A/N Tada.
Disclaimer: I own none of the characters.
Summary: Harry; Wizard, Master of Death, New York PI and friend of Tony Stark has taken his friend to visit The Burrow.
It was one of the strangest rooms he'd ever been in. It wasn't the clutter that gave him this impression, although he didn't think he'd ever been in a room in such disarray before. It was the magic. Just hints of it here and there, reminding him that in this house magic was a fact of life.
A pile of books that shouldn't be able to hold their precarious position.
A pair of knitting needles, clicking away at a scarf which was forming over a ginger tomcat that seemed unperturbed by the garment that was falling in folds over him.
A spoon absently stirring one of the many cooking pots on an old fashioned stove.
At the same time there were elements of a normal household such as armchairs and a battered old radio that sat on a side table.
"Well get out of the way, dear! Make some space for Harry." A plump ginger woman bustled towards him from the sink, shooing him from the fireplace. He scurried out of the way just as the fire flashed green and his friend Harry unfolded from it. His friend barely had time to brush some ash from his jacket before he was enveloped by the woman.
"Oh Harry! It's so good to see you! Oh look at you! Are you even eating over there? You haven't been a fight have you? Ron did say you were looking into Hermione's accident. And your hair! Have you still not found a way to tame it?"
Tony watched his enigmatic, all-powerful friend being mothered and grinned in amusement. He actually looked like the teenager you'd assume he was as he grinned and ruffled his hair.
"It's good to see you too Mrs Weasley! I've gotta say, I'm really looking forward to your cooking!"
Mrs Weasley patted him on the arm affectionately, "Well someone needs to feed you. And your friend," she turned to Tony who felt smaller under her scrutiny," He looks like he eats just as little as you!"
"This is Tony, Tony this is Mrs Weasley."
"Call me Molly." She said, still examining him, "Well I'm busy in here, everybody else is outside- No I can manage by myself, go greet everyone, they are so excited to see you again." She headed off Harry's proffer of help, pushing them out of the room towards a rickety looking backdoor. Tony looked over his shoulder to see Molly flicking her wand, causing potatoes to jump out of their skins and levitate into the sink before following Harry out of the house.
He just had enough time to register a long table spread across the lawn of a rustic garden, and the people busying themselves with laying it before said people noticed the newcomers. There were a chorus of yells and greetings as they abandoned their tasks to walk over to Harry, hugging him and patting him on the shoulder. Harry was disappearing in a mass of people. A majority of them red-heads.
"Oi! Let him breathe!" someone shouted over the noise and the crowd began to part.
"Still not shaving eh?" said one tall redhead that Tony recognised as one of the twins in the photo, ruffling Harry's hair. Harry batted the hand away looking disgruntled before a grin spread on his face.
"Whose your friend?" The one with long hair and a scarred face asked, his arm wrapped around a stunning blonde woman Tony felt his eyes drawn to immediately. His gaze was broken when someone, Harry, elbowed him hard in the side.
"This is Tony. Tony, this is everyone." Harry gestured at the group as a whole.
"Helpful." Tony muttered, looking back at the woman.
"That's Bill and his wife Fleur," The couple waved, "George and Angelina, Neville and Hannah, Ginny, Charlie, Mr Weasley, " they all looked familiar, from the photos on Harry's wall, and that's when he realised that what had been unsettling him. Harry had gone to school with several of these people, yet they were all in their late twenties, early thirties, the changes were subtle but there. Meanwhile Harry looked exactly as he had in the photos. Suddenly George's shaving comment made more sense. He looked where Harry was pointing to a brunette sat at the table who was grinning in their direction.
"-his wife Hermione, the woman he are here to celebrate the health of!" Hermione blushed and used the table to push herself to her feet.
"And you Harry! I'm glad you're okay!" She gave him a hug. Tony had to restrain the smile that threatened to rise to his lips. It was strangely satisfying to see Harry, who lived as seemingly solitary existence surrounded by friends. He couldn't start looking like a sap though. It made him wonder why Harry apparently cut himself off from them however. His attention on Harry he missed Mr Weasley walking in his direction.
"Nice to meet you." The man said with a broad grin on his face.
Tony returned the sentiment and the grin if possible grew wider.
"Would I be mistaken in my knowledge of you being a muggle?" he asked.
