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Chapter 59 - Chapter 59

Tony's lab was alive with the soft hum of his tools and the glow of floating holograms, Sirius' face hovered on one of the screens, looking a mixture of tired and nostalgic, eyes distant as he listened to Tony.

"So, what do you think?" Tony finished, wiping grease off his hands with a rag, his expression carefully neutral. "Should we take him, Sirius? Harry deserves to know."

Sirius swallowed hard, looking away for a moment. The edges of his lips twitched, a sad smile that never fully formed.

"It's… it's unfair, Tony," Sirius muttered, voice raw. "James and Lily… they would have wanted him to know them. And yet, he never even got to leave those blasted Dursleys' house, didn't even know where they—" He cut himself off, his hand running through his hair. "They deserved so much more. Harry deserved so much more."

Tony placed the rag down, leaning against the table, eyes calm but his jaw tight. "Yeah, well… we can't fix the past, but we can do something now. I don't even know where they're buried, Sirius."

Sirius blinked, eyes shimmering slightly as he tried to blink away the emotion. "Godric's Hollow. They were buried in Godric's Hollow, Tony." His voice cracked just slightly.

At that moment, Behind Sirius the door open and Remus Lupin stepped inside, holding a cup of steaming tea, looking a little less worn than usual, but tired still settled into the lines around his eyes.

"Who are you getting all teary-eyed with now, Padfoot?" Remus asked with an arched brow, though his tone was gentle seeing him holding the phone, the one Tony gifted to Sirius. Sirius went crazy with it, he loved it.

Tony smile hearing his voice. "Perfect timing, Remus. We were talking about taking Harry to visit James and Lily's grave."

Remus paused mid-step, the cup in his hands trembling just slightly and blink. "Oh," he whispered. "That's… that's a good idea... Tony, Sirius"

Sirius turned to look at his old friend, eyes filled with unspoken grief and understanding. "He should know, Moony. He should know where they rest. It's been too long, and he's old enough. I want to take him with us. Let him see them, even if… even if it's just the gravestone."

Remus nodded, his eyes softening, "You're right. We should have done this a long time ago." He took a shaky breath, sitting down on the nearest stool, "James and Lily are buried near the edge of the village graveyard in Godric's Hollow. It's quiet there, small. They… they deserved to grow old, Sirius. To see Harry..." Remus one of biggest mistakes he made, Was that he didn't visit Harry. If he had knew about the treatment, The dursely would have been dead by his hands for sure.

"Alright, so it's decided. We'll take him. Halloween is coming up, and I think… it would be right to go around then." Tony's fingers drummed against the table thoughtfully, "And we also may wanna discuss some stuff, Let's not hide it"

Sirius smiled weakly, "Yeah, yeah, you're right. Let's do it, Tony."

Remus let out a small, sad chuckle. "James would have made a mess of this conversation, you know."

Sirius barked a quiet, broken laugh, "Yeah, he would. He'd probably be too busy bragging about Harry's Quidditch talent to even get to the point."

Tony smiled slightly, eyes distant, imagining a young couple they all should have known better. "Then let's make sure Harry knows them, even if it's just this way."

———

It was a calm afternoon in the tower, the soft hum of New York's life filtering through the glass walls. Pepper stood at Tony's side, tablet in hand, scanning over the latest Stark Industries reports with that focused look she always wore when she was quietly worried.

Tony was lounging on the couch, a cup of coffee in one hand, the other scrolling through schematics Jarvis was projecting in the air. The glow reflected off his tired eyes, but there was a restless energy to him that hadn't faded even after the surgery.

"Tony," Pepper finally spoke, looking up, "are we… is it okay for us to put so much work on Natalie? I mean, she's only been here for a short time, and she's handling quite a lot."

Tony's eyes flickered to her, the corner of his mouth lifting into a lazy, unbothered smirk. "Pep, trust me, you shouldn't worry about Natalie. Besides, keeping her busy is exactly the point."

Pepper blinked, confusion and suspicion mixing on her face. "The point?"

Tony stretched, placing the coffee on the table with a clink as he leaned forward, elbows on his knees. "Yeah, it keeps the spy busy."

Pepper's eyes widened, the realization dawning slowly. "You knew."

"Of course I knew," Tony said, shrugging, "Jarvis flagged her the moment she stepped into the building. Fake credentials, no background, and enough skill to fool most people—but not us."

Pepper's lips parted, trying to process the layers. "What are you going to do about it?"

Tony tilted his head, a mischievous, almost cold glint in his eyes. "Nothing. She can't do anything here that I don't want her to. Let her spy. Let her report. It's all noise. Besides, it keeps her from poking around in places that actually matter."

Pepper frowned, lowering the tablet slightly. "Tony, what happens if they find out about Harry?"

