I do not own the Avengers or the Harry Potter series. Thank you to all who follow, fav, and review. It's nice to see such good things. And I'm sorry for any mistakes I make.

"Talk"

'Thought'

Chapter 4

The day was spent trying to find the cube while discussing scientific facts. It was eventually nighttime.

Bruce was scanning the scepter with a gamma ray detector. Tony was solving equations and algorithms, while Harry was sitting at a desk. "The gamma readings are definitely consistent with Selvig's reports on the tesseract, but it's gonna take weeks to process" Bruce said. "If we bypass their mainframe and direct a reroute to the Homer Cluster, we can clock this around six hundred teraflops" Tony said. "All I packed was a toothbrush" Bruce said.

Tony grinned as he made his way over to Bruce, who was now sitting next to his son. "You know you should come by Stark Towers sometime, both of you, top ten floors all R&D, you'd love it, it's candy land" Tony said. "Thanks, but the last time I was in New York I kind of broke… Harlem" Bruce said, slightly embarrassed. Harry had heard about that, catching some of the news about the Hulk vs Abomination fight on the TV. "You were facing Abomination, you saved people" Harry said.

Bruce looked down at his son. "You know about that" Bruce asked, shocked. "I was able to see clips of the news about the fight" Harry said. Bruce was ashamed that his son had to see the Hulk, even if it was only by camera. "Well I promise a stress free environment, no tensions, no surprises…" Tony said, circling the table with his hands behind his back. Suddenly Tony poked Bruce with an electrical prod, making the man jump and cry out.

Tony examined Bruce closely. "Nothing" Tony said, somewhat disappointed. Steve decided to enter the room at that moment. "Hey, are you nuts" Steve demanded. "You really have got a lid on it, haven't you; what's your secret, mellow jazz, bongo drums, huge bag of weed" Tony asked lightly. "Is everything a joke to you" Steve asked hotly. "Funny things are" Tony said.

"Threatening the safety of everyone on this ship isn't funny" Steve said. Harry glared harshly at Steve, not really liking his attitude towards his father. "No offense, doctor" Steve said. "If you meant no offense then why did you say it, 'no offense' is your way of making it more acceptable, and it's not" Harry snapped. "You just got told, and what by a ten year old" Tony said, smirking.

"I'm eleven, almost twelve" Harry said. "Still" Tony said. Bruce put a hand on his son's shoulder in a calming gesture, but also as a warning to not speak anymore on the subject. Harry nodded, becoming quiet. "No, it's alright, I wouldn't have come aboard if I couldn't handle pointy things" Bruce assured. "You're tiptoeing big man, you need to strut" Tony said around the table, stopping in front of Steve. Steve wasn't amused in the slightest about the billionaire's attitude.

"And you need to focus on the problem " Steve ordered. "You think I'm not, why did Fury call us and why now, why not before" Tony said. Harry had to agree with Tony on that. "What isn't he telling us, I can't do the equation without all of the variables" Tony said. "You think Fury's hiding something" Steve asked skeptically. "He's a spy, , he's the spy… his secrets have secrets" Harry said. Tony was munching on some blueberries, so when Harry spoke up he offered some to the child, who took some happily.

"It's bugging dear old daddy too" Tony said, pointing at Bruce. Harry spared his father a glance, only to realize it was true. "Uh, I just want to finish my work here and…" Bruce said, only to get interrupted by Steve. "Doctor" Steve asked. Bruce was silent for a few seconds before answering. "A warm light for all mankind, Loki's jab at Fury about the cube" Bruce began.

"I heard it" Steve said. Bruce pointed over to Tony, who looked at him. "Well I think that was for you" Bruce said to the genius. Tony allowed Bruce to grab some blueberries from his bag. "The Stark Tower, that big ugly…" Steve said, earning him a look from Tony. Harry rolled his eyes at this. "Building in New York" Steve finished. "It's powered by Stark Reactors, self-sustaining energy source, that building will run itself for what, a year" Bruce said.

"That's just the prototype, I'm kind of the only name in clean energy right now" Tony bragged. "So why didn't S.H.I.E.L.D. bring him in on the tesseract project" Harry asked. "I mean, what are they doing in the energy business in the first place" Bruce asked. "I should probably look into that once my decryption programmer finishes breaking into all of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s secure files" Tony mused. Steve was taken aback by his words.

"I'm sorry, did you say…" Steve said, unable to finish. "JARVIS has been running it since I hit the bridge, in a few hours we will know every dirty little secret that S.H.I.E.L.D. has ever tried to hide" Tony said cockily. Tony held the blueberry bag out to Steve mockingly. "Blueberry" Tony asked. "Yet your confused about why they didn't want you around" Steve spat. "An intelligence organization that fears intelligence" Harry snorted.

