~ Chapter Four ~
Three little words silenced the room. Despite the wounds covering the Death Eaters, everyone focused on the tension between the Dark Lord and Harry, not entirely certain what they were speaking about but knowing and anticipating the changing dynamic.
"If you have never lied to Lord Voldemort, tell me, Precious One, why do you protect our enemies? Is Sirius Black's presence distracting you?"
The Avengers couldn't help but glance between Sirius Black and Harry Potter. Black had never been silent when the topic of his godson arose. His voice always held affection when he spoke of the varying adventures the boy stumbled into during his time at school. Yet the affection was always accompanied by the guilt of knowing he'd disappeared attempting to protect Harry from those who wished him harm.
Not knowing what had happened and being unable to return to his home world had nearly sent Sirius insane with grief. Luckily, he'd found a purpose. SHIELD had given Sirius another avenue to not only continue protecting people but also leave a shred of hope that one day they would have more information on Sirius's home world.
This certainly wasn't the outcome anyone had hoped for.
"In that regard, I spoke the truth," Harry replied, "Black's presence won't affect my plans. However, the Avenger's aren't my enemies. I may not trust their pretty words of safety and refuge, but I know they pose no threat to me."
The Avengers tensed, shaken by Harry's confidence.
"No, my lies to you began long before we reached this world. However, I thought I would have time to begin slowly unravelling your untouchable Inner Circle. Rookwood not only destroyed your plans but my own as well."
Harry smirked, "It's really a pity, you would have been proud."
The Dark Lord's fury lashed out at his followers, unable to escape the barrier Harry was using to protect the Avengers. Yet, his minions didn't so much as move away from the danger stood before them, if they were hit they stood back up wearing the wounds as a badge of insane honour.
"You are mine! You will obey; remove the barrier, kill the vermin, and perhaps your punishment for this slight will be lenient."
As the Inner Circle shivered in delight over hearing Parseltongue, the Avengers flinched at the unusual sound. Casting glances at the two Asgardians, hoping they could understand the language, they could only feel disappointment as Thor and Loki shook their heads, unable to provide any insight.
"I will not remove this barrier so you can do as you wish and slaughter the people of this world like you did ours." Harry spat.
The Dark Lord reared back in understanding. "This is what you are angered over?"
"You gave me your word, as soon as you broke it your downfall was guaranteed."
Silence fell over the group as the Dark Lord contemplated Harry's words. Yet, Harry knew better than to allow his guard to fall. The man might have appeared to calm down, but experience told Harry that this was when their Master was the most dangerous and unpredictable in his reactions.
"You are correct, Precious One," the Dark Lord admitted. "However, you should have known how foolish it would be to keep every single promise I make to an ally."
"No," Harry denied, "You should have known I would not sit by and allow you to break your promise, that I would do everything in my power to protect those I love."
Narrowing his eyes, the Dark Lord stepped into Harry's personal space.
"Love… such a weakness; to be emotionally attached to people is unnecessary."
Harry could only shake his head. "You're wrong, it's a strength, and one you could never understand."
The gentle refute in English caused the Dark Lord to snarl. "I should kill you in front of your godfather, allow your corpse to be left trapped behind a barrier where they can do nothing but watch as you decompose."
Sirius let out a pained gasp, lurching forward and hitting the barrier attempting to reach Harry, the gun in his other hand hanging limp and forgotten. The Avengers moved closer in support but none of them could do anything until Harry released the barrier protecting them from the Death Eaters. They could only remain silent and wait for the moment they could step in.
Despite the sudden venom and hateful words directed at him, Harry smirked, "Take a shot, we both know you won't do it."
The wounded sound Sirius released mimicked his animagus persona.
"Harry, please, don't try to bluff with your life." Sirius begged.
"You should relax, Agent Black," Harry laughed, "I'm not bluffing."
The confusion that settled over the Avengers and the Death Eaters could be felt within the room. Most figured Harry held a death wish, after all, why challenge someone who dealt death as easily as blinking. Yet, one at least was intelligent wound to piece together what Harry meant.
"It's not a bluff when you know the other person would never consider taking action."
The words caused everyone to glance towards Natasha who merely shrugged off their shock. Working as a spy meant you needed to know every little detail possible to remain under cover; even the smallest detail created a fine line between life and death.
"Agent Romanoff is correct," Harry agreed, "I know the Dark Lord will never kill me."
