The Affliction of War

I know that I was evil to leave you on that cliffhanger, which is why I worked very hard to get this chapter to you. Hope you enjoy it.

Chapter 10 - Vanishing Act

It took a matter of seconds before the backup generators kicked in and the emergency lights to come on, giving them enough light to see who it was that had rather suddenly appeared before them. Tony, however, was still struggling to draw breath but no one was rushing to help him, everyone's eyes on the two new additions to the room trying to evaluate how much danger they were in.

No one knew what was going on, all of them filled with uncertainty and fear. Loki had caused them a whole world of trouble the last time he had been in New York, the fact that he was back and had found another to control was enough to be fear inducing for even the Avengers.

Harry knew exactly what had happened, even if the others didn't; they had apperated in. It was why the power had failed and it was why Tony was dying right beside them and there was nothing they could do about it. Magic and technology just didn't mix well. He just didn't know what to do about it. Harry had his bracelets which made it possible to use his magic without causing these types of problems, however with Tony in the state he was it might have been best not to over use his magic, bracelets or not, just in case. The last thing Harry wanted was to make Tony worse.

"George," Harry said with disbelief and sadness, looking at his best friend's brother as if he had never seen him before. George looked terrible, a shell of his former self. If Harry had been told that George had done a stint in Azkaban then he wouldn't have been surprised but Harry knew that that wasn't the case, George was simply grieving for his brother. Nine years of greif would destroy anyone. It had completely consumed George.

Harry had seen the photos, the proof that George was with Loki, helping him, but he hadn't truly believed it until now, when the proof was right in front of him looking sad and pathetic, clutching at his wand desperately and pointing it at Harry, who hadn't thought that George would ever willingly go up against him in this way. For so long they had been brothers in every way but blood, he wasn't sure how it had come to this.

"I'm sorry, Harry, I had to," George said, unable to look him in the eye. "He said he could give me Fred back, he said he could bring him back for me." There was true sadness in his voice as he spoke and it made Harry's heart break to hear it. He had spent last Christmas with the Weasley's, everyone had been there, everyone but George and now he understood why.

"Nothing can reawaken the dead, George, you know this," Harry said as Natasha moved slowly towards Tony, never taking her eyes from Loki and George. He was still struggling to breath and the arc reactor in his chest was near enough dead. None of them had their weapons, they hadn't been prepared for this, they had believed themselves safe in their home. Harry was just hoping that Clint and Natasha were not completely weaponless.

Of course they had Bruce but letting the Hulk loose in Avenger's tower had to be a last resort, there was the possibility of so many injuries if Bruce hulked out, if possible it was something that they needed to avoid. Even as Harry thought this he saw that Bruce was edging away from the fight towards Tony as well, just as Natasha was.

"He isn't part of our world, Harry, he could do it," George insisted. He didn't want to believe that he had placed all his hope in a man that was lying to him. He hadn't been the same since his twin had died, he needed Fred back or he needed to join him. At this point he didn't care which it was and this was how he saw himself doing just that.

"It's not possible, George," Harry said; he could feel Steve at his back and could see Clint a metre or so away, but it wasn't going to be enough. "Please don't do this," he pleaded. Harry didn't think that he would be able to fight George, not if it came to it. He couldn't go to Molly and Arthur and tell them that he had killed George, not after everything they had been through.

"I have to try," George said sadly. There was nothing he wouldn't do to bring his brother back, even side with someone against Harry, a man whom he had the greatest of respect for. Whatever happened now he would not regret his choice to try. George didn't care who stood in his way, he and Fred were going to be reunited again one way or another.

"He's dying," Natasha said to the group but Harry knew that she wouldn't say this without reason, it was not through concern that she was telling them this. She had finally managed to get to him and so had Bruce but Tony was still struggling to breath, though Harry could hear him trying to tell them something, he really hoped it was a way to save his life.

"It's magic, they used magic to get in and any form of technology won't work around it. They conflict too much, we all have to leave or he's going to die," Harry said looking at George accusingly. He was talking more to Steve than to anyone else though, he needed him to know what was happening and what he had to do to fix it.

