Raven stepped out of her room, carrying another box filled with her things. She and the other Titans had spent the last few weeks slowly and methodically packing everything they owned from the only home many of them had known. Jinx, Starfire, and Nightwing were all headed to Bludhaven, where they intended to establish themselves as heroes in their own right. Cyborg had been given the opportunity of a lifetime as the computer expert in charge of the Justice League's mainframe and would soon leave for the Watch Tower to begin his work.

Beastboy would be headed to London for a few months to establish himself as a hero, at least that is what he claimed. Still, everyone else knew the real reason he was going there. Raven, alone, had yet to decide where she would go or what her future would be now that the Titans would be no more. The Justice League had offered her a place amongst them, but she had politely declined, not wanting to be too far from her brother's side, especially considering how she had nearly lost him twice in a matter of months. As she stepped into the darkened hallway, Raven paused outside her little brother's room and frowned slightly. She heard the sound of Harry's guitar echoing from within.

The last few weeks had been especially hard on her little brother, with the only good thing being that Harry had forgiven her and was once again treating her like his big sister, something that she was eternally grateful for. That's not to say he wasn't still causing her near heart palpitations. Raven had been near apoplectic when Harry told her about the guitar that Constantine had given him and what he'd seen it do to the poor bastard who'd tried stealing it, only to wind up becoming the guitar's victim. Raven doubted that Constantine would be showing his face anywhere near her or Harry for some time, considering the terrifying rage she had vented upon the man upon returning the cursed guitar. Truthfully, Raven was glad that Nightwing had gone with her, as she feared what she might have done had she been alone.

Contrary to what she had been expecting, Harry had taken the news that he and the other Titans would be soon leaving Jump City with only a solemn nod, as though he had expected such news; afterward, he had barely said a word to anyone, save for Lunatic, who spent nearly every moment alone with Harry in his room. Like Harry, Lunatic had been offered a place on this new team that Batman had created, consisting of their junior partners, but to no one's surprise, Lunatic had promptly told everyone that he was not interested.

The little madman had finally left the Tower a few days prior. Raven and the other Titans had asked where Lunatic had gone, but Harry had refused to say where his mad little friend had disappeared to or what he had planned, which left Raven with a particularly bad feeling about what the boy had planned, especially considering the hatred that both he and Harry had for Lex Luthor, who they both held responsible for the destruction that Jump City had endured. Even the famous 'Bat-glare' failed to drag any answers from Harry where Lunatic was concerned. Batman was forced to grumble angrily as he left the Tower, no wiser to where Lunatic had gone than when the bat-themed hero had come.

Shifting the box in her arms, Raven stepped closer to her little brother's door and listened to the song he was singing. She knew that he had been working on it since Cassie's funeral, but so far, Harry had refused to let anyone hear it, saying it wasn't ready yet. Yet, as Raven listened to the sad melody, the weight of his unspoken grief was palpable in every note.

"In the shadows, I see your face.

A fleeting memory, a haunting grace.

Your smile, a ghost I can't erase,

Cassie, oh Cassie, why'd you leave this place...?

You were the light in my darkest night,

the star that shone with a radiant light.

Now you're gone, and I'm left to cry,

Cassie, my love. I'll never say goodbye..."

Raven felt her eyes widen as she listened to Harry's song; she knew that her brother and Cassie had been close, but she didn't realize exactly how close until that moment, another senseless crime laid at Lex Luthor's feet…

As the music in the room ended, Raven let out a sad sigh and backed away from the door before turning and making her way down the hall; the Titans were almost done cleaning out the Tower and were all set to leave their home for the final time in the next few days. All that was left was for Cyborg to run one last diagnostic on the Tower's mainframe to ensure that all pertinent data was completely and irreversible wiped, and the Tower would be abandoned. The Justice League had already scheduled to have the Tower demolished on the first of the following month, effectively wiping all trace that anyone had ever lived on the small island that the Titans had called home for so many years.

