Harry Potter: Magical Avenger

by j1982

Portraits of the Founders help Harry using a ritual to send him on a one way trip to a different reality. However the Creator had other somewhere else in mind so he was sent to a different Earth. Super Harry. Rich Harry. No Slash. H/Multi.(Indefinite Hiatus - If you want to adopt or use this story, please feel free to do so.)

4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3- Along Came a Spider

Harry Potter: Magical Avenger

Disclaimer:

I do not own the Harry Potter universe nor do I own the Marvel universe which is where the Avengers and other characters came from.

Still March 2008

Harry has just finished his meeting with the current US President and he was glad this administration was coming to a close. They claim to be the Land of the Free and 'all men are equal under god,' they must mean only men or women that are not metahumans. By now, Harry has learned why Dumbledore and Xavier practice their legilimency and telepathy to read at least the surface thoughts of those they were dealing with. Though the Secretary of Health was at least a fence sitter on the metahuman issue and willing to give them a fair shake, the rest of the people inside the Oval office that day were prejudiced, corrupt and greedy men who only see the metahumans as disposable once their usefulness has past or as a resource to exploit, in short, not human to be treated as equals. Both the president and the vice president did not give a shit for the metahumans. To be fair, they also did not care about their fellow men.

Both knew they were on the way out and government positions are not going to be offered to them, they only wish to preserve their 'legacy,' whatever that may be. The Secretary of Defense was downright aggressive in his stance that the metahumans have to be eradicated, for the greater good of all normal people. He even threatened Harry with jail if he did not sell his medicines to the US armed forces. Harry just stared at the man and asked Bush if this was his government's position. At this point, the Sec Def was asked by his President to 'take a walk and cool your heels,' the president tried to make excuses for the man but it fell flat. Harry made a mental note to talk to the two candidates running for president to see if he can talk to them and check feel out along their staffs. Maybe he can give his support to one if their stance to the metahuman question is favorable to his cause.

He walked out of the meeting with nothing to show for it. He just promised samples can be picked up from the Manhattan office whenever they wanted but he is limiting the samples to a maximum of five hundred doses, it should be enough to get FDA approval or at least get the process started until the 'new guy' gets elected. When the president asked Harry to sell the unapproved potions and pastes to the military, Harry coldly replied that he is not going to produce medicine which will not be available to the general public.

It is a good thing that he read them before being as open as he was with the Queen and the PM. He would call them as soon as he got to a quiet place. He did not want to be 'outed' to the fools he just met with.

Harry teleported back from the airport's washroom to his chateau. He would make the mirror call, a wise move for security against eavesdroppers, to the PM. He was not worried that the man was busy as Harry asked him to answer only if he was alone and available. The 'mirror' was a modified version of the one he got from Sirius. It was small and very thin that to anyone else, it would be a simple calling card in his wallet and it would vibrate if there was an incoming call.

"Good evening, Prime Minister. I have just finished meeting with 'Dubya' and his staff. The only decent person there was the Health Secretary. The President, his VP, and his Defense Secretary were all wankers."

"I was afraid this will happen. I was hoping you will be meeting with just the president and health secretary. I forgot he couldn't do anything without his 'handlers.' What happened?"

"I did not reveal any of my plans other than wishing to open my business all over the world. Please apprise Her Majesty that I did not reveal any of my secrets, certainly not that I have some metahuman powers or that I am from a different reality. He requested that I continue supplying the US armed forces with the medicines but I refused. They will only get an additional five hundred samples of each potion and pastes so please ask the health minister to keep her team quiet about how much I am allowing you to use. Officially I will be limiting samples to the US and UK to 500 samples per product but I am willing to give your government an extra 2000 per product so if it ever gets leaked, I can say that the 2000 is less than the amount given to the US forces in Afghanistan. It will be up to your government if you wish to share them."

"While I can see your point in refusing to supply more to the military, do you not think saving the lives of the men and women there is more important?"

"Prime Minister, the lives of people are my priority which is why I plan on selling the things. Do you think I sent that many samples just for shits and giggles? I sent them 2000 per sample product and a further 1000 for the more critical important ones like the blood replenishers, the bone regeneration and the anti-paralysis potions as they are single use potions. The pastes can be used for at least ten times each on a moderately sized wound even though you will seldom use it five times on a severely wounded patient. It can last them at least six months, if they use the products wisely on the critically wounded. The new administration should be in place by then. I am not heartless, sir."

"I am sorry, Harry. I did not mean to imply that you are a heartless person. I merely wished to be sure that the men and women on the front lines are cared for."

"I am sorry too, Gordon. The stress of the meeting along with the rather inhuman characteristics of those I met with have been a headache. How they got into public office astounds me. Although I guess I shouldn't be surprised at all, ignorant buffoons they may be but they can act better than a BAFTA awardee." Harry chuckled ruefully at the thought which was returned by the PM.

"They are not limited to the US, I'm afraid. There are plenty of them around the world. Anyway, I will pass on your message to Her Majesty. Have a good afternoon, Harry."

"Thank you, Gordon. I will be checking on my production line later. Please give my warmest regards to the Queen. Good night." Harry ended the connection and got himself some fine single malt scotch produced by the elf Johnny before proceeding to Elysium to check on their progress.

Harry was very happy to see that they were proceeding better than expected. The elves' population has reached the ceiling of three thousand and the production of Elysium is in full swing. They have been preparing for the day the potions and pastes would finally be certified by a government and they have been stockpiling their stocks under preservation charms. Each of the products has been assigned a specific storehouse, which was expanded to fit a hundred of the storehouse's normal capacity, about a hundred thousand doses. The elves have already filled them about halfway through, five million doses already labeled, packed and ready for sale. The elves on the medical project were ecstatic as they were working as much as they want. Harry had to order them to work in shifts of nine hours per day only. A thirty minute break every two hours and a lunch break of one hour per shift and two days of rest per week. Harry was worried that they were working too much.

Winky and Dobby just chuckled at Harry's concern. They had an elf healer named Phil explain to Harry that his orders regarding the working and resting of the elves for every job in Elysium was more than sufficient as this was the normal work conditions of humans and elves had a better constitution than humans, four hours of sleep per day is more than enough. The elves were mumbling about the eleven boring hours of waiting to get to work. Harry just shook his head at the hard working elves and told three elves that his order regarding the work hours will remain in force. They will have to find a hobby or two to fill their hours or study to master their chosen crafts but they will have to eat three meals a day and get the require four hours of sleep.

While the elves in the medical project were busy, the others were not idle. The miners were busy gathering raw materials for workers busily fabricating high quality things for Harry's future plans like construction materials for Harry's compounds. The lumber jack team was getting wood prepared for furniture and other works. Harry's jewelers were creating works of art for possible resale into the general public.

The farmers and livestock breeders were stockpiling food for the use of the compounds and when the storerooms were about to be filled, Harry had the elves donate beef, pork, and seafood, along with pasta, rice, fruits and vegetables to soup kitchens, orphanages and homeless shelters all over the world but mostly to the third world countries as they needed the most help. The blue trucks used to deliver the food had the Hogwarts crest with Elysium replacing the word Hogwarts as a symbolic gesture to the hardworking elves of Elysium and the Founders as without their magical trunk, nothing will be possible. Harry also anonymously hired lawyers to trade mark the Elysium name and crest to protect it from unscrupulous men and women. As the Elysium food deliveries became famous, the elves responded with a firm 'No Comment' to every inquiry and directed the inquiries to the lawyers. In the years to come, the Elysium name and crest will be the standard that other

charitable institutions aspire to emulate as they delivered food to any institution without considering their race, gender, creed or nationality.

While awaiting approval for PHM's products from the world's governments, Harry leased spaces in Paris, Tokyo, London and NYC's to form 'Harry's,' his own luxury goods store. He easily obtained the necessary licenses to sell high quality cigars, liquors and chocolates along with custom leather goods like shoes and luggage. Similarly, he will have some elves who specialized in dress making and tailoring to sell bespoke dresses, suits, and tuxedos, along with scarves, ties, and handkerchiefs which were all made from the fine cottons, wools and such from Elysium along with a special clothing line which uses 'Potter silk,' which was really acromantula silk. His products rival if not exceed the top brands in the market. However, these were just a side business to the main products of his stores. He sold fine jewelry and other accessories for men and women made from gold, platinum and silver along with diamonds and other precious stones.

He plans to have grand galas in each of the cities he had stores in to introduce the luxury items to the rich and famous a month after the start of his media blitz. He hired the best advertisement agencies to promote his products and sent invitations to the rich and famous. To induce the invited guests to attend his events, he promised to donate cheques of $5,000 to charities in the name of the first fifty guests and $1,000 in the name of every invited guest who attends the star studded galas and there will be parting gifts of handmade scarves for the ladies and ties for the men.

The food and drinks at the parties will be served using golden plates, goblets and utensils with large emerald on their handles. Everything will be produced by the Elysium elves who were delighted to serve at their Master's gatherings.

When he mentioned these parties to the UK PM, Gordon immediately volunteered to attend the London gala with his family. The next day, he got a big surprise when Gordon sent word that the Queen along with her immediate family expects invitations to the London gala and he was given leave to have his people leak it to the media which would be 'unofficially' confirmed by the Queen's press liaisons office. Prince William and his fiancée, Catherine 'Kate' Middleton will also be attending the Tokyo gala as a thank you for the medicines which saved his life.

Harry was overjoyed with the royal family's generosity that he plans to surprise the Queen with a set of tiara, necklace, and earrings made from gold and precious stones to go with the protective ring he gave her. He sent sample boxes of his fine cigars and bottles of single malt scotch and brandy to Gordon Brown, Princes Charles, Edward, Andrew and their father Prince Philip while he sent chocolates and a case of champagne to the Queen, Princess Anne, Duchess Camilla, Sarah Brown and Catherine Middleton.

May 3, 2008

Halfway through the first gala which was held in a famous hotel's ballroom, Harry presented Queen Elizabeth II with surprise jewelry. The crowd was silent as the Queen accepted her gifts which harkened back to times gone by when Britain was the most powerful country in the world. When the Queen exchanged her current jewelry she wore with the help of Duchess Camilla and Catherine, the crowd burst into great applause accompanied by the oohs and ahhs of the women. When the Queen motioned for silence, they quickly complied.

"Mr. Potter certainly knows the way to a woman's heart," she quipped with a brilliant smile. She became regal once more. "By Our royal command, We give Harry's the Royal Warrant of Purveyors to the Crown with all its rightful honors and privileges." She smiled regally at Harry.

"Her Majesty is most generous to her humble servant," replied Harry to another round of applause.

The next day, all the stores showed of their warrants proudly on their entrance to proclaim the highest quality goods with the approval of a grateful monarch.

The stir caused by the lavish formal gala in London proved that the money he spent in the events were a good business move as his stores were having high volumes of sales across the board. If the success continues, he will have recouped the expenses for advertising and the charity contributions by the end of May with good bit left over as profits. The NYC gala would be on the first Saturday of the May followed by the Tokyo gala on the next Saturday with the last and grandest gala in Paris on the third Saturday of May.

The American media has been eagerly awaiting most lavish and star studded party of the year to date which would be happening tonight at the grand ballroom of the Plaza Hotel. Harry was talking to Winky who was overseeing the night's event when Harry felt the approach of Director Fury. Without turning around, he greeted his visitor when he approached the right distance. "Good afternoon, Director Fury. This is my good friend Winky; she will be supervising the night's event."

"Good afternoon, Mr. Potter, Winky. I would like to speak to you, Mr. Potter, regarding matters of the highest importance. Is there somewhere we can talk?"

"Follow me, Director." Harry then guided him to a quiet corner of the ballroom. "I must say that I was expecting this visit ever since the news about the medicines came out. What can I do for you, Director?"

Fury stared at Harry to see if he will break under his stare. It seemed he will be waiting a long time as Harry just showed his usual open, calm and a knowing smile. "Mr. Potter, I admit that this meeting has been long delayed. Matters have been a bit tense in Shield lately due to having to sort out a big metahuman problem."

"Ah, yes, the Hulk incident."

"That is classified Mr. Potter. Where did you get that information?"

Harry just shrugged and said with a straight face, "I found it on a conspiracy site on the internet; besides, most people think the site is rubbish so it couldn't have spread too much. It was taken down shortly so it should not have spread too much."

Fury looked at Harry intently for a few seconds before replying, "Alright, I'll give you that. I did see one of those websites a few hours after the incident. However, I am not here to talk about the big green one; I am here to talk to you about these potions of yours. I am aware that the president and his handlers pissed you off which is why you have capped your supplies to the government. I was able to reallocate some of that new medicine of yours into Shield's infirmary along with a few to our medical research division. It helped many of the men who could have never walked again from the carnage heaped upon them by the Hulk. General Ross bungled the entire situation so much that it has been reassigned to Shield. "

"I see, and while I am glad that my medicines have helped the injured men, I fail to see its relevance to this discussion."

"Mr. Potter, my medical research teams have been trying to analyze the products for a few weeks now. They have agreed that it is safe for human consumption after exhaustive testing on apes and monkeys however; they were unable to find out what the ingredients are. They have run it on spectrometers yet they are unable to make any headway. While it is my job to find out secrets that can help the world, I think that my priority will be the lives of the men and women under my command, with that said, I came to you to ask for your help in fulfilling my obligation to my people. We will be going after the Hulk so injuries would be inevitable. I need more of your medical products and in exchange, I will let you go about your business without harassing you as long as you keep you are not a threat to the world."

