Chapter Two
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter universe or anything from the Marvel Universe. All I own is the plot and original character.
Chapter Two
Dudley wasn’t sure what to make of the two men that he and Harry were sitting across from.
They were currently at a cozy little café getting breakfast. This little excursion was so they all could get to know each other better in a more comfortable and open place. They had already gotten their menus and just finished ordering their drinks. He’d gotten milk, Harry orange juice, and the two gentlemen had ordered coffee.
While they had certainly been imposing and quite frightening the first time he laid eyes on them, right now they looked kinder, more approachable.
One was tall with olive skin, jet black curly hair, light green eyes and had an almost permanent grin on his face that Dudley decided was playful. The other man was shorter with slightly tanned skin, dark blonde hair that was receding, blue eyes and was looking at them kindly.
It had been three days since he and Harry had been rescued from his dad, no….his father. Dudley had a hard time reconciling Vernon Dursley, the man he had once loved unconditionally, with the monster he had become in the last eight months. A monster that hardly saw him as his son and more as a freak that needed his freakishness beaten out of him like Harry.
He couldn’t deny that it hadn’t taken him long after that first beating to feel ashamed of himself for how he had treated Harry and passively watched as his father mistreated him. He realized it was so easy to become detached from what was happening to Harry because it wasn’t happening to him personally.
Yet, he would be lying if he said his father’s anger hadn’t scared him long before he began taking it out on him.
Honestly, Dudley had no idea what to feel or how to feel about his father. The only clear feelings he had were about his mother and he could hardly think about her without feeling his eyes water.
When he’d finally come to after being taken from home to see he was in a strange place he’d initially been scared until looking around and seeing Harry in a bed beside his which calmed him considerably. It hadn’t taken long after him waking Harry up for the reality of things to set in. When a man and woman entered, who he later remembered were the doctors who fixed them up, it was to him and Harry curled around each other, crying on the floor.
It had taken a long time for them to finally calm down, allowing for the strangers to explain what was going on. Apparently, they had gotten word about their ‘situation’ and had sent people to retrieve them that could help. Part of Dudley wanted to be resentful that they hadn’t sent help sooner but really couldn’t muster up the energy to in his grief over losing his mother and in a way, his father.
However, it was the two people in front of him that he had been told would decide what would happen to them. The other two had just been there to patch them up and take care of them while their rescuers took care of things. He wasn’t sure exactly what the phrase meant but he assumed it meant getting custody of the two of them, gathering their belongings and also very likely putting his father in prison.
“So,” said Dudley uncertainly, glancing over at Harry who was scrutinizing the two men with narrowed eyes.
“Well, as Laura and Winston probably told you, my name is Charles Williams and this is Phillip Coulson,” gestured the taller man to the shorter.
“Dudley Dursley,” said Dudley reflexively with a slight blush. His mother had drilled proper manners into him and Harry from the moment they both could speak in complete sentences.
“Hadrian Potter, but call me Harry please,” said Harry right after him.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you both,” said Coulson. “Though I wish it could have been under better circumstances.”
Dudley swallowed the unpleasant lump in his throat as he was reminded once again exactly why they were here. He sincerely hoped they weren’t going to be put in an orphanage. From the little he had heard, they weren’t the most pleasant places.
Seeming to sense his discomfort Coulson cleared his throat before continuing. “As you’re both probably wondering or have already guessed, there aren’t a lot of options for the two of you as far as living situation goes. You have three choices, and yes there are choices you have a say in. I don’t want to force either of you into doing something you don’t want to. However, do know that we have your best interests at heart.”
Before Coulson could continue he was interrupted by their waitress who came to take their orders. Quickly browsing through the menu Dudley chose the full English breakfast; being nervous tended to make him eat more than usual, not to mention food comforted him.
Several minutes later the waitress was off with their orders and silence reigned once more at the table. Dudley played with the straw of his drink while Harry fiddled with the cloth napkin holding his utensils.
“Right,” said Coulson shifting a bit. “You have three options. The first is the both of you go to your last remaining relative.”
