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The world seemed unusually quiet when Tony carried Harry off the plane in Malibu. The balmy Southern California night was perfect, a gentle on-shore breeze stirring around them as he led a blurry-eyed Padfoot to the nondescript black sedan Happy had called ahead to be left for them. Tony had had Taffy shrink their luggage down and he carried it in his laptop bag slung over his shoulder. As they drove down the Pacific Coast Highway, Sirius shifted back as they pulled up to the gate outside the mansion.

"Damn, Tony, this is beautiful," Sirius whispered as he looked at the house.

Tapping on his phone, Tony asked JARVIS to open the gate and light up the garage. "Thanks, I haven't spent a lot of time here since it was finished and it definitely needs some warmth. Oh, and my assistant isn't expecting me back until at least tomorrow night, so we'll have some time in the morning to check the warding."

Sirius nodded his head, his eyes glued on the view out the window as they circled around to the side and into the garage. Saying good night to Happy, they walked up from the garage, JARVIS turned the lights on they moved into the house. Tony carried Harry into his own bedroom and pointed Sirius to the spare room across from his, which he knew was made up. Laying Harry down on his bed, Tony dug Sirius' shrunken luggage out of his bag and took it to him.

"Here's your stuff, dogman, I stuck a mild sleeping potion the healer recommended in the pocket. It's there if you want to sleep until morning and get ahead of the jet lag."

"Shot of firewhiskey would do the same," Sirius grumbled, the effect lost as he yawned.

Tony chuckled. "Go to bed, Sirius, we still have things to work out in the morning, as the goblins may have made it magic-safe, we need to make it non-magic safe. You'll need sleep."

"Yes, Mum," Sirius muttered as he closed the door.

Delighted, Tony grinned as he made his way into the kitchen. He'd forgotten how much fun it was to pull Sirius' chain and how much of that he'd done when he would visit James over the years. If he were being honest, Tony had had a huge crush on Sirius back then and Lily had been the only one who recognized it, always teasing him about it when they were alone. The Sirius he knew then, was not the same man who just closed the door in his face and Tony just hoped Azkaban hadn't destroyed the man he'd admired. His hope was to have Harry and Sirius help each other heal together, with time and patience.

"Hey J, hit me with what's been going on."

"Yes, sir – Ms. Potts has done an admirable job of keeping track of all your administrative duties. There is a stack of papers which need your signature on your desk and another stack of files containing correspondence as well as requests from various sources. You have already viewed the emails from R&D and there is additional information and prototypes which have been delivered to the garage for your inspection."

Tony nodded as he pulled open the refrigerator door and peered inside with a frown. Those R&D guys were supposed to get permission before they sent prototypes to him. "JARVIS please start a list of groceries to be delivered from that twenty-four-hour grocery store: milk, blueberries, pancake mix, milk, a couple dozen eggs, butter, maple syrup, the stuff Dum E puts into those smoothies, and any other staples you can think of."

"Placing the order now, sir."

"Throw in some ice cream, please," Tony requested, walking up to the top level of the house and looking out over the ocean. "Anyone been to the house since I left for New York, J?"

"Ms. Potts was here numerous times, to either collect various files and papers from your office and bring other paperwork, which she left on the desk."

"People need to start sending their letters by electronic mail, JARVIS, then I could read it anywhere. Who else?"

"Mr. Stane has also been here three times since you left, including twice in the last three days, sir."

Tony frowned, turning around slowly. "Why was Obie here? What did he do, J?"

"He spent some time in your workshop, looking at your projects and the schematics."

"Not that he could make heads or tails out of them," Tony muttered.

"Rather like your writing, sir."

Tony smiled. "I'm wounded, JARVIS!"

"I doubt that, sir."

"What else did he do?"

"Mr. Stane went into your bedroom and dressing room, sir – for what purpose, I don't know. He also went out on the deck, failing to lock the door into the main living room when he returned."

