The Iron Wizard

Tony Stark, the genius billionaire playboy philanthropist, sat alone in his office, nursing his second glass of scotch; the reason for this night of self-induced drinking was due to a picture he had found earlier in the day in an old box.

The picture was almost a decade old and showed Tony with a beautiful red-headed woman whom Tony never imagined seeing again. Her name had been Lily, and Tony had met her one night at a bar in London after an important meeting with some incredibly boring investors; afterward, Tony had made his way to the closest bar he could find to wash away the slimy feeling that the clients had given him, and there he had met Lily.

Almost immediately, Tony had found an attraction with Lily; unlike the other women that Tony had met in bars, Lily was brilliant and actually able to hold a conversation with Tony in ways that no other woman had been able to do, and the more the two talked, the more that Tony had felt drawn to her.

After a few drinks, Lily told Tony that the reason she was at the bar drinking in the first place was that she had received the unfortunate news that she would never be a mother; her husband had apparently been hurt at work, and as a result, had lost the ability to father children. Tony had jokingly offered to help with that, and to his surprise, Lily had actually considered the idea, telling him that she would return the following night with an answer if Tony was still willing to help.

Tony had almost not shown up; the very idea of what Lily was suggesting boggled Tony's mind, and yet Tony couldn't get over the appeal that came with Lily's suggestion; Tony had no illusions about the kind of man he had been then. He was vain, arrogant, completely self-centered, and never really saw himself as a family man, so the idea of actually helping someone create a family without actually having to be a part of said family greatly appealed to him.

When Tony returned to the bar the next night, he had met Lily's husband, James Potter, and loathe though he was to admit it, Tony had found himself like Lily's husband; James was almost as immature as Tony was, and yet there was also an honorable man in James that Tony found himself liking.

A few hours later, the three of them had come to an agreement; Tony would 'donate' the necessary ingredients to ensure that Lily would be able to conceive, but after that, Tony would not be obligated to provide anything more for the child, nor would Lily or James be able to sue Tony for any monetary assistance in raising the child thereafter. A week later, the deed was done, and Tony flew back to New York City, never thinking of seeing or thinking of Lily Potter again until he discovered the picture in an old box of forgotten things. Had it really been

eight years since that night? Much had changed since that night, at least for Tony anyway; since that night, Tony had become almost an entirely different person; barely a year ago, Tony had been abducted by terrorists and forced to witness how his company had become not the beacon of scientific advancement that his father had hoped for, but rather a company of death and destruction. Thankfully, Tony had managed to escape his captors and returned home with one objective, to change his company and make it into one that he could look back on one day with pride rather than disgust. Naturally, there had been those who objected to Tony's line of thought, and he had been forced to battle his long-time father figure Obadiah Stane; it had been Obadiah who had sold Tony out to the terrorists who had captured him, all in the hope that they would kill Tony, thus allowing Obidiah to take control of Tony's company. Tony had used his new 'Iron Man' armor to fight Obidiah and had thankfully come out the victor. Since then, Tony has become the superhero 'Iron Man,' and his singular purpose has been to make the world safer and repair the reputation his company had unfortunately gotten due to his own inadequacies.

Now, Tony wondered what had become of Lily and the child he had given her eight years ago; was it a boy or a girl? How had they been raised? Where were they now?

Tony would never have asked any of these questions eight years ago, but now? Now, Tony had a burning need to find the answers to these questions, to discover what had become of the only piece of his family he had left.

"Jarvis," Tony called out before taking another deep drink from his glass, enjoying the way the scotch burned down his throat.

"Yes sir," came the voice of Tony's A.I. "How can I be of service, sir?"

"I need you to find any and all information on Lily and James Potter. Including their current location."

"Understood, sir. Can you provide any other information that will limit my search?"

"All I know is that I met them in London, England, eight years ago," Tony replied wearily,

"I will begin my search immediately, sir.

As the office again descended into silence, Tony's mind began to whirl with what if's, starting with what he would do when he found Lily again.

