So Chapter One Has Been Revamped, So Be Sure to Read It. As for this chapter, you're getting it early.

Chapter Three: Anomaly.

Kara's eyes opened as she looked around. It took seconds for the blonde woman to come to her senses.

'W-what happened?" thought Kara, hazed, shaking her head to clear the cobwebs, as she tried to study her surroundings. 'I'm….did my ship crash?'

The girl saw she was not alone. She focused on the young man in the room standing in front of her. Kara studied his green eyes, his messy black hair, and his impressive looking figure, only slightly obvious through Earth clothes. Then there was the presence of some kind of power within him.

'He's…who is that?' thought Kara, as she intently studied the young man.

"Are you alright?" he asked, as he surveyed her. Kara looked back at him, as her face contorted into slight anger.

"Just who are you?" she asked in a low voice.

"Now, don't be alarmed, please," said the young man as he took half of a step back, but remained firm otherwise. "I found your ship, at the bottom of the reservoir. You were in stasis, but I got you out."

Now, Kara was momentarily confused.

'He's…he can't have,' thought Kara, as she tried to process what she had been told. 'Could he? I need to get out of here, figure out what happened, to see where I am.'

The boy moved closer towards her, but Kara stepped outside her ship to face him. Her eyes narrowed as she looked back at him.

"Don't…just calm down," said the young man in a pacifying voice. "I can help you, whoever you are. Just don't do anything…"

Kara panicked and rushed right at the young man. He side stepped her with lightning fast reflexes. She decided to keep running towards the door of the lab.

The door swung open. Had the Kryptonian not been so confused, she would have noticed this fact. Yet she kept running outside, to try and find a way out.

Harry stood in the lab area, as he watched her leave.

'Good one Potter,' thought Harry sarcastically to himself. 'That could have gone better, couldn't it?"

Harry shook his head, as he tried to piece together what happened.

'Well, I think I better give her a few minutes to calm herself down, because she's not going to give me answers if she's upset,' thought Harry. 'Then I'll figure out who she is. I really could have found worst things in that ship. Given I was expecting some hideous monster that was going to eat me or something.'

Harry breathed.

'She's a bit annoyed right now,' he thought, almost in amusement. 'And I know from experience that talking to an annoyed, or even angry person is not going to get me any information. It's not like she's going anywhere without my help, though.'

He could have stunned her, he could have put in a full body bind, he could have used a cheering charm on her, or any number of rudimentary spells.

Yet, sometimes the world's problems could not be solved by throwing magical spells at them.

Harry sat back down on the chair, and decided he might as well do something productive with his time. He held his hand out, extending it before him.

'So, I better figure out why the hell I'm here,' thought Harry. 'I can't believe I'm using the lifeline reading thing on myself.'

"Just who am I?" asked Harry, before he winced at how stupid he sounded.

"You are Harry James Potter," said a voice in monotone. "The son of James and Lily Potter, deceased on October 31st 1981. You are twenty years old. Your species is an anomaly, as there is no official designation for what you are."

"Yes, thank you for telling me what I already knew," replied Harry through gritted teeth. "What happened to the survivors from my world since 2001?"

"The remaining witches and wizards of Europe died out eventually, due to their inability to function in the regular world," replied the voice coldly. "In the past six years, magic users have become an endangered species. You are one of seven individuals left on Earth with the ability to perform magic."

"Thanks for the information," said Harry in a dry voice. "Just what was I supposed to be doing between 2001 and 2007?"

"As far as the world knows, you were a head of a now obsolete government branch in Great Britain," said the voice. "After the extinction of magical users in Europe, you searched the world to find answers, and to see if there were any other super powered individuals. You used your resources to set up the Shining Light Foundation. You wanted to help people come to terms with their powers, and see that no child should ever have to spend their life in a cupboard underneath the stairs. Many know your name, but none know your face. You are a recluse. And no one knows anything about your Boy-Who-Lived moniker."

Harry gave a smile. He then asked the next obvious question.

"So, am I rich?" inquired Harry.

"Independently wealthy, as long as you continue to make intelligent investments and decisions," replied the voice dully. "Harry Potter just moved into town in Smallville, to set up shop to investigate the rumors of the super powered individuals. Your home is a marvel, a combination of magical knowledge, Charms and Runes, and much bigger than it appears on the outside."

