A/N: I most apologize for not updating any of my stories in the last weeks. But as it is, I'm a huge fan of speed skating and I'm Dutch... So as you can imagine it was quite exciting seeing the Winter Olympics and all the speed skating, considering the amount of medals the Dutch won :)

But now I'm back, and ready for action. I'd like to thank all the people who reviewed... It was really nice to read what you all think about my ideas about the wizarding myths and origins and religions etc. It just seemed to make sense to me that they viewed it like this, after all a lot of the magic is based on intent, sacrifice and balance.

So as promised, here is the chapter of the return to the States. People requested of me some scenes about Hogwarts as well. I was planning to do it in a flashback, but it didn;t seem to fit in this chapter. Maybe the next one.

Anyway, hope you like it. As always: Enjoy, Read and Review!

Cjb1990

The sun was already setting over the water when Harry, Tony and a hyperactive Teddy stepped out of the car in front of Stark Mansion. They had flooed to Harry's apartment above Marauders' and called Happy to take them to the mansion. Harry had been impressed with Tony's driver whom showed no surprise that there was suddenly a third person with them.

Teddy naturally had a window seat in the back. His face was plastered against the glass in an attempt to take in as much of the view as possible. During the short drive his fatigued had caught up with him, however. He could barely manage to keep standing now that they had arrived.

Harry put a hand on his shoulder. "Come on, cub. I'll show you your room and you can get to bed."

Teddy shook his head, though his eyelids were drooping. "I'm not tired," he mumbled.

Harry laughed softly. "Sure you're not, cub."

Tony looked at the two and was surprised how naturally Harry fell in the role of looking over the ten years old kid. He realized that Harry had missed his godson for ten long years. He had felt guilt that he could not be there for him before this moment. Whatever had happened on their trip to England, it definitely showed Tony hidden depths of his lover.

The funeral had been hard for both Harry and Teddy. Teddy had been crying freely, with deep heaving sobs and he hadn't wanted to leave the sight after the ceremony. But Tony had been more concerned with Harry. His British man had stood stiff and tall, as distant as a marble statue. Though his eyes had been red-rimmed, no tear had leaked out. He had led the service as was expected of him. He had done so with quiet dignity, allowing Narcissa to be the one to lead her fallen sister in the origin, or whatever he had announced it as.

All throughout the ceremony and the abhorrent service after, Harry had been the aloof Lord Black. It wasn't until they had gone to bed, that Tony decided to step in. He had forcibly taken Harry and had thrown him on the bed. Harry had looked up at him with eyes that seemed shuttered, forcing emotions deep down. Harry seemed to ask, plead, beg Tony for something. It had taken a good five minutes for Tony to realize what exactly Harry was asking for.

The sex had been hard, forceful. Tony had roughly turned Harry over and stripped him bare. Biting his shoulder blades, his neck, leaving love marks on the joining of shoulder and collar-bone. Without lube he had thrust his fingers in, giving Harry the minimum amount of stretching possible. When he entered him, he had pushed Harry down with one hand clamping down on his neck. When they had lain side by side after they reached their climax, Tony had pulled Harry gently in his arms. And Harry had broken down, with shaking shoulders and suppressed sobs, silent tears had streaked down his face. Tony had held Harry even more tightly, allowing his brave strong wizard to grieve.

It had been exactly what Harry needed to allow himself to feel the emotions and pain Andromeda's death had created. Not that anyone besides Tony could tell so. But for him, it was clear as day that Harry allowed himself to grieve. Harry had become Teddy's rock since the morning after the funeral, with Tony distracting the little boy and getting him to smile. Tony had not realized how good a pair they were, until Kreacher's parting note.

"Masters are good with little Master. One father for crying, one father for smiling. Is good for emotion and magic in little Master to calm."

A hand on his shoulder knocked him back into reality. He saw Harry standing there with a gentle smile on his face. He smiled back unconsciously.

"Glad to be back, gorgeous?" He asked him. Harry nodded at that.

"Yes, I don't belong there anymore. This is my home, has been for a good few years now."

