Chapter Seven: Risky Venture


Hogwarts seemed a lot more relaxing since Harry began to work past his demons. Classes started to become more interesting. The homework became fun to do and life just seemed to be a lot easier.

Harry sat across from Ron, grinning. "Knight to E7."

Ron shook his head. "Queen to D5. Checkmate. That was fun."

Harry rubbed his forehead. "How? I followed the damn book's instructions to the letter."

Ron laughed. "I read that when I was six."

Harry frowned. "Prick." He laughed, watching as Hedwig flew down beside him. "Hey girl." He took the package from her leg, feeding her some owl treats.

"Your mum?" Ron guessed.

Harry nodded, opening the package. "Wow." He smiled softly, taking out a selection of artisan toffees and sweets. He picked up the letter, opening it.

Dear Harry,

Tony and I were in France for the annual Smart Energy Conference. I found this quaint little shop that stocked a variety of toffees and other nutty sweets. Sirius was telling me about a professor of yours who has a habit of insulting you and James.

I've set a meeting for Sunday night. I know that's the same day you're meeting with Narcissa Malfoy, but I'll have an afternoon meeting so it doesn't conflict.

Tony's coming with me, mostly because Dumbledore is interested in working on a muggle world workshop for the Muggle Studies class.

See you soon.

Love

Mum

Harry sipped his pumpkin juice, playing with the destroyed king. "She's coming to talk to Snape." He said, watching the Potion Master carefully.

Ron nodded slightly. "That's a good thing." He said. "Think of how much crap Snape got away with. You're not orphan Harry anymore. Don't worry about it."

Harry smiled, setting up his quill and ink. He grabbed some parchment, focusing on what to say.

Dear Mum,

School's going great. Thanks to Hermione's help and the lessons from Sirius, I'm starting to excel in classes I once struggled in. Thank you for the sweets, the smell of them alone has my mouth watering.

It's your choice to set up meetings with any of my teachers if you believe it to be important. Snape is one of the most corrupt teachers I have ever seen in my life. It'll nice to see you on Sunday. And please bring Mr Jarvis along if you can, I actually miss the old butler.

Love,

Harry

He sealed the letter into an envelope, placing it on Hedwig's leg. "Stay the night." He instructed her as he inspected her feathers. "And when you get back, I'll give you a nice bath." He promised.

Hedwig nipped his ear, flying off to the distance.

Ron watched Hedwig fly away. "She's going to have a restless year." He laughed, repairing the chess pieces.

Harry smiled, glancing at the window Hedwig had just flown out of. "Yeah." He chuckled. He noticed Hermione sitting on the loveseat, her DS in hand. "Any luck?"

Hermione tossed the DS beside her, her teeth grinding slightly. "I want to commit a mass genocide against Pikachu!"

Harry laughed, moving over to her. "How about some French artisan toffee?"

Hermione took one of the sweets, popping it into her mouth. "Hmm, these are amazing!"

Harry grinned, trying one for himself. "Ron? Want one?"

Ron nodded, catching the sweet once it came in his direction. "Hmm. Your mum's got good taste."

Harry smiled softly, resting his head on her shoulder. "Have you thought about breeding an Espeon? Psychic and Future Sight could beat him."

Hermione grinned. "Harry James Potter, you're playing Soul Silver, aren't you?"

Harry smirked a little. "Five days, five badges."

Hermione frowned. "What was your starter?" She asked.

"Quilava. Well he's one now." Harry chuckled. "I've also got a Noctowl, Poliwhirl, Scyther and a Raikou."

Hermione's eyes widened. "YOU CAUGHT RAIKOU?!" She jumped up and down. "Show me!"

Harry rolled his eyes, opening his DS. He booted the game. He wrapped his arm around her, showing her his party. "Raikou is the strongest Pokemon I have."

Hermione smiled. "I'm still chasing the one in my game. I caught Entei and Suicune though."

Harry relaxed against the sofa with her, kissing her cheek. "Quilava is a cool Pokemon. Noctowl is cool too."

Hermione kissed him gently, closing his DS. "You're such a good boyfriend." She whispered.

-HS-

Tony groaned as Lily told him about the meeting with Snape. "So Sev is apparently being a dick to Harry? Jesus, I haven't seen him in years."

