The living room of Stark Tower had never been this... bizarre.
Grindelwald sat cross-legged on the floor, a slice of pepperoni pizza in one hand and a can of root beer in the other, eyeing both as though he were holding an ancient artifact and an unstable potion. His elegant coat was draped over the back of the couch, and a spot of tomato sauce clung to the corner of his lip—though none of them dared tell him.
"Well," he declared with a deep sigh after his second bite, "this... abomination of bread and sauce is—delightful. Truly barbaric. I like it."
Tony grinned proudly as he flopped onto the couch beside Harry. "Told you. Pizza's the cornerstone of any truly chaotic family. Welcome to the club."
Harry, legs curled under him, was laughing more than Tony expected. It was a rare sound—light and real. He was leaning toward Grindelwald, tossing casual questions his way.
Grindelwald, the former Dark Lord, answered them all with surprising patience, and even a bit of sly humor. They talked about Hogwarts, about spell theory, magical theory across cultures, even debated which wand wood made the most dramatic explosions. Harry was interested, engaged, and—for the first time in a while—not carrying the weight of expectations on his shoulders.
Remus sat in a nearby chair, arms folded across his chest, one eyebrow raised in disbelief. At first, he'd kept watch like a hawk, worried the moment would sour—but now he had relaxed, though he still looked mildly uncomfortable.
"I honestly don't know what's more unsettling," Remus muttered to Tony, "the fact that Grindelwald is eating junk food on your carpet… or that Harry is chatting with him like he's a charming professor."
Tony took a long sip from his soda. "Yeah, weirdly wholesome, right? I expected at least one cursed monocle and a political curse by now."
Then Jarvis chimed in. "Sir. Mr. Sirius Black has just entered the lift. He'll arrive shortly."
Remus tensed again. "Oh hell. He doesn't know THE dark lord Grindlewald is here."
Tony grinned wickedly. "We could tell him."
Harry's head snapped around. "Or we prank him!"
Grindelwald raised a brow, clearly amused. "I've always enjoyed pranks, Do go on."
Tony leaned forward, clasping his hands like a mad genius. "Okay. Gellert, you're going to pretend to be Remus's ex-boyfriend. Just say you want to make peace with Sirius. Play it straight. Serious face. got it?"
Grindelwald smirked. "Darling, I invented serious face."
Remus groaned. "Why me?"
"Because your love life is a treasure trove of awkward comedy," Tony declared proudly.
Harry was bouncing on the couch now. "This is going to be amazing."
The elevator dinged.
Moments later, Sirius strolled into the room, his usual swagger in full force. Leather jacket. Slightly wild hair. A grin plastered on his face.
"Hey, you lot!" he called. "Remus, cub, Tony—what's up? Jarvis said we had a guest?"
Then he noticed the unfamiliar man standing calmly by the window.
Sirius blinked.
His smile dropped just an inch.
"Uh… who's that? Tony, you got some weird model friend crashing again?"
Grindelwald stepped forward smoothly, his posture noble, his expression composed with just a glimmer of mischief.
"I'm Remus's ex-boyfriend," he said coolly. "I came to make peace. I heard you two were together now. I hope my presence doesn't disturb you too much."
Sirius froze mid-step.
The temperature in the room metaphorically dropped five degrees.
"Your what?" Sirius's voice went up half a pitch.
Remus covered his face with both hands, muttering, "Oh God."
Grindelwald continued, completely in character. "I just wanted to see if Remus had truly moved on. And I see now... he has. To a man who wears leather indoors."
Tony bit his knuckles to keep from laughing.
Sirius blinked several times, gears visibly turning in his head. "Wait—you dated Remus? When?!"
"Back at Hogwarts," Gellert replied smoothly. "It was very... passionate. Lots of howling."
Remus died internally.
Sirius went red in the face, hands forming into fists. "You what?! I knew there was someone from 6th year was giving weird vibes—Remus, why didn't you tell me about this maniac?!"
Then Tony completely lost it.
He wheezed into a couch pillow.
Harry rolling on the couch and muffle his laugh.
Grindelwald cracked a grin. "Okay, okay—truth time."
Tony stood, waving his hands. "Okay! Okay! Time-out! Sirius—meet my cousin."
Grindelwald gave a little bow. "Gellert Grindelwald. At your service."
Sirius's jaw dropped.
He looked at Tony, then at Remus, then back at Gellert, who gave him a wink.
"You're—You're—" Sirius stumbled. "The Grindelwald? The Dark Lord Grindelwald?!"
Tony clapped a hand on his shoulder. "Surprise!"
Sirius looked like he was going to faint.
Remus groaned again. "This is my life now."
