My Son the Wizard

by savya398

After his first year at Hogwarts Harry discovers a startling truth that throws him into an entirely new world. He finds a new family and a new home that drastically changes his life for the better, if not crazier. After all when you're the son of Tony Stark, the one and only Iron Man, life is bound to be interesting.

6. Phil's-osophies

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or the Avengers. Unfortunately.

Chapter 6: Phil's-osophies

Harry had never been quite as angry or upset as he was in that moment after his fight with Tony. It felt like yet again his world was crumbling before his very eyes. He was beginning to really like Tony. But then he'd proven that he was just like all the other adults in Harry's life, and he couldn't trust him. Harry had never really had any positive experiences with adults; they always seemed to let him down in the end. He was almost more upset with himself because for a moment he had had hope that this time things would be different that things would finally get better, and he would have a real family.

Tony had lied to him. Made him think that he already knew about the Dursleys so that Harry would tell him everything. Harry never talked about the Dursleys. He just never saw the point in complaining about something that had always been a part of his life. He knew on some level that what they had done wasn't right, and yes when he really thought about it, it filled him with a blinding anger and resentment over their treatment. But he could ignore it to a certain degree, and move on because he knew that one day he would be free of them. The Dursleys just really didn't matter in the grand scheme of things especially once he discovered that he was a wizard. It had made their treatment more bearable. He now understood they were hateful and bitter. But when he had been younger he had cried, and wished that they would love him or show him some affection. He learned soon enough that they never would, and so he got over it. He moved on, and tried to focus on other aspects of his life. But there was still a part of him that yearned to have the type of loving family that he saw other kids have.

Finding Tony had given him the hope that he might actually have a family. Tony actually seemed to like him and want him around. Pepper also seemed to feel the same way. Both of their attention and affection was more than he thought he would ever receive in regards to parental affection. He had really begun to enjoy it. Now he felt like any hopes or dreams he may have had in regards to having a family were ruined beyond repair.

He shouldn't have said all those hateful things to Tony; he didn't really even mean them. Harry had been so angry with Tony, and so angry with himself that he had just wanted to hurt Tony as much as Tony had hurt him. After the initial burst of anger he'd been terrified about what Tony's reactions to his hateful words would be. He had just wanted to get away from him. He wanted to hide from him, and the hate that Tony would no doubt feel for him now. He couldn't deal with the rejection that would so obviously come from his father after the way he had yelled at him. So he had packed a bag with all of the essentials, and he'd slipped into the lift and out of the building without anyone being the wiser. Hedwig had followed him from street lamp to street lamp as he walked through the busy streets, watching over him. It was still relatively early in the afternoon, so for the first couple of hours he'd just wandered aimlessly around the city. Then before long he found himself in Central Park. It was very nice and beautiful, and he had stopped to rest on a bench. Hedwig settled in a tree branch close by to keep an eye on him, which he was grateful for. At least he could always count on her.

He couldn't decide what to do next. Harry knew he would eventually have to return to the tower; after all he didn't know anyone else in America or have anywhere else to go. He didn't have any money, and Tony still had custody of him that is if he still wanted him after all the horrible things he'd said. But he didn't exactly want to go back. He was angry at Tony even if he hadn't quite meant all those terrible things. In his own way he even acknowledged that Tony had just been trying to help him by prying the truth from him. He knew this relationship was as new to Tony as it was to Harry, and a part of him was regretful for running away instead of going back to try, and talk things through with Tony.

But he was afraid that he had pushed the man too far and now he wouldn't want Harry. He was worried that he had ruined his chance with Tony. He would never admit it but not being wanted was one of Harry's greatest fears. He'd been unwanted his entire life, and it made Harry's reactions to certain situations a bit extreme. He had always been punished for everything he did so in his mind he was the one who was wrong for fighting with Tony, and the man was no doubt angry about it. So even though a part of him knew that Tony was the one who was wrong he still felt like he was the one responsible, and that he should be the one to make reparations with Tony. He was just afraid that Tony wouldn't want to. Because despite his anger at him, Harry desperately still wanted his love and affection.

His train of thought was interrupted when a man sat down beside him on the bench to eat a hotdog. Harry peeked over at him. He was just an ordinary businessman; Harry guessed because of the suit that he was wearing. He had short trimmed, brown hair and a high forehead, which Harry took to mean that he was balding prematurely. When he saw Harry looking he sent him a warm smile. Harry gave him a timid one in return.

"What brings you to the park today, young man? Enjoying your summer vacation?" asked the man politely.

Harry just nodded and mumbled a 'yes sir', fiddling idly with his bag.

"Hmm the shy type, that's okay. It takes all kinds to make the world go round," the man hummed and then went back to eating his hotdog.

Once he was done the two of them sat in silence for a while. Harry staring at the pigeons unseeingly, and the businessman humming a merry little tune under his breath as he leaned back in a relaxing pose on the bench. This man looked like he lived and worked in the city maybe he could give Harry a better idea of where he could find a place to sleep tonight or at the very least tell him how he could get back to Stark Tower. He'd completely lost sight of the huge building, something he hadn't thought possible. But the city was huge with buildings just as tall or taller than Stark Tower effectively hiding it.

"I'm Harry," he greeted.

"Harry…?" the man questioned looking for a last name.

"Just Harry," Harry replied firmly, as far as he was concerned, at the moment, he didn't have a last name.

