Chapter 24: Stark Industries

Harry leans against his balcony handrail as he drank his root beer. He was more than aware he was being watched. After another sip of root beer, he looked up towards his shadow and gestures towards the hiding agent in a toast before draining the bottle. It had to be nerve-wracking for a professional shadow to realize their cover was blown.

Harry decided to go back inside and go over the list again; try to find someone to take on.

He paused as he mentally registered the email notification. Upon opening it, he found it was from Stark Industries. A quick scan of the email informed him of a meeting with Tony Stark in a couple of days regarding his investment in Stark Industries.

Harry immediately went to an online travel site and ordered a one-way ticket to Los Angeles. He didn't want to miss a meeting with Tony Stark.

Something else he needed to do, which he hadn't truly done in earnest since becoming enhanced by the ritual, was to truly retrain his magic. Sure, he'd cast basic magic since then, but they tended to be a bit more…powerful than he generally intended. He needed to be in much better control if he truly wanted to utilize magic in a fight.

He took a moment to contemplate what he was currently capable of.

He had magic for long range and general utility. Perhaps he should look into healing magic. Even if he, personally, had a healing factor, he was certain he would run into a lot of injured people who would need help. As such, it would be best to learn healing magic to heal others when they had need of it.

Thanks to Ducard, he now had well-controlled hand to hand combat in spades, so close-range combat was quite well covered, and if his fists failed him, he had some magic as a fallback.

The reason he hadn't used his magic on the three thugs in the alley back then was quite simple: even his most minor spells would have killed them. He was no fool; he knew the muggles would have taken the killings seriously, even in a city as dangerous as New York. He couldn't ill-afford a manhunt aimed at him. He'd had plenty of that to last a lifetime that during the war.

Harry continued to silently contemplate his skills and plans as he transfigured his clothes into a less conspicuous form of dress. His robes morphed in to a casual outfit consisting of jeans and a punk rock t-shirt. He grabbed his fob card and walked out of his door after casting a strong locking charm on the entrances to his apartment, securing it as best he knew against unwanted entry. He needed to invest in better security. He was sure his locking charms would be fine for the short term, but he needed a serious upgrade for the long term.

He kept is silence as he made his way out of the building and flagged down a taxi.

"La Guardia Airport, please." Harry said as he closed the door.

Travelling like a muggle still felt a bit strange, but it definitely helped with unwanted attention. He was sure S.H.I.E.L.D. would become aware of his ability to instantly appear at will, but he wanted to delay them learning that fact as long as possible. He knew they were already suspicious of him, and his little stunt on the Helicarrier must have pissed them off even more.

Perhaps it would be best to lay low for the time being. He wasn't sure what S.H.I.E.L.D.'s agenda beyond what Agent Carter had been able to tell him, but he didn't want to get caught up in it.

Harry paid the driver and exited the cab the moment he arrived at the airport. As he entered, he spotted Agent Barton in the reflection of the sliding glass doors, but gave no outward indication he was aware of the man. His shadow was doing his best to be discreet, but it wasn't quite enough to stay out of Harry's awareness.

Harry paused for a moment and frowned internally as he thought about how hyper-alert he'd become. The war had really done a number on him; he'd never been anywhere near this vigilant before.

Perhaps he was channeling Mad-Eye Moody's spirit, and being a bit over paranoid. On the other hand, it was thanks to this paranoia that he was aware of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s existence and was, for once, a few steps ahead of those trying to control and/or kill him.

Harry made his way through the bustling airport, checking in at the counter to get his boarding pass and making his way through security. He continued to calmly make his way through the airport, his previous two years in this world making him an old hand at this, determined to get to Los Angeles without incident.

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