Disclaimer- I do not own any of the characters. All rights belong to their respective owners and no money is being made off this.

Previously on Harry Potter: A New Universe ↓

More problems continue to arise, adding several more layers of burden on the Harry-Sirius duo. Dumbledore manages to contact Harry via the two way mirror, and offers him a few suggestions regarding the portal he'd opened, one of them being using the Tesseract once again. But as it is 20th June, 1996 in their universe, the best chance of a successful return journey lies on a complex rune magic, which could only be done best on summer solstice, otherwise Harry could be left stuck between multiverses, or carted off to Voldemort's lair due to the connection he shared with him. This leaves them only a day to find the cube and simultaneously figure out how to use it. Meanwhile, the Helicarrier's under attack; Thor broke the cage's glass to protect Harry from Loki and the cage got ejected from the Helicarrier, but the trickster has got one too many tricks under his sleeve.

Harry Potter: A New Universe

Chapter-6

Location: The Hangar, SHIELD Helicarrier, Twenty minutes ago

Sirius bellowed,"Oppungo!"

About a dozen conjured boulders bombarded the green monstrosity, but he didn't slow down one bit. The Hulk only got angrier and roared while leaping on them. Thor waved his hammer like a lasso and threw it with all his might. Hulk caught it in his palm and was pulled away by the force of it. When the hammer fell to the ground, Hulk tried to lift it up and use it against them, but failed. Trying to gain advantage of the distraction, Sirius performed a cheering charm on him, which had no effect except for getting the Hulk to grin like a fool. Damn Fury who suggested anger management!

They had almost gotten the situation under control. Tony and Steve had the engines, they were closing in rapidly on the strike team, but suddenly everyone and their mother was yelling about the Hulk being loose. Sirius had seen many creatures, but this one was a different level altogether. So far, they hadn't managed to nick the thick green hide of the beast. To think that there was a normal human being inside the consciousness of Hulk, made it….OBOY!

"Merlin's beard!" he squeaked. A fighter plane was hovering not twenty feet from their location. All the fighting had left the hangar badly damaged and beyond recognition. None of the planes was going to be in the air for a long, long time. Hulk paused, his fist about to crash into Thor's hammer. The pilot did the smart thing. He opened fire.

Sirius barely got a shield charm in place before bullets started peppering the invisible wall of force. Thor took cover behind a damaged F-22. The Hulk was not so lucky. THUNK THUNK THUNK were the only sounds as the high caliber rounds tore into his flesh. For one crazy moment Sirius thought the jet might pull it off. But the next second, he realized that the bullets were like gnats buzzing around the monster's body. Every wound disappeared before the next round struck its target.

"THOR, TAKE THE AIRCRAFT ASIDE. I'LL DEAL WITH THE HULK!"

"ARE YOU SURE MY FRIEND?"

"POSITIVE."

Taking care to avoid the barrage of the bullets, Thor spun Mjolnir in his grip and flew out of the gaping hole in the hangar to intercept the fighter jet. Landing on the cockpit's glass, he ripped out a piece of the entrance and pulled out the pilot, who was screaming in protest. With no one to pilot, the aircraft spiraled in mid-air, losing altitude faster than the Helicarrier.

Thor thrust his hammer up and soared away to move the pilot to safety. The Hulk seemed a bit confused due to there being three targets. But now, with the fighter jet out of sight and Thor retreating, the only available target was, him!

Sirius squeaked, a manly squeak in his mind, as the Hulk turned a beady eye towards him. "Bruce…just-"

But the sound of his name only seemed to infuriate him as over a thousand pound weight charged, closing the distance between them a bit too rapidly.

"Protego!"

The futile shield charm bought him a useless second which he couldn't use to disapparate away, for he simply wasn't focused at all. The Hulk swiped a meaty arm and grabbed him, lifting him up like a trophy. The grip was tight enough to crack the ribs of a normal human being, but fortunately for Sirius, wizards had more endurance than the average human.

