Previously...

Moments later, Harry James Potter, Hermione Jean Granger, and Ronald Bilius Weasley ceased to exist. They did not die. They were not eliminated. They simply - weren't. Alarms went off in the Ministry as all sorts of tracking and monitoring spells that were searching for the magical signatures of the three members of the Golden Trio suddenly stopped, since they were searching for something that did not exist.

Meanwhile, three friends lowered their wands.

"Well, Gem, Andy. Let's get a move on."

Apparating to Spain from Scotland was no small feat. They took it in stages, stopping in several places in England and France before reaching their final destination.

They wanted to arrive in America the muggle way, so that there would be some record of them. In the last three weeks, Hermione had hunted down a forger of high repute, who was a muggleborn. He had used his skills during the war to help other muggleborn witches and wizards escape, untraced by Voldemort, who was then in control of the Ministry. She came to him in the dead of night, under many glamours. He created a history for them - everything from school records to things as mundane as an online file in a doctor's patient database that noted how Ms. Juliet Hermes was deathly allergic to bee stings. When it came time to add images to the files he had created, he found out exactly who he was working for. Hermione threatened him until he completed his work, and then she immediately obliviated the memory from his mind. She was very thorough - questioning by veratiserum would not remove the mental block.

The end result? The Golden Trio was virtually indistinguishable from ordinary muggles - at least in their paper trail.

When they landed in New York, they immediately set out to look for a flat. After all, they had lived in a tent for a year. They weren't too keen on camping again just yet. With Jim's money, it wasn't hard to find a place big enough for the three of them to live comfortably. They moved in, and settled down.

For the next five years, life was pretty good. All three of them worked towards finishing (or starting, in Andy's case) their muggle educations. Once they were caught up enough to be competent in college-level work, they signed up for classes. They could have gone anywhere they wanted to. Money was no problem. They were family now. What belonged to one, belonged to all. (Except for Gem's shampoo. That belonged to her alone - and if anyone else touched it, there was hell to pay.) However, none of them wanted to go to a fancy school. They ended up at a small community college.

For three of those five years, they took classes on anything and everything they had an interest in. In the two years prior, Hermione had found a time-turner on the American-Magical Black Market. They made great use of this, taking more courses than they could possibly manage otherwise. Professors and fellow students alike wondered how they did it. General consensus was that either the three never slept, or they were so brilliant that they had only to hear/read information once in order to absorb it completely. Privately, some guessed that their IQ's must rival that of Tony Stark.

In reality, they each filled their whole day with classes. All three would enroll in one class, but only one would attend the lectures. That one would then teach the same material to the others later. That way they could take three times as many courses. Because of the constant use of the time turner, they each gained four years in their three years of study. They didn't care though. They wanted to learn, and they were having fun doing it.

Besides, it was hilarious to watch their professors scratching their heads and trying to understand how they did it.

While they all took the same classes, they each had some things that they enjoyed a little more than others. Gem loved science - biology, specifically. She talked the boys into taking every biology course that the school offered, and a few that they didn't. She helped the school make a name for itself with some interesting research, and even gave a number of her own lectures on the subject. Jim decided that he loved math. Physics was his forte, and he quickly became known on campus as the go-to guy if you were having trouble with your calculus homework. Andy, however, loved technology. He got the group to take anything and everything that had to do with mechanical engineering. He also loved software programming, and was a whiz on the computer. The guys in the tech help center ended up coming to him whenever they had a problem that they couldn't solve. Privately, the group found this quite funny. After all, he had never even seen a computer until he was seventeen.

Between the three of them, they were doing very well. And they had a lot of fun. Everyone that knew them - and virtually everyone on the campus knew of them, at the very least - knew that they were real, down to earth people, who loved to have a good time. They made a few acquaintances, not quite close enough to be actual friends, on the campus. They were invited to go out clubbing and to go to parties, and they often accepted. But there were three things that they would absolutely never do. They would never drink, they would never read the tabloids that thrived on celebrity gossip, and they would never call anyone "Fred".

It was quite odd, really. Or so most people thought. There were a number of "Fred"s on campus, but the three would never address them by name.

"It's not personal, you understand." They would explain quietly. "It has nothing to do with you."

They never explained more fully than that.

Teddy also featured in their lives. Every two months, they would go and spend the day with Andromeda and Teddy. They varied it a little, just so that their visits would be harder to track if anyone decided to do so, but Teddy knew when they were due for a visit. He always greeted them with a shriek as he threw himself into the arms of whichever one was closest.

