Disclaimer: I'm too young to be Rowling so there is sadly no way Harry Potter is mine…

Placing: After the secondwar.

xXxXxXxXxXxStarxXxXxXxNamexXxXxXxXxNamexXxXxXxXxStarxXxXxXxXxXxXx

sSsSsSsSs

BOYFRIEND TIME

THE SECOND TRY

sSs

When Dean was brought into the room Goyle had vanished in just half an hour before, he didn't know what to expect – but he certainly didn't expect the man who was waiting for him in there.

"Wow! Wait a minute! You're Tony Stark!"

Oddly enough that realisation also helped for Dean to finally understand his trip to Ford Knox – or wherever he was. Until that minute, Dean had only known that he had been snatched up from behind on his way back home – seeing only a shadow in the corner of his eyes, not more of his capturer – just to be brought here into the middle of nowhere. Arriving had ended with him being knocked unconsciousness before even seeing any kind of house and then waking in the hallway where he had met the others.

Of course, considering that the others had been slowly waking by then as well, Dean simply assumed that nobody of them knew where exactly they were in any way or form as well…

That thought brought him back to the present and the man who had – at least Dean was ninety-nine percent sure about that – kidnapped Dean of the street.

"Holy Merlin! You're really Tony Stark, aren't you?" Dean asked, still totally flummoxed about his opponent.

The man on the other side of the table just grinned at him.

"Sure I am," he agreed, obviously proud to be recognized by Dean. "And it seems like at least your non-magical education hasn't suffered as much as that of others."

Dean blinked at that in confusion.

"My non-magical education?" He asked with a frown.

The other man nodded, looking serious.

"You know: science, maths, the who's-important-to-defend-the-earth-from-the rest-of-the-universe, et cetera, et cetera…"

Dean blinked at that.

"Actually," he confessed. "I have no idea about science or maths. The only thing I learned about both of it was in primary."

Tony Stark waved that off.

"That's still quite a few years less to catch on than others have," he assured Dean. "I'm sure we'll have you talking astrophysics, mechanics and engineering at the end of next month."

Dean wasn't too sure if he actually wanted to talk either of them even in a year…

"Don't look so concerned. It's quite easy compared to knowing the who's-who of the current defenders of the earth," Stark nodded thoughtfully to himself. "But then, I guess that might have to do with the fact that there seems to be a new hero every other day while science and maths actually plays to the rules…"

Dean just frowned at the other man.

"I'm… still not quite sure why you're actually concerned about my knowledge of those things," Dean confessed slowly. "I mean… you're Tony Stark… and you're American while I'm British…"

"Half-American," Tony Stark corrected before frowning. "I'm half-British as well… or at least a quarter and a quarter Italian…"

Dean blinked.

"You're… British?" He still had no idea what that fact had to do with himself, but he guessed that it might have been of some importance or Stark wouldn't have brought it up at all… or would he?

"Something like that at least," Tony Stark replied, waving if off, suddenly sounding disinterested.

"So… does you being somewhat British have something to do with why you kidnapped me?" Dean inquired when Stark didn't say anything further.

The other man thought about it for a moment or two.

"Sure," he finally agreed. "At least it's not totally unrelated."

Then he frowned for a second, before going for the kill.

"I'm actually here to see if you're interested in a longer-wearing, maybe permanent relationship," he explained to Dean.

Dean blinked, turned those words over in his head, blinked again and turned those words the other way in his head.

No.

He still got only one meaning from those words…

"Sorry," he said. "I'm not interested."

The older man looked a bit baffled at that reply as if he hadn't even considered Dean to refuse.

"Why?" He asked. "I think the offer is a great one. High intellect, good-looking…"

"And I'm still not interested, Mr Stark," Dean declared, a lot more firmly this time around. "I'm truly sorry, but I'm not interested in older –"

"Older?!" Stark asked, sounding suddenly outraged. "You're born in November! There're barely two months between September and November!"

Dean sighed.

"You should know that it's not the months but the years that count, Mr Stark," Dean replied and before the other man could add something else in outrage, he added. "And even if it wasn't the years – I'm sorry, but I'm not inclined like that."

That seemed to bring Stark up short for a second, then he shrugged, clearly admitting defeat to himself.

"I'm still not sorry I asked," he declared in the end. "There was no inclination you're gay until now, after all –"

"I'm not gay!" Dean objected immediately, his eyes nearly bugging out.

Stark frowned.

"You already confessed, Dean-boy," he said. "No need to stay in the closet now –"

"No!" Dean shook his head violently. "I already told you, Mr Stark! I'm not gay – therefore I'm not interested!"

Stark blinked at that, looking a bit confused for a moment.

"That doesn't actually make sense, Dean-o," he pointed out as if it was obvious. "If you're not gay, then how can you be sure that you're not interested?"

Dean just threw Stark an annoyed look.

"Tell me, Mr Stark," he finally asked slowly. "Did you change your gender while I wasn't looking?"

To Dean's amusement and concern, Stark actually touched his own chess as if to ensure that he was still male before shaking his head.

"Not in the last twenty-six hours, at least," he answered as if changing his gender was the most normal thing in the world for the billionaire. "Why do you ask, Dean-o-boy?"

