[Emissary] Chapter 3 - Invitation (Patreon)

Side-Apparating the two metahumans away, Harry returned before they even had the chance to see him.

‘What a mess.’

The previously peaceful suburb had been turned upside down. Eight or nine houses were completely wrecked, and the streets were filled with fire trucks, policemen, and medical personnel trying to put out fires and rescue the people trapped under the collapsed walls.

Hundreds of curious people were now crowding around, and nearly a dozen media outlets came to the scene too, some with vans, others even with helicopters.

Casting a spell on himself that would make people unconsciously look away from his face, Harry headed towards the closest affected area.

“For your safety, please keep your distance! Don’t pass the yellow cordon,” a police officer tried to stop him from approaching the perimeter that had been set around the destroyed neighbourhood with yellow tape.

“I’m with the Justice League,” he lied smoothly, and, before the officer could say anything, he flew over to the cordon, straight to the closest wreckage. He didn’t use his wraith-like flight but the regular version of his flying spell in order not to scare the others around.

‘Homenum Revelio.’

Casting a spell nonverbally, three humanoid silhouettes started glowing from underneath the rubble.

The fastest way to rescue them would be to cast a powerful Repairing Charm, but there was a risk of further injuring the people buried underneath when the pieces of wreckage started moving. The safest way would be to levitate the debris away, piece by piece.

Casting a low-powered Sonorus Charm on himself, Harry told the five firefighters and the person at the wheel of a crane-like vehicle who were trying to make their way into the collapsed house:

“I’m with the Justice League, allow me to help. Please move aside.”

If efficiency had been his number one priority, he could have cast a Confudus Charm or even an Imperius Curse to control their minds, but there were things that Harry would rather avoid doing unless all other alternatives had been exhausted. He preferred not to mess with the minds of the good people, especially in such a critical situation.

“Really? I’ve never seen you before,” one of the firefighters said. “You’re not wearing a hero suit either.”

“I was sleeping when all of this happened,’ Harry said and pointed his wand at the destroyed house.

The firefighters stopped questioning him when the roof of the house was levitated from the ground and large pieces of broken walls started flying to the side.

Sensing the movement from outside, the people trapped underneath cried out:

“Help! Somebody help!”

“We are here!”

They were the desperate voices of a woman and a young boy.

“Don’t worry, we’ll get you out in a moment!” Harry shouted in encouragement and hastened his actions.

In less than three minutes, the wreckage was cleared, revealing a family of three. By the looks of it, the three of them had been watching TV in their living room when disaster struck.

“My husband! Please help my husband!” the woman shouted.

Surprisingly enough, the woman and her son were almost unharmed, but the man was unconscious and bleeding severely from a wound on his head. One of his arms was also bent at an unnatural angle with a bone protruding through the flesh.

‘He must’ve protected them with his own body when the ceiling collapsed on them.’

He levitated the three people out of the wreckage and placed them in front of the medics who were waiting to receive them.

“I don’t sense anyone else left inside,” Harry told the firefighters. “I’m going to the next place now.”

⁂⁂⁂

“What can you tell us about the superhero who rescued you last night?” a female reporter asked one of the people who had been injured after the metahumans’ brawl.

“It was night, and there was so much fire and dust everywhere. I don’t think I looked at his face, but I remember he was a caucasian male, probably young,” the middle-aged woman replied. “I don’t know his name, but he saved our lives. He even healed my husband’s injuries. If you’re watching this now, I want to thank you. I will forever be grateful.”

“He has healing powers?” the reporter asked in a very surprised voice.

“Yes, we were watching TV when the ceiling collapsed on us. Marvin jumped at the last moment to protect us with his body. He hurt his head… there was so much blood… and one of his arms, you could see the broken bone outside,” the woman said, sniffing. “But he touched him with a stick, something like a magic wand, I suppose. The bleeding stopped, and the wound healed instantly. Even his broken arm, he fixed it perfectly. They said at the hospital that his bone looks as if it was never broken.”

[...]

“What can you tell us about the member of the Justice League who came to help last night?” a glasses-wearing male reporter asked a police officer and pointed the microphone at him.

“I thought he was a normal bloke, and I told him he’s not allowed to get any closer but he said he was a member of the Justice League and flew over the yellow tape. Mind you, he didn’t have a suit, he was in pyjamas.”

