Harry Potter : Bloodraven-Chapter 91: A Pact for the Future (CH - 111)

Howard stared at the young face sitting across from him, momentarily stunned. He had expected his savior—or kidnapper, depending on how you looked at it—to be some old, shrewd-looking man, not a kid who appeared no older than his own son. The boy's calm expression only made the situation feel more unreal.

"Let me introduce myself," the boy said, breaking the silence. "My name is Maverick Caesar."

The room fell into an uncomfortable quiet as the three of them—Howard, his wife Maria, and Bucky—stared at Maverick, unsure how to respond.

Finally, Howard found his voice. "You're... just a kid?" he couldn't help but ask.

Maverick's expression didn't waver. "I'm twenty-one, Mr. Stark. That makes me an adult."

Howard took a moment to collect himself, his initial shock giving way to a more scrutinizing gaze. "So I'm 'Mr. Stark' now, huh? Not just 'Stark'?"

Maverick sighed, as if he had expected this reaction. "You can't expect me to call you that earlier and not put any pressure on you, can you?"

"The kid's got a point," Bucky chimed in, though he quickly corrected himself when Maverick's gaze turned his way. "I mean, sir. Apologies."

Maverick waved a hand dismissively. "No need. I revealed my face to you all for one reason. Trust. You may find this hard to believe, but I genuinely want to form a cooperative relationship. I'm not here to force you into anything."

Howard crossed his arms, as if finding a new reason for argument. "Cooperation means both sides gain something. This is more like coercion."

Maverick's tone remained calm but firm and he argued back. "You seem to forget that I saved you and your wife from certain death. In return, I'm asking for twenty years of your assistance. Doesn't saving your lives count as a benefit? I get what I want, and you get to live. That sounds like cooperation to me."

His voice turned colder as he added, "Erasing your memories of the last few minutes would be as easy as breathing for me. Do you want me to make you forget I ever revealed my face and force you to help me? Is that what you want?"

Howard tensed uncomfortably at his words as the weight of the threat settled over him. He seemed to have momentarily forgotten who he was dealing with, subconsciously thinking that since it was a young face now, he could adult his way to argue.

Fortunately, his wife seemed more clear-headed in this situation. She nudged her husband in the side and quickly stepped in to ease the tension. "Please forgive my husband, sir. He often speaks without thinking."

Howard finally came back to his senses. "Ehem..." He cleared his throat. "I... I'm sorry. I'm still processing all of this."

He paused, taking a moment to think, then added more firmly, "First, thank you for saving me and my wife." He glanced at Bucky. "And my friend as well."

Maverick simply nodded. He could see that the man had more to say, so he gestured for him to continue.

Howard took a deep breath. "Can I ask a few questions first?"

"Go ahead," Maverick said. "Ask anything. Clear up all your doubts today, because I may not be able to return for the next week or two."

Howard nodded. "First," he began, "am I correct in understanding that you'll let us live on our own. I mean under new identities, of course.... but not lock us up for the next twenty years?"

Maverick nodded. "After a week or two, you'll be transferred to your new homes. I'll purchase a house for you and Maria in London." He glanced at Bucky. "And one for you as well. I'll also transfer one million dollars to each of your new bank accounts for you to use freely..."

The three of them raised their eyebrows, clearly surprised by the offer. Bucky was the first to speak up. "You don't have to give me a million dollars, sir. You've already saved me from hell and given me a new life. If anything, it's me who owes you everything."

Maverick shook his head. "First, you don't have to call me 'sir.' Call me Caesar, or 'boss' if you prefer. Second, I'll be honest... you may not be as free as Mr. and Mrs. Stark. I'll need you to handle certain tasks for me... your skills are too valuable to waste." He paused, then added, "Of course, I won't ask you to harm innocent people."

Maverick saw that Bucky actually looked relieved hearing that.

"I understand," Bucky said, nodding as if he had made the choice with clear determination. "I won't let you down. You've given me a new life, and I intend to repay that."

