Storge by Shamrock Holmes

Index

Chapter 1: Storge, Part 1
Chapter 2: Storge, Part 2
Chapter 3: Storge, Part 3
Chapter 4: Storge, Part 4

Chapter 1: Storge, Part 1

Author's Notes: The Myriad of Possibilities Series primarily uses the background from the Harry Potter books, but some elements and scenes have been borrowed from other sources including the movies, Pottermore and my own headcanon, that will be covered where they fit into the narrative. The timeline of the DC Comics elements borrows heavily from Young Justice (2011) and may adapt elements and characters from the comics and several additional other media instalments - including but not limited to Smallville (2001) and Superman and Lois (2021) - and relocates events of Young Justice to the Eighties and early Nineties rather than the New Tens as screened and includes several 'legacy' and original characters as a result. Any other recognisable characters belong to their copyright holders.

This chapter and the following adapt 31.10.81 of Last Daughter of Krypton with some limited changes to accommodate new canon.

Thanks to mystic_magic88 and other members of the Caer Azkaban group for their help on this chapter.

Dinah poked her head in through the shop's staff door. "Do you need anything before I head up for monitor duty, Mom?"

"No thanks, sweetie. Have fun."

Dinah snorted, 'fun' wasn't a word that she regularly associated with hero work, although she knew that several of her peers - including her boyfriend Ollie - won't agree, then stepped back closed the door and headed out the back door towards the abandoned lot where she'd hidden the Zeta Tube.

Getting there was easy enough, but then things went a little wrong.

The tube didn't activate.

Black Canary scowled. "Override HOJ slash Watchtower, Black Canary One-Three, Priority Yellow!"

The scanner beam activated and flowed up and down her body. "Recognised Black Canary One-Three… System error Zeta-Tube network offline."

Dinah sighed. "Black Canary to Watchtower."

After a moment, the familiar voice of the Martian Manhunter echoed in her ear. "Go ahead, Black Canary."

"The Zeta-Tube's not working. The Computer says the network is offline."

"That could be a problem… I shall run diagnostics immediately. Maintain your position."

"Standing by," replied Dinah.

At a moment later, her cell phone beeped. She removed it and read the message.

It was from Ollie. "Are you free next Friday? Have two tickets to the new show at the Starling Little Theatre?"

"I'll be there,"Dinah replied.

"Recognised, Black Canary One-Three."

Looking around the cavernous room, she noticed J'onn and Red Tornado at the main computer bank, looking over something.

"What's up?"

"The latest software patches from S.T.A.R. Labs appear to have been corrupted," replied Red Tornado as she joined them at the console. "We were able to manually initialise your tube individually, but the rest of the system is still offline."

"I'd love to help, but technology and I don't mix."

"I believe that Martian Manhunter and I will be able to restore the system once S.T.A.R. Labs are able to ascertain the nature of the problem."

"Can you route communications and the sensors down the auxiliary console in the library? If you guys are staying up here, I'd like to take advantage of the time."

Red Tornado turned back to the console and touched a couple of keys. "Done."

Dinah was deep into a fascinating article in the American Psychologist Journal, when the sensor alert began screaming at her. She scrambled over to the console and pulled up the report. "Black Canary to Meeting Room, we have a situation."

"What is the problem?" asked J'onn. "Can we mobilise members on the ground?"

Dinah shook her head, ignoring that he couldn't see her. "Maybe, but the sensors say that it's a magical explosion in the south-west of England."

"That does limit our options."

At that moment, a tall figure loomed behind her. "I can assist you."

Dinah turned to confirm that it was who she thought it was. "J'onn, I've got Giovanni here."

"Can he teleport you down there?"

The middle-aged man nodded and donned his top hat.

"He says he can."

"Then do so," ordered J'onn. "Red Tornado and I will cover the rest of your shift."

"On our way," confirmed Dinah.

"Ekat su ot Cirdog's Wolloh!" commanded Giovanni, and they disappeared in a flash of light.

When they reappeared on the surface, they were greeted by an infant's cries and a nondescript-looking man in a dark overcoat and a policeman's custodian helmet who promptly called in their arrival to his control room as soon as he walked towards them.

Once he'd joined them by the ruin, Dinah introduced herself and Giovanni, and told him that they were there to help.

"Thank you, ma'am," replied the officer. "I think that we need to get the baby out of there as quickly as possible, then do a more detailed search of the ruins."

When they reappeared on the surface, they were greeted by an infant's cries and a nondescript-looking man in a dark overcoat and a policeman's custodian helmet who promptly called in their arrival to his control room as soon as he walked towards them.

Once he'd joined them by the ruin, Dinah introduced herself and Giovanni, and told him that they were there to help.

"Thank you, ma'am," replied the officer. "I think that we need to get the baby out of there as quickly as possible, then do a more detailed search of the ruins."

Dinah agreed that that made sense, so turned towards her teammate. "Giovanni, can you clear the wreckage and pull the baby out?"

Giovanni nodded, then extended his arms towards the ruins. "Wohs eht regnad!" He paused for a moment, waiting for a reaction, getting none he glanced at the others. "There doesn't appear to be any further danger so... Eerf eht clihc!"

Seconds later, the child's wails increased in volume as the debris between it and the responders were removed by Giovanni's spell, then Dinah quickly crossed the distance and had the child - a boy about a year old - in her arms in seconds. Other than a cut to his head which was bleeding profusely, he seemed none the worse for his experience and quietened as she rocked him.

By the time he'd settled, the two men had joined them. "Can you check him over, sir?" asked the officer. "My skills in the healing arts are limited," Giovanni admitted. "But perhaps... Wohs sih sierujni." The cut on the boy's head lit up briefly, but that was all. "Only the one small wound, it would appear," said Giovanni, pointing a long, graceful finger at the bleeding cut. "Laeh sih dnuow."

Even without the frown on his face, Dinah would've known he was very surprised when nothing happened. Particularly as she'd been expecting a little more herself.

"That is unexpected," said Giovanni. "Perhaps a combination... Mets eht wolf, naelc eht dnuow!"

This time, the spell worked, though perhaps not as well as Giovanni had been expecting as his expression lightened, but he clearly wasn't happy. He turned to the officer. "Do you have an ambulance on the way, Constable…?"

The policeman grimaced. "Special Constable Jacob Smith, sir. Not for at least twenty-five minutes, I'm afraid… two area cars should be here in five or ten minutes though?"

"I would rather not wait," Giovanni said, grimly. "His wound was harder to heal than I expected… I can't guarantee that my spells will hold."

Dinah thought for a moment. She wasn't sure if her plan would work, but she figured it wouldn't hurt to ask. "Giovanni, can you teleport the boy and I to the hospital, but stay on site?"

He paused to consider the question, then nodded. "Not using the same method as before, but yes… you will need to be able to carry him while walking."

"I can do that."

He turned to Smith. "I suggest you have your control room alert the appropriate hospital."

"That would be Bristol Children's Hospital on St Michael's Hill," he told them, then raised his radio. "Cue Pee, Cue Pee, this is Sierra Charlie 2224, receiving over?"

"Sierra Charlie 2224 from Cue Pee… go ahead, over."

"Cue Pee, we've successfully removed an IC1 male, approximately one year of age from the ruins. Juliet Lima wants to transport him direct to Bravo Charlie Hotel for further assessment and treatment, over."

"Standby."

As they waited, Dinah moved over to a nearby tree and rested with her back against it.

"Sierra Charlie 2224 receiving Cue Pee, over."

"Go ahead, over."

"DCI Williams has authorised the transport, he will have someone meet them there, out."