Dudley immediately stopped messing with his straw to give them a slightly panicked look mingled with horror while Harry let out a somewhat strangled noise and clenched the napkin tightly in his grasp though he kept his head down, no doubt wanting to conceal his emotions.
He noticed Coulson and Williams observing their reactions intensely though otherwise saying nothing. Dudley tried to school his expression into one more neutral upon noticing their scrutiny even though he was sure it was much too late.
While going to his aunt was absolutely the lowest choice on his radar, he didn’t discard the possibility that there might be worse options. The two after all said that they had their best interests at heart and if they thought sending them to their aunt was a bad idea, then he had no doubt they would prevent it from happening and automatically choose between the other two options. Options that could likely, though unlikely, be worst.
“The second option is the two of you would attend a place that’s like a school/orphanage. It’s called Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters, you may or may not have heard of it,” here Coulson paused to see if they did. When all he got were blank looks he continued. “The school is a place that helps those with special abilities like the two of you possess. The people there are very kind and understanding so you’ll be treated very well there. Though I will admit as you might have guessed, you won’t be individually catered to with the amount of students which attend there. Not to mention it’s not exactly all that safe.”
“Is it the only place like that?” asked Harry.
Coulson shook his head. “No, but it’s the only one that either of us would feel comfortable sending you and where you would be the safest.”
Harry nodded while Dudley simply bit his lip contemplating the man’s words. The school sounded appealing though having to be around a lot of people wasn’t something he was looking forward to, especially since it was likely he would just be another face in the crowd. He’d need to know more about this place to make a decision but for now…
“What’s the last option,” he asked.
Coulson and Williams exchanged a look. This time Williams spoke.
“The third option would be that you and Harry go to live with Phillip.”
Both Dudley and Harry’s eyes widened. They turned to look at each other silently communicating over this unexpected development. A few moments later they turned back to the two men to see them patiently awaiting their response.
Harry decided to take the lead. “Is there any particular reason that you want us? And what exactly would that mean for us in terms of, you know, everything?”
Coulson didn’t say anything for a few seconds before finally speaking. “Well, one reason is that I’ll be your guardian anyway. By taking responsibility for you two I can prevent those with less than honorable intentions from simply taking you away to do with you as they please. Another reason is….I believe living with me would be a better environment for the two of you to grow. Not only do I have the means to take care of you and give you the attention you need, but I also can help you learn to control your powers among other things.
I’ll admit I don’t have a lot of experience with taking care of young children but I promise to do my very best to provide you with a loving home and whatever support you need. However, be aware I have a very demanding job and sometimes I may have to go away for days or weeks at a time. When that happens, if you should chose to live with me, you would either be sent to a relative or watched over by someone I trust explicitly. Understand?”
Harry and Dudley nodded absentmindedly as they processed what they had heard. Their food soon arrived so all conversation ceased for the time being.
An hour and a half later found them with pleasantly full stomachs at an old pub called the Leaky Cauldron. Before they left the restaurant Charles, as he insisted on being called, told them about the Wizarding world and how both he and Harry were wizards, though he in particular was both a wizard and mutant.
They explained to him that his abilities were Technopathy and Intuitive Aptitude. After getting them to somewhat water down their explanation, he understood that he could control and manipulate technology and had the power to understand just about anything even if he hadn’t spent time learning it. Dudley wouldn’t lie, that sounded amazing; especially with the fact he could also use magic.
However, the biggest upset was when they explained to Harry what really happened to his parents and how he was a celebrity in the Wizarding world. The news, as expected, had hit Harry hard and he had become a bit withdrawn, even now as they were about see a magical market he seemed lost in his thoughts. Phillip gave him a beanie to wear so he wouldn’t be recognized by the scar on his forehead while in Diagon Alley.
The reason they were going to Diagon Alley, and what a ridiculous name that was, was so Charles could become listed as their magical guardians. He had explained this was needed because as of right now he and Harry were still British citizens and thus belonged to the British wizarding world, which had strict rules against non-magicals who weren’t blood relatives being magical children’s legal guardians in their world. Thus Phillip couldn’t be their guardian in this instance since he didn’t have any magic.