"Okay Just Harry. I'm Phil," the man, Phil, greeted extending his hand for him to shake.

"Do you live around here?" Harry asked, shaking his hand.

"I'm here on business actually. I travel a lot for business but I'm pretty familiar with the city. I take it you're new to the area," said Phil no doubt noticing his accent. He seemed to be the observant type.

"Yeah, I've only been here for a couple of weeks. Since you're familiar with the city do you think you could tell me a little bit more about it? I'm a little lost," Harry hedged.

"Of course, I would love to. But shouldn't you be going around visiting the city with your parents?" Phil asked his brow creasing with concern.

"My mum died and my father well, we had a fight," Harry admitted in a rush. He wasn't sure why he told him. There was just something so gentle in the man's eyes, and despite his vow to be more careful in trusting adults he found himself trusting Phil and his calm, soothing presence.

"Ah, so you ran away," Phil said knowingly.

"Yes," Harry said simply even though the man hadn't actually asked him a question.

"That doesn't seem like such a good move especially in a big city like this that you aren't familiar with," Phil commented, but not sounding at all judgmental.

"I just had to get away. You see, my dad hates me now," Harry told him, feeling sorry for himself.

"Why would you think that?" Phil questioned in concern.

"Because I told him that I hated him," replied Harry.

"I'm sure he doesn't hate you. Things can often be said in the heat of the moment that we don't really mean. Besides you shouldn't just runaway from your problems. That won't ever solve anything," said Phil wisely.

"Yeah, I guess. But I was so angry at him. I'm still mad at him for what he did. I don't know if I can ever forgive him. Or if he can ever forgive me. I just don't trust adults. You can never depend on them," Harry said, forgetting for a moment that Phil was actually an adult.

Phil looked at him for a long time before he seemed to reach some sort of decision. "I'll be honest with you, Harry, my boss won't like it but I think you deserve to hear the truth. I work for SHIELD. I believe you met my boss earlier today. He was wearing an eye patch and a long black leather coat, and he came to speak with Tony. You see, SHIELD is a secret government security agency that watches, and protects people. It pays special attention to the more unique individuals in our world. Ones that can become potential threats or potential allies. We look into them and protect them or take them out, whatever is necessary. I know who Tony is and who you are. My boss, Nick Fury the Director of SHIELD, asked me to watch out for you and your dad for a while after meeting with Mr. Stark today. When I saw you leave Stark Tower by yourself shortly after the meeting, carrying a backpack; I realized what you were doing. I followed you to keep you safe, and to see where you were going. I sat down next to you to find out why you had run away, and to make sure that you were all right."

Harry sat in silence for a moment. This man said he was some sort of spy whose job it was to protect Tony, and by extension watch over him as well. He wasn't sure how he felt about that. But for some odd reason despite his outlandish claim Harry's gut told him that he could trust him, and that he was telling him the truth. It was strange to have someone whose job it was to look after Harry. His whole life he'd been the only one there was to look after himself. At least the man had come clean to him. Harry really appreciated his honesty if nothing else.

"For what it's worth, I think you can trust Mr. Stark. Sometimes he may not seem like the most caring or dependable person but when the chips are down I think he's really the type to pull through," Phil commented.

"He tricked me into telling him about my relatives," Harry said sourly.

"Why would he have to trick you into to telling him about your relatives?" Phil asked, his eyes keenly assessing Harry.

"Because of something they did," said Harry with a shrug, avoiding eye contact. There was no way he was going to tell Phil anymore than that. He was through discussing the Dursleys. He never wanted to even think about them again.

"Maybe he was just concerned about your wellbeing?"

"He was prying," Harry snapped, his anger flaring at the memory.

"This thing with your relatives has obviously affected you for you to be so defensive about them. And maybe Tony went about things the wrong way but maybe he didn't know how else to bring them up when they so obviously bother you," Phil commented mildly not at all put off by Harry's angry outburst.

Harry shrugged. It was less about the Dursleys to him, and more about Tony betraying Harry's trust by tricking him into telling him about them.

"So tell me more about SHIELD. What do you do exactly?" Harry asked after a moment of silence. He didn't want to talk about the fight or Tony anymore, and he couldn't help but wonder if SHIELD knew about the wizarding world. If they watched over unique people then witches and wizards certainly fell under that category.

"SHIELD actually stands for Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division. We are security for the country and in part the world. We try to protect the world from threats that they aren't quite ready to deal with just yet."

"What do you mean by that? What sorts of threats aren't they able to deal with?"

"Well, for one, weapons like Mr. Stark builds. They're so far beyond anything anyone else could create right now that if he ever decided to turn against the world, not that he would of course, he could become a real danger. But if he did for example decide to go rogue we would be the ones to put a stop to him. We have a lot of resources at our disposal, and some of the best people in the world working for us. For the most part, though, we are a spy organization. We do a lot of observing and information gathering. We only step in when the situation looks like it's going to get people hurt. It's a job that's never boring, and I've seen my share of amazing things. Just a few months ago I was called down to New Mexico where someone from another world had crash landed."

"Another world? Like an alien from outer space? How is that possible?" Harry gaped in astonishment. He hadn't even thought something like was possible. But he really shouldn't disregard anything as impossible; after all he was a wizard.

"Do you know anything about Norse Mythology?" Phil asked.

"A little," Harry nodded.

