Alright! I'm seriously on a roll with this story! (I wrote several chapters in one day)
So for the foreseeable future, I'll be updating two or three times a week again until I'm out of chapters again, and then I'll go back to once a week! (or not at all if I can't write anymore, that has happened before with some of my other stories)
Also, I tried counting out everything I have planned for this story, and I ended up with approximately 155 chapters. Obviously, it's just a first guess. A lot could happen before I get that far, and I'm only at 30 right now, but I can already tell that this will be a long ride.
Draco had watched Harry leave again for his 'morning' practices before he went to the bathroom to wash himself. Today, they would leave again for Yule Break, so they had to be ready by 11 o'clock. He and the others stayed in the dorm for a while longer to pack their trunks and Draco was honestly surprised to find Harry's already done while he had gone to sleep in a pigsty.
Had Quinn even slept at all or had he stayed up all night do whatever it was freaks did when everyone had gone to sleep? Draco was a bit afraid of the answer. Better he didn't know what Quinn was up to.
"Can we go already, Draco?" Crabbe whined.
"I'm bloody starving. Let's go get breakfast already."
Goyle was looking at him hopefully as well, making Blaise snort amused and elbow Theo Nott, who just rolled his eyes and packed another three books in his trunk. Sometimes, Draco wondered how Theo had gotten into Slytherin when he so obviously belonged in Ravenclaw.
"Fine, let's go. Otherwise Quinn will be there before us."
As they walked to the Great Hall, it was one of the rare occasions where Crabbe and Goyle walked ahead of Draco instead of behind him. He didn't particularly care though. Their parents worked for his dad, and they had been told to take care of him properly, but Draco didn't feel much friendship between them. They were basically what Quinn always called them: bodyguards.
To their surprise, the entrance to the Great Hall was being blocked by a large crowd of students who were all just staring up towards the ceiling. Using their elbows and knees, Crabbe and Goyle forced the students to make way, so Draco, Blaise and Theo could pass through.
"You've got to be joking!" Blaise exclaimed, staring up with a shocked expression.
Scowling, Draco looked up as well, eyes widening when he saw what everyone was staring at.
"What the-… Quinn!" he shouted.
Harry finished his cartwheel and planted both his feet back on the one inch thick wire so he could wave cheerfully at Draco. He was wearing the most ridiculous looking poisonous green tights and an orange sweatband to keep his messy purple hair out of his eyes.
Harry had, apparently, hung up a rope going from one side of the Great Hall to the other, some 10 feet off the ground. And now, he was doing tricks like some circus artist.
"Hey, Drake! How are you?!" Harry greeted loudly while he pulled his right foot over his shoulder.
"Just doing some stretches, that's all! Told you I was trying to keep in shape, right? Quidditch is fun and all, but it's not as good a workout as this."
Draco rolled his eyes in annoyance and stalked over to the Slytherin table while muttering explicits meant for his crazy friend under his breath. 10 feet above him, Harry laughed loudly and did a backwards handstand and a summersault, making several kids scream in fear that he would fall.
"Don't worry, I'm a professional!" Harry laughed, doing it again.
This time, he almost lost his balance. Tracy Davis, who was seated across from Draco in between Daphne and Pansy, squeaked in fear and buried her face in Daphne's stomach. The other girls all still stared up in horror as Harry laughed his loss of balance off and continued doing more tricks. He almost lost his balance again when Snape strode into the room looking very angry.
"Potter!" he bellowed loudly.
"Jeez Professor! Way to break my concentration!" Harry grumbled, twirling around on the spot.
"Potter, get your sorry arse down here this instance!" Snape shouted again, ignoring the boy's remark.
"I'm sorry, the number that you dialed is no longer in use, please try another name~" Harry said in an annoying, high pitched voice.
"Quinzel!" Snape growled out.
"I want you back down this instance or I will take 50 points from Slytherin for every second you're still up there!"
Harry crouched down on the rope and stared at Snape for a short moment before heaving a deep sigh.
