Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or the Avengers. Unfortunately.
Chapter 13: All That Glitters Is Not Gold
Tony had been acting really strangely ever since Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Snape came to visit. He'd been spending most of his time in his workshop. When Harry tried to go and spend some time with him in there he'd kick him out claiming that he was making him a surprise. He was excited about the possibility of a surprise but he was a little annoyed about not getting to spend a lot of time with Tony. He would be going back to Hogwarts soon, and he wanted to spend as much time as he could with his dad.
Harry was beginning to feel more than a little conflicted about returning to Hogwarts. On the one hand he was extraordinarily excited about going back. He really missed Hogwarts and all its strange little quirks. He missed his friends and being able to do magic whenever he wanted to. But on the other hand he was really going to miss Avengers Tower and all of the Avengers. Most of all he was going to miss his dad. Harry had dreamed of having a dad for so long. But not even in his wildest dreams had imagined that he would have one like Tony. He was funny, kind, intelligent, and brave. He was a real life superhero, and the best part of all was that he proved, several times, that he would always be there for Harry. Tony wanted to be his dad. Harry couldn't have asked for anything more.
A week and half before he was supposed to return to Hogwarts they had decided to take a trip to Diagon Alley. Tony had gotten in touch with the Grangers and Weasleys so that they would meet them there. Harry wasn't sure how he had gotten in touch with the Weasleys but it made him nervous to think of Ron's and his family's reaction to his father being someone other than James Potter. It was almost a relief to have had Tony being the one to explain the situation to them instead of Harry having to do it himself. Phil had gotten them a portkey to take them directly to Diagon Alley. Harry, Tony, and Bruce had been fascinated by the concept of a portkey. It would be able to transport them all the way across the Atlantic Ocean in just a matter of moments.
The day of the trip dawned. Harry practically jumped out of bed in his excitement. He couldn't wait to see his friends and to properly introduce Tony to Ron. He also couldn't wait to introduce Tony to the place where he himself was first introduced to magic. After the shopping trip they would be taking a tour around Hogwarts. Harry was thrilled at the chance to show Tony around the castle he considered to be his first home. It was the first place where he felt like he actually belonged, and he desperately missed it. However, it was no longer his only home. In the two and half months since Harry had started living with Tony he had come to see the tower as his home, and all of it's occupants as his family.
Harry dressed quickly before rushing out to the kitchen. The portkey was set to leave for 7:17 am so that they would arrive in London at 12:17 pm since they were five hours ahead of them. Tony complained about the strangely specific time but Pepper quickly shut him up.
As he entered the kitchen he was greeted by all of Avengers minus Thor of course, and plus Pepper and Phil. Phil was wearing his typical suit while everyone else was in their pajamas. Bruce was making omelets while Clint was flipping pancakes with practiced ease. Natasha was chatting with Pepper about some of the new deals that Stark Industries was working on. Natasha had briefly worked for Stark Industries while she was spying on Tony for SHIELD. Pepper still valued her opinions and insight. Tony and Phil were trying to explain a movie reference to Steve that he obviously didn't get. Phil explained with extreme patience while Tony, in shocked outrage that Steve didn't understand the reference, insisted on having movie nights from now until Steve was up to date on all pop culture references.
All of the Avengers had been living together in the tower now for a couple of weeks, and Harry really looked forward to the times when everyone was all together. It was like be a part of a large and chaotic family, something Harry always dreamed of having. Breakfast was one of his favorite times of the day since everyone was always so relaxed, still dressed in their pajamas with sleep ruffled hair.
"Hey kiddo," Tony greeted, being the first to notice him. The others all called various greetings as he made his way towards them.
"Good morning," Harry said as he sat down at the table.
"Are you excited about today?" Phil questioned.
"Yeah, I can't wait to go," Harry enthused.
"Is it all right if Steve, Bruce, and Agent go with us today, Harry?" Tony asked.
"Yeah, I don't mind. The more the merrier," Harry agreed easily, smiling at the other men.
"Steve here wants to meet up with Dumbles again and Bruce is dying to get more information on potion ingredients," Tony explained.
"And I have some business I need to conduct with the Ministry of Magic. I will be able to spend some time with all of you after it's completed," Phil explained.
"It'll be great. I can show Steve and Bruce all around Diagon Alley and once you're finished, Phil, we can all get ice cream at Fortescue's," Harry was all too eager to have them all come along. He couldn't wait to show off his new family to his friends.
"So this magic street, what does it sell? I mean can you buy big black cauldrons and eye of newt?" Clint snorted.
"Yup," Harry chirped, giving Clint a bright smile.
Clint stared back a frown creasing his face. "All this witchy stuff is just a bit too over the top for me."
"Wizard stuff. I'm a wizard. Witches are girls," Harry told him in exasperation. This was probably the hundredth time they'd had this conversation.
