This is response to a fic challenge. It inspired me and I must write.

Name (of challenge): The Wizard of Steel

Name of challenger: DalkonCledwin

Pairings/characters: Harry/Fleur (Gabriel is allowed to join them, but only Veela in the pairing)

Summary: What if Harry was the biological brother of Kal-El, but the two had been sent to earth in two separate starships. Where Kal-El was adopted by a Muggle Couple in Kansas, Harry is instead adopted by a Wizarding Couple in Great Britain. Harry then goes on to become the Wizard of Steel. How would these events change the story of the Boy-Who-Lived?

Other details: The Reason I only want a Veela pairing is because I have it in my mind that Veela biology is sufficiently different enough from human biology that it would be compatible with Kryptonian Biology and they would be able to produce children in that manner. Humans cannot produce children with Kryptonians under normal circumstances.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, Superman or DC Comics. Anything you recognize I do not own.

"The one with the Power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches... borne to those who have thrice defied him, borne as the seventh month dies... and the Dark Lord will mark Him as his equal, but He will have Power the Dark Lord knows not... and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives... the one with the Power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be borne as the seventh month dies... " —Prophecy made to Albus Dumbledore by Sybill Trelawney

The English language is full of homonyms, words that sound alike but have different meanings. When Dumbledore heard the word borne he mistook it for born. The same was true of Severus and later Voldemort. They did not imagine that they could possibly be mistaken. Of course, despite this strange twist of language and the human mind, it would have mattered very little in the end.

Krypton was dying.

Par El, second wife of Jor El, realized the same thing her husband on the opposite side of the planet did: Krypton was dying.

Par El had only one desire before the end of the world as she knew it. She desperately wanted to save her son Har El. She knew his half brother Kal El would be saved. Her beloved Jor and Lara had quickly constructed a small warpship. If it hadn't been for them sending her the schematics Par El would never have been able to build Har's in time.

"What planet are you sending Kal to, my love?" Par asked her husband as they looked at each other through the comms device. She felt a twinge of jealousy at seeing him embracing Lara. She wanted to be there with them, but her son came first.

"Terra. We are targeting the Kents in Kansas. They will make excellent parents for him." Jor tried to smile, but just couldn't. If the Council had only listened so many more could be saved. "They would except Har as well."

"You know I cannot send Har to them. They are not Magical." Par sniffed trying to suppress the tears coming to her eyes. She was a Kryptonian Magi, unlike her two lovers who hadn't a drop of magical blood in their bodies. "Their world still separates the Magi from the others. I will target Britain and the Potters. They are much like the Kents in many ways."

"Our sons won't know each other?" Lara was clearly upset about that. Har and Kal had been born just seconds apart and had spent all but the last month together. It was heartbreaking to think they might never interact again.

"In time they might. I am leaving an AI of myself for Har. When it is time, she will tell him." Par tried to give a reassuring smile, but it just wasn't possible. "You can attempt the same. I left my experiment in your lab."

Before Jor El could respond Krypton was rocked by another set of earthquakes. The damage to the comms grid was immediate and catastrophic. Jor and Lara didn't see their lover's face again until they joined her in the afterlife.

"Ah, Director Ragnok, you honor us with your presence." Lily Potter nee Evans bowed deeply to well dressed goblin. "I was just informing Grabhorn that we have blood-adopted a son. Please meet Harrel James Potter-Black. We call him Harry."

Ragnok peaked into the swaddling that James Potter was holding. Now normally, Goblins found humans to be frail and ugly. It was because Goblins had an innate ability to see the weak points of anything they saw. Humans with their single heart, soft flesh and exposed genitalia were so easy to injure. To goblins they would never be beautiful no matter how pretty they were. However the infant in the swaddling was simply the most beautiful being he had ever seen. The child had flesh that would make dragonhide look soft and muscles that would make the stoutest giant seem weak. If there was a physical weakness, Ragnok could not see it.

"He is a beautiful child, Mrs. Potter." Ragnok said after just a few moments. "Does this mean you wish to cease the goblin fertility treatments?"

