Chapter Ten:

Tony wandered through the castle, avoiding the students as they walked into the great hall for breakfast. The halls were eerily quiet, but then again, he was normally talking to fill uncomfortable periods of silence . . . but today he was trying to put his thoughts together. His grandfather had just returned from the dead, and no matter the circumstances, he found it a little unnerving. He had tried to brush it off with a little bit of Tony Stark wit and snark, but it did unnerve him to a certain extent. He hadn't been ready to deal with it, wanting to settle Harry in first, but looking back, he was glad that it was out of the way.

Hindsight really was 20/20.

Cygnus Black walked ahead, wanting to see the headmaster first to discuss some other business, so instead Tony decided to wander through the halls, which with all the moving staircases had caused him to get lost in the grand castle. There were moving statues and staircases. Harry would love coming to school here and discovering all the wonders of this place.

"You're Tony Stark!" He heard a voice call behind him, pulling him back into the where and now.

"That's what they call me," Tony replied glad that the teenager hadn't referred to him to one of his many nicknames, "But I really haven't been recognized here in the castle." He smiled at the boy.

"What are you doing here? I thought you were a muggle?"

"Most magic kids don't know about me . . ."

"My father idolizes you," the boy replied quietly. "He tries to get the more advanced electronics to work with magic. He has been able to charm a car, but don't tell anyone, that could get him into some major trouble. He has Advanced Mechanics plastered all over his work shed."

"My grandfather is a wizard and he is here visiting the headmaster, and I just got hopelessly lost on his way to the office. Do you know where it is?" There was no need for the youngster to know about Harry.

"Of course. You can't be a Weasley without seeing the Headmaster a couple of times a year."

"Lead the way, young magic user."

"Wow, I still can't believe that Tony Stark is here, and that you know about the magical world. Can I have your autograph for Dad?"

"Sure, what is your dad's name?"

"Arthur Weasley."

Tony grabbed the quill, looking at it. "Wow, this place really is light years behind isn't it?" It was a rhetorical question. "PETA would have a field day with animal rights and all with you guys plucking birds for their quills. Why not ballpoint pens?"

The red-headed boy looked baffled at the question, not knowing why they didn't use ballpoint pens. Tony just shrugged, accepting the antiquated writing device and signing a piece of parchment trying not to drip ink everywhere. It felt clumsy in his hands, nothing like the sleek ballpoint pen that he was used to using. Somewhere in the recesses of his mind, he could recall Aunt Dorea teaching him the basic script, telling him that he should have basic knowledge of the quill.

"Never stop," the boy read the inscription. "That's some good advice."

"I've been known to have moments of brilliance every so often."

They stopped in front of the gargoyle, "Gumdrops. Have a good meeting with Professor Dumbledore."

"Thanks for showing me here."

"Yeah, no problem. I'm just glad I could show you where it was without having to be called here myself."

Tony chuckled as he stepped on the moving staircase. Tony himself had caused problems at MIT while he was there, apparently it ran deep in his veins, and he came by his pranking tendencies honestly. Out of habit, he looked around for any mechanisms for the moving stair seem, but there wasn't any. It wasn't that Tony was surprised by this, but more in wonder of what was missing in the world if magic and electronics could work together.

"Tony, come on in."

He shook his head, wondering how the man had known he was coming.

"Hello, Professor. I wonderful redhead showed me the way here. He recognized me fairly quickly."

"That was young Charlie Weasley. He has been to my office several times, him and young Nymphadora Tonks like to have fun . . ." The headmaster trailed off. "Your grandfather informed me that James, Lily, and Sirius wrote letters that got sent to your penthouse."

"Yes, I brought them at your request. Will you tell me why these letters are so important?"

"Did Remus or the letters explain to you what happened the night of Lily and James' murder?"

Tony shook his head. Remus had given him a overview, and the letters had spoke of a terrorist who was targeting the young family, but no one told him where Harry had fit in.

Cygnus sighed. "Harry is The-Boy-Who-Lived."

"Of course he lived . . ."

Everyone just looked at him.

"Tony," Remus slowed him down, "I told you that he was the savior of the wizarding world, that he was seen as a hero. What I didn't tell you was that Harry is considered these things because when the person who murdered his parents went to kill him, he couldn't. Harry survived the killing curse, a feat that no one else had been able to do."

Tony sat, almost falling into the chair, trying to process the information. Nothing seemed to compute, and that was startling to him. What in the world where they telling him? What exactly happened that night, and what made Harry so special that a madman had targeted them?

He felt a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"This is why I asked to see your letters," Professor Dumbledore spoke up. "Maybe there is something in their letters to let us know what James or Lily did."

Tony reached into his laptop bag and handed him the letters. Anything that would help him with Harry.

"James did adopt Harry with magic," Tony informed him. "Maybe in the adoption there was something that happened. James and I are related through Cygnus and Dorea . . . Maybe Lily performed an ancient charm . . ." His brain started going into theory mode, but he was dealing with something he had no experience with.