"Yeah, Katniss, get it right," Tony said looking amused by Clint's discomfort.
Harry did feel bad for him. Clint didn't have a good experience while being under the influence of Loki's staff. He'd worked with enemies of SHIELD to try and take down the people he worked with and cared about. He'd been forced to kill people against his will. The experience had, understandably, made him more than a little leery of magic or at least the brand of mind control that Loki had been using. Clint didn't treat Harry any differently despite his discomfort with magic. He was intelligent enough to know that just because Harry was magical it didn't automatically mean he was a monster. Clint's obvious acceptance of him meant a lot to him especially knowing what Clint had suffered. Clint's acceptance didn't stop him, however, from teasing him about magic.
Clint smirked, "Yeah, my bad. It's just the wands and the brooms. It's so cliché it doesn't seem real."
"Brooms are awesome. You have to come see one of my Quidditch matches."
"I'd love to see how anyone can make a sport played on flying brooms be interesting," Clint agreed easily, not looking overly impressed.
"Quidditch is actually really dangerous because it's played so far off the ground, and at such high speeds. Not to mention the bludgers. They're like bowling balls and it's their job to hit players," Harry explained causing Clint to look a bit more interested.
"What!?" said Pepper in alarm. Tony's eyes were wide as he glanced at Harry.
"Don't worry they don't actually let anyone get hurt too bad. Not like professional Quidditch," Harry reassured them.
"Quidditch is quite tame in comparison to Quodpot. I should know. My nephew is on his school team. He wants to become a professional player despite my sister-in-law's concerns," Phil added supportively.
Pepper was still frowning, and Tony was trying to look nonchalant like it really didn't bother him that much. But Harry knew him well enough now to recognize the slightly pinched look for the worry it really was.
"Don't worry, I'm always careful," Harry told them, crossing his fingers behind his back.
Clint snorted obviously not buying it but didn't comment. They all went back to their breakfasts. Once they were finished the six of them that would be travelling to Diagon Alley met in the living room. Phil produced the portkey, which turned out to be a potted plant.
"This is going to take us across an ocean?" Tony commented skeptically looking a tad nervous.
"Yes, Mr. Stark," Phil said blandly. Harry noticed the tiny spark of amusement in his eyes. "Now I need everyone to take a firm hold of the pot. It's now a quarter past seven so it will be activating shortly."
"Yeah, this wizard stuff is really weird," Clint muttered from his space sitting on the counter munching on some bacon.
"You may feel a bit of discomfort," Phil mentioned with a minute left until their departure.
"How much discomfort?" Bruce questioned looking a bit worried.
Phil just gave a small smile. Harry and Tony shot each other nervous looks.
The clock struck 7:17. All at once Harry felt like something hooked him behind his navel and yanked him. Harry was vaguely aware of the other's gasps of surprise as they went spinning out of control. Harry gripped the edge of the pot for all he was worth terrified that he would be thrown off and end up somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. He managed to maintain a strong hold but he wasn't prepared for the sudden landing. He dropped to the stone street in a pile with everyone else. The only one who was able to stick the landing was, of course, Phil. He looked down at the rest of them with his normal placid expression as they tried to reorient themselves.
"What the hell was that?" Tony complained, climbing to his knees.
"I think that was worse than the rides at Luna Park on Coney Island," Steve agreed.
"No, that was worse than Tony's driving," Pepper panted as she got to her feet.
Bruce just groaned, rubbing at his back as he stood up.
"I think you'll find wizarding transportation, while very quick, can be rather… unpleasant. You'll get used to it the more you use it," Phil said pleasantly.
"Um no, that was my first and last time using a potted plant to get anywhere. I'm a billionaire and a genius I bet I can figure out a better teleportation method," Tony had a faraway look in eyes, already mapping out his first prototype.
"Tony," Pepper said warningly.
"Okay, okay. I'll save that thought for later," Tony sighed brushing off his suit.
"Can we go now?" Harry asked eagerly.
While they had been speaking Harry had noticed that the portkey had brought them to a small alcove just off Diagon Alley. He liked Horizont Alley but Diagon Alley would always hold a special place in his heart. It was the first place that he had been introduced to the magical world.
"Lead the way, kiddo," Tony grinned.
"I'll meet you all around 2:30 at Fortescue's," Phil gave them all a quick nod before blending seamlessly into the large crowds moving through the street. There were a lot of families out and about to get their shopping supplies.
"We're supposed to meet them in front of the entrance to the Leaky Cauldron, which is this way," Harry informed them as he dragged them along in his eagerness to get there.
Steve and Bruce were both amazed by Diagon Alley, which made it difficult to move them along quickly. Tony and Pepper were a bit more acclimatized to seeing magic performed from their previous trips to Horizont Alley. They were interested in observing the different surroundings and the older buildings. Harry pointed out the shops as they walked by but he didn't stop. They would have more time to explore once they had met up with Ron and Hermione's families. He just wanted to get this initial meeting out of the way as quickly as possible. He had to admit that he was feeling more than a little nervous about the Weasley's reactions.
