Severus/Tony
If there was one thing Severus Snape was good at, it was being a Keeper of Secrets. It may have come with the territory of being a spy. Or perhaps from his upbringing as a child, having to hide all manner of things for his father’s hateful eyes. Regardless of the impetus of such a thing, Severus had spent years being a repository for several secrets.
It had been something he trained alongside his skill within the mental arts. Within the pathways of his brain were countless things that could never see the light of day. The true name of individuals who passed through the very veil of time and space. The hidden magic behind a muggle woman and her yellow mode of transportation. Truths and secrets that could melt even the mind of the once-great Albus Dumbledore. Yet, amongst this cradle of hidden knowledge, there was one secret that Severus held dear. One secret that he had locked away even from his skill. A secret that was even unknown to him. That was until one very fateful evening.
As with most things in his life, it seemed to circle Potter. That brat had been a constant thorn in his life for at least four years at this point. His flagrant disregard for rules. The way he would seemingly flaunt his lack of understanding of the magical world as if it were something to be proud of. The preening was far too similar to that of his father. Not to mention the boys' almost constant and incessant need to know everything. No, not just to know everything, but to prove he could master it as well.
Potter was a great student, probably one of the brightest were it not for that bushy-haired muggle-born being in his year. That had been the one thing about Potter that had caught him off guard when he had finally met the boy during his first year. He had been expecting the boy to be willfully ignorant and full of himself. So much so he had planned on knocking some sense into the boy. Drilling in him the fact that, regardless of his name or fame he would not be coddled or treated like the God he more than likely already saw himself as. Dumbledore had made it clear the boy had been well taken care of, no doubt by some magical family that just wanted to ride the coattails of Potter and his fame. All of that was going to stop the moment the boy stepped foot into his class.
Instead of brow-beating Potter, it was Severus who had been backed into a corner.
The arrogant glint to those emerald eyes was there, that was to be of no doubt. They held an air about them that spoke to the boy’s thirst to prove himself the best. It should have been all for show, just another case of a Potter thinking they were without flaw. Yet, the boy backed it all up. When Severus had fired off a question that only his Third-Year students would know, he was preparing to revel in the sight of Harry Potter trying to stutter out a pathetic answer. Or to bite back with some juvenile retort which would earn him detention. Instead, he was stunned when the boy had him a perfect answer. Not one that had been just parroted from the text, but one that could come only come from reading and understanding the text as a whole.
Harry had answered him properly and Severus could not stand it.
He fired off another question, this one from Fourth Year work, and the boy answered yet again. When he gave him a third question, the boys' lips quirked ever so slightly, as he gave his answer but with an added, “You should already know this Sir.” Severus had given him detention for that and resolved to consider the boys' intellect just a fluke or dumb luck. He was more than certain that the next potions class would remove any cheek from the boy.
Severus couldn’t have been more wrong.
For the next four years, Harry Potter became one of the most promising students in his Potions Class. The boy, when he wasn’t being crass or overly sarcastic, was able to produce stunning work and more than adequate potions. He seemed to latch onto concepts like a leech, hungrily devouring all he could learn and putting it to practice with great results. It wasn’t just Potions either. The boy had shocked most of his Professors with his aptitude. Even the ones that turned out to be less than savory, with perhaps the exception of phony and all too vain Lockhart, had nothing but praise to give the boy. It irritated Severus to no end, and yet he couldn’t help but still be stunned by Potter. Stunned and still very much annoyed.
This continued for four years, Severus watching Lily’s child, something he had started calling him within his head, grow more and more. Sadly, that often would include being more and more reckless. From fighting off killer snakes to fending off a legion of Dementors, the boy had a knack for attracting danger. Danger that, by the skin of his teeth, the boy would pull himself out of. At every turn, Severus could only watch as the boy was played by the hands of Dumbledore and the terrible wake Voldemort had created for his life. The boy would come out bruised and sometimes bloody, but always with a grin plastered over his lips as he thrilled at the adventure.
It was all the more reason why, when the awful Tri-Wizard tournament had ended on this late evening, Severus was shocked by the Harry Potter that appeared at the start of the maze.
The evening had only gotten worse from there, despite Harry arriving with the dead body of Cedric Diggory in tow. Moody turning out to be a long-since-dead Barty Crouch was one thing. Voldemort coming back had been another entirely. As Harry sat there, the Headmaster looking upon the boy as if his plans were going perfectly, Severus could only see a shell-shocked young man who had gone through something terrible. Even worse was the news that Voldemort now had Harry’s blood running through his veins. For some reason, that seemed to be stuck in his mind. Even after Dumbledore had dismissed Harry without even a hug or a simple question of how he was doing, it stuck in Severus’s brain.