“What did he look like? Did you get a good look at his face?” the reporter continued.

“Now that I think about it… Huh? That’s strange, I can’t seem to remember what he looked like…”

[...]

“I was in the kitchen, doing the dishes, when the wall blew up. I don’t remember anything after that other than that I hit my head hard. The next thing I knew, I was levitating. It scared me half to death. I found out later that one of the Justice League’s heroes dug me up from the wreckage and saved me.”

[...]

“How strange,” Captain Atom said as he watched the interviews of the people who had been rescued the previous night. “How come nobody of them remembers his face?”

“What about the footage from the media outlets that were filming from the helicopters?” a man wearing a purple and white costume said. He was Elongated Man.

“Nothing clear. It was too far away,” his wife, a woman with short brown hair and a pretty face, said as she brought up a zoomed-in, pixelated image of the unknown member of the Justice League.

All they could gather from that photo was that he had black hair and pale skin.

“We have to find him, no matter what. His ability is incredible,” Captain Atom said, his hands crossed at his chest.

“I know, right? It’s ridiculous. If there weren’t so many TV stations that live broadcasted what happened, I wouldn’t believe it,” Red Rocket, a man wearing bulky red robotic armour also said.

“Sue, honey, play it again. I can’t get enough of it, it’s too awesome!”

As that particular video started playing on the large screen, the Justice League members watched almost as if they were transfixed by how the heavy damage inflicted on the nine houses was restored.

It was like watching a video in reverse. The piles of debris and broken bricks flew and melded back into walls, the glass shards reformed into windows, and the broken beams supporting the roofs were restored as well, along with the broken tiles covering the roof as well.

“No matter how many times I see it, I can’t believe it,” Red Rocket sighed in awe.

One of the biggest and most troublesome issues the Justice League was facing on a daily basis was the amount of property damage that their fights with the supervillains caused. The bigshots that were sponsoring the League were willing to pay the victims the price of reparations, but even after getting their money, most people weren’t happy about it. After all, what was destroyed wasn’t simply a house; it was their home, the place where they grew up and created memories with their family.

That being said, if someone could reverse all that destruction with a simple spell, how amazing would it be? Leaving aside the massive cut in the League’s expenses, they wouldn’t get any complaints from the public at large anymore either.

“This almost turned into a PR disaster,” said Elongated Man.

“This is a disaster already,” Captain Atom said with a frown. “Not only that Big Sir made a huge mess and Power Girl failed to contain him but Clock King used that distraction to his advantage and robbed the British Museum.”

Deep down, he was angry at the situation, but he understood that the rest weren’t at fault. Most of them had been dealing with their own missions, while others like Elongated Man had been sleeping. Nobody could be awake 24/7.

It was at that moment that Power Girl arrived in the conference room as well. The normally cheerful and energetic young woman looked as if she had gone through the wringer. Her face was bruised all over, her head was bandaged, and her left hand and wrist were in a cast as well.

Captain Atom swallowed the sharp words that had been on the tip of his tongue when he took a look at her appearance. He had never seen her get injured that badly before.

Instead of starting to berate her for her failure, he couldn’t help asking, his stoic voice tinged with worry:

“Power Girl, are you okay? Maybe you shouldn’t be walking around in that state.”

“It looks worse than it is,” she said and moved her left hand even though it was in a cast. “It’s not even broken, I don’t know why the doctor insisted on wrapping me up like a mummy.”

Standing up from her seat, Sue came to Power Girl and took her healthy hand in hers, leading her to sit down.

“Look at you, my gosh. What happened? Did you get another one of those episodes?” she asked.

“Yeah,” Power Girl said and let out a despondent sigh. “I don’t know what’s going on with me. One moment I can go toe to toe with Superman and Wonder Woman; the next second I’m fighting for my freaking life against bums like Big Sir or Ultra Humanite.”

“Maybe it’s about time you took some time off,” Animal Man, who had been silent until then, spoke up.

“Hey! That’s taking it too far!” Elongated Man was quick to jump in Power Girl’s defence. “Everyone makes mistakes once in a while. It’s not even her fault now. She has no way to control when that illness strikes.”

