Chapter Ten
Harry grinned with barely hidden excitement as he ate his dinner; it had been two weeks since the visit with Dumbledore, and finally, the day was here when Harry would be going to get his school supplies. An owl had arrived a few days before telling the Titans that Professor McGonagall would arrive via Portkey promptly at six a.m. London time, which would be ten p.m. in Jump City time; the Titans would then rest at a place called the Leaky Cauldron, and Harry and the Titans would go shopping the following day with Professor McGonagall. Due to how costly international Portkeys were as well as the fact that the Titans would need to learn how to perform their new duties while at Hogwarts, the Titans were also informed that they would be unable to return until the Christmas holidays and as such to pack everything they would need until then.
The Titans had all had an individual meeting with the Deputy Headmistress since the encounter with Dumbledore in which she would ask them a myriad of questions regarding what they were most proficient at so that she might find a proper place for them at Hogwarts when the time came. McGonagall had been shocked into silence when Starfire had told the aged Professor that she was an alien and, therefore, probably knew more about the stars than anyone currently teaching at Hogwarts.
Finally, the day arrived, and Harry, naturally, had been up since dawn and had been unable to fall back asleep due to how excited he was; it felt like he had drunk a gallon of energy drinks, and even Raven was finding it hard not to laugh at how much energy the boy seemed to have.
A sudden attack by Cinderblock seemed to help a little, but as soon as it was over, Harry was again a jumping mess of nerves and excitement as he desperately watched the clock tick closer to ten. The Titans each tried to distract the boy and help the time go by faster in their own way; Robin put Harry through a four-hour training course that left the boy sweating and tired, but a quick shower had Harry just as energetic as before. Raven and Jinx had then made Harry practice the magic they had taught him for a few hours, which left him feeling drained but still excited, much to their annoyance. Cyborg had then spent a few hours with Harry with what the two called "Their Project," which consisted of rebuilding a 1967 Impala from scratch that Cyborg had bought from some guy named Winchester. It had supposedly belonged to the man's dad and uncle, but both had died and left it to the man who had totaled it while "Hunting," whatever that meant. The pair had been trying to fix it for over a year and were almost done; Harry had happily dived in, eager to see it finished before leaving for school.
After another shower to wash off the oil and grease that had accumulated, Harry went flying with Starfire across the city; this, above all things, seemed to help as nothing in the world seemed as good to Harry as flying, and by the time they had returned to Titans Tower, Harry, at last, was beginning to relax and finally the sun was starting to sink behind the hills of Jump City.
The last couple of hours were spent playing a fighting videogame with Beastboy in which Harry lost spectacularly fifteen times in a row, but even this didn't bother Harry, for he was in too good a mood.
Finally, it came time for dinner, and the Titans sat down together and enjoyed a large pepperoni pizza while they waited for Professor McGonagall to arrive. According to the clock, she should be there in fifteen minutes, yet to Harry, it seemed time was going by even slower than before.
"Oh, come on!" Harry cried as he looked up at the clock for the fifth time, "What's taking her so long!?"
"Harry, be patient!" Raven said with a grin as she started on her second slice,
"Yeah, dude," Beastboy chirped, "She'll be here any second now; just relax."
Harry bit into his third slice in annoyance at that and then proceeded to choke when Professor McGonagall suddenly appeared in the front of the table, causing Beastboy to fall backward out of his chair in fright. The Titans began to laugh uncontrollably as Robin smacked Harry hard on the back while Jinx helped Beastboy to his feet, and even Professor McGonagall smiled a bit at Harry and Beastboy's antics.
"Good evening," Professor McGonagall said pleasantly once Harry had regained his composer, "I take it you are all ready to depart?"
"Yeah," Raven said as she rose from the table and pulled what appeared to be a small duffle bag from under her cloak, "I shrank everyone's stuff and put it in here a few hours ago; we're ready when you are."
McGonagall nodded her head, and a look of pride came across her features as she stared at Raven before the aged witch took out a pocket watch and looked down at it,
"The Portkey will activate in five minutes, so I advise you all to make your goodbyes so we might be ready."
Everyone quickly jumped up from the table and began to get ready as Harry gave Jinx a tight hug; as he wrapped his arms around her, he felt tears run down his cheeks and did not know why.
"Hey now," Jinx said gently, "No tears, okay? I'll see you again for Christmas, and I want to hear everything you go through, okay?"
"I'm going miss you," Harry said softly as he pulled away and wiped his face,
"I'm going to miss you too, Harry," Jinx replied softly, "And I expect letters! Lots of them!"
Harry giggled at that before turning to Cyborg and giving him a hug as well,
"Promise not to finish the Impala without me?" Harry asked as he pulled away,
"I won't even turn a lugnut until you get back," Cyborg replied with a wink that made Harry smile.