The Lifeline reading gave Harry further information on his home. He smiled. At least his bothersome employer did not put him underneath a rock like he feared she might. He had resources, and he vowed to use them to achieve what he needed to do.

Lex Luthor sat in his office, deep in thought.

'What exactly is Death?' thought Lex. "I came close to it. By all rights I should have drowned. He said it wasn't my time. Why?'

Lex sat at his desk, hand underneath his chin, pondering. He barely had time to register what was happening around him or the seriousness of his predicament.

"Mr. Luthor, the helicopter's waiting. We should have you outside of U.S. Jurisdiction in two hours."

"If I could just have five minutes," muttered Lex, as he mulled over what might have been in his head. "Just five minutes to ask him, why me of all people? Did he give me a second chance to make things right, or a false hope?"

Lex contemplated one of life's greatest mysteries. Even the legal situation he was in paled in comparison, he had the opportunity to get answers that many would die have to die for, yet he allowed it slip through his fingers.

"Lock down the perimeter!" yelled a woman. "Secure the stairwell! The only thing that's getting out of here is the chopper. Sir, you need to hurry. You're wanted for your wife's murder."

"I saw Death," whispered Lex, as if he had not heard a word that was being said. "And I had an opportunity to ask a question of him. Yet, I was too slow to react. He was right beside me."

"Death, yes, sir, of course," said the woman patiently. "But…you know, your wife's murder. The police are going to be here. I doubt even the Grim Reaper could get you out of this."

Silence followed and then Lex spoke. "Yes…I know. I'm turning myself in."

Lex got up and walked towards the door, to face the music.

"What happened, Chloe?" asked Clark, after Lois walked off into the distance. She was still spooked by the entire robed figure.

"Someone healed me, brought me back from the grasp of death," said Chloe, as she looked around, as if hoping the person who saved her would pop out of the bushes. "Who did it? Why would they do it?"

"Lois got stabbed," said Clark. "She showed me, it didn't leave one scratch."

Chloe shrugged, as she looked out.

"If you're out there, just give me a sign," she muttered underneath her breath.

"One of Lex's guys might have done something to you," said Clark, as he snapped Chloe out of her thoughts. "Do you want to tell me what happened?"

"Clark, I was a bit busy being unconscious," said Chloe, as she looked at her friend. "Lois thinks she saw some robed figure. If it was Death, he would have taken me right then and there. If I find out, I've got some questions for him."

"Chloe, you can tell me," said Clark.

"I don't have time for twenty questions," said Chloe, as she looked at him, intent. "I've got to get out of here, find some answers."

The set look on the woman's face indicated she would not rest until she did.

Clark tried to voice a concern. "Shouldn't you at least get checked out.."

"And get turned into some kind of lab rat?" she asked. "From one guinea pig to another, I think I'll pass."

Chloe turned and walked away. Answers were what she needed. What happened to Lana and also, who was that individual that saved her.

Those two things weighed on her mind, as she left Clark to his own devices.

Kara looked from one side to the other into an endless void. Once she exited that lab, she ran into pretty much an endless stream of nothing. She went around in circles, and looped right back to where she started.

'There has to be some kind of exit portal around here or something,' thought Kara, frustrated and confused. 'Even my bracelet can't get me out of here, I don't understand. None of this makes any sense.'

She frowned; as she considered the person who brought her here.

'Does he really think he has the right to keep me as some kind of prisoner, or a treasure that he found?' thought the woman. "Granted, there are worst people…but I'm still not going to put up with this. I'm going to make him bring me back.'

Kara turned around, and as if on cue, she saw the man who brought her to this place.

"Send me back," demanded the woman, staring him down without blinking.

"Not until you calm down," said the young man, slowly. "And you explain exactly who you are."

Kara looked at him, exasperated. Was this guy for real?

"I'm not going to tell you anything!" she cried, as she folded her arms.

"Well, that's fine," said the young man, before giving her a calculating smile. He then continued to talk. "I've got all of the time in the world, so just be stubborn. You're not going to win, by the way. I've written the book on stubbornness."

He tapped his wrist.

Kara got right in his face right at this moment. "You have to send me back!"

He shook his head and Kara moved to grab him, but he was gone. She blinked and spun around, where he stood right behind her.

"Please, calm down," said the young man, in a calm voice. He smiled at her. "I can help you, just take a deep breath and calm down."