The Dark Lord ran his hand down the side of Harry's face, nails scraping along his cheek leaving faint red lines as Harry spoke.
"No, I could not kill you… you are after all precious, but that does not mean I won't punish this slight. After all, you are on this side of the barrier, unprotected, and alone."
The Avengers surged forward with their weapons drawn and ready to fight despite the barrier, hoping instead that Harry would remove it with his life threatened. It remained, leaving Agent Fury to bark out orders of retreat, reluctantly followed except for one person.
"Agent Black, step away from the barrier."
Without turning around, Harry heard as Sirius' footsteps hesitantly moved further away.
"You see, Harry," the Dark Lord smirked, "the humans will always protect their own before they step in to save an unknown. Even your precious Godfather has fallen in with them. I am all you have."
A growl ripped through the air. Fenrir stood at Harry's back, mouth open in an unforgiving snarl, teeth barred. "I stand with Harry, he's not alone."
The Dark Lord's hand dropped away from Harry, unwilling to be near the werewolf when Fenrir was angered and defensive. "Another to betray my trust. Yet, it is to be expected, you have family here."
Family sounded sour being spoken by the Dark Lord and combined with the venomous glare sent towards the gods, everyone could easily deduce what the Dark Lord though of family values. Harry, knowing the Dark Lord's background, could understand why he was bitter towards family but it wasn't an excuse. Neither the Dark Lord or Harry had the best relatives; they were the worst sort of muggles imaginable. But, where the Dark Lord sought to tear down families, Harry chose to build family from those he loved.
Fenrir had chosen to become part of Harry's family, and while they weren't blood related they would do anything to protect one another, something they knew their blood families couldn't attest.
"I'm not doing this for them."
Thor and Loki flinched at Fenrir's words, guilt churning in their stomachs. They hadn't attempted to protect Fenrir from the Allfather's judgement and so had lost Fenrir to another universe. In truth, they had only ever protected themselves when it came to Odin's wrath, anyone else was let go. Their youth and inexperience at the time could explain their initial reluctance to save a member of their family, however, as they had grown, not one thought was spared to those that had been lost.
"The odds are still in my favour child."
Behind the Dark Lord, ten members of the Death Eaters stood ready to defend their master. Harry and Fenrir weren't intimidated by the sight.
"I don't need numbers, I'm you equal."
Red reptilian eyes narrowed, Voldemort raised a hand and the Death Eaters attacked.
The view for the Avengers turned into a sea of brightly coloured arcs, hitting the barrier and exploding. No on could be seen. Every now and again a limb would burst through the colour, but it wasn't enough to identify a person.
Sirius could feel his body shake in worry, his heart beating out of his chest with the unknown. The pained screams certainly didn't help.
After five agonizing minutes, in which Sirius paced the edge of the shield, the spells ceased leaving the Avengers aghast. The inside of the dome looked like a battlefield.
Once, there had only been the cold concrete slabs; now blood dripped from numerous surfaces, a painting created from the people within. There was nothing but the white, cold concrete, blood red, and the black of the robes. The colours were harsh and contrasted vividly against each other. Not one person appeared to be unscathed, not one person but Harry.
Not a scratch could be seen on Harry's body. He looked completely untouched by the mayhem that had just taken place. A smirk pulled at his lips as he looked at the Dark Lord, who was covered in small scratches. Red lines of blood dripped down paper thin skin.
The Death Eaters were marred in varying ways but none so much as Fenrir. Blood dripped from Fenrir's fingers and mouth, evidence of his vicious attack on the opposition. At one stage, Fenrir had transformed and torn the Death Eaters to ribbons leaving them holding onto their wounds. He hadn't aimed to kill just to incapacitate.
"I believe I win this round," Harry laughed.
The Dark Lord snarled, immediately apparating out of their location without another word.
The Death Eaters followed their master, black wisps fading away at different times. Draco appeared to hesitate as Severus waited for the others to leave, yet, with a stern glance, he followed his father. Severus didn't bother with the Avengers, he stood, staring at Harry for a few moments before he apparated out.
"Can we trust Snape?" Fenrir questioned, after a few minutes of silence.
Behind them, the Avengers were beginning to relax, now that the threat of the Dark Lord and his Death Eaters were gone. They had lowered their weapons despite Harry and Fenrir remaining. Yet, Harry knew it was only the beginning, with the Avengers and the Dark Lord, they were caught in the middle in an unknown land.