Lily nodded, rubbing her stomach gently. "And Professor Dumbledore wants to speak to you about creating a muggle workshop for the Muggle Studies class."

Tony's eyes lit up at the idea of working on something new. "Will I have full control of what's placed in it?" He asked as the gears in his head started turning.

Lily sighed. "As long as you don't blow the castle to pieces."

Tony kissed her softly, patting her stomach. "Don't worry. We can't have our baby going without a magical school."

Lily rolled her eyes. "We don't know if the baby's magical." She pointed out. "We've a one in four chance of it happening."

Tony raised an eyebrow. "Every time you sneeze you're blasting part of the windows away."

Lily pouted. "I destroyed the west wing of Potter Manor when I was pregnant with Harry." She sat down.

Tony laughed. "I'll reinforce the penthouse then. I think it'll be nice if we stay there until the summer. It'll give you and Harry time to bond in your own country."

Lily smiled. "Thanks. It's going to take me a while to get reacquainted with the magical community."

Tony kissed her again, smiling softly. "You're the most important thing to me, Lily."

Lily kissed him back. "You're not getting lucky tonight." She whispered into his ear, returning to her work.

Tony rolled his eyes. "It's all sex with you." He teased. "Sometimes a man just wants to be cuddled."

Lily smirked. "Well when this baby's born, you'll be cuddling yourself for a long time." She winked, heading to her office. Sometimes teasing Tony was the best part of her day.

Tony rolled his eyes, heading to the armoury. He hit the activation system, seeing new schematics for a glider suit and several small doodles. "Goldmine." He grinned, moving the data to the 3D holographic layout. "J.A.R.V.I.S, you up?"

"For you sir, always."

"Test the new blueprints against every man made and man known metals." He tapped the interface.

"No metals found with the weight reduction numbers put in. Shall I extend my search?"

Tony clicked his tongue. "No. Send an email to Harry's tablet. Tell him to get the weight of all magical metals."

"Of course, sir. Your gluten free waffles are ready."

Tony smirked. "Excellent." He shut down the equipment, heading to the kitchen. He grabbed the plate of waffles, pouring syrup over them.

J.A.R.V.I.S scanned the surrounding area. "Sir, there's someone attempting to break into the armoury."

Tony sighed, walking down to the armoury. "Come out, Wade. I know you're here."

A dark chuckle came from the end of the room. "Very good." He pulled two katana out, pointing them towards him. "We've been expecting you."

"Put the damn arc reactor down." Tony snapped, placing a gauntlet on. ""What do you want?"

The man walked towards him. "I need a power source, Stark. It's nothing personal."

"Deadpool, I don't think you understand the power of that device." Tony pointed the gauntlet at him.

Deadpool chuckled. "Time out!" He turned slightly. "Hello dear reader. Don't worry about the guy with the shiny glove." He chuckled. "My name is Deadpool. I'm from the comic universe that this crossover steals from. Now I'm not a huge fan of Harry, but I had to show up. Let me give you the skinny. I'm an invincible mercenary with a healing factor that could outlive any of you." He walked over, scribbling a penis on Tony's cheek. "I'm allowing the author that one. Now, when I steal this puppy and deliver it to my client, I'll be loaded."

"Deadpool!" A voice bellowed.

"Fine! I'll get back to the story." Deadpool sighed. He clicked his fingers.

"It could easily destroy an entire continent if you let it fall into the wrong hands." Tony frowned. "When did you move?"

Deadpool whistled, moving away from him. "I was always standing there." He said simply. "Tell you what, pay my fee and I'll leave."

Tony fired at the reactor core, grabbing it tight. "No deal." He crushed the reactor.

Deadpool frowned. "Now you've done it." He swung the sword, aiming for his head.

Tony side stepped him, shooting off Deadpool's arm. "Get out of here before I cut you into a million little pieces."

Deadpool frowned. "Hey, that suit takes ages to repair!" He shouted.

Tony frowned. "Mark V." He called out.

"Of course sir." J.A.R.V.I.S activated the armour, locking Deadpool into it and flying him out of the room. The suit came back an hour later, scratched up in places. "He put up a fight."

Tony rolled his eyes. "Lock this place up and run special scans every five minutes for Deadpool." He said, returning to his waffles. "That guy's a pain in the ass."