As Raven made her way down the hall, she prayed to whoever might be listening that she was making the right decision. Harry had suffered far too much the last few months—more than anyone should ever have to suffer, especially a kid. Batman had assured Raven and the Titans that the new team would be just what Harry needed to work through his trauma alongside others his own age, and to a certain degree, Raven was inclined to agree with him; but there were times when all she could think was that she was making another mistake, where Harry was concerned. Another part of her tried to think of what she should do now; she still wanted to be a hero and help people, but was terrified of leaving Harry's side, considering how apparently prone to catastrophic danger he was. And yet, even months later, she still had no answer to her future.
XXXX

After carefully writing the next line of the song he was working on, Harry gently placed his cherry-red Gibson guitar back in its case, along with the notebook of songs he had spent years writing, and closed the lid before putting the case on the bed and looking around his room with a sad eye. This was the only home he had ever known, and now he would never see it again; when Raven had told him that the Titans were planning on leaving Jump City for good, rather than angrily object, he'd nodded in understanding.

He knew that many in the city openly saw the Titans, and Harry especially, as responsible for the destruction of their city, and to be honest, he didn't blame them for hating him. On some level, Harry hated himself just as much, if not more, than they did. Casting a look at his room, Harry couldn't help but tear up as he saw how empty it now looked; gone were his books, his DVDs, his drum set and posters, as well as almost everything else that had made this room his own. Now, all that remained were a dozen stacked boxes that held his entire life, ready to be shipped to Rhode Island, where he was to begin his new life with strangers who were to become his new team…

As Harry felt the word on his tongue, he suddenly felt himself growing angry. He didn't need a new team—he already had one! More than a team, they were his family, and now, because of Lex Luthor, Harry's family was scattering to the winds, and he had no idea when, or even if, they would ever be together again.

As Harry thought of Luthor, he felt the familiar rage sweep through him that always came when Harry thought of that bald-headed bastard; when he'd discovered that Luthor had effectively hidden his involvement in Jump City's destruction and was ensuring that continued by issuing massive bribes to the supervillains who had taken part, Harry had nearly been apoplectic with rage and had immediately wanted to go to Metropolis and kill the bastard. Throwing himself back onto his bed and covering his eyes with his left arm, Harry's mind wandered back to the last conversation he'd had with Lunatic, which had saved Harry from making a mistake he wouldn't have been able to take back…

:FLASHBACK:

"I'll kill him!" Harry raged as he ripped the newspaper he'd been reading to shreds; the front page had shown a picture of Lex Luthor, dressed in an expensive black suit, and giving an interview where he said how sorry he was for the citizens of Jump City, and how he was donating over two hundred-million dollars to aid in its immediate rebuild.

"No, you won't…" Lunatic replied from where he'd been watching, cross-legged, causing Harry to turn to him, enraged.

"He's responsible for all this!" Harry snarled, "Thousands are dead because of him! Cassie is dead because of him! And you're telling me to just let him get away with it!"

Lunatic tilted his head at that, narrowing his eyes as he looked unafraid at his angry friend,

"That's not what I said, Harry. Luthor does indeed deserve to be punished, but not by you…"

"Then by who?!"

"By me…" Lunatic smiled, causing Harry to freeze as he took in his friend's words,

"Looney… We made a promise that we would take him down together…"

"Yes, we did," Lunatic replied with a nod before slowly climbing off of the bed and coming to face his friend; gently placing his hands on Harry's shoulders, Lunatic issued a weary sigh before speaking again, "But, you're a hero, Harry. And heroes can't have blood on their hands… I'm sorry, but you can't be a part of what comes next… But I can."

"You're a hero too, Looney…" Harry whispered back, dreading what his friend was saying. "You saved hundreds out there; you have a chance to be great! Come with me, to Rhode Island, I mean."

Lunatic just smiled wearily at that and slowly shook his head, his eyes closing for a moment before snapping open again and glinting with madness,

"I'm not a hero, Harry… I'm just a kid who saved a few people, and the only reason I did that was because I wanted to balance the scales for causing the destruction in the first place. And Rhode Island? Really? Have you ever been? It's awful! Nothing but sunny days and smiling people! Ugh! Sounds like a Hallmark movie, no thank you! I'm used to grungy, dirty streets, and violent madness!"

Not willing to let his friend go off on another insane tangent about how Gotham was a paradise for the crazed and insane, Harry immediately cut Lunatic off,

"Looney, please… If you go after Luthor alone, he'll kill you. Or worse, you'll manage to kill him, and then you'll be a criminal. I'll have to come after you… I can't lose any more friends…"

By the end of his speech, tears were running down Harry's face, and Lunatic gently wiped them away with his thumbs as he smiled at his best friend.