Smith returned his radio to his overcoat, then nodded to Giovanni, who turned towards the largest piece of open space and then raised his arms in supplication. "Nepo a latrop ot Lotsirb Nerdlihc's Latipsoh!"

After a second or so, a golden disk appeared in the air in front of them, Giovanni considered it for a moment, then turned to her and nodded. "It's ready."

Without a word, Dinah shifted the boy in her arms and then walked briskly into the portal and disappeared from sight.

Dinah stepped out of the portal into a parking lot, and it closed behind her with a snap. After looking around for a moment, she spotted a sign for the 'Paediatric Emergency Department' and decided that that was as good a place as any to look for help and trotted towards the glass double doors carrying her burden.

She was passing an ambulance parked at the same entrance when the doors slid open, and a pair of paramedics came out wheeling a gurney. They spotted her immediately and the elder of the two - a stocky middle-aged man - called it in, while the younger of the two - a long-haired girlish brunette about her own age that introduced herself as Sandra - helped Dinah lay her burden onto their trolley.

They wheeled the trolley through the doors and were met a moment later by a gaggle of medical staff led by a no-nonsense woman with short brown hair and a man with sandy, curly hair. "What have we got, Andrew?"

"Not sure, Dr Samuels," he admitted. "We found them in the ambulance bay when we were on our way out."

Dr Samuels turned to her. "And you are?"

"Black Canary," replied Dinah. "I'm with the Justice League."

The woman nodded briskly. "What can you tell me about my patient?"

"Not much," Dinah admitted. "We pulled him out of the ruins of a cottage out in Godric's Hollow a few minutes ago. There was an explosion… my team-mate and the responding officer are still investigating that."

"Was he injured?"

"A small head wound that my teammate was able to close magically on the second attempt," Dinah confirmed. "He's calm enough now, but he was making a noise when we arrived."

Dr Samuels looked pleased at that. "I think we need to check him over thoroughly just to be on the safe side. Charlie, can you set up for x-rays… let's have head, neck and chest… blood gases…"

The group passed through into the resuscitation room and once the boy was transferred over, the paramedic pair drew Dinah out of the room.

"Let's get him booked in," said Sandra. "Do you know his details?"

"I know the address where we found him," Dinah replied. "Any more than that would be guessing until the team on-site finds out more."

Sandra made a face. "We'll make do."

Dinah was on her third cup of dubious hospital coffee when a middle-aged man in a doctor's white coat and a turban came up to her. "Black Canary?"

"That's me," replied Dinah, standing up stretching out her hand for a handshake, which the man returned.

"Balkar Qalhari, I'm the consultant here. I understand you brought in our young John Doe last night?"

Dinah nodded, "My team-mate Zatara and I helped the police pull him out of his ruined house."

"Well, I'm pleased to say you got to him on time," replied the doctor. "Other than the cut to his head, he doesn't appear to have any additional injuries."

"No concussion, swelling, bruising…?" clarified Dinah, puzzled.

"Nothing," confirmed the consultant. "He's free to go as soon as you find someone to release him too."

Dinah nodded, "Giovanni and some local detectives have been working on that over-night… we think that the dead couple we found in the ruins were his parents, so it might take some time…"

"I've notified Social Services," added Mr Qalhari. "But with the weekend it could take a day or two for them to send someone over."

Dinah nodded, SCCPS would have had the same issue. "Can you help here till then?"

Mr Qalhari nodded. "We're not busy, that shouldn't be a problem."

Dinah smiled. Her commlink beeped. "Go ahead."

It was Giovanni. "Can you leave the hospital? The senior detective wants to have a meeting on the case."

"I've just got a report from the consultant," Dinah replied. "Our boy's going to be fine, and they'll keep him in until either the police or social services can place him."

"Sounds good," replied Giovanni after a moment. "One of the team should be with you in a couple of minutes."

"I'll be waiting," confirmed Dinah, then turned back to the consultant.

"Unless there's anything else?" asked the man.

Dinah shook her head. "No, that's everything. We'll let you know if anything turns up at our end."

"As will I," confirmed Mr Qalhari and wandered off.

He had just gone out of sight when a red‑headed young man - about her own age but with Superman's height and build appeared, dressed in the cheap suit and tie - a dark blue number with narrow gold and cyan stripes - favoured by junior detectives the world over.

Probably a college tie, thought Dinah. "Are you my ride?"

The red-haired giant's face split in a boyish, friendly grin as he nodded. "T/DC Russell Ripley at your service, ma'am. You can call me Russ."

"Dinah."

"Any word on the boy?" asked Russ as the pair headed towards the exit.

"He'll be fine."

"Good morning, everyone," said the stocky man that sat at the head of the table. The senior detective appeared to be in his late thirties with prematurely greying hair and a wide, searching expression in a cheap dark suit with a blue tie with silver-and-black stripes. "I am Detective Chief Inspector Tomos Williams. The date is November 1st, 1981… this is the first meeting of Operation Stork, the investigation into the deaths of three unknown adults and the endangerment of a young boy - name as yet unknown - in Godric's Hollow, Somerset on the evening of the thirty-first of October."

Dinah took in the other people at the rectangular table as she sat down. On the opposite side of the table were two women in cheap suits, presumably other detectives - an elfin woman in her late twenties with silvery-blond hair that cascaded down the back of her suit and another a little younger, an inch or two shorter than Dinah herself, with deep-set brown eyes, chiselled features and ink-black hair that hinted some sort of mixed ancestry and a long scar that cut from her left eyebrow to the corner of her mouth that suggested she might have an interesting story or two to tell as well, with her driver taking the remaining empty seat on that side.

On her side of the table was her fellow Justice Leaguer, Giovanni; a short, narrow-faced man with a dark widow's peak, probably an ex-soldier; and lastly a woman that could have been her own double - save for the longer hair, a voluminous and nearly floor-length mane if she was any judge - in a conservative white suit and a pale blue blouse.

"Does anyone have anything to add?"

The ex-soldier nodded.

"Mr Pearce?"

"I've been consulting with my colleagues at the Shaw Building," said Mr Pearce. "And we believe that the third body… the man who was reported to you shortly before the explosion… is a known terrorist who goes by the name Lord Voldemort, real name unknown, who has been active within certain traditional communities in this country over the last decade."

"IRA?"

"No," replied Mr Pearce. "We believe his group is independent of the Irish paramilitaries and has other objective. I'm afraid that further information than that is classified at this time."

The SIO grunted in frustration at that but chose not to pursue the topic. "Do you have anything on the couple?"

Mr Pearce shook his head. "Nothing that contradicts the theory that they are the couple that owned the cottage."

"James and Lily Potter?"

Pearce nodded.

"Anne, do you have anything to add?"

"Not much," admitted the elfin blond. "I've a feeling that the closest neighbour - Bathilda Bagshot - knows something… but other than confirming that James and Lily Potter fit the description of the dead couple and that they had a son called Harry recently, she couldn't tell me anything more."

"Couldn't or wouldn't?"

Anne shrugged, "Hard to say, boss. She's ancient and pretty frail… according to village scuttlebutt she's over a hundred."

"So maybe she doesn't remember any more?"

Anne nodded. "It's possible."

"Holly, anything from the pathologist?"

"Not yet," replied the scar-faced woman. "They picked up the bodies about sunrise, but I haven't heard anything back yet."

"Check in with them after this meeting."

"Will do, boss."

"Mr Zatara?"

"The explosion was definitely induced," Giovanni reported. "Deliberate… not natural."

"Magical?" asked Williams.

There was noise from the other side of the table, Dinah glanced in that direction and saw that Pearce had stiffened at the second question.

"Possibly."

"By this… Voldemort?"

"That would be my assumption."

"Black Canary?"

