Chapter Four: Not Normal

-Five Years Old-

"Are you sure you have everything, sweetheart?" Pepper asked worriedly as she opened up Harry's Power Ranger's backpack and looked though the neatly arranged notebooks, crayons, rulers, and band aids that Pepper had bought since June.

Harry had attended a preschool two minutes from Stark Tower so they hadn't been too worried, but since Harry was now attending Kindergarten it meant a whole different school, he would be attending the Carrow Academy, a private school K-12th.

Which was thirty minutes away and that was nearly causing everyone a heart attack (except for Natasha who refused to admit that she was even the slightest bit worried, but still offered to teach Harry how to use pepper spray, an offer both Pepper and Tony had refused.)

"Mom," Harry whined. "I'm fine. You and dad already checked my backpack twice. Kindergarten is just like preschool. It's easy."

"Yeah, but they actually teach you something besides the colors and alphabet," Clint snorted as he came in dressed in his SHIELD suit. He was suppose to be at headquarters half an hour ago, but he would rather face Fury's wrath than miss Harry's first day of school.

"I wouldn't talk, Barton," Natasha snorted. "You still have to sing the alphabet song when someone asks you what letter comes after A, B, C-"

Clint reddened.

"Uncle Clint doesn't know the alphabet!" Harry singsong. "Uncle Clint doesn't know the alphabet, even Big Bird knows it." he said referring to Sesame Street.

Clint gave Natasha a dirty glare. "See what you did, and Harry I do know the alphabet, even better than Big Bird. Aunt Natasha is just being a liar."

"Well, it seems that you have everything," Pepper smiled tightly as she grabbed her camera from the kitchen counter. "I wish your father could be here."

"Where is Tony anyway?" Bruce asked amused as he looked up from his newspaper. "I'm surprise he lets Harry out of his sight for more than three minutes."

"He had to go to an early meeting."

"And he went?" Steve whistled. "That's hard to believe."

"Well, the meeting was in Hong Kong so he had to go." Pepper gave them a mischievous smile as she grabbed Harry's backpack. "Well, off you go sweetie. The bus is already waiting for you at the front."

"Ok," Harry put on his backpack, eager about school. "Bye Mommy, bye Uncle Steve, bye Uncle Bruce, bye Aunt Natasha, bye Uncle Clint, Bye Jarvis."

"Goodbye young Harry."

"Bye, honey." Pepper opened the door nervously. "Are you sure you have-"

"Pepper," Natasha rolled her eyes. "He's go it. It's kindergarten, not Afghanistan, trust me Harry can survive eight hours of school. Stop fussing over him, guys you too."

Bruce, Steve, and Clint looked away sheepishly.

"Harry, don't talk to any strangers."

"Remember to thank the bus driver."

"Don't touch under the seat, there is usually gum on them."

Harry wasn't even listening to them he was already running out the door. The bus was already parked in front of the tower. It was a big yellow bus with the name of the school printed at the side. The bus was already filled with kids of all ages.

Harry stepped inside and looked around shyly at the boys and girls. Some of them were bigger than him and he seemed to be the smallest. He sat in one of the front seats when he heard someone whisper, "loser."

Harry's cheeks burned as he turned around and saw two boys that were closed to his age maybe a little bit older, snickering. "Nerd. Look at his glasses he looks like Arthur."

Harry's lip trembled. He had always liked the show Arthur and the books and when someone usually told him that he looked like Arthur he usually took it as a compliment. But it seemed that the kids were making fun of him.

"Hey, geek," one of the boys whispered quietly enough so the bus driver wouldn't hear. "Why do you wear glasses, geek?" he snatched away the glasses and Harry instantly saw blurry.

"Hey," Harry pleaded. "Give them back, please. I can't see!"

His friend besides him, laughed at him. "The baby can't see! Why do you have that ugly scar? Are you going to cry? Only babies cry. Why don't you go back to your Mommy?"

Harry's throat felt thick and he tried to keep his voice from breaking. "Please, give me my glasses back."

The boys snickered again before they threw him the glasses back. Harry was unable to catch them and they broke causing the people around them to burst out laughing

Harry was trying his best not to cry, but the harder people laughed the more he felt like crying. He felt the tears pouring out of his eyes and they kept on laughing harder.

I want to go home, he though, I want to go back to the tower. I want to go with my Mommy and Daddy. Go back bus, go back, please.

"What the hell-" Harry felt the bus turn rapidly around and heading into the opposite direction where it had just come from at full speed. The driver started stepping on the brakes. "Geezes, the brakes aren't. . .working. Dammit, stop-"

The bus stopped in front of Stark Tower and Harry was relived when he saw the large A.

"Ok, everyone out," the bus driver barked. "I need to call your parents and tell them the bus isn't working and you will need another ride to school."

Grateful, Harry ran out of the bus at the same time that Pepper was coming to leave for the office. "Mommy!"

