Harry Potter Returns
A Harry Potter/Superman Returns Crossover

Chapter Seventeen
Into the Dark Dimension

Updated April 29, 2011

Author's Note: Sorry for the long delay, I was on "vacation" for a while — actually, I had double bypass surgery in March and have been convalescing since then. After two monhs, I figured it was time to get back in the swing of writing this fan fiction. Now, on with our tale…

Clark sat back in his chair, patting his rippling stomach muscles contentedly. "Mom, that dinner was wonderful, as always. Thanks for making it."

Martha Kent smiled. "You should thank Kara — she made it."

Clark looked at his cousin in mild surprise. "You made it, Kara? I'm impressed! You're really getting into the swing of things here on the old farm."

Kara was beaming at the compliment offered by her cousin. "It is rather interesting, preparing food manually instead of having the autosystem do it. Martha gave me a lot of pointer on how you liked your pot roast — was everything okay?"

"It was wonderful," Clark said again. "I probably shouldn't admit this, but until you told me, I thought it was Mom's pot roast!"

"Oh dear," Martha said, in mock horror. "I've been replaced!"

Both Clark and Kara laughed. "Don't be silly, Mom, nobody can replace you," Clark told her, and she smiled lovingly at him. "And," Clark added, standing and dropping his napkin on the table. "Nobody's going to replace those rotted planks in the north fence if I don't — so I'd better get back out there and finish the job."

"Can I come with you?" Kara asked. "I'd like to see how that's done."

"Fine with me," Clark agreed. He glanced at the table. "Of course, we should probably clear the table so Mom won't have to —" a moment later the table was suddenly cleared as Kara collected all the dishes and silverware at super-speed, placed them in the kitchen sink and turned on the faucet to begin filling it, then wrapped up the leftovers and placed them in the refrigerator.

"There," Kara said. "I'll have the dishes cleaned and put away in a few more seconds, as soon as the water fills the sink."

"I'll do the dishes," Martha said, waving away Kara's protest to the contrary. "Oh please, dear — I already feel like a stranger in my own kitchen, what with you doing all the cooking and cleaning up today."

A short time later Clark and Kara were in the northernmost field in the Kent farm, examining the wooden fence that bordered it and an old country road that saw no more than a car or two pass by every week or so. Clark was pointing out several boards and a couple of posts that would need replacing.

For most farmers this was nearly an everyday chore, but it had been some time since Clark had been out to check this section of the farm — the fence badly needed repair. "It doesn't look too difficult," Kara observed. She looked at the materials they'd brought along — several square posts, four-by-fours, a number of long two-by-sixes, and a box of 1½" fence nails. "I don't see a hammer, though."

"My dad and I used to go out at least once per week and work on different sections of the fence around the farm," Clark said. He was pulling boards to be replaced off the fence in various sections, tossing the wood planks into a neat pile a dozen yards away with casual flicks of his wrist. "When I was little, I just came along to watch, but I wanted to help, too. Dad was going to let me hammer in a few nails, but before he could hand me the hammer, I'd just pushed the nail in with my finger." Kara smiled.

"I didn't think we really needed a hammer," she said. She pointed to the post she was standing next to. "May I?" When Clark nodded, she reached out and grasped the wooden post, pulling it out of ground and throwing it onto the pile of old wood as well. "This is kind of fun!"

Clark grinned. "You might not say that if you were out here every day fixing fences," he said. He looked around, estimating how much more fence there was to repair before the winter snows started. "I probably shouldn't have let myself get distracted with all of that magical stuff," he muttered, half to himself. "I've let things go around here."

Kara was watching him curiously. "How else were you going to learn about magic, Kal? I mean, I don't understand it — even though there were rumors that such arcane arts were practiced on Krypton in the past — but it's an ability that you have and should understand. Just like you said you told Harry Potter, he had to learn how to use his Kryptonian abilities once he acquired them from you."

