Chapter 31: And We're Off
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The next day the headlines on all the newspapers screamed that Fenrir Greyback was dead and that a god walked among the magicals. A picture of Fenrir Lokison was splashed across the front page of every magical newspaper in England and Europe. There were a few in others across the world that followed things like that, but for the most part it was kept to that area.
The picture showed Lokison's hands twist Greyback's head clean off. The blood was downplayed, but the head did come off and Lokison's face was a mask of rage. His wolfy visage twisted in fury and his eyes were glowing red.
Fenrir was not happy that his existence was broadcasted so blatantly. He had only showed himself for mere seconds. Who would have gotten a picture so quickly? There must have been a reporter among the people who had hidden. Dammit. Now he was glad his father had insisted on glamors. No one would know it was him. They only knew that Fenrir Lokison was among the Midgardians.
Still, the news was out and the manhunt for the god was on. What they wanted with him was unknown, but they were looking on the wrong continent, so most weren't worried. Loki cut him a smug look, which he ignored. He was unconcerned about the whole thing, though Ivy looked worried. That never boded well for him.
"You just had to go full Wolfenstein, didn't you?" Tony said, putting the Daily Prophet down. He wasn't worried. According to the paper they were concentrating on the UK and surrounding countries. That and he had Siriusly there to keep an ear out. They were sitting to breakfast, and it was still early in the morning. Tony got the paper from Gringotts so that he could keep up with his business ventures in the UK.
"That is not my full form," Fenrir stated flatly. "I am much bigger than that," he added with an air of smugness. Everyone in the room already knew that. They had yet to see him in his full form because there was nowhere on earth that could house it. They would have to go to space to see it and that was not possible. He was the World Eater for a reason.
"That's not what I meant, and you know it," the billionaire said, letting out a huff. "I meant, why didn't you just kill him in your human form?" he asked, picking up his coffee cup. "It would have been much less noticeable. And your face wouldn't be plastered all over the papers," he added, pointing to the Prophet and other papers.
"He needed to know who was killing him," the teen said, taking a bite of his sausage. "Besides, doesn't it mention Father and the Flerken?" he asked, wanting to know why only his picture was there.
"Come to think of it, no, it doesn't," Tony said, picking up the paper and rereading the article. "Loki?" he asked as if the demigod had something to do with it.
"Don't ask me. I didn't even get to kill anyone," Loki said, wondering if Goose had anything to do with the lack of mention.
Goose just sat on Ivy's lap and stared at everyone with a not so innocent look.
"Can we, please, not talk of killing so casually, especially not at breakfast?" Pepper asked, putting her fork down and glaring at the three males. She wasn't happy that Fenrir, who to her was just a kid, was just so casual about it. Sure, he was a godling, but still…
"I, for one, am glad it's over. Now I don't have to worry about him killing or turning any more children," Remus said, like it was his responsibility what that dead werewolf had done in the past. He always felt it was up to him to stop Greyback. It was a bit of a letdown that he had no part in the man's demise, but he was relieved it was done with.
"When did it become your responsibility?" Ivy wondered out loud. Sometimes she just didn't understand Remus. He was so insecure. He took too much on his shoulders that he had no business taking. That and he used his werewolf status as a crutch to get out of things, and into other things. It was infuriating. She hated it when he did that.
"I didn't kill him when I had the chance," the werewolf said, looking to Fenrir like the teen would back him up.
"Don't look at me. He was responsible for his own actions," Fenrir said, not sure what the other man wanted him to say. He also hated it when Lupin got all melancholy about being a werewolf. In Fenrir's opinion, the man should embrace the wolf and be happier about it. His sadness over his plight was maddening.
"I've been trying to tell him that for years," Sirius said, clapping his friend on the back. "He met Greyback once, and got his arse kicked. He was thirteen, I think. Since then, he's felt that every child turned or killed was his fault," he explained. No one was more infuriated with Remus than Sirius was. It was like beating his head against a brick wall trying to talk to that man.
"I should have been stronger," Remus protested, his voice earnest. That was all there was to say in his opinion.
"I don't think a single person at this table agrees with you, so drop the subject," Bruce suggested. It was like beating a dead horse, nothing good came of talking to Remus about his shortcomings. He was very closeminded when it came to that. Then again, he had no room to talk. He too was pretty closeminded when it came to the Other Guy, even after all these years.
