CHAPTER 8:

SERENDIPITY

People thought that Rachel Roth was without emotion, even many of her teammates, save for a dry wit and irritation and annoyance at those who bothered her. In truth, she controlled her emotions. It didn't mean she couldn't enjoy things. Her enjoyment was merely more subtle, and her tastes were often tangential to that of mainstream society.

Tim Drake at least understood this, as did Bruce Wayne, aka the Batman. Which was why, after sleeping overnight at Wayne Manor, Rachel decided to explore Gotham. It had been some time since she was last here. And she could do some recon while Bruce Wayne slept. She left notifying Alfred and Constantine where she had gone, and had agreed to take a communicator with her, just in case. A little known fact about her was that her clothing was a construct made of her own shadow magic. If she wished, she could reconfigure the hooded cloak and leotard into jeans and a shirt, which she did. It meant she could pass with less comment than she would normally. She could also hide the gem on her forehead.

Her wanderings took her to Robinson Park, a known haunt of Ivy's, and she paused. She could sense the faint signature of recently-used magic in the air. At least as old as the prior evening.

She then realised someone was nearby, and she whirled to find Constantine there, smoking one of his foul cigarettes. "You followed me."

"Not exactly. If I followed you, or went with you, well, you're sixteen, I'm thirty-something, unshaven and wearing a trenchcoat, someone'd be calling me a paedophile before you can say 'Mad Hettie'. I went on my own little walk. I got here just after you did. You can feel it, can't you? Standard wizard magic. Versatile in many regards, but not as powerful as the stuff we're used to, not usually, anyway."

"Someone used privacy wards of some kind," Rachel said quietly.

"More than that. I think I know that scent. Sharp, almost like ozone…given that there's no scorch marks, it's not a lightning spell. I'm gonna go with Legilimency."

"Mind-reading?" Rachel mused with a frown. "But there's nothing suggesting any kind of struggle, so they went through it willingly." Intoning her mantra Azarath Metrion Zinthos quietly to herself, she checked the area with a spell to see who had been here recently. "Two Plant Elementals, a Metamorphagus, an Animagus, a werewolf, a witch, and two normal humans were here. It's too early to tell, but the Plant Elementals may have been Ivy and Potter."

"I'd bet money on the werewolf being Remus Lupin if that's the case," Constantine said. "I was in Slytherin. Technically, I was a Halfblood, but my father was a Squib, and my mother fell by the wayside after Hogwarts 'cause she was a Muggleborn. Anyway, I figured out he was a werewolf. I think that's why the Marauders got me kicked out, 'cause they thought I'd blab. Dumbledore threatened to throw me into Azkaban if I did blab. Lupin was a nice guy, though. He was the only one in the Marauders not to automatically assume Slytherins were evil or Death Eaters on the make."

"As fascinating as it is to hear about your personal history, Constantine, we need to see if we can find them," Rachel said, a little acidly. "The two normal humans…perhaps Harley Quinn and Selina Kyle. Those two are known to associate with Poison Ivy. Though I'm not sure I can call Quinn at all normal."

Constantine nodded. "Well, we'll split up. I'll go and check out Kovurt Alley. According to Zatanna, that's Gotham's main magical enclave. You keep having a look around. See if you can use your powers to figure out the rough general location of where they are. Even with the Fidelius in place, you might be able to find traces to narrow down where they are. If trouble happens, get back to base." He then walked away, the awful smell of that bloody cigarette lingering like some sort of mephitic ghost.

Rachel sighed, before she gently intoned her mantra. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos," she murmured. She focused her magic, before using it to try and find whether any Plant Elementals were nearby. She blinked, realising that one was elsewhere in the park. Very close, too.

Should she confront whoever it was? No, not if it was potentially Ivy. Just in case things went south, anyway. She was about to use a spell to do some surveillance on them when she felt two magical signatures suddenly appear close to the Plant Elemental. And the malice she could feel from them…they clearly were up to no good.

Given that she had told Batman she intended to mitigate any magical battles in Gotham, she decided to get there as soon as possible. It might be dangerous, but she had faced worse than a pair of belligerent wizards. After all, inner demons should not be as literal as Rachel had. She therefore shifted her clothes into her standard outfit, and then shifted into a raven form, making haste as she did so.


Harry needed to go for a walk to clear his head. His mother only let him do so after giving him a Portkey in a ring. The events of the last day or so had proven to be a little much for him, and understandably so. He was glad Hermione had taken it as well as she had, that his mother was Poison bloody Ivy. Then again, maybe it was because her uncle was the Riddler. That explained a lot.

The only thing he was sure of in this situation was that he could use his mother's help to help train himself up to fight Voldemort. And Dumbledore, if need be. Which was why he had come back to Robinson Park, trying to find a quiet, isolated area to think. Sadly, he didn't realise he was being followed until it was too late.

