Disclaimer: I OWN NOTHING! Kudos to J.K. Rowling, Stan Lee, Marvel, and everyone else who should be listed here.
-A Few Minutes Later On Deck-
"So, how have you been, Phil?" Harry asked, smiling at his favorite SHIELD agent.
"The usual. Dealing with divas and dicks. How about you? How's Ginny and the kids?" Phil asked quietly.
Harry frowned for a moment, looking around to be sure they were alone, even though he knew Coulson would never ask if someone was there who could possibly overhear.
"The kids are fine. Same with the grandkids. Even got a couple great-grandkids making their way into the world. But Ginny... Ginny doesn't have much time left," Harry had to clear his throat before continuing. "She's the last of them and she's made it longer than I or Death expected. But...well...It won't be long now."
Coulson gave Harry a look of empathy that said more than any sentiments he could utter. He only hoped Harry's sanity would survive after his ex-wife was gone. Harry was too good of a friend and had been one for too long for Coulson to want anything but what was best for him. Ginny's illness and imminent death was weighing heavier on the wizard with each passing day. Especially since all his friends from childhood had already passed on. Coulson could see the mental and emotional exhaustion in the man's green eyes that no amount of bantering with Nick could hide. At least not from Coulson who knew what to look for.
"Anyways," Harry began clearing his throat and looking away, "How's your cellist?"
Coulson acknowledges the topic change. "She's doing well. She's in Portland right now. Stark actually offered to fly me out there to meet with her."
"Nice guy."
"Yeah, but he only calls me 'Agent.' I think he has jealousy issues concerning his girlfriend, Pepper, and I being friends enough that she calls me by my first name. I think he offered the trip to get me away from her. It's actually kind of funny since she is flying to D.C. to stay out of harm's way and he knows that I'm in a relationship with someone."
Harry grinned at that, only slightly bitter. "Love makes us all stupid sometimes."
Companionable silence ensued for several moments as they both contemplated the women in their lives.
"Well enough of that. Time to see if I still got it," Harry said with a shrug, before taking out his wand from its hidden holster attached to his forearm.
Concentrating and trusting that Phil will stop him if something goes wrong, Harry begins his series of charms, shields, and incantations that with a boost of his particular brand of magic should cover the entire ship, inside and out. He could feel his magic wrap snugly against each level but kept it from anywhere he sensed resistance from technology. Any resistance indicated that interference from his powers would be catastrophic.
When finished, Harry felt the rush of energy he lost whenever he did a large piece of shielding drain from his body, making him pant in exhaustion.
"That should do the job. I'll receive a warning should anyone try something. The wards should deflect most attacks long enough to mount a counter strike. The only way they can get through them is with a huge powerful strike in a single location. They will have to drain the wards to get through," Harry said as he stretched the kinks out of his neck and put away his wand.
"That sounds like a load of crap to me. Agent, why the heck does Nick Fury have a teenager on staff?" Tony's voice came from behind them.
"Been there long?" Harry quietly asked Phil.
"Five minutes, tops," Phil murmured under his breath so only Harry could hear.
Harry nodded before turning to Tony. "What makes you think I'm a teenager? I've already said I'm immortal."
"You said. But no one else seems to know anything about you. Your file has very little in it," Tony quipped, trying to measure up this unknown factor in the puzzle that is the Avengers Initiative.
Harry quirks an eyebrow at Phil in question, "I have a file? When did that start? In any case, what is in my file?"
"I can tell you that. Your codename and an extremely blurry photo that could almost be anyone. It just says 'consultant and ally.' Nothing else. No birthday. No known locations. No hometown. Though you are obviously from Britain judging by your accent. So who are you?" Tony asked, as he studied the man's face from behind a mask of feigned indifference.
"Then you should have all you need. I do not have to prove myself to a mortal," Harry said nonchalantly as he smiled a polite smile.
"Excuse me, but I think you do," the red haired woman said as she exited the doorway from behind Tony. "You know Clint. I've known him for years. He never mentioned you."
"Probably because I'm classified. My entire existence is classified. Need to know and all that. It wouldn't do if my enemies knew that I act as an ally to a single organization due to an old friendship." Harry glanced over at Phil, who made a quick gesture letting Harry know that he could divulge whatever info he thought might be necessary to keep the gathered people from shooting him in the back or whatever it was they might have planned.
"Just how old is this friendship with Director Fury? You must have been in diapers when he started this organization," Bruce asked curiously as he too, exited onto the main deck.
Harry could appreciate the fact that they waited to confront him until everyone was outside, when there was room for them to maneuver and very few bystanders to get in the way.
Harry however laughed at the image in his head brought by Bruce's comment. "Actually, it's the other way around. Nick wasn't even a twinkle in his mother's eye when I became what I am."
"Prove it," a new voice suggested. Harry turned to see the super soldier come from around the corner. Flanking maneuver. Classic.
"Actually, you prove it. You might remember me better like this," Harry said, as he waved his hand in front of his face to place an illusion of his old glasses on his features.
"That's not possible. You're... you have to be... gosh. You were part of the team that went in at the same time as mine when we raided that Hydra compound," Steve exclaimed looking like his whole world shifted from under his feet.
"What are you talking about?" Phil asked, genuinely curious now.