"Historically not awesome" Tony said. "I think Loki's trying to wind us up, this is a man who means to start a war and if we don't stay focused he'll succeed, we have orders, we should follow them" Steve said seriously. "Steve, I'm only eleven and I can see that something isn't right here" Harry said softly. Steve's gaze softened somewhat when he moved his gaze onto the boy. "That's because you're the son of Banner, I bet you were born gifted" Tony scoffed.

'Like you wouldn't believe' Harry thought. "Following isn't really my style" Tony said. "And you're all about style, aren't you" Steve said. "Of all the people in this room which one is; A, wearing as spangly outfit, and B, not of use" Tony commented. "Steve, tell me none of this smells a little funky to you" Bruce asked gently. "Just find the cube" Steve ordered before leaving.

"That's the guy my dad never shut up about, wondering if they shouldn't have kept him on ice" Tony muttered. "The guy's not wrong about Loki, he does have the jump on us" Bruce conceded. "What he's got is an ACME dynamite kit" Tony said. Harry was conflicted on the subject of Loki. "It's gonna blow up in his face and I'm gonna be there to see it" Tony said smugly.

"And I'll read all about it" Bruce said. "Uh-huh, or you'll be suiting up like the rest of us" Tony said. "You see, I don't get a suit of armor, I'm exposed, like a nerve, it's a nightmare" Bruce said. Bruce was examining a screen near Tony, who was on the other side. "You know I've got a cluster of shrapnel trying every second to crawl it's way into my heart" Tony said. He proceeded to point at the arc reactor in his chest. "This stops it, this little circle of light, it's part of me now, not just armor" Tony said.

Harry was paying close attention to the conversation. "It's a… terrible privilege" Tony said quietly. "But you can control it" Bruce pointed out. "Because I learned how" Tony said. "It's different" Bruce said before going back to the screen. Tony swiped at the screen, removing the information on it so the two could see each other. "Hey, I've read all about your accident, that much gamma exposure should have killed you" Tony said.

"So you're saying that the Hulk… the Other Guy… saved my life" Bruce said in disbelief. Bruce thought about it for a second. "That's nice, it's a nice sentiment, saved it for what" Bruce asked. "I guess we'll find out" Tony said. "You might not like that" Bruce warned. "You just might" Tony said. The two went back to work after that. An hour passed in which Harry had begun yawning and his eyes were drooping.

"I think the little genius is tired" Tony teased. Bruce had been working on a screen, focused beyond comprehension. So when he looked at his son to see him fighting sleep he smiled. Bruce made his way over to Harry. "I think you should head to bed" Bruce said. Harry stared up at his father with sleepy eyes for a few seconds before curling in on himself, closing his eyes once again. He was sitting in a chair, so it was kinda hard for him to do, but he managed it.

"Only nine years old and already falling asleep in the lab, a scientist in the making" Tony teased. Harry was too tired to say that he was eleven, not nine. Bruce knew that his son wasn't comfortable in the chair, so he picked up his son. The boy was lighter than what was normal, which concerned Bruce somewhat. "I'll be back, I'm gonna put my son to bed" Bruce said. "He's fine here, sleeping in a lab won't kill him, I mean look at me" Tony said.

"More of a reason to have him sleep in a bed" Bruce said. Tony put a hand to his chest in mock offense. "How dare you" Tony said in fake outrage. Bruce didn't comment, instead exiting the lab. Harry was already asleep, curled into his father's chest. Bruce couldn't help thinking that it was cute. When they reached his room of course Bruce had to tuck his son in. It felt nice and… normal for once, something he wasn't use to.

Once Harry was settled in his bed Bruce stared down at his son. At first Bruce was determined to leave his son behind once this was all over, wanting to protect him. But the more time he spent with the boy the closer he got and the harder it was for him to consider leaving him. 'Mine' the Other guy said in his head, startling the doctor. Hulk rarely talked, so this was a surprise. The Other guy was growling at the idea of leaving behind Harry, considering him as his.

Bruce didn't know whether to be scared or happy that the other guy was so protective and possessive of his son. 'This might be harder then I thought' Bruce thought.

(The next day)

Harry had come back to the lab at around seven in the morning to find the two men working. "Good morning sleeping beauty" Tony teased. Harry shot the man a glare, but it just made Tony laugh. "So scary" Tony mocked. "Enough Tony" Bruce said. Harry walked over to his father with a plate of eggs and some orange juice in a to go cup. Bruce thanked his son for the food. "Hey, what about me, I'm hungry too" Tony whined.

"Then go get something to eat" Harry said. Bruce fought the smile that was trying to show. "I can see you trying not to smile Bruce" Tony accused. "Not his fault if he finds you odd" Harry said cheekily. "I am not odd, I am somewhat insane" Tony defended. "That makes you so much better" Harry said sarcastically.

