Live as one of them, Kal-El, to discover where your strength and your power are needed. Always hold in your heart the pride of your special heritage. They can be a great people, Kal-El, they wish to be. They only lack the light to show the way. For this reason above all, their capacity for good, I have sent them you... my only son...
HARRY POTTER
SUPERMAN
THE NEVER ENDING BATTLE
Chapter 1: The Return
Ron Weasley sighed as he glanced around the crowded bridge. "I still don't see why we have to be here …" Ron grumbled as he stood with Ginny and Neville. "The war was over six years ago, why do we have to always show up for these things?"
"Because Harry would want us to," Ginny responded with an out stuck tongue to her brother.
"Figures, he goes off and disappears and leaves us to roast in the spot light…" Ron rolled his eyes, getting an elbow from Neville.
"What … oh sorry Gin …" Ron said noticing his sister's downcast eyes.
"It's ok, Ron," Ginny smiled and nodded. "If Harry was going to come back he'd have been back long ago…"
"DADDY!" Ron turned just in time to catch the small five year old Red Head who threw herself into his arms.
"Hey, Rosie," Ron ruffled Rose's hair, before glancing up at Hermione. "Thought you said you couldn't make it."
"And miss seeing the christening of Harry's bridge? Not likely," the ever bushy-haired Hermione replied joining the group. "So did I miss anything?" Hermione asked giving Ron a quick peck on the cheek.
"Other than the guest of honor still MIA," Ron whispered so Ginny couldn't hear them before speaking up normally, "nothing but bunch of self-proclaimed important people talking."
"You know as well as I do Harry always hated his popularity," Hermione said glancing over the crowd, stopping at every dark haired wizard her eyes came across looking for the familiar glasses and lightening bolt scar. "He probably even hates the idea of a bridge being named after him."
"Can't say I blame him about the spot light," Ron shook his head, shifting the five-year-old to his hip. "And a bridge isn't as creepy as a library, I mean honestly Hermione Granger Public Library? I pity Diagon Alley …"
"It's a nice library with constantly updating selections," Hermione defended, "I'm personally honored that it bears my name." Hermione said planting her fists on her hips. "As for Harry, he'll come home when he's ready to come home. Concidering what he's been through, I can't hardly blame him for wanting to get away…" she said glancing up to the eastern sky.
"If I could have your attention please," Minister Shacklebolt said loudly into his wand. He glanced around the gathering on the newly completed bridge leading to the expanded area of Diagon Alley then up to the Security Aurors hovering above them. "I would thank you all for coming out with us this fine day. Especially our special guests, lets all lend a round of applause to the heroes of the Battle of Hogwarts!" He said motioning where Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Neville stood."
Hermione blinked rapidly when Ron quickly passed Rose back to her mother, and bowed dramatically to the applauding crowd. "Can't blame him about the spot light, can you?" Hermione asked with a quirked eyebrow.
"Don't like it, but might as well run with it," Ron winked and smiled childishly.
"When it was brought to my attention that it the expansion of Diagon Alley would require a bridge, and that it would be my duty to name it," Kingsley continued on his speech. "I felt it should be named after the one who brought our world together in peace at long last. That is why I now officially dub this bridge, Harry Potter …What?" He gasped an invisible wave of ice coldness washed over him, and over everyone in the crowd.
"Mommy … I feel funny …" Rose whimpered from Hermione's arms. Hermione and Ron glanced to one another, then watched in shock as the broom-riding wizards began to literally fall from the air.
"Hang on, Wingardium Leviosa!" Ron called out pointing his wand to the falling Aurors, but nothing happened at all. "What the Bloody …" His curse was interrupted as the bridge shook and loud explosions from beneath them shook the foundations of the bridge.
The bridge began to tilt and parts began to crumble. "Ron!" Hermione called out as she lost footing and she and her child began to fall toward the broken ledge.
"Hermione!" Ron called out getting a hand hold and reaching for them, managing to grab the bushy haired witch's sleeve. "Hang on!"
"Hermione, help, you're slipping …" Ron grunted as the sleeve began to rip. "NO!" He called out as the cloth tore and she fell from down the deeply slanted bridge.
Hermione screamed before she used her free hand to grip a broken piece of cobblestone. But the impact jarred her grip on her daughter. "Mommy!" Rose screamed as she fell away from her mother.
"ROSE!" Hermione screamed as she watched in terror as her child tumbled over the edge down into the deep crevice. She couldn't bear to watch her only child die, so she turned away with her eyes tight. Had she continued to watch she would have seen a split second flash of blue and red shoot downward toward the falling child.
Rose let out a scream followed by a 'humph' when she was scooped up by a pair of strong arms. "Don't worry, little one, I've got you."
"You got me?" Rose blinked first looking to the odd symbol on the man's chest, then up to his twinkling, emerald eyes. "Who's got you?"
"My baby …" Hermione cried as she leaned against the slanted broken bridge, barely fighting to hold on. "My sweet baby …"
"Mommy!" She heard and her eyes widened in shock. She turned quickly to see her daughter cradled in the arms of a man who seemed to be literally standing on air. He was dressed in a form fitting blue and red suit, red boots, and a long flowing red cape that to Hermione looked like angel wings at the moment. On his muscular chest was a symbol, partly hidden by the girl held tightly, but it seemed to be a diamond shape with a curved line through it forming an S and she mentally noted it was bore Gryffindor colors. All rational though halted when she finally saw his face, and the eyes she would know anywhere.
"I've got you," He said as he hovered toward her, placing his free arm around her waist, lifting her from the bridge.