Then the rules of the game changed. Hulk threw Sirius, like a crazed lunatic throwing a javelin. Sirius bit off a gasp of terror as he flailed around. Adrenaline kicked his body into overdrive and he realized that luckily for him, Hulk had thrown him at the door of the hangar. There was a tiny window of opportunity, but he had to throw the spell NOW. He aligned the wand with his body and roared

"Reducto!"

The red jet of light blasted a hole in the SHIELD security door, but it was not large enough for a human to pass through. He would hit the gap, break his neck and finish the job his sister started. He didn't have time for another spell, and the wall rose to meet his face. Twenty feet, thirteen feet,

"Oh!"

The next second he hit the floor of a wide corridor, skidded a few feet before using his furry hind legs to get up. His heightened senses informed him that the Hulk was on the move. It was time for some Padfoot action. With raised hackles he bounded into the Hangar once again, finding the Hulk engaging in combat with Thor once again, who rained blow after blow with Mjolnir, finding an opening every once in a while. It was brutal close ranged combat, both sides holding nothing back. To Padfoot, everything smelt of ozone and it felt like he was in a warzone, with planes strewn everywhere.

He wanted to shout, but it only came across as a bark. The Hulk got a direct hit straight to the chest of Thor, and he flew fifteen feet in air before hitting a wall, the Mjolnir wrenched from his grip,landing heavily on the floor. His bark alerted the Hulk to his presence, who now looked even more confused. A gruff voice came out of his throat. "P-U-P-P-Y…"

He needed to change back to human form to be of any use. Wait…change back…human form. The ANIMAGUS REVERSAL. This was the solution. He could use it to end the fight right here, right now. If the spell failed to impact the Hulk, bye-bye Sirius, said a voice at the back of his mind. But he had to try.

"Woof!"

He retreated rapidly as he changed, and saw astonishment reflected in the Hulk's eyes, which slowly morphed into rage. Sirius balanced himself properly, taking a dueller's stance. The Hulk leapt, gnashing his teeth hatefully. "HULK…..SMASH!"

A bright blue light erupted at his wand's end, changing into a thick beam and struck the Hulk square in the chest. For a terrifying moment, nothing happened. Then suddenly the green skin was losing its color, the muscles were shrinking rapidly, and the raging face of the Hulk morphed into a confused Bruce Banner. A tiny thing that Sirius forgot in the moment of his success, was that the Hulk was still in the air. A second later, a very naked Bruce Banner crashed on top of him, eliciting an indignant "Hey!" from him.

"Awkward…awkward…awkward", he repeated, trying to wiggle free.

"Sirius?" wheezed Bruce.

"Yep, big guy, and please do me a favor. Get up, and let's never mention this incident again shall we?"

Bruce groaned and muttered, "Why would I?"

Thor came up to them, looking relieved and slightly shaken, probably by the punch. "Impeccable sorcery, Sirius Black. But, uh, why is Bruce on top of you?"

That did it. Sirius disapparated with a crack and appeared besides Thor, shaking a finger at his face. "YOU, you don't know how wrong it sounds, so be kind and forget that this ever happened. Is that understood?!"

"Aye", replied Thor in a confused voide.

He then conjured clothes with a flick of his wand, a SHIELD uniform, which he floated in the air and draped over Banner's body.

"Let's round-up the intruders now."

Thor grimaced, his face set into a thin line. "Our friends from SHIELD are well equipped to handle intruders. But I need to check Loki's prison. This was his doing, obviously, and we…I, cannot let him go."

Sirius nodded. "Understood." Thor dashed through the door, hammering a Thor-sized hole into it before proceeding. Sirius could only imagine the feelings of the Asgardian for his brother. Well, step-brother.

But he understood that Thor felt responsible for Loki's actions in some way. That was why he tried so hard. To watch a brother so misguided would rattle anyone. Thor had mentioned Odin's disgust at his fondness for Midgard. A similar exchange had taken place at 12, Grimmauld Place about twenty-one years ago, or was it thirty-seven years ago? This timeline confusion was nagging him severely.

"But father, this is not a joke! You've got to realize what Regulus is trying to do, what he hopes to be one day. Do you want your son becoming a mass murderer?"