"Because you're clearly male!" Dean pointed out logically.

"Of course I'm male," Stark replied. Then a dawning realisation could be seen on his face.

"Wait, Deanie-boy," he said. "Are we actually talking about the same thing?"

Dean frowned at the billionaire.

"If the same thing is you trying to get me to go out with you – then yes, we are," he replied with an eye-roll.

To his amusement, Stark looked properly horrified at that idea.

"I definitely don't want to go out with you, Dean-o-boy!" the man behind Iron Man offered up, horror in his eyes. "I'm quite aware I like them young – but even I draw the line at Baby Hawk's age and not at Hermione's!"

That actually stopped Dean's thought process absolutely for at least a minute or two.

"Her… Hermione?!" He finally managed to stutter. "Hermione – as in Hermione Granger?!"

"The same," Stark agreed, before looking at Dean sharply. "Still not interested?"

"In what?" Dean replied, still stumped about the latest turn their conversation took.

"In dating her, of course!" Tony Stark replied with an eye-roll and a voice telling Dean 'what-else?'.

Dean blinked.

"Dating… her?" he repeated slowly.

"Yes!" Stark looked at him as if Dean was the one who suddenly sprouted a second head. "What else did you think I'd ask you when I mention her?"

Dean felt a bit dizzy.

"Well…" he said slowly. "Actually anything else? I mean… why would Tony Stark ask me if I'd might be interested in dating Hermione?!"

The other man frowned and thought that over before shrugging.

"Different question," he countered Dean's word flippantly. "Why shouldn't I ask you?"

Dean opened his mouth and then, after a second, closed it again without answering.

As weird as it was, Dean had to admit that Stark was right.

Everybody knew that Stark had a habit of knowing things and being interested in them – no matter how weird – even if they weren't actually his concern.

Case in point: Not even one journalist had ever been able to surprise the man with a question…

Heck, as far as Dean knew, Stark was known running circles around journalists and everybody else when he set his mind on it.

"Touché," Dean finally admitted.

Stark smirked at him.

"So – answer?" he asked.

This time, Dean actually thought about the question a bit.

Hermione was… kind.

Knowledgeable.

Pretty.

A bit of a know-it-all, but that had gotten better over the years.

Fierce.

Cool.

Dangerous.

Ron's...

Dean stopped his thoughts.

"I actually never thought about it," he confessed, finally. "It's always been clear to everybody that she'd either choose Ron or Harry as a boyfriend."

"She dumped the good-for-nothing red-head, though," Stark countered.

Dean blinked.

Well, that wasn't wrong.

And Harry was still going out with Ginny, so Dean doubted that he would asked Hermione out any time soon.

"Huh," he said surprised. "Didn't even notice."

He thought about it some more.

"Well," he said slowly. "I wouldn't mind going to a date with her. Not sure if we'd fit considering that she has never shown any interest in painting or drawing or soccer, but if she'd agree, I wouldn't say no to a try."

Stark hummed at that answer.

"Drawing and painting, then?" he asked.

"Yes," Dean agreed. "And soccer."

Stark hummed some more.

"We could work with that," he said. "Any trouble with explosions?"

Dean snorted.

"Have you met my best friend?" he countered with an eye roll. "Seamus has been blowing up things since first year!"

Stark hummed again.

"Any problems with strong women? Big families? Chaos and mayhem?"

Dean, totally confused now, shook his head in an answer to each question.

"Trouble with your possible future wife having their own career?"

This time, Dean's eyes actually nearly popped out.

"Woah! Wait! Future wife?! Who the hell said anything about marriage?"

"So… trouble with the thought of marriage?" Stark immediately countered.

"Heck, yeah!" Dean answered wide-eyed. "I'm not even twenty, yet! I'm definitely not going around and marry any time soon!"

For a moment, Stark thought that over.

"So… open for marriage at a later date then?" he countered.

This time Dean looked a bit uncomfortable, but shrugged.

"Er… maybe?" he offered hesitatingly. "Not sure yet about that."

For a moment, Stark looked over Dean's head at that answer.

Dean turned just to see a brown-haired man standing in one of the corners behind him.

The man, wearing a black suit, shrugged.

"It's not as if you and I can judge him," he pointed out. "Or any of the others. Can't say that anyone of us thought about marriage at that age, either."

Stark sighed, but in the end nodded slowly.

"Alright," he said before looking Dean over. "Guess that means you made the list."

"What list?" Dean asked confused.

"The shortlist," Stark answered as if it was the most natural thing in the world. "Give us a way to contact you and if you end up being chosen for a trial date, we'll let you know."

Dean blinked.

"Wait," he said slowly and incredulously. "Are you telling me, this is some kind of interview to date Hermione?!"

"Yep," Stark answered happily and than pointed at the door. "Thank you for participating. We might call you back later!"

And with that, after Stark had gotten a way to contact Dean, the poor boy was led out of the door.

xXxXxXxXxXxStarxXxXxXxNamexXxXxXxXxNamexXxXxXxXxStarxXxXxXxXxXxXx

That was Dean – who's still in the running! Yay! :D

Sorry for not updating this for quite some time. This story, sadly, isn't coming as easily to me as 'Confession time'.

Hope you liked it anyway.

'Till next time.

Ebenbild