Tony smile grew at hearing Harry describe Malibu as home. A small part of him had become scared at seeing how easy Harry fell into his responsibilities as Lord of Ancient Houses in wizarding Britain. He had fled that world, but still it had been his in his youth. To hear that Harry thought of the non-magical world, of Malibu, as his home, made him ecstatic. He gave Harry a quick peck on the lips.

"Gross, Tony!" a young voice commented. Tony looked at the boy (who was now sporting very bright blonde hair) and saw him crumpling up his nose in disgust. He laughed at him and drew him in a one-armed hug.

"In a few short years, champ, you'll think differently!" He called out.

"Never!" the boy denied vehemently. Harry smiled at their antics.

"All right, knock it out you two! Come on, Teddy; let's show you your room. I promise we'll explore the rest of the Mansion and the beach tomorrow." Teddy groaned at hearing that Harry was sending him to bed. He had secretly hoped that with the bickering he could prolong the inevitable.

"No arguments, Ted. It has been a very long day already. The mansion won't run away just because you had your allotted time of sleep." Harry was stern in his rebuff.

Without any more fuss, Teddy allowed Harry to guide him up the stair to a large bedroom. It was pretty generic, with earthy tones and a large glass wall that looked out over the, now dark, ocean.

"Obviously, we will make the room more to your liking. When we left for Britain, we had no clue that you would be coming back here with us. Though I am very, very happy and sad at the same time that you are here."

"Why sad, Uncle Harry?" Teddy cocked his head in fatigue and confusion.

"Because for you to live here means that you cannot live with Grandma Andromeda anymore. And the reason for that makes me sad." Harry spoke simply. Teddy's eyes turned a bit teary at this, but he did not outright cry.

"We'll talk more tomorrow, I promise. Now, it is time for bed." With a small hand gesture, Harry had Teddy walk into his own bathroom. After brushing his teeth and washing up, he quickly slid under the sheets.

"Now, I know that you're a big boy. But how about a little story before you go to sleep?" Harry asked the little boy. Teddy bit his lower lip, Harry was right he was a big boy. But the tones of Harry's voice were calming and soothing. He was sleeping in a strange bed, in a house he had never been before, in a country he had never even visited and on another freaking continent! He wanted to be brave and grown-up like his uncle Harry, but he felt that should he ever be entitled to being a bit childish it would be now. So he nodded shyly, and averted his eyes. A firm hand on his chin forced him to look Harry in the eye.

"Theodore Remus Lupin! Never be ashamed for needing help or wanting comfort!" The green eyes conveyed the message with astounding strength. Teddy could do nothing but nod. The hand let go of his chin and drew him into a hug. Hugging Harry was different from all the other hugs. He had some vague recollections of Harry hugging him just after grandma Andy had died, but he could not really recall it. But his hugs were vastly different from the hugs he got from Grandma Andy or grandma Weasley, or even Uncle Ron and aunt Hermione.

When he hugged Andromeda, it always felt like when she gave comfort she got comfort. Grandma Weasley's hugs were always so tight that it was almost like she was forcing the comfort on him. With Ron and Hermione, there was always a nagging feeling of discomfort around the comfort given.

But Harry… Harry encompassed his entire body with his arms, holding him tight but not suffocating. He felt sheltered from the world, like Harry would try to never let it hurt him again just by hugging him! He tightened his own arms around Harry's waist, clinging even closer to him. He felt Harry's cheek on the top of his head, Harry's body slowly rocking him back and forth. Harry simply gave the most awesome hugs in the world!

After sitting like that for five minutes, Harry gently let go of his godson. Softly stroking the hair out of his face, he smiled at the content look that graced Teddy's face.

"So what kind of story would you like? A true story or maybe a fairy tale? Or a story of Beetle?"

"A story of you, please. Can you tell me something about your years at Hogwarts?" Teddy's eyes turned the same amber color that his father's eyes had been, pleading with Harry. Harry felt himself caving in. Dammit! He really needed to become immune to that look, and quickly too!

"How about I tell you about the time I found out that Hagrid had got himself a dragon egg?" Harry suggested. Teddy's eyes became wide as saucers as he nodded eagerly at the words 'dragon egg'. Harry shifted a bit on the bed, until he was comfortable and began the tale of Norberta the Norwegian Ridgeback.