"Director, before I answer you, I want you to answer a simple question I have. What are your thoughts regarding the metahumans like the Hulk?"

"Personally, I don't give a damn as long as they do not infringe on the security of the world like trying to take it over or blowing it up. I will ask for their help if they can help me defeat the guys like Magneto, and his ilk. Live and let live but if they are threats to society, I will take them down."

Harry stared into, well, Fury's eye and determined that the man was indeed telling the truth.

"Good answer." Harry took out one of his business cards and wrote a few things in the back then gave it to Fury. "Please give this to one of your men, have him bring it to the PHM office here in Manhattan and he will be given a thousand doses each of the products. I am doing this to aid your men in fighting the bad guys, not because of your offer, but it is appreciated all the same. Call it a thank you for letting me play with bombs. Will you be staying for the gala?"

"I don't like these kinds of events. I'm more of a dive bar kind of guy."

"Alright, and Director? One piece of advice; trying talking to Dr. Banner before asking your men to charge in guns blazing. If you corner him, he will get stressed and Hulk-out so bring some of the calming potions with you."

"I won't even ask how you got that information, those were never mentioned in any of the websites and Bruce Banner's identity is a closely held secret so please keep it that way." Fury just shook his head and shook Harry's proffered hand before going back to the office.

Back in Shield HQ

Harry Potter is a man worth watching, Fury thought to himself. While his gut told him Potter was one of the good guys, he knew that his training and paranoia will compel him to keep tabs on him. He decided to put one of his best agents on him. As he walked into his office with his deputy, he gave her his instructions.

"Agent Hill, I want you to call in Widow from her current assignment and pull in Hawkeye to replace her."

"Barton should be in place tomorrow, he retrieved the scientist from Havana without problems. Shadowing the X-Men should be relaxing for him. Where should I reassign Romanoff?"

"I want her to go as a guest into Harry Potter's gala at the Plaza tonight. No specific objectives, just tell her to scout the place and report on anything that we might be interested in."

"You mean the new luxury store gala? It shouldn't be a problem, she will be happy to mingle with the rich and famous instead of looking through a binocular looking at kids."

"Good. Tell her its a reward for being patient in babysitting Xavier's school."

"You know that she will need to dress the part there right? It would mean shopping for clothes and such."

"Fine but tell her to get receipts for the bean counters."

"Great! I'll take her shopping. Is there anything else, boss?"

"No that's it. Don't go overboard on the shopping, the last time you two were together, the accountants nearly cried."

"I'm not making any promises sir," replied Maria Hill as she went out of Fury's office. She reached for her phone and sent a message to Natasha's phone.

'Report back 2 HQ, ASAP. New assignment.'

An hour later

A ravishing red head knocked on Maria's door twice before opening the door.

"What's my new assignment?" Natasha Romanoff asked while she got comfortable on Maria's couch.

"You, my friend, are my ticket out of this building. As a reward for your patience in babysitting the mutants, Shield is footing the bill on a new outfit so we need to go shopping," replied Maria.

"Not that I am complaining but why are we shopping?"

"Director Fury wants you in the 'Harry's' party later to night. He just wants you to mingle in the party and report anything important you learn on Harry Potter, the guy who saved Ambassador Cross. We trained him and we wanted to recruit him but he turned down Fury's offer. He recently released a line of medicines that is awaiting approval and the Pentagon is very interested. This party is for his other company that sells luxury items to the rich. Here is what we have on Harry Potter. Rich, handsome, and smart."

"Nice relaxing job then. Let's go shopping."

On a plane entering Teterborough airport

"Do we really have to stay long in this party? Why did we even have to go to this party?" Tony Stark whined to his assistant. Tony is a man of average height with black hair and goatee along with genius intellect though his ego was the size of Texas.

"Yes, Tony, we have to go for a variety of reasons," answered Pepper Potts, a beautiful red head who is Stark's loyal second in command.

"Variety huh?"

"Yes, Tony. His Potter Herbal Medicines just might be the pharmaceutical world's version of Stark Enterprises. Remember the drugs that Rhodey mentioned a week ago? That's him. He is also a Stark Industries stock holder, granted not a huge one but his 1% is solely owned by him plus the gala is for a good cause."

"Oh alright fine. Obie said the booze he tasted from Harry's was one of the best he's ever had. The trip might be worth it just for the booze."

"He also sells great jewelry according to my sources; some say they're better than Tiffany's or Cartier. You know, it is never too early to shop for Christmas presents, Tony."

"Not too subtle there, Pepper."

"Subtle never worked for you before. I'll put it on the list for your Christmas shopper."

"Alright, alright. Fine put in the list. Wait, aren't you the one who orders the gifts?"

"Yep." Pepper just smirked at her boss.

Harry's Penthouse

"Harry, I have laid out the tux for tonight's party on your bed. Wear the watch I placed next to it, it's a better match than the other one," Dobby told Harry.

"You're a lifesaver, Dobby. Are you going to the party with Winky?" Harry answered from the shower.

"Yes, we will be making sure everything runs smoothly."

"You mean you're working? I thought you guys were going as guests like you did in London."

"Nah. Once was enough. I don't want a repeat of the London accident. I almost punched the guy who squeezed Winky's bottom."

"I took care of that arse for you. He got thrown in jail by the PM's guards for disorderly conduct. I might have placed a compulsion on him so that every guy he meets in prison will give him a reminder to be respectful to ladies." Harry laughed at the memory as he came in to his room.

"You did not have to do that, Harry."

"No, Dobby, you guys are family and no one messes with my family. Besides, he got out the following Monday."

"Thanks, brother."

"No problem. I have to thank elf who made this suit, it's like I bought it from Saville Row."

"Wally actually snooped around there to learn the current styles. I asked the elves to keep updated on the styles in London and Paris so they visited many fashion houses for the clothing part of your shops. They did that to all our competitors, invisibly, of course."

"Good idea. I should have thought of that earlier."

"You can't think of everything, Harry, that's why we're here for."

"I don't know what I'll do without you guys. Thanks for everything."

"No problem. We're happy that we have somewhere to offload all the stuff from Elysium so that we can make more of them."

A few hours later at the Plaza

"Thank you for coming, Mayor Bloomberg," Harry greeted the mayor of NYC.

"Not a problem Mr. Potter, thank you for inviting me. I am always happy to help new businesses by my constituents. I'll let you talk to your other guests."

Harry surveyed the room after spending the first hour of the party welcoming his guests. The turnout for the party was excellent, primarily due to the success of the first gala in London. Some expected the President to attend but Harry did not invite him on purpose. He did invite the Democratic and Republican candidates for president to the party to ascertain their stance on the different issues like human/metahuman relations and to see if he can work with them once they are elected.

He found out that Barack Obama and John Kerry, the Democratic and Republican candidates respectively, were both good men who can be relied upon to help the metahumans plight against anti metahumans so he talked to them both regarding his medicines.

"Mr. Obama, Mr. Kerry as both of you know, I have recently supplied the US armed forces with new medicines that will help those in the front lines with their injuries. I will be delayed by the current administration so the approval of the drugs should happen during the first hundred days of the next administration. As I share your views on the metahumans issue, I will let whoever wins the November election to announce the approval of my medicines, it will be a major press coup for the next administration."

"Thank you, Mr. Potter. I believe I speak for both John and I when I say that we are both for the equal treatment and peaceful coexistence with the mutants and the metahumans in the USA. It saddens us both that the Bush administration is not actively speaking for the metahumans as the President and his cabinet are obviously anti metahumans," said Barack Obama. "I liken the fight of the mutants like the struggle of Dr. Martin Luther King to Xavier's group while I think this Magneto character is more of a Malcolm X."

"Barry is correct. The President should have spoken out earlier about the issue a long time ago. If he did, the anti metahuman movement would not have gained the momentum it currently has. You have my word that whoever wins the election will help the metahumans in their problems," said Kerry.

"Thank you; I see a bright future for the humans and metahumans. Please enjoy yourself in the party, I have to mingle and I know both of you need to do so as well."

As he was walking to the bar, he noticed the Black Widow sitting on one of the corner stools of the bar wearing a very provocative dark blue dress. He smirked and decided to approach her.

"I'd like a butterbeer please," Harry asked the elf bartender before greeting the spy. "Good evening, my name is Harry Potter, thank you for coming to my company's gala, Miss..."

"Rushman, Natalie Rushman. This party has been wonderful so far."

"I am glad you like it. Did you come here with someone?"

"No, unfortunately my date cancelled on me. I wanted to donate to the Veteran's Fund so I came without him. How about you?"

"I did not bring a date tonight but perhaps, if it is not too presumptuous, you will allow me to be your escort for this evening, my lady."

"Why thank you, good sir, for taking pity on a poor helpless damsel," Natalie answered with a seductive smile.

"Pity? I think not. I am sure such a beautiful woman such as yourself would have many men vying for your attention. I consider myself lucky that you deigned to allow me to escort you tonight. Shall we?" Harry offered his arm which Natalie gladly accepted. "So, Miss Rushman, what do you do?"

"I am a corporate lawyer here in Manhattan. By the way, this white wine is excellent."

"Thank you, they were made my vineyard in Napa." He noticed a dark haired man with a goatee and a red head approach them at the bar.

"This is quite a party, I'm Tony Stark and this is my associate Virginia Potts," said the black haired man.

"Pleased to meet you, Mr. Stark, Ms. Potts. I'm Harry Potter, please call me Harry. Thank you for coming."

"It is for a good cause. Please call me Pepper and I'm sorry for interrupting." She smiled after glaring at her boss. "Tony just couldn't wait to meet one of investors, can't you, Tony?"

"It is not a problem and compared to Mr. Stark's shares in the company, mine is very small."

"It's just Tony, I'm sure the company will give excellent dividends, especially after we unveil the upcoming Jericho missile. Anyway, I came here for the booze and I must say it is better than the best of your competition."

"I'll make sure to send you a sampler of our liquors, Tony."

"See, Pepper? He knows how to treat his customers. You're a good man, Harry."

"I think Tony here will be one of your biggest customers if your other drinks are like the champagne I'm having. I like the chocolates with truffles myself," said Pepper while looking inquiringly at Natalie.

"I'm sorry, this is Miss Natalie Rushman. Miss Rushman, these are Miss Virginia Potts and Mr. Tony Stark."

"A pleasure to meet you both," said Natalie.

"Looks like we both have a thing for fiery hair, right Harry?" Tony raised his heavy crystal scotch glass at Natalie.

"I found that most red haired women I've met are strong willed and very passionate. I like that in a woman and I am lucky enough that Natalie has graciously allowed me to be her escort this evening."

"I'll take that as a compliment, Harry. I'll take Tony here and guide him to the jewelry displays. I'm sure we can talk some more in a few days. We are interested in the silks that you use for your clothing line."

"Here is my card. While I am initially thinking of using the silks exclusively for 'Harry's,' I am confident we can work something out." He gave Pepper his business card and accepted hers.

"Have a good evening Harry. It was nice to meet you both," said Pepper before dragging Stark to the jewelry displays. Tony just waved goodbye at them.

"An interesting pair, don't you think?" Commented Harry.

"I'm sure there's a story there. Could you tell me more about the silks Pepper was talking about?"

"Let's go to the display and I'll show you." Harry led Natalie to the booth showing the bolts of silks and some of their finished products. "While these silks cannot stop bullets, they are tough enough to stand against a knife thrust and they are heavily resistant to fires. They are extremely light and allows the body to breathe unlike Kevlar. They are easy to clean and can be washed using hot or cold water without shrinking or fading. It is even dust and stain resistant. Here, touch it and try this K-Bar knife and cigarette lighter on it." He handed the knife and lighter to Natalie.

Natalie was amazed at the resistance of the silk against the knife and the fire. It took her five thrusts on a specific spot to puncture the silk and she felt little heat against the silk even if the lighter has been lit under the silk for thirty seconds.

"I know that the products made from the silks may be priced quite a bit higher than normal silks, I hope the customers will appreciate that the Potter silk products afford them a level of protection you can only get from the heavy body armors."

"I hope you filled your patents for them because many of your competitors will be trying to imitate your silk, even countries will do the same."

"I did register the trade marks on the Potter Silk name and logo but I went with the trade secret thing on the composition of the silks. Patent protection will only protect me for a few years while the trade secret thing will keep it safe forever or until I release it to the public which I have no plans to do so."

"You are pretty sure of yourself, Harry. Corporate espionage is an extremely difficult problem for business owners. I should know."

"About what, espionage?" Harry smirked at Natalie. "You would make a very attractive spy. If you were to spy on me, why I do not see myself resisting for too long. Well, maybe it would depend on the interrogation technique." He laughed, letting Natalie think he was joking. "They are all welcome to try and duplicate the Potter Silk; they may even succeed since it its physically very similar to normal silks. However I very much doubt that they can replicate the unique characteristics of my silks."

Natalie was startled and a bit taken a back at Harry's spy joke but aside from a slight change in her eyes, she showed no other visible reaction from it. She laughed a bit and replied, "You make a very interesting target, Harry. These innovations of yours, especially the 'potions' as you call them, are revolutionary. Speaking as a corporate lawyer, they will attract the ire of your competitors. I hope you are ready for them."

"Thank you for your concerns, Natalie, and I appreciate them. I believe I have more than adequate security." Harry smiled at her while inwardly thinking 'you are one of them.' "Now, let Hilly here take your measurements, choose a style and color for my gift to you as appreciation for your concern for my company. She will have the dress ready for you and I will have it delivered tomorrow. I think emerald green will be a good color for your flawless white skin."