His father sighed. He didn't meet his eyes; he could never. To Sirius, Orion Black was more of an enigma than a father figure. The house stank of pureblood ideals, but recently, the man had upgraded the defenses of the building, adding new wards that could hold even Voldemort for enough time.

"Sirius, I'm not having this discussion again. Your brother is free to follow his path, and he's not what you make him out to be. Yes, he believes in pureblood supremacy, so what? The Black family is one of the most ancient pureblood families in Britain. Toujours pur", he said, pointing a finger at the dresser in the corner featuring the Black family crest. "That is what WE stand for. Always pure. If you have a problem with that-"

"Damn right I have a problem with that", he sneered. "When my beloved mother", he spat the word like a curse, "goes on and on about how her son is going to join the ranks of Death Eaters, I bloody well do have a problem with that. Even the Potters are purebloods, but they don't spout pureblood propaganda-"

"Ah, yes! The Potters…pathetic excuses for a pureblood lineage. I don't know why you continue to associate yourself with that brat James, boy. For heaven's sake your OWLs are over now. Start behaving like a GROWN UP!"

Sirius was about retort offensively, when he heard a noise. He turned, expecting Kreacher eavesdropping on the conversation, but it was Regulus. Two years younger, his brother had the same features as him, which made Sirius angrier. His father abruptly changed his expression, muttering, "Regulus, my boy, please, we were talking about you…take a seat."

Regulus darted his eyes from Sirius to Orion, whispering, "I know what this is about, father. Another concerned-brother act? Either you are jealous, Sirius or you truly are a fool, hanging with the likes of James Potter."

"Jealous! Of you?" sputtered Sirius, more amused than surprised.

"Then let's agree, to disagree. My life is my burden to bear, not yours. And if I'm getting an opportunity to showcase my talents properly, it is because I've earned them. There is going to be a new age, Sirius, and if you continue to follow traitorous path you're on, you won't be there to witness it… So now if you'll excuse me, it's my OWL year and I need to study."

Regulus left the room without glancing at both, and Sirius was shocked. His brother was slipping away, faster than he'd thought. His father refused to see reason, and his mother was psychotic. The rest of the family dabbled in the Dark Arts for a hobby, and the current generation had the likes of Narcissa and Bellatrix, angels as they were. He had made a decision. He would not allow himself to be a part of the bigotry and darkness that entwined his family tree. He would go away, forever. Sirius Black was not going to take any more of this bullshit. But where would he go? James', of course!

"Uh, Sirius?"

"Huh", he broke out of his thoughts, aware that Bruce was tapping him on the shoulder. Maybe he was getting old after all, lost in the past, although in his case, he was the bad guy of the family, unlike Thor. However, at the end of the First War, Regulus died as a Death Eater to the world, whereas Loki would not share the same fate, being Asgardian and what else.

"I, uh, thanks, I guess, for everything you did."

He clasped the offered hand firmly, beaming at the man. "You don't need to thank Sirius Black, Bruce. I only did what was necessary."

"Still…stopping me from destroying everything, and sending dozens of people to their death calls for gratitude, and no one has managed to stop the other guy before."

Sirius realized that Bruce guiltily avoided meeting his gaze. He muttered cheerfully, "Hey, the good thing is, everything is under control, no one was harmed, and Sirius is serious on this one."

Bruce smiled a bit, and replied, "Stark told me about a golden rule of the heroes."

"What?"

"Never talk about yourself in the third person. It comes out as cocky."

"Cocky is my second name. Besides, this coming from a guy whose battle cry is Hulk SMASH! is not comforting at all."

"Point. One more thing. Can you do the, er, blue light thingy anytime?"

Sirius nodded, realizing where this was going.

"I need to study the energy you used. Before you and Harry return, can you do that? I hope you understand, Sirius. I have spent my life trying to figure out a way to suppress the...Hulk."

"Anything you need, Bruce. Anything."

Detention Section, SHIELD Helicarrier, Now

"Kill the spare!"

A swishing noise and a second voice, which screeched the words to the night:

"Avada Kedavra!"

A blast of green light blazed through Harry's eyelids, and he heard something heavy fall to the ground beside him; the pain in his scar reached such a pitch that he retched, and then it diminished; terrified of what he was about to see, he opened his stinging eyes.