All in all, it was a good five years.

"Thanks, man. I really appreciate you helping me with this."

"No problem." Jim grinned. He leaned back in his chair and took a sip of his tea.

He had met the guy at this particular cafe because it was the only one in all of New York that served a decent cuppa. Andy liked coffee, and Gem had gotten used to it, but Jim hated the stuff. And most Americans had no idea how to make good tea. With the guy's math problems solved, Jim signaled his friends at a table across the way. They were doing homework while they waited for him. He had been watching and knew that they were about ready to turn back time an hour, so that they could start on their English homework. They were only waiting for him.

"I'll see you around." Jim told the student, who nodded and made his way out of the cafe. That poor guy - he was absolutely failing calculus. Well, maybe he'd pass now.

Gem and Andy plopped down in the chairs across from Jim.

"Get him sorted out?" Andy asked absently, scribbling something in his notebook.

"Mm. He should have asked for help sooner. From what I guess, he got lost in the first week and has been playing catch-up ever since."

Gem snorted. "It's not like the prof is any good."

"No, that's not helping him either, I suppose." Jim grinned.

"Oh my god!" Someone on the other side of the cafe suddenly exclaimed loudly.

Everyone in the cafe looked up just as the person who had spoken turned up the TV.

"..broadcasting live from downtown. Cathy, what are you seeing?"

"I don't know, Ted. I'm by Stark Tower, where a strange beam of green light just shot up into the sky. Moments ago Tony Stark was seen falling from high in his tower. His suit saved him just before he hit the sidewalk and some rather frightened pedestrians, according to eyewitness accounts."

"Oh my god - what is that?" The announcer sounded horrified and a little afraid.

"I have no idea, Ted! A blackness is growing around the beam of light - that's not possible. That's not possible! Ted, I am seeing stars in there. It looks like this thing is tearing a hole in the sky!"

The three friends exchanged glances.

"This cannot be good." Andy muttered.

"There are things coming out of that tear!" Cathy suddenly shrieked. "Oh my god - they're shooting!"

The news reporter started screaming hysterically as people around her were gunned down. The camera fell and the lens cracked as people pushed and jostled to get out of the street. Despite the cracks on the lens, the camera kept rolling. The footage was awful; the creatures that had come from the hole in the sky were shooting green lasers, and men, women, and children all fell before them.

Abruptly, Jim jumped up on the table.

"Alright everyone, listen up!"

Instantly all eyes were on him.

"This cafe isn't too far from Stark Tower. The way those things are going, chances are we aren't safe here. We need to stay calm, and get out of here."

"We're safer inside than on the streets!" A man argued.

"Not for long." Someone else said grimly, pointing to the screen again. Now the aliens were smashing their way through walls to kill people inside buildings. "At least on the streets we can run."

A child whimpered, and an argument broke out.

Jim sighed. "Sonorus." He whispered, touching his throat. (That was another thing - they had been working very hard to learn wandless and wordless magic. They were starting to get good at the each separately, but had a lot of trouble putting them together.)

"Alright, everybody shut up!"

Gem quickly canceled the spell for him, since everyone was now staring at him.

"We need to move now, while we still can. Nothing above ground is safe. We have to get to the subway."

The were murmurs, but a glance silenced them.

"Now, everyone stay with at least one other person. Two people with every child. We won't all move at once, that'll attract attention. There's a subway station just down the street and around the corner. Gem, stay here and send people out, every 30 seconds or so. Andy, you get to the subway. Stand guard, help people get in. I'll stop halfway to make sure people get through. Let's move!"

No one dared to question him, and Andy led the first group out and down the street. Fifteen minutes later, Gem joined everyone else in the subway with the last group.

"That's everyone." She told Jim. "And the family in the shop next door. I looked for the owner, but couldn't find him. They say he panicked and ran off when the aliens first showed on screen. Everything's gone dark now. The power's been cut to everything. We're lucky it's light out."

"Ok. Listen up, everybody! You a lot safer here, but you should keep moving. Stay underground, but get as far away from the center of the city as you can! The subways aren't running - nothing has power. You should be safe to walk down the tracks. Keep moving, and don't split up. Numbers are good."

"You aren't coming?" Challenged the man who had argued for staying in the building.

