May 2013, Avengers Tower, Med Bay
Teddy was laid back down as Hank moved forward to check Teddy over. "Why are you blue and furry? Did Uncle George cover you in fur?" Harry was smiling at his godson, but the mention of George made Harry's heart clench as his face became slightly more strained. Hank just smiled at the boy as he started a medical check up.
"No my dear boy. I am a mutant and part of my mutation is the blue fur, but it also made me very strong and gave me better dexterity." He finished with a smile as he wrote down some notes. Teddy's eyes followed his actions as he smiled tiredly. His hair started to change to the same color as Hank's fur before it stopped and went back to its natural color and he lost consciousness. Harry stood worriedly but Hank held out a hand. "He seems to be very tired. We don't have the scanning for magical energy done just yet but we can assume he'll be weak for some time. It's possible that because he's so young, at only 38 months?" Hank asked and got a nod from Harry, "That he'll need a longer recovery time." Hank explained.
Harry relaxed himself as much as possible but still kept a worried gaze on his godson. His hand running over him to check his magic levels he wasn't surprised to see them severely depleted. Sighing he sat back down and leaned back running his hands over his face. "He'll need rest." Harry said with some stress bleeding off. Hank nodded as he continued to run tests and gather blood samples.
"Don't worry Harry, he'll be up and about soon enough. Maybe you should go grab a shower, hmm?" Hank reassured him as he finished up. He gathered everything he needed into a bag and started towards the door. "Just relax and it'll all be over soon."
That's exactly what he did. First he caught a quick shower in his mostly unused room at the tower. Nat of course came by to check on him and was happy that Teddy seemed to be healing. After the tests Hank concluded that the poison was mostly gone, but would take several weeks for his body to completely remove the lingering effects. Harry decided to put him into an enchanted sleep so that his body could rest more. Throwing up some monitoring charms Harry finally left the Tower for the first time in weeks. He headed home and started to make up a room for Teddy.
Wanda was excited to get a younger brother and not be the youngest anymore. Pietro was excited as well and was looking forward to teaching the young boy how to prank. Harry couldn't help but smile at Pietro's excitement and his thoughts wandered over to how Remus would be happy to know that his son would be a prankster as well.
Conscripting them both, they soon had the room next to Pietro's ready for Teddy to occupy. Harry painted the walls a soft red, the bed was decked out in Gryffindor colors, and his closet was filled with some of his old clothes and new ones Harry bought. He got Tony to hook him up with some magic proof tech and Teddy would have his own TV and computer. Books that he liked were put in a small bookshelf and his toys that survived were pulled out of storage and placed in Remus's old Hogwarts trunk, that he took from the goblin vaults. Pictures of Remus, Tonks, Hermione, the Weasley's and a few others Teddy knew were put on the walls.
Harry smiled as he looked over the completed room, but soon frowned when he realized he would have to explain where they were to Teddy. Shaking off that thought he went back to his workshop to keep himself busy.
But like always time waits for no man. Tony called up Harry and let him know the high society party for Magic Innovations introduction into the world of business was coming up. Harry whined to Natasha who just told him to suck it up with a smile on her face.
"Don't worry too much. Tony and Pepper will be there and it's only one night." Nat said as she straightened out his tie the night of the party.
"It's not the one night I'm worried about. Most of these people are leeches that'll want contact info and make deals and ugh." Harry ended his rant with a groan as he dropped his head. Nat realized he wasn't looking forward to it but was hamming it up anyways so she just smiled and kissed his check.
"Be good, have fun, and I'll wait up for you." She then gave him a small kiss on the lips as she turned and sashayed out of the room. Harry huffed with a grin as he looked away from Natasha and met his own eyes in the mirror. The stress from working on Teddy's cure and worrying over his health was going away and he looked mostly normal. His suit was black, with a forest green shirt and black tie. He flattened out his suit before turning and taking a step only to be standing in Tony's Malibu house.
"Welcome back Mr. Potter." A voice said from the speakers layered throughout the house. Harry looked up with a smile.