Kara looked at him, and did as he requested.

"See that wasn't so hard, was it?" he asked, as he stood face to face with her, and maintained eye contact. "Now, I could have hurt you before, but I didn't, did I?"

She considered him once again and answered, reluctantly. "You didn't."

"I could have done any number of things to you while you were still in stasis, but I didn't," said the young man, and Kara shook her head. He stared her down and spoke in a soft voice. "I wanted to help you, you can trust me, I swear."

Once again, Kara found herself utterly baffled. A conflicting maelstrom of emotion battered her mind. All logic and everything she learned seemed to burn up in the face of this young man.

"I don't want to harm you," added the young man, as he gave her another smile. Then he spoke again. "But nothing you can do to me will leave a scratch. So you can settle down and tell me why you're here."

He paused, before he added. "Or, we can go around in circles for days or even weeks or months. But that's up to you."

She just looked at him. For some reason, she had the thought that if he wanted to, he could pry what he needed out of her mind. Yet, he gave her the opportunity to explain. He sat down on the ground. A few seconds later, Kara sat down right across from him.

The two sat, so they could maintain eye contact with each other. He gave her an encouraging smile, and waved his hand. She tried not to focus on his eyes too much, as she maintained her composure.

"My name is Kara," said the Kryptonian woman in a soft voice. "I got sent to Earth, from my planet, Krypton. The moment I got on my ship, my planet was about to die. I didn't know if I would see anyone ever again."

She took a breath, before she added. "I was sent here for a reason."

Silence followed, before the young man nodded. "I understand. My name is Harry. Come with me, I'll get you to someplace much more friendly until we can figure this out."

"Yeah, sure, I guess," muttered Kara, before she asked a question. "So, you're a human, aren't you?"

"Yes," answered Harry, before he got off the ground. Kara matched his action. "Take my hand, and I'll transport us out of here. We'll get your ship out of here, and to a secure place. I take it the last thing you want is for it to fall into the wrong hands."

Kara nodded in affirmation. Harry held out a hand, and Kara looked at.

"Don't worry, I won't hurt you," said Harry.

She looked at it for another second, before she firmly grabbed his hand.

'His hand's strong, but gentle,' she mused.

Without another word, Harry transported them both out of the realm.

Chloe sat; eyes glazed over and filled with tears. She uncovered the proof she needed, clutched within her hands. She read the death certificate of Lana Luthor, formally Lana Lang. The damning proof was right in front of her face, yet she clung on to her denial.

On her laptop, she half watched videos of her and Lana in happier times. The other recent events diverted her away from mourning Lana's death. The mystery man who saved her, what was his role in this? Who was he?

Chloe's mind bounced back and forth between mourning the loss of her friend and the mystery of her savior. It was almost like some kind of anomaly had presented itself. Everything got scattered around.

"Chloe?" asked Clark gently as her eyes snapped up from what she was watching.

"Oh hey," muttered Chloe as she held back a sob. "Oh, it's really hard to concentrate when Lana was here one minute, and now she's just…I'm so sorry Clark."

Chloe rushed over to embrace her friend. This lasted about a minute, before she backed up and then sudden realization dawned on her.

"He spoke with you, didn't he?" muttered Chloe.

"Who?" asked Clark.

"The person who saved me," prodded Chloe, as she looked Clark right in the eye. "When you ran off, he wanted to talk to you in private."

Clark responded with a nod, and then told Chloe the conversation he had with the mystery man.

"More…questions I see," she said thoughtfully. "He knew your name. This means he was there the entire time, listening to every single word we said. He must be able to turn invisible."

'So, if he was there, that means I had the chance to ask questions most people have to die for,' Chloe thought. "If I knew, I would have waited a while before shouting for Clark."

"Chloe?" prompted Clark, which snapped her back out of her thoughts.

"Just thinking about something, and he's…" started Chloe before she paused. She looked at Clark. "He said this one was for free?"

"Something tells me I dodged a bullet," said Clark. "With entire Phantom mess, but I don't know, something about just seems…"

Clark Kent had no words to describe the situation.

Chloe remained thoughtful, as she looked out into the distance. She spoke after a time. "And I don't know who he is or where he is. Or what he is even. He didn't exactly leave me his e-mail address."

'I've got to find out,' thought the woman.

"So the phantom's been taken care of," prompted Clark. "Now what?"