"Not exactly. I wish to continue them." Lily said after a moment. She did not understand the significance of Ragnok using the term beautiful, but she had been happy that the boy who stole her heart was doing it with others. "I have not been seen in public for eight months. Only James and Sirius have seen me other than on a Floo call. What we are hoping is that we could spread some disinformation."

"Ah, I see. Since you have blood adopted the child, your Ministry will record him as being born of your loins. However, if someone were to ask us…" Ragnok frowned in thought. There were cases where Blood Adoptions could be challenged in order to affect inheritances. Little Harrel would be the sole heir to the Potter and Black fortunes, not to mention Lordships. Ragnok knew that there was another possible heir, the Malfoy child. Normally, Ragnok would not take a side, but Harrel was special, he was sure of it. "Grabhorn, isn't this a lovely child that Lily Potter has given birth to?"

"Yes, Director Ragnok, he is a lovely child." Grabhorn wasn't a fool. He knew exactly what the Director wanted. "It's amazing what Goblin Healers can do when properly motivated."

"Thank you, Director Ragnok." James Potter smiled without showing teeth. "Please accept five thousand galleons as a gift to the Goblins for your help."

"You are most generous, Heir Potter." Ragnok gave only the barest of bows, but it was not to James or Lily, bt rather to little Harrel. "Your Heir's interests will be protected by Gringotts for the remainder of his days."

"Harry? You're alive?" Sirius Black picked up his godson and cradled him to his chest. As the little man's arms wrapped around his neck, Sirius braced for the far too strong hug that would be coming. Only it didn't. Little Harry's arms held no more strength than the average toddlers. "What happened?"

"I believe the scene is quite self explanatory, Sirius." Dumbledore had almost quite literally stepped out of nowhere. "Voldemort found the Potters and attempted to eliminate Harry. These are his favorite robes." The old man kicked a pile of black robes. "We must act swiftly to secure Harry behind Blood Wards, otherwise Voldemort's followers will find him and finish what their Master started."

"Yes, yes, that is a good idea. I have a house in Holyhead we can erect them there." Sirius patted Harry on the back before shifting him in position. Harry looked ready to just fall asleep as he was, but otherwise hale and whole, not a mark to be seen. "Harry, don't worry you will be coming to live with me."

"I am afraid that is impossible, Sirius. He must go live with Petunia, she is his closest blood relation after all." Dumbledore adopted the grandfatherly tone to his voice. "If you will hand Harry over…"

"Bollocks to that. The Petunia hates Lily and Vernon…well…people like him are why Voldemort are not completely wrng when they say muggles are scum." Sirius responded with more and a bit of venom in his tone. "I blood adopted Harry as my son when James and Lils offered. So I am his closest blood relation."

"Ah, my apologies then Sirius. I was unaware of your close relationship." Dumbledore offered a smiled before motioning Sirius towards the door.

"It's alright, it was a secret after all." Sirius shook his head for a second and started towards the stairs. Normally he would think about apparating, but doing that with Harry was not as easy as one would think. "It's going to be alright Harry, I promise."

"Obliviate. Imperio." Dumbledore was faster than any normal wizard could even dream of being when it came to wandwork. The moment Sirius had presented his back, Dumbledore pounced. With just a few telepathic commands, Sirius was waiting to play his part in everything. "I like you Sirius, but you cannot be allowed to have influence over Harry. He might become a threat to my plans if you raised him."

Once Harry was set back in the crib, Dumbledore started a series of spells. The first was a partial bind of Harry's magic. Yes, Dumbledore would admit that the Dursleys were horrible people, but he was not sending Harry there to be killed. Too much accidental magic would guarantee that Vernon would strangle him. The next set of spells were general antipathy charms, unless someone already held affection for young Harry they would see him in an unflattering light. There was no used sending Harry to be broken if he could make friends. Of course he would lift the charms before Hogwarts. Harry would find his first friends in the magical world and thus become ready to die for them. Then there came a series of tracking spells. All in all, it took a few minutes to weave it all together.

"Hmm, the prophecy said you would be marked." Albus mused for a moment. "Normally, just being attacked would be enough, but I need to make sure." Dumbledore drew the dagger from his left boot and prepared a numbing charm. He might be willing to cut the child, but not make the child suffer pain at his hands. With a series of strokes with the dark magic infused blade, Harry now had a lightning bolt shaped scar. Adding a little of the ash from Voldemort's robes and in a few years the taint would make attempts to analyze the scar impossible. "There we are, the perfect martyr for the Light. People will be naming their children Albus and Harry for centuries."