"Hopefully these letters will shed some light."

"On an interesting note, we need to talk to Sirius," Cygnus told his old friend. "Tony calls ambient magic."

Remus' head snapped up. "Why would you want to talk to him? Besides, I thought it was all accidental."

"It's not," Cygnus said. "And Sirius, even though he is in prison, is the head of the Black Family, the Lord of the Black family, and as such may have some information on how Tony's and Harry's magic works."

Professor Dumbledore looked pensive. "It's not all accidental is it?" He looked at Tony.

"No, I spent some time with Charles Xavier, and I can control some of the magic . . . and I can actively call the Black shield, but it is draining and takes a lot of concentration. I can control the outburst, most of the time," Tony said. "Aunt Dorea also worked with me during the summers on this."

"So you didn't go to MIT," Remus stated.

"No, I did. I just worked really fast. It's not like MIT was too much of a challenge," Tony rolled his eyes. "I just had to get control of the freaky ambient magic thing. It was difficult to be around computers and not blow them up, and Professor X was kind enough to take a couple of days of the week to help me as well. Ambient control of particles around you is not that difficult once you understand what is going on with you. Besides, once you break down the genetics of it, mutants are magic users, the genes are just expressed in different ways."

Tony looked around the room and could tell that he lost his grandfather and Professor Dumbledore. Remus at least looked a little thoughtful on the notion.

"Well, let me know when we can see Sirius. I need to talk to my son." He walked to the door when he was stopped by Dumbledore.

"How much are you going to tell Harry, about his legacy and what not? We have to come up with a plan to keep him safe. He should go back to his aunt and uncle for a short while."

"No, absolutely not. It will be a cold day in hell before he goes back there."

"And what about telling hike about Voldemort?" The headmaster had anticipated. tony refusing the request and was currently researching ways to transfer the wards.

Tony looked thoughtful. "He has had a lot happen to him in such a short time. I want him just to be a kid for a little bit longer before he becomes a hero."

With that, he turned and walked down the familiar path to the infirmary.

1010101010

Tony walked into his son's room, glancing around for the now familiar mop of black hair. He finally found him, perched in the windowsill, staring at the game of early morning quidditch. He joined his son at the window, looking at the players.

"So tell me about this game," Tony said, adjusting himself next to his son. He looked out the window and realized how high up they were. Luckily he was adverse to heights like Lily had been, and apparently Harry wasn't scared of heights either. It delighted him to find out little tidbits about his son.

Harry explained everything with ease, like he had been in the magical world for all his life versus just a couple of days. He could tell that his son was just taking everything in and soaking up everything like a sponge, something that he could tell that he inherited from his side of the family. Yes, Tony had a mother who knew about magic, so in turn he knew about it as well, but he never was truly exposed to it until he started spending summers with his relatives so his mother and father could do what he liked.

"James was a chaser," Tony told him conversationally.

Harry nodded. Remus had told him a little bit about his step father, but he didn't really know anything about Tony past what he read in the tabloids and Business Week. "Did you play any sports?"

"I played baseball when I was a child. Your grandfather, the hypocrite, didn't want me growing up behind a computer screen. I think I lasted a whole three games before I decided it just wasn't for me and started ditching the nannies. Dad couldn't be bothered to come to the games, and I wasn't built to run or jump or anything more physical than chasing girls and skirts," Tony caught himself, trying to figure out a way to fix that statement. "That didn't sound like a very good fatherly thing to tell you, huh kid."

"Nope, not really, but your escapades are normally splashed all over the tabloids anyway." Harry shrugged his shoulders, turning back toward the game. There was an instant change in his kid's demeanor, and Tony knew what caused it, but he needed confirmation.

Tony could tell that Harry was bothered a little by it. "What's eating you kid? You look so serious for someone so young."

"Was my mom a conquest?"

"No," Tony answered immediately. "I never really told you much about how I met your mother, and now really isn't the time, but I promise you that you were not a product of a conquest, or a one night stand. Your mother and I were friends . . . The best of friends I would venture to say . . . we met at the last expo in London. I will tell you something that I never told anyone," Tony looked at his son to make sure that he had his attention, "I loved her. She was awesome and beautiful, smart and kind. Never condencending. She kept me sane when your grandfather made me go completely nuts. She listened to me as Tony, and not as Tony Stark boy genius. She was a genuine friend that had a way of drawing you in, and keeping you once she had you. I loved your mother Harry, and don't think otherwise . . . okay kiddo. Besides you can't believe everything that you read. There is more to me than a trumped up mechanic and billionaire."

Tony watched his son's reaction, watching the tension ease from his shoulders. Tony knew that his past would catch up with him from time to time, and he didn't want his son thinking that he wasn't loved or wanted . . . Tony Stark maybe a playboy, but he wasn't going to bring it around his son.

