Chapter Seventeen
The Shade of Voldemort seethed with hatred and anger as it tore through the Forbidden Forest, desperately trying to escape the brat who had once again ruined his plans; this was simply humiliating to be the most powerful Wizard since Merlin and to still end up beaten by the son of a mudblood not once, but twice!
"One day, Harry Potter!" Voldemort's shade hissed with rage, "One day I shall return, and when I do, I shall make you watch as I kill what remains of your family in front of you!"
Though he would never admit it, Voldemort had actually been afraid when Harry Potter had attacked him with those tentacles of his; when Voldemort had looked into those twin pairs of red eyes that Harry had sported, Voldemort saw no mercy, only hatred and the surety that the brat would kill him, and he would have if not for his sister.
What did this mean? Was there more to the prophecy between him and the boy? Was that why he had failed to kill him that Halloween night so many years ago and instead been destroyed himself?
These questions needed answering if Voldemort was ever to regain his body and kill the brat; if Voldemort wanted to rule the World, he had to ensure that no one could stand up to him, and fate had decided that someone would be Harry Potter. Voldemort would have felt pity for the brat if he weren't filled with such overpowering rage and the urge to murder everyone that the boy loved.
"Stop!" A voice suddenly commanded, its echo booming through the trees and making Voldemort come to a sudden halt before spinning around to try and discover where the voice originated.
"Who's there?" Voldemort hissed as he looked around the dark forest surrounding him, "Show yourself or face my wrath!"
A deep chuckle met these words, and Voldemort would have turned red with humiliation if he still had a body.
"Your wrath?" The voice asked mockingly, "And tell me, what do I have to fear from a wizard who has twice been felled by a child? And what's more, one without even a body to defend himself?"
"Even without a body, I am still the most powerful wizard this world has ever known!" Voldemort spat angrily.
"You are nothing," the voice replied with a chuckle, "I could crush you as easily as a bug if I so chose."
"Then come and do it!" Voldemort challenged, even as he knew the truth of the voice's words and hated whoever was speaking for them.
"I could do that," the voice purred, "But what would be the point? It would be like killing a dog whose spirit has already been broken; there is no point."
"I am no dog!" Voldemort snarled as he continued to search for the voice's owner, "I was the most powerful Wizard who ever lived! Entire countries feared my armies!"
"Emphasis on 'was, '" the voice chuckled, "Now, you are less than nothing. You have no armies, power, or hope of regaining it without my help."
"Your help?" Voldemort asked in surprise, "Why would you aid me in regaining my powers?"
"Because we both need each other, as much as I am loathed to admit it," the voice sneered back, making Voldemort burn with fury and humiliation.
"And why do I need you?" Voldemort spat, "I have other followers I can turn to, others who would be honored to aid their lord in his return."
"Then where are they?" The voice laughed, "Where are these 'honored' servants who should have flocked to you when you fell and tried to help you find your way back? Face it, Wizard, you've been abandoned!"
Voldemort roared incoherently in rage and hatred as the truth of the voice's words hit him like hammer blows; the forest echoed with Voldemort's roar for a moment before it was quiet again.
"Done with your temper tantrum?" The voice asked, amused as Voldemort hovered silently.
"If you're so powerful, why do you need me?" Voldemort asked angrily,
"Because my bitch of a daughter has banished me from your world with powerful magics!" The voice snarled, "And I need outside help to stop the magics that keep me from returning to my rightful place in your world."
"Seems like you need me more than I need you," Voldemort sneered back, causing the voice to chuckle with amusement, which only confused Voldemort.
"No, little Wizard. You need me far more than I need you. I can wait an eternity to return and exact my vengeance on my daughter and her friends. Patience is one of the gifts that comes with immortality. But how long can you wait to be returned to full power?"
Voldemort's surprise at the owner of the voice admitting that they were immortal was quickly tempered by the realization that the voice was right; Voldemort didn't know how much longer he could stand this weakened state that he had been forced to endure for ten long years.
"Who are you?" Voldemort asked again, though in a softer voice than before, as he thought over the voice's proposition.
