Chapter 4
Coulson nodded to his coworkers as he hastily walked the short distance to Fury's office. He knocked on the door and waited exactly two seconds before he heard, "Enter."
"So, what do you got?" Fury asked, staring him down with his one good eye.
"These are the cleanest shots we got from the footage," Coulson reported, handing over a small stack of printed images taken from the recorded video of the payment drop-off. Coulson waited while Fury looked through them. The last one made his eye widen.
"I don't believe it," Fury said, grabbing a magnifying glass and studying the black-and-white face in the photo.
"We ran it through the system. There's a ninety-eight percent match with our mystery man," Coulson told him.
"So this guy evaded our agent in Afghanistan, found Stark in a cave out in the middle of nowhere, destroyed the Ten Rings operation, rescued Stark, somehow smuggled him back to America undetected, and then gave Barton and Romanoff the slip?" Fury asked, getting more annoyed with every spoken word.
"Seems like it," was all Coulson could say. Apparently, that wasn't very helpful. Fury shot to his feet and banged his fisted hand on the desk.
"This guy's playing us for a fool, and I don't like it! Please tell me we at least have some clue where he's at," Fury heatedly stated. Coulson shook his head.
"Barton and Romanoff are on the hunt. They're good," he reminded Fury. "They'll find something."
"Damnit, Coulson! This guy's running around Los Angeles unchecked. Hell, he might be halfway back to Afghanistan for all we know!"
"We've put out an APB at all ports of entry, and we're monitoring everyone involved. If he slips up, we'll catch him," Coulson assured him. Fury wasn't so sure.
"Our mystery man is obviously a professional. The first thing you do after a major operation is lay low. We might not hear from him again for a long time," Fury sighed and sat back down.
Metal and Magic
A shapely, thong-covered ass pressed against Harry's face and jiggled all around. The drunken louts around him cheered as the sexy stripper's ass motorboated his face. Her hand reached behind her, and she gripped the back of Harry's head by the hair. Pulling his face in deeper, she began twerking before flipping onto her back and spreading her legs. She shook her round tits at him and patiently waited for payment. Harry hooked his finger into the front of her panties and pulled it up just enough for him to stuff a hundred-dollar bill down it. She smirked and shoved him away from the stage with her high-heeled foot. Harry stumbled back and was caught by another drunken party-goer who sat him back down in his chair.
"Good on you, mate!" one of them cheered and patted his back while the others laughed. Harry had come across a group of fellow Englishmen who had come to Los Angeles for a business meeting. One thing led to another, and before Harry knew it, they were in a strip club, downing shots and beers like they were going out of style. A good-looking waitress came up to their table with a tray and sat it down. Instantly, four hands snatched up the full shot glasses, and they tipped them back. All of them exhaled loudly as the liquid burned their throats. The waitress cleared her throat as Harry slammed the glass back on the tray. He looked at the pretty girl.
"Oh, sorry … Here you go, love … and a little extra for your troubles," he said, handing her a few bills. She smiled prettily at him and winked before sauntering away with her wide hips bouncing back and forth. Harry kept his eyes firmly placed on the woman's backside as she walked away, and he didn't notice someone coming up from behind until they patted him on the shoulder.
"At least you're spending my money wisely," a familiar voice said, full of approval. Harry turned his head and saw Tony Stark looking down at him with a smirk.
"How the hell did you find me?" Harry drunkenly asked and took a swig from his beer.
"You're still using the same phone that you used to call Pepper, dumbass," Tony explained with amusement. Harry reached into his pocket and pulled out the phone.
"You can track this thing?" Harry asked, wiggling the phone in his hand. Unfortunately, he wiggled too hard, and it slipped from his grip and fell to the ground with a plasticky crunch.
"Easily," Tony said as a different waitress brought him a chair while Harry fished around the ground for his phone. "You and I need to have a talk … but first, how about a refreshment?" Tony smiled at the waitress.
Metal and Magic
"Sir! You need to see this," Coulson exclaimed as he barged into Fury's office unannounced. Fury knew Coulson only did this when he got exciting information. Coulson sat a laptop down in front of him and played the video. "It's a segment from the morning news," Coulson explained further.
The clip began with a man in a suit and a pretty blonde woman sitting in front of a news desk. "With Tony Starks return, we're all glad to see he's back to his old tricks," the pretty blonde said with an amused smile. The man chuckled.
"This was captured around four in the morning on Rodeo Drive," the news anchor said. The scene then changed to a slightly shaky camera pointed at a car slowly driving down the street at night. The windows of the fancy buildings on either side of the street were lit up. As the car drove forward, it became clear that it was a stretched limousine with four people hanging out of the sunroof. As the limo got closer, it was evident that Tony Stark was one of the passengers. In the middle were two beautiful, busty blondes, and on the other side of them was their mystery man.
"You've got to be fucking kidding me," Fury said as he leaned in closer.
Both Tony and their target were whooping and hollering with delight while the girls laughed and hung all over them. The males each had a bottle of champagne, and when they saw that they were being filmed, they popped the corks with a raucous cheer from the girls. The cameraman was forced to back away as a fat stream of bubbly champagne nearly hit him. The limo drove by with Tony chanting U.S.A … U.S.A … while the other guy was chugging from his champagne bottle. The clip then ended.
"The footage was taken by a baker preparing to open a coffee shop," Coulson said.
"I want all eyes on Stark. I want to know who that guy is and what his connection is to Stark," Fury demanded. Coulson nodded and left the room. Fury watched the footage again and again.
Metal and Magic
"Ohhh …" Harry weakly groaned as he opened his eyes. His head was pounding, and his mouth tasted like he had been drinking from the sewers. When his vision stopped being so blurry, he discovered he was in an unfamiliar room.
"Mmm," a female voice hummed, and something tightened its grip on his chest. Harry tilted his head down and saw a tangled mop of blonde hair resting on his chest. He could tell she was still asleep from her slow, steady breathing. Harry ran his hand down the unknown girl's back. He felt nothing but soft, smooth skin. When his hand came to rest on her bare bottom, there was no doubt that she was completely naked under the sheet. Judging by the way her soft body felt against him, he also deduced that he was equally naked. The light coming through the window burned his brain, so Harry closed his eyes and willed his hangover to go away. It, of course, did not.
He tried his best to remember what had happened the previous night. He remembered meeting his fellow countrymen in a sandwich shop late in the afternoon and then going to the strip club with them. After that, his memory became much hazier, and his hangover certainly wasn't helping. 'My trousers,' his brain finally devised a good idea.
He looked over the side of the bed and saw a scattering of clothes. A little pink dress was lying by his shirt. A pair of high heels was over by the door, and his trousers were by the bed and close to reaching distance. Harry groaned again. He didn't want to move but had no other choice. As best as he could, he tried to slip out from under the girl's naked body without waking her. Thankfully, after a minute or two of finagling, he slid out of her grasp and climbed out of bed. "Ugg," Harry grunted as he wobbled unsteadily on his feet. Suddenly standing up made him realize just how badly he needed to relieve his bladder. He stumbled to the nearest door and opened it. It was a large, empty walk-in closet. He closed the door and tried the next one. Happy to see it was a bathroom, he quickly entered. Once he was done, Harry rinsed his mouth at the sink and returned to the room.
