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Several scenes are taken from Iron Man novel in this chapter, standard disclaimer applies.

Glossary:

"Blah blah." Spoken words.

~Blah blah.~ Thoughts.

*Blah blah.* Spoken words in other language.

CHAPTER XV - Divergences

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Date: 1st September; Time: 9AM; Location: master bedroom toilet penthouse suite in a very classy hotel somewhere in England.

White marble and gold taps and fits could not draw his attention, not even the sunken bath tub that doubles as a Jacuzzi. It was a drop of blood that held Tony Stark's attention, as he let it dropped onto the sensor pad of his PDA to analyze.

"Palladium levels stable." Jarvis said almost immediately.

Tony sighed. "For the moment." straightened up.

Tony started to notice odd discolorations around the arc reactor housing in his chest. Odd tendrils of a sickly purple color radiated out from it. They did not hurt to the touch, but even though Tony was not a doctor -well, he did have an engineering PhD, but he was not a doctor doctor- he knew odd purple lines were not supposed to appear under a person's skin. Put that together with the unpredictable bouts of weakness and the sudden tendency palladium fuel cell to attract a foul-smelling greenish sludge, and the impression they emerged was one of a problem in the of immediate attention.

Tony had Jarvis working on it, but he needed to be working on it too. Jarvis was smart, but the AI lacked the human ability to irrationally jump from idea to idea until the solution appeared against all odds and despite the human mind's inability to stick to rational chains of logic. In other words, Jarvis lacked intuition. Ergo, Tony needed to be there.

But not today, today is his Ed's first school day in Hogwarts for the Witchcraft and Wizardry. And Tony was going to give his boy the best send-off ever.

Soft knocking on the toilet door cut into his thoughts. "Dad? Dad, is everything alright?"

Tony did not know whether to grin with pride or groan in dismay, he was very pleased that Edward cares enough to be this observant but on the other hand it was that very sensitivity that is making it very hard for Tony to keep his boy from knowing that his dad is dying. Slowly being poison by the very thing that is keeping him alive. Talk about double whammy, oxymoron situation.

"Aces, champ." Tony called out as he packed away the PDA; with one last look at himself in the mirror, Tony unlocked the toilet door and walked out with his usual smirk plastered on his face.

Unfortunately one look at his golden boy's face the smirk fell away. Edward already knew.

"How long have you known, Jedi?" Tony tried to lighten the mood as he walking over to the super king size bed and sat.

Tony heaved a heavy sigh when Edward crossed his arms pinned him with a hard stare.

"An increase bouts of weakness, that funky smell, your growing lack of interest in having sex women or men-"

"Hey!" Tony cut in red-faced; he tried to keep that part of his life quiet to keep his boy's innocence, but Tony kept forgetting that his boy was and had always been more mature mentally than the average eleven year old.

"Need I say more? So. Give, dad."

Tony tried to hold out but under the steady glare of those golden eyes, he threw up his hands with a huff.

"For the record –I am a lady's man, not a man's man –"

"Uh, Loki will be so heartbroken. –" Edward tilted his head thoughtfully before he was forced to dodge a flying pillow smirking. "-Okay, okay; I'll shut up now. So what is going on, dad?"

For the first time in his life he, Tony 'smart mouth' Stark, was lost for words to explain to his boy what was happening to him. He dropped his eyes to his hands trying to collect his thoughts. But Tony was not given that chance; a smaller hand came into his view to rest on his wrist.

"Talk to me, dad; don't wall me out."

"There are some things; I will never be good finding the right words. You know that I want you to live your life the way only you can and should, just as only I can be Iron Man and no one else. It's a heavy responsibility –I mean me being Iron Man. Not that you don't have responsibility with your Alchemic power but ... well."

"And the point is?" Edward interrupted Tony's ramblings.

"The point is that this thing-" Tony tapped at the arc reactor in his chest. "-that makes me Iron Man. This thing that is keeping me alive is also killing me, Edo." The billionaire cringed inwardly; no child can accept this kind of news lightly.

But Edward Elric-Stark was no child and he was not ordinary, the eleven year old took on a thoughtful look.

"But it is also keeping you alive." That was not a question; Tony blinked in surprise and nodded.

Tony's surprise jumped to shock when Edward reached out and held his wrists. And the blue/white energy of Edward's unique power arced.

Tony felt like a mild electric shock through his entire body, moving through his veins. The second thing that happened was he felt strong.

"What-" Tony gasped.

"I used my Alkahestry knowledge and ability to boost your health and strength; I don't know enough to remove the toxin without unwanted side effects to your body, dad."

"I haven't felt this great since… since before that Afghanistan trip." Tony said softly as he touched his chest, then with an odd full body shake he looked at his son.

"But this is only a stopgap we will find a proper cure. I can try look in Hogwarts if there is any spell or potion." Edward planned aloud. "I don't know how much I can do or find, I'm just a boy ... an ordinary boy."

"You are not any normal boy. –" Tony said seriously but smirked as Edward shrugged uneasily. "-You are my special angel."

"Aw, dad."

"And I will look into my own areas of expertise-"

A knock on the master bedroom door again interrupted Tony.

"Stark, it's time; any later Edward and Harry will miss the train to Hogwarts." Sirius's muffled voice called through the door.

"Coming." Both Tony and Edward called.

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…===… ===… ===…

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Date: 1st September; Time: 1045AM; Location: on platform 9 and ¾ somewhere in King Cross station.

Like any other platform in a train station minutes before the train's departure, this platform was crowded with people. From anxious adults seeing their children off, giving as many last minute advices they can remember. To bored teenagers eager to leave their parents and look for their school mates, to renew friendships and share their holiday adventures. To 1st year students nervous about their very first train rides that will take them away from their parents.

