So, it's been a while... but wow the world's changed a ton. I was just getting used to my high school student teaching placement, and after two weeks found out I wouldn't be going back because of the virus. I got into a minor accident with a truck the final day I went to the school, too. I hope you're all hanging in there as well as you can!
I was debating about postponing this update until April 18th, since that's the three-year anniversary of when I started this fic and I'm weirdly obsessed with posting on certain dates like that (or that one chapter I posted on Harry's birthday), but decided not to wait. So here it is early!
I can't believe this has passed 1000 reviews on FFN! I never thought I'd write a story that reached that milestone! Thank you all so much!
Harry has just gotten a peek of a man in a business suit coming through the glass door before his dad James scoops him up and carries him towards a sleek back car. As Harry is being placed in the front seat- he's never ridden up front before, but the car doesn't have a backseat- the man who Mr. Stark called Coulson says "You should be putting him to bed, not going for a drive. Especially not in that car. He needs to be in a car seat in the back."
Harry hears his dad's robot arm whir without clunking as the metal plates shift.
Harry scrambles to his knees to squint at the man. Mr. Coulson's face is a blur. He wonders if the Coulson man is here to do business with Mr. Stark. Why else would he be wearing a suit, unless he's a butler?
"Are we e-vading?" Harry whispers to his dad, who is looking at Mr. Coulson, not Harry. His dad gives a sharp nod, still watching the man.
It's the second time it seemed like they were going to leave since Harry woke up. He thought they were leaving after writing in the book, but then Mr. Stark came back and they're still here.
Harry likes living at Mr. Stark's a lot more than living with the Dursleys, but he and his dad had driven around before, going from place to place. They can do that again. Going anywhere with his dad would be good, except that castle. He never wants to go there again.
He wants to ask if they'll drive to the Batcave, since this sleek black car looks a bit like the Batmobile, but Mr. Stark and even his Batman dad say they can't go there.
His dad murmurs in his ear, so quietly that Harry barely hears it. "If they try to take my brain, use the word from the ski lodge."
Harry frowns, before remembering and nodding.
"Children his age need consistent schedules and lots of sleep." Mr. Coulson tells Mr. Stark with a very disappointed look. "Having a child up at this hour is exceedingly poor parenting."
Mr. Stark crosses his arms so Harry can't see the glow under his shirt anymore. "Really, agent? You're coming here to play Supernanny? You're setting a terrible example, yourself. Neither of you knocked."
Mr. Stark sounds mad again, and Harry gulps, knowing he did something wrong but not knowing what. He always has to help his aunt cook fancy meals and desserts for guests, but Mr. Stark keeps stopping him from cooking or getting drinks or cleaning.
Mr. Stark isn't acting like Harry's aunt and uncle did around guests, but he almost never acts like them.
When Harry's dad speaks, he doesn't growl. His voice is soft, quiet. "How many agents are surrounding the perimeter?"
He sounds sort of like he's giving up, not like Batman at all. Harry stares at him. "You can kick their butts. Like the giant and her." Harry points to Miss Romanoff, not sure why his dad isn't fighting Mr. Coulson like he fought her.
"There are currently no other agents in the premises." Jarvis says in his smooth voice. "Sir, I've taken the liberty of contacting Miss Potts. She's on her way."
"You're a lifesaver, J." Mr. Stark mutters. "I'm shocked nobody's died yet." Harry feels his face scrunch in confusion. They were talking about their parents dying earlier.
Miss Romanoff turns to Mr. Coulson. "Sir, this is the agent from Odessa. The Winter Soldier."
Mr. Coulson turns to Harry's new James dad, who is no longer crouched next to Harry. His dad opens the door to the driver's seat, which is on the wrong side of the car, but doesn't get in.
"You defeated one of my best agents, twice." Mr. Coulson says. "You've been a ghost for years, credited with dozens of assassinations. You must have received extensive training to accomplish those feats. Why don't you tell me where you got your training?"
Mr. Stark waves a hand. "Ra's al Ghul and the League of Shadows."
Miss Romanoff answers as if Mr. Stark didn't say anything. "He was part of my training, but I don't think he had any more of a say than I did."
Something coils in Harry's chest like a snake as he hears that, so he barely hears whatever she says next about a red room. He turns toward his dad to say "No. You're training me. You're my dad, not hers."
Harry speaks firmly, but still knows better than to shout like Dudley did when throwing a tantrum.
"He's your dad?" Mr. Coulson asks.
