Chapter 23
Suddenly, the doors to the hospital room burst open, making both of them jump.
"Tony, we've got a problem," a ragged Steve said in the most breathless manner Tony had ever seen.
"What now?" Tony growled. He was just getting Harry to open up, and now there was yet another interruption.
"It's the wife. She's filing a lawsuit against us."
*
"She's doing what?" Tony rose to his feet slowly.
"She's pressing charges, Tony. Let's go talk outside though, okay?"
"No!" Harry cried as Tony took a step towards the door. "I'm tired of being left out. Please, just tell me. I can handle it."
Tony glanced toward Steve with a look of weariness, but Steve shrugged his shoulders.
"He's got a point Tone," Steve sighed, running a hand through his hair.
"Okay. We'll stay here," Tony replied, caving at the pleading look on Harry's face. If he didn't know any better, he would have thought that Peter taught him the puppy dog eyes. They always worked like a charm on him.
"She's pressing charges. Breaking and entering, robbing the place, murdering her husband and..." Steve glanced up at the two. "Kidnapping."
"NO, THERE IS NO FUCKING WAY I'M LETTING HER DO THIS!" Tony roared, making Harry flinch in the bed, whimpering as he hunkered away from the yelling.
"I'm sorry Harry," Tony softened his tone a bit, but the hardness was still there, like a cement wall.
"She said that you took Harry without any permission, paperwork, anything. And then you broke into the house, and were caught attempting to 'steal' Harry's belongings, and then murdering her husband in his own home when he was 'defending' himself."
"Bullshit! All of those things are blatant lies!"
"Calm down Tony," Steve motioned discreetly to Harry who was staring off into space, frozen where he was.
"You're right. You're right, panicking isn't going to help," Tony muttered, shaking his head. "So what's the plan?"
"Pepper is on her way right now. She was at the police station helping fill out paperwork about Vernon when she got the news. She was the one that called me. The rest of the team is getting ready to head over. Peter's been begging to see both of you.
"From there, we've already gotten ahold of your lawyer, and she's on her way right now. It's going to be okay; you've got enough evidence and money to take them to court every day for the rest of your life."
"You're right," Tony sighed, but his hands were still shaking. Was it just the possibility that something could happen that could force Harry away from them?
Steve pulled out his phone and glanced at it as it begin to ring. "I'll be right back. It's Bucky."
Tony gave a wordless nod as Steve rose to his feet and excused himself from the room. Hearing a whimper behind him, Tony turned to see Harry shaking like a leaf.
"Please don't let them take me away," Harry pleaded, throwing himself into Tony's arms, holding as tightly as he could.
"Shh, I won't let them take you, I promise," Tony soothed, holding his kid with an iron grip, hoping that this was a promise that he could keep.
"She knew what he was- was doing," Harry hiccupped into Tony's chest, letting himself melt into Tony's embrace. He was safe here. When he was with Tony, he was safe.
"Shh, I know kid, I know," Tony hushed.
"She helped h-him sometimes t-too," Harry cried. "She liked to-to hit me with the fr-frying pan, and some-sometimes if I burned food..."
"It's okay, I've got you," Tony held Harry tighter against his chest, hoping that he wasn't hurting him at all.
"She would hold my hands... over the stove," Harry broke off sobbing. "I was five. I- I couldn't even see wh-what I was cooking."
"I won't let her hurt you. I've got the best lawyer in the country- Pepper made sure of it. I've needed it a couple of times. She's not going to let her take you from me. We'll do everything in our power to get her behind bars where she belongs."
"What about Dudley?" Harry choked, glancing up at Tony with wet eyelashes.
"Restraining orders, possibly juvenile detention centers, I'm not sure. But I know that nobody will let that family hurt you anymore."
Both heads turned when the door re-opened to Steve standing in the doorway, face looking even grimmer than before.
"What now?" Tony asked, jaw clenched.
"Tony, can I talk to you out in the hall, please?" Steve asked, this time a sense of urgency tinting his voice.
Harry nodded against Tony's chest, indicating it was alright. Tony didn't blame him, the past twenty minutes had been taxing on all of them, but especially on Harry who was still recovering from very traumatic events and injuries.