Once they got close to the entrance it wasn't too difficult to catch sight of the Weasleys. A large group of red heads could stand out in any crowd.
"Ron!" Harry called out to him once they'd gotten close. He ran the rest of the way to meet Ron.
"Harry!" Ron yelled back running to meet him halfway.
They gave each other a quick tight hug.
Fred (or was it George?) greeted "Harrykins you grew—"
"A little over the summer," George (or Fred) finished as the twins trotted over to them.
"Hey!" Harry complained glaring at the twins who just grinned back unrepentantly.
"So this is the famous Ron Weasley?" Tony came up behind them.
"Yes, sir," Ron nodded, looking up a Tony and shifting nervously.
"It's Tony, freckles."
Ron flashed him a quick smile, some of the tension leaving him.
"He's really your dad, Harry?" Ron asked in concern.
"Yup," Harry agreed proudly, looking over at Tony.
"It's nice to meet you," Ron said finally accepting the situation after seeing just happy Harry was.
"You too," Tony nodded. "And who are you two?"
"Gred and Forge," Fred and George introduced together before giving a sweeping bow, which had Tony chuckling.
"They're my older brothers, Fred and George," Ron said in exasperation.
"Good luck figuring out who's who," said Harry.
Tony looked at them critically for a few moments.
"George," Tony said pointing to the twin on the left. "And Fred," he said pointing to the twin on the right.
The twins gaped at him in open amazement.
"How did you know?" Fred asked.
"Our own mum can't tell us apart," George agreed in awe.
Tony just flashed them a secretive grin. The rest of the Weasleys soon joined their group.
"Oh Harry, dear," Mrs. Weasley greeted sweeping him up in a tight hug.
"Hullo, Mrs. Weasley," Harry managed to choke out despite the air being crushed from his lungs.
Behind them Tony was greeting a tall, thin red haired man who must have been Ron's dad. The adults quickly went about introducing each other. Harry took note of how standoffish Mrs. Weasley acted around Tony. She was very kind to everyone else but she seemed to be a bit cold towards Tony. Harry had a few guesses as to why. Harry really hadn't thought a lot about how people would react to his having a different father. He'd purposely not thought about it. In reality he had always known that people's reactions probably wouldn't be positive about this revelation. James and Lily Potter were icons in the wizarding world. They were idolized just as much as Harry himself was. They were seen as the perfect couple, martyrs who sacrificed themselves for their son. The wizarding world's reaction probably wasn't going to be very favorable when they discovered Harry's true paternity. It was just a bit jarring to witness it from the mother of his best friend.
The rest of the introductions were made quickly. They had to redo them all when the Grangers made their arrival. It took them a while to get all sorted out but they finally set off towards Gringotts in one large group. Harry did his best to forget about his newly awakened anxiety. He wasn't ready yet to confront the possible negative reactions he might receive when the truth came out. He just wanted to enjoy himself today with the people he cared about most in the world.
Mr. Weasley seemed very interested in muggle technology and instantly began questioning Tony all about it. Occasionally Mr. Weasley would mutter things like 'amazing' and 'fantastic' when Tony and Bruce explained something simple like the toaster. Steve seemed like he was benefiting from the conversation on modern technology as well. Harry had to stifle his laughter when he saw Tony's stunned expression when Mr. Weasley actually asked him about the function of a rubber duck.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione walked a little bit away from the group so that they could have the chance to speak alone. They had a lot to catch up on, especially Ron and Harry.
"Wow, Harry. I can't believe it. I mean when mum told me I thought Fred and George somehow convinced her to pull a prank on me. But then mum would let the gnomes in the garden live in the house before she went along with one of their pranks. I mean how did it all happen exactly?" Ron gasped out.
Harry quickly explained everything that had happened since leaving Hogwarts. He told him about the trip to New York and meeting Tony. He explained to him about his mum and Tony's relationship, about how Tony confronted the Dursleys for him, and Tony's involvement in the alien invasion on New York.
"That's incredible!" Ron crowed once he got to the part about the attack on New York. He seemed to be completely okay with the fact that Harry had a different father, and was completely focused on learning more about the air crafts the aliens had flown around in. But that was one of the reasons why Harry liked having Ron as friend.
The British wizarding world had heard about the attack but apparently they didn't think aliens from another world and Norse gods were important. They only had a little article about it in the Daily Prophet, and were otherwise unconcerned. The wizarding world really almost was a separate world from the muggle world in the sense that they paid very little attention to muggle affairs. Harry realized that this really wasn't a great idea. The non-magical world was changing rapidly. It was creating people with abilities that were beyond those of what the wizarding world could understand if they didn't stay up to date with scientific advancements.
