Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Well here's chapter two, I had to change a few things to fit in with the first chapter more effectively. Anyway please read and review.

And…here…we…go!

Chapter Two:

Harry ran and kept running, his legs aching slightly from the strain he was putting on them. Tears were now flowing down his face following invisible trails. His arms pumping wildly at his sides as he ran wildly, he was panting harshly but he didn't allow himself to stop not even paying attention to anything as his mind seemingly ran in circles trying to make sense of what had just happened.

By now the sky had leaked black, the street lamps glowing dull amber that served to only cast larger shadows upon the walls of the tall rundown buildings that lined the streets. The once new concrete path was now replaced by an old tarnished one littered with trash, cigarette buds spread at random intervals with the strong smell of urine hanging in the air.

Harry merely kept going, his eyes unfocused as he barely dodged the occasional moving car, drivers honking their horns as they shouted an abuse at the small blur of a child. He could have gone on like this for as long as his body would have allowed it had he not tripped over a jutting flag, his body moving too fast to even bother an attempt at regaining his balance. Therefore he found himself meting the hard path, his thin frame rattling from the hard impact.

Tears once more pricked at the corners of his eyes, demanding a release and quickly being given it. Short quiet gasps soon escaped him, as he tried to bring himself back to his feet and finding his body reluctant to oblige. He ached from the fall his stinging cheek forgotten as he focused on ignoring the slight throb from his scrapped knee, which was now visible through the new tear in his old baggy trousers. Ignoring this Harry pulled himself up, using the grimy wall next to him as a crutch as he slowly hobbled over to a nearby set of stairs.

He planted himself down upon them quickly his hands moving to grasp his knee as rocked slightly, hoping that this would somehow relieve some of the pain. It worked to an extent as after a few minutes it had dulled down, the small drops of blood that had manage to break the surface stayed where they had emerged upon touching air not large enough to move anywhere. Suddenly a cold chill swept through the street causing him to shiver his arms now moving to wrap around himself as they tried to provide both warmth and comfort.

Upon finding nothing of the sort Harry found himself pulling the back pack open pulling his bear from its hiding place before hugging it tightly to his chest. Where the arms had failed the bear did not as he imagined it hugging him back protecting him from the harsh environment around him. Opening his eyes he smiled while pulling the bear away slightly to look at it warmly, happy to at least have it with him.

He stayed like this for a few moments a small feeling of warmth in his chest; this warmth was quickly put out again as another harsh gust swept down the street. Shivering once more Harry quickly stood closing his back pack once more before clutching his bear to himself and heading off down the road once more, this time at a slow steady walk. He needed to find shelter if the clouds above where anything to go by, they were thicker than normal the colour slowly growing darker along with the wildness of the wind.

He walked in a content silence his bear providing a little bit of warmth even as his hand me downs proved use less at protecting him from the temperature. He found himself sniffling soon enough, his throat growing slightly dry as he kept his eyes focused on where he was going, knowing that he couldn't have found his way back to the hotel if he tried. Tis thought depressed him immensely as any hope of the Dursley's forgiving him for…whatever he did also grew smaller.

A scream brought him to a halt, turning himself slightly to the right he found a dark entrance to a long alley way. A young woman in a bur ban raincoat was struggling to free herself from two burly men.

"Help! Help! Somebody please help!" her voice had gone high by the last word, so screechy it almost made Harry cringe. Her voice echoed off the walls, making it seem even louder if possible, more frightening.

Harry found himself backing up slightly, his eyes growing slightly wider with fear. He looked around franticly for a policeman or someone who could help, however the dark dank streets proved to empty off all life but them. Another scream had him looking once more at the young lady whose back was now against the wall of the alley way her wrist grasped tightly as the two men leered at her sniggering slightly to themselves at some unknown joke.

'What do I do?' he thought franticly to himself his instincts screaming at him to run in the opposite direction even as he found himself unable to move. 'I…I can't just leave her…but what can I do…?' his mind raced trying to find some king of solution to the problem only to come up empty handed. He found himself staring his head pounding loudly as he tried to think; finally his mind asked one final question 'what would Batman do?'

At this everything stopped his breathing evening out slightly as he forced his body to stop shaking. Batman would save the day; he would protect those who couldn't protect themselves from danger. Harry admired that more than anything else, that strong need to protect those who needed help. Harry had been alone for all of his young life struggling to make friends sue to Dudley and his relative's interference as such he felt a similar urge, a similar calling to protect whatever he could.

'I'll help her, I won't…I won't runaway anymore' at this a small war feeling flowed through him, his tired limbs seemingly waking up with a renewed energy completely different to anything he had ever felt before. Therefore when he found himself pulling the small tattered backpack from his back and throwing it at the head of the closest man he found his aim and strength better than it would have been normally.