"The boy has been cleared by the hospital. No injuries other than the superficial head wound."

"Good, good…. Anne, can you try and find out if there's any next-of-kin details for young Mr Potter?"

His deputy nodded.

"I believe I can cast a spell to answer that question, if necessary," offered Giovanni.

"I'd prefer to rely on conventional methods," replied Williams. "But I'll bear it in mind."

Giovanni nodded, nonplussed by the refusal.

"Well, if there's nothing else, I'll adjourn for the moment?" Nobody had anything to add, so Williams dismissed them, and Dinah rose to her feet.

"Dinah."

"Yes, Giovanni?"

"WDC Goldberg has had a couple of bunks set up for us if you want some rest?"

"I wouldn't mind… I'm a night-owl most of the time, but my body's telling me that I've been on the go since late morning and that it's about four am, so I wouldn't mind a nap."

"Follow me then," said her teammate and lead her out of the conference room and down the corridor.

"How's Zee?"

"She is well. My old friend Tong He Ping is looking after her for the weekend."

"I thought they don't get on?"

"They don't. It would not be a suitable arrangement long term."

"Have you decided what you're going to tell Batman about his proposal?"

"To give my daughter a glorified backstage pass to the Hall of Justice, so that she can hang around with a trio of hormonal teenage boys…"

"That's a no, then?"

"If he had a serious proposal, I'd consider it. But as it is…"

"I can understand that…" Dinah admitted. "I'll pass it on."

"Thank you," said Giovanni, then indicated a door. "This is us."

The tabby cat, who had been sitting on the wall outside Number 4 Privet Drive watching the comings and goings of the inhabitants all day, was diverted from her steadfast, unblinking vigil by a soft 'pop' that would likely have been unnoticed by any human ear nearby. She turned towards the sound, tail twitching and eye narrowed and was rewarded with a sight that was as familiar to her as her own but had never been seen on Privet Drive.

The man was tall, thin, and very old, judging by the silver of his hair and beard, which were both long enough to tuck into his belt. He was wearing long robes, a purple cloak that swept the ground, and high-heeled, buckled boots. His blue eyes were light, bright, and sparkling behind half-moon spectacles and his nose was very long and crooked, as though it had been broken at least twice. This man's name was Albus Dumbledore.

Albus Dumbledore didn't seem to realize, or perhaps he didn't care, that he had just arrived in a street where everything from his name to his boots was unwelcome. He was busy rummaging in his cloak, looking for something.

After a moment, he located what he was looking for - a device of his own making somewhat similar in appearance to an ornate cigarette lighter called the Deluminator - and activated it, zapping all the light out of lampposts nearby. It was only after he returned the device to his cloak pocket that he appeared to notice his audience, because he suddenly turned and looked at the cat, which was still staring at him from the other end of the street. The cat seemed to amuse him, as he turned to her with a small grin on his face. "I should have known that you would be here... Professor McGonagall."

In a moment, the tabby cat was gone.

In her place stood a slightly ruffled, but rather severe-looking woman who was wearing square glasses exactly the shape of the markings the cat had had around its eyes. She, too, was wearing a cloak, an emerald one. Her black hair was drawn into a tight bun.

"Good evening," said his deputy, a hint of warm in her tone briefly before it returned to briskness. "Are the rumours true, Albus?"

"I'm afraid so, Minerva," replied the headmaster. "The good… and the bad."

"And the boy?"

"Hagrid is bringing him here."

Anyone with the slightest acquaintance with Professor McGonagall would be able to tell from her expression that she was not pleased with this information, and several emotions flitted across her face as she discarded first one argument and then a second, until she lit upon a point that she thought she could and raise. "Do you think it wise to trust Hagrid with something as important as this?"

"Minerva, I would trust Hagrid with my life."

Professor McGonagall looked like she wanted to say more, but her attention was diverted by a low, rumbling sound overheard that gradually built into a roar as a huge motorcycle crashed out of the sky, slamming into a parked car, writing it off and scattering pieces of debris across the street.

The two professors were dumb with shock for a moment. Professor Dumbledore was the first to address the huge, bearded man who was now clambering to his feet, shaking his head. Apparently only a little the worse for wear. "Hagrid, at last. Where did you get that motorcycle?"

"Sorry abou' tha'," said Hagrid, eyeing the wreck. "Young Sirius Black leant it to me. Only, I've never ridden one before and I'm not exactly at me best at the moment…"

Professor Dumbledore was about to ask why his groundskeeper wasn't at his best, when he noticed something that filled him with dread.

Hagrid wasn't carrying anything.

"Hagrid, where's the boy?" demanded Professor Dumbledore. "Where is Harry Potter?"

The bearded man sobbed, "I couldn' find him… the muggles were already swarmin' around the wreckage by the time I got there, so I couldn' get close… Black turned up a few minutes after I did an' he was able to check the wreckage somehow… James', Lily's, and You-Know-Who's bodies were still in the ruins, but Harry was gone. The muggles must have moved him somewhere."

Professor Dumbledore's expression darkened, but once he removed a trinket from another pocket in his robes and consulted it, his expression lightened again. "Well, while I prefer to know where he's gone… he appears to be in good health, if somewhat distressed, so that will be sufficient for the present."

"Then we just give up on him?!" hissed Professor McGonagall.

"Not give up as such," Professor Dumbledore assured her. "However, public morale cannot survive such a quick reversal of our fortunes… everything must be seen to be normal, even if we keep up a covert search."

Professor McGonagall frowned, but eventually she nodded agreement.

"However, there is no further reason to tarry here. We may as well join the celebrations," declared Dumbledore, then turned and walked back down the street. On the corner he stopped and took out the Deluminator. He clicked it once, and twelve balls of light sped back to their streetlamps so that Privet Drive glowed suddenly orange, and he could make out a tabby cat slinking around the corner at the other end of the street.

After considering the two wrecked vehicles for a moment, he drew his wand and Vanished them. He returned his wand to his cloak and then approached Hagrid, offering the other man his arm. Hagrid accepted it and then with a louder pop than before, they were gone.

Back to index

Chapter 2: Storge, Part 2

Author's Notes: The Myriad of Possibilities Series primarily uses the background from the Harry Potter books, but some elements and scenes have been borrowed from other sources including the movies, Pottermore and my own headcanon, that will be covered where they fit into the narrative. The timeline of the DC Comics elements borrows heavily from Young Justice (2011) and may adapt elements and characters from the comics and several additional other media instalments - including but not limited to Smallville (2001) and Superman and Lois (2021) - and relocates events of Young Justice to the Eighties and early Nineties rather than the New Tens as screened and includes several 'legacy' and original characters as a result. Any other recognisable characters belong to their copyright holders.


This chapter and the following adapt 31.10.81 of Last Daughter of Krypton with some limited changes to accommodate new canon.


Thanks to mystic_magic88 and other members of the Caer Azkaban group for their help on this chapter.

The sun peaking though the blinds on their bunk room roused Dinah from sleep. After showering and dressing in the black leggings, t-shirt and sandals that she’d picked up from a local store the afternoon before, she made her way down to the canteen and got herself a large mug of coffee and a fried breakfast.

She was halfway through her breakfast when Giovanni joined her with his own tray and the rest of the investigation team – save for Harry Pearce and DCI Williams – appeared before the eight o’clock shift change and the group, led by Anne Wooster, trooped up to the incident room where the two remaining members of the team were waiting for them.