Steve had no clue about the portkey Harry was wearing around his waist but he was aware that Harry had the ability to transport himself places instantly if was needed. Steve wasn't too clear on all of the details but he knew that it was possible.

Clint was confused at the mention of magic, not having been told what Harry was but he was trusting the young man to know what he was doing. He had not taken his eyes off Loki, who was grinning like the psycho that he was. Clint hated Loki with a passion, if he got the chance then he was going to kill him without hesitation.

"If you want us to leave and save the man of Iron, then come with us now," Loki said, offering out his hand towards Harry invitingly.

"Do not do this brother," Thor said; he was stood further back than Clint, Harry and Steve, protecting Jane, shielding her with one of his large muscular biceps. He didn't want her to be caught in the crossfire. Loki dropped his hand, glaring at his brother as if he was a tiresome child and nothing more.

Harry knew that he had to protect them all because otherwise a lot of people were going to die. He had no idea what Loki could do but he knew what George was capable of, especially after nine years of grief consuming him. Without his twin, George had become a twisted and mutated form of his previous self and Harry couldn't be certain that he wouldn't kill each and every one of them just for the small chance that he might get his brother back.

"You still place such value on the lives of these mortals," Loki said, taking a few calm steps closer to his brother. "You give them their freedom, yet condemn your own brother to a life of imprisonment."

"How did you escape?" Thor demanded, glaring at his little brother needing to know because until he did he would not rest easy. "Who aided you?"

"Who says I had aid," Loki said with a knowing smirk and a mischievous glint in his eyes. Harry took the opportunity while Loki was distracted to make eye contact with George, he needed a distraction, he needed to leave because he knew that Loki and George would follow him. It was him that they wanted, to save Tony's life he was going to have to leave.

Harry knew what type of person that Loki was within an instant of meeting him, it didn't take a genius to figure it out. The man practically reeked of narcissism and Harry had dealt with so many people just like him so he knew how to play into Loki's weaknesses.

"Look at him, he doesn't need aid," Harry said, switching his focus from George to Loki now, his old friend was not the priority, nor was he the danger here it was Loki that he needed to focus on now because only if he could get Loki's attention could he save Tony.

"Harry, what are you doing?" Steve hissed into his lovers ear, confused as to what was happening. He had joked around and called Harry casanova but this was seriously going too far, to flirt with Loki.

Harry turned to Steve and mouthed 'trust me,' to him before turning his attention back to the God of mischief and smiling, taking a step forward, separating himself from the rest of the avengers. Harry didn't want to hurt Steve but he knew that this was the only way for them all to get out of this alive, even Tony, who wasn't doing so good.

"Your brother is one attractive man but you, wow," Harry said with a smile as he took another step closer, sweeping his gaze up and down Loki's body, appreciating it fully.

Loki chuckled in amusement; he was smart enough to know exactly what Harry was doing, the young man had no subtlety at all. Though if luring him away from the Avengers by pretending to fall for the false flattery would work, then he was more than willing to reciprocate the flirting. From the dark, almost black hair and startling green eyes, Harry looked a lot like him and that was something Loki found very attractive in a person.

"Finally you find an ally with good taste, Thor, perhaps I underestimated you," Loki said, his eyes fixed on Harry as a sinister smile spread across his face. "Attractive too, though he looks rather familiar; perhaps I am being replaced with this younger, more innocent version. Should I be offended, brother?"

"I dunno, you seem to have worn your extra years well," Harry said, as though giving it serious thought. "Besides, Thor had nothing to do with my arrival here and my appearance is merely a bonus they get to experience. You could experience it too if you're up for it."

"What an intriguing thought," Loki said with a smile. "One we should explore," he added offering out his hand for Harry to take once again. Steve who had been tensed and on the verge of losing control with every flirtatious comment was barely able to stand it as Harry looked at the out stretched hand, clearly wondering whether or not to take it.

