Chapter 9
2023
By the time he arrives in Berlin Peter is frantic. He can't get Harry's face out of his head. Can't stop seeing him ragged and furious, incensed that he had trusted Quentin. Peter had been furious too, he realises now he'd been furious at the wrong person.
So when Fury turns up in his shiny black car a part of Peter rejoices. Not even Fury's hostile disappointment can tamp down his relief at having an adult there. Anyone to take responsibility so Peter doesn't have to.
Fury drives him to a 'secure facility. A fancy building in the city filled with glass offices white rooms and bright airy spaces. On the entire walk over Peter is itching to spill his guts but Fury told him to wait until they were secure so he bites his tongue.
He leads him into an office where Maria hill stands stoically at the end of a long glass table. Fury goes to stand beside her and as soon as he has both of their attention he starts to spill the whole story. He talks about Drones and illusion tech, and explains what happened with Harry.
"Who else knows about this?" Fury asks. Peter goes to answer but is distracted by the hairs on the back of his neck standing up. He's struck with a familiar sense of knowing that May calls his ‘Peter tingle.'
"It's Beck," he says, body going cold, "he's here."
Then suddenly the Pristine white of the office and Maria hill herself is dissolving. First turning shades of pixelated blue before completely disappearing to reveal a nearly bare room with cement pillars and incomplete walls. It looks to be an abandoned warehouse of some sort. The room has a steel chest of drawers in one corner and a pale wooden table in the middle.
He turns to Fury who has drawn his gun.
"No, it's just an illusion-"
He's too late, Fury fires his gun and goes backwards Peter's stomach lurches as he watches him sail over the edge of the flooring and down through the grid like rafters that aren't flooring yet but look like they might be eventually.
He twists his head and comes face to face with a drone hovering just above the wooden table in the middle of the world.
His heart rate picks up and he points his web shooter at the drone.
---
Harry is strapped to the table, hands bound, mouth gagged and Peter Parker is looking at him like he wants to obliterate him.
He tries to buck his hips but he's bound too tight. He feels helpless and locked in, in a way that reminds him of Voldemort keeping him prisoner in his own body at the department of mysteries in his fifth year. It makes something wild swell in his chest. His eyes fall close in panic and all he can think about is he has to get out, he has to move, he has to do something.
His magic swells beneath his skin and the pressure builds and builds until he thinks his skin is going to fall off. Then he feels a wave of magic rip through his skin and puts his hand to his eyes as the room is lit up in excruciating white.
---
Winter 5th year
A few days before winter break Harry wakes up screaming. From there, things pass in the blur. From relaying his horrifying dream to visiting Arthur in the hospital, not a lick of it feels real. Nevertheless after a long night and a long day Harry finds himself in Grimmauld place accompanied by a plethora of people and deeply anxious thoughts.
---
The current inhabitants of Grimmauld place include: one disgruntled elf, four disgruntled Weasleys, one perfectly at ease Luna Lovegood and one inscrutable Sirius Black. The house is alight with speculation and paranoia about Harry's connection to he-who-lives-to-make-Harry's-life-miserable. Harry finds himself wishing he could disappear with mounting ferocity.
Luna, who has been living with the Weasley's since the disappearance of her Dad, has become something of a life-line for him. The only one content to talk about lighter more whimsical things than the possibility of their impending doom.
----
Luna gives him a dreamy smile "I think it might have been easier if Ginny were here."
Harry gives her a curious look.
"I talked to her in the hospital and she told me a bit of what it was like, well she called him Tom but we can refer to him however you like. I think she might have been able to help."
Harry takes a few deep breaths, "I think you're probably right Luna."
She looks at Harry, "I think I can help too. Before he turned to dust, my Father was a bit unwell and he sometimes forgot his potions and wasn't quite himself."
Harry looks at her, "what does that have to do with me?,"
Luna, "I can help look out for you, help figure out when you're not quite yourself."
Harry sighs, "thanks, Luna. I think that might come in handy. Lately, I haven't been feeling like myself at all."
"You're still you Harry. You came and visited me with the thestrals, you helped save Mr Weasley and you never forget Hedwig's treats," she pats his cheeks, "there isn't anything in the world that could change those parts of you. It's just, now there are some extra bits we need to watch out for."
"Thanks, Luna," Harry says, feeling more settled than he has in ages.
He invites Luna to stay with him for the holidays. With Arthur under the weather and the Weasleys on edge about Harry's connection to Voldemort he figures he would give them a break
----
Summer 2023
When Peter comes to, he's lying on cement flooring next to a body. It takes him a moment for his vision to focus before he realises who it is.
"Harry?" he asks, pushing himself up, "where did you come from."
The other boy, in a mildly impressive display of athleticism, springs to his feet before dusting himself off.