XXXX

Little Harry Potter groaned as the bristles of the weeds he was pulling stabbed his fingers for what seemed the fifth time in less than twenty minutes; as per usual, Harry had been sent out into the hot sun to tend to his Aunt Petunia's garden, while his cousin Dudley lounged inside the cool house watching television. Though Harry was eight years old, the extra-large clothes that draped over his body, combined with the malnutrition he had experienced since living with his relatives, made the poor boy look far younger.

As the sun beat down on Harry's back, he wearily wiped the sweat from his forehead before reaching for another weed, already wincing at the pain he knew was coming due to his Aunt forgetting to give him gloves as per usual.

Harry had been with his Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon Dursley for seven years, ever since his parents had died in a car accident, according to his Aunt Petunia, but that was all Harry knew about his mum and dad as his Aunt and Uncle refused to say anything more about them, and would become very angry with Harry if he asked any questions regarding them. They never beat Harry, thankfully, but what they DID do somehow seemed worse, for they treated poor Harry as though he was scum or some kind of ticking time bomb that might go off at any moment. When he was younger, Harry tried to do nice things for his Aunt and Uncle, but Harry was met with disgust and loathing rather than love whenever he did. Once, when Harry was five, he had made a beautiful Mother's Day card for his Aunt, only to watch with his eyes filled with tears as Petunia ripped it to pieces in front of him,

"You are NOT my son!" Petunia had screeched, "I would never have birthed something as unnatural as you!"

Harry had learned well from this lesson and did not try again; he didn't know why his Aunt and Uncle hated him so much, but it was evident to Harry from a very young age that they despised Harry for some reason. It wasn't that Harry wanted to be unnatural; it was just that strange things seemed to happen to Harry, whether he wanted them to or not. Once, when Harry had first started kindergarten, Harry was being chased by his cousin Dudley during recess; just as Dudley and his gang were about to catch up to him, Harry suddenly appeared high in a nearby tree, safely out of Dudley's reach. As a result, the teacher had been forced to call the Fire Department, and Harry spent the next week locked in his cupboard as punishment, receiving only stale bread and water. Another time, Harry had once again found himself being chased by Dudley, only for his fat cousin to suddenly break out in boils that caused him to shriek in agony; Harry had once again been blamed for it, and it was one of the few times that his Uncle Vernon had taken the belt to Harry, not stopping the beating until Harry had passed out from the pain.

All Harry truly wanted was for someone to take him away from his hated relatives and to give him the kind of family that the other children at his school seemed to have; Harry had often found himself watching hungrily as the other parents hugged and kissed their children, while Harry was forced into the car by his Aunt Petunia without so much as a pat on the shoulder. Yet as the years went by, Harry was forced to acknowledge that he was alone, that no one would ever want him, and that whether he liked it or not, the Dursleys were all he had. Another reason for Harry's bitterness towards his relatives was due to them forcing Harry to hide his amazing intellect as they didn't want their freak of a nephew to outshine their precious Dudley. Harry, though only eight years old, truly had a mind that should have been marveled at, and yet he was forced to keep his grades low or face his Uncle Vernon's wrath as he had when he had first entered school and showed how brilliant he was. The teachers had actually wanted to jump Harry ahead due to his intelligence, but that idea was quickly squashed when his Aunt and Uncle had flat-out refused to consent.

Since then, Harry had learned the rules and followed them to the letter: Keep his head down, never ask for help because no one ever would, and do whatever he had to to keep out of his relatives way.

As Harry began to pull the weeds again, he couldn't help the feeling that something was going to happen, something big; ordinarily, Harry would just ignore these feelings as he had learned long ago that to hope for escape from the Dursleys would only make it harder when that hope was crushed. Yet, the feeling remained all the same, as though someone was softly whispering in his ear,

"Don't worry, Harry. Soon you'll be free of them."

XXXX

A week later, Tony was just finishing the improvements to his new arm cannon when Jarvis called out to him,

"Sir, I have the information you requested about Lily and James Potter."