Cedric was lying spread-eagled on the ground beside him. He was dead.

This wasn't happening again. Time and time again, he had let others come to harm because of himself. He won't allow it to happen again. Having had enough of this, Harry Potter raised his wand. Loki always had an open means of escape, as he'd proved. The only thing that mattered here was Coulson's life.

The dozens of Lokis smirked, and the militant raised his sidearm to the temple of Phil Coulson. Time slowed down as something bubbled inside Harry. It was a strange sensation, the fear of failing, the apprehension that came from watching Coulson being pinned down, threatening to break him, to make him apparate away, to-

"DEFODIO!"

BANG

The sheer amount of willpower that he'd gathered made his wand vibrate from the force of the spell. The overpowered spell rammed straight through the hand of the shooter, causing the gun to spiral in the air. The spell didn't stop there, and whooshed past every single Loki present inside the room in one go. A squelching sound, followed by a guttural scream of pain, followed by Loki's shocked look.

The spell had gouged off a massive chunk of the shooter's arm and the man himself writhed on the ground, the gun clattering onto the floor. All the illusions vanished, as the spell struck home, and the real Loki gasped, covering a huge gash in his skin.

Harry Potter had lost. Before the spell hit, the bullet had passed through the barrel, its trajectory unaffected. Phil Coulson was dead.

"CRITICAL DAMAGE TO THRUSTERS, REBOOT IN 3, 2, 1…" reported JARVIS.

"Not now!"

Tony Stark hated being a product of circumstances. But now, as giant blades threatened to shred his suit, he could do nothing but grit his teeth helplessly.

"Lever…C-a-p…!"

Then he was free again, winds catching him as the thrusters engaged, the HUD screaming warnings at his face. He estimated the suit to have enough juice for less than a minute, so without wasting any time, he blasted off towards the wrecked section of the engine control room, eliminating a shooter with precision as the suit lost power and he tumbled on the metal floor, surrounded by darkness.

Harry screamed as he fired spell after spell on Loki, his magic fueled by the rage that had welled up inside him. The spells did naught, however, as Loki shrugged them off by flicks of his wrist. A layer of ice had covered his wounds, and his skin had a bluish tinge to it. The trickster looked a bit wary now, trying to avoid him rather than fight him. But Harry was going to take him down, one way or the other.

"DEPRIMO!"

Another section of the floor gave way, causing Loki to fall into the rubble, only to reappear once again besides the control panel. Harry allowed himself a brief respite from the action, breathing heavily. Loki flashed his predatory smile before whispering, "Such anger. Why, one might wonder about your desire for vengeance for a man who isn't even of your world!"

"One might also wonder how you managed to turn into a psychotic little bastard!"

"Touché. But, as you see, my work here is done. So I need to cut this visit short. H-"

"Oh no", he growled. "You're not going anywhere."

"As a matter of fact, I am. But don't worry, here is a parting gift."

Loki twisted his wrist and made a crude stabbing motion. A pale blue sphere formed in mid-air and split into dozens of ice shards speeding through the air to spear him.

Without wasting any time, Harry erected a shield charm. But Loki had been expecting this, and each of the shards burst violently on contact with the magical force. Harry was thrown back by the force of the magic, falling besides the unconscious militant. The remaining ice shards hovered in the air before realigning and deciding to come back for a second wave. He hadn't got any juice left to sling around heavy magic or erect a shield strong enough to contain the explosion, and besides, these shards were like trip mines, the trigger being magic.

A moment later, impact. Shard after shard pierced him, and his brain screamed as the pain registered, but he curled into a fetal position and waited for the barrage to end. After a painful ten seconds, that felt like ten years, everything fell silent at once. He took his face out of the crook of his arm to survey his surroundings. The entire cell seemed like a prehistoric cavern, covered in frost.

Harry raised his frost coated arm to assess the damage to his body. Apart from the seething pain, everything appeared to be fine. His first shield charm had taken out most of the larger shards, decreasing his vulnerability. But several years in the wizarding world had served him well. This spell was a distraction. Add to that, an icy fog that blocked his line of sight, and behold! Convenient escape ready!

