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Chapter Text

The Raven's Claw

Chapter One

The ocean's waves battered the cliffs with a quiet ferocity as the sun shone warm upon the young girl who was quietly meditating on the cliff's edge while hovering several inches off the ground.

Though her face looked serene, memories flashed through her mind that threatened her peaceful meditation; violence was nothing new for Raven; she was a superhero, after all as well as the daughter of a demon, so she had seen and done things that would have driven many people mad in her life.

It had been a year since the attack by Trigon, a year since Raven and the rest of the Teen Titans had sent her father back where he came from, a year since Raven had left Earth and her friends behind and came home to Azarath, seeking peace from the memories that seemed determined to drive her mad.

The memory she was currently fighting against was one she hated above all things, for it was the one that hurt her the most; it was a memory of heartache and death; it was a memory of the night she lost her family to a monster.

Raven had lived with the Potters for three years before that horrible night; they'd adopted her when they found her huddled alone in the snow after running from the so-called 'orphanage' that Raven had fled from; in truth, the orphanage was more like a rat hole where the children were hardly fed, and the food that they were given could scarcely be called that; Raven had used her powers to escape that hell hole, only intending to teleport outside the orphanage. But instead, Raven had somehow transported herself to England and lived on the streets for several weeks.

Raven had been only six when the Potters had taken her in and welcomed her as if she was their own; though hardly being old enough for a child, they had accepted her and brought Raven into their home, not caring about her powers or calling her a freak like all the others had done before.

And when Lily had given birth to Harry two years later, Raven had been so happy to have a baby brother; she remembered fondly how she would create glowing bubbles for Harry, who would squeal with delight and try to catch them.

Then, that terrible night came, and Raven lost everything; tears slowly ran down her cheeks as she remembered the events that had ripped the first family she had had from her.

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"Raven had been helping Lily put Harry down for the night when the house suddenly boomed as though a cannon had gone off; downstairs, Raven heard James shouting,

"Lily, take the kids and run! It's him! Go! Run! I'll hold him off!"

Lily had turned pale at the words and had immediately pointed her wand at the door, causing it to slam shut before levitating everything she could and placing it in front of the door to act as a barricade.

"Mum, dad's going to be okay, isn't he?" Raven asked as she tried to quiet little Harry, who was beginning to cry, as though sensing that something was wrong,

"Don't worry, Raven," Lily said quickly, "James will be just fine; just stay behind me, okay?"

Quickly, Lily took Harry from Raven's arms and placed him in his crib before turning back to face the door, her wand drawn and shaking.

Suddenly, the door exploded and threw Raven against the wall hard, and she knew no more; when she had awoken, it was to a nightmare that she desperately wanted to wake up from; Lily lay dead not far from her, next to a black cloak and little Harry was gone.

In her anguish, Raven had used her powers to transport her to Hogwarts and to the one person that Lily and James had told would protect her if they could no longer do so, Albus Dumbledore.

"Professor Dumbledore!" Raven cried, throwing herself into his arms when the old man returned to his office, "Lily and James! They're…."

"I know, my dear," Dumbledore said sadly as he held Raven in his arms, stroking her back gently as she sobbed into his chest,

"What about Harry?" Raven asked quickly, "Is Harry okay?"

Dumbledore's face took on a thoughtful expression for a moment before it slipped into one of sadness,

"I'm so sorry, Raven, but it would appear as though Harry did not make it,"

"No…." Raven breathed in a horrified whisper, backing slowly away from Dumbledore, "Please tell me it's not true, not Harry!"

"I'm so sorry, my dear," Dumbledore said sadly, "I wish I could."

With a final cry of heartache and despair, Raven asked her powers to take her away, somewhere far away from this pain; that's how she had first come to Azarath, home of a group of pacifist monks who told her of her true parentage as well what her future held, much to her horror; the monks had then taught Raven how to control her powers so that she would be better prepared for the day when she would have to face her father, Trigon.

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Slowly, Raven opened her eyes and lowered herself to the ground as the memory finally ended; it had been eight years since that night, eight years since she had lost the three people she had loved more than anything; Yet, not a day went by where she didn't miss them.

"Bad memories?" A voice asked from behind as Raven slowly rose to her feet; turning, Raven saw that it was Azar, the spiritual leader of Temple Azarath,

"Always," Raven replied softly in her monotone voice before turning back to stare at the sea, "They're nothing new,"

"Perhaps it's time for you to go home, then," Azar replied as he stepped next to her.

"I am home," Raven replied, "Besides, my friends are safer without me,"

"You don't truly believe that, do you?" Azar asked as he turned to Raven,

"I nearly brought about the end of the world," Raven replied, turning to face Azar,

"But you didn't," Azar replied, "You saved the world from the tyranny of your father's rule."

"It doesn't matter," Raven said, "I'm still the reason he almost killed everyone I care about; I have no reason to go back; as I said before, my friends are safer without me,

"What if I told you there was a reason to return?" Azar said softly,

"And what reason would that be?" Raven asked,

"Harry Potter," Azar said simply.

Raven's eyes widened instantly, and her skin turned even paler, if that were possible, both of which were thankfully hidden by her cloak; for a moment, Raven was rendered speechless before she was finally able to respond in a shaky voice,

"Harry is dead; they're all dead."

"I'm afraid that whoever told you that was not telling you the whole truth," Azar replied, "The boy is very much alive,"

"How do you know this?" Raven asked as tears began to roll down her cheeks,

"This place offers sight into many things," Azar replied, "One needs only to look and see them."

Raven suddenly tensed as she remembered what Albus Dumbledore told him so many years ago;

"I need to go," Raven said as she suddenly turned away from Azar and began to walk down the path towards the temple,

"And where will you go, Raven?" Azar asked, causing her to stop and turn back to him,

"First, I will confront someone who lied to me a long time ago,"

"And then?" Azar pressed,

"Then I will retrieve my little brother," Raven said simply as she turned and continued down the path.

Azar sighed softly as he turned back to stare at the ocean; he felt sorry for whoever had lied to the poor girl and kept her brother from her for so long; while he, himself, was a pacifist, he still felt the familiar sting of anger at the thought that someone could be so cruel as to keep a pair of siblings apart for so long.

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Albus Dumbledore hummed to himself as he read a letter that he had just received from Cornelius Fudge, the current Minister for Magic; it was the usual request for advice that Fudge would send to Dumbledore every few days, and by now, Dumbledore was used to them.

Try as he might, Dumbledore just couldn't seem to concentrate on the letter as he had more important things on his mind at the moment; just as Dumbledore set the letter down and reached for another lemon drop, the door to his office exploded open, making him jump to his feet and draw his wand quickly as a pale girl in a dark blue cloak stormed in, making him pale as he realized who it was.

"Raven?" Dumbledore said in a whisper as his wand dipped slowly,

"You lied to me!" Raven roared angrily as she sent a shockwave of power at him that lifted him off his feet and slammed him back into his chair, his wand flying from his hand and landing on the floor a few feet away.

"Raven, I don't know what you're talking about…." Dumbledore began, only to stop when Raven levitated off of the ground and glared at him with two pairs of red demonic eyes,

"DON'T LIE TO ME!" Raven snarled as she pointed her palm at Dumbledore and closed it into a fist; instantly, Dumbledore's eyes bulged, and his hands went to his throat as he struggled to breathe.

"WHERE IS HARRY?!" Raven snarled, "WHERE IS MY LITTLE BROTHER?!"

"I…told you…. Raven," Dumbledore gasped out as he slowly began to levitate off of the ground, his feet kicking the air,

"YOU'RE LYING!" Raven spat, "HARRY IS ALIVE, AND YOU WILL TELL ME WHERE HE IS!"

Dumbledore began to turn pale as he struggled to breathe before finally nodding his head; instantly, Raven dropped her arm, and Dumbledore fell into his chair and began gasping for air as Raven slowly lowered herself to the ground. Her red demonic eyes returned to their normal shade of violet.

"Where is he?!" Raven demanded, "And why did you lie to me about him being dead?"

Dumbledore slowly massaged his throat as he stared in trepidation at the pale girl who stood on the other side of his desk,

"I had no choice, my dear," Dumbledore said hoarsely, "It was for Harry's own safety,"

"What are you talking about?" Raven demanded, "Explain yourself before I lose my temper again!"

"Do you remember what happened that night?" Dumbledore asked quickly,

"I'll never forget that night," Raven replied in a broken voice, "I lost my family that night, old man, and the one person that Lily and James told me could be trusted lied to me!"

"Everything changed that night, my dear," Dumbledore said as he rose from his chair and began to walk around his desk toward Raven,"

"Explain," Raven said simply as she glared daggers at Dumbledore, who slowly bent down and picked up his wand before stowing it in his robe.

And so, Dumbledore told Raven everything that had happened that night; how Voldemort had been defeated, how many of his followers had been captured, and how Harry had become famous as 'The Boy Who Lived,' for almost twenty minutes, Dumbledore talked while Raven listened in shock at all that had transpired.

"You're telling me that Voldemort, the most powerful and evil wizard ever to take on the mantle of Dark Lord, was killed by my sweet little brother?" Raven asked in shock, "That's impossible! How could he have done that?! He was just a baby!"

"It was Lily," Dumbledore replied softly, "When she died protecting Harry, she gave him a layer of protection that Voldemort could not penetrate; when he tried to kill little Harry, Voldemort's curse rebounded.

"Why did you lie to me?" Raven asked in a soft voice,

"Because Harry needed to be protected from Voldemort's followers," Dumbledore replied in a tense voice, "He needed to go somewhere that Death Eaters would not be able to find him,"

"I could have protected him!" Raven retorted, making an hourglass on Dumbledore's bookshelf explode,

"Raven, think about this honestly," Dumbledore said thoughtfully, "You were a nine-year-old girl who couldn't control her powers; how could you possibly have protected Harry?"

"He's still my little brother!" Raven retorted, "You had no right to tell me he was dead!"

"But he's not really your brother, is he?" Dumbledore countered, making Raven glare at him,

"The Potters legally adopted me!" Raven snapped, "Meaning that I AM Harry's sister!"

Dumbledore blew air out of his mouth in agitation; he could not dispute Raven's logic, no matter how much he might want to,

"Is that why you no longer use their name?" Dumbledore asked quickly, making Raven turn red,

"I don't use their name because I thought they were dead, and Raven Potter joined them, thanks to you," Raven replied angrily.

"I did it for the greater good, Raven," Dumbledore said softly, "Harry needed to be placed somewhere safe, and you could not have gone with him; I thought I was helping you avoid future heartache…."

"By lying to me for almost a decade?!" Raven yelled angrily, making Dumbledore take a step back nervously, "Lily and James told me that you could be trusted if something happened to them, and you lied to me! Do you even realize how much pain you caused me!?"

"I never meant to cause you any pain," Dumbledore said softly as he took another step back,

"I'm only going to ask you this one more time, Dumbledore," Raven said in a cold whisper, "Where is my little brother?"

The air grew suddenly very heavy, and Dumbledore struggled to stand as the pressure continued to grow,

"I placed him with Lily's sister," Dumbledore finally sputtered, breathing a sigh of relief when the pressure finally dissipated,

"You gave him to Petunia?" Raven breathed in horror, "She hates magic and especially hated Lily! How could you?!"

"She was his only living relative," Dumbledore countered quickly, "I had no other choice!"

"What about Sirius?!" Raven demanded, "He's Harry's godfather! Or Alice Longbottom, she's Harry's godmother!"

"Sirius is in Azkaban for betraying the Potters to Voldemort, and Alice and her husband were tortured into insanity not long after the Potter's death," Dumbledore said simply.

Raven was stunned into silence at Dumbledore's words before finally finding her voice,

"Sirius wouldn't have done that; he loved James Potter,"

"Perhaps that is just what he wanted everyone to think," Dumbledore replied, "Either way, it doesn't change the fact that it is Sirius' fault the Potters are dead."

Raven glared at Dumbledore for a moment more before turning on her heel and walking toward the door,

"Where are you going?" Dumbledore asked,

"I'm going to get my brother back," Raven replied as she stopped at the door and turned to the aged headmaster, who paled at the words.

"You can't do that!" Dumbledore replied quickly, "Harry is safe where he is and needs to remain there!"

"I think you'll find that I can!" Raven countered, "I am of legal age in the wizarding world and am legally Harry's older sister, so with absolutely no respect, eat shit, Dumbledore!"

Dumbledore sputtered for a moment at the insult before finally finding his voice,

"Raven, if you truly love and care for Harry's well-being, you need to leave him where he is! He is safe there and…."

"You don't get to talk about Harry and his well-being!" Raven retorted, cutting Dumbledore off, "You lost that chance when you lied to me about him being dead! So first, I am going to save my brother from whatever hell you have placed him in, and then I am taking him home with me!"

"But…." Dumbledore said, trying to regain control of the conversation,

"And if I have my way, he will not be attending Hogwarts either!" Raven added, cutting Dumbledore off again, "There are plenty of other wizard schools that he can attend that aren't run by manipulative liars!"

Dumbledore paled visibly at the words and quickly tried to regain control,

"Raven, Hogwarts is the safest place for Harry and the best school in the world! Surely you would not deny Harry the chance to learn at the same place your parents did!"

"So NOW they're my parents, huh?" Raven sneered as she turned back toward the door, "I'm going to get my brother now; I'll decide on his education afterward.

A moment later, Raven was gone, and Dumbledore slowly walked to his chair and collapsed into it in despair as he thought of how peaceful his morning had been just a short while ago now; he may have lost Harry Potter forever due to a mistake he made almost decade ago for the greater good.

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Raven sneered distastefully as she took in the houses on Privet Drive; every house was the same, down to the paint and the hedges surrounding them,

"How can anyone possibly want to live here?" Raven thought as she slowly walked down the sidewalk towards number four, ignoring the pointed and curious looks she was receiving from passersby.

As she approached the front door, Raven suddenly felt very nervous; what if Harry didn't remember her? Or if he was happy here with Petunia? Did she really have the right to take him away from a home where he had grown up for the past decade?

Steeling her resolve, Raven quickly knocked hard on the door; a moment later, the door promptly opened to a woman who looked at Raven with narrowed eyes as she took in Raven's appearance,

"Yes?" Petunia sniffed, "What do you want?"

"Hello, Petunia," Raven said in her monotone voice, "Good to see you again."

Petunia's eyes widened with realization as she looked at Raven, and for a moment, she was rendered speechless,

"You…." Petunia breathed in shock, "What are YOU doing here?!

"I've come to see Harry, if you don't mind," Raven replied simply,

"Why now? The freak has been living under our roof for eight years, and you've never once paid him a visit, never even wrote a letter. So why do you suddenly care about him now?"

Raven's eyes narrowed at the words, and she had to fight for calm as she took a step forward,

"DON'T call him a freak," Raven spat, "And secondly, I was told he was dead; had I known sooner that he was alive, I can assure you that I would have retrieved him from your 'loving home' sooner; now we can either continue this discussion here in the open for your neighbors to witness or you can invite me in and let me see my little brother."

Petunia's eyes widened at the words, and she suddenly leaned out the door and paled when she saw that, indeed, a few of her neighbors were watching with interest,

"Get inside before you damage my family's reputation more than you already have!" Petunia hissed angrily, stepping aside so Raven could enter, slamming the door hard behind her.

As Raven stepped inside, she felt her disdain for Petunia rise even further as Raven took in her surroundings; the house was, in a word: boring; it looked as though it belonged in a shopping magazine as everything was prim and proper and unbearable clean.

Slowly walking toward the wall, Raven saw a myriad of pictures of Petunia, whom she could only assume were her husband and son, but try as she might, Raven could not find any photos of Harry.

"Where are the pictures of Harry?" Raven asked, turning to face Petunia, who was standing by the door with her arms crossed and an annoyed look on her face,

"There are none," Petunia sniffed,

"Why not? He's your nephew, is he not? Surely you took pictures of him growing up, didn't you?"

"We were forced to take him in by YOUR lot when my darling sister was blown up!" Petunia retorted angrily, "Vernon and I never wanted his abnormality in our home; we were forced to by that old bastard who dropped him into our lap!"

Raven felt the blood run cold in her veins at the words and had to clinch a fist to control her slowly rising temper,

"So, you just hid him away?" Raven spat, "So your precious neighbors wouldn't know that your sister was a witch?"

"My sister was a freak!" Petunia retorted angrily; a moment later, her eyes bulged in terror as Raven's dark magic grabbed Petunia by the throat and held her several feet off the ground, against the wall.

"You don't talk about Lily Potter like that!" Raven roared, her violet eyes replaced with two pairs of demonic red ones, "She was twice the woman you'll ever be! She took me in when I had no one! She gave me a home and adopted me, and you are not worthy to even lick the dirt from her shoes!"

Petunia clawed in terror at the shadow currently wrapped around her throat as Raven glared at the woman; a moment later, Raven released her hold, and Petunia dropped to the floor and gasped for air as Raven regained control of herself and her demonic eyes returned to their usual violet.

"Where is Harry?" Raven asked simply, "Since you find him such a burden, I have come to take him off your hands;" Petunia stared at the girl in terror, seemingly unable to answer, and simply pointed behind Raven.

Turning to see what she was pointing at, Raven's eyes widened when she saw a cupboard door with a lock on the outside,

"You keep him in a cupboard?" Raven asked angrily, turning back to face Petunia, who cringed under the girl's stare, "You don't even have the decency to give him his own room?!"

Petunia mumbled something unintelligible, and Raven sneered at the woman before quickly making her way to the cupboard and using her magic to rip the door off the wall and throw it to the ground, making Petunia pale at the level of dust that had just invaded her home.

When the dust settled, Raven's breath caught in her throat at what she beheld; inside a dirty cupboard lay a small black-haired boy who was clearly very sick; Harry was currently shivering under a dirty blue blanket. When Raven pressed her hand to Harry's forehead, she was appalled to discover that he was running a fever.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" Raven demanded as she rounded on Petunia, who cowered under the girl's stare, "Your nephew is seriously ill, and you leave him in a filthy cupboard alone?!"

"If…." Petunia said softly before steeling her nerves, "If you care so much for the little freak, then take him! We don't want him!"

Raven's eyes flashed red for a moment, and Petunia paled and scooted back until her back was pressed against the far wall,

"I intend to," Raven said simply, "You will never see Harry again if I can help it, be thankful that he still lives, or you would not, Petunia."

Without another word, Raven bent down and picked Harry up into her arms before encasing them both in her magic and teleporting the pair away; a moment later, Raven and Harry were standing in front of a strange building that looked as though it were a giant T.

"Welcome home, little brother," Raven said softly as she gazed down at the sleeping boy she had thought lost for so long, "I promise no one will ever hurt you again, Harry."

With a determined look, Raven strode into Titans Tower to introduce Harry to the rest of her family and get him the medical attention he needed.

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Author's Note:

This story popped into my head and wouldn't leave me alone until I wrote it down; I'm only planning on five to seven chapters, but if people like it, I'll maybe make it longer. As you all know, my favorite genre is "Harry Potter adopted/raised by others," so it was only a matter of time before I did a crossover, lol.

Chapter Text

Chapter Two

As Harry slowly opened his eyes, he first noticed that he was no longer in his cupboard; strange wires were attached to his chest and led to a machine that was beeping softly.

"What's going on?" Harry thought as he slowly tried to sit up; the effort seemed to take more strength than he currently had as he fell weakly back onto the pillow twice before he finally managed to rise up on the third attempt.

"Where am I?" Harry thought as he gazed around the dark room, "Is this a hospital?"

Harry quickly shook the idea away; Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon would never waste money on a freak like him by taking him to a hospital; in the eight years that he had lived with them, they had never shown any care when it came to his health. Instead, when he had gotten sick after being forced to walk home in the rain, they'd simply locked him in his cupboard and told him "Not to bother them with his incessant coughing."

Fear began to worm its way into Harry as he took in the unfamiliar surroundings, and Harry carefully began to pull the wires off of his chest; once that was done, he gently lowered himself off of the bed, and a sudden wave of lightheadedness made him grasp the railing of the bed for a moment until it dissipated.

Gazing down at himself, Harry noticed that he was no longer wearing Dudley's overgrown clothes; instead, he was wearing a dressing gown, like the ones used in hospitals, and he shook his head in confusion,

"If I'm not in a hospital, why am I dressed as if I am in one?" Harry thought as he shook his head again to clear the lightheadedness, remembering how often Uncle Vernon had threatened to "Sell him to a lab where freaks like him belonged," Harry suddenly felt very afraid and quickly walked to the door.

His fear turned to panic as he saw there was no handle on the door, and tears began to slide down his cheeks at the thought of what would happen to him; as Harry wiped his eyes quickly, he saw a button on the wall, and after a moment's hesitation, he gently pushed it, jumping back in shock when the door suddenly slid open horizontally.

Slowly, Harry peeked out of his room into the hallway, breathing a sigh of relief when he saw it was deserted; trying to be as quiet as he could, Harry crept down the hallway,

"I don't even know where I am," Harry thought, "Let alone where I am going."

As Harry peeked around another corner, he suddenly heard raised voices coming from down the hallway, followed by the sounds of people running; Harry felt the blood run from his face as he desperately looked for somewhere to hide before his eyes fell on a door across the hall from him.

As quick as he could, Harry made his way to the door and pressed the button on the side, staring for a moment as the door hissed open like the other had before he realized the voices were almost upon him. He quickly dove into what appeared to be a broom closet, the door hissing closed behind him.

"As Harry silently tried to catch his breath, he heard voices on the other side of the door, and he fearfully backed up until he felt his back hit the wall,

"What happened?" A girl's voice asked outside the door,

"I don't know," a deep voice replied quickly, "One minute the kid was fine, and the next, the alarms went off!"

"Hurry!" A monotone voice that sounded female replied, "He might be in trouble!"

A moment later, the voices disappeared, and Harry slowly let out a breath that he didn't realize he was holding; slowly, Harry opened the door and peeked outside to make sure it was safe before running as fast as he could down the hallway; Harry didn't know where he was going, but he knew he had to keep away from the voices that were looking for him.

"Harry!" A voice called from behind him, making him turn fearfully, before tearing down a different hallway,

"Harry, where are you?" A different voice called as Harry knelt down and tried to make himself feel small, squeezing his eyes shut as he did so,

"Harry…." A voice suddenly whispered, making Harry's eyes open wide in alarm as he looked around for the source, finding no one.

"It's okay, Harry," the voice said soothingly, "We're not going to hurt you; we just want to help,"

"That voice…." Harry said softly, "I know that voice…."

Memories seemed to spring up in Harry's mind of a little girl playing with him when he was very small, singing to him when he was scared, and telling him stories before he fell off to sleep,

"Who are you?" Harry asked out loud as he searched for the origin of the speaker.

"My name is Raven," the voice replied softly, "I'm your older sister,"

Harry's eyes went wide at the words, and for a moment, he was rendered speechless,

"You're lying…." Harry said in a small voice, "I don't have a sister,"

Harry..." The voice began before Harry cut it off,

"You're a liar!" Harry retorted, tears running down his cheeks, "Leave me alone!"

The voice went suddenly silent, and Harry quickly jumped to his feet, angrily wiping his face before he started running again; whoever these people were, they were obviously liars, but as long as he kept running, he should be safe.

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Raven had almost panicked when the alarms in Harry's room went off; her self-control had gotten worse when she discovered Harry's bed empty; she immediately assumed a meditative position and used her powers to try and locate her little brother.

A moment later, she was lying on her back, staring at the ceiling in shock at what had just happened,

"Are you okay?" Cyborg asked as he helped her to her feet,

"I'm okay," Raven replied as she rubbed her head to alleviate her sudden headache,

"What happened?" Starfire asked as she gazed worriedly at her friend,

"Harry…." Raven said softly as she tried to absorb what had just happened, "He forced me out of his head…."

"He can do that?" Cyborg asked in surprise, "Powerful little guy, isn't he?"

Raven nodded solemnly as her friends watched her,

"He's still ill, and his panic will only worsen things; we must find him before he hurts himself!"

Cyborg and Starfire nodded quickly, and the three quickly made their way out of the room before heading in opposite directions, Starfire going with Cyborg while Raven went off on her own.

"Harry," Raven thought desperately, trying to use her powers to locate the boy, yet to her surprise, she found a mental wall surrounding the boy's mind and grimaced at how much harder her task had become now; she could try and break through Harry's shield, but she had no idea how much damage that might do, and she did not want to cause Harry any more pain than he had already suffered.

As Raven flew around yet another corner, the only thought that coursed through her mind was finding her little brother; he had suffered enough pain from those who should have protected him, and if she lost him again soon after finding him, Raven thought she might never recover.

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Harry leaned against a wall with one hand as he clenched his eyes against the lightheadedness threatening to consume him; he felt as though any moment he would pass out, and it took everything he had to not fall over as he swayed in place.

Harry had lost track of time as he desperately tried to find a way out of wherever he was, but no matter how fast he ran, this place all looked the same, and he was beginning to fear he would never find his way out.

"I just want to go back to my cupboard," Harry thought sadly as tears began to run down his cheeks; as Harry slowly turned yet another corner, he was faced with the strangest thing he had ever seen. A green basset hound was sniffing the hallway in front of Harry.

"A green…..dog?" Harry asked in surprise, making the dog raise its head at the sudden voice and stare at the boy for a moment before belting out a happy bark and running toward Harry, who jumped back in alarm at the sudden movement.

A moment later, Harry's eyes nearly bugged out of his skull when the green dog suddenly transformed into a green boy with pointy ears, wearing a purple and black outfit,

"You….how…." Harry sputtered as he tried to make sense of what had just happened, "How did you do that? First, you were a dog, and now you're a human!"

The green boy grinned at Harry's shock before replying in a warm voice,

"Hiya Harry! I'm Beastboy!"

"Beastboy?" Harry asked curiously, "Are you a freak? Like me?"

Beastboy frowned at the boy's words,

"Freak? Who said you were a freak, kid?"

"My Aunt and Uncle," Harry replied with a sniff as he looked down at his feet, "Whenever something strange happens, I always get punished and called a freak for it."

Beastboy's mouth hung open at the words before he slowly gulped and replied,

"You're not a freak, dude, and your relatives were wrong for calling you one,"

Harry sniffed sadly before a thought came to his mind,

"How did you know my name?"

"Your sister told me," Beastboy replied, "You really scared her when you ran off."

Harry took a step back nervously,

"I don't have a sister," he said in a scared voice, "You're lying; you just want to hurt me like everyone else…."

"No one here wants to hurt you, Harry," Beastboy said quickly as he took a step forward,

"Stay away!" Harry cried; a moment later, his eyes widened as Beastboy was lifted off his feet and thrown against the far wall with a painful "Oomph."

"I'm…. I'm sorry," Harry said quickly, taking a step back, "I didn't mean to!"

Beastboy rubbed his head painfully before looking at Harry in surprise,

Harry knew he was in trouble, he had done the strange stuff again, and he would now be punished for it, just like he always was; with a cry, Harry turned and tried to run away, only to be confronted by a pale girl with short black hair, wearing a dark blue cloak.

As Harry turned to run in the opposite direction, he saw with horror that his escape was blocked by Beastboy, who had gotten back to his feet and was slowly approaching him,

"Please don't hurt me," Harry whimpered as he turned back to the girl, who looked shocked at the words.

"I could never hurt you, Harry," The girl said softly as she approached him and placed a warm hand on his cheek, "You're my little brother,"

Harry suddenly felt very weak, and his knees buckled as he promptly collapsed into the girl's arms, his vision going dark,

"I…don't….have a…..sister," Harry muttered before he passed out; the last thing he saw was the girl's sad expression as she gazed down at him.

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Author's Note:

I realize I didn't post this before, but I do not own Harry Potter or any characters from Teen Titans; they are owned by DC and J.K. Rowling, respectively. I am simply writing this for fun and in the hope that some readers may enjoy it.

Chapter Text

Chapter Three

Raven gazed sadly down at her little brother as he slept; he looked so small to her eyes, not at all like the eight-year-old boy he was supposed to be. It broke her heart to think of what he had gone through at the hands of those who should have protected him. Instead, they had treated him like a freak because of what he could do. It had been two days since he had last awoken, and Raven had not left his side; in truth, she was worried that Harry had yet to awaken, but Cyborg assured her that Harry's body needed rest if it was to heal itself.

Her team had been overjoyed when Raven had returned and began pestering her with questions as to where she had gone and what had happened to her after the battle with Trigon; only when Robin noticed Harry in her arms had the questions changed to who the little boy was and why he was with her.

For the first time since it had happened, Raven spoke of the night that the Potters were killed; she told her teammates everything, and by the end, they all had looks of horror on their faces. Poor Starfire was crying at what she had heard; only Robin had remained stoic, though Raven could feel his shock with her powers.

"So this little guy defeated the most powerful evil wizard there's ever been?" Beastboy asked in shock as he gazed down at the sleeping boy in Raven's arms,

"That's the rumor," Raven replied, "I personally believe it was our mother, Lily, who did it,"

"So, where'd you find him?" Cyborg had asked, "How'd you find him?"

Raven had then told of her confrontation with Dumbledore and where she had found her little brother; her teammates looked appalled when she was finished,

"Those disgusting beasts!" Starfire spat angrily, her eyes glowing with rage,

"Seriously, dude," Beastboy added, "Who treats a little kid like that?!"

"Monster's," Cyborg said in a cold voice, "That's who,"

Robin said nothing, just narrowed his eyes in barely controlled anger as Starfire continued her tirade against Harry's relatives.

"Harry will be very scared when he awakens; he will not know where he is," Raven said softly as she gently began to rub the boy's head," Raven looked at her team with pleading eyes as she continued, "It will take time to repair the damage that the Dursleys inflicted on him, will you help me?"

"Of course we will, Raven!" Starfire answered immediately,

"Yeah, Rae," Beastboy added, "You're a titan, and that makes Harry one too!"

Robin and Cyborg offered additional words of comfort as Raven tried not to cry with happiness at how good it felt to be home with her friends,

"We should get him to the medical ward," Cyborg said, "He's obviously very sick,"

Raven nodded her agreement as the group made their way down the hallway, following Cyborg.

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"Rae?" A voice suddenly spoke, making her turn to face the one who had spoken,

"What is it?" Raven asked Beastboy,

"Rae, you can't keep doing this," Beastboy replied, a worried expression on his face, "You need to go get some rest,"

"I'll sleep when Harry wakes up," Raven said simply, turning back to her brother.

"You're no good to Harry if you're exhausted, Rae," Beastboy countered,

"He's right, Raven," Robin added as he entered the room and stood beside Beastboy, "You've been up for almost three days; you need to rest."

Raven bit her lip in indecision as she stared down at Harry; in truth, she was exhausted, but her need to protect Harry overrode any other feeling for her own well-being, even as she heard the truth in her teammate's words.

"Don't worry, Rae," Beastboy said warmly as he placed a hand on her shoulder, "I'll keep an eye on him for you. I'll come get you if he wakes up, I promise,"

Raven nodded her head in appreciation before she slowly rose to her feet and watched as Beastboy transformed into a small beagle and climbed onto the bed, laying down at Harry's feet; using her powers, Raven teleported herself into her room and collapsed onto her bed, falling asleep almost instantly.

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As Harry slowly awoke, he kept his eyes closed as he tried to remember the dream he had been having; he dreamt that he had awoken in a strange place and been attacked by freaks like him, one of which claimed to be his sister.

"It was a dream," Harry thought, "When I open my eyes, I'll still be in my cupboard;."

When Harry opened his eyes, at first, his vision was blurry, like usual, but after blinking a few times, it gradually faded, and Harry's mouth dropped open as he saw a green dog sleeping on the edge of his bed.

"I must still be dreaming," Harry thought quickly, pinching his arm hard and flinching at the pain. When he opened his eyes a second time and saw the dog still in front of him, Harry began to hyperventilate,

"It wasn't a dream," Harry thought in sudden panic, "I really am surrounded by freaks like me! Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia must have followed through on their threat to sell me to a lab!"

Tears began to slide down Harry's cheeks at the thought of what would happen to him now, and his breathing became more ragged.

Beastboy suddenly awoke as his senses told him something was wrong; raising his head, he looked at Harry, who had drawn his knees to his chest and quietly sobbing with his face buried.

"Hey little, dude," Beastboy said softly as he transformed back into his human form and stood next to Harry's bed, "There's no need to cry. Everything's going to be okay,"

Harry looked up sharply at the words and quickly scooted back as he looked at the green teenager staring down at him with a small grin.

"St-stay away!" Harry cried in fear as black tentacles suddenly spread from his body and lashed out at Beastboy, who jumped back in alarm,

"Whoa! Easy there, kid!" Beastboy cried as he ducked under another tentacle, "I'm not gonna hurt you!"

But Harry was no longer listening; instead, the boy was sobbing as half a dozen black tendrils swirled around him, lashing out anytime that Beastboy came too close,

"I did the freaky stuff again," Harry sobbed, "I'm going to get punished again for it, just like always!"

Beastboy began to panic as he tried again to get close to Harry, only to be thrown hard against the wall by one of the black tentacles that seemed to be coming out of Harry's body

. As Beastboy slowly rose to his feet, he quickly grabbed the communicator attached to his belt and called into it,

"Titans, we have a situation in Harry's room!"

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Raven suddenly jumped awake as the alarm on her cloak rang out,

"Harry!" Raven thought in panic as she jumped to her feet and teleported to Harry's room. A moment later, her eyes grew wide in alarm at what she beheld; her teammates were currently fighting against half a dozen black tentacles that seemed to be coming out of Harry's body as they tried desperately to get to Harry, who had his arms wrapped around his legs and was sobbing hard.

"What happened?!" Raven demanded as she ducked under a slash from a tentacle before hitting it with a blast of her power which temporarily knocked it back,

"I don't know!" Beastboy replied, transforming from a wolf back into himself, "Harry woke up and freaked!"

"We can't get to him!" Cyborg added, blasting a tentacle away with his arm cannon, "These things won't let us anywhere near him!"

"Any ideas right now would be helpful!" Robin said as he batted away a tentacle with his bow staff,

"You're his sister, Raven," Starfire said as she floated down to Raven, "Perhaps he will listen to you."

"Harry!" Raven called desperately, "Harry can you hear me!"

If Harry did hear her voice, he gave no indication, only sobbed harder, and Raven's face fell as she wracked her brain for some way to reach the boy; suddenly, a memory came to her in the form of a lullaby that she would sing to Harry when he would get fussy and refuse to go to sleep, with no other options, Raven began to sing.

XXXX

Harry sobbed as he buried his face in his knees; he was going to be punished again; he was always punished when he did the 'freaky stuff,' as his Aunt and Uncle called it, and the thought of another beating terrified him.

Suddenly, music began reverberating in Harry's ears, and his head shot up in recognition at the lullaby that happily haunted his dreams; memories began to rush through him of a pale young girl singing to him in his crib.

Slowly, the tentacles ceased their barrage and instead began to dance to the music, to the bewilderment of the others, as Harry locked eyes with the girl who was singing to him,

"That song…." Harry said softly, "How do you know that song?"

The girl paused her song and looked at Harry with a sad smile as she slowly walked to him, shooting a cautious glance at the tentacles that tensed at her approach,

"Because I'm the one who sang it to you, Harry, don't you remember?"

Harry's eyes widened as the memory became clearer, and a name suddenly flashed in his mind,

"Raven….?" Harry whispered as tears flowed down his cheeks,

"Yes, Harry," Raven said with a smile as her eyes began to water, "It's me."

The tentacles suddenly disappeared as Harry launched into Raven's arms and began sobbing into her chest; Raven quickly wrapped her arms around the boy and began to gently stroke his hair as tears slid down her cheeks.

"I thought you were a dream," Harry cried in a broken voice,

"I'm real, Harry," Raven replied, "And I'm here, now,"

"Why did you leave me?" Harry sobbed,

"I was lied to, Harry," Raven responded in a cold voice that made Harry pull away and look up at her with a tear-stained face, "I was told you were dead. Had I known that you lived, I would have come for you sooner."

Harry sniffled for a moment before he asked in a soft voice,

"Are you going to stay this time?"

"I'm never going to leave you again, Harry, I promise," Raven replied in a serious voice, placing her hand under his chin and forcing him to look into her eyes as she spoke, "And you'll never have to go back to the Dursleys ever again."

Harry's eyes widened at the words, and he seemed to be rendered speechless, allowing Raven to continue,

"You'll live here now, with my friends and I,"

Harry slowly looked past her, and his eyes seemed to bug out of his skull as he saw the others for the first time; there was a tall man who appeared to be part robot, and next to him was floating a girl with orange skin and fiery red hair, wearing a purple outfit; Beastboy was laying against the wall in apparent exhaustion, and as Harry's eyes slid to the person next to Beastboy, Harry let out a small gasp.

"You're…you're Robin!" Harry said in awe as he looked at the teenager; Dudley was a huge fan of superheroes and would constantly demand that Aunt Petunia buy him the latest toy or comic about them sometimes, Harry would listen from his cupboard as Dudley watched the news with awe as Batman or some other superhero would save some city in America from some supervillain.

"Indeed, I am," Robin said, flashing Harry a small grin and wink that made Harry slowly smile back before he turned back to Raven,

"Are you a superhero?" Harry asked in awe,

"Yes, I am, little brother," Raven replied with a grin, "And these are my teammates. We call ourselves the Titans."

Harry once again looked around at the others, who were all smiling warmly at him,

"Am I going to be punished?" Harry asked in a small voice as his gaze went to his lap,

"Why would you be punished, Harry?" Raven asked in a confused voice,

"Because I did the freaky stuff again," Harry replied, "I'm not supposed to do it, or I get punished."

Raven's eyebrows rose in shock at the words, and the rest of the Titans followed suit,

"It's not freaky stuff, Harry," Raven said softly, "It's magic,"

Harry gasped suddenly and began to look around fretfully, making Raven confused,

"That's a forbidden word!" Harry gasped, "You're not allowed to say it!"

Raven felt her temper rising as she imaged what she'd like to do to Harry's relatives if she ever saw them again,

"There's nothing wrong with magic, Harry," Raven said quickly, "You're a wizard just like mom and dad were, and I will teach you how to control it so you don't attack anyone accidentally like you did; just now."

Harry's eyes widened at the revelation, and he stared at Raven for a moment before finding his voice,

"Mum and dad were wizards? But Aunt Petunia told me they died in a car crash because my dad got drunk behind the wheel. That's how I got my scar,"

"That's a lie!" Raven spat angrily, "Dad would never have done something like that!"

"Rae!" Beastboy said quickly, "Easy, you're scaring the kid."

As Raven looked down, she saw that Harry was indeed trembling, and she quickly leaned forward and took him into a hug until he stopped shaking,

"I'm sorry, Harry," Raven said softly, "I didn't mean to scare you, but you should know that everything your Aunt and Uncle told you was a lie, and you will never have to see them again."

"You really want a freak like me?" Harry asked in a soft voice as he stared at his feet,

"Now you listen to me, Harry Potter!" Raven said in a stern voice, lifting the boy's face until he was looking directly into her eyes, "You are NOT a freak, you are a good kid, and I will be taking care of you from now on,"

"We all will," Beastboy added with a smile,

"Just because you have powers does not mean you are a freak. It means you're special," Raven continued, "And I will teach you how to control them, but I never want to hear you refer to yourself as a freak again, understand?"

Slowly, Harry nodded, and Raven smiled warmly at him,

"Now, would you like to meet the rest of the team?" Raven asked, smiling as the boy shyly nodded; a moment later, Harry was enveloped in a hug as Starfire descended on the boy with the intention of cuddling the poor kid to death as the rest of the team laughed.

"Hello, Harry!" Starfire cried happily, "I look forward to playing many games with you! Oh, you are so cute!"

"Cute?" Harry asked, confused,

"Oh yes!" Starfire said happily, "You are the cutest little boy ever!"

Raven smiled as the others began to introduce themselves to the shy boy; as Harry started to giggle at Beastboy, who had just turned into a tiny squirrel, Raven found herself suddenly sad at how much time she had lost with her little brother due to the meddling of other's

"I'll take care of him," Raven thought silently, "I promise, mom, dad, I'll keep him safe and loved."

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Author's Note:

To anyone wondering what the Lullaby was that Raven was singing to Harry, it was Inuyasha's Lullaby. It's one of my favorites and seemed like the best choice for the story, given Harry's mental state at the time.

Chapter Text

Chapter Four

Raven smiled as she gazed at the security screen in front of her; Harry was currently giggling at something from the book Raven had given him to read while she and the others ran a few tests on him to see what exactly had happened the previous day.

As she finally tore her eyes from the security camera, Raven looked around at her team; Beastboy and Starfire were sitting on a nearby couch together playing some handheld videogame against each other, while Robin was standing next to Cyborg, who sat in front of a computer screen and looked at a readout about Harry that was slowly crawling up the screen.

Turning back to Cyborg, who was currently staring intently at the screen in front of him, Raven cleared her throat expectantly.

"Find anything?" Raven asked, making Cyborg chuckle at the question,

"Not since you asked me five minutes ago."

"You said that Harry was your adopted brother, correct?" Robin asked as he turned to look at her,

"Yes, his parents, Lily and James Potter, adopted me before Harry was born," Raven responded evenly, making Robin narrow his eyes in thought, "Why do you ask?"

"Because something doesn't make sense," Robin responded as he turned back to the screen, "Those tentacles that he attacked us with were similar to yours, and I can't see how he would be able to do such a thing unless you two were ACTUAL siblings."

Before Raven could respond, the computer suddenly beeped and a new message popped onto the screen that made Cyborg and Robin look at one another before turning back to Raven,

"What is it? Raven asked, suddenly worried at the looks the two were giving him,

"Raven, according to this, Harry is your brother," Cyborg said slowly.

"No shit Sherlock," Raven said as she rolled her eyes at the revelation,

"No, Cyborg means Harry's your ACTUAL brother," Robin said, emphasizing the word, "According to the scans, Harry's DNA is similar to yours, not enough to be mother and child but enough for a sibling match.

"For a few moments, Raven was rendered speechless as she took in the words,

"That's…..impossible," Raven whispered, "Harry and I share no blood relation, no matter how much I might wish otherwise."

"The computer doesn't lie," Robin said as he handed the printout to Raven, who took it and read it intensely while the others watched wide-eyed,

"It would explain how he was able to make those scary black tentacles," Beastboy said as he tore his eyes away from the videogame.

As Raven read and read the printout for the third time, a memory suddenly came unbidden to her, and she paled slightly,

"When I was a child," Raven said in a soft voice, "I was helping mom make dinner and accidentally cut my finger, very badly. Harry was such a sweet kid, even back then; he took my hand and kissed my wound before mom managed to heal it."

"Perhaps…." Starfire said softly, "Perhaps Harry managed to absorb some of your blood when he kissed the wound, thereby absorbing some of your abilities,"

"That's impossible, though!" Raven cried, "My powers don't work like that!"

"How do you know?" Robin asked, "You've said on multiple occasions that you have not explored the full capabilities of your abilities. Perhaps Starfire is right, and Harry did manage to absorb some of your abilities when he absorbed your blood."

Raven paled as her mind began to race with the implications of what the others were saying; if Harry had indeed absorbed her abilities, what else could the boy do? Raven's abilities were dangerous, especially if left in the hands of an emotionally damaged child.

"I'll need to run a few tests," Raven said at last, "If my little brother does indeed share the same powers as me, then he'll need to be trained immediately on how to properly control them to ensure that he knows how to use his gift instead of being afraid of it, as I was for so long."

The others nodded in agreement as Robin approached and gently placed a hand on Raven's shoulder,

"He'll be fine, he'll have a good teacher, after all, and we'll all be there as well to help,"

Yeah, Rae," Beastboy added with a smile, "I like the little dude, you know, when he's not shooting creepy tentacles at me."

Raven smiled at her friends for a moment before turning serious as she took in Cyborg's change in demeanor as he stared at another readout that had begun scrolling across the screen.

"What else have you found, Cyborg?" Raven asked as Robin turned back to the screen to see what had caught her attention.

Um…. Raven…." Cyborg said in a steady voice, turning his chair around to face her, "Perhaps it's better if you don't hear this next part…."

"If it concerns Harry, I have a right to know," Raven replied in a tense voice as Cyborg looked at Robin to back him up,

"She's right, Cyborg," Robin said, "Harry is her brother. So she has a right to know what you've found concerning him, the good and the bad."

Cyborg took a deep breath as he turned back to the screen,

"The scans have picked up significant damage to Harry's body, some of the damage going back years; I'm seeing multiple broken bones and fractures across his body, as well as severe malnutrition."

Raven felt horror and rage sweep through her in equal measure at the words; Starfire looked as though she was trying not to cry, while Beastboy and Robin both had hard looks on their faces,

"How did he survive all that?" Beastboy asked in an angry voice,

"That's the strangest part of all, five percent of the kid's body is covered in scar tissue from various methods of what I can only describe as torture, and yet it seems as though Harry's wounds and injuries have been healing themselves over the years, that's how he's managed to survive this long."

"He's been healing himself?" Raven asked in a surprised voice, "How?"

"I can only assume that it has to do with the kid's magic," Cyborg replied, "You said that his mom and dad were magical, it makes sense that he would be as well, and if he gained some of your abilities as well, then perhaps his innate magical abilities, combined with yours, have healed him with him knowing that it was happening, it would explain how he's still alive, considering that the number of injuries that Harry has sustained should have killed him a long time ago."

Raven felt a cold rage sweep through her at the thought of her sweet little brother being tortured for years at the hands of those who should have protected him. They deserved to be punished for it. They deserved to suffer!

The room began to shake, and tremendous pressure began to push down on the group as Raven imagined all the things she would like to do to the Dursleys for daring to hurt her brother when suddenly, a firm hand grabbed Raven's wrist, breaking her concentration and bringing her focus back to the room; to her surprise, everyone suddenly looked afraid and were standing around Raven warily.

"Raven?" Robing asked as he released her wrist cautiously, "I know you're upset, and you have a right to be, but you cannot allow your anger to lead you to do something that you can't take back."

"They hurt him," Raven growled back, "For years, they hurt my brother, and I'm supposed to just let that stand?!"

"Of course not!" Robin retorted, "We will make sure that his abusers are punished, but we are heroes, so we will ensure that they are punished according to the law,"

"You're a hero in Harry's eyes, Rae," Beastboy said softly as he took a step closer, "And the little dude has never had a hero to look out for him before, so think of how he'd feel if you did something that took that away from him."

With visible effort, Raven took a deep breath and released the pressure from the room, to the relief of the others, before nodding in gratitude to Robin, who returned the nod quickly,

"Harry deserves justice…." Raven said in a broken voice,

"And he will have it," Robin replied quickly, "But what he needs now more than ever is his sister, he has a long recovery ahead of him, and he'll need to know that you'll be there for him."

"And we will be there as well," Starfire added cheerfully, "Harry is the cutest, and I look forward to playing with him!"

We'll all be there for him, Rae," Beastboy said simply as the others nodded their agreement,

"Thank you," Raven said softly, "Thank you all so much,"

Robin placed a warm hand on Raven's shoulder as the pale girl tried to control her raging emotions,

"Why don't you go spend some time with Harry," Robin said, "I'm sure you two have a lot to catch up on."

Raven nodded in agreement before making her way out of the room and down the hallway; a moment later, she stood in front of the infirmary and hesitated as fear suddenly wormed through her at the thought that she might not measure up to being Harry's hero, as Beastboy had called her, pushing the worry angrily away, Raven entered the room.

"Raven!" Harry called happily as he looked up from his book, his face breaking into a huge grin as his sister strode into the room and pulled up a chair next to Harry's bed,

"Hey, how's the book, Harry?" Raven asked warmly,

"It's great!" Harry said happily, "Mr. Bilbo just had his house invaded by dwarves, and they ate all his food!"

Raven smiled at the boy's enthusiasm,

"Would you like me to read to you?"

"Please!" Harry said excitedly as he handed the book to her; with a smile, Raven began to read where Harry had left off, a warm sensation growing in her chest as the boy scooted closer to her.

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A few days later, once Harry had finally beaten his cold and Raven was satisfied that Harry's weight had been raised to an appropriate level, Harry was finally allowed to leave the infirmary, and Raven took him to a room that was across the hall from hers.

The room was twice as big as Dudley's, with a bed that seemed massive to Harry's petite frame. It had a huge closet, as well as a secondary room that led to a bathroom that held a huge tub; as Raven pressed a button on the wall next to the bed, the wall suddenly shifted into an enormous window, from which Harry could see the sea shining below and a vast city not far away.

"Do you like it?" Raven asked in a soft voice as though afraid of Harry's answer,

"I love it. It's so big!" Harry responded enthusiastically, making Raven smile happily,

"Good, because it's yours now."

Harry's mouth dropped open comically at the words before he slowly spun around and took in the room,

"All mine?" Harry asked softly,

Raven nodded happily as she stared at the boy, who seemed stunned at something as simple as his own room.

"You can decorate it however you like, within reason, of course," Raven said warmly, "And no one can come in unless you let them, besides me, of course. I have to keep an eye on you, after all-"

Raven suddenly stopped talking as Harry tackled her in a great hug and began to sob into her robe softly,

"Thank you, Raven," Harry cried as she gently stroked his hair, "I've never been given my own room before, thank you so much!"

Raven smiled sadly at her little brother's words. In Raven's opinion, denying something as simple as a room was beyond depressing, and she tightened her hold around Harry as he repeatedly thanked her for giving him the room.

"Now, why don't you get cleaned up, and then we can go clothes shopping for you,"

"I get clothes too?" Harry asked excitedly as he pulled away and wiped his face,

"Of course," Raven replied, "We can't have you walking around in a hospital gown, and those rags that the Dursleys had you in are definitely not something that should be worn by anyone, let alone my little brother."

Harry's eyes widened in happiness at the prospect of not only being given his own room but also a new set of clothes, and a huge smile began to spread over his face as Raven gave him another hug before turning to leave.

"I'll be back in fifteen minutes, and we can go, okay?"

Harry nodded happily and ran straight into the bathroom before slamming the door behind him; Raven smiled at the closed door for a moment before turning and leaving.

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A half-hour later, Harry was smiling happily as he sat squished in the back of Cyborg's car between Raven, Starfire, and Beastboy; Harry had stared in awe when he first saw the vehicle, and Cyborg had proudly told the kid everything about the car until Raven had told them that they needed to leave.

Because Harry had no other clothes, Raven had been forced to have Harry wear his cousin's hand-me-downs, with the promise that they would be summarily destroyed once Harry's new wardrobe was taken care of. Still, Harry didn't care as he was too happy that he had a new room all his own.

As they drove through the city, Harry thought his neck would break as he whipped his head back and forth to make sure he didn't miss anything, much to the amusement of the others,

"You might as well give up, dude," Beastboy grinned, "This city is too big to see everything."

"Doesn't mean that I can't try," Harry retorted happily, "All I've ever seen is Privet Drive and school. This is all new to me!"

A depression settled on the car as the group remembered how hard a life Harry had had before Raven had saved him, and Starfire pulled the boy into a hug,

"Worry not, Harry," Starfire replied, "We will make sure that you get to see everything!"

Harry's smile grew even more prominent at the words, and the mood seemed to lighten as Cyborg pulled in front of a clothes store.

"Now let's see what we can find for you," Cyborg said quickly, "The sooner those clothes are replaced, the better,"

"Agreed," Robin added as the group walked into the store. Harry smiled warmly as he walked between Raven and Starfire, holding both hands tightly.

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A few hours later, Harry was sure that he was having the best day of his life; the Titans had bought Harry an impressive wardrobe that included everything he would need in the future, including shirts, pants, socks, pajamas, and a myriad of other things as every time Harry walked out of the dressing room with something that the others seemed to think looked good on him, they immediately added it to the cart of new clothes, despite his protests.

After loading up a veritable avalanche of clothes into the trunk, the Titans had then gone to a nearby toy store and bought Harry enough toys to make even Dudley jealous; Harry had tried to say that he didn't need them, but Robin had assured Harry that price was no object as he had 'ways of paying for it' and the Titans had gone deaf to his objections, it seemed until Harry just gave in and let them buy whatever they wanted.

Now Harry was sitting with the rest of the Titans, enjoying a huge pizza, with a smile that seemed glued to his face as he enjoyed what had to be the best thing he had ever eaten,

"Raven…." Harry suddenly said in a shy voice as he stared at his plate,

"Yes, Harry?" Raven responded in a worried voice,

"Um…thank you for today. No one's ever done so many nice things for me before."

Raven smiled sadly at Harry for a moment before she reached over and rubbed his head affectionally,

"We're family, Harry, and family is supposed to look after one another,"

"But…." Harry replied sadly, "But if that's true, then why did Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon not like me…. did I do something wrong?"

Raven's face took on a stern look as she placed her hand atop Harry's,

"You did nothing wrong, Harry! You are a sweet, wonderful little boy, and it was not your fault that you were placed with such horrible people!"

"Yes, Harry," Starfire said tightly, "You did not deserve to be called names or treated with such cruelty. Family does not do that!"

The others nodded in agreement, and Harry felt tears slide down his cheeks before he was suddenly taken in a great hug by Raven,

"I promise you, Harry," Raven whispered as she gently stroked the boy's head, "You will never see those people again, and they will be punished for what they did to you."

Harry pulled away from Raven and stared at her wide-eyed for a moment before grabbing her for another hug while the others watched with smiles on their faces,

"Now, hurry up and finish your pizza," Cyborg said with a grin, "We still have a lot of work to do today."

"We do?" Harry asked in surprise, making Cyborg nod,

"Yeah, dude," Beastboy replied happily, "We still have to decorate your room!"

Harry smiled happily at the prospect and began to wolf down the slice before reaching for another.

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"Who do you think he is?" Jinx asked as she looked down at the Titans,

"Maybe it's some brat they've taken in," Mammoth replied,

"Who cares who he is," Gizmo said in annoyance, "All that matters is that the Titan jerks have a weakness that we can exploit!"

The three stared down from the roof they were standing on at their hated enemies; each had a score to settle with the Titans, and each looked forward to finally putting the Titans in the ground, once and for all.

"So, what are we waiting for?" Mammoth asked, "Let's go grab the brat!"

"Use your head for once, Mammoth," Gizmo sneered, "There's no way we can grab him right now. So we'll have to wait for our chance to strike!"

"And once the kid is in our possession, the Titans will come running to save him," Jinx added, her eyes narrowing dangerously, "And then we'll finally put an end to those super jerks!"

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Chapter Text

Chapter Five

The following month was by far the happiest of Harry's life; because it was summer, Harry didn't have to worry about going to school, which gave him plenty of time to spend with Raven, much to her interminable enjoyment. The Titans had spent days with Harry, painting and decorating his room until they were all satisfied, and Harry couldn't help but cry with the end result; the once white room was now painted so that it resembled a mysterious forest with glowing stars that shone down from Harry's ceiling. In addition, Robin and Cyborg had built Harry an impressive bookshelf, which Raven had immediately packed to the brim with books, Harry had sobbed into his sister's robes at the present, and Raven couldn't help but show how happy she was.

For Raven, however, the month was one of constant worry;. At the same time, she loved having her brother back, and the rest of the Titans seemed determined to compete to see who spent the most time with Harry. In addition, Raven still couldn't get over the fact that Harry had her blood and, thereby, her powers within him. The hardest thing for Raven was when she saw the white lines that dotted Harry's body from numerous injuries and scars. She was torn between her want for revenge for her little brother and her desire to make sure he was never harmed like that again; Harry made it worse by pretending that his injuries weren't a big deal in an effort to somehow comfort Raven and every time he had done it, Raven had taken him into a hug to hide her tears from him.

Over the month, Raven had poured over her books and scrolls, trying to discover how Harry could have managed to absorb her abilities from something as simple as a few drops of blood when she had been told that such things were all her life impossible.

Adding to her worry were the nightmares that Harry seemed to have almost every night; more than once, Raven had rushed into Harry's room after hearing his cries, only to discover the boy sobbing and the black tentacles thrashing about as though trying to fight whatever demons stalked Harry's nightmare.

Only Raven was allowed to approach Harry during these nightmares; anyone who attempted to do so quickly found themselves thrown across the room by Harry's 'protectors,' once Raven managed to get Harry to wake up and remind him that he was safe and that the Dursley's couldn't hurt him, Raven would lay next to Harry while humming his lullaby until he settled down and returned to peaceful slumber.

On more than one occasion, Robin would pull Raven aside and remind her that Harry needed to be taught to control his abilities as each day that passed without said training put not only Harry in danger but also everyone that the boy might come across, primarily if Raven intended to enroll Harry in school in the fall.

As much as Raven hated the veracity of Robin's words, she could not disabuse them. Yet, she hesitated all the same because she wanted Harry to enjoy his childhood instead of having it taken from him as had happened to Raven; Harry had suffered more than any child should have to, and all she wanted to do was let him have a little of his childhood back before he grew up.

Another thing that brought Raven constant stress was when she and the other Titans had to leave the Tower to fight crime and leave Harry by himself; Raven had told her brother that under no circumstances was he to leave the Tower while she and the other's were gone, and he'd promised that he would. Still, it didn't make Raven feel any better, especially as for the last few days, Raven felt as though she and the rest of her team were being watched.

XXXX

"Aww, come on, that's cheating!" Harry cried as Beastboy used a hidden trick to defeat Harry's character; the two of them had been playing the latest fighting game that Beastboy had bought for some time now, and Beastboy had made it his mission to figure out what all the hidden gems were, and then used them on Harry. The latter had become obsessed with defeating Beastboy, even if it was only once.

"I prefer to call it skill!" Beastboy laughed as he sat the controller down,

"It's not skill if you know about the tricks, and I don't!" Harry grumbled, "That's an unfair advantage!"

"Well, would you like to see how I did it?" Beastboy asked, laughing as Harry's bad mood suddenly vanished, and a look of excitement took its place,

"Yes, please!"

Raven looked up from her book and smiled at the pair as Beastboy began to explain how to make Harry's character do what Beastboy had done; Harry had bonded with Beastboy far quicker than he had with any of the other Titans (something that Starfire took rather hard, much to Raven's amusement) Raven suspected it was due to Beastboy's immature and kid-like nature which Harry seemed to love. Her little brother was wearing his new Batman pajamas (something that Robin found hilarious) and looked so different from when Raven had first found him that she couldn't help but smile happily.

Suddenly, the alarm rang out through the Tower, and Raven jumped to her feet as Beastboy did the same,

"Titans!" Robin cried as he rushed into the room, "Cinderblock is attacking a nearby bank. Let's move!"

Beastboy transformed into a cheetah and ran after Robin as the two rushed out, while Raven gave a quick hug to Harry,

"Remember the rules?" Raven asked when she finally pulled away and looked into her brother's eyes,

"Stay in the Tower, don't let anyone in, and don't get into trouble," Harry replied with a grin. He'd had the rules repeated to him ad nauseum for the past month, and yet Raven repeatedly reminded him every time that the Titans had to go do their jobs,

"When did you become so cheeky? Raven asked with a small grin that made Harry giggle,

"Raven, I'll be fine!" Harry said happily, "Go be a superhero!"

Raven smiled warmly at her brother for a moment before leaning down and gently kissing his forehead,

"I'll be back before you know it. Want anything for dinner?"

"Pizza!" Harry cried happily, making Raven smile indulgently,

"You can't eat pizza every night, Harry," Raven chided, "No matter what Beastboy says."

"Raven!" Robin's voice rang from the girl's communicator, "We gotta go!"

"I'm coming!" Raven called back into the device before giving Harry one last hug and disappearing as her power enveloped her and teleported Raven away, leaving Harry alone.

XXXX

An hour later, Harry smiled happily as he sat in his room reading 'The Fellowship of the Ring.' On the table next to him was a plate of cookies and a glass of milk, which Harry enjoyed as he relaxed on the bed.

Harry had just gotten to the part where Frodo reached Rivendell when he heard a strange noise outside his door, as though someone was dragging something metallic across it,

"Raven?" Harry called cautiously, "Is that you?"

Silence greeted his call, and Harry suddenly felt very nervous; swallowing his trepidation, Harry put his book down and slowly approached the door as the sound happened again,

"Beastboy?" Harry called out with a tremor, "If this is your idea of a joke, it's not funny!"

Again, silence greeted Harry's words as his instincts began to tell him something was wrong; slowly, Harry raised a shaking hand and pressed the button on the wall, jumping back as the door slid open.

Cautiously, Harry peeked his head out of his room and looked down both sides of the hallway, but breathed a sigh of relief when he saw nothing out of the ordinary; taking a step out, Harry cursed himself for a fool at being scared by some stupid noise, when all of a sudden he heard the noise again, coming from further down the hallway.

"Hello?" Harry called out, "Is someone there? Robin? Cyborg?"

A shadow suddenly appeared at the end of the hallway, and Harry's eyes went wide when no one responded to his call; turning quickly, Harry made as though to run back into his room and lock the door, only to run head first into a giant, wearing a sleeveless black shirt with red hair and a matching goatee, but the scariest thing was his eyes, which were bone white and without pupils; Harry fell hard onto his butt and stared up at the man in sudden fear, as though Harry were a deer caught in headlights.

"Hello, brat," the giant rumbled with a cold smile,

"W-who are y-you?" Harry stuttered as he tried to scoot back, much to the amusement of the giant, who crossed his arms over his chest and smiled at the boy,

"Name's Mammoth, and you're coming with me, kid."

Harry's eyes went wide with fear, and he immediately jumped to his feet and took off running. Behind him, Harry could hear Mammoth laughing at him,

"You wanna play tag, kid? Okay, game on!"

As Harry rounded the corner, he could hear Mammoth running after him, and suddenly Harry was terrified at what would happen if Mammoth caught him. He would no doubt take Harry away, and then Harry would lose his sister again; he'd be alone again!

Steeling his nerves, Harry tried confusing the giant chasing him; Harry took a left down one hallway, then a right down another, another left, another right, until Harry could run no longer and suddenly pressed himself against the wall as he struggled to breathe.

Just as Harry was finally beginning to catch his breath, he heard two voices arguing; one was Mammoth's, but the other sounded as though it belonged to a young boy, and Harry felt sweat break out across his brow as he realized that Mammoth was not alone.

"How could you lose him?" The young voice cried angrily,

"Kid's fast, and this place has a lot of hallways. It's easy to get lost here."

"Well, hurry up and find him! The sooner we get our hands on the brat, the sooner we can get out of here!"

As the voices got closer, Harry began to slowly edge his way down the hallway, carefully trying to keep his back to the wall,

"Hello there, cutie," a soft voice said behind Harry, making him freeze in his tracks, "Who are you hiding from?"

Slowly, Harry turned around to face a pale teenager with bright pink hair and matching eyes; she was wearing a black and purple dress with matching stockings, and a Cheshire cat grin made Harry very nervous across her face.

Quick as a jackrabbit, Harry turned and tried to flee, only to be confronted by Mammoth and a boy wearing a dark green jumpsuit held above the ground by what looked like four metal spider legs.

"Nice job, Jinx," the boy said, "You found him. I thought we'd have to search this whole frigging Tower for the little brat!"

Panic began to set in as Harry quickly back away from the strangers until his back finally pressed against the wall,

"P-p-please," Harry whimpered as they stepped closer, "Please don't hurt me…."

Jinx frowned slightly at that and seemed to stare at Harry for a moment as though probing him,

"We're not gonna hurt you, kid," Jinx said softly, "As long as you do as your told, you'll be fine. It's the Titans we want, not you. You're just a means to an end."

"Yeah!" The boy added with a sneer, "So quit your sniveling and follow us!"

"You're gonna hurt my sister?" Harry asked in fear, making the strangers frown in unison,

"Sister?" Jinx asked, confused, "Who's your sister?"

"Raven," Harry replied, making Jinx's mouth drop open comically,

"Raven's your sister? Like for real, your sister?" Mammoth asked in surprise.

Harry nodded as tears began to run down his cheeks when suddenly the boy in green began to laugh,

"This is great! If this brat is her brother, she'll come running into our open arms!"

"And we'll be waiting for them. Good thinking, Gizmo!" Mammoth said with a cruel grin,

"Alright, brat, let's go!" Gizmo said, motioning for Mammoth to grab him; as Mammoth approached, Harry suddenly issued an animal cry of terror, releasing a black wave that sent the three kidnappers flying in opposite directions and shattered the glass along the hallway.

"S-stay away from m-me," Harry mumbled as his black tentacles appeared and a sudden wave of exhaustion hit him; Mammoth and Gizmo rose to their feet cursing, but Jinx looked shocked by what had just happened,

"Magic…." Jinx said softly, "You can do magic, kid!"

"Leave me alone!" Harry replied, desperately trying to keep his eyes open as blackness closed around him and his 'protectors' began slowly disappearing, "I'm not a freak! Raven told me I'm not!"

Jinx seemed horrified at the words and slowly approached the boy as Mammoth and Gizmo decided to keep their distance,

"You've exhausted your magic core, kid," Jinx said softly, "Not surprising, considering that display."

Harry attempted to mumble something when suddenly his world went black, and promptly collapsed into Jinx's arms. Only then did her two companions approach, albeit warily,

"What the hell was that?" Gizmo asked angrily, "Brat shorted out all my gear!"

"That," Jinx replied softly as she stared down at the kid in her arms, "Was magic. The kid is incredibly powerful for one so young, not surprising considering who he's related to."

"Let's just get out of here before his demon of a sister shows up!" Mammoth growled,

"You're right," Jinx replied, "We have what we came for. Let's go. Mammoth, leave the message for the Titans as we discussed."

Mammoth nodded sharply before walking to the nearby wall and carving something into it with his finger; a moment later, he nodded that he was finished, and Jinx handed Harry over to him; Mammoth threw Harry roughly over his shoulder and turned to leave, with Gizmo and Jinx following close behind.

Gizmo had a massive smile on his face as they made their escape; Jinx, on the other hand, was staring at the boy intently, his words echoing in her head. What had he meant? And why had he seemed so terrified when he begged her not to hurt him? Jinx knew that she and her partners could be intimidating, but it was more than that. It was like the kid had been hurt and expected to be again.

As the implications of what that meant began to gain traction, Jinx felt suddenly guilty for what they were doing to the kid before she harshly pushed said feeling away. It wasn't like she was gonna hurt the brat. She was just going to use him to hurt the Titans. She wasn't a monster, after all!

But the more Jinx thought about the irrational fear she saw in the kid's eyes, the worse Jinx began to feel, and she suddenly found herself angry at the kid for making her feel this way. She had nothing to feel guilty about, right?

XXXX

The Titans returned to the Tower not long after Jinx, Mammoth, and Gizmo had made good their escape with Harry. Raven immediately knew something was wrong; usually, Harry would be waiting for them in the common room, anxious to hear about their latest battle.

This time, however, the Tower was quiet, and there was no sign of her little brother; trying to fight against the rising panic, Raven made her way to Harry's room only to find it empty. The milk was still cold, so he couldn't have been gone long, though that did nothing to calm Raven's nerves as she reached for her communicator,

"Has anyone seen Harry? He's not in his room."

"He's not in the kitchen," Beastboy called back over his communicator,

"Nor in the common room," Starfire added,

"Something's wrong," Raven replied, trying to keep the fear out of her voice,

"I agree," Robin added, "Spread out and find him!"

"I'll take the ground level," Cyborg said quickly as Raven began spreading her awareness throughout the Tower; a moment later, her eyes snapped open in alarm.

"He's not in the tower!" Raven called out,

"Are you sure?" Robin responded, "We've only just started looking. He could be hiding somewhere."

"I just used my powers to search, and I'm telling you he's not here!"

"Then where is he?" Starfire called back, fear evident in her voice,

"Hey, guys," Beastboy's voice rang out, "I found something you might want to see…."

"Where are you?" Raven asked quickly,

"Northeast sector of the tower, not far from Harry's room,"

"On our way," Robin replied quickly.

Raven flew as fast as her powers would allow her and reached Beastboy's location in a matter of minutes, only to find the green shapeshifter staring at the wall in front of him with a pained look on his face,

"Beastboy, what did you find?"

Beastboy said nothing, just pointed at the wall, making Raven turn to it; when she saw the words, her heart began to race with rage and fear in equal measure, and the hallway began to shake as she momentarily lost control of her powers,

"WE PAID A VISIT TO YOUR HOME AND FOUND THE CUTE KID THAT'S BEEN STAYING WITH YOU; YOU DON'T MIND IF WE BORROW HIM, DO YOU?

DON'T WORRY, WE'LL KEEP HIM SAFE,

LOVE FROM-

JINX, MAMMOTH, AND GIZMO.

Black rage swept through Raven, and her violet eyes shifted to bright red as a second pair appeared over the first, the hallway began to shake, and Beastboy was thrown to the ground as Raven read and reread the words.

"How dare they…." Raven hissed, "How DARE they?!"

"Rae!" Beastboy called from where he lay on the floor. The pressure emanating from Raven had made it impossible for Beastboy to rise to his feet, "Rae, you gotta calm down!"

"I will have blood for this!" Raven snarled as the rest of the Titans appeared and stared in shock, first at the words, then at Raven, who seemed unable to hear Beastboy's words.

"Raven!" Robin called nervously, "Raven, calm down!"

"They took him!" Raven snarled, "They took my brother!"

"And we'll get him back," Cyborg replied quickly, "I promise!"

Slowly, the words seemed to reach Raven, and her red eyes shifted back to violet as the hallway finally stopped shaking,

"Friend, Raven!" Starfire said quickly as she landed next to Raven and hugged her, "We will find Harry, and we will make those who took him pay! I promise!"

Raven's face looked cruel at that, and her teammates swallowed nervously as they saw it. When they finally managed to track down Jinx and her friends, the Titans were sure that Raven's revenge against them would be legendary.

XXXX

Author's Note:

Raven is pissed! Next chapter, will Harry and Jinx come to an understanding, or will she use Harry as bait as she originally planned? And what will happen to HIVE when Raven finally tracks them down? Guess you'll have to find out next time.

Chapter Text

Chapter Six

The first thing Harry noticed when he regained consciousness was that he was lying on a soft mattress; as he slowly rose into a sitting position, Harry noticed the second thing being that he was in a small room with someone leaning against the far wall watching him.

"Are…..are you Batman?" Harry asked warily as he took in the watcher's appearance; the stranger wore an outfit similar to Harry's hero, albeit with subtle differences, such as red eyes and no symbol on his chest.

The stranger's eyes widened slightly at the question before he seemed to regain control of himself, and his expression turned neutral again; with a slight shake of his head, the stranger indicated that he was NOT, in fact, Harry's hero and the boy seemed to shrink in on himself.

"Are you going to hurt me?" Harry asked in a whimper; the stranger's head tilted slightly at the question as though unsure of how to answer it before giving another shake of his head that made Harry feel a little less afraid.

The stranger suddenly rose from his leaning position and approached the door, casting one last look at Harry before opening it and exiting, leaving Harry alone in the dark.

For a moment, Harry simply sat on the bed, hugging his legs to his chest as he struggled not to cry; he should have known that freaks like him would never be allowed to be happy; he had been for a little while, he had had his sister back and was finally away from the abuse of his relatives, but then it was all taken away, just like it always was.

Forcing himself to take a deep breath, Harry slowly looked up from his knees and took in his surroundings; despite the darkness, Harry could see that he was in a small room with only one door on the far end of the room, across from him; the bed he was sitting on was the only piece of furniture in the room, making it seem empty to Harry's eyes.

A moment later, the door to Harry's room burst open, and the lights came on, making Harry violently flinch before gripping his knees tighter as six people walked into his room. The first three, Harry recognized as the ones who had kidnapped him; the fourth was the one Harry had mistaken as Batman, but the last two were complete strangers, and Harry's eyes widened slightly as he took in their appearance.

One had dark brown skin and wore a white and green unitard with an eye on the chest and seemed to be wearing a green helmet that held a single eye; the other was white and was wearing a dark red unitard with a division symbol on the chest.

"Good morning, sleeping beauty," the one with the one-eyed helmet chirped, "Took you long enough to wake up; we were getting bored."

"And you wouldn't like us when we're bored, kid," the red-suited stranger added in a deep southern accent, "People tend to get hurt when we're bored."

Harry seemed to shrink under the words and hugged his knees tighter as he started to shake under the gaze of the six strangers,

"P…please," Harry whimpered, "Please d..don't hurt me, I'll be good, I promise."

The strangers seemed to shift uncomfortably at the words and seemed to not know what to say until the pink-haired lady approached Harry slowly and kneeled down so that she was looking Harry in the eye,

"What's your name, kid?"

"H…Harry, ma'am," Harry said softly, trying desperately not to show how afraid he was,

"Harry…." The girl said back, as though testing the name on her tongue, "It's a good name, my name's Jinx. No one here will hurt you, Harry, as long as you do as you're told, understand?"

"Yeah, we don't want some snot-nosed brat!" Gizmo replied angrily, "We're after a much bigger game!"

Jinx turned and threw Gizmo a stern look that made the boy instantly shut up as Harry remembered what they had said before he passed out,

"You want to hurt my sister…." Harry breathed,

"Well, not just her," the one-eyed boy laughed,

"Why?" Harry asked,

"Because those jerks don't know how to keep their noses out of other people's business," the red unitard man replied with a grin, "All we want to do is make a dishonest living, and they keep interfering."

"You're bad guys…." Harry said quickly, "Raven is a hero, and she fights bad guys like you!"

Gizmo's face turned hard at Harry's words, and Mammoth growled, making Harry scuttle back in sudden fear until his back hit the wall behind him."

"That's enough!" Jinx growled, standing up and turning to face her companions, "Leave the kid alone! In case you morons have forgotten, we need him in one piece to lure the Titans here."

"The brat has a mouth on him," Mammoth growled, "Someone needs to teach him some respect,"

"Yeah," Gizmo added, "And I bet the Titan jerks will come running if we send an ear to them!"

Harry let out a whimper of fear at that, and tears began to slowly slide down his cheeks as his hand clamped down over his ears,

"Hey, wait a minute!" the red unitard man said quickly, "No one said anything about cutting up kids! So if that's the game, I'm out!"

"Me too!" The one-eyed stranger added, "Robbing and general mayhem is one thing, but I ain't about to start chopping kid's ears off."

"No one is chopping off anything!" Jinx snarled, "No one is to touch the kid without my express permission, is that understood?"

"Who put you in charge?!" Gizmo retorted, glaring at Jinx in impudent rage,

"You really want to test me, Gizmo?" Jinx asked in a deadly whisper that made Gizmo pale slightly,

"No…." Gizmo replied in a tight voice as his gaze swept to the floor.

Turning back to Harry, Jinx looked down at the scared boy and crossed her arms over her chest,

"As I said, Harry, no one will hurt you if you don't cause any trouble, okay?"

"W….who are you people?" Harry asked, flinching as he did so, memories of what happened when he asked questions with the Dursley's reemerging, despite his attempt to block them out.

"We're the Hive-Five," Jinx said proudly, "Mammoth and Gizmo, you already know. The other three are See-more," the one-eyed boy nodded his head at Harry, "Billy Numerous," the red unitard boy smiled and cocked his head, "And finally, Kyd Wykkd," the boy that Harry had mistaken for Batman simply stared at Harry in silence.

"But…." Harry said slowly as his eyes moved over the people in front of him,

"But what?" Jinx asked, bemused,

"But there are six of you; if you're the Hive-Five, shouldn't there be only five?"

The corners of Jinx's mouth twitched for a moment as though she was fighting the urge to smile,

"You're not the first to notice that," Jinx said simply,

"Hive Five sounds better," Mammoth replied, as though that solved everything.

Before Harry could respond, Jinx spoke up again, cutting him off,

"As long as you behave and don't cause trouble, I promise that no harm will come to you; with any luck, you'll be out of here in a few days, okay?"

"Please…." Harry whimpered, "Please don't hurt the Titans. They're the only ones who have ever been nice to me."

"Sorry, kid," See-more replied with a slight grin, "But they're heroes, and we're not. That's just the way it goes."

Jinx stared down at Harry in thought for a moment before shaking her head slowly,

"Sorry, Harry, but See-more is right, the Titans have stuck their noses into our business for too long, and now it's payback."

Harry whimpered again and buried his face between his knees as the Hive-Five watched silently,

"You'll be watched every minute to ensure you don't try anything, like trying to escape," Jinx said softly, trying to fight against the guilty feeling churning in her stomach. "And if you even think about using your magic, you'll be punished, understood?"

"I know…." Harry's voice mumbled out from where his face was buried between his knees, "I remember the rules."

"Rules?" Jinx asked, bemused, "What rules?"

"The rules my Aunt and Uncle told me," Harry sniffled, raising his face to look at Jinx, "No freaky stuff, or I'll get beaten…."

The room seemed to drop twenty degrees as the Hive-Five processed what Harry had just said,

"Your Aunt and Uncle used to beat you for using your powers?" Billy Numerous asked in a small voice; Harry nodded slowly, and Billy paled in shock before turning to Jinx, who looked at Harry in horror.

"What about your parents, kid?" See-more asked, his usual smile gone from his face,

"Don't got any…." Harry responded with a sniffle, "Aunt Petunia said my daddy got drunk one night and crashed our car; that's how my parents died, and I got this ugly scar on my forehead. No one else would take in a freak like me, so my Aunt and Uncle were forced to."

Upon hearing the words, Jinx felt the guilt increase, and she slowly made her way to Harry, who had frozen in fear, and gently pushed aside his bangs to see said scar; when she did so, her eyes widened in shock at what she was seeing,

"Harry Potter…." Jinx breathed, not daring to believe it, "You're Harry Potter!"

Harry nodded his head slowly, bemused as to why Jinx suddenly seemed so shocked.

"Who the heck is Harry Potter?" Gizmo asked in annoyance, "And why do you seem so shocked about the little crud-muncher?"

For a moment, Jinx said nothing, her mind racing at the implications of having Harry Potter in her hideout; memories of a time long past began to surface, memories of before she became 'Jinx.'

Memories of before she had been expelled from Hogwarts, when Jinx had been a Slytherin, not the best place for a Muggle-born, but she had thoroughly enjoyed learning about magic, despite her housemates' contempt for her.

Jinx had learned the story of Harry Potter and how he had defeated the Dark Lord Voldemort so long ago, whilst at Hogwarts, though she never expected to ever meet the boy who had saved the Wizarding World.

One day, in her second year, whilst on her way to class, Jinx was attacked by a group of pure-blood upper-classmen who didn't think she belonged at Hogwarts, let alone in their illustrious house. That was when Jinx had first discovered her abilities. The end result was that all four of her attackers were given such horrific injuries that all four had to be immediately sent to St. Mungo's; it was later revealed that one of them would never walk again.

Despite Jinx's repeated excuse that she was attacked and didn't mean to hurt the boys so badly, she only meant to defend herself, she was summarily expelled from Hogwarts, and her wand was snapped.

Dumbledore could have saved her if he had spoken in her defense after seeing her memories of the attack. But instead, he had decided that Jinx's abilities were 'dark magic, too dangerous to be allowed in Hogwarts,' Jinx still felt the sting of that betrayal when she let the memories in.

Jinx's parents weren't much better; after hearing of her expulsion, they had all but disowned Jinx for losing the chance to be a part of the magical world. A few months of their treatment was enough for Jinx to decide to leave and never come back, changing her name and assuming a new one that would never be pushed around or hurt again; thus was born Jinx, the queen of misfortune.

"Harry Potter is a hero to magic folk…." Jinx said softly as she gazed at the lightning bolt scar as though it were something extraordinary, "He saved the magical world from the evilest wizard who ever lived,"

"I did?" Harry asked in shock as the others stared at the kid in surprise.

"You're telling me this brat did that?" Gizmo asked with a sneer, "There's no way!"

"Believe what you want, but it's common history what Harry Potter did," Jinx said as she finally moved her hand from Harry's head and stepped back.

The others stared at Harry as though they couldn't believe what Harry 'supposedly' had done, while Harry's mind raced at what he had heard. It was impossible, surely!

After another moment of silence, Jinx turned to See-more,

"See-more, you're on first watch. Keep an eye on the kid and make sure he doesn't try anything,"

"Go it, Jinx," See-more replied with a grin before staring down at the boy, who shuffled back nervously.

Jinx nodded before turning to leave, motioning for the others to follow; once back in her room, Jinx let out a breath that she didn't realize she was holding; of all the people to get involved with, why did it have to be Harry frigging Potter.

She just hoped that she could get rid of the kid before any other wizards found out that she had kidnapped The-Boy-Who-Lived; the last thing she needed was to gain the attention of the magical world again.

But try as she might, Jinx couldn't get the look of pure terror that Harry had had out of her mind; Harry Potter was a hero; he should have been given the world on a golden platter, so why was he instead sent somewhere where he had been abused simply for showing his magic?

The more Jinx thought about it, the more she regretted taking the kid; sure, she might hate the Titans and Raven best of all, but the idea of further traumatizing the hero of the Wizarding World was something she found immensely unappealing.

XXXX

"Cyborg, please tell me that you've found something?" Raven begged as she suddenly appeared in Cyborg's room, making Cyborg and Robin jump slightly; it had been a week since Harry's abduction, and Raven seemed to grow more desperate with each passing day, no matter how much her teammates tried to assure her that Harry would be found soon.

"Same thing as yesterday, Rae," Cyborg replied wearily as he resumed typing something onto the keyboard of a rather large computer, "There's still no sighting of Hive; it's like they've vanished."

"Well, they have to be somewhere!" Raven exclaimed, "They can't have just disappeared into thin air!"

"Rae," Cyborg said consolingly, "I've set up an algorithm to check every camera in the city for Hive members; so far, it's seventy percent done. It won't be long until some camera somewhere spots them."

"How much longer until it's done?!" Raven demanded, worry evident on her face,

"I don't know," Cyborg replied softly, "There are more than thirty million cameras in this city. It will take a while for the algorithm to check them all. But, the fact that it's seventy percent done is, in itself, a miracle."

"HARRY NEEDS OUR HELP!" Raven snarled, her eyes flashing red for a moment, "EVERY MINUTE WE WASTE IS ANOTHER MINUTE WHERE I MIGHT LOSE THE ONLY FAMILY I HAVE LEFT!"

"RAVEN!" Robin called sternly, making Raven momentarily calm herself, "I know that you're worried. We all are! We all have grown fond of Harry; he is no less important to us than he is to you. But you cannot help him by losing control and going out there without a plan or even a location of where to start looking."

Raven bit her lip to stop the tears from coming as Robin's words hammered home like physical blows,

"We WILL find Harry," Robin said firmly, "And we will make those that took him pay for it, but we WILL do so according to the law; is that understood?"

Raven was silent for a moment as she glared at Robin; for a moment, it was a battle of wills before Raven gave a quick nod and vanished as her power enveloped her in a dark shadow, teleporting her away.

"We need to find Harry, quickly," Robin stated, turning back to the computer screen, "Her worry for Harry's safety is beginning to make her lose control."

"I hate to say it, man," Cyborg replied, "But do you think it's possible that Harry is even still alive? They've had him for a week and haven't made a single demand or any contact; how do we know they didn't just kill him?"

"Hive is a lot of things," Robin said softly, "But murderers aren't one of them; Harry's alive out there and needs our help."

"The algorithm is working at max output," Cyborg said, tapping a few keys, "We should have something soon,"

"Good," Robing said as he slapped Cyborg's shoulder, "Let me know when it does; then we can scope it out and make a plan."

"And what about Raven?" Cyborg asked warily, "Should she be allowed on this mission?"

"No…." Robin replied as he ran a hand over his face wearily, "She's too close to this; she should stay behind."

"You know she won't like that."

"Maybe not," Robin said, "But Raven is too emotional right now; if she loses control…."

"I know," Cyborg replied darkly.

Without another word, Robin turned and made his way out of the room as Cyborg turned back to the screen; neither of them was aware of the dark shadow in the corner of the room that had been listening to the entire conversation.

XXXX

Harry started awake when the door to his 'room' was suddenly banged open; before he could put on his glasses to see who it was, the stranger had placed something on the floor by Harry's bed and quickly made their way back out the door, slamming it shut behind them.

When Harry had finally managed to extricate himself from the confines of his blanket and place his glasses onto his face, he discovered that a plate of eggs and toast had been placed on the floor. With a sigh, Harry carefully picked up his breakfast and sat back down on his bed, resting the plate on his lap.

For the past week, Harry's life had become one of solitude and routine; at first, one of Hive would sit in the room with him and watch him. Most had watched Harry with a mixture of pity for what he had endured at the hands of his relatives and disbelief at what Jinx had told them Harry had 'supposedly' done. But after Harry had accidentally summoned his 'protectors' and sent Billy Numerous crashing hard into the wall when he came too close, Hive decided to stand guard outside his door rather than remain inside and risk Harry's abilities harming them. The looks he received, then, became full of fear and loathing.

Only Jinx seemed unafraid of Harry and would come and talk with Harry occasionally; the oddest thing, at least to Harry anyway, was that she seemed to be genuinely interested in him, asking all manner of questions about Harry's life and seemingly angered when Harry would tell her about the abuse he received from his relatives.

To his surprise, Harry found that he had actually grown fond of Jinx; she was the only one who seemed friendly to him, unlike the others who seemed to view Harry as though he were some dangerous weapon that might go off at any moment; Jinx's eyes seemed to be both troubled and kind when she looked at Harry, as though she was waging some internal battle with herself over Harry.

Harry had just finished his breakfast when the door banged open again, and Jinx came in, making Harry break out in a smile,

"Good morning, Ms. Jinx!" Harry cried excitedly as he jumped up from the bed,

"Good morning, Harry," Jinx replied with a slight grin, "I thought I told you to just call me Jinx."

Harry grinned sheepishly and shuffled his feet as he replied,

"Sorry, Jinx,"

Jinx shook her head in exasperation for a moment before gently ruffling Harry's hair, making the boy giggle softly.

"Hey, Jinx," Harry asked sheepishly, "Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure, Harry," Jinx replied as she sat down next to the boy, "What's up?"

"Why do you hate my sister so much?"

Jinx's face fell for a moment, and Harry flinched as he thought that he may have crossed a line and would be punished for it when Jinx suddenly spoke again in a soft voice,

"I guess it's because of how people look at her…."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked, bemused,

"Raven and I are alike in that we both grew up in a world surrounded by magic," Jinx stated, "But that is where our similarities end; she is lauded as a hero for her abilities, whereas I am looked at like a villain because of mine. I'm the queen of misfortune, only able to bring bad luck to others. I guess the reason I hate her so much is because a small part of me wonders what it would be like to be celebrated for my powers, instead of hated, to be like Raven and the other Titans."

"You're not a villain, Jinx," Harry replied in a small voice, "You're not mean to me like the others are, and your eyes show me the truth."

"What are you talking about?" Jinx asked,

"Your eyes are kind, like my sisters," Harry answered, making Jinx's eyes widen slightly, "It's just…you seem like me, you've been punished for your powers like I was by my aunt and uncle, and that made you want to be mean to others, but I think that if you wanted to be a hero, you could be a great one like Raven is."

For a moment, Jinx was rendered speechless, and a single tear slid down her cheek before she seemed to regain control of herself; and she quickly wiped her face as she rose to her feet.

"You're just some snot-nosed kid," Jinx retorted, "What do you know about me?!"

"I know that you could have been mean to me like the others are," Harry said simply, "Instead, you chose to be nice to me because you're not as bad as you claim to be."

Jinx sneered at Harry, even as her emotions were in turmoil from the boy's words,

"You know nothing!" Jinx sneered, "I'm the queen of misfortune! I'm as bad as you can get! You think I want to give all that up to be some hero?! If you truly believe that, then you really are a stupid little brat!"

Tears began to run down Harry's cheeks at Jinx's words, and guilt ripped through the girl as she saw them; biting her lip hard, Jinx turned and stormed out of the room, slamming the door hard behind her, the last thing that she heard before the door closed was Harry's pitiful sobs which seemed to magnify her guilt for speaking to him as she had.

For a few moments, Jinx stood outside Harry's door, breathing hard as she tried to push away the emotions that were threatening her self-control,

"You're growing soft…." A voice next to her said suddenly, making her jump, "That kid is a bad influence on you. We need to get rid of him."

Jinx's eyes turned hard at the accusation as she gazed down at Gizmo, who was staring at her with barely concealed contempt.

"I am NOT going soft," Jinx growled back, "And that kid is the only bargaining chip we have to lure the Titans into our trap; instead of questioning my judgment, perhaps you should concentrate on ensuring we are the ones left standing once the Titans show up."

For a moment, Gizmo and Jinx simply stared at one another in a silent battle of wills before Gizmo, at last, looked away contemptuously, and Jinx smiled in victory,

"So, how go the preparations?" Jinx asked,

"I'm almost done," Gizmo replied, "Another few days and everything will be prepared, and then we can move the kid to the warehouse to act as bait."

"Then why are you standing here talking to me?" Jinx asked with a sneer, "Get back to work!"

Gizmo glared at Jinx for a moment more before turning and stalking down the hallway, mumbling darkly under his breath.

As Jinx turned to make her way to her own room, her thoughts were in turmoil; try as she did to deny it, Harry's words had had an effect on her, and for the first time in her life, she did not know what to do. She wanted to defeat the Titans simply because once they were all gone, the city would be hers to rule, and for the first time in her life, she would finally get the respect she felt she deserved. But, on the other hand, Harry was right; she often wondered what it would be to be looked upon by people and not see fear in their eyes but rather see respect and admiration. As Jinx's thoughts warred uncontrollably, she let out a breath she didn't realize that she was holding; it would all be over in a few days once the Titans were gone, then she would be the ruler of Jump City and never have to worry about these thoughts invading her peace ever again.

XXXX

Alarms were flashing throughout the tower when Robin ran into Cyborg's room, followed closely by Starfire and Beastboy;

"What's going on?!" Robin demanded as he stopped next to Cyborg,

"The cameras finally got a hit!" Cyborg replied as he began typing something onto the keyboard in front of him.

"Did it find Harry?" Starfire asked anxiously, taking a step forward,

"They picked up Mammoth entering this building less than twenty-four hours ago," Cyborg replied as an image of the Hive member appeared, showing him entering a dilapidated building that looked as though it might collapse any moment.

"Then, what are we waiting for?!" Beastboy demanded, "Let's go get Harry back!"

"No!" Robin stated, "We have no idea if it's a trap or not, so until we have more information that we can act on, we must tread carefully!"

"You want us to wait?!" Beastboy asked in shock, "Harry's been with them for a week! Who knows what they've done to him! He needs us now!"

"And what good are we to him if we walk into a trap?!" Robin demanded, "We cannot save Harry if we're all dead!"

Beastboy opened his mouth to respond before thinking better of it and shutting it closed with a snap,

"We will rescue Harry," Robin said quickly, "But only when we have enough information to mount a proper rescue without the risk of injury to Harry or us."

The others nodded their heads sullenly when a shadow that had been hiding in the corner suddenly moved forward, drawing their attention. As they watched, wide-eyed, the shadow began to shift until it took on the form of an outraged-looking Raven, whose eyes glowed dark red with rage.

"Raven…." Robin breathed, trying to think of what to say,

"You want me to wait?" Raven asked in a deadly whisper that seemed to echo in the quiet room, "You want me to wait while my little brother is being tortured by those bastards?!"

"Raven, we will get him back, I promise!" Robin said quickly, "But we cannot just charge in without a plan! We need to wait until-"

"I'M NOT WAITING!" Raven roared angrily as her powers began to envelop her,

"Raven! Wait!" Robin called out impudently; a moment later, she was gone, and Robin sighed annoyance.

"What do we do?" Starfire asked quickly, making Robin grimace,

"We go after her and try to stop her from doing something she'll regret!" Cyborg responded quickly as he rose from his chair and moved towards the door.

"Agreed," Robin added, "TITANS MOVE!"

XXXX

Author's Note:

I know a lot of you are going to be pissed about how I ended this chapter, but the battle I have planned out would have made this chapter unbelievably long, and I didn't want to make it so long that it became hard to read; so I chose to end it here. The next chapter will have the battle you all have been longing for.

NEXT TIME ON DRAGONBALL Z!

Oops, my bad, wrong show, lol.

Chapter Text

Chapter Seven

The summer night was warm against the skin of those who walked the streets of Jump city when suddenly they felt a cold chill that made them shiver involuntarily; had they looked up above them, they would have seen the reason for that chill as a dark blue shape that was surrounded by moving shadows flew overhead of them; but perhaps it was better that they did not, for the twin pairs eyes of the thing that passed over them were dark red with hatred and revenge. They would have given nightmares to any who saw it.

Under the mysterious flying person, a blue car was driving with reckless abandon as they tried to keep up with the flier;

"Faster!" Robin called as he looked out the passenger window at Raven, who was flying high above them; "We have to get there before her!"

"I'm doing my best here!" Cyborg replied in agitation as he pulled the wheel hard and rounded a corner on two wheels, "It's not easy to keep up with her while trying to avoid vehicular manslaughter simultaneously!"

"If Raven gets to Hive before us, we'll have much more to worry about than a few banged-up pedestrians!" Beastboy replied quickly as he leaned forward from his seat in the back, "Floor it, dude!"

Cyborg nodded grimly as he pushed the accelerator to the floor; around them, people stared in shock as the Titans vehicle roared down the street without care, each person wondering what emergency could warrant such recklessness.

"Starfire, see if you can slow her down!" Robin called to the girl who was sitting in the back seat; Starfire immediately nodded and opened her door, and jumped out, flying quickly behind Raven for a moment before issuing a burst of speed that allowed Starfire to cut Raven off and float in front of her with her arms spread in a clear sign that Starfire would not let Raven past her.

For a moment, the two floated across from each other, staring silently before Raven growled in a voice that made Starfire shiver,

"Stand aside, Starfire. I will not ask again."

"Raven, please," Starfire begged, "You must calm down!"

Raven's double red demonic eyes narrowed into slits as she stared at Starfire for a moment,

"The Potters were the first people to treat me as though I were not a monster," Raven said in a demonic hiss, "They took me in and loved me like their own, and I thought I lost them all! I finally found my family again, and those scum DARE to take him from me?! I will have my due for that affront!"

"And what good will that do?!" Starfire countered, "Harry has spent his whole life being treated as though he were worthless! As though he were a freak! Now, Harry finally has someone who loves him, whom he sees as a hero! Are you really going to take that away from him?!"

Raven momentarily flinched at Starfire's accusation before her anger once again took over, and she snarled at Starfire, who continued to float defiantly with her arms spread wide,

"STAND ASIDE!" Raven roared as she swept her hand across her body; instantly, a black mass of power flew from Raven and slammed into Starfire, sending her hurtling to the ground as Raven took off toward her targets.

Starfire slammed into the ground hard in front of Cyborg's car; Cyborg slammed onto the brakes and had to swerve to avoid hitting Starfire, who was shaking her head angrily as she rose to her feet.

As Starfire glared into the sky, her eyes turned bright green, and with an angry grimace, Starfire took off after her friend,

"Step on it!" Robin cried as they watched Starfire shoot into the air in a burst of green energy, "We have to stop Raven from doing what she plans to do!"

Cyborg nodded quickly; a moment later, the screech of tires tore through the quiet street as Cyborg floored the accelerator again.

"Rae wouldn't really kill Hive, would she?" Beastboy asked softly; silence was the only answer he received as Cyborg and Robin shared a dark look.

XXXX

Jinx stood silently outside of the door to Harry's room; she wanted nothing more than to go in and apologize for what she had said earlier that day to the kid, but her pride was preventing her from doing so, so instead, she stood silently in front of the door in indecision as to what she should do.

Grimacing angrily at her own cowardice in being unable to confront an eight-year-old boy, Jinx turned the doorknob and stepped into the room to find said boy sitting on the bed with his knees drawn to his chest. As Jinx entered, Harry raised his head to look at her, and Jinx felt a pain in her chest as she saw how red Harry's eyes were from crying.

"Harry…." Jinx said in a small voice, "I wanted to talk to you if that's okay,"

"Come to yell at me some more?" Harry sniffled, making Jinx grimace,

"No, I wanted to apologize to you," Harry's eyes widened in surprise at the words as Jinx sat down on the bed next to Harry and continued speaking, "I know that you never meant any harm or offense with what you said. And I know the words contained some truth to them, I just…. I just wasn't ready to hear them."

For a moment, nothing was said, and Jinx was scared that Harry wouldn't accept her apology, when slowly, Harry placed his hand atop hers, making her look at him in surprise as the little boy spoke in a soft voice,

"I know you didn't mean them, Ms. Jinx. I was telling the truth when I said you could be a great hero if you wanted to be."

For a moment, Jinx was rendered speechless at Harry's words, and tears threatened to spill from her eyes as she desperately tried to blink them away. Then, as Jinx opened her mouth the respond, alarms suddenly began blaring throughout the building, making Jinx jump to her feet quickly and make her way to the door.

"Stay here, Harry," Jinx said, turning to the boy as she opened the door to leave, "You'll be safe here, and I'll come back for you as quick as I can, alright?"

Harry nodded quickly, and Jinx left the room, closing the door behind her before making her way down the hallway. However, she had not gone more than a dozen steps when a voice rang out and seemed to echo throughout the entire building. The thing that Jinx noticed the most about the voice, however, was how cold it sounded, as though the speaker was literally causing the temperature to drop with every word.

"You all made a grave error when you kidnapped my little brother…."

In Harry's room, the boy's head shot up at the words, and hope began to flare in him,

"There are very few things that I actually care about," the voice continued, "And you chose to take from me the ONE PERSON I care about more than anything else…."

Gizmo was quickly strapping on every bit of technology he could in his laboratory as goosebumps spread across his skin.

"All rational creatures fear the dark. Now you will learn exactly why that is…." The voice concluded as the lights in the building went out all at once; the only light in the building came from the red blinks of the alarm lights, and every member of Hive suddenly felt fear race through them as they made their way to the main room where they agreed to meet in case of emergency.

A few minutes later, Jinx entered the common room and saw, to her annoyance, that she was the last one there,

"How did the Titans find us?!" Jinx demanded as she approached Gizmo, who was working in front of a terminal to restore power to the building,

"Crud if I know!" Gizmo replied angrily,

"Well, what do we do now?" Billy Numerous asked nervously; though he would never admit it, Raven's words had spooked him considerably.

"The plan hasn't changed!" Jinx replied, as though it were obvious, "The Titans are here! So spread out and find them!"

"I know the kid was supposed to act as bait, but not here!" See-more replied, "Maybe we should just cut our losses!"

Jinx sneered contemptuously at the fear she saw on her companion's face before backhanded See-more across the cheek, making him stumble back and press a hand to his face in shock.

"We're not running!" Jinx snarled as the rest of the group stared at her warily, "We wanted to lure the Titan jerks here and destroy them. Well, here they are! So go and do your jobs! And don't come back until you do!"

For a moment, no one moved, just staring at Jinx silently; after another moment, Jinx lost her temper and stomped her foot, causing pink bursts of power to issue forth from her and send several chairs flying across the room.

"NOW!" Jinx roared, making the members of Hive run from the room, lest they antagonize her further; once they were gone, Jinx turned back to Gizmo, who had watched the event lazily as he worked on the terminal.

"Can you get the lights back on?" Jinx asked,

"That Raven jerk sent an electrical pulse that shorted out everything in the building," Gizmo spat angrily as he pulled a tool from his belt,

"Not what I asked," Jinx replied with a raised eyebrow, "Can you fix it?"

"What do you think I'm doing?" Gizmo sneered, "Why don't you go play with your 'new friend' and leave this to me!" Jinx glared at Gizmo for the way he sneered 'new friend,' but nodded her head as she turned to go,

"Just get the lights back on; the fewer advantages we give the Titans, the better."

Without another word, Jinx surrounded her hands in pink energy and held them in front of her as she left the room, as though they were flashlights.

XXXX

When the Titans arrived at the building, they immediately knew that Raven had gotten there first; the front door of the building was completely torn from the hinges and lay in a twisted heap on the ground.

"TITANS MOVE!" Robin called as he dove from the car and raced inside; beside him, Beastboy had taken on the form of a wolf,

"What's the plan, Robin?" Cyborg asked as he followed behind the two,

"Find Raven before she becomes a murderer and save Harry!" Robin replied quickly as the group ran as fast as they could; eventually, they came to a fork in the hallway, and Robin grimaced in indecision,

"Beastboy, you're with me! Cyborg, you, and Starfire take the other hallway! Be careful; it's not just Raven we have to look out for, but also Hive and any traps they might have placed!"

The group nodded, and without looking back, Robin tore down his designated hallway, hearing the click of claws on the floor as Beastboy followed close behind him.

They had only gone perhaps a hundred steps when a hair-raising scream sounded from ahead of them, making both Titans stop abruptly and look at one another in wariness before charging toward where the cry was coming from.

As they rounded a corner, Robin's eyes widened in horror at what he was seeing; the innumerable clones of Billy Numerous lay scattered across the hallway, unconscious (or so Robin hoped).

Floating in the center of the hallway, Raven was staring with her twin pair of demonic red eyes at Billy Numerous, who was thrashing violently as he was gripped in one of Raven's black tentacles, which seemed to be slowly squeezing the life out of him.

"You thought you could take my blood from me without repercussions?" Raven hissed as the tentacle wrapped tighter, making Billy scream as the hallway echoed with a 'CRACK,' as one of his bones snapped under the pressure.

"RAVEN!" Robin shouted as he charged, his bow staff at the ready, "THAT'S ENOUGH! LET HIM GO!"

Raven turned her gaze away from the sobbing wreck that was Billy Numerous, only to fix her angry eyes on Robin, who felt as though he were prey, suddenly caught in the gaze of a predator.

"You would stand with this scum against me, Robin? Against Harry?" Raven asked in a cold voice,

"That is NOT what I am doing!" Robin replied angrily, "I am stopping you from making a mistake that will force me to throw you in jail!"

"Jail?" Raven said, a mock-grin playing on her lips, "As if you could actually arrest me!"

"Put. Him. Down." Robin said, his eyes narrowing dangerously, the way Batman had taught him; behind him, Beastboy growled menacingly, but Raven ignored him.

For a moment, Raven and Robin simply stared at one another while Beastboy watched in his wolf form; the only sound in the hallway was Billy's sobbing.

If you want him…." Raven said coldly, "Take him."

Without another word, Raven teleported away, and the tentacle holding Billy disappeared, dropping him to the ground in a heap; as he hit the ground, Billy issued a cry of pain and curled in on himself as he nursed what looked like a severely broken arm.

"You'll be okay," Robin said quickly as he approached the sobbing villain and knelt down beside him,

"I don't want to play anymore!" Billy sobbed, "Can you please just take me to jail?"

Robin nodded his head before dragging Billy to a nearby wall and sitting him down against it,

"Wait here! I'll be back, and we'll get you some medical attention, okay?"

Billy nodded as the tears ran down his face, and Robin jumped to his feet and tore down the hall, Beastboy right behind him.

"Raven almost crossed a line," Robin thought as he ran, "She's not thinking clearly. Obviously, her demon side is taking over; we must stop her before it's too late!"

The thought of arresting one of his best friends made Robin almost physically ill, and he increased his pace as one thought ran through his head,

"Please don't let us be too late."

Another scream tore through the hallway, making Robin and Beastboy stop short as they looked down the two separate hallways, not knowing which one to take.

"I'll take this one!" Robin shouted as he tore down the right hallway, hoping he had chosen the correct one.

XXXX

Cyborg was beginning to grow annoyed with Hive's hideout; he and Starfire had already searched more than a dozen rooms and found almost all of them empty, save one or two that seemed to have been used as storage for Hive's assorted junk and stolen items.

"This is beginning to piss me off!" Cyborg growled as he closed the door to yet another empty room, "Where are they?! We should have AT LEAST tripped some kind of booby trap by now!"

"Perhaps we caught them unawares," Starfire replied as she walked beside Cyborg, "And they were unable to set anything up."

"Still doesn't explain where they are, though," Cyborg grumbled as the pair turned a corner into another hallway; as Starfire opened her mouth to respond, a scream tore through the hallway, making both look at one another for a moment before they ran toward where the scream had originated.

When they finally exited the hallway, they entered what looked like a dining room, albeit one that had been destroyed. Tables and chairs lay sprawled everywhere and in the center of the room was a heavily bleeding See-more, who was being attacked by long black tentacles.

The one-eyed villain was wrapped in his force-field with a look of fear on his face as sweat poured off him from the amount of power he had to use to keep the force-field active as the tentacles slammed against his shield like baseball bats. Standing across from him, directing the tentacles, was Raven, who was gazing at the villain with hatred etched on her face as her twin pair of red demonic eyes blazed like fire.

Realizing that she was making no progress, Raven issued a growl of annoyance and pulled her tentacles back; See-more, thinking that she was giving up, released a sigh of relief that quickly turned into an 'eep' as Raven directed her tentacles to grip See-more's force-field like a fist and then began to slowly raise See-more into the air and squeeze the shield as Cyborg and Starfire watched in horror.

"Raven! Stop!" Starfire called as she prepared to fly to where her friend stood, only to find that she could not move. While she and Cyborg had been watching the show, Raven had stealthily had two of her tentacles wrap themselves around the legs of Cyborg and Starfire, and when the pair tried to intervene, they fell flat on their stomachs.

As Cyborg and Starfire watched, cracks began to appear on See-more's shield as Raven applied more pressure to the fist wrapped around the force-field; See-more looked as though he was going to pass out as he desperately tried to keep the shield in place while Raven was looking at the scene playing out with a cruel smile on her face.

Slowly, Raven raised her arm until it was level with the floating force-field held in her tentacles; with a snarl, she closed her hand into a fist, making her tentacles do the same as they finally broke See-more's shield and crushed the boy who issued one last cry before going silent.

All Cyborg and Starfire could do was stare in horror as Raven opened her hand and allowed the broken body of See-more to fall limply to the ground;

"Raven…." Cyborg breathed, "What have you done….?"

Raven said nothing, simply flicking her wrist, releasing the tentacles that had wrapped around the two Titans legs before teleporting away.

A moment later, Robin burst into the room looking determined, only for the look to change to one of shock as he saw the body of See-more lying on the ground; dropping his bow staff, Robin ran to the villain and knelt beside him, placing a finger to the boy's neck,

"He's alive, oh thank god, he's alive!" Robin said, making the other two breathe a sigh of relief that their friend hadn't killed someone.

"Robin, what do we do?" Starfire asked as Robin began to drag See-more to a nearby wall,

"We have to stop Raven, her demon side is beginning to take control, and I'm worried about what she'll do to Harry if she finds him."

"You think she'd hurt her own brother?" Cyborg asked cautiously, watching as Robin propped See-more against the wall, before turning to face him,

"Right now, I don't know what Raven will do, and I'd rather not find out. So, let's move!"

Without another word, Robin quickly retrieved his bow staff and charged out of the room; Cyborg and Starfire exchanged a look before following a moment later; they had only gone a few feet when the trio ran into Mammoth, who smiled cruelly at them.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here?"

"The best gift you'll ever get," Robin replied, making Mammoth frown in bemusement.

"What does that mean?"

"It means," Cyborg replied as he readied his arm cannon, "That you should be happy that you ran into us instead of Raven. We'll only hurt you; she might kill you."

Mammoth snarled at the insult and charged the trio,

"TITANS MOVE!" Robin called as the fight began.

XXXX

Something was wrong; that's all Jinx could think of as she silently made her way down the hallway to Harry's room; she had heard two screams echo through the building, screams that had been quickly cut off; but the worst thing was the demonic laughter she heard moments ago that seemed to freeze the blood in her veins.

Aside from the light coming from the pink energy in Jinx's hands, the only light was the red flashing of the alarm, giving the hallway a terrifying persona that made even Jinx nervous.

Rounding another corner, Jinx froze in horror as she saw Gizmo embedded in a nearby way in a broken heap as blood dripped off the many cuts and wounds that littered his small form; not far away, lying face down in a pool of blood was Kyd Wykkd.

For a moment, Jinx couldn't breathe. She simply stood there in horror as she stared down at the lifeless bodies of two of her teammates. Finally, she regained control of herself, ran to the pair, and began checking for a pulse, breathing a sigh of relief as she felt it; it was weak, but both were still alive.

"And then there was one…." A cold voice whispered from behind Jinx, making her freeze as she knelt beside Kyd Wykkd; slowly, Jinx rose to her feet and turned around.

Standing at the end of the dark hallway, surrounded by moving shadows like a creature from a horror movie, was Raven, and Jinx gulped silently as she took in her enemies appearance; Raven's dark blue robe was spotted with blood from Jinx's teammates, and two pairs of hate-filled red eyes glared at Jinx, making her feel like a deer that had just been spotted by a cougar.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Jinx demanded angrily, narrowing Raven's eyes, "You're a hero! You don't do this sort of thing!"

Raven said nothing, simply flicking her wrist, making a black tentacle stab at Jinx, who narrowly avoided being impaled by back-flipping out of the tentacle's reach before taking a defensive position, her hands lighting up as pink energy surrounded them.

"Is this how you want Harry to see you?!" Jinx demanded as she raised her fists, "Like a monster!?"

"YOU DON'T GET TO SAY HIS NAME!" Raven roared as she flung her arms out at Jinx, making half a dozen tentacles fly at the pink-haired girl, who began blasting them with her energy waves as she dove and dodged to avoid being impaled.

"Believe it or not, I've actually begun to care about the kid!" Jinx snarled back as he ducked under another attack, "And if you think I'm letting you anywhere near him right now, you're mistaken!"

"HE'S MY BROTHER!" Raven snarled as she sent another tentacle at Jinx, who easily avoided it, causing the tentacle to tear a chunk out of the nearby wall.

"And he'd be terrified if he saw you right now!" Jinx retorted as she threw a pink energy wave at Raven, who batted it aside as if it were nothing, "Have you looked at yourself?! You look like a demon from hell!"

"How right you are…." Raven hissed, her voice demonic, "And I will have back what is mine!"

"Harry is NOT an object to be won!" Jinx replied angrily as she began throwing pink energy beams at the roof, walls, and floor in an attempt to collapse the hallway, "He is a boy, and I will NOT LET YOU HURT HIM!"

Jinx's words seemed to freeze Raven in her tracks for a moment before her anger retook control, and her twin pair of eyes burned even brighter,

"HOW DARE YOU SAY THAT I WOULD HURT MY OWN BROTHER! FILTHY WITCH!" Raven snarled as she issued a blast of power that slammed into Jinx's body and threw her across the hallway, only to slam into a nearby door with so much force that the door crumpled with the impact, and Jinx disappeared into the room.

Raven slowly approached the dark entryway to the room, determined to end Jinx for not only taking her brother but also for daring to suggest that Raven would hurt him. As she approached the room, however, Raven stopped as she heard something that seemed to freeze her in her tracks.

Someone was kneeling next to Jinx's still form, crying for her to get up and when the person looked up at Raven, she saw to her horror that it was Harry, and instead of the expression of love that he usually wore when he looked at Raven, instead she saw only terror.

XXXX

Harry had been sitting on his bed for quite some time when the noises began; terrifying noises that made him bring his knees to his chest in fear as he prayed for Jinx to come back; he heard screams echoing from behind the door, followed by creepy laughter and then finally silence.

At first, Harry thought that whatever had happened was finally over, only for that illusion to be shattered as the door to his room burst from its hinges, and Jinx flew in and landed hard on the ground next to Harry's bed.

"Jinx!" Harry cried as he jumped out of bed and knelt beside her, "Jinx! Wake up! Please wake up!"

As Harry desperately shook his friend and tried to get her to open her eyes, he felt the presence of someone else in the room with them. He looked up tearfully to see his sister Raven floating several inches off the floor and looking down at him with two pairs of glowing red eyes that scared Harry in a way he couldn't explain.

"Harry…." Jinx mumbled as she slowly opened her eyes, "Run…."

"Harry…." Raven hissed in a voice that made Harry shiver, "It's okay, I'm not going to hurt you."

"Why do you look like that?" Harry asked in a horrified whisper as he scooted away on his bottom, making Raven flinch as though she had been struck.

"I'll explain it all later, Harry," Raven replied as her cloak swirled around her, despite there being no wind, "For now, though, I need you to step aside. That bitch needs to pay for what she did!"

"NO!" Harry retorted protectively as he draped himself over Jinx, "I won't let you hurt Jinx!"

"Stand aside, Harry!" Raven growled as she lowered herself to the ground, "She's a villain! She took you away, remember? She deserves to be punished for what she did!"

"I bet that's the same thing the bad man said who killed mummy and daddy!" Harry sniffled back, "Are you going to be like him?"

Raven took a step back in shock as the truth of the words hit her like physical blows; a light hit her face for a moment, and Raven turned her head to see what had caused it, only to gasp slightly as she saw her reflection in a nearby mirror.

She was covered in spots of blood, her eyes looked genuinely demonic, and the black tentacles that snaked from under her robes gave her an unholy appearance that made Raven take a step back; no wonder Harry was afraid of her; she would be too if someone who looked like her suddenly appeared and said they were here for her.

Slowly turning back to face Harry, Raven felt tears begin to run down her face as she looked down at the sobbing boy who was lying on top of Jinx as though he could protect her,

"Harry…..I…." Raven began softly, unable to think of something to say.

"RAVEN!" A voice called from behind her, making her turn quickly; from down the hallway, the rest of the Titans were hurriedly running towards her, trying to stop her from killing Jinx, no doubt.

When they got to the door of Harry's room, they stopped and stared in horror at the sight before them; Harry was sobbing as he held onto Jinx, while Raven looked like an actual demon.

"That's enough!" Robin said firmly, "Jinx and the rest of HIVE are beaten. There's no need to kill them!"

Slowly, Raven's rage dissipated as the truth of Robin's words assailed her. Then, finally, her second pair of eyes disappeared, leaving only one pair of violet eyes, which looked exhausted.

Slowly turning to her little brother, Raven took a step toward him, only to stop when Harry flinched and seemed to cling to Jinx tighter;

"Harry, I'm so sorry." Raven said softly, "I never meant to scare you, and I would never have hurt you, I swear!"

"Please…. just leave me alone." Harry cried, and Raven flinched back as though she had been slapped; tears ran down her cheeks as she nodded and turned to her teammates,

"I'm sorry for how I acted," Raven said as her head hung down in shame, "And I'm especially sorry to you, Starfire, for striking you."

Starfire immediately ran forward and wrapped Raven in a hug, making Raven flinch in surprise,

"No offense is taken, friend!" Starfire cried, "I know you were not yourself!"

"Let's go home," Beastboy said simply, making the others nod in agreement.

"I'll call the police and have them come pick up HIVE," Robin said as he approached Jinx's unconscious form and knelt beside her, where Harry was clinging to her like a lifeline.

"She comes with us!" Harry said in a firm voice, even as tears ran down his face,

"Harry…" Robin began, before being cut off by the kid,

"No! Jinx is a good guy! She protected me from the others who wanted to hurt me!"

"She did?" Cyborg asked in surprise, to which Harry nodded quickly.

"She's my friend, and I won't leave her here! So, she comes with us, or I don't go!"

Robin sighed in exasperation, running a hand over his hair before he finally came to a decision;

"Fine." Much to the shock of the others, he replied, "But she WILL be handcuffed to the bed in the infirmary, understood? One good deed doesn't make up for a lifetime of bad ones."

Raven glared down at the pink-haired witch and tried to catch Harry's eyes, but the boy was going out of his way to avoid looking at her, and it broke her heart more than she could put into words.

"Let's go home, then," Raven said sadly as Cyborg gently picked up the limp body of Jinx, while Starfire did the same with Harry. Raven reached out to touch Harry as he passed, but the boy violently flinched away from her, and Raven felt her limp hand drop to her side as a terrible sadness ran through her.

Without another word, she wrapped herself in her shadows and teleported away.

XXXX

Author's Note:

I had no idea that people would like this story as much as they do, and the fact that so many do amazes me; that's why I'm doing my best to make sure it's a worthwhile read. The next chapter will have Raven trying to regain Harry's trust and not have him look at her with fear; after all, Harry saw Raven in all her demonic glory, so he's going to be a little freaked out by her for a while. As always, I hope you enjoy the latest chapter and tell me what you think, as your reviews show me how to better the story.

Chapter Text

Chapter Eight

Two weeks, that was how long Jinx lay unconscious in the infirmary; it was also how long Harry went without speaking to Raven. The boy hardly left his room, much to the dismay of the Titans, especially Raven, who took her brother's self-imposed grounding especially hard.

Raven seemed to copy her little brother as she had locked herself in her room, only coming out to retrieve meals before returning to her room to meditate in self-imposed solitude. After almost three weeks of this, Robin finally had enough and banged on Raven's door for nearly ten minutes until she finally opened the door.

"What?!" Raven cried in agitation,

"We need to talk. Now." Robin said simply, crossing his arms over his chest to show he was not leaving until the two spoke; for a moment, the two simply glared at one another in a fight of wills before Raven sighed in exasperation and stood aside, allowing Robin entry.

Once the door had shut, Raven leaned against it and crossed her arms, leveling a stern gaze on Robin as he turned and stared at her with the same look.

"Well?" Raven asked, "What do you want?"

"It's been almost three weeks…." Robin said softly, "Don't you think you've ignored Harry long enough?"

"I'm not ignoring Harry!" Raven nearly shouted angrily, "He doesn't want to see me! He hates me! He's afraid of me! And he's right too! I lost myself to my anger, to my father's blood!"

"Yes, you became a monster," Robin said simply, making Raven look at him in shock, "And you nearly killed the members of HIVE. Get over it."

Raven's mouth dropped comically at the words, and Robin had to fight hard not to smile at the sight of his friend's expression; now was not the time to smile, Raven was at a crossroads, and if things didn't change soon, Harry would be lost to her forever.

"You bastard…." Raven hissed, uncrossing her arms and taking a step forward, and yet Robin didn't move, only narrowed his eyes at his teammate,

"Harry has spent his whole life being used and abused at the whim of those who should have protected," Robin said softly. Yet, every word seemed to echo as if he shouted, "He has spent his entire life afraid, and then he learns that his sister is alive and takes him away from his abusers, only to abandon him again. So tell me, Raven, how do you think he feels right now?"

"I DIDN'T ABANDON HIM!" Raven snarled, her red demon eyes flashing for a moment before she breathed and calmed herself, "I would NEVER abandon him! I love him!"

"Then prove it!" Robin replied, "He's afraid of you because he saw something he doesn't understand. Show him that you're still his big sister, the same person who rescued and loves him. If you do not, I promise you will lose him."

Raven stared at Robin for a moment, her thoughts racing as she realized the truth in Robin's words. Raven may have frightened Harry initially, but by keeping her distance from him, she was making it worse, and if it went on like this much longer, she really would lose her brother; she couldn't bear to lose him again; it would surely kill her.

"Go and talk with him. Now." Robin growled in a manner that would have made Batman proud, "Or leave and don't come back. Harry is a broken kid and doesn't need someone who won't be there for him."

Raven paled at the words and flinched as Robin took a step forward; as he passed her, he gently placed a hand on her shoulder,

"Harry needs you, Raven, now more than ever. He needs his big sister to tell him everything will be okay; I believe you can be that person, but you also need to."

Robin exited Raven's room without another word, leaving her alone to silently think over what her friend had said.

XXXX

Harry sat on his bed, staring silently at the far wall across from him; for weeks, he had been staying in his room, only leaving to get food. More than anything, Harry wanted to see his sister; he knew she hadn't meant to scare him, but no matter how much he tried, Harry couldn't shake the terror he felt whenever he remembered how Raven had looked the day she had rescued him. He missed the safety he felt when Raven would wrap her arms around him and chase away his nightmares. Still, at the same time, Harry knew he had hurt her by telling her to leave him alone. The look she had on her face when he said it had broken Harry's heart, and he didn't know how to apologize for that, so he instead locked himself away in the hopes that he wouldn't hurt her more; he was, after all, just a good-for-nothing freak.

As Harry continued his self-deprecating spiral, a sudden knock brought his attention back to the present, and he stared at the door silently for a moment before a second knock sounded against the door.

"Harry?" A voice said on the other side of the door, "Can I come in? I want to speak with you."

Harry sniffled sadly as he recognized his sister's voice and was on the verge of telling her to go away when he steeled his nerve and replied in a soft voice,

"You can come in if you want to."

The door slid open a moment later, and Raven slowly glided in, stopping a few feet from Harry's bed; Harry drew his knees to his chest and wrapped his arms around them as Raven watched him with a sad expression on her face that made Harry feel even worse.

"Harry, I wanted to apologize to you," Raven said in a broken voice that made Harry start with surprise, "I never meant to scare you. I am so sorry. I would never hurt you! You are one of the most important things in my life, and I would rather face all the pain that this world has to offer than see you harmed."

Tears began streaming down Raven's face as she finished her tirade, and Harry was speechless for a moment before he leaped off the bed and wrapped his tiny arms around her waist, much to Raven's surprise.

Raven's surprise lasted only a moment before she was hugging him back and quietly sobbing as she gently stroked his hair,

"I thought that you would hate me!" Harry cried into Raven's stomach,

"How could you ever think that, Harry?" Raven asked as she pushed him away, kneeled down to his level so that they were facing one another, and placed her hands on his shoulders. "I could never hate you!"

"I told you to keep away from me," Harry said piteously as tears ran down his cheeks.

"And I understand why you did," Raven replied gently as she wiped away his tears, "You saw a side of me that I wish you had not. A side that very few have seen and those that have rarely forgotten."

What…what was that?" Harry asked softly, turning his gaze to his feet as though he was afraid of asking.

For a moment, Raven said nothing, and Harry thought she would not answer, but then she began to speak in a scared voice that Harry had never heard before,

"My father….my birth father is an evil man, Harry. He has done some truly horrible things that would give even the bravest person a lifetime of nightmares. But, unfortunately, I share his blood, and some of his less desirable qualities passed to me; what you saw was his blood taking over, and it's something that I never wanted you to see."

Harry looked up at Raven in surprise and saw to his shock that she looked like she was about to start crying, as though she thought he would reject her for what she had told him; instead, Harry hugged her again as tight as he could and Raven froze for a moment before she gently wrapped her hands around her little brother.

"I don't care who your real dad is," Harry said softly, his words seeming to break Raven's heart, "You're my sister, and you always will be,

"Harry….thank you," Raven replied as teardrops fell gently onto Harry's hair, "I promise I will never hurt you again. I love you, little brother.

Harry started as the words hit him; no one had ever said those words to him before, and to finally hear them and to know that they were true was something that he had never thought would actually occur.

"I love you too, Raven," Harry said, so quiet that the words were almost missed, but Raven heard them, and she smiled happily as she hugged her little brother tighter.

XXXX

When Jinx opened her eyes, she first noticed the pain; her whole body felt as though she had been run over by a truck. The second thing she noticed was that her right hand was handcuffed to her bed; the final thing she noticed was Raven sitting in a chair beside her bed, reading a rather large book.

"Where am I?" Jinx asked in a dry voice; her throat felt like it was filled with sand, and every word took effort,

"You're at Titans tower," Raven replied, putting her book away, "You have Harry to thank for that; he saved your life."

Jinx simply stared at Raven petulantly for a moment before turning her head and staring at the ceiling silently for a moment,

"He's a good kid," Jinx said simply.

"He is," Raven replied, "Far better than one would expect after being raised as he was."

Jinx nodded in agreement; more than anything, she wanted to ask for water, but she would rather die of thirst than ask her enemy for such a boon. To her surprise, however, Raven suddenly handed a glass of water to Jinx, who eyed it with suspicion,

"It's not poisoned, if that's what you're thinking," Raven said with a wry smile,

"You really think I'd believe that after what you did to my team?" Jinx asked, making Raven raise an eyebrow at her,

"You want the water or not?"

Jinx eyed the glass for a moment in indecision; finally, her thirst won out, and she grabbed it from Raven's hand and began to quickly guzzle it while Raven watched with a slight smile on her face.

"Look at that; you're still alive. I guess that means it wasn't poisoned after all," Raven said sarcastically as she sat back down; once Jinx had drained the glass, she placed it on the table next to her and turned back to Raven,

"What am I doing here?"

"Harry insisted we bring you here for medical attention. You were very badly injured," Raven said coolly,

"Because of you!" Jinx spat angrily and making Raven laugh softly,

"I'm sorry, am I the one who told you to kidnap my little brother? Am I the one who told you to keep him in a dirty room like some animal?"

Jinx paled slightly at the words and found that she had no response to Raven's accusations, so instead, she just glared impudently as Raven rose from her chair and approached. As Raven leaned in close, Jinx suddenly remembered what Raven had done to her teammates and felt a cold chill run through her.

"There is a piece of me that wants nothing more than to kill you for what you and your team did to my little brother," Raven said as she leaned in close to Jinx, "But Harry told me how you protected him from the rest of HIVE. That and that alone is what has granted you a reprieve from my wrath."

Raven leaned back as she finished and crossed her arms as she gazed down at Jinx, who licked her lips for a moment before asking,

"How long have I been here?"

"Four weeks."

"F-four weeks!?" Jinx asked in astonishment, "I've been unconscious for four weeks?!"

Raven nodded quickly, "Harry was beginning to worry that you'd never wake up. He's been to see you almost every day."

Jinx's eyes softened at that, and a warm smile crossed her face,

"He's a good kid; he's lucky to have you look out for him."

Raven looked at Jinx in surprise at the compliment as the villain's voice took on a sad tone,

"Perhaps if I had had someone who cared about me the way you care about Harry, I might have become more than what I am."

In all the years that she and Jinx had fought one another, Raven had never seen the HIVE member so broken; the poor girl looked nothing like she usually did. Rather than the confident and assertive girl that Raven was so used to seeing, Raven instead saw a sad, lonely girl who desperately wanted someone, anyone, to tell her just once that they cared.

"The Titans have been talking, and we have come to a decision regarding you," Raven said after a moment of tense silence,

"Let me guess," Jinx said mockingly, "You're going to lock me in a cage and throw away the key."

Raven grinned wryly for a moment before answering,

"Robin wanted to, but Harry vouched for you. He said that given the opportunity, you could be a great hero, someone worthy of respect rather than fear. So, here's the deal, and it's the only one you're going to get, so listen well."

Jinx tilted her head slightly as she listened; despite her best efforts, Jinx was intrigued by Raven's words and quickly nodded her head for Raven to continue.

"Robin talked to the District Attorney; she's willing to forgo jail time in return for community service, as long as you agree to aid the Titans in protecting Jump City for the next three years."

Jinx's mouth dropped open in astonishment, and Raven had to fight not to laugh at the expression on the girl's face,

"You cannot be serious!" Jinx exclaimed, "Me?! A hero?! Is this a joke?!"

"Believe me, I wish it were, but it's genuine, I can assure you," Raven said with a small smile.

"And you actually think I'll take this deal?" Jinx demanded, "Have you forgotten who I am?! I am Jinx! The queen of misfortune! I am a liar, a thief, and a cold-blooded villain! But the one damn thing I am not is a hero!"

Raven chuckled at Jinx's histrionic tirade, which only seemed to anger the HIVE member further.

"I will die in a grave before becoming a hero!" Jinx raged, and Raven finally lost control and began laughing; Jinx had never heard Raven laugh before and stared at the Titan in surprise for a moment before regaining control of herself.

Before Jinx could begin another rant, the door burst open, and Harry charged in and lunged at Jinx, who could only stare in shock as the boy wrapped his arms around her neck in a hug.

"I was coming to check on you and heard you and Raven talking! I'm so glad you're awake!"

Jinx froze for a moment, unaccustomed to such familiarity, before gently wrapping her uncuffed arm around Harry while Raven watched tensely.

"I'm glad you're alright, kid," Jinx said softly as Harry pulled away and sat on the edge of the bed next to her.

"Cyborg told me that you're not going to have to go to jail!" Harry said excitedly, "You're going to work with the Titans! You get to be a hero!"

"Harry…. I…." Jinx said, trying to think of a way to tell the boy that there was no way she would be accepting the deal that Raven had given her, but as she looked at the boy's smiling face, she couldn't think of what to say.

"Jinx needs her rest," Raven said softly after a moment of silence, "And you start school in the morning, so I want you to go and make sure that you have everything packed."

"Aww, can't I stay a little longer?" Harry asked, "I want to spend time with Jinx,"

"I'll still be here tomorrow, Harry," Jinx said softly, "You need to get ready for school. Go on, now."

"Okay," Harry said with a huff, giving Jinx one final hug before jumping off the bed and making his way out the door, shutting it gently behind him.

Once Raven and Jinx were alone, Jinx stared at the end of the bed silently for a moment before turning to Raven; to her annoyance, Jinx saw that Raven had one eyebrow raised and was sporting a small smile as though she already knew what Jinx was going to say.

"I really hate you, you know that?" Jinx said simply, making Raven's smile grow a little bit,

"Feeling's mutual," Raven retorted, albeit with a grin,

"So, how do you know I'll keep my end of the bargain?" Jinx asked, "How do you know I won't just disappear the first time you let me out of this bed?"

"Because you know what that would do to Harry, and I think his opinion of you means more than you're willing to admit."

Jinx said nothing for a moment, simply stared at Raven before issuing a hiss of annoyance and lowering her head back onto the pillow,

"Tell the dork wonder that I'll take his damn deal; just don't expect me to like it."

XXXX

Harry shifted nervously as he stood in front of Jinx and Raven; both were looking at him with disapproval, and Harry hated seeing that in their eyes. It had been two months since Jinx had accepted the deal and joined the Titans; at first, she was watched like a hawk while the team was out on patrol, but gradually the suspicion had lessened, especially since she had saved Beastboy from being crushed by Cinderblock. It had also been two months since Harry was enrolled in the local Elementary school. To his surprise, Harry had actually managed to make a few friends; he had never had friends before, and no one ever wanted to associate with him for fear of angering Dudley and his gang.

But it wasn't his friends that had made Jinx and Raven disappointed in him; it was his grades.

"Care to explain this?" Raven asked as she held out the yellow paper for Harry to see; Harry said nothing, simply staring at his feet as Raven read out what was on the form in her hand.

"You're barely passing in almost every class! We know you're smarter than this, Harry, so what's going on?"

Harry said nothing; after all, what could he say? That he'd been told from an early age to never show how smart he was? That he was beaten every time, he did better than his cousin? So instead, Harry just stared silently at the floor and tried desperately not to cry in front of Raven and Jinx.

"Harry, if something's happening at school, you know you can tell us, right?" Jinx said softly as she kneeled in front of the boy and gently put her hands on his shoulders,

"She's right, Harry," Raven said as she kneeled next to Jinx, "We can only help you if you tell us what's wrong."

Harry mumbled something so soft that neither of the two women could hear him, and Raven gently put her hand under the boy's chin and raised his head until he was facing them.

"Now, what is going on? Why are you having such a hard time in class?" Raven asked softly,

"I'm not supposed to get good grades…." Harry replied as he stared into Raven's eyes, the truth seemingly pulled from him against his will.

"What do you mean you're not supposed to get good grades?" Jinx asked,

"Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon didn't like it when I got better marks than Dudley," Harry replied tearfully, "They used to hurt me when I did, so I learned not to."

The girls shared a dark look as though they would have liked nothing better than to hunt down Harry's relatives and teach them a lesson of their own for daring to hurt Harry like that before turning back to Harry, who looked like he was desperately trying not to cry in front of them.

"Harry, I thought I told you to forget everything those vile people told you," Raven said gently, "You will never see them again, and you don't need to be afraid of them anymore."

"I….I know…" Harry replied,

"I know you're brilliant, Harry," Raven said warmly, "And you don't need to hide it anymore, okay?"

Harry nodded slowly,

"I won't punish you this time because I now know the reason why you are doing so poorly in school. But if you don't get your grades up, I'll have no choice but to ground you until you do. That means no videogames with Beastboy, no stargazing with Starfire, no nothing, understand?"

Harry looked horrified and quickly nodded his head that he understood while the two women smiled at him.

"Now, why don't you go finish your math homework," Raven said with a smile, "And no more pretending you don't understand how to do it, okay?"

"Okay, Raven," Harry replied, giving both Raven and Jinx a quick hug before turning and running to his room as the girls watched happily. Once he was gone, Jinx rose to her feet and turned to Raven, who was doing the same,

"How's his training coming along? Is he still having trouble controlling his abilities?"

Raven frowned slightly; she had been teaching Harry how to meditate and control his powers for over a month now, and yet Harry still seemed to be unable to completely control his 'protectors' who would violently lash out at anything that they deemed a threat to the boy when Harry would summon them.

"He still has trouble controlling them completely, but I have faith that will come in time," Raven replied,

"Have you thought about what will happen when he turns eleven?" Jinx asked, "You know Dumbledore will never let Harry go without a fight. He's the Boy-Who-Lived, after all. So Dumbledore will probably come here himself to make sure Harry attends Hogwarts."

"I won't let that old bastard use my little brother like one of his chess pieces," Raven growled angrily, "Harry has been through enough because of that mad bastard's manipulations. I shall be damned if I let him suffer more for Dumbledore's 'greater good.'"

Jinx's expression turned sad as she remembered how much she had loved Hogwarts before she had been expelled. While she would not want to deny Harry an opportunity to study there, she had to admit that Raven had a point about Dumbledore. The old man was far too fond of moving people about as though they were pieces on a chessboard, easily discarded when they were of no further use. But, of course, he would always deny such claims.

"Well, thankfully, that's still three years away, so we shouldn't have to worry about the old buzzard for a while yet," Jinx said with a grin that Raven returned,

"You still want to teach Harry magic? He's a bit young, isn't he?"

"Better he learns now than be clueless when he finally does go to school," Jinx replied, "Besides, I'm not going to teach him anything dangerous, just some simple stuff, is all."

Raven nodded thoughtfully for a moment and was about to reply when the alarm went off, and she sighed in frustration,

"Never a moment of peace…." Raven said simply as the two girls rushed out of the room to find out what new threat had appeared.

XXXX

"Have you found them?!" Dumbledore asked Alastor Moody when the old Auror walked out of the fireplace and into Dumbledore's office,

"Yeah, we found them alright," Moody growled, "The girl took Potter to America. They're living in Jump City in a giant T-shaped building, ugliest thing I've ever seen. And that's not all!"

"What else have you discovered?" Dumbledore asked quickly as he made a mental note to visit this 'Jump City' as soon as he could,

"It would seem that Raven Potter has some interesting friends," Moody replied, "A green shapeshifter, a man who looked like he was made of metal, an orange girl who can fly without a broomstick, and a kid who looks like he could give old Severus Snape fashion advice."

Dumbledore chuckled at that, even as he stored the information away for later examination,

"And I saw one more hanging around Potter, someone I haven't seen in almost five years."

"Who?" Dumbledore pressed, suddenly nervous,

"Natalie Jordan," Moody growled softly; instantly, Dumbledore's eyebrows shot to his hairline, and he felt his pulse quicken as Moody continued speaking,

"Goes by the name Jinx, now. And it looks like she and Potter are quite close."

"That is disturbing news," Dumbledore said simply, "We must ensure that Harry is watched; we cannot allow the boy to fall into the hands of those who practice the Dark Arts, after all. He's too important to our world."

"Why not just go and grab the kid? Shouldn't be that hard if you call out the whole of the order."

"No, that will not do," Dumbledore said as he laced his fingers together, "Raven is Harry's older sister and legally has the right to raise him in place of his maternal aunt. Better that he remains where he is, albeit under watch to ensure his protection."

"Very well, then," Moody growled, "But I don't trust that Jinx girl. The last time someone pissed her off, she took away their ability to walk."

Dumbledore nodded in agreement, "Then we shall have to ensure that Harry is under constant observation, for his own protection, of course."

"Of course," Moody sneered before turning and vanishing back into the fireplace and leaving Dumbledore alone; as the old man rested his chin on his interlaced fingers, his mind raced.

Harry Potter was the chosen one; the prophecy assured that one day Voldemort would return and only Harry would be able to stop him; but if Harry was being raised by a former student who had been expelled for Dark Magic, then the future looked bleak, indeed, and Dumbledore would need to keep a very close eye on Harry, for the Greater Good, of course.

XXXX

Chapter Text

Chapter Nine

Three years later:

Harry smiled happily as he leaned up against the stone gargoyle and enjoyed his ice cream cone, his gaze on the city stretched around him.

No longer was Harry the scared, abused little boy that Raven had found locked in a cupboard three years ago; the boy who had replaced him was the complete opposite of the one who had spent so many days kept in a state of perpetual starvation and fear, surrounded by those who only had hatred in their hearts for him.

Harry had spent three years with the Titans, and it was perhaps the greatest three years of his young life; as each of them had something to teach Harry, and the young boy soaked up whatever they taught him with an almost unlimited excitement that made all of the Titans incredibly proud.

Cyborg had taught Harry computer skills and automotive repair, and Harry had applied himself so well that within two years, Cyborg seemed to have nothing left to teach the boy.

Beastboy had given Harry a crash course in animals and veterinary training and had been amazed at how proficient Harry was at it, so much so that Harry seemed to be able to interact with almost any animal almost effortlessly. Even the most violent and wild of creatures seemed to calm themselves around Harry, to the amazement of nearly everyone who witnessed it.

Starfire had taught young Harry astronomy and the secrets of the stars, and of all the planets she had visited; Harry had been fascinated by her stories and the myriad of other civilizations out there that humans had yet to discover.

Robin had taught Harry how to fight and how to think tactically; at first, Raven had been against her little brother being taught but had relented when Robin told her that it was better he learns and not need it than need it and not know what to do. To the surprise of all, Harry had taken to his martial arts training with surprising gusto and, within three years, was well past any belt color. Yet, despite his training, Harry had yet to land a single hit on Robin, something Robin would often tease Harry about.

Harry's most challenging class by far, however, had been learning magic from Raven and Jinx; for the first year, all they would let him do was study out of books. Finally, after he had read the interminable number of books that they had given him, they agreed to teach him practical application and how to control the incredible power that Harry had within him.

