CHAPTER 8:

BACK TO BRITAIN

In the end, it wasn't just Kori who came over. Rachel had decided to come over too, posing as a transfer student. Harry had noticed that she and Hermione had become friends, given their bookish nature, though Hermione was more bossy, and Rachel was quiet, though with an acid tongue. This had been approved by the Justice League, and apparently Kara Zor-El, aka Supergirl, was transferring into the Titans for the time being.

Still, it wasn't without little trials and travails, as they learned…

Kori staggered around after they had let go of the rope, looking distinctly nauseous. "That…was a most unpleasant experience," the Tamaranean declared.

"Most magical transport is," Rachel said with a grimace. "Especially if it's done by the more inbred corners of the magical community. Between Apparition, the Floo, and Portkeys, I'd rather do things my way."

Harry, who was inclined to agree, decided to change the subject. "So, where's Thessaly?"

The door opened, and a rather scruffy-looking blonde man in a trenchcoat appeared, stinking of cigarette smoke. "Thessaly's gone shopping. So, I've got to babysit you guys."

Harry had met him not so long ago. John Constantine, aka the occult detective known as the Hellblazer. Remus and Sirius didn't have much of a high opinion of him, partly because he had retaliated against the Marauders' attacks. But they did admit he worked hard against the Death Eaters, despite being in Slytherin. Harry liked him to a degree: his acerbic attitude and refusal to talk down to Harry was refreshing. But Rachel had warned him that Constantine had a bad habit of hurting or even sacrificing those close to him while engaging in one of his cases.

"Couldn't we have flown over to Britain?" Kori asked.

"Maybe, if you wanted to be conspicuous. Dumbledore's probably got contacts watching for signs of Harry. Manipulative old fucker can't let go of his meddling tendencies. He might have the best intentions, but take it from someone who knows better than most what the road to Hell is paved with," Constantine said. "A Portkey into a warded property is safer. Now, this is actually one of Bruce Wayne's British properties. He and Batman go way back. I warded it against unwanted attention from magical quarters on his request a couple of years back. It'd be safer under a Fidelius, but for now, it'd take some heavy-duty magic to break it down. Let's take this somewhere a little more comfortable…"

"So, the story is, you're Kori Andrews," Constantine said once they reached a living room, "a teaching assistant for Professor Thessaly Magissa. Rachel has been accepted under the pseudonym of Rachel Poe, as a transfer from Ilvermorny."

"Stupid pseudonym," Rachel grumbled.

"Yeah, but have you heard some of the surnames in the wizarding world? Some of them make the worst superhero names look stellar by comparison," Constantine pointed out, before glancing at Remus. "No offence, Lupin, but with a name like yours, it's like your father wanted you to get chomped by Fenrir Greyback."

"Some taken, Constantine," Remus said icily.

"Is there anything else?" Harry asked.

"A few things. The really bad news, other than Voldemort keeping under the radar, is that Fudge has appointed Umbridge as Hogwarts High Inquisitor. Publicly, she's there to make sure the standards of teaching are up to snuff. Not that they have been for ages, or else Binns wouldn't be teaching there."

"Or Snivellous," Sirius muttered darkly.

"Oh, he's smart. But I knew even while learning at Hogwarts that he'd be abysmal at teaching," Constantine said. "Slughorn was better, and you can't argue with that. Nepotistic old bastard he may have been, but he was a great teacher."

"You said that checking the teaching standards of Hogwarts was Umbridge's public duty," Hermione said. "But the reality is very different, isn't it? She's going to try and undermine Dumbledore."