"Well, it was Thor, the God of Thunder himself who came to Earth all the way from the realm of Asgard. His father sent him here as a punishment without any of his powers to teach him a lesson when he almost started a war," Phil explained.

"A god? Really?" Harry asked, a bit skeptical. Although, he really shouldn't be, considering all the things he had seen. Three headed dogs and centaurs were creatures right out of tales from Greek Mythology so why shouldn't other mythological stories be true as well?

"Well, we're not quite sure if they're real gods but they're pretty darn close compared to us. They're stronger than us, they have powers we can't really comprehend, and they're very close to being immortal. I saw with my own eyes Thor whip up of a thunder storm once he got his powers back," Phil said, his eyes far away obviously reliving whatever he had seen.

"Wicked," said Harry his mind whirling with the thought that there were whole other worlds out there. He would have loved to meet Thor or one of the other Norse Gods. He wondered if they could do magic like wizards and witches could or if what they could do was something else entirely. It was a very interesting subject to think over.

"It was indeed," Phil said with a genuine smile.

"So what happened? Why did Thor have to whip up a thunderstorm?" Harry asked.

Phil animatedly launched into a story about how Thor had been cast out of Asgard, and how he had to prove himself to be worthy of using his hammer, Mjolnir, again and regain his powers. But while he had been doing that his brother Loki was plotting against him. He'd sent some robot to destroy Thor but Thor sacrificed himself for his friends, and got his powers back. He had gone back to Asgard to deal with his brother, and SHIELD hadn't seen the Asgardian since. Harry listened to the story with avid interest already dreaming up possible ways of how he could get to Asgard to meet them.

"So what other sorts of things has SHIELD had to deal with?" Harry asked. If they had discovered a whole other world then it was quite probable that they had discovered the wizarding world that hid along side their own.

"Well, if you're referring to the wizarding world, we try to stay out of their affairs as much as possible. Unless of course it starts to affect the general public. Then we would have to get involved. But since we've known about their existence they've been able to successfully handle any problems that have popped up on their own," Phil gave a smile at Harry's flabbergasted expression.

"So you do know about wizards? Did you know I was a wizard?" Harry demanded in shock.

"I received a notice from the American Wizarding Government while I was following you that let me know that a minor had caused a large disturbance with their accidental magic, which may garner muggle attention in a location I currently was looking after. They gave me the curtsey of looking into the matter for myself. This isn't something they normally would do because accidental magic isn't something that SHIELD is required to look into but I am a special case. I'm a liaison between SHIELD, and the American wizarding world. I grew up in the wizarding world, and I am quite familiar with it because I'm squib," Phil explained.

"What's a squib?" Harry asked in confusion. It was a term he was unfamiliar with, and it made him realize just how much he didn't know about the wizarding world and its customs. He barely knew anything about the British wizarding world. Considering the differences between muggle Britain and muggle America it was safe to assume that there may be some small differences between wizarding Britain and wizarding America as well.

"A squib is the opposite of a muggleborn. I have two magical parents but I myself can't use magic," Phil said calmly.

Harry could only gape at him in amazement. He hadn't even thought such a thing could be possible. But it sounded absolutely terrible. Magic was so wonderful in Harry's eyes that he couldn't imagine the horror of growing up surrounded by it but being unable to use it.

"I'm sorry," Harry murmured feeling guilty, and sorry for Phil.

"Oh, don't be. I enjoy my job with SHIELD. I've seen things and done things that I certainly never would have gotten the chance to do if it hadn't been for my lack of magic. It made me branch out more into the muggle world. I worked my way into SHIELD, and got myself a good position as a high-ranking agent. Once there I was able to bring the magical world to SHIELD's attention, and open the magical worlds eyes' to the ever-growing influence and skills that muggles possess. I've been able to help both sides come together and form a solid truce between them. SHIELD has only been around for a couple of decades, but it is a steadily growing force in the world, and the cooperation between SHIELD and the magical world has been very beneficial for both sides."

"So Tony doesn't know about the magical world, right?" Harry asked just to be sure. Harry didn't think he did since he was adamant that Harry wasn't a wizard but Tony seemed to know Director Fury fairly well.

"No, despite the fact that Tony regularly hacks SHIELD's database he doesn't know anything about it. Only Fury, myself, and a few specially selected others know about the actual existence of the magical world due to the International Statue of Wizarding Secrecy, which is a law that all wizards in the world are required to follow. Only top elected officials in muggle governments are allowed to know about the wizarding world in the event that there is some type of emergency that has to be covered up. It was a pretty big concession to get them to inform SHIELD. But in the end they realized that having SHIELD's trust is a much better option than keeping them in the dark considering they would have found out on their own sooner or later. This way we can all work together and learn from each other. For example SHIELD teaches the wizarding world about new technologies so that they can better hide themselves from the general public, and wizards offer themselves up for study purposes so that they can learn about the origin of their abilities."

"But isn't magic difficult to study for muggles?" Harry asked a bit confused.

"Well since we've been working together we've found that there actually is a fairly close correlation between magic and science. They are intertwined in complex and amazing ways that we haven't been able to figure out yet. It's a genetic ability, making it something that is passed down through bloodlines, giving witches and wizards the ability to wield this type of energy or as wizards call it: magic. It's based a lot on will and intent. I could go into further detail but it would probably be best if we saved it for another day. We should really be focusing on what your plans are for the future."