They sat there in silence, watching the young wizards out there play a thrilling game of quidditch.

Tony looked out, "So I have spotted the snitch about three times now, how many times did you?"

"About five. Their seeker isn't worth anything," Harry mentioned. "Maybe if I can get on the team, you can come and watch some games? I mean, I don't know if I could even get on the team, or if I would be good enough . . ."

"I wouldn't miss it for the world kiddo. Of course you will make the team. You have spotted the snitch so many times now. Even if you don't make the team I will come in to see you." Tony reached over and ruffled his son's hair. I'm not going to be an absentee father like Howard.

"It just never stays in place and you made it worse Tony!" Harry cried out. He watched as his son brought his hands to his hair, trying in vain to flatten it. He would have to show his son what hair gel was and soon.

Cygnus laughed from behind them.

"You come by it honestly Harry," Cygnus informed him. "You have the infamous Black hair. Tony has it as well, but you have it worse. Sirius Black escaped the curse, he escaped a lot of things that the Black family would have wrought upon him."

"Who is Sirius Black?"

Tony sat in silence not really knowing what to tell him.

"He was your father and stepfather's cousin," Cygnus replied. "And if memory serves me right, he was your godfather."

An uncomfortable silence permeated the air, and Tony had wanted to start to babble when Pepper came in through the door carrying more bags than what Tony thought was possible.

"I picked up some clothes for Harry," Pepper stated. "I hope you liked what I picked up. I figured you were sick and tired of wearing what the Dursleys got you, so I wanted to get you some stuff."

There were bags and bags of clothes.

"Did you max out my cards?" Tony asked, fingering one of the bags. He recognized one from Barneys and another from Harrods.

"Please, I didn't even make a dent in your billions, and I didn't even spend a quarter of what you told me to spend. I also have no clue what preteen boys wear, so I wanted to leave a little bit for him to pick out his own stuff. It took me a little bit to convince Severus to apparate me, but in the end he did." Pepper put the bags down in front of Harry.

"Ms. Potts, you didn't have to do all this . . ." Harry trailed off seeming overwhelmed at the moment.

She stooped down to his eye level. "I know I didn't, but I wanted to for you. If there isn't anything you like, just let me know. Whenever they free you from here, I am going to take you shopping in New York City and get you outfitted with everything you will need for school. No more second hand clothes. I also scheduled an appointment with Tony's optometrist to get those eyes properly checked out. Why don't you try on some of these clothes and let me know how I did for size?"

Harry reluctantly picked up the bags and walked quickly into the bathroom, leaving the adults alone to talk.

"So what did I walk in on?" Pepper asked, being the perceptive one that she is.

"We were discussing my cousin, Harry's godfather, Sirius Black," Tony replied.

"Wasn't he thrown into prison?"

"That was my understanding," Cygnus answered, "We thought that he was guilty of the murders of Peter Pettigrew and 13 muggles, as well as being an accomplice in the murder of James and Lily Potter."

Tony looked upset for a moment. "There is no way Sirius would do that . . . are you sure that is what he was thrown in Azkaban for?"

"Turns out you have more faith in your cousin than I did in my best friend," Remus said from the doorway. "I just came down to tell you that Sirius is finally getting the trial that he was denied. The aurors are coming to look at the letter that Sirius sent you."

Tony looked at Remus, noting that the man, if possible, had aged about a decade in the last 30 minutes.

"He wasn't the secret keeper according to the letter. It was our other friend."

"Peter?" Tony wanted clarification. He had met the lump of a boy a couple of times, but he had always rubbed him the wrong way.

"Yes, Peter." Remus dragged his hand through his hair. "We were in the middle of a war, we knew we had a spy among us. He thought it was me, I thought it was him . . . I should have known, I was so stupid."

"Don't blame yourself," Tony told him. "We need to know everything. But the first thing we need to do is to get Sirius through the trial without Harry's paternity coming out. It wasn't mentioned in the letter was it? I haven't read it yet . . . I was busy in my workshop last night."

"Not mentioned. I don't think Lily and James told anyone."

Tony nodded. "We all need to sit down and come up with a good plan. We need to have a plan and stick to it to keep him safe from both the mundane and magical world. He is going to be a target because of who I am. I am going to keep him a secret from the press as long as I can, but it will probably be leaked, and I am not going to keep letting him hide at Hogwarts. My kid is going crazy, and he probably isn't going to tolerate it much longer. And I have something, if it works, will help."

AN: Well, another chapter is out. I wrote this while watching FX run Iron Man, so pardon me for any spelling mistakes. Sirius is getting his trial, and time will be speeding up a little bit. I wanted to get this chapter out to the readers sooner rather than later.

Please read and review. I am trying to write Tony more in character. There were changes made to chapter 9 making Tony a little more sarcastic. Let me know what you would like to see.

Thanks for reading.