"Thank you, Harry, but I do not think I can accept your gift."

"Nonsense. It is just a small token just don't let the other women know I gave you a free dress, they might expect one too."

"Fine. Do you give all your girls dresses, hmm?" She asked Harry while touching his right bicep sensually.

"Just the ones I like, my lady. Would you do me the honor of dancing with me?"

"If you insist." She smiled back at Harry.

They danced to a slow romantic song before going Harry's table for dinner. They found themselves enjoying each other's company as they mingled with the other guests. Before the night ended, Harry exchanged business card with her and Harry promised to deliver her dress along with lunch.

"I had a lovely time tonight, Harry."

"So did I, Nat. Maybe we can share more times like this in the future. I'll see you tomorrow for lunch, my lady."

"Tomorrow then. Good night, Mr. Harry Potter."

"Good night, Miss Natalie Rushman." Before leaning in and kissing Natalie on the cheeks.

Harry knew that she was on him for information and Natasha knew she was only supposed to 'work' him but for some inexplicable reason, they both felt drawn strongly to one another. They both knew where the lines were drawn but they skirted the lines very closely this evening.

Back in Shield HQ

Natasha and Maria were walking from the latter's office before to the director's office. The hallways in the executive floor were empty aside from cleaners and the security people watching them.

"So, how was the gala?" Maria asked her friend.

"It was nice. Harry was such a gentleman." Natasha couldn't hide the small smile that appeared on her face.

"I can tell you had a good time. Harry, huh?"

"Yes, I did," Nat gave her a short reply.

"And?! Come on, I need details!"

"You can hear it at the same time as Fury."

Nat knocked before going in to the director's office. She saw Fury sitting on his couch, enjoying a drink.

"Good evening, Director."

"Evening, Agent Romanoff, Agent Hill. Tell me about the evening's events, anything interesting to report?"

"I used the Natalie Rushman, corporate lawyer identity. Mr. Potter himself approached me first while getting his drink at the bar as I was discretely surveying the guests. The guests were the usual rich, famous and powerful people from different industries, only Tony Stark and his assistant Pepper Potts were the only ones Shield is interested in. It turns out Mr. Potter owns about 1% of the total shares of Stark Industries though Stark was interested mainly with the alcoholic products of Mr. Potter. Ms. Potts and Mr. Potter exchanged business cards to talk sometime next week about the Potter Silks."

"I can see Stark's interest in the liquors. I got a bottle of his scotch, which is better than Glenlivet's Single Malt, and about a dozen of his low alcohol butterbeers when I sent someone to pick up the medicine samples earlier. Here, try one." Fury went to his mini fridge and got a bottle of butterbeer each for Nat and Maria. "Did you learn what Stark and Potter might discuss?"

"It was actually Miss Potts' idea. Mr. Potter will be retailing custom line of clothing for men and women made from what he calls 'Potter Silk.' He demonstrated the special qualities like heavy puncture resistance and fire proofing. I was allowed to use a K-Bar knife and a regular cigarette lighter on the thin material and I must admit it took a few tries before I was able to puncture the material and I only felt a small amount of heat when I used the lighter for thirty seconds to test for fire resistance. The material is dust and stain resistant. It can be washed with cold or hot water without effects like shrinking or fading. It also a fabric which lets the body breathe. The women guests were given scarves made from this silk so the research department can test it further. Harry also had a dress made for me in this material."

"Harry, huh? He gave you a dress for free?"

"Yes. He will be bringing me the dress along with lunch tomorrow in Natalie Rushman's apartment in Manhattan."

"Just to clarify, you have a Sunday lunch date with the target, Black Widow?"

"That is correct, Director. It is just a way to get in further with Harry. He is very confident that no one will be able to imitate his products so I want to look into things further. I warned him about the dangers of corporate espionage in my capacity as a corporate law specialist. He just made a joke that if spies were like me, he just might like more of them to come to him."

"See that it remains nothing more than a professional interest, Agent Romanoff. The dress will be a good specimen to test."

"Director, I will not be giving the dress up to Shield. It is a very pretty dress and if Harry and I continue to go out, he will naturally expect me to wear it."

"So there may be more of these 'dates' in the future? I must ask you about your objectivity here, agent. Harry Potter is a very interesting man and I do not want one of my best agents to fall for his emerald eyes!"

"Director, while I must admit that Harry is a 'catch,' I have proven time and time again that I am a professional. I have not yet failed on a mission like this. Besides, it's only our first date. Now if you will excuse me, I have to go to Natalie Rushman's apartment."

"Alright, fine. You are both free to go."

"Good night, Director." Maria spoke for the first time during the entire meeting while Nat just nodded goodbye at Fury. As the door was closing, Fury realized Black Widows words.

"First date?!"

Natalie Rushman's apartment in Manhattan

"Sooo, did you two kiss tonight?" Agent Hill asked Agent Romanoff.

"He kissed me but it was just a kiss good night on the cheeks. Nothing torrid or anything like you are thinking, you pervert!"

"Look at me Nat. I am a pretty, intelligent and single woman in NYC working in a spy agency. It is really hard to get a life, you know. You're in the same boat as I am but you have more opportunities since you go out in the field while I'm stuck in the office. I have to screen whomever I date even more thoroughly than the First Daughter. My mother keeps on asking me if I have any plans to give her grandkids in the near future. I might have to leave Shield to have a life so while my sense of duty is still strong; I plan on living vicariously through you. Besides, I have not seen that twinkle in your eyes since you and Clint broke up ages ago."

"Look, Mar, there is nothing going on! He is just dropping off the dress and as it will be lunch time, we will be dining together here. I promise to tell you if there's more okay?"

"Okay. I'll hold you to that promise. Seriously Nat, have you thought about the future? I mean I am in my early thirties while you are in your actually I'm not sure about you. You look to be in your late twenties. Are we going to grow old still doing this job like Director Fury?"

"I still have the dream of settling down, having a husband and maybe two kids, living a boring life but the man still remains faceless. I have a bit longer than you do to look for him because of the experiments done on me by Red Room. It is one of the factors why dating and marrying a guy is so hard. I might not be immortal but I was born before the Second World War and yet I still look like a young woman. Unless there are more people like me that I can get along with, I do not see my dream becoming a reality in the near future. Even if I do overcome that impossible aging hurdle, the experiments by Red Room made me infertile. What man would marry a woman who cannot give him his own children?"

"I'm sorry Nat. I didn't mean for my issues to bring out your own."

"It's okay, Mar. Forget about it."

"Let's just talk about this dress your Harry will be delivering tomorrow."

"Now he's 'my Harry?' Anyway, it's emerald green which was Harry's suggestion and I chose a simple design like the Chinese dresses women in Chinatown use but more elegant and formal. It will be perfect to wear as a formal dress."

"Speaking of emeralds, did you get a good look at those eyes? They look even look smoldering on a picture!"

"A look? I honestly can't keep myself from staring into them. It's like he can see right through you with those deep emerald eyes of his. I was a bit self-conscious for a few minutes when he first approached me because I was afraid my cover was blown."

"What else did you do at the party?"

"We danced a few songs in between mingling with the guests. He is a great dancer, he moves so fluidly you'd think he was trained by professionals. When I asked him about it, he just shrugged it off and said he had some lessons in England."

"You know, I am pretty glad that I have another woman I can talk to in this job. Sure, we are tough enough to go head to head with the guys; it doesn't mean we always talk about guns."

"Same here. Many of the guys we meet in our line of work think we are either lesbians or we are sluts who behave like them as in we engage in 'wham bam thank you ma'am' regularly. I would be the first to admit I've had my fair share of one night stands but it's not like I bed every hot guy I meet. I still have a soft side that wants to be wooed. I wonder how Carol Danvers is doing. You and her are the only two women I can talk to in Shield."

"I miss her too. I lost touch with her after she quit SWORD. Rumor has it she's out of the hero business and works as a pilot for charter jets. Anyway, I better get home. See you tomorrow; I'll be bringing popcorn while I watch you and your Harry have lunch on the surveillance cams."

"Fine. See you tomorrow, Mar."

The Next Day, Harry's Penthouse

Harry woke up later than his usual seven AM due to the previous evening's gala. He had a few hours to kill before he needed to be in Natalie's apartment besides, it was within walking distance. He decided to check on his email to see if his head hunters have found new employees for his businesses.

One of his priorities was to find two pilots for the private jet he ordered, the Gulfstream G550. While he has his international commercial pilot license, the G550 needs two pilots at the helm at all times. Granted, he can be one of the pilots but since he can teleport all over the world, he would just be teleporting to and from the plane once it lands on its destination with the jet acting as his cover, he doesn't want to be stuck in the plane for hours on end. Now that he has businesses all over the world, he can finally justify owning a private jet. He does not want to be stuck flying commercial with all the hassle and delays that came with it. One of the elves can function as his flight attendant. He originally planned to have two of the elves get legal commercial pilot licenses but none of them wanted to do so and he does not want to force them.

He got an email from the head hunter regarding a pair of highly qualified pilots. Both were from the US Air Force. One was a guy named Jon Riley and the other was named Carol Danvers. Riley was a typical fighter jock who retired instead of being transferred from fighters to flying VIPs in the military version of the G550. He got along well with Danvers even though he once tried to hit on her, she turned him down gently, which luckily did not affect their partnership. Harry couldn't blame Riley for trying his luck with Danvers as the lady pilot had a beautiful face with blue eyes and long blonde hair, he was sure Carol Danvers had a killer body underneath the flight suit she was wearing in the file photo taken from her time in the military.

They would both be in Teterborough Airport tomorrow so they can meet Harry for an interview in NYC. Harry replied that he is available to meet them for lunch at Katz's; he would be killing two birds with one shot as he hasn't eaten there for a few weeks. Thinking about food made Harry remember that he was supposed to be bringing lunch with him so he decided to call Natalie to ask if what she wanted.

"Good morning, Natalie. It's Harry from last night."

"Well good morning to you too, Harry from last night."

"I walked into that one. I just wanted to know what time you want me to come over and what kind of food you wanted."

"Any time is fine, really. You can come over now if you want. About the food, you can surprise me. Nothing fancy though. Simple works for me."

"Mixed greens then some chicken and pasta sound good?"

"That actually sounds great. Where are you buying them?"

"Buying them? I'll be cooking lunch from scratch for us."

"Wow. Great guy can cook too? This I have to see."

"Want me to cook over there? You can come over here if you want."

"I better go over there. I have a microwave since I don't cook and the stove gets used mostly for heating water. Text me your address, okay?"

"Sure, my place isn't too far from your apartment. See you in a bit okay?"

"Okay. Do you want me to bring anything?"

"Nah. Just bring your wonderful self over and I'll take care of the rest. Take care."

"I will. Bye."

Since he had to wait for Natalie to arrive, he went back to answering his email after texting Natalie his address and calling Ernesto the doorman to let him know he was expecting a guest. Harry was puzzled as to why he got to an email from the Queen's secretary asking if he still had his family's letter of patent. She wrote that the Queen wanted to 'study' it and if he still had it, he should bring it to the British Ambassador to the UN's office. He just shrugged it off and replied that he would be sending it tomorrow.

The ding of his private elevator stop Harry's musings about the letters of patent and he moved to the foyer to greet his guest.

"Harry? I'm here," called out Natalie.

"Hey. Thanks for coming," Harry thought a handshake was too formal, besides he wanted to kiss her again even if it was just on the cheeks so he gave her a quick hug and kissed her cheek.

"No problem, your building was easy to find. You smell good, I mean, the food smells good. I thought you're gonna show me?" Natalie blushed at her slip, embarrassed; it was like she was a little girl with a crush.

"I am just finished baking our dessert. It would take too long if i cook it after our main course. By the way, thanks, you smell good too." He smiled. "It will be a couple minutes more before the chocolate fudge is done, do you want tour of the house first or do you want to go ahead and get started on our lunch?"

"A tour first, not really hungry yet."

"As you wish."

Harry gave a tour of his huge apartment which ended at the kitchen. They talked of inconsequential things while Natalie sipped a mimosa and Harry cooked their lunch. They decided to eat on the deck since the weather was cooperating. While they were having coffee and the fudge which she loved Natalie talked about her life.

"I've just quit my job at the firm. I felt like I need a few months to just rest and relax as I haven't had a vacation since I graduated and joined the firm. It's like I'm losing my love for the hustle and bustle of being a lawyer so I quit before I burned out and completely lost my passion for the law."

"I can see where you're coming from; I felt some of the same things you are describing so I got out of the diplomat thing at the UN. When I found out these family secrets like the herbal meds, I thought maybe I can help make the world a better place. It may sound a bit trite but I honestly think this can make a difference. It will be a tad expensive when I start selling the things but it is not really for profit kind of thing. I will use the profits to give back to the communities. It's an ambitious plan but I am confident I can make it work. I'm sorry, I got off on a tangent, I just feel very passionate about it."

"No, Harry. It's really good that you want to help out; if more people think like that, maybe the world can be a better place. I love that you that enthusiasm to go for it instead of being a bum. I mean others might just travel and have fun with the kind of money you have." Natalie meant what she said; she has met a lot of men and women born into money who just relied on their trust funds. It showed her the kind of character Harry had and she admired him for it.

They talked some more with Harry telling her about his plans for PHM like the things he plans to build in the compounds, it is not really a secret so he felt okay sharing those things. Maybe it might even get Shield back off more, not that he minded spending time with Natalie.