Instantly, Tony forgot all about the cannon and turned to the image Jarvis had projected, showing a picture of a very young Lily Potter standing next to what appeared to be her parents and a rather paling-looking teenager.

"Well?" As he stared at the picture, Tony demanded, "What have you found out?"

"Lily Evans was born January 30th, 1980, to Robert and Margret Evans, the younger sister of one Petunia Evans, now Petunia Dursley. The couple were remarkable in their own right, working as doctors until their death in 1997."

"Cause of death?" Tony asked immediately,

"The death certificate says it was a car accident, sir," Jarvis replied,

"Okay," Tony nodded, "Continue."

"As remarkable as Ms. Evans' parents were, their youngest far outstretched them, according to her school reports which showed that even at a young age, she was undoubtedly brilliant. However, all records regarding Lily Evans's education suddenly stop at age eleven."

"Stop?" Tony asked in confusion, "What do you mean stop?"

"I have searched every record I can find, sir," Jarvis replied, "But there is no record of Lily Evans attending any type of schooling after 1991."

"Hmm, now that's interesting," Tony said thoughtfully as he rubbed his hand under his chin, "What about James Potter?"

"I have been unable to find any information about James Potter other than the fact that he was the heir of a noble house of lords, a duke to be precise."

"Was?" Tony asked, his blood going cold,

"Indeed, sir," Jarvis replied, "According to my research, both Lily and James Potter died in a sudden gas explosion at their home in Godricks Hollow on October 31st, 2001."

"Died?" Tony asked in a shaky voice, "Their dead?"

"Yes sir," Jarvis replied,

"What about children?" Tony demanded at once, "Did they have any children!"

"Yes, sir. According to my research, Lily and James Potter had one child, a boy named Harry Potter."

"What happened to the boy?" Tony asked, relief flowing through him at the thought that his child might still be alive despite his parent's unfortunate death.

"He is currently in the custody of his Aunt Petunia and her husband, Vernon Dursley."

"Any information on the boy?"

"Yes, sir. According to my research, Harry started his education with top marks. However, he has since fallen to an abysmal level, barely passing his classes, in fact."

"Show me," Tony said at once, sensing that something was off with the information; as Jarvis pulled up the requested data, Tony saw that his A.I. was correct, Harry's grades were atrocious, and yet they had once been head and shoulders above that of his peers. Sensing that something was indeed wrong, Tony decided to follow his train of thought,

"Jarvis, show me the grades of Harry's cousin. Give me a side-by-side."

"Yes, sir," Jarvis replied before bringing up the requested data; as Tony's eyes roamed the report cards, he saw that his suspicion was correct. Harry's grades had at one time far surpassed that of his cousin, but after a few months of this, Harry's grades began to decline until his cousins easily beat Harry's.

"He's being forced to hide his intellect," Tony thought angrily, "My son is being forced to hide how smart he is!"

The thought brought a wave of anger to Tony that he didn't think he was possible of having, and as he read more about Harry's Aunt and Uncle, a creeping thought began to worm itself into his gut; if Harry was being punished for being smart, then what else were the Dursley's doing to his son?

A sudden black rage swept through Tony at the thought, and he suddenly realized that he was moving toward the door,

"Jarvis, notify Happy that I want the jet fueled and ready to go in an hour."

"Yes, sir, and where will you be going?"

"London, England," Tony responded immediately, "To collect my son!"

"Your…. Son, sir?" Jarvis replied, "I was unaware that you had a son, sir."

"It's complicated," Tony admitted sheepishly, "But I'll explain it all on the jet. For now, I want you to get me all the information you can on Petunia and Vernon Dursley. Also, notify my London property that I'm coming; I want the building ready when I arrive."

"At once, sir," Jarvis replied before signing off as Tony quickly made his way to his bedroom and began to speed pack; he had just about finished when his assistant/ girlfriend, Pepper Potts strode into his room wearing a frown.

