Harry Potter : Bloodraven

After dealing with Bucky, Maverick didn't stay at the safe house much longer. But before leaving, he made sure to restrain the now-former Winter Soldier right in front of Howard.

After all, a few memories weren't enough to make up for the fact that this man had once tried to kill him and his wife. So Maverick took extra precautions—securing Bucky properly and reinforcing the room where he was kept. It wasn't strictly necessary, but if it helped put the Stark couple at ease, it was worth doing.

Before sunrise, Maverick returned to Hogwarts and slipped back into his routine as if he had never left. With the Christmas holidays approaching, the professors had already begun testing the students on what they had learned during the first term. It wasn't like the year-end exams—just a few assignments, quizzes, and perhaps a light test before they headed home for the break.

Likewise, Maverick had his own tests to prepare and administer, ensuring his students were properly assessed. Fortunately, he only had to oversee two grades, with just one test for each. Compared to the workload of other professors, his responsibilities could be considered fairly light.

And his idea was to keep the tests straightforward, with nothing practical involved. For the first-year alchemy class, there would be a short question-and-answer test on basic runes, while the sixth-year Muggle science class would write an essay on their understanding of the scientific principles he had introduced.

Both were plain and simple test papers, making them easy to prepare without much hassle.

That day, after finishing his classes, he made his way to Dumbledore's office and informed the old wizard that he would be away for the rest of the day. Since he was leaving in the middle of school hours, it was only right to inform the headmaster. Of course, he kept his explanation vague.

The matter with the Stark couple was far from over, and he still needed to check on them.

Dumbledore didn't pry, only giving him one of those odd, knowing looks before nodding in acknowledgment. Maverick was sure the old man had no idea about his secret operation last night, so why was he still putting on that face?

Is he pretending?

Tsk, tsk. The old guy must have done this to plenty of people over the years, giving himself that mysterious air.

Pretentious...

One thing he appreciated though, was that the old man hadn't changed, even after learning he now held the rank of Arch-Magus. Dumbledore spoke to him the same way he always had—no difference, no unnecessary respect—and Maverick preferred it that way. It kept things simple, and he had no interest in making things more complicated.

After notifying the headmaster, he left the castle and Apparated to his first stop—Ali. While he was certain his plan would be carried out without a hitch and trusted Ali to handle everything, he still wanted to confirm it personally.

And sure enough, Ali had carried out his task perfectly as instructed, arranged the scene with two bodies who looks exactly like the starks to the flesh. The people that had arrived at the scene a few hours later had apparently swallowed the story whole, with no doubts, no suspicions about their identities.

The only thing worth noting was that after the first team left, having cleared the scene, another group arrived and combed the area thoroughly, searching for something. Maverick suspected they were Hydra agents disguised as SHIELD operatives, looking for any sign of Bucky's whereabouts.

But their efforts were destined to be fruitless, as he had anticipated this as well. Beyond planting the bodies, Ali had been instructed to restore the area, alter the scene, and erase any trace of the brief battle, ensuring there was nothing left to find.

Maverick listened to Ali's report carefully before asking one last time. "You stayed to make sure?"

Ali nodded. "As far as they know, Howard and Maria Stark are dead."

"Good..."

...

After wrapping up things with Ali, he returned to the safe house to check on his "guests"—and, of course, his super-soldier patient. But first, he altered his appearance, once again becoming the mysterious figure the Starks and Bucky had seen the night before.

Upon stepping inside, the scent of home-cooked food filled the air. It seemed there had been a lot of heart-to-heart talking the night before.

He made his way to the kitchen and found the Stark couple seated at the table, sharing a meal. They looked much calmer than they had the night before, almost—

Hmm. Maybe a little too calm.

Howard was the first to glance up, setting down his fork. "Good morning... You're back?"

Maria gave a polite nod as well, her expression composed, and almost natural. But Maverick could tell it was all for show. He didn't even need to rely on his passive Magical Sense—their involuntary micro-expressions had already told him everything.