"Today is the day you start your wanded studies," Sirius said to Ivy, changing the subject to a happier topic. "Aren't you excited?" he asked, hoping she was happy they would be spending a lot of time together.
"I am," Ivy said, bouncing in her seat. "You know I'm still going to regular school, right?" she asked sweetly. Her eyes turned huge and sparkled with happiness. "I don't want to fall behind," she added, making everyone there, bar the two magicals, happy about that.
"But your magical studies are just as important," Remus said, thinking of all the things they needed to teach her. "There won't be enough time in the day. You'll exhaust yourself," he added very concerned over her wellbeing.
"That's okay," she said, turning those huge eyes to Loki, who smirked at her. "Mr. Loki has figured out a way for me to repeat the day," she explained with a huge smile.
They had discussed it over the years when the topic came up. She didn't want to give up her studies or her experiments. She was still recycling plastics and making them into magical items that she would then sell to the shop they had learned the process from. It was a small hobby of hers, but she felt it would lead to something big later.
"Like a time-turner?" Sirius asked, looking to the God of Mischief.
"I'm not sure what that is, but I can guess by the name, so I will go with, yes," Loki said, thinking correctly that a time-turner was something that turned back time.
"But they can only go back a few hours," Remus protested.
"I am a god," Loki said with a sigh, like it was something he had to explain many, many times. "I may be at half power, but I am still one of the most powerful magic users on the planet," he said with no small amount of smugness.
"Yeah, yeah, we've heard it all before. What I'm worried about is Ivy getting older before her time," Tony said, not completely onboard with the whole repeating of days.
"I've explained this before, the magic will prevent her body aging. She will be in her own bubble, outside of time. She will mature faster, but her body will remain the same. We have had this discussion before," the godling sighed. He put his fingers to the bridge of his nose and rubbed. Sometimes dealing with these Midgardians was as trying as dealing with the warriors of Asgard. Both were distrustful of magic. Even the magicals among them.
"Physics don't work that way," Tony grumbled but let it drop. He would never get his scientific brain wrapped around the workings of magic. He pondered it late at night and gave himself headaches trying to formulate it all in his head.
"I talked it over with the boys last night," Loki said, flipping to a different subject, and looking to Gandr and Fenrir, "and only Gandr will be joining you in your wanded classes," he finished, distinctly not looking at the disappointed face of Ivy.
"Fenrir?" Ivy said questioningly. She had so been looking forward to seeing both of them there.
"I do not like schooling," was all the teen said, shrugging his shoulder. He hadn't attended the Midgardian school, and he didn't feel the need to attend these classes. His father did well enough to teach him. "I will still come to tea," he offered in way of atonement. He liked spending time with Ivy and his brother. If that meant having tea with Frank, Goose and sometimes Deadpool, then that's what he'd do. He still didn't get along with Goose and now there was another Flerken running about. Well, that one wasn't here, so that was good.
"Yay," she said, happy again.
"We'll go and get him a wand today, while Ivy goes to regular school. When the day repeats, he'll have his wand," Loki said, then set about explaining to the magicals how he was going to make the day repeat for only Ivy and Gandr. It was complicated, and convoluted, and neither Sirius nor Remus understood in the end. However, they got the gist that only Ivy and Gandr were repeating the days and that it didn't matter if they ran into their other selves. The children would be in a place that was outside the space of time yet exist in the timeline at the same time. Yeah, it confused them enough that they just accepted that it worked with magic and moved on.
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Harry Potter was waiting to board the Hogwarts Express. He and Siriusly had gotten here early enough to not be late, but late enough to not have to wait hours to board the train. She was standing next to him, looking around for anyone she might recognize. She didn't really know anyone, but she wondered how many were of different genders in this reality. She knew that at least some of them were, like all of her friends, but Snivellus was still a man, and so was Dumbledore, so who knew. Neville was still a boy, while his mother was still a female.
Hence why she was people watching while Harry was contemplating meeting one of his best human friends. Star was also by his side, though she was people watching for a completely different reason. She was keeping her eye on a blond male that she remembered from the bar last night. His leg was fixed, but he was still limping. He had a new cane, and she wondered if he had replaced the wand that had been in the one, they broke last night. Still, she was going to keep an eye on the sprog too.