Harry walked straight to his trousers but stopped when he got a look at the girl in bed. She was older than him … maybe early to mid-twenties. Her hair was bleach blonde, and she was quite pretty, though she looked a bit rough, which was understandable. Harry plucked the wadded-up panties that were resting on top of his trousers and tossed them onto her dress. Going into the pocket of his trousers, Harry was relieved to see that his small bag was still there. Harry kept a small, pull-string sack in his pocket, the inside of which had been magically expanded. The only things he kept in there were the bare essentials for a night out on the town… a wad of emergency cash and several hangover cures. He opened up the bag and pulled one out. He popped the cork and greedily drank it down. Harry closed his eyes and waited until the sour feeling in his stomach lessened. Unfortunately, a hangover cure didn't completely fix one's hangover. It just lessened the worst parts so that it was manageable. Starting to feel slightly better, Harry looked around for his boxers but couldn't find them. With no choice but to go commando, he sighed and pulled on his trousers. He put on his socks, shoes, and shirt and looked back at the bed. His bed partner was still out cold. He was about to leave the room when he remembered something.
Harry checked his pockets but couldn't find his wand. He looked around on the floor but didn't see it. "Brilliant," Harry muttered to himself. He stood up straight and concentrated. The Elder Wand suddenly appeared in his hand. Only the wand's true master could summon it from wherever it happened to be. Harry was unsure if Dumbledore could ever call upon it. He stowed the wand away and quietly left the room.
'This house is massive,' Harry thought as he walked through the hall. He passed door after door, unsure of exactly where he was going. It didn't take long before he heard violent retching. Harry followed the horrible noise until he entered the massive living room and found some unlucky soul on all fours, vomiting into a very large potted plant. After one last heave, the man straightened onto his knees. His eyes had large bags under them and were very bloodshot, but there was no doubt who it was. Harry then remembered a little more of what had happened last night. Tony looked at him. "Make yourself at home," he said before vomiting into the houseplant again. Harry chuckled and took him at his word.
He left Tony and tried to ignore the disgusting noises as he went in search of the kitchen. Harry found it and began rummaging through the obnoxiously large and expensive refrigerator. He found a bottle of water with a fancy name and cracked it open. He was halfway done when Tony came shuffling into the kitchen like a zombie. "I'll never drink again," he groaned.
"We both know that's a lie," Harry retorted, and Tony snatched the water bottle from his grasp before it could reach his lips again. Tony drank the remaining half down in one go.
"Let me rephrase it," Tony said with a scratchy, tired voice. "I'll never mix hard liquor, beer, and champagne again."
"That's probably a good idea," Harry said. Judging by how he felt when he woke, Harry guessed that he had drunk all three of those as well. His stomach was still churning. Tony groaned pitifully and steadied himself against the marble countertop.
"Weren't we supposed to have a talk last night?" Tony asked, slightly swaying from side to side. Harry shrugged.
"I can't even remember how you found me, so maybe we did have a talk last night," Harry said.
"Your phone … remember?" Tony reminded him. He then pushed himself from the counter and went into the fridge. He came out with a large bottle of orange juice. "I tracked you through the phone's GPS."
It sounded vaguely familiar to him. "My phone?" Harry asked, checking his pocket. "Where the hell did it go, anyway? And where's my money?" He had over five thousand dollars in cash in his pocket last night.
"I think you accidentally dropped the phone into the toilet at the strip club," Tony chuckled and drank some juice. "And as for your money … It tends to go fast when you're paying for everyone's lap dances and buying bottles of champagne at five hundred dollars a pop."
Harry groaned and rubbed his temple. "I think I'm the one who needs to stop drinking."
"It's not all bad news," Tony smirked. "We were both put on the club's VIP list for life. Those two strippers even came home with us to celebrate."
"Such a joyous occasion," Harry sarcastically said.
"Where did you leave yours, anyway?" Tony asked.
"She's still sleeping. I don't even know her name," Harry admitted. Tony sniffled and wiped a fake tear from his eye.
"So proud," he stated, his voice full of fake emotion. "Don't worry about her. Pepper will have them taken home whenever they wake up." Harry nodded. He guessed this type of thing was a common occurrence in the Stark household.
"Now that you have me here," Harry began. "What did you want to talk about?"
"How did you find me?" Tony asked.
"I knew where you were attacked, so I went after the closest military base for intel. Their information isn't as secure as they believe," Harry smirked. "After that, I was able to piece things together to get an idea of the general area. Once I knew where to look, it was somewhat easy to spot the massive pile of weapons outside that cave," Harry gave him an explanation full of half-truths. Tony suddenly looked more serious.
"That's another thing I wanted to talk about. Those weapons …" he started.
"All were labeled Stark Industries," Harry told him. "At least they were before I blew them up."
"That's what I was afraid of," Tony said, leaning against the counter. "The explosive that injured me was from my company as well."
"I'm guessing you didn't sell them to the people who kidnapped you, so it looks like you have a bit of a problem," Harry said. Tony nodded.
"There's either a traitor in my company or a leak in the supply chain."
"Someone high up the ladder. How else would the Ten Rings know the time and place to attack you?" Harry had been thinking about this since rescuing Tony. "If I were you, I would keep a tight lid on any sensitive information until you find the rat." Tony nodded as he went over everything in his head.
"And what about Yinsen?" Tony suddenly asked.
"Who?" Harry asked, looking confused.
"Ho Yinsen. He was with me in the cave. You know … The other guy you rescued?" Tony explained.
"What about him?" Harry asked.
"Two people are way harder to rescue than one for a single person," Tony said. "Why'd you rescue him? You weren't getting paid for it," Harry shrugged.
"He was there," was all Harry would say. "Consider it a freebie."
"That brings up another point … How the hell did you get us back to LA? I hacked into every transportation database and found nothing," Tony asked, astounded. "As far as they know, you never entered the country." Harry just smiled.
"I'm really good at what I do," he slyly stated. "Hacking databases, tracking my phone … Is anything safe around you?"
"Nope," Tony chuckled. "I was never good with boundaries. I even hacked into the government servers to find any information on you," he admitted.
"Found nothing?" Harry asked, already knowing the answer.
"Not a scrap," Tony sighed.
"I'm not surprised," Harry responded. Technically, he didn't even exist here, and that was a bit of a problem for him. "So … You're pretty good at hacking, huh?"
"The best in the biz," Tony bragged.
"Let's say I wanted a new identity. Is that something you're capable of?" Harry broached the subject.
"Child's play," Tony waved it away. "I already have backdoor access to all the necessary databases, and because we're a weapons manufacturer for the US government, we use the same equipment that the government uses to produce ID cards and driver's licenses to make our employee's identification and access cards. Forging a social security card and birth certificate can be done by an amateur. What really matters is if your information is in the system. I don't have the necessary printers to make a passport, but you could get that yourself once you have everything else," Tony quickly explained. "Why?" he asked with a raised eyebrow. "Looking to get lost in the crowd?"
