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

Chapter 8: The Timely Demise of the Dursleys

Two weeks. It had been two weeks since Tony had found out about the magical world, and he had been studying up on it ever since. He had pestered Harry about everything that he knew, and demanded that they go to the wizard 'shopping mall' that Phil had taken Harry to. It had been a great deal of fun for Harry to show Tony around the wizarding world. He'd answered all of Tony's questions that he was able to as Tony closely observed the wizards as they went about their normal, day to day lives. Harry knew that he desperately wanted to do a more in depth study of magic but the only magical person he had access to was Harry, and according to wizarding law underage wizards weren't allowed to do magic outside of school without a special permit. Tony was trying to get Phil to get special permission for Harry. He dangled the possibility of working with SHIELD to get technology to work with magic in front of their eyes as an incentive.

Tony seemed pretty sure that he was capable of achieving it. But Tony lamented the fact that he only had a limited amount of data to work with. He'd tried to get more while they had been at Horizont Alley but unfortunately all of his recording devices stopped working the moment they stepped onto the street. His arc reactor continued to work in the presence of strong magical energy so he had figured that whatever link he discovered between magic and technology would come from arc reactor technology, something he had been looking into anyway.

Harry was just relieved that Tony seemed to have taken the whole magic thing in stride. Sure he'd been skeptical for a few days even after the long discussion and the numerous books he'd read on the subject. His path towards acceptance was also helped along a great deal by him watching the clips of Thor's little trip to New Mexico. Knowing that the Norse Gods of myth existed in some form went a long way towards him accepting that there was more to the world than he had initially believed.

But it wasn't until they had actually gone to Horizont Alley that Harry believed everything had really sunk in for Tony since it allowed him to see the magical world with his own two eyes. Pepper was also taking everything very well. She'd said something to the effect that she'd seen Tony do so many weird things that nothing could really surprise her anymore. She had loved the Alley too, and getting to see all of the wonders of the magical world. Harry wished they could all take a trip to Diagon Alley together since that was really the first place Harry had been introduced into the wizarding world, and that was the world that he was more familiar with; although, he found the American wizarding world just as exciting.

Tony and Pepper enjoyed themselves at the alley. They bought a bunch of candies, and Tony of course bought a bunch of joke stuff from the local joke shop much to Pepper's annoyance. Tony was a little insulted during their trip since only a few people recognized him. Harry could tell he was used to people clamoring for his attention everywhere he went, and was a little put out by the fact that he didn't receive the same reaction from wizards. Harry, however, thoroughly enjoyed himself. The chance to spend a normal day with Pepper and Tony without worrying about paparazzi, both muggle and magical was a dream come true to Harry. It was like being a part of a normal, everyday family even though Tony could probably never really be classified as normal. He liked the fact that shop owners automatically assumed Tony and Pepper were his parents. He also enjoyed having Pepper and Tony's full attention focused on him. It reminded him a great deal of their first shopping trip together, and it did a lot towards healing the relationship between Harry and Tony.

In the week following their trip they had managed to form a closer relationship. They were still a bit cautious with one another but they were a lot more honest and open with one another. Since they were being honest with one another Tony admitted to Harry that he was in fact punishing the Dursleys for their treatment of Harry. Harry had been stunned by that revelation. He had always dreamed of getting back at them, and the fact that Tony cared enough to want to punish the Dursleys for him was incredible to Harry. He had never been so grateful towards Tony. The two of them had giggled over the videos of the pranks that Tony had played on the Dursleys. Tony continued to assure him that what the Dursleys had done to him was cruel and was meant to hurt him, and it was only right that they were punished for it. However it was still a surprise when Tony announced he was going to send the Dursleys to prison.

"So kiddo, I was just informed by my associates in jolly ol' England that the Dursleys have reached their breaking point. I'm going to take the jet, and fly over to give them an ultimatum. They either turn themselves in to the police or allow me to continue tormenting them," said Tony grinning wolfishly.

"You're going to send them to prison?" Harry had always known that what the Dursleys had done to him was wrong, he had just never thought that what they had done was worthy of actual jail time.

"Yup, that's where they deserve to be. They shouldn't be out, and about living happy lives after the things they've done. It isn't legal for people to leave kids locked in cupboards or make them work like slaves," said Tony pointedly.

