GotSIS Ch.31: Iron And Magic- Part II

12th December 2008

Tony Stark’s Mansion, Malibu

“So, are you like Gandalf?” Tony’s voice cut through the momentary silence, only a few seconds after the suitcase had been opened. “Matilda? Jafar? Willow? Glinda… the good witch? Seriously, which one are you the closest to?”

Harry let out a long sigh before pondering over the question. “In the interest of accuracy, surprisingly, Willow. Except, you know? She’s a witch, and I don’t have as much to do with Vampires. Other differences aside—”

“Wait, are Vampires real?” Tony asked suddenly, unfurling a roll of blueprint before tossing it aside with a roll of his eyes. “You know, just out of curiosity? If magic’s real, I mean, why not vampires?”

Harry felt a stab of irritation at being interrupted. “Yes, Tony. Vampires are real and very much dangerous. You shouldn’t go in search of them, even in your suit. You’ll likely not find them at all, and if you do, they might crush it with you still inside. And yes, before you ask, Dracula is real too. Real and thriving, while keeping his head low.”

“You’ve got to be shitting me.” Tony’s eyes widened. “Dracula’s real? Also, if the vampires are real, are you a vampire slayer too.”

“Tony, let me get some things straight by introducing myself properly.” Harry said, waving his arm with a flourish, sending ribbons of magic floating across the lab that drew Tony’s attention. “I’m a wizard— or more appropriately, a Sorcerer. I have the ability to manipulate different energies of the Universe and shape them with my will, enabling me to affect the physical and metaphysical world.” 

The ribbons curved and in image of the Earth hoovered between them, golden shields flaring across its surface, representing the world shield. The Golden magic reflected in Tony’s brown eyes that were fixed on the image of the Earth and Harry smiled slightly.

“Alongside the other Sorcerers of Earth, it is my job to protect the world from extra-dimensional threats that seek to harm it.” Harry said, drawing his attention. “Threats of the mystical variety. Threats that do not necessarily come from the physical world.”

Harry let the image and the magic fade and Tony looked up.

“That’s why you said Willow. I must say, you’ve got it right down to fighting evil and stuff with magic.” Tony gave him a quick grin. “Also, you said extra-dimensional threats… Do you mean alien? Because if that is true, you’ll shake the world.” He frowned. “Wait, are you an alien or part-alien yourself, which gives you the ability to do magic?” Tony’s eyes widened. “A British Alien?”

“Yes, no, and no,” Harry answered with a frown. “Why does everyone ask if I’m an alien whenever I tell them this? Do I look like an alien?”

“No, but strange abilities that transcend what we know? The mind makes the connection automatically,” Tony answered. “Why? Has someone asked you that before?”

“Yeah, Fury.” Harry snorted. “And he had fewer questions than you did. But to answer it, I’m totally human. I was born in Britain to very much human parents. The ability to do magic doesn’t make me an alien, no more than being a genius makes you one— I read the files. Your IQ blows Einstein’s out of the water, apparently.”

“It doesn’t do me much good now that there are people who can blow science out of the water with a wave of their hand.” Tony pointed a thin metal pen at him. “I mean, you turned a gear into a goddamn rabbit. You violated the conservation of mass and decimated about a dozen scientific theories with a wave of your hand. Do you realize how absolutely mind blowing that is?”

“No, that’s—” Harry ran a hand through his hair. “It is not like that. Magic doesn’t just bypass science automatically. Science and magic aren’t opposites either. In civilizations which are advanced enough, they’re regarded as one and the same— Alien worlds, yes, but I’m not getting into that today,” Harry said sharply as he noted the look on Tony’s face. “I’m not denying that if magic goes about, a lot of current scientific theories and beliefs would have to be amended or completely removed.” 

“Because we’re working on incomplete information. No one knows about the existence of magic, which is a whole new variable that throws everything else in for a loop.” Tony deduced. “Which, of course, changes everything that we know in turn.”