"Let's just say I'm far from home with no way of going back," Harry told him.
"Is that why you went after the reward?" Tony asked. "Looking to start again?"
"Precisely," Harry nodded.
"You're not a crazed killer running from the law, are you?" Tony studied him.
"No more than you are," Harry shook his head. "As far as I know, no one's looking for me, and if they are, I don't want to be found," he truthfully told him. Tony rubbed his stubbled chin in thought.
"I suppose that's something I can handle … But it's going to cost you," Tony finally said.
"How much?" Harry asked. It wasn't like Tony needed the money.
"You're a resourceful guy," he commented. "How about a future favor?" Tony tossed it out there. Harry thought about it for a second and decided it was a fair trade.
"Deal," Harry nodded. Tony smiled and rubbed his hands together greedily.
"Excellent," he said, sounding like a supervillain. "You'll just need to provide the relevant information so I can put it in the system."
"I'd call you, but apparently, my phone's at the bottom of a piss-filled toilet," Harry reminded him.
"You have five million of my hard-earned cash. I think you can afford a replacement," Tony said while pulling a notepad and pen from the kitchen drawer. He wrote down his number and handed it to him.
"This is my personal number," he said in a grandiose fashion, as if it should truly mean something to Harry.
"Glory, Glory, Hallelujah," Harry sang in a deadpan voice while stuffing the paper into his pocket.
"Ungrateful prick," Tony mumbled before drinking more of his juice. "Kids these days don't know how lucky they have it. Just call when you want to take care of your little problem."
Before Harry could reply, the front door opened, and he heard a familiar female voice. "Tony?" she called out.
"That's Pepper," Tony said, putting his bottle of juice on the counter. Harry followed him back to the living room. "Hey, Pepper."
"Tony … You look awful. Another long night?" she asked, though it was likely she already knew the answer.
"I was celebrating my newfound friendship!" he smiled through the pounding headache and smacked Harry on the back. Harry rolled his eyes and stepped up to Pepper. She looked the same as she did on the television.
"Harry Potter," he introduced himself, hoping she wouldn't recognize his voice.
"Pepper Potts. A pleasure to make your acquaintance," she smiled at him, holding out her hand. Harry shook it.
"The pleasure is mine," he smiled back.
"One big happy family," Tony chimed in. Pepper let go of his hand and walked over to Tony.
"You two smell like a liquor store bathroom, and you don't look much better," she accurately described them.
"Now that's not very nice," Tony said, dropping down onto the sofa with a grunt.
"Neither is the fact that you missed another meeting. I couldn't even lie about the reason why because you two hooligans were all over the morning news," she said, looking none-too-pleased.
"We were?" Tony asked, sounding like he didn't care one bit. Pepper nodded.
"It was quite the spectacle. Anyway, I assume those two hookers will need a ride home?" she asked with a knowing look.
"They're strippers, and they will unless you want those poor girls to walk all the way back home," Tony said, then shook his head sadly. "That's cold-blooded, Pepper … Even for you."
Pepper snorted and turned to Harry. "What about you? Do you need a ride?" she asked him as Harry chuckled. He shook his head.
"I can make my own way back, but thanks anyway," he assured her. "I'll call, Tony. Pepper, it was nice meeting you," Harry said, making his way to the door. Before leaving, Harry called out to Tony. "Tell whatever her name is that I had a great time," he said. Again, Pepper snorted.
"And don't forget to clean the vomit out of that big houseplant by the hall," he added before stepping through the door.
The last thing he heard was Pepper's horrified screech. "Not my Philodendron Pink Princess!"
Harry chuckled and left to find a safe place to apparate away.
Chapter 5
Harry smiled at the pretty girl giving him a look as he sat alone outside a cafe, sipping a cup of tea and reading the morning paper. She smiled back before carrying on down the sidewalk. He quickly found himself enjoying Los Angeles. The weather was nice, and plenty of hot women were always walking around. He couldn't ask for much more. His phone rang, and he pulled it from his pocket and answered it.
"Hello?"
"So, have you spent all my money yet?" Tony's voice made him roll his eyes.
"No, but not for the lack of trying," he joked back. In reality, he hadn't spent much of the five million. He bought a whole new wardrobe of expensive luxury clothes and a new phone, but that was about it.
"You need to get on the ball. If it were me, I'd have blown through most of it by now," Tony joked back.
"That's because you're a degenerate with no self-control," Harry answered back and sipped his tea.
"We all have character flaws," Tony retorted. "Anyway … I got what you asked for. Meet me at my house tonight. Any time after eight is fine."
"Already?" Harry asked. He had just given Tony his made-up information the previous day. "You do quick work," he complimented him.
"What can I say? I'm good," Tony smugly stated.
"That remains to be seen," Harry answered dryly. "The stuff probably looks like the cheap fakes they sell in Chinatown." He had asked some punk teens who tried and failed to buy beer from a store about their fake IDs, and they informed him about a shop in Chinatown. He visited the shop out of curiosity. The products were worse than he imagined.
"Oh, ye of little faith," Tony tutted. "Just come by tonight and prepare to have your socks knocked off."
"Yeah, yeah … I'll be there. Later," Harry said and hung up. With nowhere to go and nothing to do, Harry ordered another cup of tea and finished reading his paper.
Metal and Magic
It was just after eight-thirty in the evening when Harry rang the doorbell. Pepper Potts opened the door with a sweet smile.
"Hey, Pepper. Is Tony in?" Harry asked, returning her smile.
"Yes, he is. He told me to bring you down to him when you arrive," she said, standing aside so he could enter.
"I haven't seen him on the news in the last couple of days. I take it he's been staying out of trouble?" Harry asked as she led him to the lower level.
"As much as I could hope for," she easily answered. "You know … You really shouldn't encourage him with your perverse party-boy lifestyle. He gets in enough trouble on his own."
"P-Party-boy?" Harry sputtered amusedly, chuckling. "That night was all Tony's fault," he explained, passing the blame. She looked at him.
"Uh-huh," she said skeptically. "Those two women were actual whores! They were bragging about how they were going to spend all the money you gave them."
"How much money did I actually give them?" Harry wondered. "I noticed my pockets were a bit light."
"I don't know, but they were throwing around names like Louis Vuitton and Christian Louboutin."
"That much, huh?" Harry said, scratching his head. "Tony must be a really bad influence on me. Maybe you should sit down with him and have a heart-to-heart about corrupting innocent young men with his wicked ways," Harry said, taking the time to check out Pepper's ass. The woman was thin and didn't have many curves, but she did have a tight little ass.
Pepper snorted in amusement. "By the way, the owner of that sleazy strip club called here asking for you. He said something about Two-For-One Tuesday … Two lapdances for the price of one. He said he would reserve your usual table," she looked back at him and saw that he was checking out her ass. He then looked up and smiled.
