Chapter 23

Chapter 23: Decryption Part One.

Back in the spring of 1980, two lone figures walked across a bridge somewhere in the United Kingdom. They were two women, and they moved with a purpose. One woman had dark red hair and vibrant green eyes dressed in black robes. The other woman had blonde hair with grey eyes, and she was dressed in blue robes.

They walked in silence, before one of the women began to speak.

"So, this is it, it has begun," the blonde woman said in a calm, collected tone of voice. She had a demeanor that indicated that very few things bothered her. "You are now pregnant with Death's chosen."

The redhead shook her head, and pulled a face. "Isis, I'm trying not to think of him as that. He is my son, no matter what his destiny is."

The woman offered Lily a consoling smile and a nod.

"I know Lily, but he could be the key to mysteries that humanity has been trying to unlock since life itself began," Isis said. "Harry will be a special young man and one who has the ability to change the world."

"How did you know I was going to name him Harry?" Lily asked in a shocked voice.

Isis just smiled her mysterious smile. She seemed to see the world in an entirely different light. Lily found her friendship endearing and refreshing. Growing up in the society that she did, there was no such thing as friends. Any relationships were only a resource that could be cultivated into something that benefitted their rise to the top.

Isis was the only friend she felt she had that was not inherited from her husband's circle. Sure Remus, Sirius, and Peter were all nice, but they weren't strictly her friends. She enjoyed a decent relationship with them, but if it was not for James, they might not have been a big part of her life.

"Just call it instinct," Isis told Lily, and she turned around. "You regret making the deal, don't you?"

Lily sighed. Isis once again had hit the nail on the head. She was always blunt, and had a knack of saying things that were true, no matter how offensive they might be.

"I regret it in the sense that Harry's going to suffer for it, and he's going to be gifted with a power that has corrupted and twisted every single other person who has acquired it," Lily said, and she closed her eyes. "You and I both studied the matter. Salazar Slytherin did not become twisted and demented until Death chose him as one of her heralds. The power caused him to be the paranoid nutcase history choses to remember him as. The other three founders had to put him down."

Lily shifted herself to the side. She sighed at the very thought of her son being remembered as being a pariah.

"If you had to make the deal all over again, would you?" Isis asked.

"I would still make the deal, but not for the reasons that I did," Lily said. "I just hope that everything works out well. I'll do everything I can to make sure Harry is ready, and understands what he needs to do. I just hope he can find it in his heart to forgive me when the time comes, or at least understand everything I had to do."

Lily took a deep breath. She knew that she was going to have to do some things that in the end, she'd regret.

"I don't want my son to become evil. I just want him to do what he can to aid the traveler in achieving his destiny."

"Harry will not be alone," Isis told Lily in a gentle voice. "He will have the help of his soulmate. She will be waiting for him. He will find her."

Lily seemed unconvinced, but she just shrugged.

"Rose had to suffer because of this entire mess, Petunia won't speak to me, not that we had the best relationship to begin with," Lily commented. "And my parents…well does it make me a monster when I was relieved that Voldemort's Death Eaters killed them?"

Isis turned to her friend. She seemed unwilling to answer that question Lily posed.

"Voldemort will be after the traveler you know," Isis said.

"It won't happen," Lily said, but she seemed absolutely terrified by that possibility. "It can't happen! Riddle's twisted, depraved. He will use the traveler to destroy everyone in his path. He will enslave the world if he could tap into that kind of power."

Lily took a deep breath.

"If I die, you need to make sure Harry understands what he needs to do," Lily added. "Do not let him be swayed by any other party. He needs to understand that he needs to do for his mission regarding the traveler. The traveler needs to be protected at all costs until the moment where he can rise."

Isis nodded. She understood her responsibilities. She would have to keep an ear out for anyone from the Muggle World finding out about the traveler. Then she would decide how to assist Harry from there.

"We both could die over this, you know," Isis said. She talked about her impending death as if she was discussing the weather.

"Yes, these secrets are dangerous," Lily agreed, and she drew in a deep breath. "But the secrets we're trying to uncover behind Project: Genesis are something that is going to cause us even more trouble. If the project is completed…"

"I know," Isis interrupted her. "The three Unspeakables behind it are the key. Rookwood, Dixon, and Caruthers, they are working on this project, and keeping it under-wraps. We both work in the Department of Mysteries, and we can't even get a hint of the project."

"Nor, will you."

Lily and Isis spun around in surprise. They saw a scarred man with grey hair, and bloodshot eyes standing on the hill. He had a white hooded robe on, and he raised one hand. Both women had been flung backwards and pinned down onto the ground.

The man hovered over Isis and Lily, and offered them a crooked smile.

"Lovegood and Potter, you two nosy little bints have stuck your nose in our business for the last time," the man said.

"Sorry, I've always been too nosy for my own good," Lily said, struggling underneath the invisible force that shoved her down to the ground. It was powerful. Even her most powerful charms could not break the invisible bindings she had been put in. "What did you do to yourself, Dixon?"

Dixon offered her a crooked smile, and continued to hold her into place.

"I've evolved," Dixon said nastily. "I don't need a wand to perform magic."

"Good for you, you want a cookie?" Lily deadpanned.

Dixon growled.

"I'll remove that diseased tongue from your mouth, Mudblood!"

Isis and Lily tried to fight back out, but they were held to the ground, pinned down by the invisible force.

