Disclaimer: Just like everybody else posting on ff. net, I do not own the copyrights of either Harry Potter or Ironman (or Corpse Bride or McDonald's). What I do own is an imagination and a laptop.
Summary: Harry was born a hermaphrodite but kept it a secret. He used his alternative identity as a woman to escape the nosy British wizards and settles in the States. There he met a handsome young genius who even though a complete womanizer and a snob captures Harry's attention. And vice versa.
Universe&Timeline: Follows HP books, set after DH; Follows IM movies, set a few years before the IM1 plot.
Main pairing: Harry(Helena)/Tony
A/N: I have the general plot for this story in my head. I'm going to have to wait for IRONMAN2 to see if I'm going to add it to this story or not. Either way it's not going to mess up with the what I have planned. Also I've only posted a new chapter so early because I wanted to get the ball rolling. If things go according to plan, I will be updating weekly.
PS: Cookies and cider to everyone who can guess why I've named Harry Helena. Can anyone guess? Hint: Helena's extremely beautiful.
Posted: 15.02.10
Obadiah and Pepper were used to Tony's lack of respect for schedules. But that didn't mean had to like it when he didn't show up on a board of director's meeting with absolutely no warning whatsoever. So the only thing they could do was directly confront him. Wasn't hard to do, since there were only two things he could have been doing at that time, and both of them would take place in his house.
Walking into the living room they heard music blaring from the downstairs workshop. Well that ruled out option A- sex; and only left option B- work.
Pepper tipped in the code and they entered Tony's adult playpen. They saw him work on a project with harsh movement which usually meant…
"Ah, so she didn't live up to your expectations? It's a shame when such beautiful women are cold in bed. So she wasn't satisfying, huh?" Obadiah said with a knowing smirk, while Pepper just stood emotionless, used to the two men's sexist ways.
Tony turned to look at Obadiah with an annoyed expression. What surprised both Pepper and Obadiah was that the annoyance was actually directed at Obadiah, not the girl that failed to please. As it had always been.
"And how should I know?" Tony sulked.
"You didn't…? She didn't…!"
Obadiah's facial muscles went slack for a moment. And he started roaring with laughter. One of Tony's lower eyelids started twitching in annoyance. Pepper was just standing, too shocked to know how to act.
"What exactly is so funny to you?" Tony grumbled.
"You! You're sulking because there was one girl that refused to sleep with you. Oh, that's precious." By now Obadiah was wiping tears of mirth from his cheeks.
"She gave me her number." Tony tried to save face, his ego being already as bruised as it was, but that only served to amuse Obadiah more than he already was.
"Anyway, Mr. Stark, we came here to see why you missed to board of director's meeting…" Pepper started.
"Which is pretty obvious now!" Obadiah just couldn't help but cut in.
"Stuff it, Obie." Tony grumbled while twisting a handkerchief in frustration. When that failed to soothe his nerves he threw it away.
"Tony Stark, playboy extraordinaire, couldn't get a girl he spent an entire party with into his bed!"
"She's a fucking lady, Obadiah. She has very high standards."
"Yes, too high for you, apparently."
"Would you cut that out, already!?"
After the fundraiser gala Tony wasn't in a good mood. Actually he felt downright depressed. Is this how guys who got kicked to the curb by girls always felt. He tried to sleep but couldn't stop his brain from working. So he decided it would be more constructive to work.
As he got dressed his gaze fell on his cell. He picked it up and opened the phonebook. His eyes skimmed Helena's name for a moment. Next thing he knew the phone was clattering against the wall. Taking a deep breath for calming effects he left to work. Work was good; it always took his mind off things. Well, there's a first time for everything.
Tinkering did nothing to distract him; however it did help him relax a bit. That was until Obadiah and Pepper showed. Oh, the meeting? He had completely spaced out on that. And now, Obadiah's laughing grated on Tony's nerves making him want to strangle something- preferably Obadiah. This would not have happened had Helena just slept with him! Well, that's settled then. The answer to Tony's problems was to get Helena to do just that. But first he needed a shower.
