The Confrontation
Chapter 9: The Confrontation
“Welcome to the Avengers.”
Harry stood there, shaking the director’s hand limply, face blank. There was a ringing in his ears, as the shock of the last 30 minutes began to drain away. A year ago, hell, six months ago he would have said something, he would have pissed off every greasy politician that came in front of him rather than fall right back into becoming another pawn.
But, somehow, at this moment he felt nothing. He was becoming quite good at that these days. He felt nothing but certainty that this was inevitable, out of his control like his life had always been. Although, this time he couldn't really say that, he brought himself here, no prophecy, no Dumbledore, but this was an outcome he never could have imagined. Feeling the anger and shock radiating off of Ron and Hermione, he could tell that this was a shared sentiment.
Although he didn’t have time to process for long when Tony jumped to his feet.
“What game are you playing, Fury?!” Tony said, shaking with anger.
“I don’t know what you mean, Tony.” The Director said calmly, dropping Harry’s hand and turning to face his angry…father? Damn that would take getting used to.
“You know exactly what I mean. This was your idea, wasn’t it?!”
“Now wai…”
“No! You saw the footage of the battle and thought you would add a shiny new weapon to your collection. And don’t lie to me! Remember, I have access to your system.” He said, voice hard and threat apparent.
“Indeed, sir.” Jarvis confirmed overhead.
Bruce stepped out of the corner, arms crossed in front of him, and spoke in that quiet, rational way of his. “I have to agree with Tony, Director. It’s one thing to have Clint, Nat and Steve, they already worked with SHIELD. But, you dragged me into this against my wishes, and while I came back by my own choice, I can’t stand by while you drag a teenager into this as well. I get that you made this team for a reason, but this is going a step too far.”
“Stark, Dr. Banner..” Fury sighed, “This was the only plan that would stand a chance of being passed by the paranoid assholes I just spent the last two days with. Which could have been cut in half if you had just allowed me access to Mr. Potter earlier, Stark. Thank you for that, by the way. Also for your inability to keep your mouth shut about the wizarding community. Made my job so much easier when I was trying to convince the President that there was no need to wipe your memories.”
“I didn’t tell you he was here for this exact reason, because I knew he would be dragged into one of SHIELD’s brilliant schemes. I don’t want you to pressure my s…” Tony swallowed before shaking his head. Harry could feel his heart clench. “Pressure an eighteen year old into fighting your… our.. battles!”
“Tony, it's fine,” Harry said quietly. He didn't know why Tony was getting so worked up. He felt his stomach drop as a sobering thought came over him. Was it because he didn't want him in the tower?
Tony turned to Harry, and he could see the anger melt from his face, leaving an expression of deep concern.
“Harry, it is not fine. You are being pushed into this shitshow because you saved me. You saved the whole damn city!” Tony said pleadingly, trying to get him to see. “Lily and James died to keep you out of danger. I won't be the person to put you into more of it. I can't do that to you.”
The room stilled for a moment, every person's eyes focused on the two of them. Harry could see a tear roll down Hermione's face out of the corner of his eye.
And then Fury began to chuckle.
Tony whipped his head around, expression murderous, and lunged at him.
“Tony NO!” Harry watched in shock as Steve and Bruce held Tony back.
“Okay! Everyone calm down!” Natasha said, coming into the center of the room, trying to get the situation under control.
Tony shook off his team's hands, and took a breath.
“I'm good, I'm good.” Tony said, hands up, before turning his eyes back to Fury, who was infuriatingly calm.
“Please enlighten us as to the humor in this situation…..Director.”
“I'm sorry, Tony, that was out of line.” Director Fury said, not looking all too sorry. “But I think Mr. Potter may actually be safer with us than he has been in years, if my intel is correct.”
Both Tony and Harry paled. Probably for different reasons.
“What intel? I knew SHIELD would have knowledge of the magic community in general, but how do you have information on Harry as an individual?” Natasha said, obviously trying to maintain control of the discussion before another fight broke out.
Fury actually looked surprised, “Did you not keep up your connections in the wizarding world?”
Natasha almost looked embarrassed for a second, before her mask came back up. “Loosely, but my contacts were never the most open people.”
“Even with loose connections, I’m surprised the name never came up.”