-o0o-

Lily groaned as Jarvis finally stopped the car. The five hour drive from London to Hogwarts had been pure chaos for her. She stepped out of the car, staring up at the castle for the first time in many years. "I haven't seen this beautiful place in over a decade."

Tony stepped out the other side, placing his sunglasses on. "This is Hogwarts? I was expecting a golden castle floating over a giant diamond."

Jarvis stood from the car, locking it. He walked alongside with Tony and Lily, heading to the castle. "The architecture is beautiful."

Harry stood at the entrance. "Welcome to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. My name is Harry Potter, I'll be your guide for the day."

Tony smirked. "This is terrible service. Here nearly a minute and we still don't have booze."

Harry chuckled. "I'm sorry, Mr Stark. But our school has a strict 'no alcohol' policy." He opened the main door. "I've been asked to escort you to Professor Snape's office."

Lily smiled. "Lead the way, Mr Potter." She said softly.

Harry began moving towards the stairs. "Be careful. The staircases have a habit of moving on their own free will."

Jarvis examined several of the different portraits. "And who are these fellows?"

Harry stopped. "The man on your right is an inventor. He designed the wand holster." He moved his eyes. "Mr Damocles here designed unique metals that bend with the person's body shape."

Tony raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

Harry nodded. "Unfortunately the metal gained extreme density that makes an ounce of it feel like a pound."

Tony mentally cursed. "I see." He continued walking with them. "What's with the formality?"

Harry opened another door. "I've been asked to be the liaison to the other schools." He explained, stopping outside Snape's office. "Enjoy yourselves." He said blandly.

Lily placed her hand on his shoulder. "You're coming in with us, Harry. He's not going to harass you anymore."

Harry nodded, walking into the room with them. He saw several seats scattered around the room. "Mr and Mrs Stark are here to see you." Jarvis took a seat, clearing his throat. "And their butler, Edwin Jarvis."

Snape took his seat behind his desk. "You may leave now, Mr Potter."

Lily took her seat. "Actually, my son will remain in the room so we may corroborate your view."

Harry sat beside her, keeping his hands on his lap. Tony took the other side, chuckling. "It's been a long time, Sev."

Severus raised an eyebrow. "Years." He replied in a droll voice. "So, may I ask what this is about, Mrs Stark?"

Lily stared at her old friend carefully. "It's come to my attention that you have a habit of insulting my son in your classes, as well as my late husband." She used her business tone, keeping her face neutral. "I decided to get your side of the story before I placed a complaint with the Board of Governors."

Severus' face began to create a slight sneer. "My problem with your son is his complete lack of regard for rules or potion making." He said coldly. "Not to mention his disregard for other students. He has a nasty habit of fighting with members of Slytherin House."

Tony remained quiet, keeping one of his arms around Lily to keep her calm. He watched Harry closely. "No offence, Professor Snape, but from what we've heard, you've been verbally assaulting Harry for years."

Severus bit the inside of his cheek. "Your only source of information has been Mr Potter I suppose?"

Lily shook her head. "No. My main source of information has been Molly Weasley and Hermione Granger. Both women refused to talk about my son's life, but both mentioned that you have been the one person who has come up whenever Harry has had problems in school." She felt Tony's hand massage her back gently and tried to calm herself down. "My son has shown nothing but respect to me and his stepfather, as well as all the staff of our home."

Snape smirked slightly. "I find that hard to believe. Mr Potter is known for his contempt of the Muggle World."

Harry closed his eyes, trying not to shout. His mother wanted to lead the issue. After the drunken incident, he wanted to make amends. "I've contempt for abusers, not muggles." He said through gritted teeth.

Lily wrapped her arm around him, hoping he wouldn't feel uncomfortable. "I'm going to make it easy, Sev. Our past friendship does not mean I'll take your word over my son's. I'll be placing a complaint with the Board of Governors if I find out that you're continuing to insult my family."

Snape began to write something down on a piece of parchment. "If you believe I have behaved outside the conduct of a Hogwarts Professor, please contact Professor Dumbledore to lodge a proper complaint." He signed his name on the paper. "This is a letter stating that I have met with you and Mr Stark about your son." He stared at Lily. "It's good to see you again, Lily."

