Harry realized Tony had gotten the wrong idea and shook his head.
"No, Mr Stark, you've misunderstood. Kamar-Taj has never been afraid of exposure.
We hide ourselves only to avoid unnecessary trouble and to stop certain people from abusing magic.
That's just a minor nuisance. The Sorcerer Supreme alone could handle it. We could erase every trace of Kamar-Taj from the memories of everyone on Earth at any time—but we don't do that lightly.
After all, our enemies have never been human beings, but abyssal demons, Great Old Ones, and those dimension lords."
"So dimensional demon gods really do exist?"
"Of course. Take Dormammu, for example. He's the lord of the Dark Dimension and has always wanted to devour Earth. Without the Sorcerer Supreme's protection, the armed forces of Earth as they are now wouldn't be able to resist Dormammu's invasion at all."
A powerful sense of urgency surged up in Tony Stark.
After everything he'd gone through recently, he'd planned to fly straight back to New York, hold a press conference, and shut down Stark Industries' weapons division.
At the same time, he wanted to develop new suits of armor and use them to fight criminals all over the world.
But what Harry had just said completely upended that plan. Compared to dimensional demon gods, ordinary criminals didn't even register.
He moved his sights from criminals to dimensional demon gods, only to immediately hit a wall. Dimensional demon gods were far too powerful—could he really be a match for them?
A spark flashed through Tony's mind as he realized he'd fallen into a trap of his own making. He was a genius.
If he was a genius in technology, why couldn't he be a genius in magic as well?
Why not connect technology and magic?
If you can't beat them, just join them.
Excited, Tony blurted, "Harry, can I learn magic?"
Harry thought it over before answering. "Maybe. I'll ask the Sorcerer Supreme. Even if you can't join Kamar-Taj, I can at least give you a few magic books to satisfy your curiosity."
"Yes!" Tony pumped his fist. As long as he had books, he was confident he could figure out magic. Tony Stark wasn't going to be stumped that easily.
He was already sketching out plans for a magic armor suit in his head.
...
The next morning, the plane broke through the clouds and began a slow descent.
Tony turned to Harry. "Harry, once I've done a press conference, I'm throwing a party tonight—celebrating Wizard Harry rescuing Mr Stark.
Looks like it's time to bring up that bottle of Romanée-Conti from the cellar. Oh, and maybe invite a few dozen hot girls."
Harry refused without hesitation. He had more important things to do than party.
Even though he'd already used Colonel Rhodes' phone yesterday to let Aunt May know he was safe, Harry could tell they were still worried.
Once the plane landed, the first thing he was going to do was go home—to 20 Ingram Street in Queens.
With Tony's IQ, it wasn't that he didn't understand human feelings; it was just that almost no one ever forced him to care.
And Harry, the one who had saved his life, was very clearly one of the exceptions.
Tony didn't push it. "All right. I'll have a car take you home. Even if you can fly, you're not going to do it in front of a crowd, are you?"
"Thank you."
"Then you have to come to the party tonight. I've got a huge surprise prepared just for you."
This time, Harry didn't turn him down. To be honest, he was a tiny bit curious about what Tony Stark's parties were actually like.
The plane touched down at John F. Kennedy International Airport. The cargo ramp at the tail slowly lowered, forming a staircase to the ground.
Harry and the others walked down the steps as a few medics pushed over a yellow wheeled stretcher.
Tony immediately waved them away. "You've got to be kidding. What do I need that thing for? I'm perfectly healthy. Get it out of here."
The medics hesitated, looking unsure of what to do, until Colonel Rhodes gave a helpless wave of his hand and told them to back off.
A tall, stunning blonde woman was waiting ahead. She wore a business suit that gave her a sharp, capable air, but right now her expression was soft, gentle.
Her eyes were red as she stared at Tony, so focused on him that there was no room in them for anyone else.
Harry had seen her on TV before. The freckled beauty was Pepper Potts, Tony's most trusted personal assistant. While Tony had been missing, she'd even stepped in as acting CEO of Stark Industries.
When Tony reached her, it looked like she had a lot she wanted to say, but in the end all she managed was a smile stuck somewhere between laughing and crying.
Tony thumbed away the tears at the corner of her eyes. Even proud Mr Stark softened. "Your eyes are all red. Were you that sad about your missing boss?"
Pepper grabbed him in a fierce hug. "I'm happy. Saves me from having to find a new job."
Tony introduced Harry and Yinsen, making a point of saying that Harry had saved him.
That left Pepper deeply grateful to Harry. She shook his hand and wanted to chat with him for a bit, but Tony quickly pulled them apart.
The last three months had made Tony treasure the people around him even more, and his possessiveness had only grown. He did not like his woman spending too much time with another man.
Not even with his savior.
"Let's go. I need to hold a press conference immediately. And don't forget to send a car to take Harry home. He's been gone so long, the kid must be missing his mom."
Watching Tony walk away, Harry felt metaphorical black lines slide down his forehead. Tony still had such a terrible way of putting things—no idea how he'd managed to live this long without getting beaten up.
Harry decided that when Tony started learning magic, he was definitely going to "take good care" of him. After all, how could you study magic without a little… intense communication?
...
The Rolls-Royce eased to a stop, drawing curious looks from the neighbors.
The residents of Ingram Street earned about a middle-class income by New York standards, but a car like a Rolls-Royce was way out of their league.
Who was in that car? What was a rich person doing here?
The driver soon opened the rear door and helped someone out—and everyone realized they knew him. It was Harry.
Harry had always been exceptional; whether it was grades, looks, or sports, he was the kind of kid other parents always held up as an example.
But all of that was still within the bounds of normal. Since when had Harry gotten this rich?
Saying goodbye to the driver, Harry gently knocked on the front door. A figure appeared as it swung open—Peter, with Aunt May hurrying up behind him at the sound.
When he saw Harry, Peter let out a breath of relief. "You're finally back. Aunt May's been really worried about you."
"Sorry for making you worry." Harry walked into the living room and wrapped Aunt May in a hug.
Uncle Ben poked his head out from the kitchen and called to him, "Perfect timing, dinner's almost ready. Come tell us what you got up to yesterday."
Harry told them about his adventures the previous day—but in simplified form. He left out all the dangerous parts and only said he'd accidentally been transported to the desert and then met Tony Stark, who helped him get rescued.
Even so, Aunt May and Uncle Ben were stunned. Peter, especially, jumped to his feet with a shout.
"Oh my god, you actually know Mr Stark? Harry, you've got to introduce me to him—I've always wanted Tony Stark's autograph!"
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