"The knob he knows you can't lock?"

"Yes, sir, however I was able to engage the inner deadbolt to secure the door."

Tony didn't like it at all. Obadiah had no reason to be out here snooping, especially as he'd seen the man at the gala at the Rockefeller Center and Obie knew Tony was supposed to be staying on the island. He began to wonder how often those he'd given access to his house had come in when he wasn't there. There were only a few people Tony considered family, but he'd always trusted those individuals completely, including with his workshops. Rhodey always liked to sneak in his workshop, but as he was deployed at the moment, Tony wasn't worried.

"Cancel Obie's access code, J, immediately. Until further notice, no one gains access into the house, except Happy and Pepper."

"Done, sir."

"JARVIS, add Harry and Sirius Black the 3rd to your search parameters, including any print or video media and any of the forums on the internet."

"Already scanning, sir."

Tony stood still for a moment, deep in thought as he considered the implications of both JARVIS' report and his observations.

"J, have you detected any unusual electronic or transmission signals originating in the house since Obadiah was here."

"You know I'm programmed to disrupt any such signals, sir. Especially after that last sex-tape emerged—"

"Yes, yes." Tony waved him off with a grimace as he started up towards his bedroom. "Keep up the good work, J and, please, wake me up at 8am."

"Of course, sir."

Obadiah had not wanted Tony to take over Stark Enterprises, the now Stark Industries, when he turned twenty-one as directed by his father's will. He had petitioned the Board of Directors to delay the change, based on Tony's reckless and irresponsible behavior. His godfather forgot Tony was the majority shareholder and the board voted with Tony.

Stepping into his room, Tony cast a low-powered spell that was in reality a broad pulse of magic which should short out any small electronics, like a miniature listening or recording device. It wouldn't affect the lights or JARVIS, but should eliminate any electronic surveillance devices. Once that was done, Tony stripped Harry down to his tee shirt and underwear before tucking him into the middle of the large bed. Walking into his dressing room, Tony undressed as he looked around surreptitiously, especially in the area where his hidden safe was situated in a vault of concrete beneath the floor.

Nothing looked disturbed, but Tony knew he needed to update all his security measures, as the goblin warding only went so far against non-magicals. He also intended to look into constructing a safe room, so Harry would have a place to hide if something happened. Pulling on his pajama bottoms, Tony detoured to the bathroom and then crawled into bed beside his son. Harry rolled toward him, snuggling up against his side as Tony loped an arm around him. His mind was still swirling with thoughts as he closed his eyes, even as he tried to calm it. Slipping into the meditation exercises his magical tutor had taught him, in preparation of learning Occlumency, Tony felt the whirl of his brain slow down.

Tony knew there were issues that needed to be dealt with, but he'd start tomorrow, tonight he was just glad he and his son were home safely.

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Morning came in the form of a small, wiggling body pressed against him. Tony cracked open an eye and saw a pair of anxious green eyes staring at him.

"Papa!" Harry whispered urgently. "Where's the bathroom?"

Tony surged up in the bed and grabbed Harry, carrying him into the ensuite. Setting Harry on his feet, Tony yawned as he staggered over to the sink and splashed water on his face. A flush and Harry wandered back to him and leaned against his leg. Bending down, he lifted Harry up so he could wash his hands. Harry waiting in the doorway as Tony made use of the toilet and washed his own hands.

"Come on, bambino, let's go see if we can scare up some breakfast."

Harry's hand slipped into his as they walked down to the kitchen. Tony smiled as Harry's footsteps faltered when he caught sight of the ocean out the wall of windows. Scooping Harry up, Tony carried him over to the wall of windows and set him down, letting him look his fill.

"Good morning, sir, you are up earlier than I expected."

Harry's head snapped up, eyes searching the ceiling to see where the voice had come from. Tony ran his fingers through Harry's hair, reassuring him.

