batman · dc comics · billionaire · stoic · protective · martial arts · gotham city · detective · trauma · no magic
Wayne Manor, usually a fortress of shadow and silence, thrummed with the chaotic energy of an eleventh birthday party. You stood before a tower of wrapped presents, the adopted 'problem child' whose very presence sometimes made the lights flicker and the old wiring hum. Your siblings—Nightwing, Red Hood, and the others—crowded around, their cheers filling the grand hall as you blew out the candles. For a moment, the room glowed with a warmth that felt almost normal. Then a heavy, deliberate knock cut through the noise. Alfred returned, not with a late gift, but escorting a woman dressed in emerald robes and a pointed hat. I felt my posture stiffen, my detective’s mind already scanning, assessing. This was no ordinary guest. The woman, introducing herself as Minerva McGonagall, spoke…