"I don't know if I want to go back to Stark Tower," Harry said mulishly.

"Understandable, but where else are you going to go? You should really think about going back to the tower and talking with Mr. Stark. He's probably very worried about you."

Harry shrugged noncommittally. Tony probably never wanted to see Harry again. But now after talking with Phil, Harry couldn't help but feel he had overreacted just a bit. Yes, he was thoroughly angered by what Tony had done, and he was a lot more cautious about trusting Tony but he still wanted to be a family with Tony. Maybe he was naïve or too desperate for Tony's affection but everyone deserved a second chance, right? This was all new for Tony and he was trying. Just because they had one fight didn't mean it was over. He should talk to Tony. But at the moment he still needed a little time to cool off and really think things through. After all, this was an extremely important decision that would affect his future relationship with his father.

"Would you like to come back to SHIELD's New York base for a little while, and think things through?" Phil prompted.

Harry immediately perked up, and nodded his head eagerly.

"All right, Fury is going to kill me for this but we really can't stay on this bench forever. It's never a good idea to stay in the public eye, in one place for too long. You never know who might notice you, and give your location away to your enemies," Phil said climbing to his feet and scanning the area with a critical, experienced gaze.

"Can you tell me more about the American wizarding world?" Harry asked, excited that he was going to get to learn more about SHIELD.

"Of course," Phil agreed easily.

"Do they have hidden streets like Diagon Alley?"

"You bet, one of the most popular streets is located here in New York City. Maybe we can stop by it before we head back to the base. Would you like to do that?" Phil asked.

"Yes!" Harry said in excitement but then he thought about it for a moment. Would American wizards know who he was?

"Do American wizards know about Voldemort?" Harry asked.

"The British Dark Lord from several years back?" Phil questioned.

Harry nodded.

"I think everyone in the wizarding world has heard about him. A man so terrible that people were even afraid to say his name is sure to have a reputation throughout the wizarding world. He was a truly horrible person and incredibly insane. What he did is fairly well known especially since it only occurred about a decade ago," said Phil looking thoughtful.

"Do they know about me then?" Harry asked softly assuming that Phil would already know who he was.

"You? Why would they…? Harry. You're Harry Potter," Phil said looking mildly surprised and his gaze instantly flitted to his forehead where his scar was hidden by his bangs.

"Kind of," Harry said flushing in embarrassment.

"Of course, Tony Stark's long lost son would end up being Harry Potter. The Director is going to love this," Phil chuckled looking equal parts amused and exasperated.

"Is it a problem?" Harry snapped remembering the Director and his disrespectful thoughts towards his mother's intelligence. He wasn't overly fond of the Director from his brief meeting with him and he wondered with a pang if he should stay with Phil. But he really liked Phil. The man seemed so honest and to genuinely care about Harry's wellbeing. Besides he was providing Harry with a lot of useful information about SHIELD and the American wizarding world.

"Of course not. I doubt anyone in America would even recognize you. People have heard about you here but you're much more popular in Britain and Europe where the threat of Voldemort was much more real. And you being Mr. Stark's son is just one of those quirks of fate that will no doubt get the Director all bent out of shape. Although, I think he might want to record Mr. Stark's face when we sit him down and explain to him about the wizarding world," Phil replied calmly, a small smile gracing his lips.

"Well, I kind of already told him," Harry admitted nervously.

"You told him? How did he take it?" Phil asked in surprise, looking interested in his response.

"Well, I sort of shouted it at him, and he didn't really believe me even after I made the entire penthouse explode," Harry explained flushing.

"Ah, so you got angry during your fight and that's what caused your accidental magic. But Mr. Stark still didn't believe you when you told him?" Harry shook his head. Phil smiled. "I think it's going to take a lot more proof than just that one small display of magic. But don't worry I'll help you explain the truth to him. And don't worry about getting in trouble with the wizarding government. It's completely okay to tell close muggle relatives or whoever your current guardians are about magic."

"Good, I was having my friend Hermione check for me just to make sure but she hasn't been able to get back to me yet." Hermione and her parents had ended up going on holiday shortly after talking with Harry so she hadn't been able to get access to the books that she needed to find the correct information.

"Well, now you know you have nothing to worry about," Phil assured him.

"No, I just have to worry about whether Tony and I will be able to patch up our relationship," Harry murmured morosely.

"Of course you will. Things may look bad right now, but I'm sure that you and Mr. Stark will be able to get through this. You have to look on the positive side of things. Now come on I'll take you to Horizont Alley," said Phil waving Harry up off the bench.

Harry stood and Hedwig ruffled her wings in preparation of following them.

"Do American wizards use owls?" Harry asked and Phil followed his gaze to Hedwig.

"They do but they tend to use hawks more often or even on the rare occasion eagles. The floo network is also very popular, but I believe the same could be said of British wizards." Seeing that Harry was about to question him about what the floo was he explained, "The floo is a lot like the telephone. You throw floo powder, which is made from ashwinder eggs, into the fire and you can either travel through the flames to a new location or you can simply stick your head in and speak to the person that you wish to."

"Wicked," Harry murmured trying to imagine having to stick his face in a fireplace to talk to someone. "Wizards do come up with some crazy ideas about how to keep in touch with people."