Lily stared back. "I wish I could say the same, Severus. I'm incredibly disappointed in your behaviour."

Tony stood up. "Sev, you haven't changed a bit." He walked out with Harry, Jarvis and Lily. "Well, we're booked in for the day. I know you've a meeting with your solicitor."

Harry nodded. "You're both welcome to come." He said quietly.

Lily stared at him. "Of course we will." She gave him a large hug. "You've gained some weight." She said happily.

Harry wrapped his arms around her lightly, smiling to himself. "Would Mr Stark like to see the Gryffindor Dorms?" He asked politely.

Tony chuckled slightly. "I would love to see where Lily used to sit and think about me." He wrapped his arm around his wife.

Lily rolled her eyes. "More like where James and I used to talk for hours." She corrected him, poking his nose. She continued walking with her husband and son, seeing the portrait of the Fat Lady. "Fair lady, it's been a long time." She bowed slightly.

"Lily Potter, or Stark so I've been led to believe." She chuckled. "Violet will be amazed that you're truly alive." She stared at Harry. "Password."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Ears closed people." He waited for a minute. "Patroni." He spoke softly. He brought the trio into the Common Room, seeing Hermione dancing around. "Hermione?"

Hermione bounced around, kissing him deeply. "I beat Red!" She grinned.

Harry laughed, kissing her back. He kept an arm around her, looking at Ron. "How's the education going?"

He put his quill down. "I feel like tearing my hair out Harry." He sighed gently, smiling at the Starks. "Mr Stark, Mrs Stark." He waved to them. "Mr Jarvis."

Jarvis gained a worried look on his face. "This place is absolutely ghastly. It could use a lick of paint and some more modern looks." He grabbed his measuring tape, checking the size of the walls and carpet.

Tony chuckled. "And people wonder why he hasn't retired." He cleared his throat. "J, remember, we're guests here."

Jarvis placed the tape back into his pocket. "Quite right. I do offer my apologies students." He chuckled quietly, fixing the buttons on his jacket. "I'd like to offer my services if you ever do want to redecorate."

Harry couldn't help but laugh as everyone just stared at the odd man in the suit. He spent an hour in the Common Room with everyone, listening to stories about the old days in the castle.

-o0o-

Narcissa Malfoy took a large sip of tea, placing the cup down on the saucer. She watched her cousin's movements closely, trying to see if she could be focus on his intentions. Lily Potter...Stark was sitting across from her, resting her head on her new husband's shoulder.

Her gaze moved to the focus of the meeting, Harry James Potter. The young man sat with the Stark's butler, speaking about wallpaper patterns and other such nonsensical things.

She finished her tea, clearing her throat. "May we begin the meeting?"

Harry nodded. "I was waiting on you to finish your tea. It's rude not to serve some form of refreshments to a guest." He said softly, standing up. "What do you know about Muggle guardianship of magical relatives?"

Narcissa frowned. "It's a touchy issue. If no magical guardians can be found, then it is the right of the muggles to gain guardianship. May I ask what this is about?"

Harry sighed. "What if I told you our Ministry had to protect someone? Someone who had defeated a Dark Lord? They proclaimed the child dead and worked on moving him to his muggle relatives as a safety precaution. It was needed though, the only person who had custodial rights had been under trial for being a member of the terrorist organisation known as the Death Eaters." He paced around the room. "The child's mother had been a gentle soul. A woman who had been loved by many of her friends and colleagues. A woman who was believed to have sacrificed herself for her infant son." He could hear Lily sniffle quietly. "Her muggle sister took her son. She hated magic, despised it with a flaming passion to be completely honest. It was that hatred as well as a husband with a hatred for anything he viewed as abnormal that brings us here today." He glanced over at Sirius quickly, trying to keep his composure.

Narcissa stared at the young man in front of her. "This is serious, Potter. If what you're saying is true, then you're asking me to take on the trial of the century..."

Harry nodded. "I am. Most of the Ministry is unaware of what happened to me. But there's a few documents that proves the Bagnold Administration had a full list of my injuries up until Fudge was elected." He clenched his jaw. His mind was clouded, he found it impossible to concentrate and all he felt like was a stiff drink. "I'm offering you not only the chance to represent me as my solicitor, I'm offering you a chance for your own practice."

