Chapter 25

Chapter 25: Seek and Find.

The Fortress was bound by some of the most powerful charm work possible. Some people had claimed that Lily Potter was a Charms prodigy when she was alive, and that was not far from the truth. Clark Kent and Lana Lang found this out the hard way. Super strength meant absolutely nothing in the face of the immobilizing spell that they were put underneath. Try as they might, they could not find a way out. The struggle was tough, no matter how hard they continued to fight.

"She's got us, Clark," Lana said. Frustration flooded over her face. She tried to push out, but all she experienced was her own strength being pushed back at herself. The pain was unbearable. Clark's efforts were similar in success, or lack thereof. Both tried to push up.

The image of Lily Potter watched their efforts. Their futile efforts and she did admire the fact that they would not give up. Clark especially seemed determined to break free of this containment, and try to regain control of the Fortress. She watched his progress, and despite the certain inability for him to break free, he continued to fight. He continued to push against the barrier.

"Are you finding escape not to be as easy as you thought it might be?" Lily asked both of them, and her gaze narrowed at both Clark and Lana. There was a long pause, and a smirk appeared on her face.

"Why are you doing this?" Clark demanded. "What do you want? Harry said you were supposed to be gone forever.""

A smile cracked across Lily's face. She remained silent for a moment, but she responded after a moment. "I want all to live in harmony, Kal-El. I want a world with peace, without suffering, without any hatred. I want a world where a young child does not have to suffer, growing up in a cupboard underneath the stairs. And I will achieve that world by any means necessary. If the Arising happens, then any hope for that world will be lost forever. The end will come, and no one will feel fine."

Clark looked up at this specter. Harry had not been kidding when he said that Lily was a bit fanatical about accomplishing her goals. He tried to look up at her.

"People have been waiting for you a long time, Kal-El," Lily responded, and her voice echoed throughout the Fortress of Solitude. "For centuries many civilizations spoke about a traveler coming from the stars. My family was right in the thick of things. They thought they would be the one to guide the Traveler. My parents were obsessed. They dreamed of the day where they would have you at their beck and call. But in the end, I've accomplished what many can only dream of, and now I have the traveler right in my grasp."

Clark began to push out. Lana did as well. The hopelessness of the situation was beginning to set in for both them. Their Kryptonian abilities were absolutely useless. Heat vision could not break the invisible barrier. Super strength and super speed brought them nothing, but disappointment.

"The Arising, people keep talking about that," Lana said. "How do you know about it?"

"Myself and my friend, Isis, found out about it years ago, and I believe Isis might have been murdered over it," Lily said. There was a bit of sorrow in her eyes as she talked about her friend. "Oh I'm certain it looked like an accident. They make everything look like an accident. And the Ministry would always turn a blind eye to the injustice. Even if it meant a little girl had to grow up without her mother, while her father had a mental break due to his wife's death."

Lily remained silent for a moment. She had gained this much information from the memories of her vessel. She looked at Clark and Lana for another couple of minutes, and a smile crossed her face.

"Yet, I have you two here, in my Fortress,' Lily said. She put extra emphasis on the words, "My Fortress". A taunting expression appeared in her green eyes. "This repository of knowledge is amazing, and it would be a shame if it ever fell into the wrong hands."

"There are no hands worse than yours," Lana managed, but all this statement got her was a painful pulse of magic. She fell to her knees, the pain unbearable.

"Lana!" Clark yelled.

Lily's image looked down at Lana, with absolute disdain. "This…this is the one you've been pining over for years and years. Kal-El, you could have any girl you want, or as many girls as you want if you should choose to go down that road. Yet, this one is the one that you choose."

Clark looked up at Lily, but she was not done.

"My son does seem to have a soft spot for charity cases," Lily said. She shook her head in absolute dismay. Lana's eyes flickered up to Lily, and they were narrowed. "Do you really think Harry allowed you to keep those powers because you deserve them? No, sweetie, he didn't. You are his social experiment. He wants to prove that he can reform someone, and make them actually matter."

Lana's voice shook when she responded. "I…I…I only accessed these powers because I earned them."

"Did you?" Lily asked her in a soft voice. "The destiny of the traveler is something that you can't comprehend. The moment things get tough; will you even be able to handle them? You are given powers that you scarcely deserve, Lana Lang. Under the pretext of protecting the traveler, but I'll let you in on a little secret."

It was at this point, Lily's voice dropped to a dramatic whisper. "Kal-El's true powers are being held back. He will have abilities beyond anything you can comprehend. And what will your purpose be in the end? What is the use of a protector that cannot adequately protect?"

Lana closed her eyes, and inclined her head.

"Lana, don't listen to her, you're…." Clark said, but Clark was rendered silent.

"I think Kal-El will die for you, or anyone else," Lily said. A smile spread across her face. "The question is, are you willing to die for him?"