"And just where do you think you're going?" Pepper asked with a raised brow,

"London," Tony stated simply, causing Pepper's mouth to drop slightly.

"London?" Pepper repeated, "Why on earth would you be going to London? Did you forget that you have a meeting with Nakatomi Corporation tomorrow!"

"They can reschedule their damn meeting!" Tony retorted, "This is more important!"

"Tony, this is a multi-million-dollar deal!" Pepper thundered back, "What could be more important!"

"My son!" Tony all but shouted back, causing Pepper to go pale instantly,

"Your…. Son?" Pepper asked in a shocked voice, "Since when do you have a son! Who's the mother?!"

"Her name was Lily," Tony answered sadly, and Pepper felt the anger drain out of her at the word 'was,' "And she was a brilliant woman that I met eight years ago. She and her husband couldn't have children on their own, so I volunteered to help them out. It was a spur-of-the-moment decision, but I honestly don't regret it."

"What happened to her?" Pepper asked in a small voice,

"She and her husband died seven years ago," Tony replied sadly, "And I have reason to believe that my son is being abused by the ones that are supposed to be raising him. So, I'm going to bring him home."

"You mean WE'RE going to bring him home," Pepper responded hotly, causing Tony to freeze in surprise.

"You mean…." Tony began before he was cut off.

"Yes, Tony!" Pepper thundered hotly, "If this child is indeed yours and indeed is being abused, then I am going with you, and WE'RE going to bring him home with us."

"God, I love you, Pepper," Tony said sincerely, bringing a smile to the woman's face,

"I know," Pepper said with a wink, causing Tony to grin at her, "Now, Let's get on the road. It's a long way to England, and we'll need to know everything we can about…. what's his name?"

"Harry," Tony said with a smile, which was mirrored a moment later by Pepper,

"Harry…. That's a good name," Pepper replied softly, "Anyway, as I was saying. We need to know everything we can about Harry and his guardians before we land to ensure we are to retrieve the boy."

"You don't need to come, you know," Tony replied quickly, earning a glare from Pepper,

"Nonsense, we both know you'd be lost without me. Now, hurry up!"

Without another word, Pepper spun on her heel and stalked out of the room; a moment later, a grinning Tony followed behind her.

XXXX

Fourteen hours later, Tony sat with Pepper as their car pulled up to Number four, Privet Drive; Tony had wanted to march on the Dursley's home after what he had discovered about the family and their treatment of his son, but Pepper had managed to convince the man that he needed a good night's rest before making any decisions regarding the Dursley's and especially regarding Harry.

According to Jarvis' research, Vernon Dursley was the director of a drill-making company called Grunnings; Tony had immediately bought the company and was looking forward to the man's face when he discovered that he would soon be out of a job.

As they pulled up to the boring-looking house, which seemed to be a clone of every other boring-looking home in this neighborhood, Tony's eyes were immediately drawn to a small, black-haired boy who appeared to be watering the lawn.

"Is that Harry?" Pepper asked softly as she gazed sadly at the boy; he seemed far too skinny, which was made worse by the extremely oversized clothes the boy was wearing. The only other physical feature that Pepper could see was the glasses that the boy was wearing, which seemed to be held together by a lot of scotch tape.

"I think so," Tony replied in a dazed voice as he saw his son for the first time, "My god, he's so tiny. He's supposed to be eight years old! That child looks like he's no older than six! What the hell have those monsters done to my son!"

"Tony, calm down!" Pepper ordered, placing a calm hand over his, "I don't like it any better than you do, but you're no good to Harry if you're too angry to think straight!"

After an inhuman amount of effort, Tony finally managed to get his breathing and temper under control and nodded to Pepper that he was ready; a moment later, the two stepped out of the car and approached the small boy, who turned to them with a worried expression on his face.

"Can I help you?" Harry asked in a soft voice that made Pepper smile slightly,

"Yes, we're looking for someone named Harry Potter. Does he live here?"

"Yes, ma'am," Harry replied warily, "I'm Harry."

