Chapter 10
Harry gave his hotel room the once-over to make sure he hadn't forgotten anything. He was just looking under the bed when someone knocked on his door. Since only one person knew where he was staying, he had a good guess who it was. He walked over and opened the door. Natasha's gorgeous face met his gaze, and he couldn't help but smile back at her.
"Hey, Harry!" she chirped and stepped into the room without waiting for an invitation. As soon as the door closed, her arms wrapped around the back of his neck, and she pulled his head down and kissed him. Harry rested his hands above her flared hips and kissed her back. Her full, pink lips opened, and she pressed her tongue against his. When his hands drifted lower and cupped her ass, Natasha kissed the tip of his nose and pulled away. She then looked around and raised an eyebrow. "Going somewhere?"
"Yep," Harry easily replied. "I'm going to stay with my friend Tony for a while. I'll invite you over once I'm settled in," he assured her. Even though she was a spy, he knew there was no way he could hide the fact that he was living with Tony Stark. Her group was already watching Tony's house nonstop. Natasha hid her surprise very well.
"That's good, but unfortunately, I'm going to be out of town for a few weeks. There's some family business back home that I need to take care of," she told him.
"Oh?" Harry asked. "I hope everything's okay." She waved away his concern.
"My family's fine. A cousin of mine is about to give birth, and I want to be there for it," she easily lied.
In reality, Natasha was being pulled away from her current mission and sent to Slovenia. Fury caught wind of a very large illegal arms sale, and she was just the woman for the job. Natasha hoped that it would only take a couple of weeks before she could come back. Clint would have to keep up surveillance until then. As soon as Fury, along with everyone else, discovered that Tony Stark was now the so-called "Iron Man", he immediately brought Tony in for a meeting. Natasha didn't know what was said during that meeting, but she did know that Stark outright refused to answer any questions about Harry Potter.
After the meeting, Fury was apparently convinced that Stark wasn't a threat to security, but that didn't mean he wasn't going to keep track of the man. Harry Potter was a completely different story. Fury desperately wanted to know anything about the man, and Natasha was his best shot. You could imagine that he wasn't pleased about having to take her off the mission and send her overseas, but he had his orders, and Natasha had hers.
"That's great!" Harry said with a smile. "Send her my congratulations." Natasha smiled sexily at him and moved her hands from his shoulders to the back of his neck. She gently played with his hair and tickled the back of his neck. She could feel the bulge in his trousers rubbing against her belly.
"I will," she promised, even though it was a complete lie. Lying had never been a problem for her. After all her training, it was as easy as breathing, but for some reason, she didn't particularly like lying to him. Maybe it was his carefree attitude or his boyishly handsome smile. Either way, she didn't like it, but she did it anyway.
"So when are you leaving?" he asked, caressing the curves of her hips.
"In a few minutes. My flight leaves in three hours, and with LA traffic, it'll probably take me an hour and a half just to get to the airport. I wanted to come and see you before I left, though," she told him and kissed him again. He deepened the kiss, and when his tongue tickled the bottom of hers, she moaned into his mouth. With a bit of reluctance, she broke the kiss.
"I'll be here when you get back. Have a safe trip," he said, smiling handsomely at her. Before she left, Natasha kissed him one last time. She made sure to rub her breasts against his chest. She didn't want him to forget about her during her absence after all.
Metal and Magic
When Natasha walked out the door, he had to shake his head. 'That girl is something else,' he inwardly chuckled. He obviously knew she was lying, but even so, he almost believed her. He wondered how she had gotten so good at lying. That was a question for another day. He shrugged, grabbed his bag, and went down to the lobby, where he turned in his keycard. He then got into his rented car and drove down to Malibu. Jarvis opened up the gate as soon as he pulled in.
After getting out of the car, Jarvis's smooth voice met him at the front door. "Good afternoon, sir. Mr. Stark has already prepared a room for you."
"Good afternoon, Jarvis. You don't need to call me sir. You can just call me Harry," he said, greeting the artificial intelligence.
"I'll try and remember that, Harry," Jarvis responded smoothly. "May I show you to your room?"
"Lead the way," Harry said, and grabbed a couple of bags from his car. The front door opened, and Harry stepped into the familiar house.
"Mr. Stark felt you would be most comfortable in the room you usually sleep in when staying here. If this is unacceptable, I can arrange for a different room," Jarvis informed him.
"It would be lovely if you could lock Tony out of the house and assign me the master bedroom," Harry joked as he walked to his new room. Jarvis chuckled in response.
"I fear Mr. Stark would not find this very amusing."
"Probably not," Harry agreed. "This room is more than fine," he stated as he pushed the door open. The room he had always stayed in was very large and spacious. The bed was massive and had a walk-in closet larger than his previous hotel room. The bathroom was nearly as big as the bedroom itself, and one of the room's walls was a floor-to-ceiling glass window. The view out the window was spectacular. He could see the rocky shore stretching off into the distance, and the blue waters of the Pacific Ocean spanned as far as he could see. All in all, there was very little to complain about. "In fact, I would go so far as to say it's perfect. Thank you, Jarvis."
"My pleasure. One last thing needs to be done before you can officially move in," Jarvis told him. Harry tossed his bags onto the bed.
"What's that?" he asked.
"We need to upload your biometric data to the server so that you can have full access to the house," Jarvis told him.
"How do I do that?"
"Through your door, exit to the left. On the right hallway wall, there is a screen. Stand in front of it, and I'll do the rest," Jarvis told him. Harry easily found the screen he was talking about and stood in front of it.
"Scanning facial recognition … Complete. Scanning retinal pattern … Complete. Please press both palms against the screen and say your name."
Harry did as he was told. "Finger and palm print data stored … Voice recognition … Complete. Your biometric data is now stored in the local server."
"So I can now unlock any door?" Harry wondered.
"Most doors. Certain areas, like Mr. Stark's laboratory, are secured with a number-coded locking mechanism," Jarvis explained.
"Good to know," Harry said, walking back to his new room.
"If there's anything more you need, please feel free to call out for me," Jarvis pleasantly stated.
"I will. Thanks, Jarvis."
"My pleasure, Harry."
Metal and Magic
"Hey! He's already here," Tony happily stated when he pulled up in his Audi and saw Harry's disgraceful rental car parked in the arching driveway.
"I can't believe you invited that reprobate to live with you," Pepper groaned in the passenger's seat. Truthfully, Pepper didn't actually mind. She felt it would be good for Tony to have a male friend around. As for Harry, she would never admit it, but she actually enjoyed his company. He could be annoyingly charming when he wanted.
"I had to, Pepper," he said, sadly shaking his head. "You should have seen him when he begged me to stay. It was a pitiful sight." They pulled up behind Harry's car and parked.
No sooner had he opened the door than a black bird came flying out, streaking through the air in Pepper's direction. Tony jumped aside as Pepper screeched. Tony watched in shock as Harry got tangled up in Pepper's strawberry blonde hair and violently flapped his wings. Both wings were loudly thumping against the sides of Pepper's head. "GET IT OFF! GET IT OFF! EEEEEEK!" she squealed, spinning around wildly while trying to swipe the bird off her head. Harry cawed loudly and menacingly before finally breaking free. Pepper squealed again and ran down the driveway, still swiping her hands above her head. Harry flew back into the house and stepped out in his human form. He was trying very hard not to laugh.