As it was, until their American citizenship was approved, which had already been submitted along with papers for their adoption by Mr. Coulson, Charles was needed in order to keep them from being placed with some magical family by the Ministry of Magic which was their form of government. A scenario that needed to be cautioned against not only because of Harry’s celebrity status but also because of the amount of power the both of them would wield in the future.
Dudley didn’t get a lot of what they were trying to say about how important this was but he understood enough to know that he and Harry would have to wary of people in the future who would want to use them for their own means. He wasn’t quite sure yet if the two of them fell into that category but would give them the benefit of the doubt for now since they hadn’t done anything to make him really question their motives.
Plus he had a whole week to decide if living with Coulson was the way to go since they would be staying with him in his apartment in New York as soon as things were wrapped up in Britain. A sort of ‘trial run’ he’d said.
They walked into the Leakey Cauldron and Dudley’s nose was assaulted with a musky, alcohol tinged smell. Dudley looked around as his eyes adjusted to the low lighting in the place which was supplied by torches of all things. Looks like Coulson hadn’t been kidding when he said British wizards were stuck in the past. Though he hadn’t thought it would be that far back!
He saw some people dressed in clothes he’d only seen in plays and history books, yet they looked decidedly ‘witchy’ due to the fact many of them wore those pointed hats which are often associated with witches. Some of them he noted were using magic, like one of them was twirling his finger which was causing the spoon in his tea to stir itself without touching it, and another seemed to be conjuring flames for some reason.
The place itself looked much older on the inside than it did on the outside, though it wasn’t necessarily falling apart it did look aged. Not to mention it looked pretty dusty and the floors were smudged, giving the impression that cleanliness wasn’t a priority at this place.
Dudley knew without a doubt that this was a place his mother would have never taken him, let alone let him step foot into. The bartender looked scraggly with his unshaven beard, dingy clothes and slightly toothless smile which he flashed at them as they moved towards the back of the place.
Entering through a door they ended up outside in an enclosed space that resembled an alley facing a brick wall. He was just about to ask what was going on when Charles lifted his hand and suddenly the brick wall began to fold away revealing a street filled with shops that went farther than his eyes could see and was slightly bustling with people.
“Welcome to Diagon Alley,” said Charles jovially.
Dudley barely registered his words as he stared openmouthed at all that he was seeing. If he had had any doubt before that there was a magical community, which he hadn’t, that doubt would definitely had been gone now. This was too unbelievable to be anything but magic.
He looked over at Harry who had also turned his way. The moment their eyes met, Dudley could see the same amazement he knew to be in his eyes was also in Harry’s.
The place looked straight out of a fairy tale. He could hardly take everything in as they walked down the street.
There were owls of all kinds flying overhead, there was a store displaying animal parts in barrels, what looked to be a huge bookstore displaying posters whose images actually moved and another displaying broomsticks with a sign that said Quality Quidditch Supplies.
There was so much to see but he and Harry weren’t allowed a chance to stop and browse as their chaperones ushered them toward a huge, imposing building made out of what looked like white marble. The name Gringotts was proudly displayed on the buildings front.
Dudley felt a sudden nervousness wash over him as they ascended the steps of the building. That nervous feeling only increased when he saw the armed guards, goblins he was told, standing vigilantly outside the building along with a warning proudly displayed on the building’s doors.
Exactly what kind of bank was this?
With Charles taking the lead and Phillip bringing up the rear they walked briskly into the building and straight to the first unoccupied teller. Charles stood patiently waiting to be addressed.
The goblin was mostly bald with a domed head and a smattering of white hair on its head. It had fair skin, a pointed nose and ears, along with slanted black eyes. He also took note of the fact it had very long fingers. The goblin seemed to be busy writing away into what looked to be a ledger. The nameplate in front of it read, “Account Manager: Steelfang.”
For almost a whole minute they waited for it to acknowledge them, even though it hadn’t looked up even once and there was no bell to be rung to get his attention. Then all of a sudden it put down the quill it was writing with and looked up.
