TITLE: After the Storm

AUTHOR: Lucifael

WEBSITE: . (luwriting dot co dot uk)

DISTRIBUTION: FFNET, LuWriting

DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

SUMMARY: After the Storm is it time for the Calm? Or is it a different type of storm that is coming for Harry. A new life, a new continent and a whole host of possibilities is in store for our hero.

FEEDBACK: Read, Review and Rate please it is the life's blood of fan fiction and helps me to improve.

CATEGORY: Action/Adventure/Crossover

RELATIONSHIPS: H/? (No Slash)

RATING: M (FR18)

SPOILERS: For Season 4 and more of Smallville, but quickly becomes AU. Set after Gone, so Clark and Jonathan are both back at home.

WARNINGS: Not HBP Compliant, Powerful Harry.

BETA: Drake the Archr, OdinMage

AUTHORS NOTES:

This story is inspired by another, very good HP Crossover with Smallville called "Harry Potter and the Ascension of Ra" which is available on FFNET. It doesn't go the same way but I won't lie there are similarities here. It really get's different later on as there isn't much different you can do about going somewhere and setting up a home lol.

That said I would like to think my story stands alone despite the similarities it is its own story.

This is my first attempt at a proper Smallville cross so that should be interesting, lol. I hope I do it justice.

I'm not sure on a ship for the story yet, though obviously some of the canon ones will be in there.

Harry Potter is AU from fifth year onwards and is described briefly in the introduction of Chapter One.

BTW just because I bill this as a Smallville crossover that doesn't mean that's the only crossover I'll include. At this point it could go in any direction; I don't really do a lot of planning ahead.

After The Storm

Chapter One – Moving

New York

Harry Potter stood amongst the towering skyscrapers of New York City his eyes closed while the seething masses of humanity passed on all sides. He was so dizzy at that moment in time it was almost enough to make him sick. Every day since the end of his fifth year at Hogwarts had seemed to go by in a flash. Ever since the day that Dumbledore had made an abrupt 180 in his decision to send Harry back to the Dursley's after Sirius had died. From that day forth Harry had known no peace at all in his life be it personally or scholastically.

Apparently the aged man had been collecting special training memories for Harry. The Professor had collected them from a variety of sources, ready for the day that he decided Harry was old enough. Something about Harry's reaction to the Prophesy had obviously made that decision for the Headmaster and he had put his plans in motion.

It was good in a way, for Harry had been wondering if the man had wanted Harry to fail. It was good to find out that he had a plan all along to get Harry up to speed.

There had been a problem though; merging that many memories and the associated skills into his system had also merged the fragment of Voldemort into his own brain at the same time. There had been a short battle that Harry had eventually won, but not without some cost to himself in terms of mental scarring.

The upside was that he knew a lot of what Voldemort had known when he had created the scar on Harry's forehead and that was now a part of Harry. It gave him insight into the man that no one else had, not even the headmaster and it had been what had eventually won the day during their final epic duel to the death.

That had come during his final year when he was testing out on all his NEWT's due to all the memories he had imbibed. The Dark Lord and most of his followers had attacked first Hogsmeade and then the school itself. Having planned for that with the Headmaster the staff of the school got the students to safety and triggered the schools defences, both old and new. Being that it was a thousand year old school that had been attacked many times in its history the defences were impressive and cut the number they had to fight significantly.

As always happened during these occasions people were lost on both sides until finally it came down to Harry and Voldemort.

The fight was still as clear as day in Harry's mind but it was not something he liked to dwell on if he could help it. They had inflicted grievous wounds on each other before Harry had laid the killing stroke on the snake like wizard. The memory of the backlash of magic that had occurred at that point would still wake Harry up of an evening.

By far the worst part of it all, other than losing some of the best educators in the business, had been the frenzy that had occurred afterwards.

This had led directly to why Harry was standing in New York when he could be at any number of functions at that moment in time. He had actually been hounded out of the country by the press and well wishers and the Minister of Magic himself of course. He was now one of the most powerful and skilled wizards of his age, and perhaps a few others, and yet he had to run from his home country because they just wouldn't leave him alone.

He had weathered through the first few months of it, of course he had, but in the end it was agreed with his best friends and advisors, which included a now recovering Professor Dumbledore that it might be a good idea if he slipped from the public eye for a while.

To that end and since he was now 17 he had gone to Gringotts and claimed all that he was due with an end of line spell and the reading of both Sirius' and his parents Wills. It turned out that he was due rather a lot and he had taken it all from the goblins hands, much to their displeasure, and then converted it to Muggle currency, dollars to be precise. America was one of the most modern and forward thinking magical communities in the world as well as being the largest, but even then it had been decided that it might be best if he lived as a Muggle, or mundane as they were known in the US, for a while.