"I am Trigon," the voice replied haughtily, making Voldemort go silent in shock, "You know of me, it would seem?"
Voldemort said nothing, just floated silently above the ground as he processed the information; in the early days when he was first planning his campaign against the Wizarding World, Voldemort had uncovered a long-forgotten tome that showed how to summon and control demons. At first, Voldemort had actually entertained the idea of summoning demons for his army. However, that idea was quickly cast aside as he investigated other books and scrolls that showed that no matter how powerful you were, the demons would eventually slip the leash that they were under and turn on the summoner. Not wishing to have his soul dragged to hell, Voldemort had hidden the book, hoping it would never again see the light of day. Still, even now, he remembered the one demon the book explicitly warned never to summon, the one demon that no one could control: Trigon the terrible.
"You're a demon…." Voldemort whispered when he managed to regain control of himself, "Why would I ally with you, knowing that you will eventually turn on me?"
"Because without me, you will remain as a formless nothing until the end of your days!" Trigon sneered back, "I can offer you everything you have lost and much, much more."
Images suddenly bombarded Voldemort's mind of him seated on an ebony throne with all his servants kneeling in front of him; the image suddenly shifted to show all his enemies impaled on long shafts of wood, their corpses hanging lifeless outside the gates of Hogwarts, and with Harry Potter's displayed front and center. Before Voldemort could gain any satisfaction from this, the image shifted again to one of him once again seated on a black throne, but this time there was screaming going on all around him as his servants brutally killed or toyed with the muggles and mudbloods that he had enslaved.
As quickly as the images had begun, they were over, leaving Voldemort gasping with awe and pleasure at what he had seen and desperate to know how such things could be made into reality.
"Help me break the magic that's keeping me from returning to your dimension," Trigon purred, "And not only will I give you this world, but countless others to rule as well."
Voldemort would have licked his lips greedily if he had any to lick as he imagined himself not as a Dark Lord but as an emperor ruling over an unending empire of planets.
"And what do you get out of this?" Voldemort asked, "This deal seems to favor me more heavily than it does you."
"I want only one thing," Trigon growled, and Voldemort shivered as he felt the rage that came from that growl.
"And what might that be?"
"I want my daughter and all her friends kneeling before me and begging me to kill them, to end their suffering. I want my daughter to watch as I defile and destroy the precious friends she chose to betray me for!"
"Sounds like a wonderful dream," Voldemort sneered, "But I think I'll pass on your generous offer."
"Oh, will you now?" Trigon asked in amusement,
"Yes," Voldemort stated, "I read a book about you once and many others about you since, and the one thing they all have in common is that you are a liar, and nothing you say can be trusted. Besides, once I have my body returned to me, everything you showed me in those visions of yours, I can get on my own."
"But first, you have to get your body back," Trigon chuckled, making Voldemort seethe with anger, "And how long will that be, do you think? Let's see which of us can outlast the other, Wizard. I'll be waiting when you change your mind…."
Voldemort felt Trigon's presence leave him at that, and once again, the Dark Lord was alone in the forest with just his thoughts; siding with Trigon was an incredibly stupid and dangerous idea, yet after ten years of living as a shade, Voldemort would have made any deal to end his torture. But, at the same time, Voldemort didn't become the most powerful Wizard the World had ever seen by being foolhardy; he would need to carefully think about Trigon's offer before he decided what course to take.
Without another word, Voldemort's shade glided through the trees again as it fled from Hogwarts and the ones responsible for the latest failure.
XXXX
The Hospital Wing was silent; one would think it deserted as well were it not for the three bodies currently lying next to one another at the end of the wing, one of which was covered with a sheet.
Raven sat in silent contemplation as she sat beside Harry's bed; her little brother was still unconscious from his ordeal, as was Beastboy, who lay beside Harry. Upon awakening over an hour ago, Starfire and Robin had immediately left to call Batman and inform him of what had occurred. The Titans knew that Dumbledore had been hiding something and had hoped to figure out what it was, but hiding an incredibly powerful magical object as bait in a school full of children to lure out a powerful dark wizard was something that no one was expecting, and definitely needed to be told to the higher-ups. Raven almost chuckled as she imagined how Dumbledore would respond when Batman and the rest of the League arrived at Hogwarts demanding answers.
