Two weeks. That was how long Lunatic was unconscious; Andromeda refused to leave the Tower until her patient awoke, but that's not to say that Raven and the other Titans didn't try to make Harry and the others worry less about the hurt child in the Infirmary.
The Titan's first action was to show their guests all that Jump City had to offer, and they spent an entire two days exploring the city, from one end to the other; the Weasleys, to everyone's amusement, were quite shocked at the multitude of muggles that existed in just one city alone. When told of not only how many there were in the entire country but also how more advanced they were than the Magical World, poor Molly looked faint.
Thanks to the sudden riches Raven and Harry had inherited, money was no object (despite Molly's objections). The group spent two amazing days feasting at the finest restaurants and laughing at the horrified and outraged looks they received from the 'rich folk.'
While the other Titans played tour guide, Nightwing stated that the League needed to be informed of the coming threat and quickly left to the Watchtower. That left the other Titans with nothing to do until Nightwing returned; Beastboy decided it was his time to shine and recommended a day at the beach, which everyone wholeheartedly supported (except for Raven, who groaned in mock misery).
The girls had all chosen modest bathing suits supplied by the Titans; only Dora had chosen to ignore propriety and pick a genuinely immodest dark blue bikini that had nearly the entire beach staring in shock while muttering violent threats against the blushing green-skinned boy who was holding her hand. Molly had almost swallowed her tongue when she saw the skimpy thing and had opened her mouth to begin what would no doubt have been a very long and loud tirade, only for Beastboy to drag the squealing girl into the water.
It had been a wonderful day filled with laughter; Harry had spent the day trying to teach the Weasleys and Hermione to surf, a woefully hopeless endeavor since none of Harry's students could stay on the surfboard for more than a few seconds. Later in the day, Cyborg made hotdogs and hamburgers, which made the group moan with delight at first taste; Molly demanded the recipe from a chuckling Cyborg, who immediately promised to give it to her before they left back to England.
After lunch, Harry's happiness was amplified when a few of his friends strode over to them after recognizing the boy. A quick introduction was made, and the Weasleys and Hermione were introduced to Otto and Reggie Rocket and their friends Sam and Maurice, who preferred to go by the moniker 'Twister.'
The entire group was all heavily tanned, showing how much they enjoyed being in the sun; Otto was of average size, just a few inches shorter than his sister, and had flaming red dreadlocks that hung around his face, almost covering his eyes which sat behind a pair of green-lensed glasses. Reggie, too, had dreadlocks that hung around her face, but hers were dyed purple, and unlike her brother, Reggie's glasses sat snugly on her head, holding her bangs back.
Twister was the 'camera guy' of the group, responsible for filming all the insane stunts that the group got themselves into, which, considering their love of adrenaline, was an everyday thing; he hung near the rear, his hat turned backward and his left hand holding his camera in a waterproof case, while on his face a bored expression sat. Sam, the group's final member, was paler than the rest and had a rat's nest of blonde hair cut into a 'military fade,' while a pair of thick glasses constantly fell down his nose.
The group was from a city about an hour away called Ocean Shores and lived for danger and extreme sports; Raymundo Rocket, Otto, and Reggie's dad ran a restaurant right near the boardwalk, which made most of its money from tourists. Harry had met them during his first summer with the Titans almost four years ago. The other Titans had been trying to coax a scared Harry into the water when the Rockets had shown up with their dad and 'Uncle' Tito.
Seeing how terrified the boy was (understandable, since before that moment, the largest body of water that Harry had ever seen had been the local pool in Surrey), Reggie and Sam had asked the Titans if they could play with Harry and teach him that the ocean wasn't so bad. Harry was initially nervous, especially when Otto and Twister kept making jokes about how "Harry was too old to be afraid of a little water." But Harry's fear had gradually faded away after a few hours, which was helped by how patient Reggie and Sam had been with the scared boy; even Tito had come out to offer advice to Harry, and the boy was amazed at how insightful the large Hawaiian was when you could make out the gibberish he was saying.
