Chapter 11
Summer 2023
The last few days have been something of a whirlwind. Now that he’s in the presence of adults, the strength that helped him get Harry from the cell to the flower field seems to have deserted him. Head foggy and body aching, he stumbles past Harry and Pepper and makes his way onto the jet.
For a moment all he can do is stare blankly into space. Then, the sound of Happy’s voice jolts him into awareness.
"Peter?” the other man asks, “Are you okay?"
The gentle tone is so jarring after the violence Peter has experienced that it sends shivers down his spine. It’s so tempting to give in to the relief he feels at the presence of somebody he trusts. However, the memory of Fury’s face rippling into Mr Beck’s has him taking a step back.
"Happy is that you?” he thinks of Harry's question, "tell me something only you would know."
"Only I would know-uh- Remember when we went to Germany and you pay per viewed a video in your room. They didn't list the titles but I could tell by the prices that it was an adult film."
Peter is suddenly very grateful that Harry is outside with Pepper. He cuts Happy off by launching himself at him. The mundane feeling of embarrassment does a lot to settle his nerves. "I'm so glad you’re here,” he whispers into his neck.
"You're going to have to tell me what's going on." Happy says, sounding Dazed.
---
Summer after 5th year
Tony is hopelessly relieved when Harry starts spending time in the same room as them again. It’s not the same as before. There are things about Harry that send his developing parental instincts into overdrive. The odd shaped scars on his hands, the idea that his son was ever in a position to feel responsible for his Godfather's wellbeing, the idea that his son was possessed
He also has a lot of regrets. Like not taking the whole militia thing more seriously when Luna mentioned it in the winter. The girl had a tendency to exaggerate and he had been somewhat preoccupied with his daughter but he thinks it probably says something about his parenting skills that he didn't hear the word 'militia' and get immediate red flags.
Still, he's learnt the hard way that drowning yourself in guilt is a good way to help nobody so instead he tries to be grateful that Harry is here, relatively safe and spending time with them again.
---
To pass the time, Tony decides to continue working on a project that he and Harry had been slowly chipping away at over the years. It was really a project that he and Lily had started before Harry was born. They started discussing that first summer that Harry came to stay and Tony had thought it would both help Harry learn about his mother, and provide some structure for trying to teach him all the math and science he had missed out on over the years. Tony could have done the math himself buthe hadn't liked the thought of his son being ignorant in a field that had brought him so much joy.
Working on the project is a good way to spend time together when things are too complicated for regular bonding. It gives them something to focus on. They're currently working out a way to prevent phones and other small electronics from short-circuiting in the presence of magic. Part of that has been trying to figure out why the negative interaction happens in the first place. He and Lily had pretty much narrowed it down so all he and Harry had needed to do was test her theory.
It is kind of fun, if a bit horrifying, to destroy a bunch of technology in the name of science. Tony decides to buy out a bunch of his competitors' stuff to sacrifice for his project-an action which has Harry rolling his eyes in that typical teenage fashion.
The more that they worked on the project, the more Tony starts to see Lily everywhere. In Harry's smile, in his impatience with arithmetic, in his brilliant, creative leaps. It hurts- occasionally it almost brought him to tears- but it is a pleasant kind of ache, the kind that reminds you that you're still alive.
Summer 2023
Harry takes a while to get himself together. Pepper waits with him and goes through a few grounding exercises she used to do with Tony. After Harry has calmed down they head back to the jet.
They enter the jet and find Happy stitching up Peter.
Harry musters up the strength to offer Happy a wan smile and quiet “hello,” before turning his attention to idly picking at random scabs on his hands.
"Hi son," Happy replies, as affable as always "I'd give you a hug but I’m sort of in the middle of something."
As if on cue Peter lets out an audible wince.
Happy turns his attention back to Peter, "Don't you have super strength?”
"Yeah but it still hurts."
Harry winces in sympathy, "As somebody who doesn't have super strength I'm very thankful for healing potions,"
"That's a thing?" Peter asks.
Harry nods, "apart from the whole pulling rabbits out of hats bit, muggles got a surprising amount right about the wizarding world."
"Could I take a healing potion?" Peter asks, sounding so hopeful Harry has to bite back a laugh.
