Congratulations, it's a boy!

°•°CHAPTER 2•°•

Tony Stark's life was full of surprises and nasty shocks, but never in his entire life had a teenager just teleported inside of his own fucking house and proclaimed him the kidnapping party.

The audacity-

To be frank, the kid looked like shit.

His clothes torn, he was bloody all over and probably had a concussion, considering just how unsteady he was.

However, his whole posture screamed I'm under attack and you are a threat! 

The kid looked like a hurt caged animal.

He was frantic.

Panicked.

Looking for any way to escape, and no matter what Tony had said, the kid wasn't listening.

He was clearly in a fight or flight mode, and he was doing both, while continuously insulting him.

Tony was pretty sure, even if half the things didn't make much sense.

He quickly shot Bruce a message to come up immediately and bring up a syringe with a sedative. That it was an emergency.

And it was, considering the kid had some sort of stick in his hand and kept shooting laser beams at him.

He even managed to blast Cap off of him, which was something, considering how scrawny the boy was and that Cap was more than capable to withstand shit that most people could only dream of. He was a human terminator.

Thankfully, Bruce was already on his way, and the boy was clearly too out of it to notice when Banner came up behind him and jabbed a needle into his neck.

"Why the fuck a bloody teenager is an emergency, Tony?" Banner asked while Cap caught the now unconscious kid, lifting him up with no strain.

"He literally appeared in the middle of my room, looking like that - no, I didn't beat him up - but someone else did. We need to find out what's going on."

"He needs medical attention, Stark. Like, immediately."

Tony nodded.

"And I need answers. This whole thing doesn't make any sense."

"And you can figure it out once we're sure the kid stays breathing," Cap, the good samaritan, said with a slight urgency in his voice.

"Fine," Tony snapped. "Bring him in."

They walked hastily to the medical wing, as others dubbed it, but really, it was just one of his labs that happened to have more medical equipment than others.

Cap laid the boy down onto the examination table, and winced.

"Good god, what happened to him?" Even Bruce looked shocked.

"No idea. Jarvis?"

"Scanning, sir."

Tony grabbed the scissors, cutting off the boy's sleeve, then moved to the leg-

"Shouldn't we be calling an actual doctor?" Bruce asked. "I'm not that kind of doctor, Tony. I know some basic first aid, not how to- to put back together a kid who seems to be bleeding all over. "

Tony rolled his eyes. "She's on her way. But I doubt there's anything we cannot fix."

"The child seems to have some abrasions on the back of his head, but I cannot determine whether it will result in concussion or not," Jarvis spoke up. "There are various contusions, but the most serious injuries seem to be on his left forearm: the cut requires sterilization and stitches, but doesn't seem to have hit any arteries. His leg is in more dire condition. Sprained and swollen ankle, which I recommend cooling. However, the wound on his leg seems almost like a bite. It pertains to bone and I sense since fractures on tibia and fibula, which requires medical intervention. I would heavily suggest a tetanus shot and antibiotics as well."

"In other words, Tony, adoctor."

"Yeah, yeah. Let's stop the bleeding and get an IV in first. Perhaps a blood test wouldn't hurt either, if that's really a bite."

The men set off to work until Tony's team could arrive and take over, discussing what transpired at the same time.

"He was certain that we kidnapped him. I sense a story behind this."

"We'll ask him once he's awake and more... sane. He was clearly in pain and scared," Captain said, a thoughtful expression on his face. "Do you think someone kidnapped him and he somehow got here?"

Tony snorted. "No one can just get into my tower, Cap. And he quite literally teleported into the room. Maybe he's from Asgard?"

"Should we try to get ahold of Thor?" Bruce suggested.

"I don't see why not. Wouldn't hurt. Oh, the team's here."

Tony graciously allowed his medical team to take over, telling Jarvis to share all of the findings, and vacated the room. He wouldn't be much help there anyway.

"What's that?"

Cap picked up a trophy.

"Kid brought it with him. So sorry, didn't have time to examine it while that lunatic child started shooting laser beams at me."

"Harry Potter, the Tri-Wizarding Tournament Champion," Captain read out loud with a confused frown on his face.

"The what champion?"

"Tri-Wizarding Tournament."

"What the hell does that mean? Jarvis?"

"... I've got nothing, sir."

"Run the name Harry Potter."

The AI was silent for a long moment.

"Sir, the only results of Harry Potter that match the boy's description I found were from Surrey, England."

"England? How did the kid get here? Was he truly kidnapped?" Bruce asked worriedly.