Narcissa turned to Sirius. "Is this some sort of trick?"

Sirius chuckled. "I wish it was. It turns out that Harry here is extremely gifted when it comes to the political process. I had suggested Andromeda for the job, but he turned it around for the Black Family." He chuckled. "Harry's working on a way to form the magical world's first real law firm. He's being working really hard on this, Cissy."

Narcissa rolled her eyes. "I'm a grown woman, not your babysitter. If Harry has a proposal, then it is up to him to show it to me."

Harry took a deep breath. "Ok." He opened his bag, taking out several tablets. "I've been using a muggle device to show you my proposal." He threw the tablets around the room. "J.A.R.V.I.S, bring up file Black Legal."

"Of course, Mr Potter." J.A.R.V.I.S responded.

A large scale system of names and buildings began to appear above them. Harry moved closer to the map section. "There are six vacant buildings in Diagon Alley that could be used for a law firm of this proposed size. The best one is the old Daily Prophet building from the 1800s. It has the right amount of space needed to hold a diverse range of clientele and other facilities." He tapped a button on the remote, changing the scene to the list of names. "All are muggleborn, half-blood or Pureblood. They're the best in all areas of law. Sirius and I will front the start-up costs and lease the building. Your job will be the same as Andromeda's, you'll be focusing on employing a staff and running the operation."

Narcissa took shaky breath. "You're talking about the largest law firm possible. Why would you care about this?"

Harry chuckled. "Mrs Malfoy, you're an intelligent woman. Our society is stuck in a stagnant time period that the rest of the world has moved past. Over the next ten years, Sirius, my stepfather Tony and I are hoping to modernise the Wizarding community of England. We're talking intense new policies and procedures. We need the best of the best working for us. You and your sister are the first steps to making our community greater." He motioned for Tony to come over.

Tony stood, moving the system to a map of Hogwarts. "After this, I'm meeting with Albus Dumbledore and the Board of Governors to work on bringing this castle to the 21st century. By Halloween, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry will be working on electricity supplied by Stark Industries. My company is working on gaining a foothold in the Wizarding World." He clicked another button. "Thanks to my years of working with Lily, I've been able to create a way for warding crystals to absorb and disperse electricity the same way as our power lines do. We're talking about creating a way for all students to feel equal."

Narcissa ran a hand through her hair. "My husband is on the Board of Governors, he'd never allow anything muggle to be used in our world."

Harry chuckled. "No offence, Mrs Malfoy, but you're husband has one vote. We've been working on this all week. Everyone else is on board." He sat down near her. "Imagine it, Narcissa...a new world with the latest technology and fashion industries. A place where Hogwarts is just the beginning. We're working opening up universities if we're lucky." He grinned.

Narcissa couldn't help but smile at his enthusiasm. Her son used to be the same way as a child, until Lucius began to work it into his head that the old ways were the only way. "When will this firm be set up?"

Harry turned to Sirius. "Well?"

Sirius smirked. "Next week if you and Andi can come to an agreement." He poured three glasses of brandy and two of apple juice. "So what do you say?" He asked, handing her a glass of brandy.

Narcissa downed the glass with a satisfying sigh. "I'm in." She smiled widely.

Harry smiled. "Good. You'll be my main solicitor in the child abuse case against my relatives. You're going to be a busy woman, Narcissa."

-HS-

After the law meeting the Starks and Harry made their way to Dumbledore's office to meet with the Board of Governors and Dumbledore. Harry was coming down from the adrenaline rush that had allowed him to function properly in the meeting.

Lily wrapped her arm around him, feeling his head rest on her side. She smiled at him, moving towards the office.

Tony was the first to walk in, smiling to the Board. "Hello everyone, my name is Anthony Stark, but please call me Tony. This is my wife, Lily Stark nee Evans and her son Harry. I'm here today to show you the future of Hogwarts." He tossed a tablet onto the table, pressing the button on his palm to activate the holo projection. "This, is an arc reactor. The ones that my company is powered by is able to project light and heat for a building twice as tall and about 1.5 times the width of this castle."

One board member frowned. "This small thing here?" She asked, gesturing to the device.