Grindelwald, unbothered, picked up another slice of pizza. "Now that we've established the truth, would you care for a slice?"
Sirius blinked. "...Yeah. Yeah, I think I need some pizza."
Tony tossed him a slice.
Harry grins at Sirius.
Remus just shook his head. "I need another vacation."
——————
The earlier chaos from the prank had died down, giving way to a comfortable lull. Plates half-filled with pizza slices were scattered across the coffee table, a testament to the surprising success of the evening.
Grindelwald stood near the large window, one hand in his pocket, the other holding a glass of water that Tony had begrudgingly insisted on when he refused soda. The evening skyline of New York stretched before him—an endless sea of lights blinking like stars trapped in a glass dome. His reflection was faint in the windowpane, older, lined with history... but calmer than the man he used to be.
Behind him, Sirius approached, hands casually in his pockets, but his eyes carried none of the humor or swagger from earlier. His expression was tight with calculation, wariness, and a flicker of something deeper—protectiveness.
Grindelwald could feel it before Sirius even said a word.
"You're not here for just family dinners, are you?"
The words were sharp and quiet.
Grindelwald took a sip from his glass before responding, tone cool but not unkind. "Would it be so strange... if I said I was?"
Sirius narrowed his eyes. "Yes."
Behind them, in the open-plan kitchen, Tony and Remus sat at the island countertop while Harry leaned against the side with a plate in his hands. They were all pretending not to listen—but failing spectacularly.
Tony was the first to break the silence at the counter. "Remus, they're going to get into a stare-off any minute now."
Remus hummed without looking away. "I've never seen Sirius glare at someone like that."
Harry tilted his head. "Should we... stop them?"
Tony held up a finger. "No. Let them cook."
Back at the window, Sirius spoke again.
"I'm not stupid. You're not just some war relic looking for a warm couch and awkward family bonding."
"I wouldn't insult you by pretending otherwise," Grindelwald replied evenly, placing the glass on the sill. "But I'm also not here to restart wars. Or build a new army. Not anymore."
Sirius folded his arms. "Then what are you here for?"
Grindelwald finally turned, his expression more tired than Sirius expected—but not weak. "Redemption. Perhaps. But not the kind that comes from groveling at the feet of a world that hated me. I don't care about forgiveness. I care about them."
He glanced toward the kitchen.
"Tony. Harry."
A pause.
"My family."
Sirius didn't say anything for a while, watching him.
"Why now?" he asked eventually, quieter. "Why them?"
Grindelwald looked out the window again, voice distant. "Because I was given a second chance. An impossible, undeserved chance. Because Tony, despite his reckless genius, looked at me like a person, not a monster in the dark. And because Harry..."
He exhaled, eyes softening. "He reminds me of what I destroyed. What I once wanted to protect. He deserves better than another war. So if I can offer him knowledge, defense, a wand at his side if it ever comes to it—then I will."
Sirius's voice was a whisper now. "And what if the Aurors come? What if they take you back?"
"I won't run," Grindelwald said, voice low. "But I won't let myself be caged without resistance either. If they come... they'll have to weigh the worth of justice against the damage of reigniting what's already gone cold."
Sirius studied him, longer this time. "You really care about them,"
Grindelwald nodded.
And Sirius, after another moment, gave a small, reluctant sigh. "Alright. But if I even suspect you're trying anything—"
"You'll blast my face off," Grindelwald finished for him with a smirk. "I'd expect nothing less."
Back in the kitchen, Remus sipped his coffee and asked, "Tony... does Johnny know?"
Tony blinked. "No, not yet."
Remus raised an eyebrow. "You're going to have to tell him eventually. Especially if Grindelwald starts showing up to barbecues."
"Let me survive one breakfast first," Tony muttered, stuffing a piece of crust in his mouth.
Harry then looked up from his plate. "What if the Aurors come and take Uncle Grindelwald away?"
At the mention of Uncle Grindelwald, Remus nearly choked on his drink.
Tony leaned back, looking at Harry with half-serious eyes. "Then we throw the best 'Break Uncle Grindelwald Out of Magic Jail' party ever. You, me, Sirius, and Remus"
Harry looked far too excited about that.
Tony ruffled his hair. "Don't worry, kid. We'll protect him."
"I'll hex any Ministry agent that touches him," Harry said, serious.
Tony grinned. "There's the Stark in you."
Remus gave Tony a look. "Tony. Don't encourage him."
"I'm not encouraging him. I'm bonding."
Jarvis's voice chimed in smoothly. "Shall I prepare the cell-break contingency plans, sir?"
Tony clapped his hands. "Jarvis, you know me so well."