"Harry, this is insane, what are you doing!?" Steve said taking a step towards Harry, wanting to stop whatever his lover was doing. Whatever was going on he didn't like it and he had a feeling that it was going to end badly. He wanted Harry safe in his arms, not on the verge of going willingly with Loki.

"I'm doing the right thing," Harry said, trying to sound cold and detached but failing miserably. He didn't want to hurt Steve emotionally but he didn't want him to get physically hurt either. The less Steve felt towards him the better now because there was no way that he could stay here. "If you want to play, Loki, you're going to have to catch me first."

As Harry said this he had a glint in his eyes, George reacted first firing a stunning spell at Harry as he activated the portkey around his waist. Clint didn't really understand what this red-head was doing anymore than he understood the things that Harry could do, but he knew that Harry needed protecting from it, and so it was almost instinctive when he threw himself in Harry's direction, arms wrapping around the smaller man's waist and knocking him out of the way of the jet of red light.

Steve and Thor instantly both moved to try and protect Harry too, Jane having gone to help aid Tony, however the second that Clint and Harry touched the ground the pair of them vanished, as though they had never been there at all, and the backup lights sparked and crackled, before failing and plunging them into darkness once more. "HARRY!" Steve shouted.

"Damn it," George cursed, "He must have had a portkey," they heard him say in the darkness. The twilight was casting an eerie glow into the kitchen, dining area which made it extremely hard to see. Before the lights had gone out they had all seen Harry and Clint vanish from right before their eyes, they all knew that they were both gone.

"Take us after him," Loki demanded sounding enraged that Harry had been allowed to escape from them. He had been hoping for an easy extraction, it wasn't like he wanted to hurt him, he just needed the power sphere and Harry was the only one who would be able to gain access to it.

"He could be anywhere," George said defeatedly, "A portkey takes you wherever it is programmed to go. I could track it down but I would have to go to the Ministry of Magic and sift through all the paperwork and that's only if it was a registered portkey and he had permission to have it." Although he was trying to explain, George knew that the explanation would be a little lost on Loki, who didn't know all the ins and outs of the wizarding world just yet.

"What is a portkey?" Steve demanded rounding on George, needing answers, needing to know where Harry had gone. He was on the verge of panic, he didn't know how but Harry and Clint had just vanished and he wanted to know where they had gone. He wanted Harry back, not knowing where he was or if he was in trouble or not was causing him serious anxiety.

"We can track him down," George said to Loki, ignoring Steve completely. Whatever Harry was doing with Steve, it wasn't his business, he knew that Harry wasn't the type to settle down as, to his knowledge, Harry much prefered bed hopping. If this large, attractive man had fooled himself into thinking it was something more than that then more fool him.

"Then track him down!" Loki snarled, grabbing hold of George and at first Steve thought that he was going to hit him but then both Loki and George vanished with a loud crack, the air around them visibly crackling with magic. He was just glad that Harry had taken the time to explain these things to him rather than the two of them simply having more sex. He at least understood what had just happened, at least to some extent.

They were now completely without power, the back up generators having now failed miserably with the amount of magic coursing through the air. Steve had started pacing, running his hands through his hair in frustration and worry, trying to work out what to do next; he was more certain than ever that something was messing with his emotions because he had never felt as out of sorts as he did right in that moment. Thor was trying to calm him, but Bruce and Natasha were focused on Tony, who was barely breathing and glistening with sweat. His usually healthy looking skin was a sickly white and his hands were visibly shaking.

"Do you have another reactor?" Bruce demanded to know, doing what he could to keep Tony alive. They had had stay quiet before, not wanting to draw Loki's attention to them before and risk Loki finishing Tony off for good, but now that the God of Mischief was gone, they were going to do everything they could to keep Tony alive.

Tony nodded, his movements slow and pained as he tried to point towards the liquor cabinet. "Scotch," he gasped out, gesturing towards the bar, "top shelf, far end." The looks that he received from Natasha and Jane were priceless, if he hadn't have been dying then he would have wished that he had a camera to capture the moment.

