Tony stared out the window looking over the manicured lawn on the north side of the mansion, his eyes tracking his son as Harry drove his little Audi around the edge under Happy's watchful eyes. The six-foot hedge around the yard kept him from prying eyes as the small boy played with several of the house-elves. It was quite a sight to see Harry carefully drive around the concrete pathway with two of the little beings beside him. He marveled at the resiliency of children; after Harry had given his grandpa a hug and finished his pancakes, his only request was to go play.
"Everything all right, Tony?" Rhodey appeared at his side and slung an arm around his shoulders.
Tony scrubbed his face with his hands, his lack of sleep and guilt wearing on him. "Yeah, fine, Platypus. Just—"
Rhodey's hand squeezed his upper arm. "Breathe, buddy. Learn and move on, they're okay and we'll keep them safe."
He took the comfort offered, something Tony had shied away from in the years after his parents' death; especially with Stane's push to isolate and undermined Tony. Although now, Tony couldn't understand why, as Rhodey hugs were the best and his friend had perfected his ability to manage an emotionally compromised Tony in college.
"Thanks, Honey Bear."
"Tony?" Sirius' voice pulled him back to the present. "Grandfather has news."
Turning as one, both Tony and Rhodey walked across the living room before they separated. The goblins had arrived shortly after Lord Black had that morning and the warding had already been completed on the buildings, Tony's workshop, and the garage. They also refortified and shielded the foundation, prepared an underground safe room, and cast a Muggle Repelling Charm on the property. Arcturus sat in a comfortable chair, with a cup of tea on the small table beside it. He was speaking quietly with Sirius, whose head was bent toward him. Rhodey moved to sit next to Jodi Proudfoot who was reading what looked like a copy of the iDaily Prophet/i.
Sirius looked up at him as Tony sat beside him, a neutral expression on his face, reached his hand over to lay it on Tony's thigh. "Harry okay?"
Nodding, Tony picked up the mug of coffee which appeared in front of him on the coffee table. "He's having a ball chauffeuring house-elves in his favorite toy."
Sirius relaxed enough to give Tony an eyeroll and Tony smirked at the tiny banter about which new toy was Harry's favorite, his car or his broom.
"How is Harry coping with what happened?" Pepper asked, sitting down on Tony's other side, and handing him a donut on a napkin.
"You are definitely my favorite!" Tony grabbed the napkin with a grin, holding it carefully as Pepper smiled. "He's doing amazingly well, I think." He glanced at Sirius. "Had a pretty bad nightmare this morning, and is a bit subdued, but otherwise, he seems okay."
"I am relieved to hear that, Tony," Arcturus joined the conversation. "When Sirius relayed all that had happened last night and in New York, I was concerned."
Tony nodded, his guilt swelling in his chest once again. "I feel like I've painted a target on his back—"
"Nonsense, young man! What do you think would have happened to Harry if you had not retrieved your memories and gone to get him?" Anger edged Arcturus' voice. "The poor boy would have been abused and manipulated, the perfect pawn in an old man's schemes and plots!"
"And from what I've heard, Tones, he is much more protected than you ever were at this age!" Rhodey interjected.
"You have already established a security net around him, Tony, we just need to make sure there aren't any more loopholes." Jodi told him.
Sirius leaned into him as Tony opened his mouth to answer, but snapped it shut and ended up just nodding. Pepper nudged his arm with her elbow and looked pointedly at the donut in his hand. Tony took a bite out of the pastry as Arcturus cleared his throat.
"As for my unannounced visit, I was hoping to forewarn you of the latest developments concerning Dumbledore and Riddle's faction." He paused, looking at each of them. "A sensationalist reporter by the name of Rita Skeeter somehow gained access to Dumbledore's cell and interviewed him. Additionally, she was also able to gather information concerning his relationship with the last Dark Lord, Grindelwald, whom he defeated in the 40s, confirmation of his knowledge that Harry was both abuse and a Horcrux, as well as utilizing vaults which didn't belong to him." Arcturus looked at the ceiling. "JARVIS, could you please show us the newspaper article you scanned?"
"Of course, Lord Black."
The large TV over the fireplace turned on and displayed the front of the morning edition of the iDaily Prophet/i, a picture of Albus Dumbledore in ICW prisoner robes on the front. The headlined screamed: bDUMBLEDORE AND GRINDELWALD LOVERS!/b.