"Thirty seconds!" McGonagall called out as she pulled what looked like an old shoe from her cloak, "Everyone take hold, please!"
Sharing a strange look, the Titans each placed a finger on the shoe,
"Enjoy the ride!" Jinx called with a sinister smile, but before anyone could ask what she meant, they all felt a strange pull as though they were connected to a bungee cord and instantly disappeared.
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A moment later (or so it seemed), the Titans all landed hard onto a wooden floor and began groaning in abject misery; Beastboy quickly jumped to his feet and threw dinner into a nearby bucket as McGonagall watched them all with what appeared to be humor.
"Come now, it wasn't that bad!" McGonagall said with a slight grin as the Titans rose to their feet slowly on shaking knees,
"Speak for yourself," Robin said in annoyance,
"That was the most awful feeling I have ever experienced," Starfire added in a weak voice.
"Seriously, dude!" Beastboy said as he wiped his mouth and turned to face the witch, who looked as though she were fighting not to laugh at the Titan's actions; only Raven seemed unaffected as she rose to her feet, though on the inside, she was fighting not to hurl.
As Robin and Raven helped Harry to his feet, the boy felt suddenly ill and barely managed to dash to the bucket Beastboy had used before he was also emptying his stomach of that evening's dinner.
"Well, if you're all finished with your histrionics," McGonagall said simply, "Please follow me, and we'll get you all set up with room for the evening with Tom."
"Tom?" Robin asked,
"The owner of the Leaky Cauldron," McGonagall clarified, "I'll take care of your rooms for today and tomorrow escort you all to Diagon Alley where we can purchase Harry's things. Afterward, I will escort you all to Hogwarts, where you will be living until school begins."
Nodding in agreement, the Titans followed McGonagall out of the room they had teleported into, eager to get some sleep after what they had just experienced.
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"Holy crap…." Harry breathed in awe as he took in the sight before him; Professor McGonagall had arrived the following morning, and after a quick breakfast, the Titans had followed her to the back of the Leaky Cauldron, where they stood in confusion for a moment before the aged witch tapped her wand on the brick wall before them, revealing Diagon Alley. The group had tried to dress inconspicuously to avoid any potential trouble while shopping. However, the green and orange skin of Beastboy and Starfire made that a most likely forgone conclusion. The Titans were all dressed in blue jeans and t-shirts, and Robin had even removed his mask to avoid anyone realizing who he was.
As they made their way to Gringotts, the Titans couldn't help but stare in awe at the stores they passed; even Robin was impressed with what he saw, despite his attempt to look stoic; as the group walked to the bank, they were followed by stares and whispers, much to the group's annoyance. Most were looking at the group (mainly Starfire and Beastboy) with curiosity, if not outright shock. Still, a few children looked at the group with wide eyes and excitedly whispered to each other. Harry grinned at this when he saw it; if the children were half-bloods or muggle-born, they would most likely know who the Titans were (except for Robin, of course) and would no doubt be shocked to see superheroes in Diagon Alley.
Upon entering Gringotts, the Titans had been startled at the appearance of the goblins but had quickly gotten over it and were led down to the carts that would take them to Harry's vault by a Goblin named Griphook. McGonagall had told them she would wait for them as she was not a fan of the cart ride, something that Harry didn't understand as, in his opinion, it was the best ride ever; something the other Titans seemed to agree with if the shrieks and whoops of delight were any indications.
Now the group was standing in front of Harry's vault in shock and awe at the stacks of gold that lay before them; even Raven was nonplussed at what she was seeing. She knew that the Potters had been comfortable, but she had been too young to understand just how wealthy her adoptive parents were.
"This is all mine?" Harry asked in a small voice as he gazed upon more wealth than he had ever seen before,
"Indeed, Mr. Potter," Griphook replied quickly, "However, this is just your trust vault. Your family vault will not be available to you until you reach your age of maturity."
Turning to face Raven, Griphook continued in the same quick way of speaking,
"However, as you were legally adopted by the Potters and are currently the legal guardian of Mr. Potter, you DO have access to the family vault if you wish to take a look, Ms. Potter."
Harry and Raven's faces drained of color at the words that this was simply Harry's trust vault and that a more prominent and even greater one was open for Raven to use. Unable to speak, Raven simply nodded her head, and Griphook directed them all back into the cart, which raced further down the track before finally coming to a stop outside another vault.
"Vault one hundred and twelve," Griphook said simply before getting out of the cart and approaching the large bronze door; a moment later, he turned to Raven with a nasty look on his face.
"The door is warded to only open for a Potter, so, fortunately, only you and your little brother will be able to access the vault."
"How do we access it?" Raven asked softly,
"Place your hand there," Griphook replied, indicating a slight depression in the rock next to the vault shaped like a handprint. Slowly, Raven did as she was bid before immediately pulling her hand away in pain because a small blade had come out of the center of the depression and pierced her hand before retreating back into the rock with a sample of her blood upon its length.
