Chapter 14:

When the three of them got back to Gotham Harry said his goodbyes to his dad, and went home with his mom. His parents had arranged a schedule for custody over the summer. He would be spending alternating weeks with his parents.

At home with his mom he shared the conversation he had with Dumbledore about Voldemort. She was worried about Voldemort targeting him but decided to hold off further discussions for when Dumbledore came to put up the wards.

"For now let's not even think of Voldemort. You're home for the summer. It has been ages since I've gotten to work with you on any new projects or hear any of your new ideas," Ivy smiled warmly at him.

"Are you working on anything new?" Harry asked eagerly.

"I am looking into the usefulness of acquiring the Hura crepitans or the sandbox tree," his mom's green eyes sparkled.

"That's the tree that's covered with pointed spines and has exploding fruit right? They can grow to be 200 feet tall, and the seeds from the fruit can be launched up to 160 miles per hour," Harry enthused.

"I thought it might be interesting to see what would happen if we alter it a bit," Ivy smirked.

Harry grinned back and shared, "I've done a little work with the pitcher plants while I was at Hogwarts. Maybe we could look into doing a bit more with them, and the liquid they produce to lull their prey."

"I think that is a wonderful idea. I can't wait for you to show me what you've gotten so far. It's so nice to have you back, my little sprout," she pulled him close to her side.

"It's good to be back," Harry agreed.

Harry spent the week with his mom. The two of them spent some much needed time in the greenhouse together catching up with one another.

On Monday he got in touch with Alfred to begin his week at Wayne Manor. He was eager to see Dick and Alfred, and to talk with his dad. He hadn't gotten a chance to really talk to him when he picked him up from Hogwarts. The three of them had taken a port key home, and once back in Gotham they had said their goodbyes. Harry returned home with Ivy, and Bruce went back to his manor.

"How are you, Master Harry?" Alfred sent him a small warm smile as Harry climbed into the backseat of the car.

"I'm good, Alfred. Hogwarts was awesome," Harry enthused, and began to tell the butler a few highlights from the second half of his school year.

The two of them caught up the entire way to the manor. Bruce and Dick had gotten caught up on their way home from some event they'd gone to. They still weren't in the manor by the time Harry and Alfred arrived. Harry didn't mind as it allowed him to settle in, and spend some time on his own in the greenhouse he kept at Wayne Manor. Alfred had done a pretty good job of watching over his plants while he was away.

"How did the rest of your year go?" Bruce asked as all of them sat down to dinner that evening.

"No more trolls, right?" Dick grinned.

"It was mostly uneventful," Harry took a bite of the pasta dish Alfred had made. It was some sort of mushroom sauce that was delicious.

"Mostly uneventful?" Dick's eyebrows waggled.

"Yup," Harry nodded.

"That doesn't sound too reassuring," his father's ice blue eyes narrowed at him.

"It's nothing too interesting but I mean it's still a magical school and all. So things happen that probably wouldn't normally happen at a non-magical school. You know with the ghosts, moving staircases, and ancient magical castle. I did end up being ranked second overall in my class. Hermione barely beat me but that's only because she actually pays attention in History of Magic," Harry changed the subject.

"And you don't?" his dad lifted a brow at him.

"The professor is a ghost, Dad, which sounds exciting but he is actually the most boring teacher I've ever had. I have to pinch myself to stay awake," Harry lamented.

"A boring ghost," Dick shook his head in disbelief.

He thought about telling them about what had happened with Voldemort in the forest. But as non-magicals they couldn't do anything about it. Harry didn't want to worry them unnecessarily when it was a situation that was beyond their control. It was something that Harry would figure out with his mother's help.

The rest of the week passed in what had become his normal routine at Wayne Manor. The only news Dick seemed to have from their time apart was that he had made a new friend on a trip to Central City.

"What kind of name is Wally?" Harry asked.

The two of them were in the gym. Dick had been practicing with the rings. Harry still didn't know how the other boy did it. But he figured he'd grown up practicing those skills. It was still incredibly impressive to watch.

"What kind of name is Neville? Or Hermione?" Dick countered.

"Wizards have weird names," Harry argued.