"I'll be right back," Tony pressed a kiss to the top of Harry's head before following Steve out into the hallway.
"What's going on?" Tony sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"I just got a call from Nat who's at the station," began Steve. Tony realized how tired he sounded. His voice was rough, and he visibly looked disheveled.
"It's Harry's cousin. He..." Steve looked down at the floor. "He committed suicide, about an hour ago."
"Shit," Tony breathed, feeling as though someone had punched him in the stomach. He had never formally met the rotund boy, and though he had heard stories about him from Harry (none being good), he would never wish this kind of death upon anyone.
"Yeah," Steve murmured, not even caring about language. "There was a note."
"A- a note...?" Tony stammered, trying to collect himself and organize his thoughts.
"You're smart Tones, you don't need me to spell it out for you," Steve sighed, rubbing a hand over his face.
"What did it say?"
"I- I can't," Steve replied, voice sounding strained and exhausted. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and handed it to Tony, pulling up the picture Natasha had sent him.
Tony scanned the note, eyes involuntarily filling with tears. This note- no matter who it was written by, or how many errors had been made with the sloppy handwriting- was heart-wrenching.
"Do you think..." Tony almost hated to ask. It seemed insensitive. "Do you think this will change things?"
"With the lawsuit?" Steve asked, taking a deep breath in and letting it out slowly. "I had the same thought. It seemed so wrong to be thinking about something like that but... I honestly don't know."
"Should we tell Harry?"
"Tell Harry that his aunt, who is out to ruin his life even more, is his only living relative left? I honestly think we should, but I don't want to," Steve replied.
"I don't want to either."
"I can do it," a small voice piped up behind them. Tony turned around to see a tearful Peter standing with his arms wrapped tightly around the teddy bear he had brought for Harry. It made him look even younger than he already did.
"Pete-" Tony began, voice cracking.
"I can do it. He'll listen to me, and let me comfort him. Besides, he's going to spend the rest of his life with you and Pepper and the rest of the team as a family. I know he won't intentionally resent anyone for telling him, but in case he does, it should be me. I can do it."
"We don't want to make you do anything you don't want to do, Peter. Don't feel pressured to do this, just because you think it's right. One of us can do it, you don't have to shoulder this," Steve spoke, admiration for the teenage hero growing even more.
"I want to. I... I need to. I know that sounds weird, but... I need a purpose."
"Okay," Tony conceded after a few pregnant pauses.
"Thank you," Peter nodded, looking even smaller as he hunched his shoulders as he began walking towards Harry's door.
"Hey Pete?" Tony said as the kid's hand rested on the metal handle of the door.
"Yes Mister Stark?" Peter asked, turning around to look his mentor- his hero- in the eyes.
"You do have a purpose, you know that? Both of you, both you and Harry, are so much stronger than I'll ever be. With or without the suit."
"Well, a wise man once told me, that if you're nothing without the suit, then you shouldn't have it. Guess those words stuck with me," Peter gave him a timid smile before pulling the door open and entering Harry's room, leaving the billionaire standing in the hallway, speechless for the first time in a long time.
*
"Professor McGonagall!" A voice called, light pouring out into the yard from the doorway of the Burrow.
The Transfiguration professor turned, gripping her wand from the apparition point where she and Poppy were about to Apparate off of the Weasley's property.
"Ginevra?" Poppy called, squinting through the rain.
"Wait!" Ginny called, not hearing the medi-witch calling her name.
Ginny reached her professors breathlessly, nightgown soaking wet with rain.
"Ms. Weasley, what's going on?" Minerva asked, face furrowing with confusion.
Ginny held out a muggle newspaper to her professor, and upon the front page, in big block print, were the words:
DURSLEY CAUGHT AND KILLED AFTER ESCAPE, WIFE FILING LAWSUIT AGAINST NEPHEW
"I have a subscription to the muggle paper- I have since Ron, Harry and Hermione all went after the Horcruxes, in case some muggles..." she trailed off. "This came this morning. Read the article."
McGonagall opened the paper and began scanning the article, mouth dropping open the more she read. She had no idea that Harry's relatives were this... vile.
Reading over her shoulder, Poppy gasped. "Oh Merlin."