Harry was anxious to meet Neville and get this adventure started. He would be among magicals his age and he would also be a spy for Ivy. Not that the adults knew that. He and Ivy had worked it out among themselves, with the input of Gandr and Fenrir. He wasn't going to actively go and seek information. He was just going to listen to gossip and stories and relay them back to her. So, what he would have done anyway, but now with more vigor.
"Well, kiddo, I'm not sure I like you going, but here we are," Siriusly said, squatting down to look at Harry's face. They had talked it over for days on end, and it hadn't changed Harry's mind. He was protected from all mind-whammies, and had Star, so she was not as fretful as she would have been if he didn't have them.
"I want to go where my parents did, even if this one isn't the exact one," Harry said, his eyes going large and there were little hearts playing about them. "That and Neville needs me," he added, bending over, and picking up Star. She purred in his arms. She still kept an eye on the crowd but enjoyed the attention.
"Put the eyes away, kiddo. I already said you could go," Siri said with a sigh. She hugged him and Star and walked him to the train. They found a compartment that wasn't too far from the end of the train. "Here, let's put you in here. The Snack Trolley will be restocked around here, so there will be more to choose from. Have you got enough galleons?" she asked, ready to ply him with more.
"Yup, my coin purse is full," Harry said, patting the cloth pouch on his belt. He made sure he had enough to bribe people if necessary. If there was one thing, he learned from being around Tony Stark, Loki, and the two Blacks, bribe money came in handy. He had no idea who he might have to bribe at school, but he knew he had the coin to do it. If that didn't work, he had a few other things up his sleeve.
"You have your phone, right?" she asked. He nodded with a sigh and held it up. "Call me if you change your mind. At any time. I will come and get you. If I don't hear from you tonight, I will be here in the morning," she said, trying to straighten his hair. It was futile.
"You're fussing," Harry said, slapping her hands away, but then he gave her a cute smile and hugged her. He really didn't mind, but…
"Harry," came a young male voice from outside the carriage. That caused the two of them to turn and look out the window.
There was Neville Longbottom waving at his friend, standing next to an older woman, who was dressed like she was from the late 1940's. She didn't look happy about the scene the boy was making, but he seemed to not notice her unhappiness. Or he was simply ignoring it. He had grown quite the backbone lately. She didn't know if she liked that he was so confident now.
Neville looked happy to see Harry. They had never met in person, for all that they had talked on the phone. They had seen each other's holograms though, hence why they knew what the other looked like. They had tried to meet over the years, but Neville's grandmother didn't want him to make friends with someone she didn't know and couldn't vet. She felt that Harry was a gold-digger, only after Neville for his riches. Why else would he want to make friends with her grandson? The boy held no other redeeming qualities. He was nothing like his father.
Sirius had told the woman that Harry was a distant relative and that he was okay, but she was still wary.
"Neville," Harry said, putting his cute factor up to full blast. He would win that old battleaxe over if it was the last thing he did. He had heard what the woman thought of him and was upset that she thought so lowly of her own grandson. "It is so good to finally meet you in person," he said, taking the boy's hand and shaking it.
"You too," Neville said, his smile lit up the room. "Come, meet my gran," he said, bringing his friend over to his grandmother, who was looking formidably down her nose at the boys.
"Neville, that is not how you introduce people," she said, reprimanding her grandson. She really wasn't liking this new Neville. He was so uncouth.
"Sorry, Gran. Harry Potter, be met by my grandmother, the Dowager Augusta Longbottom," the other boy said with much pomp and circumstance. He even did a formal bow to his grandmother but gave Harry an impish grin. "Grandmother, meet Harry Potter and his godmother, Siriusly Black."
Siriusly nodded to the woman, who dismissed her. Well, that will cost her later.
"So, you're the boy who has been sniffing around my grandson," she said, though her tone softened when she looked into those green eyes. Lily had such eyes, and she remembered the young woman well.
"I only wanted a friend," Harry said, still making his eyes go wide and innocent.
"You'll not be getting any favors from him," the old biddy stated, folding under those eyes.
"I'll have you know, madam," Siriusly said, not at all impressed with the woman's attitude, "that Harry doesn't need favors from the house of Longbottom. They only want to be friends," she added, putting her hand on Harry's shoulder.