“A lot of things but not everything,” Harry corrected. “As I said, Magic and science aren’t so different. Yes, they’re two different ends of a spectrum, yet they fall in the same spectrum. You see, Magic is the manipulation and shaping of energy to affect the physical and metaphysical world. While Science, on the other hand, is the manipulation of the physical world to affect energies and the metaphysical world.” He paused. “Even if the latter is yet to be accomplished by Earth’s scientists and engineers, make no mistake, it can be done.”

Tony tilted his head. “Interesting. So, what you’re saying is that Clarke was right.” Tony said, before adding at Harry’s raised eyebrow. "Arthur C. Clarke. Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.”

Harry nodded in understanding. “Yeah. I suppose that’s accurate to a good degree, especially with conventional magic— of course, there are exceptions, but that’s the overly complicated and powerful stuff.”

Tony opened his mouth before freezing and whirling around as an electronic ding rang through the lab, and Coulson pulled the door open, walking in.

“Security breach!” Tony exclaimed. “How’d you bypass the security lock?”

“You’re supposed to be working,” Coulson said curtly. “Harry, you can go home if you wish. Mr. Stark has to keep working and not be distracted by magic talk, however interesting that is. If any situation develops and we need you to stabilize his health, I’ll give you a call. You needn’t stay here.”

“I would prefer he does. He’s good conversation, and I like him already,” Tony chimed in, walking around and putting a hand on Harry’s shoulder. “Though I still don’t know what your boss wants me to do. So if you can enlighten me, please do, Fury junior.”

Harry raised an eyebrow at the two calling his shots, but before he could, he spotted Coulson smiling a smile that he had only seen once in Bahrain when Coulson had gone to confront an approaching army. 

“I’ve been tasked by Director Fury to keep you on premises and have you work for your own cure,” Coulson’s voice seemed like steel. “Your life's on the line, and I hope you realize how close you’re to dying if you do not figure out the solution to your problem.”

“I understand that—”

“If you attempt to play any games or wriggle out of here, I’ll happily tase you and watch Supernanny while you drool into the carpet,” Coulson continued as if Tony hadn’t spoken. “Director Fury is of the mind that you can figure out the solution to this and stop being a problem to us and go back to being an asset. I usually differ to him in matters like these, so it is for both our benefit that you don’t prove him wrong.”

“Right.” Tony nodded warily. “Why don’t you head down to the coffee bean, Cross Creek, for a Starbucks run or something like that, that’d be nice. Even Magic Man might want something.”

Harry could swear he felt Coulson’s blood pressure rise. “I’m not here for that. Get back to work, Mr. Stark. Now.”

“I’ve already started.” Tony rolled up a blue scroll from his desk, and Harry realized that Tony had actually started working while they had been talking, barely giving any indication that he had been. “J, put all this on my personal server. Scan everything and compare what’s new with the Stark database on the arc reactor.” Tony spread his arms. “Anything else?”

“No.”

“I have something else,” Harry said quietly, and they both turned to him. “Whether I stay here or not isn’t either of your call to make. If I want to leave, there’s nothing you can do to stop me.” He glared at Tony, who had the courtesy to look mildly abashed. “And if I want to dump this mission, there’s nothing Fury can do either. This is not what I signed up to SHIELD for. I’m only here because he is going to be an Avenger.”

“Understood. My apologies.” Coulson bowed his head. “It was just a suggestion. Mr. Stark has to work, and you’re not helping if he keeps asking you questions about magic.”

“For the record, my work started the moment I opened the box,” Tony said quietly, and holographic screens lit up across the lab. “Talking keeps my mind from wandering. It’s a problem of high IQ. My mind? It keeps spiraling unless I’ve something to work on. More than one thing at that.” He glanced at Harry. “Also, I appreciate that he’s answering the questions. And who knows? This impossible solution might have an answer in magic. The Arc reactor works on nuclear energy, after all. And magic is the ability to shape energies, isn’t it?”

Coulson smiled. “Then I suppose that the two of you can figure it out. Good luck.” 

He gave Harry a slight nod before striding away, the glass door to the lab locking behind him automatically.

“Jarvis, reconfigure the security systems of the mansion,” Tony said aloud, walking up to a screen, which lit up as he approached. “And what’re the results?”