Tony's playful smirk faded into a cold, steel-edged calm. His eyes met Pepper's with quiet certainty. "They won't do anything."

Pepper searched his face, seeing the raw protectiveness there, layered beneath the exhaustion and mischief. "And if they do?" she pressed softly.

Tony's jaw tightened. "If they try, they won't get away with it." His voice was low, final, and something in the room seemed to settle with the weight of that promise. "Harry is family, Pepper. No one touches him."

Pepper exhaled, tension leaving her shoulders as she nodded. "Alright. Just… be careful."

Before Tony could respond, Jarvis' smooth voice broke the moment.

"Sir, you have a call from the board. Scheduled meeting regarding the clean energy project and the weapons division audit."

Tony's eyes rolled so hard Pepper almost laughed. "Ugh, right, the people who think they own me because they can't invent their own toys." He stood, brushing off invisible dust from his jeans, and looked back at Pepper. "Take a note: If they start whining about expenses, I'm hanging up."

Pepper couldn't help the small smile that appeared, shaking her head. "Tony."

"What?" he protested, already heading toward the elevator, "I'm recovering. I'm delicate."

"Hardly," Jarvis remarked dryly.

Tony paused, pressing a hand to his chest dramatically, "Et tu, Jarvis?"

Pepper's laugh finally escaped, light and real, despite the stress of the past weeks. She glanced down at her tablet, then back at Tony before he entered the elevator.

"And Tony?" she called softly.

"Yeah?" he turned, hand on the frame.

"Should I keep an eye on Natalie?"

Tony's eyes softened with a warm mischief, "Yeah, keep her busy, Pep. Let's see what the spy tries next."

————

The library was warm, the scent of old parchment and ink filling the air as the rain tapped softly against the windows. Hermione's quill scratched against the parchment, her notes organized in tidy columns while Ron's handwriting sprawled across his essay, messy but determined.

Harry, however, sat quietly, staring at his half-finished homework with unfocused eyes, the tip of his quill hovering above the parchment.

"Harry?" Hermione's gentle voice broke the silence, her brown eyes lifting to meet his, concern evident. "You're awfully quiet today."

Ron glanced up from his essay, a smudge of ink on his chin. "Yeah, mate. You've been off all day, and you nearly forgot your Defence book this morning."

Harry blinked, looking at both of them before lowering his eyes. He adjusted his glasses, shifting uncomfortably, his fingers playing with the edge of his parchment.

"I… I got a letter," he said softly, his voice carrying the weight of something unspoken.

Hermione and Ron exchanged a glance, sitting up straighter.

"What kind of letter?" Ron asked, trying to sound casual but failing as his ears turned pink.

Harry took a deep breath, pulling out a letter from between the pages of his Charms book, the parchment neatly folded with Sirius' neat scrawl and Tony's messier, sharp handwriting side by side.

"They said… they're going to come and take me to see my parents' graves."

The words fell into the quiet library, heavy and echoing in the stillness between them.

Hermione's eyes softened, her quill slipping from her fingers as she reached across the table to gently place her hand over Harry's. "Harry… you've never been, have you?"

Harry shook his head, swallowing thickly. "No. I didn't even know where they were buried until Sirius told me. The Dursleys… they never talked about them. I didn't even know their birthdays. I don't know what to say when I get there."

Ron shifted uncomfortably, running a hand through his hair, looking away as he muttered, "It's not fair, mate."

Harry managed a small, crooked smile, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Tony said it's time I get to know them properly. He said they'd like to meet me, in their own way."

Hermione's eyes glistened, and she squeezed his hand gently. "They would, Harry. They'd be so proud of you."

Ron nodded firmly, his chin lifting. "They would, mate. And you're not going alone. You've got Sirius, and Tony's… well, Tony's a nutter, but he's a good nutter."

That made Harry let out a small laugh, the tension breaking for a brief moment.

Hermione glanced around to ensure Madam Pince wasn't nearby before leaning closer. "Harry, when are they coming?"

"Over Halloween," Harry said quietly, "I… I'm nervous."

Hermione's thumb rubbed gently over the back of his hand, grounding him. "That's okay, Harry. You're allowed to be. But you're not alone anymore."

Ron gave him a lopsided, comforting grin. "Yeah, and after, we'll steal you back here so we can all have a proper Halloween feast. Fred and George are planning something, I just know it."

Harry's eyes brightened at that, and he nodded, clutching the letter carefully before folding it back into his book.

For the rest of the study session, Hermione kept checking on him with gentle smiles, and Ron occasionally tossed in a joke to lighten the mood. Harry felt a warmth in his chest that dulled the quiet ache of fear and longing inside him.

As they packed up to head to dinner, Harry looked out the window, the rain still falling, and silently promised.

"I'm coming to meet you, Mum, Dad"

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