Unlike Tony, Harry had a very fulfilling slumber. When he woke up he felt rejuvenated and full of energy. Going through his morning routines he practically skipped to the greenhouse. Today he felt like working in the polar zone. The polar department was basically a refrigerator as some of the flora only flourished in cold temperatures. Actually he had a magma zone as well. Both of them hidden underneath the greenhouse, in a secret sublevel.
"Good afternoon, mistress. Did mistress have a good sleep?"
"Wonderful, Kreatcher. A night out can really do wonders to a person. Do you have the tea ready, yet?"
"Yes, mistress, Kreatcher will bring it right away, mistress."
Already starting on the research Harry should've expected Kreatcher to bring a magazine along with his tea. While Harry usually only read news and left the gossip to do whatever, whenever Kreatcher brought him something different than news it meant that he was mentioned. Taking the sad excuse of journalism with a frown he opened it and skimmed through trying to find where he was mentioned. His good mood returned when he saw he was only showed as a positive fashion statement. He did look rather pretty on the picture. 'Modest yet elegant' they said. Thankfully his name wasn't mentioned.
"Lemon with your tea, mistress."
"Sounds delightful, Kreatcher."
Tony was about to dial the number to call Helena but was stopped by an unexpected snag. He had no idea what to say. That was something that had never happened before. Usually women would do what he wanted them to do without him even needing to say anything, but this one was different. She made him feel like he was thirteen-year-old with a first crush. How pathetic.
So the call was postponed for a few days until he decided to invite her to a casino of all things. Gambling had always helped him relax; even if he lost. And he was so strung up he had almost no other choice.
The call was awkward. It was an old man who answered, making Tony feel like he was a teenager calling a girl but her overprotective father answered making him want to hang up and try again later, but as Tony was a grown man he asked to talk to Helena no matter how uncomfortable he felt. After the stress filled days and restless nights Helena's voice sounded like one of an angel's. But that didn't make Tony feel any better when Helena informed him she had never been to a casino because she wasn't of legal gambling age yet. That made him want to bang his head against something hard.
"I suppose it's fine though if I just hang off your arm and watch you play. I don't like gambling myself anyway." How it that simple words can make one man feel so much better?
Agreeing on the time and place Tony left a bit earlier- he needed to unwind a little. On his way out of the house he ran into Rhodey.
"Hey, Rhodey." He greeted.
"Tony. Wha'cha been up to lately? I haven't seen you in awhile." His expression said something else. Tony narrowed his eyes.
"Obadiah told you, didn't he?" He accused.
Rhodey adopted an overly innocent look.
"Told me what?"
"He did, didn't he?"
That's when Rhodey's already bad pokerface failed. His mouth drawled into a wide grin and couldn't hold back a giggle.
"I just had to see for myself. The first time our Tony got a rejection. Priceless."
"It wasn't a rejection. In fact I'm going out to see her right now." Rhodey's eyes widened.
"Really? You're going on a date with her? But still, she refused to sleep with you, that's a first for you, right?"
"I'm planning on correcting that mistake."
"Going to pick her up?"
"No, she insisted on coming by herself. She's as stubborn as a mule too."
They left for the casino together. Not that Tony invited him but because Rhodey insisted. He was rather anxious to meet the woman with such a high self esteem that she dissed Tony. Rhodey was certain she must be pretty; otherwise the bachelor wouldn't even bother. But from he heard she's from Britain so she can't be that pretty.(1)
Arriving at the casino Tony made a beeline for the poker booth. However after the 1st game he quit as even if his pokerface was near perfect Rhodey was standing right behind him. Seriously, that guy needed an iron mask to play the game. Taking a safer route of slot machines they were able to have a conversation, which made Tony think it would be a smarter idea to play craps as Rhodey wouldn't stop asking questions about Helena.
As ladies gathered around Tony when he rolled the dice Rhodey leaned against a column a few steps back, looking at Tony plundering a part of his fortune.
"Quite a character, isn't he? Are you a friend of his?" He heard someone say.
Rhodey turned his head to see an incredibly beautiful woman. She was wearing a white blouse with a dark grey feminine waistcoat and a dark green skirt that reached past her knees. They were very form fitting. She didn't look like the standard females that wore overly revealing dresses these days.
"Tony? Yeah, he's a good friend of mine. He's supposed to meet some British chika that took a chunk out of his ego when she didn't give into him. Colonel James Rupert Rhodes." Rhodey extended his hand in greeting.