“The reactor designs bear an eighty-percent similarity to the arc reactor installed at the headquarters of Stark Industries until Miss Potts blew it up.” A disembodied voice said, and Harry twitched. “If anything, the current designs are far more of an improvement, sir.”

“That’s my AI,” Tony said absently. “Don’t mind him.”

Harry nodded and silently conjured an armchair, sitting down on it, causing Tony’s head to snap up and blink in astonishment. 

“Did you just make that chair?” He questioned, pointing a thin pen-like device at it. “If yes, that’s insane.”

“It’ll disappear in a couple of days,” Harry said. “It’s a temporary construct which will vanish the moment the magic runs out.” Harry shrugged. “I know you’re probably curious, but I cannot tell you everything in a single day.”

“Yeah, I can understand that,” Tony said. “But I’ve got so many questions. What you’re doing— given this isn’t all just a fever dream from the palladium poisoning, changes everything.” 

“This isn’t a fever dream.” Harry’s lips twitched, and the amulet warmed as he remembered Luna’s serene smile as the words she had said long ago slipped past his tongue. “You’re just as sane as I am.”

“Let’s hope so,” Tony muttered.

He picked up a notebook and flipped through it before putting it aside and pulling out something that looked like video cassettes, which Harry hadn’t seen since Vernon had told him to throw out the attic junk when he was a child. And that was saying a lot since this world seemed miles ahead in technological aspects as compared to his own. 

“Can you make me a cassette player, Magic Man? I can probably get a projector or a TV, it has to be here somewhere…” He looked around. “But I need something to play these ancient junks.”

“I’ve no clue how to make one. And even if I did, I doubt it’d work, really.” Harry summoned a cassette into his hand. “I could figure out a way to play it, but I’ve never done anything like that before.”

“How’re you supposed to help me then? No offense, just curious here.” Tony frowned. “You said you don’t know much science, and I don’t suppose you can create a magic potion to cure palladium poisoning or conjure a replacement for the palladium. Or have one at hand.”

“Truthfully, I’ve no clue how I’m supposed to help you create a nuclear reactor the size of a tennis ball. Coulson said that I was supposed to make you believe that you haven’t tried everything, and I did that.” Harry answered. “Also, I suppose Fury wanted us to meet.”

“I suppose. You’re in his super-secret boy band too. Which is the only reason you’re meeting me right now.” Tony met his eyes. “Mind you, I still haven’t accepted.” 

Harry shrugged. “It is my job to protect Earth, regardless of whether I work with the other Sorcerers or with SHIELD. The thing is, SHIELD pays consultants well, and I figured it couldn’t hurt to have them on your side. Or be there in case they stumble on something they ought to stay away from.” Harry snorted. “Plus, I thought their connection to the governments and the military might turn out to be useful someday.” 

Tony raised an eyebrow. “You can do magic, but you still need guns and missiles?”

“Not really. Missiles might probably come in helpful, but we’ve spells that could pack a similar punch without much collateral damage. The thing with most mystical threats is that some are either invisible or rather fast. Or well armored.” Harry glanced at the suits. “You might be capable of hurting them because your suit has energy weapons— pure energy is rather effective against a lot of creatures.”

“That’s good to know,” he murmured. “And I suppose SHIELD will have a few of them too.”

“To be honest, I didn’t partner with them for weapons. At the beginning, I figured that they’re basically overglorified law enforcement with military equipment.” Harry grinned as Tony barked a laugh, before continuing. “I thought that they could save us Sorcerers, the effort of ensuring that civilians don’t fall in the line of fire and help us keep our secret from the general public.” 

Tony nodded. “I’m guessing you didn’t use the words in front of Captain Hook. Or he would’ve gotten an aneurysm.”

“Of course not.” He paused. “Though, in fairness, they turned out to be a lot more than law enforcement now that I’ve actually experienced some of the work they do.”

Tony nodded, his jaw tightening as he fiddled with another blueprint before throwing it aside. He picked up the notebook, with the metal pen and a small device, putting them on the desk, before heavily turning around.