"What the hell's going on out here?! I'm trying to have some peace and quiet for a change," he called out to Pepper, who was turning in every direction and peering into the sky. Pepper ran back toward the house, scared that the airborne menace would return. Pepper ran into the house, and Harry and Tony followed her. Once they were in, she slammed the door and rested her back against it, breathing heavily.
"I love what you've done with your hair. Very fetching," Harry said, staring at the tangled bird's nest that was once an elegant top bun.
"What the hell was that?!" Pepper cried out with wide eyes. Harry looked at Tony, who was biting his lip and trying to keep his shoulders from shaking.
"I didn't see anything," Harry shrugged and turned to Tony. "Did you?"
Tony couldn't help but chuckle. "I think a bird may have somehow gotten into the house, and it flew out in a panic when the door was opened."
"Was it rabid?!" Pepper panicked, touching the sides of her face and checking her palms. "Did I get bit?!"
"Birds can't contract or transmit the rabies virus, Pepper," Tony said, continuing to chuckle. "And no, you weren't scratched or pecked by it."
"Come on, Pepper. I think you could use a stiff drink right now," Harry said, shaking his head at her antics. He placed his hand on the small of her back and led her into the living room.
"Yeah … That sounds good," she said, still breathing heavily.
Needless to say, Pepper had had enough excitement for one night, and after finishing her drink, she had Tony call a car for her.
"I wish I could turn into a bird," Tony said as the car drove off. "Imagine all the mischief I could get into."
"It does have its advantages," Harry relented, and they went back inside.
Metal and Magic
"Wow!" Tony exclaimed in amazement as he watched Harry transfigure a pencil into various objects. "Is it permanent? The change, I mean," Tony asked.
"No," Harry answered, shaking his head. "The smaller stuff can last a long time, but the larger and more complex the transfiguration, the shorter it tends to last. Eventually, the magic will run out, and the object will change back into its original form."
"Change it into a piece of metal. I want to run some tests on it," Tony told him, and Harry complied. Tony scooped up the small bar of iron and put it inside one of his many machines. He pressed some buttons and left the machine to do its business. Tony then went back to designing his new suit. "Do you think magic can upgrade the new version of my armor?" he asked as he fooled around with the 3D light emitter. The holographic image of his armor was hovering above the emitter, and when he spread his fingers, the suit split apart into dozens of components.
"Yeah, probably," Harry answered as he worked on his own project. He was reading through one of Voldemort's books on runecraft and enchantments while taking notes. It was one of the thickest books he had ever seen, and it covered things like how to convert Muggle cars into magical ones, all the way to racing broom creation. Harry was reading up on cauldron creation. He guessed that this book was likely illegal in the magical world, but he had a sneaking suspicion that Arthur Weasley had referenced this book when creating his flying Ford Anglia.
"Off the top of my head, I can think of a few things that might be useful," Harry said while turning the page. "Weight reduction, magically hardening the metal, and heat dissipation are a few."
"You can do all that?" Tony asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I'll have to read up on it and practice a bit, but yeah … I think I can," Harry told him while scribbling something down on his notes.
"Work on it when you have the time. I'd really like to test that out," Tony told him. He was examining the inner workings of his pulse cannons.
"I'll work on it after I finish this," Harry said, tapping his open book.
"What are you working on anyway?" Tony asked, looking over at his book.
"Our new business venture," Harry smiled.
Tony had their business registered, and he opened a business account at his bank with twenty million dollars added. Harry figured that that should be more than enough to find a suitable factory. Plenty still needed to be done, though. Harry had to fine-tune the production process and decide what kind of machinery was needed. The first step was to design an industrial-sized cauldron that could constantly absorb ambient magic from the environment. Of course, he would then need to create quite a few of them, and if what Tony had said was true, he might need to expand in order to meet demand.
The previous day, Tony had shared the results of his testing, and apparently, the Hangover Cure had passed with flying colors. He actually seemed very excited.
"You were right. The ingredients are all-natural. We'll have no problems selling it in any country. I even gave it to a few members of the board at Stark Industries to let them try it out," Tony told him.
"What's the verdict?" Harry had asked him.
"It worked like a charm. Believe me … Some of those guys are heavy drinkers, and they were singing your praises like never before. It worked perfectly. When they found out I was investing in the company, they practically begged me to let them invest as well. That's how you know we have a hit on our hands," Tony smugly stated.
Metal and Magic
It took a few days just to figure out the correct rune sequence. At first, he thought that maybe he could use the standard sequence used on regular cauldrons, but after a bit of testing, he quickly discovered that it wouldn't be able to pull enough ambient magic to produce at an industrial level. Harry then had to do some tinkering. The first attempt was an utter disaster that left a huge scorch mark on Tony's garage floor. Thankfully, a bit of magic was able to clean it right up. At the same time, Harry used a Repair Charm to fix the massive hole in his roof.
The second attempt was a little better. The scorch mark was much smaller, but he did have to deal with the pool of molten metal after the test cauldron went into full meltdown mode. Attempt after attempt were all failures, and Harry had to go back to the book to look for answers. As it turned out, the size of the carved runes was very important. He knew the runes that absorbed magic and the one that infused it into the potion needed to be large, so he just assumed that all the others needed to be of equal size. It turned out that it was catastrophically wrong and had led to several melted cauldrons.
Harry would be the first to admit that his rune-carving abilities were somewhat poor, and his sloppy work kept the sequence from reaching its full potential. To solve this, Harry learned how to use Tony's laser engraver, and that quickly sped up the process. After a few days of hard work, Harry had a working prototype. The "cauldron" was actually a very large metal pot that restaurants typically used. It was a bit cheap and wouldn't stand the test of time, but Harry was only using it as a proof of concept. He then brewed several large batches and handed them over to Tony for testing. He needed to make sure the quality was consistent.
Metal and Magic
"You're grinding the gears, you dumbass!" Tony shouted over the rushing wind. He was teaching Harry how to drive stick in his brand new convertible Ferrari. It was, of course, painted red and gold. Tony had really gone hog wild with this whole Iron Man thing.
"I'm just working out the kinks!" Harry called back with a huge smile on his face. The warm, dry air whipped his already messy hair in all directions as they drove down the coast. Seeing a little extra room to maneuver, Harry stepped on the gas, and they were both forced back into their seats as the hypercar accelerated.
"This is way better than that piece of shit you're used to driving, isn't it?" Tony called out.
"It's definitely faster," Harry called back as he gunned it and passed a slow-moving grandma.
"Two blondes! The car in front of us!" Tony shouted. Sure enough, two women in a small, red convertible were driving up ahead. Harry could see their bleached blonde hair fanning out behind them. "Pull up beside them!"
"Alright … Hold on!" Harry shouted back and pulled closer to them. He had to wait for a truck that was coming in the opposite direction. When the truck whizzed past them, Harry had a clear path and moved into the oncoming lane. He put the pedal to the metal and, engine roaring, he pulled up beside them. Both women turned and looked at them as though they were nuts. Then, they suddenly squealed when Tony looked at them smugly and slightly lowered his shades to get a better look at them.
"Hey, ladies!" he called out to them. "Nice day for a drive, isn't it?"
"Oh, my god! It's Tony Stark!" the hot driver squealed. Her equally hot passenger squealed as well.