Thor watched as Jane, Natasha and Bruce took care of Tony, not wanting to stray too far from Steve, concerned what the super soldier would do in the frantic state he had managed to work himself into since Harry had vanished right in front of them. Loss of a loved one, as he well knew, was devastating. They had no idea where Harry and Clint were or if they were even alive and Thor just didn't know how best to keep control of Steve when he was so close to losing it.

"Now is really not the time for a drink," Bruce said with exasperation and slight annoyance, ignoring Natasha as she hurried off in the direction Tony had pointed wanting to know if he really was suicidal and refusing to help or if there was a reason why he had requested that particular bottle. "Where's the reactor?" Bruce asked again, working on removing the now completely dead one imbedded in the Tony's chest.

He had to be careful, he didn't know the ins and outs of how the arc reactor worked but he knew without it in his chest, Tony would have only minutes to live. He was on the brink of passing out already so he knew he had to work quickly. Bruce was only thankful that he had taken some time to look into the technology keeping Tony alive, having found it fascinating, now he was finding it life savingly useful.

"Just tell him where the reactor is, Stark!" Steve shouted, losing his patience and his temper. He needed to figure out how he was going to find Harry, but he had no idea where to start and he was furious that Tony was wasting their time right now. He was angry at Harry too, they could have protected him, he didn't have to leave and certainly not without telling them where he was going. It was only fortunate that Clint had gone too, they might not have got on well but at least Clint would protect Harry.

Thor remained close, ready to stop him if Steve became too out of control. As it was he watched as Captain America strode across the room and slammed his fist into a wall, sending it straight through the plaster. The first time everyone turned to look to see what had happened, the second and third time however they just let him. None of them had realised the strength of Steve's feelings towards Harry but this was clearly affecting him more than was normal.

"Here," Tony said, his voice weak and shaky as he accepted the bottle Natasha had returned to his side holding; but rather than even trying to open it, he smashed it into the ground next to him. Jane jumped back, startled, not sure what he was doing but then realised what had been contained within.

"The reactor," Bruce said with understanding, as he saw what had been hidden inside the now destroyed bottle, quickly retrieving it from the shattered glass and puddle of amber coloured liquid. The reactor had been safely contained in a clear wrapper, which he hurriedly removed, feeling rather grateful that he knew what he was doing as he began to maneuver it into Tony's chest.

"Metal man, will you live?" Thor asked as he came forward, still keeping one eye on Steve who was still furiously trying to tear down the wall with his fists.

"Yes," Tony said as Bruce finished installing his new arc reactor. He was confused as to how the other had failed. He needed to find out because he needed to be sure that this one wouldn't do the same. He had had a few hidden around the areas he frequented most, just in case something like this happened and now he was glad that he did.

"We need to find them," Natasha said, casting a glance over to Steve, worried about him. She had never seen him like this before; they needed to talk to Fury or at least make him aware of the situation. They might need his help tracking Harry and Clint down, and he might at least have some idea where they had gone.

"Agreed," Bruce said, knowing exactly where her concerns lay. "I can handle Tony, perhaps you should alert Director Fury of this new development," Bruce suggested. He too thought that Nick needed to know what had just happened but he thought this because he thought that perhaps he might have some insight to the meeting that Harry had had that had encouraged him to open up to Steve. Steve, afterall, was not in any state to tell them anything, another thing that Fury might be able to help them with.

Natasha nodded, getting to her feet and heading for the stairwell. With the power offline it was the only way she was getting to Fury and it was a long way down.

-x

The second that Harry and Clint landed, Harry vomited, his stomach emptying their contents on to the ground. He had never been a fan of magical travel but over the years he had become more used to it and more graceful when he did it too. He had no idea why he had vomited but it made him feel a little lightheaded and entirely out of sorts, his stomach feeling tight and rather uncomfortable.

"You okay?" Clint grunted as he struggled to his feet, though it took him a few moments. He had been thrown by the sudden portkey and he had to take a minute to adjust himself to his new surroundings, unclear about how he had come to be there but knowing that protecting Harry was his priority.