“My dad founded SHIELD, you know?” Tony said suddenly. “I suppose that’s how SHIELD has this stuff. He and all his buddies decided that spy organizations and other government bodies were crossing lines and far too vested in their own self-interest. So, they all pulled strings to ensure world security.” A little smile twitched on his lips. “My godmother was one of them, too. She was the director when my parents died. She broke the news to me.” 

“Peggy Carter,” Harry whispered. “I know her.”

Tony’s head snapped toward him. “How? She retired over fifteen years ago. You can’t be over twenty-five. Heck, you look closer to twenty.”

“I’m twenty-three. And I didn’t meet her as the Director of SHIELD. I met her as one of my friend’s aunt. Great aunt, actually. She somehow immediately recognized that I’m, well, an enhanced.”

“Well, that’s her for you.” He shook his head. “I think SHIELD was a lot different under her. Now— Nevermind.”

Harry frowned. “No, tell me. Now what?”

“Your buddies at SHIELD— they’ve known I was dying since at least July. That’s when Natalie—or whatever her name is-joined Stark Industries.” Tony gazed into a screen, the blue light throwing shadows across his face. “They’ve had all of this since then, and they came to me only now. When I was down to counting days instead of weeks and months.” He looked up, staring Harry right in the eyes. “Don’t you think that’s a bit—oh, I don’t know? Manipulative?”

Harry felt his eyebrows rise, and he slowly inclined his head. “To be fair, I don’t know for sure. I personally didn’t even know that you were ill till a couple of hours ago.” Harry chewed the inside of his cheek. “I won’t deny that it certainly sounds manipulative when you put it like that. For one, the more desperate you are, the more you will feel like you owe them. And having a billionaire superhero who owes you his very life is something great to have in your pocket.”

Tony nodded, turning back to the screen before picking up the notebook that had been in the suitcase. “I’m glad that it’s not just me thinking that.”

“Fury is manipulative, I won’t deny that. I knew as much about him from the moment I met him. I read him… in a magical way. But I also found that he has the best interests of Earth at heart. And while he’s deeply, disturbingly paranoid, he still believes in one thing above all others— people. And above them, in heroes.”

“I know Peggy wouldn’t have chosen him lightly,” Tony said. “But he rubs me the wrong way. Heck, I almost like Fury Junior better.”

“Coulson’s a friend. A good one,” Harry said. “I would go as far as to say that I’ll trust him with my life. He’s a good, brave man. And for one, he’s a lot more empathic than Fury is.”

“I suppose,” Tony muttered. “Okay, I need your help. If I show you parts of a cassette player, can you magic them up? I’ll assemble it if I have the parts.”

“If you show me the part— even an image, I can conjure it,” Harry said, shrugging. 

“Great. J? Get up the holographic images and disassemble a nineteen-eighties cassette player for him. Let’s hope that these tapes help me figure out what I’m supposed to do.”

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12th December 2008

Royal Hall, Asgard 

Cheers and applause rang through the grand, golden halls of Asgard as the Mjolnir cracked with lightning, raised high in the hands of its wielder, who grinned at the assembled crowd. He tossed the hammer mid-strike, catching it again and pointing it at the jubilant crowd, chuckling as his friend and his mother rolled their eyes at him.

He waved at the crowd, which grew wilder with each step toward the throne, where Odin sat, his single eye staring down at the assembled realm.

Turning around, he rested the Mjolnir on the ground, before kneeling in front of the All Father, giving his mother a brief grin and wink, who in turn shook her head warningly. He gave a smile to his dear friends, the warriors three, before looking up and waiting.

Up the staired dias, Odin rose, his spear banging on the ground with a ringing gong that echoed through Asgard. The crowd quietened, and he felt his heart drum in his chest, feeling the thunderstorm pound in his veins.

“Thor Odinson,” His father’s voice rang. “My Heir. My firstborn. So long entrusted with the mighty hammer, Mjolnir, forged in the heart of a dying star. Its power has no equal as a weapon to destroy or as a tool to build. ‘Tis a fit companion for a king.” Odin glanced down at him. “I have defended Asgard and the lives of the innocent across the nine realms in the time of the great beginning. Now it is time for me to pass on my mantle to a worthy heir.”

Thor’s breath hitched as he heard the words, bowing his head as anticipation thundered in his chest.