A smile tugged his lips as he read their surface thoughts. They seemed to be playing the emotional card, thinking that it could somehow give them some leverage to bargain for conditions.

Although they had accepted, on some level, that their lives had been saved when they should have died last night, but to disappear for 20 years in exchange for that? It seemed too much for the couple.

And that kind of thinking likely came from Maria, because despite her calm exterior, Maverick could practically feel the anxiety radiating off her through his Magical-Sense.

He did not blame them, as he was not a parent and could not understand the feelings of one. Maria's thoughts were only for her son—like a good mother. Unfortunately for the couple, Maverick had no intention of changing his mind.

Before they could even begin to argue for more freedom, he shut them down immediately.

"I know what you're thinking..." he said. "It won't happen."

His tone left no room for negotiation. Then, without wasting another second, he got straight to the point.

"Have you made your decision?"

The moment they heard his tone and the direct question, their masks crumbled. Maria's eyes welled up almost instantly, while Howard simply… sighed.

Maverick paid no mind to their reactions. He stepped forward, materialized a chair, and sat down across from them at the same table.

The crimson glow of his eyes burned through the darkness of his masked face as he waited for their response.

A strangled sob escaped Lady Stark, while beside her, her husband's shoulders sank under the weight of defeat. Did he really have to abandon his identity for twenty years? Was this truly the only way?

He and Maria had spent all of last night discussing how they might persuade their savior—or captor, they still weren't sure—to loosen the conditions. But it seemed impossible, judging by the unwavering finality in his voice.

Howard shut his eyes for a long moment, then exhaled deeply. In the end, he made up his mind to cooperate—for now. Perhaps later, he could bring it up again.

Just as he opened his eyes, he saw the figure suddenly point a finger at his wife. A surge of alarm shot through him—was this it? Had this person finally lost patience? Was he about to harm them?

"Wait—!" Howard called out, but it was too late.

A sharp, white light burst from the figure's fingertip and shot toward Maria like a bullet.

"Maria!" He reached for her—or tried to—but before he could even blink, the beam had already struck her square in the forehead.

And then...

There was no recoil, no force snapping her head back as he had expected. Instead, her sobbing stopped... instantly. Then, her expression began to change. Her breathing steadied, and a strange calmness washed over her, as if the weight that had been crushing her just moments ago had simply vanished.

This wasn't normal. This wasn't natural.

And the next moment, he snapped, and turned sharply from his wife to the figure. "What did you do to her?" he demanded to know.

"Happiness..."

That was all the figure said to him, indifferently, as if their lives meant nothing.

Howard's jaw tightened, and then glanced to his wife.

"What... is happening to her? You did something." He asked again while watching her closely for any sign of distress.

Maverick didn't respond. Instead, it was Maria who responded to her husband.

"I'm fine, dear. I don't know how to explain it, but... I can think much clearer now."

Howard still looked doubtful, but before he could say more, Maverick's voice cut through the silence once again.

"So, what is your decision?"

This time, Maria spoke first. "If we cannot see Tony as his parents..." she paused, looking at the figure across from her with renewed steadiness. "Can we at least see him in disguise?"

Howard's mouth fell open as he stared at his wife's newfound confidence. He wanted to ask what the hell had just happened, but the conversation between her and the figure was flowing so smoothly that he hesitated to interrupt.

Hearing Maria's question, Maverick paused only for a moment before responding. "Yes."

It had been his plan from the start. He knew he had to give them something.

He wanted a cooperative relationship with the Stark couple—well, mainly Howard. Or better yet, he would rather have them as trusted partners. Only then could he get the genius scientist to fully dedicate himself to the project. He could technically force him, but that would do more harm than good in the long run. And besides, that wasn't the kind of person he was.

But earning the Stark couple's trust would take time. Until then, they would remain under strict supervision, constantly reminded that their lives had been bought—under conditions.

After hearing his confirmation that she and her husband could meet their son in disguise, Maria let out a sharp exhale of relief. But her mood soured again as she heard his next words.

