Harry Potter : Bloodraven #Chapter 85: Winter Intervention (IV) (CH - 105) - Read Harry Potter : Bloodraven Chapter 85: Winter Intervention (IV) (CH - 105) Online - All Page

Chapter 85: Winter Intervention (IV) (CH - 105)

"Who is Sergeant Bucky Barnes to you?"

"Bucky?" He glanced at the unconscious man before shifting his gaze back to the figure. "He was a friend… a long time ago. I thought he was dead." He hesitated, then added, "A good man, once. We knew each other through Rogers."

Howard saw the figure give him a slight nod before asking again.

"What do you know about the Hydra organization?"

"Hydra?" His eyes narrowed slightly at the mention of a name he knew all too well. But it had been years since he had last heard it.

He took a moment to gather his thoughts before speaking. "Hydra is… I mean, was... a terrorist organization. It was brought to an end decades ago by an agency I was a part of..."

The figure nodded once more, showing no other reaction.

"What do you know about the magical world?"

Howard tilted his head. "You mean the stick-wielders?"

Maverick raised an eyebrow under his disguise, his eyes twitching slightly. He remained silent, allowing Stark to answer his own question.

Howard's thoughtful expression deepened. "If you're asking about magicians... I know of them." Then he paused, as if a realization had just struck him. "Wait—you're a mage, aren't you?"

"Answer my question, Stark," the figure's voice cut through his moment.

"Uh… yes, apologies." Howard straightened, regaining his composure. "I know about magical people and the hidden world beneath ours. I met some during the war, and I still know a few even now... like my country's super-magical, Edward."

Beside him, Maria stood in silence, absorbing every word. Her world was shifting, her understanding of reality crumbling in mere seconds. But she didn't interrupt.

Fortunately, having accompanied her husband to meet many of the world's most influential figures—and overhearing things a civilian technically shouldn't—she had learned when to speak and, more importantly, when to stay silent.

So she simply stood frozen, absorbing the overwhelming revelations unfolding before her.

"You have answered my questions truthfully, Howard Stark," the figure said in that smooth, yet unnerving voice.

"You are correct. I am indeed a wizard... or a magician, as you put it. But more than that, I am an Arch-Magus—much like this Edward you mentioned."

Howard's eyes widened in disbelief, and subconsciously swallowed hard. "An... Arch-Magus?"

Of course, he understood the significance of what that meant. He remembers during the war, when Schmidt's forces were wreaking havoc across Europe, there had been another party—a so-called partner of Schmidt—who was causing disasters elsewhere.

While Schmidt used technology trying to bring about nuclear devastation, this Arch-Magus was causing it, like a walking nuclear weapon. Yes, a walking nuclear weapon—that was the conclusion his team had reached about the particular magician who partnered with Schmidt during the war.

And the only reason non-magicals hadn't dared to act against the magical world was that the latter had not one, but multiple reusable nuclear powerhouses such as that person amongst their ranks. Back then, the balance was simply impossible to tip.

And now, standing before him, was one of those powerhouses.

Howard felt a lump in his throat as his confidence wavered uncontrollably.

"Th-then... Mr. Mage..." He forced himself to speak, though his voice was strained. "Can you tell me why... or what it is you want... in return for sparing me and my wife?"

Maverick smirked under his mask, though outwardly, he showed no reaction. To the Stark couple, all they saw were those blood-red eyes burning within the darkness that should have been his face.

"I'm not sure if you're aware of this... but among us magicians, some are born with unique gifts beyond regular magic. One such ability is the power to see... to witness glimpses of the future. I am one such individual."

Howard listened in silence while his hands clenched at his sides.

"I do not control these visions," the figure continued. "They come to me at random... about people I know, about complete strangers. Some show the next moment, others the next day, or even decades into the future."

The figure's voice was eerily steady as he spoke.

"Years ago, I saw this very night unfold. I saw what was meant to happen here today. And now, I will share with you what I saw... both tonight's events and what follows in the future because of them."

Howard and Maria exchanged an uneasy glance.

