Chapter One: A Baby Of Their Own

"Are you quite sure, that this is the best alternative Albus?" Minerva McGonagall tightened her grip on the one year old baby that she was carrying in her arms. The baby was wrapped in a tight, wool blanket and it had finally stopped crying. Minerva was barely aware of what had happened. She couldn't believe it when Albus had woken her up in the middle of the night and told her that Lily and James Potter were dead.

That little Harry Potter was an orphan.

"Quite sure, Minerva." Albus said calmly as he looked as the large, reconstructed tower in front of him with the large A. "They are kind people and they will be more able to help Harry. . .adjust once he starts using magic and is ready to go to Hogwarts."

"But they are complete strangers!" Minerva snapped. "What if they harm him? Or-"

"Do you honestly think Harry will be happier with the Dursley's?" Albus asked. "You saw them Minerva, Harry will be desperately unhappy. Here he will be surrounded by people who knows what it is to be different, who have the fame that Harry has in the wizarding world as the boy who lived."

Minerva hesitated. "If you insist Albus, but I'm not sure that was what Lily and James would have wanted."

Albus sighed. "It's too late now. Come on Minerva it's time to go."

She placed Harry inside the basket and left him in the doorstep of the tower. They stared at him for a few minutes wondering if they had done the right thing.

"May I help you?" a voice suddenly asked. "Who is the package for?"

Minerva stared at Albus, where was the voice coming from? "It's a security system." Albus pulled out his wands discreetly, he made a small turn with his wand and him and Minerva apparated.

"Jarvis, what the hell is going on?" Tony groaned as he ran down the steps dressed in old baggy sweatpants and a black t-shirt. "I was just starting to fall asleep."

"It's three in the morning, sir." Jarvis pointed out. "I would hardly believe that you were just beginning to fall asleep."

Tony shrugged, a smirk playing on his lips. "What can I say, me and Pepper were very. . .preoccupied at the moment. Was there someone at the door?"

"Yes." Jarvis said calmly. "And they left a package."

"A package?" Tony opened the door and stared at the little baby in the basket in front of him. "What the fuck is a baby doing here?" he blurted out.

"Sir, please watch your language among the child."

"He's a baby," Tony spat. "There's no way that he can understand me."

Harry moved a little in his basket and then slowly opened his green eyes. He stared at Tony in amazement before bursting in tears. Tony looked around panicked. "Now what?"

"It seems that you have upset the baby by your yelling." Jarvis said calmly. "I'd suggest you take him inside to avoid causing a scene."

Grumbling Tony picked up the basket that was carrying the crying baby and raced up the stairs, he began crying even louder which was causing Tony to panic. "Please, please don't cry." Tony begged as he settled the basket on the coffee table. "You want to hear a song? Babies like songs right? Ok, um Mary had a little sheep. .or cat, no lamb. No, wait this one's better twinkle, twinkle little star-"

"Stark," Steve groaned as he came in followed by the others looking more asleep that awake. "What's all the racket?"

Natasha looked liked she was ready to murder someone until she noticed the crying baby. "Is that what I think it is?"

Clint gaped at him. "Is that a baby?"

"No, Clint it's a walrus of course it's a baby." he replied sarcastically.

"Friend Stark I did not know that you had become a father," Thro boomed. "Congratulations, on your babe."

"He's not mine." Tony insisted. "Someone left him on my doorstep."

"Who though?" Bruce picked up the baby and he immediately stopped crying when he picked him up.

"If I had known who, I would be chasing them down right now." Tony looked at Bruce impressed. "How did you get him to stop crying?"

Bruce shrugged. "Babies liked to be carried."

"You guys, really it's three in the morning and," Pepper Potts's annoyed look disappeared as she stared at Bruce. "Is that a baby?"

"Why does everyone keep saying that?"

"Tony," Pepper said sharply. "How did it get here? Is there something you want to tell me?"

"It's not mine!" Tony insisted trying to calm her down. "They left it on our doorstep."

"They have left a letter!" Thor picked up the piece of paper that had been tucked away.

Steve snatched away the paper. "It's a birth certificate, not a letter."

The birth certificate said Harry's name, his birth date, hair/ eye color, weight, and the name of his parents, but no phone number. He had been born in London.

"So what now?" Natasha asked. "We can't just keep a baby, especially if it's not ours."

"Well, we have to look for," Clint looked at Harry's birth certificate. "This Lily chick and this James guy first so that they can take their kid home."

For weeks Child Protective Services searched for Lily and James Potter, and they only managed to find Harry's closest relatives. Petunia Evans, Lily's sister.

"We explained the situation to Mrs. Dursley," Mrs. White, the one specifically in charge of Harry's case said calmly. "She explained to me that neither her or her husband want anything to do with her sister's baby."

The Avengers remained quiet, they were all packed in that tiny office and causing a few stares as well. Tony had Harry in his arms and Harry was being amused with the arc reactor in Tony's chest and trying to play with it. "So what now?"

"Harry will be placed in the infant care unit at the orphanage and will later stay there or possibly got to a foster home until he is of legal age or if Mrs. Dursley changes her mind."

"An orphanage?" Steve chocked out. He had seen various of his friends and neighbors being placed in an orphanages when their parents had died during the war. He didn't know how orphanages had developed in modern times, but he remember them not to be so pleasant.

"Mrs. White." Natasha said sternly. "There must be other alternatives, you just can't place a baby in an orphanage and-" Clint put a hand on Natasha's shoulder to calm her down but Natasha slapped it away with force.

"Well, you do have another option," Mrs. White looked through her files. "One of you could adopt him."

The Avengers froze. "Adopt a baby?"

They had fallen in love with Harry in the few short days that he had been there, but even they knew they weren't capable of adopting him.

Bruce had his green "friend."

Thor was in Asgard half of the time with his troublemaking brother.

Natasha and Clint had more enemies than the president, enough said.

Steve barely knew how to use his phone, let alone take care of a baby.

So the only one semi suitable enough to adopt Harry was-

"Me." Tony blurted out as he looked at the baby in his arms. Harry smiled at him and he hated to say it, but that smile melted his heart. "The only one that can adopt him is me."

Mrs. White frowned. "Are you sure you can handle it, Mr. Stark? Taking care of a baby is full time responsibility. You can't just leave it when you get bored."

"I understand," Tony repeated, mimicking Mrs. White's patronizing tone. "Now where do I sign?"

-End of Chapter One-

I hope you liked the first chapter, please review!

If you have any ideas or requests for one shots please PM me with your request. Please include Harry's age and a brief summary of your request.

I look forward to hearing from you. I welcome constructive criticism, but please no flames : )