"Snape won't risk harming me."
It wasn't a direct answer, but with a quick glance towards the Avengers, Fenrir decided not to question Harry further about Snape in their company. They needed to keep their advantages a secret until they figured out who they could trust, if they could trust anyone.
"What about Malfoy?"
Harry frowned, "Which one?"
"The brat," Fenrir sneered, "who else?"
Offering Fenrir a wry smile, Harry replied, "Draco is still nothing more than a child pretending at an adult's game. He will either join us or not interfere."
Fenrir accepted Harry's response. After all, Harry had known Draco for several years, if anyone had proper knowledge to predict Draco's moves it was Harry Potter. Yet, the way Harry spoke about Draco made him appear older than he truly seemed.
"Many would say you are nothing more than a child as well."
Harry gave a half-hearted shrug. "I have never considered myself a child, Fenrir. The Dursely's made sure my upbringing would sufficiently ruin any dreams of childhood and innocence."
A tap against the dome made Harry and Fenrir turn towards the Avengers.
"My childhood matters little now; the game has changed, and we will change with it, so we can succeed."
"This is not a game!" Tony snapped.
Harry could tell he was unsettled, the use of magic displayed by the Death Eaters had clearly been an eye-opening experience. It was easy to recognize each of the Avengers had a varying reaction, obviously, they'd been on the receiving end of antagonistic magic before.
"Forgive my use of words," Harry apologized, dismissively.
If they had been introduced to magic before, Harry couldn't help but wonder. Who utilized magic against the Avengers? Loki was an obvious choice, but, by his presence alone, it would seem if that had been the case the incident had occurred some time ago; long enough for wounds to heal. No, this had occurred recently and by someone not present. A curiosity they would need to be on guard when meeting.
"Your presence slipped my mind," Harry continued. "However, you have my full attention.
Nerves in Fury's neck danced beneath dark skin. "Why do you label this maniac's movements as a game?"
"For the Dark Lord this is a game, the game of life, and should he win, you will die. He has played before and won, again, and again, until no one stands in his path. This world is vastly different from our own; it will be a challenge, he will revel."
"Why did you support him?" Sirius questioned, "You know what he did to your parents."
"Now, now, Sirius, don't be so heartbroken. After all, I know you loved my father more than you did me."
The first words Harry spoke directly to Sirius were cutting and cruel leaving Sirius sputtering in denial.
"Your last words to me, during the battle at the Department of Mysteries, do you remember them?"
Sirius hesitated in thought before replying, "No…"
"Good one, James!" Harry repeated, mockingly. "You couldn't even stand beside me and recognize I wasn't my father. You're a failure as godfather, couldn't protect me, couldn't even protect yourself."
"Enough of this!" Steve pushed forward, stepping between Sirius and Harry. "We need answers, not to bicker amongst ourselves. Drop the barrier and speak with us so we can stop this evil you brought into our realm."
Green eyes shifted away from the morose form of his godfather and looked towards the towering man, standing equal to Fenrir in stature. He'd never thought much of these Avengers but perhaps, they could be useful. Looking at them, Harry couldn't be certain on their abilities. The group of strangers were odd, misfits, yet they worked together, like the jagged edges of a puzzle.
They held potential, but Harry had learnt the hard way, you couldn't trust people you first meet.
"I won't lower this barrier. Not only do I not trust you, but if I drop this barrier, this facility will collapse."
The Avengers looked towards the cracked walls and ceiling. The dome Harry had erected supported the roof with a wide column, taking the weight off the crumbling walls. Without it, they would easily have been crushed by the weight from the many levels above them. Though, it made them wonder how Harry could possibly have known they were deep underground.
Thor, Loki, and Sirius especially looked concerned at the fact Harry had saved their lives whether on purpose or indirectly. It would be a concern they would need to speak about when Harry and Fenrir weren't around.
"What would you have us do then?" Fury questioned.
"You will evacuate this facility before I removed this dome. When you confirm the facility has been emptied then I will apparate out and find you."
Sirius, Thor, and Loki, immediately disagreed, not wanting to be separated from their family. The Avengers agreed. There was little trust between the two groups and so they didn't want to leave them alone in case they fled.
"How do we trust you will come to us?" Steve asked.
