Between Magic and Mount Justice HP/Young Justice Xover

[jgkitarel]

I think this is going to end badly for the Ministry delegation. Cornelius' desire for a Dementor security team is foolish, as taking those things over international borders is not something that should be done, as Albus pointed out. While the American magical community is not organized like the UK's is, they can still lodge some forms of diplomatic protest and make the MoM's international standing take a dive.

[MrRigger2]

Part Ninety-Four!

Spoiler: show

Albus followed Cornelius into the meeting room, with Minerva just behind him. Since he was attending on behalf of the International Confederation of Wizards, Minerva was there in her capacity as the Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts. The school year hadn’t officially ended, and Misters Potter and Weasley needed someone there who was solely concerned with their wellbeing.

Amelia was there as the Head of Magical Law Enforcement, and was going to be responsible for accepting custody of the prisoner, though Albus wasn’t entirely sure who they would be taking back to England. Kingsley Shacklebolt was in attendance as the Auror in charge of Sirius Black’s case, while John Dawlish and Rufus Scrimgeour were acting as Cornelius’s personal bodyguards.

Cornelius was there, of course, as a matter of politics. Albus was just glad that Cornelius had finally relented on the subject of the Dementors. The room was feeling entirely too crowded, even without the sort of presence the Dementors would have brought along.

Harry was seated next to his guardian, who had taken the place at the head of the table. Ron Weasley was next to Harry, and Sirius Black was seated several places down from him, looking very alone. A tall, broad-shouldered man Albus didn’t recognize was pacing back and forth behind the long table. From the look of his clothes and the way he was reacting to everybody in the room, Albus marked him as the American representative to the proceedings, although he wondered where the rest of the man’s colleagues were. Surely he wasn’t there by himself.

Peter Pettigrew, and looking at him, Albus had no doubt of who it was or the veracity of Sirius’s tale, was unconscious on the table.

“What in Merlin’s Name is going on here? Why isn’t Black secured?” Cornelius demanded. “Don’t you know how dangerous he is?”

“Not so dangerous I can’t handle him, considering he doesn’t have a wand,” the American Marshal said, his arms crossed. “As for what’s going on here, I’d like to know that myself. I was told this was just supposed to be a prisoner transfer, but I’ve never seen a prisoner transfer require half the receiving government show up.”

“Then you must never have dealt with a criminal this dangerous,” Cornelius sniffed.

“Everybody just hold on a minute, there’s no need to be hasty,” Harry’s guardian said, standing up. “I think there’s just been some miscommunication going around, and since we’re all here, now is a fine time to sort everything out.”

“And just who are you, sir?” Amelia asked diplomatically.

“My name is Bruce Wayne, and I own the building you’re all standing in. As for why I’m here specifically, I’m Harry’s guardian, and the man who’s been hosting these two men for the past few days,” he explained, gesturing to Sirius and Peter.

Albus watched Cornelius. While the Minister didn’t have much love for anything he saw as Muggle interference into his business, he was still a shrewd politician who could recognize how much money owning an office building like the one they were in would mean, and money was something Cornelius could understand.

“Well, then you obviously know how dangerous Black is! I don’t know what he’s told you, but he’s a murderer,” Cornelius insisted. “He killed Peter Pettigrew, and a dozen more with a single spell. There were over fifty witnesses.”

“Oh, come off it Fudge,” Sirius snapped. “They were Muggles who didn’t have the first idea of what they saw. And I didn’t kill Peter, he’s right there on the table in front of you! Peter blew up the street himself to fake his death, he’s the traitor you want.”

Rufus stepped forward menacingly. “That’s the Minister you’re speaking to, Black. If I had my way, you’d be gagged and shackled.” Albus didn’t miss the way Rufus was fingering his wand. The Head Auror had always been a man of action, but once he had an idea in his head, it was difficult to dissuade him from his course.

“But since he’s technically my prisoner, we’re not going to do that,” the Marshal said.

“And just who are you, anyways?” Rufus growled. “I was told the Americans were taking this seriously. Clearly that’s not the case.”

“I’m Marshal Mark McCain, and I’m the man in charge of all the Marshals in New England. And the fact that I’m here means ‘the Americans’ are taking this seriously. I’ve got a vampire running around seducing schoolgirls, and he’s killed nearly two dozen so far. Up north I’ve got a family feud going back two hundred years ready to explode again unless I figure out a way to step in without getting my head blown off. And just this morning, I got word that some rustler’s made off with half a dozen unicorns from the Mohegan Warded Reserve. Considering that’s just what’s going on in my personal jurisdiction, and not the other five states I’m also responsible for protecting, I’d say I have more important things to do.”

Marshal McCain took a seat at the table. “Now, we can all sit around jawing all day, or we can get down to the business of figuring out why you want this man here for murder, when the person you’re so hopped up about him killing is alive and in front of you.”

Albus was the first to sit down, and Minerva joined him a moment later, sitting next to the students. Cornelius was shaking his head as he left the Aurors to stand guard around him.

“Marshal, I apologize if you feel you’ve been slighted, but Black is one of the worst Dark Wizards Britain has ever produced, just behind He Who Must Not Be Named himself. It’s obvious to me that he’s used some kind of terrible Dark Magic to make this heinous facsimile. I, for one, am not going to be fooled.”

Marshal McCain shook his head. “As far as I can tell, that’s a regular wizard. Only magic on him are the spells keeping him unconscious.”

“Having known Peter Pettigrew for many years before his disappearance, I feel I can say with reasonable certainty that this is him,” Albus said, twisting his wand in a detection spell. “And I can say with absolute certainty that there are no traces of alchemical, necromantic, or illusionary magic on him. Unless Peter had an unknown twin that managed to stay concealed for the past thirty-four years, then we must re-examine the events that we thought we knew.”

“Fine, I’ll go along with this farce,” Cornelius said. “But no amount of storytelling will change the fact that at the end of the day, Sirius Black is a criminal! I was there when he was caught.”

“We can argue about who’s a criminal and who’s not when we’ve got everything laid out,” Marshal McCain said. “Let’s hear your story.”

“If you don’t mind, Marshal, I think I will handle the questioning,” Amelia interjected. “Sirius Black is a fugitive from our government, and unless you’ve gotten your hands on confidential DMLE documents, I know this case better than you.”