"I've offered myself up as the first test subject, the first of many, a new Genesis of magical prowess," Dixon said. "The Muggle World will wither and die. They will all perish, and the magic users will inherit the world, just like it is supposed to be. We won't have to hide from Muggles anymore, because there will be none!"

"Caruthers and Rookwood used you as a test subject," Isis commented lightly.

"Yes, and they have given me powers beyond all measure!" Dixon yelled, and the air cackled around them. "All I need to do is look at the Muggles, and they'll wither and die!"

Isis and Lily realized the perilous predicament that they were in.

"You do realize that you're only the prototype don't you?" Lily asked. "And how you're body parts will be harvested to fine-tune the procedure. Congratulations, Dixon, you're the lab rat. Shows how much your partners think of you, doesn't it?"

"But you three aren't the independent agents, there's someone higher up running the project, isn't there?" Isis asked.

Dixon considered them for a moment, but he nodded. The nasty expression never left his face.

"For a Mudblood and a blood traitor, you two know too much for your own good. The Dark Lord sends his regards, and his regrets that he could not finish you off himself."

"Does Riddle have you pick up his dry cleaning and get his groceries as well?" Lily asked, unable to resist baiting the Death Eater. "Maybe you give him a nice little foot rub after he tortures kittens."

Dixon was about to swoop in for the kill, but suddenly a spell shot at him. The Death Eater dropped to the ground. He clutched his head, and screamed in pain. He tried to regain his bearings, but then his eyes glazed over. They became blank and unresponsive. It was much like he had suffered an aneurysm or a stroke of some sort. The magic overloaded his brain.

Isis and Lily managed to pull themselves to their feet. Breathless and shaken up, but they were alive.

"What just happened?" Isis asked, finally breaking the silence.

Lily looked at her friend. An idea formed in her head. Quite frankly she could scarcely believe it herself, but she had to give in some consideration.

"I think Harry saved us," Lily said quietly.

"Your future son, who you are three months pregnant with, saved us?" Isis asked her, a bit bemused at this.

Lily just sighed. Her friend did not believe her. "You think I'm crazy…"

"No, I don't think you're crazy," Isis said delicately. "But you might want to keep that theory from other people. If the wrong parties find out that Harry is capable of doing accidental magic before he is even born, then he'll be a subject of the Department of Mysteries the moment you deliver him. Providing they wait that long."

Lily felt revolted at the thoughts of what those vultures would do to her son. She had to keep this quiet at all costs.

"He's extraordinary," Isis added.

"Of course he is," Lily said. She smiled. "He's my son."

The two women hovered over Dixon, and they saw his unmoving form. He was breathing, but there were no signs of movement. His eyes remained bloodshot, and unfocused. They ensured that he would not follow them.

"We can't be seen here," Lily whispered.

"Agreed," Isis told her. "What's Riddle up to with Project Genesis?"

Lily had no idea, and that's what scared her. The Ministry was utterly clueless they were leading the entire world to their own damnation, and would not have the slightest idea until it was too late.

They erased all traces of their presence, and left the brain dead form of Dixon to be found some time later.

In the year 2008, the motionless form of Richard Dixon twitched, and his eyes flickered open.

"Revenge," he whispered in a raspy voice.

His body began to glow, and his eyes rolled into the back of his head. Several solid light holograms popped out of them, and began to track any living blood relatives of Lily Potter for revenge.

Their secondary objective was to capture the traveler, and destroy him if necessary.

The white robed figures began their trek across the world.

The arising would come.

The Shining Light Foundation opened its doors back up, with new guests being brought in the New Year. Harry and Kara made their rounds back in the morning. Claire seemed despondent that she had to return to the usual grind, instead of spending a great deal of her time with Harry and Kara. She tried to maintain a happy face, and Harry reminded her that it was important for her to obtain an education, to live somewhat of a normal life.

With any luck, Claire would be getting a huge surprise before too long. He hoped to have it ready for her eleventh birthday in February.

Right now, Harry and Kara continued their work of piecing together several mysteries. They were closing in on them, but Harry had a feeling that there was a chance for snags in the future.

"All we have to do is find the two keys, and whatever the Veritas Society has locked up about Clark, and make sure anything doesn't fall into the wrong hands," Kara said. "We nearly got all of the pieces together."

"I can't help, but think there are a few puzzle pieces missing," Harry said. "I was hoping there would be something in the Department of Mysteries that could help us. Luna's mother was an Unspeakable, and she was a part of Veritas, but I suppose that she kept those two parts of her separate."

Kara placed her hand on Harry's comforting him without words. They were in this together. Their mission as Heralds of Death was to give the traveler the assistance he needed to achieve his destiny. Harry uncovered every single bit of information that could about Veritas and about the traveler in general, but he knew he was missing something.

"No matter what, we can't let certain parties put two and two together," Harry said.

Kara nodded. She knew certain parties to mean one Lex Luthor. Harry kept a close eye on him after Lex was digging into Harry's past. The young man had no idea to leave well enough alone, and his obsession would be the downfall of him yet.

The intercom came to life before Harry could finish these thoughts.

"Mr. Potter, Lex Luthor has arrived, he has requested a meeting with you at your earliest convenience," the receptionist said.

Harry paused, considering his options.

'Speak of the devil,' Harry thought.

"Bring him to conference room five, and tell him I'll meet him in fifteen minutes," Harry said.

"Of course, sir," the receptionist said.

