Magic is Real
CHAPTER 5: MAGIC IS REAL
Harry knew he shouldn't be running around the house especially when coming down the stairs but he was just too excited to care. It was a weekend and his father promised he would let him in his lab and they would build a robot together. Harry wanted to be like his daddy when he grew up. He wanted to be smart and intelligent and cool like his daddy.
He shouldn't have jumped and skipped a step with his tiny legs as it turned out, he wasn't big enough for that yet. Harry screamed as he slipped and was about to fall when suddenly, a force stopped him. Instead of tumbling down the stairs, Harry teleported directly at the bottom.
Terrified of what he heard, Tony ran from the kitchen where he was preparing himself a sandwich and pouring cereal for his son. He discovered a wide-eyed, terrified, glassless Harry on the floor. Thinking that he must have fallen down the stairs, Tony immediately went to check for any injuries. Finding none, he let out a breath he was holding and helped his son back on his feet.
"What happened?" Tony asked. "And where are your glasses?"
Harry, whose heart was still beating furiously came out from his trance, looked back up the stairs for his glasses, and found it lying a few steps from where he slipped. He pointed towards and Tony went to pick it up.
Finally, when he was calm once again, Harry began explaining what he thought happened which Tony had a hard time understanding. Three-year-olds haven't got the best vocabulary.
The story started out with Harry confessing on running on the corridors which Tony groaned at. He was explaining in vivid detail how excited he was at building a robot with him that he forgot the rules. He then admitted guilt at trying to jump over steps because, as he tried to justify, it looked fun. By then, Tony was becoming uneasy. When the boy said he accidentally slipped, the over-protective side of him felt close to ripping his hair off. He wasn't sure if he should yell at the child for endangering himself, get him to the emergency room, or hug the living hell out of him.
"I was coming down the stairs, daddy, and I slipped! I was so scared! Did you know, daddy I almost stopped breathing?!" Harry let out. He sucked a breath and continued rambling, "And then it was like magic! I was there and then I was here! How did I do it, daddy?!"
Tony decided to take the last option and hugged his son as life depended on it. He could deal with what really happened later. For now, he was just glad his baby was safe.
"Are you sure you're alright? Does anything hurt? Any at all?" Tony interrogated while looking directly at his eyes and held him by the shoulders.
Harry shook his head. "I'm sure, daddy."
"Good. That's good." Tony breathed. "Don't think you're off the hook about running down the stairs, young man. Don't scare me like that ever again!"
Having realized his mistake, Harry immediately apologized and promised not to do it again and that he had learned his lesson. "I won't, I promise. I really am sorry, daddy."
After breakfast, Tony had Harry watch Spongebob while he checks the surveillance. Whatever happened earlier still boggled his mind.
"J, play the stair incident. I need to know what saved my son from breaking his neck."
"Right away, sir."
Tony anxiously watched as Harry run from his room through the hallway before coming down the stairs. There was a small glitch on the screen as his son teleported from the top to the bottom of the staircase but other than that, things went exactly as Harry narrated a while ago.
He had no idea how it happened, just that it did. Although he knew the universe had infinite unknown mysticism and capacities, and that the likelihood of one occurring like right now is high, Tony still couldn't bring himself to a conclusion. He was a man of science. Of course, there will always be unexplainable circumstances in life but to have one happen around his son unnerved the father in him.
He was about to replay the teleportation scene in slow motion when JARVIS informed him of a man's presence on the driveway.
"Harry!" He called. The boy perked up at his name and yelled back a 'what?'.
"Come over here for a while."
Harry paused the show playing on his dad's laptop and climbed down the kitchen stool. Tony was on his desk checking surveillance so he went over and pulled himself up to his father's lap, folding his arms over the table and resting his head.
"Who are you? How did you get in?" Tony asked the brown-haired middle-aged man on the intercom.
The man seemed unbothered by the sudden unexpected voice. "Hello, Mr. Stark. My name is Julian Jackson from the Magical Congress of the United States of America. We've recorded recent accidental magic occurring within your home. If it isn't too much trouble, we'd like to talk to you personally instead of through a computer."
"Magical?" Tony repeated with doubt.
"Yes, Mr. Stark. I was sent here to inform you of such. We mean no harm." Jackson asserted.
Curious, Tony let him in and directed him to the living room. He instructed Harry to stay unless he calls for him.
Jackson stood in the middle of the room wearing a black business suit and tie with a logo of a bird with the American flag. He was a little taller than Tony and looked relatively older.
"Good Morning, Mr. Stark." He held out a hand to shake Tony's. "Again, I am Julian Jackson from MACUSA, the magical government of America. I'm here to clarify one recent accidental magic that occurred within your walls. Had anything unexplainable happened earlier this morning?"