Marshal McCain motioned for her to proceed and leaned back in his chair.

“Now then, let’s start at the beginning.”

Amelia was an excellent examiner, Albus mused as she questioned Sirius. She had always done well in Wizengamot trials since she had taken on the role, far better than her predecessor. Bartemius Crouch had been a hardliner who had done a great deal of good for the Ministry during wartime, but Albus knew he never would have lasted during peacetime, even without the scandal involving his son.

On the other side of the table, Sirius was a great storyteller. Even in school, he’d been able to weave a tale that got him out of trouble, even if it bore little relationship to the truth. With Amelia questioning him, the story he told was likely the truest tale Sirius had told in a long time.

As Sirius wound down, Albus tapped his wand on the table, grabbing everyone’s attention. Better to cut Cornelius off before he had a chance to get started, with how thunderous his expression was.

“Well, it seems to me that the Aurors have been chasing the wrong man, don’t you think, Amelia? A pity it’s taken so long for the truth to come out, but at least we can right the wrongs now.”

Amelia started to agree, but Cornelius overrode her. “He tells a convincing tale, but just because he’s innocent of one crime doesn’t mean he’s automatically innocent of everything else he’s done.”

“And what crimes are those?” Marshal McCain asked.

“Breaking out of Azkaban, for one!”

Amelia raised a finger. “Actually, Minister, there is currently no legal punishment for breaking out of Azkaban. The prison was designed to be inescapable, and the Wizengamot of the time decided there were better things to focus their attentions on than drafting laws regarding a situation that could never happen.”

“Hmpf! He still broke into Hogwarts and terrorized the countryside!”

“I believe you will find that the press and the Dementors did more to terrorize the countryside than Sirius Black ever did,” Albus countered gently. “And it has been the policy of Hogwarts reaching back to the days of the Founders that her students, both present and former, are always welcome within her walls, though I do hope that any visits in the future won’t be as exciting.”

“He’s still an illegal Animagus,” Cornelius said unhappily.

“Which is a crime normally punished by a fine, or has that changed, Amelia?” She shook her head and Albus continued. “In that case, I recommend we let him off with time served, given twelve years in Azkaban is a far harsher punishment than a monetary fine.”

“Bringing in the person who really betrayed the Potters would be quite a coup, Minister,” Amelia added. “And the best political outcome you can hope for, because you should know me well enough by this point that you’ll know I’m not going to throw an innocent man in Azkaban.”

“Very well,” Cornelius grumbled. “Aurors, take custody of Pettigrew. I want to be back on British soil inside the hour. We’ve wasted enough time here today already.”

Everybody stood, and if Cornelius wasn’t going to, Albus decided he needed to take the diplomatic goodbyes into his own hands.

“Marshal McCain, it has been a pleasure to meet you, though I obviously wish it had been under better circumstances.”

“Nobody started throwing hexes, so it’s probably going to be better than the rest of my day. I’m just glad we got to the bottom of things.” Marshal McCain fixed Albus with a hard stare. “But I suggest you do everything by the book with Pettigrew. He may be guilty as sin, but there’s no reason for him not to get a trial at this point. You’ll see that it gets done?”

“Trust me Marshal, he will get everything that is coming to him. Madam Bones and I will see to that.”

Albus made his way over to Sirius and Harry as Marshal McCain left. “I hope you know how sorry I am for everything that happened, my boy. Perhaps, one day, you’ll be able to forgive me for doubting you.”

“Peter tricked everybody, Albus. Tricked you, tricked James, tricked me until it was too late. I can’t blame you for falling for the same thing I did.” Sirius shook his head. “Just don’t expect me to come back to England anytime soon.”

“I’m sure your old friends will want to celebrate your name being cleared.”

“Nobody wants to hang out with an Azkaban convict, and if they do, they can come find me. Considering the Minister of Magic himself still wanted to toss me back in Azkaban five minutes ago, I think the lawless colonies are a bit safer for me for now. Maybe the next decade or so.”

“Well, if you’re sure, I suppose there’s nothing I can do but wish you well.”

“Just make sure Fudge follows through and clears my name. I can take it from there.”

So much hate for this part. So much hate. Did not flow, did not want to be written in the least. And the worst part is, I don't think it's very interesting. So much hate.

MrRigger

EDIT: This chapter has been rewritten and reposted below.

[Phht]

I freely admit that, if I had written that, I'd probably hate it too if it wasn't wanting to flow. And your break due to a scene was shorter than mine with the naruto/persona story.

Something to note - Minerva is supposedly there for the children. Harry and Ron are likely there because they portkeyed all the way over. But there's nothing about that. It's all about Black/Pettigrew and Minerva/Harry/Ron basically vanish from the scene after they sit down, with the scene basically ending on "I want to be out of here within the hour!" and everyone heading out. Sure, the next part might be spent on covering that side of things, but.... Have you considered having the bulk of the meeting regarding Sirius cut out with the simple path of following Harry and Ron into another room with Minerva so she can check on their wellbeing, etc, then have them return to the room in time for the tail end of the current scene, then having a bit regarding the kids' return to Hogwarts to close the scene? I mean, does actually showing Fudge being Fudge and the glossed over questioning of Sirius by Bones add to the story more meaningfully than focusing on the students and letting that happen off screen?

[MrRigger2]

I had not considered that, and it's not a half bad idea. I'll see what I can come up with tomorrow.

MrRigger

[MrRigger2]

Part Ninety-Four!

Spoiler: show

Albus followed Cornelius into the meeting room, with Minerva just behind him. Since he was attending on behalf of the International Confederation of Wizards, Minerva was there in her capacity as the Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts. The school year hadn’t officially ended, and Misters Potter and Weasley needed someone there who was solely concerned with their wellbeing.

Amelia was there as the Head of Magical Law Enforcement, and was going to be responsible for accepting custody of the prisoner, though Albus wasn’t entirely sure who they would be taking back to England. Kingsley Shacklebolt was in attendance as the Auror in charge of Sirius Black’s case, while John Dawlish and Rufus Scrimgeour were acting as Cornelius’s personal bodyguards.

Cornelius was there, of course, as a matter of politics. Albus was just glad that Cornelius had finally relented on the subject of the Dementors. The room was feeling entirely too crowded, even without the sort of presence the Dementors would have brought along.