Somehow he knew this visit was not for an idle chitchat. Harry placed himself behind the main computer, and continued to try and crack the beacon that had been picked up. It was fired off around the same time Hermione had made her "return from the grave". Best he could tell, there were three distinct points of origin.

The gravestone in Godric's Hallow was not the only thing that came to life. There were two other beacons that had been fired off, and Harry was getting close to pinpointing the signal and also unscrambling a cryptic message that had been picked up by his computers. Hermione had activated them, apparently from inside the library.

Harry sighed. This was getting to be a problem. These powerful beacons presented a potential headache, as the backwash hurt both Heralds. Adding on top of that were the fifteen immortals that Harry and Kara located during a routine scan of the fabric of life the other night. Tracking them down and dealing with them would be easier said than done. Then, in addition to that, there was the shit-storm that came from Project: Genesis.

"Dead end?" Kara prompted, when Harry threw his hands up in the air in frustration.

"Unfortunately," Harry said. He reached around, and gave his fiancée a hug and a kiss goodbye. "I'll be back, better see what Lex wants with me."

Harry exited his office, and made his way to the elevator. He knew security would keep a good eye on Lex, but having him in his building made him a bit unnerved. Harry thought about the past few months, and what he might have done differently knowing what he knew now. There was no need to go over it again.

The doors swung open, and Lex sat and waited for him. The bald man surveyed Harry with a smile.

"Harry, I just heard the good news, about your impending nuptials," Lex said conversationally. "Congratulations."

Harry very much doubted that Lex was here to offer him his congratulations about his impending nuptials to Kara. He just nodded politely, and waited for the real reason for Lex's little visit to come to light.

"Clark's cousin, well perhaps now that you're practically part of the family, you'll be able to unravel the enigma that is Clark Kent," Lex said. He looked at Harry, a knowing expression on his face. "That's why you're here isn't it, to unravel one of the biggest mysteries in Smallville?"

"What do I owe the pleasure of the visit, Lex?" Harry asked, deciding to get straight to the point.

Lex offered a bit of a dry grin. "Straight, and to the point, and not even bothering for the pleasantries, well I doubt I could expect anything less from someone who has been as busy as you have as of late."

He cleared his throat.

"A few weeks ago, I had taken a business trip, to indulge a curiosity of mine," Lex said. "You see, I've been trying to unravel the mysteries of the universe, and I came across quite the curious looking gravestone. The marking on it was strange, I was wondering if you could identify it."

Harry looked at Lex. He did love how Lex conveniently left out the fact that the only reason why he came across that particular gravestone, was because the man was sticking his nose where it did not belong. For now, Harry played his game, because he had no idea how much Lex knew. Lex picked up a folded piece of paper, and put it out in front of Harry.

"Do you know what it is?" Lex asked.

"I believe that's a triangle," Harry dead panned.

If Lex was rattled by this dismissive statement, he did not show it. Harry waited for him to continue.

"Yes, but the triangle is only part of a symbol, a circle and a line down it, I believe it means something," Lex said. "The question is, what does it mean? I have a feeling that it unlocks the answers to a universal truth that many men and women have been searching their entire lives for. The secrets of the universe that they can only dream of holding in their hands, is within my grasp."

Harry looked at the symbol, acting like he feigned casual interest.

"I have only been able to locate the symbol in one other place, and that was scrawled on the wall of an abandoned prison in Germany," Lex continued. "When I touched the symbol on the gravestone, I felt every moment in my life flash before me. It was a sign, that I was destined for something."

"I'm at a loss to explain why the symbol did what it did," Harry said. "But perhaps there are some things that man was never meant to tamper with."

"True, but it's worth the risk when humanity hinges in the balance," Lex said, and he paused, before he added. "Months ago, I had a near death experience. I was rescued from the brink. I've thought about it since, and I feel that I have been given a chance to save humanity. To protect them from threats that they cannot, no matter what the means are. And I feel that in many ways, you have the same potential."

"How do you figure that?" Harry asked.

"We do seem to be cut from the same cloth many ways," Lex said. "We're dedicated to our cause, and are driven. There are many who will mistake our intentions as being less than noble, but we really are doing what is for the greater good of the world."

"You really have it figured out, don't you?" Harry asked Lex.

If Lex noticed the sarcasm in Harry's voice, he did not let on.

"The point I'm trying to make is we can do a lot if we work together," Lex said. "Our resources together would change the world. Just think about the people we could help, and how humanity would be much more secure. It would be a business arrangement that no one could stop."

Harry was floored by this offer. He had no idea what Lex's game was, although he suspected that there were some less than noble intentions that were involved. He remained on his guard, but Lex avoided making eye contact. Trying to get a fix on someone who avoided eye contact past a casual handshake was something that made his mental probing extremely difficult.

"Your offer is intriguing," Harry said. He struggled with the best way to say, "no" in the most diplomatic manner possible. "But I…"

"I couldn't ask you to make a decision right now," Lex said, waving his hand. He slid back in the chair, and a smile crossed his face. "Just think about it. You know how to get in touch with me. Remember, the fate of the world may hinge on how you answer."

Harry watched Lex get to his feet and walk off without another word. The truth was that if he thought he could gain any benefit whatsoever from the deal, he would play along. Harry was not opposed to making a business arraignment with a Luthor if it served some purpose that could advance his goals.