“How may I assist you today?” Well, now Dudley knew without a doubt that the creature was male.
Charles was polite and to the point. “We need to speak with the Gringotts Head Urruk. Please tell him that Endurants Charles Williams and Phillip Coulson seek an audience with him, and that Earth’s protection is our goal.”
The teller who had previously seemed disinterested, had a weird play of emotions on his face. They went from narrowed in suspicion to alight with urgent understanding.
Steelfang nodded. “I’ll be right back. Please wait a moment.” Hopping down from the stool on which he was perched the teller ambled his way towards a set of doors behind him.
As they waited Dudley looked around the place, taking in the weirdly dressed wizards and witches, along with the goblins going about their daily business. He couldn’t help but realize after noticing some of the stares they were receiving that his group were the ones probably considered weirdly dressed. No one around them looked close to being dressed the same.
Turning his attention away from what was around him, he looked up at both Charles and Phillip.
“So, what exactly are we doing here?”
Phillip looked at Charles with a raised brow as if silently asking him the same question.
Charles simply looked amused at it all. “We are here to legally adopt you two, both magically and non-magically, thus ensuring that someone won’t just be able to come and take you two away and place you wherever they please. Also, we’ll probably be checking up on the state of the inheritance that Harry’s parents left him. Just to make sure everything’s in order. “
“Inheritance?” interjected Harry with confusion.
“Yes, inheritance. I hope you didn’t think your parents left you with nothing? You belong to a very ancient and noble wizarding family Harry. There’s a rich history for you to learn, explore, and no doubt add to.”
“Oh…that’s good I suppose. My aunt and uncle never really talked about my parents.”
The two men with them frowned as they briefly looked at each other. Phillip spoke first, “Well, I’ll do my best to find out everything I can about them so you can know them. Is that alright with you?”
Harry beamed. “That would be great. Thanks.”
Phillip simply nodded with a small smile.
The teller came back soon afterwards accompanied by another goblin who seemed a little taller than he was.
“Head Urruk will see you now. Please follow Ragnok and he will take you to him.”
Charles gave a small bow to the teller in thanks before following after Ragnok with them falling in line after him.
Walking through the bank to meet Urruk was like being in a maze. At least in Dudley’s opinion. They made so many turns down corridors that he stopped counting after the tenth one. He wouldn’t be able to find his way out this place if his life depended on it. The only guess he could make at having the maze like corridors was so to discourage thieves or at least make it easier to catch them.
After what felt like a lifetime but was really probably five minutes they finally reached a large set of double doors embossed with the letters, “Urruk, Head Banker.” Standing beside the doors were two goblins dressed in full armor and carrying halberds along with daggers at their sides. The two seemed to become especially alert at their presence.
Ragnok, unconcerned, continued to move straight towards the doors. Dudley half expected him to push the doors open himself but was surprised when they opened of their own accord. Without halting they followed him straight into Urruk’s office.
Dudley was stunned to say the least by the lavish extravagance of the room. It was decorated much like how he would imagined a king’s office would be. There were beautifully made tapestries hanging from the wall, those ancient and expensive looking rugs his mum often admired on the telly, rich portraits of what he guessed where ancestors or goblins of important note, a large uniquely designed desk, mounted animal heads (many of which he couldn’t identify), and many, many different kinds of weapons.
The goblin in question looked quite ancient in comparison to the ones he’d seen in the bank’s lobby. And honestly that was saying something.
His skin was far more wrinkled, his head was balding with liver spots visible, and the little hair he had was completely white. Like the rest of his species his eyes were beady and black, and his expression didn’t seem capable of being inviting.
Dudley stood nervously beside Harry as Charles and Urruk seemed to have some sort of stare down before the goblin motioned with his hand for them to sit at the chairs which had been arranged around his desk.
He quickly grabbed a chair and anxiously waited to see what would happen next. He didn’t have to wait long.
“The time is coming, my friend,” were Charles ominous words, and they more than set the tone for the remainder of the visit.