As Raven cursed the smiling Goblin under her breath, the vault door slid open until it finally stopped, showing the Titans what lay inside. If any color was left in the faces of those present, it promptly vanished as they gazed upon the kingdom of Midas.
The inside of the vault seemed far more extensive than what should have been possible, and the floor was covered in gold, bronze, and silver pieces that seemed to stretch as far as the eye could see. As the group stared wide-eyed, they saw that it wasn't just gold that stretched across the vault but also precious jewels, weapons, and armor as well; in the back corner, Raven could see several large piles of stacked books that immediately caught her attention.
For a moment, the group was too shocked to do anything but stare; suddenly, Harry and Beastboy both let out a whoop of joy and tried to jump headfirst into the piles of gold before them, only to be stopped when Raven grabbed the back of their shirts and roughly pulled them back.
"WE'RE RICH!" Harry cried happily as he turned and gave his sister a hug, "LIKE BRUCE WAYNE RICH!"
"That doesn't mean that we should lose our heads," Raven replied sternly, "Our parents didn't leave this money to us just for us to let it turn us into someone different,"
"She's right, Harry," Robin added seriously as he regained his composure, "Money has a way of changing people if you let it."
"Let's get back to your trust vault," Raven said quickly, "We can come back here another day; for now, let's just concentrate on buying what you need for Hogwarts."
Harry cast one last look upon the treasures of the vault before nodding his head reluctantly; a moment later, the vault door closed shut, and the group climbed back into the cart to make their way back to Harry's trust vault.
After filling up a generous amount into Harry's bag, the group finally made their way back to the ground floor, where Professor McGonagall was waiting for them,
"Well then, shall we begin the day's shopping?"
"Sounds like a good idea, Aunt Minnie," Raven said warmly, making the aged witch smile happily before she led them out of the bank and back into the warm sunshine.
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Harry smiled happily as he enjoyed his ice cream, occasionally dipping his finger into the cone and offering some to the white owl sitting comfortably in its cage next to him. He and the Titans had spent the last few hours getting everything Harry would require for his first term, and each store seemed to have something that the Titans found amazing.
For Raven and Starfire, it had been Flourish and Blotts and the interminable mountain of books that had enraptured them, and Harry and the others had to physically pull Raven from the store after they had bought the books that Harry needed.
Beastboy's favorite store turned out to be Zonko's Joke shop, and Raven had threatened to remove a vital piece of Beastboy's anatomy if he used any of the things Harry had bought for him on her or any of the other Titans.
Robin's favorite shop turned out to be Eeylops Owl Emporium with its dozens of different animals; to Harry's surprise, Robin had then bought a beautiful snowy owl for Harry as an early birthday present and Harry had to fight not to cry with happiness as he thanked Robin profusely.
After getting Harry's robes, there was only one last thing to buy, and they would be done for the day, Harry's wand; the Titans were currently taking a break to relax from the day's shopping and enjoying some ice cream before heading to Olivander's to purchase the last of Harry's equipment.
"Excuse me?" A small voice said next to Harry, making him turn suddenly to see a small girl with bushy brown hair standing close to the Titans table.
"Yes?" Harry replied warmly, "Can I help you?"
"Um…. I was wondering…." The girl replied softly as she turned to face Starfire, "I was wondering if you are Starfire of the Titans?"
"Indeed I am, little one," Starfire replied as she flashed the girl a brilliant smile that made her fidget.
"My name is Hermione Granger," the girl replied shyly, "I was wondering if I might receive your autograph? B-because you're one of my favorite heroes, I mean."
Starfire smiled happily as she took the girl's offered quill and parchment before quickly signing her name and handing it back to the girl, who held the parchment as though it were the most priceless object she had ever seen.
"Thank you so much! I will treasure this forever!" Hermione said happily before turning and hurrying away to two watching adults, who Harry assumed were the girl's parents, while the Titans watched with warm smiles.
"Such a sweet little girl," Starfire said happily as they watched Hermione show her parents the parchment with a brilliant smile on her face,
"Shall we head to Olivander's?" McGonagall asked as she turned back to the Titans, "Mr. Potter's wand is the only thing left to purchase; then we can make our way to Hogwarts."
"Yes!" Harry said excitedly as he jumped to his feet, "Let's go!"
The other Titans all laughed heartily at Harry's exuberance before rising to follow the boy, who seemed to be bouncing with barely held excitement as they entered Olivander's shop. The first thing Harry noticed when they entered was how quiet the inside of the shop was, as though no sound was permitted to take root inside.
"Hello, Mr. Potter," a voice said suddenly, making the group jump and instantly take a defensive stance, "I was wondering when you would grace my humble shop with your presence."