Reaching into her robe, Raven withdrew the object in question that seemed to be the cause of all her annoyance and that which had nearly gotten her little brother killed; for a moment, she simply stared at the stone that lay flat in her hand before using her power to make it slowly rise above her hand until it rested at eye level.
The stone itself was nothing special; it looked like a large ruby, but with streaks of green and gold flowing through it, but Raven could feel the power that rested within, and it almost left her breathless.
"No one should have this much power," Raven thought with a grimace as her mind raced with all the stories she had read about Nicholas Flamel and his accursed stone; centuries of bloodshed and death had followed the stone's creation as kings and armies fought for it.
It was only when Flamel and his wife had decided that enough was enough and went into hiding with the stone in 1637 that the bloodshed finally ended, but there were still tales of thieves meeting horrible ends when they attempted to steal the stone. Morgan La Fey had even tried to find it, from what Raven was told, and had to be stopped by the Justice League when she 'supposedly' had; the stone she had found ended up being a forgery, but an incredibly powerful one that had nearly allowed her son Mordred to rule the World. Raven shuddered to think what would happen if someone were to find the real stone after all the damage the fake one had caused.
"Raven….?" Harry's voice called out, breaking her concentration and making the stone fall back into her hand, which she quickly pocketed back in her robe.
"I'm here, Harry," Raven replied gently as she took his hand in hers and squeezed,
"I don't feel so good," Harry mumbled back, "What happened?"
"Do you remember anything?" Raven asked nervously,
"Not really…" Harry replied weakly as he struggled to keep his eyes open, "Is everyone okay?"
"Everyone is fine, sweetie," Raven replied gently, "Just rest for now, okay?"
Harry slowly nodded, and a moment later, he was asleep again as Madam Pomfrey came bustling up, her arms filled with bottles containing various potions and medicines.
"Did he awaken?"
"Only for a moment," Raven replied as she let go of Harry's hand and turned to the Medi witch.
"Well, help me open his mouth so I can get these into him," Madam Pomfrey said quickly, "We'll do Beastboy next."
"What are they?" Raven asked as she rose from her chair and leaned over Harry to open his mouth,
"Just health potions that will aid him in his recovery," Madam Pomfrey replied as she poured a yellow potion down Harry's throat, "He shows signs of being attacked by dark magics, and we need to correct it before it has a chance to harm him more than it already has. But, honestly, what happened down there?"
"That's precisely what I would like to know," Dumbledore said as he quickly strolled into the Hospital Wing, his purple and silver robes billowing behind him.
"You…" Raven hissed as the Headmaster approached Harry's bed,
"Headmaster, I thought you were in London," Madam Pomfrey said happily as she poured another potion into Harry's mouth.
"I was," Dumbledore replied, "But it wasn't too long after I arrived that I felt that something was wrong at Hogwarts, and so I gave the minister my apologies and returned. Now, what has been going on here? And why is there a dead body lying in the Hospital Wing?"
"I think we both know the answer to that question, Dumbledore," Raven said coldly.
"It's Professor Quirrell, Headmaster," Madam Pomfrey replied quickly before Dumbledore could respond, "He tried to steal the stone and abducted Mr. Potter here to help him do it! Raven and her friends went after him when they found out what had happened courtesy of Ms. Granger, but it seems as though Professor Quirrell died as a result of the battle."
"You killed a Hogwarts teacher?" Dumbledore asked Raven with a raised brow, "By what right do you have to do such a thing? He should have been detained and handed over to the Aurors for trial."
"We didn't kill him!" Raven growled back, "It was Voldemort!"
The Hospital Wing went silent once again as Madam Pomfrey gasped in horror and brought a hand to her mouth, dropping the bottles she was holding as a result; Dumbledore's eyebrows rose in surprise for a moment before he regained control of himself and began to stroke his beard thoughtfully.
