It was the day after Harry woke up in the Watchtower's infirmary and Wonder Woman was leading him to the station's cafeteria. Of course, that was after Harry had spent a full five minutes staring in awe at the planet below the first time he passed a window, something that had brought a smile to Diana's face.
Harry was looking forward to getting some real food in his stomach instead of the food he'd gotten in the infirmary which, while not as bad as he'd feared hospital food would be, wasn't exactly great either.
He'd done his best not to stare at the various heroes he passed, but that went out the window when he arrived at the cafeteria and saw the large number of them gathered around, having a meal and a conversation.
"Come on, Harry. Let's get you something to eat." Diana said, gently guiding him to the food. Harry eagerly got a burger, some pizza, and after some deliberation, some buffalo wings, as well as some lemonade, before following her to an empty table, beginning to eat while looking around.
"Oh yeah, I really needed this…" He said with satisfaction as he devoured his pizza.
"The infirmary food wasn't that bad, was it?" Diana asked with amusement.
"Well no. Anything would taste like ambrosia after not eating a single crumb for a week. But this is just so much better." Harry replied with a smile before taking a big bite out of his burger. "I have an entirely new appreciation for food."
Diana chuckled. "Well, be careful not to overdo it now. We want you to get up to a healthy weight, not an obese one." Harry nodded as he ate.
"Hey, Wonder Woman, who's this?" A female voice asked. Harry looked up and almost choked on his food. Two extremely good looking blond girls about his age, if slightly older, were standing there with trays of food, looking at him with interest.
Diana smiled at Harry's wide eyed reaction. "Supergirl, Stargirl, this is Harry. He's our guest for a while as he recovers from some health problems before he heads to live with the Titans for a time."
Supergirl studied Harry, her eyes trailing along the black markings showing on what was visible of his skin. "Nice to meet you. So you're not a new member?"
Harry set his food down and wiped his hand with a napkin. "Ah, no, I'm not. I'm not the hero type, really." The three teens noticed Diana's disbelieving eyebrow raise at those words.
Stargirl smiled. "Looks like Wonder Woman doesn't agree. I wonder why?"
Diana smiled back. "Let's just say Harry has a years-long track record of heroism that I find quite impressive. He's just far too modest for his own good. The Titans are already planning to offer him membership if his time there with them goes well." Harry blushed and looked down and muttered to himself.
"Cool. Maybe one of these days we can see what you're made of. Anyway, see you around." Supergirl gave him a smile and moved to another table with Stargirl.
Harry started eating again slowly before saying softly "You didn't need to say that…"
"I wanted to, Harry. I meant it, you are as much a hero as any member of the League." She smiled teasingly. "Besides, most guys would have liked to be talked up like that to a cute girl."
Harry simply blushed a bit and looked down. "…They were pretty cute…" He mumbled, making Diana chuckle.
"Hey guys." Came a new voice. They looked up to see Flash balancing a large tray laden with a mountain of food to their table. He quickly set it down, grabbed a hot dog, and ate it at super speed. He proceeded to ignore Harry's gaping mouth at the sheer amount of food he had. "How's it going, Harry? Adjusting well?"
"Ah? Uh, yeah, well enough, I guess. It's not like I've been up and about that much yet." Harry said, getting over how much Flash was putting away.
Harry'd first met Flash when Diana had informed the other founders of the League that he was awake and they'd all gathered to see him. He'd been awed and more than a bit intimidated by being around so many well-known and powerful heroes, but Flash had helped his nerves with his light hearted nature, though his jokes could use some work.
"He was especially enthralled by the view from one of the windows." Diana said with a smile.
Flash let out a small laugh. "Oh man, I remember my first time in space. I was amazed! I couldn't stop staring down at the planet or up at the stars for hours. It's great, isn't it?"
Harry nodded. "Yeah. And it makes you feel kind of small, doesn't it? Insignificant?"
The two heroes nodded in agreement. "Yeah. Really puts things in perspective for you. Imagine what it must be like for GL, who goes traveling throughout the universe on a regular basis." Flash said with a smile.
"I think I'd like to do that, one day." Harry said, a bit softly. "Just go out and explore. See other planets. Meet alien races…"
Diana smiled. "No reason you can't in the future, Harry."
"I'm already lobbying to have you added to the League when you're a bit older. If you want to join, of course. And if you do you can take part in space based missions that would give you what you want." Flash added with a smile.