He did not need to read Lex's mind to figure out that his obsession with the Veritas Society remained strong. The information Harry managed to obtain from Lex's computers proved that much, and the younger Luthor was getting more desperate. He was almost certain that Lex could have potentially followed the paper trail to the Evans family and thus back to him if he went down the right avenue.

Harry waited until Lex was off the premises. He went off to share the information with Kara, and see if she made any better headway than he could with the decryption of the message. The beacon would be the key to figuring out what the truth behind Hermione's recent reappearance was, even if Harry was certain that he had a good idea himself what really happened.

Clark zoomed at super speed, but he saw Lana standing in the distance, waiting for him. She had her arms folded, and tapped her foot impatiently. She saw Clark, who seemed exasperated that he lost the race. And it was by a much larger margin this time it seemed.

"Either, you're getting slower, or I'm getting faster," Lana said with a grin. "It depends on what one you want to believe."

Clark shook his head. "Lana, I almost beat you this time."

"Clark, I don't know what race you were watching," Lana said, and she placed a hand on his. "But it isn't the one we were racing in, I don't think. Maybe you were distracted by all of my dust you were eating."

"Lana, that race was…okay yeah you won," Clark said. He did not have it in him to argue. "I still don't know you could, but you did. The stops could use a little work."

"I didn't almost crash into anything this time," Lana said to Clark. "I don't know what Harry did when he allowed me to keep those powers, but they seem a bit stronger than I thought they would be."

Clark raised an eyebrow. "Are you complaining?"

"No, I can actually pull you out of trouble, instead of vice versa," Lana said, and she shook her head. "I'm getting the heat vision down, and I know I can use the X-Ray vision fluidly."

It was at this point she was staring at Clark immediately, and Clark stepped back.

"It's not like I'm looking at anything that I haven't already seen," Lana said, and she pushed Clark back against a wall of a warehouse. "These powers could be the beginning of something."

"Well, we'll worry about that later," Clark said, but he turned around deep in thought. He had something else on his mind right now.

"Clark, what is it?" Lana asked.

"Just thinking about everything that happened, about the thing Harry told us about," Clark said.

The last couple of weeks had been eventful to say the very least. Not that they had not been eventful in the past. The news that had been given to them over the last couple of days sunk in slowly with Clark and Lana. Right now, they were walking outside. The snow had melted partially, showing evidence of a slightly warmer, but still cool day.

"That was a shock," Lana admitted. "Imagine what it was like for Harry when he found out."

Clark had to agree.

"I always thought that there was something mysterious about Harry, but Kara, she was a surprise," Clark said. "She's here, and she's the one tie that I have to my past that hasn't tried to kill me."

It was true. In the past, the survivors of Krypton had fatal intentions for Clark, and that was putting it mildly. Clark looked up into the sky, and closed his eyes.

"What are you doing?" Lana asked.

"Trying to fly," Clark said. Despite his best efforts, he remained grounded. "There's something holding me back…and I'm not sure if it's completely the entire fear of heights thing."

Lana had been lightly teasing Clark about the entire lack of flying thing, but she saw that he looked rather distressed.

"It'll come when you're ready," Lana said. "There must be a good reason why you haven't tapped into those powers. I don't know why, it's easy. Just like taking a breath, it's an instinct."

To demonstrate her point, Lana shot off into the air. She did one lap around the wooded area that she and Clark stood at. Clark watched her. Once Lana circled one full time, she swooped down and scooped Clark up in her arms, before she flew forward into the air.

"Lana," Clark said in a reproachful voice.

"Sorry, but that never gets old," Lana said, as she did one more lap with Clark in her arms, before she dropped him down to the ground, and playfully pinned him against a tree. She pressed her lips onto Clark.

Clark's mind shut down for a brief second, before he relaxed, and then became rigid.

Lana pulled back. "What is it, Clark?"

"What if someone sees us?" Clark asked.

"We should be able to hear them long before they come," Lana argued, and Clark paused.

That was actually a good and sound argument. Lana resumed her activities. She was relishing her new strength. Clark found her eagerness both exciting and a bit intimidating.

Lana broke her activities, when they heard a noise. Clark and Lana crept over, and heard footsteps in the distance. He could have sworn that he saw a figure dressed in a white robe, but all he saw was a couple walking, with skies.

"Just skiers," Clark replied.

Clark and Lana rushed forward, and made sure there was no one in the distance. Instinctively, Clark flinched when he saw a green meteor rock on the ground. It took a while to get used to the fact that those were no longer his weakness.

"I bet that's a weight off your shoulder," Lana said, almost as if she got a sense of what Clark was thinking. "The Kryptonite is everywhere; I never really noticed that until now."

"How didn't you notice?" Clark asked.

"Well, I noticed, but I never thought it was that much," Lana said, and she looked forward. She spotted a truck. "Clark, exactly how much can you lift?"

"A lot," Clark replied. "I didn't actually test it, or anything, but I'm sure it's a lot."

Clark picked the truck up over his head, to demonstrate what he was talking about.

"See," Clark said.

"Impressive," Lana said, with a genuine smile. "But can you lift a building, or even a train?"

Clark looked thoughtful about this. His powers had increased since the first time he had used them. He wondered what his limits were, or how long his powers would grow. Maybe he should ask Kara if she had any ideas, but that was something that was another discussion for another time.

They looked at a train.

"Go ahead, try and lift it," Lana said to him. She saw Clark's look of reluctance, and added, "Unless you don't think you can."