"Do not be alarmed. I am merely sharing my memories with you."

With a snap of his fingers, the world around them shifted.

Their vision went dark.

Then, suddenly, they saw it.

The same road. Their own car.

From a third-person perspective, they watched as their past selves drove along the road, just as they had tonight.

And then—

CRASH!

Their car was hit from behind, the force sending it spiraling into a tree like a mere toy.

Maria gasped as she watched the horrifying scene play out before her.

Then they saw him. Bucky Barnes emerged from the shadows, his expression just as emotionless as before—cold, unfeeling, like a machine.

With chilling precision, he reached into the wreckage, grabbed Howard, and brutally struck him down. His metal fist came down again and again—crushing, breaking, leaving him a bloodied mess.

Maria turned away, trembling, but the vision continued.

After Howard was left barely conscious, they saw Barnes walk around the car… and grab her.

Maria's breath hitched as she watched, wide-eyed, as her self in the vision struggled—helpless—while the assassin's hand closed around her throat.

Then, before their very eyes—

—he killed her.

Howard's heart pounded violently against his ribs as he stared, unable to look away.

He saw then their bodies were placed back in the car, carefully arranged to make it look like a tragic accident.

And then, silence.

"You both would have died tonight," the voice beside them said. "Killed by Sergeant Bucky Barnes. He is known as the Winter Soldier... one of Hydra's top-tier assassins."

Howard's head snapped toward the figure. "Impossible! We eliminated Hydra after Rogers defeated Schmidt—"

The figure slowly shook his head. "You merely cut off one head."

A pause.

Then, the voice asked: "Do you know the creed they live by?"

Howard hesitated. "...What?"

"Cut off one head… and two more shall grow."

The realization sank in like ice in Howard's veins.

"Hydra was only weakened back then," the figure continued, "but it has grown in the shadows, infiltrating your government… even the World Security Council. Sergeant Barnes is one of them. He was brainwashed by brutal means—his memories stripped away, his emotions erased, leaving only one objective embedded in his mind: Obey Hydra. Unconditionally."

Howard clenched his jaw, his mind racing, but before he could speak, the figure raised a hand.

"Observe. I shall now show you… the future."

The scene changed again.

Howard gasped.

Tony.

It was his son. But older.

Maverick, of course, didn't conjure the image of Robert Downey Jr. Instead, he delved into Howard's mind, pulling forth the true appearance of this world's Tony Stark.

"Your son," the figure said, his voice unreadable, "will grow up to be more than capable of continuing your legacy as one of the smartest men in the world. But… he will also be naïve."

Howard watched as the vision unfolded.

Tony—now a grown man—stood at the helm of Stark Industries, the company thriving beyond imagination.

"He will make more money than he could ever count. He will elevate your company to unprecedented heights. He will become the richest man in the world."

Howard blinked, momentarily relieved. But then—

"What did he do to achieve this?"

The scene darkened.

"He'll become the greatest arms dealer the world has ever known, believing he's only supplying weapons to the government without a second thought. But in reality, his creations will spread across the globe—some falling into the hands of some very dangerous people..."

Howard's stomach dropped.

"Your son, to put it simply, will have no regard for the consequences," the figure continued, his voice cold. "His weapons will shatter families, fuel endless wars, and leave unimaginable suffering in their wake."

Howard's throat went dry. He knew the arms industry all too well. There was always an underground market, always buyers lurking in the shadows. As the figure had just said, it wasn't impossible for weapons to fall into the wrong hands if one wasn't careful. And judging by what he was hearing about his son—or rather, the version of his son who grew up without parents—it seemed Tony wasn't the careful type.

Watching his own son become… that—

It was a bitter pill to swallow.

Maria turned to Howard, horror evident in her eyes.

And the vision was not over yet.

For over an hour, Maverick revealed glimpses of their son's possible future.

By the end of it, Howard and Maria stood frozen, struggling to process the overwhelming visions. Their minds reeled from the weight of it all—Tony's rise, his fall, his struggles, and, ultimately, his death.