Maverick acknowledged his response with a nod, then turned back to the couple. "Is there anything else you'd like to clarify?"

Howard, however, found himself momentarily distracted by Bucky's resolute declaration. For someone like him, it was strange to see someone willingly offer their life in service to another. And Maria had to nudge him once again to bring him back to the present.

"Ah, yes," the man said, refocusing. He sat up a little straighter, and gathered his thoughts, then asked his next question. "You said earlier that we could contact our son after three years. Is that really true? And if so, what are the conditions?"

Maverick nodded, and he was glad that Howard had asked. "Yes, I meant it. You may contact him after three years, but only under your new identities. But-"

He paused to emphasize the seriousness of his words. "You must never, under any circumstances, reveal your true selves. Not even a hint. And when you do reach out, it has to be for a believable, non-personal reason... and you must never—and I mean never—interfere in his life. You can observe, but you can't meddle in his choices or the events around him."

His gaze hardened. "Remember... I have chosen to trust you. But if you break that trust, I will not hesitate to erase your son's memories... and even yours."

Howard and Maria both gulped at the implications. They had no doubt that this boy—no, this man—would follow through on his warning if they ever tried to break his conditions.

Finally, after a moment for the words to fully sink in, they both nodded in unison.

"We... we understand," Maria said first, and Howard nodded as well.

"Good," Maverick said, acknowledging their commitment. And he wasn't just taking their word for it—he had been probing their minds as well, and knew they truly meant what they said.

"Now, please," he continued. "I'm sure there's more you need to clarify. So ask. Any doubts, anything at all."

And so, time passed slowly as the couple questioned him about every detail of how they would be spending the next twenty years working under him. Bucky also chimed in from time to time with his own questions. It wasn't until two hours later that they finally gained a clear understanding of Maverick's carefully thought-out arrangements for them.

And right now, their expressions were much better—less tense, even slightly hopeful, in contrast to before the conversation began. They had finally realized they weren't being caged, and infact had far more freedom than they had initially thought. And perhaps, just perhaps, this could even be a good thing—that thought briefly crossed the couple's minds.

"Thank you... Mr. Caesar. My husband and I are grateful—for saving us and for everything you have arranged. We will not let you down," Maria said, looking at him with a sincere expression.

"My wife's words are my own. We swear to abide by the conditions," Howard added.

"Then let's toast to a cooperative relationship," Maverick said, for the first time showing a smile to the three of them. He snapped his fingers, summoning a bottle of fine liquor along with four glasses.

"This is something I got from my teacher. It's not a magical drink, but genuine Muggle liquor—at least a century old."

"Is magical alcohol any different? Do you have some... can I try?" Howard asked, his eyes lighting up with curiosity.

This 𝓬ontent is taken from fгeewebnovёl.co𝙢.

As the bottle poured itself into the four glasses, Maverick chuckled at the now much more relaxed genius billionaire—well, its millionaire now. "I'm afraid you can't handle magical liquor, Mr. Stark. Besides, when it comes to taste, Muggle wine is far superior, so don't be disappointed."

They raised their glasses and toasted. In that moment, a cooperative partnership was forged—one that, in time, would grow into a strong bond of friendship between the four adults and Maverick, a bond that would go on to change the world.

...

After some laughs and drinks, Howard finally leaned forward, a smirk playing on his lips as he brought up the real matter at hand.

"So... let's talk about your insane plan to create a mother-freaking world."

Just as he brought up the topic, Maria stood from her seat. "I'll go and prepare something to eat. You boys can discuss that among yourselves." Saying that, she left.

Howard watched his wife walk away before turning back to Maverick and shrugged. "I guess creating a world isn't that interesting to my dear wife."

Maverick shrugged as well, a small smile playing on his lips. "Let's talk about it then..."

Howard leaned back in his chair, taking a moment to think. A while later, he nodded to himself and asked, "First of all, do you have a planet in mind?"

Maverick nodded. "Mars, of course."

"Yes... any other planet cannot be a choice. Mercury is too bloody hot. Venus, likewise. Anything beyond Mars would be... well impossible. So Mars it is," Howard started murmuring thoughtfully to himself.