A British chika that took a chunk out of his ego? Harry could only do so much not to burst out laughing. Apparently the colonel hadn't noticed his accent. He smiled and took the man's offered hand.
"Pleasure." Harry purred. He couldn't help it, his tone changed according to his moods and right now he was in a very good mood. Though Harry never noticed it ever happen and thus was oblivious that he did things like that.
Before Rhodey could ask for his name or do anything else for that matter Harry had taken a slow stride past him with his hand slowly sliding away from the colonel in a rather seductive manner. Again it wasn't done on purpose. Harry just couldn't help acting this way while in a content mood. Not that he actually could since he was not aware of what he did. Rhodey, not in a slight daze, followed her as she walked towards Tony.
Tony was having some luck with his craps game. Unfortunately it was bad luck, so like a prayer being answered…
"You look like you could use a turn of luck."
Turning to look at the stunning goddess that miraculously appeared next to him Tony offered her his hand in which the dice were.
"A goddess such as yourself shouldn't have any problem with turning my luck around. Care to help this poor little mortal?"
Helena moved her lips to Tony's hand and blew sensually. Tony shivered, that felt very different. This woman was something else. Not even looking at the table he rolled and got a seven.
Harry felt like biting her lip. His good mood relaxed his magic and he had accidentally cast a good-luck-charm on Tony. And from the way Tony shivered he had felt it as well. Thankfully muggles tended to come up with the silliest of excuses to dismiss magic. In Britain it was illegal to use any type of luck magic in gambling anywhere, punishable from fines to imprisonment. In America however it was okay if you used magic in muggle casinos, no one cared, but you were definitely in trouble if you used it in a casino owned by a wizard. The tricky part was that you can never be sure whether the owner was a muggle or not.
"And she blessed me with her divinity. I see you met Rhodey, Helena." He said looking behind her. For some reason Rhodey looked just about ready to faceplant on the ground.
"Uh, yeah, well anyway, I just remembered I have some… stuff to do. Yeah, so… I gotta go." With that he turned tail and fled.
Tony thought it odd that Rhodey left so soon especially since before he was annoying as hell pestering him about wanting to meet Helena. Oh, well, in the end that's only better for Tony. Taking another roll of the dice it came eleven. Okay, Helena was really his lucky charm.
Two hours later Tony walked out of the gambling hell quite a few million dollars richer than he was walking in. Scratch what he thought about Helena being his lucky charm; she was really his luck goddess!
"So, how was your first impression of an evening spent in a casino?"
"Not too overly shabby. You even didn't act like a man whose ego had been bruised earlier."
"What?"
"Nothing, just something your friend said earlier."
"Who, Rhodey? What did he say?"
"Something about me being a British chick who took a strike at your ego by rejecting you or something like that."
I'm going to kill you, Rhodey! Tony yelled internally. Suddenly the colonel's discomfort earlier made a lot of sense. Helena, however, looked more amused than anything else.
"Would you like to have a late dinner with me, Helena?" Tony asked, not feeling comfortable with what was so funny to Helena.
"Thank you, Tony, I am rather hungry. Would you like to eat out or visit my home? My cuisine is quite unique though. We should also stay out if you crave meat tonight."
Visit's a beautiful woman's home. How can he refuse? So twenty minutes later they were pulling up by Helena's house. Tony was next to his car and just stood staring at the house, or rather what was behind the house.
"Different from what you expected?" Helena asked with her usual smile.
"My house is filled with technology that's more advanced than what you'll find even in technologically advanced companies. I guess I should've expected this."
Helena laughed.
"I can give you a small detour of some parts of the greenhouse later if you wish."
"Some parts?"
"Some of the plants are dangerous to you. Or you are dangerous for them. Either way it's not a good idea to go into a close proximity. So how about that dinner?"
They ended having dinner in the greenhouse. While the spot where they sat was illuminated Tony could see from the unlit part of the greenhouse the bioluminescent glow of certain plants in the distance. What on earth was Helena doing in here?
The butler with the weird name-Creature?!- came and served what looked like to be a bowl of fruits. This was the dinner? The fruit looked downright weird to begin with.