Harry worked to keep his face neutral as all eyes in the room towards him, despite his inner panic. Hermione placed a hand on his arm and squeezed. His gaze met Tony’s. Tony’s eyes were wide with a mix of devastation and confusion. Guilt clawed at his chest. That exact look is why he never wanted to reach out to him, why he never wanted to involve another person in his shit show of a life.
“Fury, cut the cryptic shit.” Tony said, officially fed up.
“I agree. Director, we can’t be a team if you are not honest with us.” Steve said, crossing his arms across his chest.
“I would debrief you, but I believe Mr. Potter knows more of the facts than I do…” Fury said, gesturing to Harry, who glared at him.
Harry ignored him.
“Listen, I’m fine with staying, or at least I know that three different governments would try to track me down if I didn’t.” Harry said in what he hoped was a steady, neutral voice, speaking directly to Fury now. He was fully ignoring the arguments breaking out around him now. Enough was enough. “But Director, I do have to warn you, I will not be used as a pawn. I will show up, but what I participate in will be my decision.”
Tony opened his mouth to speak, but Fury cut him off.
“Of course, the only terms of the agreement is that you are seen publicly on a few missions of your choosing. And this is temporary, just until the scrutiny dies down.”
Harry narrowed his eyes at the director, catching the lack of a strict timeline. Merlin, he hated politicians.
“Fine, but in the meantime, don’t keep tabs on me. I will keep to the terms, but I hear that stalking is looked down upon nowadays. And I won’t be locked up. ” Harry said. “I’m not interested in going on the run again, but if you force me to, I guarantee you will never find me again.”
Fury smiled and nodded lightly. “Minister Shaklebolt warned me you may be touchy about that.” Harry glared at him again. He had a feeling that would become a common occurrence.
“Well considering the Minister has acted as a jailer for me before,” Harry said coldly. He liked Kingsley, but those Dursley summers would not leave his mind any time soon. “He would know.”
The Director held up his hands. “I won’t go out of my way, I assure you.”
Clint snorted in disbelief, before trying to cover it up with a cough.
You could cut the tension in the room with a knife. Just as Tony opened his mouth to speak, most likely to lay into Fury again, Natasha stepped towards the Director.
“Sir, perhaps the rest of this conversation should continue at a different time. I think it would be best if you leave now.”
Fury nodded sharply, turning to leave, but not before calling over his shoulder, “I will be in touch Mr. Potter.”
Harry didn’t doubt that. The elevator doors closed behind him.
“What the hell Nat! I wasn’t finished!,” Tony said, eyes blazing, fists still clenched looking for a fight.”You can’t seriously be okay with this!”
“Tony, I don’t think we have much of a say in whether or not Harry is involved. Despite your overwhelming diplomatic talent, nothing you say is going to make a difference!” Natasha bit back. “I know the kid means something to you, but think! We are better off figuring out among ourselves how to keep him safe!”
Tony closed his eyes and took a deep breath through his nose.
“Fine, we can try to set some ground rules for now, but I am not letting this drop.” Tony smirked dangerously, “And wait until I catch Pepper up on what is going on. She will burn SHIELD to the ground. Magic be damned.”
“Would you like me to begin the protocol necessary to assist her, Sir?” Jarvis chimed in. Tony didn’t answer, obviously thinking it over.
“Guys, you really don’t have to do this.” Harry said quietly. Harry was battling with feelings of panic and mourning, watching Tony lose control. He couldn’t go anywhere without leaving a disaster behind him. So much for trying for a family, for some kind of normal relationship. He should never have let himself hope, even if only for a night. He squared his shoulders, trying to pull himself together.
“Believe it or not, I really can take care of myself. I will not be a burden on you or your team and I bloody well don’t need protection.”
If Tony’s face could fall any more, it did at that. Harry looked away from him. He was used to staring down danger with his head held high, but he couldn’t watch this. Not the look of disappointment he was sure to see. Although maybe watching Ron roll his eyes was not a much better option.
“Why do you let them control your fate in the first place, Sorcerer?” Thor spoke up for the first time this morning, watching Harry like he was a puzzle to be solved. Everyone fell quiet. Harry looked at him, eyes wide in surprise.
“What do you mean?”