Harry was seated next to his guardian, who had taken the place at the head of the table. Ron Weasley was next to Harry, and Sirius Black was seated several places down from him, looking very alone. A tall, broad-shouldered man Albus didn’t recognize was pacing back and forth behind the long table. From the look of his clothes and the way he was reacting to everybody in the room, Albus marked him as the American representative to the proceedings, although he wondered where the rest of the man’s colleagues were. Surely he wasn’t there by himself.

Peter Pettigrew, and looking at him, Albus had no doubt of who it was or the veracity of Sirius’s tale, was unconscious on the table.

“What in Merlin’s Name is going on here? Why isn’t Black secured?” Cornelius demanded. “Don’t you know how dangerous he is?”

“Not so dangerous I can’t handle him, considering he doesn’t have a wand,” the American Marshal said, his arms crossed. “As for what’s going on here, I’d like to know that myself. I was told this was just supposed to be a prisoner transfer, but I’ve never seen a prisoner transfer require half the receiving government show up.”

“Then you must never have dealt with a criminal this dangerous,” Cornelius sniffed.

“Everybody just hold on a minute, there’s no need to be hasty,” Harry’s guardian said, standing up. “I think there’s just been some miscommunication going around, and since we’re all here, now is a fine time to sort everything out.”

“And just who are you, sir?” Amelia asked diplomatically.

“My name is Bruce Wayne, and I own the building you’re all standing in. As for why I’m here specifically, I’m Harry’s guardian, and the man who’s been hosting these two men for the past few days,” he explained, gesturing to Sirius and Peter.

Albus watched Cornelius. While the Minister didn’t have much love for anything he saw as Muggle interference into his business, he was still a shrewd politician who could recognize how much money owning an office building like the one they were in would mean, and money was something Cornelius could understand.

“Well, then you obviously know how dangerous Black is! I don’t know what he’s told you, but he’s a murderer,” Cornelius insisted. “He killed Peter Pettigrew, and a dozen more with a single spell. There were over fifty witnesses.”

“Oh, come off it Fudge,” Sirius snapped. “They were Muggles who didn’t have the first idea of what they saw. And I didn’t kill Peter, he’s right there on the table in front of you! Peter blew up the street himself to fake his death, he’s the traitor you want.”

Rufus stepped forward menacingly. “That’s the Minister you’re speaking to, Black. If I had my way, you’d be gagged and shackled.” Albus didn’t miss the way Rufus was fingering his wand. The Head Auror had always been a man of action, but once he had an idea in his head, it was difficult to dissuade him from his course.

“But since he’s technically my prisoner, we’re not going to do that,” the Marshal said.

“And just who are you, anyways?” Rufus growled. “I was told the Americans were taking this seriously. Clearly that’s not the case.”

“I’m Marshal Mark McCain, and I’m the man in charge of all the Marshals in New England. And the fact that I’m here means ‘the Americans’ are taking this seriously. I’ve got a vampire running around seducing schoolgirls, and he’s killed nearly two dozen so far. Up north I’ve got a family feud going back two hundred years ready to explode again unless I figure out a way to step in without getting my head blown off. And just this morning, I got word that some rustler’s made off with half a dozen unicorns from the Mohegan Warded Reserve. Considering that’s just what’s going on in my personal jurisdiction, and not the other five states I’m also responsible for protecting, I’d say I have more important things to do.”

Marshal McCain took a seat at the table. “Now, we can all sit around jawing all day, or we can get down to the business of figuring out why you want this man here for murder, when the person you’re so hopped up about him killing is alive and in front of you.”

Albus was the first to sit down, and Minerva led Harry and Ron out of the room. Cornelius was shaking his head as he left the Aurors to stand guard around him.

“Marshal, I apologize if you feel you’ve been slighted, but Black is one of the worst Dark Wizards Britain has ever produced, just behind He Who Must Not Be Named himself. It’s obvious to me that he’s used some kind of terrible Dark Magic to make this heinous facsimile. I, for one, am not going to be fooled.”

Marshal McCain shook his head. “As far as I can tell, that’s a regular wizard. Only magic on him are the spells keeping him unconscious.”

“Having known Peter Pettigrew for many years before his disappearance, I feel I can say with reasonable certainty that this is him,” Albus said, twisting his wand in a detection spell. “And I can say with absolute certainty that there are no traces of alchemical, necromantic, or illusionary magic on him. Unless Peter had an unknown twin that managed to stay concealed for the past thirty-four years, then we must re-examine the events that we thought we knew.”

“Fine, I’ll go along with this farce,” Cornelius said. “But no amount of storytelling will change the fact that at the end of the day, Sirius Black is a criminal! I was there when he was caught.”

“We can argue about who’s a criminal and who’s not when we’ve got everything laid out,” Marshal McCain said. “Let’s hear your story.”

“If you don’t mind, Marshal, I think I will handle the questioning,” Amelia interjected. “Sirius Black is a fugitive from our government, and unless you’ve gotten your hands on confidential DMLE documents, I know this case better than you.”

Marshal McCain motioned for her to proceed and leaned back in his chair.

“Now then, let’s start at the beginning.”

0oOo0

Minerva guided her two wayward students out of the room, seeing no reason to expose them to the inquisition the Minister would be leading. Besides, she had questions of her own.

"Mister Potter, Mister Weasley, it's good to see you're both doing well. I trust you are doing well?"

"Of course, Professor. Why wouldn't we be?" Harry said.

"Well, you've both spent the last few days in the company of an escaped convict, which to some, could be unsettling."

"Can't be a convict if you've never been convicted. Sirius Black never got a trial, and Pettigrew's been in hiding for more than a decade, so neither one is really a convict."

"There's no need to be difficult, Mister Potter. Well, Mister Weasley? How have you been? Your mother's been worried sick, and she's made sure I know it."

"I've been fine, honest Professor. Alfred is a great cook, and they've got this Muggle thing called a telly that they've been letting me watch. It’s great, even better than the programs on the Wizarding Wireless. It’s not just words, it’s pictures too, but instead of a little bit of movement, it’s whole stories–”

“I’m aware of what a television is, Mister Weasley. Have you been spending every moment since your arrival in front of it?”

