The group could not help but coo as Tony walked into the living room wearing his cute little Ravenclaw robe and Harry Potter glasses. His leg braces were on top of long blue socks and his crutches had blue and silver tape wrapped around them, which he had made himself last night.
The group had all purchased Harry Potter robes last night in their house colors. Natasha and Rhodey were Slytherin, Clint and Steve were Gryffindor, Bruce was Ravenclaw, and Sam and Scott were Hufflepuff. It was a total coincidence that each house was equally represented, but Tony found it amazing.
They waited an extra few minutes for Natasha to draw a scar on Tony's head with makeup, but after that, they were ready to go.
"Tony, I think you should use your wheelchair today. It's going to be a lot of walking," Bruce said as they stood at the door.
A pout took over Tony's face. "Please, Dr. B! I really really want to walk around Diagon Alley. I can do it," Tony pleaded.
"I know you can do it, Tones, but I think it would be safer for your chair today," Bruce said softly.
Steve could tell Bruce was getting anxious arguing with the little boy. "Plus, how are you going to hold your wand if you're using your crutches Tony?"
Like the genius he was, Tony froze as reasoning surged through him. "Very true," he humed. "Give me one minute!" He shouted, walking back to the room.
In no time, he came back, this time sitting in his chair. He looked a little sad, but still smiled for them. "Ready!" He nodded.
They arrived at Universal an hour before the park opened, a perk Nick had pulled for them. The team had purposely brought Tony to the 'Island of Adventure' side of the park because they had a surprise for him.
Since the Island was less themed and carried more attractions, they got on as many rides as they could with the park being practically empty. Many of them loved the Jurassic Park ride, but Tony's favorite was the Incredible Hulk Coaster. Ironically, all the twists and turns made it Bruce's least favorite ride. To be fair, it's unpredictable, messy ride was a perfect representation of the Hulk.
As the hour finished, they were getting off of 'Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey'. To mess with Tony's excitement, they decided to delay their trip to Diagon Alley in favor of getting food. In addition, it was steadily getting hotter and they would need their energy.
To keep with their Harry Potter theme, they ate at the Three Broomsticks. Tony's mind about bursted when the building not only looked exactly like the movie, but the food was also English. Tony, Rhodey and Natasha ordered fish and chips, Bruce and Steve tried the shepherd's pie, Sam tried the cornish pasty, and Clint and Scott both ordered huge turkey legs. Everyone enjoyed their food, even though Clint and Scott made a huge mess.
By the time they left, the park was steadily growing crowded. Tony frowned when they left the restaurant and no one moved. "Well, how are we getting to Diagon Alley? Do we have to get back in the car? It's not on my map," Tony asked impaticienty.
They all chuckled. "That's because we are only on one side of Universal, we have to get to the other side to see Diagon Alley," Rhodey said.
"Well how do we get there?" Tony asked, extremely confused to the large smiles everyone wore.
Steve finally took pity on the confused boy and pulled something out of his backpack to hand to Tony.
Tony's eyes widened at the piece of paper in his hand. "A ticket to the Hogwarts Express? What-" Steve grabbed Tony's chair and pushed him around the side of the building. In front of them stood the large Hogwarts Express, an actual train.
Tony practically bounced out his seat. "We get to ride on the real Hogwarts Express?!" The group nodded and Tony let out excited screams. Suddenly the train let out a loud whistle. "Let's go! We don't want to be late!"
They all laughed as Scott placed the boy on his back and dashed towards the train station. Clint put Natasha on his back and followed them, giggling. The remaining teammates rolled their eyes but followed them. Steve made sure to put Tony's wheelchair with the others in the disability section so that it would be brought on the train.
When they got to the line, there was a brick wall they were to walk through that would show them disappearing. Scott placed Tony on the ground and helped him walk through, though the boy was laughing hysterically the whole way. After he went through he turned to Steve who was about to walk through and shouted "No muggles allowed!" Steve pouted dramatically, setting Tony off in a pile of giggles again. Steve quickly ran through and picked up Tony by the waist while tickling him. He kept going until Bruce walked over to fix Tony's oxygen cannula, which gave the boy a break.
In no time, it was their turn to enter the train. They were led to a large cabin that had eight seats. Even so, Tony was passed over so that he sat against the window on Sam's lap. Tony watched with wide eyes as the train took off and the window showed them going through Hogsmeade. He saw dementors and owls and Hagrid. Harry, Ron, and Hermione's shadows even walked past their cabin's window shade. Despite it being a projection, Tony shouted at it, trying to catch the trios' attention. Even though Tony was a genius, they loved when his actions showed his young age.
When they finally arrived at Diagon Alley, they had to practically drag Tony off the train. He wanted to ride it back and forth three more times. Twice for enjoyment, and the third to analyze the mechanics behind the ride. He quickly changed his tune when they promised him butterbeer.