"Not that I did not enjoy our conversation but I want to see you in the dress Hilly made. It slipped my mind because we were having such a nice time just talking. So, do you want to try it on?" Harry asked Natalie.

"Yeah, I forgot about the dress too. Lead the way, Mr. Potter."

Harry led her to the spare guest room where Hilly left the dress and accessories she picked to go with the dress. Harry thought it be presumptuous if he asked her to change in his bedroom.

Natalie smirked playfully at Harry when she noticed he followed her into the guest room. "Um, Harry, not that I am a prude or something but I don't think we're at the stage where I can just change in front of you. Could you wait in the sitting room for me? I promise to model the dress for you if you want." She laughed at Harry's blush and quick exit from the room while stammering an apology. She found that the dress came with matching shoes, bag, and a fine embroidered Potter Silk shawl. There was a full body mirror wherein she looked at herself for a minute before going out of the room to show Harry.

"Wow. I think I just found the new face for 'Harry's', do you want the job?" Harry jokingly said to Natalie as she obliged him with a slow twirl to show off the dress and her beautiful figure.

"Thanks for the confidence boost Harry but I will be going back to law in a month or two."

"I know. You really do look good in that dress and I'm going to tell Hilly that she did a good job with the dress and accessories."

"Harry, she did an excellent job but I can't accept the bag, shoes and shawl too, it's too much."

"Nonsense. They look good on you and it will offend Hilly if you do not take it. Trust me when I say it did not cost much as they are all my company's products and I won't take no for an answer."

"Oh alright. They do look goon me, don't they?" She smiled a bit cockily at Harry.

"They do. It's like they should be shown to the public so how about dinner and dancing tomorrow night?"

"See, I knew there was a catch but sure dinner would be lovely, how about seven-ish?"

"That will be perfect."

"Harry as much fun as I've had spending time with you today, I have to get going. I have a ton of laundry waiting for me and it's laundry day. I'll go get changed in to my normal clothes."

After she go changed, Harry walked her to the elevator before giving her a sweet good by kiss, this time on the lips and a lot longer than just a smack though he stayed away from a full on French.

"Goodbye, Harry. See you tomorrow, alright?"

"Until tomorrow evening, Nat." Harry replied as the elevator closed. He closed his eyes, leaned on a wall and murmured, "Bugger, I'm in trouble."

Back at Shield HQ

"How was your lunch, Agent Romanoff? Did you enjoy your date?" Director Fury asked his agent.

"Yes, sir." Natasha absentmindedly answered her superior. "I mean it was informative, Director." She backpedalled after realizing who she was talking to.

"I see. And what did you learn? For that matter, I also need to know why you did not follow the plan where he goes to your apartment instead of you going into his."

"He offered to cook for me and since from what I gave learned from his file, no one was able to get in to his penthouse apartment when you tried to do a background check last year so I took the initiative. There was nothing that stands out from what I saw in his apartment. No security cameras or alarm system. There was a camera on the private elevator, in the lobby and I am guessing the four other elevators, I think they are the building's security and not his."

"I see. What else have you found out? You were there for some time."

"I learned that he taking delivery of his private jet, a G-550, this week and looking for two pilots. He has two pilots he will be interviewing at Katz's Deli tomorrow during lunch. Both were former US Air Force officers, one male and one female. He is also dropping by the British Ambassador to the UN's office tomorrow morning to drop off some documents for the queen. When I asked what they were, he just said they were old Potter family papers. He dismissed it as a whim by the Queen."

"Hmm, if he doesn't hire those two pilots maybe we can get at least one Shield agent hired for the job. What else can you tell me?"

"He told me some of his plans for PHM. He is planning to build compounds in various cities which will hold an orphanage, a school, and a hospital along with some buildings for selling and storing his meds, apartments and cafeterias for his employees and their family. The orphanage, hospital and school, which is up to high school, will be free and funded by PHM. He says they will be accepting people from all walks of life with no bias to their race, creed or status. He knows it is an aggressive and ambitious plan but he is confident that he can push it through. He will be putting in almost all of the profits coming from the medicines into the compounds instead of pocketing it. His main income would come from 'Harry's,' the luxury goods stores he has opened in the shopping capitals of the world."

"It is an ambitious plan. You are quite good at reading people, agent Romanoff. What do you think, is he telling the truth? Does he have some ulterior motive?"

"I think what he is doing is an admirable thing. He is telling the truth and I see money from PHM and the compounds as a means to gain power and influence by being seen as the good guy, and while I think he has a deeper agenda, I think it is benign."

"It is also my belief though this is the first time I heard of his long term plans. I guess the meeting with the president soured him from discussing it with them so he might be waiting for the next guy before announcing it. Good job, Agent Romanoff."

"Thank you. I will see what else I can learn tomorrow evening."

"Tomorrow evening?"

"Yes sir. I agreed to go out with him for dinner tomorrow night."

"Agent Romanoff, is there something I need to know? Are you becoming emotionally involved with the target?"

"I am simply following through with my job. He might reveal more information this way."

"I see. I want you to bring some listening devices with you on the off chance that you get inside his penthouse again." At Natasha's nod, Fury said, "Alright, dismissed."

Maria was waiting for her in Fury's reception room. "Come to my office, you have to tell me everything." Maria then dragged Natasha into her office. Once inside the office she closed the door quickly before saying "Spill it."

"Good afternoon to you to, Maria. How are you doing?"

"Shut it. I want details. I am in the office on a Sunday so you have to throw me a bone here. I was expecting to watch you two in the apartment but no, you had to go over to his place instead."

"He offered to cook so naturally, I had to see that for myself and the apartment's kitchen is not equipped like his is. He moves like an expert and his kitchen is professional quality. Let me tell you, his fudge is delicious. I have some if you want."

"Gimme." Maria moaned at the taste. "God, you can taste the truffles in this. I mean actually taste it. Good looks, smart rich and he can cook too?!"

"I know, he's quite the catch."

"You better hold on to him, Nat. What else happened?"

"I told him my 'story' and he told me of his plans for the medicines once it gets FDA approval. It is ambitious but I think he can pull it off. I really like his plans for the compounds; it will help a lot of people. You can read about it in my report later."

"Fine. Let me see the dress."

"He also gave me matching shoes, a handbag and a shawl to go along with the dress." Natasha showed Maria things Harry gave her.

"Wow these are gorgeous, Nat, nice for a night out."

"Actually he asked me to wear them for our date tomorrow evening."

"Another date huh? It seems things are progressing nicely."

"That's my problem, it's like too good to be true, he's what every woman would want."

"Nat, don't jinx it, just go with the flow."

"Oh I will. Its just he kissed me on the lips earlier and I know I'm in trouble."

"How was it?"

"It felt right, magical even, which is silly, it was not even really a French kiss."

"He's a classy guy then. Most guys would just shove their tongue down your throat and think it's romantic."

"I was still thinking about it when I was talking to Fury. He sarcastically asked me if I enjoyed my date and I said 'Yes, sir.' I had to think fast to cover my slip." Maria just laughed at Natasha's gaffe.

"Hey, at least you are not being reassigned."

"Yeah. I kinda feel bad about spying on him now and according to Fury, next time I go to his place, I better make sure I have some bugs I can plant there."

"I feel for you, Nat, but just look at it this way; if you plant the bugs you can get to know him better, see if he is the guy you really want."

"It just feels like invasion of privacy which it really is but you know, your reasoning makes sense in a cynical sort of paranoid way."

"It's just the way the intelligence world goes, Nat. You better go and finish your report."

"Yeah, yeah. You just want to read it for more juicy stuff."

"Is there any more juicy stuff?" Maria shamelessly grinned at Natasha.

"Mar you really need to get out more and no there are no other juicy parts, you shameless gossip."

"You say gossip, I call it intel. See you later, Nat, and leave the fudge for your poor friend who has no life."

Back at Harry's Penthouse

Harry received a txt message from Natalie as she was waiting to report to Fury.

'Got home okay. I had a great afternoon with you. Thanks for everything. See you tomorrow.

XOXO Nat.'

Harry just smiled a goofy grin that got him a good ribbing from Winky and her husband Dobby.

"Harry and Natalie, sitting on a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" The two teased Harry.

"It's just a kiss, guys. No biggie."

"So that's why you are still smiling like a loon," replied Dobby.

"Hush, husband. Let's leave Harry alone, let him think some more on the kiss he got from Miss Romanoff." She said to Dobby with a smirk.

"Thank you Winky." He did not notice Winky's smirk.

"No problem, Harry. Maybe she will give us little Potters to spoil. Oh I hope it's a baby boy!" Winky laughed hard at Harry's expression.

"You are just too easy, Harry. Seriously, we're happy for you. It's about time you go out and have fun," commented Dobby.

"Thanks guys, but it is really too early to say what this is. Now, go and make your own babies instead on picking on me!"

The two elves just laughed before popping off to Napa.

The next day, he dropped the letters of patent at the embassy and stopped by to chat with a few of his friends during his UN days. He promised to send them some of the chocolates from Harry's before going back to his car. On his way to the car, he received a call from an unregistered number on his private mobile.

"Hello, who is this?"

"I'm sorry for calling your private number, Mr. Potter. This is Pepper Potts from Stark Industries."

"Oh, hello, Miss Potts. How can I help you?"

"Please, it's just Pepper, remember?"

"Sorry, Pepper, call me Harry then."

"Alright. I just want to ask if you have some time this week to come over here in Los Angeles. Tony wanted to talk to you about the Potter Silk."

"I don't see a problem with that. Will this Friday be alright with you, say three o' clock in the afternoon?"

"That would actually be great. Please bring some samples of the silk if you do not mind."

"Not a problem, Pepper. Friday it is then."

"Thanks, Harry. See you on Friday."

Maybe he would ask Natalie tonight whether she wants to come along and maybe she can join him too in Paris for the gala this Saturday, Harry mused.

Hopefully he will be able to hire the two pilots he is meeting later since he got an email from the Gulfstream people last night that the G-550 will be arriving this afternoon at Teterborough Airport. If he can hire them today, they can help Harry inspect the plane later and they can give him their recommendations on what else they need to have bought for the hangar. He has already hired mechanics temporarily on the recommendation of Teterborough Airport's personnel manager along with the rented equipment they will need for the jet's maintenance. He plans to buy new equipment once he gets input from the pilots and he will hire the mechanics permanently if they all work together well.

Harry arrived at Katz's Deli five minutes before the appointed time to see that the two pilots were already there. Carol Danvers was a tall beautiful blonde and, as Harry predicted, sexy as only a woman in uniform can be. Jon Riley was a bit more vertically challenged at five foot two inches baby faced with a shaved pate and goatee.

"Captain Danvers and Captain Riley, I presume? I am your prospective employer, Harry Potter."

"Good afternoon, Mr. Potter," said the two pilots in unison.

"Just call me Harry. Is this place okay for you two? Let me just buy a pastrami sandwich and we can transfer if you want."

"No, this is fine. We were both looking forward to eating their pastrami sandwiches too." Danvers replied.

"Really, we're off to a good start then. Let me go and order them for us. Cokes alright?"

"Sure, that would be great," said the diminutive Riley.

"Give me a minute to get the food and drinks then we can discuss things."

"Hey, Jerome, can I get 3 pastramis, 2 onion rings 1 fried and 3 cokes?" Harry ordered from Jerome the day shift manager. "Sure, man. I'll have it send over ASAP. Thanks for the chocolates for the wife. Got me out of the doghouse right quick."

"No worries, man. Just visit the shop if you want more. I'll give you the special Katz's employee discount. Fifty percent off chocolates, liquor and cigars and twenty five percent off everything else." Harry handed over $100 for his bill and tips. "Keep the change, Jerome, say hi to the missus for me."

"Thanks for the tip and store discount, Harry. You're a good man."

"Just keep making great sandwiches and we're good."

"They love you here huh?" commented Riley.

"I'm a regular here; the pastrami is the best I've tasted. I just haven't been here for a few weeks; I got busy with the stores and everything."

"Same here. We were surprised that you asked to meet here. Our usual clients are a bit more, well, picky for lack of a better word," said the beautiful blonde pilot.

"They don't know good food then. I like to steaks and lobsters as much as the next guy but a nice simple sandwich is food for the soul."

"I hear ya, Harry," said Riley.

"Please tell me some relevant information about your jobs," requested Harry.

"I am sure most of this will be in the resume so I'll just give the highlights. I was in the US Air Force for ten years. I got out with the rank of Captain. I flew fighters in my first two years out of the Academy then I was a test pilot for the rest," said Carol.

"I was three years ahead of Carol in the Academy and I flew fighters for four years then I got transferred to bombers until I retired because I did not want to fly VIPs so I got out of the Air Force and now I fly VIPs for a lot more money than as a Captain in the Air Force and fewer people to salute and all that." Riley grinned.

"I understand that you are both experienced with the G-550?"

"We both have a few hundred hours on the G-550 and also some time on the Cessna Citation X. The G-550 is a lot more comfortable and has longer range but the Citation X is a lot faster than the Gulfstream," answered Carol.

"Good. So, I am looking for two pilots who will work for me full time. I will be flying the jet occasionally but it would mostly be two of you flying the jet. I've passed all my certifications on the G-550 and I'm a licensed pilot so don't worry. I will be providing you both with a fully furnished apartment each a few minutes away from Teterborough. The usual uniforms, medical, dental, travel insurance coverage and such will of course be shouldered by the company, Potter Holdings Inc. You will be given a generous allowance every month and two company credit cards each. One will be for your expenses incurred while abroad and one will be for the plane's gas, airport fees and such. How much do you make in a year?"

