Chapter Eleven

'Harry, come and join me for a moment.'

Harry tore his eyes away from the window and turned to see Loki sitting in the middle of the entertaining area. Tony's private jet was big, with spacious seats, a lounge area, a TV and DVD player- there was even a master bedroom in the back!

Harry had never even seen a plane up close, let alone been on one, and had been giddy as he, Tony and Loki boarded a few hours earlier. He'd been happy to watch the land and then water fly by underneath until Loki called his name.

'Yes?' Harry said when he'd stood and joined Loki, who was sitting on the floor.

'I want to see if we can find your Jötunn magic,' Loki said.

'Really?' Harry asked, excitement coursing through him. He sat quickly.

Tony, who was lounging on the couch opposite Loki, said, 'Is that safe, what with us flying in a giant metal tube full of technology?'

'Do you doubt my mastery of magic, Stark?' Loki asked, one eyebrow up.

Tony snorted. ''Course not, Green Eyes. Just cautious, is all.'

'Jötunn magic won't effect the plane in any way,' Loki said. 'And if Harry loses control of his mortal magic I will contain it.'

'But won't the Ministry find out?' Harry asked.

'No,' Loki said. 'The Ministry has a track on all wands sold within the United Kingdom, and if an underage wizard purchases a wand outside of England, the wards surrounding various areas of the Wizarding World will register it. They don't track the witch or wizard, it's illegal.'

'So that's how they find out about underage magic?' Harry asked.

Loki nodded. 'The rule is more in place for Muggle-born or Muggle-raised wizards and witches, as they could reveal your existence to non-magical people. Underage magic is usually used by a mortal wishing to show off to their friends, thus they use their wand, or have their wand on their person; the spell or magic registers within the proper Ministry department,' Loki explained. 'When a young wizard lives with a magical family, the Ministry can't differentiate between underage magic and magic used by the adult wizards in the area. They rely on the parents to keep control of their children.'

He paused, head tilted, eyes roaming over Harry, who just sat patiently.

'I'm assuming that Dumbledore had tracking spells on you,' Loki said, 'but they were broken when you left the Dursleys' house. I would have been aware had they been reactivated.'

Harry frowned and pulled at the hem of his jeans. 'You think Dumbledore was tracking me?'

'I know for a fact that he, or someone, was keeping an eye on you,' Loki told him. 'There were many wards placed around Privet Drive, and it wasn't just the blood wards keeping you safe.'

'Oh,' Harry said, 'so... Dumbledore really did know what was happening to me?' He glanced up to see Loki's eyes dark, jaw clenched, and he just nodded. 'I told him, at the end of First Year, when I realised I'd have to go back,' Harry murmured. 'He told me I had to go for protection, and... and that I'd be okay. But I wasn't. They locked me in my room.'

Loki's hands were fisted on his trousers, and Harry bit his lip. He didn't want to make Loki mad, and he didn't want to dwell on the Dursleys personally. He wanted to move on and never think of them again.

As though he was reading Harry's mind, Loki took a deep breath and physically relaxed, his jaw loosening and shoulders going slack. Tony, who had been watching Loki carefully throughout the conversation, sighed slightly and settled back into his seat.

'That is in the past, and we shouldn't think about it,' Loki said. Harry nodded. 'Now, I want to see how much Jötunn magic you have, and whether or not you will be able to use it before you go back to Hogwarts.'

'So I might not be able to?' Harry asked. He wondered how he could have two different... magics, for lack of a better word. Did he have two cores? Or did he have one core that his magic shared?'

'I can sense your Jötunn magic, so you definitely have it,' Loki said, bringing Harry out of his head. 'I can't quite tell how strong it is or how developed. You are very young, both in mortal and Jötunn years, and it may take time for you to develop it. If you do, there is a chance that it will, one day, overtake your core completely and replace any mortal magic you have.'

'Oh,' Harry breathed. 'I have one core, okay. That was... I was wondering about that.'

Loki's lips twitched upward. 'It's good to see that Hogwarts is still teaching the basics of magic.'

'Hermione taught me that, actually,' Harry admitted. 'We learnt a bit about magical signatures and cores in Charms, but not a lot. Hermione pulled me aside a few days a month and showed me the research she'd made.'

