Once again, I'd like to thank everyone who's read, reviewed, favourited, followed, or added this story to their communities. I don't even know how to use communities on this site, but I'm guessing it's a good thing that 7 of you have added it to your communities.
-.-Chapter 4-.-
Harry was very impressed by New York City. The skyline was like nothing he'd ever seen before, with the Empire State Building, Oscorp Tower and Stark Tower all jostling for the position of most impressive building. Times Square was a blur of lights and flashing billboards, and the Statue of Liberty was a construction Harry doubted wizards could ever have rivalled. It was a city that a person could easily lose themselves in, if they were so inclined.
Harry spent most of his first day roaming the streets, exploring New York and familiarising himself with the sprawling metropolis. He was staying at the SHIELD base, having dropped by as soon as his flight landed to set up his room.
On his second day, Harry decided to start looking for the superhero Fury had asked him to recruit, who went by the name Spider-Man. He apparently had a fondness for fighting petty crime, so Harry headed towards the Bronx. He'd heard that it was the roughest part of the city, so it would logically be the place Spider-Man checked most frequently.
He'd only been looking for fifteen minutes before he got his first sight of the superhero, wearing a red and blue costume that looked skintight, complete with mask. Spider-Man was swinging through the streets, shooting webbing from his wrists and using them to propel himself forwards. It was only then that Harry realised the flaw in his plan: he had no way of keeping up with Spider-Man. He had no broom, and he couldn't fly without one like Voldemort and Snape had.
Deciding to simply follow the webslinger for now, Harry Apparated to a rooftop overlooking the street. From there, he cast a Tracking Charm on Spider-Man. Now, he'd be able to monitor him, and Apparate to meet him when he stopped moving.
It was another two hours before the Tracking Charm indicated that Spider-Man had stopped, so Harry Apparated to follow the trail. He found himself on a rooftop, and immediately turned to face where his Tracking Charm was telling him the costumed superhero was. As Harry spun, he was hit by a ball of webbing, throwing him to the floor. Before he could draw his wand or gun, more webbing spat from the shadows, pinning both of his arms and his legs to the floor.
"Not bad," Harry remarked. "That's some impressive reflexes you've got, Spider-Man."
"Who are you?" Spider-Man demanded, and Harry saw him, clinging to the side of a water tower on the rooftop. His costume stood out, even in the darkness.
"My name is Harry Potter. I'm here on behalf of SHIELD." He said calmly. "Now, could you let me go? I'd rather not lie here like this, it's uncomfortable."
"SHIELD?" The webslinger asked, leaping down to stand over Harry. "Who're SHIELD?"
"The Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division." Harry replied.
"What does this SHIELD want with little ol' me?" Spider-Man asked, in a voice mixed with equal parts sarcasm and curiosity.
"We're putting a team together." Harry said. "A team of Earth's Mightiest Heroes, and we want you to join us."
"Why?" Spider-Man asked, breaking the webbing on Harry's hands and helping the wizard to his feet.
Harry chuckled. "Have you seen what you can do? You have superpowers, and they make you a potential asset to SHIELD, one we'd like to be able to rely upon."
Spider-Man looked over the edge of the roof, watching the traffic below. "My uncle, the man who raised me, died because of me. I'd just discovered my powers, and I ... it was just a little thing, really. I'd gone out to buy milk after having an argument with my uncle, but I was only a couple of cents short. I was pissed at the cashier, and so when a thief held him up and robbed the store, I stood by and let him. The man had a gun, sure, but I didn't even try. My uncle was out looking for me, and he came across the thief. Uncle Ben ... he proved he was a better man than anyone I've ever known. He knew the man had just committed a crime, and had a gun, and so he tried to stop the thief. The thief ... he shot my uncle. Uncle Ben bled out and died in front of me, because I didn't act."
"I'm sorry." Harry said, placing a hand reassuringly on the costumed hero's shoulder. "I know how it feels, to be responsible for the death of a father figure. My godfather threw himself into a fight, because I was stupid, and he died protecting me."
"Uncle Ben told me something important. He said that if you could do good things for other people, you had a moral obligation to do those things. I have great power, and I have great responsibilities." Spider-Man reached up and pulled his mask off, revealing a young man, barely out of his teens, with light brown hair loosely spiked up under the mask. "My name's Peter Parker."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Peter." Harry said, shaking his hand.
"Thanks." Peter said. "I've got a few other things to deal with, though, so I don't know if I can be part of your team. I've got to work two other jobs so my aunt and I can keep our house and pay the bills, and finish my schooling too."