"Isn't it though? The discovery of alien life is ever so exciting," Hermione gushed looking starry eyed.
"Did the wizarding world know about Asgard?" Harry asked.
"No, just stories is all," Ron shrugged and asked more about the types of weapons the Chitauri had used.
Hermione and Harry frowned at the lack of information. They should have expected it. Ron was far from a scholar. They'd have more luck in the library looking up the wizarding world's views on Asgard. They hadn't seen anything in their searches before but they hadn't specifically searched for it before either. Harry was just glad that Ron seemed to be taking the whole new father thing fairly well. It was a relief to have his easy acceptance of the matter. He was a bit jealous that Hermione had gotten to go to Tony's island but Harry assured that he would definitely get to go on the next trip.
Once they arrived at Gringotts Steve and Bruce were able to exchange their American dollars for galleons. The two of them decided to go off on their own, and look around while the rest of them did their school shopping. Tony was going to exchange money as well before Harry mentioned his vault. However, Harry wished he hadn't because it made him question whether or not he even had a right to the money in there.
"Hmm, why don't we leave that for you when you're older? You can use it for extra spending money in college or something," Tony suggested not realizing Harry's inner turmoil.
"Yeah, you're probably right," Harry murmured glancing away to look at the Weasleys. He felt bad knowing he had all that gold and Tony was a billionaire while they would barely be able to afford all of the books they would need for Defense Against the Dark Arts this year.
"Hey, what's wrong?" Tony questioned catching on.
Having grown more comfortable with Tony since his birthday incident he decided to confide his worries to him, "What if it's James's money? I don't feel right taking it."
"Harry, don't think like that. That money was left to you by your mom and James. I'm sure both of them would want you to have it now. But if you really don't feel comfortable using it you don't have to. I think we both know that I have more than enough money to spend in several lifetimes," Tony assured him.
"I also feel sort of bad just letting it sit there when the Weasleys actually need it," Harry went on.
"Maybe there's something I can do about that," Tony looked thoughtful.
"I don't think they would be the type to just take money," Harry thought they might get offended or upset if Tony just tried to give them money.
"No, nothing like that. Don't worry about it, kiddo. This is adult stuff and though it might be difficult to believe, I am an actual adult. I'll take care of it," Tony assured him.
Harry relaxed a bit. Tony was right and Harry was glad that he had confided in him. It was nice to have some around he could trust to take care of his worries for him. He didn't have to carry the weight of the world by himself anymore. He had Tony on his side now, and he was a very good person to have on your side.
They spilt off into groups. Pepper went with Mrs. Weasley and Ginny. Fred and George met up with their friend Lee Jordan, and Percy likewise split from the group. Mr. Weasley took the Grangers for a tour of the alley, after a bit of reluctance Tony went with them. That left Harry, Ron, Hermione with an hour to go and explore before they needed to meet up with everyone else at Flourish and Blotts. It was nice for the three of them to have the chance to reconnect. It was like they had never been apart, and he was once again truly grateful to have them as friends. Harry was able to tell them more about his summer, and how much his and Tony's relationship had grown. Ron and Hermione also told him all about their own summers.
"So, your dad's a good guy then?" Ron asked in concern.
"The best," Harry assured.
"He really is very nice," Hermione added.
"It must have been strange, finding out your dad was someone completely different," Ron told him in rare moment of emotional understanding. Ron may not have been the best at it but the fact that he still cared meant a lot to Harry.
"It really was. I wanted to tell you but I didn't really have a way to contact you," Harry apologized.
"S'okay. I understand," Ron shrugged. "We can use the floo. I think the network is able to connect over the ocean."
"Phil mentioned the floo. It's be wicked to talk through the fire," Harry grinned.
"So did you really meet a god? Was he scarier than You-Know-Who?" Ron wanted to know.
Hermione looked interested as well. During their time on Tony's private island they had been so busy exploring Tony's lab that they hadn't spent a lot of time talking about Harry's interactions with Loki. He hadn't told her anything about the change in his magical core and he wasn't sure if he would at the present moment out in public where anyone could overhear. It was definitely something he wanted to keep a secret at the present moment.
"He was more powerful and it was terrifying but he wasn't as awful as Voldemort. Voldemort was just plain evil and crazy. Loki… Loki's not all that bad," Harry knew that a lot of people, especially Tony, wouldn't agree with him but it was hard for Harry to hate the god after he had saved his life. It did make Harry wonder about just what Loki had done to him. He hadn't used a lot of magic sense the change. Phil's brother Jack had given him a small exam to check on him and nothing seemed all that different. But Harry couldn't ignore the niggling in the back of his mind that something was fundamentally different inside him. He was forever irrevocably changed by what Loki had done to him, and only time would tell what the long term effects would be.
"Huh," was Ron's only response before switching topics to the new brooms that had just come out and whether they could stand up to Harry's Nimbus.