Two years into his training, Harry had been trying a purification spell that Jinx had taught him when he promptly collapsed for some reason. After a thorough examination, it was discovered that Harry had dark magic embedded in his scar, and Raven and Jinx immediately performed a ceremony to remove it. Unfortunately, Harry didn't remember much about that night, just that he felt his head would split open and that he had heard what sounded like a man screaming as a black cloud of smoke emerged from his head.

After that, Raven examined her little brother again and discovered to her rage and horror that someone had placed a block on Harry's magical core, limiting how powerful he could become and how much magic he could use. Raven had immediately removed the block, and Harry felt strange, as though he could take a full breath for the first time in his life after living with only small gasps; everything felt lighter. Afterward, his magical training became much easier as he learned new spells and magic three times as fast as he had before, to the amazement and pride of Jinx and Raven. Harry's 'protectors,' as he called them, seemed to listen to him more now, and he could control them far better than before; added to that, the spells and magic he was learning made him a little intimidating at times. But the thing that Harry loved best was discovered a few weeks after Raven removed the block around his core; Harry could fly!

Harry had been up on top of the Tower with Starfire gazing at the stars when he had gotten too close to the edge and accidentally fell over. Starfire had freaked and dove after him, only to stare in surprise as Harry floated above the ground with a shocked look on his face.

Raven had been frantic when Starfire told her and checked Harry over to ensure he was okay before congratulating him on his new gift, with the promise to teach him how to fly properly. Harry took to his further training with an almost obsessive mindset; he loved being in the air, it was so free, and Raven had laughed when he told her how flying made him feel, saying that he was "Exactly like dad."

But, no matter how much Harry learned or how much he begged, Raven refused to let him go out and fight crime alongside the Titans; for over two long years, Harry had begged and pleaded, gradually wearing down his sister's resolve until at last, she agreed, but only with the stipulation that he remain by her side at all times while they were out.

Harry had gone by the name Arcane for six months now when he was out with the Titans, Jinx had picked out the name for him, and he immediately loved it, thinking it was "so cool!"

The next thing to do was to choose how he would look while out fighting crime; Harry had no wish to be the cause of jokes or ridicule and so had asked Jinx and Raven for help picking out a costume that looked cool but also intimidating.

To the surprise of everyone in the Tower, the two girls had taken the job with a strange level of excitement and commitment, locking themselves in Raven's room and allowing no one entry for over a month. Harry was beginning to grow worried when Raven finally allowed him to come in and see the product of their hard work. Harry was amazed at what they had made for him.

Arcane's outfit consisted of only two colors, black and red; he wore a sleeveless black shirt with red trim along the neck and shoulders and an equally black pair of military-style pants with red trim down the sides; both had been charmed to repel any object thrown or shot in his direction, a person could fire a shotgun at point-blank range at Harry, and the bullets would magically move away from him.

Adding to this ensemble were a pair of midnight black combat boots with red trim; the final piece of Harry's outfit was a special gift that Raven had been working tirelessly on and had looked at Harry in worry as she presented it to him; she needn't have worried though, as Harry had stared at it with awe before hugging her in thanks.

Raven's present was a midnight blue (almost black) cloak that seemed to bend the shadows to Harry's whim; when the hood was raised, it would make Harry's face disappear entirely, leaving behind only a glowing pair of emerald green eyes. So even if someone were standing right in front of Harry, they would be unable to see his face, only his eyes. The whole outfit seemed to give him a shadowy, otherworldly image that Harry was happy to cultivate.

Ever since joining the Titans on patrol, Arcane had become the talk of the city as people made wild speculation on who he was; somehow, word had finally gotten out that he was Raven's little brother, and that just seemed to make things worse as villains seemed to target Harry more in an effort to hurt Raven. Still, thanks to the training he had received from his new family, it hardly ever went well when Harry was attacked.

At school, Harry would grin and try to keep from laughing as his friends would say how 'badass' Arcane was and how he was 'so lucky' to get to live in Titans Tower; Harry knew he couldn't tell anyone who he was, so he instead just enjoyed the game of hiding in plain sight.

Now, as Harry leaned up against the gargoyle and enjoyed his tasty treat, his thoughts went back to the letter he had received two weeks ago; Harry knew what Hogwarts was, Raven and Jinx had told him about it many times and Harry really did want to go there like his parents had. Still, he was worried after hearing everything that Jinx and Raven had told him about the Headmaster, Dumbledore.

According to the pair, Albus Dumbledore was an incredibly hypocritical man who only seemed to care about the "Greater Good." However, what the greater good was, was anyone's guess as he didn't seem to share that particular nugget of information.

Finally, after a few days of indecision, and with Raven's agreement, Harry decided that he would like to speak to a representative from Hogwarts before deciding whether to attend or go to his second choice, Illvermony.

Harry had received an answer surprisingly quickly, telling him that Albus Dumbledore himself, as well as two professors, would be coming to answer any and all questions that he might have with the school.

As Harry watched the light reflect off a nearby building, his communicator buzzed on his hip, and Harry lazily reached for it before pressing the button to activate it,

"Sup?" Harry asked, popping the P, with a grin.

"They're here. Where are you?" Raven's voice replied, and Harry felt a rush of excitement course through him as he eagerly tried to get to his feet and not fall off the gargoyle,

"I'm heading home from school, be there soon," Harry replied, staring sadly as his ice cream fell out of his hand and hurtled to the street far below.

"You little liar," Raven replied mockingly, "You went flying again, didn't you? Bet you're at St. Patrick's cathedral again,"

Harry grinned at the words; his sister knew where his favorite spot was and how often he visited it,

"I admit nothing," Harry replied with a grin.

"Just get back here as quick as you can," Raven replied, and Harry could hear the smile through the communicator, "Jinx isn't the biggest fan of our current guests, and we wouldn't want her going back to her villainous ways on them, would we?"

"No, we would not," Harry laughed before hanging up the communicator and jumping off of the gargoyle; for a few seconds, he let himself freefall, spreading his arms and letting the wind rush by him before activating his abilities and taking off like a bullet towards the Tower.

XXXX

Dumbledore frowned as he sat on the couch and stared at the ones who called themselves "The Titans," who were either sitting or standing in front of him. Remembering the reports of those he had sent to spy on Harry's new family over the years, Dumbledore initially thought the messages were greatly exaggerated. Still, seeing them with his own two eyes, he had to admit how wrong he was, and judging by how his companions were reacting, they were equally shocked. On his side of the aged Headmaster sat Minerva McGonagall, his deputy headmistress as well as Professor of Transfiguration, and on his right sat Professor Snape, professor of potions. Behind the group stood Alastor Moody, who had been brought for 'added protection' by order of Cornelius Fudge, who didn't want Dumbledore going to America without it. Moody was staring hard at Jinx, but rather than be intimidated, Jinx seemed amused at the way Moody was staring at her, remembering how intimidated HE had been of HER when he saw what she had done to those pureblood filth who had accosted her.

"Been a long time, Moody," Jinx said softly, "Surprised to see you still alive,

"Ha!" Moody laughed, "It will be a cold day in hell before some dark magic prick kills me!"

"Indeed," Jinx said with a grin, "You're too stubborn to die."

Moody said nothing, but a grin spread across the old Auror's face, and Jinx chuckled softly; it had been Moody who had kept her out of Azkaban, making it seem like he didn't trust her while at the same time defending her from those who saw her as dangerous.

"Will Mr. Potter be along soon?" Dumbledore asked no one in particular,

"He should have gotten out of school a little while ago," Robin replied quickly, "So, he should be here soon."

Dumbledore nodded in gratitude at the young man, glancing out of the corner of his eye at Snape, who was looking at one of the Titans in barely concealed shock; the teen in question looked to be made of metal and was currently leaning against the refrigerator with his arms crossed as he looked at the wizards with curiosity.

"If I may ask," Professor McGonagall said softly, "Where are your parents? You're all far too young to be alone, and I've yet to see a single adult since arriving here."

"Ain't got none," Beastboy replied from where he sat cross-legged on a swiveling chair, slowly spinning him in a circle, "And we don't need any either. We've got each other."

Professor McGonagall's eyebrows rose in shock at that, something that was shared by her two companions (Moody, as usual, showed nothing as to what he was thinking)

"But…." McGonagall said, trying to think of what to say, "But Mr. Potter has been living here for three years now, and if there are no adults, then who has been raising him? Or any of you, for that matter?!"

"We've been raising Harry," Raven replied testily, and McGonagall felt her expression soften as she looked at the little girl who had once affectionally called her 'Aunt Minnie,' "And we've been doing a far better job of it than those he was left with originally, would you agree Dumbledore?"

Dumbledore sighed in annoyance at the question as everyone's eye turned to him; the Titans, he noticed, looked at him with barely concealed contempt, and Jinx was looking with pure hate. Professor McGonagall's lips thinned at the idea of so many teenagers living without adult supervision for so long, but she was cut off by Dumbledore before she could say anything.

"I did what I thought was best at the time," Dumbledore said softly, "You were too young to raise him, Raven. And Harry needed to be raised away from the fame his name would have brought him. It would have turned his head."

Raven opened her mouth to retort when the doors to the living room slid open, and Harry walked in, grinning like a Cheshire cat at the reactions that his appearance had caused.

The Titans were looking at him fondly, as they always did, while the visitors were staring at him in surprise and, in the case of one of the professors who looked like a human-bat hybrid, open dislike.

Dumbledore felt his jaw drop and looked almost comical for a moment as he took in the boy he had not seen in nearly ten years; Harry still had his father's messy black hair, but it now had streaks of red dyed into it as well. His left earlobe was pierced, and a silver raven hung from the earring; the clothes the boy was wearing were also quite peculiar. He had on a pair of baggy black jeans which were held up by what looked like a car' seatbelt for a belt, with several small black bat symbols surrounded by a yellow oval, that encircled the belt. Added to that, the boy wore a dark shirt that read 'Evanescence,' and a pair of black combat boots with multicolored strings on his feet.

"H-Harry Potter?" Dumbledore asked the strange-looking boy, "Is that you?"

"Well, who else would I be?" Harry asked with a laugh, tilting his head slightly and making the Titans chuckle at his antics, which they were used to by now.

"Harry, behave yourself," Jinx said with a wry grin, "We don't want our visitors to think we raised you without manners, do we?"

Professor Snape snorted at that, and Harry looked at him with narrowed eyes for a moment before turning his attention back to Jinx and giving her a hug before offering one to Raven as well.

"How was school?" Raven asked, ignoring the wizards who were studying Harry intently

"It was okay," Harry shrugged, "Mrs. Halloway gave me a B for my report on Thomas Jefferson; apparently, I put too much favoritism into it."

"I told you so," Raven said with a smile, laughing when Harry stuck his tongue at her,

"Mr. Potter," Dumbledore said, trying to regain the boy's attention, "Perhaps we can begin now with our meeting."

"Sure thing," Harry replied as he jumped into the air and began to float crossed-legged in front of the stunned visitors.

"H-how are you doing that?!" Dumbledore asked, his eyes bulging as he took in the floating boy grinning in front of him.

"What? Floating?" Harry asked, bemused, "With magic, of course. Can't you do this?"

"Mr. Potter…." Professor McGonagall said in a soft voice, almost too stunned to speak, "There are very few who can actually fly without a broomstick in our world…."

"Oh…." Harry said thoughtfully, "Well, that's very unfortunate."

Snape's lip curled at the boy's words; so far, this brat was proving to be just as arrogant as his father and seemed to enjoy flaunting that he could do what others could not; the more he was around the boy, the more his hatred seemed to grow for him as he saw nothing of Lily in the boy, only the spoiled Potter.

"Um…getting back to the matter at hand…." Dumbledore said, slowly getting over his shock, "We have come to offer you a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and it is my hope you will accept."

"You're not the first to offer me a place at your school," Harry said softly, "I've received offers from Illvermony, Salem, and someplace in France with a name I can't pronounce. So, tell me why I should accept yours over theirs?"

Dumbledore cleared his throat for a moment before answering; he had never had to defend his own school before; everyone knew Hogwarts was the best after all.

"Well, while those schools may be proficient in their own ways," Dumbledore said softly, "I can assure you that Hogwarts is by far the best choice. It has stood for over a thousand years and is regarded as the premier school for magic."

Beside him, McGonagall nodded her head in agreement at the Headmaster's words, while Jinx narrowed her eyes angrily,

"Are you sure that you're not biased in your estimation?" Harry asked with a raised eyebrow, "You ARE the headmaster, after all."

Dumbledore chuckled softly at that, making Harry grin at the old man,

"I suppose I am a bit biased, but my words are true, nonetheless. Hogwarts IS the best school you could attend, and I'm sure you'll love it there just as your parents did."

Harry and Raven's eyes turned sad at the words for a moment before they regained control of themselves,

"You remember our last conversation, Dumbledore?" Raven asked coldly; the Headmaster nodded slowly that he did, "Good. Then listen, well, I would prefer it if Harry went somewhere else, yet his heart is fixed on Hogwarts, much to my annoyance. So, if I allow him to attend and bear in mind that I have yet to make up my mind, there will be some conditions."

"Such as?" Dumbledore asked with a raised eyebrow as Snape glared at the boy,

"Such as a place at Hogwarts for myself and my team," Raven said quickly, making both the visitors look at her in shock,

"I'll be honest with you, sir," Harry said softly when it looked like Dumbledore might object, "I don't trust you after what you put me through when you sent me to live with the Dursleys. I want someone I can trust at Hogwarts to watch out for me."

Dumbledore was nonplussed for a moment before he regained control of himself. This was not going the way he imagined it at all.

"I'm afraid that I will not be able to accommodate that request, Mr. and Ms. Potter," Dumbledore replied sadly, "Jinx was expelled from Hogwarts and as such cannot teach there, and as for you, Raven….."

Dumbledore turned to the girl, and an expression of regret flashed across her face before he mastered himself, "I'm afraid that Raven lacks the required credentials to teach at Hogwarts."

Both women scowled at the Headmaster for a moment before turning to Harry with warm expressions,

"The old goat is right, Harry," Jinx said softly, "I couldn't go back, even if I wanted to. And I really DON'T want to."

"I never said it had to be a teaching position, Dumbledore," Raven said, narrowing her eyes, just one where I can keep an eye on Harry."

"Actually…." Professor McGonagall said softly, turning the room to her, "There are a few positions that these…. Titans could use if they so choose. I myself require an assistant to help with my classes when I'm otherwise indisposed. So if young Raven here could prove that she has enough knowledge in the subject, I'd be delighted to have her help me."

Raven's eyes softened, and a small smile appeared on her face before she softly said,

"Thanks, aunt Minnie."

Professor McGonagall felt tears prick her eyes for a moment before she blinked them away while Dumbledore stroked his beard thoughtfully,

"Well, I see no reason to object if Professor McGonagall finds you acceptable," Dumbledore said softly, "But you'll need to show that you are capable of instructing and doing the work yourself. And as to the others, I suppose we could find someplace for them."

"Not me," Jinx said, crossing her arms angrily, "I've no wish to ever return to that school."

"I think I'll stay in Jump City as well," Cyborg said, "I doubt a magical school will interact well with my body, and someone needs to keep an eye on the city."

"I'll call the Titans west to help out while we're gone," Robin said, "Just until we're sure that Harry will be safe at school."

Raven nodded in understanding and opened her mouth to respond when Snape finally decided enough was enough and spoke up.

"This is ridiculous! No other student has ever been given such a condition for his attendance, and this brat should not be the exception to that rule!"

"Severus!" Dumbledore barked,

"Who the hell are you calling a brat?!" Jinx demanded, pink energy orbs surrounding her fists,

"Yeah, who the hell are you, anyway, dude?!" Beastboy demanded as his eyes turned into feline slits.

"I am Professor Severus Snape, professor of potions!" Snape answered haughtily and making Raven's eyes narrow dangerously,

"I remember mom and dad talking about you…." Raven hissed, "Dad said you were a douche who had a stick up his ass 'cause mom chose him instead of you."

Snape colored at the words and jumped to his feet, and his hand went for his wand when he was suddenly sent flying backward over the top of the couch by Harry, who had his arm raised and his eyes glittering dangerously, but what drew everyone's attention was the long black tentacle that had struck Professor Snape in the chest and was coming out of Harry's open palm,

"Harry…" Dumbledore asked in a horrified whisper, "What is that?"

"I never thought to give it a name," Harry replied as the tentacle retracted into his hand before disappearing entirely, "Suffice it to say that it protects me and anyone I so choose. But the main point that I want to emphasize is that NO ONE threatens my sister!" Harry said in a dangerous whisper that seemed to echo in the silent chamber; as Snape climbed to his feet, he saw that no one had drawn their wand in his defense and sneered angrily at the room as they were too shocked at Harry's 'protector.'

"I think it's time you took your leave," Robin said coldly, "We'll take Harry to this 'Diagon Alley' in the next few weeks to get his stuff and make sure we all get on the train. But you, Headmaster, should learn to keep a tighter leash on your dog." Robin glared at Snape as he finished speaking,

"I can only imagine how much you must suck as a professor if this is how you treat kids," Beastboy said with a sneer that made Snape turn red with rage.

"My teaching methods are none of your business!" Snape snarled,

"They are when they concern our Harry!" Starfire retorted hotly, her eyes glowing green and making the room nervous.

"Professor McGonagall, if you are still willing to hire the rest of my team and me, I will set up a time for you to test my knowledge," Raven said quickly, trying to diffuse the mounting belligerence. "The others can do so as well, so you can find a good place for us at Hogwarts."

"I see no problem with that," McGonagall replied, "How does next week when you come to purchase Harry's things sound? Then, we can all meet at the Leaky Cauldron."

"Excellent," Raven said softly, "Now, if there's nothing else, I think you all should go before this meeting turns violent."

Nodding his head in agreement, Dumbledore produced an international portkey that looked like a dog bone; as everyone touched it, Dumbledore cast one last look at the boy whose destiny he needed to cultivate before saying the keyword to activate the portkey,

"Home," a moment later, the group disappeared, and the Titans breathed a sigh of relief.

"That could have gone better," Robin sighed as he rubbed his face,

"No, it couldn't have," Jinx said with a smile, "Not with the company that old goat brought. I mean, really? Bringing someone who hated Harry's dad to a meeting with him?"

"Yeah, not very intelligent on Dumbledore's part…." Cyborg added,

"This is going to be a long year…." Raven said wearily; she felt a headache coming and seeing Harry's excited grin seemed to worsen it.

"At least we'll all be together!" Harry cried excitedly, making the room groan collectively.

XXXX

Later that night, Dumbledore paced in his study, lost in his thoughts; meeting Harry had caused more questions than answers, and he was not very happy with the end results of that meeting. Not only was he forced to now hire four new personnel for his school, but Harry also showed a dangerous affinity for Dark Magic; those tentacles were a clear sign that Jinx and Raven had been a poor influence on the boy. Dumbledore would need to find a way to try and subtly remove those he deemed dangerous to the boy's destiny from him; it would not do to have the chosen one surrounded by practitioners of Dark Magic, after all.

Author's Note:

At first, I was going to have ALL the Titans come to work at Hogwarts, but then realized how that could not work; Cyborg is a…. well, a cyborg, and the magic of Hogwarts would royally screw him up, so he was out. Also, Jinx hates Dumbledore for expelling her, so she's out as well, and someone has to watch the city while the rest of the Titans are gone. So, aside from Raven, I have no idea what I'm going to be having the other Titans do at Hogwarts so the next chapter might take a while, maybe I'll make Starfire an assistant in Astronomy with Professor Sinestra….

Chapter Text

Chapter Ten

Harry grinned with barely hidden excitement as he ate his dinner; it had been two weeks since the visit with Dumbledore, and finally, the day was here when Harry would be going to get his school supplies. An owl had arrived a few days before telling the Titans that Professor McGonagall would arrive via Portkey promptly at six a.m. London time, which would be ten p.m. in Jump City time; the Titans would then rest at a place called the Leaky Cauldron, and Harry and the Titans would go shopping the following day with Professor McGonagall. Due to how costly international Portkeys were as well as the fact that the Titans would need to learn how to perform their new duties while at Hogwarts, the Titans were also informed that they would be unable to return until the Christmas holidays and as such to pack everything they would need until then.

The Titans had all had an individual meeting with the Deputy Headmistress since the encounter with Dumbledore in which she would ask them a myriad of questions regarding what they were most proficient at so that she might find a proper place for them at Hogwarts when the time came. McGonagall had been shocked into silence when Starfire had told the aged Professor that she was an alien and, therefore, probably knew more about the stars than anyone currently teaching at Hogwarts.

Finally, the day arrived, and Harry, naturally, had been up since dawn and had been unable to fall back asleep due to how excited he was; it felt like he had drunk a gallon of energy drinks, and even Raven was finding it hard not to laugh at how much energy the boy seemed to have.

A sudden attack by Cinderblock seemed to help a little, but as soon as it was over, Harry was again a jumping mess of nerves and excitement as he desperately watched the clock tick closer to ten. The Titans each tried to distract the boy and help the time go by faster in their own way; Robin put Harry through a four-hour training course that left the boy sweating and tired, but a quick shower had Harry just as energetic as before. Raven and Jinx had then made Harry practice the magic they had taught him for a few hours, which left him feeling drained but still excited, much to their annoyance. Cyborg had then spent a few hours with Harry with what the two called "Their Project," which consisted of rebuilding a 1967 Impala from scratch that Cyborg had bought from some guy named Winchester. It had supposedly belonged to the man's dad and uncle, but both had died and left it to the man who had totaled it while "Hunting," whatever that meant. The pair had been trying to fix it for over a year and were almost done; Harry had happily dived in, eager to see it finished before leaving for school.

After another shower to wash off the oil and grease that had accumulated, Harry went flying with Starfire across the city; this, above all things, seemed to help as nothing in the world seemed as good to Harry as flying, and by the time they had returned to Titans Tower, Harry, at last, was beginning to relax and finally the sun was starting to sink behind the hills of Jump City.

The last couple of hours were spent playing a fighting videogame with Beastboy in which Harry lost spectacularly fifteen times in a row, but even this didn't bother Harry, for he was in too good a mood.

Finally, it came time for dinner, and the Titans sat down together and enjoyed a large pepperoni pizza while they waited for Professor McGonagall to arrive. According to the clock, she should be there in fifteen minutes, yet to Harry, it seemed time was going by even slower than before.

"Oh, come on!" Harry cried as he looked up at the clock for the fifth time, "What's taking her so long!?"

"Harry, be patient!" Raven said with a grin as she started on her second slice,

"Yeah, dude," Beastboy chirped, "She'll be here any second now; just relax."

Harry bit into his third slice in annoyance at that and then proceeded to choke when Professor McGonagall suddenly appeared in the front of the table, causing Beastboy to fall backward out of his chair in fright. The Titans began to laugh uncontrollably as Robin smacked Harry hard on the back while Jinx helped Beastboy to his feet, and even Professor McGonagall smiled a bit at Harry and Beastboy's antics.

"Good evening," Professor McGonagall said pleasantly once Harry had regained his composer, "I take it you are all ready to depart?"

"Yeah," Raven said as she rose from the table and pulled what appeared to be a small duffle bag from under her cloak, "I shrank everyone's stuff and put it in here a few hours ago; we're ready when you are."

McGonagall nodded her head, and a look of pride came across her features as she stared at Raven before the aged witch took out a pocket watch and looked down at it,

"The Portkey will activate in five minutes, so I advise you all to make your goodbyes so we might be ready."

Everyone quickly jumped up from the table and began to get ready as Harry gave Jinx a tight hug; as he wrapped his arms around her, he felt tears run down his cheeks and did not know why.

"Hey now," Jinx said gently, "No tears, okay? I'll see you again for Christmas, and I want to hear everything you go through, okay?"

"I'm going miss you," Harry said softly as he pulled away and wiped his face,

"I'm going to miss you too, Harry," Jinx replied softly, "And I expect letters! Lots of them!"

Harry giggled at that before turning to Cyborg and giving him a hug as well,

"Promise not to finish the Impala without me?" Harry asked as he pulled away,

"I won't even turn a lugnut until you get back," Cyborg replied with a wink that made Harry smile.

"Thirty seconds!" McGonagall called out as she pulled what looked like an old shoe from her cloak, "Everyone take hold, please!"

Sharing a strange look, the Titans each placed a finger on the shoe,

"Enjoy the ride!" Jinx called with a sinister smile, but before anyone could ask what she meant, they all felt a strange pull as though they were connected to a bungee cord and instantly disappeared.

XXXX

A moment later (or so it seemed), the Titans all landed hard onto a wooden floor and began groaning in abject misery; Beastboy quickly jumped to his feet and threw dinner into a nearby bucket as McGonagall watched them all with what appeared to be humor.

"Come now, it wasn't that bad!" McGonagall said with a slight grin as the Titans rose to their feet slowly on shaking knees,

"Speak for yourself," Robin said in annoyance,

"That was the most awful feeling I have ever experienced," Starfire added in a weak voice.

"Seriously, dude!" Beastboy said as he wiped his mouth and turned to face the witch, who looked as though she were fighting not to laugh at the Titan's actions; only Raven seemed unaffected as she rose to her feet, though on the inside, she was fighting not to hurl.

As Robin and Raven helped Harry to his feet, the boy felt suddenly ill and barely managed to dash to the bucket Beastboy had used before he was also emptying his stomach of that evening's dinner.

"Well, if you're all finished with your histrionics," McGonagall said simply, "Please follow me, and we'll get you all set up with room for the evening with Tom."

"Tom?" Robin asked,

"The owner of the Leaky Cauldron," McGonagall clarified, "I'll take care of your rooms for today and tomorrow escort you all to Diagon Alley where we can purchase Harry's things. Afterward, I will escort you all to Hogwarts, where you will be living until school begins."

Nodding in agreement, the Titans followed McGonagall out of the room they had teleported into, eager to get some sleep after what they had just experienced.

XXXX

"Holy crap…." Harry breathed in awe as he took in the sight before him; Professor McGonagall had arrived the following morning, and after a quick breakfast, the Titans had followed her to the back of the Leaky Cauldron, where they stood in confusion for a moment before the aged witch tapped her wand on the brick wall before them, revealing Diagon Alley. The group had tried to dress inconspicuously to avoid any potential trouble while shopping. However, the green and orange skin of Beastboy and Starfire made that a most likely forgone conclusion. The Titans were all dressed in blue jeans and t-shirts, and Robin had even removed his mask to avoid anyone realizing who he was.

As they made their way to Gringotts, the Titans couldn't help but stare in awe at the stores they passed; even Robin was impressed with what he saw, despite his attempt to look stoic; as the group walked to the bank, they were followed by stares and whispers, much to the group's annoyance. Most were looking at the group (mainly Starfire and Beastboy) with curiosity, if not outright shock. Still, a few children looked at the group with wide eyes and excitedly whispered to each other. Harry grinned at this when he saw it; if the children were half-bloods or muggle-born, they would most likely know who the Titans were (except for Robin, of course) and would no doubt be shocked to see superheroes in Diagon Alley.

Upon entering Gringotts, the Titans had been startled at the appearance of the goblins but had quickly gotten over it and were led down to the carts that would take them to Harry's vault by a Goblin named Griphook. McGonagall had told them she would wait for them as she was not a fan of the cart ride, something that Harry didn't understand as, in his opinion, it was the best ride ever; something the other Titans seemed to agree with if the shrieks and whoops of delight were any indications.

Now the group was standing in front of Harry's vault in shock and awe at the stacks of gold that lay before them; even Raven was nonplussed at what she was seeing. She knew that the Potters had been comfortable, but she had been too young to understand just how wealthy her adoptive parents were.

"This is all mine?" Harry asked in a small voice as he gazed upon more wealth than he had ever seen before,

"Indeed, Mr. Potter," Griphook replied quickly, "However, this is just your trust vault. Your family vault will not be available to you until you reach your age of maturity."

Turning to face Raven, Griphook continued in the same quick way of speaking,

"However, as you were legally adopted by the Potters and are currently the legal guardian of Mr. Potter, you DO have access to the family vault if you wish to take a look, Ms. Potter."

Harry and Raven's faces drained of color at the words that this was simply Harry's trust vault and that a more prominent and even greater one was open for Raven to use. Unable to speak, Raven simply nodded her head, and Griphook directed them all back into the cart, which raced further down the track before finally coming to a stop outside another vault.

"Vault one hundred and twelve," Griphook said simply before getting out of the cart and approaching the large bronze door; a moment later, he turned to Raven with a nasty look on his face.

"The door is warded to only open for a Potter, so, fortunately, only you and your little brother will be able to access the vault."

"How do we access it?" Raven asked softly,

"Place your hand there," Griphook replied, indicating a slight depression in the rock next to the vault shaped like a handprint. Slowly, Raven did as she was bid before immediately pulling her hand away in pain because a small blade had come out of the center of the depression and pierced her hand before retreating back into the rock with a sample of her blood upon its length.

As Raven cursed the smiling Goblin under her breath, the vault door slid open until it finally stopped, showing the Titans what lay inside. If any color was left in the faces of those present, it promptly vanished as they gazed upon the kingdom of Midas.

The inside of the vault seemed far more extensive than what should have been possible, and the floor was covered in gold, bronze, and silver pieces that seemed to stretch as far as the eye could see. As the group stared wide-eyed, they saw that it wasn't just gold that stretched across the vault but also precious jewels, weapons, and armor as well; in the back corner, Raven could see several large piles of stacked books that immediately caught her attention.

For a moment, the group was too shocked to do anything but stare; suddenly, Harry and Beastboy both let out a whoop of joy and tried to jump headfirst into the piles of gold before them, only to be stopped when Raven grabbed the back of their shirts and roughly pulled them back.

"WE'RE RICH!" Harry cried happily as he turned and gave his sister a hug, "LIKE BRUCE WAYNE RICH!"

"That doesn't mean that we should lose our heads," Raven replied sternly, "Our parents didn't leave this money to us just for us to let it turn us into someone different,"

"She's right, Harry," Robin added seriously as he regained his composure, "Money has a way of changing people if you let it."

"Let's get back to your trust vault," Raven said quickly, "We can come back here another day; for now, let's just concentrate on buying what you need for Hogwarts."

Harry cast one last look upon the treasures of the vault before nodding his head reluctantly; a moment later, the vault door closed shut, and the group climbed back into the cart to make their way back to Harry's trust vault.

After filling up a generous amount into Harry's bag, the group finally made their way back to the ground floor, where Professor McGonagall was waiting for them,

"Well then, shall we begin the day's shopping?"

"Sounds like a good idea, Aunt Minnie," Raven said warmly, making the aged witch smile happily before she led them out of the bank and back into the warm sunshine.

XXXX

Harry smiled happily as he enjoyed his ice cream, occasionally dipping his finger into the cone and offering some to the white owl sitting comfortably in its cage next to him. He and the Titans had spent the last few hours getting everything Harry would require for his first term, and each store seemed to have something that the Titans found amazing.

For Raven and Starfire, it had been Flourish and Blotts and the interminable mountain of books that had enraptured them, and Harry and the others had to physically pull Raven from the store after they had bought the books that Harry needed.

Beastboy's favorite store turned out to be Zonko's Joke shop, and Raven had threatened to remove a vital piece of Beastboy's anatomy if he used any of the things Harry had bought for him on her or any of the other Titans.

Robin's favorite shop turned out to be Eeylops Owl Emporium with its dozens of different animals; to Harry's surprise, Robin had then bought a beautiful snowy owl for Harry as an early birthday present and Harry had to fight not to cry with happiness as he thanked Robin profusely.

After getting Harry's robes, there was only one last thing to buy, and they would be done for the day, Harry's wand; the Titans were currently taking a break to relax from the day's shopping and enjoying some ice cream before heading to Olivander's to purchase the last of Harry's equipment.

"Excuse me?" A small voice said next to Harry, making him turn suddenly to see a small girl with bushy brown hair standing close to the Titans table.

"Yes?" Harry replied warmly, "Can I help you?"

"Um…. I was wondering…." The girl replied softly as she turned to face Starfire, "I was wondering if you are Starfire of the Titans?"

"Indeed I am, little one," Starfire replied as she flashed the girl a brilliant smile that made her fidget.

"My name is Hermione Granger," the girl replied shyly, "I was wondering if I might receive your autograph? B-because you're one of my favorite heroes, I mean."

Starfire smiled happily as she took the girl's offered quill and parchment before quickly signing her name and handing it back to the girl, who held the parchment as though it were the most priceless object she had ever seen.

"Thank you so much! I will treasure this forever!" Hermione said happily before turning and hurrying away to two watching adults, who Harry assumed were the girl's parents, while the Titans watched with warm smiles.

"Such a sweet little girl," Starfire said happily as they watched Hermione show her parents the parchment with a brilliant smile on her face,

"Shall we head to Olivander's?" McGonagall asked as she turned back to the Titans, "Mr. Potter's wand is the only thing left to purchase; then we can make our way to Hogwarts."

"Yes!" Harry said excitedly as he jumped to his feet, "Let's go!"

The other Titans all laughed heartily at Harry's exuberance before rising to follow the boy, who seemed to be bouncing with barely held excitement as they entered Olivander's shop. The first thing Harry noticed when they entered was how quiet the inside of the shop was, as though no sound was permitted to take root inside.

"Hello, Mr. Potter," a voice said suddenly, making the group jump and instantly take a defensive stance, "I was wondering when you would grace my humble shop with your presence."

As if by magic, Mr. Olivander suddenly appeared standing behind the counter, his hand resting lazily on the counter and a sly smile on his face as he took in the scene before him; green energy orbs surrounded Starfire's hands, while black ones surrounded Harry and Raven's. Robin held his throwing star in a ready position, while Beastboy's eyes had turned into feline slits as he lowered himself into a pouncing position.

"You need have no fear of me," Olivander said calmly, raising his hands to show he held no weapon, "I apologize for scaring you. I really must learn not to do that to my customers,"

"Indeed you should," Raven replied as she dissipated the black orbs that surrounded her fists, "You might one day gain an injury from a customer who does not appreciate such games."

Olivander simply smiled at Raven for a moment before his expression took on a sad look,

"Hello, Ms. Potter. I'm sorry that I never got the chance to find a wand for you; I know your parents would have loved to see you attend Hogwarts, though I'm sure they are very proud of the woman you have become all the same."

Tears pricked Raven's eyes for a moment before she managed to blink them away,

"Thank you for your kind words, Mr. Olivander," Raven said softly, dipping her head in respect,

"Now then," Olivander said as he turned to Harry, "Shall we find the wand best suited to you, Mr. Potter?"

"Yes, please!" Harry cried happily; he'd been waiting for this for years, and his excitement at finally having a wand was threatening to run out of control, something the other Titans found hilarious. Perhaps Olivander did as well, for his smile grew as he gazed down at Harry from behind the counter.

"Well then, let's get started, shall we?" Olivander said before standing up straight and clapping his hands together happily; for the next few minutes, Olivander measured Harry's arm in every way possible and jotted down notes as he did so.

When that was done, he began to pull box upon box from the shelf before offering each wand to Harry to try, but no matter how many boxes the wandmaker pulled, none seemed to do what they were supposed to; rather than be disappointed, however, Olivander seemed thrilled by how long Harry was taking.

"Tricky customer, eh?" Olivander laughed as he snatched the forty-eighth wand from Harry's grasp, "Not to worry, we'll find the perfect fit for you. I guarantee it!"

For almost an hour, Harry tried wand after wand, yet none felt right; Harry began to fear that no wand would be the right one and was beginning to become afraid, would he even be allowed to attend Hogwarts if he couldn't find the right wand?

Harry had just had his eighty-second wand taken from him when Olivander returned with another box and a troubled look on his face,

"Try this one…." Olivander said softly as he pulled the wand from the box and passed it to Harry; instantly, a warmth spread up Harry's arm, and as he waved it through the air, a bright golden light flew out of the tip that made the whole of the interior glow.

"Well done, Mr. Potter!" McGonagall said happily as she clapped her hands together,

"Yeah! Good job, Harry! That was awesome!" Beastboy added with a wink that made Harry smile happily; Raven said nothing, just smiled at her little brother, and proceeded to give him a hug as Olivander watched with a strange look on his face.

"Curious…very curious…..."

"Sorry, but what's curious?" Harry asked as he held his wand with reverence,

"I remember every wand I've ever sold, Mr. Potter; it so happens that the phoenix that gave its tail feather to supply your wand core gave another feather, just one other. So it is curious that you should be destined for this wand when its brother gave you your scar."

Instantly, the temperature of the room seemed to drop considerably, and the color drained from Raven's face as the other Titans looked down at Harry's wand with looks of shock and revulsion; even Harry now seemed afraid of the wand that had chosen him, and for a moment it seemed like the boy would give the wand back to Olivander.

"Find another," Raven demanded, "I won't have my brother use a wand that has any association with the monster who murdered our parents!"

"I'm afraid that's not possible, Ms. Potter," Olivander said sadly, "The wand has chosen Harry, and no other will work as well as this one, so I'm afraid it's either this one or none at all."

Harry looked pained as he gazed down at the wand in his hand; if it came down to a choice between using the brother wand of that bastard and no wand at all, he might hate it, but it was an easy choice.

"I'll take it," Harry said in a small voice,

"Harry, you don't have to if you don't want to," Raven said as she knelt down on one knee and placed her hands gently on her brother's shoulders.

"You heard him, Raven," Harry said softly, "No other wand will work as well for me, it's either this one or no wand at all, and I need a wand to go to school."

"But…." Raven began before Harry cut her off,

"I'll just have to ensure that this wand is used for good rather than evil like the monster who killed mom and dad."

A tear rolled down Raven's face as she pulled her little brother into a fierce hug,

"If you're sure, then so be it…." Raven said in a soft voice,

"I think it's clear that we can expect great things from you, Mr. Potter," Olivander said in a firm voice as he packed Harry's wand away, "And I, for one, look forward to seeing the good that this wand will be used for."

After Harry had paid for his wand and Olivander bowed them out of his shop, McGonagall produced another Portkey from her robes, smiling as the Titans let out a collective groan at its appearance.

"Everyone ready?" Professor McGonagall said with a smirk,

"If we said no, would it matter?" Beastboy asked,

"Not in the slightest," the witch replied with a small smile,

"Let's just get this over with," Robin said with a grimace as the group each placed a finger on the old shoe,

"Next stop, Hogwarts!" Professor McGonagall said happily as the Portkey activated, and the group disappeared in a flurry of screams.

XXXX

Dumbledore sighed wearily as he stared at his steepled fingers; it had been more than a month since the Titans had arrived at Hogwarts, and school was set to begin in a few days; that alone should have made Dumbledore happy as he always found himself filled with joy at the prospect of students returning to school at the start of a new year.

Instead, Dumbledore found himself filled only with worry and stress as he thought about all the information that he had accumulated over the past month regarding the new staff that would be occupying his castle.

After the meeting with Harry Potter, Dumbledore had endeavored to learn all he could about Harry's new family, the Titans as they were so called, and what he had discovered had shocked him beyond anything he had ever encountered in his long life.

According to Dumbledore's research, the Titans were being of incredible power who seemed to make it their mission to fight against evil beings who had similar powers to their own; some were even more powerful. To make matters worse, Dumbledore had discovered that the Titans were not the only so-called 'superheroes' residing in the muggle world, but instead, the world was full of them, including one group called 'The Justice League' which on more than one occasion had saved the entire planet from destruction!

Dumbledore couldn't seem to wrap his head around any of it; instead of the muggles weaker than those who inhabited the magical world as he had always assumed, it seemed that the muggles were, in fact, far more powerful than anything the Wizarding World could bring to bear if it came to a fight and Harry was one of those super-powered beings.

This fact should have filled Dumbledore with elation; Harry Potter no doubt would grow into an incredibly powerful wizard one day. However, with the added bonus of his other abilities, if the day came that Voldemort should ever return, the Dark Lord would no doubt find himself supremely outmatched, especially if the rest of Harry's family aided him in the fight against Voldemort.

But instead, Dumbledore found himself terrified about the future of his people; if the day ever came when the Wizarding World decided to throw off the statue of secrecy and reveal their existence to the world, Dumbledore feared that they would all be annihilated in a matter of days by these 'super-beings.'

The fact that he was being forced to hire four of them was bad enough, even if the one called 'Robin' didn't have any powers, at least none that Robin had made known at any rate, which made Dumbledore even more nervous as he imagined what the young man might be hiding from him.

With another weary sigh, Dumbledore picked up the reports he had gotten from his fellow professors regarding the Titans and the new stations that they would be occupying when the new term began.

Raven had shown a fantastic aptitude for not only Transfiguration but also for Charms and Runes as well. Ultimately, the young girl had decided that she would like to devote her time to Charms and Runes (much to Professor McGonagall's disappointment) and was therefore hired as a teacher's aide for those classes, jumping back and forth as she was needed.

Beastboy's placement had been an easy one due to his abilities, and he had been immediately hired as a teacher's aid to help Professor Kettleburn in 'Care of Magical Creatures,' the Professor had been overjoyed when Beastboy had shown what he could do and had all but begged the young man to help him with his students to show them, creatures, that were too dangerous to actually bring to class and that Beastboy could rectify by simply transforming into.

Starfire's placement had also been a relatively easy one as once it was known that she was, in fact, an alien from another planet, Professor Sinestra had all but demanded that the girl aid her in Astronomy, something that Starfire was all too happy to do. The Professor had since spent hours with the Titan learning all that Starfire had to offer and being amazed that life beyond the stars was, in fact, real.

The final Titan had given Dumbledore the most significant headache as he had to struggle to find somewhere to place the muggle so as to satisfy the deal he had made with Harry Potter, which he was now regretting with every fiber of his old body.

Dumbledore had finally discovered where to place Robin after the young man had taken a look at the school's Muggle Studies class and reported that not only was the teacher grossly misinformed about her own subject but also that the course material was over a century out of date. Furthermore, Dumbledore had been shocked to discover that the dirigible was no longer the wave of the future but had instead been replaced with something called an 'Airplane.'

Unable to refute Robin's rather convincing argument, Dumbledore had found no other choice but to hire the young man as the new Muggle Studies Professor, something that the other Titans found hilarious for some reason. Despite Dumbledore's arguments, Robin had refused to give his real name and chose instead to be referred to as Professor Robin, which made the other Titans laugh even harder.

Dumbledore shook his head as he felt another headache coming, which seemed to happen fairly regularly since those damned superheroes had come into his life. He knew that he had to find a way to get Harry away from those who might lead him astray from his destiny. Yet, now Dumbledore couldn't see a way to do so without unleashing a horde of super-powered beings on not only himself but also the Wizarding World at large.

XXXX

"Now make sure to have fun on the train ride, and we'll see you tonight," Raven said with a smile as she watched Harry get ready to leave; Raven and the rest of the Titans had agreed with Professor McGonagall that Harry should be taken to Kings Cross and ride back to Hogwarts aboard the train like the other first years so he could make some friends before school started.

"I will," Harry replied happily as he gave his big sister one final hug; a moment later, he took Professor McGonagall's hand, and the two apparated to Platform 93/4. Harry's eyes widened as he took in the large red steam engine train before him, followed almost immediately by how packed the station seemed.

"This is where I leave you, Mr. Potter," Professor McGonagall said with a small smile, "I will see you at the feast, and I hope that you make a few friends before then,

"I'll try," Harry replied, suddenly feeling very shy as he looked around the platform,

"I'm sure you'll have more friends than you can count," Professor McGonagall said warmly before turning and Apparating away a moment later, leaving Harry alone; with a final sigh, he made his way onto the train to find a compartment before they were all taken.

XXXX

Harry sighed sadly as he watched the passing countryside; it had been nearly a half hour since the train had left the station, yet Harry still sat alone in his compartment. He had tried to see if he could join any of the other children, but after being turned away for the third time, he had slunk back to his own and decided to sit by himself.

So consumed by his own thoughts and the loneliness that seemed to inundate him, Harry missed the knock on his compartment door and only turned to see who it was when the person knocked a second time, albeit louder.

"Excuse me, but would you mind if I sat with you? Everywhere else is full," a red-haired boy said softly, making Harry smile happily at the prospect of finding a new friend,

"Not at all!" Harry replied enthusiastically, making the boy smile as he entered the compartment and sat down.

"Thanks, I tried to sit with my brothers, but they told me to buzz off," the red-haired boy said in a small voice, "I'm Ron, by the way, Ron Weasley."

"Nice to meet you," Harry quickly replied as he quickly shook the boy's outstretched hand. "I'm Harry Potter."

Instantly, the boy's eyes widened in shock, and for a moment, he seemed unable to talk, which made Harry smile in amusement; he already knew how most would react to his name, given how famous he supposedly was in the Wizarding World, yet he still found the reactions that came from those who heard his name, hilarious.

"Are you really?" Ron asked in shock, "I mean…do you really have the scar and all?"

"Yup!" Harry replied, popping the 'P' in amusement as he lifted his bangs to show his forehead, Ron's face went even whiter at seeing it before a smile came across his face, and he softly whispered,

"Whoa…."

"So, how come you have an American accent?" Ron asked when Harry had lowered his bangs again,

"I was raised in America by my big sister,"

"You have a big sister?" Ron asked in bemusement, "The books about you never mentioned that part."

"I imagine there are a lot of things in those books that are incorrect," Harry sneered, "If I were to bet, I'd say that probably ninety percent of what's written in there is crap!"

Ron chuckled at that for a minute before speaking again,

"So what's the deal with your hair, if it's not too rude?"

"What's wrong with my hair?" Harry asked as he turned to look at his reflection in the window; his black hair was as wild as usual, except he had dyed blue streaks through it this time instead of red.

"Well, it's just…." Ron said in a strained voice, as though not knowing how to respond, "Is that your natural color, I mean?"

Harry laughed as he realized what Ron was asking and quickly turned back to the boy to show there was no offense,

"Nah, I just like to add a little color; pure black is soooo last week, you know?"

After seeing Harry's wink, Ron began laughing at the boy's antics before turning the conversation to Quidditch and the house they both hoped to be in. For over an hour, the two laughed and joked back and forth with one another before they were interrupted by the girl that Harry had seen in Diagon Alley and had asked for Starfire's autograph.

"Excuse me, have either of you seen a toad? A boy named Neville has lost one,"

"Afraid not," Harry said with a smile, "You should check the bathroom, toads like damp, wet places, so there's a good chance he'll be there."

The girl nodded her thanks and was about to leave when she took a second look at Harry and asked softly,

"I'm sorry but have we met before? You seem awfully familiar…."

"Yeah, we met when you asked for Starfire's autograph," Harry replied with a wink that made the girl gasp with remembrance.

"Right! I thought you looked familiar! If I may, what were you doing with her?"

"She's one of my guardians," Harry replied, "She helped raise me along with the other Titans and my big sister, Raven."

"Raven is your sister…." Hermione gasped as her eyes widened in shock, "You're Arcane!"

"Shhh!" Harry said quickly as he jumped up, "You can't go around telling people a superhero's identity. What's wrong with you!"

Hermione was about to apologize when she saw the smirk on Harry's face and laughed as she gently swatted his shoulder,

"What's a superhero?" Ron asked as he looked at the two in bemusement, "And who are all these people that suddenly have you two so excited?"

Quickly, Hermione sat down next to Ron and began to explain what a superhero was and who the Titans were; Harry could see that Ron was having a hard time believing what Hermione was talking about, so with a smile on his face, Harry began to slowly raise himself off of the seat until he was floating a foot off of the seat as Ron watched with wide eyes.

"Bloody hell…" Ron said in awe as Harry rotated himself 360 degrees until he was staring upside down at the two shocked children,

"Believe her now?" Harry asked with a smile as Hermione began to giggle,

"That's wicked!" Ron answered as a grin spread across his face, "And all the other Titans can do that too?"

"Not all of them," Harry said quickly, "But a few can,"

"That's so cool!" Ron said simply.

"I wish I could stay longer, but I promised Neville that I would help him find his toad, so if you'll excuse me," Hermione said as she rose and quickly exited the compartment. However, she wasn't gone five minutes when the door opened again, and Harry turned expecting to see Hermione again, only to find instead a blonde-haired boy who appeared to be standing in front of two gorillas.

"Can we help you?" Harry asked with a raised brow as he took in the boy's arrogant appearance,

"There's a rumor that Harry Potter is in this compartment. Is that you?"

"Perhaps," Harry answered with a smirk, "But how do you know it isn't my friend here?"

Ron smiled slyly, used to Harry's antics by now, as the haughty boy turned to face him before turning back to Harry with a sneer.

"There's no way I would mistake a Weasley for Harry Potter,"

"What's wrong with the Weasley's?" Harry asked in a cold voice, quickly concluding that he didn't like the boy.

"No doubt you will be unaware of this due to your time amongst the muggles," the boy drawled, "But some Wizarding families are better than others. I can help you there if you wish."

The boy held out his hand as he concluded speaking and Harry looked down at it for a moment before looking back up at the boy with a raised brow.

"What's your name?"

"Draco Malfoy," the boy said haughtily as his hand fell back to his side, "And these two behind me are Crabbe and Goyle."

"Well, Draco," Harry said, sneering at the name and making Draco turn pink, "Would you care to tell me what it is exactly about the Weasley family that you find so repugnant?"

"Certainly," Draco sneered, "You see, Potter, the Weasley family are what we call blood-traitors; those who have decided to dirty their blood and honor by associating with those of lesser value than what is expected from those of such noble, pure blood, such as muggles and even mudbloods!"

Ron's face began to turn red, and Harry was sure that at any moment, the boy was going to understandably blow his top,

"So, basically, you are saying that because the Weasley family chooses to judge others by their actions rather than how pure their blood is, they are considered bad?" Harry asked slowly, trying to wrap his head around how idiotic that line of thought was,

"Exactly!" Draco said, happy that Harry seemed to understand, "Such families as the Weasleys are unfit to be associated with by noble families such as ours!"

"Yeeeeeeah, I think I'm going to have to disincline your offer of friendship," Harry said with a grimace, "I'd rather not become friends with a member of the Klan."

"The what?" Draco asked in bemusement,

"The Ku Klux Klan," Harry said quickly, "Basically a bunch of bigots who think that they're better than everyone else just because their skin color is a bit brighter than everyone else's. But instead of skin color, you're a bigot who thinks he's better due to his blood status, and I'm not interested in associating with people like you, so if you don't mind, shoo."

Draco's face turned red with anger as Harry began to shoo him away with his hand; Ron looked like he was trying not to laugh, which only seemed to infuriate Draco further,

"You should learn better manners, Potter," Draco drawled, "Unless you want to end up like your parents, they didn't know what was good for them either."

"Wrong answer!" Harry snapped as he opened his fist, and a black tentacle shot out of his open palm, which slammed into Draco's chest and threw him out of the compartment and into his two bodyguards.

"And don't come back!" Harry said angrily as the tentacle wrapped around the door handle and slammed the door shut in the stunned faces of Draco and his friends; a moment later, they disappeared, obviously unnerved at what had just happened.

"How did you do that?" Ron asked as he stared wide-eyed at the tentacle that was slowly retracting into Harry's hand,

"I'm a superhero, remember?" Harry replied with a wink as the tentacle finally disappeared,

"Wicked…." Ron said as a grin took over his features.

XXXX

A few hours later, Harry smiled happily as he waited outside the Great Hall with Ron to be called into and sorted into whatever house would be his home for the next seven years. Behind him, Harry could hear Hermione talking rapidly about all the spells she had learned and which one would be needed for whatever they had to do.

Ron suggested that they needed to fight a troll, according to his older brother, and Harry couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity of such a claim; they were eleven and knew no magic. There was no way they would be made to do something as dangerous as that!

When Professor McGonagall finally called them in, even Harry had to admit that he was a bit nervous about what might be coming, though he felt better when he saw the Titans smiling gently down at him from the head table. Raven was shooting him a bright smile that instantly made Harry feel better as they approached a stool upon which sat an old hat.

Before Harry could ask what they were all waiting for, the hat began to sing, and Harry stared in amazement at what he was seeing; apparently, all they had to do was try on the hat, and it would decide where they were supposed to go; Harry actually laughed out loud at the idea, and a moment later Ron joined him,

"I'll kill Fred! He was going on about fighting a troll!"

A moment later, the sorting began, and Harry watched with excitement as each name was called and sorted shortly after; some people took a while to be sorted, like Hermione, who took nearly three minutes before being sent to Gryffindor.

Other's took no time at all, like Draco, who was sorted in a matter of seconds to Slytherin,

"There's not a witch or wizard who didn't go bad that wasn't in Slytherin," Ron whispered into Harry's ear; perhaps it was his imagination, but the Slytherin table did indeed look like a rough group to him and he silently prayed that he wasn't sorted there.

Finally, Harry's name was called, and as he approached the stool, he noticed the immediate whispers that echoed around the hall; the last thing he saw before the hat dropped over his eyes was the hall craning to get a better look at him.

"Ah, Mr. Potter, good to see you at last!" A voice called in Harry's ear, making him jump with surprise,

"Um…. hello, Mr. Hat, sir," Harry said softly, making the hat chuckle,

"There's no need to be afraid, Harry; I'm just here to take a look and see where the best house for you to be is."

"I'd really appreciate it if the said house were not Slytherin if it's all the same to you," Harry replied,

"Not Slytherin, eh? Are you sure? You could be great there!"

"Maybe, but I'd prefer to keep away from bigots and such, and given my own inclinations towards violence against such people, it's probably not the best place for me to go."

"You may be right, there," the hat chuckled, "Very well then, better be…GRYFFINDOR!"

The hall erupted with cheers at the words, and two twin red-heads jumped up and began chanting,

"WE GOT POTTER! WE GOT POTTER!"

Harry began to laugh at the twin's antics and quickly took his seat as people clapped him on the back, making Harry go red with embarrassment as he watched the rest of the sorting.

XXXX

When the sorting was finally over, and Professor McGonagall took the hat and stool away, Dumbledore slowly rose to his feet, making the hall go silent instantly as they all listened to what he was about to say.

"Welcome to another school year. I hope you haven't emptied your heads completely and are as excited for the year as I am. Now, before we begin our feast, there are a few start-of-term announcements that I need to give out; firstly, to all our new students, please be aware that the Forbidden Forest is, as the name suggests, forbidden to all students. Secondly, the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is also forbidden to all who do not wish to die a most painful death."

Harry looked shocked at the words and looked towards his sister, only to see that she was also surprised at the words,

"He's joking, right?" Harry asked the table as whispers broke out across the hall,

"I don't think he is," Ron's older brother, Percy, said quickly, "Though he usually gives the reason when something is banned; the forest is full of monsters, so that's obvious, but why would the third floor be declared off limits?"

Before anything else could be said, Dumbledore continued, and Harry noticed that he seemed annoyed for a moment before he managed to master himself,

"Finally, we have a few new staff members joining us this year; Raven Potter will be acting as a teacher's aide to Professor Flitwick and Babbling. Starfire will be aiding Professor Sinestra in Astronomy, Beastboy will be aiding Professor Kettleburn in Care of Magical Creatures, and lastly, Professor…. Robin will be taking over Muggle Studies."

The Titans quickly rose to their feet and bowed to the students who were eyeing them with surprise; (and, in the case of Beastboy and Starfire, outright shock). The muggle-born and half-bloods, however, were staring at them with astonishment, and Harry smiled as he heard the words "Superhero's" repeated over and over again.

"Harry!" Hermione hissed in shock, "Why didn't you tell me that the Titans were going to be teaching here!?"

"I wanted it to be a surprise," Harry said with a grin, "Surprise!"

Hermione growled something under her breath at him, making Harry grin even more as he looked back at the table and saw the Titans looking down at the awestruck students with what looked like humor.

"Now, without further ado," Dumbledore said as he clapped his hands together, "Let the feast begin!"

Harry's mouth dropped open in surprise as the table instantly filled itself with more food than he had ever seen in his life; as Harry quickly filled his plate, the only thought that came to his mind was,

"This is going to be a great year!"

XXXX

Author's Note:

The answer to those wondering why I didn't put Harry's scar hurting is because Harry is no longer a Horcrux, as Voldemort's soul piece was removed in the previous chapter, as you will no doubt recall.

I want to thank everyone who sent me ideas about where I should put the Titans and what they should all be teaching. It really helped me decide where I wanted them all to go, and hopefully, you all will enjoy where they are, for now, at any rate, as I might move them around if I feel like it will help the story.

To those wondering about the ages of the Titans in this story, I hope this helps:

Raven-19

Robin-19

Starfire-156 (or 20 in earth years)

Beastboy-17.

Hope you all enjoy the new chapter and as always, let me know what you think!

Chapter Text

Chapter Eleven

Whispers followed Harry from the moment he left his dormitory the next day; people lining up outside classrooms stood on tiptoe to look at him or doubled back to pass him in the corridors again, staring, much to Harry's continued annoyance. By the end of the day, Harry was so fed up with the staring and whispers that he used his abilities to conjure his "Protectors" to keep his 'followers' at bay; now, anyone who got too close to him (besides Ron and Hermione) would receive a sharp slap from one of the four black tentacles that writhed around him. However, even this did nothing to stop the continued stares and whispers; in fact, it seemed to make it worse as the half-bloods and Muggleborn's now knew he was a 'superhero' and seemed to stare at him even more in both awe. In contrast, the Purebloods stared in curiosity and shock about what Harry could do, to Harry's continued aggravation. So many people had received a slap on Harry's first day that Professor McGonagall had ordered him to keep his tentacles to himself or risk losing twenty points every time they were seen.

"I don't know what you expected, Harry," Hermione had said when Harry made his annoyance clear to her and Ron at breakfast the following day, "You have superpowers, AND now everyone knows that you're the little brother of Raven, a very famous superhero. So it's no wonder those of Muggle descent would be in awe of you."

"How did they figure that out?" Harry had asked with a raised eyebrow, making Hermione turn pink,

"I may have accidentally let it slip after being accosted by a few of my dorm mates last night,"

Harry scowled at her for a moment, making the girl tear up a little,

"I'm sorry!" She cried, "They drug it out of me!"

Harry sighed in exasperation before shaking his head at her,

"It's fine. It was bound to get out sooner or later, anyway. I don't blame you, Hermione."

Hermione sniffled again, but a small smile crossed her face at that as Harry winked at her,

"Malfoy is already making waves about it," Ron said, "Telling everyone that freaks like that don't belong at Hogwarts."

Harry turned and glared at the Slytherin table at that, locking eyes with his rival and shooting him a death glare that was quickly returned before turning back to Ron,

"Shows what he knows!" Harry sniffed in agitation as he returned to his breakfast.

XXXX

There were a hundred and forty-two staircases at Hogwarts: wide, sweeping ones; narrow, rickety ones; some that led to a different floor on Friday; some with a vanishing step that you had to remember to jump. Then some doors wouldn't open unless you asked politely or tickled them in exactly the right spot, and doors that weren't really doors at all but solid walls pretending. It was also tough to remember where everything was because it all seemed to change without warning at any given moment.

On the very first day, Harry and Ron discovered the bane of Hogwarts in the form of a poltergeist named Peeves, who seemed to enjoy nothing more than making the lives of students (and even teachers) a living hell with his constant pranks. Harry and Ron had been running late to their charms class when Peeves had pulled a rug out from under their feet as the two stopped to catch their breath. Because of Robin's training, Harry had managed to perform a flip and land safely at the bottom, but Ron had tumbled down the stairs and lay in a heap at the bottom while Peeves had hovered over them, cackling madly. Unfortunately, Professor Sinestra had shown up just as Harry had used some very colorful language at Peeves, resulting in the loss of ten house points.

Even worse than Peeves, if that was possible, was the caretaker, Argus Filch. Harry and Ron managed to get on the wrong side of him on their very first morning. Filch found them trying to force their way through a door that unluckily turned out to be the entrance to the out-of-bounds corridor on the third floor. He wouldn't believe they were lost; he was sure they were trying to break into it on purpose and was threatening to lock them in the dungeons when they were rescued by Professor Quirrell, who was passing.

Harry, who had been trained by Jinx and Raven since he was nine, was left disappointed when he realized that he already knew much of what the Professors were teaching. The Professors were soon calling him a prodigy, but the reality was that Harry was just bored having to relearn what he already knew.

They had to study the night skies through their telescopes every Wednesday at midnight and learn the names of different stars and the movements of the planets; this class was made MUCH more exciting with the inclusion of Starfire, who would tell the children of not only the worlds that they could see with their telescopes but also of the ones they couldn't see that she had visited throughout her lifespan. Frequently, students would beg to stay behind after class to hear more of the myriad of worlds that existed among the stars and often would find themselves dragging their exhausted bodies back to bed just before dawn.

Then, three times a week, they went out to the greenhouses behind the castle to study Herbology with a dumpy little witch called Professor Sprout, where they learned how to take care of all the strange plants and fungi found out what they were used for. Easily the most boring class was History of Magic, which was the only one taught by a ghost. Professor Binns had been very old when he had fallen asleep in front of the staff room fire and got up the following day to teach, leaving his body behind him. Binns droned on and on while they scribbled down names and dates and got Emetic the Evil and Uric the Oddball mixed up. Even Harry, who loved learning anything new, could not pay attention to the Professor's lessons for very long without falling asleep from sheer boredom, which Ron heckled Harry for to no end. When Raven heard how he was falling asleep in class, she threatened to break his game station if it happened again, and Beastboy had begged Harry on his knees to stay awake if only to keep their VERY expensive game station from destruction.

Charms was by far Harry's favorite class, with Transfiguration being a close second, even though Professor McGonagall had given a strict speech at the beginning of class that she would tolerate no horseplay and that anyone who did not pay attention would be asked to leave. However, Harry still found the class fascinating and had even gained a rare smile from McGonagall after managing to turn his beetle into a button after only three tries. Charms was taught by a tiny individual named Professor Flitwick, who seemed very excitable as he taught, helped by Raven, who glided among the students offering aid where it was needed. Harry knew he would be given no favoritism from his sister, but he still hoped he would be treated as just another student. Unfortunately, this was proven wrong as Raven seemed to expect MORE from him than anyone else, and when Professor Flitwick made the students write a foot of parchment of levitation spells, Raven told Harry she expected two feet instead.

The class that Harry was most looking forward to, however, proved to be a colossal disappointment; after only one class of Defense against the Dark Arts, Harry was left wondering how Professor Quirrell managed to become a teacher in the first place, as the poor man seemed to be terrified of his own subject and was the laughingstock of the school, as far as Harry could see. His turban, so he said, was a gift from an African prince as thanks for getting rid of a troublesome zombie, something that Harry questioned the veracity of, as every time someone would ask to hear the story, Professor Quirrell would blush and talk about something else; all in all, the class left Harry feeling very disappointed.

XXXX

Friday started out as a very good day for Harry and Ron; they didn't get lost once when they left Gryffindor tower and strode into the great hall like heroes who had just won a great battle; before they could take their seats, however, they were accosted by Ron's twin elder brothers.

"Harry! We wish to thank you for your great donation to Hogwarts!" Fred replied with a giant grin plastered to his face,

"Indeed!" George added, "We owe you one!"

"Huh?" Harry asked in bemusement, "I'm afraid I don't know what you mean,"

"Beastboy!" The twins chorused.

"What about him?" Harry asked,

"He's amazing, is what!" Fred answered ecstatically, "We just had a class yesterday on Sphinx's, and Beastboy actually turned into one to show us what they looked like!"

"He's a great help to Professor Kettleburn, to be sure!" George said, just as enthusiastically, "He's able to transform into almost everything that the Professor asks for! It's amazing!"

"Oh…. well, you're welcome," Harry replied as a smile began to form on his face.

"Plus," George added in a hushed tone, "It's a lot of fun to watch as another person with shapeshifting abilities blushes at him during class."

"Another?" Harry asked, "Who?"

"Sorry, Harry, my lad," Fred said with a sly smile, "Can't say, but it's safe to say that Beastboy has an admirer."

"He's seventeen!" Harry replied in shock, "And a teacher! That's not allowed!"

"So is she," George replied with a wink,

"And she won't be a student after this year, will she?" Fred added with a wink of his own.

Harry's mouth dropped open in shock, but before he could say anything, the twins walked away, leaving a blushing Ron and Harry in their wake. Once the two regained their composure, they quickly strode to Gryffindor's table, both looking to see if they could spot the mystery girl the twins were speaking of.

"What do you have today?" Harry asked as he took his seat and began shoveling food onto his plate,

"Double Potions with Slytherin," Hermione responded as she looked down at her schedule., making Harry grimace in distaste.

"He was one of the Professors that Dumbledore brought with him when he came to convince me to attend Hogwarts. If that one meeting is anything to go by, it's going to be a long seven years."

"I hear he heavily favors Slytherin," Ron sneered,

"One of my family members was in Slytherin," Harry replied sadly, "She told me that it's not a very good place for anyone who isn't Pureblooded. Makes sense that Snape would be an asshat to anyone who isn't, as well.

"Harry!" Hermione said, scandalized.

Harry had just started on his second plate of eggs when the day's mail arrived, and Hedwig landed on his shoulder carrying a letter,

"Thanks, Hedwig," Harry replied warmly, offering a piece of bacon to his owl, who took it with a happy hoot and flew off a moment later.

"Who's it from?" Ron asked,

"It's from Jinx," Harry replied happily, "She's probably writing to see how I'm doing."

"Jinx?!" Hermione said in shock, "The Queen of misfortune? She's a villain!"

"FORMER villain," Harry replied with narrowed eyes, "She reformed and has been a hero for nearly four years now, and she's saved my life more times than I can count, so please don't disrespect her around me."

Hermione turned pink with embarrassment and mumbled an apology as she returned to her breakfast while Harry glared at her for a moment longer before turning to his letter.

Dear Harry-

It's been nearly two weeks since you wrote me, and that is unacceptable young man!

But not nearly as unacceptable as the fact that you were sorted into Gryffindor. I thought better of you than that; you should have, at least, been sorted into Ravenclaw, if not for your brain, then for the fact that your sister is LITERALLY named for the house! You had best not let those adrenalin-fueled nutcases try and convert you into one of them, or so help me, I'll make you watch the whole first five seasons of the Kardashians with me again! Anyway, I hope you're doing good and learning lots and making some good friends, and I expect to hear back from you soon, little brother.

All my love,

-Jinx.

Harry shuddered as he read about the punishment that Jinx had planned for him, causing Ron to look at him in confusion for a moment,

"Who are the Kardashians, and why are you so afraid of them?"

Harry quickly lunged forward and clamped a hand around Ron's mouth before looking around the hall in terror,

"We do not speak their name," Harry whispered, "For to do so invites them down upon you, and trust me when I say you don't want that!"

Ron turned pale and nodded quickly before returning to his breakfast as Harry did the same; from the corner of his eyes, Harry saw Hermione grinning at him mischievously and quickly sent her a playful wink.

XXXX

When Harry and Ron made their way down to the dungeons where their potions class was to be held, Harry saw Draco and his two bodyguards all standing silently near the door apart from the rest of their classmates; as Draco caught sight of Harry, he sniffed in disdain.

"I thought I smelled something foul coming closer," Draco sneered, "Figures it would be you, Potter!"

"Keep it up, and I'll make it so you can't smell anything at all, prick," Harry replied with a wink that made Draco pale with fury.

Before anyone could say anything more, the door to the potions classroom suddenly opened, and Professor Snape strode out; he cast a quick eye over the students who fidgeted nervously under his gaze before stepping aside and saying one word in a cold voice,

"In."

A few minutes later, once everyone had taken their seats, Snape began a speech that Harry was sure the Professor had given many times before;. However, Snape spoke barely above a whisper; the students hung on every word as Professor Snape told them how he could "Teach them to bottle fame and brew glory." Harry was entranced with the words and sat up straighter, determined to do good in Potions if only to spite Snape and make Raven proud. Beside him, Hermione did the same, whereas Ron, who was sitting on the other side of Harry, seemed to slouch in his chair as though he couldn't care less. Professor Snape then began to take roll call, and Harry noticed that Professor Snape seemed to sneer at some of the names, as though Snape had already made up his mind about some of the students in his class.

When Professor Snape came to Harry's name, Snape paused before a cold look came across his face,

"Ah, Mr. Potter. Our new celebrity," the way that Snape sneered the word made Harry instantly wary, but before Harry could respond, Snape continued, "Tell me, Mr. Potter, what would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"

Instantly, Hermione's hand shot up into the air, but Snape ignored her and simply stared at Harry with a raised eyebrow.

"I don't know, sir," Harry replied softly; he had skimmed his school books but hadn't really paid any attention to any of it, unfortunately.

"Let's try again, then," Snape sneered, "Where would you go, Mr. Potter if I told you to bring me a Bezoar?"

Again, Hermione's hand shot into the air, and again Harry wracked his brain and couldn't think of an answer,

"I don't know, sir," Harry replied through grit teeth; he knew what the Professor was doing, this was payback for what Harry had done to him during the summer, and it was utterly unprofessional as far as Harry was concerned.

"Hmm, pity," Snape replied with a cruel smile, "Shall we try one last time? What is the difference between Monkswood and Wolfsbane?"

Seeing Snape's sneer was bad enough; seeing Draco laughing at him from the other side of the classroom made Harry turn pink with anger, and he looked at Snape, trying to convey every ounce of anger he felt.

"It's obvious that I don't know, Professor," Harry spat, "Hermione does, though, it seems. Perhaps you should ask her!"

The classroom went dead silent at Harry's outburst as some looked at him like he was about to die, while others were smiling and trying not to laugh at Snape, who had gone so pale with rage that he looked like a ghost.

"Put your hand down, foolish girl!" Snape snapped before turning his attention to Harry and leaning across the boy's desk to glare down at him, "For your information, Potter; powdered root of asphodel, when mixed with wormwood, creates the strongest sleeping potion on earth, known as the draught of living death. A bezoar is a stone taken from the stomach of a goat that will save you from most poisons. The two plants I named are the same and are also known as Aconite, and all of this information was available to you in your potions book, which leads me to believe that you never even opened it before coming to Hogwarts. No doubt you were planning on using your fame to pass your classes, but I can assure you that I am NOT one of your doting sycophants, is that clear!"

"Seriously, what is your problem?!" Harry demanded at the end of Snape's rant, "You insulted my family, attacked my sister, and now try to belittle me for something that happened when I was a baby!"

"My PROBLEM with you, brat," Snape snapped, leaning closer so that he was staring Harry in the eye, "Is that you are just as arrogant as your father, with no redeeming qualities that I can see!"

Harry suddenly felt as though someone had dragged a feather across his brain, and his eyes widened in shock as he realized what Snape was doing. Jumping to his feet, Harry grabbed Snape's head in both hands and slammed it down onto the desk, breaking the Potions Professor's nose with a sickening "Crack."

"Harry!" Hermione shrieked in horror,

"What have you done?" Ron demanded, equally horrified, but Harry ignored them both as he leveled a glare at Snape, who was lying on the ground in front of Harry's desk.

"Stay the hell out of my head!" Harry snarled, making the classroom go silent instantly,

"What are you talking about, Harry?" Ron asked,

"This prick was using Legilimency on me!" Harry replied angrily, making the classroom gasp in shock; the Purebloods knew what Snape had done, and it was considered taboo to do so without permission, while the Muggle-born and Half-bloods simply stared in confusion.

"YOU'RE DONE AT HOGWARTS, POTTER!" Snape snarled as he tried to stop the blood that was pouring down his face, "I'LL SEE YOU EXPELLED FOR THIS!"

"FINE BY ME!" Harry snarled back, "IF TEACHERS ARE ALLOWED TO READ STUDENT'S MINDS WITHOUT PERMISSION HERE, THEN I'LL HAPPILY LEAVE!"

Without another word, Harry grabbed his bag and stormed out of the classroom, one of his tentacles appearing from his back and slamming the door behind him as the class watched in shock.

XXXX

An hour later, Harry was still fuming as he sat in the library and tried to focus on his homework for Transfiguration; as he tried to read the same paragraph for the third time, a slight cough made him turn to see Professor McGonagall standing behind him with a severe look on her face.

"May I help you, Professor?" Harry asked politely,

"You need to come with me, Mr. Potter," McGonagall replied, "Professor Dumbledore would like a word with you."

"Will my sister be there?" Harry asked, "If not, then I request she be summoned, as she is my legal guardian, and if Dumbledore wishes to speak about what I think he does, then I request my guardian be present."

A ghost of a smile seemed to appear on McGonagall's face before she nodded her head,

"If you'll follow me, then we shall go and fetch her before making our way to the Headmaster's office."

Nodding his head quickly, Harry stowed his books in his bag before following McGonagall out of the library to the Charms classroom,

"I'm sorry to disturb your class, Professor Flitwick," McGonagall said quickly as she entered, "But may I borrow Ms. Potter for a moment? The headmaster wishes to speak with her brother, and Mr. Potter has requested she be there for this meeting."

"Of course, my dear!" Flitwick said quickly as Raven made her way out of the class,

"Is everything alright?" Raven asked as the three began to walk down the hallway,

"That remains to be seen…." McGonagall replied, casting a stern gaze on Harry, who was trying to not show how nervous he was.

"What did you do, Harry?" Raven said in a tight voice,

"You'll find out in a moment," Harry replied, making Raven narrow her eyes at him.

At last, the three came to a dead-end hallway that had a stone griffin standing in front of it,

"Hershey's Kiss," McGonagall said with exasperation in her voice; a moment later, the griffin jumped to the side, revealing a stone staircase that McGonagall quickly started up, followed by Raven and Harry.

When they reached the top of the staircase, they stood before a wooden door, and McGonagall raised her hand to knock when a voice called out from the other side,

"Come in, Professor!"

"I hate when he does that," McGonagall growled as she opened the door and led them inside, where Professor Dumbledore was waiting behind his desk. Professor Snape stood beside him with a cruel smile on his face, and Harry instantly felt his temper rise as he remembered what had happened.

"Good afternoon, Harry," Dumbledore said warmly, "Thank you for coming so quickly, though if I may ask, why did you feel the need to bring your sister with you?"

"I felt it necessary for my guardian to be present for this meeting," Harry replied in a tight voice, "Especially considering why this meeting is needed in the first place."

Raven looked between Harry and Dumbledore for a moment before narrowing her eyes in annoyance,

"Okay, someone want to explain to me what's going on? What has my brother done?"

"I'm afraid Mr. Potter attacked Professor Snape during class today," Dumbledore replied as he steepled his fingers and gazed at the boy with disappointment.

"You did WHAT?!" Raven shouted as she rounded on Harry,

"It was justified!" Harry retorted as he angrily pointed at Snape, "This jerk used Legilimency on me during class!"

McGonagall gasped in horror, and the blood faded from her face as she turned to Snape; Raven, however, looked PISSED and rounded on Snape instantly as Harry and Dumbledore watched.

"YOU ILLEGALLY READ MY BROTHER'S MIND?!" Raven shouted as the room began to shake, "HOW DARE YOU!"

"Ms. Potter!" Dumbledore cried placatingly as he rose from his seat, "I'm sure this is all just a misunderstanding! Surely Mr. Potter is mistaken about what occurred.

"I am not!" Harry retorted, "Jinx and Raven taught me Occlumency when I was nine years old! I know how to defend my mind, and I know when someone is trying to break in!"

Dumbledore paled at this newest revelation; he had already failed to properly formulate a plan to bring Harry to his side, but now the boy was telling him that he was already trained to protect his thought. This just kept getting worse!

"You know it's illegal to read a student's mind without his parent's permission, Severus!" McGonagall raged, "How stupid can you be to try and do so in a room full of children!"

"There is no proof to the brat's accusation!" Snape sneered, "Furthermore, his parents are dead, so the law doesn't apply to him if I DID read his mind. Not saying I did, though."

Snape smiled cruelly at the last part, and Raven uttered a savage cry of rage as he lunged forward and punched Snape across the jaw, knocking him to the floor to the shock of those present.

"THE HELL IT DOESN'T!" Raven snarled as she stood over him, "OUR PARENTS MAY BE DEAD, BUT THAT DOESN'T GIVE YOU A FREE PASS TO TORTURE MY BROTHER!"

Raven's eyes suddenly turned red, and Dumbledore and McGonagall paled as they watched a second pair of eyes suddenly appear as Raven glared down at Snape, who was staring at her in sudden fear.

"RAVEN!" Harry called suddenly, making her turn to him, "Calm down!"

Raven looked back down at Snape for a moment before nodding her head and moving back to stand beside Harry, who took her hand and squeezed it gently as her eyes turned back to their original violet.

"What was that?" Dumbledore breathed,

"None of your concern," Raven replied back curtly,

"I'm afraid I must respectfully disagree," Dumbledore retorted, "If it is a danger to my students, then it IS my concern."

"If you cared so much about your students, then why are you allowing one of your teachers to mentally torture them?" Harry demanded as he cast his eyes at Snape, who was slowly picking himself up off the floor.

"Albus, this is a very serious matter," McGonagall stated, "If Mr. Potter is telling the truth, then Severus broke the law and could face jail time, at the very least, if the Ministry were to be informed."

"That won't be necessary!" Dumbledore responded quickly, "As there is no proof, aside from the word of Mr. Potter here, there is nothing we can do about this matter. But I will speak with Severus to ensure it doesn't happen again."

Snape glared at Dumbledore at that for a moment before turning back to Harry,

"So that's it? This arrogant brat attacks me in my own classroom, and he gets away with it! What about his sister?! She just punched me! I demand that she be fired immediately!"

"Unfortunately, he is right, Mr. Potter," Dumbledore said sadly, "You did attack a teacher, and that cannot go unpunished, so I will, unfortunately, need to dock Gryffindor house fifty points and you will serve detention with Professor McGonagall this weekend."

"You CANNOT be serious!" Raven spat, "My brother defended himself!"

"So he says," Dumbledore replied testily, "But there is no proof, unfortunately. Harry should consider himself lucky. I could easily expel him for what he did, just as I could fire you for attacking Severus just now."

Snape sneered down at Raven and Harry at Dumbledore's words, and it took an inhumane amount of effort for Raven not to launch herself at him again as Dumbledore began speaking again.

"But, I'm not going to do that," Snape turned to Dumbledore in shock, "As I feel that you were justified in your actions, considering what you thought Severus had done to your little brother. Consider this your last chance, Ms. Potter; any more acts of violence toward my staff and I WILL be forced to fire you from your position, is that clear?"

Raven glared angrily at the headmaster for a moment, and Harry mentally laughed as he saw Dumbledore silently gulp under Raven's stare before she finally answered him back.

"Very clear, Dumbledore, but allow me to offer you a warning of my own. Keep your dog under control! If there is one more instance of Harry being threatened or attacked, I WILL pull him from Hogwarts! There are plenty of other schools that he can attend, and to be honest, I never wanted him to come here in the first place. So, consider this YOUR final warning, old man; one more attack on my brother, and he and the rest of the Titans will leave England for good! Got it?"

Dumbledore paled significantly at Raven's words, and he seemed unable to respond, so instead simply nodded at her; Raven sniffed at the old man for a moment before turning on her heel and dragging Harry to the door, where they promptly vanished a second later.

"You utter fool!" McGonagall sneered at Snape once Raven and Harry were gone, "How stupid can you get?"

"How dare you speak to me that way!" Snape growled angrily,

"I'll speak to you any way I want!" McGonagall snapped back, "You tried to illegally read a student's mind in front of a classroom full of children! How long before the owls start bringing letters from parents about you?! How long before they start demanding your resignation! Do you think Albus will be able to save you, then?!"

Snape's lip curled at the threat while Dumbledore steepled his fingers in thought; it was true that Snape's actions would have severe consequences, and no doubt students would be writing their parents about it immediately.

"Minerva, please leave us alone. I need to speak to Severus privately,"

McGonagall sniffed in derision at Snape before turning on her heel and quickly leaving the pair, slamming the door behind her.

"You are to have no further contact with Harry Potter outside of class," Dumbledore said simply, "Furthermore, you are to cease your pointless antagonism of him. It serves no purpose other than to further alienate him from this school and his destiny."

"So, the brat gets special privilege just because of who he is?" Snape sneered,

"ENOUGH!" Dumbledore shouted as he rose to his feet and turned to face Snape, who had backed away in fear, "I have tolerated the abhorrent abuse you show your students because I need you when Voldemort inevitably returns, but that does NOT mean that you are untouchable! One more step out of line, and I will show you just how powerful I can be when angered. Is that clear!"

Snape said nothing, too afraid of the power he could feel coming off the old man; it was like looking into the sun without the protection of sunglasses, and all Snape could do was nod his head.

"The Wizarding World needs Harry Potter!" Dumbledore said as he retook his seat, "That boy is the only one who can destroy Voldemort for good, and I will not allow you to cost us him for no other reason than a childhood grudge. Lily married James, boo hoo, get over it and be a man!"

Snape turned pale with rage at that but said nothing for fear of another burst of anger from the aged headmaster, who was staring at him as though daring him to say something,

"If there is nothing else," Snape sneered, "I have another class to prepare for."

"Go," Dumbledore said simply, "And do not let me hear of this happening again. Are we clear?"

"Yes, headmaster," Snape replied in a tight voice before storming out of the office, slamming the door so hard behind him that it rattled the pictures on the walls.

Alone in his office, Dumbledore steepled his fingers and stared at them in silent fury; Snape's blatant hatred had very nearly lost Dumbledore and the Wizarding World at large, Harry Potter, the only one who could defeat Voldemort when he returned one day, for Dumbledore had no doubts that he WOULD return one day. If Harry Potter were no longer in England to defeat him, then the Wizarding World would fall!

More concerning was what had happened to Raven Potter; what were those red eyes? And why had Dumbledore suddenly felt terrified when he saw them? He needed answers, and Dumbledore immediately began drafting a letter to Alastor Moody, directing him to discover all he could about Raven Potter and what she was capable of. If there was any chance of getting Harry away from his so-called "Family," then Dumbledore needed information, for it was information that won battles, not soldiers, and Dumbledore was determined to have as much as possible before he made his move.

XXXX

Author's Note:

Sorry it's been so long since I last wrote; one of my followers informed me that someone had stolen my story (word for word) and was using it for their own, so thank you for letting me know so I could get it taken down.

Also, over five hundred followers?! Dude, I'm in awe of how many of you like this story; you honor me, and I thank you all for enjoying what I'm writing. I am happy that so many are enjoying this.

So, I hope you enjoy this latest chapter, and I look forward to what comes next.

Chapter Text

Chapter Twelve

Robin stared silently as his target finished his breakfast and made his way from the head table and towards the doors of the Great Hall; from the moment the Titans had entered Hogwarts, Robin had immediately thought that something was off about Professor Quirrell, though Robin couldn't put his finger on what exactly it was that made him suspicious of the Defense teacher.

Honestly, the fact that the stuttering man was kept as the Defense Against The Dark Arts teacher at all was laughable to Robin; the man seemed terrified of everything, including his own subject and he was responsible for preparing the students for whatever dangers they might face in the wide world? If the fact weren't so terrifying, Robin would have found it hilarious; but the reality was that the students needed someone more qualified if they were to have any chance of actually surviving should the day come when they found themselves in actual combat against the dark that this world held.

Robin's suspicions were intensified when after silently stalking Quirrell one night, Robin saw him try and enter the 'forbidden' third-floor corridor that Dumbledore had explicitly told both staff and student body alike to keep away from. As Robin watched, Quirrell looked around to make sure that he was alone before drawing his wand and aiming it at the door, but before Quirrell could do anything, Filch suddenly showed up and Quirrell had quickly holstered his wand and stuttered out that he had gotten lost on the way to his room, and quickly made his escape from the old caretaker, with Robin following close behind, careful to stick to the shadows to avoid detection.

Once Quirrell made it back to his room, he immediately slammed the door shut and locked it ensuring that Robin could not follow him in; as he pressed his ear to the door, Robin was almost certain that he heard Quirrell talking to someone, but a moment later all sound ended (no doubt from a silencing charm to avoid unwanted listeners) and Robin carefully made his way back to his room, realizing that no more was to be done that night.

Since then, Robin had made sure to know where Quirrell was at all times, and when Robin wasn't teaching his classes, he was tailing the Defense teacher; the class Robin had been assigned to teach had almost made the Titan bang his head against the wall at how out of date the students were on the Muggle world. They still believed that the Dirigible was the most advanced piece of Muggle air travel, for Pete's sake! It had taken Robin almost a month to rectify all the damage that the previous Muggle Studies teacher had done to the students of Hogwarts, but after a long-drawn-out process, (as well as several letters to Alfred to send as many history books as he could) Robin finally managed to bring the students up to date on what they needed to know about how far Muggles had come in the last few centuries. The class had been particularly horrified when Robin had told them the events of World War Two; originally, the class had only known that World War Two was the Muggle equivalent of "Grindelwald's War," but only thirty thousand had died in Grindelwald's attempt to seize power, and when Robin told the students that over fifty million had died in the Muggle war, the class had been horrified and some had even called Robin a liar until he showed them proof, which left them shocked into silence.

After a month at Hogwarts, Robin had fallen into a comfortable routine that allowed him to correct the mistakes of his predecessor and ACTUALLY teach the students correctly, while at the same time, allowing Robin to study his fellow professors without them noticing. Robin knew how much Harry had wanted to come to Hogwarts; since Raven had told the kid about his parents and how much they had loved Hogwarts, it was all Harry talked about. But Robin also knew that Headmaster Dumbledore had an agenda, where Harry was concerned and Robin was determined to discover what it was because he viewed Harry as a surrogate little brother and he would be damned if he allowed the boy to become a pawn in Dumbledore's manipulations.

When Raven had told the other Titans that Professor Snape had tried to illegally read Harry's mind, Robin had been the only voice of reason as his fellow teammates had wanted to tear the potions professor limb from limb. Beastboy had been especially vocal about showing Snape how much practice Beastboy had at turning into magical animals, (having hinted that it would be interesting to see how deep a unicorn horn could go into Snape's anal cavity) but Harry had managed to convince the others (with the help of Robin) that to do so would only land the Titans in trouble and most likely give Dumbledore the leverage he needed to take Harry away from Raven altogether.

The Titans had agreed to leave Snape alone, but Robin had made it his mission to find out everything he could about the Potions Master and figure out why he hated Harry so much, yet another mystery added to Robin's growing list that needed solving.

Most (if not all) of the Hogwarts staff seemed to be deep in Dumbledore's corner, and after a month of careful study and some light stalking, Robin had managed to mostly figure out which of the Professors would be a problem should the day come when the Titans needed to get Harry away from Hogwarts and especially from the old Headmaster that ran it. McGonagall was loyal to Dumbledore, which was not surprising of course, but that loyalty seemed to be slipping more towards Harry and Raven as far as Robin could see, and hopefully, if the time came, she would make the right choice.

As Robin quickly rose to follow Quirrell, he grimaced as he realized that he had homework to grade and as such would be unable to follow the Defense Professor as he had planned; with a sigh of annoyance, Robin made his way to his classroom to get a jump of grading before class started. After some help from Jinx and Cyborg, Robin had managed to figure out how to get a television to work at Hogwarts and was looking forward to his student's reaction as they watched a history documentary on airplanes.

As he exited the Great Hall, Robin cast one final look at Quirrell's back, before turning the other way and making his way toward his classroom.

XXXX

Dumbledore sighed with annoyance as he sucked on a sherbet lemon; usually, the Muggle treat never failed to ameliorate his mood when he was having a bad day but unfortunately, today was not one of those days.

It had been a month since the confrontation between Professor Snape and Harry Potter, and in that time Dumbledore had had one headache after another without reprieve; a few days after Snape's 'mind attack,' owls had swarmed Hogwarts, carrying missives and howlers from concerned parents demanding to know if what their children had told them was true, and if so, what was Dumbledore planning to do to punish the Potions Master.

Dumbledore had been forced to use a great deal of the favors owed to him from years of political maneuvering to keep Snape from being arrested after Amelia Bones had come to Hogwarts to investigate the claims that had reached her office; but all the same, Dumbledore had been forced to 'punish' the Potions Master if only for appearance's sake.

Dumbledore couldn't very well fire his spy, not when he still needed Snape when Voldemort would eventually return, so with no other alternatives, Dumbledore had been forced to suspend Professor Snape until the start of the new term; Severus had been livid when Dumbledore had told him and looked ready to murder Harry Potter, who he held personally responsible for his suspension. It was only after Dumbledore explained that Snape now had the Department of Magical Law Enforcement watching him VERY closely that Snape relented his vow to "Kill that spoiled brat," and accept the punishment that Dumbledore had given him, before storming from the headmaster's office to collect his things and leave Hogwarts to begin his suspension.

That had been three days ago, now and Dumbledore had thought that that would be the end of the interminable stress that seemed to have befallen him, but unfortunately, he was not that lucky, or perhaps his years of bad karma were simply finally catching up to him.

After a month of careful investigation, Alastor Moody had finally written to Dumbledore concerning his findings about Raven Potter; whatever Alastor had discovered had scared the aged Auror beyond anything that he had experienced before, which immediately made alarms go off for Dumbledore, for he had never known Alastor Moody to be afraid of anything. Despite Dumbledore's persistent requests for information, all Alastor would say is that if Dumbledore valued his life and sanity, he would leave the girl alone, and if Dumbledore ignored his advice, then Alastor would be sure to bring fresh flowers when he attended Dumbledore's funeral.

Dumbledore had attempted to find out more about Raven on his own, but all attempts had stagnated as it seemed that all information regarding the girl from before she was adopted by the Potters was nonexistent, no matter how hard Dumbledore looked.

The only information that Dumbledore could discover was that Raven was considered a hero around the world, just like the rest of the Titans, and that she and the rest of the Titans had 'supposedly' saved the world four years prior when a demon named Trigon had attempted to force his way through to this world and conquer it; Dumbledore had paled at that as demons were designated a class six X magical monster and the penalty for summoning one was immediate death without exception. If the Titans had managed to defeat one then they were especially powerful, making the situation much more complicated and the need to handle it delicately even more necessary.

With another annoyed sigh, Dumbledore picked up his quill again and tried to think of who he might offer the position of Potions Professor to until the next term began and Snape would return; there was only one logical choice and Dumbledore groaned as he thought of what he would have to offer to entice the aged Potions Master to return to Hogwarts.

XXXX

Harry listened happily as Ron told him everything about his favorite Quidditch team, 'the Chudley Cannons'; it had been a few weeks since Harry had somehow managed to be placed on the Gryffindor house team after humiliating Malfoy during their first flying lesson.

Harry, at first had been confused as to why he had to learn to fly on a broom when he could already fly without one, but Raven had managed to convince Harry that just because he could fly without a broom shouldn't stop him from learning all the same.

During the flying lesson, Neville's broom had decided it wanted to pretend to be a mechanical bull and thrown the poor boy off, resulting in a broken wrist and Madam Hooch had quickly taken the boy to the Hospital Wing, leaving the students alone with explicit instructions to stay on the ground.

Naturally, it had only taken thirty seconds for Draco Malfoy to defy her and begin mocking Neville, even going so far as to scoop up the poor boy's Remembrall and threaten to throw it into a tree.

Harry, taking exception to this, had promptly grabbed his broom and flown up to meet Draco in the air, resulting in the little racist hurling Neville's Remembrall as hard as he could; Harry had been forced to make a breakneck dive in order to catch it in time before it shattered.

As Harry enjoyed the cheers from his fellow classmen, Professor McGonagall had suddenly up and demanded Harry follow her; Harry had assumed that he was being taken to Dumbledore where he would be expelled for defying Madam Hooch's order to not fly, but was instead pleasantly surprised when he was instead taken to a boy named Wood and told that he would be the new seeker for Gryffindor's Quidditch team.

Thankful that he was not being punished, Harry had immediately sought out Ron and asked "What in the hell was Quidditch, and more importantly WHAT is a seeker?"

This resulted in a crash course in the sport and after reading everything he could about it, Harry found himself looking forward to playing; this was made even more prominent when Raven found out that Harry had been put on the team and had told him tearfully that their dad would be proud of him as James Potter had also been on the Gryffindor quidditch team. As a reward for making the team in his first year, Raven had used Hedwig to place a special order and Harry soon found himself the owner of a brand new Nimbus 2000 broomstick; Ron had been gobsmacked when Harry let him have the first ride on it and Harry was sure he had made a forever friend by doing so.

The rest of the Titans also congratulated him and were also looking forward to seeing Harry play and Harry found himself torn between being excited about his first game and scared that he would let everyone down; once he began practicing with the rest of the Gryffindor team, he realized just how much work it took to fly with a broomstick and yet Harry found himself loving it just as much as flying without one.

Another strange thing that happened in the month since Harry had gotten Snape suspended was how many people stopped to thank Harry for a job well done, all except for Slytherin house, that is. The house of the snakes seemed to glare at Harry whenever they saw him and on more than one occasion, Harry's tentacles narrowly managed to save him when a curse or hex was thrown his way by persons unseen, which only made Harry sneer at the cowards who, in his opinion, didn't dare to attack him openly.

As Halloween rolled around, Harry found himself sitting in Charms looking forward to the first major feast of Hogwarts and eagerly imagined all the food and sweets that awaited him that evening when he noticed Ron and Hermione arguing with each other a few rows down from him.

The two had seemed to get along fairly well so long as Harry was around, but when they were alone it seemed they fought like cats and dogs, much to Harry's annoyance and today seemed like no exception.

From what Harry could see, Hermione was trying to help Ron levitate his feather, and Ron was annoyed by his lack of progress; with almost effortless ease, Hermione managed to make her feather rise a good four feet off of the desk while Ron watched with a dark expression on his face.

When class ended and the Gryffindors were heading to their next class, Ron angrily castigated Hermione as a 'know it all,' unfortunately, none of them saw how close Hermione was and before Harry could tell Ron off for his cruel comments, Hermione had heard him and pushed past the group with tears running down her face.

Harry had angrily scolded Ron, who looked suitably abashed, and demanded he go and apologize to her immediately, which Ron agreed to do when he saw her next; but to everyone's surprise, Hermione didn't show up for their next class, in fact, she was not seen again for the remainder of the day.

When the Gryffindors appeared in the Great Hall for dinner and there was STILL no sign of Hermione, Harry began to grow alarmed, and when Neville let slip that he had heard that Hermione was crying in the girl's bathroom, Harry had stared pointedly at Ron who looked ashamed of himself.

Moments later, Professor Quirrell burst into the Great Hall screaming about a troll in the dungeon, causing panic to immediately spread and the students to try and make a run for it, it had taken several loud bangs from Dumbledore's wand to restore order and he had immediately ordered all students back to their common rooms, while the teachers dealt with the troll.

As the students made their way to the Gryffindor common room, an alarming thought suddenly struck Harry and he grabbed Ron's arm, causing the boy to turn to him in bemusement,

"What?"

"Hermione!" Harry cried in alarm, "She doesn't know about the troll!"

"Oh no…." Ron whispered as the blood raced from his face,

"Come on!" Harry hissed as he turned and raced back down the hall to where the girl's bathroom lay.

"Can you smell something?"

Harry sniffed, and a foul stench reached his nostrils, a mixture of old socks and the kind of public toilet no one seems to clean.

And then they heard it - a low grunting and the shuffling footfalls of gigantic feet. Ron pointed - at the end of a passage to the left, something immense was moving toward them. They shrank into the shadows and watched as it emerged into a patch of moonlight.

It was a horrible sight. Twelve feet tall, its skin was a dull, granite gray, its great lumpy body like a boulder with its small bald head perched on top like a coconut. It had short legs thick as tree trunks with flat, horny feet. The smell coming from it was incredible. It was holding a massive wooden club, which dragged along the floor because its arms were so long.

The troll stopped next to a doorway and peered inside. It waggled its long ears, making up its tiny mind, then slouched slowly into the room.

"The keys in the lock," Harry muttered. "We could lock it in."

"Good idea," said Ron nervously.

They edged toward the open door, mouths dry, praying the troll wasn't about to come out of it. Then, with one great leap, Harry managed to grab the key, slam the door, and lock it.

"Yes!"

Flushed with their victory, they started to run back up the passage, but as they reached the corner, they heard something that made their hearts stop - a high, petrified scream - and it was coming from the chamber they'd just chained up.

"Oh, no," said Ron, pale as the Bloody Baron.

"It's the girls' bathroom!" Harry gasped.

"Hermione!" they said together.

Wheeling around, they sprinted back to the door and turned the key, fumbling in their panic. Harry pulled the door open, and they ran inside.

Hermione Granger was shrinking against the wall opposite, looking as if she was about to faint. The troll was advancing on her, knocking the sinks off the walls as it went.

"Confuse it!" Harry said desperately to Ron, and, seizing a tap, he threw it as hard as he could against the wall.

The troll stopped a few feet from Hermione. It lumbered around, blinking stupidly, to see what had made the noise. Its mean little eyes saw Harry. It hesitated, then made for him instead, lifting its club as it went.

"Oy, pea-brain!" yelled Ron from the other side of the chamber, throwing a metal pipe at it. The troll didn't even seem to notice the pipe hitting its shoulder, but it heard the yell and paused again, turning its ugly snout toward Ron instead, giving Harry time to run around it.

"Come on, run, run!" Harry yelled at Hermione, trying to pull her toward the door, but she couldn't move; she was still flat against the wall, her mouth open with terror.

The shouting and the echoes seemed to be driving the troll berserk. It roared again and started toward Ron, who was nearest and had no way to escape.

"GET THE HELL AWAY FROM HIM!" Harry snarled as he unleashed his tentacles on the troll which began to batter it repeatedly from all angles, making the troll roar in rage; a moment later, the door to the girl's bathroom ripped open to reveal Raven who quickly took in what was happening and turned her attention onto the troll before her.

"Azarath Metrion Zynthos!" Raven shouted as she pointed her hands at the enraged troll, immediately a wave of black washed over the troll, which then proceeded to lift the beast up and slam it onto the ground repeatedly until the troll's roars finally fell silent and Raven pulled the black wave away to reveal an unconscious and bloody troll that didn't look nearly as scary as it had moments ago.

Before Harry could express his gratitude to Raven for saving them, she rounded on him with a look of fury on her face which made Harry suddenly very nervous,

"What the hell are you doing here!" Raven demanded, "You're supposed to be in your common room! If I hadn't used my powers to track down the troll, you could have been killed!"

"I…. I…." Harry stuttered, trying to make his brain formulate words; before Raven could begin another angry tirade a sudden slamming, and loud footsteps made the three of them look up. They hadn't realized what racket they had been making, but someone downstairs must have heard the crashes and the troll's roars. A moment later, Professor McGonagall had come bursting into the room, closely followed by Flitwick, with Quirrell bringing up the rear. Quirrell took one look at the troll, let out a faint whimper, and sat quickly down on a toilet, clutching his heart.

Flitwick bent over the troll. Professor McGonagall was looking at Ron and Harry. Harry had never seen her look so angry. Her lips were white. Hopes of winning fifty points for Gryffindor faded quickly from Harry's mind.

"What on earth were you thinking of?" said Professor McGonagall, with cold fury in her voice. "You're lucky you weren't killed. Why aren't you in your dormitory?"

"That's PRECISELY what I want to know as well!" Raven added angrily as she glared at Harry, who suddenly felt as though he had lost his ability to speak; then a small voice came out of the shadows.

"Please, Professor McGonagall - they were looking for me."

"Miss Granger!" McGonagall replied in shock,

Hermione had managed to get to her feet at last.

"I went looking for the troll because I - I thought I could deal with it on my own - you know because I've read all about them."

"If they hadn't found me, I'd be dead now. They didn't have time to come and fetch anyone. It was about to finish me off when they arrived."

"What happened to it?" Flitwick asked as he gazed down at the bloody body of the troll,

"That would be me, Professor," Raven replied quickly, "I saw that the troll was about to finish off my brother and his friends, so I took the initiative."

"Very impressive, Ms. Potter," Flitwick replied warmly as Professor McGonagall seemed to finally regain her ability to speak and turned back to the three Gryffindors who were looking at their feet.

"Well - in that case... " said Professor McGonagall, desperately trying to regain her composure as she stared at the three of them, "Miss Granger, you foolish girl, how could you think of tackling a mountain troll on your own?"

Hermione hung her head. Harry was speechless. Hermione was the last person to do anything against the rules, and she was pretending she had to get them out of trouble. It was as if Snape had started handing out sweets.

"Miss Granger, five points will be taken from Gryffindor for this," said Professor McGonagall. "I'm very disappointed in you. But, if you're not hurt at all, you'd better get off to Gryffindor tower. Students are finishing the feast in their houses."

Hermione left.

Professor McGonagall turned to Harry and Ron.

"Well, I still say you were lucky, but not many first years could have taken on a full-grown mountain troll. So, you each win Gryffindor five points. Professor Dumbledore will be informed of this. You may go."

As Harry and Ron left the bathroom, Raven followed them out,

"Mr. Weasley, kindly return to Gryffindor common room, I wish to speak to my brother alone for a moment."

As Ron nodded and hurried away, Raven rounded on Harry with a dark expression on her face,

"Now, what REALLY happened?"

Too afraid of his sister's fury to even attempt to lie, Harry quickly told her what had transpired that day and how he and Ron had come to be in the girl's bathroom confronting a troll; by the time he was done, Raven had her eyes closed and was pinching the bridge of her nose in annoyance.

"So let me get this straight," Raven said slowly, "Instead of telling your prefect or a teacher, you decided to do it yourself and almost got two other students seriously hurt in the process."

"I had it under control!" Harry defended, "The troll had nothing on Cinderblock, and I've beaten him countless times!"

"That's not the point!" Raven countered, "You're not a hero, here! You're a student and while you may have superpowers, the other children do not! What would you have done had one of them been killed due to your carelessness?"

"If I hadn't acted, Hermione WOULD have been killed!" Harry retorted, "Should I have left her to try and save herself!?"

"Dammit Harry, that's not what I'm saying!" Raven exclaimed in exasperation, "I know that you're a hero and I'm proud that you went to save a friend, but you could have been killed! I've already lost our parents; I can't lose you too!"

Harry was shocked into silence at that as he saw tears slide down Raven's cheeks; without a word, Harry lunged forward and wrapped his arms around Raven's waist, trying desperately not to cry himself.

"I'm sorry, Raven," Harry said softly as he felt her wrap her arms around him, "I wasn't thinking, I promise I won't do something like this again."

Raven tightened her hold around her brother for a moment more before she released him and got down on one knee so that she was facing him,

"I'm not asking you to stop being a hero, Harry," Raven said softly, "All I'm asking is for you to think first, next time. Okay?"

"Okay," Harry replied with a warm smile that Raven returned,

"Good, now why don't you head back to your common room and enjoy the rest of the feast."

After giving one final quick hug, Harry raced away, leaving a smiling Raven behind him before she turned and walked back into the bathroom where the other teachers were examining the unconscious troll.

When Harry reached the door to Gryffindor tower, he found Ron waiting for him and the two nodded at each other and entered the common room without saying a word; Gryffindor tower was packed and noisy as everyone ate the food that had been sent up. Hermione, however, was standing alone waiting for them and as Harry and Ron approached her, there was an embarrassing pause.

"I'm sorry I made fun of you," Ron said, his face growing red with embarrassment, "I didn't mean to hurt your feelings."

"I accept your apology," Hermione said with a warm smile, "Would you like to get some food?"

"Yeah!" Ron said happily as the three made their way over to the table where said food lay; as the three hungrily dug in, Harry couldn't help but smile, it had been a pretty good Halloween, all things considered.

XXXX

"So what did you want to talk about?" Beastboy asked from where he sat as he munched on a caramel apple; Robin had asked all the Titans to meet him in an empty classroom not long after the troll had been dealt with and the children returned to their respective common rooms.

"Quirrell," Robin stated simply,

"What about him?" Starfire asked in bemusement, "He is a strange teacher, but otherwise harmless."

"I don't think that's the case," Robin replied as he leaned against the desk and crossed his arms, "I think he's actually much more dangerous than he lets on."

"What do you mean?" Raven asked with a raised brow,

"After he collapsed in the Great Hall, and all the teachers raced off to the dungeons to fight the troll, I hung back to see what would happen," Robin explained, "As soon as everyone was gone, Quirrell got up and raced to the third floor."

"You mean the floor that we're not supposed to go to?" Beastboy asked with a smirk,

"That'd be the one," Robin replied with a smirk of his own, "Quirrell got the door open and went inside."

"What happened next?" Starfire asked quickly,

"I was about to go in after him when there was a gigantic roar from the other side and Quirrell came bursting out and slammed the door behind him, looking terrified."

"And then what?" Beastboy prodded as the others listened with bated breath,

"After he managed to collect himself, he left and made his way to the dungeons," Robin replied.

"This makes no sense," Raven said as she put her thumb under her chin, "Why would Quirrell go to the third floor that Dumbledore specifically told everyone to avoid, instead of going to the dungeons and helping the other teachers deal with the troll?"

"Maybe he's the one who let the troll in the first place," Robin replied thoughtfully,

"But for what purpose?" Starfire asked,

"I heard Professor Flitwick say that whatever is on the third floor is incredibly valuable," Beastboy said softly as the others turned to him, "Apparently someone asked Dumbledore to hide it here because they were afraid that someone was trying to steal it."

"You think that someone is Quirrell?" Starfire asked thoughtfully, making Beastboy nod,

"You can't be serious!" Raven responded, "Quirrell? He's a cowardly little thing, he can barely be in the same room as his own students, and you think he's some master thief?"

"Perhaps there's more to him than meets the eye…." Robin said softly as his eyes narrowed, "We should keep an eye on him for the time being."

As the Titans contemplated all that had transpired that night, Raven vowed to get to the bottom of whatever was going on at Hogwarts, and if it put her brother in danger, there would be hell to pay.

Chapter Text

Nymphadora (God, how she hated that name) Tonks desperately tried to concentrate as Professor Kettleburn began the day's lesson on Griffins; truth be told, Tonks didn't even have to be here, seeing as it was her last year at Hogwarts, and she didn't really need a N.E.W.T. in Care of Magical Creatures to pursue her goal of becoming an Auror.

But Tonks had signed up for the class anyway, at the last minute, after seeing the new teachers who would be joining the staff at the Start-of-Term Feast; they were an odd bunch, the whole lot of them, and Tonks couldn't help but wonder if Dumbledore had finally lost his mind as she viewed them for the first time.

Tonks was a Metamorphmagus, which meant she could change her appearance whenever she so chose, an amazing ability as it was rare in the Wizarding World, and for the longest time, Tonks thought that she was alone in the world.

That was until the Star-of-Term Feast when she saw Beastboy for the first time and learned from her housemates what he could do; according to those of Muggle descent, he was not only a superhero (something that she was familiar with thanks to her own Muggleborn father). But he also was a shapeshifter like her, granted he could only turn into animals, but still, for the first time, Tonks dared to hope that perhaps she wasn't alone and immediately signed up for his class, for no other reason than to see if what they claimed was genuine.

Tonks still remembered how shocked and amazed she had been when the claims turned out to be entirely accurate; Beastboy had been asked to transform into a Sphinx by Professor Kettleburn, and most of the class had laughed out loud at what Beastboy had claimed to be able to do.

Those sneers were almost instantly transformed into gasps of shock as Beastboy grinned mischievously for a moment before spinning on the spot and changing into a giant green Sphinx as the Muggleborn students cheered wildly.

Tonks had almost fallen to her knees as she saw the Sphinx; for the first time in her life, she felt as though she wasn't alone and immediately decided that she would learn all she could about the green boy who had invaded her thoughts so wholly.

She'd tried a few times to talk to him either after class or in the halls, but each time, he'd flashed her that mischievous grin, and she seemed to have lost the ability to speak until he had passed her by.

The longer this went on, the more pissed she became with herself; she was hoping to be accepted into the Auror program next year, for crying out loud, and Aurors did not get tongue-tied because of some boy, no matter how good-looking he was!

Today was proving to be just as difficult as every other as Tonks let her eyes drift over to the subject of her distraction. Beastboy was wearing a plain white t-shirt and blue jeans and appeared bored as he casually leaned against a nearby tree while he waited for Professor Kettleburn to call him over and transform into that day's subject.

Seeing Tonks staring at him, Beastboy flashed that infernal grin of his and winked at her; she was grateful for her abilities in that instant, for if she didn't have them, Tonks was sure that she'd be blushing so bright that they would be able to see it from space.

"Today's the day!" Tonks thought with determination, "Today's the day I speak to him! No more of this schoolgirl bollocks! I mean, I AM a schoolgirl but still!"

"Beastboy, could you come over here, please?" Professor Kettleburn said as she turned to the green boy to tell him they were ready for him.

"Sure thing, Professor!" Beastboy called as he swaggered over; behind her, Tonks heard a girl sigh softly, and Tonks had to fight back a growl at the sound.

"Don't even think about it, hussy!" Tonks thought quickly, "He's mine!"

"Now, as Beastboy shows us what a Griffin looks like, I want you all to pay attention to his claws!" Professor Kettleburn thunders, "That's the part of the Griffin you need to watch out for!"

Giving him a nod, Professor Kettleburn took a step back as Beastboy spun on the spot and transformed into a large, ferocious-looking Griffin that left Tonks momentarily stunned with awe.

The rest of the day's lesson was a blur to her as Tonks barely registered what the Professor was saying, Tonks' sole attention being on the green creature that stood proudly in the center of their class.

When the class was finally dismissed, Tonks nervously shifted from foot to foot as she waited for the rest of her class to head back to the castle so she could speak to Beastboy, who was talking to Professor Kettleburn about the next class that would be arriving soon.

With a final nod, Professor Kettleburn turned and strode away, leaving Beastboy and Tonks alone; as he turned around, Beastboy looked at Tonks in surprise for a moment before that damned grin appeared again.

"Hey, Nymphadora, right?"

"Yeah, but please don't call me that," Tonks said in annoyance, "I don't know what my mum was thinking when she chose my name. It's my belief that the pain potions were a contributing factor in my name choice."

Beastboy laughed at that, and Tonks felt herself blush, which was thankfully hidden by her abilities,

"Could be worse," Beastboy said when he finally stopped laughing, "You could be named Garfield."

"Oof," Tonks said in sympathy, "Guess both our parents had it in for us."

"Suppose so," Beastboy chirped, "So what can I do for you?"

"Um…..well, you see, I was wondering if you'd like to hang out sometime after….after class, I mean."

Beastboy looked at Tonks for a moment in surprise before a wary look came over his face, making Tonks suddenly nervous.

"I don't mean any disrespect, but I don't think that's a good idea," Beastboy said at last, "I'm a teacher's aide here, and you're a student. People might get the wrong impression."

"I'm not asking you on a date!" Tonks scoffed, rolling her eyes to sell the ruse, "I want to hang out, maybe get to know you if you're alright with it. You see…. I'm a Metamorphmagus…."

"A what?" Beastboy asked as he cocks his head in confusion,

"A Metamorphmagus," Tonks said again slowly, "It means I can change my appearance at will."

"That's so cool!" Beastboy replied enthusiastically, making Tonks cheer internally as his response; she had been worried he would react differently, and to be shown otherwise made her almost giddy.

"Yeah, and it's a really rare ability," Tonks continued, "I think I'm the only one in all of Britain, and then you show up, and you've got abilities like mine, albeit a bit different, but still, I'd like to get to know you a bit better if you're alright with that?"

Beastboy ran a hand through his hair and sighed for a moment, making Tonks mentally frown as she prepared for him to decline again; after a moment of tense silence, Beastboy finally flashed another of those infernal grins that she's come to love.

"Sure, why not," Beastboy said warmly, "As long as it's just as friends, deal?"

"Deal!" Tonks replied, desperately trying not to show how deliriously happy she was, "So, I'll see you around, then."

Without another word, Tonks turned around and hurried away; once she was safely back in the castle, she issued a screech of excitement as she jumped toward the ceiling, eliciting looks of alarm from those who passed her by. Still, she paid them no notice; she got what she wanted.

X.X.X.X.

Raven's knee bounced nervously as she sat in the stands with the rest of Gryffindor house and waited for the game to begin; Harry's first Quidditch game against Slytherin was set to start in five minutes, and though she had told him that he would do great, she couldn't help but worry.

As the two teams made their way onto the field, Raven winced as the stands came alive with shouts and cheers; the boys of Harry's dorm had used one of the sheets Ron's rat had ruined to create a large sign that read "POTTER FOR PRESIDENT!" Hermione had then used an impressive bit of magic to make the words change color, and seeing it seemed to calm Raven if only a little bit.

As the two team captains shook hands, Raven glanced over at Beastboy and noticed that he had a very mischievous grin on his face, the same one that he wore whenever he and Harry would pull some prank, and Raven internally groaned as she tried to figure out what the two of them had planned this time.

Her answer comes almost immediately after the game begins. Harry suddenly stands up as if he's riding a skateboard instead of a flying broomstick and seems to snap his fingers; for a moment, nothing happened, and Raven wondered if whatever Harry had planned didn't work.

Seconds later, music began filling the stands, and Raven noticed what looked like speakers strategically placed through the stadium where they would have the best output; turning to Beastboy, Raven stared at him with a raised eyebrow for a moment, making her fellow Titan's grin grow even more prominent.

"Took Harry and me all night to get it set up," Beastboy said simply as the bass grew in intensity while the stadium roared with cheers.

"How?" Raven asked, "Electricity shouldn't work at Hogwarts, and unless I missed my guess, a stereo works on electricity."

"Cyborg and Jinx figured it out," Beastboy replied happily, "Took them forever, but I think the result speaks for itself, wouldn't you?"

Raven smiled and shook her head as she turned back to the game and her little brother, who was standing on his broom and waving his arms as though conducting a symphony as the stadium rang out with music and cheers in equal measure.

X.X.X.X.

Harry felt like his face was going to break as he stood on his broom and smiled; his plan had worked, his first game, and already he was sure that the whole school would be talking about it for years.

As the lyrics began, Harry began soaring around the stadium, standing straight up as though he were riding a skateboard; unknown to anyone else, his tentacles had come out of the bottom of his pants and were wrapped around his ankles and holding him to the broomstick. Still, it looked like he was standing on it effortlessly to everyone else.

"STAND UP AND BE COUNTED!

FOR WHAT YOU ARE ABOUT TO RECEIVE!

WE ARE THE DEALERS!

WE'LL GIVE YOU EVERYTHING YOU NEED!"

Harry did a barrel roll as the lyrics echoed throughout the stadium; as he swung by one of the Weasley twins, who was beaming at Harry's prank, Harry raised his hand and gave a passing high-five before performing a three-sixty spin that caused more than a few people to gasp in fear that he might fall off.

"HAIL! HAIL TO THE GOOD TIMES!

CAUSE ROCK HAS GOT THE RIGHT OF WAY!

WE AIN'T NO LEGEND, AIN'T NO CAUSE, WE'RE JUST LIVING FOR TODAY!

FOR THOSE ABOUT TO ROCK!

WE SALUTE YOU!

FOR THOSE ABOUT TO ROCK!

WE SALUTE YOU!"

The stadium echoed with the chorus as the Muggleborns shouted it as loud as they could while those who didn't know the song copied what was being said by those close to them. Only the Slytherins seemed to find the whole thing ridiculous, and Harry laughed as he passed them, their boos appearing so silent compared to the rest of the stadium.

"WE ROCK AT DAWN, ON THE FRONT LINE,

LIKE A BOLT RIGHT OUT OF THE BLUE!

THE SKY'S ALIGHT WITH THE GUITAR BITE,

HEADS WIL ROCK AND ROLL TONIGHT!

FOR THOSE ABOUT TO ROCK, WE SALUTE YOU!

FOR THOSE ABOUT TO ROCK, WE SALUTE YOU!

By now, the whole stadium was echoing with the chorus (minus the Slytherins, of course), and Harry couldn't help but laugh with happiness at how well his prank had gone. Truth be told, he had been terrified as the day of his first game approached; (though he would have died before he admitted it). He knew that his dad had been on the Gryffindor house team and had been amazing if what his professors had told him was anything to go on. The thought that he couldn't measure up to James Potter's image made Harry more than a little nervous.

Deciding that it was time to stop fooling about, Harry had his tentacles release their hold on his broomstick before performing a backflip that made the stadium gasp in awe and landing comfortably on it.

As the song finally ended, Harry gripped the broomstick tight with one hand and raised his fist into the air, eliciting a roar of approval from the crowd before tearing off across the stadium in search of the snitch.

X.X.X.X.

Raven shook her head in exasperation, even as she fought the grin that was trying to spread across her face; around her, the Gryffindors screamed out their exaltations for her little brother, and Raven couldn't help but agree that James Potter would have very much approved of the way his son had begun his first ever Quidditch game.

As a bludger sent from one of the Weasley twins slammed into a Slytherin chaser, Robin let out an audible groan of disbelief,

"I can't believe that this game is allowed to exist. This is an emergency room's wet dream!"

"When magic can heal you in literal seconds, you don't really have to worry about things like getting too badly hurt," Raven replied, wincing as another bludger was sent from one of the twins at the same chaser, who luckily managed to dodge it this time.

"I find it quite enjoyable!" Starfire cried enthusiastically as she jumped up and down in her seat,

"Yeah, dude!" Beastboy added, "This is awesome!"

"I think Harry's spotted the snitch!" Hermione shouted excitedly, causing many to cast their gaze toward the sight of Harry and the Slytherin seeker racing side-by-side toward the ground at breakneck speed. At the same time, Raven watched and nervously chewed her lip.

A moment later, a groan echoed throughout the stadium as the Slytherin captain, Marcus Flint, cut Harry off just as he was about to capture the snitch, causing Harry's broom to spin out of control.

"Foul!" Screamed the Gryffindors.

"Cheating prick!" Beastboy shouted, "That can't be legal!"

"It's not!" Ron barked, "But what else do you expect from a Slytherin!"

Madam Hooch spoke angrily to Flint and then ordered a free shot at the goalposts for Gryffindor. But in all the confusion, the snitch was lost; down in the stands, Dean Thomas was yelling,

"Send him off, ref! Red card!"

"This isn't football, Dean," Ron reminded him, "And what's a red card?"

As Dean explained, Raven watched her brother with narrowed eyes; something was wrong, Harry's broomstick was behaving oddly, jerking erratically, and from the look on Harry's face, it was not him doing it.

As Raven watched, the broom suddenly began to buck like a wild horse as Harry held on for dear life,

"What the hell's going on?!" Raven cried as the crowd watched in horror,

"Did something happen when Flint blocked him?" Seamus asked.

"Can't have," Hagrid said, his voice shaking, "Can't nothing interfere with a broomstick except powerful dark magic; no kid could do that to a Nimbus Two Thousand!"

At these words, Raven tore her gaze away from her little brother and began scanning the crowd with laser focus, searching for anyone who might be the cause of what was happening to her brother's broomstick.

Suddenly, Raven's eyes landed on Professor Quirrell, who she saw looked muttering while staring at Harry with an almost obsessed intensity; looking over at Robin, Raven saw that he too was staring at Quirrell, and he quickly nodded at her before turning and disappearing, into the crowd.

X.X.X.X.

"What the hell is wrong with this thing!" Harry snarled as his broom rolled and bucked interminably to throw him off; it had been fine a few moments ago, but now it seemed to have gone completely out of control and was beginning to piss Harry off.

As the broom performed another barrel roll, Harry saw below him the glint of gold; the snitch was hovering a hundred feet beneath him, there for the taking.

"Screw this!" Harry snarled as he let go of his broom handle and dove out into the open air; screams echoed around him instantly, and Harry had to fight not to laugh as he realized that no one knew he could fly and probably thought his broomstick had finally thrown him off.

As the air rushed past him, Harry flattened himself out so that he looked like an arrow and dove straight toward the snitch; as the ground grew closer and closer, Harry could hear screams echoing around him and couldn't help but smile.

At the last possible second, as his fingers closed around the object of his attention, Harry felt someone grab hold of his robe and jerk him back, momentarily choking him before the two crashed into the ground hard and rolled several feet.

As Harry lay gasping on his back, he turned his head to see that it had been Katie Bell, one of his teammates who had grabbed him and was now sporting what looked like a broken leg and arm while her broom lay several feet away.

"Are you okay?" Harry gasped out, causing Katie to laugh weakly before gritting her teeth in pain,

"Am I okay?! You just fell about a hundred feet! Are you okay is the real question!"

"I'm fine!" Harry replied though he felt anything but, "Takes a lot more than that to kill me!"

"Good for you!" Katie replied sarcastically as the rest of the Gryffindor team descended upon them.

"Are you both okay!" Wood asked as he landed and quickly landed and kneeled between them,

"NO!" Harry and Katie answered in unison, making the other team members chuckle.

"That was brilliant, Harry!" Fred cried out,

"Never seen anything like it!" George added.

"HARRY JAMES POTTER! WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING?!" Raven roared as she descended on her brother, who winced slightly, "YOU COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED! WHY THE HELL DID YOU JUMP OFF OF YOUR BROOM!?"

"The stupid thing was about to throw me off!" Harry defended, "I couldn't hold on much longer, and in case you forgot, I can fly!"

"Then why didn't you!" Raven demanded as she stared down at Harry, her arms crossed in anger.

"I was about to when Katie grabbed me!"

"So it's my fault?!" Katie screeched, making Harry wince at his poor choice of words,

"No! I didn't mean it like that; I'm sorry, Katie." Harry replied, looking suitably abashed,

"We need to get the two of you to the Hospital Wing," Wood said quickly as the rest of the stadium descended upon the fallen players.

"Indeed!" Professor McGonagall added in a harsh tone, "Never in all my years have I seen anything so idiotic as a student jumping off of their broom, Mr. Potter! You're lucky to be alive!"

"You and I are going to be having a very in-depth discussion later," Raven growled, making Harry gulp slightly as Professor McGonagall raised her wand and began to levitate Harry and Katie toward the castle.

Once they were gone, Raven turned towards Robin, who had just managed to fight his way through the crowd to her,

"Guess you didn't make it in time?" Raven snapped,

He was gone by the time I got there," Robin growled back, "Must've taken off when Harry jumped from his broom."

"Then let's get after him!" Beastboy snapped, his eyes turning into feline-like slits,

"Dumbledore will never believe us!" Robin retorted, "He can barely stand us as is."

"So we just let this pass!?" Raven snarled, "He tried to kill my brother!"

"I know!" Robin retorted, "But we have no proof, and until we do, all we can do is watch him and hope he slips up."

"Guess this proves you were right," Beastboy sneered, "The dude really is the one we're looking for."

"I want him watched at all times!" Raven growled, "If he so much as looks in my brother's direction in a way that feels threatening, his ass is mine!"

"I'm next in line after you," Beastboy growled as the group made their way towards the castle.

X.X.X.X.

Author's Note:

For those about to rock was written by AC/DC; as such, I claim no legal ownership over the song whatsoever. Holy crap! I had no idea when I was writing this that so many people would enjoy reading it; I'm honored that you all like it so much, and I hope I can continue to keep you all entertained with my story. The pressure is on to keep up the momentum now, lol.

I apologize for how long it's taken me to update lately; life has been getting in the way recently; I hope this will sate your appetite for now. Unfortunately, I didn't put the midnight duel and finding Fluffy part where it should be. That's because it's my story, and I'm writing it differently than J.K. Rowling did; don't worry, it's coming. Reviews are always welcome as they help me plan what comes next, what to continue, and what to drop. I hope ya'll like it!

Chapter Text

Chapter Fourteen

The next few weeks were some of the best that Harry could remember; with a single game, Harry had established himself not only as a fantastic Quidditch player but also as a master prankster. Harry's reputation was further elevated when to prove his claims that he could in fact fly without the aid of a broom, Harry led a group of Hogwarts students to the top of the tallest TowerTower and promptly leapt off of it to the horror of his assorted audience.

Before the students could do anything more than scream in shock at his apparent suicide, Harry reappeared before them, floating on air with his hands in his pockets and a wry grin on his face as his classmates stared at him in awe.

Predictably, word had spread like fiend fire, and within a day, the whole of Hogwarts had learned that Harry could fly without the aid of a broomstick. Naturally, the only ones who didn't seem to be in awe of Harry's abilities was the Slytherin house, who seemed to hold Harry in even greater disdain. They still hadn't forgiven them for getting Snape suspended, something Harry found amusing as the new Potions Professor (a man named Slughorn) was not only a better instructor but also more temperate of mood, as far as Harry was concerned.

It was during breakfast that Harry learned just how much Slytherin house hated him, or at least how much one Slytherin in particular did.

Harry was just finishing up his breakfast when he felt someone approach him; turning to see who it was, Harry found himself staring at the sneering face of Draco Malfoy, who was flanked by his two bodyguards, Crabbe and Goyle.

"Something I can do for you, Draco?" Harry asked in his most innocent voice,

"You think you're so special, don't you?" Draco sneered, causing Harry to raise an eyebrow at him.

"Not particularly," Harry replied in a bored voice, "You know who's special? Criss Angel! I saw him in Vegas once; dude was phenomenal!"

"What?" Draco asked in confusion as a few Muggleborns around Harry snickered in amusement.

Realizing that he was losing momentum, Draco turned red with embarrassment for a moment before snapping angrily,

"You're just a freak, Potter! Like the rest of your family! You and the rest of them should be driven from Hogwarts! There's no place here for your abnormality!"

"Aww, Draco," Harry said in a mock-sad voice, "Does this mean we aren't friends anymore? You know, if I thought you weren't my friend, I just don't think I could bear it."

The table burst into laughter at that, and Draco turned red with embarrassment and anger in equal measure as Harry looked at him with a sad expression that seemed to make his housemates laugh even harder.

"How dare you mock me, Potter! My father will-" Draco began before Harry cut him off,

"You know, I've noticed something about you, Draco," Harry said with a smile,

"And what is that?" Draco spat back,

"You only act tough when you're with your bodyguards." Harry replied with a wry grin, "Without your two gorillas, I doubt you'd have the balls to talk to anyone the way you do."

Instantly, the temperature of the table seemed to drop ten degrees, and everyone seemed to hold their breath as they waited for Draco to respond.

"I'll take you on any time, Potter! In fact, I challenge you to a wizards' duel! What's the matter? Never heard of it?"

"Of course, he has," Ron replied before Harry could respond, "I'm his second. Who's yours?"

Draco turned to his bodyguards and seemed to be sizing them up for a moment, before turning back to Harry and Ron,

"Crabbe," Draco replied coolly, "We'll meet tonight at midnight in the trophy room that's always unlocked."

"See you there, dear Draco," Harry replied with a wink that seemed to make Draco even angrier; without another word, Draco spun on his heel and stomped back to the Slytherin table as Harry turned back to his food.

"You're not seriously going to meet him, are you?" Hermione demanded as Harry reached over and pulled more food onto his plate,

"Of course not," Harry replied through a mouthful of bacon, "Prick probably won't even show up, and I'll most likely end up in detention for being out of the dorm past curfew. And on the off chance that he does show up, I already know I can beat him. I have nothing to gain by dueling him and far too much to lose, so there's no profit in it for me and, therefore, no reason to acquiesce to his demands."

Hermione nodded in agreement before returning to her book as the rest of Gryffindor house grinned at Harry.

"So, you basically just set him up," Fred stated with a laugh, "Either he shows up and gets caught, or he doesn't show up, thinking he just got YOU in trouble, which he hasn't. Either way, it's his loss."

"Exactly, my red-headed friend!" Harry replied with a wink that caused the twins to burst into laughter,

"Blimey, I'd hate to be your enemy, Harry," George said with a grin, "You're a devious one."

"Aww, You're going to make me cry if you keep flattering me like that," Harry said as he pretended to sniffle, causing his housemates to laugh even harder.

XXXX

As the weeks passed, Harry's fame gradually faded as the students began preparing for Christmas break; the Titans had decided to remain at Hogwarts for Christmas due to Cyborg going to visit his dad and Jinx paying a visit to an old friend, thus leaving Titans TowerTower empty for the holidays.

To Harry's delight, Ron would be staying for the holidays as well, due to his parents visiting his older brother, Charlie, in Romania. With no classes and unlimited time to goof off alongside his friends, Harry found that he was looking forward to the break.

The day that Christmas break began, Harry was tightly hugged by Hermione, who was about to leave with the others going home for Christmas break.

"Now, remember to stay out of trouble!" Hermione scolded as she released Harry from her hug, "I know that's difficult for you, but I do wish that you would try all the same."

"I give you my sworn oath!" Harry replied back, snapping to attention, and giving her a mock salute that made her shake her head in exasperation,

"I just hope Hogwarts is still standing when I come back," Hermione replied with a slight grin.

"I'll keep one or two towers up for you, how's that sound?" Harry replied with a wink,

"That would be greatly appreciated," Hermione replied with a smile before turning on her heel and following the rest of the school to the train station.

Once those who were leaving had done so, Harry joined Ron in a game of Gobstones; the common room was surprisingly empty, and Harry found that he quite missed his housemates, though this was quickly remedied when the twins decided to unleash their supply of fireworks, which turned the common room into a veritable battleground as everyone ducked for cover from the tiny missiles.

Once it was safe to come out again, the twins found themselves forced to run for safety as Percy Weasley and Professor McGonagall chased them out of Gryffindor tower while Harry and Ron watched and tried to breathe through their laughter.

XXXX

Raven breathed a sigh of annoyance as she tried to focus and lost concentration for the third time in less than an hour; she had been meditating in her quarters since dinner, yet her mind refused to comply with her wishes, much to her growing annoyance.

When Cyborg and Jinx told the Titans that they would be leaving the Tower for Christmas, it gave them the perfect opportunity to volunteer to stay at Hogwarts, if for no other reason than to monitor Quirrell.

For weeks since Harry's accident on the Quidditch pitch, Raven and the others had tried to keep a close eye on the Defense Professor, yet Quirrell was proving increasingly difficult to keep track of. Raven had attempted to use her abilities to keep an eye on him, only to discover that for some reason, whenever she attempted to focus on Quirrell, she would draw a blank, as if the Professor was somehow able to hide himself from her gaze.

That only made Raven more determined than ever to keep track of where Quirrell was at all times, and the Titans had decided to take shifts that would ensure that someone was watching Quirrell at all times.

To everyone's aggravation, it seemed that Quirrell was aware that he was being watched. However, it appeared he was unaware of who it might be and had taken to spending hours by himself, locked in his chambers with anti-listening wards surrounding it, thereby ensuring that the Titans had no idea what was going on in there.

Having decided that whatever Quirrell was up to involved whatever was on the third floor, Robin had paid a visit to the room in question with Beastboy a few days after Christmas break had begun.

When they returned a few hours later, Raven was ready to wring Dumbledore's neck; according to Robin and Beastboy, the third floor held a maze of one danger after another, ending in a seemingly empty chamber that Robin and Beastboy had scoured, only to come back empty-handed.

"Why would Dumbledore put such dangerous traps on the third floor and yet have nothing at the end worth guarding?" Starfire had asked once Robin and Beastboy had returned from their investigation.

"Maybe he hasn't put the thing in there yet," Beastboy replied, "Could be that he plans to put it in there later."

"What the hell will he be placing in there that needs such protection?" Raven had demanded as she imagined the three-headed monstrosity Robin had described as being the first of the traps he and Beastboy had encountered.

"Whatever it is, it's gotta be valuable to warrant such protections," Robin replied grimly, "We should keep a careful eye on the third floor and be ready when Dumbledore finally does put whatever it is he's guarding up there."

"How will we know when he finally does, though?" Beastboy had asked,

"When Quirrell makes his move," Robin replied grimly, "That's when we'll make ours as well."

Since then, the Titans had ensured that one of them knew where Quirrell was at all times, yet Raven couldn't help but feel as though she were missing something important. It was as though she were staring at a puzzle and yet was missing a vital piece that would ensure the whole picture could be understood.

With no classes to work with and nothing better to do, Raven had spent numerous hours locked in her quarters, meditating in the hopes that her powers would show her just what it was that she was missing. Yet, she was continually denied, much to her aggravation.

As Raven tried once again to center herself, a sudden banging on the door to her quarters caused her concentration to slip; with a grimace, Raven lowered herself to the ground and made her way to the door to see who it was that might be bothering her.

"Hey, Raven!" Harry cried happily as she opened her door, "The Weasleys and I are gonna have a snowball fight. Wanna come?"

Raven couldn't help but smile at her little brother's genuine happiness; since coming to Hogwarts, Raven had watched happily as Harry seemed to open up more now that he had friends who he could be completely honest with about his abilities and powers.

"Sure, sounds fun," Raven replied, smiling as she saw Harry's smile grow ten-fold, "Did you invite the rest of the Titans?"

"Yup! They're getting ready and are going to meet us outside in fifteen!" Harry cried happily, "It's gonna be epic!"

"I'm sure it will be," Raven replied with a gentle laugh, "Just don't blame me when you lose,"

"Oh, it is on!" Harry retorted happily as the two made their way outside.

After a furious snowball war that left everyone frozen and dripping, and in which Harry and the Weasleys lost spectacularly due to Raven creating giant snowballs that easily overcame the Weasley's defenses, the Titans and Weasleys made their way to the Great Hall for some well-earned hot chocolate before going to bed. The last thought Harry had before he succumbed to his exhaustion was that this was probably the best Christmas he had ever had; for the first time, he had friends that he could be totally open with and who didn't see him as a freak or gawk at him. To his new friends, he was just Harry, and though that might seem odd to others, to Harry it meant the world.

XXXX

Christmas morning, Harry was awoken by an ear-shattering scream of joy, followed almost immediately by someone launching themselves upon Harry, causing him to awaken with a painful "Oomph."

As Harry finally managed to extricate himself from his attacker, before promptly falling out of his bed and onto the floor, Harry saw that it was Ron who had divebombed him and was enthusiastically jumping on Harry's bed with a wide grin on his face.

"Have you gone mad!" Harry demanded as he slowly rose from where he lay and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes,

"It's Christmas!" Ron shouted happily, "And you took too long to get up!"

"Just because it's Christmas doesn't mean you should violently attack someone in their sleep!" Harry retorted, "What if I had accidentally attacked you?"

Ron paused in his jumping at that, before shaking his head nervously and leaping to the floor,

"You wouldn't have hurt me. I trust you, Harry."

Harry blushed at the comment and was about to reply when the door to his dorm opened up, and Raven walked in with a wry grin on her face,

"Oh good, you're awake. I was about to wake you myself, but I see Ron had first dibs."

Harry stuck his tongue at her, causing Raven to smile and gently rub his head for a moment before he shoved her hand away.

"I moved everyone's presents to the common room. We're opening them there so that everyone can be together," Raven said warmly, "Everyone is waiting on you two, so hurry up!"

Without another word, Raven turned on her heel and quickly walked out of the dorm; Ron and Harry promptly turned to each other and seemed to register Raven's words at the same time before huge smiles appeared on their faces, and they shouted in unison,

"Presents!"

A moment later, Harry and Ron were tumbling down the stairs to the enjoyment of the onlookers before landing in a heap at the bottom of the staircase. As Harry groaningly got to his feet, he saw a massive pile of presents with his name on them, waiting for him to open them, and he immediately began to tear into them with all the happiness that a child could express. Starfire, who already had fallen in love with the holiday upon first seeing it, was flying around the Gryffindor common room like a kid in a sugar high, laughing madly as she took in the beautiful way the common room had been set up for Christmas. Finally, Raven had to physically pull the giggling girl back to the ground so that everyone could begin opening their gifts.

For the next hour, harry, the Titans, and the Weasleys opened the mountain of presents each had received; Harry (with Raven's knowledge and consent) had spared no expense in his purchases for the Weasleys, now that he knew how wealthy he and Raven were.

Ron had received a brand new Nimbus 2000 and had immediately tackled Harry in a hug as he repeatedly said how grateful he was. For the twins, Harry had purchased a trunk and stuffed it with enough prank material to keep them both occupied for at least a year, if not more. The twins had been almost beside themselves with glee at the present and had promptly adopted Harry into the Weasley clan in gratitude, baptizing him by pouring a cup of Butterbeer over his head, which left him sputtering but laughing all the same.

Knowing how studious he was, Harry's gift to Percy had been a voucher to Flourish and Blotts, worth five hundred galleons, to be used as he saw fit. Percy had been beside himself at Harry's present and had thanked him profusely as he carefully tucked the voucher away for safekeeping. Harry had sent the same gift to Hermione and was waiting on the return owl that would surely come, expressing her thanks.

When it came time for the Titans to open their presents, Harry could hardly sit still as he watched with bated breath, hoping they would like what he had bought them.

Robin had received an autographed poster from his favorite band, Queen; Harry had to spend a fortune to get it, seeing as the lead singer was dead, but the shocked look on Robin's face was worth it in the end, at least to him anyway.

Starfire had received a season pass to Hershey Park; due to her excessive love of chocolate, Harry knew that she would love her gift and was happily rewarded with a bone-crushing hug from Starfire once she had stopped squealing in pleasure.

Beastboy's gift had left the green changeling speechless as he looked down at the receipt for the next top-of-the-line VR game station that was set to come out next year; it was supposed to be stupidly expensive, and Beastboy had planned to wait until the price dropped, but Harry had decided to buy it for him immediately, which resulted in another bone-crushing hug of gratitude.

As Raven opened her gift, she felt her breath catch in her throat as her eyes began to water with unshed tears; Harry had spared no expense with his elder sister's gift, and seeing her expression now, he knew it had been worth it. For his big sister, Harry had bought a clasp for her robe, made of pure silver and shaped like a raven in flight; for an extra price, the silversmith that Harry had hired had managed to enchant the clap to actually flap its wings as though it were a real bird.

"Oh, Harry…." Raven whispered in reverence, "It's so beautiful, thank you."