"We should contact Director Fury," Captain said firmly. "I feel that this is more complicated that we thought."

Tony rolled his eyes. "Shut up. Jarvis? What else?"

"Harry Potter, 14 years old. Living with his maternal aunt and uncle, Petunia and Vernon Dursley after his parents were killed in an accident when he was one year old. There are primary school records going up until the age 11. After that, there's nothing."

Tony startled. "What do you mean, nothing? No other school listed?"

"No, sir. It's like he simply vanished."

Tony was left disturbed.

Was Harry a victim? Truly kidnapped by some psycho? Held captive until he escaped and somehow got into his tower?

There's absolutely no way a child his age wouldn't be enrolled in school. And that would leave a trace, even if the boy was homeschooled.

Something shady was going on. Especially with that weird tournament thing. 

And the kid clearly was terrified, in full belief someone out there was going to kill him.

Tony was many things, but even he knew that wasn't a normal fear for a child to have.

"Sir? Doctor Cheilang is asking for your assistance."

"What could it be for them to need you there?" Cap asked, but Tony simply hurried off back into the medical wing.

He winced once he saw the boy - Harry - hooked up on all of the medical equipment. He was never a fan of children or hospitals and seeing a child like this left Tony with an uncomfortable feeling in his chest.

"What's wrong?"

"We found unidentified venom in his bloodstream. We've never seen anything like it before, especially considering the size of the bite."

"What is it doing?"

"We're unsure, but it's likely preventing blood from clotting. We've noticed the boy's blood is having a hard time doing it by itself, and if it were a clotting disorder, he'd be dead by now. Since he's not awake, we can't tell much else."

"Give me his blood. We can try to match a venom or make an antidote if possible. If not, it's better to know what it does anyway."

With a vial of blood in his hands, Tony told Jarvis to send Bruce to his lab immediately.

"We'll try to make antivenom if we can't find a match. The kid was poisoned by something they've never seen."

Bruce looked properly horrified. "Good god. And I thought it couldn't get any worse."

"Yeah, yeah. First, let's see what the fuck does it even do. Come on, Banner, this will be fun."

In the end, there was nothing they could do.

It was nothing they've ever seen before. The closest thing would be a spider bite, but it was simply ridiculous. The gash on Harry's leg was huge and the amount of venom in his system… it couldn't have been a spider.

At least they knew some of the venom's properties now and could help alleviate any symptoms that may arise.

"Makes the victim disoriented. Slows down blood clotting. That's all we noticed. There might be long term effects, but that's all we could gather in such a short time." At least it wasn't lethal. Yet. "How's the boy?"

The doctor nodded. "Good. He'll be fine. We're still giving him blood transfusion and oxygen, but he shouldn't need those by tomorrow. He'll need some painkillers and antibiotics, and if he's careful not to get his wounds infected, he'll be back to normal in a few weeks. Maybe a month. Depending on how he heals and if there aren't any lingering effects from the poison or concussion. We can't do anything for his leg until the wound is healed. His right fibula and tibia are fractured, but don't require a surgery, just a cast. We've left it in a temporal open cast for now, it would be best if the boy didn't move and aggravate his leg further," doctor Cheilang continued on, while Tony was meticulously taking notes… in his head. If he forgot something, there was always Jarvis to remind him of stuff. "And... well, we didn't notice anything that could be causing it, perhaps the head injury, but the boy seems to have constant tremors. Something to be looked into if it doesn't pass. I'd say nerve or muscle damage, but there's no way to know for sure now. At first I thought it was the beginning of a seizure, but his levels were normal."

"Perhaps poison?" But that didn't make sense, the rats they tested it on had no such effect.

"Perhaps. We cannot tell."

"That's great. That you, doc. Your payment is already  wired."

Even with all the answers, Tony Stark was left even more confused.

He had no idea what happened to this boy, but it certainly wasn't anything normal or ordinary.

Good thing he loved mysteries.

Harry woke up disoriented.

He woke up feeling like shit.

His body felt stiff, his head was filled with cotton, and he could feel some distant uncomfortable pain that meant he was on some heavy painkillers.

Madam Pomfrey never shied away from drugging him.

But what has he done to feel so utterly terrible?

Harry tried to remember.

Why was his head so fuzzy?

Hopefully not a concussion. He hated those.

Harry groaned and forced his eyes open, seeing nothing but a blur.

Fucking hell, he needed to fix his eyesight. Somehow.