He was rich enough that he would never worry about money and setting himself up in the country was easy with Albus', as he now insisted Harry call him, help. Through the ICW and their connections he had been granted citizenship in the 'US of A' and, with the judicious use of a map and a dart, he had picked a location to live in. Buying a house there had been almost worryingly easy due to the low prices in the area even though it was relatively close to a large city in Kansas. The town he had chosen to live in was small by American standards and was apparently well known for a meteor shower that had happened back in the 80's. Other than that nothing seemed too out of the ordinary and Harry was hoping it would be a nice place to live. Due to his young age he had been enrolled in the Muggle school there, a Highschool, and had been given some special training to make up for the schooling he had missed from age 11 and the differences in subjects.

He was in New York to finish up a few business related things and had a man Dumbledore trusted, an old friend that had expatriated from the motherland, to help Harry look after his finances and such. The man was called Walter Cummings and he ran a few moderately successful businesses in the Muggle world due to being a Squib. He had moved to the USA during the last war but had been an operative for the Order of the Phoenix during his time in England and had Dumbledore's utmost trust. This was just as well considering the fortune that he was looking after for Harry.

A few minor things had also been done to help keep Harry's identity secret as well. Thanks to Walter Cummings he had recently undergone plastic surgery to cover up his scar somewhat. Without Voldemort around it was just a scar now and had been thinned out to a remarkable degree. His name was now Black in homage to his Godfather but his given name was still Harry. Apparently it was better to stick to the same first name with this sort of thing so you actually registered it properly. If he had changed it to James, for instance, and someone called it he probably wouldn't turn around. But if they called Harry, he likely would. So in the end he was Harry Black, age 17, very nearly 18, from London, England expatriated to Smallville, Kansas. London had been chosen since the accent wasn't too different from his own and was far enough away from Surrey that with the name change he had some secrecy for his original identity. His cover story had been put together meticulously, keeping as many details as close to the truth as possible while making sure it wouldn't be linked to his prior self. He had all sorts of documentation to prove he was who he said he was, as well as histories of a medical and educational type as well.

In short he was ready to slip into a new life. The only trouble was that he was already missing his old one. Not the fame, or the fighting but the simple times up in the common room with his peers as they talked, had fun and even did home work. He missed Ron and Hermione and wondered how they would get along without him there to play buffer for their often times annoying, but fun, arguments. He was going to miss his other friends as well, like the members of the DA. Luna for all her other worldliness was a treasure to have as a friend. Neville despite being so shy was coming on leaps and bounds in his personal confidence and there were plenty of others as well that he was going to miss.

He was in a strange country 4,000 miles away from his old one with no friends around him and the constant threat of being found out on his shoulders. Luckily his property was out in the sticks a little, having recently been emptied out and was ready for him. It meant that he could practice a little magic there without the likelihood of being caught. After everything else, going without magic totally would be a killer he was sure. So in a way he was glad he didn't need to worry about that.

He was also a skilled manipulator of magic these days thanks to the 'lessons' from various people that Albus had been picking up for him in the last decade. So making his house a home was likely to be fairly easy. He still had a few things he needed to buy, including some specially protected computer equipment. Apparently the schools in America preferred to have their assignments in printed form which blew Harry away as he had never even touched a computer before his training. Luckily that had been part of his acclimation training but he was still no Bill Gates.

Other specialty equipment was required to make his house look like any other Muggle home while being protected from the amount of magic he habitually put out around him, not just him but any Wizard, though apparently his was unusually high of late.

His eyes snapped open and hand flashed into action as he felt a hand slip into his back pocket. He grabbed it and twisted. Some of the special lessons he had picked up were of the physical kind and due to the way he had been taught were instantly in his cerebral cortex. Thus he reacted on instinct and caught the pick pocket without a care in the world and had him face down on the ground in an instant. He lazily regained his wallet, which had all his ID and cards in it as well as a large chunk of dollars, checked it while holding the man with one hand and then let go. "I'd be more careful in future if I were you," Harry said his tone dangerous.

The man looked at him in shock at being taken out by such a slender looking guy and backed off into the crowd without taking his eyes of Harry. He was obviously expecting Harry to attack him again or something.

Harry paid him no mind, instead glancing at the Rolex on his wrist and noting the time. He had a meeting in a few short minutes and he had been so caught up in his thoughts that he was going to be late if he didn't get a move on. He went with the flow of humanity and made his way quickly towards his goal.