"Luthor must pay, Harry… And you can't be the one to do it. It has to be me because no one else will. Your goody-goody friends in the Justice League refuse to step outside the law, and it's why they'll never be able to ensure Luthor pays for his crimes. Because men like him know how to use the law to their advantage. And if the day ever does come where you have to come after me… Well then, may the best man win."

Harry stared at Lunatic at that and couldn't help but smile at the insane grin that seemed permanently fixed on his face; no matter how awful things got, Lunatic never seemed to lose his smile; it was one of the things that Harry loved best about him.

Pulling the little madman into a fierce hug, Harry squeezed for all he was worth before softly whispering,

"You're my best friend, Looney… And even if we end up on opposite sides, you'll always be my best friend…"

"Same, Harry…" Lunatic whispered back, "Same…"

As the two boys pulled apart, Lunatic quickly wiped his eyes before pulling off his top hat and throwing it to the floor, upside down, and creating his usual mode of transportation.

"Well, must be off," Lunatic laughed, "Lots of mayhem and merriment to inflict on our favorite bald-headed businessman!"

"Give him hell, Looney!" Harry laughed, causing the boy to cackle madly as he jumped into the air and performed a cannonball into his hat, his voice echoing as he disappeared,

"You know meeeeeeeee!"

A moment later, the boy's top hat disappeared from existence with a 'pop,' and Harry was left alone in his room, with only Luthor's smiling face showing from the remains of the shredded newspaper.

: END FLASHBACK:

Slowly pulling the arm from over his eyes, Harry stared up at the ceiling of his room; how long had it been since Raven and the other Titans had painted those stars? Unable to stop himself, Harry released a sob; this was the only home he'd ever known, and now he was being forced to leave and never come back. It wasn't fair!

As Harry felt himself falling deeper and deeper into despair, he suddenly jolted upright when he heard a loud 'Crack' that sent him instantly rolling onto the floor and lying on his stomach as he waited for the next attack. When it didn't come, Harry slowly raised himself up and peeked over the bed until just the top of his head and nose could be seen. The room looked the same; the only thing different was the sudden arrival of a very strange creature that made Harry's eyes widen in shock.

The little creature on the bed had large bat-like ears and bulging green eyes the size of tennis balls. For a moment, the two simply stared at one another before the creature got off the bed and bowed so low that its long nose actually grazed the floor. Harry watched in shock, unsure how to respond to this creature's sudden appearance.

As Harry continued to stare, he saw that the creature appeared to be wearing an old pillowcase with rips for arms and leg holes. The garment appeared quite dirty, as though it had never been washed.

"Um… Hello…?" Harry replied nervously, as he rose shakily to his feet in embarrassment; when he had risen fully, the creature ended its bow and stood up straight, staring at Harry in what he could describe as awe.

"Harry Potter… Such an honor it is!" The creature responded in a high-pitched voice, momentarily making Harry grit his teeth, "So long has Dobby wanted to meet you! Such an honor it is, sir!"

"Um… thanks?" Harry replied in confusion as he continued to stare at the creature, now identified as Dobby. Casting a quick glance, Harry saw that Hedwig, who had been previously asleep in her cage, now had one eye open and was staring at Dobby suspiciously. Harry wanted to ask the creature what it was, but thought it might come across as rude, and didn't want to offend, so instead chose to ask,

"Who are you?"

"Dobby, sir. Just Dobby, I'm a house elf, sir."

"Huh… Neat." Harry replied, unsure of what else to say, "I don't mean to be rude, but now's not really a good time for me to have a house elf in my bedroom…"

Dobby hung his head, and Harry instantly felt guilty that he might have offended the poor creature, so quickly tried to remedy the situation,

"Not that I'm not pleased to meet you," Harry quickly said. "Um… It's just... Perhaps you could tell me why you're here… exactly?"

"Oh yes, sir!" Dobby replied earnestly, "Dobby has come to warn you, sir! It is difficult, sir… Dobby wonders where to begin…"

"Well, perhaps you could sit down and start from the beginning," Harry replied warmly, pointing at the bed, only to watch in horror as the elf began to wail and burst into tears, very noisy tears that had Harry staring worryingly at the door. Considering the last few weeks events, Raven and the other Titans were likely to come into Harry's room guns blazing if Harry couldn't get the elf to quiet down.