"It does actually" Tony said. Harry rolled his eyes at the billionaire, who gave him a cheeky smile. While at breakfast Harry had been thinking about something. The problem was getting his father and Phil to agree with it. "I've been looking up some magic and there's something I really want to try" Harry whispered to his father so Tony couldn't overhear. "What is it" Bruce asked.

"Animagus, it gives one the ability to transform into one animal at any time" Harry said. Bruce knew immediately that would come in handy. "Let me talk with Agent Coulson, get his opinion on the matter" Bruce said. Harry nodded in acceptance, dropping the matter for now. For a few hours they were silent, only talking when they needed to. Finally Jarvis had broken through the firewalls that S.H.I.E.L.D. had created, pulling up all of the files in the organizations database.

There were files on everybody, which Tony looked through. Tony stopped when he came across Harry's file. "You're a wizard, is this some kind of joke" Tony asked, looking at the boy. "Nope" Harry said, showing the man his wand and doing a spell. "Well I feel like I need to question science" Tony mumbled. "Magic is a part of science in my opinion, it's something that can't be explained or understood yet, but eventually will be" Harry said.

"I'll believe that when I see it" Tony snorted. "Everything we've ever discovered with science use to be thought impossible, but someone proved it was indeed possible" Harry reasoned. "You may be right on that, but I refuse to believe in magic even if I can see it" Tony said. "And that is what will hold you back in life" Harry said. Tony frowned, not liking that he was being beat by a kid. "He's only eleven, how is he able to beat me at this" Tony demanded.

"He's a smart kid" Bruce said simply. Tony continued reading Harry's file, stopping when he came across something. "Hey kid, did you know that you are considered a potential threat" Tony said. Bruce immediately made his way over to Tony's monitor and looked the file over:

Harry James Potter-Banner

Potential threat.

Gamma radiation: We have not been able to test the child for gamma radiation, only able to watch from afar. Possibility of having gamma radiation in his blood is slim to none, but still possible. As long as he doesn't show any signs of it we shall not pull him from his home. A blood test must be ran soon though, who knows if it could be a danger towards others.

"This was created when he turned eleven years old" Tony said. Bruce made sure his son didn't see the file, not wanting to scare him. Bruce didn't want his son to have tests done on him. Bruce walked over to his son, who was sitting on a chair, confused. That's when Director Fury entered the lab, angry. "What are you doing, " Director Fury demanded.

"Uh… kind of been wondering the same thing about you" Tony asked after making Harry's file disappear. "You're suppose to be locating the tesseract" Director Fury said. "We are, the model's locked and we're sweeping for the signature now, when we get a hit we'll have the location within half a mile" Bruce said, trying to keep his anger at bay. "And you'll get your cube back, no muss, no fuss" Tony said.

Suddenly some files appear on his monitor labeled Phase 2. "What is Phase 2" Tony inquired. Steve entered the room and slammed a weapon down on a table, a pissed look on his face. "Phase 2 is S.H.I.E.L.D. uses the cube to make weapons" Steve said angrily. Harry felt his father pull him closer to him protectively. "Sorry, the computer was moving a little slow for me" Steve said. "Rogers, we gathered everything related to the Tesseract, this does not mean we're…" Director Fury said, only to be interrupted by Harry. "You're lying" Harry said coldly.

Tony moved the monitor to where the Director could see it, proving that Harry was telling the truth. Bruce shot his son a look to be quiet. "I was wrong Director, the world hasn't changed a bit" Steve said harshly. Thor and Natasha entered the room at that moment. "Did you know about this" Bruce demanded of Natasha. Bruce had moved over to the scepter, but no one noticed. "You wanna think about removing yourself from this environment, doctor" Natasha asked calmly.

"I was in Calcutta, I was pretty well removed" Bruce said dryly. "Loki's manipulating you" Natasha reasoned. "And you've been doing what exactly" Bruce said sarcastically. "You didn't come here because I bat my eyelashes at you" Natasha pointed out. Bruce spared his son a glance, the whole reason he was here. "Yes, and I'm not leaving because suddenly you get a little twitchy" Bruce said. Harry could see that his father was getting angry, even though he was trying to keep his cool.

What he also saw was the scepter glowing, but no one seemed to notice. "I'd like to know why S.H.I.E.L.D. is using the Tesseract to build weapons of mass destruction" Bruce demanded. It was quiet for a few seconds. "Because of him" Director Fury said, pointing at Thor. "Me" Thor said in disbelief and confusion. "Last year earth had a visitor from another planet who had a grudge match that leveled a small town, we learned that not only are we not alone, but we are hopelessly, hilariously, outgunned" Director Fury said.