"I find some answers about our mystery man," said Chloe.

Clark just frowned. "If he really is Death, I'm not sure if you can just look him up."

"I'm not sure if he is," muttered Chloe, unblinking. "I have no idea what he is. Only theories and they might be completely wrong. He's an anomaly, Clark."

She turned and shut off the videos. With that movement, she prepared to research.

She barely noticed a news story that read "Reclusive owner of the Shining Light Foundation sets up shop in Smallville". Normally such a story would have piqued her interest, but there were far more pressing matters for her to deal with.

'Who are you?' thought Chloe, focused.

"I'm going to go talk to someone, while you're…um working," said Clark. "See if he has any answers to this."

"Okay, talk to you later," muttered Chloe, absentmindedly.

Lex remained quiet, docile in his prison cell. His lawyer, a man called Keating, held a recording device for him to listen to.

"Clark meant more to me than you ever will!" shouted Lana on the tape as the sound of hand against cheek was heard. There were more sounds. "That's the last time you'll ever touch me."

"Do you really think I could let you walk away?" asked Lex on the tape.

"What are you going to do Lex?" demanded Lana. "Kill me?"

Keating stopped the tape. "Bail may not be something we can arrange, given the evidence."

"I'm not worried about it," said Lex, as he peered into the distance. "What about the dam, and what about model 503?"

Keating paused. "Sir, the dam…repaired itself."

That caused Lex to snap out of his thoughts.

"He was busy today," muttered Lex underneath his breath.

"And we had most of the units recovered, but 503 is missing," said Keating.

"My father?" muttered Lex, as he added this to the list of the growing questions he would have for the specter that saved him.

"Still unaccounted for," added Keating. "Sir, we have to find you an albi."

Lex remained thoughtful, as he turned to stare at the wall. "Yet, I was saved for a purpose. Someone with great power took pity on me. It allowed me a chance to face my demons. Most people never get a second chance."

Once again, Lex remained silent and stoic. Burning questions swirled around his mind, and he had one chance to get many answers. Yet he choked.

In a flash, Kara and Harry appeared right on a field. The moment she touched down, Kara looked up at the sky.

'Okay, I'm back on Earth, and back under the yellow sun,' she thought, as she looked at Harry. 'Which means, I can ditch him.'

Without another word, Kara jumped into the sky, and flew right away from Harry.

"A-hem," coughed a voice, and Kara turned to the side.

She saw Harry flying right beside her in the sky.

"So, you can fly too?" asked Harry, nonchalantly.

She stopped and put the brakes on, numb in shock. Kara nearly spiraled down to Earth, caught completely off guard by the fact that some Earth boy could fly.

He held a hand out and Kara decelerated, which allowed her to land firmly on her feet, back on solid ground.

"So, are you ready to work with me now?" asked Harry, as he looked at her without blinking. "Or do I have to put you back in the other realm."

She opened her mouth, but nodded. She stated in a small voice. "Yeah, I'm…sorry about that."

As she was down on the ground, her mind went a mile a minute.

'I don't know who this Harry guy thinks he's fooling. He has to be another survivor of Krypton, but from where and how? How many more are there? Does he know anything about Kal-El? I've…I've got to come with him, see what he knows."

Harry motioned for her to follow him into the air. The two flew towards their destination.

"Your ship is secured," said Harry, and Kara nodded in understanding. "My place is right over there."

The two touched down on the ground, as the wind blew through their hair. Kara looked at the house. It seemed perfectly normal, nothing special at all. She spotted her ship in a fenced area, secure, and intact.

"No one will be able to bother your ship," said Harry. This statement caused Kara to look at him and Harry sensed her disbelief. He then amended in a cryptic tone, "There will be consequences for anyone who tries."

'Combination of several of the defenses around Hogwarts, Gringotts, The Ministry, and a little bit of the magic from the Marauders Map tied in for character,' thought Harry to himself, remembering the map that Sinclair's followers burned just to spite him, along with several of his other possessions. 'Tied in with a few tricks of my own.'

"So, why are you taking me here of all places?" asked Kara.

"There's more to this house than meets the eye," said Harry. "The house you see here is merely an illusion not to freak out the locals, or to provoke the government into nosing around."

He turned his head to Kara.

"Just place your hand on the stone, Kara," encouraged Harry, as he pointed at a large stone.