That's not to say that Tito couldn't talk just fine, only that his advice seemed to make no sense at times, as often the message would get lost in translation. That summer had been the start of Harry's transformation from a scared little boy into the pre-teen he was today; the Rockets had spent the summer showing Harry how to surf and skate, and Harry had soaked up every lesson with an intensity that had even Otto impressed. By the end of the summer, Harry and the Rockets had become fast friends, and they traded numbers to keep in touch before the group headed back to Ocean Shores. Over the years, Harry had actually been invited to many events with the Rockets, some of which made Harry glad he was tougher to break than other people because even he had to admit, the Rockets were Bonafede adrenaline junkies!
After a fantastic day of swimming, surfing, and all-around beach fun, the Titans had returned to the Tower, where Nightwing had informed the other Titans that the League was aware of what was going on and was already making plans to protect the city, should the worst come to pass. Harry and the other children had immediately voiced their wishes to participate but had been instantly shut down by the adults, who seemed to be in universal agreement that this fight would be no place for children. Molly, to the surprise of everyone, had already told the Titans that she would stay and help; when asked why, her answer had caused more than one Titan to stare at her in shock:
"Lily and James were my friends," Molly said softly but with steel in her voice, "I couldn't protect them, but I can protect their children."
Raven had merely offered a nod of gratitude for the offer to stay and fight; Starfire, on the other hand, had grabbed the woman in a pulverizing hug and lifted the groaning woman into the air before swinging her around while Starfire cried out her thanks for showing such honor for a fallen friend, while the watchers laughed themselves silly at Molly's indignant cries.
The following day, Ron had surprised Harry by finally mustering up enough courage to ask him if he would teach Ron to play the guitar; Harry's surprise had lasted mere moments before a grin stretched across Harry's face, and he asked Ron to stretch out his fingers for Harry to look at. Confused by the request, Ron did as Harry asked, then stared in silent bemusement as Harry looked at Ron's fingers like one would inspect a fine jewel.
After several moments of this, where Harry would have Ron turn his hands over or flex his fingers under Harry's watchful eye, Harry finally finished his examination and decreed that Ron would make an excellent bass guitarist. He then grabbed the confused redhead and dragged him to Harry's room, all while the rest of the Tower watched with equal looks of amusement and confusion. After a moment, the other Weasley children, and Hermione followed.
When they reached Harry's room, Ron actually felt his jaw drop in shock and heard gasps from behind him as the others entered; the room was painted to look like a mysterious forest, while overhead, a galaxy of stars shone, painted with so much skill that Ron nearly thought it real. A colossal window took up the other side of the room, and Ron couldn't help but stare as he saw the magnificent view that the room beheld; the ocean glittered far into the distance with the light of the sunset, while the lights of the city slowly began to turn on nearby.
"Blimey, Harry…" One of the twins said in awe, "That's one helluva view…."
As Harry let go of Ron's hand and stepped away to do whatever he was doing, Ron began to take in the rest of the room, and he felt his shock and awe growing with each new thing his eyes took in; there were six bookshelves filled to the brim with all manner of books, with quite a few more laying on top of one another. Seated in the center between the bookshelves was an impressive-looking desk made of dark (almost black) wood; sitting in front of the desk was a gothic-style throne-like chair with carvings of skulls and other scary images carved along it. Hermione's eyes looked like they were going to pop out of her skull as she took in the books, and Ron heard her whisper excitedly,
"He's got a first-edition Edgar Allen Poe!"
"I don't know who that is, but I wonder if he has any adventure books!" Ginny whispered back excitedly as the two girls bounced in place.
In the corner, a large and expensive-looking drum set sat quietly, with two prominent speakers hanging from the wall behind it; next to that, Ron could see the entrance to what looked like a bathroom.
A huge shelf filled with hundreds of those small discs that Hermione had called "CDs" stood next to the bathroom, and Ron couldn't help but be impressed at how many Harry apparently had. The DVD shelf next to the CD shelf held even more discs, and Ron couldn't help but feel a little jealous as he saw all the movies that Harry had access to; since Harry had first introduced Ron to films and cartoons, the redhead had fallen in love and would constantly bug Harry to show him another one, to Harry's delight. Just the previous evening, the whole group had gathered in the Titans private theatre; it had been a wonderful evening filled with all the popcorn and soda that the Weasleys could ask for.
