Note: Injustice Gods Among Us!AU, Superhero!AU, Hero!AU

Penelope left the diner where she worked and tightened the belt secured around her coat. The wind was harsh tonight, and she knew that it was only going to get worse as the stars continued to appear in the darkness of the night sky.

She hated working the night shift, especially with the curfew that Boy Wonder had in placed. Ever since his wife, Ginny, was killed by that sadistic Riddle Man using Boy Wonder, the hero had become a tyrant.

He killed Riddle Man, along with some of Boy Wonder's own closest companions. The Tricksters, Vine Boy, Green Knight... they were all gone by the hands of Boy Wonder because they didn't agree with his new methods.

It was a message to anyone who opposed him. Penelope was a mere human; what chance would she have to go against a metahuman?

Inwardly, she hoped that the Insurgency that was rumored to be created was going to take him down. If they were real, of course.

So wrapped up in her thoughts, Penelope didn't notice the shadows swarming around her. A light breeze brushed against her arm, and she looked around. A flash of light came towards her, so Penelope covered her eyes and screamed.

Some of Riddle Man's henchmen didn't get the memo when it came to leaving things alone while their leader was dead.

Penelope was preparing for the worst when a strong force struck her on the back of the head. The only thing she was aware of before her world turned dark was the shadowy figure of a monster and a flash of red and yellow.

When Penelope opened her eyes, she had to squint as a light blinded her. She placed a hand on her head and groaned. "I dreamed a strange dream," Penelope said to herself in a soft tone. "I was about to die and something red and yellow came…"

Except as Penelope gathered her surroundings, her dream was soon becoming a reality. In front of her was Ron Weasley donning a yellow and red suit.

Ron gave her a sheepish grin and scratched the back of his head. "H-Hi Penelope. Bet you weren't expecting to see me."

Penelope was at a loss for words; she was conflicted on how to feel. Should she feel foolish for not figuring it out sooner? Should she feel astonished that this place actually exists, and she was standing in it?

Appearing that she had some form of a clue was necessary, however, she rubbed her temple to play off the moment of silence. "Hello, Captain–excuse me–Ron," she said finally. "I apologize. I must have hit my head harder than I thought."

He opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by a door opening. The loud steps reached Penelope's ears as she prepared to stand whatever ground she had left.

"You were supposed to be back over an hour ago!" came the voice. "What on Earth could you possibly have–"

Penelope looked on to see the tall, red-headed man that resembled Ron with a thunderous look on his face. "Percy…" she trailed off. "You're the Hood?"

His fists clenched as he looked sharply at Ron, who was looking anywhere but at Percy.

"On the upside I'm still alive, so, uh, go team!" Ron said with a fist pumped in the air.

The glare that Percy was giving him made the boy slowly set his fist down and look away with a blush on his cheeks. With a grunt, Percy stormed away. Penelope could hear him mumbling under his breath, but couldn't make out the words.

"Does he always do that?" Penelope asked aloud.

Ron snorted from his spot. "You should see him on a bad night."

"This was a good night?"

"Heh, sorta…"

Penelope shook her head and rubbed her hands. "I never did get around to saying thank you, did I?" she asked.

Ron chuckled nervously while scratching the back of his head while Penelope moved to kiss his cheek. After she did so, Ron's cheeks and ears were nearly the same color as his hair.

"I should...I should get you out of here before Percy chews me out again. His attention is away from you for now, but I don't know how long that's going to be," he explained.

Before Penelope could respond, there was more thunderous boot sounds approaching. With a panicked look, Ron rushed to get Penelope out of the hangar that she deduced to being their base of operations.

So much was swimming in her head, and all of which could only get worse because every answer opened more questions.

She knew that she couldn't get all the answers now, but after getting home safely, Penelope would figure out a way to get in touch with Ron again. He would be the key to getting the answers, and hopefully the vigilantes were figuring something out to get the city away from Boy Wonder.

A/N: Written for The Houses Competition and HSWW (Challenges and Assignments)

(THC) House: Hufflepuff; Year/Position: HoH; Category: Short; Prompt: [Speech] "I never did get around to saying thank you, did I?"

(HSWW) Assignment #8 Gardening Task 1: Opium Poppy - The opium extracted from the poppy usually is a controlled drug and has strong sedative properties. Write about someone being put to sleep forcefully, such as being knocked unconscious or drugged.

Insane House Challenge: Trope - Damsel in Distress

Book of the Month: Czernobog - (word) darkness, (action) rescuing someone, (dialogue) "I dreamed a strange dream."

Count Your Buttons: (AU) Game

Ami's Audio Admiration: The Dark - Word: Vigilante

Sophie's Shelf: Settings at Night - set your story during the night

TV Show of the Month: Anwar Kharral: (character) Ron, (color) yellow, (trope) sidekick

Lo's Lowdown: Bonus - Superhero!AU

TV Addicts: Supernatural - (dialogue) "On the upside, I'm still alive, so, uh, go team!" (relationship) brothers, (word) monster

Jelly Bean Challenge: Orange - Ron Weasley

Word Count: 826