"I'm his Robin." Harry says mostly to remind himself, looking down at his outfit. The Romanoff woman might look like Batgirl with red hair and a tight black costume, but she's not, right? Maybe she lied about him training her, and Harry's pretty sure the fight he'd just seen was real. His dad seemed different fighting her than when he practiced with Harry. He didn't say she did well, and he was punching really hard like when he fought the bad guys.
"You're training your kid to be a child winter soldier." Mr. Coulson doesn't raise his voice, but Harry can hear that he expects to be answered.
"Robin's a superhero." Harry scoffs. He knows his dad is a soldier, but superheroes are even better.
Mr. Coulson uses weird grown-up words to say those aren't moo-tally eggs-clues-ive, then explains it means soldiers can be superheroes too, like Captain America.
Ms. Romanoff answers for Harry's James dad. "You're teaching him self-defense. So he can protect himself."
"We can offer protection, make sure both you and your kid are safe." Mr. Coulson tells them. Harry's dad already keeps him safe and fights bad guys, and Mr. Stark said he wouldn't hurt them even after shooting a table. They don't need Mr. Coulson.
"Or you'll lock him up." Mr. Stark says.
"They didn't lock me up." Miss Romanoff points out, then tells Harry's dad in a kinder tone "SHIELD isn't like the Red Room."
Mr. Coulson still looks calm. "I seem to have a knack for taking in ex-assassins. We can be very... lenient that way."
"Yeah, as long as they become Fury's assassins like this triple spy." Mr. Stark lifts an eyebrow at Miss Romanoff. "I'll make sure they're safe even if he doesn't join you. Which he said he wouldn't, remember?"
Harry's Batman dad's robot hand clenches into a fist, but Harry isn't hit with it. His dad's not even looking at him, he's giving the two new people a scowl that seems even more furious than Uncle Vernon, except his face doesn't turn purple.
"I'm Batman." his dad says, and Harry can't help but smile. "The Batman does not kill."
"The kid said we're like HYDRA." Romanoff mutters to Coulson. Harry tries to copy the glare his dad is giving. He stands up as tall as he can, sticking his hands on his hips.
"Kids have incredibly active imaginations." Mr. Coulson tells her before turning to speak to Harry. "Have you heard stories of HYDRA? They were defeated a long time ago, by Captain America."
Harry knows this man is lying, he'd heard his dad tell Miss Potts and Mr. Stark that HYDRA isn't gone. He shakes his head slowly.
Miss Romanoff almost smiles. "Don't tell me you're going to whip out your card collection."
Mr. Stark snorts. "Card collection?"
Mr. Coulson pulls a stack of cards out of his suit pocket, holding them out for Harry to see. Harry can't see what's on them, even when he squints. Mr. Coulson explains "That's Captain America."
Harry whispers to his dad "Did he fight wizards?"
"He fought very bad people, alongside his friend Bucky Barnes." Mr. Coulson flips to another card that Harry can't see, but guesses has a picture of his dad looking like Bruce Wayne.
"He's a hero." Harry declares.
"He was." Mr. Coulson agrees. "They fought together, like Batman and Robin, and were the only two Howling Commandos to give their lives in service of their country."
"Bucky wasn't Robin." Harry's dad speaks in a low growl.
"I'm Robin." Harry says again, wondering how Mr. Coulson missed it. The man seems to like Captain America almost as much as Harry likes Batman, except the man's wearing a boring suit, not a Captain America one.
Mr. Coulson looks between Harry's dad and the card, before saying "Your chin looks a lot like Bucky's."
"All right, agent." Mr. Stark interrupts quickly. "After your display of extreme fanboying, I'm going to assume you'd side with Cap. Plus you helped Pepper, even if you threatened me with a taser, so... call this very tentative trust."
Jarvis starts talking in his smooth, Alfred-like voice. "Agent Coulson, while I in no way condone your prior threat to use a taser on Mr. Stark- and will not hesitate to stop you should you try to do so- Miss Potts seems to have a certain amount of trust in you."
Mr. Stark hums at his butler's words. "I'd trust Pepper with my life, and she was on good terms with both of you."
"Much better terms than you are." Miss Romanoff says, but not in a cruel tone like Aunt 'Tunia.
Mr. Stark shakes his head slightly, and starts teasing "Really, agent, carrying a vintage card collection around on the off chance Cap comes up in conversation is just... wow."
Mr. Coulson doesn't answer aside from a tiny smile and "He's my hero."
Mr. Stark smiles his own smile that looks pretend, with raised eyebrows. "You and my dad would've gotten on like a house on fire."
Harry thinks of the Dursleys' house, but when he starts to say so, Mr. Stark tells him it's just a saying.