"We've got to get to the hospital," Minnie declared, and Poppy grabbed her arm in agreeance, ready to Apparate.
"Wait!" Ginny exclaimed as her professor raised her wand. "May I come along?"
"How do we know that you're not going to get upset with Harry the way Ronald did?" Poppy scowled. She thought very highly of Harry, like a grandson, and she couldn't help but wonder if she should have been able to prevent something like this from happening. After all those times in the hospital wing, had the boy's magic been so powerful to maintain his glamours at all times? She knew now that he was wearing them, but she never could have fathomed to what extent.
"Because unlike Ron, and my mother, I'm not against Harry. Neither is George, or Bill, or Charlie, or dad, or bloody hell, even Percy. We still love Harry," she replied. "Harry and I may not still be a couple, but I still consider him to be a great friend. I tried to mail him over the summer, but my letters always came back unopened. Please, just give me a chance to come with you."
Minerva and Poppy exchanged serious glances with one another before sighing and turning to Ginny.
"Ever Apparated before, my dear?" McGonagall asked.
"No ma'am, but I'm ready to try it," Ginny nodded curtly, her face setting with determination.
"Well, then hold on," Minnie replied, a laugh tinting her voice. "You're in for a treat."
*
Peter held the handle of the door as it closed, making sure it didn't startle Harry.
"Peter?!" Harry exclaimed, sitting up as best he could, ignoring the pain that shot through his back and abdomen at the sudden movements.
"Harry," Peter breathed, taking in the sight of Harry lying in the hospital bed. It reminded him of the time Harry cut himself and...
He let out a deep breath, and shook his head in attempt to get the image out of his head. Instead, he moved across the room towards Harry, grabbing ahold of his hand.
"I missed you," Harry whispered, giving Peter's hand a light squeeze.
"I missed you too. It feels like it's been forever," Peter replied, bringing Harry's hand up to his lips and pressing a light kiss to his knuckles.
"I can't believe its only been four days," Harry agreed.
"Harry, I have something to tell you," Peter sighed, realizing that he just needed to rip the band-aid off, or else he wouldn't be able to do it at all.
"What's wrong?" Harry asked, heart speeding up involuntarily at the solemn look on Peter's face. "Is it me? It's okay, I understand. I'm disgusted with me too."
A tear dripped down Harry's face, and he pulled his hand out of Peter's. Mentally cursing, Peter quickly cupped Harry's face in his palms, brushing away the tears like Aunt May did whenever he cried.
"Shh, hey. That is not at all what I was going to say. I am not, and I repeat, not disgusted with you in any way Harry," Peter began. "You are the strongest, bravest person I know. And I'm an Avenger... well, technically its not official, but like, I'm an Avenger, ya know?"
Harry gave a small chuckle. "Pete, you're an Avenger."
"Ya think?" Peter asked, giving Harry a cute lopsided grin.
"I know," Harry replied, taking hold of Peter's hand once more. "So... what did you need to tell me?"
Peter's smiling face grew serious once more, and Harry took a deep breath, preparing for the worst.
"I know that you two weren't close, at all, and that he's just as responsible for everything as your aunt and uncle were...are... but-"
"Dudley," Harry breathed, feeling his chest constrict. "Wha- what happened?"
Peter sighed, trying to think of a delicate way to put it, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't find one. Finally, he just decided to say it plainly.
"He- he killed himself today. Suicide."
Harry let out a strangled whimper and he squeezed Peter's hand four times. Peter, immediately knew what was happening, and leapt into action.
"Take deep breaths Harry," Peter commanded as Harry's breathing grew shallower and rapid. He reached up and grabbed and oxygen mask that hung on the wall, removing the nasal cannula from Harry's face and instead holding the mask over his mouth and nose, and began giving some overdramatic deep breaths to coach the panicking teenager.
It took a few minutes, but finally, Harry was back to breathing at an acceptable rate, but he still held the oxygen mask over his face to help his weakened lungs.
"That hand-squeeze system was a good idea. It came in..." Peter trailed off, biting his lip in order to suppress the smile playing threatening to paint his face.
Harry lifted the mask from his face and looked Peter dead in the eyes. "If you say handy, I swear to Merlin, I will kick you out of this room."