"I guess," Harry shrugged.

"There's no guess work about it. It's the truth, kiddo. What they did was wrong and they should pay for it," Tony said firmly. "I'm just telling you because I wanted to know if you wanted to come with."

Harry was surprised by the offer.

"I don't know if it's something that a normal person would offer, letting their kid watch their recently discovered father send their idiot relatives to jail. But I think that it's something you deserve to see, if you want to that is. I just wanted to give you the choice," Tony said looking awkward but sincere.

"I'll go," said Harry before he could talk himself out of it.

He thought Tony was right. It would be good to reaffirm to himself that all these years the Dursleys had been wrong about him. To know for certain that what they had done was truly wrong, and that they deserved to pay for what they had done to him by seeing them arrested for their crimes.

Tony just nodded in agreement. A short time later the two of them were packed up on Tony's private jet and on their way to England. It was a much better plane ride experience than Harry's first trip with the Dursleys. Tony's plane was just as large as a commercial plane but had comfy lounge chairs instead of seats, and the flight attendants offered them any type of gourmet food or drinks that they could possibly want. Pepper remained behind because someone had to run Stark Industries.

Harry and Tony played a game of wizard's chess with the board Tony had bought in Horizont Alley to pass the time. He had been enthralled with the way the pieces could move on their own, and had closely studied the board and the energy it emitted. The two of them had more fun destroying each other's pieces rather than playing an actual game. The rest of the time Tony looked over his notes and data on his tablet while Harry slept.

They arrived in England on a private runway not too far from Little Whinging with little fuss or attention from the paparazzi that constantly followed Tony around. Tony had rented a car, and he personally drove them to Privet Drive. Harry wished that he had Hedwig with him but she had remained behind in New York. As it was Tony was able to catch on to his nervousness about the upcoming confrontation.

"You don't have to go in with me, Harry. You can wait in the car," Tony offered.

"No, I want to see them," Harry insisted. He was a Gryffindor, it was time that he faced his fears. Confronting his relatives had always been one of his biggest fears and it was time that he did it. There was no better time than now with his father at his side, willing to support him no matter what he chose.

"Okay. Just so you know I plan on yelling and shouting at them a lot. I also want to give you the chance to get out anything you want to say to them. So feel free to say whatever you want. This is your chance to just get all of this off your chest, and move on. But at any time you feel uncomfortable or anytime that you want to leave you just let me know and we'll get out of there quicker than I can hack SHIELD."

Harry just nodded his agreement, relaxing a bit to have Tony's firm support.

As the familiar, identical houses of Privet Drive came into view Harry couldn't help but tense up a bit once more. There were just too many bad memories in the little suburb for Harry to ever feel truly comfortable here. When asked which one was the right house Harry directed him to Number 4. The car was gone and according to the people Tony had working for him the Dursleys had stepped out for dinner since they had caused their oven to explode the night before. They were expected to be back any moment. Harry wasn't at all surprised when Tony opened the door with the key, and swept inside so that the two of them could wait for the Dursleys to return.

Inside, the house was complete chaos. It looked nothing like the way it had when Harry had last seen it. The house had once been perfectly immaculate, in large part due to Harry's efforts. But right now it looked as if a bomb made up of garbage had gone off inside the house. The furniture in the living room was ripped and torn. Picture frames and vases were broken, and no one had bothered to sweep them up, which was very unlike Harry's aunt. There was a steady stream of water dripping down the stairs from the second floor causing large water stains to form. When Harry peeked into the kitchen he was shocked to find that it was in even worse shape than the rest of the house. The cupboard doors all seemed to be cracked or crooked while the sink dripped a gross brown sludge. Plates and old food were piled along the counters in a disarray, and half of the appliances seemed to be broken in one way or another.

Tony whistled looking impressed at the destruction around them. "Wow I have to hand it to those guys, they really knew what they were doing. Definitely money well spent."

Harry only nodded still stunned as Tony led the way back into the living room to wait for the Dursleys. Harry could only imagine the type of life that the Dursleys had been living for the house to have fallen into such a state of chaos. They were always so image conscious. Things must have been absolutely terrible for them to have let the house get this bad, and risk the notice of the neighbors. He'd watched some of the videos of some of the funnier events like the clogged toilet incident, and the fire alarms turning on at all hours of the night but he hadn't really noticed the truly poor state of the house. It made him surprisingly cheerful to know how much the Dursleys must suffered over the last month and a half.