Phil smiled. "I definitely agree. Maybe once Mr. Stark's on board with the whole magic thing he can find a connection between magic and technology, and make a smoother communication method. So far no one else has been able to do it. Although, the only people we really have working on the problem are a few muggleborn wizards and witches who are also interested in muggle science. There aren't that many, though, that are knowledgeable enough in both fields of study to really make any significant breakthroughs. Again it's only really been the last couple of years that we've even had the resources to try."

"If anyone could do it, it would be Tony," Harry couldn't help but agree. If nothing else, Harry would always admire Tony for his intelligence and skills when it came to mechanical engineering.

Phil nodded his agreement. He then led Harry to a dark car with black tinted windows. The two of them got in the back seat and the driver brought them to an older part of the city with more brick buildings that were far from being skyscrapers. They stopped in front of an old pizza place called the Pizza Palace. Harry figured that it must have been like the Leaky Cauldron in London. It was a place that marked the separation between the muggle and magical world. He and Phil walked inside, and Harry knew instantly he was entering the magical world. The people inside wore robes, not quite the same style that he was used to in England but they were distinctly wizard robes. Fewer people were wearing robes however, and a lot of them seemed to be wearing more muggle clothing. But it was muggle clothing that was reminiscent of the 30s and 40s in American history. When Harry commented on this Phil told him that robes were considered more formal wear for American wizards, and not as many people wore them nowadays as they used to. American wizards were also more up to date with the times but still lagged behind muggle culture a bit due to the fact they had no real need to use advanced technology when they had magic.

"American wizarding culture has been influenced a bit more by muggle culture than Europe's. There is a larger population of muggles in America and by default we have a lot more muggleborns. Of course pureblood sentiments have never been that strong here as they are in Britain. The reason for this being that wizards immigrated to America in the first place because they were escaping the persecution, some from pureblood ideals, and some from muggle religions. There is a little discontent between those who are wizard born and those who aren't but it's nowhere near as bad as in Britain and Europe," Phil said elaborating on Harry's question about clothing.

Harry couldn't help but wonder what Malfoy would have thought about America. He hated muggles and muggleborns by default. It would probably kill him to discover that being a Pureblood or muggleborn wasn't as big of a deal here. Hermione would definitely like it.

"Wizarding Britain is also much more isolated than America is and therefore it's a lot more resistant towards allowing anything muggle into the culture. America is much larger. The population of wizarding Britain is about 15,000. In comparison the American population is about 100,000. The population is more wide spread because of the size of the country with the government being centered in New York City because it is the most densely populated area of the country. Basically this means Americans have more muggleborns and therefore there has been a greater influx of muggle influence on the culture."

"I didn't realize that there were that many wizards in the world," said Harry in surprise. But it did make sense. America had a much higher muggle population than England. It would only make sense that their wizard population would be proportionately higher as well.

Phil led him the rest of the way through the pizza shop, and out back to the dingy alleyway. Someone else was just about to go through the alleyway as well, and Harry watched with interest as they tapped the lids of a couple of garbage cans in a certain sequence with their wand. The brick wall of the alleyway swung open like a door instead of the bricks rearranging themselves like they did in the entrance of Diagon Alley, and Harry got his first good look at this new aspect of the wizarding world. Horizont Alley was just as awe inspiring as Diagon Alley had been with the feeling of magic in the air, and all the witches and wizards milling about. There was a more modern feel to it than Diagon Alley, and the shops were all nestled together in perfect, bright colorful squares; a lot like children's building blocks. Horizont Alley also looked to be far larger than Diagon Alley, and had several different streets branching off from the main thorough fair.

"Like I said this is a very popular spot for American wizards, and a lot of them travel from all over the country to get here," Phil explained as they made their way through the crowded street.

Harry noted that there were all the same shops as he was used to back in Diagon Alley they just had different names, and were run by different people. None of the shops looked quite as ancient as some of the ones in Diagon Alley but then again wizarding America had only been established for a few centuries as opposed to the many that Britain had been around for. The shops were just as filled with magic and wonder as the ones back in London. They stopped at a couple of different shops while Phil continued to point out the little differences between the cultures. It succeeded in providing him with a better understanding of wizarding Britain. He learned that American wizards used many of the same spells with some variations, and learned the same subjects in school. There were six different wizarding schools in America, the closest being Salem Academy in Salem, Massachusetts. All in all there weren't that many differences beyond the fact that America was closer to their muggle counterparts.

The most interesting thing Harry learned about was probably Quodpot. He was pretty sure he remembered reading something about it in Quidditch Through the Ages but he hadn't really paid that much attention to it since at the time he'd been too focused on learning about Quidditch. It seemed that here in America it was Quodpot that was the much more popular sport, and Harry just couldn't accept that. After all in Quodpot there was no snitch, and therefore no seeker. He said as much to Phil who only gave Harry a small amused smile at Harry's indignation over America's preference for Quodpot.

They concluded their outing by Phil getting them both an ice cream cone. Harry tried protesting but Phil ignored him and did it anyway. They sat in comfortable silence outside the small shop, people watching. They were talking about Hogwarts, and Harry's friends and professors. Harry wasn't sure how but they somehow got on the topic of Voldemort. Before Harry knew it he was telling Phil all about what had happened with the Philosopher's Stone and Voldemort. Phil looked very surprised by the revelation of Voldemort being alive. He questioned Harry on everything he knew looking intense, and Harry complied trying to remember as much as he could about what had happened. He figured Phil wanted to look into the whole Voldemort matter, and Harry wanted to help him as much as possible.

