Chapter Text
Tony was pouring himself a whiskey as the Avengers, all except Thor, learned the news. The video call had started out as normal, as "normal" as an Avengers meeting could be, but as soon as he mentioned he had a son, everything spiraled out of control.
Natasha and Clint were somewhere unknown. Tony didn't want to know exactly where: Clint was covered in flour from head to toe, and Natasha had bloodstains all over her body. Tony prayed it was ketchup or some other food sauce, but he wasn't optimistic.
It took Steve Rogers half an hour just to figure out how to turn on the camera and microphone. To make matters worse, he accidentally put a unicorn skin on the screen, but nobody said a word; the moment was far too chaotic to comment on imaginary colors and horns.
Bruce Banner was in his lab, focused on an experiment Tony had no idea what it was. He knew the result would likely involve explosions, smoke, or both.
And, of course, Stephen Strange was present only because Tony had decided that his son needed "some professional magical guidance," and Strange was going to be forced to pay attention.
Meanwhile, Tony twirled the whiskey glass between his fingers, exhaling slowly. "Okay, guys... yes, I have a son. And before you make any comments, no, I wasn't planning this. Well... I wasn't planning this at all."
The camera showed Thor in the background, arms crossed, with that Norse god look that said "this is going to be interesting".
The barrage of questions began before Tony could finish his whiskey.
"Two Tonys?!" Bruce lamented, rubbing his temples. "Now there'll be one more Tony, and that doesn't sound good at all. It's going to be the end of the world; we're all going to die."
"Wait, wait, wait!" interrupted Steve, still with the unicorn skin on the screen. "When did this happen? Why didn't you tell us? And how the hell do I remove this from the unicorn?"
Natasha frowned, pointing her finger at the camera as if she could pierce it. "Tony, I want answers, and I won't accept excuses."
Clint nodded gravely, even though his hands were covered in flour and his clothes were stained. "Yes, Tony. I demand a full explanation!"
Stephen Strange, arms crossed and with one eyebrow raised, intervened with that mixture of patience and disdain that always accompanied him: "So your son is a magician? Because if he isn't, I'm still trying to understand why you called me."
Tony sighed, setting his whiskey glass down on the table and giving a look that said, "This is going to be a long one." "Okay, okay, calm down. Yes, I have a son. Yes, he's a wizard. And no, I wasn't planning on telling him yet. Bruce, you can't complain, it's not like you're going to be replaced... yet. And yes, Stephen, I only called you to ask you to be his teacher; I'm planning to transfer him from Hogwarts to Ilvermorny. When you get to the tower, the Minister for Magic will be waiting to explain everything."
Steve let out a dramatic sigh, throwing his hands up as if he were about to faint. "But this changes everything! Everything! Tony, this is important, it's...crazy!"
"Steve, calm down," Tony said. "I promise I'll explain everything step by step, but let's calm down before someone brings out the big guns."
Natasha rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "I hope so, because if your son is going to be under our protection, we need to know everything."
Clint nodded solemnly, clenching his fists. "Everything. Every detail."
Stephen frowned, the cloak billowing slightly behind him. "So what do you think we're going to do about this? How do we train him, how do we protect him? I need plans."
Tony leaned back on the desk, resigned but with a wry smile. "Fine, then let's do this: one by one, questions, answers. When you get back to the tower, I'll give you a lecture."
Harry, on the other side of the table, silently watched the video call. Every second felt like controlled chaos, but at the same time, he couldn't help but smile a little. For the first time, he felt that there were someone—many people, really—whom he could truly count on.
Harry had already lost count of how many questions the Avengers had asked him: about his enemies, how to protect him, his allies, how Tony had discovered he had a son, why no one had known before... and a hundred more questions that Harry, frankly, didn't even listen to.
"And here I present to you the love of my life, the most beautiful and intelligent being after me, Harrison James Anthony Potter/Stark Evans," Tony announced, turning the camera to show Harry on screen.
Harry blushed immediately and waved shyly.
"Tony... are you sure that's your son? He's too cute," Natasha commented with a smile.
"Introduce yourselves," Tony ordered with a proud smile.
"You don't order us around," Clint replied gravely, though with a hint of amusement in his voice.
"As long as you live in my tower, I can do it," Tony retorted, shrugging his shoulders.
One by one, the Avengers introduced themselves:
"Clint Barton, reformed assassin," said Clint, nodding solemnly.
"Natasha Romanoff, reformed assassin," Natasha added, her brow slightly furrowed, though her smile betrayed amusement.
"Bruce Banner... green monster," Bruce muttered, glancing at Tony to warn him not to make any jokes. Tony just gave him a mocking smile.
Steve sighed, rolled his eyes, and finally gave Harry his characteristic friendly smile. "Steve Rogers... I'm probably the old guy," he said, with a touch of self-deprecating humor.
"Stephen Strange, Sorcerer Supreme," Strange concluded, arms crossed and with his usual air of superiority floating even on the screen.
Harry watched them one by one, marveling, confused, and amused all at once. For the first time in a long time, he felt there were truly extraordinary people around him... and now, somehow, he was part of it too.
"W-Well, I'm Harry Potter....or well, now Harry Stark, I guess."