"Good afternoon Jarvis and again, call me Harry. How are you doing?" Harry asked as he walked to the couch and took a seat.
"I'm doing very well. Mr. Stark has once again increased the abilities of my servers with enchanted equipment and has now given me access to the rune suppository he has been building." Jarvis answered easily. Harry hummed in thought.
"Still having trouble with the memory overloads?" Harry asked. Jarvis had tried to analyze the runes that Tony used at one point and had his memory systems overload for some reason. Tony used several different methods to reduce the issue but hasn't yet fixed it completely.
"Yes. Mr. Stark seems to think that something in my system does not 'play well' with magic or runes." Jarvis said.
"It might have something to do with the nature of magic, but we'll work on that later. Are you ready to party?" Tony asked as he walked into the living room and looked at Harry. Harry just nodded and stood up. Pepper walked out after Tony, wearing a beautiful blue dress that matched Tony's dark blue suit.
"You two look great!" Harry said with a smile. Pepper gave him a smile and a thanks while Tony buffed his nails against his chest.
"Of course we do." Tony said with an eyebrow raise and a look of 'no duh'. Harry and Pepper both rolled their eyes in response. Tony chuckled, "Alright, the limo's waiting. Let's get the new CEO of Magic Innovations to his debut party." Tony said as he rubbed his hands together. Harry huffed but Pepper was smiling with a glint of mischief in her eyes. They all walked out and took seats in the limo being driven by Happy. Soon enough they were on their way.
"Anything I should know before we get there?" Harry asked as he looked at Pepper.
"Don't worry about it. Go in, have a few drinks and ignore anyone who bothers you." Tony said as he leaned back in the seat. Harry just gave him an unimpressed look before looking back to Pepper who was giving Tony a cold glare.
"People are coming to meet the man behind Stark Phones having a battery charge of weeks instead of hours. That means you can talk with who you want, but do try to be diplomatic in dealing with people you don't like. Considering Tony introduced you as an inventor, you'll get quite a bit of leeway in ignoring people." Pepper explained as they rode towards SI headquarters California.
"Don't worry about it too much Harry. I've been dealing with these people for years, trust me, they aren't nearly as intimidating as some of the things you've fought." Tony said with a shrug as he looked at Harry.
"Ugh," Harry grunted as he rubbed his temples. "I'm not intimidated, I just don't like dealing with assholes. Also, I'm trying to make it easier for Pepper and your company's PR department. Merlin forbid they have another Tony Stark making fires all over the place." Harry finished with a grin towards his fellow Avenger. Tony huffed and looked away while Pepper giggled and patted Tony's leg.
Soon enough they were pulling up to a large ballroom SI owns for all their business parties. The limo stopped next to a line of journalists and photographers with other people slowly making their way up into the building. Harry steeled himself as Tony got out and helped Pepper to stand. Harry came out right after them and was assaulted by flashes of light from every direction. He froze for a moment before forcing himself to carry an easy smile and he moved forward with Tony and Pepper. They were stopped several times to talk with journalists, but Pepper handled most of them. When they finally got inside Harry relaxed slightly as he looked around. The area was large and walled with glass on every side. The roof went up three stories and each level had several balconies and walkways that circled the room. People were already milling about, chatting, drinking, and snacking. Center of the room was a large fountain, arrayed around the fountain were small tables. To the right of the entrance was a large open area where several couples were dancing to the music produced by a live band. The left was an expanse of couches and short tables and a long bar where people were sitting and chatting.
"Tony!" Harry looked over and found Rhodey moving towards them. He greeted Tony with a hand shake before kissing Pepper's knuckle, "Pep, you look good." He then looked at Harry and held a hand out. "Harry, it's good to see you." Harry shook his hand.
"Likewise. I was worried I'd be abandoned by these two when they hit the dance floor later." Harry said with a grin. Tony grinned as Pepper smiled. They slowly moved through the crowd as they chatted. Every once and a while they would be interrupted by someone and Pepper or Tony would make introductions. Everything was going great until Harry was introduced to the CEO of Frost International. She held out a hand and Harry took it and gave a customary air kiss, but froze during the motion when he felt someone try to enter his mind. Giving a mental slap to the probe he watched with narrowed eyes was the woman before him winced. Standing up he kept a smile on his face as he leaned forward.
