Stark Tower buzzed faintly with activity as the evening stretched on. The glass exterior reflected the golden hues of the sunset, but inside, the lab was quiet—unusually so.
Tony sat on the diagnostic platform, shirt discarded, Arc Reactor humming in his chest. Harry was already upstairs, tired from the trip, dozing off in his room after watching a couple more movies.
"Alright, J. Let's do a deep scan. All systems, including bio-levels."
"Initiating full diagnostic, sir."
Beams of light swept across Tony's chest, face, and arms. Data flickered rapidly on the transparent display in front of him—too fast for a casual eye, but Tony saw the one line that mattered.
"Sir… the palladium levels in your bloodstream have increased by 12% since the last scan. Toxicity now at 24%."
Tony leaned back in the chair, mouth tightening. The glow of the Arc Reactor—once a marvel—now felt like a threat burning a hole in his chest.
Tony flatly says "It's killing me."
"Yes, sir. Palladium is essential for the reactor's function, but it is also poisoning you. Replacement materials have proven incompatible."
Tony stood up and began pacing. He rubbed a hand over his face, trying to gather his thoughts. He was used to being the smartest man in the room, the one with all the answers. But this…
"We're not telling anyone. Not Pepper, not Rhodey. Definitely not the kid." Tony sighs. "Just you and I, buddy"
"Understood, sir. Shall I continue cross-referencing potential replacement elements?
Tony rubs his eyes. "Yeah. And keep searching fringe sources. Arcane elements too—just in case. We've got one magical kid in the house. Maybe the universe is finally weird enough to save me." He laughed bitterly, but it didn't reach his eyes. "I'm not checking out. I've got too much to do. Too many people depending on me."
He turned toward the window, watching the city. Somewhere up there, his enemies were plotting. Somewhere nearby, a small eleven-year-old boy was asleep, finally safe from the horrors of his past.
Tony Stark wasn't just Iron Man anymore. He was a brother.
And he wasn't going to die.
Not yet.
Later, Next day, Harry sat cross-legged on the sofa in the Stark Tower living room, flipping through a book Tony had given him on basic electronics—something about circuits and resistors. His eyes, however, kept flicking to the man lounging on the other end of the couch.
Tony Stark.
Today was… different.
Tony wasn't tinkering in the lab. He wasn't pacing with wild ideas or cracking jokes to fill the silence. He was here, next to Harry, tablet in hand, staring at the screen with a furrowed brow, not moving much at all.
Concerned, Harry asked "Tony? You okay?"
Tony blinked, almost as if he forgot Harry was there. He glanced over, mustering a lopsided smile. "Yeah, just... reading through some boring schematics. Needed a break from all the explosions and genius stuff, you know?"
Harry didn't look convinced, but nodded anyway. "Okay"
Just then, Tony's phone buzzed. He answered without moving from the couch.
It was Pepper. "Tony. We have three back-to-back calls waiting, and the design team's stuck on the Expo layout. You said you'd—"
Tony cutting in, still casual. "Pep, Pep, breathe. I'm multitasking. Got the tablet. I'm with the kid too."
"You've been 'with the kid' for three days straight. I can't run the entire company by myself." It's not like she wants him away from Harry if anything she is relieved to know they are making some progress, Harry was getting healthy slowly and better, Besides that, Amelia had brought potions and even a trustful healer appointed for Harry.
He's doing better than in many years.
"Sure you can. But since I'm not totally heartless, why don't we get you an assistant? A sharp one. Ivy League type, loves coffee, doesn't cry under pressure?"
Pepper was silent for a second. "Fine. But you better help me pick someone. And—Tony… are you alright?"
Tony paused. Just a beat too long. "I'm always alright. Handsome, rich, genius—what more could a guy want?"
Pepper didn't laugh. "Okay. I'm trusting you."
Ouch. Is it that obvious? He thought he was hiding himself well but apparently so, it wasn't enough. "Dangerous move. Remind me to take you out to dinner if I survive this week, alright?"
He ended the call before she could answer and stared down at the tablet again. His hand trembled slightly, and Harry noticed. "Tony… are you sure you're okay?"
