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They flew out the next evening as Tony wanted Harry to sleep during the long flight, hoping he adjusted better to the time change. The day had been spent wrapping up loose ends, including a trip to visit the Ministry and to see Rockjaw. Sirius brought up the question of what happened to the years of mail Harry surely would have received as the Boy-who-lived. Tony had Floo'd to the Atrium of the Ministry, quite remembering why he hated traveling that way, and headed toward the Auror office.

"Can I help you with something?" A large, dark-skinned man dressed in an Auror uniform stepped out of a cubicle, his eyes sizing Tony up.

Trying not to bristle, Tony straightened the black open robe over his black pinstriped suit. "I am looking for either Madam Bones or Auror Proudfoot."

Dark eyes narrowed slightly. "Lord Carbonell?"

Tony inclined his head, eyes meeting the Auror's steadily.

"I'm Kingsley Shacklebolt, my brother is Sirius Black's solicitor." He held out a hand.

Shaking it, Tony could feel the power the man possessed. "He did a wonderful job at the trial."

"So I hear," Kingsley smiled. "Proudfoot is out on a call and I'm not sure where the Director went, is there something I can do to help?"

Tony weighted his options, but he was usually a good judge of character. "When I recovered my son from the abusive home he was place in, I believe there was a magical scan done of the wards and spells put on the home. I'm trying to get a copy of the report."

"Actually, there were two comprehensive scans done," Kingsley waved him into his cubicle and then cast a privacy spell. "Proudfoot did a rudimentary scan, but Bones sent me back to do an in-depth one when other iissues/i came to light."

"Anything to do with the embezzlement and theft reports?"

"More the involvement Albus Dumbledore had in erecting blood wards and other quasi-legal spells on a Muggle property."

Snorting, Tony shook his head. "Wait until I tell Sirius! He was just relating why he did a blood-based godfather bond with Harry, instead of the ritual that James wanted to do."

Kingsley gave him a hard look. "James was one of my trainers when I was a new Auror and I remember their debate. I take it you are the cousin Tony they were both so proud of."

Tony grinned. "Tony Stark, yes."

"Then you are family, Mr. Stark." Kingsley finally smiled. "Though, I wouldn't put it past someone as desperate as Dumbledore to utilize a blood ritual to achieve his goals. Between losing the Peverell wand and oversight—"

"You mean control."

"—over the Savior of the Wizarding world."

"Arcturus thought of that last night and the Potter house-elves scoured Hogwarts and replaced the blood he had with their own."

Kingsley arched an eyebrow. "Potter house-elves?"

Tony studied his fingernails. "Apparently commandeered by Dumbledore the morning of that bastard's attack on James and Lily, then put up wards so they couldn't go back to the Manor or find Harry."

"He knew," Kingsley whispered, paling as the impact of Tony's words hit him.

Blowing out a breath as he felt his own anger surge, Tony shrugged. "Anticipated maybe, based on it being Samhain; or a preemptive strike based on a iprophecy/i no less. Whichever it was, we will never be able to prove it, but I know for sure he's not going to raise my son as a weapon for his cause."

Kingsley nodded. "While we are sitting on our laurels and doing nothing – assuming that Voldemort is gone."

"He made Horcruxes – Harry was one." Tony struggled to get the words out. "Gringotts and a team of curse breakers are actively searching for what we thing are at least three to four others."

The Auror sat stunned for several long minutes. "What are you going to do with this information, as there are still a number of suspected Death Eaters around."

"Some even at the highest levels of influence," Tony agreed, thinking about what he'd learned of Lord Blondie from Sirius. "I understand Director Bones is a trustworthy person and I'm pretty sure I didn't make a mistake telling you."

"You did not."

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Harry loved flying. Tony almost had to tie him to his seat until they had reached the required altitude. He pointed out the ground below and Harry had glued his eyes to the view out the small window. Sirius, on the other hand, gripped the armrests until his knuckles were white. Tony just shook his head as he watched their antics.

"Remind me to sedate you next time we fly," Tony murmured under his breath.

"I'll Portkey and meet you there," Sirius pushed out between clenched teeth.

"Magical travel sucks!" Tony declared emphatically. "At least you can relax on the plane, especially this one – I designed it myself."

Sirius rolled his eyes and then grinned as the plane leveled out. "Hired the stewardesses yourself as well?" He waggled his eyebrows at Tony.