"You don't have to be so skeptical, Tony. These fruits are my personal creation and really quite satisfying, if I do say so myself. Very filling as well, this is why there's nothing else much. I told you my cuisine's rather unique."
"Fair enough."
Tony took a dragon fruit shaped fruit that Tony couldn't decide was red or purple. He took a skeptical bite and let out a surprised moan. It was the most delicious fruit he'd ever tried.
"Like it? I'm glad. They're an absolute pain to grow, sadly. Wilt extremely easily. A snag I'm trying to work around. A few bushes of these sweethearts and world hunger would decrease quite dramatically."
"We all try to do our part to help. This, however, is out of this world!"
"Thank you, Tony. That means a lot."
"You know, this qualifies as home cooking since technically you made this… This is the first time I've had home made food."
Harry's eyebrow's raised.
"How come? What about your mother? Didn't she ever cook?"
"She wasn't a particularly maternal woman. My dad was already wealthy when he and Maria met. So being the dutiful gold-digger she was, she seduced him, and had me as a security policy. Not much to tell."
"And your dad?"
"We were a lot closer and we loved each other, I guess, but he was a bit of a workaholic so he didn't have too much time for me. If I hadn't been such a techno-whiz I don't know how much time we would've spent time together at all."
Tony didn't know why he started talking about what was such a sensitive subject for him, but it felt nice. Helena was a good listener.
"And after they perished?"
"It was ironic. I was seventeen back then, just graduated from MIT. Dad said he was proud of me; Maria looked bored and didn't seem to know why she had to be there in the first place and eventually she made a slight scene about it. Dad was furious with her. He said sorry and dragged her to the car and left me standing there in my graduation robes. It was his angry driving that caused the accident. They both died that day."
Something wet slid down Tony's face. He lifted his hand to his face and was surprised to see tears. He was crying? Two arms encircled his torso and turned to see Helena give him a hug. They sat in silence for several minutes.
"Well, enough about me. Your turn to spill your guts. What happened to you after your folks died? You were just a baby back then, right?"
"Yeah, I was. Since my father's side had all perished I was sent to the only living relatives I had left: my mother's sister and her husband and son. Neither of them liked me very much."
"I find that hard to believe, Helena."
"Jealousy is an ugly thing, Tony. My aunt was very jealous of my mother for several reasons. For one thing my mother was uncommonly beautiful, while she looked rather plain. Actually, by looking at them you would've never guessed they were even related. And of course she was smarter and far more popular then her. To add insult to injury just as she thought she'd at least beat her sister by marrying a moderately successful businessman with a house on the suburbs, she found out her sister's marrying a Lord, with an actual mansion. There's one other reason, which is probably the biggest reason of all, but that's a secret and I can't share it with you."
Tony never had any siblings, but after that he was thoroughly grateful.
"My childhood wasn't a very happy one. They didn't downright abuse me, I guess, but they did neglect and sometimes 'forgot' to feed me. My days were generally filled with chores such as cooking, cleaning and gardening. The money that was donated from my trust fund was all used on their overly obese son. Only some of the stuff he didn't want anymore was given to me, and that included clothes too. I didn't look particularly cute either as he was about five times my size despite being only a few months older."
Tony felt like shit. This seemingly innocent and pure woman next to him had been through more crap than anyone he knew. He felt uncomfortable listening to this story but didn't want to actually say so, so he was grasping at straws.
"I suppose it is clear then where you get your good looks."
Helena laughed.
"Actually I'm a spitting image of my father."
"Must've been a cosmically beautiful man then." Tony took a crack, trying to get Helena to laugh again. He succeeded.
Suddenly Helena stood up and took Tony's arm, pulling him up.
"C'mon, I want you to meet them."
"Meet who?"
"My parents."
Helena pulled one very confused Tony back into the house and through the hallways into what looked to be a sitting room. Once there Helena pointed at a painting above the mantelpiece.
"James and Lily." She said.
Tony looked at the painting of two people. A redheaded woman and a man whose dark hair was the messiest he's ever seen. Helena was right, she looked like her father, but the eyes were different. She had the same slightly catlike green eyes as her mother. Undeniably Helena's mother was a very beautiful woman, but in Tony's opinion her beauty paled in comparison of her daughter's.
Tony didn't stay, she didn't ask and he didn't insist, so he left for home that night.