"Pepper, you're breaking my heart. You know very well I wouldn't be caught dead in such a seedy joint … no matter how good the chicken wings are," he added. His mouth was watering just thinking about the tangy sauce and …
She cleared her throat. "Be that as it may, please try to keep your perversions to a minimum. Tony has an image he needs to maintain, and he already does enough to ruin it without outside help," she told him with a soft smile.
"I'll try my best," he relented. "You know … that light dusting of freckles on your nose and cheeks is really cute," he teased as they walked up to a glass door. She looked at him and blushed slightly. She pressed some buttons on a high-tech number pad, and the door opened with a beep.
"Just … Get inside!" she said, jabbing her finger toward the open door. She was clearly embarrassed by the sudden compliment. Harry laughed lightly and entered.
"Tony! Where the hell are you?" he called out.
"Over here!" Tony called back, hidden behind some machinery. Harry followed his voice and found him working on some mechanical boot. A robotic arm suddenly moved and spot-welded a piece that Tony was holding into place. Harry looked away, blocking his eyes.
"Are you trying to blind me?" Harry complained, blinking the spots from his eyes.
"Sorry about that," Tony responded, not sounding very sorry.
"What is this place anyway?" Harry asked, looking around. There were all kinds of high-tech equipment scattered about, but there were also expensive cars parked along the wall.
"One of my workshops," he said, messing with the boot.
"And the cars?"
"It's also a garage," he simply said.
"Good to know. I saw your press conference. Quitting the weapons game is a bold strategy," Harry said.
"Everyone thinks I'm nuts. What about you?" Tony asked, looking up from his work. Harry shrugged.
"It's your company. Do whatever you feel is right. Though, I don't blame you after what we saw in Afghanistan. It's probably a smart idea to stop … at least until you find the mole."
"I'm glad someone agrees with me," Tony stated.
"Here's a piece of advice," Harry said. "Whoever raises the biggest fuss about your decision, I'd look at them first because they have the most to lose. Those terrorists won't be happy with them."
"I hadn't thought of that, but it makes sense," Tony nodded. "Aren't you going to ask me what I'm making?" he asked, tapping the metal boot. Harry shook his head.
"Good …" Tony replied. "Because it's top secret. There's your stuff right there," he said, pointing to a manilla envelope. Harry picked it up from the table and opened it up. He pulled out the documents and studied them.
"These actually look legit," Harry said, impressed. Tony smirked.
"I told you I do good work. You got any plans for tonight?"
"Pepper said I should visit the strip club because it's Two-For-One Tuesday. She said I could get two lapdances for the price of one," Harry told him, trying hard not to smile. Tony looked confused.
"How does she know that?" he asked.
"I dunno," Harry shrugged. "Maybe she secretly owns a whole chain of them. Think about it. She knows all the depraved places you go and how much you spend. If it were me, I'd buy 'em all up and let the cash roll in," Harry explained.
"That club WAS very quick to give us VIP access," he said, rubbing his chin. "And Pepper is very smart when it comes to finances."
"See? She's a pervert for profit. Anyway, thanks for this," Harry said, waving the folder.
"Hold on!" he suddenly interrupted. "You've got your phone on you?" he asked. Harry nodded and pulled it from his pocket. "Let me see," he said, holding out his hand. Harry handed it to him, and Tony placed it on the surface of his workbench and clobbered it with a hammer.
"Hey!" Harry cried out as pieces of the smashed phone hit him in the chest and face. "I just bought that," he complained, brushing the remnants of his phone from his shirt.
"Since discovering there's a rat in my company, I've been a bit paranoid. I scanned all my lines and found that someone had tapped my phones. I've started using one of these," he said, holding up a phone that looked pricey. "It's a Stark Industries high-security phone. The military brass all use them. It's heavily encrypted and connects to my company's satellite system instead of traditional cell towers. Whoever tapped my phone won't be tapping this one," he bragged. He then pulled out a second identical phone and slid it to him.
"Consider it a gift. There's a sticker with the number on the back," he explained. Harry snatched it from the workbench and checked it out.
"Nice," Harry nodded happily. "I hope this one doesn't end up in the toilet tonight," he said, stuffing it into his pocket.
"You're going to the strip club tonight?" Tony perked up.
"Pepper personally invited me. It would be rude not to show up," Harry explained. Tony nodded, completely understanding his point of view.
"I better come along to keep an eye on you. Besides, they bestowed upon me the greatest honor a strip club can offer … VIP access. It would be insulting to deny them my patronage," Tony factually stated, getting up from his workbench and looking down at his clothes. "I better change first," he said, wiping at the grease stain on his five-hundred-dollar shirt.
"Do you think we should invite Pepper?" Harry asked as they left the workshop.
"Do you think she would agree to join us?" Tony asked in response.
"Probably not," Harry said.
"There's your answer," Tony chuckled, clapping him on the shoulder.
Metal and Magic
Natasha was very annoyed with her target, which amused Clint to no end. Clint always got a kick out of it when things didn't go as planned for her. He got the easy task … watching over Tony Stark. It did ease her annoyance when Clint was chewed out by Fury after Stark discovered that his phone lines had been monitored. Clint had a very sour look on his face when Stark switched to secured lines. Her job was to track down and follow this new mystery man who seemed to have suddenly gotten into Tony Stark's good graces. She thought it would be an easy assignment. They always were. However, she couldn't have been more wrong.
This guy didn't have a permanent residence, appeared and disappeared at will, and seemed to have switched phones. She had gotten his original number after analyzing Stark's call logs, both his personal and the ones from his company. Sadly, no sooner than she had, she discovered he was no longer using that phone. She tracked him back to the phone's last known location … the Red Velvet Gentlemen's Club. It took a little poking and prodding, but she found out from the owner that he had been there and that his name was Harry. At least, that was the name he was going by that night. She also found out he had met up with Tony Stark that night. This, of course, made Fury blow a fuse. He didn't like the idea of some unknown entity having the ear of a man like Stark. Natasha could certainly understand why.
Natasha was left with no choice but to be a bit sneaky. While at the club, she saw an advertisement for Two-For-One Tuesday, which made her snort in amusement. As funny as she found it, it did give her an idea. She had Clint call Stark's assistant, Pepper Potts, pretending to be the owner of the club. He invited Harry and Tony back to the club for the Tuesday event and asked if she had Harry's new number. She said she didn't, sounding somewhat irritated that a supposed seedy club owner was calling her for such a thing. When she asked how he got her personal number, Clint pretended that the call was breaking up and quickly disconnected the line. It was a long shot, but Natasha hoped this would bring Harry back out into the open so she could re-establish her surveillance. Clint's voice suddenly crackled through her earpiece.
"You're not going to believe it, but your loony plan seems to have worked," Clint said.
"What's going on over there?" she asked eagerly. Clint was stationed outside Stark's massive oceanside mansion, monitoring who came and went.
"Your boy is here. I don't know how he got here, though … I don't see a car, and he wasn't dropped off by a taxi. He just showed up. The outer gate just opened, and he's walking in," Clint kept a running commentary. "I'm going to move so I can get a better view of the front door," he informed her.