Harry had just described Ron's green hand when he saw that Teddy had fallen asleep. He gave Teddy a soft kiss on the forehead, turned off the lights and closed the door almost all the way, leaving a small strip of hall light falling into the room.

Walking down stairs he tried to keep his emotions in check. Telling tales of his Hogwarts years were painful, it hit him how much he had lost over the years. He was no longer the scrawny boy who, despite his home life, had an innocent delight in everything magical. Instead he had become a cynic at heart, always second guessing motives and discerning hidden games beneath the surface of people interacting with him. Merlin! The first time Tony asked Harry out, his first thought was that Tony just wanted bragging rights and free coffee. He had no doubt that Tony did not care one bit for him. And look how wrong he was!

Harry found Tony on the white big curved couch in the living room. He looked up as Harry entered and gave him a small smile. Harry sank on the couch next to his genius with a huff. Leaning his head on the well-muscled shoulder, he closed his eyes. His thoughts kept comparing his naïve little self with the person he was now.

"Am I bitter, Tony?" He asked softly without opening his eyes. From the movement, he could tell that the question had startled him.

"What do you mean, gorgeous?" A hand came up and played with his hair.

"Am I bitter?" Harry repeated. "I don't mean in the obvious mean old lady way, I mean deep at heart." Tony forced Harry to sit up right, and turned to look him in the eye.

"What brought this on?" Harry tried to avoid his eyes, to no avail.

"I, I was telling Teddy a bed time story. It was about my first year, how Hermione Ron and I helped Hagrid with an illegally acquired dragon. I just – I cannot help but think how I changed over those years. When I came to Hogwarts, I already had a bad life. With the Dursleys, I already had been introduced to the finer details of darkness in humanity. But still, I looked at things from the positive side first. Looking for the best in people. And now?" Harry huffed out loud, voicing the helplessness he felt.

"Now, I cannot wonder what is left of that little boy. Do you remember the first time you asked me out? And what it took for me to agree to go on a date with you? So I ask you, am I a cynical, bitter man?" Harry once again closed his eyes and fell back with his head leaning on the back of the sofa.

Tony did not know how he should respond. He had no idea thoughts like these were keeping his lover busy. Slowly he went over everything Harry had just said. He grabbed Harry by the back of his neck.

"Harry, you are not bitter. Bitter people only feel the loss of everything, and vent those feelings by insulting and hating those who did not lose a similar thing. You are not such a person. The difference between that boy you described and you, is that you have the experience to be wary. Because nine times out of ten, people do want something from you. You have been hurt over and over, both by death and betrayal. So not opening your heart when the first playboy comes knocking on your door? Just a wise decision. And before me, you were with that asshole Jay. He also did quite a number on your faith in mankind. So no, gorgeous, you are not a bitter man. Because a bitter man cannot love openly like you do." And with those words Tony planted his lips on Harry's.

Harry responded eagerly, and opened his mouth. Without hesitation Tony slid his tongue between Harry's lips. Slowly they slacked down the sofa until Tony was lying on top of Harry. Their kissing became more passionate. Harry moaned in Tony's mouth, the heady kisses firing up his arousal. He broke the kiss of and bared his neck; Tony didn't hesitate and swoop down and attacked it.

"Tony," He breathed, "make me forget. Make me feel."

Tony rose up a bit and stared into the green eyes he loved so much. He saw the self-doubt, the pain, and the fears. Harry's eyes always were so expressive. Right now, they were begging Tony to take him away from his own mind. Tony was all too happy to oblige his request. He grabbed Harry's legs and locked them around his waist. Grabbing Harry underneath his ass, he stood up from the sofa with Harry in his arms. They quickly made their way to their bedroom.

Depositing Harry on the bed, he quickly shed his clothes as Harry did the same. Tony pulled himself over Harry, lowering himself until their bodies were flush together. Hands were groping and he kissed a path down Harry's throat to his nipple. His other hand quickly made his way down Harry's body to his arousal. Harry groaned as Tony pumped him slowly.

"More, Tony! I need you, I need it hard." He managed to bring out. Tony heard him and grabbed the tube of lube that was sitting on the nightstand. He made quick work to prepare Harry. Their joining was hard, frantic. It wasn't long until they both screamed out in ecstasy.