Many years later at Hogwarts.

Harry Potter leapt on the back of the troll without a single thought to just how he might survive the beast. All he knew was in that moment he had to save Hermione. Immediately the Troll started trashing around in an attempt to dislodge him. Harry knew that was pretty much a death sentence. In a vain attempt to attempt to harm the troll he shoved his Holly Wand up the beast's nose. His hope had been that he could have gotten it into the brain. While he didn't want to kill anything, he also didn't want to die. "Ron get Hermione out of here!"

"Okay, Harry, hold on he can't get you while you're on his back." Ronald Weasley might not have wanted to come save Hermione in the first place, but he was not sorted into Gryffindor on merely his family name. While Harry had the troll distracted, Ron attempted to sprint across the bathroom and grab Hermione and sling shot her out of danger. Sure it was not the best of plans, but he'd only had a second to make it.

As luck would have it, Harry didn't manage to injure the Troll, merely upset him as now his nose was hurting. That however did not distract the Troll from his goals. He had little ones to smash into paste. The black haired one was on his back and the curly haired one pressed herself into a corner. However the redhaired one was in the open and moving just within range. With a half step and a bloodcurdling roar the Troll brought the club down on the redhaired little one.

"RON!" Hermione screamed as she saw the incoming club coming for the boy.

"Bugger…" Ron had just enough time to utter a final word as the club came down upon him.

The Bathroom was sprayed with blood as a half ton of stone was used to pulverize the youngest male Weasley. The sickening sound of crushed bones and burst organs would be something that haunted the dreams of Hermione Granger and Harry Potter. With a triumphant roar the Troll raised his club again in an attempt to swat Harry off his back.

While Hermione was weeping for a young man who had tried to save her, Harry was a building inferno of rage. The absolute first friend he had made that was his age had just been killed. The friend who had introduced him to Chocolate Frogs, Bertie Bots Any Flavor Beans, and most of all treated him as a human being.

"I WILL KILL YOU! I SWEAR IT!" Harry Potter roared in the Troll's ear and there was a brilliant flash of light even as the club finally smashed into him.

If the hit of the troll's club had come before the vow the events that followed would have been different. As it was when any magical being make a vow there is a brief flash of light. Now to almost every species of creature across the universe this flash of light would mean nothing. However, to the weakened Kryptonian known as Har El this flash of light was empowering in a way that fueled the last stage of his recovery.

Harry flew off the Troll's back and through the wall separating the girl's and boy's washroom. Normally, an eleven year old boy would have simply splattered over the surface of a stone wall, but that fact escaped Harry as he stood up amongst the rubble. Brushing chunks of pulverized stone off his robes he glared at the Troll not realizing his glass had been destroyed. With a snarl of pure hatred Harry pulled himself through the hole and headed straight for the Troll.

"You don't hit even hit as hard as Piers Polkiss." Harry sneered as he stepped up to Troll and punched the beast in the stomach, which was as high as he could reach.

The reaction was beyond all the normal expectations of a preteen hitting a grown man let alone a monster capable of crushing a lorry. Harry's fist sank deep into the tough hide of the Troll as momentum resisted the incredible force of the blow. Time seemed to stop as the Trolls eyes nearly bulged out of it's sockets. As time resumed the troll was flung through the opposite wall across the hall and tumbling twice before it crashed through another wall into an empty classroom.

"Harry?" Hermione blinked owlishly at the sight. She had been sure that Harry died the moment club connected.

"Just a moment Hermione. That thing killed Ron and almost got you too. It dies now." Harry turned to face the girl he thought of as another friend. "Nobody hurts my friends ever again!"

Hermione wanted to stop him but her brain was locked up. She knew Wizards and Witches were tougher than normal humans, but what she saw wasn't possible. Was it?

The Troll shook his head as he sat up. He had never been hit so hard, even when he had angered that giant. Seeing the dark haired little one stomp towards him, the Troll roared in anger. The little one had to be one of those stick wavers. He hated the stick wavers. They made him do things. He would teach this one to mess with Trolls. Getting up to his feet the Troll charged the little one and brought his club down with both hands.