"That's different," Clark objected. "It's easy to understand and control super-abilities —"

"Yeah," Kara smirked. "Says the guy who's had them all his life. It's a little different when you wake up one day and find out you can bend steel bars like putty and fly into space under your own power!" She watched as Clark took a four-by-four and pushed it into the ground where they'd removed the old post, then took a two-by-six and fitted it in place, shaving off the ends with his heat vision focused to razor-thinness, then fixed it in place by thumbing several nails through the wood. "See? You do that like it was nothing."

"I've done it most of my life," Clark pointed out. But he knew what she meant. It had taken Harry a couple of weeks to become used to his powers, back when he first got them. "You seem to be coming along pretty well with your powers," he told her.

"Well, I had the benefit of watching you all those years, through the Kryptonian probes," she reminded him. "Plus, your mom was pretty patient with me — I did break a few glasses and plates at first, and I bit off the tines of a fork once…"

Clark chuckled. "She told me I did that all the time when I was little."

Kara smiled mischievously. "I'll bet Martha's happy she never had to breast-feed you."

"Kara!" Clark was a little shocked by her comment. "I never hurt anyone with my superpowers like that, especially not my parents!"

"I know, I know," Kara quickly agreed, to mollify him. "I was just teasing."

Neither of them spoke again right away. Kara watched as Clark set the final posts in place and affixed boards across them, repairing that section of the fence. After a minute or so she asked, "When are you going back to that school?"

"I don't know." Clark stepped back to examine his handiwork. "There isn't that much more I can do there — I've read just about every book in the Library there, about every type of magic imaginable. There's really nothing left for me to do there."

"So you can do magic, like wizards can?" Kara asked. Clark had told her all about his "accident" with Harry, of course, explaining why he was at the school in the first place. Clark nodded.

"So what can you do?" Kara wanted to know. "Are you as powerful as, say, Doctor Strange?"

Clark raised an eyebrow at her. "How do you know about him?" he asked.

"Hello?" she said, looking at him as if that should be obvious. "Kryptonian probes — duh! You weren't the only thing we watched in Arco City, Kal!"

"I only meant that he's not really a public figure," Clark replied, mildly. "I'd never heard of him before going to the Academy."

"But your friend Lana's uncle Phineas had," Kara told him. "Strange visited him a few times before his wife died and he disappeared. My father was fascinated with the idea of magic — I think he had some idea it could help us save Arco City, if we could just figure how to generate and control it."

"It's possible," Clark pondered the idea. "But everything I've seen about Kryptonian technology suggests that it's already advanced enough to be considered 'magic' by Earth-technology standards."

"Oh, no doubt," Kara agreed. "With Kryptonian technology, either one of us could conceivably rule this entire planet, if we wanted to."

"I know," Clark nodded, soberly. "Believe me, it's occurred to me, and I'm sure more than one government has worried whether someday I'll summarily take them over, or even subjugate the entire planet."

"Would that be such a bad thing?" Kara asked.

Clark looked startled by the question. "Why would you even ask such a thing, Kara?"

"Well, look at how Krypton was governed," Kara pointed out. "The Science Council was the primary ruling body on the planet, and the Council of Elders was its inner circle, with the Eldest holding the final say on all important matters. It's pretty much the same thing as having an absolute dictator, however benevolent he or she might be."

"Jor-El warned me about such things," Clark remembered, "but only indirectly. He told me I must not interfere in human history…" his voice trailed off.

Kara caught the change in her cousin's demeanor. "…Did you?"

Clark looked at her a long moment, then nodded slowly. "I — I went back and saved someone who had died, before it happened."

"So you saved them," Kara said. "What's wrong with that?"

"I don't know — nothing, I hope," Clark said. "But I don't know what might have happened, because of it. It was almost too easy a fix — anytime something bad happens, I could just fly back in time and stop it before it ever happens."

Kara was silent, considering this. "I see what you mean," she said at last. "That's a lot of opportunities to set up time travel paradoxes."
"Yes," Clark agreed. "I've only done it once, though." He gave the fence a final once-over. "I think we're done here, we can go to the next section —"

A shimmering glow behind them made both Clark and Kara turn. Floating in the air next to them was a blue-and-gold uniformed figure wearing a golden helmet that covered his (or rather her — the figure was noticeably female) features.

"Superman," the figure intoned. "You are needed."