"SHIELD will help you out with your financial system, if you need." Harry offered. "We'll get you a job for one of our associates, a well-paid job. You'll have to earn your pay, of course, but it'll allow you to finish your schooling, pay off your aunt's mortgage, and anything else you need to buy. I'd imagine those web-shooters are quite expensive to maintain."
"I make the webbing myself." Peter replied. "It just takes a few chemicals and the right treatment, but it's fairly cheap to make, considering how useful it is."
"You're good at science?" Harry raised an eyebrow. "That's good. It'll come in handy for when you begin your new job. You'll probably earn a promotion pretty quickly."
"What is this new job SHIELD's associates are offering me?" Peter asked.
"Stark Tower's just opened up, and I'm sure it could use some researchers. You'd be assigned to your own lab, where you'd have all the resources you need, and you'd be getting paid to make it for your own use. Tony Stark himself would likely be interested in your work, if you could create something that impressed him." Harry pulled out his wand, casting a Cleaning Charm to remove the last bits of webbing from his sleeves and shoes.
"You're seriously offering me a job working for Tony Stark?" Peter asked incredulously. The technological genius had publicly declared himself to be the superhero Iron Man a few years ago, and ever since then he'd been one of Peter's role models, of sorts.
Harry shrugged. "You're cool with it, right?"
Peter began to laugh. "I can't wait to tell Gwen about this!"
Harry frowned. "You can't tell people you're associated with SHIELD. We'll do some research, and if she proves trustworthy, we may approach her as well."
"I was actually just thinking about telling her I've got a job at Stark Tower." Peter confessed. "She's been working for Oscorp for a couple of years now, and she knows how jealous I am of her for the opportunity she's getting."
Harry froze. This was the perfect way in for SHIELD with Oscorp. While other companies had several SHIELD agents working undercover, Oscorp was one of the few SHIELD had no-one on the inside of. "What's your girlfriend's name again?"
"Gwen Stacey." Peter replied instantly, and then he hesitated. "Don't get her involved in crime-fighting, please. I promised her dad, on his deathbed, that I'd keep her away from danger."
"She knows you're Spider-Man?" Harry asked, just for confirmation.
"Yeah, she was the first person I told."
"Who else knows?" Harry asked. "Is there anyone who you'd rather didn't know your secret identity, who knows it?"
Peter looked miserable. "You're the fourth person to know my identity. Gwen, obviously, and her father found out just before he died. He was the Chief of Police for New York, actually, so I'd have been in trouble if he'd found out earlier."
"And the other?" Harry pushed gently.
"Dr Curt Connors. He was a friend of my father's, and I'd gone to him for help working out some of my father's research notes. He was a good man." Peter sighed, running his hands through his hair. "We finished my father's research, which was about taking traits from animals and giving them to humans. I think the spider that bit me was part of his research project." Peter looked reluctant to continue, but did after a nod from Harry. "He tested it on himself, using lizard DNA. It worked ... too well. At first it went as planned, and he gained the ability to re-grow limbs. His arm, which he lost in a war, grew back. Then he started changing, and he turned into a giant Lizard, but it still had all of his genius. It tried to corrupt the city, and turn everyone into Lizards like him. I managed to stop him, but Gwen's dad died."
"Is Dr Connors still a ..." Harry began to ask, but Peter cut him off.
"He's not a Lizard any more, if that's what you're asking." Peter answered, having predicted the question. "He was arrested, and is in a prison somewhere. I've never looked for him."
"Do you want me to wipe his memories of your secret identity?" Harry offered. "It's not a trick I like to do, but some secrets should remain secret."
"No." Peter said. "It's wrong, to violate people's minds like that. Besides, Dr Connors is trustworthy, he wouldn't tell anyone."
Harry nodded. "I agree, about wiping memories. It's one of the spells I've hated the most, because it's simply a violation."
"Thank you, Harry. This opportunity could change my life."
"Think of it as a reward for all the lives you've saved, Peter."
-.-End Chapter 4-.-
AN: So, Harry's met the first member of the Avengers, and it's not even one who's a member in the film! Spidey's based on the Amazing Spider-Man film, since Andrew Garfield made a much better Spidey than Tobey Maguire. Events of Amazing Spider-Man happened without change, there was just the construction of a new Stark Tower going on in the skyline as well. A fair bit of exposition here. The bit Peter says that Uncle Ben said, about moral obligations, is a quote from the film. Next up, Harry goes to the SHIELD New York office, and meets up with Darcy and Jane again. PS: Apologies to anyone from the Bronx who takes offense about me calling it the roughest part of NY, I've never been to America so I wouldn't know. My knowledge of American culture comes solely from what I've seen on TV.