There surely must be a potion. They were magical, for fucks sake. Even muggles had surgeries to fix shitty eyesight.

If Malfoy knew just how behind some things wizards were, he'd drop dead.

Harry blindly reached out and cast a wandless accio, his glasses zooming into his hand immediately.

He put them on, frowning as he felt something pinch inside of his arm.

Harry looked around, shocked to see unfamiliar surroundings. Unfamiliar medical room.

The… bed, or whatever this was, might be comfortable, but where the fuck was he?!

And why- why the fuck were there muggle medical devices on him?!

Harry's eyes widened at the IV inside of his arm. And something under his nose.

Oxygen tube?

What the fuck.

What the fuck!?

"Ah, finally, you're awake."

Harry jumped, startled, jarring his injuries. He didn't quite manage to subdue the painful whimper that escaped his lips.

"Whoa, whoa! Calm down. We just patched you up, don't go undoing all our hard work now, kid. Doctor Cheilang will not be merciful."

"Wh-where am I? Who are you?"

"Tony Stark at your service."

Harry blinked at the man, frowning at the clear expectation on the stranger's face.

"What, doesn't ring any bells?"

Harry shook his head, making the room spin. "Should it?" He narrowed his eyes. "How did I-" Harry froze as his fuzzy head started comprehending memories. Somewhat. "You kidnapped me!"

"I did no such thing!" Tony shrieked, then snorted, seemingly pulling himself back together, realizing a bit too late that he was the adult in this situation, and should probably act like it. "You appeared in the middle of my living room, all bloody, hurt and out of your mind, and started fighting me!"

Harry's eyes widened.

Did he?

His memories were rather fuzzy.

He... he met his parents. He wanted to stay with them. He didn't want to let them go, even if he knew they were mere specters and not a real thing. But he was so sick of being all alone all the time, with no one to stand by him and protect him.

He just wanted a parent.

And then he grabbed the portkey... and appeared in this man's house? And not back in Hogwarts?

It didn't make any sense.

"Are you a Death Eater?" he accused, watching the man closely to decipher his reaction, but the stranger seemed confused. Not deceitful. 

"I enjoy many cuisines, kid, but death isn't one of them."

Harry stared.

"So you... you don't work for Voldemort?" He just had to make sure, because even though everything seemed muggle, this could all just be an illusion. A trick for him to feel safe and spill all of his secrets. Merlin knows people would go great lengths to get rid of him.

And one thing that never failed to pinpoint a wizard in a crowd was the mention of Voldemort’s name. So bloody useful. 

"Volde- who? Are you concussed? Fuck, I should've checked earlier-"

"I'm fine!" Harry shouted, backing away when the man started approaching. Not that he could actually get anywhere; he was in this man's- Tony Stark's - house. And his leg was in some joke of a cast; he could barely move it.

The man thankfully froze and didn't come any closer.

"You are not fine, kid. You look like you've been attacked. Mind telling me what happened?"

Harry calmed down slightly when the muggle stayed away. He didn't want anyone to touch him.

Harry carefully considered his situation, trying to stomp away the panic that was making him irrational.

He was being given medical attention.

The man didn't hurt him. In fact, was trying to appear as non-threatening as possible.

He wasn't served on a platter to Voldemort or any other lunatic wizard… so far.

The man didn't seem to know him.

He... he feltsafe.

And Harry trusted his magic to warn him of a threat.

Currently it was saying that this Tony Stark was a safe person. His magic was calm.

It was weird.

Harry was never truly safe anywhere. Ever. Not even at Hogwarts, where he was supposed to be protected and was constantly attacked by everyone. Even teachers.

Quite frankly, considering all the shit he had to survive at Hogwarts, he was much safer at the Dursleys. At least they couldn't just burn him into a crisp or- or force him to be around soul sucking demons, werewolves or bloody basilisks.

How fucking ironic he'd be safer in a house he always felt like dying in than a place he loved.

But how did he get here?

Where was here?

"Tell me where am I first."

Tony nodded. "You're in New York." Harry's eyes bulged out. "In the Stark Tower. Just popped out of nowhere in my living room. Quite a skill you got there, kid."

New York.

He somehow managed to fuck up bad enough to end up on the other side of the ocean.

What the fuck.

How?

Perhaps he was dreaming or hallucinating, because quite frankly, Harry wasn't sure this was real.

Or perhaps Voldemort did manage to land a killing curse and he was living in a very confusing afterlife.

"Are you from Asgard?"

