There was a long moment of silence, and then Hermione slumped back in her chair, staring at Harry. Ron was likewise sitting somewhat, well, slack. The three friends were sitting around a small table in the Leaky Cauldron, their parents, siblings and...Harry wasn't entirely sure what the Avengers were to him. Friends?Surrogate uncles and a surrogate aunt?
Regardless, the three had been given some space to discuss the events of the past week, with the adults and Weasley siblings situated around them, watching but also talking amongst themselves.
"Y...you're a demigod." Hermione said weakly. Harry shrugged self consciously.
"I mean, I guess. I haven't really thought about it." He admitted. "It's not like I've called down any lightning or started tossing 'thous' and 'verilys' into my sentences. I just...I'm just glad to have a family." Ron shook his head. He'd heard Harry introduce Thor as his dad obviously but that had been when he was standing up, surrounded by his family and a crowd, with a full list of things he had to do that day. Now that he had nothing to do except take in the full weight of Harry's news, the words were hitting him more strongly.
"Bloody hell mate that's...that's some news." He said softly. "Are you going to tell people at Hogwarts?" Harry shook his head.
"I don't know. I hadn't even thought about it." He admitted. "Maybe. I don't know. Malfoy knows, so I'm sure all the Slytherins will know by the end of the welcoming feast." Harry let out a groan. "Things are going to get really complicated this year." Ron let out a dry, somewhat hollow laugh.
"You're telling me. But don't worry, we won't tell anyone unless you say it's okay, right Hermione?" Hermione blinked, startled out of her own rabbit hole of thoughts, then nodded.
"Yes, absolutely." Harry smiled.
"Thanks guys." He looked over at Hermione and opened his mouth, then stopped and thought it over. He had to be careful about this. Hermione was his friend, and had promised to keep his parentage a secret until he was ready to talk about it. He didn't want to accidentally upset her, because she deserved better. But he still had to ask.
"Hermione, why didn't you send me any letters?" He asked carefully. Hermione frowned.
"What are you talking about? I sent you a letter every week." Harry blinked.
"You did?" Hermione nodded.
"Yes!" She paused. "But...I did send them through Muggle post. Perhaps they got lost?" Her eyes widened. "Do you think your aunt and uncle threw them away?" Harry frowned back. That was a definite possibility. Their destruction of his Hogwarts letters has proven that they were more than willing to destroy his mail. But at the same time, it was usually him or Dudley who'd gotten the mail in the mornings. Surely Dudley would have taunted him with the letters if he'd been the one to find them? He couldn't exactly see Uncle Vernon or Aunt Petunia getting up early to steal his mail but leaving all the rest alone, at least not right before he left, when he knew he was a wizard and wasn't actively being punished for anything. And then there was the fact that he hadn't gotten any of Ron's letters either. Something seemed wrong to him. It might just be harmless coincidence but...it might not be. He just didn't know. And he really didn't like not knowing.
ooOOooOOoo
At the table directly behind them, Tony was turning a galleon over in his fingers. "And this is pure gold?" He repeated incredulously. Mr. Weasley nodded, looking a little confused.
"Yes. Well, I mean, I'm fairly certain. I've never cut one in half to check because, well, you couldn't exactly spend it then, could you?" Tony shook his head and picked up a sickle.
"And this is pure silver? Not nickel or tin or steel or something?" Mr. Weasley nodded again and Tony whistled. "Depending on the quality of the metal, you could make a pretty nice ring out of one of these coins." He said thoughtfully. "Sell it at a pawn shop, make one hundred dollars, maybe more..." Mr. Weasley blinked. The thought had never occurred to him. Then he shook his head.
"The goblins would never stand for that. They mine the metal and forge the coins. I have no doubt that the enchantments they put on them would resist even any invention of yours Mr. Stark." Tony waved a hand.
"Call me Tony." He said casually. "You're interesting, and only boring people call me Mr. Stark." Mr. Weasley blinked, then gave a small smile.
"Well then, call me Arthur."
ooOOooOOoo
At a different part of the round of tables, Bruce was sitting with his back to the wall, drinking from a cup of tea. Natasha sat near him, though she was largely talking to the Grangers, asking about the revelation that their daughter was a witch and how things had worked out. Bruce was content to sit quietly, enjoying the calm energy of the Leaky Cauldron. He didn't often get moments like this. Not that he didn't feel safe in the Tower, or welcome, because he did. But it had been years since he'd been able to sit in a quiet restaurant and just enjoy. Aside from the crowds, there was just the fact that being in public made him a target for those who would want to use the Hulk as a weapon. Here though? In a magically hidden English pub, where nobody recognized him? For the first time in forever, he could let some of his tension go.