"Summarize it for me, J," Tony directed the AI.
"The article is the first part of an apparently serialized story, sir. In this part Mr. Dumbledore's personal history is relayed, from his teenage years when he and the self-proclaimed Dark Lord Gellert Grindelwald became friends and then entered an intimate relationship. They quarreled, which ended in a magical duel where one of them cast a dark spell and killed Dumbledore's sister. Dumbledore became a teacher, while Grindelwald allied himself to Hitler. When the second world war broke out, Dumbledore was one of several magicals who joined with Captain America and the Howling Commandos to defeat the Nazis and HYDRA. It also states that Dumbledore subsequently defeated Grindelwald in a magical duel that no one else witnessed. Said Dark Lord was then imprisoned in his own tower."
Sirius and Arcturus both leaned forward. "Grindelwald is still alive."
"Yes, Master Sirius."
"Anything more, J?" Tony asked, giving the two Black men a confused look.
"Just a listing of the accolades and titles Dumbledore was honored with in the 1940s. However, there is a related article on the Dark Lord Tom Riddles' rise to power, starting after his completion of Hogwarts School. It describes the atrocities he and his followers committed as they began a subtle war on first generation magicals, despite having a non-magical father. It also described his fanatical quest for immortality, including the creation of Horcruxes—"
"What!" Arcturus was on his feet. "Bloody hell!"
Tony wanted to grin, but Arcturus' reaction stopped him. "That sounds like a good thing to me. Won't it help when people learn he was a hypocrite, as well as crazy enough to tear apart his own soul?"
Both Arcturus and Jodi looked grim and shook their heads. Jodi spoke first.
"It will inspire the most fanatical of his followers to try and discover the location of the other soul pieces, as I'm sure there is a vile ritual of some type which will bring the bastard back."
"Usually with at least a blood sacrifice involved," Arcturus added intensely, leaning forward in his chair. "I'll immediate search the Black library for anything which might help us prevent it."
Tony stiffened, his donut halfway to his mouth, and he swallowed hard. "They'll want to use Harry," he whispered, horror struck.
Sirius shuddered beside him, tightening the arm wrapped around his waist. "It won't happen, Tony. We won't let it happen."
Taking a deep breath, Tony narrowed his eyes. "JARVIS, make sure you are able to have an eye on Harry wherever he is."
"Yes, Sir."
"Lenz, Taffy!"
The house-elves appeared immediately. "Master Tony calls?"
The face Tony wore at that moment would have been instantly recognized as the one which coined the nickname "Merchant of Death". "Dark Lord Riddles followers, a man named Stane, and an organization named HYDRA want to use Harry in a ritual. You must make sure there are at least two house-elves always guarding him. Other than the people in this room and Remus Lupin, trust no one with his safety."
Even Tony was taken back at the murderous expressions on Lenz and Taffy's faces as they swore they would see to it. A tug on Tony's free arm startled him and he looked into the concerned eyes of his son. Sirius helped him lift the little boy into his lap.
"Are you okay, Papa?" Harry asked, snuggling against his chest, but eyeing the half-eaten donut.
"I'm just perfect now, bambino, except I can't seem to get rid of this donut." He gave Harry a serious look. "Can you help me?"
Harry reached for the donut slowly, as if making sure his papa really wanted him to have it, before darting forward impishly and taking a large bite. Tony gasped dramatically, but he didn't move the donut – Harry still took his food very seriously.
"Do we know why the magic on the Potter house-elves broke?" Happy asked as he followed Harry into the room.
Arcturus nodded. "When the ICW Aurors discovered Skeeter had been there, they also discovered Dumbledore had been attempting to use a wandless Imperius Curse on some of the guards, in an attempt to have them remove the magical suppressant restraints which had been put on him. Apparently, any support for Dumbledore had among his former colleagues evaporated and they temporarily bound his magical core."
Tony, Jodi, and Sirius gasped at that news, knowing it was something only done in the most extreme situations.
"Immediately afterwards, it became very apparent Dumbledore had cast many charms, most of which collapsed with the absence of his magic."
Jodi nodded as Tony continued to feed Harry the rest of his treat while he thought of the ramifications. His son burrowed into his chest, as usual, seeming to be able to feel the turmoil swirling inside him. Wiping off his fingers with the napkin Pepper handed him, as she leaned close and gave Harry a kiss on his head.