"That Draco Malfoy kid sounds as awful as his name," Dick dropped from the rings to take a seat by Harry on the bench.

"Oh, he is," Harry grumbled. "So what's Wally like?"

"He's pretty cool. He's a year older than me. He talks really fast and likes to eat. A lot. But we have quite a bit in common. I met him when I went with Bruce on a business trip to Central City," Dick answered.

"Look at us making friends," Harry grinned.

Dick chuckled. "We're regular socialites."

Harry grinned back. "Want to play a game of basketball? I figure it's been a while since I've kicked your butt."

"Oh, you're going down."

Their rambunctious game eventually drew in Bruce, and the three of started up a game.

While they played Harry came to a realization that more than a year had passed since meeting his dad and Dick. Harry was surprisingly grateful that Batman had forced the meeting on him.

On the third week of his summer vacation, Dumbledore finally made his arrival to their island to reestablish the blood wards. It took him nearly an hour to craft them, and afterwards the old wizard looked quite exhausted.

His mom made Dumbledore some tea, and the three of them sat down in the living room to chat while Dumbledore recuperated from crafting the blood wards. Ivy took the opportunity to grill him about Voldemort. But unfortunately the headmaster hadn't been successful in discovering Voldemort's location. The headmaster believed Voldemort had gone off to lick his wounds in some secret and protected location after being forcibly ejected from Quirrell's body.

Just as Dumbledore predicted the Ministry wouldn't hear of Voldemort being back even when Dumbledore only made tentative inquiries.

"What will you do then? How can you ensure Harry's protection if the Ministry refuses to do anything?" his mom demanded.

"I have gotten some of my old friends working on the matter. I myself will do what I can to search for Voldemort. However, until I have proof I'm afraid the Ministry won't be inclined to believe me. The safest places for Harry will be your home and Hogwarts."

"The wards around Hogwarts didn't seem to stop him from slipping past you this year," Ivy pointed out.

"No, I'm afraid not. I never considered Voldemort might be capable of possessing the body of another, or that he would be able to conceal himself using the wards in Quirrell's turban. However, now I am prepared. I have adjusted the wards of Hogwarts accordingly," Dumbledore promised.

"What about Ilvermorny? Surely they must have wards," his mom questioned.

Harry shifted uncomfortably. He didn't want to go to Ilvermorny. Harry liked Hogwarts. He liked his friends and classes, and he didn't think it would matter if he went to a different school. Voldemort was determined to come after him for unknown reasons even after Harry swore he hadn't done anything to him. The dark wizard had still wanted him dead, and Harry couldn't deny the feeling was sort of mutual. The dark wizard had murdered his aunt and uncle. The people who had taken him in and loved him as if he were there own child. They had died to protect him.

"They do have powerful wards. However, they are not as powerful as Hogwarts simply because Ilvermorny is nowhere close to being as ancient as Hogwarts. It simply hasn't had the time to layer the amount of protective wards as Hogwarts has because it is a newer institution," Dumbledore answered.

His mom frowned, clearly conflicted. "Lily always did go on about how wonderful Hogwarts was."

"I will also be more vigilant now that I am aware Voldemort still exists on this mortal coil," Dumbledore swore.

Ivy nodded slowly. "At the slightest hint of trouble I will bring him home."

"I understand," Dumbledore nodded solemnly.

"I believe Bruce was curious about the potential for wards around his own home," Ivy changed the subject.

"Yes, he did mention it. I am still weighing what the best wards would be," Dumbledore stroked his beard. "Of course anything we end up using won't be as powerful as the blood wards or Hogwarts. However, I will find the most formidable wards I can."

"I'll let Bruce know, and I'm sure he'll get in touch with you to set up a time to construct the wards as soon as you find them," his mom murmured.

"I will make it a priority to make myself available to stop by," Dumbledore said his goodbyes shortly after.

"I think this calls for a distraction, don't you?" his mom lifted a brow at him.

"What kind of distraction?"

"Collect your sundew. I have just the thing for us to do," Ivy smirked.

Harry grinned back.

The next night Harry was grinning down at the chaos going on below him.

