I'm kinda on a roll in terms of editing this story. I've decided that I wanna edit the whole thing before posting the next chapter, which is almost completely written. I noticed a few things that can definitely be improved upon on in almost every single chapter. If I could get some feedback on what everyone thinks of the edits, that'd be great! Thanks for reading!

7/16/18

July 22nd

"Oi! Get up."

Dick groaned and pulled a pillow over his head. It muffled the sounds of footsteps and drawers being opened and closed. Why was Alfred in his room at this-

Oh.

That was right.

He was in London, hiding out in a safe house with the magical version of the Justice League, pretty much. Yay.

At least his life couldn't get any weirder. He was a superhero raised in a circus adopted by a billionaire who was apparently related to the Jesus of the wizarding world. Or at least it couldn't get any weirder in possible ways. Time travel, aliens replacing humans with themselves, Bruce having a kid, and resurrection being just a few examples.

"Are you up yet?" Ron demanded.

Dick groaned again and turned onto his back, blinking up at the red-haired blob above him. His eyes were sticky and refused to open all the way. He reached up and rubbed them hard until he was sure they were clear. Dick opened his eyes again and saw Ron standing above him, now clear instead of a blob. The teen didn't look particularly happy.

"So?" Ron asked.

"Yeah, I'm awake," Dick said, sitting up and stretching his arms until he heard a faint pop from the joints.

"Good. Mum said we have to clean," Ron said in clear disgust. "Well, you've got to go to Diagon Alley to get some supplies. She sent me up to make sure you have breakfast before you leave."

Dick hopped out of bed lightly. If there was one thing he was grateful for, it was Bruce's early-morning regimen. It made mornings much faster and efficient, being so used to waking up early and quickly. And he felt surprisingly well rested considering everything. He hadn't even had any nightmares, a common occurrence whenever he slept somewhere unfamiliar.

"What time is it?" he asked Ron. It was slightly irritating having to look up to be able to meet the teen's eyes.

"Almost 10 in the morning. Mum said we should let you sleep 'cause of the time difference and stuff. Said you'd probably been up forever. I tried to tell her you fell asleep before me," Ron added with a scowl.

Dick was getting seriously weird vibes from that kid. Yesterday he's been slightly rude at first, then nicer when asking about Dick's cellphone. Now he was being rude again. Dick didn't know what Ron's problem was, but it seemed to be more about the situation than him. Having to clean while the new kid got to go somewhere? That would probably be annoying.

"I don't get a lot of sleep normally." Dick shrugged. "I've kinda trained myself to take it where I can get it."

"That's nice," Ron muttered, clearly not thinking anything close to that.

Dick ignored him and started to dig through his bag. He'd leave it here when he went back to the Manor to save having to lug it around everywhere. He'd have to be sure that nothing… incriminating was anywhere someone might find it. After a moment more of digging, Dick pulled out a pair of jeans, t-shirt, and hoodie.

Ron left the room at some point while he was searching through his bag. It was a welcome reprieve from the teen's sullen attitude and glares. Also, just like the night before, he'd prefer if his scars stayed secret.

As soon as he shimmied into his clothes, he realized that he should probably do his morning stretches. It wasn't a rule or anything. He didn't have to do them, but he wanted to. It made him feel more connected to his circus roots. To his parents. Though they may not have been his biological ones, they would always be his real parents. The ones he'd remember every time he thought about being tucked in at night. The ones who taught him his first flip on the trapeze.

He took a cross-legged position on the bed he'd slept on and closed his eyes loosely. This was the easy part. Letting his body relax and his limbs take a position, he started. He didn't have to complete anything fast today, instead, he was able to take his time and enjoy the familiar burn that came from pushing his body to its limits and beyond.

Somewhere in the back of his mind and through the meditation-like haze, he heard the door open then close. He paid it no mind as the footsteps receded. Whoever it was had probably realized he was still in here and decided to leave him alone.