"What?" That was the most absurd question Harry’s ever heard. Maybe whatever drugs Stark gave him caused him to have auditory hallucinations. He's heard it could happen.

"Asgard." Tony stated again, waiting for Harry to react to the name, getting increasingly more frustrated when the kid's gaze remained blank. "You know? The place Thor and Loki keep popping up from?"

"Are you suggesting that Norse mythology gods just keep popping up on Earth? Yeah right."

The man was giving him a very weird look.

Harry felt like an idiot for some reason. This was bizarre, even for him.

"Have you been living under a rock, kid? You haven't heard anything about them?" Harry shook his head. "And me?"

"What about you?"

"You've never heard my name?"

Harry shook his head, confused beyond reason. 

It sounded familiar, perhaps something he overheard on the telly during the summer, but it's not like he was allowed to watch anything.

Despite growing up in the muggle world, Harry was almost completely ignorant of it.

"Do you never watch TV? Jesus. Most kids can't stay away from that thing."

"No? So sorry, my relatives preferred me as far away from them as possible. Watching telly was never on the list of things I was allowed to do, you see. Merlin forbid I feel the slightest bit of joy."

Tony looked at him sharply.

"Oh? Should we contact your relatives to come get you?"

Harry's heart rate picked up instantly, panic overtaking him before he could control himself.

"No!"

"They must be worried."

"Trust me, they're not."

"Hm... what was that about kidnapping then?"

Harry clamped up.

He felt like he was walking into a trap.

He... this man must be a muggle. Even though he knew of literal Norse Gods, if he was to be believed, he had no idea who Harry was and everyone has heard of him. Everyone.

And he was asking weird questions. Harry didn't like it.

He should get in touch with MACUSA.

They'd help him.

Question was, how?

He had no way to send a letter.

They didn't use phones, not that he'd know their numbers if they did.

He was fucking trapped.

Harry didn't know what to do.

And why did he appear in Tony's house? Wasn't he supposed to go back to Hogwarts?

His mom said 'it will take you to safety'.

Was this place safe?

Did they influence the portkey?

Everything was so confusing...

"Hey, kid. Don't worry too much, okay? You're still healing."

"Why did you mention the Norse gods before?"

Tony shifted uncomfortably.

"Well... you did kind of teleport right in and... shoot some laser beams at me. Managed to blast off Captain without even touching him. Say whatever you want, kid, but it sounds like magic to me."

Harry's face lost all remaining colour and his throat suddenly closed up.

He vaguely heard the machine next to him going crazy, the man shouting something, but Harry couldn't get any air into his lungsband his ears were ringing.

Everything was a little bit fuzzy after that.

Harry closed his eyes, wondering if he'll be thrown into Azkaban for exposing magic to muggles, when something was forced onto his face and he felt the cold air hit him.

His arm became abnormally cold, too, but Harry couldn't care less at the moment.

His heart started slowing down and instead of buzzing, Harry could finally make out a shushing, albeit frantic voice of Stark, telling him to breathe in and out, slowly, while he was certain a hand was running through his hair.

It was weird.

But nice.

It was comforting.

No one had ever comforted him.

"Just like that. Deep breaths, alright? You're doing good, kiddo."

Harry was doing terrible.

What was wrong with him?!

He blinked his eyes open, hating that they were teary and the man saw him like this.

Weak.

Vulnerable.

Harry hated this.

"Hey, I'm sorry for whatever I said that made you freak out. Was it… magic?" Tony hesitated, searching out Harry's face for a reaction. "It was jarring to learn about it for me too, as a man of science. It doesn't make any sense or follow the laws of physics, which is annoying. But it's there, and there are sorcerers and gods, and fuck knows what else, so… it's nothing to freak out about, kid, even if it may seem scary."

Harry gulped.

He stared.

This man alreadyknew about magic.

Harry wasn't going to be arrested.

Thank fuck.

Question was, how much did Stark know? Could he get in contact with the MACUSA and get him back to England?

Although… Harry frowned, school was over, right? He'd be forced directly back to Dursleys for the summer if he went back.

Harry would do anything to avoid those filthy, good for nothing, bigoted fools.

Maybe this Tony could help him.

Harry may have been sorted into Gryffindor upon his own insistence, but Harry was slytherin at heart.

Even if his own ambition was his survival and getting as far away from the Dursleys as possible.

And now that he had a chance to miss a summer of suffering and slavery..? He'd be an idiot not to use it.

