Note: Because of the website glitch last Sunday (November 3, 2013), I'm not sure if the alert for chapter 11 was sent out to everyone. So, if you did not get the alert for the last one, this is a warning that there has been a chapter already updated before this one.
Also, I just want to note one more time (just in case you did not see it at the end of the last one because of the glitch) that I now have an AO3 and tumblr (where I also crosspost) and a twitter account (where I post updates and things going on in my writing). You can find the links on my profile. You can follow, reblog, tweet at me, or whatever you like. If anyone has fanart (I know one of you does), not only would I love to see it, but I would be more than happy to reblog it so everyone else can too.
The story now has over 1000 favorites! Thanks to everyone for encouraging me and enjoying my story.
Now, on with the show.
Chapter 12
Previously
"So, have you seen your room?" Tony asked, smiling. Harry shook his head, and Tony's smile widened. "Great! Then I can show you!" Tony strode to the door and opened it with a bow. "Your room, monsieur!"
Harry could not keep a chuckle from escaping at his father's dramatics and entered the room.
He stopped laughing when he viewed the room. It was spacious – three times as big as the Dursley's master bedroom. There was a California king-sized bed (1) with hunter green duvet and sheets centered at the back wall. The wall to the left of the door had a desk with laptop on it, and right next to it was an empty bookshelf. To his right was a large plasma television with a leather sofa set staged in front and a door near the window Harry assumed was to an ensuite and/or closet. But what caused Harry to stop in his tracks was the window: it ran the entire length of the wall and gave a view of Central Park at sunset
Harry found it breathtaking.
"Is it OK?" Harry heard an unsure voice behind him. It brought him back to the present. The boy turned to his father as the man continued. "I know it's not very personal – we converted it from an office – but I figured you could decide how to decorate the details. If you don't like something, we can change –"
"No," Harry interrupted and smiled at Tony. "It's fantastic. I just – I can't believe the view!"
"I'll have to take you on a proper tour of New York," Tony said, trying to hide his relief that Harry liked the room. After he had arranged with Balderdash to meet Harry in the afternoon, he had his rarely used office converted into room for Harry. The room was originally a bedroom, but since the rest of the Avengers, excluding Bruce, declined the offer of rooming with him, they had converted it into a home office for him. Not that he used it: he usually just went to his workshop across town. Pepper would gripe at him about – Tony stopped that thought. Pepper.
Tony was still in shock. Pepper left. It was completely unexpected, and he still could not completely understand her reasoning. Although his heart ached, he could not help but a feel like laughing. In one day he lost a girlfriend and gained a son: just an average day in the life of Tony Stark.
He shook his head and looked back at his son who was still entranced by New York dusk. Tony needed to focus on the here and now. He would think about Pepper later.
"So, Harry, how about we get dinner?" Tony suggested. "I don't know about you, but I'm starving."
Harry nodded, and asked, "While we eat, will you tell me about what Dr. Banner said about 'the other guy' and 'what happens to him'?"
"Sure thing, kiddo," Tony said, and led them out of the room.
*HP*HP*HP*
As Harry looked over the Chinese take-out menu, Tony thought about his son. If he did not know about Bruce's 'other guy', then how much did he know about the rest of the Avengers? How much did he know about Iron Man?
"I think I want the chow mein and orange chicken, please," Harry asked, and handed the menu back to Tony.
"You heard him JARVIS, and I'll have my usual," Tony said as he put the menu in the take-out drawer.
"Right away, sir," JARVIS replied, and Harry again startled in surprise.
"Don't worry, you'll get used to JARVIS," Tony said, smirking slightly. He always loved it when JARVIS caught people off guard.
"So, can you explain to me what exactly JARVIS is?" Harry asked, trying to get down to the bottom of this situation. "He – it – said it was AI and your home computing system. What does that mean?"
"He, JARVIS is a he," Tony replied. "JARVIS was a bit humble – he is so much more than a home computing system. He is connected to all Stark technology, covers security and communication, helps me in my workshop – Basically, I programmed him to do pretty much anything."
"So, my question now," Tony continued. "How much do you know about me and the Avengers?"
Hesitantly, Harry told Tony what he learned after finding out about his father: Tony had been captured and escaped with a type of Iron Man suit, and eventually created updated the suit and started to fight crime, while also changing the focus of the company. He knew little of the Avengers except that they were a team that helped stop the invasion in the Battle of New York.
"Well, that's humbling," Tony mumbled, and before Harry could reply, JARVIS announced: "Sir, your food has arrived."
