A New Life
By Jamnaz79
Chapter 1: A last action and new start
Disclaimer: I do not own HP or any of the Marvel/Avengers characters in the story. They are own by JK Rowlings and Disney. I do not claim to make any money nor would anyone be foolish enough to pay me. I merely enjoy to write stories for the hell of it. Sometimes they are good and sometimes they suck. I hope you enjoy this one.
1997 Hogwarts Scotland, Magical Britain
Harry Potter had a short life and a difficult one. He had experienced some laughter and love, but far more heartbreak and death. Yet today it was all over, today he had finally defeated the monster that had slaughtered his parents, responsible for his godfather's death and so many years of pain and torture. In fact responsibility for everything since that Halloween in 1981 could be laid at the feet of Voldemort! The man had hunted Harry and had a single minded determination to make the boy suffer. But it was over now, it was over and looking around the ruined Great Hall at Hogwarts Harry had to wonder if it hadn't been at too high of a price?
His footsteps carried him past the corpses of Tonks and Remus, his parents last good friend now dead next to his young wife. A promise echoed through his mind that he would have to be there for their son Teddy who he had been named Godfather of. He stopped for a moment to stare at the corpse of Seamus Finnigan, a dorm-mate and friend despite their argument in fifth year. The boy had a funny and friendly side of him that always could make Harry laugh. It was perhaps bitterly ironic that he had died in fiendfyre and the lower half of his body had been destroyed, the top only surviving after he apparated out by sheer willpower. Next to him the body of Dean Thomas who had been locked up at the Malfoy Estate earlier in the year. The boy had been free to run to the continent with a way out but instead had decided to stay and help all other muggleborns out there. He died fighting taking out five Death Eaters at once. An amazing feet for the boy obsessed with football.
Harry continued to walk down the hallway passing many faces he knew even if he didn't know them well. Another thing to regret from his time here in Hogwarts, he never reached out to others besides his small click till fifth year. If others knew him perhaps they wouldn't had been so capable of flipping their opinion about him like the flip of a coin. Harry glanced to the side and grimaced at the sight of Susan Bones and Hannah Abbott both girls he had become very familiar with during his fifth and sixth year. Both so full of life and laughter and now both gone forever. This war had too high of a cost by far to extinguish a pair like these two so young.
To Harry part of his mind saw the death and destruction but it was numb. It almost felt like he was watching the end of a movie or finishing an epic tale, and what he saw was the cost of victory. It was less emotional then he expected, as he was surprised he could keep going without dropping to his knees and cursing the world for the death here. Too many good people, and he had not even reached the end of the line where the worst was by far. His eyes lingered on the trio of red heads and beautiful blonde next to them.
The twins with Bill and Fleur stood over a small group of bodies. The three young men were the only members of the Weasley family to escape the final battle. Their mother and father both struck down by Bellatrix LeStrange before Bill ended her with a rare Egyptian spell that she had not expected. Next to the husband and wife who had taken Harry into their home was young Ginny who had been murdered by the aforementioned witch moments before her mother had challenged her. Percy's cold body had been found under the robes of a Death Eater but in the end he was blood so he was placed next to the family.
Harry didn't dare speak to any of the surviving Weasley family members. Besides what could he say? Sorry your mother and father died fighting in a war for me? Sorry your sister who had obsessed over me died wanting to be like me and save others? In truth he did feel guilt even if it was he was detached from it in a strange way.
Next to the family was the last pair that Harry wanted to see. The pair that he wanted to see have a happy future together. His best mate and the young woman that he felt had been a sister to him. Both of them pale, frozen forever in death together. There were bite marks up and down their chest and arms. But in Hermione's hand the sword of Gryffindor was still held tight. It was coated in blood from the snake that too their lives just as they killed it at the same time. They had ended the last Horcrux as Harry dueled against Voldemort. They gave their lives for the Greater Good, ending the monster's last grip on this world so Harry could put him forever in the ground.
It was her death that hit Harry the most out of anyone. She was the girl who was so like him, always an outsider. She had come from loneliness and found a new world filled with hope. That same world had bitter elements but it could be better and yet in the end that world had killed her! Harry gently lowered himself down to kneel, his fingertips shaking as they reached out to close her chocolate brown eyes. They were empty just as he felt inside.