"Good morning, J. Harry, this is the same JARVIS who was on my phone, remember?"

Harry nodded, going back to looking out the window. "Morning, Mr. JARVIS. Where's Taffy, Papa?"

Tony opened his mouth, only to have Taffy pop up beside Harry.

"Taffy's right here, Master Harry! Are yous ready for breakfasts?"

"Taffy, there should have been groceries delivered – JARVIS, where were they left?"

"Outside the front door, sir."

Taffy disappeared before Tony could move and, looking up, Harry giggled at the disgruntled look on his father's face.

"Taz? Max?" Tony called, smiling at the grin on Harry's face as he looked around.

Both house-elves popped in and Tony was surprised as the elves wrapped their arms around his son's legs as Harry greeted them with pats on the head. Rolling his eyes, Tony listened to Harry greet each house-elf and exclaimed his delight that his little bodyguards had made the trip to California.

"Taz and Max, please be very vigilant for non-magical people coming onto the property. There are three others who have free access: Happy, who you know, my personal assistant Pepper Potts, and my best friend, Colonel James Rhodes, who's away at the moment. Anyone else is to be prevented from coming through the gate unless I or Sirius gives them permission – magical or non-magical."

The house-elves stepped away from Harry to flank him and nodded at Tony.

"You may set up quarters for yourselves, Taffy, and any other house-elves who we decide are necessary on the fourth level, there should be plenty of rooms for everyone there in the area furthest away from the laboratory."

The elves again nodded and popped away. Tony held his hand out to Harry, who took it, and Tony began to show him around the top two floors. He could smell pancakes as they approached the kitchen and the sound of Taffy humming as she moved around.

"Tony? Harry?"

Sirius' voice rang through the living room level, causing Tony to open his mouth to respond, but Harry beat him to it.

"Uncle Padfoot! We're in the kitchen! Follow the pancake smell!"

Shaking his head, Tony jumped out of the way as Padfoot came running into the room. "JARVIS, I'm not sure if I warned you, but the dog is actually the wizard named Sirius Black, Harry's godfather, who will be staying here with us. Also, little guys are very loyal to Harry and will respond if you need them – especially if it has to do with Harry or my safety. Taffy is the head elf if there is a problem."

"Very good, sir. The dog is a nice touch – should I be ordering any dog treats or—"

"No," Tony snorted as Sirius transformed back with a scowl on his face. "Well, maybe some flea powder—"

"You're a right prat sometimes, Tony!" Sirius griped as he scooped Harry up and headed to the breakfast bar. "Taffy, you're looking radiant this morning!"

"Master Harry be getting the first pancakeys, Master Sirius!" Taffy scolded him.

"Sir, Ms. Potts is approaching the front door."

Tony sighed and ran a hand through his hair as he moved down the stairs to the main living room. He looked down at his pajama pants and bare feet before shrugging – his PA had seen him in worse and less. He snickered, remembering. The iclack/i of her stilettos announced Pepper Potts well before she stepped into the living room, impeccably clad in blue.

"Tony! You're not even dressed yet! Obadiah is counting on you to attend the board meeting this morning! I was so glad to see the plane this morning and Obadiah was relieved, although he wants to know if you've made any progress on the latest propulsion system upgrade. He believes it would get a boast to your popularity with the directors." She finally paused to take a breath, eyes narrowing as she took in his appearance." "Do I need to go up and escort someone—"

"No!" It came out sharply, but Tony couldn't help but wonder when he'd started to tune out most of what Pepper usually nagged him about. "I wasn't even due back—"

"Obadiah said to remind you to look over the minutes of the last meeting," Potts spoke over him as she looked at the files in her hands.

"Ms. Potts." And when did his PA stop listening to him?

Pepper's head snapped up at his tone and took in his expression, but remained quiet.