"Wonderful!" Tony exclaimed and went to the elevator just as it dinged open. The evening manager passed the food over with an impassive look on his face, but Tony knew he was annoyed. The first time he had ordered in food, they had a bellhop bring the food up, and Tony threw a bit of a fit over it. He was not so much a snob that he did not want to come in contact with a bellhop, but he paid good money for the security that came with the penthouse and that meant only management and those he gave keys to should have access. Ever since the Battle of New York, he had felt less secure in his and his own's safety. As he returned to Harry, who was now sitting at the table expectantly, he knew that fear would grow. He could not lose his son.
Tony would be beefing up security: that much he was sure of.
"Do you need me to get out the plates and cutlery?" Harry asked as Tony set the food boxes on the table.
"God, no!" Tony exclaimed as he sat down and passed Harry the boxes with his order and chopsticks. "You are a New Yorker now, and the rule of eating Chinese food in NYC is eating it straight out of the box with chopsticks."
The next five minutes consisted of Tony teaching Harry how to use chopsticks through imitation – he had tried to take Harry's hands and put them in the correct position, but he barely touched him before some static shock seemed to scare the boy who withdrew his hands and began to practice by himself. In the end, that moment was forgotten, when Harry successfully pulled out a piece of chicken and plopped it in his mouth. Tony felt a sense of pride, because, even though it could be seen as insignificant to the wider world, he had taught he son something. He did that.
"So, would you mind telling me about everything with the Avengers?" Harry asked as he dug into his meal. He had never had Chinese food before, and it was so good! Then Harry realized how he had phrased that question and clarified. "Well, I mean, I understand you may not be able to talk about everything. Er, can you tell me what you can?"
The man sat for a moment and thought about how much he should tell his son. Harry was just kid, did he really need to know about all the dangers in the world? Or the universe? Did he need to know all the details about the other Avengers or SHIELD?
Tony thought back to when he was at that age. He hated his father for keeping him in the dark about all of his work – hell, he was in his forties now, and he still was angry that Howard had not told him anything of his work with the Avengers Initiative except for his obsession with finding the Capsicle. Tony had always promised himself he would be better than his father was – here was one way he could be. He would be a damn better father to Harry than Howard was to him – and that meant being open and honest.
Plus, what if one of his enemies targeted Harry? In the whirlwind of the day, Tony had not stopped to think of what his connection with Harry could do to the boy. His son could be used as a weapon against him or be collateral damage of an attack against him. Hell that was why he and Pepper had kept their relationship unofficial in the public, so she could be somewhat protected.
He needed to protect his son. He felt physical pain his chest at the thought of Harry being hurt – or worse. The first line of defense was knowledge – the cliché was true, knowledge is power. If Harry knew what was out there, he would be better able to defend himself. He would tell Harry everything.
"No, you need to know everything Harry, if you are going to live with me and have me in your life," Tony said.
With that decided, Tony began his story. About going to Afghanistan, being captured and almost dying, the arc reactor, coming home and changing course with the company, creating the Iron Man suit, Rhodey, Obi's betrayal, coming out to the world as Iron Man, the Congressional hearing, the palladium core slowly poisoning him, his drunken birthday bash, Fury and SHIELD, his father's work on a new element he was able to synthesize it with JARVIS' help, the expo, Hammer, the battle with the drones, turning a consultant for SHIELD when he was not accepted into the Avenger Initiative, working on renewable energy, creating Stark Tower, Loki and the Tesseract, the different Avengers and their brief histories, becoming one of them, and the Battle of New York.
"So that's it basically - Bruce stays with me, because otherwise he would be in some shit SHIELD containment facility," Tony said, finishing his tale. "I've designed the new tower specifically for all of the Avengers to have rooms and training facilities along with Stark Industries offices and research labs. We'll move in there when it's finished. So," and then Tony felt awkward. His son just had a pensive look on his face and had made no comments throughout his tale. He had no idea what Harry was thinking. "You going to be OK with Bruce now that you know?"
"What?" Harry said, and he mentally shook himself out of his reverie. "Of course it's fine. From what you said, he seems to be gaining control over his two sides. No worries."
"Harry, I may not know you well, but I can see something's wrong," Tony said, and then had a thought. "Are you worried about the danger? Harry, I didn't think about how my life as Iron Man could badly affect you, put you in danger, when I agreed to take you in. I should have, but honestly, I was so excited – I didn't think it through. Are you OK with living with me still? I'm sure we can figure something out if you're not – but just know I will make sure you are the safest you could be –"
"No, no, no!" Harry interjected. "I'm not – I'm not worried about that, honestly. I want to stay. I do, really I do – I just –"
"Yes?" Tony asked, expectantly.
"Um, can I – can I see your arc, uh, device?" Harry asked. When he and his father had briefly touched earlier, there was a spark – the kind of spark that usually developed when he touched something electronic. Luckily, Tony seemed to have thought nothing of it, probably thinking it was just static. Harry was confused, but maybe now he had the answer – he just needed to see it.