Harry looked up at him in surprise. "Really?" At Flash's nod he smiled. "Wow, thanks. I think, I might be interested in that. We'll see how it goes once I finally deal with what's waiting for me in Britain."
"You mean that evil wizard? I can't remember his name…" Diana said.
"Yeah, Voldemort. Or Tom Riddle. That's his actual name, and he hates it. So just call him that." Harry sighed. "I've got a war waiting for me, and who knows how it's going if everybody thinks I'm dead."
Diana and Flash frowned at each other before Diana responded. "Harry, that's not your responsibility. You should focus on healing and getting control of your new abilities."
Harry gave a weak smile as he nibbled on a buffalo wing. "It is my responsibility, though. It's my job to finally kill the bastard. Every minute I don't means I'm responsible for what he does in that time."
The heroes looked pained. "Harry, why do you think that?" Flash asked.
Harry hesitated before answering. "There's a prophecy-" He was cut off by Flash's groan and Diana's sigh and shaking head.
"I freaking hate prophecy…" Flash muttered in annoyance.
"I agree. Harry, are you sure it says you must kill him?" Diana asked.
"'Either must die at the hand of the other, for neither can live while the other survives' is kind of blunt, yes." Harry said morosely.
The Leaguers glanced at each other. "Well… The best thing you can do now is train and heal as best you can for the future. No need to rush things." Diana said.
Harry looked up. "I thought you would have been angry about me apparently needing to kill. You're no kill policy is well known."
"We're definitely not happy about it." Flash said. "But you should know our rules state that lethal force is allowed in self-defense or defense of another as a last resort. If you absolutely have to do it, we won't think less of you."
Harry slumped slightly in relief. "Thanks…" He didn't feel it was a good time to let them know that Voldemort probably wouldn't be the only person he'd end up killing. He'd meant what he'd said to the pyramid headed monster in Silent Hill, after all. Instead he resumed eating, the others bringing up more innocent topics, with Flash and Harry ending up arguing about Quidditch, somehow.
Later, in the room he'd been provided in the Watchtower, Harry gazed at himself in the bathroom mirror after splashing some water on his face. He was trying to deal with the thoughts that had plagued him all day.
He'd known, intellectually, that his thinking would change as a result of the dark power he now had, which influenced his mind. It was something different to actually experience it, however.
The most obvious way this manifested was how his thoughts went when he encountered a beautiful woman, Wonder Woman included. They might have thought his reactions to Supergirl and Stargirl was due to their looks, and that was partly true. Most of the problem, though, was what went through his mind when he saw them.
Lustful thoughts about a good looking girl were something he expected, as a teenager. However, his thoughts about them had been darker than he was used to.
He wanted to take Supergirl and Stargirl, by force if necessary. He wanted to use his power to leave them helpless and at his mercy, even if they fought against him, and use them however he wanted without regard for their feelings. Indeed, the idea of causing one of them pain in the process of forcing himself on them just made the idea even more attractive.
Those thoughts worried him. He didn't know what to do. He didn't know if he could trust himself around women anymore. Even Wonder Woman had been a subject of those thoughts, after all, and he respected her immensely.
He could only hope whatever training he was going to receive when it came to his powers would help.
The next day (though it was hard for Harry to tell, being in space), Harry was getting ready to head back down to Earth to join up with the Teen Titans. He had a couple of changes of clothes he'd been given, though he'd been told that the Titans would be taking him shopping for more. He'd tried to argue against that, but they'd ignored his protestations, simply stating that he needed more clothes and that the League could more than pay for it.
He turned when there was a knock on his door to find Wonder Woman and Batman entering, batman carrying a laptop bag with him. "Uh, hello. Sorry, was just getting ready to go."
Diana smiled. "It's okay, Harry. Batman just has something for you."
Harry looked at the intimidating hero curiously as he set the bag on his bed and opened it, pulling out a sleek, shiny laptop. Harry didn't know much about tech due to his time in the wizarding world, but even he could tell it was beyond top of the line.