He was a bit too relaxed in fact, and so he was deeply startled when Harry's friend, the bushy haired witch Hermione, plopped into the seat opposite him, her eyes gleaming. "You're Bruce Banner!" She breathed, staring at him in fascination. Bruce blinked and carefully set his tea cup down. Behind the girl he could see Harry and the other redheaded boy, Ron if Bruce's memory served, both staring at Hermione in exasperation. Profound exasperation.
"That's right. And you're Harry's friend Hermione, right?" She nodded.
"I've read everything you ever published!" She told him eagerly. Bruce blinked again.
"Everything?" He asked in surprise. She was twelve! Hermione shrugged.
"Everything I could find on the internet at least." She clarified.
"And you understood it?" Hermione gave a small frown.
"Not all of it." She admitted reluctantly, seemingly upset with the fact that, at the age of twelve, aspects of some of the most advanced scientific research of the age eluded her. "There were some concepts in there that I didn't understand, but I'm sure I could, I just need more time to study." Bruce leaned back in his chair, remembering conversations he'd had back in college with his lab partner Reed Richards as he listened to Hermione. He wondered if he should get her involved in some sort of correspondence course with Reed. Maybe he could convince their old mentor Hank Pym to try his hand at tutoring again.
"Do you think you'll be able to find that time?" He asked. "Aren't you studying magic right now?" Hermione got a fierce look in her eyes.
"I'll make time." She said firmly. "There's no reason I can't learn magic and science." Bruce chuckled.
"No, I suppose there's not." He agreed. He was definitely going to have to talk to Reed about this.
ooOOooOOoo
Thor was drumming his fingers on the table when the bartender, a wrinkled old wizard, got his attention. "Excuse me sir." He said politely. "Professor Dumbledore wishes to speak with you. He's in the first room upstairs on your left." Thor frowned. He'd stated in his letter that he would meet with the old mortal wizard tomorrow, not today. Tomorrow Harry would be safely in the Tower, an ocean, Earth's Mightiest Heroes, and a demigod with deep anger management problems all protecting him from the Headmaster. Instead Harry was here, in the same building as said headmaster whom Harry still trusted implicitly. Not an ideal scenario.
Still, Thor admitted that he was being a little irrational. While he had his...issues with the way the man had handled his son's life, he acknowledged that in all likelihood none of it had been done with malicious intent. As yet, Albus Dumbledore fell into the obscure category of 'potential allies who need a good scolding'. All the same, he was reluctant to take his eyes off of Harry, who looked dreadfully small and vulnerable, even among friends. They were really going to have to do something about his clothes Thor noted. Only the fact that Harry had yet to meet Pepper and Darcy explained how he was still in baggy hand me downs.
Near him, Clint let out a grunt. It was a distinct grunt, one Thor recognized from stakeouts. It meant 'I've got my eye on the target'. And while the situation was vastly more benign than when it was usually used (so far at least) Thor got the message. His son was safe, and would be as long as they remained in the pub, at the very least. He nodded his thanks to Clint and headed up the stairs, stopping and knocking on the door the bartender had said. There was a long moment of silence, and then the door opened.
A tall and slender man stood before Thor, sporting plum colored robes and a long white beard that reached down to the man's waist. His eyes were bright blue, hidden behind half moon spectacles. They were clear, and examined Thor intently. "Prince Thor." He said finally, nodding courteously and stepping aside. "Please do come in." Thor nodded back and stepped inside.
"Professor Dumbledore." He said politely. "I was under the impression that we'd agreed to meet tomorrow." Dumbledore gave a small shrug.
"I learned that you were in Diagon Alley today." He explained casually. "I'm afraid that there is quite a lot that I must do to get the school ready for the upcoming year, so I thought it best to cut to chase as it were." Thor gave a slight frown, but nodded his acceptance of this reasoning. Dumbledore gestured for him to sit in one of the armchairs he'd conjured, and he did so. Dumbledore sat across from him, pressing his fingers together. "I must say, that is an impressive piece of weather magic you worked on the Dursley's home. Neither I nor the most experienced members of my staff were able to dispel the storm. Indeed, I wasn't even able to weaken it." He chuckled. "Filius, our Charms Teacher, was most impressed." Thor shrugged unconcernedly.