As if by magic, Mr. Olivander suddenly appeared standing behind the counter, his hand resting lazily on the counter and a sly smile on his face as he took in the scene before him; green energy orbs surrounded Starfire's hands, while black ones surrounded Harry and Raven's. Robin held his throwing star in a ready position, while Beastboy's eyes had turned into feline slits as he lowered himself into a pouncing position.
"You need have no fear of me," Olivander said calmly, raising his hands to show he held no weapon, "I apologize for scaring you. I really must learn not to do that to my customers,"
"Indeed you should," Raven replied as she dissipated the black orbs that surrounded her fists, "You might one day gain an injury from a customer who does not appreciate such games."
Olivander simply smiled at Raven for a moment before his expression took on a sad look,
"Hello, Ms. Potter. I'm sorry that I never got the chance to find a wand for you; I know your parents would have loved to see you attend Hogwarts, though I'm sure they are very proud of the woman you have become all the same."
Tears pricked Raven's eyes for a moment before she managed to blink them away,
"Thank you for your kind words, Mr. Olivander," Raven said softly, dipping her head in respect,
"Now then," Olivander said as he turned to Harry, "Shall we find the wand best suited to you, Mr. Potter?"
"Yes, please!" Harry cried happily; he'd been waiting for this for years, and his excitement at finally having a wand was threatening to run out of control, something the other Titans found hilarious. Perhaps Olivander did as well, for his smile grew as he gazed down at Harry from behind the counter.
"Well then, let's get started, shall we?" Olivander said before standing up straight and clapping his hands together happily; for the next few minutes, Olivander measured Harry's arm in every way possible and jotted down notes as he did so.
When that was done, he began to pull box upon box from the shelf before offering each wand to Harry to try, but no matter how many boxes the wandmaker pulled, none seemed to do what they were supposed to; rather than be disappointed, however, Olivander seemed thrilled by how long Harry was taking.
"Tricky customer, eh?" Olivander laughed as he snatched the forty-eighth wand from Harry's grasp, "Not to worry, we'll find the perfect fit for you. I guarantee it!"
For almost an hour, Harry tried wand after wand, yet none felt right; Harry began to fear that no wand would be the right one and was beginning to become afraid, would he even be allowed to attend Hogwarts if he couldn't find the right wand?
Harry had just had his eighty-second wand taken from him when Olivander returned with another box and a troubled look on his face,
"Try this one…." Olivander said softly as he pulled the wand from the box and passed it to Harry; instantly, a warmth spread up Harry's arm, and as he waved it through the air, a bright golden light flew out of the tip that made the whole of the interior glow.
"Well done, Mr. Potter!" McGonagall said happily as she clapped her hands together,
"Yeah! Good job, Harry! That was awesome!" Beastboy added with a wink that made Harry smile happily; Raven said nothing, just smiled at her little brother, and proceeded to give him a hug as Olivander watched with a strange look on his face.
"Curious…very curious…..."
"Sorry, but what's curious?" Harry asked as he held his wand with reverence,
"I remember every wand I've ever sold, Mr. Potter; it so happens that the phoenix that gave its tail feather to supply your wand core gave another feather, just one other. So it is curious that you should be destined for this wand when its brother gave you your scar."
Instantly, the temperature of the room seemed to drop considerably, and the color drained from Raven's face as the other Titans looked down at Harry's wand with looks of shock and revulsion; even Harry now seemed afraid of the wand that had chosen him, and for a moment it seemed like the boy would give the wand back to Olivander.
"Find another," Raven demanded, "I won't have my brother use a wand that has any association with the monster who murdered our parents!"
"I'm afraid that's not possible, Ms. Potter," Olivander said sadly, "The wand has chosen Harry, and no other will work as well as this one, so I'm afraid it's either this one or none at all."
Harry looked pained as he gazed down at the wand in his hand; if it came down to a choice between using the brother wand of that bastard and no wand at all, he might hate it, but it was an easy choice.
"I'll take it," Harry said in a small voice,
"Harry, you don't have to if you don't want to," Raven said as she knelt down on one knee and placed her hands gently on her brother's shoulders.
"You heard him, Raven," Harry said softly, "No other wand will work as well for me, it's either this one or no wand at all, and I need a wand to go to school."
"But…." Raven began before Harry cut her off,
"I'll just have to ensure that this wand is used for good rather than evil like the monster who killed mom and dad."
A tear rolled down Raven's face as she pulled her little brother into a fierce hug,
"If you're sure, then so be it…." Raven said in a soft voice,
"I think it's clear that we can expect great things from you, Mr. Potter," Olivander said in a firm voice as he packed Harry's wand away, "And I, for one, look forward to seeing the good that this wand will be used for."
After Harry had paid for his wand and Olivander bowed them out of his shop, McGonagall produced another Portkey from her robes, smiling as the Titans let out a collective groan at its appearance.