Tony threw his head back and laughed. "No, unfortunately, as I'd have mixed in a few handsome stewards myself."

It was Sirius' turn to bark out a laugh. "That's more like it, variety is the spice of life."

"Papa?" Harry asked softly.

"Yes, bambino?"

"Can I have something to eat, please? My tummy is grumbly."

Tony carded his fingers through Harry's hair. "As soon as it's safe to get up, we'll get something. Are you hungry for dinner already or just a snack?"

"Blueberries?"

Grinning, Tony nodded, knowing the staff would have stocked his favorite fruit. "Sirius, you want something?"

"Firewhiskey."

Tony snorted. "I'll order you some ginger-ale, it will settle your stomach."

"Are you sick, Uncle Padfoot?" Harry turned to look at Sirius who sat opposite of them.

"No, kiddo, just a little uncomfortable – I've never been in one of these Muggle death traps before."

Harry snickered behind his hand. "Papa designed it, so it can't be a death-thing!"

"Hmmm," Sirius was noncommittal as he slowly loosened his grip. "If you say so, pup."

"Mr. Stark?" A pretty dark-hair attendant appeared before them.

"Hi, Tiffany." Tony was quick to read the name tag on her blue uniform.

"You can move around the aircraft now, as the pilots indicate a smooth passage over the Atlantic."

Tony nodded, reaching to unbuckle his belt. "Thank you. Could we have a couple of ginger ales and a coffee, with some blueberries, please?" Tony stood and looked to the seats across the aisle where Happy was reading a book. "Hap?"

"I'm good for the moment, boss." Happy gave the lady a wave.

Tiffany headed towards the galley at the front of the plane as Tony bent over and released the buckles on Harry's child seat. "Come on, Harry, let's check out the rest of the plane."

Holding his son's hand, Tony walked towards the back, through a curtain and into the lounge area, complete with bar and large viewing screen on the wall. The couch was made to relax on and the sight of it actually made him blush as he thought of the shenanigans he'd gotten up to on it in the past. Harry wouldn't know anything about that until he was thirty, Tony swore, as he led him into the bedroom at the back of the plane.

"Papa, is there a loo in your plane?" Harry asked him with a look on his face Tony was beginning to recognize.

"Right here, kiddo." Tony opened the door to the ensuite bathroom and held in a laugh as Harry closed it in his face. "I can do it, Papa!"

Pressing his ear to the door, Tony listened for the sound of a flush and water running, before he took a step away. "Ready, bambino?"

Harry grabbed his hand with a decidedly damp one, something that would have made he shudder in the past, and Tony led him back toward the main cabin. "Why don't we go get your snack and then we can talk about how you want to celebrate your birthday."

"I gots a birthday, Papa?"

"You do, Harry, and it is coming up fast, so we have to decide what we are going to do."

They found Sirius standing and stretching, his eyes taking in the richly appointed interior as if he hadn't noticed it before. Harry ran up and tugged at Sirius' pant leg and motioned for him to lean down.

"Papa's plane has a loo in the bedroom, Uncle Padfoot, if you need one!"

"Thanks, kiddo!" Sirius ruffled his hair, before shifting his eyes to Tony. "A bedroom?"

Smirking, Tony jerked his head toward the back. "Through the party lounge."

Seeing the look on Sirius' face, Tony coughed as he struggled not to laugh. "Or there are two more just before the galley up front."

The conversation was interrupted by Tiffany bringing their drinks on a tray. She settled it on the coffee table in front of their seats, along with a bowl of blueberries. Tony was unimpressed when she bent over in front of him, looking back over her shoulder coyly before standing back up. Tony kept his face a neutral mask. He knew he only had himself to blame as she'd probably heard of his past behavior on board – the drunken parties and the huge tips for those willing to participate.

Did she really think he would act like that with his son present?

"Dinner in an hour, please." Tony bit out and turned away from the stewardess.

Sirius gave him an odd look, but led Harry back to his seat. Tony watched them, as he took off his suit jacket, and sat back down next to Harry. He handed Harry his small glass of ginger ale and showed him where the secret tray was in the arm of the seat. Sirius took the seat across the table from them, picking up his own glass and took a tentative sip, before smiling at the agreeable taste. Tony held the bowl of blueberries where Harry could reach it, watching as his son carefully took the berries one at a time.