Tony let a little of his anger show on his face and the edge of his voice. "Yeah, good morning to you, too. In the less than two minutes since you stepped into my home, you have mentioned my COO four, no five times. I hired you as my personal assistant, not his, so let me know exactly where your loyalty lies, as I would have sworn you work for me."

Pepper stared at him. "I—"

"Please be sincere in how you answer the questions, Ms. Potts, as my next question is going to have to do with who told Obie I was back – and a day early, I might add."

Looking down, Pepper tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "I wasn't aware I shouldn't let Obadiah know about your whereabouts – it hasn't been a problem in the past."

Tony crossed his arms over his chest. "I didn't hire you to relay my every action to anyone, Ms. Potts. Which leads to the question: do you work solely for me?"

"Yes." She answered without hesitation, meeting his eyes.

"Good, because I greatly appreciate all you do for me and for the friend you have become, Ms. Potts, but know from here on out, you will not give out information on me to anyone, even Obie, without my approval."

Pepper tilted her head and stared at him. "Understood, Mr. Stark. Now, are you going to tell me what has happened?"

Signaling her to follow him, Tony led the way up to the kitchen. "None of what you see this morning is to leave this house without my express permission, understood?"

"I—yes, Mr. Stark."

Tony was relieved to see Sirius standing between the stairs and the breakfast bar where Harry sat, the latter's eyes huge in his face as he chewed his pancakes. Making his way over to where Sirius was, Tony turned and waited for his PA to join them.

"Pepper Potts, this is Sirius Black. Sirius, my personal assistant and friend, Pepper."

Sirius gave Pepper a nod, but didn't extend his hand, causing Pepper to grip her pile of file folders tighter.

"A pleasure, Mr. Black."

The sounds of a stool moving against the marble floor had all of their heads turning and Tony could see Harry had vanished. Tony moved towards the kitchen, going down to one knee as he saw Harry huddled back against the far wall, Taffy nowhere to be seen.

"Come on out, bambino, I would like you to meet my friend."

A tiny voice responded hesitantly. "Is she going to hurt me?"

"I promise you, Harry, no one is ever going to hurt you again."

Harry scooted out towards him, before flinging himself into Tony's arms. Gathering him up, Tony settled Harry on his hip as he carried him back to where Pepper and Sirius still stood. For the first time since Pepper had barged into his office after pepper-spraying his security team all those months ago, the redhead looked at of her depth.

"Harry, this pretty lady is Pepper, she helps me by organizing my life. Pepper, I would like you to meet my son, Harry."

Sirius rolled his eyes at Tony's dramatics, as Pepper's jaw dropped and he put a hand on her arm to guide her over to the kitchen island where they were eating. Tony and Harry followed and Tony lifted Harry back onto his stool, pushing his half-eaten pancakes toward him. Tony watched Sirius sit back down across from him and he took the stool beside Harry.

"Pepper, why don't you eat while you have a chance, they're still hot." Tony might have moaned, just a little, as he took a bite. "Now, where did my coffee go?"

"Right by your arm, Papa!" Harry said in a stage-whisper, still throwing looks at Pepper through his fringe.

"But, Tony – how?" Pepper stammered; her eyes glued on Harry.

"Why, the usual way, Ms. Potts," Tony drawled and Sirius snorted before stuffing a fork full of pancake into his mouth.

Pepper leveled him a look that had Tony swallowing hard.

"Okay, okay! I provided my, uh, DNA which my cousin James and his wife used to conceive," he began, smiling as Harry looked up from his plate. "They and Sirius were involved in a war against a terrorist group at the time, whose leader was targeting them. Long story short, my cousin and his wife were killed and Harry shipped to Lily's bitch of a sister, instead of me being notified."

Both Harry and Sirius sniggered over Tony's language.

"I just found out what happened the day after the New York gala and went to get my son."

"Papa even lets me sleep in a real bed!"

Pepper's eyebrows rose, but Tony held up a hand to forestall her questions.