"Try that again and I'll rip into your mind, leaving you a blubbering husk." Harry whispered as he leaned back and turned away from the woman. His mood, which had been slightly annoyed by each person he met attempting to buy him out or learn his secrets, finally sunk even lower. He gritted his teeth and looked at Tony. "I need a quick break. I'll be back." He didn't wait for a response before he stalked off and made his way outside.
Emma Frost stood there in shock as the man she was meeting smacked away her telepathic probe and threatened her. She watched as his eyes glowed ominously before he walked away.
"I'm sorry about that. He isn't one for crowds." Pepper said with a fake smile on her face. Tony Stark was staring at her though. His eyes narrowed as he came to some conclusion and made eye contact with her, his hand turned the face of his watch slightly. Reflexively she sent another probe only to get a single message before all she got was static. 'Stay out of our minds.' Shakily she gave Pepper a nod and what she hoped was a sincere smile before she moved on.
"Don't worry too much Pep, Harry will be back in here shortly. How about a dance to pass the time?" Tony asked with a smile towards Pepper who agreed. Rhodey was left standing there unsure of what happened but happy for Tony as he watched his best friend lead Pepper in a dance.
Harry was leaning against the balcony railing looking at the sky before he was pulled back from his thoughts. "It seems you have met the young Ms. Frost." The voice of Xavier chimed in.
"Charles." Harry said with a smile as he looked over and found Charles Xavier in his chair being pushed by Ororo. Harry's greeting died in his throat when he caught sight of Ororo in her silver and black dress. It framed her body perfectly, hanging off one shoulder and hugging her body as it moved down until it opened with a slit at her thigh and fell loosely around her ankles.
Xavier smirked when he saw Harry lose his words at Ororo's appearance. It took a moment but Harry got himself together. "Did you know she was a telepath?" Harry asked, trying to distract himself from losing his cool.
"Of course. She ran into a nasty bit of business with the Hellfire club a while back." Xavier said while shaking his head. "She has been much less of a headache since then, but she still has a habit of peeking when she shouldn't." Xavier explained with a small frown. He shook his head slowly before looking back at Harry and smiling, "Other than that unpleasantness, how is your night?"
"It's fine. I've never been a fan of high society things. Too much politics and not enough fun for my taste." Harry said with a small smile, finally releasing his poor mood. "What brings you here tonight?"
"Well I'm a stockholder in many of the companies being represented here. I even have some Stark stock that's doing quite well." Xavier finished with a small grin. "My father was well acquainted with many of the contacts Mr. Stark worked with, in the 1940s. That inheritance and those connections are now used to fund the X-Men and my drive to teach young mutants control."
Xavier and Harry both talked about several people he met tonight and the reason the party was happening in the first place. Harry talked about developing the new batteries and told Xavier he'd get some 'special' phones for the members of the x-men so they were a bit harder to damage.
"Why don't you take Ororo here for a dance? I see some old friends of mine waiting for a gap in conversation." Xavier asked with a smile as he nodded towards a group of older men occasionally looking over at them. Harry looked at Ororo and raised an eyebrow, she just smiled so Harry held out a hand.
"Would you mind a dance?" Harry asked. Ororo took his hand and led him out to the dance floor. Harry raised his arm and held her fingers across his palm and put his hand high on her waist and slowly led them in a waltz. "How are you enjoying the night?"
"I'm having fun. Charles usually brings Jean, Scott, and myself, as we're used to dealing with the political side of X-Men business." Ororo explained as she glided along with Harry. "Are you enjoying yourself.?" Ororo asked but laughed lowly when Harry's face looked like he had sucked a lemon for a split second. "I see. It's unfortunate you find my dancing so unpleasant."
"Oh don't even pretend you think I was meaning anything other than some of the blowhards around here." Harry said with a smile rolling his eyes lightly as he spun Ororo out and swept her back. "All these politicians and businessmen are so full of themselves…" Harry shook his head, "Never mind them, how's the mansion?"
