Summary: Harry never asked to be trapped in a new world filled with heroes. And he certainly never asked to be reborn as a clone of a hero. Slash.
Unbeta'd
A New Dawn
-Chapter 8-
1
Everyone is watching him, waiting for words to seep its way out of his mouth. Although, the words feel stuck in his throat as if a net has captured them and refused to let them go. Harry swallows hard. He knows there is no reason to hold back anymore. He has made this choice for himself. To no longer hide from those he has grown to care about. That does not mean confessing his secret will be easy. The previous decades of having to hide something, anything about himself has caused Harry to stand at a distance from others. From those he considered family. It was a habit Hermione and Ron had tried to break down but failed to do so. It was hard to get rid of behaviours and coping mechanisms Harry had learnt as a child, as the boy who lived in the cupboard under the stairs. So Harry still holds a lot of his secrets close. Not once did he tell anyone that he had become the Master of Death despite having many opportunities in the weeks before his impending death. And why did he not tell anyone? Harry has no answer. Maybe he was afraid of their reactions. He knows it stupid to think they would have turned him away if he had told them, but insecurities don't fall away that easily. Hermione and Ron loved him unconditionally. Harry will never doubt that.
His body microscopically shivers. It's not because of the cold as Harry is sure he can no longer feel freezing air against his skin, or even the blazing warmth of the summer sun. The sun used to burn Harry's pasty skin with ease to the point sunscreen would not protect him, but thankfully the uncontrollable London weather made sure that the sun wasn't out for long. Harry never had to worry about the summer as the skies would be covered by dreary grey clouds for weeks before there is an ounce of sunlight. No, Harry shivers because of the intensity of everyone's gaze. All their stares are filled with a curious intent like crows glaring down at a shiny piece of metal. It makes Harry subconsciously shift in his seat as he prepares himself to speak.
It's now or never, Harry thinks.
Opening his mouth, the first words out are, "Before I tell you, promise me this – you will not tell the Justice League or anyone else. They cannot find out. Not right now."
A concerned look washes over multiple faces, but it's M'gann who decides to speak up. "Harry," she says, while placing her hand on his arm, "if this is serious, shouldn't we tell the Justice League? Maybe they could help with whatever is bothering you."
"No," Harry says sternly, "they will not be able to help because it's not a problem. There something they don't know about me. That you guys don't know."
"And what's that?" Kaldur asks in a soft tone. The blonde-haired boy also places down the pack of cards which were in his hand to give Harry his full and undivided attention. Harry is grateful for that. The reason being it comforts him to know that they are taking him seriously and not brushing away his comments.
Harry takes a deep breath knowing he will have to summon one of the Deathly Hallows. He cannot say anything without proof. Death had told Harry that the Deathly Hallows will follow him no matter where he goes or where he leaves them. All he has to do is call upon them and they will obey their master. So before Harry speaks anything more, he opens his right hand which rests on his lap but is in clear view of everyone. He begins to tug at his core, calling upon his magic. Then, with a small flash of white light, Harry feels the Elder Wand materialise in the palm of his hand. It feels heavier than usual, but the warmth is still there. The Elder Wand tingles in excitement, happy to be reunited with its master.
"Did a stick just appear?" Wally says puzzled. "Or am I seeing things?"
"No," Robin answers. His own face is for once an open book despite his eyes being hidden behind sunglasses. It's filled with intrigue. "You're not seeing things. I saw that, too."
"Oh, good."
Wally's bewildered reply almost sends Harry into a fit of laughter, but he is able to hold himself together as he must concentrate for the next part. The most important part, that is. The spell Harry must use to show them the existence of magic. A specific branch in which they cannot deny or conflate it with some brand-new technology created to trick people. Harry decides to focus on transfiguration – the art of changing the form and appearance of objects, animals or people. But what should he change? The obvious answer will be to start out with a small object as those were the easiest to change but Harry does not want that. He wants something bigger.
The rest of the group looks at Harry with the same amount of intrigue as Robin, but they say nothing as Harry raises the wand with his hand and points it to the table. He takes a deep breath. With a flick of his wrist and a twirl of his wand, the table begins to change. First, the colour as the auburn darkens to a black deeper than the night sky. Next the table stands which twist before turning into an animal's legs and paws. The main body of the table shifts and contorts itself like a flag being blown in the wind. Then it's over. Right before everyone stands a panther proud and larger than life. It glances around for a moment, vivid green eyes watching for any sudden movements. In this second, no one dares to breathe as the air is palpable with shock. Then the panther stalks forward and roars. The mighty sound echoes off the walls as it bends its legs, ready to pounce on any one of its prey.
Finally, everyone decides to react in very similar or different ways. For one, Wally shrieks before jumping off his seat and zooms to the far corner of the room. Robin's fast reflexes against danger have him ready to attack with weapons. Kaldur stands up with his swords in each hand. M'gann almost jerks out of her seat but Harry places a hand on hers, signalling that everything is fine. Conner is the only one who does not move, but it's not out of fear. It's trust. He trusts Harry not to place them in danger. And Harry doesn't. With another wave of his wand, the panther vanishes into thin air and there is no table or animal in the middle of everyone. There is nothing.
The silence is as heavy as the wand in Harry's hand. No one says a word as if trying to comprehend what has just happened, but Harry can hear the frantic beating of their hearts and their ragged breaths. Harry knows they need time to go over what they saw so he lowers his wand. They stare at him as he does so. Their attention now solely focused on him. Robin and Kaldur are still on guard as they tighten their grip around their weapon. Although, Harry only places his wand on his lap and lets it rest there.