Harry doesn't know what's going on now. Are they good or bad? Mr. Stark changed so fast, like he'd changed from angry to saying he wasn't mad earlier. Harry's used to Uncle Vernon doing the opposite.
"He's my hero." Harry declares, pointing to his dad and glaring at Mr. Coulson and Miss Romanoff "If you try to take his brain, I'll glue and dis-arm you. And my dad will kick your butts."
His dad can beat both of them up, even if they fight together. He'd beat up the giant, and now that his arm's fixed, he could easily win against them.
Harry grins, remembering how he'd seen Robin do the coolest move on the telly. Harry tries to imitate a flip kick he'd seen the boy wonder do. Robin made it look so easy, but Harry feels himself start to tip over.
His dad snags him by the ankle to stop his fall, and Harry dangles upside-down in his dad's grasp. He twists, and now his dad looks like he's hanging from the ceiling like a bat.
Mr. Coulson is looking down (or up?) at Harry's forehead, where his lightning scar is. Maybe he'll hate it like Aunt Tunia.
"You're Harry Potter." the man, then asks Stark "How did you come into contact with both the Winter Soldier and Harry Potter?"
"No, I'm Robin. An' I'm gonna dis-arm you!" Harry declares, as his dad puts him over his skin shoulder, leaving his robot arm free to fight.
Harry punches the air. "Let me down! I'll fight!"
"No." growls his dad James. His next words don't sound like they're to Harry. "If you touch him, I will eliminate you."
"Put Harry to bed." Mr. Coulson sighs. "Then we'll talk."
Harry can't go to bed! He had a bad dream, and so much is happening right now. Robin gets to stay up all night fighting bad guys with Batman. Harry knows he's not really Robin, but he wants to stay up too!
"How do you know who Harry is?" Harry's dad demands, but it sounds like when grown-ups ask questions they already know the answer to.
"I have a high clearance in an intelligence agency." Mr. Coulson's voice is mild.
"You mean an agency that's anything but intelligent." Mr. Stark shoots back. "What do you know about him?"
"That's classified." Mr. Coulson says, still not raising his voice. "You've stumbled into more than you can possibly imagine, Mr. Stark."
"Trust me, I know." Mr. Stark grumbles. "But I bet it's more than you can imagine, even with your top secret spy intel."
"Like dumb witches." Harry says. Uncle Vernon hates imagination, even imagining evil witches, but they're real. He glances at Miss Romanoff again.
"I'm not a witch."
"You had a gun," Harry nods, starting to believe her. "Not a wep-nized stick."
Miss Romanoff frowns at Mr. Stark. "What did you do, magnetize my gun to pull it out of my hands?"
"Yep." Mr. Stark grins. Harry thought he felt something when the gun went flying, the feeling he got other times he used his... superpowers. Is Mr. Stark lying now?
Mr. Coulson raises his eyebrows like he doesn't believe it, and Mr. Stark rounds on him. "So, are you going to tell us why everyone's after Harry since you know about him? Don't tell me you guys were after him, too, because you sure as hell aren't taking either him or Batman anywhere."
"He's... important within certain circles." Mr. Coulson says, and Harry's not sure what shapes have to do with this, aside from the fact everyone looks at his scar, but that's lightning, not a circle.
"Yeah, I figured that out." Mr. Stark says.
"There's a lot you don't know, Mr. Stark."
"What, like wizards? Yeah, I know about them. Genius, remember? I've even heard about some wacky guy named Dumbledore."
"Wizards?" Miss Romanoff sounds confused but not angry like Aunt Tunia.
"I'll brief you later. It's more than New Mexico." Mr. Coulson's face doesn't change as he asks Mr. Stark. "Do you know about the Boy Who Lived?"
"I'm guessing that's Harry." Mr. Stark says. Harry crosses his arms. He's dressed as the Boy Wonder, that's different. "He survived some sort of car crash assassination from the, uh, Dark Lord."
Harry bites his lip to stop himself from saying anything about Mr. Stark's parents and making him mad again.
Mr. Coulson looks at Harry like he's sorry about something, then pauses before speaking slowly. "It wasn't a car crash. A bad wizard killed them."
"Was it Dumb-Bell-Door?" Harry asks, because the dumb old man was going to cook him. Or maybe it was the enemy wizard with the long hair and dark clothes, who looked a bit like his dad but without a robot arm.
"No, it was a bad wizard most refer to as He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named."
"Is that you redacting it, or do people seriously call him that?" Stark asks.
"They also seriously call him You-Know-Who. Many are scared to speak his name." Mr. Coulson turns to Harry. "You-Know-Who killed your parents, then cast the killing curse on you, but it rebounded. You're the only person known to survive it."