Once they were settled at the big table, DCI Williams – who wore the same dark suit and blue and silver-and-black striped tie that he’d worn the day before – opened the meeting. "Good morning, everyone. I am Detective Chief Inspector Tomos Williams. The date is November 2nd, 1981… this is the third meeting of Operation Stork, the investigation into the deaths of James and Lily Potter and a third unknown adult and the orphaning of younger Harry Potter in Godric's Hollow, Somerset on the evening of the thirty-first of October. Does anyone have anything new?�

Mr Pearce’s partner Dorcas Leigh spoke first. “The Shaw Building has forwarded CCTV to us that is relevant to the investigation.�

“Can you put it up?� asked Williams.

“Sure,� said the blonde and tapped a couple of buttons on the control panel in front of her.

The whole group turned towards the flatscreen that hung on the wall opposite DCI Williams’ seat, which flared into life a few seconds later.

The clip was short, a well-groomed, lanky, dark-haired youth was in conversation with another stockier, blond youth. Both wore long robes. Even without audio, it was clear to Dinah that both were highly agitated, so she wasn’t particularly surprised when the entire area was enveloped by an explosion that once it cleared appeared to have vaporised the stocky boy and left a dozen bodies littering the ground around his previous location.

The only survivor was the lanky youth who had collapsed to his knees and appeared to be laughing maniacally.

Moments later, several individuals – including a portly little man with grey hair poking out from under a lime green bowler hat – appeared around him and a pair of them took him prisoner, while others lead by Bowler Hat spread out amongst the remaining members of the public that were present.

The image paused.

“The dark-haired man is Sirius Black,� said Dorcas. “The blond is Peter Pettigrew, allegedly a friend of Mr Black.�

“They didn’t look that friendly to me,� noted Russ.

“Very true,� agreed DCI Williams. “I think we can assume that Sirius Black will be unavailable to take care of young Harry for the moment.� He turned to his second in command. “Anne, have you heard anything from Social Services?�

“Not yet,� she replied. “I’ll check in with Surrey Social Services after the meeting. I’m hoping that I can co-ordinate approaching Lily Potter’s sister Petunia by the end of the day.�

“Stay on it.�

“Holly? Anything else from SOCO or the pathologist?�

The chisel-faced constable shook her head. “The unknown male appears to have been killed by the explosion or at least simultaneously with the explosion… the Potters were dead before the explosion, although she is ruling it as suspicious.�

“Not particularly helpful,� opined Williams.

“I agree,� agreed the black-haired constable. “But it’s what we’ve got.�

A phone rang, and Anne pulled out a Q-Phone and answered it. “WDS Wooster, Avon & Somerset CID,� she answered, then paused for a moment to listen to the person at the other end. “Thank you for getting back to me this quickly… you want me to come down to Guilford…?� She looked enquiringly at her boss, who nodded encouragingly. “I’ll be there in about two and a half hours.�

“Meeting adjourned,� declared Williams and rose to leave the room, with the two operatives in his wake.

Dinah turned to Anne. “Can I borrow Russ? I want to go back to the hospital to check on Harry.�

She paused for a moment to consider, then nodded. “Stay in touch.�

“Will do.�

When she entered Harry’s bay, the three kids in the bay appeared to be sleeping and a man shrouded in a heavy, black hooded cloak was standing over Harry’s bed.

“Step away from the boy!� demanded Dinah. “Now!�

The stranger turned, and the hood fell back exposing a face framed by a long mane of grizzled, dark grey hair, that was unlike any Dinah had ever seen. It looked as though it had been carved out of weathered wood by someone who had only the vaguest idea of what human faces are supposed to look like and was none too skilled with a chisel. Every inch of skin seemed to be scarred. The mouth looked like a diagonal gash, and a large chunk of the nose was missing.

But her attention was almost immediately drawn to the hand that was coming out of the cloak. It was horrendously scarred and clutched a short, greyish-brown magical wand that he pointed towards her. “Stu-�

But before he could finish, Dinah took a breath and then blasted him with her Canary Cry, knocking him off his feet and slamming him into the wall with a thud and a sharp, wooden crack.

She immediately crossed the distance between them and once she was standing over him, she immediately kicked the wand from the half-conscious man’s hand, then salvaged a length of cable from the unused bed and uses it to bind the man’s hands behind his back as two nurses and a junior doctor eventually put in an appearance. “What’s going on?!� demanded the doctor, then relaxed as she recognised Dinah.

“I’m not sure,� admitted Dinah, as she started to check over the mystery man. “But I think this man was planning on either hurting or taking Harry.�

“What?� exclaimed the elder of the two nurses – a stocky, black-haired man– who rushed over to the boy and started to check him over. “He’s not waking up!� He turned to the other nurse. “Check the other two!�

The younger nurse – a slim, pretty blonde – nodded and rushed to check the other two kids, a flaxen-haired boy and a mousey-brown haired girl. “They’re not waking up either!�

The doctor shared a look with her nurses, “I want a full tox panel on all three.� Then she turned back to Dinah. “Is he carrying anything that might explain it?�

Dinah shook her head. “He doesn’t even have any ID, just a ‘magic wand’ and a wooden leg, now broken at the ankle.�

The doctor snorted but was interrupted before she could say anything more by a squad of armed officers led by a female sergeant storming into the room. Russ trailed behind them, looking nervous. “Report!�

“All clear, Sergeant!� Dinah replied. “We had an intruder, but I took him down.�

“Good, good….� said the sergeant. “Harris, Roberts, get him out of here!�

“Yes, ma’am!� confirmed the older of the two and moved to take the mystery man in hand. The younger nurse quickly produced a wheelchair which they loaded the mystery man into, and then wheeled him out.

Russ sidled up to Dinah. “Was this what you were expecting?�

“Something like it,� Dinah admitted. “Actually, it could have been a lot worse. We need to move him and soon.�

“I’ll let the boss know.�

The Bridewell,
Bristol BS1.
November 2, 12:55 GMT.

By the time they got back to headquarters after lunch, Dinah was asked to report directly to DCI Williams’ personal office.

When she entered the room, the two senior detective and Mr Pearce were waiting for her.

“Are we waiting for Giovanni?� she asked as she sat down in an empty chair.

DCI Williams shook his head, “While you were tied up at the hospital, he got a call from your headquarters and left for Gotham.�

“Did he say what happened?�

“Apparently his daughter was kidnapped.�

“Was anyone hurt?�

“Nothing serious,� replied Williams. “You don’t seem worried?�

“Not really,� admitted Dinah. “Zatanna’s been kidnapped before, she knows the score.�

“Really?�

Dinah nodded and paused for a moment to count. “I think this is the sixteenth time.�

“Sixteenth?!�

Dinah nodded again. “Although some of those were only attempts, not successful.�

Mr Pearce made a noise. “Can we get back to the investigation?�

“Of course,� agreed DCI Williams. “Anne, how did it go in…?�

“Little Whinging,� supplied the sergeant, and sighed. “Not well. Petunia Dursley made it clear that she wants nothing to do with…� She broke off and consulted her notes. “… I quote ‘that miserable little freak’.�

“Well, that’s not promising,� said DCI Williams.

Dinah nodded in agreement. “What do we do next?�

DCI Williams turned to Mr Pearce, “Do you have anything on the attack on the hospital?�

He nodded. “I do. It’s not good news.�

DCI Williams groaned. “What is it?�

“Well... as Black Canary guessed, he’s a wizard,� replied Mr Pearce. “His name is Alastor Moody.�

“Why is that a problem?� Dinah asked. “Is he with that terrorist you were talking about?�

“No, and that’s the problem,� replied the agent. “Officially, he’s employed by their government as a ‘dark wizard catcher’ in their law enforcement department…�

“And unofficially?�

“We believe that he unofficially reports to a member of their assembly, Albus Dumbledore, who is also the principal of their main school and somewhat famous as the man who defeated ‘Lord Voldemort’s’ predecessor, Gellert Grindelwald.�

Dinah wasn’t the ‘World’s Greatest Detective’ but even she got join the dots on that one. “So, not only do we have to worry about the bad guys… we also have to worry about the good guys as well.�

Mr Pearce nodded grimly. “Dorcas is with Mr Potter now, and I’ve got two more teams flying up from London. They should be on-site within the hour. I was hoping that Zatara would be able to cast that spell that he was talking about. However, we do have local magical assets we can call on, and I’ve dispatched two more agents to Liverpool to pick up one of them and bring him here.�

“How will that take?� asked DCI Williams.

