A/N: I'm back with a Marvel/Harry Potter crossover thanks to the Roll-A-Drabble this month over at Marvelously Magic Fanfiction on Facebook. The dice were rolled for a HP character, a MCU character and a trope.
My dice roll gave me the following assignment: James Potter with Natasha Romanoff dealing with Superpower/Magical Power Swap. I'll admit right off the bat, I'm not entirely sure that I've written Natasha or James in character.
This was beta read by both GaeilgeRua and xxDustNight88! SquarePeg72 alpha read this for me. GaeilgeRua also helped me with the summary and encouraging my choice of a title for this story!
All typical disclaimers apply. I don't own Marvel or Harry Potter and I don't write for profit. In all honesty, I only write for me.
Check me out on social media if you're interested in what I'm doing in between updates/posts.
Be sure to let me know what you think! Please keep in mind that this story is marked complete and I don't have plans to write another piece attached.
Love always,
~starr
"Potter, be careful with that vial," Natasha insisted as she kept an eye on the wizard who kept pulling vials off the shelf and setting them on the counter. She wasn't entirely sure what he had in mind or why they had snuck into Banner's lab so late this evening, but here they were, and all she could do was keep an eye on what was happening.
"Everything will be fine," James called over his shoulder. "I've done this a thousand and one times. You've got nothing to worry about."
He looked over the collection of ingredients he had gathered on the counter and smiled proudly. Someday, he'd have to remember to thank Professor Slughorn for teaching him how to make Felix Felicis in Potions. Lily may not have been impressed by his skills in the lab, but it seemed that Natasha didn't know what to expect. So even if he failed, he might be able to impress her at least a little bit.
He needed to find some way to break down her tough exterior and really get to know her if he wanted to see if they could ever work. However, she seemed to be more interested in that Banner fellow she had introduced him to earlier. The possibility of losing to a nerd like Banner was not something he wanted to risk. This had to work.
Looking at the vial in his hand, he noticed the skull and crossbones symbol pictured in the top left corner. He wasn't entirely sure what that picture meant, but it couldn't be too scary could it? Banner wouldn't just leave it sitting around in his lab if it was really all that dangerous. Shrugging his shoulders, he walked over to the giant vat he had dug out earlier and began dumping the different ingredients inside.
Natasha slowly made her way over to the vat and looked inside as James continued adding things to the cauldron. She noticed that the mixture inside was almost grey in color and she remembered him telling her that the concoction they were making was going to be a brilliant gold color. Furrowing her brow, she leaned up against the lab bench and crossed her arms over her chest. "Are you sure you know what you're doing?"
James looked over at her out the corner of his eye and smiled. "Of course I know what I'm doing. I graduated top of my class in Potions."
A little white lie never hurt anyone when you were trying to impress a woman, he thought as his smile turned into a smirk. Besides, it wasn't like Nat would ever talk to Slughorn and find out the truth. At least, not until he had to bring her to the Ministry of Magic at the start of the work week. He didn't entirely understand her reason for being here, but it was something to do with the United States government and a contact at the MACUSA that told her to reach out. He was just lucky enough to be the one that she bumped into when arriving in Diagon Alley.
"I don't know if I believe you," she laughed, narrowing her eyes. "But I guess I don't have any other choice."
"Nope, you do not," James said, taking his wand out of his back pocket. He cast a spell causing the potion to start stirring in a clockwise motion. "And now, we wait."
"For how long?" she asked, fighting the smile she felt toying at the corner of her lips as she watched the smug look appear on his face as he turned his back on the vat of potion.
James opened his mouth to respond but was quickly cut off by a loud explosion from the vat behind him. The grey concoction splattered all over the lab as well as coating him and Natasha from head to toe. As the potion soaked into their skin, James felt an odd tingling sensation leaving his body. At the same time, Natasha's body was filled with a tingling sensation, and the tips of her fingers began to glow.
"What the hell is going on?" she asked, lifting her hands up so that he could see what was happening at the tips of her fingers.
"I'm not sure," James mumbled, stumbling over his words as he reached for his wand. "Prior Incantato."
They waited in silence for a moment for something to happen, but they were met with total silence. Absolutely nothing happened. James looked over his wand quickly and looked around the room to see if there was something else going on, but saw nothing. So, he tried the spell a second time.
The second time was met with the same response, along with something else. His wand flew out of his hand and landed on the floor beside Natasha. She looked down at the wand briefly and then looked back at James.
"I'm not about to touch that thing," she said firmly. "I don't know the first thing about being able to use it."
"Apparently, I don't either," James admitted, carding a hand through his hair nervously as he walked over and picked up his wand. Maybe the spell he tried was too strong. Maybe he needed to try something easier. "Lumos."
Nothing happened.
"Damn it," he mumbled under his breath. Looking up at Natasha, he handed over his wand, silently urging her to take it. "You need to try it. It doesn't work for me."
Tentatively, she reached out and took the wand. She wrapped her hand around the base and took a deep breath. "What do I need to say?"
"Try Lumos."
"Lumos," she whispered, squeezing her eyes shut tight. She felt the same tingling sensation jolt through her body and flow out the length of her hand that was holding the wand.
"Well, I'll be damned," she heard James mutter. Slowly, she opened her eyes and saw the end of the wand lit up brightly.
Hanging his head, James reached out his hand and took the wand back from Natasha. The light at the end of the wand quickly faded out as the stick transferred hands. "We need to go find Lily. She'll be the only one who'll understand enough to help me get this figured out."