Kara did as she was asked. Immediately, a blinding flash of light dazzled her heightened senses.

The house certainly did not look like that before. It was much larger, and looked like an imperial place. Kara mused it would not have looked out of place on Krypton.

She stepped over to open the doors, but the doors slid open on their own accord.

'Okay, some Earth boy can't have technology like this,' thought Kara. 'There's no way. It's far too advanced for anything here.'

"So, it's been a long day for me, and you've been in that ship for a long time," said Harry casually. "How about I fix us both dinner?"

The blonde woman stopped and considered this proposal. She nodded.

'Would be a perfect opportunity to ask questions,' she thought. 'Besides, it's a free meal.'

Clark stood facing the Martian Manhunter inside his loft.

"When you left here, you were hurt badly," said Clark. "How did you heal so fast?"

"I just had to leave Earth's atmosphere," said the Martian Manhunter, as he looked at Clark. "It appears much happened during my absence"

"I unleashed a carbon copy of myself…only without my…"

"Humanity," concluded the Martian Manhunter. "Yet, I sense you're troubled…"

Clark explained about the robed figure and the meeting he had with him, along with the fate of Bizarro.

The Martian Manhunter remained silent for several moments as he pondered the strange events. "I have no clue what this might mean. All you should know is that whoever this figure is, has fixed your error. The creature would have killed more, all in the name of his own survival. He has no humanity."

"You don't have any idea at all," said Clark, in frustration.

"Perhaps your father may know something," mused the Martian Manhunter, but he regarded Clark. "Yet, it does appear you have been visited by a force far more powerful than life itself, if I may hazard a guess."

"So it is Death," muttered Clark.

"It is a potential theory," he agreed, with a nod. "You should not burden yourself with the death of the creature. I know you have been raised to care and protect others. It is strength of yours, but it can be a burden and potentially a weakness. There are some who will take a stronger hand."

"Well that's not how I was raised," said Clark firmly, but the Martian just nodded.

Kara enjoyed the dinner Harry fixed for her. In hindsight, accepting this offer was the best decision, as this Harry knew how to cook.

"This is good," muttered Kara, as she tasted the food. She took some time to enjoy it, before she asked Harry, "How did you learn how to do this?"

"I travel a lot," said Harry, in between bites. "I had to prepare my own meals often, I didn't really trust anyone to do it right."

'Or not try and poison me,' thought Harry as an afterthought. 'Thanks Mad-Eye, I hope you approve.'

"So, you traveled a lot," said Kara in a casual voice, seeing this as an opening. "Did you ever go anywhere not on Earth?"

Harry looked at her, thoughtfully, before he answered in an even voice. "Can't say I have, but I haven't really been outside of Europe. This is the first time I've been to America."

"So, you've never been anywhere off world," prodded Kara. "Have you ever heard of a place called Kandor?"

"I might have, but my mind's a blank," replied Harry, as he had a shrewd suspicion where she was going with this line of questioning.

"So, you've never met anyone from Krypton?" asked Kara, not quite giving up.

"You're the first," he replied, before he gave her another smile. "And I must say, it was an interesting first impression."

She frowned at him, before she asked in a sweet voice. "Are you sure you're a human?"

"Very sure," said Harry with a dry smile. He looked at Kara, staring her right in the eye without blinking. "Kara, just come out and say it. You want to know something more about me."

"Just a little more than your name would be helpful," she said, before she added, "I'm just really confused who or what you are."

Harry took a deep breath, before he regarded the woman before him. He decided to give her an abridged version of the truth. "Fine. My name is Harry Potter. My parents died when I was one when a madman murdered them. I went to school in a castle for six years. I had friends, but they all were killed. We were part of a race of people hidden from the world. I'm last survivor. I traveled the world for six years, before I came here and found your ship."

Anyone listening could hear a pin drop. Kara's mouth opened. She studied Harry intently, to try and find any signs of deception. Yet, the look on his face was not one of someone who was lying.

'Everyone he knew and loved is dead,' thought Kara. 'No one can be this convincing of a liar, and I just made him remember it.'

"I'm sorry, to hear about that," muttered Kara, as she turned away for a moment to regain her composure.

"I'm over it, they're all in a better place," said Harry firmly, before he switched subjects. "So why did you come here?"

"I was sent here," said Kara in a serious voice. "To take care of my baby cousin, Kal-El, he's about three years old. I think I've been in that ship for a long time, months maybe, at least a year before you found me."