He strained his eyes as he decreased the distance between himself and where he thought the control panel was, where he'd last seen Loki. A silhouette formed in the heavy fog, swatting away his need for stealth as he charged. Three feet, two feet….

"Got you", a voice whispered in his ear as he felt his muscles go rigid. To his horror, an entire layer of ice coalesced around him, covering his torso, immobilizing his limbs, only leaving his face open.

"You forget, my dear wizard, that I've been playing the deception game for a few millennia. Don't feel bad though, as you fought quite well for an inexperienced teenager. So if you'll excuse me, I've got a planet to conquer."

From within his icy sarcophagus, Harry's insides screamed at him as the cold bit into his flesh. He didn't have much time before hypothermia won the battle for Loki. He felt his eyes tearing up, but for all his troubles, the frozen wand tip flickered a bit and died. This was it, then. There was no protective magic that could protect him from freezing to death. He had fought and lost. There was no savior.

"G-get i-it over with…" he gasped.

The Liesmith bared his teeth, closing his eyes, gathering a blue ball of light in his right palm. Harry closed his eyes, accepting it as his punishment for losing that split second while powering the spell that resulted in the loss of Coulson. He mentally apologized to Sirius and everyone back home. Some hero he was.

The blue light elongated and was replaced by the scepter. By the corner of his eyes, Harry saw Mjolnir dropping noiselessly to the floor.

There was an audible whoosh sound as Loki was blasted away violently, the heat of which seared Harry's eyelids. Eyes wide, Harry flailed as hope surged inside him. The door to the detention section was open, revealing a man Harry had least expected to see there.

"You look like an ad for death. Let's get you out of here", Hawkeye shouted cheerfully.

He then raised his bow, nocking an arrow and aiming at Harry's feet. "Standard issue sonic arrow. I designed these myself, y'know."

"H-hurry", Harry whispered through chattering teeth.

"Oh, right sorry. Brace yourself!"

The entire room echoed with a high pitched whine that grew in volume, and a few milliseconds later, the sonic arrow landed with a thunk on the ice in front of Harry. The metallic scream that followed was worse than anything Harry had ever heard in his life. Even a certain golden egg couldn't hold a candle to the sonic assault that hammered his eardrums.

But whatever it was, it seemed to be working. The high frequency of the sound split a crack in the ice, then another, and then cracks spread like a spider's web across the surface of his icy coffin. Harry redoubled his efforts as he gathered his will in his frozen right arm, and yelled,"Diffindo!"

The ice popped, freeing his entire arm, and then it was only a matter of seconds before he was free and shivering on the floor, surrounded by millions of ice fragments.

There was a constant pounding inside his ears, and any movement made him so dizzy he could only lie down on the floor, as the effects subsided slowly. In the meantime, he cast a warming charm over his body to prevent his organs from shutting down.

Somewhere to his right Hawkeye coughed. "Talk about giving a 'cold' shoulder. Let's move, fast and hard, before the bastard gets up."

"Too late", wheezed Harry, pointing his wand.

Loki was nowhere to be seen.

"He's gone. Apparated away."

"Are you sure he isn't upto some mumbo-jumbo? And what the hell does apparate mean?"

"Teleportation."

"Heh, apparate is way cooler. Can't you trace him or something? Magical signature?"

Harry stared down Hawkeye.

"Okay, okay, too many movies, I get it. Let's get you patched up at Medical. Oh, there they are! MEDIC OVER HERE."

Hogwarts

'THE BOY WHO LIES'? MASSIVE COVER-UP AT MINISTRY REVEALED

By R. Almeidus

Daily Prophet Special Correspondent

After the alarming events of 18th June, the entire wizarding world is in an uproar. And why shouldn't it be? If one of the most secure buildings of our nation is besieged by an individual who had been supposedly dead for the last fifteen years, as the Ministry so gently assured us every week, the people have every right to be outraged. In a surprising turn of events, the whole idea that seemed so preposterous has turned out to be true. In the end, the Boy Who Lived and Dumbledore turned out to be speaking the truth after all.