"I mean, you could but I have absolutely no idea how it would react with regular muggle physiology let alone your weird spider one."
"Best not," Pepper interjects.
"Hi Pepper." Peter greets, voice going up an octave as Happy continues to stitch up his back.
For a moment, Harry’s gaze is caught on the other boy’s shy smile and his brain suddenly registers the boy’s complete lack of shirt. There’s a surprising amount of muscle considering the other boy’s nerdy disposition.
"So," Pepper breaks the silence, causing Harry to blush "Do you boys have a plan."
"I could try to cast a locator spell but to get any kind of accuracy you generally need something that the person owned."
"Wouldn't that short out the jet?"
"That too."
Happy puts his needle down, indicating that he's finished his stitches. Peter hastily pulls on his shirt, "He's after my friends, so all I need is somebody's phone and then I can find them."
Happy hands Peter his phone and the two disappear into the back of the jet.
Silently, Pepper hands Harry a potion which Harry downs like a shot, knowing from experience that nothing can make a potion taking more pleasant so it's best to get it over with.
He gags at the taste but instantly feels better, flexing his hands as the skin on his palms knits itself back together
----
Summer after 5th year
For Harry's sixteenth birthday Tony and Pepper decide they want to do something special. He wants to buy Harry a car but Pepper is vehemently against that idea. Instead he makes Harry a suit. Pepper is also vehemently against this idea but as soon as it occurs to him Tony can't get it out of his head.
---
On the day of his sixteenth birthday a sleepy Harry makes his way to the kitchen. He is greeted with the delicious smell of treacle tart. He grins remembering how seriously Pepper had listened last winter when Luna told her it was his favorite. It’s the perfect way to start the day. He knows that some people don't like sugar in the mornings but he absolutely will eat it at any time of day.
He hears the sound of Morgan babbling and turns to see her strapped into her highchair, legs dangling happily. He sighs in relief when he sees she hasn’t been served food yet. Ever since Tony and Pepper had started teaching her how to use a spoon, food has become less for sustenance and more of a projectile weapon. She's absolutely capable of using it to shovel food in her mouth but she generally seems far more interested in using it to fling her food at walls and unsuspecting victims.
He goes over and drops a kiss on her forehead, which she responds to by pulling his hair and doing that thing where she tries to say his name but ends up sounding like she's text laughing because she drops the ‘ry’ sound.
"Yes, hi Morgan," he says attempting to pry her hands from his hair, "it's nice to see you too."
She finally lets go of his hair when Pepper comes over with her food. Unfortunately for Pepper, her bright red hair has always been more appealing than everybody else's.
Once she gets Morgan settled in, Pepper leans over and presses a kiss to his forehead and wishes him a happy birthday.
"Thanks," he ducks his head to hide his flaming cheeks.
"Happy sweet sixteen," he hears and turns to see his exhausted father grinning as he leans in the doorway.
Harry takes a moment to back in the moment. Taking in the treacle tart cooling on the kitchen bench, his sister happily tipping her food out of her bowl and the two grinning adults standing either side of him. For the first time in a long time, the ugly feeling in his chest is drowned out by something warmer.
Before he can do something embarrassing like burst into tears, Morgan offers a garbled imitation of “happy birthday,” and flings food right in his eye.
----
After a sugary breakfast that makes him feel a bit sick Pepper takes Morgan to get cleaned up and his Dad takes him out to the garage. He's being all mysterious, refusing to tell Harry anything about what they're doing. The entire way from the kitchen to the garage he pesters him for answers and shifts anxiously from foot to foot.
When they get there, all the robots are gathered in a circle around a sheet concealing something vaguely human sized. He deflates a little bit, thinking that his Dad is just showing another in a long string of his new suit. He tries to maintain an air of excitement but he's never been very good at concealing his feelings.
---
Summer 2023
"It would be okay if you wanted to sit this out, you know. That's sort of what your Dad and I had in mind. That when you were staying with us you would have peace."
Harry sighs and leans into Pepper’s side as she idly strokes his hair.
"I thought that's what I wanted but I don't think I could- I'm not sure I'm wired that way. I don't think I could sit back and wait for news"
She hums agreeably, "I understand.”