Clark stepped over to face the train. "I think I might able to oblige you."

He grabbed onto the train, making sure no one was around. He bent his knees, and tried to lift the train off the ground. He managed to lift it, just barely. It took a great deal of concentration for him to hold it up, and eventually, he lost his balance. He set the train back down on the tracks, and Lana watched him.

"Getting a bit out of shape, Clark?" Lana asked, but Clark used his X-Ray vision to check the train.

"It's got some heavy cargo on it, to be fair," Clark said.

Lana took a look at the train.

"Yeah, but I thought that you would be able to lift it up, no problem," Lana said to him.

"With all the cargo, it must weigh several tons more than the actual train," Clark argued, and Lana looked at him. "It's not like you could do it. You're just coming into your powers."

Lana looked back at Clark. She enjoyed a challenge. She walked over and studied the train.

"You're really going to do it?" Clark asked. "Lana, I could barely lift it, what makes you think you can lift it?"

Lana stepped over, and closed her eyes. She gritted her teeth.

"Don't forget to lift with your legs, not your back," Clark joked. "You know, Lana, if you can't lift it, that's…"

The train was lifted off of the ground by Lana. Clark watched, mouth a gap.

Had Clark been paying a bit closer attention, he would have noticed a slight glow emitting from Lana's hands.

"That doesn't look that hard," Lana said, and she lifted up, with the train. She carefully balanced it, not dropping it. She set it back down on the tracks. "Maybe you should be eating your Wheaties."

"Okay, that shut my mouth," Clark said.

'What did you do, Harry?" Clark thought.

"I wonder what else I can do," Lana said thoughtfully, and she stopped, before turning around to face Clark. "Race you back home."

Lana zoomed off, splashing Clark with slush, and Clark was left gob smacked for a few seconds, mouth hanging open, before he followed her. At least she was getting the handle of her new powers, and being able to use them safely.

Later that morning, Harry was hard at work on the beacon. His phone rang, and he answered it immediately, wondering who could be calling him at this time.

"Yes, hello," Harry said.

The voice of Lionel Luthor responded on the other end of the phone. "Good day, Mr. Potter. Quite the eventful morning you have, haven't it?"

"One could say that," Harry said.

"Yes, and my son extending an offer for an alliance, I should have seen it coming," Lionel said. "He's been digging quite extensively into your past, and he seems obsessed. He's got the delusion into his head that he saw a young boy in a cupboard underneath the stairs, and that young boy was you."

"One would call that delusion, yes," Harry replied, keeping his voice even. "We both know that if your son thought he saw something, than he won't rest until he gets the answers that he's looking for."

"And the symbol that he located on the gravestone, I trust he asked you about that," Lionel replied.

"Yes," Harry replied in confirmation. "I'll tell you the same thing I told him. I know nothing about that symbol."

"Ah, one would get the impression that you know far more than you are implying, Mr. Potter," Lionel responded.

"Depends on what you're implying," Harry said.

"I've done my due diligence, and I'm certain Lex has, of the mysterious number of deaths that have occurred in the United Kingdom over the past fifty or so years," Lionel said.

"Careful, Mr. Luthor, you don't want to imply anything about me," Harry replied in a warning voice.

"Believe me I'm not, but you are far from ignorant from the matter of who might be behind," Lionel said. "And I've picked up a mysterious beacon from Great Britain. I'm sure Lex and others might have picked up on it, even if they have been preoccupied with matters further in the stars. If they get a reason…"

Harry cut Lionel off immediately.

"I know what you think they're after," Harry said. "People are saying that it's coming from the graveyard in Godric's Hallow, where my parents are buried."

"They do say that, but they're wrong," Lionel said. "It's not coming from the graveyard, but rather it originates from within a library."

Harry frowned. This was not news to him.

"Curious as to how you have come to that conclusion, Mr. Luthor," Harry said.

"Well, we all have our ways," Lionel said. He suspected that this was something else that Harry Potter figured out. "The fact of the matter is that beacon could open up a Pandora's box, and you may have a devil of a time shutting it."

Harry's mouth curled into a smile. A Pandora's Box was a good description of what the Ministry had intended to open up based on what he found out about Project: Genesis.

"And this has to do with the architect behind it, a Miss Hermione Granger," Lionel said. "I don't know if you have met, but I believe she went to a boarding school in Scotland much like you. It could very well be a coincidence, or a conspiracy."

"Hermione Granger is dead," Harry replied in a flat and emotionless tone of voice.

"Well, I met her, and she seemed living and breathing, if confined to one area," Lionel said.

"She's dead," Harry repeated in a stoic voice. He continued in a cryptic tone of voice. "It's a game that even the Luthors cannot comprehend. Someone is trying to pull the strings, but I for one am no one's puppet."

"Good for you," Lionel replied swiftly. "But despite not being anyone's puppet, there are people who will always attempt to maneuver you into that role, and fix strings upon you."

'I'm sure you know all about that, Luthor,' Harry thought to himself.

"Thanks for the warning," Harry said. "You can sleep soundly knowing that I have my eyes wide open, and I know what I'm dealing with."

The Hermione he knew died ten years ago. There was someone, or something else wearing her face and having access to her memories. Harry was convinced of this, but whatever game was being played, he needed to keep playing along.

"It's remarkable that you're covering for your friend, and yet so utterly blind of who pulling her strings," Lionel added.

