"It's not a pub, Ron," I said with annoyance. "We have traveled through time and space to Harry Potter's home, remember?"
Ron raised his brows as if listening intently, but I knew he wasn't. He finished his drink, slammed the scotch glass on the table, and headed towards the kitchen, most likely to the washroom Gojo used.
I wondered if Gojo tweaked his portal magic intentionally to make the user want to pee. That sounded just like a prank he would carry out. If Dany wanted to go to the washroom, she showed no signs of it.
Harley Quinn tumbled in next. It was as if she were shot from a cannon. She had pigtails as usual, half red and half blue, and they were bouncing wildly. She wore fishnet stockings and a red-and-black corset under a cropped jacket studded with spikes.
Harry covered his eyes as there was a generous exposure of her skin. Harley cartwheeled once, landing in a crouch near Neo. "Ya know, pudding, ya are quite delicious. Life's a carnival. Do you wanna ride the Tilt-a-Whirl?"
Neo looked uncomfortable, so I had to step in. "What did I tell you, Harley? No hitting on the members of the Nexus Club. You agreed to follow the rules, remember?"
Harley Quinn pouted viciously and turned around as if preparing to moon me. Then she remembered that an underage boy was in the room. "I'll get back at ya someday, Kaiser," she said with a devilish grin and collapsed on the couch pretending to be dead.
I sighed and turned my gaze towards the door portal. It was beginning to disintegrate. The last member finally walked in.
Jiraiya had a persistent sage's grin and a pervert's glint combined. His white mane was wild as a mountain wind, with a red haori flapping over green kimono pants. A scroll pouch slung on the side. It was weirder to see him in live action than Gojo.
Jiraiya's eyes widened as he shifted his gaze from Harley to Danaerys and back and forth. "You ladies look scrumptious today. How about we visit my favorite hot spring after this?"
He giggled lewdly as if imagining the women naked, which he probably was. Danaerys raised an eyebrow in irritation while Harley looked vaguely interested in his offer. Before things went south, I jumped to the center.
I clapped my hands, drawing the room's fractured attention. "Harry Potter, meet the Nexus Club. Light Yagami. Anakin Skywalker. Gojo Satoru. Neo Anderson. Daenerys Targaryen, Ron Burgundy, Harley Quinn, and finally Jiraiya."
Many of them nodded to the boy or flashed him a grin. Light Yagami made a polite bow, while Gojo offered a thumbs-up. All of them had taken seats in the Dursleys' living room.
Harry politely responded with nods and hullos, then turned to me. "If you don't mind, Mr. Ken, could you tell me the purpose of the Nexus Club? I assume they are wizards or powerful people in their worlds, but why have you gathered them?"
I leaned in, realizing Harry at eleven was smarter than I assumed. "We're the Nexus Club. Think of us as a strike force for the impossible."
"World governments call upon us when things get too difficult for them to handle. We also have our own adventures and take up independent assignments. We take the requests, the grievances, and we fix them. That's about it."
"There is no red tape, no half-baked prophecies. Most importantly, we are friends who have each other's back."
Harry looked around at the club's members. They looked overconfident, smug, or too expressionless, a variety of personalities and powers. "I understand why they would join the Nexus Club, considering their skills. But I'm just a kid, and I don't have any powers or abilities. I can't even wash a car properly. I'd love to be friends with you all, but to tell you the truth, I don't belong in your club."
"Yeah, why involve a child in our dangerous group, Kaiser?" The voice belonged to Neo Anderson. He hadn't been informed about the club's agenda for today.
I took a deep breath and a dramatic pause. "Well, now that everyone has gathered, let me lay it out for you. First, that Harry will become a powerful wizard is beyond doubt. With or without our guidance, he is walking into a dangerous life soon."
Those members who had received information on Harry's universe nodded. Even superheroes shouldn't take a dark foe like Lord Voldemort lightly.
Harry Potter looked up at me, wondering if I was lying. Then he smiled weakly, as if accepting us for the first time since we arrived.
My expression turned grim. "There was a prophecy. A great evil is coming, converging from all our universes. It will destroy everything if we aren't ready to face it."
The room fell silent, except for the tick-tock of Vernon's grandfather clock. Light picked up an apple from a fruit basket, polished it, and handed it to thin air. The apple disappeared shortly after.
Neo's gaze turned stiffer, and it looked like he was finally in. Gojo hummed a tuneless riff, an old song whose origin he didn't remember himself. Even Ron looked serious, his sharp eyes hardening.
I turned to Harry, extending a hand. It wasn't pleading, but opening up to him, like an invitation to a war that was worth fighting. "So, Harry Potter, boy who almost ended it all in a cupboard, will you join us? The Nexus Club awaits you."
He stared at my palm, then up at the faces encircling him, as if looking for acknowledgment.
Light arched a brow and murmured, "A child hero, huh? How quaint. Justice doesn't wait for training wheels to come off. He'll need us."
Anakin snorted and unfolded his arms. "Kid's got the scars, but does he have the fight? I've seen softer spines snap under less. We'll see. But my vote is positive."
Gojo laughed outright. "You know my vote, Kaiser. He has a cute scar, though…"
Neo said nothing, but nodded at me and Harry. Daenerys tilted her head, appraising Harry. "I was a child when I was sold to the Dothraki Khal. I was a child when I had to go through hell to claim my throne. Kings and Queens are forged in fire, boy. Don't be afraid."
Ron swirled his glass, chuckling. "Join up, kid. I'll let you fetch my dry cleaning. To be honest, it builds character! Everyone here has done it."
Harley cackled aloud. "Aw, lookit the widdle orphan! Bet ya swing a bat better than ya dodge fists, eh? Whaddya say, shall we play together?"
"Heh, fresh meat for the grinder," Jiraiya said. "You'll have to read my romance manuscript for inspiration, though."
Harry Potter sat straighter, his small hands clenching into fists. "I'll join your club. Thanks for having me. But where do we begin? Like you told me, I will receive an invitation from the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry soon, right? I'll accept that too."
As the others came over and patted his head affectionately, a hoot from the street outside pierced the tension. An owl was beating its wings against the windowpane. The letter. The letter from Hogwarts. It was here.
I cleared my throat, realizing the easy part was finally over. "Ermm… About that. Unfortunately, we must decline the invitation from Hogwarts. This story is going to take a different turn."