A/N: So, after writing this I realised I had one major flaw in the timeline… In the books the letters are sent out in the last week of July. However I bungled and put some content in a later chapter that should come before this. Instead of trying to slot it back in (when I've already published the last chapter) I'm just going to have a tiny play with the timeline. So for the sake of this story the Hogwarts letters are sent out in the last week of June. To be honest only one month warning would not likely be enough for a muggle family to organise everything for their kid to go to Hogwarts.

Also thanks for your patience with this being late, graduation was a blast!

Chapter Twenty One – Letters

Albus stood and looked in anticipation at the list of students that were to receive their Hogwarts letters this year. On his desk lay a stack of sealed envelopes, a pile of unfolded and impersonalised letters. Between the two piles a quill floated in the air over blank envelopes. Rhythmically it dipped into the ink pot and fluidly wrote out each address for each child that was to join the school that year. The artefact had done its job for centuries and had never once been wrong in penning the right address onto each envelope. Normally Albus was not bothered about watching the show of magic, it had long ago grown old to him and he didn't need to know each student's home address.

However the Headmaster had been searching for five years a specific unknown location, and the home of a specific AWOL student. Five years of traipsing around the country looking for one child amongst thousands of magical ones, not to mention the millions of muggle ones. Now he would finally find out where Harry Potter had been hiding all these years, and he could finally bring him back to where he belonged.

Dumbledore had been only half paying attention to the names as they were written, his mind was still turning over the mystery of the Potter heir. He had registered and been surprised that Longbottom had gotten a letter, it was not a secret that his grandmother was quite unimpressed with him. He could normally entertain himself for many hours inspecting and playing with the multitude of gadgets he had dotted on every surface of his office, and today had been no exception. When the Quill got to writing the address of Malfoy Manor Albus turned and paid full attention to the writing.

As soon as the old wizard noticed it was writing out Harry Potter's letter he hurried around the desk to get the best view of the ink as it formed words. Although it easily wrote out the name of the recipient the carved feather hesitated. Normally it had no problem writing any address, it was imbued with magic and could sense those worthy of a place in Hogwarts if they lived in the eligible area. However for a Mr Harry James Potter it seemed almost unable to write further. A whole minute passed before it started to scribble, seemingly reluctantly, a very unusual address.

Albus snatched up the envelope as soon as it had magically floated off to the pile of finished letters to be sent. The address displayed was for an apartment in America, and the man could not understand how the child had gotten there. For a few minutes he entertained the idea that the child had accidentally apparated all the way across the Atlantic that Christmas night so many years ago, but he quickly dismissed that as impossible. It was much more likely that Harry had been adopted off the streets by an American on holiday in England. Whatever had happened, Albus would have to wait only a short while longer before he could ask the boy himself.

The wizard grabbed his cloak and waved his wand to turn a discarded piece of parchment into a portkey. His next act was to grab and throw a pinch of powder into the flames of his fire and fearlessly stepping into it. His destination was one of his privately owned houses that enabled portkey usage, and he wasted no further time before disappearing to the continent across the Atlantic Ocean.

He hadn't been to America in decades but he still remembered the general address for all continental portkeys. It was a room attached to the American Department of Magic, and as a result he had to give explain his trip to the country. Naturally he told a pack of lies about hunting down a valuable book for his private library and was soon on his way again. Even if Grindelwald and Voldemort had never threatened America, his reputation in stopping both men had gained him a lot of leeway in the States.

Once he was allowed to roam free it only took a small amount of careful concealment and some short apparition hops to find a suitable spot to spy on the written address. The place certainly looked expensive, and Albus worried that if Harry had been living there all the time then he would have a serious problem dealing with a spoilt brat. A child that threw tantrums if he didn't get his way would be no use in even assisting during a war, let alone be a reliable key player.

The building was built so that most of the outer walls were made of glass, and from his position Albus had a brilliant view into many of the floors. So before he acted he spent the time searching each window for signs of a child that could be his elusive quarry. As soon as the old wizard spotted the child moving around in the living room of the flat he moved into action and apparated from the tower opposite into the same room to confront the child.