"Stupefy." Harry whirled at the too-familiar voice, only to find that he wasn't alone. Two wizards, one he recognised as Lucius Malfoy, the other as Walden Macnair, the man who had intended to kill Buckbeak, were standing there, their wands at the ready, just near a wall overgrown with vines. But they were staring in shock at a third person, who even now was holding a red ball of energy in her hand, surrounding by a strange darkness.

The person was wearing a hooded cloak, dark blue in colour. And judging by the slender arm, it was a girl about his age. Though the grey skin was a bit odd. "He's not accepting gifts at the moment," the girl snarked in a voice that, while about his age, had a world-weary edge that made it sound much older.

"You dare interfere with Ministry business? Potter is a dangerous creature and a fugitive," Malfoy snarled.

"One, this is the United States. The authority here is the Magical Congress, not the Ministry of Magic. Two, neither of you are Aurors to my knowledge. Three, I can sense your malice a mile away, not to mention your little tattoos."

Macnair sneered. "Don't interfere if you know what's good for you, you half-breed slut. Yeah, I know you. That little bitch who was sired by Trigon the Terrible, the one running around with those Muggles."

"Said Muggles could hospitalise you. I won't be so merciful if you don't leave," the girl said.

Harry began drawing on his powers as Malfoy raised his wand. "You have been warned, girl!" But even as he prepared to unleash a spell, Harry caused the vines on the nearby wall to lash out and grab him. Malfoy swore as the vines pulled him to the wall.

Macnair snarled, and fired off a Stunner spell, only for the girl to swat it away, and then send him flying with a blast of dark energy that seemed to cause him to briefly flare from positive to negative. "You bore me," the girl said. "Isn't the definition of madness repetition and expecting a different result?"

"No, I think around here, it's the Joker," Harry snarked.

"True enough," the girl said.

Malfoy glared at Harry, before he vanished with a pop. So too did Macnair, though he looked to be wincing in pain as he did so. "Thanks anyway," Harry said.

"You're welcome," the girl said, turning to face Harry. Now that he had a good look at her from the front, he realised that she looked familiar. The hood obscured most of her face, leaving only her purple eyes to glint from within the shadows, appraising him. Her mouth was visible, with something between a pensive look and a mild scowl touching her lips. Her cape was draped around herself, but he saw that she wore a black leotard underneath.

"Wait a moment…aren't you the Raven, one of the Teen Titans?" Harry asked, blinking. "I didn't think you operated in Gotham."

"Your powers of observation do you credit. I don't do autographs," Raven snarked. "And you are Harry Potter, known by that asinine nickname of the Boy Who Lived. I didn't think you operated in Gotham, or do autographs, either."

After a moment, and deciding he hadn't been insulted much, Harry said, "Yeah, I don't. Last one I did was for Colin Creevey. What're you doing in Gotham, then?"

Raven looked at him oddly, before she said, "The Batman's heard about your mother being Ivy, and he wanted mages to help him out in case Voldemort decided to act. I happened to be investigating the park when I sensed your presence, and those of the two Death Eaters."

"And you decided to help," Harry said flatly. "Knowing that my mother is Poison Ivy."

"You're not Poison Ivy. And despite the excremental rubbish The Daily Prophet prints, I doubt you're a delusional madman or a villain. Though I have to ask, are you really a Parselmouth?"

"Yes. Why?"

"I was just curious. The idiots in Britain forget that Paracelsus was a benign Parselmouth(1). I personally think it interesting. Besides, you're not the only one looked askance at for your parentage."

"You mean Trigon the Terrible?" Harry didn't actually know much about Raven's background. He had seen images of her, though: Dudley's room was plastered with posters of various superheroes, especially the female ones. "Who's that?" He then winced when he realised how tactless it was. Like, Ronald Weasley level of tactlessness.

Raven, however, merely looked at him stoically, before saying, "Let's just say that he makes Voldemort look like a kitten. Those idiots called me a half-breed. He's a demon, one of the most evil and powerful of them all."

After a moment, after hearing all that, Harry could only do one thing. He gently hugged the Teen Titan, who recoiled slightly. "You're hugging me," Raven said, partly annoyed, and partly surprised.

"Sorry, you don't look like you've had enough of those," Harry said quietly. "I know I haven't."

"Well, please stop. I don't do hugs."

"Oh, sorry," Harry said. He noticed that her hood had fallen down, revealing a pretty face framed by a bob of dark purple hair, a red gem adorning her forehead. "You're pretty without the hood, you know."

"Thanks," Raven said, blushing slightly as she put it back up, "but I don't do flirting any more than I do hugging. I take compliments where I can get them, though."

Harry shrugged, before asking, "You're not going to take me away from Ivy, are you? You or the Batman?"

"Not at the moment. Given that her memories of being Lily Potter have been restored, we're taking a wait and see approach, though the Batman intends to make contact with your mother."