Harry laid his head on Tony's shoulder. He was completely exhausted and wanted nothing more than to fall asleep in his genius' arms. He felt Tony give him a loving kiss on the top of his head.

"Just sleep, gorgeous." He murmured. "All the problems and shit will still be here tomorrow."

Though this wasn't exactly the most comforting words Harry had ever heard, they still did the job as his body and mind relaxed further and he fell into a resting and deep sleep.

Tony stared as his wizard fell asleep almost instantly. This night he had gotten another glimpse of the unknown parts of Harry. He had been shocked to realize that Harry was not all that put-together as he normally showed to the outside world. He never suspected the issues Harry clearly was dealing with before he talked about it with him. Pride blossomed in his chest as he realized that Harry seemed to trust him fully now, as he had laid bare parts of himself that he never had done before.

Tomorrow there were plenty of problems and shit they needed to work on. He needed to call Pepper, see what had happened within Stark Industries and to let her know they were back. He had to dig inside the dealings of his company to see if Harry's suspicions about the board had any value. He was conflicted whether or not to include Obie. He had reacted weirdly and snappish when Harry had questioned him about the board meeting. Like he didn't want Harry to ask these difficult questions and just accept what he told them about the meeting.

And then, of course, there was also Teddy. They needed to decide what to do with schooling, fix up his room to his liking, and especially get to know the kid better. They had only spent a few hours in a few days with him. Not enough by a long shot to know the kid. Although, as he had said to Harry before, he seemed like an awesome and bright kid.

Tony hugged Harry closer to his body. He needed to sleep, because the madness would start tomorrow.

JARVIS woke the couple up at seven o'clock, to Tony's great displeasure. He had never been a fan of early mornings. Harry didn't seem to have a problem with the early wake-up call. But then again, he had awakened bright and early every day to prepare opening up Marauders'. He tried to bury himself back into his pillow, but Harry didn't let him escape the morning. Rather cruelly, in Tony's opinion, he ripped the blankets from him and stole his pillow.

"Don't want to wake up," he grumbled despondently. He could hear Harry chuckle at his pathetic whining.

"Well, then I guess I'll just shower alone then." And with a put-upon sigh Harry stood up from the bed.

It took Tony about half a minute to process what Harry actually said. When the meaning of the words sunk in, he flew out of the bed into the bathroom. Harry was already in the shower, his head fallen back to wash out his hair. Tony didn't hesitate and joined him in the shower.

Fifteen minutes later they were dressed and making their way to the kitchen. Harry stopped Tony from entering.

"How about you wake up Teddy? So I can get a start at breakfast?" Not waiting for an answer, Harry pecked Tony on the lips and disappeared into the kitchen. Tony was struck by the domesticity of it all. He turned back to the stairs and quickly made his way to Teddy's room. As he opened the door, he could see the windows were still darkened.

"JARVIS, light please," Tony spoke softly. JARVIS quickly cancelled the darkening of the windows. The morning light streamed into the bedroom. Tony could hear Teddy grumble at the sudden brightness in the room. He sat on the edge of the bed and softly shook Teddy's shoulder.

"Time to wake up, kiddo. It's a new day." Teddy grumbled and tried to avoid the hand by shifting deeper in his bed. Tony had trouble keeping himself from laughing out loud. Seems like the kid was just as much of a morning person as he was.

"Wake up; otherwise you have Harry to deal with. He is really awake and cheerful in the morning." A dramatic shudder made Teddy turn to Tony. Sleep-filled eyes squinted adorably up.

"Uncle Tony?" He asked slowly, his mind steel sleep-addled.

"Jup, the one and only. Time to get out of bed, Harry's making breakfast. And let me tell you, no one can cook a meal like Harry can. He has me addicted to his cooking, nothing can compare!" This seemed to be the magic words as Teddy started to get up. Tony had already gone on several rants about the heavenly goodness that was Harry's cooking. Teddy didn't want to miss the chance to experience Harry's food.

It was not long after that Tony and Teddy entered the kitchen. Tony couldn't help but smile as he saw that Harry had completely took over his kitchen, as usual. The breakfast bar had several baskets on it, filled with blueberry and chocolate muffins. Harry himself was at the stove, expertly frying eggs and bacon in two large pans.

