Chapter 5. – Ties of the Family

Author's Note: Gosh! There've been so many questions on the reviews. And there've been so many Reviews! So, let's try to answer a few of them, to keep things clear as we go ahead, because I'm pretty sure this story has not been done in this way before. (At least in all the stories I've read so far, but then, I've a lot to cover yet. So fingers firmly crossed.)

Okay, so 1 - It is 1998, and our boys are 18 and 28 respectively.

2 - The Ancient One is the one from the Movies, not the comics (sorry comics fans), but will be slightly different (hopefully).

3 - Harry meeting Tony, will come up soon. Honest.

4 - For those of you with the concern, no, this story is NOT SLASH.

With that, I thank all my Reviewers again! And thanks to everyone who has Liked and Followed the story too! And now, onward!

Harry stared. The person standing before him, slightly bowed at the waist, and clearly waiting for him to respond, was a tall, bald person of indeterminate gender.

"Come now, Harry. It's rude to stare."

Thank Merlin for Luna.

And yet….. Uncertain about what Luna had got him into now, he cleared his throat and spoke. "Err.. hello. It's nice to meet you. But," he glanced at his friend, "I'm afraid I haven't quite understood who you are."

The.. being.. straightened and wore an amused smile. Turning half away and gesturing to the living room, Luna's friend invited, "But, of course. Please, do sit. We can speak at leisure."

The blond waited until the other two were seated before skipping away. Well, might as well enter the fray, the young man thought.

"So how do you know Luna?"

"Her mother was one of my dear friends. I have watched over her family for many years."

"She said you were waiting for me. Why would that be?"

"Well, actually, I rather wanted to offer you a job as my Apprentice."

… Blink.

.

.

.

.

.

"You're actually serious, aren't you?" When the two had stared at each other for a few minutes.

"But of course. Why wouldn't I be? You're a young man in need of an occupation, you're intelligent, hard-working, eager to learn new things and open to new experiences. I think you'd be just right."

"I see," Harry replied slowly, wondering what this stranger was getting at. "Well then, wouldn't it be better if you told me a bit more about yourself? After all, a new Apprentice should know whom one is apprenticing oneself to, what your qualifications are, what sort of apprenticeship this is going to be, etcetera."

There was a gleam of amusement in those eyes, but the reply was instant. "Indeed! As I said, my name is Cordelia, though in certain circles I am known as The Ancient One, or even as the Sorcerer Supreme." Harry's eyes widened, but he said nothing. "As to my qualifications, I am a Master of the Mystic Arts, a calling that has been my life and my life's purpose for many years now. Your Apprenticeship with me will entail your transfer to my school where you will learn a different form of magic and if you are particularly adept at it and you learn quickly, once you have learned all you possibly can, you may return home."

"I may?"

"You may."

Shaking his head slightly, Harry let that go for now. "What kind of new magic do you mean? Luna and I have just returned from some rather exotic travels and I've learned quite a lot about different magical communities and their kinds of magic. So what is so different about what you're offering?"

Cordelia smiled, "I assure you Mr. Potter, what we can teach you, cannot be learnt anywhere else in the world."

"Where is your school?"

"Tibet."

Harry raised a brow. "That's quite exotic for someone who looks decidedly not Asian but professes to be a Master at an Asian school."

"My, I did not take you for a closet racist."

"Not at all. I'm simply trying to understand why you're here, halfway around the world, trying to recruit me. Have you other candidates that you've already spoken with?"

"Not really, no. But I am here on a friend's recommendation."

The green-eyed boy frowned. "Which friend would this be?"

"The one you mastered a few years ago."

Luna walked into the silence left in the wake of that reply, balancing a tray of tea and a plate each of biscuits and scones. "Now, no more talking. I just baked these! Let's eat!"

"Do you usually go to collect your students personally?" Harry enquired, as he accepted a cup of tea from Luna.

"Actually, I don't usually leave the school all that often, and students usually come to us rather than the other way around. One could call us an exclusive school. Thank you, Luna."

Smiling, the blond bounced into the seat next to Harry and started chattering with Cordelia, retelling their adventures with relish, leaving a slightly relieved Harry to his thoughts. Not that many of them made much sense. There was a lot he'd been planning to get done now that his training had come to an end, but apparently that had only been a prelude of sorts. There was a high probability that he'd already decided to go to this place, if only to see the kind of magic they had to offer, but the fact that the person sitting across from him was most likely an immortal, was intriguing. Even if she'd known Luna's mother, and if Mrs. Lovegood had been a human, there was no sign of aging on that face. They might've been a couple of teens sitting at tea with a regular thirty year old human.