“Kingship is a great burden and a great responsibility. It is not an endeavor for the weak. And it is a pledge, not to the throne, but to all the innocents of the nine realms.” He met Thor’s eyes. “Do you swear to guard the nine realms?” 

“I swear,” Thor said solemnly.

“Do you swear to preserve the peace?” 

“I swear.”

“Do you swear to cast aside all selfish ambition and to pledge yourself only to the good of the realms?”

Thor raised Mjolnir. “I swear!”

“Then on this day, I, Odin All Father, will proclaim you…” Odin froze, his single eye flicking up, glowing with power. 

Thor felt the smile slip off his face and dread welled in his chest as Odin didn’t resume, his grip on the Gungnir tightening. Around the room, the crowd seemed to grow restless while his mother tensed too.

Then, Odin spoke two words, chilling Thor to the bone.

“Frost Giants.”

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12th December 2008

Tony Stark’s Mansion, Malibu

“So, how did SHIELD get you on board?” Tony’s voice cut through the hum of the golden magic as Harry slowly levitated the parts he had conjured, assembling them as the holograph showed. “I’m guessing all Sorcerers are a separate entity from SHIELD?”

“We are,” Harry turned his finger in a quick circle and the screws screwed themselves into the right places. “I’m technically a liaison between the Sorcerers and SHIELD. As for how SHIELD found me, well, I happened to stumble across one of their agents who was in trouble. I saved her life, but SHIELD spotted me performing magic, and I got on their radar as an enhanced individual.” Harry shrugged. “After that, they approached me with the Avengers Initiative, and I became a consultant too, on the advice of the Sorcerer Supreme.”

“Sorcerer Supreme sounds like someone important. That’s your leader?” Tony asked, and Harry nodded. “I’m guessing you lot are a lot more powerful than you’ve let on, given that both the super-spies seemed to steer clear of upsetting you. Hell, I’ll go as far as to say that they were polite. Fury’s never been remotely as polite to me.”

Harry shrugged uncomfortably. “I’ll say that we are powerful, especially as compared to SHIELD. The Sorcerers have been protecting Earth for not years or decades but a few millennia.” Tony’s eyes widened. “We existed at the time when gods roamed freely on Earth. SHIELD’s been around for like sixty years. And not only are we older, but we regularly face threats beyond the scope of SHIELD’s wildest dreams.”

“Interesting,” Tony murmured. “This is kinda surreal, you know? Knowing that there exists a whole group of magicians who protect the Earth from unseen threats, and have been for thousands of years, without anyone knowing. Are you all secretly the Illuminati too? Pulling on world strings and events so that stuff you want happens?”

Harry frowned. “I’m not sure what you’re talking about. I know that there’s a secrecy spell that calls upon the power of a deity called the Illuminati, but… we don’t pull strings of humanity. We just protect it. In fact, we refrain from stepping into non-magical affairs unless they threaten the existence of humanity as a whole.” He paused. “Well, as far as I know anyway.”

“I thought you were pretty important, given you were chosen to liaise and all.” Tony quirked an eyebrow.

“That’s not the point. The thing is that the Ancient One— the Sorcerer Supreme, I mentioned, isn’t only a sorcerer. She has the ability to see through time, too. Well, it’s infinite possibilities anyway. And she can’t usually say what she sees, because if she does, that future won’t happen.” Harry grimaced. “Not to mention, she sets events to happen years, if not centuries, in advance if she wants to. We work with what’s in front of us. She works by starting dominoes.”

“That’s, that’s— damn. Not what I expected.” Tony absently scribbled numbers onto the pad. “But seriously? Seeing through time? This Sorcerer Supreme could’ve prevented so many terrible things. And done so much good.”

Harry snorted. “She has. More than you’ll ever even think of. Tony, we are speaking of a woman who has lived for over seven centuries, and I can assure you has saved Earth at least a hundred times over from annihilation. Hell, I have saved it twice already in the past couple of years. Imagine what she could do in seven hundred with all her knowledge and power.”

“I’m guessing that the Sorcerer Supreme— she’s probably the biggest, baddest wizard of all of you?” 