Tony and Pepper both smiled as one, and Harry felt himself relaxing slightly as he beheld them; something about them told Harry to trust them.

"Well, Harry," Tony said warmly, "My name is Tony Stark, and I would like to speak with your relatives if that's alright."

"My Aunt and Uncle don't like salesmen," Harry replied softly, biting his lip, "If you're selling something, they won't wanna listen."

"That's alright, Harry," Tony said with a wink, "I guarantee that they'll want to listen to what I have to say."

Biting his lip in indecision, Harry decided to listen to the voice that was telling him to trust the two adults,

"Okay, follow me, then," Harry replied softly before turning and walking into the house, followed quickly by Tony and Pepper.

"Brat! What are you doing in the house?!" A loud voice yelled, "That yard better be watered, or you'll be locked in the cupboard for a week!"

At the mention of the cupboard, Tony's eyes were immediately drawn to the cupboard under the stairs, and his eyes narrowed as he saw the many locks on the outside of it; as Harry began to shake with fright, Pepper wrapped a protective arm around the boy as a large man walked out of the living room and into the hallway, stopping with surprise as he took in the two new people in his house.

"Who the devil are you?" Vernon asked as Tony sized him up; Vernon was a corpulent man with a large mustache, and instantly Tony had to suppress a laugh as he imagined a walrus wearing clothes.

"My name is Tony Stark, Mr. Dursley," Tony said in a controlled voice, "And I am here to speak to you about my son."

"Your son?" Vernon replied in confusion, "I don't even know your son!"

"You should know him," Tony growled back, "After all, you've just threatened to lock him in a cupboard for a week!" By the end, Tony's voice had gone deathly cold, and even Vernon had stepped back in fear before he registered what Tony had just said.

As Vernon sputtered in anger, Harry felt as though the floor had dropped out from under his feet, and he found himself clinging to Pepper's leg as though she would disappear.

"Y-you're my daddy?" Harry asked in a shocked voice, causing Tony to turn and look down at the scared boy with a warm smile.

"That's right, kiddo," Tony said softly, bending down onto one knee to face Harry, "And I've come to take you home with me if you want to."

Slowly, Harry looked up at Pepper with tears begging to pool in his eyes,

"Are you my mummy?"

"No, sweetie," Pepper replied softly, "I wish I could say yes, but I'm not. But I can be your friend if you like."

"I've never had a friend before," Harry mumbled, causing Tony and Pepper to share an angry look before Pepper replied in a soft voice,

"Well, you have one now, Harry. If you'd like me to be, that is."

"Yes, please!" Harry said enthusiastically, making both Tony and Pepper smile again at him.

Vernon, by this point, had turned incandescent with rage at being ignored in his own house,

"Now, see here! I will not be ignored in my own home! And if you're that little freak's father, then where have you been all this time?!"

Instantly, Tony rose back to his feet and rushed across the room so that it appeared as though he had vanished and reappeared inches from Vernon's face, causing Harry's Uncle to freeze in sudden fear as Tony glared at him.

"DON'T call my son a freak!" Tony snarled, "And I only discovered that my son existed yesterday. Otherwise, I would have taken him from you much sooner."

"Well, you can't have him!" Vernon snarled back, regaining his confidence, "He belongs to me!"

"He is not property, you fat pig!" Pepper all but shouted as Harry tried to hide behind her legs,

"If you wanted him, you should have come for him before I was forced to spend seven years' worth of my hard earn money on him!" Vernon snarled, "If you want him, then I demand recompense!"

This seemed to be the last straw for Tony, who promptly slammed his fist into Vernon's jaw, spinning the fat man completely around before he fell onto the floor with a shattering 'crash.'

"I am NOT paying you for my own son!" Tony roared at the downed man,

"Tony!" Pepper yelled, "You're scaring Harry!"

Tony turned at that and saw that. Indeed, Harry looked frightened and seemed to try not to cry as he hid behind Pepper's legs. Slowly approaching, so as to not startle him more, Tony kneeled down and smiled at his son,

"Hey, kiddo, I'm sorry I scared you. Do you want to come out? I promise I won't hurt you."