"S-sit down?!" Dobby wailed, "Never, sir! Not ever!"

"I'm sorry!" Harry cried out, waving his arms and trying desperately to get the elf to stop crying, "I didn't mean to offend you, or anything! Please stop crying!"

"Offend Dobby?" The elf whimpered, rubbing his arm under his nose, "Dobby has heard of your greatness, Harry Potter, sir. But never has Dobby been asked to sit down by a wizard! Like an equal…"

Harry, trying to say 'shush,' and appear comforting at the same time, ushered Dobby onto the bed, where the elf sat hiccupping, looking like a large and very ugly doll. At last, the elf seemed to regain control of himself and sat with his eyes fixed on Harry with an expression of watery adoration.

"You can't have met very many decent wizards, then," Harry joked, trying to bring some levity to the situation, and causing Dobby to chuckle for a moment,

"No, I haven't…"

Dobby's expression turned into one of horror a second later, and he immediately jumped to his feet and began to bang his face against Harry's window, shouting,

"Bad Dobby! Bad Dobby!"

For a few horrifying seconds, Harry could only watch in shock before he raced forward, grabbed Dobby round the middle, and pulled him away from the window,

"What the heck are you doing!" Harry cried, "Stop that!"

Hedwig had awoken fully now and was glaring angrily at the creature that had disturbed her sleep. Harry forcefully sat the elf back on the bed, with both hands on the creature's shoulders, lest he try to hurt himself again.

"I'm sorry, sir," Dobby replied, having gone slightly cross-eyed, "Dobby had to punish himself; Dobby almost spoke badly about his family!"

"Your family?" Harry asked in confusion as Dobby nodded and rubbed his head,

"The Wizard family that Dobby serves, sir. Dobby is a house elf, bound to serve one house and one family forever."

"You're a slave…?" Harry asked in horror, "Please tell me that you're joking, Dobby…"

Harry could feel the blood rush from his face as Dobby nodded sadly, and it was all Harry could do not to keep his temper under control in the face of such utter abhorrence.

"This family you serve… Do they know that you're here?"

Dobby shuddered at Harry's question, and began to rock back and forth slowly,

"Oh no, sir! No, no, sir! Dobby will have to punish himself most grievously for coming here… If they ever knew that Dobby had come… Dobby will have to shut his ears in the oven door, sir."

"Won't they notice if you shut your ears in the oven door?" Harry demanded, already taking a dislike to whichever family owned this poor pathetic creature.

"Dobby doubts it, sir. Dobby is always having to punish himself for something, sir. Sometimes, Dobby's family likes to remind him of extra punishments that he may have forgotten…"

By now, Harry was struggling to control his temper as old memories came flooding back to him from when he had lived with the Dursleys, and he found himself repeatedly clenching and unclenching his fists.

"Why don't you leave?" Harry demanded, "Escape! You came here; why not just run!"

"A house elf cannot escape, sir. We are bound to the Wizard family we serve, sir," Dobby replied sadly, his head dropping to his chest, "A house elf can only be set free, and Dobby's family will never set him free… Dobby is cursed to serve the family until he dies, sir…"

"Good god…" Harry whispered in horror, "Can't anyone help you? Is there anything I can do?"

Almost at once, Harry wished he hadn't spoken; Dobby exploded again into wails of gratitude as great fat tears ran down his face.

"Shut up! Stop crying!" Harry hissed, casting nervous looks at the door, "If my sister finds out you're in here, she's liable to tear you to pieces first, and ask questions later!"

"Harry Potter asks poor Dobby if he can help!" The elf wailed incoherently, "Dobby knew of your greatness, but of your goodness? Dobby never knew!"

Harry flushed with embarrassment at that and quickly tried to swallow it away,

"Look, whatever bull crap you've heard about my greatness is just that!" Harry said quickly, casting another glance at the door; he thought he'd heard something and desperately hoped he'd been wrong.

"Harry Potter is so humble! And modest!" Dobby replied reverently, his teary eyes aglow, causing Harry's eyebrow to tick in annoyance for a moment. "Harry Potter speaks not over his triumph over He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named!"

