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Harry’s choice
Harry Stark (or Potter, as he was mostly referred to in the wizarding world) was not having the best of days. Why was it that children of a family always went insane at roughly the same time? He stretched his tired muscles and took a huge sip from the even bigger cup of coffee his assistant had waiting for him every morning. Lily was almost two and supposed to sleep through the night. Except for the last week she really hadn’t. He and Ginny had talked about maybe having more kids, they were both not even 30 yet, but after this week they had agreed that five was quite enough after all. Five was nice, really. And so was sleep. “Mr. Potter?”, Sam (the coffee god) entered timidly. He still didn't have the knocking down, but Harry was ready to forgive that. Coffee was his main focus anyway.
“Yes? What is it?”
“There is a call for you at the Muggle liaison office.”, Sam told him, looking nervous.
Odd. He had a Muggle phone at home, because he did of course have a lot of friends and contacts in the non-magical world, but who would actually call him at the ministry? When they had to know he was working?
Harry put the love of his sad life down.
“Did they know who it was?”, he asked, trying hard not to immediately panic.
“A Colonel James Rhodes, Sir.”
Rhodey. All right. Time to panic. Harry stormed past Sam, past his confused looking Aurors and straight towards the lift. That damn office was way down. He wished it were possible to simply keep a phone on him, but those tended to explode. Too much magic in the ministry of magic. Go figure.
People kept giving him glances between curiosity and wonder, as they got onto the lift on his way down. At least that he was used to, didn't matter if he used Potter or Stark.
At long last he reached the damn floor and stormed into the small liaison office, where one of the employees was softly talking into the phone: “I am sorry, Sir, I cannot tell you how long this will take. You must know Mr. Potter is a very busy…”
He never got to finish that sentence as Harry very rudely snatched the phone from him.
“Rhodey? What happened?”
Always the military man Rhodey did not try and sugar coat anything: “Our convoy was attacked. We came under heavy fire. They took Tony.”
“Took Tony.”, Harry repeated mechanically. This was his job, damn it, he was good in a crisis.
“Eyewitnesses say he was hurt and most likely unconscious. They went to a lot of trouble to get to him, so we can at least assume they don't want him dead.”
“Send the coordinates and everything I need to my phone at home. I am on my way.”
Harry hung up without another word and turned around. Sam had obviously followed him and was standing nervously behind him.
“Sam. Tell the Minister that I need time off. I’ll be leaving immediately. Family emergency.”
Harry didn't say goodbye to Sam either, instead storming back to the lifts. He made it home in less than ten minutes. Ginny was already waiting for him. There was a duffle bag in her hands. She had packed for him. Damn, there was a reason he loved that woman.
She handed him his Stark Phone.
“Rhodey called you?”, he asked her, carefully taking the phone. He could see the info Rhodey had send him.
“No. Obie did. He said he was sending a Stark Security team and had someone looking into mercenaries in the region. Oh, and he is having all the intel send to you that they have on groups in that area. And that you don't have to worry, he is taking care of everything at SI.”
Harry didn't really care that much about the workings of SI right then, but Obie was right: people depended on them and it was a good thing that Obie was there to pick up the pieces.
“Call me when you get there. Call me when you know anything and call me, when you want me to take the kids to Devon and come join you.”
“I will.”, Harry sighed and gave her a quick kiss before grabbing the bag and apparating back to London. Organizing international, magical transport would be a nightmare right now, so Harry chose the much quicker option of directly appearing on the Stark Airfield in London. There was a Jet already waiting for him.
“Colonel Rhodes called us and already informed us of the destination. Flightplan is cleared and be are scheduled to leave in five minutes.”, a young woman in slacks informed him. One of the pilots SI kept on retainer, Harry assumed. She hadn’t even had time to change out off what looked like her running clothes.
They were up in the air almost before Sam had even managed to get to the minister and tell him that his head of Auror office had just taken off.