"This…" Batman began. "Is Wayne Enterprises' latest computer. It has high specs, especially for those who like video games and such. It has six terabytes of storage, which J'onn, with help with several other heroes, filled with games, movies and TV shows they believed you would like. There is still plenty of space for you to add what you want as well." He then pulled out a just as sleek smartphone. "This phone has five hundred gigabytes of space and, just like the laptop, has been filled with music and other media for your enjoyment." He set it on the laptop. "Both devices have been tested by our specialists in magic and confirmed to work in areas high in ambient magic, such as your school, and you will have internet connectivity anywhere in the world."
Harry stared in surprise. "I, just, wow…" He looked up at Batman. "Thanks. You didn't have to…"
Though Batman's stony visage changed very little, Diana smiled. "We wanted to, Harry. Please enjoy them. Also, the phone has a number straight to the Watchtower. If you need assistance, or see something you think the League should deal with, call it. We are trusting you not to abuse it, however."
"Of course! I'll be very careful. You don't have to worry about me using it like people calling 911 because their order in McDonalds was late. I'll only use it in an emergency." Harry said seriously.
Batman nodded. "Good. Just a few more things then." He reached into the bag. "These are yours." He set down a red, plastic radio and a newly cleaned revolver.
Harry stared down at the items, slowly reaching down to run his fingers along them. "H-How…?"
"They arrived with you." Diana said. "Cybil's gun fell on the table by your side. The radio was still clipped to your pants. Once J'onn realized how important they are to you, he made sure they were kept safe. We went ahead and cleaned them for you."
Harry wiped his eyes. "Thank you…" He said softly.
Batman nodded. "Now then, if you're ready, we've got a Javelin ready to take you down to Titans Tower, where they're waiting for you to arrive."
Harry nodded and grabbed his things, following the heroes out. After a bit of walking they arrived in the hanger. Batman and Diana stopped at the ramp of one of the craft Harry could see. "Well, this is it, Harry." Diana moved forward and gave him a hug. "Take care of yourself, and don't hesitate to call if you need us."
Harry smiled and hugged her back. "I will, thanks." Once she'd released him he turned to Batman and held out his hand. "Thanks for the help."
Batman gave his hand a quick shake before motioning him into the aircraft. Harry quickly moved in as they watched.
"Think he'll be alright, Bruce?" Diana asked softly.
"He's a survivor, Diana. The Titans will help him, and he'll be fine." Batman replied.
"I hope so. He's been through enough." She said.
They watched as the Javelin left the hanger and headed down to the planet below.
Harry was surprised at how fast the Javelin was. Before he knew it he was back in atmosphere and traveling above the United States, headed west. He looked out the window at the land passing by quickly. Soon enough he saw a large, coastal city approach, a rather distinctive giant letter T on an island off the shore. Harry could only assume that was Titans Tower.
His guess was confirmed when the aircraft moved to land on a nearby patch of rock. Harry quickly got up, grabbed his things, and headed down the Javelin's ramp to find the Teen Titans waiting for him. He studied them briefly before setting his things down. "Er, hello. I'm Harry. Harry Potter."
Robin stepped forward, holding out his hand to shake. "Hello, Harry. It's nice to meet you. I'm Robin." After they shook hands he turned to his team and motioned to each in turn. "This is the rest of the team. That's Starfire, Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Raven."
"Hello Harry Potter. It is nice to meet you. I hope we can be great friends." Starfire said cheerily.
Harry blinked. "Ah, yeah, I have no problem with that…"
Starfire clapped her hands happily. "Wonderful! We can have pizza together, and go to the mall of shopping, and so many other things!" Then, to Harry's surprise, she gave him a tight hug, beaming.
Beast Boy grinned at him. "Don't worry about it, dude. You'll get used to it." He peered at Harry. "You like video games?"
Harry nodded. "Yeah, though I don't get many opportunities to play."
"Cool, we'll play later." Beast Boy said.
"Alright, we should head inside. It's almost lunch time anyway." Robin said.
"Yeah, and no offence man, but they were right, you really need some fattening up. You can't be healthy." Cyborg said as he eyed Harry.
Harry shrugged. "Yeah, well, literally not eating for a week will do that to you."
Beast Boy shuddered. "I don't think I'd have been able to do that."
"Amen." Cyborg said.
Harry turned a curious look at Raven, who was walking slightly in front of him. "So… You're the one who's going to teach me how to deal with my new abilities?"
Raven turned he head slightly to look at him out of the corner of her eye. "Yes. We'll start once you've eaten and settled in."