"I hope they check that Tower Dumbledore locked his former boyfriend in," Rhodey quipped. "Hate to have that guy getting loose."
With a start, Tony looked up at him and then turned toward Jodi who had paled. With a smooth movement, she had her wand in her hand and cast in a circular motion with a flick up of her want tip. The silvery form of a sleek Siamese cat shot out and circled around as Jodi leaned over to speak to it in a low voice. Harry's eyes were wide as he watched the cat shoot through the wall and disappear.
"I've sent a message to Kingsley Shacklebolt," Jodi announced.
"I'll double-check with the goblins about the wards," Sirius spoke up. "Specifically, whether they added ones to protect against Polyjuice and Animagi."
The conversation diverted from anything unpleasant as they divided up with their own duties to perform. Rhodey headed out with Happy and Pepper to do several SI and military errands, while Sirius escorted his grandfather to his room to rest. Jodi headed back to check in with her office. Tony cradled Harry against him for several minutes, until the child leaned back and looked up at him.
"Papa, can we go down to see where Uncle Moony will be teaching me?"
Tony smiled at him, his mind still whirling with the details of their latest discovery. "Yes – but we need to get you cleaned up first, as Taffy will have lunch ready for us shortly."
Swinging Harry up into his arms, Tony "flew" him over to the elevator and allowed Harry to push the button for the floor above. Usually they walked, but Tony knew how much Harry enjoyed the "treat" of riding in the elevator every few days. A grinning child trotted off the elevator onto their floor and Tony followed behind him as they headed to Harry's room. His son easily stripped naked as he walked, an ability Tony was sure he had inherited from himself, and he shook his head fondly as he picked up the dirty clothes.
Harry's room was surprisingly neat for a five-year-old and there wasn't anything out of place. While Harry had gotten better over the weeks he had been with Tony, there were still lingering issues which continued to pop up. He and Sirius had discussed bringing in a child psychologist, especially trained to deal with abused children, but hadn't located one they thought Harry would be forthcoming with. Sirius was hoping the child might be more comfortable with Remus, having remembered the man from when he was a baby. Tony was willing to do anything, to make sure his son recovered from his treatment at the hands of Lily's relatives.
Grinning, Tony watched a cute little butt disappear into the bathroom and heard the water start in the scaled down shower he'd designed. The water was charmed to Harry's perfect temperature, and he was allowed to take as many showers a day as he wanted to. Harry didn't mind getting dirty when he was playing or helping Tony work, but he hated staying dirty. Something else to blame on Petunia, the bitch!
Tony stepped into the walk-in closet to grab a clean set of clothes for Harry, when he saw something stuffed under a stack of shirts. With a sinking heart, Tony gingerly lifted the clothing to see a small pile of fruit, chips, cookies, and, of all things, pizza. And those were the ones Tony could recognize.
"Taffy?" Tony whispered as he heard the water shut off in the shower.
The house-elf popped in immediately and Tony showed her the problem. Taffy snapped her fingers, Vanishing the food, just as Harry came into the closet and froze, towel held in front of him. His face lost all color and Tony could swear he was starting to have a panic attack.
"Bambino, I'm not mad," Tony told Harry as he slowly knelt and reached out to tug him against his chest. "And there is no reason you can't have some snacks in your room, if you want; we just need to make sure they are not going to go bad. Okay?"
Tony rubbed Harry's back with one hand, the other cupping his cheek, a tear sliding down it. Harry stared at his face, searching his eyes.
"Not mad, Papa?"
The words came out as a broken whisper and Tony's heart ached for his little boy. "Not mad, baby boy. Taffy's going to bring you special snacks and we'll even put-up a shelf just for your food." Tony dried Harry off and used a corner of the towel to gently wipe his face. "Does that sound acceptable?"
Harry nodded before flinging himself into Tony's arms. He scooped Harry against his chest and held him close for long minutes. Laying his cheek on the top of Harry's damp hair, Tony rocked his son back and forth as he hummed an old lullaby, he didn't even remember the words to.