"Iron Man!" she cried out, bouncing in her seat. Harry nearly drove off the road when he saw her big tits bouncing around in her tank top. "I love you, Iron Man!"
"Iron Man loves you too!" Tony smarmily said with a smile. Harry snorted in amusement beside him. "Howz about we go out tonight to celebrate my recent accomplishments? My friend Harry and I are looking for a couple of babes to take on a double date! What do you say?" Harry smiled and waved at them.
"That would be awesome!" the driver said, also bouncing in her seat while her friend cheered and clapped.
"Hey, Tony?" Harry suddenly called out to him. When he turned to him, Harry pointed at the car coming straight for them. It began to honk. He quickly turned back to the blonde bimbos.
"Meet us at Le Cirque tonight at eight!" Tony shouted.
"We'll be there!" they both shouted together.
Harry jammed on the brakes and slid back behind the ladies' small sports car just in time to avoid the oncoming traffic. The driver of the other car flipped Harry off as he passed. Tony appeared to be having the time of his life.
"WOOHOOO!" he shouted, punching the air. Harry rolled his eyes, but he couldn't help but smile. Living life in the fast lane was kind of fun. Unfortunately, their fun prematurely ended soon after.
Ten minutes later, after the red sports car turned down a side street, they were rounding a bend in the mountain when they saw a car losing control. The front tire was shredded down to the rim, and it banked hard to the left. Harry jammed on the brakes and came to a sudden and screeching halt. "It's going over the side!" Tony shouted and pointed at the fishtailing car. Harry immediately jumped into action.
Just as the car crashed through the guard rail, Harry found a rocky spot below the cliff and apparated there. As soon as he appeared, Harry looked up, and partially blinded by sunlight, he saw the car sailing overhead. Pulling out the Elder Wand, Harry gave it a flick, and the car groaned and stopped right before crashing headfirst into the jagged rocks of the shore. The car hovered a few feet in the air, and like a maestro, Harry swished his wand and slowly lowered the vehicle safely to the ground. The shocks squealed in protest as all four tires touched the ground. Not wanting his face to be seen, Harry turned around and transfigured his clothes into a long, black robe with a hood. He pointed his wand at his face and hid it under a thick layer of magical shadow. When he turned around, he saw that the front of the car was smashed in from the contact with the guard rail. The engine was hissing and steaming, and coolant poured out of the bottom. Harry skipped along the rocks and made his way to the driver's side door. He yanked it open and found an older man with a bloody nose. He appeared to be quite dazed. It was easy to see why. When he went through the guard rail, the airbag had deployed, likely knocking him senseless. "Are you alright?" Harry asked, shaking his shoulder.
"Yeah," the older man groaned and shakily unbuckled his belt. "My nose hurts," he added, touching his bloody face.
"I'm not surprised," Harry said. When the man finally looked at him, he gasped and jerked back in surprise. Harry's strange appearance was obviously a shock to the man. "Do you have a phone?" Harry asked him. With wide, disbelieving eyes, he nodded his head and looked around for it. He finally found it under the seat. "You may want to get out of the car. I smell gas."
The man started moving faster and got out of his wrecked car in record time. "Hang on. This will feel unpleasant," Harry told him and grabbed his shoulder. Harry apparated them to the spot where he had jumped the cliff. The man cried out in shock and wobbled in place before falling onto his backside. He then rolled onto his hands and knees and heaved loudly. First time apparition was tough on the body. Harry used this moment to apparate back to the car. Tony was staring down over the cliff. Harry looked around and saw a car coming up from behind them, but it was far enough away that he wouldn't be properly seen. Harry changed his clothes back and whistled for Tony. Tony spun around and jogged over to him.
"That was pretty awesome!" Tony said, his eyes shining in wonder.
"Yeah … Not too bad," Harry agreed, while walking to the passenger side of the car. "Let's get going. The guy will be fine. He's just a little banged up."
"You know … Being a superhero team could be fun," he said while getting into the driver's seat. Harry's heroic actions had clearly inspired him.
"Superhero team?" Harry asked in amusement.
"Yeah," Tony smiled. "Iron Man and … whatever the hell you call yourself."
"How about the Ass-Smasher 5000?" Harry joked.
"That's what I'm talking about!" he said with excitement. "Now that our good deed for the day is done, I say … ON TO THE BABES!" Tony triumphantly cheered.
"Our good deed?" Harry asked with a raised eyebrow. Tony nodded with a smile.
"Yeah! We're a team. Your glory is my glory," he wisely stated. Harry snorted in response.
"Whatever you say, Tony," Harry chuckled and jumped into the passenger seat. Tony cranked up the car and floored it, leaving everything in their dust.
Chapter 11
"Uhhbluhh," Harry muttered in his slumber. Something was jerking his body while his mind desperately wanted many more hours of sleep. Whatever it was didn't stop. It shook him again, and finally, when he could no longer take the intrusion on his rest, Harry opened his eyes. It was a mistake.
His head began pounding, and his stomach twisted. "Ohhh," Harry groaned as he rubbed his forehead.
"I know how you feel," Harry heard Tony's tired, gruff voice. His blurry vision cleared, and he saw a very disheveled Tony Stark staring down at him. "Hangover drink … Please," he practically begged. Harry was sure Tony looked worse than he did.
The two blondes they had taken out the previous night had no qualms about having the funnest time possible. The drinks flowed like water, and it wasn't long before they became very handsy. As one could imagine, it led them back to Tony's Malibu mansion, where the fun went into overdrive. Harry knew he would likely suffer in the morning for his night's poor choices, but he was prepared. Harry blindly pointed at the nightstand beside his bed. Sitting on top were several bottles of his latest batch. What better way to test his work than to try it out for themselves? "Hand me one," Harry pleaded.
Tony quickly grabbed two and handed one to Harry. Both popped the tops and drank it down at record pace. Harry closed his eyes and waited. After a few seconds, his headache cleared up, and his stomach stopped feeling so sour. When Tony's face suddenly became much more relaxed, Harry guessed that it had worked for him, too. Tony breathed a sigh of relief. "That's the good stuff."
"I'm glad to see my new cauldron worked," Harry replied, his voice sounding scratchy and rough. The busty blonde asleep on his chest woke up with a pitiful groan. Apparently, her hangover was just as bad as theirs. Tony smiled down at her when she locked eyes with him.
"Good morning, Veronica," he said, his eyes following the curve of her nude back.
"Her name is Katherine, idiot," Harry replied while his hand rested on her wide hip.
"Actually, it's Danielle," she corrected them while closing her eyes and wincing.
"Oh," Harry and Tony said at the same time.
"Hand me another," Harry told Tony, holding out his hand. Harry then removed the top and hovered it in front of her face. Her nose wrinkled from the smell. "Drink it," Harry told her. "It'll help with your hangover."
Danielle pushed herself into a sitting position with great effort. Apparently, she didn't care that her bare breasts were on full display. She put the small bottle to her lips and drank while Harry and Tony ogled her wonderful assets. She pulled a face at the taste, but a few seconds later, she seemed much happier and livelier. "Whatever that stuff is, it's fucking awesome!" she declared. "Where did you get it?"
"Actually, it's a new product that my partner and I are about to put on the market," Tony proudly stated and clapped Harry on the shoulder.
"Cool beans!" she said with much enthusiasm. "Do you mind if I freshen up?" she asked Harry.
