After a long flight, Harry, Sirius, Tony, and Rhodey finally arrived in England. The tension in the air had settled, but Tony was still visibly annoyed whenever he thought about that last disastrous party—and Hammer. Rhodey, ever the steadying presence, insisted on coming along. After all, he couldn't leave Tony to his own devices, not with everything that had happened.
As they pulled up to the hotel—a respectable, secure place Tony insisted on—they all breathed a sigh of relief. Sirius, still a little pale from everything he'd been through, was slowly adjusting to his newfound freedom. It felt strange, he'd admitted to Harry earlier, not to be looking over his shoulder every second.
Tony made sure Sirius had a comfortable room, and Harry—who would soon be returning to Hogwarts for his second year—got one close to both Sirius and Tony's rooms. Hedwig had settled comfortably on her perch, hooting softly as if she, too, were glad to be on solid ground again.
After dropping their bags and ordering room service, they gathered in the small living area of the suite. Rhodey, sitting on the opposite side looked at Tony with a raised eyebrow.
"Alright, Tony," he said, voice calm but firm. "What's the story? How're you holding up with Sirius now in the mix?"
Sirius and Harry left a moment to check their beds leaving Rohedy and Tony alone in Living room.
Tony, sprawled on the couch with a water bottle, gave Rhodey a lopsided grin. "Oh, you know me—charming as ever," he drawled. "Honestly, it's fine. Sirius is… interesting. The man's been through hell, but he's sharp. And Harry seems happy to have him around, so that's good."
Rhodey wasn't entirely convinced. "That's great, but what about you? You've got enough on your plate, Tony—between that arc reactor issue, Hammer playing the good-guy card, and, let's face it, everything that comes with having a teenage wizard as a brother."
Right, Amelia insisted one person should know about his Arc reactor problem, Tony refused immediately but she made points which made him wanna almost hit his head against the wall, She is absolutely correct.
And he called Rohedy. Like Tony knew, He lecture him like Amelia did. He can't take a break.
Tony's smile faded just a touch. "Yeah, I know," he admitted. "It's been a rough ride since that party. Pepper's still pissed at me, and Hammer—ugh, don't get me started on that incompetent slimeball." He let out a frustrated sigh. "Sometimes I wonder if that mess was my fault, but—" He shook his head. "No. Screw it. Hammer's still the bigger asshole in that equation."
Their conversation came to halt as Sirius and Harry joins them, they take their seats. Tony uncap the water bottle and take a sip. Rohedy lean back on his seat, Harry stares at the ceiling and looking around their surroundings.
Finally, Sirius, who'd been sitting quietly in an armchair, glanced up. "I don't know who this Hammer is," he said, lips twitching, "but he sounds like he'd fit right in with the Slytherin crowd."
Tony blink. "Wait were you-"
Sirius shake his head. "No, your voices were loud and my ears can hear well..they are sensitive..." He grins. "I only hear last conversation when we came here... This Hammer fellow..."
Harry blink, looking at his godfather and said "Worse than Snape."
"Hey, now," Sirius said, holding up a hand. "Let's not go too far. Snape's an oily git, but at least he's not incompetent."
Tony snorted. "Hammer's incompetent and oily."
Rhodey let out a small laugh. "Fair enough"
"Anyway, we're here. Harry's going to Hogwarts soon. Let's focus on that for now—and maybe keep Hammer's face off the front page."
Sirius leaned back, watching the exchange with quiet contentment. After all he'd been through, he couldn't help but feel a sense of gratitude. Harry had grown up in a world so different from his own—and yet here he was, surrounded by people who genuinely cared for him.
Tony ordered lunch for everyone—because, naturally, he'd already memorized the hotel's best offerings as he been here with Harry before. "Alright, let's go with the steak for me, something healthy-ish for Sirius, and a burger for the kid," he said, scrolling through the menu on his StarkPad. He glanced up. "Rhodey, you want your usual?"
"Yeah, double chicken wrap with extra sauce. Thanks, man," Rhodey replied, already relaxing into his chair.
Within twenty minutes, room service rolled in with a spread that would have made any hotel chef proud. Plates of juicy steak, fries, a towering burger, Sirius's grilled salmon, and Rhodey's wrap were laid out across the table.
Harry dug in, eyes lighting up at the sight of his burger. "Wow, Tony—this is awesome!"
"Hey, only the best for my baby brother," Tony said with a smirk, earning an eyeroll from Rhodey.
Halfway through the meal, Tony set his fork down and turned to Sirius. "So, Sirius—what's the plan? You mentioned something about going to the bank?"
Sirius wiped his mouth with a napkin and nodded. "Yeah, I need to sort out a few things. My vault's been untouched for too long, and, well—" he waved his hand vaguely "—there's some old family business I need to look at."
Tony raised an eyebrow. "You want me to come along?"
Harry chews and swallowed. "They're strict... "
Sirius chuckled. "Yeah, strict is one word for it." He looked at Harry. "You'll have to come with me, kiddo. Technically, I'm your godfather and all that."
Harry nodded, though his eyelids drooped a bit. "Alright, but maybe tomorrow?"
"Fair enough, It's been a while since I fly through Muggle plane... I never been flew in this one though"
Tony's chest puffed out like a peacock. "Private jet, thank you very much."
Rhodey let out a snort. "Here we go—Stark's ego on full display."
Sirius, eyes gleaming with mischief, leaned back in his chair. "Hey, Rhodey, give the man a break. He did take us halfway across the world in style. That jet of his? Absolutely magnificent. I'd have killed for that kind of ride back in my Hogwarts days."
Tony clutched at his chest in mock horror. "Oh, Sirius, you spoil me! A man might swoon from such compliments." He fluttered his hand dramatically. "I'm just a simple genius billionaire playboy philanthropist."
Harry giggled, nearly choking on his burger. "Tony, you're so weird."
Rhodey shook his head, grinning. "And that's why we love him, kid."
Sirius raised his glass of water. "To tomorrow—sorting out the vault and keeping Tony's head from getting too big to fit through the door."
"Cheers!" Harry and Rhodey echoed.
Tony grinned. "Cheers, indeed."