"I was strapped to the table, likely unseen by you thanks to Mr Loki wannabe when you tried to kill me."
"Tried to kill you?" Confused, Peter looks down at himself and his eyes land on his web-shooters, "oh, these? They're not guns, they just shoot webs they wouldn't have killed you."
Harry rolls his eyes, "you were aiming at my face. I don't know about you insect boy but some of us need to breathe."
"Insect boy," Peter glares as he pulls himself onto his feet, "that's a bit rich coming from you Mr. watch me wave my magic stick."
He turns to Harry expecting a retort but the other boy is looking over his shoulder, expression completely intent on one of the cement pillars.
"Something is wrong, " Harry says, tone brittle
Suddenly, drones materialize out of nowhere and Peter is immediately on guard. He shoots webs at one of them but they pass straight through and the image of the drone wavers for a moment before the whole room is plunged into darkness.
"Peter?" Harry calls from somewhere to Peter's right.
"Over here."
He feels a body brush past him and reaches out a hand. He ends up with a handful of what he assumes to be Harry's sleeve.
He's caught off guard when he feels fingers slip into his.
"Harry?"
There's no response but the grip on his hand tightens.
"It's really very tragic that things turned out this way. I was planning on letting you live but then you had to ruin it. Well, it’s not a complete disaster that you found out, in fact I should really thank you Harry, ever since Peter told me who you were I have been itching for an excuse to eliminate you."
An image of Harry's face, slack with betrayal, flashes before Peter's eyes.
Suddenly the room is illuminated in a faint ominous green and a Mysterio materializes in front of them in full costume, helmet completely obscuring his face. As his eyes adjust to the light Peter realises that the room seems to stretch forever, like a never-ending void.
"On the other hand, Peter," Mysterio's body angles toward him, "I am very disappointed in you."
Suddenly Mysterio fades from view and the scene in front of them shifts to MJ standing on the edge of the Eiffel tower.
"You told me you were just a boy trying to get the girl," Mysterio's voice narrates.
"Peter?" MJ asks
"I know this isn't real," he declares with more confidence than he really feels.
"Do you?" Mysterio asks, materializing behind MJ.
He wraps his hand around her throat and Peter is moving before his brain can catch up. He goes to step forward but a hand clamps down on his shoulder.
"It's not real." Harry hisses as Peter brushes off his hand and desperately tries to get to MJ.
He feels hands wrap around his waist but he doesn’t pause. His foot lands on what looks like solid ground but turns out to be thin air. He lurches forward and feels Harry's arms tighten instinctually around him as he tips over the edge
They crash through a window. Peter winces as closes his eyes against the sudden exposure to sunlight. There are a few sickening moments of weightlessness that seem to stretch forever before he feels himself hit something solid.
For just a second everything is numb as he hears glass shatter and feels the object beneath him given under his weight. Then both he and Harry tumble to the ground and both reality and agony come crashing down on him.
----
Winter 5th year
Luna is delighted by the plane, "My mother was a halfblood, did you know?"
Harry shakes his head.
"I don't get to talk about her much, there never seems to be a good time.”
Harry takes her hand, "I'd be happy for you to tell me about your mother."
Luna smiles absently, "I know Harry, you're easier to talk to than people expect."
"Er-"
"Her name was Pandora," she sighs, "I don't remember a lot about her, she spent a lot of time researching but she always had time to sing me a lullaby before bed."
----
Sirius is sitting in the row in front of them, hitting on the poor women unlucky enough to sit next to him. So Luna and Harry pass the plane trip exchanging stories of the people they've lost. Luna tells him that she's very grateful to the Weasley's for taking her in but she doesn't think they fit right.
"They're lovely," Luna says, "but they're quite rigid. I think they need to relax more."
He laughs, "I would love to see you say that to Pansy Parkinson."
Luna nods emphatically, "She needs to relax too. She has quite the severe case of nargles and they'll never go away if she keeps things all bunched up the way she has been."
"What does it mean," Harry asks, "when somebody has a case of the nargles?"
She looks at him, "it means that they could benefit an awful lot from kindness. "
"Do you have a case of the Nargles?"
"I think everybody does, at least a little."
---
Summer 2023
If his quiet summer of rest and relaxation hadn't died back when the water demon attacked in Venice it most certainly did a few minutes earlier when Harry fell out of a freaking window and landed on a conveniently placed car. The illusion seemed to be contained inside the building because the eerie darkness shattered with the window.
Harry groans as he attempts to pull himself up from the pavement, entire body screaming all the while. There are glass shards from the broken glass window biting into his hand and his shoulder feels like it's on fire. He feels like he's a teenager again, helpless, lost and wishing that he could be home.