"At the same time, we discovered Sirius had been thrown into prison without trial on false charges and helped him get free. Now, they will be living here with me."

"All right," Pepper took a deep breath. "What do you need me to do?"

Tony gave her a bright smile, unknowingly copying the smile Harry was also giving her, as she looked between them. "The mansion is on lockdown with JARVIS controlling those with access – you, Happy, and Rhodey – as well as an increased security force."

"Papa, I'm done!" Harry interjected quietly, laying down his fork.

Tony stood immediately and lifted Harry out of his seat. Harry threw his arms around his neck and gave him a smacking kiss on his cheek.

"Ugh! Sticky lips, kiddo!" Tony told him in mock outrage, holding Harry out away from him and allowing his feet to dangle as Harry laughed in delight. "Do you remember your way back to the bedroom?"

Harry nodded and Tony set him on his feet, turning him towards the stairs. "Taffy will be waiting for you in our room and help you clean-up, okay?"

"Ok, Papa?" He snuck a look at Sirius. "Can Uncle Padfoot help?"

Tony shook his head, leaning down. "I don't know whether Padfoot can even dress himself, bambino."

Harry giggled as he started towards the stairs.

"No running, Harry, this tile can be slick."

"Yes, Papa!" was thrown over Harry's shoulder as he climbed the stairs.

Tony waited a moment until he was sure Harry was out of earshot. "J, let me know when Harry is on his way down, please."

"Yes, sir."

Tony looked at Pepper. "The short version is Harry was placed, against his parents' instructions in his mother's sister's care – she hated Lily and hated Harry. He's been abused and neglected for four years, even though the wealth his father left him rivals my own. Luckily, the over-reaching idiot who kidnapped him, and left him overnight on a fucking doorstep in November, didn't tell his aunt and uncle that detail, instead chose to help himself to some of those funds."

Sirius reached out to lay a hand on Tony's arm. "Deep breath, Tones, he's here and safe now." He looked at Pepper. "Harry's father and I both came from rather narrow-minded aristocratic lines, making Harry a heir to even more than wealth. We believe I was imprisoned because it was assumed I would take him in after his parents' death, as they named me godfather. No one knew about Tony's involvement."

Pepper's head swiveled between the two of them for a moment. "And he's still a target?"

"Yes," Tony answered, pleased at her deductive reasoning. "You are going to get a copy of my new will, if you haven't already, and it has two particular changes to it which need to be kept from Obie: One is Harry gets everything, with you as one of those to manage SI; two is that you are listed as one of those to take custody of Harry should something happen to me and Sirius."

"Me?" Pepper looked puzzled.

"Pepper," Tony started, rubbing the back of his neck – he just wasn't good at expressing his feelings. "You, Rhodey, and Happy are my closest friends and if something happens to me, I have to know that Harry's physical and financial future is secure."

"What about Obadiah?" Pepper asked. "Tony, this isn't like you – what's going on?"

Tony shook his head. "Just suspicions, Pep, and little unexplained things which don't make sense. Rather like the man who's trying to control my son's life. Obie didn't want me to take over as CEO, delayed it until I got my MBA, and then only because the board sided with me when Obie challenged me. All for the greater good, you know."

"Sounds exactly like Dumbledore." Sirius muttered.

"And now, this surprise board meeting on the day BEFORE I'm supposed to return from the island. It's just too coincidental."

Disbelief showed on Pepper's face. "Surely there's an explanation?"

"Are you attending this meeting?" Tony asked quietly.

"Well, no…"

Blowing out a breath, Tony stood up. "How long do I have?

Pepper glanced at her watch. "About an hour."

"Okay. Sirius, you up to staying with Harry for an hour or so?"

"Of course, Tony."

Tony gave him a nod. "JARVIS, what is my current stock holding in Stark Industries?"

"49% of stock, and you are still the majority stockholder, sir."