"Morning cub!" He greeted Teddy cheerfully. Tony gave Teddy a meaningful look saying 'I told you so'. Teddy crumpled his nose at the idea of a too awake and cheerful Harry every single morning.

"Do you want fried or scrambled eggs?" The question broke Teddy out of the not so nice vision he had trapped himself in.

"Scrambled, please," he spoke up carefully. He like fried eggs, just not as much as scrambled. But Harry was already frying eggs normally, and he didn't want to impose on his godfather. Harry, though, didn't seem to be put out by Teddy's response.

"Tony, could you get the milk out of the fridge?" He called to his boyfriend, as he flipped over the bacon to make sure it was evenly crisp.

Tony didn't even bother to reply and got out the milk. Standing behind Harry, he nicked a piece of bacon on the plate next to the stove. Harry reciprocated with a slap of his spatula.

"No stealing the bacon, mister!" he scolded. He half turned to Teddy. "Just sit down at the bar, Ted. I'm almost done with the bacon and eggs. We have orange juice, milk and tea to drink. No pumpkin juice, sorry."

Teddy sat down at the bar. He liked the way things went in the house. Harry making breakfast for everyone, Tony – just like Uncle George or Ron – stealing the food before it was even served. It felt homey and like a family. It calmed him down. He had been scared that he would intrude on how things went on between Harry and Tony.

Five minutes later Harry and Tony joined him at the bar. Harry put down a plate with bacon and scrambled eggs in front of him. He looked at the other two plates. Tony's had three fried eggs and quite an amount of bacon on it. Harry had made himself an omelet, no meat on his plate. They quietly settled in and started eating. Teddy slowly sipped his orange juice. He never had it, but quite liked it. Grandma Andy didn't allow him pumpkin juice, only serving him home-made lemonade, tea or water. Grandma Weasley did always give him pumpkin juice.

Teddy decided orange juice was better. Pumpkin juice was much thicker and ickly sweet. It was nice when it was a very warm afternoon, but not for breakfast. Orange juice was more a mix between sweet and a bit of sour, and a lot thinner. He polished of his breakfast with impressive speed. When his fork hit his empty plate, he looked down wistfully. He looked up surprised as he heard the two men laugh out loud. Looking them in the eyes, he only saw warm amusement. No mockery, or insults or anything. Just smiles that he enjoyed his breakfast so much, and so fast.

"Tony was right! This food is the best ever! I think that not even the Hogwarts elves could compete with you, and Uncle Ron always said that was the best food he had ever eaten in his entire life!" He started to ramble. "He always said that I should never tell Grandma Weasley or Aunt Hermione, because he would get into heaps of trouble."

Harry laughed out loud at that. "Yes, I can see Molly Weasley would get quite angry that her son would say house-elves cook better than her."

Harry stood up after both he and Tony had finished as well. He made quick work of the dishes, as Tony finished his third cup of coffee.

"Now, how about a tour of Stark Mansion?" Tony asked the little boy. The eager nod he got in return made him smile. Teddy living here truly didn't seem like a hardship, at all.

And so Tony took the boy on a tour around the house. Harry begged off, with a pointed look at Tony he said he had some calls to make. Tony nodded in agreement, realizing that Harry would call Pepper to explain the new situation and what happened back in England and would start to make inquiry calls to schools in the area.

Something Tony would always remember was Teddy's reaction to JARVIS. As they made their way down to his workshop, he told Teddy about how he created robots to help him. You and Dummy came scrolling to the pair with astounding enthusiasm for a robot. Teddy became quite excited and started to drill Tony with all kind of questions about his inventions. This made Tony introduce the kid to JARVIS. He explained that everything in his house was computer generated and organized. So, he needed an electronic mastermind to help keep an eye on everything. And he meant everything.

"Sir, I'm quite happy with your glorious introduction of me. If only you would talk to me with such deference and respect." The staccato British voice made Teddy jump a foot in the air. Tony had gone on to explain JARVIS was an AI butler. Teddy was awed at that, and started to drill the voice about his programming. JARVIS had responded to all inquiries with his cool British voice.

"If you want, kiddo, I can always teach you more about mechanics and engineering. Both hardware and software," Tony had offered, squirming with uncertainty on the inside.