"Are you human?"

"Very much so," Cordelia replied without missing a beat. Luna turned to grin at him, already knowing what Harry was thinking.

Setting his cup and saucer on the table, Harry asked, "When does the new term begin at your school?"

Cordelia smiled at him. "We do not have terms, per se. Our students come to us throughout the year and join a group for certain classes, while others are taught more individually. It depends on your own progress, really. If you do well personally, there is no ceiling to what you can learn, irrespective of the amount of time you've spent there."

"And what fee do you charge your students?"

"Determination, dedication, and honesty, to begin with, and a willingness to protect others and to do no harm with the powers they learn."

They watched each other for a while and Harry noticed that their eyes were the same shade of green. Internally, he snarled, and clenched his teeth. When he spoke, his voice was rough.

"I am willing to attend your school, but not right now. There are several matters that I must see to first, especially since there is no serious requirement for me to join immediately. If you could leave your contact details with Luna, I will inform you of when I make my trip."

The reply came with a nod, "That sounds reasonable. Although, I would urge you not to take too long to arrive."

Harry only hummed noncommittally.

"Well then, it seems my work here is done. Luna, it's been lovely to see you again," Cordelia said, with real warmth. "Don't be a stranger, now."

"You too. You must come and visit more often. Daddy misses talking to you too."

"I will do my best, dear girl. Now, you stay here. I'll see myself out."

Turning to Harry, Cordelia once again extended a hand, which he took and they shook once before the Ancient One left. The teens heard the front door open and close.

Harry slumped onto the couch. "Did you have to jump that on me?"

"You wouldn't have listened otherwise, brother mine, you know that."

The young man pouted moodily, but knew she was right. She was the only one of their group of friends who knew that he'd been making plans to leave. He would keep in touch, but he wasn't sure he wanted to return to England, now that he'd seen the wonders the world offered. It wasn't just about finding his brother; Harry wanted to see what he was made of, and what he wanted to do with his life without the expectations of a community hanging over his head. His fortune could keep him afloat for years, but that was no way to live, especially since it wouldn't exactly last his immortal life. Heaving a sigh, he levered himself upright and pulled a lounging Luna into his arms, pressing a kiss into her hair.

"Get some rest, little fae-girl. I'll see you soon."

Laughing, she rose on tiptoe to kiss his cheek and waved to him as he left.

Harry apparated directly to Potter Manor, appearing in his study, and moving purposefully towards the desk. An elf popped in moments later, lighting the fireplace, the lamps and the scones with a snap of its fingers, even as it asked, "Master Harry, will you be wanting anything?"

"No, thank you Oak. I'll be getting to bed soon, actually," came a disembodied voice from somewhere behind or under the large desk.

"And dinner, Harry sir?"

"I ate at Hermione's birthday party, Oak, don't worry," he replied cheerfully, the sound of shuffling papers almost drowning out his voice.

A yell of triumph was followed immediately by a loud thump and a groan of pain. Harry emerged from behind the stout maplewood desk, holding a thick file in one hand and his head with the other. "Uh, Oak, I think I might need to have Ellie see me."

"Right away, Harry sir," replied the stoic Potter Head-elf and popped away, only to return a minute later, with a female elf in a little dress.

"Now, Master Harry, what have you been doing?" the little elf lectured. "You should be more careful."

"Yes, Ellie."

"Don't you 'yes Ellie' me," she scolded, wagging a finger at him and motioning to him to sit. "You like Master James, making trouble for Ellie since he was a knee-high tyke. Only elflings worse than you."

Harry just grinned and let her chatter at him, as she checked the bump on his head and made sure there was neither a wound nor a concussion. The Potter elves had always been part of the family and were only too eager to help Harry learn about his heritage, especially about his parents and grandparents. But that was only about the Potters, and he had always wondered about his mother's family, ever since Severus had let slip that he and Lily used to be friends. Though the man had immediately shut Harry out for weeks after that, the Gryffindor had not given up. Badgering and coaxing in turn, he had got part of the story from Remus and McGonagall, and after about a month of silent doggedness, had won the whole tale from Severus himself.

Now, with his near future being funneled into a new direction again, he wanted to get down to this research. There had been something about his mother's voice when she'd mentioned that her father was in the army, and it had niggled at him. When he'd stayed here for his NEWTs tutoring after killing Voldemort, he'd also taken lessons from Sirius and his family's solicitors in managing his properties. Since that had entailed knowing what papers he already had detailing his assets, he'd had to learn how to maintain them, which led to discovering his grandfather Potter's extensive records. His father James had also used the study for a few short years, and had kept some of Lily's papers too. The reason those papers were important, was because they concerned the Evans family. Particularly, his grandfather.