They had landed somewhere familiar to Clint at least, they were under the cover of some trees and shrubbery, out of sight of anyone who might not have been as relaxed about seeing two people suddenly appearing out of nowhere. However Clint had recognised the place they were instantly as Washington Monument.

"Yeah," Harry said, still struggling a little bit but wanting to save face in front of Clint, "I'll be fine," he added as he wiped his mouth, the stale taste of bile lingering in his mouth. "You okay?" he asked a moment later realising that Clint might be more than a little shaken considering what he had just done.

"Fine," he said as he finally managed to stand steadily on his own two feet. Harry was still using Clint to brace himself on however, his stomach still feeling uncomfortably tight. "What just happened?"

"It's what my people call a portkey," Harry explained, now too taking a moment to look around and figure out where they had arrived. When the portkey had activated he had been thinking of this tall monument thing that he had always wanted to come and visit, not that he knew where that was, he just knew that it was in America.

"Your people?" Clint asked, a little confused. He wasn't entirely sure what a portkey was or who Harry was even, he just knew that he didn't ever want to experience something like that again. It was all getting too much for him, he just needed to know about the basics and then he would be satisfied to not know any more. Whatever Harry was had the potential to be dangerous, and the unknown bothered Clint more than he cared to admit.

"I'm a wizard," Harry told him, "I was going to tell you tonight, if Loki hadn't have shown up then I would have done." Thinking of what tonight should have been gave Harry a painful lurch in his chest, he had meant to tell the other Avenger's what he was and then spend the rest of the night with Steve, just being with him and now he had no idea how far apart they were or if they would ever see one another again.

"A wizard," Clint repeated, trying to take it all in. he was starting to think that maybe he was simply better off not knowing. Alien's attacking New York and now Wizards, it was all too much for him. A year ago he hadn't thought that there was anything beyond what he knew to be real, to be flesh and blood and now he was calling all of that into question.

"Yes but I can't explain here, we need to find somewhere to go, somewhere low key to hide," Harry said, thinking that being out in the open like that wasn't a great idea, not after what Loki had just done. Harry knew that both Loki and George would be looking for him, that was unavoidable and what he had wanted in order to get the two of them away from Steve and the other avengers, but now they just had to avoid being caught.

"I know where there's a safe house near by," Clint said, thinking of all the training he had been given by S.H.I.E.L.D.; he had been programmed to follow orders by them, they had trained him to fight. He knew things now that he could never have dreamed of before S.H.I.E.L.D. had become involved in his life, including a list of safe houses at his disposal whenever he needed to lie low for a while.

"You know where we are?" Harry questioned as Clint motioned in the direction they needed to travel and the two of them started walking.

"Washington Monument," Clint said, pointing at the tall white obelisk that towered above them as they came out of the undergrowth. Harry had not been paying too much attention to where they had landed before that, confused as to why they had landed where they had but now he understood. That had been the monument he had always wanted to see. it was a comfort to know that the portkey had worked.

"You are a man of few words, Clint, I like that," Harry said with a smile as they two of them continued to walk. Clint grunted in acknowledgement but kept going, not saying anything else. Harry had been right about one thing and that was that they needed to find cover and hide for a while, lay low until they knew Loki wasn't closing in on them.

-x

Four hours away in New York city, the Avengers had gathered in Avengers tower, Nick Fury stood before them all and a strange man, who looked a little like Fury, to his left. Tony had managed to give Bruce directions in order to get the basic systems in the tower operational, so they at least had security systems running and weren't sitting in the dark; Tony had wanted to do it himself but with having nearly died, the others were rather insistent that he didn't exert himself too much.

Pepper had been alerted to the situation but was yet to show up. After welcoming Harry to America she had had a meeting in California with some potential new clients for Stark Industries and hadn't been able to leave. When Happy had been in contact she had informed him that she would travel back in the morning.