"Everyone ready?" Professor McGonagall said with a smirk,
"If we said no, would it matter?" Beastboy asked,
"Not in the slightest," the witch replied with a small smile,
"Let's just get this over with," Robin said with a grimace as the group each placed a finger on the old shoe,
"Next stop, Hogwarts!" Professor McGonagall said happily as the Portkey activated, and the group disappeared in a flurry of screams.
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Dumbledore sighed wearily as he stared at his steepled fingers; it had been more than a month since the Titans had arrived at Hogwarts, and school was set to begin in a few days; that alone should have made Dumbledore happy as he always found himself filled with joy at the prospect of students returning to school at the start of a new year.
Instead, Dumbledore found himself filled only with worry and stress as he thought about all the information that he had accumulated over the past month regarding the new staff that would be occupying his castle.
After the meeting with Harry Potter, Dumbledore had endeavored to learn all he could about Harry's new family, the Titans as they were so called, and what he had discovered had shocked him beyond anything he had ever encountered in his long life.
According to Dumbledore's research, the Titans were being of incredible power who seemed to make it their mission to fight against evil beings who had similar powers to their own; some were even more powerful. To make matters worse, Dumbledore had discovered that the Titans were not the only so-called 'superheroes' residing in the muggle world, but instead, the world was full of them, including one group called 'The Justice League' which on more than one occasion had saved the entire planet from destruction!
Dumbledore couldn't seem to wrap his head around any of it; instead of the muggles weaker than those who inhabited the magical world as he had always assumed, it seemed that the muggles were, in fact, far more powerful than anything the Wizarding World could bring to bear if it came to a fight and Harry was one of those super-powered beings.
This fact should have filled Dumbledore with elation; Harry Potter no doubt would grow into an incredibly powerful wizard one day. However, with the added bonus of his other abilities, if the day came that Voldemort should ever return, the Dark Lord would no doubt find himself supremely outmatched, especially if the rest of Harry's family aided him in the fight against Voldemort.
But instead, Dumbledore found himself terrified about the future of his people; if the day ever came when the Wizarding World decided to throw off the statue of secrecy and reveal their existence to the world, Dumbledore feared that they would all be annihilated in a matter of days by these 'super-beings.'
The fact that he was being forced to hire four of them was bad enough, even if the one called 'Robin' didn't have any powers, at least none that Robin had made known at any rate, which made Dumbledore even more nervous as he imagined what the young man might be hiding from him.
With another weary sigh, Dumbledore picked up the reports he had gotten from his fellow professors regarding the Titans and the new stations that they would be occupying when the new term began.
Raven had shown a fantastic aptitude for not only Transfiguration but also for Charms and Runes as well. Ultimately, the young girl had decided that she would like to devote her time to Charms and Runes (much to Professor McGonagall's disappointment) and was therefore hired as a teacher's aide for those classes, jumping back and forth as she was needed.
Beastboy's placement had been an easy one due to his abilities, and he had been immediately hired as a teacher's aid to help Professor Kettleburn in 'Care of Magical Creatures,' the Professor had been overjoyed when Beastboy had shown what he could do and had all but begged the young man to help him with his students to show them, creatures, that were too dangerous to actually bring to class and that Beastboy could rectify by simply transforming into.
Starfire's placement had also been a relatively easy one as once it was known that she was, in fact, an alien from another planet, Professor Sinestra had all but demanded that the girl aid her in Astronomy, something that Starfire was all too happy to do. The Professor had since spent hours with the Titan learning all that Starfire had to offer and being amazed that life beyond the stars was, in fact, real.
The final Titan had given Dumbledore the most significant headache as he had to struggle to find somewhere to place the muggle so as to satisfy the deal he had made with Harry Potter, which he was now regretting with every fiber of his old body.
Dumbledore had finally discovered where to place Robin after the young man had taken a look at the school's Muggle Studies class and reported that not only was the teacher grossly misinformed about her own subject but also that the course material was over a century out of date. Furthermore, Dumbledore had been shocked to discover that the dirigible was no longer the wave of the future but had instead been replaced with something called an 'Airplane.'
Unable to refute Robin's rather convincing argument, Dumbledore had found no other choice but to hire the young man as the new Muggle Studies Professor, something that the other Titans found hilarious for some reason. Despite Dumbledore's arguments, Robin had refused to give his real name and chose instead to be referred to as Professor Robin, which made the other Titans laugh even harder.
Dumbledore shook his head as he felt another headache coming, which seemed to happen fairly regularly since those damned superheroes had come into his life. He knew that he had to find a way to get Harry away from those who might lead him astray from his destiny. Yet, now Dumbledore couldn't see a way to do so without unleashing a horde of super-powered beings on not only himself but also the Wizarding World at large.