Thor continued. There was no judgement in his gaze, just curiosity.
“I may not be as adept as my brother, but I am still a son of Frigga and of Asgard. I can sense your power. It far outstrips that of the mortal wizards we just encountered. Your magic feels closer to that of the sorcerers and gods of Asgard than what remains here on earth. You have no reason to bend to their will.”
Harry froze completely, stunned. He could feel his skin tingle uncomfortably and the chill that always seemed to cling to his bones became more pronounced. Hermione and Ron’s eyes bored into him. He never told them what happened in the forest. They knew he was more powerful since the final battle, but he hadn’t told anyone about the changes he felt since becoming the master of death, about the cold, sharp power he could feel flowing through his veins.
Thor’s voice softened as Harry struggled to speak. “You do yourself a disservice, Warrior.”
Harry did not know why he felt tears prickling at the corner of his eyes, but he was mortified, standing in the middle of his long-lost father’s living room, unable to say anything.
“Harry?” Tony stepped closer to him, hand outstretched like he wanted to console him, but Harry flinched away, not able to control his reactions at this point.
Hermione and Ron flanked him, both placing a hand on his shoulder as they shielded him from the rest of the Avengers.
“Sorry, but we are going to have a private conversation with our friend.” Ron said, drawing himself up and puffing up his chest. Harry could have laughed at Ron’s attempt to look threatening in a room of Earth’s mightiest heroes, but he was still frozen in place.
Hermione glared at those around them, before leading Harry out without another word. Harry didn’t think he could have fought her at this point even if he wanted to.
…
Tony watched his son being led out, looking so small held in his friends steadying grips. He felt like such a failure. What kind of father would let this happen to their son? He had stood by as his son was made a scapegoat by both Tony’s people and his own, and in all his genius, he couldn’t think of anything to do to stop it.
Tony felt determination rise within him and his expression hardened. He would not let this continue.
Step one was to get more information. He caught all of those little slips and jabs aimed at Harry’s past and he knew he couldn’t be caught unawares any longer, not if they were going to try to use Harry as a weapon. Tony wanted to wait until Harry was ready to open up to him, which was obviously not now considering his look of panic at any mention of it. But he needs the basics, otherwise he will always be two steps behind the sniveling cowards trying to mess with his family.
“Jarvis.” Tony said, voice hard.
“Yes, Sir.”
“Do a deep background on Harry Potter. I don’t give a damn what firewall you have to break through. Go through SHIELD, MI6, CIA, everywhere, I don’t care.”
“I would have done so anyway, Sir.”
Natasha came up to him.
“Tony, are you sure that is a good idea? Harry seems like a private person.”
Tony looked at her, letting some of his desperation through. “I can’t let people like Fury know more about him than I do and use it against him like that! I need to do something!”
Natasha considered him for a moment, before nodding slowly. She cocked her head at him.
“You know, I never imagined that you would be the overbearing father type, but I guess the situation calls for it.”
Steve choked on his coffee. Bruce and Thor turned to him, surprised and Clint just sat back with a small smirk.
Tony sighed, “Was it that obvious?”
She smirked, “No, I’m just that good. It also helps that you have matching bedheads.”
Tony ran a hand over his hair and picked up his now cold coffee. How has it been the longest day of his life and he hadn’t even gotten the damn coffee he came out for in the first place?! Tony looked around at the surprise on the team's faces. Steve in particular still had his mouth wide open and Tony swore he was dribbling.
“And you couldn’t keep it to yourself, Romanov.” Tony groaned. Natasha just shrugged. God, he hated it here.
“Okay fine.” Tony said, now addressing the rest of the team. “Yes, Harry is my son, DNA test and everything. His mother and adoptive father, both of whom I was in a long term relationship with, passed away before they could tell me about him. And yes, I just found out yesterday after he saved my life. Does that cover everything? Any questions?”
Everyone just stared at him. He could almost hear the crickets.
“Great, now if you all could close your mouths and help me figure out how to protect my son, I would really appreciate it.”
When everyone still just stared at him blankly, he sat on the couch heavily and dropped his head into his hands.
“Maybe I should just sic Pepper on them, she’s always been better at this kind of thing.”
“Sic me on who?”