Harry beamed at his friends as he saw the joy in their eyes; a moment later, he was tearing into his own presents with reckless abandon and marveling at what he had received, which included a book on Quidditch from Hermione, a dozen chocolate frogs from Ron, a crate of fireworks from the twins (which was promptly confiscated by Raven), new self-writing quill from Robin, a few new CD's from Beastboy, a new telescope from Starfire, and finally a brand new Gibson Les Paul electric guitar from Raven, that would be waiting for him when they got home for the summer.

But as Harry opened the last present, he heard Raven gasp in shock,

"It can't be…." Raven whispered as she walked over to him and stared at the cloak in Harry's hands,

"What?" Harry asked in confusion as he held it up, "It's just a cloak."

"That's not just a cloak, Harry," Raven whispered in awe as tears went down her cheeks, "It's dad's invisibility cloak."

Harry felt his jaw drop at the words and saw that the Weasleys were imitating him as they stared at the cloak with naked hunger, while Harry stared at the cloak with a more reverent eye as he ran his hands down its length; it felt as though it were made of liquid and yet shone like silver,

"I thought it had been lost," Raven whispered as she ran her hand down its length, "Who sent it to you?"

"I don't know," Harry replied as he checked the card that had fallen from it when he had lifted it up to get a better look at it; as Harry read the words, he found himself suddenly suspicious as to where the cloak had come from, for the note read simply,

'Your father left this in my possession before he died. It is time it was returned to you. Use it well.'

As Raven read the note, Harry could see that she felt the same as him,

"There's no signature," Robin observed as he leaned over to read the note, "Any idea who your dad could have lent it to?"

"There's only one person that dad would have given this to," Raven growled, "Dumbledore."

"Why would he have had this?" Beastboy asked, "It should have gone to you when your parents died, shouldn't it?"

"No doubt the old goat thought that since I wasn't James Potter's REAL kid, I wasn't entitled to anything of his," Raven growled as she crumpled the note into her hand and threw it into the fireplace. "I'll have to pay him a visit later and find out by what right he kept my father's cloak from me."

"Well, go on then, Harry!" Ron said excitedly, "Try it on!"

With an eager grin, Harry stood up and threw the cloak around himself, causing the onlookers to gasp in awe. As Harry looked down, he felt a gasp of his own escape his lips, for where had seconds ago been, his body was now nothing, causing Harry to appear to be nothing but a floating head.

"That is awesome!" Beastboy cried out as he stared wide-eyed at Harry's floating head,

"Can we borrow it, Harry?" Fred asked quickly, "We'll give you anything you ask for!"

"Be your slaves for a month!" George added,

"A year!" Fred added, making the room echo with laughter.

"Not a chance, boys," Raven said with a grin, "You two are already chaos incarnate. I shudder to think what you'd accomplish with this much power."

"We are offended by your totally accurate-" Fred began in mock outrage,

"-Statement of our tenure at this fine establishment!" George finished in likewise mock outrage, making the room laugh again.

As Harry pulled the cloak from around him, he couldn't help but stare at it with a mixture of awe and sadness; Raven seeing her brother's reaction, quickly put a comforting arm around him and said softly,

"Dad would be proud for you to have this, Harry. Just make sure that you don't abuse it too much, or I'll be forced to take it from you until you learn to be responsible with it, deal?"

"Deal!" Harry cried happily as he wrapped his arms around Raven's waist and hugged her for all he was worth.

"Well, looks like we're out of presents," Robin said with a grin, "What say we put our hoard away and head down to breakfast?"

There was a cheer of agreement as everyone quickly grabbed their gifts and began to make their way to the dorm to put them away; before Harry followed, he turned back to Raven with a sad expression that worried Raven.

"Raven, are you sure you don't mind me keeping dad's cloak? You're the eldest. It should go to you."

Raven felt her eyes water at the comment and had to quickly blink them away before kneeling down in front of her little brother and placing a comforting hand on his shoulder,

"Dad would have wanted you to have it, Harry. More so than me, I'm sure."

"But…" Harry began before he was cut off,

"But nothing! It's your birthright, Harry. So do as the note said and make sure you use it well."

Raven finished with a wink that made Harry smile happily before he turned on his heel and ran up to his dorm, with his presents tucked under his arms as the Titans watched with smiles.

Once he was gone, Raven's smile dropped, and a scowl took its place, which was mirrored on Robin's face as well.

"If he had your dad's cloak, I wonder what else he may have taken from your family," Robin said in a low voice,

"I wonder the same thing," Raven replied coldly, "And I intend to find out."

XXXX

Several hours later, after an incredible breakfast, followed up by an all-out snowball war that left everyone tired and sweaty, the Titans and Weasleys made their way down to dinner, and it was one that Harry would remember for the rest of his days. Harry in all his life had never had such a Christmas dinner. A hundred fat, roasted turkeys; mountains of roast and boiled potatoes; platters of chipolatas; tureens of buttered peas, silver boats of thick, rich gravy and cranberry sauce, and stacks of wizard crackers every few feet along the table. These fantastic party favors were nothing like the feeble Muggle ones that Harry and the rest of the Titans usually bought for Christmas before, with their little plastic toys and flimsy paper hats inside.

Harry pulled a wizard cracker with Fred, and it didn't just bang; it went off like a cannon that sent Beastboy tumbling off his seat and engulfed them all in a cloud of blue smoke, while from inside exploded a rear admirals hat and several live, white mice. Up at the high table, Dumbledore had swapped his pointed hat for a flowered bonnet and was chuckling merrily at a joke Professor Flitwick had just told him.

Flaming Christmas puddings followed the turkey; Robin nearly broke his teeth on a silver sickle embedded in his slice. Harry watched Hagrid getting redder and redder in the face as he called for more wine, finally kissing Professor McGonagall on the cheek, who, to Harry and Raven's amazement, giggled and blushed, her top hat lopsided.

When Harry finally left the table, he was laden down with a stack of things that had come from the crackers, including a pack of nonexplodable luminous balloons, a grow-your-own-warts kit, and his own new wizard's chess set. The white mice had disappeared, and Harry had a nasty feeling that they would end up as Mrs. Norris' Christmas dinner.

After dinner, the Titans and the Weasleys retired to the Gryffindor common room, where Harry broke in his new chess set by losing spectacularly to Ron. However, Harry suspected that he wouldn't have lost so badly if not for Percy trying to help him so much; afterward, Robin asked if he could play against Ron, and the match proved to be surprisingly even, with Robin barely managing to win. Surprisingly, Ron wasn't depressed about his loss; rather, he seemed overjoyed to finally find a worthy opponent and asked Robin if they could play again sometime, to which Robin happily agreed.

After a final treat of hot cocoa and smores, everyone was too tired to do anything else and decided it was time for bed.

It had been Harry's best Christmas ever, yet something had been nagging at the back of his mind all day; not until he climbed into bed was he free to think about it: the invisibility cloak and whoever had sent it.

Ron, full of turkey and cake and with nothing mysterious to bother him, had fallen asleep almost as soon as he'd drawn the curtains of his four-poster. Harry leaned over the side and pulled his cloak from under it.

His fathers…. This had been his father's; he let the material flow over his hands, smoother than silk, light as air. Use it well. That's what both Raven and the note had said.

He had to try it now; he slipped out of bed and wrapped the cloak around himself before looking down in awe as he saw only moonlight and shadows, it was a funny feeling, but a pleasant one, all the same.

Use it well.

Suddenly, Harry felt wide awake. The whole of Hogwarts was open to him in this cloak; excitement flooded him as he stood there in the dark and silence. He could go anywhere, and Filch would never know; Harry felt freer than he had since coming to Hogwarts, and his mind began to race to where he should go first.

Ron grunted in his sleep, causing Harry to turn to stare at him; should Harry wake him? Something held him back; this cloak had belonged to Harry's father, and he felt that he wanted to use it alone this time, the first time.

As quietly as he could, Harry crept out of the dormitory, down the stairs, across the common room, and climbed out of the portrait hole.

"Who's there?" The fat lady squawked, causing Harry to quickly walk down the corridor.

Where should he go? He stopped, his heart racing, and began to think, who cares? The whole of Hogwarts was open to him; with a laugh, Harry drew the cloak around him and set off to see what mysteries he could explore.

XXXX

Raven had just finished getting ready for bed when she felt it; something was wrong; she didn't know what, but something was about to happen that would put her little brother in danger, which was odd because he should be in the Tower at this time of night.

With a groan, Raven remembered that her brother had their father's cloak, which meant that he could be anywhere, and with Hogwarts being so big, it could take her hours to find him.

With a frustrated sigh, Raven rose from her bed and sat cross-legged on the floor as she closed her eyes and opened herself to her powers; as Raven began to rise into the air, her mind spread out, searching for her little brother.

As she suspected, Harry was not in his bed and Raven sighed in exasperation at how much Harry was like their dad; according to Lily, James would often be caught out of bed after curfew as well; he and his band of merry pranksters.

Letting her magic guide her, Raven found herself being drawn to a room on the fifth floor that held great power within it; as Raven zeroed in on it, she heard a sound that made her heart wrench.

Harry was sobbing in utter despair; something in the room had caused her brother such pain that she could feel it even from here, and the pain Raven felt made her almost weep before she managed to pull back from the link and close off her mind.

Quickly, Raven lowered herself to the ground and exited her chambers; whatever trouble her brother had gotten himself into was causing him terrible pain, and Raven needed to save him from it. Then, with a slight tremor of fear for Harry, Raven began to fly as fast as she could for the room she had seen, hoping she wouldn't be too late.

XXXX

Harry was having a blast; he'd spent the last hour exploring Hogwarts with wanton abandon, before finally ending up in the restricted section of the Hogwarts Library. Harry knew he shouldn't be here, but the urge to read some of the juicy stuff students weren't allowed was almost too tempting to resist.

The library was pitch-black and very eerie; Harry lit a lamp to see his way along the row of books, causing the lamp to look as though it were floating along in midair; even though Harry could feel his arm supporting it, the sight gave him the creeps.

The restricted section was right at the back of the library; stepping over the rope that separated these books from the rest of the library, Harry held up the lamp to read the titles.

This didn't help him much as many of the books were spelled in languages that Harry couldn't understand, their peeling, faded gold letters glistening against the light of Harry's lamp; some had no title at all, and one book had stains on it that looked horribly like dried blood.

As Harry continued looking along the rows, the hairs on the back of his neck began to prickle; maybe he was imagining it, maybe not, but he thought a faint whispering was coming from the books, as though they knew that someone was there who shouldn't be.

Deciding that he had to start somewhere, Harry carefully set the lamp on the floor and pulled out a large black and silver book that caught his eye. It took him a moment to pull it out due to how heavy it was, but as he balanced it on his knee and let it fall open, it issued a blood-curdling shriek.

Instantly, Harry snapped the book shut, but the shriek went on and on, in one endless unbroken earsplitting note; stumbling backward, Harry dropped the book and knocked over the lamp, which went out at once with a shattering echo.

Panicking, Harry quickly stuffed the still shrieking book back onto the bookshelf, the blood running from his face as he heard footsteps closing in on him. Then, quickly wrapping the cloak around himself, Harry ran for it, turning a corner and narrowly avoiding colliding with Filch, who had just entered the library and was sweeping his head back and forth, looking for the one responsible for the noise.

Narrowly avoiding Filch's outstretched hand, Harry streaked off up the corridor, the books shrieks still echoing in his ears.

He came to a sudden halt in front of a tall armor suit and leaned against it as he tried to catch his breath; he'd been so desperate to escape that he hadn't paid attention to where he was going. Perhaps because it was dark, he didn't recognize where he was at all; there was a suit of armor near the kitchens, but he must surely be five floors above that.

As Harry struggled to control his breathing, he heard something that made the blood rush from his face.

"You asked me to come directly to you, Professor if anyone was wandering around at night, and there's been somebody in the restricted section of the library," Filch must have known a shortcut because his soft greasy voice was getting closer. To his horror, Professor Quirrell responded, though his voice sounded much colder than usual, and to Harry's surprise, the Defense Professor seemed not to be stuttering.

"The restricted section? Well, they can't have gotten far, we'll catch them!"

Harry stood rooted to the spot as Filch and Quirrell came around the corner; they couldn't see him, of course, but it was a narrow corridor, and if they came much nearer, they'd knock right into him. The cloak didn't stop him from being solid.

As quickly and quietly as he could, Harry backed up, there was a door standing ajar to his left, and as the two adults drew closer, he realized it was his only hope of escape; holding his breath, Harry squeezed through the open door, praying that the adults wouldn't see him.

To his relief, Filch and Quirrell walked right past him, and Harry leaned against the wall as he heard their voices grow farther away. That had been entirely too close for comfort, so focused on slowing down his racing heart that it was a few minutes before Harry noticed anything about the room he was hiding in.

It looked like an unused classroom, the dark shapes of desks and chairs were piled against the wall, and there was an upturned wastebasket sitting on top of a large pile; But the strangest thing about the classroom was a large mirror that was propped against the far wall that seemed to be calling to Harry.

It was a magnificent mirror, as high as the ceiling, with an ornate gold frame, standing on two clawed feet; carved across the top of the mirror was a strange inscription that Harry couldn't make heads or tails of: Erised stra ehru oy tube cafru oyt on woshi.

His Panic fading now that there was no sound of Quirrell or Filch, Harry moved closer to the mirror, wanting to look at himself but see no reflection; as Harry stepped in front of it, he had to clap his hands over his mouth to stop himself from screaming. He whirled around, his heart pounding far more furiously than when the book had screamed, for he had not seen only himself in the mirror, but three other people as well, standing right behind him; but the room was empty, and Harry found himself alone.

Breathing very fast, Harry turned back to the mirror and saw himself reflected in it, pale and scared, but there behind him were three others smiling back at him.

"Raven?" Harry asked as he recognized his elder sister smiling back at him from the mirror; looking over his shoulder, Harry saw that he was still alone in the classroom.

Was that the trick of the mirror? To show invisible people?

"Raven, if you're there, this isn't funny!" Harry whispered furiously, "You nearly gave me a heart attack!"

Silence met his words, and Harry suddenly found himself afraid again as he looked back at the mirror and saw the two other people who were standing next to Raven; a woman was standing right behind his reflection and smiling at him.

Slowly, Harry reached out a hand and felt the air behind him; if she was really there, then he'd be able to touch her, their reflections being so close together, but he felt only air; she and the others existed only in the mirror.

She was a beautiful woman. She had dark red hair and her eyes….

"Her eyes are just like mine," Harry thought, edging closer to the glass. Bright green, precisely the same shape, but then he noticed that she was smiling but crying simultaneously. The tall, thin, black-haired man standing beside her put his arm around her. He wore glasses, and his hair was very untidy. It stuck up at the back, just as Harry's did. Harry was so close to the mirror now that his nose was nearly touching that of his reflection.

"Mom?" he whispered. "Dad?"

They didn't respond, just smiled at him and James Potter threw an arm around Raven's shoulder, pulling her against him with a laugh as Harry stared with a sick feeling in his heart.

The Potters smiled and waved at Harry, and he stared hungrily back at them, his hands pressed flat against the glass as though he was hoping to fall right through it and reach them. But, instead, he had a powerful ache inside him, half joy, half terrible sadness.

Slowly, Harry sank to his knees and began to sob in anguish as the cloak fell from his shoulder, rendering him visible; what kind of monster would create something like this? His parents were right there, he could see them, yet he couldn't touch them, something that he wanted more than anything.

"Harry?" A voice behind him called, causing Harry to whip around in panic, only to see Raven standing at the doorway and looking at him with a worried look on her face, "Harry, what's wrong? Why aren't you in your dorm?"

"Raven…" As tears ran down his face, Harry replied in a broken voice, "They're here, Raven. They're right here!"

"Harry, what are you talking about?" Raven said quickly as she dashed across the room and embraced her brother, "Who's here?"

"Mom and dad!" Harry sobbed, making Raven's eyes widen in alarm, "Look in the mirror. They're right there!"

Tearing her eyes away from her little brother, Raven looked into the mirror and gasped in horror; standing there smiling at her was Lily and James Potter, looking the same as they did the night Raven had lost them.

"Mom? Dad?" Raven asked in a small voice as a tear began to roll down her face,

"It's them, Raven!" Harry cried, "They're here!"

"No…" As anger replaced her awe, Raven replied, "It is not them, Harry. It's some sort of trick!"

Wrapping her arms tighter around her brother, Raven turned away from the mirror, pulling her brother with her, a difficult thing to do as Harry struggled in her arms to look again.

"Don't look, Harry." As Harry struggled to look at the mirror again, Raven said, "It's not real!"

"Unfortunate, but true," a voice said, causing both Harry and Raven to turn to see who had spoken, only for them to gasp at the sight of Albus Dumbledore staring at them from the doorway with a sad look on his face.

"What the hell is this thing?!" Raven demanded as she rose to her feet, holding Harry tightly to keep him from looking into the mirror again, "And why the hell does it show our parents?!"

Dumbledore sighed sadly before taking a step forward, his gaze fixed on the mirror behind them,

"The mirror of erised is perhaps one of the most dangerous magical objects ever created," Dumbledore said in a hollow voice, "It shows us nothing more or less than the deepest and most desperate desires of our hearts. For example, the happiest man on earth would look into the mirror and see himself just as he is."

Dumbledore stepped past Raven and Harry and ran a hand along the mirror's frame as he stared into it, fixating on whatever he saw for a moment before turning back to the pair and speaking again.

"But, this mirror can give us neither knowledge nor truth; men have wasted away before it, even been driven mad, not knowing whether what they see is real or even possible."

"And you thought a school was a good place for such a thing!" Then, Raven demanded, "Look what that damn thing did to my brother!"

Dumbledore cast a sorrowful eye on Harry, who was sobbing into Raven's cloak as he desperately tried to break free from her grip and look into the mirror again,

"It was never my intention to cause harm to you or your brother, my dear," Dumbledore said softly.

"Why is that damn thing here?!" Raven demanded, "Something that dangerous should be destroyed!"

"I wholeheartedly agree, my dear," Dumbledore said softly, "Unfortunately, the mirror is needed at the moment. But when that is no longer the case, I promise that I will ensure that the mirror is placed somewhere it can no longer harm anyone else."

"Your continued incompetence is beginning to become quite tedious, Dumbledore," Raven growled, "And I'm sick and tired of my little brother being placed in danger due to your secrets!"

"It's not my intention to place young Harry in danger, my dear," Dumbledore replied with a tinge of anger, "But Harry has a destiny that is more important than you can possibly imagine."

"He's a child!" Raven retorted angrily, "And whatever plans you have for him, stop here! My brother is not one of your chess pieces!"

"I don't see him that way," Dumbledore growled back, his usual calm voice taking on a harsh tone,

"Could have fooled me! Since coming here, Harry has nearly been killed twice, and now, because of your damned mirror, he's been traumatized by the ghosts of our parents!"

Dumbledore said nothing, but a sad expression came across his face as he stared down at Harry, who was still fighting desperately to look into the mirror again.

"One more slip up, old man," Raven growled, her eyes flashing red for a moment, "And I will pull Harry from Hogwarts permanently. Is that clear?"

Dumbledore said nothing and simply nodded his head with an aggravated look; Raven glared daggers at the headmaster for a moment more before dragging Harry from the room and slamming the door behind her.

Left alone, Dumbledore turned back to the mirror and stared sadly at the image he saw of his family, happy and whole, waving back at him. Then, after a considerable amount of time, Dumbledore finally turned away and made his way back to his office.

Harry Potter must remain at Hogwarts; the future depended on it, and if he was removed, then all the plans Dumbledore had for the future would be lost, and if Raven threatened those plans, then she was just another problem to be removed as soon as possible.

XXXX

Raven hugged her brother and gently rocked him back and forth as the two sat on Harry's bed; Raven had had to nearly drag Harry back to Gryffindor tower, and as she tried to calm her little brother, Raven felt only anger run through her at the thought of what Dumbledore had done to Harry.

"It was them," Harry sobbed, "Why did you make me leave?"

"Because it wasn't really them," Raven said gently, "As much as I would love to tell you differently, it wasn't them, Harry. It was just a cruel trick created by an evil object."

"It doesn't matter!" Harry nearly shouted, and Raven was happy that she had placed silencing wards around his bed when they returned, "I still want to see them! Why don't you?!"

Raven looked at Harry with a hurt expression, and Harry found himself feeling horrible for what he had said,

"I'm…I'm sorry, Raven." Harry said quickly, "I didn't mean that I swear!"

"I know, Harry," Raven said softly as she hugged him again, "It's just the mirror talking. I want more than anything to see mom and dad again, but they wouldn't want us to risk our sanity just for the chance to see them again."

"I'm sorry, Raven," Harry said in a small voice, "I just wanted to see them again."

"I know, kid, I do too."

Will you stay with me tonight?" Harry asked softly, "I don't want to be alone tonight."

"Of course, I will," Raven said gently, causing Harry to smile happily as he laid down, scooting over to make room for her; a few moments later, the two of them were asleep, holding each other tight.

XXXX

Author's Note:

Holy crap, this chapter ran long! I just couldn't stop, and every time I tried, I would get a new idea to put in here. Things between Dumbledore and Raven are coming to a head, and it won't be long before the two come to blows over Harry's safety and future destiny. Not going to lie, though. I'm having trouble writing Dumbledore this way, as he's one of my favorite characters.

To those who think that I'm going to fall into the trap that most writers do and just write the Harry Potter books without any change, allow me to offer you this *Blows Raspberry*

I fully intend to blow this story out of the water with my changes, but you'll have to wait and see what those changes will be.

I hope you enjoy this chapter, and as always, Stay golden Ponyboy!

Chapter Text

Chapter Fifteen

Harry was almost glad when Christmas break ended, and everyone returned; Raven had taken to sleeping with Harry as he had been having nightmares since his run-in with the mirror, where he would see his parents smiling at him, only for them to disappear moments later in a violent flash of green, followed by a high cruel laugh that Harry found eerily familiar yet could not place.

As Harry had expected, Hermione had immediately tackled him and proclaimed her thanks for his fantastic Christmas present, with the assurance that she would soon be putting it to good use.

Once term had resumed, Harry was too preoccupied with the astronomical amount of classwork/homework and Quidditch practice that he soon found himself in to worry about the mirror or the nightmares anymore. So he was grateful when they finally began to pass.

Oliver Wood, the Gryffindor Quidditch team captain, returned to Hogwarts as a man obsessed; he had the team practicing five nights a week, and Harry was happy that he had Hermione as a friend as he didn't think that he would be able to keep up with his school work without her.

The only downside to the end of Christmas break was that it meant the return of Professor Snape from his suspension, and his hatred of Harry seemed to have been exacerbated in his time away.

In Harry's first Potions class of the term, Snape deducted twenty-five points for Harry's distracting hair color (black, with streaks of red and gold to signify Gryffindor) and demanded that Harry go and wash it out immediately, to which Harry had respectively declined, which earned him another twenty-five points lost.

Since then, Snape seemed to find fault in everything Harry did and seemed determined to take away as many points as he could, for whatever reason he could come up with. Harry had lost ten points for wearing his raven earring in class, for not being able to answer a question that he wouldn't learn the answer to until his third year, and for many other reasons.

Ron and Hermione would constantly argue that Harry should tell Professor McGonagall or the Headmaster about Snape's clearly unfair treatment, but Harry refused outright every time, refusing to be labeled as a child who could not fight his own battles and had to run to others for help.

As the weeks went on, Snape's treatment worsened as he seemed unable to get a reaction out of Harry that would allow Snape to further punish the boy. The final straw came when Snape decided that if he couldn't get a reaction out of Harry by tormenting him, perhaps tormenting Harry's friends would yield the desired result.

Harry had been sitting in class, attempting to make a calming draft, when Neville Longbottom had accidentally added the wrong ingredient, causing the poor boy's cauldron to explode and douse those nearest to him in a foul-smelling concoction.

Those who had been doused immediately began to swell like balloons, adding to the general chaos of the classroom as Snape tried to restore order,

"Silence!" Snape roared, his voice echoing off the Dungeon walls and causing instant silence, "All those who came into contact with Longbottom's idiotic concoction will immediately go to the Hospital Wing to receive treatment."

As the class began to disperse, Snape held up his hand to stop Hermione, who had been sitting to Neville's immediate right. Hermione had taken some of Neville's potion to her face, and as a result, her nose and front teeth had swelled considerably, giving her a beaver-like appearance.

"And where do you think you are going, Ms. Granger?" Snape asked with a sneer,

"To….to the Hospital Wing, Professor," Hermione said, her words slurring a bit due to the swelling of her nose and teeth.

"Why? I see no difference in your appearance," Snape said nastily, causing Hermione's eyes to immediately fill with tears; with a sob, Hermione dashed from the dungeon as Ron and Harry began to shout obscenities at the sneering Potions master.

It was perhaps fortuitous that Snape couldn't understand what Ron and Harry were saying due to them both shouting at the same time, as no doubt Snape would have docked fifty points at the minimum if he had been able to understand what Harry had called him.

"Silence!" Snape snarled again, "As there are now too many students missing to continue the class, you are all dismissed."

As the remaining class began to file out, Snape called out after Ron and Harry in a sneering voice,

"And twenty-five points will be taken from Gryffindor for yelling at a teacher."

Ron opened his mouth to retort when Harry quickly grabbed him and dragged him out, using one of his tentacles to slam the door shut behind the two.

"What did you do that for?" Ron demanded as the two stood outside the Potions classroom,

"He was looking for a reason to punish us more," Harry replied curtly as he began to drag Ron down the hall.

"But he insulted Hermione!" Ron argued, "How can we call ourselves her friends if we let that stand!"

"We're not going to!" Harry growled back, coming to a stop, and turning to face Ron, "But getting a detention and losing a couple of dozen points isn't going to help anyone."

"So what do we do?" Ron asked,

"We're going to make that greasy prick wish that he had never returned to Hogwarts!" Harry growled back as a grinch-like smile spread across his face, "But we're going to be smart about it."

Ron's eyes twinkled gleefully at Harry's words, and a similar smile began to spread across the redhead's face as the two began to walk to their next class, whispering conspiringly to each other as to how they would make Snape's life as miserable as possible.

XXXX

A week later, Harry and Ron sat in Potions next to Hermione; they had not told their friend what they were planning for fear that she would attempt to stop them, even if her honor was the reason they were about to unleash chaos on the unsuspecting class.

Snape was being his usual sneering self, moving around the class and insulting students left and right; Snape seemed to be showing particularly vindictiveness toward Neville, no doubt blaming the poor boy for his accident during the last class.

Finally, toward the end of class, Harry looked over at Ron and nodded slowly, causing Ron to smile in anticipation at what was to come; Hermione's eyes narrowed slightly as she caught Harry's nod, and she looked over at Ron with a raised eyebrow, who simply winked back.

When Snape turned to insult Neville for the third time, Harry pulled out a vial that he and Ron had been working on all week and hurled it into Draco's cauldron; instantly, bright red and gold foam exploded out of the cauldron and began to spread throughout the class like a flood.

The foam had been a creation of Jinx's from years past; she had come up with the substance after Harry had come home crying one day after being bullied by an older student. It had taken her almost a month to get the formula right, but once she had, the end result was nothing short of monstrous in its capacity to cause chaos.

The foam needed only a tiny space to contain it, but once released would rapidly expand to fill every remaining space, but the best part was that the foam would harden like concrete once it came into contact with anything not made of it.

As the classroom rang out with screams, Harry quickly grabbed Ron and Hermione and dragged them out into the hallway to join the others who had been smart enough to run for it once they saw what was happening.

As Harry and Ron watched with barely contained glee, Snape and all the Slytherins who hadn't gotten out of the way in time struggled to free themselves from the rock-like substance as the foam spread around them.

"Well, that was fun," Harry said happily as he grabbed the classroom door and slammed it shut, "Who's up for nachos?"

"What are nachos?" Ron asked with a grin as the two turned to leave,

"Wait!" Hermione called, making the two turn to her, "We can't just leave them like that!"

"Why not?" Ron asked.

"Because they could suffocate with the rate that that stuff is spreading!" Hermione said quickly,

"Oh, you don't need to worry about that," Harry replied, "It'll stop before it covers their mouths."

Hermione's mouth dropped in astonishment at Harry's words, and Harry laughed at her expression.

"It was you!" Hermione whispered in horror as she dragged the two away from possible listeners, "Why would you do something like that? You could be expelled!"

"Because he insulted you!" Ron growled, making Hermione's eyes widen,

"And no one insults our friend!" Harry growled, "Especially now, some greasy git with a chip on his shoulder!"

Hermione looked like she was about to cry as she threw her arms around Harry and Ron, who looked at each other with surprise for a moment before returning her hug,

"You two are the best friends I've ever had!" Hermione sniffled as she pulled away from them and wiped her eyes, "Even if you two are both insane!"

"We all go a little mad sometimes," Harry whispered eerily, quoting one of Raven's favorite movies. "Now, I don't know about you two, but I'm starving, so let's head down to the Great Hall!"

"What about those trapped in the Potions class?" Hermione asked anxiously,

"The foam should evaporate in an hour," Harry shrugged, "At least, it did last time, anyway."

"Oh…." Hermione said thoughtfully, "Well, that's okay then, I suppose."

With a laugh, the three turned and made their way to dinner as behind them, the frantic students were trying to figure out what had happened to their Potions master and what they were supposed to do to fix it.

XXXX

Raven watched her brother and his friends with narrowed eyes; they had arrived nearly half an hour before the class bell had rung and were all wearing suspicious grins on their faces that instantly made Raven wary.

Her second clue that something was wrong came when the twin Weasleys showed up to dinner and immediately began to bow to Harry and Ron, proclaiming that their little brother had finally joined their ranks, and in a fantastic way.

The final clue came when Snape stormed into the Great Hall and made a beeline straight for her little brother; remembering what had happened last time, Raven immediately rose from her seat and intercepted the enraged-looking Potions master.

"Get out of my way!" Snape snarled,

"Sure, right after you explain to me why you're looking at my little brother like you're about to murder him," Raven replied with a raised brow.

"That little brat destroyed my classroom!" Snape spat, "He released a dangerous substance that trapped many of my students and me for over an hour! We could have died!"

Harry snorted at that, and Snape's face turned red with rage as Raven turned to look at Harry with a disapproving look on her face.

"Harry? Is this true?" Raven asked,

"I have no idea what he's talking about, Raven," Harry replied, his face the picture of innocence, nearly breaking Raven's composed demeanor.

"Do you have proof of your accusation?" Raven asked as she turned back to the incandescent Professor as the rest of the Slytherins who had been trapped began to stumble into the Great Hall.

"I know that little brat did it! He's just like his bastard of a father!" Snape spat, spittle flying from his mouth,

"Be careful how you talk about our father, Snape," Raven growled, her eyes flashing red for a moment, "He was twice the man you are."

"Your father was a slime!" Snape snarled, "Strutting about the castle as if he owned it, tormenting anyone that got in his way!"

"You jerk!" Harry yelled as he jumped up from his seat, only for Raven to hold her hand up at him to stop, as she glared daggers at Snape; a moment later, Hermione and Ron each placed their hand on Harry's shoulder and forcefully brought him back to his seat.

"You're pathetic," Raven stated as she dropped her arm back to her side, "Holding onto a grudge for more than three decades against a man who's been dead for ten years."

A vein began to pulse in Snape's temple as Raven continued in a voice as cold as ice,

"Yes, my father made mistakes in his youth, as we all do, but he was a decent and kind man who eventually grew up. On the other hand, you are still the same cruel, angry little boy you were as a student, hating a dead man for no other reason than because my mother chose him over you. So tell me, Snape, why did my mother decide to end her friendship with you again?"

The color drained from Snape's face at Raven's words, and for a moment, he was rendered speechless as the entire Great Hall watched with bated breath to see how he would respond; Harry looked ready to physically attack the Potions Professor. Only Ron and Hermione's hand on his shoulders was keeping him in his seat.

"I know what you did, Snape…." Raven hissed as her eyes flashed red again, "Aunt Minnie gave me my mother's diary not long ago, and it tells in great detail the reason why my mother ended her friendship with you. Because you're a bigot, Lily Potter saw you for what you are!"

Snape had gone deathly pale by the end of Raven's speech, and his hand seemed to twitch involuntarily, as though he was about to go for his wand; seeing this, a small smile began to spread across Raven's face and she slowly crossed her arms over her chest as she stared Snape down.

"Do it. I beg you…."

Snape's hand twitched again, and it seemed as though he was going to actually try when suddenly Dumbledore appeared and placed a calming hand on Snape's shoulder,

"I believe your classroom requires your attention more than Ms. Potter, Severus."

"So the brat just gets away with it?!" Snape spat, "He nearly killed me!"

"I already told you that I didn't do it!" Harry shot back, "And you've no proof to say otherwise!"

"Do you have some proof, Severus?" Dumbledore asked with a raised eyebrow; Snape's face turned red with barely contained rage as he glared first at Harry, then at Raven, who smirked at him.

"Careful, Snape," Raven said softly, "You've already been suspended. Next time you might not be so lucky."

Snape's eye twitched for a moment before he spun on his heel and stormed from the Great Hall, growling obscenities under his breath; once he was gone, Dumbledore turned back to Harry and Raven and gave both a knowing smirk, his eyes twinkling madly.

"While I admire seeing your father's love of pranks was passed down to you, my boy," Dumbledore said warmly, "Perhaps in the future, you could ensure that you do not destroy an entire classroom when you perform a prank."

"Not saying I did it, sir," Harry replied with a grin, "But theoretically, if I did, and once again, I'm not saying I did, I'll endeavor to keep my pranks from causing total destruction in the future."

"I appreciate that, my boy," Dumbledore chuckled before turning away and striding back to the head table.

"Okay, Harry," Raven said softly as she turned to look at her little brother, who was suddenly sporting a sheepish expression, "Let's go have a chat."

XXXX

After a long lecture from his sister, in which it was made crystal clear that while she had no problem with Harry continuing their father's legacy of pranks and general mayhem, Raven expected Harry not to antagonize Snape any further without due cause, Harry made his way back to Gryffindor common room to find Ron and Hermione waiting for him, with bright smiles plastered across their faces.

"So, how did the little chat with your sister go?" Ron asked with a smirk,

"About as good as you would expect," Harry laughed, "She understands my need to protect my friends, though she respectfully asks that in the future, we keep our pranks from causing complete devastation."

"I think we can manage that," Ron said with a laugh as Hermione shook her head with a smirk,

"Now!" Harry said as he slapped his hands together, "How about we have some fun!"

"What did you have in mind?" Ron asked with a raised eyebrow, "Quidditch?"

"I've got a better idea," Harry replied happily, "You guys want to watch a movie?"

"A what?" Ron asked in confusion,

"We can't," Hermione replied, "Technology doesn't work at Hogwarts."

"I think my stereo setup shows that to be fiction," Harry smirked,

"How DID you do that, by the way?" Hermione asked, "It shouldn't have been possible."

"Well, it took a LOT of experimentation and setbacks, but eventually, my friends Cyborg and Jinx managed to create a system that doesn't fail when it comes in contact with magic but rather works alongside it."

"Yes, but HOW?" Hermione asked in annoyance,

"Trade secrets, I'm afraid," Harry replied with a wink that seemed to annoy Hermione more than ever.

"Now, you all wait here, and I'll be right back!" Harry said before rushing up to his dorm where his bottomless trunk lay; after quickly popping it open, Harry grabbed his laptop, the movie he had chosen for tonight's entertainment, and a bag of potato chips and salsa.

Rushing back downstairs, Harry quickly placed the laptop onto the table in front of the couch, popped the DVD into it, and pressed play before tearing open the bag of chips and offering one to Ron, who had sat down on the couch next to him, with Hermione taking the other side.

"Hey Harry, what's this?" Fred asked as he and George sat on the arms of the couch,

"Rocky Horror Picture Show," Harry said as he bit into a chip, "It's a classic."

The Weasleys watched in silence for a few moments, wholly absorbed in the film as Harry and Hermione enjoyed the chips,

"What's that?" Ron asked after a moment,

"A car," Harry answered with a smile.

"What's happening?" Fred asked,

"Their car broke down, and they need to use a phone to call for help," Hermione explained,

"What's a phone?" George asked,

"I'll tell you later," Hermione responded.

"Why are they singing?" Ron asked,

"Because it's a musical," Harry replied.

"What's a musical?" George asked,

"A movie with songs built into it," Hermione replied quickly.

"What about-" George began before he was cut off,

"Would you all shut up and watch the damn movie!" Oliver Wood commanded from behind them; neither had noticed the older student walk in, too engrossed in the movie playing out in front of them.

As they laughed at the movie, more and more Gryffindors started filtering in, interested to see what all the commotion was about. Soon, the entire house was watching and a seventh year cast a spell to make the movie play out on the wall instead of the laptop so that everyone could watch without crowding around the small screen on the computer.

When the movie finally ended, the common room echoed with thunderous applause and a few whistles of appreciation.

"That was brilliant!" George said happily, "Absolutely brilliant!"

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking, brother dear?" Fred asked with a suspicious grin on his face,

"I think so, brother of mine," George replied with a similar grin, "But where are we going to find lacy lingerie at this time of night?"

To Filch's desk!" They cried in unison, their wands dramatically held above their heads as the watchers laughed; watching them run out of the common room, Ron turned to Harry with an expression of horror on his face,

"What have you done!"

XXXX

Harry was on time for breakfast the next day, and it was a good thing he was; otherwise, he would have missed the show. Once everyone else had arrived and begun to eat, music suddenly began to flow through the Great Hall, causing everyone to freeze what they were doing and stare as Draco Malfoy entered wearing a black robe. For a moment, Draco simply stood in the center of the Great Hall with a glazed look on his face; then, to the horror of the Slytherin's, the pureblood wizard threw open his black cape, revealing lacy lingerie, and began to sing.

"How do you do? I see you've met my faithful handyman. He was just a little brought down because when you knocked, he thought you were the Candyman!"

Jaws dropped as Draco Malfoy belted out the lyrics to 'Sweet Transvestite,' complete with choreography; to everyone's surprise, Fred and George took up the lines of Brad and Janet, making it clear that they were the ones responsible.

As Harry wiped the tears of laughter from his eyes, he had to admit that he was impressed; Draco managed the role quite well.

Sure, he was a little small in certain areas for the lingerie that Fred and George had picked out for him, but he sure could sing!

When the song finally ended, the spell Draco was under came to an end, and Draco regained his senses; he was stuck between horror, embarrassment, and complete outrage.

It was only made worse when he noticed that the entire Great Hall seemed to be laughing at him; even the teachers at the head table could not control themselves, and Beastboy had promptly collapsed to the floor as he held his sides and tried to breathe through his laughter, while Robin and Starfire leaned against one another and shook with laughter.

Draco turned to look at the twins with pure hatred and rage in his eyes; luckily, he had nowhere to keep his wand in his current outfit, and turned on his heel and ran out, his face an ugly shade of red from embarrassment and rage.

As the twins jumped on top of the Gryffindor table and took a bow, Harry clapped alongside the rest of the Great Hall; only the Slytherin table refrained, choosing instead to glare daggers at the ones responsible for their housemate's humiliation.

"Do you guys do birthdays?" Harry yelled as the twins took one final bow and leapt from the tabletop to the floor.

"If we ever do-" Fred began,

"-We'll make sure to offer you a discount for showing us such a great piece of art!" George concluded, making Harry laugh again before turning back to his food.

XXXX

"We must accelerate our plans," Voldemort hissed,

"But master, we are not ready!" Quirrell replied quickly, "We still don't know how to get past Hagrid's damned beast!"

"Then find out!" Voldemort snarled, sending a wave of pain through Quirrell's skull to emphasize his point, "The boy and his allies cannot be allowed to forestall my return! I grow weaker by the day!"

"What would you have me do, master?" Quirrell asked meekly, "The Potter brat's friends are keeping a close eye on me. It seems wherever I look, one of them is following me!"

"Hagrid has loose lips when drunk," Voldemort hissed, "Ply him with copious amounts of alcohol and find out how to get past that damned dog, then get me my stone! Fail me again, and I will show you the true price of those who displease me!"

"Yes, master," Quirrell responded in a scared voice, "I will not fail you; I promise. Before the year is out, you shall have the philosopher's stone, and the world will howl with misery at your return!"

"And then, I will finish what I started all those years ago," Voldemort replied coldly, "And Harry Potter and his sister shall die by my hand!"

XXXX

Author's Note:

I wanted to put out one last chapter before Christmas because it's the last one you're getting until the New Year; I'm going to Ireland in a few hours to see my cousins for the holidays and wanted to give you all one last gift before I leave. As such, I'll be trying to upload the latest chapters that I've written of "The World of Erised, Killian of Earth, and Another Weasley" before I leave tomorrow.

The Rocky Horror Picture Show and all the songs therein belong solely to 20th Century Studios Films; as such, I claim no ownership of it and am simply writing for the fun and enjoyment of my readers.

Happy Holidays everyone, and may you all have a great New Year!

Chapter Text

Chapter Sixteen

Quirrell couldn't help the smile that spread across his face as he swept through Hogwarts back to his quarters. It had taken Quirrell over a month of careful stalking before he managed to figure out what Hagrid did in his free time and plan accordingly how to get the oaf drunk to figure out what traps Dumbledore had tasked with guarding the stone.

Getting Hagrid drunk had taken longer than Quirrell had expected; the giant's metabolism was something to be admired, and even Voldemort had been impressed by the amount of mead that Quirrell had been forced to buy before Hagrid's tongue began to wag. Then, the secrets the gamekeeper kept for Dumbledore started to emerge.

Once Hagrid began to run his mouth, it seemed that the gamekeeper could not stop himself. Quirrell had been more than happy to listen to everything that Hagrid had to say about all that Dumbledore had guarding the stone, as well as a few other secrets that Hagrid was privy to; secrets that Voldemort was very interested in and that Dumbledore would surely not want getting out.

"I just need to pack a few things so we can make our escape once we have recovered the stone, master!" Quirrell said quickly as he ran into his room and frantically began to pack a bag,

"You must grab the boy as well!" Voldemort hissed from under Quirrell's turban.

"The boy?" Quirrell asked in surprise, pausing in his packing at his Master's order, "Why?"

"Do not presume to question me, servant!" Voldemort hissed angrily, making Quirrell fall to his knees as agony raced throughout his body, "You will do as I say! Is that understood!"

"Yes, Master, I understand! Please!" Quirrell pleaded as his body shook from the pain that Voldemort was putting him through; a moment later, the pain ended, and Quirrell lay twitching and crying on the floor of his room.

"The boy is the one who destroyed me last time," Voldemort hissed, "The world believes that he is more powerful than I am! That illusion must be disabused as soon as possible! So, the moment I have the stone in my possession, I intend to kill that brat as brutally as possible and forever end the lie that the son of a mudblood whore is more powerful than Lord Voldemort!"

Slowly, Quirrell rose shakily to his feet and began to pack one more as his mind raced; it was almost curfew, so the Potter brat would either be in his dorm or studying with his friends in the library.

Getting the boy wasn't the problem; it was ensuring that the boy's damnable sister didn't discover what Quirrell was up to, which was a problem in and of itself, as Raven Potter always seemed to know when her little brother was in danger.

With a final groan, Quirrell finished packing and slowly lowered himself into a nearby chair, his body still twitching intermittently; he needed to move quickly if he was to grab Potter and get to the stone before anyone noticed that something was amiss.

"Why are you wasting time, fool!" Voldemort hissed, "We have no time to waste!"

"Yes, master," Quirrell replied quickly as he rose from the chair and grabbed his bag; time was of the essence if he was to grab Potter, recover the stone for his Master, and flee the castle without anyone noticing what was happening.

XXXX

Harry groaned audibly again as he looked over his Potions homework for the third time; Snape had demanded that they turn in a 3 foot essay on how poisonous plants could be used for medicinal purposes when combined with other ingredients, but as Harry measured his, he realized that he was still a foot short.

"This is impossible!" Harry complained as he threw down his quill in disgust, making Hermione tut at him in disappointment, "I swear that greasy prick gives us this much homework just to ensure we fail!"

"I'm sure that's not the case," Hermione replied, "Though I must agree that the amount that Professor Snape has requested does seem to be a bit excessive."

"Excessive!" Harry cried in exasperation, "More like impossible! I'm still a foot short, and I've run out of examples that could be used!"

"Here, let me take a look and see if I can help," Hermione offered as she slid Harry's essay toward her.

Harry and Hermione had been working together in the library for over an hour now; Ron had chosen not to join as he was now enjoying his new obsession: muggle movies.

"It had been over a month since Harry had shown "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" to Gryffindor house, and seeing how amazing the movie had been, the Gryffindors had demanded more, which Harry was happy to acquiesce to.

Now, every Friday was deemed 'movie night,' and it was something that the whole of Gryffindor looked forward to with anticipation; so far, Harry had shown his housemates a variety of different films, not wanting to stick to just one genre. Sometimes the Titans would join the fun, bringing popcorn or snacks to share.

Beastboy had even gotten permission from Professor McGonagall to bring Tonks to Gryffindor tower to enjoy the movies, something that had Harry and a few others smiling knowingly as Tonks tried and sit as close to Beastboy as she could.

Harry had shown them Braveheart, Childs Play (which caused more than one Gryffindor to suddenly be glad they had left their dolls at home), Disney's Beauty and the Beast, Die Hard, and Gladiator, and tonight Harry was planning on showing them Star Wars, which he hoped they would enjoy.

To the horror of Hogwarts in general, Harry had also introduced the Weasleys to cartoons, particularly the Looney Toons, which the Twins and Ron had instantly fallen in love with. This resulted in the Weasleys coming up with a myriad of new pranks, and Hogwarts had been turned into a warzone as a result as the Weasley twins tested out things they had watched Bugs Bunny do.

Hermione had suggested that Harry ask Dumbledore if the 'movie night' could be opened to all of Hogwarts and take place in the Great Hall during dinner. But so far, Harry had been unable to ask as he tried to keep up with the astronomical amount of homework and Quidditch practice that Harry had found himself in recently. Ravenclaw had thoroughly beaten Hufflepuff 160-50 during their match in November, only for themselves to be beaten by Slytherin 210-80 during the next match. If Slytherin managed to defeat Hufflepuff in the next game, and Gryffindor managed to defeat Ravenclaw (which was the expected outcome), then it would be Gryffindor vs Slytherin in the final match of the season. Having lost the last three years consecutively, Oliver Wood was in no mood for a repeat outcome and so had drilled the Gryffindor team mercilessly to ensure they would be the winners this year.

"What do you say we call it for tonight?" Harry said solemnly, "I don't know about you, but my brain feels fried."

"I suppose we can stop for tonight," Hermione replied, "We've been here for quite some time, after all."

Harry nodded quickly and began to put away his things when Professor Quirrell suddenly stepped out from the shadows looking even more nervous than usual,

"Ah, P-Potter! T-t-there you are! I've been looking e-e-everywhere for you."

"Is something the matter, professor?" Harry asked nervously.

"Yes, your s-s-sister has suffered an accident," Quirrell replied quickly, "Professor Dumbledore sent me to take you to the Hospital Wing immediately!"

Harry instantly paled at the words and began to frantically pack his things as Quirrell spoke again,

"I'm sure Ms. Granger can look after your things for you, but you need to come with me now!"

"I've got it, Harry," Hermione replied quickly, "Go check on your sister, and I'll meet you back in Gryffindor common room later."

With a nod of gratitude, Harry dropped his bag on the table and followed Quirrell out of the library; several moments later, once Harry had managed to calm himself down, he realized that something was wrong.

The Hospital Wing was in the opposite direction, for starters, and as Harry turned to ask Quirrell why they were going the wrong way, the Defense Professor suddenly spun on the spot and pointed his wand at a shocked Harry.

"Stupefy!" Quirrell snarled before Harry could do anything; instantly, Harry crumpled to the ground.

Quickly looking around to ensure he was alone, Quirrell bent down and picked Harry up from where he lay before roughly throwing the boy over his shoulder.

"Excellent work," Voldemort hissed, "Now, get me my stone!"

"Yes, master," Quirrell responded meekly as he turned and quickly made his way to the third-floor corridor; his bag was already there waiting for him, and now that he had Potter, he'd be able to flee Hogwarts the moment the stone was in possession and his Master would reward him for the loyalty he had shown throughout the year.

As he approached the door, Quirrell cast a spell that shrunk his bag before putting it into the pocket of his robes; shifting Harry on his shoulder, Quirrell took a deep breath and entered the forbidden chamber.

XXXX

Something was wrong; Raven didn't know what it was, but all of her senses were screaming at her that something was very wrong at Hogwarts. Trying to figure out what she was feeling, Raven had decided to meditate and was currently floating several inches off her bed as she tried to use her powers to locate the cause of what she was feeling.

"Azarath Metrion Zynthos…" Raven recited calmly as she spread her awareness as far as she could, trying to locate the origin of the terrible wrongness that she was feeling, "Azarath Metrion Zynthos."

Suddenly, an image of Harry appeared in Raven's mind, but the image was wrong and instantly filled Raven with fear; Harry looked nothing like his usual self. Instead, he looked like her and in the worst way possible.

Harry's hair was waving as though it was being blown by a strong wind, and a cruel expression was on his face, which had no place on her sweet little brother's usually joyous face.

But the worst was yet to come, for Harry no longer sported his usual violent green eyes; in their place was a dual pair of bright red demon eyes, like the kind that Raven wore whenever her 'other side' took over.

"No!" Raven thought as her eyes shot open in horror, "Not Harry!"

Quick as a flash, Raven lowered herself to the ground and teleported herself to Gryffindor tower; as she appeared in the common room, the first thing she saw was the Weasley family laughing as they watched Looney Toon cartoon on Harry's computer. A moment later, Hermione entered through the portrait hole with an expression of surprise on her face.

"Hermione! Where is Harry?" Raven demanded as she approached the girl,

"He went with Professor Quirrell," Hermione replied quickly, "He told Harry that you had been injured and that Headmaster Dumbledore sent him to take Harry to the Hospital Wing!"

"How long ago?!" Raven demanded,

"About ten minutes ago!" Hermione replied quickly, "If you're not in the Hospital Wing, what's going on?"

By now, the Weasley's had finished their cartoon and had come over to see what was happening,

"Hermione? What's wrong?" Ron asked quickly, seeing the scared expression on Hermione's face.

"Something's wrong!" Hermione replied quickly, "Professor Quirrell lied about Raven being hurt and took Harry!"

"Took him where?" Fred asked,

"And why?" George added, both of the twins sporting matching worried expressions.

"It doesn't matter," Raven said quickly, "All that matter is making sure that Harry is safe!"

"What do you need us to do?" The twins asked as one,

"I need you all to stay here," Raven replied, making those assembled gasp in outrage,

"Stay here?!" Ron retorted, "Harry is my best mate! You can't expect me to just stay here when he's in danger!"

"That goes double for us!" The twins replied in unison, "Harry's our friend too!"

"I know that!" Raven shouted angrily, making the noise drop instantly, "But I can't watch all of you simultaneously while trying to find Harry! I need you all to stay here where it's safe while the Titans and I go and find Harry. Can you do that, or do I need to immobilize you to ensure you do?"

Raven's expression showed that she was not joking and those assembled collectively gulped as one before nodding their heads that they understood.

"Good, now I will go and find Harry, and I promise that I will bring him back safe," Raven said in a much calmer voice, "But I need you all to promise me that you will stay here where it's safe until I return, understood?"

Mumbled words of agreement met Raven's words, and she nodded her head quickly before turning on her heel and dashing out of the portrait hole toward the third floor; as Raven sped through the castle as fast as she could, she mentally sent out a signal to the other Titans,

"Titans! Quirrell has taken Harry! I'm headed to the third-floor corridor. Meet me there!"

A few moments later, Raven stopped outside the door and saw, to her annoyance, that it appeared that Quirrell had beaten her here; the door was slightly ajar, and Raven could hear what sounded like snoring coming from the other side.

"Raven!" Robin's voice cried, making her turn to see the rest of her team racing up the stair toward her.

"He's already inside," Raven barked, indicating the open door, "We have to hurry!"

"We're no good to Harry if we act without thinking," Robin replied, "Don't forget that there's a three-headed monster on the other side of that door!"

"It sounds as though the beast is asleep," Starfire replied as she leaned close to the door and listened intently.

"So, what's the plan?" Beastboy asked,

"Find Quirrell and rescue Harry, in that order," Raven replied quickly, making Beastboy grin slightly,

"I like it. Simple and easy to remember."

"Enough messing around!" Robin growled as he pulled out his bow staff, "Let's move!"

Quickly, Raven pulled her hood up as Robin ripped open the door and the Titans rushed inside, only to stop in surprise as they saw the three-headed dog they had expected to face fast asleep.

"Well, that's really anticlimactic," Beastboy said softly as he edged forward slowly,

"It appears Quirrell has stunned it," Starfire replied as she gently poked one of the dogs in the face, "Otherwise, I imagine this beast would be trying to eviscerate us."

"Be on your guard," Robin replied as he approached the hole in the floor, "Beastboy and I already scouted the traps ahead, but you never know what Quirrell might have done to slow down any pursuers."

Without another word, Robin jumped into the hole and disappeared, followed immediately by the rest of the Titans.

XXXX

As Harry regained consciousness, the first thing he realized was that his hands were bound behind his back; the next thing he realized was that someone was speaking close by him in a very aggravated voice.

"I see it, master!" The voice called, "But how do I get it? Am I supposed the break the mirror?"

Groaning internally, Harry slowly rolled himself over until he was facing whoever was speaking; quickly taking in his surroundings, Harry saw that he was in a large chamber with torches flaring around him, providing the only light to be seen.

Standing in the center of the chamber, in front of a familiar-looking mirror, was Professor Quirrell, who was shouting at the mirror in increasing anger; as quietly as possible, Harry began to try and get his hands loose, but to no avail.

"Master, help me! How do I get the stone out of the mirror!" Quirrell called desperately, causing Harry to look around in confusion; there was no one else here but him and Harry, so who was Quirrell talking to?

Suddenly, Quirrell turned to Harry, and a cruel smile came across the Professor's face,

"Oh good, you're awake."

"What happened to your stutter?" Harry asked nervously as he struggled into a seating position, "And why did you kidnap me? What the hell, dude?!"

"And here I thought you to be intelligent," Quirrell sneered, "It seems as though I was mistaken."

"Just answer the damn question, you jerk!" Harry spat back, causing Quirrell to laugh cruelly for a moment.

"You're here, Harry Potter, to serve a glorious purpose," Quirrell said silkily,

"And what purpose is that?"

"To show the world that you are nothing compared to the power of Lord Voldemort!"

"Voldemort is dead!" Harry nearly shouted back, "He's been dead for over a decade!"

"One should never make assumptions," Quirrell sneered back, "Did you really think that a child could defeat the most powerful Dark Lord that this world has ever known?"

"Untie me, and I'll show you just how powerful I really am!" Harry retorted angrily, making Quirrell chuckle,

"I think not," Quirrell sneered, "First, I will recover the stone from this damned mirror, then I will return my master to his full power, and he shall reward me for the loyalty I have shown him!"

"He's alive?!" Harry asked in horror as the blood ran from his face, "But…."

"Oh yes!" Quirrell declared happily, "Lord Voldemort is very much alive! And after I have retrieved his stone for him, he will be returned to his full strength, and you, Harry Potter, shall be the first of his victims as he restarts his conquest of this world!"

"You're insane…." Harry said in horror as the words hit him, "Voldemort is dead! Raven said that our mom killed him a decade ago!"

"She lies!" Quirrell snarled back, "Lord Voldemort is too great a wizard to be killed by some mudblood bitch!"

"Then where is he?!" Harry shouted back, "If he's so great, then why is he making you do his dirty work?!"

Quirrell roared angrily before rushing toward Harry and backhanding him, sending the boy to the floor hard.

"How dare you disrespect Lord Voldemort! You are not even worthy to say his name, you filthy half-breed!"

Quirrell delivered a powerful kick to Harry's stomach, leaving the boy gasping for air before turning on his heel and swiftly regaining his place in front of the mirror,

"Now, what does this mirror do?" Quirrell said softly, "I see myself giving my master the stone, but how do I get it out!"

As Harry lay on his side, gasping for air, he suddenly felt the familiar sensation of Raven's presence in his mind,

"Harry! Are you okay?" Raven's voice asked as Harry struggled to breathe,

"Raven? Please hurry! It's Professor Quirrell! He keeps talking about getting some stone out of that mirror we came across at Christmas!" Harry thought back.

"We're on our way, little brother!" Raven's voice replied, "Don't worry!"

"Raven, Quirrell is working for Voldemort!" Harry thought back, "He's trying to get the stone so he can bring Voldemort back!"

Harry could feel the panic coming from Raven at that, and there was silence across the mental bond for several seconds before Raven replied,

"We're on our way, Harry! Don't worry!"

A moment later, the mental bond disconnected, and Harry was left alone; after a few moments, Harry gradually began to regain control of his breathing and struggled not to show how afraid he was. He was a Titan! He'd faced worse than this on multiple occasions and always come out on top, and Raven had said that she and the others were on their way, so there really was no reason to worry. Yet, Harry couldn't help but shiver as he felt fear rush through him at the thought of Voldemort, the monster that had stolen Harry's parents from him and Raven and would, without a doubt, kill Harry as soon as he could. If this stone, whatever it was, was the only thing keeping that from happening, then Harry had to ensure that Quirrell never laid his hands on it!

"Hey! Asshole!" Harry called out, making Quirrell turn to him with a glare, "Looks like you're having a bit of trouble getting your precious stone! Guess your Dark daddy should have found himself a better lap dog, huh?"

Quirrell released an inhuman cry of rage that echoed around the chamber for a minute before pointing his wand at Harry and screaming a single word,

"Crucio!"

The red spell struck Harry, and pain like nothing he had ever before consumed him. Every single one of his nerves felt as though it had been set on fire; he felt as though he was being dragged over hot coals. He felt as though he were dying yet was acutely aware of it in excruciating detail; unable to stop himself, Harry screamed in agony.

He tried to stop himself so that he wouldn't give Quirrell the satisfaction of hearing his pain; slamming his jaw shut, Harry felt him bite down on his own tongue, and blood quickly filled his mouth. Realizing that he couldn't keep his jaw clamped shut anymore, or else he'd risk biting the tip of his tongue off, Harry unclenched his jaw, which made him start screaming again almost instantly as he writhed on the floor in agony. Harry could hear Quirrell laughing at him through the haze of pain, which only seemed to worsen it.

Suddenly, Quirrell's laughter was cut off, along with the spell, as Quirrell was suddenly blasted off of his feet by a violent green light; once the blinding pain ended, Harry was left trembling on the floor from the effects of the spell.

Slowly, Harry lifted his head off the floor and spat out the blood pooled in his mouth from his tongue.

"Harry!" Raven's voice cried as Harry felt his head fall to the floor again; a moment later, he felt himself enveloped in his sister's arms as she gently lifted him up, "Harry, I need you to open your eyes! Please! Please open your eyes!"

"R-Raven?" Harry mumbled, "I knew you'd come…."

"Always, little brother," Raven said softly as tears ran down her cheeks; as gently as she could, Raven wiped away the blood from Harry's mouth, "I'll always come for you, Harry."

Slowly, Harry managed to take in what was happening around him; Robin, Starfire, and Beastboy were dodging spells that were being shot at them by an enraged and bleeding Quirrell.

"Come on, you can do better than that!" Beastboy laughed before turning into a sparrow and flying out of reach as another green light sailed past him.

"Stay still, you filthy green freak!" Quirrell snarled as he began firing green spells recklessly, "Avada Kedavra! AVADA KEDAVRA!"

A moment later, Quirrell screamed in pain as one of Robin's birdarangs impaled itself in the Professor's hand, causing him to drop his wand with a clatter.

"You're beaten!" As he raised his bow staff defensively, Robin shouted, "Give up!"

"Master, they're too strong!" Quirrell called out, making the Titans look around warily, in case they missed someone hiding in the room with them, "Help me!"

"Fool! Can you not do anything right!" A voice hissed angrily, making the Titans whirl around to see where it was coming from; Raven, however, paled at the voice and gripped Harry tighter as she stared at Quirrell in sudden fear.

"That voice…," Raven said in a scared voice, "It can't be…. he died!"

"Let me speak to them," the voice hissed, "Face-to-face!"

"Master, you are not strong enough!" Quirrell argued back as he clutched his bleeding hand to his chest.

"I have enough strength for this, fool!" The voice hissed, "And more than you, it would seem!"

Slowly, Quirrell reached up to his turban and began to unwind it; the Titans watched warily as the purple cloth began to fall away until, at last, Quirrell stood in front of the anxious watchers, completely bareheaded.

With a final sneer of contempt, Quirrell turned around, and the Titans blanched in horror; on the back of Quirrell's head was another face that glared out hatefully with blood-red eyes that had snake-like slits in lieu of pupils.

"Voldemort…." Raven whispered in horror as Harry gripped her cloak in a death grip, "It's not possible…."

"Hello, Raven Potter," Voldemort said silkily, "So good to see you again."

Raven could not help but shiver as memories bombarded her of the night she had lost everything to this monster; Raven couldn't help herself and began to shake as she remembered the little girl she'd been that night when Voldemort had taken her parents from her.

"Do you see what I've become because of your little brother!" Voldemort snarled, "A mere parasite that can only have a form as long as I share it with another!"

"You're possessing Quirrell?" Robin asked in disgust, "How the mighty have fallen!"

"Silence!" Voldemort snarled, "Once I have the Philosopher's Stone, I will be returned to my full power, and all will once again kneel before Lord Voldemort!"

"Yeah, not going to happen, dude!" Beastboy snarked before turning into a rhino and charging at Voldemort, who barely managed to jump out of the way in time. Beastboy quickly transformed back into himself as Voldemort jumped back to his feet and looked around with a sneer; he was surrounded on three sides by Starfire, Beastboy, and Robin, with Raven holding Harry in front of the chamber's only exit.

"Surrender now, wraith!" Starfire cried angrily, "You cannot escape!"

"You cannot stop me!" Voldemort retorted as he extended his hand; instantly, Quirrell's wand flew from the ground into Voldemort's waiting hand, "I am Lord Voldemort!"

"Big deal, dude!" Beastboy sneered, "You act like that's supposed to be something to be proud of! I mean, seriously, what kind of idiot names himself 'flees from death'? Sound like something a child would come up with!"

Voldemort snarled in pure rage as he fired a green spell at Beastboy, who backflipped out of the way with a laugh that only seemed to infuriate Voldemort more. Taking advantage of Voldemort's anger, Robin rushed forward to hit him with his bow staff, only to have his staff thrown from his grip and clatter on the other side of the room.

"Harry, I have to go help the others, okay?" Raven said softly, "I need you to stay here, okay? I'll be right back!"

"No!" Harry cried, clutching at Raven's robes, "No, don't fight him! He'll kill you! Like mom and dad, I'll be all alone again!"

"Harry, that's not going to happen," Raven said gently, "I promise I'll be right back, okay? But you have to let me go. The other Titans need my help."

Slowly, Harry unclenched his grip and released his death hold on Raven's robe as she gently detached herself from him, so focused on hitting the other Titans that Voldemort didn't see Raven rise to her feet.

"Azarath Metrion Zynthos!" Raven cried, her voice echoing with all her hatred and anger towards Voldemort for what he had taken from her and Harry. Instantly, a wave of black energy shot out of Raven and slammed into Voldemort, sending him crashing right into the mirror, which promptly shattered as Quirrell's body flew through it.

Slowly, Quirrell rose back to his feet before staring in horror at the pile of broken glass that used to be the mirror of erised.

"NOOOO!" Quirrell screamed in anger and misery, "Master, I'm sorry! It's not my fault! Please have mercy!"

"You idiot!" Voldemort hissed back angrily, "I have suffered your incompetence for long enough! No more!"

As the Titans watched in horror, pitch-black smoke began to pour from Quirrell's body as he shrieked in apparent agony; a moment later, a cloud of black smoke hung over Quirrell's unmoving body, a cloud with glowing blood-red eyes.

"Oh god…" Beastboy said in shocked horror, making the cloud turn to him, "What the hell is that thing?"

"It's what Voldemort is now," Raven stated, "A demon of cloud and vapor that can only have form as long as he shares it with another. Just like he deserves!"

Voldemort's shade snarled in rage at that, and sparks seemed to jump from the cloud that made up his form,

"So many bodies to choose from!" Voldemort hissed, "But I think I'll take yours, Raven Potter! Imagine the irony of being forced to watch as I use your body to kill your precious brother!"

With an inhuman cry of rage, Voldemort surged forward towards Raven as she raised her hands and attempted to use her powers to defend herself; before Voldemort got to her, however, Raven's eyes widened in horror as Harry jumped in front of her.

"NOOOOO!" Harry screamed as the wraith sailed into his body and flung him to the ground a moment later.

"No! Harry!" Raven screamed in horror as she ran to her brother's side and flipped him over onto his back, "Harry! Harry, speak to me!"

Suddenly, Harry began to convulse, and Raven struggled to hold him down as he violently twitched and shook.

"Robin! Starfire! Help! I can't hold him!" Raven screamed, panic beginning to consume her; a moment later, the other Titans were kneeling next to Raven, each attempting to hold Harry down as he shook and convulsed violently in their grips.

"What's happening to him?" Beastboy demanded as he struggled to hold Harry down.

"Voldemort's trying to possess him!" Raven cried,

"How do we stop it!" Starfire demanded, "There must be a way!"

"Hold him down!" Raven ordered as she rose to her feet and spread her hands over Harry; instantly, the Titans complied and put their full weight down on Harry's arms and legs.

"Azarath Metrion Zynthos!" Raven shouted, her voice echoing across the silent chamber; a long black tentacle flew out of Raven's right hand and into Harry's head before snapping taut like a rope.

For a few seconds, nothing happened, then Raven began to reel the tentacle back inch by inch until, at last, Voldemort's shade was dragged screaming from Harry's head; instantly, Harry stopped convulsing and seemed to pass out.

"Release me!" Voldemort's shade screamed as it thrashed in Raven's tentacle, "You cannot hold Lord Voldemort!"

"You took my mother!" Raven snarled, "You took my father! You will not have my brother as well! Today is the day you die once and for all!"

Pouring as much energy as she could into her tentacle, Raven began squeezing Voldemort's shade as it screamed and thrashed violently; the more Raven squeezed, the smaller Voldemort's shade seemed to become, until it was no bigger than the size of a fist.

Just as Raven was about to put the last little bit of energy needed to finally end Voldemort once and for all, an unearthly scream erupted from behind her, and a wave of energy threw her off of her feet, causing Voldemort's shade to finally break free as Raven's tentacle disappeared.

Quickly jumping to her feet to see what had hit her, Raven felt her blood freeze in her veins; the other three Titans were out cold and floating several inches off of the ground in the center of them was the Harry from her vision.

His hair seemed to billow around his head as though blown by some invisible force, and his face was set in a cruel smirk that seemed to have no place on Harry's face; but the worst thing of all was the dual pair of blood-red eyes that glared back at her.

"His death belongs to me!" Harry hissed in a voice that sounded like a group of people were speaking as one, "No one else shall have him!"

"Harry…" Raven whispered in horror as tears ran down her face, "Stop, please!"

"Step aside, Raven!" Harry hissed angrily as six tentacles spread out from his back, "I will not ask again."

"Harry, you don't need to do this!" Raven said gently, extending her hands placatingly, "Mom and dad wouldn't have wanted you to do this."

"And whose fault is it that they're not here!" Harry snapped in his demon voice as one of his tentacles snapped out and grabbed Voldemort's shade before it could escape, "Who tore our family apart and caused me to be sent to hell for years! Every pain and torture we have ever gone through can be laid at Voldemort's feet!"

"I know that, Harry," Raven said gently, "But if you do this, you'll become just like him! Is that really what you want! Look at your reflection and tell me this is what mom and dad would have wanted for you!"

Slowly, Harry looked down at one of the broken shards from the mirror of erised, and his eyes widened in horror as he took in his reflection. The shock of seeing himself like he'd seen Raven all those years ago seemed to do the trick as the tentacles snapped back into Harry as though they were bungee cords.

Harry crumpled to the ground a moment later, and Voldemort's shade screamed in rage as it flew out of the chamber and out of sight; Voldemort's screams echoed long after the shade had vanished.

Instantly, Raven surged forward and pulled Harry into her embrace before gently rocking her brother back and forth as tears ran freely down her face.

"Raven…" Harry said in a broken voice as the red eyes disappeared and his green ones reappeared again, "I'm so sorry…."

"Shut up, Harry," Raven said gently, "There's nothing to be sorry for!"

As Harry lost consciousness in her arms, Raven glanced over at a broken piece of glass that sat nearby, which had a blood-red stone sitting on it.

XXXX

Author's Note:

I apologize for how long it's been taking me to get new chapters out, but as I stated in my other fics, life is not being very kind to me lately. Between 12-hour shifts, going back to school, and just trying to keep my head above water, I don't have as much time to write as I used to. So, no matter how long it takes, never believe that any of my fics have been abandoned; I will ensure they all end up finished.

Chapter Text

Chapter Seventeen

The Shade of Voldemort seethed with hatred and anger as it tore through the Forbidden Forest, desperately trying to escape the brat who had once again ruined his plans; this was simply humiliating to be the most powerful Wizard since Merlin and to still end up beaten by the son of a mudblood not once, but twice!

"One day, Harry Potter!" Voldemort's shade hissed with rage, "One day I shall return, and when I do, I shall make you watch as I kill what remains of your family in front of you!"

Though he would never admit it, Voldemort had actually been afraid when Harry Potter had attacked him with those tentacles of his; when Voldemort had looked into those twin pairs of red eyes that Harry had sported, Voldemort saw no mercy, only hatred and the surety that the brat would kill him, and he would have if not for his sister.

What did this mean? Was there more to the prophecy between him and the boy? Was that why he had failed to kill him that Halloween night so many years ago and instead been destroyed himself?

These questions needed answering if Voldemort was ever to regain his body and kill the brat; if Voldemort wanted to rule the World, he had to ensure that no one could stand up to him, and fate had decided that someone would be Harry Potter. Voldemort would have felt pity for the brat if he weren't filled with such overpowering rage and the urge to murder everyone that the boy loved.

"Stop!" A voice suddenly commanded, its echo booming through the trees and making Voldemort come to a sudden halt before spinning around to try and discover where the voice originated.

"Who's there?" Voldemort hissed as he looked around the dark forest surrounding him, "Show yourself or face my wrath!"

A deep chuckle met these words, and Voldemort would have turned red with humiliation if he still had a body.

"Your wrath?" The voice asked mockingly, "And tell me, what do I have to fear from a wizard who has twice been felled by a child? And what's more, one without even a body to defend himself?"

"Even without a body, I am still the most powerful wizard this world has ever known!" Voldemort spat angrily.

"You are nothing," the voice replied with a chuckle, "I could crush you as easily as a bug if I so chose."

"Then come and do it!" Voldemort challenged, even as he knew the truth of the voice's words and hated whoever was speaking for them.

"I could do that," the voice purred, "But what would be the point? It would be like killing a dog whose spirit has already been broken; there is no point."

"I am no dog!" Voldemort snarled as he continued to search for the voice's owner, "I was the most powerful Wizard who ever lived! Entire countries feared my armies!"

"Emphasis on 'was, '" the voice chuckled, "Now, you are less than nothing. You have no armies, power, or hope of regaining it without my help."

"Your help?" Voldemort asked in surprise, "Why would you aid me in regaining my powers?"

"Because we both need each other, as much as I am loathed to admit it," the voice sneered back, making Voldemort burn with fury and humiliation.

"And why do I need you?" Voldemort spat, "I have other followers I can turn to, others who would be honored to aid their lord in his return."

"Then where are they?" The voice laughed, "Where are these 'honored' servants who should have flocked to you when you fell and tried to help you find your way back? Face it, Wizard, you've been abandoned!"

Voldemort roared incoherently in rage and hatred as the truth of the voice's words hit him like hammer blows; the forest echoed with Voldemort's roar for a moment before it was quiet again.

"Done with your temper tantrum?" The voice asked, amused as Voldemort hovered silently.

"If you're so powerful, why do you need me?" Voldemort asked angrily,

"Because my bitch of a daughter has banished me from your world with powerful magics!" The voice snarled, "And I need outside help to stop the magics that keep me from returning to my rightful place in your world."

"Seems like you need me more than I need you," Voldemort sneered back, causing the voice to chuckle with amusement, which only confused Voldemort.

"No, little Wizard. You need me far more than I need you. I can wait an eternity to return and exact my vengeance on my daughter and her friends. Patience is one of the gifts that comes with immortality. But how long can you wait to be returned to full power?"

Voldemort's surprise at the owner of the voice admitting that they were immortal was quickly tempered by the realization that the voice was right; Voldemort didn't know how much longer he could stand this weakened state that he had been forced to endure for ten long years.

"Who are you?" Voldemort asked again, though in a softer voice than before, as he thought over the voice's proposition.

"I am Trigon," the voice replied haughtily, making Voldemort go silent in shock, "You know of me, it would seem?"

Voldemort said nothing, just floated silently above the ground as he processed the information; in the early days when he was first planning his campaign against the Wizarding World, Voldemort had uncovered a long-forgotten tome that showed how to summon and control demons. At first, Voldemort had actually entertained the idea of summoning demons for his army. However, that idea was quickly cast aside as he investigated other books and scrolls that showed that no matter how powerful you were, the demons would eventually slip the leash that they were under and turn on the summoner. Not wishing to have his soul dragged to hell, Voldemort had hidden the book, hoping it would never again see the light of day. Still, even now, he remembered the one demon the book explicitly warned never to summon, the one demon that no one could control: Trigon the terrible.

"You're a demon…." Voldemort whispered when he managed to regain control of himself, "Why would I ally with you, knowing that you will eventually turn on me?"

"Because without me, you will remain as a formless nothing until the end of your days!" Trigon sneered back, "I can offer you everything you have lost and much, much more."

Images suddenly bombarded Voldemort's mind of him seated on an ebony throne with all his servants kneeling in front of him; the image suddenly shifted to show all his enemies impaled on long shafts of wood, their corpses hanging lifeless outside the gates of Hogwarts, and with Harry Potter's displayed front and center. Before Voldemort could gain any satisfaction from this, the image shifted again to one of him once again seated on a black throne, but this time there was screaming going on all around him as his servants brutally killed or toyed with the muggles and mudbloods that he had enslaved.

As quickly as the images had begun, they were over, leaving Voldemort gasping with awe and pleasure at what he had seen and desperate to know how such things could be made into reality.

"Help me break the magic that's keeping me from returning to your dimension," Trigon purred, "And not only will I give you this world, but countless others to rule as well."

Voldemort would have licked his lips greedily if he had any to lick as he imagined himself not as a Dark Lord but as an emperor ruling over an unending empire of planets.

"And what do you get out of this?" Voldemort asked, "This deal seems to favor me more heavily than it does you."

"I want only one thing," Trigon growled, and Voldemort shivered as he felt the rage that came from that growl.

"And what might that be?"

"I want my daughter and all her friends kneeling before me and begging me to kill them, to end their suffering. I want my daughter to watch as I defile and destroy the precious friends she chose to betray me for!"

"Sounds like a wonderful dream," Voldemort sneered, "But I think I'll pass on your generous offer."

"Oh, will you now?" Trigon asked in amusement,

"Yes," Voldemort stated, "I read a book about you once and many others about you since, and the one thing they all have in common is that you are a liar, and nothing you say can be trusted. Besides, once I have my body returned to me, everything you showed me in those visions of yours, I can get on my own."

"But first, you have to get your body back," Trigon chuckled, making Voldemort seethe with anger, "And how long will that be, do you think? Let's see which of us can outlast the other, Wizard. I'll be waiting when you change your mind…."

Voldemort felt Trigon's presence leave him at that, and once again, the Dark Lord was alone in the forest with just his thoughts; siding with Trigon was an incredibly stupid and dangerous idea, yet after ten years of living as a shade, Voldemort would have made any deal to end his torture. But, at the same time, Voldemort didn't become the most powerful Wizard the World had ever seen by being foolhardy; he would need to carefully think about Trigon's offer before he decided what course to take.

Without another word, Voldemort's shade glided through the trees again as it fled from Hogwarts and the ones responsible for the latest failure.

XXXX

The Hospital Wing was silent; one would think it deserted as well were it not for the three bodies currently lying next to one another at the end of the wing, one of which was covered with a sheet.

Raven sat in silent contemplation as she sat beside Harry's bed; her little brother was still unconscious from his ordeal, as was Beastboy, who lay beside Harry. Upon awakening over an hour ago, Starfire and Robin had immediately left to call Batman and inform him of what had occurred. The Titans knew that Dumbledore had been hiding something and had hoped to figure out what it was, but hiding an incredibly powerful magical object as bait in a school full of children to lure out a powerful dark wizard was something that no one was expecting, and definitely needed to be told to the higher-ups. Raven almost chuckled as she imagined how Dumbledore would respond when Batman and the rest of the League arrived at Hogwarts demanding answers.

Reaching into her robe, Raven withdrew the object in question that seemed to be the cause of all her annoyance and that which had nearly gotten her little brother killed; for a moment, she simply stared at the stone that lay flat in her hand before using her power to make it slowly rise above her hand until it rested at eye level.

The stone itself was nothing special; it looked like a large ruby, but with streaks of green and gold flowing through it, but Raven could feel the power that rested within, and it almost left her breathless.

"No one should have this much power," Raven thought with a grimace as her mind raced with all the stories she had read about Nicholas Flamel and his accursed stone; centuries of bloodshed and death had followed the stone's creation as kings and armies fought for it.

It was only when Flamel and his wife had decided that enough was enough and went into hiding with the stone in 1637 that the bloodshed finally ended, but there were still tales of thieves meeting horrible ends when they attempted to steal the stone. Morgan La Fey had even tried to find it, from what Raven was told, and had to be stopped by the Justice League when she 'supposedly' had; the stone she had found ended up being a forgery, but an incredibly powerful one that had nearly allowed her son Mordred to rule the World. Raven shuddered to think what would happen if someone were to find the real stone after all the damage the fake one had caused.

"Raven….?" Harry's voice called out, breaking her concentration and making the stone fall back into her hand, which she quickly pocketed back in her robe.

"I'm here, Harry," Raven replied gently as she took his hand in hers and squeezed,

"I don't feel so good," Harry mumbled back, "What happened?"

"Do you remember anything?" Raven asked nervously,

"Not really…" Harry replied weakly as he struggled to keep his eyes open, "Is everyone okay?"

"Everyone is fine, sweetie," Raven replied gently, "Just rest for now, okay?"

Harry slowly nodded, and a moment later, he was asleep again as Madam Pomfrey came bustling up, her arms filled with bottles containing various potions and medicines.

"Did he awaken?"

"Only for a moment," Raven replied as she let go of Harry's hand and turned to the Medi witch.

"Well, help me open his mouth so I can get these into him," Madam Pomfrey said quickly, "We'll do Beastboy next."

"What are they?" Raven asked as she rose from her chair and leaned over Harry to open his mouth,

"Just health potions that will aid him in his recovery," Madam Pomfrey replied as she poured a yellow potion down Harry's throat, "He shows signs of being attacked by dark magics, and we need to correct it before it has a chance to harm him more than it already has. But, honestly, what happened down there?"

"That's precisely what I would like to know," Dumbledore said as he quickly strolled into the Hospital Wing, his purple and silver robes billowing behind him.

"You…" Raven hissed as the Headmaster approached Harry's bed,

"Headmaster, I thought you were in London," Madam Pomfrey said happily as she poured another potion into Harry's mouth.

"I was," Dumbledore replied, "But it wasn't too long after I arrived that I felt that something was wrong at Hogwarts, and so I gave the minister my apologies and returned. Now, what has been going on here? And why is there a dead body lying in the Hospital Wing?"

"I think we both know the answer to that question, Dumbledore," Raven said coldly.

"It's Professor Quirrell, Headmaster," Madam Pomfrey replied quickly before Dumbledore could respond, "He tried to steal the stone and abducted Mr. Potter here to help him do it! Raven and her friends went after him when they found out what had happened courtesy of Ms. Granger, but it seems as though Professor Quirrell died as a result of the battle."

"You killed a Hogwarts teacher?" Dumbledore asked Raven with a raised brow, "By what right do you have to do such a thing? He should have been detained and handed over to the Aurors for trial."

"We didn't kill him!" Raven growled back, "It was Voldemort!"

The Hospital Wing went silent once again as Madam Pomfrey gasped in horror and brought a hand to her mouth, dropping the bottles she was holding as a result; Dumbledore's eyebrows rose in surprise for a moment before he regained control of himself and began to stroke his beard thoughtfully.

"And you have proof of this?" Dumbledore asked softly,

"Quirrell was possessed by the shade of Voldemort," Raven replied with grit teeth, "Have the Aurors check his corpse, and they will discover traces of the dark magic that Voldemort used. That should be proof enough!"

"I'm afraid not," Dumbledore said sadly, "Many things could leave a similar trace on poor Quirinus' body. Do you have any other pieces of evidence that you can provide?"

It took every ounce of willpower that Raven had to keep her from leaping over the bed and attacking Dumbledore; it was his fault that her team had almost died, and now he was trying to pin Quirrell's murder on the Titans, no doubt to wrestle Harry from her and place him where Dumbledore thought he should be.

"I have my memories, as do the rest of my team," Raven growled back, "They will show that we had nothing to do with Quirrell's death."

"Memories are not admissible in the Wizengamot, I'm afraid," Dumbledore replied as his eyes twinkled like mad, "If that's all you have, I'm afraid that I have no choice but to hold you until the Aurors arrive for the murder of a Hogwarts Professor."

Raven lunged forward at that, and Dumbledore reached for his wand; before anyone could do anything to the other, a voice rang out like thunder throughout the Hospital Wing.

"Raven! Stand down!"

"What in Merlin's name…?" Dumbledore said quickly as he spun, looking for the voice's origin, his wand drawn and held ready to attack.

Raven, however, began to grin as she recognized that voice; a moment later, her thoughts were justified as Zatanna, Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman suddenly appeared in the Hospital Wing as though they had teleported there; seconds later, Robin and Starfire appeared as well while Dumbledore stared in shock.

"How did you do that?" Dumbledore breathed as he took in the newcomers; he knew who they were thanks to the copious amount of research he had done on the Titans and others like them at the start of Harry's year, but seeing them standing in front of him now was a different matter altogether, "No one should be able to apparate into Hogwarts! The wards surrounding her should have prevented it!"

"Oh, those?" Zatanna laughed, "They were almost TOO easy to get around. Kind of pathetic how weak they are, to be honest."

As Dumbledore stuttered at the insult, Raven couldn't help but smile, which was apparently shared by Robin and Starfire, which only made Dumbledore turn redder with humiliation.

"I demand that you leave at once!" Dumbledore said calmly, once he had regained his self-control, "You are trespassing, and as Headmaster of Hogwarts, I will defend her and her students if you try to harm either of them!"

"We have no interest in harming your school or its students, Headmaster," Wonder Woman replied with a slight grin at Dumbledore's bravado, "We are here for another matter entirely."

"Which is?" Dumbledore demanded, his wand at the ready just in case,

"Harry Potter and his sister Raven Potter," Batman growled, "According to Robin and Starfire, you nearly got them killed by using an incredibly powerful magical object as bait to lure in the one responsible for the murder of their parents."

"I did no such thing!" Dumbledore retorted as Madam Pomfrey gasped in shock.

"Perhaps it would be better if we continued this discussion in your office," Superman said softly, "I'm sure Beastboy and Harry need their treatment, and we have things to discuss."

"Indeed," Dumbledore stated, "If you would all follow me, please."

As the others began to file out of the Hospital Wing and followed Dumbledore, Raven bit her lip in indecision; she wanted to stay with Harry, but at the same time, she wanted to be part of the conversation no doubt about to occur.

"You should go with them," Madam Pomfrey said softly as she waved her wand to clean up the broken bottles before her, "I'll keep an eye on Harry and Beastboy for you."

Raven quickly nodded in gratitude before hurrying off with the others; they walked silently to Dumbledore's office, no one wanting to say anything to the other until they were in private, where they wouldn't be overheard.

As they passed through the halls of Hogwarts, Raven couldn't help but smirk as they passed by various students, some of whom immediately got wide-eyed and slack-jawed when they saw the members of the Justice League who were accompanying Dumbledore.

"Dude, that's Batman!" One student whispered to another, who simply nodded in shock,

"Blimey! It's Superman! He saved my mum once when Brainiac attacked London!" Another student whispered in awe; Superman nodded at the student as he passed, causing the girl to turn bright red as a smile stretched across her face.

Not long after, the group stood in Dumbledore's office as the aged Headmaster waved his wand to secure the room before sitting down behind his desk and steepled his fingers in front of him, his wand sitting within easy reach on his desk.

"Now, perhaps you can tell me what you are all doing in my castle?" Dumbledore asked softly but firmly, "And why I shouldn't summon the Aurors immediately to arrest you for trespassing."

"Go ahead and call them," Zatanna prompted as she crossed her arms over her chest and raised a brow at Dumbledore mockingly, "I'm sure they'd be fascinated to learn all the things you've been hiding at Hogwarts."

"Starting with this!" Raven added angrily as the Philosopher's Stone flew out of her robes and hovered before her.

"Holy shit…" Zatanna breathed in awe, "Is that what I think it is?"

"If you think it's the Philosopher's Stone, then yes, you are correct," Robin grimaced.

"I'll take that, my dear," Dumbledore said softly as he held out his hand expectantly, only to glare a moment later when it was snatched out of the air by Batman, who studied it very carefully for a moment.

"You most certainly will not!" Zatanna spat, looking from the stone to Dumbledore, "That stone is one of the most powerful objects ever created by magic! It has no place being kept hidden in a school full of children! Wars have been fought over this thing! The whole damned planet almost ended up destroyed when Morgan La Fey discovered a fake; now, what do you think would happen if she were to find out that the real one was at Hogwarts all this time?!"

"Morgan La Fey…?" Dumbledore said in shock, "Morgan La Fey has been dead since the time of Merlin, young lady."

"If you say so," Zatanna laughed, making Dumbledore glare at her momentarily before turning back to Batman.

"That stone belongs to my friend Nicholas Flamel," Dumbledore stated firmly, "You have no right to steal his property."

"Then by what right do you have it?" Wonder Woman demanded,

"And why did you think it was a good idea to hide it in a school full of kids?" Superman added sternly, "You could have gotten someone killed,"

"Namely, my little brother…." Raven added with a growl.

"It was never my intention to endanger young Mr. Potter or you, Raven," Dumbledore replied as he steepled his fingers again, "Nicholas asked me to hide it for him as he became aware that powerful individuals were trying to steal it. I told him that Hogwarts was the safest place for the stone and agreed to hide it here for him."

"Safe?" Zatanna scoffed, "It took me five seconds to get around the wards here. I imagine it would take Felix Faust or someone else even less time."

"I don't know this Felix Faust," Dumbledore replied testily, "But I can assure you that anyone trying to break into Hogwarts would find the task far harder than anticipated."

"Uh huh…" Zatanna sneered, making Dumbledore look at her in indignation momentarily before returning his stare to Batman, who was putting the stone into one of the compartments on his belt.

"We are here," Batman growled, "Because my partner told us that not only were you keeping an incredibly powerful object hidden in a school but also because Robin told us that one of your professors had been possessed by the Dark Wizard responsible for the death's of Raven and Harry's parents. Did you know?"

The question sounded more like a demand, and as Batman glared at Dumbledore, the aged Headmaster's mind raced a mile a minute; there had to be some way to salvage something from this fiasco.

"Yes," Dumbledore said simply, making Raven immediately pale with rage.

"You son of a bitch!" Raven snarled as she lunged at Dumbledore, her eyes turning into twin pairs of demon red, only to be stopped a moment later by Superman, who wrapped his arms around her and held her tight.

"My brother almost died!" Raven snarled as she fought to free herself from Superman's arms, "My friends almost died!"

"If you would just give me a moment to explain, perhaps I can make you understand why I did what I did," Dumbledore replied calmly, though inside, he was quite intimidated and would never admit it.

"Speak fast, old man," Wonder Woman stated through clenched teeth, "My patience wears thin."

Quickly nodding, Dumbledore turned his attention to Raven and stared at her silently for a moment before speaking again in a calm voice,

"I wasn't lying when I said that Harry has a great destiny, Raven. It is because of this destiny that Voldemort targeted him and your family in the first place."

"Explain. Now." Batman growled,

"Not long before Harry's birth, I was fortunate to encounter a seer who foretold a prophecy that a child would be born and that this child would be the only one who could destroy Voldemort once and for all. The contents of the prophecy left little doubt that it referred to your brother; as such, I immediately told your parents to take you and Harry and go into hiding."

"You have got to be kidding," Zatanna said with a scoff as Raven stared at Dumbledore in shock, "You mean to tell me that the reason the dark douche came after the Potters was because of a prophecy? Everyone knows how unreliable those are!"

"That's not always the case," Wonder Woman replied, quickly turning to face Zatanna, "Before its fall, the oracle of Delphi gave many prophecies that came true, some with disastrous results."

"That is how I knew that even though he had disappeared, Voldemort was not truly gone," Dumbledore said softly, "Because only your brother can truly defeat him."

"And that's why you agreed to hide the stone here…" Batman theorized, "To draw him into the open in the hope that Harry would be able to put him down permanently."

Dumbledore said nothing, simply lowered his head which was as much a declaration of guilt as though he had outright said it.

"You unbelievable bastard…." Raven breathed, her eyes returning to normal; Starfire, on the other hand, looked ready to vaporize Dumbledore. Only Robin's calm hand on her shoulder kept her from doing so, though even he looked ready to beat Dumbledore to a bloody pulp.

"Are you senile or something?" Superman demanded, making Dumbledore look sharply at him, "Harry is an eleven-year-old kid! He's only been fighting crime for a little over a year, and you thought it would be okay to make him fight the one responsible for killing his mother and father! If they couldn't beat Voldemort, what would make you think Harry could?!"

"I can assure you that my mental faculties are excellent," Dumbledore retorted,

"Obviously not if you thought putting Harry in danger like that was okay!" Robin spat back before going silent sullenly as Batman turned to look at him.

"I can assure you that it was never my intention for Harry to come to any harm!" Dumbledore replied placatingly, "I knew that Voldemort was not at his full potential, and this would be the best chance for Harry and our World to finally see Voldemort's end! Everything I have ever done has been for the greater good!"

"The greater good?" Batman growled, "Why do men and women try to justify themselves with those words? The greater good is nothing more than a twisted way of saying the lesser evil. Every tyrant and monster has used the words 'for the greater good' since the dawn of time to justify their atrocities."

"I have dedicated my entire life to protecting the magical world," Dumbledore spat back, for once losing his revered calm exterior as he shot to his feet, "I will not sit here and be lectured by a muggle who dresses like a flying rodent and thinks he can judge me for decisions I have made when half the time there was no right choice, only bad ones!"

Without warning, Dumbledore launched a Legilimency attack on Batman to try and see what he was hiding, only to be immediately forced out of Batman's head with so much force that it threw Dumbledore back into his chair; a second later, a Batarang was impaled in Dumbledore's desk, inches from his hand, causing the aged Headmaster to flinch and draw his hand away from danger.

"Don't do that again," Batman spat angrily, causing Dumbledore to pale instantly; never before had he felt so intimidated in his entire life, and the most humiliating thing was that it was due to a muggle.

"What was said in this prophecy?" Superman asked from where he was still holding Raven, "Perhaps if we hear it for ourselves, we might be able to discover something that you missed that will help us defeat Voldemort.

For a moment, Dumbledore considered denying their request to hear the prophecy, but one glance at Batman told him that it would not be a good idea; the League was determined to hear the prophecy, one way or another, and so with a weary sigh, Dumbledore began to recite.

"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches. Born to those who have thrice defied him. Born as the seventh month dies, and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he shall have power that the Dark Lord knows not. And either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives…."

For a moment, the office was silent as those assembled digested the words that had been spoken; finally, Raven spoke in a soft voice that made everyone turn to her,

"Marked as his equal? You mean Harry's scar?"

"Indeed," Dumbledore replied sadly, "There were only two families that the prophecy could have pertained to, yours and the Longbottoms, which is why I had both families go into hiding when I first heard the prophecy. But, unfortunately, your parents trusted the wrong man to protect them."

"Explain," Batman demanded, making Dumbledore shake his head wearily.

"When the Potters went into hiding, I told them to perform the Fidelius charm as an added layer of protection."

"Seriously?" Zatanna scoffed, "There are a hundred different ways I could get through that, never mind someone like Voldemort."

"What is the Fidelius charm?" Wonder Woman asked quickly, "And what makes it such a potent form of protection?"

"The Fidelius charm is a powerful piece of magic that hides whatever one wishes inside of a single living soul," Dumbledore replied, "So long as the individual refuses to say where the thing or person they're hiding is, they can never be found. Voldemort could have had his nose pressed against the Potter's living room window and never could have seen them."

"Sounds rather straightforward," Superman stated, "So what happened?"

"The Potters entrusted their safety to a man named Sirius Black," Dumbledore said sadly, "What we didn't know was that Sirius Black was a spy for Lord Voldemort; the moment he was made secret keeper, he ran straight to his master and gave the Potters up."

"And how did Harry survive that night?" Wonder Woman asked, "If his parents were killed, it makes sense that he should have been as well, so how is he alive?"

"It was Lily," Dumbledore replied, looking straight at Raven as he spoke, "It took me a long while to discover what happened that night, but eventually, I did. When Voldemort attacked the Potters' cottage, Lily refused to stand aside and let him kill her son, even though he promised to let her live if she did."

"Of course, she wasn't going to move," Zatanna said with a sneer, "What mother would just step aside and let their child be murdered?"

"Indeed," Dumbledore replied, "Voldemort grew tired of her pleading and simply killed her; when he did that, he sealed his own fate."

"What do you mean?" Raven demanded as tears ran down her cheeks at hearing how her mother had died.

"Lily's refusal to move invoked old magic; her sacrifice for her child gave Harry the ultimate protection from harm."

"So when Voldemort tried to kill Harry as well…" Batman said softly,

"The killing curse rebounded onto Voldemort, precisely," Dumbledore replied with a nod.

"Then how is the bastard still alive?" Zatanna asked with a raised brow, "As far as I know, there is no way to survive the killing curse aside from jumping out of the way."

"That, I don't know," Dumbledore replied wearily, "By the time of his destruction, Voldemort had investigated magics long thought forgotten; whatever he did ensured his survival if something should happen to his body. So now he only has form if he possesses another."

"Hmm…" Batman said as he thought over Dumbledore's words,

"If I release you, will you promise to behave?" Superman asked Raven in a soft voice,

"I promise nothing…." Raven replied tensely, making Superman smile wryly before he unwrapped his arms from around her.

"Now, I have my own questions that I would like answered," Dumbledore said after a moment of silence, "Starting with what is the cause of Ms. Potter's dual pair of red eyes?"

"That is none of your concern," Robin snapped before anyone else could answer,

"Agreed," Starfire added, "You have shown with your actions that you deserve neither answers nor respect! You used little Harry like he was a pawn to be manipulated as you see fit!"

"I only did what I thought necessary for the survival of my world!" Dumbledore retorted angrily, "The same thing you and your super-powered friends have done on multiple occasions!"

"How dare you besmirch my honor and that of my friends by comparing your actions with ours!" Wonder Woman retorted, stepping forward in rage, "The things you have done would never be done by one of us!"

"Harry is the only one who can truly defeat Voldemort!" Dumbledore barked, beginning to become frustrated that none of them could see why he had done what he did, "If Harry doesn't stop him, Voldemort will conquer our world, and then he will turn his eyes to yours!"

"The Justice League would never allow that to happen," Superman stated firmly,

"And no matter what your precious prophecy says, we will not allow you to mold Harry into your own personal weapon," Zatanna added.

"He is the only one who can truly destroy Voldemort!" Dumbledore cried, slamming his hands onto his desk as the last of his patience finally came to an end.

"He is a child!" Wonder Woman retorted angrily as she slammed her own hands onto Dumbledore's desk and leaned over to face the Headmaster, "One day, he may grow into a great warrior, but for now, he has no place waging war against the monster that is Voldemort! And you should be ashamed of yourself for trying to force such a confrontation!"

"I warned you what would happen if you placed Harry in danger again, Dumbledore," Raven hissed in anger, "I'm a woman of my word, and as such, I will be pulling Harry from Hogwarts as soon as this year is over. Of course, I will allow him to finish his first year, but after that, if I have my way, Harry will never set foot in this castle ever again!"

"Harry must stay at Hogwarts!" Dumbledore replied as the blood ran from his face at Raven's words, "This castle is the finest magical school in the world!"

"As if," Zatanna scoffed, "Between Raven and I, we could teach Harry more about magic in a year than you could in a century."

"But it's only here that Harry can be made ready for the day when Voldemort and he finally meet!" Dumbledore replied, trying another tactic,

"Voldemort is no longer Harry's problem," Batman said simply, "The League will deal with him, and we will do so in a way that doesn't force a child to become a killer."

"But…. but…." Dumbledore stuttered, trying desperately to figure out how to salvage this disaster; once the rest of the Wizarding World discovered that Harry had withdrawn from Hogwarts and that it was Dumbledore's fault, they would be after Dumbledore's head and all his political power would not save him.

"He may not be related to us, but Harry is as much our little brother as he is Raven's," Robin growled as Starfire nodded in agreement, "And you nearly got him killed, old man!"

"I have nothing more to say to you, you bastard!" Raven growled before spinning on her heel and storming out of the office; a moment later, Robin and Starfire left after her, shooting truly hate-filled looks before slamming the door behind them.

"People say that you are the wisest and most powerful wizard since Merlin," Zatanna said with a sneer once they were alone, "But I honestly can't see how if you've messed up this badly."

"Everything I've ever done has been in service to the greater good…." Dumbledore said in a weary voice as he lowered himself back into his chair.

"There is nothing good about leaving a child with relatives that you knew would hate him," Batman growled, "And there is certainly nothing good about raising that child to become a weapon that you planned to throw at the monster that killed his parents. You disgust me."

"It would seem that we have nothing further to talk about," Dumbledore sneered back, "Please be so kind as to return the Philosopher's Stone and leave my castle."

"The stone comes with us," Batman retorted, "Tell your friend Nicholas Flamel that if he wants it, he can come get it himself."

"You cannot steal the stone," Dumbledore cried in outrage, "Nicholas entrusted me with its protection!"

"And that's precisely why we're taking it!" Wonder Woman snapped back, "Because you have proven incapable of properly guarding it!"

"This is an outrage!" Dumbledore hissed as he gripped the arms of his chair hard, "You have no right to come here and dictate terms to me! You don't even belong to the Magical World! The Ministry will hear about this, and then we'll see what happens!"

"Well, I mean, technically, I AM a sorceress, so in a way, I do belong to the Magical World," Zatanna said with a wink, "And I'm sure the Ministry would love to hear what we have to say in regards to you."

Dumbledore paled at the threat, which made Zatanna's grin stretch even further as she tipped her top hat at him.

"The League will be watching both you and the Magical World very closely from now on," Batman said as he glared at Dumbledore, "And if you or the Ministry try anything that threatens the World or Harry, we will stop you. Is that clear?"

Dumbledore could only choke on his anger before nodding grudgingly; without another word, the group turned and walked to Zatanna, each placing a hand on her.

"Be seeing you, gramps!" Zatanna cried happily before snapping her fingers and teleporting the group away instantly as Dumbledore watched with shock.

Alone in his office, the gravity of what had just happened seemed to hit Dumbledore like a train; he had lost the Philosopher's Stone, he had lost Harry Potter, and even worse was that when the rest of the Magical World found out what had happened (which they undoubtedly would), Dumbledore would be finished. How had it all gone so wrong?

Picking up his wand, Dumbledore summoned a large glass and a bottle of Firewhiskey and poured himself a very generous amount before settling back into his chair to get drunk for the first time in almost eighty years.

XXXX

Author's Note:

I make no excuse for how long it's been since my last update, I can only say that life has decided to beat me like a whipped horse, and I'm just trying to keep standing. I hope this chapter makes up for how long it's been, and know that I plan to release another chapter in a few days to compensate y'all. I planned to release the two chapters as one, but it was over twenty pages long, lol.

Chapter Text

Chapter Eighteen

Raven gazed sadly at herself in the mirror as she slipped the business suit's jacket on over her cream-colored shirt; she was wearing a jet-black business suit with matching shoes and had done all in her power to make herself look respectable. It was that time of year again, and as much as she hated it, she had to go and do her part to ensure that her promise to Harry was kept.

The thought of Harry brought a weary sigh to Raven as she finished buttoning her top and checked her makeup one last time. It had been a month since Harry had awoken; thankfully, he had no memories of his demonic transformation; the only thing he remembered was the Titans arriving to help him, then nothing. Raven had already devised a new training regime for Harry with Robin for when they returned to Jump City to help her little brother learn how to control the new side of his abilities that he had unlocked. However, she would never tell Harry about his 'dark side,' as she feared that acknowledging his demon side would only strengthen it.

After one last check in the mirror satisfied Raven that she had done all she could to make herself look good, Raven let out another weary sigh and sat on the edge of her bed and stared at the floor sadly; everything had changed, it seemed, between Harry and Raven since her little brother had awoken.

At first, Harry had been overjoyed that Raven and the rest of the Titans were safe and unharmed after facing Voldemort, but that happiness had been but a fleeting moment when Raven had sat down and informed Harry that she was planning to pull him from Hogwarts at the end of the year.

What had followed was a mixture of a screaming match between Raven and Harry and a round of pleading on Harry's part as he tried to change her mind; Harry had tried to use every negotiation tool he had at his disposal on Raven, but nothing seemed to be able to change her mind, and so Harry had finally settled on angry silence, refusing to say a word to Raven whenever she approached him. Raven knew why Harry was so mad at her, and what's more, she could understand it; Hogwarts had finally given Harry the thing he had always wanted, friend's who Harry could be honest with about his abilities and who wouldn't judge him for them, and no doubt Harry saw Raven pulling him from Hogwarts as her taking away his only 'real' friends.

Part of Raven wanted to keep Harry at Hogwarts rather than force him to say goodbye to his first true friends, and she hated herself for having to pull him in the first place. Still, the other 'rational' side of her knew that as long as Dumbledore was Headmaster of Hogwarts, Harry would never be safe here, and to keep her brother safe, she would do everything she had to, even if he hated her for it.

Shaking her head wearily again, Raven stood up and wrapped herself in her power, teleporting her to Harry's dorm to say goodbye before she left.

Just as she expected, Raven found Harry lying on his stomach in his dorm, an open Transfiguration book in front of him and a stereo playing heavy metal music on the dresser next to him.

"Harry…?" Raven called softly, making the boy look up at her, and Raven couldn't help but flinch at the coldness that she saw there; it seemed that even fate was laughing at her at that moment as Harry reached over to turn the volume up just as an ironic lyric sounded.

"HATE! I'M YOUR HATE! I'M YOUR HATE WHEN YOU WANT LOVE! PAY! PAY THE PRICE. PAY FOR NOTHING'S FAIR!"

With a weary shake of her head, Raven reached over and turned the volume down as Harry glared at her defiantly.

"Can't you at least act your age?" Raven asked,

"Why should I?" Harry replied mockingly, "According to you and everyone else, I'm just a child that has to be coddled and kept safe from the scary dangers of this world."

"Harry, I know you're mad at me, but I don't have a choice!" Raven said in exasperation, "In this one year alone, you've almost died three times! You've been traumatized by a magic mirror and been attacked by not one but TWO teachers! Can you not see that I'm doing what I must to protect you?!"

"How is tearing me away from the one place where people know what I can do and still like me despite it, protecting me?!" Harry growled back, "All my life, I've had to hide my powers and abilities for fear of being labeled a freak or hurt due to them! Finally, I am somewhere where people know what I can do and aren't afraid of me for it, and you want to force me to leave! To go back to hiding! And I'm supposed to just thank you for it! Screw that!"

Raven sighed sadly as the truth of Harry's words hit her like physical blows; she hated herself for having to take Harry from his friends, but simultaneously, she understood that it was necessary for Harry's safety. Of course, if anyone was to blame for this, it was Dumbledore; damn, that man!

"Hate me all you wish, but everything I do is to keep you safe," Raven said softly as she turned to leave,

"Where are you going, anyway?" Harry demanded, making Raven turn back to him,

"The Dursleys are coming up for parole again," Raven said softly, her eyes hardening in anger, "I'm going to make sure they don't get it, just like last year."

Harry's eyes widened, and for a moment, he was rendered speechless before he managed to regain control of himself.

"I didn't know that was today…." Harry mumbled as he looked down at his textbook, "Do you want me to come?"

For a moment, Raven considered allowing Harry to join her, but just as quickly as the thought entered her mind, it was gone; she had promised that Harry would never have to see those monsters again, and it was a promise she intended to keep.

"No," Raven replied with a shake of her head, "There's no need for you to join me. Robin will accompany me, same as last year, and with our combined might, there's no doubt in my mind that those scum will be denied parole again."

Raven watched as Harry bit his lip for a moment before his cold appearance returned, and he looked at her with such emotionless eyes that it nearly made her flinch.

"Very well, then," Harry said as he turned his attention back to his book, "I'll be here when you come back, not that you care, I imagine…."

Realizing that nothing else was going to be said, Raven sighed again and teleported away; had she stayed a moment longer, she would have seen the teardrops land on Harry's book.

XXXX

Raven sat next to Robin as they waited for the Dursleys to be brought in; to any casual observer, the two might appear to be sitting stiffly as they waited, but to anyone who knew what these monsters had done to Harry, they would know that both were using a tremendous amount of will power to suppress the anger that coursed through each of their bodies.

Not long after Harry had been abducted by HIVE and Jinx had been made into a Titan, Raven and the rest of the Titans had turned their attention to the Dursleys; Jinx had recommended that the Titans just kill the Dursleys for what they had done, and be done with it, but that plan was quickly shut down.

Instead, Robin had made a phone call to "Somebody," and within twenty-four hours, the Dursleys were arrested for child abuse and forced labor; none of the Titans knew where the mountain of evidence had come from, but thanks to it, the Dursley's were sentenced to ten years in prison. They were further barred from contacting their son Dudley until the boy turned eighteen.

Vernon had tried to plead with the court to have his son sent to live with his Aunt Marge, but one interview with her and the Judge quickly threw that idea out the window. So instead, Dudley had been sent to live in a home with other children taken from their families for various reasons. According to Robin (who had kept track of Harry's cousin), the first year had been challenging for Dudley as his new guardians flat-out refused to spoil him as Dudley's parents had. Instead, they were very strict with him as they tried to undo all the damage that had caused Dudley to act as he did.

Two years later, Dudley was finally acting like a well-disciplined child; he was getting good grades in school and even had made a few friends that seemed to keep him on the straight and narrow; all-in-all, Dudley was well on his way to becoming a well-mannered member of society.

The Dursleys, on the other hand, were an entirely different matter; prison had not been kind to the two of them as not long after their incarceration, word had spread about just what it was that they were in prison for in the first place, and if there was one thing that was universally agreed upon in prison, it was that people who hurt children were the lowest form of scum on earth, and thereby free game to whoever wanted a piece of them.

Vernon had refused to admit that he had done anything wrong and had on multiple occasions tried to bully the other prisoners, something that even the very stupid would admit was a bad idea; the result was that Vernon had spent more time in the infirmary than any other prisoner in the last forty years.

Petunia had not fared much better; she still viewed her sister and anyone else who practiced magic as a freak and believed that they all deserved to be punished for having the ability in the first place; the rest of the prison just thought her insane and that she was taking the hatred that she had for her sister out on her nephew.

As a result of this, Petunia had been jumped over a dozen times in the shower, laundry, and everywhere else that Petunia was unguarded; the result was that in the three years that Petunia had been locked up, she had had nearly every bone in her body broken at least once. Since then, Raven and Robin had made sure to appear at every parole hearing that the Dursleys had to ensure they were always denied, a record that would hopefully continue today.

So lost was Raven in her own thoughts that she failed to notice the bailiffs bring the Dursleys in, and only when Robin grabbed her hand and gently squeezed did Raven break free from her daydreaming to stare at the two who had caused her little brother such pain.

Vernon seemed to have lost quite a bit of weight far too quickly; his skin hung off of his body in flabs, and discoloration on his jaw and around his left eye indicated a healing bruise. His perpetual scowl was on his face as usual, and as his eyes locked with Raven's, a vein began to form on his temple as his face turned slightly pink.

Petunia looked nothing like she had before being incarcerated; her once blonde hair was now riddled with gray, and there were patches of baldness littering her head where her hair seemed to have just fallen out. But the worst thing of all was Petunia's eyes that had an almost dead look, as though there was only a little spark of life left in the woman.

A moment later, the lead bailiff called out,

"All rise! The honorable Judge McCalister presiding!"

As one, the court rose to their feet as an older gentleman with a bald patch walked in and took his seat in the Judge's box before casting a lazy glance around the room,

"You may be seated," Judge McCalister said in a deep baritone voice; an instant later, once everyone had taken their seats, he began to read the document before him, no doubt detailing all that the Dursleys had done to Harry and during their incarceration.

"Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, it says here that you have served three years of a possible ten-year sentence for child abuse and forced labor," Judge McCalister droned in a stern voice, "And therefore are eligible for parole."

"Yes, your honor," Vernon said in an oily voice, "And it is my hope that parole will be granted as I believe that the conditions of our incarceration have been more than satisfactory for our alleged crime."

Raven shook her head as Vernon droned on about everything he and Petunia had gone through since their sentencing; like every year, Vernon had decided to represent himself and Petunia rather than hiring a lawyer as common sense would dictate.

"According to your file, you two have repeatedly been admitted to the prison medical wing due to injuries sustained by your fellow prisoners…." Judge McCalister said as he looked down at the paperwork in front of him, "And on more than one occasion, the both of you have had to be put in medically induced comas due to brain swelling from attacks. Is that true?"

"Yes, your honor," Vernon said quickly; Petunia said nothing, simply stared at the table in front of her in silence.

"And yet…" the Judge said as he placed the paperwork down and stared coldly down at the Dursleys, "You have never changed your view that the child, one Harry James Potter, deserved what happened to him, nor have you made any effort to show any regret for your actions."

"Regret?!" Vernon cried in a strangled voice as his face turned crimson, "Why should we regret anything we did! That freak was dropped on our doorstep in the middle of the night, and we were supposed to raise him as our own with no consideration as to how such a burden would affect us!"

"You had other avenues that you could have pursued," Judge McCalister replied in an annoyed tone, "You could have taken the boy to an orphanage or signed over legal custody to his older sister instead of choosing to abuse him so cruelly."

"We were threatened against doing so!" Vernon angrily cried, "And we didn't even know that the brat's sister was alive! Believe me, if I had known she was alive, she would have been the first one we called!"

Raven was glad that Robin was holding her hand at that moment as anger shot through her like never before as Vernon insulted her little brother; from the way Robin gripped her hand, it seemed he felt the same as her.

"Threatened?" The Judge asked mockingly, seeming to turn Vernon even redder, "Oh yes, by the supposed 'magic folk,' as you called them. According to your paperwork, you said that you were threatened with curses and such if you were to ever send the boy away…."

"Exactly!" Vernon cried out as the courtroom echoed with laughter.

"A little old to believe in fairy stories, aren't you, Mr. Dursley?" Judge McCalister asked with a raised brow.

"It's the truth!" Vernon angrily shouted, "The brat is a wizard as well! We took him into our home out of the goodness of our hearts, fed him, clothed him, and the whole time he was using his freaky powers to make our lives a living hell!"

"So, you thought the right idea was to beat him at every opportunity?" the Judge asked coldly.

"We didn't know what else to do! We didn't want him to begin with! He should have died alongside his bloody parents!"

Raven shot to her feet and was about to scream something at Vernon when Robin likewise jumped to his feet and placed a calming hand on her shoulder; all of this did not go unmissed by the Judge, who looked at the pair with a raised brow.

"I take it that you are the boy's elder sister, one Raven Potter?" The Judge asked, looking down at his paperwork to verify.

"I am, your honor," Raven answered quickly as she tried to calm herself down while exuding a respectful attitude at the same time.

"And is the child in question here with you?" The Judge asked as he looked around the gallery,

"No, your honor," Raven replied, "He is currently at school in Scotland. I promised him that he would never have to face these two monsters again, and it is a promise that I intend to keep."

Judge McCalister nodded in understanding at that before looking down to read something from the Dursley's file before looking at Raven again.

"And is there any veracity to the Dursley's statements that your little brother has powers and abilities and that he tormented his relatives with them?"

"There is not, your honor," Raven lied, "Petunia Dursley hates both myself and my brother for no other reason than we are her sister's children. She was always jealous of Lily Potter because our mother was smarter, prettier, and braver than she was. And she and her husband chose to take it out on my brother as a result."

"That's a lie!" Vernon roared as Petunia glared at Raven momentarily before returning to the table, "That little freak has magic powers, and so does she! She's covering for the little bastard!"

"Order!" Judge McCalister spat as he banged his gavel down, "One more outburst, and I'll find you in contempt of court!"

Vernon's face turned beet red for a moment as he glared at the Judge before slowly lowering himself back down into his chair as the Judge turned his attention back to Raven.

"As you represent the injured party, is there anything else you wish to add before I make my decision?"

"Only this, your honor…." Raven said, taking a calming breath to steady herself, "The Dursleys are monsters who hate anything they deem as 'unnatural.' For seven long years, I thought that my brother was dead alongside our parents; all that time, my sweet little brother was tortured by people who should have protected and loved him. Unfortunately, they did none of those things! Instead, they chose to treat Harry with a level of cruelty that is genuinely horrific, even now. Was I not made aware of the fact that Harry was alive, I am quite sure that they would have ended up killing him and felt nothing after they did.

And it is for that reason that I beg you to keep them locked up and deny their request for parole. Thank you."

Without another word, Raven and Robin took their seats as the Judge robbed his jaw thoughtfully; after a moment of silence, the Judge nodded his head as though coming to a conclusion and turned his attention to the seated Dursleys, who stared at him nervously.

"Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, since entering my courtroom, you have shown no regret for what you have done, nor would I believe you if you had shown any. Perhaps you are right, and Mr. Potter does indeed have some Meta-human abilities, but that does not give you the right to treat a child as shamefully as you have done. Therefore, it is the judgment of this court that your request for parole be denied and that you, Mr. Dursley, be returned to Belmarsh Prison and Mrs. Dursley be returned to Bronzefield Prison, respectively. You may apply for parole again next year."

"No!" Petunia shrieked, "You can't send us back there! Please! We'll die if you do!"

"My judgment is final," Judge McCalister said coldly, "Bailiffs, take them away."

"No!" Vernon roared as he was manhandled and dragged to his feet; his wife seemed comatose as she went limp in the bailiffs' arms.

As the bailiffs began to drag the two Dursleys out of the room, Vernon cast one last hate-filled glare at Raven before roaring in anger,

"You'll pay for this, bitch! You and your bastard of a brother! One day I'll be released, and I'll make you both paaaaaaaaay!"

Before he could say anything else, the Dursleys were dragged from the courtroom, and Raven could hear Vernon's echoing voice as the bailiffs took him and Petunia out of the room.

"This court is adjourned," Judge McCalister said in a bored voice before rising and exiting the room.

"Come on," Robin said softly, "Let's get back to Hogwarts. Harry needs us today."

"He hates me…." Raven replied in a controlled voice,

"He doesn't hate you, Raven," Robin replied, "He's just upset, that's all."

Raven just nodded as the two made their way out of the building and to a back alley; a moment later, Raven enveloped both in her shadow and teleported them back to Hogwarts.

XXXX

Author's Note:

Here are a couple of things to go over after this newest chapter:

1.) Sad but true is owned by Metallica. I claim no ownership over it.

2.) Bronzefield and Belmarsh are both maximum security prisons in London.

3.) To "Annoyingone1995," who asked why I named the story "Under the Raven's wing," I named it that because of a poem about the Norse Gods that my mother wrote a long time ago, that seemed to fit.

"When you are broken and cannot find joy in anything, simply look up to the sky, and you shall find comfort and peace, kept safe Under the Raven's wing."

Chapter Text

Chapter Nineteen

The crash of thunder roared across the sky as the storm rumbled around Hogwarts; though it was still hours before curfew, the sky was as black as night, with the only lights being the flash of lightning.

Hermione was silently studying in the Gryffindor common room when she heard it; someone was playing what sounded like an electric guitar nearby, and the tune was heartbreakingly beautiful. Unable to stop herself, Hermione rose to her feet and strode out of the portrait hole; behind her, Ron and the twins followed, also curious who was playing such a sad yet beautiful song.

XXXX

Raven was silently meditating in her room; it had been nearly two weeks since the Dursley's parole hearing, yet Harry was still avoiding her at all costs, much to Raven's heartbreak.

She was finally beginning to find her center when she heard it; music seemed to be ringing out through the halls of Hogwarts, and Raven raised an eyebrow as she realized that she knew that tune better than anyone, as it was from her favorite movie. There was only one person who would play that tune where she could hear it; what's more, no one else could play an electric guitar around Hogwarts. With a sigh, Raven grabbed her robe and stepped out into the hallway, curious to see what the mystery guitar player wanted.

XXXX

Albus Dumbledore was enjoying a last cup of hot chocolate before he retired for the evening when the most beautiful tune reached his ears. It sounded like one of those 'electric guitars' he had seen decades ago when he went on holiday to America; Albus fondly remembered when he saw a gentleman named Hendrix play such an instrument with such skill that Albus almost thought the guitar bewitched.

Dumbledore rose to his feet with a happy smile and followed the strangely beautiful song out of his office and into Hogwarts, curious to see who was responsible for such delightful music.

XXXX

Harry hovered in the air as he played the song that his big sister had taught him when he first started learning how to play the guitar; it had become his favorite song to play as it seemed to always ease his mind when he was sad or angry.

Hearing how depressed Harry had become, Jinx had sent his new Gibson electric guitar, and Harry had immediately headed for the tallest tower in Hogwarts, his guitar in his right hand and his amplifier in his left.

Even the weather seemed to feel Harry's pain, and Harry had to cast a quick water-repellent charm on his guitar and amplifier to keep the pouring rain from ruining his equipment; slowly, Harry began to rise into the air, and as Harry's fingers danced across the strings, the weather seemed determined to make his pain visual as thunder seemed to blast in the background of his song, and lightning provided the pyrotechnics.

The rain seemed to soak Harry to his core, and yet he didn't slow his song; he couldn't, he needed to play this song as loud as he could right to the end; as the rain continued its deluge, Harry's hair tie came loose, and his wet hair blew with the fury of the storm, adding to the wild performance that Harry was conducting as he hovered in the air.

It wasn't just the pain of leaving Hogwarts that had brought Harry to Hogwarts' tallest tower, though that was part of it; it was something that Harry hadn't even told Raven yet for fear of what she would think if she found out.

Ever since the fight with Voldemort and Quirrell, where Harry had blacked out, he felt different in ways he couldn't adequately describe; he felt as though his strength, endurance, and stamina seemed to have doubled since he woke up in the Hospital Wing. Moreover, Harry felt a continuous and simmering anger beneath the surface that he couldn't seem to burn away, no matter how long he trained or how many hours he studied.

But the most remarkable change that had occurred since he had awoken was that Harry found, to his shock, that seemed to have gained greater control of his tentacles; before, Harry had been able to use them like ordinary tentacles. Now, Harry found that he could make his tentacles change their shape into anything he asked for; but the most amazing thing of all happened when Harry was experimenting to see just how powerful his control over his tentacles had become.

:Flashback:

Harry was standing in front of an old cracked mirror in an abandoned classroom that he had discovered when he had first arrived at Hogwarts; his six tentacles were extended from his back, and each had shifted into a different weapon at Harry's whim.

There was a large broadsword, a spear, an axe, a war hammer, a trident, and a large Roman-looking shield.

"This is so cool!" Harry said ecstatically before morphing the tentacles back into their regular shape, "What else can you do!"

Without warning, the tentacles began to wrap themselves around Harry until they completely covered him from head to toe; a moment later, Harry grew in size until he was well over six feet tall.

"No freaking way!" Harry said in shock as he stared at his appearance in the mirror, "I'm Venom!"

As if the tentacles could hear him, a pair of enormous evil-looking white eyes and a terrifying smile full of large sharp teeth spread across Harry's blank face, making the boy's jaw drop in shock,

"Dude, that's so awesome!" Harry cried in amazement, "I REALLY look like Venom now!"

Flexing his muscles as best he could, Harry posed in front of the mirror and, in the deepest voice he could manage, said,

"WE are Venom!"

A moment later, the silliness of what he was doing hit Harry, and he collapsed into a fit of giggles that lasted for several seconds before he managed to regain control of himself,

"Ah, Tom Hardy, the world loves ya!" Harry said with a laugh, taking in his appearance one last time before willing the tentacles to return him to normal.

:End Flashback:

Since then, Harry had tried to visit the abandoned classroom as often as he could to test how powerful his tentacles had become, and the results were shocking, to say the least!

Harry's tentacles, when wrapped around him, could transform him into anyone that Harry pictured in his head; Harry had laughed himself silly when he transformed himself into Batman and then proceeded to do a waltz around the classroom.

At first, Harry's tentacles had only been able to hold the illusion for five minutes at the most, but after weeks of training, Harry was now able to look like anyone he pleased for close to thirty minutes, and he was getting better all the time!

Another boom of thunder brought Harry's mind back to the present as he began the second part of the song he was playing; the first part was equal parts heartbreak and beauty, but the second part was pure anger and defiance. Lightning lit up the sky as the rain bombarded Harry, making him feel as though he would never be dry again, but Harry didn't pay it any attention; his only concern was on the song that he was pouring every drop of anger, sadness, and angst into with as much passion as he could bring to bear.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Harry ended the song just as the storm unleashed the biggest blast of lightning yet, creating a gigantic spiderweb across the sky; when the light finally dimmed, Harry opened his eyes and nearly let out a gasp of shock.

Dozens of people, both students, and staff, were standing below Harry on the tower, staring at him in shock or awe; dozens more were standing on the stairs of the tower, and Harry suspected that the entire stairway was filled with people who had been listening to his song. They had snuck up on Harry as he played and were so entranced by what they were hearing that they had even forgotten to put up a shield against the rain; which explained why so many of the watchers were drenched.

Unconsciously, Harry gulped as he saw Raven and the other Titans looking up at him with absolute pride; even Dumbledore was gazing at Harry as though he couldn't be more proud of the boy; the rest, however, were gazing at Harry as though they had never seen him before and Harry couldn't help but feel self-conscious as he took in their stares.

"Harry…" Hermione breathed in awe, even as the rain-drenched her, "That was unbelievable…."

"Indeed, my boy!" Dumbledore laughed as he clapped his hands together; the rest of the observers must have decided to follow the headmaster's example, for soon, the tower was echoing with dozens of cheering, screaming people.

As the crowd bellowed for more, Harry nodded that he understood and began to start a new song, his fingers dancing across the strings as the watchers shouted up at him, not caring about the pouring rain that was drenching them.

As Raven looked up at her brother, she could feel the passion behind each note, and she couldn't help but be filled with pride at how good he had become since she had first begun teaching him how to play; but, as Harry hit a particularly aggressive note, Raven's happy demeanor changed to a shocked one as she watched Harry's eyes flash blood red for only a second, but it was enough for her to notice.

Casting a worried glance at Dumbledore, Raven saw that the aged headmaster had also seen it, and she bit her lip anxiously as she watched him narrow his eyes suspiciously; since the confrontation, Raven had been trying to keep as much distance as she could from Dumbledore, hoping to last the remainder of the year without having to deal with him again.

But, as she saw the calculating look on the old man's face, Raven knew that she was not going to be that lucky,

"Whatever your planning, old man," Raven thought with a sneer, "If it involves Harry, I will not hesitate to stop you!"

Glancing over at the other Titans, Raven's eyes widened in shock as she saw that Beastboy was surreptitiously holding the hand of the Metamorph that he had been hanging out with for the last several weeks; Raven was tempted to say something, but changed her mind a moment later.

Beastboy and the girl (Tonks, Raven remembered the girl's name being) were both of age and seemed to like one another; besides, after this year, Tonks would no longer be a student, so it was nobody's business.

As Harry finished his song, Raven proceeded to clap along with everyone else, her mind moving a mile a minute as she saw Dumbledore run his hand through his beard thoughtfully before turning on his heel and striding down the stairs of the tower.

XXXX

Author's Note:

Okay, there's only one more chapter, and then Harry's first year at Hogwarts will be done, and then it's back to Jump City! Harry's song that caught everyone's attention was Eric's guitar solo from the movie "The Crow;" it's one of my favorite songs to play when I'm upset, and I feel like Harry, after being raised by Raven, would feel the same.

The second song that Harry plays, which makes his red eyes appear, was Cold, by Static X; I just picked a metal song at random, tbh.

I want to issue a special thanks to AAAirsoft Media for reviewing my story on his YouTube channel; if you have yet to see it, go check it out, as he makes it even more hilarious than I managed to.

And now to business!

*slaps hands together*

There are two ways this story can go, and I leave it up to you to decide which path I choose going forward; I created a poll (I think) on Fanfiction.net, but in case you can't find it, just let me know, and I'll tally your vote. So, should Harry go back to Hogwarts, or no?

Chapter Text

Chapter Twenty

Harry, Ron, and Hermione sat close together in the Gryffindor common room; after trying to avoid the subject for several weeks, Harry had finally gathered the courage to tell his two best friends the news that he wouldn't be coming back to Hogwarts the following year, and needless to say, the news had not been received well.

"But you HAVE to come back!" Hermione cried as tears ran down her cheeks, "You must complete your magical education!"

"Yeah, mate," Ron added, "And Hogwarts is the best school in the world! Where else are you going to go?!"

"Raven says that she'll begin looking into schools in America the moment we get back to Jump City," Harry replied in a hollow voice, "And if that fails, she plans to teach me herself with some outside help from a few of the magical heroes that the Justice League has on its payroll."

Hermione's eyes grew wide at that, while Ron looked skeptical at the thought of Harry being taught by someone other than the Hogwarts staff.

"You mean you're going to be taught by people like Zatanna and Dr. Fate?" Hermione asked in awe,

"Yeah, most likely…." Harry mumbled back; while it was true that he was excited to be taught by such amazing people, Harry also felt terribly depressed that he would not be joining his friends at Hogwarts next year.

"But why?!" Ron demanded, "Why pull you from Hogwarts at all?!"

"Raven doesn't trust Dumbledore," Harry explained, "She thinks that he's got some plan in the works for me. Add to that the fact that I've nearly died three times this year alone, and Raven thinks it would be best for me to seek my education elsewhere…."

"Doesn't trust Dumbledore?" Ron asked in bewilderment, "But Dumbledore is the leader of the light! He's…. well, he's Dumbledore!"

"Your point being?" Harry asked, making Ron stutter for an answer for a moment,

"He's the one who defeated Grindelwald!" Ron exclaimed, throwing his hands into the air to show his exasperation, "The man has been revered as the greatest wizard in the world since our parents went to school here! So how can your sister suspect him of wrongdoing?!"

"I don't know," Harry shrugged, "But she's made up her mind, so that's it…."

"But…." Hermione said softly as new tears ran down her cheeks, "But if you leave, we won't be friends anymore…."

"What?" Harry asked in bewilderment, "Where did you come up with that crazy idea?"

"Think about it, Harry," Hermione said softly as she stared at her lap. "You'll be on the other side of the planet, where you'll undoubtedly make other friends. You'll write to us at first, no doubt, but eventually, as time goes by, you'll forget about us, and then we'll stop being friends…."

Even Ron seemed sad at that, and Harry watched for a moment as his two friends sat silently, each seeming to diminish in front of him.

"Now you listen here, Hermione Granger! Ron Weasley!" Harry replied, giving his best impression of Long John Silver from Treasure Planet. "We three will NEVER stop being friends, you hear me? Never! I promise I will write you guys as often as possible, and I expect letters back! Moreover, Raven has already written to each of your families, asking if you could come to Jump City this summer, and I expect that to be a recurring event! So, no matter what, never think that we won't be friends anymore just because I'm leaving, got it?"

Both seemed to feel better after Harry's speech, and Hermione laughed at Harry's forced accent; Ron hadn't seen Treasure Planet yet and had no frame of reference for what Harry was trying to impersonate, yet he smiled the same.

"Raven asked our parents permission to come to Jump City this summer?" Finally, Hermione asked after a moment of silence, "When were you going to tell us?"

"I just did," Harry replied with a wink that made Hermione shake her head in exasperation, "And to answer your follow-up question, both of your parents said yes, though Mrs. Weasley insisted on coming as a chaperone when Raven told her that we have no adults at Titans Tower. But, honestly, what does she expect to happen? We're heroes, for crying out loud!"

"Heroes they may be," Hermione laughed, "But they're still teenagers without adult supervision. So it doesn't surprise me that Ron's mother would want to come along to ensure that you all stay out of trouble."

"Seems like everyone shares that opinion…." Harry muttered,

"What do you mean?" Ron asked, his face going slightly pink at the thought that Harry might be insulting his mother, intentionally or otherwise.

"According to Raven and Robin," Harry said in annoyance, "The Justice League is also concerned that there is no adult supervision in Jump City to keep the Titans in check."

"But, aren't both Rob and Raven over eighteen? Technically, they are adults, right?" Hermione asked,

"You would think so, but nope!" Harry replied scornfully, "The League says that even though they're adults, there should still be someone with more experience keeping an eye on things. As such, the League has decided that one member will be sent to Jump City on a rotating basis to act as mentor and trainer. Black Canary volunteered to be on the first rotation."

"Black Canary?!" Hermione cried before regaining control of herself, "She's one of the Justice League's heavy hitters!"

"I'm aware," Harry replied with a grin that made Hermione blush scarlet while Ron looked confused.

"What's so special about a canary?" Ron asked in bemusement, which made Harry snort with amusement.

"She's not a REAL canary, Ronald!" Hermione said with a roll of her eyes, "That's just her name."

"Oh…" Ron said in embarrassment, "So, what's so good about her? Why is she being put in charge of the Titans?"

"Black Canary is one of the most powerful heroes of the Justice League!" Hermione said with stars in her eyes, "She has the ability to use her voice as a weapon to devastating effect!"

"Man, you really love superheroes, don't you, Hermione?" Ron asked with a smile that made Hermione blush scarlet again."

"When you don't have any friends growing up, you tend to read a lot…." Hermione mumbled so softly that Harry and Ron nearly missed it, "And Black Canary saved my mum once, so it stands to reason that she would be one of my favorites."

"You never told us that," Harry said in surprise, "What happened, if it's not too personal?"

"Not at all," Hermione said warmly, "Mum was coming home from work when Atomic Skull tried to rob a bank near her office; she ended up as a hostage when Atomic Skull tried to make a break for it, and he would have killed her if not for Black Canary showing up! That's what got me interested in superheroes in the first place."

"Well, you can thank her in person when you meet her this summer," Harry replied with a wink; as Hermione gave a truly uncharacteristic squeal of delight, Ron and Harry both stared at her in shock as Hermione realized what she had done and turned bright red before quickly hiding behind her book.

"Now!" Harry said after a moment, "Onto more important matters! Namely, how we're going to win against Slytherin in the upcoming match! If this is to be my last year at Hogwarts, then by God, I intend to leave with the Quidditch Cup!"

Thanks to Harry's expert ability in flying, Gryffindor had destroyed both Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw in the last two games; unfortunately, Slytherin had done the same using some very dirty tricks that had nearly crossed the line a few times.

As such, the final match of the Quidditch season would come down to Gryffindor vs Slytherin; Harry was already nervous about the upcoming match (though he would never openly admit it), but things seemed to grow twice as bad when Slytherin house decided to use any chance they could to make sure that Harry never made it to the game.

Things had gotten so bad that Wood had ordered that Harry have somebody with him at all times, even though the last time the Slytherins had ambushed Harry, all six ambushers had ended up in the Hospital Wing.

"Got something interesting planned?" Hermione asked with a raised brow and a small smile,

"Oh Hermione, you have NO idea," Harry replied with a Cheshire cat grin that immediately made both Ron and Hermione nervous,

"Poor blokes…" Ron said in mock seriousness before the three of them laughed uncontrollably.

XXXX

"You wanted to see me?" Raven asked in the same monotone voice that she always used when she was suppressing her emotions; across from her sat Albus Dumbledore, who looked as though he had aged considerably since the last time she had seen him, and Raven couldn't help but mentally smile at how much trouble the old man had yet to face when word reached the Ministry that Harry was leaving Hogwarts.

"If this is about trying to convince me to keep Harry at Hogwarts, then I'm afraid that you're wasting your time, Headmaster," Raven said, smirking as Dumbledore glared at her for a moment before regaining control of himself.

"That is another matter, which we WILL discuss later," Dumbledore replied, clarifying that they were not finished with that particular conversation, "I called you here on another matter."

"Which is?" Raven asked, raising a brow in interest, "I don't see how you and I have anything left to talk about, seeing as how our last meeting went."

Beside her, Robin smirked, which only seemed to annoy Dumbledore more; he had asked her to come alone, but Robin had immediately said that he was going with her, to which Raven was grateful.

Dumbledore gripped the arms of his chair tightly, and for a moment, the wood creaked as though it would break as Dumbledore went over all the trouble that Raven, the Titans, and the Justice League had caused him over the last few weeks.

Nicholas Flamel had been livid that Dumbledore had allowed his stone to be stolen; Flamel's belligerence had been exacerbated when he was forced to pay the Justice League a visit to recover his lost property.

Dumbledore didn't know what went happened during the meeting between his friend Nicholas and the Justice League; all Dumbledore knew was that upon recovering his stone, Nicholas had sent a scathing letter to Dumbledore for his role in using the stone in such a disgusting and reprehensible way, with the promise that Nicholas would no longer be considering Dumbledore, a trusted friend as he had before.

Somehow, the outside world had discovered Dumbledore's part in the attempted theft of the stone, and now Dumbledore was being swarmed by owls from several different country leaders who demanded to know just what Dumbledore had been thinking; it was only due to Dumbledore's influence at the Daily Prophet that Britain hadn't found out about what had happened.

"Perhaps, your friend would be so good as to leave us alone," Dumbledore said softly, "We have much to discuss, and some of it is of a private nature."

"I'm not leaving Raven here alone with you, Dumbledore," Robin replied, smiling as a vein began to pulse in Dumbledore's temple.

"Might I ask why?" Dumbledore replied tensely,

"There are several reasons I could give," Robin replied with a grin, "But the most important one is that I don't trust you."

"I called you here, Ms. Potter," Dumbledore said in a weary tone after a moment of silence, "Because someone else asked me to."

"And who might this 'someone' be?" Raven asked, crossing her arms over her chest irritably; before Dumbledore could answer, his fireplace roared green flames and out stepped a Goblin in a very expensive-looking suit, followed immediately by two more who looked like guards.

"Ah, Ms. Potter, here already? Excellent." The Goblin growled before reaching into his coat pocket and pulling out a large book that looked older than Dumbledore; careful not to drop it, the Goblin gently placed the book on Dumbledore's desk before turning back to Robin.

"And who might you be, sir?"

"This is Robin," Raven replied before Robin could, "He's a member of my team and a trusted friend. I would like him to be present for whatever you came to say."

For a moment, the Goblin glared at Robin before shrugging as though he couldn't care less,

"Very well, then. Ms. Potter, my name is Ranrok," the Goblin began before being cut off by Raven,

"Are you by any chance related to the original Ranrok," Raven asked in surprise, "The Goblin lord who led the anti-wizard rebellion in the early 19th century?"

Ranrok's face showed surprise for a moment before a wicked grin took its place,

"You are well informed of our people," Ranrok replied, "Indeed, he is my ancestor, and I am named in his honor."

"I've always found the history of your people fascinating," Raven replied, "What happened to your ancestor was appalling, and I apologize for my people's disrespect toward yours if it matters at all to you."

Dumbledore's jaw dropped in shock at Raven's words, and for a moment, it seemed as though Ranrok's would do the same; no wizard or witch had ever apologized for the treatment that the Goblins had suffered throughout the generations, and to have Raven Potter do so was simply astounding.

"That's…. very kind of you, Ms. Potter," Ranrok replied as though he didn't know what else to say; after a moment of awkward silence, the Goblin seemed to regain control of himself and opened the old book before quickly flipping through the yellow pages as though looking for something.

"Ah! Here it is!" Ranrok said suddenly before he ran his claw down the page, hurriedly reading the words written there; after a moment of silence, Ranrok turned back to Raven,

"You are the child of Lily and James Potter, correct?" Ranrok asked,

"Adopted child, but yes," Raven replied, "Why?"

"Did the Potters ever perform a ritual with you?" Ranrok asked, "One that involved blood?"

"Not that I'm aware…." Raven began before trailing off as the memory of such a ritual returned to her; it had been a little over a year after the Potters had taken her in when Lily came to Raven's room asking for a little of her blood.

Raven had asked why Lily needed it, to which Raven's adopted mother had replied that it was a secret but a good one that would ensure that Raven would always be a Potter, no matter what; Raven had immediately acquiesced upon hearing that but had soon forgotten the incident when Lily had released the wonderful news that she was pregnant with Harry.

"There was such an incident…." Raven said softly, making Robin look at her with surprise, "Lily took my blood for something, but I forgot about it."

Dumbledore seemed to go as pale as a ghost at the words, suddenly understanding why the Goblins were here and that he must stop it at all costs; before he could open his mouth to speak, however, Ranrok smiled and began to speak.

"That is why I am here, Ms. Potter. Or should I call you Lady Potter?"