"Superman?" Clark said, though he was pretty sure his attempt to protect his identity was going to fail. "I — I don't know what you mean —"

"There is no time to discuss your true identity, Clark Kent," the figure said. "Dr. Fate calls on you to help save your friend Harry Potter, trapped in the Dark Dimension by its Sorcerer Supreme, Clea."

"Harry's in trouble?" Both Clark and Kara spoke at the same time. Clark glanced at her, then asked, "How did this happen?"

"There is no time," Fate said once again. "Dr. Strange and others await our return. Will you help us rescue him?"

"Of course," Clark said immediately.

"Me, too!" Kara added

"No," Clark shook his head. "This could be dangerous." Kara looked outraged.

"Kal, I can protect myself!" she said, hotly. "And you can use another hand! Right?" she said to Fate, who made no reply.

"You're staying here and that settles it," Clark said, his voice ringing with authority. Kara crossed her arms and looked stubborn.

"Just a moment," Clark said to Fate, reaching to take off his glasses. He spun, and a moment later he was dressed in his familiar red-and-blue uniform. "Tell Mom I'll be back soon," he said to Kara. "Don't tell her where I'm going, though — she worries, you know. I'll see you soon." He nodded to Fate, and the two of them soared off into the east.

"Sooner than you think," Kara muttered to herself. A moment later she was back in her room at the Kent farm, rummaging quickly through her closet. Try and keep me from helping, will he? She thought defiantly, as she compared a dozen or so outfit combinations before settling on a white short-sleeve blouse with a V-cut neckline and a deep blue skirt that just topped her knees. She looped a gold belt around the skirt, similar to the one Superman wore on his uniform, and slipped a red cape around her neck, finally donning a pair of red boots. Now she was ready for some action!

But time was wasting — she'd already lost ten seconds on Clark and that Fate person. Kara shot out of her bedroom window, heading east in the same direction she'd seen the pair fly off toward. If they were flying a straight-line course, she calculated, they would be heading toward New York City. Fate had said Dr. Strange was waiting for them — Kara could deduce that they were heading for his Sanctum. Now she was grateful she'd watched all the recordings the Kryptonian probes had sent back from Earth — she could recall Professor Potter visiting there once or twice. She should be able to infer the location of the Sanctum from her perfect recall of details from the probe images, if she could find its general vicinity

Hopefully.

In the meantime, Superman and Fate had reached New York and were approaching the three-story building that was Strange's Sanctum. Landing at the front door, the two costumed figures stood there for several seconds before Superman asked, "How do we get in?"

In response, Fate reached up with a golden-gloved fist and knocked three times on the door. A few moments later the door opens, and a bald Oriental man nodded to them in greeting. "Welcome," he said, gesturing them inside. "We have been waiting for you."

Superman and Fate found themselves standing in a foyer with Dr. Strange and Illyana Rasputin. "What's this about Harry being kidnapped into the Dark Dimension?" he asked, without preamble.

"How do you know Harry Potter, Superman?" Illyana asked, curiously. "You usually don't have much dealings with magic, do you?"

"That's not important right now," Superman said, trying to keep focus on the matter at hand. "Dr. Fate has asked for my help and I'm here to do so in any way I can."

Illyana rolled her eyes. "Of course she did."

What was that supposed to mean? Superman wondered to himself, but Dr. Strange had begun speaking. "Our first task is retrieve the Orb of Agamotto from my Sanctum Sanctorum. It will allow us to bridge the interdimensional gap between Earth and the Dark Dimension, and will help me locate the Eye of Agamotto — which, I suspect, Clea is keeping on or near her person."

"Sounds simple enough," Superman agreed. "But what's the plan for finding Harry?"

"That may be more difficult," Strange replied. "The Dark Dimension is a fractal universe — it has many pocket dimensions; Harry could be hidden in any of them, even in dimensions hidden inside other dimensions. It depends on how securely Clea wants to hold him."

"But for what purpose?" Superman wanted to know. "Why would she kidnap Harry in the first place?"

Strange shook his head. "I am not sure, but Clea is obsessed with keeping control of the Dark Dimension out of the hands of Dormammu — she may be using him toward that end."