"Go ahead," Harry said, pointing at the bathroom door. "It's over there."
"Thanks!" she chirped and hopped out of bed. She scampered to the bathroom with her bare ass bouncing from side to side. Harry and Tony only looked at each other once she disappeared behind the door.
"Cool beans?" Harry asked in confusion. Tony just guffawed amusedly. He then grabbed another bottle.
"I'm going to take this to the other one," he told him. "Do you remember what her name is?"
"Your guess is as good as mine, mate," Harry replied and waited for his turn in the bathroom.
Metal and Magic
"Adios! Don't be a stranger!" Tony called out and waved as the two women were being taken home in a cab. They waved back as the car drove off.
"Man, that miracle tonic you whipped up works wonders," Tony happily stated as they went back into the house. "I feel rejuvenated."
"It's got everything a growing boy needs," Harry said. "We still have to come up with a good name for it."
"I'm sure you'll come up with something," Tony said as he went straight for the refrigerator.
It wasn't long after that Pepper made an appearance. She walked into the house and found Tony and Harry lounging on the couch. She wrinkled her nose and waved her hand in front of her face. "You two smell terrible!" she exclaimed. "Did you fall asleep in a dumpster again?"
"That's the smell of success, baby. Get used to it," Tony said as he drank his coffee while watching the recording of the morning news. Harry sniffed himself.
"We do smell pretty ripe," he concurred. "I'm going to take a shower."
Fifteen minutes later, Harry went back into the living room, and Tony was nowhere to be seen. "Where's Tony?" Harry asked Pepper as he walked into the kitchen. She was reading the paper and drinking a glass of orange juice.
"I browbeat him into taking a shower. His stink was starting to turn my stomach," she said, putting her glass down on the marble counter. Harry chuckled in response.
"Yeah. He was smelling pretty foul," Harry agreed.
"He wasn't the only one," Pepper smirked and looked him up and down. "Do you think I don't know what you two hooligans got up to last night? Carousing with those streetwalkers… It's embarrassing. Tony has a reputation to maintain," she complained, but there wasn't any venom in her voice. Harry was confused.
"How did you know what we were doing last night?" Harry wondered. Pepper gave him a look and held the newspaper out for him to see. Plastered across the front page was a picture of Tony and Harry in the posh restaurant Le Cirque. Their heads were thrown back, mid-laugh, and the table was covered with empty champagne bottles. On each of their laps were the two blondes. Their extremely short dresses were riding high up their thighs, and their boobs were practically spilling out of the top. "Can you get me a copy of that?" Harry asked. He was hoping to pin it to his wall. Pepper huffed, folded the paper, and tossed it onto the counter.
"What am I going to do with you?" she retorically asked.
"Looking as good as you do, you can do whatever you want with me," Harry teased with a boyish smile. He looked her up and down. She wore a tight black dress that accentuated her soft curves. He checked out her long, smooth legs and then moved back up. The top of her dress only showed off a classy amount of cleavage, but it was enough to keep him interested. Her cheeks immediately blushed pink. She grabbed the paper and whomped him on the shoulder.
"Enough of that, you scoundrel," she said, blushing with embarrassment. Harry chuckled and spent a bit of time chatting with Pepper about this and that.
Metal and Magic
Tony provided Harry with a brand new, state-of-the-art laptop for all his research needs. At the moment, he was researching realtors in the LA area who dealt with commercial property. Harry needed a factory of sufficient size to meet the demand that Tony repeatedly said would definitely come. Harry wasn't so sure, but he trusted Tony's judgement on this more than his own. After all, Tony had run a successful business for years, and Harry had not. When he heard rumbling down below, Harry closed the laptop and headed down into the garage. Upon entering, he found Tony hovering above the ground with a pair of Iron Man boots on. The thrusters were roaring loudly, and Harry had to cover his ears and squint his eyes. After another ten seconds of slowly maneuvering across the garage, Tony slowly lowered to the ground and turned off the thrusters. "So, what do you think?" he asked, smiling proudly.
"Pretty cool, I guess," Harry answered. Tony snorted.
"Pretty cool he says." Tony shook his head in disbelief. "I'll have you know that these newly designed boots are two point three percent more efficient than the last pair, and they have better handling," he boasted as two machine arms sprayed his boots with argon gas.
"Well, whoopty freakin' doo!" Harry exclaimed with fake enthusiasm.
"Everyone's a critic," Tony huffed and went back to work.
A few hours later, Harry found himself sitting in a realtor's office as she showed him pictures on her computer. Harry had already listened to her talk about three other factories that were for sale, but they didn't meet his needs. Two of them were abandoned and would need over a year's worth of work just to get them in working order. The third was too far away.
"This one is sixty-five thousand square feet," she read from her notes. "It was previously a manufacturing plant for Salty Sea Foods Inc., but they moved to a larger factory up north. The electrical and gas lines are all good. You can see the inspection report right here," she said, pointing to her monitor.
"Various machinery and tools are included in the price, including ten forklifts of varying sizes," she told him.
All of that sounded good. Tony had told him not to get one under fifty thousand square feet. There needed to be plenty of room to expand. The pictures looked good as well. The facade wasn't broken down and rusty like the others. The inside looked to be in good shape, and based on the fact that it used to produce food products, Harry guessed that it was relatively clean as well.
"Where is it located?" Harry asked her.
"Oxnard, which is good because you'll have access to Port Hueneme, and since you reside in Malibu, it's just a short drive up the Pacific Coast Highway. The views along the road are stunning, and it's the perfect way to start your day. You can completely avoid that lousy LA traffic!" she happily chirped. The woman was trying hard to get her commission.
"All of that sounds good, but I'm going to need to see it first," Harry told her. She nodded, already knowing he would. They made arrangements to meet there first thing in the morning.
Metal and Magic
Nick Fury looked at the morning's issue of The LA Times for what must have been the twentieth time that day. Tony Stark and Harry Potter's picture would have made him laugh if he had any kind of sense of humor.
They had pulled most of their surveillance team back from the Malibu mansion, but they continued to keep a few of the younger agents in the area. It was a good bit of real-world training for them. Of course, Barton was still the team leader and was in charge of filling him in on the details.
Having to send Romanoff away was a big blow to his fact-finding mission. She had done an excellent job of infiltrating Potter's defenses and getting him to share some information. With her gone, that pipeline had practically run dry. The worst part was that she might have to be gone longer than expected. This wasn't good news for Fury. In fact, none of this was good news for him. He didn't like the idea of Stark and Potter getting so close. Stark had already invited Potter to live in his house, and only God knew what was going on in there. He checked the paper again and snorted.
"I know one thing that's going on in there," he said, training his one good eye on the two blondes sitting on their laps. He already ordered an agent to find out the identities of these two blondes in the hope that they would discover something new. He didn't normally judge a book by its cover, but he would bet anything that these two bimbos were the type to gossip. You would be amazed at what you could hear over a phone tap.
Fury put the paper down on his desk and lifted a folder. Emblazoned across the front in big, bold letters were the words, TOP SECRET. He opened the folder and looked at the cover page. Avengers Initiative, it read. He then set it down on top of the newspaper and rubbed his chin in thought. Stark was a prime candidate for a new group he was planning, but there were obvious red flags. For one, Stark didn't seem to play well with others, if his files were to be believed. Fury moved the folder to the side and looked down at the newspaper again.