Chills ran down Lana's spine, and her hands clenched. She tried to communicate that she would, but Lily seemed uninterested in what she had to say. Lily turned her back on Lana, like she thought she was insignificance, and proceeded to address Clark.

"You will be safe here, Kal-El," Lily said in a motherly tone of voice.

Lily was adamant about preventing the Arising from happening. Those idiot Heralds thought that they could bring Voldemort back. If the traveler was sacrificed, it could potentially open the door for something nastier than Voldemort ever hoped to be. Lily was unsure what this dark force would be, but she knew that the traveler needed to be kept safe until the time he was ready to achieve his purpose.

He would need to embrace his full powers. And if Lily needed to give him that added push, then Lana was right here. Tragedy always did breed strength in a hero. Motivation was extremely important for everyone, and Kal-El would be no exception.

What better motivation was there than someone he cared about getting killed before his very eyes?

The Heralds of Lord Voldemort were being hunted by the Heralds of Death. Harry and Kara flew high over the skies. They had a good idea where they might be, but the first three hunches had been dead ends. The Heralds of Death remained in flight, invisible, and remained so for several minutes until they noticed something.

"Look," Kara whispered, and she tugged on Harry's sleeve.

There was a village below them. Most of the village was on fire, and there were people screaming in pain and horror. Harry and Kara dropped down, and Kara took a deep breath. Her super breath managed to put out most of the fire. A flick of Harry's wrist caused spurts of water to shoot out, and splash the flames. The flames were snuffed out as a result.

Kara spotted two children trapped under debris. She flew forward at the speed of light. With her super strength, she lifted debris off of them, and gently scooped them up underneath her arms. Kara flew down to the ground, and landed them right in front of their grateful mother. Their mother rushed forward, and hugged her two children.

"Thank you!" the mother yelled. Kara looked at them with a smile.

Harry and Kara managed to save many people in the village. The children were scared at first, but they had been through a tough ordeal and a traumatic experience. Several of the adults were injured, and had to be helped over for first aid. Harry used a few healing spells to help along the process. After their work was done, Harry and Kara walked over to each other. Smiles spread across their faces, and they took to the sky, to fully give them their encouragement. They wanted to convey without words that everything was okay.

There were many yells of thank you, and Harry and Kara just waved and smiled at them.

"It was no problem, just doing the right thing!" Kara yelled back at them. Despite everything, she was happy with herself and the fact that many lives were saved. She did have a purpose beyond the Herald of Death role, and she knew Harry did as well. "Just remember, if you need anything, just yell. Arcane and Supergirl will always be here to save the day!"

Kara realized how cheesy that might have sounded, but then again she did read a lot of Earth comic books when she was researching the planet. So some of the dialogue might have stuck with her, and the people below began to chant for Supergirl and Arcane.

"It does always feel good to be beloved for something that I remember," Harry told her. Kara smiled, and hugged him in mid-air. The two enjoyed the feeling that they actually helped people.

"We saved a lot of lives, that is its own reward," Kara responded to him. Kara and Harry began to fly off. Before they could leave, there was someone who rushed towards them and yelled for them.

"Wait, wait!" one of the villagers yelled. He looked absolutely frantic, and his eyes darted around from side to side. "You need to stay here, and save us from them. They're not going to ever leave us alone."

Harry and Kara stopped. Despite themselves, their curiosity has been piqued. Harry's eyes snapped around. They focused on the villager, before Harry directly addressed him.

"What do you mean?" Harry asked. "Who attacked you?"

The villagers seemed fearful at this point. It was almost like if they spoke of the devil, they would appear. The brave villager who had chased down Harry managed to gain the courage to talk about him. Sweat was rolling down his face. Despite his fear, he managed to speak.

"There were three of them. They were dressed in blood red robes. They just came in, and started shooting fire from sticks in their hands. I don't know why they did this. They terrorized everyone. Men, children, and animals, and…."

"They rolled into the village, and attacked everyone," another villager helpfully chimed in. His face flushed with fear. Everyone nodded their heads up and down. They shook their head. "We don't have much crime here. But they were something different. They had the spirit of the devil within them."

"Did you happen to notice which way did they go?" Kara asked them.

The villagers continued to remain fearful. All of them took a few deep breaths, and a young child of about nine or ten years old pointed off to the edge of a path.

"They disappeared into those mountains," the child said. He looked up at Harry and Kara as they hovered in the air. An expression of innocence flickered in his eyes. "You'll stop them, won't you? You'll find a way to stop them. Make sure they never come back."

Harry and Kara exchanged an expression of sheer determination. They hoped that they could find a way to stop whoever was doing this. These Heralds of Voldemort terrorized these villagers, just because they could. Harry half wondered if they were luring him into some kind of trap. Harry and Kara turned back to the panicked villagers.

"We'll do what we can," Kara said to them in a reassuring voice.

"Don't worry, we'll make sure they never come back," Harry said.