“Don’t yell at me, mate. I’m saying this for her own good first and foremost,” Animal Man said, raising his hands as if to say that he didn’t have any bad intentions. “I know we’re already overworked and understaffed and that we need all the help we can get but, if she continues like this, she will get herself killed in the field one day.”

“That’s enough!” Captain Atom said in an authoritative voice.

“No, he’s right,” Power Girl unexpectedly took Animal Man’s side despite his words. “Superman visited me in the hospital last night, and he suggested the same thing. He made me an appointment with the scientists working at Star Labs for them to run some tests and figure out what’s wrong with my body.”

Standing up from her seat, she said, all the while looking down at her feet, unable to meet anyone’s eyes:

“Until further notice, I will have to resign from the Justice League… I’m so sorry...”

Against her will, a tear fell from the corner of her eye, but she quickly wiped away.

“Aww, don’t cry,” said Sue and took Power Girl in an affectionate hug. “You have nothing to be sorry about.”

“I messed up big time yesterday. And I’m leaving you all behind when you already have so much work-”

“It’s going to be alright,” Captain Atom also said and patted her on the shoulder. Although he was known by everyone as strict and no-nonsense, he had always had a soft spot for the younger blonde. “We will manage somehow. And once your health problems are solved, you can come back. Our doors will always be open for you. But, before you leave for the States, I have something to ask of you.”

Taking her silence as her agreement, he continued:

“We want to recruit the metahuman from last night into the Justice League. Unfortunately, nobody seems to remember his face and the cameras filming the whole thing didn’t catch a good shot of him. You’re the only one who has seen him.”

“But I didn’t?” she said in confusion.

“Didn’t you tell me that one of the people whose houses your brawl wrecked had a magic wand and made a light bulb appear in his hand?” Sue asked. “The witnesses all say the one who saved them carried a magic wand. It stands to reason that they’re probably the same person.”

“...Fair enough. But it’ll have to wait until I come back from the States,” she relented.

“I’m afraid we can’t do that. If we wait that long, I’m sure the Justice League of America will snag him first. We have to go to him asap!”

“You can’t be serious. How do you expect me to go out in public like this?!” Power Girl said in disbelief.

“What’s the matter?” Captain Atom asked.

“Look at me! I look like a domestic abuse victim!”

“Stop acting like a girl, soldier.”

“I’m not a damn soldier! And I’m not going out, and that’s final.”

“Be reasonable, Power Girl. It’s for the sake of the Justice League. Think of how much good could come out of this. You’re the only one who saw that man’s face, only you can identify him.”

She let out a long, suffering sigh.

“At least give me a cap and some sunglasses to cover my face,” Power Girl said in a defeated voice. She couldn’t refuse him anymore when he played that card.

Elongated Man stretched his arm all the way to the hall outside the conference room and brought a cap and a pair of large sunglasses.

“You just happened to have these on hand, huh?” Power Girl asked with a deadpan face, making the rest of the Justice League members burst into laughter.

“It’s not for a day or two that we’ve been working together. We knew what kind of excuses you would come up with,” Animal Man said between chuckles.

“Damn it. I’ll get back at you all for this,” she muttered as she stomped on her way out of the conference room. “Captain, are you coming or not?” she asked in annoyance.

“Patience, soldier.”

“I told you I’m not a soldier!”

⁂⁂⁂

The Headquarters of Justice League Europe was located in Paris, France, so Captain Atom and Power Girl had to travel for a few minutes with the Javelin until they reached London.

Soon, they arrived at their destination: Croydon Town, London. It was one of Greater London’s most quiet and secluded boroughs. But at the same time, it was also the most populated one. For the sake of not causing a scene and inconveniencing the traffic, Captain Atom parked the Javelin on the outskirts of the town.

“Can you fly?” he asked once they came out of the spaceship.

“I think I can, but I’d rather not risk it,” Power Girl said, levitating a few inches of the ground before letting herself fall down again.

“Alright, I’ll carry you then,” said Captain Atom before grabbing her by the waist and taking flight.

If Power Girl had been her usual self, she would’ve warned him jokingly not to let his hands wander, but she didn’t feel like playing around at that moment.

As they got closer to their destination and flew above a park, they saw a big group of young children playing a Red Rover game. Suddenly, a new child arrived on a bicycle and shouted at the top of his lungs:

“Hey, come quickly! The cool new guy is splashing everyone with water again!”