Ron watched in awe as he too just barely recognized the man who was literally flying toward him. Hermione brought Rose to her chest as the flying man handed Hermione and the girl to Ron. "Can you hold them?" he asked his eyes staring deep into Ron's.
"Y-Yeah, yeah I can, mate." Ron nodded as he gripped Hermione and Rose to him tightly.
"Then hang on tight for a moment," he said before flipping backwards into the air and flying back underneath the nearly falling bridge.
He hovered under the bridge for a few moments before placing both hands on the bottom, using uncanny strength to lift the bridge and the many people hanging onto it. He brought it level where the damaged supports were back touching. "That should do for now …" He said before looking at the broken supports intensely. A moment later his pupils turned red and the broken stone pillars began to bubble and melt. Once they had melted together he took a deep breath and blew with the force of a hurricane, cooling the near magma-level stone.
Ron helped Hermione to her feet before he was tightly hugged by his sister, before she turned to Hermione and Rose. "Is everyone alright?" the caped man said as he flew back up and landing besides the confused and worried Kingsley.
Everyone seemed to nod, before the hero turned to Ron and Hermione. "Are … you three alright?" he asked glancing to the two of them, his emerald eyes shinning in concern. Ron nodded numbly, which earned a small smile from the 'stranger'. The smile faded when he saw Ginny and Neville embracing tightly.
"If that's all …" He said preparing to take to the air again.
"Wait!" a voice called from the bridge, as blond headed woman ran toward him. "Luna Lovegood, Quibbler, who are you, do you know why everyone's magic seemed to have stopped working, and how did you do all that?"
"It seems to have been related to some bombs, someone intentionally tried to sabotage this event," he said planting his hands on his hips, "As for why magic seemed to not be working, I couldn't tell you, but my magic was also effected by whatever caused it."
"If your magic was affected how could you still fly and repair the bridge?" Luna asked not letting the green eyed man get away.
"That wasn't magic, Ms. Lovegood," he smiled good-naturedly, "I'm certain the expert witches and wizards at the Ministry will determine the source of the phenomenon in due time."
"You still haven't told us who you are?" Luna pressed.
"Me?" He asked starting to hover in the air. "I'm just a friend." he said before lifting his arms and gracefully soaring into the air.
"He was a regular super man," Rose spoke up from Hermione's side.
"Super man?" Luna repeated, a smile growing on her face. "Perfect! Hey … my magic's back!" She said noticing her quick quotes quill was working again.
Ron glanced from his daughter before looking up the way this 'Superman' flew away. "Hermione?"
"I don't know … I don't know what happened to our magic … I don't know what happened to him … how he could do all that …" She whispered, tears forming in the corners of her eyes, before she glanced to the redheaded wizard at her side. "All I know is he's home."
---
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry hadn't changed hardly any since he was last there. "Oh, excuse me," the man whispered as he dodged a group of students moving through the hall. He awkwardly pushed his glasses up on his nose as he glanced around the hallway, before smiling and continuing on to the Headmistress' chamber.
He stopped at the gargoyle and glanced around before whispering the password. "Albus Dumbledore." A moment later the Gargoyle slid aside revealing the stairs to the office.
He smiled as he saw Headmistress Minerva McGonagall with her nose buried in books and papers. "Can I help you? If it can wait I'd appreciate it, as you can see I'm …"
"You're always busy, Professor," the familiar voice rung through the chamber causing the old woman to freeze in her actions.
"Oh my …" She gasped, looking up to see the man standing still in the doorway. "My word … Harry … you're home?"
"Not really sure about that, but I am here and not planning on going anywhere else for a while," he gave a tight smile.
"Did you find what you were looking for?" McGonagall asked walking away from her desk.
"I … I know where I came from … I know what I can do …" he said walking toward the newly reborn Phoenix in the ashy cage. "But I still don't know what or where I truly belong …"
"Albus often talked about home, what it is exactly, the concept of it…" Minerva said staring intently at her former prized student who she now considered a son. "He said home is the easiest attained but hardest to see thing in the world. If you look for it you're likely to never find it, as it's often right under your nose the whole time. It's always there, waiting for you to stop looking and finally accepting its existence."
"Knew we'd find you here," a voice spoke from the office entrance. Harry barely turned to see them when he felt a pair of arms and the familiar wad of strawberry scented bushy hair was pushed into his mouth. He looked over Hermione's hair to see Ron standing there with a broad smile on his face.
"Um … hey …" he said awkwardly as Hermione continued to hold on to him, trembling slightly.
"It's about time you got back," Ron said walking toward him. "And how can you fly around and show your face in public while wearing spandex and a cape?"
---
"Why didn't it work?" a man asked as he stared at the damaged but still standing bridge. "My field should have stopped all magic … how did he do it?" he asked out loud as he watched worker-wizards performing repairs.
He glanced down at the newsstand and the new issue of the quibbler that was just dropped out. "Superman saves bridge," he read out loud. "Ok, Superman, if you want to play Hard Ball, we'll play Hard Ball."
He rolled up the newspaper and walked off without paying the newsstand anything.
To Be Continued
Disclaimer- Harry Potter is owned by JK Rowling, Superman is the property of DC Comics
A/N: I know there are a lot of questions, why did Harry disappear for five years, what happened between the last chapter of Book 7 (epilogue excluded) and the events of this chapter, who was the man behind the bombing of the bridge, and how did he cut off magic? All that will be explained and then some in due time. Also I am aware Superman has a vulnerability to magic. I am going to play on the theory that the reason Clark Kent is weak to it is that he does not understand it, thus cannot properly protect himself from it. Harry on the other hand will not have that disadvantage, to what extent will come in future chapters. More soon!