“They should be landing soon as well,� reported the agent. “But they still need to find the asset and gain his cooperation. He’s not the easiest to find or biddable of people at the best of times.�

DCI Williams frowned. “Keep me informed.�

Mr Pearce nodded.

November 4, 16:46 GMT.

Dinah sat at one of the desks, waiting for the secure line to connect.

The screen flared into life and the monitor was filled with the face of Giovanni Zatara. What little that she could see of the background, suggested that he was in the Batcave. “Black Canary.�

“Zatara, how are you?� Dinah asked. “Have you found Zatanna yet?�

Giovanni frowned. “Yes, she’d been kidnapped by a puppeteer called Oscar Hampel and taken to the Stefanacci Museum in Hollywood. He’s been… dealt with. However, I would like to stay with Zatanna and make sure she’s okay.�

“That’s fine,� agreed Dinah. “We’ll manage at this end.�

“How is it going?�

“Not great,� admitted Dinah, regretfully. “Harry’s aunt emphatically turned down taking him in.�

“Does he have any other relatives?�

“Not close ones,� replied Dinah. “There’s another friend of the family, a schoolmate called Remus Lupin, but after the kidnap attempt at the children’s hospital, we’re a little hesitant to make contact.�

“I would agree.�

“Mr Pearce is working his sources to try and locate other candidates that aren’t as directly connected to the Wizarding World.�

Giovanni nodded. “I can understand that. Have you given any thought to my spell?�

“Mr Pearce wants to use a local mage.�

“Understandable. Do you know who?�

“Someone called John Constantine,� said Dinah. “Do you know him?�

“Not personally,� said Giovanni darkly. “But I heard… certain things.�

Dinah frowned. “Shouldn’t we use him?�

“He has some talent,� allowed Giovanni. “But I wouldn’t trust him, he’s a master manipulator and almost as dangerous to his friends as his enemies.�

Dinah paused. “Do you think Mr Pearce knows?�

“Almost certainly.�

Russ came up to her at that moment and tapped her on the shoulder. “DCI Williams wants to see you in his office.�

“Do you know why?�

“Apparently Mr Pearce’s consultant has arrived.�

“I’ll be right there,� said Dinah. “Giovanni, give Zatanna my best?�

“Of course,� agreed Giovanni. “Zatara out.�

Dinah’s journey to the chief inspector’s office was halted by the sight of two dark-suited officers – a tall, long-faced, athletic woman with a tight, black ponytail and a lean, bookish man with tufty black hair – frogmarching a blond man in a trench coat and suit down the corridor in front of her.

“What the bloody hell is this all about?!� demanded the blond man as he entered the office.

“A child,� replied Pearce as Dinah joined them. “He was orphaned at the weekend and appears to still be of interest to several potentially unscrupulous parties.� Spotting Dinah, he nodded to her. ““Black Canary, have you ever met John Constantine?�

“I haven’t had the pleasure.�

Constantine snorted. “I’m guessing that you’ve been talking to someone who has, lass?�

“Zatara,� confirmed Dinah. “He says I shouldn’t trust you, that you’re dangerous.�

“Well, he’s not wrong,� admitted the mage with a negligent shrug, then turned back to Pearce with a frown. “You’re talking about the Potter boy.�

“Yes. Is that a problem?�

“Not for me,� asserted the blond mage. “I’ve got no love for those wand-waving wankers on a good day.�

“Then what’s the problem?�

“The problem is that if even half of the rumours on my side are right then that boy has a Destiny. Even if I pull out all the stops, there’s only so much I can do against that.�

At this, DCI Williams and Harry Pearce shared a look, but after a moment the specialist nodded, then turned back to the mage. “That may be true, but’s the still an improvement over what we’ve got now. If necessary, adjustments can be made in the long term.�

“If you say so,� conceded Constantine with a sigh, then pushed back his sleeves, stepped forward a little so that his view of the flat-screen wasn’t blocked by either of his minders and took a stance that reminded Dinah of some of Giovanni’s more complicated set-ups. “But let’s get on with it… Cunina, Ecate, Providentia... Mostrami il miglior tutore per proteggere il bambino... Harry Potter!�

After a moment, a red spot flickered across the map, stopping briefly in the sea off the Scottish coast, then flaring in Sussex, then up in Wordenshire, then locking on to a location in London. After a moment, a photo of a vaguely familiar face appeared in a pop-up window.

Anne was working a tablet and beat Dinah to the identification by a breath. “Location confirmed, Isle of Dogs… the Second Law Innovations Building…�

“Do we have an ID?� asked the chief inspector.

“I know her… well know of her,� said Dinah. “That’s Lana Lang. She’s a friend of Superman.�

Second Law Innovations,
Isle of Dogs,
London E14.
November 4, 17:40 GMT.

“Can I help you?� asked the receptionist, apparently named ‘Roberta’ according to her nametag, as Dinah and Russ walked up her counter.

“I’m T/DC Russell Ripley, Avon and Somerset Police,� Russ told her, offering his warrant card for examination. “I’m looking for Lana Lang. I understand that she’s here.�

“One moment…� replied Roberta and keyed a series of commands into her computer. “Yes, she’s booked in to attend several of today’s presentations.�

“Could you have her paged?� asked Russ.

“Certainly,� agreed Roberta. “Is there anything else?�

“Are there any rooms nearby that we could borrow?� asked Dinah.

“Certainly,� confirmed Roberta, and pointed across reception to a bank of doors. “The second one on the right is available.

“Thank you,� said Dinah and headed towards it.

She and Russ only had time to settle themselves in comfortable chairs in the side room before a pretty, red-headed woman in an olive skirt suit and fashionable black heels presented herself at the reception desk and was directed to their side room by Roberta.

“Black Canary?� she exclaimed as she entered and recognised Dinah. “What’s wrong, is Cl…?�

“No, no…� Dinah replied. “Have a seat.�

Once the redhead was settled, Dinah introduced Russ and continued. “Do you have any contact with the Potter family?�

Lana seemed a little surprised at that question. “A little… Aunt Nel and Uncle Phineas…�

“What about the British Potters?�

Lana frowned. “No, I assume that there are British Potters, as it’s a common name...�

“There are,� Dinah confirmed. “Although they’re a little rarer now.�

Lana’s face fell. “What happened?�

“Zatara and I responded to a large explosion in the South of England at Halloween,� Dinah began. “We pulled fifteen-month-old Harry Potter from the rubble. His parents were dead.� She removed a photo from her jacket and passed it to the redhead. “His only close relative – an aunt – categorically refuses to take him in, unless we force her too, and we don’t think that’s a good idea even if we can…�

Lana nodded. Forcing people to do things like that rarely ended well.

“And his godfather, the only other guardian of record, was arrested on murder and terrorism charges earlier today.�

“So, even if he’s declared innocent, you’d think twice about placing him there either.�

“That’s right,� agreed Dinah. “Which means we’re in a bit of a bind… and we’re hoping that you can help.�

“Of course, if I can.�

“Once we found out about his godfather, we had John Constantine cast a spell to find ‘his best guardian’ and your name came up.�

Lana paused for a moment; she wasn’t entirely sure that she’d heard what she thought she had. “You want me to adopt him?�

Dinah nodded. “It’s an unconventional option I’ll admit… and even if you say yes, there could be problems with the paperwork but…�

“My similarities to his mother will make it easier for him,� said Lana, nodding at the photo that she still held.