Harry sits up and turns to her "But you-"
She nods placatingly and tugs him gently back into her side, "My restless spirit has always been a big part of my personality but for me there were always bigger parts, things I was more dedicated to or things that I grew up around. It drove me nuts, having Tony out there not knowing what was happening there were other things that kept me grounded."
"Like Morgan?"
Pepper nods, "Like Morgan, like my parents and my friends. I think a big part of it is unlike you and your father I've never once felt like the most responsible or the best equipped in these situations. There's always been somebody else older than me or more skilled than me."
He opens his mouth to protest.
"It's not a bad thing. It means that I was cared for in the way you and Tony should have been."
Harry contemplates that for a moment.
"Do you think it will be that way for Morgan?"
"I hope so, Harry. At the very least there are going to be a lot of people bending over backwards to try and make it happen."
"But?" Harry prompts.
"But the Stark legacy is as heavy as it is glamorous. I worry how she will fare under the weight of it ."
"Is that why you told the press that I'm a Potts?"
Pepper smiles, "that, and Tony much preferred my father to his."
Harry still feels dazed and listless from his episode a few minutes ago but Pepper has always been good at grounding him and helping him to feel more like himself.
That and the calming draught he downed earlier have helped him feel more in control.
He's just starting to doze-off, lulled to sleep by a combination of his exhaustion and the warm comfort of Pepper at his side, when Peter and Happy re-emerge from the back of the jet.
Summer 5th year
Tony swats Harry gently on the side, " cheer up kid, I promise this surprise is for you not another of my amazing projects that you should be in constant awe of."
He's rewarded with a sheepish grin and an affectionate eyeroll. He hustles Harry over to his gift and tries to refrain from bouncing on the balls of his toes like his sixteen year old son but it's a near thing.
"I present to you," he says, gripping the edge of the sheet, "Iron man mini, for mini me number one."
Harry makes a face at being referred to as a mini, the short jokes never fail to get a rise out of him, before turning to stare fixedly at the suit.
Tony spent a lot of time trying to decide what the suit should look like. He figured it shouldn't be exactly the same, because then his son might really take offense to the whole mini me jokes but then red and gold was a significant colour for both of them.
So he kept the colour scheme, but made the design lighter. He dearly hoped that his son wouldn't be the subject to gunfire (and if he was Tony made a back-up) so he forwent the bullet-proof design in favour of something more skintight. He used both his research with Lily and his experience with the whole vision fiasco to figure out a way to make the suit ran on magic without accidently animating it (although the A.I he programmed into it has a bit more personality than most). Finally, and most importantly, instead of an impressive array of weapons tech, Tony spent some time configuring the suits for things like jumps that are more like leaps and the ability to climb walls and a bunch of other things that his own suit is too heavy to pull off.
He watches Harry's face with bated breath. His expression goes a little blank, making Tony worried he's made a mistake, before breaking out into one of the brightest grins Tony's ever seen.
---
The rest of Harry's birthday passes in a pleasant family filled haze. Natasha and Thor come to visit, having become something like an aunt and uncle for Harry. Natasha buys him ninja stars, to which Tony raises his eyebrow and Pepper shakes her head. Thor buys him a bunch of new video games for them to marathon.
The rest of the summer passes in an odd amalgamation of warmth and pain. Harry spends a lot of time out flying with his father, entertaining a fussy Morgan or cooking with Pepper. He also spends a lot of nights waking up choking on a scream, after dreams haunted by Sirius, Cedric and everybody lost to the dust.
Summer 2023
"Do we have a plan?" Harry asks as Peter and Happy return.
Peter stares for a second at the image Harry and Pepper make sprawled on the couch together. Harry has his head on Pepper's shoulder whilst she strokes her fingers through his hair. The scene is starkly different from when he met Harry. His glib attitude and fancy suit had painted him in a much different light then his current position.
He shakes himself, "right, uh plan. So my friends are in London and it turns out Mr Stark really decked this place out in terms of tech so I think I can make myself a suit."
Harry perks up at this "I didn't realize we were in that jet. Do you reckon you could make me something too?"