"I'm fine," he rasped out, lifting his hand to pull away the mask from his face that Tony put on while he was busy freaking out, but Tony held it firmly in place.

"You're a picture of health, kid. Leave that be. It's there to help you."

Harry rolled his eyes.

Stark better not be a male embodiment of Madam Pomfrey.

"Is there anyone I could call for you?" Tony offered again.

Harry shook his head.

"Your parents must be worried sick."

"They're dead."

"Oh? What happened?"

"An insane murder. Wanted to kill me, but my parents wouldn't move out of his way. They died protecting me."

Tony's eyes shone with pain and Harry couldn't bear to look at him.

It's like the man was relating to him, which was ridiculous.

"I'm sorry that happened. What about your guardians?"

"I already said no. Trust me, they'll be glad I'm not… coming back for the summer."

He should find out where Gringotts is, convert a shitton of galleons to dollars and disappear into the muggle world. Perhaps he could pay Stark to keep him here.

He doubted wizards would go near anyone who supposedly knew Norse Gods.

And who in their right mind would start looking for him in the States? 

"What, they don't like you, kid?"

"Oh, they love me and all the work I do for them. It's like I'm a bloody house elf."

"A what?"

Harry faltered. Fuck.

"Uh… it's a slang. Nevermind. When can I leave?"

Tony stared incredulously.

"Leave? No, kid, you're staying here until I make sure you're healthy again."

…what?

"Why? I'm not your problem. I'm not just going to stay here and be a burden."

Tony sighed. 

"You're not a burden. You're simply a kid, most likely running from a bad situation, and need some help. That's it."

Harry was dumbfounded. Was this man serious?

"Fine. But I'll pay you. When I can get to a bank and uh… convert some money."

Tony started laughing, and Harry found himself out of his depth again.

"You truly have no idea who I am, huh?" Harry raised a brow, clearly asking Tony if he was insane and if he was supposed to know every damn muggle that roams this earth. "I'm Tony Stark, kid, and I'm loaded. Probably the richest person you're ever going to meet, and I'm not about to take money from an injured teenager. Relax. I spend more on lunch than I did on you."

Harry felt breathless again.

It did ease his guilt to know Tony was loaded, but he still couldn't believe just how agreeable Tony seemed to be.

Anyone else would be hauling his ass not only to his relatives, but to the authorities too. Especially considering Tony was an adult and adults seemed to either mistrust him or hate him on default.

Did he just… luck out?

For once in his life?

What an odd concept.

Certainly not one Harry’s overly familiar with.

The kid was too exhausted to stay awake after their chat, which was fine by Tony.

He had a lot of information to digest and compare, and things weren't adding up.

For example, the supposed murder of Harry's parents.

Jarvis said it was a car crash. Harry insisted on it being a murder.

And he was certain the kid wasn't lying.

And how the hell he could have no idea who Tony is was a mystery. Everyone and their dog knew about him, even if vaguely.

I mean, the kid offered him money.

It was simply ridiculous.

But why did he freak out when Tony mentioned magic?

Was he threatened badly by someone because of magic? It wasn't like it was news: Thor and Loki were magical and had their own fanbase going nuts awaiting their return to Earth. Another kid with magic shouldn't be that much of a difference.

However… Loki was the most prominent magic user Tony knew of.

Did he have something to do with the kid? They did look quite similar… both had black hair and unusually green eyes.

Tony's eyes widened. That better not be Loki's son.

Jesus fucking Christ, it better not be-

"JARVIS!" Tony bellowed. "We need to get in contact with Thor. This is a bloody emergency. Tell- tell Bruce to try and get a hold of him. In fact-"

Tony felt like an idiot for doing this, but this was an emergency. 

"HEIMDAL! ALL SEEING DUDE! YOU PROBABLY CAN SEE ME AND SEE THIS, AND I'M PRETTY SURE THIS BOY IS LOKI'S SON, SEND THOR HERE! WE NEED TO KNOW FOR SURE!"

Because Tony wasn't equipped to deal with a kid of that megalomaniac, even if Harry was alright for a teenager. But that could be because he was hurt and basically bedridden in a stranger's house.

Besides, Tony wouldn't mind having God's DNA to study at his leisure, once the time came to compare the samples. He had no idea if a normal DNA kit would even work. Was Asgardians DNA the same as humans or different? For all he knew this whole thing of being magical would ruin the tests. It's not like he was an expert on such things or had anything to compare to, really.

Good god, what a mess.

But no less intriguing. Good thing Tony liked puzzles and this one was looking more and more promising.