Tony nodded and, feeling a bit self-conscious, unbuttoned his shirt so the arc reactor was in full view. The boy put his hand up almost to touch it, but then pulled back quickly, his face flinching. Tony began to worry. Did the device repulse his son? Or the scar? Or was he just concerned? They knew so little of each other, that Tony was left feeling unsure. He hate that feeling.
"So this keeps you alive?" Harry asked. "Does it hurt?"
Tony felt some relief. So the boy was probably more concerned than disgusted.
"Yes, the arc reactor keeps the shrapnel from penetrating my heart, and no it does not hurt," Tony replied, as he buttoned up his shirt. "If it stopped then I would be in trouble –" At Harry's pained look, he quickly added, "not to say that would happen. The one I have now won't poison me and will go on for a long, long time. I have extra ones as well, just in case. And when I am fighting, the suit protects me. So don't worry. It'll take a lot to turn this ticker off."
Harry nodded, then looked down at his half eaten meal. Although it was very good, he had lost his appetite. No matter what Tony said, Harry knew the truth.
His magic could turn 'the ticker off.'
"Um, I'm full, um, do you think I could be excused?" Harry said and pushed away the boxes. "It's been a long day."
"Yeah, yeah, sure," Tony said. Now that he thought about, he felt exhausted and checked his watch. Not only had it been an emotional rollercoaster of a day, it was near midnight. It was time for both of them to go to bed. "Don't worry about the food – I'll put it in the fridge for tomorrow. Um, I asked for your bags to be put in the bathroom attached to your room. There is a closet in there as well. If you need anything else though, just let me know. And if you want up at a certain time, then just tell JARVIS. He's the best alarm clock."
Harry stood from the table and nodded, he turned to go to his room, and then turned back.
"Um, thanks," Harry said, uncertainly. "You didn't have to be so – so accepting. I'm glad that we'll get to know each other. Goodnight."
"Goodnight, Harry," Tony said and smiled. "I'm glad we'll get to know each other too."
Tony was glad that after all the angst of today, at the end of it they were on an OK footing. Maybe this time fate threw him a softball instead of the usual curve.
*HP*HP*HP*
Harry collapsed on his bed, which was amazingly soft. He rubbed his head into the pillow and gave out a scream of frustration and then rolled onto his back and just stared at the cream ceiling.
He could never touch his father.
They were lucky that the brief touch had just been a spark. Back at Grimmauld, he never handled any electronic equipment, because whether it was the toaster or a mobile phone, they all short-circuited on him, sometime with flames. Even the television that had been modified to work in a magical environment was not safe from his touch.
Electrical items rarely worked in places like Hogwarts or Grimmauld because of the ambient magic within the building as the result of years housing magical beings and objects. However, there had been some successful work with modifying items to work well within a literally magical atmosphere, hence the television set that Draco was addicted to. Either way, witches and wizards themselves rarely had trouble with electronics crashing because of their magic: rarely being the key word of that statement.
Harry had spoken to Andromeda about it, since she had lived in the Muggle world as an adult, asking why he had issue with it now when, before Hogwarts, he could work with toasters, blenders, telephones, etc., just fine and dandy. She said that she had heard of this happening before.
Although Harry had spells of accidental magic before attending Hogwarts, the magic was not trained. Magic was a muscle that needed attention to grow. Because of his relying on magic so much during his trials and tribulations at Hogwarts and his quest of vanquish Voldemort, he had exercised that muscle constantly. His power had grown used to needing to always be on its guard, at the ready to attack.
She had compared it to when someone has an allergic reaction. The body would attack what it mistaken for a foreign intruder but would only do harm to itself. With always having to defend itself from foreign energy, i.e. spells, curses, and jinxes, it became wary of any energy, the most common being electricity. In the end, his body will either learn that it is not to be feared and let go of that 'protection' or it would be something he would have to live with. Given his luck, Harry was sure it would be the latter, not the former.
A warm sensation in his back pocket took Harry away from those thoughts. He quickly sat up and pulled out a gold compact mirror with a lion's head etched onto it. Upon opening it, instead of his reflection he saw Draco's face.
"Hello, Draco," Harry said, and smiled at his friend who only scowled. Draco did not like the two-way mirrors Harry had created, stating they were too femme for him. Even when Harry made his silver with a dragon, the blonde was unimpressed.
"I still find this communication device degrading," Draco confirmed Harry's thoughts.
"Yet, you still use it," Harry replied. "I'm flattered."
"Whatevs," Draco mumbled and then turned to other matters, "So? I got up at bloody 5:00 AM in the morning to speak with you – don't keep me waiting. Balderdash said that Stark accepted you – so how is it?"