"Who is Dormammu?" Superman asked.

"The former Sorcerer Supreme of the Dark Dimension," Strange answered. "He and I have had encounters in the past. He has tried to take over the Earth dimension several times, but I managed to hold him at bay, sometimes with Clea's help. Eventually we drove Dormammu out of the Dark Dimension, and Clea received the Flames of Regency denoting her as Sorcerer Supreme of the Dark Dimension.

"However, in her obsession to keep control of her home universe, she decided to steal the artifacts of Agamotto, the member of the Vishanti that was Earth's first Sorcerer Supreme, from me. However, she only succeeded in taking the Eye with her back to the Dark Dimension."

"And we should have gone there and taken it back from her!" Illyana chimed in, heatedly.

Strange shook his head slowly. "That's not what I wanted, Illyana."

"I know," Illyana snorted. "But you've been wallowing in your self-imposed misery ever since she left you, unable to say or do anything against her."

Fate put up a hand. "Now is not the time for recriminations, Illyana."

"Fine," Illyana snapped, throwing up her hands in resignation. "So let's figure out what we're going to do and do it!"

"Where is this 'Orb of Agamotto?'" Superman wanted to know. "Is it here?"

"Yes," Strange told him. "It's on the third floor, in my Sanctum Sanctorum. However, as I was about to explain to Miss Rasputin, there are certain safeguard on it that I set in place using the Eye of Agamotto, before Clea stole it from me. It may be difficult to retrieve it."

"Depends," Illyana said. "I can probably 'port in and get it —"

"I will retrieve it," Fate said.

Illyana folded her arms. "Fine by me, Blondie," she said, a bit huffily.

"Are you sure —" Strange started to say, but Fate disappeared in a flash of white light, returning a few moments later holding the orb in her gloved hands. "Well, I suppose you are," Strange finished, a bit sheepishly. He held out his hand and the Orb floated from Dr. Fate to him. Strange held it in both hands; it seemed to give him strength, as he now stood taller, and there was new confidence on his features, which until now had seemed haggard and beaten down.

"Okay, now what?" Superman asked. "How do we get to this 'Dark Dimension?'"

"The Orb can transport us all there," Strange said, his voice now strong and measured. "However, we may wish to approach the Dark Dimension carefully; Clea must expect we would discover Harry's disappearance sooner or later, and attempt a rescue —" He stopped as there was a sudden knock on the door.

"Who could that be?" Strange muttered, frowning. Superman glanced at the door, but his X-ray vision would not penetrate it. It was not lead-lined, he knew, but rather had been magically shielded so that he was prevented from seeing through the wood. Strange turned the Orb toward the door, looking a bit perplexed, then nodded to Wong, who stepped over to the door and opened it, revealing a blonde-haired young girl dressed in a makeshift uniform that vaguely resembled Superman's.

"Kara!" Superman said, giving her a stern look. "I thought I said —"

"I know what you said, Superman," she retorted, before he could chastise her further. She stepped inside as Wong held the door for her, looking at her cousin defiantly. "But I'm old enough to make my own decisions about things. I can take care of myself. And call me Supergirl, please."

"Supergirl?" Illyana said, looking at the Man of Steel then at the new arrival. "First Superman returns, now we have his female counterpart on Earth as well. We're going to be crawling with Kryptonians before long!"

Kara gave Illyana an even look. "Not likely — everyone else I escaped from Krypton's explosion with died when my parents sent me here to Earth. Superman and I are the only two survivors of Krypton's destruction."

"Hey," Illyana made a placating gesture. "Don't get me wrong — I'm glad to see another female superhero!"

Superman shook his head. "But she's not a superhero!" When Kara, Illyana and Dr. Fate all looked at him, he quickly added, "at least, not yet!"

"Well when, then?" Kara snapped, exasperated.

"No time like the present," Illyana said, smiling mischievously. "We can use all the help we can get, Supes."

It was difficult to tell whether Superman was more peeved at being overridden or being called "Supes." "I just think it's too soon for you," he said to Kara.

"I can take care of myself," she said again.