As Ranrok finished speaking, he pulled from his pocket a large golden ring covered in tiny jewels; but the thing that caught Raven's eye was not the jewels, but rather, the Potter insignia that was emblazoned on the front of it.

"What…?" Raven and Robin asked simultaneously in shock; Raven couldn't help but let her mask of indifference slip as she took in the words.

"Raven Potter," Ranrok said in a loud and important voice, "It is my honorable task to inform you that as the eldest blood child of James Potter, you have inherited his title of Lady of House Potter. In addition, you also have inherited your father's seat on the Wizengamot as well as any assets, both monetary and otherwise, that may have belonged to your father."

"Now, wait just one moment!" Dumbledore thundered, rising from his seat as Raven stared at the Goblin in shock, "Harry is supposed to inherit his father's titles! It is his birthright! Raven is not James Potter's natural child!"

"According to this book, she most certainly is!" Ranrok growled back, jabbing a pointed claw at where Raven's name was connected to James Potter's, next to Harry's."

"Then the book is wrong!" Dumbledore sneered back; he simply could not allow Raven to take James Potter's seat in the Wizengamot. Regardless of the fact that the seat should belong to Harry, should Raven take her father's seat, she might discover how much of the Potter fortune Dumbledore had pilfered over the years to fund his own pet projects, all for the greater good, of course.

"This book has documented the life of every Potter since Robert Potter, more than eleven hundred years ago!" Ranrok growled angrily, "It has been enchanted with both Goblin and Wizard magic to ensure only one thing, Dumbledore."

"And what is that?!" Dumbledore growled back,

"It does not lie," Ranrok said in a voice that promised murder should Dumbledore continue to besmirch the honor of Ranrok's people, "It was made that way to ensure that only legitimate blood relatives could claim the title of Head of House.

Dumbledore mumbled darkly under his breath as he slowly sat back down; even he wasn't fool enough to challenge the Goblin nation, loathe though he was to admit such an embarrassing fact.

"I'm the head of House Potter?" Raven whispered in shock, "But…. But Harry! Harry should be the one to inherit it, not me!"

"Perhaps," Ranrok said thoughtfully as he ran his claw under his chin, "And you are well within your rights to abdicate your seat in favor of your little brother when the child reaches the age of seventeen; however, until that time, you are the head of House Potter. I'm simply here to legitimize that fact with your signature if you would be so kind."

As Raven tried to wrap her head around what was happening, Ranrok suddenly pulled a vial of ink and a quill from his other coat pocket before placing both on the desk next to the book.

"Ms. Potter, perhaps we could discuss this privately before you make any rash decisions!" Dumbledore tried to interject before Ranrok snapped his fingers, and Dumbledore's voice simply ceased.

"This does not concern you, Dumbledore!" Ranrok snarled, "You are here only as an observer, so kindly sit there and shut up!"

Dumbledore turned red with fury and opened his mouth to say something before realizing that he still couldn't speak; drawing his wand, Dumbledore waved it over himself as he tried to undo the charm that was keeping him quiet, only to stare at Ranrok with shock when nothing happened.

"Only a Goblin can undo a spell by a Goblin," Ranrok sneered nastily, "So, unless you want to be mute for the rest of your life, sit down and keep quiet, old man."

Fury emblazoned across his features, Dumbledore slowly lowered himself back into his chair before grabbing the arms in a death grip as Raven and the Goblins watched with amusement; satisfied that there would be no further interruptions, Ranrok turned back to Raven with a far more warm expression on his face than the one that Dumbledore had been given.

"Ms. Potter, if you would please sign here," Ranrok said, "We'll be all done here."

Feeling like her body was moving on auto-pilot, Raven slowly walked forward and picked up the quill as Dumbledore glared with naked fury; as Raven signed her name in the appropriate places, she couldn't help but feel numb.

She was the head of House Potter? It was absurd! She didn't know anything about leading a house or how to vote in the Wizengamot; unable to stop herself, Raven began to panic when she felt Robin's hand slip into hers.

"Breath, Raven," Robin said slowly, "It'll all be alright. Just breathe."

"If there's nothing else," Ranrok said, closing the book and returning it to his pocket, "Then I will bid you all a good day."

Without another word, Ranrok and his entourage strode back to the fireplace and were gone a moment later, leaving the office dead silent from the implications of what had just happened; Dumbledore immediately jumped to his feet and tried to speak, only to discover that he was still mute.

"Well, since you can't speak, and our business here is finished, I think we'll be going," Robin laughed as he led Raven out of the office; Dumbledore looked as though he were trying to stop them, but no matter how he waved his wand, nothing seemed to happen, which only seemed to anger him further.

Casting one last amused glance at the clearly enraged Headmaster, Robin and Raven turned and exited the office, coming to a stop at the bottom of the stairs,

"Oh, Gods of Azarath, what am I going to do?!" Raven said in a scared voice as she leaned against the wall and stared at the ring clutched tightly between her fingers, "I don't know the first thing about being the Head of a House! How do I vote in the Wizengamot? What am I supposed to do if there's an emergency session?!"

"The first thing is to breathe," Robin replied soothingly, "Everything else can come later. For now, just concentrate on breathing."

"But…" Raven began, only to be cut off by Robin,

"Breathe!" Robin retorted sternly, "That's all for now! The rest we can figure out as we go, okay? I'm sure that Batman or one of the League will be able to help you learn what you need to."

Slowly, Raven nodded before regaining control of herself; after a few minutes of this, and slid the ring onto her index finger. As if by magic, the ring instantly shifted size until it fit her finger perfectly; as Raven stared at the ring, she felt something from it that felt eerily like acceptance, as if the ring were sentient and had deemed her worthy to wear it.

"Thanks, Dick," Raven said softly, tearing her eyes from the ring and turning to face Robin, making her friend smile in genuine warmth at her; she was the only one who knew his real name, having discovered it when she was forced to enter his head during a hallucination where Robin believed that he was fighting an enemy who wasn't really there.

"Anytime, Raven. Now let's go get some food; I'm starving!"

As the two made their way to the Great Hall, up in his office, Dumbledore was wrecking his office in silence as the Goblin magic was still keeping his voice from returning; as he picked up a priceless golden orb and hurled it against the wall, Dumbledore's mind was going a mile-a-minute.

Nothing seemed to have gone right from the moment that Raven Potter had taken young Harry from him, and no matter what machinations he tried to do, it always seemed as though the girl and her allies were one step ahead of him.

This latest debacle would no doubt compound Dumbledore's already heavy workload as he tried to find some way to wrestle Harry from Raven's clutches; as Dumbledore finally collapsed exhausted into his chair, his thoughts turned to what he had seen a week prior during Harry's 'performance.'

Harry's eyes had flashed blood-red during the storm, only for a moment, but Dumbledore had seen it; now that he knew that Harry and Raven shared blood, Dumbledore knew that there must be some connection and that if he could discover it, he could finally win in the war between himself and the so-called 'hero's' who had stolen his weapon from him.

XXXX

Author's note:

Okay, I lied; there's going to be one more chapter before Harry's last year; the reason for this is that there are over 340 PMs on my Fanfiction account that I need to sort through to see who voted which way as to Harry's future and I need to sort through them before deciding what happens to Harry.

Part of me is impressed that so many people messaged me; the other part hates it so much, as so far, "Harry stays at Hogwarts is winning by a measly 3 votes," lol.

The next chapter will wrap up Harry's final year, and then we can start on what comes next, which I hope you all will enjoy.

Chapter Text

Chapter Twenty-One

Dora smiled at her reflection as she shifted her hair from dark blue to forest green; ordinarily, Dora wouldn't have cared a bit about her appearance due to the fact that she could change it whenever she so chose.

The reason for her sudden appreciation for her appearance was the same reason that Dora's face seemed to be locked in a permanent smile, and her heart seemed to constantly flutter whenever he was near her: Beastboy.

It had taken Dora far longer to hook Beastboy due to the fact that the boy didn't seem to care that Dora could change her appearance but rather seemed interested in getting to know Dora, not who others thought she should be; whether he knew it or not, that one simple distinction had made Dora fall even harder for the green-skinned boy.

For the first few months, Dora seemed to constantly be about to rip her hair out as none of her careful and subtle seduction attempts seemed to get through Beastboy's thick head; she would steal food off of his plate on the days when the two would dine together, only for Beastboy to laugh it off, much to Dora's annoyance. Other times, she would pretend to trip over something so that Beastboy would catch her, allowing Dora to snuggle closer to the Boy, yet even this was laughed off, and Dora was beginning to wonder if Beastboy was really this thick or if he was simply playing with her.

Finally, deciding that if she wanted things to go further, she would have to do it herself, Dora had invited Beastboy to view the stars after dinner; the two of them had enjoyed a quiet night huddled under a blanket, and Dora had swallowed her fear as she gently placed her hand over Beastboy's.

XXXX

:Flashback:

"Dora?" Beastboy asked in surprise as he looked down at her hand for a moment before looking back into her eyes, "What are you doing?"

"You're so stupid, you know that?" Dora said with a grimace before lunging forward and pouncing on Beastboy's lips with her own; Dora felt Beastboy tense with shock for a moment before his hands slid gently down her arms and slowly pushed her away.

"Dora," Beastboy said in an awkward voice, "You know that we can't…."

"Why?" Dora pouted as she crossed her arms over her chest,

"You're a student," Beastboy stated as if it were obvious, "I'm a teacher's aide. It's not right, and you know that."

"I'm only a student for another few months!" Dora retorted as tears began to run down her cheeks at the rejection.

"It doesn't matter how much longer you have!" Beastboy retorted as he stood up and glared down at the poor girl, "All that matters is that you are a student, NOW. And this is not something that we can do, no matter how much we…."

As Beastboy's voice cut out, Dora looked up at him and saw that he was biting his lip anxiously as though he had said too much; hope flared up in Dora's chest at seeing that, and she latched onto it for all she was worth.

"No matter how much we…. What?" Dora asked in a small voice as she, too, rose to her feet and stared at the clearly uncomfortable boy.

"I…. I like you, Dora! Okay?!" Beastboy snapped before spinning away from her and looking over the tower to stare at the grounds below, "You're funny and beautiful, and you have an amazing love for classic Rock-n-Roll that I find awesome!"

Dora was frozen in place at the words and, for a moment, was left trying to remember how to breathe.

Taking a shaky breath, Beastboy slowly turned back to the frozen Dora; taking in her shocked look, Beastboy chuckled softly before taking a small step forward.

"Is that so shocking?" Beastboy asked in a shy voice as he shuffled his bare feet across the stone floor of the tower,

"A little bit, yeah!" Dora cried as she finally found her voice, "I've been trying to get you to notice me as more than just a friend for months! And the whole time, you already did!" Storming over to the nervous shapeshifter, Dora began to punch him in the arm as she continued to rant at him,

"Why. Are. You. So. Aggravating!" Dora growled, emphasizing each word with a punch.

"Wha? Ow! Dora! Quit it!" Beastboy howled as he raised his hands and tried to escape Dora's crazed swings.

"You like me and yet refuse me when I try to kiss you!" Dora cried angrily as she tried to hit Beastboy again, only for the boy to duck out of the way and grab her wrists to keep her from throwing any more punches.

"Because it's wrong, Dora!" Beastboy retorted, "You said that you want to become an Auror after school, which is basically a magical cop, right?"

"Yeah, so?" Dora asked as she continued to try and free her arms from Beastboy's grip,

"How good would your chances of being accepted if it got out that you were dating one of the teaching staff?" Beastboy demanded, causing Dora to freeze as the truth of his words hit her like physical blows.

"I like you a lot, Dora," Beastboy said softly, causing Dora to smile, "But I can't let you ruin your future for me. So, maybe it would be better if we don't hang out again for a while."

Before Dora could register what Beastboy had said, the green boy had strode past her and down the tower stairs; by the time Dora realized what had just happened, Beastboy was gone, and Dora spent the rest of the night crying alone atop the tower.

:End Flashback:

After that night, Beastboy seemed to go out of his way to avoid contact with Dora, and when he couldn't avoid her, he treated her with cold indifference that hurt worse than if he had screamed at her; after more than a month of this, Dora couldn't take it anymore and confronted Beastboy one day after class.

:Flashback:

"What do you want, Ms. Tonks?" Beastboy asked in the same cold tone that he had adopted for over a month now,

"I want my friend back," Dora replied heatedly, "The guy I would watch movies with in Gryffindor's common room! Who I'd joke around with and who I thought I could be myself around!"

"I want that too," Beastboy replied in a small voice, "But we both know how we feel about each other would make it impossible for us to just 'be friends.' And I can't allow anything more to come from our relationship. I'm sorry."

"So let's forget about the fact that we both want to jump each other's bones and just go back to being friends!"

"Dora!" Beastboy cried, looking around for potential listeners as he blushed, making Dora's chest hot.

"Oh, grow up!" Dora laughed, "You fight super-villains, and yet you get embarrassed by some dirty talk? Pathetic."

"Sh… Shut up!" Beastboy retorted, making Dora burst into laughter; using the element of surprise, Dora shot forward and grabbed the front of Beastboy's shirt before pulling him close so that only he could hear her words.

"Make no mistake, Garfield Logan, I have not abandoned my quest to claim you for my own," Dora said in a husky voice that made Beastboy blush, made worse by the fact that she had called him by his real name.

"And I am willing to wait until I leave Hogwarts if that's what you want, but in the end, you will be mine!" Dora concluded her speech by giving Beastboy a small peck on the cheek, leaving the green boy blushing and stammering as Dora released his shirt and stepped back.

"So, are we friends again?" Dora asked as she grinned mischievously at Beastboy, who was trying to regain control of himself.

"Yeah, friends…" Beastboy replied with an embarrassed grin as he held out his hand to Dora, who took it in her own and shook it before pulling him closer to her so he could hear her whisper to him,

"For now, anyway."

:End Flashback:

Since that day, Dora had gone out of her way to flirt with Beastboy at least once a day, and to her surprise, Beastboy even began to flirt back so that it became almost a daily game to see who could make the other turn crimson first.

When it finally came time for her to take her N.E.W.T.S., Dora was understandably terrified, but Beastboy helped her remember that this was what she had been training and studying for since she was eleven. At the end of her exams, Dora felt she had done quite well and fully expected an acceptance letter into the Auror Academy to be in her future.

As Dora winked at her reflection, the door to her common room opened, and in strode a few of her roommates, who immediately stopped their gossiping upon seeing Dora admiring her reflection.

"Hey, Tonksie…" Rachel Dukes called out in a knowing voice, causing Dora to turn to the blonde girl,

"Wotcher, Rachel, Sarah, Amara," Dora said simply as she looked at the three girls who had disrupted her day, "Alright?"

"Alright," the three girls chirped as one before Rachel detached herself from the group and sat in the chair next to Dora.

"So, when are you going to tell us who he is?" Rachel asked with a giggle,

"Who?" Dora asked, feigning confusion and making the girls giggle even more,

"Who indeed!" Amara laughed, causing Dora to glare into the mirror at the brunette's reflection, "The boy who's been causing you to spend more time in front of the mirror than in all the years that we've known you!"

"Oh please," Dora bluffed, rolling her eyes for emphasis; but her bluff was seen through almost instantly by the three girls, who began to giggle again.

"Dora, you can't hide it from us!" Sarah said with a warm smile, and Dora couldn't help but smile back at the redhead's excitement, "You've turned down every boy in Hogwarts, and now, all of a sudden, you've been positively bubbly!"

"I have NOT been bubbly!" Dora exclaimed, offended by the very idea that any boy, even Beastboy, could make her act like one of her brain-dead roommates.

"So you admit there's a boy!" Rachel squealed, "Who is he? Is he older? Younger?"

"Even if there were," Dora said hotly, "Why would I tell you?"

"Dora, you've turned down every boy who's asked you out for the last three years," Amara said delicately, "We're just curious about what makes this one different?"

"Well, for starters," Dora growled, "He's not a male chauvinistic pig who wants me to transform into their favorite actress for supermodel! He doesn't care that I can change my appearance. He sees me for me! Which is something that no one else has ever done."

"Wow…" Sarah sighed happily as she slowly lowered herself onto her bed, "No wonder you're so entranced by him."

"Yeah…" Amara and Rachel sighed in unison with dreamy looks on their faces that made Dora want to throw up.

"Oh, go away!" Dora cried in annoyance as she rose to leave, "Bunch of gossip obsessed mad men, the lot of ya!"

"Oh, don't be embarrassed, Dora!" Rachel called out after Dora's back, "We're just happy that our little Tonksie has finally found someone!"

"Plus, now that they're not chasing you, there are more boys for the rest of us!" Amara added, causing the room to descend into giggles.

As Dora exited the dorm, even her abilities couldn't stop the bright-red blush that covered her face and neck, causing her roommates to shriek with laughter as they rolled around; Dora knew that they meant no offense by their actions, but that didn't stop her from shaking her head at how her love life seemed to be the only interesting thing going on at Hogwarts. Dora was just glad that there was only a month left of school, and then she would have the whole summer to spend with Beastboy before she began her Auror training.

XXXX

The Potions room was as quiet as a tomb as Snape strode up and down the rows, looking for anything that might give him an excuse to punish someone; since the pranking incident earlier in the year, Snape seemed even more vengeful and would often take any excuse given to punish someone. Of course, it didn't help matters that the rumor was that Harry Potter was leaving Hogwarts at the end of the year, and Headmaster Dumbledore was holding Professor Snape partially responsible. This rumor was exacerbated by Harry's refusal to admit or deny that he was, in fact, leaving Hogwarts, something that caused the rumor mill to practically explode.

Today, the Gryffindors and Slytherins were working on a potion for boils, though everyone knew that the potion was a waste of time; the first years would be taking their exams the following week, and so most of their classes (potions included) were just having them do busy work.

As Snape strode down Harry's row, he began his attack, per usual; his first target turned out to be Hermione, was had already finished her potion and was now reading quietly from her book.

"Miss Granger!" Snape snapped, causing Hermione to jump slightly,

"Yes, sir?" Hermione replied in a soft voice,

"Why are you not working on your potion?" Snape asked with a raised brow, "That's the assignment that you were given, is it not?"

"Yes sir," Hermione replied, "But, you see…."

"What?" Snape demanded, "Out with it, you silly girl!"

"I'm already finished with my potion, sir," Hermione replied, "So, I thought I'd do some reading while I wait for class to end."

"Already finished?" Snape drawled before striding forward and looking down into her cauldron with a sneer, "We'll see about that!"

For a moment, Snape looked at her potion while the class held its breath in expectation; finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Snape turned back to Hermione with an ugly glare that made the poor girl shrink into her seat.

"Ten points from Gryffindor for cheating, Miss Granger!" Professor Snape spat, causing Hermione's mouth to drop open comically.

"Cheating?!" Hermione cried in outrage, "Professor, I would never!"

"This potion is perfect, Miss Granger!" Snape sneered back, "Absolutely perfect! And there is no way that a first-year such as yourself could have created something so flawless."

"So you're punishing her because she got it right?" Ron cried indignantly, "How does that make sense?!"

"Silence!" Snape roared, his voice echoing in the silent dungeon, "That's another five points from Gryffindor, Mr. Weasley, for talking back to a professor!"

Without another word, Snape stepped away, leaving behind a teary-eyed Hermione and a glaring Ron as the Potions Professor sought out his next victim; unfortunately, the next student to catch his eye was Neville Longbottom, who had somehow managed to set his potion on fire.

"Longbottom!" Snape snarled as he stormed over, waving his wand to put out the flames that were bursting out of the top of the poor boy's cauldron, "Can you do nothing right, idiot boy!"

"I'm s-sorry, p-p-professor," Neville stuttered as he looked at the burnt ruin that had once been his cauldron, "I don't know how it happened…."

"Probably due to the fact that you are an idiot who has no place near a potions laboratory!" Snape snarled, causing the poor boy to look at his lap as tears ran down his cheeks, "Ten points from Gryffindor, Mr. Longbottom! And a detention tonight! Perhaps a few hours of cleaning cauldrons will teach you to take better care of instructions."

Turning his back to the crying boy, Snape began to prowl again for someone to punish; as he strode close to his godson's cauldron, Snape couldn't help but smile at the bubbling potion that lay inside.

"Finally, someone who actually knows what he's doing!" Snape called out, bringing attention to Draco's desk, "I'm glad to see that someone is paying attention to what I'm teaching, at least! Twenty points to Slytherin, and well done, Draco!"

Draco beamed happily at the praise as the Slytherins around him clapped and cheered; the Gryffindors, however, glared at the Malfoy heir with pure hatred, and Ron accidentally broke his quill from gripping it too hard.

As Snape opened his mouth to praise Draco more, he was suddenly silenced by the sound of smacking lips, followed by the sound of satisfaction one receives from a yummy meal.

Spinning around, it took Snape only a moment to find who was responsible for the noise; Harry Potter was sitting at his desk, with his hood up, and was dipping what looked like chicken into his cauldron before tossing it into his mouth and eliciting a satisfied moan each time.

Approaching the boy's desk, Snape felt his eyebrows rise nearly to his hairline as he saw the cauldron's contents were not pale grey as it was supposed to be, but in fact, was a dark, dark, murky brown.

"Mr. Potter," Snape hissed, "What is that in your cauldron?"

"Barbecue sauce," Harry replied as he dipped another piece of chicken into the concoction before popping the meat into his mouth.

"…. And why do you have barbecue sauce in your cauldron?" Snape asked, too bewildered to offer his usual sneer.

"I figured that you were going to yell at me for something, no matter what I do, so I might as well have chicken nuggets." Then, turning to Ron, who was trying (and losing) not to laugh, Harry offered one of said nuggets, "Want one, Ron?"

For approximately fifteen seconds, the potions classroom was silent, then it suddenly erupted in laughter as every Gryffindor gave in to the sheer silliness of what Harry was doing; the Slytherins looked like they were disgusted by the Gryffindor's behavior as the students roared with laughter.

"Twenty-five points from Gryffindor!" Snape snarled as Ron took the offered nugget and took a bite, nodding at Harry in delight at the food, "And you can join Longbottom in detention tonight!"

With a wave of his wand, Snape caused Harry's barbecue sauce to disappear, eliciting a groan of despair from the boy,

"Oy! How do you expect me to enjoy my chicken nuggets without barbecue sauce!" Harry complained, causing more laughter from the students, which caused Snape's face to turn an ugly purple as though someone was strangling him.

"There is no eating in my classroom!" Snape snarled, gripping the front of Harry's desk and leaning over so that he was almost nose-to-nose with Harry, who merely smirked at the irate professor.

"Careful, Snape," Harry said softly, his gaze fixed on the wood of his desk, "You remember what happened the last time you challenged me. I'd hate to have to continue that particular discussion."

As Harry finished speaking, he raised his head to look at Snape, and the potions professor felt his blood freeze in his veins; the boy's green eyes had been replaced by a pair of blood-red ones, and the boy's smile was not one of warmth, but rather, one that promised pain and blood.

Unable to stop himself, Snape took an involuntary step back, causing whispers to break out in the classroom, and a few students tried to lean over their desks to see Harry's face and see what had so scared their professor; but, with his hood up, no one could see Harry's face, leading to more whispers.

"Are you alright, professor?" Harry asked with a cruel smile as he leaned his head against his right hand, "You look like you've seen a ghost. Should we get Madam Pomfrey?"

"Class dismissed," Snape hissed as he struggled to regain his composure and made his way to his desk, "All of you, get out of here! Now!"

As the class slowly began to empty, Snape watched warily as Harry put his things away; when Harry was finally finished, he strode to the door and looked back one last time at Snape, and the potions professor was horrified as he watched Harry's red eyes slowly transform back into their violent green.

"See you later, professor," Harry said in a creepy voice that strongly resembled a certain clown from Gotham City, "For detention, I mean."

Without another word, Harry exited the classroom, closing the door softly behind him; alone, Snape's mind raced as he downed a calming draught to settle himself. Ever since confronting Quirrell in the chamber of the stone, Harry had changed; the changes had been subtle, but Snape had found himself noticing them more and more as the end of the school year came closer.

Something had changed about the boy, and though Snape couldn't put his finger on what had changed about the boy, he knew that it scared him. As Snape finally regained control of himself, he realized that the only other person he had seen those red eyes on was Harry's older sister, Raven. But, where Raven's eyes had scared Snape, Harry's had terrified the professor; it was like looking at a monster just waiting for the pretext to snap and rip Snape (or anyone else) to shreds.

With a ragged breath, Snape slowly rose to his feet and began to make his way to the Headmaster's office; Dumbledore would need to be told of this newest development regarding his golden boy.

XXXX

Raven narrowed her eyes as she stared across the Great Hall at her little brother, who was currently laughing at some joke told to him by one of the Weasley twins, though which one was anyone's guess at this distance.

Harry was hiding something from her, of that she had no doubt; ever since waking up in the Hospital Wing, Harry had been acting different than how he usually behaved. During training, Raven and the other Titans began to grow concerned at how aggressive Harry had become, transforming his tentacles into weapons, which he would then use like a master to completely obliterate the practice dummies that they used. The fact that Harry could transform his tentacles into weapons and had kept it hidden from Raven and the other Titans had earned Harry a long tirade from Raven; Harry had assured the Titans that he wasn't keeping anything else secret, but it was almost universally agreed that the boy was lying.

That was another thing that hurt Raven; Harry never used to lie to her, never used to behave like he was better than anyone else; Beastboy had tried to joke away Harry's behavior, saying that Harry was just 'going through puberty,' but Raven knew in her heart that something had fundamentally changed with her little brother and she was desperate to find out what it was.

Robin had almost immediately agreed with Raven when she told the others that something was off with Harry, saying that he had made his own observations regarding the little boy he viewed as an adoptive brother. After much arguing, it was agreed that the Titans would take alternating shifts in keeping an eye on Harry at all times; needless to say, the results were not good.

Starfire had told the Titans of multiple occasions where the boy seemed to simply disappear for an hour or two, and even Robin seemed unable to locate Harry during these disappearances. During those times when Harry's location WAS known, the Titans were shocked at what they saw; at times, it seemed like Harry was his usual happy, jokester self, but at other times it was as if they were seeing a completely different person. This new Harry was an arrogant bully who had been confronted by Raven and the other Titans on more than one occasion for his behavior. Yet, every confrontation had ended with Harry acting like he couldn't care less about what he was doing.

It was thanks to a bug that Robin had hidden in Dumbledore's office that Raven and the other Titans were able to listen in on a meeting between Snape and Dumbledore two days prior; it was during this meeting that the potions professor had confessed to being afraid when he saw that Harry was sporting blood-red eyes and giving off a feeling similar to a predator staring down prey. Raven had felt her blood freeze in her veins at the words, which was immediately made worse when Dumbledore stated that the reason behind Harry's new attitude needed to be found immediately so as to protect the boy from whatever was troubling him.

The Titans had immediately sojourned to a nearby empty office to confer on what they had heard, and Raven had nearly gone catatonic; having finally figured out what was wrong, Raven felt like she could have slapped herself for not realizing it sooner. Harry and Raven shared blood, meaning that Harry had a demonic side to him, just as she did; Raven had hoped that Harry's demonic side had burned itself out during the fight between Harry and Quirrell, but current events were clearly showing that that was not the case. The greater danger was that of Trigon realizing that another mortal shared his blood and could therefore be used as a doorway back to earth, just as he had once used Raven. The more the Titans talked about it, the more it explained Harry's current behavior; his demonic nature was no doubt growing stronger due to Harry not having been trained on how to fight against such seductive power, and power like that would no doubt be very seducing for an eleven-year-old. Beastboy had recommended knocking Harry out then and there and taking the kid to Dr. Fate or someone who could seal Harry's demonic side away, but Raven and Robin had argued against that particular approach.

Without knowing how much stronger Harry had become, they had no way of ensuring that they could successfully capture Harry without injuring civilians or the castle itself.

So, with no other options available to them, Robin had sent a message to Batman and the Justice League. They had agreed that Harry should not be confronted at Hogwarts due to the risk of destruction to the castle and harm to the people currently staying there. To that end, the League had decided to set a trap for Harry when the Titans returned to Jump City; the moment the portkey returned Harry and the Titans to the tower, Harry would find himself bound in a special ritualistic circle that would keep Harry frozen in place while the League's Sorceror's tried to seal Harry's demonic side. It wasn't a perfect plan, and Raven felt ashamed of herself for even agreeing to it, knowing the pain that her little brother was about to be in; but, to keep Harry safe and out of Trigon's hands, Raven was prepared to make any choice.

As Raven looked out across the Great Hall at her little brother, she couldn't help but feel like a traitor; here she was, pretending to be happy, when all the while, she was planning on capturing her brother with magic the moment they got home.

Looking down at the Potter house ring on her finger, Raven felt even worse, if that were possible; it had been nearly two months since Raven had become head of House Potter, and not knowing where to even begin figuring out what her new duties to House Potter were, Raven had asked Nymphadora Tonks if she would be willing to write a letter to her mother, Andromeda Tonks, formerly Andromeda Black.

This strange request was due to the fact that Raven still remembered the woman she had once called 'Aunt Andi;' what's more, Raven knew that James and Lily trusted her, and if they did, then so did Raven.

The meeting hadn't gone as well as Raven would have liked, at least at first, but she was happy with the outcome all the same.

:Flashback:

"Hello, Mrs. Tonks," Raven said respectfully as the woman entered her quarters and quickly looked around; even without knowing her, Raven would have instantly known that she was a Black. Andromeda Tonks was tall and lithe, with a patrician beauty and aristocratic bearing that were typical characteristics of the House of Black. However, unlike most of those in her house, Andromeda lacked the crazed look that many of her family shared and had made House Black infamous. Instead, Andromeda's appearance was gentler and kinder, with light brown hair that reached her shoulders and wide-kind eyes that made those who met her instantly trust her. She wore a soft green robe under a dark blue cloak, and Raven immediately felt underdressed in her blue jeans and black blouse.

"I made tea!" Raven said, rushing forward to show the table she had painstakingly set up in preparation for the meeting, "If you'd like some, that is…."

"Tea sounds lovely, thank you," Andromeda sniffed as she shrugged herself out of her coat and placed it on the nearby hook; without another word, Andromeda made her way over to the table and took her place as Raven nervously began to pour the tea and set the table.

"I'm sure you're wondering why I asked to meet with you," Raven said quickly, trying to dispel the awkward silence that had sprung up.

"The thought had occurred to me, Lady Potter," Andromeda replied with a raised brow,

"Please don't call me that," Raven said miserably,

"Then what would you like me to call you?" Andromeda asked, causing a moment of silence.

"You could call me, little bird," Raven said softly, "Like you used to…."

Andromeda's eyes softened momentarily as she gazed at the young woman who had once been like a niece to her; a moment later, that softness disappeared as Andromeda regained her stoic appearance.

"I used to call my niece that," Andromeda said softly, though her words seemed to echo, "My niece, who I loved with all my heart and who was supposed to be raised by me if anything should happen to her parents. My niece, who I thought was dead for nearly a decade, who never even thought of reaching out to let me know she was alive! Was one letter too much to ask for?! Too much trouble!" By the end, Andromeda was nearly hissing with rage, and Raven recoiled from the words like they were physical blows.

"I'm so sorry, Aunt Andi…." Raven whispered as she stared down at her teacup; teardrops were running down Raven's cheeks as she raised her head to look at the elder woman, shame evident in the young girl's eyes.

"When I lost Lily and James…. When I lost Mom and Dad, and then Dumbledore told me that Harry was dead too, I just…. I thought I had lost everyone that I cared about, my true family, so I ran away like a coward. And I am so sorry for that! I wish I had come back to you and Uncle Ted!"

By the end, Raven was softly crying, and Andromeda couldn't help herself anymore; slowly rising to her feet, Andromeda made her way over to the crying teen and gathered her in her arms before gently rocking the girl like she used to do so long ago.

"It's okay, little bird," Andromeda told the crying girl as she held her tight, "I'm just glad to see you and Harry again. Your uncle and I thought we lost you! Did Dumbledore truly tell you that Harry died with your parents?"

"Yes," Raven croaked, "I came to Hogwarts when I awoke, and he told me they were all gone!"

"That lying, manipulative bastard!" Andromeda hissed as she squeezed Raven tighter, "I should have known that he would do something as vile as this!"

"Mom and Dad trusted him, so I thought I could as well," Raven replied as she pulled away from Andromeda and wiped her eyes.

"Yes, unfortunately, your parents were a bit naive about who to put their trust in," Andromeda said softly,

"Like Sirius," Raven added, causing Andromeda to flinch as though struck,

"Indeed," Andromeda said sadly before retaking her seat, "I must say, it's good to see you again, Raven."

"It's good to see you again, too, Aunt Andi," Raven replied with a genuine smile as she refilled both of their cups,

"Now, as much as I enjoy having tea with my favorite niece, perhaps we could begin with, why am I here?"

"I'm your only niece," Raven laughed, causing Andromeda to smirk a bit, "And, as to why you're here, it's because I need your help, Aunt Andi. I need someone I can trust without question and who knows how to navigate the Wizengamot. As you can imagine, that list is short on names.

"And you trust me, do you?" Andromeda asked in surprise, "Someone you have not seen in over a decade?"

"With my life," Raven stated with so much conviction that it left Andromeda momentarily breathless.

"Very well, then," Andromeda smiled, "What can I do for you?"

"Is Uncle Ted still a lawyer?" Raven asked quickly, causing Andromeda to go silent with confusion for a few seconds.

"Well, yes," Andromeda replied, "He has his own practice now. Why?"

"Because I need a lawyer who is loyal only to me and to House Potter," Raven stated, "And I need someone that I trust to act as my proxy until Harry is old enough to take over."

"You mean to abdicate your seat in the Wizengamot in favor of your brother?" Andromeda asked in surprise,

"Yes," Raven nodded, "It is Harry's seat, not mine, and as such, will go to him when he reaches his age of majority. In the meantime, I need someone who knows the laws and practices of the Wizengamot and can teach them to Harry. Unfortunately, I cannot do either of those things, you understand?"

"I do," Andromeda nodded, "But that still doesn't explain what I am doing here…"

"You're here because I want that person to be you, Aunt Andi," Raven cried with amusement at the surprise that quickly came across Andromeda's face.

"Me?!" Andromeda cried,

"Yes, you!" Raven laughed, "You know how the Wizengamot works, seeing as how you were raised to be one of the next heirs of House Black. I want you to stand as Proxy for House Potter and to teach Harry until he's old enough to take control of the House."

"I'm honored," Andromeda replied in a small voice, "But, surely there are others more worthy of such a role."

"None that I trust not to spy on me and my House for Dumbledore," Raven spat back, causing Andromeda to nod in understanding.

"Very well, then," Andromeda replied respectfully, "Then I'll obtain the necessary paperwork from the Goblins, and we can link up with Ted in a few days to make his firm your official solicitor."

Raven nodded her head happily at that and had just taken a sip of her tea when Andromeda decided to go for the kill,

"So, any cute boys in your life?"

The following five minutes consisted of Raven trying to breathe as she hacked up tea, and Andromeda laughed.

:End Flashback:

The rest of the meeting had simply been Raven and Andromeda swapping stories of what their lives had been like since their last meeting; a few days later, Andromeda had returned with her husband, Ted Tonks, and the three of them had hammered out a general agreement that would make Ted's firm the official one for House Potter, while at the same time making Andromeda proxy of House Potter until Harry turned seventeen. However, all critical decisions had to be brought before Raven before they could be voted on.

In the month and a half since being made proxy, Andromeda seemed to act like a woman possessed; she had long-time loans owed to House Potter returned, she had restrictions that had been placed on House Potter by other houses lifted, and had several Potter properties that had been illegally scooped up by other parties returned, along with a sizeable amount of gold as recompense.

So lost in thought, Raven missed the young man who climbed on top of the Gryffindor table and only spotted him when he clapped his hands, causing his table to go silent,

"My fellow Gryffindors," Oliver Wood said in a strange voice, "It's time!"

Raven couldn't help but smile as Harry, along with all the members of the Gryffindor house team, seemed to rise as one and begin to make their way out of the Great Hall; as they walked out, those seated at Gryffindor's table all began to rhythmically pound their fists on the table in excitement at the upcoming game.

Not to be outdone, Slytherin house began to do the same, but adding hisses to their fists to try and drown out the Gryffindors; this had the opposite effect as Gryffindor started to pound harder so that the Great Hall sounded like a battlefield getting ready for war.

XXXX

A half-hour later found Raven and all the Titans seated amongst Gryffindor house as they eagerly awaited the start of the game; leaning over to Beastboy, Raven asked in a mock-whisper,

"So, what song is Harry coming out to this time?"

"He wouldn't say," Beastboy laughed back, "said he wanted it to be a surprise!"

"Uh huh," Raven said as she rolled her eyes, "My little brother always has to be so dramatic…."

"He gets it from you," Robin scoffed, earning a surprised look from Raven,

"From me?" Raven cried in surprise, "If anything, he gets it from you!"

"If you say so," Robin laughed back, causing Raven to grumble as she turned back to the field; the Slytherin and Gryffindor players had all come out and taken their positions, but just as Raven suspected, her little brother was missing.

"Hello and welcome to the Quidditch Cup!" Lee Jordan's voice roared out of the speakers around the stadium, "Today, we discover which team will win the Quidditch Cup! Will it be Gryffindor?! Or Slytherin!"

Both houses exploded with cheers as Lee Jordan called on them; before Lee could say anything else, music began to echo around the stadium, and Raven shook her head in annoyance as she realized what it was.

"Of all the songs to pick," Raven muttered, "THAT'S what he chose?"

"IT'S TIME TO PLAY THE GAME!

TIME TO PLAY THE GAME! HAHAHA.

IT'S ALL ABOUT THE GAME AND HOW YOU PLAY IT!

IT'S ALL ABOUT CONTROL AND IF YOU CAN TAKE IT!

ALL ABOUT YOUR DEBT AND IF YOU CAN PAY IT!

IT'S ALL ABOUT PAIN AND WHO'S GONNA MAKE IT."

As the music echoed around the stadium, made somehow louder by the screams of all those in the stands, Harry flew onto the field, standing, as usual, on his broomstick and performing the most insane spins, turns, and flips that he could think of. Zooming past where Raven and the other Titans were sitting, Harry flashed a brilliant smile as he performed a barrel roll which made Raven shake her head, even as she fought the smile that was threatening to come out.

"Thank you, Harry Potter!" When Harry finally took his place on the field, Lee Jordan said, "As always, you turn every game into a concert, and we love you for it!"

The crowd screamed their agreement, and Harry couldn't help but beam happily as he lowered himself into a sitting position on his broom.

The music continued to boom in the background as Madam Hooch took hold of the Quaffle and threw it into the air; Harry immediately shot straight into the air as the game commenced, coming to a stop a good fifty feet above the game, his eyes focused into slits as he looked for the Snitch, while at the same time listening to Lee Jordan's hilarious commentary.

"Captain Flint passes to Pucey; Pucey drops the Quaffle after receiving a bludger to the face, courtesy of one of the Weasley twins. Take that, ya snake!"

"Jordan!" Professor McGonagall's voice rang out, causing the stadium to echo with laughter,

"Sorry, professor," Lee laughed, "Angelina Johnson has the Quaffle; she throws it and… scores!"

The stadium erupted with cheers as the Gryffindor chaser circled the field happily, only to receive a bludger to the middle a moment later.

"Foul!" Lee screamed out as Professor McGonagall shook her fist at the Slytherin beater, "That's a foul, you loathsome creep!"

Gryffindor was given a free shot, which they made effortlessly, courtesy of Katie Bell, and the game resumed; high up in the sky, however, Harry was glaring at the Slytherin beater with anger.

"Okay, that's how you want to play?" Harry muttered to himself as his eyes tore across the field in search of one of the bludgers; when he finally located one, a smile spread across Harry's face as he began to fly toward it, "Then let's play."

After zooming past the bludger twice, Harry finally managed to coax the damn thing to chase after him, which is just what Harry wanted; flying straight at the back of the Slytherin beater that had attacked Angelina, Harry swerved at the last possible second, just as the beater turned around as though sensing that something was wrong. That sense was proven right a moment later when the beater received a bludger to the face that knocked the boy off of his broomstick and twenty feet to the ground beneath him, where he lay unconscious with what looked like a severely broken nose.

The Slytherins cried foul and were given a free shot, which they promptly missed, thanks to Oliver Wood; a moment later, the Slytherin's replacement beater was brought out as the former one would not wake up.

"I've never seen Harry fly so viciously before…." Starfire said softly, causing a few others to nod at her,

"It's like watching a completely different person," Hermione added, "What's happened to him?"

No one replied to her question, though Robin and Raven shared a look, hoping that Harry wouldn't lose control before they got him back to Jump City and sealed his demon side.

"And Thompson blocks Bell's shot by throwing his own bat at her!" Lee screamed out, causing boos to ring out at the Slytherin beater, "That's a foul! Filthy cheating prick!"

"Jordan!" Professor McGonagall cried, "I will not warn you again!"

"Sorry, professor," Lee replied, "Only stating the facts as I see them."

The Gryffindor's second free throw was blocked by the Slytherin keeper. However, Alicia Johnson managed to get the Quaffle through the middle ring a moment later after stealing it from Marcus Flint.

The game got progressively more bloody as both teams pushed themselves and their brooms as hard as they could; the third time that one of the beaters launched the bludger at Harry, causing him to once again lose the Snitch, Harry had lost his temper and had grabbed the bludger with his own hand and threw it back at the beater, knocking the shocked boy off of his broom and to the ground far below. The Slytherins were awarded a penalty shot, which they scored, and the game resumed after the beater was woken up and placed back on his broom, muttering something about 'impossibly strong shrimps.'

As the game continued and Harry and the Slytherin Seeker flew about the stadium looking for the small gold ball, it began to rain, causing nearly everyone to curse as they pulled out umbrellas or jackets.

Harry had no such luxuries and soon found himself soaked to the bone as he tried vainly to spot the tiny gold ball in what was quickly becoming a deluge of water.

"This is ridiculous!" Terence Higgs, the Slytherin Seeker, called out as he flew next to Harry, "How do they expect us to see anything in this!"

"Beats me!" Harry shouted back, "I can barely see my own nose!"

"Happy hunting!" Higgs shouted before zooming away into the rain,

"Happy hunting!" Harry called back, though he was sure Higgs hadn't heard him through the storm's rage.

As the storm grew rapidly worse, Harry found himself flying around aimlessly as he grew increasingly frustrated with the Snitch's lack of capture; Harry couldn't hear Lee Jordan anymore, aside from the occasional shouts of "Goal!" Though who was winning at this point was anybody's guess.

Harry had just dodged a passing bludger when he saw it; trailing after the bludger and, trying desperately to survive the falling rain, was the golden Snitch.

"Finally!" Harry snarled as he whipped his broomstick around, "You're mine!"

Flying far more uncontrollably than he thought was wise, Harry dove through the pouring rain toward his target, narrowly missing passing players as they zipped about blindly in the storm.

Suddenly, the ground appeared out of nowhere, causing Harry's eyes to shoot wide in horror as he desperately tried to pull out of his dive; with growing horror, Harry realized that he wasn't going to be able to pull out in time, so with an angry shrug of indifference, Harry pushed his broom to go faster, reaching out his hand for the Snitch as he did so.

Just as Harry's fingers closed around the Snitch, the bludger it had been following made a sharp turn, veering off into the storm as Harry slammed into the wet ground at over thirty miles an hour, instantly losing consciousness.

When he awoke a day later, Harry would receive the lecture of a lifetime, not just from Raven and the Titans but also from the rest of Gryffindor's house and its head for his sheer stupidity shown. His latest act of idiocy had resulted in him shattering almost every bone in his body and sustaining internal bleeding.

Unwilling to have a party without the one responsible present, Gryffindor had waited for Harry to awake and be released by Madam Pomfrey before beginning the celebrations of winning the Quidditch Cup; Harry was just grateful that the party had started on a weekend as it seemed to just keep going without stop. People would celebrate until they fell asleep, only to awaken a few hours later and continue the celebrations; the twins had managed to procure enough food and butterbeer to feed all of Hogwarts, and Harry had managed to set up his laptop so that for two glorious days, Gryffindor house became the veritable party capital of Hogwarts. The cup itself had been placed in the center of the room for all to marvel at, and Harry had cheered himself hoarse when Oliver had handed it to Harry before lifting the small boy on his shoulders for everyone to cheer at; Harry had thought his mouth would break from how wide his smile was stretched as he raised the cup over his head.

Even other houses (albeit minus Slytherin, of course) had shown up, causing the other heads of house to reluctantly agree to lift the ban from other houses entering different house common rooms, thereby creating an even greater party as all of Hogwarts seemed to show up at Gryffindor House to celebrate the Slytherins downfall.

Only after two consecutive days of partying, Professor McGonagall finally appeared in the wee hours of the night, in her bathrobe, to order the other students to return to their dormitories as they all had class the next day.

As Harry slowly fell asleep, he smiled into his pillow; this had truly been the best year of his life, and winning the Quidditch Cup had just been the crowning moment in his life. Even if he didn't return next year, he could at least say he left one helluva lasting impression.

XXXX

A week later, Harry was standing inside an empty room posing in front of a dirty and cracked mirror; he had already finished the last of his exams which meant that he was free from coursework or studying until he received his results sometime the following week.

Eager to make use of his free time, Harry ran straight for the empty classroom where he trained his shapeshifting abilities; after months of hard work, he could now take on the shape of whoever he wanted for almost forty minutes, something that Harry was very proud of.

Right now, Harry had taken on the appearance of James Hetfield, the lead guitarist for Metallica, and was currently doing air guitar while humming 'enter sandman.'

So entranced in his own foolishness that Harry failed to realize that four individuals had found the empty classroom he used and were currently staring at him in shock as he pretended to be a rock star in front of the mirror.

"Harry…?" Starfire's voice said, causing Harry to freeze instantly, "Is that you?"

Slowly, Harry turned around until he was left facing the stunned Titans,

"Um… heh heh, hi guys…." Harry said awkwardly, "Fancy meeting you all here."

"Dude! You can shapeshift!" Beastboy cried in excitement, "Since when can you do that?!"

"Since my battle with Quirrell," Harry replied sheepishly as he slowly transformed back into himself, not noticing the look that the Titans shared.

"Why did you keep it from us?" Raven asked, "Something like this should not be kept a secret."

"According to who?" Harry snarked back, "Since when do I have to tell everyone about my abilities? Do you want me to tell you what kind of underwear I have on next?"

"Harry!" Starfire cried aghast, "That is no way to talk to your friends! We simply want to keep you safe."

"I don't need you to keep me safe!" Harry snapped, "Since Quirrell's defeat, my powers have doubled! I don't need anyone to keep me safe anymore!"

"That's enough!" Raven finally snapped, making Harry flinch involuntarily as Raven turned cold eyes on him, "You lied to all of us about your abilities for months; I thought there were no secrets between us?"

Harry said nothing in reply, simply stared at his feet in impotent fury, causing Harry to sigh in annoyance.

"I never thought you would lie to me, Harry," Raven said sadly, "Not after you promised me that you wouldn't. Therefore, you are banned from flying until we return to Jump City."

"What?!" Harry cried in dismay, "You can't take flying from me!"

"After how you've been behaving, I most certainly can!" Raven retorted, "Furthermore until we know the extent of your shapeshifting abilities, you are forbidden from using them!"

"That is such bull…." Harry began,

"Harry!" Robin cried, cutting the boy off, "You still want your friends to visit this summer? Then I'd watch what comes out of your mouth next!"

For a moment, Harry glared at Robin before rushing past the Titans and out of the room with only a quiet sob being trialing after him; left alone, the Titans looked at each other warily,

"It's getting worse," Robin stated, causing Raven to sigh with worry,

"I know. But we only have a few more weeks before we head home; he'll be fine."

"And if he's not?" Beastboy asked from where he was examining his reflection, "How do we know that Harry isn't hiding other tricks?"

"Once we seal his demon side, he'll be the same Harry that we know and love," Raven said quickly, though trying to convince the other Titans or herself was anyone's guess.

"I hope so," Robin replied softly, "Because Harry's too dangerous to be left alone,"

"What are you saying?" Starfire asked,

"Yes, what ARE you saying, Robin?" Raven asked coldly, "And choose your words carefully."

"I'm saying that if we can't fully seal Harry's demon side, then we might need to discuss other options," Robin said in a monotone voice,

"Such as?" Raven snarled, taking a threatening step forward, "What do you want to do? Lock him up in a dark box and throw away the key? Perhaps we should give him to Cadmus. Is that what you're saying?!"

Of course not!" Robin shouted, "I love Harry just as much as you do!"

"Doesn't seem like it if you're thinking about locking him up for something that isn't even his fault!" Raven shouted back, "He didn't choose this!"

"I know that!" Robin retorted, "But if you can't see the potential danger that Harry poses as Arcane, then you are a fool! Harry was already powerful before this, and now he can shapeshift? What else can he do!? What happens if this bad attitude of his gets worse and he decides to one day go kill someone?"

"Harry wouldn't do that!" Starfire cried in horror, "Harry is a good boy!"

"Yeah!" Beastboy added, "He's not a killer!"

"He's not now," Robin conceded, "But what happens if his demon side grows too powerful? I don't like it any better than the rest of you, but we need to at least be aware of the danger that Harry presents."

"How very Batman of you," Raven sneered, causing Robin to involuntarily flinch, "Your mentor would be proud of you, so easily turning on your allies, just like him."

"I may not like Batman's methods," Robin countered, "But there's a reason he's the best. It's because he plans for every eventuality!"

"Well, let me promise you of one eventuality," Raven hissed, "If you try and hurt my brother, I'll bury you!"

Before Robin could reply, Raven spun on her heel and stormed out of the room after Harry, leaving three very shaken Titans behind.

"Robin…?" Starfire asked in a small voice, "You wouldn't really lock little Harry away, would you?"

Robin said nothing, simply glared at Starfire for a moment before storming out and slamming the door shut behind him.

XXXX

Author's Note:

And that's it for Harry's first year; the next chapter will consist of Harry's last few days at Hogwarts and then his summer before I start the next arc. And yes, Harry's demon side will not take too kindly to being sealed, so it should be an exciting fight, lol.

To those wondering, "Harry Leaves Hogwarts" won 441 to 302; as requested, I will no longer be following the canon, and I hope that you all enjoy how the story goes in the future.

"The Game" is the property of the band Motorhead; as such, I claim no ownership over it.

I've had a number of people ask this, so I am addressing it.

"What are all of Harry's powers?"

1.)Enhanced Strength, speed, and endurance.- Not super strength, but Harry will be significantly stronger and better than an ordinary man.

2.)Shapeshifting- The ability to transform into anyone Harry wants for a maximum of 45 minutes.

3.)Flight- Pretty obvious.

4.)Tentacle control- Tentacles can transform into any weapon except guns or bombs.

5.)Magic- Obviously.

Reviews are always welcome, and I hope you enjoyed this latest chap

Chapter Text

Author's Note:

I know I usually put these at the end of my stories, but considering what is coming, I thought it prudent to do it beforehand. This chapter will be dark and terrifying in certain parts, so reader discretion is advised.

XXXX

"Noooo!" Harry screamed as he sprang awake, the nightmare he had just been having still causing him to shudder as sweat poured off of him; thankfully, Raven had placed a silencing ward around his bed at the beginning of the year for just this reason, and as such Harry didn't have to worry about waking his dormmates.

As Harry wrapped his arms around him, he felt the images he had seen in his dreams bombard him without mercy and had to bite his lip hard to keep himself from openly sobbing. Harry had been forced to watch from outside his own body as he killed everyone he had ever loved; Jinx had been ripped to pieces, Cyborg had been decapitated, Beastboy, Robin, and Starfire had died screaming in such a horrific way that Harry didn't even want to remember it. But the worst death had been that of Raven. Harry had been forced to watch as his elder sister cried and begged for Harry to stop, only for her pleas to fall on deaf ears when he had turned his six tentacles into one twisted spear, which he had shoved straight through her chest. Finally, as Raven drew her last breath, she gently touched Harry's cheek, and a tear ran down her face.

"I forgive you, Harry," Raven whispered before she had finally died.

Ripping his spear from his sister's still-warm body, Harry had then turned, and the real Harry finally got a look at his body, causing him to scream out in horror at what he was seeing; it was as if someone had taken all the best aspects of Harry and twisted them into a cruel, evil looking mockery.

The doppelganger's hair was continuously waving as though a strong wind was blowing around him, his face was set in a cruel grin that promised death and destruction to all who had the unfortunate privilege of crossing his path, and two pairs of blood-red eyes glared hatefully at the real Harry who could not seem to look away.

"They should be grateful," Harry's doppelganger said in a deep cold voice that sent shivers down Harry's spine, "They have the honor of being the first of my victims."

"What are you?" Harry asked in horror,

"I am you," Evil Harry replied, "I am what you will become. In time."

"No," Harry whispered, "I am not a murderer! I would never do these things you have done!"

"You speak as if you have a choice!" Evil Harry spat back, "I AM your future! And one day, your soul shall be mine! Your body shall be mine! And this entire world will drown in blood!"

That was how Harry had woken screaming in horror, waking finally from his nightmare; yet even awake, Harry could still feel the dark aura that had come off of Evil Harry in waves. For a moment, Harry considered telling Raven about his dreams, but the thought disappeared just as quickly as it had come, he and the other Titans were going home today, along with the other Hogwarts students, and Harry didn't want to bring a dark cloud over such a wonderful day.

Unable to do anything else, Harry drew his knees to his chest, wrapped his arms around them, and wept until he fell back into a fitful sleep.

XXXX

Harry Potter to leave Hogwarts and Magical Britain!

By Rita Skeeter

We all know the story of the Boy Who Lived, how he saved all of us from becoming slaves to the evil He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, and his followers. But then, Harry Potter disappeared, and no one seemed to know exactly where he had gone. But my dear readers, I am happy to inform you that I have finally managed to discover the answers to where little Harry has been all this time!

After the horrific murder of Harry's parents, Lily and James Potter, Harry was taken and placed into the care of his Aunt and Uncle, Petunia and Vernon Dursley, who, as this reporter has discovered, are two ignorant muggles with a deep hatred of magic. For the next few years, poor Harry was the victim of cruelty that this reporter refuses to put to paper due to its horrific nature. It was only when Harry's older sister, Raven Potter, became aware that her little brother was still alive that he was finally rescued from his nightmare of abuse and taken to America, where he has been raised ever since. How did this come to pass? How did the Ministry of Magic allow its hero to be sent to a home where instead of being honored for what he did, he was instead tortured for years with no one to help him? I reached out to Cornelius Fudge for answers to these questions, only to be told that the Minister had no idea where the boy had been sent in the first place! That's right, my beloved readers, our own Minister of Magic had no idea where our hero had been sent after the murder of his parents! In fact, the only one who knew where Harry was being kept was Albus Dumbledore, the current Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, and Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards.

With no authority to do so, Albus Dumbledore took Harry Potter from the ruin of his parent's cottage and placed him with his mother's sister, Petunia Dursley, never bothering to check on the boy thereafter to see if he was alright!

But Albus Dumbledore's transgressions don't stop there, my dear readers! Oh no, for you see, I reached out to Raven Potter for an interview, which she happily obliged, and we sat down to discuss how exactly she came to find out that her brother was alive after so many years of thinking otherwise:

Rita: "So, Ms. Potter, thank you for agreeing to meet with me today."

Raven: "You're very welcome, Ms. Skeeter. And thank you for deciding to take up this story. It's far past time that the world knew what Dumbledore has done to my family."

Rita: "Indeed! So, tell me, how is it that you were not aware of your little brother's survival all these years?"

Raven: "That would be because Headmaster Dumbledore told me that my little brother was dead."

Rita: "Dead! Are you saying that Dumbledore deliberately lied to you and kept your brother from you?"

Raven: "That's exactly what I'm saying, Ms. Skeeter. I was knocked unconscious when my mom and dad were attacked; when I came to and saw my parents' bodies, I feared the worst for Harry as well. So, I made my way to Hogwarts to see if Dumbledore, the one person that my parents always told me to trust, knew where Harry was."

Rita: "And Dumbledore told you Harry was dead?"

Raven: "That is correct, Ms. Skeeter."

Rita: "That's awful! What happened next?"

Raven: "I was in agony, thinking I had lost my entire family. So, I left England, thinking that I would never return."

Rita: "And where did you go?"

Raven: "Many places, but I finally settled in Jump City, where I currently reside with my friends."

Rita: "And how did you discover that your little brother was still alive?"

Raven: "A close friend of mine, who is a seer, told me that Harry was still alive and in great peril."

Rita: "A seer! Truly?"

Raven: "Indeed. He told me that Dumbledore lied to me about my brother, so I immediately made my way to Hogwarts to discover the truth of the matter."

Rita: "So, you confronted Dumbledore?"

Raven: "I did. At first, he tried to continue his lie, but soon enough, I made him tell me the truth."

Rita: "And how, pray tell did you do that, Ms. Potter?"

Raven: "We all have our little secrets, Ms. Skeeter."

Rita: "Indeed we do, Ms. Potter. So, what did Dumbledore tell you?"

Raven: "That he had lied because he thought Harry was safer in the hands of Petunia Dursley rather than his own sister. In fact, Dumbledore all but stated that he didn't even acknowledge me as Lily and James Potter's daughter and therefore had no right to see Harry."

Rita: "Because you were adopted?"

Raven: "Yes. But as I reminded Dumbledore several times, Lily and James went through all the legal paperwork to adopt me. So, in the eyes of the law, I AM a Potter."

Rita: "Yet, Dumbledore still tried to keep you from taking possession of Harry Potter?"

Raven: "Indeed. He tried to convince me that Harry was safer where he was."

Rita: "And was he?"

Raven: "Absolutely not! When I went to see my brother, I found him sleeping in a cupboard under the stairs with a high fever."

Rita: "Surely not!"

Raven: "Unfortunately, it is the truth."

Rita: "And Dumbledore allowed this abuse?!"

Raven: "I doubt he even cared to look, to be honest. When I came to see my brother, Mrs. Dursley didn't even care that my brother was sick. To be perfectly frank, I suspect she was hoping he would die."

Rita: "How awful! It's a miracle you were able to get to him in time."

Raven: "Agreed, and I wish that I could say that was the end of my brother's torment."

Rita: "There's more?!"

Raven: "Sadly, there is. Once I took my brother back to Jump City, I gave him a medical evaluation and discovered that he had been the victim of years of physical, mental, and emotional abuse. All because one old man couldn't keep his nose out of other people's business!"

Needless to say, the interview only got worse from there as Ms. Potter explained how it took many years for her and her friends to undo the damage done to Harry by his relatives. Many of my readers accuse me of being heartless, but I can assure you that what I was told left me in tears by the end of the interview. But, my dear readers, it doesn't stop there! Oh no, it gets much worse, in fact! For even after being told that it was a mistake by his sister and her friends, young Mr. Potter wanted to come back to England to attend Hogwarts as his parents had before him if only to get to know the school that made such fine and upstanding members of our society. But, instead of an education, Mr. Potter received constant threats to his life by ways of a member of the Hogwarts staff who had been hired by none other than Albus Dumbledore himself. Why was this Professor trying to harm Harry Potter? Why? Because in his infinite wisdom, Dumbledore decided to hide the Philosopher's Stone at Hogwarts after it was nearly stolen from Gringotts by the same Professor earlier in the year! Throughout the year, Mr. Potter's life was in constant jeopardy due to this dark wizard; even worse, his education was also in danger! That's right, dear readers; after speaking to several individuals who have asked to remain anonymous, I have discovered that Professor Severus Snape, current Professor of Potions, has spent the last year constantly antagonizing poor Mr. Potter any chance he could. I've even discovered that Professor Snape tried to illegally read Mr. Potter's mind earlier in the year! Something that should have seen the man thrown in Azkaban, but it would seem as though the man has powerful friends as the only punishment he received was a slap on the wrist and a few months' suspension.

Finally, after what can only be described as a truly awful year, Mr. Potter was abducted by Professor Quirinus Quirrell, the dark wizard after the Philosophers Stone. After dragging Mr. Potter through a variety of deadly traps, Professor Quirrell managed to get the Stone and very nearly killed Mr. Potter if not for the intervention of his sister, who defeated the dark wizard and took the Stone into her possession, which she soon returned to its rightful owner, Nicholas Flamel.

Due to these horrifying acts, which nearly killed the last remaining member of her family, Raven Potter informed me that she will not have Harry Potter return to Hogwarts next year, instead choosing to enroll him in what she believes to be a safer school somewhere in America. Though I am sad to see our nation's hero leave our shores, I can honestly say that I agree with Ms. Potter's assessment that Harry Potter is not safe in England so long as Dumbledore is allowed to put him in such danger.

XXXX

Dumbledore's hands shook with weariness as he read the Daily Prophet article for the third time; since this article was published a week ago, Dumbledore had been bombarded with howlers, demanding to know by what right he had kept Harry from his sister. Worse had been the angry letters, arriving in their hundreds, demanding to know why he thought it was a good idea to keep the Philosophers Stone in a school full of children. Since the article's publishing, Dumbledore had been raked over the coals, so to speak, from everyone; Fudge had ordered an emergency meeting of the Wizengamot, and Dumbledore had been forced to defend his actions before the entirety of said Wizengamot. For a moment, Dumbledore had hoped that his decades of good deeds would save his position as Chief Warlock. But those hopes were soon dashed when Andromeda Tonks, proxy for House Potter, rose to her feet with a look of cold fury on her face and began a long tirade which had even long-time Dumbledore advocates agreeing that Dumbledore had royally screwed up. Andromeda had spoken of how, due to Dumbledore's idiotic actions, a national hero was leaving England, possibly forever. Worse still was that said hero was the next Head of the Ancient and Most Noble House of Potter, a house that had been part of the Wizengamot since its creation. Andromeda had finished her speech by moving for a vote of no confidence in Dumbledore's leadership. Lady Longbottom had immediately risen and seconded the vote, and an hour later, Dumbledore had lost his position and been forced to leave the hall among thunderous applause. It was the greatest humiliation of his life. But worse was yet to come, for soon after, Dumbledore was told that the ICW was also planning to remove him as Supreme Mugwump. It was only due to the fact that Dumbledore had been Chief Warlock when he had placed Harry with the Dursleys as well as when he had hidden the Philosophers Stone at Hogwarts, that he had avoided Azkaban as no Chief Warlock could be tried for crimes he had done while holding said position. However, there was talk of changing that particular law, no doubt orchestrated by Andromeda Tonks. It had taken a colossal amount of bribes and decades of favors just to keep his position as Headmaster of Hogwarts, and even that came with new restrictions. Starting the following year, Aurors would be stationed at Hogwarts to ensure the student's safety as well as make sure that Hogwarts stayed a school and not Dumbledore's private playground as it had been for the last fifty years; that alone had sent Dumbledore into an apoplectic fit which left much of his office in ruins before he was able to repair the damage. Thanks to Rita Skeeter's article, another new development in the running of Hogwarts was that every single teacher had to appear before the Governors of Hogwarts and defend themselves and their teaching practices to keep their job for the following year. As a result, Professors Binns, Trelawney, and Snape had all been sacked and told to clear out their offices and be gone once the term had ended. Those who hadn't been sacked had been placed on probation for their part in hiding the Stone and told in no ambiguous language that should a similar incident occur, they would be fired immediately.

Snape comes to Dumbledore's office immediately after the news and demanded the Headmaster do something, that Dumbledore needed him for when Voldemort inevitably returned. But there was simply nothing that Dumbledore could do, and he told the Potions Professor as much; Dumbledore had his own back to watch now, and he reminded Snape that he had warned him not to antagonize Harry Potter, which Snape had blatantly ignored, to his own destruction.

Without Dumbledore's protection, Snape had far more things to worry about, like the Department of Magical Law Enforcement opening a case against him for illegally reading a student's mind. Snape had visibly paled when Dumbledore had told him that, and when he tried to flee from the office, Dumbledore had warned him not to try and flee the country as such action would render his guilty verdict all but inevitable. Snape would be a wanted man for the rest of his life. With no other options, Snape had scornfully agreed that he would not run and instead went back to his office to pack his things. As Dumbledore placed the newspaper on his desk, his mind whirled on how he could possibly fix this mess, but as he drank deep from his glass of brandy, he realized that there was no way; he had been outplayed at every turn, and when Harry Potter left Hogwarts, it was doubtful he would ever return. Voldemort would rise again, and without Harry, there would be no one to stop him, and it was all Dumbledore's fault. The last year had been a time of genuine introspection for Dumbledore, and the truth was that he didn't like what he saw. All his life, Dumbledore had served what he believed to be the Greater Good, but as he looked back on a lifetime of bad choices, he had begun to wonder if he had, in fact, been following the Greater Good or just his own. Had Dumbledore become like his old lover, Grindelwald? Only concerned with his own power? As the thought entered his mind, Dumbledore could only sigh in regret at all the choices he had made and all the lives he had ruined in doing so.

XXXX

Snape swore angrily as he threw his things into his trunk; today would be his last day at Hogwarts, and thanks to that damned article that Rita Skeeter had written, it would most likely be the last day he had work for a very long time. Worse still, if the rumors were to be believed, it very may be the last time he breathed free air for years to come, now that he no longer had Dumbledore's protection. Picking up the glass of Firewhiskey that sat nearby on his desk, Snape drained the glass in one gulp before hurling it into the fireplace, making the flames roar for a moment before settling back down. But, of course, this was all Potter's fault, him and his bitch of a sister! They had conspired against him to bring about his downfall, just like their swine of a father; for a moment, Snape wished that James Potter's brats were before him so that he could throttle the pair of them for his ruination.

Conjuring another glass, Snape poured himself more Firewhiskey as he returned to packing, his thoughts whirling with images of murder and revenge. It was all their fault! Theirs and their bastard of a father! Lily Potter should have been his, would have been his, if not for James Potter! As the hatred, rage, and whiskey began to combine, Snape's aura darkened as he began to think of a way to get back at James Potter once and for all. If Snape was to be ruined and sent to Azkaban, then by god, he would ensure that he took Potter's brats down with him. The image of Raven and Harry Potter dead at his feet made Snape smile fully, and he began to plan how to enact his revenge. Today was the last day of school, and the students would leave for the train in less than an hour, leaving little time for a well-thought-out plan. Instead, Snape would need to be ruthless and swift as he had been in the days when he served Lord Voldemort. And best of all, the memory of their deaths might even keep him sane while he was a guest of Azkaban.

XXXX

"So you're not coming on the train with us?" Hermione asked sadly as she, Ron, and Harry sat in the Gryffindor common room, waiting for the bell that would inform the students that it was time to head down to the train. As usual, Hermione had a large open book on her lap while Harry and Ron were playing a game of Wizard chess. Their trunks had already been taken down to the station a few hours before, save for Harry's.

"Unfortunately not," Harry replied sadly, "The Titans and I are taking a portkey back to Jump City once everyone is gone. Of course, none of them are looking forward to it, but it beats taking a plane back." Harry finished the last part with a chuckle that quickly relieved the tension in the air.

"And besides," Harry continued, "I'll be seeing you again in like two weeks when you come to Jump City, so it's not like we're going to be separated for good."

"That's true," Hermione sniffled, "But I was hoping we'd have a little more time before we say goodbye."

"It's not going to be the same next year with you gone," Ron said glumly,

"I know," Harry replied sadly, "I wish Raven would change her mind…."

"Any chance of that?" Ron asked in sudden hope,

"None," Harry stated, instantly crushing said hope, "She says that as long as Dumbledore keeps trying to interfere in my life, I'll always be in danger here. Loathe though I am to admit it, she's got a point."

"Still can't believe how hard the Ministry came down on him," Ron said quickly, "It's a miracle he's still Headmaster, to be honest."

"No matter what he's done, he's still Dumbledore," Harry sneered, "And that name carries a lot of weight in the Wizarding World."

"Yeah, I guess so," Ron replied before a brilliant smile took over his features, "Still, you're won eternal glory for being the one to get Snape sacked; Fred and George have been trying to do that for years and haven't been able to."

"I won't deny that is better than any trophy," Harry laughed back, causing Hermione to shake her head in exasperation.

"It's no surprise he was sacked," Hermione added, "When the school governors discovered how low the Potions program at Hogwarts had fallen under Professor Snape's tenure, it was almost a guarantee he would be let go. Did you know that the number of healers and potions masters has dropped by fifteen percent since he took over from Professor Slughorn?"

"How do you know that?" Ron asked,

"I looked it up, of course," Hermione beamed, "I'd like to pursue a Potions mastery myself, one day."

"You would?" Harry asked in surprise, "You never said that."

"I didn't want you to make fun of me," Hermione mumbled as a blush began to spread across her face,

"Hermione…" Harry chastised softly, "We are your friends; we would never make fun of you."

"Really?" Hermione asked with a raised brow, staring pointedly at Ron, who blushed uncomfortably,

"I learned my lesson, Hermione," Ron replied guiltily, "I won't make a repeat mistake."

"I hope so," Hermione muttered before returning to her book; Ron had just placed Harry in check when the bell sounded, and the three rose to their feet.

When they reached the Entrance Hall, Harry saw the Titans waiting for him, and his eyebrows rose as he saw Tonks apparently trying to eat Beastboy's face,

"Ew, gross!" Harry cried, causing several older students to chuckle as they passed; a moment later, Tonks and Beastboy joined in,

"We'll see if that's how you feel in a few years, kid," Beastboy chuckled,

"I'd sooner bite my own tongue off," Harry retorted, causing more laughter to echo from those listening.

"As much as I would love for you to be forever as you are," Raven smiled, "There will indeed come a day when you will become aware of the fairer sex."

"Not frigging likely," Harry muttered, causing Raven to smirk at him.

"You gonna miss me? Tonks asked Beastboy as Harry pretended to gag,

"Loads," Beastboy replied, "The two weeks we'll be apart will be unbearable!"

"Ha ha," Tonks said sarcastically, "Keep it up, and you'll be cut off from kissing me for a long time,"

Beastboy paled at that and sputtered for a moment before he managed to say,

"I was kidding! No need to get drastic!"

"That's what I thought," Tonks smirked before giving Beastboy one last kiss and following the other students out the door.

"Man, she's got you completely wrapped around her finger," Robin joked, earning a glare from the green boy.

"And how are things between you and Starfire?" Beastboy asked in a hushed voice, causing Robin to turn scarlet,

"We're not like that! We're just friends!" Robin whispered back quickly,

"Uh huh, suuuure," Beastboy smiled back.

Robin opened his mouth to respond when a loud voice echoed throughout the Entrance Hall,

"Potter!"

The Titans all spun around to see Severus Snape point his wand at them, clearly drunk,

"Lower your wand at once!" Robin said, pulling out one of his birdarangs and raising it defensively. At the same time, Beastboy hurried the other children out of the way, "Or I will make you."

"My fight isn't with you, muggle!" Snape spat, "I only want the Potter brats! They ruined my life!"

"Of course we did," Raven scoffed, making Snape turn purple with rage, "We're the ones who made you act like a jackass instead of like a Professor. You getting fired is your own fault, not ours!"

"It IS your fault!" Snape screamed back, "You and your miserable bastard of a father!"

"Don't say a word against my father!" Harry snarled, lunging forward, only to be stopped by Raven, who placed a calming hand on his shoulder.

"Our father was a better man than you could ever hope to be, Snape!" Raven spat back,

"Your father was a swine!" Snape snarled back, sending a jet of red light at the Titans, who quickly jumped out of the way,

"Titans move!" Robin shouted, instantly causing the Titans to rush at Snape, who began to hurl spells and curses in every direction, "Bring him down!"

"You're a sad little man," Raven sneered as she ducked under a purple hex, "Still holding onto a grudge from more than twenty years ago!"

"Shut up!" Snape roared angrily, "You know nothing!"

"I know my mother chose my dad over you because she saw who you really are!" Raven spat back, "That's what this is really about, isn't it? You're angry that James Potter beat you in the end! That she chose him instead of you!"

"He stole her from me!" Snape shrieked, looking quite demented, "Lily should have been mine! Would have been mine, if not for James Potter!"

"My mom would never have chosen someone like you!" Harry shouted from where Hermione and Ron were holding him back,

"Stay back, Harry!" Beastboy cried before turning into a rhino and charging Snape, who barely managed to get out of the way.

"Azeroth Metrion Zynthos!" Raven cried, sending a black cloud hurling at Snape as he rose to his feet; Snape's eyes widened at the coming danger, and he quickly rolled out of the way, coming up with his wand pointed at Raven, hatred in his eyes.

"Avada Ked-" Snape shouted before one of Robin's birdarangs struck him in the shoulder, sending him to his back; as he fell, Snape's wand flew from his grasp, and he quickly rolled onto his stomach and crawled quickly to it.

"No!" Starfire shouted as she hurled a green bolt at Snape, causing the ground before him to erupt and sending the former Potions Professor tumbling backward while his wand skittered further away.

"What is the meaning of this?!" Dumbledore demanded as he, McGonagall, and Flitwick came hurrying down the stairs toward them.

"Snape's lost his mind!" Ron shouted in horror, "He's trying to kill Raven and Harry!"

Robin charged at Snape, who was slowly rising to his feet, when suddenly, to everyone's surprise, Snape decided to forgo magic and punched Robin across the jaw, knocking him to the floor,

"Robin!" Starfire shouted in alarm.

"Severus! Stop this at once!" Dumbledore shouted in horror, pulling his own wand from his sleeve,

"I will have my revenge!" Snape roared, pulling a second wand from his robes and firing a blasting curse at Harry.

"Harry!" Raven shouted in horror as the curse missed him by literal inches, blasting the wall beside Harry, Hermione, and Ron to smithereens and throwing the three to the floor.

"No!" McGonagall snarled as she drew her wand; beside her, Flitwick did the same, and both immediately began to duel Snape for all they were worth.

"You should never have been brought to Hogwarts!" McGonagall spat, firing a blue spell that made Snape duck, "You have no business being around children, you bitter old man!"

"I told Albus what you were!" Flitwick added, firing a purple spell of his own, "A Death Eater such as you should never have been hired!"

Realizing that he was completely outnumbered and that his chances of victory were slowly slipping from his grasp, Snape fell back on old habits and began throwing the darkest curses he could think of at his opponents.

"Crucio!" Snape snarled, his spell hitting McGonagall center mass and causing her to drop to the ground with a shriek; a moment later, Snape's curse was ended when Starfire fired a green bolt at him, causing him to jump out of the way.

"Aunt Minnie!" Raven cried in horror, flying to the aged Professor's side; a moment later, she was joined by Madam Pomfrey, who immediately began waving her wand over McGonagall.

"She's just unconscious," Madam Pomfrey replied with relief, "Go take care of that madman; I'll look after her!"

Nodding at the Hogwarts nurse, Raven turned back to Snape with murder in her eyes; the Potions professor had managed to stun Beastboy, who was lying unconscious on the ground. Starfire was currently trying to extricate herself from the wall, Snape having somehow glued her to it while Raven was distracted with McGonagall. Currently, Snape was dueling Flitwick and Robin, while Dumbledore stared in horror; the few remaining students who hadn't left already had run out the front doors or into the Great Hall to take cover from the flying spells.

"Are you going to help, or just stand there and stare?!" Raven demanded of Dumbledore before sending another black blast at Snape, who quickly batted it aside, causing it to crash into the adjacent wall, leaving long spiral cracks.

"Of course, my apologies," Dumbledore cried at once, rushing forward,

"Sectumsempra!" Snape snarled at Robin, who backflipped out of the way; an instant later, slashes appeared across the floor where Robin had stood seconds ago, making the Titan's eyes widen in alarm before he drew his bow staff and raised it defensively.

"You cannot win! Surrender!" Robin snapped,

"Never! I will have my vengeance!" Snape snarled, waving his wand over his head in a circle, "Depulso!"

Instantly, a wave expanded from around Snape, sending Robin and the others flying in all directions, all except Dumbledore, who had managed to put up a Protego shield just in time.

"Severus, I must insist you surrender at once!" Dumbledore stated simply,

"Oh, shut up!" Snape raged, "I am no longer yours to dictate terms to!"

Dumbledore's face hardened at that as Snape continued his demented tirade,

"For ten years, I've been forced to teach blithering idiots at this school, all so you could keep me within easy reach! No more! I am no longer yours to use as you see fit! Sanguis Ferventis!"

Eyes widening in horror, Dumbledore quickly dove out of the way of the Blood boiling curse that Snape had sent his way; regaining his footing, Dumbledore spun on the spot, pointed his wand at Snape, and roared,

"Confrigo!"

The blasting curse sped from Dumbledore's wand as fast as thought; Snape only had time for his eyes to widen in horror before it hit him center mass and sent the former Potions Professor through the window behind him, landing in an unconscious and bloody heap on the grass outside.

"Filius," Dumbledore said softly as he calmly strode to the window and peered out at the unconscious form of Severus Snape, "Would you be so kind as to Floo the Ministry and summon a few Aurors? I believe their presence may be necessary."

"At once, Albus!" Flitwick replied before hurrying away as the Titans slowly rose from the floor; with a flick of his wrist, Dumbledore freed Starfire from the wall before turning to the other Titans,

"Is anyone hurt?"

"Minerva needs medical attention!" Madam Pomfrey cried, "This is beyond my ability to heal!"

"Understood," Dumbledore said at once, "Go and Floo Saint Mungo's!"

"Right away!" Madam Pomfrey replied, hurrying away as fast as she could; striding quickly to Beastboy's side, Dumbledore waved his wand over the green boy,

"Rennervate."

Instantly, Beastboy's eyes snapped open, and he tried to jump to his feet, only for Dumbledore to gently press him back down,

"Easy there, my boy. Go slow. You were stunned."

"Stunned?" Beastboy groaned in annoyance, "Is that why I feel like I lost a fight with a truck?"

"Indeed, my boy," Dumbledore laughed, "But other than that, I'm sure you'll be fine."

"Thank, I guess," Beastboy replied warily as he slowly rose to his feet, "Where's the jerk who stunned me?"

"Currently sleeping on the front lawn," Dumbledore chuckled, "Poor fellow has no idea what he's going to wake up to."

"Whatever it is," Harry spat as he limped over, followed closely by Hermione and Ron, "I hope it hurts."

"I'm sure it will," Dumbledore replied softly before turning to face Raven, who was staring at him with contempt, "I know it makes little difference, but I am truly sorry for all I have done to hurt you, my dear. I would take it all back if I could."

Raven's brows shot to her hairline at Dumbledore's words before her expression shifted to one of suspicion,

"You can't," Raven stated, "You cost me seven years that I might have had with my brother. And I can never get those years back. Nor can Harry regain those years of abuse you forced upon him!"

"I know," Dumbledore replied sadly, "All I can do is offer my apologies and beg your forgiveness."

"To hell with your apologies!" Harry snarled, looking as though he wanted to strike the aged wizard, "And to hell with you!"

"Watch your language!" Raven snapped at once, causing the boy to drop into a sullen silence; turning back to Dumbledore, Raven glared for a moment silently before replying in her monotone voice,

"I cannot accept your apology. Not now. Perhaps one day, but right now, I'm afraid I cannot."

Dumbledore nodded slowly and was about to respond when Amelia Bones and four Aurors stormed down the stairs toward them.

"Albus!" Amelia called, "Flitwick told us everything! Where is Snape!"

"He's currently taking a nap on the front lawn, Amelia," Dumbledore replied jovially, causing the Aurors to quickly stride past the Headmaster,

"What happened?" Ameilia demanded as she and Dumbledore followed the Aurors outside, followed by the Titans.

"He appeared to be drunk," Robin replied before Dumbledore could, "We were waiting for our Portkey back to America when Snape attacked us."

"Any idea why?" Ameilia asked, not taking her eyes off Snape, who was being roughly manhandled to his feet,

"Yes," Raven said simply, causing Amilia to turn to her, "Snape wanted our mother, Lily. He believes our father, James, stole her from him. Unfortunately, he can't hurt our father, so he tried to get revenge on us instead."

"You can't be serious," Amielia drawled, her eyes widening so that her monocle almost fell out,

"I'm afraid so," Dumbledore added sadly, "I had hoped he would get over his hatred of James Potter with time. But it would seem he is unable to do so."

Amielia's face hardened at Dumbledore's words, and as she turned back to the unconscious Potions master being held between two of her Aurors, she growled in a dangerous voice,

"Take this filth to the Ministry holding cells."

"Yes, ma'am!" The Aurors cried at once before dragging Snape back into Hogwarts and up the stairs; once they were out of sight, Amielia turned to the watching Titans,

"Was anybody hurt?"

"Minerva was hit with the Cruciatus curse," Dumbledore replied sadly, making Amielia's eyes widen in alarm,

"Is she okay?"

"She will be," Dumbledore replied, "I had Madam Pomfrey Floo Saint Mungo's to send healers."

Just as Dumbledore finished speaking, two healers in white robes came hurrying down the stairs, followed by a frantic Pomfrey.

"Where is the patient!" One of the healers, an elderly witch with snow-white hair, asked quickly before spotting Minerva on the ground, surrounded by pale Gryffindors.

"Out of the way!" The healer demanded as she and her partner rushed forward and waved their wands over the still-unconscious witch. As the Gryffindors leaped aside, Raven couldn't help but ask in a worried voice,

"She's going to be okay, right?"

"I don't know," the healer replied uneasily, "The Cruciatus is a horrible curse to be exposed to, and she's not a young woman to begin with. We need to get her back to Saint Mungo's immediately!"

Quickly, the two healers jumped to their feet and levitated McGonagall into the air between them before quickly storming back up the stairs and out of sight.

"May I have your attention, please?" Dumbledore shouted, causing the remaining students to turn to him, "The Hogwarts Express will soon be leaving for London. I doubt any of you wish to be left behind. So, if you would all, please make your way to the train in an orderly fashion. Move smartly now!"

Realizing the truth of Dumbledore's words, the students began to hurry out the front doors as fast as they could.

"See you soon, Harry!" Ron called before running out the door,

"Can't wait!" Hermione added, giving a quick hug before running after Ron; a few moments later, when the Titans were the only ones left, Amielia turned to them,

"If I need to ask you any questions, where can I find you?"

"We live in Jump City, in America," Robin replied quickly, "You can't miss our home, trust me."

"Very well, then," Amielia said with a nod before spinning on her heel and striding away, leaving the Titans alone with Dumbledore, who held out a battered old boot toward Robin.

"Simply say, 'home,' and the Portkey will activate and return you to Titans Tower."

"Thank you, sir," Robin said briskly, taking the boot from him and turning to his team, "Raven, do you have Harry's trunk?"

"I shrunk it last night and stored it in my robes," Raven said with a nod.

"Good, then let's go home," Robin replied with a smile, eliciting a whoop of joy from Beastboy,

"Finally! I can't wait to sleep in my own bed!"

As The Titans all grabbed the boot, Robin leaned over towards Raven and whispered in her ear,

"They're waiting for us, so be ready when we hit the tower, understood?"

"Understood," Raven replied sadly, knowing what was about to occur, and hating herself for it, even as she understood its necessity.

"Everyone ready?" Robin asked, grinning as Beastboy let out a groan,

"Man, I hate Portkeys…."

Still grinning, Robin cried out,

"Home!"

Instantly, the group vanished in a swirl of groans, leaving only a smiling Headmaster behind.

XXXX

Harry knew something was wrong the moment his feet hit the ground; it felt as though he had landed into a pool of cement, and as he lay groaning on the floor, he heard someone cry out near him,

"He's here! Start the sealing ritual!"

Trying to fight against the urge to throw up, Harry opened his eyes and saw that he had landed onto some sort of red sigil painted onto the floor; outside of the sigil, the other Titans lay groaning as well, though, like him, they were quickly trying to rise to their feet.

"What's going on?" Harry groaned as he rose to his feet and tried to step out of the sigil, only to discover to his horror, that he couldn't. Turning to his sister, Harry asked in a scared voice, "Raven? What's happening?"

"It's going to be okay, Harry," Raven said softly, "I promise everything is going to be okay!"

"Let's begin!" A voice said, causing Harry to turn to see who was speaking; when he had, his eyes widened so big that Harry thought they might pop out of his skull.

Dr. Fate and Zatanna stood on either side of Harry, wearing grave expressions that made Harry instantly nervous; standing against the far wall opposite the Titans were Batman, Wonder Woman, and Superman, and all three were staring at Harry like he was a dangerous enemy.

Dr. Fate and Zatanna raised their hands so that their palms were facing Harry, and both began to speak simultaneously; as they did so, Harry suddenly felt as though someone had slapped him across the face, and he fell to his knees with a cry.

"Raven!" Harry sobbed as pain raced across his body, "Please make them stop! It hurts!"

"Just hold on a little longer, Harry." Raven cried, tears running down her cheeks, "It'll all be over soon, I promise!"

As the chanting grew louder, the pain seemed to increase tenfold, and Harry curled into himself as he begged for it to stop,

"Please! Why are you hurting me? Please make it stop!"

"I can't do this," Raven cried at last, stepping forward, only to stop when Superman appeared behind her and wrapped his arms around her, pinning her back to his chest.

"Let me go!" Raven demanded as Harry continued to beg, "You're hurting my little brother! Stop it!"

"This is the only way," Batman replied from where he stood, "I don't like it any better than you, but there's no other choice!"

Harry suddenly began to shriek in absolute agony as Raven struggled for all she was worth against Superman's hold,

"Let me go! They're killing him! I didn't agree to this! Stop it! I said stop!"

"Robin!" Starfire sobbed, "You never said they were going to kill Harry!"

"I didn't… This isn't…" Robin stuttered, his face pale with horror as he watched Harry thrash on the floor, wailing in agony. Running to where Batman stood, Robin grabbed the front of his uniform and pinned him to the wall,

"You said you were going to help him! Not kill him!"

"We are helping him!" Batman snapped back, glaring into Robin's eyes, "The sealing ritual will lock away Harry's demonic side so that it can't hurt anyone! But it's not going to go without a fight!"

"You call this a fight!" Jinx demanded, pointing at where Harry was weeping, "You're killing him!"

"Let him go!" Cyborg demanded, raising his arm cannon at Dr. Fate and Zatanna, "Now!"

"Stand down, Cyborg," Batman replied sternly, "That's an order!"

"Screw that!" Cyborg spat back angrily, not turning from where he was aiming, "You're not my boss, and I'm not going to stand by while you kill Harry! So let him go, or I will make you!"

"Enough!" Jinx snarled as she whipped her right arm across her chest, unleashing a pink wave of energy that knocked Dr. Fate and Zatanna from their feet and against the far wall, where they crumpled, unconscious.

"What have you done!" Wonder Woman demanded as she stormed over to confront Jinx, only to stop as a cruel chuckle echoed throughout the room that froze everyone in their tracks.

Harry was slowly climbing to his feet, but as he turned to face the Titans, their faces shifted from relief to horror; Raven couldn't help but stare in fear at the same image that had taken Harry's place when she and the other Titans had confronted Voldemort, once again appeared before her.

"Harry?" Raven asked softly, hoping beyond hope that he was still there, "Harry, speak to me!"

"I'm afraid Harry can't come to the phone right now, daughter," Harry replied, his dual pair of red eyes narrowing slightly, "Your friend's little ritual knocked him out."

"Trigon?" Raven asked in horror, "Impossible… I sealed you away!"

"Incorrect, daughter," Trigon-Harry replied with a cruel chuckle, "You sealed me away in you and only you. Imagine my surprise when I felt my power coming from another source. Another child of my blood, and yet not of my blood. Another way to bring this world under my rule!"

"Let Harry go!" Jinx snarled, pink orbs of energy appearing around her clenched fists, "Now!"

"I think not," Trigon-Harry sneered, "Not when he has so much potential to offer his new father."

"You are not his father!" Raven roared, her own demon eyes appearing and making Trigon-Harry grin.

"I have waited a long time for this day, daughter. The day I get to watch you die, and what better way to punish you for daring to stand against me than to make your own brother be the one to kill you."

Raising his arms into the air, Trigon-Harry issued a roar that seemed to shake the entire tower and made everyone clasp their hands over their ears; as they did so, the heroes watched in horror as the sigil containing Trigon-Harry burst into flames until all that was left was a pile of ash.

"Now then," Trigon-Harry grinned cruelly, "Let's play."

XXXX

Author's Note:

Before you break out the torches and Pitchforks for ending the chapter there, let me tell you why I did. It is currently 10:30 P.M. where I'm at, and I started writing this chapter at 8:00 A.M. this morning; my hands hurt, and I cannot keep writing, lol. I promise the next chapter will be out ASAP, so until then, please be patient. Love you, guys!

Chapter Text

"Now then," Trigon-Harry grinned cruelly, "Let's play!"

Several things happened simultaneously; Robin and Batman both hurled their Batarang/Birdarangs at Harry. Superman released his hold on Raven and charged forward alongside Wonder Woman, both with their fists raised to strike. Jinx, Raven, and Starfire all fired a pink/black/green energy blast at Harry with a shout of anger, while Cyborg fired his arm with a cry of rage; finally, Beastboy transformed into a sabretooth tiger and lunged at the smiling demon. As all the combined attacks connected into one, Trigon-Harry was consumed in a blast of smoke that quickly spread through the entire room, leaving the group coughing for a moment until it finally cleared. When the smoke finally cleared, the group all stared with mixed emotions as the spot where Trigon-Harry once stood was now empty; a moment later, the lights went out, plunging everyone into darkness for a moment before the emergency lights came on, bathing the group in a dark red glow.

"Lock down the tower!" Batman ordered, "Now! We cannot allow Trigon to escape!"

Immediately, Cyborg ran to the nearby terminal and began to furiously punch in commands as the red emergency lights flashed; nearby, Superman and Wonder Woman were trying to wake up Dr. Fate and Zatanna with gentle shakes.

A moment later, a loud banging sound sounded throughout the Tower as the blast doors came down, sealing off the Tower from the rest of the world.

"Are you sure that will hold him?" Superman asked from where he was shaking Zatanna's shoulder.

"I carved containment runes on every one of those doors," Raven snapped back, "They're powered with a special spell that strengthens them based on how they attacked."

"Meaning?" Cyborg asked, turning to Raven,

"Meaning," Raven glared back, "That the stronger the attack, the stronger the runes become."

"We cannot guarantee that will be enough to contain Trigon," Dr. Fate said as he finally regained consciousness and rose to his feet,

"Especially as Trigon has seemingly taken control of Harry's body," Zatanna added as she rubbed her head with a wince.

"And whose fault is that!" Jinx snapped, "You lied to us! You told us that you would seal off Harry's demonic side, and instead, you nearly killed him!"

"That's enough!" Batman ordered, causing Jinx to turn to him angrily,

"You can go to hell, Bat! As far as I'm concerned, you're no better! If anything, you're worse!"

Batman's eyes narrowed dangerously as Cyborg placed a calming hand on Jinx's shoulder,

"Jinx, calm down. We're all worried about the kid, but turning on each other isn't gonna help us fix this."

"He's right," Raven said in a hollow voice, "We have to find Harry and save him from my father's influence," her voice hardened as she turned to the members of the Justice League, "But make no mistake, when Harry is saved, there will be a reckoning for what you did!"

"Count on it," Robin added as he stood beside Raven, "You should all be ashamed of yourselves."

The members of the Justice League shared a look before turning their attention back to the Titans, who were all glaring at them, some with more anger than others; Superman opened his mouth to say something when suddenly music began to echo throughout the Tower.

'Ding dong,

I know you can hear me

open up the door.

I only want to play a little,

Ding dong,

you can't keep me waiting;

it's already too late

for you to run away.'

As the eerie song drifted around them, Raven couldn't help but smirk; a moment later, Jinx began to laugh, causing everyone to turn to her with confused or incredulous looks,

"Even possessed," Jinx grinned, "Harry still can't help but put on a show."

"You may be more right than you know," Dr. Fate replied softly,

"What do you mean?" Zatanna asked as the eerie music continued, made worse as the red emergency lights flashed.

"In the past, Trigon would play with his food, but this situation seems more like something that young Harry would do, based on what I have learned about him." Dr. Fate replied, "Which means that somewhere in that body, Harry is still there and could be fighting for control even as we speak."

The idea filled Raven with hope, and she could see from the faces of her teammates that they were feeling the same,

"So what do we do?" Cyborg asked, causing Dr. Fate to turn to him,

"You and the members of the League will go out and try to find Trigon while Raven and I stay here and…."

"Stay here?!" Raven demanded, "I am NOT staying here while that bastard is possessing my baby brother!"

"You misunderstand my words, Ms. Potter," Dr. Fate replied quickly, "We will not be idle either. While the Titans and the League are out there looking for Harry's body, we will be here looking for his soul."

"His…. soul?" Beastboy replied, tilting his head in confusion, "What do you mean, 'his soul'?"

Turning to face the green Titan, Dr. Fate replied softly yet firmly,

"NO matter how powerful he may be now, the victims that Trigon possesses are still there, somewhere. Buried deep, perhaps, but still there somewhere. While the rest of you are out looking for Trigon, Raven and I will meditate here to try reaching Harry's soul, which lies trapped somewhere within Trigon's consciousness. If we are successful, we may be able to help Harry overcome Trigon's hold over him."

"And if we fail?" Wonder Woman asked, "What then?"

"They WILL NOT fail!" Jinx spat back before turning to Raven and softly saying, "Bring our boy home, yeah?"

"Count on it," Raven replied firmly, "You just try not to let Trigon kill you before I rescue Harry."

"We'll search in pairs," Batman growled, bringing everyone's attention to him, "Robin will search with me. Starfire, you will go with Diana; Cyborg, you're with Superman. Jinx, you're with Zatanna."

"What about me?" Beastboy asked as the partners stepped up next to each other,

"You stay here," Batman ordered, making Beastboy glare at him angrily, "When Raven and Dr. Fate begin looking for Harry's soul, their bodies will be defenseless. We will need you to guard them and ensure that nothing happens while they cannot defend themselves."

Suddenly realizing the seriousness of his task, Beastboy stood a little straighter and nodded in understanding.

"We'll need a way to determine if someone is actually one of us or just Trigon playing games," Raven said thoughtfully, "Don't forget that Harry can shapeshift, and while Trigon is in control of Harry's body, he's also in control of Harry's powers."

"Agreed," Batman nodded before pulling several small button-like objects from his belt, "Everyone put one of these somewhere on your person."

"What is it?" Cyborg asked as he took his and examined it closely,

"Their thermal trackers," Batman replied, "They'll grow hot when in close proximity to one another. So, if someone approaches you, pretending to be one of us and your tracker doesn't grow hot…."

"We'll know it's not really one of us!" Beastboy finished with a smile, "Dude, that's awesome!"

Batman smirked momentarily at the green boy's exuberance before his demeanor changed back to serious.

"Be careful out there," Superman said cautiously, "Remember, this isn't Harry we're facing, no matter how much it might look like him. He will kill you if you give him the opportunity,"

"So don't give it to him," Wonder Woman added, drawing nods of understanding from everyone.

As quick as a thought, the group exited the room and disappeared, leaving just Raven, Dr. Fate, and Beastboy behind.

"Let's begin, then," Dr. Fate said before lowering himself into a meditative position; a moment later, Raven followed him as Beastboy transformed into a tiger and began pacing in front of the door.

"Azarath, Metrion, Zynthos," Raven recited as her consciousness spread out like the bird that shared her name, searching for her little brother.

XXXX

Harry floated alone in the darkness, he didn't know how he got here, but it seemed like he'd been here forever; time, gravity, and even physics seemed to not exist here, so Harry simply floated alone in the darkness.

"How did I get here?" Harry wondered as he tried and failed for the third time to open his eyes, "I can't remember…."

"Harry…" A voice called out, making him start slightly,

"Who's there?" Harry called out weakly,

"Don't give up, Harry…" The voice replied, filling Harry with warmth where there had only been cold before, "They are coming for you, my chosen…."

"Your chosen?" Harry asked in confusion, "What do you mean by that?"

"Now is not the time to discuss such things, Harry," the voice replied, "Soon enough, all will be made clear. For now, my chosen, you must fight against the usurper that seeks to take that which is mine! Do not give up! Fight!"

It suddenly felt as though someone had lit a fire within Harry, and his whole body felt as though it was coursing with power; with greater willpower than he thought he had; Harry slowly opened his eyes, but as soon as he did, the power seemed to evaporate, and Harry was forced to shut his eyes again as a cold voice snarled,

"You are mine, boy! And no one will change that!"

XXXX

The red flashing lights gave the hallway an eerie feeling as Starfire and Wonder Woman carefully peeked around the corner before stepping out,

"The coward could be anywhere," Wonder Woman growled as she opened one of the doors and looked inside; seeing that it was empty, she closed the door again and moved on while Starfire floated behind her.

"Friend Harry needs us!" Starfire said softly, "We must find Trigon and make him give Harry back!"

"Worry not, young warrior," Wonder Woman replied warmly, "We shall free Harry from Trigon's control, and then she shall send that monster back to Hades, where he belongs!"

"Oh, will you now?" A cold voice replied, causing both women to stop short and look around sharply; as the red lights flashed off, then on again, Trigon suddenly appeared at the end of the hallway with a cruel smile on his face.

Tilting his head, Trigon's smile grew as six black tentacles spread out from his back and took on the form of spears, which hovered over him menacingly.

"Come now," Trigon smiled, "Don't be shy. Don't you want to play with me?"

"Foul monster!" Wonder Woman roared as she leveled her sword at him, "Release Harry at once, and I will be merciful when I send your soul back to Tartarus, where it belongs!"

Trigon laughed out loud at that, and his laughter seemed to echo throughout the hallway, causing goosebumps to rise on Starfire and Wonder Woman.

"Are you sure you want to do that?" Trigon mocked, "What will happen to poor Harry if you injure his body? Are you willing to take that risk?"

That seemed to be the wrong thing to say as Starfire's eyes glowed bright green as she rose into the air,

"Let. Him. GO!" Starfire roared as she threw an overpowered green blast at Trigon, who easily batted it aside with one of the tentacles; the green beam slammed into the wall next to Trigon, and the hallway exploded in a cloud of smoke that left the two women coughing.

"Keep your guard up!" Wonder Woman shouted as she raised her sword; beside her, Starfire raised her fists, which were surrounded by green energy, defensively.

"Come out, monster!" Wonder Woman shouted, "I did not look to see Trigon, the Terrible act like such a coward!"

An instant later, Trigon roared out of the smoke and delivered a powerful punch to Wonder Woman's face, sending her flying backward into the far wall, leaving a spiderweb crack where she impacted.

Before Starfire could react, Trigon had rushed forward and grabbed her face in his left hand, pulling her forward into a gut punch that made Starfire fall to her knees and empty the contents of her stomach onto the ground.

Smiling down at the gasping girl, Trigon raised one of his tentacles into the air, intending to sever her head; the blade had almost reached her neck when it was suddenly stopped by Wonder Woman's sword. Flinging her arm back, she threw Trigon off balance before spinning on the spot and slashing at Trigon's undefended side; as one of the tentacles deflected the blow, Trigon sneered at the Amazon.

"Not very honorable of you to attack me like that, Princess. What would your people say to such dishonorable tactics?"

Rather than reply, Wonder Woman released one hand from her sword, reached back, and delivered a powerful punch to Trigon's jaw, sending him flying backward for a few feet before rolling across the floor end-over-end.

Reaching up to her ear, Wonder Woman turned on her communicator,

"I've got Trigon in the west section of the Tower and need backup!"

"On our way, Diana!" Superman's voice replied,

"Hold him off until we get there!" Batman's voice growled.

"You're wasting your time calling for help," Trigon sneered as he rose to his feet and wiped the blood from his mouth, "You will be dead long before they reach you!"

Raising her sword defensively again, Wonder Woman reached over and detached her lasso before snapping it out like a whip,

"You may be the strongest opponent I have yet faced, but by Hera, you will fall!"

As Starfire rose shakily to her feet, Trigon's tentacles spread out and shifted into blades as he raised his claw-like fingers aggressively,

"You think you will defeat me?! Billions before you have tried, and I have left each of them as corpses; you are just another pathetic mortal whose name I will forget as soon as I kill you!"

With a snarl of fury, Wonder Woman charged forward, and the battle began; for the next few minutes, the hallway was a warzone as the three warriors punched, kicked, and used everything in their arsenal to bring their opponent down. Starfire was thrown through a door, only to explode out of it a moment later and deliver an uppercut to Trigon's jaw, followed up by an energy blast to the face. Wonder Woman wrapped her lasso around the demon and spun him in a circle before releasing him and sending him crashing into a different room; a moment later, Trigon flew from the room, using the door as a weapon and slamming it into Starfire and sending her flying into the far wall. What seemed like an eternity later, Wonder Woman and Starfire were both heavily bleeding. At the same time, Trigon looked as though he hadn't sustained any damage whatsoever.

"Raaaaaaaggggghhhh!" Starfire roared, using every ounce of power she had left and sending an impressive wave of green energy hurtling at the demon; Trigon's eyes widened slightly at the wave coming at him, and with a roar of challenge, he crossed his arms over his chest and held his ground as the wave passed over him, ripping his clothes to shreds.

Trigon barely had time to look up as Wonder Woman leaped at him, her sword held high to cleave him in two; without wasting any time, Trigon turned sideways so that her sword was embedded into the floor where he had just been standing. Seizing on the moment, Trigon grabbed her hair and pulled back hard, making her cry out before slamming her head into the ground. Once. Twice. Three times. On the third time, Trigon spun on the spot, still holding her hair, and released her, flinging her into Starfire and sending the two into the nearby wall.

"Where's that smart mouth now, bitch?!" Trigon snarled as Wonder Woman pushed an unconscious Starfire off of her and rose shakily to her feet.

"You cannot best me," Trigon growled as he slowly strode up to the kneeling woman, stopping only when he stood a few feet from her, "And I grow tired of teaching you this lesson. Stay down."

"If I fall here," Wonder Woman growled back, "Then I will die as befits an Amazon. Fighting in defense of the innocent!"

Leveling her sword at Trigon, Wonder Woman spat a glob of blood from her mouth and steadied herself.

"Harry Potter is innocent! And if the gods will it, I will save him from your corruption, foul beast!"

"So be it…" Trigon sneered, twisting his six tentacles into one spear, which he drove forward at her; before he could hit his target, however, Trigon disappeared as a red and blue blur slammed into him, which sent him and the blur crashing through the far wall at the end of the hallway.

"Thank Hera…" Wonder Woman breathed as she rose shakily to her feet as Cyborg came around the corner, skidding as he did so.

"Damn, that guy is fast!" Cyborg huffed, "Are you two alright?"

"He beat me effortlessly…" Starfire whispered in despair from where she lay, "As though I were a newborn…."

"Do not blame yourself," Wonder Woman replied with a scowl, "Trigon is a foe that very few can last long against."

"Don't worry, Star," Cyborg said comfortingly, "Superman will bring our Harry home and make Trigon wish he'd never been born."

XXXX

When Raven opened her eyes, she found herself in a place she swore she would never return to: Privet Drive. The house looked the same as when Raven had rescued her little brother all those years ago, and Raven knew precisely why she was there.

"Where are we?" Dr. Fate asked as he materialized next to her,

"This is the house I rescued Harry from when I first discovered he was still alive."

"Hmm, so this was Harry's prison?" Dr. Fate asked, "It makes sense that Trigon would use it to keep the child contained while he used his body."

Slowly, as though walking to her own execution, Raven approached the cupboard she had taken Harry from so many years ago; reaching out a shaky hand, Raven rested it on the handle as anger and fear filled her in equal measure. She always knew that her father was evil, but this was truly cruel.

"You must open it, Raven," Dr. Fate said softly, "No matter how much you might not want to, Harry needs our help."

Swallowing the nervousness that was welling up in her, Raven turned the handle and pulled open the door; the inside was just as dark and depressing as Raven remembered, and there in the back, curled up in a little ball and weeping, was Harry.

Raven had to fight back a sob as she saw her little brother; this wasn't the confident Harry that loved listening to heavy metal and wanted to learn everything that Raven and the Titans could teach him. This Harry was small like he had been when Raven had first rescued him, his body showed signs of abuse and malnutrition, and as Raven watched the sobbing boy in the cupboard, she felt her heart break in two.

"Harry…?" Raven called out softly, making the small boy start slightly before he slowly turned around to face her; as Raven saw the lifeless look in her little brother's eyes, it was all she could do to keep from crying.

"Who are you?" Harry softly asked, "Did Uncle Vernon send you to hurt me some more?"

"My name is Raven, Harry. And I have come to bring you home."

"Home?" Harry asked in confusion, "But I AM home. This is where freaks like me belong."

"No, Harry," Raven replied softly as she touched Harry's cheek warmly, "You belong with your family, with me."

"You're my family?" Harry asked in shock as he kneaded his shirt worriedly,

"Yes, Harry. I am," Raven replied with a smile that made Harry blush momentarily before looking down at his lap.

"You're really pretty…." Harry whispered, "I…. I feel like I know you…."

"You do, Harry," Raven whispered as she extended her hand to him, "I'm your big sister, and I've come to take you home."

"Raven…" Harry said as his eyes widened as though he had just remembered something important, "Your name is Raven…."

"That's right, Harry," Raven replied with a smile, her hand still extended, "Please, come back to us."

Chewing his lip in indecision, Harry finally reached out to take Raven's hand when a voice cried out, which made both Potters start with alarm,

"What the devil do you think you're doing, you little freak?!"

Raven turned as Harry released a cry of fear and shuffled back into his cupboard; standing at the far end of the hall was Vernon Dursley, yet he looked…. different, as though someone had taken Vernon's image and twisted it to make him seem less human if that were possible.

"You cannot hide behind an illusion from me, Trigon!" Dr. Fate spat as he rose into the air, "The lords of order will see your destruction this day!"

A cruel smile stretched across Vernon's face as he took on a relaxed posture and gazed at Dr. Fate,

"Ah, Nabu," Vernon purred, "It's been too long since our last meeting. I still have fond memories of the last time you challenged me, and I ripped your bearer's spine out of their back while they were still alive. Such pretty screams she made."

"The time for you to pay for your crimes has come, Trigon," Dr. Fate replied cooly before rushing at Vernon and tackling him through the back wall; seeing that Trigon was handled, Raven turned back to Harry, who had shuffled as far back as he could, and looked like he was close to having a panic attack.

"Harry, he can't hurt you anymore!" Raven implored as she extended her hand to him again, "None of this is real! I know you're scared, but I promise I will never let him hurt you again if you come with me!"

"You can't promise that," Harry cried, "He'll find me! He'll hurt me!"

"No, he won't!" Raven snapped forcefully, "I am your big sister, and it is my job to protect you and damn it, Harry, I swear I will continue to do that until the last breath leaves my body!"

Raven's words seemed to reach through the fog of terror that Harry was experiencing, and as Raven watched with bated breath, the small boy slowly reached out his hand and took hers, making Raven smile happily at him.

As Raven pulled Harry out of the cupboard, Dr. Fate suddenly exploded through the wall, landing in a heap on the floor before slowly rising to his feet and dusting himself off.

"Get the child out of here, I will hold off Trigon for as long as I can, but I cannot guarantee that I will be able to delay him indefinitely," Dr. Fate stated, "Harry's abilities are making him more powerful than I had anticipated."

The house suddenly shook with laughter as Vernon stepped through the hole in the wall that Dr. Fate had just created, causing Harry to cling to Raven's cloak desperately,

"The only place that brat is going is back in his cell!"

"Go!" Dr. Fate ordered, "You must get Harry to the deepest part of his subconscious! That is where you will find Trigon's link to the boy. Destroy it, and he will no longer be able to possess the child."

"Did you not hear me?" Vernon snarled, "You're not going anywhere!"

Quick as a flash, Dr. Fate brought his two hands together, forming a triangle, and blasted the charging Vernon back through the wall with a burst of golden energy; turning back to Raven and the cowering boy, Dr. Fate pointed at the front door with one hand,

"Go!"

Nodding in acknowledgment, Raven picked up Harry and raced out of the front door as Vernon charged back into battle against his ancient enemy.

XXXX

Batman grunted in annoyance as he reset his dislocated shoulder; not far away, Superman and Trigon were fighting with an intensity that Batman could hardly believe. The battle had taken both the Titans and the League through nearly every inch of the Tower at this point; Superman had leveled a punch on Trigon that sent the demon hurtling straight through multiple floors into the basement, only for Trigon to hit Superman with an uppercut that sent the Kryptonian smashing through nearly half a dozen floors before he finally stopped. As Batman wiped the blood from his mouth, he surveyed the carnage around him; Cyborg lay unconscious not far from him with his left arm missing, courtesy of Trigon ripping his arm cannon off before blasting the Titan in the face with it, rendering him unconscious.

Robin was gritting his teeth in pain from where he was currently lying against the wall opposite Batman, with what looked like a severely broken leg; added to that was his left eye that had swollen shut after Trigon had landed several powerful blows to Robin's head before Wonder Woman managed to get him off the boy. Starfire lay unconscious somewhere else in the Tower from a similar beating, and Batman didn't even know where she was anymore; Batman had lost track of where most of his teammates were lying after fighting through the Tower, floor-by-floor.

Currently, the only ones still able to fight were Superman, Wonder Woman (though from the way she was struggling to stay standing, she was running on fumes as well), and Zatanna, miraculously; she had chosen wisdom over valor and decided to keep back, firing spells and curses while the rest of the League attacked at close range. Jinx had held out a long while before Trigon smashed her face into a nearby wall and left her body hanging there. Batman had only enough time to get her body off the wall, check her pulse and ensure she was still alive before he had to rejoin the fight; he hoped she was still alive; to be honest, Batman was beginning to wonder if any of them would still be alive when this was all over.

"Not looking too good, Robin…." Batman muttered as he tried to rise to his feet,

"We've fought worse," Robin growled back, "We can beat him."

As Batman watched in amazement, Robin tried to rise to his feet before falling back onto his butt with a painful groan.

"You're done, Dick," Batman growled,

"No. I'm. Not!" Robin snapped back angrily as he tried to rise again, only to fall again, "Harry needs me!"

"You have a compound fracture," Batman stated simply, "Perhaps, even internal bleeding. You have one good eye left and possibly a concussion. You can no longer fight if you do…. You'll die."

"Then, I'll die!" Robin roared, "Harry is as much my little brother as he is Raven's! I won't let Trigon have him!"

Batman glared at the boy he had all but raised for a moment before letting out a sigh of regret as he reached into his belt,

"Then, I'm sorry about this, Dick," Batman replied before shooting his hand forward and sticking his trank gun into Robin's neck, causing the boy to look at him in shock,

"Damn you, Bruce…." Robin slurred before passing out.

Casting one last sorrowful at his partner, Batman turned back to the fight happening less than twenty feet from him; Wonder Woman had wrapped her lasso around Trigon's neck and was pulling it as hard as she could, while Zatanna was forming golden chains around the demon; while that was happening, Superman was fighting off Trigon's tentacles and keeping them from attacking the other two. Trigon's clothes were in tatters due to how violent the fight had become, leaving just a pair of torn pants to cover his most private parts; yet with all that the Titans and the League had thrown at him, Trigon seemed to have barely been wounded, with just a few scratches covering his body.

"Surrender, monster!" Wonder Woman screamed as she spun on her heel so that she was facing away from Trigon and pulled as hard as she could, "The lasso compels you to heed my orders! And I order you to surrender!"

"He's too strong!" Zatanna shouted as sweat poured from her, "I can't hold him much longer!"

With an unearthly howl, Trigon shot his bent arms out, breaking through the golden chains holding him and releasing a shockwave of pure power that threw everyone from their feet; before anyone could recover, Trigon had lunged forward and grabbed Zatanna by the throat, lifting her easily into the air, Wonder Woman's lasso still hanging from his neck.

"You are an annoying little pest," Trigon growled as Zatanna desperately clawed at his hand, and her feet kicked the air, "Time to squash the bug!"

Drawing back his fist, Trigon shot it forward, causing Zatanna to close her eyes at the expectant attack…. only it never came. After several seconds, Zatanna slowly opened her eyes to see Trigon staring at her with an enraged expression, his fist inches from her face.

"Very clever," Trigon growled, "Keeping me distracted here while my daughter and your pet wizard try to free the brat's soul from my control. But now I know your plan, and it won't work!"

Hurling Zatanna away from him, Trigon turned and sprinted down the hall and out of sight,

"Stop him!" Batman shouted as he stumbled to his feet and ran after the demon, "He's going after Raven and Dr. Fate!"

Superman immediately flew into action and disappeared in a blur as he followed after Trigon, leaving only Wonder Woman and Zatanna behind.

"We have to go after them!" Zatanna groaned as she rubbed her neck, "They need our help!"

"Agreed," Wonder Woman nodded before rising shakily to her feet, "But first, we call in reinforcements."

"But the towers locked down," Zatanna said in confusion, "No one can get in or out."

"One person might be able to," Wonder Woman said before reaching up to her ear, "Jonn, can you hear me?"

XXXX

"Come on, Harry!" Raven cried as she dragged the little boy behind her, "We're almost there!"

"Raven!" Little Harry cried pathetically, "I'm so tired!"

"I know, Harry. But we're almost there, just a little further!"

It had been hours, it seemed since Raven and Harry had fled the house, leaving Dr. Fate to fight Vernon alone, but the deeper the two ran into Harry's mind, the worse it seemed to get as the pair were attacked by nightmarish memories of all the abuse that Harry had sustained over the years. Shades of Petunia, Vernon, Marge, and her dog Ripper all seemed to come from nowhere and attack the two siblings without warning and without mercy; both Raven and Harry's clothes were in shreds, and both were sporting their fair share of cuts and bruises. At first, Raven had attempted to fight back, only to discover to her horror, that her powers had diminished and she could barely defend herself, let alone Harry. The only reason she could think for her current predicament was that Trigon's demonic presence was draining her of her powers while she was inside Harry's mind, meaning that if she didn't get the two out of there soon, they both very might disappear forever, leaving Raven brain dead and Trigon in control of Harry's body.

Their only clue that they were going the right way was a silver path that they had been following since leaving Privet Drive, and Raven silently prayed that it was the correct path because if it wasn't, then they were utterly lost inside Harry's mind.

A sudden animalistic roar behind them made Raven turn in fear before picking Harry up into her arms and hurrying faster down the path, praying to anything that might be listening that they were almost there; as the roar grew closer, Raven saw the path leading to what looked like a house in the distance and instantly increased her pace.

"Raven!" Harry cried in terror, "There's a monster chasing us!"

"Don't look, Harry!" Raven cried back as she used all the energy she had left to increase her pace further; the house was so close, if she could just reach it!

"Please," Raven prayed as she felt her limited reserves draining, "Please let me make it!"

They were less than twenty feet from the door, and Raven could hear something closing on them from behind, but she refused to look back; to look back would be to die, and she refused to let that happen. Ten feet. Five feet. Almost there!

Dipping her shoulder, Raven slammed into the door and nearly took it off the hinges as she barreled inside; quickly dropping Harry, Raven turned on her heel and slammed the door shut behind her before pressing her back to it. A moment later, something slammed into the door with enough force to nearly send Raven sprawling; whatever it was slammed into the door twice more before finally there was silence, save for the sound of Harry's sobs.

"I always hated wild animals. So difficult to domesticate," a soft voice said, causing Raven to freeze instantly, it was a voice she had heard often in her dreams, and as she slowly turned her head, Raven had to catch her breath to keep from crying.

Standing in front of the fireplace, smiling at the gasping girl, was Lily Potter; as Raven tried to regain control of her breathing, she stared at her mother with naked hunger; Lily looked exactly the way she had the last time that Raven had seen her and she was just as beautiful as Raven remembered. Lily was wearing a pure white robe which seemed to magnify her already amazing beauty. As she approached, Raven quickly jumped to her feet and pulled Harry safely behind her.

"Do not come any closer!" Raven snarled, "I don't know what kind of trick this is, but I swear to every deity in existence that I will kill you if you try to hurt my little brother!"

Lily seemed to ponder Raven's words for a moment before a warm smile came across her face,

"Oh, my sweet little night bird," Lily whispered warmly, "I could never harm either of you."

Raven's nickname was known to only one person, just one, and as the tears ran down Raven's cheeks, she realized that there was no way for Trigon to fake this, for he would have had no knowledge of Lily's nickname for her daughter.

"Mom?" Raven asked in a strangled voice, "Is it really you?"

"It's really me, Raven," Lily said with a happy smile, causing Raven to rush into her arms as sobs wracked her body.

"Oh, my little night bird," Lily said softly as she gently rubbed Raven's back, "You've grown so beautiful. I wish I could have been there to watch you grow up…"

"I'm so sorry!" Raven sobbed, "If I hadn't been knocked out…"

"You would have died alongside your father and me," Lily replied firmly, pushing Raven away so that she could look her daughter in the eye, "And then who would have looked after Harry?"

Suddenly realizing that she had forgotten Harry, Raven turned to see her little brother watching the two women with wide eyes.

"Harry," Raven called softly, "Come say hi to your mother…."

"Mummy…" Harry breathed in awe before rushing forward, "Mummy!"

"My beautiful boy," Lily whispered as Harry dove into her arms; an instant later, Raven found herself wrapped in Lily's arms as well as her mother held them both tight, the three of them slowly sinking to the floor, "My beautiful children. I am so bloody proud of the two of you."

That was too much for Raven; having her mother hold her again was just too damn much for her, and she collapsed into heartbreaking sobs as Lily held her and her brother tight to her body until, finally, it felt like Raven had run out of tears to shed.

"How are you here?" Raven asked when she finally managed to pull herself together, "How is this possible?"

"I am but a piece of Lily Potter, left behind to keep Harry safe," Lily replied sadly,

"The ritual you used to protect him from Voldemort…." Raven breathed in awe, "You're my brother's protection from Voldemort!"

"Indeed," Lily smiled, "But my protection is waning due to Trigon's possession of Harry. If he is not stopped soon, I shall disappear altogether."

"I can't beat him!" Raven cried in anguish, "My powers don't work in here, and he's too strong!"

"Oh, my sweet girl," Lily said gently, touching Raven's cheek, "You're wrong. You have a type of strength that Trigon can never hope to match: love. It's what drove you to rescue your little brother, and it's what drives you to protect him, even with your own life if necessary."

The house suddenly shook, making Raven look around in fear for a moment before Lily spoke again,

"Our time here grows short, my beautiful babies. You must go and finish Trigon, once and for all!"

Raven bit her lip as a wave of sorrow too great for her to ignore tore through her; casting her eyes to Harry, who was still clinging to Lily's robe, Raven suddenly felt like she was a small child again.

"I don't want to go…" Raven said softly, tears running freely down her cheeks, "I want to stay here with you and Harry…."

Lily smiled at her daughter, and its beauty was something beyond words as Lily replied in a soft voice,

"I want that too, my beautiful night bird. But Harry needs you to save him; he needs his big sister to take him home. Until the day comes when we'll all be together again. Goodbyes, after all, aren't forever, you know."

Feeling like her heart was breaking in two, Raven rose slowly to her feet and pulled Harry from Lily's arms as he struggled for all he was worth,

"No!" Harry sobbed, "No! I want my mummy!"

Slowly rising to her feet, Lily held out her hand towards the back door,

"He knows you are coming, but if you remember what I said, he will have no chance against you."

With an almost inhuman amount of effort, Raven forced herself to walk to the door, dragging her sobbing brother with her; as she placed her hand on the doorknob, Raven turned back one final time to her mother, who hadn't moved and was smiling at them with all the love she could bring to bear.

"I love you, Mom," Raven whispered, "And I always will."

"And I, you, my beautiful child," Lily replied, "Now go and save your little brother."

Too consumed with grief to reply, Raven nodded and opened the door; taking a shaky breath, Raven closed her eyes and stepped through, the door closing behind her with a snap.

Once the two were gone, a cloaked figure stepped out from the shadows and approached Lily,

"I'm surprised you didn't tell her about me," the figure hissed, causing Lily to turn to it with an amused smirk,

"They will find out about you soon enough. After all, you're as much a part of Harry as I am."

"Let us hope you are right," the figure replied after a moment of silence, "Should Trigon prevail, it will mean the death of not just my chosen but the entire galaxy."

"My children will NOT fail," Lily smirked as she turned back to the fireplace, "Of that, I am completely sure."

XXXX

"Fall, you bastard!" Batman snarled as he backflipped away from Trigon, throwing a handful of explosives at the demon, which latched onto his chest and exploded, creating a blanket of smoke that filled the hallway.

The few remaining members of the League that were still standing had been trying to slow Trigon down for what seemed like an eternity now; yet, it seemed as though they were running out of time as Trigon grew ever closer to the room where Dr. Fate and Raven were meditating.

For a few seconds, Batman hoped that they had finally stopped the monster; that hope was dashed a moment later when Trigon leaped out of the smoke with a roar and delivered a devastating punch to Batman's face, rocking his head back. Before Batman could recover, Trigon grabbed his head in both hands and smashed his knee into Batman's face, causing the hero to fall backward with a groan.

"Pathetic mortal," Trigon spat before stepping over Batman's prone form and continuing his way toward where his daughter was hiding; it was long past time he ended her continued annoyance of him.

Trigon had barely taken two steps when Superman crashed into him from behind, picking up the demon and carrying him through the adjacent wall and the next one on the other side of that as well.

"Get OFF!" Trigon roared in rage, bringing his elbow into Superman's face and causing the hero to stumble backward; spinning, Trigon cracked Superman in the jaw, rocking his head to the side before following up with an open palm strike to the Kryptonian's chest, sending him flying a few feet backward. Spitting a wad of blood in annoyance, Trigon glared at the only mortal that he had met who could actually pose a challenge to him; the fight had affected Superman just as much as it had Trigon, and the demon smiled as he took in his adversary's appearance.

Superman's uniform was ripped almost to shreds; the top half and the cape were long since gone, leaving him shirtless and wearing only his pants with half a dozen holes and patches in them.

A claw-like slash descended diagonally from Superman's left shoulder to the center of his chest, just one of a dozen different injuries that the hero had sustained during this interminable battle, and yet even with all those injuries, the Kryptonian looked as though he was just getting started, which just pissed Trigon off more.

"How dare you stand in my way, mortal!" Trigon roared, "I am a god! Who are you to defy my will?!"

"Just an ordinary man," Superman spat back, "But the only way you're getting to that room is through me!"

"Raaaaaaaggggghhhh!" Trigon snarled as he leaped forward,

"Burn!" Superman snarled a moment before his heat vision burst from his eyes and slammed into Trigon's chest, making him cry out in pain; as Trigon continued to cry out, Superman strode forward one step at a time, increasing the power that was coming out of his eyes.

"Burn?!" Trigon snarled, raising his hand to block the beams, "I was born of fire, fool!"

Rushing forward, Trigon clamped his hand over Superman's eyes, blocking his heat vision before kneeing the hero in the groin; as Superman doubled over in pain, Trigon brought his right elbow onto Superman's back, driving him to his knees before following up with a knee to Superman's chin, sending the Kryptonian onto his back.

Not sparing the fallen hero a second glance, Trigon jumped over him and dashed out of the room as fast as he could, determined to stop his daughter before she managed to break his hold on her brother.

XXXX

As she watched Trigon dash out of the room that he and Superman had just crashed into, Wonder Woman growled in fury before raising her hand to her ear,

"Jonn, where are you?! We can't hold him back for much longer!"

"I've reached the Tower; I'm entering it now!" The swift reply made Wonder Woman smile in relief; they might survive this, yet!

XXXX

Trigon dashed around the corner and smiled in victory; the door was at the end of the hallways, and as soon as he killed his traitorous daughter, Harry's body would be his, and this entire world would burn beneath his feet as it was always meant to!

As Trigon arrogantly strutted towards his target, he suddenly stopped in shock as someone literally rose out of the floor in front of him before becoming solid; it was a green alien wearing a dark blue cape and matching shorts and boots while across his chest was a red X pattern harness.

"You will go no further," J'onn J'onzz stated calmly as he raised his fists defensively, "Your path of destruction ends here."

"Oh, come on!" Trigon snarled angrily, "How many of you cockroaches are going to keep popping up!"

"As many as it takes to knock you out of that poor boy's body!" J'onn replied, his red eyes narrowing in anger, "Surrender now, or I will make you!"

"Every mortal in this Tower has fallen before me," Trigon sneered, "What makes you think you will be any different?!"

"I don't have to defeat you," J'onn replied, "I only have to keep you from entering that room long enough for Dr. Fate and Raven to break your hold on Harry's soul."

Snarling at the truth of the matter, Trigon unleased his tentacles and charged forward, determined to destroy this nuisance, just as he had destroyed every other hero he had encountered in this damn Tower!

The tentacles joined together into one spiraled spear that shot forward as fast as thought the moment before it connected. However, J'onn turned intangible, causing the spear to pass harmlessly through him.

"Is that the best you can do?" J'onn asked mockingly, causing Trigon to snarl in near-apoplectic rage,

"Not even close, mortal!"

XXXX

Author's Note:

Yes, I know how much you all hate cliffhangers, and I know how you will all be after my blood for stopping here, BUT this chapter is the longest one to date, measuring sixteen pages long and eight thousand words. I've written, deleted, and rewritten this chapter four times, so I hope it holds up to what you guys are accustomed to. If not, let me know where I went wrong or if there's something else you want to see. Now, I know what some of you will be asking,

"Who is the cloaked figure with Lily?" and "What did she mean by 'her chosen?'"

Well… guess you'll just have to read and find out, won't ya? 😊

Chapter Text

Beastboy paced in his saber-tooth tiger form nervously; for over an hour, he had stood guard in front of a silently meditating Dr. Fate and Raven while the Tower shook with the battle that was going on. Casting a nervous glance back at the two heroes he was guarding, Beastboy couldn't help but silently gulp as another tremor shook the Tower, much closer than the others. Suddenly, a roar of rage and pain echoed beyond the door, and Beastboy lowered himself into a defensive position, even as a tremor of fear raced through him; Beastboy was under no illusions about who would be the winner if it came to a fight between himself and Trigon. Still, even with the odds against him, Beastboy swore silently to himself that he would hold this line and die before he let Trigon hurt his friend. As another tremor shook the Tower, Beastboy couldn't help but gulp and pray that Raven and Dr. Fate woke up soon.

XXXX

Batman's whole body screamed in agony as he forced himself to his feet, holding the wall for support; by his reckoning, at least three ribs were broken, and he might have a concussion, considering how hard it was to focus. Raising a shaky hand to his cowl, Batman activated his commlink and called out with a growl,

"Batman to the Watchtower…"

"Hey, Bats, what's up?" Flash's voice cried out happily a moment later,

"I have an omega-level threat," Batman growled, "Ready the Final Flash."

"Whoa," Flash's voice cried in shock, "Bats, are you sure?"

Batman grits his teeth as a fresh wave of pain runs through him; while this is going on, his mind goes over the Justice League's most powerful and devastating weapon, created to be used only as a last resort if there is no other hope for victory. The 'Final Flash' was a cannon that had taken a combined effort from Wayne Enterprises and Star Labs over five years to perfect and complete. Once activated, it released a wave of concentrated plasma three times hotter than the sun that would vaporize everything within a quarter mile, leaving nothing behind but ash; it was due to the unparalleled destructive capacity of this weapon that the League had decided that it was never to be used under any circumstances unless there was an omega-level threat that the League couldn't contain.

"Just do as you're told!" Batman snapped back, his anger seemingly intensified by the pain rushing through his body.

"What's the target?" Flash asked, his voice showing how worried he was that the League's greatest weapon was actually about to be used.

"Titans Tower," Batman growled back, causing silence for a moment before Flash managed to get over his shock and respond,

"Titans Tower? Batman, are you sure you want to do this?"

"No," Batman admitted, "But there's no other choice. This threat cannot be allowed to leave the Tower, or the whole world will burn."

"Wait, you're there?!" Flash's voice screamed out, "Bats, you gotta get out of there! This blast will kill you!"

"I know," Batman said simply, closing his eyes against the pain, "But it will also kill Trigon, and that's all that matters. The mission is all that matters, so do your job and prepare the weapon!"

"I'm not gonna kill you, Bats," Flash's voice said, "I'm not doing this, sorry."

"Fine," Batman growled back as he pulled a small flat-screen tablet from his belt, "I'll do it myself."

After a moment of furious typing, Batman used his remote login to enter the Watchtower and lock Flash out as he began preparing the Final Flash.

"Whoa, Batman, what are you doing?!" Flash's voice cried out in alarm, "I've been locked out!"

"I know," Batman said simply, "I'm sorry, Flash. But, Trigon cannot be allowed to escape Titans Tower with Arcane's body. This is the only way."

As Batman finished activating the weapon, a twenty-minute timer activated and began to count down, making Batman growl with irritation at how long the weapon needed to power up; it was the only drawback to the Final Flash, but it was an incredibly large one that Batman despised with a passion.

"Batman, what have you done!" Flash cried, "I'm locked out! I can't shut it down!"

"It's been an honor, Flash," Batman replied softly before turning his commlink off and slowly sinking to the floor. There was no stopping it now, only Batman could abort the firing, and he had no intention of doing that; as he began to black out, Batman thought he could hear someone screaming his name, but a moment later, he was unconscious and no longer cared.

XXXX

Trigon snarled in hatred and rage as he took another swipe at J'onn, only for it to pass harmlessly through the Martian once again,

"Hold still, damn you!" Trigon roared, causing the whole hallway to shake violently,

"That would be detrimental to my mission," J'onn replied with a smirk that further infuriated Trigon, "Especially when my mission is not to defeat you but rather to keep you from interfering with Raven and Dr. Fate's mission of saving Harry from you."

That last comment seemed to be the final straw for Trigon as his rage completely consumed him; he had fought an interminable number of opponents throughout the millennium of his existence, but none had dared to defy him like these pathetic mortals had done, and none had enraged Trigon like this filthy Martian had.

"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" Trigon screamed in pure hate, causing the hallway to shake once again as he unleashed his power in full and causing J'onn, for the first time, to appear worried as he hovered above the floor.

Snapping his wrists together with his palms facing out toward J'onn, Trigon roared an inhuman cry of challenge before a blast of fire shot out toward J'onn faster than thought. J'onn only had time to open his mouth in alarm before he was engulfed in flame, causing the Martian to scream out in agony as he thrashed about trying to put himself out; too busy in his agony, J'onn couldn't keep his intangibility, and Trigon seized upon it instantly. Delivering three powerful punches to the Martian's head, Trigon finished by grabbing J'onn's harness, spinning him in a circle before slamming his head into the hallway wall and throwing the Martian to the floor.

As Trigon stared down at the unconscious hero in disgust, he considered, for a moment, killing the bastard, but that idea was quickly extinguished as he remembered that he was running on borrowed time; he needed to kill his daughter and her 'helper' before they managed to free the boy from Trigon's control.

Pausing only long enough to spit on J'onn's unconscious body, Trigon cracked his neck and strode toward the door; as he reached it, he smiled in victory before lunging forward and grabbing the door in both hands, ripping it from the hinges and throwing it carelessly behind him before stepping in with a cruel smile.

He had barely taken a step inside when something crashed into him, forcing him to take a step back; looking down in annoyance, Trigon saw that he had been pushed back by a green rhino, which then quickly jumped back and transformed into a giant green grizzly bear as it stood protectively in front of his meditating daughter and another wearing a gold helmet.

"I give you this one chance only, mortal," Trigon smirked as he stepped inside the room and crossed his arms, "Step aside and live or continue to annoy me and die. Decide."

Beastboy said nothing, simply growled in the challenge as he extended his claws and made Trigon smile cruelly.

"Have it your way, then," Trigon smirked before rushing forward as Beastboy did the same thing; the two crashed into one another, and the room shook violently as Beastboy roared out his challenge and prepared to do whatever he could to keep Trigon away from Raven and Dr. Fate.

XXXX

Raven cast her gaze around the room as the door closed behind her, the only sound being from Harry, who was sobbing at her to let him go so he could return to their mother; it broke her heart to have to hold him back, but she knew that she had no other choice. The room itself was dark and had the appearance of a stone dungeon; along the wall hung torches that sputtered with flame as they cast a warm light around her.

"Let me go!" Harry sobbed, "I want my mummy! Let me go!"

"That's enough!" Raven snapped, causing Harry to look at her in shock as tears ran down his cheeks. Raven had to shut her eyes as a wave of despair ran through her; she didn't want to yell at Harry, and to be honest, she didn't want to be here either, she would much prefer to be with her mother in the other room, but right now Harry needed her to be strong, or they would both be killed by Trigon and lost in Harry's mind forever.

"Harry," Raven said in a soft voice, "I know that you're scared. I'm scared too. But our friends need us to stop Trigon! If he manages to take control of your body, the whole world will suffer!"

"But I'm just a kid!" Harry cried pathetically, "How can I stop him!?"

"You aren't alone, Harry," Raven replied firmly, "I am here with you."

"How adorable…" A voice drawled sarcastically, causing Raven and Harry to turn quickly in sudden fear; suddenly, all the torches seemed to blaze with light, and the chamber became suddenly brighter, forcing Raven and Harry to shield their eyes for a moment. When Raven lowered her arm, she couldn't help but gasp at what she saw; the chamber was enormous and appeared to be made of grey stone; stone columns rose high into the air before disappearing into the darkness above, and from each column hung a red banner that had Trigon's symbol emblazoned in black. But the thing that drew Raven's gaze was what lay at the far end of the chamber; a long red carpet led from the doorway that Raven and Harry had entered to a great throne of black onyx, upon which sat Trigon, who was lazily resting his head on one fist as he stared at the two of them with an amused smirk.

"Welcome, my daughter and son," Trigon growled, "Have you come to pledge your loyalty to me?"

"No," Raven snapped as Harry hid behind her, "We've come to send you back to hell where you belong!"

Trigon issued an amused chuckle at that before slowly rising to his feet and descending down the stairs of the throne.

"Quite the challenge, daughter. Are you sure you're up for it?"

"I told you once before," Raven growled, "You are NOT my father! James Potter was my father! Harry Potter is my brother! And as long as there is a breath in my body, I will not let you have him!"

At the end of this declaration, Raven shot her right arm forward, and a blast of black energy shot out of her hand, which slammed into Trigon's chest and sent the demon crashing into his throne, which shattered as he crashed into it.

"Only one of us is leaving this place alive, Trigon!" Raven shouted as power began to fill her; her mother had been right, it seemed; Raven's love for her brother and her friends appeared to be giving her back the power that Trigon had taken from her, and as the demon rose angrily from the rubble of what had once been his throne, Raven raise her fists defensively.

"You are right about that, daughter, and for that, you have my apologies," Trigon growled as he shot forward and delivered a brutal punch with every word.

"For it will not!"

Punch.

"Be!"

Punch.

"Me!"

Punch.

At the last word, Trigon sent a powerful punch to the center of Raven's chest, sending her flying into a nearby pillar that cracked under the impact, leaving behind spiderweb-like cracks.

Turning slowly, Trigon sneered down at Harry, who had watched with growing horror as his sister was brutally beaten and was now staring up at Trigon with terror, barely able to keep from shaking.

"Don't be afraid, my son. Your body will soon be mine, and we will do extraordinary things together. This whole universe will bow before us!"

"Trigon!" Raven's voice screamed out, making the demon's smirk drop as he turned back to his daughter, who was leaning against a nearby column as she glared hatefully at him, "Get the hell away from my brother!"

At the last word, Raven grabbed the column that she had been leaning against and ripped it from the ground, making Trigon's eyes widen in shock; before he had a chance to do anything else, however, Raven swung the column at him while screaming,

"Duck, Harry!"

The little boy immediately dropped to the ground as the column slammed into Trigon's stomach, shattering into rubble as it sent Trigon flying into the air, only to crash into the nearby wall and slam into the ground. Taking what was left of the column, Raven aimed it at Trigon's slowly rising body and hurled it like a spear; Trigon had just risen to his feet when the broken column slammed into his head, causing it to drive his head into the wall behind him.

Taking advantage of the small window that her attack had granted her, Raven flew to Harry's side and kneeled down in front of him, grabbing his hands in her own.

"Harry! I need your help!"

"What?" Harry asked in bemusement, "How can I help?"

"This isn't your true form, Harry," Raven said quickly, "You have great power sleeping inside you, and I need that power, or Trigon will win this fight! I need you to wake up and help me destroy Trigon, once and for all!"

Harry stared at her in shock for a moment when Raven was suddenly pulled from his grip; Trigon had finally gotten back to his feet and had slammed into his daughter with all the strength and speed he could bring to bear, driving her into a nearby column as he punched at every part of her body that he could hit.

"He is mine!" Trigon snarled as he delivered a powerful blow to Raven's head, "And I will never let him go!"

"No!" Harry screamed as tears ran down his face, "Stop! Stop it! STOOOOOOOOOOOOOP!"

As Harry screamed out the last word, a blinding white light surrounded him, causing Trigon and Raven to stare at Harry for a moment; the only difference between the two was that Raven now had a smirk on her face as she realized what was coming.

When the light finally died down, Trigon glared hatefully at the spot where once stood a small child; in its place now stood Harry, dressed in his Arcane uniform, with his hood raised so that the only thing that Trigon could see of Harry's face, were his bright green eyes.

Slowly, Harry raised his hand to his hood and lowered it from his head so that Trigon could see the boy's face; Harry glared hatefully at Trigon for a moment before slowly cracking his neck, followed a moment later by his knuckles.

"Let go of my sister," Harry growled, making Trigon smirk at him before he carelessly tossed Raven to the floor.

"And just what do you think you're going to be able to do here?" Trigon asked sarcastically, "I am master of this body now! You're just along for the ride."