"Will that be all?" Harry asked dismissively, as if he did not hear Lionel.

Harry figured out who was controlling "Hermione", and she was behind what happened with the Fortress. She broke her word to him, but what was her game this time?

"Yes, that will be all, have a good day, and don't take anything my son says at face value," Lionel answered.

Harry got a sense that Lionel had a shrewd idea what Harry might have found out, but he was not about to verify what he knew to the elder Luthor. Trust was given to those who he earned it, and Harry was not about to be swept up into whatever game of chess that both Luthors were playing with each other.

He stepped forward, and Kara was waiting for him.

"Ready to go?" Kara asked him.

"In a minute," Harry said. "Here's something that alarms me. Lionel Luthor knows about the Hermione situation."

Kara looked unsettled about this news.

"We didn't tell anyone about it," Kara said slowly.

"Lionel is annoyingly resourceful," Harry said. "If Lionel knows, Lex might find out, and I don't know what he would do. Especially given the ties the Grangers have to Veritas. Both are trying to figure out what the death symbol means, and that could mean disaster."

Kara and Harry sat together. Both were about to plot their next move, but suddenly a message came through.

"I don't believe it," Harry gasped, and Kara turned to him, a look of surprise in her eyes. "I picked up something tangible from the beacon. Something other than a series of beeps, just listen for yourself."

Kara did so. Both Harry and Kara sat side by side. A ghostly whisper of "the arising will come" could be heard. Harry tried to zero in on the whisper, and try and determine if there was anything else tangible from it.

He got nothing, nothing other than the whisper. The same forwards four words had been looped and they spoke the same cryptic whisper.

"I don't know what it means," Harry said.

"It could mean anything, or it's a hint for something else to come," Kara said. "It's tied in with this Project: Genesis and it's a warning of things to come. Of a danger, far greater than anything either of us had dealt with before."

Harry looked at her, and nodded. She spoke a lot of sense. He had been so fixated on Veritas that he did not even think of another threat sneaking in in the backdoor.

"That might be it," Harry said.

"This is unsettling, with how vague it is," Kara stated, but Harry tried to listen again.

"There are numbers being whispered in between the words, I need to slow it down just a bit," Harry said.

"Numbers can be important," Kara said. She frowned, deep in thought. "But what do they mean?"

Harry wrote down the numbers as he got them once he slowed down the recording. Twenty, Thirteen, and Eighteen were the numbers, in that order. He frowned, and studied them intently.

"Thirteen is one of the three most magically powerful numbers and also represents misfortune," Harry said. "The other two numbers, I have no idea what they mean, if anything."

"We'll figure out, together," Kara said in an encouraging voice. Harry looked tense, and a bit stressed out. She began to rub the back of his neck, and shoulders, relaxing him. "Harry, don't worry about it until later. You've been working too hard."

Harry tried to protest, but he conceded Kara had a point. Claire was still in school, so Harry and Kara were able to check out of the Shining Light Foundation, and make their way to the Kent Farm all by themselves.

"Just put it out of your mind for a little bit," Kara said, and she leaned forward, and kissed Harry on the lips. "Everything's going to work out for the best. We have plenty of time later. It could be nothing."

"Or it could be something," Harry said.

"Later today, we'll find out what it means, for sure," Kara said, and she grabbed Harry by the hand. "Clark and Lana should be home."

"We better knock first, we won't want to walk in on anything private," Harry said, and Kara responded with a nod. "What about…"

"We'll tell them later, once we know more," Kara said, and Harry grabbed her head. The two popped away. They landed outside of the Kent Farm.

The two floated towards the door. Kara reached the door first, so she knocked. The door opened, and Clark stood behind it. His expression brightened when he saw Kara and Harry.

"Harry, Kara, what a nice surprise," Clark said. He had not seen them after the night that they dropped the bombshell about their roles on him. "Come in and…"

"We will, thanks," Kara said. "So how are you and Lana doing?"

"We're doing fine," Clark said, but he seemed to be a bit preoccupied with something. "Lana's testing out her powers."

"I'm sure you two are having fun with that," Harry said.

Clark shook his head. A smile spread across his face. "Well, Lana does seem to be taking to them a lot better than most people would. It could be because of the buzz of having the new powers. And once you get used to the feeling of getting plucked up, and flown around…"

"Clark, one day, you'll learn how to fly, and you'll fly higher and better than us all," Kara said honestly.

She thought that it was a power her cousin should have had a long time ago, but everyone learned things at their own pace. Kara and Harry both took to flight naturally. They had a natural love of flying. Clark's fear of heights seemed to keep him mostly grounded, although it was a mental block that he seemed to working hard deal with.

Kara really hoped to see Clark in the air sooner than later. Not the he couldn't do something good for the world without that power. After all she did not think of him as incapable on the ground. But, it just seemed like something that he should be doing.

Kara and Harry walked inside the kitchen, where Lana was waiting. They exchanged a polite greeting, but Kara was looking at Lana. There was no need to put this off, especially given the new spark that had placed in Clark and Lana's relationship.

"Lana, can I have a quick word with you?" Kara asked. "Outside, in private, please."

Lana wondered what this was all about. Despite the fact things had improved between her and Kara, she had to admit she was apprehensive.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to throw you into the sun because you can fly when Clark can't," Kara said with a smile.

Lana relaxed. For a moment she thought it was serious. She followed Kara outdoors, and leaving Clark and Harry alone.