'Shouldn't they teach all kids that?' Tony commented from his seat. 'I mean, if it's common knowledge and basic magical theory,' he added when Harry and Loki looked at him.

'They should,' Loki agreed. 'Muggle-raised and Muggle-born students have always had a harder time fitting in with the pure-blood and magically-raised students. But Dumbledore's never bothered to try and bridge the gap between them; he was always more worried about the possibility of another war, especially with Harry growing older every year. I doubt that his entire focus is on the school.'

'Shouldn't it be, though?' Harry asked. 'He's the Headmaster.'

'A good Headmaster or Headmistress focuses his or her attention solely on the growth and safety of the students and professors within Hogwarts,' Loki agreed. 'However, Dumbledore has always considered himself different. He defeated Grindlewald; he was the only wizard Voldemort ever feared. He was the leader of the Order of the Phoenix during the First War. His attention has always been focused on his private little wars rather than the school.'

Harry frowned at that, and it was Tony who asked what the Order of the Phoenix was. Loki explained that it was a group Dumbledore had created, back during the First War against Voldemort, made up of Light wizards and witches like the Potters, the Longbottoms, Sirius Black, etc. They had actively defied Voldemort and his Death Eaters, and had done everything they could to defeat the lunatic.

'That is not important right now,' Loki finished. Tony pouted and Harry smiled slightly. Tony was, at times, like a giant kid; it made him easy to get along with, at least for Harry. 'I wish to see your core, Harry; with your permission.'

Harry blinked. 'Oh, uh, of course,' he said. Loki directed him to hold his hands out and Harry placed them atop Loki's own. Loki's skin was cool and smooth and Harry watched as the Trickster closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

'This will not hurt, Harry,' Loki said. 'However, depending on how in touch you are with your magic, you may feel a small intrusion upon your being.'

'My what- whoa,' Harry cut himself off as he felt... something, a cool, yet oddly familiar presence touch his mind. The cold feeling trickled down his spine, like someone had tipped a jug of ice-cold water down his back. Harry shivered lightly and heard Loki murmur something, but his voice was too soft for Harry to catch his words.

The cold feeling moved into his chest and then deeper, as though going right through him. Suddenly there was something else- it felt like snow, fluttering lightly within Harry's chest. And something warm, too, a spark of... of red. Harry didn't know how he knew that it was red, but it was. Then there were smaller sparks of gold, but the snow was bigger, stronger, yet raw.

'There it is,' Loki murmured.

'Found it?' Tony asked from across the plane.

'Do be quiet, Stark,' Loki drawled.

Harry heard the Muggle huff, but was too focused on whatever was going on inside himself to turn and look.

'You have Jötunn magic and it's quite strong,' Loki mused.

'It is?' Harry murmured.

'Indeed,' Loki said. 'By my estimation, it will take over your mortal core by your thirteenth birthday.'

Harry wasn't sure how to feel about that, and Loki must have felt his emotions, because he squeezed Harry's hands.

'Do not worry, Harry,' he said. 'With the proper training, you will be able to disguise your Jötunn magic as mortal magic. And do not forget that you have your mother's eyes and her temperament, and I can tell you many stories of her youth. You will not lose her. The very fact that her blood beats through your heart, and her magic still protects you, is enough to keep her close.'

Harry smiled. Trust Loki to know exactly why Harry was feeling upset; they had only known each other for a few days, disregarding the first year of Harry's life that the wizard couldn't remember. Loki seemed to be able to read Harry so well. It was an amazing feeling, one Harry was still getting used to; having someone care this much, know him this well.

'If I lose my... mortal magic,' Harry said slowly after a brief silence, 'will I need a wand?'

'No,' Loki said. 'Wands are needed to channel mortal magic because your bodies are too weak to use raw magic regularly; words have power, but your bodies cannot handle extended use of magic. You, however, are Jötunn; you will be fine.'

'But I'm only half=Jötunn,' Harry said.

'Yes,' Loki agreed, 'however, it is becoming clear to me that my genetics are dominant. It is why you look more like me than your mother, and why you have Frost Giant magic. You will also, most likely, have a Frost Giant form.'

'Really?' Harry asked. He still didn't know what Loki really looked like, but both he and Tony had mentioned that Loki's green eyes, black hair and pale skin wasn't his true form. It was a glamour Loki wore to disguise what he really looked like.