“No!” Ron immediately denied.

“Yeah, he comes out to eat every few hours,” Harry added helpfully.

Minerva sighed. “I suppose I can’t blame you for getting absorbed in Muggle television, Mister Weasley, especially since exams have finished. Now that I know the two of you are okay, might I ask what the two of you were thinking throughout all this?”

Ron started to stammer out an answer, and Minerva prepared herself for a string of terrible excuses.

“All I can say is that while it may look bad, everything we did made sense at the time,” Harry said.

Minerva arched her eyebrow. She’d reduced students to tears with that eyebrow. “Looks bad? Mister Potter, your actions have led to an international incident; that is far more than ‘looks bad’.”

“If it makes you feel better, we weren’t trying to do that. At the beginning, all we were trying to do was catch Ron’s pet rat, so really, none of this is our fault.”

Minerva felt a headache coming on. “I will be the judge of that, Mister Potter. Start at the beginning.”

“It really does make sense, once you know the whole story, but I warn you, it’s a little unbelievable.”

Ron nodded. “I lived it, and I’m still not sure I believe it.”

Minerva listened as Harry talked, and if it wasn't the whole truth, it was as close as any Hogwarts student ever got. That didn't stop it from being a giant mess of a story, full of utterly impossible coincidences. Honestly, if Alfred hadn't been so kind as to provide her with a cup of strong tea, she wasn't sure she would have made it through.

"After the doctor checked us out, that's when I sent Dobby off with the letters to get all this set up. Or at least let the right people know so they could get this all set up."

Minerva didn't trust Harry's innocent grin for a second. A normal Third Year? They'd never be able to organize something like this, but Harry was hardly a normal Third Year, especially if the rumors she heard regarding the Abbotts were correct. Normal Third Years didn't get themselves involved in international business, either.

"Mister Potter, that has to be one of the most outlandish tales I have ever heard in all my years of teaching, barring certain tales from your father or Mister Weasley's brothers. If you didn't have Peter Pettigrew himself in the other room, I wouldn't believe you for a second. However, based on the evidence and Mister Weasley's corroboration, I'm forced to believe you are, in fact, telling the truth, fantastical as it may be."

"Well, you know what they say about the truth being stranger than fiction. Where do we go from here?” Harry asked.

“We wait until the meeting is over, and then the two of you will accompany me back to Hogwarts. Mister Weasley, you should expect to see your mother at the castle, she is determined to see you as soon as you step foot back on British soil.”

Harry furrowed his brow. “Professor, do I really have to go back? Exams are long over, and there’s only what, two days left of term? How much are we really going to do that I’m going to miss?”

Minerva arched her eyebrow. She should have expected this argument. “Just because exams are finished does not mean we are done with you yet, Mister Potter. There are summer assignments to be assigned, and exam results to be passed out. Not to mention the Leaving Feast.”

“Both things that can be owled to me, Professor, and unless someone in Slytherin blew up part of the castle, they’ve got the House Cup locked up tight, so I don’t really need to see Hufflepuff lose the Cup again. And remember, if I go back with you, I’ll have to fly home from London, and international travel the Muggle way is a lot slower than the Magic way. I’m already home, I might as well stay here, don’t you think?”

Minerva pursed her lips. Harry really should go back to Hogwarts, but he wasn’t entirely off the mark with his points. “Very well, Mister Potter. If you can prove to me that you don’t need to go back to Hogwarts, you may stay.”

Harry nodded, the same look on his face that Lily wore whenever she was challenged to something. “Great, what do you want me to do?”

Minerva pointed to one of the unused chairs. “Transfigure that chair. Impress me.”

“Alright, here we go…”

Harry shook out his hands and pointed his wand at the chair. Not quite the right angle for peak efficiency, Minerva noted, but one that would allow for a smoother transition from one transfiguration to another. Not the method she preferred, but one that was still technically correct.

The chair swelled and changed color as Harry murmured. Within fifteen seconds, the spell was done and there was a baby black bear where the chair had been a moment before.

“Chair to bear, very nice, Mister Potter, now let me see,” Minerva said. “Shape is right, but the eyes don’t match, and you should work on the texture of the fur, it’s not quite right. I assume you transfigured a baby because of Decadon’s Sympathetic Properties of Age?”

“Babies are easier to transfigure because babies are already used to change, yes. Also, I would have needed more material for an adult, and a baby’s less likely to try to break my control and attack us.”

“Very good, Mister Potter, all excellent reasons. Certainly above what I expect from a Third Year student, but you’ll find I won’t be so lenient come exam time next year. Clean up those details, or you’ll never truly master Transfiguration. Now then, turn the nice bear back into a chair, and you will have satisfied me.”

Harry obliged her, and quickly the bear was a chair once more. “Alright Mister Potter, as Deputy Headmistress, I release you from the final two days of school. I’ll speak with your teachers about getting your summer assignments owled to you, and perhaps you can send your house elf to pick up your belongings.”

A door banged open down the hall. “I believe that is our cue that we’re finished here. Mister Potter, I do hope you have a good summer. Mister Weasley, come along.”

Minerva met Albus out in the hall after watching the Minister storm past. “I take it things didn’t proceed as the Minister envisioned?”

“Well, Sirius Black is going to have his name cleared rather than the Dementor’s Kiss, so no, they did not. However, the fact that he’ll be able to present Peter Pettigrew as the true betrayers of the Potters should bring his mood up after he’s had some time to think about it. That said, Sirius did inform me that he has no plans to return to Britain for the next ten years or so, something about it being safer over here in the colonies.”

“Really, are you sure he’s thinking straight, Albus?”

“I suspect it’s just a cover to hide how much he wants to be close to Harry. He’s missed so many years, after all.”

“Ah, of course, and after Azkaban, I doubt this country could be much worse.”

No, the numbering's not off, this is the revised Part Ninety-Four. I'm leaving the original part up for comparison and critique purposes.

Now, this does more or less mark the end of Year Three. After this, we start moving into the summer before Year Four (unless I need to rewrite something else).

MrRigger

[DIT_grue]

No, the numbering's not off, this is the revised Part Ninety-Four. I'm leaving the original part up for comparison and critique purposes.