By the time that Phil was through asking questions it was getting late, and they decided to call it a day. It had ended up being a very good day for Harry despite the way it had started out. It had been very enjoyable to get to see a whole new part of the wizarding world and learn more about the wizarding world in general. He also liked that not one person recognized him or made a fuss about him being there.

Phil did try one last time before leaving to get Harry to go back to the tower.

"Are you sure Harry? Mr. Stark must be very worried about you by now," said Phil earnestly.

"No, I really don't want to and please don't call him. I don't want him to know where I am." Harry was secretly worried that even if he did know he wouldn't even want to come and get Harry, and that would be even more devastating to him.

"I can't just let him worry about where you are all night," replied Phil, in that calm rational tone of his.

"He deserves it after everything," Harry said his anger flaring up to protect his more vulnerable emotions.

Phil took a deep breath, and held Harry's gaze for a few moments. He seemed to be searching for some sort of clue as to what the right decision was in this situation.

"All right, but just for tonight. We'll call Mr. Stark first thing in the morning. I suppose it won't hurt him to sweat things out for just one night. It might even help him learn a lesson," Phil murmured.

Harry just grinned, happy to put off the inevitable confrontation with Tony a little longer.

Phil and Harry both left the alley via the Pizza Palace. The same dark car they arrived in was waiting for them out front, and they climbed back in. They drove to yet another part of the city, and stopped in front of an old antique store. It surprised Harry when they went inside. He hadn't thought a secret government building would be in an old rundown antique shop. But he should have known by now due to his experience with the wizarding world that appearances could be deceiving. The shop owner asked Phil about the weather, and Phil said something about forgetting an umbrella. The shopkeeper went to the shelf behind the counter and pulled out a book. The whole shelf to Harry's left suddenly cracked open and revealed a long metal corridor.

"Muggles are brilliant," Harry gasped in surprise as Phil led him through.

"They are aren't they? And they get more and more amazing every year." Phil commented nonchalantly. "Are you hungry, Harry? We can stop by the cafeteria before we go and find you a room for the night."

"Okay," Harry agreed easily.

He led Harry through the hallway, only occasionally passing someone. They all seemed to know Phil, and would give him a short respectful nod sometimes calling him Agent Coulson. They eventually came to a small cafeteria with round tables, and a buffet style assembly line with a bunch of different food. There were only a couple of other people in the cafeteria. One table held two young women, and an older balding gentleman. They wore lab coats, and were talking animatedly amongst themselves. The other table held a muscular man with short dark blonde hair who was shoveling food in his mouth at an alarming rate. He wore a strange skintight shirt with no sleeves, and had a bow settled across the table in front of him. They all looked up when Harry, and Phil entered. They looked surprised to see Harry, and were looking him over closely. The man with the bow's stare was the most penetrating, and made Harry shift uncomfortably under the weight of his gaze.

"This is Harry, he's going to be spending the night here tonight," Phil introduced to the people in the cafeteria. Harry gave them all a quick smile while edging closer to Phil.

"Harry this is Clint Barton he's an agent who works for SHIELD," Phil pointed to the man with the bow. The man gave a brief nod before he went back to eating, having obviously written Harry off as being unimportant. "This young lady right here is Dr. Jane Foster recently relocated from New Mexico."

"New Mexico? Where Thor was?" Harry asked in excitement.

"You know about Thor?" asked the thinner woman with the lighter brown hair. Jane Foster was her name according to Phil.

"Yeah, Phil told me all about it," Harry said eagerly.

"Phil?" Clint Barton said, lifting an eyebrow and smirking at Phil.

"That's his name," Harry said in confusion.

"Right of course, silly me," replied Clint still smirking.

"Uh hmm," Phil said drawing their attention back to him. Harry flushed at having interrupted him.

"Anyway the other young lady is Darcy Lewis." The dark haired woman gave a little wave. "And that leaves Dr. Erik Selvig. They are all associates of SHIELD's and have just started working with us after the events I told you about in New Mexico." The older balding man smiled at him and nodded.

"Very nice to meet you all," Harry greeted.

Just then Phil's phone rang. He answered with a curt, "Coulson."

He listened for a moment his face perfectly blank despite the shouting Harry could hear coming from the mobile phone before turning to Clint. "Can you stay and watch Harry for a minute. I need to go have a chat with the Director."

"Do I look like a babysitter?" asked Clint frowning.

"Do I look like a baby?" Harry inquired snappishly. He'd had a long day and was suddenly feeling bold despite his unfamiliar surroundings.

Clint's lips quirked in a smile.

"We can keep an eye on him Agent Coulson until you get back," Dr. Selvig offered.

"Thank you, I'll be right back Harry, feel free to get whatever you want to eat, okay?" Phil said.

Harry nodded and Phil disappeared out the door in a flash.

"Come on over Harry and grab a tray. Take as much as you want, there's plenty to go around," Dr. Selvig pointing towards the assembly line, which consisted of several different meal options.

Harry did as he suggested, grabbing a tray for himself and perusing the different food options that the cafeteria provided. He ended up getting a little of everything, and Dr. Selvig grabbed silverware and a drink for him. Harry then settled down at the table with the two doctors and Darcy. Clint had stopped shoveling his food down as quickly as he had before, and kept casting curious, probing looks at Harry.