Said back pack travelled at a speed that wouldn't be expected especially when it is taken into consideration that a small malnourished child threw it. Had the bag contained anything other than a pair of old hand me downs and a pair of Vernon's old socks it may have actually had some kind of effect. Instead it bounced off the back of the man's head.

As it turned out, not the best idea as the man swung round a metal bar clutched tightly within his gloved hands. His large face distorted into a large scowl, the skin pooling slightly at points.

The man looked ready to murder him a red gleam in his eyes, however he froze when he caught sight of Harry whose hand was still outstretched and fingers splayed with his teddy clutched tightly to his chest by his left arm.

"Leave her alone!" his voice while naturally high pitched and small still held a strong dangerous edge as he tried to make himself as intimidating as possible. This clearly came as a surprise to the men as both seemed to recoil slightly their eyes never leaving Harry even as one still clutched tightly to the woman's arm.

Harry felt a small wave of satisfaction at the reaction he had gained from them, his self-confidence attentively growing bringing with it more of the strange energy that was slowly flowing through him.

However the feelings were short lived as the thug appeared to regain his bearings and was now taking steady steps toward the boy. A demented grin twisted itself into existence upon his face, the metal bar now held in a loose grip as he gently hit it against the palm of his other hand.

"Oh? Or what brat?" the voice was deep and rough; sounding like the man had smoked too much and now couldn't use his throat properly. The other man had at this point moved to follow his companion, a grin on his own face the woman forgotten for the moment by both men.

"Gonna get your mommy to tell us off?" the other sneered, his voice adopting a babyish tone as a chuckle escaped his throat, amused by his own joke.

Harry who had by this point froze up with fear suddenly felt a jolt of anger pass through him, the snide comment reminding him of what his aunt had said earlier that very night. His parents had always been a sore subject but now, now they were unknowingly mocking him in another way, one that made his blood boil.

Being the young child he was Harry did not truly understand anger, he had seen brief flashes of it from his uncle and even Dudley when he did not get his way but he had never truly experienced it. Therefore when another wave of power – bigger this time – followed with the emotion he did not question what it was.

The first and closest man had been chuckling at his friends joke stopped as his eyes caught the small flicker within the child's eyes, his slow mind wanting to taunt it further.

"Awwww…has da poor baby lost his mommy?"

Both men erupted into louder bouts of laughter, their eyes closing as their body's rocked slightly with mirth.

The laughter echoed around him bouncing off the walls to once more assault his ear drums like a disturbed melody. Harry growled as his eyes flashed dangerously, his body shook slightly as tried to regain control over his shaking limbs. However the power which had been slowly building was reaching a peak, pulsing like a strong current inside of him. His head pounded like a drum, the pressure and tempo making him feel like he was about to explode. He found his small body tensing, all the pain from his stinging cheek to his throbbing knee was gon replaced by a boiling eat that protected him from the harsh weather.

Harry was a gentle child by nature, always quiet and polite his stance and small frame unthreatening. Many of those who lived on Privet Drive had actually liked him before the Dursley's had spoken of how much of a delinquent he was.

Therefore anger was new; power was new having control was new.

The laughter was still echoing.

Harry snapped.

The power propelled him forward at speed unnatural to his tiny frame, allowing him to arrive in front of the closest man in mere seconds. His fist flew forward the energy lending it strength as it found a place in the rotund belly. The hit caught the man mid laugh, his lungs emptying completely as the man desperately tried to drag in air.

He fell to his knees as his hands clutched at his stomach, the metal bar slipping from his fingers to clang against the ground before rolling away.

The other man had at this point opened his eyes, curious as to the noise his partner was making, his eyes widening almost comically at the sight that greeted him.

The young 'weak' child was now standing over the kneeling body of his friend who had fell to the ground spluttering desperately for much needed oxygen. The shock wore off soon enough an angry snarl taking a position upon his face as he charged towards the boy fists tightly balled at his sides, swinging dangerously as he tried to move faster. He reached the child quickly and pulled back his arm the gloved hand twitching slightly with the strain he was putting on it, before swinging it forward putting the majority of his strength into the swing.

Harry however was faster his eyes focusing on the man as soon as he began to move, observing just how he moved. That was enough. Turning slightly to the right allowed the fist to travel right past him, along with most of the man's body he bent slightly while throwing his own punch for the closest target. The man's genital region.

This fist like the previous was propelled by the power and as a result it flew with unnatural grace as well as strength. The man fell down next to his cohort instantly, both of his hands grasping at the pre mentioned destination as he rocked slightly where he had curled. Sharp desperate pants and gasps fell from his mouth as his eyes glistened with tears at the sharp aching pain.

Harry felt a small smile tug at the corners of his lips as he looked down at the two fully grown men he had just taken down, maybe living in Gotham wouldn't be so bad he had just proven that he could hold his own. This thought cheered him up immensely his self-doubts fleeing slightly as his self-confidence grew at the prospect of being independent. He could do this, he could –

A sharp high pitched laugh cut across his thought process, echoing off the walls in an eerily familiar way to the laughter of the two men. Harry shivered slightly, a cold chill passing down his spine as the feeling that something bad was about to happen invaded him. There was something off about this laugh, something deeply unsettling in how it rang through the air bouncing off the walls as though taunting him as he looked around desperately for the source.