"You could go wherever you desire." Tony pointed out. "I certainly wouldn't like to follow us. The beach sounds nice though."
"Tony, shut up man." Clint shook his head.
Harry smiled, amused at their antics.
"I know little of this world," he admitted, "as does Fenrir. I wouldn't be apparating to an area, I'll be apparating to a person."
Harry's eyes skipped over Sirius and landed on Loki.
"But, Harry…" Sirius whispered.
Yet, Harry dismissed his godfather. "Loki is the only person here with a magical signature I can pinpoint. If he is standing in a spacious area, I can use his magic to leave this place and appear beside Loki."
Loki nodded his agreement. "I can also sense Harry's magical signature. So, I will be able to acknowledge where his location is at all times; if he leaves, I will know."
Fury focused on Loki and after a few moments of intense staring, agreed. After all, it was more important to secure the safety of their people within the building. If Loki could keep track of their two latest acquaintances, then Fury felt better leaving them here while they took care of more important business.
"Fenrir can come with us then."
A snarl ripped from Fenrir's mouth at Thor's suggestion. "No, I stay with Harry."
Sirius stepped forward, "Then I will stay with Harry as well."
"I won't apparrate more than one person into a space unknown, even if that space is open ground. Fenrir stays with me, Black can leave with you."
Harry's tone offered no argument.
Sirius turned to plead with the Avengers and Director Fury, but they all shook their head. No one was going to remain that didn't need to. Fenrir wasn't someone they could argue with, but Sirius was an agent and he would listen.
"Very well, we'll leave you a radio and tell you when you can leave."
"Agreed."
There were no goodbyes. The Avengers simply left, escorting Sirius, so he wouldn't remain behind. Fury handed them a radio before following his people out.
Harry and Fenrir shared a glance, ignoring the radio for now.
"Now, we wait."
x-x-x-x-x
The Avengers had gathered outside the compound. With a large open space of grass, usually used for the Rainbow Bridge, the grounds were perfect for Harry and Fenrir to arrive in.
Already it had been a couple of hours since they had left the pair in the facility and focused their efforts on evacuating the people and the information gathered. Everything was packed and moved to another facility for the time being until a new holding facility could be created. But, until they received a radio call from Director Fury, they couldn't do anything but wait, and question.
"Thor, why were you concerned Harry saved our lives?" Steve questioned.
Thor stood with his arms crossed, impatient whilst waiting for Fenrir and Harry to arrive.
"Magic can be fickle especially when it comes to saving lives."
"What do you mean?" Tony frowned.
Certainly, they had saved many people before, but never someone with magic. They'd also never been saved by someone with magic. Though, certainly, they had been harmed by magic.
Thor and Loki shared a look before Loki chose to reply.
"What Thor means is Harry saved our lives, and in regard to magic, we each owe him a debt."
Everyone shivered, uncomfortable with the thought of a debt looming over their heads and held by an unknown person. Sirius held concerns as well, not knowing Harry as the same person he'd been at fifteen.
"A debt, what sort of debt?" Clint spat.
"It will be a Life Debt." Sirius admitted. "Harry can request anything from us to appease the debt and we will have to fulfil the request."
"We don't have a choice?" Natasha questioned.
Sirius shook his head.
"Then we'll have to just take him out of the equation when we deal with those of the Circle."
Loki immediately shook his head before Sirius could reply. "You could but should you attack Harry, you will die. Magic will kill you long before you can do fatal damage."
"This debt is nothing more than a chain." Natasha scowled.
Standing as a group, no one wanted to speak. Knowing they now had this debt over their heads, dragged the mood down. If Harry was indeed a threat to them, he now held the noose tighter around their necks. He held control over them and it wasn't a thought they enjoyed. Could they escape the debt with a little request, or, would Harry require something difficult? They couldn't tell.
"Incoming…" Loki murmured, feeling the energy shift.
Black wisps came into view and as soon as it appeared, cleared, to reveal Harry and Fenrir. Both stood still, enjoying the feel of sunshine on their skin and the wind as it danced through their hair. It was relief to be able to enjoy something so simple again. Yet, they couldn't enjoy it for long as they had an audience to attend.
Harry smirked, opening his eyes to focus on their potential allies, "Now, you have questions?"
I'm uncertain about this chapter. Not sure this is how I wanted it to play out but sometimes these characters go in unexpected directions. We'll see what happens from here.
~MidnightEmber