It was interesting to see how all the boys and girls immediately went to their bikes and scooters before running after him.

Much to Power Girl’s surprise, the children rode their bikes straight to the house where she and Captain Atom were headed as well. Arriving there, they didn’t land straight away, opting to just wait and watch how nearly twenty children armed with water guns and rifles were locked in a fierce war with a young man wielding a water hose.

Armed with experience and an infinite supply of water, the man had been holding his own against them just fine, but when the second group of kids arrived, he was overwhelmed.

“Surrender, or die!” the children yelled.

“I give up, I give up!” the man said. He threw the water hose down and knelt on the wet lawn before raising his hands above his head.

But the children were merciless. Instead of stopping their attack, they started shooting at him with even more gusto now that he was unarmed. It was like watching a live execution.

“Argh, you little scoundrels! You asked for it!” he shouted at them.

Suddenly, five jets of water burst from hoses that had been buried in the ground and splashed the group of kids from all directions, making them scatter everywhere while letting out loud yells and laughter.

“That’s right! Run away and never come back!” the man yelled after them triumphantly.

It was such a wholesome sight that Power Girl and even Captain Atom unknowingly started smiling. But once the kids were gone, the young man raised his head to the skies where they were flying, making them understand that he knew that they were there for him.

“Good afternoon. The Justice League coming to my doorstep... Is there anything I can help you with?” the young man asked.

“Is this a bad time?” Captain Atom asked.

“Not at all,” he said and, taking out a knobbed stick, he waved it at himself, drying his soaking-wet clothes and hair in a matter of seconds.

Power Girl and Captain Atom exchanged glances, confirming with each other that they got the right person.

“If you don’t mind, we can discuss more over a cup of tea,” he said, inviting them inside.

⁂⁂⁂

Taking the two superheroes into his living room, Harry offered them a seat on the sofa before saying:

“Excuse me for a moment, while I put the kettle on.”

Once he left, the two looked around with great interest.

“Hey, Cap,”

“Yes?”

“Am I starting to see things, or is that painting moving?”

It was the painting of a majestic creature that looked like a mixture of a horse and an eagle. It was a mythical hippogriff flapping its wings as it flew through the clouds.

“...It’s moving. It’s most likely a screen, not a painting,” he answered.

Unable to reign in her curiosity, Power Girl stood up from her seat and went closer to examine the painting.

“No, it’s not a screen. It’s a painting!” she said and grabbed it off the wall to show it to him.

“PG! What are you doing?!” Captain Atom shouted in a whisper, in disbelief that she’d do something like that while she was a guest at a stranger’s house.

To make matters worse, Harry returned to the living room bearing a tray with three cups, honey, sugar, and a porcelain recipient before she had the chance to put the painting back in its place.

“I am sorry for this,” Captain Atom was quick to apologise. “Power Girl here is from another planet, she is not familiar with our customs yet, she’s still learning.”

“Um, my bad,” Power Girl also said, feeling awkward at the fact that she had forced her colleague to lie like that. She walked back to the wall to hang the painting but, in her rush, she didn’t control her strength properly and broke the painting’s frame and shattered its glass.

At that moment, Captain Atom felt like wanting to dig a hole somewhere and die of embarrassment. The young man had treated them with nothing but respect and even invited them into his house, yet there they were, wrecking his place up. If it wasn’t for the fact that he was no longer an organic being, he would flushed red.

But Power Girl had no such restrictions. Even with the cap and the large sunglasses covering her face, it could still be seen how red she was, down to her neck.

Harry couldn’t help it, he started chuckling.

“It’s no problem,” he said, still laughing as he waved his hand at the painting. His two guests watched with great interest how the painting’s frame and glass were magically restored. Not even a shard of glass or chip of wood was left on the floor. “Most of my guests tend to be very surprised when they first see my paintings.”

Putting the tray down on the coffee table, Harry grabbed the porcelain recipient and went to Power Girl, who was now sitting on a couch opposite Captain Atom’s sofa.

“I see you got wounded last night fighting that criminal. Try this,” he said and, when he took the lid off, a herbal smell filled the room.

“What is that?” she asked suspiciously.

“It’s a healing salve made of dittany. It works wonders for bruises and other flesh wounds,” Harry said kindly.