“Yes.�

The silence stretched into several minutes, and Russ was starting to fidget when she glanced up again, her resolve clear now. “What do you need me to do?�

California Airspace.
November 6, 16:55 PST.

“Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking… We will be landing at Starling Airport in five minutes. Please stow all baggage and return your tray tables to their upright positions. Thank you for flying Windsor Airlines.�

Dinah had just finished doing so when the seat belt light flared into life.

Starling Airport,
East Gary,
Star City,
CA 93940.
1705 PST.

When Dinah cleared customs and emerged into the baggage claim area, Ollie was waiting for her.

When he spotted her, his face broke into a grin, and he strode towards her. “Dinah! You made it!� he exclaimed as they shared a hug.

“I need to go back soon,� Dinah admitted, breaking the hug and allowed him to take her carry-on bag. “But they’ve got things under control for the moment… you know what I’m like with the computers and paperwork?�

To her surprise, Ollie resisted the temptation to comment. “Are you ready to eat? I got us an early reservation at Seagrass.�

“My favourite,� said Dinah with a grin. “Lead the way.�

1710 PST.

Ollie parked his hatchback outside the restaurant and then they crossed the parking lot to the door of the restaurant, arm in arm.

“Welcome back, Miss Lance,� said the maître d and ushered them towards a prominent table. “Always a pleasure.�

“Thanks, Divyesh,� replied Dinah as she sat down. “Is anything particularly good today?�

The Uttarakhandi man looked conflicted for a moment, then replied. “For you, I recommend Aloo Gobi…�

“Sounds good,� agreed Dinah.

“I’ll have a Vindaloo,� interjected Ollie. “The chicken…�

“Very good, Mister Queen,� agreed Divyesh. “Anything else?�

“Just a mango juice for me,� said Dinah. “Ollie?�

“I’ll have some of the jalapeno bread and Soder Cola.�

“Very good sir. I’ll have your drinks brought over straight away. The food will be about twenty minutes.�

“That’s fine,� said Ollie, then when the maître d was out of earshot, he turned back to Dinah. “So, what actually happened in England?�

“Well, you know about the explosion we detected from the Watchtower on the thirty-first?�

Ollie nodded, “You and Zatara teleported down there and found the kid in the ruins…�

“Yeah,� Dinah agreed. “I took him to the hospital in Bristol to be checked out, while Giovanni liaised with the local emergency services.�

“Is he okay?�

“He’s fine,� Dinah confirmed. “After the hospital, I hooked up with the taskforce that was investigating the attack… We contacted his next-of-kin, his mother’s sister, but she refused to take him. While the taskforce was investigating other options, Giovanni had to come back here to save his daughter from a kidnapper…�

“She’s doing fine, by the way. Not that you’d know from how he’s behaving…�

“That doesn’t surprise me,� noted Dinah. “Well, anyway… the local version of the DEO brought in a mage called John Constantine – who has something a mixed reputation – and he cast a spell to find a new guardian.�

“Sounds good.�

Dinah nodded. “My driver and I picked her up and brought her to the hospital to meet with his social worker, who asked about her prospects, bona fides etc… She eventually agreed that she’d transfer to her paper’s London office until the next year so that the social worker could do a more detailed assessment.�

“Will he be safe there? You mentioned before that you had concerns?�

“We did,� Dinah agreed. “And we’ll all be a lot happier when they’re back in the States. But for now, they’re set up in an apartment on Cherry Tree Lane in London. Which apparently has a somewhat infamous… minder… that passes through occasionally and deals strictly with anyone who ‘misbehaves’.�

“You make her sound like some sort of community nanny.�

“Exactly,� agreed Dinah, then changed the subject and asked about what he’d been up to while she was away.

Their meals arrived a few minutes later and they tucked in, finishing in plenty of time to get to the theatre before curtain-up.

Back to index

Chapter 3: Storge, Part 3

Author's Notes: The Myriad of Possibilities Series primarily uses the background from the Harry Potter books, but some elements and scenes have been borrowed from other sources including the movies, Pottermore and my own headcanon, that will be covered where they fit into the narrative. The timeline of the DC Comics elements borrows heavily from Young Justice (2011) and may adapt elements and characters from the comics and several additional other media instalments – including but not limited to Smallville (2001) and Superman and Lois (2021) – and relocates events of Young Justice to the Eighties and early Nineties rather than the New Tens as screened and includes several 'legacy' and original characters as a result. Any other recognisable characters belong to their copyright holders.

Further research has revealed that on Young Justice (aka Earth-16), Star City is located in California not Washington State as it was in the Arrowverse. Some references have been adjusted accordingly.

Thanks to Mira Black-Snape and the members of the Caer Azkaban group for their help on this chapter.

 

Back to index

Chapter 4: Storge, Part 4

Author's Notes: The Myriad of Possibilities Series primarily uses the background from the Harry Potter books, but some elements and scenes have been borrowed from other sources including the movies, Pottermore and my own headcanon, that will be covered where they fit into the narrative. The timeline of the DC Comics elements borrows heavily from Young Justice (2011) and may adapt elements and characters from the comics and several additional other media instalments – including but not limited to Smallville (2001) and Superman and Lois (2021) – and relocates events of Young Justice to the Eighties and early Nineties rather than the New Tens as screened and includes several 'legacy' and original characters as a result. Any other recognisable characters belong to their copyright holders.

A/N: Further research has revealed that on Young Justice (aka Earth-16), Star City is located in California not Washington State as it was in the Arrowverse. Some references have been adjusted accordingly.

A/N: Thanks to Mira Black-Snape and the members of the Caer Azkaban group for their help on this chapter.

The sun was just sinking below the horizon as Monarch Airways Flight 385 touched down on the runway and taxied to the terminal to allow its passengers to disembark. Dinah didn't hurry off the plane, so most of the passengers had already left by the time she gathered her belongings and moved to leave the plane. After clearing customs, she headed towards the baggage claim where she was met by Mr Pearce, the honey-haired junior field officer who had worked on the initial investigation.

"Black Canary, I hope you are well?"

"I can't complain," Dinah admitted. "And you?"

"I'm fine," replied the older man. "Miss Lang has your room set-up at their safehouse."

"Are you sure that's okay?" asked Dinah. "I can get a hotel room if it's a problem?"

"Miss Lang says that its fine…" Mr Pearce assured her. "… and I would prefer it."

"Let's go then."

Mr Pearce turned off the main road and onto a narrower, two-lane street lined with trees. After several more turns, he turned towards a wider road with a heavily wooded park on one side and a long line of majestic row houses on the other. As he turned, Dinah glimpsed the name 'Cherry Tree Lane' on a sign on one wall of the intersection, after a few seconds he pulled to a stop. "We're here."

They got out, then retrieved Dinah's bags from the trunk of the sedan and they walked up to the front door of Number Seventeen. Pearce glanced over the entry panel and stabbed a button about halfway up.

After a few seconds a slightly tinny version of a familiar voice issued from the unit. "Yes?"

"It's Harry Pearce, Miss Lang," he replied. "Black Canary is with me."

"Come on up," replied Lana.

A buzz and a mechanical clunk signalled the opening of the building's front door.

The two visitors took the hint, with Dinah in the lead and Pearce behind her. Once they were inside, the older man pushed the door lightly and allowed it to fall closed, then indicated the main stair. They climbed to the second floor and Pearce moved to a door marked '17B' and knocked on the wooden surface.