"So, do you want to tell me what that's all about?" Clark asked.

"I don't know," Harry said with a shrug. He decided to switch subjects. "So the Kryptonite cure is working out well for you."

"I didn't feel it when I was around the rocks," Clark informed him.

"I should hope so, all of the time I spent fine tuning that cure, and making sure it worked through all of the different types of Kryptonite," Harry said. "You should be fine though. Unless there's one that I missed, let's see there's Green Kryptonite of course, Red Kryptonite, Blue Kryptonite, Gold Kryptonite, Black Kryptonite, Silver Kryptonite, Pink Kryptonite, and maybe a few others I forgot. I know I got them all."

"I'll take your word for it that you got them all," Clark said, he experienced the effects of a few of those colors, but not all of them.

If the cure worked, and he was sure it did, he never had to worry about what they did to him.

He wondered how many Harry had uncovered, and how much time he put into his research. And if he could help with any other vulnerabilities.

Kara and Lana walked quite a way from the Kent Farm.

"Let's go over there," Kara pointed out, and in a flash, before Lana could do anything, Kara took flight. She was a blur as she streaked through the air. Try as she might to catch up, Lana was not as quick as Kara was. Kara was floating, cross legged at the edge of the field. A smile crossed her face. "Took you long enough."

"I guess you're one Kryptonian that I'm not going to be able to outrun," Lana said.

Kara just nodded, and she turned around. She spoke in a soft tone of voice. "It's a big world out there, and a beautiful one. Smallville is just a part of it, you know. And soon, Clark will be the one who has to watch over it all."

Lana stood behind her, wondering where this was going.

"So, you have your powers," Kara said. "You wouldn't have had them unless you were ready to accept them and the full responsibilities that come along with wielding such powers. Your journey has been a hard one. Especially your relationship with Clark, I believe a rollercoaster ride would be the best way to describe it."

"Yes, that would be accurate," Lana said with a slight smile. "But we're good now…"

"Yes, I know, but this time, you're either in all of the way, or you're out," Kara said in a firm voice. "I told you Clark has to watch over the world. But someone has to watch over Clark, to make sure he doesn't make a decision that will doom this world. To some, that might be considered a bigger responsibility."

"Sounds like it," Lana agreed, and she looked at Kara. "So you think that I'm…."

"You have the powers, so you have the potential," Kara said. "You and Clark could build something for the future. Not because destiny says so, but because it's a choice you're going to make. And the choices you make will be the difference. Clark has it in him to be what the world needs to watch over them. Humanity has potential, and promise, but there are times where dark forces will tempt it and seek to destroy them merely because they can."

Kara turned around, to fully look Lana in the eye.

"The man Clark has grown up into is something that I'm proud of," Kara said. "I might not be able to see his journey the whole way through, and he does have a long way to go, but he's well on his way. And I think you've done some growing, through some of the harshest lessons life could offer."

"That's one way to put it," Lana said.

The two girls looked at each other.

"Watch over him, Lana," Kara said seriously. "When I'm not there, I want to be secure that Clark is safe, and not going to have harm come to him. If Clark is kept safe, then the world will be safe. Harry and I will play our roles, but we have other things to deal with. Guiding Clark was only one part of our mission."

"What do you two have to do?" Lana asked.

"Lana, don't worry about that," Kara said. "Worry about what you have to do to prepare yourself for the final steps of your journey. I do warn you that there's no turning back now. You have to be one hundred percent committed. Waver, or hurt Clark, and the consequences will be dire. Anything that I can do to you will pale in comparison to what your own guilt will do to yourself."

"I'm not going to hurt Clark, not again, never again," Lana said.

"Then you have my blessing," Kara said. "You may notice that your powers are a bit stronger, and you may have a couple of new ones up your sleeve that Clark doesn't."

"Yeah, I noticed today, I was a bit stronger," Lana said. "But the powers…what are they?"

"You'll know when they come,' Kara replied in a cryptic voice. "The easy part is over for you."

Lana seemed a bit distressed that Kara considered what her and Clark had been through in the past the easy part. The dark haired girl nodded all of the same.

"Just know that the trials that are to come will test you," Kara concluded.

"I'm ready," Lana replied firmly.

"Then I should have no reason to fear the worst," Kara said. "I hope the bond between you and Clark will be one that will be everlasting, and will get you through the hardship that is to come."

Kara looked up. She hoped Lana would actually be ready. She saw it in her eyes that she was, but at the same time, one never truly knew.

Then again, Kara would test any of her cousin's potential suitors, because they would have a great role in his future. And it was important they understood that. All she wanted was for Clark to be happy, and to be safe for a very long time. Much like she was with Harry.

"Magic can do many things, and one of the most interesting quirks of it is that it tends to bend everything known law of physics that you can imagine."

Harry and Clark walked around the barn outside, with Harry giving Clark a lecture on the nature of magic.

"I just want to know if there is a way to remove the magic vulnerability," Clark remarked.

Harry just looked thoughtful, and he took a deep breath. Then he gave Clark his most honest assessment of the situation.

"Is there a way to make someone immune from magic? That is a good question. There are magical creatures out there that are more resistant to magic because of their hides. Dragons and basilisks, and other creatures among that level are less vulnerable, but they are not completely immune. Enough magic users, or a powerful enough magic user, and they can be taken down just as easily as another creature."

Harry took a breath, and continued with his explanation.