Tony shook his head. "The projection here is one hundredth the size of the one that powers my place of business." He expanded the projection. "By altering five parts of the machine I'm able to focus the energy of ambient magic to channel the power within the reactor." He removed his shirt, showing his personal reactor. "This one powers an electromagnet to keep metal shards from piercing my heart. It's been modified to work with the magic of this castle."

Augusta Longbottom raised an eyebrow. "Impressive." She said simply. "Technomancy isn't something we see a lot here in England, especially not from a muggle." She sipped her tea, glancing at the other members. "How much would this cost?"

Harry walked forward. "Nothing. The Black and Potter Families will be fronting the cost. It's going to be our way of showing off what our new corporation can do." He explained, feeling his hands shake slightly. He cleared his throat. "The plan is to use this investment to entice the population of magical England to see the benefits of modern technology." He took the slide button, changing the image to one of a large chamber. "Our plan is to turn the Chamber of Secrets into the control centre. I'll record myself using Parseltongue for the technicians to get up and down." He clicked again, showing a large slide. "We'll turn the pipe entrance into a muggle elevator in order to get to the Chamber with minimum effort."

An elderly man fixed his glasses, checking the papers. "How much will this cost your organisation?"

Harry gulped. This was it. "The cost of renovation and installation will be approximately 150,000 galleons for the whole thing."

The man spit out his tea. "That is more than the Minister of Magic makes in a decade!"

Harry nodded. "The wiring will take a month. The cost is mostly labour and material. The actual installation will cost around 1,500 to 2,000 galleons depending on the strength of the castle." He explained, clicking the last slide. "This is a rough estimate of what this very room will like when installation is complete." He expanded it, causing them to gasp. The room looked sleeker and more streamlined. The walls were silver, with screens like the tablet's one scattered around, each showing a theoretically part of the castle. The area where Dumbledore's desk sat now had several monitors and multiple new items. "As you can see, the room will have a security system in it to allow the Headmaster a full view of all corridors. The common rooms will have privacy, as will the bathrooms and shower rooms. The staff will be trained on how to work the new system." He took another breath. "The cost of training will be the only thing the Board of Governors will need to pay for." He placed sheets in front of all of them. "It'll only cost 500 galleons for the whole staff. Twenty percent of which may be refunded as a good will gesture."

Albus took one of the forms. "How long would the training take?"

Harry fixed his glasses. "A month. If you all agree then construction and training will begin tomorrow. The first two weeks will be nothing but the alterations to the Chamber of Secrets as well as the clean out. Gringotts has offered to buy the Basilisk carcass off me for a reasonable sum. I'll be splitting it between all the petrified victims."

Lucius Malfoy had listened patiently to all of the arguments that he had heard. "This is preposterous! We're talking about altering a major part of history. And replacing it with muggle ideals. It's sickening."

A middle-aged woman fixed her glasses onto her face, scanning through the form. "It seems like Mr Potter and Mr Black know how to work on this. Every year this board gets thousands of complaints from parents and students about the lack of muggle technology and resources. Even the Muggle Studies professor has admitted that the material she's using is five decades out of date!" She sighed. "Personally this sounds like an excellent opportunity for Hogwarts. Does anyone else have any complaints?"

Harry watched as none of the other members spoke up. "Thank you." He said softly. "This is going to be the greatest undertaking in Hogwarts since the creation of the castle itself. We shall bring Hogwarts into the new millennium and make it the greatest school in the world."

A/N: I've been keeping the author's notes to a minimum for the last few chapters because I wanted to see how you guys reacted to the story in general. So there's a few things I want to address about the rules of the challenge.

One of the main complaints I've had is that Lily is a bad mother. The challenge states that Lily HAD to think her son was dead. It was hard to work on a believable way for Lily to think her son had died. I stand by the way I chose to approach the subject.

The second thing is Harry's mistrust of Lily and Tony. I'm trying to capture the real way someone would react to such news. As you can see the gap between them is starting to become bridged. Keep in mind that this story will hopefully be able to cover a lot of events.

The final point I want to make is one about the Marvel Universe in general. Several non Cinematic Universe characters will appear in this story in different parts.

Now that all of that is done and dusted, I'd like to thank you all for reading and all the reviews I've had so far. You guys have really made me feel better about myself in the last few years and I'd like to say I wouldn't be as happy as I am without this community.