Two weeks later Harry made his way back to the UK. He was tired. He was frustrated. He was angry and most of all: he was worried. The army was looking for Tony with all their might, of course they were, he was their best weapons manufacturer. Harry was looking with all his (very considerable) skills, but in two weeks they had found exactly nothing. But Harry also hadn’t seen his family in that time, and yesterday during his daily calls, Obie had finally been able to convince Harry to go home and relax for a bit. Recharge and then come back. He was right, of course. And Harry really needed to talk to his boss. Better get that out of the way first, he thought, since he landed in London anyway.
He probably looked way more tired and stressed than he had thought, because people kept jumping out of his way even more than usual. Maybe the news of his brother’s kidnapping had reached the wizarding world? Doubtful. Content in their little bubble, the magical community had never much cared to find out anything about his family. Most probably didn’t even know his real name.
He was ushered through to Kingsley’s office immediately.
“Harry, it is good to have you back.”, Kingsley’s warm voice greeted him.
Already Harry was annoyed. He was not back and NOTHING about this situation was in any way ‘good’.
“I am not back.”, he informed Kingsley tersely. He didn't normally behave like that, the last couple of weeks seemed to finally get to him. Maybe they had before as well and everyone in Afghanistan had just been too polite to say anything. Kingsley was not.
“Harry, I understand that you feel like you need to be there to find Tony yourself, but magic will only take you so far. There isn’t much you can do.”
“So what? You expect me to come back to work or something? “
“You are the head of your office, Harry, we need you here. I am sure the local authorities and the US Army are doing everything they can.”
“The magical government is not.”, Harry gritted back, “In case you hadn’t noticed: my brother is a muggle. Wizards generally don’t give a fuck. “
“I will make a call to their minister. Maybe I can get them to make an exception. The name Harry Potter holds power all…”
“It’s Stark.”, Harry interrupted him.
Kingsley blinked.
“Pardon?”
“My name is Harry Stark. “And it has been for about 28 years. I am sick and tired of people forgetting that. Did you even remember my real name?”
“Honestly? No. I am sorry, Harry, I know you don't always see it that way, but I knew your parents and…”
“I know that you bloody knew them. Everyone keeps reminding me of that fact. Going to Hogwarts might have been the biggest mistake of my life. I should have stayed in the US. But no. Back then I wanted to know where I came from. Stupid, stupid Harry. When my parents died no one even really said anything. I came back after Christmas and it was like people all but forgot. To them my parents had been dead for years. All I had back then was my brother and I will be damned, if I lose him now. I will not stop looking until I have him back safe and sound.”
Kingsley just stared at him. Deep down Harry knew he was being unfair. None of this was Kingsley’s fault.
This is why we don't throw childish fits , his Mom had told him back when he blew up his Dad’s lab.
Sorry, Mom, I fear it is too late for that now.
“I can not delegate your work for you indefinitely.”, Kingsley told him in a pained voice. Harry finally sat down in the chair opposite Kingsley and breathed out heavily.
“Sorry, Kingsley, I should not have unloaded on you like that.”
“I understand. In parts. I never quite realized you might feel we were disrespecting… your parents. And I am truly sorry for what has happened to your brother, but I can not change the facts.”
“No. I was torn between two worlds for a long time now. Maybe it was time I made a decision.”, carefully he pulled his employee ID and batch out of his pocket. He was wearing a suit, not a cloak. He hadn’t consciously set out to do this today, but maybe deep down he had already known where this was headed.
“Harry…”
“I am needed elsewhere.”, Harry told him simply, “That won’t change once I find Tony. Stark Industries is a part of my family. Our father built it out of nothing. And my brother and I have both been ignoring our responsibilities for way too long.”
Kingsley carefully took the offered items.
“Officially, as your boss, I have to tell you that we need you here. As your old friend and comrade I am going to say that I understand and hope I am still allowed at your home for dinner some time.”
“I quit.”, Harry told Ginny when he walked through the front door half an hour later.
“Okay. “, Ginny replied simply, “I missed you.”