'He seems to be playing well with this Potter fellow,' he thought. There was also the excessive drinking and partying, but that in and of itself wasn't a major problem. Those who worked hard tended to play hard as well. It could be overlooked if he was able to get the job done to Fury's satisfaction. Hell, quite a few of his agents tended to party a bit too hard when not on duty, but Fury ignored it as long as they didn't do anything stupid. There was also the fact that Stark was a blatant womanizer. The newspaper picture only proved that.
There were a lot of red flags against Stark, but that didn't necessarily disqualify him from being a candidate. That he was running around with Potter was, in fact, the biggest red flag, and that was only because Fury knew next to nothing about the man. He needed to know more, and Stark was very tight-lipped about him. Of course, there were other ways to find out. If only Widow were still here. Unfortunately, she might not be back for several months. Fury looked at the picture again. From the reports, Potter was considered just as much a womanizer as Stark. 'Two peas in a pod,' Fury snorted. 'It's no wonder they get along so well.'
Fortunately for Fury, he knew there was more than one way to skin a cat. He pulled out his phone and hit the speed dial. The phone rang twice before his underling picked up. "Agent Hill, report to my office at once."
Metal and Magic
"Well … What do you think?" the realtor nervously asked, hoping to make a boatload of money today. Harry rubbed his chin while tapping his foot on the ground. There weren't many factories for sale around this area, and this was certainly the best one.
"I'll take it!" Harry finally exclaimed after stating that she would be able to get the price lowered by ten percent if he paid in full today. Apparently, the fish factory people were eager to get rid of it. The realtor breathed a sigh of relief, and a huge smile crossed her somewhat pretty face.
"Excellent, Mr. Potter!" she happily stated. "You won't be disappointed. If you follow me back to my office, we can get the paperwork sorted."
A few hours later, Harry left her office nine point three million dollars poorer. It made him feel much better knowing it was Tony's money he was spending. Of course, Tony had already given his blessing on purchasing the property, and stated that the asking price was reasonable for what they would be getting. After the agreement was made and the payment was issued, Tony's lawyers would take it from there. She said it would take a month or two for everything to go through, which would give the lawyers enough time to get all the necessary permits to begin work. Until then, Harry would have his hands full coming up with a streamlined process for making the magical hangover cure. Harry didn't mind at all, though. He was glad he had something to do. Life would get boring if he sat at home all day.
The drive home was fun. Harry had had a great time testing the limits of one of Tony's beloved Audi R8s. Just as he pulled up to the house, Tony walked out of the front door in his full Iron Man armor. "What's going on?" Harry asked, jumping over the door without opening it.
"The children's hospital in Pasadena is on fire," he stated with his robotic, suit-amplified voice. "It's burning up, and I'm going in," he said with confidence. Without hesitation, Harry's wand appeared in his hand, and after a few waves, he was back in his black, hooded robe with his face obscured by shadows. Tony shook his head.
"We've really got to get you a new outfit. We can't have Iron Man's sidekick looking like a complete dufus," he amusedly said.
"Harry Potter is no one's sidekick," Harry snorted. "Now let's go."
"How are you getting there?" Tony asked. Harry hadn't thought about that. He then shrugged.
"I'll hitch a ride with you."
"I don't think you'll be able to hold on. I'll be flying too fast," Tony warned.
"Just trust me," Harry said, and Tony shrugged. Harry walked up behind him and waved the Elder Wand. He placed a force field around himself that would protect him from the cold, wind, and any small objects that might accidentally hit him. He then used Sticking Charms on his hands and placed them on Tony's shoulders. "Hit it!" Harry called out, and Tony's thrusters immediately burst to life.
The takeoff was relatively slow due to Tony not wanting to kill him with the sudden acceleration, but once they got into the air, they were flying faster than the speed of sound. Harry was very relieved to discover that his magical protection worked, and his hair wasn't even fluttering. It only took a few minutes to reach their destination.
Metal and Magic
Hey, Bill … Look at that," a chopper news reporter flying around on a helicopter told his colleague as they circled the flaming building. Bill followed the direction of his finger and squinted. It was a spec in the sky, rapidly growing larger. When he finally got a good look, his eyes widened excitedly.
"It's Iron Man!" he practically shouted. He moved the camera from the burning hospital and aimed it straight at the flying suit of armor. He zoomed in to capture it in greater detail.
"What's that on his back?" Eddie asked as he looked through the monitor at the camera feed.
"It looks like another man," Bill answered in confusion. Suddenly, the dark cloaked figure stood up on Iron Man's back and rode him like a surfer catching the most epic wave of his life. "WOAH!" Bill excitedly exclaimed. His hands were shaking as he trained the camera on the insane sight. This was pure gold, and it might just earn him a raise. Best of all, it was live on TV. Beside him, Eddie was running an excited commentary of the unfolding events to the news station as Iron Man and his unknown passenger neared the burning hospital from high above. Then, the passenger did something utterly insane. He jumped off Iron Man's back and dove straight toward the ground. With pinpoint accuracy, Bill followed the man's descent.
Metal and Magic
"I can see the hospital," Tony's voice called out over the loud wind. It wasn't hard to see. All he had to do was follow the pillar of black smoke towering into the sky.
"Fly right over it," Harry called back and did something crazy. He removed the Sticking Charms from his hands and pressed his feet against Tony's back. He then stood, slightly crouched, with his arms stretched out to keep his balance. When they were almost over the hospital, Harry called out to him. "I'll see you on the ground!" he shouted with a huge, excited smile and jumped.
The ground stretched out around him for hundreds of miles, and like when he was in his bird form, he felt free. Harry stretched out his arms and legs to help slow his descent and moved his limbs to maneuver through the air. Below him, he saw Tony soaring downward toward the burning building. His wand appeared in his hand, and after a quick wave, a bubble of fresh air encased his head just before he disappeared into the tower of smoke. Once inside, Harry twirled the wand over his head, around and around, building up his magic. Harry then flipped himself until he was facing the sky. He jabbed his wand and let his magic free. A massive ball of water appeared above, undulating and rolling as it fell along with him. Knowing that if a ball of water that size hit the roof of the building, it would destroy a huge chunk of it, Harry jabbed his wand again and broke the ball into millions of marble-sized drops. He then flipped back onto his belly and transformed into a raven. Harry pulled out of his dive and broke through the pillar of choking, black smoke just a hundred feet above the scorched roof of the hospital.
Down below, the firefighters, police, and onlookers were met with a sudden waterfall of rain. It was like God had split open the heavens and took a piss directly on their heads. It was a level of water beyond anything they had ever witnessed.
Harry circled away from the falling water and watched as the burning building hissed angrily and spat steam into the air. When the roof was finally absent of flames, Harry dove down through a hole in the roof and transformed back into a human. The second he did, he slapped Bubblehead and Flame Freezing Charms on himself. He quickly used Homenum Revelio and looked around. Thankfully, most of the hospital seemed to have been evacuated. There was only a small group of people one floor below him. He could see their ghostly outlines in the distance, so he ran over to them as fast as possible. When he was near them, Harry waved his wand and blew a hole through the floor. He dropped down and found flames in the hallway behind him. There was no way anyone would be leaving through there. The hallway was so thick with smoke that he could barely see a few feet in front of him. He ran ahead, through a broken-down door, and turned the corner. There, he found Tony with several children and nurses around him. Everyone except Tony was coughing loudly. The room was full of smoke, which was pouring out of several smashed windows. Without thinking, Harry swished his wand and slapped Bubblehead Charms on each of them. They wouldn't suffocate, but they were still coughing loudly and raggedly. They had likely breathed in a lot of smoke, which wasn't good.