The next morning Harry woke up feeling calm once more. He went through his usual morning routines, had breakfast, went to the greenhouse and waited for Kreatcher to bring him his tea and paper. He was quite surprised to find another magazine among the usual. And this time it wasn't as innocent as the fashion statement before.
There were pictures of him and Tony on the night they met: dancing, talking and just sitting next to each other on the same table. It looked innocent enough. But the other pictures of the night before weren't as innocent-looking. There were different shots taken of them in the casino and the way Harry was standing close to Tony with his hands caressing Tony's arm looked less than platonic even to Harry himself. However what got Harry really annoyed was the fact that there was a picture of him and Tony in front of his house! That kind of violation of privacy was the reason why he left England in the first place! Then, of course, was the gossip about the nature of his and Tony's relationship. There were speculations that he was just another one-nighter, but there were also the ones that claimed that it was a bit more long-lasting romance since the only other woman Tony was seen together more than once was Pepper and she was on payroll! The cherry on top of the violation of Harry's privacy was, of course, a complete survey of who Lady Helena was and, of course, her achievements. The only part Harry found at least partly amusing were subtle praises to Tony for aiming high.
"Mistress has a phone call, mistress."
Kreatcher cut through the daze Harry fell into after reading the article. Harry took a look at the house-elf in disguise and accepted the phone.
"Hello?"
"Helena? Hi, it's Tony."
"Oh, hi."
"Something the matter? You sound a little down."
"It's nothing, just a petty annoyance that can be dealt with later. So, what's up?"
"Well, since I saw your place, I thought it's only fair you'll see mine too."
"So, you're basically inviting me over?"
"That's pretty much it."
"Okay where do I come to?"
Tony gave Harry the directions. Harry had noticed Tony admiring his fluorescent plants the day before and decided to take a potted fern to him as a gift. Opting to take a car by himself and not the limo, he saddled up the plant and bid Kreatcher goodbye.
Tony greeted him outside. Harry stood out of the car and surveyed Tony's house.
"Wow. It's very… futuristic."
Tony smiled but his smile turned into confusion when Helena handed him a fern of all things. Would've thought that if she would've brought him a plant of all things it would've been a bit more exotic and not something that you can get in every flower shop by yourself.
"I saw how you liked the fluorescent plants at my greenhouse yesterday, so I thought I'd give you one for your home. Something simple that even you can take care of." There was a slight teasing tone in her voice.
"This thing glows in the dark? I wondered why you would bring me something so common while you have a mansionful of unique plants lying about."
Tony led Harry into the living room where Harry admired the beautiful interior decoration.
"Welcome, Lady Potter." A voice said out of nowhere making Harry squeak and jump. He hadn't sensed anyone in the house besides themselves. At least anyone with a soul and there was no magic anywhere either.
"That's Jarvis. He runs the place, sort of like a butler that doesn't have its own body."
"What is he, a robot or something?"
"Well, yes, if you think of the house as the aforementioned robot."
"And you're the one who created that program?"
"Who else?" Tony sounded rather smug.
They sat down and chatted a bit until Harry noticed the same magazine on the table that gossiped about him and Tony.
"Did you read that?" Harry asked. Tony followed Harry's gaze and saw the magazine.
"Oh, yeah. Interesting theories, right?""
"Simply fascinating. Are you going to make a statement about it?"
"Maybe. But what should I say?"
"The truth of course. That we're just friends."
Tony blanched a little.
"Is that what we are?" He asked.
"Aren't we?" Harry asked back.
Losing his cool Tony did something that no man with any experience with women would ever ask.
"Are you even attracted to me at all?"
Harry was slightly taken aback at the blunt question.
"I'd have to be both stupid and blind to not find you attractive, Tony."
"So, what's holding you back?"
"I've already told you that once already. There are two factors. One: I don't do one night stands; and second: I can't stand infidelity. You may be interested enough to stay by me for awhile, but you will get bored and start to cheat. Up until you will lose any kind of interest you once held and we'll drift apart and become strangers."
Tony didn't want to admit it, but Helena was most probably right.
"So you're saying you'd never date me."
"Actually, no. I'd like to date you, but you're too… young."
"Young? I'm over five years older than you!"
