Chapter 3
Happy and Pepper both accompanied Harry and Tony onto Platform 9 3/4. Platform 9 3/4 where Tony held onto his son and Pepper had to make him release him.
"I love you, Raven. Don't forget it. Do you have your phone?"
"Wizards don't use phones."
"Which is why I connected it to your watch. You wear your watch and leave your phone in your room. You text me once you're in your dorm, okay. I want to know you're safe and sound. Promise me."
"I promise." Harry says, hugging his dad back just as tightly. "I love you, dad."
"Always. Just think, you'll finally be with your age group." Tony says and Harry chuckles wetly. Tony subtly wipes the tears off for him and Harry smiles at him in thanks.
With quick hugs to Pepper and Happy, Harry jumps onto the train and returns to the car Happy had stowed his luggage into for him. Harry leans out the window and waves to his dad and adoptive family. He sighs slightly sadly once the station is out of sight.
Harry looks up at a knock on the door.
"Sorry, do you mind if I sit here? My brothers chased me out." A flaming red head with a long nose that has a black mark on it asks from the car doorway.
"No problem at all." Harry says, gesturing across from him.
"Thanks. I'm Ron, by the way, Ron Weasley."
"I'm Harry. Harry Stark-Potter."
"Stark-Potter? Wait-"
"I know, the whole wizarding world only knows me as Harry Potter." Harry says with a sigh.
"Are you really? Do you have the-the-" Ron starts, gesturing to his forehead. Harry grins and lifts his bangs. "Wicked."
The ride goes well for the two boys, getting to know each other. Apparently having two dad's isn't all that odd in the wizarding world, Ron's uncles having been carriers as well.
"They didn't have any kids though. They died in the war before they could. My eldest brother and one of my twin brothers are carriers though. The rest of us aren't."
"So it's not rare?"
"No, not at all. It's a bit of a flip of the coin who will be one and who won't though." Ron explains with a shake of his head as he continues to eat a Chocolate Frog. "Don't worry about it, Harry. It's normal."
"Thanks."
"Anytime." Ron says, smiling at his new friend. "What's that?" Ron asks, gesturing to the obviously high tech watch on Harry's wrist.
"A watch that connects to a cell phone." Harry says and Ron just looks confused. "Muggle technology. My dad found a way for technology to not short out around magic when I was little. I've been drowning in it since."
"Don't tell my dad that. He loves muggles. He'd never stop questioning him."
"Dad wouldn't mind. He'd think it was funny. And he liked to show off. A lot."
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"Tony, what are you doing?" Pepper asks as the trio are flying back to California.
"Nothing." Tony says, eyes on his phone.
"You're tracking Harry, aren't you?"
"I just want to make sure he gets there safe!" Tony says defensively.
"You know, Tony. When you came home from England with a one year old son I thought you would be a mess and probably ruin the kid. I have never been so happy to be wrong. Harry is lucky to have you."
"I'm lucky to have him." Tony says, eyes back on the screen.
Pepper plucks the phone out of his hand and changes it from the tracking app to a video Tony took of Harry at a soccer game. Tony smiles down at his phone as he watches.
"This is gonna suck!" Tony complains once the video finished.
"He needs it, Tony. You know how strong his magic is and it only got stronger with the binding removed. If he didn't go he was going to hurt someone and/or himself." Pepper says and Tony flinches.
"It's for his health." Tony says, glossing over the 'someone' part of her statement.
"Exactly. And you two can write back and forth all the time. You can text periodically when you're out of town."
"I'm not losing him."
"Never." Pepper promises. She looks back at her computer and flinches.
"What?" Tony whines.
"You're going to have to do a press lease on where Harry is."
"An exclusive college in Scotland for the gifted and talented." Tony says, going back to tracking his son. Pepper nods her agreement at that. They can't say it's just any old boarding school since Harry's High School graduation made the papers.
"He there yet?" Happy asks as he sits next to his best friend, hours after take off.
"Finally. The dot's been still for five minutes, so I'm going with yes at least."
"It's moving again." Happy says, looking over Tony's shoulder.
"Over water. Where are they going?" Tony demands.
"And now it's still. Now he's there." Happy says ten minutes later.
"And now we wait." Tony groans pitifully.
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That nigh, sitting in his bed in the Gryffindor dormitory he pulls his hangings and pulls out his cell phone.
Harry: I'm in bed. I'm a Gryffindor!