After the blame game currently going on in the Ministry ends, we might discover should we choose to, that we have given the enemy an upper hand in the war against terrorism. Ever since the latest Triwizard Tournament came to a tragic end, Harry Potter and Dumbledore have been branding the Hogwarts' champion Cedric Diggory's death as a consequence of the Dark Lord returning, but the esteemed Minister of Magic did not see it fit to do so. The only witness at hand was publicly humiliated across the media as a delusional liar (See P6 for details on Potter's claims) and the only suspect was conveniently kissed by a Dementor. The event now makes sense with the Dementors deserting Azkaban, which furthers the concerns raised by Albus Dumbledore as the Chief Warlock time and time again.

Below is an excerpt from the 25th June, 1995 edition of Daily Prophet.

-What about the man posing as Alastor Moody, Minister?

Fudge: Doctor Who is that?

-Bartemius Crouch Jr.

Fudge: Ah, pardon me, I'd forgotten the specifics. Barty Crouch Jr. escaped from Azkaban, as we discovered now, but I assure you, that the escape was only made possible with the help of his father, Barty Crouch Sr., but as both of them are unavailable for questioning (flustered), you should understand our position on this.

-Rumor has it that Cedric Diggory was murdered and You Know Who is back. Any comments?

Fudge(alarmed): We're looking in the matter of Cedric Diggory, but let me tell you, all this talk of a dead man rising are nonsense and should be taken with a grain of salt. And, uh, if you'll excuse me now-

Albus Dumbledore was removed from his positions as the Chief Warlock and the Supreme Mugwump. He was forced to flee from Hogwarts after interference from Dolores Umbridge, the High Inquisitor, who will face investigation herself for illegal punishment methods, as our sources inside the Ministry have confirmed.

Reinstated special correspondent Rita Skeeter, when asked about a sensational interview published in the Quibbler, had something to share. "It was only fitting that Harry contacted me for the job. After all, we have worked together before professionally, and he had always been so willing to share. I could see the truth burning him from the inside out, those green eyes full of determination….how could I say no?"

Amidst all this, a mass breakout and several disappearances of wizards and Muggles were pinned on Sirius Black, who turned out to be innocent after all(See Pg4: Pettigrew Not Dead), and leads were not followed through properly. Lucius Malfoy, an influential member of the society, has been apprehended for assaulting the Ministry. The nation demands to know, what was the Ministry doing? A full year of free movement may have made You Know Who even stronger than he was the last time. I hope that I'm wrong, for the troubled peace we've enjoyed since 1981 is falling like a house of cards.

-x-

Hermione scoffed at the newspaper and muttered, "Yeah, like 'liar across the media' wasn't your contribution at all."

Ron, who had fallen asleep on a stack of books after reading a couple of pages woke up with a start. "Wh-what happened? Have they declared Voldemort a hoax again?"

"Nothing, just the Daily Prophet's damage control article. Oh, and by the way, you were supposed to do research."

"Been there. Tried that. Did you find anything?"

Hermione bit her lip, shaking her head tiredly. "Not one of the books mentions cross-dimensional travel. It seems the closest anyone came to was Merlin, and that too is disputed. Seems more like a fairy tale than a text meant to educate."

"Fairy tales teach me more", said Ron seriously, yawning every couple of seconds.

"Anyway, I'm seriously considering reporting Rita Skeeter. She's taken this opportunity to snatch her job back, which means trouble for the future we can't afford to have."

SHIELD Helicarrier

Harry stared into Coulson's face, completely peaceful in death, and loathed himself for it. He knelt by the man's body, refusing to move, as Hawkeye surveyed the situation at the control room. The strike team had been effectively neutralized, but Loki had provided enough distraction for one militant to penetrate the security under illusion and steal the iridium cache.

He felt himself being pulled back to his feet, and Sirius was there, holding him tightly.

"Harry, where were you? Don't scare me like that. You can't expect to take on Loki by yourself!"

"Don't you think I know that?" whispered Harry quietly.

Nick Fury took the loss hard. He took a few moments to compose himself, waving over two medics who arrived to take care of the corpse. Agent Hill looked like she had swallowed something bitter, which turned to a full blown grimace after Fury told her, "Initiate Project TAHITI."