As Dumbledore droned on about making sure Severus was ready to return to Voldemort’s side, something he had no intention of wanting to do again, his mind began to peel back why that subject of Potter’s blood had become a sticking point in his mind. The Headmaster and his convoluted plots for the ‘Greater Good’ became background noise as he dove into his subconscious. He latched onto the thread of Potter’s blood and began to follow it. Down and down it went, going beyond the many vaults and locked doors of the secrets he held in his brain. Further past the ones that he had deemed to be more important than his own life.
Eventually, the thread came to rest before a door in the depths of his mind, deep within the furthest parts of it. The door was made of sturdy iron and wreathed in frozen shards. It reeked of magic not of his own and it left him feeling all the more worried. Once more, the knob on the door was the only part free from the icy grasp, beckoning him to open it. Resisting the urge to open it, Severus allowed his awareness to surface in full, coming back to his full senses as Dumbledore seemed to be winding down his speech. Something he would have to skim through his short-term memories to glean all the details from.
“That is why, my boy, Harry must remain ignorant of the truth. With Voldemort’s return, I fear he may try to gain any information from the boy’s mind. Continue to keep the boy at an arm’s reach, but be prepared to have to possibly teach the boy Occlumency if what I fear may come to pass does happen,”
Dumbledore and his need to control every little possibility and outcome was going to get people killed. Hell, it already had. Still, there was very little he could do about it. The Headmaster held his life in his hands, and those hands weren’t keen on giving up a chess piece once they were within those wizened fingers. Severus merely nodded in response, taking it as a cue to finally leave the man’s presence. Whatever he was planning it was going to have to wait, the door at the base of his mind was the only thing worth mulling over in the least bit.
When he had swept into his private quarters, the Potions Master quickly warded his room against any listening ears. Even if Dumbledore swore up and down he never listened in on the conversations of his staff, Severus was not about to take that chance. He layered on spell after spell until he was sure he could set off an explosion within his rooms and not even the dust would rattle in the dungeons outside. From there he summoned his Pensive and began to draw upon that thread once more. His mind had an easier time diving back down to the door, finding himself seated before it in just a few moments. With steely determination, Severus took hold of the nob and found his senses overwhelmed. The bitter cold of winter tore through him, while the sharp taste of steel and electricity began to singe him. Whoever had sealed this door had poured a considerable amount of magic into doing so. Yet, it was calling to him now and he wasn’t going to let it stop him. He felt the door give, the ice crack, and soon the door gave way.
A golden light began to spill out of the door, and with it, truth.
Powerful, world-altering truth.
As the images of his past began to flash rapidly into his mind, Severus tried to draw them out with his wand. A golden strand came from his mind, longer and thicker than any other memory he had seen before. It spooled together as he dropped it into his Pensive, watching as the silvery liquid turned to gold as the memory took root. As he dunked his head in and allowed the memories to unfold before, Severus became more aware of just why this had to be locked away. The knowledge was too much, too powerful. The person behind the block had made sure it could only come undone if Harry were to ever come into danger or if he started to show signs of his true heritage taking root. Well, it seemed the magic deemed the return of the Dark Lord as reason enough to do so.
As he pulled himself out of his Pensive, Severus summoned a bottle of Firewhiskey and took a swig from the bottle. Leave it to Harry Potter to live a life so complicated and convoluted. Speaking of the boy, he had plans to make. With his memories returned he felt a long since locked away swell of affection for the child, his Godson. It was time to make amends with a few old friends and work on getting Harry the hell away from Voldemort, Dumbledore, and the entire Wixen World in England.
After all, a child should be able to be with his fathers after all.
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Tony Stark wasn’t having a good day.
No, scratch that, he was having a downright horrible day. All thanks to that Star-Spangled menace that was now sitting at his kitchen table.
“Hey, Ice-Box, what have I told you about this kitchen? It is a no-go zone for you and the rest of the Dark Avengers or whatever name you all saddled yourself with,”
“Tony, there is no need to be like that. I just needed to get away from Nat and Clint for a bit. They are still feeling a bit bitter about how things went down,”
“Well, that sounds a whole hell of a lot like it isn’t my problem. So, take the pity party to another kitchen. This Mansions got at least three of them you could sully with your American Branded pity party,”
This was the daily conversation with Steve. Well, Steve and the rest of his crew. After doing some soul-searching, mostly at the bottom of a few bottles and a very wild night in Amsterdam, Tony realized that breaking apart Earth's only real defense against threats beyond the world was probably a dumb idea. Sure, Tony was pretty certain that he could craft another Iron Legion and be able to defend the world by himself, well himself and FRIDAY at least, but even he couldn’t deny that there was only so much one could do alone. Even if he wouldn’t admit it.