"We fought side by side once. Back in World War 2," Harry explained as Steve tried to digest the new piece of information.
"But that would make you..." Tony began as he started doing the math.
"If it helps, I'll be 87 in July," Harry said with a grin. "Master of Death gig kinda halted the aging process. I looked the same then as I do now. Don't I, Captain?"
"You haven't changed a bit. Except for the glasses," the still stunned Steve responded before stepping forward to shake his hand.
"It will be an honor fighting by your side once again, Ha..."Steve started before Harry cut him off.
"It's the Grim now. Only Grim. The man I once was is dead. Please don't ever use my real name," Harry said with some heat. He wanted his old name to pass from memory as quickly as possible. It was easier to work with the codename. Easier to keep unwanted friendships from forming.
Steve look confused at first but agreed,"Grim it is."
Steve didn't remember Harry Potter being so serious all the time. When there was downtime after the raid, he would joke with the other soldiers and even played a few pranks up until the time him and all his people disappeared without a trace one night.
This Harry seemed jaded. Even his bantering with Fury seemed forced at times. As if trying to keep up appearances.
Steve took a closer look while Harry was distracted by some comment Tony made. He saw the bags under the man's eyes and the stiffening of his jaw that indicated that he was holding back something. Worry lines creased around his eyes, making him look older than the seventeen year old he knew from back when. That's one thing Steve had always been good at when he was a smaller, weaker man before the serum changed his life; the ability to read a person.
Harry hid things better than most but the soldier could tell something was weighing on him heavily. Something besides the mission, SHIELD, or his work as the Grim.
Steve wondered what the wizard could be keeping secret.
"Now, Nick wasn't very clear as to why I was brought in. At least not why I was suddenly brought in to lend a hand after being able to handle things in the mortal world without my help for the last ten years. What happened? Besides Clint being brainwashed?" Harry demanded quietly. He rubbed the bridge of his nose to ward off the exhaustion headache that was trying to build into a full on migraine.
Phil glanced at the gathered heroes before answering, "Our target has escaped us twice already. Just after the explosion when he first escaped, we gathered the members of the Avenger Initiative and they went after him. Thor appeared and well...things didn't go as planned and Loki escaped."
Harry's eyes blazed. "Let me guess. You lost your enemy because you lot were squabbling like bloody children? Wonderful," Harry sighed in disgust.
"Hey! There was a lot going on," Tony protested only to earn him a cold, icy stare.
"I do not care, Mr. Stark. The fact of the matter is, Nick had to call me in and I am not exactly at the beck and call of mortal beings anymore. My responsibilities lie elsewhere beyond your daily squabbles. Every moment I spend here, I am shirking my duties. There is a civil war going on in the Amazon I am supposed to be monitoring, a mass murder just occurred three seconds ago, and…" Green eyes widened, and Harry cursed, "Shit! I'll be right back!" Harry said turning on the spot and disapparating with a nearly silent 'pop.'
Several moments of silence reigned as everyone took in the fact that Grim just disappeared right in front of their eyes.
"Does he do that often?" Bruce asked, gesturing with his thumb at the place the mysterious young-looking man once stood.
"Yeah. His duties are all-consuming. Especially with the current state of worldwide unrest due to all the wars being waged at the same time. To be honest, he's stretched pretty thin these days. That's the first I've been able to speak to him in five years. Been ten since I last saw him," Coulson answered, taking everything in stride. He then took the stance of patiently waiting.
"Are you just going to stay here until he gets back, if he does that is?" Steve asked quietly, curious about Coulson's actions.
"He said he would be right back," Phil said looking at his watch.
They didn't have to wait long before there was another soft 'pop.'
Grim reappeared but was covered in sweat, grime, and blood. He glanced at Coulson, tiredly. "Phil, please tell me this place has a shower I can use?"
Phil glanced at Steve with a 'told-ya' look, before gesturing Grim to go back inside the helicarrier.
"He was gone for five minutes!" Tony exclaimed, trying to figure out how he could look so banged up so quickly.
"I'm a busy man, Mr. Stark. I had a couple mass shootings to stop, a fire to put out before it reached an ammo stockpile in a small city, and three landmines to diffuse. This is normal," Grim explained, gesturing at his appearance and gently tucking a gold chain under his shirt. "I told you. I don't usually deal with minor squabbles among mortals." With that, he disappeared through the doorway into the helicarrier with Coulson right behind him, leaving the gathered heroes standing there, staring at his retreating back.
"Just who the hell is this guy?" Tony muttered, before heading towards the door himself.
I want to know the same thing, Steve thought as he tried to see his mischievous comrade from the old days inside the haggard man he just met. What happened to you, Harry?"
Sorry about that. I posted the rough draft rather than the finished one.
Well, I hope you have enjoyed the updated Chapter 2. I know I'm enjoying writing this story.
I put this chapter up a little early in celebration of the end of one of my classes where we had to make a fully functional website about eTextbooks. (I'm working on my Master's degree for Library and Information Science)
My wonderful beta, Asille Nellum, is the one you have to thank for keeping me writing. Her wonderful feedback helps me write better and smarter. I would also like to thank my friends who have been putting up with my constant requests for critiques.
To my readers, thanks for all the wonderful comments and reviews. I couldn't do this without you all.