"We make around $120,000 on a good year, Harry," answered Riley.

"I'll start you off at the same amount. It will be steady employment instead of waiting for clients."

"That's fine with me," said Carol. Riley nodded his assent.

"We would be flying mostly to London, Paris, Tokyo and Teterborough of course. I have a vineyard in Napa so I visit there at least once a month. The one thing I cannot guarantee is your days off. I can give you one day off a week and you cannot be off at the same day. It shouldn't be a problem as we will not be flying every day and I will try to give at least two hours' notice before we fly so I wouldn't disrupt your personal lives as much as possible. I will not require you to spend the entire day at the hangar's office but I expect you to be within two hours driving distance of the hangar if it is not your day off. Is that agreeable to both of you?" They were all finished with their meal by now.

"That sounds reasonable," said Carol who has become the spokesperson for the two pilots.

"Good. While I do not condone mixing drinking alcohol and flying, in the event that you are intoxicated and I need your services, I will give you a 'flushing potion' which will flush out the alcohol from your system along with a 'hangover potion' that will sober you up and cure any hangover that you have. I must warn you though that the flushing potion will remove whatever foreign body is in your system, it will not be pretty or a pleasant experience so I would not recommend drinking too much. Do you have any other questions?"

"Who will be making the arrangements for the hotels if we travel abroad?" asked Carol.

"I will be making the arrangements with that. I have an understanding with the hotels in the cities that has a 'Harry's' and the credit card company's concierge service should be able to handle the other cities. We would not have that problem in Napa as I have a few guest houses you can use there."

"I would very much like to be one of your pilots, Harry," said Carol. "So would I," said Riley.

"It is settled then. I would be taking delivery of the plane in two hours and I will have your contracts and the standard confidentiality agreements tomorrow morning. In the meantime, I would have your expert opinions on the hangar, mechanics and equipment the hangar needs to function and maintain the jet. Will you be amenable to working today in that capacity? I would of course be willing to pay you for your time this afternoon."

"We would be happy to do that for free, Harry. We appreciate your willingness to take our opinion into consideration unlike the clients we usually have."

"Thank you for your help then. The plane should be in Teterborough in an hour or so. Did you bring a car with you? I can drive us all there in my car if you did not."

"We'll ride with you, we took a taxi to come here," said Riley.

They arrived at the hangar before the plane did so they inspected the place and the equipment first. It turns out that the pilots and the maintenance crews knew each other, so on their recommendation; Harry put the mechanics on the payroll too. He authorized them to order the necessary tools they would need for the hangar and the plane.

The jet arrived an hour after they did. While it was normally configured for about 14 to 19 passengers excluding the 2 pilots. Harry had it configured for up to 12 passengers excluding him since Harry had his own private space which had its own private toilet. The plane had its own galley and a passenger's toilet behind the cockpit. It had a cruise speed of 904 km/h and a range of 12,500 km so it can go from NYC to Tokyo in one nonstop flight. It had state of the art navigation, communication and entertainment systems.

After he was done inspecting the plane with the pilots, Harry teleported to his home while carrying his shrunken car in his pocket. He noticed that as he spent more time in this reality, his magic barely affected electronics anymore unless he consciously wanted to overload a device, a 'stupefy' works great for this. He found this out accidentally when he shrunk his clothes while his mobile phone was still in it. Too bad he only discovered it a few months before he quit the UN. This was a relief to Harry, while he has an extremely high degree of control over his magic; he found suppressing his magical aura to be a bit uncomfortable. It was also a hassle to be unable to shrink his laptop before. He worked his way gradually from the more basic to more sensitive things like his laptop before he tried it on his car; it was a Mercedes after all.

At Natalie's Apartment

Harry knocked on her door which opened to a vision of beauty, Natalie was wearing Harry's gifts and she looked ravishing. She just put on some light make up and did her hair in a simple chignon.

"Well, say something. You are making me self-conscious, Harry."

"You are very beautiful, Natalie. I was temporarily speechless. Here, I brought you some flowers."

"Thank you for the compliment. The flowers look great, let me just put in some water. Please come in."

Harry walked in after her and closed the door. While the apartment was quite small in comparison to his, it was still pretty nicely done in modern style.

"You have a nice place, Natalie.

"Thank you. I like things simple and as you can see, the kitchen still looks pristine since I barely use it. Shall we go? You still haven't told me where we're going."

"It's a surprise but I'll give you a hint. Lobsters."

"Harry! What kind of a hint is that? There are hundreds of seafood restaurants here in New York."

"Well, just be patient, it will be worth it. It is one of the best after all."

"Fine, let's just go. I shouldn't have told you that I love seafood."

Natalie was impressed when they got to the restaurant. "You managed to get a reservation at Le Bernardin that quickly? You did not even know we were going out tonight before lunch yesterday. It usually takes a few days to get seats here and while I am sure the food here will be great, it is going to be expensive! You know you did not have to spend much to impress me."

"I know that but let's face it, I am not exactly poor so don't worry about it. The owner is a friend of my former boss so we got squeezed in. I promise you, the lobster and salmon here is great."

While they were eating their food, Harry told her about his day. "I finally got my jet this afternoon and I lucked out on hiring two great pilots. By the way, I have a trip to Los Angeles this Friday afternoon to meet with Pepper Potts and maybe Tony Stark and since you mentioned that you didn't have to go to work, maybe you can accompany me there then we can go to the Harry's gala in Paris this Saturday. What do you think?"

"I'm not sure this is such a good idea, Harry."

"I know we just met, Natalie, I am not expecting anything here and I just want to get to know you better. I usually get a suite when I travel so you don't have to worry about sharing a bed or something. I'll take one room and you can get the other one. Come on, join me in my jet's maiden voyage."

"Wouldn't it be awkward to bring me into a business meeting?"

"If it makes you feel better, I'll give Pepper a call or better yet, you can walk around LA and I'll meet you after my boring business meeting. It shouldn't take too long."

"Okay, I'll go with you. I just don't want us to move too fast, Harry, since we just met two days ago and we still don't know much about each other."

"I know, I am honestly just trying to spend some time with you and we'll see what happens. Does this mean you will go to Paris with me?"

"Yes, I'll go with you. Wait a minute; you just don't want to go without a date, don't you?" Natalie needled Harry to lighten the mood a bit.

"You got me there, but really, I know a kind and wonderful person like you wouldn't let me get lost in Paris. You are much too nice to do that to me." Harry gave her an exaggerated puppy dog act and Natalie favored him with a small laugh.

Harry took her dancing in a French bistro that night, 'to prepare' for their trip to Paris. He got to kiss Natalie a few time that night so they went home with a big smile.

Harry couldn't sleep so went to his study as he thought about the day's events. He was enjoying spending his time with Natalie Rushman and he is getting tired of watching what he says to her. He did his best to not invade her privacy but he couldn't help but 'feel' that she feels the same way for him, he knew Natalie is also feeling conflicted at the charades they are playing. He needed to find a way to clear the air between them, so to speak or the secrets will poison their relationship even before it started. Harry vowed to himself that he will not go further than kisses and hugs while they are still keeping secrets from each other.

Harry also focused on the information he gleaned from probing Carol Danvers's mind deeper than just the surface thoughts and he was amazed at what he saw in her mind. She used to be a part of Shield and she got her powers of flight, superhuman speed, stamina, durability along with energy projection and energy absorption from an alien device. She retired from active duty to hide these powers because she did not want to become a science experiment, not that she saw evidence of Shield undergoing metahuman experiments. She was able to control her powers so she is able to live a normal life. It will be fun to see what Natalie's reaction will be if it turns out that they know each other.

He figured he might as well get started on some of the files the head hunting firm he hired sent to him as he needed a more experienced hand to oversee the parent corporation for his companies, Potter Holdings Incorporated. One of the files he was perusing caught his eye; it was a file on an Emma Frost, a beautiful long haired blonde who is currently employed by one PHI's future rivals. Frost has an excellent educational background as she has a JD-MBA from Stanford and her work experience speaks for itself. Her family is quite wealthy but she ran away from them due to differences with her father. Harry asked the headhunters to schedule a meeting between the two of them within the week if possible.

He also received an email from Dr. Strange and one from Dr. Xavier. The contents of the emails were basically the same, they were interested to see if the nerve and paralysis potions he had can be of help with their physical disabilities, Strange for the nerve damage done on his hands from an accident he had a long time ago which ended his work as a neurosurgeon while Xavier for the paralysis of his lower body that resulted from a spinal injury as a young man. Harry asked both to come visit him at his penthouse on Wednesday morning. To his surprise, Xavier replied quickly to ask his permission to bring Jean Grey along with him; Harry replied that it would not be a problem.

He was almost done with his mail when the head hunters replied to his email that Frost was available to meet him tomorrow afternoon. He had a lunch appointment with Emma Frost.

The last item on his inbox was an email from the PHI's accountants which said that the expenses he incurred from the last month has blown through most of the budget Harry gave them. Whey still have a hefty sum of five million dollars, they just wanted to warn him regarding his spending. Harry was bemused at this since they also reported that the four luxury stores' first week of sales were very strong. They have already sold about $300,000 worth of merchandise during the first week and they expect this to hold while the weekly galas are happening. They did tell him that it would stabilize after about two months and it should increase as they near the holiday season. Harry should recoup the money he spent on the luxury stores in two months.

He went to sleep with a smile on his face.

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

After his usual morning routine, he visited the elves to let them know how the sales of their goods were progressing and of course check on their well-being. The elves were happy that the goods they produce have been selling like hot cakes but they were even more ecstatic that they can continue perfecting their trades with the practice they are getting. Overall, they have no concerns that need taking care of.

He went to the restaurant that was just a block away from his home at the appointed time for his lunch meeting and he spotted Frost immediately after entering the place. Harry felt an attempted intrusion on his mindscape; he did not have to look far for its source. He quickly cast a few subtle privacy wards as he knew this will be a very interesting conversation.

"Good afternoon, Miss Frost, I'm Harry Potter. You know, it does not look good on a prospective employee to use telepathy on her boss." Harry then pulled on the probed and followed it to Frost's mind where he quickly read her intentions while she was caught off guard by the rather forceful way he repelled the probe so she did not notice his own probe into her mind due to this.

"Ouch! I'm sorry for the invasion of your privacy, Mr. Potter. I just wanted to make sure that this is a real meeting, not a ploy by my father." She massaged her temples a bit.

"I will excuse you this time, Miss Frost. I do it too when meeting new people although I only read their surface thoughts to gauge their intensions."

"You're a telepath? Are you a mutant too?"

"Yes to both. Well, now that we have gotten that out of the way, let us order and we can talk while we wait for the food." He took down the privacy wards then signaled for the server. They continued their discussion once the man left with their orders.

"I find it tiring to dance around an issue and I am sure you value your time as much as I value mine so I will be blunt. Why should I hire you?"

"I am an expert in finance and the corporate world. As you have seen from my CV, I have started from the bottom and worked my way up the corporate ladder and no, I did not always use my powers to do so. I will not deny that my powers are an advantage but I do not use it as a crutch. I am not ashamed to say that I am very smart and some may say ruthless, I have to be to rise to where I am now."

"Good, you will need every tool you have at your disposal to help me achieve my goals. I'm sure you are following the recent trend of anti metahuman sentiment going around in the world. What are your thoughts on that issue?"

"I am a mutant so I am naturally against the discrimination those groups are espousing. I want the human races to coexist peacefully and as equals buy I fear that it may come to blows; maybe not an all-out war but there will definitely be some kind of battle before that vision is accomplished. I wish there was another approach instead of the two extremes like Xavier and Magneto. How about you?" Emma Frost challenged Harry to give his own views on the issue.

"I agree with you both in an equal and peaceful coexistence between both races along with wanting another option and I believe that I have found that elusive middle ground between the two extremes."

"What is your plan then?"

"Simple, I will make my corporation indispensable and I will make the governments see reason through it. I will tell you the broad strokes and I hope you will understand if I keep a few things secret for now." Harry gave her the public part of the pitch he gave the PM and the Queen.

"It just might work, Mr. Potter. Your expansion plans are quite ambitious but with a little luck, we should be able to pull it off, and please call me Emma."

"Please call me Harry then. I noticed you said 'we' there; are you taking the job without discussing the details?"

"Harry, I'm already a millionaire just from my savings and I still have a trust fund to supplement that. I am willing to take a big pay cut if it is for a good cause."

"How much are you making at your current job?"

"I make about $650,000 a year and about $300,000 in bonuses and such."

"Good thing you are willing to take a pay cut because I cannot match that and I'm afraid that my corporation will not be traded publicly. I can only offer a salary of $360,000 a year at least until PHM gets a good grip on the market; however, I will be able to offer you free clothing and accessories from the Harry's stores. We can renegotiate your contract at a later time when the company is more stable, is that agreeable to you?"

"I can work with that. Now what will be my duties?"

"You will be the President and Chief Operating Officer of Potter Holdings Inc. and Potter Herbal Medicines. I will take care of production and manufacturing, from the raw materials to the finished products. You will manage everything else from packaging the products to selling it along with the usual negotiations with the governments. I will be managing the four luxury stores personally. I just want you to start on what we need to reach the goals; I have already hired people to handle the smaller picture so our job is the bigger picture."