"So, what would you like to have for your birthday, Harry?" Tony asked him, stealing a blueberry and popping it in his mouth.

"I don't know, Papa, I've never had a birthday before," Harry admitted casually. "Can I please have a cake?"

"Of course, you can have a cake! You HAVE to have a cake." Tony should have known Harry couldn't remember ever having a birthday before. "How about a blueberry cake?"

Scrunching his nose up in thought, Harry seemed to give the proposed cake some thought. "Does cake come in chocolate, Papa?"

Tony nodded and stuffed a handful of berries into his mouth before he said something stupid about the Dursleys.

"Can I have ice cream, too? Dudley always had ice cream with his cake on his birthdays." Harry frowned and looked at him. "But I don't want to be fat like Dudley is—"

Swallowing, Tony shook his head, keeping his tone even. "No way, sweetie, you will never be like your cousin!"

Harry lunged forward, almost knocking the bowl out of Tony's hands as he threw his arms around Tony's neck. "Thank you, Papa, for taking me away from there!"

Sirius reached over and took the bowl out of Tony's hand, setting it back down on the table while Tony pulled Harry out of his seat and into his lap. "I'm sorry it took so long to come get you, bambino." He hugged Harry tightly, burying his face in the soft hair.

"It's okay, Papa, you came as soon as you knew," Harry reassured him, patting his shoulder. "And you found Uncle Padfoot for me, too."

"That he did, pup," Sirius' voice was soft.

Tony took a deep breath, kissed the top of Harry's head, and turned him around on his lap. "Okay, now didn't you bring a puzzle in your bag for us to put together? One that's not to hard for Uncle Sirius to help with?" Smirking, Tony watched Sirius roll his eyes.

They actually put together two different children's puzzles before dinner was brought out. The stewardess, an older lady Tony was familiar with, carried in the tray. Tiffany followed with a tray of drinks.

"Hello, Myra, its good to see you," Tony greeted her quietly as Sirius stood and took the tray from her.

"Mr. Stark, it's nice to see you," Myra said, smiling. "Chef has sent out a very special plate of chicken and rice for this handsome young man." She set a small bowl in front of Harry as Tony nodded in approval, before setting out four plates of steak and baked potato for the men.

"Thank you, Myra," Tony appreciated the woman's friendly, no-nonsense demeanor.

Harry ended up kneeling on the floor to eat from the coffee table and Happy moved over to join them for dinner. The conversation became more general in nature, with Happy and Tony describing California in general and Malibu specifically. They had gone through US custom agents prior to take off in London and were cleared to fly through to the private airstrip adjacent to Stark Industries o=in Southern California. They were making a stop in New York to refuel and should arrive in California just after midnight.

Once dinner was over and the light dessert of ice cream with berries eaten, Tony took Harry back to the bedroom and tucked him into bed. Tony only made it halfway through iGreen Eggs and Ham/i before Harry was asleep. He moved over to the desk set in the corner and started going through the stack of papers Pepper had sent with the plane. While Tony truly hated this part of running SI, he knew if was vital for him to know what was going on with the company he owned. His godfather, Obadiah, had urged him to delegate much of the responsibility to himself as Chief Operations Officer and to his PA, Pepper Potts, so Tony was free to be the eccentric inventor and designer of weapons which made them so much money. It dawned on Tony gradually over the last few years that his godfather had not wanted to relinquish control of the business to Tony after his father's death and had very much encouraged his self-destructive lifestyle. Something Tony had been happy to indulge in, initially, until he noticed Obie stopped including him in major decisions involving SI.

Now, with his son to leave his family legacy to, Tony knew he needed to reassess his priorities. Obie would not like him having changed his will, but Tony wasn't planning on telling him. In fact, Tony was hoping to enlist Sirius in his idea to become Harry's chief caregiver when Tony had to work, either in the office or in his workshop. It would take Sirius some time to heal from Azkaban and being around Harry could help him. Sirius was also a trained Auror and would protect Harry with his life. At the same time, Harry needed to recover from the treatment the Dursleys had inflicted on him and he needed unconditional love, along with patience, in his caregivers.

Finishing with the stack of paperwork, Tony kicked off his shoes and laid down with his son. He knew Sirius was going to stretch out on the couch in the lounge to rest, while Happy was very adept at sleeping in the cabin seats which folded flat for comfort. None of them stirred when the plane smoothly landed to refuel and headed west towards California.

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