"And you have proof of this?" Dumbledore asked softly,
"Quirrell was possessed by the shade of Voldemort," Raven replied with grit teeth, "Have the Aurors check his corpse, and they will discover traces of the dark magic that Voldemort used. That should be proof enough!"
"I'm afraid not," Dumbledore said sadly, "Many things could leave a similar trace on poor Quirinus' body. Do you have any other pieces of evidence that you can provide?"
It took every ounce of willpower that Raven had to keep her from leaping over the bed and attacking Dumbledore; it was his fault that her team had almost died, and now he was trying to pin Quirrell's murder on the Titans, no doubt to wrestle Harry from her and place him where Dumbledore thought he should be.
"I have my memories, as do the rest of my team," Raven growled back, "They will show that we had nothing to do with Quirrell's death."
"Memories are not admissible in the Wizengamot, I'm afraid," Dumbledore replied as his eyes twinkled like mad, "If that's all you have, I'm afraid that I have no choice but to hold you until the Aurors arrive for the murder of a Hogwarts Professor."
Raven lunged forward at that, and Dumbledore reached for his wand; before anyone could do anything to the other, a voice rang out like thunder throughout the Hospital Wing.
"Raven! Stand down!"
"What in Merlin's name…?" Dumbledore said quickly as he spun, looking for the voice's origin, his wand drawn and held ready to attack.
Raven, however, began to grin as she recognized that voice; a moment later, her thoughts were justified as Zatanna, Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman suddenly appeared in the Hospital Wing as though they had teleported there; seconds later, Robin and Starfire appeared as well while Dumbledore stared in shock.
"How did you do that?" Dumbledore breathed as he took in the newcomers; he knew who they were thanks to the copious amount of research he had done on the Titans and others like them at the start of Harry's year, but seeing them standing in front of him now was a different matter altogether, "No one should be able to apparate into Hogwarts! The wards surrounding her should have prevented it!"
"Oh, those?" Zatanna laughed, "They were almost TOO easy to get around. Kind of pathetic how weak they are, to be honest."
As Dumbledore stuttered at the insult, Raven couldn't help but smile, which was apparently shared by Robin and Starfire, which only made Dumbledore turn redder with humiliation.
"I demand that you leave at once!" Dumbledore said calmly, once he had regained his self-control, "You are trespassing, and as Headmaster of Hogwarts, I will defend her and her students if you try to harm either of them!"
"We have no interest in harming your school or its students, Headmaster," Wonder Woman replied with a slight grin at Dumbledore's bravado, "We are here for another matter entirely."
"Which is?" Dumbledore demanded, his wand at the ready just in case,
"Harry Potter and his sister Raven Potter," Batman growled, "According to Robin and Starfire, you nearly got them killed by using an incredibly powerful magical object as bait to lure in the one responsible for the murder of their parents."
"I did no such thing!" Dumbledore retorted as Madam Pomfrey gasped in shock.
"Perhaps it would be better if we continued this discussion in your office," Superman said softly, "I'm sure Beastboy and Harry need their treatment, and we have things to discuss."
"Indeed," Dumbledore stated, "If you would all follow me, please."
As the others began to file out of the Hospital Wing and followed Dumbledore, Raven bit her lip in indecision; she wanted to stay with Harry, but at the same time, she wanted to be part of the conversation no doubt about to occur.
"You should go with them," Madam Pomfrey said softly as she waved her wand to clean up the broken bottles before her, "I'll keep an eye on Harry and Beastboy for you."
Raven quickly nodded in gratitude before hurrying off with the others; they walked silently to Dumbledore's office, no one wanting to say anything to the other until they were in private, where they wouldn't be overheard.
As they passed through the halls of Hogwarts, Raven couldn't help but smirk as they passed by various students, some of whom immediately got wide-eyed and slack-jawed when they saw the members of the Justice League who were accompanying Dumbledore.
"Dude, that's Batman!" One student whispered to another, who simply nodded in shock,
"Blimey! It's Superman! He saved my mum once when Brainiac attacked London!" Another student whispered in awe; Superman nodded at the student as he passed, causing the girl to turn bright red as a smile stretched across her face.