Now Harry was more than determined to destroy the Heralds of Lord Voldemort He did not like to make a liar out of himself. He locked hands with Kara, and the two flew forward past the village. Kara and Harry used their X-Ray vision to scan and make sure their enemies had not been lurking elsewhere outside of the village.

"There, look!" Kara yelled.

There was a hut that the door had been stained with blood. Fresh blood, a scanning spell indicated to them. Harry and Kara dropped down. The hut was forced open. The two walked inside. The sight turned their stomachs. Despite being Heralds of Death, they were not monsters. A family of four had been slaughtered in cold blood.

Harry tensed up immediately, and he spun Kara around. The three robed Heralds of Lord Voldemort stood before them.

"It's Potter!" one of the Heralds yelled.

The Heralds disappeared, but this time Harry was ready for their disappearing act. Harry and Kara followed them, using the tracking spell. All five Heralds ended up in the middle of the dining hall of Malfoy Manor.

"You just don't know when to stay dead!" the woman yelled, and she sent a blast of violet light at Harry and Kara, who dodged it. Harry and Kara tried to attack them, but the attacks were blocked.

They fiercely continued to fire back at the Heralds of Lord Voldemort. There were not going to go down that easily. Kara managed to burn one of the Heralds with her heat vision, and damaged their wand arm. That allowed her to push in for the attack. The odds were a bit more even, and Harry and Kara pushed through, and continued to hammer them.

"You can't win Potter!" one of the Heralds yelled.

Harry ignored these claims. He had heard it before. It was starting to get tiring when he heard them. A tandem attack broke the magical barrier, and Harry and Kara knocked the Heralds back into the wall. Purple fire shot back at them, but they scattered, and pushed back with the attacks.

Clark remained frozen in place. His arms were immobile, his legs were immobile. He could only scarcely move his head. Lana was on her knees by his side. Lily seemed unconcerned and almost uncaring at her plight. Rather, she kept her gaze focused and intent on Clark. There was a long moment of silence. Lily was looking at Clark, analyzing him like he was some equation, and then her gaze shifted to Lana. Then her gaze shifted back towards Clark before she spoke.

"I envisioned what you might have been like for years, the first time I've ever heard of the traveler. There were all kinds of expectations I had, and while a few of them were not spot on, some of them are more than right. You do have power, but your greatest weakness is not a glowing green rock. It's your ability to deny what you really are."

"You think you have Clark figured out, don't you?" Lana asked. She was a bit surprised that she was able to speak, but she was going to roll through it. Lana took a deep breath, and remained still and calm.

Lily's gaze focused on Lana at this moment. Lana remained a bit fearful, but also she appeared determined. The last time Lily had turned her attention towards her, the pain was unbearable. The entire Fortress was under her thumb and all she had to do was to put them under her control was a mere gesture.

"Your place in Kal-El's life is an interesting one," Lily admitted to Lana. She took another moment to consider her. "But sometimes the greatest role one can play in the role of the development of a hero is that of a tragedy. Tragedy surrounds your relationship, and you may have your moments of hope. A reversal of fortune, perhaps you might get your happy ending. However, if it comes down to the fact that you have to be sacrificed so Clark has to rise to his full attention, will you do it?"

Lana remained numb, but she slowly nodded. Lily's frown crossed over her face, and then she turned to her.

"We'll put that to the test before too long, perhaps," Lily told them both. She considered everything. She decided to switch subjects. "This Fortress is an absolute marvel. The knowledge within is astounding. You could fix all of the problems in the world, but you don't want to do that, do you? You would rather have some semblance of a normal life. You would rather play Clark Kent. You have wasted powers, and wasted potential. The fact that Lana is stronger than you really baffles me. Even a small miscalculation of my son's charm work was not going to account for such a power upgrade."

Lily turned around. "I know many things, but do you know them? The galaxy is a fascinating place, but Earth is just an insignificant speck on the galactic tapestry. Your father sent you here for one simple reason. And that's so you can rise to what you need to be."

"I don't know what you're trying to do," Clark responded. He frowned immediately. "If you want to stop the Arising, there are other ways."

"You sound like your father, self-righteous and thinking you have any right to judge other people," Lily said. "I wear my mask to make sure a certain result is achieved. Your father wears his mask, because he can't stand the shame that he failed to save Krypton. And if you do not achieve your destiny, you will have one other thing in common. You will have failed to save Earth, much like he failed with Krypton. Perhaps failure is genetic."

Clark was unable to formulate a response. He shook his head, and he tried to regain some semblance of the ability to speak.

"It's a wonder that Harry was able to turn out to be a decent person," Clark said. Lily's eyes snapped around and faced Clark. "With a mother like you, he had a lot to work against. Perhaps it was the kindest thing for him that you died when he was too young to remember you. He was disappointed when he met you. He thought that you would be something much more kind and considerate."

Lily's expression flared up with exact anger.