They left lunch early and they went to their Manhattan office. He showed her the office that adjoins his and introduced her to Mira the elf who will furnish her office to her specifications. He also introduced her to the marketing, sales and most importantly, the accountants who controlled the money, who once again reminded him that he must rein in his spending so he told them he will add an additional $3 million to the main PHI account and $1 million to Harry's just to shut them up. He had kept up his slow and cautious sale of precious metals and stones during the last two years so he has raised plenty of money in his Swiss and Cayman Islands accounts.

Wednesday May 14 2008

The elves had prepared a special sterile room in the penthouse that is filled with both magical and non-magical medical equipment that will serve as an infirmary for Harry, the elves or Harry's friends. It used to be a closet but Winky had it made long ago with generous usage of expansion charms for Harry just in case he runs into some trouble which happened often enough in his youth; there is always at least one elf healer on call from Elysium that ready for emergencies. This is where Harry and today's guests would be examined to see if it is possible to heal their disabilities.

Harry has just finished his breakfast after his daily training regimen when he was notified by the wards that Doctor Strange was in the elevator so he went to the foyer to welcome him. He installed a ward that would whisper to him the name of whoever entered the penthouse's private elevator.

"Good morning, Stephen. I am glad you can come."

"Good morning too, Harry. I was very excited when I heard of the medicines your company will be producing."

Harry led the way to the sitting room where Dobby had been setting up some refreshments. "Stephen, this is my loyal friend and butler, Dobby. Dobby, this is Doctor Stephen Strange, the Sorcerer Supreme of this dimension."

"Hello, Doctor Strange. Would you like some refreshments?"

"Please call me Stephen and coffee would be great, two sugars and a dash of milk please." Dobby served the drink and the left for the kitchen. Before the two magicals can start their discussion, the wards alerted Harry that Professor Charles Xavier and Doctor Jean Grey have entered the private elevator do he excused himself from Stephen.

"Good morning, Doctors."

"Good morning," replied the two guests in chorus.

"Please follow me; Dr. Strange had arrived a few minutes ahead of you."

"Charles, it has been long time, my friend," said Strange to the new arrivals.

"It is good to see you too, Stephen. Jean has graciously accompanied me here to see if Harry can help us, she is curious as well about the medicines Harry plans to sell," greeted Xavier.

"Doctor Xavier, Doctor Grey, this is my friend and butler Dobby. Dobby these are Doctor Charles Xavier and Doctor Jean Grey."

"Hello Doctors, may I get you some refreshments? We have coffee, tea and fresh fruit juices."

"Pleasure to meet you Dobby, I would like some orange juice," the red head said to Dobby.

"I thank you both for your hospitality, Harry and Dobby. Some English breakfast tea would be nice, Dobby." Dobby served the refreshments and left some pastries for the guests before withdrawing.

"Before we start, I would like to apologize to both of you. I was a bit frazzled with starting my two businesses that I forgot about the implications the medicines can do for your disabilities. Let me assure you that it was not done out of spite or any negative feelings."

"Don't worry about it too much, Harry, as it is not your fault. You have only met with me twice so I would not have expected you think of my condition," said the bald man.

"In my case, even if we did meet fairly often, I did not really disclose the fact that my hands are bothering me, you may have noticed I usually cast spells open handed. It does not hurt or anything like that, it just spasms a bit when I have to hold something like a pen for more than a few minutes."

"Thank you for your understanding. I would like to check on Stephen first, Is that alright with you, Charles? His condition is less extensive and I hope that if I can cure him first then he can help me with your prognosis."

"No, that will be fine Harry."

"Okay then, please follow me to my small infirmary. Dobby's wife, Winky, had it built for my use, I never can stay out of trouble in my youth so she had one of the rooms outfitted with both magical and non magical instruments and it is staffed by one of the elves specializing in healing."

"Elves? Are you saying Dobby and Winky are elves?" Jean asked.

"Did I not mention that before? When I arrived in this reality, I had a few elves with me and they are the most loyal magical beings you can find."

The three guests were amazed at the five bed infirmary and they could not reconcile that it all fit into Harry's penthouse apartment as spacious as it is. Harry just smiled at their faces before explaining it. "This room was originally a closet and I expanded the space using magic. You will find that magic will often times defy logic and some of the laws of physics. This is Carrie, she is one of the best elven healers, and she will be assisting me today," the elf smiled shyly at them.

"Please do not worry about germs as the doorway we passed through has removed any that came with you. This entire room is sterile and cleaner than any operating room found on Earth." He motioned Strange and Jean to the curtained changing rooms to wear scrubs. "Charles, I will be swapping your suit into scrubs using a basic switching spell." When Xavier gave his assent, Harry waved his hand to switch his clothes into the scrubs.

Strange was asked to lie down on one of the beds and his hands were examined by Harry using a magically projected real time image to see the damage on the nerves while Strange was asked by Harry to perform various movements to see why the nerves spasms and stings a bit if held in a specific way for long.

"As you can all see, these nerves are being constricted when Stephen performs certain movements. Luckily, using magic the damaged nerves can be repaired within an hour. Do I have your permission to heal it, Stephen?" Strange nodded his approval so Harry continued. "My nerve treatment potion could have easily treated this had it been used earlier. However, since this injury happened long ago, a more intensive mode of treatment will have to be done."

Harry explained what he was doing to the captive audience. "I am placing Stephen's fingers up to his shoulders in stasis so that it will not move while I am treating him because, based on my experience, what I am about to do is ticklish. I am also going to remove the damaged nerves so that we can regrow them using a potion. I have no plans of selling this to the public as they are unable to perform the magic I just did. Stephen, open your mouth and drink the potion Carrie will be giving you and yes I know that it tastes bad." They all laughed at Strange's facial expression, a mix of disgust and a grimace. "As you can see from the projected image, healthy nerves are slowly growing back to replace those I have removed. It will take about an hour to completely grow back to its normal state."

"This is amazing, Harry! Modern medicine will not be able to replicate this for some time and you give me hope that maybe you help me as you have helped, Stephen," said Charles.

"Charles, I promise to do all I can to help you. Stephen, once the nerves has regrown, you need to perform some dexterity exercises that will give them the flexibility and response you had before your accident but I must caution you that you must not channel magic through your hands for three days, they need that time to completely heal."

"I see. I hope nothing comes up in the next three days then."

"Do not worry. This room is separate from the time stream of the outside world. A day here is only equivalent to an hour outside so you will only be out of commission for three hours in real time."

"Harry the kind of magic we use is so similar yet they are different in ways that boggle the mind."

"The magic of the witches and wizards in my old reality has been adopted for use in their everyday mind which lend to its flexibility and variety of use," Harry turned to Xavier. "I will be levitating you to an operating table and you will be lying on your stomach but you can still observe what I am doing on an enchanted mirror connected to a special pair of glasses I will wear so you can see what I see. Let's wait an hour until Stephen's hands have healed so he can lend us his expertise as a neurosurgeon. While I am confident that Carrie an I can handle the surgery, another doctor's opinion will not hurt our chances."

"I agree. I did not know that you are a doctor too, Harry. You seem to be as younger than myself yet you are proficient in many areas of study," commented Jean.

"I know I do not look it but I am considerably older than the combined ages of the three of you and I have trained in many vocations during those years. Maybe someday I can tell you of my story."

The hands of Strange were healed sooner than expected and the Sorcerer Supreme was ecstatic with the results of the treatment. His hands were better than ever.

It was now time for Xavier to be examined so he levitated him to the operating table faced down. A real time image of Xavier's back was shown to Harry and the others and they all saw where a bullet was lodged between two of Xavier's vertebrae which led to his paralysis.

"Harry, can magic remove the bullet without killing Charles or further paralyzing him? Modern medicine is not able to do so without endangering him more," said Strange who was still opening and closing his fists to exercise his hands.

"That is correct, Stephen. Ordinarily, this injury will be hard to fix even with the help of magic but it is lucky that I have the most excellent liquid known to wizards," Harry was handed two small vials by Carrie which he showed to the group "This liquid are the tears of one of the magical world's most revered creatures, a phoenix. Its healing powers are matched only by this other liquid," Harry showed them the other vial. The phoenix tears were clear and transparent while the second liquid was a pearlescent white. "This is the willingly given blood of a unicorn. I stress the willingly given part because if the blood is forcibly taken, it will have side effects too ghastly to say. I cannot release these to the general public as they are too precious and are too rare. The ten drops of phoenix tears in this vial is priced at ten thousand galleons, the galleon is a golden coin equivalent to about five pounds sterling while the unicorn blood is simply priceless."

"I will be using the stasis charm on your body from the neck down, Charles, to prevent any unnecessary movement then I will make a small incision to expose the bullet so that I can vanish it into this container. Once I have done so, Carrie will be giving you one spoonful of the unicorn blood do not worry, it will taste sweet and not disgusting like the potion I gave Stephen, so make sure you drink everything. I will then use three drops of phoenix tears on the place where the bullet was lodged in. It will repair the nerves and muscles affected by the bullet. You will walk again, Charles, that I can promise you now. I will start now so Carrie, be ready to give Charles the unicorn blood."

"I am ready, Harry," spoke Carrie for the first time.

"Shall I proceed, Charles? I am confident that we can heal you fully."

"Do it, Harry. I have complete trust in you."

Harry numbed the area he will be operating on before making the incision. He gave Carrie a look that told the elf to be ready to give the blood to Charles before vanishing the bullet swiftly. Carrie did as expected while Harry used three drops of the phoenix tears to heal it."

Jean and Stephen gasped as the deep incision healed right before their eyes.

"This like watching a miracle in action," gushed Jean.

"Charles, you need to stay that way for about an hour or so then I will be monitoring your recovery here for five days. Carrie will be giving you some potions and you must drink them all to fortify your lower body. You will also need to drink a nutrient potion before breakfast for the next month to make the strengthening of your bones and develop muscle mass. Carrie will be keeping you under observation for the next five days so it looks like we will get to know each other more in the next few days."

"Thank you so much Harry. I believe I will rest for now, the operation tired me out." With that, Xavier fell asleep with a small smile on his face; his dreams would undoubtedly be pleasant.

Harry led Strange and Jean to a living area within the room to relax and eat their lunch.

"Harry, I cannot emphasize how much you have helped me. While I know that I will not be able to return to practicing medicine full time due to the demands of being the Sorcerer Supreme of this dimension, I believe I will try and work again as a surgeon, it is still my first love."

"Stephen, I have no doubts that you will be able to help many people. I will extend you an invitation to be a part time surgeon in the hospital I will be building in the future. It will be privately funded and it will be a hospital where the less fortunate can turn to for their medical needs."

"I will be looking forward to becoming a proud member of such a medical institution. Healthcare these days have become more of a profits first business than helping people," said Stephen.

"I too would pitch in what I can, if you would accept it. I will have some more free time since you have fixed Charles' disability. He would be a more hands on leader for the X-Men," pledged Jean.

"I will of course accept it. The more people working towards a dream, the easier the dream becomes a reality."

"I believe I would join Charles in resting a bit. See you later, Harry, Jean." Strange walked off to one of the normal beds in the infirmary.

"Harry, I was wondering if you could help me out with something. About two years ago, I started to have weird dreams and visions, it happens regularly since then, about twice a week. It is always of a bird made out of flames struggling to get out of a golden prison calling out my name to help it. I have the professor about it once but he was visibly agitated by it so whenever he asks if it has occurred again, I just say that it only happened that one time. I think he knows what it is but he denies any knowledge of it. He is hiding it from me," confessed Jean. "My powers have been a bit erratic since then. It randomly fluctuates and I am having a hard time controlling them especially my telepathy. Foreign thoughts invade my mind at random times. It has been happening a lot more lately and harder to control."

"I see. While I am clueless as to what I can do to regarding the visions you are having, I think I can help you with the random thoughts assaulting you," Harry went to the main penthouse library and returned with a pair of books. "These are copies of books from my personal library. The first one is a book on meditation, which is a necessary foundation for this other book on Occlumency; it is a mental discipline to help you harness the power of your mind into making mental defenses. Don't worry about not having magic to use it as it has been proven that even non-magical people can use it. Once you master Occlumency, the random thoughts should not be a problem anymore and it will also help you have better memory retention. When I was about fourteen years old, I was plagued by visions coming from my enemy and meditating before sleep usually helped to control the visions."

"Thank you, Harry. Will it be all right if I call you or visit you sometimes if I have questions on the books?"

"My door is always open for you, Jean, but I would suggest calling first just to make sure I am home. I will be traveling this weekend to Paris for the Harry's gala there. In the meantime, as our two friends are resting, I suggest you get started on the meditation book. We have about five days to get you started on the occlumency and it should be just enough time to get some basic shields up."

Harry and Jean became good friends during the last three days. Dr. Strange has rested his hands and Harry has given his approval for him to use magic again so he has already left to return to his duties. Xavier has been slowly building up the bone and muscle strength of his legs by using a walker a few hours each day to gradually get used to walking under his own strength again.

The third day was when Harry and Jean would start the process of erecting rudimentary shields, Harry was glad that Jean was gifted in the mind arts as it would normally take a week or two before a novice could start their shields. At Jean's urging they did not involve Xavier in their endeavors. Dobby and Winky were with them to guard their bodies as they will be out of contact for the time they were in Jean's mind.

"Jean, before we start, I want to remind you that you will be able to do this alone even without my help, I want you to understand that I am willing to help you if you wish it and it would accelerate the progress of your shields. It's just that this is a very intimate process usually undertaken by an older member of a family to help guide a younger family member. Do you really wish to include me in sorting through your mindscape?"