Not long after, the group stood in Dumbledore's office as the aged Headmaster waved his wand to secure the room before sitting down behind his desk and steepled his fingers in front of him, his wand sitting within easy reach on his desk.
"Now, perhaps you can tell me what you are all doing in my castle?" Dumbledore asked softly but firmly, "And why I shouldn't summon the Aurors immediately to arrest you for trespassing."
"Go ahead and call them," Zatanna prompted as she crossed her arms over her chest and raised a brow at Dumbledore mockingly, "I'm sure they'd be fascinated to learn all the things you've been hiding at Hogwarts."
"Starting with this!" Raven added angrily as the Philosopher's Stone flew out of her robes and hovered before her.
"Holy shit…" Zatanna breathed in awe, "Is that what I think it is?"
"If you think it's the Philosopher's Stone, then yes, you are correct," Robin grimaced.
"I'll take that, my dear," Dumbledore said softly as he held out his hand expectantly, only to glare a moment later when it was snatched out of the air by Batman, who studied it very carefully for a moment.
"You most certainly will not!" Zatanna spat, looking from the stone to Dumbledore, "That stone is one of the most powerful objects ever created by magic! It has no place being kept hidden in a school full of children! Wars have been fought over this thing! The whole damned planet almost ended up destroyed when Morgan La Fey discovered a fake; now, what do you think would happen if she were to find out that the real one was at Hogwarts all this time?!"
"Morgan La Fey…?" Dumbledore said in shock, "Morgan La Fey has been dead since the time of Merlin, young lady."
"If you say so," Zatanna laughed, making Dumbledore glare at her momentarily before turning back to Batman.
"That stone belongs to my friend Nicholas Flamel," Dumbledore stated firmly, "You have no right to steal his property."
"Then by what right do you have it?" Wonder Woman demanded,
"And why did you think it was a good idea to hide it in a school full of kids?" Superman added sternly, "You could have gotten someone killed,"
"Namely, my little brother…." Raven added with a growl.
"It was never my intention to endanger young Mr. Potter or you, Raven," Dumbledore replied as he steepled his fingers again, "Nicholas asked me to hide it for him as he became aware that powerful individuals were trying to steal it. I told him that Hogwarts was the safest place for the stone and agreed to hide it here for him."
"Safe?" Zatanna scoffed, "It took me five seconds to get around the wards here. I imagine it would take Felix Faust or someone else even less time."
"I don't know this Felix Faust," Dumbledore replied testily, "But I can assure you that anyone trying to break into Hogwarts would find the task far harder than anticipated."
"Uh huh…" Zatanna sneered, making Dumbledore look at her in indignation momentarily before returning his stare to Batman, who was putting the stone into one of the compartments on his belt.
"We are here," Batman growled, "Because my partner told us that not only were you keeping an incredibly powerful object hidden in a school but also because Robin told us that one of your professors had been possessed by the Dark Wizard responsible for the death's of Raven and Harry's parents. Did you know?"
The question sounded more like a demand, and as Batman glared at Dumbledore, the aged Headmaster's mind raced a mile a minute; there had to be some way to salvage something from this fiasco.
"Yes," Dumbledore said simply, making Raven immediately pale with rage.
"You son of a bitch!" Raven snarled as she lunged at Dumbledore, her eyes turning into twin pairs of demon red, only to be stopped a moment later by Superman, who wrapped his arms around her and held her tight.
"My brother almost died!" Raven snarled as she fought to free herself from Superman's arms, "My friends almost died!"
"If you would just give me a moment to explain, perhaps I can make you understand why I did what I did," Dumbledore replied calmly, though inside, he was quite intimidated and would never admit it.
"Speak fast, old man," Wonder Woman stated through clenched teeth, "My patience wears thin."
Quickly nodding, Dumbledore turned his attention to Raven and stared at her silently for a moment before speaking again in a calm voice,
"I wasn't lying when I said that Harry has a great destiny, Raven. It is because of this destiny that Voldemort targeted him and your family in the first place."
