AUGUST 9

"I should go with you," Crispian Paddington said from where he sat across from Tony at the kitchen table, the remnants of a grazing board spread between them.

"They invited us," Tony reminded him. In less than an hour, he and Harry were scheduled to be at Hogwarts, and Paddington had appeared uneasy in a very British kind of way as the time drew closer. "Besides, it's a school. You don't expect anything to go wrong at a school, do you?"

Paddington glared at him, and Tony bit back a smirk. Upper-crust Brits - and the Paddingtons were absolutely upper-crust Brits - were usually the easiest to annoy, even if they hid their reactions behind stiff upper lips and keeping calm to carry on.

"Aside from the dangers you yourself listed at Hogwarts," Paddington said stiffly, "it's unlikely that Albus Dumbledore will appreciate Harry leaving the school."

"Don't care," Tony replied off-handedly.

Paddington frowned. At thirty-something, it was an impressive expression. Tony figured in another twenty years, the man would be able to level a city with it, and he wasn't sure that was an exaggeration.

"You do remember that Dumbledore is a wizard, correct?" Paddington countered. "One of the most powerful wizards of the modern era, in fact - he defeated Gellert Grindelwald, and he's the only wizard Voldemort feared."

"What are you concerned about?" Steve asked from where he leaned against the nearest wall.

"I can almost - almost - forgive whoever placed Harry with the Dursleys originally," Paddington said. "It was wartime, and on a short-term basis, leaving Harry in the non-magical world could be seen as a safety precaution. I cannot forgive ignoring the expressed last wishes of James and Lily Potter, instead leaving Harry there without checking on him - because clearly no one did, or they would've seen signs of abuse."

"No argument from me," Tony said. "And more to the point, in the non-magical world, educators are taught to recognize the signs of neglect and abuse and are required to report it to the authorities. That magical educators apparently aren't is only one reason I'm withdrawing him from Hogwarts."

"And it's a good reason," Paddington said. "The best reason. But my point is that, whoever placed Harry at the Dursleys originally - Dumbledore must be complicit with them now, else why would he insist that Harry return there each summer?"

"What're you thinking?" Sirius asked. "That he'll attack Tony and Steve?"

"He doesn't even have to attack. A Compulsion Charm that convinces them to leave Harry at Hogwarts would be enough."

"Aren't those illegal?" Steve asked. "I mean - certainly they're unethical outside of certain situations, but aren't they illegal?"

"It's so cute you think bad guys care about the law," Tony snarked.

A gasp made him look up to see Harry standing wide-eyed and slack-jawed at the entrance to the kitchen.

"You're talking about Professor Dumbledore," Harry said weakly.

"Among other unknown parties," Tony said simply, then waited to see what else Harry would say.

"But - but - he's a good man."

"Maybe," Tony allowed. "I don't know. I do know that sending you back to an abusive home - and why does he have the authority to do that? Where's the magical world's Child Welfare people? - is not good by any definition."

"I-" Harry blew out a breath. "I'll have to think about it more after we get back from Hogwarts."

"And no." Tony pointed at Paddington. "You're not coming. Not only would it be rude to bring someone else along, you and Sirius are our ace in the hole. Aces in the holes? Whatever."

"I don't understand," both men said at the same time.

"If we come back … different," Tony said, "JARVIS will have a recording of everything that happened. Get us out of the country, and then get us treated."

"Backup plans," Sirius said and glanced at Paddington. "You'll have to take the lead on that - I'm twelve years behind."

Paddington nodded. "I can do that."

"Great," Tony said, rising to his feet. "Now - how are we getting there, exactly?"

"The last letter they sent was a portkey," Sirius replied. "When the time comes, Harry will touch it with his wand and say whatever the activation word is."

"Does that count as underage magic?" Steve asked, and Sirius shook his head, then frowned briefly.

"It shouldn't," he said finally. "If it does, then one of the professors can write to the office and get it removed from Harry's file."

Tony glanced across at Paddington. "You should start working on a proposal for underage mundane-born or -raised students to show their families what they're learning at school, Paddington Bear."

Then he frowned. "Okay, that's not a good nickname."

"I agree," Paddington said dryly. "Not least because it's the one everyone uses."

"Maybe just Bear, then," Tony mused. Then he shook himself free of the thought and focused on Paddington. "If the Ministry can register the magic at all, maybe it can register the spell, and as long as the student's not doing anything more than a year above their current grade, it's fine. Or something. Whatever you think the Ministry might accept."