'Yes,' Loki repeated. 'You are not a shape-shifter; that would have made itself apparent long ago. Tapping into your Jötunn magic will most likely shift your form. Your magic will need a stronger, cooler body so that it can be used properly. But do not worry, I will help you shift between the two forms if it comes to that.

Harry just nodded and soon he felt the cool presence- which must be Loki, he realised- slip away. The snow inside him- and really, Harry couldn't think of any other way to describe the feeling- hung around for a minute, maybe two, before it sank back into Harry and disappeared, leaving him feeling cold and... empty.

Harry looked up to see Loki staring at him, an emotion in his eyes that Harry hadn't seen before and couldn't quite name.

'You are powerful, Harry,' Loki said. 'It is no wonder that you defeated Voldemort.'

Harry squirmed slightly. 'I don't know how I did,' he admitted.

'I do,' Loki said, and Harry jolted.

'You do?' he demanded.

Loki nodded. 'When your mother... was murdered,' he said, voice slightly thick, 'her magic and soul enveloped you and left a lasting impression. Her love for you protected you when Voldemort tried to kill you. Somebody as twisted and evil as Voldemort could not hope to harm one hair on your head. In fact, many would find it difficult to truly hurt you.'

'Oh,' Harry frowned. 'But Dudley always beat me up, and Uncle Vernon-' He cut himself off and looked at Loki, who's eyes were hard. A quick glance at Tony showed that the Muggle was glaring at his glass. 'Uncle Vernon... he didn't hit me a lot,' Harry said, 'just a slap, sometimes, when I talked back. Mostly he and Aunt Petunia made me do a lot of chores and didn't feed me if I messed up.'

Loki breathed in and out heavily before he opened his eyes and stared at Harry. 'Harry, what they did to you was wrong. You never deserved the way they treated you.'

'I... I know,' Harry said. He swallowed thickly. 'I thought I deserved it, when I was little, 'cause Dudley was never treated how I was, and neither were the kids I went to school with. But then I got to Hogwarts and... and Hermione and Ron, they were happy, and when I told Ron, he said my family were bad and should be reported. So I told Dumbledore.'

'Your friend was the one who said you should tell Dumbledore?' Tony asked.

Harry nodded at him. 'I didn't want to. Nobody had ever helped before, but Ron said Dumbledore was really powerful and would make it better. He didn't.'

'No, he didn't,' Loki agreed with a scowl, 'and believe me, that old bastard will be getting what's coming to him.'

'Loki!' Tony gasped dramatically. 'The foul mouth on you! And in front of Harry!'

Loki glared at him and Tony just grinned, which made Harry laugh.

'You will get what's coming to you, Stark,' Loki muttered as he stood. He helped Harry to his feet and patted his son on the shoulder. 'Forget your past, Harry, but learn from it; you are wanted, you are special. What has happened to you will never be repeated.'

'I know,' Harry said, smiling up at him. 'I'm learning.'

Loki gave him a soft smile in reply and squeezed Harry's shoulder before directing him to sit beside Tony. He got the window seat again and Harry grinned at the two men.

'I love flying,' he murmured.

'Anthony and I will be sure to come to all your Quidditch matches,' Loki said.

'Hell yeah we will!' Tony shouted, waving his glass about. 'I wanna see flying brooms! I can't wait!'

'You need help,' Loki drawled.

'Pepper's been telling me that for years,' Tony said, winking at him.

Harry grinned as Loki scowled at his partner.

{oOo}

Loki had been quiet for some time now, and Tony was faintly worried. He kept staring at Harry, his frown deepening, before he'd look out the window. When Harry woke from his impromptu nap and grabbed one of the books Tony had bought him, Tony finally caved.

'Alright, Lokes, what's up?'

'Hmm?' Loki hummed.

'Don't play innocent,' Tony muttered. 'What's wrong?'

Loki frowned a bit more and looked back at Harry again.

'Did... did I do something wrong?' Harry asked tentatively.

Tony sighed. He knew that it'd take time for Harry to feel comfortable around him and Loki, but he hoped it happened soon; he really didn't want Harry thinking that he'd done something wrong every time he or Loki got into one of their moods.