Jim grimaced. "We've had combat training. There's a lot of people still trapped up there, who can't help themselves. We'll do what we can. Now get moving! Go! Get as far out of the city as you can, and don't come back till the government gives the all-clear! Move it!"

The frightened group fled down the tunnels, and the three friends returned to the surface.

"We could do a lot more if we could use magic." Gem said wearily. "But something this big will be broadcast over the whole world. Every muggleborn in England will be watching. They'll recognize us."

"Then we work in disguise." Andy said. "Conjuring a mask is simple enough. And we have lots of hair changing toffees from George. Let's give ourselves some colorful hair, hide our faces, and get to work. Even if we are recognized, we can't just let people die."

Jim sighed, rubbing his forehead. "What gamble did we lose in another life that we always end up in the middle of a war?"

"That's us." Andy agreed. "Always saving the world. Well, it's been a nice break. Guess we better get back to it."

Their disguises were quickly completed, and they immediately whipped out their wands. With their help, everyone on the block soon found themselves safely in the subway tunnels. They proceeded to the next block, where they found a group of people who were busy fighting the aliens. As they watched, the people finished off the aliens in the area and regrouped.

They were too far away for the friends to catch much of the ensuing conversation, and were approaching the group as a flying metal man - whom they recognized as Iron Man - came around the corner. Following him was a giant...whale-like thing that was somehow flying.

"I fail to see how that's a party." The redheaded woman in the group remarked dryly.

"What is that?" Gem whispered to her friends.

"It looks like a dragon." Jim answered, suddenly.

"Great. Just great. You know, the last time we encountered a dragon still gives me nightmares." Gem muttered. "So, what's it's weakness?"

"Dragon's have spell resistant hides, that's why battle gear is usually dragon-skin." Andy told her. "Not a lot of weaknesses."

"Great. It had to be a dragon. Spell-proof. Impact-proof. Fire-proof."

Andy grinned suddenly. "Only on the outside."

"What?"

"They're only fire-proof on the outside."

"That's helpful how?"

"Oh for goodness-" Andy cut himself off and strode forward. Just as the thing opened it's mouth in an attempt to swallow Iron Man, he raised his wand. "Incendio!"

The resulting explosion was quite dramatic. The trio quickly cast a shield around themselves, glad to see that the group of fighters had all taken cover to avoid being caught in the explosion. Gem disillusioned all three of them when she noticed the woman in the group glaring around suspiciously, searching for the source of the explosion.

"Ta-da!" Andy proclaimed quietly.

"Bloody hell, mate." Jim whispered. "Now they know we're here, and they just might spend more time looking for us than actually fighting."

"Doubt it." Andy returned. "They need help, and they know it. I don't think that blue leader is going to look a gift horse in the mouth, at least not until the battle is over."

Gem sighed at her friend's recklessness, but had to agree. "I think he's right. They've got bigger problems right now." She gestured to the aliens that were clinging to the sides of buildings lining the streets and roaring angrily at the small group of defenders. "All the same, we have to be more careful now." She lectured sternly. "They won't go looking for us, but if they spot us they won't necessarily know that we're helping them. I'm not keen to go down under friendly fire."

That settled, they started to move, still hidden from untrained eyes that didn't know how to spot the shimmer of disillusionment.

Steve heard an angry scream and glanced up. His eyes widened when he saw a great black eagle dive at an alien that they had missed. It was pointing it's gun at a woman who, clearly dazed, had crawled into the think of things. Before Steve could so much as breathe, let alone move, the long, wicked talons, shredded the aliens neck. The creature fell, and the eagle raised itself on powerful wings before diving at another alien. Steve marveled for a moment, before getting back to business. He wasn't going to look too hard at what had to be a miracle. They needed all the help they could get, even if it was from a strangely intelligent and incredibly fierce bird.

Gem neatly felled another three aliens with (1) an explosive curse, (2) a cutting curse, and (3) a blinding hex and a second explosive curse.

She wiped her hair out of her eyes, and glanced up at the sky, where Jim was careening about in his animagus form. She just saw his shrunken wand on a string about his neck as he wordlessly sent a powerful blasting curse at a doorway. The civilians inside the building screamed, but were now safely cut off from the chaos happening outside. And the aliens that had been about to enter the building were killed in the blast.

She snorted. "Always a flair for the dramatic." She muttered. "Don't see why he has to scream in the skies when fighting on the ground is far more practical."

Behind her somewhere, she heard Andy laugh. "Oh, come on! When is he ever practical? That's your job - and mine, when it comes to strategy. What part of breaking into Gringott's and then breaking out again on the back of a dragon do you not remember?"