"Really?" Teddy's eyes had twinkled with hope as he looked up at the American.

"Sure, well maybe we should confirm with Harry about all this. This may come as a surprise to you, but I don't really know what exactly counts as child-appropriate." He had answered, more confident as he saw that Teddy would love to learn more. He was so relieved that he did not see the mischievous glimmer in Teddy's eyes as he told him about his lack of experience with kids. He could not know how much he would come to regret that remark.

Harry had took upon himself the riot that phoning Pepper would be. As expected, she went on and on about how they dropped of the radar for over a week. Then she went on about how she thought Tony dating Harry would be less cause for her to suffer a heart attack, not more. Harry tried to complate her, but it still took fifteen minutes before he could tell her about what had happened in England. It became silent for a long time after Harry was finished.

"So, you now live in Stark Mansion and have a ten year old child?" For the life of her, she could not keep the disbelief out of her voice.

"Yes, Pepper. I now have full custody over Teddy. Living in two places would only confuse him, and Tony asked me to move in with me even before everything was finalized with Teddy's custody." Harry roughly pulled on his haird. It was again silent for some time, before he decided to break it.

"Look, why don't you and Rhodey come over this evening for dinner. You are such fixtures in the house and in our lives, that it'll be best for Teddy to meet you as soon as possible. And you can ask Teddy about some things. Just… don't be harsh on him. I don't care if you want to fight or judge me or Tony. But he, he's just a kid who was attacked and lost his grandmother because of it. Now, he is in a whole new country with new faces, even though he knew me through stories his grandmother told of me." He could tell Pepper was about to interrupt him and he raised his voice slithly.

"Besides, we need to discuss with you how to handle the press and keep Teddy out of it all as much as possible." Harry could hear Pepper sigh on the other end of the line.

"Sure, Harry. What time do you want me to be there?"

"How about six? We'll sit down with some bites, then have dinner. I try to get Teddy to bed as late as possible to help him adjust to the time difference. But big chance that he is conked out at eight or something like that." Harry responded.

"Okay, I'll call Rhodey and we'll be there." Pepper said, she seemed to hesitate before ploughing on. "It's not that I'm not happy for you Harry. I know how much you want to take care of him. It's just that I, I could never imagine Tony in a responsible parenting role."

Harry took a deep breath. "Yeah, well… I could never see Tony being kidnapped by terrorists but that happened as well. Have a little faith in him for Merlin's sake!" And without another word he hung up.

Harry was sitting at his computer in one of the studies, completely immersed in the different educational systems offered around Malibu, when the door opened and he was hit by a bright blue cannon ball.

"Oof! Cub, what's up?" He quickly closed his arms around Teddy in a warm hug. Teddy snuggled into the warmth that was his godfather.

"Tony wants to teach me how to build stuff! He said he would teach me some mechanics and engineering and all, so I can build my own JARVIS!" He rambled into Harry's chest.

"That seems like fun," Harry started hesitantly. He knew Tony would teach Teddy well, why was his godson in his arms?

"Uh-uh, but he said we needed to talk to you. He did not have a sense of whether some of the things were, uhm, child okay." He ended his explanation. Harry was frozen in his seat. Tony, you bloody moron! He screamed in his head. He pulled out of the hug slightly, to look Teddy in his eyes. Sure enough, there was a small calculating glint in the young boy's eyes.

"Theodore, do no even think about it!" he spoke sternly. Teddy reared back surprised. How did Harry even know what he was thinking? But Harry wasn't done yet.

"Tony loves having you hear, but he is pretty nervous too. He never had much to do with children before and suddenly he has to decide if what he does and tells is appropriate for you. Don't make it more difficult for him." Teddy nodded quickly. He hadn't known Tony was nervous. He didn't look like he was nervous. He must be able to hide it really well.

"Right, tell Tony that I like this very much. Why don't you ask him to teach you how to work on cars? So you can maybe build your own engine with him?" Harry suggested, remembering that building an engine is something Tony had done with his own father. Maybe he could make some great memories like this.

Teddy gleamed at the suggestion and took of like a bat out of hell to Tony. Harry chuckled and went back to the schools he thought were appropriate for Teddy.