The Titans had all agreed that the Weasley's first movie experience should be memorable. So they decided that their first movie theatre experience would be Star Wars. The first movie had left them all speechless, and even Molly had all but begged to watch one more before bed, which the Titans had happily agreed to. They would finish the 'prequel' series tonight and watch the first of the 'original' movies. Ron looked forward to seeing Anakin beat the Sith and end the Clone Wars.
Ron's mind was pulled away from dreams of future lightsaber battles when he turned to the opposite wall and saw, to his shock, that Harry's walls were covered with posters of what he could only assume were muggles bands. One had a picture of a reaper on it, with the words "Disturbed" written underneath. Another showed a beautiful woman wearing all black, while the words "Evanescence" hovered over her head; dozens more filled with strange names and stranger people covered the walls. Next to, and beneath these many posters, Ron saw, to his shock, that Harry's bed was actually floating three feet off of the floor, and was about to say something when Hermione cut him off,
"You have a magnetic hover bed? I've read about those! They're supposed to be really expensive!"
"It was a gift from someone Nightwing knows for my birthday last year," Harry clarified absentmindedly from the desk, looking at a book filled with notes, "I tried to give it back, but the dude wouldn't take it. Here we go!"
"It's not magic?" Ginny asked in surprise as she turned to Hermione,
"Not at all!" Hermione replied excitedly, "Just science! There's a magnet on the floor and another underneath the bed. They repel each other and make the bed float."
"Wicked…" The twins said as one, causing Harry to chuckle,
"There's a bit more to it than that, but yeah, basically."
Having apparently found what he was looking for, Harry stood up from his 'throne' and walked over to a nearby wall with a poster of a strange man, under which the words "Ozzy" were displayed. Pressing his hand against the wall, the group watched in amazement as the wall pushed inward around Harry's hand; a moment later, a length of the wall to Harry's immediate left spun. Gone was the poster of the strange man; in its place was a wall where seven beautiful guitars hung while the soft glow of a lamp showed down on them.
Ron immediately recognized the guitar Harry had used during his 'offering' while the adults had worked to save Lunatic's life; the other six, however, made Ron's eyes bug out in amazement. There was a purple and black guitar, shaped to look like it was on fire; next to that was a guitar of pure black that looked as though whoever had made it had done so with no care for symmetry; it was a creation of pure chaos, with sharp angles and minor imperfections in the wood. Another guitar was shaped like a sword, but instead of a hilt, a gigantic eagle with spread wings rose up; a simple brown acoustic guitar sat next to that, a rather unimpressive thing compared to its neighbors.
The last two guitars sitting on the wall couldn't have been more different if they tried; one was a mixture of blue and green and looked like some spell had been placed on it, for the colors danced and moved as though Ron were looking at the sea again. The other was a terrifying thing, made to look like a gigantic battle axe, with eerie red stains on the blades; the strings on this one looked harsh and angry, as though they might split Ron's fingers at any moment, should he try and touch it.
"Don't touch that one!" Harry snapped as Fred reached out to touch the guitar shaped like an axe, causing said twin to jerk his hand back quickly, "Even I haven't played that one yet."
"What's wrong with it?" Fred demanded,
"It was a gift from a man named Constantine," Harry drawled, "Which means it's dangerous. I just haven't worked out how yet."
"If it's dangerous, why keep it with the others?" Hermione asked in surprise,
"Because it looks cool, of course!" Harry replied as if it were obvious, "I'll figure out what's wrong with it soon, and then I shall play a song worthy of such a guitar!"
Cackling merrily to himself, Harry walked over to the ocean blue guitar and gently picked it up, returning to his staring friends as the wall spun back into place.
"You sure you want to do this?" Harry asked Ron as he held the guitar out to the staring redhead, holding it out like an offering, "It takes a lot of hard work and a lot of blood, sweat, and tears. You won't learn it overnight; in fact, it could be a long time before you're able to successfully play a song without making a mistake. Are you up for it?"
Ron briefly worried his lip as he stared hard at the guitar in Harry's hand. Still, his hesitation only lasted a few seconds before he reached out and gently took the guitar from Harry's offered hands; this seemed like the correct response, for Harry immediately smiled and nodded at his friend.
"Let's begin, then," Harry said with a smile, causing Ron to grin back as he awkwardly held the bass guitar in front of him.