Intellitech Incorporated, Day

"Welcome Mr. Black," a pretty receptionist said as Harry walked through the door to the offices of Intellitech Incorporated.

"Urm – hi," he said surprised she remembered him. He pushed a hand through his black hair and looked around, "I'm here for an appointment with Walter Cummings."

"Yes sir, if you'd like to take a seat I'll call him."

"Thanks," Harry replied and sat down on one of the plush leather seats just across from the reception desk.

A few minutes later a positive bear of a man walked into the room and shot Harry a large smile. He was probably Harry's parents age had they survived and apparently had known them. He was a good 6' 4" and had black hair, a beaming smile and looked more like a fighter than a successful business man. It was a look that had served him well as people tended to under estimate him in business which was to their peril as Walter Cummings was as sharp as a tack and twice as bright, "Harry – good to see you, if you'd follow me to my office."

Harry nodded a polite hello to the exuberant man and followed him into the elevator and up several floors to the man's large office. They entered it with a nod to the assistant that sat outside and then closed the doors behind them.

Walter waved Harry into a chair and grabbed himself a drink while offering Harry a Coke, which he took. "So Harry is everything to your satisfaction so far," Walter asked.

"More than," Harry said smiling slightly, "I can't thank you enough for all that you've done for me."

"Nothing is too much for a friend of Albus' or your parents either," Walter told him seriously. "If not for Albus in particular I wouldn't be where I am now. So tell me is there anything else I can do for you?"

"I don't know at the moment sir," Harry said respectfully.

"What's this sir business," Walter said reproachfully, "Didn't I tell you to call me Walter or Walt if you prefer."

"Okay urh – Walt, I don't know at the moment what else can be done. I might have some questions later on though."

"Well, I'll be moving back to the main headquarters of the company so I'll be in Metropolis, close to you. I'm setting up an Apparition point for you, I understand you're pretty good at it, so when it's up and running I'll send you the co-ordinates. That way anytime you want to talk and I'm there we can."

"Thank you –urh- Walt that would be brilliant."

"Now there are a few last minute things that you need to sign, paper work is the bane of my existence, and then you're all done. How are you travelling to Kansas, you can fly down with me if you're willing to wait a few days."

"Fly, that'd be cool," Harry said. He had taken an international Port Key to get to the US so he had never been in an aeroplane before.

"I have a private jet waiting for me to finish a few details, so meet me here in two days and we'll travel down. I'll arrange for your gear to be delivered by truck the afternoon you arrive. That way anyone looking will see nothing untoward. There is after all a farm next door to you, not exactly within sight but close enough that seeing a few trucks going in will assure them someone is moving in. If you just appeared with a house full of furniture without them it might raise a few questions." Walter smirked, "Though I understand from Albus you are rather good with the Obliviate spell."

"He trained me in that sort of thing himself, so I suppose he'd know," Harry said with a slight smile. His skill with the mind arts was second to none; only Dumbledore had more experience, which set him ahead, but his Legilimency and Occlumency were top flight now and as he had been warned it was difficult not to go rifling through peoples heads. As it was he always had a sense of whether or not someone was lying to him whenever he made the slightest eye contact and with the smallest push he could read more details. Luckily Walt didn't seem put off at all by that knowledge and was bravely meeting Harry's eyes at that point. With the laser surgery that Harry had also undergone his emerald regard was no longer partially hidden from the world by a thin sheet of glass which apparently, according to the female doctor that had done his eyes, had quite an effect. The sheer power he tended to exude helped in that regard as well, not that Harry was fully aware of that fact as of yet.

"Now, get to signing," Walt said handing over a stack of paper work, "and then go have some fun for a couple of days."

Smallville, Kansas – Two Days Later

Harry walked in through the front door of his new home feeling something akin to elation. He owned several properties in the Wizarding world in the UK, or had before he had liquidated all but one of them. That said he hadn't felt like he had owned any of them. This was the first time, in his opinion, that he had owned a home that was all his to do with as he saw fit. It was exciting and a little scary at the same time. While he was alone, he was now in charge of his own destiny for a change and that was very exciting to him. Ever since that fateful day when he had found out about the prophesy he had been directed by fate more than anything else and that was not something he had enjoyed at all. Then when he had beaten Voldemort he had finally been bumped from pillar to post with all the fake congratulations and the like from the Ministry and other people wanting to use him for his fame or fortune.