Gem's lips tilted up slightly. "Sectumsempra." She hissed, not bothering to watch as her target was reduced to shreds by the curse. "Yes, well, I was beginning to think hat maybe we had mellowed a little the past few years. I suppose that would be too much for us to ask, wouldn't it?"

Another laugh was the only answer she got, before, "Bloody hell. Is she insane?"

Gem looked up to see the only woman of the other group attempting to fly an alien spacecraft toward Stark Tower. "Probably. Go. I've got this."

"Sure?"

"Do you even have to ask?"

The crack of apparition alerted her to Andy's departure. She smirked as the sound caught the attention of a few more aliens, who came over to investigate.

"I ask you!" She said, loudly enough for them to hear. "I mean, do we come over to your pitiful world and blow stuff up? This is just rude. Incendio."

The group disappeared in a fiery inferno, and she waved her wand to erect a shield around the flames. She didn't exactly want that spreading.

Clint frowned as he noticed flames suddenly spring up on a street below, encased quickly by what looked like a glowing blue bubble. His eyes narrowed as he saw something move away from the flames. It was hard to see - whatever it was had some pretty impressive tech on them, since they were almost completely invisible - and he couldn't be sure. But he thought he saw a person walking casually away from the blaze. He blinked, and the sight was gone. Shaking it off, he warned Thor of a group of aliens that was getting close to the perimeter they had established. The invisible person would have to wait. He had a world to save, and sins to atone for.

Andy appeared on the flying ship behind the red-headed woman with a soft crack. She whirled to face him - and his eyes opened wide in alarm.

"Oi! Watch where you're driving!" He lunged forward and shoved at the steering device, moving it just enough that they avoided the oncoming ship they were about to crash into. "You clearly have little to no experience adjusting to new technology." He gave the ship a quick once-over. "Honestly, this is a little disappointing. I thought it would be more advanced than this." He shrugged. "Look, tell me where you're trying to go, ok? There is no way I am letting you drive!"

"Who the hell are you?" She asked through gritted teeth, a gun trained on him.

He raised an eyebrow. "Do you want to die? You clearly have no idea how to fly this thing, and I clearly do. Why don't you threaten me after I get you wherever you're going?" His eyes widened. "Duck!"

She did, and a beam of energy shot past where her head had been a moment ago. Seconds later, the enemy aircraft containing the alien who had fired at her burst into flames.

"You're welcome." He said calmly, easily maneuvering them through the skies before beginning to grumble about the design of the ship. "Clearly could be better tech - completely inferior design. What is this supposed to be, a flying chariot? Undermines the..."

She tuned out his muttering.

He landed them gently on top of Stark Tower. "There. Now that you're not trying to kill yourself, I'll just be going. I think my friend has got herself hurt. Honestly, what does she think she's-"

He vanished with another soft crack, leaving the woman gaping after him - then reappeared a moment later. "Sorry, I almost forgot you were going to threaten me. Can it wait? I've kind of got an alien invasion to stop." He vanished again.

The woman had to bite back a scream of frustration before forcing herself to calm and focus on the situation. Worrying about the strange man wouldn't help her any now.

Tony was getting more and more confused. First that whale-thing had quite suddenly blown up all by itself, and now aliens were dropping all over the place, without any of the Avengers engaging them. There was no explanation for it. He found a sharp corner, just like birdbrain had said, and lost his tail. As he headed off to help Thor, exchanging good natured quips with the archer while he was at it, he watched another three aliens suddenly die.

One exploded without warning, much like the worm-thing had. One fell limply to the ground after it's head inexplicably just...fell off. And the third shrieked and clawed at it's eyes until it, too, exploded.

"Jarvis, run scans. Everywhere you see aliens drop by themselves. I want to know what's going on." He muttered.

Five minutes later, he was confused to hear Jarvis report that he was unable to accurately scan the areas around the dying aliens.

"I'm sorry, sir. There seems to be some sort of interference wherever this anomaly occurs."

"Switch to thermal."

"I am still unable to get an accurate reading, sir. But there is a third heat presence by the two beings that just died below. I cannot tell shape or size, only that it is present." But then, a moment later, "Sir, the extra heat presence has vanished. I can no longer detect anything unusual. My normal scanners are functioning properly again - the interference is gone."

