When I finally finished reading the entire article, I folded the newspaper back and put it down on the table in front of me. I knew it was naïve to think it was all some coincidence, so my mind was spinning from the magnitude of possibilities that arose from the article. It honestly felt like someone had opened Pandora's box in front of me. I needed to think clearly but I was having difficulty focusing on any one thought. So, I went and got my Nimbus 2000 and flew out of the manor, I didn't even wait till I was outside to get on my broom. As soon as I grabbed it, I jumped on and soared, blasting the front door open with a swipe of my hand.
In my old life, I had always imagined how it would be like to actually fly; not on planes, helicopters or anything of the sort, but actually flying with nothing under you. It was the reason why I loved flying on the broom so much. It was a dream, made reality, well as close to reality as possible. So, I knew flying would help empty my mind so I would actually be able to think.
As I flew around Potter Manor, I focused only on the feeling of the cold winter air whipping past me. With the warming charm, I had cast on myself, it felt like a cool summer's breeze. I let myself get lost in that feeling for a short time.
By the time I was ready to face my version of Pandora's box, the sun had set and the stars had come up. But I didn't stop flying, I stayed in the air as I started contemplating everything.
If Tony inherits everything as a teenager, he either could be very close to building his Iron Man suit or it will be a couple of years from now when he is taken captive, not sure which comic book arc this Tony Stark's life will follow.
Since Iron Man exists, then Captain America will exist as well. And he will be easy to find information about, being a World War 2 hero. Damn it! If only I picked up ONE book on world history sooner, I would have been aware of all this. Either way, Steve Rogers is probably frozen somewhere in the Artic. At least, I know that much.
A big question that was forming in my head that I couldn't ignore was about the magical side of the Marvel universe. Of all the history books of the wizarding the world I have read, not one has mentioned other means of magic, or other forms of magic users. Were wizards so insulated that they don't even know about them?
I wanted to know if Dr. Strange existed in this universe or not so I might be able to ask him for some help in the future, if need be. But then again, there was a chance he did exist but was still a surgeon and had yet to go through his accident. If that was the case, then I would have to ask his master, the Ancient One. But tracking down his master would be difficult. I didn't remember where in the comics they said the Ancient One was supposed to be.
It was also going to be a challenge trying to find information about the other people who might exist. I didn't want to raise any flags looking up information on people who might already be on some kind of watchlist. I figured S.H.I.E.L.D. and HYDRA had to exist as well and that meant I would have to move about without getting on their radar. I didn't even know if they knew about the wizarding world. If they did, there was a chance they might interfere with things in the future, so my knowledge of canon might be useless later on.
It also meant I would have to rethink my plans with the Dursleys. I originally wanted to get through my years at Hogwarts before I dealt with them as they were the least of my worries. But now, my timetable for them would have to be moved up. I couldn't just disappear from the normal world, then reappear after 7 years and not raise some issues with S.H.I.E.L.D or HYDRA, especially if they know of wizards. For the time I would spend at Hogwarts, I can make it look like I attended a boarding school but I didn't know how to explain the missing years at Potter Manor, I would have to think about that one. I had to establish my presence as much as possible to leave myself a life to blend into if I needed. Huh, I was going to be creating my own secret identity, maybe I should start thinking of superhero names as well…
Now if the humans from Marvel comics existed then it was logical to think so would the various powerful aliens that would eventually come to Earth; Thor, Loki, Odin, Thanos, Kang, Galactus…I gulped. I had to stop from continuing my thoughts further as I was beginning to spiral again.
I flew on my broom for another 10 minutes before I flew back inside. I had the elves prepare a small dinner for me, which I promptly ate and then went to bed. I was going to have a busy day tomorrow so I wanted to get as much sleep as possible.
I woke up still feeling downcast from the revelations yesterday. A light workout, followed by a small breakfast and I was out the door, figuratively. I actually had Sebas drop me off in a discreet alley in the East End of London. It turned out to be the back alley of a bar that was, thankfully, closed at the moment. Though, I did wonder why this was the place Sebas brought me to, I'd need to ask him if he frequented this particular bar often.
It was early enough that there was nobody to take notice of a child coming out of a dead-end alley that he didn't go into. As I walked further up the street, I started seeing people walking about their day heading to work. I relied on my confident, purposeful walk to get past them, only drawing slight questioning glances my way. I'd never been to London in my old life, just knew random facts about it. And apart from the train station, I'd seen nothing of this London either, so everything was new to me, it was hard not stopping to admire everything. I had to make sure that I didn't act like the tourist that I was, already drawing attention for being an unaccompanied child walking about the streets, this early in the morning. But I kept walking along, turning at random streets looking for a library. I could have tried asking for help but I didn't want to risk it. Luckily, I was able to come across the London Library after 45 min of walking around.