"I trust you, Harry. I know we have known each other for such a short time but I feel that you are a good person who will not abuse that trust," said Jean.

"Alright, let us begin." Harry entered Jean's mindscape and he saw a heavily fortified version of the Xavier School. It was covered by a thin force field. He saw a mental representation of Jean appear beside him.

"It seems you barely need me at all, this force field is good enough to keep out the undirected thoughts of other people. All you need is practice and this force field will be strong."

"Thank you Harry. I want to show you something." Jean led Harry to the living room where her memories were represented by DVDs. "As you can see, instead of movies, my memories are stored in the form of DVDs and I have already placed most of them into their categories. The last DVD is filled with the firebird in the golden cage. Would you watch it with me?"

"I will," was Harry's short reply.

The TV screen showed the golden cage and Harry gasped when he saw the bird.

"Jean, that is very similar to a magical bird from my old reality, the phoenix is a sentient being of light. It symbolizes the cycle of life and rebirth. I can understand what she is saying, she is saying 'Help me, Jean Grey, before it is too late!' over and over in the memories."

"How can you understand the cries?"

"I used to be able to transform into a phoenix but I sacrificed the form to travel to this universe because while I had that form, I am immortal and I will live even if I am killed, trust me, I have been killed quite a few times in my old reality. Have you explored the entire mansion?"

"I have except for a locked room, which, oddly enough, is my bedroom in the real world."

"Take me there please," Harry had a feeling that the mystery will be answered when they unlock that room. When they arrived there, they both gave it a few tries but it remained locked.

"I will try and use a few unlocking spells to open this door so give me some room please," Harry used an 'alahomora' and sure enough, the door did open.

The phoenix was there and was still locked in the cage which was visibly weakening. Harry held a hand to Jean's temple and cast a translation spell so that she too can understand the firebird.

'Jean Grey and Harry Potter. Have you come to free me at last?' asked the bird.

'What are you and why are you locked in that cage.' asked Jean in return.

'I am the Phoenix and I was drawn to you when you tried to save your friend. I was impressed with your loyalty and selflessness so I saved you by putting a small part of my essence in you but unfortunately it was too much so you became comatose. Your parents called that telepath Xavier to help you and in doing so he caged my essence, I tried to escape but it became impossible as I was only a small part of the essence of my being. You woke up but I slumbered here until something woke me up a few years ago. Now I know it was when you arrived Harry Potter. I can feel an imprint of my children in you Harry Potter but when you met with Jean Grey a few months ago I only felt a small part of the phoenix in you.'

'I sacrificed my phoenix animagus form to travel to this reality, I did not want to live forever and watch my friends die and while I had the phoenix form, I cannot die.'

'You are a curious human Harry Potter. Most would rejoice at being granted true immortality but you rejected it.'

'What happens now?' asked Jean.

'You must set me free. I have grown over the years while I slumbered and if I remain here, my essence will overwhelm your mind and body. This cage that man has placed me in is weakening as I grow so the cage will eventually collapse on its own, I will be released and when I do, my essence will overwhelm you. It is better to do it now while there is still a chance for you to retain your mind and body with Harry Potter's help. Harry Potter is powerful beyond your imagination Jean Grey, he will he your anchor. When you free me and you both survive, your powers will become stronger as you will absorb some of mine. Either free me now and you may live or wait until the cage is destroyed and you will die, the choice is yours.'

'Harry what shall we do? I do not want to die,' said Jean.

'It is obvious is it not?' asked Harry rhetorically. 'We will set you free but I need your word that you will do your best to give Jean a chance to live.' Harry addressed the Phoenix.

'Of course. I bear her no ill will.'

Another presence appeared in Jean's mind at that time.

"Jean! Harry! What are you doing? That entity almost killed Jean in the first place which is why I caged it. Do not set it free!" said Xavier.

'Foolish mortal! You do not comprehend the gravity of what you have done!' screeched the Phoenix.

"What did it say? Is it threatening you? We must strengthen the cage so it cannot get out!" Xavier exclaimed as he tried to come near the cage. Harry prevented it and cast a translation charm on Xavier's temple. Xavier froze at the Phoenix's words that were focused on him.

'You arrogant mortal! Do not meddle in what you do not understand!' the Phoenix said to Xavier before it turned to Harry and Jean. 'Get him away from this plane! The other parts of my cosmic essence have sensed his presence and it is not as forgiving as I am. I have been preventing them from destroying this cage as it would burn up Jean Grey's mind and body. If he stays here longer they will seek to join me and destroy you all.'

Harry said to Xavier, "You must remove yourself from Jean's mind, Charles. I will do my best to help Jean."

"I do not believe that entity. It seeks to dominate Jean's mind and takeover her!" protested Xavier.

"I'm afraid I have to expel you forcefully, professor. It is my only hope of living through your mistake!" Jean started expelling Xavier from her mindscape.

"No, Jean, do not believe it! It is lying to you! Nooooooo!" Xavier was expelled forcefully; he was knocked unconscious in the real world.

'Let us destroy the cage quickly before Xavier tries again!' said Jean.

Harry and Jean concentrated on telekinetically forcing the cage open and after quite the struggle, they succeeded. The Phoenix launched itself towards Harry and Jean so Harry tried to shield Jean with his body and a magical shield but the Phoenix penetrated the barrier and joined with Jean who became engulfed in flame and was slowly rising into the air. Harry did the first thing he could think of, he grabbed hold of Jean and e was engulfed with the same cosmic fire.

'Jean fight the essence and release it into the astral plane! You can do it Jean, you can do it!' They were both being bathed in the purifying cosmic flames of the Phoenix, their clothes have already burned away into ash yet their bodies did not suffer any burns. After those few seconds that felt like an eternity, the two telepaths gradually descended back to the ground with the fires dying when they reached the ground. Harry groggily tried to wake Jean who was unconscious.

"Jean! Wake up! It is over, we survived!" He cast an 'enervate' on Jean to revive her.

"Harry? Were we successful? I felt myself giving in to the power of the Phoenix, it felt so tantalizingly good but then I heard your words and I felt you grab on to me so I pulled back."

"We did it Jean. We are alright although we should go back to the real world and reassure the elves and Xavier. They might be panicking already." They both blushed like a ripe tomato when they noticed their position and their nakedness.

"Alright let's go to the front gates of the mansion. It may be dangerous to just exit my mind without passing there in our weakened state."

Harry assisted Jean in getting up before they walked to the front gates in silence. They could not help stealing glances at each other's beautiful naked bodies so they were blushing the whole way out.

Back in the real world

Harry and Jean woke up from being unconscious and they found themselves naked and their bodies intertwined. They saw Xavier on the sofa, still unconscious, while Dobby and Winky gave a sigh of relief that they were safe. Harry gave the elves a smile and rose from their compromising position before conjuring simple scrubs for them to wear.

"Master Harry, I am so glad you are both okay. Dr. Xavier came in here a few minutes after you enter Dr. Grey's mindscape saying that you were both in danger. A few minutes later he was thrown away from the two of you and he was knocked unconscious. Carrie checked on him and said he was physically fine and that we should let him wake up on his own. Carrie has just left when Dr. Grey rose slowly into the air wrapped in flames shaped like a firebird and seconds later you grabbed hold to her. You were both encased in the flames and your clothes burned away but we did not see any burns so we waited. We were able to catch you both with our magic as you fell down from slowly to the floor. You woke up a few seconds after that," said Dobby quickly in a breathless way that reminded Harry of Hermione.

"We encountered a cosmic entity, Dobby. It was touch and go for a while but we made it out safely. I never realized that I miss the adrenaline rush that life and death situations give me." Harry gave a laugh at his realization.

"What a terrible thing to say! Dobby and Winky were terrified and yet you are laughing! I am sorry for worrying you two. We are both fine though a bit weak. I have a killer headache though," scolded Jean.

"We are used to Master Harry's weird sense of humor, Dr. Grey. We are glad you are both fine, come you both need to eat before you rest for a few hours."

They all left Xavier and went to the dining room of the infirmary where they ate a few sandwiches and drank some fresh orange juice. Carrie came in and left the two tired telepaths a vial each of headache potion and a mild sleeping draught. They both gladly drank the potions before climbing on to their beds for some well-deserved rest.

Harry and Jean woke up in time for dinner on the fifth day and they were joined by Xavier. The meal was served in the dining room of the penthouse as Xavier was well enough to care for himself. They ate their dinner in awkward silence before Xavier spoke.

"You were both very foolhardy in trusting that entity. You shouldn't have freed it, it placed all of us in danger. What if it took over you, Jean?"

Harry was surprised at the tone used by Xavier so he responded coldly. "Charles, do not presume to be the judge of our actions. You are not all knowing and you made a mistake in caging that cosmic entity."

"You were the one who endangered our lives. You never told me about what you did, about why you caged the entity in my mind. I think I at least had a right to know what is in my mind," said Jean angrily.

"You were too young to know what happened. I thought it was gone as I have never felt it again," Xavier defended his point.

"I am a grown woman, professor. I have the right to know. The cage you placed the Phoenix in was visibly weakening. It said that the time was near and what you were afraid of would have happened. If the cage destroyed itself due to the growing power of the Phoenix, I would have been burnt to a crisp. As it is, it almost happened without the help of Harry."

"I did what I thought was for the best and I will not apologize for that," Xavier stubbornly replied.

"Listen to yourself; you are being your usual stubborn self. You are wrong, professor, and stop your fucking mind probes. You have no right to enter my mind like it was your private fucking playground!" Jean was very angry at this point and fire can literally be seen in her eyes.

"Jean, please calm down. I think you should get away from Jean for a while, Dr. Xavier," said Harry.

"Very well. Harry, I thank you for your hospitality and for healing me. Carrie has given me the necessary potions for the duration of my recovery so I should be able to go home when Scott arrives here. I will be in the library."

Jean waited for Xavier to get out of the dining room before speaking again. "That man is so infuriating with his stubbornness and his I know better than you do attitude. He won't even acknowledge that he made a mistake!"

"I knew a few men like that before and I think you will just have to live with it. You do need to calm down and be a bit more in control of your new powers. Your eyes were glowing with phoenix fire earlier; it's why I asked Xavier to go away."

"I think caging the Phoenix force messed with my emotions. I feel like a dam has burst inside of me and the emotions I did not know I had bottled up was released. I feel great and now I can express myself better. Looking back, I can honestly say that I was a cold fish before."

"Well, I suggest you keep up with your meditation exercises to better control your emotions. With your powers, you have to have a tight rein on your emotions or it can get out of control and you might do something you might regret." Harry raised his hands to stop Jean's reply. "I am not saying that you have to become your old cold fish self, all I want you to realize is that you need to rule over your emotions, not the other way around. Express your emotions but do not give it full control of your being."

"Okay Harry. I do not know what would have happened if you were not there to help me. Thank you so much."

"No problem, Jean. If you need help or anything at all, just give me a call."

"Thanks again for all your help. I think I better get going. I have a lot to think about."

"I'd invite you to the Paris gala but I know you would want some peace and quiet."

"Any other time and I would have jumped at the chance to go to Paris but you are right, I need peace and quiet to find myself for now."

The wards alerted Harry that Scott Summers has arrived to pick up his two guests while Jean was getting ready to go. Harry finished his dessert before going to the library to meet his new guest. From the looks he got from the man, He guessed Xavier has already told him what happened.

"Good evening, Mr. Summers. I trust you had a pleasant trip? Would you like some dinner before you depart?" Harry greeted Summers amiably like a good host should.

"I'm fine. Where is Jean?"

"I suppose she is getting her things. Charles, did Carrie give you instructions on when to drink your potions?"

"Yes she did. Thank you again for your hospitality and your help, Harry. I understand that the potions are not cheap along with the medicines you gave me during the operation, please send me the bill. I promise to pay it; after all, I am not without my resources."

"I was glad to help so please do not trouble yourself about the price of your potions or the operation."

"I must insist that you let me pay, Harry."

"I do not consider helping my friends as a debt to be paid, Charles, unless you do not want my friendship?"

"No, I consider you a friend, Harry. Forgive me for being so insistent, I seldom find myself indebted to another, be it a friend or otherwise. Please accept my gratitude for the help you gave me." Charles extended his right hand and Harry shook it as Jean entered the room.

"Are you alright, Jean? Professor Xavier told me what happened," Summers immediately went to Jean and sent a look to Harry.

"Scott, I'm fine. Let's talk about it later. You should assist Professor Xavier. I'll meet you at the car." Summers reluctantly went to Xavier and assisted him with his things. "Sorry about that. He is always like that, too fucking loyal to Xavier that he does not consider all the sides of the situation," Jean apologized once the two other mutants were out of earshot.

"It happens. I think he has a crush on you," he kidded Jean who groaned.

"He does. I've told him time and time again that we are better off as friends but he does not want to listen. I want to tell him that the puppy dog look does not work if you can't see his eyes but that would be cruel." She smirked at Harry.

"You are a spitfire, Dr. Grey."

"Anyway, thank you again, for helping us," she kissed Harry on the cheek and hurried to the waiting elevator to hide her blush. Harry just smiled at her direction after the door closed. He went to his study and made his calls for the trip to Los Angeles.

Tomorrow, Harry decided to let Emma Frost in on some of his secrets. He did not get any bad vibes fro reading her, just a strong curiosity. He also reasoned that she will be his right hand, so to speak so he had to trust her to some degree. The information was under the modified Fidelius so there shouldn't be a problem. With that last thought, he sent a message to Frost that he would see her tomorrow morning at the PHI office for a meeting then he slept the sleep of the weary.