Natasha waited with bated breath. She was camped out in an unassuming, unmarked car across the street from the strip club in case he decided to show up. His showing up at Stark's house was a good sign. "I've got eyes on the door," Clint said. "Pepper Potts answered the door … She's let him in."
She sighed. They wouldn't know what was going on inside the house. Getting in there to bug the place without being detected was nearly impossible. The only thing they could do was wait.
Metal and Magic
Harry was a little more reserved with his drinking this time around. Instead of drinking beer, liquor, and champagne, he simply stuck with beer. Tony seemed more than willing to drink his problems away. Harry didn't blame him. If he had been a prisoner in an Afghanistan cave for months, he would be trying to make up for lost time. Harry, however, wasn't letting his guard down. He had a feeling that he was being watched. Sensing such a thing was a skill he had developed over years of fighting the Death Eaters. He would casually glance around, pretending he was checking out all the hot women walking about. Unfortunately, the club was dark, and he couldn't spot anything out of the ordinary. He kept his composure and pretended everything was normal. When Tony was busy taking advantage of the club's promotion, Harry went outside for a breath of fresh air. In reality, he wanted to see if anyone would follow him.
He walked into the alley between the club and the building next door. Finding a nice, shadowy spot, he pulled out his wand and tapped himself on the head. The familiar sensation of an egg being cracked over his head let him know he had performed the Disillusionment Charm correctly. Harry pressed himself against the wall and watched the alley's entrance for a few minutes. He was about to go back inside when a man appeared at the mouth of the alley. It was too dark to make out who he was, but Harry was sure it wasn't Tony. This guy was taller and a bit broader in the shoulders. The guy loitered around the end of the alley for a minute or so before reaching into his pocket. A second later, a beam of light was dragged back and forth along the length of the alley. The man was searching for him with a small flashlight. Harry stood perfectly still and remained calm. He knew he wouldn't be spotted unless he panicked and made a mistake. "Shit!" the man cursed and walked away from the club. Harry placed Cushioning Charms on the bottoms of his shoes and quickly followed him.
"Widow, he's not in the alley," the man said. Harry was confused. The man wasn't holding a phone or walkie-talkie. When he walked under a street lamp, Harry got a good look at him. He looked like he was nearing middle age and had short, brown hair. He had on black jeans, a white t-shirt, and a black leather jacket. Harry also noticed an earpiece lodged into his right ear. "Well, he's not in there now!" he quietly hissed. "Alright," he said before crossing the street.
He walked back in the direction of the club and waited. A moment later, a young, pretty redhead joined him. Harry stayed a short distance away from them and listened.
"You haven't found him yet?" she asked the older man. Her voice was a little smoky, which he found sexy. The man shook his head.
"The boss will have our asses if we lose him again," he said. "Are you sure he went into the alley?"
"Yes, I'm sure," she replied, sounding annoyed. "And I didn't see him leave. I scouted this whole area. There's a large fence at the back of the alley. Do you think he could have hopped it?" she asked.
"If he did, he's a hell of an athlete," the man told her. "That fence is fifteen feet tall."
"Alright. Go back inside, and I'll take the car around the block to see if I can spot him. Let me know if you find him," she said. The man nodded his head. As they turned their backs on each other, Harry quickly hit them both with Tracking Charms. He wanted to know who they were and why they were following him. As the man crossed the street, heading for the club, Harry followed the woman.
She jogged to a nearby parking lot with Harry hot on her heels. She slowed down when she saw two men using a slim jim on a black sedan. Harry guessed that it was her car. They didn't seem to notice her. She pointed the key remote at the car, causing it to chirp and the lights to flash. The two men were suddenly startled and stood up straight, leaving the slim jim against the window. "I'm not in the mood, gentlemen … so get lost," she bluntly told them. They looked at each other and chuckled.
"And what if we don't want to get lost, huh?" one of them asked mockingly. "Me and my friend need a ride, sweetheart. Don't we?" he asked his friend. Harry had his wand in hand and was ready to act if things got out of control.
"Yeah," his friend greasily said. "She's a hot piece of ass, isn't she?" he mocked. "Hows about it, honey? Will you give us a ride?" he asked, menacingly stepping toward the red-haired woman. The woman smiled cutely.
"Why don't you just take my car? Here. Here's the key," she said, tossing the key to the nearest thug.
The woman acted quicker than a flash. As soon as the man caught the key against his chest, she lunged forward and kicked him straight in the knee. Harry winced as his knee bent in the opposite direction with a disgusting pop. He screamed out in agony, dropping to one knee, and his friend was momentarily paralyzed with confusion. The woman rolled over his back, dropping the heel of her shoe right on the other man's temple as he rushed up to help. He stumbled back and fell on his ass. As soon as her feet hit the ground, her knee connected with the hunched-over man's face with a sickening crunch. He dropped face-first into the pavement and didn't move again. About that time, the other one was scrambling to his feet. The woman didn't even look bothered. She simply strolled up to him and roundhouse kicked him in the face. The thug spun through the air, hit the ground, and his body rolled a few feet before it stopped. He let out a pathetic moan of pain but didn't try to get up. She went up to her car and yanked the slim jim from the window, tossing it across the parking lot. She got in her car and started the engine. As she backed out of her parking spot, she accidentally ran over the dazed man's hand.
"EEEYAAAAAH!" he screamed, holding his hand to his chest, which Harry found hilarious. She drove away, not caring one bit about the two injured idiots she left behind. Harry stood there and watched as her tail lights disappeared around the corner.
'Who were these people?' Harry asked himself. These obviously weren't your average people. The woman wasn't very big, but she kicked their asses like it was nothing. These people were highly trained, which made Harry think that they were either with the government or the military. Neither was good news for him. The only good news in all of this was that they didn't seem to want to harm him … at least for now. He needed to make finding out exactly who they were a top priority. In the meantime, he would pretend like nothing had happened. He went back into the alley and made himself visible. He returned to the club and found Tony sitting with three strippers.
"There you are! Where have you been?" Tony asked as two of the girls hung all over him. Harry sat down at the table.
"Just chatting with one of the girls," Harry lied as the other stripper scooted her chair closer to him.
"You're buying the next round!" Tony called out over the thumping music. "What do you think, girls?" Tony asked. "Shots or champagne?"
"Champagne!" all three cheered loudly and bounced around. Harry's eyes immediately went to their big, bouncing breasts. He suddenly didn't have the heart to stick with beer and deny them their true desire. He sighed and pulled out a fat wad of cash, which made the girl scoot so close to him that their bodies were touching. He ordered the most expensive bottle of champagne, and suddenly, more girls joined the table, forcing him to buy a second.
Metal and Magic
"HHUUUUUUUUUHHH … pfft," Harry spat into the toilet the following morning. His forehead was sweaty, and his head was pounding. His stomach jumped again, and he hugged the toilet bowl. "HUUUUUUUUHHH!" he heaved his stomach contents into the toilet. After five minutes of this, his stomach was mercifully empty. "Fucking Tony," he cursed the man's name. He only hoped the git was suffering as much as he was.