Tony and he had just settled down on to the non-destroyed part of the couch when the Dursleys arrived home. Tony looked perfectly at ease in his surroundings, his arms flung carelessly along the back of the sofa. Harry fiddled with the zipper on his jacket. He couldn't help but be a little afraid about the confrontation that was about to happen. Tony had brought his special suitcase that allowed him to put on the Iron Man suit in a moments notice, just in case. He had told Harry he didn't think he would need it but it was always a good idea to be prepared. Harry had a surprising epiphany as he sat on the couch in the Dursleys living room. He felt safe with Tony. With his arm resting along the back of where he sat, and his body pressed closely to his own Harry felt safer than he had in a really long time. For once in his life he had an adult that was sticking up for him, and was willing to do something for him. He was challenging the Dursleys, and telling them that they were wrong for what they had done to him. Harry had never believed he would ever see something like this happen. With the feeling of safety firmly fixed in his mind he watched as the Dursleys stumbled in to the house.

They all looked exhausted. Their clothes were untidy, and Dudley and Vernon even looked like they had lost a bit of weight. Petunia's face was even more pinched than it normally was, and Vernon's face was already looking a bit reddish with annoyance. When they saw Harry and Tony sitting on their couch they looked too stunned to form words.

Tony sent them a wolfish grin as he stood, and straightened his impeccable and expensive suit. "Hi, Tony Stark. It's so nice to finally get the chance to meet my son's loving relatives. Have you liked the visitors I've sent by to personally thank you for all you've done for him?"

"All of this is because of you?" gasped Vernon shaking with rage and his face was rapidly changing to its normal unhealthy purple hue.

"And here I thought you wouldn't mind a few more presents from me, Dursley. After all you were very eager to take my money," said Tony sounding deceivingly jovial.

"You can't do this! I'll have you arrested for this!" Vernon shrieked.

"Oh that's not going to happen but you're more than welcome to call the police. In fact you might as well since I'll be calling them myself in few minutes," said Tony.

"What reason would you have to call the police on us?" Petunia demanded.

"Are you both really this stupid?" Tony asked derisively.

"How dare you?" Petunia questioned shrilly.

"I dare because of what you did to my son," snarled Tony, any pretense of cheerfulness disappearing.

"What we did? What has the little liar been telling you?" Vernon said taking a threatening step towards Harry.

It was the wrong move. Tony's features darkened even further and Harry was almost certain that he was about to put on the suit so he could crush Vernon into the stained carpet. Tony blocked the path between Vernon and Harry looking murderous.

"Don't you ever call my son a liar again. You've been lying to people about him his entire life. You don't deserve to judge him you pathetic excuse for a man," Tony hissed and Harry felt a moment of amazement to see Vernon cower underneath the brunt of Tony's anger.

"You don't understand. He's a freak, he—"

Vernon didn't get a chance to finish because Tony had punched him square across the face. Petunia cried out in shock. Dudley was in the corner watching with terror filled eyes as his father went down. Harry could only watch in utter amazement and admiration of what Tony had just done.

"What did I say about insulting my son?" Tony demanded glaring at Vernon from his position on the floor. "I know all about Harry being a wizard and you know what? I don't care. I'm a man of science, someone who would be the last person in the universe to believe in magic. But I've accepted that my son is a wizard. You people disgust me with the way that you could hate an innocent child just because he was born with something that you weren't willing to understand or learn about."

"It's not our fault! We never wanted him," Petunia snapped back, although she was trembling a fair bit, afraid to turn Tony's wrath towards her.

"Then you should have sent him to a home that did!" cried Tony.

"That man said if we took him in, he would provide us with protection from the people who killed my sister," replied Petunia.

"So you kept him around for your own safety but you refused to even treat him decently despite this protection he provided all of you with?" Tony scoffed glaring in disgust at Petunia. "Just what was this protection and who was the one who gave you custody of Harry?"

"The headmaster at that freak school, Albus Dumbledore. He said there would be some sort of protective barrier built from my sister giving up her life for the boy's. He said it could only be built through Dudley and I since we were my sister's last living blood relatives," Petunia explained.