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Mateo hummed as he sat in the living room merrily trying to sketch out the skyline of the city before him. The last two months had been full of trips around the city with various members of the Avengers who had quickly become the aunt and uncles that Mateo had never known he needed. Bruce split his time between his son and the labs, as he and Tony were well on the way to creating a functional arc reactor that would run for at least twenty years. Mateo had enjoyed learning about what went into the design process but he mostly left them to it when the pair was in the middle of the crucial stages.

However long his father was in the labs for, Mateo never felt neglected as Bruce always ensured that he only worked eight hours a day maximum in the labs and that the rest of his day was free to be spent with Mateo. He also made it clear that Mateo was allowed into his labs and they could talk as he worked, so they needn't be separated at all. However usually during these work hours Mateo would either entertain himself or would follow after another Avenger and watch them train or received lessons. The outcome would usually be dependent on whether said Avenger had the time, which Mateo found they often made time for him to learn at least one thing each day. Today was one of the days where he planned to attempt to do some sketching and reading, so he had had a lazy start and was currently dressed in some lounging clothes with his hair still in a mess from the shower.

"Kiddo I have a present for you!" Clint called out as he stepped out of the lift.

Mateo popped his head up to see the archer on the other side of the couch and quickly tidied up his art equipment before he padded over to the man. Clint was, as usual, dressed in black and purple clothing with his quiver and bow slung over his shoulders. In one hand he held a long black case, which he passed over to Mateo once the boy was close enough. Mateo glanced curiously at Clint's face, but the archer wasn't giving anything away, so he carried it over to the kitchen table to open it.

Inside was another bow almost exactly like Clint's. The only difference was the thin purple, silver, blue, red, green, and gold stripes that were added onto the arms of the bow on either side of the grip. A quiver full of regular arrows was clipped onto the other half of the case.

"I saw that Tony had already decorated your room with two swords, so I thought adding a bow to your collection wouldn't make much difference," Clint said by way of explanation. "Plus you are getting very good with the practice bow and deserve your own."

"Are you sure Clint, this can't have been cheap," Mateo said worriedly.

"It cost me virtually nothing, I merely stole it from the Helicarrier supplies and then had the extra personal touches added," Clint reassured the boy.

Mateo smiled and hugged the man before carefully slipping the quiver on and pulling the bow from the case. "So the colours match to you Avengers? Gold must be for Tony, purple for you? Green for the Other Guy… silver for Thor, red for Natasha, and blue for Steve?"

"I know you are quite good with the equipment and tools downstairs, so I though you could make a project out of personalising yourself an arm guard. There is sizeable piece of leather under the bow's holder," Clint grinned with pride that Mateo had figured out the colours.

"Thanks Clint, this really is a brilliant gift," Mateo said happily.

"Well I heard about your favourite books so I thought it was only appropriate I get you hooked on archery. We can head to the range now and get you working on your aim," Clint suggested, still smiling with content.

Their bonding moment was interrupted by a loud crack that came from the direction of the television. Expecting there to be some problem with a broken window both males turned to look in the direction of the sound. Neither of them was expecting to actually end up staring at a very old man in bizarre clothing.

At first glance it looked like the man was wearing a vivid blue and yellow dress with half-moon spectacles and an almost idiotic smile on his face. He had long white hair that grew beyond the bottom of his shoulder blades, whilst his beard was almost long enough to tuck into his glittering belt. A small chain with a bead attached seemed to be tied around the end of said beard, possibly to keep it tidy and to stop it blowing everywhere. While the man looked senile and as if a good gust of wind would knock him over neither Clint nor Mateo were prepared to give him the chance to attack. Seeing as he had managed to appear in the middle of one of the most secure buildings in New York Clint immediately went on high alert.

"JARVIS, security breach!" Clint said loudly and knocked an arrow to his bow whilst Mateo copied him a second slower.

Albus found himself facing two hard faced people and two deadly arrows, neither of which concerned him overly. He had too many years' experience in duelling to worry about being hit by archaic muggle projectiles, he could just throw up a shield. Whilst a small part of his attention was diverted to staying alert for attack the majority of his thoughts were filled with his joy at finding the elusive Harry Potter.