"Who? Oh, you mean Voldemort!"

Dobby clapped his hands over his bat ears and moaned at once,

"Ah! Speak not his name, sir! Speak not his name!"

"Sorry!" Harry said at once, "I forget that most people don't like to hear his name…"

Dobby suddenly leaned closer to Harry, so that the little elf was nearly falling off the bed, and stared at the boy, the elf's eyes wide as headlights,

"Dobby heard tell that Harry Potter faced the Dark Lord again just weeks ago and triumphed again!"

Harry closed his eyes and nodded, trying to block out the memory of that encounter; unseen by him, Dobby's eyes grew even larger, if possible, so that they looked like they might pop out of his skull.

"Ah, sir!" Dobby cried, dabbing his eyes with the corner of the dirty pillowcase he was wearing, "Harry Potter is brave and valiant! He has faced so many dangers already, and Dobby has come to warn him lest he be forced to face more! Even if Dobby does have to punish himself later, Harry Potter must be kept safe!"

"Warn me?" Harry asked in confusion, "Warn me about what?"

"Harry Potter must not go back to Hogwarts!" Dobby cried out, "He must be kept safe!"

There was a silence for several moments as Harry and the elf stared at one another, before at last, Harry began to laugh while Dobby stared in surprise and confusion.

"Is that all?" Harry said, wiping his eye, "No offense, Dobby, but I think you wasted a trip. I'm not going back."

"Harry Potter is not?" Dobby asked in surprise, his wide eyes growing larger,

"No, he is not…" A voice said suddenly, causing both Harry and the elf to issue a cry of surprise before both dove behind the bed, "But perhaps you can explain why he shouldn't, all the same."

As Dobby and Harry poked their heads over the bed, they saw that Raven had somehow entered without them realizing. She was now standing at the doorway with her arms crossed over her chest and one eyebrow raised in expectation.

"Well... Dobby, was it? Why are you here to warn my brother not to go back to Hogwarts?"

Rising to his feet in embarrassment, Harry quickly dusted himself off as Dobby rose and stared at Raven in confusion,

"Harry Potter has a sister?" Dobby squeaked. "Dobby didn't know Harry Potter had a sister. What an honor it is to meet you!"

Quickly jumping onto the bed, Dobby bowed low again, causing Raven to turn to Harry as though expecting an explanation, only for him to shrug at her with a look of utter bafflement.

Um… Thank you, Dobby," Raven replied with a smirk, "Now, perhaps you could enlighten us as to why you are here."

"Like Dobby said, Dobby came to warn Harry Potter not to return to Hogwarts this year!"

"Yes, we got that part," Raven sighed, pinching her nose and closing her eyes as a headache began to form from the elf's antics, "Perhaps you could explain why?"

"There is a plot!" Dobby cried, "A plot to make most terrible things happen!"

"What plot?" Harry demanded, "Who's plotting them!"

"I… Can't… Say…" Dobby groaned, before jumping off the bed and grabbing Harry's nearby bedside lamp, which he smacked several times against his face as the two Potter's watched in shock.

"Hey, knock it off!" Harry cried out, grabbing the elf and ripping the lamp out of his hands before hurling him onto the bed; before the elf could move, Raven had waved her hand and created a shadow that quickly enveloped the squirming elf, leaving only his head visible.

"I apologize, Dobby, but I cannot allow you to harm yourself again," Raven replied sternly as Dobby's head whipped back and forth.

"Harry Potter and his sister are so noble!" Dobby cried, "Far too noble by far! Poor Dobby is unworthy of such kindness!"

"Okay, look, dude!" Harry growled, already fed up with seeing Dobby forced to punish himself. "I have friends going back to Hogwarts this year! And if they're in danger, then you need to tell us what is going on! Is it the Wizard family you serve that is plotting these things?"

Dobby gulped slightly and then proceeded to nod,

"What is the name of the family you serve?" Raven asked softly, "Surely you can tell us that without being forced to punish yourself, can't you?"

Dobby clenched his eyes shut, as though fighting some inner battle, and Harry could feel his patience growing thin as he waited; he'd already lost one friend, and he'd be damned if he was about to lose more!