********************************************
“This is a joke right? Any moment now Ashton Kutcher is going to jump out with that goofy looking grin on his face and tell me I’m being punk’d isn’t he? Right? Pepper?”
Tony Stark could only hope that his assumption was right, because the alternative was more than he was willing to deal with. Only moments ago his soulmate, best friend, closest confidante, assistant and most amazing woman he knew had told him she now had a son, more accurately cousin, whom she was now going to be taking care of.
He really wished he was drunk for this.
“No, Tony,” said Pepper tiredly. “Neville’s now my responsibility and as such there will be times when I will need to be there for him or have to bring him along with me to work. I’m telling you this so not only can you be aware as my employer but also because you’re my soulmate and you deserve to know about such a big change in my life like this.”
Tony sighed. He knew he shouldn’t be giving Pepper flak about informing him of something that really wasn’t his business, especially since she was asking him to be okay with this when she didn’t need to.
To be honest it wasn’t even her adopting a kid that was really bothering him. What was bugging him was that this had undoubtedly changed things, and call him selfish but he didn’t really like change that he hadn’t played a role in instituting. There was also the fact that now with the responsibility of taking care of a child on her hands, Pepper wouldn’t be devoting as much time to him, which he admitted that he unfairly demanded, as she usually did.
Another thing bothering him that he hadn’t anticipated was slight disappointment. Though they had done the dating thing and ultimately come to the conclusion they weren’t meant for each other in the romantic sense, there was a part of him that had held out hope that they just needed time to grow (him mostly), and after that happened they would find they really were right for one another.
Honestly, he didn’t really know why he was holding out so much hope for Pepper to be the one for him, especially when he still had three other marks unaccounted for. Well, actually he did know why mostly. Pepper was an amazing woman there was no doubt about that, but the fact of the matter was that they both had more opportunities to find the person who was exactly right for them.
Tony sighed internally. Maybe this was just a sign that he should completely let that small hope he held go. While he didn’t exactly hate or dislike kids, there were no plans in his future that included having them, which was one of the things they had often been at odds against.
But, no matter happened in the future he would be there for her, just as he was sure she would be there for him.
“So…how’d the kid come about being in your custody anyway? I know you wanted children but I assumed they’d be yours after you married and settled down, you know?”
Pepper sighed and ran a hand through her auburn locks. “Yeah me too, but Neville needs me. I’m the only family he has right now.”
Tony nodded resignedly. “I understand Pepper. I really do.”
The two were silent for a few moments before Tony inevitably broke it.
“So, do I get to meet the little rugrat?”
Pepper rolled her eyes. “Yes, he’s waiting patiently in my office. I’m telling you right now that you better behave yourself Tony Stark, or else.”
Tony was tempted to make a joke in the face of Pepper’s threat but the words died in his throat at seeing the seriousness of her words in her eyes. Instead he simply nodded while schooling his expression. He would try not to be too much of an ass for her. Try being the operative word.
She observed him for several seconds, seeming to test the truth of his promise. Satisfied she turned away from him walking out of his office to get Neville.
A minute later she appeared with a young boy about five years old with dark blonde hair, blue green eyes and a slightly pudgy face. He could faintly see his resemblance to Pepper with their chin and cheekbones.
The boy shyly looked up at him while clutching tightly to Pepper’s hand, only moving forward when she had already done so.
Tony's first impression? The kid didn't look like much and seemed to be incredibly shy and clingy. Definitely a coddled only child. Of course, the little munchkin was likely just learning to adjust to his new surroundings, and dealing with his grandmother’s death.
“Neville, this is my soulmate and boss, Tony Stark. Tony, this is Neville Longbottom,” introduced Pepper calmly.
“Hello Neville, it’s nice to meet you.” Tony smiled winningly at the kid but decided not to approach any further since the kid seemed like he would take off if he did with the way he was clutching Pepper’s hand.
“Hello, pleased to meet you, sir,” returned Neville with a surprisingly confident voice and steady gaze fixed on Tony.
Well, seems like the kid isn’t completely spineless.
“Well, I have a meeting to attend in about five minutes. It shouldn’t more than two hours which should be plenty of time for you two to get to know each other.