PHI HQ Manhattan

Harry knocked twice and waited a few seconds before entering his employee's office.

"Good morning, Emma. Are you busy?"

"Nothing that couldn't wait. What is it?"

He locked the door and cast a few security charms before replying.

"I decided last night that since you will be this corporation's top executive, I should let you know a few things."

"Are you sure you want to let me know so much? Not that I do not wish to know things but I just want you to make sure of your decision. You have just hired me after all."

"I have thought things through so yes, I am sure, besides you will not be able to reveal these information to anyone without my explicit agreement."

Emma raised a well-manicured eyebrow at this. "Okay, tell me these secrets then."

"I am a reality traveler from a different world that has no mutants and instead of mutants; my reality's Earth had witches and wizards. I am a wizard and I have magic."

"You are kidding me right?"

"No, and I will give you a demonstration of some of my abilities." He waved his hand and turned Emma's newspaper into a puppy which he then levitated around the room before returning it to her desk. Emma hesitantly approached the puppy which proceeded to lick her fingers. Harry turned it back into a newspaper before teleporting near Emma. "Do you believe me now?"

"I do but my mind still has trouble comprehending what I just saw."

"Hold on to my hand. This will be a bit disconcerting but remain calm. Let's go to Paris, I think I want some croissants."

He teleported them to an alley he has warded on a previous visit to Paris so that he has a safe place to teleport to. Emma followed him to a nearby cafe which made excellent croissants and coffee. He ordered for the two of them in French as Emma was still looking around the open air cafe. When their food arrived, Harry recast his privacy charms.

"Well? What do you think?"

"I think this is amazing! So you are not a mutant, you are a wizard."

"No, when I came to this reality, I received my mutant powers of which telepathy is one aside from my magical gifts that I retained. I think this solves one of your questions regarding how I produce my goods, though the specifics will remain a secret that only I will know about. I also came here with a few elves who are bound to me, Mira, the office manager along with Dobby and Winky are some of them. The only ones who knows are the Queen, the PM, you, the X-Men and Doctor Strange. The information I've just told you are magically protected so that without my expressed permission, none of you can reveal it in any way shape or form."

"Does this change any of your corporation's goals?"

"No. I really meant what I said about my goals for the future. I came from a reality where in the magical people has isolated themselves from the non-magical public. This reality does have that luxury and I have no wish to hide who I am for longer than necessary."

They have finished their snack by then. "Shall we go back to the office or do you want to do something here?"

"Well as much as I want to stay here in Paris, I can take care of my new wardrobe from your Manhattan store and I still have to prep a bit for the meeting with Stark Industries. I already have a dress from Harry's for the Paris gala. Are we teleporting from Los Angeles on Saturday?"

"As much as I want to save time by teleporting, we need to keep up appearances so we'll be using the jet. Grab my hand and we'll go back to your office." They went back to Manhattan and into their separate offices. Emma was left to her own thoughts by Harry; he knew that it was a lot to take in.

Teterborough Airport

Harry picked up Natalie at her apartment before driving over to the airport where they will be meeting Emma for the trip to Los Angeles. Harry introduced Emma and Natalie to each other before meeting his pilot. Captain Riley met them at the hanger to report to Harry.

"We have tested the plane during our down time, Harry. The mechanics performed a thorough check on the engines while we pilots checked on the navigation system before we flew her to Los Angeles and back yesterday. Everything runs smoothly and we did not experience any problems. We have already done the preflight checks and we can fly out at your say so Harry."

"Let's go and board then. We can eat breakfast on the plane. Dobby packed a basket of food for us."

He guided the two ladies into the plane and Natalie got a big surprise when she was grabbed with a big hug by the other pilot.

"Nat! How are you? I did not know you knew Harry!"

"Hello Carol. I met Harry during his store's Manhattan gala." Natalie turned to Harry. "Can I speak to Carol for a minute before we take off?"

"Sure, take your time. We've plenty of time."

Natalie and Carol walked into the cockpit and closed the door. "Nat, what's going on?"

"I'm on an assignment, Carol. My name is Natalie Rushman and I am a corporate lawyer. We met through our mutual friend Maria back in college. Fury wanted me to get to know your boss since r is going to be supplying Shield with his potions."

"You are putting me in a difficult position, Nat. Harry's my boss and I cannot exactly spy on him for Shield."

"You don't have to do anything. Just don't blow my cover."

"Okay. I will do that but in return I do not want Shield getting on my ass to spy on Harry. He's a good boss from what I've experienced so far."

"I know he's a good man. I think I'm falling for him, Carol. He's not just another assignment."

"Wow. You have to tell me more about this later."

"I will. He will be in a meeting with Stark Industries later so we can talk then."

"Fine. We better get back to them."

While Carol and Natalie went the cockpit, Emma talked to Harry about the two women.

"You do know that Natalie is really a spy from Shield and that you pilot, Carol, is a super powered metahuman and a former Shield agent, right?"

"I know. Don't worry about them."

"You're the boss."

She then took a seat on one of the plush leather seats before reading her newspaper. Harry just smiled at the nonchalance of his employee. Natalie and Carol returned soon after. They were taxiing off the runway a few minutes later. Emma left them alone and busied herself with her own breakfast while she went over the newspapers she brought with her. Harry and Natalie got caught up in what the two of them has been doing during the time they were apart. Before they know it, they were landing in Los Angeles.

They all checked into their hotel rooms to freshen up then Emma, Harry and Natalie along with Carol met up for lunch at one of the hotel's restaurants. The other pilot preferred to sleep and did not join them.

Pretty soon, it was time for Harry and Emma to go to their meeting while Natalie and Carol went to Carol's room to powwow.

"Maybe you and Carol can walk around the city while Emma and I are in our meeting."

"We'll be in our suite, Harry. I plan to catch up with Carol since I have not seen her for some time. Good luck on your meeting."

"Thanks, Nat. See you later. You two girls behave, alright?" Harry kissed Natalie before getting into the hotel limousine that will take them to Stark Industries.

Pepper Potts met them in the lobby and led them to Stark's private office.

"Good afternoon, Harry." Stark shook hands with Harry before noticing Emma. "Emma Frost! What are you doing in my part of the world?"

"Hello to you too, Tony. I'm the new president and chief operating officer of Potter Holdings Inc."

"Harry you better be careful, Miss Frost here is a sharp one." Tony joked.

"I had to bring in a professional to negotiate the deals for my company; I am a novice after all when it comes to business. I am just a simple linguist with dreams of being a big shot like you." Harry replied to Tony's joke.

"Why I'm flattered that you think of me as a big shot, Harry."

"Stop kidding around Tony. Would you two like a drink?" asked Pepper.

"Ice water will be fine, Pepper," said Harry which was repeated by Emma.

"Now, here is the Potter Silk you requested, Tony."

A clerk left the bolt of acromantula silk on the table.

"But it's pink!"

"Emma figured pink was more suitable to your skin color." Harry smirked at Tony.

"Fine. I am very interested with the properties of Potter Silk. Pepper nearly tore my head off when I tried to run some experiments on the scarf she got in her gift bag so I had to make do with the tie and hanky I got. The results I got from my lab tests were very interesting."

"Of course I protested when he took my scarf, Harry. It is a beautiful scarf!" Pepper glared at her boss.

"I would have done the same, Pepper. So Anthony, what are you offering?"

"See, Harry? Sharp I tell you."

"Shush it, Anthony. Get to the point."

"I want to know if you would e willing to sell Stark Industries the formula for the silk."

Harry let Emma handle the negotiations like they discussed yesterday. She knew how to deal with Stark and Harry has already told her what he was willing to give.

"Anthony, do you see a sign saying 'I'm a schmuck' on my forehead? PHI will not sell the secret of Potter Silk to anyone for any price and you know that so get to your real offer."

"I am planning on adding a layer of Potter Silk to my company's combat armor that we are currently supplying the Pentagon and other countries. How much are you willing to sell it for?"

Pepper was only looking at them while taking notes on the meeting. Once again, Emma answered for Harry.

"We can supply you however much Potter Silk you need and we can guarantee that Stark Industries will be the only defense contractor with access to the silks for the price of $3,000.00 per square yard."

"That is a pretty stiff price, Emma."

"I know if you do not want it, I am sure Justin Hammer will be interested in making a deal. It is only a matter of time before he realizes Potter Silk's potential uses."

"Hammer? Please, that man is an uninspired Neanderthal. I doubt he will realize the uses of this silk if it hit him point blank in face. $2,000 per square yard and we have a deal."

"$2,500.00 per square yard and we have a deal, Anthony."

"Okay, fine. You have a deal. Imagine the many applications o this silk. We can line our armors with it and a host of other uses."

"I will have our lawyers draw up the contract. 'Harry's' will only sell Potter Silk for civilian use like clothes and such," Emma smiled at Stark.

"But I thought Stark Industries will be the exclusive users of Potter Silk?"

"No other defense contractor can buy Potter Silk from us so the governments of the world will only be able to buy armors made with them from you but 'Harry's' will sell only to the civilian sector with finished products to protect your exclusive rights. It's not like many civilians can afford Potter Silk."

"Fine but I will not stop trying to discover how it is made. I checked the patent offices and you never filed for patents so if I can discover how it is made the contract is void, are we agreed?"

"Sure, if you ever discover how it is made, you can cancel the contract," answered Harry.

"You are getting cocky, Harry, and I like it! Done. My first order is for one thousand yards of Potter Silk and I get to pick the color! Half would be in black, the other half in the new MultiCam camouflage pattern being rolled out by the US Army."

Emma looked at Harry to see if he can produce that amount of Potter Silk and she got a small smile and a nod as answer. "PHI can handle that. When do you want to pick it up?"

"Pick up? You don't do delivery?" Tony asked disbelievingly.

"Sorry, Anthony. It is a company policy, pickups only, no deliveries. It will be the same with the medicines once it gets approval. It is a standard clause on all PHI contracts. This way, PHI will be clear from any claims against and we avoid the costs in providing delivery service and security for the products. It was a genius idea by Harry."

"Alright. I think FedEx and UPS will love you for that. Is tomorrow too soon for the pick up?"

"Sorry, Anthony. No signed contract, no Potter Silk."

"Oh come on! I have nothing to do! Damned lawyers are gonna take a week to write up the contract!" Tony tried his puppy dog look at Harry who just laughed and shook his head at Tony's antics.

"Sorry man, I'm just the owner; Emma gets to decide these things. You should be happy she settled for $2,500 per yard, she originally wanted twice that amount."

"Oh, Anthony, this is only a one year contract."

"What?!"

"Anthony, you are getting this contract for Potter Silk at a cheap price, you know it and I know it. You are only avoiding a bidding war because for some inexplicable reason, Harry here likes you. If it were up to me, I would have orchestrated a bidding war for all the defense contractors."

"Geez woman you scare me! Just get the contract made quickly so I can decipher your formula."

"Careful, Anthony. Piss me off and I'll go shop Potter Silk around for a better price." Emma smirked at Tony; she knew she had him by the short and curlies.

"Yes, ma'am. Harry why don't you and the delightful Miss Frost here join us for dinner at Nobu? I feel like this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship," Tony invited his new partners. "I'm off to Afghanistan tomorrow for a product demonstration. I want to eat some decent food while I can."

"Rain check, Tony. We'll be flying to Paris as soon as we finish here. I originally planned to invite you and Pepper to join us but since you will be going to Afghanistan, maybe Pepper can go with us." Harry looked at Pepper who looked like she wanted to go but was resisting it.

"I can't Harry. I've got too much to do since Tony will be gone for a week." Pepper demurred.

"Go and have fun, Pepper. Harry might think I'm a cold heated bastard if I don't let you go. I'm a bastard but I'm not cold hearted," Stark encouraged Pepper. "I'm sure Obie can handle things here."

"Oh thank you, Tony, you are a great boss! Harry where should I meet you? I have to pack and oh my god I need a dress!"

"Don't worry about the dress. I'll have someone from the Paris store help you girls select a new outfit and accessories, no arguments. I will have three beautiful women as walking ads for Harry's so it will not be a loss. I'll even loan out some of the jewelry to go with your new outfits."

"That is how a boss treats his valuable employees, Anthony. If you do not behave, I might persuade Harry to steal Pepper from you," Emma laughed at Stark's expression.

"No, Pepper is not like that! Pepper is a loyal Stark Industries employee, aren't you Pep?"

"Harry, does that job come with a hefty clothing and accessories allowance? Anyway, let's discuss it on the plane. I have to get home and pack. See ya, Tony!" With that Pepper Potts was out the door.

"Pepper! You won't leave me for Harry will you? Pepper!"

Harry and Emma just laughed at the terror they saw on Tony's face as they followed Pepper out the door.

Harry and his entourage had a grand time in Paris, the ladies were the belles of the ball and Harry was their gallant knight. Natalie was able to persuade Carol to join them in the festivities so Harry had two blondes and two red heads to escort to the gala.

Harry got to know Natalie better during their time together and they agreed that they were a good fit for each other.

However, all good things must come to an end and Harry wished that they can stay in Paris longer but Pepper and Emma had responsibilities in the US. They've just landed in NYC when Pepper burst out crying.

"What happened, Pepper? Why are you crying all of a sudden?" Natalie asked her fellow red head.

"Oh, God, what am I going to do?! I just received a call from Rhodey. He is Tony's Pentagon liaison and he said Tony's convoy got ambushed! Tony's been abducted!"