Mysterio floats down and lands in front of them. The World begins to fade to black again and a mangled Iron man suit, grotesque and decaying begins to pull itself out of the ground. Harry reaches into his back pocket, searching for a wand he doesn't have and his exhausted mind is incensed at the unfairness of it all.
The suit stalks towards him and a pit of grief tinged terror wells in his gut. He opens his mouth to scream and then-
A gunshot rings out into the quiet air, sunlight filters back in and Mysterio collapses with a dull thud at their feet.
---
As Nick and his men filter into the cement alleyway and Harry is distantly relieved for all of a second before a familiar wrenching feeling that something isn't right seeps into his bones.
Nick limps towards them and Harry takes an instinctual step back.
"Beck's people are trying to find everybody who can expose them." Nick stalks toward Peter who is lying atop a pile of debris. "We need to know who you told so we can protect them."
Peter, still decked out in his black night monkey outfit, quivers as he attempts to stand.
Harry scrambles to Peter's side.
"Who else did you tell?" Nick asks, taking a belligerent step forward.
"I-" Harry clamps his hand over Peter's mouth. Memories of a world of polyjuice potions and voldemort in his head drive him forward.
He turns to Nick "what was the first thing you said to my family at the funeral?"
Nick bristles, "What are you on about?" fury punctuating his every word
Harry shrugs, "prove to me that you're you,"
"Cut the crap Stark, we don't have time for this."
He grits his teeth, "what we don't have time for, is unwittingly trusting the enemy because they're wearing somebody else's face."
Suddenly Nick's face flickers and the alley is flooded with a familiar blue light. When the light clears it's Mysterio standing in front of them with a veritable legion of Drones.
Mysterio snarls before slapping his hands together in three loud and drawn out motions.
"Congratulations Stark. You're so damn clever." He takes a step forward and he and Peter instinctually back up.
"Once again Stark intelligence proves to be a destructive force," he continues to advance on them.
"I was going to be generous you see, I was only going to kill the people Parker told but now you've forced my hand." He pauses and Harry feels himself trip over thick metal. He looks down and realises they've stumbled upon a train track.
"It really is ironic that Stark's arrogance continues to wreak havoc posthumously," he wrinkles his nose, "earth's mightiest heroes indeed."
Harry is once again assaulted by the knowledge that something is deeply wrong. His ears ring as a horn blares loudly. Distantly, he recognises the sound as a train horn as something heavy and unrelenting crashes into his side.
----
Winter 5th year
Harry is startled by how big Morgan has gotten. Luna, Sirius and Harry arrive right on her birthday and are greeted by friendly chaos. Pepper is covered in flour when she opens the door and her fingers a tinged blue. Just over his shoulder, Harry can see Tony in the living room attempting to coax a reluctant Morgan out from under the couch.
"Hi Harry, welcome home. I'd give you a hug but-" she gestures to her flour-covered apron. She nods at Sirius before turning to Luna, "You must be Luna, Harry has told us so much about you."
"Hi Ms Potts, thank you for hosting me."
She laughs, "It's Ms Stark now, actually but I find that incredibly disconcerting so you can call me Pepper, and don't mention it. Tony and I are just glad to finally be meeting one of Harry's friends.
"Mu-" Harry's eyes go wide and his cheeks heat. He ducks his head and makes his way into the house to greet his Father.
---
They set Luna up in Harry's room. Harry thinks Mrs Weasley might have made a fuss about it but Tony and Pepper seem content to trust him.
"I think it's lovely," Luna says completely out of the blue.
"What is?"
She smiles at him, "your family. You really deserve them, Harry."
"You deserve a family too, Luna."
"But they're all gone."
"I guess you'll just have to share mine."
She beams, "that sounds lovely."
---
Luna and Harry come down just in time to help Pepper a bit before the guests arrive. Sirius, never very good about jet lag, decides to take a nap.
Luna, as it happens, is excellent at baking but should under no circumstances be allowed near the decorations lest they want an eclectic explosion of colour.
According to Pepper the party is Sesame Street themed. At Harry and Luna's blank look she switches on the tv, flicks some buttons and puts the show on. Luna is almost as delighted by it as Morgan, who sits on Harry's lap and claps her pudgy hands with excitement.
Harry finds himself strangely unsettled by the whole thing. It's like things he used to hear about at school, kids inviting each other over for sleepovers or inviting their friends on family trips. Ron talking about sleepovers and birthday parties. Mrs Weasley hosted him for the summer in second year. Things he always thought were meant for other people. He hasn't gotten used to having a room for himself, let alone having somebody to share it with.
He thinks Pepper might have anticipated him freaking out, considering just like last year Morgan seems to miraculously be in his lap right when he's about to go over the edge.
---