Before either combatant could do anything further, the chamber door exploded outward, causing both Harry and Trigon to turn to it in surprise; out of the dust and debris stepped Dr. Fate, looking considerably worse for wear. His costume was torn in places, and his helmet had several dents in it; his cape was ripped to shreds, and as Harry watched, he thought he could see a bit of blood running down from under Dr. Fate's helmet.

"This ends now, demon!" Dr. Fate snarled, his voice showing just how angry he was, "So orders Fate!"

Massaging her jaw, Raven rose to her feet and took a step forward as Trigon looked around with a sarcastic smile; he was surrounded on three sides by Arcane, Raven, and Dr. Fate, and yet he still expected to be the winner when all was said and done.

"Look at the three of you," Trigon smirked, "So sure of your own success. I almost feel sorry for what I'm about to do to the three of you. Almost."

"You talk too much," Harry replied before surging forward to punch Trigon's jaw, Raven and Dr. Fate attacking the exact moment he did.

XXXX

Author's Note:

For my fellow nerds that recognized where the weapon got its name, I salute you.

Chapter Text

The dark chamber shook violently from the impact of the battle that was going on within it; broken columns lay in rubble, and deep craters scattered the floor, showing how brutal the battle had become.

"Why won't you die?!" Trigon roared as he grabbed Dr. Fate's leg from where he lay and hurled him into the nearby wall, where the hero lay in a crumpled heap for a moment before rising shakily back to his feet.

"Because I am not simply a man who can be killed," Fate replied angrily, "I am a lord of order, and order shall prevail!"

"Yeah, what he said!" Harry joked as he flew at Trigon, using both feet to deliver a kick to the demon's head, which caused him to stumble forward, right into Raven's fist, which struck Trigon hard in the jaw and sent him spinning and stumbling back, right into Harry's uppercut, which rocked the demon back again. Seizing the moment, Raven grabbed Trigon from behind, wrapping her arms around the demon before falling backward and slamming Trigon's head into the ground behind them. Roaring in hatred, Trigon slammed his elbow into his daughter's stomach, making her gasp in pain and release her hold on him; jumping to his feet, Trigon grabbed Raven's hair and pulled her to her feet. As he pulled back his fist to pulverize her face, Harry appeared out of nowhere and grabbed Trigon's arm before shooting into the air, spinning in a 360-degree circle to build up momentum, and releasing Trigon so that he shot to the ground like a falling star, leaving a sizeable crater in the stone floor. Before Trigon could do anything other than groan from his impact, Harry dropped himself right onto Trigon's head, driving his feet right into the demon's face and increasing the size of the crater.

Before Harry could do anything else, Trigon's hand shot out and grabbed Harry's leg, pulling him from his feet; as fast as thought, Trigon jumped to his feet and spun Harry in a circle twice before releasing the boy and sending him crashing into Dr. Fate who had been charging forward.

"This dude is really starting to piss me off…" Harry grumbled as he attempted to extricate himself from Dr. Fate.

"Agreed," Fate spat back, "We need to end this battle before our allies outside can no longer hold back your body."

As the two heroes rose to their feet, Harry cracked his neck before leveling a glare worthy of Batman on Trigon,

"You cannot beat me, brat," Trigon spat as he wiped blood from his nose, "Join me, and together we will rule this world! And every world in the universe!"

For a moment, silence reigned in the chamber as Harry and Trigon faced one another before Harry suddenly began to laugh uncontrollably, making Trigon frown at him in confusion.

"Couple of things," Harry said when he finally stopped laughing, wiping the tears from his eyes, "First, my name ain't Anakin Skywalker, so your 'join the dark side' speech ain't gonna work on me. Secondly, why in the hell would I ever want to join forces with a pedophile?"

For the first time in her life, Raven watched as her father looked shocked and confused, which nearly caused Raven to burst into laughter.

"Pedophile?" Trigon asked in surprise,

"Yeah," Harry smirked, "What else do you call it when a grown man is after a kid's body?"

Raven couldn't help herself at Harry's words; she snorted in amusement before descending into a fit of giggles, which made Trigon's shock turn into rage at being laughed at.

"How DARE YOU!" Trigon roared, making the entire chamber shake as he unleashed his power in full and charged at Harry, fully intent on killing the brat for so daring to insult him so.

XXXX

"Diana! Can you hear me! Diana?!"

Wonder Woman slowly opened her eyes as Flash's voice rang out in her ear; slamming her sword into the floor, she used it as a cane to slowly level herself to her feet, using the wall beside her to support herself as she raised a shaky hand to her ear.

"I'm here, Flash."

"Oh, thank god!" Flash's voice replied instantly, "Listen, you got to get out of there! Titans Tower is gonna be gone in ten minutes!"

"What are you talking about?" Wonder Woman demanded, ripping her sword out of the floor before limping down the hallway.

"Batman's activated the Final Flash," Flash replied, making Wonder Woman's eyes widen in shock, "He's locked me out of the system. I can't stop it!"

"Hera, no…" Wonder Woman said in horror, "Is there any way to shut it down?"

"Only Batman can do that!" Flash replied, "So you'll have to find him and get him to punch in the deactivation code!"

"How long do I have?"

"Less than ten minutes!"

"Understood!" Wonder Woman shouted back before flying off down the hallway as fast as she could; she had to find Batman before the entire Tower was reduced to ash and fire.

XXXX

Trigon had lost his patience; these pathetic 'heroes' were nothing but bugs beneath his boot; at least that should have been the case, and yet he had been beaten back repeatedly by them. Now, even after beating nearly all of them, he still had one more to defeat before killing his daughter and finally claiming complete ownership over Harry's body.

"You cannot win!" Trigon snarled, "Surrender, and I will make your death quick and merciful!"

"Eat a dick!" Beastboy spat back, wiping the blood from his nose before transforming into a Triceratops and charging at Trigon again; Trigon snarled at the challenge and planted his feet, attempting to stop the green dinosaur's charge, only to groan in surprise as a fresh wave of pain ran through him which gave Beastboy the distraction he needed to push Trigon through the wall of the room and back into the hallway. Before he could push him any further, Trigon regained his composure and grabbed the dinosaur's horns, stopping the attack and creating a standoff where neither combatant could press their attack.

Trigon internally groaned as another wave of pain rushed through him; he was being forced to split his attention between two fronts, and it was why he was having such a hard time finishing off the green bug that he should have squashed long ago. Because of the battle inside Harry's body, Trigon was forced to split his power in half to account for the two battles he was fighting simultaneously. It was the reason why this fight with Beastboy was actually proving a challenge when by all accounts, it should have been over the moment that Trigon first struck the little green bastard.

Beastboy's eyes suddenly shifted to something behind Trigon, but before the demon could turn to see what it was, the green dinosaur transformed into a kangaroo and swiftly delivered a solid kick to Trigon's stomach that lifted him into the air, right into the path of Superman, who wrapped his arms around the snarling demon and shot upwards into the ceiling, carrying Trigon with him, and leaving only a gasping Beastboy lying on his back and staring at the hole in the roof with a happy expression on his face.

"Oh, thank god…" Beastboy gasped as he struggled to get back to his feet; truth be told, the battle was the most intense of his life, and he had begun to worry how much longer he would be able to hold Trigon back.

XXXX

"Die! Die! Die!" Trigon roared as he slammed Raven into the ground repeatedly; he was holding her by her legs and was swinging her over his head before slamming her into the ground; Dr. Fate was trying to wiggle himself out from under a nearby column, while Harry was received an uppercut of such magnitude that it had sent him sailing up into the darkness above.

Raven was sure by this point that she was going to die as she had nothing left to fight with; her powers were spent, her strength depleted, and even though she knew that this wasn't her real body and that all the pain she was feeling wasn't real, she still felt like every movement was an ocean of agony.

"Trigon!" Harry screamed as he came racing out from the darkness above; the demon only had a second to look up before Harry's fist smashed into Trigon's face and sent him flying away from Raven, who fell to the ground in a heap. Not wasting a minute, Harry followed after his target, pushing himself to go faster than he had ever gone before; easily surpassing Trigon, Harry stopped once he had and delivered a powerful punch, sending the demon rocketing in the other direction, only to once again have Harry pass him by and send another devastating punch, an uppercut, which send Trigon spiraling into the air, where Harry was once again waiting for him with his clasped fists raised over his head.

"Take this, fucker!" Harry roared as he brought his hands down and sent Trigon shooting straight to the ground at the speed of a fallen star; as Trigon hit, the entire chamber shook, and dust and debris filled the air, creating a suffocating blanket of dust that made vision impossible.

Rising to her feet, Raven coughed violently as the combination of dust and injuries made it difficult to do so; from some distance away, she could see Harry helping Dr. Fate move off a column that had been lying on him.

"Please tell me that asshole is finally dead," Harry groaned as Fate rose to stand beside him,

"I doubt it will be that easy," Dr. Fate replied, though even he sounded like he was growing tired,

"Also, watch your language," Raven said, trying to sound stern,

"We could possibly die in here, and you're worried about my language?" Harry asked in mock seriousness,

"Possible death is no excuse to forget one's manners," Dr. Fate replied, making Raven grin and Harry shake his head.

"Enough!" A voice roared, causing the three heroes to wince at the noise before turning to see a badly battered and bleeding Trigon rising from a very deep crater in the floor, "I have had enough of you pathetic little bugs! Begone from my sight!"

At the last word, white light surrounded Dr. Fate and Raven for a moment before they disappeared.

"What did you do to them?!" Harry roared,

"I sent them back to their bodies, where they belong," Trigon smirked, "It's just you and me in here now."

Cracking his knuckles, Trigon took a menacing step forward as he glared down at Harry,

"Now, let's see how strong you are without their help."

XXXX

Raven's eyes shot open, and for a moment, she didn't know where she was; when the moment finally passed, Raven was horrified when she realized she was back in her body,

"What happened?" Raven asked out loud as she tried to rise to her feet,

"Trigon has banished us from Harry's mind," Dr. Fate replied as he, too, rose to his feet,

"Well, we must go back in!" Raven replied quickly, "Harry needs our help!"

"It is impossible," Dr. Fate said sadly, "Your father is actively keeping us out, and I no longer have the power to get us back in."

"So, what does that mean!" Raven demanded,

"It means that your brother is, unfortunately, on his own."

"He's not strong enough!" Raven cried out, "My father will tear him apart!"

"We must have faith that your brother will find a way," Dr. Fate replied at once, "In the meantime, we must help Harry where we can."

"You mean in the physical world?" Raven asked, gaining a nod from Dr. Fate,

"Indeed. If we keep Trigon's attention on us out here in the physical world, it might give your brother an advantage in the mental world."

As Raven opened her head to respond, Beastboy's voice cut her off,

"Rae? What are you doing here? Did you guys beat Trigon?"

Turning to her teammate, Raven couldn't help but wince in sympathy; his uniform was torn in places, and his left eye was swollen shut while blood ran freely from his nose. He was leaning heavily against what used to be the door frame but was now a gaping hole, and Raven quickly rushed to his side and helped him gently to the floor.

"Did you beat him?" Beastboy wheezed,

"No," Raven admitted sadly, "Trigon forced us out before we could finish him off,"

"That sucks…" Beastboy wheezed one final time before he passed out; as gently as she could, Raven placed Beastboy against the nearby wall before rising to her feet.

"Leave him be," Dr. Fate said softly, "He can fight no more and would only be a hindrance."

"Glad to see how much respect you have for your allies," Raven sneered as she turned to face the sorcerer,

"You misunderstand my words for insouciance," Fate replied testily, "I care a great deal for the welfare of my allies, but Trigon must not be allowed to escape this Tower with your brother's body under his control. The consequences could prove disastrous to not just this world but all worlds."

A sudden tremor in the Tower seemed to convey the seriousness of Fate's words and caused both heroes to look out into the hallway just in time to see Trigon come crashing out of the ceiling, followed quickly by Superman, who delivered such a powerful punch that it sent Trigon into the floor, Superman once again following behind.

"Let's end this," Raven said as she raised her hood over her head, "Once and for all,"

"I couldn't agree more," Fate replied as he rose into the air and created a giant golden ankh, which enveloped both Raven and Fate, causing them to disappear.

XXXX

Diana grew desperate as she tried to awaken Batman; he was the only one who could stop the 'Final Flash,' yet she couldn't seem to rouse her teammate no matter what she tried.

"Wake up!" Wonder Woman cried in frustration as she slapped Batman again, "Wake up, damn you!"

As she pulled back her arm to deliver another slap, Batman groaned and slowly opened his eyes, making Wonder Woman gasp with relief and lower her arm,

"Oh, thank the gods."

"Why are you slapping me?" Batman asked in annoyance as Wonder Woman helped him to his feet.

"Because, you insufferable male," Wonder Woman retorted, "You've activated the Final Flash without the rest of the League's approval and may kill us all!"

"I had no choice, Diana," Batman growled back, "Trigon cannot be allowed to leave the Tower with Arcane's body under his control."

"So, you just decided to give up!" Wonder Woman demanded, grabbing the front of Batman's uniform and pinning him to the wall, "That is not the way of heroes! Our way is to fight! That is how we live, and that is how we die."

"We're being beaten," Batman growled, "Badly. And if this is how powerful Trigon is with a twelve-year-old's body, imagine how powerful he'll become when Arcane's all grown up! The whole damn universe would be at risk! So, I took action to ensure that wouldn't happen."

"That was not your call to make!" Wonder Woman shouted in Batman's face, "Deactivate the weapon! Now!"

"I can't do that, Diana. I'm sorry, but Trigon cannot be allowed to escape."

"Bruce, have you no faith in your friends?" Wonder Woman asked desperately, "We have not yet lost this fight. Please, shut down the Final Flash! Have faith in us!"

For a moment, the two heroes simply stared at each other in silence before Batman finally issued a growl of annoyance and nodded, causing Wonder Woman to smile happily and wrap her arms around his neck, making Batman hiss in pain.

When the heroin finally released him, Batman pulled the small tablet from his belt and punched in the deactivation code, the screen showing Final Flash shutting down a second later.

"Thank you, my friend!" Wonder Woman said happily,

"They better win," Batman growled back in annoyance.

XXXX

Author's Note:

Due to how long it's been since I last posted, I figured you guys deserved two chapters at once. The next chapter is the final battle between Trigon and the Team; who will win? Tune in next week to find out!

Chapter Text

Harry groaned as he raised himself off the ground following Trigon's latest attack; spitting a glob of blood, Harry raised his fists again as he glared at his hated adversary,

"That all you got?"

Growling with contempt, Trigon stomped forward for a moment before stopping and glaring at his foe.

"Why won't you just die?!"

"Because you hit like a bitch!" Harry sneered back, "And because this is my body, and I want you out!"

"You're not strong enough, boy, to take this body from me," Trigon sneered,

"And you're not strong enough to knock me down!" Harry roared back defiantly, "No matter how many times you knock me down, I'm just going to keep coming back for more until I kick your sorry ass out!"

Trigon glared at Harry for a moment before a thoughtful expression appeared, followed quickly by a cruel grin that made Harry suddenly nervous.

"Let's try a different approach then, shall we?" Trigon said with a smirk before casually waving his hand, sending the room into complete darkness and leaving Harry temporarily blind.

"Do you know what I have learned in my eons of existence, boy?" Trigon's voice asked from out of the darkness.

"Not how to fight like a man, that's for sure!" Harry shouted as he spun around defensively, yet unable to see anything.

"I have learned that there are many ways to kill a being: flesh that burns, bones that break, but to kill a being's spirit is to truly destroy them!"

"And you think you can destroy mine?" Harry sneered, "Good luck with that!"

"Ignorant child, have you not yet wondered why your sister and the rest of those hero scum were lying in wait for you? Why did they begin a sealing spell on you the moment you returned home?"

Harry frowned as he realized Trigon was right, yet quickly shook the thought away and squinted into the darkness.

"It's because they feared your power if left unchecked! And now that I've shown them what your body is truly capable of, they'll never fully trust you again! Because they know that one day, you still turn into me!"

"You're lying!" Harry snarled back, "Raven knows that I would never do that!"

"And if she were no longer around to stop them?" Trigon smirked, "Then what?"

"Shut up!" Harry roared, "You will not touch her!"

"You forget, boy," Trigon laughed from somewhere in the darkness, "I am a demon; I exist everywhere: past, present, and future. And I see them simultaneously! I have seen your future, Harry Potter, and whether you defeat me or not, I still win!"

"LIAR!" Harry denied with all the hate he could muster, making Trigon chuckle cruelly,

"You truly believe that I'm lying? Then allow me to disabuse you of that lie! Behold your future!"

The chamber suddenly exploded with light, forcing Harry to throw an arm over his eyes; after a few moments, Harry slowly lowered his arm, only to gasp in horror at what he beheld.

It appeared as though he was standing in the ruins of what used to be a city; fire roared out of control all around him as building after building succumbed to the raging inferno and crumbled to the ground. The sky above was an angry red-orange, filled with smoke, making it look like Harry had descended into hell. But the worst thing of all was the bodies; hundreds of bodies lay in the street or atop vehicles. A few fell to the ground in heaps as the buildings they were in collapsed, yet even with all this death around him, Harry could still hear screams echoing throughout the city.

"Good God, where am I?!" Harry thought in horror as he slowly backed into a nearby alley, "Is this the future?! What the hell happened?"

A sudden blast shook the ground and made Harry whip his head around for the source; seeing the cloud of smoke not far from him, Harry rose into the air to see what had happened and if someone could tell him what was happening.

As he got closer, Harry saw that the blast had originated from what looked like a battlefield; as Harry got closer, his blood ran cold, and he almost flew out of the air as he saw what was happening before him.

Standing in the center of the battlefield stood an older Harry; he was over six feet and wore black combat pants and a blood-red shirt under a long black duster coat. Future Harry had long shoulder-length black hair that blew with the breeze, and where once his emerald-green eyes shined, now a pair of blood-red ones gazed out.

As younger Harry shifted his gaze to what was going on around his future self, his horror grew. The battlefield was littered with the bodies of dead heroes, and younger Harry felt tears run down his face as he saw a few he knew, including Beastboy, Black Canary, Supergirl, Batgirl, Shazam, Hawkgirl, and a decapitated Batman.

His future self was holding the lifeless head of Flash, not far away, the body lay bleeding heavily; with a sneer, future Harry threw the head over his shoulder before turning to the few remaining heroes facing him. Standing in a semi-circle around future Harry was a heavily wounded Wonder Woman, a Superman who was bleeding heavily and missing his left arm, Starfire, a badly injured Aquaman, Firestorm, and finally, a heavily wounded Green Arrow.

"That's enough, Harry!" Wonder Woman shouted as she lifted her sword at him, "Surrender!"

Crossing his arms over his chest, future Harry glared at the only ones left to stand against him,

"You six are the only ones left," future Harry growled back contemptuously, "Do you really think you have a chance?"

"Even if we don't," Aquaman growled as he leaned heavily on his trident, "We will stand against you in defense of the innocent as heroes should!"

"There are no innocents," future Harry snarled, "Not anymore! When humanity discovered magic was real, and the statute of secrecy fell, any one of them could have stood up and said, 'No, we will not behave like animals anymore.' Instead, they behaved exactly as they always have when confronted with something they don't understand! They slaughtered as many of my people as they could find, including children! And what did you do when my people were being burned alive? Nothing!"

The heroes all flinched as one at future Harry's words, causing younger Harry to stare at his heroes in shock; had they really just allowed the muggles to slaughter the magical world and done nothing to stop it?

"And when they discovered that my sister was magical when they murdered a hero, one of your allies, what did you do?! WHAT DID YOU DO?!"

Younger Harry let out a sob at the words; Raven had been burned alive? And the Justice League just let it happen?

"It wasn't our fault!" Starfire cried out, "We tried to save her! But the humans prevented us!"

"Exactly!" Future Harry snarled, "They kept you from stopping them as they burned someone they considered a hero alive!"

"You cannot punish the whole world for the actions of a few!" Superman snapped angrily,

"Yes, I can," future Harry said with a cruel smile, "I will wipe the stain of humanity from the face of this planet, once and for all! Then the only ones left will be my people, and they will worship me as a god for saving them from your kind!"

"So that's what this is really about, huh?" Firestorm sneered, "You slaughter the world and take power from the survivors? You're no better than the villains we used to fight!"

"You're right," future Harry sneered before disappearing and reappearing behind Firestorm; before the hero could defend himself, future Harry shoved his hand into Firestorm's back, punching his fist out of the hero's chest. Leaning close, future Harry whispered into Firestorm's ear,

"I'm worse than they were."

Firestorm only had time to gasp before future Harry ripped his arm from the hero's body, sending the corpse to the ground in a heap as the other heroes stared in horror.

"Do you realize what you've done!?" Wonder Woman shouted as Firestorm's body began to glow.

"Oh yes," future Harry said with a grin, "I've just won."

As one, the heroes charged toward future Harry, but before they reached him, Firestorm's body exploded in a blinding flash of bright white light, enveloping the entire city in mere moments and making younger Harry throw his arm over his eyes again.

As the darkness returned, Trigon's voice cruelly laughed out at Harry,

"Now, do you see, boy? Whether you defeat me or not is irrelevant; you still become a monster!"

Harry collapsed to his knees in despair as Trigon's words struck him like hammer blows; after what he had just witnessed, how could he possibly argue with the demon?

"That is enough, deceiver!" A voice said softly, yet seemed to echo throughout the chamber, making Harry's head shoot up to see who had spoken.

Out of the darkness

stepped a cloaked figure whose face Harry was unable to see; as the figure spoke again, Harry had a flash of recognition. It was the same voice that had spoken to him when he had been alone in the darkness.

"He belongs to me, demon!" The figure said in a voice so cold that it seemed to freeze Harry's very blood, "And none but I shall have him!"
Raising its hand above its head, the figure snapped its fingers, causing light to flood the chamber and making Harry throw his arm over his eyes again; when he finally lowered his arm, he saw Trigon standing at the far end of the chamber. What surprised Harry the most, however, was the look on Trigon's face; it was a look

that Harry had yet to see on the demon's face: fear.

"How are you here?" Trigon asked in a shocked voice, "You swore that you would never take another, not after what happened to the last one."

"I never thought I would," the figure replied in the same voice, "But sometimes, even I am proven wrong."

"Then I challenge!" Trigon cried angrily, "I challenge for the right to this body!"

"And why should I oblige such a challenge?" The figure replied mockingly, "The boy is already mine! So why should I accept your challenge?"

"Um... Does anyone care that I'm still here?" Harry asked suddenly; wincing as both shouted back simultaneously,

"No!"

"You'll accept my challenge," Trigon snarled, "Because even YOU must follow the rules of the universe, and the rules state that anyone can challenge your chosen to test whether they are worthy of such an honor! And until you officially crown him, he is open to challenge from any who do so!"

"Chosen?" Harry asked in confusion, "Challenge?"

The figure didn't say a word; it just stood and stared at Trigon for a moment before releasing a sigh of annoyance,

"Very well, then. The challenge is accepted."

"Hey, don't accept it on my account!" Harry shouted in indignation as he rose slowly to his feet; the figure then turned to Harry and seemed to study him for a moment before placing a calming hand on Harry's shoulder, which seemed to relax him for some reason.

"Where are we, Harry?"

"What?" Harry asked in confusion,

"Where. Are. We?" The figure asked again expectantly, tilting its head at him as though speaking to a slow child.

"I don't know!" Harry snapped back in annoyance, "In my head?"

"Exactly." The figure replied happily, "We're in YOUR head. And Trigon is just a visitor. He only has as much power as YOU give him."

Harry's eyes widened as he realized the truth of its words; this was HIS head, which meant HE was in control of what went on within it. Closing his eyes in concentration momentarily, Harry gasped in surprise as music began to play throughout the chamber. Realizing that the figure was right, a Grinch-like smile spread across Harry's face as he turned to face Trigon.

"You have the strangest taste in music, child," the figure said as it shook its head wearily.

Cracking his neck, Harry winked at Trigon as he raised his fists,

"Let's try this again, squatter!" Harry said with a smirk, causing Trigon to roar with hatred before he charged forward; after a moment's hesitation, Harry issued a scream of defiance and charged forward as well.

XXXX

Trigon howled with anger as he ripped Dr. Fate off his back and threw the lord of order down the hall; he had barely taken a breath when his daughter hit him with a blast of shadows that sent him onto his back. A moment later, Superman delivered a powerful punch to the demon, which sent him onto the floor and through the floor beneath that as well, finally coming to rest on the third floor he crashed into, quickly rolling out of the way of another powerful punch, Trigon willed his tentacles to turn into a spear and stab the Kryptonian, only to start with surprise as they didn't come out. Growling with annoyance, Trigon lunged forward and delivered two punches to Superman's jaw, rocking his head back and forth; however, to the demon's surprise, Superman looked back at him with a small grin,

"That didn't pack nearly the punch that you used to have; looks like Harry's finally beating you back."

"He won't succeed!" Trigon snarled, "This body is mine! This entire galaxy will be mine!"

"Not if we have anything to say about it!" Superman retorted, delivering an uppercut that sent Trigon back up through the hole that he had just caused and into another punch, this one delivered by Wonder Woman, that sent Trigon flying sideways into another room, via through the wall.

As Superman flew up from the hole, he gazed down at his battered allies; there wasn't one of them who hadn't been badly beaten since this battle had begun, god knows how long ago.

"He's weakening," Superman said quickly, "Harry must be finally regaining control of his body. We just need to keep Trigon distracted a little while longer!"

"Don't let him gain an ounce of momentum, then!" Wonder Woman cried as she lifted her sword, "For Olympus, let's finish this!"

"For Harry," Raven said softly, drawing nods from the others, "Let's send this filth back to hell where he belongs."

Before anyone could add anything further, the wall that Trigon had just been knocked through exploded in a shower of debris, causing the heroes to turn to see a snarling and heavily bleeding Trigon who looked quite deranged.

"I am the conqueror of a million worlds!" Trigon shouted hysterically, "The defiler of innocents! Evil given form! My power is absolute, and I will not be beaten by a bunch of weak mortals! I will kill you all, then resurrect you so as to continue your agony for all time!"

"I think not!" Raven shouted back as she charged; behind her, she could hear the others following suit as they rushed toward what they hoped was the final battle.

XXXX

Trigon had just choke-slammed Harry and was preparing to stomp on his face when the song began, causing the momentary distraction that Harry needed to roll out of the way.

Not wasting a minute, Harry jumped to his feet, delivering a powerful uppercut that knocked Trigon onto his back; as the two fought, Harry saw out of the corner of his eye, the figure watching with its hands folded into its robe.

"This is your time to pay!

This is your judgment day,

We made a sacrifice,

and now we get to take your life!"

Trigon surged forward to grab Harry's face, and Harry reacted instinctively, delivering a powerful punch to his jaw that sent him flying up into the air, where Harry was waiting with a cartoonishly large baseball bat. As Trigon got close, Harry swung the bat with all his might, sending Trigon flying up into the darkness of the ceiling above.

"We shoot without a gun,

We'll take on anyone!

It's really nothing new,

It's just a thing we like to do!"

Trigon roared back down from the ceiling, howling with hatred, his arm extended with the intent to crush Harry like a bug; that plan was swiftly derailed as Harry flew forward in a sudden burst of speed, pushing his powers as he had never done before. The two met in an explosion of energy, which sent Trigon straight into the floor, creating another large crater. In contrast, Harry was sent crashing into the rubble of what was once a pillar. Seeing Trigon groaning with pain and not wanting to lose the momentum, Harry ignored his screaming body and willed himself to his feet. Taking advantage of Trigon's injury, Harry suddenly imagined a giant jackhammer, which then appeared over the hole in which Trigon lay; an instant later, the jackhammer began pummeling Trigon mercilessly as the song continued.

"You better get ready to die!

You better get ready to kill!

You better get ready to run 'cause here we come, oh, oh!

You better get ready to die!"

As the instrumental part of the song began, Harry willed the jackhammer away, allowing Trigon to slowly and painfully pull himself out of the hole in which Harry had sent him; the demon's left arm appeared broken, and as he snarled weakly at Harry, the boy saw that several of the demon's teeth had been knocked out.

"You cannot win, brat," Trigon growled softly, "Even if you beat me, you saw what you become! You will always be a monster, whether I'm the one in control or not!"

Harry paled a bit at the thought that there might be a hint of truth to Trigon's words and that the future that Harry saw might, in fact, be genuine; before he could dwell on it for long, however, Harry felt the figure's hand on his shoulder. Looking up at it, Harry saw the figure nod at him as a feeling of peace suddenly entered him, which he thanked it for with a nod of his own. Turning back to the gasping demon, Harry swallowed down his fear,

"I will never turn into the monster I saw! No matter what this life throws at me, I will not become him!"

Trigon chuckled darkly at that before grimacing as a wave of pain tore through him, which made him gasp for a moment,

"You act as if you have a choice, boy," Trigon smirked once he was able to speak again, "Your fate is fixed. Dread it, run from it; destiny arrives all the same."

"I look forward to proving you wrong," Harry sneered as a doorway filled with light appeared directly behind Trigon, "Now, get out of my body!"

As Harry said the last part, Harry flew forward and punched Trigon in the face with all the energy he had left, sending the demon screaming in anger directly through the doorway, which instantly disappeared once Trigon passed through it.

As the last of his power finally left him, Harry felt exhaustion hit him, almost sending him to his knees. Yet, he was determined to get some answers before he passed out. Turning

to the figure, Harry was relieved to see that it hadn't disappeared,

"Okay, who the hell are you?" Harry demanded, "And what did you mean by chosen? I want answers!"

"You are not ready for them," the figure replied softly, "One day, you will understand, but until then, I must make you forget."

Raising its hand at Harry, the figure snapped its fingers again, causing Harry's eyes to roll into the back of his head as he collapsed to the floor.

Turning away from the boy, the figure walked to a nearby door that lay hidden in the darkness; as the figure approached, the door opened on its own accord, showing a spiral set of stone steps that led down.

As the figure descended the stairs, it stood before a prison cell, behind which sat a dark figure with its back to the opposite wall, its arms resting on its raised knees.

"Do you really think you can hold me forever?" The shadow asked sarcastically, "The boy's emotions caused a crack in my cage once; it'll happen again. And next time, you won't be able to stop me from getting out."

"I have repaired the cracks in your cage," the figure replied softly, "It will hold for now. I am under no illusions about your incarceration; I know you will escape someday."

"Then what's the point in keeping me here?" The shadow sneered back.

"Because you are my chosen's final test," the figure hissed back, "One day when he is ready, he will release you from your cage. And on that day, when he finally kills you, his demonic half, I will know he is ready to be crowned."

"Never gonna happen," the shadow sneered, "The brat's too weak to kill me! So, let me tell you what is REALLY going to happen. One day, I will bust out of here, and then the whole world will burn as I roast marshmallows on its corpse."

"We shall see," the figure sneered back before turning and striding back up the stairs and out of sight.

XXXX

Trigon was on his knees with Dr. Fate and Raven each holding one of his extended arms, while Wonder Woman pulled her lasso, which was around Trigon's neck, as tight as she could, one boot pressed against Trigon's back to keep him down.

While the others were holding him down, Superman delivered one powerful punch after another to Trigon's head, giving the demon no chance to do anything other than snarl in pain and anger at his own helplessness.

Superman delivered one final uppercut; Trigon issued an unearthly howl, which seemed to shake the entire tower and caused everyone in the vicinity to clamp their hands over their ears in pain.

As the heroes watched, black smoke seemed to suddenly come billowing out of Trigon's eyes and mouth as he screamed in pain; after several moments of this, the smoke finally stopped, and everyone stared in shock as the demon's features disappeared and Harry's returned. As Harry began to collapse, Raven suddenly rushed forward, grabbed him into her arms, and held him tight as she quietly cried with relief; her baby brother was safe and whole again.

As if someone had issued a universal signal, the other heroes all began collapsing to the floor one by one as their injuries finally began to make themselves known. The toll that their bodies had taken began to scream at them.

XXXX

Author's Note:

So ends Harry's first Trigon Arc; will there be another? Who knows, but I hope you guys enjoyed how I finished it up. The song "Ready to Die" is the property of Andrew W. K. As such, I claim no ownership of it. The next chapter hopefully will be out soon, and if there is something you liked or didn't like about this chapter, let me know. In case some of you are wondering why I deleted this story and rereleased it, it is because what I originally wrote took me exactly ten minutes to realize how badly it sucked and didn't make sense to the story. So, I deleted it and rewrote it to this, which I hope holds up better. But let me know what you think, all the same. I'm wondering how many of Ya'll will find all the easter eggs I put in the story, lol. See ya soon!

Chapter Text

:INTERLUDE 1:

Two weeks. That was how long it had been since the battle with Trigon; immediately following said battle, Raven had Flooed Andromeda Tonks, knowing that her 'Aunt Andi' was a healer at Saint Mungo's. Seeing how distraught her niece was, Andromeda came through immediately, followed by her daughter Nymphadora, who had refused to stay at home once she learned that Beastboy was one of the people injured. Upon seeing how badly the heroes were injured, Andromeda immediately demanded to know what had happened to cause such devastation to the Tower as well as such injuries to the heroes. Unable to lie under her 'Aunt Andi's' stern glare, Raven had told the truth or a version of it at any rate. Raven's version had been that one of their enemies had somehow gotten into the Tower and summoned a demon, which was the reason why everyone was so severely injured. Raven had continued her lie, spinning a tale of how the demon had broken free of the control it had been under and then went on a rampage throughout the Tower, killing the summoner in the process, only to be finally beaten back through the combined efforts of the Titans and the Justice League.

Andromeda had nearly lost her mind upon learning what had happened and had immediately Flooed a few of her colleagues from Saint Mungo's to aid her in helping the injured. Raven had suggested that Andromeda Floo the American Healing Center instead, but Andromeda had immediately dismissed the idea, saying that England's healers were far superior. The next four days were a constant buzz of activity as Andromeda and her three companions used everything in their impressive arsenal to heal the badly injured heroes. Harry's injuries had been the worst of everyone; it had taken all four healers nearly an entire day to repair the damage that Trigon had done to Raven's little brother. Andromeda had even told Raven afterward that Harry's core had been so depleted that she had been afraid of the healers being too late to save Harry from becoming a squib. Still, thankfully, that wasn't the case, as Harry's core seemed to finally be repairing itself after all the potions the healers had, quite literally, shoved down his throat. A few hours after Andromeda and her team began, Aurors from MACUSA had descended on the Tower, demanding to know what had occurred and caused their alarms to go off from the impressive amount of dark magic that they had detected. After telling the cover story a second time, the Aurors sealed off the Tower and detained everyone within it for the next three days to investigate the veracity of Raven's claim: Dr. Fate (someone that was revered by the magical community, the world over) affirmation that Raven was telling the truth had gone a long way to satisfy the Aurors, and as soon as the investigation was complete, they left without issue. Finally, after nearly a week of constant potions and spells, most of the heroes were back on their feet; however, they would still be incredibly sore for the next few days as their natural healing took over where magic had left off in regard to their freshly healed, formerly broken bodies. Despite her mother's repeated insistence, Nymphadora had refused to leave Beastboy's side for the entirety of his healing. It was only when the green shapeshifter finally opened his eyes that she finally allowed herself to be led away to rest, but only after giving her boyfriend a tight hug, followed up with an impressively loud rant about fighting demons.

Once everyone was properly healed, Andromeda sent the other healers back to England; Raven had informed her Aunt that she too could return home if she wished, only for Andromeda to immediately begin a lecture about the idiocy of fighting demons and how Raven should know better than to try and get herself killed so soon after Andromeda and Ted had gotten her back. She then informed Raven that she would be staying for the rest of the summer to keep an eye on her niece and nephew, seeing as how they were apparently unable to do so themselves. Once everyone was properly healed, Andromeda, Raven, Zatanna, and Dr. Fate began the enormous task of repairing the Tower, something that, even with magic, took the four of them almost a week, as the damage was far more extensive than anyone realized.

XXXX

Harry stared out his window at the sea below, hands clasped tight behind his back, as his mind whirled uncontrollably; it had been two weeks since the battle with Trigon. Seven days since he had woken up from his magically induced coma. It was seven days since he had spoken to anyone in the Tower. Hermione and the Weasleys were supposed to arrive the day after tomorrow, yet Harry couldn't find it in himself to be happy about it.

Upon awakening, Harry immediately pushed Raven away when she tried to give him a hug and asked a simple question: Why?

Why had they attacked him the moment he had landed at Titans Tower? Why hadn't they told him what they were planning to do? But the direct question had been directed at Raven: Why had she allowed the League to hurt him so when she swore to never let anyone hurt him again?

Their stuttering answers had not impressed Harry in the least, and upon being released from the infirmary, he had shut himself in his room, refusing to speak to anyone, Raven least of all, despite her pleading. Harry knew he still loved the Titans; they were his family, after all. But that didn't stop the simmering anger he felt at what he viewed as betrayal, for that was what he saw what had happened to him as; they had betrayed him, and rather than talk with him about what was happening, they chose instead to treat him as though he were a bomb ready to go off at any minute. Did they really think he would refuse to let them seal his evil side away had they told him about what was inside him? The more Harry thought about it, the more the memories of the future Trigon had shown him seemed to bombard him. Was that really his destiny? To lose everyone he cared for and then become a monster? As tears slid down Harry's cheeks, he shut his eyes and tried to will the images Trigon had forced him to see away, yet they seemed to attack him even harder, and it took all Harry had not to collapse to the ground and start sobbing.

"Harry Potter! Prepare to meet thy doom!" A voice behind him called suddenly, making Harry spin on the spot, only to smile with delight as he saw who it was; standing on the opposite side of the room, holding a plastic sword, was one of the first friends Harry had made after coming to Jump City, and as he looked at his friend, Harry's mind traveled back to their first meeting.

:FLASHBACK (three years prior):

Harry had traveled to Gotham City with Raven and Robin because Batman needed to speak to the two of them about something important involving someone named Jason. Even though he was told to stay in the hotel room and to not leave under any circumstances, Harry had been curious about the city and had wandered off, once Raven and Robin had left for the Batcave.

Within fifteen minutes, Harry was hopelessly lost and terrified; that fear had been exacerbated when three thugs grabbed him, pulled him into a nearby alley, and demanded his valuables. When Harry told the thugs that he had none, they grew even angrier and began discussing among themselves what to do with Harry. One of the thugs had just suggested selling Harry when a sudden rooster crow made everyone look up to the nearby roof where the strangest-looking person that Harry had ever seen was standing, with his hands on his hips.

The figure was a white boy who looked to be about Harry's age, or close to it, and was wearing the oddest amalgamation of clothing that Harry had ever seen; the boy was wearing a cartoonishly large brown top hat that reminded Harry of the mad hatter from Alice in Wonderland. Adding to the strangely large hat, the boy was also wearing a plum-purple tailcoat over a white dress shirt and bright orange vest, while an overly large bowtie that had tiny yellow smiling skulls on it. To complete the horrifying abuse of color that seemed to make Harry unable to look away, the boy was also wearing forest-green pants and shiny black wingtip shoes. Then, to everyone's amazement, the boy jumped from the roof, a good twenty feet above them, to the ground, performing a spin before taking off his hat and bowing before the stunned watchers. As Harry stared in shock, he saw that the boy had bright red hair and cool blue eyes, which flashed with mischief as he grinned at Harry.

"Good evening, gentleman!" The boy said in a high-pitched voice, showing his youth as he stood back up and placed his hat back on his head, "I am sorry to interrupt what I'm sure was a truly engaging conversation, but could you release my friend there?"

"Who the hell are you supposed to be?" One of the thugs asked after a moment of stunned silence.

"Oh, my apologies!" The boy said quickly, "Name's Lunatic. It's a pleasure to meet you all!"

"Lunatic?" One of the thugs said as he stared at the grinning boy,

"Indeed!" Lunatic replied, flashing his teeth again, "I have another name, but it sounds so normal, and normality is the death of life! Or so I'm told. I wouldn't know, to be honest."

The three thugs stared at Lunatic for a moment before the leader pulled a large knife from his belt and leveled it at the boy,

"Listen, kid, I don't know what sort of sick game you're playing, but you'd best run home before I cut your tongue out of your smart mouth!"

"Hmm, an interesting proposal," Lunatic replied, crossing one arm over his chest while he rested the other under his chin in thought, "I have a rebuttal. How about, instead, you all let the kid go before I use your heads as hockey pucks? After all, hockey season is starting soon, and I'm out of practice!"

Harry could practically feel the anger coming off of the three thugs at Lunatic's words, and a moment later, two of the thugs charged the boy while the leader stayed back and held tight to Harry's shirt.

"Olay!" Lunatic shouted excitedly, pulling a red flag from his coat and holding it out at the oncoming thug, who was charging at Lunatic with his arms out as if to tackle the boy. Just as the thug reached Lunatic, the boy disappeared, leaving the red flag hanging in the air as if by magic. Unable to stop himself, the thug ran straight into it, only to crumple to the ground unconscious a moment later as the two remaining thugs watched in astonishment; the reason for the thug's unconsciousness became apparent a moment later as the red flag fell to the ground, showing a large anvil just behind it.

"Where the hell did that come from?!" The second thug demanded as he stared at the thug in shock; before anyone could respond, Lunatic suddenly reappeared from out of nowhere, landing on the thug's shoulder and grabbing his hair-like reins, making the thug thrash around and try and throw Lunatic off as the boy sang in delight.

"Over hill and over dale, we're always on the dusty trail! Hunting fox and hunting quail, heigh-ho, I'm a hunting fool! Giddy up, giddy up, giddy up, my horse, and now you're up the final creak! Giddy up, giddy up, giddy up, just like the wind, I ride my forward steed. Sure of foot, sure of eye, peeling onions makes me cry! This makes no sense, and neither do I!"

Releasing one hand from his 'reins,' Lunatic pulled a giant hammer from within his coat (though how that was possible was anyone's guess) and brought it down on the thug's head, causing him to collapse to the ground like a puppet who's strings had been cut.

Rolling off the thug's shoulders, Lunatic came up on one knee in front of Harry and the leader, shaking his hands 'jazz hands style,' and finished his song with,

"So don't you go and beat me, Daddy, to the nearest bar, yeah!"

Pulling Harry in front of him like a shield, the leader brandished his knife at Lunatic as the boy rose to his feet and dusted himself off,

"What the hell are you?!" The leader demanded, fear evident in his voice as Lunatic eyed him with a growing smile that sent shivers down Harry's spine.

"I'm Lunatic, and I wanna play!" Lunatic said in a creepy voice. After a moment's hesitation, the leader shoved Harry at Lunatic before spinning around and running away as fast as he could. A few seconds after he was gone, Lunatic suddenly began laughing uncontrollably and wrapped an arm around Harry's shoulder as though the two were best friends.

"I love this city!" Lunatic called out happily, "It's filled with so much beautiful chaos and fun!"

"Are you going to hurt me too?" Harry asked in sudden terror, remembering his encounter with the Hive a few weeks before.

"Hurt you?" Lunatic replied with shock, "Why the devil would I do that? We're friends, after all!"

"We are?" Harry asked in shock, never really having had a friend before,

"Of course!" Lunatic replied, "After all, without you, my night would have been frightfully boring! Oh, look! More costume people! What fun!"

Harry looked up to see what Lunatic was talking about, just in time to see Batman, Robin, and Raven descending on them, all with various degrees of worry on their faces. After making sure that Harry was okay, Raven and Robin had demanded to know who Lunatic was; the answer to that question came from Batman, surprisingly, who eyed Lunatic with a careful eye, like a hunter watching a predator.

Lunatic's real name was James Donnelly, and he was the bastard child of Jervis Tetch (aka the Mad Hatter) and one of his many unfortunate victims.

Ashamed of what happened to her and disgusted with the baby that Tetch had forced upon her, the girl had sold James to CADMUS labs when it became apparent that the boy was a meta, with the power to alter reality, thankfully only to a small degree, i.e., his immediate surroundings.

For the next eight years, James' life became one of constant experiments and pain as CADMUS tried to extrapolate and weaponize his abilities; the years had understandably driven the poor boy mad, like his father, and when a chance came for escape, James seized upon it and ran away; but not before bringing the entire facility where he had been kept crashing to the ground. According to Batman, that had been a year ago, and CADMUS had been searching for the boy ever since, with little success. Batman and the League had also begun looking for the boy the moment word reached them about his powers and how he had been raised, but they, too, had yet to be successful in tracking down the kid.

"What are you doing in Gotham?" Batman demanded as Lunatic pulled an enormous lollipop from his coat and began licking it with wanton abandon,

"I came for the fun, of course!" Lunatic replied happily, causing the three heroes to look at him with surprise.

"The… fun?" Robin replied,

"Of course!" Lunatic chuckled, "Gotham is a pit filled with glorious chaos and unlimited potential for mischief and fun! Where else would I go?"

"Why did you save my brother?" Raven asked as she pressed Harry behind her robe,

"Because he was in trouble, silly," Lunatic replied, tilting his head as though Raven was stupid, "Why else?"

"Are you a hero?" Robin asked warily, now knowing who the boy's father was, "Or a villain?"

"Meh, haven't decided yet," Lunatic replied, stowing his lollipop back in his coat, "I'm sort of a bi-meta, you know?"

"That's not the correct usage of that word," Robin replied with a smirk, which Lunatic quickly copied.

"Let's just say that I haven't decided yet if I want to be a good guy or a bad one," Lunatic said, "Let's play it by ear."

Pulling an enormous pocket watch from his coat, Lunatic issued a mock gasp before turning back to the heroes,

"Sorry, gotta go! I'm late for a very important date! Until next time, ta!"

Without another word, Lunatic spun in place and disappeared without a trace, leaving the heroes stunned and looking around in shock.

:END FLASHBACK:

Since then, Lunatic had decided that Harry was his best friend and would always come bothering Harry when he was bored or just wanted to see how Harry was doing. Over the years, the Titans had tried to offer the boy a place among them, but the answer was always the same: not interested.

It seemed as though Lunatic had chosen to become an anti-hero as he jumped back and forth between a good guy and a bad one; one day, he would save a person from being robbed, only to rob a store himself the next day.

"Hey, Loony," Harry said, trying to force his face to smile, only to fail miserably; seeing this, Lunatic stowed his toy sword in his coat and quickly approached his friend, eyes narrowed as he studied Harry's face.

"No, no, no!" Lunatic replied when he was inches from Harry, "This won't do at all!"

Reaching forward, Lunatic pressed his two index fingers to Harry's face and pushed upwards, creating a smile,

"That's better; no friend of mine will be sad as long as I'm around!" Lunatic said proudly, holding Harry's face with his two fingers and forcing Harry to smile against his will. Despite how he was feeling, Harry couldn't help but laugh after a few moments of silence; the laughter quickly turned hysteric as Lunatic joined in.

"That's better!" Lunatic laughed, taking his hands away and placing them on his hips as Harry wiped his eyes.

"Now, what have you feeling so blue today?" Lunatic asked, "Did someone bully you again? Want me to string them up by their tightly whitey? We can make them the flag of our new country! We'll call it…. Tightey-Town!"

"Please don't do that!" Harry laughed, "And no, no one bullied me. I just had a bad couple of days, that's all."

"Well, tell old loony about it!" Lunatic said softly, pulling a fold-out chair from his coat and taking a seat in front of Harry, who shook his head in exasperation at his friend's antics before taking a seat on his bed.

Over the next half hour, Harry told Lunatic what Trigon had done to him and the future that the demon had shown him; Harry then explained how betrayed he felt at what the Titans and the League had done to him. Ordinarily, Harry would never share what had happened to him with anyone; there was just something about Lunatic that made Harry instinctively trust him. Adding three years' worth of adventures and misadventures, Harry could safely say that Lunatic was one of Harry's best friends, something that Lunatic wholeheartedly agreed with.

For several moments, Lunatic simply stared at Harry, following the story of what had happened to him; finally, after what felt like an eternity, Lunatic stood up and punched Harry in the nose, sending him onto his bed with a painful cry.

"What was THAT for?!" Harry demanded as he held his held his nose,

"Because you're an idiot, that's what!" Lunatic retorted angrily, "Do you honestly think I would let you do something like that?! You're my amigo! The world would be unbearably dull if you weren't in it! Who would go making merry with me if you were gone?!"

"I'm sure you'd find someone else," Harry mumbled, instantly regretting it as a hurt look came across Lunatic's face, "I'm sorry, Loony. I shouldn't have said that…."

"Look, Harry," Lunatic said softly, taking off his top hat and running his fingers through his long red hair, "I know I'm not the most normal person, but you're my friend, and I would hate it if something happened to you. Whatever Trigon showed you is a lie. That's what demons do."

"But what if it wasn't?" Harry asked softly, unable to keep the fear out of his voice, "What if I go bad and do those horrible things?"

"I won't let you," Lunatic said softly, putting his hat back on and sitting down next to Harry so that their shoulders touched, "I promise, if the day ever comes where you start going bad, I'll be there to remind you of who you are."

"And who is that?" Harry asked softly, "I'm not sure I even know anymore."

"That's easy," Lunatic replied with a giant smile, "You're my friend!"

For a moment, neither said anything more; until, at last, Harry threw an arm over Lunatic's shoulder and pulled him close,

"Thanks, Loony."

"Anytime, Harry," Lunatic replied quickly, throwing an arm over Harry as well, "Now that you're no longer sad, want to go make merry?"

"I can't," Harry replied with a grimace, "My Aunt Andi put wards all over the Tower to let the Titans know if I leave my room. It's for my own protection, or so she says."

"Wards? Bah!" Lunatic spat contemptuously, "They'll never even know we're gone!"

Without another word, Lunatic pulled his top hat off of his head and threw it to the ground so that it landed upside down.

"What are you doing?" Harry asked in confusion, still not used to all of his friend's powers and abilities, even after all these years.

"This!" Lunatic shouted before grabbing Harry and jumping into the hat as Harry yelled in surprise; a moment later, both were gone, along with the top hat, yet the wards never went off once.

Author's Note:

Lunatic is my own creation, and I hope you all like him as much as I liked writing him; those who don't like him, well, here's a straw so you can suck it up, lol. The song that Lunatic was singing is actually one sung by Daffy Duck, and as such, I claim no ownership of it.

I don't plan on Lunatic being a main character because even I understand how annoying he can be, but I do plan on putting him in a chapter or two every now and then. The next chapter will be out ASAP; until then, stay golden, Ponyboy!

Chapter Text

:INTERLUDE 2:

Dick glared angrily at his old costume, taking delight as he watched the flames burn it to ash, even as a hint of sadness ran through him at the thought of destroying something that had brought him such joy in years past. But after what Bruce had done to him during the battle with Trigon, Dick had nothing more to do with the old bastard. It had been two weeks since that battle, and Dick couldn't help but be grateful for the healing power of magic; his injuries had been quite severe, and were it not for Raven's Aunt Andromeda, Dick would most likely be on bed rest for the next several months.

Dick's eyes narrowed as the costume began to melt away, his thoughts on the argument that he and Bruce had, which caused Dick to throw away the costume in the first place.

:Flashback:

"You had no right to take me out of the fight!" Dick snarled as he tried to rush at Batman, only to be held back by Cyborg and Jinx, "Harry could have died!"

"I saved your life," Batman growled back, "You could barely move, and Trigon was beating us effortlessly. If I had let you fight, you wouldn't be here."

"You don't know that!" Dick snapped, "You're not God! No matter how much you like to act like him!"

"Dude, chill!" Cyborg called out as he tried to hold Dick back, "You're gonna reinjure your body, and I just got this arm reattached!"

"He's right, Robin," Batman stated, "Stand down."

"Fuck you!" Dick shouted back, "And fuck Robin, too! I'm done with it! I thought you would change when I first left Gotham for Jump City! That you would stop being such a self-righteous ass! I should have known better."

Batman's eyes narrowed at Dick's rant while Cyborg and Jinx were looking at Dick in surprise.

"That's enough, Robin!" Batman snapped, his patience coming loose for a moment,

"I'm not Robin!" Dick spat, "Not anymore! I cut my last tie to you!"

Taking a calming breath, Dick finally shook off Cyborg and Jinx and leveled a hateful glare on the silent Bat before ripping the large R off of his chest and throwing it at Batman's feet.

"You should have that back so you can give it to the next Robin. Since you seem to replace us so fast, after all. I wasn't even gone a month when you replaced me with Jason, and how long after Jason died did you replace him with Tim?"

Batman's eyes widened for a moment as a look of outrage came across his face; his fists tightened until the leather of his gloves groaned in protest, and even Cyborg and Jinx looked at Dick like he'd gone too far.

"And now I hear you got a new kid hanging around the cave," Dick sneered, "A gift from Talia Al Ghul. Are you planning on making him another disposable alley that you'll replace as soon as they fall?"

Batman was across the room before anyone knew that he had moved, and Dick was pinned against the wall with Batman's forearm across his throat, and his other arm pulled back to deliver a devastating punch. Just as Batman was about to break Dick's jaw, most likely, he seemed to come back to himself and instantly released his hold on his former partner, taking a step back and bringing his arms into his cape, watching as Dick rubbed his throat.

"Get out," Dick growled, "And don't come back."

"The Justice League will be sending someone to keep an eye on the Titans from now on," Batman said softly as he turned to leave.

"As long as it's not you, I don't care," Dick said at once; Batman's face softened for a moment, and he looked like he wanted to say something. But just as soon as the look appeared, it was gone, and Batman nodded once before leaving the room.

Once he was gone, Cyborg and Jinx both turned to Dick with looks of worry on their faces,

"I'm alright," Dick said as he continued to rub his throat,

"So, what do we call you now?" Jinx asked with a raised brow, "Since you're not Robin anymore?"

Dick was silent in thought for a moment before a name popped into his head; slowly, a smirk grew across his face as he faced his friends.

"Call me… Nightwing."

:End Flashback:

He would need to create a new uniform, Robin thought as he watched the flames grow higher as they ate through the red and black costume. Exhausted as he was, Dick was determined to stand and watch until the Robin costume completely burned away; as the flames continued to grow, Dick felt almost cathartic, as if a weight were being pulled from his shoulder. For the first time in years, Dick smiled in genuine pleasure.

XXXX

In a warehouse in the docks of Gotham, a large brown top hat suddenly appeared out of nowhere; a moment later, two boys came shooting out of the hat, laughing uncontrollably as they hit the floor on their backs.

"I'll never get used to how much fun that is!" Harry laughed as he and Lunatic got up from the floor, "Like that world's greatest roller coaster!"

"Indeed!" Lunatic said happily, "Much better than any other form of travel!"

"Where did you bring us, anyway?" Harry asked as he took in his surroundings; they appeared to be in a dirty building that was in desperate need of being torn down before it fell down.

"Why to Gotham, of course!" Lunatic said jovially as he picked up his from the floor, dusted it off, and placed it back on his head, "Specifically, the bad part, Gotham Docks!"

"Gotham!" Harry cried, "Why the hell did you bring us here?"

"You'll see in a moment!" Lunatic cried happily before moving toward a large brown box that was resting nearby, "But first, we must make ready for our guests!"

"Guests?" Harry asked, watching with confusion as Lunatic pulled a large video camera, stood from the box, set it up by the nearby railing, and angled it so that it was pointed down at the ground floor beneath them.

"Indeed, very special guests who will be here soon for some rather nefarious interaction! I just learned about it this morning; through this pinata, I was beating. Or was that talking donkey really a person?" Lunatic paused at this, and a thoughtful look came across his face before he shook his head and continued messing with the video camera, "Either way, I was beating this pinata, trying to get some candy, and it told me about a meeting between Lex Luthor and Ras Al Ghul, here tonight!"

All the color seemed to drain from Harry's face as he took in the words, and for a moment, he was rendered speechless until, at last, Harry found his voice,

"Loony, please tell me that you're joking…."

"Nope," Lunatic replied, popping the P with a smile as he finished setting up and turned back to Harry.

"I really should have told you to bring your 'other' set of clothes," Lunatic said, remembering that Harry was not in his Arcane uniform.

"Not a problem," Harry replied, extending his tentacles and wrapping them around him so that he was dressed as Arcane a moment later. Lunatic's eyes widened at this before a look of pure delight came across his face.

"You can shapeshift now, Harry?! How delightful! Oh, those things we can do now! The mischief! The free Spice Girls tickets!"

Harry couldn't help but laugh at Lunatic's antics as the boy bounced around Harry like a child on a perpetual sugar rush.

"We can talk about that later! Harry laughed as he pulled his hood down, "We should call the Justice League! Luthor and the League of Assassins are too much for just the two of us!"

"Oh, don't be such a wimp!" Lunatic replied; before Harry could respond, the doors to the warehouse suddenly groaned open, causing Harry to pull his hood back up as the two of them backed into the shadows and out of sight.

As Harry watched with bated breath, more than two dozen Assassins swarmed into the warehouse and took defensive positions; each was clad in black tactical armor, complete with a mask, that covered their faces and carried a sword on their back and an Uzi in their hands.

A moment later, four more people entered the warehouse; the first one was a woman wearing a dark green kimono, from which two Sai protruded, but the oddest thing was the smiling cat mask the woman wore, behind which a head of bushy hair could be seen. The second was an incredibly beautiful woman with straight black hair that hung softly to her shoulders; she was wearing a tight black leather outfit and had a katana strung across her back. The third person was a large bald man wearing a sleeveless Asian-style black shirt and matching pants; like the woman, the man also had a sword on his back, but this one looked Arabian. The final person was an older man with graying black hair and a hard face, who was wearing a jade-green cloak; the man quickly took a disgusted look around the warehouse before taking his place at the opposite side of the warehouse and turning to face the entrance, with his three companions standing a respectable distance behind him.

Ten minutes after that, a white limousine entered the warehouse, and two people stepped out; one was a tall white female with long blonde hair and wearing a black business suit and matching skirt. The other person was a tall, white, bald male wearing an expensive-looking black suit over a white shirt with a blood-red tie.

As the two men approached each other, Harry looked over to see Lunatic smiling in absolute glee, and Harry couldn't help but wonder what his friend had planned. Moving slowly, Lunatic approached the camera and pressed a button on the side, turning it on; after pressing another button and beginning the recording, Lunatic made his way back to Harry's side in the shadows and whispered,

"Almost show time!"

Harry just gave his friend a look before turning his attention back to the two supervillains who had just finished complaining about the unsanitary conditions of their meeting place.

"It's a simple business transaction," Luthor drawled, "I need more kryptonite to finish building my weapon, and you need the formula currently being held securely in my lab."

"And why should I not just kill you now and take what I wish?" Ras Al Ghul asked with a sneer. At the man's question, the blonde at Luthor's side raised her arm and pointed it at the old man. A second later, her arm turned into a cannon and powered on as the Assassins all drew their swords as one and prepared to attack.

"Let's all just take a breath," Luthor said calmly, raising his hands for everyone to lower their weapons; after another few tense moments, Ras nodded his head, and the Assassins all sheathed their swords as the blonde lowered her arm.

"Showtime!" Lunatic whispered happily as light suddenly flooded the warehouse, making the villains all jump with surprise before drawing their weapons; a moment later, music began to fill the warehouse, and Harry watched in wide-eyed shock as the Assassins' outfits changed into the tight green outfits from 'Robin Hood: Men in Tights.' A moment later, Harry felt his jaw drop as the three women's outfits all transformed into 'Maid Merion,' while Ras, Luthor, and Ras' bald companion all transformed into the same green tights as the other Assassins.

"Oh God, Loony, what have you done…?" Harry whispered in horror, torn between laughing in hilarity and crying in horror.

"Just wait!" Lunatic said as he chuckled, "It's about to get better!"

True to his word, it did get better a moment later when Ras, Luthor, the bald man, began to sing along to the music.

"We're Men! We're Men in Tights! We roam around the forest looking for fights!"

Ras, Luthor, and the bald man started doing the cliched manly 'walk to the left and right' dance before looking at each other and raising their fists, except for a single Assassin between Ras and Luthor, who took a wild swing, causing Luthor to duck.

"We're Men! We're Men in Tights! We rob from the rich and give to the poor, that's right!"

The 'troupe' raised their right arms, curved at the elbow, and with their index fingers raised.

"We may look like sissies, but watch what you say, or else we'll put out your lights! We're Men! We're Men in Tights! Always on guard defending the people's rights!"

Ras leaned against Luthor back-to-back, each with their arms crossed, while the bald man did the same with another Assassin before they pointed out toward the Warehouse opening and threw their fists into the air. However, one of the assassins punched Ras in the head (a look of horror on his face). The 'troupe' then suddenly stood in line and started doing the can-can, which lasted for several seconds.

"We're Men! Manly Men! Yessss!"

The 'troupe' returned to their original formations on a single knee and flexed their arms before standing back up; throughout all this, Lunatic was giggling like mad while Harry watched in horror, though that was quickly giving way to hilarity.

"We roam around the forest looking for fights! We're Men! We're Men in Tights! We rob from the rich and give to the poor, that's right! We may look like pansies, but don't give us lip, or else we'll put out your lights! We're Men! We're men in Tights! TIGHT TIGHTS!"

At this part, all the men grabbed their pants and pulled up, making their voices rise in pitch so they sounded like they were on helium.

"Always on guard, defending the people's rights! When you're in a fix, just call for the Men in Tights! We're butch!"

The three women ended up doing a twirl and dip, ending the musical number on their butts and staring up at Ras and Luthor adoringly, while Ras, Luthor, and the bald man were frozen in place, flexing their arms in a macho/butch pose.

This final part proved too much for Harry, and his will finally broke as he began to laugh uncontrollably, holding onto the wall with his hand to keep from collapsing; beside him, Lunatic was lying on the floor against the wall and laughing hysterically.

After several moments of silence, everyone below changed back into their original clothes and regained control of themselves; immediately, the Assassins fanned out into the warehouse as the bald man snarled in anger and outrage,

"Who is responsible for this humiliation!? Find them! I will kill them with my bare hands!"

Wiping his eyes, Lunatic rose to his feet and turned off the video camera before pulling a small SD card from it and stowing it in his coat.

"My bet would be on the two children currently laughing on the second floor above us," Chesire said, making Harry stop laughing immediately as every eye suddenly turned towards him and Lunatic.

"Bring them to me!" The bald man snarled at once, "I will see them dead for this! Children or no!"

"Loony, move!" Harry yelled, jumping over the railing as an Assassin appeared out of nowhere and swung his sword at where Harry had just been; needing no further warning, Lunatic dove over the railing, spinning head over foot and laughing uncontrollably as he fell.

Harry landed 'hero-style' on one knee, with one hand touching the ground with his fingertips while the other was thrown behind him. Lunatic, on the other hand, landed with a ballerina spin, ending with a pirouette.

"I know these two," Luthor said with barely contained anger, a vein pulsing in his forehead; beside him, his blonde partner was glaring with murderous intent, "Lunatic and Arcane. One's a hero with the Titans, and the other is a madman."

"I care not for their names!" The bald man roared, "Only their deaths!"

"Now, now, Ubu," Ras Al Ghul said, looking actually amused at what had happened to them, "They're just children, after all." Turning to the two boys, Ras continued, "However, you two cannot be simply allowed to humiliate The Demon Head and get away with it. I'm afraid some form of punishment is required."

"Sorry, not really into getting punished," Harry said back with a smile that no one could see, "I mean, I might be into that sort of thing when I'm older, but for now? Nah."

Lunatic began to laugh again at Harry's words, while a smirk appeared momentarily on Ras' face before it quickly vanished.

"I'm afraid that's not up to you, boys," Ras said, "Bring them to me."

Immediately, the Assassins threw themselves at Harry and Lunatic, no doubt enraged at what the two boys had done to them; Harry and Lunatic both jumped in opposite directions, Lunatic pulling a pogo stick from his coat and jumping on it, bouncing away from the pursuing Assassins. Harry, on the other hand, shot his tentacles out of his back and transformed them into clubs, flying away from the Assassins and smacking those that came too close.

"That's new," Luthor said thoughtfully as he watched Arcane's tentacles transform and knock an Assassin unconscious from a blow to the head, "It would seem as though Arcane has discovered a new trick."

"Indeed," Ras said, "He would make an outstanding addition to the League of Assassins."

Harry had just batted another Assassin aside when he felt someone land on his shoulders, forcing him to the ground, where the two of them fell in a heap. Quickly rising to his feet, Harry saw that it was Chesire, who had likewise jumped to her feet and drew her Sai.

"Do you have any idea how much I hate musicals?" Chesire asked, her anger evident in her voice, "I'm going to enjoy beating you to a pulp for making me be a part of one!"

"I swear to you, I had no idea it was going to happen!" Harry said quickly, "But I will admit that it was frigging hilarious! You look good in a dress!"

Chesire growled angrily and charged forward, swinging her Sai to cut Harry's throat; Harry ducked quickly and transformed one of his tentacles into a boxing glove, which he sent hurtling at Chesire's stomach. Chesire backflipped away from the glove, throwing her Sai at Harry's head as she landed; Harry's tentacles came to his defense instantly, catching the Sai and throwing it back at Chesire, who caught it inches from impaling her in the face and spun it into her grip upside down.

Another Assassin came out of nowhere and tried to behead Harry, forcing him to turn his attention away from Chesire to duck out of the way; with a sneer of contempt, Harry wrapped one of his tentacles around the Assassin's leg and spun him in a three-sixty circle before releasing the leg and sending the Assassin flying into the wall before falling to the floor in an unconscious heap.

Turning back to Chesire, Harry's eyes widened in alarm as he saw that she had jumped at him and was about to impale him with her Sai; reacting without thinking, Harry's tentacles turned into a large hand and backhanded the girl, sending her to the floor for a moment. As she rose to her feet, Harry realized that his attack had knocked her mask off, and he started with surprise as he saw that Chesire was actually a teenage girl with slightly Asian features and cool brown eyes.

"You're Chesire?" Harry asked in shock, "You're a teenager!"

"No shit Sherlock!" Chesire sneered as she picked up a nearby fallen sword and rose to her feet; cracking her neck, Chesire smirked at Harry for a moment before charging forward again, her sword raised high to cut him in half.

XXXX

Raven had just begun her evening meditation when someone pounded on her door; sighing with annoyance, Raven lowered herself to the ground and went to the door. When it opened, Raven felt surprised as she saw it was her Aunt Andi and that she looked scared.

"What's wrong?" Raven asked in her monotone voice as she saw her Aunt's worried look,

"I went to Harry's room to tell him dinner was ready, and he wasn't there, but I sensed someone else."

"Who?" Raven asked as she spread her awareness throughout the tower, looking for Harry,

"I don't know," Andromeda responded at once, "Whoever it was felt…. Mad, like a prisoner of Azkaban."

Raven slowly closed her eyes as a sudden headache began; with a sigh of annoyance, she whispered out one word.

"Lunatic…."

"Who?" Andromeda asked with a raised brow,

"A boy who Harry met three years ago in Gotham and has since decided that he and Harry are best friends." Raven said with annoyance, "He's completely insane and has the ability to alter reality within his immediate surroundings."

"That's incredible," Andromeda breathed, her eyes wide at what Raven had just told her, "Any idea where they'd go?"

"No," Raven replied with a sigh, "We'll have to wait until he and Harry come back."

"Are you sure that's wise?" Andromeda asked, "They could be in trouble!"

"They most likely are," Raven responded, "Knowing Lunatic. But until they return, we cannot find them."

"Okay then," Andromeda replied after a moment's hesitation, "If you're sure. Dinner's ready when you are."

"Thank you, Aunt Andi," Raven replied, following Andromeda out into the hall and toward the dining area.

XXXX

Lunatic was having the time of his life; he had his friend back for the first time in almost a year. He wondered where Harry had been for the last nine months and planned to ask later, but for now, he was focused on the beautiful chaos he had created.

As an Assassin tried to behead Lunatic, he suddenly raised his hand, palm up at his attacker, and called out,

"Wait!"

Instantly, the Assassin froze in place as Lunatic pulled a steaming cup of tea from his coat and proceeded to take a sip, sighing in contentment afterward,

"Ah, that's better," Lunatic said with genuine pleasure before tossing the cup away, "I needed that! Okay, time in."

The Assassin unfroze and continued his attack, only to have Lunatic deliver a quick kick to the Assassin's genitals, causing him to grab his mid-section and groan in pain as they fell to the ground.

Laughing in delight, Lunatic turned to find his next opponent, only to come face-to-face with Luthor's blonde companion, who was currently pointing her arm cannon at Lunatic's head with a pleased look on her face.

"That's a big gun," Lunatic responded, "Compensating much?"

"I'm going to enjoy killing you," the blonde said with a sneer as the cannon powered up; before she could fire, Lunatic waved his hand, causing a cartoonishly large hammer to appear over the woman's head. The woman, too focused on killing Lunatic, didn't notice the hammer as it came down on her head with a loud 'gong,' causing the woman's eyes to roll into the back of her head as she collapsed to the floor like a puppet whose strings had been cut.

Cackling madly, Lunatic conjured a unicycle as he looked for his next victim to play with.

XXXX

Harry ducked under a swing from Chesire as he studied the girl; she appeared to be only a few years older than him, perhaps sixteen or seventeen, and as he backflipped away from another attack, Harry found himself admitting that she was actually very pretty for a homicidal villain.

"You made a stupid mistake in humiliating The Demon's Head," Chesire said as she tried to disembowel Harry, "No matter where you run, we will never stop hunting you for this offense!"

"It wasn't me!" Harry said in annoyance, "I was just brought around for the ride!"

"Irrelevant!" Chesire snapped, "You will pay all the same!"

With a sigh of exasperation, Harry raised her hand, causing his tentacles to shoot out at her; dodging quickly, Chesire managed to dodge five of them, only for the sixth one to deliver a decisive blow to the side of her head in the form of a war club. Chesire's eyes widened briefly before they rolled into her head, and she crumpled to the ground.

As Harry looked across the warehouse, he saw Lunatic singing a particular dirty song about a soldier and a farmer's daughter as he smacked anyone unfortunate enough to come near him with what looked like a purple dildo. Harry didn't know which made him blush more, the song or the adult toy his friend used as a weapon.

"Looney!" Harry shouted, making his friend look at him, "Stop screwing around and get us out of here!"

"But there's still so many more people to hurt!" Lunatic pouted as an Assassin tried to attack Lunatic from behind, only to crumple to the ground. Lunatic raised his fist and punched the Assassin in the jaw with a swift hit.

"Now!" Harry snapped,

"Fine," Lunatic sighed before pulling off his hat and throwing it to the ground; not wasting a moment, Harry lunged forward and jumped into the hat as Lunatic followed suit. As both boys disappeared into the hat, the few remaining Assassins swarmed the spot where the boys had just been standing, only to growl in annoyance as their targets escaped them.

"It would seem as though they have escaped, father," Talia Al Ghul said with a hint of amusement,

"I want them found," Ras Al Ghul said at once, "Such insolence must be punished, no matter their age."

"Agreed," Luthor growled with barely contained rage, coming up to Ras, "I'll pay any price you ask if you turn them over to me when you find them."

"I'll keep that in mind," Ras sneered, glancing at Luthor quickly before turning back to his daughter, Talia.

"I think Damien is friends with Arcane," Talia said thoughtfully, "I'll reach out and see what he knows about our two pranksters."

"Good," Ras said before returning to a scowling Luthor, "Shall we continue our business, then?"

XXXX

As Harry and Lunatic reappeared in Harry's room, Lunatic fell to the ground laughing as Harry lay on his back and tried to catch his breath;

"That was great!" Lunatic said happily, sitting on Harry's bed and smiling at his friend.

"No, that was nuts!" Harry groaned, rising into a sitting position as he glared at Lunatic; a moment later, Harry's door hissed open, making the two boys turn to see who had entered, only to see a glaring Raven.

"Hello, Raven!" Lunatic called happily, "How are you?"

"Lunatic," Raven said simply before turning to Harry, "You were told not to leave the tower."

"Yeah?" Harry sneered, "So what?"

For a moment, Harry and Raven glared at one another before Raven finally shook her head and turned back to Lunatic,

"Time to leave, Lunatic," Raven said softly, "My brother and I need to talk,"

"Okay," Lunatic said sadly before turning to Harry, "Guess this is bye for now, then. Thanks for making merry with me!"

"Anytime," Harry laughed, "But next time, please pick a less dangerous target!"

"No promises!" Lunatic shouted as he took off his hat and jumped into it, his voice echoing as he disappeared.

When Harry and Raven were finally alone, Harry turned to his sister and scowled softly at her,

"So, what do you want?"

"I told you not to leave the tower," Raven said simply, "You disobeyed me."

"You betrayed me," Harry replied, making Raven wince, "So, why should I listen to you?"

"I didn't betray you, Harry," Raven said softly, "I was trying to help you. To make sure that you wouldn't end up like me, forced to suppress your emotions for fear of losing control of your powers."

"You promised that you would never let anyone hurt me ever again," Harry snapped back, "And yet, you let the Justice League torture me! Nearly kill me! When all you had to do was tell me the truth about what was happening to me! I would have let you perform any ritual you needed to if you had just been honest! Instead, you lied to me and almost cost me my soul!"

"Harry….. I…." Raven began, only to stop as Harry cut her off,

"Just leave me alone,"

Knowing nothing else needed to be said, Raven turned and floated out of Harry's room, neither sibling noticing the tears that were running down the faces of the other.

XXXX

Author's Note:

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter as much as I liked writing it. Men in Tights belongs to Mel Brooks, and as such, I claim no ownership of it. To those who keep messaging me asking why I changed the chapter before last and took away the sentience of Harry's tentacles, the answer is that ten minutes after releasing the chapter, I was inundated with PMs telling me how much it sucked and lacked originality. I changed it because I was tired of hearing how much people hated it. Hopefully, the next chapter will take less time to put out. Also, people have been bugging me, asking if I plan on putting the young justice team in here, and I honestly don't know. I wrote this as a Teen Titans story, so I don't know if I'll put the young justice in here.

Chapter Text

The hospital ward was dark and silent, save for the occasional shriek or bout of insane laughter that originated from the bed of one of the patients.
Suddenly, a black formless void appeared in the center of the ward; a moment later, the void faded away, revealing Raven, who quickly took a look around the dark ward before finding the reason for her visit.

Closing her eyes, Raven extended her senses to see if there were any security personnel nearby; to her relief, it seemed that the only person on hand was a sleeping security wizard who was quietly snoring at his desk outside the ward.

As she approached the two patients who were sleeping quietly side-by-side, Raven felt a tear run down her cheek, which she quickly wiped away.
"Hello, Aunt Alice," Raven whispered sadly, before turning to the sleeping man beside her, "Hello, Uncle Frank."
As Raven looked down on the two sleeping patients, Raven couldn't help but stifle a sob as she saw how different her godparents looked from the last time she had seen them; the bright, wonderful woman that had been Alice Longbottom had been replaced with a shell of her former self, and Raven felt her heart break as she looked down at her sleeping godmother.

Raven had first been made aware of the Longbottom's status years prior when she had first confronted Dumbledore about Harry being alive; however, she had been too preoccupied with retrieving Harry from Petunia to actually understand what Dumbledore had said.
It had only been when Raven came to Saint Mungo's a few weeks ago to check on the status of Professor McGonagall that Raven had seen firsthand how truly damaged her surrogate Aunt and Uncle truly had become.
Raven had been so relieved to discover her Aunt Minnie was alive; she was enraged beyond belief at Snape for attacking Raven and, more importantly, her, and had made some rather colorful threats against the now arrested Potions Professor, which made even Raven blush at her Aunt's language.
As she was leaving her Aunt Minnie's room, Raven had encountered Neville Longbottom and his grandmother; after several moments of polite conversation, Raven had asked whom they were visiting, resulting in a heartbroken look from Neville while his grandmother explained her son and daughter-in-law's condition.

Raven's shock must have been seen on her face, for Augusta Longbottom quickly thanked Raven for her concern before excusing herself and Neville, saying that they were late for an appointment.
Raven didn't know what her plan was in coming here; all she knew was that she needed to get away from the Tower for a little while. Things between her and Harry had begun to get worse, despite the many attempts Raven had made at reconciliation. Even the therapy sessions between Black Canary and Harry had yielded very little result, as Harry often refused to speak to the hero at all; often, Harry would simply sit and glower at the heroine until it was finally to end their session, at which point Harry would get up and stomp out. Raven understood her little brother's anger; she might have even reacted the same way, were she in Harry's place, but that didn't mean it didn't hurt to see Harry glare at her with so much directed anger, where once there was only love.
Suddenly, Alice Longbottom awoke and saw Raven looking down at her; quickly issuing a quiet cry of terror, Alice pulled the blanket up to her nose so that only her eyes and the top of her head were visible.

"Shh, it's okay!" Raven said softly, lifting her hands to show she meant no harm, "I'm not here to hurt you, Aunt Alice."
Raven's words seemed to do no good; either that or Alice was simply too insane to understand what Raven was saying because Alice issued a louder cry of terror and pulled the blanket over her head so that she was hidden completely.

Fighting back her raging emotions, Raven slowly approached the shaking figure under the blanket and placed a hand gently on top of Alice's head.
"Sleep, Aunt Alice," Raven said, pouring magic into her words and causing her Aunt's shaking to slow until she eventually fell back onto her pillow, fast asleep.
As she stared down at her Aunt, Raven felt grief tear through her like a knife; Alice Longbottom deserved so much more than this. She deserved a life filled with happiness with her husband and son; she deserved a life just as wonderful and amazing as she was, and yet all of those things had been ripped away from her by the same people who had destroyed Raven and Harry's lives.

Raven had just turned to leave when she felt Alice shoot forward and grab her wrist; looking down back in surprise, Raven saw Alice looking at her with a pleading expression, as though Alice, for just a moment, remembered who Raven was and didn't want her to leave.
"Aunt Alice?" Raven asked in a soft hopeful voice. For a moment, Raven dared to hope that Alice might actually remember her, but that hope was quickly dashed when Alice released her hold on Raven's wrist and fell back onto the bed. A moment later, Alice was fast asleep again as Raven fought back her tears; ever since Harry had come back into her life, Raven had discovered that it had become increasingly harder to suppress her emotions like she used to do.
As Raven gazed down at her Aunt and Uncle, an idea suddenly popped into her head: an impossible, amazing idea that came from nowhere and left her breathless. Was it possible? Could it actually work?

"Only one way to find out…" Raven said softly before sinking down in a meditative pose between the two beds.
"Azarath Metrion Zynthos," Raven said softly as her body began to rise into the air, finally stopping when she was nearly two feet off of the floor, "Azarath Metrion Zynthos."
An instant later, what looked like a black tentacle emerged from Raven's forehead and shot into Alice's head, connecting the two like a taut rope.
XXXX

When Raven opened her eyes again, she saw that she was standing in what looked like a large dungeon in front of a set of stone steps that were leading down; along the wall leading down the stairs was a set of torches that gave the stairway an eerie glow.
Steeling her nerves, Raven began to slowly descend the stairs; after descending several rotations, Raven found herself standing in front of a long stone hallway whose only lights were the torches on the wall.

"What is this?" Raven asked out loud as she tried to look down the stone hallway; a sudden scream echoed throughout the hallway, making Raven jump. A moment later, insane laughter followed the scream, and Raven found herself swallowing nervously.
As another bout of insane laughter echoed down the hallway, Raven found herself flying down the hallway, desperately seeking whoever was screaming; as she reached the end of the chamber, Raven found herself facing a horrifying sight.
Alice Longbottom was lying on the floor of a cell, screaming in pain as she curled in on herself; standing on the other side of the cell and laughing insanely, was a wild-looking witch with bushy black hair.

As Raven watched in growing horror, she saw that the wild-haired witch was holding a wand in front of Alice and shooting a red beam of light at the screaming witch; as though sensing that someone else was there, the wild-haired witch ended her spell and turned to face Raven, a crazed smile crossing her face as she saw the girl.

"Ooh! Who is this!" The wild-haired witch cackled, "Someone new for dear Bella to play with?"
"Whoever you are…" Alice groaned, trying and failing to rise up on her arms, "Run…"
"I'm not going anywhere!" Raven snarled, raising her fists offensively, "Whoever you are, get the hell away from my Aunt Alice!"
"Raven….?" Alice whispered in shock as she lay on the floor, her body twitching occasionally from the pain of the spell.

"Ah! Bella knows you!" The wild-haired witch cried out happily, "You're the Potter's little brat! Bella loves playing with brats!"

"You're Bellatrix Lestrange," Raven said, finally recognizing who the witch was, "Glad to know you're just as sadistic and insane as you are in the real world."
Bellatrix snarled at that and whipped her arm out at Raven, sending a red beam at the girl, causing Raven to quickly dodge out of the way before flying at Bellatrix as fast as she could; as Raven approached, Bellatrix found she couldn't get out of the way in time and received a brutal punch to the jaw which knocked her back against the door of Alice's cell.

Not wasting a minute, Raven grabbed the front of Bellatrix's robes and pulled the stunned witch to her feet, delivering another punch to Bellatrix's stomach, which made the witch double over. Raven followed it up with an uppercut that sent Bellatrix crashing against the bars of Alice's cell once again.

"You are no longer welcome here, specter!" Raven snarled, "Begone!"

Bellatrix looked up at Raven with hatred in her eyes before gripping her wand tightly,
"No one but the Dark Lord commands me!"
As she jumped to her feet and raised her wand to deliver another curse, Raven simply raised her hand and extended it at Bellatrix, palm open at the seething witch.

"I said begone!"

Before Bellatrix could utter a word, a golden ray of light shot out of Raven's hand and slammed into Bellatrix's middle, causing the witch to shriek in agony as she transformed into golden light and faded away; once the witch was gone, Raven quickly opened the cell door and slowly approached her fallen Aunt,
"Aunt Alice, are you okay?" Raven asked as she gently pulled the witch off of the ground and into her arms,

"Raven?" Alice asked as she gazed up at the smiling girl, "Little Raven?"

"Yeah, Aunt Alice," Raven said softly as her Aunt caressed Raven's face lovingly, "It's me."
"Oh, you've grown so beautiful," Alice said with a smile, "And I missed it…"
"It's okay, Aunt Alice," Raven said softly, "I'm here now. You're safe now."
"You came for me?" Alice asked weakly,
"Of course I did," Raven replied with a smile, "I'm just sorry I didn't do it sooner."
"Neville…?" Alice asked softly,
"He's waiting for you," Raven said as a tear ran down her face, "You've been dreaming for long enough, Aunt Alice. Now, it's time to wake up."
A sudden burst of light enveloped the cell and the hallway beyond, causing both witches to close their eyes as the light spread out, covering everything it came across.
XXXX

As the tentacle slowly retracted from Alice's head and back into Raven's, the girl slowly opened her eyes, showing that they had returned to normal. Looking down at Alice, Raven smiled as she saw her Aunt slowly open her eyes and look at Raven for a moment before a gentle smile appeared.

"Raven…?" Alice asked in a croaked voice that sounded as though it had not been used in a long time.
"Sleep, Aunt Alice," Raven said softly, "You'll need your strength for the coming days."
Alice's eyes slowly shut again as soon as the words were out of Raven's mouth; a moment later, Alice was softly snoring, looking far calmer than she had when Raven first appeared.
Turning to the sleeping form of her Uncle Frank, Raven smiled gently again before closing her eyes and saying softly,
"Now, it's your turn, Uncle Frank. It's time to wake up…"
XXXX

Several hours later, Raven watched from under Harry's invisibility cloak as Neville sobbed his heart out into his mother's chest as she held him in her arms and gently stroked his hair. As Raven watched with a smile, she saw that Alice seemed to be looking right at her and was smiling happily, even as tears ran freely down her cheeks.
A moment later, Raven's eyes widened as she watched Alice mouth at her a simple sentence,
"Thank you, Raven."
Nodding her head, despite her shock at being seen, Raven quickly enveloped herself in her power and teleported back to Titans Tower, feeling much better than she had the previous day.
XXXX

Chapter Text

Lex Luthor had many attributes that he was justly proud of; he was the CEO of a multi-billion-dollar company, he was the holder of more than three dozen patents that had revolutionized the world several times over, and he was one of the smartest men on the face of the planet.
But what Lex was right now was enraged; no, that wasn't the correct word to properly describe what Lex was feeling. No, what Lex was feeling was apoplectic; and the reason for reaching this new level of rage that seemed to consume his entire being was a simple laptop that sat in front of him and displayed a video that had been uploaded to the internet several days ago and had already been viewed by more than two million people across the globe, a number which was still climbing.

As Lex watched the video of himself, Ras Al Ghul, and the rest of the League of Assassins dance around and sing "Men in Tights," he felt himself reach unconsciously into his desk drawer and pull out a small revolver; a moment later, Lex fired several shots into the laptop screen, not stopping until he heard the click indicating that he was out of bullets.

Throwing the revolver away in disgust, Lex rose to his feet and stalked to the large window; locking his hands behind his back, Lex stared out at the city of Metropolis, his thoughts whirring angrily as he gazed down at the seat of his empire.
"The whole world is laughing at me," Lex growled as he gazed out at the city; the more Lex considered the current situation, the angrier he seemed to become, his rage reaching levels that even he didn't know existed within himself.

"To be fair," Lex's assistant, Mercy Graves, replied in a low voice, "The world is laughing at the League of Assassins as well. I doubt Ras Al Ghul will long allow that to continue."

Turning to face his assistant, Lex's eyes narrowed as he thought over her words; he could see the barely contained rage that her face showed, and felt satisfied that she understood his current mood, since it was one, she shared as well.
"No doubt Ras will have to make an example of Arcane and Lunatic," Lex sneered as he turned back to the window, "He will not have a choice, not unless he wishes his reputation, and that of the League of Assassins, to take a rather large hit."
"So, what are we going to do?" Mercy asked, "Allow the League to handle it?"

"Of course not!" Lex spat back, losing his calm demeanor for a moment, "We will simply have to move faster than Ras to achieve retribution."
"Meaning?" Mercy asked with a raised brow,
"Meaning," Lex sneered as he turned back to face her, "That I will not allow Ras Al Ghul and his band of martial art fanatics to get to those two children before I do! I want you to put a bounty on Arcane and Lunatic's head so large that every assassin, mercenary, and monster will literally be killing each other for the chance to get to them first!"

"That's an impressive order," Mercy replied with a smirk, "How much exactly should I put as reward?"
"Did I stutter?" Lex growled, "Money is no object! I just want those brats found and brought to me, alive!"
"Alive?" Mercy asked in surprise, "Are you sure about that, sir?"
"No one will kill them but me!" Lex spat back at once, stalking quickly back to his chair and tenting his fingers, his elbows resting on the desk in front of him as he sat back down, "Those two insolent brats dared to disrespect Lex Luthor, and I will make them dearly regret that mistake before I finally allow them to die."

Swallowing nervously at the madness that she saw in her boss's eyes, Mercy quickly made her way out of the office to make a few phone calls; while it was true that what Arcane and Lunatic had done to her was humiliating, even she felt sorry for what the pair of them would soon be experiencing before Lex was done with them, and that was if the League of Assassins didn't get to them first.
XXXX

"Harry, we can't keep doing this," Dinah 'Black Canary' said patiently as she gazed at the scowling boy sitting across from her, "This is our fifth session together, and all you've done is sit and glare at me the entire time."
"Just because I'm being ordered to be here, doesn't mean I have to talk to you," Harry sneered back as he glared at the heroine, "And I have nothing I want to say!"

Smiling patiently, Dinah gazed at the boy who had become her newest patient for the last few weeks; he was sitting across from her, with only a small coffee table between the two; Dinah was wearing her normal 'Canary' outfit, which consisted of a black top under a motorcycle jacket and fishnet stockings. Harry, on the other hand, was wearing a black sleeveless 'Drowning Pool' t-shirt, a torn pair blue jeans, and a black and red pair of all-star sneakers; his long hair was tied behind his head, and his raven earring had been replaced with a simple small gold hoop.
As Harry crossed his arms over his chest and glared at Dinah, she couldn't help but let out a sigh at what appeared to be another wasted session.
"Then, I guess we'll just have to try again tomorrow, won't we?"

"What?" Harry cried in annoyance, "Ron and Hermione are coming tomorrow!"
"Yes they are," Dinah replied with a smirk, "And instead of hanging out with them, you'll be here with me."
"That's not fair!" Harry cried angrily, "That's… that's blackmail!"

Dinah couldn't help but laugh at that, causing Harry's glare to intensify,
"Maybe it is, but if it's the only way to get you to talk to me, then so be it."

"What is with you people!" Harry scoffed, throwing his hands up as he fell back against the chair, "I got possessed by a demon! So what? I'm still alive, and feel better than ever, so what do we need to talk about!"

"Harry, we both know that is not all that happened…" Dinah said softly, making Harry sneer at her.
"Oh yeah, I forgot the part where your friends trapped me in a magic circle and then proceeded to torture me!"
Dinah frowned at that, biting her lip anxiously; her personal opinion was that Batman and the others had gone too far, and she had in fact, told them so when she volunteered to be the Justice League's liaison with the Titans.

"The Justice League's approach may have been wrong," Dinah replied in a soft voice, "Of that, we can both agree. But their hearts were in the right place, Harry. They were trying to help you."

"Yeah right," Harry scoffed, rolling his eyes at Dinah, "They have a funny way of showing it."
"Harry, why don't we just skip to the real reason you're so angry, and who that anger is directed at…"
"You don't know anything," Harry sneered back, looking away from Dinah, and toward the large window that showed the sea outside.
"I know more than you think," Dinah replied with a patient smile,
"Oh yeah?" Harry scoffed, looking back at her with a raised brow, "Go on, then. Enthrall me with your acumen."

"You've suffered horrors that most can scarcely imagine," Dinah replied sadly, "Abused by the ones who were supposed to take care of you."
"Shut up…" Harry growled softly, looking away from the heroine,
"And then one day, your big sister comes and saves you," Dinah continued, "And promises that you'll never be hurt like that again."

"I said shut up," Harry growled, louder this time as he squeezed his eyes shut, as if he could block out the sound of her voice.
"And then when the Justice League hurt you, you watched while she did nothing to stop it, and now you feel betrayed."
"She did betray me!" Harry shouted, jumping to his feet, and using his tentacles to throw the coffee table across the room, "She promised! She promised me that she would always protect me! And then she just let them hurt me!"
"And you hate her for that…" Dinah said softly,
"Yes! I mean no!" Harry said quickly as he began to pace in front of Dinah, "I mean…. I don't know!"

Falling almost defeatedly back onto the chair, Harry rested his head in his hands for a moment before looking up at Dinah with a heartbroken expression; Dinah wisely chose to stay quiet, sensing that Harry was approaching an important moment in his therapy.
"I don't hate her," Harry said softly, "I mean, she's my big sister. She saved me from the Dursley's! She's the reason I want to become a hero, so how can I hate her! But I…."

"You feel betrayed," Dinah added, making Harry quickly nod his head,
"Exactly! She promised that she wouldn't let anyone hurt me again! And then she just stood there while your 'friends' tortured me! She just let them do it!"
"Harry, Raven didn't know what the League had planned," Dinah said gently, "The spell that Dr. Fate used was both crude and dangerous. He should have planned better to ensure you weren't tortured like that. From what I heard, the moment it became obvious that something was wrong, Raven tried to stop it. She did, in fact, try to save you."

Tears were now running down Harry's cheeks, and he angrily wiped them away as Dinah continued in the same gentle tone as before.
"Raven even risked her sanity and soul when she followed Dr. Fate into your mind. Trigon could very well have left her a brain-dead vegetable, yet she accepted that risk because you are her family. Your sister is hurting more than you can imagine, Harry. She thinks that the last remaining member of her family hates her; you are all she has left, and I truly believe that the thought of you leaving her terrifies her beyond anything she's ever faced. Because if you leave, she'll be all alone again, and that to her is a fate worse than death."

Biting his lip, Harry looked down at his lap for a moment before finally taking a deep breath and mumbling something so softly that Dinah couldn't catch it in time.
"What was that, Harry?"
"Trigon showed me a vision of the future…" Harry said softly, causing Dinah's eyes to widen at the fear she heard in Harry's voice, "He showed me who I become, and how it happens…."

"Go on, Harry," Dinah urged gently,
"I become a monster…" Harry whispered in a hollow voice before launching into what Trigon showed him. At the end of his story, Harry looked up from his lap and finally faced Dinah, and the heroine felt her heartbreak at the hollow look in Harry's eyes; a look no twelve-year-old should have.

"I killed so many heroes…" Harry said softly, tears running down his face, "I don't even know how many, I only recognized a few of the bodies. All I've ever wanted is to be a hero like Raven; to make our parents proud of me. To make HER proud of me. But what if my destiny isn't to be a hero, but to be this world's destroyer? How can I possibly look Raven in the eye when I know that I'll be just as bad, if not worse, than the man who killed our parents!?"
Sudden understanding bloomed in Dinah, and she mentally kicked herself for not realizing it sooner; Harry was angry with Raven, yes. But more than that, he was ashamed of what he had seen his future self do; all Harry wanted to do was be a hero. Instead, Trigon had forced the boy to watch as Harry became the worst of villains.

Before she even knew what she was doing, Dinah had risen to her feet, walked across the room, and kneeled in front of Harry, placing a calming hand on his knee as the boy bit his lip to keep from crying any more than he had already.
"Harry, listen to me," Dinah said gently, "That future that Trigon showed you is a lie!"

"How can you be sure!" Harry retorted in a hollow voice,
"I want you to listen to me very carefully, Harry," Dinah commanded with such force that all Harry could do was nod silently, "You're not a bad person! You're a very good person, who bad things have happened to, do you understand?"
Harry could do nothing but nod, before lowering his head in shame; Dinah refused to allow him to slide backwards, however, and placed her hand under his chin, forcing his head back up.

"We all have both light and dark inside us; what matters is the part you choose to act on. That's what decides who you really are."
"I don't want to become him…" Harry whimpered softly and causing Dinah to smile,
"And that is why you won't."

"I…. I don't understand," Harry said softly as Dinah smiled up at him,
"You have a lot of people who care about you, Harry. And those people will never allow you to become that monster you saw, so never think that you are alone. We're here for you, Harry, and we will never let you fall."
For a moment, Harry simply stared at Dinah as though searching her eyes for deception; a moment later, Harry lunged into Dinah's arm's and quietly cried into her shoulder as she rubbed his back.

After several moments of this, Harry finally released his hold on Dinah and hastily wiped his eyes before taking his seat again; smiling gently, Dinah rose to her feet and retook her own seat.

"I think we've made real progress here, Harry," Dinah said happily, "But I think we can still do more. For now though, I want you to stop being so hostile to your sister; perhaps even have a civilized conversation with her without coming to shouting at each other."
Harry couldn't help but laugh at Dinah's smirk as she said the last part,
"I'll try my best," Harry smirked.

"Harry, I'm serious," Dinah quickly said, "Raven is really hurting since you stopped talking to her. Even a simple hello would mean the world to her."
"I will…..try," Harry said softly, earning a genuine smile from Dinah,
"That's all I can ask for. We'll talk more next week, and I'll come up with some ideas to help with your anger."

"Okay…" Harry said softly as he rose and made his way to the door; before exiting, he turned back to Dinah one last time.
"Hey Dinah…?"
"Yes, Harry?"
"Um…. Thanks, I guess….."
"You're welcome, Harry," Dinah replied with a smirk, "Now get out of here. You have to get the Tower ready for your friends, remember?"
"Oh yeah!" Harry said cheerfully, waving one final time before speeding out the door and down the hall. As he passed by Raven, Harry slowed and said softly,

"Hello."

Quickly speeding away, Harry missed Raven's look of surprise, which quickly turned into a smile.
XXXX

Author's Note:
Next time! The Weasley's and Hermione see firsthand what it means to be a superhero and what will happen once the bounties on Harry and Loony's heads hit the street.
Tune in next time to find out!

Chapter Text

The next morning, Raven and the other Titans were enjoying a homemade breakfast, courtesy of Andromeda Tonks; said chef was wearing a light green dress and currently enjoying small talk with her niece, Raven, while her daughter, Dora, was happily munching on her eggs as she sat next to a smiling Beastboy, who was sipping a steaming cup of coffee. Dora was dressed in a pink pair of pajama bottoms and a white t-shirt, while Beastboy was wearing his traditional purple and black uniform. Not long after the incident with Trigon, when Andromeda learned that her daughter and the green shapeshifter were dating, she had taken Beastboy by the ear and had a long private discussion with the boy; no one knew what Andromeda and Beastboy had talked about, but whatever it was appeared to ease Andromeda's anxiety as she seemed to warm to her daughter's choice in relationship quickly.

The only missing Titans were Robin, who now went by the moniker 'Nightwing,' and Harry; Raven's brother had woken at near dawn and been too excited about Hermione and the Weasleys arriving later in the day to calm down since. It had been Nightwing's idea for him and Harry to spar together, not only to keep the boy busy until their guests arrived, but also to see how much stronger Harry's abilities had become since his possession at Trigon's hands. Harry had even been given permission to use his shapeshifting abilities, and that alone had made Harry almost drag Nightwing to the training room, affectionately called 'the Danger Room' by the Titans.

Cyborg had run himself ragged designing and creating the Danger Room when the Titans first formed, and the final result showed just how much work he had put into it; when completed, the Danger Room's holographic capabilities were almost amazing beyond words, capable of transforming itself into a myriad of different scenarios designed to challenge the Titans in an interminable number of different situations. So great a technological achievement was the Titan's Danger Room that the Justice League had asked Cyborg to make one for them as well, aboard the Watchtower, which was what his current project was. Though it was originally created as a means of training, Cyborg had realized too late what else the room could be used for, and had on more than occasion caught Beastboy or Harry using it to play realistic Guitar Hero.

Raven had just finished washing her plate, when the air in the center of the living room seemed to distort itself; a moment later four red-heads and one bushy haired girl were deposited onto the floor in a mass pile. The only one who managed to stay on their feet seemed to be the Weasley Matriarch, though even she seemed woozy from the international portkey.

As Molly Weasley tightened her grip on her bag and managed to right herself, her gaze turned toward the Titans who were silently staring at her and her travel companions who were currently trying to extricate themselves from the pile they found themselves in.
Molly had already been told by Hermione and her children that the Titans were what the Muggles call 'superheroes,' and that their appearance might surprise Molly, but she still wasn't prepared for the reality.

One of the Titans, in particular, made Molly's mouth drop open in shock, for he appeared to be an amalgamation of cool blue metal and dark brown skin. Seeing her staring at him, Cyborg smiled and offered a wink, causing Molly to blink and look away in shame for staring. The other Titans were equally as shocking to Molly, and she soon found herself staring against her will at them. Each was just as outlandish as the last, with the only one who looked at least halfway normal being Raven Potter, though even she pushed the boundaries of normality. Despite being close friends with the Potters in the past, the war had prevented Molly from meeting Raven as a child, and so while Molly was glad to meet the girl finally, she couldn't help but be a tad alarmed at the girl's appearance.

The eldest Potter child was barefoot and dressed quite casually, wearing a simple black pair of pajama bottoms and a matching sleeveless top; the thing that caught Molly's attention, however, it was how pale the girl was, to the point where her skin was almost gray.
"Molly!" Andromeda said warmly as she came out from the kitchen, drying her hands on a towel, "Good morning. I'm afraid we've just finished breakfast, but if you or your children are hungry, I'm sure I could whip something up."
Good morning, Andromeda," Molly replied with a smile, "I had no idea you would be joining us for the summer and thank you for the kind offer, but we ate before we left England."

"You're quite welcome," Andromeda replied, "And I was invited to stay here for the summer by my niece, and seeing as how my daughter has chosen one of her cousin's friends as her boyfriend and was already planning to stay with him for the summer before she starts her Auror training. Well, I would be remiss if I just let my daughter come here alone, without adult supervision. I'm sure you understand."

"Completely," Molly said at once with a nod; in the background, Dora groaned and rolled her eyes as Beastboy smirked from behind his coffee cup.
"So, how is Arthur doing?" Andromeda asked as she guided Molly to the table,
"Doing well," Molly replied with a smile as she took a seat and laid her bag on the floor next to her, "Unfortunately, his job wouldn't allow him to take any time off, least of all the whole summer, so he's staying with my son, Percy."

"He didn't want to come?" Beastboy asked,

"Unfortunately not," Molly responded, "He insisted that he had too much studying to do, considering next year is his O.W.L. year."

"Oh, I completely understand," Andromeda replied, "I wish Nymphadora had taken her studies as seriously during her O.W.L. year."

"I told you, DON'T call me that!" Dora complained at once, "And, if you remember, I managed to get seven owls during my exams!"
"But you could have done so much better," Andromeda said soothingly, "And as I've told YOU before, Nymphadora is a wonderful name,"
"Not bloody likely…" Dora muttered.

"And how is Ted doing?" Molly asked, trying to change the conversation, "Is he still practicing law?"
"Oh yes," Andromeda replied with a smile, "Raven made him the premier lawyer for House Potter right after making me its proxy."

"That's wonderful!" Molly replied happily,
"Indeed," Andromeda agreed at once, "Unfortunately, House Potter's last proxy was woefully incompetent, and poor Ted has been inundated with paperwork trying to repair the last few years' worth of damage, as well as see where all of House Potter's money has been going."
"Is it really that bad?" Molly asked in shock, which only grew with Andromeda's sad nod,
"Unfortunately. It's the reason he was unable to join us for the summer, the amount of work simply wouldn't allow him to get away."

As the children finally managed to untangle themselves and began to rise unsteadily to their feet, they slowly took in their surroundings and couldn't help but be impressed by what they were seeing.

"This is where you guys live?" Fred said in shock as he looked out the nearby window, taking in the beautiful ocean and beach that lay before the tower,
"Blimey…" George breathed, following his twin's gaze, "Talk about ideal real estate!"

"So you're the legendary Weasley twins, are you?" Jinx asked with a raised brow. As she approached, the twins both looked at each other nervously before turning their attention back to Jinx, a slow blush spreading up both of their necks.
The pink-haired witch was, like Raven, barefoot and still dressed in her pajamas, which consisted of a pair of checkered black and purple sleeping pants and a sleeveless purple top; finally stopping a few feet from the twins, Jinx crossed her arms over her chest and looked the pair up and down, making them both visibly gulp as her eyes narrowed.

"Harry says you two are creatures of pure chaos," Jinx said finally, "That true?"
"I wouldn't say PURE chaos…" Fred smirked,
"Aye," George added, "More like eighty percent,"

"That sounds a bit low to me, brother of mine," Fred countered.

"You may be right," George said thoughtfully, turning to face his twin, "Perhaps ninety percent sounds better?"

"Much," Fred replied with a nod before the two turned back to Jinx; the pink-haired witch looked at the two for a moment before a smile began to spread across her face as her pink cat-slit eyes twinkled mischievously.
"I think I'm gonna like the two of you," Jinx said with a wink, making the twins blush instantly as the watching Titans laughed at the twin's discomfort.
"Jinx quit teasing them," Cyborg laughed, "Besides, they're both underage!"

"Oh phooey," Jinx mock-pouted before turning on her heel and striding back to the table and sitting back down; the twins, at this point, were both blushing furiously and attempting to come up with something witty to say, only to stutter incoherently, which made the watchers chuckle more.
"Very smooth, you two…" Ginny quipped with a grin as she rose to her feet and dusted herself off, "Real lady killers, you two…"
"Shut it!" Both twins cried in unison, eliciting further laughter from the watchers as Ron continued to gaze in awe at his surroundings; finally, his gaze fell on Cyborg, and Ron's eyebrows shot to his forehead.

"Wicked…" Ron breathed, causing Cyborg to grin before he raised his coffee cup in a toast at Ron, who smiled back shyly; before he could say anything more, however, Hermione had jumped to her feet and practically shoved Ron out of the way as she made a beeline straight for Cyborg.

"You're Cyborg!" Hermione cried excitedly,
"Indeed I am, kid," Cyborg said with a smile, "And you must be Hermione Granger. Harry's told us a lot about you in his letters."

Fighting back the blush that was growing across her cheeks, Hermione quickly steeled her nerves and asked the single question that had been plaguing her since meeting Harry Potter,
"How did you do it?"

"Do it?" Cyborg asked in confusion, "You're going to have to be a bit more specific, Ms. Granger,"
"How did you manage to make magic and electricity interact around each other?" Hermione replied at once, "Everything I've read says that it shouldn't be possible, yet I've had to watch time and again as Harry continuously defies logic and convention! How?!"
As Cyborg looked down at the girl, he had to stifle back a laugh; Hermione was practically bouncing with the need to understand the unknown.
"Oh, that!" Cyborg laughed, "Actually, that was mostly Jinx. I just supplied the materials."
Jinx raised her coffee cup at Cyborg, while Hermione cast a nervous at the so-called 'Queen of Misfortune.'
"She's the one who figured out how to make magic and electricity interact around each other without canceling each other out," Cyborg continued, bringing Hermione's attention back to him.

"But HOW?!" Hermione practically growled and making Cyborg and Jinx grin mischievously; motioning for Jinx to take over, Cyborg walked into the kitchen and poured himself another cup of coffee.

"I simply put conversion runes on a few crystals so that the magic would be converted into electricity. Then I used a bit of charms mixed with a bit of transfiguration to combine the crystal with whatever it's supposed to be powering, thereby not only allowing technology and magic to interact around one another, but also creating limitless energy to power it." Jinx said with a wink,
Hermione gaped, "Of course! It's so simple! How has no one thought of it before?!"

"Because none of them are me," Jinx said with a sneer, "And also, because most of the Magic World is stupid…"
"Jinx…" Raven said with a raised brow, as she saw Molly glaring at the pink-haired witch, "Play nice…"
Rather than reply, Jinx chose instead to stick her tongue out at Raven, who shook her head with a small smirk as Hermione continued to ask Jinx questions,
"But this is a major technological achievement! Why haven't you released your results to the Magical World? This could change the way that wizards and witches interact with muggles!"

"Yes it could," Jinx nodded before a hard look came across her face, "But why would I ever help the people who ruined my life? I'd rather let them stew in their own ignorant problems."

Seeing that Jinx's words were about to cause a massive argument with the Weasley Matriarch, Raven quickly stepped in and redirected the conversation.
"If you'll all follow me, I'll show you where you'll be staying while with us at Titans Tower," Raven said in a polite voice, "And after you're settled, me and my friends will give everyone a tour."

"Where's Harry?" Ron asked as he and the others picked up their bags and followed Raven into the hallway, leaving the remaining Titans to finish breakfast with Andromeda and Dora.

"He's currently training with Nightwing, but shouldn't be too much longer," Raven replied to the confusion of the group.
"Who?" Ron asked at once,
"My apologies," Raven replied, "Robin has decided to change his name and has chosen the new moniker of Nightwing as his replacement."

"But why?" Hermione asked in surprise; she knew that there were three other 'Robin's,' (well, two now since Joker had killed the last one several years ago), and while she could admit that it probably got confusing at times, she still couldn't understand why the Robin she knew would want to throw away his name.
"That's his story to tell," Raven replied, "Not mine."

"Can we watch Harry train?" Ron asked excitedly; he knew that Harry was a superhero, but aside from showing off his tentacles and flying a few times, his friend had never really told Ron or Hermione what he could do, and Ron desperately wanted to find out.

After a few moments of silent thought, Raven finally nodded her head and beckoned the group to follow her as she took a different hallway than the one they had been going down,

"I don't see why not," Raven replied with a smirk, "Follow me."

A wave of excitement seemed to pass through the group at Raven's words, and they eagerly followed behind the girl; Molly followed as well, though with a confused expression on her face as she wondered what type of training young Harry could be doing during the summer and what kind it could be that could make her kids so excited to see it.
XXXX

Harry smirked as one of his tentacles wrapped around Harley Quinn's neck before throwing her into the charging form of the Joker; as the two collided and crashed to the ground, they both seemed to shatter into a million pieces of light before disappearing a second later. Not far away, Nightwing was watching with crossed arms, and Harry had to admit that his new uniform looked pretty cool; the blue and black seemed to go together really well, though Harry would never admit it. Out of all the Titans that had participated in 'helping' Harry, it was Nightwing that Harry had been quickest to forgive, if only for the fact that the hero had done what Harry had desperately wanted to do, which was slug Batman for causing Harry pain in the first place.

"That makes it 10-0 in my favor. I guess your baddies ain't as difficult to beat as you think. What else you got?" Harry asked with a smirk as he lazily dusted off the shoulders of his uniform, and making Nightwing raise an eyebrow,

"Oh, you wanna play?" Nightwing asked as a smirk of his own appeared, "Ok then, let's play."

Before Harry could ask what Nightwing meant, the hero suddenly called out,
"Begin training scenario codenamed: Clausewitz."
"Clausewitz?" Harry said in confusion; he had never heard of this training program before, which was strange because he thought he knew them all, "Like the general?"

Before Nightwing could answer, the room began to change and shift around Harry, momentarily causing the boy to stumble as he tried to regain his footing; when the room finally resettled, Harry found himself standing in what appeared to be a destroyed city. As he looked back to where Nightwing had been standing, Harry saw, to his annoyance, that the hero had disappeared, leaving Harry quite alone. Spinning around to make sure that he was indeed alone, Harry couldn't help but notice how quiet it was around him, eerily so, in fact.

"You would figure with destruction on this scale, there would be some kind of noise," Harry thought as he looked at the devastation before him; as far as he could see, it was nothing but destruction, with a few of the buildings still on fire, causing smoke to billow toward the sky like waves from the ocean.
Before he could think on the silence any longer, Harry was suddenly launched forward as something hit him hard in the back and sent him crashing to the ground. Quickly jumping to his feet, Harry felt the blood run from his face (though no one could see it, thanks to his hood) as he saw who had attacked him.

"Never lower your defenses whilst in enemy territory," Slade said simply as he crossed his arms over his chest, "First lesson of combat."
"Oh crap…" Harry replied, unable to stop himself as he looked at the Titan's greatest adversary; the real Slade had decided that the Titans were no longer worthy of his time, it seemed, as he hadn't been seen in Jump City in some time, but Harry knew that Nightwing truly meant to test him if Slade was to be his opponent.

"Ready for your next lesson, Arcane?" Slade asked before charging forward. Knowing that his only chance of winning was to end the fight quickly, Harry immediately wrapped his tentacles around him and transformed into the first thing that popped into his head, that being the Incredible Hulk. Unfortunately, while Harry may have looked like the green monster, he lacked the Hulk's strength, and as Harry raised his fists into the air and slammed them into the ground, hoping to squash his charging opponent, Slade easily jumped aside before delivering a powerful uppercut to Harry's chin which knocked the boy onto his back, and ended the transformation.

"Second rule," Slade drawled, "Bigger doesn't always mean better."

As Harry quickly rose to his feet, he suddenly received a solid punch to the jaw from his left, sending him slamming back to the ground and sliding several feet away as Slade spoke again,
"Third rule, and perhaps most important, never assume that your opponent is alone."

Shaking his head to end the dizziness that assaulted him, Harry rose to his feet and quickly took a look around to see who had attacked him, only for his eyes to widen in alarm at what he was seeing.

Slade was standing on the opposite side of Harry, staring at the boy with his arms crossed over his chest; that wasn't what made Harry suddenly nervous about his chances of winning this fight. No, what made Harry nervous was the fact that standing behind Slade were three other villains, each wearing a smile of anticipation at the coming battle; as Harry gazed at the faces of Copperhead, Solomon Grundy, and Giganta, he knew that he was in a lot of trouble and wished he had kept his mouth shut instead of taunting Nightwing.

As Slade pulled a sword from the sheath on his back, Harry couldn't help but gulp nervously,
"Ready for your last lesson, Arcane?" Slade drawled as the villains behind him readied themselves to attack.

"Bring it, you one-eyed prick," Harry spat back as his tentacles emerged from his back and began transforming themselves into different weapons.
Narrowing his eye in anger, Slade issued a roar of challenge before charging toward Harry; behind Slade, the other villains followed suit, each determined to kill Arcane first.
XXXX

As the group approached a pair of doors, Raven directed them to follow her through the ones on the left,
"This door leads to the Danger Room," Raven said, indicating the door on the right, "It's a holographic room where the Titans do most of our training, though it can be used for far more than that."

"Like what?" Hermione asked excitedly,

"Pretty much any scenario or interaction you can think of," Raven replied, "Within reason, of course. Cyborg had to add some security protocols after we caught Jinx using it for…. dates."

Not many seemed to understand what Raven was implying, but Hermione seemed to as she blushed scarlet while Raven shuddered at the memory of walking in on Jinx and Jason Momoa making out.

"Anyway, the other room leads to the observation room, where we'll be able to watch Harry finish up his training," Raven said as the door slid open and she stepped inside; the interior was dark and cool, with a few chairs being the only furniture in it. Along the far wall, a huge window stretched from one end of the room to the other, beyond which the group could see a city on fire.

"Blimey…" Ron breathed in horror as he looked at the city, "What did that?"

Before Raven could answer, an explosion echoed from the other side of the glass, making the group (minus Raven) jump.
"You need have no fear," Raven said at once, lifting her hands in a placating manner, "The glass is made of the strongest substance on earth. Nothing can break it, so you're all safe in here."

That seemed to alleviate the fears of most, though Molly still seemed wary; Hermione was the first to approach the glass after Raven's announcement and her eyes widened at what she was seeing. As the rest of the group followed Hermione's example, they each gained the same expression, and Ron's jaw actually dropped.

A figure dressed in dark blue robes was currently fighting off four opponents simultaneously and seemed to be barely managing to win; as a man dressed like a snake lunged from a pile of rubble, aiming to land on the figure's unprotected back, the group watched in shock as a black tentacle shot out of the figure's shoulder blade and transformed into a boxing glove before delivering a devastating punch to the snake-man's face which sent the man crashing back into the rubble. A moment later, the snake-man seemed to shatter into pieces, which instantly turned into light and disappeared.

"That's Arcane!" Hermione cried excitedly, and making the other's turn to her,

"Arcane?" Ron replied, "Isn't that what you called Harry the first time you met him?"

Suddenly, Ron's eyes seemed to light up in understanding as he turned back to watch the fight that was going on,

"Wait! You mean THAT'S Harry?!"

Smiling too widely to answer, Hermione simply nodded her head so fast that it looked like her head might fly off as the Weasleys watched the battle with greater reverence.
"Blimey…" Ron whispered as he watched his best friend deliver a quick three-punch combo to the face of what looked terrifyingly like a zombie, only for the zombie to growl angrily and backhand Harry away.

"THAT'S Harry Potter?" Molly cried in shock and horror; turning to Raven, Molly asked in a horrified voice, "How can you let him fight those monsters alone?! He's just a boy!"

"Incorrect, ma'am," Raven replied, "Harry is a hero, and this is the job."

"But he could be killed!" Molly retorted

"Unlikely," Raven shrugged, "The Danger Room has several security protocols in place to minimize physical damage and prevent loss of life. The most that Harry will get is a little beaten up, but the infirmary will have him up again in a matter of hours, depending on the injury."

"Beaten up?" Molly breathed in horror, "And you're okay with this? With watching your brother get 'beaten up' as you put it?!"

"As I said, this is the job," Raven replied, "And it is why we use the Danger Room to train. We fight in there and learn how to be better heroes so that when it comes time to fight in actual combat, we have learned from the mistakes made in training and don't repeat them."

"But how can you be okay with him in combat at all!" Molly cried, unable to understand how Raven could possibly be okay with this, "Children have no place on a battlefield."

For several moments, Raven didn't answer, simply stared at the fight going occurring on the other side of the glass; Harry was currently engaged in combat with Cheetah, and as he delivered a bicycle kick to the villains chest, Raven finally sighed and turned to look at Molly.

"I can assure you, Mrs. Weasley, if I had my way, Harry would never get hurt. I would give up my life and everything I own just to make him smile, that's how much my brother means to me. But from the moment he returned to my life, all he wanted to do was be a hero like me. I could no more stop him from doing this than I could stop him from breathing. Being a hero isn't just a job to Harry. It's who he is."

Before anything else could be said, the group was distracted by the sight of Harry being grabbed by a giant woman that made everyone's (once again, minus Raven) eyes widen in alarm; as the group watched, the woman closed her fist around Harry's body as he struggled to free himself, and brought her other fist back as though to punch the boy clutched in her grasp.

"Whoa, that's one BIG woman!" Fred said in shock,
"You can say that again!" George added.

"That's Giganta," Hermione said at once, "She's a super-villain with the ability to alter her size at will,"

"Wicked…" Ginny breathed; Molly, on the other hand, looked like she was about to have a heart-attack. Were there really muggles with powers such as these in the world? If so, the Magical World was doomed should it ever be discovered.

Before Giganta would deliver the punch that would undoubtedly send Harry into the infirmary, a black tentacle shot out of the top of the boy's head, transformed into a spear, and imbedded itself directly into Giganta's hand.

"Ouch!" Giganta cried before opening her hand and allowing Harry to escape; not wasting a second, Harry flew straight at Giganta's head and put as much strength as he could into his attack as he delivered a brutal uppercut to the woman's jaw and rocking her head back.

As the villain began to fall, her body seemed to crack, and as she hit the ground, she shattered just like the snake-man had a moment ago. Turning toward Raven, Hermione couldn't help but ask,

"The holograms feel pain?"

"Not really," Raven shrugged, "When Cyborg created the Danger Room, he uploaded the files of every villain that the Justice Leage, and the Titans have ever faced so he could begin creating the training scenarios. Those files contained a LOT of information on the villains, and Cyborg's system just made realistic versions based on the files."

"That's incredible!" Hermione, "So they think, act, and even fight like their real counterparts?"

"Exactly," Raven nodded before turning back to the fight.
XXXX

As Harry watched Giganta disappear, he made a silent promise never to antagonize Nightwing ever again; Harry was beginning to understand why the training program was named after the general who came up with the idea, 'Total War.'

No matter how many supervillains Harry defeated, another seemed to take their place almost immediately, and loathe though he was to admit it, Harry was beginning to feel his reserves growing empty. He'd already defeated Copperhead, Giganta, Grodd, Toyman, Two-Face, Solomon Grundy, and Black Spider, but no matter how many villains he put down, another seemed to take it's place almost instantly.

"What's the matter, Arcane?" Slade drawled as he stepped out of the shadow of a nearby overturned bus, "You're not as fast as you were a moment ago…."

"Poor little nino," Bane added as he suddenly appeared in a flash of light, cracking his knuckles in anticipation of the upcoming fight."

As Harry glared hatefully at Slade, he saw three other bright lights flash next to Bane; a moment later, Harry felt himself groan as he saw Poison Ivy, KGBeast, and Mad Mod appear, each leering at Harry like he was a piece of meat.
XXXX

As she watched her little brother defeat Giganta, Raven felt a swell of pride; that pride was soon replaced with worry when she saw Slade step out of the shadows.

"T-that's Slade!" Hermione said in a nervous voice, "Can Harry handle him all alone?"

"Who's Slade?" Ron asked, noticing the way Hermione and Raven were nervously glancing at one another, "And why are you two so worried? Harry's amazing!"

"Slade is the Titan's greatest enemy," Raven said softly as she watched Harry wrap one of his tentacles around Mad Mod's leg and lift the villain into the air before slamming him to the ground and causing him to explode in a shower of light.

"He's more than that," Hermione added in a nervous voice, "Slade is one of the most dangerous men on earth. He's been personally responsible for more atrocities than one can count, and his body count is rumored to be in the triple digits."

The Weasleys all seemed to pale as one, Molly worst of all; Ron looked as though he wanted to charge into the room and defend his friend and was only stopped when Raven spoke again.

"Don't worry, Harry will be fine…" Raven said in a soft voice, though whether she was trying to convince the Weasleys or herself was anyone's guess, "It's not really Slade; it's just a copy. And even if Harry does get into trouble, the safety protocols will engage."
"I hope you're right," Hermione mumbled as the group turned their attention back to the fight.
XXXX

Harry growled with annoyance as he ducked under KGBeast's haymaker, leaving himself open for a counter-attack; not wasting a moment, Harry jumped into the air and delivered a devastating knee to the villain's chin, sending him onto his back. An instant later, KGBeast gasped in pain as Harry landed on top of him, driving his foot deep into the villain's stomach and making him shatter and disappear. Before he could enjoy his latest victory, however, Harry heard a shout of anger and turned on his heel to see Bane barreling toward him.

"Get over here!" Harry snarled, sending one of his tentacles shooting out of his open palm and toward Bane; as it neared the villain, the tentacle transformed into a barbed spear and embedded itself in Bane's left shoulder and exiting out the back, causing Bane to cry out in pain as the tentacle snapped taut like a rope.

Growling in pain, Bane grabbed the tentacle with his right hand and tried to pull the spear out of him, only for Harry to pull his arm back while shouting,
"Come here!"

Against his will, Bane found himself being dragged toward Harry and only had time to open his eyes in alarm before the boy delivered a powerful punch to the villain's face; unfortunately, Harry was so focused on Bane that he failed to realize Poison Ivy had snuck up behind him with a steel pipe. As the plant-themed villainess swung the pipe at Harry's head, she smiled in satisfaction, only for her expression to morph into one of shock when a second tentacle emerged from Harry's back and took on the shape of a shield and effectively blocked the attack.

"What the…" Was all Poison Ivy had time to say before Harry's head whipped around, and he took notice of her; an instant later, Ivy was being sent sailing in the opposite direction as the tentacle changed from a shield into a giant hand and bitch slapped the woman away.
As both Bane and Poison Ivy shattered and faded away, Harry saw to his relief that no other supervillains were appearing; all that remained was Slade, and if Harry beat him, the simulation would end. Just one more to go, and Harry would win.

Turning to face his final opponent, Harry tried not to show how utterly exhausted he was; he could feel his legs shaking, and Harry had to shake his head as his vision blurred for a moment.

Raising his fists defensively, Harry stared at Slade nervously; the man was leaning against the far wall of what looked like a destroyed drug store with his arms crossed over his chest. When the battle had first begun, Harry had tried to take out Slade first, knowing that he would be the toughest opponent; to Harry's frustration, it seemed that Slade had known exactly what Harry was trying to do and had disappeared soon after appearing only occasionally to taunt Harry or offer advice on how Harry could better defeat his current opponent.

"Ready to finish this?" Harry growled, making Slade tilt his head curiously,
"You can't honestly believe that you'll win," Slade mocked, "You can barely stand, boy."

"Don't call me that!" Harry snarled as memories of his life before Raven momentarily came back to him; abandoning all reason and just wanting the fight to end already, Harry charged forward, willing his tentacles to transform into blades.
XXXX

"Don't call me that!" Harry snarled before charging forward, his tentacles transforming into six sharp swords,

"He's trying to make you angry, Harry," Raven whispered as she watched Slade draw his own sword and charge at Harry, "Don't fall for it…"

"Blimey," Ginny said in awe as she and the rest of the group watched Harry and Slade's duel, "He's amazing!"

And it was true, Harry was doing far better than Raven had anticipated, and for a moment, she dared believe that her little brother might actually stand a chance, as impossible as that seemed to her.

It was almost as though the group was watching a dance, albeit a very dangerous dance; Harry and Slade mixed martial arts with swordplay, and more than once Raven thought Harry had won, only to groan as Slade batted away Harry's blade, or blocked a chop or kick.

"Come on, Harry," Raven said softly, "Find his weakness,"

"Harry will do it; I know it!" Ron cried excitedly, "He doesn't know how to fail."
XXXX

"I am SO going to die!" Harry thought morbidly as he ducked under a slash that would have undoubtedly decapitated the boy, only to receive a solid kick to the chest a moment later, sending him rolling backward across the ground, end-over-end.

Rising to his knees, Harry gasped for air as Slade lazily approached him,
"I must say, I'm disappointed, Arcane," Slade sneered, "I expected so much more from one raised by the Titans. Perhaps I shouldn't have…"

Glaring with all the hatred he could muster, Harry tried to rise to his feet, only to collapse to his knees in exhaustion; he simply had nothing left, and that fact alone made Harry seethe with anger.

"Go to hell," Harry replied in one last act of defiance, making Slade chuckle slightly as he rested his sword on Harry's shoulder, the blade less than an inch from the boy's neck.

"You first," Slade sneered as he pulled the blade back and prepared to swing it at the defenseless boy.
Before he could, however, Slade suddenly froze in place with his sword in mid-arch, making Harry look at the villain with confusion,

"What the heck?"

A moment later, Slade shattered into a million pieces and Harry felt the familiar sensation of the Danger Room shifting as the simulation ended; when the shifting finally ended, Harry was left on his knees as Nightwing suddenly approached, clapping his hands.

"Congratulations, Harry, you're dead," Nightwing mocked,
"I really hate you sometimes," Harry growled as he unsuccessfully tried once again to rise to his feet.

"No, you don't," Nightwing smirked before bending down and helping Harry to his feet. Throwing one of the boy's arms around his shoulder, Nightwing smiled at the exhausted boy as the two walked toward the exit.

"Seriously though, well done, Harry," Nightwing said with pride, "Defeating that many super-villains one after another and STILL being able to challenge Slade afterward is no small feat."

Even annoyed as he was at having been beaten, Harry couldn't help but feel warm at Nightwing's words and was grateful that his face was hidden inside his hood,
"Thanks, Dick," Harry whispered.

A moment later, Harry was suddenly pulled from Nightwing's arms by someone who delivered a bone-crushing hug and making Harry gasp with pain.

"You bloody idiot!" Hermione cried, "What were you thinking challenging Slade in your weakened state!"

"Good to see you too, Hermione," Harry laughed as he pulled away from his friend and turned to face the rest of the Weasleys, "Guess you all saw my fight, huh?"

"Harry, that was amazing!" Ron said in awe, "I can't believe what I just saw!"

"Bloody brilliant, that was!" Fred said, George nodding quickly in agreement.
"I don't think it would be wise for me to watch any more of your so-called training," Molly said in a weak voice, "I don't know if my poor heart can stand it."
Molly's words made the others chuckle as Harry turned his attention to his elder sister, who was watching with an unreadable expression,
"You did well," Raven said simply, and making Harry smile under his hood,

"Thank you," Harry replied softly as he dipped his head.

"While Nightwing takes Harry to the infirmary, why don't I show you to your rooms so you can unpack and get settled," Raven said softly, "Later, I'll give everyone a tour of the Tower."

"Sounds good," Molly replied at once, "I think I need a bit of a lay down after that."

As Raven led the group away, Nightwing began carrying Harry in the opposite direction, towards the infirmary,
"You know your Aunt Andromeda is gonna kill you when she sees how battered you are, right?" Nightwing mocked,

"And who's fault is that?" Harry replied sarcastically, "Face it, dude. We're both dead men when Aunt Andromeda gets a hold of us…"

Unable to deny Harry's words, Nightwing swallowed nervously as they approached the infirmary door,

"Let's get this over with, then."
XXXX

Far away on an island that seemed to sit in the middle of a hurricane perpetually, Severus Snape was sitting in his cell in Azkaban Prison; gone were his sleek black robes that seemed to give him an air of intimidation and authority. Now, the former potions professor was dressed in a dirty set of prison robes and was desperately hugging a ratty blanket around himself as he tried to get warm.

His trial (if one could even call it that) had lasted no more than an hour, and with the insurmountable amount of evidence that had been brought against him, Snape's conviction was an all-but-forgone conclusion. To Snape's horror, Dumbledore had recused himself from the trial, citing that he could not possibly remain impartial, and it was then that Snape realized just how screwed he was.

Almost unanimously, Snape had been sentenced to life in Azkaban with no possibility for parole by the Wizengamot, and Snape felt himself burn with humiliation and rage at having been brought so low by the spawn of James Potter.

"Well, at least it can't get any worse…" Snape thought with a sneer; as though the gods themselves had heard Snape's thought and wished to show him how wrong he was, a voice suddenly sang out from the cell across from Snape's,

"Ooooooh Snivellus…"

"No…" Snape whispered in horror as his head shot up and his eyes bulged, "Not him…"

"What's the matter, Snivellus?" The voice called out happily, "Don't you want to reminisce with an old friend?"

"NOOOOOO!" Snape screamed in rage, his voice being cut off a moment later by insane laughter from the cell across from his.
XXXX

Author's Note:
Okay, so we have some things to review in this chapter, so let's get to it!

1.) Q: It seems like you're making Harry OP, and that's kinda putting me off the story
A: You're right, I am! I plan on making Harry the most powerful THING in the entire universe by the time this story is over, BUT, I believe that strength and power should be earned, not just given on a silver platter, so I plan to make Harry work for that title.

2.) Q: There are too many scenes with song lyrics in them, and I don't like it.
A: The way I've written Harry, music is a big part of who he is; he was abused nearly his whole life, and even though he's spent the last four years with Raven, trauma like that doesn't just go away; it needs an outlet. Raven saw this almost immediately, and it's why she tried to help him through music. There are going to be more lyrics in the coming chapters, so if that puts you off, I'm sorry, but it is what it is.

3.) Q: Will the Young Justice team be making an appearance or not? I'm tired of your teasing!
A: I haven't been teasing you. I have stated on multiple occasions that if the readers want them to, then I'll try and figure out a way, but I originally wrote this as a Teen Titans story, not a Young Justice story.

4.) Q: Are Harry's tentacles sentient?
A: To a degree. I had originally planned for the tentacles to actually be the physical manifestation of a demon separate from Trigon that had attached itself to Harry when he was younger, but that idea didn't pan out the way I wanted. So, think of Harry's tentacles like guard dogs; yes, they have sentience, but only to keep him safe. They can't make their own decisions.

I want to give a personal shout-out to AAAirsoft Media, who has been reviewing my story on his YouTube page; if you haven't had a chance to check them out, I highly recommend doing so, as they are hilarious! I love the dude's energy! Bear in mind, however, that his second review of the story was made before I changed the ending of one of the chapters, so it might get a bit confusing when he talks about Harry's tentacles being a demon.
Until next time, I hope you enjoy this chapter and, as always, review so I know what to change and what to keep!

Chapter Text

Bruce Wayne sat alone in his cave, wearing his mask; not his cowl, which rested nearby. No, the mask he wore was the one everyone saw, yet no one suspected wasn't real: the mask of Bruce Wayne. Only a very rare few knew that the billionaire playboy the world saw was nothing more than a fiction created to hide Bruce Wayne's true face, the same face that Bruce had worn since he was eight years old: Batman.

Bruce sat with his elbows resting comfortably on the arms of his chair and his hands clasped in front of his face; his eyes were closed as he enjoyed the stillness of the cave, yet he was aware of all that happened around him. As the silence of the cave stretched interminably, Bruce's mind ran over everything he had learned of the Wizarding World in the last few months since the Justice League's confrontation with Albus Dumbledore, and to say he was concerned about his findings would be an understatement.

The entire society seemed to stagnate at least a hundred years ago, ruled by men and women who still believed in the absurdity that they deserved to rule for no other reason than the purity of their bloodlines. Bruce had spared no expense and used every asset he had, from calling in favors, to paying significant bribes, to outright threatening, all to learn as much as he could about this society that had hidden itself away for the last few centuries.

Slowly opening his eyes, Bruce took in his surroundings with meticulous precision; he was alone, and only the bats above were his companions tonight. Damien and Tim were out on patrol with Barbara tonight. Bruce had only allowed it after forcing the three heroes to give their word that they would call if they encountered more than they could handle. That scenario was unlikely, considering that most of Bruce's rouges gallery was locked in Arkham, and the few that weren't were laying low lest they find themselves back.

As Bruce's thoughts turned to the pair of Robins currently on patrol, a scowl took over his features as he thought of his first partner and the one that followed, perhaps his greatest failures.

When Bruce had first begun his war on crime, he had been determined to do it alone; that determination had lasted just over a year when Bruce decided to attend the circus one night and watched as a boy lost everything, just as he once had. When the decision came to adopt the boy, Bruce had done it immediately, knowing that only he could truly understand the boy's pain. Dick and Bruce's partnership had been a glorious thing, built on trust and a mutual loathing for those who victimized the innocent. But pride and a refusal to change on Bruce's part had caused a split between Batman and the original Robin that had only grown worse as the years passed, and seemingly finally coming to a head a few weeks after the battle with Trigon.

Jason had been Bruce's second partner and been the exact opposite of Dick, so full of anger yet also filled with the potential to be something great if given the opportunity; Bruce had provided that opportunity, and the years with Jason had been a balm to Bruce's soul after his fallout with Dick. But like with Dick, Bruce's pride had caused his partnership with Jason to implode.

And before Bruce could manage to right his wrongs with the boy, Jason was murdered at the hands of the Joker, and Bruce swore that he would never take another partner, not after failing not once but twice. That vow lasted until Tim came into the picture; seeing how brutal Batman had become, Tim realized that Batman needed a Robin to keep him from going dark.

First, Tim had stolen his grandfather's credit card. He traveled to Jump City to try and convince Dick to return to Batman's side, but Dick refused on the grounds that he was a Titan now. With the addition of Raven returning with Harry in tow, Dick simply couldn't leave his responsibilities to his friends just to help Batman pull himself back from the dark. When his plea failed, Tim chose a different route and volunteered himself as the new Robin; Batman immediately refused Tim's offer, causing him to spend the next few months stalking the Dark Knight each night across the rooftops of Gotham.

Batman had first tried to intimidate Tim into stopping, but when that failed, Batman had reluctantly agreed to Tim's request and spent the next few months training him before he allowed Tim out on patrol. Tim had barely been the new 'Red Robin' for a month when Talia Al Ghul had waltzed back into Bruce's life with a son in tow that Bruce hadn't even known existed, hoping to undo all the damage that Talia and her father had done to his son, Bruce had taken the boy into his home.

After meeting his father, Damien decided that Robin was his birthright and nearly killed Tim for "Daring to steal my birthright from me;" Batman had almost been too late, and the animosity between Tim and Damien only seemed to grow from that point on. To be honest, Batman didn't even want to have Damien take on the mantle of Robin, too worried that the boy's time with Ras Al Ghul had done irreparable damage to the boy's view of good and evil. It had been Alfred who finally convinced Batman to allow Damien a chance at redemption as Robin.

While a skillful fighter, the boy was still intemperate and undisciplined. Batman had nearly given up hope when Damien met Harry; the boy had been a tremendous aid in pulling Damien from the darkness that had almost consumed him. Harry helped more than Bruce could say in terms of curbing Damien's ego and teaching him a little humanity; Bruce couldn't help but smile slightly as he recalled the day that Damien and Harry had first met.

:FLASHBACK (2 years prior):

Bruce, Tim, and Damien had returned to the cave after a night of patrol; the night had been relatively normal, save for one thing. During a routine takedown of a gang of arms dealers, Damien disobeyed Bruce's orders and charged headlong into battle rather than use the shadows like Damien and Tim had been taught. The result had been that four of the gang members had suffered severe injuries that would require several months of physical therapy to repair, and that was before Batman and Red Robin had to swoop in and save Damien from being overwhelmed and killed.

"What part of 'don't leave my side' did you not understand?!" Batman demanded the moment the three of them entered the Batcave,

"I had it under control," Damien sneered back as he took off his mask and faced his father, causing Batman's anger to fade momentarily; Damien looked so much like Bruce that it was almost like looking at a younger version of himself.

Like his father, Damien had wild black hair that refused to be tamed and icy-blue eyes that seemed to stare straight through you; as Batman stared down at the boy, his eyes drifted over Damien's uniform. It had been Jason's once, but Damien had taken it and repurposed it rather than let it sit behind a glass case as a memorial to his father's failure; the uniform looked almost the same as every other Robins, from the bright-red color to the yellow R and matching belt that every Robin since Dick had worn.

The difference between those and Damien's was that he added golden lines and edging that celebrated his identity as Robin. He had improved the tactical gear on his gauntlets and extended his boots for further protection so that they now ended at his knees. His time living among the League of Assassins also seemed to work its way into Damien's costume design as he extended the tunic like one of his grandfather's men would wear. Damien had also made the cape more jagged-looking, adding microscopic blades to the tips of the cape to create a wearable sword.

The final addition to Damien's uniform that no other Robin had thought of was a hood that could be raised or lowered at Damien's discretion and further helped to hide his identity. Finally, Damien had strapped a large katana to his back, a gift from his grandfather on the boy's sixth birthday.

"Obviously not. Otherwise, we wouldn't have had to save your sorry ass," Tim snarked back, reaching up and taking off his own mask, causing Damien to redden in fury; before he could open his mouth and no doubt cause another argument that would end in a fistfight, Batman intervened,

"Enough!"

For a moment, it looked like Tim might actually respond to the Dark Knight's order, and Batman stared down at him.

Tim had chosen to make his uniform from scratch, and the result was quite impressive, to say the least; Tim's uniform was darker red than was normal, as was the yellow, giving the outfit a much more intimidating look, and that helped him stick to the shadows easier than any Robin before.

Early on, Batman discovered how sagacious Tim was and used that brilliance in creating the boy's uniform; the end result was a technological marvel that augmented Tim's strength, but the best part of the uniform (at least to Tim, anyway) was the computer that Batman had painstakingly created and placed in the boy's right gauntlet that could allow the boy to hack into any computer on earth, effortlessly. Unlike Damien, Time had his coal black hair slicked back onto his head and a perpetual smirk on his face, as though he had some secret he wanted to share but couldn't.

"Go home, Tim." Batman growled after a moment, "I need to speak to my son alone."

Casting one last glance at the fuming boy, Tim shrugged his shoulders and walked away; once he was sure that they were alone, Batman turned back to Damien and leveled a glare that would have frightened the worst of Gotham's scum. Still, to Damien, it simply earned another sneer.

"I thought we had gotten past this, Damien…." Batman said softly, "This isn't the League of Assassins. You don't need to use lethal force like I saw tonight."

"They'll live," Damien sneered contemptuously, "Besides, the League and my grandfather taught me that I should show no mercy to my enemies. So, why do you?"

"Because there is a line," Batman snapped, "It's all that keeps us from becoming them! You can't stop criminals by becoming one."