It's probably worth editing the post with the previous version to indicate as much, so that anyone who's rereading or catching up doesn't inadvertently read both.

I'm still thoroughly enjoying the story, and you're right: this version of the chapter is significantly better, nor does it have that faint whiff of being yet another retread of one of the obligatory scenes. (Even if I didn't really notice that in the first version until it was pointed out by the discussion.)

[Phht]

I do like this version better. Less "angry shouting, more angry shouting, denials of angry shouting (shouted angrily), glossed over interrogation because we don't really care to cover all that because this is a Harry Potter story and not a Sirius Black legal drama, more angry shouting, people leave" present, and we don't have lines that make you expect to see certain things later in the scene that aren't touched at all.

Though... if he flies to England and back each school year, wouldn't he need to fly home to keep his passport straight? I'm not sure how that works in real life. But presumably, being the ward of Bruce Wayne, such things can be discretely handled so there's no legal questions, if any. And presumably, he had this all considered pre-meeting, possibly during a talk with his guardian, otherwise he wouldn't have brought it up.

[MrRigger2]

I'll be perfectly honest. I hadn't thought about the passport side of things, and Harry's not being completely truthful about flying home, not that McGonagall knows that. Rather than be stuck on a plane for a trans-Atlantic flight, Harry just takes a cab to the London Zeta Tube point and uses it to show up in the Bat Cave. In this particular case, Harry just doesn't want to have to go back to school because he's a teenager who's already transitioned into summer mode and doesn't want to think about classes again until September. Sorry that wasn't clear, but I'm not sure how to do that from McGonagall's POV.

MrRigger

[Phht]

Since we're being honest, I think the only reason I thought of the passport thing was because I've read bobmin's The Power of the Press too many times.

I figure Harry actually flies back and forth via a WayneCorp company jet, simply for paper trail purposes. After all, you wouldn't want someone digging for dirt against the Wayne family to find some bizarre instance of Bruce Wayne's charge being out of the country a large chunk of the year while no paperwork exists indicating how he gets in/out of the country. And I'm sure the Marshal probably had someone in the magical government come do the customs stamping stuff for Harry during the wait for the meeting to occur. (Of course, this one time there's no paper trail on how he got back to the US could possibly bite him in the butt down the road... Or Hermione is a Harrier fan and deduces that Harry is Harrier starting from a blip in Harrier's summer activities that coincides with Harry's early return.)

[MrRigger2]

Part Ninety-Five!

Spoiler: show

Harry grabbed a bottle of water from the table and toweled off his face. Sirius was lounging on the couch in the Wayne Tower Penthouse, drinking a nutrient shake Dr. Thompkins had proscribed.

“Are you sure you don’t want to stop for the day? We’ve been at it for hours,” Sirius asked.

“It’s barely been two hours, and I’m making progress,” Harry said. “Besides, you were the one who wanted to help teach me.”

“Yeah, but—“

“In fact, when you found out I could do magic over the summer, you immediately volunteered to, and I quote, ‘teach me all the really fun stuff those professors won’t show me’. Isn’t that what you said?”

Sirius shrugged. “If you want to play dirty and bring facts into the matter, yes, I did say that, but you fail to realize that when I said that, I thought this would be a lot more interesting for me. So far all I’ve been doing is watching you make funny faces and turn into a slightly harrier Harry.”

“Well, I want to figure out this Animagus transformation, and since that’s a subject where you’re one of the few people I can get help from, it’s the best place for us to start. Unless you have a better idea?”

“I can teach you how to make Firewhiskey look and smell like pumpkin juice, it’ll fool any professor that checks it,” Sirius suggested, grinning like a loon.

Harry shook his head. “Sirius, I’m in Hufflepuff. Unofficial motto is work hard, party harder, and I’m on the Quidditch team. I’ve known how to do that since we won our first match.”

“Fine, we can work on your – hey, an owl!”

Harry shook his head as Sirius leapt up to let the owl in, nearly spilling his nutrient shake in the process.

Sirius’s face fell when the owl swooped past him and landed in front of Harry. “Damn, I was hoping that was from Moony.”

“You only wrote him yesterday, it takes time for owls to cross the ocean.”

“Who’s that from, anyways? Got a girlfriend that you haven’t mentioned? Or two? Do they know about each other?”

“Actually, it’s Victor Abbot. Give me a second to go over this?”

“Victor Abbot? I know that name, he was a few years ahead of me and your dad at Hogwarts. Why would he be writing you?”

“We’re in business together, this is just an update on how things are progressing. Profits aren’t quite as high as expected, but we’re also ahead of schedule, so it evens out.”

“Wait a second, go back. What are you doing in business? You’re still a kid, what kind of business are you talking about?”

Harry grinned. “I would have thought you’d realize by now, I’m not your normal kid, and money does nothing when it just sits in a bank. So I’m doing some investing now, so that when I’m out of school, I don’t have to wait around getting set up.”

“Such a tragedy. You’re gonna grow up and be boring, aren’t you?”

“Somehow, Sirius, I doubt that’s going to be the case.”

0oOo0

“I just want to put this on the record, this is a terrible idea,” Harry said as he peered through the binoculars.

“But you’re not leaving,” Dick countered.

“Of course not. Wally’s the one who’s gonna get in trouble.”

“What? Why am I going to get in trouble? It’s not like this was my idea,” Wally said, setting his binoculars down to stare at Dick and Harry.

“You think that’s going to matter when Artemis finds out?” Dick asked, not dropping his binoculars for a second.

“Or when Connor finds out you’ve been perving on his girlfriend?” Harry added, chuckling.

“I am not perving on Connor’s girlfriend!” Wally half-shouted indignantly. “I’m perving on my girlfriend. And can you blame me, I mean, look at that bikini. Actually, don’t, I’m keeping her all to myself.”

Harry, Dick, and Wally were halfway up the side of Mount Justice, watching as the girls of the Team celebrated the start of summer by tanning on the beach.

“How long do you think Artemis is going to make you grovel when she finds out?” Dick teased.

“I’ll have you know we have a relationship based on respect and mutual understanding, and we’d never resort to making the other grovel just because they had an honest lapse in judgement,” Wally said with a perfectly straight face.

Harry waited for that to sink in. “So how long are you going to have to grovel again?”