Platform 9 and ¾ in all appearance was just like any other platform in any other train station, if one can ignore several strange and unusual things. Like the clothes that seemed to belong is a bygone age, like how only children of schooling age were boarding the train with animals that normally would make a big fuss being caged –especially the owls.

Owls would never sit so calmly in cages without the calming inducing clothe cover. Definitely no snowy owl would perched calmly on a child, enjoying a chest scratch, even if the said child was Harry Potter; but the child was not Harry Potter which made the clam owl even more remarkable.

"You are scaring the kids." The velvety soft and warm voice cut into his thoughts.

Tony Stark looked to his side to see, Locke Nomansson standing there looking amused; like Tony himself, Locke was dressed in causal smart but unlike Tony, Locke held a walking stick. They made quite a handsome sight judging the looks of desire coming their way from both genders.

"I'm trying to see who I will need to sue for hurting my Edo." Tony muttered jokingly as he turned his eyes to Edward.

Having seen how Edward drank in knowledge like dry ground soaking up water, Tony bought all 7years worth of text books and several thick reference books. Those books barely, just barely tie over those few weeks before 1st September. Tony suffered several moments of jealousy watching Loki aka Locke aka Luka and Sirius explained to Harry and Edward things and stuffs in the books. Here was something Tony could not understand in spite of being a genius in tech and software, something that he cannot share with his little champ. Tony finally understood how the 'Average Joe' felt when he spoke about tech and software, and he hated it. Alchemy was not that bad, it still required the knowledge and understanding of matter, atoms, elements everything in the periodic table, their reactions and the like. Alchemy still held the elements of science, something Tony could understand when Edward spoke about it.

Still Tony would not deny his boy, his champ deserves the best and if his little champ wants to study this unknown energy spectrum and form of control, then that is what his Edo will get to do. Besides, the best university has not been challenging enough for his little genius.

Now his little blond was leaning against his trunk with one leg bend and braced against the trunk, reading one of the text books -Advance Potions. A photogenic pose of ease, professional model strived for. And if that was not enough to draw in attention from both genders, Edward's golden hair kept tied in a thick braid saw to it, glittering and shining under the morning sunlight. And Edward being Edward was oblivious to the attention he was drawing, confident arrogance some would say but that was just Edward with a good book in hand. And he has a driving goal now –find a cure for his dad.

"I think you meant to say '…See who you will need to tell your lawyers about who might be filing false claims that Ed gotten their daughters or sisters with child.'"

Tony smirked at the man beside him quietly laughing, for a being from Asgard a warlike god race, Loki was surprisingly soft-spoken in nature; able to see humor in just about anything just like Sirius. When the two of them were in the same room, Tony was in serious danger of busting a gut laughing that was very freshening for Tony.

"What can I say? Edo is just like his old man." Tony exaggerated his act of pride, puffing up his chest and smirked as Locke started to chuckle softly again.

Tony absently rubbed his chest where the Arc Reactor was housed; there was that stabbing ache again. The arc reactor needs to be change soon or was it that his boy, his champ was grown and leaving for school.

"They grow up too fast." Loki sighed mistaking Tony's gesture.

"Yeah, at least we are maintaining our cool unlike Sirius." Tony jerked his chin at the anxious man giving Harry last minute instructions and advices.

"… …You are sure you got everything? Owl me if you need anything, you hear?"

"Yes, godpa-Sirius, Mr. Stark asks me to try the Stark-Black phone when I reach the sch-" Harry held up his touch screen smart phone when he was interrupted by a cool voice.

"Lord Black, greetings."

Governor Malfoy stood with his family. "Ah, Lord Nomansson a warm greetings to you and is your cousin lovely Lady Ladifaerie not with you?"

The platinum blond man casted his gaze about for Loki's other self, totally ignoring Tony who felt his horns of mischief forming because of that.

"Luka is feeling the emptiness all parents feel when their child leaves home." Tony spoke up. "And prefer not to have a water-works display in public."

"I do not –I mean Luka does not such poor composure." Loki huffed trying to hide the truth in Tony's words.

"I'm thinking to surprise her by taking her to the best seafood restaurant later, so she can soothe her aching heart. In fact I know the perfect place; a cozy little Japanese restaurant, it has the finest sushi, sashimi and best selection of rice wine." Tony winked at Loki.

And damn if Loki did not look pleased, his cheeks stained slightly pink and his eyes aglow.

"I would like –ah to think that she will love that. How do you know that Luka loves seafood?"

"I pay attention." Tony smirked, sliding a sly look at Governor Malfoy. Before the man could resort the train's whisper blew.

Edward came over and Harry spoke up. "Dad, that's the warning whistle; we need to get onboard the train now."

"Ah, young Harry Potter and …and Edward, let me introduce my son and heir Draco. I do hope you will all get along and play nicely."

The boy Draco standing by quietly, stepped forward and gave a sharp nod to Harry offering his hand, but gave Edward a belittling once over glance –no hand shake. He had the same platinum blond like his father and almost the same cold look of arrogance.

"I read that you can't use a wand that all wands refused to accept you." The sneer in his voice grinded on Harry's nerves.

Edward on the other hand only smirk in return, he remembered another very similar situation but with an officer in blue uniform. The blond just how to handle this, he tugged on his white gloves purposefully allowing Draco to see the title of the book he was reading. The platinum blond's eyes widen at the title.

"Yeah, I can't use a wand because the wands cannot handle me and my powers, besides wands are such handicaps." Edward said airily.

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Foot note:

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