Chapter 6: Aftermath
The funeral of Tony Stark was held a few days later beside Mr Stark's cottage. All the Avengers were present, wearing black. They all watched in silence as the first ever electronic heart of Mr Stark on a bundle of leaves and flowers slowly floated away. the words carved around the circular boundaries, in capitals, were:
A proof that Tony Stark has a heart
Later on, Cap put the stones back in the exact moment they took them from the past. He took many years – five seconds for them – and lived a happy life with his wife Peggy, before coming back as an old man and gave Sam – the one with winged device – his shield.
"I need to tell you something." Matilda sighed after the stones were back into the places and the time they should be.
"Go on." Sylvia prompted and didn't look into her mind. This was something that should be told, not seen.
Matilda took a deep breath, "I'm leaving." She sighed, "It's too much. I need some time alone. I need to find out who I really am, and... I guess this is it. We don't belong together. Not now. Not ever."
"You mean you can't take on about finding out you're from Asgard that we didn't know exists just two weeks ago, while not even knowing who your parents on Earth are." Sylvia concluded, "I can't stop you from finding yourself."
"It wasn't a question." Matilda hissed.
"I don't care. I know it's hard. Where are you going to stay, anyways?" She said softly.
"The Potters. I know it's a common Muggle name, but only one Potter family is magical right now." Matilda said as if she had thought this out long ago.
"Alright." Sylvia bit her lips, "Farewell, Alumy. Say hi to Albus, Lily, and James for me."
"Farewell, Gloomy." Matilda said and Apparated away to who-knows-where.
"What the hell was that?" A voice came from behind.
"Oh, hi, Parker." Sylvia turned to see Spider-man, "That was Apparation, a kind of magic that can bring you to anywhere on Earth in seconds, but I don't know if it works in space." She avoided explaining the Wizarding World to him, knowing that he would accept the answer as he has seen Dr Strange and Wanda.
"Call me Peter." He said, nodding.
"I don't want to use that name because there was a person I knew, Peter Pettigrew, he was a ratty coward. It's a great loss to you, isn't it? He was like a father for you." Sylvia didn't have to use Legimancy for that.
"Peter is a common name, but yeah, I get it." Parker said, avoiding the topic of Mr Stark.
"How's your school?" Sylvia looked into his mind and regretted asking that at once, "Seems like your school has a funny choice on fieldtrip destinations."
"You mean they always somehow chose places where villains attack? Pretty much."
"Why didn't you use your powers to fight against them? That bully, Flash. Not even your teacher believes you in the internship thing." Sylvia asked.
"How did you -?" He looked startled.
"I've got my own sources. What do you call it, mind reading? An unrealistic name really. Human minds are not open books for you to read." She looked at him.
"My identity as Spider-man is kind of a secret." Parker looked around uncertainly and admitted.
"So, you can shoot webs from your wrist and what else?" She was curious.
"Um... I've got extra senses for the surroundings, I call it spidey-sense, and I can stand on the ceiling."
"Pretty much like a human-sized spider then." Sylvia concluded.
"Yup. Was that year sister who just left?" Parker asked.
"Yes. She left because... we've just discovered something big and she couldn't take it in. we're orphans, you see, and she doesn't even know who her biological parents are." She sighed.
"And you're okay with that?" He looked surprised.
"I've seen worse. I've been through worse, actually. I lived as a little girl in a normal and nice family for seven years, then suddenly found that I was from a very dark family that had insane relatives and some mad cultures." Sylvia said airily, "But I got over it. I'm friend with both sides at the moment."
"How old are you?" He frowned.
"I'm technically fifteen, but seeing as I've been in Asgard for who-knows-how-long, so I'm currently over a thousand. Doesn't look like it and I don't feel like it." She shrugged.
They talked for another minute or so before Parker went off to find his aunt and Sylvia went to look for Loki. She found him on a far hillside.
"Hey, why so distant?" She asked and tipped her head to one side.
"I don't know you, but my history here isn't exactly a pleasant one." The God of Mischief replied.
"You mean when you were being controlled by the mad Titan? That wasn't your doing." Sylvia narrowed her eyes, "It's better than the Impervious Curse, I'd say, and better than being possessed, when you did something and didn't even know you did."
"I mean before that." Loki murmured.
"Yeah, I agree that one was a bit too far." She sniffed, "You don't really have the right to talk on the subject of adoption, you know? I've been adopted in a total of three times. My biological mother was killed because people didn't want me to be raised in a dark family, I had my memory wiped – I couldn't produce a corporal patronus before I got it back, I was thrown into a non-magical orphanage, before being adopted by the Ollivanders, and raised in a world where the Order was the greatest thing ever and the Dark Lord is all horrible and stuff. Now, I just found that I was from Asgard, and there comes another load of mysteries."