"Do not judge me, Kryptonian," Lily said in a cold voice. "Once again, your father made several mistakes, and you are repeating them time and time again. I've been through this Fortress, and studied everything. In a couple hundred years, at the rate this planet is going, Earth will be going the way of Krypton. Do you want to save it? If you do, then you must understand that there are some things that you have to do, that might not seem nice."

Clark looked back at Lily.

"Lana or the world, if you had to choose either of them, what would you do?" Lily asked Clark.

That was a question that Clark did not want to answer. He was unable to think of an answer that made him sound selfish either way. Lana jumped in.

"Clark, it's the world, you would have to save the world before you saved me," Lana told Clark in a firm voice. "If I had to die to save Clark so he could save the world, I would do so in a heartbeat. I don't care if you don't believe me, that's what I know I would do."

Clark seemed pleased with this answer.

"I'd like to think I could do both," Clark said.

"I know you could, but sometimes there is no choice," Lana agreed.

"Are you willing to bet your life on it?" Lily asked.

There was a long pause where Clark and Lana were confused. They had no idea what Lily was saying.

"We all know Harry and Kara are going after the Heralds of Voldemort as we speak," Lily said. "If they aren't able to stop them soon, they may be able to find you. My charms are powerful,b ut they are not permanent. They'll be able to find this Fortress, and they plan to sacrifice the traveler. It doesn't matter if their plan is doomed to failure, they will destroy you. And when that fails, how many people do you think they're going to kill?"

"Let me out, and I'll help Harry and Kara stop them," Clark said.

"Nice try, Kal-El," Lily told him in a condescending voice. She cleared her throat, and continued to speak. "The deal is this. They have twelve hours. If Harry and Kara can't defeat the Heralds of Voldemort in twelve hours, then you'll understand what loss truly means. And there will be no reset button this time to save Lana. I will force you to embrace your destiny, even if I have to cut certain strings."

Clark's mouth was dry.

"Do what you want with me; just leave Lana out of this?"

"No, if Harry and Kara don't stop those other Heralds in twelve hours, then do what you want," Lana said, and Clark opened his mouth to protest. "If I'm going to protect you, then I'm going to have to be willing to die for you so you can live and save the world. Isn't that the ultimate form of a protector?"

Lana was confused by what Lily meant when she said there will be no reset button this time.

"I'm willing to bet my life on Harry and Kara's success," Lana told her firmly.

"Lana, no…"

"Do you swear on Clark's life that you'll willingly sacrifice yours should Harry and Kara fail to defeat the Heralds?" Lily asked, ignoring Clark's words.

"Lana, you don't have to do that," Clark said.

"Yes, I do," Lana replied. She was firm and determined. "Clark, it's going to be alright. You have confidence in them, don't you?"

"Yes," Clark responded.

They remained immobilized. Clark realized that if only he could move his arm, he might be able to stop Lily.

That was easier said than done.

Smoke filled the air. Broken glass and furniture was scattered throughout the floor. Spells flew through the air, and the battle continued to heighten with intensity. Harry rushed forward, dodging one of the spell attacks. They were forces of nature and power. The three were not built for skill.

He flicked his wrist, and put up a shield. One of the Heralds of Voldemort stepped forward, and tried to attack Harry once more. Harry slammed through the attack. The Herald staggered, and Harry threw him into the wall hard. His next spell sliced into the chest of his enemy, and blood splattered up into the air.

Harry sensed his death happen when the blood drained from his body.

"One down, two to go!" Harry yelled. Kara nodded, and she dodged another spell. She manipulated the spells of the two of the attackers that she fought against each other. Both of them fired their spells against each other.

The woman was able to block the repelled spell. The second male was not able to be so lucky. He staggered down to the ground, and dropped to one knee. Kara flew through the air, and kicked her enemy hard in the face. She grabbed the rogue Herald around the head, and she somersaulted into the air. His head was in her grasp. The neck snapped, and she flung him up into the air. The Herald flew right into the slicing spell of Harry.

Their team work had killed two of the three Heralds of Voldemort had been taken down. The third Herald remained on her feet. It was now two against one. The woman backed up. She seemed beyond belief.

"It's over!" Harry yelled to her.

"Your mission is a lie," Kara added. She sent a burst of heat vision at her enemy, but the third Herald disappeared into a puff of smoke. "He's not going to return, no matter what you do. He's done; Harry defeated him all those years ago!"

"It's you that speak lies!" the Herald shrieked at the top of her lungs, and the curtains had been set on fire.

She vanished with a pop, but Harry and Kara followed her. It did not matter how much she ran, it did not matter how much she hid. They would follow her to the ends of the Earth.

They were back at the same library that they met Hermione at all those weeks ago. Harry and Kara rushed forward, and there was a scream and sounds of a struggle. They quickly moved forward to the source of the screams.

The crazed woman had Hermione pinned down, a dagger at her throat. Hermione struggled against the grip.

"One more step Potter, and I'll skin your little pet Mudblood," the woman said, and the knife was on Hermione's throat.