Ororo talked about a new girl they got who is having issues getting close to anyone after she was chased out by her parents when her skin turned red and she could control fire. "Evidently they are religious and saw her mutation as demonic or something." Ororo shook her head in frustration.
"At least she's at the mansion now. I knew a few people back in my hometown who's parents labeled them for their skills." Harry said as the music picked up and their dancing pace increased. They stopped talking as they spun quickly around the room and only stopped when the band called out a five minute break. Smiling with a sheen of perspiration on his forehead Harry led her over to the side and grabbed two waters.
"So what did you need Hank for the other week? It seems he's been mostly MIA since then." Ororo asked as she sipped her water. She watched as Harry's eyes, which were sweeping the room, neutrally moved towards her with happiness as his smile moved to a full blown grin.
"Well I needed his expertise in genetics and medicine. Tony Stark, Bruce Banner, and myself came across a serum that would allow me to finally heal my godson, so I stole Hank away to help. Just a week and a half ago we healed him and now he's in an enchanted sleep until his body finishes removing the poison in his system." Harry explained as his smile spread, "In just a few more weeks I'll have my godson Teddy back and I'm so excited."
"That's wonderful Harry." Harry ended up telling story after story of the little things Teddy would do as he grew up. The difficulties of raising a child in a war zone and finally how he ended up put under stasis. Ororo listened happily as Harry gushed over his godson, even as they continued to dance. Eventually Ororo was called back by Xavier and Harry escorted her. After saying a quick goodbye to Xavier and Ororo, who were now leaving, Harry went off to find Tony and Pepper.
"-o I dropped the tank and was like 'boom looking for this?'" Rhodey finished his story getting laughs and smiles from everyone around. Tony was standing to the side with Pepper as Harry ghosted around the group to stand next to them.
"How was the dancing Harry?" Tony asked when he saw the wizard moving towards him.
"It was good. I didn't expect to find Xavier here though." Harry said as he stood next to them and grabbed a drink from a passing waiter.
"Xavier shows up to a lot of these things. At first I thought it was just him being a good investor, turns out he likes to keep his image in everyone's mind to create some type of goodwill towards the mutant community." Tony said with a small wave of his hand. They all turned back and watched as Rhodey wooed the crowd of people standing there.
"He seems to be having a good time." Harry said with a chuckle as he pointed with his glass at Rhodey.
"Sour patch is always ready to tell a good story." Tony said with a grin, "Never any stories about college though." Harry was about to ask when they were interrupted.
"Tony, don't go telling stories about college or I'll be doing the same." Rhodey said as he moved over to them as the crowd split into smaller circles. He then looked at Harry and gave him a grin, "You seemed to be having a good time out on the dance floor."
"Of course I was. Ororo is a wonderful dancer." Harry said, "I was telling her all about Teddy and him waking up soon." Tony and Rhodey's teasing grins turned into genuine smiles. The rest of the night was uneventful, with the exception of Emma giving Harry wary looks the whole night. Not too long after they met back up Tony gave a speech and Harry greeted everyone and thanked them for coming. With that over Harry decided to leave with Tony and Pepper. He had had enough of these people tonight and he had a smoking hot redhead waiting up for him. So without much fanfare he said goodnight to both Tony and Pepper in the limo and faded back home.
AN: Just a few User responses;
Anon Jr. - There are quite few instances in canon where Dumbledore's age isn't stated but infered based on his graduating in 1901 or Griselda Marchbank, who was still alive in 1997, being the one who proctored Dumbledore's OWLs and NEWTs. I believe in The Half Blood Prince, Dumbledore mentions that Armando Dippet is still alive at 300 something. Other than that I'm glad you like the book and I hope teddy's words make you realize why he might not freak out.
fartwart - A baby bind is also know as swaddling. Ha ha
FallenDemon88 - Я рад, что тебе это нравится. Я не знаю русского, поэтому это переведено. Спасибо за чтение!