When Ellie gave him her all clear, he grinned at her and bounded away to the library, settling in with the file and getting down to the serious business of reading.

While Lily's family lived in a little industrial town called Cokeworth, somewhere in middle England, the papers held records of the Evans family moving to Cokeworth from the larger city of Tamworth, Staffordshire. The first few sheets were only such things like tax records and sales deeds, but after those came birth certificates and death records, a genealogical list of the Evans family that evidently went back to Anglo-Saxon times. So much he'd already seen the last time he came across these papers.

The family name changed several times along the way, with the daughters being married into other families, but each family that the last daughter was married into, somehow always resulted in at least one son from that marriage to carry on the line. Lily had been the last daughter after seven generations, and she had twin sons. Thoughts of his, as yet, unknown brother twinged at him, but he shook them away for now.

Shuffling through a few more sheets, he came to a letter of commendation, addressed to Matthew Leigh Evans for his service in the North Staffordshire Regiment during the Second World War. A couple of papers along, another letter emerged bestowing battle honours on the same regiment for their part in the Battle of Dunkirk as part of the British Expeditionary Forces, up to and including Operation Dynamo (the evacuation of British forces from the beaches of Dunkirk).

Surprise and pride warred within Harry, as the realisation grew of how rich his family's past truly was. Eager to know more, he continued turning the pages - many heartfelt and witty letters from Matthew Evans to his wife Dahlia, and carefully preserved newspaper articles - and came to a stop at another sheet of paper which was stamped CONFIDENTIAL diagonally in red.

'By order of the Office of the Prime Minister, you are hereby designated an Agent of the Special Operations Executive (SOE) effective immediately. Pending evaluation, you will then be transferred to Camp Lehigh, USA, where you will report to your CO Colonel Chester Phillips. The PMO thanks you for your service to your country.'

Harry's eyes shot open wide and his heart thumped wildly. Then his lips stretched in a wide, excited grin and he laughed delightedly, the sound echoing off the vaulted ceiling. He couldn't help but bang his hands on the table in his excitement; his grandfather had been a Secret Agent! Now that's the sort of family secret a boy's dreams could chew, swallow and actively role-play to contentment.

With so much nervous energy running through him at his new knowledge, sleeping was out of the question now. His mind dreamed up scenarios influenced by sections of the James Bond movies he'd seen over the past few years. He wondered if his grandfather had worn a suit too and the Bond theme song started running through his head. Just to feel that rush, he ran towards the main entrance, summoning his broom on the way and as he flung open the doors to the night sky, he caught the broom and let it pull him up and out, finding his seat on his way to the stars.

He'd never imagined his non-magical history would turn out to be so exciting. He was proud to be his grandfather's grandson.

Harry stayed out for hours, letting the rush of the wind thrum through his body, and tangle his hair, calming him down by increments, until, as a rosy hue stained the far horizon, he finally glided back to land again.

Drained and suddenly tired, huffing a long exhale, the young Potter shuffled into his home, dragging his Firebolt, never noticing that he'd dropped it at some point. Limblessly he let himself fall and sink into the rug before the fireplace and went to sleep right in the main hall, his elves watching over their Master and the house was finally silent.

When Harry awoke the next morning, he felt rested as he'd not been in a long while. Stretching and yawning, he clambered to his feet and made his way up the stairs to the first floor where the master suite was situated. Once inside, he made directly for the bathroom, quickly showered and changed, and emerged feeling refreshed for a new day.

"Ollie?"

His chef arrived with a pop. "Yes, Master Harry?"

"Good morning Ollie. Could I have some pancakes and honey with strawberries and coffee, please?"

"Yes, of course, Master Harry. Will you be eating here?"

"I think I'll go down to the library. I have some reading to finish from last night."

"I'll send over your breakfast in half an hour then."

Harry smiled brightly at the elf. "Thank you, Ollie."

With a smile and nod, the elf popped away, leaving Harry to brush his long hair. Narrowing his eyes at his reflection, he murmured a spell and watched as his hair was cut to just shoulder length. Feeling lighter, he tied his hair up with a leather band and collected the chopped lengths to put them away so they could be disposed of safely at a later date.