“Kinda, yes.” Harry nodded, waving his fingers to assemble another part of the cassette player. “Sorcerer Supremes aren’t chosen lightly, and even once chosen, they’re judged by the Eye of Agamotto, which is a relic, or in other words, a magical object of great power. They’re judged for their worthiness, and if found worthy, only then do they become the Sorcerer Supreme.” 

“Sounds wacky.”

Harry rolled his eyes. “It is not a mere position. It is a mantle of power. Power and responsibility greater than any mortal on Earth. Sorcerer Supremes have killed gods in the past for looking at Earth the wrong way.”

Tony’s eyebrows rose. “Cool. Badass and cool. And she chose you to be her representative, not only for SHIELD but their Avengers initiative too. Double cool.”

“Well, yes.” With a wave of his hand, the pieces flew up, and the wires attached themselves in the right places as Harry willed them to, following the instructions that were shown. “Jarvis, is everything correct?”

“So far so good, sir,” The AI replied. “Only the soldering remains now, even though the wires seem to stay in place without it.”

“That’s your job.” The whole thing drifted toward Tony, who got to work, his fingers moving from one wire to the next with practiced ease.

A few minutes later, Harry closed the lid on the top, and screwed it shut, before waving his head to connect the power cord to the power outlet. At the same time, one of the cassettes rose and fitted itself into the device.

“Well, I think we can safely say that it works,” Harry said as the projector flickered on and a video played on the projector screen that Tony had gotten from somewhere. “I must say, I never thought of conjuring the parts and creating a machine, though I wouldn’t have had the first clue how, anyway. Thanks, Jarvis.”

“You’re very welcome, Mr. Potter,” The AI replied. “I’m here to assist.”

“You probably saved me a few hours, allowing me to work on these actual calculations,” Tony added. “Magic’s cool.”

“Thanks,” Harry said. “Where are you yet? Did you figure out what you’ve to do to solve the palladium problem?”

“The math in this is correct. All the variables check out. But the values? They are hypothetical. I mean, if it is achieved… it’ll be as Fury said. It’ll revolutionize energy even more than my current arc reactor does.”

“So achieve it.”

Tony rolled his eyes. “It isn’t that simple. No element can come anywhere near the numbers in here. Hell, this element? As per the calculation, it isn’t even radioactive. Theoretically, it is perfect to solve my problem and a lot more. Hell, with it, I could solve the problem of energy forever.”

“But all of it is just theoretical?” 

“Yes. These calculations… they are based on something that doesn’t exist. It is actually proving that a non-radioactive element, specifically, the one it is deriving, can be used to power arc reactors. So far, all calculations are checking out. But nowhere am I getting the specifics of this element.” He glanced at Harry. “I know what it is supposed to be like, but not what it actually is.”

“Can you make it?”

“Creating an element— one like this?” Tony scoffed. “It should be impossible unless I have an exact blueprint of it. I cannot trial-and-error my way out of this. I don’t have days, let alone years.”

“I can give them to you if you really need them. Reverse some of the poisoning using magic,” Harry said, and Tony glanced at him sharply. “But your body’s vulnerable, and I reckon the poison will spread again, even faster. I could try more complex stuff, and even try healing your heart— but it is not something I’d rather not risk right now unless I need to.” 

Harry omitted mentioning that if he tried with the Soul Stone, he could heal most of Tony’s body, except the shrapnel problem, which was the only thing he wasn’t sure about. As per the SHIELD files he had read, the shrapnel was in some very delicate arteries and dangerously close to Tony’s heart. 

Currently, the electromagnet that the arc reactor powered was just of the right power that kept it firmly in place, not allowing it to move either way, thus protecting Tony while also serving as a pacemaker if needed. 

One wrong move with that and Tony would either end up in cardiac arrest or the sharpnel would end up tearing through his heart’s arteries, causing damning damage— something that’d be counter-productive. While Harry knew that with the stone he could quickly reverse most, if not all, of the damage, he was unsure what would happen to the shrapnel itself if they started moving. In trying to heal Tony’s current wounds, he could potentially cause worse long-term damage.