He looked up to find his two best friends in the world standing in the living room entrance. Pepper had a hand on one hip, another on her suitcase and looked exhausted, while Rhodey just looked done with his bullshit.
Tony burst out laughing. He didn’t know if he was laughing in relief or if he had finally gone crazy, but it didn’t matter. Back up had arrived.
…
Hermione and Ron ushered Harry back up to his room. Their grips were so tight they were almost painful, but Harry was grateful. They were the only things keeping him upright at the moment. Eventually, they made it back up to the dark room full of machines, now turned off, and Harry sat heavily down on the bed with Hermione and Ron beside him.
For a while, they just sat, letting him take a breath. It was a testament to how much they had grown since the war that they had mastered this silent companionship. Harry imagined them if this situation occurred a few years earlier. Hermione would have immediately launched into a tirade, both planning and ranting in equal measure, and Ron would have just been confused, chiming in whenever Hermione took a breath. But now looking at them, they had this aura of strength born of suffering that they never had before. He relied on that now, sitting there trying to take a deep breath in the dim, unfamiliar room he had a feeling he would get to know quite well.
When he started to shiver a little, Hermione finally moved, bringing a blanket around the three of them like she used to do, during last night study sessions in the Gryffindor common room.
“Harry,” She started quietly. “Are you really okay with this?”
There was no judgement in her eyes, no urgency to rush in and fix it. She was genuinely asking.
“Because, Harry, we can get you out of this if not… we have done more impossible things than that.” She said, smiling a little although it did not reach her worried eyes.
He brought the blanket a little closer to himself. “It's not the team that I'm worried about. Honestly, I think I’ve realized during all these months in Grimmauld that I don’t really know who I am if I’m not fighting for something.”
She sighed, tears welling in her eyes. “I was really hoping you would get a chance to find out.”
“Maybe I still will, it's only ‘temporary’ after all.” he said, sarcasm dripping from his voice.
Ron snorted. “What a bastard.” He said, shaking his head. “We will make sure it's bloody ‘temporary’ ourselves.”
Harry chuckled. He had no doubt the two of them would go on a warpath.
“What are you worried about then, Harry?” Hermione asked, concern written across her face.
“I was just hoping to…. I just wanted to try,” Harry was mortified as he actually felt a tear fall. He hadn’t cried in years, not at the funerals, not at the hell that has been the last 2 years, but the crash down from the hope he gave himself last night was just too much. He put his head in his hands and sobbed.
For a few minutes he just kept sobbing into the blanket, Hermione’s hand came up to rub gentle circles on his back. Eventually, he felt like he could speak again.
“I just hoped… I wanted to try to be normal…with Tony. Not a family or anything… but just something… It was stupid, really.” His eyes were still closed, voice wet and shaky. He remembered feeling the same way when he watched Sirius fly away on Buckbeak, but it was even sharper now with everything he had lost. He should have learned his lesson.
“That’s not stupid, Harry.” He could tell Hermione was crying now, too. He couldn’t handle seeing them look at him. He wished more than ever that he was back on his couch, back to just floating.
“Harry, look at me.” He pried his eyes open to meet hers. He was relieved to see it wasn’t pity on her face, just devastation.
“It’s not stupid, and it's not ruined. Spending more time here may help you guys, let you grow closer.”
He shook his head. “Did you see how upset he was? Now he will be forced to deal with me, it’s not his choice anymore…it won’t work.”
Whispers of Uncle Vernon rang in his ears. ‘We never wanted you, boy. We were forced to take you.’ He shook his head again, this time trying to clear it.
“Oh, Harry… I don’t think that was why he was upset. He was worried about you being in danger, not you staying with him… didn’t you say he offered you a place here last night?”
He didn’t respond. She didn’t understand.
“What if I put him in danger, Voldemort’s gone, but his followers aren’t.”
“Mate, I don’t think you could put Iron Man in any more danger than he is already in.” Ron said, reaching a hand out to Harry as well, from where he had been holding his distraught girlfriend.
“I can’t lose anybody else…” He whispered, like it was a secret pried out of his locked heart, and it was in some ways. Harry couldn’t handle it anymore.
Hermione and Ron didn’t respond. He felt Hermione shift to hug him and Ron join. He didn’t know how long they stayed like that.