Harry and Kara stood. Both were unsure how to approach this situation. Kara deferred to Harry, but Harry remained silent. He was contemplating the situation. Hermione struggled against the grip, but she looked up at Harry.

"Harry, don't worry about me, whether or not I live or die, it's unimportant," Hermione said, but her built in survival instincts caused her to struggle. She was giving a hell of a fight, and tried to break free. "Defeat her, no matter what you have to do. If the Heralds of Voldemort are destroyed, then Project: Genesis will fail. You have won, and you can truly move on!"

"Mind your tongue you little traitor!" the Herald yelled.

Kara and Harry stood, and remained still. The pair of Heralds turned towards their dark mirror.

"Did you know that your little pet Mudblood was not the real thing?" the Herald asked. "She's a duplicate created by Project: Genesis, to infiltrate your life, and eventually destroy you. She was a sleeper agent, Potter!"

The Herald spat these words. They did confirm a suspicion that Harry had. Once again his instincts were right.

"However Sinclair had to ruin that plan, and something caused her to deviate from her mission. She tried to warn you, by sending the beacon. She could not explicitly say why, but she bounced the beacon back towards you. She knew you would pick it up somehow. She knew you would decipher it. She always got in our way, just like you did. The Dark Lord will return and…"

While the woman was ranting, Kara darted in at super speed, and pulled Hermione away from her grasp. Hermione was safe and sound. Harry leapt in at that moment, and engaged the final herald of Lord Voldemort in battle. Their magical attacks clashed together. The woman was skilled at magic, but Harry was able to piece together her fighting style. He recognized patterns, and pushed forward.

The duel continued with high intensity for several moments.

The final Herald rushed forward, and knocked Harry hard to the ground. Harry fought back hard. Both spells were aimed, and they repelled off of each other. Harry lost his balance, and the final Herald of Voldemort stalked him like a cat going for her prey.

"I might not have the traveler, but I can still sacrifice you to bring the Dark Lord back!" the woman yelled.

Several things happened immediately. A dangerous looking spell fired towards Harry. Harry could have blocked it, but before he could, Hermione broke free from Kara's grasp, and dove in front of the spell. The spell struck Hermione, and caused her to drop down to the ground. The brunette was down on the ground, blood splattering from her mouth.

Harry was back in, and several solid steel spikes shot from his hand. They impacted, and impaled every part of the third Herald. Her eyes widened, she tried to block all of the attacks. Yet, they struck her one by one.

The final Herald was mangled, and she fell to the ground. The heralds of Lord Voldemort had been defeated.

The moment of triumph was cut short when Harry and Kara spotted Hermione on the ground. She was laid out. Blood poured from her mouth, and she coughed. She could barely breathe.

There was a moment of denial, before it set in with Harry what happened.

"Hermione, you…I could have blocked that spell you know," Harry told her, his voice shaking.

Hermione looked at Harry with a blood soaked smile.

"Yeah, you could have, but…I needed to prove my worth to you," Hermione managed, barely able to articulate her words. "You see, she's right. I'm just a duplicate. A part of me always realized that, I had been created to hurt you. Those three are the only Heralds of Voldemort, and you beat them."

"We stopped the Arising," Kara said to Hermione.

There was a moment of pause. Hermione closed her eyes, and hesitated. Then she responded.

"Yes, you stopped the Arising," Hermione said in agreement. She could barely breathe, but she continued to press on. "I'm not…I've never been more proud of anyone than I ever been of you two. You did it Harry, and you did too Kara. You saved countless lives. Even if Riddle could never be brought back, those three would have kept killing people until the entire world was wiped out."

Harry wished he could be happier about what happened.

"I can't believe it was that simple," Harry said.

"Simple, is that what we're calling something like that, now?" Kara asked, but she wrapped her arms around Harry. Both tried to give each other some comfort in this situation. Harry slipped away from Kara, and crouched down over Hermione .Despite the fact she was only a duplicate, she did selflessly throw herself in front of a lethal attack.

Even if Harry could have easily blocked that spell, the thought still counted.

"I might be able to help you, heal your injuries, and…" Harry said, but Hermione shook her head.

With her remaining strength, she grabbed Harry's hands, and held them firmly. She looked in his eyes seriously.

"No, Harry, don't waste your power, or your time. Even if you healed these…these injuries, it wouldn't matter. You'd only be buying me a few more months, before I was driven mad by the agony. Don't worry about me. I might not be the real deal, but I know how much you meant to Hermione. You were family, and I'm sure the real her is smiling somewhere, proud of everything you did. Because I know I am."

Hermione gave a weak smile. She barely had any strength to really lift her head. She shook her head.

