Chapter 82: "Family Night"
"Family Night"
After sharing our past years and experiences, we started getting along better.
Of course, the fact that we were connected by blood helped. Even Loki, with his dark personality, accepted us—at least a little… I think.
"So, a group of old ladies kidnapped you as soon as you arrived at the orphanage? Is that why they wore wigs and contact lenses?" I said, teasing Tony.
"Hey, for your information, nothing happened. A woman named Vinda Rosier took me out of there… damn," Tony said, and it wasn't clear if he was cursing the kidnapping or the fact that he was saved.
"Hahahaha," Wanda laughed as she listened to the story.
"Isn't Vinda Rosier…?" Natasha asked, thinking aloud.
"Yes, one of Grindelwald's followers. Looks like they were looking after them well without them even realizing it," I whispered so only Natasha could hear. "It's better if they don't know… it'll go to their heads."
It was best if they remained unaware that, as Grindelwald's children, they were technically his heirs and that many would die just to serve them simply because they bore that last name.
As we talked, Misty appeared before us, slightly startling Tony, while Loki just looked at her with interest.
"Young master, Master Harry will be home soon. The lady has told Misty to prepare a welcome party for everyone," Misty said, and with a few snaps of her fingers, she started festively decorating the house.
"Is she one of the magical creatures you mentioned?" Tony asked with curiosity while eyeing Misty. "And who's Harry?" he added in passing.
"She's Misty, part of the family since I was born. Her race is called a house-elf. But if you mistreat her, I'll rip your head off—and not the one on top," I said with a smile, which made Tony and Loki a bit nervous.
And they should be, because I was dead serious. In this world, wizards are quite resilient, so they could recover, but it would be very painful.
"An elf? It's different from the proud and annoying ones in Alfheim," Loki said, recalling something with irritation.
"Harry is our adoptive brother. He had the misfortune of losing his parents to the Dark Lord of this era, and his uncles weren't very good people," I explained.
"So, another one for the club of people with parental issues," Tony said, which didn't sit well with everyone.
"Who has parental issues?" Wanda said, standing up slightly irritated.
"Isn't your dad Magneto? And he doesn't even know you exist," I cut in, leaving her speechless.
"And you? You never treated your family as family because of guilt," Wanda shot back angrily, hitting a sore spot.
After all, I always felt guilty for being Stephen when I really wasn't, and I treated his family more like friends or acquaintances rather than real family, even though I helped them however I could.
As I listened, I noticed Loki with an arrogant smirk.
"What are you laughing at? Your real father was a frost giant who despised you for being small. And your adoptive father gave the throne to your dumb brother and then died," I said irritably, watching Loki's expression change. It was hilarious.
"And you always thought your father saw you as trash… and he died too," I told Tony, who was taken aback but remained silent.
When I turned to Natasha, I decided to keep quiet—she was smiling, but her eyes weren't. So, I just sat down like nothing had happened.
The problem was that Wanda, who might have known more about Natasha, seemed oblivious and kept going after me.
"Natasha's adoptive father was a fat man who mmh—" She didn't get to finish before Natasha dragged her into another room.
Soon after, a few slaps were heard, followed by Wanda's voice apologizing.
"Waah! I give up! I'm sorry!" she shouted, then walked out, wiping away tears.
Natasha followed behind with a smile and sat down again.
The three men in the room wisely chose not to ask what had happened. But it was clear who the rightful older sister was.
"Aren't you going to sit down?" I asked Wanda, who remained standing next to the couch.
"No, I'm fine," she replied, casting depressed glances at Natasha.
I just ignored her.
After a few minutes, Harry finally arrived, smiling. He seemed to have had a great time.
"Hey, Harry, how was it?" Natasha asked as he walked in.
"Hi. It was good," he said, still a bit dazed, but quickly recovered. It seemed he was slowly getting used to Natasha.