"Explain. Now." Batman growled,
"Not long before Harry's birth, I was fortunate to encounter a seer who foretold a prophecy that a child would be born and that this child would be the only one who could destroy Voldemort once and for all. The contents of the prophecy left little doubt that it referred to your brother; as such, I immediately told your parents to take you and Harry and go into hiding."
"You have got to be kidding," Zatanna said with a scoff as Raven stared at Dumbledore in shock, "You mean to tell me that the reason the dark douche came after the Potters was because of a prophecy? Everyone knows how unreliable those are!"
"That's not always the case," Wonder Woman replied, quickly turning to face Zatanna, "Before its fall, the oracle of Delphi gave many prophecies that came true, some with disastrous results."
"That is how I knew that even though he had disappeared, Voldemort was not truly gone," Dumbledore said softly, "Because only your brother can truly defeat him."
"And that's why you agreed to hide the stone here…" Batman theorized, "To draw him into the open in the hope that Harry would be able to put him down permanently."
Dumbledore said nothing, simply lowered his head which was as much a declaration of guilt as though he had outright said it.
"You unbelievable bastard…." Raven breathed, her eyes returning to normal; Starfire, on the other hand, looked ready to vaporize Dumbledore. Only Robin's calm hand on her shoulder kept her from doing so, though even he looked ready to beat Dumbledore to a bloody pulp.
"Are you senile or something?" Superman demanded, making Dumbledore look sharply at him, "Harry is an eleven-year-old kid! He's only been fighting crime for a little over a year, and you thought it would be okay to make him fight the one responsible for killing his mother and father! If they couldn't beat Voldemort, what would make you think Harry could?!"
"I can assure you that my mental faculties are excellent," Dumbledore retorted,
"Obviously not if you thought putting Harry in danger like that was okay!" Robin spat back before going silent sullenly as Batman turned to look at him.
"I can assure you that it was never my intention for Harry to come to any harm!" Dumbledore replied placatingly, "I knew that Voldemort was not at his full potential, and this would be the best chance for Harry and our World to finally see Voldemort's end! Everything I have ever done has been for the greater good!"
"The greater good?" Batman growled, "Why do men and women try to justify themselves with those words? The greater good is nothing more than a twisted way of saying the lesser evil. Every tyrant and monster has used the words 'for the greater good' since the dawn of time to justify their atrocities."
"I have dedicated my entire life to protecting the magical world," Dumbledore spat back, for once losing his revered calm exterior as he shot to his feet, "I will not sit here and be lectured by a muggle who dresses like a flying rodent and thinks he can judge me for decisions I have made when half the time there was no right choice, only bad ones!"
Without warning, Dumbledore launched a Legilimency attack on Batman to try and see what he was hiding, only to be immediately forced out of Batman's head with so much force that it threw Dumbledore back into his chair; a second later, a Batarang was impaled in Dumbledore's desk, inches from his hand, causing the aged Headmaster to flinch and draw his hand away from danger.
"Don't do that again," Batman spat angrily, causing Dumbledore to pale instantly; never before had he felt so intimidated in his entire life, and the most humiliating thing was that it was due to a muggle.
"What was said in this prophecy?" Superman asked from where he was still holding Raven, "Perhaps if we hear it for ourselves, we might be able to discover something that you missed that will help us defeat Voldemort.
For a moment, Dumbledore considered denying their request to hear the prophecy, but one glance at Batman told him that it would not be a good idea; the League was determined to hear the prophecy, one way or another, and so with a weary sigh, Dumbledore began to recite.
"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches. Born to those who have thrice defied him. Born as the seventh month dies, and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he shall have power that the Dark Lord knows not. And either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives…."
For a moment, the office was silent as those assembled digested the words that had been spoken; finally, Raven spoke in a soft voice that made everyone turn to her,
"Marked as his equal? You mean Harry's scar?"
"Indeed," Dumbledore replied sadly, "There were only two families that the prophecy could have pertained to, yours and the Longbottoms, which is why I had both families go into hiding when I first heard the prophecy. But, unfortunately, your parents trusted the wrong man to protect them."
"Explain," Batman demanded, making Dumbledore shake his head wearily.
"When the Potters went into hiding, I told them to perform the Fidelius charm as an added layer of protection."