"You're the boss," he shrugged.
The whole room screamed in horror when Harry suddenly let himself fall backwards. Draco had jumped back up from his seat and stared wide eyed as Harry's fall abruptly ended shortly after he started falling and a net turned visible by contact. Harry laughed and pulled his wand out of its holster to vanish the net. He was still laughing as he landed on his two feet on the ground.
"You should have seen your faces!" he choked out, giggling like an idiot.
"One hundred points from Slytherin, Quinzel," Snape bit out hatefully.
Harry chuckled and walked over to the table, sitting down next to a still very shaken Draco.
"You're bloody insane! What's wrong with you, Quinn?!" the blonde hissed furiously.
"You made poor Tracy cry with that stunt of yours!" Pansy exclaimed accusingly.
"Hey! I was going to come down nice and easy, but Snape had to go and threaten me!" Harry defended himself.
"And then I did what he told me to do and he still takes points! How unfair is that?! This is discrimination, and I don't even know why!"
"Maybe because you're a danger for yourself and anyone around you?" Blaise suggested, sitting down of Draco's other side.
Harry fell silent at that for a moment, frowning in thought.
"It's still not fair…" he mumbled crossly.
. . . . .
Almost all the students were boarding the train with them, as Harry, Draco, Blaise, Daphne and Pansy searched for a spot. He noticed Hermione a bit further, ready to board in the next carriage and grinned.
"Hermione!" he called, waving her over.
The rest of the Slytherins stared at him as if he was crazy, which Harry didn't really mind. They were pretty close to the truth with that one anyway, he though gleefully.
"Come sit with us! There's still a spot free!" he told her as the brunette was closer.
Draco scowled annoyed while the two Slytherin girls bristled angrily. Blaise just eyed Hermione with distaste, but didn't seem to go against Harry suggestion. Hermione, feeling the hostility of the others opened her mouth to decline, but Harry didn't give her the chance, grabbing both her and Draco's wrists as he dragged both of them into the train.
"C'mon! It'll be fun!" he laughed.
And it turned out, it was fun! For him at least as he observed the tension in the small carriage they were in, grinning widely at the others. He'd forced Hermione in the window seat across from him and plopped Draco next to her, so she wouldn't be able to get away. Pansy sat on Draco's other side, her arms crossed and a petulant pout on her pale lips. Next to Harry was Daphne, and next to her Blaise, who was staring bored in front of him.
"So… How's everyone's Potions essay going?" Hermione started hesitantly.
Harry's grin widened. There was that Gryffindor Courage those Lions were so proud of!
"No one cares about the essay, Granger!" Pansy hissed angrily.
"Which is exactly why you have such bad grades," Blaise muttered annoyed.
The dark haired girl blushed a bit and looked away with an angry scowl.
"Who wants to play some Exploding Snap?!" Harry eventually asked, deciding to put everyone out of their misery.
It worked instantly, as Hermione perked up curiously.
"What's that?" she asked eagerly.
"It's a card game!... With exploding cards," Harry replied chuckling.
With that, Hermione pulled up her nose and leaned back in her seat, scowling.
"Why would you want to play that?" she muttered confused.
"Because it's with exploding cards!" Harry laughed.
"What did you think it was, Granger?" Draco asked annoyed, glaring at the girl.
"It has bloody 'Explosive' in the name!"
Harry chuckled softly and leaned back in his seat. After a few moments of thought, he pulled his trunk up and – carefully, trying to keep his stolen book at the bottom – took out Malinda, who hissed gratefully and wrapped around his neck. Hermione and Pansy both gave a small squeak while the other three widened their eyes at the sight of the small snake.
"Wh-what the hell are you doing with that?" Blaise asked, for the first time sounding something other than composed.
Harry grinned widely at that and petted Malinda's head.
"She's my pet," he replied innocently.
"Hadn't you guys noticed? She's been sleeping in our dorms since September!"
The expressions of pure shock were absolutely delicious and Harry laughed so hard he fell out of his seat.