"It seems we have an uninvited guest that decided to do a little charity work." Tony mused. He didn't have time to look into it further. Just then he got a call from the high and mighty Director Fury, telling him that the greater authorities thought it a good idea to nuke Manhattan.

He flew through the wormhole, and watched as the nuke destroyed their enemy's ship. His suit shut down, and he faded into unconsciousness.

What felt like a moment later, he awoke with a jerk. "What the hell! What just happened? Please tell me nobody kissed me."

He relieved teammates smiled down at him, but before they could speak an amused British voice answered him.

"We didn't kiss you, mate, but I think Death might have. That was cutting it mighty close."

The Avengers watched in horror as Tony disappeared into the worm-hole. They saw the blast of the explosion, but there was no sign of their fellow fighter. Finally Steve gave the order, "Close it."

Above them, the still-circling eagle Steve had noticed earlier screamed and soared through the worm-hole as it began to slowly close.

"No!" Two people appeared next to the Captain Thor, who were standing next to each other on the street. A girl with wild, curly hair was clinging to the arm of a red-headed guy. She was the one who had shouted. "Jim! What in Merlin's name do you think you are doing!"

"Bloody hell, mate! Don't play the sacrifice card again!" The red-head yelled.

"Damn him and his stupid saving-people thing." The girl grumbled quietly after a moment.

"He's always come out alright before..." The guy said doubtfully.

"He's never flown through a closing portal into outer space before either." The girl retorted, making it clear they were speaking about the eagle.

They stared fearfully up at the sky as the worm-hole closed. As the last moment the eagle reappeared, towing a limp Iron Man behind him. They were both surrounded by some sort of glowing blue bubble.

When they reentered Earth's atmosphere, however, gravity began to drag Iron Man down. Clearly the eagle wasn't strong enough to fly carrying the heavy metal suit. The bubble disappeared as the two fell together.

"Bloody hell - he made it!" The red-head gasped.

"Jim - get clear!" The girl yelled. "We'll set him down!"

The eagle seemed to nod, and let go of the falling man. He soared to the side slightly before descending at a much more natural pace. The two humans on the ground raised what looked like wooden sticks and pointed them at Iron Man.

"Impedimenta maxima!" The girl cried.

The boy redirected his aim. "I guess you've got him." Instead he pointed his stick at the ground where the now slowly descending Iron Man was going to land. With a mutter of what sounded like more mangled Latin, the ground seemed to become like a trampoline. Iron Man bounced gently when he landed, settling easily onto the ground.

The girl held an arm out as the eagle flapped its wings near her head, and it carefully landed. The obvious care it took to not hurt her with its talons was caught Thor's attention.

"Your bird is very well trained." He boomed.

The girl gave him an odd look. "It's not my bird. He doesn't belong to 's not exactly the type to follow orders, anyway."

The red-head snorted a laugh. "Not that it ever stops you from giving them!"

She glared at him, and the eagle made a strange squeaking sound that could be interpreted as a laugh. She soothed its feathers absently as she focused on Iron Man. "He's not waking up. Jim, go to Andy."

The eagle obediently flapped over to the guy and perched on his shoulder, again being careful with his talons.

The girl pointed her stick at Iron Man, but Steve stopped her.

"What are you doing?" His voice was suspicious.

She raised an eyebrow. "Saving your friend's life. Interrogate me later, ok? Right now I need to focus."

A flick of her stick shoved him to the side when he wouldn't get out of her way.

"Renervate."

Tony couldn't take his eyes off the strange duo and their eagle. "Who the hell are you?"

"You're welcome for saving your life." The girl told him without even a hint of a smile. "And now, if you don't mind, we'll be going."

The guy spoke up. "There seems to be some sort of sorcerer up in that tower I dropped your red-headed friend off at - honestly, whoever had the idea for her to try and fly an alien ship should get their head checked out. She clearly had no clue how to steer the thing - and we'd better get up there to try and contain him till your team gathers itself."

The eagle screamed, and lifted off the guy's shoulder. It winged its way toward Stark tower. With two soft cracks, the two strangers disappeared, leaving the two men gaping. Thor, however, just looked contemplative.

"I was not aware that there were any Seidhr left in Midgard." He said calmly, before making his way toward the tower.

"Woah - hold up now, big guy. You mean to tell me that you know those people?"

Thor ignored Tony. "We must retrieve my brother." Was all he would say.