"Seriously?" Zatanna scoffed, "There are a hundred different ways I could get through that, never mind someone like Voldemort."
"What is the Fidelius charm?" Wonder Woman asked quickly, "And what makes it such a potent form of protection?"
"The Fidelius charm is a powerful piece of magic that hides whatever one wishes inside of a single living soul," Dumbledore replied, "So long as the individual refuses to say where the thing or person they're hiding is, they can never be found. Voldemort could have had his nose pressed against the Potter's living room window and never could have seen them."
"Sounds rather straightforward," Superman stated, "So what happened?"
"The Potters entrusted their safety to a man named Sirius Black," Dumbledore said sadly, "What we didn't know was that Sirius Black was a spy for Lord Voldemort; the moment he was made secret keeper, he ran straight to his master and gave the Potters up."
"And how did Harry survive that night?" Wonder Woman asked, "If his parents were killed, it makes sense that he should have been as well, so how is he alive?"
"It was Lily," Dumbledore replied, looking straight at Raven as he spoke, "It took me a long while to discover what happened that night, but eventually, I did. When Voldemort attacked the Potters' cottage, Lily refused to stand aside and let him kill her son, even though he promised to let her live if she did."
"Of course, she wasn't going to move," Zatanna said with a sneer, "What mother would just step aside and let their child be murdered?"
"Indeed," Dumbledore replied, "Voldemort grew tired of her pleading and simply killed her; when he did that, he sealed his own fate."
"What do you mean?" Raven demanded as tears ran down her cheeks at hearing how her mother had died.
"Lily's refusal to move invoked old magic; her sacrifice for her child gave Harry the ultimate protection from harm."
"So when Voldemort tried to kill Harry as well…" Batman said softly,
"The killing curse rebounded onto Voldemort, precisely," Dumbledore replied with a nod.
"Then how is the bastard still alive?" Zatanna asked with a raised brow, "As far as I know, there is no way to survive the killing curse aside from jumping out of the way."
"That, I don't know," Dumbledore replied wearily, "By the time of his destruction, Voldemort had investigated magics long thought forgotten; whatever he did ensured his survival if something should happen to his body. So now he only has form if he possesses another."
"Hmm…" Batman said as he thought over Dumbledore's words,
"If I release you, will you promise to behave?" Superman asked Raven in a soft voice,
"I promise nothing…." Raven replied tensely, making Superman smile wryly before he unwrapped his arms from around her.
"Now, I have my own questions that I would like answered," Dumbledore said after a moment of silence, "Starting with what is the cause of Ms. Potter's dual pair of red eyes?"
"That is none of your concern," Robin snapped before anyone else could answer,
"Agreed," Starfire added, "You have shown with your actions that you deserve neither answers nor respect! You used little Harry like he was a pawn to be manipulated as you see fit!"
"I only did what I thought necessary for the survival of my world!" Dumbledore retorted angrily, "The same thing you and your super-powered friends have done on multiple occasions!"
"How dare you besmirch my honor and that of my friends by comparing your actions with ours!" Wonder Woman retorted, stepping forward in rage, "The things you have done would never be done by one of us!"
"Harry is the only one who can truly defeat Voldemort!" Dumbledore barked, beginning to become frustrated that none of them could see why he had done what he did, "If Harry doesn't stop him, Voldemort will conquer our world, and then he will turn his eyes to yours!"
"The Justice League would never allow that to happen," Superman stated firmly,
"And no matter what your precious prophecy says, we will not allow you to mold Harry into your own personal weapon," Zatanna added.
"He is the only one who can truly destroy Voldemort!" Dumbledore cried, slamming his hands onto his desk as the last of his patience finally came to an end.
"He is a child!" Wonder Woman retorted angrily as she slammed her own hands onto Dumbledore's desk and leaned over to face the Headmaster, "One day, he may grow into a great warrior, but for now, he has no place waging war against the monster that is Voldemort! And you should be ashamed of yourself for trying to force such a confrontation!"