"Dobby serves… Dobby serves the Malfoy family…" The elf whispered before violently whipping his head back and forth as though trying to escape Raven's hold on him so he could punish himself.

"Thank you, Dobby," Raven replied gently, "Your kindness will not be forgotten. And I promise you that I will find some way to repay you for coming all this way to warn my brother."

"Harry Potter's sister is too kind!" Dobby wailed, "Dobby doesn't deserve such kindness!"

"Can't we do anything?" Harry asked desperately, "This… This isn't right! No creature, be they human or not, deserves to live like this!"

As Raven stared down at the sobbing elf, still trapped in her shadow, with only his head poking out, she couldn't help but agree with her little brother; it broke her heart to see such a creature treated so poorly.

"There's nothing we can do now, Harry. I'm sorry. But I can reach out to Aunt Andromeda and see if there are any other avenues we can pursue.

"So what? We're just going to let him go back!" Harry cried aghast. "You heard him! He came here to warn me, knowing that he'd be forced to punish himself for it! This is wrong!"

"I agree with you," Raven said at once, coming to her brother and pulling him into her embrace, her arms holding him tight. "But there is nothing we can do about it right now. If we try to force Dobby to stay here, the magic that binds him to the Malfoy family will kill him for trying to escape."

Harry jolted at that and stared up at his sister in horror as Dobby continued to wail on the bed.

"I will contact Aunt Andromeda immediately and see what we can do," Raven said again in a firm voice. "If all else fails, we could contact the Malfoy family and offer to buy Dobby from them."

"Buy him…?" Harry asked in a strangled voice, "That's sick!"

"I agree," Raven said at once, "But it may be our only option."

Turning back to Dobby, the Potter siblings could see that the elf was finally starting to settle down; even so, Raven approached the bed cautiously and asked in a soft voice,

"Now, if I let you go, will you try and hurt yourself again?"

"No, miss," Dobby sniffled, causing Raven to nod once before the shadow disappeared, allowing Dobby to sit up and stare at her in awe.

"I think it's time you return home," Raven said softly, "I thank you for coming to warn my brother, and I promise that we will find a way to reward such courage."

"Dobby needs no reward," the elf replied as it rose to its feet on the bed and blew his nose into his pillowcase, "Dobby only wants to keep Harry Potter safe… Dobby remembers what it was like before Harry Potter defeated the Dark Lord… We house-elves were treated like vermin, though Dobby is still treated like vermin…"

As he watched Dobby blow his nose again, Harry couldn't help but curl his lip in disgust,

"Why do you wear that, Dobby?"

"This, sir?" Dobby asked, indicating his pillowcase, "Tis a mark of the house elf enslavement… Dobby can only be freed if his family gives him clothes, so they are careful to make sure that Dobby is never given so much as a sock!"

"Wait, you have to be given clothes to be set free?" Harry asked in shock, "Then who does the Malfoy's laundry?"

"They send it out to be washed, sir," Dobby replied simply, "They don't want to risk Dobby having a chance at freedom…"

"Interesting…" Raven replied, rubbing her chin thoughtfully, "Perhaps we can use that to our advantage…"

"How do you mean?" Harry asked,

"I need to think a little more about this, but there may be a way to help Dobby…"

Dobby's eyes filled with tears again, and Harry was almost sure he was going to begin sobbing again, when suddenly the elf doubled over in pain and grimaced slightly,

"Master calls for Dobby! Dobby must go!"

Without another word, the elf spun on the spot and disappeared with a loud ' Crack," that made both Potter siblings wince at the sudden noise.

"Why is it always me…?" Harry groaned, pinching his nose and closing his eyes, causing Raven to chuckle and shake her head slightly.

"Ignoring that, for the moment. I wanted to talk to you about something," Raven said, taking a seat on the bed and patting the space next to her for Harry to join.

"What's up?" Harry replied, taking a seat,

"It concerns your continued education," Raven said in her monotone voice, "Just because you're not going back to Hogwarts doesn't mean that you get to give up completely on your education."

"Okay, so where am I going?" Harry asked, "Ilvermony? Salem?"

"I considered both," Raven admitted, "But then was given a better option…"

"Okay… You gonna tell me what it is…?"

"I received an invitation from Gotham Academy for you to enroll. It's a very prestigious school, and you'd do well there."