Tony looked over at him and said, "I can't carry them! The shell of my suit is red hot from the fire!" he explained. It seemed that Tony had walked through the flames, looking for survivors who needed to be rescued. The skin of his suit was slightly discolored and covered in soot.
"Blow a hole in the wall! I'll lower them down!" Harry called back. Tony immediately raised his hand and fired off a repulsor blast. The wall blew outward, filling the dark room with light. Thick clouds of smoke poured through the hole while Harry waved his wand at them. They gasped through their coughing fits as their bodies were levitated from the floor. Harry gently guided them through the open hole and down to safety. As soon as they were safely on the ground, Harry released his magic, and they were swarmed by EMTs. Harry stepped back away from the hole and turned to Tony.
"There's no one else in the building. At least no one living," he somberly stated. Harry didn't know if anyone had died before they arrived. He certainly hoped not.
"You sure?" Tony asked as a chunk of plaster dropped down from the collapsing ceiling and hit him in the shoulder.
"I checked with my magic. This group was the only one," Harry assured him.
"Alright," Tony nodded. "Let's see if we can put out the rest of this fire. From what I can tell, it started on this floor and made its way up. The floor below us is relatively undamaged."
"I already handled the roof and the floor above. There's still fire back down the hall," Harry told him. They followed the smoke, snuffing out the flames as they went. Once they were satisfied with their work, Harry apparated back to Malibu while Tony flew out of the hospital and waved to the crowd while soaking up the glory.
Later that night …
"Who is this cloaked hero, and how did he become so powerful?" the hot news woman said as it showed a sky-eye view of Harry surfing on Tony's back and jumping off. The camera followed him down until he disappeared into the smoke. A few seconds later, a massive ball of water appeared out of thin air and fell like rain onto the hospital, which almost instantly extinguished the flames.
"The rescued survivors claim this same cloaked superhero appeared before them and saved them from certain death. This unbelievable footage was captured …"
It then cut to them floating from the hole in the wall and slowly being lowered to the ground. It then cut back to the hot news woman.
"The identity of this hero is unknown, but if he's listening … I'd love to have some one-on-one time with you," she seductively stated while staring into the camera with a sexy look on her gorgeous face.
"For an interview," her smirking male co-host added for her.
"Yeah, sure," she absent-mindedly said while still staring sultrily into the camera. The TV then suddenly cut off, and Tony tossed the remote onto the coffee table. He turned and looked at Harry with a sour expression on his face.
"You son of a bitch," he grumbled. "You just had to hog all the glory, didn't you?"
Harry had the biggest shit-eating grin on his face. He smirked at Tony and huffed on his fingernails. He then buffed them against his shirt and examined them.
"What can I say … Courage and heroism come naturally to me."
Tony grumbled again and stood up. "I'm going to the strip club where I'll be properly appreciated. You coming?" he asked. Harry chuckled and followed him. Heroes deserved their rewards after all.
Chapter 12
At SHIELD headquarters, things were a bit chaotic, and everyone was walking on eggshells any time the Director was anywhere within shouting distance. Apparently, Fury wasn't in the best mood. None of them knew why, but it wasn't their job to ask. They just stayed as far away from him as humanly possible. The only one brave enough to speak with Fury was Coulson, and he had no choice.
Coulson knocked on Fury's door and walked in when he heard, "Enter!" barked from the other side of the door. He closed the door behind him. "What have you got?" Fury immediately asked.
"Based on the analysis of his height when compared to that of Tony Stark, minus the estimated thickness of his armor, of course, and …"
"Just tell me," Fury groaned and rubbed his temples. The council wasn't pleased about this new superpowered individual, and they wanted answers. Fury had been intentionally keeping as much information from them as he could, but it was hard to do when it was plastered on every newspaper and television screen in most of the world. There was only so much he could do.
"There's a ninety-eight point three percent match that the cloaked individual was Harry Potter … based on his height," Coulson said, adding the last part to cover his ass in case he was wrong.
"So that pretty much confirms it," Fury said. "It's not like it could be anyone else. Stark and Potter have become as thick as thieves in a short period of time. We had always wondered why, and now it appears we have our answer."
"It is good for us, though … Isn't it?" Coulson asked his boss. "I mean … They're fighting for good and not out there robbing banks and such."
"Yes, that is one way to look at it. Another way to look at it is that one of them has access to incredibly powerful equipment that's beyond military-grade. The other has powers that we can't possibly understand, and there's no one to guide them and point them in the right direction. All it would take is one simple mistake for things to turn into a complete shitshow," Fury explained while standing up from his desk. He locked hands behind his back and slowly paced the length of his office.
"So what do you want to do?" Coulson asked, waiting for his orders. Fury stopped in front of a monitor that was continually replaying footage from the evening news the previous night. He watched Harry Potter jump from Iron Man's back and free-fall toward the ground.
"I'll keep the council off our backs. Increase monitoring of Stark's home and Stark Industries. We'll see what Agent Hill can find out before we decide what to do next," Fury told him, and Coulson nodded in understanding. Coulson hoped Hill was successful because he had a feeling that this Harry Potter character was one of the most powerful beings on the planet.
Metal and Magic
Harry furiously grunted. Veins bulged in his temples, and his face began turning red as he strained with the herculean task.
"Having trouble?" Tony's amused voice met him from behind.
"I think they fused the lid directly onto the glass," Harry complained while glaring at the stubborn pickle jar. He tried again.
"Let me try," Tony said and placed his hands into his newly designed gauntlets. Metal pieces slid into place, locking his hands and forearms behind a thick armor plating. Harry handed him the pickle jar. Tony put one hand on the metal lid while gripping the glass jar. Tony grunted as he gave the lid a hard twist. The glass jar immediately shattered, sending glass shards, pickles, and pickle juice all over his nice, clean laboratory. Harry yelped and jumped back as pickle juice rained down on his shoes.
"Nice going," Harry groaned and wagged his shoe around, flinging off the pickle juice drops clinging to the white leather. "Those pickles cost me three bucks!" he complained.
"You can still eat them," Tony said as he jerked his gauntlets down toward the floor to get the vinegary juice off. "Five-second rule!"
"They've got glass and dirt all over them," Harry responded, looking longingly at the pickles resting on the floor. He sighed and summoned the Elder Wand. With a simple wave, the glass, pickles, and juice all vanished from the room. The wand then disappeared, and Harry went back to work.
"What are you doing?" Tony asked as a machine removed the armor from his hands.
"Trying to figure out the correct rune size for the two-thousand-gallon mixing tanks I ordered," Harry told him as he referenced his rune book.
"How many did you order for the factory?" Tony asked as he looked over Harry's notes.
"Ten," he responded. "Each tank can produce one hundred and twenty-eight thousand doses every few hours … give or take. The real trouble was figuring out the correct rune size. Using one giant rune to absorb enough ambient magic for that much potion would likely blow it sky high. Instead, I'll use a chain of a dozen smaller ones that should be safe. I ordered an eleventh tank to test all this on. It should be delivered to the factory in a few days, and I can get to work," Harry happily told him.