"I warned you what would happen if you placed Harry in danger again, Dumbledore," Raven hissed in anger, "I'm a woman of my word, and as such, I will be pulling Harry from Hogwarts as soon as this year is over. Of course, I will allow him to finish his first year, but after that, if I have my way, Harry will never set foot in this castle ever again!"
"Harry must stay at Hogwarts!" Dumbledore replied as the blood ran from his face at Raven's words, "This castle is the finest magical school in the world!"
"As if," Zatanna scoffed, "Between Raven and I, we could teach Harry more about magic in a year than you could in a century."
"But it's only here that Harry can be made ready for the day when Voldemort and he finally meet!" Dumbledore replied, trying another tactic,
"Voldemort is no longer Harry's problem," Batman said simply, "The League will deal with him, and we will do so in a way that doesn't force a child to become a killer."
"But…. but…." Dumbledore stuttered, trying desperately to figure out how to salvage this disaster; once the rest of the Wizarding World discovered that Harry had withdrawn from Hogwarts and that it was Dumbledore's fault, they would be after Dumbledore's head and all his political power would not save him.
"He may not be related to us, but Harry is as much our little brother as he is Raven's," Robin growled as Starfire nodded in agreement, "And you nearly got him killed, old man!"
"I have nothing more to say to you, you bastard!" Raven growled before spinning on her heel and storming out of the office; a moment later, Robin and Starfire left after her, shooting truly hate-filled looks before slamming the door behind them.
"People say that you are the wisest and most powerful wizard since Merlin," Zatanna said with a sneer once they were alone, "But I honestly can't see how if you've messed up this badly."
"Everything I've ever done has been in service to the greater good…." Dumbledore said in a weary voice as he lowered himself back into his chair.
"There is nothing good about leaving a child with relatives that you knew would hate him," Batman growled, "And there is certainly nothing good about raising that child to become a weapon that you planned to throw at the monster that killed his parents. You disgust me."
"It would seem that we have nothing further to talk about," Dumbledore sneered back, "Please be so kind as to return the Philosopher's Stone and leave my castle."
"The stone comes with us," Batman retorted, "Tell your friend Nicholas Flamel that if he wants it, he can come get it himself."
"You cannot steal the stone," Dumbledore cried in outrage, "Nicholas entrusted me with its protection!"
"And that's precisely why we're taking it!" Wonder Woman snapped back, "Because you have proven incapable of properly guarding it!"
"This is an outrage!" Dumbledore hissed as he gripped the arms of his chair hard, "You have no right to come here and dictate terms to me! You don't even belong to the Magical World! The Ministry will hear about this, and then we'll see what happens!"
"Well, I mean, technically, I AM a sorceress, so in a way, I do belong to the Magical World," Zatanna said with a wink, "And I'm sure the Ministry would love to hear what we have to say in regards to you."
Dumbledore paled at the threat, which made Zatanna's grin stretch even further as she tipped her top hat at him.
"The League will be watching both you and the Magical World very closely from now on," Batman said as he glared at Dumbledore, "And if you or the Ministry try anything that threatens the World or Harry, we will stop you. Is that clear?"
Dumbledore could only choke on his anger before nodding grudgingly; without another word, the group turned and walked to Zatanna, each placing a hand on her.
"Be seeing you, gramps!" Zatanna cried happily before snapping her fingers and teleporting the group away instantly as Dumbledore watched with shock.
Alone in his office, the gravity of what had just happened seemed to hit Dumbledore like a train; he had lost the Philosopher's Stone, he had lost Harry Potter, and even worse was that when the rest of the Magical World found out what had happened (which they undoubtedly would), Dumbledore would be finished. How had it all gone so wrong?
Picking up his wand, Dumbledore summoned a large glass and a bottle of Firewhiskey and poured himself a very generous amount before settling back into his chair to get drunk for the first time in almost eighty years.
XXXX
Author's Note:
I make no excuse for how long it's been since my last update, I can only say that life has decided to beat me like a whipped horse, and I'm just trying to keep standing. I hope this chapter makes up for how long it's been, and know that I plan to release another chapter in a few days to compensate y'all. I planned to release the two chapters as one, but it was over twenty pages long, lol.