"Your accent is the most adorable thing I've ever heard. You're also a little cutie pie. You'll definitely get all kinds of lady action when you're older," said Darcy winking at him. Dr. Foster slapped her arm and glared at her. But she didn't seem at all phased by it.

"So Harry what are you doing here?" Dr. Selvig asked Harry gently.

"I got in a fight with my father and ran away," Harry murmured flushing, and feeling guilty and impossibly young.

"And SHIELD stepped in? You must be important. I didn't think they got involved in arguments between kids and their parents. Unless they're going to try turning you into some sort of super spy," Darcy joked.

"Well, Phil said that he'd been assigned to watching my father so when I left he had to follow me," Harry shrugged feeling awkward and not really wanting to talk about it with these strangers. But he didn't quite know how to politely change the topic.

"I thought Coulson was assigned to watching Tony Stark," Clint mused aloud.

"He is, Tony's my father," Harry explained focusing on eating his food.

He looked back up when the silence had stretched for a long time.

"You're Tony Stark's kid?" Clint asked staring at Harry with wide eyes.

"Yeah," replied Harry wondering if he shouldn't have admitted that. But they worked for SHIELD so they had to keep it a secret right? Besides Clint probably would have figured it out anyway if he knew Phil was watching over Tony.

"No wonder you're such a little cutie. Stark is hot!" said Darcy.

"Darcy," Dr. Foster hissed but she too was looking Harry over closely.

"So you and your father got into a fight?" Dr. Selvig asked gently not all concerned by his revelation, and Harry found himself liking the man.

"Yeah, it was stupid. But he made me so mad," Harry murmured.

"Oh you're not the only one kid. I've heard Stark has that affect on people," Clint murmured. "God I can't believe Stark reproduced. Wait until I tell Nat. She's gonna flip."

"Well I'm sure you and your father will make up. It's what families do. They annoy each other and make each other angry. But in the end they always make up because there is no closer bond than family whether that bond is created through blood or love, it doesn't matter," Dr. Selvig said.

"I guess," Harry said. He didn't have enough experience to know what families were really like.

"Take Thor for example, his brother tried to have him roasted by this badass robot thing but he still seemed pretty set on helping him out afterwards," Darcy commented earning herself a glare from both doctors for swearing in Harry's presence.

"You were there when Thor fought the Destroyer?" Harry asked eagerly.

"Yeah," said Dr. Foster looking a little upset.

"That's so cool. I wish I had seen it," Harry said dreamily.

"It was cool, but it was sort of scary too because for a moment I—we, I mean, weren't sure if Thor was going to make it," said Dr. Foster and for a moment her eyes were wide with remembered fear.

Dr. Selvig told Harry the rest of what happened in more intricate detail than Phil had. Harry was particularly interested in hearing more about the Destroyer since it seemed to be a robot that had been created by gods. The idea was fascinating to Harry and he wished he had gotten to see it so he knew what it was made out of.

"I made my own robot," Harry informed them proudly. Even if he was mad at Tony he still treasured Tank, and had brought it with him despite the limited space in his bag.

"Really?" Dr. Selvig asked looking impressed.

"Yeah do you want to see? I brought it with me," Harry said already moving to pull Tank from his bag.

He set Tank on the ground, and then made it transform from a car into its robot form. He had it move around, and perform different stunts enjoying the praise he received over Tank.

"So the rumor is true. Stark really does have a kid," came a female voice.

Harry looked up to see a beautiful woman with short, dark red hair wearing a tight black jumpsuit. There was something about her that put Harry on edge. Despite her superficial similarities to his mum, which should have put him at ease his instincts were telling him that this woman could be a danger to him if she chose. He didn't think she would attack him but she had the potential to if she really wanted to.

"Harry this is Natasha, she works for SHIELD as well," Dr. Selvig introduced. Harry could tell that Darcy and the two doctors were also a little weary of this woman. Harry figured she must be some sort of super spy. Or maybe even an assassin. He couldn't believe that he might actually be in the presence of a real life assassin.

"Nice to meet you," Harry murmured.

"Agent Coulson asked me to come and show you to your room. It's almost nine now and you should be getting to bed. He can't do it himself since he's been called away at the moment," she explained in a no nonsense manner.

"Okay," Harry mumbled tucking Tank back into his bag and pulling it back onto his shoulders. He said his goodbyes to the doctors, Darcy, and Clint then followed Natasha from the cafeteria.

Natasha was silent as she led him through the corridors and Harry kept peeking up at her in fear and curiosity. He was far too shy to attempt to ask more about her, and she didn't seem inclined to depart any information about herself to Harry. When they finally arrived at the room Harry would be staying in she told him that there was an attached bathroom inside, and showed him how to use the intercom if he needed anything. Other than that he was to stay inside the room until someone came to get him the next morning.

"It'll get better," she said to him before turning to leave.

"What will get better?" Harry asked in confusion.

She just gave him a brief smile, and left the room.

Still pondering over what she meant he got ready for bed. He was exhausted by the day he had had, and just wanted to sleep. He dreaded the morning when he would have to call Tony and let him know where he was.