They had also managed to calm Steve, something that had proved to be far more complicated than fixing the tower had been, and tend to the wounds he had inflicted upon himself. His knuckles and back of both his hands had been grazed and bloodied, though the wall had fared much worse; however, the serum would likely have the injuries healed in little time at all.

Jane was not present at this particular meeting, she had been escorted to Thor's level of Avenger tower and told to remain there. Coulson was keeping an eye on her just in case Loki decided to come back for whatever reason. She did not need to be present for this, this was something that they needed to discuss as a team.

Tony had insisted on being part of the meeting, not wanting to be left out. He was sat down, still looking a little worse for wear and in need of a good rest but he was a live at least and for that he was eternally grateful. Tony was under no delusion that if Harry hadn't left when he had then he might not be alive right now; he owed the man a debt.

"Do you know where they went?" Steve demanded to know. It was the only information that he could really bring himself to care about at the moment. He needed to know where he was and he needed to go and get him, make sure he was safe, it was all he could think about, all he really cared about.

"Not exactly," Fury said with a sigh, not really knowing where to start to explain this. In truth he thought that it might be for the best, considering everything, that Harry stay hidden, even from them for the time being. The way Steve had reacted had concerned him a little and he needed to talk to him about why.

"But Harry is perfectly capable of protecting himself, and will have gone somewhere safe," Kingsley assured them. He didn't know these people but he knew that Steve at the very least cared about Harry a great deal and he needed to make them all aware that Harry would not come to any harm.

"We don't even know who you are, and we are just supposed to believe you," Natasha asked accusingly. She disliked new people, especially strangers; Harry had been a stranger too but now he was one of them and she was concerned about what had happened to him as well as Clint. This person, however, he was not one of them and she didn't trust him at all.

It didn't help matters that Kingsley had not had time to change; he had taken an emergency portkey the second that he had heard from Nick and was still wearing his wizarding attire. His royal blue robes did nothing to allow him to blend into the crowd, but it was a miracle that he had managed to get away from the Ministry at all.

"You know Clint would be able to protect them both even if that wasn't true, Natasha," Bruce pointed out, thinking that a confrontation wouldn't help anything at the moment. They all needed answers, not to start bickering amongst themselves again.

"We should be with him," Steve said accusingly, looking at Kingsley as if he had done him some form of wrong. "You can bring him here or send me to him, you can do something!" he insisted and Kingsley looked at Steve with something akin to pity and sadness.

"I could possibly put a tracking spell on him but that would not give us his exact location, there are too many variables, being in the muggle world there is too much that can go wrong. Besides, Harry would magically shield himself against those kind of things to stop the enemy from tracking him the same way. Harry has worked for me for a long time, if he wants to hide then there will be no finding him, I am sorry."

"I believe that Harry was attempting to draw my brother away," Thor pointed out. "We have witnessed the great affection he has for you, Captain, and I believe this was for your protection and to save the life of the metal man."

"I was meant to protect him," Steve said angrily, "he shouldn't have had to protect me or any of us, we were all meant to protect him!" Steve was getting more and more frustrated by the second, he just wanted to know that Harry was safe and unharmed. For all they knew Loki could have followed and have both Harry and Clint right now. It was a thought that turned Steve's stomach.

"And the best way to do that right now, is to find out all we can about what Loki is doing, what he has planned, and who else he is working with," Fury said, trying to make Steve see reason. The other Avenger's would not fight him on this but he knew Steve would, there were other factors affecting Steve that needed to be addressed separately.

"You do whatever the hell you want, I'm going to find Harry," Steve said, getting to his feet, needing to be doing something. He felt utterly useless just sat here doing nothing but talking about it. He should be out there looking for Harry not sat here doing nothing.

"Search the world if you will, Mr Rogers, you will never find Harry until he wants to be found," Kingsley said, his words halting Steve's progression towards the door.

"I'll find him, he'd want to be found by me," Steve insisted, sure about this. He was sure that he was in love with Harry, despite only knowing him for a short while and he had to believe that Harry felt the same. Steve had to believe that Harry would want to be with him and wouldn't hide from him.