"Any proposal will have to include how to keep non-magicals from noticing it," Paddington said. "And possibly some form of security or oversight - these are children, after all."

"Some are children who don't have magical parents to supervise," Steve said. "Children who are immediately disadvantaged as a result. Maybe older students, the ones about to graduate, could volunteer?"

"Notice-Me-Not Charms should cover most of the security issues," Paddington offered. "They'll have to pay for them, though."

"That can't be too expensive, can it?" Tony asked. "I mean, even the best plumbers are, what, a couple of hundred an hour at the most? There could be a trust or a scholarship or something for those who need assistance."

"Honestly, it should be included in the first year's tuition," Paddington said. "I'll get started as soon as you leave."

Tony nodded, then frowned when he saw that both Sirius and Harry were staring at him.

"What?" he asked. "I want to see Harry do magic. I figure other non-magical parents feel the same."

"It hasn't been done before," Sirius said slowly. "But it's a good idea. You have the letter, Harry?"

"I wish you could come with us," Harry murmured as he pulled the letter from his pocket.

"Not yet," Sirius replied, smiling a little. "But soon, if the ICW has its way."

Harry came to stand beside Tony. "Are you ready?"

"As I'll ever be," Tony replied. "Spangles?"

"Are you sure, Tony?" Steve asked - but he was already coming forward.

"Yep." Tony chose not to offer any explanation. Sure, he had Ted and Andromeda Tonks on retainer, and Crispian Paddington as his liaison to the magical world, but Tony didn't know any of them the way he knew Steve Rogers.

Or, well, he knew the way his father had explained Steve Rogers, and then Tony had seen his father's explanation in person during the Battle of New York. There was nobody Tony would rather have by his side for this trip - except maybe - maybe - Sirius Black, but Sirius was still wanted in Britain, so he wasn't a viable choice.

"What do we have to do?" Steve asked as he joined them.

"Just touch it," Harry said. "Maybe hold on, but not so tightly you tear the parchment."

Tony hesitated only briefly, just long enough to see Steve reaching for the parchment, before taking the parchment from Harry and offering it to Steve. Steve took hold as if he meant to take it from Tony.

"Are you sure I can't come?" Harry asked.

"It's a parent-teacher conference, kiddo," Tony said. "What would you do while I'm talking with the teachers?"

"Fly," Harry answered immediately.

"For a couple of hours?" Tony countered.

"I'll get a practice Snitch," Harry said. "Oliver - he's the captain of Gryffindor's Quidditch team - will be thrilled."

Tony studied his son for a long moment, noting the hopeful expression on Harry's face. Then he gave an exaggerated sigh. "Fine - as long as there's someone to keep an eye on you while you're practicing."

Harry's expression clouded. "Um - maybe? I mean, I think Hagrid will be there. He's the new Care of Magical Creatures professor, and I think he takes the responsibility seriously."

"Will a house-elf do?" Sirius asked from where he'd shuffled the Exploding Snap cards and started dealing some kind of solitaire game.

Harry's eyes widened, and then he grinned. "That's brilliant!"

"I have my moments," Sirius said with a smirk.

"Dobby!" Harry called, and the excited little elf popped into view.

"Harry Potter, sir, is calling Dobby?"

"We're going to Hogwarts," Harry said. "And I want to practice Quidditch. Can you keep an eye on me in case something happens?"

"Dobby is happy to watch Harry Potter, sir!" Dobby exclaimed.

Steve cleared his throat, and Harry flushed a little before addressing the elf again.

"Great, Dobby," he said. "How much do you charge for that? And how much do we owe you for helping Sirius in Egypt?"

Dobby's wide eyes got wider. "Oh, no, Harry Potter, sir - Dobby not be wanting payment from Harry Potter. Harry Potter freed Dobby!"

It was on the tip of Tony's tongue to make a suggestion, but he held back, wondering what his son would think of on his own.

After a long pause, Harry took a breath. "Okay, Dobby. You keep an eye on me while I practice today, and we'll consider that paying me back for freeing you. But Sirius still owes you for helping him."

Dobby frowned a little, and that was inappropriately amusing, so Tony bit down on his lower lip to keep his expression neutral.

"One knut!" the elf declared.

"Two galleons," Harry countered. "You were helping him for two days, remember."

"Two knuts!"

"One galleon," Harry offered, and the elf scowled.

"Harry Potter, sir, drive hard bargain. Ten sickles."

"One galleon," Harry repeated more firmly. "Because Egypt is really far away."