It had taken some doing, and a promised upgrade to some outdated military cybersecurity, but Tony had worked to get the Sokovia Accords amended. Even if he agreed with the overall idea of them, Steve did have a point. The way it had been originally drafted would have put them in the pockets of the military and its ideals. Tony enjoyed life as a free-agent superhero, thank you very much. Not like his Country could afford his operating cost.
Despite being the man behind getting Captain America back in the public’s good graces, Tony still held no love for the man. They were supposed to be friends, teammates. People who didn’t hide life-altering secrets. Especially not, ‘My best friend from WW2 murdered your parents and I never told you.’ Friends didn’t do things like that. Nonetheless, Tony was going to be the bigger man. The bigger man with the ability to lord this over the head of Steve and his merry band of rouges for years to come. Especially since part of the deal had been for them all to stay within the newly built Avengers Mansion.
“Tony, how many times do I have to say I’m sorry for not telling you about Bucky,”
“Until those words bring my mother back you sonavabitch,” Tony spat, leaning heavily into a Spanish accent to hammer home the point. Not that the reference would go noticed by the man who leaped through time.
“The Princess Bride was the second movie the Spider kid made me watch after we sat through Star Wars Tony. Still, I get your meaning,”
Cap knowing actual pop culture wasn’t near enough to get the man off of Tony’s eternal shit list. No, the only way that would happen was if Steve could get the Tin Man and The Wicked Witch to stop making love eyes at one another. Or whatever passed for love eyes on the android.
“Still, you should probably take your leave Capsicle. I have some serious brooding to do over coffee and your jolly attitude is only going to cramp my style. Shoo, away with you,”
Not even waiting for Steve to leave, Tony bullied his way into the barstool right next to the man, smiling smugly when Steve huffed in annoyance and finally took his leave. Tension in Tony’s shoulders finally relaxed, something he hadn’t even been aware he was holding on to. Though he would never admit it, or go see a therapist like Pepper and Rhodey had been pestering him to do, being around Steve brought up painful memories. Memories of that shield crashing down onto his chest. Of being trapped in that unmovable suit as Steve walked away. His hand drifted to the scar on his chest.
Tony didn’t want to think about those thoughts. Or the pain that came with them.
As he did whenever those thoughts came up, Tony retreated into his safe space. Into his lab. With a hot cup of coffee in hand, he made way for his private elevator, taking it far below the mansion into his most advanced lab to date. If not that, it was certainly the largest one he had.
The elevator dropped into a massive space underground, looking more like a factory than a lab. A wall of suits, a pet project of his after the events with Ultron made it clear that trying to automate the hero process was a horrible idea, was built into the wall. Each suit had its specialty and could be deployed at a moment's notice. Of course, it wasn’t just his suits here. No, the lab held the gear and weapons for the entire Avengers roster. Quinjets set on platforms, ready to rise out of the ground to get them going quickly. A new version of the Hulkbuster was currently being fabricated for when Bruce made his return from where ever he had gone off to. There was even a prototype bit of armor that had been made from the same weird space metal that made up Thor’s hammer. He was still shocked that the God had let him have so much of it.
Yes, the place was brimming with tech, projects, and all sorts of things that could keep a mind such as Stark busy. Yet, as he walked along an elevated path towards his personal area in the lab, his mind drifted to something waiting for him that always could take his mind when his thoughts turned dark. It was a simple picture frame, one with a photo of probably the happiest time in Tony’s life. A summer spent in London that changed a lot of things he knew about himself.
Tony lifted the frame, running a finger over the younger face of himself. Beside him were four others, all grouped together and looking rather drunk. A bright-eyed redhead named Lily. A ragged-looking man named Sirius. The man with glasses and eternally messy hair, James. Bringing up the end was a smirking man with the most brilliant green eyes he had ever seen. Long, flowing raven hair that complimented his cheekbones and that cunning smirk of his. The man who only went by Laci. The only man Tony could say he truly loved.
Tony shifted in his chair, looking at the photo fondly. That summer was so long ago, but he would be damned if he ever forgot it. It was just supposed to be a stupid work trip. Sell some weapons, make good with the British press, and then find himself hip-deep in alcohol before flying back to America. Fate, however, had other plans. It had started when the gruff-looking Sirius had sauntered over, looking buzzed and smiling far too much. His friends had dared him to try and get Tony to kiss him. Never one to want to be on the losing side, Tony happily kissed the man, before finding himself being dragged over to a table where a group was exchanging odd-looking coins. After being introduced to one another, Tony was easily pulled into their dynamic.