Harry nodded. "Okay. I hope you can help…"
"I'll do everything I can." She assured him.
Several days later Harry was sitting shirtless on a small island near Titans Tower with Raven. Well, he called it an island, it was really just a large pile of rocks.
He'd found himself fitting in surprisingly well with the Titans. He spent time playing games with Beast Boy and Cyborg, learned some hand to hand from Robin, and talked with Starfire about some of the more wondrous things he'd seen during his time in the wizarding world.
He spent most of his time with Raven, however, so much so that he sometimes worried he was being annoying. But he was a bit desperate to get his new abilities under control, as if by doing so he could also get his more treacherous thoughts to stop taunting him. It helped that he actually enjoyed being around her, though. He found her deadpan snark entertaining, especially when she dealt with Beast Boy.
At the moment, however, he was trying to control the output of his power under Raven's watchful eye. He had an orb of dark energy hovering between his cupped hands, trying to keep it stable while slowly increasing its power. He smiled as he finally started doing it, the orb growing steadily from the size of a golf ball to a tennis ball without fluctuating. He glanced up at Raven, a small smile on his face, to find her lips lightly curled up as well.
He couldn't help but notice once again how attractive she was. He'd love to get on top of her, forcing her down onto her back, ripping her leotard off of her body and slamming into her as she screamed and fought…
Immediately Harry recoiled from the thought and jerked his head down, doing his best to banish the image from his mind. The damage was done though, his lapse in concentration causing the orb to swirl and bulge oddly before exploding in his face, knocking him to the ground.
Raven got up and walked over to him as he groaned on the floor, looking down at him. "You lost concentration again. It keeps happening. I can tell your mind goes to other things, and it has since the beginning." She tilted her head to the side. "So, are you going to tell me what the problem is so I can try to help you, or are you going to keep trying to deal with it on your own and letting it get in the way of your training?"
Harry gazed up at her, lying on his back, before sighing and sitting up. "I guess…" Once Raven sat back down he began. "I've been having problems dealing with the change in my thoughts since Silent Hill…"
Raven nodded. "Even before you escaped that place, you were absorbing demonic power to keep yourself going. That's going to have an effect."
Harry hesitated. "Well…" He looked away. "Some of the thoughts that bother me are about… women…"
When Harry didn't say anything further Raven decided to speak up. "I know you felt a surge of lust for me right before the orb exploded." Harry's face whipped around to stare at her. She raised an eyebrow. "I'm an empath, Harry, and we're teenagers. Lust is something I've become very familiar to feeling from others around me. You should feel how much Robin and Star pump out when around each other. I'm surprised they don't just go at it right there in the living room with all of us watching."
Harry coughed lightly. "Right…" He frowned. "That isn't really the problem though. It's the fact that the thoughts I had weren't, well, nice…" When Raven remained silent, encouraging him to continue, he did so. "It didn't used to be this way, but now when I think lustful thoughts about a girl, they're focused on taking them by force, of causing pain while having sex, of conquering them, usually without consent." He sighed and looked down. "How am I supposed to deal with that?"
Raven studied him. "You find ways to manage it, Harry. It's actually relatively simple." He looked up at her as she continued. "If you can only be a rough, even somewhat violent, lover, then look for someone who wants exactly that." She raised an eyebrow as he looked at her in surprise. "Come on, Harry, you're a teenage boy with access to the internet. I know you're aware of the BDSM community. Even if you never had an interest in such things before, now that you're interested in the rougher side of sexuality you should have considered it an option for the future." She shrugged. "It really is that simple, Harry. Everybody has dark thoughts on occasion. Even thoughts like those. It's how you deal with them that matters. Do whatever you want, and as long as it's all with consent, then you shouldn't have any problems."
Harry stared at her for a bit longer before letting out a breath. "You make it sound so easy… I've been worrying about this since I woke up on the Watchtower." Then he frowned. "Those aren't the only dark thoughts I've had, though…"
"You mean things like causing pain to your enemies, hurting and killing them?" Raven asked. Harry nodded. "Did you know most criminals Batman fights spend at least a couple of weeks in the hospital?" She asks. "Even the more minor ones Robin deals with usually get pretty hurt. That's because they've trained themselves to fight to disable with prejudice without going over the line of lethality." Harry opened his mouth, and she held up her hand. "Of course, that doesn't really relate that well to what you're talking about. There's a difference between hurting an enemy while doing your job and wanting to torture somebody for your satisfaction. What I am trying to say is that you shouldn't cause unnecessary pain. Breaking an opponent's leg in the middle of a serious fight is much different than wantonly using the cruciatus on a beaten enemy. Do what you feel you need to, but don't go overboard, essentially."