He and his mom were watching from their position on top of the colossal plum colored flower his mom had developed with a bit of inspiration from the sandbox tree. Of course it only looked like a flower when its petals were closed. Much like Chloris when the petals peeled themselves away it would reveal a large mouth with serrated saw-like teeth. The flower's stem had been augmented to have massive tendrils of sundew rippling from it along with vicious looking thorns like the sandbox tree. It had thick vines at the bottom acting as legs. From its mouth it could produce coconut sized seedpods that when dropped exploded it hundreds of needle-sharp thorns.

Harry had named her Gladys.

The plant's tendrils were wrapping around and systematically destroying the polluting factory in front of them.

It was just what Harry needed to forget all about Voldemort.

Harry had made sure there wasn't anyone left inside before launching the attack on the factory. His mom had given him full control of the giant flower to smash and destroy as he much as he wanted to. Harry was half way through smashing the entire building when the GCPD decided to show up. They had surrounded the area but so far had made no move to try and stop them. The police were most likely waiting for Batman and Robin to show up as stopping a giant flower was a bit out of their wheelhouse.

But his mom and he had planned for this. Harley had let them know when the Joker was going to try and release a canister of Joker Gas into City Hall while the Mayor and the other selectmen were in attendance. Batman and Robin would have their hands tied up so Harry and Ivy wouldn't have to worry about them coming after them.

Harry was free to enjoy himself.

It had been ages since he'd been out as Deadly Nightshade, and Harry had missed it. He had been too wrapped up with magic and Hogwarts. Harry had forgotten just how much fun it could be.

They finished demolishing the factory without any incident. The police made a halfhearted attempt to stop them a couple of times. But they couldn't exactly stop a fifty-foot flower with vines that were covered in a sticky sap, thorns, and exploding thorn pods without taking extreme measures. The GCPD simply didn't have the capabilities or resources to do such a thing.

Their rampage went unhindered, and they were able to make it safely home without running into the Dynamic Duo.

Thus began a series of attacks on the various factories within Gotham with Gladys's help. Harry planned and enacted three different raids as summer went on. Batman and his sidekick surprisingly didn't show up to any of them. The raids reminded him of what he enjoyed about being Deadly Nightshade. It made him remember what he loved so much about Gotham.

He was surprised that none of the residents of Wayne Manor brought up his nightly activities. The events that Harry and his mom had gotten up to had all been all over the news so they had to know about it. But his dad, Dick, and Alfred acted like they weren't even happening. It was a bit of relief but also left Harry feeling a bit anxious. He knew the evitable discussion would lead to a fight, and Harry almost just wanted to get it all over with.

How could the discussion not lead to a fight? His dad couldn't exactly be thrilled that his son was running around as a villain, destroying parts of Gotham. Bruce couldn't possibly want him to continue doing what he was doing. But Harry wouldn't stop, and he wasn't sure what that would do his and his father's relationship.

/

"Hey, B."

Batman didn't deign to give the lean man in the full red body suit a response, and simply chose to glare at the Flash over his shoulder instead. He was currently in the monitor room in the Watchtower. The Dark Knight had come for a meeting with the other founders of the Justice League. They held them periodically to check in with one another and apprise one another on what was going on in their separate corners of the world.

They were waiting on Clark who was late since he'd stopped to help out with a flood on his way to the Watchtower. Batman had decided to be productive while they waited, and had set himself up in front of the multitude of monitors to observe the current events.

"I'm really glad that the boys have been able to spend some time with each other, and that they get along so well. It's been really good for Wally. I think Wally really needed someone his age he could relate to about all of this. I've been able to help him learn how to control his powers but Robin's been able to teach Wally a lot of things I never even thought to tell him about," Barry continued not recognizing that Gotham's dark protector wanted to be left alone at the moment.

"Kid Flash has a lot to learn," Batman stated.

The new Kid Flash was reckless, and had no idea what he was doing. He knew Dick would be a good influence on the older boy, and perhaps keep the other boy from making a serious mistake.

"Right, yeah I know," Barry awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck.