Maria's face was streaked with tears, her hands trembling as she clutched her husband's arm. Howard, though outwardly composed, looked visibly shaken. The sheer magnitude of what they had just been shown was almost too much to grasp.

Maverick had constructed the illusion with careful precision, pulling from his memories of the Marvel movies he had seen. He hadn't fabricated completely false scenes but had instead woven together a version of events that felt like genuine glimpses of the future. Some details had been altered, adjusted, but the essence remained the same.

Then—

Snap.

A sharp sound echoed in the air, and their surroundings shifted.

The visions disappeared, replaced once more by the cold, dark reality of the road they stood on.

Maverick's voice broke the silence, now carrying a weight even heavier than before.

"This is the fate of the world if you were to die today."

His crimson eyes burned like embers in the darkness as he continued.

"Some, if they knew this knowledge, would say it is necessary for your deaths to happen. After all, your son outgrows his narcissism, becomes a man respected by all, and ultimately sacrifices himself for the universe."

Howard clenched his fists. Maria let out a shuddering breath.

"But fate," Maverick said, "is not set in stone."

A pause.

Howard took a deep breath, his mind spinning. Then, after a moment, he asked, "So… now what?"

Maverick turned to the couple, his presence suddenly heavier, more oppressive.

His next words sent a cold chill down their spines.

"I have saved you from death… because I require something from you."

Howard exhaled slowly, the tension in his body lessening. Finally, something he could understand. A trade. A deal.

"I see," he said, nodding. It was always easier to give something than to do something. And he was one of the richest men in the world. Whatever this mysterious figure wanted, he had no doubt he could provide it.

"Go ahead," he said confidently. "Name it. Money? Rare items? If it's out there, no matter how expensive, I can get my hands on it for you."

Maverick's silence stretched. Then—

"You are mistaken, Stark."

Howard's confidence wavered.

"I do not need such material things."

A pause.

Howard's momentary relief shattered. The weight in that cold mechanical voice made him uneasy, and his gut twisted with unease.

"Whether you agree or not," the figure continued, "depends on whether I choose to wake up Barnes and leave like nothing happened… or I save you... and him as well."

Howard swallowed hard, feeling Maria's grip tighten around his arm. He didn't want to die—especially after witnessing the tragic future his son would face without him and Maria. And now, given a second chance, alive and well… of course, he wanted to live. To be part of Tony's life.

Slowly, he nodded. "...Please... say it."

Maverick's gaze swept over them. When he spoke again, his voice carried an unyielding finality.

"Listen, and listen carefully. Both of you."

Howard felt a strange pressure settle over them, as if the very air had become heavier.

"You will pretend to be dead. I will arrange a scene exactly like what you saw in the vision—your original fate."

Maria gasped softly, her nails digging into Howard's sleeve.

"I require you to work for me," Maverick continued, his tone unwavering. "Until your son embraces his true destiny and becomes the symbol of this world."

Howard's brows furrowed. "True destiny?"

Maverick ignored the question.

"After he recovers from the poison in his body caused by the arc reactor, only then may you reveal yourselves to him—or to the world."

Maria took a step forward, her voice shaky. "You mean… we can never see our son again? Not for decades?"

"Until the time is right," Maverick corrected.

Howard's heart pounded. His mind screamed at him to reject this insane proposal.

"Until then," Maverick pressed on, "you will disappear. You will not be held captive. But I will use magic to change your appearances whenever you need to go out in public. You will be given new identities."

Howard and Maria's eyes widened in shock.

This wasn't just about faking their deaths…

It was a demand to erase themselves from the world.

To leave everything behind.

Their son. Their legacy. Their lives.

Howard's mind raced. Was this even possible? Could they really give up everything just like that?

But before he could fully process it, he forced himself to focus on the most immediate concern.

"And… what is it," he asked, voice steadier now, "exactly that you need me to do?"

The figure's red eyes glowed brighter.

Then—

He tilted his head to the sky.

Howard felt a deep, unsettling sense of foreboding before the answer even came.