XXXX
For the next two weeks, Harry and Ron would isolate themselves in Harry's room for two hours every morning. Harry would teach Ron all he knew about playing a guitar. When Hermione asked Harry how he would teach Ron bass when he played an entirely different type of guitar, it surprised no one when Raven told her that Harry had learned to play several different instruments over the years as music became his passion and outlet. The rest of the day was spent any way that the children chose; the Titans all had daily meetings with the Justice League about what was coming, and Batman had revealed that he'd tracked the movements of Killer Croc, Deadshot, Bane, and Clayface, with all of them heading towards Jump City.
Flash had added that he'd heard rumors that Grodd had allied himself with Cheetah, Bizarro, and Mirror Master. Still, he was unable to find anything to verify these rumors. Either way, the Titans were forced to put aside their outrage against the League for what they had done to Harry to ensure that their city and the people within it were protected from the coming battle.
Molly, Dora, and Andromeda were all, of course, permitted in these meetings, seeing as how the three of them had decided to stay and help; Andromeda and Dora had had a magnificent screaming match when Dora had told her mother that she would be staying to fight alongside Beastboy. By the end of the fight, both women were in tears. Still, Andromeda had finally agreed to let Dora remain as she was a grown woman capable of making her own decisions.
For the first few days, Harry and the other children would spend nearly the entire day in a candy-induced coma as they watched TV or played video games. Finally, Raven and the other adults agreed that the children needed to spend their summer doing more than rotting their teeth and brains. Thus, they were banished from Titans Tower from noon to four.
Most days, Harry would take the group down to the boardwalk, where they would meet with Otto and his group and spend the next few hours swimming, surfing, or exploring the boardwalk. At the same time, Otto and Reggie asked Harry about his year and why he hadn't written them.
XXXX
Harry and Ron were seated on the floor in the middle of their morning practice when Harry's door suddenly sprang open, causing both boys' heads to shoot up; a moment later, Lunatic stormed into Harry's room, wearing only a hospital gown and looking thoroughly annoyed.
"Looney?" Harry asked in surprise before the little madman pointed an accusing finger at him,
"There you are! We have a real situation here!"
"Situation…?" Harry asked, too confused to rise to his feet,
"Yes! I woke up alone, tried to find you, and discovered something horrible!"
"What?" Harry asked with some amusement,
"We've been invaded by gingers!" Lunatic shouted in horror, "Everywhere I looked, pasty-skinned gits with flaming red hair!"
Ron chose this moment to let out a loud and annoyed cough, causing Lunatic to turn to him and hold up a hand for silence,
"I'll be with you in a moment, my good man!"
Harry chose this momentarily lapse in his friend's concentration to lunge forward and tackle Lunatic in a hug that knocked the surprised boy off his feet.
"You're a ginger, you idiot!" Harry laughed as he continued to hug the struggling boy,
"I am not!" Lunatic cried back in outrage before his eyes focused on Ron again, and he let out a horrified cry of alarm, "Ah! There's enough one! Sound the alarm! Summon the guards!"
"I have a name, you know," Ron said with a snort as he watched the boy howl for guards as he struggled to escape Harry's hug, "And, sorry to break it to you, mate. But Harry's right. You're a bloody ginger, too."
"How dare you, sir!" Lunatic cried in outrage, finally kicking Harry loose and rising to his feet, "I'll have you know that… Ow!"
Whatever Lunatic had been about to say was cut off as Harry wisely decided that the only way to shut his friend up was to show him proof. He promptly ripped a few strands of hair out of Lunatic's head before showing them to him.
"Look, you idiot!" Harry laughed as he held out a dozen strands of hair, "It's red! You're a ginger, Looney!"
"That's not true!" Lunatic cried in horror, "That's impossible! Noooooo!"
Lunatic then dropped dramatically to the floor as Harry lost his fight to look stern and descended into laughter. Ron could only stare in silent shock at the madness playing out before him. He still hadn't forgiven Harry for how much enjoyment the git had gotten from Ron's despair at seeing Anakin become Vader.
"Harry! Your young friend has escaped the Infirmary. Have you seen him?" Molly demanded as she swept into the room, with the rest of her family towing behind, "Good lord! Put some clothes on, young man!"