“Two, three days, tops,” Wally answered without missing a beat. “Fifty-fifty shot I can spin it into her being flattered and we go straight to the makeup sex.”

“I really didn’t need to know that,” Harry and Dick said as one.

“Well, how are you two going to deal with the girls? Because even I know they’re going to find out.”

“I’m riding the ‘we haven’t seen him in months, we can’t stay mad at him’ train,” Harry reasoned. “Plus Artemis is going to have her hands full dealing with you, so I’m not worried about her, and the worst Miss M will probably just not talk to me for a while, which is easy enough to deal with.”

“And Zee’s not gonna care, I mean, if she knew we were watching, she’d be putting on more of a show,” Dick said. “Bumblebee doesn’t like to admit it, but she’s a sucker for new tech. I’ll buy her something shiny and she’ll forget all about it. Rocket and Batgirl… yeah, I’m probably going to eat a little punishment there. It’s worth it.”

0oOo0

“Hey Megan, when do you think you’re going to let the boys know you picked on their presence psychically?” Karen asked.

“In a few minutes,” Megan mumbled sleepily. “Too comfortable.”

“Who cares?” Zatanna asked. “It’s not like they’re hurting anybody.”

“Soon as I’m done, I’m gonna kill Wally,” Artemis announced. “He should know better than to do something like this by now.”

“Come on Artemis, you ought to know by now that as smart as he is, Wally’s got a whole lot of stupid in him,” Raquel said. “But if you want to handle him, he’s all yours. I’m wondering how we should get back at the Boy Wonder and partner in crime.”

“Harrier? He’s a sweetheart, he’s just caught up in it trying to be like his big brother, it’s not his fault,” Megan argued.

Barbara snorted. “Doesn’t make him innocent, Megan. Harrier’s just as much of a ladies man as Nightwing, just not as experienced. Totally deserves the same revenge.”

“Well, if you want to get back at them, might I suggest the classic ‘Steal their clothes while they’re in the shower’ scheme?” Zatanna suggested, a wicked grin on her face. “After all, if they’re going to perv on us, we should get to perv on them.”

“Are you sure you shouldn’t be up there with them? You got a dirty mind, girl,” Karen said.

“You say that like it’s a bad thing,” Zatanna laughed.

This is pretty much all fluff, kicking off the summer and getting my creative juices flowing again.

MrRigger

[jgkitarel]

Well, at least the boys know they're gonna catch hell for it. They just don't realize that the girls knew all along.

[MrRigger2]

Part Ninety-Six!

Spoiler: show

Peter Pettigrew, aka Wormtail, was cold and hungry. Rats spent most of their lives in one of these two states, especially ones that spent most of the year in northern Scotland, so Wormtail was familiar with being cold and hungry. But instead of being able to wander off to find a warm place to nap or some food, Wormtail was stuck in a holding cell, waiting to be transferred to Azkaban.

Azkaban. Even the thought of that place terrified him, but this time, there would be no avoiding it. He didn’t have his wand, Apparating was obviously impossible in the warded cell, and his jailors were even forcing him to take a potion that prevented his ability to transform. He’d never survive once he was transferred. If he didn’t find a way out, he was doomed.

The smell in the cell made Wormtail want to retch, but that was his own fault. He’d managed to force himself to vomit up the Anti-Animagus Potion before the last dose had taken full effect, and it had worn off quickly. Now he just had to wait for the right moment.

0oOo0

“There’s been a rash of abductions in Park Row,” Batman said as he brought up a map of the crime-ridden neighborhood on the Bat Computer.

“I hate to tell you, but people disappear in Park Row all the time,” Nightwing said as markings populated the map. He took a second to review the screen. “But… that is a lot of missing people. What are we thinking?”

The map zoomed out and bios appeared attached to each marking. “It’s not just the number of abductions, whoever’s behind this is picking their victims carefully,” Batman said. “Every victim has been between fourteen and seventeen, living on the streets, and been alone at the time of their abduction. There have been no signs of struggle at their last known location, and none of them have been seen since, alive or dead. Gotham PD isn’t looking into this, because as far as they can tell, there hasn’t been a crime, just a bunch of homeless teens deciding to move out of Park Row.”

“And that’s just good sense, not a crime, right,” Harrier said. “Mad Hatter could get them to come along with him without a struggle, but if he’s looking for his next Alice, there’s only one blonde, and Justin Parker doesn’t sound like he would make a very good Alice to me.”

Batman shook his head. “Mad Hatter has been in Arkham for the past two months, and Poison Ivy isn’t behind it either. No pheromones or unusual plant matter at the last known locations.”

“If we’re looking at a human trafficking angle, I’d think of the Dimitrov Family, they’re pretty much the only game in town,” Harrier pondered. “But if there hasn’t been any signs of struggle, they’re not exactly known for being subtle.”

“The Dimitrovs have lost a lot of influence since Two-Face took out Piotr Dimitrov back in March,” Batgirl said. “If it is them, this might be their way of getting some power back. And somebody new in charge would explain the change in M.O.”

“Good thinking. Batgirl, you investigate the Dimitrovs. Nightwing, see what else you can find out about the abducted teens and the abductions. Harrier, shake down our informants. Start with the Penguin, find out what he’s heard. The League requires me for a mission, but I should be back within twenty-four hours. I’ll expect your progress reports by then. Make me proud.”

0oOo0

Wormtail huddled under the thin blanket as the guard approached. It was mealtime, and his last chance to escape before his transfer. Luckily, he had a plan. By dawn, he’d either be free, or he’d be dead.

He’d been moaning in pain and discomfort for hours, not that any of the guards had come to check on him, but he needed to sell it.

“Keep it quiet in there,” the guard said shakily. Excellent, she sounded young. Inexperienced.

“It hurts…” Wormtail groaned. “I think I’m dying…”

“What?” the guard asked. Good, she was engaging him.

“The Aurors last shift, they roughed me up… it feels like I’m dying, please, you need to help me…”

The guard took a step back, wavering. “I’m not supposed to enter the cells…”

“Please, if you don’t help me, I’ll die…”

The guard glanced up and down the hall.

“Please…” he whined pitifully.

“Alright, just hold on, don’t move, you might make it worse,” the guard said as she unlocked the cell door.

Peter forced himself to wait as she opened the cell and approached, wait for her to get close enough.