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Between Taffy and Harry, part of one of the shelves in his bookcase was cleared for several colorful boxes. Tony showed Harry how to push a tiny bit of magic into his fingers to unlock the top and open the boxes. Brown was for cookies and small baked goods; a red one held fruit, and the green one held chips and candy. Harry was in awe that he would always have food available to him and he was allowed to use his magic as well. Tony stressed it was Harry's treats and only his magic would open the boxes. He did draw the line at letting Harry have liquids in his room, as he could always get a cup of water out of the bathroom.
Harry stood next to the waterfall, trying not to bounce up and down as he watched the front door. Tony stood beside him, examining the latest magic resistant StarkPhone R&D had delivered for his approval. The phone was thinner than the non-magical cellphones they produced, thanks to the runic array Sirius and several of the magicals had created. The runes were very similar to those James, Sirius, and Remus had developed for the communication mirrors and transferred well to the basic StarkPhone. Like the mirrors, these phones would be powered by the inherent magic in each person.
"Papa! Uncle Moony is here!" Harry lunged at the door.
Tony grabbed his shoulder. "Hang on, baby boy! We have to be careful, remember."
Lenz popped up beside them and snapped his fingers, letting the door swing open as Remus Lupin approached. The smile on his face dimmed a bit as he saw Tony holding Harry back, to which Tony grinned and stepped back. A small forty-pound tornado flew across the small room to wrap around Remus' legs. Tony grabbed Remus' arm to keep him from stumbling and laughed.
"Good morning, Uncle Moony!" Harry chirped, head back and looking up at the man.
Remus reached down and ruffled Harry's hair, leaving his hand there as he looked up at Tony. "Thank you, again-"
Tony held up his hand. "None of that, now. Sirius and I are both delighted you are willing to tutor Harry and, if we can find a few other children among our employees, we can expand."
Harry grabbing his hand distracted Remus, and Tony watched as his kid dragged his new teacher towards the elevator. Harry paused at the door, looking back at Tony, who trailed behind. They went down to the first floor, where Remus' room and Harry's schoolroom were situated. Tony stood in the doorway of the room set up like an elementary school room, pleased to see Harry so excited and animated as he showed Remus his desk and the books he'd picked out on the bookshelves. Three brightly colored boxes also sat on these shelves, and Harry carefully showed Remus how to open one using his magic in order to get a snack out.
When Harry finally took a breath, Tony stepped into the room. "Why don't you sit down at your desk, bambino, and work on your math, while I talk to Remus."
Harry beamed at him and clambered into his seat, the small workstation with monitor lighting up. "Okay, Papa!"
Tony leaned down and kissed the top of Harry's head before straightening and joining
Remus as he examined the desk Tony designed for him. It was made of warm-toned cherry wood and tempered glass, with the newest technology, and a computer with a touch screen monitor. Three of the walls in the room were made of the same twhite stone which the mansion was constructed out of and the fourth featured large windows looking out over the ocean, letting in natural light.
"JARVIS loaded a few tutorial videos onto the desktop for you or you can just call on him if you need anything."
"Good morning, Mr. Lupin, I am JARVIS."
Remus jumped as Harry shot the closest camera a cheeky grin.
Tony smirked. "JARVIS is an AI who runs the house and tries to keep me on task."
"Tries is the optimum word, Sir." JARVIS commented.
"And he is teaching my son sarcasm!" Tony grumbled, shaking his head in mock frustration as Harry giggled. "This stack of documents here need to be signed."
Remus sat down and pulled the documents closer as Tony pulled a pen out of his breast pocket. "I thought I'd already signed the standard SI NDA—"
"Oh, you have," Tony agreed, "these are the documents for the trademarking of the communications runic array you created for the mirrors with Sirius and James. We are getting the mirrors, as well as the array itself, magically patented. Sirius decided that a third of the profits would go back into the company, a third to help fund the Emrys Houses, and final third divided between James' estate, Sirius, and you."
"But—" Remus started to object, but Tony cut him off.
"Nope, wolfie," Tony waved a hand at him. "Standard operating procedure, buttercup; you are one of the creators, you get a share of the profits." He leaned towards Remus and tapped a finger on the stack of papers. "You can do what you want with the money, but Sirius has set up a vault for you and I'll sic my PA on you if you don't—"
Harry gasped and Tony tried not to smirk – no one liked iAuntie Pepper mad/i!
"—and she is someone who can make us lesser mortals' quake in our shoes."