"Weather magic isn't exactly something I have trouble with Professor." He said in a matter of fact time. "May I ask when you arrived to test my storm?" Dumbledore frowned slightly.
"Roughly twelve hours after you left if Petunia's account is to be believed." He admitted. "An alert was given when you arrived at the Dursley home, but I was unfortunately locked in a meeting with the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, and as a result I was not made aware of your intervention until it was too late to act." Thor gave him an unimpressed look, and Dumbledore sighed. "I agree, my response time was not...ideal." Thor nodded curtly, but decided not to push the point further. The old mortal clearly wished that he had done better, berating him would accomplish nothing.
"And now?" He asked instead. Dumbledore gave another small shrug.
"Harry was placed with the Dursleys because they were believed to be his only blood relatives." He said frankly. "The manner in which Lily died meant that such a bond came with strong protections, so long as he lived with them." Thor frowned again, and Dumbledore waved a hand. "Rest assured, I have no desire to force you to return Harry to the Dursley home. Whether you keep him in the Avengers Tower or take him to Asgard, Harry's safety is not in doubt." He paused thoughtfully. "Given that you are his biological father, it's likewise possible that the wards will transfer to your dwelling. I confess to being unclear on whether or not those protections are transferable. It was never a possibility before now, so I didn't research it the way that I perhaps should have." He let out a heavy sigh. "That seems to be a theme for my decisions regarding Harry I'm afraid."
"Did you know how the Dursleys treated him?" Thor asked bluntly.
"Did I know the specifics? No, of course not. But I did believe them to be mediocre guardians? Yes. It took extraordinary measures to get him his first letter, he was very skinny, and his Muggle clothing fit poorly." Dumbledore admitted. Thor growled.
"Then why did you leave him there?" He demanded.
"It was, in my opinion, the safest place. I was not aware of the full extent of the damage they were doing, and so I felt that summers spent with a pair of less than ideal guardians was preferable to putting him somewhere with far less powerful protections."
"Why?" Dumbledore took a deep breath and leaned forward.
"Voldemort lives." He told Thor frankly. "He may be no more than a wraith at present, but he can still plot. In fact, your son encountered him last year. It was the protection I spoke of that saved him." Thor frowned.
"Yes, Harry mentioned his adventure with the Philosopher's Stone last year." Thor said slowly. "I would very much like to know why you felt that a school was a good place to place such an object."
"I felt that nobody would look for it in Hogwarts." Dumbledore confessed. "And when I learned that Voldemort had possessed a member of my staff, it was too late to move the Stone safely. There simply wasn't a place with defenses sufficient to guard it, the vault it'd been stored in was stripped bare when it was emptied, and the specific vault was already known by Voldemort. If it makes any difference, I had already begun construction of a new vault to which it could be transferred this summer." Thor grunted.
"I see. And the troll?" Dumbledore looked troubled.
"As a member of the staff Quirrel had access to the wards. It would not have been difficult for him to let the troll in. That being said, I confess that I'm uncertain of how he managed to procure a troll. They're not native to the area, and to the best of my knowledge he never left the grounds that day." Thor frowned.
"You suspect an accomplice."
"It is the most likely explanation for the events of last Halloween." Dumbledore said simply. Thor nodded reluctantly.
"I agree. I shall alert the others to this possibility." He paused, then nodded and stood up. "Your answers have satisfied me Professor. Rest assured that Asgard will not seek redress from you with regards to how my son was raised." Dumbledore nodded his thanks, and Thor turned and left the room. It was time to get his son back across the Atlantic.
Author's Notes
Thank you for reading everybody!
I'm trying out adding breaks between scenes, hence the o's. Let me know if you like it or if it's too jarring please!
Agh, writing Dumbledore is hard. Not just because of his speech patterns but because I have to decide how people react to him. The problem with the first two books being children's books, with only the logic of a fairy tale to guide them, is that it raises deep questions about Dumbledore's competence and morality. But the later books make it clear that he tried his best, so I don't want to bash him, but I don't want to not address his mistakes either. I hope I struck a good balance!
Ahmanet and Lorraine will be coming back next chapter, as will The Mandarin!