"I have known Harry since he was an eleven year old boy, I have watched him grow. I have seen him sacrifice himself several times over for the people that he loved. He has literally died to protect those he cared about. If the relationship is as strong as I think it is, between the two of you, then I doubt very much that Harry would reveal himself to you; he would sacrifice his happiness to keep you safe."

As Kingsley had spoken Steve had sunk to the ground feeling utterly broken, finally realising that he wasn't just going to get Harry back, there wouldn't be a quick fix here. This was going to be a full out war yet again, only this time Harry was the thing that the enemy wanted. It was someone Steve loved that the enemy wanted and to protect him, Steve would have to be away from him. The pain he felt as he realised this was unbearable, tearing him apart inside.

"I need him, I want him more than I've ever wanted anything and I know that isn't healthy but I can't stop feeling," Steve said sadly, feeling as pathetic as he sounded. The other avengers were looking at him, unsure what to do or how to help him. They wanted to be able to help him, to know what to do but they just didn't. It was feeling of utter hopelessness that none of them were accustomed to and they hated it, hated not knowing what to do and how to help.

"It's the serum," Fury said defeatedly. He had been concerned that this might happen. He had not had the chance to look into the affects the serum might have had on Steve. In most cases where it had been trialed the traits of the person injected were magnified. In red skull it had brought to the surface his psychotic tendencies, bringing them to the surface and amplifying them to the point that it had turned him into a psychotic killer.

In Steve, however, the serum had taken his loyalty, his love and affection and it had done exactly the same, magnifying it. His instinct to be a soldier and follow orders, his ability to love unconditionally and loyalty to those he cared about. When it came to Harry, the fondness and affection that he would have felt towards the other man after the three days they had known each other was amplified to the point that he loved him unconditionally.

"What do you mean it's the serum?" Bruce asked; he had been fascinated by the work that Dr Abraham Erskine had done on the serum and the affects that it had had on Steve. He had never seen anything that could turn what Steve had once been to what he was today and not have serious side effects, like what he was experiencing himself. However, this appeared to be the side effect, the weakness in otherwise impenetrable armour.

"Other's have had similar versions of the serum that Steve has had," Fury explained, his eyes never leaving the broken man that was kneeling on the floor looking utterly lost. "In each case it has taken the person that they were originally and just made it more. In Steve he had heart ,bravery and loyalty, the serum gave him the body to match his heart. His ability to love and the loyalty he feels to lose that he cares about has also been amplified. He truly does love Harry."

"Harry won't feel the same though," Natasha said bluntly, knowing that Steve's love for the new team member could be as strong as it liked for whatever reasons but that wouldn't change the fact that Harry's emotions would not be affected by anything and would be the same as anyone elses.

"Not necessarily," Kingsley said kindly. "He is a broken man; the war he fought in and the years that followed changed him. He lost many that he loved and he became guarded. I watched him almost destroy himself, I can see that he needs Steve just as much as Steve needs him, even if Harry doesn't realise it yet."

"That's why you gave him permission to tell me everything," Steve said, looking up at Kingsley now, he seemed so lost and so sad, like he didn't know what to do. The one thing that he did know however was that this man, he knew Harry, had known him for a long while now and he could help to find him, to bring him back and to keep him safe.

"Yes," Kingsley said, "if I did not think that you would be part of Harry's world long after this battle is done then I would not have permitted him to tell you without repercussions."

"What about the rest of us, do we get to know?" Tony asked, thinking that they all at least deserved to know something about what Harry was. Afterall they were meant to be a team, they were meant to trust each other and fight together to save the world and all the jazz.

"I can allow for you to be told the basic's but I think that perhaps it would be for the best if our world remained something of a mystery to you. The rules are in place to keep us all safe, having our two worlds collide would not end well," Kingsley explained before turning back to Steve. "I'm sorry to pry, but I need to ask you a very personal question. We could discuss it somewhere more private if you would rather."