"Direct to the point, huh?" Tony grinned. "How can I be sure what you're telling is true? This might be some plot to a crime for all I know."
"I assure you, Mr. Stark, MACUSA is real. I know you worked with SHIELD. You can ask Director Fury for confirmation. We have a counterpart department connected to the organization. We've been working with them in various cases. A threat is a threat, no matter who causes it."
"Nah. You got me at Fury." He waved a hand dismissively at Jackson. "Sit down. You want something to drink?" Tony offered. "I can't believe there is a whole society of magical people. And SHIELD knows about it!"
"No, thank you. Anyway, is there a child living here? Accidental magics are typically committed by children under duress or extreme emotion." Jackson informed.
"My three-year-old sorta teleported earlier. I was just trying to figure out what happened before you came." Tony notified. "This is confidential, right? I can't have the media swamp over my son." Not to mention the danger he'll be in if anyone finds out.
"Not to worry, Mr. Stark. This is confidential. We do have an International Statute of Secrecy regarding these things so we also need to inform you that you cannot, in any case, spread the existence of the wizarding world to anyone outside the immediate family. We might be lenient with you and let you inform only those who have continuous contact with your son. After all, our safety is rooted in our secrecy. Once the world will know of us, we can be hunted down or used for scientific experiments. I do hope you understand."
"Yes, of course. If my son really has this magic, he can be used as well and I can't have that happening." Tony vowed.
"Thank you. Now," Jackson brought his briefcase on the table and pulled out a pamphlet. "These are the most basic of information about our world- the alleys, the schools, our government system, the rules, and more. If you want to know more, there are books available to buy. The nearest magical village from here is in Pasadena. The directions are in there."
"Oh. Wow. Alright." He was speechless and amazed at the existence of a secret society under their noses. He'd have to visit these villages as soon as possible.
"I need to meet your son, Mr. Stark. He should be here for the next information I will be sharing."
"JARVIS, tell Harry to come in the living room," Tony ordered.
"Young Harry is on his way, sir."
"Thanks, J."
Harry came barreling towards Tony. Tony, being used to his son's antics, instantly lifted him and placed him on his lap.
"Harry, this is Mr. Jackson. He's from a government agency that deals with magical things." Tony informed his son.
Harry gasped at the mention of magic. Was what happened on the stairs really magic? How had they found out?
"Hello, Mr. Jackson. My name is Harry Stark." He held out his tiny hand to shake his much larger one.
"Hello, Harry. You might be quite confused about everything but don't worry. I'm here to explain what you just did and a few other things regarding your ability."
Jackson then took out his wand from the holster and proceeded to perform a simple levitation spell in front of the boy and his father. It had them both gasping in awe at the small amount of magic.
Jackson let out a slight smile. Showing No-Maj-borns and their family's magic were always refreshing. He went on to explain the basics of a levitation spell for background before informing father and son regarding the ability to teleport called apparating.
"It is quite uncommon for children your son's age to be able to apparate, Mr. Stark. It seems that his magical core is rather strong for a three-year-old." He blurted. "I can have him looked over for you. If he does have a stronger core, it's advisable that he start training slowly when he's five. Stronger, uncontrolled cores often lead to widescale accidental magic. To have him learn to control his magic will keep him grounded until such time he can start school when he's eleven."
Harry, who had trouble following whatever the man was talking about, perked up at the mention of school.
"I go to magic school?" Harry asked the man and his father excitedly.
"Not until you're eleven. But yes, you will go to a magic school. For now, it's homeschool for you, Hare-bear," His father ruffled his hair.
"I need you to fill out this form, sir." Jackson handed him a sheet of paper, "These are all technicalities. We need to be certain you are capable of taking care of a magical child. We've had cases of abuse before and we're trying to eradicate such incidents. There are questions in there for both of you. You can ask him simplified versions as some of those can be hard for him to comprehend.
We also need basic information regarding your son. Full name, birthday, address... nothing dangerous. All information you provide will be strictly confidential especially in your case as your name is well-known. Not even SHIELD will be informed of your son's abilities. We do pride ourselves in our security.
Now, I must be going, Mr. Stark. If you have any more questions, you can send us a letter. You would have to purchase either an owl or a raven to deliver them. Just instruct the bird of who the letter's supposed to go to. I can also give you my phone number although I should warn you, you cannot reach me all the time. New technology won't work within the Ministry, some schools, and a few shops as there are protection wards that interfere with any external frequency."
Jackson handed Tony his calling card and let himself out.
As soon as the father-son duo was left to themselves, Tony huffed. "Phew, that's one way to start a day, isn't it, bud?"
Harry only nodded and sighed. He wanted to go to a magical school yet he'd have to wait 'til he's eleven. That's like a million years away!