"There have been magic users who have been looking for ways to protect against attacks from their fellow witches and wizards for generation after generation. The problem is that once some shield has been created, a creative mind can always find a flaw and thus find a way to negate that defense. The Kryptonite cure could be created because essentially your meteor rocks are based in science. Therefore there is a certain amount of logic to it. Magic is a different kettle of fish entirely."

"It sounds to me like there is little to no logic in magic," Clark said.

Harry nodded.

"You are on the right track," Harry said. "We spend countless hours getting magical theory driven into our brain by our teachers. It was a way of imposing limits on us to make sure we did not do anything that the Ministry could not control Knowing the theory is useful, in a sense, but trying to understand the logic behind magic could drive a person mad. There are laws of how magic works, but any restrictions are only within the mind. For instance, if you can't believe that you should be able to fly, than you would not fly. It's just as simple as that."

Clark got a sense of what Harry was trying to imply, but Harry pressed on.

"Magical armor exists, but it has a backfire, just like everything else," Harry explained. "It can block magic attacking you, but it can also limit the scope of your attacks. Plus it is hell to maneuver around, even with super strength, it's difficult."

He shook his head from side to side.

"Most physical attacks could not hurt you, but magic is a manifestation of everything that makes a fool out of every known science," Harry continued. "Magic even can make a fool out of magical users. One of the few things that can truly injure me is a sufficiently powerful witch or wizard. If I am unable to block, or counter the attacks, I'd be in trouble. But, there is no way to completely remove any vulnerability to magic. Otherwise, magical duels would be just a group of wizards firing pretty lights at each other back and forth."

Clark nodded in understanding.

"Magic users don't even have the sheer fire protection against magic that you might think we would," Harry concluded. "There are shield charms Said charms are able to block anything from a moderately powered witch or wizard, except for three spells. There are three spells that can't be blocked by any known magical shields. The only ways to block them is by physical objects, or just not being in the way of them. The only plus is that they take a great deal of power to pull off."

"What are those spells?" Clark asked.

"The Imperius Curse, it can bend the victim to their will," Harry explained. "The Cruciatus Curse, which causes the victim pain beyond all measure, really just imagine the worse pain you've ever had. And multiply it by about a hundred."

"That bad?" Clark asked.

"Maybe worse," Harry admitted. "And there's a third spell, the Killing Curse. That does just what you might think it would."

'And it's a curse that I've survived more times than I care to think about it,' Harry added mentally.

Harry was deep in thought about everything that he had to do. He had been turning it over in his mind, over and over again. Clark was just one part of his mission, albeit a rather important part.

"And I think I might have arrived about six years too late to do you much good," Harry said, and Clark looked at him. "My mother told me I was supposed to arrive six years ago. If I had united the keys, and not been so stubborn, I would have been here."

"Well, I have to admit, your help would have been appreciated a few times," Clark said.

"Yeah, maybe," Harry said, but he wondered if it would have made much difference.

He looked up, hearing a noise. He thought Kara and Lana would be returning before too long. There were footsteps, and Harry tensed up. He was not perfect with determining when something was a threat, but he was sure that something was coming after him.

"Clark, be on your guard, I think there's something there," Harry whispered.

"I can't see anything," Clark told him, but he used his X-Ray vision none the less. He saw a strange signature.

"Do you see what I see?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, if it's a weird mesh of blue, black, and grey, that's what I see," Clark said.

"Then I'm not seeing things," Harry stated, and he took a deep breath.

Suddenly, a blinding light hit both Harry and Clark. A group of figures in white robes showed up, surrounding them.

"Harry Potter, you will pay for what you have done!"

"What are they talking about?" Clark asked.

"If I could figure that out, I'd tell you," Harry said, and he braced himself for battle.

Clark was blasted backwards to the ground, and was pinned down by a force several times stronger than he was. He tried to struggle with all of his might. Harry jumped in for the attack, and sent an energy attack. Three of the robed figures lit up, and vanished into dust.

Several more surrounded then, and Clark pulled his way up to his feet.

"I think, they broke my ribs," Clark managed, struggling to breathe from the pain.

That was a cause for alarm. Harry tensed up, it was something extremely powerful.

Clark heard a noise, and this time, he managed to dodge another attack. The ground blew up where he had stood seconds earlier.

Several magically created knives bounced off of a shield Harry created. He pushed back the attacks. Clark turned around, as a shield closed in around them. He felt the sun being blocked off. He could see it, but the rays from the sun were not reaching him at all.

"I don't know how much I can hang on; my powers are running on dry!" Clark yelled.

Harry tried to press on through to break the shield that was created around them. Clark should have been able to conserve his powers more, so they would last longer in situations where he was separated from yellow sunlight.

Harry blew through the shield, and sent the attacks back in a wave of light. Another energy attack shot through, and Harry was knocked back.

The Herald of Death popped back up, and became alarmed, because he tasted his own blood. There was a cut opened up on his face, and several more attacks opened up more cuts. He felt searing pain that he tried to push through.

This should not be happening. Unless he was dealing with a sufficiently powerful sorcerer, that could attack him. Blood dripped from his face, and he continued to press on, to fight.

There had to be someone performing this spell from somewhere, to create an infinite number of enemies. He struggled to pinpoint the source, as the blood continued to drip from his face.

'It's one of the Genesis rejects,' Harry thought to himself. 'Great.'

This battle had gone from hard, to nearly impossible.