The Avengers assembled themselves, and made their way to the penthouse of Tony's tower, as that was the last place that anyone had seen Loki. when they arrived, they found Loki awake and attempting to flee, and three young people opposing him. Two were the girl and the red-head, but the third was one nobody recognized. He was slightly shorter than the red-head, with black hair and startlingly green eyes. A strangely shaped scar was just visible on his forehead underneath his long hair. Something gave them the vibe that it was kept long to hide the mark. Oddly enough, the great eagle was nowhere to be seen.

The three stood in a rough circle around Loki, who was raging and trying to break free. Their arms were extended toward each other, and a strange shimmering force field extended from hand to hand as they reached for each other. Gradually they moved forward and the circle grew smaller.

Thor stopped the other Avengers from interfering. "They will subdue and bind him so that, even with his magic, he cannot break loose. That is more than any of us could do."

They watched in silence as the three slowly tightened their circle. Finally, Loki was all-but encased in the shimmering force, and could not move. The black-haired guy dropped out of the circle, and the other two quickly rearranged themselves to compensate for the loss. The black-haired one then raised what looked like a carved stick and pointed it at Loki. He began to loudly chant what sounded like some sort of garbled Latin. The shimmering force disappeared, but it seemed that Loki was well and truly bound.

The two remaining dropped their arms and went to stand by their friend.

"How?" Loki snarled. Apparently whatever the tree had done had not bound his mouth with the rest of his body. "How can mortals bind me?" He was more than a little displeased by these developments, it seemed.

The girl shrugged. "Really, one would think that the god of mischief would know better than to underestimate the power of a son of the Marauders."

The red-head grinned. "Shouldn't have messed with the Golden Trio, mate. Jim's got the most insane luck - anything that goes against him loses."

The new guy just tilted his head. "You are fortunate that your brother is here to take you back to Asgard. It is only out of respect for him that we allow you to live. And do not think that we are incapable of killing you. Death is easy for me to dole out. But I will not provoke the wrath of Asgard, even if your life belongs to me by right. You have attacked my home. Consider yourself lucky that I do not send you this moment to your daughter, my servant." Suddenly the youth looked very old, and tired.

"What the hell are you?" Clint spat, leveling an arrow at them.

"You're welcome." Andy shot back at the archer. "It's not like we just saved your city, or anything. Sheesh. It's not like any of you lot could have bound him. The only one with a chance was Thor, and even he couldn't do it alone."

Clint's grip on his bow tightened.

"Cease!" Thor told him, stepping between Hawkeye and the three magicals, before he turned to the trio. "You are indeed the the Golden Trio? The ones of whom the tales are told? The ones who destroyed the great darkness?"

Jim shrugged. "Yes. We were the Golden Trio." He made a face at the name.

"But, uh, how do you know about that?" Andy piped up. "It's not exactly common knowledge..."

"The question is, how come I don't know about this?" Tony interrupted.

"Heimdall told us of the Three, who overcame the great adversity they were born to. He did not tell us that these three were mid-guardian Seidhr. But a few years ago he said that he lost sight of you, and could not see you no matter how he searched. He could only say that you were alive."

Andy raised an eyebrow. "Huh. What do you know. I guess we don't need to worry about anyone from home tracking us."

Jim smiled. "We never did. Gem did the spell. There isn't a more powerful witch in the world."

Gem blushed. "Flattery does not become you, Jim."

He grinned cheekily. "Wise men say that flattery will get you everywhere. Who are we to disagree?"

Natasha narrowed her eyes. "You're British. Who are you, what are you, and what are you doing here?"

"We're the Lions." Jim answered. After all, they were all Gryffindors. "We are magic, and we are dealing with this little problem. Well, I suppose we technically already dealt with it." His tone was sharp. "You don't have to trust us. But don't try to take us down. You will come out on the short side of that fight."

"Indeed." Thor cut in. "The Golden Trio are the most powerful individuals in all the Nine Realms."

All three winced.

"Gee, thanks for throwing that out there." Andy muttered.

"You called yourself the Golden Trio a moment ago, but now you say that you are the Lions?" Captain America questioned suspiciously.

"Stuff went pear-shaped back home." Jim muttered. "They were scared of us."

Gem put her hand on his shoulder when he fell silent, and continued the narrative. "They figured that if we were strong enough to off Voldemort, we were strong enough to be worse than he was. I suppose technically that is true, but it is true of anyone who overthrows and evil tyrant. They should have known better."

"So we want you around why, exactly? If your own people think you're going bad..." Iron Man tried again.