Remus sighed at his dramatics, while Harry tried to hide his snickers and Tony smirked, but the papers were signed before Tony left the room. Humming under his breath, Tony almost skipped down to his workshop. His mind was already absorbed in the upgrades he want to try with the propulsion system of the miniature rocket he was designing to be carried by special ops squads on rescue missions.
Like all the weapons Stark Industries manufactured, these specialized missiles were made specifically for the US military and her allies. Stane had hated Tony's specialized lines, as they weren't as marketable as the larger missiles were, the bigger the better in his godfather's mind. iThe more lethality, the better the profits!/i was Stane's favorite saying – despite his knowing that Tony hated designing larger ordinance.
Ruthlessly, Tony shoved all thoughts of the bastard out of his mind and concentrated on the mechanism in front of him.
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The warm sunshine and perfect weather of September and early October gave way to days of dark clouds and rain as southern California slid into its version of winter. Harry still had the occasional bad day, but for the most part, was the happy, loving little boy Tony knew he was always supposed to be. Continued nightmares and a deep-seated fear of losing his Papa and Daddy, had Tony searching out a child psychologist, who came to the mansion several days a week, speaking to all of them. Harry had even begun going to bed in his own bedroom at night, but often ended up snuggled between Tony and Sirius by morning.
Renovations were progressing nicely on the new penthouse, their Merlin house as Harry called it. The contractors were scheduled to be done by November 1st, and the decorators would have everything ready for them to spend Christmas there. Tony was looking forward to showing his son all the wonders of the season and NYC always went all out for Christmas. Arcturus, Pepper, Happy, Rhodey, and Jodi were spending the holidays with them and Tony couldn't wait.
Harry absolutely loved to learn, and he had astounded Remus with his abilities. Testing Harry determined he was studying at a 3rd to 4th grade level, with his IQ testing out five points higher than Tony's own and Harry giggled when his papa pouted about that. With Remus' urging, iHarry needs to socialize with kids his own age, Tony!/i, they spread the word discreetly to several trusted managers in the Magical Division, asking about anyone who might be interested in having their children privately tutored. The first three chosen were the children or grandchildren of long-time SI employees, one of the two little boy's was a Squib, and Harry was delighted to welcome them all. The four were soon as thick as thieves, helping each other in the classroom, with little friction even when playing.
The various law enforcement agencies investigating Stane had swiftly consolidated the cases under the FBI's jurisdiction. The first Federal warrant issued included industrial espionage, conspiracy, and treason. All of Stane's assets had been seized and JARVIS had been instrumental in locating several offshore bank accounts which contained millions of ill-gotten gains, traced directly back to illegal weapons sales. Obadiah had gone to ground, as had several of his henchmen, which worried Jodi and Graves.
Dumblefuck's court date had been pushed back as several new charges were filed, based on his activities since taking over at Hogwarts. A genealogist had been brought in by the ICW back trace magical families of Muggle-borns, in connection to some of the anciet vaults Dumbledore had made use of. Rockjaw and his attorney, Ian Smythe, had a stack of civil lawsuits ready to be filed as soon as Dumbledore's criminal case was determined. The man himself was still locked up, remaining in the custody of ICW Aurors and being tended to by a healer who had been veted by both the British Ministry and MACUSA.
Tony ran a hand through his hair, cringing a bit as he felt how greasy it was. Sirius was attending several meetings at Gringotts in London with his grandfather and Tony had only slept a few hours in the last two days. Harry, having gotten used to Tony's work habits, had dragged his blanket from his bedroom and crawled onto the couch in his lab, refusing to sleep anywhere else.
Shutting down his computer and equipment, Tony carefully scooped Harry up, blanket and all, and headed out of the lab.
"Lenz? Is everything secure?"
The older house-elf appeared beside him. "Yes, Master Tony, everything bes safe. Taffy be leaving a sandwich for you by your bed."
Thanking Lenz quietly, Tony stepped into the elevator.
He'd found that the Potter house-elves were frighteningly efficient, and Tony felt incredibly safe, but he never wanted to become complacent. After wolfing down the sandwich and taking a quick shower, Tony slid into bed beside Harry and settled him against his chest. A crescent moon was visible in the sky and, with a sigh, Tony closed his eyes.
Halloween was next up and then the trail, before he could give Harry his first Stark Christmas.
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