"I was jealous of Thor back then." Loki growled, "He was favoured by Father, and I was more of a sidekick. Then I found my whole life was a lie and I'm the monster parents tells their children at night."
"And I found out that most of my relatives worked for the monster who tried to take over the Wizarding World and had killed masses of innocents." Sylvia retorted, "I guess we're similar in some ways."
"I have to agree." He sighed.
"Have you talked to Thor yet?" Sylvia looked up.
"About to." The God of Mischief said forcefully.
"Do it, then. Before he leaves." She prompted.
"He's leaving?" He looked surprised.
"To find a new Asgard with the 'Guardians of the Galaxy' or whatever they're called." Sylvia replied. Loki gave her a confused look and walked down the hill to find his brother.
Sylvia decided to follow, in case something goes wrong. She knew what it would be like, to have a brother, adoptive or not, that was the exact opposite. Uncle Siri and her father were like that. One in Gryffindor, rebellious, the most popular boy in the school, while the other in Slytherin and the parents' pet. This caused nothing but endless trouble. Mild to fights, dramatic to ambushes, attacks, and duels.
Thor wasn't anywhere nearby, so she Apparated them to New Asgard, where they found the elder of the two brothers in his house, which should be the palace.
"Thor." Sylvia walked in and started, but frowned at the sight. The God of Thunder's place was a total mess. The smell of beer took over most of the air, unfinished food and tissues littered the floor, the television looked broken and the gaming devices were thrown randomly on the sofa.
"Right, if he's not here..." Loki trailed off as Thor came to the living room, startled at the sight of them.
"I'm sorry to budge in, but someone might want to talk to you." Sylvia said uncertainly, "I'll leave you to it then..." She was barely out of the door when she heard a smack.
Quickly, she rushed back to see what happened, though she had an idea. It was close to what she had expected. Loki was pinned on the wall by Thor, who was holding his brother's neck.
"You died! Again!" The God of Thunder roared.
"Thor, stop." Sylvia rolled her eyes, "He's your brother."
"Adopted." Loki said.
"I don't care whether he's adopted or not, he's still your brother, Thor. For Merlin's sake, you can't just hit him like that." She sighed, "Honestly, you're so childish."
Thor huffed, "He let me thought he was dead for five years, and came back yet again – "
"Really, stop." Sylvia said, "Thor, you can't kill your brother, and Loki, you can't just be 'dead' and alive as you please. Sort this out before I call Val."
"How did you..." Thor looked startled for a moment, "Stop entering my mind, will you?"
"It's a good way to learn things and I do respect privacy." She replied, "I can't read too much without the spell, anyway."
"You are the worst brother." He growled to Loki before letting him go.
"Yeah, you've said that." Loki responded, "So, what's that thing about going into space?"
"Freaking little bustard, you are." Thor muttered to Sylvia.
"Nothing new to me. What do you think it's like to have powers in a non-magical orphanage?" She smirked, "I'm in a hurry, guys. Promised Roddie for dinner tonight."
"Who's Roddie?" Loki spoke up.
"My dear cousin Rodfort Lestrange." Sylvia answered, "Are you going to sort this out without violence or not? How did you come over it last time, though?"
"We... talked." Loki said.
"You have your answer, then. Talk. Not fight." She looked at both of them, "I'll try to keep in touch. Come to Grimmauld Place in London if you want to find me." Without another word, she Apparated away.
A little more than a month had passed since that instant. Sylvia was now at Platform 9 and 3/4, ready to welcome another year of Hogwarts. She had received her prefect badge during the summer, had a few more visits to Uncle Lucy (Lucius Malfoy's nickname which he hated), and hadn't been in touch with Matilda.
"Where's that blood-traitor twin of yours?" Came an unmistakable pure-blood voice.
"I believe I've told you to mind your own business, Rodfort Rodolphus Lestrange." Sylvia turned to see her cousin and saw the badge, "Well done, you're the obvious choice."
"Guess who's the other one." Rodfort grinned.
"Cleadrew Higgs." She smirked.
"You're no fun." He sighed.
"Only because I always win in these." Sylvia rolled her eyes.
"Where's Potter, anyways?"
"I'll hex you into next week if you poke your nose into another affair like this again." She hissed then relaxed, "We... broke up."
"What?" Rodfort's eyes widened, "It's a joke, right?"
"Does it sound like one?" Sylvia demanded, "She can't take it. I'm a Black, she's a Potter. We aren't supposed to mix. And don't remind me of Uncle Siri, because he's disowned."
"I take that as you can spend more time in Slytherin common room?" He asked with hope.