Harry rubs his scar. "Dumb-Bell-Door's a bad wizard."
"Dumbledore fought against You-Know-Who, along with your parents. They were like superheroes."
Part of Harry likes the idea of his mummy and daddy being superheroes, not worthless like his uncle and aunt always said, but he looks back at his Batman dad. He already has a superhero dad who isn't like those wizards and witches.
"No. He tried'ta cook me. He took my Batman James dad away an' freezed him. My dad's a hero, not Dumb-Bell-Door."
"He tried to cook you?" Miss Romanoff asks.
"Did you fight that bad wizard?" Harry asks his dad, hoping the answer is yes. He remembers watching his dad beat up the enemy wizard in the play park, and even threw a teeter-totter at him.
"Unknown. What method does the killing curse use?" Harry's Batman James dad shifts slightly on his feet, wrapping his dark cape over Harry. "Energy projectiles? Toxins? Cardiac arrest?"
Mr. Stark makes a pained face at the last one, but it's gone by the time Harry's realized.
Mr. Coulson blinks. "It just... kills. Magically."
Harry's jaw drops. They were killed by magic, not a car crash? Were Mr. Stark's parents killed by this bad wizard guy too?
Harry's dad almost growls, in a very Batman voice as he holds Harry close "Will he survive if it's used again?"
"I don't know. Nobody really knows how he survived the first time."
"So did this unnamed evil wizard die when the curse rebounded?" Mr. Stark scowls. "Because if he did, I kind of want to resurrect him and kill him all over. He tried to murder a baby."
"Nobody knows what happened." Mr. Coulson says. "He disappeared. Some say he died, but others think he's still lurking."
"Great, so there could be an evil wizard along with this Dumbledore guy after them." Mr. Stark rubs a hand over his face. "And freaking HYDRA. Yes, I'm serious, and the only reason I'm telling you is you helped Pepper. But if you pull a Stane on me, I will destroy you along with HYDRA."
"HYDRA's gone." Mr. Coulson says, shuffling his Captain America cards.
"I really hate to burst your bubble, but..."
With a waved hand, glowing blue screens pop up like bubbles or the doe that brought them here. Harry had seen Mr. Stark and his Batman dad looking over some of them, which show the snakes and the old guy who isn't Piers, but Pierce.
Now there are even more floating screens.
"Kind of earth-shattering, huh?" Mr. Stark asks as Mr. Coulson and Miss Romanoff look at the floating screens with blank faces. "You'd think this is the sort of thing an intelligence agency that apparently knows about freaking wizards would've picked up on, but no. They've been running as deep as the director."
Mr. Coulson's face goes all stiff. "This is extremely worrisome."
"Understatement of the century, agent." Mr. Stark mutters.
Harry hears some click-clackingfootsteps and jangling behind him. He stills, thinking it's Ripper with his toenails scraping Aunt Tunia's floors and his dog tags.
When he turns and sees Miss Potts instead, he smiles.
"What are you doing up?" she asks him.
"Robin gets 'ta stay up." Harry says.
Miss Potts sends Mr. Stark a look like she's going to talk to him later, but Mr. Stark grins wider than he has since he got home earlier. "Miss Potts! So glad you can join the party."
Miss Romanoff shakes her head and says "I don't think this will be a party."
I spent ages debating with myself if Coulson should know who Harry is or not, then remembered my entire premise of this story was that HYDRA knew enough about Harry to want to kidnap him, so at least high-ranking SHIELD agents might have known about him and magic (I guess maybe only Fury and Coulson?)
I wanted to do Coulson and Natasha justice in this, since I like both their characters (I especially love Natasha in The Winter Soldier), but seeing as Tony, Harry and James didn't trust them, it was pretty tricky. I thought Coulson helping Pepper in Iron Man 1 would win him some points on Tony's side.
I've realized the last few chapters have been almost entirely talking. That should change soon.
I've been going through an X-Men phase recently (especially Wolverine, I went through a phase of him in December too) and part of me is really tempted to add them here. Xavier's Institute for Gifted Youngsters seems like the perfect place for Harry... except he's too young, and not a mutant. Plus I'm sort of struggling with a larger cast of characters.
But I realized Bucky and Logan have so much in common. Both were made into weapons in labs, have retrograde amnesia, have healing factors and are way older than they look. I know in some cartoons James Howlett even helped Captain America in WWII.
I don't know if I'll go that route, but it's fun to think about.
Hopefully at least I'll have another chapter (or more) ready by the 18th :) And Cap's got to show up sometime.