It Only Takes a Second

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(**A/N: Attention-- this fic is going to be very different from the rest of my works. First of all, there is a lot of mention and scenes that depict domestic abuse, child labor and punishment, sexual assault, malnourishment, and self harm. If you are at all sensitive to any of these topics, I strongly warn you to be cautious when reading, or find another one of my works to read. I will try to remember to put warnings at the beginning of each chapter to warn readers of what is coming.

Second of all, this fiction is a crossover. In order to do this, I had to change SEVERAL parts of both storylines, as well as timelines and places. This is in no way the storylines that J.K Rowling or Stan Lee wrote originally, nor do I claim that it is. I admit that some of these characters are VERY out of character in this fic, and that I am writing this for the purpose of just wanting to write this.

Third, and final of all, I am writing this as an alternative scenario to both universes. The main characters will be (but are not limited to) Tony Stark, Harry Potter, Steve Rogers, Bruce Banner, an unmarried and childless Clint Barton, Natasha Romanoff, Thor, Loki, and Peter Parker. In this fic, I am writing where Harry defeated Voldemort in the Ministry of Magic, but lost Sirius, Remus, and Dumbledore during the battle. This is obviously very different from the actual series, but I wanted to focus on Harry and the Avengers instead of his battle with Voldemort. I will mention his past and acknowledge J.K Rowling's storyline, but will not strictly follow it. The same will be with Stan Lee and the Marvel writers.

I do not own Harry Potter or Marvel, nor do I own any of the main characters in the story.

With all of that out of the way, please feel free to message me with questions, or leave comments. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy!**)

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"Boy!" Uncle Vernon raged, his face taking on a deep purple hue.

"How many times" whip "am I going to have to tell you-" whip "that you are never" whip "going to amount to bloody" whip  "ANYTHING!"

With one final whipping, Uncle Vernon left Harry on the ground, his bloodied shirt tattered to shreds, lying in the spilled contents of the boiling pot.

"Now look what you've bloody done. Bloody ruined another shirt is what you've done! I spent hard earned money on clothes for you, and you're bloody unappreciative as hell!" Vernon spat, flecks of spittle flying all over Harry.

"I'd say that deserves another ten lashes," Vernon smirked, clutching his belt tighter in his hands. "What do you say Petunia?"

The horse faced woman sat at the table. Her face was white, and she was biting her lip as she nodded, watching her husband beat her sister's son until his backside was completely raw. She had just been sitting there, peering out the window to watch the new neighbors across the street move in, when Harry's knees had given out and he had dropped the boiling pot of pasta and water that he had been transferring to the sink to drain.

Now, Harry lay on the ground, watching as his arms and legs turned bright red from the scalding water that he was kneeling in, and as blood swirled with the water around him, now flowing steadily from the lashes on his back.

The tenth clang of the belt buckle signified the end of the lashing. Harry tried not to let out a sigh of relief. Suddenly, Vernon's beefy hand grabbed him by the hair and yanked him to his feet, his torn and bloodied shirt hanging loosely by his sides. From behind him, he heard Petunia gasp.

"Vernon," she breathed as her husband shoved a mop into Harry's hands. "I was going to send him to the market tomorrow morning to get fresh fruit for the potluck. We can't send him looking like that!"