A tinge of panic shot through him, when had he fallen below 50%? "J, set 52% as the low threshold from now on and start a stock buyback. Don't do it in my name, use—"

"Potter," Sirius interjected. "Or under my name, so it can't be traced back."

Pepper nodded. "Yes, that would be best. If Tony starts buying back stock, it could set off a panic in some areas."

"Good idea, Pepper. And thanks, Sirius. J, you should have the contact information for Rockjaw and my personal banker," Tony told them as he headed up to dress and explain it to Harry. "And, JARVIS, get on it now, please. I want at least 52% before I walk into the meeting in an hour."

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His public face firmly in place, Tony strode down the hallway towards the executive conference room, his trademark black suit immaculate, black dress shirt, and silver tie perfect. Harry had insisted on picking it out for him. Pepper followed him, her ever present files in her hands, and her bag over her shoulder.

Tony's mind whirled as he approached the conference room, the door standing ajar. He didn't have a problem giving an impromptu presentation, not that any of the board or Obadiah would have any idea the engineering or physics behind Tony's revolutionary new design. Nor did it matter that the idea was, at this point, still a detailed drawing on a schematic, Tony knew it would work and could be replicated in a cost-effective manner. Even bigger, was the design for a miniaturized version which had limitless possibilities.

"I think we are all here now." Obadiah's voice cut through the murmurs of the people gathered in the room. "Myra, be a sweetheart and close the door on your way out."

Had Obie always sounded that oily and condescending? Tony thought as he stood to the side, allowing an older lady to step out, before brushing past her. Moving to the side, Tony let Pepper in, before he closed the door a little too hard. Obie, sitting in the seat usually reserved for Tony, looked up with a frown which morphed into surprise, quickly masked.

"Tony! I didn't think you were going to make it!" Obadiah Stane stood up and stepped forward to give Tony a one-armed hug.

"And I didn't know you were scheduling a board meeting the day before I was due home!" Tony interjected just the right amount of sarcasm. "How lucky are all of you that the weather sucked in the tropics!" He gestured to the eight men seated around the table, most contemporaries of Howard Stark, who chuckled indulgently at his antics.

Ignoring Obie as he tried to explain, Tony dropped into the chair closest to door, Pepper taking a seat beside him. Obadiah slowly sank back into his seat as Tony stared at him expectantly.

"Well, excellent, so glad to have you back, Tony. As I was about to say, welcome everyone and thank you for coming today, I realize it was on short notice."

Tony snorted.

"Stark Industries profits continue to maintain a three-year high, led by the new Technologies Division, with the overall profits at—"

Tuning Obadiah's droning voice out, Tony removed his phone from his pocket and tapped it on. He knew JARVIS was recording the meeting for his review later and dropped into his email to check for any new mail. The technology Tony had developed for his phone kept it logged onto the internet and always in touch with his private SI servers. Two new emails were waiting, both notifications of sales of SI stock, one to the Potter Family Trust and another to Black Enterprises. Keeping his face neutral, Tony glanced over the two and calculated with satisfaction they had just added another six percent of SI stocks.

"Although, I am certain, having been on vacation, Tony hasn't made any progress on the propulsion improvements—"

"Actually," Tony interrupted smoothly, "taking vacation allowed me to rethink the whole problem and conclude there is no way to improve the current efficiency of the system we have been using."

Obadiah threw up his hands dramatically. "Come on, Tony! Just admit—"

"I have, however, developed a new propulsion system which shows great promise and I should have the first prototypes ready for testing in a few weeks."

"A inew/i propulsion system?" Elliott Andrews, one of Obie's supporters, repeated. "Dose it have a name?"

Tony smirked, standing. "It does: Repulsor Technology. I'll email everyone the specs." He slid his phone off the table and back into his pocket, giving Pepper a nod. "Sorry, I have another pressing appointment."

Striding back down the hallway, Tony loosened his tie, a wide smile on his face. Nothing was more pressing than introducing his son to the beach and the ocean!

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