Harry was looking quite healthy, he had a tan and looked to be quite muscular. It was difficult to guess exactly what condition the child was in because of the boy's loose green T-shirt and black jogging trousers he wore. However the aged wizard noted the child held himself confidently and was unafraid to wield a weapon against an intruder. It did worry and surprise Albus that the boy seemed to be prepared to shoot another person, and he didn't doubt that the adult by the child's side would shoot if provoked. However if the child was already familiar with weapons then perhaps it would not be difficult to nudge him into training well in magical defence to face Voldemort.

What else surprised him was that the boy did not wear glasses but seemed to glare at him with clear eyesight. Albus had known that James had been unable to have his vision corrected magically, and the venerable wizard was surprised that muggles may have found a way to combat what wizards hadn't. As much as he wanted to blurt out questions to Harry about where he had been and how he had corrected his eyesight Albus was at least sensible enough to be wary of the arrows pointed at him.

In hindsight he probably should have made an appointment, or perhaps walked down from the roof, but he couldn't undo his actions now. He smiled nervously at the two and scrabbled for a way to diffuse the tension when a dinging noise sounded and a door opened to reveal two more men. One swaggered forward confidently until he was metres from Albus, whilst the second went to stand in front of the child in a protective gesture. It also successfully got the child to lower his bow, for which Albus was grateful even if it didn't pose a risk to him.

"Well I have to congratulate you, no one has managed to get this far into the tower before. Who are you and how did you do it?" the one with the beard and the obvious ego asked.

"My name is Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I used magic to get here," Albus explained and waited for the reactions.

The bowman didn't react, apart from a narrowing of his eyes, and continued to aim an arrow at him. The clean-shaven man with curling dark hair looked as if things had clicked into place and things were being explained, so Albus guessed that this was the person who had taken care of Harry the longest. Harry had stopped glaring at him and was now scrutinising Albus with a mixture of suspicion and curiosity. The Egotistical man's face remained blank.

"School of magic? Do you seriously expect us to believe that," he scoffed.

"I swear my good man that I am not lying, perhaps we can all sit down without the weapons and I can explain everything? Albus suggested.

"Clint, keep an eye on him but lower your bow," the bearded one said.

Harry and his likely guardian walked the long way round the sofas and settled on the one furthest from where Albus sat, which wasn't far away as the furniture had been placed to be close and intimate. The other man sat on the middle sofa like a referee and Albus sat across from Harry. The archer stayed in the kitchen area and sat on the breakfast bar with his bow across his knees whilst he spun the arrow through his fingers with practiced ease. Although he looked relaxed Albus was pretty certain it would take him less than a second to knock the arrow and fire it if he was thought to be a threat.

"I believe we should probably introduce ourselves, he is Tony Stark, Hawkeye is the one sitting over there and I am Bruce Banner. I assume the reason you are here is Mateo?" Bruce asked.

"Mateo? I am here to talk to Harry Potter. I must say Harry that your eyes are just as striking as your mother's," Albus said as he looked at the child.

"So my name was Harry," Mateo said thoughtfully, looking up at Bruce. Albus felt a little put out that he was being ignored.

"I prefer Mateo," Bruce said comfortingly.

"Me too," Mateo replied.

Albus wanted to object, he had no idea what had happened to the Potter child since he had left England but he couldn't ignore his heritage because he didn't like his name. He was also not being ignored and treated like just a common messenger, but before he could politely interrupt to regain control of the situation the archer spoke up.

"Sorry but I'm not buying this guy," Clint interjected from his perch. "Guessing physical attributes is not hard, any spy worth his salt is trained to worm their way into any situation with such skills. Admittedly the getting into the building is impressive, and knowing the child's identity is handy, but how can we trust you?"

"How can I prove myself then?" Albus asked patiently.

"'Harry's' start in life is rather vague, we know everything after he was six as he was with Bruce, and he himself remembers his life with his aunt and uncle. How did he end up there?" Clint asked without hesitation.