That was not the case, Dick realized a moment later as the footsteps returned, this time followed by heavier ones.

"Dick!"

That was Hermione. What did she need? Dick opened his eyes and grinned at her. Sirius was behind her. Both of them were looking at him like he'd grown a second head.

"Yeah?"

"Whatever happened? You look like someone's performed a Tangle Up Curse on you!" Hermione exclaimed. Behind her, Sirius had a wand aimed at Dick, no doubt to fix the 'Tangle Up Curse' Dick was being affected by.

Dick unfolded himself quickly and sat cross-legged on the bed. "I'm fine, guys. There's no curse or whatever on me."

Sirius' eyebrows shot up into his hairline at the sight of Dick untangling himself from, well, himself. He even looked slightly disgusted, heavy on the dis.

"That's an interesting display," he commented, face a shade of green.

"Oh, thank heavens! I was so worried when I came in and you were all tangled up. Ron's been in a foul mood all day and I got worried when you didn't come down right away," Hermione burst out. She almost looked tearful. Actually, she looked like she might cry at any moment. "Why were you doing that?"

"I was stretching," he said simply. "I like to do it every morning."

"How in Merlin's Pants did you learn to do that?" Sirius asked, green draining from his face now that he knew Dick wasn't injured or cursed. For some reason, Dick couldn't help but compare the look Sirius was giving him to a curious dog. Ha. Dog. Sirius, the Dog Star. Unintentional pun.

"No one important," he said lightly, lying through his teeth. His parents were certainly important people.

"So you're okay? No jinxes or hexes that need to be fixed?" Hermione asked, meanwhile, Sirius was eying his limbs warily as if they would start to twist around each other again.

"Nope," Dick said. "Completely fine."

"And it's normal for you to look like a pretzel while doing them?" Sirius asked jokingly, although there was some real concern in his eyes.

"Pretty normal," Dick confirmed.

"Then I'm going to go finish cooking since you're alright," Sirius warned. He left right after. There was still a fair amount of tension between him and Sirius, that much was obvious. Now that neither of them was being affected by emotions though, Dick held out hope they'd end up liking each other a bit more. So far they seemed to be on that path, what with Dick's random breakdown last night about his parents.

Dick was left alone with Hermione, who was biting her lip visibly and obviously holding back a plethora of questions. Dick appreciated that. It was nice that even though she wanted to ask them she was able to keep to herself. Too many entitled people thought they deserved to know his backstory, in real life and hero life.

Dick leaned over and grabbed his phone off the floor before settling back against the pillows on his bed and scrolling through all his new messages.

"Is that the new Wayne Phone?" Hermione asked.

He nodded absentmindedly and opened Wally's new messages.

You promised to call me today. Why haven't you?

Dude, where are you?

Are you going to answer me?

Heeelllooo? Dick?

Richard John Grayson, where are you?

Are you grounded?

Did Bruce take your phone?

Bruce, can you tell me if Dick's grounded?

The messages ended there and Dick was honestly impressed; Wally hadn't sent a million texts. A true feat. One that deserved a reward. Dick started to type a reply.

"How did you get one of those? They're not even out yet," Hermione said. She didn't sound jealous, just curious. Well, that was a nice change for Dick. Though if she was part of the whole magic world, how did she even know about phones? Ron certainly hadn't.

"Um, I kinda have an inside at the company."

Hermione looked curious but didn't say anything. Again, it was certainly nice to have someone who knew how to keep their mouth shut.

"Really? That's pretty amazing. Does that mean you live in Gotham City? That's where the branch developing the prototype is."

"Yeah, actually, that's where I live. It's pretty… different."

Oh, I forgot, you said you didn't grow up in America; where did you grow up?" she asked.

Dick finally finished his text to Wally and sent it: Tell you what's going on later. Now he was able to set the phone down and give his full attention to Hermione.

"I didn't really grow up anywhere, I guess. We moved all over until I was around nine."