"You mean a non-magic person?" Tony asked, to double check the terminology.
"Yes, yes, that's right!"
"That's me."
Tony asserted and the man's eyes widened.
"Well that's just brilliant! I find muggles so fascinating. Would it be okay if I discussed some things with you?"
Tony shrugged. "Sure."
Harry grinned at his friends. He's missed them.
"So you managed to find out happened to Hermy then?" George asked, drawing the attention of those closest to them.
Harry shrugged. "Sod with a 'God- Complex. Quite literally. Don't worry, he's been sorted." He added as Hermione's brow creased.
"Oh we never doubted you!" Charlie shouted from his perch on the table."
"Mum was freaking though. That clock of hers spent that week oscillating between Danger and Mortal Peril." George grinned. Harry found himself touched to learn that he'd been added to the infamous clock.
"Not to mention the Muggle news. Am we wrong in thinking that the mess in that city was you?"
Harry stared in surprise at Ginny. "You watched the Muggle news?"
She shrugged, "My friends were making a big deal of it." Harry frowned slightly.
"Ginny's taken an interest in the Muggle World," George confided in him. "Dad has finally corrupted her!"
Harry smiled bemusedly as Ginny scowled, "I met some people in a Muggle coffee shop and we decided to stay in touch. They think I'm 'eccentric'" she put the phrase in air-quotes," but they're interesting. Not to mention Muggle Music! There is so much variety."
"Trust me, I know some interesting Muggles." Harry looked to Tony who'd been sequestered by Mr Weasley.
"So, you're a technical sort of fella! Maybe you could explain something to me."
"Fire away."
"Well you see, I've taken apart no end of plugs, but I still can't figure it. How do they actually work?"
Harry laughed, wondering whether or not to try and save Tony from Mr Weasley. He instead turned to Ron.
"Hey, where's Luna and the kids?"
Ron shrugged, "Luna has taken them into the woods with Teddy and Hagrid."
Harry grinned, "Hagrids here!"
Ron looked affronted, "Of course! He wouldn't miss it. We had to persuade him to leave Grawp out of it."
"Food's ready!" came a cry and they began to make their way to the trestle table. Harry saw that Tony was still hanging behind with Mr Weasely, looking somewhat baffled.
"But how is electricity created?"
"Er- wait a sec, you have a radio!"
"Yes."
"But, doesn't it run on electricity?"
"No, why should it?"
Harry took this as an opportunity to intercede before Tony exploded.
"You weren't kidding about being 'technologically stunted'." He muttered in Harry's ear as they sat down.
Harry was still chuckling when there was a small yell of excitement.
"God children ahoy." George crowed and Harry rose again to greet the tornado that was Teddy.
"God children?" Tony asked, twisting in his seat to look at the teenager who was hugging Harry.
Harry ruffled Teddy's ginger hair.
"You're taller. He commented idly.
"You're not!" Teddy grinned happily, "I'm gonna catch up soon." As Harry watched, the eyes upturned to him shifted to green and the ginger hair rippled to black. Harry ignored Tony's poorly hidden gaping to continue his conversation.
"You're getting more control then." The boy grinned and nodded, before setting off on a babbled tale of something that had happened at school. He heard Ron explain to Tony what a metamorphagus was as dishes began to float towards the table.
"-and the teachers thought that I was Regin, so he got in trouble."
"Your teacher is sitting right here." Neville commented midly.
Teddy blushed, "Well he deserved it for being mean to Marcus. I don't get why they beat on their own hou-"
"'Arry!"
Tony realised that he should really stop being surprised by magic. He's thought that he was doing okay, not even blinking as serving dishes began to arrange themselves on the table. But the kid changing his appearance without even blinking had been another level of strange.
"It's genetic." Harry's friends Ron was telling him. "He got it from his mother, Tonks." What sort of name was Tonks? "Unfortunately his parents were killed in the war." The last part was said quietly, presumably so the kid wouldn't hear. He raised an eyebrow and glanced at the boy in question. "He knows, but it can be a sore topic." Ah, by telling him now, it stopped a possibly social blunder later int eh evening.
"'Arry!"
Tony looked around at the yell and saw the huge bearded man that had been in several of Harry's photos. He was bigger in person.
The man was carrying a toddler in his arms and Ton couldn't help must think that the giant man might actually crush her.