Both teens gave weak laughs, trying to come up with what to say.
Harry had suggested a system about a week ago in which, if he was feeling too overwhelmed for words, or wanted to alert Peter of an oncoming panic episode discretely, he would squeeze his hand four times.
Peter didn't like how many times they'd had to use it, just in this week alone.
Suddenly, in one foul swoop, Harry's small, strained chuckling turned into deep, heaving sobs.
Peter, knowing that this was just Harry's emotions and reactions playing out, didn't try to calm him down this time. Instead, he lowered the railing to Harry's bed and slid in beside him. Harry immediately buried his head in the crook of Peter's neck, soaking the fabric on the shoulder of the science pun t-shirt.
They sat like that, wordless, for what felt like hours. Minutes ticked by, but Peter wasn't counting. He just held Harry, and let him cry. He knew it wasn't solely because he was upset about Dudley's death, but it was everything. His aunt was his only living relative left, and she was filing a lawsuit against him.
"Am I interrupting something?" A new voice, deep and smooth, asked from the doorway.
Both Peter and Harry lifted their heads to see the God of Mischief standing there, looking too elegant for a hospital.
"Um, no. No, sir," Peter responded, but he didn't dare move. He didn't want Harry to think that he was ashamed, because he wasn't. It was because, in all honesty, Loki caused the hairs on the back of his neck to stand up-- and not in a spidey sense way.
"L-Loki?" Harry asked, wiping at his puffy, tear streaked face.
"'Tis I, yes," Loki answered silkily.
"You know him?" Peter inquired, giving Harry a puzzled look.
"He's in all of my history text books," Harry awed.
"It sounds as if I should be the one star-struck by you, Mr. Potter," Loki grinned slyly. "Mr. Parker, would you mind giving us a few minutes?"
The last thing Peter wanted to do was leave Harry alone with Loki- a man he had never met before- but Harry seemed intrigued by Loki's presence, not upset.
"I'll be right outside the door," Peter whispered to Harry as he slid off of the bed. He kissed Harry's forehead quickly before slipping past the God of Mischief and out the door.
"What-what are you doing here?" Harry stammered.
"As I recall, Stark called me after finding out that you possessed magic of your own, am I correct?" Loki questioned. "My brother and I got, as you would say, 'hung up' in Asgard, which delayed our trip a bit, but when we arrived we received news that you were here."
"Wait... then," Harry paused, visibly deflating. "You know why I'm here?"
"Obviously," Loki replied with an eye roll, mirroring almost the same look as Snape would wear as he called his students dunderheads.
"Why would you want to help someone as fucked up as me?" Harry grumbled, staring at his hands. Frankly, he was embarrassed. He was in the presence of a god, and the man knew how messed up and disgusting he was.
"Child, if you so desire, I can make it so you have no memory of them. Only happy thoughts of your childhood. Swinging on a swing set in the park. Getting ice cream with neighborhood friends. Playing for hours outside until it becomes dark. I can make it all go away, if you would like. You'd never suffer from nightmares, or anxiety attacks, or flashbacks about them ever again."
"But those memories wouldn't be mine," Harry protested.
"Harry, I am giving you the chance to put your mind at ease," Loki drawled silkily.
"But would he be able to rest?" Peter chimed in, standing in the doorway. Arms crossed, he made his way in and grasped Harry's hand.
"Does Mister Stark know what you're offering?" Peter asked with a scowl.
Loki's lack of response gave them both the answer they needed.
"What're you doing?" Harry whispered to Peter.
"I could hear everything you were saying. When I heard his offer, I knew I had to come in," Peter explained. He felt selfish for not wanting Harry to take the god up on his offer, but his instincts were screaming at him to stop Harry from accepting.
"I forgot about your enhanced hearing," Harry mumbled. "I don't know what to do."
Suddenly, there was a large crack from the other side of the room, making both Harry and Peter jump, and causing Loki to turn towards the source of the noise with a look of annoyance written all over his face.
"I'll tell you what you're not going to do, Mr. Potter," the voice of Poppy Pomfrey declared as she smoothed out her robes, stepping in front of Professor McGonagall and Ginny. "You're not going to let this man, god or not, mess with your memories. At least, not without some adult consent."