buffy around the other hand. He dragged both of them underneath the table.

"EVERYONE GET DOWN!"

No one had much of a chance to react the second the wall had been blown apart. Everyone screamed when debris and rubble flew everyone. One man had been trapped underneath the piece of wall. He struggled, and kicked his legs to get out.

A figure stepped into the picture. He dressed in high-tech armor. Half of his body parts appeared to have been replaced by cybernetics. His red eyeball rolled around to scan for magical beings in the area.

It scanned the area and noticed a rather heavy fluctuation of magic. He growled, knowing how close he was to his target.

"Harry Potter, come and face your judgment for your world for crimes against magic!

Willow, Buffy, and Harry crouched underneath the table.

'Okay, what did you do to make the Terminator's retarded cousin come after you?' Faith asked.

Their guess was as good as his. Harry Potter raised himself out from underneath the table and turned his full attention towards the man. He recognized the person instantly and knew why he was dealing with bad news.

'You know him, don't you?'

'They call him the Problem Solver,' Harry thought.

To Be Continued on September 26th, 2016.

Ah, Carol and Carol, always together because I like confusing people. Be thankful I don't put all of the girls named Cassandra in comic books together in one scene, or Jessica. Still, the lovely Ms. Danvers and Ms. Ferris are here, and that's a good thing.

Daisy is pushing her luck so much she's going to end up choking for Harry before too long.

Ah, Chloe, you're amazing, and a bit too nosy for your own good. But, you don't have people.

The Problem Solver really didn't bother to spend much time being too creative for his name, but hey, the man gets results.

Until Monday.