The laugh sounded…insane.

"How interesting" a high pitched falsetto practically purred, voice sounding loud despite how quietly it was said. Harry found his eyes travelling to a balcony hanging out of one of the derelict apartments sides, the door behind it was open however there was no light to allow a visual of whoever was speaking. He stared confused and frightened as the feeling of dread grew, making his stomach turn slightly as he watched the door way. He found his mind screaming, ordering his body to move to run away from this new more dangerous threat however it apparently wasn't listening as he found his feet rooted to the spot unable to do more than twitch his fingers slightly.

He stood like this for what felt like forever when finally a silhouetted figure moved into sight the shoulders shaking slightly with what was most likely silent laughter. Harry found himself shaking slightly in fear, his chest seizing up as he watched the body slowly move further into the light as though shedding the darkness like a cloak. Once he was revealed however Harry wished silently that he had stayed hidden, his instincts now shrieking at him to run as he observed the figure with a morbid curiosity.

The man - for that was what it was – was of average height but that was the only thing average about him. The rest of him from his green hair to his red and yellow polka dot socks was…crazy.

His outfit which would have been considered laughable by many was anything but in Harry eyes, there was a deadly grace in the hunched shoulders hidden behind a plum blazer a slight threating jangle from the pockets of his matching trousers. However it wasn't his clothes that attracted the young boys attention, rather it was the twisted face that leered at him in amusement a demented smile pulling at his lips. Creepy corpse like white skin was the canvas upon which this monstrosity existed the lips as red as blood glinting slightly in the dim lighting as yellowish teeth flashed into existence. However the thing that drew the boys gaze, the most haunting feature were the eyes, they looked almost racoon like at first glance a dark suffocating black surrounding them; however the centre was a stark contrast a dark blood curdling red which gleamed with madness.

This man wasn't just dangerous, he was deadly. Harry despite his age knew the difference, just as he knew the difference between Vernon's regular beatings and those he gave in anger. And he knew that he had to get away now while he still had the ability to move however despite this knowledge he found himself immobile. No he wouldn't run, not anymore even from this thing that looked like it had come straight out of some horror movie. Shaking slightly Harry stood up slightly straighter, he had to protect the lady just like Batman would if he were here.

However common sense chose that moment to reappear working to reconnect his body to his brain all the while informing him that he didn't stand a chance in this fight, allowing himself to surrender to this though momentarily he stumbled back slightly his eyes never leaving the terrifying figure.

The grin grew larger as the man watched him, hands clutched behind his back as looked around the alley way a slight chuckle escaping him as he looked at the two men who hadn't moved from their places on the ground. "Two grown men taken out by a child now where have I seen this before…?"

Harry just watched in confusion sure that the man was hinting at something but unsure as to what, however he felt yet another feeling of impending doom and knew that if he wanted to get away with the lady – and his life - then he would have to make a run for it now. As such he found himself taking another step back his leg muscles tensing in preparation hands slightly clenched in his anxiety.

The clowns smile suddenly disappeared a frown taking its place as he looked up towards the sky, pausing as he watched the sky, seemingly looking for something. Harry momentarily followed his gaze and felt a shiver of excitement pass down his spine. The bat signal! That meant Batman would be out fighting crime that meant he could come and save them and then Harry-

He found himself pausing as the realisation that Batman didn't know that he was needed here came to mind. That meant there would be no dynamic rescue, no one to help should anything go wrong as such Harry found himself shivering once more as he looked away fear feeling right at home within his stomach.

The clown had yet to look away and had stayed like this for a few seconds before letting out a disappointed sigh most likely upset at the evening's events. He slowly allowed his gaze to drift back to Harry, the small boy watching him with wariness. Suddenly a smile once more made itself apparent upon the clowns face, this one was positively evil in its intent his eyes narrowing slightly.

"Looks like Bird brains a no show, good thing we have a stand in" Harry knew for sure that the clown was referring to him and felt yet another shudder pass through him. He had to run, he had to run now! With that thought he tried to turn around and yell for the lady o follow him, danger screaming at him.

However he was interrupted in his actions by the clown's next sentence "Harley help him take a nap won't you? We wouldn't want him to be tired for the big show." Twisting Harry found himself confronted with a large wooden hammer, the large piece wood slamming into his side and sending him rolling across the ground, black spots invading his line of sight as he slowly descended into unconsciousness, the last thing he saw was the clown laughing in glee.

Authors note:

Well there's chapter two, hope you're enjoying it so far. The next chapter is still in its planning stage but should hopefully be up next week. Anyway thank you for reading please leave a review and thank you to those of you who have already!