Tony looked up, and for the briefest moment, something vulnerable flickered in his eyes—tiredness, pain, maybe fear. But it vanished just as quickly. He grins. "Hey, who's the adult here, huh? You worry about your magic and homework. Let me handle the world-ending problems."
He ruffled Harry's hair and stood up, walking toward the lab. Harry watches him leave. He is worried about him, He wish he could do something. What could be bothering him?
As Tong heads to other rooms, he speaks to Jarvis. "Note to self, J, if I get out of this alive, remind me—steakhouse, rooftop, candles. Pepper deserves that. Oh and Disney park. I wanna take my bro to goody place"
"Already noted, sir."
It had been nearly two weeks since Sirius Black had been pulled from Azkaban.
The haunted, skeletal figure who once shivered in silence was slowly returning to himself. The healers had done wonders—physical injuries were mostly healed, and a series of potions had begun to mend the frayed edges of his mind. His sense of humor, though still dusty, was beginning to shine through again.
Sirius sat in a warm room at the Bones Manor, wrapped in a thick jumper and sipping tea. He didn't like being idle, but Amelia insisted he wasn't ready to leave. Moody had posted protective charms around the estate so strong that even a dragon would hesitate.
That morning, Amelia and Moody entered the room together, both unusually serious.
Sirius wonders why looking so serious, Is it bad news?
"Sirius. There's something we need to tell you. Something you deserve to know."
Sirius raised an eyebrow, still holding the mug. Moody sat across from him while Amelia remained standing. "You're not going to tell me I've got more cousins in Azkaban, are you?" Well, half of his so call family already join the earth, only one crack of a cousin is in prison.
Amelia crack a smile, she handed over a thick folder with a faint Stark Industries seal on the corner. "It's about Harry. His bloodline… and what really happened before he was born."
Sirius sat upright. "What are you talking about?"
Amelia exchanged a look with Moody, then continued. "James… couldn't have children. Lily wanted to try a Muggle donor program, but James refused. It wasn't safe. Not during a war. But there was someone… someone James trusted."
"Who?"
"Howard Stark."
That's odd. He doesn't remember that name or heard of it.
Sirius blinked, confusion furrowing his brow. He opened the folder. Medical files, genetic profiles, magical paternity markers—documentation provided by Stark's AI, JARVIS [What the heck is Ai??] and confirmed through magical testing.
Amelia speaks again. "Howard agreed… under one condition. That he never meet the boy. Never be part of his life. No contact. It was hidden from everyone, even Dumbledore."
Sirius is quiet. He feels numb. "You're saying… Harry… is Howard Stark's son?"
Moody corrects him. "Half-son. Lily carried him. James raised him. But biologically? He's a Stark however James did blood ritual, Magically he is also a Potter"
"No. No, James would've told me. He wouldn't keep that from me."
"He didn't tell anyone, Sirius. Not even you. He wanted Harry to be seen as his son, and that's what he was—heart and soul."
Sirius stared at the folder, rereading the pages with shaking hands. His voice cracking a little. "So who knows now?"
Amelia gesture at the files. "Tony Stark, his half brother found out. He discovered the truth by accident—Howard's files were encrypted. Tony's now caring for Harry. He's taken him in."
Sirius laughed bitterly, wiping a hand down his face. "I just get out… and now I find out Harry's been raised by a bloody animals who hated magic for past years been in more hell than I did, and now he's being raised by so call half brother..."
Moody scoffs. "Not raised. Protected. Stark got him away from the Dursleys. He's doing better, Sirius. Safer than ever." He bet if Stark was a wizard, That guy would have ended the War before it got serious.
Sirius didn't respond for a long while. Then he quietly closed the folder and looked up. "I still want to see him."
She smiles. "You will. When you're strong enough. He's been through a lot too."
Sirius leaned back in his chair, processing the weight of everything. James was still Harry's father in every way that mattered.
"Does it matter?" Moody fake eye glare at Sirius. "That he isn't Jamie son? Even if blood adopted?"
"It doesn't matter to me. He's my godson. I don't care. I was chosen to be his Godfather and I will be his. He's mine and I am his. I will protect him..." Sirius tells him meeting his gaze. "No one will touch my godson"
But the world had just gotten a lot more complicated.