Harry turned to look up at the man.
"Hey Hagrid."
The man's black eyes creased as he grinned down at Harry and his young friend. "It's been too long."
"It has." Harry agreed, "How's Grawp?"
Grawp?
"Hagrid's half-brother." Ron told him quietly, watching the exchange. "He's a giant." Tony's head shot around.
"Giant?"
Ron nodded, "Yeah. Hagrid's half giant. On his mother's side."
"Is that even possible?" Tony asked incredulously.
Ron looked at him as if he was an idiot before indicating in Hagrids direction.
Tony glared at him, "Well yeah… but what about the logistics? How would that even… actually I don't want to know." He pushed several theories out of his mind.
Ron laughed.
"This can't be Rosie!" Harry was saying to the little girl who was giggling at Harry, hiding her eyes beneath her fringe. "She's much too big."
"It's me!" the girl insisted. She held out her tiny hands for Harry to pick her up which he did, swingin her around easily.
Ron grinned at the pair fondly.
"She's your daughter?" Tony asked.
Ron nodded, "First brunette in the family. You may have noticed, as a family, we're fairly ginger."
Tony snorted. "I never would have guessed."
"We've got a blonde in the family too." Ron was commenting, "Victoire, but that's probably the veela genes-"
Veela part of his brain pondered briefly before pushing it aside to focus on the main thing bugging him. He was sitting next to Harry's school friend. He'd seen a picture of the two of them looking the same age.
Yet here was one, married, with a two year old daughter, head of some group called 'the Aurors', whatever those were, a full life around him. The other looked as though he had barely graduated college. Harry was the youngest here, bar the children, yet he was on a level with all the adults, he wasn't spoken down to, or treated as young, except maybe by Mrs Weasley.
Tony put his elbows on the table, trying to figure out how to broach the topic.
Ron saw his change of demeanour and his face became one of professional seriousness. He was obviously expecting the question.
"How old is Harry?"
It was the simplest way to phrase it. Harry was still occupied with the newcomers, they had been joined by a woman with messy blonde hair who was hugging Harry tightly. He wasn't paying attention to Tony.
Tony wasn't expecting the response he got.
"Ha, that's 10 Galleons Ronnikins!" cheered George from the other side of the table.
Ron's schooled expression broke into one of exasperation and he pulled a small pouch from his pocket.
Tony watched in rising disbelief as Ron pulled ten gold coins from the pouch and pushed them across the table. George scooped them up grinning. He looked over at Tony.
"Ron thought you would hold out 'til after the meal. I thought you would be way too curious."
"You shouldn't bet on stuff like that!" Hermione exclaimed from the other side of Ron, leaving her conversation with Fleur and Bill to glare at the boys disapprovingly.
"Oh c'mon Hermy, don't be a spoilsport!" George complained.
Ron's face had become serious once again. "What has Harry told you about the War?"
The other two ceased bickering, and even George's face fell.
Tony looked at the trio. "Not much. Mostly Moldyshorts background."
His play on the guy's name didn't crack a smile as he hoped it might.
"It's mostly Harry's business to tell." Ron admitted. " But his dealings with Voldemort really did a number on him."
Tony looked back at Harry who had been joined by Mrs Weasley. He figured that she had gone over to them to berate them for not sitting down to the meal but had got sucked into Rosie's charm because she was now fussing over the little girl in Harry's arms. Harry was grinning at her bemusedly, playing with Rosie's hair.
"So what. He doesn't age?
Glances were exchange.
"Not physically. No." Hermione conceded.
"What could cause that?" Tony asked, implications running through his head. Was Harry immortal? Would he just stay the same for decades, or would he have a normal lifespan, but just look the same as he did so.
"Trust me. It was some truly messed up shit." George swore darkly, eyes flickering to Harry. "I think he's doing pretty well, considering."
"That's why he left the Wizarding World actually." Ginny entered the conversation. Tony did a quick glance around to where Harry was, feeling very self-conscious that he wasn't that far away. Satisfied that he had actually moved out of earshot when he'd gone to talk to Hagrid, he looked back to Ginny.
"He was such a public figure, he didn't want to deal with all the questions and rumours."
"It was a shame really. He was a fantastic Auror." the brunette, Neville commented before taking a mouthful of potato salad.