"So, is he the kid who'll be our brother?" Tony asked, scanning Harry. Loki was doing the same, though he pretended not to care, sneaking occasional glances.
"H-Hello, I'm Harry Potter… sorry, Flamel," Harry introduced himself awkwardly.
"Anthony Grindelwald, but you can call me Tony. And this idiot is Loki—just call him psycho or clone number two," Tony said, introducing himself and pointing at Loki.
"I see you're eager for a brutal beating. I'll grant your wish," Loki said, standing up to fight, while Tony got into a defensive stance.
"Looks like the childish brain affects you all the same. It's good not to be the only one," I commented, remembering the dumb things I did as a kid.
Meanwhile, after hearing that, both of them calmed down a bit and sat back down in mild embarrassment, realizing I was right.
Once we all settled down, we decided to head to the main dining hall to meet our grandparents. There, a spectacularly adorned table filled with all kinds of dishes awaited us—clearly Misty's work and her magic.
"Come on, sit down quickly," Grandma urged with a big smile as she saw us arrive.
I sighed as I settled into my usual spot. "It was simpler when it was just me," I muttered, my tone betraying a hint of jealousy.
"Don't say that. Without me, your life would be dull and empty," Wanda replied with a mischievous smile upon hearing me.
"Wait until you're asleep to have those crazy, nonsensical dreams," I retorted as I walked away, ignoring her. It was better for my peace of mind.
"I'm so happy to see that Stephen has such a big family. Even though we always raised him as our son and grandson, we sometimes felt a little guilty that we didn't share blood. But we love him with all our hearts," Grandma said, wiping away a tear as she watched all of us.
"And now, seeing that you have so many siblings fills me with joy. Most of all, I'm happy that they're part of our family too," she added with a warm smile.
"It's okay, Grandma, there's no need to get so emotional," I said, trying to downplay the moment, but seeing her cry, I couldn't help but feel moved.
We all came together to comfort her, saying kind words as we took our seats.
"I'm glad I've lived this long," Grandma commented with a smile before dinner began.
During the meal, we all shared our stories. We talked about Hogwarts, Natasha about her time searching for the kids, and they about their experiences before arriving at the orphanage.
"Grindelwald, huh… that old man was quite a problem in his time," Nicolas said, reminiscing. "And to think that what stopped him was just a simple magizoologist," he added with a smile.
"That interests me," Loki said, leaning forward, clearly intrigued.
"Grindelwald was about to become the supreme leader of the International Confederation of Wizards. But Dumbledore sent his protégé, Newt Scamander, to save a little Qilin. These creatures choose the new leader among the candidates," Grandpa explained.
"The International Confederation of Wizards is basically the UN, but with more power over the Ministries of Magic," I quickly added for the others.
"Grindelwald had a dead Qilin under his control, manipulated through dark magic. Poor creature. But Newt brought its sibling, who chose another candidate. After a great battle against Albus, Grindelwald finally surrendered," Grandpa continued.
"Alright, enough talk about the past. Tell me, what are your plans for these holidays? We also need to prepare the little ones for their entrance into Hogwarts," Grandma interrupted, steering the conversation elsewhere.
"The twins and I need to find a source of ener—…" I stopped before finishing my sentence, looking at Tony. "Even though you're one of the most annoying people who could've come, you're the right one for this," I said as I stood up.
"That's very offensive. Hey, wa—" Tony started, but I didn't let him finish as I grabbed his arm, ready to take him with me.
However, Grandma stopped me with a stern look.
"Later," she said simply.
I let go of Tony, raising my hands in surrender, while he adjusted his clothes and sat back down with a grunt.
After the party, the grandparents retired to rest, and we moved back to the lounge.
"So, what's your plan?" I asked Tony and Loki as the girls joined us.
"Going back, obviously," Tony responded without much thought.
"Same," Loki said, unexpectedly agreeing with Tony.