"The two of you Heralds, soon to be three, you'll be able to do great things," Hermione said. A shadow of a smile spread across her face. The Third Herald would be someone who would have a lot in common with Kara, when she arrived. "There will be other threats…more dangerous than ever before. Both of you deserve to live a happy life, and one without regrets. Plus, the people who we are close to never truly die. They are always alive in our hearts and in our memories. As long as that's true, then Hermione Granger can never truly die."

Hermione's blood poured from her mouth. Her body began to degenerate and decompose right before Harry's eyes. Harry took a look at her remains, and Kara put her hand on Harry's.

"I'm sorry," Kara said to him in a gentle voice. "You had to go through the death of your best friend all over again."

"She's in a better place now," Harry said. He sighed. He tried to put what happened out of his mind.

He had to verify something before he could truly move on.

The Heralds of Voldemort were dead and done. That much was true. The Arising was stopped, and they all felt like they could breathe a bit easier than they could before. Both remained silent, wishing they could enjoy this triumph a bit more.

Both Harry and Kara stood for a few moments. Immediately, they stood up straight. Kara looked at Harry curiously. They had both felt something at the same exact moment.

"The third beacon, I think I found it," Harry said.

"The Fortress?" Kara asked, hoping she read it right.

"The Fortress," Harry said. "It was fired off ninety seconds after the first two. It is Jor-El, before he went off line."

"Why would Jor-El try and give you of all people a message?" Kara asked.

Harry remained silent for a moment, but then it struck him. Both Harry and Kara realized that they had to get to the Fortress, before it was too late. They realized the true architect behind everything that had happened today.

'Looks like I'm going to be having a bit of a family reunion,' Harry thought to himself.

Lana and Clark remained bound back at the Fortress of Solitude. Clark tried to shift against the energy field.

"Time does slip away from us rather quickly," Lily commented lightly. "The question is, Ms. Lang, is your time running out? You did make a deal, based on their success. It was a magically binding oath, and it must be followed should they failed. And I will uphold my end of the bargain should they succeed."

"How do I know you're going to do that?" Clark asked. "You were supposed to leave when Harry's training was done, but…"

"I said I would leave Harry alone, do what he must, and so I did," Lily said. "Harry and Kara both can do great things without you. And if you just embrace everything you are, you can do great things too. Just think of it, Kal-El. There is an entire world of people out there who depend on a hero. Someone to swoop in and save the day, and once they see how capable you are, they will bend to anything that you desire. You no longer need to live in fear."

"I won't conquer them," Clark managed. "It's just not…"

"Human?" Lily offered. "Well conquest is something that is very human. Civilization after civilization has been destroyed by conquest. But it's not just a human thing. It is a galactic problem. Civilizations have been torn apart. It was not as extreme as it was centuries back. There are people who patrol the universe, in the name of justice. In brightest day and blackest night, they will always be there. But conquest is part of the cycle of existence. And not all conquest is bad. Sometimes the end does justify the means. Is it really bad to be under one rule, when the alternative is utter annihilation?"

"Some people would rather live ten minutes with freedom even in in the face of certain death, then ten years under the rule of a dictator," Clark argued.

Lily remained silent for a brief moment. She chuckled.

"Your idealism is refreshing, Kal-El. Your experiences with the human race have not completely beaten out every single shred of optimism from you being. Then again, when the average human would behave such as your old friend Lex Luthor should they be able to do, it is truly astounding. History is written by the victors, and the victors squash any wrong doings they might have done in the past."

There was a presence outside of the Fortress of Solitude.

"Alright, Lily, I don't know what your game is this time, but I'm shutting you down!"

Lily smiled. She was proud of her son and his resourcefulness. No matter what she did, he was always willing to fight for what he believed in. And despite her best cloaking, he was able to detect the Fortress. He was unable to find a way in, just not yet.

If he was here, that meant that beacon that Jor-El sent out was received by him. She had managed to alter it where it would only be sent upon the death of the three Heralds of Voldemort. Lily turned to Lana.

"And with three hours and forty six minutes to spare, your faith is not misplaced," Lily said to Lana. "I guess you'll be living after all today."

"No need to sound so disappointed," Lana said, but she remained immobilized.

Clark sensed this as his chance. He managed to lift his arm, and he broke the field. Lily was distracted and Clark reached into his coat, to pull out the silver stone that Harry had given him earlier. He rushed forward, to try and banish Lily from the console.

The three dimensional form of Lily disappeared the moment that he pointed the stone at her. Clark thought it had worked for a moment. Those hopes were dashed when suddenly a blast of magic shot him down. Clark slammed hard into the wall of the Fortress. Lana tried to break free of the field, but she could only watch, numb and paralyzed.

"Kal-El, I'm disappointed," Lily said. "Do you really think that's going to be that easy? Were you hoping to find a way to banish him from my new home?"

"No, wasn't trying to banish you," Clark said.

"No, that's my job."

Harry and Kara showed up at that moment. Lily's three dimensional form appeared before them. A smile appeared on her face to greet Harry and Kara.

"You've gone too far this time, Lily," Harry told his mother.