"That's not what I meant. What I mean is that the time is too soon; you're feeling too young to commit. Maybe once you're ready to settle we can give it a go."
Tony was quiet for awhile and then said.
"So for now we'll stay as friends who are attracted to each other. That correct?"
Helena gave Tony one of her dazzling smiles he's quickly becoming very fond of.
"Sounds just about right."
She leaned in and gave him a peck on the cheek.
When Pepper first heard that there was a woman out there that said no to Mr. Stark, she thought it might have been a sign of the apocalypse, but when she heard him say that they're just friends she became sure of that fact. That is until she actually met Lady Helena and got to know her a little better.
She was picking up some takeout Mr. Stark had asked from her when she was on her way to bring some documents that needed to be signed, one thing that you still can't do through a computer. And that's when she first met her. She walked into his workshop in the basement when she noticed something odd. There was someone else there and it wasn't Obadiah. Usually- actually without exceptions- she and Obadiah were to only ones who Mr. Stark allowed to visit down there. But now there she was, an almost unnaturally beautiful woman sitting next to Mr. Stark as he explained the finer points of overheating prevention technology he's using an as a pet project to pass the time.
Mr. Stark looked up and saw her sanding there, looking surprised.
"Ah, Ms. Potts, you got the takeout, right?"
His voice snapped Pepper out of her reverie.
"Ah, yes, Mr. Stark. Along with the paperwork you need to sign. You must be the Lady Potter I've hear so much about."
"Indeed I am (2). And you must be the notorious Pepper Potts. Tony talks about you quite a bunch, if he's not too busy talking about himself, that is."
Much to Pepper's surprise Mr. Stark didn't seem the least bit offended at the jab. Quite the opposite, he seemed amused at the maliciousless taunt and replied by giving the Lady a light shove on the shoulder. If that wasn't the sign of an apocalypse, Pepper didn't know what was.
One thing was clear, though. That woman was something else. Whether it was good or not Pepper couldn't decide. That is until Helena invited her out to a girl's night, saying that too much work can screw up a person's perspectives. Pepper thought she'll be taken to some snooty cigar club or something but was quite surprised when Helena first took her out to a middle class bowling joint.
"We're going to play bowling?" Pepper said in surprise.
"Obviously. You any good?"
"I haven't played since I was a kid."
"That's good to hear. I've never played. Always wanted to try this."
Lady Helena kept coming up with more surprises. At this point Pepper didn't think she'd be too surprised if she turned out to be some kind of a magical fairy or something. They played two games, both getting most of their balls in the drain. But it was the most fun Pepper had had in awhile. Later they tried a game of pool, which they didn't finish because they couldn't get all the balls in in the time limit of two hours they had bought. Then they had dinner. Taking a stroll in a park just chatting and exchanging fun memories they happened to walk by a basketball court with two men playing.
"Now, that is a game I used to excel at." Pepper said wistfully.
"Really, Pepper? I was quite good at it too, but I haven't played in years."
Pepper was surprised. She had surprising a lot in common with the noble.
"Maybe if we ask nicely they'll let us have a round of one-on-one."
Helena (Pepper felt she was close enough with the other woman to drop the title) liked the idea and turned to ask the boys. Pepper did not like the suspicious glint the men had in their eyes at all.
"We don't have a lot of time here, but a little two-on-two won't hurt. How about it? Boys vs. Girls?"
Helena seemed to like that idea, seemingly oblivious to the men's undoubtedly dirty intentions.
Still, a game's a game. And Pepper found that Helena really was good at the game. They gave the men a run for their money. If it wasn't for the fact that the idiots tried to feel them up in the guise of snagging the ball, Pepper would've really enjoyed the little game. It was then that Pepper found herself thanking that Helena had unnatural beauty, though funny thing was that Helena was extremely good at dodging wandering hands, that woman was damn quick on her feet. With that face she must've hade quite bit practice she guessed. If only she knew.
After the game Pepper and Helena were going to call it a night. It had been a fun day, but that were both exhausted. That at least was the plan. As they walked through a darkened part of the park because the lamps were smashed they heard a shout from behind.
"You're not leaving without repaying for the fun we let you have, now will you?"
The women turned around to see the two men from before advancing onto them, both wearing sick predatory grins that was visible even in the darkness.