“Thank you, thank you so much…” he murmured.

The guard pulled back the blanket and Wormtail lunged, fighting like the rat he lived as for so many years. His fingers gouged at her eyes and his teeth went for her throat. Blood filled his mouth as he chewed through her arteries. The guard struggled, trying to push him off, to curse him, to heal herself, but it was in vain.

As the guard stilled beneath him, Wormtail took her wand and wiped his mouth. A poor match for him, maybe, but he was still able to vanish the signs of struggle and maneuver her underneath his blanket. It wouldn’t fool anyone for long, but it should buy him a few more minutes.

Minutes he could use to make his escape.

And then he could find his Master.

Wormtail stepped outside of his cell and transformed.

MrRigger

[JamestheFox]

Spoiler: show

Silly Auror. That's the oldest trick in the book. You should have gotten some backup.

And so things are on track for Year 4's shenanigans. Fun times. Ah well, at least they had him long enough to free Sirius.

Wait, isn't the Penguin the one who killed the Dursleys? And HARRY'S going to shake him down?

[MrRigger2]

Yeah, Harrier has a thing for beating down the Penguin. He's never crossed the line, but he does take special pleasure in ruining both the Penguin's plans and bone structure, especially since the police can't keep hold of him.

MrRigger

[MrRigger2]

Part Ninety-Seven!

Spoiler: show

Penguin hadn’t known anything, not about the disappearances, anyway. Plenty of information on other rackets going down, but nothing that could help the kids who’d been taken. Too bad for Penguin. Hopefully the police would be able to get there to pick him up before Penguin’s boys arrived to help their boss, not that Harrier was holding out much hope. Of course, it didn’t matter too much who made it there first. Penguin would be eating through a straw for a while no matter who found him.

Harrier peered through the grimy window of the warehouse. Two-Face was pouring over a set of blueprints, probably for his next big move. Fortunately, he was alone. That made this easy. Well, easier.

Harrier eased the window open and crept up onto the rafters. Two-Face wasn’t the cowardly rat Penguin was, and he was dangerous in a straight fight. Far stronger than a baseline human had any right to be, and he was frighteningly intelligent. Add in the fact that he was dangerously unstable, he was foe few would want to face. It was even worse in Harrier’s case, considering Two-Face had more than a foot of height and eighty additional pounds of muscle on his side.

As much as he hated to admit, size mattered in a straight fight.

That’s why Harrier did whatever he could to avoid them.

Harrier pulled a bird-a-rang from his belt and let it fly. It struck the blueprints Two-Face was studying, and stuck into the table, quivering.

“What? Who’s there?” Two-Face demanded.

“Someone who wants answers, Dent,” Harrier growled. He started to move around the rafters, circling the target like Batman had taught him.

Two-Face grabbed the bird-a-rang with his scarred hand and tossed it to the side. “The Bat’s brat,” he snarled, glancing around the room. “Get out now, and I won’t shoot you twice in the face.”

“Tell me what I want to know, and I won’t put you in the hospital.” Harrier dropped out of the rafters behind Two-Face. Batman would have trussed Two-Face up and hung him from the ceiling, or maybe dangled him off the roof, but Harrier had a different approach.

“I’d like to see you try, you little punk!” Two-Face slammed a fist against the table. “Come out and face me!”

Harrier tossed an oblong vial and it shattered against Two-Face’s back. Purple ooze colored the villain’s back and doubled and redoubled and redoubled again until he was covered from the shoulders down in a sticky mass, holding him fast.

Carmichael’s Capturing Concoction. Harrier had found reference to it in a supplemental book on tools and tactics used in the last Giant War, and managed to replicate it with a little help from Fred and George, who thought the idea was a hoot. The ooze was extraordinarily sticky and nearly impossible to get out of, at least until it dried, at which point it was brittle and easy to break, as well as surprisingly tasty, as George had discovered during testing.

With Two-Face restrained, Harrier strolled around to his line of sight and sat on the table. “Ooh, Second Gotham Bank, you’d think you wouldn’t need blueprints with as many times as you’ve gone after them.”

Two-Face struggled, but the concoction held fast. “When I get out of this, I’m gonna beat you half to death. Twice.”

“You flatter me. Now that we have the pleasantries out of the way, we can get down to business. Abductions in Park Row, eight of them over the past two days. What do you know?”

“I know it ain’t me, so get out of here!”

“Oh, we know it’s not you, but I bet you’ve got your ear to the ground, don’t you? Especially if you’re planning a bank job. Gonna need to know what the cops are looking at, where we’re looking,” Harrier said. “What have you heard?”

Two-Face glared at Harrier, weighing his options. After a moment, he answered. “Some new guy blew in from down south a few days ago. Supposed to be a member of the Dimitrovs, and he’s gone from an out of town nobody to calling the shots overnight. He’s making some kind of move, but he hasn’t stepped on my turf, so I don’t give a damn about what he’s doing.”

“And that’s all you know?”

“Like I said, I don’t give two shits about some upstart, I’ve got real problems to deal with.”

“Fine. But if I found out you lied to me, I’ll be back.”

0oOo0

“Nightwing, I’ve found something.”

Nightwing pulled a disposable phone out of his pocket and used it to cover his comm. “Go ahead, Batgirl.”

“It’s definitely the Dimitrov Family, but I haven’t been able to find out where they’re keeping the kids. Harrier confirms there’s somebody new calling the shots, we’re still trying to nail down who it is.”

“Understood. I’ve hit a dead end with the abductions, I’m trying an alternative now.”

“What alternative? Nightwing, what are you doing?”

“Since Nightwing wasn’t able to find anything, I wanted to see if Robbie Malone could,” he said, pulling at the waist of the ill-fitting pants he was wearing as part of his disguise. Robbie Malone was one of Nightwing’s undercover personas, a homeless street rat with an ear to the ground all over the city.

“Anything so far?”

“Maybe.” Nightwing ducked his head and hunched his shoulders a little more. “I’m being followed. Been behind me for the past two blocks, I’m going to see if I can’t get him to make a move.”

“No, stall him, Harrier and I can be in place in five minutes.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll be careful,” Nightwing said as he turned down a trash-filled alleyway.