"There would be no more criminals if you followed my grandfather's example!" Damien all but shouted back, "I don't even know why my mother left me here with you! I should be learning how to rule my future empire, not jumping across buildings chasing plebian criminals!"

"Your mother left you here to give you the chance to choose your own fate," Batman said softly, "Instead of being a slave to the whims of Ras Al Ghul."

"My grandfather is a great man!" Damien snapped back angrily, "And one day, he will lead humanity down the path to true peace, not the pathetic path you choose to follow."

"That's enough!" Batman snapped, his temper coming free at last; closing his eyes and taking a calming breath, Batman opened his eyes again and stared down at the boy as Batman's butler, Alfred, finally made his presence known.

"Is everything alright, master Bruce?"

Rather than answer the man, Batman stared at his son momentarily before making a decision.

"Until further notice, you are forbidden from going on patrol as Robin," Batman said simply, causing the boy to stare at Batman in equal parts shock and anger.

"You're grounding me?!" Damian asked in shock, "You can't do that! I'm not a child!"

"I'm sorry to interrupt, Master Damian," Alfred said with a smirk, "But perhaps you should look in a mirror before making such statements."

"You're staying in the manor." Batman growled as Damian turned crimson and opened his mouth to retort, "And if you disobey me in this, I will make sure that you never wear that uniform again."

Without another word, Batman spun on his heel and stalked away, his cape billowing behind him as Damian stared at his back with unhidden fury; a moment later, Alfred placed a calming hand on the boy's shoulder,

"He only wants to keep you safe, Master Damian," Alfred said gently, "Master Bruce has lost too much to suffer another loss."

"I don't need your pity!" Damian snapped, shaking Alfred's hand off before storming away, leaving Alfred to stare sadly at the boy's back.

Alfred found Bruce an hour later in the study, standing in an expensive suit and staring out the large window at the moon above, his hands clutched tight behind his back; carefully setting down the tea tray that he had brought in, he turned to the man who he had all but raised and smiled at Bruce sadly.

"You can't blame yourself, Master Bruce," Alfred said gently as he placed a comforting hand on Bruce's shoulder, "In time, things will get better."

Bruce scoffed at that before turning to the man who had been almost a second father to him,

"Damien's spent nine years with the League of Assassins, Alfred," Bruce said sadly, "Who knows if he even can be saved at this point? Perhaps Talia was wrong in her assumption that being with me would benefit Damien."

"I don't believe that," Alfred replied firmly, taking his hand off Bruce's shoulder and locking his hands behind his back, "And neither do you, Master Bruce. The boy is just lost and in need of guidance."

"It's been six months, Alfred," Bruce said softly, "And his anger still consumes him-" Bruce looked down, took a deep breath, and looked back at Alfred, "-and I don't know how to help him through it! My god, it's like watching Jason all over again!"

"Jason's death was not your fault!" Alfred stated at once, "And he knew how much you cared about him before the end. I know it in my heart."

"I hope so…" Bruce said so softly that he might have been talking to himself; Alfred looked past him, causing Bruce to turn around and glare angrily at the Bat signal currently hovering in the night air.

"The war never ends…" Bruce muttered before turning and storming out of the study; before he left, Bruce turned and looked at Bruce one last time,

"Make sure that Damien doesn't leave the manor," Bruce growled, earning a stiff nod from Alfred; a moment later, Bruce was gone, and Alfred turned to stare back at the symbol with equal feelings of hatred and acceptance.

As usual, when Batman landed on the roof of the Gotham Police Department, he found his old friend, Commissioner Gordon, waiting for him with a smoking pipe clamped tight between his teeth.

"Jim," Batman said simply, making the elderly man start momentarily before turning around to face the Dark Knight.

"Must you always do that?" Gordon said as he put out his pipe and stowed it away in his jacket, "You do realize I'm not a young man anymore, right?"

"What do you have for me?" Batman responded gruffly, causing Gordon to shake his head momentarily before looking at the Dark Knight and stowing his hand in his coat pockets.

"Scarecrow managed to escape from Arkham a half hour ago after leaving four guards dead," Gordon said in a tired voice, "My officers chased him down and managed to corner him in a sandwich shop but are afraid to go in and take him down since he now has control of hostages."

"How many?" Batman asked at once as his mind began to plan,

"A class full," Gordon said quickly, making Batman's eyes widen in alarm as Gordon continued in a sad voice, "It's a bunch of kids from Jump City here for the national Academic Decathlon competition. Apparently, their coach/teacher wanted to reward all their hard work in getting this far and took them out for some food when Crane's getaway vehicle interrupted their meal. Crane wanted to show that he meant business and used his damn gas on the teacher. Now, he's using the kids to ensure my officers keep their distance."

Batman's eyes narrowed at that, and he felt his temper flare at Scarecrow's senseless murder of innocents and felt disgusted as well for how cowardly Crane was to use children in such a way. A moment later, Batman's eyes widened as he remembered that Raven's younger brother was one of those students in Gotham for the competition; Dick had actually called and asked if Bruce could keep an eye on Harry while he was in town. At least until Dick and the other Titans could come down to watch Harry compete in two days.

"He needs to be stopped before more are harmed," Batman growled, causing Gordon to nod at him,

"On that, we agree," Gordon said firmly, "Here's the address."

Taking the piece of paper that Gordon was handing him, Batman immediately turned and pulled out his grappler gun; an instant later, he dove off the roof and shot his grappler into the free air, swinging away as Commissioner Gordon watched silently.

When Batman returned to his vehicle, he immediately put the pedal to the metal and began speeding toward the address that Commissioner Gordon had given him; he had only been driving for a few moments when a light started beeping on the dashboard, making him reach down and activate the communicator on the Batmobile, showing Alfred's worried face on the small screen.

"Master Bruce, I am sorry to report that Damien is not in the manor,"

"What?" Batman growled, "Where is he?!"

"He was in the cave training when last I saw him," Alfred responded at once, "When I returned shortly thereafter with dinner, young master Damien was gone, and there was a report on the computer showing that Scarecrow had escaped."

"Stupid fool!" Batman snarled, punching the steering wheel as he pushed the Batmobile to go faster, "He's going to get himself killed!"

"I agree, sir," Alfred nodded, "I suggest you hurry before master Damien discovers his error too late."

The communication ended at that, and Batman couldn't help but offer a silent prayer that he made it before he was forced to bury another son.

XXXX

Damien scowled down at Scarecrow from his hiding place in the vent; the crazed villain was still dressed in his bright-orange Arkham jumpsuit and was currently stalking back and forth in front of a group of children, who all looked very scared. Sneering in contempt for the madman, Damien slowly dragged himself along the vent toward a nearby grate that stood directly over the villain. Scarecrow and all those monsters in Arkham were but rabid animals and should have been put down as such.

Yet, for some inexplainable reason, his father chose to spare them and lock them away in perhaps the most insecure prison on earth, all so that they could break out and do it all over again. Had his father been more like his grandfather, none of these villains would have been given a second chance; they would have been executed for their crimes as they should have been from the beginning. As he reached the opening, Damien pulled a miniature laser cutter from his belt and began to cut a hole in the vent; as the red light did its work, Damien couldn't help but remember the day his mother left him in Gotham.

She had told him that she was doing it because she loved him, that he needed to see more of the world than just the stronghold where he had spent the last nine years of his life, and that his father would be a good influence on him. But after six months of living with the man, Damien was ready to leave and never return, for arguing was all he seemed to do with his father. Whether it was over Damien's brutal methods or Batman's continued slander of the great Ras Al Ghul and his ideology on how the world should be.

As the laser cut through the last of the metal, it made a whining noise that made Scarecrow look up just in time to see it falling to the ground; the villain only had enough time to widen his eyes before it landed on top of him, with a loud 'clang,' knocking Scarecrow to the floor, causing his gun full of Fear Gas to fly from his fingers, and skid across the floor. Damien dove through the hole seconds after the grate fell, landing on top of it and making Scarecrow "Oof," painfully as the boy's added weight landed on his chest; pulling a Birdarang from his belt, Damien pressed the blade under Scarecrow's chin and growled,

"You are beaten! Surrender or die, monster!"

"Ah, the Bat's newest brat," Scarecrow said silkily, uncaring about the blade at his throat, as the children watched in terror, save for one green-eyed boy who seemed to be trying to calm the other children down, "We've yet to have the pleasure of a session together. Shall we have ours now?"

Before Damien could ask what Scarecrow meant, the villain shot his right arm forward toward Damien's face, revealing a small secondary gun filled with Fear Gas; Damien only had time for his eyes to widen in alarm before the gun went off, sending a large amount of gas straight into the boy's face, and making him jump back in alarm as he tried to breathe through his coughing.

"Now boy…" Scarecrow's voice purred as the lights in the restaurant began to dim around him, making Damien's eyes widen in alarm, "Let's see what you're REALLY afraid of. It should prove to be an enlightening experience."

As Damien struggled to breathe, Scarecrow and the rest of the restaurant faded away, leaving the boy standing alone in darkness; spinning around, Damien raised his weapon defensively, yet saw nothing but darkness. He was alone.

"Hello!" Damien shouted, his voice echoing back to him a moment later, "Where are you, Scarecrow!"

"Damien…" A voice said from the darkness, making the boy spin around to see its source; the boy's eyes widened a moment later when he saw his father step out of the darkness,

"Father?" Damien asked in surprise, "Where is Scarecrow? What's happening?"

Batman said nothing, just continued to stand in front of Damien and glare at the boy, his hands folded inside his cape.

"What's happening?" Batman growled, his eyes narrowing, "What's happening is that I'm being forced to foster a child I never wanted! A child, you were forced upon me by a rapist!"

Damien's eyes widened in shock at his father's words, and for a moment, the boy was rendered speechless; his father had never spoken like this to him before.

When Damien didn't respond, Batman continued speaking in the same cold, emotionless tone as before, his cape falling away to reveal his clenched fists by his side.

"I never wanted a child with Talia! You were forced on me, and you've been an embarrassment ever since!"

Damien took a step back at the words as though they were physical blows, and his Birdarang fell from his loose grip, landing on the ground at his feet with a dull thud; part of Damien's mind screamed at him that this wasn't real, that it was all an illusion. But Damien's greatest fear was currently suppressing that part, the fear that no one, not even his mother, knew existed, the fear that he had desperately tried to deny even existed at all: his father scorning and abandoning him. As much as Damien might sneer at his father's methods, a small part of Damien still wanted to make the bastard proud, and Damien couldn't understand why he wanted such a thing, yet there it was.

"Bred from a killer!" Batman snarled, "Raised by killers! What should I have expected except that you would become one as well?! Perhaps I should end you now rather than risk you becoming the monster Ras Al Ghul wants you to be."

Damien took another step back at the phantom's words, and Batman stepped forward as he lowered himself down to attack.

"You don't kill," Damien whispered, all trace of bravado gone as the terror overtook him, "Batman doesn't kill!"

"I'll make an exception in your case," Batman growled before lunging forward; an instant later, Damien's head was rocked to the side from the devastating blow that Batman had just delivered, sending the boy crashing to the ground with a painful cry.

Rolling to his feet, Damien ripped his katana from its sheath on his back and held it at the phantom that was currently taking his father's image,

"You are not my father!" Damien roared, his voice echoing in the darkness, "Your illusions do not fool me, Scarecrow! And you're a fool if you think otherwise!"

"You're the fool," Batman sneered as he raised his fists, "If you think that you'll be leaving this 'illusion' as you called it, alive."

Without another word, Batman charged at the boy, ducking under Damien's swing and delivering an uppercut that sent Damien several inches into the air before crashing onto his back with a painful 'oomph.'

XXXX

When Batman crashed through the glass window of the sandwich shop, his eyes immediately took in the situation; Scarecrow was currently standing over Damien, who seemed to be having some kind of fit on the floor. Nearby, five children were huddled together in terror while Harry tried to keep them calm by whispering soothing words; seeing his son twitching on the ground filled Batman with a level of rage that he didn't think was possible.

Issuing an animal cry of rage, Batman covered the distance between himself and Scarecrow in less than a second and knocked away the weapon that the villain was trying to use; grabbing hold of the Arkham jumpsuit, Batman smashed his fist into Scarecrow's face, relishing the sight of two of the man's teeth flying out from the impact. Grabbing the jumpsuit in both hands, Batman raised the man into the air and spun before releasing his hold and sending the villain crashing into the far wall.

Before Scarecrow could register what had just happened, Batman was on top of him, delivering one devastating punch after another and quickly turning the villain's face into something closely resembling ground beef.

"Batman!" A voice cried out, making the Dark Knight turn around in mid-punch; Harry was trying desperately to hold Damien down, a Herculean feat as Damien thrashed around as though he were having a seizure, "Robin needs help!"

Looking down at Scarecrow, Batman could see that the battle was over. The villain's face was covered in blood; his eyes were both swollen shut, and his nose looked as though any chance of fixing it might already be a lost cause.

Delivering one final punch to Scarecrow's face, Batman quickly rose and walked over to Harry, pulling a syringe filled with golden liquid from his utility belt. However, he'd barely taken three steps when Scarecrow jumped onto Batman's back, blind and screaming incoherently and causing Batman to drop the syringe as he spun around, trying to get the villain off his back.

After several moments, Batman finally managed to get a decent hold on the villain, pulling him over Batman's shoulder and throwing him across the counter; turning to Harry, Batman snapped immediate orders.

"Get the antidote into Robin while I deal with Scarecrow!"

"Me?" Harry asked in shock, "I'm not a doctor! I don't know how to stick someone with a needle!"

"Learn!" Batman snapped as Scarecrow rose from behind the counter, holding a large knife, still blind and screaming.

As Batman began to duck and dodge around Scarecrow's blind slashes and thrusts, he saw out of the corner of his eyes as Harry leaned over Damien's body and grabbed the syringe before looking at it with trepidation.

"Stick it on his damn shoulder!" Batman snarled as he blocked Scarecrow's attack with his forearm and quickly disarmed the villain by breaking his arm, causing Scarecrow to scream in pain; not wasting a moment, Batman reached out and grabbed the man's head and slammed it onto the counter as hard as he could, instantly knocking the man out.

Turning back to his son, Batman saw to his relief that Harry had done precisely as he had ordered and stuck the syringe into Damien's shoulder; as Batman approached, he could instantly see the boy shaking even as he tried to act brave. Laying a calm hand on Harry's shoulder, Batman gathered Damien's unconscious body into his arms.

"You did well, Harry," Batman said softly before turning away and leaving the children staring in wide-eyed wonder; as Batman left, the last thing he heard (which made him smirk slightly) was one of the children asking Harry in an awed voice,

"You know Batman?"

XXXX

As Damien finally regained consciousness, the first thing he registered was the steady beep of a heart monitor; the next thing he noticed, as he cracked his eyes open slightly, was that someone was sitting next to him. Opening his eyes fully, Damien saw that it was a young boy, about his age, with strikingly similar features; the only difference between Damien and the boy was that the boy had the greenest eyes that Damien had ever seen, like fiery emeralds. The boy was wearing a dark-red long-sleeved shirt and blue jeans, around which a car seatbelt hung like a belt; as Damien stared, he saw that the boy was currently reading a book with rapt attention, and as Damien zeroed in on the book, he saw, to his surprise, that it was a book of poems by Edgar Allen Poe.

"Who are you?" Damien demanded in a dry voice, making him wince, "And where am I?"

"I'm Harry Potter," the boy replied as he sat down his book on the table next to him and scooted his chair closer, "And we're in the Batcave now."

Reaching over to the table next to Damien, Harry grabbed a glass of water with a straw and brought it close to Damien's face; Damien looked at it with suspicion for a second before gratefully taking the straw into his mouth. After several seconds, Damien stopped drinking and nodded at Harry in gratitude, to which the boy quickly returned before placing the glass back on the table.

"So, Harry…." Damien said suspiciously, "You mind telling me what happened? And why are you in the Batcave? Father doesn't usually give out visitor's passes."

"You got sprayed with Fear Gas," Harry said softly, "It messed you up pretty bad, but Batman showed up soon after and beat the Scarecrow up, and then he brought you back here."

"That explains why I am here," Damien stated haughtily, "But why are you?"

"Because Harry is the one who saved your life," Batman said gruffly as he stepped out of the shadows, causing Damien to look at Harry in shock.

"YOU saved me?" Damien asked in a soft voice, "You? Saved me?"

"Um…. Yes?" Harry replied as he began to rub the back of his head, "I mean, all I did was give you the shot. It was Batman who had it already prepared."

"Don't be modest," Batman said simply, "Scarecrow prevented me from administering the antidote. Had you not been there, I might have been too late."

Damien's eyes widened even further at his father's praise of Harry; Batman was hard to impress, so if Harry had done so, then it was worth remembering.

"Thank you, then… Harry," Damien said, bowing his head in respect and causing Harry to smile shyly.

Turning to his father, Damien was surprised to see worry in his father's face, along with…. Was that relief? Was his father relieved to see him alive? But why? Had they done naught but fight since first introduced? His father should be annoyed that Damien was still alive, not relieved.

"How long have I been unconscious, father?" Damien asked after two unsuccessful attempts to rise up from his current position.

"You've been unconscious for a week," Batman replied, "The rest of Harry's class returned to Jump City a few days ago, but I got permission from his guardians to let him stay with me until you awoke."

"You know his guardians?" Damien asked in surprise,

"I live with the original Robin and the other Titans in Jump City," Harry said with a smile which quickly fled at the sight of Damien's scowl,

"Ah yes, the usurper."

"Hey!" Harry cried in outrage, "That's mean! Don't be mean to my friends!"

"Your 'friend' tried to steal my birthright!" Damien cried back, wincing in pain,

"No, he didn't!" Harry cried back, "You're a liar!"

"That's enough, Harry," Batman said sternly, causing the boy to turn and stare petulantly up at him.

"But he called Robin a us-usa… He called Robin a bad word! And a thief! Robin's not a thief!"

"I'm Robin!" Damien snarled weakly, causing Batman to shake his head wearily at the boy before turning back to Harry.

"You're right, Harry," Batman said gently, "Robin isn't a thief, Damien's just hurt. And hurt people tend to lash out."

"Oh…. Ok then," Harry said softly before turning back to the glaring Damien, "In that case, I forgive you."

"Forgive…. Forgive me?" Damien sputtered as Batman tried to keep a straight face, "I didn't ask for forgiveness!"

But Harry was no longer listening and instead had risen from his chair and turned to leave,

"Can I go ask Alfred if he has any more tea?"

"Go ahead," Batman nodded; before he left, Harry turned one last time to Damien and waved shyly at the gaping boy,

"It was nice to meet you, Damien."

A moment later, Harry was gone, leaving Batman to stare down silently at his still-confused son,

"That boy is very strange," Damien said simply once he regained his ability to speak, causing Batman to smirk slightly.

:END FLASHBACK:

XXXX

That one encounter had led to a great many more over the years. Each encounter deepened the relationship between Harry and Damien, and, as Batman saw, each encounter seemed to make Damien a little less angry; perhaps having a friend his own age was working better than Batman had dared hope. Now, that boy who had helped Batman's son was in danger from a madman and his idiotic racist followers on one side, and the machinations of an old man whose self-delusions had somehow convinced him that he was the second coming of Merlin on the other side.

Batman would have agreed to help Harry for no other reason than how much the boy had helped Damien. The fact that Batman owed Harry a great debt for nearly killing the poor boy during that botched exorcism made his decision even easier. That was why Batman dedicated as much time as possible to finding out as much as possible about the Wizarding World, especially about Voldemort and Dumbledore. A sudden notification beep from his computer brought Batman's mind back to the present, and he turned his chair to see the results; it appeared to be a file from a now-destroyed orphanage in London, England.

"Tom Riddle, hmmm…." Batman growled thoughtfully as he began to read.

XXXX

Author's Note:

Happy Thanksgiving, everybody!

Okay, I realized too late that I had boxed myself into a corner regarding the ages of some of the heroes, primarily because I hadn't foreseen the story growing this big. I then realized this was my story; I could make them any age I wanted. But at the same time, I didn't want to make the ages too great of a change. So, here we go:

1.) Dick Grayson was nine years old when he became the first Robin and fourteen when he left Gotham to create the Titans. Seventeen when Raven returned with Harry and is currently twenty.

2.) Jason Todd was twelve when he became the new Robin and fifteen when Joker killed him.

3.) Tim Drake was ten when he became Red Robin and is currently twelve going on thirteen.

4.) Barbara Gordon was thirteen when she became Batgirl and has only been part of the Bat Family for six months.

5.) Damien Wayne was nine when he became Robin and is currently eleven, going on twelve.

I hope these changes don't bother you too much and help make the story clearer.

In the next chapter, the price on Arcane and Lunatic's head hits the streets, bringing all manner of monsters and villains to Jump City to try and collect the reward. And Harry learns the hardest lesson about being a hero: you can't always save everyone…

Chapter Text

Lunatic was having a pretty good day, as far as he was concerned; he'd started the morning with a delicious breakfast at his favorite diner, then went to the park and had a wonderful debate with Siegfried, his favorite squirrel, over the merits of acorns over walnuts. After that, Lunatic had enjoyed a spot of tea at one of his favorite shops, followed by a merry game where he robbed a local gangster and left the man unconscious, dressed in a fabulous purple dress with matching shoes, and fifty-thousand dollars poorer.

Lunatic had used the money wisely and bought himself a seventy-inch plasma screen television, which he was currently sitting in front of, happily watching Caddyshack; the rest of the cash Lunatic had given to the Mother Superior of a nearby orphanage that looked like it was in dire need of funds. The old woman had haughtily taken the leather bag that Lunatic had offered and promptly fainted after looking inside; after being reawakened by her fellow nuns, the old woman had taken Lunatic into a bone-crushing hug that had left the boy blushing as she proclaimed her thanks. Lunatic had mumbled a quick reply before tipping his hat at the old woman and disappearing back home. Taking a sigh of contentment, Lunatic took a look around his home; using his abilities, Lunatic had become a true menace to the gangsters of Gotham, robbing them of anything he could get his hands on; he'd then used his sudden burst of wealth to buy a penthouse apartment in the swankiest part of Gotham. It hadn't been that difficult to purchase; at first, the lady had been reluctant to sell to a child, but that reluctance vanished when Lunatic dropped the large suitcase filled with hundred-dollar bills in front of her. Lunatic wasn't ashamed to admit that when he stood in his new home for the first time, he'd actually sat down and cried for a little while; for a boy thrown away at birth by his own mother, having his own home meant more than words could say. Since then, Lunatic had filled his home with whatever caught his interest, turning the once pristine penthouse into a madman's delight.

The penthouse was entirely too big for just one person, consisting of two floors and seven bedrooms of enormous size, with the master bedroom being twice the size of the others; the size, however, worked to Lunatic's advantage as he was able to fill every room with whatever he wanted. One of the rooms, Lunatic had transformed into an enormous game room with a basketball court, a dozen vintage arcade games, a massive air hockey table, a pool table, an indoor batting cage, and a ten-foot-deep ball pit, complete with slide and diving board. Another room, Lunatic had painstakingly transformed into an exact replica of Bag End from the Lord of the Rings movies, sparing no expense in his quest to have his own Hobbit hole; it was the only room that Lunatic refused to alter in any way, shape, or form. His other rooms changed as his mood fancied, but his Bag End would remain the same way until he either left or died. The reason for this was as tragic as the rest of Lunatic's life; during his 'stay' with Cadmus Labs, a guard had taken pity on poor Lunatic and would come and read him a chapter of 'The Hobbit' before bedtime. The guard had just finished the story, but before he could read the sequel about Frodo and the ring, he was transferred, and Lunatic was, once again, left alone. Naturally, the first thing Lunatic had done after escaping was to rob Barnes and Noble for no other reason than to steal himself a copy of 'Lord of the Rings.'

Lunatic's obsession had been a significant part of the reason why he had taken an entire month to paint the ceiling of the living room to look like the Last Supper; however, instead of Christ and his apostles, Lunatic had chosen to replace them with the cast of the Hobbit, with a stoic looking Thorin seated in the middle. As he kneaded his bare feet through his shag carpet, Lunatic couldn't help but smile happily; he was currently sitting on an oversized black couch and was dressed in red satin pajamas with his top hat sitting lopsided snugly on his head while an abnormally large bowl of popcorn sat beside him.

Upon bringing his new television home, Lunatic had decided that the perfect place to put it was in front of the main window so that he could enjoy watching whatever he chose while at the same time enjoying the glittering lights of Gotham City beyond.

Lunatic had just reached for another handful of popcorn when the glass window exploded in a shower of glass and dust, taking Lunatic's new television with it; as Lunatic watched his latest pleasure item shatter into a million pieces, his eyes widened in horror, his hand frozen in the act of picking up more popcorn.

A moment later, Lunatic's eyes narrowed in annoyance as Livewire, Copperhead, Star Saphire, Riddler, and Captain Boomerang stepped through Lunatic's now broken window, all smiling at the boy in a way that was far less hospitable than the boy liked.

"…. That was a seventy-inch plasma screen tv…" Lunatic said softly as he closed his eyes in annoyance; a moment later, the boy sucked in air through his teeth before plastering a fake smile on his face and looking at the four villains, "So, how can I help you?"

"This is the kid Luthor put a bounty on?" Copperhead sneered as his eyes roved around the living room, taking in the stuffed polar bear in the corner that was wearing a pink tutu as well as the coat rack by the front door that looked horribly like it was made from someone's spinal cord, before his eyes came back to the still smiling pre-teen, "This will be easier than I thought!"

"Luthor put a bounty on me?" Lunatic asked in surprise, "Is it because of the dance routine I put him through? I tell ya, some people just can't take a joke," the boy shook his head wearily as he said the last part as he crossed one leg over the other and placed his clasped hands atop his knee, taking on a relaxed demeanor, and making Captain Boomerang smirk while the other glared.

"I will admit, it was a bloody good joke, kid." The Australian villain said with a wink, "But you shoulda known better than to prank someone like Lex Luthor. The man's sense of humor disappeared around the same time as his hair."

Lunatic couldn't help but smirk slightly at that before Riddler stepped forward and sneered at the Australian.

"Perhaps we should just get to the point?"

"Oh, all right then, spoilsport…" Captain Boomerang replied as Riddler turned back to the still-smirking boy.

"We've never formally met," Riddler said with an arrogant smile, "I'm the Riddler,"

"And I'm Carmen Sandiego, guess where I am!"

"…. I'm trying to have a serious conversation with you here," Riddler growled after a moment of silence, in which the only noise was a snort from Captain Boomerang.

"So am I," Lunatic smirked, still seated in his relaxed position, "And I am failing, and I'm sorry for that. It's just I'm so agitated because five little shits strolled into my house, destroyed my SEVENTY-INCH PLASMA TV, and are now trying to impress and intimidate me, like they're my alcoholic daddy, back from the pen."

Captain Boomerang couldn't hold it any longer and dissolved into laughter as Riddler turned bright red with anger; before anyone could react, Riddler had charged across the room, raising his question mark cane over his head to bash in Lunatic's smart mouth. He'd only take a few steps, however, when the boy cracked his head to the side, causing a black hole to suddenly appear in front of Riddler; unable to stop his momentum, Riddler could only yell in fear before disappearing through it, as the others watched in shock. The instant that Riddler disappeared, the hole did as well, as though it had never been there to begin with.

"What did you do to him?!" Copperhead demanded, a hint of fear in his voice,

"That," Lunatic replied simply, pointing behind the villains and making them turn to see what he was pointing at. As one, their eyes widened in shock as they watched a black hole appear in the sky not far from them. A moment later, a small silhouette fell from it and began to scream as it fell toward the ground.

"Given that we're about twelve stories up, you might wanna go get him," Lunatic said with a smirk, "Unless, of course, you don't mind Riddler-flavored pancakes."

Star Saphire immediately dove out of the broken window and straight toward the still-screaming Riddler as the others turned back to the smirking boy, now eyeing him warily.

Slowly rising to his feet, Lunatic performed a small twirl; when he was done, he was dressed in his usual outfit and quickly straightened his top hat.

"So, how much am I worth?" Lunatic asked with a smirk as he watched Captain Boomerang pull out the weapons of his namesake, "I hope it's worth the amount of time you all will spend in physical therapy learning how to walk again."

"Two-hundred and fifty million, smart-ass," Livewire sneered, electricity dancing off of her skin,

"Not bad," Lunatic said with a grin, "Not bad at all."

"Plus another two-hundred and fifty for your friend, Arcane," Copperhead added, causing Lunatic to tense up instantly before turning to him.

"Arcane's got a bounty too?" Lunatic asked in a cold voice, "That bald-headed prick put a bounty on my best friend….?"

By now, Lunatic was no longer smiling but instead looking at the three villains with a gaze that made them feel like prey before a predator; a moment later, Star Saphire returned, carrying a very pale and shaking Riddler.

"Yup," Livewire said with a cruel grin as she lifted her hand and split her fingers apart so that Lunatic could see the electricity dancing between each digit, "But don't worry, kid. Luthor wants you both alive so he can kill you himself, so we're not gonna kill you. We're just gonna hurt you really, really bad."

For a moment, Lunatic stared silently at the villains before tilting his head to the side as a grin began to spread across his face,

"So, you plan to fight me with a handicap? Not very wise if you ask me…"

"Handicap?" Copperhead asked in confusion,

"Indeed," Lunatic replied, his voice taking on a cold hint that sounded wrong on a child, "You need me alive, but I'm not under any such restrictions…."

The villains all tensed at the boy's words for a moment before Captain Boomerang took the initiative and hurled his weapon, followed immediately by another one; instantly, the other villains sprang into action as Lunatic backflipped, the twin boomerangs flying over the boy's chest, and almost grazing his nose as they sailed past him. Livewire immediately turned into electricity and flew into one of the nearby lamps while Star Saphire flew into the air and began to watch with narrowed eyes; only Riddler remained where he was, and that was because he was still trying to slow down his heart rate from his near-death experience.

As Lunatic landed on the opposite side of his couch, Copperhead immediately attacked, taking a swipe at the boy and causing him to quickly jump out of the way,

"Hey!" Lunatic snapped as Copperhead swiped again and almost grazed his top hat, "Watch the hat!"

"A stupid hat is the least of your worries!" Livewire cried out as she exploded out of a nearby lamp and fired a bolt of electricity at the scowling boy, which missed him by inches and caused his stuffed polar bear to explode. Rather than reply, Lunatic simply reached into his coat and pulled out a spray bottle, which he immediately sprayed three times into the woman's face, causing Livewire to shriek in pain.

"Bad electric lady!" Lunatic spat, "Stop wrecking my house!"

As Livewire cried out in pain, she stumbled away from Lunatic with her face in her hands; seeing what the boy had done to his ally, Captain Boomerang couldn't help but laugh as he pulled out another boomerang.

"I like you, kid!" Captain Boomerang smiled, "It's a pity I have to bring ya in. You got a great sense of humor!"

"Just for that!" Lunatic said happily as he dodged another attack from Copperhead, "I'll only knock you out instead of causing you death by medical debt!"

"I appreciate that!" the Australian villain laughed as his weapon flew back into his hand, only to be thrown again almost immediately, "If you can manage it, that is!"

Copperhead, by this point, had scaled up a nearby column that looked as though it had come from ancient Greece and dove at the boy, only for Lunatic to dive out of the way so that Copperhead collided with a nearby shelf filled with DVDs; as the shelf shattered, the DVD'S flew in every direction, eliciting an angry look from Lunatic as he surveyed the damage to what was once his living room.

"Okay, seriously!" Lunatic barked as he stormed over to the fallen villain, kicking him hard in the stomach, causing him to gasp for air; before he could recover, Lunatic began to stomp onto Copperhead's face, "STOP WRECKING MY HOUSE!"

Lunatic smiled as he felt Copperhead's jaw break after the boy's fourth stomp; before he could stomp again, however, a sudden pink blast struck him in the side, sending him crashing into the far wall. Rising shakily to his feet, Lunatic glared as he saw that the attack had come from Star Saphire, who, it seemed, had finally decided to join the fight.

"Okay…" Lunatic growled as he decided on his next target, "I don't think I like this game anymore."

Deciding to finish the job with Riddler (who still hadn't moved), Lunatic snapped his fingers, causing a large bookshelf to appear out of thin air over the villain's head; Riddler had just enough time to look up in horror before it landed on top of him. A moment later, when the dust had settled, the others stared in sick fascination as the only sign of Riddler was what looked like a severely broken arm sticking out from under a pile of broken wood; turning back to the smirking boy, Star Saphire snarled,

"Are you crazy! You could have killed him!"

"Yes, I'm crazy! Whatever made you think I was sane?!" Lunatic shouted, his expression taking on a look of pure madness, "I mean, have you seen my house?! I've got an entire room filled with green Jello, for crying out loud!"

The villains stared at the boy in shocked silence, causing him to sneer at them contemptuously as he slapped his coat and knocked the dust loose from it.

"Seriously, did you morons do ANY homework on me before you decided to bust in here, disturb my pleasant afternoon, and, oh yeah! Destroy my seventy-inch plasma screen television!"

Again, the villains said nothing, simply stared in equal parts anger and humiliation at the boy who had so effortlessly taken down two of their number. Glaring at them, Lunatic cracked the knuckles on both hands before speaking again.

"Do you have any idea how many morons like you have come after me over the years? How many dedicated CADMUS minions are now on forced medical retirement as a result of trying to take me on? Ordinarily, I would just beat the crap out of you, maybe humiliate you a little, and send you on your way. I don't like to kill, you see, just prank people mercilessly. But you all made a grave error, and now I will make you pay for it. And after you, Luthor's ass is next!"

"And what did we do that would elicit such a response?" Star Saphire sneered,

"You threatened the only real friend I've ever had…" Lunatic growled, clenching his hands into fists and making the penthouse shake as though the boy's anger was becoming physical.

"You little brat!" Livewire shrieked in rage, having finally recovered from Lunatic's earlier attack, she unleashed a truly impressive wave of lightning, sucking the electricity from the entire penthouse, it seemed, as the living room went dark. At the same time as Livewire's attack, Star Saphire released an equally large blast of pink energy, while Captain Boomerang hurled four of his most powerful explosive boomerangs. The three attacks seemed to combine in mid-air, turning the dark living room into a rainbow of color as they hit the spot where Lunatic was standing. An instant later, the penthouse exploded into a shower of dust, debris, and flames; Livewire and Captain Boomerang stumbled for a moment as the penthouse shook around them from the force of the attack. Throwing one arm over his mouth to block out the smoke and dust, Captain Boomerang made his way through the flames to where Lunatic's body should be; when he reached the spot, he saw, to his shock, that the boy was nowhere in sight, only a large pool of blood showed that anyone had been here at all.

"Where is he?!" Livewire demanded angrily, "Where is that annoying little pain in the ass?!"

"He's gone!" The Australian said with a shake of his head; honestly, he was glad that the kid escaped; he was a funny little guy, in the villain's opinion.

"Well, find him!" Livewire shouted, "I want payback!"

"We don't need to find him," Star Saphire said softly as she stared at a picture in her hands, "I already know where he's going…"

"Well? You plan on letting the rest of us know?" Livewire demanded, crossing her arms over her chest.

"He's wounded; like any wounded animal, they immediately go somewhere familiar."

"Which is?" Livewire asked impatiently.

"He's running to his best friend, of course," Star Saphire replied, handing over the picture frame; snatching it out of the villain's hand, Livewire looked down to see a picture of a smiling Lunatic holding a fishing pole and standing next to an upside down Arcane, who appeared to be the one that Lunatic caught with his hook.

"We could get them both at the same time!" Livewire said gleefully,

"Nah, I'm out," Captain Boomerang said, making the other two look at him in surprise,

"You're out?" Star Saphire asked, "You're just going to walk away from a quarter of a billion dollars?"

"That's correct," The villain nodded, making Livewire sneer contemptuously,

"I always knew you were a coward."

"It's not about cowardice, mate," Captain Boomerang growled as he turned to her, "It's about numbers, and the fact of the matter is that to get to Arcane, you'll have to go through the Titans first. And now that Lunatic is with them, the fight has become even harder. As it stands, you have no chance of winning, and I don't like to play for the losing team."

By now, the penthouse had become an inferno, and all three villains were finding it hard to breathe through the smoke.

"So, if there's nothing further," Captain Boomerang sneered, "I would appreciate it if we could leave before we all turn into barbeque!"

Seeing that her ally was right about precarious their situation had become, Star Saphire quickly created a sizeable pink platform with her powers; after throwing both Riddler and Copperhead carelessly onto it, Captain Boomerang and Livewire stepped on as well, and the group flew out into the open air.

When they landed on the roof of a building a reasonable distance away, they turned back and saw that the entire penthouse was on fire, and even from this distance, they could see that the whole top floor would soon be a smoky ruin.

"Well then, lovely working with ya, mates," Captain Boomerang chirped as he turned to leave, "As always."

Once he was gone, Livewire turned to Star Saphire and asked contemptuously,

"You leaving too?"

"I am not," the villain replied, "However, the man's words do have merit…"

"Whatcha mean?" Livewire asked,

"He was right that we lack the required number for this venture," Star Saphire clarified, "To have any hope of success, we need more allies."

"Definitely can't count on these two losers," Livewire spat, giving Riddler's unconscious body a kick to the ribs.

"Indeed," Star Saphire agreed, "We shall have to recruit more people on our way to Jump City. However, I have a feeling that our allies will soon find us."

"Huh?" Livewire asked in confusion, and making her ally sigh softly,

"Those two children have a combined bounty of half a billion dollars on their heads," Star Saphire said in a weary voice, "If every villain isn't already in Jump City by now, then they are most assuredly making their way there. Do you understand now?"

"Oh!" Livewire exclaimed, finally understanding, "So, we just need to make our way to Jump City, where hopefully we can ally ourselves with a few others!"

"Indeed," Star Saphire sighed, thankful that the idiot she had allied herself with finally understood, "Now, let's be off."

"What about these two?" Livewire asked,

"Leave them be. I'm sure the Bat will find them soon enough. For now, we should split up, and each make our way to Jump City."

"See ya there, then!" Livewire exclaimed before turning into electricity and zapping out of sight; releasing one more sigh, Star Saphire floated into the air and quickly flew away.

XXXX

Harry had just finished having his injuries treated by an annoyed Andromeda Tonks when a black hole appeared in the ceiling; a moment later, a badly injured Lunatic fell from it and landed hard on the floor, causing Andromeda to scream.

"Oh my god! Looney!" Harry shouted in horror as he jumped off the hospital bed and ran to the body of his friend. Lunatic's right side was soaked in blood, and it looked like he had severe burns as well from some unknown attack. Seeing the boy's state seemed to shock Andromeda and Nightwing out of their stupor, and both ran forward and knelt beside Harry.

"Looney! Wake up!" Harry shouted as he picked up his friend and gently shook him; a moment later, the boy's eyes opened, and he smiled as he saw Harry.

"Harry, I think I messed up…" Lunatic said in a pained whisper,

"You think?!" Harry all but cried in relief, "What happened to you?!"

"Luthor…" Lunatic groaned,

"Lex Luthor did this to you?" Nightwing asked in surprise from where he was kneeling on the boy's other side.

"With a pained groan, Lunatic shook his head and grabbed Harry's shirt,

"He's put a bounty on our heads, Harry. They're coming for us…"

As the last word left Lunatic's lips, his eyes rolled back in his head, and he went limp in Harry's arms, causing Harry to cry out in alarm.

"Looney! Wake up, Looney! Wake up!"

"Step aside, Harry!" Andromeda said quickly as she pulled out her wand,

"Aunt Andromeda, he won't wake up!" Harry cried out as he continued to shake his friend, "Please make him wake up!"

"I'll do all I can, but you must let me work," Andromeda said quickly but gently before turning to Nightwing, "Put the boy on the bed!

As gently as he could, Nightwing lifted Lunatic off of the ground and into his arms; as he did so, Lunatic's top hat fell off and rolled across the floor. Harry immediately picked it up and held it like a lifeline as he watched Andromeda begin her examination, slowly moving the wand over the still boy.

After several moments of silence, Andromeda turned to Nightwing and began to issue orders quickly.

"Go get Raven and tell her to bring my medical bag and any essence of Dittany that she has in her own stores. Then keep everyone out of here until I say otherwise, understood?"

"Understood," Nightwing replied at once, placing a hand on Harry's shoulder and forcing him out of the door; as Harry left the room, Lunatic's top hat still clutched in his grip, he heard his Aunt say sternly,

"I have not lost a patient in twenty years, boy. And you will NOT be the one to break that record!"

XXXX

Author's Note:

Before any of you start freaking out, no, I'm killing off Lunatic. I just wanted to set the stage for the next chapter when Jump City turns into a battleground; Lunatic will be fighting right alongside Arcane and the Titans.

I wanted this chapter to be where the supervillains come after the bounty, but then this idea to further explore Lunatic popped into my head. I think I made it work; let me know what y'all think. Until next time.

Chapter Text

:INTERLUDE 3:

Raven was having a pleasant conversation with Molly Weasley as the group waited for Harry to return from the medical assault that Andromeda was no doubt putting the boy through; not far away, Hermione, Ginny, Starfire, and Dora were cooing over Starfire's' pet silk-worm, adorably named 'Silky.'

Fred and George were talking to Cyborg about just what he was. They were wide-eyed as they listened to how the Titan became 'Cyborg,' as well as how he became a Titan and all the things he'd done alongside the other Titans since.

While that was happening, Beastboy and Jinx tried to teach Ron how to play the new Mortal Kombat game, each taking turns fighting the redhead. Ron had been curious, at first, to play a Muggle game, but the poor boy had gone slightly green after a few minutes of watching some of the gory things that his and his opponents' characters could do. Raven, however, was watching her green-skinned teammate with narrowed eyes as he played against Ron; Beastboy was a much better player than that, and it was almost as if the Titan were distracted by something.

As Raven continued watching through the corner of her eyes, she noticed that Beastboy's gaze seemed to continuously drift to the rat perched on Ron's shoulder, sleeping. Even Hedwig, sitting comfortably on Jinx's shoulder, seemed to be staring at the rat for some reason.

Before Raven could comment on this strange situation, however, Harry and Nightwing burst into the living room, her brother almost in tears, causing Raven to stiffen immediately; as her eyes narrowed, Raven saw that Harry was holding an overly-large top hat and she immediately recognized who it belonged to.

"Harry, why do you have Lunatic's top hat?" Raven asked, causing the others to turn and see what was going on; beside her, Molly looked confused at what Raven had said and looked at the boy for confirmation.

"Raven, you need to grab your Aunt's bag from her room and any 'Essence of Dittany' you have and meet Andromeda in the Infirmary," Nightwing said quickly as Harry held onto the hat like a lifeline.

"Looney's hurt bad," Harry said softly, "There was so much blood…"

"Oh no…" Jinx whispered as she rose to her feet, sending Hedwig flying away with an annoyed bark; it was no secret that Jinx was quite fond of the little madman and looked upon him like a kindred spirit of chaos.

"Who is this 'Lunatic'?" Molly finally asked as she saw the faces of the other Titans pale slightly at Nightwing's words.

"He's my friend," Harry said at once, causing the other Weasleys to look at him momentarily before Raven spoke sadly, bringing their attention back to her.

"Lunatic is an incredibly powerful little boy who has suffered greatly because of that power. Unfortunately, the things that were done to him drove him a bit mad, so he chose to throw away his old name and choose a new one: Lunatic."

"And he lives here too?" Molly asked, her face paling in horror, "Is he a Titan, too?"

"No," Cyborg sighed, "We've offered, but the kid doesn't like 'labels,' or so he says, anyway."

"So, who looks after him?" Molly asked, her horror rising at the implications she was receiving from the Titans, "Surely he isn't all alone at such a young age?"

"Looney can take care of himself," Harry stated firmly before his proud demeanor broke, and he once again looked like the scared boy he was, "At least he was always able to before this…"

"You mean to tell me that a child is allowed to wander wherever they want with no adult supervision to speak of!" Molly asked, her temper rising, "Who would allow such idiocy!"

"Believe me, ma'am," Cyborg said with a smirk, "No one can make Lunatic stay if he doesn't want to."

"Wicked!" The twins chorused as one, "Can we meet him!"

Molly leveled a glare of such magnitude upon the twins that it instantly cowed them as she turned back to Raven; Raven, however, had taken this time to kneel in front of Harry and place a calm hand on the boy's shoulder as she stared into his scared eyes.

"I will do everything I can. I give you my word," Raven promised in a voice that ensured that Harry knew she was telling the truth, causing the teary-eyed boy to nod gratefully at her; rising to her feet, Raven looked at Nightwing and said softly,

"Keep an eye on Harry for me."

"Of course," Nightwing replied with a nod, which Raven immediately returned before stepping past.

"I'm coming too," Molly said at once as she followed behind Raven, "I received a bit of medical training during the war. I may be of some assistance."

"And me," Jinx said as she jumped over the couch and followed. Raven turned to the pink-haired Titan and raised an eyebrow at her, causing Jinx to glare back, "You really want to try and stop me?"

The two stared at each other for only a heartbeat before Raven sighed and shook her head wearily as she turned to leave, causing Jinx to smirk for a moment. Molly watched the confrontation with confusion momentarily before warily following Raven out of the door, Jinx right behind her.

After the remaining Weasleys and Hermione guided the silent Harry to the couch, they immediately began to ask him questions, completely ignoring the watching Titans who had grouped together following Raven and Jinx's departure.

"So what happened?" Cyborg asked as he crossed his arms over his chest,

"Yeah, judging from Harry's reaction, it must have been bad," Beastboy added as Starfire nodded.

"Andromeda had just finished healing Harry when Lunatic appeared out of a hole in the ceiling, very badly wounded."

"What was the cause?" Cyborg asked with a grimace, "How bad?"

"Bad," Nightwing said softly, "And as to the cause…. We might have a situation incoming."

"What kind of situation?" Starfire asked,

"Before Lunatic passed out from his injuries, he told Harry that Lex Luthor put a bounty on his and Arcane's heads over that prank they pulled a while ago."

"You mean the video that's been blowing up all over the internet?" Beastboy asked in surprise, "That was them?"

"Looks like it…" Nightwing said with a frown as the other Titans grimaced.

"So, what do we do?" Cyborg asked, "Whoever attacked Lunatic won't be happy that the kid escaped. If they're not already on their way here, they soon will be."

"Indeed," Starfire added with a frown, Silky held firmly in her arms, "And if the reward is large enough, others may come as well. The city could very well be caught in the crossfire."

"Maybe we should think about sending Hermione and the Weasleys home," Beastboy said after a moment, "Dora and her mom too."

"Yeah," Dora scoffed from where she sat on the nearby countertop, "Good luck with that."

"This is not a game, Dora!" Beastboy snapped at once as he turned to her, "You all could be in danger!"

"So could you!" Dora retorted angrily, hopping off the countertop and storming over to her boyfriend.

"That's my job!" Beastboy growled back, "I signed up for it. That's the difference."

"I'm not leaving," Dora said stubbornly, crossing her arms over her chest, "And my mum will give the same answer if and when you ask. Harry and Raven are my cousins, by all rights, and there's no way that Mum or I will leave if our family is in danger."

"We're not leaving either!" A firm voice said from behind the group, causing the Titans to turn around in surprise; Hermione and the Weasleys were all standing around Harry with determined looks on their faces. They didn't know who this 'Lunatic' was, but they knew Harry and anyone who targeted their friend would have to go through them; seeing their determined stares, the Titans all shared a look before Cyborg shook his head wearily.

"The gesture is appreciated, Hermione," Starfire said at once, "But Beastboy is correct; this isn't your job. It's ours. And it will be far too dangerous for children, even brave ones like you and the others."

"All the same-" Fred said forcefully,

"-We're not leaving!" George finished.

"Whatever happens," Nightwing said after a tense moment, "It will be your mom's decision. She's the one responsible for your safety."

A choked sob caught everyone's attention, causing them to turn to see its source; Harry was sitting beside Ron and Hermione, clutching desperately to Lunatic's hat as he tried to keep himself from openly crying at the fate of his friend.

Nightwing couldn't help but grimace as he watched Hermione and Ron place an arm around the boy struggling to control himself; for all that he might try to pretend otherwise, Harry was still just a little kid who had just watched his first friend appear heavily wounded, perhaps even fatally. Realizing that Harry desperately needed a distraction to pull him back from going completely over the edge, Nightwing's mind began to race with something he could offer to help.

"Harry, go grab your guitar," Nightwing said as a sudden idea came to him, "Then meet us in the danger room."

"My guitar?" Harry asked in a small voice before coloring angrily, "You want me to play a song right now! While Looney's possibly dying!"

"Seriously, dude?" Beastboy asked with a raised brow, "You really think this is a good time?"

"Yes, I do," Nightwing said, glaring at Beastboy before turning back to Harry, who was now glaring angrily; closing his eyes for a moment, Nightwing took a deep breath before reopening his eyes and looking at Harry.

"Lunatic will need you, Harry," Nightwing said firmly, "Just as much as he will need Raven and the others."

"What are you talking about?" Harry demanded, "I can't do anything for him! I'm helpless while he's in there fighting for his life!"

"Wrong!" Nightwing snapped with such ferocity that it shocked Harry into silence, "There is something you can do, something that no one else can do but you!"

"What…?" Harry asked in a choked voice, begging Nightwing to tell him the answer.

"Harry, I'm not a very religious person," Nightwing sighed as he ran his fingers through his hair, "But I do believe that there is a magic to the human spirit that nothing can beat. Just ask Cyborg to tell you about Brother Blood. So, go get your guitar and give Lunatic a reason to live. Play for him. Play loud and let him hear it."

As Nightwing's words slowly penetrated through the fog of fear that had clouded Harry's mind, a sudden look of understanding and then determination came across Harry's face; slowly, Harry rose to his feet and gently placed the top hat on the couch where he had just been sitting. Turning to face his surrogate older brother, Harry nodded once before striding past with a look in his eyes that made the Titans smirk slightly.

"I'll meet you there in five minutes," Harry growled as he strode past; once he was gone, Ron turned to the still-smirking Titans,

"What the bloody hell was that? Where is Harry going?"

"To get his guitar," Nightwing replied, facing the redhead, "And make an offering to whatever might be listening for his friend's life."

Turning to the doorway, Nightwing began to walk away, the rest of the Titans following behind; after sharing a confused look, the rest followed.

XXXX

Molly Weasley had seen many horrible things in her life; serving as a nurse during a war had all but guaranteed her a lifetime of nightmares, though those had thankfully lessened as the years went by. But as she stared down in horror at the small body of the shirtless child before her, Molly realized that a new nightmare would soon be visiting her dreams.

When she and her two companions walked into the infirmary, it was to the sight of Andromeda desperately pressing cloth to a severe wound in the child's right side that ran from his right shoulder to the center of his right bicep. As Molly continued to stare, unable to help herself, she saw how close Andromeda was to panicking; the woman had a crazed look in her eyes, and her hair swung wildly as she pulled the blood-drenched cloth away and immediately put on another.

"Oh, my god…" Jinx whispered in horror as she saw the state Lunatic was in; hearing her voice, Andromeda looked up sharply before a relieved look came across her face.

"Oh, thank Merlin! Raven, did you bring my bag!"

"Yes, Aunt Andi," Raven replied at once, striding across the room and taking her Aunt's place so that she could begin looking through her bag for medical supplies; as Andromeda quickly began to riffle through the bag, Raven and the others could hear her muttering curses and oaths.

"I need more gauze!" Raven said as the once pristine cloth in her hands soaked in blood,

"On it!" Jinx cried at once before running to the nearby cabinet.

"I don't know what in God's name attacked this poor boy, but it's proving more difficult to repair than I had anticipated!" Andromeda snapped as she continued looking.

"What do you mean?" Jinx demanded from where she was searching for more cloth and gauze, "Is he going to die? Answer me!"

"I can't bloody answer you!" Andromeda snarled back, "Because I don't know how to close the damn wound!"

"What do you mean, Andi?" Molly asked, finally shaken out of her shock, "You're a healer! Just use a quick stitching spell on the boy!"

"I've tried!" Andromeda growled in frustration, "I've tried every spell I know to stop the bleeding, but whatever attacked him left a strange energy behind, unlike anything I've ever seen! It's keeping his wound open, and nothing I'm doing is working!"

"Energy?" Jinx asked in shock as she quickly thumbed through her memory of all the possible villains that could do something like that, finally coming up with only four possible answers, "Step back, Raven. I need to see the wound."

"If I step back, Lunatic will die of blood loss," Raven replied, "Why do you need to see it?"

"If I can identify the energy in his wound,' Jinx replied quickly, "We can program Cyborg's new surgical laser to target only the areas where the energy is present. And once the energy is gone…"

"Aunt Andi will be able to close the wound and save him," Raven replied as she cast her eye to the opposite side of the room where said laser was currently sitting; turning back a quickly paling Jinx, Raven sighed and continued speaking, "But that still doesn't change the fact that you need time to see the wound, and if I take away my hands, he will die in a matter of minutes."

"What the bloody hell is a laser!" Molly demanded as she pointed her wand at the gauze in Jinx's hands, making its number triple instantly. Jinx nodded appreciatively at Molly before answering her earlier question.

"Put simply, a laser is a piece of muggle equipment used to cut through things, be it metal, wood, flesh, or bone."

"And you want to use this device on a child!" Molly asked in horror, "Are you mad!"

"Cyborg specifically designed and built this particular laser for surgeries like this," Raven replied quickly, "Where the victim has been attacked by something that regular medicine can't fix. But it still doesn't change the fact that if I remove my hands, Lunatic will bleed to death."

"No, he won't!" Andromeda shouted at last, causing the others to turn to her; she was sticking halfway out of her bag by this point, and were the situation not so serious, Raven would have laughed at the absurdity of it. When her Aunt finally managed to extricate herself from the confines of her bag, Andromeda turned around to face the others, and Raven's eyes widened in amazement and relief; Andromeda's arms were laden with Blood-Replenishing Potions, at least a dozen bottles of it.

"Where did you get all of those?" Jinx asked in surprise, "They must have cost a fortune!"

"They did!" Andromeda growled unhappily, "After what happened to you lot, I decided to be extra careful, so I went shopping a few days ago. I was planning on fully restocking the infirmary. Now I'm just glad I made the trip at all."

"I could kiss you right now!" Jinx said happily, causing Andromeda to chuckle; turning back to Raven, Jinx began to issue orders, "Okay! So, when you pull away, Lunatic will begin to bleed out. I'll try to identify it as quickly as I can, but you guys gotta give me all the time you can!"

"Understood," Raven nodded before turning to her Aunt and Molly, "While Jinx works, it will be our job to pour as much of the potion down the boy's throat as we can so he doesn't die of blood loss."

Stepping up next to Raven, Jinx nodded once, causing the girl to step back; the moment Raven's hands took away the gauze, the blood began to pour out; for a moment, Jinx stared in horror before she remembered what she had to do.

Summoning her own abilities, Jinx raised her arms as her eyes began to glow pink; an instant later, two tendrils of pink energy shot from Jinx's arms and into Lunatic's wound, causing the boy to spring off the bed so violently that Raven though his back might break. The boy cried out in pain a moment later, shocking Andromeda and Molly out of their staring and immediately into action.

"Hold him down!" Raven snapped out, taking Lunatic's left shoulder and pushing back onto the bed; a moment later, Andromeda joined her niece in trying to hold down the flailing and crying child. Turning back to Molly, Raven shouted out,

"Start bringing those potions! Now!"

One after another, Molly grabbed two or three at a time before ripping off the cork and pouring the contents down the boy's throat; once the bottle was empty, Molly immediately dropped it and ran for more. All the while, Jinx was standing stock-still, her eyes glowing pink and her arms raised in front of her as pink tendrils sought out their target.

"Jinx, hurry!" Raven snapped after watching Molly pour the sixth potion down the boy's throat; the bed by this time was soaked in blood, and a small pool was beginning to form on the floor as well, making the infirmary look more like a horror movie.

"I've…. Almost got it…." Jinx replied in a pained voice, "Almost…. There…. Got it!"

An instant later, the tendrils snapped out of the boy's wound and back into Jinx's arms, causing the boy to collapse in an unconscious heap on the bed and showering all the women with droplets of blood.

"Gauze!" Raven cried out immediately, causing Molly to spring into action and press a thick piece of cloth to the boy's wound. Lunatic groaned once at the pressure, but Molly didn't let up and simply stared.

Spinning on her heel, Jinx ran as fast as her legs could carry her toward Cyborg's newest creation; her right fist closed tight around something. Upon reaching it, Jinx immediately ripped open a compartment on the top and dumped what looked like a glowing pink stone into it before slamming the lid back down. As soon as the machine powered up, Jinx began to furiously type onto the keyboard, her eyes darting left and right as she looked for the one responsible for Lunatic's injury, while not far away, Raven and the other two women were desperately trying to stem the flow of blood.

"Well?" Raven demanded, "Have you found the one responsible or not?"

Before Jinx could offer an angry rebuttal, the machine beeped, and a prison photo appeared on the screen; as Jinx stared at the photo, she narrowed her eyes angrily and had to fight off the urge to blast the machine into oblivion.

"Star Saphire," Jinx growled, "The energy source is from Star Saphire."

"Can that damn muggle toy help us or not!" Andromeda screeched, for a moment looking like her mad sister, understandable as she, by this time, was soaked in blood.

"Yes!" Jinx retorted, "It just needs to warm, and then I have to put in the proper commands!"

"Then do so!" Andromeda spat back, "This boy is losing blood faster than we can replace it!"

When she heard that, Jinx couldn't help but look down at the boy, and her eyes widened as she saw how pale he was becoming; nodding quickly, Jinx began to type commands into the machine, causing a panel above Lunatic's bed to slide away as a large triangle-like machine with a small circular tip, descended.

Quickly reaching above her head, Raven grabbed the control arm and angled the laser at Lunatic's wound as Molly and Andromeda watched with confused faces.

"You sure this will work?" Molly asked softly as Raven finished placing the laser where it was needed.

"No," Raven replied as she turned to face the woman, "But it's our only hope now."

"It's done!" Jinx cried out happily, "I've programmed it to only target Star Saphire's energy source and to eradicate it!"

Just as she finished speaking, the circular tip on the laser began to glow bright red, as a humming noise sounded; an instant later, a red light shot into the boy's wound, making his eyes shoot open in shock and pain, his mouth stretched in a silent scream as his back arched.

"Hold him, goddammit!" Jinx snarled as she sprinted back across the room and all but dived on top of Lunatic's flailing body, "The machine needs him to be as still as possible, or it could do more harm than good!"

Hearing that, Molly and Andromeda sprang into action, each grabbing a separate shoulder and pressing the boy back down as Raven realigned the laser.

"Lunatic, you listen to me, good!" Raven growled as she turned the laser back on, and it began its work again, "You've never been anything but a pain in my neck from the moment you waltzed into Harry and I's life! But through all that, you've been there for Harry in ways I couldn't. So, if you die on me now and break my little brother's heart, I'll drag your insane ass back from wherever you end up just to kill you again, myself!"

For a moment, only a moment, Lunatic's eyes seemed to focus on Raven. She could have sworn that she saw the ghost of a smirk appear on his face. Still, an instant later, the boy was once again crying out in pain as the laser bore into him, a pink trail of energy slowly rising out of him and into the device as the three other women desperately tried to hold him down.

XXXX

By the time the Titans and the others had made their way to the observation deck of the danger room, Harry had already grabbed his guitar and amplifier and had a fierce look on his face as he finished tuning it. Ginny and Hermione both felt themselves blushing uncontrollably as they looked down at the boy whose sole concentration was on the cherry-red and black Gibson guitar in his hands. To the surprise of everyone but the Titans, somehow, Harry had managed to change from his Arcane outfit into an ordinary pair of torn blue jeans and a sleeveless black t-shirt, with red sneakers on his feet in the small amount of time that it had taken the others to reach the danger room. His loose hair, too, had been tamed, pulled back into a tight ponytail at the base of his skull.

Turning away from the observation window, Cyborg placed his hand on the nearby wall and pressed down gently, revealing a hidden switch; an instant later, a panel in the wall slid horizontally away, revealing a computer that Cyborg began to type commands quickly into.

Hermione was about to ask what Cyborg was doing when the sound of speakers activating went off over her head, making her look up; turning back to the waiting Nightwing, Cyborg nodded once before retaking his place at his teammate's side.

"Turning back to the window, Nightwing leaned down and pressed a button directly below the center of the observation window, which activated the speaker into the danger room.

"The speakers are live, Harry," Nightwing said softly, "Everyone in the Tower will be able to hear you. What are you going to play?"

A thousand songs flashed through Harry's head in an instant as he gripped his guitar tight; should he play a ballad? A dirge? Should it be hard and powerful? Soft and compassionate? But as his mind raced, he finally settled on the only song worth offering to anyone or anything that might be listening. The song that Lunatic would always beg Harry to play when the little madman would visit; Lunatic's favorite song.

"If anyone is listening," Harry thought desperately as he closed his eyes and bowed his head, "Please accept this offering and save my friend!"

"There's only one song that will do…" Harry said softly, yet his voice carried all the same to those listening above.

Eyes still closed, Harry raised his hand into the air and began to play a soft ballad that grew aggressive towards the end before returning to smooth and mellow. The Titans all seemed to grin or smirk as one as they each recognized which song Harry had chosen.

"Of course, he'd pick that one," Beastboy chuckled as Cyborg returned to the computer and began to input more commands; a moment later, Cyborg retook his spot as an invisible drummer started to play in the background as Harry made his fingers dance faster.

"Of course," Nightwing agreed, "It's Lunatic's favorite, for obvious reasons…"

Dora, Hermione, and the Weasleys could only watch in ignorance, not having heard this song before but knowing all the same, the skill it must take to play the way Harry was doing, with his eyes closed.

Harry's eyes snapped open as the tempo suddenly exploded, and he began to sing as he had never sung before.

XXXX

In a world of darkness that was neither here nor there, that both existed and didn't exist, a robed figure sat alone in a dark chamber on a throne of ebony so pitch-black that it almost seemed as though the figure was squatting in midair.

As sudden music began to play within its chamber, the figure stirred and raised its head to listen; hidden beneath its hood, the figure smiled as it recognized the tune's origin and the message behind it. It was an offering from the figure's chosen. And a fine offering it was, indeed.

XXXX

As the music began to blast through the speakers of the infirmary, the women all looked up in confusion before a smirk appeared on Jinx's face, while an exasperated one took over Raven's; Molly and Andromeda both were staring at the ceiling in open-mouthed confusion as the laser beeped and shut off, causing Lunatic to drop unconscious onto the bed.

"What the devil is that music?" Molly demanded, wiping a line of sweat from her brow, "Who's playing it?"

"It's Harry," Raven said softly, "He's playing Lunatic's favorite song for him…."

"You hear that, Lulu," Jinx whispered softly into the boy's ear, using the affectionate nickname she had given to him, "That's for you, so you better not go anywhere!"

A ghost of a smirk seemed to cross the boy's face, and Jinx felt hope swell in her chest; that hope was dashed a second later when the heart monitor attached to the boy's chest flatlined.

"Paddles!" Jinx screamed at once as the music built in intensity; instantly, Raven spurred into action and grabbed the AED from off the wall before quickly placing the pads on the boy's chest.

"What is that?" Molly asked in horror as Raven turned on the machine, "What are you doing?"

"Move your damn hands!" Raven shouted back, causing Andromeda and Molly to quickly jerk their hands away.

"Clear!" Raven cried as she pressed the button, instantly making the boy jump as the device delivered an electric shock.

"Again!" Jinx cried out when the heart monitor flatlined again,

"Clear!" Raven shouted again as the music built to a crescendo around them.

XXXX

"New blood joins this earth,

and quickly, he's subdued!

Through constant pain and disgrace,

the young boy learns their rules!

With time, the child draws in.

This whipping boy done wrong!

Deprived of all his thoughts,

the young boy struggles on and on, he's known.

A vow unto his own,

that never from this day,

his will they'll take away!

What I've felt, what I've known,

never shined through what I've shown.

Never be. Never see.

Won't see what might have been.

What I've felt, what I've known.

Never shined through what I've shown.

Never free, never me,

so I dub the Unforgiven."

Harry played as he had never played before, pouring every drop of fear, anger, passion, and hope that he had within himself into every note; this was his offering to whatever was listening for his friend's life, and by god, he would make sure that it was the best damn performance he had ever given!

"He's amazing…" Dora whispered softly, "How is he so good at so young an age…?"

"When Raven first brought Harry to the Tower, he was really messed up," Nightwing replied softly, "Therapy sessions with Black Canary helped a little bit, but it was Raven who found a true way to help Harry, through music."

"She and Harry would spend hours practicing," Beastboy said warmly as his eyes glazed over in remembrance, "And no matter how many tries it took, Harry would never stop practicing until he perfectly played whatever song Raven showed him, from start to finish."

"And he will only grow better with time," Starfire added with pride, "One day, the whole world will know his name."

"What do you mean?" Ginny asked with a blush as she watched Harry's hair break loose of its hair tie; not even slowing in his playing, Harry began to bang his head to the beat, his long hair swinging wildly.

"Harry's dream is to be a musician," Starfire said happily, to the surprise of all but the Titans.

"He does look like he belongs there…" Dora replied softly, "The way he plays… The way he moves… I've never seen anything like it…"

"He's bloody amazing!" Fred said,

"Outstanding!" George added.

The only Weasley who didn't speak was Ron, who was staring at his best mate with something akin to awe; all his life, Ron had felt like the odd man out in his family. He wasn't cool like Bill or Charlie, nor was he as intelligent as Percy or as funny as the twins, and he definitely wasn't the darling girl that his mother had always wanted and finally gotten with Ginny. That was one of the reasons why Ron didn't apply himself very much because, in his heart, he truly believed that no matter what he did, he would always stand in the shadow of his older siblings.

But as he watched Harry move hypnotically across the floor, his fingers dancing like magic, Ron, for the first time, thought that maybe, just maybe, he had found something that could be entirely his own if Harry would teach him how; as Ron continued to watch, he made a silent promise to ask Harry to teach him as soon as he could. As the intensity of the solo continued to grow, Ron could feel how much the boy in the infirmary meant to Harry. Yet, Ron didn't feel jealous but instead felt a wave of respect pass through him as he realized that if Ron was in the boy's place, Harry would be playing just as passionately for him. That was the kind of guy that Harry was, one who would always give everything he had for his friends as long as they were willing to do the same.

XXXX

"They dedicate their lives

to running all of his!

He tries to please them all,

this bitter man he is!

Throughout his life the same,

he's battled constantly!

This fight he cannot win;

a tired man they see, no longer cares!

The old man then prepares to die regretfully.

That old man there is me, yeah!

What I've felt, what I've known.

Never shined through what in what I've shown.

Never be, never see, won't see what might have been.

What I've felt, what I've known.

Never shined through in what I've shown.

Never free, never me.

So, I dub the Unforgiven."

As the music echoed around the empty chamber, the robed figure smiled under its hood, resting its head on a black-gloved fist while its elbow lay on the arm of its throne.

"Surely THAT is not the best you can do, my chosen…" The figure purred softly; its question was answered a moment later when a guitar solo began with such intensity that the figure could not help the grin that split her face in half.

"Good, my chosen," the figure sighed, "Good…"

XXXX

As the guitar solo began, Raven pressed the button on the AED again, causing Lunatic's body to jump from the jolt; a second later, the monitor registered a heart rate, and Jinx breathed a sigh of relief.

"It's not over yet!" Andromeda said a second later as she pulled out her wand again, "I'll start stitching his skin now that that strange energy preventing me from doing so is gone! While I'm doing that, I want Molly to pour more blood-replenishing potions down the boy's throat as fast as you can. Raven, you, and Jinx start getting that Essence of Dittany ready! The moment I tell you to, start applying it!"

As everyone moved to Andromeda's order, the guitar solo grew so intense and passionate that it froze everyone in place for a moment before they managed to shake themselves free of the music's enchantment.

XXXX

As the guitar solo reached its crescendo, Harry felt a sudden wetness on his hands; opening his eyes, he saw, to his shock, that his fingers were actually bleeding from the intensity of his performance. Feeling the pain as a part of him and yet not a part of him, Harry closed his eyes and continued to play with just as much intensity as before; if the music wasn't a good enough offering, then perhaps his blood would do.

XXXX

The robed figure smiled as a new offering was freely given alongside the music, an offering of blood freely given as payment for the life of another, perhaps the most sacred offering of all.

"I accept…" The figure said finally, lifting its gloved hand slowly before snapping its fingers; the explosive concussion completely drowned out the sound of the music as it spread beyond the chamber and into that which both existed and didn't simultaneously.

XXXX

As Harry finished the final note of the song, he felt his knees give way, and he dropped to the floor with an exhausted sigh, his arms hanging lifelessly at his side as blood dripped slowly to the ground. As Harry struggled to breathe through the pain in his chest, he closed his eyes and sat in the silence of the danger room, the only sound the plip-plop of his blood as it dropped off of his fingers and onto the floor. The pain in his fingers was making itself known now, and Harry winced against it, even as he tried to pretend it didn't bother him; he would have to ask for help. He couldn't find any more energy in him that might help him rise to his feet again.

The sudden activation of the speakers made Harry's head shoot up to the observation deck in sudden anxiety, only to see his sister standing there looking exhausted but relieved; as he took in the large volume of blood on Raven's robes, Harry's eyes widened in fear.

"Raven…?" Harry half asked/ half begged, "How's Looney…?"

"We almost lost him," Raven said softly, "But he pulled through in the end. Thanks to you, I think."

"He's going to be, okay?" Harry cried out happily, trying to rise to his feet before falling back to his knees in an exhaustive heap, "Can I see him!"

"No, you bloody well cannot, Harry Potter!" Andromeda's voice called out a moment before she, too, appeared on the observation deck, looking far more frazzled than Harry had ever seen her, "The boy needs his rest and is not to be disturbed until he wakes under his own power! And as for you!"

"Me?" Harry asked in shock, "What did I do?"

I JUST healed you after your stupid training exercise!" Andromeda screeched like a woman possessed, "And now, your fingers are cut open, and you're suffering from exhaustion, near as I can tell! What the devil do you think you were doing! Do you think I like seeing you twice in one day, on top of whatever madness that boy in the infirmary has gotten himself into!"

"It was an offering," Harry said at once, bringing Andromeda up short, "And thankfully, someone was listening, it seems."

Unable to come up with a response beyond wordless sputtering, Andromeda finally decided to settle on,

"Be that as it may! You still hurt yourself again, forcing me to heal you AGAIN! The infirmary. Now!"

"Yes, Aunt Andromeda!" Harry cried automatically before he remembered, "Only, um…."

"What!" Andromeda cried, slamming her hands down on the glass,

"I kinda can't move at the moment…" Harry replied sheepishly; momentarily, the observation deck was silent as the group slowly processed what Harry had just said. A heartbeat later, Beastboy led the charge by laughing at Harry's current predicament, which everyone else shared a moment later.

"Oh sure, laugh at the kid who just gave the greatest rock performance of his life and is now paralyzed as a result!" Harry shouted back in mock outrage, "Real mature, you jerks!"

"Just stay put," Beastboy called, making Harry scowl impotently, "We'll be right down."

As the observation deck slowly emptied, Harry couldn't help but smile as he shook his head wearily; left alone, Harry raised his eyes to the sky and whispered out an exhausted,

"Thank you."

For just a moment, Harry could have sworn that something wrapped him in a loving embrace, but before he could properly register it, the feeling was gone, and Harry was, once again, alone.

XXXX

Author's Note:

Longest chapter yet! I just couldn't stop; I only did because my fingers are killing me, lol. Unforgiven is the property of Metallica, and as such, I claim no ownership of it whatsoever; I am simply using it in my story. In case you're wondering why I picked it for Lunatic's favorite song; just look at the lyrics and you'll understand.

For those of you asking how Lunatic was beaten so badly and so easily, allow me to remind you that as powerful as Lunatic is, he's still twelve years old! And also, if you didn't notice, he's INCREDIBLY arrogant about his powers. And as nearly every story tells us, arrogance often leads to defeat; case in point here.

Until next time, that's all folks!

Chapter Text

Two weeks. That was how long Lunatic was unconscious; Andromeda refused to leave the Tower until her patient awoke, but that's not to say that Raven and the other Titans didn't try to make Harry and the others worry less about the hurt child in the Infirmary.

The Titan's first action was to show their guests all that Jump City had to offer, and they spent an entire two days exploring the city, from one end to the other; the Weasleys, to everyone's amusement, were quite shocked at the multitude of muggles that existed in just one city alone. When told of not only how many there were in the entire country but also how more advanced they were than the Magical World, poor Molly looked faint.

Thanks to the sudden riches Raven and Harry had inherited, money was no object (despite Molly's objections). The group spent two amazing days feasting at the finest restaurants and laughing at the horrified and outraged looks they received from the 'rich folk.'

While the other Titans played tour guide, Nightwing stated that the League needed to be informed of the coming threat and quickly left to the Watchtower. That left the other Titans with nothing to do until Nightwing returned; Beastboy decided it was his time to shine and recommended a day at the beach, which everyone wholeheartedly supported (except for Raven, who groaned in mock misery).

The girls had all chosen modest bathing suits supplied by the Titans; only Dora had chosen to ignore propriety and pick a genuinely immodest dark blue bikini that had nearly the entire beach staring in shock while muttering violent threats against the blushing green-skinned boy who was holding her hand. Molly had almost swallowed her tongue when she saw the skimpy thing and had opened her mouth to begin what would no doubt have been a very long and loud tirade, only for Beastboy to drag the squealing girl into the water.

It had been a wonderful day filled with laughter; Harry had spent the day trying to teach the Weasleys and Hermione to surf, a woefully hopeless endeavor since none of Harry's students could stay on the surfboard for more than a few seconds. Later in the day, Cyborg made hotdogs and hamburgers, which made the group moan with delight at first taste; Molly demanded the recipe from a chuckling Cyborg, who immediately promised to give it to her before they left back to England.

After lunch, Harry's happiness was amplified when a few of his friends strode over to them after recognizing the boy. A quick introduction was made, and the Weasleys and Hermione were introduced to Otto and Reggie Rocket and their friends Sam and Maurice, who preferred to go by the moniker 'Twister.'

The entire group was all heavily tanned, showing how much they enjoyed being in the sun; Otto was of average size, just a few inches shorter than his sister, and had flaming red dreadlocks that hung around his face, almost covering his eyes which sat behind a pair of green-lensed glasses. Reggie, too, had dreadlocks that hung around her face, but hers were dyed purple, and unlike her brother, Reggie's glasses sat snugly on her head, holding her bangs back.

Twister was the 'camera guy' of the group, responsible for filming all the insane stunts that the group got themselves into, which, considering their love of adrenaline, was an everyday thing; he hung near the rear, his hat turned backward and his left hand holding his camera in a waterproof case, while on his face a bored expression sat. Sam, the group's final member, was paler than the rest and had a rat's nest of blonde hair cut into a 'military fade,' while a pair of thick glasses constantly fell down his nose.

The group was from a city about an hour away called Ocean Shores and lived for danger and extreme sports; Raymundo Rocket, Otto, and Reggie's dad ran a restaurant right near the boardwalk, which made most of its money from tourists. Harry had met them during his first summer with the Titans almost four years ago. The other Titans had been trying to coax a scared Harry into the water when the Rockets had shown up with their dad and 'Uncle' Tito.

Seeing how terrified the boy was (understandable, since before that moment, the largest body of water that Harry had ever seen had been the local pool in Surrey), Reggie and Sam had asked the Titans if they could play with Harry and teach him that the ocean wasn't so bad. Harry was initially nervous, especially when Otto and Twister kept making jokes about how "Harry was too old to be afraid of a little water." But Harry's fear had gradually faded away after a few hours, which was helped by how patient Reggie and Sam had been with the scared boy; even Tito had come out to offer advice to Harry, and the boy was amazed at how insightful the large Hawaiian was when you could make out the gibberish he was saying.

That's not to say that Tito couldn't talk just fine, only that his advice seemed to make no sense at times, as often the message would get lost in translation. That summer had been the start of Harry's transformation from a scared little boy into the pre-teen he was today; the Rockets had spent the summer showing Harry how to surf and skate, and Harry had soaked up every lesson with an intensity that had even Otto impressed. By the end of the summer, Harry and the Rockets had become fast friends, and they traded numbers to keep in touch before the group headed back to Ocean Shores. Over the years, Harry had actually been invited to many events with the Rockets, some of which made Harry glad he was tougher to break than other people because even he had to admit, the Rockets were Bonafede adrenaline junkies!

After a fantastic day of swimming, surfing, and all-around beach fun, the Titans had returned to the Tower, where Nightwing had informed the other Titans that the League was aware of what was going on and was already making plans to protect the city, should the worst come to pass. Harry and the other children had immediately voiced their wishes to participate but had been instantly shut down by the adults, who seemed to be in universal agreement that this fight would be no place for children. Molly, to the surprise of everyone, had already told the Titans that she would stay and help; when asked why, her answer had caused more than one Titan to stare at her in shock:

"Lily and James were my friends," Molly said softly but with steel in her voice, "I couldn't protect them, but I can protect their children."

Raven had merely offered a nod of gratitude for the offer to stay and fight; Starfire, on the other hand, had grabbed the woman in a pulverizing hug and lifted the groaning woman into the air before swinging her around while Starfire cried out her thanks for showing such honor for a fallen friend, while the watchers laughed themselves silly at Molly's indignant cries.

The following day, Ron had surprised Harry by finally mustering up enough courage to ask him if he would teach Ron to play the guitar; Harry's surprise had lasted mere moments before a grin stretched across Harry's face, and he asked Ron to stretch out his fingers for Harry to look at. Confused by the request, Ron did as Harry asked, then stared in silent bemusement as Harry looked at Ron's fingers like one would inspect a fine jewel.

After several moments of this, where Harry would have Ron turn his hands over or flex his fingers under Harry's watchful eye, Harry finally finished his examination and decreed that Ron would make an excellent bass guitarist. He then grabbed the confused redhead and dragged him to Harry's room, all while the rest of the Tower watched with equal looks of amusement and confusion. After a moment, the other Weasley children, and Hermione followed.

When they reached Harry's room, Ron actually felt his jaw drop in shock and heard gasps from behind him as the others entered; the room was painted to look like a mysterious forest, while overhead, a galaxy of stars shone, painted with so much skill that Ron nearly thought it real. A colossal window took up the other side of the room, and Ron couldn't help but stare as he saw the magnificent view that the room beheld; the ocean glittered far into the distance with the light of the sunset, while the lights of the city slowly began to turn on nearby.

"Blimey, Harry…" One of the twins said in awe, "That's one helluva view…."

As Harry let go of Ron's hand and stepped away to do whatever he was doing, Ron began to take in the rest of the room, and he felt his shock and awe growing with each new thing his eyes took in; there were six bookshelves filled to the brim with all manner of books, with quite a few more laying on top of one another. Seated in the center between the bookshelves was an impressive-looking desk made of dark (almost black) wood; sitting in front of the desk was a gothic-style throne-like chair with carvings of skulls and other scary images carved along it. Hermione's eyes looked like they were going to pop out of her skull as she took in the books, and Ron heard her whisper excitedly,

"He's got a first-edition Edgar Allen Poe!"

"I don't know who that is, but I wonder if he has any adventure books!" Ginny whispered back excitedly as the two girls bounced in place.

In the corner, a large and expensive-looking drum set sat quietly, with two prominent speakers hanging from the wall behind it; next to that, Ron could see the entrance to what looked like a bathroom.

A huge shelf filled with hundreds of those small discs that Hermione had called "CDs" stood next to the bathroom, and Ron couldn't help but be impressed at how many Harry apparently had. The DVD shelf next to the CD shelf held even more discs, and Ron couldn't help but feel a little jealous as he saw all the movies that Harry had access to; since Harry had first introduced Ron to films and cartoons, the redhead had fallen in love and would constantly bug Harry to show him another one, to Harry's delight. Just the previous evening, the whole group had gathered in the Titans private theatre; it had been a wonderful evening filled with all the popcorn and soda that the Weasleys could ask for.

The Titans had all agreed that the Weasley's first movie experience should be memorable. So they decided that their first movie theatre experience would be Star Wars. The first movie had left them all speechless, and even Molly had all but begged to watch one more before bed, which the Titans had happily agreed to. They would finish the 'prequel' series tonight and watch the first of the 'original' movies. Ron looked forward to seeing Anakin beat the Sith and end the Clone Wars.

Ron's mind was pulled away from dreams of future lightsaber battles when he turned to the opposite wall and saw, to his shock, that Harry's walls were covered with posters of what he could only assume were muggles bands. One had a picture of a reaper on it, with the words "Disturbed" written underneath. Another showed a beautiful woman wearing all black, while the words "Evanescence" hovered over her head; dozens more filled with strange names and stranger people covered the walls. Next to, and beneath these many posters, Ron saw, to his shock, that Harry's bed was actually floating three feet off of the floor, and was about to say something when Hermione cut him off,

"You have a magnetic hover bed? I've read about those! They're supposed to be really expensive!"

"It was a gift from someone Nightwing knows for my birthday last year," Harry clarified absentmindedly from the desk, looking at a book filled with notes, "I tried to give it back, but the dude wouldn't take it. Here we go!"

"It's not magic?" Ginny asked in surprise as she turned to Hermione,

"Not at all!" Hermione replied excitedly, "Just science! There's a magnet on the floor and another underneath the bed. They repel each other and make the bed float."

"Wicked…" The twins said as one, causing Harry to chuckle,

"There's a bit more to it than that, but yeah, basically."

Having apparently found what he was looking for, Harry stood up from his 'throne' and walked over to a nearby wall with a poster of a strange man, under which the words "Ozzy" were displayed. Pressing his hand against the wall, the group watched in amazement as the wall pushed inward around Harry's hand; a moment later, a length of the wall to Harry's immediate left spun. Gone was the poster of the strange man; in its place was a wall where seven beautiful guitars hung while the soft glow of a lamp showed down on them.

Ron immediately recognized the guitar Harry had used during his 'offering' while the adults had worked to save Lunatic's life; the other six, however, made Ron's eyes bug out in amazement. There was a purple and black guitar, shaped to look like it was on fire; next to that was a guitar of pure black that looked as though whoever had made it had done so with no care for symmetry; it was a creation of pure chaos, with sharp angles and minor imperfections in the wood. Another guitar was shaped like a sword, but instead of a hilt, a gigantic eagle with spread wings rose up; a simple brown acoustic guitar sat next to that, a rather unimpressive thing compared to its neighbors.

The last two guitars sitting on the wall couldn't have been more different if they tried; one was a mixture of blue and green and looked like some spell had been placed on it, for the colors danced and moved as though Ron were looking at the sea again. The other was a terrifying thing, made to look like a gigantic battle axe, with eerie red stains on the blades; the strings on this one looked harsh and angry, as though they might split Ron's fingers at any moment, should he try and touch it.

"Don't touch that one!" Harry snapped as Fred reached out to touch the guitar shaped like an axe, causing said twin to jerk his hand back quickly, "Even I haven't played that one yet."

"What's wrong with it?" Fred demanded,

"It was a gift from a man named Constantine," Harry drawled, "Which means it's dangerous. I just haven't worked out how yet."

"If it's dangerous, why keep it with the others?" Hermione asked in surprise,

"Because it looks cool, of course!" Harry replied as if it were obvious, "I'll figure out what's wrong with it soon, and then I shall play a song worthy of such a guitar!"

Cackling merrily to himself, Harry walked over to the ocean blue guitar and gently picked it up, returning to his staring friends as the wall spun back into place.

"You sure you want to do this?" Harry asked Ron as he held the guitar out to the staring redhead, holding it out like an offering, "It takes a lot of hard work and a lot of blood, sweat, and tears. You won't learn it overnight; in fact, it could be a long time before you're able to successfully play a song without making a mistake. Are you up for it?"

Ron briefly worried his lip as he stared hard at the guitar in Harry's hand. Still, his hesitation only lasted a few seconds before he reached out and gently took the guitar from Harry's offered hands; this seemed like the correct response, for Harry immediately smiled and nodded at his friend.

"Let's begin, then," Harry said with a smile, causing Ron to grin back as he awkwardly held the bass guitar in front of him.

XXXX

For the next two weeks, Harry and Ron would isolate themselves in Harry's room for two hours every morning. Harry would teach Ron all he knew about playing a guitar. When Hermione asked Harry how he would teach Ron bass when he played an entirely different type of guitar, it surprised no one when Raven told her that Harry had learned to play several different instruments over the years as music became his passion and outlet. The rest of the day was spent any way that the children chose; the Titans all had daily meetings with the Justice League about what was coming, and Batman had revealed that he'd tracked the movements of Killer Croc, Deadshot, Bane, and Clayface, with all of them heading towards Jump City.

Flash had added that he'd heard rumors that Grodd had allied himself with Cheetah, Bizarro, and Mirror Master. Still, he was unable to find anything to verify these rumors. Either way, the Titans were forced to put aside their outrage against the League for what they had done to Harry to ensure that their city and the people within it were protected from the coming battle.

Molly, Dora, and Andromeda were all, of course, permitted in these meetings, seeing as how the three of them had decided to stay and help; Andromeda and Dora had had a magnificent screaming match when Dora had told her mother that she would be staying to fight alongside Beastboy. By the end of the fight, both women were in tears. Still, Andromeda had finally agreed to let Dora remain as she was a grown woman capable of making her own decisions.

For the first few days, Harry and the other children would spend nearly the entire day in a candy-induced coma as they watched TV or played video games. Finally, Raven and the other adults agreed that the children needed to spend their summer doing more than rotting their teeth and brains. Thus, they were banished from Titans Tower from noon to four.

Most days, Harry would take the group down to the boardwalk, where they would meet with Otto and his group and spend the next few hours swimming, surfing, or exploring the boardwalk. At the same time, Otto and Reggie asked Harry about his year and why he hadn't written them.

XXXX

Harry and Ron were seated on the floor in the middle of their morning practice when Harry's door suddenly sprang open, causing both boys' heads to shoot up; a moment later, Lunatic stormed into Harry's room, wearing only a hospital gown and looking thoroughly annoyed.

"Looney?" Harry asked in surprise before the little madman pointed an accusing finger at him,

"There you are! We have a real situation here!"

"Situation…?" Harry asked, too confused to rise to his feet,

"Yes! I woke up alone, tried to find you, and discovered something horrible!"

"What?" Harry asked with some amusement,

"We've been invaded by gingers!" Lunatic shouted in horror, "Everywhere I looked, pasty-skinned gits with flaming red hair!"

Ron chose this moment to let out a loud and annoyed cough, causing Lunatic to turn to him and hold up a hand for silence,

"I'll be with you in a moment, my good man!"

Harry chose this momentarily lapse in his friend's concentration to lunge forward and tackle Lunatic in a hug that knocked the surprised boy off his feet.

"You're a ginger, you idiot!" Harry laughed as he continued to hug the struggling boy,

"I am not!" Lunatic cried back in outrage before his eyes focused on Ron again, and he let out a horrified cry of alarm, "Ah! There's enough one! Sound the alarm! Summon the guards!"

"I have a name, you know," Ron said with a snort as he watched the boy howl for guards as he struggled to escape Harry's hug, "And, sorry to break it to you, mate. But Harry's right. You're a bloody ginger, too."

"How dare you, sir!" Lunatic cried in outrage, finally kicking Harry loose and rising to his feet, "I'll have you know that… Ow!"

Whatever Lunatic had been about to say was cut off as Harry wisely decided that the only way to shut his friend up was to show him proof. He promptly ripped a few strands of hair out of Lunatic's head before showing them to him.

"Look, you idiot!" Harry laughed as he held out a dozen strands of hair, "It's red! You're a ginger, Looney!"

"That's not true!" Lunatic cried in horror, "That's impossible! Noooooo!"

Lunatic then dropped dramatically to the floor as Harry lost his fight to look stern and descended into laughter. Ron could only stare in silent shock at the madness playing out before him. He still hadn't forgiven Harry for how much enjoyment the git had gotten from Ron's despair at seeing Anakin become Vader.

"Harry! Your young friend has escaped the Infirmary. Have you seen him?" Molly demanded as she swept into the room, with the rest of her family towing behind, "Good lord! Put some clothes on, young man!"

The twins burst into laughter as Ginny and Hermione turned scarlet and quickly tried to hide their eyes behind their hands; Lunatic, in his effort to break free from Harry's hug, had unfortunately also wiggled out of his hospital gown and now was kneeling naked on the floor, with his hands raised above his head dramatically.

"My people!" Lunatic cried out, spreading his arms and walking toward the Weasleys, "I am returned to you!"

Molly shrieked and immediately pulled Ginny and Hermione bodily from the room as Fred and George howled with laughter; Ron was lying on his side and crying from laughing so hard, with Harry beside him.

"Was it something I said?" Lunatic asked with a smirk as he turned back to face Harry, who simply shook his head and continued to laugh, "Now, where's my damn hat!"

XXXX

Lunatic's comedy show might have been funny, but Andromeda made him pay for it by subjecting him to a variety of pokes and prods over the course of an hour; she made him lift his arms above his head, roll his shoulders, as well as a dozen other things to make sure that Lunatic had retained complete control of his arm.

"Away with you, foul demoness!" Lunatic cried, finally having decided that enough was enough, and batting her hand away with both hands, "I'm an American! I know my rights! You can't torture me without a signed consent form and a safe word!"

Andromeda blanched at that before a wicked smile came across her face that made Lunatic gulp,

"Listen to me, you little git," Andromeda said softly, "I have spent the last two weeks of my life making sure you survive after suddenly appearing in my Infirmary bleeding out. So, if you ruin all of my hard work by reinjuring yourself because you decided to act like a fool and weren't fully healed, I'll make sure you stay in that bed for another year. GOT ME!"

Andromeda had been slowly getting closer to the boy as she spoke so that by the time she shouted the last line, she was nose to nose with the scared boy, who promptly jumped in place and issued an eep, followed by a quick,

"Yes, ma'am."

As Andromeda turned away and began muttering something, Lunatic leaned over and whispered to a sniggering Harry,

"Your Aunt scares me."

A few minutes later, both boys were shoved out of the Infirmary by a thoroughly agitated Andromeda, who gave Lunatic a clean bill of health, if for her sanity, if nothing else. Dusting himself off with a huff, Lunatic immediately spun on his heel and stormed toward the living room, with a giggling Harry following close by; they hadn't made it five steps before Lunatic was suddenly tackled by a large pink blur, which knocked the little madman to the floor with a painful "Oomph."

"Don't you EVER scare me like that again!" Jinx cried as she hugged Lunatic for all he was worth,

"Can't…. Breathe…." Lunatic gasped, causing everyone to laugh.

Jinx finally released Lunatic after a second more, and the room echoed with laughter again as the boy pretended to take whole gasps of air before finally rising to his feet.

"Crazy pink-haired devil!" Lunatic scowled as he straightened his top hat, "Coulda killed me!"

"Not likely," Jinx scoffed, rolling her eyes for good measure as Lunatic looked at the other people staring at him with differing reactions.

Ginny, Hermione, and Molly were all staring at Lunatic with bright blushes; Molly's expression was also mixed with anger and pity in equal measure.

The twins, Beastboy, Cyborg, and Dora, were all staring at Lunatic with grins, and the boy quickly flashed one back at them as he dusted himself off.

Only Raven was looking at the boy with an annoyed expression on her face as though an instant headache had begun with the boy's entrance and wouldn't leave until he did.

"Lunatic…" Raven drawled as she approached the boy, "Some people would like to talk with you. Follow me."

Stepping past Harry, Raven strode into the hallway, not even turning to see if Lunatic was following her; after a shrug, Lunatic tipped his hat at his audience before twirling in place and following Raven. After several minutes of silence, Lunatic finally cleared his throat, making Raven pause and turn to him,

"Um… Thanks, Raven. For saving my life, I mean." Lunatic said in a small voice, for once sounding like the kid he was. Raven stared down at him for a moment before she sighed in annoyance.

"You are the single most aggravating person I have ever met, Lunatic." Raven dry panned, "Yet, you are also one of the most genuine. And you are my little brother's friend. So, you're welcome. Just don't make it a habit."

Without another word, Raven turned and continued walking down the hallway; behind her, Lunatic stared for a moment before a grin came across his face, and he once again began to follow.

A few turns later, the pair standing in front of a door, and Lunatic stared at it in confusion for a moment before it slid open, and his eyes widened nervously,

"Come in, Lunatic," Batman growled, "We have much to discuss."

Lunatic stepped into the room, and his eyes continued to grow as he saw Superman, Flash, Wonder Woman, and Green Lantern all staring at him with different expressions, ranging from contempt to amusement.

"No, thank you," Lunatic replied, "I choose life!"

"Then you'd better get in there," Raven smirked, causing the boy to gulp once before silently thinking whether or not it was worth it to try running. Finally deciding it wasn't, Lunatic stood straight and stepped into the room.

"Now, tell us EXACTLY what happened from when you were attacked to when you escaped," Batman growled, "And I mean all of it."

Nervously, Lunatic licked his lips before taking a calming breath and beginning his tale.

XXXX

"Now, is everyone clear on the plan?" Grodd asked as he looked up from the table and into the crowd; an old warehouse near the wharf had been selected as the villain's base, far enough away from Titans Tower to not attract attention, yet close enough to be ready when the time came. As Grodd stared out into the crowd, his eyes narrowed with barely concealed contempt; contempt was all he had for these lower life forms, by which he meant humans. In Grodd's mind, apes were far superior to humans, and fate had chosen him to be the herald that spread that message to the rest of the world; one day, apes would take their rightful place as the rulers of man, and Grodd would take HIS place as the ruler of the whole world.

As the shadows shuffled and muttered to one another, Grodd felt his frown deepening; over two dozen villains, bounty hunters, and mercenaries had shown up in Jump City so far, more than he had previously anticipated when news of the massive bounty had first reached his ears. And, with this many, the split would be far less rewarding than the effort might be worth.

However, if some of those here were to fall in the upcoming battle, then the split would be far more generous to the survivors. As Grodd's eyes glittered dangerously, he could tell that more than one of the villains in the crowd was thinking the same thing. He couldn't help but grin as he felt the familiar rush of adrenaline that always came when he went into a life-or-death situation. But this time, the stakes would be even higher, and to the victor would go unimaginable riches.

"Yeah, I got one!" A voice in the back cried out, causing muttering as the person made his way forward until, at last, Toyman stepped forward, wearing his signature creepy mask.

"I would think that's obvious," Grodd sneered, "As the superior species, I shall, of course, lead…"

"Superior species?" Toyman sneered, "You?"

"Yes, me!" Grodd roared, "Unless you'd like to challenge me?"

"Ugh, would the two of you knock it off," Star Saphire groaned as she stepped forward, "The air is beginning to stink of testosterone."

"Except for you, of course," Livewire added with a smirk as she stared at Toyman, "You smell like cheap cologne and virginity."

Scattered laughter followed Livewire's words, and she grinned cruelly at Toyman as he sputtered in incoherent anger and outrage.

"As I was saying," Star Saphire continued, after an annoyed look shot at Livewire, "No doubt Lunatic has told the Titans we are coming. The Titans, in turn, will have no doubt told the Justice League, so we no longer have the element of surprise. The combined might of all of us will be needed to take Titans Tower and collect the bounty on Arcane and Lunatic's heads. There'll be plenty of time to kill each other once we have those two brats. Smaller survivors, after all, means more to go around."

Cruel chuckles followed Star Saphire's words this time, and Grodd could already see some of the more vicious villains making plans to ensure their take grew larger; Deadshot was slowly cleaning his handgun and staring right at Mirror Master with a smirk that only Grodd saw.

"Then tomorrow morning, group A will attack the city," Grodd growled, "Your goal will be to cause as much destruction as possible and kill anyone who gets in your way. Draw those in the Tower out! While that's going on, group B will attack the Tower, kill anyone we find within, and capture those two brats, preferably alive."

"Preferably?" Cheetah asked with a raised brow and a smirk,

"Well," Grodd replied silkily, "Accidents do happen…"

XXXX

Author's Note:

Happy New Year, me darlings! I hope it's already treating you better than last year did; I know mine is. Anyway! Next chapter. Big battle. Things go boom. People go boom. Stay tuned!

Also, I don't own Rocket Power and claim no ownership over it. I'm using the characters for my story because it's my favorite cartoon.

Chapter Text

The next morning, while Harry and Ron retreated to Harry's room to practice, Lunatic enjoyed a delicious breakfast, courtesy of Mrs. Weasley, and began getting to know the people his best friend had chosen to associate with. As he dug into his eggs, pancakes, and bacon with all the exuberance of a starving child, Lunatic couldn't help but internally sneer at the looks they were giving him. It was a look he had seen a thousand times before on an innumerable number of faces: pity.

As if he was some charity case that needed to be taken care of and protected from the big bad world; mentally, Lunatic snarled in fury at their looks, the same way he snarled at everyone else who had dared to look at him in such a way. How dare they! Where were they when CADMUS was putting electrodes into his brain to study how his mind worked when he used his powers? Never mind how painful that experience had been or how the child had nearly been rendered brain-dead as a result.

Or how about when those same scientists vivisected him as he screamed for someone to make it stop? No, Lunatic didn't need anyone. Except Harry. Harry had been the first one to look at Lunatic and not see a broken little boy who needed pity but a kindred soul who had suffered as well and just wanted to try and help if he could, and that meant the world to Lunatic.

Finishing the last of his breakfast, scooping the last few crumbs into his mouth, Lunatic quickly wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, causing Hermione to look at him with disgust before swiftly washing his plate and putting it on the drying rack.

"So…. Lunatic…" Mrs. Weasley began, clearly uncomfortable with the boy's moniker, "I'm sorry, but do you have another name?"

"Nope," Lunatic replied, popping the 'P' and flashing his devilish grin as he dried his hands.

"But surely your parents gave you a name other than Lunatic?" Molly replied uneasily.

A dark look came across Lunatic's face then, and the room collectively shivered as the temperature seemed to drop several degrees.

"I have no parents," Lunatic growled, "My father is a monster whose savagery is the reason for my birth. And as for my mother? Well, let's say that she better hope I never find out who she is…"

The group shuddered again at the words, and Molly felt herself pale at the unspoken implications of what the child was saying; even worse was the wholly look of hate that appeared on the child's face as he thought of his mother, for a moment it actually looked like Lunatic's eyes turned into slits.

"Lunatic!" Nightwing snapped, instantly causing the oppressive feeling of hatred and rage to dissipate, "That's enough."

"Sorry, Nightwing," Lunatic replied with a wince, "I forgot my manners for a moment."

Nightwing said nothing and nodded at the boy before returning to his breakfast; turning back to Mrs. Weasley and the others, Lunatic flashed his smile again and bowed low, crossing one arm over his stomach while the other was crossed behind his back.

"I humbly apologize for that, my lady," Lunatic replied, "I sometimes forget myself when my creators are brought up. I was never given any other name, so I chose one for myself. I am Lunatic. And that is all."

Molly grimaced at that, and her eyes met with Raven's for a moment before she looked back at the still-bowing boy in front of her; Raven had told her and Andromeda a little about the child's life, and it had taken a Herculean amount of willpower for Molly not to break down in sobs at what the boy had experienced in his short twelve years of life. Andromeda had been on the opposite end of the emotional spectrum, wanting to immediately march on CADMUS labs and Crucio the lot of them; only Raven telling her Aunt that such action would most likely land Andromeda in prison, had stopped the woman from following up on her threats.

"Um… Mr. Lunatic," Ginny asked shyly, "Can I ask you a question…?"

"Why certainly, my dear," Lunatic replied at once, rising back to his full height and flashing another dazzling grin. It was impressive how wide he could smile, Raven thought wryly.

"With all the bad guys coming here to capture you and Harry, why are you still here? Harry, I understand. This is his home, after all. But why are YOU still here? Wouldn't it be easier for you to just run away?"

Everyone stared at Lunatic as Ginny finished speaking, waiting to see how the little madman would respond; as they watched, the smile slowly slid off of Lunatic's face until, for just a moment, Lunatic looked like the child he really was.

"Harry Potter is my friend," Lunatic replied simply, causing the Titans to smirk slightly, as though they were expecting no other answer.

"That's it?" Fred asked in confusion, "I've got lots of friends, but…"

"I don't," Lunatic replied, cutting Fred off and widening the twin's eyes.

Before anyone could say anything else, the alarms began to blare in the Tower, causing the visitors to clamp their hands over their ears swiftly; striding quickly over to the computer by the door, Cyborg began to furiously type in commands until, at last, words began to flow across the screen.

"The city's under attack!" Cyborg cried out, staring at those watching with wide eyes, "What's the situation?" Nightwing demanded as he stepped up next to Cyborg and began to read.

"The Police are reporting that Toyman, Giganta, Grundy, and a few others tried to rob the Jump City National Bank but were caught in the act. They fled, and the cops followed, but it was a trap! They're reporting that they're under attack from at least two dozen supervillains! Five cops dead so far."

"This is it…" Nightwing said softly as he continued to read the report of the situation; turning to the watchers behind him, Nightwing internally scowled as he saw the scared looks on the children's faces.

"Molly," Nightwing said louder, "You remember the plan, right?"

"Yes," Molly said, nodding at once, "Andromeda, Dora, and I are to lock down the Tower, protect the children, and attack anyone that tries to get in."

"Good," Nightwing nodded in approval; a moment later, Nightwing tapped the earpiece in his right ear, and a scowl came across his face as he replied, "Understood."

"The Justice League is en route," Nightwing said as he tapped his earpiece again, "ETA is ten minutes, though."

"So, we just have to hold them off until then?" Beastboy snarked, "No pressure."

"You know this is a trap, right?" Raven asked, "They, no doubt, want us away from the Tower so they can attack it and capture Harry and Lunatic."

"Let them try," Lunatic grinned as he straightened his hat, "This time, I'm ready for them!"

"Shut up, Lunatic," Raven said, rolling her eyes before turning back to Nightwing,

"I know it's a trap, but we have no other choice," Nightwing replied, "The League won't be here for a while, and we cannot leave those civilians to the mercy of those supervillains."

"Especially seeing as how the word is foreign to those assholes…" Beastboy mumbled though all heard his words.

An explosion suddenly rocked the Tower, and the group ran to the nearby window to see what had happened, only for their eyes to widen in horror as they watched one of the far-off buildings begin to collapse in a shower of steel and glass.

"Oh my god…" Nightwing whispered just as the door slid open, and Harry and Ron came running in to see what was happening; a moment later, the alarms went off again,

"All those people…" Starfire whispered in horror, "How could they…?"

"What's with the alarms?" Harry cried out, his hands clamped over his ears,

"The city's under attack," Nightwing shouted back as he rushed past Harry, "Titans move!"

Cyborg and Starfire immediately followed Nightwing out the door; however, before Beastboy could, Dora grabbed his shirt, pulled him into a searing kiss that lasted for several seconds and left the green boy dazed.

"You come back to me, Garfield Logan, you hear me?" Dora said once Beastboy had recovered, causing the boy to blush slightly,

"I promise," he replied, nodding once before turning into a sparrow and quickly flying after his teammates.

While that was happening, Raven had tried to leave as well, only for her robe to be grabbed by Harry as she passed; looking down at her little brother, she could see he was struggling to think of something to say to her.

"Raven… Please be careful…" Harry whispered, his eyes low so she wouldn't see how pathetic he looked; a part of him was still angry with her for the part she had played in his 'exorcism.'

But another part of him was screaming that this could very well be the last time he would ever see her alive, and if he let her go without saying goodbye, he would regret it forever.

Raven's eyes widened, thankfully hidden under her hood, and she quickly nodded at Harry before kneeling in front of him and pulling him into her embrace. Harry squeezed so hard that it actually hurt for a moment, and Raven winced, even as she began to let go. Finally free from her brother, Raven rose back to her full height and looked Molly right in the eyes,

"Please look after my brother for me, Mrs. Weasley."

"You have my word, Raven," Molly replied with steel in her voice, "They'll have to get through us if they want these children."

Looking down one last time at her little brother, Raven nodded before she was encompassed in shadow, teleporting away a moment later; seconds after that, Andromeda stormed into the room, looking frazzled and thoroughly annoyed by the loud alarm going off.

"Harry! Show me how to work this infernal muggle contraption! We need to lock down the Tower!"

"Yes, Aunt Andromeda!" Harry said at once, running over to the computer and showing her what she needed to do; a moment later, the blast doors slid down, causing the room to descend into darkness for a few seconds before the lights came on.

"Right, that's taken care of, then," Andromeda said with a nod before turning back to the group, "Now, we're all going to stay here together until the fighting is over. If, by some miracle, those animals get past the lockdown, then the three of us will try and keep them pinned down until help arrives. While we're doing that, I want you, Harry, to take the children somewhere safe and hide. You undoubtedly know this Tower better than anyone else here, so you will be able to keep them safe, understand."

"I understand," Harry replied at once, causing his Aunt to smile down at him for a moment before drawing her wand; seeing what she was doing, Dora and Molly drew theirs as well, causing Andromeda to nod approvingly. Turning back to the watching children, Andromeda began speaking again in a more severe manner,

"If at any time your life is threatened, I want you to use any curse in your arsenal. Is that clear?"

"But… But the law!" Hermione said at once, "We're not allowed to use magic outside of Hogwarts!"

"The law also states that in times where self-defense is necessary, you are allowed to use any spell you have to," Andromeda replied at once, "And I know that a witch as intelligent as yourself has probably already studied a few advanced spells."

Hermione said nothing, but her slight blush indicated that Andromeda had been correct on her learning ahead.

"And you two!" Andromeda added, turning to face the twins, "I know both of you are probably harbingers of chaos and anarchy if you're anything like your uncles were. So, if the time comes, I want you to use everything you've got to keep your siblings safe."

The twins nodded as one, a look of steel glinting in their eyes as Ginny edged closer to them; Fred wrapped his arm around his little sister and flashed her a smile, which seemed to calm her a little.

"And me?" Lunatic asked in a creepy child-like voice, "Does Looney get to play too?"

"You," Andromeda said with a smirk, "You mad, little bastard, are free to do whatever you want in defense of this Tower."

"Yaaaaay!" Lunatic said happily, quickly bringing his hands together before his face and clapping cheerfully as he bounced in place.

"God help those poor bastards…" Ron mumbled, causing Harry to snort from beside him.

XXXX

Officer Daniel Estrada was no stranger to life-or-death situations; he'd spent ten years in the Marines and earned two purple hearts and a silver star as a result. Afterward, still eager to serve, he'd joined the Jump City Police Department, hoping to do some good to make up for some of the bad. In the twelve years he'd been a cop, he'd seen all sorts of crazy shit that made him reconsider becoming a cop.

It was expected when one lived in a city protected by superheroes because, like flies to honey, it seemed that supervillains were drawn to whatever frigging city a superhero called home, in some quixotic idea that they had a chance of actually beating them. You'd think they would have learned after being beaten so consistently.

Personally, Daniel would have been happy to see the whole lot of them, hero and villain alike, locked up together as he was of the firm opinion that no one should have that much power and be left without oversight. So, when the call came over the radio that the Jump City National Bank was being robbed by a bunch of supervillains, Daniel had just written it off as an average Tuesday.

He'd been one of the dozen officers to respond to the call just as Toyman, Giganta, and Grundy came out of the bank with a group of hired thugs dressed in black close behind; the officers had immediately drawn their weapons, using the doors of their cruiser's as cover, and demanded the criminal's surrender. The next ten minutes were one of the longest of Daniel's life; Toyman had immediately thrown a handful of marbles at the cops, which exploded as soon as they hit the ground, blowing one car to smithereens and killing the two officers who had been using it as cover. Grundy had taken a giant leap into the air, bringing both hands up above his head, and slammed his fists into the ground, creating a mini quake that caused the surviving officers to stumble to regain their balance.

Snapping both arms forward, the zombie grabbed the two closest cops by their throats before yanking them into the air; before Daniel could do anything more than stare in horror, Grundy snapped both of the cop's necks, killing them instantly. With a roar of contempt, Grundy threw the two bodies away before bending down and grabbing under the nearest cop car; issuing another roar, Grundy threw the car into the air, causing it to crash several feet away with a crash that moments later turned into an explosion as the car turned into a fireball.

"Open fire!" Daniel roared as loud as he could; training taking over in an instant, the officers immediately began to empty their clips into Grundy, causing the zombie to cover his head with his arm in an attempt to shield himself from the bullets.

"Grundy no like cops and their weak stinging weapons!" The zombie roared as it backed away from the officers.

By this time, the thugs had begun to open fire on the officers as well, and the street turned into a virtual warzone; Giganta had grown to a towering size and delivered a devastating kick to one of the cop cars, sending it flying away like a soccer ball into a nearby building in an explosion of glass.

A moment later, an actual explosion happened, which made the building rock back and forth for a moment before the top collapsed in a shower of glass; like a tower of cards, the rest of the building began to collapse as well, while those present, both villain and cop alike, watched in horror.

"What the fuck have you done?!" Daniel roared as he began to fire at Giganta's leg, "All those people!"

"Ow! Knock it off!" Giganta cried, the bullets annoying her; bending over, the giant swatted Daniel away like a bug, causing him to slam backward hard against the side of a nearby car. Groaning at the agony coursing through his back, Daniel limped to the back of his car and popped the trunk; reaching into it, Daniel withdrew his shotgun and began to pump shell after shell at the giantess, causing her to cry out in pain,

"Come on, then!" Daniel snarled against the pain, "Come on, you hijo de puta!"

"You wanna sting like a bug!" Giganta yelled angrily as blood ran down her legs, "Then I'll squash you like one!"

Raising her boot into the air, the giantess prepared to step on Daniel, and as his gun clicked empty, he knew he was about to die; closing his eyes, he collapsed to his knees and whispered a silent prayer to Saint Michael for forgiveness for his many sins, and took what he thought was his final breath.

"Why don't you pick on someone your own size!" A voice roared, making Daniel open his eyes in relief at being alive.

Standing in front of him, holding Giganta's foot in place and keeping it from crushing him, was Cyborg, but the strain seemed to be getting to the hero as he looked back at Daniel and yelled out,

"What are you waiting for, a written invitation? Move, dude!"

"I… I can't…" Daniel whispered, his body finally giving in to the pain as the adrenaline left his body, "I think my back is broken…"

A look of sympathy came over Cyborg's features as he looked down at the kneeling officer.

"Alright, officer, just hang tight for a minute, okay?"

Returning his focus to Giganta, Cyborg shoved as hard as he could against her foot, causing her to stumble backward. She lost her balance; before she could regain it, Jinx suddenly appeared, leaping off the roof of a nearby building and delivering a devastating punch with her pink-infused fist. With a cry, the giantess fell backwards, crashing on top of the bank and flattening it like a box castle.

The last thing Officer Daniel Estrada saw before darkness finally took him was Cyborg running back towards him; the hero was shouting something, but Daniel couldn't hear him anymore.

XXXX

Cyborg ran back toward the fallen officer he'd just saved from being squashed; the poor guy was a mess, bleeding from a dozen different wounds, with the worst appearing to be a laceration to his head that was turning his short black hair red.

"Officer! Yo man, stay awake!" Cyborg shouted as he bent over and picked the cop up, shaking him slightly to get him to open his eyes, "Hey! Wake up!"

Raven suddenly teleported a few feet away, causing Cyborg to look up; Starfire was currently fighting Grundy while Nightwing and Beastboy dealt with Toyman and his goons. Giganta, thankfully, seemed to have been knocked out when she fell and was still lying on top of the bank.

"Rae!" Cyborg shouted in relief, "I got a survivor here, but he won't be for long if we don't get him to a hospital!"

"On it!" Raven replied, raising her arms into the air and enveloping herself and the officer in a black mass of shadow, "Azarath, Metrion, Zynthos!"

A moment later, both Raven and the officer were gone just as Cyborg heard a rumble from behind him; spinning on his heel, Cyborg powered up his arm cannon and fired, delivering a devastating blast to Giganta's head, which knocked her back down and caused her head to bounce off the ground hard, knocking her unconscious.

"Why don't you just take a little nap, okay?" Cyborg snarked,

"Is this really the time for jokes!" Jinx snapped,

"No time like the present," Cyborg snarked back

"You've gotten stronger, Cyborg," a voice said from behind, making the heroes spin in alarm,

"Brother Blood…" Cyborg growled as he saw who his next opponent was, "Still the ugly piece of crap I remember."

Brother Blood glared hatefully at the heroes as memories of old battles crossed both of their minds for a moment; Jinx licked her lips nervously, understandable since the last time she had seen Blood, she had been one of his students. Reaching up, the villain lowered his hood, showing his half-cyborg features,

"I shall truly enjoy killing you, brat. And you as well, Jinx, my little traitor.

"Oh, blow it out your ass," Jinx retorted, causing Blood to narrow his one remaining eye at her.

"Didn't we do this song and dance once before?" Cyborg smirked, "How'd that work out for you last time?"

"Insolent children!" Blood snarled, ripping his robe off of his body and showing the augmentations he'd added to his body, which made him look like a professional bodybuilder, "I'm twice as strong as I was last time!"

"Oh yeah?" Cyborg snarked back as a green crow appeared next to him before changing into Beastboy, "Prove it."

"Dude, what have you done to yourself?" Beastboy said in disgust, "Didn't anyone ever tell you that steroids shrink your balls?"

"You assume he has any left after his operation," Jinx added with a smirk,

"I will break you in two!" Blood raged, red sparks dancing off of his body,

"Yeah, heard the before," Nightwing replied as he approached, dragging an unconscious Toyman behind him, "You really are a broken record, maybe get some new material."

"You know what IS different from last time?" Blood asked with a sneer, "This."

The background behind Blood exploded as the surrounding building turned into fireballs; a moment later, Firefly flew out of the flames, cackling madly,

"So pretty! Look at the flames!"

A moment later, the pyromaniac was zooming away, a trail of smoke and flame following behind him as he laughed like he'd lost his mind, which was very likely the case.

"That's not good!" Beastboy shouted over the noise as the heat rushed over them; a moment later, the ground began to rumble as dozens of people started to run out of the flames and toward the Titans in a mad dash of violence. Many appeared to be average thugs and mercenaries, but a few weren't, and the Titans began to pale as one as they recognized a few of the figures running toward them from out of the flames as Brother Blood smiled arrogantly.

"Definitely not good!" Beastboy shouted as he sighted Plastique, Bane, Captain Cold, and Goldface running toward them.

"Agreed," Nightwing replied, his eyes narrowing as he caught sight of Scarecrow, Killer Croc, Metallo, and Trickster. Raising his hand to his ear, Nightwing shouted above the roar, "Where are you! We're about to be overrun!"

As though answering his prayers, a jet suddenly screamed out of the clouds over them; a moment later, the cargo doors opened, and Nightwing breathed a sigh of relief as he watched Wonder Woman and Hawkgirl dive out of the back of the plane. As Wonder Woman slammed into the ground, she immediately drew her sword with one hand and lashed her lasso out like a whip with the other, causing the running villains to slow their rush momentarily.

"For Olympus!" Diana shouted, holding her sword high for a moment before charging forward; Hawkgirl was less eloquent, choosing to issue a war cry instead as she flew toward the slowly growing army, holding her mace high. Almost a second later, Flash suddenly zoomed out of nowhere and appeared next to the three Titans, taking in the situation instantly and frowning as he saw the burning building behind the villains.

By now, the city was in flames, and the sky was choked with smoke from the dozens of burning buildings. SWAT had finally arrived with four vehicles stuffed with officers who immediately began to open fire as soon as their boots hit the ground. All in all, it looked like a war had broken out in the middle of Jump City.

Seeing three of the Justice League's heavy hitters, as well as a literal army of cops, caused many of the front line of attackers to reevaluate their chances of success. Still, they were quickly shoved forward by the ones following them. Moments after landing, Diana and Shiera were completely surrounded and yet seemed perfectly at ease as they spun and fought with everything they had; Trickster soon found himself unconscious, courtesy of Shiera's mace, but before she could raise her mace to attack again, she was suddenly sucker punched by Bane.

"About time you showed up!" Beastboy shouted at the League members in annoyance, "Seriously dude! How can you be the fastest guy on earth and still take so long!"

"Hey! I was at work!" Flash retorted, "Not all of us get to hang out in a cool Tower all day!"

Cyborg suddenly charged forward, using his arm to block an attack from Brother Blood before delivering a brutal punch to the villain's face, which sent him flying in the opposite direction; not willing to give up his momentum, Cyborg charged after his enemy, jumping into the air with the intention of landing on top of Blood fallen body. That plan was quickly derailed as Blood jumped to his feet, grabbed Cyborg's leg, and threw him away and into the smoke of the battlefield. Blood jumped into the smoke after Cyborg a moment later with a snarl of contempt and rage.

"We're here now, and that's all that matters," Superman said as he floated toward the heroes, Starfire and Green Lantern, following behind.

"Where's J'onn?" Nightwing asked Green Lantern as he floated down to him,

"We decided that at least one League member should be at the Tower. Just in case."

"And Grundy?" Nightwing asked Starfire,

"Courtesy wearing a lamp post as a coat, courtesy of Superman," Starfire replied cheerfully before staring at the army currently fighting against the two female heroes.

"So, what's the plan?" Nightwing asked, looking up again as the jet circled around again; a moment later, Batman's form could be seen diving from the back, falling for a few seconds before expanding his cape and gliding to the roof of a nearby building.

"Take them down," Superman said at once, glaring angrily at the bodies that littered the street, his arms crossed over his chest as he floated several inches off of the ground, "Before they can kill any more civilians."

"As good a plan as any, I suppose!" Beastboy said before transforming into a rhino and charging toward the battle; a moment later, the others followed, each howling a battle cry as they did.

The battle of Jump City had begun.

XXXX

Grodd watched the destruction happening from Jump City through his binoculars and smiled; the idiotic heroes had taken the bait, and now only a paltry few would be left to defend the Tower where his targets waited. Lowering the binoculars, Grodd looked around at his companions; he was currently sitting in a high-speed boat alongside Livewire (who did not look happy to be here), Star Saphire, Lady Shiva, and a dozen hired thugs, who would no doubt die in the attempt of taking Titans Tower. And if they didn't, well, Grodd would ensure they did afterward.

It was simply too much money to give away to plebian criminals like the ones he'd hired. Five other boats similarly stuffed with attackers followed behind Grodd's boat, bringing their number close to thirty, and as his eyes trailed to the closest one, he could see Gizmo glaring straight ahead at the Tower with pure hatred. No surprise there, considering what Raven had done to the kid a few years back, nearly shattering the boy's spine and causing him to spend the next two years learning how to walk again.

Grodd smiled cruelly as he gazed across the water at the glaring young man. Such hate could be used to great effect if used properly, and Grodd intended to use Gizmo's sagacity to the greatest possible effect he could.

As they landed on the beach, turrets suddenly sprang out of the sand and began to open fire on the villains, causing them to duck for cover; thankfully, the turrets weren't powered up to kill, merely stun, but as Grodd watched four of his numbers hit the sand unconscious, he roared in rage,

"Take out those guns!"

Livewire sprang into action, turning herself into a lightning bolt which she used to quickly pass through each turret, shorting them all out in a few seconds and causing them all to explode in a beautiful display of fire and destruction; a moment later, she was standing next to Grodd, lazily examining her nails as he nodded approvingly.

"Gizmo!" Grodd snarled, "Get to work!"

"On it!" The young man said, quickly limping up the path as the other followed close behind; when they reached the blast doors, Gizmo immediately pulled a portable computer from his belt and plugged two wires into the computer port on the side before he began to type furiously.

"Come on you… Oh, you wanna play? Okay, crud sniffer!" Gizmo growled and mumbled under his breath as he tried to beat the Titan's security system, "Okay, take down that, nullify this, and…"

With a sudden groan of protest, the blast doors began to slowly rise up as the security system was disabled; looking up with a smile of victory, Grodd watched as the blast doors surrounding the entire Tower slid back up. The Tower was utterly defenseless.

"Well then," Grodd smirked, "Let's go and collect our money, shall we?"

The crowd behind him roared its approval, making him turn to face them with a smirk,

"Kill anyone you encounter if you wish! But Lunatic and Arcane are to be taken alive! Now attack!"

XXXX

The group had been watching Looney Tunes when the blast doors slowly began to slide back up, causing everyone to stare for a moment in alarm.

"The doors!" Hermione cried out in fear a second later, "Harry! Why are the doors opening!"

Harry immediately jumped over the couch and ran to the nearby computer terminal before furiously punching in commands,

"Come you piece of…" Harry mumbled under his breath; a second later, he lost his temper and punched the terminal, shouting, "Work!"

"Harry, calm down!" Andromeda said at once as she and the other approached, "What is going on?"

Taking a calming breath, Harry replied in a more controlled voice,

"Someone's hacked the system and unlocked the doors. Moreover, I've been locked out of the system, so I can't reverse what they've done!"

"Um… Guys…?" Ron's voice called from behind, making them turn around to see what he wanted.

"Oh, great Merlin…" Molly whispered in horror as she saw what her son was pointing at; the entire city appeared to be in flames, and the smoke actually appeared to be blocking out the sun.

"Mum… Was this what it was like during the war…?" Dora asked in a horrified voice,

"No…" Andromeda responded, "This is worse…"

Suddenly, a figure in a purple outfit swinging on what appeared to be a spiderweb smashed through the glass, causing everyone to cry out; rolling to his feet, the figure quickly took in the situation and sneered as he did so.

"A bunch of women and kids. This is the easiest payday of my life!"

Quickly shoving the children behind them, Andromeda, Molly, and Dora immediately withdrew their wands and pointed them at the man standing across from them with his arms crossed over his chest. He was tall, standing well over six feet, and appeared to be wearing a purple outfit with a large black spider emblazoned on his mask, from which two fiery orange glass lenses peered out.

"Look, ladies," Black Spider said placatingly, "I don't want to kill any of you. Just tell me which one of these brats is Arcane, and I'll be on my way. I can already see Lunatic. Besides, I don't know what you plan to do with those… sticks. So, unless you plan to give me a splinter, I'll be taking the brats."

"You won't be taking any of them!" Andromeda snarled, for a moment showing the fabled 'Black Insanity.'

Placing his hands on his hips, Black Spider looked up at the ceiling for a moment and sighed,

"Whelp, can't say I didn't ask nicely…"

A second later, the villain leaped into the air at the group, shooting two of his webs into the air to deliver a swinging kick to Andromeda's face.

"Stupefy!" Andromeda screamed at once, causing a streak of red to shoot from her wand and hit the swinging villain directly in the face; quickly ducking down and pushing everyone else with her, Andromeda narrowly avoided being hit as the unconscious man swung over them and directly into the wall with a loud crash.

Running toward the broken window, Dora leaned out and peered down, her face growing pale as she turned around to face the group,

"There's more coming!"

"How many?" Andromeda demanded as she rose to her feet and faced her daughter; behind her, Molly quickly conjured a rope and tied up Black Spider, ensuring the rope was as tight as possible.

"I don't know!" Dora cried back as she took another look, "Maybe two dozen?"

"Dammit!" Harry shouted, causing the adults to turn to him; he was standing in front of the computer and glaring at the monitor.

"Watch your language!" Molly cried at once, causing Harry to mumble a quick apology,

"I've been completely locked out of the system! I can't call the others for help!"

"That's right, crud sniffer!" A voice suddenly called out from the speakers, causing Harry's eyes to narrow,

"Gizmo…" Harry growled, memories of their last encounter returning to him, "I would have thought you'd learned your lesson the last time you came after me."

"You know this person, Harry?" Molly asked, "Is he a friend?"

"Not even close!" Both boys shouted as one.

"He and his band of thugs kidnapped me when I was a kid," Harry growled, "They were hoping to use me as bait to hurt Raven and the Titans. He didn't count on them finding out where they'd taken me before they were ready."

"Do you have any idea what your sister did to me…?!" Gizmo's voice hissed before exploding with anger at the end, "I was almost left paralyzed! It took me two years to learn how to walk again!"

"That's your own fault!" Lunatic retorted, quickly defending his friend, "No one told you to kidnap Harry! You chose to! And you suffered the consequences from that choice!"

"I'm going to enjoy killing you, Harry…" Gizmo's voice hissed, "Everyone else here wants that fat bounty on your head, but me? I'm just here to kill you and enjoy the sweet song of pain your sister will make as a result."

"You're insane," Harry stated,

"And you're all alone!" Gizmo's voice retorted, sounding crazier than before, "I've got complete control of the Tower and have already shut down all of its defenses! If you're smart, you'll just give up before one of the other freaks running around this place finds you. I hear some of them got a taste for young meat."

The women shuddered at Gizmo's unsubtle threats about what might happen to them should they be discovered.

Naturally, it was Lunatic who broke the silence, lifting his head, the boy glared at the speakers with unbridled hatred; it was almost universally understood that the one crime that Lunatic found absolutely disgusting was rape. More than one criminal had been discovered in the streets of Gotham, having been beaten nearly to death by the boy after being caught attempting to drag some poor woman into an alleyway.

"You disgusting piece of filth," Lunatic's voice said coldly, not at all sounding like the boy's usual happy-go-lucky tone, "How dare you threaten these innocent women with such dishonorable methods! I might have just played with you a little bit before. But now? Now, I'm going to break you!"

As he finished his rant, Lunatic snapped his fingers, causing all of the speakers and cameras in the room to explode in a shower of glass and sparks that made everyone cry out and cover their heads.

When the explosions finally stopped, Harry peeked out from under his raised arm to see that Lunatic had vanished,

"Looney?" Harry called out, but only silence was his answer,

"Come!" Andromeda quickly cried, making the group look at her, "He's doing his part to keep us safe, and we must do ours! We need to go somewhere safe, where we can hide!"

"That means the bedrooms are out," Harry said at once, making his Aunt nod, "That's the first place they'll look."

Before they could take a single step, however, J'onn Jones suddenly floated out of the floor like a ghost of Hogwarts, and causing the others to cry out in alarm at his sudden appearance; raising his hands placatingly, the Martian quickly said,

"I mean no harm! I am J'onn Jones, a member of the Justice League."

"Oh, thank Merlin!" Molly replied, "Where are the rest of you?"

"Out there," J'onn replied, pointing out the window towards the burning city, "Trying to save the city from being razed to the ground. It is proving difficult."

"So it's just us?" Dora asked incredulously, "That's mad! There are dozens out there!"

"And we are here," J'onn replied, "Focus on what you can do instead of what you cannot."

"He's right," Andromeda replied, "We're not dead until we're cold and dead! So, until that happens, let's move!"

"While you take the children somewhere safe, I will attempt to 'thin the herd,' so to speak," J'onn said,

"Good luck, it's mad out there," Andromeda replied,

An explosion somewhere inside the Tower seemed to emphasize her words, and as the group regained their balance, they all nodded in understanding before making a mad rush out of the door to find somewhere to hide.

As they ran down the hallway, they suddenly heard Lunatic's insane cackle, followed by the sounds of gunshots and screaming.

XXXX

Author's Note:

Yes, I know you hate cliffhangers and believe me, I do as well; however, I wanted the Battle of Jump City to be as badass as it can be, considering how long I've made you all wait for it. So, would you rather have one really long, crappy chapter or several equally long amazing chapters? I thought so, lol.

Until next time! Peace!

Chapter Text

Lex Luthor prided himself on his ability to control his emotions. He firmly believed that one could not rule an empire as large as his if one could not even control oneself. Yet now, as he watched the news showing Jump City being razed to the ground, he could almost feel the blood running from his face. The television showed a city on fire as screams echoed from every corner of the ongoing battle, and Lex could occasionally see a hero fighting off multiple adversaries before disappearing into the smoke. Already, reports were coming in that the death toll had reached more than five hundred, and Lex almost scoffed at the absurdity of that statement. He owned the building that Giganta had brought crashing to the ground, and he knew for a fact that it housed more than a thousand workers, and that was just one building that had been destroyed!

"Stupid fools!" Lex snarled as he watched Bane fighting against Batman for a moment before the camera panned away to show Wonder Woman fighting off Cheetah. At the same time, Superman chased down Firefly, who was laughing manically as he set fire to everything around him. Raven quickly disappeared and reappeared in a cloud of shadow, taking as many people with her as she could. Lex felt a grudging respect for the girl as he watched her try to save as many as possible.

When Lex had put out the bounty for Lunatic and Arcane, he had thought that the would-be bounty hunters would be discrete; looking back now, Lex could have hit himself for his naivete at having believed that those animals could be anything other than what they were.

The bad publicity from this would be like the wrath of God, and Lex knew that even with all his wealth, the people would demand someone be held responsible for this destruction; he could bribe his way out of almost anything, but this? This was something that the people would never forgive, and if it was discovered that he had a hand in it…. Well, if the courts didn't kill him, then the families of those who had died most assuredly would. Even now, Lex could imagine those same families storming whatever prison the courts put him in, like the people of France storming the Bastille and ripping him limb from limb in revenge.

Looking over at his assistant, Lex could see that even Mercy realized how bad their current situation was; the woman was almost unnaturally pale, and as Lex narrowed his eyes, he could see that she seemed to tremble a bit. Turning back to the television, Lex felt his heart rate skyrocket as the camera suddenly showed two adults lying motionless in the street, a pool of blood quickly surrounding them. But what made it worse was the little girl between them, clutching a tiny stuffed bear.

Unable to watch anymore, Lex turned to Mercy and immediately began barking orders,

"Cancel the bounty on Lunatic and Arcane's heads!"

"Wha?" Mercy replied in a small voice, turning to face her boss in confusion,

"When this battle ends, there will be hell to pay!" Lex responded angrily, "And if it's discovered that we are the reason for it, the courts will bury us beneath the rubble of the prison, and that's if they don't hang me on the spot! We need to get ahead of this while we still can."

"Get ahead of this…?" Mercy replied in shock. "Lex, the whole world knows by now that you placed the bounty on Lunatic and Arcane! There's no way to hide this!"

"There are always ways to hide things like this!" Lex snarled back, his eyes taking on a demented look for a moment before he regained control of himself. Taking a deep breath, Lex spoke again in a much calmer voice, "Get our people working on this immediately. I want every trace of my involvement scrubbed. Offer to pay them whatever they ask, but make sure that by the time the sun sets tonight, there is absolutely no evidence of my involvement in this matter, do you understand?"

"Yes sir," Mercy replied softly, "And afterwards? When the jobs finished, and they come asking for their pay?"

Lex stared at the television for a moment in quiet contemplation at his assistant's question. He could just pay them off, but what would happen if one day they got greedy and decided to use the information they had to try and blackmail more money out of him…?

"Once their job is done, dispose of them," Lex replied coldly, "Quietly."

"Understood, sir," Mercy replied in the same cold manner before turning on her heel and striding away.

Alone in his office, Lex continued to watch as Jump City, once a pinnacle of science and technology, was reduced to a smoking ruin; he imagined this is what the last emperor of Rome felt like as he watched the sunset on what was once a beautiful city, now razed to the ground.
XXXX

James Tigger had been a mercenary nearly all his life; growing up on the streets of Bangkok hadn't offered very many choices in life, especially when one's mother was a 'streetwalker' who didn't even know the name of the man who had knocked her up. He'd learned early on that if he was to survive in this world, he needed to be able to do whatever it took.

It was that same realization that had led to him killing his first person at ten years old, all for a loaf of stale bread. Many more deaths had followed since then, but no matter how bad the job was, James had always managed to survive, if only barely. The one thing that set James apart from every other merc, at least in his own opinion, was his ability to tell when a job was more trouble than it was worth.

That's why he joined up with Gorilla Grodd when word about the insanely massive bounty on Arcane and Lunatic's heads came down because even though James knew he would most likely end up tangling with the Justice League, the amount of money being offered more than made up for any issues they might encounter. That's what he had thought when he first took the job, but now? Now, James was wishing he had never even heard of Jump City or the bounty being offered that had brought him here.

At first, everything went according to Grodd's plan. James and the rest had managed to get into Titans Tower with no problems, thanks to Gizmo. But when Grodd ordered everyone to split up and tear the Tower apart, everything went straight to hell.

James had been leading six others when they turned a corner and came face-to-face with one of their targets: Lunatic, who had apparently just finished knocking out four others. At least, James thought they had been knocked out, but judging by the pools of blood surrounding them, he wasn't sure.

At first, James thought he was lucky to have encountered the brat so quickly and was already deciding what to do with his share of the money in his head. Raising his M16 rifle, James immediately began barking orders.

"Don't move, brat! You're outnumbered and trapped!"

Rather than looking scared, Lunatic instead seemed almost gleeful as he straightened his hat and looked at the seven men across from him.

"That would appear to be the reality, wouldn't it?" Lunatic smirked, "Unfortunately for you, reality is whatever I want it to be."

Before James or the others could do so much as twitch, Lunatic snapped his fingers, and James suddenly found himself frozen in place, his rifle still raised to fire; only James' wide eyes showed that anything was wrong.

Reaching into his coat, Lunatic suddenly pulled out a long black cane with a silver top. He twirled it around his left hand once before slamming it to the ground with a gigantic smile on his face.

"Let's have some fun!" Lunatic cried gleefully as music began to echo throughout the hallway; as the music built up, James suddenly recognized the song, and if he could, he would have groaned in annoyance, especially when Lunatic began to sing as he twirled his cane around himself.

"If I, I get to know your name,

Well, if I could trace your private number, baby!

All I know is that to me, you look like you're lots of fun,

Open up your loving arms, I want some, want some!"

As James and the other mercs watched, Lunatic suddenly began a strange dance, thrusting the cane into the air and walking in a circle beneath it as he continued to sing before suddenly bringing the cane down and pointing it right at James and the others as the chorus began. It suddenly felt as though someone had taken control of James' body as he suddenly started to walk in a circle, holding his rifle in both hands and thrusting it up and down repeatedly. As he continued walking, James saw that all the others were doing the same thing, and he felt humiliated by what this brat was making him do. That feeling intensified a second later when he began to sing the chorus involuntarily along with the others.

"You spin me right round, baby, right round,

Like a record baby, right round, round, round.

You spin me right round, baby, right round,

Like a record, baby, right round, round, round."

Spinning on the spot, Lunatic began to dance away from James and his team, and they suddenly found themselves following behind the brat in a long line as they continued to thrust their weapons up and down.

As the mad little bastard continued to sing, they encountered other groups, but just like what had happened to James, Lunatic would simply twirl his cane, not even breaking the song, and suddenly, those same mercs would end up in the same situation as James. Soon, the line contained over a dozen men and women, each red with humiliation as Lunatic forced them to follow him, only stopping to walk in a circle and sing during the chorus before once again following him down the hallways.

As the song began to end, Lunatic directed the mercs to stand in front of a wall in one long line. Twirling his cane one last time, James felt his head pull back, and he paled at what the brat was about to make him and all the others do. Slowly, almost methodically, Lunatic raised his cane, and a cruel look of glee came across his features before slamming it to the ground with a sickening "Crack."

Instantly, James felt as though someone had grabbed the back of his head and slammed it into the wall as hard as possible; the last thought that ran through his head before he lost consciousness was,

"I wish I'd never taken this job!"
XXXX

As he watched a dozen mercs fall to the floor unconscious, Lunatic cackled in absolute glee; while these plebians would satisfy his blood lust for the moment, there were two that the boy wanted to track down above all others.

Star Sapphire and Livewire had hurt him badly, but more than that, they had destroyed his home, and Lunatic desperately wanted to find them so that he could thank them for that. Though he promised Harry long ago that he wouldn't kill, Lunatic chuckled merrily at the thought that his friend had never said anything about making them wish they were dead.

Stowing his cane back in his coat, Lunatic spun on his heel and began to whistle a merry tune as he went in search of his next toys; he'd already taken care of perhaps two dozen by this point, but by the sounds echoing throughout the Tower, there were plenty more to play with.

As he rounded the corner, Lunatic smiled as he saw Dr. Light leading three other thugs from Starfire's room,

"There's one of them!" One of the goons shouted,

"Don't let him escape!" Another goon shouted.

With a cry, the goons charged forward as Dr. Light hung back and powered up. The hallway dimmed as the villain siphoned off the energy.

Pulling a metal bat from his coat, Lunatic raised it high and shouted,

"For the Shire!"

His strange battle cry seemed to do the trick, for the goons paused momentarily in confusion before continuing their charge. Unfortunately, their lapse in momentum would cost them, and a few seconds later, all three of them were unconscious while Lunatic carelessly tossed away his bloody bat.

The boy had barely turned to face the last enemy standing when Dr. Light sent a wave of light straight at Lunatic. The boy backflipped as the energy sailed over him, almost brushing his nose as it passed.

"Hey!" Lunatic shouted angrily, "You almost hit me!"

"I was trying to!" Dr. Light shouted back, "So, stand still and let me!"

"Sorry, I don't need a tan, thanks," Lunatic chirped back with a grin that made Dr. Light growl,

"Disrespectful brat! I'll give you a tan that you'll never forget!"

As the villain began to shower the hallway with bursts of light, Lunatic cackled merrily, avoiding every one as he slowly inched closer and closer to his target.

So invested in blowing Lunatic to bits, Dr. Light failed to realize the danger he was in until the boy was only a few feet from him, and by then, it was too late.

Pulling both arms back, Lunatic suddenly shot them both forward and slammed his fists into Dr. Light's stomach with a cry of,

"Shoryuken!"

Dr. Light gasped in absolute agony, spittle flying from his mouth, as Lunatic's attack sent him flying several feet down the hallway before slamming into the far wall, only to slide down it in an unconscious heap.

"Flawless victory," Lunatic chirped before a confused look came across his face. "Oh wait, those are two different games." Shrugging his shoulder in indifference, Lunatic continued, "Meh, whatever. I still win."