Lana opened the door almost immediately, a smile on her face. She nodded to Pearce and then motioned for them to enter. "Dinah! It's good to see you!"

"Thanks," Dinah said. "I went to come and visit before now but with classes, the League, helping Mom at the shop I've just been too busy…"

"It's okay," Lana assured her as she ushered them inside. "Dinner's almost ready if you're interested?"

Dinah nodded. "Where can I put my bags?"

"In here will be fine," said Lana, opening the second door on the right of the corridor, exposing a generously appointed guest room. "I've set up in here for you."

"Thanks," said Dinah. "I'll do that and join you…"

"We'll be in the great room," finished Lana. "It's at the end of the corridor."

"Understood," Dinah said, then after accepting her second bag from Pearce, she broke off from the group and entered the guest room and closed the door.

She emerged from the guest room a few minutes later and headed towards the big room at the end of the corridor. As soon as she entered the room, a boyish voice broke the silence. "Auntie Dee… you're here!" exclaimed young Harry, who was sitting at the dining table in the kitchen half of the room. He quickly slipped off his chair and began tottering towards her. "You came!"

Dinah crouched down towards him and swept him up in a hug. "It's good to see you too, sweetie. I'm sorry it took so long, I've been busy."

"That's okay," Harry told her. "Uncle Clark told me all about it when he came to visit. I liked my bus."

"I'm glad you liked it," Dinah told him, then lowered him back to the ground and began to guide him back to the table.

By time they had finished dinner, the toddler was starting to flag, so Lana took him off for a bath and bed, while Dinah, Mr Pearce and Harry's 'babysitter' -- eleven-year-old Sarah Brookes -- settled down in the sitting room half of the great room.

"Well, how's it going?" Dinah asked. "Are we ready for the hearing tomorrow?"

"We've had a couple of incidents," replied Sarah. "Bert scared off a tramp who was paying a bit too much attention to Harry for his liking… and the some of the Bird Woman's pigeons intercepted a 'cat' that was trying to get close to him in the playground."

"Where either of them magical?" asked Dinah, worried.

"I'm not sure about the tramp…" replied Sarah but stopped at a cough from her supervisor.

"My sources have been able to confirm that the tramp was a wizard by the name of Mundungus Fletcher," added Pearce. "He's a known petty thief and minor con artist…"

"So,he's probably not with the Ministry of Magic then?"

Pearce nodded. "That's my thought. I'm not certain which of the other two factions he belongs to… although as the cat appears to have been Minerva McGonagall, a registered Animagus -- cat shapeshifter to you -- employed at Hogwarts School, it's more likely that both are Dumbledore loyalists like Alastor Moody was…"

"But with two incidents in less than a week, you're worried."

It wasn't a question, but Pearce nodded anyway.

"Well, if tomorrow goes according to plan, he'll only be your problem for a few more days."

Pearce's expression made it clear that he was looking forward to it.

"Good morning, Mr Pearce," replied the pretty, blond woman about Dinah's age who answered Mr Pearce's knock at Number Seven. "You can come straight through… my father is ready for you."

Dinah couldn't be sure, but she had sneaking suspicion that while the judge was ready for them, he wasn't entirely happy about the affair.

"Good morning, Miss Morton," replied Mr Pearce. "Is Mrs Parker here yet?"

"She arrived a few moments ago, Mr Pearce," confirmed the blonde, stepping aside so that the group could file through, Pearce in the lead, then Lana with Dinah herself bringing up the rear. "She's in the sitting room putting together her notes, I'll go and get her once you're settled."

Mr Pearce nodded. "Does she need any more time to prepare her side?"

"I shouldn't think so," replied the blonde. "I believe she's just making sure everything in the right order. Follow me."

Mr Pearce complied without comment and the rest of the group of followed them down the corridor until they reached their destination.

A reply of 'come in' was issued in response to her knock and they entered the study, which was dominated by a huge oak desk which a middle-aged man sat. He gave the impression of someone who had been fairly active in his youth, but that age had somewhat taken a toll on physically though not mentally.

"Mr Pearce and party, Dad," confirmed Miss Morton. "I'll go and get Mrs Parker."

"Thank you, Joanne," replied her father, then turned to Mr Pearce. "Good morning, Mr Pearce."

"Good morning, Sir David," said Mr Pearce. "It was good of you to accommodate our request for change of venue."

"Indeed," replied the older man. "I'm entirely happy about it, rather irregular but I understand there are security concerns?"

"Yes, Sir David."

"I'll want details of that," grumbled the judge.

"We anticipated such a need, Sir David," confirmed Mr Pearce. "The concerns in question are one of the central pillars of the case."

The judge nodded.

Before he could continue, his daughter returned with Harry's social worker. "Good morning, Mrs Parker."

"Good morning, Sir David."

"Are you ready to proceed?"

"Yes, Sir David."

"In that case, if everyone can take their seats, we can get started," said Sir David. Once his daughter had taken her seat behind a stenography machine and the others were also seated, he continued. "For the record… I, Mr Justice Morton, will be presiding over this hearing; also present is Mrs Phyllis Parker of Surrey Social Services; Black Canary of the Justice League; Mr Harry Pearce, Strange Happenings Executive; and…" he paused and looked at Lana meaningfully.

"Miss Lana Elizabeth Lang," completed Lana.

"Thank you, Miss Lang," said Sir David. "Today I will be hearing submissions on the adoption of Harry James Potter by Miss Lang."

He paused for a moment, looked down and sifted through a few papers. "Black Canary, according to your written report, your involvement began on the evening of the thirty-first of October?"

Dinah nodded. "At 17:56 Eastern Standard Time or 22:56 local time, the Justice League's monitoring system picked up the explosion and Giovanni Zatara and I teleported to Godric's Hollow to investigate and assisted the responding officer…"

"That would be…" interrupted Sir David, then consulted his files, "… Special Constable Jacob Smith, collar number SC 2224, Avon & Somerset Police?"

"I believe so, Sir David," agreed Black Canary. "Giovanni was able to remove one survivor -- later identified as Harry James Potter -- from the ruins and sent the boy and myself to the hospital for further observation."

"Thank you, Black Canary," said Sir David, then turned to Mr Pearce. "At this point, you and your partner were called in?"

"Yes, Sir David," confirmed Mr Pearce. "DCI Williams mobilised a major incident team based at the police headquarters, and we joined him there after assembling what little information that we had that might relevant. By the second, we'd confirmed that there were no further survivors and that the single survivor was Harry James Potter so we started to investigate possible guardians for the boy…"

The judge nodded, then checked his notes. "Your initial options were his godfather, Sirius Black, and his maternal aunt, Petunia Dursley nee Evans, is that correct?"

"Yes, Sir David," confirmed Mr Pearce. "They were only individuals with any legal claim for the boy's guardianship."

The judge turned to the social worker. "Mrs Parker?"

"Yes, Sir David?"

"I believe you were included at this point?"

"Yes, Sir David."

"And you agreed with their conclusions?"

"Yes, Sir David," she confirmed. "Perhaps unfortunately neither of them proved suitable."

"Indeed, that would have been simpler," mused the judge. "Mr Black was jailed on murder and terrorism charges?"

"Yes, Sir David," interjected Mr Pearce. "Our information is incomplete, but my organisation's analysts were able to source CCTV to support the former."

"And Mrs Dursley…?"

"I have had no direct contact, Sir David," Mr Pearce admitted. "But I understand from WDS Wooster and Mrs Parker that she was quite definite not want anything do with the boy."

The judge nodded. "Mrs Parker?"