He was just passing an overflowing dumpster when the man who’d been following him stepped into the mouth of the alleyway. Nightwing had barely turned to get a look at the guy’s face when a jet of red light hit him in the chest and he crumpled to the ground.

MrRigger

[MrRigger2]

Part Ninety-Eight!

Spoiler: show

Nightwing was shocked awake by a torrent of ice cold water. He tried to shiver and shake off the water, but found he couldn’t move. His arms and legs were completely immobile, and he couldn’t even breathe deeply. His eyes were the only thing that could move freely, and he glanced around the room as best as he could.

Someplace industrial, probably a warehouse, given the smell of fish and salt water. Only a third of the lights were on, the rest shattered or missing. There were shipping containers lining the south wall, and Nightwing could hear an occasional thump coming from the interiors.

A thin figure stepped into Nightwing’s view, but he was silhouetted by a work light, obscuring his features. “You will have already found that you are entirely immobile,” the figure said. “I assure you that is but a fraction of my true power. Know that you are powerless before me, know that I hold your life in my hands.”

Great, a monologue. Nightwing didn’t recognize the voice, though, so that was something new at least.

“Obey me, and you’ll live to see the morning. Ivan, put this one with the others. We still have much to do before we’re ready to move.”

0oOo0

Artemis woke up to someone knocking on her window. “This better be important, I swear to god…” she muttered.

Harrier was perched outside, looking as serious as she’d ever seen him. He pushed her window open the moment she opened her eyes. “Get dressed. We need your help.”

Artemis threw her sheet back and swung her feet to the floor. “Why? What’s going on?”

“Nightwing’s disappeared, and Batman’s on a mission with the League. We need you on the streets looking for him as soon as you’re ready. Batgirl’s seeing who else we can reach on short notice.”

Artemis rubbed her eyes and nodded. “Alright, where are we going?”

“A warehouse in the Diamond District I tracked Nightwing’s comm to. Hopefully he’s still got it on him and they didn’t find it. Either way, we don’t have any time to waste.”

0oOo0

“Hey, hey wake up.”

Someone was shaking his shoulder and whispering in his ear. Nightwing rolled over and shook himself. “Where am I?”

"Hell, or something pretty damn close, if you're feeling melodramatic."

Nightwing looked at the boy shaking him awake. Shaggy black hair and few half healed cuts on his dirty face, the boy looked to be Harry's age, but a bit taller and broader. "S where are we really?"

"Hell, or something pretty damn close," the boy smirked. Then the expression faded. "Seriously, I don't know where the hell we are, not really. Best I can tell you is that we're in the holding cell for the fights."

"Fights?"

"Yeah, like cage fights or some shit. Me and two others since they threw me in here. That creepy bastard makes us fight, and I haven't seen the other two since they lost."

"Fighting to the death?"

"Nah, not that I've seen. More like losing gives that bastard the excuse he's looking for."

"If that's the case, I say we get out of here."

"What, you think I'm here because I like being stuck in a cage, getting treated like an animal? There's no way out of here."

"So you're not even going to try? Sounds like you've given up."

"I haven't given up, I just know my chances. Last guy that tried to run, that bastard burned him alive. Just pointed at him and then he was burning."

"Some kind of metahuman?"

The boy shrugged. "I dunno. But if you're looking to make a run for it, I'll help. I want a chance to take down as many of these sons of bitches as possible."

"I'll take whatever help I can get." Nightwing extended his hand. "Robbie Malone."

The boy shook his hand firmly, just a little bit desperate. "Jason Todd."

0oOo0

Harrier nodded to Artemis as she landed on the roof.

"Where's Batgirl? I thought you said she was bringing help."

“Right here,” Batgirl said, floating down on Zatanna’s magic levitation disc. “Are we ready to move in?”

“Thanks for coming, Zatanna, but are you really the only one who could get here?”

“I checked,” Batgirl answered tersely. “Superboy, Kid Flash, and Aqualad are all dealing with villains of their own with Superman, Flash, and Aquaman, Miss Martian is off-planet visiting her family, Rocket’s dealing with a gang war in Dakota City, and Bumblebee is on a family camping trip. Can’t make it to a Zeta Tube for at least two hours.”

“Dammit,” Harrier cursed. “What about Beast Boy?”

Batgirl did a double-take. “Harrier, he’s barely eleven. I can’t let him join a mission like this.”

“Eleven’s old enough. Nightwing and I both started younger than that, and we could use his power.”

Zatanna cut in. “He’s not like you or Nightwing, Harrier. Beast Boy still thinks of all this as cops and robbers in funny costumes, you know that.”

Harrier clenched his fists in frustration. “Fine. Can’t wait for him to get here anyway. We need to make our move. Nightwing’s somewhere down there, and this is way more than we were expecting. Way more than what should be here, too.”

"What do you mean?" Artemis asked, pulling out a set of binoculars. "What should be here?"

"A hell of a lot less, for one. The Dimitrovs lost a lot of power a few months back. They shouldn’t have the resources to put together something this big.”

The Dimitrovs had converted an old Sidonis packing and shipping plant into their base of operations, which was a red flag all by itself. Black Mask wasn’t likely to allow them to use a building with his name on it, and the conflict with Two-Face left most of their top members dead. But here they were, moving around like they owned the place.

“If they’re holding territory like this, pulling an operation this large, they’ve got something new going on. I expect they’ve got a meta-human on the payroll now, if not more than one, in order to pull this off,” Harrier explained. “Be on guard.”

MrRigger

[JamestheFox]

Oh hai potential new!Robin. Good to see you.

Good luck.

Also, we got a wizard criminal. Harry's Hogwarts Life and his Mt. Justice Life starting to mix more?

I gotta ask, have we gone beyond Young Justice canon, yet? I didn't watch enough to really be sure.

[MrRigger2]

We are both beyond and not all the way through Young Justice Canon. Young Justice Season 1 ended January 1st of Harry's first year at Hogwarts. Young Justice Season 2 doesn't take place until five years later.

MrRigger

[JamestheFox]

Ahhh... something of an interesting challenge, writing-wise. When one story in your crossover would normally have a timeskip, but the other would just keep trucking along, you may have to figure out what the characters of your timeskipping series are doing, and keep them relevant to the overall story.

So far you seem to be doing well. Keep it up!