He shakily pushed himself to his feet and rinsed his mouth at the sink. He splashed some cold water on his face and dabbed it dry with a towel. He stumbled out of the bathroom and looked around for his trousers. He found it buried underneath two dresses and two pairs of panties. He looked at the bed and saw the two sleeping women spooning. 'Okay … Maybe last night wasn't all that bad,' he told himself as a smile appeared on his face. He went into his pocket and pulled out a trusty hangover cure. He drank it down and waited for it to work. After a minute or so, the headache dulled into a slight throb. His sour stomach mostly cleared up, and he quickly dressed and left the room after checking his pockets to ensure everything was still there. The only thing he found missing was the thousands of dollars he had the previous night. That wasn't surprising in the least.
Stumbling into the hallway, Harry looked around and didn't find Tony vomiting into a houseplant this time. Harry made his way to the kitchen and drank all of Tony's orange juice. He tossed the empty carton into the trash and went into the living room. He looked around and didn't see anyone. Knowing Tony was probably still asleep, he called for the only other person he knew. "Pepper?" he called out in a tired, raspy voice.
"Miss Potts is currently in her office at Stark Industries. Mr. Stark is asleep in his room. Is there anything I can do for you, sir?" a proper British voice suddenly filled the room. Harry spun around but didn't see anyone.
"Who is that?" Harry asked, confused.
"Forgive me, sir. I am Jarvis, a natural-language user interface computer system."
"You're a computer?" Harry asked, even more confused than before.
"Yes, sir. I monitor and control Mr. Stark's various computer systems at his behest. If you are ready to leave, I can have a car sent for you," the computer said.
"Huh?" Harry said, scratching his head. "I suppose that's not the strangest thing I've come across," was all he could say. "As for the car, it's not needed. If it wouldn't be too much trouble, can you tell Tony I had to leave and take care of some business? And would you remind him of the female company I left in the room? They'll need a ride," he told the computer.
"Of course, sir. I'll lock up once you leave," Jarvis said. Harry nodded.
"Thank you. Oh! And would you tell Tony I left this for him? It's for the hangover I'm sure he's going to have," Harry chuckled and pulled another hangover cure from his small bag. He set it down on the coffee table.
"I will, sir," Jarvis pleasantly stated.
"Thank you, Jarvis," Harry responded, feeling weird about being so polite to a computer system.
"You're welcome, sir. I've unlocked the front door and the front gate."
Harry nodded and went for the door. "See you later, Jarvis!" Harry called out as he left the house. He heard him respond with, "See you later, sir!" Harry chuckled and walked the long distance to the front gate. As he neared it, it automatically swung open for him. When he exited, it closed and locked. Harry shook his head. This world really was strange.
He found a secluded spot and apparated back to his room. Harry immediately pulled out the map he had bought to learn the streets of LA. Harry pulled out his wand and did a bit of magic to it. Harry then conjured a knife and made a small slit in his palm. He let several drops of blood fall onto the map. The drops of blood converged, then split into two equal dots. These were the two operatives he had placed Tracking Charms on. They were close together, indicating that they were in the same place.
"Now, let's see who you guys really are," Harry said, staring at the dots on the map.
Chapter 6
"Judging by the look on your face, I'm guessing the bossman wasn't pleased," Natasha commented as Clint stepped into the room. After a long night of keeping tabs on their targets, they returned to the small house they were staying in to get some sleep. SHIELD owned the house, and it was often used to house agents who were working in the city. Clint ran his palms down his face tiredly. He had dark bags under his eyes.
"Good guess. He's very annoyed that we can't figure out how this Harry guy keeps disappearing. Fury's starting to believe that he might be a metahuman," Clint told her, groaning as he plopped down next to her on the couch. Natasha turned to him.
"I hadn't considered that," she responded while thinking deeply on the subject.
"Consider everything! Assume nothing!" Clint barked in his best Nicolas Fury impression. Natasha snorted in amusement.
"What were his orders?" she asked, taking another sip of her tea. She usually drank extra-strong coffee, but as she was about to hit the hay, she didn't want the energy boost.
"Same as before," Clint said while closing his eyes. His head was leaning back against the top of the couch cushion. "Keep following … report everything," he answered tiredly.
"Alright," Natasha said, patting his thigh consolingly while getting to her feet. "Get some rest. Our backup will contact us if they find anything," she said. Clint didn't verbally respond. He was too tired. He simply nodded his head while Natasha sauntered off to her room. Little did they know that a sneaky wizard was nearby, magically listening to their conversations.
Metal and Magic
Harry remained hidden between two bushes in the backyard of the house. He wasn't worried about being spotted since he was sporting a Disillusionment Charm. He wasn't taking any chances with these people. He hadn't been able to figure out who they worked for, but he now knew how badly their boss wanted information on him. He knew the male was named Clint, and the hot redhead was named Natasha. This small, nondescript home was their temporary base of operations, which meant he now had a way of keeping an eye on them.
It did ease his worries, knowing that they appeared to mean him no harm … physically, at least. Of course, that could always change, so he needed to keep his guard up. With the duo going to bed, Harry had no reason to stick around. He disappeared from the backyard and went about his day.
Now that he was a legal citizen, which, of course, had been obtained illegally, Harry decided to start the next chapter of his life … home ownership. He was tired of jumping from room to room. He wanted a place to call his own. Harry reappeared in his room and went through the manila folder that Tony had given him. He already had his new driver's license safely stowed in his wallet, but he wanted to see what else there was. He opened up the folder and dumped the contents onto the bed. He picked up his new birth certificate and studied it. He didn't know what they were supposed to look like, but it looked legit. Next, he looked over his new social security card before placing it in his wallet. The last thing in the folder was a note from Tony reminding him that now that he was in the system, the pesky IRS would be wondering where he got his five million dollars from. Harry hadn't thought of that. He made a mental note to talk to Tony about it. Harry sighed and vanished the note. Until he got that figured out, he would have to avoid any large purchases, especially a new house.
Catching a whiff of his stinky scent, Harry gathered up some clean clothes and went into the bathroom. He desperately needed a shower.
Metal and Magic
It was late afternoon, and Harry returned home with a sack of fresh fruits he bought from a farmer's market. He set the sack on the table and checked the Tracking Charms. Both dots were located very close to Tony's house. 'They're waiting for me to come back,' Harry told himself. He was glad they didn't know where he was currently staying. Harry planned to move again the next day to keep them guessing.
"Well … Since they're kind enough to wait, it would be a shame to disappoint them," Harry stated with a chuckle. He needed to talk to Tony anyway. After leaving the house, the first thing he did was use his new identity to rent a car. He had very little experience driving, and he figured the only way he would learn was to get out there and do it.
Navigating the highways and streets was a little confusing, but Harry did so with a huge smile on his face. After several wrong turns from reading the map wrong, Harry eventually pulled up to Tony's gate. He rolled down the window and started jabbing at buttons on the com box. "Welcome back, sir," Harry heard the familiar British-sounding voice.