"That's right," he exclaimed, suddenly thinking of something. "First of all, to get anything started, we have to go to Mars itself."

Maverick raised an eyebrow. "By 'go,' you mean actually set foot on Mars?"

"That's right," Howard said casually, as if it was the most normal thing in the world. "I need a lab. A big one. Materials. And a team." He paused, looking at Maverick expectantly.

Maverick nodded without hesitation. "Consider it done. Space, manpower, materials—whatever you need."

Howard grinned. "Great. First, I'll build suits that can handle Mars' conditions. They need to be flexible, easy to move in."

"Just suits?" Maverick asked. "Did you forget about actually getting there?"

"Of course not," Howard said, his grin widening. "I'll design a ship... something that can move through space and navigate Mars' atmosphere."

Maverick tilted his head. "And how exactly do you plan to get to space first?"

Howard pointed at him. "That part's on you. You can do it, right?"

Maverick studied him, impressed by his quick thinking and how naturally he factored in his magical abilities.

"You're awfully confident in what I can do."

Howard shrugged. "Am I wrong?"

Maverick smirked. "No. Getting an aircraft into space won't be an issue. "

Howard clapped his hands together. "Perfect. That saves us a ton of fuel and engineering headaches."

"If space is what you're worried about, then don't be," Maverick added. "With magic, I can expand interior spaces. I could make this glass hold a space bigger than a football stadium."

Howard's jaw dropped. "You're joking."

"I'm not," Maverick said. "And I can do more than that. I could even create a teleportation device to shorten the travel time. It may take some research, but I'm confident I could make it work."

Howard's eyes gleamed with excitement. "Then I'll focus on the aircraft. Something that can fly around Mars."

Maverick leaned forward slightly. He too was getting excited the more he thought about it. "Alright, but once we get there, what's the first step? What exactly are we going to do?"

At that question, Howard leaned back in his chair, tapping his fingers against the table as he gathered his thoughts. After a moment of contemplation, he finally spoke.

"We need to understand the planet first... its geology, atmosphere, composition, everything. We have to study the soil, the radiation levels, and how it all reacts to different conditions." He paused before adding, "I'll be blunt... terraforming Mars with current technology alone is impossible. Not in our lifetime, not even in a hundred years."

Maverick watched him carefully, waiting for the rest.

"But," Howard continued, leaning forward, "you said it yourself... this is going to be done with both magic and science. So, I'm assuming that if there's something science alone can't achieve, you can step in with magic to make it possible. Am I right?"

Maverick nodded. "Within reason, yes. As long as it's not breaking the fundamental laws of reality, I can make it happen."

Howard exhaled, then broke into a grin. "Good," he said, leaning back. "If you can deliver on that, then I believe we can turn this insane dream of yours into a reality."

Maverick leaned back as well, smirking in return.

Meanwhile, Bucky had been watching in silence the entire time, his gaze darting between the older genius and the young man who seemed just as crazy. To him, they looked less like two visionaries and more like a pair of mad scientists plotting something that sounded so ridiculous to him, and yet somehow, he had a feeling they were actually going to pull it off.

Their discussions carried on even after Maria returned with the dishes she had prepared. The conversation only paused when they sat down to eat, and it wasn't until after the meal that Maverick finally decided to take his leave.

Before departing, he once again advised the three of them to go through all the books in the small library. Those books contained everything they needed to know about the magical world.

He had even selected specific ones for Howard, books that would help him understand the full scope of magic's capabilities. That way, when formulating plans for the big project, he could incorporate magic into his ideas rather than just making blind guesses.

With that, Maverick returned home and spent the remaining days of the third week of December with his family. As the final week of the month began, he set his sights on his next destination—America—where he planned to spend the rest of the holidays with his childhood sweetheart and now fiancée, Isabella.

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Author's Note:

Just a quick update — up to Chapter 144 is already available on P AT r30n!

PAT r30n [.] com / RyanFic