Snapping his fingers, a unicycle suddenly appeared in front of the boy, who quickly jumped onto it and wheeled away, laughing as he looked for his next fight.
XXXX

"Reducto!" Andromeda shouted, blasting yet another nameless thug down the hallway as she and the others desperately looked for somewhere to hide.

"There's too many!" Ginny cried in fear, causing her mother to quickly pull her into a hug,

"It's okay, everything is going to be okay."

"You shouldn't make promises you can't keep, lady," a voice suddenly said, causing Andromeda to raise her wand again as she looked around for the voice's origin.

A moment later, Livewire suddenly exploded out of a computer terminal a few feet from them; as the group watched warily, the villainess cracked her neck twice before looking at them and smirking sarcastically.

"I just want Arcane. Tell me which of these brats is him, and I'll let the rest of you go free."

"Reducto!" Shouted Andromeda,

"Bombarda!" Shouted Dora,

"Petrificus Totalus!" Molly shouted.

Three beams of light sailed toward Livewire, who only had a moment to stare in shock before she quickly zapped away into the lights overhead, causing the three spells to sail harmlessly down the hallway; seeing their target disappear, the witches pointed their wands up warily as they tried to see where Livewire would come from next.

"You have to use water!" Harry cried, "It's the only thing that will hurt her!"

"Didn't your parents ever tell you not to give out spoilers, kid?" Livewire asked from behind the group, causing them to spin in place. Unfortunately, they were not fast enough to stop Livewire's next attack; reaching out, the villainess suddenly put her hand on Molly's shoulder, causing the woman to cry out in agony as she suddenly found herself being electrocuted, sparks flying off of her body.

"MUM!" Four voices cried out at once as Livewire laughed at the damage she was doing,

"Confringo!" Hermione's voice cried out, sending a blast of energy slamming into Livewire, sending the villainess sailing backward and slamming into the far wall with a painful,

"Crunch."

As the Weasley's surrounded their downed mother, Andromeda stalked toward Livewire, who was shakily getting to her feet, using the wall to support herself.

"What the heck was that? That hurt!" Livewire demanded, eyeing the group with a more wary eye. She had never been hurt like that before, and as far as she knew, nothing but water could even hurt her! Yet someone, that little bushy-haired kid, had caused her more pain than she had ever felt with a single word, "What are you, a bunch of witches or something?"

"You like causing pain, don't you…" Andromeda asked in a deadly cold voice that seemed to freeze Livewire in place, "Then how about you experience some of it, yourself! Crucio!"

A red beam of light slammed into Livewire. Pain, unlike anything she had ever experienced before, took over her, causing her to collapse to the ground as she shrieked in absolute agony and twitched on the floor. For several seconds, Andromeda held Livewire under the torture curse, the fabled 'Black madness' appearing and making the witch look almost like a mirror reflection of her sister.

"Aunt Andy! Stop!" Harry screamed, causing Andromeda to end her curse as she turned to her nephew, "You're going to kill her!"

Seeing the look of horror on Harry's face seemed to snap Andromeda out of her madness. She turned back to the villainess, only to see that her curse had caused Livewire to fall unconscious from the pain, though her body still twitched from the after-effects.

Quickly striding toward Molly, Andromeda pushed her children away before running her wand over the pale woman; she was badly injured from the electrical attack, but nothing that a dose of Dittany wouldn't solve, thankfully. Turning to the children, Andromeda saw that Hermione was still standing with her wand pointed at where Livewire had been, apparently in shock at what she had just done.

"Hermione, love?" Andromeda said gently, causing the girl to flinch before slowly lowering her wand and turning to face Andromeda, "That was very well done. Good job."

"Yeah, thanks, Hermione," Ron added, hugging the girl, who returned the hug a moment later.

"Dora, help me get Molly to her feet! We're leaving!" Andromeda said quickly as she threw one of Molly's arms over her shoulder. A moment later, her daughter had done the same, and the two of them began to drag Molly to her feet before slowly making their way down the hallway.

"What do you mean 'leaving'?" Harry asked as he and the others followed,

"I had an emergency portkey made a few days ago in case the worst should come to pass," Andromeda added, "We're going to use it to take us back to England."

"No!" Harry cried out angrily, "I won't leave Raven and Looney behind!"

"This is not up for discussion!" Andromeda snapped back, "I am your Aunt, and you WILL do as I say!"

"But... but what about Raven and Looney?" Harry asked pathetically. "They could be killed!"

"I very much doubt that," Andromeda scoffed, "Your sister is more than capable of taking care of herself. And as for your mad little friend, I would be more worried about what will happen to them than to him."

"Perhaps your time would be better spent worrying about your own self," Grodd's voice said silkily as he rounded the corner at the head of a dozen goons, causing the group to collectively pale as one.

"Get to my room!" Andromeda snarled, throwing off Molly's arm and causing Dora to gasp at the weight she suddenly had to support herself, "The portkey is a rubber duck sitting next to my bed! The activation word is England! Now go!"

Drawing her wand, Andromeda immediately began firing off every curse and hex she knew, dropping three goons before they dove for cover.

"I'm not leaving you, mum!" Dora shouted back as the mercs began to fire around the corner, causing Andromeda to throw up a shield. Turning her head to look behind her, Andromeda all but snarled at her daughter,

"Your responsibility is to protect your cousin and the other children! Mine is to protect you! Now go!"

"I don't know what a 'portkey' is!" Grodd roared, "But none of you will leave this Tower alive!"

Pulling a Black family spell from her memory, Andromeda slashed her wand through the air, sending a sickly green beam of light that began to melt everything it came into contact with. Grodd and his men stared in horror as the once pristine hallways suddenly looked like a smelting factory of twisted metal and burnt rubber.

Biting her lip in self-hatred at what her mother was asking her to do, even as she realized that she had no other choice, Dora began to slowly back her way down the hallway toward her mother's room. Seeing that she couldn't protect them and carry their mother simultaneously, the twins quickly took Molly from Dora, causing the girl to nod her thanks as she drew her wand and began to lead the children back down the hallway from whence they'd come. Behind the group, Dora could hear her mother screaming out curses as the giant Gorilla they'd encountered roared angrily.

As they reached Andromeda's room, Dora sighed in relief, only to swear angrily a moment later when the door wouldn't open,

"You didn't really think it would be that easy, did you?" Gizmo's voice said from out of the speakers.

"You bastard!" Dora shouted angrily before blasting the speakers to bits. Turning back to the door, Dora exclaimed, "Bombarda Maxima!"

The door and the surrounding wall disappeared in a shower of dust and debris, causing the group to cough as they entered the room. Spotting the rubber duck sitting next to her mother's bed, Dora immediately grabbed it and spun around so that the others could do the same.

Dora couldn't help but smile as she saw that everyone had a finger on the portkey; the twins had pressed their mother's hand to the duck to ensure she wouldn't be left behind.

"We're safe…" Dora thought with relief, even as she felt sadness rip through her at the thought of leaving her boyfriend behind, "Forgive me, Garfield…"

"England," Dora said softly as she shut her eyes in despair; instantly, she felt the familiar pull around her naval as though she were attached to a bungee cord, and the world began to spin uncontrollably.

A few moments later, she and the others crashed hard onto the carpet of her home and began to groan in misery; rising to her feet, Dora's sense of relief vanished as she saw that Harry was not among them.

"Where's Harry!" Dora cried out in horror, "Where is he!"

"He must have let go before anyone noticed," Hermione replied in shock,

"That stupid, pig-headed son of a…!" Dora shouted, stopping herself from cursing at the last minute through sheer force of will.

"What do we do!" Ron cried out in fear, "Harry needs help! He's going to get himself killed!"

"There's nothing we can do!" Dora shouted back, "Your mother needs to see a healer, and that portkey was a one-way trip! Harry and Mum are on their own…"

As Dora began to help the twins lift their mother towards the fireplace, everyone closed their eyes in horror at Harry's stupid decision to stay behind, each praying that he and all the others in Jump City would be alright.
XXXX

Gizmo stared at the screen in front of him with a slacked jaw; he still couldn't believe what he had just seen, to be completely honest, because it simply wasn't possible. One minute, the group was standing in the center of the room holding a rubber duck, then the teenager shouted out 'England,' and they had all disappeared without a trace.

Only Harry remained, and as the others disappeared, the boy quickly dove out of the hole that once was a door before disappearing down the hallway and out of sight.

"How the crud did they do that!" Gizmo spat angrily as he began furiously typing commands into his portable computer.

"Oh, Gizmo!" A voice suddenly sang out from behind him, making the teenage spin about wildly, only for his face to fall as he saw Lunatic standing in the doorway, holding a giant mallet and grinning at him in a way that promised nothing but pain, "You got some splaining to do!"

Before Gizmo could do anything more than cry out in alarm, Lunatic rushed forward and slammed his mallet across Gizmo's face, spinning the teen completely around and sending some of his teeth flying through the air.

Seeing the teeth sail past him, Lunatic chuckled for a moment before singing out,

"I'm the cavity goooooon!"

Looking down at the unconscious teenager, Lunatic frowned at his lack of reaction, "Seriously? Nothing? Don't tell me that you've never seen Timmy the Tooth!"

Gizmo said nothing, still unconscious, and Lunatic kicked the boy's body in disgust,

"I'm surrounded by philistines!"

Taking a moment to smash Gizmo's laptop to bits, Lunatic turned and strode out of the room to look for another person to fight.
XXXX

Author's Note:

You Spin Me Right Round is the property of Dead or Alive, and as such, I claim no ownership of it. The same goes for Timmy the Tooth, which is owned by Bomp Productions. I hope you enjoyed this latest chapter. The next one will be the last part of this battle.

Chapter Text

"Oh, crap! Crap, crap, crap, CRAP!" Harry thought as he ran down the darkened hallway, "I'm such an idiot! Why did I let go of the Portkey! Aunt Andromeda is going to kill me!"

Slowly peeking around the corner, Harry could see the hallway looked empty—completely trashed but empty. Releasing a sigh of relief, Harry slowly closed his eyes and slid down the wall, stopping on the balls of his heels and resting his face in his hands.

Finally alone, Harry slowed his breathing and tried to regain control of his panicky thoughts; in truth, Harry had no idea why he didn't simply leave with the others. It was as though some part of him refused to flee while his friends stayed behind to fight. Fight for him. Harry fully acknowledged that this situation was partly his and Looney's fault; Lex Luthor played a MASSIVE role in this meaningless slaughter, no doubt, and would pay for his part if Harry had any say in it. But Harry had to admit that he and Lunatic also played a role in this violence, and he would face the consequences without complaint when it came time to do so.

"What are we crouching here for?" A voice suddenly whispered into Harry's ear, making the boy cry out in a shrill voice as he jumped away, landing a few feet away on his butt; not far away, seated on his own butt and holding his sides, Lunatic was cackling merrily at his friend's reaction.

"You sounded like a girl!" Lunatic laughed as he began to roll from side-to-side, still holding his sides, "Oh man! If the press could have heard that! I can see it now! 'Arcane screams like a little girl after being surprised by his friend!'"

"Shut up!" Harry shushed as he jumped to his feet, jumped on top of his friend, and hurriedly put his hands over Lunatic's mouth to make the boy quiet down. "There could be someone nearby! You wanna get us caught?!"

"So what if we are?" Lunatic sneered, "These morons are weaklings! I've already taken out like two dozen. Five more, and I get a free Mcflurry!"

As Lunatic cackled at his own joke, Harry couldn't help but shake his head in exasperation,

"Looney, I really need you to pay attention for the next few minutes, okay?"

An enormous smile and a nod were the only responses that Harry received, and he had to take a moment to swallow the urge to strangle his best friend before he managed to calm himself down enough to speak again.

"Okay, good. Now, we need to clear out the Tower. THEN we need to go out there and help Raven and the others."

"We do?" Lunatic asked in surprise, "But Raven told us to stay here."

"That was before she realized the size and scope of this battle!" Harry argued, "There's no way that any of us were expecting something like this! And the heroes out there are gonna need all the help they can get!"

"But…" Lunatic replied warily, "But I'm not a hero…"

"You could be," Harry replied with feeling, "I've always said it, Looney! You help me today, and I promise that CADMUS will never be able to come after you again! You'll be a hero that the whole world over will celebrate, and CADMUS won't be able to touch you!"

Harry could see that his argument was working on Lunatic, who was anxiously worrying his lip as his eyes flashed back-and-forth madly.

"But what if I don't want to be a hero!" Lunatic whined, "Being a hero is so boring! Plus, I won't be able to make merry anymore! I'll have to be a goody-goody!"

"No, you don't!" Harry retorted, "Haven't you ever heard of Deadpool? He's a hero—maybe not all the time, but he's regarded as one!"

"Deadpool….?"

"I'll lend you my comics later!" Harry said quickly, waving away Lunatic's up-coming question, "For now, though, I need your help! Please."

Lunatic stared at Harry for a moment, and Harry wondered worriedly if his friend would accept, then the boy's face split into a massive smile before he jumped to his feet and quickly pulled Harry to his own.

"Of course I will!" Lunatic replied, "That's all you had to ask!"

Unable to show his gratitude in any other way, Harry pulled his friend into a tight embrace, hugging Lunatic for all he was worth,

"Thank you, Looney," Harry breathed as his friend hugged him back.

"Looney will always be there to help his best friend," Lunatic replied softly before the two boys pulled away from each other and stood awkwardly.

A sudden shout made both boys turn to see where the noise had originated from, only for Harry to turn red with rage as he saw a thug run past carrying his cherry-red guitar.

"That's MY guitar!" Harry snarled, extending his arms; a moment later, four of his tentacles came out of his back and wound themselves around Harry's body. In an instant, Harry had transformed into his Arcane persona, his green eyes glowing with power and four tentacles extended from his back and swaying threateningly.

Turning to his friend, Harry almost laughed at the expression on Lunatic's face,

"That was awesome!" Lunatic breathed in awe before he began to bounce on his feet, "Do it again! Ooh, ooh! This time say, 'It's morphin time!' Please! Please!"

"God, you can be annoying sometimes…" Harry scoffed as he turned and began storming toward his room, Lunatic trailing behind him with a pout.

"Nuh-uh! You take that back! Hey, don't ignore me!"

XXXX

Raven gasped for air as she leaned against the Hospital's pillar. This had been her thirty-third time teleporting survivors and victims alike to safety in larger and larger numbers. What had started as a small battle had soon transformed into a war, and Superman had been forced to put out a call to any and all heroes nearby who could help. Not long after that, the governor declared Marshal Law and sent in the National Guard to try and aid the heroes in putting an end to the villain's brutal destruction.

Soon after this, the General in charge and Superman agreed that those with teleportation abilities would be used to try and evacuate as many innocents as possible. Raven and the others had immediately been put to work, but after three hours of this, Raven was running on fumes and desperately needed a break. However, there were still so many people in the city who might be killed if Raven didn't get them to safety. As she wearily rose back to her full height, Raven couldn't help but look toward Titans Tower, though she couldn't see it through the smoke. Silently praying that Harry and the others were still safe, far from this battle, Raven took a deep, shuddering breath and teleported away again.

XXXX

Floyd Lawton, also known as Deadshot, was having the time of his life from his perch high up in a skyscraper that was still under construction; as one of the most sought-after mercenaries on Earth, Deadshot had the privilege of being able to choose which jobs he would take with a more discerning eye than most in his line of work. When he'd heard about the price that Lex Luthor had put on the heads of Arcane and Lunatic, Deadshot had almost turned the offer down, not wanting to participate in an alliance with what he saw were 'lesser criminals' than himself.

He'd finally accepted Grodd's proposition because of how dangerous Deadshot saw this job as being. If there was one thing that Deadshot loved above all others, it was danger. The more dangerous a job was, the more excited it made him feel. It reminded him that he was alive, and every time he came home victorious, it gave him a better high than any drug ever could!

Laid out flat on his belly, gazing through the scope of his high-powered sniper rifle, Deadshot gave a sigh of satisfaction as he gently pulled the trigger and watched as a nameless National Guard soldier was sent over the hood of a parked car in a shower of blood.

"Fifty-two," Deadshot whispered happily as he began to look for his next victim; before he could lock onto anyone else, however, something suddenly grabbed his leg and violently pulled him backward across the floor. Flipping onto his back, Deadshot raised his arm and fired his wrist gun at his assailant, watching with annoyance as the bullets bounced off of Batman's armor. With a grunt, Batman releases his hold on Deadshot's leg and leaps away from the bullets, disappearing into the shadows a second later.

"Why don't you come out and face me, Bat!" Deadshot growled as he quickly rose to his feet, his wrist gun moving back and forth as he looked up at the rafters for his hated target, "Surely you're not scared of little old me?"

"Why are you here, Lawton?" Batman's voice growled from somewhere in the shadows, making Deadshot spin around and draw a second handgun from his side, "You've never taken contracts on kids before. So, why now?"

"Oh, I ain't here for the kids, Batman!" Deadshot replied, "Personally, I hope you and your friends keep both them boys safe. I'm only here for the fun! And to keep my numbers up."

"Those people aren't numbers!" Batman roared, coming out of the shadows from behind Deadshot and delivering a devastating punch to the man's head before he could turn and defend. The punch sends the hitman flying several feet across the room, finally coming to a stop when his back slams into the wall. With a groan of pain, Deadshot rose shakily to his feet and aimed his wrist gun at where Batman should have been, but he was gone again.

"What else should I call them, then?" Deadshot yelled, "What have those pathetic sheep done with their lives except wait for me to blow their brains out!"

"You're insane," Batman's voice growled from seemingly everywhere yet nowhere, making Deadshot back away slowly as his weapon swung back and forth.

"Damn it," Deadshot growled, "WHERE ARE YOU?!"

"Here," Batman's voice hissed in Deadshot's ear, making the hitman cry out in alarm before his world went dark.

XXXX

"Enough!" Superman snarled, holding Firefly by the throat and violently ripping the pyromaniac's jetpack off in a shower of sparks and smoke. Superman had been chasing Firefly for quite some time now, but the man had managed to evade Superman at nearly every turn until now.

"Aw, you're no fun!" Firefly growled,

"Fun? FUN!" Superman yelled angrily, spinning the man around and forcing him to look at the burning city around them, "Look at what you've done! How many are now dead because of you!"

"Isn't it beautiful?" Firefly gushed, "My finest work yet. It'll be pretty hard to top this one!"

At that moment, Superman would have given anything to hand Firefly over to his alter-ego, the homicidal Superman who had once killed President Luthor; instead, he swiftly lowered the two of them to the street and bent a nearby lamppost around the cursing villain. Growing weary of the still-taunting villain's voice, Superman silenced him completely a moment later when he quickly punched Firefly's head, knocking him out and leaving him unconscious in the street. A moment later, a military Humvee came screeching to a halt in front of him, out of which jumped two soldiers,

"Superman, sir!" the sergeant called out, "General Miles sent me to find you, sir! There's a group of villains tearing up downtown, and Green Arrow is trying to hold them all alone! Our troops are spread too thin to offer any aid."

"Tell the General that I'm headed to back up Green Arrow, then the Justice League will start deploying heroes to back up your troops on an as-needed basis."

"Yes, sir!" the sergeant replied with a salute before jumping back into the vehicle and quickly speeding away as Superman shot into the air and disappeared in a flash toward downtown.

XXXX

Oliver Queen, also known as Green Arrow, joked many times, 'I'm gonna die!'

He'd done it as a cry of terror after angering one night stands by forgetting their names. He'd done it as a cry of boredom on those days when he was forced to attend those tedious board meetings, where his directors would bellow and complain about one thing or another that was costing them money as if they weren't already richer than most could ever dream. At the moment, he was currently using that cry as proof of his own idiocy as he narrowly avoided being hit for the third time by one of Heat Waves fire blasts.

When he'd seen what was happening in Jump City from his penthouse apartment, he'd immediately suited up and used one of the Justice League's zeta tubes to teleport to the battleground, determined to help in any way he could.

Three hours later, Green Arrow was bruised, bleeding, and running dangerously low on arrows; dodging another near miss of fire, Green Arrow reached behind him and grimaced when he felt only three arrows remaining in his quiver.

"Give up, elf!" Heat Wave snarled, "I promise I won't burn you completely! Just a little bit! Think of it like a sunburn, only a lot LOT worse!"

"I appreciate the offer!" Green Arrow quipped back from behind his hiding car, scanning the area for the rest of Heat Wave's allies, "But I can't afford a sunburn! It'll keep me from enjoying the rest of the summer!"

"Yeah, I don't like fire either," someone laughed from behind Green Arrow, making him turn around and see Captain Cold grinning down at him from atop a pile of destroyed cars, his freeze gun pointed right at the horrified hero.

Before he could pull the trigger, however, Jinx suddenly appeared as though out of nowhere and delivered a powerful sucker punch that knocked the ice villain off of his perch and to the ground ten feet below with a painful cry.

"Thanks for the assist," Green Arrow replied with a nod, "Wasn't too sure I could nail him in time."

"Then maybe choose a better weapon," Jinx smirked back. "I mean, what exactly are you when you run out of arrows? Green…. man?"

"I prefer to call him elf," Heat Wave said from his cover where he'd been listening,

"Yeah, elf works…" Jinx replied, rubbing her chin thoughtfully and making Green Arrow shake his head in exasperation.

"Are you gonna help me or just continue to insult me?"

"Well…. Since you asked so nicely…." Jinx smirked before taking a running leap into the air and unleashing a virtual volley of pink destruction upon the street and anything that might be on it. Several cars exploded into oblivion as Jinx's pink blast hit them. Green Arrow heard Heat Wave cry out momentarily before he was silenced. Several moments later, when the destruction had finally ended, Green Arrow rose shakily to his feet and surveyed what Jinx had done. The street was utterly destroyed, with deep pits gouged into the concrete; cars burned out of control everywhere, creating a furnace of fire and smoke that began to make Green Arrow tear up, and lying unconscious near a burning vehicle was an unconscious Heat Wave.

"Are you crazy!" Green Arrow asked Jinx, leaning uncaringly against an overturned car and examining her fingernails.

"Quite possibly," Jinx replied, stunning Green Arrow with her honesty,

"Regardless!" Green Arrow continued, unwilling to lose the initiative, "If you're a hero, then you should know that we don't kill our enemies!"

"Oh please…" Jinx scoffed, rolling her eyes, "If I wanted to kill him, he'd be dead! I was in complete control!"

"You call THAT control!" Green Arrow demanded, sweeping his arm out towards the destroyed street.

"No, I call THAT job security for the construction companies of Jump City!" Jinx spat back, causing Green Arrow's mouth to drop open at her reply. Before he could reply, Green Arrow heard a distinctive hiss and turned around, drawing and pulling back his bow to see Killer Croc climbing over a pile of fallen rock and looking hungry.

"Well, look here…" Croc drooled, "Someone left me a snack…."

"Not today, Croc," Green Arrow quipped, "Why don't you go track down Captain Hook and finish him off?"

"Amusing little worm, ain't ya?" A silky voice said from the darkness of the alley next to them, causing Jinx to raise her fists defensively, circles of pink surrounding them.

A moment later, Plastique and Scarecrow walked out of the alley, causing both heroes to share a worrying look; a second later, Mammoth walks out behind the pair, causing Jinx's eyes to widen in surprise.

"Jinx…?" Mammoth asked before a dark look of hate came across his face, "You filthy traitor…."

"Calm down, Mammoth," Scarecrow says quickly, "There's no need for this to get ugly."

"Too late, I think…" Green Arrow replied looking at the villain, "I mean, have you even seen a mirror lately?"

"Enough jokes," Plastique sneered, "Surrender, and your lives will be spared. Or fight and die, I really don't care which."

Pulling the bowstring back further, Green Arrow simply sneers at her,

"No thanks, not in the mood to surrender. Especially when I've got you right where I want you."

By this point, Mammoth had completely lost his temper and issued a roar of rage before leaping into the air with both fists raised as though to crush Jinx and her green ally flat; both quickly leaped away, causing the other villains to attack as well.

"You left us!" Mammoth snarled as he swung left and right, desperately trying to hit Jinx, who danced out of his way effortlessly, "You betrayed us! And for what? Some brat!"

"Don't call him that!" Jinx snarled back, unleashing a dozen pink blades that spun forward and slashed Mammoth's arms to pieces from where he covered his head to avoid her attack.

"We were your family!" Mammoth growled, "And you threw us away the first chance that something better came along!"

"I offered you the chance to join me!" Jinx spat, "I gave you the same chance I was given! And what was my reward for that? You attacked me! You broke my arm! You made your choice! Just like I made mine!"

Mammoth said nothing as he remembered the last time he'd spoken to his friend. It was true that she'd offered to let him join the Titans as well, but he was so disgusted by her supposed 'betrayal' that he'd lost himself in his rage and attacked her, breaking her arm before the other Titans came to her defense and arrested him.

He had no chance to respond to her words. The moment he opened his mouth, a red and blue blur slammed into him, sending him through a nearby wall and into oblivion.

Green Arrow was not doing much better in his fight against Plastique, Scarecrow, and Killer Croc; immediately put on the defense, Green Arrow fired his last concussion arrow into Croc's mouth as the monster tried to tear off the hero's arm. For a moment, nothing happened. Then, the arrow went off, and Croc's head was blasted backward, causing him to fall to the ground, unconscious as smoke billowed out from his mouth. Reaching back again, Green Arrow loaded and fired another arrow at Plastique, which she ducked quickly; as the arrow hit the ground, it began to billow smoke, temporarily creating a cloud cover that left everyone in the vicinity coughing slightly.

Squinting through the haze, Green Arrow reached back to his quiver again, only to pale as he realized that he had nothing left; shifting his grip on his bow, the hero now held his weapon like a staff as he tried to spot any sign of his enemies.

A sudden grunt of pain behind him made Green Arrow spin around and raise his bow to strike, only for another cry to echo from behind, making him spin around again, only to see a grinning Superman holding an unconscious Plastique and Scarecrow.

"Easy there, Robin Hood," Superman chuckled, "You could put someone's eye out."

"Oh man, even YOU'RE making fun of me now?" Green Arrow groaned, "This day freaking sucks, man."

"On the bright side, it's almost over," Superman chuckled as he threw the two unconscious criminals onto the ground. He casually walked over toward a nearby phone pole and ripped the wire off of it; as Jinx and Green Arrow continued to watch, Superman then wrapped the wire around the two unconscious villains tight so that they couldn't escape.

"Now then," Superman said, clapping his hands together and turning to face his allies once he was done. We've retaken almost the whole city. The few remaining villains are moving towards downtown. I've alerted all heroes to head that way so that we can surround the few that remain and put an end to this."

"As good a plan as any, I suppose," Green Arrow grumbled. I'm going to need more arrows, though."

In the time it took for someone to blink, Superman had disappeared and reappeared with a quiver full to the brim with arrows, holding them out to Green Arrow with a smirk.

"Showoff," Green Arrow scoffed as he took the quiver and threw it over his shoulder, "Shall we?"

Without waiting for an answer, Green Arrow ran toward downtown, while Superman shot into the sky, and Jinx leapt towards the nearest building.

XXXX

With a sigh of contempt, J'onn Jones incapacitated another nameless follower of Gorilla Grodd's mad scheme to take young Harry hostage. These criminals were like cockroaches, in that no matter how many the Martian took down, another seemed to take their place. As he rounded the next corner, he heard an inhuman shriek echo from further down the hall, causing him to quicken his steps to find its origin.

His eyes widened as he round the next corner and saw Andromeda Tonks spinning and twirling as she dodged bullets and screamed in a frenzy, her hair wild and flying about her head, making her look quite mad, wand firing hexes and curses at anyone foolish enough to come within sight of her.

"Someone kill that damn witch already!" Grodd roared from where he hid, only occasionally poking his head around the corner to see how his forces were doing, only to duck back out of sight when a beam of light narrowly missed him, "We're wasting time, we need to find those brats!"

"No, we need to end this!" J'onn said, raising his arms as his eyes filled with power; instantly, the last few thugs lifted into the air before slamming hard on the floor, knocking them all out instantly. Seeing his forces wiped out in an instant, Grodd snarled in fury before making a quick getaway. Seeing that she was finally out of the fight, Andromeda's arm dropped to her side as she collapsed to her knees.

"Where… Where are the children…?" Andromeda gasped as J'onn helped her shakily to her feet,

"I don't know," J'onn answered truthfully. I can no longer sense your daughter or the others in the Tower, so I can only guess that they managed to escape—all except Harry."

"Harry is still in the Tower!" Andromeda gasped in shock, "We must find him!"

"I will find and stop Grodd," J'onn replied firmly, "You need to rest. You've more than done your part, my lady."

Andromeda blushed for a moment before nodding in understanding. A moment later, J'onn helped lower her gently to the ground so that she was seated against the wall; nodding firmly, J'onn turned and began to float down the hall that Grodd had retreated down.

"Maybe I'll just close my eyes for a moment…" Andromeda slurred as her eyes closed softly and slowly.

XXXX

With a cry of pain, the thug who had been trying to steal Harry's guitar slammed into the far wall, no doubt breaking several bones from the force of the impact; sneering in disgust, Arcane swung the guitar over his shoulder and continued making his way back to his room. Behind him, Lunatic was giggling madly at the destruction his friend was unleashing; it had simply been too long since Lunatic had seen Harry's wrath firsthand, and he had forgotten how entertaining it was to watch.

"Bunch of no-good thieves…" Arcane grumbled, "Bad enough they wrecked my house, but now they are trying to steal my Gibson!"

"That's it, Harry!" Lunatic laughed merrily, spinning on the spot and changing his clothes into a long black robe several sizes too big and covering his face. "Embrace your anger, and your journey to the dark side will be complete!"

Harry said nothing, knowing that replying to his friend's annoying antics would only make them worse. As the pair rounded the last corner, they began to hear what sounded like an electric ballad playing, along with the sound of someone screaming.

Sharing a look, Lunatic transformed back into his regular clothes, and the two slowly made their way to Harry's room; peeking around the corner, the pair could see one of the thugs screaming as he played the guitar that Constantine had given Harry, the man's fingers bleeding as they were sliced to ribbons. But the thing that made both boys pale with horror was the long metal tubes that had seemingly stabbed into the thug's arms and were drawing blood from him into the guitar, giving it an eerie red glow.

"Huh… So that's what it does," Arcane replied after a moment, "Thanks for the warning, Constantine. You dick… I'm telling Raven!"

"So, should we save him, or…" Lunatic asked, leaving it up to his friend on what to do,

"Might as well, I suppose…" Arcane replied with a shrug. The pair walked into the room with a casual swagger. Striding right up to the still-screaming thug, Arcane gave the man a hard punch to the face, instantly knocking the man out and causing him to drop to the floor. As soon as the man stopped playing, the metal tubes retracted from the man's arms and back into the guitar, causing it to once again look like an ordinary if badass, guitar.

"Not gonna lie, that's really gross…" Lunatic replied in disgust, edging away from the guitar as Arcane lowered his hood and looked around the room with growing anger,

"Look at what they did to my room!"

The room had been tossed, Harry's once pristine bookshelves left disheveled, with books thrown here and there; so, too, were his DVDs thrown carelessly to the floor as the criminals looked for riches. His mattress had been thrown off of the bed, and in an act of pure pettiness, his posters had been ripped down as well.

Harry's hidden compartment, where he kept his guitars, lay open, with two guitars missing—the one on his back and the one on the floor, thankfully. Harry guessed that when the savage guitar began attacking the thug, his friend must have bolted in terror—understandable, really, all things considered.

"My room…" Harry mumbled sadly, making Lunatic roll his eyes,

"Hey, at least you still have a room! They blew mine up!"

"Pity you weren't in it!" A voice cried, making Harry quickly lift his hood back up and Lunatic to raise his fists defensively.

Harry's door suddenly exploded in a shower of dust and debris, out of which Star Saphire flew, flying up toward the ceiling and stopping there, floating a few feet above their heads and smirking in victory.

"Hello, boys! Thanks for making this so easy for me!"

"You…" Lunatic growled angrily, his iris' turning into slits as he stared up at the woman who had destroyed his Bag End; he'd already found Livewire earlier, but she'd been unconscious, so he'd been unable to pay her back for what she'd done to his home.

"Is she the one who hurt you?" Arcane asked softly, turning to glare up at the villainess when he saw Lunatic nod.

"Children, this doesn't need to be unpleasant," Star Saphire said with a smirk, "Simply come with me, and I promise that no one will need to get hurt."

"You hurt Looney…" Arcane growled, his eyes flashing unnervingly, "Your ass is mine!"

As Arcane launched himself into the air, Lunatic jumped after him, snarling,

"Not if I get to her first!"

With a scowl of disgust, Star Saphire spat,

"So be it!"

Before she could launch one of her blasts, Arcane had shot one of his tentacles at her, latching onto her wrist; Lunatic had jumped onto said tentacle and was cackling madly as he ran up it toward the glaring villain.

Lunatic was an excellent fighter; you had to be, living by yourself in Gotham City. Arcane was an even better fighter, having spent the last three years learning everything that Robin, now Nightwing, could possibly teach him. But together? Together, the duo were an unstoppable force of nature, so in sync with their movements, one could instantly know where the other was and act accordingly.

Lunatic charged up Arcane's tentacle, a large mallet held high above his head in order to brain the scowling villain; with a growl, Star Saphire yanked hard, causing Lunatic to stumble for a moment before he regained his footing. Arcane grunted with exertion as he tried to hold onto Star Saphire, who violently struggled to free her arm, all while Lunatic balanced between the two.

As though suddenly realizing that she had two arms, Star Saphire began to fire blast after blast at the two heroes, forcing Arcane to detach his tentacle, lest he become unable to properly maneuver. Lunatic leaped into the air and cackled merrily as he fell backward onto Harry's mattress and bounced onto the floor. Arcane flew around the blasts and slammed his fist into the woman's jaw, sending her hurling into the far glass wall, which cracked but surprisingly held.

Only pausing a moment to shake away her nausea, Star Saphire blasted the oncoming Arcane into the ceiling, causing him to disappear in a cloud of dust; suddenly, a black tentacle shot out toward her, followed by another and then another, causing her to growl as she dipped and danced away from them all, before finally flying into the air, again.

As he knelt on all fours, Lunatic felt one of Arcane's tentacles wrap around his waist and hurl him into the air toward Star Saphire, who was so shocked at Arcane's action that it caused her to freeze long enough for Lunatic to slam into her, knocking them both to the ground with a painful 'oomph.'

"That hurt, you dick!" Lunatic groaned as he rose shakily to his feet,

"Well, it worked, didn't it!" Arcane retorted as Star Saphire used Harry's bookshelf to leverage herself to her feet.

"I will not…" Star Saphire growled, "I will NOT be beaten by a pair of children!"

"Appearances would say otherwise," Arcane quipped, causing Lunatic to snort and Star Saphire to turn crimson with anger.

Almost as though someone had rung the starting bell, the three charged at each other, Star Saphire screaming in anger and hurling powerful bursts of light at the two boys, who easily dodged and tried to send their own attacks.

This went on for several minutes. Lunatic would conjure an anvil with the intent to squash the criminal, only for her to blast it to bits; Arcane would attempt to impale her, only for Star Saphire to knock it away with a well-timed blast. Before anyone realized it, the three had left Harry's room and brought their fight into the narrow hallway, where Star Saphire's movements were much more restricted.

Dropping onto her shoulder, Lunatic suddenly covered Star Saphire's eyes and cried out gleefully,

"Guess who!"

"Get off me, you little freak!" Star Saphire snarled, managing to grab the boy and throwing him off of her shoulders; a second later, one of Arcane's tentacles wrapped around her throat from behind, slowly strangling her as Lunatic hit the floor and rolled to his feet. Without pausing, Lunatic charged forward and used the wall as leverage to jump into the air towards her, delivering two solid hits to Star Saphire's stomach before latching onto Arcane's tentacle and sliding down its length with one hand, finally landing catlike next to Arcane as Star Saphire collapsed to the floor and gasped for air.

Not giving his enemy a chance to retaliate, Arcane charged forward and slammed his knee into Star Saphire's face as she slowly climbed to her knees, smiling under his hood as he heard her nose break.

As she slammed onto her back, Star Saphire tried one final time to raise herself back up, only for Lunatic to follow up Arcane's attack by hitting a flathead shovel into her face, sending her head slamming onto the floor with a 'slam,' that completely knocked her out.

Leaning heavily on the shovel for a moment while Arcane leaned one hand against the nearby wall, both boys began to chuckle, which then turned into full-blown laughter. That laughter died away instantly as Grodd came charging around the corner at full speed; seeing his two targets, Grodd released an ear-shattering roar of rage, slowing for only a moment before he charged at them.

"It's King Kong! Someone call Godzilla!" Lunatic shouted before throwing the shovel at the charging Gorilla; Grodd batted the shovel away with a snarl as he continued his charge, causing Arcane to jump into the air and fly down the hallway. As he passed, Lunatic jumped onto Arcane's back and began to stand on his friend as he flew down the hallway, like one would stand on a skateboard.

"I can show you the world," Lunatic sang, "Shining, shimmering splendid!"

"Not the time!" Arcane snapped angrily as Grodd roared after them.

Sparing a second, Arcane glanced behind him to see how close their pursuer was, only to gasp as he watched Grodd jump from the floor to the wall and then up into the air, managing to grab Arcane's left leg and bring them the three of them crashing to the floor.

Combining six tentacles into one, Arcane delivered an overpowered punch to the gorilla's jaw in a devastating uppercut that sent Grodd crashing through the drywall of the ceiling for several seconds before slamming back into the ground several feet away.

"Draw him to the Danger room!" Arcane shouted, scrambling quickly to his feet and roughly pulling Lunatic to his own, "It's our only chance!"

"You will not escape me, human filth!" Grodd roared as he charged at them again,

"Run!" Arcane screamed, desperately trying not to panic; Harry was under no illusions regarding his chances of winning in a fight against Grodd. He'd only been a hero for just under two years, for crying out loud!

Flying over Lunatic, Arcane grabbed his raised arms, causing the boy to grunt painfully as Arcane jerked him into the air, the two flying as fast as Arcane could go toward the Danger Room while Grodd roared angrily at them from behind.

"You will go no further!" A voice said suddenly, causing Grodd to stop abruptly as J'onn rose from out of the floor in between Grodd and the two boys.

"Cool, it's a ghost!" Lunatic replied cheerfully, causing Arcane to groan with annoyance as he continued to hold the boy several feet above the ground.

J'onn smirked slightly at the boy before slowly shaking his head and returning to the fuming Grodd.

"The Tower is no longer safe," J'onn replied firmly. "I will hold Grodd here and make sure he can do no more damage. You two should head to Town Hall; it has become the temporary headquarters for the National Guards and the Justice League. Your sister will be there."

"Didn't you hear me?" Grodd snarled, "I said, NO ONE IS LEAVING!"

With a roar of challenge, Grodd charged toward the Martian, who said nothing as he flew forward to meet Grodd's challenge; as they met, a burst of energy flew outwards, making Arcane's cape flap dramatically.

"I say we honor his last wish!" Lunatic said at once, seeing how violent the battle was quickly becoming.

"Aye," Arcane replied, seeing how outclassed he was, before turning and flying as fast as he could straight through the nearest window; as the two boys exploded out of the Tower in a shower of glass, Lunatic issued a rooster crow of delight from where he was suspended by his arms, still in Arcane's grip. With a grunt of annoyance, Arcane pointed the pair toward the burning remains of Jump City and began to make his way toward City Hall, Grodd's roars echoing from the Tower behind them.

XXXX

Author's Note:

Okay, I lied. I fully intended this chapter to be the end of the 'Bounty Arc,' but it got so long that I had to split it into two separate chapters, so expect one more chapter after this one, and that's the end of this Arc. I have written, rewritten, and rewritten AGAIN this bloody chapter! So I hope it holds up, lol. To those who have been haranguing me constantly, you win! Arcane will be joining the Young Justice team in the following few chapters. After his part in the 'Battle of Jump City,' Raven and the others will wisely decide to get Arcane out of the state for a little while, as many will end up blaming him for it. However, I have not yet decided if Lunatic will also be joining the team; that depends on whether y'all want him to or not. I may also have to change the Fanbase for this story, as it will no longer be just a Teen Titans story. Til next time.

Chapter Text

*'Everybody Wants to Rule the World' by Lorde begins playing*

As Arcane and Lunatic began flying through the city, both boys couldn't help but gasp in horror. The sky was choked with smoke, and everything seemed to be moving in slow motion; Arcane could see people screaming below the pair, holding the bodies of loved ones who lay unmoving in their arms.

"Looney, did we cause this…?" Arcane asked in a small voice,

"It…. It was just a prank…. We were just making merry…." Lunatic replied, his trademark smile gone and replaced with a look of absolute sorrow as they flew over a dark-skinned man sobbing as he hugged the body of a woman.

Before either could say anything else, they were suddenly blasted out of the air by a blinding yellow light that caused Arcane to lose his grip on Lunatic, and sent Arcane crashing into a parked Jeep. Lunatic luckily managed to grab ahold of a lamppost as he fell, crying out in pain as his arms were given a savage jerk.

As Arcane shook away the dizziness from the attack, he raised his head to see Sinestro floating several feet above him, arms crossed and smirking in a way that promised nothing but pain.

"Today must be my lucky day," the Yellow Lantern sneered, "I had all but given up on Grodd's foolish plan and was about to leave this accursed city when the two boys I'm hunting fall right into my lap."

"Grodd did this…?" Arcane asked in horror as he slowly leveled himself back to his feet, using the Jeep as support, "All these innocent people!"

"No, boy," Sinestro replied cooly, "YOU did this. You and your mad little friend angered the wrong man, and this destruction is the result. If you wish to blame someone, boy. I suggest you look in the mirror. Personally though, I'm impressed, to manage so much death and yet still be a child is amazing to behold. If you're capable of this as a child, who knows what atrocities you will inflict as you grow older."

The words hit Arcane like physical blows, and for a moment, he was once again trapped in a vision of the future where he killed the whole world.

"NEVER!" Arcane snarled as he shot into the air with such speed that it caught Sinestro by surprise; before he could bring up a suitable defense, Arcane poured as much power as he could into his arm and leveled a powerful sucker-punch to the Yellow Lantern's jaw, sending him flying into the distance. Arcane groaned in agony as he felt several bones in his arm break from the power he had put into the punch; falling to his knees, Arcane felt his left arm fall uselessly to his side. Lunatic, by this time, had managed to make his way down from where he'd been hanging, groaning as his arms shook with pain from being nearly torn from their sockets.

"That won't stop him for long," Lunatic groaned, "And neither of us are in any fit state to take on someone of his power. We should get the hell out of here while we still have the chance."

"Agreed," Arcane replied as he reached behind him and began to rub his shoulder from where he'd hit the Jeep.

"Filthy human!" Sinestro roared as he suddenly tore out of the sky, his nose bleeding heavily from Arcane's last attack, "Neither of you are going anywhere!"

"I have had it with you assholes repeatedly saying that!" Lunatic snarled, suddenly conjuring a cartoonishly large baseball bat; Arcane immediately snapped to his friend's side, and the two swung the bat as hard as they could. Sinestro, not expecting to suddenly face a baseball bat the size of a small yacht, could only gape for a moment before the bat connected with an explosion of energy that caused a gust of wind and sent the Yellow Lantern disappearing into the sky.

*Song ends. *

Snapping his fingers, Lunatic made the bat disappear before both boys collapsed to the ground and began to gasp for breath.

"Th… This is your hometown, Harry…" Lunatic gasped from where he lay on all fours, "Where…. Where is City Hall…?"

Struggling to regain his own breath, Arcane raised his head and took a quick glance around as he tried to get his bearings; seeing the Titan's favorite restaurant not far away, Arcane released a gasp of relief,

"That's…. That's Tony's Pizzeria, so City Hall should be two blocks up and one block over…"

"Then let's get there…" Lunatic replied as he struggled to his feet before reaching down and helping Arcane to his own, "I don't know how much longer I can keep using my powers… I'm running on fumes here."

"Same…" Arcane replied wearily, "And I left my wand in my trunk…"

"Wand? Trunk?" Lunatic asked in surprise, "What are you talking about…?"

"I'm not supposed to tell anyone…" Arcane replied as he threw his arm over Lunatic's shoulder.

"I'm not just anyone, though, am I?" Lunatic growled back, "I thought I was your best friend."

"You are, Looney!"

"Then why won't you tell me where you've been for the last few months!" Lunatic growled, "Do you have any idea how worried I was! I came to see you, and the Tower was empty, and no one would tell me where you'd gone!"

Unseen under his hood, Arcane worried his lip for a moment as he thought of what he should do. Lunatic was his best friend, but it was against the law for Arcane to tell him anything in regard to the Magical World. But seeing the hurt and betrayal in Lunatic's eyes made Arcane's decision for him; taking a deep breath, Arcane faced his first friend and spoke quickly before his nerve failed him.

"Okay, look. There's a hidden world that I belong to."

"What kind of hidden world?" Lunatic asked as the pair began to limp down the street, "You mean you went to space? No wonder I couldn't find you…"

"No, not space," Arcane gasped as a wave of pain shot up his arm, "I went to Scotland."

As the pair slowly limped their way toward City Hall, Arcane told Lunatic all about his adventures over the past year; he told his friend about Hogwarts, about Voldemort, about how most of the Wizarding World viewed Harry as the second coming of Merlin, and about how Raven would not be letting him return the following year due to Dumbledore's manipulations. By the tale's end, the pair had only another block to go, but Lunatic looked furious. After several tense moments of silence, Arcane wondered if he'd made a mistake in keeping it from his friend.

"I'm sorry, Looney…" Arcane said softly, "Please don't stop being my friend…. Please…."

Lunatic started at that and looked down at Arcane in surprise for a moment,

"Do you truly think so low of me, Harry…?" Lunatic asked in a hurt voice, "That I would abandon you because you kept this from me? Yes, I'm a bit upset that you've basically kept the fact that all the wonderful things I've read about in Mr. Tolkien's books is, in fact, real. But now that I know why, how can I possibly be mad at you?"

Arcane couldn't help but release a sob of relief at that; he'd been so terrified that Lunatic, the little boy who all but worshipped J.R.R Tolkien as his god, would see Harry's reticence to tell him about the Wizarding World as the ultimate act of betrayal, and no longer want anything to do with him. Hearing otherwise brought Arcane a wave of happiness that nearly sent him to his knees.

Instead, he wrapped his only good arm around his friend and hugged him for all he was worth, an act quickly copied by Lunatic, who held his friend close for a moment before both released their hold and continued to slow limp toward City Hall.

"Make no mistake, Harry," Lunatic continued in mock annoyance, "If we survive this battle, I fully intend to grill you about everything concerning your new world! I've always wanted to ride a Centaur, and now that I know they're real, you can bet your ass I'm going to do it!"

Arcane snorted at that, remembering what his Care of Magical Creatures Professor had told him about how proud Centaurs were and how they would rather die than allow a human to ride them. He almost felt sorry for Lunatic when the poor boy discovered that there was no way any Centaur would ever allow him to ride them like a horse.

"No, what I'm angry about," Lunatic continued, "Is the fact that your Headmaster, who is basically a glorified high school principal, thinks he can manipulate my best friend like that! After this, I will have to make a trip to Scotland and teach him some manners! And don't even get me started on that 'Voldemort' douche. I'm gonna enjoy playing with him…"

"Please don't!" Arcane suddenly gasped in panic, "Please, Looney! He took my parents. I couldn't bear it if he took you too!"

Lunatic was quiet for a moment at that before finally turning to his friend and speaking softly,

"Very well, then. But if the day ever comes when you must face him again, know that I will be by your side. Always."

"You're my best friend, Looney," Arcane sniffled, "You always have been."

"Shut up," Lunatic snarked back, though Arcane could see the boy's eyes tear up a bit, "How much further is it?"

"We should be nearly there," Arcane replied, "I think it's around the next corner if I have my bearings right…"

"Good, no offense, but you're really heavy. I think you need to lay off the sweets."

"You're such an ass, you know that…" Arcane growled back, causing his mad friend to cackle with delight as they rounded the corner.

XXXX

Grodd snarled with rage as he swiped at J'onn, only for his fist to pass harmlessly through the Martian; J'onn retaliated with an uppercut to the gorilla's jaw that sent Grodd crashing through the ceiling for several feet, tearing the drywall to pieces, before finally, he came to a rest at the far end of the hallway.

"You cannot win this fight, Grodd," J'onn stated simply, "It would be in your best interest to surrender."

As Grodd climbed to his feet, he wiped his nose and growled as he saw blood on his fur. Raising his head to glare at the Martian, Grodd issued an ear-shattering roar of rage before turning and fleeing down the dark hallway. J'onn paused for only a moment before he sped after his opponent, determined to capture him before the gorilla could escape.

XXXX

A few moments later, after both combatants had disappeared, a dark figure suddenly dropped from a hole in the ceiling and carefully looked around to ensure they were alone. Slowly, the figure made its way to Harry's room and began to search through it, ripping open his drawers and tearing through them before moving on to the next one. Finally, the figure seemed to find what they were looking for and held up what appeared to be an ordinary piece of paper.

"Harry Potter…" The figure breathed as a smile spread across its face, "So, that's who you are, Arcane… My master will be so happy to meet you."

Carefully, the figure folded the paper from somewhere called 'Hogwarts' and pushed it into their pocket as it left the room before anyone could discover that they were there; their mission complete.

XXXX

"Where could he have gone…?" J'onn thought as he slowly floated down the darkened hallway, the only light coming from the flickering bulbs overhead and giving the hallway an eerie look that would not have been out of place in a horror movie.

"You cannot escape, Grodd," J'onn called out, his voice echoing down the hallway, "Come out and surrender!"

As J'onn rounded the next corner, his eyes shot open in alarm as he saw Grodd standing at the entrance of the Titan's weapons room, holding a flamethrower; before J'onn could do anything but stare, Grodd pressed the trigger and unleashed a devastating wave of fire that quickly passed over the Martian and caused him to shriek in agony for a moment before collapsing to the floor, unconscious.

Sneering in derision, Grodd threw the flamethrower to the floor before slowly making his way toward the fallen hero. Seeing his adversary was not moving, Grodd kicked the unconscious hero once in the side before quickly making his way out of the smoking hallway and back toward the boats in which he and his allies had arrived. Arcane and Lunatic might have escaped him, but that was only a temporary setback, one which he would quickly rectify.

XXXX

"How are we supposed to get through that!" Lunatic hissed as he and Arcane peeked around the corner at the literal battle that was currently happening between the National Guard and a horde of Supervillains and their hired thugs. As the pair watched, KGBeast suddenly rose from behind a destroyed truck and hurled a grenade at a group of unsuspecting soldiers; before it could do any damage, however, Superman suddenly appeared and grabbed the grenade, crushing it between his hands and causing a billow of smoke to emerge from between his hands.

Before the criminal could react, Superman delivered a devastating punch that sent KGBeast crashing into the wall of a nearby deli, where he slowly slid to the ground, unconscious.

A second later, Mammoth appeared as though out of nowhere and sucker punched Superman, sending the hero disappearing into the smoke.

"There's no way we can get to City Hall through all of that…" Arcane replied softly, "Not with us both running on fumes, as we are."

"So, what do we do?" Lunatic asked, loathe though he was to admit it; he was running dangerously low on power.

"We'll have to double back," Arcane replied thoughtfully,

"How far?"

"At least four blocks…"

"Four blocks?!" Lunatic cried out, "The whole city is a warzone, and you want to walk another four blocks! I can barely create anything at this point! And with your broken arm, you're in no better shape!"

"Unless you want to try and make our way through that!" Arcane replied as the pair watched Wonder Woman appear from the smoke and begin to fight against Cheetah, "I don't think we have any other options!"

With an exaggerated groan of annoyance, Lunatic took off his top hat and ran his hand through his long red hair.

"Let's just get this over with," Lunatic replied as he put his top hat back on, "Before one of these idiots realizes we're here."

Throwing Arcane's arm back over his shoulder, Lunatic began to limp back down the alley they had just come from as the sounds of battle faded behind them.

XXXX

As Grodd's boat flew across the water at speeds that were DEFINITELY not safe, he snarled in fury at how badly his carefully planned strategy to capture the two brats had failed. As the boat slammed into the wooden port, creating a shower of broken wood and twisted metal, Grodd jumped into the air and landed with an 'oomph' before running as fast as he could toward where he knew City Hall was. He'd heard the Martian tell the two boys to head there, and unless Grodd managed to head them off, all hope of recovering the bounty on their heads would be lost.

Reaching up to his ear, Grodd snarled out,

"If anyone can hear this, Arcane and Lunatic have escaped the Tower! They're headed to City Hall, and if any of you want to get paid, we need to capture them before they do!"

Only static answered Grodd's call, and with a snarl of fury, he ripped the earpiece from his head and crushed it in his hand before throwing the pieces away. Jumping up toward a nearby fire escape, Grodd grabbed onto the ladder and began to climb; if he were to find the two brats before they reached the safety of City Hall, he would need to cover as much ground as possible.

XXXX

Arcane groaned in pain as he and Lunatic collapsed to the ground in utter exhaustion. It seemed like they'd been walking for hours; twice, Arcane tried to fly the pair into the air, only for them to crash back to earth mere moments later as Arcane felt his reserves of power empty. Even Arcane's tentacles refused to come out, no matter how much he willed them to; in addition, his broken arm practically screamed in agony, making the journey that much harder.

"Harry..." Lunatic gasped from where he lay on his back, "I... I can't keep going... We need to find somewhere to hole up and wait for help..."

"No!" Arcane growled weakly from where he lay against a building wall, "We need to get to my sister! If we stay here, we'll die! Or worse, get caught and handed over to Luthor, who will no doubt torture us to death!"

"Harry... I got nothing left... I'm sorry..."

With a snarl of defiance, Arcane leveled himself back to his feet before limping over to his friend, roughly grabbing the front of his vest and pulling him up so that their noses almost touched.

"I did not save your ass just to let you die here, Looney! I'll drag you if I have to! But I'd rather not injure myself any more than I already am, so shut your mouth and get on your damn feet! NOW!"

Lunatic worried his lip for a moment before finally reaching up and unhooking Arcane's hand from his vest; as quickly as his exhausted body would allow, Lunatic then clambered to his feet and shot Arcane a sneer,

"You're mean when you're injured, you know that..."

"You can be mad at me all you want once we're safe," Arcane snapped back, "But until that happens, you keep moving!"

Lunatic said nothing at that, simply threw Arcane's arm over his shoulder again and took an exhausted gasp before the two began to limp towards their destination.

"How... How much further...?" Lunatic gasped.

Taking a look around, Arcane quickly got his bearings and nearly smiled in relief.

"That's Jesse's Joys," Arcane replied softly. "Raven took me there not long after she rescued me from my relatives. It's where I got my first toys from. City Hall is around the next corner."

"Thank goodness..." Lunatic replied wearily, "I feel like I could sleep for the next hundred years..."

"Ditto," Arcane replied, "Let's just get there before anything else happens."

They'd only taken a dozen steps when an ear-shattering roar made them both freeze in place. As their gaze rose toward the nearby rooftop, both boys felt their faces pale in horror. Grodd was standing atop the building in front of them, glaring at the pair in rage. As the boys watched, the gorilla leaped from the rooftop and grabbed a nearby lamp post as he fell, his weight causing the metal to bend as he used the lamp to slow his descent.

As Grodd crashed to the ground in front of the pair, Arcane felt his heart begin to race with panic; neither Lunatic nor himself were in any fit state for a fight, and judging by the way Grodd was grinning at the pair, he knew it.

"I'll make this simple," Grodd growled, "Surrender and come with me willingly, and I promise that no further pain will be inflicted on you. But if you choose to continue to evade me, I will make you both beg for death. Or perhaps I'll see how much CADMUS will pay to have their 'little toy' back. Decide!"

Slowly, Arcane turned to his friend and felt his heart sink when he saw the fear etched on Looney's face.

"I'm sorry, Looney..." Arcane whispered, "I thought we could make it..."

"No..." Lunatic whispered in fear, "I won't go back... I won't let them retake me!"

Roughly throwing Arcane to the ground, Lunatic screamed in rage as he charged toward Grodd, reaching into his coat and pulling a crowbar, which he raised with both hands as though to brain the gorilla. Grodd sneered at the boy's idiotic display of courage and snarled in contempt as he charged toward the boy. As the two grew close, Arcane screamed at his friend to stop, only to watch in horror as Grodd caught the crowbar as Lunatic brought it down.

Using his other arm, Grodd grabbed Lunatic's vest and spun on the spot, hurling the screaming boy through a nearby store window where he lay unmoving, his legs dangling over the window frame while the rest of his body lay hidden within the store.

"LOONEY!" Arcane screamed in horror, only to shrink back in fear as Grodd turned his attention to him.

"And then there was one..." Grodd smirked, "Shall we repeat the lesson, brat? Or have you finally decided to accept the inevitable?"

Knowing that there was no way he could beat Grodd in a fight in his current state, Arcane's mind raced with ideas as to what he should do. If he left, there was a very real chance that Grodd would just cut his losses and take Lunatic and disappear, and if that happened, the chances of CADMUS regaining his friend were an even more terrifying possibility.

As though fate was laughing at him, Sinestro suddenly descended from the air beside Grodd, looking injured and extremely unhappy. Seeing his ally had come to join him, Grodd smirked in victory.

"Ah, Sinestro. So good of you to join me, be a dear and retrieve the brat in the window while I capture the other one. It shouldn't take long, given his battered condition."

"I'm afraid not, Grodd," Sinestro replied cooly, causing Grodd to look at him in surprise, "Have you not heard?"

"Heard what?!" Grodd demanded as Arcane stood stock still, trying not to draw attention to himself.

"The bounty on the boy's heads has been rescinded," Sinestro sneered, making Grodd's face pale, "Which means that all this destruction and death has been for nothing."

"You're lying!" Grodd snarled, causing Sinestor to chuckle,

"Believe what you will, monkey man. But seeing as there is no longer any profit to be had here, I shall be taking my leave."

As Grodd snarled at Sinestro for the insult, the Yellow Lantern turned to Arcane and smirked.

"You have a debt to pay to me, boy. And make no mistake, one day I will come to collect. But until that day, grow stronger; I want you to be fit and healthy when I come for you. You will look magnificent in yellow..."

Without another word, Sinestro shot into the air and disappeared, leaving Grodd and Arcane alone in the destroyed street.

You..." Grodd hissed angrily as he lowered himself to pounce, "You filthy human, BRAAAAAAAT!"

With a roar of hatred and rage, Grodd charged forward, causing Arcane to cry out of terror before turning and running down the first alley he spotted as fast as his broken body would allow, Grodd hot on his trail. Lunatic would be fine, Arcane reasoned, as long as Arcane managed to keep Grodd focused on him. As a large green trash can suddenly slammed into the wall next to him, narrowly missing him by inches, Arcane couldn't help but swallow nervously as he limped his body as fast as it could. Without that bounty, there was nothing to stop Grodd from killing him, and as the gorilla's roars grew closer, Arcane suddenly felt more afraid than he'd ever felt before.

XXXX

Lois Lane gaped from where she sat as she gazed down on the destruction that had once been Jump City, now a smoking ruin. She'd been in Los Angeles on another assignment when she'd received word from Perry White, her editor, of what was happening. Not one to miss such an opportunity, she immediately hired a helicopter and flew out to cover the story; Jimmy Olson, her trusted photographer, sat beside her, pale-faced, as he held his camera and tried to take as many shots as possible.

Lois was no stranger to mindless destruction and tragedy; as ambitious a reporter as she was, and given her close relationship with Superman, she'd seen more horrific atrocities than anyone should have to.

From African Warlords killing anyone who crossed them to great battles between heroes and villains that often destroyed entire city blocks, Lois could safely say that not much affected her anymore.

But seeing this? This affected Lois in a way that she could scarcely describe; there was no reason for it, no reason at all.

A sudden movement caught Lois' eye, and she snapped her head to look so fast that she thought she had heard her neck crack over the sound of the helicopter.

Leaning dangerously out of the helicopter's open door, Lois' eyes widened in alarm as she saw the hero Arcane running as quickly as he could from what appeared to be a giant gorilla. As Lois' eyes narrowed on the scene, she could see that Arcane appeared to be heavily injured; his left arm hung uselessly at his side and he appeared to be limping quite severely, which was making his attempted getaway almost laughably impossible.

"Pilot!" Lois yelled into her microphone, "Follow that gorilla!"

"What?" the pilot asked in confusion before Lois smacked his shoulder and pointed out the open door toward Arcane.

"There! See it? Follow him!"

"That's Grodd!" Jimmy exclaimed, "Arcane's hurt; we should go for help!"

"Eye's on the prize, Jimmy," Lois stated, causing Jimmy to stare at her momentarily in shock.

"But Lois! The kid's hurt! He could be killed!"

"Do your job!" Lois snapped, causing Jimmy to pale momentarily as the pair watched Grod pick up a metal trash can and hurl it at Arcane, missing the boy by mere inches before it crashed through the window of a nearby building, showering Arcane in broken glass. With a shaky breath, Jimmy raised his camera to his eye and began to snap picture after picture as Lois watched, worrying her lip. In all honesty, while she may appear callous, Lois was actually hoping that Superman or some other hero would rescue the boy. But until that happened, she would stay on top of Arcane and Grodd, not just for the story but also to ensure that if worse came to worse, she could get the kid out of harm's way in any way she could.

XXXX

As Arcane dove out of the alley, he slammed his knees hard onto the sidewalk and cried out in pain for a moment before he dragged himself to his feet and ran as fast as his battered body would allow.

A sudden crash behind him caused Arcane to look over his shoulder and pale significantly as he saw Grodd run out of the alley with such rage that he slammed into a parked car, leaving a significant dent in the passenger side door. Quickly looking around, Grodd locked eyes with his hated target and issued a roar before he began to give chase on all fours, quickly closing the gap between himself and Arcane now that the walls of the alley no longer confined him.

A loud noise overhead caused Arcane to look up as he continued to try and get away; there seemed to be a helicopter chasing after him and Grodd, and to his anger, Arcane saw that there appeared to be a dark-haired woman in a purple dress staring at him. At the same time, a redhead stood behind her and took pictures on an expensive-looking camera.

"Yeah, go ahead and take pictures instead of helping me!" Arcane thought angrily, "God, I hate reporters!"

Looking back over his shoulder, Arcane nearly cried out in fear as he saw that only a dozen feet separated him from Grodd, and that gap was growing even smaller as Arcane tried to force his body to move faster.

Seeing no other options, Arcane took the next corner he came across, smiling slightly as he heard Grodd curse as the gorilla skidded down the street and tried to regain his momentum as Arcane managed to evade his outstretched hand by mere inches. The loss in momentum seemed to be a godsend, and Arcane used it to great effect as he tried to open as much distance as possible between himself and his attacker.

As he rounded another corner, Arcane suddenly ran full tilt into someone, causing the pair to crash to the ground with a painful 'oomph.'

Slowly raising his head and shaking away the pain that hit him, Arcane opened his mouth to shout at the person, only for the words to die in his throat as he saw who it was.

"No..." Arcane whispered in horror as he stared at the girl in front of him, who was also trying to get to her feet after crashing into the hero.

XXXX

*Flashback: Four years prior*

Harry sat alone under a tall tree, watching the other children run around and scream in delight as they enjoyed recess. Raven had told Harry that the other children would want to be his friend and that he'd make a great many friends in no time. But despite her words, he'd yet to make a single one in the four days since he started school. As he sniffled miserably and wrapped his arms around his legs, he suddenly became aware of someone standing before him, covering him with their shade.

Looking up, Harry saw that it was a girl with black hair and clear blue eyes, wearing a black leather jacket over a pretty purple dress.

"Hello," the girl said warmly as she smiled down at Harry, who stared at her silently, making her smile turn into a frown. "I said hello; it's polite to say hello back when someone says that."

"Hello," Harry said softly, making the girl smile again,

"My name's Cassie, what's yours?"

"I'm H-Harry..." Harry mumbled softly,

"Harry..." Cassie said softly, trying out the name before her smile returned, "I like it! It suits you!"

"It does?" Harry asked in confusion,

"Yup," Cassie replied, popping the P, "Would you like to come and play?"

"You want to play?" Harry asked in surprise, "With me?"

"Who else, silly?"

"Um... Okay," Harry replied shyly as he took hold of Cassie's offered hand and allowed her to pull him to his feet; a moment later, the two were laughing happily as Harry chased her around the jungle gym.

XXXX

*Three years prior*

"A band?" Harry asked in surprise, "You want to start a band?"

"Yup!" Cassie replied, popping the P, "I want to be the biggest singer in the world! Just like Amy Lee!"

"Who?" Harry asked in surprise, causing Cassie to stare at him in shock for a moment before she grabbed his hand and began to tug him toward their classroom.

"If you're going to be my guitarist, then we definitely need to make sure you're worthy of such an honor!" Cassie growled, "And it starts with educating you on good music!"

"You want me to be your guitarist?" Harry asked in shock, "But I don't know how to play the guitar! Raven's only just started teaching me!"

"Good thing we have years before we start then, isn't it?" Cassie grinned before pulling Harry into the school.

XXXX

*Two years prior*

"Ugh, why can't I get this right!" Harry exclaimed as he hit a sour note on his guitar for the third time; he'd been trying to learn how to play a new song that Raven had shown him a few days ago, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't seem to get it right.

Cassie looked up from her magazine and smiled indulgently at Harry; her sense of style hadn't changed in the two years that she and Harry had been friends and today, she was dressed in a pair of cut-up jeans and a Metallica shirt under a red leather jacket.

"It takes practice to learn the guitar, Harry," Cassie replied, "You'll get it eventually."

"But how are we supposed to become the world's greatest band if I can't even play one stupid song!"

Cassie laughed at that, and Harry felt his face growing red with embarrassment.

"We still have a long time before then, Harry," Cassie laughed, "Don't worry, my faithful servant, I have faith in you!"

"Servant!" Harry cried in mock outrage, "Why am I the servant?!"

"Because I'm the pretty one!" Cassie snarked back, sticking her tongue out at Harry for emphasis.

For a moment, the two glared at one another before they broke into snorts of laughter, which lasted for several seconds before Cassie leaned back in her chair and reopened her magazine, motioning with one hand for Harry to continue to practice.

XXXX

*One year prior*

"Scotland?!" Cassie cried in shock, "Why the heck would you want to go to school in Scotland!"

"It's where my parents went to school," Harry replied, "And I'd like to know more about them..."

Cassie grew sad at that and pulled Harry into a tight hug for a moment before pulling back and wiping away her tears with the back of her arm,

"But how will we start our band if you leave?"

"I'll be back," Harry replied, putting on an impressive Arnold Schwarzenegger accent, which made Cassie laugh and swat his arm softly.

"But seriously," Harry said, shoulders dropping slightly, "I promised you that we would conquer the world together. You with your voice and me standing next to you with my guitar. All we need now is a bass player and a drummer."

"One that meets my expectations," Cassie sniffed, "The last two were awful."

"You picked them..." Harry replied with a smirk that made Cassie swat him again, this time slightly harder.

"Just... Just promise me that you'll keep our promise. That when the day comes, we'll conquer the whole world together with our music."

"I promise," Harry replied, holding his fist out to Cassie, who promptly brought her own against his as the two smiled at one another.
"See ya," Cassie smiled.

*Flashback ends*

XXXX

Cassie hadn't changed much in the year since Harry had last seen her. Her black hair now had streaks of red dyed through it, and she was wearing her favorite red leather jacket over an 'Evanescence' shirt, with a dirty and torn pair of blue jeans. When Harry returned from Hogwarts, he'd immediately tried to see her, only to discover that her parents had apparently taken her to San Francisco for the summer to visit her grandparents.

"Cassie?" Arcane exclaimed, "What are you doing here? You're supposed to be in San Francisco!"

"How... How do you know my name?" Cassie asked in trepidation, slowly backing away from the hero. "And how did you know where I was? Are you stalking me?"

"No, I..." Arcane replied before he heard Grodd roar from behind him; spinning on the spot, Arcane felt terror grip his heart as he saw the gorilla charging toward him. Turning back to his friend, Arcane grabbed Cassie's arms and began to pull her with him as he hurriedly limped down the street. Cassie, to her credit, didn't ask any further questions and instead chose to allow the hero to lead her quickly down the street.

"He's catching up!" Cassie shrieked, causing Arcane to almost whimper in terror at what might happen to his friend should Grodd catch them.

Before anything else could be said, Grod collided with the pair, sending them both sprawling into the street.

As Arcane painfully pulled himself to his feet, he felt the blood rush from his face as he turned and saw Grodd standing not far from him, holding Cassie in the air by the back of her jacket, a large piece of jagged metal pressed against her back, and a cruel grin on his face.

"No!" Arcane screamed in terror, "Please no! Take me! I won't fight you. You can have me! But please, let her go!"

"You had your chance to surrender," Grodd growled, pressing the metal pipe deeper against Cassie's back and causing her to whimper.

"Please, I'll do anything you ask, just don't hurt her!"

By now, the helicopter above Arcane had been joined by several others, each with a different camera crew filming or photographing all that was happening below them.

"Anything?" Grodd growled cruelly, "Very well, then. Kneel."

"What?" Arcane asked in confusion.

"You want this human to live," Grodd demanded, pressing the pipe harder and making Cassie cry out, "Then kneel to me, boy! Kneel to your better!"

As Arcane watched the tears run down Cassie's face, he felt terror like nothing he had ever known well up in him. As the whole world watched (courtesy of the cameras), he immediately dropped to his knees, causing Grodd to grin in victory.

"Do you know what I hate the most about you so-called 'heroes'?" Grodd sneered, "It's the fact that you actually believe that you can put on some outlandish costume and fight beings like me without facing the consequences of such a choice."

"Please," Arcane begged, "I did what you asked, please don't hurt her!"

"You cost me half a billion dollars, boy," Grodd snarled, "Let this be a lesson to you about what happens when you challenge a superior being!"

Before Arcane could do anything other than open his mouth to scream, Grodd shoved the jagged pipe into Cassie's back, causing her to scream in absolute agony, before throwing her to the ground as he began to cackle.

Despite his body screaming in agony, Arcane suddenly felt a wave of rage course through him that seemed to fill him with more power than he had ever felt. With a roar of hate, Arcane slammed into Grodd with such force that the wall behind him cracked into a spider web-like pattern that knocked the gorilla's breath out.

Before Grodd could recover, Arcane was beating him with his good arm, slamming his fist into the gorilla repeatedly until Grodd's face began to resemble a plate of spaghetti. Even after Grodd's cries turned into whimpers, Arcane continued his attack, determined to beat the gorilla to death for what he had done. It was only when a hand clamped down on Arcane's raised fist that he stopped to see who had dared to end the punishment he was inflicting on Grodd.

Cassie, despite having the pipe still jammed into her back, had somehow managed to crawl towards the pair and stop Arcane before he could finish beating Grodd to death.

"Don't do it," Cassie gasped in pain, "Don't let him turn you into... into him."

Horrified at his friend's rapidly paling face, Arcane jumped to his feet and wrapped his arm around his friend; she was losing too much blood, and if something weren't done soon, she would undoubtedly die from blood loss.

"Don't worry, Cassie," Arcane said hoarsely as he held his friend in his lap, "I'm going to get help, and you'll be fine, I promise! You'll be fine and We'll make that band, and everything will be fine!"

"...Harry...?" Cassie asked in shock as Arcane looked around for someone, anyone, to help him, "Is that you...?"

"Please, someone help!" Arcane shouted, "Help me!"

The helicopters overhead hadn't moved, instead hovering in place as their crew continued to film Arcane holding onto Cassie with one arm as a pool of blood spread around the pair.

"Harry...?" Cassie said weakly, "You're Arcane...? That's so cool; you're a superhero, and you never... Told me... Jerk..."

"You can yell at me all you want later," Arcane sobbed, "Just please don't leave me, Cassie. We're supposed to take over the world together!"

"I think you may have to do that without me," Cassie smiled as tears ran down her face.

"No!" Arcane snapped, "Don't you dare say goodbye! Help! SOMEONE PLEASE HELP ME!"

"Harry..." Cassie replied, her voice growing weaker by the minute, "Promise me something..."

"I ain't promising you a damn thing!" Arcane snapped, "You're going to live, you hear me!"

With a sad smile, Cassie reached up and touched the side of Arcane's hood, where his cheek was.

"Promise me that you'll follow our dream. Make the whole world cheer your name, my cute servant..."

"Cassie... Please..." Arcane begged. If anyone had seen under his hood, they would have seen a boy sobbing as his first friend drew her last breath. Knowing that she had mere seconds left, Arcane swallowed the unbearable sadness within him and whispered, "I promise, Cassie. The whole world will remember you..."

"See ya..." Cassie breathed with a sad smile as the light left her eyes and her hand fell to the ground.

As the camera crews watched, Arcane hugged Cassie's body tight for a moment before he threw his head back and screamed in absolute anguish.

XXXX

Author's Note:
Thus ends the 'Battle of Jump City' Arc

Chapter Text

Arcane didn't know how long he had sat there holding Cassie, his body shaking with sobs; was it minutes? Hours? He didn't know. Only when a strong gust of wind hit him did he look up to see a helicopter had landed not far from him. Lois Lane exited out of it, quickly approaching him with a look of supreme distress. Unable to suppress the rage coursing through him, Arcane's arm shot out, and one of his tentacles exploded from his open palm, wrapping around Lois' neck and causing her eyes to widen in alarm as she was dragged across the ground toward him.

"Come for an interview?" Arcane snarled, "Now that you are no longer in danger, you filthy parasite!"

Lois said nothing, Arcane's tentacle slowly tightening tentacle, making it almost impossible; as she clawed at her throat, Arcane was aware of the red-headed photographer yelling something at him, but Arcane was too enraged to care.

"Where were you when I was screaming for someone to help!" Arcane snarled, unseen tears running down his cheeks, hidden by his hood, "When I was begging any of you to help! WHERE WERE YOU?!"

As Lois began to turn purple, Arcane was aware that the other reporters were filming his actions, but he didn't care and slowly willed his tentacle to tighten.

A second later, Arcane felt a gust of wind hit him as Superman suddenly appeared, a look of fury on his face as he grabbed Arcane's arm in a vice-like grip, makng him wince slightly.

"Let. Her. Go."

"Of course, you'd show up to save your pet reporter," Arcane hissed, his anger overruling his fear of the man before him.

Seeing the dead girl lying in front of Arcane, Superman's face softened slightly, and he loosened his grip on Arcane's arm.

"I'm sorry, son," Superman said softly, "I know you're angry, but you know this is wrong. Please let Lois go."

"She just watched!" Arcane snarled, "While my friend bled to death! I begged her to help me! For any of them to! But she just watched!"

Surprise shot across Superman's face at that, and he quickly turned back to Lois for a moment, disappointment evident on his face, before he turned back to the broken child.

"Even so, is this what your friend would have wanted? To let your anger at her loss make you do something you can't take back?"

For a moment, Arcane and Superman stared at one another while Lois's movements began to slow from a lack of oxygen. Superman was about to force the boy to let her go when the tentacle suddenly loosened its hold on her, quickly springing back into Arcane's hand.

As Lois hit the ground on all fours, she began to cough violently and gasp for air; offering a nod of gratitude, Superman turned and quickly strode toward her, gently helping her to her feet as she rubbed her neck, which was quickly beginning to bruise.

"Is what he said true?" Superman asked, "Did you just watch?"

"Of course not!" Lois spat, "How can you even ask that!"

"Then what happened?" Superman demanded, "A child is dead, Lois! So, why is Arcane saying that you refused to help him?"

"I tried!" Lois growled, "I ordered the pilot to land so we could help, but the damn coward refused! Told me 'I wasn't paying him to commit suicide, which is exactly what would happen if he went anywhere near Grodd.' Do you honestly think I'm so cold-hearted that I would leave a child to bleed to death in the street!"

Turning back to Arcane, Superman felt his face drop in sorrow as he took in the boy's appearance; Arcane's left arm appeared to be broken, and he was holding the girl's body close to him with his other arm as his body shook with sobs. Looking up, Superman could see several helicopters still hovering in place, with reporters all still filming. With an angry scowl, Superman shouted as loud as he could,

"Leave. Now!"

Wisely deciding that angering Superman was not in their best interest, the helicopters quickly began to leave the area, eager to find other areas of destruction to film and report on.

Slowly approaching the boy, Superman kneeled in front of him,

"Arcane... You have to let her go..."

"No!" Arcane snarled at once, bringing Cassie's body closer to him.

"Arcane..." Superman replied softly,

"NO!" Arcane snapped, six tentacles suddenly shooting out of his back and turning into black spears that sailed toward Superman and stopped mere inches from impaling him.

As slowly as he could, Superman raised his hands and spoke again,

"Arcane, I know she's your friend, but there's nothing more you can do for her. And I doubt she would want you to be in such pain for her. You need medical attention, son. Please let me make sure you get it."

The spears hovered mere inches from Superman's face as Arcane's green eyes glared from beneath his hood.

"I won't leave her!" Arcane retorted, and Superman couldn't help but wince at how broken the boy's voice sounded. "Not like this! She... She deserves to go home!"

"And I promise you I will make sure she gets there," Superman replied gently, "But you need attention more than she does. Please, Arcane. Let me help you."

A sudden crash made everyone jump and turn to the noise's origin, only to see Lunatic leaning against the entrance to the nearby alley, looking both seriously injured and thoroughly annoyed.

As his eyes turned to Arcane, Lunatic's face fell, and he slowly limped towards his friend, collapsing to his knees and head dropping to his chest as he reached Arcane's side.

"This is all my fault..." Lunatic whispered painfully, "I'm so sorry, Harry..."

As Arcane turned to his friend, the black spears slowly began to pull back from Superman; the man of steal tensed in case Arcane decided to make Lunatic his next target, and even Lois looked slightly alarmed as Arcane slowly turned to look at the madman. Lunatic simply kneeled in front of his friend, head bowed as though expecting Arcane to turn his rage on him.

Instead, to the surprise of all, the black spears shot into Arcane's back with a 'snap.'

With as much tenderness as he could, Arcane lowered Cassie's body to the ground and gently crossed her arms over her chest before rising to his feet with a wince.

"Looney... Can you take me back to the Tower, please...?"

With a sad nod, Lunatic slowly pulled off his top hat and threw it to the ground; a moment later, both boys were sucked into it and disappeared without a trace.

With a sigh, Superman bent down and picked up Cassie's body,

"Superman... I..." Lois said softly,

"Not the time, Lois..."

"But I..."

"I said not the time!"

Without another word, Superman flew into the air, Cassie's body held in his arms, bridal style.

XXXX

As Arcane and Lunatic appeared in Harry's room, the pair collapsed onto their stomachs in absolute exhaustion. For several minutes, the two lay there as they struggled to breathe through the agony that their bodies were currently in.

"Harry..." Lunatic gasped before breaking into sobs, "I'm so sorry... I never meant for this to happen..."

"I know, Looney..." Harry replied as he rose into a sitting position and pulled his hood down, showing his tear-stained face, "I don't blame you... You know that, right...?"

"You should," Lunatic sobbed, "I just got your friend killed!"

"No..." Harry replied, slowly crawling over to his friend and pulling him up into a hug, "Grodd killed Cassie, not you..."

"But-"

"Looney, please..." Harry said, cutting his friend off, "I've already lost one friend today... I can't lose another one. So, please... Just stop talking..."

As Lunatic's body wracked with sobs, Harry gently rubbed his friend's back as he tried to fight back his own tears; as much as Lunatic might try to pretend otherwise, he was just a kid, and right now, he needed someone to be there for him. Even though Harry was hurting, he knew his friend was hurting more, no doubt blaming himself for all the deaths that his simple prank had caused.

"It's not your fault, Looney," Harry whispered, "It's Luthor's, and I promise you, we will make that bald-headed bastard pay!"

Looney's sobs stopped at that, and as he pulled away, Harry could see his tear-stained face morph into an expression of pure anger before he nodded in agreement.

"Together?" Lunatic asked, holding out his hand shakily,

"Together," Harry agreed, clasping his hand into Lunatics.

"And if the courts let him go?" Lunatic asked, "If he uses his money to buy his freedom from this?"

"Then he's mine..." Harry growled, "And no one will stop me."

"Agreed," Lunatic growled, his pupils narrowing into slits of anger and giving him a catlike appearance.

XXXX

Several hours later, once Raven had ensured that the rest of the day's victims were safely evacuated, she made her way back to Titans Tower. Passing by the Infirmary, Raven could hear her Aunt Andromeda screeching at Lunatic for being injured yet again and suppressed a smirk before quickening her pace.

In truth, she had wanted to return to the Tower the moment Superman had arrived with Cassie's body, knowing that her brother was probably in unimaginable pain at the loss of his friend. It was only because of the astronomical number of victims that still needed help that she had agreed to stay.

Approaching Harry's room, Raven sighed sadly as her mind went back to the moment Superman arrived with Cassie's body; her parents had been nearly catatonic at the sight and had to be taken by medical personnel and sedated.

As Harry's door slid open, Raven immediately heard the sound of the shower running and made her way into the bathroom, taking a moment for her eyes to focus through the fog.

Harry was kneeling, still fully clothed in his robe, in the shower, desperately running a brush over his hands as he sobbed incoherently; turning to see who had entered, Raven's heart broke as she saw the look in her little brother's eyes.

"Raven..." Harry sobbed, "I can't... I can't get her blood off... I... I..."

Without a word, Raven climbed into the shower with her brother, pulling him close as the water rained down on them, soaking her robe in a matter of seconds.

"It's okay, Harry..." Raven whispered as her little brother sobbed into his chest, "It's all going to be okay..."

"I'm sorry..." Harry cried, "I'm so sorry for how I've treated you! Please don't leave me..."

"I could never leave you, Harry," Raven whispered gently. "You're my brother, now and always."

"I did what he wanted..." Harry sobbed, "I gave him what he asked for! Why did he kill her?!"

"Because he's a monster," Raven said at once, "And I promise you that he will pay for it. I give you my word, Harry. Grodd will pay for what he's done."

"I tried to save her," Harry sobbed harder as the water rained down on them, "I tried so hard! Why couldn't I save her!"

"Harry, this is why I never wanted this life for you," Raven replied as a wave of sadness ripped through her, "Because the hardest part about this job is that no matter how powerful you are... You can't always save everyone..."

Harry began to sob even harder at that, and Raven knew that her little brother was dangerously close to having a panic attack; as gently as she could, Raven laid her hand atop Harry's head and pushed what little power she had left into him,

"Sleep, Harry. I shall be here when you awake."

As though on command, Harry collapsed into her arms, his body going limp as Raven's magic compelled him to obey. Slowly reaching over, Raven turned off the water and gently picked her brother up before making her way to the Infirmary. Though thoroughly exhausted, her Aunt Andromeda had turned the medical center into a veritable 'Superhero Hospital,' forcing all the injured heroes who had taken part in that day's battle to lay down and let her examine them. Green Arrow had tried to tell her off, only for Andromeda to stun him and then demand if anyone else wished to complain. They had wisely decided to shut up at that and done whatever the witch had ordered without further complaint.

Making her way down the hallway, Raven caught eyes with the other Titans, who were all standing in the hallway as though waiting for her. Cyborg had managed to come through the battle relatively unharmed, but he was one of the lucky ones. Nightwing's right arm was broken, and Starfire had received a nasty wound above her right eye, courtesy of Killer Frost; Beastboy was limping heavily after a run-in with Adonis, in which the criminal had thrown the green shapeshifter through a car's windshield.

"How is he?" Cyborg asked as Raven approached,

"How do you think?" Raven retorted, "The very first friend he ever made was just murdered in front of him. How would you be?"

"He'll be okay, won't he?" Starfire asked softly, making Raven worry her lip as she gazed down at her little brother.

"I don't know..."

"No matter what happens next," Nightwing said gently, "He won't be alone."

Nodding in gratitude, Raven stepped into the Infirmary, a smirk tugging at her lips as she watched her Aunt flick her wand at Lunatic. Ropes appeared around the boy, snapped taut, and tied him to the bed.

XXXX

Far away from Jump City, Chesire stood before her master, Ra's Al Ghul, as he looked at the paper she had managed to steal from Titans Tower.

"Hogwarts..." Ra's said thoughtfully,

"You know of it?" Chesire asked, "Sounds like some kind of disease to me, master."

"On the contrary, my dear," Ra's replied after a chuckle, "It so happens that Hogwarts is the premier school of magic in Europe, at least according to some. Though if that fool Dumbledore is headmaster, I can only surmise that its standards have grown quite lax..."

"I take it you know him, father?" Talia asked with a raised brow.

"Oh yes," Ra's replied with a sneer, "I know him quite well..."

"What is to be done about the boy?" Chesire asked, "Shall I capture him, master?"

"No..." Ra's replied after a moment of thought, "There's no need. Now that we know who Arcane is, we can take him whenever we wish. No, instead, we will watch and wait. I have a feeling that boy will grow to be an incredibly powerful magic user. And if we cultivate him adequately, he may prove to be an even more powerful ally."

"As you wish, Master," Cheire replied with a bow before she quickly backed out of the room.

XXXX

Author's Note:

I didn't like how I ended the last chapter, so I thought I would finish the Arc with this late addition. I hope it is up to your standards. As always, please review it and tell me how I'm doing. As promised, Harry will no longer be with the Titans but with the Young Justice team within the following two chapters, though I still haven't decided whether or not Lunatic will be joining him. I'd love to hear your opinion on that particular problem. Until then, ta.

Chapter Text

The Headmaster's office was as quiet as a graveyard as Dumbledore sat behind his desk, his hands folded before him as his thoughts raced with the past few weeks' events. A meeting of the Wizengamot had just concluded a few hours earlier, during which the members had been made aware of the events of what was widely becoming known as 'The Battle of Jump City.' The urgency of the situation was palpable, hanging in the air like a thick fog.

Naturally, many of the members scoffed when Dumbledore's agents stood in the center of the hall and explained in explicit detail all that the three men had seen while trying to survive the battle. Only when their memories were taken and shown before the hall were the Wizengamot members forced to acknowledge that the three wizards' story was genuine.

The silence afterward had been deafening as the Wizengamot had been forced to come to a terrifying realization; the world of Muggles had surpassed the Wizarding World in ways they could scarcely imagine. Shouting matches quickly began after this realization as everyone tried to think of what should be done. Some argued that the Wizarding World was in more danger than it had ever been, and steps should be taken to hide further, lest they be discovered and destroyed by these so-called 'Meta-humans.'

Others, however, saw a different perspective. They argued that with the amazing things that Muggles were now capable of, perhaps it was time to come out of hiding. If women who could grow and shrink at will were accepted, then why would they fear simple magic users? The diversity of opinions was staggering, adding a layer of complexity to the situation, making it even more challenging for Dumbledore to find a solution.

The arguing continued for hours until, at last, Dumbledore decided that enough was enough and concluded that day's meeting, sending the members home to think over what to do in this terrifying new world that the Muggles had created.

As Dumbledore let out a weary sigh, his mind raced with plans upon plans as he desperately tried to think of what to do. The world of the Muggles had far surpassed anything that Dumbledore would have thought possible a mere two decades ago, and with that realization came another terrifying realization: The days of the Wizarding World were numbered.

Even by Dumbledore's best estimates, he could only see his world remaining a secret for another decade at least, and what would happen then? Dumbledore had been a young man when he had fought his former lover, Grindelwald, amidst what the Muggles called World War Two, but he learned a critical lesson during those days.

Muggles were a violent species that would find any reason to kill one another. Right now, they were scattered, divided by a multitude of idiotic reasons such as race, class, and creed. But if they suddenly had an enemy to rally against? If the whole Muggle world decided as one that the Wizarding World was their enemy? Dumbledore shuddered with barely suppressed fear at the thought. The Wizarding World would lose, and all his people would be rounded up and put into those same camps that Dumbledore had witnessed so many years before.

A slight cough made Dumbledore's eyes shoot open in alarm, and his wand instantly shot into his hand, only to lower slightly when Dumbledore felt the cold steel of a blade pressed against his throat.

As his eyes took in the scene before him, Dumbledore couldn't help but feel his fear rising: Ra's Al Ghul stood across from his desk, smirking slightly as he gazed at the aged Headmaster, while half a dozen of his black-clad ninja took positions around the office, with one standing behind Dumbledore and holding a wakizashi to the Headmaster's throat in case Dumbledore tried anything.

With almost tenderness, Ra's leaned over and took the wand from Dumbledore's hand, gazing down at it fondly for a moment as Dumbledore stared at the man. Time had been especially good to Ra's, it seemed. The man hardly appeared to have aged a day and was wearing what appeared to be an expensive black suit under a jade-green cloak.

Finally looking up from the wand, Ra's spoke softly as he addressed Dumbledore.

"It's been a long time, Albus..."

"It has," Dumbledore acknowledged with a nod, "The years have been far kinder to you than to me, it would seem."

Ra's chuckled at that,

"Indeed. Tell me, did you plan to go for the whole 'Gandalf the Grey' look, or did it just come naturally?

"I'm afraid I don't know who that is," Dumbledore replied softly, making Ra's smirk.

"Pity, it is a beautiful story. It would help if you kept up with Muggle literature; some of it is quite enjoyable."

Dumbledore said nothing as Ra's turned his attention to the wand in his grip.

"How did you get in here?" Dumbledore demanded, "The wards should have informed me of your intrusion!"

Ra's chuckled at that,

"Do you truly believe that I wouldn't have a trick or two up my sleeve after six hundred years of life? I feel underestimated, Albus. Though looking at this wand, perhaps I shouldn't? Still the sentimentalist, I see. Tell me, did you keep Gellert's wand out of respect for your lover or out of guilt for how long you allowed his genocidal war to carry on?"

Dumbledore grimaced at that, refusing to admit that he had actually taken Gellert's wand because Dumbledore suspected it of being the most powerful wand in existence.

"Why are you here, Ra's?" Dumbledore asked, trying to change the subject without appearing to do so, something that Ra's saw through immediately as he smirked and looked around the Headmaster's office with a careful eye.

"The last time I was in this room was when your friend Armando Dippet was Headmaster," Ra's replied softly, "It was right after my daughter was murdered by that uncouth young man, Riddle."

"Interesting how you acknowledge her now," Dumbledore growled back, remembering the rage Ra's displayed when his daughter was killed during the attacks fifty years ago; Headmaster Dippet had never been the same after that encounter, constantly jumping at shadows, as though afraid that Ra's would return, "Yet you refused to do so while she still lived."

Ra's turned at that and sternly glared at Dumbledore, making the old man swallow fearfully for a moment.

"I wanted at least one of my children to have a normal life away from the League of Shadows," Ra's growled, "That's why I gave Myrtle away. If I had known how inept your predecessor would be at running this school, I would have never left her in your hands. And it was only due to her mother's pleas not to defile Myrtle's corpse that I agreed not to bring her back."

"She's still here, you know?" Dumbledore replied softly, causing Ra's eyes to widen in shock, "Her ghost still haunts the bathroom where she died."

"You never had her spirit exorcised?!" Ra's snarled, causing the ninja around the office to reach to their swords as one as they awaited their master's order to kill Dumbledore.

"Exorcists are expensive," Dumbledore replied softly, his eyes showing how much he hated that he'd been unable to give Myrtle's spirit rest, "And the Board of Governors refused to release the necessary funds on someone already dead. I'm sorry, Ra's. Truly."

Perhaps Ra's sensed the truth in Dumbledore's words, for Ra's quickly nodded and raised his hand for his followers to release their grip on their weapons.

"I will see to her before I leave, then."

"You never answered my question," Dumbledore stated, wincing as the ninja behind him dug the blade a little deeper into Dumbledore's throat, causing a small bead of blood to run down his neck, "Why are you here?"

"It would seem as though you and I share an interest in a certain wizard who used to attend here," Ra's replied with a smirk, causing Dumbledore to pale significantly. "That is, before you bungled the situation so completely that he refused to return."

"What do you want with Harry Potter!" Dumbledore snapped, attempting to lunge forward, only for the ninja behind him to violently jerk him back.

"The past few weeks, I've taken the liberty to familiarize myself with the goings on of the Wizarding World, including everything that I've missed in the last seventy years since our previous meeting," Ra's replied, "I must say, I'm very disappointed in what I've discovered."

Ra's eyes turned cold at that, and as he sat in the chair before Dumbledore, the Headmaster felt as though the temperature in the room had dropped several degrees. If Ra's decided to kill Dumbledore, no one would discover the deed for several weeks due to almost the entire staff being gone for the summer.

"With all the impressive titles you've gained since defeating Gellert, you could very easily have made The Wizarding World a far better place than it currently is." Ra's sneered, "One would think that you've deliberately stalled any progress that might have led to the betterment of this world on purpose."

Dumbledore said nothing, simply glared at Ra's as his mind raced with ideas on how to get out of this meeting alive.

"Which begs the question of why? Why are things no better, if not worse, than when I last took notice of your world?"

"You've lived for six hundred years, Ra's," Dumbledore replied. "I'm sure you remember the last time that Muggles discovered us. Would you really have us return to those days? When innocents were all burned alive due to the Muggles' ignorance and bigotry? I have done what I must to ensure that our kind stays hidden. I may not have liked every choice, but everything I have done has been for the greater good."

Ra's began to chuckle at that, causing Dumbledore to pale angrily, though powerless to do anything due to the ninja behind him.

"The 'greater good?' How Gellert would applaud you now, seeing you become an almost mirror image of himself."

"That's rich, especially coming from a man who supported the systematic slaughter of six million people!"

Ra's eyes turned hard at that, and for a moment, Dumbledore was sure that the man would give the order to have Dumbledore's throat slit open, only for Ra's to finally speak again in an icy tone.

"Hitler was a megalomaniac with delusions about his own destiny, but he was right that this world needs a firm hand if it is to achieve the greatness that is its birthright. I can assure you that I took no more enjoyment in those poor people's suffering than you did when you sat on your hands and allowed Gellert to nearly wipe out Magical Europe. We both have oceans of blood on our hands, Albus. The only difference between us is that I don't try to pretend otherwise. And as to your second argument, do you really think I would allow the Muggles to burn children? Need I remind you that it was I who saved so many of your kind last time!"

Try as he may, Dumbledore could not refute Ra's words; Dumbledore had allowed Gellert to bring Magical Europe to its knees and almost conquer it entirely, all because Dumbledore didn't want to have to kill the man he loved.

"What do you want with Harry Potter?" Dumbledore asked again, his voice coming out as a savage growl, "If you intend to hurt that child, you will find that I do not need a wand to stop you!"

Ra's smirked and gently laid the wand on the desk between them before leaning back into the chair and folding his hands before him as he placed his left leg over his right.

"You need not worry, Albus. I have no intention of harming the boy. In fact, I've recently learned about how he gained his fame and how he supposedly destroyed the man who murdered my daughter. But we both know that the story is just that, don't we?"

"I don't know what you're talking about..." Dumbledore stated,

"Come now, Albus. Shall we at least try not to lie to one another? Harry Potter may have destroyed Riddle's body, but we both know his spirit remains. And one day, that wretch will return, and when he does, the boy will have my help wiping that filth from the face of the earth forever!"

"That's all you want?" Dumbledore gaped, "To use Harry to gain revenge on Voldemort for killing your daughter?"

"Please do not use that idiotic nickname in my presence," Ra sneered. "And while that might be one reason, I also have another."

"Which is?"

"Harry will be an incredibly powerful wizard one day. Perhaps the most powerful since Merlin, and if cultivated correctly, he might even be worthy of one day becoming my heir."

"You... Want Harry... to become your heir...?" Dumbledore replied in shock before it quickly morphed into anger, "And you think I would EVER allow you to do something like that! To dig your diseased claws into the boy and make him like you!"

"What you want is irrelevant," Ra's sneered. "The boy is mine. In time. I'm simply here to give you a warning. Cease your machinations where Harry Potter is concerned. Otherwise, the next time I pay you a visit, I might be forced to see if you can fly after I throw you from the tallest tower Hogwarts offers."

"Threaten me all you want!" Dumbledore snarled, "I will NEVER allow you to corrupt that child as you've done to so many! You should kill me now! Otherwise, I will never cease until I have killed you!"

The idea seemed to amuse Ra's, who began to laugh as though Dumbledore had just told some great joke; after a few moments, Ra's wiped his eye and rose to his feet.

"I look forward to seeing you try to stop me, Albus."

With a final nod, the ninja removed the blade from Dumbledore's throat and slammed the hilt into the back of the Headmaster's head, instantly knocking him out and causing his head to slam onto the desk with a thud.

"Shall I kill him, master?" The ninja asked,

"No need," Ra's replied, "He cannot hope to stand in my way, and it will be amusing watching him try. Let the fool be. For now, let's go and visit my daughter; I think it's long past time she was finally laid to rest."

As though by magic, the other ninja disappeared into the shadows of the office as Ra's quickly strode through the door and down the stairs; as he walked through the halls, he couldn't help but smile warmly as he felt the magic of Hogwarts wrap around him as though he were an old friend who had been gone for too long.

"I've missed you as well, old friend," Ra's whispered warmly, "Now, please take me to my daughter."

The magic seemed to guide his footsteps, and before long, Ra's found himself stepping into a girl's bathroom as his ninja waited outside respectfully.

As he entered, Ra's became aware of the sound of someone sobbing in one of the cubicles.

"Who's there?" A girl's voice called out a moment before the ghostly visage of a young girl floated through the cubicle door.

As the ghost floated closer, Ra's couldn't help but stare sadly at his daughter's ghost; she looked the same as the last time he'd seen her. Trapped forever as a teenager, the girl was squat, with thick glasses and a large number of pimples across her face due to the acne she suffered while alive. Though many thought that Ra's was a heartless old man, who couldn't care less about his children, the reality couldn't be more untrue. Ra's loved all his children, and every time he was forced to bury one of them, it was like a knife through his heart.

"Hello, Myrtle," Ra's replied softly, making the ghost's eyes widen,

"Daddy...? Is... Is that you...?"

"It is, my child." Ra's replied softly, "I've come to finally let you rest."

"I don't understand..."

Reaching into his robe, Ra's pulled a scroll from within and quickly unwrapped the red cord tied around it before holding it up for Myrtle to see.

"This scroll will allow you to join your mother across the river, where you will finally have peace, my child."

"Will you be there?" Myrtle asked softly, making Ra's sigh sadly as he shook his head,

"Not for a great while, I'm afraid..."

At that, Myrtle bit her lip for a moment before looking at Ra's with a sad expression,

"I've missed you, daddy..."

"And I you, Myrtle," Ra's replied, and he meant it; he missed all his children and remembered every one of their names; even centuries later, he still remembered them all.

"I... I would like to go home, now..." Myrtle replied softly, making Ra's nod as he unrolled the scroll and began to read, his voice echoing off the bathroom walls.

As he finished the spell, Myrtle's ghost suddenly began to brighten until it was impossible to look at her; with a sigh of contentment, the girl disappeared, leaving Ra's alone in the empty bathroom for a moment before he turned to leave.

As he did so, his eyes suddenly caught sight of a small snake carved onto one of the sink's taps. Narrowing his eyes, Ra's approached the sink and investigated further, his anger rising as he realized what he had inadvertently found.

"Shan Chu! Come in here!" Ra's yelled out; a moment later, one of his ninjas entered the bathroom and kneeled before Ra's.

"Yes, master?"

"You are a Parselmouth, are you not?" Ra's asked,

"I am, master."

"I believe that the thing that killed my daughter is beneath this bathroom," Ra's growled, "Speak to the sink and see what happens."

At once, Shan Chu rose and approached the sink, carefully examining the tiny snake carved onto the side before hissing out something.

As Ra's watched with wonder, the sink actually began to rise into the air as a large hold opened on the floor; looking down into the hole, Ra's grimaced at the low visibility coming from it.

Attend to me!" Ra's snapped, causing the half dozen ninjas he had brought with him to storm the bathroom with weapons drawn; as one, they surrounded the dark hole and peered into it.

"The creature that murdered my daughter lies within; the one who brings me its head will gain a great reward from me! Now go!"

As one, the ninja dived into the hole as Ra's watched with narrowed eyes; for the next twenty minutes, there was only silence, and Ra's was about to descend into the hole himself when he heard the sounds of screaming and the clash of weapons.

For an agonizingly long time, the sounds of battle echoed up to him until, at last, there was only silence.

After several tense moments, one lone ninja finally crawled out of the hole, missing its left arm but holding the head of a Basilisk in his right as he bled profusely from a dozen different wounds.

"Where are the others?" Ra's demanded as the ninja placed the head before Ra's and then struggled to kneel,

"There are none, master," the ninja whispered through his pain, "This monster killed everyone with a single look; I only survived because I figured it out and shut my eyes."

"You've done well," Ra's nodded, "What reward would you ask for such service?"

"I'm dying, master," the ninja gasped, "And I don't want some beast to be the reason, so for my reward, I ask that you be the one to end me. Please."

With a swift nod, Ra's drew his katana and raised it as the ninja lowered his head expectantly.

"You have served me well; rest now."

Without another word, Ra's brought the katana down on the ninja's neck, beheading the man in an instant; with a sad sigh, Ra's sheathed his sword and used his boot to gently shove the ninja's body into the slowly closing hole. As the sink slid back into place, Ra's found himself alone with a small pool of blood as the only sign that anything had occurred.

Looking down at the Basiliks's head, Ra's saw that one of his ninja had wisely chosen to stab the beast in its eyes, thus taking away its most potent weapon. With a sneer of contempt, Ra's reached down, picked up the beast's head, and made his way out of the bathroom. The Basilisk's head would be mounted in a place of honor when Ra's returned to his fortress as a permanent reminder to all about the price to pay for those who dared to attack his children.

XXXX

Raven sighed sadly as she gazed at herself in the mirror, adjusting the black dress she had chosen for Cassie's funeral. It had been a month since the 'Battle of Jump City,' and in that time, she had been forced to watch as Harry became a shadow of his former self. It was almost as though Grodd had stolen the inner light that had made her little brother who he was. As Raven finished buttoning the last button on her dress and began to apply her makeup, her thoughts again went over everything that had happened in the previous month.

"The hero who kneeled." That was what the papers were calling her brother, and Raven hated the name even more than she hated Harry's other title. Only the respect with which the reporters seemed to give Harry had stopped Raven from using the impressive fortune the Potter's had at their disposal to sue every last one of them into oblivion. The few that had tried to blame her brother swiftly discovered why that was a bad idea as Raven used the Potter fortune to buy the newspaper companies outright and then fire the reporters.

Due to the guilt of just hovering there and not helping, the reporters seemed to go out of their way to write the story in a way that painted Arcane in the best possible light, given the circumstances. They wrote of how Arcane had defeated Yellow Lantern in battle with the aid of Lunatic, of how Arcane had then been forced to kneel before Grodd in an attempt to save the life of Cassie, only for Grodd to go back on his end of the deal and brutally murder the poor girl while Arcane was forced to watch helplessly.

They then went on to report on how Arcane and Lunatic had spent the next few days helping the rest of the Justice League and the Titans in digging through the rubble of Jump City to find and rescue survivors. Naturally, now that Lunatic had been established as a hero with the backing of the Justice League, CADMUS finally decided just to cut their losses, and Amanda Waller sent word to Batman that they no longer would be pursuing the boy, something that no one believed, of course.

To Raven's surprise, public opinion was split regarding who was to blame for the destruction of Jump City; while many blamed Arcane and Lunatic, stating that it was their 'prank' that caused that destruction, a great many more blamed Grodd. Raven still couldn't help but laugh as she remembered Lunatic's expression the first time the crowd had swarmed him as dozens of people tried to shake the boy's hand and thank him for saving them; it had been almost comical the way that Lunatic found himself entirely out of his depth with no understanding of how to respond.

Apparently, the best way that Lunatic could think of was to immediately teleport back to Titans Tower and hide himself in Harry's room, far away from any of the people who, according to Lunatic, made the boy feel 'strange and unusual'.

The Weasleys, Tonks, and Hermione had returned a few days after the battle once Molly had fully recovered and had nearly tackled Harry as they all tried to hug him at once. In an effort to get the children out of the city until things cooled down, the Titans decided to take Harry and the others to Disneyland for Harry's birthday.

Raven still smiled as she remembered how the children had thought that all the people dressed up like the characters were, in fact, the actual characters from the movies, and it had taken an exhausting amount of time to convince the Weasleys that the characters were just ordinary people dressed up, not the actual characters, something that seemed to amuse Harry greatly. Yet, even then, Harry still hardly smiled anymore and only seemed to speak when someone addressed him first. Each passing day just seemed to make Harry worse, which in turn broke Raven's heart a little more.

Finally nodding at her finished work, Raven quickly went to Harry's room and stepped inside. Her mood dropped further as she saw Harry staring at a picture of himself and Cassie at a Karaoke bar taken a few years prior, with Cassie singing something into the mike while Harry laughed in the background.

"Harry? It's time to go."

Looking up from the picture, Raven felt her heart break again as she saw the unbearable sadness resonating in her little brother's eyes; with a sniffle, Harry rose to his feet and gently placed the picture back on his dresser before grabbing his guitar and walking toward his sister.

Cassie's parents had come to see Harry a few days prior with a request that the boy simply could not ignore. Knowing how much their daughter had loved music and how her dream had been to start a band with Harry, they had all but begged for him to play one last song at her funeral.

Pulling her brother into a tight hug, Raven felt his small form shake as he began to sob again; she stayed there with him for a moment before gently pulling away and kneeling in front of him.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Raven asked as she gently wiped the tears from his cheeks, "No one would think less of you if you chose not to."

"I have to," Harry replied softly, "This is my last gift to Cassie..."

"Okay," Raven nodded, "Then make it a great gift."

As the two turned to leave, Raven saw Lunatic coming down the hall with a sad expression.

"Do you want to come as well, Lunatic?" Raven asked in a cold tone; while her brother might not have blamed the madman for the destruction of Jump City, there was a part of Raven that couldn't help but do otherwise.

Thankfully, Lunatic quickly shook his head,

"Not my place, and I don't think I deserve to be there," Lunatic replied softly, "I'll stay here and keep your house safe."

Raven nodded at that; truthfully, there was no need for such precaution. Most of the villains and hired thugs had been arrested and were awaiting trial, while the few that had escaped were running scared after the President had gone on television and stated that he would be doing everything in his power to seek the death penalty on all those involved in this senseless tragedy.

This simple address had shown how the winds had shifted in regards to supervillains; no longer would they be put into a revolving door of jails and asylums where they could break out and continue their mindless destruction. Now? Now, the villains would receive the justice that they truly deserved, and that truly scared the supervillain community.

To the surprise of all, Grodd had already been found guilty and was sent to Death Row. Gorilla City had demanded that Grodd be turned over to them. The President had replied that Grodd would die on American soil for taking American lives, and if the citizens of Gorilla City tried to stop it, he'd nuke their entire city before they could blink. Given the gravity of the situation, the citizens of Gorilla City had wisely decided to leave Grodd to the Americans.

"Very well, then," Raven replied, "We'll be back in a few hours."

Without another word, Raven guided her little brother past Lunatic and down the hallway to the car.

XXXX

As Harry approached the stage, he couldn't help but swallow nervously; hundreds had come to Cassie's funeral, nearly the entire Justice League was here, as was the Governor. As Harry gazed out at the crowd, he felt hatred and anger swell in him; none of these people had known Cassie, none of them had spent hours talking with her about her hopes and dreams, her fears and insecurities.

No, they were all here because the Governor had decided to turn Cassie's funeral into some political circus, and Harry hated them all for it. Harry had sat there in his seat while the preacher gave the eulogy, his anger just seeming to grow. He'd sat there when the Governor had stepped on stage and talked about how Cassie had deserved to live a whole life and accomplish her dreams alongside her best friend, Harry. Harry had nearly attacked the stage at that point, and only Raven's hand on her shoulder, keeping him in his seat, stopped him from doing so. Finally, it was Harry's turn to do his part and give his final gift to Cassie.

"Thank you all for coming here today..." Harry said into the microphone, "Cassie was my first friend, and she always talked about wanting to become a singer so big that the stars themselves would shine down on her."

Cassie's parents were seated in the front row, and her mother was quietly weeping into her father's arms, almost breaking Harry's iron grip on the unbearable sadness that coursed through him.

"This... This was her favorite song, and it's why I chose it as my last gift to her. I love you, Cassie... And I promise that I'll make our dream a reality."

As Harry's fingers began to dance across the strings of his Gibson, the band that the Governor had hired started to play in the background behind him. Swallowing his nervousness, Harry opened his mouth and began to sing.

"Let's dance in style, let's dance for a while.

Heaven can wait, we're only watching the skies.

Hoping for the best, but expecting the worst.

Are you going to drop the bomb or not?"

As Harry began to sing, the crowd watched as though someone had placed the world's most powerful silencing spell on them. As tears began to race down Harry's face, others began to cry, and the crowd came to a singular conclusion: No child should have to suffer like this.

"Forever young! I want to be forever young!

Do you really want to live forever?

Forever and ever!

Forever young! I want to be forever young!

Do you really want to live forever?

Forever, and ever."

Superman stood beside Lois, his arms crossed over his waist as he stared sadly at Harry, who seemed to be only able to continue playing through sheer force of will. He and Lois still were at odds, and hadn't been able to have a converstaion yet that didn't end in an argument.

"So many adventures couldn't happen today.

So many songs we forgot to play,

so many dreams swinging out of the blue.

We'll let them come true!

Forever young! I want to be forever young!

Do you really want to live forever?

Forever and ever!

Forever young! I want to be forever young!

Do you really want to live forever?

Forever and ever!"

As Harry's song came to a close, he opened his eyes and gazed out at the crowd, who were all staring at him sadly, some openly weeping.

As his eyes trailed to the back of the funeral, Harry's eyes widened in shock; standing in the very last row with a smile on her face was Cassie, still dressed as she had been the day she died. Slowly, she nodded at him, and Harry couldn't but smile back as he returned the nod; as soon as he did, Cassie disappeared, and the crowd began to applaud. Choking back a sob, Harry raised his guitar with one hand, accepting their applause for a moment before he quickly stepped off the stage and into the waiting arms of his sister, who promptly led him away from the crowd.

XXXX

A week later, Raven watched as Harry said goodbye to the Weasleys and Hermione. Tonks was also headed back to England to begin her training in the Auror academy, while Aunt Andromeda started to to do her part as House Potter's proxy.

"I'll write as often as I can!" Hermione promised as she hugged Harry for all she was worth; when she finally let go, Ron approached with a sad expression as he handed back the guitar Harry had given him weeks before.

With a shake of his head, Harry gently pushed the guitar back to Ron before pulling a binder from behind his back and holding it out to Ron, who looked at it with confusion momentarily before Harry spoke.

"The guitar is yours, Ron. And the binder has five hundred songs; if you learn to play those by the time you graduate Hogwarts, you get the job."

"Job?" Ron asked, "What job?"

"I promised Cassie that I would fulfill her dream and conquer the world with music," Harry said in a small voice, "But I can't do it alone. I need help. And I want you to be the first member of my band. That is if you want to be..."

The Weasleys and Hermione stared at Harry with expressions of shock. Ron's face dropped momentarily before he swung the guitar strap over his shoulder and raised his hand shakily, the binder held tight to his chest with the other arm.

"I'd be honored," Ron said softly as he smirked at Harry, who swiftly copied the action as he clasped his hand into Ron's.

"Practice hard, Ron," Harry smiled, "I'll need your best when we begin our conquest."

"You have my word," Ron replied. I'll be the greatest bass player in the world, and we'll make Cassie proud."

As Ron and Harry hugged, Andromeda approached her niece with a stern look on her face,

"Now, I expect letters often!" Andromeda stated, "And no more of you getting injured all the bloody time! You will make me go gray faster than your cousin ever did at this rate..."

"I can't promise I won't get injured on the job," Raven smirked, "But I'll do my best."

"I suppose that's all I can expect, given your line of work," Andromeda acknowledged.

As the rubber duck that Molly was holding began to glow, Andromeda roughly grabbed the back of Tonks' shirt and pulled her away from where she and Beastboy had been trying to eat each other's faces.

"Hey!" Tonks snapped, "I wasn't done!"

"Yes, you are!" Andromeda growled, pulling her daughter toward her and forcing her to put a finger on the duck.

"You-" Tonks was cut off from whatever she was going to say as the Portkey activated, instantly teleporting the group away and leaving Harry standing alone next to his sister.

"I'm going to go to my room now..." Harry said softly,

"Are you sure?" Raven asked, "We can hang out with the others if you want?"

"Yeah, little dude!" Beastboy said warmly, "It's been too long since I beat you on Mariokart!"

"No thanks," Harry replied softly, "I... I think I just want to be alone for a little while..."

As Harry quickly made his way out of the room, Raven felt her heart break a little more. She was losing him, and she didn't know how to keep it from happening.

XXXX

A week later, Raven sat in the Titans meeting room, watching with aggravation as the Justice League discussed what should be done next regarding Jump City and the future.

"Luthor has bought a lot of goodwill by paying for the reconstruction of Jump City," Batman growled, "And he's spent two hundred million so far bribing the villains who took part in the battle to keep their mouths shut."

"So, he's going to get away with it?" Green Arrow demanded, "After all the people who died because of his temper tantrum!"

"No," Batman retorted, "He won't! I'm slowly building a case, but it will take time to gather the necessary evidence."

"So, Grodd takes the fall and Luthor gets away..." Beastboy sneered, "Figures..."

"He won't get away with it," Superman growled, "I don't care if it takes me the rest of my life; I will make sure Luthor pays for what he did!"

"Fantastic..." Raven sneered, causing the heroes to turn to her, "And while we're waiting for that happy day, my brother gets to live every day knowing that the man who killed his friend is walking around scot-free."

"Rae..." Cyborg began, only for Raven to cut him off,

"No! None of you have to watch as the inner light of my little brother slowly dies out! You all get to go back to your cities and pretend this never happened while I'm forced to watch as everything that made my brother who he is is slowly killed off!"

The heroes said nothing as Raven slowly slid to the ground and wrapped her arms around her knees, unable to keep her sorrow at bay any longer.

"I'm losing him... Day by day, I'm losing my little brother, and if I lose Harry... What have I got left...?"

"We're not going to let that happen, Raven," Black Canary said softly as she approached the girl and kneeled in front of her. Lex has taken too much from us already. But I promise he won't take Harry as well."

"You can't promise that!" Raven snapped, her red eyes appearing for a moment. "Most of the city views Harry like some Greek tragedy, while the others see him as the one who caused all this, and it's killing him!"

"Then the answer is simple," Batman said. "We need to get Harry out of the city, perhaps even out of the state, until all of this has blown over and it's safe for him to return."

"And where should I send him?!" Raven snarled, rising to her feet and storming over to Batman, "Back to Hogwarts, where Dumbledore will continue to try and use him like a weapon! Tell me, Batman! Where should I send my little brother? Where will he be safe?"

Batman was silent for a moment before finally answering,

"Rhode Island."

"What...?" Raven responded, caught off guard by Batman's response,

"The Justice League has created a new team consisting of all our junior partners. They will be sent on covert missions that the League will give them, and I think it would be best if Harry were a part of it. Not only will it help him work his trauma, but also teach him how to be a better hero."

"That could work..." After a moment of quiet contemplation, Jinx said, "I mean, let's face it, the Titans are finished in Jump City. It will be years before the city returns to how it used to be. And even when it is, I doubt people will want us here anymore. Not after this."

"But... But where will we go...?" Starfire asked in a small voice,

"I'll head to Bludhaven for now," Nightwing replied, "You're welcome to join me."

Starfire quickly nodded and took Nightwing's hand in her own as the other Titans shared a look.

"Room for one more?" Jinx asked softly,

"You will always be welcome," Nightwing replied, causing the girl to smile happily before she regained control.

"I think I'll head to London for a while," Beastboy replied softly, causing the others to smirk, "Just for a little while."

As the others began to discuss where they would all go, Raven's mind began to race as she thought of how to tell Harry that he would leaving the only true home he'd ever known.

XXXX

Author's note:

"Forever Young" is owned by Alphaville, and as such, I claim no ownership over it. In the next Chapter, Harry joins the Young Justice.

Chapter Text

Raven stepped out of her room, carrying another box filled with her things. She and the other Titans had spent the last few weeks slowly and methodically packing everything they owned from the only home many of them had known. Jinx, Starfire, and Nightwing were all headed to Bludhaven, where they intended to establish themselves as heroes in their own right. Cyborg had been given the opportunity of a lifetime as the computer expert in charge of the Justice League's mainframe and would soon leave for the Watch Tower to begin his work.

Beastboy would be headed to London for a few months to establish himself as a hero, at least that is what he claimed. Still, everyone else knew the real reason he was going there. Raven, alone, had yet to decide where she would go or what her future would be now that the Titans would be no more. The Justice League had offered her a place amongst them, but she had politely declined, not wanting to be too far from her brother's side, especially considering how she had nearly lost him twice in a matter of months. As she stepped into the darkened hallway, Raven paused outside her little brother's room and frowned slightly. She heard the sound of Harry's guitar echoing from within.

The last few weeks had been especially hard on her little brother, with the only good thing being that Harry had forgiven her and was once again treating her like his big sister, something that she was eternally grateful for. That's not to say he wasn't still causing her near heart palpitations. Raven had been near apoplectic when Harry told her about the guitar that Constantine had given him and what he'd seen it do to the poor bastard who'd tried stealing it, only to wind up becoming the guitar's victim. Raven doubted that Constantine would be showing his face anywhere near her or Harry for some time, considering the terrifying rage she had vented upon the man upon returning the cursed guitar. Truthfully, Raven was glad that Nightwing had gone with her, as she feared what she might have done had she been alone.

Contrary to what she had been expecting, Harry had taken the news that he and the other Titans would be soon leaving Jump City with only a solemn nod, as though he had expected such news; afterward, he had barely said a word to anyone, save for Lunatic, who spent nearly every moment alone with Harry in his room. Like Harry, Lunatic had been offered a place on this new team that Batman had created, consisting of their junior partners, but to no one's surprise, Lunatic had promptly told everyone that he was not interested.

The little madman had finally left the Tower a few days prior. Raven and the other Titans had asked where Lunatic had gone, but Harry had refused to say where his mad little friend had disappeared to or what he had planned, which left Raven with a particularly bad feeling about what the boy had planned, especially considering the hatred that both he and Harry had for Lex Luthor, who they both held responsible for the destruction that Jump City had endured. Even the famous 'Bat-glare' failed to drag any answers from Harry where Lunatic was concerned. Batman was forced to grumble angrily as he left the Tower, no wiser to where Lunatic had gone than when the bat-themed hero had come.

Shifting the box in her arms, Raven stepped closer to her little brother's door and listened to the song he was singing. She knew that he had been working on it since Cassie's funeral, but so far, Harry had refused to let anyone hear it, saying it wasn't ready yet. Yet, as Raven listened to the sad melody, the weight of his unspoken grief was palpable in every note.

"In the shadows, I see your face.

A fleeting memory, a haunting grace.

Your smile, a ghost I can't erase,

Cassie, oh Cassie, why'd you leave this place...?

You were the light in my darkest night,

the star that shone with a radiant light.

Now you're gone, and I'm left to cry,

Cassie, my love. I'll never say goodbye..."

Raven felt her eyes widen as she listened to Harry's song; she knew that her brother and Cassie had been close, but she didn't realize exactly how close until that moment, another senseless crime laid at Lex Luthor's feet…

As the music in the room ended, Raven let out a sad sigh and backed away from the door before turning and making her way down the hall; the Titans were almost done cleaning out the Tower and were all set to leave their home for the final time in the next few days. All that was left was for Cyborg to run one last diagnostic on the Tower's mainframe to ensure that all pertinent data was completely and irreversible wiped, and the Tower would be abandoned. The Justice League had already scheduled to have the Tower demolished on the first of the following month, effectively wiping all trace that anyone had ever lived on the small island that the Titans had called home for so many years.

As Raven made her way down the hall, she prayed to whoever might be listening that she was making the right decision. Harry had suffered far too much the last few months—more than anyone should ever have to suffer, especially a kid. Batman had assured Raven and the Titans that the new team would be just what Harry needed to work through his trauma alongside others his own age, and to a certain degree, Raven was inclined to agree with him; but there were times when all she could think was that she was making another mistake, where Harry was concerned. Another part of her tried to think of what she should do now; she still wanted to be a hero and help people, but was terrified of leaving Harry's side, considering how apparently prone to catastrophic danger he was. And yet, even months later, she still had no answer to her future.
XXXX

After carefully writing the next line of the song he was working on, Harry gently placed his cherry-red Gibson guitar back in its case, along with the notebook of songs he had spent years writing, and closed the lid before putting the case on the bed and looking around his room with a sad eye. This was the only home he had ever known, and now he would never see it again; when Raven had told him that the Titans were planning on leaving Jump City for good, rather than angrily object, he'd nodded in understanding.

He knew that many in the city openly saw the Titans, and Harry especially, as responsible for the destruction of their city, and to be honest, he didn't blame them for hating him. On some level, Harry hated himself just as much, if not more, than they did. Casting a look at his room, Harry couldn't help but tear up as he saw how empty it now looked; gone were his books, his DVDs, his drum set and posters, as well as almost everything else that had made this room his own. Now, all that remained were a dozen stacked boxes that held his entire life, ready to be shipped to Rhode Island, where he was to begin his new life with strangers who were to become his new team…

As Harry felt the word on his tongue, he suddenly felt himself growing angry. He didn't need a new team—he already had one! More than a team, they were his family, and now, because of Lex Luthor, Harry's family was scattering to the winds, and he had no idea when, or even if, they would ever be together again.

As Harry thought of Luthor, he felt the familiar rage sweep through him that always came when Harry thought of that bald-headed bastard; when he'd discovered that Luthor had effectively hidden his involvement in Jump City's destruction and was ensuring that continued by issuing massive bribes to the supervillains who had taken part, Harry had nearly been apoplectic with rage and had immediately wanted to go to Metropolis and kill the bastard. Throwing himself back onto his bed and covering his eyes with his left arm, Harry's mind wandered back to the last conversation he'd had with Lunatic, which had saved Harry from making a mistake he wouldn't have been able to take back…

:FLASHBACK:

"I'll kill him!" Harry raged as he ripped the newspaper he'd been reading to shreds; the front page had shown a picture of Lex Luthor, dressed in an expensive black suit, and giving an interview where he said how sorry he was for the citizens of Jump City, and how he was donating over two hundred-million dollars to aid in its immediate rebuild.

"No, you won't…" Lunatic replied from where he'd been watching, cross-legged, causing Harry to turn to him, enraged.

"He's responsible for all this!" Harry snarled, "Thousands are dead because of him! Cassie is dead because of him! And you're telling me to just let him get away with it!"

Lunatic tilted his head at that, narrowing his eyes as he looked unafraid at his angry friend,

"That's not what I said, Harry. Luthor does indeed deserve to be punished, but not by you…"

"Then by who?!"

"By me…" Lunatic smiled, causing Harry to freeze as he took in his friend's words,

"Looney… We made a promise that we would take him down together…"

"Yes, we did," Lunatic replied with a nod before slowly climbing off of the bed and coming to face his friend; gently placing his hands on Harry's shoulders, Lunatic issued a weary sigh before speaking again, "But, you're a hero, Harry. And heroes can't have blood on their hands… I'm sorry, but you can't be a part of what comes next… But I can."

"You're a hero too, Looney…" Harry whispered back, dreading what his friend was saying. "You saved hundreds out there; you have a chance to be great! Come with me, to Rhode Island, I mean."

Lunatic just smiled wearily at that and slowly shook his head, his eyes closing for a moment before snapping open again and glinting with madness,

"I'm not a hero, Harry… I'm just a kid who saved a few people, and the only reason I did that was because I wanted to balance the scales for causing the destruction in the first place. And Rhode Island? Really? Have you ever been? It's awful! Nothing but sunny days and smiling people! Ugh! Sounds like a Hallmark movie, no thank you! I'm used to grungy, dirty streets, and violent madness!"

Not willing to let his friend go off on another insane tangent about how Gotham was a paradise for the crazed and insane, Harry immediately cut Lunatic off,

"Looney, please… If you go after Luthor alone, he'll kill you. Or worse, you'll manage to kill him, and then you'll be a criminal. I'll have to come after you… I can't lose any more friends…"

By the end of his speech, tears were running down Harry's face, and Lunatic gently wiped them away with his thumbs as he smiled at his best friend.

"Luthor must pay, Harry… And you can't be the one to do it. It has to be me because no one else will. Your goody-goody friends in the Justice League refuse to step outside the law, and it's why they'll never be able to ensure Luthor pays for his crimes. Because men like him know how to use the law to their advantage. And if the day ever does come where you have to come after me… Well then, may the best man win."

Harry stared at Lunatic at that and couldn't help but smile at the insane grin that seemed permanently fixed on his face; no matter how awful things got, Lunatic never seemed to lose his smile; it was one of the things that Harry loved best about him.

Pulling the little madman into a fierce hug, Harry squeezed for all he was worth before softly whispering,

"You're my best friend, Looney… And even if we end up on opposite sides, you'll always be my best friend…"

"Same, Harry…" Lunatic whispered back, "Same…"

As the two boys pulled apart, Lunatic quickly wiped his eyes before pulling off his top hat and throwing it to the floor, upside down, and creating his usual mode of transportation.

"Well, must be off," Lunatic laughed, "Lots of mayhem and merriment to inflict on our favorite bald-headed businessman!"

"Give him hell, Looney!" Harry laughed, causing the boy to cackle madly as he jumped into the air and performed a cannonball into his hat, his voice echoing as he disappeared,

"You know meeeeeeeee!"

A moment later, the boy's top hat disappeared from existence with a 'pop,' and Harry was left alone in his room, with only Luthor's smiling face showing from the remains of the shredded newspaper.

: END FLASHBACK:

Slowly pulling the arm from over his eyes, Harry stared up at the ceiling of his room; how long had it been since Raven and the other Titans had painted those stars? Unable to stop himself, Harry released a sob; this was the only home he'd ever known, and now he was being forced to leave and never come back. It wasn't fair!

As Harry felt himself falling deeper and deeper into despair, he suddenly jolted upright when he heard a loud 'Crack' that sent him instantly rolling onto the floor and lying on his stomach as he waited for the next attack. When it didn't come, Harry slowly raised himself up and peeked over the bed until just the top of his head and nose could be seen. The room looked the same; the only thing different was the sudden arrival of a very strange creature that made Harry's eyes widen in shock.

The little creature on the bed had large bat-like ears and bulging green eyes the size of tennis balls. For a moment, the two simply stared at one another before the creature got off the bed and bowed so low that its long nose actually grazed the floor. Harry watched in shock, unsure how to respond to this creature's sudden appearance.

As Harry continued to stare, he saw that the creature appeared to be wearing an old pillowcase with rips for arms and leg holes. The garment appeared quite dirty, as though it had never been washed.

"Um… Hello…?" Harry replied nervously, as he rose shakily to his feet in embarrassment; when he had risen fully, the creature ended its bow and stood up straight, staring at Harry in what he could describe as awe.

"Harry Potter… Such an honor it is!" The creature responded in a high-pitched voice, momentarily making Harry grit his teeth, "So long has Dobby wanted to meet you! Such an honor it is, sir!"

"Um… thanks?" Harry replied in confusion as he continued to stare at the creature, now identified as Dobby. Casting a quick glance, Harry saw that Hedwig, who had been previously asleep in her cage, now had one eye open and was staring at Dobby suspiciously. Harry wanted to ask the creature what it was, but thought it might come across as rude, and didn't want to offend, so instead chose to ask,

"Who are you?"

"Dobby, sir. Just Dobby, I'm a house elf, sir."

"Huh… Neat." Harry replied, unsure of what else to say, "I don't mean to be rude, but now's not really a good time for me to have a house elf in my bedroom…"

Dobby hung his head, and Harry instantly felt guilty that he might have offended the poor creature, so quickly tried to remedy the situation,

"Not that I'm not pleased to meet you," Harry quickly said. "Um… It's just... Perhaps you could tell me why you're here… exactly?"

"Oh yes, sir!" Dobby replied earnestly, "Dobby has come to warn you, sir! It is difficult, sir… Dobby wonders where to begin…"

"Well, perhaps you could sit down and start from the beginning," Harry replied warmly, pointing at the bed, only to watch in horror as the elf began to wail and burst into tears, very noisy tears that had Harry staring worryingly at the door. Considering the last few weeks events, Raven and the other Titans were likely to come into Harry's room guns blazing if Harry couldn't get the elf to quiet down.

"S-sit down?!" Dobby wailed, "Never, sir! Not ever!"

"I'm sorry!" Harry cried out, waving his arms and trying desperately to get the elf to stop crying, "I didn't mean to offend you, or anything! Please stop crying!"

"Offend Dobby?" The elf whimpered, rubbing his arm under his nose, "Dobby has heard of your greatness, Harry Potter, sir. But never has Dobby been asked to sit down by a wizard! Like an equal…"

Harry, trying to say 'shush,' and appear comforting at the same time, ushered Dobby onto the bed, where the elf sat hiccupping, looking like a large and very ugly doll. At last, the elf seemed to regain control of himself and sat with his eyes fixed on Harry with an expression of watery adoration.

"You can't have met very many decent wizards, then," Harry joked, trying to bring some levity to the situation, and causing Dobby to chuckle for a moment,

"No, I haven't…"

Dobby's expression turned into one of horror a second later, and he immediately jumped to his feet and began to bang his face against Harry's window, shouting,

"Bad Dobby! Bad Dobby!"

For a few horrifying seconds, Harry could only watch in shock before he raced forward, grabbed Dobby round the middle, and pulled him away from the window,

"What the heck are you doing!" Harry cried, "Stop that!"

Hedwig had awoken fully now and was glaring angrily at the creature that had disturbed her sleep. Harry forcefully sat the elf back on the bed, with both hands on the creature's shoulders, lest he try to hurt himself again.

"I'm sorry, sir," Dobby replied, having gone slightly cross-eyed, "Dobby had to punish himself; Dobby almost spoke badly about his family!"

"Your family?" Harry asked in confusion as Dobby nodded and rubbed his head,

"The Wizard family that Dobby serves, sir. Dobby is a house elf, bound to serve one house and one family forever."

"You're a slave…?" Harry asked in horror, "Please tell me that you're joking, Dobby…"

Harry could feel the blood rush from his face as Dobby nodded sadly, and it was all Harry could do not to keep his temper under control in the face of such utter abhorrence.

"This family you serve… Do they know that you're here?"

Dobby shuddered at Harry's question, and began to rock back and forth slowly,

"Oh no, sir! No, no, sir! Dobby will have to punish himself most grievously for coming here… If they ever knew that Dobby had come… Dobby will have to shut his ears in the oven door, sir."

"Won't they notice if you shut your ears in the oven door?" Harry demanded, already taking a dislike to whichever family owned this poor pathetic creature.

"Dobby doubts it, sir. Dobby is always having to punish himself for something, sir. Sometimes, Dobby's family likes to remind him of extra punishments that he may have forgotten…"

By now, Harry was struggling to control his temper as old memories came flooding back to him from when he had lived with the Dursleys, and he found himself repeatedly clenching and unclenching his fists.

"Why don't you leave?" Harry demanded, "Escape! You came here; why not just run!"

"A house elf cannot escape, sir. We are bound to the Wizard family we serve, sir," Dobby replied sadly, his head dropping to his chest, "A house elf can only be set free, and Dobby's family will never set him free… Dobby is cursed to serve the family until he dies, sir…"

"Good god…" Harry whispered in horror, "Can't anyone help you? Is there anything I can do?"

Almost at once, Harry wished he hadn't spoken; Dobby exploded again into wails of gratitude as great fat tears ran down his face.

"Shut up! Stop crying!" Harry hissed, casting nervous looks at the door, "If my sister finds out you're in here, she's liable to tear you to pieces first, and ask questions later!"

"Harry Potter asks poor Dobby if he can help!" The elf wailed incoherently, "Dobby knew of your greatness, but of your goodness? Dobby never knew!"

Harry flushed with embarrassment at that and quickly tried to swallow it away,

"Look, whatever bull crap you've heard about my greatness is just that!" Harry said quickly, casting another glance at the door; he thought he'd heard something and desperately hoped he'd been wrong.

"Harry Potter is so humble! And modest!" Dobby replied reverently, his teary eyes aglow, causing Harry's eyebrow to tick in annoyance for a moment. "Harry Potter speaks not over his triumph over He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named!"

"Who? Oh, you mean Voldemort!"

Dobby clapped his hands over his bat ears and moaned at once,

"Ah! Speak not his name, sir! Speak not his name!"

"Sorry!" Harry said at once, "I forget that most people don't like to hear his name…"

Dobby suddenly leaned closer to Harry, so that the little elf was nearly falling off the bed, and stared at the boy, the elf's eyes wide as headlights,

"Dobby heard tell that Harry Potter faced the Dark Lord again just weeks ago and triumphed again!"

Harry closed his eyes and nodded, trying to block out the memory of that encounter; unseen by him, Dobby's eyes grew even larger, if possible, so that they looked like they might pop out of his skull.

"Ah, sir!" Dobby cried, dabbing his eyes with the corner of the dirty pillowcase he was wearing, "Harry Potter is brave and valiant! He has faced so many dangers already, and Dobby has come to warn him lest he be forced to face more! Even if Dobby does have to punish himself later, Harry Potter must be kept safe!"

"Warn me?" Harry asked in confusion, "Warn me about what?"

"Harry Potter must not go back to Hogwarts!" Dobby cried out, "He must be kept safe!"

There was a silence for several moments as Harry and the elf stared at one another, before at last, Harry began to laugh while Dobby stared in surprise and confusion.

"Is that all?" Harry said, wiping his eye, "No offense, Dobby, but I think you wasted a trip. I'm not going back."

"Harry Potter is not?" Dobby asked in surprise, his wide eyes growing larger,

"No, he is not…" A voice said suddenly, causing both Harry and the elf to issue a cry of surprise before both dove behind the bed, "But perhaps you can explain why he shouldn't, all the same."

As Dobby and Harry poked their heads over the bed, they saw that Raven had somehow entered without them realizing. She was now standing at the doorway with her arms crossed over her chest and one eyebrow raised in expectation.

"Well... Dobby, was it? Why are you here to warn my brother not to go back to Hogwarts?"

Rising to his feet in embarrassment, Harry quickly dusted himself off as Dobby rose and stared at Raven in confusion,

"Harry Potter has a sister?" Dobby squeaked. "Dobby didn't know Harry Potter had a sister. What an honor it is to meet you!"

Quickly jumping onto the bed, Dobby bowed low again, causing Raven to turn to Harry as though expecting an explanation, only for him to shrug at her with a look of utter bafflement.

Um… Thank you, Dobby," Raven replied with a smirk, "Now, perhaps you could enlighten us as to why you are here."

"Like Dobby said, Dobby came to warn Harry Potter not to return to Hogwarts this year!"

"Yes, we got that part," Raven sighed, pinching her nose and closing her eyes as a headache began to form from the elf's antics, "Perhaps you could explain why?"

"There is a plot!" Dobby cried, "A plot to make most terrible things happen!"

"What plot?" Harry demanded, "Who's plotting them!"

"I… Can't… Say…" Dobby groaned, before jumping off the bed and grabbing Harry's nearby bedside lamp, which he smacked several times against his face as the two Potter's watched in shock.

"Hey, knock it off!" Harry cried out, grabbing the elf and ripping the lamp out of his hands before hurling him onto the bed; before the elf could move, Raven had waved her hand and created a shadow that quickly enveloped the squirming elf, leaving only his head visible.

"I apologize, Dobby, but I cannot allow you to harm yourself again," Raven replied sternly as Dobby's head whipped back and forth.

"Harry Potter and his sister are so noble!" Dobby cried, "Far too noble by far! Poor Dobby is unworthy of such kindness!"

"Okay, look, dude!" Harry growled, already fed up with seeing Dobby forced to punish himself. "I have friends going back to Hogwarts this year! And if they're in danger, then you need to tell us what is going on! Is it the Wizard family you serve that is plotting these things?"

Dobby gulped slightly and then proceeded to nod,

"What is the name of the family you serve?" Raven asked softly, "Surely you can tell us that without being forced to punish yourself, can't you?"

Dobby clenched his eyes shut, as though fighting some inner battle, and Harry could feel his patience growing thin as he waited; he'd already lost one friend, and he'd be damned if he was about to lose more!

"Dobby serves… Dobby serves the Malfoy family…" The elf whispered before violently whipping his head back and forth as though trying to escape Raven's hold on him so he could punish himself.

"Thank you, Dobby," Raven replied gently, "Your kindness will not be forgotten. And I promise you that I will find some way to repay you for coming all this way to warn my brother."

"Harry Potter's sister is too kind!" Dobby wailed, "Dobby doesn't deserve such kindness!"

"Can't we do anything?" Harry asked desperately, "This… This isn't right! No creature, be they human or not, deserves to live like this!"

As Raven stared down at the sobbing elf, still trapped in her shadow, with only his head poking out, she couldn't help but agree with her little brother; it broke her heart to see such a creature treated so poorly.

"There's nothing we can do now, Harry. I'm sorry. But I can reach out to Aunt Andromeda and see if there are any other avenues we can pursue.

"So what? We're just going to let him go back!" Harry cried aghast. "You heard him! He came here to warn me, knowing that he'd be forced to punish himself for it! This is wrong!"

"I agree with you," Raven said at once, coming to her brother and pulling him into her embrace, her arms holding him tight. "But there is nothing we can do about it right now. If we try to force Dobby to stay here, the magic that binds him to the Malfoy family will kill him for trying to escape."