'Of course not,' Loki said immediately, offering Harry a small smile. Harry returned it. 'I was just thinking...'

'About...?' Tony prompted when Loki trailed off.

'About an old friend of mine,' Loki said. He paused before saying, 'Harry, have you ever heard of Sirius Black?'

'Sirius Black?' Harry echoed, head tilted. Tony vaguely recalled the name from when Loki had told him about his Hogwarts days. 'I don't think so,' Harry said.

'He was my best friend all throughout Hogwarts, and later he was best man at mine and Lily's wedding.'

'Really?' Harry asked.

Loki nodded. 'He was like a brother to me; a better brother than Thor, at times, but just as pig-headed.'

Tony snorted and said, 'You attract a type, don't you?'

Loki scowled at him briefly before turning his gaze back to Harry. 'Lily and I made wills just before you were born. In the event of something happening to us, which I honestly never expected, Sirius was to get custody of you. If he was indisposed, then Remus should have got you. Petunia was last on the list.'

'Remus?' Tony questioned. 'Wait, was he the werewolf?'

'Werewolf?' Harry gaped, while Loki nodded.

'Yes, Remus Lupin; he was our other friend at Hogwarts. We called ourselves the Marauders; James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew. When I lost...' Loki trailed off and swallowed thickly, eyes roaming over Harry's face before locking with his green eyes. 'When I lost your mother, I wasn't in my right mind. I didn't know how to go about finding you, and I was dragged home again and ordered to stay. I thought that Sirius- or Petunia, at least- would take good care of you. I thought...' he frowned again, 'I thought you would be better off without me.'

But he hadn't been. Tony sighed and scrubbed his face before taking another sip of his drink. Loki had spent so many, many years thinking that he wasn't good enough; wasn't a good enough warrior, son, prince, anything. And even when he tried to remove himself from the picture everything went wrong.

'I don't blame you,' Harry murmured, smiling slightly at Loki when the god looked at him. 'Honest, I don't.'

'I know, Harry,' Loki sighed. 'You are far too forgiving; you must get that from Lily.'

Tony huffed a very soft laugh. The last thing Loki was was forgiving.

Harry just smiled a bit wider and settled back in his seat.

'Anyway,' Loki said after a brief moment of silence, 'Sirius should have gotten custody of you, unless he was killed during the war.'

'Is there any way to find out?' Tony asked.

'The Ministry would have a record,' Loki murmured. 'Or I could try and track down some of the Order who survived.'

'Those are the guys who fought Voldie, right?' Tony asked.

Loki rolled his eyes. 'Yes, Stark, the Order we discussed roughly three hours ago.'

Tony poked his tongue out, but Loki ignored him.

'Arthur Weasley and his wife were part of the Order,' Loki said, 'as well as a few other Gryffindors; Frank and Alice Longbottom, Gideon and Fabian Prewett. And Dumbledore, of course,' he said, spitting Dumbledore's name like it was a curse.

'Longbottom?' Harry perked up. 'Like Neville Longbottom?'

'Neville?' Loki questioned.

'He's in my year; Gryffindor,' Harry explained. 'We share a dormitory. He's really shy, but nice.'

'I see,' Loki mused. 'Alice fell pregnant around the same time as Lily, and she and Frank went into hiding when we did. The last I heard their child had been born healthy and they were safe. I can't remember much about the war, I was preoccupied with you.' He paused. 'And then with losing you,' he added, voice soft.

Tony reached over to squeeze Loki's hand, satisfied when Loki squeezed back.

'Um, I think Neville lives with his grandmother,' Harry said. 'He mentioned it a few times.'

'I see,' Loki repeated with a sigh. 'Frank and Alice must have been killed during the war.'

'I can't believe a massive war happened without us realising it,' Tony said.

'The Muggle Prime Minister would have been aware, as well as the Queen and Royal Family,' Loki said. 'Only a select few Muggles are aware of the magical community on this Realm. There were a few instances of the Death Eaters attacking Muggles and revealing themselves, but the Ministry took care of it and wiped a lot of minds.'

'Oh, mind wiping, awesome,' Tony grunted. 'I love having my mind wiped.'

'Anyone who tries to wipe your mind is in for a shock, I believe,' Loki smirked. 'Your mind is chaos.'

