The dorm room was quiet, the steady sound of rain tapping against the windows of Gryffindor Tower as Harry bent over his parchment, tongue poking out slightly in concentration as he wrote.
Tony, I hope you're eating and not just drinking coffee again. Sirius said you're busy, but I wanted to check if you're okay. Things here are quiet (finally), and classes are better without Lockhart around. Ron and Hermione say hi. I'm getting better at Charms, and Professor Flitwick is letting me practice more. Tell Sirius to send more of those biscuits from last time.
-Harry
He paused, tapping his quill against his lip before adding:
P.S. Don't let Sirius near the kitchen.
He signed it off and folded it neatly.
"Oi, Harry," Ron's muffled voice came from the bed across the room, blankets pulled up to his chin as he squinted at him. "You're writing to your brother again, aren't you? That's the third letter this week."
Harry shrugged, reaching for an envelope. "Yeah, well, he usually writes a lot, you know? Jokes, weird Muggle stuff, sketches of things he's building. But it's been Sirius writing recently, saying Tony's busy, so…"
Ron yawned, flopping back. "Tony's alright, Harry. Bloke's practically a superhero—he took Lockhart away, didn't he? Best thing that's happened to this school since… ever."
Harry snorted, a smirk tugging at his lips. "You mean, since the free pudding day in the Great Hall?"
Ron grinned, eyes closing again. "That too."
Harry's smile faded into something softer as he smoothed the envelope with his palm. "It's just… Lockhart was annoying, yeah, but if it wasn't for Tony and Sirius, he would've kept going. No one else would have stopped him."
Ron cracked one eye open, staring at Harry thoughtfully before grinning. "You're lucky, mate. Having them, I mean."
Harry blinked, then nodded, looking down at the letter. "Yeah. I am." Ron has no idea how much.
He tied the letter carefully to Hedwig's leg, stroking her feathers softly before opening the window to the damp night air. She hooted softly, nipping at his finger before taking off into the rain-scented sky.
Harry leaned against the sill, watching her go, hoping the letter would reach Tony quickly. He turned, catching Ron watching him from his bed, a sleepy smirk on his freckled face.
"You're gonna be one of those blokes who writes every day, aren't you?"
Harry shrugged, a quiet smile playing on his lips as he climbed into his bed, pulling the blankets up.
"Yeah. Maybe I will."
Outside, the rain fell steadily, but for once, the storm inside Harry's heart was calm.
——
The quiet of St. Mungo's late at night was unlike the Tower's constant hum or the sharp, restless energy of Tony's lab. Here, it was the soft shuffle of nurses' shoes on the stone floors and the occasional distant cough.
Tony sat propped up in bed, still feeling raw and tired, his chest a dull ache, but the poison was gone, and that was worth the discomfort. He tapped the side of the hospital bed with restless fingers, unable to sleep, eyes flickering to the door as it opened.
Sirius slipped in with the ease of a man who had made himself at home in hospitals far too often in life, a mischievous grin on his face as he waved a letter in his hand.
"Mail's here, again" Sirius sing-songed, dropping into the chair by Tony's bed.
Tony raised an eyebrow, lips curling into a faint smirk. "What are you, the postman now?"
Sirius ignored him, carefully opening the parchment, smoothing it out with exaggerated reverence before clearing his throat dramatically.
Tony,
I hope you're eating and not just drinking coffee again. Sirius said you're busy, but I wanted to check if you're okay. Things here are quiet (finally), and classes are better without Lockhart around. Ron and Hermione say hi. I'm getting better at Charms, and Professor Flitwick is letting me practice more. Tell Sirius to send more of those biscuits from last time.
P.S. Don't let Sirius near the kitchen.
-Harry
Sirius barked out a laugh, eyes crinkling with mirth as he finished, looking up at Tony. "Well, at least he's got sense. About the kitchen thing."
Tony huffed, reaching out to take the letter, eyes scanning over the familiar messy scrawl, a warmth settling in his chest that had nothing to do with the thick potions he was still being dosed with. "Kid's got good priorities. Magic and biscuits."
Sirius settled back in his chair, studying Tony quietly for a moment. "He's doing better, you know. Since… well, since you came around. Since we both did."
Tony swallowed, tapping the letter lightly against his knee. "Yeah. Good. He deserves that."
They sat in quiet for a moment, the rain outside tapping gently against the enchanted windows. Sirius looked down at his hands, rubbing a thumb over the edge of his wand.
"I'm planning to head back to Grimmauld Place again," Sirius said finally, voice softer, edged with something older than his years. "Need to find what I can about Horcruxes. If Riddle's left pieces of himself around, we need to know, Tony. Before it's too late."
Tony's jaw tightened, and he carefully folded the letter, placing it on the bedside table before meeting Sirius's gaze. "You're sure you want to go back there alone?" He haven't ask much about his past.
A crooked smile pulled at Sirius's mouth, though his eyes were shadowed. "It's still my mess to sort out, Tony. And… if it helps protect Harry, I'll do it."
Tony nodded, his eyes flickering to the window before settling back on Sirius, tired but determined. "I can't come with you. I want to, but I can't."
Sirius tilted his head, waiting.
Tony took a slow breath, pressing a hand to his healing chest. "I need to get back to work. The suit's gonna need a change, and I need it operational. The tech, the weapons, the protections—it's the only way I can keep him safe when the time comes. I can't fight magic with bare hands."
Sirius chuckled, though it sounded more like a sigh, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees. "Only you would say you need to fix your magic-killing metal can to protect a kid who's practically a walking magical anomaly."
Tony smirked, but it faded into something softer, earnest. "I'm serious."
"You're Tony," Sirius quipped automatically, earning a bark of laughter from Tony that hurt but felt good.
They fell quiet again, the weight of the world pressing in, but somehow it felt lighter with the promise of a shared fight, of plans made and paths chosen.
Sirius straightened, patting Tony's knee lightly before standing. "I'll write to Harry, let him know you're on the mend. He worries."
Tony nodded, looking at the letter one last time. "Tell him I'm fine. And that I'll have something cool to show him next time."
Sirius raised an eyebrow, smirking. "Like what? A newer, shinier suit of doom?"
Tony's eyes sparked with determination, a grin breaking across his tired face. "Something like that."
Sirius clapped him on the shoulder gently, lingering for a moment before turning to the door. "Rest up, Tony"
Tony watched him go, the quiet closing in again, but it no longer felt suffocating.
Instead, it felt like purpose.
He leaned back, letting his eyes close, already designing blueprints in his head for an upgraded suit—lighter, faster, and ready for any battle.
Ready to protect the kid who had given him something worth fighting for.