Harry decides to talk first. "I know you have questions and I will answer them to the best of my ability. Let's sit back down. It's easier to talk to you guys if you didn't look like you were going to attack me."
Wally glances between Robin and Kaldur as if waiting for a signal that will allow him to sit back down but it does not come. So he stays in his corner, his back to the wall. Harry sighs. He does not blame them for their reaction. He is only meant to be a clone. Nothing more. And now, he has shown a strange power and they are doubting what they know about him. It's clear upon their faces. They want to say something, but they don't know if they should.
M'gann speaks up from beside him and Harry realises that he is still holding her hand.
"Harry," she says sounding out of breath, "what was that? What did you do?"
Harry lets go of her hand and turns his head in her direction. "Magic," he simply answers.
"Magic," Kaldur repeats as if the word feels foreign. "You have magic? I thought you were just a clone. Why would a clone of Superman have magic? Just what exactly are you?"
"I am a clone of Superman. A failed clone. I can't really explain why I exactly have magic. I just do. I was created with it."
"You were created with magic?" Robin asks incredulously.
"Well, no. What I mean is I was created by Project Cadmus, but I gained magic along the way. This they do not know."
Harry wonders if he should tell them his full story. That he had died in his world and was brought here by Death, but Harry doubts they would even believe that. So he decides to stick with the simple truth of him having magic. They don't need to know anything more than that.
"Um, guys," Wally interrupts, uncertainty filling his features. "Are we really going to accept that magic exists? I mean, it can't. There's no way, right? This has to be some sort of a joke. The panther must have been an illusion. A hologram of some sort. Where are the devices?"
"Magic exists," Kaldur announces while slightly lowering his swords. "It exists within Atlantis. But how would a clone have it? Especially when Superman is susceptible to magic. How did your creators not know? How did Luthor not know?"
"I was to be terminated," Harry clarifies. "For some reason, my body would not accept any of the learning schemes the G-Gnomes tried to install into my head."
"Learning schemes?" M'gann asks softly.
"Knowledge," Conner finally says but he keeps his gaze on Harry. "The aim of G-Gnomes is to fill your mind with selected knowledge about the world. There are six main schemes. I passed all of them. Harry did not. Because of that, he was… He was going to be killed."
M'gann gasps a little.
"Did you know about this?" Kaldur says calmly, turning his stare to Conner. "Did you know he had magic?"
Conner shook his head. "I'm learning about this now. Same as you guys."
"How do we know you're not lying?" Robin says, taking a step forward. "How do we know you don't have magic, too?"
Conner glares at Robin. "For what reason would I have to lie? I have nothing to hide."
"I don't know. To protect your brother? Or that you are still under control?"
"You little –"
"Maybe we should calm down?" M'gann says, deliberately cutting into the conversation. "This talk is getting us nowhere. Harry, why did you wait to tell us?"
"Understand this from my point of view," Harry begins. "I'm in a world I barely know with gaps in my knowledge from not passing the learning schemes. Plus, the first thing I had been told when I had awakened into this world was that I was going to be killed because some men ordered it to happen. So I had to keep myself hidden. The person who saved me told me I had to wait for the Justice League to arrive. That Superman would be able to keep me safe as I am his blood. The only thing that could protect me at the time was the information of magic I had running through my head. I had nothing else. Then I met you guys and we escaped. The Justice League soon arrived and tells me what my life would now be. To put it simply, I did not trust you guys. Not when I was thrust into a world in which I had no choice to be a part of. Where I was created to replace the most powerful being on earth but failed to do so. But things changed."
M'gann replaces her hand on top of Harry's. "And now you do? Trust us, I mean."
Harry nods. "I do. You're my team. The only thing I have in this world."
And that is true. Harry does not know anyone or anything in this world other than this team and Death. He lost his past life and now has to do his best to gain new bonds here. The easiest way to do that is to be as truthful and honest as he can so Harry can gain their trust. So maybe they would accept him. Harry knows this overload of information about himself will take some time to be absorbed in by them. Hopefully, Harry will not regret telling them this secret of his. They seem like good kids trying to find their place in the world. Just like him.
Kaldur completely lowers his swords before putting them away. An expression of guilt flickers across his face. "And you're asking us to hide this from the Justice League?"
"Yes, it's a big ask but I don't want them knowing. Not yet, at least. They don't trust me or Conner."
Robin also puts away his weapons before speaking. "And hiding this will make them trust you less."
"I know, but that's a risk I'm willing to take."
Robin takes a seat opposite Harry and leans back. "Fine. I'll keep it a secret."
"I'll do the same," Kaldur says, "but on one condition. You must continue to tell us the truth and the whole truth if we are to be a team."
"Dude," Wally calls out. "Are we really going down this route?"
Robin shrugs. "What? It's not like we haven't lied to the Justice League before."
"That doesn't make this better."
Harry gazes into Kaldur's eyes. The blonde-haired boy is staring down at him.
"I promise to tell the whole truth," Harry says.
He tells them everything he can about his magic as they continue to ask questions. He tells them everything except about Death and his reincarnation. Harry doesn't think this is the right time to tell them about it. Maybe one day in the future. For now, he does not mention it.
Author's note:
Hello!
So I've finally chosen Harry's superhero name! I've chosen Solstice (Sol for short). I hope everyone is okay with that.
For this chapter, I decided to focus on Harry revealing his magic and nothing else. Hopefully, everyone's reactions are in character. I should say that this takes place before the Dr Fate episode, so Wally is still in denial of magic. It will take some time for him to come round to the idea of magic but he will.
I hope you all are having a lovely day.
Feel free to comment once more and share your thoughts.