Chapter 10
ONCE PIETRO RECOVERS FROM ESSENTIALLY being kidnapped and magically transported, he gets along really well with Rory's little cousins. The little terrors take advantage of his speed and insane stamina, playing chase and causing general chaos while the adults try and work.
Jacob comes over to help too. Was he a little awestruck about being in the same room as The Harry Potter and also the incredible Ginny Potter? Sure. Did it take him a moment to realise he'd never actually connected his partner to the legendary Boy Who Lived and the talented genius Chaser? Embarrassingly true.
Regardless, he surprises Rory by wrapping her in a tight relieved hug as soon as she answers the door. He doesn't cry but it's a near thing. Their partnership had a shaky start thanks to his own insecurities sprouting from how his last partnership ended. But he's attached to the English lass now. He's beyond glad their time together hasn't been cut short. And he'll be damned if he doesn't help them catch the scum who took her.
Despite the fact that Ginny is not an Auror and is in fact a professional athlete, the older English woman is the most organised as they investigate. She fights valiantly to keep her husband and niece's partner focused on the facts instead of revenge, the overprotective gits.
They've got a whiteboard set up at the head of the kitchen table, with hastily written notes and grainy photos pinned with shaky lines connecting them. There're question marks and exclamation marks and aggressive circles scribbled on. It's a mess. They're all just yelling out things over top of one another as they try and figure it out. Three skilled Aurors, ladies and gentlemen and other esteemed peoples. Ginny's ready to go home, or scream, or drink an entire bottle of the strongest alcohol she can find.
"I am sure the Avengers will share information if you ask and do the same."
Pietro offers, many hours later after he's tired the kids out and got them all tucked up in bed. Four manic eyes belonging to four people with fraying patience snap to him.
"Where was this an hour ago when we needed more information? We've been going round in circles for ages!"
Jacob seethes, finger jabbing in Pietro's direction.
"Now, Jacob. Let's not bite the man's head off."
Harry says, placating. He had to take a breath before speaking but he's calm now.
"Excellent idea, Speedy. Let's go!"
Rory decides, grabbing the man and disapparating from the apartment.
"Son of a bitch!"
Jacob yells, kicking the whiteboard over. Now the barely contained mess is all over the floor, it’s not contained in the slightest.
"Language please, our children are just down the hall."
Ginny chastises and the Auror bows his head apologetically and mumbles a pathetic 'sorry ma'am'.
Harry has the sense of taking both their hands and disapparating to Avengers Tower to meet his niece.
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TONY STARK HATES HIS LIFE. Well, not really. His life is great. Just not when a witch decides she's going to blow everything apart. And he means this literally because he's in his lab, pulling an all nighter to update JARVIS's protocols, and god damn Rory Weasley appears on his workbench with a crack and an unwell looking Pietro. His paperwork goes flying and his coffee— his precious liquid gold— is sent hurtling as well. And his favourite mug is no more.
"Hiya. Wanna team up?"
The obnoxious and difficult red headed English woman beams down at him with a wide smile that shows all of her teeth. It’s sort of unnerving, all those teeth that look sharper than a regular humans should. Tony stomps down the unease.
"Oh, so now you want to cooperate?"
He snarks instead, glaring and gathering his papers.
"Well, we're both after the same people right? And we're honestly not getting very far with what we have. It's honestly a miracle we have what we do and pure luck we even organised a raid. But truthfully, we're not equipped to handle an organisation that's allied with muggles. And I think we all know you can't handle witches and wizards."
Rory rambles for a second, chuckling at the end and elbowing Pietro in the ribs like he’s in on some joke.
"Now hold on a moment...!"
"So! We should team up. We'll tell you what we know and you tell us what you know. Win win."
Rory ploughs onward, barely letting Tony get a word in. He got five but that’s it.
"Like hell I'm gonna let some— Jesus! Stop doing that!"
Tony actually throws the stack of papers in his hands as three more bodies invite themselves into his lab.
"Heh, sorry about that."
Harry chuckles, awkwardly scratching the back of his head.
"So this is the bastard who kidnapped my partner."
Jacob growls, sizing the genius hero up with a disdainful glare.
"Rescued."
Pietro pitches in, still looking queasy. How he can run at insane speeds just fine but can't handle being suddenly transported from one place to another is beyond those of the magical community. It's practically the same thing, in their books.
"You did hold her against her will."
Ginny points out and Pietro hangs his head, embarrassed that they'd done just that.
"Sorry, ma'am."
He whispers.
"Don't apologise to her!"
Tony squawks.
“Stark, what’s going on?”
A purposely light voice asks. It’s soft and feminine and any common idiot might miss the true danger in that voice. As it stands, all the witches and wizards present catch the venom in the voice. There’s a promise for violence, for pain and suffering. There’s an urge to protect. They know, from that tone along— the deceptively sweet one with a hint of danger— that the owner is talented and deadly.
“Nat, we have guests. Do you want to wake the others for me?”
Tony Stark, bizarrely enough, caves. He’s not emboldened by the backup but instead cowed.
“And let the witch know her brother’s back, you know how she worries.”
“Oh! Wanda!”
Pietro is suddenly healed from his nausea and rushes ahead of Natasha.
“This doesn’t mean I trust you. But you make a good point when you say we can help each other.”
“Aw, you do care.”
Rory coos because she’s somewhat sleep deprived and going half mad from trying to figure this out with limited informs and she fears no man, not even one with a highly efficient and deadly mechanised suit. She just really hopes they can find something useful when they combine their data.