"And Harry too," Constantine said. "Smart girl. Umbridge is basically a spy…and is looking to try and get herself into a position of power at Hogwarts. Preferably one to try and force Dumbledore, Harry, and any of their supporters out of the school. As much as I dislike Dumbledore, he's a necessary evil. Take it from someone who knows about necessary evils more than anyone else should. But Fudge is a cowardly little shit who loves taking kickbacks from supposedly reformed Death Eaters. About the only things he's good at is keeping things running and politicking. Keep in mind, though, part of it is because Fudge is a peacetime Minister, not a wartime one. And at the moment, you need Churchill, not Chamberlain. Okay, not a perfect analogy, but you know where I'm coming from. The problem is, Fudge is so willing to deny the slightest possibility of Voldemort's return, he's engaging in character assassination out of paranoia, with Lucius Malfoy whispering in his ear and greasing his palms. And I'm sure Umbridge would be willing to help things along."

"Do you know much about Umbridge?" Hermione asked.

Constantine grimaced. "Unfortunately, yes. She's a vicious xenophobic bitch who wields a lot of power, given that she's Fudge's Senior Undersecretary. While not a Death Eater as far as I know, she's pretty much a groupie. I've met demons more pleasant than she is, and that's saying something. Plus, Lupin here, as he's doubtlessly told you, has suffered from laws she passed. She has a low opinion of those she considers to be Halfbloods, Halfbreeds, and those of 'creature' heritage. Harry and Rachel here count as Halfbreeds, and Kori here as a creature. Most wizards don't know, or care, what an alien is. Though the moment they find out who Rachel's daddy is…well, shit's going to hit the fan faster than you can say Alohamora." He looked over at Remus and Sirius. "You teach them any Occlumency?"

"Some," Remus said. "Kori and Rachel are already well-trained."

"We frequently have to deal with villains who use psychic attacks," Rachel said. "Plus, I need some elements of Occlumency to keep my demonic heritage under control. After all, a lot of Occlumency is about emotional and psychological control. I've been teaching Hermione my own methods."

"And I have been teaching Harry my own," Kori declared. "We have had some tuition from Remus and Sirius, but it would not hurt to improve it."

Constantine nodded. "Good. I thought you and Rachel would have some training in blocking psychic attack, but Harry and Hermione were the ones I was really concerned about. I know for a fact that both Snape and Dumbledore are powerful Legilimens…and so's Voldemort. You can't discount the possibility of any adults, particularly those with links to the Ministry or the Death Eaters, having the same ability. Now, Remus and Sirius…I was told by the Justice League about a particular problem we have regarding Voldemort and how he gained immortality. So, our job is going to try and find a way to track the bastards down and get rid of them for once and for all. That's another reason I contacted Thessaly. She's forgotten more about magic than any of us will ever learn."

"How nice of you to say, John," came a voice from the doorway, the apparently unimpressive form of Thessaly coming through. Harry knew already, thanks to Constantine and Rachel, that she was millennia old at a bare minimum, despite her relatively young looks. And you saw it, to a degree, in her cold, tired eyes behind her glasses, the sense of having seen millennia pass her by. "I do hope you are not trying to butter me up."

"Perish the thought, Thessaly. I know better than to mess with you."

"This coming from the man who regularly dallies with demons?" the ancient witch remarked with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm reckless. Just not quite that much. Aside from you, I try not to piss off the Endless and a few others," Constantine said.

"Yes, Dream mentioned you in passing, how you helped him retrieve his bag of sand," Thessaly said, before her expression darkened. "You were lucky, for once, given that your path and his intersected only briefly. In any case, it'll be an interesting experience to attempt to teach these children how to perform magic, and suitable to their level. Though given Umbridge's involvement, it may be interesting in the curse sense of the term."

"Joy. It would have been boring if it was easy," Rachel snarked.

The wards of the property allowed Harry and Kori to practise flying and combat with ease. Harry used a combination of Starbolts and spells. Rachel joined in as Harry and Kori were actually training in combat.

After about an hour's training, the trio hovered in mid-air. "How are you finding England so far?" Harry asked the two Titans.

"Fine enough," Rachel said. "We've been to Britain before, for missions for the Titans or with the Justice League. Hermione's been a font of information about Magical Britain, from ground level, so to speak." A smirk played about her features. "She loves to lecture. Normally, I don't like people talking at great length to me, but…Hermione is an intelligent conversationalist." Glancing at Kori, she added, "Not that there aren't any in the Titans, but Hermione and I…well, we click."