The wizard acted like he was thinking how best to cover the topic, but in reality he was already prepared to talk this through. Although such a conversation would have been easier to cover with the Dursleys, who already knew about magic, Dumbledore had prepared himself on the way over here.

"In Wizarding Britain there was a war ten years ago fought between a man called Voldemort, with his followers, and those who opposed him. Voldemort wanted supremacy of wizards over the Muggles, those without magic, and Muggleborns, those of our kind born from muggle parents. There were many who followed Voldemort out of their lust for power, and some who followed out of fear. The Wizarding world is but a small percentage of the muggle world, and the greater majority stayed neutral and inactive during the war. Of those that fought more were Death Eaters than not.

"James and Lily Potter were amongst those who fought Voldemort and his Death Eaters, until they became at risk of being hunted down. The Potters were an old and respected family line who always supported the Light, and Lily refused to be discriminated against. However When Lily had you she decided that they could not risk your life in the fighting, so they went into hiding. However they were betrayed by a friend and Voldemort found out where you were. He killed your parents and tried to kill you, Harry, but something went wrong. For some reason the killing curse rebounded off you and hit Voldemort himself. Voldemort was killed and the house was destroyed, whilst you escaped with nothing more than the scar on your forehead."

Albus saw the child reach up and rub his forehead, but was surprised when his fringe was parted and there was no scar. Bruce chuckled at Albus' look of confusion.

"I assume you wizards have never heard of plastic surgery? The scar never faded so we had it removed when Mateo reached a point where he became too obsessive about it."

"Normally curse scars cannot be healed," Albus explained.

"This wasn't healing, it's been covered by careful application of skin grafts," Bruce clarified.

"Back on topic, his parents were killed and so was this madman. So who took charge of Mateo?" Tony asked, specifically emphasising the name he was used to calling the boy by.

"Harry's godparents were also compromised by Death Eaters, so I took him to his relatives. He had an aunt and an uncle who were muggles and so were safely far away from the magical world that they would be left alone. Every wizard was celebrating Voldemort's downfall, and Harry was being hailed as the Boy-Who-Lived and was toasted across the country. I thought growing up away from that would be good for the child," Albus said.

"I assume you just left him on the doorstep or something, without talking to the family," Bruce asked in a deceptively mild tone. Tony and Clint tensed up at some hidden warning in their friend's voice.

"It was the middle of the night, I felt that they would not be very happy with being disturbed so I left a letter," Albus explained, he didn't seem to register the underlying tension in the room.

"And you never once checked on him?" Bruce's eyes hardened.

"I had a nearby neighbour keep an eye out."

"Well they did a terrible job, do you have any idea what kind of Mateo had with those people you left him with?" Albus almost flinched as the man exploded angrily. "When I found Mateo he had a broken wrist where his uncle had stamped on it, as well as bruising to the neck where he had been dragged, and lots of splinters in his palms and knees from where he had been thrown into the shed. As I treated him I found evidence of past broken ribs, most likely from being kicked, as well as numerous welts from being beaten with a belt. I was rather surprised there was no sign of significant head trauma, although they had definitely struck him there, most likely because they knew that any serious injury would mean they would lose their slave."

As Bruce had spoken Albus had had to fight the urge to cower slightly from the man. To him it was a bizarre experience, never had he been threatened so effectively by a muggle of all people. But what seemed to make it more effective was the man's voice deepened to an almost rumbling growl, his eyes turned to a glittering green and his presence seemed to grow. Albus had seen instances when angry wizards had seemed to grow because their magic was reacting, but never had he seen it in a muggle.

"Dad, calm down," Mateo said quietly and carefully took one of Bruce's hands and laid the fingers on his own wrist.

"What are you doing?" Albus asked curiously.

"Dad has a condition where if he loses control then he will act without conscious thought, and we really don't want that to happen right now. I've found out in the past that distracting him calms him down again, and the easiest way I have found is to get him concentrating on something else. Me and my pulse seem to do that effectively enough and I'm usually around when this happens," Mateo said simply.