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"Now make sure to have fun on the train ride, and we'll see you tonight," Raven said with a smile as she watched Harry get ready to leave; Raven and the rest of the Titans had agreed with Professor McGonagall that Harry should be taken to Kings Cross and ride back to Hogwarts aboard the train like the other first years so he could make some friends before school started.
"I will," Harry replied happily as he gave his big sister one final hug; a moment later, he took Professor McGonagall's hand, and the two apparated to Platform 93/4. Harry's eyes widened as he took in the large red steam engine train before him, followed almost immediately by how packed the station seemed.
"This is where I leave you, Mr. Potter," Professor McGonagall said with a small smile, "I will see you at the feast, and I hope that you make a few friends before then,
"I'll try," Harry replied, suddenly feeling very shy as he looked around the platform,
"I'm sure you'll have more friends than you can count," Professor McGonagall said warmly before turning and Apparating away a moment later, leaving Harry alone; with a final sigh, he made his way onto the train to find a compartment before they were all taken.
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Harry sighed sadly as he watched the passing countryside; it had been nearly a half hour since the train had left the station, yet Harry still sat alone in his compartment. He had tried to see if he could join any of the other children, but after being turned away for the third time, he had slunk back to his own and decided to sit by himself.
So consumed by his own thoughts and the loneliness that seemed to inundate him, Harry missed the knock on his compartment door and only turned to see who it was when the person knocked a second time, albeit louder.
"Excuse me, but would you mind if I sat with you? Everywhere else is full," a red-haired boy said softly, making Harry smile happily at the prospect of finding a new friend,
"Not at all!" Harry replied enthusiastically, making the boy smile as he entered the compartment and sat down.
"Thanks, I tried to sit with my brothers, but they told me to buzz off," the red-haired boy said in a small voice, "I'm Ron, by the way, Ron Weasley."
"Nice to meet you," Harry quickly replied as he quickly shook the boy's outstretched hand. "I'm Harry Potter."
Instantly, the boy's eyes widened in shock, and for a moment, he seemed unable to talk, which made Harry smile in amusement; he already knew how most would react to his name, given how famous he supposedly was in the Wizarding World, yet he still found the reactions that came from those who heard his name, hilarious.
"Are you really?" Ron asked in shock, "I mean…do you really have the scar and all?"
"Yup!" Harry replied, popping the 'P' in amusement as he lifted his bangs to show his forehead, Ron's face went even whiter at seeing it before a smile came across his face, and he softly whispered,
"Whoa…."
"So, how come you have an American accent?" Ron asked when Harry had lowered his bangs again,
"I was raised in America by my big sister,"
"You have a big sister?" Ron asked in bemusement, "The books about you never mentioned that part."
"I imagine there are a lot of things in those books that are incorrect," Harry sneered, "If I were to bet, I'd say that probably ninety percent of what's written in there is crap!"
Ron chuckled at that for a minute before speaking again,
"So what's the deal with your hair, if it's not too rude?"
"What's wrong with my hair?" Harry asked as he turned to look at his reflection in the window; his black hair was as wild as usual, except he had dyed blue streaks through it this time instead of red.
"Well, it's just…." Ron said in a strained voice, as though not knowing how to respond, "Is that your natural color, I mean?"
Harry laughed as he realized what Ron was asking and quickly turned back to the boy to show there was no offense,
"Nah, I just like to add a little color; pure black is soooo last week, you know?"
After seeing Harry's wink, Ron began laughing at the boy's antics before turning the conversation to Quidditch and the house they both hoped to be in. For over an hour, the two laughed and joked back and forth with one another before they were interrupted by the girl that Harry had seen in Diagon Alley and had asked for Starfire's autograph.
"Excuse me, have either of you seen a toad? A boy named Neville has lost one,"
"Afraid not," Harry said with a smile, "You should check the bathroom, toads like damp, wet places, so there's a good chance he'll be there."
The girl nodded her thanks and was about to leave when she took a second look at Harry and asked softly,
"I'm sorry but have we met before? You seem awfully familiar…."
"Yeah, we met when you asked for Starfire's autograph," Harry replied with a wink that made the girl gasp with remembrance.
"Right! I thought you looked familiar! If I may, what were you doing with her?"
"She's one of my guardians," Harry replied, "She helped raise me along with the other Titans and my big sister, Raven."
"Raven is your sister…." Hermione gasped as her eyes widened in shock, "You're Arcane!"
"Shhh!" Harry said quickly as he jumped up, "You can't go around telling people a superhero's identity. What's wrong with you!"
Hermione was about to apologize when she saw the smirk on Harry's face and laughed as she gently swatted his shoulder,
"What's a superhero?" Ron asked as he looked at the two in bemusement, "And who are all these people that suddenly have you two so excited?"
Quickly, Hermione sat down next to Ron and began to explain what a superhero was and who the Titans were; Harry could see that Ron was having a hard time believing what Hermione was talking about, so with a smile on his face, Harry began to slowly raise himself off of the seat until he was floating a foot off of the seat as Ron watched with wide eyes.