Superman looked back at the door, then at Kara again. "How did you find us, anyway?"

Kara tapped her ear. "Super-hearing. I guessed you and Fate were heading for New York, and once I got here I listened for the sound of your voice. Fortunately for me you were a little more talkative than usual, so I found you all pretty fast."

"We should return to the matter at hand," Dr. Fate spoke up. "The rescue of Harry Potter from the Dark Dimension."

"Agreed," Dr. Strange nodded. "I have been thinking, and I believe Clea would have kept Harry as close to her as she could. He is therefore very likely in the Royal Palace, at the Dark Dimension's 'center.'"

Kara caught the emphasis on Strange's final word. "You say that like you don't really think there's a center," she said.

"The Dark Dimension is a very fluid reality," Strange expanded on his statement. "Clea, as its Sorcerer Supreme, has nearly total control over it, and she may allow different regions of it to merge or become indistinct. Once she senses our presence there, she may attempt to close off any access to the Palace.

"Once we reach it, we still must locate Harry within in. There will be powerful wards protecting him, and numerous defenders who will see us as invading monsters — Clea can control her subjects' perceptions. There is no telling who — or what — we will encounter while trying to find Harry."

"What kind of place is the Dark Dimension?" Superman asked. "What can we expect in the way of obstacles, once we reach it?"

"When I was there last," Strange replied, "it was a pastoral place, filled with rolling hills and small villages surrounding Clea's palace. When Dormammu was in control, it was mostly a barren wasteland, cold and uninviting. Dormammu kept an iron hand on his subjects, whom he considered his chattel. Clea wanted to change that, which was why she eventually took control from Dormammu, with my help."

"We should make preparations and begin as soon as possible," Fate said. "I believe we will need protection from detection by Clea — I can provide wards that will shield us from her, at least for a while. Unfortunately the protection will weaken the further apart we get from one another, and we must do that in order to search for Harry."

"I can have us arrive a short distance from the palace," Strange said, hefting the Orb. "Or at least, from where I remember it being, in relation to the Dark Dimension overall. Clea may have rearranged things since my last sojourn there."

"This should be interesting!" Kara said enthusiastically.

"Kara, I really don't think you're ready for this," Superman said, trying to sound stern. "You're only fifteen years old!"

"Oh, come on, Superman!" Illyana snorted. "You should have seen what I was up to when I was fifteen!"

"I couldn't imagine," Superman said, flatly. He remembered Illyana Rasputin from the Academy, but could hardly fathom what the demure blonde must have been like in her youth. She knew a lot of magic, of that Clark was certain. But — "Kara isn't you, however."

"If I understand correctly, Superman," Dr. Fate spoke, "Kara has the same abilities you do."

"Yes," Superman agreed, reluctantly, seeing where Fate was going. "But she has very little experience using them."

"And she will never obtain experience unless you allow her use her powers," Fate continued. "While this is a dangerous mission, the four of us should be able to assist her if Kara finds herself at a disadvantage."

"I —" Superman looked around at the faces staring at him: Kara, her expression a mixture of pleading and defiance; Illyana, a small grin on her lips, as if she expected him to cave in, and Fate's implacable mask. Dr. Strange was watching, his face expressionless, as if he didn't want to be part of the Man of Steel's decision. Superman sighed. "I may regret this, but —"

"Yes!" Supergirl made a gesture of victory, then quickly hugged her older cousin. "Thanks, Kal! Don't worry, I'll be careful." Clark smiled ruefully at her.

"All right, then," Illyana said. "In and out as quick as we can after finding Harry — and with any luck, the Eye, too," she added, looking at Strange. "Otherwise, Clea might just decide to try this again at some point."

"How are we actually going to find Harry?" Kara asked, looking at Illyana. "From what Dr. Strange has said, it will be like finding a needle in a field full of haystacks."

Illyana laughed. "Interesting analogy. Did you grow up on a farm?"

"No," Kara replied, coolly, "on a space arcology — but I currently live on —"

"All right, enough banter," Superman interrupted. He looked at Strange. "It's a valid question, though."