The three adults watched in interest as Bruce's jet green eyes dulled back to their warm brown colour. The man himself also relaxed and seemed to return to his normal mild-mannered self, and Albus could feel the threatening presence recede.

"How successful is that technique?" Tony asked, his mind already turning over the other uses of the information.

"I stopped him on the Helicarrier when he usually can't return, but then someone shot him and things went downhill from there. I've done it quite a few times now," Mateo said.

"We are getting off track here," Bruce said impatiently. "You left a baby on a doorstep in the middle of the night with only a letter by way of explanation and then failed to check in with the child when he was being abused. How the hell are you the headmaster of a school if you can't even act in the best interests of one child?"

Albus wilted slightly under the glare of the three adults facing him. "Harry was in danger from Death Eaters discovering him and finishing him off; I had to get the Boy-Who-Lived hidden quickly. The child was famous, I couldn't leave him in the Wizarding world in case the family he was with let it slip."

"There must be thousands of wizards in the UK, was there not one single family that could be trusted to look after him? What about hiding him in your school?" Bruce snapped back.

"I can only apologise for my idiocy and be grateful that you were around to take him in, where did you find Harry?" Albus desperately changed the subject.

"I found him in an alleyway, and seeing as he didn't even know his own name for certain I decided he couldn't go back to his relatives who obviously did not care for him," Bruce said.

"Where abouts was this alley? We searched extensively for Harry once we learnt he was missing," Albus asked.

"It was a bit late then wasn't it?" Tony could be heard muttering, but no one really paid him much attention.

"I was in India," Bruce smiled as Albus stared back in shock. "I take it that Mateo is rather gifted for him to have managed that."

"It is possible for adults to apparate that distance if they know where they are going, but for a child to perform accidental magic of that magnitude is unheard of," Albus admitted. "It is extremely dangerous to attempt it without knowing where you are going, you can reappear in a wall or leave parts of you behind."

"So you're a genius and a magical prodigy," Tony said happily, trying to get Mateo to focus on the positives rather than the fact he could have left a limb behind.

"Yes, he would easily at the top of his class at Hogwarts," Albus said.

The wizard decided that they had had enough time to berate him, and now he needed to convince Harry to come to Hogwarts. "I have the letter here which details what you would need to purchase, as well as your train ticket to get to Hogwarts."

"Hang on, we haven't accepted the offer yet," Bruce interrupted.

"But he has had his name down since the day he was born," Albus protested.

"Harry Potter had his name down since he was born. Mateo Banner has the choice of whether he wants to go to your school. Besides he probably doesn't have an invitation to your school does he?" Bruce snapped.

Mateo looked surprised but happy with Bruce's insistence of keeping his new name.

"But he is Harry Potter," Albus pointed out.

"I think you will find that any records of Harry Potter cease at age six, whilst Mateo Banner has a full history, with birth certificates, jab records and school reports," Tony smirked.

"How?"

"Simple when you know how to hack a system like I can, creating records is child's play compared to what I can do. I could set Bruce up with a completely new identity right now if I wished without any hardship, and no one would be able to tell if it was fake or not. So to us muggles Mateo Banner is much more real than your supposed Harry Potter. I did a document sweep when I was filing Mateo's adoption papers, and the only record of his old name was a birth certificate and social service papers filled out by his relatives so that they could claim financial support for raising him."

"They got money for keeping me?" Mateo asked faintly.

"Sorry kid, but they lied to you every time they said you were a burden," Tony apologised, hoping to soften the blow.

"So every time they starved me, and made me wear Dudley's horrible cast-offs was because they deliberately wanted me to suffer rather than because they couldn't afford me? I had to sleep in a cupboard because of them! I may have been safe from wizards but I honestly thought my uncle was going to kill me a couple of times!" It was Bruce's turn to give Mateo a hug and whispered something into his ear as the child shook in a mixture of anger and emotional pain.

"As things add up I think Mateo is better off staying here and learning muggle things from us rather than joining this world that owes him everything and gave him nothing," Clint threw his two cents in, and Albus at least had the decency to look chagrined.

