"The Vanishing Glass," Gideon narrated.

Scenes flicker by symbolizing the passage of time. Right up to Harry getting awakened by Petunia.

"The first thing in the morning, waking up to that," Zari said. "It would make me want to smother myself with my own pillow."

"Or smother Petunia," Astra said.

"Should I be concerned that you're wanting to resort to casual murder only two chapters in?" Harry asked Astra.

Astra just smirked at him in response.

"It's a natural reaction to those people," Astra responded.

"Oii, what are you lot up to?"

The one and only John Constantine appeared to join the rest of the group.

"Reading about my remarkable childhood," Harry said.

"After I was sent to Hell, Harry's memories were wiped clean, and Dumbledore pretty much told you to piss off," Astra said. "Speaking of which…"

"Interdimensional limbo," John interjected. "Until about 2007 or so. By the time I got out, Harry had found Kara and he was okay and I thought it would be unwise to disrupt his life."

"Although it was only inevitable that we would cross paths," Harry said.

They both nodded in memory of the many times they crossed paths. A certain Chaos Lord who called Roanoke his home mandated that particular first team up.

"Yes, no matter how hard I tried to avoid it happening," John said. "Never read these bloody books. Didn't see the need to do so, and thankfully by the time I returned from limbo, the last book was released."

"So, you'll be sticking around for Book Club?" Ava asked.

"Why not, let me learn just how badly I fucked Harry over," John said. "Rub my nose in it a little bit more."

"Oh, it's not that bad," Mick said. "Well, it gets worse later, although Houdini here has told us that this is the real story and not some children's novelization shit."

"Pretty close the first about four or so years," Harry said.

"Was the real story better or worse than what happened in the books?" John asked.

"Stay tuned," Harry said. "Rule number two of Book Club is no spoilers."

"So, just strap in, because we're in this one together," Astra said.

"Lovely," John said. "Continue."

Harry's morning at the Dursleys and his backstory.

"Those bastards," Sara groaned.

"They put you back there?" John asked.

"Yes," Harry said.

"After I warned those buggers not to shove you back in that cupboard, they did anyway," John said.

"Well, you were a bit too busy being trapped in interdimensional limbo to follow up on your threats," Harry said.

"Still time for me to make due on that promise," John said.

"I'm not stopping you," Astra said.

"But, wait until after these books are done before you go distributing retribution," Harry said.

"Great, wonderful," John said.

Kara studied the images on the screen, of a younger Harry, squashed in the cupboard. Lena gently grabbed Kara's shoulder. And Harry grabbed her other shoulder. Her eyes flickered red.

"Kara?" Lena asked her.

"This is worse than hearing about it," Kara said.

"We had a bit of sympathy for them in the last chapter after they did not get a choice in taking him in," Zari said. "Is that gone now?"

"Yes," Sara said. "Still doesn't make what Dumbledore did right."

Everyone murmured in agreement.

"Harry?" Kara asked.

"Continue," Harry said.

Kara moved onto Harry's one side and Astra moved onto the other side. Both women sighed.

More of Harry's morning, leading to his "pig in a wig" comparison for Dudley.

There were a few chuckles at that remark from Harry. Astra smiled, in spite of the shitty situation her best friend found himself back in. To be fair, she was in a shitty situation herself at the time, struggling in Hell.

"Have to say, I'm glad you still have some of your snark," Astra said.

"I never missed a chance to take a shot at Dudley, when I could get away with it," Harry said.

"How often did you?" Kara asked.

"Often," Harry replied.

"Dudley's not the brightest bulb in the box," Astra said.

"Apple doesn't far from the tree there," Lita said.

"That's for sure," Harry agreed.

The scene of morning and Dudley counting his presents and nearly throwing a tantrum after getting two less than last year.

"That pig," Astra said. "That absolute pig."

"He should be more grateful he's getting anything," Nora said, practically fuming.

"And they had the gall to say Harry was a burden," Kara said.

"He's got everything pretty much handed to him," Zari said. "And he's still not satisfied."

"And those don't look like cheap gifts either," Lena said.