"That's true, Sir David," confirmed the older woman. "Her exact words were: 'You can send him to Timbuktu for all I care, but I want nothing to do with the freak!'."

"That's… definite… indeed," agreed the judge.

"Yes, Sir David," she said, evenly. "To be honest, her reaction concerned me so much that I made a few inquiries about her treatment of her own child…"

"Really?" said the judge, interested.

"Nothing actionable as yet, Sir David," she admitted. "But my team and I will be keeping a general watch on the situation."

The judge nodded; his curiosity apparently sated for now. He turned to look at Dinah. "It was around this time that the kidnapping attempt occurred?"

"Yes, Sir David," she replied, speaking for the first time in a couple of minutes. "A man called Alastor Moody teleported into the ward that Harry was sleeping in, drugged him and the other three infants, and we believe was about to remove when I arrived and stopped him."

"Were any of the children harmed?"

"No, Sir David. He must have used very small doses. According to the ward staff their vitals remained within normal limits, and by the time most of the results of the samples were back they'd already awoken." Dinah paused for a moment to collect her thoughts. "However, this did mean that DCI Williams and Mr Pearce were eager to move him out of the hospital and into a more secure location, which meant finding another guardian. My team-mate, Giovanni Zatara, had suggested casting a spell to help with that the day before, but he'd been called back to the States on personal business, so Mr Pearce provided an alternative."

"John Constantine, Sir David," supplied the officer in response to an inquiring glance from the judge. "According to my notes, the spell specifically asked: 'show me the best guardian to protect the child… Harry Potter!' A number of options were considered, but the spell evidentially settled on Miss Lang."

The judge turned to face the red-headed woman. "And you agreed to this, Miss Lang?"

"Yes, Sir David. He was a little stressed at first, but we're getting on pretty well now, I think he's looking forward to the move to be honest."

The judge nodded. "You're currently employed as a reporter for the Daily Planet? Temporarily based at the London office?"

"Yes, Sir David," Lana confirmed. "The initial plan is to say with my old classmate Clark Kent in Metropolis while I finish up a couple of assignments for the paper. Then I'll be contacting the manager of the local bank in my home-town who gave me a standing offer of a loan officer job a while ago and taking that up instead. Clark's parents and my aunt have agreed to help out with babysitting if I need it."

The judge nodded to himself and turned to Mrs Parker. "Do you approve of this arrangement?"

The matronly woman sighed. "It wouldn't have been my first choice, Sir David. However, the boy appears to be happy in Miss Lang's care and I agree that he's excited about the move, so given the ongoing security concerns I agree that it's probably the best option."

"I'll need your full written report."

"I have it here, Sir David," Mrs Parker extracted a slim cardboard folder from her stack and offered it to the judge.

He accepted the folder, opened it and scanned it briefly. "Thank you." He turned to Mr Pearce. "Can you elaborate on the 'ongoing security concerns', Mr Pearce?"

"Yes, Sir David," confirmed the officer. "Moving out of the hospital gave us some breathing space, but there were two attempts in the last week to approach the boy for unknown purposes. Both were foiled with local assistance, but I fear that will not last…"

"Understood," said the judge, then checked his bundle and extracted a single sheet. "I have an application here for a change of identity for the boy?"

"Yes, Sir David," Mr Pearce confirmed. "At least two of the parties involved have government contacts in America, changing Mr Potters identity here and sealing the records will make it harder for them to track him down."

"Mrs Parker?"

"I have no objection."

The judge paused. "I had… concerns… when I was first approached about the case. We have specific procedures in this country for adoptions and any deviation from that raises serious issues. However, after reading the reports and hearing testimony I agree that the proposed option is best one available under the circumstances, so I am prepared to issue an interim order authorising his removal to the United under the proposed alias and the guardianship of Miss Lang. Mrs Parker, you will liaise with Mr Pearce's organisation to produce a dossier to be forwarded to the relevant authorities in the United States who will be responsible for the final determination."

"Yes, Sir David," chorused Mrs Parker and Mr Pearce.

"Joanna, do you have everything?"

"Yes, Dad."

"Then we're adjourned," declared the judge.

"Xièxiè, dàshū," said Dinah, then closed the channel and headed for the door.

"Did you have any luck?" asked Lana, as she exited the guest room. "Or are we going to have to chance Heathrow?"

Dinah smiled. "Uncle Wu has some contacts that specialise in covert general aviation, they're going to meet us at Biggin Hill at 12:45 and fly us from there."

Lana returned her smile, pleased at this information. "It'll be good to get home."

"That's the last bag," declared Mr Pearce and slammed the trunk of his car closed, and he and Dinah returned to the apartment where they found the two Langs still caught up saying goodbye to Sarah. "We need to get going, ma'am."

"I know," sighed Lana. "Time to go, Hank."

"Okay," agreed the young boy tearfully. "Bye bye, Sarah!"

"Bye, kid," replied the young girl, then she broke away from the little boy and stood up again. "I'll finish tiding up here and then head back to the Shaw Building."

Mr Pearce nodded. "We'll debrief tomorrow at 09:00."

"Understood, sir."

Mr Pearce nodded again and turned to leave again. Lana picked up Hank and followed the officer out of the apartment and down to the street with Dinah herself following behind. Once at the car, Mr Pearce hurried to get behind the wheel. Dinah opened her own door but stayed outside to keep watch on the street as Lana buckled Hank in his child seat and then joined him in the back.

Once the Langs were settled, Dinah slid into her own seat and slammed the door behind her. "Let's get out of here!"

Mister Pearce had already started the engine and the wipers were furiously trying to keep the windscreen clear as he eased the car away from the side-walk and into the sparse lunchtime traffic.

Mr Pearce's credentials and the paperwork from the judge allowed the group to pass smoothly through the terminal. There were several planes out on the tarmac, but it even with the light rain and cloud, it didn't take them long to find the sleek blue Wayne Aviation Slipstream that was their target.

A woman that – save for her flight jacket and curlier hair - could have passed for Lana's twin stood at the top of the stairs waiting for them and descended help them unpack the car.

"Is everything ready to go?" asked Black Canary. "The weather won't be a problem.

The woman gave her a look. "Our scheduled take-off isn't for another ten minutes, but we're prepped and ready to go before that, if necessary," she paused. "Even a regular plane wouldn't have problems with this weather and Slipstreams can fly through hurricanes… Everything's fine."

"Let's hope so," growled Mr Pearce.

The woman shrugged. "It's been pretty quiet lately; I could do with some excitement."

Lana frowned and Dinah felt a slight tinge of dread at that moment and looked up, scanned the flight line and terminal and then -- satisfied that there was no immediate danger -- returned to her task.

Despite Dinah's momentary paranoia, everything went according to plan, and they took off ten minutes later.

Exactly on schedule.

Lana beamed and jogged over to him, then he folded both her and Hank into a three-way hug which he held for several moments.

Once the two adults separated -- Hank continued to hang on and Clark indulged him -- Dinah joined him.

"Everything was okay?" Clark asked.

Dinah nodded. "I think Harry Pearce was glad to see the back of us."

Clark looked a little surprised for a moment, then nodded. "Do you have to be anywhere?"

"Not really," Dinah admitted. "Not unless there's an emergency."

"Then let's head back to my apartment first," Clark suggested. "I think that this little man needs a nap and some food. Possibly in that order."

"Food sounds good to me," agreed Dinah. "I had a couple of snacks on the plane but…"

"I've got a hotpot, so there should be plenty."

"Ma's?" asked Lana, hopefully.

"I'm getting close..."

"If you say so, Clark," teased Lana, then shuddered a little. "Well, I suppose it can't be much worse than some of your early attempts twenty-five years ago."

"That was twenty-five years ago!"

"That's my point."

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