When they exited the ride they were on the 'muggle' side of London, Tony told them, so they'd have to put their wands away. The knight bus stood large across the street but there was no sign of Diagon. Before they could reach for a map, Tony pointed at a familiar looking set of bricks. After they grabbed his wheelchair from the train, he led them over and sure enough, behind the wall was all of Diagon Alley. Tony freaked out, vibrating in his seat and pointing out everything.
Steve put Tony onto his shoulders so he would get to see all of the alley past the people. Rhodey helped the boy sit securely as Steve wrapped his hands around Tony's stiff leg braces. The small boy rested his head on top of Steve's, tired, but incredibly excited. "Get out, you fat ox," Natasha scolded Clint who tried to fit into Tony's wheelchair. Instead they put their bags and purchases into the chair as Tony used Steve as transport.
Diagon Alley was an exact replica of the Harry Potter movies. It was a narrow street with grey paved stones. Lopsided buildings with large windows that poked out awkwardly lined each side. Store signs and hanging lights alternated the buildings. At the end of the Alley was a large dragon on top of Gringotts Bank that spouted fire every few minutes. The best part of the Alley was probably the sounds of excited children and adults that leaked from each store as the door opened. Tony forced Steve to drag him to every window to take in the sights. Most of the windows had fantastic displays of magic inside like floating yarn that knitted sweaters. When they reached a large shop that was colored orange and had a large animatronic man taking off a hat, they had to go inside. 'Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes', it was called.
It was the most fantastic store ever filled with bright lights, loud noises, and laughter. Tony constantly tugged on Steve's hair in excitement. Clint and Scott had lots of fun trying out some of the toys while everyone looked around. Tony almost cried when Clint gifted him a screaming yoyo. The rest of the team wanted to cry at the loud noise the toy emitted every time Tony used it. It quickly got annoying enough that Steve convinced the boy to play with it later at the hotel (preferably in Clint's room).
When they left the shop, they neared Ollivander's wand shop which had a large crowd of kids pooling outside. When Natasha asked a young girl what was going on, she told the group Ollivander was about to select someone to choose their wand. Steve jumped as Tony pulled on his hair again in excitement. "We have to see Mr. Ollivander, we have to!" Tony cried.
Since the others were curious what was inside the shop as well, they decided to wait with the crowd.
"Can I get down, Captain?" Tony asked quietly to Steve.
Steve frowned, looking up at the boy in his shoulders. "You sure? The building is kind of small and the wheelchair might push us towards the back-"
"No, I want to stand with the other kids," Tony said.
Steve looked at the boy's bright brown eyes and nodded. He lifted the boy by his armpits over his head and placed him on the ground. Immediately the boy wobbled, unsteady. Steve kept a hold of his hands and helped the boy drag his feet closer to the crowd. Immediately, kids started to come up to him.
"I'm a Ravenclaw, too!" A boy about Tony's age said.
"That means you're super smart!" Tony smiled wide. "My Captain says i'm super smart. I'm even smarter than Rhodeybear!"
The boy looked up at Steve but didn't recognize him with the Harry Potter robes. "Your daddy's a Gryffindor? Mine is a Hufflepuff!"
Tony frowned and looked up at Steve. "He's not my dad-"
"Come over here, I know two Slytherins you should meet!" The boy said suddenly.
"Okay! Are they mean like Draco?" Tony's head tilted.
"No, they are nice. They even let me have one of their Bertie Bott's Jelly Beans!" The boy started gesturing Tony further into the crowd.
"Wait, are there seats over there?" Steve asked before Tony could move.
The boy nodded, glancing quickly at Tony's leg braces. "Well we were sitting on the ground over there."
Tony looked up at Steve and nodded. The older man sighed softly and helped Tony follow the boy towards the shop windows. He helped Tony lower to the ground with his back against the wall of the store next to some other kids around his age. "We'll be over there with the parents okay?" Steve said, pointing to the outskirts of the crowd where the Avengers were standing with other parents. Tony nodded, smiling, and was pulled into a discussion with the other kids.
While they waited, the Avengers discussed plans for dinner. There was a Polynesian Resort that had a Hawaiian restaurant inside that Bruce wanted to try out. He had heard the food was good and he figured it would be a great experience for the Avengers to get a taste of a different culture. Once everyone was in agreement, Bruce took out his phone and put in a reservation for it.
A few minutes later, the doors to Ollivanders opened and the kids jumped up to move inside. Steve quickly made his way over to Tony who was still sitting on the floor. The supersoldier was surprised to see Tony's newly made friends still waiting for him. "Look Tony, your dad is here," a Hufflepuff boy pointed out.
Tony turned and smiled at Steve. "Hello, Captain." Steve smiled and lifted the boy by his armpits to stand.
When Steve went to hold Tony's hands to help him to walk, two of the kids stepped up. "We got it, Mr. Tony's dad. He told us he's sick- we can help him!" Steve tried to hide his skeptical frown, but nodded when Tony looked pleadingly at him.
"We'll be in the back, Tones," Steve said. Tony smiled at him before his two friends grabbed Tony's hands and helped the boy stumble inside the shop.