"Sounds like a plan," Tony said and sat down at his work station. He began fiddling on his holographic emitter.
"What are you working on?" Harry asked in turn.
"I'm designing a new suit," he simply said, and Harry nodded. Tony was constantly working on new ideas and upgrades for his suit. Harry left him in peace and continued to work out his own problems.
Metal and Magic
Maria Hill pulled into a fully furnished house that SHIELD had rented specifically for her mission. Across the street, a few houses to the left, was another house that was outright owned by the agency. Normally, it was just one of several in LA that were used as safe houses. However, at the moment, a small team of junior agents had set up shop and were to be her eyes and ears during her stay.
Popping the trunk of her car, she got out and grabbed her black duffel bag before shutting the trunk. She reached into the pocket of her tight jeans and pulled out the house key. Upon entering the house, she found it quaint and cozy. She knew it had been specifically decorated by SHIELD to seem like a single woman had been living here. Going straight to her new room, she dropped her bag by the bed, sat down, and took a deep breath. Over the next few minutes, her rapid heartbeat slowed, and she was able to calm herself. It had been a while since she was out in the field, so it shouldn't be shocking to anyone that she was a little nervous. As the Deputy Director of SHIELD, she was almost always in the office making sure everything ran smoothly. Then, of course, Fury tossed a curveball at her.
"I have a mission for you, Maria," Fury had told her. "With Romanoff gone, you're the only one who can handle it."
Maria instantly knew what he was referring to. Natasha had been placed on Harry Potter, and while intelligence was slow to come in, she had gotten a few juicy nuggets of information. Unfortunately, Natasha had to be recalled for the time being and placed on a potentially much more dangerous case. That left them in a bit of a pickle, as Coulson liked to say.
Maria didn't even need to ask, "Why me?" She already knew the answer. To put it bluntly, Harry Potter seemingly was one big horn dog. Time and time again, he and Tony Stark were plastered on the front page of the LA Times with slutty women hanging all over them. Potter enjoyed beautiful women. There was no denying it, and while Natasha was the true master of seduction, Maria had a few skills of her own, if she was being honest.
She got up from the bed and went into the bathroom, turned on the light, and looked in the mirror. Her lovely reflection looked back at her. Maria was very glad she had kept up with her beauty routine even though she was no longer an active agent. Besides normal vanity, she felt that she might need it for her job again someday. As it turned out, she was correct on that assumption. Reaching behind her head, she pulled out her hair clip and shook her head. Her dark brown hair fanned out and came to rest on her shoulders. She leaned into the mirror and checked her complexion. There were a few imperfections that could easily be hidden under a layer of foundation, but overall, she was pleased with what she saw. Turning to the side, she examined the shape of her body.
Her tight jeans accentuated her round ass and shapely legs. Her slim, toned belly made her C-cup breasts look even bigger than they actually were. Facing the front again, she ran her hands down her sides and over the swell of her hips. "Not bad," she spoke to her reflection. She only hoped Potter would find her appealing.
Metal and Magic
"Alright … Now, do it again and keep changing it over and over until I say stop," Tony said while staring at a computer screen. Harry was in front of some high-tech piece of machinery with a small block of wood sitting on a metal plate. Pointing directly at the block of wood were a dozen or so sensors that were constantly taking readings. Harry pointed his wand at the wood and transfigured it into metal. He then transfigured it into a teacup. Repeatedly, he transfigured it into different objects while Tony analyzed not only the object but the change in energy surrounding it. "I'm getting low doses of radiation, among many other things. It's going to take a while to wrap my head around this," Tony told him. "Okay, you can stop now."
Tony then handed over a box with different types of gloves inside. "Try it again with these on. I want to see if there's any material that dampens or blocks the transfer of magic through your hand and into the wand. Each is made of a different type of fabric or leather, and some are lined with metals, alloys, or composites."
Harry did as he was told and tried over thirty different gloves. None of them outright blocked the transfer of magic, but a few did make it harder. "That's interesting," Tony stated, rubbing his chin in thought. "The natural fabrics and leathers did nothing to stop the magic, but the synthetic stuff like polyester did dampen it slightly, though probably not enough to make it noticeable to you. The composite-lined gloves were by far the worst. If my readings are accurate, there was a drop between twenty and forty percent … depending on the type of composite material," Tony explained.
"I could tell," Harry nodded.
"The metals and metal alloys were just like the natural fabrics. Your magic was able to conduct right through them with little to no resistance. That's good to know," Tony nodded, pleased by the results.
They continued for several more hours, testing everything Tony could think of.
Metal and Magic
Harry climbed up the ladder and out of the massive steel tank, coughing his lungs out. "Next time … Bubblehead … " Harry coughed.
The large mixing tank was just dropped off, and Harry immediately got to work laser engraving the runes on the inside wall. Tony had modified an existing laser engraver to magnetically attach to a curved metal wall and engrave sideways. Unfortunately, Harry was so eager to get started that he completely forgot about any and all safety measures. As such, he breathed in some pretty nasty fumes, which irritated his eyes, throat, and lungs. Moving away from the tank, he decided to let the engraver do its work. With nothing to do for a few hours, Harry washed up and was about to leave when a car pulled up to the factory. He instantly knew it wasn't Tony. Tony wouldn't be caught dead in a car that cost less than two hundred grand. The door opened, and out stepped a very pretty woman in her mid to late twenties. She was dressed smartly in a businesswoman's suit that hugged her form nicely. Seeing him, she smiled prettily and walked over to him. Her black high heels clicked against the smooth concrete, and her shapely hips bounced from side to side. He couldn't help but be impressed with what he saw. "Harry Potter?" she asked in a pleasant-sounding voice.
"Yes. Can I help you?" he asked, moving his eyes from her body and up to her pretty face.
"Maria Hall," she introduced herself with a cute smile and held out her hand for him to shake. Harry extended his arm and took her hand. Her skin was very soft. "I'm here about the position of Plant Manager," she told him. Harry raised an eyebrow.
He had employed a hiring firm to list the available jobs and go through their resumes. They were supposed to select the best candidates and schedule interviews. He certainly didn't tell them to send anyone directly to the factory.
"Interviews are scheduled for next month, but I wanted to see the factory for myself. I had hoped that more knowledge about the place would give me an advantage over everyone else," she explained. Harry nodded in understanding. There was one question, though. How did she know his name? When he asked her that question, she smiled and smirked.
"I did my research, Mr. Potter. The sale of a large factory will always be in the public records, and I easily found your name. Since you're the only person here, I just assumed it was you," she told him.
Normally, the place would be full of contractors working on various things, but as it was late in the afternoon, they had all gone home for the evening. While her explanation seemed somewhat plausible, Harry was still very suspicious. This government agency, which was watching him and Tony, had obviously planted Natasha in his life, so it wouldn't be crazy to assume they were doing it again. Harry decided to do the same as last time. He would go along with it for now and investigate. If it turned out he was incorrect about her, then no harm, no foul. If she were working with this SHIELD agency, then he would have fun toying with her, just as he had done with Natasha.
"That's very devious of you," Harry stated with a twinkle in his eyes. "A leg up on the competition is always a good thing," he applauded her.