Suddenly an alert had Batman's full attention returning to the monitors. It was the alert for Gotham. He nearly sighed aloud when he saw it was Ivy and Harry again. They were once more dismantling another of Gotham's factories. It was the fourth one this month, and it was really becoming a problem.

Once more he was uncharacteristically uncertain how to proceed when it came to matters of his son. He couldn't decide on what to do about this sudden string of attacks the two of them had been carrying out. Batman had put off talking to Harry about his villainous activities while his son was attending Hogwarts. The Cape Crusader had yet to approach his son now that it was summer. He always seemed to find some excuse as to why he couldn't do it.

The Dark Knight had been lucky so far that other, more pressing incidents have needed his attention while Ivy and Harry were out demolishing factories. Batman hasn't had to go out to fight his own son just yet. However, if they kept this up it was only a matter of time before he did eventually have to confront them. The only thing they had going for them was that so far no one had been hurt. Harry had been careful not to attack when the factories were occupied. His son cared about other people, and that gave the Cape Crusader hope that he would be able to turn Harry from the path he was currently on.

Barry whistled at the path of destruction Ivy and Nightshade were causing to downtown Gotham. "Poison Ivy and her kid are really going all out this summer, huh B? That must be pain."

"Hmm," Batman grunted. The Flash had no idea.

"You gonna go take care of that?" the Flash questioned with a frown when the Dark Knight didn't immediately set off to deal with the terror destroying his beloved city like he normally would.

"I don't need you to tell me what to do with my city," Batman growled at the other hero.

Barry held up his hands in surrender. "Whoa, right, sorry. I'll leave you to it then." Then lower under his breath he muttered. "Geez, what's crawled under his cowl? He's crankier than usual."

Batman wanted to snap that Barry would be too if it was his son that was rampaging through his city on a giant carnivorous plant. But he didn't. The Cape Crusader was well aware of his ever-worsening problem. He couldn't hide from the truth for much longer. Batman couldn't avoid confronting his son forever.

He watched his son and Ivy attack the building they had chosen as their most recent target. There weren't any other more pressing incidents keeping him from going to confront his son and Ivy. There was no reason not to go after them this time. Unfortunately, Barry was right he should take care of this.

Not allowing himself to second guess the decision he turned and headed for the Zeta Beam Portal. He returned to Gotham, and climbed into the Batmobile almost hoping the attack would be over by the time he arrived.

Dick was in Central City with Wally so he didn't need to worry about the boy asking to come along with him. Batman had made sure to press the need for Dick to keep his distance from Harry when out as Robin. He was certain that Harry would make the connection between Dick and Robin's voice now that Harry had spent a significant amount of time with his ward in his civilian identity.

Batman pulled up the Batmobile a few feet from the massive plant Harry was wielding. He shot a grappling hook to the nearest building in order to put himself level with where Harry and Ivy stood atop their giant flower.

"Batman, so lovely of you to drop by," Ivy was the first to greet him.

She subtly shifted to put herself between him and Harry. Ivy was a lot of things but he had to admit she loved their son fiercely even if Batman didn't approve of some of her parenting decisions. Batman had noticed she had become a bit less aggressive in the previous years. She had stopped causing needless deaths, and now he knew this was because of Harry.

"Ivy, Nightshade, this stops now," Batman growled.

"I don't think so," Harry responded.

The Dark Knight's quick reflexes were the only things that saved him when Harry sent a volley of exploding seedpods towards him. Batman had seen the recordings of their attacks. The Dark Knight was well aware of what happened when the seedpods struck something. He deftly dodged the onslaught by leaping and swinging to the surrounding buildings. For even if he dodged the seedpod they would inevitably strike something above or below him causing a volley of thorns to shoot out.

Batman was also aware that the giant plant could only produce so many seedpods at one time before it needed to pause and replenish itself. Eventually the plant ran out, and the Cape Crusader was able to pause on a nearby roof to catch his breath and prepare for his next move.

"Not bad, Batman. It certainly was a nice show. But Gladys has more tricks up her sleeves," Harry, Nightshade Batman corrected himself, grinned.