The twins burst into laughter as Ginny and Hermione turned scarlet and quickly tried to hide their eyes behind their hands; Lunatic, in his effort to break free from Harry's hug, had unfortunately also wiggled out of his hospital gown and now was kneeling naked on the floor, with his hands raised above his head dramatically.
"My people!" Lunatic cried out, spreading his arms and walking toward the Weasleys, "I am returned to you!"
Molly shrieked and immediately pulled Ginny and Hermione bodily from the room as Fred and George howled with laughter; Ron was lying on his side and crying from laughing so hard, with Harry beside him.
"Was it something I said?" Lunatic asked with a smirk as he turned back to face Harry, who simply shook his head and continued to laugh, "Now, where's my damn hat!"
XXXX
Lunatic's comedy show might have been funny, but Andromeda made him pay for it by subjecting him to a variety of pokes and prods over the course of an hour; she made him lift his arms above his head, roll his shoulders, as well as a dozen other things to make sure that Lunatic had retained complete control of his arm.
"Away with you, foul demoness!" Lunatic cried, finally having decided that enough was enough, and batting her hand away with both hands, "I'm an American! I know my rights! You can't torture me without a signed consent form and a safe word!"
Andromeda blanched at that before a wicked smile came across her face that made Lunatic gulp,
"Listen to me, you little git," Andromeda said softly, "I have spent the last two weeks of my life making sure you survive after suddenly appearing in my Infirmary bleeding out. So, if you ruin all of my hard work by reinjuring yourself because you decided to act like a fool and weren't fully healed, I'll make sure you stay in that bed for another year. GOT ME!"
Andromeda had been slowly getting closer to the boy as she spoke so that by the time she shouted the last line, she was nose to nose with the scared boy, who promptly jumped in place and issued an eep, followed by a quick,
"Yes, ma'am."
As Andromeda turned away and began muttering something, Lunatic leaned over and whispered to a sniggering Harry,
"Your Aunt scares me."
A few minutes later, both boys were shoved out of the Infirmary by a thoroughly agitated Andromeda, who gave Lunatic a clean bill of health, if for her sanity, if nothing else. Dusting himself off with a huff, Lunatic immediately spun on his heel and stormed toward the living room, with a giggling Harry following close by; they hadn't made it five steps before Lunatic was suddenly tackled by a large pink blur, which knocked the little madman to the floor with a painful "Oomph."
"Don't you EVER scare me like that again!" Jinx cried as she hugged Lunatic for all he was worth,
"Can't…. Breathe…." Lunatic gasped, causing everyone to laugh.
Jinx finally released Lunatic after a second more, and the room echoed with laughter again as the boy pretended to take whole gasps of air before finally rising to his feet.
"Crazy pink-haired devil!" Lunatic scowled as he straightened his top hat, "Coulda killed me!"
"Not likely," Jinx scoffed, rolling her eyes for good measure as Lunatic looked at the other people staring at him with differing reactions.
Ginny, Hermione, and Molly were all staring at Lunatic with bright blushes; Molly's expression was also mixed with anger and pity in equal measure.
The twins, Beastboy, Cyborg, and Dora, were all staring at Lunatic with grins, and the boy quickly flashed one back at them as he dusted himself off.
Only Raven was looking at the boy with an annoyed expression on her face as though an instant headache had begun with the boy's entrance and wouldn't leave until he did.
"Lunatic…" Raven drawled as she approached the boy, "Some people would like to talk with you. Follow me."
Stepping past Harry, Raven strode into the hallway, not even turning to see if Lunatic was following her; after a shrug, Lunatic tipped his hat at his audience before twirling in place and following Raven. After several minutes of silence, Lunatic finally cleared his throat, making Raven pause and turn to him,
"Um… Thanks, Raven. For saving my life, I mean." Lunatic said in a small voice, for once sounding like the kid he was. Raven stared down at him for a moment before she sighed in annoyance.
"You are the single most aggravating person I have ever met, Lunatic." Raven dry panned, "Yet, you are also one of the most genuine. And you are my little brother's friend. So, you're welcome. Just don't make it a habit."
Without another word, Raven turned and continued walking down the hallway; behind her, Lunatic stared for a moment before a grin came across his face, and he once again began to follow.