Neville was standing in the background trying not to laugh at Harry's attempt to soften his gran. She wasn't one to fall for puppy-dog eyes. However, Harry did have some lethal ones.
"Who, pray tell, are you?" Augusta asked, sniffing at the woman's audacity. "I know Neville introduced you, but who are you?" she asked again, wanting to know the woman's station.
"Siriusly Black, as Neville said. My cousin is sponsor to Neville. You remember him, correct? Sirius Black?" Siri asked sweetly, pointedly not holding out her hand, showing that she thought that Augusta was not worthy of formality.
The Blacks were the richest people in the wizarding world, after Tony and Ivy. She had made quite a bit of money since coming to this reality on the advice of those two, so this woman's talking down to her was just not on.
"You lack the same manners as the boy," Madam Longbottom said, sniffing again.
"And you're a pompous old windbag," Siri said, not the least bit impressed. "Come, children, the train will be leaving soon," she said, grabbing the boys' hands and marching them to the compartment she and Harry had saved.
"Bye, Gran," Neville said, waving to his grandmother while walking backwards as he was being led away. He might not like his gran, but he did love her.
"Do behave," Augusta said, though she kept her voice low. She was not one to make a spectacle of herself and that had been done enough this day.
The trio made it to the train right when the warning bell went off. Siriusly kissed Harry on the forehead and left them to their own devices. She figured they were old enough that they didn't need her to fuss over them. She had done enough of that earlier and would wait on the platform for the train to leave.
"Did you get your own wand?" Harry asked when Siri left. Not that he didn't want her to know, it was just private between the kids. He put Star on the bench besides him and was running his fingers through her fur. She loved being petted and was glad Goose had talked her into coming with this human.
"Yes," Neville said, showing the new wand off. "I demanded that I get a new one. I said that Dad would wake up one day and want his, so I needed my own. Gran wasn't buying it, but I went to Ollivanders and got my own with my pocket money," he explained. It had been quite the argument with him and his grandmother. But since he bought it himself, there really wasn't anything she could do about it.
"Well, I for one, and glad you got your own," Harry said, knowing from what Neville explained that his father's wouldn't have worked for the other boy.
"Me too," the boy said, then they turned to the window and went quiet for a while.
They were people watching with Star and waving to Siriusly occasionally, making faces at her through the window and making her laugh through her tears. As they watched, there came a family of redheads running through the barrier making a mad dash to board the train.
There were four boys and one girl with the mother running behind them. The girl wasn't old enough to be a student, but she was running with her brothers. They were all shouting at each other and seemed to be disarrayed. Their clothes were not of the best quality, but they were clean and well-tended. They were all happy and hearty, so that was all that really mattered. None of them looked upset about being late, just harried.
"That's the Weasleys," Neville said with some fondness. He had met the family quite a few times growing up. That and had heard about them from other children at the parties his gran insisted he attend. "They run late for everything," he added with a chuckle. "Gran says it's because there are so many of them that they can't get their act together in time to be on time."
"That's just bad organization," Harry said, watching the group board. "There are over ten people in Ivy's house, and they make it to every appointment on time," he explained his reasoning. "Then again, they have Pepper and Jarvis," he added, knowing that if it wasn't for Jarvis, then Tony's and Pepper's lives would be very much harder to organize.
"That is a lot of people," Neville said, remembering Ivy's description of her adoptive family. "I guess you're right. Maybe you can invent a Jarvis for people like the Weasleys," he said, thinking it over. From what he knew of the Weasleys, they were disorganized and chaotic. He was sure the twins' taste of pranks didn't help.
"There's a thought," Harry said, never having thought of inventing something like that. He usually left inventing to Tony and Ivy, but he was just as smart as they were, so why not? It didn't have to be too different than Jarvis, just more magical. "They would still have to be a bit more organized," he pointed out, thinking that even with the best computer programs you can still be too lazy to use them.
"Point. Still, they are not a bad lot," Neville said as the train started moving. He looked out the window and saw his gran standing there with a stony look on her face. She was not one to show emotion, especially in public.
"We're off," Harry said, leaning out the window to wave to Siri. "I can't wait to see what this school year brings."