They ended up meeting up with the twins and Tony in Gambol and Japes Wizarding Joke Shop. Of course both Tony and the twins had naturally gravitated towards the joke shop. Tony said he was even considering funding the twins after hearing about some of their ideas on creating joke products. He was that impressed with their ideas. He also told Harry that he had offered Mr. Weasley a position working for him on some magical projects on the side. Apparently Mr. Weasley was already in possession of an illegal flying car, and Tony was more than interested in what other whacky ideas Mr. Weasley could come up with. Mr. Weasley had enthusiastically agreed.
The trip had been going extremely well which should have alerted Harry that something of course had to ruin it. Flourish and Blotts was their last stop before heading to meet up with Phil, Steve, and Bruce for ice cream. They'd saved it for last because of the sheer number of books they would have to buy in Defense Against the Dark Arts this year.
When they entered the bookshop it was pure chaos. There was a huge line of middle-aged women who were converged around a golden haired man wearing powder blue robes. There were large posters of him set up beside him flashing equally blinding white smiles that sent the crowd wild. A harassed looking wizard was bravely attempting to get everyone into a semblance of order. It wasn't working out very well. Harry recalled the banner on the windows out front that proclaimed that Gilderoy Lockhart was here for a signing of his autobiography.
"Gilderoy Lockhart? Isn't he the one who wrote all of our Defenses textbooks?" Harry questioned frowning.
"Yes, and to think we'll actually get the chance to meet the person who wrote them all," Hermione said looking star struck, which Harry hadn't expected from someone like Hermione. Then again she loved books with a passion, and meeting an author was probably a dream come true.
"So, I'm guessing this guy is like the me of the wizarding world. Except with a really cheesy smile and no where near as good looking," Tony muttered.
Harry wanted to laugh at his disgruntled look. He definitely wasn't used to being overlooked when out in public especially after the Avengers and the revelation of having a long lost son. Harry was actually surprised that wizards weren't aware of that information just yet. Considering how hardly any of them had paid attention to the attack on New York fewer had probably heard about the story about Tony Stark's long lost son and connected him back to Harry Potter. Harry was a little anxious thinking about when they would actually find out especially after witnessing Mrs. Weasley's reaction to Tony.
They made their way up the line to meet up with the rest of the Weasleys and the Grangers. Mrs. Weasley looked just as crazed as the rest of the witches trying to get closer to Lockhart. Pepper on the other hand looked more than a little exasperated, and smiled in relief when she saw them approaching.
"This is different. I'm normally the one on the receiving end of all of this," Tony joked once they reached her.
"This guy looks completely phony," Pepper muttered to which several witches shot her dark glares. Pepper only snorted not in the least bit intimidated.
A little man with a large camera shooting out purple smoke as he snapped a bunch of pictures of Lockhart suddenly bumped into Ron.
"Oi! Watch out!" Ron cried rubbing the foot that been stomped on.
"Get out of the way, this is for the Daily Prophet," the man in the hat snapped, unrepentant.
"This is completely mad," Ron complained to Harry.
Harry could only nod in agreement. However Ron's loud exclamation had drawn Lockhart's attention. Harry watched with a feeling of vague unease as Lockhart's blue eyes drifted from Ron to Harry. He definitely didn't like the way his eyes lit up with recognition.
"It can't be Harry Potter?" he cried out.
Harry froze like a deer in headlights as the crowd parted right to him. Lockhart quickly darted forward to snatch Harry's arm to drag him into the spotlight. Harry could feel his face burning as the crowd cheered and the camera started clicking away like mad.
"Nice big smile, Harry. Together we'll make the front page," Lockhart enthused as he threw his arm over his shoulders to keep him from escaping back into the crowd.
"Uh, I don't think so, Goldilocks," Tony had stalked forward, and looked quite murderous towards Lockhart.
"You," Tony snapped at the photographer. "Don't take another photo or I'll have my lawyers sue you for everything you're worth, which can't be much considering what you're wearing," Tony looked the photographer up and down, a cold, scathing look in his eyes.
The photographer stopped, looking at Tony in shock and fear.
"Uh, sir, I don't know who you think you are but we're trying to take a picture for the front page of the paper and we need you to move," Lockhart flashed an ultra watt smile and made a shooing motion at Tony.
Tony just stared at him with a look of disbelief on his face. Harry too, was shocked by the man's stupidity. Tony's anger was obvious, and Lockhart seemed to be completely oblivious of it. Then again he was too focused on hamming it up for the photographer and the crowd to really look and see just how angry Tony really was.
"No, you won't. You won't be taking any pictures of him without my consent. He's a minor and any photos taken of him without the consent of his legal guardian, who is me by the way, will cause a lawsuit I don't think you'd be able to handle. I'm really not the type of guy whose bad side you want to be on," Tony hissed quietly.