Making his way to the library, his mind wandered over the events of the previous day, and all that he had learned about his grandfather. There were still things he wanted to find out about those secret affiliations, but he didn't hold out too much hope; secret organisations were secret for a reason after all. Still, he was looking forward to taking up the rest of that material to see what else he would learn.

Deciding to eat before delving into his grandfather's past again, Harry chose a random book on transfiguration and leafed through it at a different table. Five minutes later, when his breakfast arrived, he dug in with all the enthusiasm of a hungry young man. Enjoying the tart strawberries, he wondered whether there were any oranges in his greenhouses, and made a mental note to ask about it later.

Once finished, he wiped his hands with a wet towel and the dishes vanished the moment he rose to return to the main table where the papers from last night still remained undisturbed. Continuing on from the Order he'd last found, Harry flipped past several pages, noting reams containing only hand-drawn sketches of what seemed to be a military camp, one of a juggling monkey in a uniform riding a unicycle, a design of a star set within concentric circles, and a sketch of a cube. There were also polaroid photographs of his grandparents, together and separately, with the dates written nearly in the space beneath the picture. They looked happy and he smiled at them in response.

Putting the pictures aside, with a plan to have them framed and displayed, Harry noticed a bunch of sheets pinned together, a small square of notepaper emblazoned with the word 'Important' pinned on top of the rest. Carefully pulling out the pin, he laid out the sheets on the tabletop to examine them. There seemed to be several sheets of notes, annotated and marked in a random pattern, concerning some formula. Putting those together, he found himself looking at yet another sketch of the cube, this time with its dimensions and description added beneath.

Putting that away too, he picked up a document which was the deed to a house in California, and another which told him that it was held in perpetuity for any of Michael Evans's descendants who chose to claim it. The lawyers who held the copy of the deed were non-magical, of course, but Harry knew he would have no problems acquiring the property.

The final two documents had their peruser jumping up in shock. In one hand he had a photo of Matthew Evans shaking hands with a man identified in the writing below as Howard Stark, both men laughing as they faced the camera. The second was a set of two Certificates of Shares in Stark International, Howard's company, one held in perpetuity for Matthew Evans's descendants, the other gifted to Harry Potter by Howard Stark.

Hands shaking, Harry stepped away from the table and just stood there, watching those pieces of paper as if they would explode.

Telling himself to get a grip, Harry called for Oak.

"Yes, Master Harry?" asked the concerned elf, watching his young Master carefully.

"Please go to Sirius and Remus and bring them back here as soon as you can."

"Oak will see it done," the elf replied, snapping his fingers to summon a glass of water which he handed to his Master, watching him drink slowly. Once the glass was empty, he sent it back to the kitchen and patted the young Lord's knee. "I be going now. Will return soon. Do not worry, Master."

Seeing his little friend's obvious concern, Harry smiled and nodded, taking a deep breath once Oak had popped away. Then he made his way to the kitchen, intending to have a few cakes ready by the time his dogfather and honorary dogfather arrived. Baking would calm him down, he decided, tying on a conjured apron as he approached the kitchen doors.

When the Marauders arrived with Oak almost 15 minutes later, Harry was just putting the second cake mold in the oven. He'd decided to do the thing properly and make a rich chocolate cake for Remus who had a definite sweet tooth and a simple vanilla and almond cake for those who didn't.

Soon enough, he heard his dogfathers making their way to the kitchen, knowing Oak would've informed them of his state when he'd left. Entering, the two men hugged their godson, Remus scenting him to make sure he was alright. Then he caught the scent of chocolate in the air and smiled widely. Sirius and Harry snickered at him.

"What's the matter, pup? Oak said you were pretty freaked out when he left," Sirius opened with, never one for patience.

Rolling his eyes, Harry tugged at them to follow him, asking Ollie to keep an eye on the cakes. Leading them back to the library, he silently handed them first the deed to the California property and then the Certificates of Shares.

The effect was instantaneous and comical. Sirius yelled, "California! Beaches! Girls!" and literally danced a jig. Remus, on the other hand, had plopped into a chair and was staring at the certificates in shock. Having to work in the non-magical world exposed him to more news than available to the average insulated magical person, and he knew how much of a big deal Stark Industries was. And of course, knowing about Harry's twin being the Stark heir, Harry himself owning shares in that company was kind of a big deal too.

Looking at the different reactions of his closest family, the raven-haired youth shook his head and quietly sat down, waiting for them to regain their senses. A pitcher of pumpkin juice, three glasses, and a platter of sandwiches appeared on the nearby table and Harry smiled appreciatively, silently thanking his elves.