"You really shouldn't have picked the dark side of the park."
Pepper reached for her bag.
"You better not be thinking about using that pepper spray you no doubt have in that bag."
Pepper felt nervous. She glanced to her side at Helena and was surprised at the stone cold expression she had.
"Dibs on the raven…"
"No way dude, you get the redhead."
Even though they were probably talking about raping them, Pepper couldn't help but feel annoyed at being second choice. She glanced at Helena again and decided that it weren't the men that were scaring her. The look on Helena's eyes was the one that promised something you do not want to experience.
"Dibs? That's pathetic, even for lowlife sad excuse of the male race such as you."
The tone of Helena's voice chilled Pepper to the bone. The two idiots, however, didn't seem to notice.
"What was that? Oh, we're going to hurt you so bad you'll be begging for mercy."
The hollow laugh made Pepper, who was already freaked out, shiver. It seemed to finally make the men uneasy as well.
"Is that so? Too bad I've already had to face horrors so terrifying, your little jaunts don't even make it in the realm of intimidating."
And to prove her point she started taking long, slow steps towards the two men that. She slowly started raising her arms.
"Would you like me to show you what I mean?" Her voice was barely above a whisper and adopted a childlike tone which made it all the more creepy.
"Fuck this, I'm outta here. She's all yours, man."
"Hey wait for me!"
The perverts bolted. Helena turned back to Pepper and smiled at her. All of her previous creepiness seemed to have evaporated.
"What the hell was that all about?" She asked.
"When it comes to intimidating people I've learned from the best. Those two for example are the easiest type to intimidate. The type who act tough and prey on the weak, in this case two fragile women, are generally the biggest cowards. Had they been alone they never would've tried this, as there would've been the slightest chance that we might've overpowered one."
"What about the creepy ghost thing you just did."
"Nice one about the ghost comment. People, when directly confronted by the supernatural, get scared rather easily. For example, the possessed young woman act I did just now. Added to that I have black hair and green eyes. While very pretty it can be turned rather creepy when used correctly."
Pepper had only one thing to say to that.
"Can you teach me?"
Once Harry got home he didn't head straight to bed like planned, but to the greenhouse. When he raised his arms towards the two rapists earlier it wasn't just for show. He showered the two men with some invisible pollen from his bracelet that he designed specifically for tracking. The bracelet will show him where the two men are, but it would last only for 24 hours. Not that that will be a problem because he was planning on dealing with them immediately.
When in the greenhouse sublevel he took a deep breath to prepare himself and walked into the polar zone. He found the specific plant he was very fond of- Frigidus Ampelos(3). It wasn't one of his designs. It was, however, exceptionally rare. The plant was sort of like an owl. It could only truly flourish when bonded to a magical being. It used to be mostly ice dragons but sadly that particular of breed was now extinct. Female ice dragons liked to lay their eggs into them as the vines were very protective and nigh impossible to get through, depending on the magical potential of the bonded.
To Harry the plant was able to alter him in a way that came extremely handy in situations like this. Harry reached out his palm and the plant pierced him with one of its thorns. Harry bit his lip as the familiar freezing feeling washed through him. It wasn't exactly excruciating, but in no means was it comfortable. As the toxin spread the biting chill from around him started to lessen and lessen. Harry took a deep breath of the freezing air. He never got used to the odd sensation of cold air when he couldn't actually feel the coldness. But the lack of hypothermia problems wasn't why Harry did this. The toxin completely bleached his skin making him look like a walking dead and bringing out his brilliant eye color even more. Harry thanked the plant by petting it lovingly. Frigidus Ampelos was a very affectionate plant after all- and liked children a lot. Especially it's bonded's (another reason why ice dragons liked to make a nest of it). On to business, Harry dressed in thin semi-transparent clothing and pulled his invisibility cloak over his shoulders giving an illusion of floating and walking like the wind.
It was hunting time.
What? You didn't actually expect him to just let two rapists walk free when he could stop them, did you? He has a hero complex, remember?
1- No offense meant. It's Rhodes who believes in that stereotype.
2- Couldn't resist :P
3-It should mean ice vine. Correct me if I'm wrong.
Word count: 6007
Thank you for reading.