"You may contact him in disguise, but only after three years." His tone was firm, leaving no room for argument. "Until then, you are forbidden—under any circumstances—from meeting him. Not as yourselves, not in disguise, not even indirectly."

He leaned forward slightly and then pressed down his presence on them like a heavy weight.

"If you break this rule..." he said coldly, and the distorted sound filtered through his mask made his voice even more eerie. "I will erase his memory of you... and your memories of him."

For a mother and father, what harsher punishment could there be than forgetting their own child?

The couple's eyes widened. Somehow, they fully believed he would do it. And to them, it sounded far more terrifying than anything else he could have threatened.

Slowly, shakily, they nodded, finally accepting that they would have to abandon their identities for twenty years.

"Good."

Maverick leaned back, satisfied with their agreement. Without wasting time, he moved on to explain the next steps. Before anything else, they needed a proper understanding of the magical world. To prepare them, he had arranged a small library in the safe house, stocked with carefully selected books to help them adjust.

For the next hour, he laid out the rules—what they were allowed to do and what was strictly forbidden. Just as he was in the middle of speaking, he suddenly stopped.

The sudden silence made the Stark couple uneasy. Howard exchanged a glance with Maria, but before either of them could speak, Maverick broke the tension.

"Your friend is awake," he said, rising from his chair. "Let's go meet him."

He didn't wait for a response, turned and strode toward the door.

Howard hesitated, glancing at Maria. She looked shaken, her hands clenched tightly in her lap.

"Maria?" he asked softly.

She swallowed hard. "You go," she murmured. "I just... need a minute."

Howard frowned but nodded. He knew what was stopping her. That vision—what the figure had shown them last night—must still be fresh in her mind.

So he gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze before following Maverick out the door, his mind already racing with what they might find on the other side.

...

The two men soon stepped into the room where Bucky was being held. Instead of finding him struggling or attempting to break free from his restraints, they saw him lying there, motionless, his eyes wide open and fixed on the ceiling, as if lost in a world far beyond the walls around him.

Pain. Regret. Those were the only emotions Maverick could sense radiating from him.

It was expected. Barnes was reliving his past—years of being a weapon, of being forced to kill, of having no control over his own mind. Now, with Hydra's influence gone and his emotions fully returned, the weight of those memories crashed down on him all at once.

"James Buchanan Barnes!"

Bucky heard his name and slowly lifted his head. His gaze landed on the two figures before him—one familiar, the other known only through the memories of his Hydra-controlled self. The man, or whatever he was, who had effortlessly made a joke of his skills.

But first, his eyes locked onto Howard. And Stark, in turn, looked back at him.

For a moment, neither of them spoke. The silence stretched between them, heavy with unspoken words. Then, with a shaky breath, Bucky's lips parted.

"I... I'm so sorry." His voice cracked, barely above a whisper. "Please… forgive me."

Howard exhaled sharply, reminding himself over and over—this was no longer the Winter Soldier. This was the friend he had once known.

For a long moment, he simply stood there, staring at the broken man before him. Then, with a slow sigh, he ran a hand through his graying hair.

"Don't worry about it," he said at last. "I understand."

Bucky's breath hitched, his hands clenching into fists as if holding back more emotions than he could handle.

Maverick stepped forward and interjected through the heavy yet awkward atmosphere.

"You were captured while attempting to assassinate the Starks," he stated plainly. "I've removed Hydra's control over your mind—permanently. You won't be their puppet again."

Bucky turned his gaze finally back to him. With just one direct glance, his body flinched involuntarily—his muscles remembering all too well how badly he had been thrashed the night before.

It was just a quick reflex, and he forced himself to steady. He gathered himself to speak, but before he could say thank you—or anything at all, he heard the figure speak again.

"You won't be their puppet again," the distorted voice echoed coldly. "But... you will still remember everything. You will have to live with it. That is something I'd rather not change."