"My people want nothing but peace with your planet" Thor insisted. "But you're not the only people out there are you and you're not the only threat" Director Fury said, sparing a glance at Harry. "What does the kid have to do with this" Tony demanded, already feeling close with the boy. "His parents, a muggle-born witch and the Hulk, witches and wizards are extremely powerful, can you imagine combining that with what his father holds" Director Fury said.

"Unlimited power" Harry whispered. "If you were to inherit what your father has I have no doubt that you would be able to control yourself in that other form, able to take down anything with ease and making you even more indestructible than your father" Director Fury said. "People would hunt him down" Steve said in realization. "I have no doubt on that" Director Fury said. "I'm just a kid" Harry reasoned.

"You won't be forever" Director Fury said. "And what better way to have an obedient weapon than to take a child" Natasha said. Harry was getting frustrated and slightly scared. "That's enough, he may be smarter then what's normal, but he's still just a kid" Steve defended. Harry rushed over to his father, wanting to be close. Bruce could see the fear in his son's eyes, which made him feel guilty and angry. He created his son, no matter if it was unintentional, he still was responsible.

"The world's filling up with people who can't be matched, they can't be controlled" Director Fury said. "Like you controlled the cube" Steve scoffed. "You're work with the tesseract is what drew Loki to it, and his allies, it is a signal to all the realms that the earth is ready for a higher form of war" Thor said. "A higher form" Steve asked. "You forced our hand, we had to come up with something" Director Fury reasoned. "Nuclear deterrent, 'cause that always calms everything right down" Tony snorted.

"Remind me again how you made your fortune, Stark" Director Fury demanded. Everyone was getting angrier and angrier. Harry saw the the scepter was getting brighter the angrier everyone got. 'It's controlling them' Harry thought. Harry could feel something poking at his mind, trying to get through, but his magic was shielding him. Out of nowhere he felt his heart beginning to race in fear. He knew it was the scepter, so he tried to fight it by focusing on what was happening.

"Why shouldn't the guy let off a little steam" Tony said. "You know damn well why, back off" Steve yelled. "Oh, I'm starting to want you to make me" Tony said coldly. "Big man in a suit of armor, take that off and what are you" Steve said harshly. "Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist" Tony said simply. "I know guys with none of that worth ten of you, yeah, I've seen the footage" Steve said.

Harry could feel his heart calming down, much to his relief. "The only thing you really fight for is yourself, you're not the guy to make the sacrifice play, to lay down on a wire and let the other guy crawl over you" Steve said. "I think I would just cut the wire" Tony said. Steve gained a dry smile. "Always a way out… you know you may not be a threat, but you better stop pretending to be a hero" Steve said.

This pushed Tony over the edge, who got in Steve's face. "A hero, like you, you're a lab rat Rogers, everything special about you came out of a bottle" Tony scoffed. "Put on the suit, let's go a few rounds" Steve said. Thor laughed at the display. "You people are so petty… and tiny" Thor said. "Yeah, this is a tea…" Bruce muttered. "Agent Romanoff, would you escort Banner back to his…" Director Fury said, only for Bruce to interrupt. "Where, you rented my room" Bruce said coldly.

"The cell was just in case…" Director Fury began, only for Bruce to interrupt once again. "In case you needed to kill me, but you can't, I know, I tried" Bruce said loudly. Everyone went silent, staring at the doctor. Harry grabbed his father's hand in comfort, giving it a squeeze. "I got low, I didn't see an end, so I put a bullet in my mouth and the other guy spit it out" Bruce said. Harry was shocked by his father's words.

"So I moved on, I focused on helping other people, I was good until you dragged me back into this freak show and put everyone here at risk" Bruce said, his voice raised. Bruce focused in on Romanoff, who looked unnerved. "You wanna know my secret Agent Romanoff, you wanna know how I stay calm" Bruce said harshly. Natasha and Director Fury grabbed their guns from their holsters. "Doctor , put down the scepter" Steve reasoned.

Harry looked at his father to see that he was indeed holding the scepter, while his other hand was wrapped around his son's wrist in a tight grip. Harry hadn't noticed that his wrist was hurting since he was paying attention to the fight. Bruce released his son to see a hand shaped bruise forming on his wrist. Before he could apologize a computer beeped, signaling that the tesseract had been found.

Bruce set down the scepter and made his way over to the computer, Harry following after him. "Sorry kids, you don't get to see my little party trick after all" Bruce said. "Located the tesseract" Thor asked. "I can get there faster" Tony said. "Look, all of us…" Steve said. "The tesseract belongs on Asgard, no human is a match for it" Thor said. Harry saw his father's face pale as he examined the monitor, so he looked at it. 'It says that the tesseract is… here' Harry thought in confusion until it clicked.

"Oh my God" Bruce said right before an explosion went off, throwing everybody in different directions.