The patterns of life at Bryant park emergency shelter had taken on routine feeling. Now that Harry was no longer sulking he actually absorbed some of the toing and froing of the park. From a certain point of view he admired their ability to organize the amount of displaced people with an area very much not designed for it. From another perspective he couldn't give two knuts, he was determined to get in contact with the American wizards.

His only obstacle was the fact he looked like a child, and even in a chaotic environment like a field hospital he couldn't just sneak away. That and his most vigilant guard made it impossible.

"Harry where are you going this time?"

Harry sighed. As much as he appreciated the boy looking out for him over the last week he really wanted to get out of this place.

"Just looking around"

"Well we can look around later! It's almost lunch time"

"It's not even close" Harry replied.

"Yeah but if we don't line up now we'll miss out on the good stuff! And Helen said that it's going to be hotdogs today!"

Harry's appetite had been fairly low even with the return of his motivation.

"You go on ahead"

Oscar looked at him skeptically.

"I don't think so"

Harry opened his mouth again to convince him before he was shocked into silence by Oscar shushing him.

"Look!"

Without getting the chance to redeem his dignity Oscar spun him around and pointed at their sleeping tent.

While there were normally people about in the park, wondering between tents, parents, charities and such, this was different. There was some sort of fuss going on back at the boys sleeping tent and it looked organized.

"Maybe Captain America's back!"

Harry thought that would probably be a bit much to hope for. He squinted to try focus on the people moving from the tent. The volunteer helpers seemed to be looking for someone and Harry felt the first stirrings of dread.

"I don't think so" Harry replied.

"Let's go check it – Hey where are you going?"

Harry didn't wait around to answer because along with the volunteers, people in black uniforms had started to spread out from the tent. Uniforms that looked awfully familiar.

He turned and walked as calmly as he could back towards the food tent.

He made it a few steps before a hand on his shoulder drew him up short.

Jumping he twisted around.

"Harry? Where are you going?"

His heart had rabbited in his chest

Oscar. It was only Oscar.

"I have to go."

"What? Why?"

"They're here for me"

"What? Who are they?"

"Look I don't have enough time to explain! If they find me they'll take me somewhere I really don't want to go"

Oscar just looked at Harry for a long moment before grabbing Harry's hand and leading him around a canvas corner.

"This way"

Harry followed Oscar around to the edge of the mess tent to a quiet edge near the bins.

"Talk Harry, what's going on? No one comes back here unless they need to."

"They're here for me."

"Why you- you're just a kid!"

"I – well it's hard to explain."

"Is it because you're British?"

"What? No. That's – look it'd be hard explain even if I could, well I'd sound crazy but I don't have time. If they catch me they'll hurt me"

Oscar looked pale.

"I need to leave"

"Okay okay right where are we going? We could hide in the administration tent"

"Oscar I can't hide here and you can't come with me, if they catch you with me they'll hurt you"

"Hurt me? What are you talking about? You just want me to let you go alone?"

"That's exactly what I want you to do"

"I – Harry?"

"Look Oscar, I can handle this alone. Besides its safer if you stay here, pretend you never knew me"

"You're just a kid!"

Harry felt frustration and was hit by a sudden feeling of nostalgia. He had been in far too much danger as a child he thought.

"I'll be fine"

Harry debated how dangerous it would be to get an innocent kid involved in all this.

"If you want to help me there is something you can do"

"What?"

"The volunteers know you know me, pretend you have no idea where I am if they ask. Don't be brave. Tell them I went that way" Harry pointed towards the opposite distance.

"Please don't try to be brave, they're monsters"

"They really hurt you didn't they?"

Harry didn't know how to answer this kid. Someone who'd been looking after him.

He nodded.

Oscar's face hardened.

"I'll take care of them"

He paused.

"Harry are you sure you're going to be alright?"

Harry nodded

"I know it's a hard to believe but I'm used to taking care of myself"

Oscar looked at Harry disbelievingly.

"I'll be fine"

"Okay I don't want to do this but good luck Harry" Oscar said as he reluctantly turned from Harry.

"Good luck Oscar"

Harry stood in the shade of the tent and watched Oscar walk over to their tent, alone now Harry felt more exposed but also more self possessed.

He moved.

The layout of the emergency shelter was decently sized but not large enough that he couldn't see the park entrance. He moved.

There was a woman standing casually against the fence and Harry felt the hairs on his arms raise as he walked passed her.

Harry kept his head down and kept moving as normally as possible.

He risked a subtle look behind him and the woman who had been leaning oh so casually had disappeared. It should be nothing. She was probably just a volunteer or worker on a break. Harry thought this all through logically before he realized he didn't believe it for a second.

Harry broke into a jog knowing that if anyone started pursuing him earnestly his shorter legs would be a huge handicap. Now would be a really good time for his magic to cooperate.

He was rounding the corner of another tent and risked a final look back in the direction Oscar had headed. He could see a swarm of the blurry dark clothed agents surrounding his young friend. Oscar was gesturing wildly towards the opposite gate. Harry grinned as the people spread out in that direction.

Not wanting to wait around for anyone to realize they were in the wrong Harry turned back around and immediately slammed into a young woman.

Harry twisted away but she was quick. Even at his best he wouldn't have been able to evade her.

"You need to listen to me"

Like hell he'd listen to her. His track record for American Muggles weren't great.

"You need to come with me"

"No thanks" Harry replied while trying to twist his wrists from her grip.