'Like you'd know,' Tony retorted, which made Loki chuckle. Loki actually liked that he couldn't magically influence Tony's mind; he said it meant that Tony was safe from that kind of magic, safe in a way that no mortal or immortal was. In Tony's opinion, it was just another instance of his true awesomeness showing through.

'I want to find out what happened to Sirius,' Loki decided after a few minutes. 'He was my best friend, and if he's alive I want to know why he did nothing to help Harry.'

'Okay,' Tony agreed easily.

'And, I suppose he deserves to know the truth about me,' Loki added.

'Okay,' Tony repeated.

'Shut up, Stark,' Loki grunted.

'Okay.'

Loki scowled at him, which made Harry laugh. Tony winked at Harry and Loki sighed.

'Are you trying to corrupt my son, Stark?' he asked.

'Maybe,' Tony smiled. 'Hey, Harry, is it working?'

'No,' Harry piped up. Loki shot Tony a smug look.

'Oh, kiddo, you wound me,' Tony fake-pouted.

Harry smiled. 'You're weird,' he decided, and Tony laughed. Seemed like the kid was getting a bit more comfortable around them.

Good, Tony thought.

{oOo}

Loki and Tony were sitting near the cockpit discussing something, leaving Harry with some free time by himself. It wasn't that he didn't like being with Tony and Loki- they were both a lot of fun, and they really cared about him- but Harry had always liked having some private time. It was something that Ron had always understood; he had the ability to sit quietly and just let Harry think, always being there if Harry needed it. Hermione, on the other hand, always felt like you should be productive with your time, not just sit around and think.

Speaking of his friends...

Hedwig was sitting on one of the seats in the back of the plane, her feathers ruffled and her large amber eyes narrowed in distaste. Harry couldn't help but smile at the sight; Hedwig didn't like flying unless she was doing it herself.

Just before leaving England, Hedwig had returned from Ron's with a small piece of parchment. Even though Harry had told Ron not to write back, the red-head had, and Harry pulled the parchment from his jeans pocket to look it over again;

Wow, mate. That's just... wow. Only you, eh? I couldn't NOT write back, but I've kept it short. I swear on the Chudley Cannons that I haven't told anyone what you wrote to me, not even Fred and George, or my mum! Promise! I remember what you told me about your relatives, and how Dumbledore did nothing, and I reckon Mum'd go straight to Dumbledore if she knew your dad was still alive and had turned up. Write back when you can, or get Hermione to. Also, have fun, mate; if anyone deserves to finally have a family, it's you.

Ron

Harry smiled and sniffed a bit as he folded the letter back up. He'd honestly been a bit worried that Ron would flip out; Ron had always been a bit jealous of Harry's fame, his position on the Quidditch team, and the money his parents had left him. Harry knew that Ron had never meant anything by it; he'd just grown up poor his entire life, of course he was going to be jealous of anyone who had a lot of money.

Harry understood, but Ron's jealousy still annoyed him at times. Thankfully it seemed that Ron wasn't too jealous this time. Harry still remembered admitting to Ron, one night in the Gryffindor common room when they were alone, just how badly his relatives treated him. It had been Ron who convinced Harry to go to Dumbledore. A lot of good that had done him.

Frowning a bit, Harry glanced back down at the folded-up note. He hadn't even considered who Ron might tell; if he had told his mum, of course the woman would have gone to Dumbledore. Harry could admit that any sane person would. James Potter suddenly showing up after supposedly being dead for ten years? It was really weird, Harry knew, and just because he trusted Loki and Tony didn't mean that anyone else would.

Not that it mattered; Loki was Harry's father, it wasn't like anyone could take Harry away from him. And Harry had already seen just how powerful Loki was; even if someone wanted to, Harry was pretty sure that there wasn't any witch or wizard powerful enough to beat Loki in a duel. Also, there was Iron Man to think about.

Harry knew that the wizarding world would explode when news leaked that James Potter wasn't really James Potter, but a Norse God still alive and kicking. Harry would be famous all over again, but at least this time it'd be about something good, rather than something bad. He hated being famous for his stupid scar; it was just a reminder of how his mum had died.