"Bloody hell…" Ron said in awe as Harry rotated himself 360 degrees until he was staring upside down at the two shocked children,
"Believe her now?" Harry asked with a smile as Hermione began to giggle,
"That's wicked!" Ron answered as a grin spread across his face, "And all the other Titans can do that too?"
"Not all of them," Harry said quickly, "But a few can,"
"That's so cool!" Ron said simply.
"I wish I could stay longer, but I promised Neville that I would help him find his toad, so if you'll excuse me," Hermione said as she rose and quickly exited the compartment. However, she wasn't gone five minutes when the door opened again, and Harry turned expecting to see Hermione again, only to find instead a blonde-haired boy who appeared to be standing in front of two gorillas.
"Can we help you?" Harry asked with a raised brow as he took in the boy's arrogant appearance,
"There's a rumor that Harry Potter is in this compartment. Is that you?"
"Perhaps," Harry answered with a smirk, "But how do you know it isn't my friend here?"
Ron smiled slyly, used to Harry's antics by now, as the haughty boy turned to face him before turning back to Harry with a sneer.
"There's no way I would mistake a Weasley for Harry Potter,"
"What's wrong with the Weasley's?" Harry asked in a cold voice, quickly concluding that he didn't like the boy.
"No doubt you will be unaware of this due to your time amongst the muggles," the boy drawled, "But some Wizarding families are better than others. I can help you there if you wish."
The boy held out his hand as he concluded speaking and Harry looked down at it for a moment before looking back up at the boy with a raised brow.
"What's your name?"
"Draco Malfoy," the boy said haughtily as his hand fell back to his side, "And these two behind me are Crabbe and Goyle."
"Well, Draco," Harry said, sneering at the name and making Draco turn pink, "Would you care to tell me what it is exactly about the Weasley family that you find so repugnant?"
"Certainly," Draco sneered, "You see, Potter, the Weasley family are what we call blood-traitors; those who have decided to dirty their blood and honor by associating with those of lesser value than what is expected from those of such noble, pure blood, such as muggles and even mudbloods!"
Ron's face began to turn red, and Harry was sure that at any moment, the boy was going to understandably blow his top,
"So, basically, you are saying that because the Weasley family chooses to judge others by their actions rather than how pure their blood is, they are considered bad?" Harry asked slowly, trying to wrap his head around how idiotic that line of thought was,
"Exactly!" Draco said, happy that Harry seemed to understand, "Such families as the Weasleys are unfit to be associated with by noble families such as ours!"
"Yeeeeeeah, I think I'm going to have to disincline your offer of friendship," Harry said with a grimace, "I'd rather not become friends with a member of the Klan."
"The what?" Draco asked in bemusement,
"The Ku Klux Klan," Harry said quickly, "Basically a bunch of bigots who think that they're better than everyone else just because their skin color is a bit brighter than everyone else's. But instead of skin color, you're a bigot who thinks he's better due to his blood status, and I'm not interested in associating with people like you, so if you don't mind, shoo."
Draco's face turned red with anger as Harry began to shoo him away with his hand; Ron looked like he was trying not to laugh, which only seemed to infuriate Draco further,
"You should learn better manners, Potter," Draco drawled, "Unless you want to end up like your parents, they didn't know what was good for them either."
"Wrong answer!" Harry snapped as he opened his fist, and a black tentacle shot out of his open palm, which slammed into Draco's chest and threw him out of the compartment and into his two bodyguards.
"And don't come back!" Harry said angrily as the tentacle wrapped around the door handle and slammed the door shut in the stunned faces of Draco and his friends; a moment later, they disappeared, obviously unnerved at what had just happened.
"How did you do that?" Ron asked as he stared wide-eyed at the tentacle that was slowly retracting into Harry's hand,
"I'm a superhero, remember?" Harry replied with a wink as the tentacle finally disappeared,
"Wicked…." Ron said as a grin took over his features.
XXXX
A few hours later, Harry smiled happily as he waited outside the Great Hall with Ron to be called into and sorted into whatever house would be his home for the next seven years. Behind him, Harry could hear Hermione talking rapidly about all the spells she had learned and which one would be needed for whatever they had to do.
Ron suggested that they needed to fight a troll, according to his older brother, and Harry couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity of such a claim; they were eleven and knew no magic. There was no way they would be made to do something as dangerous as that!
When Professor McGonagall finally called them in, even Harry had to admit that he was a bit nervous about what might be coming, though he felt better when he saw the Titans smiling gently down at him from the head table. Raven was shooting him a bright smile that instantly made Harry feel better as they approached a stool upon which sat an old hat.