"Yeah smart kid don't trust her kid she'll stab you in the neck, and that's when she's trying to be helpful"

Harry tensed back further from the woman breaking her grip. He spun resulting in both her and the new speaker being in his line of vision.

It was a man. In a suit of armor. Well that was the best way to describe it, but really it was nothing like a suit of armor, there was nothing medieval about it. Fitted and brightly colored. Light and flexible enough to move with the man who gestured casually as he moved closer.

If Harry was any less stressed he might have gasped. As it was he was so tense he just waited to see how the new player would affect the woman.

She moved. Glancing around her. Harry followed her gaze. Curious individuals in the camp had noticed them. Some pointed at the man in the armor. Some small movement from the woman made her look frustrated and a lot more human.

"Oh wonderful Stark, you really don't need to be here right now"

"I think the more important thing to focus on is what exactly you're doing talking to kids in an emergency shelter in full agent get up? Something tells me it's not PR"

The uniformed people had noticed them. Harry saw them start to move. He needed to leave. Now.

"Could ask you the same thing"

"Always with the questions instead of answers Agent"

Harry determined that they were sufficiently distracted by each other and started inching away. He made it an optimistic four meters before he was hauled off his feet by a hand on the scruff of his neck.

"Hey! I got the kid!"

Harry responded by instinctively trying to apparate. It didn't work, instead felt a surge of magic send both of them flying through the air. Adrenaline making the journey slow but inevitable and Harry did his best to curl and brace himself for a hard landing.

He was snatched out the air and while it was nice to not have hit the ground he was starting to get very sick of being manhandled.

"Hey you okay kid?"

Harry took one look at the man introduced to him the other day as Captain America and thought he'd had just about enough.

"What the hell was that!?"

"Clear the area!"

Harry struggled out of the man's grip till he was standing on his own two feet.

Everyone was talking and people were moving. Steve's hands were on his shoulders.

"You okay? Natasha what are you doing here? What's going on?"

"I'll explain later if I can. Right now we need to get out of here"

People were moving around them. Agents moving civilians back.

"What why? Where do we need to be?"

"Not you. Him"

Harry was suddenly the focus of the attention.

"I'm not going back with you."

"Back where? Natasha what does Shield want with a kid"

"See that's what I was trying to ask"

"I can't tell you here but it's dangerous for the kid" Her voice twisted at the end of the sentence.

Oh yeah Harry thought; she was one of them; she knows.

Harry tried to twist out from the strong grip on his shoulders.

"Well doesn't look like the kid wants to go with you"

"He doesn't have a choice"

"Well that doesn't sound very constitutional"

"He's in danger here"

"Harry? What's going on?"

"Harry?" Natasha questioned, "How do you know him Steve?"

Steve made vague flustered sounds but the other man spoke first.

"The good Captain has been here visiting the poor sick kiddies"

"And you met this kid? You have very strange luck"

"What do you mean? What does Shield have to do with Harry?"

"Okay, okay! Guys we're not getting anywhere."

"Thank you for your addition Stark what do you suggest?"

"Neutral ground obviously" He spoke while staring at the woman

"We take the kid to the tower and you can torture the kid there"

The man in the armor spoke quickly before turning to Harry.

"We wont actually let anyone torture you kid, terrible for the superhero image"

Harry was well and truly sick of being talked over at this point.

"Wait a second I don't know any of you people! I'm not going back anywhere"

The woman frowned.

"You can't stay here, I'll clear the tower with Fury" There was a brief pause "And we don't torture."

"I don't believe that for a second" The armored man, Stark commented.

She answered with a glare as she simultaneously talked rapidly onto her very small air piece. Harry stared. He hadn't even noticed it. He knew by definition magical folk were a bit backwards when it came to technology but this was extreme, he'd never seen anything like it.

"Sir we've had a complication"

"No he's here just ran into some friends"

"Not quite its, well it's Stark and Rogers"

There was a long pause.

"He's reluctant"

"Stark's tower Sir"

She moved suddenly.

"It's cleared. He'll meet us there. And I really have to emphasize that we aren't the bad guys here, Harry was it?"

Harry nodded at the same time Stark talked,

"Juries out"

"Not helping Stark this is bigger than you know"

"What bigger than a twelve year old?"

"You have no idea what you've got yourself involved in"

"Hey why don't we have this discussion somewhere slightly less out in the open".

Steve said looking to their left.

Harry followed his gaze to see Oscar watching them wide-eyed.

Harry gave an awkward little wave.

Oscar now looked confused.

"Good idea, Shield transport is at the park gates"

"Yeah no, we're going in my car"

"This isn't a game Stark"

"Yeah well if you want to ride in Shields transport you go ahead, we'll take the tiny explosive enemy of the state back to my tower in proper transport thanks"

They moved then, a strange trio with Harry between them.

"Cant have a quiet week can we?"

"Complaining about good old fashioned saving kids from evil organizations Captain?"

"To be fair I'm not much of a kid" Harry stated a bit disorientated by all that had happened in quick succession.

"That's what they all twelve year olds say"

Steve laughed but stopped abruptly when they arrived at a car with the woman leaning against.

"I'll drive" The agent, Natasha stated as she slipped into the front seat.

"What? How did you even get here so fast?"

"I'm the best Stark"

It didn't take long after they were all in the car that it was moving, quickly gaining speed. Harry gripped the handle.

Harry never thought he'd miss magical forms of transportation but the drive through the wreckage of New York was really starting to make him reevaluate.