As per usual, Remus shook out of his thoughts first, and his brown eyes were filled with 'how do these things happen to you', even as his lips curved into a smirk. "We'll need to contact your solicitors and have them go over these. What did you give the mad dog over there?"

"A deed to a property in California, left to any proven heir of Matthew Evans."

Nodding, Remus just said, "Alright, they can look it over too. I'm guessing you want to accept ownership of these?"

Rubbing his neck, Harry sighed, "It's all just so sudden. I just found these barely an hour ago. But I think I do? I should… It is my brother's company after all."

Remus patted the younger man's knee. "I understand. Maybe the lawyers will be able to tell us more."

Nodding reflexively, Harry poured the drinks, while Remus wrote a small note to the Potter solicitors and handed it over to him to sign. Then the document was sent off with one of the elves and all they had to do was wait for Sirius to snap out of his California daydream. Which fortunately, he did, before the solicitors arrived.

The soliciting firm of Madison, Greengrass and Haig had been on retainer with the Potter family for generations, and conducted business with both the magical and non-magical worlds. Sirius knew Mr. Greengrass socially too, and so it had been helpful for him and Remus to be present during their lessons for the new Potter Lord. And naturally, Mr. Greengrass was the chosen representative of the firm on occasions like these.

Once Oak had shown the man into the library, the three men rose to welcome him and Oak brought him a simple glass of water which was his usual preference at meetings. After the pleasantries, Harry explained the situation to the elder man and the Marauders passed their respective documents over for him to examine. It didn't take long, and Mr. Greengrass assured Harry that all the papers were valid and that he would check everything and get back to them with more information as soon as he was able. Within the matter of a half hour, the meeting was concluded, leaving the Marauders and their godson feeling much more at ease, as they escorted Mr. Greengrass to the apparition point and bid him goodbye.

Deciding to have a light lunch, the small family settled into the informal dining room and ate quietly, discussing the experiences each had had on their individual trips. The Marauders had, in fact, returned just a few days ago and had been sleeping off the difference between the time zones when Oak came to get them. Ollie served the chocolate cake once lunch was over and it was amusing to see the werewolf hogging most of the treat for himself. Having wrestled a piece each for themselves, the other two calmly sat back and watched the rest being systematically demolished, lips twitching if they happened to glance at each other. Fortunately, instead of giving him a sugar high, sweets made the wolf sleepy, so everyone agreed to head to bed early, having Oak help with putting Remus to bed.

It took time for Mr. Greengrass to follow through with all the documents he had been given copies of. Plus, he'd also taken it upon himself to ease his client's way into America and notified MACUSA of Lord Harry Potter-Black's intention to shift into and reside in their country at some point of time in the near future. While the fervour across the pond wasn't as strong, they still fell over themselves to ensure that the Boy-Who-Lived would have no trouble in their country, even if he decided to live like a no-mag.

Stark Industries was a tougher nut to crack, and Mr. Greengrass had to call upon all his considerable patience until the company's own representative firm agreed to meet with him. By then, thankfully, the muggle side of the affairs had been settled and Harry was now the proud owner of the newly named Marauder's Haven, a private beachfront property in Malibu, California. With Harry's approval, the property was now registered with MACUSA, who had offered to have the residence warded with the basic set of wards, ready for it's owner to shift in whenever he wished. Thanks to Mr. Greengrass's diligence, he'd find a full set of papers to prove his identity in the house.

When he finally was invited to a meeting at one of the Stark holdings, he didn't know what to expect of them. He never met the famous CEO, but was instead introduced to the company's ex-CEO and current advisor, one Mr. Obadiah Stane, who had a gruff, wary demeanor, and didn't say much throughout the meeting once the certificates were brought out. That first meeting didn't lead to much and the Potter representative was told that he would be contacted once the board had its bi-annual meeting at which this matter would be raised and considered.

Needless to say, the Madison, Greengrass and Haig firm fully expected to be tied up in a legal blockade for as long as Stark's people wished. Mr. Greengrass was glad then, that he'd explicitly informed their legal team that the documents they had were only copies and that they were fully prepared to go public if needed. He noticed Mr. Stane's expression harden at that, but was secure in the knowledge that the non-magicals would never be able to find his boss. Despite all their efforts, however, the Certificates promised to remain 'under discussion' well beyond Christmas.

Well, Harry decided, after reading the latest reports from Mr. Greengrass, perhaps it was time to meet his long lost brother for himself.

He could've sworn he heard someone laughing as he thought those words.