"You defeated the Heralds of Voldemort," Lily said, and Harry and Kara remained still, their arms folded across their chests. "And that means Project: Genesis will not be achieving their little Arising."

"You and I both know that they would have never been able to resurrect Voldemort, after the way he was killed," Harry said. "You and I both know why."

"Yes, the damage that fool did to his soul made it quite impossible," Lily agreed with both of them. Harry and Kara stared her down for several moments.

"You were willing to sacrifice Clark, just to make sure they didn't," Kara said. Her tone was as cold as the Artic around the Fortress itself.

"If Clark died before they could use him for the ritual, then there would be nothing to fear," Lily said. "It was fortunate that you saved the day Harry, like you always did."

"I always do," Harry said. His voice dropped to his most dangerous tone. "Now let this Fortress go, and let Clark and Lana go."

"It is against my better judgment to do so, but I know every single shred of knowledge contained within this Fortress," Lily responded. Harry and Kara exchanged an expression of dismay. "Like for instance about that loudmouth Czarian who wiped out his entire species because of a science experiment. He gave himself an "A" for his efforts. The knowledge in here is immense, and should it fall into the wrong hands, it would be a problem. I also know the trick of how to control Kal-El, although I don't think Daddy Jor-El was going to ever share that little bit of information with him."

"What do you mean?" Kara asked.

"That's for me to know, and you to find out," Lily said. Her eyes looked at the pair of Heralds, and she noticed the ring on Kara's finger. "I wish you the best in your upcoming marriage. I hope you have years and years of happiness together. And I am glad you managed to bring down those wannabe Heralds. They were damaged, and demented. And they would have killed everyone to achieve their delusion."

Harry and Kara stood. Their arms were folded. Neither were the biggest fans of Lily right now. Just when Harry was about to come to an understanding about what his mother did years ago, and be at peace with it, she just had to pull this.

There was nothing else left to say. Lana dropped to her knees. She still felt the pain of what Lily did to her, and Clark did as well. As an added bonus, they felt the pain that was done to each other.

"While you do tend to champion some unworthy causes, Harry, but I'm sure you have your reasons," Lily said. The woman gave them all a smile. It was one of those smiles that told them that they might be getting off today, but this would not be the last they would be seeing of her. She disappeared from the Fortress without another word. Lily was gone, as quickly as she appeared.

Harry watched her leave. He thought Lily was gone the first time when the journal had crumbled into dust. He was not going to assume that she was gone for good. She had gotten into the Fortress once, and magic did leave certain backdoors. He had no idea where she was now. She was smart enough to mask her trail from the Fortress. Harry could follow it, but it would take weeks and weeks to do so.

Harry and Kara smiled though; the three Heralds they fought were confirmed to be deceased. While they were not red dots, they were just as dangerous as those undesirables.

"So, I see you've met my mother," Harry said in a casual tone of voice. His gaze was fixed on Clark and Lana who were shaking off what happened.

"Yeah, you have her eyes, but thankfully none of her attitude," Lana said to Harry, but there was something that she had to ask him. "So, she said something…did you give me my powers because I had a role to help Clark in his destiny, or did you do it because you felt bad for me?"

Harry remained silent. He was almost insulted that he had been asked this question.

"Do not listen to anything that my mother says, your life will be a lot better for it," Harry answered.

"That doesn't answer my question," Lana persisted.

"If you need an answer, then you may need to reassess your own confidence in yourself," Harry replied to her in a firm voice.

"These things happen for a reason Lana, and remember the conversation we had a few days ago," Kara said to her. Lana nodded. "And she was using your own insecurities against you."

"Kal-El, welcome back."

The voice of Jor-El rumbled to life.

"That woman who bound me may have had malicious intentions, but she did speak certain truths. One of them is you must quit running from your destiny. There will come a day where you will need your training. The threats will become more dangerous, and it will be something you must face."

Clark remained silent. The warning that Jor-El knew of a way to control him should he get out of line was fresh in his mind.

"You can start your training at any time, but do remember that the longer you stall the more of a chance that your inaction will doom all. The course of Earth has the potential be much like that of Krypton, and the end will be just as cataclysmic, if not more so. Rest for now, and consider your role, but remember do not take too much time. The consequences will be dire."

Clark nodded curtly. He left the Fortress with Lana, and then Harry and Kara followed them. Jor-El remained silent, allowing them to leave. The weeks he spent bound had been demeaning, and it could have jeopardized the lives of many.

Jor-El could feel that woman's presence still lingering. He knew that she was overpowering.

The recent events of the last couple of days would be one that Harry and Kara would be recovering from for a very long time. Harry in particular was still in shock of the entire Hermione situation. Even if she was not the genuine article, it still was hard to see your best friend die before your eyes.

Never the less, they were happy to be out of the woods. The potential crisis of the Arising had been averted, at least they hoped so.