"Wow! That's fantastic! What type of place did you live? Anywhere that stick out in your mind?" Hermione asked eagerly.

"Everywhere is the only way to describe it. I literally lived for a bit on every continent, well, except Antarctica. I do remember when I was five my parents and I visited the Tower of London and when I was seven we saw a few castles in Ireland. That's not all we saw, but I remember those trips the most. They weren't for work, so I guess that's why they stick out in my mind. My dad insisted on having me ride his shoulders 'cause I was so short he was afraid that they'd lose you."

Suddenly the scene appeared in his mind's eye. A smaller him getting scooped up and thrown on his dad's shoulders, laughing with his mom the whole time.

"They sound like lovely people, Dick. I'm sorry we're taking you away from them so much this summer," Hermione said kindly, placing a hand on his shoulder.

The spell was broken and the gloomy room was firmly back in place. He blinked the tears out of his eyes and smiled wistfully into the air.

"It's fine. There's nothing super important I'm missing," he said.

It wasn't like he was trying to keep secrets or anything. He just, he really didn't want to be pitied. He didn't want to have people worrying about him. He didn't want to have to explain what happened to them. He did need to keep it together. For his sake.

"Do you want to grab breakfast then?" Hermione asked. "It's nearly 10:30."

"Sure," he said, hopping off the bed and landing lightly on the floor. "Also, I was wondering what Diagon Alley is? Obviously an alley, I mean. What's so important about it though?"

Hermione stood up, moving in front of him, no doubt to lead him to the kitchen. If only she knew he'd already memorized the path there the night before.

"It's where you buy all your school supplies. Robes, a wand, books, and potion materials. You might even stop at the bank. It's called Gringotts and run by goblins," she informed him.

Dick frowned and furrowed his brows. "Why am I going there then? I already said I'm not going to Hogwarts."

Hermione looked back at him, face slightly red. "I think everyone's hoping you'll change your mind. Hogwarts is the best school for magic. And even if you decide not to, you will still need a wand."

Hermione's voice dropped away as they passed a thick red curtain. Dick opened his mouth to ask her a question but almost like she could sense him, she turned back and pressed a finger to her lips. Dick immediately tensed up.

"Sorry, I didn't want to wake up Sirius' mother," she said a few moments later. "As I was saying, you do need a wand and you will need to learn to use magic. Untrained witches and wizards are dangerous to themselves and others."

"I'm guessing they're going to want to teach me some magic while I'm here then? Take advantage of the situation and all that?" Dick guessed.

"That's what Dumbledore has planned with Professor McGonagall," Hermione said apologetically. "At least it'll be fun. Magic is amazing to learn and see."

"Yeah, I guess," Dick sighed.

Hermione opened her mouth, no doubt to add more, but then they arrived in the kitchen. It was empty except for Sirius and Ron, leaning against the counter and sitter and the table in that order.

Ron was eating a sandwich and Sirius was drinking something that smelled like coffee. They appeared to be in a deep conversation about… broomsticks?! What the heck. But whatever. Probably just another wizarding world thing he'd learn about later. That or all the stories of witches riding broomsticks had more of a basis in fact than he'd originally thought. Whatever the case, the coffee smelled amazing.

He made his way to the pot on the stove mechanically, leaving Hermione behind by the door. He didn't even bother greeting Sirius or Ron, and instead grabbed what looked like a clean mug and poured a large cup of the strong smelling liquid. He raised it to his lips and took a large gulp. Once he lowered the mug, he saw everyone looking at him.

"You drink coffee?" Sirius asked. "James and Lily always hated coffee."

"Well, I'm not either of them, am I? Besides, coffee is a good way to wake up fully." And a good way to keep yourself functioning after minimal hours of sleep, his brain supplied. After all the times he'd used it for that exact purpose though, he'd gotten used to a cup every morning.

"It's just, you're still a kid," Ron said, not unkindly, just pointing out.