"Sweetie!" Pepper hugged him. "What happened?"

"The bus doesn't work. Guess what Mommy? I thought really hard and I wished that the bus would come back home and it did even though the driver didn't want to. And the bus stopped in front of our house, isn't that weird mommy? My wish came true."

Pepper froze. It wasn't possible, Harry's story wasn't really possible was it? Harry had always had an active imagination. But Thor and Loki had always said that there was a different aura when it came to Harry, like if he was not of this world. Pepper shook her head, it couldn't be possible. It was just a coincidence.

"Well, that's rather unfortunate," she looked at her watch. "Well, I could still drive you to school."

"No!" Harry looked at his hands still holding the broken pieces of his glasses. "I don't want to go back, I hate school. Can't I stay home with you?"

"Everyone went to work, Harry."

"I'll stay with Jarvis."

Pepper smile fell. "What happened to your glasses, baby? And why are your eyes all red, have you've been crying? What happened?"

Harry shook his head. "Nothing, Mommy. I. . .tripped and my glasses broke."

"Harry, you know you can talk to me-"

"I don't want to talk about it, Mommy." Harry looked at the floor.

Pepper sighed, but didn't pressed.. "All right. I guess it wouldn't matter if you miss one day of school. You can stay with Uncle Loki he just arrived from Asgard." Even though Loki had never tried to attack Harry, Pepper still wasn't entirely trustful of him.

But Harry seemed to like him.

Harry grinned. "Ok, Mommy bye!"

Harry ran into the room and found Loki sitting on one of the living room couches glaring at the turned off TV. "Uncle Loki!" he jumped on Loki's lap, starling him.

"The red headed woman-I mean Pepper told me you were in some building being educated," he smirked. "Worthless stuff I'm sure."

"The bus stopped working." Harry said. "We were going to school, but then I thought really hard and I hoped that I didn't have to go to school and then the bus drove me back. The bus didn't listen to the driver or anything."

Loki smirked. He knew there was something different about Harry and this could be it.

"Oh, really then-"

"Uncle Loki," he bit his lip. "Have kids ever made fun of you?"

"No," he scoffed. "They wouldn't have dared." In fact Loki had regularly been bullied in his younger years because he wasn't as tall and as buffed as Thor. But he got his revenge. He always did. "Did something. . .happened?" damn, he really needed to work on this whole uncle thing.

"Some kids were being mean to me." he said. "They called me names and they broke my glasses. I hate school."

Loki sighed as he pulled Harry closer. He knew all too well what Harry was feeling. "You know what you should do? Play a prank and get back at them, make them suffer until they regret every bad-"

"Mommy said revenge is bad," Harry piped in. "And that I shouldn't play pranks with you. Daddy is still mad about the ice castle."

Loki smirked. "Well, we don't have to tell Mommy."

Harry hugged him. "Thank you Uncle Loki, you always make me feel better."

888

"I just knew this would happen. I just knew it."

Pepper raised an eyebrow. "Knew what? That the bus was going to bring Harry back magically because he didn't want to go to school?"

"Yes. . .no," Tony sighed. "Not like that exactly. Don't even get me started on the fact that I want to strangle someone for letting those brats be mean to Harry in the first place. But besides that, this is just another remainder than Harry is not our son."

"Shh," Pepper hissed as she pointed to the backseat of the car. "Harry just fell asleep."

"Pep, I mean- we have to tell him someday that he is adopted," Tony replied frustrated. "The media has gotten used to it, so they don't ask anymore and I have them paid off anyway. But Harry is older now and he's bound to ask why he doesn't look like us. We have different colored eyes, different skin tones, even different hair. We look nothing alike."

"In time." Pepper reassured him. "We'll find out when to tell him."

"When?" he snorted sarcastically. "Pep, we both know, maybe even Thor and Loki that Harry is not normal. With the mysterious disappearance of his parents, his wild hair, his scar, and now this bus incident. It just seems unnatural. To make matters worse I received this letter from some place called the Ministry of Magic, delivered by an owl."

Dear Guardians of Harry James Potter-Stark,

Mr. Potter used underage magic on September 08, at 8:12 AM. While underage magic at his age receives no punishment from the ministry of magic since he has no full control of his powers, it is still encourage to watch your children closely and avoid situations is where your child's magic may cause harm to themselves or other people. Your child's magic will become easier for him to control when they are older.

Until then, you are responsible for any accident involving magic.

Sincerely,

Mafalda Hopkirk

Improper Use of Magic Office

The Ministry of Magic

"What could this mean?" Pepper gaped at him.

Tony shrugged, frustration written on his face. "I don't know, Pepper. I really don't know."

-End of Chapter Four-

As always thank you so much for your very kind reviews. Sneak Peek for the next chapter: Molly and Ron Weasley will be making an appearance : )