"I'm glad you're making friends, Rachel," Kori said with her usual smile.

"I think it's partly because, as a Newblood, what you call a Muggleborn here, she knows what it's like to be an outcast," Rachel said. "Plus, it helps that she knew of me before she met me, and doesn't care about my heritage. Most witches don't know about us, or look upon us with contempt, and when they learn who my father was…"

Harry nodded, gently drifting over and putting a reassuring hand on the stoic girl's shoulder. "Rachel, if you're nothing like Trigon, then I don't care that you're part-demon. Kori trusts you, and so do the other Titans. Hermione trusts you too. Plus, if you can't trust a superhero, who can you trust?"

"Fair point," Rachel said. "I mean, we're not perfect by any stretch of the imagination…but we try to be better. We try to be paragons because of our powers. We have an image to live up to. Something I'm sure you can appreciate, Harry, given your unwanted fame. And the sheeple here have even more unrealistic expectations of you. That you turned out halfway decent after all that…personally, I think you'd do well in the Titans. Kori, what do you reckon?"

"Of course! He needs more training, but he'd fit right in!" Kori declared. "So would Hermione!"

"Superman, Wonder Woman and Batman seemed to think so," Harry said.

"High praise coming from Batman," Rachel remarked. "Then again, he wouldn't have let us use Bruce Wayne's manor as a base in Britain if he didn't trust you to some degree."

Harry nodded. He knew that there was a connection between the famous billionaire and Batman. The Titans and the Justice League had hinted that Wayne was the one who supplied Batman with his various equipment and Batsuit, though Harry was sure there was more to it than that.

Still, it had been something he had discussed with Kori, about possibly joining the Titans after everything was said and done. He had to confess, he was sick and tired of dealing with the follies and foibles of Magical Britain. Learning of Fudge's smear campaign was pretty much the last straw, especially after the media attention of last year. It didn't mean he wouldn't stop Voldemort…but after that, he was done with Magical Britain.

In the short period of time he had been with them, the Titans had made him feel more at home than most of Gryffindor, or the rest of Hogwarts for that matter. True, they had treated him with caution at first, but he had been thrust into their lives without any warning, betrothed to one of their friends and comrades.

And, of course, Kori made him feel most welcome of all. At first, he thought it was out of obligation due to the marriage contract. But Kori was genuine in her desire to know her fellow Tamaranean, even if he was only part-Tamaranean. Perhaps it was loneliness, a desire for a connection with her homeworld that didn't bring up bad memories. And more than that: his ignorance of his heritage and abilities allowed her to fill the role of a teacher, to teach him about their abilities and their culture. And he had to admit, he was certainly fascinated by the history and culture of their ancestors. Hermione even liked to listen to these lessons: it was hardly surprising that Hermione would enjoy learning about the culture and history of an alien world. Hell, she had even asked Superman and M'gann about the history of Krypton and Mars respectively, and while Themyscira was technically on Earth, and Azarath in another dimension, she bearded Wonder Woman and Rachel about those too.

Yes…when Voldemort was dealt with, Harry intended to join the Titans. Hermione had told him, during their time in Jump City, that he had a saving people thing. Her words, not his. And he reckoned it would be best put to use, not in Britain, but with people who had welcomed him more than those here. And he had his betrothed. He didn't want to take her away from her friends. Well, not that he really wanted to leave his own, but to be honest, aside from Hermione and the Weasleys, how many friends did he have here his own age? Neville was probably the only one.

But he intended to deal with the problems here first. He was damned if he was going to leave Britain to Voldemort…

CHAPTER 8 ANNOTATIONS:

Whew! Sorry about the wait for this chapter. Inspiration was lacking, and unfortunately, I don't know where to start for the next one, so it'll be a while yet.

Review-answering time! SaintMichael95: Yeah, megamatt09 pretty much monopolised that pairing, and done it to death.

No numbered annotations this time.