"Good evening, Jarvis," Harry replied. "Is Tony in?"
"He is. I'll inform him of your arrival, sir," Jarvis said, and the gate swung open automatically.
"Thanks, Jarvis," Harry said happily.
"Of course, sir," Jarvis responded as Harry pulled down the long, curved driveway. By the time he neared the front door, it opened, and Tony came out to meet him. Harry exited the car as Tony walked around it, studying it with a less-than-impressed look.
"I knew you had no sense of style, but this is too much," Tony sighed and shook his head at the sight of Harry's rental. "Did you borrow it from your grandma?"
"Stuff it, jackass. I rented the cheapest one on the lot," Harry shot back, looking at the car. It certainly wouldn't impress the chicks, but he didn't want to spend a fortune on something he wouldn't end up owning.
"So, what do I owe the pleasure?" Tony asked, waving him inside. He gave the car one last look of pity before closing the door behind them.
"It's about the note you left in the folder. The IRS," Harry reminded him. "Is there any way around that?"
"Avoiding the IRS?" Tony snorted. "If you figure that out, let me know," he chuckled.
"I'd like to put the money in the bank, but I'm guessing that would suddenly raise a lot of red flags," Harry explained.
"Definitely," Tony agreed. "However, there are ways to get that money into the bank without drawing too much attention to it. A personal business loan or investment from me would be one of them."
"I don't want anyone snooping too hard. The feds would probably try to get me for defrauding an investor the moment I buy a house or car," Harry countered.
"The feds don't usually look into it when it's a private loan. That's more of a civil matter. It would be another story if the loan came from Stark Industries, which is a publicly traded company," Tony told him. "So how bout it?" Tony smirked. "You want a good old loan from your best bud to start a business?"
Harry snorted. "You expect me to work like some nine-to-five Nancy?" he asked, horrified at the thought. Harry couldn't picture himself working some boring job for the rest of his life. He was used to danger and adventure and didn't plan on changing any time soon.
"Eventually, you'll need to start some kind of phony shell company to hide your ill-gotten gains. Otherwise, the feds are going to come knocking," Tony wisely explained.
"Hmm," Harry eloquently responded, rubbing his chin in thought.
"By the way …" Tony interrupted his thoughts. "What was that stuff you left this morning? It cured my hangover instantly," he asked while picking up the empty bottle from his coffee table and sniffing it.
"I made it," Harry told him. "It's an old family recipe. There must have been some heavy drinkers somewhere on my family tree," he easily lied. The Hangover Cure was an easy potion to make. The ingredients were very common in the Muggle world, but the potion needed a magical catalyst to activate the ingredients.
"What's it made of?" Tony asked, obviously very interested.
"Just common variety ingredients. Nothing fancy," Harry told him.
"All natural?" Tony raised an eyebrow.
"I suppose. There's no crazy chemicals or anything like that," Harry said, wondering why he was so interested. Then again, Hangover Cures were common in the magical world, but they probably seemed like a miracle cure to normal people.
"How easy would it be to scale up production?"
"By how much?" Harry asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Industrial level," Tony clarified.
Harry thought about it for a moment. All of the ingredients were cheap and readily available in the muggle world. Hell, he had seen most of them at the farmer's market earlier in the day. The only problem is the catalyst. Harry used a copper cauldron with runes etched on the outside and inside. The outer set of runes absorbed ambient magic and redirected it into the potion through the inner set. For an industrial production level, he'd need much larger cauldrons, which meant he would need to find them and carve the runes himself. It was certainly achievable.
"Fairly easy, I'd wager," Harry said. "But that's assuming I have the space and equipment. I have neither," he reminded Tony.
"You know … That would be a good company to start. A hangover cure would be classified as a supplement instead of a food or drug. That would cut through a ton of red tape," Tony said in deep thought. "I tell you what, give me a few bottles of that stuff for testing, and I might consider investing."
"You and your wild schemes," Harry sighed and shook his head. "How many bottles do you need?"
"Twenty would be good. I need a few to analyze, and I want to hand out the rest to see how effective it works on a variety of different people. If the test results are positive, we could make some serious dough," Tony said with a shit-eating grin.
"I'll take your word for it," Harry said, rolling his eyes. He was all for it if it meant he wouldn't have the tax men breathing down his neck.
Metal and Magic
"There's a car pulling up to Stark's gate," Clint's voice was heard through Natasha's earpiece. "I can't see who it is, but the gate is opening. You're in a better position … Can you identify them?" he asked her.
"Hold on," she replied quietly, moving further to her left. She lifted her high-powered binoculars to her eyes and peered through. She suddenly became very excited when she spotted Harry getting out of the car. "It's our boy," she said, stopping herself from sounding too excited.
"Run his plates," she said, and then read out the numbers and letters of his license plate. She watched Tony Stark greet him at the door and lead him inside. Oh, how she wished they could have bugged Stark's house.
"It's a rental car …," said Clint. "... owned by Intrepid Car Rental and rented by Harry Potter. He paid in cash, and a valid California driver's license was logged into the system. That's very strange considering he wasn't in the system the last time we checked. I'm calling it in," he added and then went quiet. Natasha continued to watch the front door for a moment before coming to a decision.
"I'm taking the car. I'll go up the street a bit and wait on the side of the road. You keep watch," she told him. Clint chuckled.
"The old damsel in distress routine?" he amusedly asked. Natasha smiled to herself.
"It works every time," she said confidently.
"Go ahead. I'll keep you informed," he told her. That was all she needed to hear.
Natasha booked it straight for the car at top speed. She had no idea how long he would be in there. The car was parked on the side of the road behind a large bramble of bushes. She went into the trunk and stowed her equipment. Grabbing her bag, she went into it and pulled out a form-fitting, low-cut t-shirt and a pair of skin-tight jeans. She changed clothes as fast as possible before putting on a pair of sneakers. After grabbing her makeup bag, she climbed into the driver's seat and turned on the car. Natasha raced into position and turned off the ignition. She flipped down the sun visor and used the attached mirror to fix her makeup. Happy with the rushed results, she fixed her hair and exited the car. She waited another twenty minutes before Clint informed her he was leaving the property.
"I'm going silent," she said, pulling the earpiece from her ear. She didn't want it getting spotted, after all. After waiting another five minutes, she spotted Harry's car coming toward her. He slowed down and moved toward the middle of the road, intent on safely passing her. Natasha waved him down before he could pass. Harry slowed and pulled up next to her. He rolled down his passenger side window, and Natasha leaned down and in to talk to him.
"Having trouble, miss?" he asked her in a British accent. Natasha smiled prettily at him and nodded.
"My car stalled, and it won't start. I'd call for help, but I forgot my phone at home. Is it possible that I could trouble you for a ride?" she asked, making her eyes wide and inviting. "I don't live too far away," she added. Harry smiled kindly at her and nodded.
"I suppose I could be troubled," he joked. "I wouldn't want you walking alone out here. It's getting late."