Before Harry could make head or tail of the statement Fury gestured for him and Sirius to follow. They followed him back to the meeting room, where Steve, Tony and Bruce had already arrived. All of them avoided each other's gaze, and only looked up briefly when they entered the room.

Fury took a deep breath and began, "I mentored Phil Coulson ever since he joined SHIELD. He was a good man, and now he's dead. We've lost communications and Thor has crashed somewhere near the coast. Loki stole the iridium right from under our nose. We're flying dead up here. I guess I had it coming."

No one said anything. Fury took something out of his pocket and put it on the table. Harry craned his neck to realize that it was a set of Captain America trading cards, covered in blood.

"Guess he never asked you to sign them, huh…these, were found in Coulson's jacket."

Harry opened his mouth to speak, but he felt a tight grip on his shoulder. Sirius gave him the tiniest shake of head possible. He closed his mouth, incredulous.

"Phil Coulson dies believing in the idea of heroes, in Avengers." The door to the room opened and Black Widow entered with Hawkeye, throwing a cursory glance at everyone. She raised an eyebrow when she noticed Bruce wearing a SHIELD uniform.

"Director, I just took care of the interrogation of the idiots that have been captured. They don't remember being herded to assault the Helicarrier. Maybe if Maria allowed me to use my toys, I would have gotten something out of the creeps. Oh, and by the way, Thor's hammer just broke through an already damaged section of the Hulk prote…protection cell and I think Thor is still in play."

"Sorry about whatever…the other guy did", insisted Bruce.

"No harm done, Banner. Just focus on the mission."

Fury raised a hand and she fell silent. "Dr Banner. I hope you managed to triangulate the Tesseract's location."

"Oh", Bruce replied, suddenly alarmed.

"What?" asked Steve, who had been silent till now.

"How can I forget!? The algorithm returned its result. My mind has been so overloaded that I completely forgot."

"Dr Banner, where is the cube?" demanded Sirius impatiently.

"STARK TOWER!"

"What?!" everyone said in unison.

Tony got up and took out his phone. "JARVIS. Emergency Protocol 9 in effect. Lock down the building."

A moment later a pleasant voice answered, "Executed, sir."

"Scan for unauthorized entry."

"No match found."

"Scan for unauthorized presence of any kind. I don't want illusions running around my office."

"Sir, as per the records, there is Dr. Erik Selvig outside the perimeter with a device, but he didn't enter through the door."

"Who needs doors when you can spite the HELL out of a man by teleporting straight into his living ROOM! Assess the device and send me the specifics. If possible, hack the damn thing and shut it down."

Tony looked up. After watching everyone, Hawkeye said,"What's everyone waiting for?! We're dealing with an alternative reality problem, and I have a hard time keeping this one straight! Oh, and Tony, the word is apparate, not teleportation."

Sirius asked Hawkeye," Are you completely, er- fit now?"

"The medics cleared me, and c'mon, I can't wait to sink my arrows in that whiny little son of a-"

Steve got up, pushing one card in a pocket. His face set in a hard line, he announced quietly, "Avengers Assemble!"

Everyone got up and left the room, and Harry heard Tony muttering obscenities under his breath. For a second, Fury looked like a child in a candy shop. He turned to him straight after everyone left except Sirius. "Director, I was with Coulson. So pardon me, but will you refresh my memory a little bit, as it doesn't contain any trading cards?!"

Sirius ruffled his hair and shared a knowing look with Fury. Then he spoke, directing his words more at Fury than Harry. "There comes a time when steps like these become necessary, Harry. To unite any group, you need a common aim. For the Avengers, you need a spark of will, something to avenge. You can't expect so different people to become best pals, but you can get them to work together, and hopefully, this will begin a beautiful partnership."

Harry blinked a few times. "Nice try, Loki. Where is Sirius?"

"Ha ha, we need to work on your sense of humor Prongslet. You are tarnishing the image of the Marauders!"

End of Chapter 6

(A/N): Thanks for reading, and don't forget to leave a review.