He then showed Bucky the same visions he had shown the Stark couple, along with additional scenes of Tony discovering that his parents' killer was him. However, he left out anything related to Captain America for now, only showing the brutal fight between Bucky and Tony—both trying to kill each other.

Howard was also shown everything alongside Barnes, and when it was over, he finally presented Bucky with his options.

"I'm offering you the same choice I gave the Starks. You can live freely, but only under a new identity. I can ensure that no one—not even the most advanced technology—will be able to trace you. And if you agree, you will work for me."

Bucky's eyes flickered with something unreadable. "And if I don't?"

Maverick tilted his head slightly. "Then you have no purpose. No future. No revenge."

"I can promise you this," he added, his crimson eyes gleaming behind his mask. "Twenty years. That's all. At the end of it, I will help you destroy Hydra."

Saying that, Maverick waved his hand, and the restraints binding Bucky vanished. Bucky flexed his fingers, as if testing whether he truly had control over his own body again, then slowly, pushed himself up into a sitting position on the bed.

He locked eyes with him, deep in thought, and weighed everything that had just been laid before him—the freedom offered, the conditions attached, and the past that would always haunt him.

His breath slowed, becoming steady and controlled. He thought about it—really thought about it. The idea of waiting twenty years stirred something deep inside him, a frustration that gnawed at his core. He wanted to go right now and destroy the people who had made him do all those terrible things. But because he remembered doing them, he also knew—on his own, he was powerless against them.

His fingers curled against the sheets.

"Alright," he said finally, his voice stronger than before. "I'll do it."

Maverick then left Howard alone with Bucky, giving them the time they needed to sort things out between them. Finally, it was Maria's turn.

But unlike Howard, Barnes had never been well-acquainted with her. Or rather, before his supposed death, Maria and him had never even met, so accepting him wouldn't be as easy for her as it was for Howard.

The memory of last night's attack was still fresh in her mind—how Barnes had pointed a gun at her face, how close she had come to death. And even if the vision of him grabbing her by the throat hadn't actually happened, it felt real enough to leave a lasting unease.

Because of all that, it would take her longer to grow comfortable around Barnes. Still, Maria decided to give the man the benefit of the doubt, trusting her husband's judgment. In time, she, too, would come to accept him—and she was committed to it.

With all that settled, Maverick prepared to return back to Hogwarts. But before leaving, he once again advised the three of them to go through the books in the small library and learn more about the magical world.

And to earn their initial trust, he promised them a week's time, and after that, they would finally be free to leave the confines of the safe house.

Creating Muggle identities in 1991 wouldn't be a challenge for a wizard—especially not for him. But he didn't just want something that just worked. He wanted something airtight, something that could withstand any level of scrutiny.

The first step was official documentation. He would infiltrate the national registration department and insert their names into the system, complete with birth certificates and identification cards. These wouldn't be simple forgeries—no fake documents that could be exposed under close inspection. Their records would be real, embedded in the official archives, making them as legitimate as any other citizen.

But documents alone weren't enough. People had histories, backgrounds that could be checked. So, he would go further—leaving behind a carefully crafted paper trail. School records, medical visits, bank accounts—anything that could make their pasts seem natural and lived-in. It was the same way real people left traces of their existence over the years, and he would ensure the same for them.

By the time he was finished, only the most thorough investigators with the highest clearance levels would be able to spot anything unusual. After all, something like this could never be said to be 100% foolproof, even with magical means. But even if it ever came to that, he was confident he could handle it.

By the end of the week, he wanted everything fully arranged, along with the alchemical piece he needed to create. Fortunately, he didn't have to handle everything himself—Ali would help take care of the paper trail arrangements, and he would take care of the necessary identity documents for all three of them.

As for the alchemical tool to alter their appearances, he already has a clear concept in mind. Now, he just needed to bring it to life—a task he planned to begin the next day.

—————————

Author's Note:

Just a quick update — up to Chapter 140 is already available on P AT r30n!

PAT r30n [.] com / RyanFic