Harry raised both hands above his head in what for others would be a futile effort to ward off the massive granite club. When the hard stone shattered on his forearms Harry felt only the same pain as a kick from his cousin would cause. He didn't dare question whether this was due to magic or not. Instead took a moment to grab the Trolls arms and pull toward him. Being overbalanced the Beast crashed to ground as it's arms were dislocated from the immense strength Harry had used.

"You took my friend away from me! You took him away from his family!" Harry shouted as he drew his foot back. With an inarticulate scream of rage he put everything he had into that kick. The old trainer he was wearing disintegrated from air resistance before his bare foot completely collapsed the Troll's head. That didn't stop Harry, he kept kicking and kicking even as he broke down in tears.

"Good heavens!"Minerva McGonagall blurted out as she came to sudden stop in the destroyed Girl's lavatory. Where once a rather modern bathroom, by wizard standards, had stood was now just blood soaked rubble. One of her Lions was weeping over the mangled body of another. It took her a moment to recognize Hermione Granger and if the shock of ginger hair was anything to go by the mangled body was Ronald Weasley. Looking around she noticed that the room had two gigantic holes through the walls as if someone had used high powered reductor curses. Before she could compose herself she blurted out the very thought that was on her mind. "What happened here?"

"The Troll cornered me and when Harry and Ron came to save me, the Troll killed Ron." Hermione hiccupped around her tears. She was so far into shock that she was just responding out of habit of answering questions. "The troll then threw Harry through that wall and then Harry punched the Troll through that wall." Hermione motioned to the two walls. "I think he went to finish it off."

"I dinnae ken what yeh are sayin' lass. Harry Potter punched a Troll through a wall?" Minerva had slipped into a full Scottish burr for a few moments as her mind tried to process what she had heard.

"Yes, he did. It violated nearly every law of physics and physiology I know of, but he did." Hermione Granger looked up from the ruined body of Ron. "He followed it. You might find him, but I hope he makes it suffer before he kills it."

Severus Snape had come from the opposite direction as Minerva McGonagall. As such he had stumbled upon the pair of holes running perpendicular to the hall way. He was torn on which way to go to intercept the Troll until he heard the Deputy Headmistress talking to a student. Quickly choosing the other direction he drew his wand and leapt through the hole. He didn't have to go far before he saw a young student literally kicking a dead troll. He would have considered it funny, if it wasn't for the fact he saw that the kicks were strong enough to pulverize the trolls bones.

"Stupefy." Severus knew that the Headmaster would ream him a new one, but he really wasn't willing to risk the anger of a student hyped up on Reem Blood.

The red bolt of the stunner struck the young student in back, but instead of causing him to drop unconscious it merely slowed the pace of the kicking.

"I'm getting tired. The adrenalin must be wearing off." Harry mumbled as he gave one last kick to the troll.

"Potter? What is the meaning of this?" Severus took an involuntary step back. He was very proficient in stunning spells, so he knew that the Potter brat should have dropped in his tracks. While Reem Blood could account for the supernatural strength displayed, it could not account for the resistance to the Stunner.

"The Troll killed Ron." Harry said tiredly as he turned around to face the new voice. "I couldn't let that go unpunished. My parents were taken from me. I never got to know them. Ron was my friend and I lost him. too." Harry's hollow voice sounded so lost as his legs collapsed from underneath him. "Why do I lose everyone?"

Severus groaned internally as he heard the son of his very worst enemy so very lost. Didn't the child get enough pampering? Well, he would not coddle him. Coddling led to weakness. The brat needed to kill the Dark Lord and he couldn't do if he was weak.

"To your feet Potter. I am not one of your sycophants. You will get to your feet and march yourself to the infirmary." Snape sneered. When Harry didn't move, Severus shouted. "NOW POTTER!"

Harry was unsure how he got to the infirmary or even how he came to be laying in a bed dressed in pyjamas. The last thing he remembered was kicking the Troll in the head over and over again. He couldn't but help to wonder how he did the things he did. He hadn't heard of a spell or potions that made a person invulnerable or strong. Even if he had, he certainly didn't know how to cast the spell and he definitely did not drink a potion. He was so wrapped up in his own thoughts he didn't notice Hermione resting in the bed next to his.