Harry sighed and shook his head before slipping the note into his pocket. He didn't want to dwell on what would happen when he re-entered the magical world with Loki and Tony. For now he was happy, actually happy; this summer was turning out to be the best ever, and Harry didn't want to spend it thinking about all the bad stuff that could happen. He just wanted to get to know Loki and Tony, and settle into his new life.

Nodding determinedly to himself, Harry grabbed The Lightning Thief from where it'd been resting on the coffee table... wait, was it a coffee table when it was in an aeroplane? Maybe it was just a table.

Harry shook his head and settled back into his comfy seat, opening the book at the page he'd last left off. Percy and his friends had just killed Medusa...

{oOo}

'He has everything he needs,' Loki said from the front of the plane.

'Yeah,' Tony agreed.

Loki sighed and sat on the couch beside the mortal, stretching and feeling his back crack.

'You okay?' Tony asked.

'I will be,' Loki said.

'Fair enough. SHIELD really came through, huh?' Tony commented. Just the day before an agent dressed in black had delivered Harry's new passport so that Tony and Loki could finally take the kid to New York.

'Yes, they did,' Loki agreed. 'I shall have to thank them... do you think Fury would enjoy a boar?'

Tony snorted. 'Ah, no, Lokes; I don't think he would.'

'Pity,' Loki pouted, 'I would enjoy seeing Fury run from an Asgardian boar.'

Tony snickered at the thought of Fury being chased around the Helicarrier by a giant, furry pig. He only stopped when he felt Loki's soft, cool hands wrap around his own. 'Lo?' he questioned, looking up. Loki was staring at him, face serious, green eyes hard.

'I cannot thank you enough for this, Anthony,' he said.

'Don't mention it,' Tony shrugged.

'You've made this situation infinitely easier,' Loki said. 'I would have killed the Dursleys and Harry would have been terrified of me. Instead he smiles at me and talks to me... he's slowly settling in, he has accepted that I'm his father, he...' Loki was clearly at a loss for further words, because he just shook his head and leaned over to kiss Tony softly. 'Thank you, Anthony.'

'No worries,' Tony mumbled. 'But seriously, Loki, I couldn't have done anything else; I love you, and by extension I love your kid.'

Loki smiled. 'You are very good with him.'

Tony shrugged. 'Kids are pretty cool; they don't bullshit you. And Harry's a good kid.'

'Yes, he is,' Loki agreed. 'Despite his upbringing, he's... he's Lily.'

'Yeah?'

Loki nodded. 'He looks like me, but he is so clearly Lily's son. His temperament, his personality, his ability to forgive... he is his own person, but he takes after Lily more than me. Which is good.'

'Yeah,' Tony couldn't help but agree. He loved Loki, he really did, but he didn't think he was capable of taking care of a pre-pubescent Loki. He shivered at the very thought.

Loki smirked lightly, as though he could read Tony's thoughts. Tony just grinned at him and kissed Loki again.

'Hey,' Tony said after a few minutes, the word mumbled against Loki's mouth.

'Mm?' Loki hummed.

'I know a way you can thank me.'

'How?' Loki asked.

'When we get to America and get Harry settled, you could always tie me to the bed.' Loki opened his eyes slowly and Tony waggled his eyebrows, making the god snort.

'I'll do more than tie you to the bed, Anthony,' he practically purred.

Tony shivered. 'Sounds good.'

Loki smiled, gave him one last kiss, then stood and walked down the aisle towards the small kitchen at the end of the plane, which was just before the door that led to the bedroom. Tony sighed as he watched him go, eyes glued to Loki's ass. Tony hadn't been lying; he already loved Harry. But he hoped the kid would sleep through the night when they got to New York. Tony wasn't sure he'd gone this long without sex since he and Loki had first started sleeping together.

Tony groaned and Loki laughed.

'Get your mind out of the gutter, Stark!' he called.

'Shut up!' Tony snapped.

Loki just laughed again. Harry didn't even look up from his book.

{oOo}

Severus Snape didn't care much for the Muggle world. He didn't care much for the magical world, either. Truth be told, it was the people in both that annoyed him; they were dull, insufferable, and so caught up in their own lives that they cared little for those around them. Severus had learned at an early age to ignore those around him and focus on himself. Nobody else had ever cared.