. . . . .
No one was waiting for him at the station, so Harry scowled and pulled out his notebook to write his dad. Malinda was neatly nestled on his shoulders as he leaned against a wall in one of the most remote corners of the platform.
[Where are you? I'm at King's Cross.]
It took a long while, and Harry actually started to believe that his dad wouldn't answer at all. He frowned deeply, a small tremble entering his hands as he was about to write something else when he finally received an answer.
[Still in Gotham. Go hide somewhere, kid. I'm sending you over.]
Harry looked around himself and found a small alcove nearby. He quickly jumped out of sight and opened his book again.
[Ready.]
The strange feeling as if something pulled him forward by his navel gripped Harry and he disappeared from the Station. When he landed on his back, he was completely disoriented for a moment. He blinked a few times, trying to get used to the sudden change in scenery. He heard the police sirens and the sound of gunshots. When his blurry vision cleared up, he noticed his dad leaning over him with a wide manic grin.
"Welcome home," the Clown Prince of Crime said, pulling Harry up.
"… Hostage…"
Harry grinned, allowing his dad to card his fingers through his messy purple and pink hair, turning it black once again before pulling out his wand and waving it at Harry's luggage. It shrunk right away and Joker picked it up and put it in his pocket.
*The snake better stay hidden or I'll have to cut the visible pieces off,* Joker threatened.
Harry could feel Malinda shiver underneath his clothes and he patted her in a comforting manner before Joker pulled him close to his chest and pressed a gun to the boy's head.
"Show me those pretty tears, kiddo," Joker whispered.
On command, Harry eyes watered immediately and he started struggling almost desperately.
"P-please, Mr. Joker! D-don't hurt me!" he wailed fearfully.
"I just wa-wanna g-go home! Please don't kill me!"
Joker laughed and pulled Harry out of the room with him and into the view of the police and Batman. Harry gave a fearful whimper as he saw all the guns trained on him and struggled a bit more, only for the Joker to hit him in the head with the barrel of his gun before pressing it back against his temple. Harry was actually reeling from the hit, his head throbbing. He stilled his struggles and allowed tears to slip down his cheeks.
"One wrong move and the kid's a goner!" Joker called out.
Batman growled and reached for his utility belt.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you~" Joker sang, wiggling the gun.
To get the point across even more, Harry gave a terrified whimper and let his lower lip tremble as he looked pleadingly at Batman. The Dark Knight tensed and looked over to the police Captain, saying something to him, before the man sighed and put up his hands before taking a careful step forward.
"Harry, right?" the man called out.
Harry looked at him and nodded his head as much as he could while being kept in the tight hold of the Joker's arms.
"Alright. My name is Jim Gordon… you went to school with my daughter, right? You two are friends?"
"B-Barbara," Harry mumbled hiccupping before nodding again.
"Pl-please! I-I don't wanna die! Please don't hurt me Mr. Joker!"
"Well, Harry, I promise we'll get you home safely," Gordon said.
"Now, now Jim. You shouldn't make promises you know you can't keep," Joker mocked.
"What do you want, Joker?" Batman asked.
The Joker chuckled and pulled out a hand grenade. He thumbed off the pin and threw it at Batman who caught it and turned away from the panicking police. Joker laughed and pulled Harry with him towards the getaway car that had driven up to them. He pushed Harry in first before climbing in as well and shouting at the driver to go.
"Nice acting, kid!" he laughed.
"Yeah, but I guess that means I'll have to show my face back into town soon," Harry mumbled.
"And I had hoped for some quality family time before going to see Dick, you know?"
"Your mom's still not back and I'm a busy guy," Joker shrugged.
"Tomorrow, you go to your rich friend and spend a week there. Give them some excuse why mommy and daddy don't have time."
Harry rolled his eyes and sighed. Home Sweet Home.
. . . . .