For the first time in years he suddenly felt in control. Oh he had people looking out for his interests still with Walt doing the leg work on that sort of thing but he knew through some passive and not so passive scanning that Walt was out to make his life as easy as possible not run it for him. Harry knew that all he had to do was ask, and Walt would warn him of any issues, but would still do what Harry wanted if Harry insisted. That was something you couldn't buy in normal circumstances and Harry felt very happy to have lucked into Walt in that regard. The fact that Harry had made sure to buy stock in the man's company also helped. It tied their destinies together in some ways and made sure that Walt would work to both their benefits. At first Walt had not been happy at Harry holding so much stock in the company until Harry had signed over his votes, said, 'make me money' and left it at that. Walt now had a vested interest in making sure Harry's interests were taken into account and Harry was Slytherin enough to want to make sure of that fact.

He slipped the key to the house in his pants pocket and pulled out a packet of documents from his inside jacket pocket. Then he took off the jacket and hung it on the door handle. The house was currently utterly empty other than a few white goods that would have to go anyway due to Harry's magical field. He could hear the Taxi that had brought him from Metropolis to the house starting up and leaving as he half turned and watched it. Then he refocused on the documents in his hand. These documents made him the owner of the house, not by mortgage but by single outright ownership.

Being rich had its small benefits after all and Harry was not against using them now that he had time to plan for the future. He and probably his children's children would never need to work, that wasn't to say that Harry didn't have to find something to do with himself though. Having several ancient lines end with him had made sure that Harry was exceedingly rich and the conversion rate to Muggle money was almost insane, but then what Wizard normally used that. Using the exchange rate alone would normally be enough to make someone rich if they played it correctly. Of course the charges had been nasty but then what did you expect with goblins involved. Harry had quickly found out they were less than trust worthy with anything other than jealously guarding their vaults as if the gold in them was their own. Removing his massive fortune from their hands had probably made the entire nation his enemy for life.

Not that Harry was planning on returning to the Wizarding world as his self anyway. The plan was that he would lie low for as long as it took for the excitement to die down and then reenter as his Harry Black persona if he still wanted to by then. Despite already missing his friends Harry wasn't sure that was ever going to happen.

With a lazy wave of his hand he flipped on all the lights in the place, a small display of the sort of wandless control he had over his magic, and then walked into the room proper. Basically it was a nice large five bedroom house with plenty of space and even some basement area that Harry planned on making use of with some judicious space enhancing runes. Despite never taking Arithmancy or Runes he had a solid grounding to an advanced stage in both thanks to Albus Dumbledore.

Luckily Harry had control over his magic now to the point where he could pull off a trick like turning on the lights without blowing the electricity, but it took concentration. The specially protected electrical goods on their way to him were really more of a precaution than anything else, but they were worth having – just in case, especially since he intended to ward his house up the wazzo and back. He might feel that he was safe there but that didn't mean he wasn't going to be careful anyway.

With that in mind he reached into his pocket and pulled out a penknife. It was only a makeshift way of doing things but it would be more than enough until he got some proper ward stones.

He then spent the next two hours scratching runes into special places around the house and then sinking into the basement to find a good solid base for the ward matrix to be based. His luck held and he found some good foundation stones for his ward scheme and set the Ward in place just before there was a knock on his door.

Cleaning himself off he walked up the stairs from the cool basement and to his, his, front door. There was a man there in a uniform and cap peering through the door at Harry.

"Harry Black," the man asked as Harry opened the door and smiled in greeting.

"That's me," Harry said.

"Oh you're a Brit," the man said with a pleased smile like Harry was the first British person he had met, "Sorry, right; we have three trucks for delivery in your name."

"Excellent, where do I sign," Harry asked eagerly.

"Just here sir," The man said passing over an electronic device.

Making sure he was holding on to his magic to the best of his ability Harry signed his John Hancock on the small display and then the man waved behind him.

It was a full service delivery so under Harry's almost excited guidance the four-man strong team of movers put everything where Harry wanted it over the next half hour and then left.

Harry spun around taking in his living room, seeing the couches laid out in place with the electronic goods and the rest of his new gear in position, and smiled. He needed to do a little tinkering with everything but he was pretty much set up, the delivery men had been pro's and had put mostly everything where he wanted it.

Then he frowned, he knew he had forgotten something, his stomach complained that it too knew he had forgotten something and Harry let out a sigh. It wasn't the first time he would have to go hungry but he had hoped those days were over, at least this time it was his fault not his Uncles or Aunts.

Walking up stairs to go to bed as it was now quite late, Harry entered his bedroom and realized something else a little stupid as well. He had no linens in the house with which to make his bed either.

"Bugger," he mumbled as he lay down and let his eyes close.