Harry was surprised. "I didn't think that was a viewpoint a well-known hero like yourself had."
Raven shrugged. "I'm not all that interested in causing pain, despite my heritage, but that doesn't mean I'm not aware of the psychology of many heroes."
"Okay, I can see that…" Harry frowned. "What about killing, then?" He might have already had a short conversation about it with Wonder Woman and Flash before, but he was interested in Raven's insight.
Raven was silent for a moment, gathering her thoughts. She was well aware that this conversation was very important to Harry going forward, and that she needed to make sure she said the right thing. "I'm sure you're aware of the League's 'No Kill Except In Absolute Last Resort' policy." She said, waiting for him to nod. "Despite this, you don't think they condemn soldiers who fight in wars, do you?" Harry blinked, obviously not having thought about that. "From what I know of the situation in Magical Britain, when you go back you're heading into a warzone. Not only that, but you will purposefully be heading in as a warrior against Voldemort. There's also the fact that you are not a member of the League or the Titans." Raven sighed. "Essentially, Harry, you'll need to go by your own moral compass, which despite the way your power has influenced your thoughts I have no doubt is still pointed in the right direction. If you need to kill, make sure it's because you truly do need to, and not out of enjoyment or anything similar. The moment you begin to enjoy killing, set down your metaphorical sword and get out of the business." She said, gazing at him seriously.
Harry nodded slowly. "Alright… Thanks Raven."
Raven nodded. "Alright Harry, now let's try again. Try creating the orb again, but this time…"
Several weeks later Harry was alone in the tower as the team had to head out and deal with a robbery at a museum in the city. Not being a member, or having as much control of his abilities as he'd like, he'd stayed behind.
At the moment, Harry was in the training room experimenting. His abilities had improved tremendously since his talk with Raven, and he could now launch blasts of energy, move objects remotely, and several other abilities. But he'd had a thought recently. Could he use his power with the spells he was used to in order to make up for his lack of wand?
He glared at a training dummy, thinking of what to try. Spells such as stunners or body binds wouldn't work on a training dummy. Finally he pointed his hand at the dummy. "Incendio!" He cried, focusing on his demonic energy.
Nothing happened.
He frowned. "Incendio!" He cried louder, but yet again there was no effect. He let his arm drop. Was he doing something wrong? Or was it simply impossible?
Harry scowled, determined to not be beaten. He hadn't survived hell on earth by giving up, after all. Once again, he lifted his arm at the dummy, glaring hard at it. He focused on what he wanted to have happen, visualized the dummy catching fire. "INCENDIO!"
The dummy erupted into flames. So much so that Harry yelped and jumped back from the suddenly searing heat. "Shit! Uh, um." He looked around in vain for fire extinguisher before turning back to the blaze. "Okay, hope this works. Aguamenti!" A large spray of water emerged from Harry's fingers and sprayed the burning dummy, slowly putting out the fire. Once he was done he let the power he was channeling to his hand stop, which stopped the water.
He gazed at the ruined dummy before his face broke into a wide smile. "Yes! I did it!" He laughed, punching the air. Then he cracked his knuckles and turned towards another dummy with a grin. "Alright, let's see how many spells I can get working…"
He couldn't wait till Raven got back so he could show her what he could do now.
Another quick chapter. This one was somewhat easier as I knew exactly what I wanted to happen… for the most part.
This chapter was all about Harry dealing with his new abilities and mentality. I assure you that Harry is still going to have a few issues despite his conversations with Diana and Raven, even though that did help. Things never get solved that easily.
I was amazed at the response to last chapter. 23 reviews in 24 hours is great. For a transitory chapter that was more than I expected.
To address something most might think a continuity error: Supergirl in this continuity did not stick around in the 31st century. I'd rather keep her around, as I might decide to make use of her. I never liked that story decision in the first place and completely forgot about it till I pulled up her wikia page. If it's better for you, just imagine that in this universe the events that led up to that never happened.
Can't really think of anything else to say at this point. Hope you enjoyed, and please review.