By the next morning, Dick was an absolute wreck. He had gotten a few letters from Harry (yes, letters! How ancient was that boarding school?) but none of them had mentioned he'd be getting back so early. He'd been left at home when Joker attacked City Hall because it was 'too dangerous' for him and had been forced to see his best friend in the hands of the psychopathic clown on TV. And now, Harry was gone. Even a whole night of tracking in the Batcave had given no results at all.
Dick barely heard the doorbell at all as he sat at the kitchen table, staring at his breakfast. How could he eat when his best friend was probably dead? Poor Harry, kidnapped by the Joker and no one could find him… And where were his parents anyway?! Shouldn't they be worried and asking for help with the cops? They might be criminals, but even they would ask the police for help when it involved their kids, right? His mom threatened to involve Batman in finding Harry last time.
"Is that your brooding face? It looks very serious."
Dick jumped up, wide-eyed as he saw Harry standing at the doorway, face bruised and scratched and covered in dirt, but still smirking. He held one arm against his chest at an odd angle while the other was buried casually into his pocket and a scraped knee could be seen because there was a pretty big hole in his pants. Dick gasped and jumped up, rushing up to harry and hugging his friend tightly.
"Ouch," Harry groaned.
"Are you alright? How did you escape? Where does it hurt? What did he do to you?" Dick asked worried.
"We had gentle loving sex and I'm now carrying his child," Harry replied blankly.
"Yeah, no. The bastard threw me out of a driving car in the middle of fucking nowhere and I had to walk all the way back."
"Oh my god! Are you alright?" Dick asked.
"Aside from the bruises? I think I broke my arm."
. . . . .
Harry admitted he felt a bit awkward with the way Bruce and Dick were staring at him. He absently rubbed the new cast on his arm, curtesy of Alfred – who would have thought the butler could even mend broken bones? – and he looked around himself again. They were sitting in the living room, in front of the large flat screen TV.
"Are you sure we shouldn't call your parents?" Bruce asked again.
"Mom's in Metropolis, visiting my aunt and won't be back for another few months and dad was pretty clear before that he's too busy," Harry replied shrugging.
Really fucking clear. The damn bastard literally threw Harry out of the driving car! Seriously, he better give Harry some bone-mending potion when he got back, because no way Harry was going back to school with a fucking cast.
"You were kidnapped by the Joker!" Dick exclaimed.
"Where I come from, we see things like this every week," Harry chuckled.
"Don't worry, Dick. I'll live, and when I go back home, dad will spoil me to make it up."
Bruce and Dick both scowled at that, but neither made a comment on it. Harry sighed and pulled the blanket hanging over his shoulders closer around him. He wasn't cold or anything, but he liked the feeling of the soft, fluffy fabric hugging him tight. He looked up when Alfred walked back into the room.
"There are reporters outside hoping for a statement from master Riddle," he said.
Harry sighed again and stood up. Dick's eyes widened as he jumped up as well and followed after Harry.
"What are you going to do?" he asked worried.
"Scared the reporters will get to me?" Harry teased.
"Scared you'll get to the reporters," Dick snorted in reply.
"Well, that doesn't sound like me at all!" Harry said incredulous, making Dick laugh.
As the two friends reached the front door, Harry swung it open, flinching back at the sudden camera flashes and the commotion of several men and women all trying to talk to him at the same time.
"Hey!" Harry screamed on top of his lungs.
The noise quieted down and the reporters all stared at Harry in shock. Harry pulled his blanket up again and glared at the group of people before him.
"Leave me alone, I'm in shock," he said sternly.
"See, look I have a blanket!"
With a that, he slammed the door closed again and strode back into the living room with a snickering Dick hot on his tail. Alfred was just putting down a trey with three steaming cups as Harry plopped back down on the seat he had previously occupied.
"And that's how you deal with that," he said smugly as he picked up a cup and sniffed it.
"Oh! Hot chocolate! I really love your hot coco, Alfred, thanks!"
"Anytime, master Riddle," the man replied smiling.
The idea of the tightrope is from Girlwithshinigamieyes (on AO3) so thanks for that!