"Harry, how did you do it?" Hermione spoke up, pulling Harry from his musings. "Was it a spell?"

"I don't know, Hermione. I really don't know." Harry said softly. "I tackled that troll thinking it was going to kill me, but at least I would save you and Ron." He shook his head. "I have no idea how I got so strong. If I did I would have done it before Ron died. Oh God, Ron's dead and it's my fault. All my fault! All my fault! They were right…"

"Harry…" Hermione attempted to interrupt the flood of guilt that was washing over Harry.

"…I'm a good for nothing freak." Harry mumbled just loud enough to be heard. "I ruin everything good."

"Harry James Potter you stop that this instant!" Hermione may not have wanted to yell at Harry but she was damned if she was going to let her savior run himself down. "None of this was your fault. If you and Ron hadn't com for me, I'd be dead and Merlin knows how many other students. You and Ron did the best you could and don't you dare belittle Ron's sacrifice. He came with you to rescue me like a true Gryffindor."

Harry stopped listing his many multitudes of imagined sins and looked over at the bushy haired girl who was now huffing in indignation. He'd never been told it was not his fault. Back on Privet Drive it was always his fault, no matter who the real culprit was. Wide eyed he just stared at her.

"The real blame is on whomever thought it would be funny to release a Mountain Troll in the Castle. You save your blame for them." Hermione said with much more force than one would image a twelve year old could. "And once we find out who it was, I get first crack at them. After I am done, then you turn them into paste, understood?"

"Of course, Hermione." Harry nodded vigorously as the young woman demanded his agreement. It hadn't occurred to him that he was stronger than her. All he knew was that Hermione was scary when brassed off. "We'll find him."

"Good, now I do not want to hear of you blaming yourself again." Hermione said with some manner of finality. "I need my Best Friend to not be a guilt ridden mess when he is not to blame."

"Ah, Poppy what have the tests concluded?" Albus Dumbledore was definitely intrigued. When Minerva had reported that two bathrooms and a class room had been practically destroyed by a fight between students and a Troll he had naturally assumed that they were seventh years. When he was told who the students were he had been shocked and more than a little saddened. While he didn't say it aloud he did internally condemn Harry for letting a fellow student die. "Do we know how young Harry survived the Troll?"

"I certainly do Headmaster, and I will discuss it with him as soon as I believe he can handle the news." Poppy Pomfrey was a fully dedicated Mediwitch. Her priority was the safety and health of the children and Professors at Hogwarts, as such she was under the full set of vows any Healer took. "As it was not spell, potions, or set of runes I believe you involvement in this case is over, Headmaster.

"Poppy, surely as the boys Magical Guardian I am privy to such information." Dumbledore pressed, the twinkle in his eye intensifying.

"Headmaster, even if you were Mr. Potter's proper Magical Guardian I would not be able to release the information to you without Mr. Potter's permission." Madam Pomfrey straightened to her full height and stared the Headmaster in the eyes. She had little fear of a Leglimens as her Vows worked better than Occlumency at protecting medical secrets. "Now, if Mr. Potter deems you should be informed I will do so, until then please refrain from attempting to pry the information out of me."

Dumbledore would be the first to admit he did not like when he was denied anything he wanted. However, he had learned that there were things you press and things you let lie. Most politicians could be pressed for information and favors as Dumbledore was practically a living Saint to the Wizarding World. However, Mediwitches and Healers were practically immune to political pressure. He could not demand he be shown anything because the Vows would not allow it if the Healer thought it should remain confidential.

"I understand, Poppy. I was merely overly curious." Dumbledore gave the grandfatherly smile and dismissed th whole event as simple professional curiosity. "There is another matter. How is the reconstruction on young Mr. Weasley's corpse coming? Arthur and Molly are hoping to take him to the Burrow soon."

"Oh, Mr. Weasley should be presentable by tomorrow morning. We were lucky he was only hit with the club twice, his bones were all broken, not powdered." Madam Pomfrey was just a bit ill at the thought of what happened to the youngest Weasley male. "I have given calming draughts to the other Weasleys and young Mr. Weasley's room-mates."