'My spells said she'd been in that ship for years,' thought Harry, puzzled. 'Then again, even magic isn't perfect.'

"Here's a picture of him," said Kara, as she pulled out a crystal and showed an image of a baby boy to Harry. She smiled, and then added. "Cute little thing, isn't he?"

Harry nodded slowly and carefully. He wasn't too particularly fond of children, even when he was one. He did not hate them by any means; he just wasn't too comfortable around them.

"So, do you think you can maybe help me look for him?" asked Kara awkwardly.

Harry looked at her for a moment, and decided what he needed to do. "Okay, I'll help. But I need help from you with something."

Kara's curiosity had been piqued and she wondered what Harry wanted.

"I was sent here for something important to me, a journal," said Harry, as he looked at her.

Kara scoffed, and looked at him, with a frown. "A journal?"

"Yes, it belonged to my mother," said Harry. "It was the only thing of hers that survived from where I came from."

Harry took a deep breath and looked at the woman across from him. "My mother…Lily…she died so I could live."

Kara's expression softened. She almost reached for Harry's hand, but stopped. That seemed a bit too forward. She covered up her near slip with a question. "So, what is this journal anyway?"

"That's what I'd like to know," he replied, as he began to clear up the dishes. "If I find it, it might answer some questions about why everyone in my world had to die."

The blonde woman continued to watch Harry Potter. She wondered if her initial impressions of Harry had been way off base.

"I'll help you find your cousin, and we'll do it together," said Harry, as he cleared up the plates, and moved over to clean them. "Then we'll focus on the journal after we get Kal-El."

Then, Harry turned and looked right at Kara, with a serious and focused expression "Do I have your word that you won't try and pull a runner on me again?"

"I won't run," said Kara quickly. "I know you can find me if I do."

She paused, before she added. "And something tells me you won't be so nice about it next time."

"Good instincts," said Harry approvingly, as he finished off the dishes and cleared the food away.

Kara sat at the table, allowing herself to watch Harry for a short instant. She looked around the house. "This place…I just can't believe it…"

She took a deep breath.

"I can't believe you're a human, it's beyond everything your kind should be capable of," said Kara, then she was hit with another theory. "Are you from the future?"

"Well I've time traveled before, but it was a long ago and only a few hours back," answered Harry.

Kara opened her mouth, but found herself visited by a yawn.

"It's getting quite late, you need your rest and I do too," said Harry, as he looked at Kryptonian before him. "You're free to spend the night. I'll show you to your room."

She looked from side to side. There seemed to be no bedrooms on this floor and no stairs, but given this place, it was a likely guess appearances could be deceiving.

"Second floor," muttered Harry and in a blink of an eye, they were right on the next floor.

Kara looked around at several doors across a long elegant hallway.

"You can sleep here," said Harry, as he indicated to the room by the side. Kara snuck a peak inside.

The room looked spacious with a large bed in the middle. The doors swung open. She stepped inside, to have a look around. The dressers were elegant. The carpet looked pristine, without even a blemish. The windows allowed her a view outside, towards the sky.

"If you need any clothes, just ask the dresser," added Harry.

Kara opened her mouth, but then shut it. It was obvious that she was getting no more answers, not today.

"We'll look for Kal-El first thing in the morning," said Harry, as he stood in the doorway. "I'll be in the room right across from yours. So, if you need anything, don't hesitate to ask."

Kara stood in her room, looking at Harry.

"Good night, Kara," said Harry with a warm smile. "Pleasant dreams."

"Good night, Harry," said Kara, as she turned towards the dresser, as she saw Harry leave through the mirror above it. "Thanks for everything."

The door shut right behind Harry. Kara looked at the dresser and put her crystal down on it gently.

"Blue nightgown," she muttered and sure enough the dresser drawer popped open. It was exactly her size.

She found herself amazed with the technology here. The person who brought her to this marvel was equally as interesting as well.

Kara considered the enigma that was Harry Potter, as she changed. She pulled back the covers and slid into bed. The moment her head hit the pillows, she was out like a light.

Harry stood in the hallway and turned to his room.

'Great cosmic power, and still no idea how to properly deal with women,' he thought in amusement. "The more things change, the more they stay the same."

X-X-X

Clark sat in his house, silent, as he listened to the radio broadcast.