"Really? I didn't know that, oh high and mighty adult." Ron turned red, so Dick was quick to add on: "I'm just kidding. Get traught."

"'Traught'?" Hermione asked. "I don't think that's a word."

Dick scoffed, then took another gulp of coffee. "It should be. I mean, think about it. Distraught is a word, so why isn't traught? Traught should be the opposite of distraught because there's no prefix. It's like overwhelmed and underwhelmed; why isn't anyone just whelmed?"

Sirius looked at Dick quizzically, and both Ron and Hermione seemed to be somewhere between amused and surprised.

"What made you come up with that idea?" Sirius asked. His whole face and body language screamed that he was trying not to laugh.

"Well, English is just a weird language," Dick huffed. "It makes sense when you think about it, especially compared to Romani. Prefixes work differently in other languages. English is the weird one."

"I've never heard of Romani," Hermione said with interest. "Do you speak it?"

He took one last gulp of the strong liquid and enjoyed the feeling of it going down his throat and warming his whole body. "Yeah, it's actually my first language. Definitely hard to learn English compared to it. And it makes sense you haven't heard of it. Romani is the Roma peoples' language."

"Wait, your first language wasn't English? But you don't have an accent," Ron said. "We met Krum, and he had the heaviest accent I've ever heard."

Dick smirked. "I mean, I learned English in America, and I live there, so it's not like I speak anything else that often."

"So you don't have any accent?"

"Ron!" Hermione scolded. "Be polite! Honestly."

"It's fine, Hermione," Dick assured her. "I worked hard to get an American accent. Kids in private school can be pretty discriminatory, especially when you're from a poorer family." He had the feeling that bit of information would get Ron to act a bit more civilly towards him.

Ron seemed to jerk in surprise. "Your family is poor?"

"Well, I always thought that we weren't poor in the important stuff, like happiness and fun. But yeah, we weren't what you'd consider 'rich'." He shrugged. It had never been a big deal before.

Ron was looking at him differently now. It made sense, Dick supposed. Ron seemed very much like the type of person who tends to judge people easily, but once he discovered something about that person that was important, he made his final decision about them, and that decision never changed. Hopefully, Dick's admittance caused that final decision. He'd really like to have some friends while he was stuck in London waiting to meet his brother.

Just because they were closer to becoming his friends didn't mean he was about to tell them anything else, like how he saw his parents were dead or that he got thrown in juvie after they died. That was the type of stuff he likes to keep to himself or only tell close friends like Wally. Sirius Black seemed to be the exception to the rule though. He'd only known the man for a few hours at most before spilling some of his life story.

"Why don't you eat some food, Dick? Kingsley is going to be bringing you to Diagon Alley 11:00 on the dot," Sirius said.

"Sounds good. What is there?" he asked brightly.

"Well, we have some treacle tart? Also pancakes. A few pieces of toast leftover. Might even-"

"Any cereal?" he interrupted Sirius.

Sirius gave him a strange look. "Yes?"

"May I have some of that? I don't really eat any at home. Bruce is always insisting on a healthy meal to start the day." He scrunched his face up in disgust. "I mean, eggs, vegetables, and juice are nice, but some sugary goodness is pretty great once in a while too."

While Sirius just raised an eyebrow and began to prepare a bowl of cereal, Hermione tilted her head and Ron simply stared at him.

"I think you may be the strangest person I've ever met," Ron said cheerily.

"Thanks… I think?"

"Oh, it's a compliment, trust me," Hermione assured him. "We're a strange lot, but you get used to us. I promise."

"Okay by me. And you can't be any stranger than some of my friends," he replied before digging into the cereal Sirius had placed in front of him. "Thanks!"

"Really?" Hermione asked incredulously. "How can anyone you know possibly beat magic?"

"It's a long story," Dick said. "A very long story. But… Wally is definitely weirder so far."

"I doubt it," Ron said, snorting a laugh.

"You haven't ever seen him eat," Dick said darkly.