Tony: Congratulations, kiddo! Your mom and dad were in Gryffindor, you know.
Harry: I've been told.
Tony: Have you made any friends?
Harry: One. His name is Ron Weasley. We sat together on the train. He said his dad would love to talk with you about muggle things. His dad is supper obsessed with muggle stuff.
Tony: Interesting...ideas, ideas.
Harry: No giving Mr. Weasley a lab for Christmas.
Tony: I wasn't, but now that you mention it...
Harry: No! He'd blow himself up due to not knowing anything about muggles!
Tony: Fine. No giving the Weasleys their own lab. Get to bed, Raven. We'll talk later. I love you.
Harry: Love you too!
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Months had gone by at Hogwarts and Harry established himself on the Gryffindor Quidditch team, wrestled a troll, and became friends with Hermione Granger. It had been an interesting conversation when Hermione tried to lecture Harry on listening to her lecture about doing homework.
"Hermione, I know how to study. I know what works for me. What works for you doesn't work for me and it might not work for Ron. Everyone studies in different ways."
"How are you so sure about that?"
"I'm muggle raised too you know."
"I know." She says, glaring at Harry's watch as if it personally offended her. Harry sighs tiredly. The muggleborns love him for being a Stark and the wizards love him for being Harry Potter. It's a constant circle. Harry ignores the pointed look at his wrist.
"Look, I will let you quiz me in a couple days and then-"
"Really?" She asks excitedly.
"Take it back, mate. Take it back now, before she explodes." Ron says quickly.
"Hermione, remember how you were bragging about being accepted into Benenden?"
"I wasn't bragging." Hermione says in a small voice.
"You were bragging." The boys say in unison.
"What is Benenden anyway?"
"A really prestigious muggle school that Princess Anne had once gone to with a four year long wait list. It's extremely hard to get into." Hermione says.
"Right. And the fact that you got in is a big deal. To muggles. Do you know what else is a big deal to muggles? I graduated the May before I got my acceptance letter."
"What?" Hermione demands.
"I've already graduated high school. My cover with the press is that Hogwarts is an exclusive college for the gifted and talented."
"You're already graduated." Hermione breathes, sitting back in her chair. Ron looks to Harry for an explanation.
"It's like...I've already finished muggle Hogwarts and I would be able to go on to gaining a mastery in whatever I want." Harry explains, having to think it through a bit. Ron's jaw drops in shock. "So, Hermione, I will be studying how I know works, and will request your help when needed."
"Okay." Hermione mutters quietly.
The Christmas Tony gave both Ron and Hermione cell phone and smart watches, he also gave the Weasleys one cell phone and gave both Dr. Grangers one as well. All four adults were very thankful.
Harry is in Potions when his watch begins to vibrate. The only ones with his number are Pepper, Happy, Rhodey, Ron, Hermione, and his dad. Seeing as Ron is sitting right next to him and Hermione is focused on her potion it's clear that it is one of his American family and they had agreed to not call or text him until the evenings.
Harry gets his potion to a stopping point and then checks his watch.
Happy: Your dad was kidnapped. Rhodey is looking. Nothing so far. I will keep you updated.
Harry freezes as he looks at the words staring him in the face.
"Potter, are you too good for us to pay attention to your potion?" Snape demands. Harry looks up at his professor blankly. Before Harry can answer there's a knock on the door. Harry immediately knows what it is.
"Enter!" Snap calls. Harry is already packing his bag.
"Severus, I need to borrow Harry." Dumbledore says gravely. Snape looks like he'd swallowed a lemon, but nods his head. Before he can order Harry to leave the boy is already headed towards Dumbledore.
Neither of them say a thing as they head to Dumbledore's office, Harry gripping the strap of his bag tightly to keep his hands from shaking.
Entering the office he sees his head of house standing there, looking at the letter in her hands.
"Stark-Potter." McGonagall says when she sees them.
"Take a seat, Harry." Dumbledore says, rounding his desk while Harry and McGonagall sit opposite him.
"Mr. Stark-Potter, as you know, I have a mailbox designated for students who live too far to owl mail such as Mr. Finnigan, Mr. Finch-Fletchley, Miss and Miss Patil, and yourself. I received this letter from Miss Potts not long ago. It seems your father was doing a presentation in Afghanistan and one of his bombs blew up. He survived that, but he was taken hostage."