He didn't speak, nor did he glance anywhere else around the room almost afraid of who else he might see. Instead he turned and walked from the Great Hall, slipping past the new Headmistress McGonagall without a word and out into the night. He did not look up where he was going, he just left his feet carry him under the starlight. He never even noticed when he picked up a shadow behind him.
The young man only glanced up when he came to a stop at the middle of the bridge. There below him was a drop hundreds of feet deep. Enough to end the world around him, enough to toss away something that had caused so much pain in the world. Slowly he pulled the Elder Wand out of his sleeve and stared at it. A frown crossed his lips as his fingertips ran along the elderberry wood. It was so unlike anything he had ever seen before in a wand, he could feel the power strum through it like Eric Clapton playing guitar. It felt warm, magical, and pulled at the feelings. He turned and looked back downwards at the drop below him when a voice spoke up behind him."There are still some of us left Harry..."
The emerald eyed boy spun around to stare at the girl, the voice alone gave her away as only one person had just a kind dreamy quality to their voice. It was soothing as it was mysterious. A small sad smile crossed his lips, "Luna, I wasn't going to..."
"I know what you were going to do Harry Potter. But, you are not alone. Still if you truly feel it is time to wake up I understand..." The silver eyed blonde girl started with a calm clarity that was surprising.
"What do you mean?" Harry blinked in confusion a frown of confusion marring his lips, something that Luna had the ability to do in anyone."I wasn't going to jump."
"Just what I said Harry, You were going to wake up. Do you think it is time to wake up?" She tilted her head to the side causing one slender curl of blonde to fall over her cheek to the corners of her mouth where she couldn't seem to help herself but to chew on it slightly.
"I..." Harry started before Luna continued over him, "You found the wand and the stone, you had the cloak before right?"
"How did you know about the stone?" Harry glanced downwards to his left pocket with a frown.
The elfish girl simply shrugged with a smile, her eyes seeming to capture the light from her namesake in the sky and sparkle, "Are you going to wake up and leave?"
"I want to wake up from this nightmare Luna. They are all dead and it is my fault!" Harry snapped out angry suddenly at himself.
"It is not your fault, anymore then it was my fault for what happened to mother. But, what I say won't change that any more than what you said to me before changed how I felt. The nargles make certain that we don't understand it." She nodded once to herself as if her words mad perfect sense.
Harry stared at her as the anger faded like the tide being swept away. It was one of the reasons he cared for this girl, she could sooth him and change his feeling so easily. She was truly a friend that understood him. "I was going to break the wand so nobody could ever find it anymore. It has caused enough death and destruction."
"I don't think it works that way but it is up for you to decide what you want to do Harry..." Luna stepped forward and gave him a small hug before a gentle surprising kiss on the lips, "Know that you are always my friend Harry no matter your what you do."
After she spoke those words the beautiful and strange girl smiled before she turned and skipped off almost ignorant of the piles of destruction around the castle.
Harry could not help himself as he watched her go for a time before he shook off his confusion. Perhaps nargles really were real and infecting him? He looked back down at the wand and frowned, "No, it can not be allowed to survive too many evil men have used it in this world."
He took tight hold of the wand on each side and snapped it wanting to toss it over the side of the bridge into the ravine. But when Harry snapped it a large flash of light surrounded him before an explosion took place. The light of the explosion was powerful enough that it seemed a second moon had risen in the sky over Scottland. The ancient castle of Hogwarts rocked back and forth as if an earthquake had struck it. When the light cleared a bridge was no more leaving a young pale blonde girl standing at the edge of it staring back where her friend left. She whispered to herself as a tear streamed down her cheek for sadness of what she had lost and what could have been, "Good bye Harry Stark, I wish you good luck."
~~~ ANL ~~~
The press conference had been called and it was filled to the brim. After all it was not everyday that Tony Stark returned from being held captive for months! It was perhaps the story of the decade. The excentric billionaire was known for his playboy ways and good quotes. So it was understandable when the press chambers at the airport in California was filled up with bodies and they all started to scream out questions as soon as the man was escorted in.
Tony walked into the room with Pepper and Obidiah Stane at his side. He looked rough but that was to be expected for a man in his middle to late thirties. He had dark black hair which was left rough and wild always at the edges. His brown eyes looked tired as the man of average height stopped at the raised platform. He motioned with his hands to the reporters whom all fell silent at his action, "Please everyone quiet down. Would it be alright if everyone sat down?"