"Very well, I will inform them what time to arrive." Dumbledore offered a nod of his head before leaving Poppy's office.

"Ah, Mr. Potter, Miss Granger, I am glad to see you two have recovered." Madam Pomfrey smiled as she entered the infirmary to see her patients awake. Normally she would admonish them for not resting properly, bt there was nothing wrong with them physically. They had both just been through a terrible shock. "You'll be somewhat happy to know, you are both physically cleared to leave the infirmary for dinner. I fear you will need to take breakfast and lunch here however." As she spoke she waved her wand and two trays laden with potions floated over to their respective beds. "Now, you will need to take all these potions to help with what has happened."

"Excuse me, but why would I need potions. I didn't suffer any injuries." Hermione looked at the goopy substances with a gimlet eye.

"Oh, no need to be excused Miss Granger. I prefer my patients to ask intelligent questions. Well, on both of your trays are Calming Draughts to help you keep from slipping back into shock. Then there is Widow's Friend, it blunts the symptoms of grief during waking hours. The third is Auror's Lament, it allows your dreams to help you deal with the shock of seeing death so close up. You won't remember these dreams, but they will help. And I included a chocolate Nutrient Potions for each of you on general principal." Poppy pointed out the various potions. "While the best treatment for this type of trauma is a Veela Mindhealer, they are strictly forbidden to work on patients under the age of fourteen considering the nature of their methods of healing. At least they are here in Britain."

"Uhm what about these potions, Madam Pomfrey?" Harry asked as he looked at the tray in front of him. There were at four more vials in his tray that Hermione's.

"Well, Mr. Potter, I have added Soldier's Ally, a brew that does the same as Auror's Lament except for how you have ended a life, no matter how justified it was. Then this is Liquid Sun. There are numerous benefits to exposure to sunlight for Witches and Wizards, and I can tell you have not had as much as you need. One dose provides your body with the equivalent of twelve hours sunbathing." Madam Pomfrey replied with smile. "The third one is a Peanut Butter Nutrient Potion and the final one I will tell you about privately. Don't drink it, however."

"Oh, okay." Harry began arranging his potions by the way the smelled. He had a feeling that most potions tasted about how they smelled, basically like sewage. The nutrient potions actually smelled very good, so he saved those for last. He looked to Hermione and saw she had done the same. Lifting the first potion he chuckled. "Cheers."

"Cheers." Hermione giggled a bit and began throwing back the nasty potions as quickly as she could. The first had been vile, she felt a serene sensation pass over her, so she assumed it worked.

Madam Pomfrey smiled as he two patients dutifully started their medication regimens. She so rarely got fully cooperative patients. Once all the potions were drank, except the one Harry had to set aside, breakfast was delivered by House Elves. Hermione was so hungry at this point that she didn't immediately ask what they were, she just ripped into her full English breakfast. Harry was pretty much the same though he noticed his breakfast was bigger than even what Ron would normally eat.

"Once you are done, we will do the individual examinations. They will be private as the curtains have silencing charms." Madam Pomfrey nodded to each of them before heading back to her office.

"We still have no leads on how a fully mature Mountain Troll got into Hogwarts. The one placed in the deep dungeons is still there." Minerva McGonagall was pacing back and forth in front of the Headmaster's desk. "On a brighter note Filius has effected repairs to the damaged walls and lavatories." She did not seem particularly happy with that, even if it was good news. "You are positive it was not Professor Quirrel? He was able to procure one Troll."

"I am quite certain that it was not Quirinus Quirrel." Dumbledore offered his usual wise tone that practically screamed: I am always right. "The man does not have a single violent bone in his body."

"And yet you have him teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts." Minerva snarked. "My Lions have told me how ineffective his lectures are. One of the muggleborns compared him to something called Porky Pig."

Dumbledore had to stifle a chuckle at that one. It was an accurate description from the few cartoons he had seen during his holidays. Shaking his head he triggered a set of runes on the floor underneath his desk. They were designed to have the same effects as a strong calming draught.

"I assure you, Minerva, that Professor Quirrel is perfectly qualified." Albus reinforced his statement with a mild compulsion to let the matter drop. "And the Troll was just merely an unfortunate accident. We are just lucky it was handled before more than one death occurred."