"What…" Harry replied in shock, "But I thought we were going to Rhode Island? How am I supposed to be in two places at once? Better question is how did I get invited?"

"I imagine our long-eared friend had a hand in that…" Raven smirked, causing Harry to scowl; he still hadn't forgiven Batman for what the hero had done to him when Trigon had tried to possess him."

"And, as to how you can be in two places at once," Raven continued, "Have you forgotten that Zeta Tubes are a thing?"

"Oh yeah… Forgot about those…" Harry replied with a cheeky grin that made Raven smile, perhaps her brother wasn't completely gone, after all.

"But what about learning magic? I still have to take my O.W.L's if I want to get a job in the Wizarding World," Harry said, "How am I supposed to learn magic if I go to a Muggle school?"

"I've thought of that as well," Raven grinned, "I don't know if she's doing it to assuage her guilt or if she genuinely wants to help you learn; personally, I don't care. Either way, Zatanna has offered to teach you everything she knows about magic, and considering she's the youngest sorceress ever to achieve five masteries in five different areas of magic, I think we'd both be fools to turn down her offer."

Harry's eyes nearly bugged out of his head at his sister's words, and his jaw hung open, giving him the appearance of a goldfish and causing Raven to snort with laughter for a moment.

"Zatanna wants to teach me magic…?" Harry asked in shock, which was only made worse when Raven nodded,

"And I've decided to help her teach you as well. Between the two of us, I'm sure we'll have you more than ready for your O.W.L's. That is, if you're up for it…?"

"Yes!" Harry shouted, tackling his sister onto the bed and hugging her for all he was worth. "Yes! Yes! And double yes!"

With a laugh, Raven pulled herself back up into a sitting position and ran her hand through her brother's hair as he hugged her,

"But, don't be thinking that I'll go soft on you just because you're my brother!" Raven said sternly, "It'll be a lot of hard work, and I fully intend to give you enough homework to make you regret ever taking this deal. And I fully expect you to get good grades in your muggle studies, as well! You start flunking, and we may need to reexamine certain priorities."

"I won't regret it!" Harry smiled happily, "I promise I'll learn everything and make you proud!"

"Oh, Harry…" Raven whispered as she hugged her brother and smiled, "You already have, never believe otherwise."

As the siblings pulled away from each other, Raven worried her lip as she tried to figure out how to tell Harry the next thing she had decided on, hoping he would agree.

"Harry, there's something else I'd like to discuss with you…"

"What's up?" Harry asked as he scooted to the back of the bed, resting his back against the headboard as he curled his legs under him.

"You know that the Potter family is wealthy…" Raven began,

"That's one way of putting it," Harry scoffed, "Another is to say we could challenge Bruce Wayne for control of the world…"

Raven snorted and shook her head for a moment before looking back at her brother. There were times when he acted just like she remembered, and she cherished these moments the most. But these moments were fleeting, and she never could tell when his next round of anger or depression would set in.

"Anyway… Our family has more money than we could spend in three lifetimes, and I feel like there's more that we could do with it besides have it sit in an underground bank and gather dust."

"What did you have in mind?" Harry asked, giving Raven his full attention and making her swallow nervously.

"I want to start up a company, I'm thinking of calling it Potter Enterprises," Raven replied, "There's a lot of good our family fortune could do, not just for the muggle world but for the Wizarding World as well. Like Jinx's designs, for example! Think of how much change we could bring to the Wizarding World if technology and magic were able to operate side-by-side! We could bring the entire Wizarding World into the twenty-first century in no time at all!"

"You want to create a company that operates in both worlds?" Harry asked, wanting to make sure he heard right, "You realize that could take years, right? And I doubt those Pureblood pricks are just gonna roll over and give up their profits without a fight."

"I do," Raven nodded, "But I feel like this is something that mom and dad would have wanted. We can create positive change in both worlds, perhaps even create a day where the citizens of the Wizarding World no longer need to hide and fear being discovered."