"It's – unreal," Harry said, somewhat lost for words. "It's hard to describe it Dray, he just – he's really, really accepting. We had a few... misunderstandings, but he said he would try so I would too." He then went at length and described his day to Draco. At the end, he brought up his latest concern.
"There was a spark, Dray," Harry said, worryingly. "When he showed me the arc reactor, I put my hand near it, and I could feel my magic try to attack it. I don't know what to do – it keeps him alive, Dray, and I can't be responsible for someone else's death."
"Stop it right there," Draco said sternly. "You are responsible for no one's death. I repeat: no one. And you won't be responsible for his either. For now you can wear your dragonhide gloves, that layer should keep your magic in and the electricity out. But, there must be a way around it. He's a genius right? What if you tell him about magic and he figure out some way around it? Balderdash confirmed with me that after he dropped you off that he turned in the proper forms with the American Magical Government to start your citizenship process and you have the green light now to inform Stark about our world without worrying about the International Statute of Secrecy."
"Really, the forms have gone through?" Harry asked. "What about the contract between me and Tony? He never mentioned it, and I forgot to ask. Oh, and what is going on at home?"
"Well, Balderdash said that he expects to have the signed contract tomorrow, so no worries on that end," Draco answered. "However, as expected, Granger and the Weasel pitched a fit when you left and even went as far to Shacklebolt to accuse me of holding you captive, blah, bah, blah. Didn't work of course. The Minister had received your letter about going on holiday before they arrived at the office, so he sent them on their merry way. I wish I had been there. Oh! Also, the twins dropped by, but only to ask if you were all right."
"Merlin, I forgot to tell them I was leaving!" Harry groaned. "What did you tell them?"
"That you would be," Draco replied. "You needed some time away from everything, and they understood. They also brought some reports on their business – why didn't you tell me about your investment in their joke shop?"
"Oh, that," Harry said. "I had forgotten – it was years ago. I gave them my winnings from the Triwizard Tournament to start up their company. It's no big deal."
"'No big deal'?" Draco repeated with a cry. "You dunderhead, you are an equal partner in a business that will soon outdo Zonko's – and you say 'no big deal'. They just started to turn a profit and wanted to know where to make deposits. Harry, you could live off of your cut, you really could. You need to tell me these things, Merlin's mouldy shorts! It is going to change the way I work your investments!" Draco took a breath to calm himself and then asked, "Is there anything else I need to know about, as your steward?"
"No, none," Harry replied awkwardly. "Sorry, I just didn't think about it. Had a lot on my mind, you know."
"You're excused," Draco sniffed, "but in the future you need to tell me these things."
The blonde then turned a firm eye to Harry. "Now, don't think you entirely evaded my question earlier – when are you going to tell Tony about our world – about you? I understood wanting to have a false story before he accepted you, but he has now.
Surely you don't want to continue like this?"
"Yeah, he's accepted, for now, Dray," Harry replied and sighed. "But he may not once he learns the truth – let me finish!" Harry snapped as he saw Draco open his mouth. "You don't understand! The Dursleys they – they were OK until my first accidental magic. I shared a room with Dudley and had my own crib – I remember that clearly, even though I was so little, because it was such a shock to be thrown in the cupboard, because I made some blocks float to me. I never left the cupboard from then until I was 11, unless it was to do chores, go to school, or use the facilities –"
"So, you think Stark will be like them?" Draco asked in an even tone, with no judgment.
"No – I mean – I don't think so, but," Harry exclaimed as he struggled to relay what he was feeling. "I just want to wait, OK? Maybe, until my birthday." He then grasped onto that idea. "He asked me to give him the benefit of the doubt until then, and then I could decide if I want him to continue to be part of my life. I'll do the same. I'll tell him then, and then he can choose whether he wants me as well, scar and all."
"If you're sure, Harry," Draco said, looking unsure himself. "But I can't help but think this will blow up in your face."
"Yes, I'm sure Draco," Harry replied. "I'll tell him then, on my birthday."
(1) A Standard King Overall are dimensions: 76" wide x 80" long, while a California King is 72" wide x 84" long.
AN: Hope you enjoyed! Next chapter, Tony gets to know Harry more and Harry gets to learn more about his father and grandfather's work... and there is an unexpected visitor.
By the way, I have a new crossover Supernatural/Harry Potter story going on, so check it out. It was prompted by the results of the polls I put up a while back: a SPN/HP crossover with Harry as Master of Death and the son of Castiel. It's going to be fun! I am writing a different kind of Harry than the one you see here (for one thing he won't be a teenager). Should be posting the second chapter up tomorrow (Monday).
Again, hope you continue to read, review, and check out my other pages! See you next time. Love, Insie.