A large envelope was on the desk in front of them. They sat in the main office at the Shining Light Foundation, and were just processing the new guests that had come in during the last couple of weeks. Clark and Lana were currently recovering from their ordeal, even though it would take a couple of days for them to get completely back on their feet.

A knock on the door caused Harry and Kara to look up from their work. They were expecting a gest. Harry got up, and answered the door. The door opened, and Claire was on the other side. She had a bit of a curious look on her face, wondering what this was all about.

"Hi, Claire, come in, we've been expecting you," Harry said with a smile.

"Yeah, I was told to come up and see you after classes were over," Claire said. Claire stepped inside their office, and looked around. "This…isn't about any of my grades is it? Because I thought that I did pretty well last semester."

Harry and Kara responded with knowing smiles.

"Claire, you did do well, you should be proud of the progress that you were making," Kara said. "Today is a very special day. Happy birthday, Claire!"

"Yeah, I'm glad you remembered," Claire said, her excitement heightening.

The last time she really celebrated her birthday was when her parents were alive. It was her sixth birthday, the last one she remembered. A few months later, the incident with her powers happened, and the fire that she could not control that ended up killing them.

"Why would we ever forget?" Harry asked her. Claire just shrugged. "That is one of the most important days of the year. It is not every day that you turn eleven years old, isn't it?"

"No, it isn't," Claire agreed. She sat down on the chair in the office. She looked up at Harry and Kara with a smile, before she focused her attention completely to Harry. "So what was your eleventh birthday like?"

Harry just smiled. He remembered what happened on his eleventh birthday. A half giant stormed the hut on the sea, terrorized his relatives, and informed him that he was a wizard. And his cousin was given a pigtail when said half giant used an umbrella with the broken pieces of his wand in it.

"It was eventful," Harry told her. A smile spread across his face at the memories. Kara walked over to the cabinet, and she pulled out a birthday cake.

"The candles aren't lit," Claire said. "How can I blow them out if they aren't lit?"

The frustrated innocence on her face was prominent.

"Remember everything we taught you," Kara encouraged her.

Claire could have slapped herself mentally. She closed her eyes. Her control was getting much better over the past couple of months. Something as small as a candle was something that she was unable to do at first, and she just happened to catch everything on fire for the first couple of months. However, as time went by, she was able to light her own birthday candles.

'That was good Claire, I know you could do it," Harry said.

Claire smiled. Harry's praise meant a lot to her. She closed her eyes, looking at the cake.

"Make a wish," Kara said.

Claire did so; blowing out the candles she just lit about a minute ago. She looked at the birthday cake with a smile on her face.

"So what did you wish for?" Harry asked her.

Claire just smiled at him, rolling her eyes slightly. "Well, obviously I can't tell you that. It won't come true if I told you."

"She does have your number there, Harry," Kara teased him. Harry just smiled.

"Well, I do have something for you, for your birthday," Harry said.

"You didn't have to get me anything," Claire said. The fact she had two people who cared for her and she could look up to, was better than any present she could get. It had been something that she had hoped for, and dreamed for, for years.

Every single year she was in that government institute, being experimented on, she hoped that someone would rescue her.

"I know I didn't have to get you anything, but I wanted to," Harry told Claire, and he picked up the envelope. He slid the papers out, and placed them in front of Claire. "Just take a look at this."

Claire took a look at the papers, and looked surprised. She had to be dreaming, this was not for real. She turned towards Harry and Kara. Both sat there, and smiled at her.

"Does this mean what I think it means?" Claire asked.

"They're adoption papers," Kara told her. "It took us a long time to get everything in order, but Harry managed to come through in the end, and well you see the results are out from in front of you. They make you legally our daughter."

"If you want it," Harry told Claire.

Claire looked at Harry and Kara. She was happy beyond any single description.

"Are you kidding?" Claire asked. She rushed forward, and hugged both Kara and Harry. "This is what I wanted. This is exactly what I wished for, I can't believe it."

"Seeing is believing, Claire," Harry said to her. He gave her a warm smile, before "I know what it's like to be alone, to think that there's no one out there that you can rely on. And I don't want this to happen to someone else again."

"Thank you," Claire said. "So this means that we're a family."

"We always were," Kara said. "This just makes it official on paper."

Claire smiled, and could not believe what happened.

"Welcome to the family, my daughter," Harry told her.

"Thanks, Dad," Claire told him, before she took a look at Kara and Harry. A mischievous smile crossed her face. Her gazed focused on both Harry and Kara. "So, am I going to get a baby brother or sister someday?"

Kara and Harry exchanged a look. They were caught off guard by that question.

"Just enjoy your cake, Claire," Kara told her evasively.

"Okay, Mom," Claire told her, and she was glad to finally call Harry and Kara what she thought of them in her heart.

Harry, Kara, and Claire sat around, eating cake, and enjoying their new status officially as a family. In a couple of months, Harry and Kara would be officially married. And that day would be magic if Harry had anything to say about it.