"Pinky promise?" Harry asked as he slowly held out his pinky at Tony, who laughed at the action,

"Pinky promise," Tony replied, wrapping his finger around Harry's pinky, making the boy giggle before he slowly came out, shuffling nervously as Tony stared at him.

"Are you going to take me away from here?" Harry asked, desperation evident in his tone,

"You bet, kiddo," Tony replied warmly, "And I promise that you'll never come back here again!"

It was all too much for Harry, and he jumped into Tony's arms before beginning to sob as Tony gently rubbed his back,

"It's okay, Harry," Tony said softly, trying not to cry himself, "Dad's here now."

Pepper was unable to hold back the tears and watched happily as they ran down her cheeks,

"He's not going anywhere. Do you hear me!" Vernon snarled as he rose to his feet, rubbing his jaw with a wince, "You struck me! I'll see you in prison for that!"

"Not likely," Tony sneered, "I've got better lawyers than you, Dursley. It's the reason why I was able to buy Grunnings before landing in England."

Vernon's face paled at the news that he was standing in front of his new boss and had yelled and cursed at him, something that made Tony smile as he continued speaking at the now pale and shaking Vernon.

"So, let's talk about what's going to happen here, Dursley. You are going to sign over any and all rights that you currently have over my son."

"Yes sir," Vernon growled through gritted teeth,

"Then," Tony continued as though Vernon hadn't spoken, "You are going to leave my company, I don't care where you go, but you will no longer be working for Grunnings."

"What!" Vernon cried in alarm, "You can't do that! I've been working for Grunnings for twenty years!"

"And now you're not," Tony smirked, "Funny how that works, huh?"

"You can't do this! I'll sue!"

"You're more than welcome to do that," Tony smirked, "But if you do, you'll lose, and when you do, I'll respond ten-fold. And I won't stop until I've taken everything you have. So, do you really want to play this game, fat boy?"

"Daddy, don't," Harry whimpered, "When Uncle Vernon gets mad, he gets really scary! He'll hurt you!"

"Don't worry, kid," Tony said with a grin, "Your daddy isn't scared of him, and I'm stronger than I look."

Tony's expression hardened as he turned back to Vernon, who had actually turned purple with rage,

"Well?" Tony asked, "What's your answer?"

For a moment, Vernon looked as though he wanted to attack Tony, but just as quickly, the thought left Vernon, and the man seemed to deflate before muttering angrily,

"What do you need me to sign?"

"Pepper?" Tony called with a grin, causing his girlfriend to reach into her bag and pull out some papers, which she quickly handed over to Tony, who in turn handed them to Vernon.

"Sign where it says to sign, and we'll be on our way, which I think will be best for all of us."

"Let's just get this over with," Vernon growled, "My wife will be home soon with my son, and I'd rather the brat be gone before she returns."

"Call my son a brat again, and she'll come home to find you unconscious," Tony growled, causing Vernon to visibly gulp before hurrying into the dining room to sign the paperwork.

As Vernon began to sign furiously, Harry gently tugged on Tony's pants leg, causing him to turn to the boy,

"Um, Daddy? Are we leaving here soon?"

"Just as soon as the paperwork is done, kiddo," Tony replied happily,

"Can I get my deer?" Harry asked softly, "It's the only thing I have left from mummy."

"Sure, Harry," Tony replied softly, "Where is it?"

"In my room," Harry replied as he stared at his feet,

"Where's your room, Harry?" Pepper asked, coming to stand next to Tony; rather than answer, Harry simply sniffled and pointed at the cupboard, making Tony and Pepper share a look of shock before Tony asked in a controlled voice,

"Harry, are you saying that your Aunt and Uncle make you sleep in there?"

"Yes sir," Harry mumbled as he wrung his shirt worriedly in his hands,

"For how long?" Pepper asked,

"I've always been there," Harry replied with another sniffle.

"That son of a…."