It was Fate who answered, however. "Yes, it is. I will begin searching for Harry once we arrive there, as will Dr. Strange, each of us using our individual talents. Superman, you and Supergirl will provide any defensive actions needed, and Illyana —"

"Call me Magik," Illyana said. "I haven't used that name for a while."

Fate paused for a moment, then gave a small shrug. "Magik, you will be prepared to retrieve Harry from whatever constraints he may be under. If he's been charmed over to Clea's cause, we will restrain him and return to Earth. The spells should be easier to counter there, away from Clea's home dimension."

Fate put a gloved hand to the side of her helmet. "I will maintain mental contact with Professor Potter, back at the Academy. If Professor Dumbledore is still there he will be able to keep him apprised of the situation as we search for Harry. All of you will also hear my and the professor's thoughts, and will be able to communicate with him as well." Professor Potter, can you hear me? Fate sent a mental message to the professor.

Oh my — yes, I can! came Potter's mental reply, after a few seconds. I must say, you rather startled me just now, with this telepathy business! Are you in the Dark Dimension yet?

Dr. Strange is about to transport us there, Fate answered. Superman was frowning slightly. Now that he could hear Dr. Fate's "voice" in his head, unaltered by her helmet, it sounded familiar to him, somehow. But now was not the time to worry about it — Strange was beginning the spell that would take them to the Dark Dimension.

Strange was muttering verses over the Orb. Though Clark could hear him clearly, he'd never heard the words the sorcerer was using before, not in all of the books he'd read in the past few months at the Academy. The air was beginning to shimmer around them, then everything seemed to swirl, surrounding them in a protective bubble.

Lights began to flash outside the bubble, and there was the sound and sensation of wind rushing past them, beginning to spin them along with the swirling lights. This was certainly unlike teleporting! Clark thought, distractedly, as the light and winds suddenly vanished, leaving them —

"Oh my Rao!" Kara exclaimed, looking around. "I don't think we're in Kansas anymore!"

"Funny," Magik said, dryly. "We're about as far from Kansas, or anywhere on Earth, as it's possible to be."

The five had arrived, not in a pastoral field or valley, but in the middle of a cobbled street, with dark, foreboding buildings rising up around them. It reminded Clark of some of the seamier sections of Metropolis, like "Suicide Slum" — the buildings were all old and ill-maintained; the architecture, however, was more gothic, resembling Gotham City. "What happened?" Superman asked, looking around. "Where are we?"

"This is the Dark Dimension," Dr. Strange confirmed. "But Clea must have anticipated our arrival — she has altered the landscape in order to disorient us."

"So, no biggie," Illyana said, dismissively. "We should be able to find Harry no matter what the place looks like, shouldn't we?"

"Of course," Strange agreed. "But it may be difficult to locate her palace in this altered configuration — it may not even be a palace anymore."

"I will begin searching for Harry's magical aura," Dr. Fate said. "It is — nearly unique."

Superman glanced at Fate, bemused by the phrase she'd used. What did she mean, nearly unique? he wondered. But the situation at hand was still his primary concern. "What do you want us to do?" he asked.

"Remain on guard," Fate said, extending her arms in front of herself. "There may be guards or other defenders about, ready to attack intruders." Fate rose a dozen feet in the air, spinning slowly as she searched for Harry's magical aura. On the ground, Dr. Strange was using the Orb to perform the same search. Superman, Supergirl, and Magik formed a protective triangle around Strange.

After a minute or so of silence, Kara asked, "Find him yet?"

Fate did not answer. "It…is…difficult," Strange said, distracted from his intense mental concentration. "The Orb can sense him, but it is unable to pinpoint his precise location. Fate," he looked upwards. "How fares your efforts?"

"Similar," Fate responded, but said no more.

A figure suddenly swooped down from the rooftop of a nearby building, swinging from a thin cord. It landed some yards away from Superman, who at first thought he recognized the gray-and-black uniform.

"Batman!" he said, surprised to see his ally and sometimes friend against crime. "What are you —"

But as the figure stepped closer, Superman realized that it was not Batman — but some horrific version of him: its skin was gray and mottled, as if it were the walking dead. Startled, Superman did not react when the creature reached into its belt and flung several marble-sized objects at them. Superman recovered, reaching out at super-speed to snatch several of the spheres, and letting the rest hit his body.