The wards were not knew information to Harry since Dumbledore had explained it to him at the end of the year when he had asked to remain at Hogwarts over the summer. But it did come as a shock that they were the only reason that the Dursleys had taken him in. Harry didn't think anything they did could hurt him now but knowing that they had never truly cared for him even for a moment was upsetting. Petunia didn't even seem to care about his mum or at least she was really good at hiding it.

"Right, well I'll be having a chat with him later. Right now we're talking about you and the consequences of your actions. I'm going to give you and the walrus a choice. You can turn yourselves over to the police, and admit to what you've done… Or I can continue with my little presents until there's nothing left and you have no other options but to go through with my plans. Either way it will end with you doing some jail time. One choice just means you'll being doing a bit less time and save yourself some misery."

"This isn't legal. You can't do this," Petunia hissed.

"I can and I will. There isn't anything that you can do to stop me," said Tony once more regaining his casual air.

"We'll go to the media. Tell the world about what you're doing to us," said Petunia.

"You signed a contract. If you so much as take one step in that direction you'll be thrown in jail faster than you can say Iron Man," said Tony.

Both Vernon and Petunia looked terrified as they realized they were trapped.

"What about my Diddykins?" Petunia gasped helplessly, looking tearfully over at Dudley who was still in the corner gaping like a fish.

"You should have thought of that when you kept my son locked in a cupboard under the stairs while spoiling your own son," replied Tony not at all sympathetic.

"You cruel bastard. You've ruined my house, my credit, and my bank account. I got fired because of you. You've ruined my life even after everything we had to put up with, with your miserable spawn. I won't let you get away with this," Vernon snarled, struggling to get to his feet.

"I already have, Dursley. You should be glad I'm giving you a choice especially with the way you keep slandering my son," Tony said darkly.

"I will do whatever I want, and you can't make me," Vernon howled sounding a great deal like Dudley having a temper tantrum. But even in anger it was obvious that he didn't dare attack Tony after Tony had proven that he was capable of physically standing up to him.

"Oh you'd be surprised what I could make you do, Dursley," Tony hissed, making Vernon take a fearful step back.

"Vernon, I think he's serious. Think of Dudley and what he could do to him. We can't fight him with all the influence and money he has," Petunia cried.

Vernon practically vibrated with rage but it seemed, even with his limited intelligence, that he knew he had been beaten.

"Fine, call the police," snarled Vernon.

"Do you even recognize that what you've done to Harry was wrong?" Tony asked in amazement.

Petunia's head dipped a little bit in shame but Vernon looked entirely unrepentant. "We did nothing to him but provide him with a home, and clothes despite all of the troubles he caused us."

"Right because a cupboard is a real home, and the rags you gave him were real clothes. This is why I don't feel an ounce of guilt in doing all of this to you Dursley because you honestly think what you were doing was okay. You deserve everything you're about to get," snapped Tony in disgust.

Tony whipped out his phone and called the police.

"One more thing. Is there anything you'd like to say to them, Harry?" Tony questioned turning concerned eyes towards Harry.

Harry gathered his courage and stepped beside Tony facing Vernon and Petunia. Tony put a comforting hand on his shoulder and Harry couldn't help but feel an extra surge of confidence at the touch.

"All I ever wanted was for you to like me. I never understood why you didn't until I found out about magic. I hate you for the way you treated me and the way you made me feel growing up. But now I feel sorry for you, too. Aunt Petunia you're bitter and jealous of my mum, and you took that out on me. Uncle Vernon you just hate anyone that is different, and you're too small minded to learn more about wizards before you pass judgment on them. Thanks to Tony and Pepper, I know that I'm not a freak, and what you did to me was wrong. I'm going to move past what you did to me, and I'm going to live a happy and productive life. But you are going to have to live the rest of your lives in guilt and misery because of what you did to me. Dudley I hope that you can learn from this and not turn out like your parents because there is still time for you to change."

Once Harry finished he stared at all the Dursleys. Dudley just gaped at him like he'd never seen him before. Petunia actually did look a bit regretful while Vernon just looked angry and resentful. But he was too intimidated by Tony to try anything with Harry.

"Oh and I want my mum's journal," Harry added as an after thought.

"You heard the kid," Tony added.