He broke away for lunch. As he had expected both his men didn't leave the shop for lunch. He balanced a plate of grilled cheese sandwiches with two glasses and napkins as he stepped into the elevator down. As he exited the elevator, he saw Tony and Teddy bend over the exposed engine of a mustang. Harry smiled and deposited his load onto a nearby work table.

"Guys, I brought you lunch." He announces his presence. Tony and Teddy both jumped, and only because of Tony's excellent reflexes did Teddy not fall off the box he was standing on. They both were about to grab a sandwich, when the plate was pulled away from them.

"Now, I don't want to sound like a scolding mother hen, but you are not touching food with hands as black as that." With a pointed look Harry indicated the grease-stained hands Tony and Teddy were sporting. With sheepish smiles they both quickly washed their hands, before attacking the plate of sandwiches.

"Teddy, tonight you are going to meet Tony's bestest friends. They are called Virginia Potts and James Rhodes. But we just call them Pepper and Rhodey. They will come over for dinner, as they want to meet you." Tony met Harry's eyes and lifted on eyebrow. Harry nodded in confirmation, causing Tony to sigh and shake his head in exasperation. This would be a long night, he though morosely.

"Do you want anything special for dinner?" Harry asked Teddy, who did not seemed to scared about meeting two new people.

"Can you do lasagna?" Teddy asked hopeful.

"You bet your ass I can," Harry smiled. "How about I make one classic meat lasagna and one veggie?" Teddy nodded. His eyes wandered back to the exposed engine, and Harry laughed.

"When you're done eating, go back to the engine. I come down when it's time for you both to freshen up." And with a quick peck on Tony's lips he packed up the dishes and disappeared once more from the workshop.

Tony looked down to the kid, who quickly revealed himself like some prodigy. "Now, how about I explain to you the finer details about the carburetor?" And with these words, they both immersed themselves back into the world of cars.

Tony and Teddy spend the rest of the afternoon in the workshop, though not all the time under the hood of the Mustang. Halfway through the afternoon, Teddy and Tony seated themselves at one of his holographic tables. With the help of the holograms, Tony started to teach Teddy how an engine was build, explaining the different components and their uses.

JARVIS notified them that Harry requested them to wash up, as their guests would arrive in half an hour. Tony ruffled Teddy's – now bright red – hair.

"You did very good today, kiddo. Never met someone to pick up on this stuff as fast as you do. You're quite the prodigy. I'm proud of you." He told him in a voice gruff from emotions. Even though he had always been a genius, his father had never told him he was proud of him. Teddy looked up with the biggest smile he had seen yet, and it filled him with warmth. How easy was it to say to the boy, and how much did the boy deserve to hear it. No, he would never be like his father. He would tell the boy when he did good, and tell him off if he did something wrong. That's what parenting was about, he supposed.

They parted ways at Teddy's room, and Tony quickly went into his own bedroom. He planned on a quick shower, even though it was just Pepper and Rhodey. As he stepped out of the bathroom, with a towel around his waist and one around his neck, he saw Harry sitting on the bed.

"I think we need to tell Rhodey about magic as well." Tony couldn't say he was surprised. He had already picked up on Harry's nerves at lunch. It was easier in the long run, he mused. Rhodey was as much at Stark Mansion as Pepper was. And with the rate that Teddy changed his hair color, telling Rhodey right out would prevent the airman suffering a stroke.

"Yeah, it'll be for the best. And you know we can trust Rhodey. He would not tell anyone, though I suppose his superiors know about magic already." Tony quickly donned some casual clothes.

"I'll tell Teddy that he should tone down his hair a bit before we tell Rhodey." Harry stood up and gave a lingering kiss on Tony's lips. "You're doing wonderfully with him, love. I cannot tell you how proud I am of you."

As Harry walked out of the bedroom towards Teddy's room, Tony was standing stock still in the middle of the room. A goofy smile plastered on his face. He was right, telling people when they did right was wonderful! And Harry was proud of him, he was not fucking up with Teddy.

While Harry was quietly explaining Teddy what tonight was all about, a redhead was carried out of a pub on the other side of the ocean. His wife had taken the kids to visit her parents for the night, so he had taken the chance to get sloshed.