"They're only doing it to make Harry just that much more miserable," Kara said. "And they don't..they don't honestly get what kind of damage they're doing to their own son either?"

"Yeah, I understand where you're coming from," Lita said. "He's not going to handle life too well, because of his parents giving everything to him."

"Still a bullying pig," Astra said.

"Yes, but look at his father," Mick said. "Where do you think he picked it up? Entitlement that bad is learned."

Astra shrugged, Mick had a point.

The conversation regarding Mrs. Figg and what to do with Harry is played.

"Leave him in the car?" Astra asked. "They're so much worse than I remembered. Did they really get dumber?"

"Yes," Harry said.

"Or bolder, now that they knew there was going to be no blowback," John said. "The best Dumbledore would do is send them a stern letter, saying he's disappointed."

"I used to think that he was good," Lita said. "But, I'm liking Dumbledore less going back though this books."

"That's what happens when you put his actions underneath a microscope," Harry said. "Crumble to dust."

Scene of Dudley crying, Piers and his mother arriving, and Vernon warning Harry.

"The thing is, I believe him," Nora said. "Because, he's a garbage human being."

"Oh, don't go insulting garbage like that, Nora," Sara said.

"You were a bit big for that cupboard when we made him move you," Astra said. "This is years later."

"You know, you really should have been a super villain," Lena said. "And no one would have blamed you. The motivation is right there."

"Just wait," Harry said.

"Every time you say that, I cringe," Ava said.

"Me too," Sara agreed.

"Me too," Kara said through gritted teeth.

The story continued.

The trip to the zoo and the adventures at the zoo which followed. Along with Harry's declaration he knew the good times were too good to last.

"You really weren't optimistic at all, were you?" Zari asked.

"Do you blame me?" Harry asked.

"I wouldn't be either," Mick said.

"And no, we wouldn't," Zari said. "No one would be like that."

"Although comparing Dudley to a gorilla is on point," Astra said.

"Oh, take that back!" Nora cried. "Gorillas are far smarter than that."

"Yeah, Grodd would kick your ass if he ever found out one of his kind was compared to the fruit of Vernon Dursley's loins," Sara said.

"Oh, bad image," Ava groaned.

Scene at the reptile house, where Harry made a comment about the snake crushing Vernon's car into a trash can.

Astra just grinned.

"Astra," Harry warned her.

"Nothing," Astra said. "Just thinking."

More of the reptile house scene, with the Brazilian Boa Constrictor, and Harry's conversation. Leading up to Dudley punching Harry out of the way.

The entire group fumed. Astra's finger twitched, almost thinking about wrapping her hands around Dudley's throat.

"He's gotten bolder since I left," Astra said.

"I'm not sure if he even remembers you," Harry said.

"Well, Dumbledore must have wiped your memories as well," Ava said. "Because I wouldn't trust those three not to slip up."

Harry nodded, it did make perfect sense.

"Do snakes have eyelids?" Lita asked.

"No, they don't," Nora said. "Well, unless you're a Parselmouth then you can see things that normal people can't regarding snakes."

"Well, that explains that," Lita said.

"That little asswipe didn't get a slap on the wrist at all, I bet you," John said.

"Of course not, he's Dinky Duddydums," Astra said fuming.

"We're so calling him that," Zari said. "And only that from now on."

"I have no problem with that," Lita said.

"Neither do I," Lena agreed.

"Let's see where this one goes," Sara said.

The scene of the glass vanishing and the snake being released, much to the horror of Dudley and Piers.

Everyone cheered.

"That's Karma for you!" Mick growled.

"And they weren't really hurt," Lita said.

"Nah, just scared a little bit," Harry said. "Not that it mattered anyway. The snake freaked them out."

"Why am I waiting for the other shoe to drop?" Lena asked.

"Because, you've been paying attention?" Kara retorted.

The scene played with Piers ratting out Harry and Vernon's punishment.

"That little rat!" Astra snapped before realizing. "And that big bastard!"

"He's not serious, is he?" Lena asked.

"As a heart attack," Harry said. "It's fine. I managed."