Petunia glared at them but she disappeared upstairs and returned with the journal. She shoved it into Harry's hands, and he couldn't quite believe that he would finally have some answers on why his mum had done what she did. The police and child services arrived soon after. Tony took charge and got things moving fairly quickly as he explained the situation to them, and the Dursleys confessed or Petunia did while Vernon just muttered angrily under his breath. The Dursleys were arrested. Tony had a whole team of people watching over the proceedings closely to make sure the Dursleys continued cooperating. They would make sure they were actually charged, and put in prison. Harry also had to give his statement. Since the Dursleys were pleading guilty he wouldn't have to attend a trial, and his formal accusation and statement would be enough for the court. Once that was through Tony took Harry out to dinner, and then the two of them got back on the plane to head home

As soon as they were back on the plane Tony asked if he could scan Lily's journal quickly. He said he didn't want to intrude too much he just wanted to make sure it was all age appropriate. He seemed satisfied with what he found, and handed the journal back over. Harry was thrilled and terrified to finally get the chance to learn about his mum's thoughts. Unable to wait a moment longer he flipped open the diary and began to read.

Lily's Journal

I've begun this journal as a way to deal with the tumult of my emotions after my mum and dad's unexpected deaths. It was Death Eaters. To the muggle world it has been written off as some sort of explosion but of course I know the truth. They were murdered. This war is getting worse by the day, and despite what everyone thinks I'm terrified. I hate Voldemort and all of his Death Eaters for their racial slurs and their cloistered ideals, and I want to stop them. But the violence and fervor with which they fight scares me. They are so convinced that what they are doing is right.

Things were so different before graduating from Hogwarts. When the Headmaster approached me to join his Order of the Phoenix I had been all too eager to join, and help out anyway that I could. But that was before I really understood the horror of war. I will do my part to protect others, and have done so by facing down dark wizards several times in several terrifying battles. I want to see the world freed from Voldemort's grasp, and I will do whatever I can to accomplish this. My parent's deaths have shaken me, though. It's made me second-guess all of my decisions. It worries me that because of this war I've rushed my decisions, that, and my fight with Petunia.

She accused me of being the reason for our mum and dad's deaths. She said if I had never gotten involved with the wizarding world then maybe Voldemort, and his Death Eaters would have never targeted our parents. I'm afraid that our relationship is incapable of being repaired. I don't know how it could have come to this. Petunia and I used to be so close, and I hate that she's grown to hate me for being a witch. But maybe she's right about one thing. When I found out about being a witch I did turn my back on the muggle world. I stopped being a part of the muggle world in my efforts to make myself fit in with the wizarding world. That is something I regret, and I want to fix it. I want to spend more time in the world I grew up in. The world my parent's grew up in. At the very least it will get me away from the horror and terror that suffuses the wizarding world right now. Maybe I can even convince James to join me in my reintegration to the muggle world.

James hasn't exactly been supportive of my desire to reacquaint myself with the muggle world. He thinks that we have more important things to be focusing on and in a way he's right. But I need a distraction so I've started taking trips on my own. It feels nice to get away from the constant terror and pressure of the wizarding world's war. James distracts himself by spending time with Sirius, Remus, and Peter, and I take trips into London. I've been meeting up with old primary school friends who are attending university in London. I've really enjoyed my time on the campus, and I've gone with them to a couple of their classes. It makes me wish that I could have enrolled. It's what my parents had always dreamed of.

My mum and dad weren't exactly thrilled when I told them James and I were engaged. They liked James, and got along well with him but they wanted us to wait since we were both so young. I'm starting to think that maybe they were right. But at the time we were so in love. We were both each other's first serious relationship, and it was so hard to resist someone who fought so hard to get my attention. And I have to admit that James really proved himself by maturing in our seventh year. And when he proposed a few months after graduation I couldn't help but say yes. With the fear of the war and that any moment could be our last, I threw caution out the window and agreed.