"Yes, yes of course. He was just one of mine and it has been decades since there was a death in this school." McGonagall sat down heavily in the chair and let out a weary sigh. "I feel I have somehow failed my Lions."

"Minerva, young Ronald's death is not our fault. He ran to the rescue of a fellow classmate. There is no more noble end than that in my opinion." Albus knew he was laying it on thick. Ron had reluctantly joined Harry at first, but he had willingly joined him in the end. "From what we have uncovered their plan was no better or worse than any of our faculty could have done under the circumstances. Trolls are notoriously hard to subdue which is why we have one as one of our defenses."

"Yes, yes, I understand." Minerva responded while her mind absorbed the slight compulsions. "If you'll excuse me, I must have a meeting with my Lions. I had only informed the Weasleys and young Mister Weasley's roommates last night."

"Ah, very good. Inform them that classes are canceled today." Albus said softly. "And the Weasleys have permission to leave Hogwarts for the funeral when it occurs."

"Ah, I see I am just in time." Madam Pomfrey smiled warmly as she made her way to Harry's bedside just as the young man had taken the last sip of juice after such a large breakfast. Pulling the curtains closed and activating the silencing charm feature, Poppy assured there would be a great deal of privacy for the discussion with her young patient. "Now, first things first, that third potion is actually a salve for your scars, Mr. Potter. You will need to apply a vial of it daily to the affected areas." Poppy sighed softly as saw Harry's eye widened. "I am the only person who has seen those scars, Mr. Potter. Rest assured I will not let anyone know you have them unless you give me permission to speak about them."

"Uhm, the Quidditch team knows too." Harry muttered hanging his head in shame. He hadn't wanted anyone to know about what he suffered at home. There was a reason he always wore his cousin Dudley's castoffs if he wasn't wearing his school uniform. His back, chest and abdomen was littered with scars from the floggings Vernon would give him. Many, many times he had been whipped nearly raw, and healed by the next day. "I don't want anyone else to know what kind of worthless freak I am."

"Hmm, I thought they might. Miss Bell was in here just a few days ago asking what kind of treatments there were for scars. I thought nothing of it at the time, nor of the Twins asking the same thing." Poppy sat on the edge of the bed hoping to make Harry at least a little more comfortable. "Now, I wish to tell you this, Mr. Potter, you are in no way worthless, nor are you a freak. Those people who gave you those scars are freaks. The people who told you are worthless are merely jealous that you are better than them.

"What?" Harry looked up from his lap as he heard that. Nobody had ever told him either of those things. When he had tried to tell Teachers and Police Officers when he was younger, they had merely ignored him.

"May I call you Harry?" Poppy asked and when she got the nod she offered a genuine smile. "In all my years at Hogwarts I have seen many children who have been beaten down both in body and mind. Not one of them did a single thing to deserve it." She paused for a moment. "And I know you could not have done anything to deserve such a fate either. Even if you had not defeated You-Know-Who, the character you showed in saving Miss Granger from a Troll is the very thing heroes are forged from. I would be absolutely terrified of a troll and be completely unable to act unless someone shouted orders at me. According to Miss Granger, you tackled a fully grown Mountain Troll in an effort to let Mr. Weasley rescue Miss Granger. That it failed is not your fault. Short of Professor Flitwick, Professor Quirrel or Professor Dumbledore, I doubt any of the Professors could have fared much better against the Troll. Even they might have been unable to best the beast before he killed Miss Granger."

"So I traded Ron for Hermione? Someone with a loving family still died." Harry grimaced. "I didn't want that. It was supposed to be me."

"That is what is known as Survivor's Guilt. If you had died and by some miracle Miss Granger and Mr Weasley escaped the Troll, then I would imagine Ronald would be feeling the same way right now. I dare say he would feel worse, as Miss Granger told me why she was crying her eyes out in that bathroom." Poppy plowed along in helping her young charge. She was no mindhealer, but before Hogwarts she had been a Combat Mediwitch. She had seen far too many Aurors and Hitwizards go through similar feelings. "Of course that is assuming they would have survived. If you had died who would have handled the Troll before it hurt others? I respect our Deputy Headmistress, but Trollhide resists transfiguration nearly as well as it does curses. Our esteemed Potions Master might have been able to take it down but not before one of your friends died. You managed to handle the situation better than they could have."