"Auror?" Tony asked and conversation was effectively dragged away from the topic, leaving Tony with a lot to brood on. Just in time too, a moment later, Harry took his seat having been dragged away from Hagrid who was now sitting on a huge stool at the other end of the table.
He learned a lot during that meal, if mostly just corroboration on the bizarrity, if that was a word, of the Wizarding World. Mr Weasley was having difficulties with items such as tea-strainers, which ended up in the Muggle world and beat the crap out of their unsuspecting owners. There was a disease called 'Dragon Pox', a more dangerous form of Chicken Pox, he gathered, that was running rife throughout the country, prevelant in the South. Ron told a story which involved a deviant of the law that got his revenge against the Aurors by finding a way to spike their food with some kind of Love Potion.
"So Zabini was all over McGregor, which is when we first began to suspect something, 'cause Zabini is straighter than an arrow." He chortled over his food.
"He could have just been in the closet." Ginny commented as she buttered some bread.
"In the closet?" George queried, looking at his sister in bemusement.
"Not admitting that he's gay." Ginny clarified, dipping the same piece of bread into her soup.
"Muggles make up such strange terms," Mrs Weasley mused.
"I think the wizards have the monopoly on strange terms." Harry chipped in with a chuckle.
"How'd you mean dear?" Mrs Weasley asked and now all attention was on Harry.
"Well, uh-" Harry replied, his mind clearly having gone blank when he was put on the spot, "The exam names for starters," he supplied, "Nasty, Exhausting, Wizarding Tests?"
Tony quirked an eyebrow in Harry's direction, "Seriously?"
Harry nodded, mouth full of potato salad. "NEWTS. The previous set of exams was called OWLS, Ordinary Wizarding Levels."
"I see what you mean about acronyms." Tony muttered and Harry chuckled. "Spew." He clarified at Ron's querying expression. The red head chortled while Hermione glared daggers.
"S.P.E.W."
She corrected them hotly, causing the table to erupt with laughter. Hermione looked abashed whilst Ron wrapped an arm around her shoulders. He muttered something in her ear before giving her a quick kiss. Tony noticed Harry's slightly forlorn expression as he watched the couple. Taking it as his duty as Harry's friend to distract him, Tony stole Harry's steak.
It was later that evening, the kids had been taken inside by Hannah and Angelina. The night sky was lit with paper lanterns that drifted around them. He had taken a proper look at The Burrow during the meal, but had taken its precarious build, made more forbidding in the nightly gloom, in his stride. It was now hard to think that he'd spent his whole life oblivious of such a colourful culture.
"No, it's back to school tomorrow." Neville was saying, he'd discovered earlier that the man taught Herbology- the study of magical plants. He hadn't originally pegged the man as a teacher, while he obviously had the confidence that would come with having control over a class of brats, Tony had noticed faint scars on the man's face and neck. Not as stark as Harry's, but still telling of a life slightly more dangerous than what he would associate with teaching. It didn't take him long to connect them with the war.
"I still think it's strange." George mused, "Who wants to go back to school."
"Well he's obviously good." Hermione commented, she looked at Harry, "I was going to tell you when I visited, but since you're here, Neville might as well."
Harry looked over at Neville curiously who was blushing.
"Spit it out, man." George coerced, "I don't get it, you can shout at Voldemort, but you can't tell Harry about your promotion?"
"Promotion?"
Neville grinned, "I'm the new head of Griffindor House."
Tony watched Harry's face break into his own grin, "Neville, that's amazing!"
"Isn't it! He's the new McGonagall."
"Hagrid, actually." Neville corrected, looking over at the big man.
"Yeh, that's right. I didn't have the time to look after the students and the animals."
"So Minerva asked me." Neville shrugged, trying to make out like it wasn't a big deal, which by the others expressions, Tony could assume it wasn't.
"Griffindor was our house." Hermione informed him while Harry continued to ask Neville questions. "Except Luna, she was a Ravenclaw."
Tony was about to comment on the strange house names when the conversation that Percy, Bill and Charlie had been carrying on drifted over to the rest of the group.
"The Ministry has been trying to keep it under wraps." Percy was saying, louder than he probably realised. Tony noticed Ron stiffen and Harry turn his head slightly in their direction.
"Not very well." Charlie contested, "they should make a public announcement so that people are aware. With nothing concrete, the public are going to blow everything out of proportion."