"I don't know, if I hadn't been abused by my relatives then I wouldn't have met Dad and be with you guys now," Mateo smiled weakly.

"As much as I have loved having you around I wish you hadn't had to face all that to get to me," Bruce muttered.

"Trust us kid, as long as we live we won't let you come to harm again," Tony said and behind him Clint nodded emphatically. "Now, do you want to learn about magic?"

"It would be rather interesting, as much as I love science I have never really found an area I felt pulled to. But the thought of learning magic feels right somehow," Mateo said slowly, and Albus started to look pleased at the decision.

"Just because he wants to learn magic doesn't mean we are letting him anywhere near you," Bruce snarled, and the pleased look that had appeared on Albus' face vanished.

"I'm sure every country has a magic school, we could dig around and find the one in America if you wanted us to. I'm right, aren't I?" Tony directed at Albus.

The wizard looked reluctant to answer, so Clint encouraged him. "Look mate, you either answer us honestly and gain an iota of respect amongst us or you refuse and Mateo stays here. I imagine losing the 'Boy-Who-Lived' is not something you want people to know about."

"Yes there are numerous schools across the globe, the one in America is alright but it was only set up a century ago so they are still learning the best methods for teaching. Durmstrang in Russia and Beauxbatons in France are very good schools. But I am not lying to you when I say gaining even mediocre grades at Hogwarts would look much better on his CV than even excellent grades at any other school," Albus said slowly. He then went on to give a very basic overview of the school's history and set up, obviously determined to try to get the child to choose the institute over any other.

"So why haven't we been contacted by one of the American schools?" Mateo asked.

"It could be because you've only just got here and you've only just gotten your citizenship. Or they send their letters out later, either way paper work takes time," Tony suggested.

"If you were to go into the wizarding world as Harry Potter I am sure you wouldn't need to do more than pass each class and you would be able to get a brilliant job. But as Mateo you might want to go to one of the better schools," Bruce said reluctantly as he thought through their options.

"I assume that the school is a boarding school? There is no way Mateo could travel that distance each day for lessons," Tony asked.

"Yes, term starts in September and students have three weeks off over Christmas and then term ends in June. Although it is not common practice for families to visit throughout the year, if Harry was able to get onto the Quidditch team then you could come to every match, which could be three times a year," Albus explained. "You would not be able to use Muggle technology to communicate, the sheer amount of magic in wizarding areas such as at the school and Diagon Alley, which is the shopping street in London, shorts out electric items."

"We might have a problem there then, I will have to avoid these places," Tony said with a slight frown.

"Why would that be?" Albus asked.

"Do you know nothing of recent Muggle events?"

"Should I?" Albus asked politely.

Tony snorted at the apparent superiority of the wizard. "JARVIS, play some of the news footage of the battle."

"Certainly sir, do you have any preference in channel or part of the battle?" Albus seemed incredibly confused by the incorporeal voice.

"No, just put some on," Tony sighed, not for the first time wishing he had made his AI slightly less intelligent.

Albus was then treated to twenty minutes of footage of the battle, interviews with various important people analysing the threat of the Avengers, and then Tony's interview. Although the man understood very little of the technicalities behind how the battle came about, he understood that Tony relied on technology to survive for some reason (as there was that glow in his chest). He also caught the subtle hint that those who had taken Harry in as their own were able to face unbelievable odds and come out successful. According to the estimated body count the 'Avengers' had killed over a thousand invading beings while none of the six suffered from more than minor injuries.

"So I'll have to do some research before I can come visit Mateo, but at least that will give me an excuse to avoid the work Pepper is hounding me to do," Tony said lightly.

"I'll help you with that," Bruce offered.

"So I have to buy a load of school supplies, and get to Kings Cross by September, which gives me just under two months to stay here. I'm not sure about this," Mateo said honestly.

"You don't have to make up your mind right now, like you said we have two months before school starts, and we have that time to decide and buy things if you want to go," Bruce reassured him.

"Did my parents leave me anything? Any possessions like a property, or funds for school?" Mateo asked.