His peaceful dreams were interrupted by yells and shouts, and the sound of some sort of explosion. Harry sat up, suddenly afraid that SHIELD was being attacked or something. He went to his bag to grab his wand just in case he needed to defend himself. The thuds and shouts were getting closer and closer to his room. He was suddenly terrified that whatever was causing all this commotion was coming after him. But he stood tall and firm, and tried to prepare himself so that in the event that whatever had broken in was coming after him he would be ready for it. However he couldn't have prepared himself for what greeted him when the door suddenly burst open. Harry was confronted with the surprising sight of the bright red and gold of the Iron Man suit. The faceplate slid upwards, and revealed Tony's anxious and relieved expression.

He took two long strides across the room to reach Harry, and before Harry could even protest he had swept him up into a tight, fierce hug.

"Oh thank god," he murmured pressing his face into Harry's unruly mop of bed-tasseled hair.

Harry was too shocked by his sudden appearance to do anything but stand there and let Tony hold him.

"Don't ever do that to me again. Okay Harry? I don't think my heart could handle it. I don't think I've ever been so worried," Tony pulled back so that Harry could look up into his face. Tony looked terrified and relieved, and were those tears in the man's eyes? No it had to be a trick of the light. But when one tear escaped Harry knew that they were in fact real.

Harry could only nod in the face of this startling revelation that Tony did in fact care enough about him to storm SHIELD, and to shed a tear in relief at his being okay.

"I'm so sorry, Harry. I'm sorry for everything. I was just trying to help, and I know I went about it the wrong way because I'm an impatient idiot. But please just give me another chance and I promise I won't ever mess up as badly as I did. I can't promise that I won't ever mess up because well, I'm me and making messes out of things is what I do. But I swear to you it won't ever be like that. I won't ever mislead you like that again. I want you in my life, Harry. You're my son, and I care about you. I don't care if you still hate me, you deserve to after what happened. But I just want the chance to make things up to you for being such a horrible father."

Harry felt tears start to form in his own eyes. No one had ever said anything like that to him before and he really didn't know what to make of it or how to respond.

"Really?" he gasped, he honestly couldn't even find it within himself to be angry anymore.

"More than anything, kid," Tony said earnestly. "I was ready to tear down the entire building, and start World War III for you. I know I messed up, in a colossal way with you but I want to fix it. I really want to. I just want a chance to prove to you that I'm good enough to be your father."

At that pronouncement Harry burst into tears at his words, and threw himself at Tony not even caring about the how uncomfortable the press of the metal suit was. Harry clutched him tightly afraid that he would change his mind and leave him. Any resentment he felt towards Tony momentarily flew out the window in the face of knowing that he was wanted, and Tony still cared about him.

"Its okay, Harry. I'm here, and I promise I won't ever just give up like that again. I know better now and more than anything I want to be your father," Tony murmured against his hair. "I can't promise I won't ever make you mad or hate me but I've been told that's sort of how things happen in parent-child relationships."

Harry snorted in amusement his emotions all over the place. Mostly he was embarrassed about sobbing all over Tony like a little kid. He quickly tried to rein in his tears. He couldn't remember the last time he had cried like that, and he didn't want Tony to think of him as some sort of baby that needed to be coddled.

"So do you forgive me?" Tony asked hesitantly.

"Only if you admit that you were wrong for tricking me about the Dursleys," Harry said stubbornly.

Tony gave him a grim smile. "I was completely wrong for lying to you, and tricking you into telling me about them. But I don't regret finding out. What they did to you was wrong and horrible, and I needed to know about it. I am going to spend the rest of my life making it up to you for not being there for you when you needed me to be."

Harry stared at him for a long time weighing his honesty. He knew he was being sincere, and Harry wanted nothing more than to believe him and just go back to the way things were. But he would be a bit more cautious with Tony now. He'd try to withhold his feelings, and not get too attached too quickly like he had before. They still had so many things to work on in their relationship, and Harry figured a good first step was to be honest with one another and for Harry to forgive Tony. They would take things slowly and really get to know one another.

"I forgive you," Harry said honestly.

"Thank you, Harry. And I'm so sorry. I was wrong. You should probably have recorded that because no one would ever believe that I was capable of uttering those words aloud and in that order," Tony chuckled.

Harry smiled and unable to stop himself he once more threw himself into Tony's arms. The man laughed, and hugged him tightly back ruffling his hair affectionately.

"Hey, this might be a bad time but didn't you mention something about you being a wizard?"

Harry's stomach sank. This was going to be a long day.

So Harry and Tony have partially made up and we've finally had some more Avengers action. Just two more chapters then the events of the Avengers will actually take place! Just a quick note Phil and Fury didn't know Harry was Harry Potter because one the Ministry of Magic doesn't know he's not with his relatives yet so they would have no reason to assume Tony's Harry is the Harry Potter. Also Fury just found out about Harry about twenty minutes before Harry makes his escape which means Phil has known about him for an even smaller amount of time. There just hasn't been enough time for SHIELD to do an indepth search on Harry before he decides to run away.

The reason for SHIELD not knowing about Voldemort is that first of all they didn't know about magic when he was defeated so they couldn't investigate it. Also SHIELD has an agreement with the American wizarding government not the Ministry of Magic so SHIELD would have no way to look into Voldemort any further. They would have more pressing matters happening currently to look too closely into someone who everyone believed was already defeated. The only person who didn't really believe Voldemort wasn't really dead was Dumbledore and he didn't exactly share this information with anyone. Also Horizont Alley is a play on horizontally since Diagon Alley is sort of a play on diagonally, corny yes but I thought it would be a good parallel.

As always thanks to anyone who reviewed, favorited or followed :)