Well... except Lucius Malfoy and Lily Evans, that is.

Severus scowled to himself as he entered the internet café. Lily was the reason he was here, and he really hoped that Lucius had nothing to do with it. He knew that if anyone could kidnap Harry Potter and make the boy disappear it was Lucius, but Severus also knew that Lucius had no intentions of ever bringing the Dark Lord back.

Severus knew just enough about the Muggle world to get by, as he usually spent the summers between the Hogwarts school years at his home in Spinner's End. So he easily paid for an hour of internet time and sat himself in a far corner at a computer. He logged in and spent a few minutes trying to remember what the search engine he needed was called, and when he did he typed in the name Dumbledore had given him; Tony Stark.

There were millions of hits, from a general Wikipedia page to Stark Industries' website, as well as many, many news articles about the man in question. Severus was satisfied to see that he'd been right about Stark being involved in the technology industry; the man's company made mobile phones, computers, tablets, basically anything that relied on electricity to work.

But what surprised him was the fact that Stark had been involved with that alien business just over a year ago. Severus remembered reading about it in the papers and being shocked that the Norse Gods actually existed. There were many myths, both Muggle and magical, revolving around Loki, Thor, and the other Asgardians.

Iron Man, Severus mused as he read over the information offered on Stark's webpage. It didn't take long for Severus to get a general view of the man; arrogant, self-absorbed, used to getting everything he wanted. Stark was smart, of that there was no question, but the general consensus was that he was an arsehole and a playboy who used his charm and wealth to get people to do what he wanted.

Well... until he'd teamed up with Loki Laufeyson, the god who had invaded but been pardoned after serving his time on his home Realm.

Severus frowned as he looked over the many pictures of Stark and Loki together; the god was tall, good-looking, with poison-green eyes and slicked back black hair that fell to his shoulders. Apparently Loki was as charming as Stark, an extremely powerful "mage", and was working with the Avengers to make up for his destruction of New York.

There was something about Loki that bothered Severus, even through the computer screen. He seemed... familiar, somehow, even though Severus knew that they had never met; how could they have when Loki claimed to have never visited "Midgard" before his invasion?

The longer Severus looked, the more confused he became. What would Stark and Loki want with Harry Potter? It seemed ridiculous to even think that Stark would go after the boy. He had a head office in London, but that wouldn't bring the billionaire into contact with Potter. And the only things Loki had in common with Potter were magic, hair colour, and eye colour.

But Dumbledore had heard somebody mention Tony Stark as well as another man. Severus knew that Dumbledore wouldn't lie about that; he wanted Potter under his thumb for whatever reason, on standby for when the Dark Lord eventually returned. He was their only hope of finally winning against the madman, was what Dumbledore always claimed. Snape didn't know what Dumbledore had planned for Potter, apart from the obvious; he wished that the old coot would tell the boy, it'd stop Potter and his friends from constantly putting themselves into danger. Snape didn't like Potter, or Gryffindors in general, but they were still children. It wasn't up to them to solve dangerous puzzles like that of the Philosopher's Stone.

But that didn't matter any more, Severus supposed; Potter was missing, and they had to find him before he got into even more trouble. Trouble followed Potter around like a bad smell.

Severus frowned and stood to go pay for another hour of internet time. He'd do some more research before going back to Dumbledore. The Headmaster would no doubt send him out on another errand after that. Because it wasn't like Severus had anything better to do with his time.

Author's Note: Seriously, the older I get, the more I realise that Harry's living conditions were truly fucked up. When I was a kid I really didn't read too much into it. But seriously, how could the Dursleys not have been abusing Harry? He slept in a fucking cupboard under the stairs!

Anywho, rant over. In other news, I got a guest review from yngoldfogee and I gotta reply here, obviously. Just skip if you're not interested;

That's actually really interesting. I'm 24 and I grew up/live in New South Wales. So I'm thinking maybe it is a state thing, because I know that each Australian state has different rules and such for school (example, high school starting at either year 7 or year 8, etc). Every book I've ever bought that's been published in Australia has used single quotation marks for dialogue, but then again I've never bought a book from another state so eh, who knows? Thanks for that info! And yes, you're right; I dunno why some people are getting so hung up on it.

Cheers,

{Dreamer}