Heroes Assemble!

We Have To Work Together

Harry stepped from the taxi and barely noticed when it left, so focussed was he on the mansion in from of him. Really, there was no other word for it. It was an elaborate building built on the very edge of a cliff, even jutting out over it at the far side, he thought. The grounds were immaculate, although the tennis court looked as though it hadn't been used in quite some time. There was even a fountain not far from the front door, circled by a small garden and then by the driveway.

Hefting his backpack over one shoulder, he approached the door. His fist was still in the process of being raised in preparation to knocking when he was interrupted.

"Good morning, Mister Potter. It's nice to see you again."

Harry's eyes widened slightly before he placed the unseen British voice.

"Hi, Jarvis. Um, Tony invited me?" he half said and half asked.

"Indeed. Mister Stark did mention that you were coming. The door is unlocked for you," Jarvis replied.

Taking that as permission to enter, Harry opened the door and entered into the wide entryway. Everything was immaculate, with lots of white – floors, walls, even the sweeping staircase that led up to the next level.

"Gandalf!" Tony exclaimed as he came bounding up from a set of stairs that led to a lower level. "You made it."

"Hi, Tony," Harry replied, reaching out to shake the man's hand. "Thanks for inviting me."

"No worries," Tony replied, waving it off. "Really, you're here to do me a favour. I get to spend some time finding out how you and your magic tick. How long can you stay?"

"No more than a week," Harry replied. "My staff are sharing the responsibility of managing the place; there wasn't really a single person who was able to completely take over."

"Ah, what you need is someone like Pepper," Tony said.

"Who needs me?" a voice asked from the top of the stairs, shortly followed by, "Harry! Nice to see you again."

"Hi, Pepper," Harry smiled.

"So, what do you need me for?" she asked as she joined the two men.

"I was just telling Tony that I didn't really have someone that I could leave in charge of the Den," Harry explained.

"Oi! Hands off, Magic Man. She's mine. Go find your own Pepper," Tony exclaimed.

Pepper crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow at the man. "I'm yours, am I? I thought that I was only twelve percent yours. Although I hear that an argument could be made for fifteen percent?"

Tony visibly winced. "I'm never going to live that down, am I?"

Pepper merely smiled at him before turning to Harry.

"Come on, I'll show you to your room before that one squirrels you away in his lab for the rest of the week," she said.

"Are you saying he's a nut?" Tony asked as the two headed towards the stairs. "'Cause, I'd have to say that I agree with your assessment."

"Agreeing with me will not make up for that comment, Tony," Pepper retorted without looking back.

Harry swivelled his head between the two. There was definitely something that he was missing but he had absolutely no intention of asking what it was.

ooo00ooo

Harry took a good, long look around Tony's lab. There was equipment and monitors and computers and all kind of gizmos everywhere. There was even a robot in the corner that seemed to be nothing more than one giant appendage with a claw-like grip on the end that Tony'd vaguely introduced as 'Dummy'.