The week he was supposed to be in London quickly became two as he hung out more with the weird group. First off, he was shocked that not a single one of them had a clue who he was, let alone that he was the richest man living. Hell, they seemed hard-pressed to know anything about the mainstream, but they all seemed hellbent on living as much as possible. Sirius had easily become the most troublesome friend, constantly searching for some new thrill or excitement to drive his heart rate up. Many a night was spent with Tony racing him on motorcycles into the dead of night. He never seemed to be able to beat him, but Tony always had a fun time regardless.
Then there was Lily and James. The two were so clearly in love with one another. Hardly a moment went by when they weren’t wrapping their hands together, or kissing, Tony refused to ever call in ‘snogging’, passionately. The two seemed to take to the idea that every moment was precious to heart. Tony found himself in happy company between them, just learning to enjoy time spent with friends and holding onto the moment. They may not have been party hounds like Sirius but in their way, the couple was just as fun to be around as the mad Sirius was.
Then there was Laci.
Fuck, did he love Laci.
The man just found a way to work under Tony’s skin. He seemed utterly resistant to his normal charms, easily deflecting off compliments with his barbs and snark. Eventually, Tony stopped trying to get into the man’s pants and joined in their little dance of wits. Normal conversations became a constant game of trying to one-up or outdo the other. Tony would win some. Luci would win the majority. That and the man was incredibly devious and cunning. He would craft these elaborate tricks and pranks that seemingly bordered on the impossible, taunting Tony into trying to figure out just how he pulled them off. Laci was hot, smart, far too clever for his own good, and the only person that could put Tony ‘in his place’ as the man often said.
Eventually, that place became Laci’s bed after the two of them got into a heated argument over something silly that he could barely remember. The sex though, was carved directly into Tony’s soul. Tony thought he had known every act of kink and debauchery known to me. Laci was happy to teach him a lesson or ten.
Yes, that month spent in London was the best of his life. He was just about ready to move Stark Industries over there full time when, one morning, they had vanished. James, Lily, Sirius, and Laci were just gone. There was no note or so much as a goodbye. Just gone. He spent weeks scouring London, trying to find them. Even when he hacked into databases to find their whereabouts, he could find nothing on them. It was as if they never really existed. Were it not for the photo he had jammed into a jean pocket, Tony would have gone on thinking the entire month had been lost in a haze of drink and illicit drugs. Somehow, that would have hurt less.
That had been years ago now, and while it still stung that they had just vanished without him, Tony could never truly be mad at them. They had been the closest friends he ever had. Laci was even closer than that. He never looked for them again, but often hoped that where ever they vanished off to, they didn’t forget him.
Doing his best to ignore the tear that threatened to go down his face, Tony replaced the photo and got to work on his newest project. Nanotech was proving to be a tricky horse to ride, even with help from Shuri out in Wakanda. Sure he could have just lifted the technology from them, but he had a feeling that T’Chala would frown upon that. Not only that but stealing from them just felt wrong in his mind. Instead, he had used their framework to build something all his own. He didn’t have a name for what he was working on just yet, but the fluid that was being crafted was starting to like extremely promising.
Tony was into four hours of work when FRIDAY suddenly broke through the lull of rock music and his furious typing.
“Boss, I’ve got a perimeter warning going off on the main level. Something or someone has just managed to get around the Mansion's defenses and is waiting on the front step,”
“I’m sorry, you said someone did what now,” Tony looked over at the camera that allowed FRIDAY to watch over his lab, giving her an incredulous look
“I spent days making sure our systems were secure enough that not even BridBrain couldn’t sneak out without leaving some sort of trail. Now you are saying someone just…showed up on the front step,”
“That’s correct boss, and I don’t think they are selling cookies either,”
FRIDAY took control of the display before Tony, pulled up the security feed. The screen was pulled onto the door to the mansion. It looked empty, nothing too out of the ordinary. Then the camera glitched and a moment later a man was standing right there at the door, looking directly at the camera. A man with long, greasy-looking hair and a general disposition of annoyance.
“Is our mystery guest still out there Fri,” Tony quickly discarded his tools and made for the exit. The mansion was off-limits to most of the public, especially those that seemed like they could just teleport at will. He knew there was some blue-skinned demon who could do that, but this man looked just as normal as you, please.