"Is it out of proportion though?" Bill asked quietly, seemingly unaware that the rest of the table had quietened and were looking in their direction.
"They'll freak out more if they act on whispers than if the Ministry reassures them. Hiding the problem only exacerbates it." Charlie reasoned.
"Is this really an appropriate dinner topic?" Ron asked mildly, interrupting the group which then became aware of their audience. The atmosphere was suddenly very tense and Tony could feel the unspoken words dampening the evening. The group shared glances amongst themselves.
"What's wrong?" Hermione was the first to ask, confusion creasing her forehead. When none of them answered her, she looked up at Ron, who clearly knew something. Ron's eyes flickered between the group and Harry, Tony's eyebrows rose when he realised that whatever it was, Harry knew.
"Ron?"
Ron sighed and looked back at his wife. "I didn't want to worry you."
The brunette's eyes narrowed, "Ronald!"
"Hey, it started when you were on your American Tour last year. It didn't seem important enough to mention during your brief visits. And then you had your accident…" he trailed off when she continued to stare at him. "There have been a number of attacks on muggle villages over the past year."
Tony was able to figure out who had been in the know by who reacted to the news. Aside from the four red-heads, only Harry, Luna and Arthur seemed unsurprised. Neville's eyes narrowed in what Tony identified as confirmation but the others all looked shocked.
"Remnant Death Eaters?" George asked, suddenly very focused on his drink
"As far as we can tell." Ron acknowledged, "We have no concrete names, no Dark Marks, just terrified muggles."
Hermione started, "Ron, my parents-"
"Don't worry." Ron cut across her. "They're fine. I warded their house just in case. If it ever came to anything more, I would tell you." She nodded, her thoughts clearly racing.
"How bad as it?"
"Not as bad as it was during the War, but bad enough that the Ministry has been working overtime to try and keep on top of it."
"The Goblins know." Bill told him, "They are getting protective of their own settlements, should the attackers change direction."
"I agree with Charlie," Ginny asserted, "One of the scariest things about the lead up to the War was not knowing what the Government was covering up."
"We thought that if people associated the attacks with the Death Eaters, it would cause waves of panic." Percy stated, "The Aurors and Muggle based departments know, obviously. Harry was told as a precaution, but outside of that…" Percy shrugged. "Discussions are on-going. We don't want to send other sympathisers to them."
Tony looked at his friend, who'd stayed quiet through the discussion so far. "What were you told?"
Harry shrugged, "Not much. Just that it was happening. I may be considered a target, but as I've effectively gone into hiding by leaving the Wizarding World, it's unlikely that anything would happen."
"It's more of a courtesy really." Percy decided to add, "What with Harry's standing in the Ministry."
Discussions continued for a few minutes, the hushed tones indicative of the groups underlying anxiousness.
Back in the Burrow, the tables cleared and people dispersing, Harry tracked George down.
"Hey, George."
The red head turned with a grin, "You on your way then, ikkle Harikkins?"
Harry shook his head at the nickname, "Nearly, I just wanted to ask for your help with something."
"Fire away."
"Well, I have an acquaintance who suffers a problem similar to lycanthropy in some respects and I was wondering if you may be able to develop something like a Wolfsbane potion for him."
George, who had been leaning casually against a counter straightened.
"Obviously it's not as simple as that. His condition wasn't magical in origin and is triggered when he gets angry, but I thought that it might be a possible avenue to explore."
George was frowning to himself, his mind clearly whirring over the possibilities.
"And you're asking me because…"
We don't need to look far to see evidence of your proficiency with experimental charms and potions." Harry grinned.
George, let a small smile cross his face, "Sounds like a challenge. Obviously, I'll need to gather research on the original development of Wolfsbane, supplies… I'll need to meet this fellow."
Harry nodded, "You can stay with me in Manhattan if you want. I'll have to talk the possibilities over with Bruce-"
"I can do that." George interceded, "I don't doubt that I already know more about the subject than you do." He grinned to lessen any possible sting from his comment. "When do you leave?"
"The end of the week. I'm also organising the transition of a patient from St Mungos to America."
"I'll be ready by then." George nodded thoughtfully, "I can leave Angelina with the shop..." He clapped Harry on the shoulder, "I'll see you later this week then."