I realize now that we may have been a bit rash. I still love James but I'm not sure that I'm in love with him. I feel like we rushed into things, and never really got the chance to know if what we felt was more than just a school crush. There are just so many other things I wanted to do before getting married and settling down, and I regret jumping in to things. Maybe I'm being selfish but spending more time in the muggle world, and seeing what my friends do makes me realize what I'm missing out on. Sometimes I wonder if James feels the same way when Sirius teases him about needing to ask my permission before he goes out to spend time with his fellow Marauders. I see the flash of irritation in his eyes and the way he asserts that just because we are married doesn't mean I'm his keeper. I tend to agree with him even if the harsh words hurt a bit. We went from being children to being shoved into adulthood so quickly. There's so much pressure on us. Sometimes I just want to do something crazy and unexpected, something that normal young women my age do.

Tonight I went to some rundown muggle pub in London. I was feeling a bit down after an Order meeting where we received some bad news about some of our members. I just wanted to spend some time alone to think. More and more I've been retreating to the safety of the muggle world, and tonight was no exception. Instead of seeking James's comfort I went to a pub, which I suppose goes to show the awkward state our marriage is currently in. I wasn't expecting to meet anyone there. I chose the place because of its rundown quality. I didn't want to talk to anyone and the fewer people around the better. But I didn't get my wish. I met someone.

His name was Tony. Anthony Edward Stark to be exact. He gave me his full name when I failed to recognize him. It seems he is rather famous in the muggle world due to his wealth and genius level intelligence. He was an American, and owns a large and lucrative weapons company. He was extremely intelligent and witty, and he made my stomach twist itself into strange knots like a girl with a crush. I tried to ignore the feeling but he made it difficult. Even after I told him I was married he just shrugged it off, and said that it was fine and it wasn't illegal for us to continue chatting with one another. I couldn't help but agree with his logic. He asked me to meet him again. I should have said no. He didn't seem like he was the type of man to just want to talk with a woman. But he was just so different and interesting. I have to go back.

I feel so guilty. I've never felt more horrible in all my life. My parents would be so ashamed if they knew what I had done. I'm ashamed of what I've done even if at the time it felt like the most amazing night of my life. Last night was Tony's last night in London and we— I… I cheated on James. I never would have thought myself capable of such a feat. Yes I've been feeling more and more trapped in my marriage with James but it was no excuse to do what I did. Tony was fun and exciting, and a wonderful distraction from the wizarding world but I can't believe that I would ever do something so wrong. What have I done? Why have I done it? I have to tell James. I have to. I just don't know how.

I'm pregnant. I don't know how I let this happen. Well I know how, I've been careless. I haven't even worked up the courage to tell James yet about cheating and now I find out that I'm pregnant. Some Gryffindor I turned out to be. I'm a coward and an adulteress. Everything seems to be spinning out of control, and the worst part is that I have no one to blame but myself. No, what the worst part truly is, is that I don't know who the father is and that I've gotten an innocent child involved in this situation. I want to say with utter certainty that it is James's child since I was only with Tony once but considering how far along I am there is some possibility that the baby is his. I don't know what to do. The only way to know for sure is a blood potion when the baby is born.

I'm terrified about being a mother. I'm only nineteen, soon to be twenty, and there is a war going on. The added stress of the baby possibly not being my husband's is killing me. I only have myself to blame but it doesn't stop me from feeling anxious and horrible. I haven't even told James yet about the baby. I'll have to tell him eventually. But how can I tell him when the baby might not even be his?

Either way despite all the anxiety and terror I still love this baby with my entire being, and I don't want them to suffer for my mistakes.

The last few months have been difficult. James found out I was pregnant due to the fact Molly Weasley noticed the signs while at an Order meeting. He was surprised but after a while he seemed to be happy about it. It killed me to see him that way, and I can only pray that the baby is his. I'll do the test once the baby is born, and once I know for sure I'll tell him, either way. I owe him that much. I'll just wait until then.

I'm a mother. My beautiful baby boy was born two days ago on July 31st. Harry James Potter. He's perfect and I can only hope that he isn't the one who is going to pay for my mistakes. I hope that I can make it up to him by loving him unconditionally. James is thrilled and I've bought a paternity potion to test Harry. I only need to work up the courage to give him the test.

Albus came by today to see Harry. He told us of a prophecy about a child who would be able to defeat Voldemort. He says that Harry could be the child of the prophecy. Or it could be Neville Longbottom. The beginning of the prophecy states that 'The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches… born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies'. There is more but I don't dare write it down here. Not even with all the protective wards I keep on this journal.