Dobby grumbled a bit more but said, "One galleon. But only because Egypt be being far away. Dobby see Harry Potter at Hoggywarts." Then he popped away.

"Okay, then," Tony said. "Everybody ready to go?"

Harry put one hand on the parchment, and his wand slid from its holster into his hand. He touched it to the parchment.

"Whistle Pops," he said.

He'd barely spoken the second word before a tugging sensation yanked at Tony's gut. Then he felt like he was being pulled out of his apartment like a fish being pulled from water. He flailed, mentally, for some purchase, some way to orient himself, but found none.

And then the sensation passed, and his stomach roiled. He found himself thankful that he'd worked through lunch, because otherwise he'd be throwing up about now.

As it was, he stumbled and would've fallen if Steve hadn't caught his arm and held tightly until he could regain his balance.

"What. The. Hell." He shook his head, and Steve let go. "There's got to be a way to make that more comfortable, less nausea-inducing."

He made a mental note to look into it - assuming he could find the arithmantic equations for portkeys, or rather that Paddington or someone could find them for him - and then looked around at where they'd landed.

Somewhat south of them the ruins a castle cast shadows across the craggy landscape. Off to the northeast stood a willow tree. Other than that, the landscape seemed barren.

"Where's the school? I thought there was supposed to be a magical school," he said.

"It's here," Harry said. "Only Mug- mundanes, sorry, can't see it."

"I can," Steve said. "And it's incredible."

Tony glanced at Steve, whose expression seemed a little awed, then followed the super-soldier's gaze … and frowned when all he saw were the ruins he'd noticed before.

"How can you possibly see it?" Tony asked. "Don't tell me Erskine's formula was magical?"

Steve blinked. "It - might've been? I don't know. But during the war, as a safety precaution, one of the wizards we fought beside charmed me and the Howlies to see magic. I guess it hasn't worn off yet."

Then Harry's hand slipped into Tony's, and the ruins before him shimmered. When the view cleared, Tony only just managed to contain a surprised gasp.

Where before he'd seen nothing but ruins, now a castle with a dozen towers and spires - maybe even more, though his mind seemed to reject that idea, because why would any castle have, let alone need, so many towers and spires?

"Good God," he murmured, almost without intending to.

"Quite impressive, isn't it? I never tire of this view, though I don't come to enjoy it as often as I should."

The voice made him turn to see Minerva McGonagall standing there. Where she'd come from, and when, was a matter of magic, Tony supposed. She stepped forward, and only then did Tony register that she was wearing robes rather than the smart, if severe, business suit she'd worn to visit them in London.

"It's amazing," Steve said, which was a good thing, because Tony was momentarily at a loss for words while he tried to reconcile what he saw with what little he knew of actual historical castles.

"We think so," she said simply, and then her stern gaze landed on Harry. "I admit, I was not expecting to see you, Mr. Potter."

"I thought I'd get some practice in," he said.

"An excellent idea," McGonagall replied. "But you'll need someone to keep an eye on you, for safety's sake. Taffy!"

There was a pop and a creature who looked a lot like Dobby appeared - well, if Dobby were female, to judge by the skirted outfit she wore. "Yes, Professor Kitty?"

"Mr. Potter will be practicing on the Quidditch pitch," McGonagall said. "Please keep watch, and if he has any sort of trouble, notify me immediately."

"Taffy can do-" the little creature began, but there was another pop and Dobby appeared.

"No!" Dobby shouted. "Dobby be watching over the great Harry Potter!"

Before that could turn into a full argument between the elves, Harry said, "I'd already asked Dobby to keep an eye on me. Is that okay, Professor?"

McGonagall's lips twitched. "That should be fine - provided Dobby can find us?"

"Dobby can!"

"Taffy," Harry said, "will you get a practice Snitch for me, please? And then just let it go somewhere on the pitch."

"Taffy will." The elf disappeared, and Harry pulled a shrunken broom from his pocket.

A tap of his wand enlarged it, and a moment later, Harry was airborne. Tony watched his ascent, momentarily disbelieving that a broom could do that before musing how he could replicate it with arc reactor technology.

"Impressed, Mr. Stark?" McGonagall asked.

"More figuring out how to build one that's a bit more aerodynamic," Tony answered absently and turned his full attention to her - and then hid a smile as she looked utterly flabbergasted.

She recovered quickly, though - probably a by-product of teaching for as many years as she had - and gestured them forward. "The Quidditch pitch is as good a place to start your tour as any."