Power Girl glanced at Captain Atom, unsure of whether to accept his gift or not but, at the captain’s nod, she stopped hesitating.

“Go on, try it on,” Harry told her as he conjured a small oval mirror for her.

“The moving painting, the way you repaired it, and now this mirror appearing out of nowhere. Are you, perhaps, a sorcerer?” Captain Atom asked.

“I’m a wizard, indeed. Should I take it that it’s not the first time you’ve seen magic?”

“Yes, I know a few sorcerers who sometimes help the Justice League when it comes to matters of the Occult.”

“Oooh!” Power Girl suddenly cried out in amazement, prompting the two men to turn their attention to her. “My bruises! They’re all fading like magic! Is this magic??”

She had taken the salve and rubbed some of it on her face without expecting anything, but the results were shocking. Her black eye disappeared, and the scratches and bruises on her temple and cheeks faded away too. One minute later, not a sign of injury could be seen on her face anymore.

Hearing the kettle’s whistling, Harry left the two League members alone in his living room again. A few moments later, he came back and started pouring tea for them.

At that moment, the doorbell rang.

“Hmm, who could it be? I was not expecting any guests today,” he muttered to himself.

Excusing himself again, he went to check who was on his doorstep this time. When he opened the door, to his great surprise, two very unusual people appeared in front of his eyes. A man and a woman, both very tall and wearing eye-catching outfits.

The man, dressed in a skin-tight blue and red caped suit with an S symbol on his chest, was the most famous man in the entire world: it was Superman. Even Harry had heard of him despite that he had arrived in this world only a few weeks ago and that they lived on different sides of the Globe.

As for the woman, her height, her athletic body, her silver bracers, golden tiara, red bodice, and blue skirt she was wearing were giving her such a unique look that she was unmistakable. It was Wonder Woman.

⁂⁂⁂

‘I’ve been worrying about finding a way to join the Justice League… I didn’t expect I’d have four members of the Justice League in my living room the next day,’ Harry thought in surprise.

Watching the world-famous, unique, and strangely dressed individuals sip on a chamomile tea in his modest living room was definitely not something that he had seen coming.

Captain Atom suddenly broke the silence:

“We’re all very busy, so let’s not waste time. I know what you two came here for. I’m telling you to forget about it. We found him first!”

“What is this, a game of finders keepers?” Superman said and crossed his arms to his chest. “We aren’t children, Captain, so let’s not act as such.”

“I believe that he is needed much more in the United States than here,” Wonder Woman said calmly, all the while sipping elegantly from her cup of tea.

Seeing as the heroes were about to start an argument, Harry spoke up: “Can someone tell me first what’s this all about?”

“They want you to join the Justice League,” Power Girl answered. “Superman and Wonder Woman are from the original Justice League, from America. Captain Atom and I are from the branch of the Justice League in Europe.”

“What, really?” he asked.

Four flat stares were the only answer he got.

“I mean, I’m not complaining, but is it that easy for anyone to join?”

He had been trying to come up with a method to join the Justice League without arousing suspicion, but now that they came to him, it felt as if things were going a little too well.

“It’s not. We do extensive background checks, and we care about the would-be members’ reputation as well,” Superman assured him.

“That ability you have to magically fix all broken things is too valuable to ignore,” Power Girl explained the situation without beating around the bush.

“She is right,” Captain Atom confirmed. “Having someone like you in the Justice League would let us save millions of dollars every year that would normally be wasted on fixing all the property damage that our fights against criminals cause.”

“Before you make a choice, I would like to let you know that the Justice League will handle all the matters regarding your moving to the USA, whether it’s documents or accommodation,” Wonder Woman said.

“If you join us, you don’t have to relocate. You can keep living here, as usual,” Captain Atom said. “You won’t be required to get directly involved in fights either if you don’t like that. You can leave all the fighting to us. Furthermore, our sponsor, Maxwell Lord IV will offer you a monthly salary of 5 figures.”

“What, you’re going to pay him?!” Superman asked in disbelief.

None of the heroes in the Justice League was getting paid for their deeds. Most of them had regular jobs; their crime-fighting was voluntary work on their part.