"Uh-" Peter glances at Pepper who just smiles, " Sure."
"No spandex though or red, no offense but I've never really understood why you and Dad pick colours that stand out so much."
Peter opens his mouth to retort but is cut off by Pepper.
"Harry, be nice."
Harry pokes out his tongue and Pepper rolls her eyes.
She shakes her head, "a suit and a location are a good start but no offense boys, that doesn't sound like a plan to me."
"Well everything was an illusion right, so I just need to get on the inside of it and then he's just a man."
"That's good Peter," Happy interjects, "but you tried that and got hit by a train."
Peter winces at the bluntess of the statement. "Yes, but-I don't really know how to explain it. Um I have a sort of sixth sense?"
"Oh, your Peter tingle." Again, Peter winces at the phrasing.
Harry snickers. Pepper swats at his arm but he can tell that she's stifling her own laughter.
"Is that working? Your aunt told me you were having some issues."
"Having some performance issues?" Harry pipes up.
"Harry" Pepper scolds.
"Yes it's working,” Peter replies before sticking his tongue out at Harry.
"Well alright then," Happy says with an optimistic finality Peter doesn’t quite feel.
They discuss things further and Harry and Pepper discuss some magic mumbo jumbo that goes completely over Peter's head. When everything's settled they set off for London.
Winter 6th year
Harry feels lighter than he has in a while when he comes home for winter in his 6th year. The struggles of his 6th year don’t weigh him down like those of his 5th. He doesn't have owls looming over his head and NEWTS are two years away. In lieu of Umbridge's torture and Snape prying into his mind he instead gets glimpses into voldemort's past. Which, whilst far from pleasant, do not compare.
So he feels light when he touches down at the airport in America. He accepts the hug from his Dad and Pepper and slings a sticky Morgan on his hip. Morgan babbles the whole car trip, excited for her impending birthday.
---
At two years old Morgan is an absolute terror. She gets her fingers into everything and vanishes at the drop of a hat. After an incident in which she somehow gets her hands on Harry's wand he starts being extra vigilant about making sure his room is locked.
She's going through a sesame street phase, not an elmo phase or a princess phase, like Pepper predicted she might but an Oscar the grouch phase. He and Pepper bake her an Oscar the Grouch themed cake and somehow Morgan gets completely covered in green food dye despite their Dad's best efforts to keep her out of the kitchen.
---
At two years old she's also clingy, perhaps sensing that she's getting a bit too big to be held she seems to be making the most of it. Constantly pestering Harry to swing her up on his shoulders.
His Dad seems brighter this year too, more settled. It makes Harry feel guilty, thinking about the chaos he brought with him in the summer but every time he begins to feel forlorn he's swept up in the chaos of his family.
---
Summer 2023
As they fly to London Pepper and Happy sit up front in the pilot seats whilst Peter and Harry work on suits in the back. Harry sits on a bench behind Peter providing his opinions as he works. For the most parts Harry's comments are more insulting than helpful but Peter suffers through them for the occasionally brilliant insights he has about suit design and Tony's method.
"I saw the designs for your Iron Spider thingy and judged dad harshly for his narcissism. Of course I was then forced to marvel at the work of beauty, but it is-was important to keep his ego in check. If you want I can help you with some of the cooler web functions."
"So mostly I want a wand holster and something bulletproof but not too heavy for my chest. I don't think I want a full suit and I can just cast a spell to conceal my identity. I would offer to rig up your suit with runes but Dad and I never perfected the whole magic and complex technology. I mean, it might be fine but it also might electrocute you mid air."
Sometime during the flight their conversation takes a turn for the serious.
"Do you remember what he said? About being happy to kill me because he knew who my Father was?" Peter curses as Harry's cavalier approach to discussing his brush with death makes him lose concentration on the part of the webshooters he was designing. "Do you understand now, why I had to keep my identity secret?"
Guilt claws at his gut. He turns to face Harry, "I'm sorry I- I never really thought about Mr Stark that way. He was always just somebody who had faith in me and occasionally rubbed me the wrong way when I thought he was handling me with kid-gloves."