"But why couldn't I handle it before? One minute I was weak and pathetic the next I was powerful. The club shattered on my forearms like it was made of spun sugar. I should have been just as dead as Ron."

"Well, that is the other thing I must discuss with you, Harry." Poppy resituated herself on the bed a bit so she was half facing Harry. "As I examined you, I used a series of spell to accurate diagnose anything that could be wrong with you. They were like the spells that I used during your physical but more detailed. Do you remember me commenting that you bones and muscles were denser than the average Wizards?" Seeing the nod she continued. "And that your eyes were perfectly formed, it was your optic nerve that was damaged? Well, this time I found some very unusual readings. Your optic nerve is now completely repaired. I imagine that you have not discovered that you no longer need glasses to see." She waited a moment for Harry to discover that for himself. "Well, when I received that reading I decided I needed to delve deeper."

"What did you learn?" Harry could see the hesitance in Poppy's whole demeanor. Normally if he saw something like that, he would just leave the subject alone. However at that moment he needed answers.

"I am trying to find a way of telling you what you need to know without sounding insane." Poppy furrowed her brow. "Some of the spells I used simply fizzled. At first I thought they failed, but they just could not decipher the information they were gathering from your body. One of them was a simple specie revello spell. It's a spell used when one isn't sure of a patient's species, important mostly because some potions do not interact well with other species. Giving a partial Goblin like Professor Flitwick a dose of Calming Draught is more likely to drive him into hyperactive violent state. He won't kill out of hand, but he'll fight anyone nearby while cheerfully talking about the latest paper he read. Giving Mr. Hagrid a simple dose of Skelegro could trigger a growth spurt of several inches thanks to his giant-blood. When I applies the charm to you, it would not give me the name of any species in the world. There was just a series of strange symbols in the air for a moment. It did however give me notes on potions and recommended a vial Liquid Sun to help with injuries or fatigue."

"So I am not human?" Harry quirked an eyebrow at the explanation. Poppy did not strike him as one who would make up a story.

"In body, no, you are not human in much the same way a Veela or Half-Breed is. However in mind and heart, I daresay you are more human than ninety percent of Humanity is." Poppy smiled as she chuckled a bit. "I will keep this information under the strictest of confidentiality. I will only tell those you deem worthy of the knowledge."

"Mmmh, I'll wait to tell others until I know just what I am." Harry said after a moments contemplation. "Though I still wonder why I wasn't strong enough to save Ron."

"Well, Harry, whatever your species is my not come into their strength and invulnerability until their teen years. Your emotional distress at seeing Ronald dying may have triggered it early for all we know or understand." Poppy mused even as she started to stand. "The phenomena is seen in several magical species."

"And just who do you think you are?" Moaning Myrtle was not at all welcoming to the intruder that was now in her home away from home. She had good reason to be grumpy. That Marietta Edgecombe girl had chased off the nice girl Myrtle had been talking to. Myrtle wasn't sure of her name, was it Li Su or Su Li? It didn't matter the tiny Ravenclaw had been polite and surprisingly kind. "What are you doing in a Girl's Bathroom?"

"I'm not quite sure." The young man turned to face the girl talking to him. "I came here because someone was crying. It was my fault."

"Oh, I see, an Ickle Gryffindor picked on a girl and felt guilty." Myrtle rolled her eyes. "Well, at least you're better than that horrible Olive Hornsby. So, what happened? Did she kill you for being a prat?"

"Yes, I felt guilty. I snapped because she was trying to help me with a spell. I was being stupid." The young man sighed as he sank down, sitting on the edge of a toilet. "I came here because she was in danger. No…that's not right. I followed my friend here. He was the one willing to save her from the Troll. He jumped on the Troll in order to distract him. I was running to get the girl and then…nothing. I think I died."

"Oh, you died saving the girl. That's actually sweet. You're going to be popular with the girl ghosts." Myrtle giggled a bit as she edged closer to the young man. "I'm Myrtle. What's your name?"

"Ron, Ron Weasley." The young man replied with a shrug.