"The fairy-tale marriage of Lana Lang to Lex Luthor ended in tragedy. Sources say the billionaire is the prime suspect in the explosion that cut short such a vibrant young life…"

"Clark?" asked a voice, and Clark looked up, to see Chloe standing in the doorway. He only nodded, as he listened to the broadcast.

"Police say that Lang's vehicle exploded upon ignition in what was believed to be a car bombing behind a local coffeehouse. According to wire services, a funeral date has yet to be set. Although no witnesses have come forward, Lex Luthor was apprehended near Reeves Dam. Lionel Luthor is unaccounted for. In a strange phenomenon, the damage that caused flooding of the dam appears to have repaired itself."

Chloe sighed and faced Clark. "I know you wanted to be alone, but…I thought I'd come by and see if I could get more than two words out of you."

"Thanks Chloe but I think I'll take a rain check," said Clark, but he then paused, considering something. "Anything on…"

"Not even a fingerprint or an eyelash," said Chloe. "He seems to have vanished right into the night, without a trace, as suddenly as he appeared."

Clark leaned forward, thoughts swirled in his head.

"He said to cherish my friends, because I'd never know when I'd get another opportunity," said Clark, as he looked at her.

Chloe just gave a sad smile. "Well with what's happened recently, that might be sound advice. And it almost sounds like he's speaking from experience."

"Are you trying to say that Death had loved ones?" asked Clark.

"Well, he has a past," she answered. "Whoever he is, whatever he is."

Clark nodded. He wished he knew. Perhaps that would shed some light on what the robed figure did what he did, and why he said what he said.

"When I heard about Lana, I went after Lex," muttered Clark. "And I wasn't going to leave him alive. To love, that is hard. To hate, it's all too easy, too clean."

Chloe looked at him with a nod. "This might be something you need to feel. It just proves your human, anger is natural."

"I stared at the monster I could become," said Clark. "And that robed man; he could have finished me off just as easily. I almost thought for a minute he would…"

"Kill you too," muttered Chloe. "I guess if I ever find him, we've all got questions. Getting answers out of him might be the real challenge."

Lois walked in at the moment, in a daze.

"This is the weirdest day of my life," said Lois as she sat down. "I hope I never see that Grim Reaper guy or whatever again. I won't be sleeping soundly for a while."

Chloe chuckled. She suspected that would last for about three days.

"Alright there, Smallville?" asked Lois.

"I will be eventually," muttered Clark.

'Better appreciate them now, like he said, because they might not be here forever,' thought Clark in conflict. 'I wonder if I should just give up the charade, embrace my destiny, and stop trying to be what I'm not…a human.'

In a courtyard in Shanghai, China, Lana Lang walked around, dressed in a blonde wig. She moved into an apartment and pulled off her wig. She plotted what she would do next.

Harry sat cross-legged in mid-air, his eyes closed and a tranquil, peaceful expression on his face. His body recharged itself as he was in this state, and it left him alert enough to what was going on in the real world.

He was glad that he learned this trick, because there was a real fear that he would be killed in his bed, like so many others had during the final war. Dumbledore's portrait taught in that trick. It was how he juggled so many responsibilities.

'So this Kal-El, he must be the one I've been sent here for,' thought Harry, after a moment's pause. 'Finding one ankle-biter might be difficult. And I thought the journal was going to give me fits.'

He hummed under his breath.

'As for Kara…she's an interesting girl,' mused Harry to himself 'She has a slight attitude, but it's a defense mechanism, I think. We all wear masks after all. Daphne, you'd be glad to know that I remembered something you said. I'm sure you'd also be glad that I don't have the attention span of a lobotomized Flobberworm after all.'

He opened his eyes, and gazed out into the night sky from his window.

'Then again, as curious as I am about her, the feeling might be mutual,' thought Harry. 'Never a dull moment, eh, Harry. Wonder what it'd be like to have a boring life? Guess I'd never know.'

He took a deep calming breath.

'Well, at least you won't have to find the journal on your own,' he pondered. 'Of course, it would help if you knew what the blasted thing looked like. But, baby steps, Potter, baby steps.'

Harry spoke out loud for the first time. "And speaking of children…"

The Herald of Death went straight to work. Locating spells only pinpointed a general area, but it would isolate where this Kal-El child was.

To Be Continued in Chapter Four, Altercation.