Which was a mistake. The spheres exploded, knocking Superman down. Worse, the ones in his hands exploded as well — Superman gasped in pain as the explosions burned and lacerated his hands. He looked at them in shock. Even as he watched, however, his super-healing ability sealed the gashes and the skin became normal again. But how could it have hurt him, though — even as the question crossed his mind, Superman realized the answer — magic! "Careful," Superman said, glancing at Kara. "It's using magic against us!"

But this gave the Bat-creature opportunity to close the gap between them. Instead of going for Superman, however, it attempted to sidestep him to reach Dr. Strange. Superman reached out and grabbed the creature's arm, stopping him, but a moment later the creature had slid beneath him and tossed Superman over his shoulder. Hitting the cobbled street and rolling quickly to his feet, Superman reminded himself that he should never underestimate the Batman, especially not a magical zombie version of him!

Supergirl had closed on the creature, pinning his arms from behind. The creature began struggling wildly in her grip, its head spinning almost completely around to try and bite her. She held it at arm's length and shouted, "What do I do with it?"

"I've got him," Illyana said, stepping in front them. "Let go!" As Kara released the creature, a glowing circle of white light appeared beneath her and the creature. They both vanished. Illyana reappeared a moment later in the same spot.

"I left the thing in Otherplace," she replied to Kara's questioning look. "Don't ask — it's a long story."

"I've got —" Kara stopped, looking around and grinning. "Well I guess we don't have time, at the moment."

"Uh-oh," Superman said. Another denizen of the Dark Dimension had appeared: a huge, overly-muscled gray skinned behemoth that was roaring with rage as it thundered toward them. It looked like a zombie as well, though it stood eight feet in height and must've massed over half a ton. "This one looks like trouble!"

Nevertheless, the Man of Steel surged forward to meet the attack. With his speed, he simply avoided the huge humanoid's swing, smashing his fist into the giant's jaw hard enough to stun an elephant.

The giant stopped in its tracks, looking at Superman first in surprise, then anger. "Hulk smash puny blue man!" he roared, and swung again. Again, Superman dodged the blow, driving his fist into the Hulk's stomach with twice the force of his first blow. But the Hulk merely grunted and swung a massive fist downward, one that Superman did not dodge in time. The blow staggered him, and the Hulk pressed his attack, grabbing Superman in a bear hug and squeezing.

In response Superman boxed his ears. The Hulk roared, in rage more than in pain, and grabbed his ears, releasing Superman. Superman was about to strike once again when a blue-and-white blur whizzed past him, slamming into the Hulk's middle and knocking him high into the black sky and out of sight.

It was Supergirl, of course, who had stepped in (or rather, flew in) and ended the fight. "Pretty cool, huh?" she said, raising her arms in victory. "Ooh!" she said, suddenly.

"What's wrong?" Superman asked, concerned.

"I don't know," she said, looking at her arms and hands. "My arms really took a jolt when I hit that thing. I mean — they hurt!" She looked up at Superman. "They aren't supposed to do that any more, are they?"

"No," Superman shook his head. "Unless —" He looked up into the black sky. "We're no longer on Earth, and no longer under a yellow sun. Our bodies are no longer absorbing yellow solar radiation."

"But we're still super!" Kara protested.

"Only because of the reserves of energy we've already absorbed," Superman said. "We're going to have to use our powers as sparingly as possible here, before they are depleted and we become normal and can't defend the others."

"Wow," Kara said. "So much for an easy first adventure!"

=ooo=

In his room, Harry could tell that something was amiss. He could hear the faint sound of shouted orders from the men-at-arms of the Palace, warning each other of danger coming this way. The Palace also felt different, somehow — Harry could sense additional magic all around him. Clea must have shored up her defenses.