"Well, if he does, tell her to call her Lily Evans. Not Potter. She's got issues about my father. As in she might react badly."

"Very well. Amortentia is pretty nasty when used to secure a relationship. I'll let him know."

"All right. And thanks again for helping me out."

"Again, you're welcome," Raven said. Her cloak and the leotard she wore underneath it shimmered and rippled, until it became a pair of dark jeans and a shirt, white gothic lettering spelling out NEVERMORE, on a black background. The jewel on her forehead faded away. "Your skills are not too bad yourself, given that you only just learned what you are. You'll have to train them more, though, given what's coming. Be seeing you." She then walked away, leaving Harry bemused.

His first encounter with a superhero. And it had gone better than he thought. At least she had helped him out, and had been honest with him. More than many of his so-called friends and allies had been, though at least Hermione, Sirius, and Remus had apologised. Oh, and Raven was a looker. Okay, she was weird-looking with the grey skin and the purple hair and eyes, but even so…

Well, someone like that would be beyond his reach. He was just Harry Potter. And all that overblown hype of the Boy Who Lived aside, he was no superhero. Anyway, who would accept him as one with Poison Ivy as a mother?


A man walked out of Arkham Asylum, whistling a cheerful little tune. Namely, Do You Believe in Magic?, by the Lovin' Spoonful(2). Ah, magic. How he had missed it. And while he wanted to cause quite a bit of chaos breaking out, it was funnier to make them think he was still in his cell, and THEN cause chaos and mayhem when they least expected it. After all, the best pranks were those that weren't expected. Some furniture took some tricky Transfiguration to turn into a breathing, sleeping body. The guards wouldn't notice anything amiss at first, and then, they'd think he was in a coma.

Ah, his old teacher would be proud of his prowess. Though she wouldn't be proud of much else he had done. Well, she was a dried-up old turd anyway. Always so serious and humourless, making the Bat look positively mirthful by comparison.

Still, magic explained so much, like how he had managed to escape all those situations that he nearly died from. Apparition, he wagered, from magic surging forth when he was on the verge of dying. But now, the magic had come back. And with them, memories of a life he had left far behind.

To tell the truth, he didn't like having a definitive past. As he once told the Batman, if he had a say in what his past was like, he would have preferred it to be multiple choice. He didn't like being tied down and defined by a single past. He preferred the past to be misty, elusive, where one moment, he was a failed comedian who had a really bad day, and another, he was a former gangster who had a rather memorable encounter with the Batman. But now, it spoiled things. To one degree, at least.

But to another, well, it was refreshing in a way. It explained so much. Like why he hated that Ivy bitch (or redheads in general: there was another reason he shot and crippled Commissioner Gordon's little slut). Why he enjoyed jokes and pranks, even those that killed people. Why he hated the dark and brooding types, who looked more like gargoyles than men.

The Joker chuckled softly to himself as he skipped away from Arkham Asylum. This, he thought to himself, was going to be FUN…

CHAPTER 8 ANNOTATIONS:

Well, Harry and Raven have met (and have successfully avoided the whole 'let's you and him fight' thing heroes do when they first meet up), and the Joker's hiding a secret. Yes, I know a lot of you have been or are going to be putting two and two together, given the hints I've been dropping. This is something I've had in mind for a few chapters. It'll be controversial, but it fits in this story. It was one of those ideas that I knew would work, in my mind, anyway.

Review-answering time! (Holy shit, over 100 reviews already from just 3 postings!) Andren: In this story at least, James was worse than Sirius. James only stopped Snape from being mauled by Remus because he got cold feet and didn't want to get expelled, with Remus' possible execution being a secondary concern.

Blaze1992: I don't do harem fics (Henry Ashford and the Goblet of Fire being the only exception to date). Harry's powers will be similar to Ivy's, but I haven't thought of any actual differences yet. Harry will be Light or Grey, but not Dark, or at least not evil. And no, no Marvel elements will be making appearance.

BadLuckRabbit: He's not going to be happy, but otherwise will make little of it. He's more angry with whoever defaced his parents' memorial plaque in Crime Alley…

Guest: (Regarding their story idea) I do not take ideas or suggestions, as people who actually bother to read my profile would know (sadly, they never do). And there's already a few stories where the Joker adopts Harry. And James is far more bashable than Lily.

Star Mage1: On innocents, probably. She'll still use them to get her way, but not to actually do anything beyond, say, getting them to unlock doors or drop their weapons. She certainly won't use her pheromones to seduce anyone.

1. According to the Harry Potter wiki, Paracelsus (Philippus von Hohenheim) was a benign Parselmouth, or at least it's implied, as he's not stated to be a dark wizard.

2. Given Joker's discovery of his magic, and the fact that this song was used to great effect in the Team Fortress 2 promo video Meet the Pyro, I thought this was the perfect song for Joker to be whistling.