For several moments, Harry just stared at Raven, and she began to wonder if her brother wouldn't want to go along with it. Those thoughts were soon dashed when Harry scooted closer to her and wrapped his arms around her, hugging her tight,

"I think Mom and Dad would be so proud of you for thinking of it," Harry said softly, making Raven's eyes water. "I know I am. You continuously prove why you're my hero, big sister…"

Raven's eyes widened at that, and she felt herself squeezing Harry for all she was worth; this was a beginning, she could feel it. And one day, many years from now, she knew that she would look back on this as the day that she and her brother brought the Wizarding World fully into the light, and no witch or wizard would ever need fear being persecuted again.

XXXX

Two weeks later, Harry stood on the docks next to Raven as they stared into the distance at Titans Tower one final time; around the pair, the other Titans also stood staring at the empty building, and a solemn sadness seemed to permeate the group.

When enough time had gone by, the group turned and walked away toward the city; the nearest Zeta Tube was a block and a half away, disguised to look like an old telephone booth, and that is where they were headed. As they reached their destination, Harry's eyes widened as he saw the Impala that he and Cyborg had been working on for the past few years, sitting on the curb next to the telephone booth.

"Y-you finished it?" Harry asked softly as he circled the car, staring at it with awe as Cyborg watched with a smile, "Without me…?"

"I figured it would be a while before we got a chance to work on it together again," Cyborg replied with a smile. "So I thought, why not let you look after it for a while…"

Harry's head whipped up at that from where he'd been examining the tires, his eyes as wide as saucers, as Cyborg tossed the keys at him; so surprised was he, that Harry nearly failed to catch them.

"You mean it…?" Harry asked in a small voice as his eyes turned back to the car. The Impala looked as though it had just come off the showroom floor, black as night with a blood-red interior. White wall tires adorned her, and as the light hit her, she seemed to shine. But the best part was a small carving on the passenger-side dashboard that showed the Titans standing together with smiles.

"Keep her safe for me, yeah?" Cyborg smiled, something that all the other Titans copied as they watched Harry examine every inch of the car from hood to trunk; only Raven shook her head in disbelief.

"You realize that he's twelve, right?" Raven asked in a dry voice, "Also, he doesn't have a license, and won't have one for the next four years…"

"So…?" Cyborg replied, "Plenty of time for him to learn how to drive this beauty."

"And you really think he'll want to wait that long?" Raven deadpanned, "I'll have to hide the keys to keep him from totaling it. Must you be so infuriating?"

"Indeed, I must," Cyborg replied, not even looking remotely apologetic as Raven shook her head and strode forward.

"Harry?" Raven called, causing the boy to look at her, "I'll hold onto the keys for now,"

"Oh, come oooon!" Harry whined, only for Raven to give him a stern look for a moment before he handed them over, "You're no fun, you know that…?"

"When you're older, I will teach you to drive, and you can have these back," Raven smirked as she put the keys in her robe, "I'll come back later and figure out a way to get it to Rhode Island."

Realizing that it was finally time to go, Harry gave each of the Titans a warm hug, trying to convey to each one how much he would miss them; Jinx seemed to not want to let go, and Harry was sure he could feel dampness on his hair from quiet tears.

"Now, I expect letters, often!" Jinx said firmly, "And no girls! You wait until you're in high school for that sort of thing!"

"Gross!" Harry replied, making the others laugh at his embarrassment, all except for Raven, who just shook her head.

One by one, the Titans entered the phonebooth and disappeared in a blinding flash of light, until only Raven and Harry were left.

"Well, shall we?" Raven asked warmly, receiving a shrug as an answer as Harry strode into the booth beside her; as Raven input the code, she could feel her brother's sorrow, it seemed to echo around her like a rung bell, and it made her want to weep.

XXXX

Author's Note:

I'm baaaaaaaack! Took me a while, but I finally managed to buy myself a new laptop, so expect some new chapters in the coming days, for all my stories.

So *slaps hand together* let's get to it! Right off the bat, I'm gonna tell you that Harry and Wally will NOT get along for a long while! Wally firmly believes in science and will be antagonistic to Harry every chance he can get, as he doesn't understand what Harry can do, and refuses to admit it's magic. Added to that, Harry's anger and aggression due to his trauma is gonna be a big factor in the coming chapters. There are no fixed pairs, yet, because Harry is twelve years old and I personally think that's too young to be in a relationship, take it as you will. I hope you enjoy this chapter, and if not, let me know what you didn't like about it, as it helps me write better stories for you all to enjoy. Until next time, peace!