As far as he knew, the Stone healed wounds. So, he could heal all the current damage. But he had no idea what would happen to the shrapnel. Whether the Stone would vanish the shrapnel, solving the problem once and for all, or leave them in place, only healing the area around them, which, Harry feared, would lead to further complications.

Vanishing them with magic wasn’t an option either, especially when they were so close to the heart. A slight slip-up and it would be goodbye to Tony. Summoning them out was even worse.

Had it been anywhere else, he would have done it. But the heart? One mistake was all it took to kill a man.

“Of course. Even with magic, I suppose only so much can be done— though, what are the limits of magic? And what can you do with it? Like you, or a sorcerer in particular? Energy manipulation seems, well, a broad category.”

“That is because it is. We can do a lot,” Harry said. “There are all the usual powers you can imagine— teleportation, conjuration, curses, shields, elemental magic, telekinesis. Any sorcerer worth their salt could do this. The more powerful and skilled ones can pull off stuff like temporal magics, spatial manipulation, astral magics… and some very complicated stuff. Though most techniques are geared toward combat rather than anything else. ”

Tony nodded in understanding, staring at the projector screen as a man appeared, walking in front of a city model. “Because to protect, you’ve to attack too. I get that.” He glanced at Harry. “Can you do the stuff you listed? Temporal magic and all?”

“I know a few tricks with time magic and a decent bit of spatial manipulation. I’m more skilled at the astral part of magic and relic creation. It is something of a specialty at this point.”

“You create… relics. Which, as you said, were magical objects of great power.”

“Yeah. I have one at hand.” Harry pulled the Ring of Reach from his pouch, sliding it across the table to Tony. “That I named the Ring of Reach. It allows me to perform any and all sorts of telekinesis with a thought, including giving me the ability to fly.”

Tony examined the ring. “I didn’t see you using it before when you lifted the suitcase. Also flying? That’s the dream.”

“I love flying too.” Harry smiled. “As for me not using it before, well, I can do telekinesis without it too,” Harry said. “But I need to actively cast the spell, which requires a decent bit of focus. And the spell I can cast is generally weaker than what I can do with the ring, unless I really overpower the spell. The relic compensates for the focus and power. Which is why I made it.”

“Cool.” Tony tossed the ring back to Harry, who caught it almost absently with his years of honed Quidditch reflexes. “Have you made other stuff? Other relics?”

Harry inclined his head. “A shield and a set of brass knuckles— one’s about the ultimate protection while the other, well, let’s say if I punch this house, the house will lose. Terribly.” 

“So you’re a magical inventor too.” Tony’s eyes gleamed. “I must say, that is awesome. Like mind-blowing. You can do all this cool stuff with a wave of a hand, and you innovate magical things. That’s something I respect.”

Harry felt heat creep on his cheeks. “Thank you.”

“Right.” Tony glanced at the clock. “Do you want something to eat? We can order something— have Fury Junior go on a food run. You can sleep in one of the bedrooms later tonight if needed. I’ll work on figuring this out. Once I figure out what I actually need, we can work on solving the problem.”

“I would love a pizza,” Harry said.

“Yes. I’d kill for the New York ones right now. It was on my to-eat list before I died— I was going to go there after Randy’s, I think.” Tony muttered. 

“I can get it.” Harry rose from his chair and stretched. “Where do you want it from?”

“No, no. My place is in New York. We’re in Malibu.”

Harry grinned. “Tony, I’m a wizard. I can teleport. I can go to New York and get your pizza in a few minutes. And that few minutes is for the time the shop takes to make the pizza.”

“Of course you can,” Tony muttered. “Cause, why not. Don’t mind, I’m just a bit jealous. Flying is cool. I can do it too. But teleportation is another level of insanity.”

“It is rather nifty, yes.” Harry nodded. “So, do you want the pizza or not?”

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AND… DONE! Hope you all liked the chapter!

Tony and Harry interacted more and at the same time, the events of Thor have begun in the background. (Coulson immediately went from Tony’s apartment to New Mexico. This is canon.)

So, we are in for a sequence of action after action and blaze into the MCU with style. 

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HPfanfictioner66