Lockhart finally seemed to get the hint through his overly styled head that Tony meant business. He quickly removed his arm from around Harry's shoulders.
"Oh um, I… I can't interest you in having just one photo taken? It's for the Daily Prophet. They do a wonderful job with their articles. It will be a great opportunity to get Harry some publicity especially if it's with someone who is used to being in the public eye," Lockhart offered with an attempt at charming Tony. However he was still a bit too scared of Tony for it to effective in any way, shape, or form.
Tony just continued to give him a dark look.
Lockhart gave a nervous giggle and flashed a weak grin. "Here Harry why don't you just take a free set of my books?"
Harry accepted the books with a muttered thanks. The crowd clapped looking confused by the turn of events. Tony put his arm around his shoulders, and steered him out of the spotlight. The crowd willingly parted, whispering and trying to figure out just who Tony was to their Boy-Who-Lived. Harry was thoroughly embarrassed and just wanted to get away from it all.
"What an idiot," Tony snorted.
Harry could only agree. They pushed their way through the chattering crowd until they had reached the edge of the crowd where Ginny was standing with her new cauldron. Tony left him, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny to go back and grab the rest of their group who had gotten stuck in the crowd. Harry dumped the free set of books in Ginny's cauldron. He would just buy his own set.
"Are you all right Harry?" Hermione questioned in concern.
"He's just upset that he didn't get to have his picture in the paper," came the all too familiar snide voice of Harry's archenemy.
"Leave him alone," Ginny snapped.
"Got yourself a girlfriend and a new father then, Potter?" Malfoy taunted causing both Ginny and Harry to turn red. Ginny in embarrassment and Harry in anger. He really didn't appreciate Malfoy's tone.
"Go away, Malfoy," Harry glared at the blonde boy in annoyance.
"Who is that man anyway, Potter? You rather look like him. Is he your filthy muggle uncle then?" Malfoy sneered.
"Why don't you just shut your mouth, Malfoy. No one wants to hear anything that comes out of your smarmy mouth," Ron sneered glaring at the white blonde boy with the pointed features.
"Weasel, I'm surprised to even find you in a shop. Are you sure your parents can afford it without starving themselves for a month?" Malfoy sneered back.
"You! I'll—" Ron went a bright red and started towards Malfoy with the obvious intent to cause harm.
Hermione and Harry both grabbed the back of his jacket to keep him from actually attacking. Luckily the adults arrived before the situation could get worse.
"Ron!" Mr. Weasley yelled in an admonishing tone as he arrived with Tony, Fred, and George on his heels.
"Arthur Weasley," drawled a smooth voice.
Harry stared at the older wizard with long blonde hair that approached them. Harry knew without a doubt that he was Draco's father despite having never seen the man before. They had the same pale, pointed features and wore identical sneers on their faces as they glanced at Harry's mix-matched group.
"Lucius," Mr. Weasley greeted looking like he smelled something foul. It was disconcerting to see the friendly man so angry. Harry knew that Mr. Malfoy must have been really bad news.
"Busy time at the Ministry, I hear. All of those raids. I do hope they're paying you overtime," Mr. Malfoy sneered as he grabbed up a tattered book from Ginny's cauldron and looking at it with great disdain.
"Obviously not," Mr. Malfoy muttered. "Dear me, what's the use of being a disgrace to the name of wizard if they don't even pay you well for it?"
"I think the only disgrace here is standing in front of us," Tony cut in glaring at Mr. Malfoy.
"I don't believe I know you," Mr. Malfoy noted as he glanced at Tony.
"You wouldn't," Tony said staring back.
Mr. Malfoy's cool gray eyes swept over Tony's muggle suit, and his nose wrinkled in disgust. "Ah yes, of course I wouldn't. You're a muggle as well as an American. I see you've fallen even further Weasley to be publically associating yourself with muggles."
"Listen here you pretentious bastard. You think you're something wonderful because of some misplaced sense of superiority. Well, I hate to be the one to break it to you, but your so-called blood purity doesn't matter. I'm Tony Stark one of the richest and most intelligent men on the planet. I'm not magical but I've fought wannabe gods, and aliens from another world. And I beat them all. As far as I'm concerned an stuck up snob like you doesn't even register in my sphere of importance. You're not even fit enough to lick my boots. But it could be arranged if you keep running your mouth about my friends," Tony offered.
"You think you can threaten me muggle?" Mr. Malfoy snapped, his jaw twitching with suppressed rage. He obviously wasn't used to people sticking up to him in such a blatant manner.
"Uh, no I don't think I can, I know I can," Tony deadpanned. "And for the record I don't just threaten, I follow through so just keep that in mind before you dig yourself into a deeper hole."
Mr. Malfoy glared at Tony but he didn't seem willing to continue the conversation with so many witnesses.