"What can I say? I'm a go-getter," she chuckled and stepped closer to him. He quite enjoyed the smell of her perfume, especially after inhaling a lungful of harmful gases.
"So … Tell me, Ms. Hall … What are your qualifications?" Harry asked with a slick smile.
Metal and Magic
After a nice, long conversation with the lovely Maria Hall, Harry followed her car from above, which took an absurdly long time due to the terrible LA traffic. She finally pulled into a small house near the outer edge of the city, and Harry circled above until she went inside. By then, it was already dark outside, so Harry landed a short distance away, transformed back into a human, and made himself invisible. He snuck over to her house and crept along the side. He was just about to use his magic to eavesdrop when the curtain covering a window was pulled aside. Harry stood still as Maria scanned the area with her eyes. How did she know that someone was there, Harry asked himself. He hadn't made a single sound. The curtain was then pulled shut, and Harry immediately apparated back to his landing spot. He became visible again and transformed back into a raven. Taking to the sky, Harry circled the area and watched as three men quickly exited a house across the street and made their way to Maria's house. Instead of going in, they quietly crept around the perimeter, looking for someone who was no longer there. Ten minutes later, they returned to their house. They hadn't even knocked on Maria's door. This told him everything he needed to know about Ms. Maria Hall.
Harry landed down the street and apparated back to the factory. Harry couldn't help but smile. Maria was even sneakier than Natasha, and he loved a challenge. He shook his head and went back to work on the mixing tank, hoping to have it running by sunrise.
Metal and Magic
As the sun crept over the horizon, Harry was having a difficult time keeping his eyes open. He yawned loudly as the mixing machine finally finished cooking the first test batch. He gave the runes a few more minutes to cool the massive amount of potion to a suitable level before unlatching the top and scooping some into a large beaker. He capped the top and vanished the rest of the potion. Vanishing it certainly was a waste of a huge amount of ingredients, but luckily, they weren't that expensive when bought in bulk. He already had very large amounts on order from local importers. He was just about to go home when a familiar car pulled into the long, wide driveway and made its way to him. Harry had to smile when he saw Maria step out of her car, looking much less professional. However, her tight jeans and low-cut V-neck t-shirt made her look sexier, in his opinion. Her shoulder-length hair was pulled back and clipped into a messy bun. "Fancy seeing you here," Harry joked as she walked up to him, holding a coffee and a small, white bag from a local coffee shop.
"When you told me that you were going to work until sun-up, I didn't believe you, but I thought I'd check, just in case," she pleasantly told him as she handed him the coffee cup with an attached lid. "I hope you're not expecting me to work those kinds of hours."
"You haven't been hired," Harry reminded her with a smile. "And thank you," he said, taking the cup from her. He drank from it and sighed happily when the hot liquid rushed into his belly.
"I haven't been hired YET," she corrected him with a sexy smirk. "I'm certain you will when you realize that you can't live without me," she told him, smiling cutely. Harry chuckled at the confident woman.
"Whatever you say, Maria," he said and turned to go to his car. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I desperately need some rest."
"Hold on there," she interrupted him by grabbing his forearm. Harry turned to her. "You look dead on your feet. I'll drive you home," she said, leaving little room for arguments. "If you die in a fiery wreck, I'll be out of a job," she added, which made him laugh.
"That's true enough, I suppose," he answered, shaking his head. "Alright … You win. Let's go," he told her and walked to the other side of her car. They got in, and she chatted his ears off all the way to Malibu while munching on the pastry she had brought for him.
Metal and Magic
A few days later, Harry was sitting on Tony's couch, watching TV, when the front door opened.
"I finished analyzing the sample you brought," Tony told him as he came home from Stark Industries. His tie was loose, and the knot was hanging low on his chest.
"What's the verdict?" Harry asked as Tony dropped down next to him on the sofa.
"Identical," Tony said, putting his feet up on the coffee table. "Now it just needs to be tested," he said, wiggling his eyebrows.
"Are you suggesting we get shit-faced drunk?" Harry asked with a raised eyebrow.
"If you know of a better way to test it, I'm all ears," he replied.
"I hate to interrupt you, sir, but I'm picking up a distress call from a fishing vessel one hundred and sixty-three nautical miles off the coast. The ship is taking on water," Jarvis said over the speakers. Harry looked at Tony and raised an eyebrow.
"I brought in some equipment that allows Jarvis to scan radio transmissions. You know … police, coast guard, and so on," Tony explained. "I figured we would need it if we're going to be a superhero team," Tony smirked and stood up.
Harry stood up and stretched. "I've been looking forward to surfing on your back again."
"Nothing doing!" Tony vehemently stated. "You made Iron Man look like a complete dufus last time. C'mon … I've got something I want to show you."
Harry followed him down into the bowels of the house, where he kept his suit. Harry first saw Tony's new suit, which looked similar to his old one. From what he could tell, the design was just a little bit different. However, what caught his attention was that there was another suit right next to his. It was slimmer and not as bulky, and also painted a glossy black with chrome accents. "Cool suit," Harry said, appreciating the aesthetic.
"That's yours," Tony proudly stated. Harry's eyebrows raised.
"Mine?" he asked, gobsmacked that Tony made this without his knowledge.
"Yep," Tony nodded and ran his hand down the arm of it. "It doesn't have any of the weapon systems, the acuators aren't as powerful, and the armor plating isn't as thick, so you'll want to be careful. It's mainly for protection and transportation."
"Awww! I knew you cared!"
"Eww! Get away from me!" Tony jumped away when Harry pretended he was going to hug him. "Iron Man can't let his sidekick die on a mission. Just imagine how much I would get made fun of," Tony shuddered, and Harry rolled his eyes.
"How do you use it?" Harry asked, poking at the metal chest.
"Sirs?" Jarvis interrupted them. "The shipping vessel is taking on water fast. I calculate it will be fully submerged in just over fifteen minutes."
"Right," Tony nodded and stepped up to his suit. "Just press this button on your rack," he said, showing Harry what to do. Tony pressed the button, and a bunch of robotic arms began disassembling his suit. Once fully apart, Tony stepped between the waiting arms and turned around, holding his arms out. Harry did the same thing.
Harry had to admit that he was quite nervous as the heavy-duty arms snapped metal plates around his torso, limbs, and head. Harry suddenly saw the room displayed on the screen in front of his face. The HUD displayed all kinds of readings, most of which he knew nothing about. Then, he heard Tony's voice piped in through the helmet speakers. "Try out your magic," he told him.
"Okay," Harry said and held out his hand. He was glad to see the Elder Wand appear in his grasp. He gave it a wave and conjured a group of fluttering butterflies before vanishing them. "Works great!" Harry happily stated.
"Awesome! Let's go," Tony said.
"The coordinates are displayed on the screen, Harry," Jarvis told him through his helmet. "Just follow the green line, and it will lead you straight to it." A bright green line appeared on his HUD and led off into the distance.
"Handy," Harry nodded. A roar made him look over at Tony. He was hovering above the ground, and Harry suddenly realized that he didn't know how to fly this thing. Tony seemed to remember this as well.
"You'll learn on the fly," he snickered.
"Terrible joke," Harry chuckled, shaking his head. "Alright, Jarvis … Fire this thing up," Harry said, and the bottom of his metal boots roared to life.