"No, it's fine," Steve said, his mind and heart still aching with the pain of Harry's absence. He wasn't even sure he had the energy to move at the moment anyway. "If it's important then they probably need to know as well," he added, gesturing at his teammates.

"I assume the two of you were sleeping together, am I correct?" Kingsley asked, watching Steve carefully. When he had sent Harry here he had hoped that maybe he might find someone who appreciated him for him and give him exactly what he needed.

"I can vouch for the fact that they were," Tony said, a smirk on his face as he raised his hand. He just shrugged unapologetically when Steve managed a weak glare in his direction. Tony really did not care how Steve felt about the fact he had watched them, though Tony would never admit that he had watched it a few times since and found a lot of pleasure in it.

"With or without protection?" Kingsley went on, taking what Tony had said on board but keeping his gaze fixed firmly on Steve, watching him carefully. He too had read the files on the team, he wouldn't have sent Harry here without first familiarising himself with the people he would be spending time with. Harry was too valuable for such silly oversights.

He knew of the serum that had altered Steve's genetic code and made his emotions somewhat exaggerated and Kingsley had the same morbid fascination about the combination of serum, which was a modern day invention, with magic, something very old and traditional. He wondered what the result would be when two very powerful people, though in very different ways, came together in this manner.

"That IS personal," Steve said, glaring at the wizard, not really happy about being asked to share even more details of his private life, but when Kingsley continued to look at him, waiting patiently, he sighed and answered the question, though somewhat begrudgingly, "without."

"That is interesting," Kingsley said, giving the Captain a grateful nod for being so forthright. Harry might have had a reputation for being promiscuous but Kingsley also knew the man was cautious, overly so in fact. The lack of protection used between him and his new lover said a great deal about the trust that Harry was placing in Steve's hands. "Perhaps I should not have given him a portkey after all," he added quietly, mostly to himself, though in truth he understood that things could have been far worse, had Harry not had the means to escape.

"Glad that we can be so fascinating to you," Steve snarled, feeling a little like he was being treated like a lab rat again; sure, last time that had worked out mostly in his favour, but he still didn't appreciate it, certain not at the moment. He could take a lot without batting an eyelash but when it came to Harry his patience and tolerance would not last long, especially not if people were set on attacking him.

"I do apologise," Kingsley said softly, smiling a little, "I do not mean to pry, but the questions were important for me to know; it will help me to better protect Harry when we do find him." Kingsley was not sure of the extent Harry had explained their world to Steve but he didn't want to put his foot in it when he couldn't know for sure what Steve knew was possible and what he was still in the dark about. Muggle's were strange when it came to what they could accept and what they couldn't.

"What do you mean, how can knowing if we used protection when we slept together going to help you protect him when we find him?" Steve demanded to know, finding the knowing smile on Kingsley's lips rather infuriating. There were so many things running through his mind that he honestly didn't know what to think any more, the only thing that he knew for certain was that he needed to know that Harry was safe.

"That would be better coming from Harry if it happens, it is possible it hasn't but I had to ask," Kingsley said somewhat mysteriously, he and Nick had a lot in common it seemed, they both liked to be annoyingly mysterious. "However I must now take my leave, Nicky, I trust you can inform your agents of what they need to know of my world."

"Yes," Nick said unhappily, glowering at his brother, hating him for the use of his pet name for him. Tony couldn't help himself and sniggered when he heard what Kingsley had called Director Fury, though even Bruce, Thor and Natasha were looking slightly amused by it.

"I won't use the portkey here, I think using any magic around Mr Stark right now would be detrimental to his health. Though I will bid you all farewell, for now," Kingsley said giving the room an elaborate bow before heading for the door, his midnight blue robes swishing out behind them.

"British people are way weirder than I thought they would be," Tony said with an amused smile as they watched the man leave. Harry had been odd all on his own but when compared with the likes of Kingsley Shacklebolt he was downright normal.

What do you think? This chapter wasn't too evil, only a little bit. Leave me a review and let me know what you think.