A few turns later, the pair standing in front of a door, and Lunatic stared at it in confusion for a moment before it slid open, and his eyes widened nervously,
"Come in, Lunatic," Batman growled, "We have much to discuss."
Lunatic stepped into the room, and his eyes continued to grow as he saw Superman, Flash, Wonder Woman, and Green Lantern all staring at him with different expressions, ranging from contempt to amusement.
"No, thank you," Lunatic replied, "I choose life!"
"Then you'd better get in there," Raven smirked, causing the boy to gulp once before silently thinking whether or not it was worth it to try running. Finally deciding it wasn't, Lunatic stood straight and stepped into the room.
"Now, tell us EXACTLY what happened from when you were attacked to when you escaped," Batman growled, "And I mean all of it."
Nervously, Lunatic licked his lips before taking a calming breath and beginning his tale.
XXXX
"Now, is everyone clear on the plan?" Grodd asked as he looked up from the table and into the crowd; an old warehouse near the wharf had been selected as the villain's base, far enough away from Titans Tower to not attract attention, yet close enough to be ready when the time came. As Grodd stared out into the crowd, his eyes narrowed with barely concealed contempt; contempt was all he had for these lower life forms, by which he meant humans. In Grodd's mind, apes were far superior to humans, and fate had chosen him to be the herald that spread that message to the rest of the world; one day, apes would take their rightful place as the rulers of man, and Grodd would take HIS place as the ruler of the whole world.
As the shadows shuffled and muttered to one another, Grodd felt his frown deepening; over two dozen villains, bounty hunters, and mercenaries had shown up in Jump City so far, more than he had previously anticipated when news of the massive bounty had first reached his ears. And, with this many, the split would be far less rewarding than the effort might be worth.
However, if some of those here were to fall in the upcoming battle, then the split would be far more generous to the survivors. As Grodd's eyes glittered dangerously, he could tell that more than one of the villains in the crowd was thinking the same thing. He couldn't help but grin as he felt the familiar rush of adrenaline that always came when he went into a life-or-death situation. But this time, the stakes would be even higher, and to the victor would go unimaginable riches.
"Yeah, I got one!" A voice in the back cried out, causing muttering as the person made his way forward until, at last, Toyman stepped forward, wearing his signature creepy mask.
"I would think that's obvious," Grodd sneered, "As the superior species, I shall, of course, lead…"
"Superior species?" Toyman sneered, "You?"
"Yes, me!" Grodd roared, "Unless you'd like to challenge me?"
"Ugh, would the two of you knock it off," Star Saphire groaned as she stepped forward, "The air is beginning to stink of testosterone."
"Except for you, of course," Livewire added with a smirk as she stared at Toyman, "You smell like cheap cologne and virginity."
Scattered laughter followed Livewire's words, and she grinned cruelly at Toyman as he sputtered in incoherent anger and outrage.
"As I was saying," Star Saphire continued, after an annoyed look shot at Livewire, "No doubt Lunatic has told the Titans we are coming. The Titans, in turn, will have no doubt told the Justice League, so we no longer have the element of surprise. The combined might of all of us will be needed to take Titans Tower and collect the bounty on Arcane and Lunatic's heads. There'll be plenty of time to kill each other once we have those two brats. Smaller survivors, after all, means more to go around."
Cruel chuckles followed Star Saphire's words this time, and Grodd could already see some of the more vicious villains making plans to ensure their take grew larger; Deadshot was slowly cleaning his handgun and staring right at Mirror Master with a smirk that only Grodd saw.
"Then tomorrow morning, group A will attack the city," Grodd growled, "Your goal will be to cause as much destruction as possible and kill anyone who gets in your way. Draw those in the Tower out! While that's going on, group B will attack the Tower, kill anyone we find within, and capture those two brats, preferably alive."
"Preferably?" Cheetah asked with a raised brow and a smirk,
"Well," Grodd replied silkily, "Accidents do happen…"
XXXX
Author's Note:
Happy New Year, me darlings! I hope it's already treating you better than last year did; I know mine is. Anyway! Next chapter. Big battle. Things go boom. People go boom. Stay tuned!
Also, I don't own Rocket Power and claim no ownership over it. I'm using the characters for my story because it's my favorite cartoon.