"Tony! Language!" Pepper admonished immediately before Tony could finish, though even she looked ready to tear Vernon apart.

Gritting his teeth, Tony strode to the cupboard and ripped it open; the inside was dark, and it took a moment for Tony's eyes to adjust; when they had, Tony saw that there was barely enough room to move and only a small army cot sat in the dark cupboard, upon which lay an old battered stag plushie.

Fighting back the anger that seemed to be filling him at an impressive speed, Tony carefully grabbed the Stag and slammed the cupboard door shut behind him; taking a deep breath to calm himself down, Tony strode back to Harry and held the Stag out to him,

"Here you go, Harry."

Instantly, Harry grabbed the plushie and hugged it close to him with a smile that melted both Pepper and Tony's hearts; a moment later, Vernon returned with the paperwork and all but threw it at Pepper, who checked it quickly before nodding at Tony and putting it back in her bag.

"Pepper, please take my son to the car," Tony said in a strange voice, "I'll be along directly."

"Tony…" Pepper said, a warning in her voice, "Perhaps it would be better if you came with us."

Tony seemed to struggle with the idea for a moment before nodding in agreement; turning back to Vernon, Tony took a step forward and said in a dangerous whisper that only Vernon could hear.

"You kept my son locked in a cupboard for seven years, you fat pig. Make no mistake, I will make you pay for that. Enjoy your life while you still have it because I'm going to take everything from you!"

Spinning on his heel, Tony took Harry's hand and stormed out of the house, leaving a pale and frightened-looking Vernon behind him; Pepper followed the pair, stopping at the front door and turning to Vernon before spitting at him and slamming the door behind her as she left.

A moment later, Harry was squashed between Tony and Pepper, who were both smiling down at him warmly,

"So, where are we going now?" Harry asked, happier than he had ever been in his life,

"Home," Tony replied as he wrapped an arm around his son, "Tomorrow, we'll get you some new clothes and some toys too!"

"You don't have to waste money on me, sir," Harry mumbled, "I'm not worth it,"

Pepper and Tony shared a shocked look for a moment before Tony placed his hand under Harry's chin and forced him to look up at Tony,

"Harry, you're my son, and I WANT to take care of you! I don't know what lies your relatives have fed you, but that's all they were, lies! You are completely worth every penny I spend on you, and I don't want you to think otherwise, okay?"

Harry bit his lip for a moment before nodding his head that he understood; a few moments later, Harry had nuzzled close to Tony and fallen asleep while Tony watched with a genuine smile. Once Harry was asleep, Tony turned to Pepper, and his expression turned murderous,

"I want Vernon Dursley's head!" Tony growled, "His wife too! There's no way that she didn't know what was happening to Harry."

"I'll get the lawyers started," Pepper replied, her expression just as angry, "I'll inform them to bury the Dursleys in litigation and not stop until they're paupers."

"That'll do," Tony nodded, "For now."

"Tony, you know that this isn't going to be easy," Pepper warned, "They've done seven years' worth of damage to the kid. He's going to need a lot of help; he's going to need YOU!"

"I know that!" Tony growled back,

"Do you?" Pepper asked, "Because I don't think you do understand what you're getting yourself into. This isn't one of your weekend floozies that you can just ditch when you get bored! Harry is going to need his father, and if you can't be that, then perhaps it would be better if you…."

"If I what?" Tony demanded, "Abandon him?!"

"No! Give him to someone who can actually take care of him!" Pepper countered,

"He belongs with me, Pepper!" Tony hissed, "I won't abandon my son!"

"I hope that's true," Pepper replied, "For both your sakes."

It had begun to rain as they approached the townhouse, and as Tony quickly rushed Harry inside, he whispered a promise,

"Daddy's here, Harry. And I'm not going anywhere!"

Author's Note:

This story was requested by STARGIRL4667 and will one day be continued when I have more time. Until then, I will be keeping it here in the Vault. Also, as you may have noticed, I had to change the dates to make the story work better with Iron Man.