“We can offer you the same conditions,” Wonder Woman said nonplussed as if she hadn’t heard Superman’s outrage. She was the Princess of the Amazons, she could handle that much. “In addition, you will also have the opportunity to visit and even live in the Watchtower.”

Now that got Harry’s attention, and Wonder Woman didn’t miss the expression of interest that flickered on his face.

“By Rao, if I didn’t know any better, I’d think I was at a slave market, watching an auction,” Power Girl snorted with laughter from the side.

“Power Girl!” Captain Atom and Superman shouted in indignation at the same time.

Harry didn’t try to hide his amusement, chuckling softly at their interaction.

“I’m definitely interested in joining the Justice League,” Harry told them, “but I think it’s too big a decision for me to make on the spot. I’ll sleep on it and give you an answer tomorrow, is that alright with you?”

“Understandable. We shall give you time to think about our proposal,” Wonder Woman said.

“How will I get in touch with you?” Harry asked.

“You can call this number. It’s a private line used only by the members of Justice League Europe,” Captain Atom said and gave Harry a visiting card with the logo of the Justice League on it, all the while glaring at Wonder Woman. He wasn’t pleased by how she had brought the Watchtower to the negotiations as a means to convince the young man to join her.

“By the way, we never got around to introducing ourselves properly to each other. What’s your name, handsome?” Power Girl asked, smiling.

“Harry Potter. Nice to meet you,” Harry said and smiled too, giving them his real name. 

Now that he planned to build a relationship based on trust and friendship with them, being sincere was a must.

“Really now? Flirting? In this situation?” Superman asked.

“Hey, what are you giving me the stink eye for? I just asked for his name, I wasn’t flirting!” Power Girl shot back in annoyance. “And even if I was, what’s it to you?”

“Of course it matters to me! You’re my-” Superman began to say, only for her to cut him off abruptly:

“I’m not! You know damn well that I’m not.”

Wonder Woman let out a sigh before saying:

“Superman, Power Girl, this isn’t a discussion you should be having here.”

Handing Harry a visiting card as well, Wonder Woman stood up from the sofa and added:

“Thank you for the tea, Mr Potter. It was delicious.”

Superman also stood up and shook hands with Harry.

“I hope to hear from you soon. It was nice to make your acquaintance.”

Captain Atom and Power Girl bid their farewells as well and were about to leave too when Harry called after them:

“Oh, wait! I almost forgot. Power Girl, before you go, would you let me take a look at your hand?”

Having seen the miraculous effect that the healing salve had had on her facial injuries, Power Girl no longer distrusted him.

“Sure. You think you can fix it?”

“Of course. It will only take a moment.”

He touched the cast with the tip of his wand, Vanishing it. A Diagnosis Charm made her arm glow with a blue light, and, a tap of the wand later, Power Girl realised that all the pain in her left arm disappeared.

Rotating her wrist experimentally, she smiled when she couldn’t feel any discomfort. Her X-ray vision had yet to come back but she knew that her arm was fully healed.

“You saved me a lot of trouble, and I haven’t even thanked you yet. Thanks a lot, Harry, for fixing my mess last night. And for healing me now too.”

Then, she leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to his cheek.

“I’m leaving for the United States tonight. I will probably have to live there for two weeks or so. If you decide to join the Justice League of America, call me. I’d love to have a friendly face to hang out with during my stay there,” she whispered while she was still close to him and slipped him a piece of paper with her cellphone number on it.

Once she took a step back, he asked in amusement:

“What if I decided to join your boss?”

“Ugh, Captain Atom is not my boss,” she said with a roll of her eyes. “But it would be even better; we could hang out when I come back. I normally live in Paris so you’d be much closer. I can cover that distance in-”

He started laughing when Captain Atom grabbed Power Girl and whisked her away while she was still talking, having run out of patience to wait for her. The two superheroes started bickering without paying any mind to the large number of people below who had been filming them ever since they stepped out of his home.

As for Harry himself, he wasn’t bothered by the fact that he became a celebrity in his neighbourhood overnight either. He had long since gotten accustomed to life as a famous person. He merely went back inside and closed the door after him before casting a Muggle-Repelling Charm on his home, preventing his neighbours from bothering him with questions for the rest of the day.

⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂

AN: the fans of comics most likely understand what is going on with Power Girl. As for those who don’t, no need to be anxious, the answer will soon be revealed in the story as well.