"Nope. I'll only spend even more time in RoR." Sylvia retorted, "We'd better get on the train."
At that, they ran into another classmate in their year, Tim Davies.
"You've got to be joking me." Rodfort groaned and Sylvia followed his glaze to see the boy's chest.
"I thought it would either be Joey McCubbin or Tommy Boot." She stared at the badge.
"Well, Joey has his 'problem', hasn't he?" Tim smirked, referring to the poor boy's lycanthropy symptoms.
"Will you three move out of the way? You're blocking the entrance." A Hufflepuff girl in their year, Jane Smith called.
"Don't know what happened to the Hufflepuffs lately." Tim muttered as they walked down the corridor.
"I've no idea what's gotten into them." Sylvia agreed, "Even Amy Haywood does it."
"Excuse me, I thought we were going to the prefects meeting?" Rodfort looked uncomfortable at their friendly chat.
"Oops, wrong way." Sylvia said airily before turning stern on her cousin, "I can be friends with people outside Slytherin too, you know!"
"I was trying to..." But the Slytherin boy couldn't make up anything.
"Look, I know about pure-bloods' status in the world right now, but we can change it. We can make all the wizards united. No more 'Slytherins are all evil bustards' nonsense, no more 'pure-bloods all discriminate Mudbloods'. We'll change it, but being horrible to other houses isn't helping." Sylvia hissed.
"Right, sorry." He mumbled.
"Apology accepted." She smirked.
Rodfort was silent, but it didn't last long, "Where have you been when the summer started, though?"
"Grimmauld." It wasn't a lie.
"But when Mother went to see if you were there..." He trailed off.
"I might have missed Aunt Bella." Sylvia waved it off, "You know very well that I won't stay in a house for too long."
"Okay." He didn't look convinced.
"Have you been to Uncle Lucy's then? Guess what?" She suddenly remembered.
"What? Scorpius and Rose broke up? This was a very eventful summer." Rodfort huffed.
"No, and Rose isn't a Mudblood lover." She rolled her eyes, "Scorpius got Head Boy!"
"What?" He stared at her as they got into the compartment and he saw it. Scorpius Malfoy, sitting by the window and looking a bit paler than usual. His silver eyes gleamed in the sunlight.
"Scorpion King." Sylvia whispered and sat down next to him.
"Oh, shut it." The Head Boy sighed.
"Hi Rose!" She said to the Head Girl beside him.
"Hi, Sylvia." Rose Granger-Weasley returned the greeting.
"Knew you would get it, Tiffany." Tim grinned to the Gryffindor girl.
"I thought Hugo's having it too, but I guess he's got dad's side." Rose sighed. She had never seen his father, Ronald Weasley, who ran the joke shop, as a great person, and instead always doubted him.
"Come on, Galor's not a bad choice." Tiffany Toran defended her house-mate.
"Just great, two great Chasers gone this year." Sylvia murmured, thinking about Quidditch.
"Alnia's been a big trouble for us." Rose agreed, she was the Gryffindor Quidditch team captain.
"I'm not that bad!" Tim exclaimed.
"Then explain why I'm captain." Sylvia retorted.
"Hayden was just..." He struggled to find an excuse, but failed.
"You're brother's a great Keeper, though." She added.
"Yeah, Simon has been trouble since he got into your team." Rose sighed.
"Who will you give captain to next year?" Tim asked, curious.
"I'm thinking about Sandy." Rose said thoughtfully.
"Wise choice." Sylvia agreed.
The meeting started when the train began to move. Tiffany and Galor Prewett for Gryffindor, Sylvia and Tim for Ravenclaw, Amy and Hassan Abbott for Hufflepuff, Rodfort and Cleadrew for Slytherin, with Rose and Scorpius as Head Girl and Head Boy. As prefects, their job included leading new first-years to the dormitories and helping out younger students.
When it had finally finished, Sylvia went to find Davina Sayre, her best friend other than Matilda and also in Ravenclaw.
"I can't believe she did that." Davina said when she saw it was Sylvia, "You weren't together on the platform."
"Who's she with then?" She asked.
"Lily and the other Potters. Looks like she has stayed with them for a while." Davina replied, "What happened? I thought it's been more than a year since..."
"It just hit her, hard. We went to US in summer, and, well, we found something big." Sylvia sighed, "Something I can't tell you."
"Okay..." Davina nodded slowly.
"She didn't even know who her real parents are, but I think it's obvious now." She murmured.
"And?" Davina frowned, "You're not saying..."
"She has the eyes. It is the Potters." Chocolate brown eyes met navy blue, "Harry Potter and Ginny Potter nee Weasley. They are Matilda Potter's biological parents."