"He's growing up so fast," Clint snarked into Steve's ear. The supersoldier cuffed him in the back of the head and headed inside with the rest of the group.
Inside Ollivanders, they were led into a small room covered in wand boxes from the floor to the top of the 10ft ceiling. There was a staircase that snaked along one of the sides of the tiny room leading to a door. And at the bottom of the staircase was a desk which sat empty except for a lamp.
The room was cramped with people so they stood in rows. The adults stood in the back with shorter adults and teens in the row in front of them and the young kids stood in the very front. From his position in the back, Steve could see Tony standing in the front, still holding hands with his friends. He noticed the boy's legs trembling and he hoped whatever was about to happen would be fairly quick.
Just as Sam was betting Clint to climb the shelves of wand boxes along the wall behind them, the lights in the room suddenly dimmed and the door at the top of the staircase opened. Out came a man in purple robes with a large white beard and crooked glasses. Steve could see Tony's eyes light up in wonder as the man came down the staircase, addressing the crowd.
The old man introduced himself as Ollivander and told them about his wand shop. It was then he looked for a volunteer in the crowd to select a wand. Scanning the kids, his eyes landed on the smallest one with the biggest smile and an oxygen cannula under his nose. He gestured Tony forward and Steve watched the Avengers take their phones out to record.
"Hello, what is your name?" The man asked in his heavy british accent.
"Tony," the boy said sheepishly.
"Hello young Tony," the man greeted, staring at Tony beneath his glasses. "Now, which is your wand arm?"
Tony held up his slightly shaking right arm at which Ollivander started inspecting and measuring. The crowd stared in awe as the man hummed and muttered to himself. Clint held in giggles at the man's eccentrics but watched curiously.
Suddenly, Ollivander snapped the tape measure closed and started scanning the wall. He read many labels before he finally pulled out a maroon box and placed it on the desk. He opened it carefully and Tony leaned in as the wand inside was revealed. "Wand of birch, 15 inches, flexible, and unicorn hair core," the man said, holding the wand.
He gave the wand to Tony, asking him to say 'Alohomora' at the wall behind the desk which had a set of drawers. Tony followed the instructions but quickly covered his ears as the drawers went ballistic, opening and closing loudly. Ollivander recited his own spell to make them quit. Tony replaced the wand to its box with wide eyes. "Sorry," he said guiltily.
"No worries, lad, might I remind you, the wand chooses the wizard," he said wisely. Ollivander put the wand back and searched for a different one. Tony tried out two more wands which in similar fashion worked badly. When he tried to levitate a wand box on the wall, the whole shelf broke and when he tried to water a plant, the flowers wilted. It was until the room filled with soft music, the familiar Harry Potter melody, did Ollivander have a revelation and started searching through the drawers of his desk for something. Finally he pulled out a dusty wand box and handed the one inside to Tony. As soon as Tony's tiny hands grasped the wooden wand, a spotlight shone on him and a wind fluttered around the room, swishing his robes around.
Tony smiled wide as Ollivander proclaimed it was the perfect fit. "A wand of beech, 16 inches, soft and pliable with a Phoenix tail feather core!" The Avengers all smiled wide, taking photos of the scene.
"A wand of beech tells me you are wise beyond your years and a Phoenix feather core means you are destined for greatness," Ollivander informs. Tony looked down at his wand proudly. Though not as proud and happy the Avengers were as they looked at their boy.
The show was finished after that and the crowd moved to the main wand shop to purchase wands. Tony, despite wanting the wand Snape had in the movie, did not want to part with his new wand. "It chose me," he told the Avengers. While Tony said goodbye to his friends, Sam snuck over to the register to purchase Tony's wand, no one wanting to explain to the boy the wand wasn't free and Ollivander wanted $55 for it.
By the time they left the store, Tony was noticeably tired and his legs shook like a baby deer. Steve waited for the boy's friends to leave before pulling Tony into his arms. The boy rested his head against Steve's chest and closed his eyes as he took deep breaths. "You did it, buddy," Steve whispered to him. He knew how important it was to Tony to be just like the other kids and even though Tony's body would be suffering later, Steve was proud of him.
Tony was too tired to try out the interactive magic hot spots in Diagon. Those required standing and lifting his arm and talking and he was not up for it. It kind of unnerved him how easily his body was shutting down after a bit of activity, but he tried to not make the Avengers worried. He already noticed Bruce's concerned looks as he lay limp on Steve trying to gain back some energy. "Can we get butterbeer first?" Tony asked when they discussed leaving.
The Avengers shot each other looks before shrugging. They walked a few stores down to a stand which was selling the beverage. There was a long line so Steve took Tony to a bit of shading a few feet away as the rest of the group stood on line. Half of them ended up getting warm butterbeer while the rest got cold. Tony took a sip of his ice cold butterbeer and fell in love. He couldn't finish it all, but that was okay since he was travelling with men who had bottomless stomachs.
Just as they were walking to the exit, it started raining heavily. Everyone in the parks ran around, looking for cover. It was the perfect time for the group to realize they forgot ponchos.
Thanks for reading!