"Managed is one thing," Nora said. "You shouldn't have to though."

"I appreciate your concern," Harry said. "But, this is going to be a long story if you keep taking offense to everything they do."

"Sorry, we can't help it," Sara said. "It's awful that someone who has done so much has been treated so awfully. I know you've gotten over it, but he has no right to do that."

Abused children was a bit of a sore spot for Sara. Especially given how many times her father came home, frustrated and mad as all hell, that the system did not give them the proper justice. A judge refusing to believe a mother could do her children no harm, even if she was a crackhead, and the father was a saint, they often sided with the mother. And that just scratched the surface.

And the belief that family can do no harm. Even if children were victimized most of the time by people they knew.

Sara strongly was tempted to go back in time and snatch Harry from that doorstep before those bastards could find him. Except, she had a sinking feeling that point in time was a fixed point. She knew for a fact that Halloween 1981 was a time-travel no-no.

"They have no right," Lita said. "Let's not absolve Petunia in any of this."

"If anything, she encourages Vernon's worst traits," Nora said.

"They'll get what's coming to them," John darkly said.

Harry just sighed and watched the image of Vernon practically squashing him into the cupboard and slamming the door behind him. Through adult eyes, this looked a lot worse than he remembered. And his friends and lovers all looked like they agreed.

"Let's continue," Kara quietly said.

"You're calm," Lena said. "Too calm."

"I'm saving my anger for when I can use it," Kara said. "On those who deserve it."

Everyone shivered as the thought of how terrifying someone of Kara's powers could be when sufficiently motivated to cause harm.

"Oh boy," Nora muttered. "Beware the nice ones."

Scenes of Harry in the cupboard, complete with narration were played.

"And Harry had dreamed about some unknown relation to take him away," Astra repeated coolly. "But, he knew it was only a dream."

"Well, maybe a flicker of a memory taken away," Sara said.

"I…"

"John, save it for the end," Harry said. "Otherwise, you'll be doing it a lot."

"Yes," Astra said. "He will."

"This is the worst thing I've ever done," John said. "That resurrection spell. And that covers a lot of ground."

"To be honest, I would also blame the idiot who got toasted before hitting Mum," Astra said. "Never did find out who he is."

"Sometimes, just some random asshole can ruin someone's day," Sara said

"And sometimes, some random asshole can get his day ruined and become the person who forever ruins a lot of people's days," Ava said. "One bad day is all it takes to drive someone insane."

Harry said nothing, but he did have a lot of bad days before he got his life together. The wrong nudge and he could have turned into something like the monster who said that famous quote.

It was honestly lucky

The ending of the chapter.

"Oh, I disagreed with his gang, hard," Astra said. "I should have been there. We were so close."

"Not your fault," John said. "It's mine."

"Sometimes I wonder if Dumbledore would have let me go that easily," Harry said.

"He made it difficult enough as it was," John replied darkly.

"And all of these weirdos just showing up to get a look at a kid?" Mick asked. "What the hell is wrong with those people?"

"I've asked myself that question many times," Harry said.

"I think anyone who reads those books has," Lita said.

Nora nodded in agreement. It had been a while. Her father read her the books. And often got in online arguments with trolls about certain aspects of the fandom, which did delay Damien Darhk's plans for world domination.

"That's a lot worse than you made it out to be," Sara said. "No one should suffer like that."

"Suffering builds character," Harry said with a shrug. "And I'm fine."

"Define fine," Ava said.

"Ava, it was thirty years ago," Harry said.

"And it's new to me," Astra said. "Oh, why didn't Lily just take you and run when she had the chance?"

Harry wanted to ask that question. But he did not want to know the answer.

"So, in summary, the Dursleys are dicks," Zari said. "And wizards as a collective are no different than those people who stalk celebrities at the airport, demanding an autograph at four in the morning that they're just going to sell on EBay anyway, when you really need to get on a plane."

"Speaking from experience?" Kara asked.

"Yes," Zari said. "So, next chapter?

Everyone nodded in agreement.

To Be Continued.