There was no grumbling ats the reporters lowered down to sit. Tony sat down as well at the edge of the platform while he reached into a bag and pulled out burger from In and Out. Quickly unwrapping it and taking a bite before he let out a sigh of contentment. "Nothing says home like a good burger."
A little bit of laughter answered his small joke as Tony finished the burger and crumpled up the wrapper to toss into the bag. "I never got to say goodbye to my Dad...If I had there wa a question that I would have asked him. If he was conflicted or ever had doubts. Or if he was every inch he was shown to be in the news reals?"
Tony pause and looked away as if considering his words, letting question sink in. Whatever his opinion he never answered it instead he continued, "I saw young Americans killed by the very weapons I make to protect them."
That drew the room to silence as a pin could drop and nobody would notice as they all stared at the billionaire. "I am part of a system of zero accountability. I have more to offer then just things to blow up the world. That is why I am shutting down weapons production till I can have accountability..."
At that point the press crew started to call out yelling questions, but Tony ignored them as he continued to speak, " I will not risk the chance of my companies weapons falling into the hands of the enemies of the civilized world. Till such time that I am certain of our distribution, I will not allow Stark Enterprises to make another weapon... Thank you."
The tired dark haired man stood up and started to leave with Pepper. But one reporters question caused him to pause, "Mr. Stark, if you are so worried about how you never knew what your father felt why havent you had a relationship with your own son?"
Tony stopped on a dime and turned towards the man confusion plain on his face, "I don't have a son..."
"Yes you do Mr. Stark. He is in a coma in a New York Hospital. He has been in one ever since a few weeks before your disappearance." The man from the New York Times answered back.
The statement clearly shocked Tony as he didnt have an answer back. Instead Pepper grabbed hold of his arm and guided him from the room and towards the limo.
When they entered the limo it started to drive away in silence for a full five minutes. Tony stared out the window lost in his thoughts. Pepper frowned and bit her bottom lip in concern while sharing a glance with Obidiah. The older man cleared his throat to break the silence but Tony beat him to it, "How old..."
"What?" Obidiah questioned in confusion at the short statement.
"How old is he?" Tony asked slowly continuing to stare out the window.
"He is seventeen." The older man answered back with a frown at discussing this over the business change that Tony just dropped on them. "His name is Harry. The boy's mother was British. It seems that they were over here visited possible colleges for the boy when they got into a bad accident. She didn't make it and the boy has been in a coma for months."
"How long have you known about him?" Tony questioned next seeming to stew over the possibilities of him having a child. Hell he was an adult child himself! He wasn't parent material. But he had a son, not just that he but he had a son for the past seventeen years and didnt even know if him!
"Tony, we have more important things to talk about at the moment. Your health for one, you just got back from the middle of hell. You just changed the entire company in one press conference and I dont even want to know what the Board will do about this..." The elder business man answered back quickly.
"How long Obidiah?" Tony turned his brown eyes from the scenery to stare at him.
A silence came over the limo as the two met their gaze one to the other. "For a long time Tony. The boy's mother was named Lily Evans. She sent a letter letting it be known she had your child. It was from one your youthful indiscretions. But, she wanted nothing from you and even signed paperwork to state that you were not responsible for the boy's raising and care. She didn't want your money simply to raise the boy."
"I have a son..." Tony quietly spoke to himself as he considered over the possibilities. He couldn't help but wonder what the boy was like. Did he look like him? Did he have his hair or eyes? What was his personality like? Was he an inventor too? But then came the thought that he was in a coma for months now which while he was not a doctor sounded like a horrible situation. "Where is he being cared for?"
"He is in a private hospital in New York City. Since I found out, I made certain that he has been getting the best care that we could offer." Pepper answered right away.
"Look Tony, I will handle the Board and company. You get better and healthy and look into the kid. It will be alright." Obidiab said with a smile as the limo pulled up the Malibu house. He exited the car to get to his own and head off for work to be done.
At the same time he left a Tony Stark who couldn't help but wonder about his world that had been turned upside down from the kidnapping to now having a child.
Author note: Like it or too many Harry in Avengers stories out there? He would not get a suit in fact, magic and technology will not mix and that will drive Tony crazy since Harry will be able to short out all kinds of things.