"He was my Dad. I understand how it might be hard to reconcile Tony Stark playboy billionaire, known for his apathy and title as merchant of death, with the guy who carried Morgan around on his back like a monkey and who asked how high when Pepper asked him to jump. I don't like to think about him like that either, as somebody who hurt and humiliated people to the point where they felt the need for revenge but from the story's I've heard from Pepper and uncle Rhodey the truth is it took a long time for him to become the person we knew and he hurt a lot of people in the meantime."
Peter rolls this around his head for a moment.
"I miss him," he confessed.
"I know," Harry sighs, "he missed you too, you know."
"Really?"
"I don't think the people that were part of the blip really grasp what those five years were like for those of us left behind. It would be different if it had been a couple of months or if Dad and Scott had figured out the whole time travel thing earlier. As far as the world knew half the population were dead and after a year went by and no possible solution were found, we pretty much felt like that wasn't going to change."
"How do you know that Tony missed me, specifically?"
Harry's smile is wry, " I used to hate you, you know. Before I met you. Thirteen year old me had just met his father and he kept on going on about some other kid. He had your picture on the mantle before he had mine- I mean he had it up before he knew I existed but thirteen year old me didn't feel particularly rational when it came to you. I felt like I could never live up to your memory. Perfect Peter, so smart, so brave, so talented," he gives Peter a wry smile, " when I first met you, at that foundation event I'll admit I was a little starstruck. When I wasn't resenting you I sort of admired you."
Peter blinks, "You didn't seem very star-struck."
Harry shifts uncomfortably, "we're the same age now, I would have been mortified if my childhood infatuation had shown through."
Peter smirks, "Infatuation?"
Harry goes bright red, "shut up. I haven't said anything about your Peter tingle."
Now, it's Peter's turn to blush, "you just did."
"You shouldn't dish it out if you can't take it."
Peter raises his eyebrow.
"Sorry it's a mu- I was going to say it's a muggle expression but you are a muggle so I don't know why your face is doing that."
"because it's an old phrase."
"I thought I would keep my slang old school for those of us born before the turn of the century."
Peter makes a wounded noise, "excuse you, I was born in 2001."
Harry shrugs, "tom-ay-to to-mah-to you're still half a decade out of time."
----
Winter 6th year
One night it's just him and Pepper sprawled out on a couch watching Gilmore Girls. Harry isn't the biggest fan but it's sometimes nice to imagine himself with a life like theirs, quieter and less panic inducing. They get half-way through their third episode and Harry's mind starts to wander.
"Pepper?" He asks, tilting his head towards her.
"mm." She hums, turning to face him.
"Do you think there's a point where people have done so many bad things that they deserve to die?"-Despite Voldemort’s memories being altogether more tolerable than some of Harry's other experiences, knowing that Riddle was once a child, was once recognisably human, still weighs heavily on his mind.
She freezes a bit and then turns off the T.V.
"What do you mean Harry?"
"Well like, with the avengers they're usually trying to kill their enemy right? Like, I guess you could claim self-defense but usually it's them who seek out people not the other way around. Does that make them murderers or is it different because the people they kill have behaved so badly that they no longer deserve to live."
She makes a distressed sound, "I think," she begins, sounding unsure, "that it's not really about who deserves to live. I think trying to draw those lines in the sand is a very rocky road."
"Then you do think it's murder."
She considers this, "Are you asking me if I think their actions fit the definition of murder or if they're morally wrong?"
He considers this, "the latter I guess."
"I think that would depend on who you ask and which philosopher you went to."
Harry rolls his eyes, "But what do you think?"
"I think that killing somebody as a form of punishment is wrong but I also don't think that's why the avengers do what they do. I think for them it becomes a choice of kill or watch millions of people die and that whilst I don't think murder is ever morally righteous I think sometimes it's the lesser of two evils."
Harry thinks about Voldemort, tries to imagine locking him away the same way Dumbledore did Grindelwald, "how do you know when somebody is too dangerous to let live?"
She looks at him sharply, "I don't think there's ever a clear line when somebody becomes irredeemable. I don't even know if I believe people ever become irredeemable but I guess when it starts to look highly likely that allowing someone to live will result in a bloodbath that's when choices like the one's the avengers make start to make sense.
----