He had found his way drinking to one of the shadier pubs this part of London entailed. It was a mixed pub, for muggles who knew about magic and wizards not frequenting the mainstream places. As the hour grew later, his temper rose.

"I'm telling you! It's that bloody poof's fault. Bloody Potter, with his bloody fame! You know he's now shagging an American?" He ranted at the bartender, who nodded at the correct places as the drunken redhead told the tale. He had recognized the redhead as the famous Ron Weasley, hero of the Second Blood War. He had heard all about Harry Potter's quick visit to Britain, and the chaos his actions had created. He, a muggleborn himself, was not too sure who to believe. He did know however, that being gay was nothing to be ashamed of. Not that he would say that to Weasley, of course. After all, he was paying handsomely for his drinks this night.

"And not any regular Yank, o no! He had to start shagging a Yank that created weapons for muggles to fight with in their wars. Bloody hypocrite. No, he does not want anything to do with criminals and fighting where he's supposed to be. Instead, he just picks it up with a bloody American crime lord. That stupid Stark!" Ron grumbled as he became less coherent and almost passed out on the bar.

He did not notice the two cloaked figures that were shifting in their seats in the back of the pub as they heard the redhead ramble on about Stark and Potter.

"Sir, miss Potts has just arrived at the front gate." JARVIS announced. Harry was working in the kitchen, Teddy sitting at the table. He seemed to be unable to keep sitting still. Harry smiled indulgently at his godson, when he had asked him earlier he had said firmly he was not nervous. His actions now proved otherwise, but he seemed as stubborn as his mother.

The tell-tale click-clack of Pepper's heels came to them before she entered the kitchen. She froze in the doorway, staring at the boy at the table. Her eyes popped out as the kid morphed in front of her eyes. Sitting before her now was the child of Harry and Tony. He had Harry's green eyes and cheekbones, but Tony's hair and firm chin.

Harry turned around from the stove to greet her. His warm smile slipped into a frown as he saw her nearly hyperventilating. He quickly looked around for the cause as his eyes fell on Teddy.

"Theodore Remus Lupin!" He yelled out. Green eyes shifted guiltily to look at Harry. "Do not freak out our guests like that! Honestly, you would think your grandmother didn't teach you any manners, if I didn't know better than that! Turn back to yourself, now!"

Pepper looked on in shock as the boy shifted back to sandy blond hair, a button nose and amber eyes.

"Sorry, Uncle Harry," he mumbled. Harry snorted, and shook his head. Honestly, he was the son of a Marauders and of Tonks. He should have expected something like this.

"What's all this yelling about, then? Oh, hi there Pepper." Tony walked into the kitchen, greeting Pepper with a quick kiss on the cheek as he turned to Harry questioningly.

"Our newly acquired son thought it appropriate to turn his features into a mix of ours and freaking out our guest." Harry explained, making it clear with a pointed look that laughing about it was not an option.

"Ah, well that explains it." Tony remarked, turning back to Pepper.

"Pepper, meet Teddy Lupin. He's what they call a Metamorphmagus, he can change his appearance at will."

Pepper put a hand on her heart. "That explains it." She commented weakly.

"Sorry, miss Potts. I didn't mean to scare you like that." Amber eyes looked up at her beseechingly, and made her melt in a small pile of goo. The boy was adorable.

"It's okay, sweetheart. I just didn't expect it, that's all." She smiled encouragingly at the boy. He grinned back, his hair switching to bubblegum pink. She looked uncertainly to Harry and Tony.

"He does that a lot. And why wouldn't he? There are too many cool colors out there not to." Tony commented off-handedly.

Whatever Pepper wanted to say was interrupted by JARVIS.

"It seems the rest of your guests have arrived." Sounded through the kitchen. Harry frowned, they were only expecting Rhodey. With a thunk, he realized who would tag along.

"Teddy, blonde hair. NOW!" He called out. Teddy switched back, confused as to why Harry was so pale all of a sudden. Just in time, as the people just entered the kitchen.

"Hello Rhodey," Harry greeted the dark man first. "And Obediah, what a surprise to see you here."

I know I'm mean leaving you with a cliff like this, but otherwise you had to wait for even longer... considering the fact that I have this huge scene in mind that takes some figuring out. So, looks like it'll be the calm before the storm. Hope you all liked it!