"Until we meet again," Mr. Malfoy flashed a sneer. He shoved Ginny's book back into her cauldron. Taking hold of Malfoy's arm he swept them both from the shop.
"Well, he is a wholly unpleasant person," Tony observed.
"Yes, he is. He gives all wizards a bad name," Mr. Weasley murmured solemnly.
"So, whose up for some ice cream?" Tony questioned flashing them all a bright smile.
Harry shot him a relieved smile back. Tony always seemed to know what to do, and Harry was grateful to have someone who was capable of sticking up for him.
At Fortescue's they finally met back up with Steve, Bruce, and Phil. After ice cream they said their goodbyes to the Weasleys and the Grangers, and set off for their tour of Hogwarts.
They'd been given another portkey to take to Hogsmeade, which was apparently the village just outside of Hogwarts. Harry had heard some of the older students mention it before, and he knew that third years and above were allowed to go to visit the village on designated weekends. No one was happy that they would be taking another portkey. But a portkey was their only option for the trip to Hogwarts. Any other mode of transportation would have taken too long causing them to spend the night. Tony insisted on finding a better mode of teleportation, and that the trip back to the tower would be the very last time he ever used a portkey.
Hogsmeade was an entirely wizard town. It was very quaint and piqued Harry's interest. Harry wanted to explore the wizarding town but unfortunately they didn't have the time to. Professor McGonagall met their group in Hogsmeade to show them the way up to Hogwarts. Carriages pulled by animals that Harry couldn't see brought them up to the castle. Apparently the others could see them. Professor McGonagall explained that they were thestrals and they were invisible except to those who had seen someone die.
"That's not morbid or anything," Tony muttered.
"Fascinating," Bruce murmured leaning out of the carriage a bit to get closer to the invisible animal to study it.
"What do they look like?" Harry felt a little left out being the only one who couldn't see them.
"You really can't see them?" Bruce responded.
Harry shook his head.
"Thestrals are similar in appearance to horses. The differences are that they are skeletal and have leathery wings. Despite their appearance and the nature in which they can be seen, they are in fact gentle creatures. Hogwarts wouldn't use them otherwise," McGonagall explained curtly.
"Invisible death horses," Bruce shook his head and took his glasses off to clean them obviously disbelieving of the entire situation.
"I wonder if I could use them to try and make the suit invisible," Tony muttered.
"No, Tony, the last thing we need in this world is an invisible Iron Man," Pepper glared sternly at Tony who sent her an innocent look back.
Harry knew they were all about to get more of a shock once they reached the castle, and they were confronted with all of the ghosts that called Hogwarts home. The thestrals were all but forgotten once Hogwarts finally came into view.
"You know I wasn't expecting a place called Hogwarts to look that," Tony exclaimed as his eyes swept over the massive and beautiful castle.
"Hogwarts is one of the oldest magical schools in the world. It has a very rich history and was built by some of the most powerful witches and wizards to have ever lived," Phil commented mildly.
Harry wondered if Phil had ever seen Hogwarts before. It was hard to tell if he was as impressed as the others obviously were by the old castle. But as usual it was impossible to tell with Phil. Harry wondered vaguely about what his meeting with the Ministry of Magic had been about, and if it had gone well.
The carriage dropped them off and they made their way through the large front doors into Hogwarts. The group was silent as they got their first good look at the inside of the castle.
"So where are we going to start?" Harry asked McGonagall eager to get started.
"How would like to give them the tour? While I can answer any questions your father may have about our curriculum," McGonagall offered.
"That would be great," Harry enthused. "We can start in the Astronomy Tower. Work our way from the top to the bottom."
"Sounds good. I can test to see if the magical resistant cellphone works here. Coulson was saying that Hogwarts was one of the most magical infused places around, and that if it could work here it would work anywhere," Tony withdrew the small prototype he had been working on.
"Don't get your hopes up, Mr. Stark, muggle technology does not work well in the presence of magic," McGonagall informed him
"Yes, but I made this so it should work," Tony pointed out.
McGonagall gave him a skeptical look.
Tony checked the mobile. "It's working so far. I'll keep an eye on it."
"Come on, let's go," Harry commanded.
Harry led the group up the stairs. He purposely didn't warn them about the moving staircases, wanting to see their reactions.
"What the hell?" Tony gasped when the staircase they were standing on decided to shift.
"Is everyone all right?" Steve questioned. Phil and McGonagall were the only ones who weren't rattled by the movement.
"Oh I forgot to warn you, the staircases like to move," Harry responded flashing an innocent grin.
Tony glared at him. "So that's how it's going to be, huh? A day full of you trying to make me scream like a girl?"
Harry's grin stretched wider, and he nodded his head.
"Well, I hate to break it to you but it takes a lot more than some moving staircases to scare Iron Man," Tony boasted.
"If you say so," Harry shrugged.