When I walked in, I made a beeline for the History section. I found books on World War 2 and sat down where I was and started reading. I could hear footsteps coming from where I had seen the librarian sitting so, I paused for a few seconds but didn't look towards her. She hovered around for a few seconds and then went back to her desk. I continued on reading, when I finished one book, I would find another. I based my next choice on the information I gathered. Most of it, I already knew but I needed to confirm the specifics.
"Are you eating the books or do you just run-on knowledge?"
I was interrupted from my reading by the librarian, who came with a container in her hand. When I gave her a confused glance, she clarified further.
"It's past lunch time and you haven't eaten a single thing since you've been here. I won't question why you have to spend your holidays in the library but the least you can do is feed yourself."
I winced and scratched the back of my head, not at forgetting to eat but that the elves would be worried about whether I had eaten or not.
"I kind of forgot about packing food with me but it's fine, I'll just eat double when I get home." I told her.
She scoffed and placed the container near me. It was of an assortment of fruits, diced in small edible pieces, with a fork stuck on a piece of watermelon. When she saw me open my mouth to reject, she gave a stern glare and I cowered back. I didn't want her giving up her food for me because I wasn't really a child but an adult and it's my fault for not bringing food, but I couldn't tell her that. So, I accepted it, graciously. As she walked away, she gave me a look that said she would be watching to make sure I ate it.
I finally decided to stop reading when it was reaching 6 pm. I put away the books I had taken out and then walked up to the librarian.
"Thank you for the fruits, Miss…" I said not seeing her name tag on.
"Baker, you can call me Miss Baker" she replied.
"Then thank you, Miss Baker. Here is your container back." I placed it on her counter. I tried to leave but she stopped me before I could. She looked around before she asked if I wanted to talk about why I needed to spend all day here. I told her it was just because my babysitter cancelled last minute, so my parents let me come here rather than staying home alone. Before she could question me further, I gave her another quick thanks for the food and left the library.
I called Sebas as soon I found a hidden alley that I could walk into outsight of anyone or any cameras. I had noticed quite a few of them on major intersections and streets, possible way S.H.I.E.L.D. could track me in the future. I needed to make sure I stayed updated on where new cameras were getting placed.
When Sebas came to get me, I apologized for forgetting to pack my lunch and promised to remember next time.
"See that you do, we were all worried" He informed me.
When I got home, I made sure to eat dinner with the elves to make it up to them. Then I sat down in my study and looked at the some of the notes I made today:
Steve Rogers
-Given super-solder serum created by Dr. Erskine (killed by Hydra agent, day of treatment)
-Best Friend-James Buchanan Barnes, since childhood, only known close friend
-Given shield made of Vibranium
-Known relationship with Peggy Carter (possible co-founder of S.H.I.E.L.D., might still be alive)
James Buchanan Barnes
-Best friend to Steve Rogers
-Joined the Howling Commandos and helped eradicate Hydra bases
-Disappeared, Assumed KIA when he fell off a train during a mission
-Might be alive and acting as the Winter Soldier in control of Hydra
Howard Stark
-Helped give Steve Rogers super-soldier treatment
-Gave him the Vibranium shield
-Possible co-founder or consultant for S.H.I.E.L.D
-Died early last week leaving inheritance to son, Tony Stark
Tony Stark
-Heir, now sole owner to Stark Industries after death of father and mother in car accident
-Current guardian-Obadiah Stane (The man responsible for Tony's accident in the comics)
-Genius Inventor; intellect level surpassing his father
-Will build Iron Man suit in future
Wakanda
-Home to the rarest & most powerful metal in the universe, Vibranium
-Current King, King T'Chaka (father of T'Challa, the Black Panther I know from comics)
-Current King may be the current Black Panther
-World still unaware of the advanced technological capabilities of Wakanda
-Howard Stark given some Vibranium when he presumably found Wakanda, I infer he chose to keep their secret in exchange for some of the Vibranium
There were other things I had noted down like information on Johann Schmidt but these were the main points I needed to be aware of. I wasn't able to find any information that corroborated the existence of S.H.I.E.L.D. so, I still needed to find actual information on it, rather than relying on my speculative knowledge based on comics.
I spent the rest of my break of going through books on the English Family Law. I wanted to find out what papers were required to get myself taken out of the Dursley custody. If possible, I wanted to be free of them before the start of the 2nd year, legally speaking. I also needed to get a passport, I had quite a few destinations in mind.