The green skinned boy raised his hand, and the colossal tendrils rushed to follow his command. They shot up to slam into the building The Dark Knight was standing on. Batman swung onto the roof of another nearby building just as the one behind him collapsed into itself from the force of the blow Harry had exerted on it.

He clung to the side of the building, and turned to glance back at Harry who was watching him with sharp green eyes. It was difficult to see this side of his son now that Batman was aware Harry was in fact his son.

Nightshade was cunning, and if the Dark Knight didn't step in soon his son would some day be a deadly opponent.

Ivy was whispering into Harry's ear, and their son's smile turned into a frown of disappointment. But Harry nodded to whatever Ivy had said to him. Batman was able to infer that Ivy wanted them to leave now. Ivy wouldn't want to risk the Dark Knight taking in her son. In every confrontation she had made it clear she would do anything to keep Harry from being arrested and imprisoned.

Batman would do what he could to let his son escape without actually making it look like he was letting them go. So far he had kept his distance, and not launched an attack of his own. However, even though he wouldn't arrest his son he did want to take this opportunity to destroy the giant flower to keep Harry from continuing on his path of destruction.

They made it surprisingly easy for him to do just that. Harry sent the colossal flower after him while Ivy and Harry abandoned it in order to escape. Batman let them go. He turned his attention to dismantling the giant plant they had left behind.

Fifteen minutes later and covered in plant goo he had successfully blown up the flower. Hopefully, that would keep Harry from going out until he had a chance to speak to his son. Batman knew he couldn't put it off any longer. He had to sit down and have a conversation with his son before the end of the summer.

/

Lucius Malfoy had just sat down to enjoy a glass of fire whiskey. He'd had a long day at the Ministry. They'd had a session of the Wizengamot and instead of doing anything productive everyone simply blathered on about Harry Potter being a muggleborn.

Frankly, Lucius was sick of hearing about the mudblood. He knew he wasn't the only one. Lucius had spoken with his likeminded colleagues. Thoros Nott, Thorfinn Rowle, and Loren Avery were just a few acquaintances he had spoken to about the issue recently. It was a disgrace. It had been bad enough when the Dark Lord had been defeated by a halfblood. Now, to discover the boy was a mudblood?

Although, Lucius did find it curious that the boy had been sorted into Slytherin, and was a model student.

The first sip burned a bit, however, it was well worth it. Lucius went to take a second sip when the shadows in the corner of his office stirred.

A sibilant voice hissed his name. "Luciusssss."

A shiver of ice slipped down his spine. The blonde wizard knew that voice. It haunted his dreams.

"My Lord?" Lucius was pleased to hear that his voice didn't tremble. He peered into the shadows, trying to make out a figure in the darkness. However, Lucius was unsuccessful in discerning any shape just writhing shadows. "Is that really you, my Lord?"

"Yes, Lucius, it is I. I am alive, and I have need of your service. Do you still serve me, Luciusssss?" the voice crooned, the darkness churning.

Lucius thought he caught a flash of scarlet eyes in the black mass.

"Of course, my Lord," Lucius answered, fearful of what might happen should he give a negative response.

His mind was in chaos. Lucius couldn't believe the Dark Lord was alive after all of these years. His Lord appeared formless. How had he survived? How was the Dark Lord surviving now without a body? Lucius could come up with any answers at the present moment.

"Good, then you have a chance of redeeming yourself for not searching for me. For doubting that I could not survive. You should have known better. I would never be defeated by a halfblood infant."

"Mudblood," Lucius corrected without thinking. It had been so frequently discussed in the last couple of days that it just slipped out.

"What!?" the Dark Lord snarled.

Lucius froze in terror.

The darkness seemed to grow and Lucius's dark mark burned.

Lucius quickly explained what had recently been uncovered about the so-called Boy-Who-Lived.

"This changes several of my plans, Lucius. Gather those still loyal to Lord Voldemort. Invite them to a meeting," the Dark Lord commanded.

"Yes, right away, my Lord," Lucius quickly agreed, climbing to his feet. His glass of fire whiskey was long forgotten.

"Oh, and Lucius?"

Lucius paused waiting expectantly for further instructions.

"Do you still have the black book I gave you?"

Slowly, Lucius nodded.