Harry enjoyed several more laughs that day at the expense of the others. The moving and talking paintings were more than enough to cause Bruce and Tony to mutter to themselves about how it defied the laws of science. Steve practically had a heart attack when they stumbled upon Nearly Headless Nick. And Harry got to hear Tony give a startled scream when Sir Nicholas demonstrated just how he was nearly headless, and went on about the injustice he suffered at not being allowed to join in on the Headless Hunt.
They were able to meet with most of the professors since almost all of them had returned the castle by now to prepare for school year. Professor McGonagall gave them a running commentary about the castle's founders even telling them the story of the fight between Salazar Slytherin and the three other founders that Harry hadn't heard before. Harry pointed out his favorite parts of the castle, and told them the stories of some his favorite moments. They met the Fat Lady and he showed them the room he would be sharing with his fellow Gryffindors. Tony greatly approved of the Gryffindor color scheme.
Thankfully it was getting late so they didn't have time to tour the dungeons. The last thing Harry wanted was to have a run in with Snape. It would definitely ruin the great day he had had. He had seemed to be in an even worse mood than he normally was during his visit to Avengers Tower.
"Would you like to have something to eat before you leave?" McGonagall offered.
Harry eagerly accepted for them. He really missed all of Hogwarts's food especially the pumpkin juice. The smaller table that was set up during school breaks was placed in the middle of the great hall when they stepped inside. There were already a couple of people sitting at the table eating the meal laid out. Harry easily recognized Professor Flitwick, his diminutive Charms Professor, and Hagrid, the half-giant grounds keeper who liked to keep dangerous pets. Dumbledore swept into the great hall only moments after they entered.
Dumbledore greeted them enthusiastically. Introductions were made for Professor Flitwick and Hagrid.
"Ah yes, Mr. Stark, the Headmaster has informed the staff of the situation," Flitwick chirped in his normal overly excited manner.
Harry expected an equally excited greeting from Hagrid but the half-giant looked uncharacteristically cold. His dark eyes were glaring at Tony.
"So yer the one who's disrespected Lily and James?" Hagrid demanded.
"Hagrid, please, we've spoken about this. There's no need to talk about this in front of Harry," Dumbledore said in a soft but authoritative tone.
Harry felt a sting of discomfort strike him even as Hagrid subsided. It was obvious that the grounds keeper wasn't okay with the situation. It left Harry feeling uneasy and reminded him of Mrs. Weasley's own negative reaction to Tony. They weren't acting coldly towards him but their anger towards Tony was hurtful to him nonetheless. Logically, Harry knew that this discovery was a hard pill for people to swallow. It had taken him a couple of months to come to terms with the situation. He knew it must be even more difficult for the people who had actually known Lily and James as a couple. Harry understood that what Tony and Lily had done wasn't right but over the past couple of months as he'd grown closer to Tony he'd easily begun to overlook the obvious injustice that the two of them had committed. Of course Harry was glad that they had because otherwise he wouldn't exist.
Harry was just finding the obvious hostility from people he knew and trusted to be a little difficult. It was a wake up call to him. It made him realize that not everyone was going to be as happy about this revelation as he was. And it hurt. He knew he had been purposefully naïve about the entire situation but things had been going so well for him for once that it had been easy to forget the reality of the difficult life he led. Harry had grown to love Tony. He saw him as his dad but now he knew that the wizarding world wasn't going to feel the same. It made him anxious to see how they would react to him. Harry knew he was strong that he could stand whatever the world decided to throw at him. He knew his true friends would stick by his side no matter what. But that didn't mean he wanted to face that adversity. He just wanted to enjoy his time at the first place he had ever called. For the first time Harry was actually nervous about going back to Hogwarts.
Harry made sure not to let his new feelings of unease show through just yet as they headed home. He wanted to think things through on his own for a bit. If he was still feeling unsettled he could talk with Tony about it once they got home. Harry was beginning to realize that, just maybe, returning to Hogwarts wasn't going to be as wonderful as he had hoped it would.
I'm so, so sorry for such a long wait. Job hunting is proving to be a very difficult task. Not to mention I had a difficult time getting all the dialogue in this chapter right and I'm still not quite happy with it but it is what is. I had to stop obsessing over it, and just post it. I also finally saw Thor the Dark World and it had me readjusting the storyline a bit. But the good news is that it gave me a bunch of new ideas and a lot of motivation. I have the next five chapters really well outlined now. The next chapter is titled Guess Who's Back and will be about Harry's return to Hogwarts and more of the wizarding world's reaction to Harry not being a Potter. I've started writing it and should be out within a couple of weeks.
Thanks for reading and all the reviews, favorites, and follows!
Also I've put up a couple of prompts on my profile page if anyone is interested. One is for a Teen Wolf/ Supernatural crossover and the other is for a Sherlock/ Harry Potter crossover that I just don't have time for but would love to see written so please if any of you are looking for some ideas take a look.