“What!” shouted Tony in alarm, turning towards Pepper hoping she was kidding. Little Neville seemed to share his opinion because he also looked up at Pepper with wide eyed concern.
“I need you to watch Neville for the next two hours,” said Pepper slowly as if talking to a child. She turned towards Neville, ignoring Tony’s protests. “Neville, I need you to stay with Tony for a bit, okay. I know you’ve only just met him but I trust Tony, he’ll take good care of you until I come back. Do you think you can manage without me for a little while?”
Neville face scrunched up as he seemed to be thinking things over. He briefly looked over at Tony looking him up and down before returning to Pepper. There was slight hesitation in his eyes before he nodded.
Pepper let out a sigh of relief. Pulling Neville into a quick hug, “I promise I’ll be back as soon as I can.” Releasing him she turned to fix Tony with a stern expression while mouthing “behave.” Then she turned on her heel and left.
Awkward silence filled the room the moment Pepper left. Neither he nor Neville had moved an inch or stopped staring at each other. Feeling a little weirded out and out of his depths, Tony decided to do what he was best at. Talk to fill in the silence.
“So…” Tony looked over at little Neville who steadily looked back albeit nervously. “Are you hungry?”
Neville nodded after a few seconds of hesitation before remembering his manners. “Yes, sir.”
Tony frowned at that. “Don’t call me Sir, kid. Tony works just fine.”
“Ok, Neville works just fine too,” responded Neville a little more confidently.
A grin spread across Tony’s face at that little bit of snark. “Ah, so there’s the family resemblance to Pepper! I think the two of us will get along just fine Nev.” Tony moved to lightly clap Neville on the back, resting a hand on his shoulder.
Neville barely refrained from rolling his eyes at his new nickname. He supposed it was progress, it was a lot closer to his real name than “kid” was.
“I’m feeling a little in the mood for Italian. How does pizza sound to you? We can probably play video games while we eat till Pepper comes back. I’m pretty sure there’s a couple of game systems in my office that some companies have sent me. Fair warning Nev, I will not go easy on you just because you’re young. As my old man would say, “adversity builds character” or something like that? Anyway, that cool with you?”
Neville simply stared at Tony as if he was an alien. “Umm, what’s pizza? And what are video games?”
The grin immediately fell from Tony’s face as he stared at Neville in shock.
“Seriously?! You don’t know what...! Oh kid, I’m definitely fixing this!”
Exactly two hours and twenty-three minutes later Virginia “Pepper” Potts left a particularly frustrating meeting. She had been anxious about leaving Neville alone with Tony but she had high hopes that he would be responsible just this once. Or, at the very least not be too irresponsible.
As Pepper got closer to his office she could hear loud sounds emanating from it. Over the noise of what sounded like a television she could hear Tony and Neville’s voices. Slightly concerned she picked up the pace as professionally as she could to hurry and see what was going on.
Opening the double doors, Pepper was met with a sight that while not unsurprising, still aroused disbelief in her.
In front of her were Tony and Neville sitting on bean bag chairs (that had definitely not been there before) playing video games. A racing one from what she could discern. Surrounding them were several open boxes of pizza, breadsticks, candy and cans of soda. While there was only a little sauce in Tony’s beard, most of Neville face was covered in sauce along with his hands and clothes.
Pepper was just about to open her mouth to berate Tony when she got a good look at Neville’s face. His eyes were bright with mirth and a huge grin covered his face as he laughed while trying to beat Tony at the game. This was the happiest she’d seen him since he was put into her care a week ago.
Likewise Tony was quipping away seeming to immensely be enjoying himself.
Pepper couldn’t help but simply stand and observe the scene. While she knew this was probably a fluke, and no way would she probably be able to get Tony to watch Neville again, it was nice to see he was pretty good with kids.
No sooner had that thought faded than she remembered there was a particular subject she needed to discuss with Tony.
Well maybe this will help with delivering the news. Either way Tony definitely won’t be thrilled.
After all it had been years since he’d even seen the girl. She doubted he even remembered he had a goddaughter.