"The Potter vault is yours once you reach majority, and until then there is a smaller vault that you can access for your school requirements. The bank called Gringotts in Diagon Alley has your accounts," Albus handed over a small key.

"If that is everything then I shall see you in September Mr Potter," Albus stood after a lull in the conversation.

"It is Mr Banner, I refuse to be called Potter as that name only brings back bad memories. If I attend, it'll be as Mateo Banner or not at all," Mateo said decisively.

Albus nodded unhappily and disapparated with a rather loud crack.

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When the headmaster was finally safely back in his office a few hours later he had to be careful to not start to destroy things. All his plans had been blown to the wind by the type of people Harry had ended up with. He had known how unbelievably predictable the Dursleys had been, so putting Harry there would have been a risk but then the child would have been much easier to predict from knowing his upbringing. This Mateo would be a wilful wild card that could make the situation with Voldemort worse. And the board had already been set, with the Philosopher's stone and its puzzles already being placed as he thought.

Dumbledore slumped into his chair and rubbed his temples as a headache started to make itself known. It would take a lot of careful handling and planning but he wasn't prepared to consider the situation a lost cause just yet.

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Mateo sat there after Albus had gone and stared at the spot that the man had occupied. Bruce worriedly kept his arm slung around his son's shoulders whilst glancing between him and the spot he stared at. Tony stood and started pacing, while Clint dropped his arrow back into his quiver and slid the bow over the opposite shoulder.

"Well that was unexpected," he said to break the silence.

"Completely, the fact that the man confirmed that Mateo had magic was not after Loki's diagnostics, but the fact that Albus is such a manipulative and naïve son of a bitch and is in charge of a school is rather surprising. Sorry," Tony noticed Bruce's scowl at his choice in language.

"I need to think," Mateo said and wriggled from his dad's arms and padded towards the lift, his bow and quiver still across his back like Clint.

"One thing first kiddo," Tony said and waited until Mateo had turned to look at him. "I was serious in what I said, you are a genius and you will undoubtedly be successful in whatever you choose to do. I speak for all of us when I say we support you in your choice and we will always be here to protect you."

"Thanks Tony," Mateo nodded and left the room.

"You've been uncharacteristically emotional through this meeting," Clint observed.

"You heard what that kid has been through in the first few years of his life, he needs some support to realise the earth is not a cold dead place. Bruce knows how to deal with the psychological scars brought on by abusive families, and I know that he needs some people he can trust and rely on. Who better for that to be than his unofficial aunt and uncles?" Tony said frankly.

"What do we do if he does want to go to Hogwarts? The Other Guy was not impressed with that man, and letting Mateo go there would be like sending a lamb right into the lion's den," Bruce asked nervously. "And I'm not a qualified psychologist, I'm not even a properly qualified medical doctor."

"First off, Mateo is no lamb," Clint replied ignoring Bruce's protest, "that kid can be lethal if he wants to be. Second, if he is going as Mateo Banner then half of the heat will be taken off him as he won't have a giant target painted on his back. Thirdly I doubt the threat of the psycho killer will go away if we bury our heads in the sand, so he needs to be prepared."

"But he is not even eleven! How can he be expected to possibly have to face Death Eaters and Voldemort, if he is still alive, when he hasn't even started high school, let alone finished it!" Bruce almost shouted.

"The world isn't fair at times when it dishes out fate, but we can help him and change his odds so that he comes out of this fighting rather than a broken lad," Clint said sombrely.

"If he goes to that school, and that Diagon Alley, then I am going to find out as much as we can about that Voldemort and we can start research. Once we know everything about him then we can help figure out how we defeat him," Tony said almost like a vow.

"And wherever he decides to go we can at least make sure he has enough 'muggle' training to ensure he isn't defenceless," Clint promised.

Bruce didn't say anything but merely nodded in agreement of the two men he considered friends. In quite short order they both excused themselves to unknown jobs and left Bruce sitting on the couch to wait for his son's return.

A/N: I slipped in the title of an album I love to listen to in this chapter. Anyone spot it? It's not mainstream per se so it isn't blatantly obvious.