Before Harry could ask what they were all waiting for, the hat began to sing, and Harry stared in amazement at what he was seeing; apparently, all they had to do was try on the hat, and it would decide where they were supposed to go; Harry actually laughed out loud at the idea, and a moment later Ron joined him,
"I'll kill Fred! He was going on about fighting a troll!"
A moment later, the sorting began, and Harry watched with excitement as each name was called and sorted shortly after; some people took a while to be sorted, like Hermione, who took nearly three minutes before being sent to Gryffindor.
Other's took no time at all, like Draco, who was sorted in a matter of seconds to Slytherin,
"There's not a witch or wizard who didn't go bad that wasn't in Slytherin," Ron whispered into Harry's ear; perhaps it was his imagination, but the Slytherin table did indeed look like a rough group to him and he silently prayed that he wasn't sorted there.
Finally, Harry's name was called, and as he approached the stool, he noticed the immediate whispers that echoed around the hall; the last thing he saw before the hat dropped over his eyes was the hall craning to get a better look at him.
"Ah, Mr. Potter, good to see you at last!" A voice called in Harry's ear, making him jump with surprise,
"Um…. hello, Mr. Hat, sir," Harry said softly, making the hat chuckle,
"There's no need to be afraid, Harry; I'm just here to take a look and see where the best house for you to be is."
"I'd really appreciate it if the said house were not Slytherin if it's all the same to you," Harry replied,
"Not Slytherin, eh? Are you sure? You could be great there!"
"Maybe, but I'd prefer to keep away from bigots and such, and given my own inclinations towards violence against such people, it's probably not the best place for me to go."
"You may be right, there," the hat chuckled, "Very well then, better be…GRYFFINDOR!"
The hall erupted with cheers at the words, and two twin red-heads jumped up and began chanting,
"WE GOT POTTER! WE GOT POTTER!"
Harry began to laugh at the twin's antics and quickly took his seat as people clapped him on the back, making Harry go red with embarrassment as he watched the rest of the sorting.
XXXX
When the sorting was finally over, and Professor McGonagall took the hat and stool away, Dumbledore slowly rose to his feet, making the hall go silent instantly as they all listened to what he was about to say.
"Welcome to another school year. I hope you haven't emptied your heads completely and are as excited for the year as I am. Now, before we begin our feast, there are a few start-of-term announcements that I need to give out; firstly, to all our new students, please be aware that the Forbidden Forest is, as the name suggests, forbidden to all students. Secondly, the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is also forbidden to all who do not wish to die a most painful death."
Harry looked shocked at the words and looked towards his sister, only to see that she was also surprised at the words,
"He's joking, right?" Harry asked the table as whispers broke out across the hall,
"I don't think he is," Ron's older brother, Percy, said quickly, "Though he usually gives the reason when something is banned; the forest is full of monsters, so that's obvious, but why would the third floor be declared off limits?"
Before anything else could be said, Dumbledore continued, and Harry noticed that he seemed annoyed for a moment before he managed to master himself,
"Finally, we have a few new staff members joining us this year; Raven Potter will be acting as a teacher's aide to Professor Flitwick and Babbling. Starfire will be aiding Professor Sinestra in Astronomy, Beastboy will be aiding Professor Kettleburn in Care of Magical Creatures, and lastly, Professor…. Robin will be taking over Muggle Studies."
The Titans quickly rose to their feet and bowed to the students who were eyeing them with surprise; (and, in the case of Beastboy and Starfire, outright shock). The muggle-born and half-bloods, however, were staring at them with astonishment, and Harry smiled as he heard the words "Superhero's" repeated over and over again.
"Harry!" Hermione hissed in shock, "Why didn't you tell me that the Titans were going to be teaching here!?"
"I wanted it to be a surprise," Harry said with a grin, "Surprise!"
Hermione growled something under her breath at him, making Harry grin even more as he looked back at the table and saw the Titans looking down at the awestruck students with what looked like humor.
"Now, without further ado," Dumbledore said as he clapped his hands together, "Let the feast begin!"
Harry's mouth dropped open in surprise as the table instantly filled itself with more food than he had ever seen in his life; as Harry quickly filled his plate, the only thought that came to his mind was,
"This is going to be a great year!"
XXXX
Author's Note:
The answer to those wondering why I didn't put Harry's scar hurting is because Harry is no longer a Horcrux, as Voldemort's soul piece was removed in the previous chapter, as you will no doubt recall.
I want to thank everyone who sent me ideas about where I should put the Titans and what they should all be teaching. It really helped me decide where I wanted them all to go, and hopefully, you all will enjoy where they are, for now, at any rate, as I might move them around if I feel like it will help the story.
To those wondering about the ages of the Titans in this story, I hope this helps:
Raven-19
Robin-19
Starfire-156 (or 20 in earth years)
Beastboy-17.
Hope you all enjoy the new chapter and as always, let me know what you think!