The question was — from whom? If it was Dormammu, then this was the moment Clea been holding him here for the past two years. Were they ready to take on a being as powerful as "he" (Clea had said that Dormammu's original form was genderless) was supposed to be? Harry knew a lot more magic than when he first came here, though still not enough to break through the wards that were keeping him in the Dark Dimension. Despite Clea tricking and kidnapping him to bring him here, keeping him a virtual prisoner all this time, he would not run out on her when she needed him. Besides, he had no way to escape the Dark Dimension, not while Clea possessed both the Flames of Regency and the Eye of Agamotto.

On the other hand… if someone back on Earth had somehow figured out where he was, and was coming to rescue him, Harry would gladly leave, Dormammu or not. He closed his eyes again, sending out scrying magic in an attempt to identify the source of the commotion. There were flashes of red and blue — Clark in his super-suit? Harry certainly hoped so — though he had to admit, he didn't know how Clark could have found this dimension; Clea kept up wards that made it difficult for all but the most adept wizards to break through them and find it. If Clark was here, he must've had help. Perhaps Doctor Strange — Clea had mentioned that when he was Sorcerer Supreme he had made his way to the Dark Dimension in order to find her and stop one of Dormammu's attempts to conquer Earth.

A sudden presence slammed into Harry's magical perceptions, and his eyes jerked open to regard a visibly upset Clea standing before him. "What are you doing?" she demanded.

"Nothing," Harry said, a look of bland innocence plastered across his face. "Just resting." In fact he was sitting on his bed, his legs crossed. His arms had been outstretched as he magically searched for another sign of a rescue party. "Is something wrong?"

Clea didn't answer immediately. "There's nothing wrong," she finally said. "Just a small intrusion by some other-dimensional beings who don't know what they're getting into."

"Really?" Harry said, sounding skeptical. "I thought no one could get into the Dark Dimension without your permission."

Clea shrugged indifferently. "I won't have any trouble with them, my subjects are already moving to repel them. They'll be forced back to wherever they came from."

"And where would that be?" Harry asked, pointedly. "Earth?"

Clea stared at him for a moment. "You think your friends would come and rescue you?" she asked, seemingly almost amused at the thought. "You've only been gone a few days back on Earth — do you think anyone's missed you?"

"I think you'd better hope they haven't," Harry retorted. "But yeah — I think they're here right now, and you don't want me to know that. But I've already sensed their presence here." Though that sensation was faint and uncertain, he didn't bother to add.

Clea smiled. "Hope springs eternal, doesn't it?" She made an airy gesture and a moment later they were surrounded by darkness. Annoyed, Harry conjured a small glowing ball of light to illuminate his room once again, but found a moment later that they were no longer there. Instead, a small room, seemingly composed of stone. Harry looked around at the four windowless, doorless walls then back at Clea.

"You might call this a 'safe room' back on Earth," Clea said, answering his unasked question. "I don't want anything happening to you before Dormammu comes."

"If he comes," Harry muttered, bitterly.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Clea asked, almost sneering.

"Almost two years now you've been waiting for him!" Harry said hotly, unable to control his frustration any longer. "It's more like, you just want to keep me here until my feelings somehow change for you! Well that's not going to happen, Clea — not in two years, or in two hundred years!"

Clea's expression went flinty. "A shame," she said. "I had hoped you'd warmed up to me by now, or were at least beginning to. But it doesn't matter. You'll stay here and help me when Dormammu attacks, whether it's in two year or two thousand years! Dormammu is immortal — he can afford to bide his time as long as he chooses before he attacks! You might as well relax and enjoy yourself, Harry Potter — you could be here for a long, long time." Before Harry could reply she disappeared.

"Great!" Harry said angrily. He calmed down a few moments later and looked around the room again. Wherever he was now, he could feel a lot more magical defenses around him, keeping intruders out and him in. If Clark and others were here in the Dark Dimension, he was going to have to figure out a way to contact them with his location. He just wished he knew who might have come with Clark — it might give him some ideas on how to reach them.

The most obvious guess was Doctor Strange, though Harry believed he had lost the ability to reach the Dark Dimension when Clea took the Eye of Agamotto from him. Perhaps he had a backup way. Harry sat down on the stone floor, composed himself, and began concentrating on finding a way through the safe room's defenses.