"Bloody hell - do you ever shut up?" Andy asked, rounding on him.

"Indeed we will welcome them always!" Thor boomed, looking angry. "This treatment of the mighty three is absolutely unjust! After fighting since they were mere children, to be treated so! It is only because of their sacrifices that their people are free."

"We've gotten over it." Jim said quietly. "We were done with the whole "save the world" thing. Happily retired, you might say. And now this. I guess we just aren't meant to have peace."

"I must beg one thing of you, Seidhr. Do not now vanish as you are able to. I must secure my brother now, and make arrangements, but wait a while, and speak with me. "

"Alright." Jim agreed reluctantly. "But we're still in hiding, so our talk stays private."

"Agreed. I thank you once again for your help in this battle. You have truly been blessed by the gods, to have such good luck forever laid upon your lives."

"How come Thor gets to make this call?" Iron Man groused.

The three smiled grimly, ignoring Iron Man, and Jim said "Thor, the only two reasons that we are alive are that Gem is smart enough for all three of us and that our luck never seems to run out."

"Thor." Captain America snapped. "How can we trust them? How can you be sure they are who you think? They are wearing masks!"

Gem rolled her eyes, and held up her wand. "I, Juliet Hannah Hermes, do swear on my magic that my two friends and I are the three members of the Golden Trio, formerly known by other names that have ceased. I do swear that we mean no harm to Prince Thor of Asgard, or his allies."

The air around her shimmered as she lowered her wand. "There. Magic oaths are binding. If I break it, I die. Good enough? Now, if you'll excuse us, we have frightened people to help, injured people to heal, and lots of cleanup to get started on."

She whirled on her heel and vanished with a soft pop. Andy followed. Jim glanced at Thor.

"Hang around on earth for a bit, Thor. I'll come find you for that chat."

"And how, exactly, will you find him?" Clint bit out.

Jim shrugged. "I could always just follow my patronus. Or send him a message to light up the sky. That would probably be effective too."

At that moment, the giant green creature began to shrink. He quickly turned back into a man, who clutched the torn remains of his trousers in a desperate attempt to preserve some modesty.

Jim looked surprised for only a moment. "Ah. I wondered where the green giant came from." He waved his hand, and the man was suddenly fully dressed. "This alter ego of yours, when does it show itself? Is there a certain time of the moon cycle or something?"

"When my heart rate rises too far." The man returned uncertainly.

"Hm. Interesting. Must be hard to control. I wonder if wolfsbane would help you at all. I can get Gem working on it, if you want. She's a whiz at potions. she's a whiz at everything, really. I'm sure she could fix you something that would help you keep control unless you need him. Think about it, let Thor know. He can give me your answer."

"That's it?" Natasha asked, incredulous. "You just saw that, with no prior knowledge that he could do that, and all you have to say is 'huh'?"

Jim shrugged. "Lady, I've fought werewolves, giants, dragons, and vampires. Something vaguely reminiscent of a cross between Hagrid and a troll isn't going to phase me. Besides, I know how it feels to be treated like a freak for something you can't control. And it's not pleasant."

"Vampires?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah. Nasty buggers. Really fast, too. Have to be careful what curses you use, cause they often get out of the way in time. Then you might hit an ally. And killing curses don't work on them, since they're not really alive. It sucks." He paused. "I'm only telling you this cause you're SHIELD, and I know that your director won't want this all over the internet. So the statute of secrecy is mostly safe."

"How do you know that I am a SHIELD agent?" Natasha demanded, turning her gun on him with a glare.

"Really? For starters, there's that badge. It says SHIELD on it, for crying out loud. And then there's the fact that SHIELD deals with this kind of nonsense. Who else would be getting involved?"

Before she could answer, Gem's otter patronus zoomed down from the sky and stopped in front of them. It's mouth opened, voice floated out.

"Jim Daren Harrison! Get your backside out of that tower and help us. For crying out loud, people are hurt. If Thor and the rest have questions, they can ask later. Move it!"

Jim grimaced. "Damn. I'd best get moving. Gem's a terror when she's angry, worse than Andy's mum. And believe me, I'd rather face a rampaging hippogriff than Andy's mum when she's angry." He vanished as well.

"Thor." Tony said quietly. "You'd better start talking. Because if someone doesn't explain, I will lose it. So, start talking. Now."

The long-awaited chapter 2 is up! In my defense, it is almost 7000 words long...