"That's going to be complicated… but not impossible," I commented, looking at both of them. "And you?" I asked Wanda and Natasha.
"I'll go wherever the majority goes," Wanda said, unconcerned.
"As long as I know everyone is safe, that's enough for me," Natasha replied.
"Well then, for now, the plan is to advance this world's technology by at least 1,000 years," I said with a confident smile.
"Wait, what do you mean by 1,000 years? Even in our world, there was strange technology at this time," Tony remarked, surprised.
"Well, to be precise, that was thanks to the aliens who arrived on that planet. Here, technology advances much slower. And don't even get me started on magical technology—they were literally stuck in the Middle Ages until I forced them to move forward," I explained.
Tony remained silent, contemplating, while Loki seemed increasingly intrigued. The atmosphere felt full of possibilities, and even though we were a mismatched group, I couldn't help but smile.
"Well, we have to admit that we make a good team in both the magical and technological fields," I said, looking at everyone as I listed our strengths.
"Wanda: a dark witch with knowledge of multiversal magic thanks to the Darkhold and all the other things she learned by destroying reality and the things she had combined," I said, pointing at her, while she frowned at me.
"Natasha: a spy who surely stole a lot of international technology for S.H.I.E.L.D.," I continued, to which Natasha gave a slight nod, acknowledging the credit.
"Loki: prince of Asgard, with access to technology and magic far more advanced than this world's," I mentioned, and he puffed out his chest with pride. "Although technically, he's a frost giant and should've been living on a glacier," I added, making Loki roll his eyes.
"Tony Stark: not the best, but one of the most outstanding tech geniuses in the world," I said, pointing at him.
"Hey, who could be better than me?" Tony interrupted, somewhat annoyed.
"Reed Richards, Hank Pym, Doctor Doom, Nathaniel Richards," I replied, raising a finger for each name.
"Alright, I get it," Tony said, crossing his arms in annoyance. "But who the hell is Nathaniel Richards? I don't even know him."
"He's known as Kang the Conqueror," I replied, watching Loki for any reaction, but he remained stoic. "He discovered how to travel through time and dimensions. He, along with his variants, created the Council of Kangs, whose goal is to dominate the universes," I explained calmly.
Tony clicked his tongue and shifted in his seat, clearly irritated by the comparison.
"And I, the Sorcerer Supreme, with knowledge of Kamar-Taj's magic and most branches of both white and black magic," I concluded, pointing at myself.
"So, how exactly do you plan to advance this world 1,000 years technologically?" Tony asked, clearly intrigued despite his apparent bad mood.
"First, we'll combine magical technology with scientific technology," I replied confidently. "Magic has unlimited potential, and if we manage to integrate it with engineering, we could overcome this world's limitations in a matter of decades, if not years."
"That sounds like a job only someone with a brilliant mind like mine could accomplish," Tony said, regaining a bit of his usual arrogance.
"Only if you follow my instructions," I shot back with an ironic smile.
As we discussed the details of our plan, I noticed that everyone was starting to take an interest. Even Loki, with his indifferent attitude, seemed to be seriously considering the potential of what we were proposing.
"And what about magic?" Wanda asked, curious.
"That's where you and Loki come in," I replied. "We need you both to expand the range of spells and find ways to apply them to modern technologies. Natasha can handle information gathering, while Tony and I work on the prototypes."
"Sounds ambitious," Natasha commented, leaning back against the couch.
"It is. But if we manage to combine our skills, there's nothing we can't accomplish," I concluded with confidence.
And so, with the plan outlined, the night continued with discussions, ideas, and strategies. We might not have been a conventional family, but at that moment, I felt like we could accomplish anything together.
One thing I didn't mention was that Harry had been there the whole time, speaking comfortably with us—for one simple reason. He had spent the entire time staring in awe at Natasha from a corner. I admit I was wrong; he still wasn't used to this.
As for Natasha, she simply ignored him—she had already adapted.
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