The problem is that Voldemort found out about the prophecy, and he's planning on coming after the Longbottoms and us. He's going to try to kill my son. I will do whatever is necessary to protect my son. We have to go into hiding with Harry. I know now I need to perform the test. I need to know for certain. The prophecy might not really mean Harry at all if it turns out that Tony is really Harry's father. Of course the prophecy is fairly vague. The 'born to those who have thrice defied him' part could mean that he is our biological son or that he was just born to us. He could have been born to James since he was there for the birth without Harry being his natural born son. It's too much to consider. I need to know the truth.

I've completed the test. Harry isn't James's son. I cried for hours yesterday. James thought it was because I was worried about Voldemort. I've never felt so awful in all my life. I have to tell him the truth. But I'm afraid. I'm afraid James will leave Harry and I in our moment of need. Maybe it's selfish of me but I've come to realize that a mother will do anything for her child.

I'm not even certain telling the truth will change Voldemort's mind about coming after Harry. He could simply think that it's some sort of diversion tactic to get him to leave Harry alone. It's not as if he would ever take the time to stop and give Harry a paternity potion before killing him. And there's nothing Voldemort values more than his own life and he will do whatever is necessary to remove any possible risks to himself. I don't know what to do. But I know I have to do whatever is best for Harry even if that means keeping up a lie a little longer and risking the lives of others to keep him safe.

I've told James the truth. It just came out. I couldn't keep up the lie anymore and allow James to continue to live a lie. He hates me, to put it mildly. He shouted at me for hours and I let him not even bothering to defend my actions. He then stormed out without a backwards glance. I can't help but wonder if I will ever see him again.

James came back tonight. Three days after leaving. He wants to get a divorce and I've agreed. He said he would stay until this thing with Voldemort is sorted out since he agreed with me in that Voldemort might just think this is a diversion tactic. We've moved our things to separate rooms and he no longer looks or speaks directly to me. He still takes care of Harry but he is much more distant towards him and it kills me that I've brought this situation down on Harry. He doesn't deserve James's apathy for my mistakes. But at the same time I don't blame James for it was I who deceived him, and allowed him to believe that Harry was his son. I can only hope that one day both James and Harry can forgive me for what I've done. Not to mention Tony. He deserves to know that he has a son, and Harry deserves to know his real father. I have so much to make up for.

End Lily's Journal

Harry closed the journal after reading that last entry. It was written only two days before Halloween 2001. He wasn't sure how he was supposed to feel now. He was vaguely disappointed and yet at the same time he still loved his mum. It was confusing. He loved her for her obvious love of him but he couldn't help but feel betrayed knowing that she had lied to everyone about something so huge. Sure in the end she had come clean to James but not soon enough. He wanted to hate her because maybe if she had told the truth things could have been different for Harry. But he found himself incapable of anything more than vague resentment since she was dead. He would never get the chance to talk about any of this with her, and vent his feelings about the situation with her. All he had were some of her thoughts and feelings at the time. They were only random snippets of her life since she wrote less and less frequently as time went on. He couldn't get angry since it would do him no good to hate someone who was gone. It was far too late to change the past and Harry recognized that anything she had done wasn't his fault.

"So I was thinking about a few new adjustments to the suit," Tony said casually.

Harry looked up. There was concern in Tony's eyes but the man seemed to realize that Harry wasn't ready to talk about what he had read and was offering him a distraction. Harry smiled at him, a rush of warm feelings towards Tony flowing through him. Tony had really been there for him; today and he had to say he was feeling very grateful to having Tony in his life.

"What were you thinking?" Harry asked dutifully, and Tony quickly launched into a long-winded explanation of the new repulsors he was thinking about installing and it effectively distracted him.

Maybe his mum had made mistakes and maybe things could have been different but at the moment there was no place he would rather be than with Tony. With Tony he finally had a real home, and he would never have to go back to the Dursleys again.

While Harry and Tony were flying over the Atlantic, the Dursleys were being interrogated about their nephew. The people Tony had hired were watching over them carefully to make sure that they were completely honest in their admissions of guilt. Later on Vernon and Petunia Dursley would be convicted of child abuse, and would each be sentenced to several years in prison along with many more years of probation. They would never regain full custody of their son.