Harry jolted at that and stared up at his sister in horror as Dobby continued to wail on the bed.

"I will contact Aunt Andromeda immediately and see what we can do," Raven said again in a firm voice. "If all else fails, we could contact the Malfoy family and offer to buy Dobby from them."

"Buy him…?" Harry asked in a strangled voice, "That's sick!"

"I agree," Raven said at once, "But it may be our only option."

Turning back to Dobby, the Potter siblings could see that the elf was finally starting to settle down; even so, Raven approached the bed cautiously and asked in a soft voice,

"Now, if I let you go, will you try and hurt yourself again?"

"No, miss," Dobby sniffled, causing Raven to nod once before the shadow disappeared, allowing Dobby to sit up and stare at her in awe.

"I think it's time you return home," Raven said softly, "I thank you for coming to warn my brother, and I promise that we will find a way to reward such courage."

"Dobby needs no reward," the elf replied as it rose to its feet on the bed and blew his nose into his pillowcase, "Dobby only wants to keep Harry Potter safe… Dobby remembers what it was like before Harry Potter defeated the Dark Lord… We house-elves were treated like vermin, though Dobby is still treated like vermin…"

As he watched Dobby blow his nose again, Harry couldn't help but curl his lip in disgust,

"Why do you wear that, Dobby?"

"This, sir?" Dobby asked, indicating his pillowcase, "Tis a mark of the house elf enslavement… Dobby can only be freed if his family gives him clothes, so they are careful to make sure that Dobby is never given so much as a sock!"

"Wait, you have to be given clothes to be set free?" Harry asked in shock, "Then who does the Malfoy's laundry?"

"They send it out to be washed, sir," Dobby replied simply, "They don't want to risk Dobby having a chance at freedom…"

"Interesting…" Raven replied, rubbing her chin thoughtfully, "Perhaps we can use that to our advantage…"

"How do you mean?" Harry asked,

"I need to think a little more about this, but there may be a way to help Dobby…"

Dobby's eyes filled with tears again, and Harry was almost sure he was going to begin sobbing again, when suddenly the elf doubled over in pain and grimaced slightly,

"Master calls for Dobby! Dobby must go!"

Without another word, the elf spun on the spot and disappeared with a loud ' Crack," that made both Potter siblings wince at the sudden noise.

"Why is it always me…?" Harry groaned, pinching his nose and closing his eyes, causing Raven to chuckle and shake her head slightly.

"Ignoring that, for the moment. I wanted to talk to you about something," Raven said, taking a seat on the bed and patting the space next to her for Harry to join.

"What's up?" Harry replied, taking a seat,

"It concerns your continued education," Raven said in her monotone voice, "Just because you're not going back to Hogwarts doesn't mean that you get to give up completely on your education."

"Okay, so where am I going?" Harry asked, "Ilvermony? Salem?"

"I considered both," Raven admitted, "But then was given a better option…"

"Okay… You gonna tell me what it is…?"

"I received an invitation from Gotham Academy for you to enroll. It's a very prestigious school, and you'd do well there."

"What…" Harry replied in shock, "But I thought we were going to Rhode Island? How am I supposed to be in two places at once? Better question is how did I get invited?"

"I imagine our long-eared friend had a hand in that…" Raven smirked, causing Harry to scowl; he still hadn't forgiven Batman for what the hero had done to him when Trigon had tried to possess him."

"And, as to how you can be in two places at once," Raven continued, "Have you forgotten that Zeta Tubes are a thing?"

"Oh yeah… Forgot about those…" Harry replied with a cheeky grin that made Raven smile, perhaps her brother wasn't completely gone, after all.

"But what about learning magic? I still have to take my O.W.L's if I want to get a job in the Wizarding World," Harry said, "How am I supposed to learn magic if I go to a Muggle school?"

"I've thought of that as well," Raven grinned, "I don't know if she's doing it to assuage her guilt or if she genuinely wants to help you learn; personally, I don't care. Either way, Zatanna has offered to teach you everything she knows about magic, and considering she's the youngest sorceress ever to achieve five masteries in five different areas of magic, I think we'd both be fools to turn down her offer."

Harry's eyes nearly bugged out of his head at his sister's words, and his jaw hung open, giving him the appearance of a goldfish and causing Raven to snort with laughter for a moment.

"Zatanna wants to teach me magic…?" Harry asked in shock, which was only made worse when Raven nodded,

"And I've decided to help her teach you as well. Between the two of us, I'm sure we'll have you more than ready for your O.W.L's. That is, if you're up for it…?"

"Yes!" Harry shouted, tackling his sister onto the bed and hugging her for all he was worth. "Yes! Yes! And double yes!"

With a laugh, Raven pulled herself back up into a sitting position and ran her hand through her brother's hair as he hugged her,

"But, don't be thinking that I'll go soft on you just because you're my brother!" Raven said sternly, "It'll be a lot of hard work, and I fully intend to give you enough homework to make you regret ever taking this deal. And I fully expect you to get good grades in your muggle studies, as well! You start flunking, and we may need to reexamine certain priorities."

"I won't regret it!" Harry smiled happily, "I promise I'll learn everything and make you proud!"

"Oh, Harry…" Raven whispered as she hugged her brother and smiled, "You already have, never believe otherwise."

As the siblings pulled away from each other, Raven worried her lip as she tried to figure out how to tell Harry the next thing she had decided on, hoping he would agree.

"Harry, there's something else I'd like to discuss with you…"

"What's up?" Harry asked as he scooted to the back of the bed, resting his back against the headboard as he curled his legs under him.

"You know that the Potter family is wealthy…" Raven began,

"That's one way of putting it," Harry scoffed, "Another is to say we could challenge Bruce Wayne for control of the world…"

Raven snorted and shook her head for a moment before looking back at her brother. There were times when he acted just like she remembered, and she cherished these moments the most. But these moments were fleeting, and she never could tell when his next round of anger or depression would set in.

"Anyway… Our family has more money than we could spend in three lifetimes, and I feel like there's more that we could do with it besides have it sit in an underground bank and gather dust."

"What did you have in mind?" Harry asked, giving Raven his full attention and making her swallow nervously.

"I want to start up a company, I'm thinking of calling it Potter Enterprises," Raven replied, "There's a lot of good our family fortune could do, not just for the muggle world but for the Wizarding World as well. Like Jinx's designs, for example! Think of how much change we could bring to the Wizarding World if technology and magic were able to operate side-by-side! We could bring the entire Wizarding World into the twenty-first century in no time at all!"

"You want to create a company that operates in both worlds?" Harry asked, wanting to make sure he heard right, "You realize that could take years, right? And I doubt those Pureblood pricks are just gonna roll over and give up their profits without a fight."

"I do," Raven nodded, "But I feel like this is something that mom and dad would have wanted. We can create positive change in both worlds, perhaps even create a day where the citizens of the Wizarding World no longer need to hide and fear being discovered."

For several moments, Harry just stared at Raven, and she began to wonder if her brother wouldn't want to go along with it. Those thoughts were soon dashed when Harry scooted closer to her and wrapped his arms around her, hugging her tight,

"I think Mom and Dad would be so proud of you for thinking of it," Harry said softly, making Raven's eyes water. "I know I am. You continuously prove why you're my hero, big sister…"

Raven's eyes widened at that, and she felt herself squeezing Harry for all she was worth; this was a beginning, she could feel it. And one day, many years from now, she knew that she would look back on this as the day that she and her brother brought the Wizarding World fully into the light, and no witch or wizard would ever need fear being persecuted again.

XXXX

Two weeks later, Harry stood on the docks next to Raven as they stared into the distance at Titans Tower one final time; around the pair, the other Titans also stood staring at the empty building, and a solemn sadness seemed to permeate the group.

When enough time had gone by, the group turned and walked away toward the city; the nearest Zeta Tube was a block and a half away, disguised to look like an old telephone booth, and that is where they were headed. As they reached their destination, Harry's eyes widened as he saw the Impala that he and Cyborg had been working on for the past few years, sitting on the curb next to the telephone booth.

"Y-you finished it?" Harry asked softly as he circled the car, staring at it with awe as Cyborg watched with a smile, "Without me…?"

"I figured it would be a while before we got a chance to work on it together again," Cyborg replied with a smile. "So I thought, why not let you look after it for a while…"

Harry's head whipped up at that from where he'd been examining the tires, his eyes as wide as saucers, as Cyborg tossed the keys at him; so surprised was he, that Harry nearly failed to catch them.

"You mean it…?" Harry asked in a small voice as his eyes turned back to the car. The Impala looked as though it had just come off the showroom floor, black as night with a blood-red interior. White wall tires adorned her, and as the light hit her, she seemed to shine. But the best part was a small carving on the passenger-side dashboard that showed the Titans standing together with smiles.

"Keep her safe for me, yeah?" Cyborg smiled, something that all the other Titans copied as they watched Harry examine every inch of the car from hood to trunk; only Raven shook her head in disbelief.

"You realize that he's twelve, right?" Raven asked in a dry voice, "Also, he doesn't have a license, and won't have one for the next four years…"

"So…?" Cyborg replied, "Plenty of time for him to learn how to drive this beauty."

"And you really think he'll want to wait that long?" Raven deadpanned, "I'll have to hide the keys to keep him from totaling it. Must you be so infuriating?"

"Indeed, I must," Cyborg replied, not even looking remotely apologetic as Raven shook her head and strode forward.

"Harry?" Raven called, causing the boy to look at her, "I'll hold onto the keys for now,"

"Oh, come oooon!" Harry whined, only for Raven to give him a stern look for a moment before he handed them over, "You're no fun, you know that…?"

"When you're older, I will teach you to drive, and you can have these back," Raven smirked as she put the keys in her robe, "I'll come back later and figure out a way to get it to Rhode Island."

Realizing that it was finally time to go, Harry gave each of the Titans a warm hug, trying to convey to each one how much he would miss them; Jinx seemed to not want to let go, and Harry was sure he could feel dampness on his hair from quiet tears.

"Now, I expect letters, often!" Jinx said firmly, "And no girls! You wait until you're in high school for that sort of thing!"

"Gross!" Harry replied, making the others laugh at his embarrassment, all except for Raven, who just shook her head.

One by one, the Titans entered the phonebooth and disappeared in a blinding flash of light, until only Raven and Harry were left.

"Well, shall we?" Raven asked warmly, receiving a shrug as an answer as Harry strode into the booth beside her; as Raven input the code, she could feel her brother's sorrow, it seemed to echo around her like a rung bell, and it made her want to weep.

XXXX

Author's Note:

I'm baaaaaaaack! Took me a while, but I finally managed to buy myself a new laptop, so expect some new chapters in the coming days, for all my stories.

So *slaps hand together* let's get to it! Right off the bat, I'm gonna tell you that Harry and Wally will NOT get along for a long while! Wally firmly believes in science and will be antagonistic to Harry every chance he can get, as he doesn't understand what Harry can do, and refuses to admit it's magic. Added to that, Harry's anger and aggression due to his trauma is gonna be a big factor in the coming chapters. There are no fixed pairs, yet, because Harry is twelve years old and I personally think that's too young to be in a relationship, take it as you will. I hope you enjoy this chapter, and if not, let me know what you didn't like about it, as it helps me write better stories for you all to enjoy. Until next time, peace!

Chapter Text

Lunatic stood in the middle of the deserted Gotham street, staring at the building in front of him, a small grin dancing across his face as he considered his next move. To the uneducated mind, the building looked quite innocuous, just another four-story brownstone surrounded by several others, all vacant, of course.

When Lunatic left Titans Tower, he originally planned to head straight to Metropolis and murder Lex Luthor outright, but then He decided on a better idea, one that suited his love of chaos quite nicely.

It had been almost a trifling matter to break into Lex's office and download a copy of all the different addresses where the bald-headed prick's hidden laboratories were located; a few of them made even Lunatic's eyebrows rise, as he knew that the U.S. Government would want several words with Luthor if they knew some of the experiments he had going on across the planet. Batman would DEFINITELY be interested if he knew what this building, located almost in the heart of his city, was being used for, and all under his nose at that!

Once he had the addresses, Lunatic quickly wiped all evidence that he was ever there and left, eager to begin making Luthor's life a living hell; that was what Lunatic had decided on, death would be too easy a penance for Luthor. No, instead, Lunatic would take everything from the prick. Bit by bit, Lunatic would destroy his empire, until the only thing Luthor had left was his life, and that would be the last thing that Lunatic would take. Then he would consider Luthor's debt paid, and not before.

"Stretching his arms over his head, Lunatic released a satisfied sigh as his back cracked; quickly cracking his neck and then his fingers, Lunatic stared once again at the building, a large insane smile beginning to form across his face as he stepped forward,

"Time to play…"

XXXX

Doctor Robert Monroe sighed wearily as he looked up from the report he'd been working on for Mr. Luthor concerning the latest batch of genetic experiments the Doctor had been tasked with; their latest attempt had resulted in another failure, and the subject had, unfortunately, been put down soon after.

Lounging back in his chair, Doctor Monroe ran a wrinkled hand across his face, he'd been working too hard lately, perhaps he should ask Mr. Luthor for some time off before the workload killed him. Though nearing his sixtieth year, the Doctor looked far older, undoubtedly brought upon by the ungodly hours he put his body through. Doctor Monroe was dark-skinned, with a ring of white hair that encircled his head, save for his bald dome; his eyes were stone gray and gazed out with an almost intimidating aura, showing the sagacity within. Age and stress had ripped his once youthful features to shreds, leaving a wrinkled and tired old man behind.

Releasing another tired sigh, Doctor Monroe wondered how his life had come to this; he had four PhDs, was widely regarded as one of the premier intellectuals on genetic biology, an almost entirely new field of study, and yet was trapped six floors underground trying to make a weapon for a narcissistic billionaire. When Lex Luthor approached Doctor Monroe, the scientist thought that he had gotten the deal of a lifetime; all his experiments would be covered by Luthor, and he would be given free-reign to take genetics farther than anyone could dream possible, especially since under Luthor's employment, Doctor Monroe wouldn't have to worry about the government's laws about what was considered 'ethical.'

But after nearly three years of working for Luthor, Doctor Monrow was beginning to wish he'd never made this bargain; all his time lately seemed to be consumed in creating a 'weapon' capable of taking down the man of steel, by order of Luthor. Millions of dollars had been pumped into the project, and yet all they'd encountered was failure after failure

As Doctor Monroe took a drink from his coffee cup, his thoughts angrily wandered toward his associate, Mark Desmond, who had actually managed to create a clone of Superman, only for it to fall into the hands of the hero when a group of children had invaded one of CADMUS' labs several weeks ago. Had the moron decided to share his work, perhaps Monroe and his team could have done the same, and his genetic experiments might be further along than they were. Instead, Desmond had chosen to play his cards closer to his chest than was necessary and not only lost the clone, but had also stupidly transformed himself into irreversibly into a monster!

Shaking his head in derision at the stupidity of his colleague, Monroe rose from his chair and stretched his arms over his head as a yawn escaped him; feeling the satisfying pop of several kinks in his neck and back, Monroe pulled his lab coat off the nearby hook and threw it over his expensive grey suit. He'd just reached a hand out for the door, eager to get back to work, when music began to play throughout the lab, making him pause; outside his office window, he could see the rest of his team also pausing in confusion as the music grew louder in both tempo and bass.

True, this building wasn't one of Luthor's more secure sites, only housing half a dozen scientists and a little over a dozen security personnel, but surely someone wasn't stupid or crazy enough to attack it, were they? As the thought crossed Monroe's mind, he couldn't help but swallow nervously. He backed away from the door a few steps before quickly reaching the phone atop his desk and punching in the number for security.

For a few tense seconds, the line buzzed before Monroe heard the unmistakable click of someone answering, causing him to sigh with relief.

Before he could speak, however, a voice rang out in Monroe's ears, far younger than he had expected,

"We're sorry, we are unable to answer your call at this time, as all the security personnel are currently unconscious. But please don't worry, we'll be down momentarily."

The dial tone sounded after that, and Monroe slowly pulled the phone away from his ear, staring at the receiver in shock for a moment before that gave way to fear; someone actually WAS attacking the facility, and with the majority of the security personnel upstairs, unconscious if the voice had been truthful, that just left six guards down here to keep him and his team safe.

Unable to keep his hands from shaking, Monroe all but ran out of his office to find the chief security officer and inform him of what was happening. Just as he exited his office, Monroe heard the elevator doors ding open, followed by an insane cackle that made goosebumps run up his skin.

XXXX

As Lunatic entered the building, a manic smile plastered on his face and the large boombox resting on his shoulder, held there by his right arm, his eyes took in his surroundings with an almost lazy glance.

A long hallway led to a dark brown desk, behind which sat a man in a black security uniform, complete with a beret that nearly covered the left side of his face and made Lunatic roll his eyes. Behind the man, a silver pair of elevator doors stood, with the only other doors being a pair of mahogany on either side of the hallway.

"Can I help you, boy?" The man behind the desk asked in a condescending tone,

"Indeed, good sir," Lunatic smiled, "I would like access to the illegal laboratory that lies beneath your floor."

The man scowled at that, and his hand reached under the desk, making Lunatic's smile grow as he realized what was about to happen —glorious violence.

"I'm sure I don't know what you mean, sir," the man replied coldly, "As you can see, this is a simple apartment complex. I think you should leave."

"A simple apartment complex? Ha! That's a good one," Lunatic laughed, "Is that why they have such an intimidating fellow like yourself guarding the front desk?"

"We have many wealthy individuals staying here," the man sneered back, "And they value their privacy from the riffraff."

"Meh, not the worst thing I've been called," Lunatic shrugged, lowering the boombox to the floor, "But we both know that the only 'wealthy resident' you have here is Lex Luthor." A moment later, the doors on either side of the room slammed open and a dozen muscular men in the same black uniforms stepped out, each carrying an electric baton.

"You should have taken my advice and left…" The man behind the desk smirked as he rose to his feet and pulled a baton from his hip, "Now, that ship has sailed, I'm afraid."

"Hmm, let's see…" Lunatic smiled, doing a quick mental count, one arm across his chest while the thumb of the other rested under his chin, "Twelve of you against one of me… Sounds like even odds to me. But first! Some mood music…"

Reaching down, Lunatic pressed a button on his boom box, flooding the hall with music, and making more than one of the security guards wince at the explosion of noise; slowly rising to his feet, Lunatic grinned at the scowling men before him,

"Well then, shall we begin?"

The men exploded into action, rushing toward the grinning child, batons raised to beat him into submission as Lunatic's arms snapped out, and two black and red striped metal baseball bats flew out of the arms of his coat and into his waiting hands.

*Word Up by KoRn begins playing*

Quickly ducking under a baton swing, Lunatic responded by bringing the bat in his left hand up and slamming it under the chin of the attacking guard, literally lifting him from his feet. Lunatic followed this up by spinning on his heel and slamming the bat in his right hand into the guard's stomach, sending him crashing into the guards behind him and creating a mass of cursing bodies.

Issuing a quick rooster crow of victory, Lunatic rushed forward and quickly dropped to his knees, sliding between two rising guards and slamming his bats into their kneecaps, relishing the way they fell to the ground with cries of agony. Seeing that two more guards had managed to untangle themselves from the mass of bodies, Lunatic snapped his arms out and hurled both bats at them, grinning like a Chesire Cat as the bats connected with their skulls and sent them back to the floor.

Before he could rise to his feet, someone grabbed the back of Lunatic's coat and roughly pulled him into the air,

"Filthy street rat!" A voice screamed into the boy's ear as he struggled wildly,

"Hold him still!" Another guard snarled as he approached and raised his baton,

"What do you think I'm trying to do!" The guard holding Lunatic shouted back.

Raising his arms into the air, Lunatic quickly slid out of his coat and landed cat-like onto the floor just as the guard swung his baton, inadvertently slamming it into the chest of his friend, and causing him to collapse to the ground holding his chest as he gasped for air while his attacker blinked stupidly at his actions.

Back flipping away with a cackle, Lunatic finally stopped and examined his work; of the original twelve, only six were still standing, staring at the six others Lunatic had managed to bring down so effortlessly.

"You know, for a group of such strong men, I'm kinda disappointed," Lunatic smirked, "Are those muscles just for show, or are you actually incapable of taking down a single kid? Either way, I think Luthor should get his money back."

Two of the guards snarled at that and lunged forward, only for Lunatic to smile as he lifted his arms into the air, causing the two men to rise as well.

As the remaining guards watched, wide-eyed, Lunatic began to twirl his hands as though conducting an orchestra. The two men began flying across the room, slamming into the walls and ceiling as their shouts began to dwindle to silence. With a final smile, Lunatic flung his hands down, causing the two men to slam into the floor with such force that the tile actually cracked.

"Tilt," Lunatic smirked as the other guards stared in horror at the broken, bleeding forms that had just seconds ago been their friends.

Pulling his top hat from his head, Lunatic bowed to the remaining four men, a cruel and insane grin on his face that made the men, as one, take a step back.

"Gentlemen…" The little madman smirked, "Who's next…?"

For several seconds, no one moved, and Lunatic rose back to his feet and placed the top hat back on his head before cracking his knuckles; finally, the guard who had been originally behind the desk threw his baton at the boy as he screamed,

"Screw this! Luthor ain't paying me enough to get killed!"

Lunatic swatted the baton away as the man ran past him. A moment later, the rest of the guards followed him, all looking over their shoulders as they ran to ensure that the demon pretending to be a child wasn't following them.

Alone in the hall, Lunatic looked over his attackers' groaning and broken bodies before beginning to cackle merrily; this was certainly shaping up to be quite the fun day!

With a snap of his fingers, the boombox melted away, and the music stopped just in time for the phone behind the desk to begin ringing; skipping happily to the desk, the boy answered the phone and said happily,

"We're sorry, we are unable to answer your call at this time, as all the security personnel are currently unconscious. But please don't worry, we'll be down momentarily."

Hanging up the phone with a laugh, Lunatic pressed the button summoning the elevator as he whistled a jaunty tune; such fun, indeed.

*Music Ends*

XXXX

Lex Luthor swallowed his all-consuming rage with visible effort as Mercy read him the report; one of his genetics laboratories, situated in the heart of Gotham City, had been burned to the ground. The scientists and security guards that had been employed there had been found trussed and badly beaten not far away, unconscious in some dirty trash bin by a group of homeless people looking for food. Lex had wanted to question them immediately but had been informed that the severity of their injuries made such a thing impossible for quite some time. All the research had been destroyed, and the servers wiped, ensuring that all data from the facility was irretrievably gone, and that was what enraged Luthor the most; scientists were a dime a dozen, he could always find more, but six years of genetic research? That was priceless, and it was now gone.

"Get out…" Luthor hissed, causing Mercy to look up from the report with surprise, "I said, GET OUT!"

Hurling an expensive decanter of cognac at her to emphasize his point, Lex watched as Mercy quickly dodged out of the way, causing it to shatter against his office door; immediately, Mercy all but ran out of the office, leaving Lex leaning over his desk, breathing hard, his palms resting atop the wood desktop.

"Tut, tut, Lexxie…" A voice called out, causing Lex to jump in alarm, "You should learn to control your temper…"

Narrowing his eyes in anger, Lex quickly looked around his office, yet could not find the origin of the voice, until it spoke again,

"Up here…"

Looking up at the ceiling, Lex felt his face twitch as he saw Lunatic sitting cross-legged on the ceiling of his office, grinning madly down at him; with a wink, the boy dropped down, flipping once before landing softly before Lex's desk.

"You…" Lex growled, "You're the one who destroyed my lab and assaulted my staff…"

"Really showing that intelligence, there," Lunatic quipped, taking a seat in front of Lex's desk, and crossing his right leg over his left before resting his clasped hands on his knee.

"Give me one reason why I shouldn't call Mercy back in here and have her rip you limb from limb…?" Lex hissed, his anger rising as he saw how little his threat affected the boy, who simply grinned back at him.

"Because the only result of that decision would be another employee spending some time in intensive care…" Lunatic grinned back, his smile growing wider.

Quickly taking a stranglehold on his temper, Lex sat down and spoke in a much softer tone,

"I must say, I'm surprised at how brutal you treated my employees. Several of them will be lucky to ever walk again if the hospital reports are to be believed. I would have thought you heroes were against such tactics. Even Batman doesn't go as far as you did, brat."

"Well, there's your first mistake," Lunatic sneered, "I'm not a hero."

Lex took a moment to digest that information before speaking again, carefully aware of the danger he was in,

"I suppose you're here to kill me for my part in Jump City's destruction, then?"

"I will admit, I had considered it," Lunatic replied, "It would be all too easy for me to do so. After all, look how easily I managed to invade your office, even with all your fancy security."

"So, why are you here?" Lex demanded, "Our interactions may be few and far between, but I somehow feel that gloating is beneath you."

"And you would be right," Lunatic nodded, "Gloating is such a puerile action,"

"So? Is this the part where you kill me?" Les asked again, his right hand slowly reaching toward the button under his desk that would summon security.

"No," Lunatic replied, surprising the man, "Death is permanent and final. What I have planned for you is far worse, and will make a lasting impression…"

"Oh? Do tell…"

"You made a very grave error, Luthor," Lunatic replied, looking down at his hands so that Lex could not see the boy's eyes, "Your mistake was thinking that I'm a good person. I'm not, I never was. I was good for Arcane, solely for him. And you hurt him, you took something precious from the only person to ever treat me with respect. So, I want you to run, I want you to run as far and as fast as you can. And I'm gonna hunt you. From now until the end of days, you will know no quiet sleeps, no gentle nights. You will know no love, no happiness, no peace. You will know only fear, despair, and loss. And when I have hunted you for a thousand years, when I have taken everything that you care about, and left your empire a smoky ruin of death and destruction, you will understand the barest sliver of what you have awoken in me. So run, Luthor. Run and hide, and let's see how far you get."

At the end of his speech, Lunatic looked up, and Lex visibly gulped as he saw the boy's eyes had turned into cat-like slits; maybe it was Lex's imagination, but he could swear he heard 'Oh Fortuna' echoing softly in the background as Lunatic made his speech. The shadows of the office even seemed drawn to the boy, giving the little madman an almost unholy level of intimidation as Lex stared and tried to keep his calm demeanor.

Before Lex could respond, a blinding flash of light lit up the office, temporarily blinding the man; when his vision returned, he saw, to his surprise, that he was alone. Quickly pressing the button under his desk, Lex tried to regain his composure; he would never admit it, but that crazy little bastard had actually managed to scare him. Just a little bit. But if Lunatic thought he was just going to roll over and let the little bastard tear his empire down, that boy had another thing coming. Plans would have to be implemented immediately to ensure that all of Lex's remaining laboratories were fortified and made more secure. Let Lunatic try and take Lex's empire; many had tried before, and in the end, Lex was always the last man standing on the battlefield.

XXXX

Author's Note:
Word Up is the property of KoRn, and as such, I claim no ownership over it; the same goes with Oh Fortuna, which is the property of Carl Orff. This will be the last time we see Lunatic for the foreseeable future; we may see snippets of his war against Lex, here and there, but this will be the last chapter I write with him in it for a while. Simply put, while I love the made little dude, he's hard to write, and I'm running out of gags and stuff to work into his repertoire. Don't worry. I'm not getting rid of him; I'm just putting him away for a little while.

In the next chapter, Harry will meet his new team. Let me know if you liked this chapter or didn't, as it helps me become a better writer. Until next time!

Chapter Text

Batman stared out with narrowed eyes at the proteges as he walked into the cave of Mount Justice. They were all dressed in their uniforms, and Batman found himself nodding with approval at the team's readiness. Kid Flash and Robin were seated in front of a large television screen, playing some sort of fighting game while Aqualad sat on the arm of the couch and watched.

M'gann was missing, but from the sounds emanating from the kitchen, Batman concluded that she was attempting to perfect her cooking skills once again. Superboy was leaning against the far wall, arms crossed over his chest and eyes closed, seemingly in deep thought; of all the protégées, Superboy was the one that Batman was the leeriest of, and with good reason considering the boy's origins.

As the team became aware of Batman's arrival, they all seemed to drop what they were doing and all but run towards him; hearing the commotion, M'gann floated out of the kitchen a moment later, wearing a frilly pink apron that had spots of flour strewn across it.

"B Man!" Kid Flash cried excitedly, zooming up to the hero, "Have you finally got a mission for us! It's been nearly two weeks since the incident with Mister Twister! We're going stir-crazy here!"

Looking down at the teen, Batman mentally sighed. Wally West, or 'Kid Flash' as his chosen moniker, had the potential to be a great hero. The problem was that his hyperactivity and habit of jumping headfirst into danger often led the boy to cause more trouble than he stopped, not to mention his annoying habit of flirting with every girl he encountered.

Wally was lean yet muscular and had chosen a uniform almost identical to his mentor, The Flash; however, where Flash had decided to make his uniform all in red, Wally had gone the opposite way. Wally's uniform was almost entirely yellow, save for his red pants and gloves; additionally, he had a pair of red lightning bolts protruding from the sides of his mask that matched the bolt on his chest. In contrast, a pair of red goggles rested on his head. His mask largely concealed his identity, covering much of his face, save for his violent green eyes and flaming red hair.

As the other team members approached, Batman paused in his answer, giving each hero a quick glance as though searching for something, and making them all twitch under his hard stare.

Tim Drake, or 'Red Robin,' was one of the ones who had chosen to join this group, if only to get away from Damian for a short time; while it was true that things between the two boys had gotten better, largely thanks to Harry's friendship with both boys and his ability to make them both see common ground, Damian still had moments where his upbringing and his anger would make working with Tim, or anyone for that matter, difficult.

Damian had left Gotham weeks prior, headed to a monastery in the Himalayas that would hopefully help him assuage his anger, and somehow find peace and deal with the awful upbringing that his mother had subjected the boy to. Tim's uniform had hardly changed since it was first given to him by Batman; only the computer in the boy's wrist gauntlet had been updated, and given the boy's already impressive hacking abilities, Batman couldn't help but be proud.

Kaldur'ahm, or Aqualad as he was called, was an Atlantean with light blonde hair cut at the bottom, deep brown skin, pale green eyes, high cheekbones, and a lean build; additionally, he had black, eel-like tattoos that ran across his back and along his arms that glowed bright blue when he used his Atlantean magic. Due to his heritage, his fingers and toes were webbed, and a set of gills could be seen along his neck to allow him to breathe underwater; his uniform consisted of a skin-tight full body red and blue swimsuit that exposed his arms and feet. At the same time, an Atlantean 'A' sat on his belt buckle, and his twin water bearer weapons sat comfortably on his back.

Superboy stood not far behind the three boys, his arms crossed over his chest, and a scowl was in place on his handsome face. It was he that Batman was most leery of. Cloned from Superman's DNA by CADMUS, the same people who had subjected Lunatic to horrors that Batman could scarcely imagine, the boy looked like an ordinary sixteen-year-old teenager with wild black hair and crystal blue eyes, though much more muscular than someone his age would typically be. Rather than wear a uniform, Superboy had chosen instead to adopt a pitch-black shirt with the classic S-shield in red and an ordinary pair of blue jeans.

As Batman continued to stare, he could almost feel the anger coming off of the boy, like an eternal storm just waiting to be unleashed, understandable considering what the boy had gone through since being freed from CADMUS by Robin and the team nearly a month prior.

Superman's all-but abandonment of the boy had also contributed to the boy's growing anger and general mistrust of all persons of authority, but that was a matter for another day.

M'gann M'orzz, or 'Miss Martian,' was the final member of the team and perhaps it's easiest to get along with. Originally from Mars, M'gann, like all Martians, had green skin, yet had chosen to adopt a more 'human' appearance by giving herself shoulder-length red hair, and deep amber eyes. It had taken Batman only a quick investigation to figure out that M'gann had modeled her appearance after a character from an old TV show, even down to the freckles across the girl's face. Her uniform was almost impractical in its simplicity, consisting of a white t-shirt with a red X across it, along with a dark blue skirt, knee-length collared cape, gloves, and ankle boots. Currently, she was wearing a white t-shirt and blue jeans, with a frilly pink apron that was covered in flour, no doubt from her newest attempt at baking.

"Hellooooo…?" Wally sang out, "Earth to Batman! You got a mission for us or what?"

"No," Batman replied lowly, "You'll receive a mission when one becomes available…"

"Then, why are you here?" Robin smirked, "You can't have missed me that much."

Batman mentally chuckled at that. Tim was one of the few who could worm his way through Batman's iron emotional defenses, and Batman was grateful to have met the boy; after losing Jason, Batman had gone down a very dark road, and Tim had saved him from becoming someone that Batman would almost certainly have hated.

"You'll be getting a new teammate later today; I'm simply here to inform you of that,"

"Who?" Wally asked with a raised brow, crossing his arms over his chest,

"Arcane," Batman replied, narrowing his eyes at Wally as the boy scoffed in derision, while Robin smiled happily

"Seriously?" Wally sneered, "What a drag…"

"Who is Arcane?" M'gann asked, gazing at Wally in surprise at the way he was acting,

"A kid who likes to pretend he's a wizard or some such nonsense," Wally replied at once, earning a glare from both Robin and Batman.

"He's the little brother of Raven from the Titans in Jump City," Robin replied, glaring at his friend and making Wally roll his eyes, "He was practically raised by the Titans, in fact."

"The Titans are a formidable team," Aqualad replied, "I believe the original Robin leads them, so why is he coming here if he already has a team?"

"The events of 'The Battle of Jump City' have all but destroyed the trust that the Titans have spent the last few years cultivating from the people they protected," Batman replied. "The Titans and the Justice League agreed that it would be in everyone's best interest to move Arcane to a different location until tempers cool."

"Yeah, I saw what Grodd did…" Wally replied softly, the sneer leaving his face as a sad expression took its place, "I may not like Arcane, but still… No one deserves to lose a friend like that…"

"Agreed…" Aqualad replied as Robin nodded; only Superboy and M'gann stared in confusion, not up to date on what had occurred.

"What happened?" The green-skinned girl asked, causing the others to look at each other briefly before Robin replied with a sad look.

As Robin explained what had happened to Cassie, how Arcane had kneeled as the gorilla asked, only for Grodd to still kill the poor girl, M'gann's hands came up to her mouth in horror. At the same time, Superboy looked at his team in shock and anger, his fists tightening at his sides.

"That's… That's awful!" M'gann cried out, tears running down her face as Robin nodded,

"Cassie and Arcane were very close… They had plans to create a band together when they grew older, he even sang at her funeral, so I can only imagine how hurt he must be…"

"Which is why none of you are to bring it up," Batman growled, causing the team to turn to him in surprise, "Arcane is hurting in a way that few of us have ever truly experienced. I've placed him on this team not only to help him work through his trauma but also to help him heal. In the coming days, he will need you all to show him that he is not alone, and I hope you do just that. Whatever issues you have with one another, leave them at the door. This team needs to learn to operate as one, and petty disputes will not be tolerated, is that clear?"

By the end, Batman was glaring straight at Wally, who shuffled nervously under the infamous 'Bat-glare,' before quickly nodding his head that he understood, while the others all nodded at once.

"Good, he should be here in an hour or so," Batman growled before spinning on his heel and stepping away into the Zeta Tube, disappearing in a flash of light moments later.

As the group returned to what they had been doing before, M'gann couldn't help but notice Wally's slight sneer as he sat down and picked his controller back up. Worrying her lip, she hoped that whatever problems Wally had with this 'Arcane,' they would be able to work them out as a team.

XXXX

An hour later, the team was all seated around the nearby table, enjoying M'gann's newest attempt at making cookies, when the Zeta Tubes came to life.

"Recognized: Raven, A-03. Arcane, B-07."

Quickly jumping to her feet, M'gann got her first look at the infamous 'Arcane,' and was surprised by the result; M'gann already knew who Raven was, having heard about the heroine from her Uncle J'onn, yet standing next to her, Arcane seemed…. Small in comparison.

He wasn't wearing his uniform. Instead, the boy was wearing a sleeveless black shirt that showed his defined arms nicely; added to that, he was wearing a torn and frayed pair of blue jeans with what looked like a seatbelt in lieu of an actual belt, while a pair of black and red checkered all-stars sat upon his feet. The greenest eyes that M'gann had ever seen gazed out at her from under a wild mess of shoulder-length black hair that had several braids and streaks of red dyed through it; a small raven earring hung from the boy's left lobe and seemed to swing around with each move the boy made, almost as if it were alive.

But it was the boy's eyes that captivated her the most, they held such sadness in them that M'gann, at once, wanted to rush forward and give the boy a hug. A single red backpack and a guitar case with several band stickers on it seemed to be all that Arcane had brought with him, and he looked once at Raven with hesitation, who quickly looked back and nodded with a small smile. Taking a deep breath, Arcane stepped forward towards the team who were all gazing at him with different looks, ranging from warm acceptance (Robin, Aqualad) to hesitated suspicion (Wally) to sheer indifference (Superboy).

Before he could say a single word, M'gann floated toward Arcane and held out a warm hand for him to shake,

"Hello, Arcane! My name is M'gann M'orzz, but you can call me Megan; everyone does! It's so nice to meet you and to know you'll be joining the team!"

"Um… Yeah… Cool." Arcane replied nervously, slowly reaching out and taking the girl's hand, "Nice to meet you too, Megan. You can call me Harry…. When we're not out doing… Whatever it is we'll be doing, I mean…"

"Harry…" M'gann said thoughtfully before a smile came across her face, "I like it! It suits you!"

"It's the hair, ain't it?" Harry smirked, shaking his head for good measure, and making M'gann laugh once as his hair flowed around his head.

"Yup," M'gann said at once, and making Harry's smile grow for a moment before he looked past her at the others.

"Robin? I didn't know you were on this team, glad to see a familiar face!"

"Well, you know me!" Robin smirked, fist-bumping Harry's offered one, "How could I pass up such an opportunity to gain more experience as a hero."

"Where's Damian?" Harry asked, causing Robin's smirk to drop for just a moment,

"Tibet, last I heard. Went there for some self-healing, his anger lately has gotten a bit… Much."

"He never said anything…" Harry replied softly, "Well, hope he's okay, at any rate…"

"You know him, he'll reach out when he's ready," Robin replied softly, eliciting a nod from Harry.

Aqualad was the next to approach and offered a firm handshake, which Harry respectfully returned,

"Greetings, Arcane. I am Kaldur'ahm of Atlantis. It is well to meet you. I have heard many good things from Robin about you. He considers you a close friend, something I hope to achieve as well, if you will allow me."

"Dude, call me Harry," Harry replied with a smirk, "You don't have to act so formal around me; if we're going to be working together, we might as well be chill about it…"

Aqualad smiled at that and issued a nod,

"Then, you may call me Kaldur, or Aqualad when we are out on mission."

Nodding in agreement, Harry surviewed the last two members; Superboy simply nodded from where he was leaning against the nearby wall, arms crossed over his chest, and Arcane offered a respectful nod back. When his eyes turned to Wally, however, the team could see the tension immediately dial-up as the two heroes stared one another down.

"Wally," Harry said simply,

"Harry," Wally replied,

"Guess they'll let anyone on this team," Harry sneered,

"Apparently," Wally sneered back, "After all, they let you on it."

Rather than getting angry, as Wally was expecting, Harry stared hard at him for a moment more before releasing a sigh, shaking his head, and surprising Wally; usually, he and Harry couldn't be in the room for more than five minutes before the two came to blows. Even Raven looked surprised at her little brother's lack of belligerence.

Turning to M'gann, Harry asked in a sad voice that caused even Wally to frown at how broken Harry suddenly sounded,

"Can you show me where my room is? I'd like to begin unpacking if that's alright…"

"Um… Sure," M'gann replied softly, her smile dropping for a second before she brought it back with effort, "Follow me."

"Do you want me to come help?" Raven asked as M'gann and Harry turned to leave; Harry's eyes widened as though just realizing that Raven was not going to stay.

"Y… You're leaving?"

"Only for a little while," Raven replied, "I'll be back as soon as I can. I need to speak to Zatanna and create a lesson plan if we're to continue your magical education."

Wally rolled his eyes at that, unseen by all but Robin, who gave his friend a swift punch accompanied by a glare that Wally sent back as he rubbed his arm.

"I also need to get started on Potter Enterprises. It takes a lot of work to build an entire company from the ground up," Raven smiled, which Harry quickly copied before dropping his things, rushing forward, and wrapping his sister in a tight embrace; Raven whispered something softly into Harry's ear that none of the team could make out, making the boy nod once.

As the two pulled away, Raven offered one final nod before spinning on her heel and stepping back into the Zeta Tube, which quickly beamed to life,

"Recognized: Raven, A-03."

A moment later, Raven disappeared in a blinding flash of light, leaving Harry staring sadly after her for a moment before M'gann placed a warm hand on his shoulder, bringing his attention back to the present,

"Come on, Harry. I'll show you your room, and later, if you want to, I can give you a tour of the cave."

Harry worried his lip for a moment before he nodded once at the beaming girl,

"I… I'd like that…"

Smiling as though she just won the lottery, M'gann led the boy down the hallway as the rest of the team watched with different expressions; once they were gone, Robin turned on Wally with an annoyed expression.

"Okay, what is your problem with Harry! He just got here and you're already trying to pick a fight with him!"

"Indeed," Kaldur replied, "Your behavior was most unpleasant, Wally."

"Me? What about him!" Wally argued back, "The jerk insulted me the moment he saw me!"

"Perhaps he wouldn't if you didn't make fun of his abilities every time you two meet!" Robin snapped back; Wally was Robin's best friend, but even he had to admit that there were times when Wally could be a bit of an ass.

"Seriously? He's the one playing 'make-believe,' pretending to be Gandalf or something!" Wally snapped back, "Using Meta abilities and pretending it's magic, and you all are just encouraging him by going along with it!"

"Just because you don't believe in magic," Kaldur replied softly, "Does not mean that it doesn't exist, Wally. Magic is as prevalent in Atlantis as the water we breathe, it is what powers my water bearers, after all."

"Bioelectricity," Wally said at once, "All 'Atlantean magic' is, is science that we don't understand yet. In primitive cultures, fire was considered magic! Everything can be explained by science, and all you're doing by encouraging Arcane that his abilities are 'magical' is keeping him from growing up and facing the real world."

"Nevertheless," Robin replied, rolling his eyes at his friend's stubbornness, "Harry is now a part of this team, and whether his powers are of Meta origin or 'magical,' you need to learn to get along with him."

"Agreed," Kaldur nodded, while Superboy simply glared at the three,

"Unbelievable…" Wally scoffed, "Fine! I'll behave myself if HE does! Fair enough!"

"I suppose it'll have to be," Robin replied as Kaldur nodded once.

"Good! Now, can we go back to M'gann's amazing cookies!" Wally cried, "I'm hungry!"

XXXX

When Harry and M'gann entered the boy's new room, Harry couldn't help but sigh sadly at how plain it looked; it was half the size of Harry's old room and painted so white that Harry thought he'd gone color-blind for a moment.

The only other door in the room led to a bathroom that was just as boring in its simplicity as the rest of the room, and Harry felt himself growing more depressed with each passing moment.

Apparently sensing his mood, M'gann tried to offer some form of relief by quickly saying,

"It's a bit plain, but I'm sure we can fix that in no time! A little paint, and we can make this quite homey!"

"Yeah…" Harry replied sadly as he sat his guitar case and backpack on the ground,

"Will the rest of your things be coming soon?" M'gann asked, causing Harry to momentarily turn to her in confusion before a wicked smile came across his face.

"Nope," Harry replied, popping the 'P,' "I brought everything with me."

"Huh?" M'gann asked in confusion, only for her eyes to widen as Harry opened his backpack and reached his arm into it, far deeper than should have been possible, "That's…! How are you doing that…!"

"Magic," Harry winked as he pulled a large and heavy-looking box from the innocuous-looking bag and placed it on the floor before reaching into the bag for another box.

M'gann stared dumbfounded at the bag for a moment before an enormous smile spread across her face; a moment later, she began to laugh. Despite his depressed attitude, Harry couldn't help but join in.

"I know it's hard, but try and get along with your new team, okay?" Raven had whispered to him before she left, and though Harry would rather have left with her, he would try and do as she had asked, even if it meant dealing with Wally and his constant stream of ignorance towards all things magical.

XXXX

Several hours later, Harry's backpack was finally empty and his new room was filled almost from floor to ceiling with opened and unopened boxes; he and M'gann had spent nearly an hour unpacking the bare essentials, such as his clothes and whatnot, before M'gann made the executive decision that it was time for Harry to tour his new home.

Despite his mood, Harry enjoyed spending time with the girl as she showed him Mount Justice; there was just something about her that refused to allow Harry's grief to overcome him as it had for the past few weeks, and he was grateful to her for it.

Formerly the headquarters of the Justice League, Mount Justice had been abandoned when its location was compromised. Harry had asked if that was the case, then why was the team making it their headquarters, only for M'gann to tell him that since its location was already known, no one would think to look for them here, as they would be 'hiding in plain sight'.

Built into a literal hollowed-out mountain, Mount Justice had four different ways to enter; the first was, of course, by Zeta Beam, but there was also the front entrance, located at the base of the Mountain, which led into a forest. Then, there was the back entrance that led to the Rhode Island coast, where a pleasant-looking beach lay not far away. The final entrance was located in the hangar, the largest room in the Mountain, where the cave's main generator was located and where M'gann's ship lay; Harry had quickly gone into fanboy geek mode upon seeing it as he made her laughingly explain every detail of it to him.

After finally regaining control of himself, Harry and M'gann moved on to explore the rest of the Mountain, and Harry found himself growing more amazed by how gigantic his new home seemed to be; even Titans Tower seemed small in comparison, loathe though Harry was to admit it.

The Mountain hosted a fully stocked kitchen, a two-level library with several reading tables and hundreds of books, living quarters where each team member had their own room; there was also an impressive gym that would have made professional ones groan in jealousy, which had an equally remarkable locker room in the back, where the team could shower or relax in the steam room after working out.

There was also a large Medical bay, filled with every piece of equipment that might be needed, from painkillers to a large and expensive X-ray machine; the pair then made their way to the central chamber of the Mountain, which served as the Mission Room, as well as the training area, where a gigantic holographic computer rested. By this point, Harry was beginning to feel like he had made a mistake in joining the team; he liked to think of himself as a hero, but this place was built for world-ending events, not the small, petty crimes he had stopped. Almost immediately as that thought popped into Harry's head, the voices he'd tried drowning out for the past few weeks slammed into him again,

"Unworthy…"

"You let her die…"

"Some hero you are! Couldn't even save one girl…"

"Your fault…"

M'gann had apparently understood his feeling, for she had promptly taken his hand in her own and smiled warmly at him, banishing away his dark thoughts as they continued the tour.

Their final destination was the lounge area, which consisted of an enormous television and an oversized couch. Wally, Kaldur, and Robin were seated and watching a movie. Not far away, Superboy was sitting on an oversized chair, watching the film with a bored look on his face. A large bowl of popcorn sat on Wally's lap, and Harry grimaced as he caught sight of the speed at which Wally was shoveling the snack into his mouth.

Harry had known Wally for almost as long as he'd known Tim and Damian, and in all that time Harry and the speedster had never gotten along; determined from the start that Harry's 'magical' abilities were just some form of unknown Meta gene, Wally seemed to go out of his way to try and provoke Harry whenever the two were in close proximity.

"Hey, Harry!" Robin said warmly as he caught sight of M'gann and his friend entering the lounge area, "Want to join us? The movie's just getting good!"

"No thanks," Harry replied softly, "I've still got a lot of stuff to unpack…"

"You want some help?"

"Um… Sure, if you don't mind…" Harry replied uncertainly,

"Not at all! We'll all help, won't we?"

Kaldur and M'gann happily nodded in agreement while Wally began to choke on a piece of popcorn; Superboy simply grimaced from where he'd been watching the movie before slowly climbing out of the nearby chair.

"Aw, come on!" Wally cried out, "I don't want to help unpack! Not when we could be enjoying some awesome television!"

"Remember what we talked about, Wally…" Robin growled back, causing the speedster to roll his eyes before climbing to his feet and approaching Harry; Harry immediately put himself into a defensive position, something that didn't go unnoticed by anyone, especially Wally, who narrowed his eyes at the boy.

"Listen, Harry…" Wally said after a moment of tense silence, "I know that our past encounters have not been exactly…. Pleasant."

"That's putting it mildly…" Harry scoffed, causing Wally to take an annoyed breath before he continued,

"As I was saying. I know there's been conflict between us in the past, but I'm willing to start over if you are… If we're going to be working together, then we need to learn to get along."

By the end of the speech, Wally had extended his hand towards the boy, and Harry stared at it for a moment before cautiously extending his own hand and giving Wally's a firm shake,

"As long as you can manage to keep your personal opinions about me to yourself, I don't see us having a problem," Harry snarked back, causing Wally's eyebrow to twitch in annoyance.

Wally opened his mouth to retort, no doubt, when suddenly something large and white flew down from the ceiling and landed on Harry's shoulder, making everyone jump in alarm before they realized it was an owl.

"Hey Hedwig," Harry said warmly, letting go of Wally's hand and running it across the owl's head, the owl seeming to lean into the touch as they others watched in shock.

"You have a TAME owl?" M'gann gushed, "That's so cool! She's beautiful!"

"Yeah, Robin bought her for me when I started school last year," Harry replied happily as the others stared, unsure what to say; Hedwig seemed to bristle with delight at the attention she was getting, which only added to her cuteness, "Not you Robin, MY Robin. Man, that's gonna get confusing…"

"Just call me Red Robin if you have to differentiate," 'Red' Robin laughed, causing the others to smirk as well. "But that is cool that he bought you an owl. I didn't think you could legally buy one. Don't they require a lot of special handling?"

"Hedwig isn't an ordinary owl," Harry replied warmly. "She's very intelligent. Sometimes I wonder if she's the pet or if she thinks I am…"

Hedwig barked at that and wacked Harry on the back of his head with one of her wings, causing the others to snort with amusement; even Wally hand to turn his head to hide his smile from the boy. Only Superboy retained his stoic demeanor, though he stared at the owl with warm eyes.

"Can… Can I pet her?" M'gann asked shyly, causing Harry to look at Hedwig for permission; the owl stared at M'gann with narrowed eyes for several seconds before finally nodding her head and causing the girl to squeal with delight as she rushed forward and ran a soft hand over Hedwig's head.

After enduring several minutes of this, Hedwig finally decided that she'd had enough praise for one day and spread her wings before taking flight; the group watched her for a second before she disappeared into the cave's dark ceiling.

"Will she be alright?" M'gann asked after a moment,

"Yeah, she'll be fine," Harry replied, "Probably gone off to find something to eat… She'll come back when she wants to."

"Well, in that case," Kaldur said, "Shall we go and get your room in order?"

Yeah, okay…" Harry shrugged, leading the rest of his new team back down the hallway to his room.
XXXX

*Meanwhile, in Bludhaven*

Nightwing was not having a good night; what had started out as an easy night of patrol had quickly spiraled out of control, and he was beginning to wish he hadn't told Jinx and Starfire that they could take the night off. It had started as the foiling of a routine bank robbery, but just as he'd finished knocking out the last criminal, something had hit him from behind, and now he woke to find himself bound to a chair in a dark room with no idea where he was. As he began trying to free himself from the ropes that held him to the wooden chair, he suddenly heard a voice behind him that made the blood in Nightwing's veins freeze.
"Welcome back to the world of the living, bird boy... Sorry about the head injury, I hope it doesn't leave too nasty of a scar. Speaking of which, did I ever tell you how I got these scars...?"
XXXX

Author's Note:

I'm sure many of you will take issue with how I've written Wally. Let me be clear, I'm not against the boy, nor am I trying to bash him in my story; I'm simply writing him the way I think he would react when placed on a team with someone whose entire existence is incongruous with Wally's mindset, as well as the way he sees the world. Make no mistake, there is an entire river of bad blood between Harry and Wally, but I hope to quickly remedy their relationship, and hope you like the way I eventually make them friends. To answer a few of your questions, I plan to keep the team members relatively the same, save for Zantanna for obvious reasons. Looking back, I should have made her dad, Zatarra, the one who showed up at Hogwarts; but, as I've said many times, I never intended to make this story anything other than a Teen Titans story, so when it became a Young Justice one, I kind of had to double back and try and fix what I could. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and if not, let me know what I can do better in the coming chapters.
Until next time!

Chapter Text

M'gann held her breath as she peaked around a stone wall, silently watching as Harry played his guitar with all the careful skill of a master. Nearby, carefully hidden in the shadows, Superboy and Robin were also watching; Superboy wore his usual mask of indifference while Robin watched with a small smirk. For almost a week since Harry first arrived, the boy seemed to do everything he could to keep his distance from the team.

He'd attend training, of course, and join the others at meals, but unless he was required to be present, Harry seemed to seclude himself in his room, much to M'gann's displeasure. She knew why he was keeping his distance; Batman had made it plainly obvious when he'd told the team what had happened in Jump City, and she knew that Harry was hurting in ways she could scarcely imagine; she just wished that there was some way she could help. Even Robin seemed at a loss as to how to help his friend, and he had known Harry for years. When asked what they could do, Robin would only respond with, "He just needs time, and for us to show we're there for him."

So, M'gann had done as Robin had suggested and given Harry space to heal, though her self-control to avoid giving the boy a hug was sorely tested when she'd seen Harry return from his first therapy session with Black Canary with a heart-broken expression on his face and tear tracks on his cheeks.

M'gann had gone to Harry's room earlier, hoping he'd agree to join her and the others on a trip to the nearby mall for some team building, only to discover him missing from his room; M'gann had immediately 'rallied the troops' to try and track Harry down, worried he might have gotten injured or lost in the extensive cave system.

Especially since there were a few places that had been all but abandoned since the cave's creation and were quite dangerous. Aqualad and Kid Flash had paired up to check one side of the cave while M'gann and the rest searched the opposite side. Hedwig had taken her favorite spot on M'gann's shoulder and tagged along for the ride as they searched. The Martian girl and Harry's owl had become fast friends since being introduced, and often Hedwig could be found perched on M'gann's shoulder as the girl cooked or watched her favorite show,' Hello Megan.'

It had taken her far longer than she had anticipated to search the cave for Harry, even with Superboy and Robin helping, due to how extensive the cave actually was. The trio had almost given up when they heard music echoing from a nearby part of the cave that had been abandoned since it was first created and now stood derelict and unused.

Following the sound deeper into the cave, M'gann found herself beginning to shiver from the lack of heat in this part of the cave as the trio delved ever deeper into the dark. Finally, rounding a corner, they spotted their elusive target, and M'gann couldn't help but gasp at what she saw. Harry had been quite busy, it appeared, using the unoccupied space as his own personal sanctuary; a dozen large, powerful lamps stood on tripod stands around the area, creating a large, well-lit octagon-like area, perhaps a hundred feet from one end to the other, that seemed incongruous with the darkness of the cave system that M'gann and the others had just hiked through. Each tripod was plugged into a small, innocuous-looking box that sat nearby.

Harry's drum set was sitting in the corner of the room, with two large speakers resting on either side. Not far from the drums, an oversized black couch sat, and a stereo system was beside it. On the other side of the sofa, an extensive CD shelf rested, practically spilling with every kind of artist imaginable, from Metallica to Frank Sinatra. On the far side of the room, opposite Harry's drums, an impressive keyboard sat with a small circular chair resting before it.

Harry was currently standing in the center of the room, eyes closed and with a look of concentration on his face while his fingers danced across the strings effortlessly. Like usual, Harry was dressed casually, wearing only a black t-shirt and a frayed pair of blue jeans with his all-star shoes; his hair, just as wild as always, was unbraided and whipped around his head as Harry's body swung and twisted to the movement of the song he was playing, and M'gann couldn't help but stare as the boy continued to play.

"He's incredible…" M'gann whispered, causing Superboy to grunt in acknowledgment while Robin laughed softly.

"Yeah…" Robin whispered back, "Harry's always been amazing on the guitar. That's why I know he'll accomplish his dream one day…"

As Harry continued to play, M'gann realized that she actually recognized the song Harry was putting so much passion into; it was one of the few that her Uncle J'onn would listen to with her when he came to Mars for a visit: Always with me, Always with you, by Joe Satriani.

The peaceful moment was ruined seconds later when Wally suddenly zoomed next to her and came to a sudden stop. This caused a burst of air to breeze past M'gann, almost making her cry out in alarm before she managed to clamp her hand over her mouth.

"Don't DO that!" M'gann whispered harshly as Hedwig barked in annoyance, flew off M'gann's shoulder, and disappeared into the darkness of the cave's ceiling. Wally smiled sheepishly at her before quickly apologizing.

"Sorry! I forgot that can freak some people out if they're not expecting it," Wally whispered back, "But why are we whispering?"

Rather than answer, M'gann pointed at Harry, causing Wally's eyes to widen as he saw the boy suddenly perform a backflip, landing gracefully; as the group watched the amazing acrobatic, they noticed Harry had a peaceful smile on his face and his fingers never stopping their playing.

"About time!" Wally whispered back, "I thought we'd never find him!"

"Where's Kaldur?" Robin asked,

"He'll be here in a second," Wally replied. "We'd almost given up when he heard the music coming from down here, so I decided to rush ahead and see what was going on. I'm guessing that's why you're here as well."

"Yeah," Robin nodded, "I guess this is where Harry has been going when he would disappear on us."

"Where did he get the power for all of this, is the better question," Wally said quickly as he zeroed in on the lights and instruments, "This part of the cave has been deserted almost since its creation, there shouldn't be any juice left to power any of this stuff!"

"Maybe it's magic…" Robin smirked, causing Wally to roll his eyes as Aqualad suddenly stepped out of the shadows; stepping up beside the others, Kaldur watched Harry play for a few moments before saying softly,

"He is quite good on that instrument, and his movements are all quite skillful as well."

Even Wally couldn't help but grudgingly agree as he watched Harry slowly rise into the air and continue playing, the boy's fingers flying across the strings faster than Wally would have thought possible.

As the song finally began to end, Harry slowly lowered to the floor. Thumbing the final note, Harry sunk to his knees, and his arms dropped to his sides. His face was doused in sweat, even as a happy smile spread from ear to ear.

Before anyone could make a conscious decision on what to do next, Wally suddenly strode out of the darkness and began clapping in applause; Harry, not expecting visitors, suddenly reacted, and two tentacles shot out of his back, transforming into spiked spears as they flew towards the speedster. Wally stumbled back with a cry of alarm as the spears shot at him, falling onto his butt and throwing his arm over his face as he scrunched his eyes shut, waiting for the sudden impact; when it didn't come, Wally slowly opened his eyes and peaked beneath his arm to see the spears hovering less than a foot from his face as Harry watched, breathing hard.

"S-sorry about that…" Harry gasped as the spears drew back into him. "I wasn't expecting anyone and you kind of surprised me. My protectors just reacted…"

"I forgot how much I hate those things…" Wally grumbled, slowly climbing to his feet and dusting himself off as Harry ducked under the guitar strap and took off the instrument, placing it on the stand next to the keyboard.

"You know they won't hurt you unless you do something they deem to be dangerous to me…" Harry replied sulkily, turning back to Wally and crossing his arms over his chest.

"Yeah, well… They still freak me out!" Wally countered scornfully, causing Harry to shake his head in annoyance.

As the others stepped out of the darkness, Harry suddenly seemed to grow nervous, stuffing his hands into his pockets as he shuffled self-consciously.

"What are those things?" M'gann asked, trying to break the tension,

"I, too, am curious," Kaldur asked, "I've never seen anything quite like them before…"

"I don't know what they are," Harry replied, "I just call them my protectors… So… how long were you all skulking out there for…?"

"Not long," Robin replied cheerfully, trying to quickly change the subject, much to his friend's relief, "We caught the last half of your song. Still amazing as ever, I see."

"I'm not that good…" Harry mumbled as he ducked his head, "I still have a long way to go before I'm ready…"

"What are you talking about!" M'gann cried out at once, "Harry, that was amazing!"

"Indeed," Kaldur nodded, "You showed great skill during your performance. You should be proud of such mastery."

"Um… thanks, I guess…" Harry mumbled back, turning away so that the others couldn't see his reddening cheeks.

While Harry tried to regain control of himself, Wally suddenly began to zoom around the space, taking in everything he could in a flashing streak of red and yellow before finally plopping down on Harry's couch.

"So, here's my question," Wally asked as he leaned back and placed his hands behind his head. "How did you get power to this part of the cave? Batman said that no one's been down here in years."

"It wasn't hard," Harry shrugged before pointing towards the small glowing boxes next to the tripod lamps. "I just used some of Jinx's portable power units."

In an instant, Wally had zoomed from the couch to the box, picking it up and turning it in his hands as he examined every inch of it.

"What the hell is this thing…?" Wally mumbled, "It's like no generator I've ever seen before; there's no conduit for the power to originate from! And it's producing almost three times as much power as it should! This thing shouldn't exist!"

"It's magic, duh." Harry retorted, making Wally narrow his eyes as he continued to examine the box, as though trying to disprove Harry's assertation on what the box was, "I know you don't believe in that sort of thing, but you know what they say: seeing is believing."

Wally toyed with the box for a few more moments before growling in annoyance at not being able to figure it out and placing it back on the ground beside the lamp; a second later, he was back to his spot on the couch, his hands behind his head as his brow ticked in annoyance, while Harry grinned.

"Such an amazing achievement would be of great benefit to places unable to produce such power on their own," Kaldur said thoughtfully, "I know Atlantis would greatly appreciate it if such technology were made available."

"Well, you can tell your king that when Potter Enterprises is created, he can buy as many as Atlantis needs," Harry grinned, "I'll even give him a discount if he agrees to buy in bulk."

"Potter Enterprises?" Robin asked, turning from where he'd been examining Harry's CD collection alongside Superboy.

"Yeah, that's what Raven is going to create," Harry replied. "It might take a few years, but the possibilities are endless if she can figure out a way to combine science and magic."

"A noble enterprise, then," Kaldur nodded. "I look forward to the day such a dream becomes a reality."

"So… What are you guys doing here…?" Harry asked, nervously shuffling from one foot to the other.

"We were looking for you, silly!" M'gann replied, "We were going to go to the mall and wanted to see if you'd like to join us. I've always wanted to go to a mall! We don't have any on Mars, and they always looked like so much fun!"

"Oh… That's okay…" Harry replied quickly, "You all can go without me…"

"Seriously!" Wally grumbled, "We spent all that time looking for you, and you'd rather stay locked in this depressing cave than out having fun? Enjoying your summer? Make it make sense!"

"Wally!" Robin growled back, shutting the speedster up instantly; Robin glared at his friend for a moment to ensure the censure stuck before turning back to Harry.

"Listen, Harry… I know what happened to you was awful, and I can't even begin to pretend to understand what you're going through right now. But locking yourself away and never allowing yourself to enjoy your life is no way to honor Cassie's memory."

Harry turned away at that, sticking his hands back in his pockets as he began kicking the ground.

"Robin is right, Harry," Kaldur continued. "Your friend would want you to live, not hide away, and never again experience the things she cannot."

"You're not alone, Harry…" M'gann said softly, stepping up and placing her hand on Harry's shoulder. "We're here for you and want to help... if you'll let us…"

M'gann anxiously bit her lip as she felt Harry's shoulder shake. She knew that the boy was crying or dangerously close to it, but she couldn't tell, unfortunately, because Harry's face was hidden from her and the others.

"I know you're trying to help…" Harry replied after a moment, his voice raw and emotional, "And I do appreciate it, I really do! I just… I just don't think I'm ready to go out there…"

"Then let us help you…" M'gann replied softly, "That's what friends are for, after all!"

Harry took a deep breath at that, and M'gann braced herself for another dismissal; when he finally turned back toward her, tear tracks ran down his cheeks, which he quickly wiped away with the back of his hand.

"Okay… I guess I could try…"

M'gann's smile was almost as bright as the lamps, at that. She quickly picked Harry up in a hug and spun him around as she giggled gleefully; a moment later, she realized what she was doing and quickly set Harry down before backing away with a look of embarrassment.

"Um… S-sorry about that…"

"That's okay," Harry smiled, "Starfire's a hugger, too, so I'm used to it."

"Can we go already?" Wally complained loudly. "We've already wasted enough time looking for you. I don't want to waste the rest of the day, too!"

"Wally!" M'gann, Kaldur, and Robin all cried out in annoyance before looking at each other and bursting into laughter.

"Yes, Your Majesty, we can go now…" Harry replied with an exaggerated bow, one arm across his stomach while the other was bent behind his back, causing Wally to blow a raspberry back at him.

Before they could take a single step, however, the PA system in the cave went off, and they heard Batman's voice echo within the cave,

"All team members report to the Mission Room immediately!"

Wally was instantly on his feet with a large grin on his face as he threw his closed fists into the air,

"Yes, finally! Bats got a mission for us!"

In a burst of red and gold, Wally zoomed out of the chamber and back down the dark hallway they'd come from, leaving the others smirking—except for Superboy, who simply put down the CD he'd been looking at and glared down where Wally had vanished.

"So much for my first visit to the mall…" M'gann replied glumly, causing Harry to take her hand in his own,

"We can always go another day, and I'll come with you. Promise."

That seemed to be the right thing to say, as M'gann's eyes lit up with the promise of Harry joining the team to the mall; her blinding smile a moment later definitely made Harry think he'd said what she needed to hear, and he couldn't help but blush in embarrassment.

"Shouldn't we turn the lights off before we leave?" Kaldur asked,

"They'll turn off on their own once we're gone," Harry explained, "These ones are special and will shut off if there's no movement detected in the vicinity."

"Ingenious…" Kaldur replied, "I will, most assuredly, be informing my king about Potter Enterprises and the amazing things that will one day come from it."

"Um… thanks," Harry replied, blushing with embarrassment from the praise and happy that the others couldn't see it as the group walked out of the chamber.

XXXX

Nightwing tried to breathe through what he suspected was a broken rib; as he tried to shift to a more comfortable position, Nightwing couldn't help but groan as a wave of pain rolled through him from where he lay on his side, still tied to the chair. How long had it been? Hours? Days? Nightwing could no longer tell; he'd long since lost track of time thanks to the constant agony that the Joker had subjected him to. For hours on end, Joker would use everything he could find to pummel Nightwing until the hero passed out from the pain, only to start back up again once he regained consciousness, and more than once, Nightwing found himself wondering,

"Is this what Jason went through…?"

Nightwing's once pristine black-and-blue uniform was now littered with tears and blood stains from his treatment at the Joker's hands. The rest of Nightwing's body was in no better condition than his uniform, unfortunately; his right eye was completely swollen shut, and his nose was bleeding profusely as a large purple bruise began to spread across his left jawline. The latest beating had knocked both Nightwing and the chair he was tied to the floor, resulting in Nightwing closing consciousness as his head impacted with the hard concrete.

He'd only just awoken when he felt somebody grab his chair and roughly pull it back into its upright position, making Nightwing hiss in pain. Slowly raising his head, Nightwing visibly swallowed down his growing fear as he stared at the monster before him who had already killed one Robin and seemed to be trying to replicate his earlier success.

The Joker was quite tall, though his hunched posture made him appear slightly shorter than he actually was. He was dressed in a custom-tailored purple suit that consisted of an elegant purple coat and matching pin-stipe pants kept by suspenders rather than a belt; underneath this, he wore a light grey jacket, a green vest, and a light grey patterned shirt.

His face was painted chalk white, save for the spaces around his leering brown eyes, which were painted black; his unkempt, greasy hair was spray-painted green, and a red slash of lipstick was smeared all over a thin mouth with two gruesome scars lined at the corners, which resembled a Glasgow smile.

"Thank you, Rocko," The Joker quipped at the henchman who had pulled Nightwing's chair up before turning back to the hero, twirling a battered metal baseball bat in his hands, "Still with us, bird boy?"

Rather than give the Joker the pleasure of a response, Nightwing chose instead to spit a glob of blood at the madman's feet, missing his shoes by inches as his head dropped back to his chest.

"Aww, now see, when you do stuff like that, it makes me think you're not enjoying the pleasure of my company," the Joker chuckled, putting the end of the bat under Nightwing's chin and forcing his head up, "Seems to be a theme with Batman's little birdies… The last one didn't seem to enjoy his time with me, either."

Nightwing glared hatefully at the Joker as he remembered the state Jason's body had been in when he and Bruce had found the boy; it had been the only time that Nightwing had actually considered crossing the line and putting the Joker down for good.

"Ooh, struck a nerve, did I?" Joker laughed, "Let's strike another!"

Without warning, Joker brought the bat back and swung it with all his might, slamming the metal into Nightwing's left arm with a sickening 'crack.'

As he felt his arm break, Nightwing thought his teeth would shatter from the force he was using to keep from screaming in absolute agony as Joker alternated between breathing heavily and cackling.

"You know, when I killed the last Robin, Batsy put me in a full-body cast for half a year," the Joker chuckled merrily, as though reminiscing about a fond memory. "I wonder what will happen when he loses another one? And not just any, but the first one!"

Kneeling down in front of Nightwing with the end of the bat on the ground between his legs and his hands resting comfortably on the end of the handle, Joker grinned sickeningly at the gasping teenager.

"What do you think?" Joker continued, "Will it be enough to finally break him? Or will your death mean as little to him as the first Robin whose wings I clipped?"

In an explosion of movement, Nightwing pulled his head back and slammed forward, bashing his head against the Joker's nose. The villain fell backward onto the concrete with a painful cry as the metal bat spiraled out of his grip and into the darkness of the hideout.

As the Joker slowly climbed to his feet, he began to cackle madly, quickly rubbing the blood from underneath his nose as an insane smile spread across his face.

"Atta boy! Make me work for it! It's no fun if you give up too easily!"

"F-fuck you!" Nightwing snarled, causing Joker to laugh again,

"Such a potty mouth on you, kid! I see we'll have to teach you some manners before we're through. Rocko, be a dear and go get my science kit, would you?"

As Nightwing heard the henchman step away, he couldn't suppress the tremor of fear that ran through him at the thought of what Joker had in store for him next.

"Star… Jinx…" Nightwing thought as the Joker went looking for his bat, "Anyone… Help me…"

XXXX

As the team entered the Mission Room, they could immediately tell that something was wrong; Batman was standing straight as an arrow with his fists clenched tightly at his sides. Beside him, Black Canary was also waiting with an expression on her face that Harry was all too familiar with: trepidation, as though she didn't know how to say what she needed to.

As her eyes turned to Harry, her expression shifted into grief, and Harry felt his heart begin to race; what was going on? Why would she be looking at him like that? Was someone hurt? Was it Raven! Harry didn't think he could survive losing another person close to him, not so soon after Cassie!

"What's going on?" Harry asked in a small voice, "Why are you looking at me like that, Ms. Dinah?"

Batman and Black Canary shared a look at that, and the team saw Batman nod before pulling his cape around him.

"We thought you should hear it from us," Black Canary said softly, "Nightwing has gone missing…"

"What!" Harry cried out in alarm, "When!?"

"He disappeared four days ago while on patrol, according to Starfire and Jinx," Batman replied, "Jinx managed to use her magic to track down where he was attacked, but all they managed to find was a few spots of blood… as well as a…"

Whatever else they found seemed too difficult for Batman to get out of, and the team watched in alarm as the hero took a deep breath and seemed to require physical effort to release his growing anger.

"They also found a playing card," Black Canary finished, causing Harry's knees to buckle under him as he realized who had taken his surrogate older brother; beside him, Robin and Wally were quickly growing pale as they realized it as well. Kaldur and M'gann gasped in shock while Superboy's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"No…" Harry whispered as he stared at the ground from where he was kneeling, "Please no…"

Black Canary immediately jumped into action and kneeled in front of the boy, taking him into her arms as Harry repeatedly whispered pleas.

"You're going to find him, right?" Robin asked as Black Canary helped Harry to his feet. " Before it's too late?"

"The League has made this a top priority," Batman growled, "We're tearing Bludhaven apart one block at a time to find Nightwing."

"That's not good enough!" Harry snarled, his anger brushing away his grief as he shoved past Black Canary.

"And what exactly do you think we should do instead?" Batman demanded as he towered over Harry.

"We both know that the Joker wouldn't have kept Nightwing in Bludhaven!" Harry retorted, "The risk of getting caught is too great, and he would want to 'play with his food' for a little while."

The rest of the team all paled at the implication of what Harry was saying, and Batman's eyes narrowed angrily at the truth in the words.

"You should be tearing apart all of the Joker's old hideouts!" Harry continued, "Or make that bitch Quinn tell you where he is!"

"Harry! Language!" Black Canary said quickly, placing a calming hand on the boy's shoulder, "I know you're upset, but we're doing all we can to find him before it's too late."

"Which is nothing!" Harry snarled, spinning on his heel and throwing off Black Canary's hand as he turned to face her.

"I've already spoken to Quinn," Batman growled, "She's had no contact with the Joker in nearly six months since she was last captured."

"And you believe her!" Harry cried incredulously, turning back to Batman, "Everyone knows her whole life revolves around that crazy bastard!"

"She knew nothing," Batman said in a way that ensured Harry knew how 'vigorously' Batman had questioned Harley Quinn.

"So, how do we help?" Robin asked, stepping forward and making Batman turn to him in surprise, "Am I right to assume that the first mission you have for us is to help find Nightwing?"

"No!" Batman snapped at once, causing Robin and Harry to take a step back, "None of you are ready to face the Joker! And none of you are to go near this case! Is that clear?!"

"If you didn't want us to be a part of it, then why tell us at all?" Wally demanded, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I felt it was better you knew before finding out some other way… Especially if we can't find Nightwing in time."

"Don't say that!" Harry shouted, springing toward Batman with a raised fist as though to strike the hero; Robin managed to grab the arm and twisted it behind Harry's back as he held his friend back, while Batman watched with narrowed eyes.

"You are all to remain in the cave until further notice," Batman growled, "If anyone leaves, they can officially consider themselves off the team. Is that clear?"

The team stared at Batman in shock, save for Superboy, who looked furious with the order. Harry looked like he wanted to break Batman's nose and struggled even harder to break free from Robin's grip while Black Canary watched with a sad expression.

Casting one final glance at the team, especially Harry, Batman stepped past the group and walked out of the Mission Room; once he was gone, Robin released his hold on Harry, and the boy angrily rubbed his wrist as he stared at Robin with a betrayed expression.

"I know you all want to help," Black Canary said softly, making the team turn to her, "But the Joker is far beyond any of you at the moment, he would undoubtedly kill you."

"So, we're just supposed to sit here and do nothing while he kills another Robin!" Harry demanded, making both Black Canary and Robin pale.

"The League is doing everything it can to stop that from happening," Black Canary said, her voice growing stern, "I'm going to go help search, but I can't do that if I have to worry about you disobeying an order, Harry. So, I'm asking you to promise me that you will stay here and not go looking for the Joker."

Harry stared silently at the hero for a moment before finally nodding his head in acceptance, causing Robing to stare at his friend with surprise. Sighing in relief, Black Canary placed a hand on Harry's shoulder and squeezed momentarily before stepping away and following Batman.

Once she was gone, Robin turned back to Harry with a sly expression on his face,

"So, how long are we waiting for them to be gone before we head to Gotham?"

Harry grinned back at his friend and raised his left hand from behind his back, showing his crossed fingers as M'gann gasped,

"You're actually going?"

"Of course!" Harry retorted, "Nightwing and the Titans are my family! They all but raised me, and I won't abandon him just because Batman doesn't like Metas in his city!"

"But… But you heard Batman! If we go to Gotham, he'll kick us off the team! And if I get kicked off the team, I'll have to go back to Mars!"

"We won't let that happen, babe!" Wally grinned. "Team or no, we'll look after you!"

"Wally's right," Harry replied, "If you want to stay on Earth, then we'll make sure you do. Friends look after one another, remember?"

M'gann smiled happily at that as the others nodded in agreement; even Superboy seemed to agree, though it was hard to tell through his perpetual scowl. He and M'gann had started off on the wrong foot when she had accidentally communicated telepathically with the team, inadvertently sending Superboy into a rage due to his own issues with telepaths.

"Besides," Harry continued, "If being on this team means that we abandon everything that makes us heroes, then I'd rather be kicked off. We don't need this team to be heroes, and we don't need Batman's approval, either! And if he kicks us off the team, then we'll just form our own!"

"I cannot believe I'm saying this…" Wally groaned, resting his hands on his hips and looking up at the sky, "But I agree with Harry here. Heroes don't abandon their fellow heroes, and Nightwing needs our help right now. So, let's stop talking and go find him!"

"How do we complete such a task, though?" Kaldur asked, his arms crossed over his chest, "We have no way of knowing where the Joker might have taken Nightwing, and Batman has already stated that he's spoken to Harley Quinn and that she knows nothing."

"So, we go talk to her again!" Robin spat. "She could at least put us on the correct path!"

"I've got a better idea…" Harry replied after a moment of silence, a grin beginning to spread across his face, "Maybe we can ask someone who's almost as crazy for help…"

"Who?" Robin asked before his eyes lit up in understanding, "Oh no! Not that nutcase! The last time you asked him for help, I ended up wearing pink Barbie makeup for two days!"

"It wasn't that bad!" Harry defended while Wally guffawed at the mental image,

"Two. Days." Robin growled, "It wouldn't come off! No matter how hard I scrubbed!"

"This mysterious individual sounds almost as bad as the Joker," Kaldur smirked, "Who is he?"

"His name is Lunatic," Robin growled, causing Wally to freeze in place, "And he's just that! A frigging madman!"

"Oh no, not him…" Wally groaned, "That freak chased me down five blocks on a go-kart once, tossing turtle shells at me the whole way!"

"Yup, that sounds like Looney," Harry laughed, causing Wally and Robin to glare at him, neither noticing that M'gann had turned away to hide her laughter nor that Kaldur seemed to be struggling not to do the same.

"Look," Harry retorted, "The truth is that the only person crazy enough to equal the Joker is Looney! He's also the only one in Gotham City, besides Batman, who is not afraid of making an enemy of Joker. So, if we want to find Nightwing before it's too late, he's our only choice! Unless you all have a better idea?"

Robin and Wally looked pleadingly at each other for a moment before both released a sigh of annoyance while the rest of the team watched expectantly.

"Let's just get this over with…" Wally groaned,

"Yeah, agreed." Robin added, "So, how do we do this? Do we go to his house or…?"

"Actually, his house got blown up," Harry stated, "I thought I'd just call his cell phone…"

"He has a cell phone?" Wally asked in surprise,

"His house got blown up?" Robin cried out in shock.

"Shush!" Harry snapped as he pulled out his phone, dialed a number, and turned on the speaker so they could all hear. The number rang twice before someone finally answered, and Harry couldn't help but smile as he heard his friend's voice.

"Harry! Que pasta, my friend!"

"Hey, Looney," Harry replied, "Are you busy?"

"Not at all! Just playing some Tetris!" Looney's voice replied jovially; a moment later, the team heard a different voice scream out,

"Stop! That's not supposed to bend that way! Aaagh!"

The team all seemed to pale as one at that, except for Harry, who just closed his eyes and shook his head in exasperation before asking in a weary voice,

"Looney… Are you playing Tetris with Luthor's goons…?"

Silence came across the line for several moments before Lunatic's voice replied,

"Maaaaaaybe…."

Another scream of agony echoed through the line, followed by Lunatic's harsh whisper,

"Hush! You're gonna get me in trouble!"

"We can still hear you, Looney…" Harry retorted, running a weary hand over his face and causing M'gann to snort as she tried not to laugh at the absurdity of Harry's friend, even if she was horrified at what he was doing at the moment.

"ANYWAY!" Lunatic cried, trying to change the subject and not get into more trouble with Harry. "What can I do for you? Do you need someone to make merry with?"

"Make merry?" Kaldur mouthed at Robin, only for the boy to shake his head back and mutter, "Don't ask."

"No, I need your help, Looney," Harry replied quickly, "The Joker has kidnapped Nightwing, and I need to know where he would take him! Batman and the League have already combed through his old hideouts and are now searching Bludhaven, but my gut says he's in Gotham, somewhere!"

"Always trust your gut, Harry, me lad!" Lunatic's voice chirped back, "I made the mistake of ignoring mine once after partaking in an all-you-can-eat buffet at Casa Bonita, and it cost me my favorite pair of pants!"

"Ew gross!" M'gann cried out, causing the line to go dead in an instant,

"Harry…. Why did I hear a girl's voice just now…?"

"Um… Because there's one here with me…" Harry replied sheepishly, "She's part of my new team, the team you refused to join."

"And you didn't think to warn me!" Lunatic raged. Now, if we ever meet, all she'll remember is that I joked about my cataclysmic case of diarrhea, not how unbearably attractive I am!"

M'gann snorted again, and Wally swatted her shoulder,

"Don't encourage him!"

"Wally! Is that you?" Lunatic's voice cried out, "You don't call, you don't write, one would almost think you were avoiding me!"

"You tried to give me a concussion with a blue spray-painted turtle shell!" Wally retorted back, causing Lunatic to cackle on the other end,

"Well, you were in first place, and I wanted to win!"

"We weren't racing, you idiot!" Wally raged back, "I was trying to get away from you!"

"Semantics!" Lunatic's voice cackled,

"Enough, both of you!" Harry snapped, "Nightwing's life is more important than your meaningless squabbles!"

"He's right!" Lunatic replied, "Stop trying to argue about who won which race, Kentucky Fried!"

Harry sighed in annoyance as Wally growled at the joke at his name,

"Looney, please. No more jokes, just tell me if you know where Joker would go. Please."

"The Joker has many different hideouts," Lunatic replied, his tone shifting to a more serious one, "Batdouche and his birdies know about most of them, but there are still a few that they don't know about."

Robin growled at the insult but wisely chose to keep quiet, lest Lunatic decide to mock him next as he had done Wally.

"I've just sent the addresses to your phone," Lunatic continued as Harry's phone buzzed with an incoming message, "Do you want me to meet you?"

Robin and Wally both threw their hands into the air and violently shook their heads in the negative, almost making Harry burst with laughter before he managed to get control of himself.

"No, that's okay, Looney. My team and I will find Nightwing."

"Okay, if you're sure…" Lunatic replied softly,

"Enjoy your game of Tetris," Harry replied quickly, trying to cheer up his friend.

"Oh, I'm already bored of that!" Lunatic replied happily, "I'm gonna play battleship now! If you'll excuse me, I gotta find an unused pool, some more of Luthor's goons, and some cherry bombs!"

The line clicked off at that, and Harry couldn't help but snort with amusement as he quickly looked through the addresses Lunatic had sent.

"He's not actually going to try and blow anyone up, is he?" M'gann asked,

"Probably," Harry, Robin, and Wally all answered at the same time, causing M'gann's mouth to drop open in shock.

"You keep strange company, Harry," Kaldur said with amusement, "Is it wise to ally with such a dangerous individual."

"Looney is the most loyal person I know," Harry replied, "And if he considers you a friend, you're a friend for life."

"Yeah, unfortunately…" Robin grimaced, "And if you're an enemy, God help you…"

"There's six different addresses on this list," Harry said after a moment "And they're spread all across Gotham… It'll take us forever to search each one!"

"So, we split up!" Wally replied, taking Harry's phone from him and looking through the list,

"I can take these two," Wally said after a moment, "They're only ten miles away from each other. The rest of you can each pick one of the remaining ones."

"We're not splitting up!" Robin stated at once before anyone else could speak, "Not when the Joker's involved!"

"The Joker has had Nightwing for nearly a week!" Harry retorted, "We can't afford to wait any longer! We need to find him now!"

"We know that, Harry," Kaldur replied. "But M'gann is right. The Joker is a foe far beyond us. None of us, save Robin, have any experience fighting such a madman. Caution would be better in this scenario."

As much as he hated to admit it, Harry could hear the wisdom in Kaldur's words and quickly swallowed the retort that he'd been about to unload on his teammate before grudgingly nodding in agreement.

"Okay, I'll do a quick sweep of my two targets, then," Wally countered, "They'll never even know I'm there, and I can meet you all at whichever one you choose next."

As Harry stared at the addresses on the list, he anxiously worried his lip; which one should he pick? There was an abandoned amusement park near the east end of Gotham that would fit Joker's style, but there was also an empty warehouse that was once an exclusive club but was quickly abandoned after Mr. Freeze made an appearance and murdered half the staff, as well as a dozen guests. There was also an abandoned aquarium and an unused arcade; too many choices and too little time! Which one should they search! Suddenly, it felt like someone else had made the choice for him, and his eyes seemed glued to the fourth address on the list.

"The nightclub," Harry said at once, "We'll go to the nightclub."

"Why that one?" M'gann asked,

"I don't know," Harry answered truthfully, "Just a feeling…"

"Very well, then," Kaldur sighed, "We can check the others afterward."

"Hang on, I've got another idea!" Harry replied,

"Do NOT invite that madman to join us!" Wally all but cried out in alarm as Harry pulled his phone out again, causing Harry to laugh back.

"I'm not! I'm calling someone else to help!"

After quickly selecting the contact number, Harry put the phone to his ear and stepped a few feet away from the rest of his team. The number buzzed three times before someone finally answered.

"Harry!" Jinx's voice said quickly, "Listen, it's good to hear from you, but I can't talk right now! Something's happened…"

"I know," Harry replied, cutting her off,

"You… You do…? How?"

"Batman told me," Harry replied softly. "Listen, I might know where the Joker took Nightwing, but there are too many addresses for my team and I to search alone. We need your help."

"Are you nuts!" Jinx cried out, "Harry, I don't want you anywhere near the Joker! He will kill you faster than you can blink! You're not ready to face off against someone like him! Just gimme the addresses, and Starfire and I will search each one, okay?"

"It will take too long that way!" Harry argued, "Nightwing needs our help!"

"Harry! I swear to Mother Eris, if you go to any of those addresses, I'll… I'll… I'll tell Raven on you!"

That threat stopped Harry in his tracks, and he worried his lip for a moment before steeling his nerves and replying,

"Raven will understand, and even if she doesn't, I would rather ask for forgiveness and find Nightwing alive than ask for permission and risk him being killed. I'll send the addresses now. Good luck."

"Harry! Don't you dare hang up on me, you little shit! HARRY!"

Quickly pressing the 'end call' button, Harry forwarded Lunatic's list to Jinx's number, taking off the two that Wally was going to search and the one that the team was going to before hitting send and turning off his phone to avoid Jinx tracking him down.

"Now we can go," Harry said as he stepped back over to the team, who were waiting with different expressions, ranging from amused (Robin and Wally) to anxious (M'gann) to indifferent (Superboy).

"How are we going to get to Gotham?" Robin asked, "Zeta Tube?"

"Hello, Megan!" M'gann said loudly, slapping her forehead and causing the others to turn to her, "We can take my ship, of course!"

"We get to fly in a spaceship?" Harry asked, his eyes twinkling madly, "Oh, so much yes!"

M'gann giggled at that and flashed Harry a brilliant smile before she floated into the air and quickly led the group to the hangar.

XXXX

Nightwing leaned over the chair he was tied to, staring at the floor as drops of blood slowly dripped off his nose and to the floor below; Joker had continued to beat him with that damn bat for nearly fifteen minutes before deciding to take a 'juice break.'

As he slowly tried to breathe through the pain filling his chest, Nightwing desperately attempted to formulate a plan to escape before Joker returned; Rocko had yet to return with whatever he'd been sent to get, and Nightwing knew that he would likely never get another chance like this. Joker had obviously thought he'd beaten the poor boy unconscious or else was too badly battered to attempt escape; either way, Nightwing would happily make use of the reprieve he'd been given. His broken arm had already begun to swell, and Nightwing groaned with misery as he felt the rope starting to dig into his wrist; his other hand, however, was clasped into a tight fist.

Inside said fist lay a jagged piece of metal that Nightwing had grabbed when he'd been knocked over during the Joker's last round using Nightwing as a pinata; flipping the metal into a better grip, Nightwing began to saw at the rope holding his good arm, hoping beyond hope that he'd be able to cut through before anyone returned.

XXXX

"Okay, we're here…" M'gann said as she set the ship into hover mode; beneath them, the abandoned club sat, looking innocuous.

"I've managed to pull up the schematics for the place," Robin said as a holographic 3D image appeared above his gauntlet, showing the complete layout of the club. "It looks like there are only three floors, plus a basement."

"How should we search?" Kaldur asked, turning his chair toward Robin,

"I'll take the top floor," Robin replied, "You and M'gann take the second floor; Superboy can take the first floor. Harry? You got the basement. If anyone finds the Joker or Nightwing, don't try to take them on alone! Call for help, and we'll all come running, understood?"

"Tsk," Superboy sneered, "I don't need help, I'm a living weapon. If I find the clown first, he'll be lucky if I just break a few of his bones…"

"Superboy!" Kaldur said harshly, "You are not just a weapon! You are more than that, much more indeed."

Superboy's eyes widened at that, and he turned away with a grunt, his mask of indifference sliding back into place. A moment later, the team's seats disappeared, and holes appeared beneath them, dropping them into the open air as Bio-ship activated its cloak and seemed to vanish.

As Harry hit the rooftop, he tucked into a roll and pulled his hood over his head as he came to his feet, transforming into his Arcane persona as his green eyes flashed dangerously,

"Let's get to work," Arcane growled as six tentacles snapped out of his back and stabbed into the rooftop door before ripping it completely off its hinges.

"That was seriously cool, Arcane," Robin laughed, "Really feeling the aster!"

"Enough talk!" Superboy growled as he slammed his closed fist into his palm, "Let's go hit somebody!" With an angry growl, Superboy led the charge down the dark stairwell, with the rest of the team following close behind; as he reached the end of the stairs, Superboy issued a roar of challenge before leaping over the railing and falling quickly towards the ground floor. As he slammed onto the ground floor, the ground beneath Superboy shook with his impact, and his body made an enormous spiderweb crack in the floor.

"Well, if they didn't know we were here before, they sure do now!" Robin quipped before jumping away to begin his search.

"We must move quickly," Kaldur said. "If anyone is here, they will have heard Superboy's…. boisterous arrival."

"Then, we gotta move quickly!" Arcane added before following Superboy over the railing as M'gann and Kaldur ran towards the stairs to the second floor; landing with far less impact than Superboy, Arcane cast a quick eye around the darkened room, seeing no sign of Superboy.

The former club had been wholly trashed since it was abandoned, with large, overturned circular tables scattered across the floor; a short way away from him, Arcane could spot a raised stage that had obviously been where the band played while the now empty bar sat to his right. Large puddles lay on the floor, growing larger as water dripped into them from above.

Light shone in from the cracked and broken windows all about the place, but the worst part was the chalk outlines that still showed on the floor from where Mr. Freeze had killed the club's guests so long before. Arcane couldn't help but stare at one as he passed, wondering why it had not faded by now and who had been the unfortunate victim, who'd only wanted to have some fun and instead found their end.

Shaking away the depressing thought with a grunt of annoyance at Superboy essentially ruining any chance of their mission continuing with secrecy, Arcane slowly floated towards the nearby entrance to the basement, the door hanging with a slant, held only by its top hinge. Swallowing down his nervousness, Arcane ducked under the door and cautiously made his way down the stairs to the basement.

XXXX

Nightwing had nearly cut through his bindings when the roof suddenly shook, sending dust and debris raining down on him, and making him stare up at the ceiling for a moment for a moment before he began sawing again.

"Bad news, birdie," the Joker quipped as he ran into the room. "It looks like the cavalry has finally arrived, so we'll have to cut our fun short."

As Joker threw the metal bat away and pulled a large knife from inside his overcoat, Nightwing began trying to saw faster,

"But don't worry," Joker continued as he menacingly approached, "I always make sure to leave my guests with a smile."

As Joker approached Nightwing's face with the knife, he felt the bindings finally snap away. He jumped to his feet, slamming his head into Joker's chin and knocking him back. Realizing that he had mere moments before the pain of his injuries caught up to him, Nightwing rushed toward the Joker, intending to deal as much damage as he could. With all the fury of one who has been tortured for nearly a week, Nightwing kicked hard into the Joker's stomach twice, relishing the way the clown cried out in pain. As he drew back to kick again, Nightwing suddenly cried out in pain as the Joker lunged forward and buried his knife into the hero's side.

"Oh ha, ha," the Joker cackled, "That was fun! You hit almost as hard as Batsy!"

Nightwing slowly sank to his knees as Joker rose to his feet, pulled a gun from his coat, and rested the barrel against the hero's forehead. A large smile spread across his face as his finger began to squeeze the trigger.

"Ordinarily, I don't really like using guns, but needs must, I suppose. It's just too bad you won't be around to see your dear Bat daddy's expression when I leave your mutilated corpse for him to find; it's gonna be my best joke yet!"

Nightwing glared at the Joker as the clown's finger continued to squeeze the trigger, refusing to look away or give the clown the pleasure of seeing how afraid Nightwing was.

A moment before the gun went off, however, a voice screamed out,

"No!"

Before either man could see who had screamed, what appeared to be a black rope wrapped itself around the Joker's body and hurled him across the room, sending him crashing into a large pile of stacked wooden crates.

A moment later, Nightwing stared in shock as Arcane kneeled in front of him,

"Harry…" Nightwing hissed, "What the hell are you doing here!"

"Saving you, dumbass! What else!" Arcane growled back as he examined the knife still embedded in Nightwing's side for air bubbles that would indicate a pierced lung.

"No! You can't be here!" Nightwing cried out. "You need to leave before the Joker gets back up!"

"I'm not leaving without you!" Arcane snapped back, "So, if you want me to leave, then get on your damn feet!"

Throwing Nightwing's arm over his shoulder, Arcane heaved with effort as he lifted his surrogate brother up from his knees.

Before they had taken a single step, however, a large, muscular man wearing a clown mask entered the room from the opposite door, wheeling a table covered by a sheet; for a few seconds, the trio simply stared at one another before the man growled and shoved the table at Arcane, forcing him to shove Nightwing away as he jumped aside. Nightwing fell onto his broken arm and cried out in pain, trying desperately not to pass out from the pain; slowly cracking open his one good eye, he saw Arcane dipping and dodging beneath the wild swings of Joker's goon, who seemed to be getting more frustrated with every missed hit.

Finally, the goon lunged too far, and Arcane managed to get under him, coming up with an overpowered uppercut to the goon's chin that lifted him off of his feet and sent him crashing backward into a nearby steel support beam that bent slightly from the force of the impact; the goon fell to the floor with a groan and tried to rise up for a moment, before slumping back onto his stomach, unconscious.

"You've… you've gotten better…" Nightwing gasped as Arcane returned to his side and once again tried to help him up.

"You taught me well…" Arcane mumbled back, not noticing how Nightwing looked at him with pride, "What do you say we get out of here, now?"

"Sounds good to me," Nightwing groaned, "Who else is here?"

"Just the team," Arcane replied, causing Nightwing to stare at him in shock for a moment,

"You all came here alone? Are you nuts!"

"Batman and the League thought you were in Bludhaven and wouldn't let us help!" Arcane defended, "So, I called Looney to try and find you!"

"You shouldn't have come here alone, Harry," Nightwing hissed back, "Raven's gonna be pissed when she finds out!"

"I don't care!" Arcane snarled back, "I couldn't let you die!"

Nightwing stared silently at Arcane for a moment before finally mumbling,

"Thanks for coming to get me, kid."

As Arcane opened his mouth to respond, he suddenly felt as though someone had set his bones on fire and screamed out in pain; Nightwing beside him was doing the same, and the pair dropped to the floor a second later.

Spinning over onto his back, Arcane saw that the goon from earlier had managed to get to his feet and had jabbed the pair with a cattle prod, the end sparking and humming dangerously as he limped toward them to deliver another painful attack.

As Arcane snarled in rage, two of his tentacles shot out of the bottom of his feet and wrapped around the goon's ankles, lifting him in the air and hanging him upside down for a moment.

"Wha…?" The goon cried out before the tentacles slammed him onto his back, making him cry out in pain; again and again, they raised him and slammed him to the ground until the goon's screams became whimpers. Finally, after the third time, the tentacles released their hold on the unfortunate man, and he dropped unconscious to the floor in a pile of broken bones.

Seeing no other threats, the tentacles retracted into Arcane's feet, and the boy painfully climbed to his feet as his body spasmed from the after-effects of the cattle prod; using what little energy he had left and praying that his teammate would hear him, Arcane shouted out,

"Superboy! I found him! But I need help here!"

Upstairs, Arcane could hear what sounded like a fight, followed by the sound of something crashing against something metal; a moment later, Superboy came running down the stairs, his black shirt ripped in several places.

"What happened to you?" Arcane asked as he gazed at his teammate,

"Hyenas," Superboy stated simply.

As Arcane threw Nightwing's arm over Superboy's shoulder, the trio heard the sound of cackling coming from behind them and turned around just in time to see a disheveled and heavily bruised Joker climbing out of the pile of broken wooden crates that Arcane had just thrown him through.

"Neat trick, kid!" Joker laughed as he repeatedly flipped the knife in his hand, "But didn't your parents ever tell you that it's bad form to attack someone when their back is turned?"

"My parents are dead," Arcane retorted, making the clown's grin widen,

"No wonder you've such poor manners! Don't worry though, if there's one thing I'm good at, it's correcting naughty children's behavior!"

"Get him out of here," Arcane hissed at Superboy as he handed Nightwing over to his teammate, "I'll handle Joker."

"I'm on it," Superboy nodded, turning to leave as Nightwing groaned in pain,

"Arcane… No…"

"You should listen to him, boy," the Joker laughed. "Unless you want to end up like the first Robin, that is…"

"Superboy, go!" Arcane snarled as six tentacles extended out of his back and transformed into spears, making the Joker grin madly,

"Ooh, pointy! A man after my own black shriveled heart! Guns are too quick, you see."

Remembering what he'd been taught about the Joker and how the clown liked to 'play with his food,' Arcane tried to block out the words, instead choosing to focus on taking down the madman as quickly as possible.

"You can't savor all the little emotions," Joker continued, grinning sickly, as he twisted away from a spear and lunged forward to stab Arcane in the shoulder, missing the boy by inches, "You see, in their last emotions, people show you who they really are. Like the first bird boy I killed! So fearless and arrogant in the beginning, but at the end… Would you like to know if he was a coward?"

"SHUT UP!" Arcane roared, combining his six spears into one large spiraled one and hurling it forward to skewer the Joker, who cackled and jumped away at the last minute so that the spear harmlessly impaled the wall behind the clown, leaving a drill-like indention in it.

Flicking his wrist, the Joker made a hand of playing cards appear and sent them sailing towards Arcane, who had the wisdom to jump away; a moment later, the five cards embedded in the wood crate behind the boy, and Arcane took a breath to steady his nerves as Joker rushed forward, a pair of knives in each hand that he swung erratically, trying to slash Arcane to ribbons.

Finally, one of Arcane's spears struck home and impaled itself in Joker's shoulder, lifting him up into the air and away from the hero as Joker laughed insanely. As he was lifted into the air, the Joker flicked the knife in his left hand and hurled it at Arcane, finally managing to get a hit himself, as the knife slammed home into Arcane's right leg, just above the knee.

"Aagh! Dammit!" Arcane swore, his tentacle ripping from the Joker and causing the clown to crash hard to the floor as Arcane grabbed the knife embedded in his leg and slowly tried pulling it free.

As the knife came free, at last, Arcane saw that blood was flowing freely, yet it was not spurting in a way that would indicate a cut artery or some other serious wound; breathing a sigh of relief, Arcane willed one of his tentacles to wrap around the wound and stay there.

Looking up from where he was kneeling, Arcane saw the Joker was already on his feet and twirling a metal baseball bat in his right hand as he approached with a cruel smile, his purple coat now covered in blood. Fighting against the rising panic, Arcane groaned as he rose back to his feet and assumed a defensive position. Where the hell was the rest of his team! Someone should have come to help him by now!

"I must say, me lad," Joker quipped, "This is the most fun I've had in quite a while! With Batsy, it's all growl this and bone break that! It's like our date nights have just become a chore to him, can you even imagine!"

"Or maybe he has better things to do than deal with some insane knock-off version of Ronald McDonald," Arcane snarked back, making Joker's smile fall away as an ugly look took its place.

"That was rude," Joker retorted, "Here I am, trying to bring some levity to this fun outing of ours, and you have to go and spoil it. Guess I'll have to beat some respect into you, after all…"

Faster than he would have thought the clown capable, the Joker covered the distance between himself and Arcane and swung the bat at the boy's head; it was only due to the speed of Arcane's tentacles that the boy was saved from a possible concussion as the metal bat bounced off of the Roman-like shield that two of his tentacles had combined and transformed into around his right arm.

Realizing that he was rapidly running out of steam, Arcane wracked his brain for a new tactic as Joker bashed the metal bat against Arcane's shield; willing two of his tentacles to wrap around his left fist and transform into an enormous boxing glove, Arcane cocked his arm back and delivered a powerful blow to the clown's chest, sending the cackling madman sailing across the room and crashing into the wheeled table from earlier, sending it crashing onto its side and flinging its cargo everywhere as Joker rolled over it.

The pain in Arcane's leg, as well as the pain from the cattle prod, was nearly consuming him now. His lungs felt like they were on fire as he gasped for air; he knew he wouldn't be able to last much longer and once again wondered where the hell his team was.

As Joker climbed slowly and painfully to his feet, Arcane couldn't help but swallow nervously at the manic smile on the clown's face.

"What do I do?" Arcane thought, "I've got nothing left…"

Suddenly, an idea popped into his head and Arcane swallowed again as he followed the thought, coming to the conclusion that it was his best and only option.

"Oh man, I'm gonna be in so much trouble for this!"

With a flick of his wrist, Arcane's wand snapped into his palm, and the Joker cackled as he saw it,

"Ooh, and Whatcha gonna do with that, boy? Give me a splinter?"

"Something like that," Arcane smirked before leveling his wand at the Joker and crying out,

"Bombarda!"

The spell slammed into the Joker's body before he could even blink and sent him shooting across the room like a cannonball. He crashed through several wooden crates, one after another before finally slamming hard into the far wall with so much force that the wall actually cracked, leaving a spiderweb pattern as Joker slid down to the floor.

"Good… one…kid…" Joker laughed weakly before his eyes rolled into the back of his head, and he slid sideways unconscious.

As he slowly sank to his knees, Arcane could hear the sudden noise of someone coming down the stairs and quickly turned to face whoever it was, only to suddenly become engulfed in pink as Jinx tackled him and hugged him for all he was worth.

"Harry! Oh, sweet Mother Eris, are you okay!"

"Jinx…?" Arcane asked weakly, "What are you doing here? Where's Nightwing and the rest of my team?"

"Nightwing was medevacked; he's gonna be okay," Starfire assured as she suddenly appeared beside the pair and checked Arcane over with a fine eye. "And your team is currently being given the lecture of a lifetime by the League upstairs!"

"What the hell were you thinking, you little shit? Running off like that!" Jinx demanded, taking over from Starfire, "Almost getting yourself killed!"

"I'm… I'm sorry…" Arcane mumbled,

"Sorry isn't good enough, Harry!" Jinx snapped at once, "Do you have any idea how worried we were! You could have died! Look at yourself!"

"Jinx is right, Harry," Starfire continued. "You are too young to be fighting such opponents on your own. We thought we would be too late."

"I'm sorry," Arcane said again. "I just… couldn't lose another person... not again…"

The heroine's faces fell at that, and they shared a look as Arcane clung to Jinx's shirt, trying not to cry and appear weak.

"Look, Harry… We get it, we were worried about Nightwing too, but you should have trusted us to find him, not rushed off with a group of inexperienced teens to face a monster like Joker!"

"Jinx is right, Harry…" Starfire said softly, joining Jinx in hugging the boy, "The key part of being on a team is trusting them to do what you cannot."

"But we're not a team anymore!" Arcane cried out miserably, "Luthor took our team from us!"

"Even if we're no longer in the Tower, we'll always be Titans," Jinx reassured the boy softly, "And we'll always be a team…"

"And we'll always be family," Starfire added, tightening her hug on the boy.

Sandwiched between the two women, Arcane felt his injuries and his exhaustion sweep over him, too great to ignore, and willingly gave himself over to the darkness that was steadily claiming him.

XXXX

The next few days were perhaps the longest of Harry's life; the entire team received the mother of all lectures from not only the League but also from Raven when she found out what had happened and stormed the cave, demanding to speak with everyone involved. Harry was essentially grounded for the next month and had to suffer the indignity of having all his instruments taken away as punishment; on top of that, he had received a written warning from the Magical Congress of the United States of America about his underage use of magic, and told in no unambiguous language that further use would result in his wand being snapped.

Batman had even put the fear of God into the team by reminding them that he had warned them about what would happen if they disobeyed him; to the surprise of all, however, the team stood as one and called his bluff, telling him to go ahead and kick them off the team, and that they'd just start their own without his oversight.

To the surprise of all, Batman had actually backed down and simply congratulated them on rescuing Nightwing before storming away. The team didn't know if they should be relieved that they weren't being kicked out or worried about what Batman would do to punish their insubordination later; either way, the team felt good about its first mission and eagerly looked forward to their next one. The only one not happy was Wally, who bitterly complained about not getting a souvenir.

XXXX

Author's Note:
I hope you all enjoyed this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. I chose Heath Ledger's joker as the one for my story because he is my personal favorite, and I hope I got his character down right in this chapter. If you liked it, I'd love to hear from you, and if not, I'd still love to hear from you. Until next time, my lovelies!

Chapter Text

The interior of Bioship was as silent as a graveyard as the team flew toward their destination, each member of the team mentally preparing themselves for their first official mission from Batman; Harry was seated next to Superboy, and the pair almost looked like twins from the way they were seated. Both had their arms crossed over their chests, and both had their heads bowed, eyes closed, in silent contemplation.

It had been nearly two weeks since the team had rescued Nightwing from the Joker, and Batman had used that time to implement his own form of punishment on them for disobeying his orders, which could only be summed up in two words: living hell.

Each day, the team would be put through the most grueling form of training, ranging from a nearly interminable obstacle course, to being placed in the cave's version of the 'Danger Room,' where the team had to fight non-stop for hours. At the end of each day's training, when Batman would finally release them for the day, Harry and the others would drag themselves back to their rooms and physically collapse into their beds as their bodies screamed in agony; only for the whole process to start again the next day.

Batman, after the fourth day of training, had told them that perhaps they wouldn't end each day in such pain if they started acting more like a team and less like individuals, and loathe though he was to agree with him, Harry couldn't help but admit that the Bat was right. On the Titans, Nightwing had made sure that each person knew that they fought as one, that there were no individuals, only one team. It was why Harry and the other Titans worked so well together; they always knew where their teammate was and what they would do, making the Titans operate like a well-oiled machine.

Here though? Robin was used to no-word communication with Batman, Kid-Flash was used to working with someone who could operate faster than most could think, Superboy was an emotional rampaging beast who thought he didn't need anyone's help, and M'gann was brand new to being a hero, and so had no experience on how to act. Only Kaldur even attempted to ally with Harry during training, which resulted in the pair receiving far fewer bruises than the others, which only seemed to annoy the others even more and make their team even more unreliable.

Harry, to his consternation, had found no mercy from Raven and the other Titans when he had complained; Raven was still angry at Harry for nearly getting himself killed and said that he deserved to be punished for his stupidity and that, hopefully, the bruises from Batman's training would remind Harry not to do something so idiotic, again.

Cyborg and Beastboy had both been appalled when they found out what Harry had done, and the boy had been forced to sit through another lecture as the pair called him to berate Harry for his stupidity. Jinx, surprisingly, seemed to agree with Raven and told Harry so, when he first called her up; she and Starfire were taking shifts, with one patrolling Bludhaven, while the other stood guard outside Nightwing's hospital room in case the Joker tried to finish the job, which wasn't very likely seeing as how Harry's last attack had broken six of the clown's ribs and fractured his spine.

Starfire was the only one who seemed to understand why Harry had done what he'd done; she'd managed to sneak in some black-cherry ice cream into the cave, and the two had spent two blessed hours just talking about how much they each missed the other and the Titans.

"We're approaching Santa Prisca…" M'gann's voice called out, making Harry slowly open his eyes as he stared out the window at the quickly approaching island. It was hard to make out against the pitch-black darkness surrounding them, but he could still see the smudge of the island ahead.

As the others tensed slightly, Harry's mind wandered back to the briefing the team had received earlier that night from Batman.

XXXX

:FLASHBACK:

"Isla Santa Prisca," Batman said to the team, facing away from them and staring at the large computer monitor that was showing a detailed image of their upcoming destination. In contrast, other smaller images showed different pictures pertaining to the brief. Beside him, Red Tornado was quickly typing out commands onto the keyboard as Batman spoke. "This island is the primary source of a dangerous and illegal neurosteroid, a strength-enhancing drug sold under the street name venom. Infrared heat signatures indicate their factory is operating at full capacity, but all shipments of venom have been inexplicably cut off. That's where this team comes in."

Turning back to the watching team, Batman scowled momentarily in annoyance. The team was all dressed in civilian attire, and Wally further showed how unconcerned he was by quickly rifling through a bag of potato chips.

"This is a covert recon mission only," Batman continued, "Observe and report. If the Justice League needs to intervene, it will."

Turning back to the screen, Batman continued his briefing as two different locations were suddenly marked out on the island before the team.

"The plan requires two drop zones…"

"So, who's in charge?" Robin asked, cutting Batman off and making Batman and Red Tornado share a look for a moment before Batman turned back to the team and spoke again,

"Work that out between you."

Harry couldn't help but roll his eyes as he saw a smirk cross Robin's face at that, knowing that Batman's flippant remark was going to cause more trouble than it was worth.

:END FLASHBACK:

XXXX

"Drop zone A in 30," M'gann said softly, causing Kaldur to rise to his feet as his chair melted into the floor; with a quick touch of his belt, Kaldur's orange uniform shifted into entirely black.

"Ready," Kaldur called out with a nod,

"Putting Bioship in camouflage mode," M'gann replied.

Unseen by the team, the red spaceship flashed with light for a moment before suddenly disappearing, blending so well with the night sky that even the most skilled observer could not see it.

Lowering close to the ocean below, a hole suddenly appeared beneath Kaldur's feet, which he dove into, splashing into the ocean a moment later. Like a bolt from a speargun, Kaldur zoomed past the underwater mines and drew one of his water bearers from his back, willing it into a sword, which he used to slash the last obstacle between himself and the beach: an ordinary metal fence.

Once he reached the beach, Kaldur quickly raced toward a nearby machine that was beeping and flashing a continuous red light. Quickly retrieving the device that Batman had given him, Kaldur plugged the device into the machine, which continued to beep twice more before a strange sound emanated from it, and the beeping stopped.

"Heat and motion sensors are patched," Kaldur said into the communicator in his ear. "Data is now on a continuous loop. Move in."

Overhead, Bioship quickly lowered closer to the ground; a moment later, M'gann called out,

"Drop zone B," as she willed the ship to stay in place.

Harry quickly rose to his feet and pulled his hood over his head, as M'gann raised her arm and willed several harnesses to fall from Bioship's ceiling, which the team all began to hook to their belts.

After hooking himself up, Kid-Flash touched the lightning bolt symbol on his chest, causing his red-and-yellow uniform to change entirely to black.

"How cool is this?" Kid-Flash asked, turning to M'gann with a smirk,

"Very impressive," M'gann smirked back before slowly lifting her hands and causing black ink to spread from her feet to her shoulders, changing her uniform entirely black, save for her dark blue cloak and a red X harness that crossed her chest and wrapped around her waist. Looking back at Kid-Flash, M'gann placed her hands on her hips and smirked at him as he stared at her with a small blush.

"Uh… That works too…" Kid-Flash replied with a grin; turning to Superboy, Kid-Flash quipped,

"Hey, Supey, it's not too late to put on the new stealth tech!"

"No capes, no tights, no offense," Superboy replied from where he stood, crossing his arms over his chest. As always, Superboy was wearing his simple dark blue pants and a black T-shirt with Superman's symbol blazoned in red on his chest.

"It totally works for you…" M'gann offered with a smile; as Superboy turned to her, she realized what she had just said and blushed before continuing quickly, "… In that, you can totally do good work in those clothes!"

Arcane snorted softly as M'gann's obvious crush once again made itself known; Superboy stared at M'gann silently for a moment before turning away, causing the girl's face to fall for a moment before she quickly pulled up her hood and disappeared.

A moment later, Arcane and the others all softly made their way to the ground and unbuckled their harnesses; Superboy decided to forgo using his harness and chose instead to just jump out of the ship, slamming into the ground with such force that his landing actually created a small crater.

"Knew, I didn't need a line," Superboy smirked as the others shook their heads.

"And yet, creating a seismic event may not have helped us much with the covert!" Robin complained from where he was sitting, his back against a nearby tree.

With a small smirk, M'gann raised her hand to her communicator and whispered into it,

"Kaldur, drop zone B is go."

"Head to the factory," Aqualad replied. "I'll track your GPS and rendezvous as soon as possible."

"Roger that!" Robin replied, bringing up the holographic screen on his gauntlet and looking at the map for a moment.

After a moment, Robin nodded and rushed forward, the rest of the team following close behind; as quickly and as silently as they could, the team blew through the forest toward their destination, carefully looking for anything that might be an ambush.

Suddenly, Superboy stopped and quickly looked around,

"Wait! Did you all hear that?"

"Uh… No?" Kid-Flash replied, looking around for a moment. "Wait, is this a super-hearing thing?"

"You do have great ears…" M'gann replied softly; unseen by all, Arcane was rolling his eyes at the girl.

"Okay, Rob, now what?" Kid-Flash asked, turning back to his friend, only to see that Robin had vanished, "Man, I hate it when he does that!"

From their communicators, the team heard Aqualad's voice call out,

"Superboy, Kid, switch to infrared! See if you're being tracked!"

Reaching up and pulling his goggles over his eyes, Kid-Flash watched as several heat signatures bloomed into life, coming right at them.

"Got a squad of armed bozos incoming," Kid-Flash called out softly, causing the team to quickly duck behind cover.

Superboy narrowed his eyes as he gazed at a spot not far away from the team, seeing more incoming heat signatures.

"Two squads," Superboy growled, "But they'll meet each other before they find us."

Superboy's words proved true moments later when shots rang out through the forest,

"No super hearing required now!" Kid-Flash snarked back as M'gann raised her hand to her mouth in shock.

"Swing wide, steer clear!" Aqualad's voice rang out from the team's communicators,

"Y-yeah, just as soon as I find Robin!" Kid-Flash called back, running into the forest and disappearing in an instant; activating his superspeed, Kid-Flash feverishly began searching for his best friend, only to slip in some mud seconds later and lose his footing. With a painful cry, Kid-Flash began to roll down the hill towards the gunfire, completely out of control; a moment later, Kid-Flash rolled directly into the middle of a battlefield, with Bane and his men on one side and a group of red-robed individuals on the other. As he lay groaning between the two fighting groups, they stopped their shooting and stared at the teenager in shock, caught off guard by the hero's sudden appearance.

Slowly raising his head with a groan, Kid-Flash looked around for a moment at the gaping faces before stating in a small voice,

"So much for the stealthy…"

Bane was the first to react. Growling in annoyance, he began to open fire on the teen hero. A moment later, Bane's men followed suit, causing Kid-Flash to jump to his feet with a cry and activate his superspeed as he tried to avoid being shot.

The red-robbed figures suddenly opened fire on Kid-Flash as well, temporarily forgetting their fight with Bane and his men as both sides tried to kill the hero; a moment later, Superboy burst from the forest, slamming his fist into Bane's face and sending the man slamming into a nearby tree, his rifle flying from his fingers.

As Bane's men continued to try to hit Kid-Flash, Robin suddenly dropped from above, knocking one thug out with a well-timed kick to the jaw. He then spun on his heel and delivered an uppercut to the second thug; both men slammed hard to the ground and were quickly rendered unconscious.

"What is wrong with you guys?" Robin called out. "Remember covert! Why didn't you follow my lead and vanish into the jungle?"

"That's what you were doing?" Kid-Flash demanded as he ripped a thug's rifle out of his hands and slammed the buttstock against the man's jaw, knocking him out, "Way to fill us in! We're not mind readers, you know!"

Two more of Bane's thugs suddenly slammed into a nearby tree, causing Robin and Kid-Flash to spin in place, only to see M'gann descending to the ground with her arms raised.

"Well… I'm not, anyway!" Kid-Flash added as he stared at M'gann,

"You told me I could only read the bad guys' minds!" M'gann countered,

"That is true, dude," Arcane added as he stepped out of the trees, a tentacle retracting back into his hand; not far away, a red-robed figure was lying against a large tree with what looked like a broken nose, "You did say that."

Kid-Flash rolled his eyes at that before taking a careful look around; it looked as though most of Bane's men had either been knocked unconscious or run away once they saw the fight was lost. Only two red-robed figures were lying on the ground, so the rest must have likewise fled the battle; a sudden cry of pain made the team look behind them, only to see Aqualad walking out of the forest a moment later, dragging a figure in red behind him.

"I recognize those uniforms," Robin said as he knelt down to examine the figure Aqualad was dragging, "They belong to the cult of the cobra."

"I am certain Batman would have mentioned it if he knew a dangerous extremist was running Santa Prisca's venom operation," Aqualad countered.

"Agreed," Robin nodded, "And since there's clearly no love lost between the cultists and those goons, I'm betting Cobra came in and tossed them out!"

"That would explain why normal supply lines have been cut off," M'gann added,

"Cool, mystery solved," Arcane replied dryly, "Can we go home, now?"

"Yeah, I can't believe I'm saying this, but I agree with Arcane," Kid-Flash added. "Mystery solved. Kobra wants superpowered cultists. Radio Bats and we'll be home in time for…"

"These cultists aren't on venom!" Robin said, cutting his friend off, "Kobra's hoarding the stuff! We don't leave until I know why!"

"Until YOU know why?" Kid-Flash retorted with a raised brow,

"This team needs a leader," Robin stated,

"Oh, and it's you?" Kid-Flash asked in annoyance, "Dude, you're a thirteen-year-old kid, who ducked out on us without a word!"

"And you're a mature fifteen?" Robin laughed condescendingly, "You blew our cover the first chance you got! Even Arcane's a better choice than you!"

Robin and Kid-Flash both looked over at the boy whose wide green eyes could be seen staring at the pair from beneath his hood; quickly raising his hands, Arcane hissed,

"Hey, don't drag me into this! I've no interest in this pissing match you two have got going."

Both heroes blushed at that, but none more so than M'gann, who was watching the confrontation with a sad expression on her face; turning to Superboy, M'gann asked,

"Don't you want to lead?"

Superboy quickly scoffed at that and shook his head in the negative,

"You?"

"Not really…" M'gann replied, her pride still sore after the lecture she had received from her uncle J'onn for participating in the rescue of Nightwing, "Not after the whole Joker debacle…"

"You did alright," Superboy replied warmly, causing M'gann to blush for a moment.

As Robin and Kid-Flash continued to argue, Superboy cocked his head to the side; Bane's men were having an intense argument in Spanish, telling the villain to cut his ropes and kill the heroes while the team was distracted. Bane quickly told his men to be silent, saying that he would use the team to 'get what he wanted, first.'

Superboy smirked at that, realizing that Bane didn't know that Superboy could not just hear them, but also understand them due to the language lessons that had been put into his head when he was a guest of CADMUS labs.

"Yeah? You don't even have superpowers!" Kid-Flash argued, bringing Superboy's focus back to the team.

"Neither does Batman!" Robin countered angrily, making Kid-Flash scoff,

"Dude, you're not Batman."

"Closest thing we've got, dude…" Robin growled back.

Shaking his head at the teenagers, Bane suddenly chuckled, making the team turn to him,

"Clever little ninos," Bane sneered. "But you only know half the story. How about you let me show you the rest? I'll get you into the factory via my secret entrance."

"There is a secret entrance," M'gann said, her hand pressed to the side of her head as she tried to read Bane's mind, "But he's also hiding something…"

M'gann's eyes suddenly began to glow as she increased the strength of her mind-reading abilities, trying to see what Bane was hiding from her.

"Ah, ah, ah, Chica," Bane chuckled, "Bane is not that easy."

"Ohh, he's mentally reciting football scores en Espanol," M'gann groaned as she pulled out of Bane's mind, "This could take a while."

"It's not complicated," Bane offered with a sinister smile. "The enemy of my enemy is my friend. You help me take back my island, and I'll get you inside the factory."

"I've got a better idea…" Arcane growled, making the others turn to him as he stalked forward, a tentacle slowly extending out of his hand and changing into a spear, "How about I just stick this into you repeatedly until you tell us what we want?"

"Whoa, hold up!" Kid-Flash said, grabbing Arcane's wrist as Bane's eyes widened, "We don't do that sort of thing!"

"Kid-Flash is right," Aqualad added, "That is a line too far."

"You think I care!" Arcane snarled, ripping his wrist out of Kid-Flash's grip, "This piece of crap is the reason Jump City is a smoking ruin! He was there! He was one of the people responsible for the deaths of all those innocent people! He killed Cassie!"

The team shared a sad look as Arcane shouted the last sentence, his voice echoing throughout the night. Slowly, Robin approached his friend and placed a calm hand on Arcane's shoulder.

"Arcane, I know how much you hate him, but Bane didn't kill Cassie. That was Grodd, and he's going to be executed for it. Killing Bane won't do anything but ensure that you end up in a cage just like the rest of the scum that attacked your home…"

With visible effort, Arcane willed the tentacle back into his hand before shaking off Robin's hand and storming away.

"Do whatever you want…"

Bane said nothing as he watched the boy walk away; it had only been for a moment, but Bane had seen it. Arcane had truly wanted to kill him and perhaps would have if he had been alone, without the team to stop him. Bane could well understand the boy's anger, yet it had been the first time he had ever seen a hero come that close to the edge; the only other hero Bane had seen give off the level of killing intent was Batman after Bane had nearly beaten Bruce Wayne's butler to death.

M'gann immediately followed after Arcane and wrapped her arm around his shoulder as she whispered something into his ear; while she was doing that, Robin and the others turned back to Bane,

"Here's the deal," Robin said. "You'll lead us to this secret entrance, but if you betray us, you'll be the first one I'm putting down. Got it?"

"Heh, heh," Bane chuckled, "Understood, nino…"

XXXX

Half an hour later, after walking for what seemed like miles, the team stood at the top of a cliff looking down at Bane's factory, where a flurry of activity was going on; pulling out a set of binoculars, Robin stared down at the factory with a critical eye. There were dozens of Kobra Cultists, some were armed and standing guard for the first sign that something was wrong; others were driving forklifts or pushing hand carts, upon which sat large crates filled with venom.

"Look at all that product!" Robin gasped. "A buy is going down! But if Kobra's not selling to the usual suspects, then…"

"We need to identify that buyer," Aqualad finished,

"Just what I was thinking," Kid-Flash quipped, making Robin chuckle,

"Yeah, you're the thinker."

"Sarcasm? Dude," Kid-Flash sneered, "A real leader would focus on getting answers."

While Robin and Kid-Flash were arguing, again, Bane approached a nearby rock and easily lifted it out of his way, revealing a hidden passageway behind it,

"Answers are this way," Bane smirked before walking inside.

"So, now El Luchador is our leader…" Kid-Flash scoffed as the team followed the masked villain inside the tunnel.

Quickly stepping up behind him, Arcane leaned in to whisper into Bane's ear so that no one else could hear,

"I know you're going to betray us at some point, I just want you to know that when you do, I'll be waiting…"

Unseen to Arcane, the coldness in the boy's voice actually made Bane swallow nervously as he kept walking.

"I didn't kill your friend, nino…" Bane whispered back, "Jump City meant nothing to me. It was strictly business."

"You killed innocent people," Arcane hissed back, for once grateful that Robin and Kid-Flash were too busy arguing to realize that Arcane and Bane were speaking to each other, "Destroyed the only home I've known and tore apart my family all for money!"

"That's all that matters in life, nino," Bane nodded back, "It didn't matter in the end, though. The bounty on your head was rescinded before any of us could collect. Perhaps next time, though…"

"There won't be a next time for you…" Arcane snarled, "Because the moment you turn on my team, that's the moment when you're mine. And I'll make it so that you can never hurt anyone again!"

"Arcane, is everything alright?" M'gann asked, seeing how close he and Bane had been for the last few minutes; at M'gann's voice, the others focused in on the boy as well, and Robin's eyes narrowed at how angry his friend looked. Slowly, unseen by all, Robin's hand lowered to his belt, just in case he needed to draw one of his birdarangs.

"Yeah…" Arcane mumbled as he fell back, taking his place beside M'gann again. "Yeah, everything's fine. I'm just making some things clear to our guide."

"You shouldn't let him get to you like that…" M'gann whispered back, "He's not worth it."

Arcane said nothing, just focused on Bane's back and continued to walk.

XXXX

An eternity later, the group finally approached a large, rusted metal door; stepping forward, Bane pressed his thumb onto a fingerprint scanner, which issued a shrill beep before the door slid away to reveal Bane's factory.

Robin was the first through and quickly looked around,

"All clear!" Robin hissed before he vanished around a large stack of metal barrels; as the team followed, they all issued a collective growl of annoyance as they lost sight of Robin.

"Has that little fool already been caught?" Bane spat,

"No," Aqualad sighed, "He just does that…"

"Stay put," Kid-Flash said as he pulled on his goggles, "I'll get our intel and be back before the Boy Wonder!"

"Wait, Kid!" Aqualad tried to say, but the speedster was gone a moment later, and Aqualad hissed in annoyance.

"Great chain of command…" Bane sneered contemptuously, causing the others to share a furious look of agreement.

Up in the control room, a Kobra cultist was typing away commands on the keyboard when a Birdarang impaled in the screen; a moment later, sleeping gas was released into the room, and the cultist's head slammed down onto the console as he passed out like a light.

Quickly shoving the cultist out of his chair, Robin began to furiously punch in commands as he tried to hack into the system.

Back on the ground floor, the other members of the team were watching as dozens of cultists loaded an uncountable number of boxes onto forklifts and dragged them out of the factory.

"It's a massive shipment," Aqualad observed,

"Yeah, but they're only taking new products off the line," Superboy added. "They're not touching this venom."

"Maybe freshness counts?" M'gann offered, causing Arcane to snort,

"Not likely, it's gotta be something else."

Suddenly, Superboy's head cocked to the side as he listened to something only he could hear,

"Helicopter's coming."

XXXX

Up in the control room, Robin had finally cracked the system and was downloading all the intel into the computer on his wrist gauntlet; a moment later, Kid-Flash zoomed into the room.

"What have you got?"

"Chemical formulas," Robin replied, "I'm guessing it involves venom, but…"

"This one's venom," Kid-Flash pointed out, pointing his free hand at the screen while he ate a granola bar from the other hand, "But that one's… Whoa. It's the Blockbuster formula from CADMUS. Mixed correctly, Kobra's new juice is three times stronger than venom… And permanent. But how did Kobra get access to project Blockbuster?"

"Our mystery buyer must also be Kobra's supplier!" Robin hypothesized, "Using the cult to create a Blockbuster venom super formula!"

Quickly raising his hand to his ear, Robin called out,

"Robin to Aqualad, we've got…" Static buzzing echoed in Robin's ear, causing the boy to grit his teeth in annoyance, "Static… They've jammed our comms."

XXXX

As the helicopter landed, the door slid open, and Sportsmaster stalked down the ramp, taking a contemptuous look around at the cultists surrounding him before making his way to their leader.

"Lord Kobra," Sportsmaster said in as much of a respectful voice as he could manage,

"Sportsmaster," Lord Kobra replied, staring at the man with distaste, "The shipment is ready."

A cultist stepped up to Sportsmaster and opened a small box that she held, showing several small vials filled with purple liquid. Sportsmaster carefully picked one up and gazed at it thoughtfully.

"The new Kobra venom?"

"A complete success," Lord Kobra replied, pointing toward the hulking monster behind him. "Our friends will not be disappointed."

Sportsmaster stared at the monster for a moment with a critical eye; the thing was nearly eight feet tall and was practically bulging with muscle, so much, in fact, that its skin was ripped open in several spots, showing the red muscle beneath. The only clue that this beast had ever been human was the red hair and sideburns that fell around the monster's face.

"This is a game changer," Sportsmaster breathed, "Finally, we can go mano-a-mano with the Justice League!"

Unseen by all, M'gann was silently and invisibly hovering over the pair, listening to every word with narrowed eyes.

"Aqualad, sending you a telepathic image of the buyer, now," M'gann said through the shared mind link she was currently sharing with her teammate.

Above the factory floor, Aqualad was seated on a catwalk, with his eyes closed as the image was sent from M'gann's head into his own; as the image passed into his mind, Aqualad's eyes opened with surprise,

"Sportsmaster? He is the buyer?" Aqualad asked as he turned to Superboy and Arcane.

"We have our answer," Arcane whispered, "Time to call in the cavalry!"

"Agreed," Aqualad replied, raising his hand to his ear, "Red Tornado, do you read me?"

Only static was Aqualad's reply, and he growled in annoyance, as he tried to reach Robin or Kid-Flash, only to fail as well.

"Ugh, can't reach the League, Robin, or Kid. They're jamming our communications; we need a plan now."

"I have a suggestion," Bane smirked before he jumped over the side of the catwalk to the surprise of the others; landing on the factory floor below, Bane quickly grabbed one of the cultist guards and snapped his neck before delivering an overpowered punch to the other shocked guard, which sent the man high into the air before crashing onto a wooden crate with a painful cry.

The other watching guards stared for only a minute before they raised their rifles and began to open fire, causing Bane to duck away to cover.

"What is he doing!" Aqualad demanded; before anyone could answer, though, a shadow appeared behind the glass window on the opposite side of the catwalk that the team was kneeling on. A moment later, a monster crashed through the glass and slammed its fists onto the catwalk, breaking it in two and sending the heroes crashing to the ground. As Arcane floated safe above the floor, he stared at the monster before him as a wave of recognition came over him,

"Mammoth…?"

"The monster growled for a moment before, to the surprise of all, it actually smiled,

"Been a long time, brat…" Mammoth growled, his voice far deeper than when last Arcane and he had met, "Look at you all grown up…"

"Oh Mammoth… What did you do to yourself?" Arcane asked in a sad voice,

"What you forced me to do!" Mammoth roared, "You took Jinx from me! You broke up my family! Now, with this body, I'll make you all pay!"

Arcane opened his mouth to respond, to tell the beast that he had the chance to join Jinx and had chosen instead to remain a villain, but before Arcane could say a single word, Lord Kobra entered the factory door and saw what was happening.

"Enough words! Destroy them!"

With a roar of rage, Mammoth barreled forward to crush Arcane, only for Superboy to appear from out of nowhere and slug the beast in the jaw, sending Mammoth crashing into the far wall.

"You want him; you gotta go through me first!" Superboy shouted as he rushed forward; Mammoth seemed only too happy to agree, quickly rising to his feet and running to meet Superboy's attack head-on.

While that was going on, Aqualad was forced to bring out his water bearers and transform them into a shield to protect himself from the bullets that were quickly being shot at him by the Kobra cultists; keeping one as a shield, Aqualad transformed the other into a water gun and began to fire pressurized bolts of water at the cultists, taking them out one by one.

Overhead, M'gann was using her telekinesis to lift cultists into the air and hurl them into the nearby walls and iron beams holding up the roof of the factory; unfortunately, Sportsmaster's uncannily gifted vision had spotted her, invisible though she was, and he hurled one of his javelins at the girl. M'gann stared in horror at the approaching weapon and quickly made herself intangible to avoid the weapon, only for it to explode as it passed by her, sending her crashing on top of one of the venom production vats.

Meanwhile, Arcane was trying to fend off six cultists on his own, his tentacles transforming into every weapon imaginable as he alternated between trying to avoid being shot and trying to even the odds as quickly as possible. One tentacle wrapped around the waist of a cultist and hurled him through a nearby window, while another tentacle transformed into a spear and embedded itself in a nearby cultist's leg, making the man scream in agony for a moment before another tentacle transformed into a bat and smashed into his face, knocking several teeth loose as the man fell to the ground unconscious.

A moment later, Arcane threw his arms into the air, making his cape billow as six tentacles burst from different parts of Arcane's body, transforming into large 'pillar-like' objects that slammed into six different cultists with such force that the men and women were hurled into the walls, leaving indentations as they slid to the ground unconscious.

Finally managing to fall back to cover, Aqualad sent out a mental message to M'gann,

"M'gann, comms are down; link us up!"

With a weary shake of her head, M'gann complied with the order, and the group all shook their heads in annoyance for a moment at the strange sensation.

"Everybody online?" M'gann asked, her voice echoing from within their skulls,

"Yeah…" Superboy sighed in resignation,

"You know it, beautiful!" Kid-Flash replied, causing Arcane to groan.

"Wally! Seriously not the time!"

"Good, we need to regroup," Aqualad stated,

"Busy now," M'gann replied brusquely as she made two cultists rise into the air and slam into one another before dropping lifelessly to the ground.

XXXX

As Robin dropped to the factory floor, he quickly took account of his surroundings, only for a voice behind him to make him turn,

"Batman must indeed be busy if he sends his whelp to task me," Lord Kobra sneered as he approached the boy.

"What's wrong, Koby?" Robin smirked, "You look disconcerted."

"This is beneath me," Lord Kobra sneered before turning to his companion, "Shimmer, take him."

With a smirk, the female villain charged towards the grinning boy, causing Robin to jump over her and ready himself into a fighting stance; before the fight could actually begin, however, Robin heard Aqualad's voice reverberate in his head,

"Robin, now!"

With a growl of annoyance, Robin pulled a small ball from his belt and threw it onto the ground, causing a flash of light to erupt that temporarily blinded both Lord Kobra and Shimmer; when the pair could see again, they both looked around in annoyance as they saw Robin had vanished.

XXXX

"We need to retreat!" Aqualad's voice echoed through the mind link, "Kid, clear a path!"

Quickly doing as he was told, Kid-Flash zoomed through the cultists, cutting a swath through them as the team followed back to the secret tunnel entrance Bane had shown them. Superboy was still fighting Mammoth at this point and growled angrily as the beast slammed his fist across the teen's jaw; grabbing Mammoth's arm, Superboy spun on the spot and threw the villain at the rapidly approaching cultists, creating a pile of angry, cursing bodies. As he followed behind, Arcane used his tentacles to pull down the large heavy wooden boxes, creating an avalanche of wood that made the cultists run back toward the factory entrance, lest they be crushed.

Once they were all in, Superboy quickly grabbed the metal door and shoved it closed; their relief lasted only a moment before Mammoth slammed into the metal door, ripping it completely off of the wall as the team ran (or in Arcane and M'gann's case, flew) down the darkened tunnel.

"Superboy, the support beams!" Aqualad shouted as the team rushed down the tunnel. Superboy immediately began to smash the wooden beams to bits as he raced past, Mammoth and half a dozen cultists following behind him. A moment later, the roof caved in, and an impenetrable wall of rock and dirt separated the team from their pursuers, giving the team a much-needed moment to breathe.

Quickly cracking open four light tubes, Robin threw them to the ground in disgust before kneeling to the ground with a look of shame on his face.

"How could my first mission as leader go so wrong…?" Robin lamented,

"You do have the most experience," Aqualad replied softly, "But perhaps that is exactly what has left you so unprepared. Fighting alongside Batman, your roles are defined, you do not need to talk. But this team is new and needs a leader who is clear and explicit. Above all, he cannot vanish and expect others to play parts in an unknown plan."

"Oh, so I'm supposed to hold everyone's hands!" Robin retorted with a groan, throwing his hands up and running them down his face before turning back to the team. "Who am I kidding? You should lead us, Kaldur. You're the only one who can."

"Please!" Kid-Flash scoffed, "I can run circles…"

"Wally, come on," Robin said, cutting his friend off, "You know he's the one, we all do…"

"Hello, Megan!" M'gann cried jovially, "It's so obvious!"

"Could have told ya," Superboy smirked,

"Well, I mean, he is the best option, I suppose…" Arcane smirked.

Aqualad looked at Kid-Flash for a moment before the speedster seemed to realize that everyone had made up their minds; with a smirk, the boy nodded at Aqualad,

"Okay."

"Then I accept the burden," Aqualad replied seriously as he approached Robin and placed a warm hand on the boy's shoulder, "Until you are ready to lift it from my shoulders. You were born to lead this team. Maybe not now, but soon."

Robin nodded at that, a small smile gracing his face; turning back to the team, Aqualad spoke in a much more serious tone,

"Alright, then, our first priority is to ensure that the shipment doesn't leave this island."

"Funny, I had the same idea," Robin joked, "That's why I sabotaged their helicopter."

Kid-Flash guffawed at that before quickly slapping Robin on the back while Aqualad nodded in approval.

"Good work, Robin. But we cannot hope that your efforts will stop them for long. We must make our way back to the factory and devise a plan to stop them for good."

Nodding as one, the team quickly made their way back to the tunnel entrance,

"Sportsmaster is the supplier/buyer, but it still doesn't track," Robin said as the team raced down the dark chamber, "He doesn't have the juice to acquire the Blockbuster formula or to get Kobra to do his dirty work!"

"And neither of them have the chops to bond the Blockbuster formula to venom," Kid-Flash added, "That took some major nerdage."

"I believe the expression is 'tip of the iceberg,'" Aqualad said softly as the team approached the tunnel entrance. They stopped when they saw that someone was already there.

"Halt ninos," Bane smirked, holding up his arm to show the team the detonator clutched in his fist, "I'm feeling explosive."

At Bane's words, the team looked up to see the glowing line of lights above their heads; one wrong move and the team would be buried alive under a literal mountain of rock and earth.

"You betrayed us!" Aqualad cried, "Why!"