Natasha flashed him a bright smile. "Great!" she happily exclaimed and opened the door. She climbed in and shut the door behind her before putting on her seat belt. "When I get home, I'll call my friend to help me fix it," she explained. "Thanks for the help."
"My pleasure, miss …?"
"Natalie," Natasha lied with a smile while holding her hand out. "Natalie Rushman." Harry shook her hand.
"Harry Potter. Pleasure to meet you," he said kindly. Natasha had to admit, he was quite handsome. His hair was boyishly messy, which she found both amusing and appealing. His eyes were a brilliant shade of green that she had never seen on anyone before.
"The pleasure's mine," she smiled cutely, which earned another smile from him. He began driving down the road. She could immediately tell he was either a new driver or out of practice. Natasha sat up straight with her back slightly bowed. She wanted to accentuate her breasts without making it obvious. Hopefully, he would take the bait and ask to see her again. Unfortunately, he didn't even look at them.
"So, where are we going?" he asked, keeping his eyes on the road.
"Follow this road, and I'll tell you where to turn off," she told him. "Do you live around here?" she asked, fishing for information.
"No, I was here to see a friend. I definitely can't afford one of these seaside homes," he chuckled.
'So, he considers Stark a friend … Interesting,' Natasha thought.
"I love your accent. Did you just move here?"
"Not too long ago," Harry answered. "I figured I could use a change of scenery, and sunny California was the perfect place. What about you? Have you always lived here?"
"I'm originally from back east, but I moved here recently. I don't have many friends just yet, but hopefully that will change soon," she said, shooting him a look to see if he took the hint.
Metal and Magic
'This so-called Natalie Rushman is awfully chatty,' Harry thought after fifteen minutes in the car with her. She asked a lot of questions, and Harry had lies for each one. He noticed that she was angling her body so he could get a good look at her cleavage. While he would never complain about receiving such a gift, he obviously knew she was trying to capture his attention. It probably would have worked had he not known she was a government stooge constantly spying on him. Even so, she was much more pleasant to talk to than Tony, and, of course, much better to look at.
Natalie, who, after spying on her, he knew was named Natasha, was a very beautiful young woman. She had almond-shaped eyes, full, pouty lips, and a heart-shaped face. Her dark auburn hair lay over her shoulders and ended a few inches down her back. Her figure was even better. While slender, she was also curvy with wide hips and a nice set of breasts. All in all, she was very attractive.
"... and a really big wave crashed over me, knocking me from my board. When I climbed back on, I heard hooting and hollering from all around. I looked down and saw that my bikini top had been ripped clean off. I never did find it. I promised myself I would never go surfing again after that," she finished her story. Harry had a feeling it was complete bullshit, but he chuckled anyway.
"I'm sorry I missed that," he joked, which made her snort in amusement.
"I'm sure," she said knowingly. "I do love the beach, though, and I try to go as much as possible. How about you? Do you like the beach?" she asked, pointing to a place down the road. "That blue house over there."
"Yeah, the beach is great," Harry said, even though he hadn't been to the beach since coming to LA. "What's not to like about it?"
"Maybe we can go sometime? You and me," she added, looking at him. Harry thought about it for a second.
While it was probably smart to keep his distance from these people, he knew they wouldn't leave him alone until they found what they were looking for. For Harry's part, he wanted to know who they were and why they were bothering him. 'Keep your friends close and your enemies closer,' he reminded himself.
"Sure. That sounds like fun," he said, giving her a friendly smile. Natasha beamed with delight. Harry pulled into the driveway of the same house where he had been spying on them.
"Great! Here's my number," she said before stopping to look around. "Do you have a pen or something to write with?"
"I don't think so," Harry said. "I just rented this car."
"Give me your phone. I'll program my number in," she said, holding out her hand. Harry reached into his pocket and pulled out his Stark Industries phone. He handed it to her and watched carefully. He didn't want her doing anything fishy with it. She added herself to the contacts under the name Natalie. She then pressed the button to call her phone. After a few seconds, she hung up. "Now I have your number as well," she smiled sexily at him and opened the door.
"Thanks for the ride, Harry," she said as she got out. "I really appreciate it."
"You're welcome, Natalie," he replied, using her fake name.
"Give me a call!" she chirped and waved goodbye as Harry threw the car into reverse.
"I will," he promised. As she walked to the door of her house, she gave him one last look before entering. Her ass looked amazing in those tight jeans, and Harry wasn't sure if she was exaggeratedly bouncing her hips or if she naturally walked that sexily. Either way, it was certainly an attention-grabber. Harry shook his head and pulled out of the driveway.
After dropping Natasha off, Harry went straight back home. He carried his equipment into the backyard and set up the small copper cauldron. He then dug into Voldemort's bag and pulled out enough ingredients to make a full pot of Hangover Potion. While the cauldron was small, each dose was small enough that he would get around fifty doses from the batch. Once he got going, it didn't take him long to finish. It was a simple potion, after all. He snuffed the fire, placed the lid on the cauldron, and let it cool while he went inside.
Already planning on moving, Harry packed up his stuff and took it to the car. He would look for a new place to stay in the morning. In the meantime, it was getting late, and his stomach was starting to growl.
While eating a microwave dinner he didn't particularly like, Harry flipped through the dozens of TV stations looking for something to watch when he came upon the evening news. At the bottom of the screen, in large, bold text, was "BREAKING NEWS!"
"... the object was seen streaking through the sky at blinding speeds. Airspace around LAX has been restricted, and all flights coming into Los Angeles have been redirected. We've reached out to the Air Force but haven't heard back. Again, what appeared to be a missile was seen over the skies of Los Angeles, but some aren't so sure it was a missile. Several witnesses got a good look at the unidentified object, and this is what they have to say …"
The scene cut to a reporter out on the street. He was holding a microphone while an older man stood near.
"Sir, you said that this object flew past you … is that correct?" the reporter asked, holding the mic to the man's face.
"I was in my car, stuck in traffic, when that thing roared past. Let me tell you, it was no missile," he said confidently.
"Well, what do you think it was?" the reporter asked.
"I didn't get a good look because it flew by so fast, but it looked like a metal man … You know … a flying suit of armor. It had fire coming out the bottom of its feet. The damn thing burnt the paint on my hood! I wanna know who's gonna pay for that!"
The suit of armor thing immediately jogged a memory in Harry's brain. The other day, Tony was working on a large metal boot when he went to visit. As a genius weapon manufacturer, he had all the knowledge, skill, and machinery to make something like that. After reconsidering it, Harry thought that maybe the man on the news was just a crackpot, but then he showed the reporter the scorch mark on the hood of his car. Something definitely burned it. His next thought was, 'Tony's going to get himself killed.'
He decided to have a talk with the drunken billionaire when he delivered the hangover cure doses the following day. Harry didn't plan on talking him out of whatever crazy scheme he had planned, but he would tell him to be careful. Harry didn't want to have to waste time tracking him down and rescuing his sorry ass again. After all, he had an upcoming date with a sneaky redhead to look forward to.