But back to the present. It was also during Harry and Tony's flight that Harry came to a very important decision. It was a combination of seeing the Dursleys pay for the injustices they showered on him, and by a renewed sense of trust in Tony. Harry had finally and conclusively decided that his home with was Tony. This caused the impenetrable blood wards surrounding Number 4 Privet Drive to crumble.

They had been weakening steadily over the last couple of weeks without Harry there to renew and strengthen them. The wards would have managed to last an entire year from Harry's last departure but there was one sure fire way to shatter them. Harry stopped thinking of Privet Drive as his home. It also helped that the Dursleys had been permanently removed from the residence, and felt such strong resentment towards him that they would never welcome him back to live with them even under the most extreme duress. Up until this point no one in the wizarding world, besides one Hermione Granger of course, knew that Harry was no longer with his relatives. With the wards shattering so suddenly, and so spectacularly it got the notice of Albus Dumbledore, the Headmaster of Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Supreme Mugwump, Chief Warlock etc.

He had monitors on Privet Drive to let him know the state of the wards. If he hadn't been so busy trying to locate where the shade of Voldemort had fled to he would have realized that they had been weakening due to the fact that Harry had never arrived there at the end of the school year. But he didn't so when they did break, the alarms that rang throughout his office caused him to jump in shock. Still in shock it took him several moments to realize just what the alarms going off meant, and when he did he felt himself pale.

The wards around Privet Drive, protecting Harry Potter had fallen. Albus Dumbledore was instantly consumed with dread and fear for his student's life. He quickly called on the only two people he trusted enough with this information. He briefly explained the situation and then together the three of them apparated to Privet Drive to discover what had caused the wards to fall.

What they found was startling. The house was empty, and in shambles but it didn't look like anyone had recently broken in or attacked. Of course it was hard to tell considering the level of destruction in the house. They searched the house but found no traces of dark magic or indeed any type of magic that would suggest wizards were involved. Dumbledore closely inspected the wards for the cause of the deterioration while his two companions questioned the neighbors if they had seen anything.

All three of them were startled by what they discovered. Dumbledore discovered the wards had broken not because of a malicious attack but because Harry no longer called Privet Drive home. The question of why he no longer did was still unknown. Professors Snape and McGonagall discovered that the Dursleys had been arrested after admitting to child abuse. No one had noticed where Harry had gone since they had been too focused on all the police cars, and the angry outbursts of Vernon Dursley as he was carted away. None of them had even noticed that Harry hadn't been at Privet Drive this summer. Dumbledore went to see Arabella Figgs, a squib living in the neighborhood who had been watching over Harry since he first started living there, in hopes that she could provide him with more information on this situation.

She reported that she hadn't seen anything unusual, in fact it seemed that she hadn't even noticed that the Dursleys had been arrested. All of these things unsettled Dumbledore a great deal. The Dursleys being arrested for child abuse, Arabella's lack of knowledge, and the fact that Harry had truly not wanted to return to Privet Drive for the summer were events that worried Dumbledore. At the time Dumbledore believed that he simply did not want to return to the muggle world after experiencing the wonder of the magical one. He would have never expected anything to be wrong with the way Harry's relatives treated him. He thought maybe there was a bit of dissatisfaction with the arrangement on Harry's part but not enough to warrant Harry's removal or for the Dursleys to be arrested. What exactly had been going on? Arabella had never given him a report that would cause him to question their guardianship or look into Harry's treatment any further so he had left Harry and his relatives in peace. He was a very busy man, and sad to say he just didn't have time to check up on him that's why he had delegated the position to someone he thought that he could trust.

It seemed that this decision hadn't been the best for Harry. But Dumbledore knew he couldn't dwell on that at the moment. There was another far more important matter to look into: what had happened to Harry Potter?

I tried to portray Lily as a normal human being, not a saint or an intentionally malicious person. She was just someone who was young and made mistakes and instead of being honest she kept the secret to protect herself and then later to protect Harry. I'm not saying it excuses her behavior but mistakes happen.

Also I want to apologize for the late update. I wanted to try and keep up my once a week update but this is my last semester of college and I'm really busy so updates might not be as frequent as they were before. The story will be written since I know where I want it to go, I just have to find the time to write it. Sorry! The next chapter is the Avengers!

Thanks to anyone who reviewed, favorited or followed!