“Yep Boss, still staring at the camera. Should I get the others together,”
“Nope. I think I can handle this one all on my own. Besides, the guy doesn’t even look remotely dangerous, just someone with a really bad understanding of the term private property,” something Tony was more than happy to correct
It took Tony just a few minutes to reach the front door, in that time he had called forth one of his suits to wait beside the door. If things went south he’d rather have his suit as backup as opposed to anyone else. Well, maybe under-roos, but the kid was still at school. At least he better still be, as Tony made a note to check the location of Peter once…whatever this was ended.
Pulling open the door, Tony looked over the man who jerked back in surprise at the door opening, a thin bit of wood in his hands not going unnoticed by the ever-observant Tony. His assumption of the man looking annoyed was correct, as he seemed to have a sneer etched onto his face as he looked over Tony with disgust. Or at the very least a lack of adoration. The mysterious man was wearing all black, from the pants to the shirt and vest he had on.
“If you are looking for Emo-R-Us I think you are in the wrong part of town Black Parade. Pretty sure it is anywhere that isn’t on my lawn,”
The man gave Tony a roll of his eyes before drawing himself to his full height, self-importance filling his body.
“My name is Professor Severus Snape, and judging by your overall cocky demeanor, you must be Anthony Edward Stark,”
“Most just call me Tony, or Iron Man if you want to get nasty. Looking at your hair, I’m willing to bet you are nasty enough, so why don’t you get to the point before I have to get just as nasty too,”
The full government name never turned out well. It could be lawyers, villains with an oddly placed vendetta. Hell, someone could be looking to claim he was someone’s father, even if that had yet to happen.
“The point, you metal-headed dunce, concerns that of your child, Harrison James Potter,”
Potter. James Potter. The name rang in his ears, bringing up memories of London years ago.
“Sorry, if the kid's name is Potter then I’m pretty sure he can’t be mine. Lily really wasn’t my type, ya know,”
“I am well aware Lily would never go with the likes of yourself, Stark. If you allow me to come in, can explain exactly what happened and why I am here,”
“Uh-huh. Well, that is a no from me. If you want to do a DNA check I suggest getting in contact with Maury, he has been dying to do an episode on me for ages. Goodbye for now. FRIDAY, if you please,”
The door slammed shut at his words, a thick metal wall thundering down. It was a lot of vibranium to be sure, but considering the kinds of people who could just show up, Tony was not going to cheap out on protection on the front door.
He was about to go have FRIDAY run some facial scans on the man when a soft pop reached his ears. Turning around, he found the greasy-haired Brit standing in the hall, looking back at him with a slim smirk.
“Okay, time to get nasty then,” within seconds, the suit-standing sentry molded itself to his body and Tony stood ready to blast this black-haired intruder back where he came from.
“Your little Muggle toy is not as scary as you think Stark. Now, if you would stop behaving like a dunderhead, perhaps we could talk about this like men,”
“If you keep talking down to me like a child you shouldn’t be surprised when I throw a tantrum. Though I don’t think you’ll survive one of mine, Professor,”
“You sound just like your insufferable child. If you wish to fight, we shall, but I’d much rather tell you about Laci and your son instead,”
Tony dropped his guard ever so slightly.
“Laci. What has this got to do with some fling I had with a guy years ago.”
“Well for starters, the child you share together,”
“Pretty sure Laci wasn’t rocking the right set of parts to make that possible. I thought you were supposed to be some kind of Professor. Do they not teach Sex-Ed across the pond anymore,”
Severus merely smirked, before waving that small stick in his hands and making a soft set of chairs materialize out of nowhere.
Magic. Why did it have to be magic?
“Well, Stark, considering you were the one who laid with a God, you shouldn’t be too shocked when things don’t look as they appear,”
Laci was magic in the sack, that was for sure, but he certainly wasn’t a God. Then again, with all sorts of weirdness happening in his life, sleeping with a God when he was younger wouldn’t look too out of place on the list.
“Fine, but the suit stays on Magic Man. Now, what’s this about a God and me going ten toes to Jesus years ago? The only God I know has blond hair and Laci is nowhere near as built as Thor is,”
“No,” Severus started simply as Tony sat opposite him. The man with the magic stick gave it another wave and a metal bowl floated beside him, “Yet his brother is more your type,”
No, Tony thought.
There was not a chance in hell.
“Are you saying I fucked Loki,” Tony shouted, his voice carrying around the mansion and drawing the attention of Steve, Clint, and Scott Lang.
“Yes, if you must be so crude. You, Anthony Edward Stark, had relations with the Trickster God Loki and had a child. And said child is currently in extreme danger,”
Well, this was not how Tony expected his day to go at all.
Not in the least bit.